Author: John Bass

Rock ‘N’ Roll Express To Present AEW Tag Team Titles To Tournament Winners

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express will be appearing on next week’s episode of Dynamite to crown the first-ever All Elite Wrestling Tag Team champs.

The legendary tag team will present the winners of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament with the title belts at Wednesday’s show in Charleston, West Virginia.

Despite most of their success coming in the ’80s, Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton are still active in-ring competitors who made their New Japan Pro Wrestling debut just last month!

They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony by their former manager Jim Cornette.

In case you missed it … The Lucha Bros. defeated Private Party to reach the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament final on this week’s episode of Dynamite, while SCU were victorious against The Dark Order.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Diamond Dallas Page Makes Surprise Appearance On AEW: Dynamite (VIDEO)

Diamond Dallas Page had Cody Rhodes’ back tonight during a surprise appearance on All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.

Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle were shown throughout the show in a suite and during an interview segment involving Cody they began to interrupt AEW exec.

Rhodes didn’t budge, however, and told Jericho, “This isn’t like the other wrestling company we came from, this isn’t an invisible wall right here. I could easily step through and I could easily come up there and we can fight right here.”

Jericho attempted to call Cody’s bluff and pointed out how the numbers were on his side.

This prompted Dustin Rhodes, MJF and DDP to come out to make things even. The foursome walked up to the suite, but Inner Circle locked themselves in a room behind a glass door and Jericho began to mock Team Rhodes. Cody was two steps ahead though and wrapped his hand with MJF’s scarf though so he could punch through the door, causing a brawl to breakout.

Watch two videos showing these parts of the segment below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Finn Balor Turns Heel On WWE NXT

The closing segment of last night’s WWE NXT saw Finn Balor turn heel.

Last night’s main event saw Roderick Strong retain his NXT North American Title in a hard-hitting Triple Threat over Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic. After the match, the rest of The Undisputed Era (NXT Champion Adam Cole, NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) hit the ring to celebrate with Strong and attack Lee.

The beatdown stopped when the music hit and out came Tommaso Ciampa with his crutch. Ciampa stood in the ring and faced off with The Undisputed Era until Johnny Gargano came out next to join him. DIY reunited to face off with The Undisputed Era until Balor’s music hit and then he came out to an even bigger pop. Balor, Gargano and Ciampa faced off with The Undisputed Era in the middle of the ring until Balor turned heel out of nowhere and dropped Gargano with an overhead kick.

The crowd and the announcers were stunned as the rest of The Undisputed Era attacked Ciampa and beat him down while Balor watched from the corner. Cole traded a quick stare with Balor, then dropped Ciampa with a running knee to the back of the head. Balor then left the ring, to a mixed reaction, and dropkicked Gargano into the barrier. Balor pulled Gargano over to the bottom of the ramp after that, and spiked his head into the steel.

At first it looked like Balor was joining The Undisputed Era but that was never made official. After Balor dropped Gargano on the ramp, he pointed down at Gargano and looked up at The Undisputed Era, as if he was offering Gargano to the group. The group stood in the ring with their signature poses while Balor offered the beaten Gargano to them. This may have been an indication that Balor turned heel without joining the group. Balor then marched up the ramp and went to the back as his music played, with an angry look on his face. NXT then went off the air with The Undisputed Era standing tall in the ring.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1187191291987156993

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1187189810252804096

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1187190332577857537

Balor took to Twitter today and issued his first comments since the big turn.

He wrote, “I’m back”

https://twitter.com/FinnBalor/status/1187190122703413254

AEW Dynamite Preview 10/23/19

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

* Britt Baker will be in action in her hometown against Jamie Hayter.

* Jon Moxley vs. PAC

* The Young Bucks vs. Best Friends

* Tag Team Tournament Semi-finals Match: The Dark Order vs. SoCal Uncensored

* Tag Team Tournament Semi-finals Match: The Lucha Bros vs. Private Party

* Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela

* Cody Rhodes addresses AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle.

WWE NXT Preview 10/23/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Florida.

  • Roderick Strong to defend NXT North American Title against Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic
  • Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley clash as NXT Women’s division heats up
  • How is Finn Bálor’s past his future?
  • Can Pete Dunne deal with both Damian Priest and Killian Dain?

AEW Dynamite To Debut In Germany

TNT Germany’s Facebook page announced earlier today that AEW Dynamite will premiere in Germany on Fridays at 21:50 local time.

Cody Rhodes commented earlier this month about bringing the brand to Germany.

“It’s definitely something that we’re looking at currently and not particularly because you’re asking me and you’re from Germany,” Rhodes said. “The German market is massive; I just did a German magazine two days ago, I was in two wonderful sell-outs in Paris in terms of France and that market. We don’t want to leave anybody out. One of the things about having a major cable carrier cover this company is that the international deals are very hard to navigate and they are beyond my depth as an EVP. But we have the right people in place because we want the product everywhere: Germany, France, and the smaller European countries.

“Right now, with FITE TV, I know that there are some places excluded and left out, but we’re doing everything we can to get what they call in production ‘ignitions’ to all these countries. And I’ll do everything in my power because it was always my goal for everyone to see. We don’t have a network subscription service just yet so we’re working with the tools we have.

“And our focus was Dynamite to begin with and then growing it out, so I would hope that nobody gets left out in the first month, at least, of Dynamite. Definitely something Mike Weber and FITE have done a great job that we’re working on and, believe me, Matt, Nick, and Kenny – a question we regularly ask in our group meetings is, ‘When are we going here? How do we get there because people want to see it.'”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

CM Punk Says He’s “Absolutely” Interested In Pro Wrestling Return; Talks AEW, Offers, Favorite Match

Even after leaving WWE in 2014, CM Punk continues to make headlines wherever he goes. Recently, talks of him returning to the pro wrestling world have heated up, especially with AEW forming and WWE partnering with FOX. During his time away Punk has done commentary for MMA and is even dabbling in movies.

