Tonight’s AEW Collision live from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA on TNT at 8/7C.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned (alongside Pat McAfee) to run down Austin Theory in Denver, Colorado on Friday night, and those in attendance at the “SmackDown” Hotel made a lot of noise for the returning People’s Champion, who hadn’t been seen on WWE television since 2019.
McAfee, who had appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” an hour away on ESPN and will co-host “College GameDay” from the same location on Saturday, made the journey to the Ball Arena to greet the WWE Universe, but was interrupted by former foe Austin Theory. After telling Theory he was just out there “enjoying the local laws,” McAfee brought out The Rock, who had appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier in the day, to an objectively earth-shaking ovation from the Denver crowd.
The Rock soaked in the crowd’s adoration for a while before heading down the ring, taking off his jacket, and announcing that “The Rock has finally come back to Denver!” He soon had the crowd running down Theory as well, though those at home listened mostly to a muted broadcast as Fox opted to sensor the organic “holy s*” chants and somewhat less than organic “You’re an ahole” chants. Eventually, Theory tried to get the jump on Rock, but was denied and taken to the ground before the Hollywood star hit Theory with the People’s Elbow. The Rock then gestured for McAfee, who had been dancing and observing in the corner for the segment, to hit a People’s Elbow of his own. The pair celebrated in the ring while Theory was left laying.
In addition to his in-ring segment, Rock briefly encountered John Cena backstage, but as of this writing he has not been seen interacting with any current or former member of The Bloodline. During his “McAfee” appearance, Johnson said there had been plans for a match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and said he’s open to a match with Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Johnson is also currently dealing with the Hollywood writers’ strike and its impact on his broader media endeavors.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
This other video begins a few minutes earlier that the one shown above.
As noted, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide memo asking corporate employees to work remotely on Friday due to “workforce reductions.” This comes in the wake of Endeavor officially merging WWE and UFC to form TKO earlier this week.
Dave Meltzer noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is looking to cut $50 million to $100 million in costs in WWE to increase profitability. UFC went through extensive layoffs in 2016 when Endeavor acquired the company, and it’s expected that WWE will suffer the same fate. It was also noted that Emanuel previously stated that there would be no underestimating TV rights and sponsorship potential.
While WWE’s on-screen product may not look much different in the near future, it’s the behind-the-scenes that will see potentially massive changes. There’s a thought that WWE creative and talent would go unaffected, but Meltzer reminded readers that UFC employees were also told things that didn’t turn out to be true. It’s currently being labeled a “wait-and-see” situation.
PWInsider has already reported the releases of Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Digital, and Catherine Newman, Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing. Haus of Wrestling reported on Thursday that talent releases from both the main roster and “WWE NXT” are expected at some point, but it was not clear whether those would also happen this week.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Dave Brown, an announcer of Memphis wrestling for over 30 years, will be a guest announcer for AEW Collision on October 21 in Memphis, TN.
Brown worked alongside Lance Russell for 25 years on Championship Wrestling for the Continental Wrestling Association.
This marks the first time AEW will hold a show at the venue, with WWE’s last event being Raw on August 28th.
As previously reported, former AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill is expected to be joining WWE.
Dave Meltzer provided more details in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, reporting that Cargill and AEW didn’t come to terms on a new deal.
Meltzer wrote,
“Those in WWE believed she was coming and that it would be on the main roster rather than developmental, but I could see that going either way. Another person in WWE described it to us as that her name was being talked about a lot, but the deal was not completed at press time. The money it would take to get her would have been far more than they pay those in developmental, but while she has a star look and is a great athlete, her skill set and experience level is not at WWE main roster woman levels. But good workers are there to make the less experienced and more marketable workers look better than they are.”
The Observer also reported that former major league baseball star Aaron Phillips, Cargill’s husband, was in attendance in Cincinnati for her possible final AEW match and that there were reports that it was the best match of her career.
Meltzer continued,
“One person in WWE described this as coming out of the blue, but that they do expect her to be coming in. There are several factors involved here including money. Cargill was probably protected more in AEW than she would be in WWE, but that’s not to be sure. She probably can have better matches in WWE because on the main roster the level of the women is higher. From a travel schedule, for someone with outside interests and a daughter, WWE would have her do more matches, which is probably a good thing for her long-run, but travel far more extensive unless she got a sweetheart deal on the schedule. If she has goals outside of wrestling, such as acting since she’s got a superhero look, the WWE main roster exposure would help her more.”
Sources: eWn and Wrestling Observer
On Tuesday, Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group acquired WWE and merged it with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. The two companies will operate as separate entities.
WWE CFO and President Frank Riddick III will be ending his tenure with the company at the end of this month. This comes after he received a $5 million bonus from the sale.
