82 result(s) found
WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman has shed fresh light on the creation of Roman Reigns’ iconic Tribal Chief character, including Vince McMahon’s initial hesitation ...
Bayley has always had a knack for keeping the WWE Universe talking. From her days as the lovable “Hugger” to her transformation into one of WWE’s top villains, ...
Revolution 2023 Date: March 5, 2023 Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Jim Ross We’re back with another AEW pay per view and that should mean something really good. The television shows haven’t been the strongest in recent weeks but that has never stopped the pay per views from being special. The main event will feature MJF defending the World Title against Bryan Danielson in an Iron Man match, which should be…uh, long. Let’s get to it. Zero Hour: Lucha Bros/Mark Briscoe vs. Varsity Athletes/Ari Daivari Mark Sterling are here with the Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese/Josh Woods) and Daivari. Nese poses at Penta to start but Penta is right back with CERO MIEDO. All six come in to strike it out with Penta and Nese being left alone in the ring. Made In Penta gives Penta a quick two before Daivari has to save Sterling. The villains take over on Penta by whipping him into the corner and Woods adds a suplex for two. The Athletes double suplex Penta ..
That’s some heeling. Being a villain in wrestling can be rather difficult, as there is a very fine line to be walked between making the fans mad and going too far. A talented villain can make it work very well, but there are always going to be issues with crossing a line. Such a line might have been crossed this weekend, but the promotion did what they could to make up for it. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Gotcha: Surprise Heel Turn Takes Place At AEW Revolution During the main event of AEW Revolution over the weekend, Maxwell Jacob Friedman took a drink from a fan and threw it on a child. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, it turns out that the cup contained tequila, which Friedman did not know, thinking it was water. Amanda Huber (the widow of Brodie Lee) came out and sat with the fan and brought him backstage, where he was given signed merchandise and tickets to Dynamite in Sacramento, California this week. Tony Khan also reportedly spoke to Friedman about the incident. That didn’t ..
To the other side. While there are all kinds of wrestlers on any given roster, one of the most important distinctions between them is whether they fight for good or bad. This has been the reality in wrestling for decades and continues to be to this day. It makes a difference when someone changes from one side to the other and now it has happened again in a rather violent way. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Two Sports: Current WWE Star Hopes To Compete In Boxing Match This weekend at AEW Revolution, Jamie Hayter successfully defended the Women’s Title against Saraya and Ruby Soho. Following the match, Soho attacked Hayter and Britt Baker, aligning herself with Saraya and Toni Storm. This comes after weeks of the two groups feuding, with Soho sitting on the sidelines. The turn marks the first time that Soho has been a villain in AEW. Soho can be a force. Check out what she has done in AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..
It wasn’t over. WWE presents all kinds of wrestling events every year, many of which are aired on national television. At the same time, there are several events that only take place in front of the crowd, with the WWE cameras not rolling. Sometimes you will get to see some of the footage shot by fans though, and that was the case this week, with some big names featured. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Silver Screen: John Cena Set For Villain Role In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film This weekend, Roman Reigns made a rare appearance at a WWE live event, defeating Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Following the match, as shown in footage shot by a fan, Reigns said that Zayn was going to pay for his past actions and then attacked him again. Reigns had previously beaten Zayn in a title match at Elimination Chamber in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was a brutal one. Check out the beating, plus their previous match: [This post contains video, c..
It must be a wrestler thing. There are certain wrestlers who have tried their hands at acting, but only a few have managed to make it work. You never can tell when someone is going to find success in another field. When it does work, it can make for some interesting acting roles, and now we are in for another one. It just happens to be the second time a wrestler has played the role. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Long Term: WWE Continues Protecting Surprise Name For Future Roman Reigns Feud According to Deadline.com, John Cena will be voicing Rocksteady in the upcoming film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The film will be released by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, with a trailer being expected later this year. This will be the second time that a wrestler has voiced Rocksteady, as Sheamus voiced the character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows. Cena has other talents too. Check out some of his work in his more famous job: [This post contains video, click t..
It might be a bit. Villains have a tricky job in wrestling, as they have to find a way to make the fans dislike them without being too good at what they do. One of the easiest ways is to take away something that the fans want, which could come in many forms. Occasionally it means having a wrestler not be around for one reason or another, which is what we are seeing again now. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Farewell? New Japan’s Jay White Signals He Is Ready For A New Era, Possible Move Last week on AEW Dynamite, Hook attacked Stokely Hathaway, allegedly injuring his arm in the process. As a result, Hathaway has been wearing a brace on his arm since the attack. This week, Hathaway was talking about wanting justice for the attack when he was told that Hook had been suspended, pending an investigation. There is no word on how long Hook will be missing from AEW TV. Hook is something different. Check out what he has done in AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vi..