Punk promoted his latest film, Girl on the Third Floor, while on Barstool Sports’ My Mom’s Basement podcast. He also talked about potentially getting back within the pro wrestling industry. Punk is open to a return compared to when he first left.

“Absolutely,” Punk stated. “For five years I’ve always been asked that question. No matter what I say, it gets reduced to clickbait and it gets warped. I’ve gone through some many iterations of people saying, ‘Oh, Punk hates wrestling.’ None of that was ever the case. I think I’ve always been open to it. My attitude has always been that I don’t see it happening. I think I’ve talked about it more recently, but my attitude hasn’t changed. People always ask what would it take to go back, and I say it would take a big bag. So people use their imaginations.”

When it comes to AEW and WWE, he definitely sees wrestling organizations taking advantage of rumors and everything else that gets fans talking.

“I actually think both companies, WWE and AEW, have used the fact that I’ve been whatever about it to kind of rope people in every now and again,” Punk continued. “To make people think I am coming back on a specific show at a specific time. Whenever a mystery opponent is announced they’ll think it is CM Punk. There is nothing wrong with them trying to do that. They texted me second-hand an offer and I was like ‘real offers only, please.'”

When asked if AEW was a possibility, Punk admits the company has given a small sample size since debuting on TNT. While they have provided offers, he believes the way to contact him has been different compared to most.

“How many shows have they had? There is not a lot of content out there for me to be able to watch,” Punk stated. “I like The Young Bucks, I what they are doing, it is very punk rock.

“I’m that white whale in pro wrestling. I don’t know if that freaks people out on how to approach me, it is what it is. I’m open to the idea, I haven’t been approached properly. I’m not courting anyone to show up with a dozen roses at my front door.”

It is not just AEW and WWE that have reached out to him in their own special way. Punk revealed that Master P, who recently bought House of Glory Wrestling, reached out to him on Instagram.

When it comes to WWE, there is a perception by fans that because Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart came back after so many years away, he will as well. Punk states that’s not really how he looks at it.

“I don’t do things for me based on what other people think, Punk continued. “There are people out there who think, ‘He’s just coming back because he needs the money.’ Do I? I don’t think I do.”

No matter how much time away he’s been away from the ring, Punk will always be a fan of wrestling. When asked his favorite matches and figures, Punk was all over when it came to content to watch.

“One of the greatest matches of all time, I think it was at a Clash of the Champions, it was Ricky Steamboat vs. ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin,” Punk stated. “That’s one of my favorite matches of all time. Look for Smoky Mountain stuff and anything with Prince Kharis. Huge Prince Kharis fan just because of how f*cking insane it is. Prince Kharis is a mummy that was resurrected, and of course he was in pro wrestling. Doesn’t get any better than that.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Barstool Sports’ My Mom’s Basement podcast

AEW Dark Preview 10/22/19

The following matches were taped for tonight’s AEW Dark episode on YouTube:

* Brandon Cutler vs. Joey Janela

* Nyla Rose vs. “The Librarian” Leva Bates w/Peter Avalon

* Cody, Dustin Rhodes, and The Young Bucks vs. Private Party, CIMA, and T-Hawk

* Taz will make a guest commentator appearance.

WWE Special To Air On FOX This Weekend

FOX will be airing a one-hour “WWE Special” this Sunday, October 27 at 5pm ET.

There’s no word yet on what the special will be about, but it will apparently cover current and former Superstars, and some of the history of the business.

Xfinity guides show that the one-hour special will air in the window of NFL coverage, following an episode of PBC Fight Camp.

The synopsis for the “WWE Special” reads like this:

“A profile of some of the greatest stars in wrestling and the sport itself.”

Various TV guides note that the special will have a TV-14 rating.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

XFL Releases Full 2020 Schedule Details

Last week, a plethora of players were drafted to eight new XFL teams. Now, we finally get a chance to see when these teams will be in action. The XFL announced the full schedule for the entire 2020 season, all the way to the championship game.

Each XFL team will host five home games and the schedules will rely heavily on divisional matchups. The XFL East will feature the DC Defenders, New York Guardians, St. Louis BattleHawks and Tampa Bay Vipers. The XFL West will consist of the Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Los Angeles Wildcats and Seattle Dragons.

Four games will be scheduled each week during the regular season. Following Super Bowl LIV on February 2, the first weekend of games (of a 10-week schedule) for the XFL begins on Saturday, February 8 at 2 p.m. ET. The first game will be the DC Defenders hosting the Seattle Dragons on ABC, followed by the Houston Roughnecks hosting the Los Angeles Wildcats at 5 p.m. ET on FOX. The next day, the New York Guardians will be hosting the Tampa Bay Vipers at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, while the the Dallas Renegades host the BattleHawks at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Additionally, Seattle’s home opener will be on February 15, LA’s will be on the 16th, Tampa Bay’s will be on the 22nd and St. Louis’s will be on the 23rd. Two premier matchups will happen back-to-back, as New York and Los Angeles meet on February 29 and Houston and Dallas face off on March 1.

Following the regular season, the top teams will battle to determine who will fight for the League Championship on Sunday, April 26 at 3 p.m. ET. Prior to that, the Eastern Championship Final will be on Saturday, April 18 (3 p.m. ET on FOX) while the Western Championship Final will be on Sunday, April 19 (3 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Tickets for the XFL’s relaunch will be available to the general public on October 24 at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com.

https://twitter.com/xfl2020/status/1186656858964221952

Source: Wrestling Inc.