Additionally, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide email to employees on Thursday (see below) to inform them that they should work remotely on Friday so WWE’s HR team can perform “workforce reductions” in private. Employees will be notified of their terminations as the decisions are made throughout the course of the day.
According to a report from Nick Hausman, it has been confirmed that major layoffs will be taking place at the Stamford, CT headquarters later today. Additionally, it was noted that “major cuts” are also expected to be taking place on the WWE main roster and the NXT brand. It remains to be seen whether the talent cuts take place today (Friday) or in the coming weeks. We know for sure the office cuts are coming today.
As you’d expect, the reason for possibly splitting up the timeframe between the office and talent cuts is due to the bad PR that always comes with massive layoffs. Usually, the office cuts take place first. But it’s possible both could end up happening today. We’ll see.
Nick Khan sent a email to WWE employees on Thursday, you can read that below:
“As part of WWE’s transition into the newly formed TKO Group Holdings, we are evaluating our existing operations and systems to identify potential synergies across the business. This effort includes workforce reductions, which will take place tomorrow.
Those whose roles have been impacted will be notified by our Human Resources Team, who will share the details of their severance package. We are asking that everyone work remotely, Friday September 15th, so we can insure all conversations are handled privately and respectfully. We’ll send out a company-wide email once all of tomorrow’s conversations have happened.
Our company is home to the most talented, creative, and hard-working employees in the world. WWE is a special place, which makes moments like this difficult. Just know that we have nothing but gratitude and admiration for everyone we have had the privilege to work alongside.
Thank you for all your contributions and dedication.
Nick Khan”
Source: eWn
One of the most memorable Knockouts in IMPACT Wrestling history, Traci Brooks will be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame at Bound for Glory weekend.
During the 1000th episode of IMPACT Wrestling, the 48-year-old star and her husband Frankie Kazarian teamed up to wrestle the duo of Eddie and Alisha Edwards. The two teams fought with everything they had. In the end, Kazarian and his wife managed to pick up the win.
Following the match, Frankie Kazarian took the microphone to make a special announcement. He revealed that on October 21st in Chicago at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view, the original Knockouts will be inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Traci Brooks took to Twitter to share her excitement. She was beyond honored to join the elite list of wrestlers as part of the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame. Brooks also confirmed that her match last night was her final bout in her professional wrestling career.
Brooks also mentioned that it was an honor to have her final match teaming up with her husband. She’s also looking forward to being inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view in the presence of her son.
“This little farm girl from St. Mary’s, Ontario Canada just wanted to wrestle. I never dreamed of one day being in @IMPACTWRESTLING Hall Of Fame beside the amazing Don West & Mike Tenay. My last match with my wonderful husband by my side & my son in the ring for my HOF announcement,” Traci Brooks tweeted.
Don West and Mike Tenay will also be inducted as part of the 2023 Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2023 at Bound For Glory.
MLW FUSION featuring the return of Salina de la Renta, streaming 8pm tonight on MLW’s YouTube channel and FITE+, Friday on beIN XTRA and Saturday on Cable TV’s beIN SPORTS (find a provider).
Salina de la Renta is en la casa! What’s on the Empresaria of Lucha’’s agenda this week as she continues to make quick moves and reconsolidate her power?
The World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane invites the media out for a filter-free press conference. What’s next for the captain of the BOMAYE Fight Club?
Breaking news on MLW’s next FITE+ premium event drops this week on FUSION. Slaughterhouse will feature a DOUBLE main event. The first match is revealed tonight!
Whispers of The Calling’s ominous presence abound. Could Rickey Shane Page, AKIRA and the devout masked followers be in the house tonight?
When the moonsault hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore… or Love, Doug when he wrestles Little Guido for the first-time ever!
“International Popstar” B3CCA is in the house and in action against Tiara James. James, who makes her debut, faces an emerging contender to the World Featherweight Championship in B3CCA. Will B3CCA inch closer to a title shot? Will Tiara take a win in a triumphant debut?
Microman goes one on one with Sam Adonis! Can MLW’s 3 feet of fighting fury finally teach Adonis a lesson in respect after last week’s deplorable punting incident?
Plus an MLW newcomer joins forces with The Second Gear Crew in their ongoing war with The Calling.
In middleweight action, Ichiban battles TJ Crawford. Crawford, who has proven to be a heavy hitting technician, doesn’t think much of the hype for Ichiban. Wasting no time, Crawford demanded (and reportedly threatened) league officials for a match with the masked fighter and now it is official. What happens when The NumberOne Dojo’s Kokujin Katana” rumbles “The Silver Sniper”?