That wasn’t nice. Wrestlers have quite the difficult job, as they are required to make fans either love or hate them while realizing that what they are seeing might not be on the up and up. That is a tricky situation, but there are ways that villains can do various evil things which will drive fans crazy. That was the case this week at Monday Night Raw, but things were a little backwards. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They Are? Major Change On The Usos’ Elimination Chamber Status During his most recent run with WWE, Brock Lesnar has been a babyface for an extended period of time in several years. This has included wearing a cowboy hat and speaking to the fans when he comes to the ring. A clip from this week’s Monday Night Raw has made its way to Twitter, showing Lesnar putting his hat on a young fan and then taking it back. This aired during Lesnar’s entrance on the television broadcast. He might need some work. Check out Lesnar messing with a kid and his recent efforts: [This post contai..
Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time NXT has left Orlando for a televised event since Stand & Deliver over Wrestlemania weekend. At some point they just need to get out of Florida and heading to Charlotte is as good of a way as any. The card actually has me interested this time, though the television show from this week wasn’t so great. Maybe they can overcome that with a good one here so let’s get to it. North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Dijak We’ll start off with one that can go either way as Dijak is a monster who can run through a lot of people and Lee is someone who could be champion for a nice run. This has been built up for a few weeks with Dijak speaking more and more like an 80s movie villain. Lee has turned into a much better star than I would have expected him to be and this is a tossup so far. I’ll go with Lee here, as it would not surprise me to see Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come in to cost Dijak the match. Dijak is someone who needs to be protected ..
They’re on the other team. There are all kinds of wrestlers on the AEW roster and sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of everyone. Occasionally a wrestler needs to do something to mix it up a little bit, some of which involves changing from one side to another. That was the case this week, but in this case it was a pair of wrestlers instead of just one. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Well Deserved: The Wrestling World Pays Tribute To Jay Briscoe This week on AEW Dynamite, Toni Storm defeated Willow Nightingale, partially due to a distraction by Saraya. After the match, Storm and Saraya attacked Nightingale, turning heel in the process. Nightingale’s occasional partner Ruby Soho ran in for the save. The turn marks the first time that either Saraya or Storm have been a villain during their time in AEW. There are some interesting stars in this. Check out some of the people involved: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..
NXT Date: January 17, 2023 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph We’re done with New Year’s Evil and now all roads lead to Vengeance Day in about two and a half weeks. The show will feature Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Grayson Waller in a cage match but we’re going to need more than that. There is a lot of potential for the rest of the show though and we should hear more this week. Let’s get to it. Opening recap, featuring all of the returns and surprises. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes vs. Axiom/Apollo Crews Williams works on Axiom’s arm to start and then runs him over for a bonus. A pop up right hand puts Axiom down again and it’s off to Hayes. An enziguri gets Axiom out of trouble though and it’s Crews coming in to clean house. Hayes gets knocked to the floor so Crews tosses Axiom onto both villains as we take a break. Back with Axiom and Hayes clotheslining each other but it’ snot enough to get back over to Crews..
They switched. Stables are an interesting concept in wrestling as you can have a bunch of wrestlers together in one group to let them get more television time. That can cause a lot to change at once if the entire group does something different. That seems to be the case this week, as a team of wrestlers is now going in a rather different direction for the first time in this place. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Run It Back: Roman Reigns’ Next Title Defense And Opponent Announced This week on SmackDown, Ricochet defeated Top Dolla in a Royal Rumble qualifying match. Following the match, Dolla shook Ricochet’s hand, allowing Dolla’s Hit Row teammate Ashante Thee Adonis to superkick Ricochet. The team, including B Fab, attacked Ricochet, turning heel in the process. Braun Strowman, Ricochet’s occasional tag partner, ran in for the save. This is the first time Hit Row will have been villains since their original run in NXT. It was a busy night. Check out Hit Row, both new and old: [This post c..
A serious situation. Wrestlers portray either heroes or villains in the ring, but that does not mean that they are the same way when the cameras stop rolling. You never know what you might be seeing behind the scenes, but every now and then, a glimpse comes through. Now we can see something else from a former wrestler in a serious situation and it is not the nicest thing. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Upgrade: Road Dogg Explains Changes Coming To NXT Call-Up System Back in August, former NXT star Velveteen Dream was arrested in Orlando, Florida on charges of first degree battery and trespassing. TMZ has released video of Dream being arrested outside of an Orlando fitness center. The video shows Dream yelling at the officers, asking for his phone to call his lawyer and repeating that he had not been read his rights. The case was later dropped with the alleged victim did not wish to press charges. This is a rough sit. Check out the arrest footage: [This post contains video, click to play] ..
That’s some high praise. There are wrestlers who have put together such a career and legacy that they are looked at as something of a sage. Anything they say is worth listening to and praise from them can mean quite a bit for anyone. It makes a difference if they give someone an endorsement and now one such legend is praising someone who might take you by surprise. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re Ready: Backstage Details On Elite’s AEW Return During a recent edition of his Gentleman Villain podcast, AEW’s William Regal named former WWE star Damien Sandow as “the one that got away”. Regal said that Sandow reminded him of himself, in that he might not have been the top star in the company, but he was going to be able to make anything work. He also praised FCW for helping train Sandow, saying that FCW stars were polite, asked the right questions and were respectful, with Sandow having those qualities. Regal said that he believed Sandow would always have a job in wrestling at a high level..
Dynamite Date: November 9, 2022 Location: Aggaris Arena, Boston, Massachusetts Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone We are just over a week away from Full Gear and the card could use some help. So far the main matches are a four way for the Ring Of Honor World Title and MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title. Other than that we a few title matches and the finals of a tournament that hasn’t started yet. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Gunn Club/Swerve In Our Glory vs. FTR/Acclaimed Billy Gunn storms the ring before the bell but gets ejected for jumping Swerve. We settle down to Wheeler hammering on Swerve in the corner as the fans are rather pleased with the goings on. The good guys take turns on Swerve, including the scissoring from the Acclaimed, as everything breaks down, with the four villains getting punches rained down in the corner. We take a break and come back with Harwood suplexing his way out of trouble and avoiding a splash in the corner. The hot t..
That’s a big change. There are a lot of ways to change things up for a wrestler, some of which can be quite drastic. While that can include a complete repackaging with almost everything being changed, the more common answer is to turn them from either good to bad or bad to good. While it might not be the case in full, we might have been seeing quite the major change. This week on Monday Night Raw, United States Champion Seth Rollins defeated Austin Theory. During the match, Rollins appeared with his old two colored hair style and also wrestled a cleaner style without using his usual cheating methods. While not confirmed, this could suggest that Rollins is shifting more towards a babyface turn after years as a heel. There is no word on WWE making a full fledged turn at the moment. Opinion: I’m not sure what to think about this, as while Rollins is someone who can work well in either style, the idea of such a sudden change is a little jarring. Rollins has been such a despicable villain..
History has been made! There are all kinds of titles under the WWE banner and some of them are among the most important in all of wrestling. It means something when someone wins one of the titles, especially if it ends a long reign by a former champion. That was the case again this week as a major title reign came to an end at the hands of someone who has held the title before. The main event of this week’s Monday Night Raw saw Bayley defeat Bianca Belair to win the Raw Women’s Title. The win came after the returning Nikki Cross laid out Belair with a DDT, allowing Bayley to win the title. This makes Bayley a two time Raw Women’s Champion, after she previously held the title for about two and a half months back in 2017. Belair’s reign ends at 206 days after she won the title from Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38. Opinion: This is a title change that needed to happen as Bayley has been presented as the top villain in the women’s division since her return at Summerslam. To be a villain o..
At least he had a reason. The biggest wrestling story of the year has been the departure of Vince McMahon from WWE. After nearly four decades of McMahon in charge of the company, he has finally stepped down and handed the reins off to someone else. That has caused quite a few changes and now we have a better idea about one of McMahon’s less well received decisions. CJ Perry, formerly known as Lana in WWE, recently appeared on In The Kliq to talk about some of her time in WWE. Perry mentioned the Rusev Day story, which took place in 2017-18 and saw Rusev become one of the more popular stars in WWE, though he never officially turned good. According to Perry, McMahon never allowed the full turn because he saw Rusev as his “Bulgarian Brute 300 pound crazy villain” and did not want to change his vision. Rusev was released from WWE in April 2020 and debuted in AEW five months later. Opinion: I can see McMahon’s thinking here, but ultimately you need to take a chance at some point. WWE spen..
She’s not happy. There are certain wrestlers who are better as villains that heroes and the key is figuring that out. Finding the right balance and standing for a wrestler is one of the most complicated yet also important things that a promotion can do. Now WWE has managed to get it right with one of its top stars, which was on display after a match over the weekend. This weekend, WWE presented a Saturday Night’s Main Event show in Dayton, Ohio. The show featured Ronda Rousey successfully defending her SmackDown Women’s Title against Liv Morgan in an Extreme Rules match. Following the match, Rousey ripped up a fan’s sign in praise of Morgan and then stormed off. Rousey defeated Morgan in an Extreme Rules match to win the title at the event of the same name. She wasn’t pleased. Check out Rousey going after the fan’s sign: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of villainy that will always work. You have someone the fans want to see lose get in the face o..