Warner Bros. Discovery has seemingly adopted a more stringent approach towards profanity on their broadcasts.
Explicit language was prominent in prior episodes of AEW Dynamite, but recent broadcasts have indicated an increased use of censorship.
The June 26th episode of AEW Dynamite notably featured instances where certain words and phrases were censored, including during a promo by MJF.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer remarked on the apparent shift in Warner Bros. Discovery’s stance on profanity, noting even the censorship of mild language, which was not a common practice.
Meltzer said, ”There’s definitely something that’s changed in WBD when it comes to language because they were bleeping tame stuff and they used to let almost everything go. Somebody somewhere has decided that what they were doing before is no longer kosher.”
Despite these changes, AEW continues to offer an edgier product with depictions of blood and violence. Whether Warner Bros. Discovery will extend its scrutiny to the level of violence depicted in AEW programming remains to be seen.
WWE star Rhea Ripley and AEW star Buddy Matthews have announced that they have gotten married.
Ripley posted a photo of the two kissing on social media, revealing that the couple got married on June 23, 2024. “Til death. 🖤 23.06.24,” said Ripley’s comment along with the photo.
The Australian couple started dating in 2022 and got engaged last year. A recent report revealed that Matthews was written off AEW television on the June 15 edition of “AEW Collision” so that he could return back to Australia to spend time with his family. On the show, Matthews was attacked backstage by The Patriarchy to write him off television.
Ripley recently discussed her relationship with Matthews, stating that the couple are happy about each others’ success in their respective pro wrestling companies. She added that Matthews isn’t threatened by her top position in WWE and that the AEW star is comfortable with what she’s doing. Ripley has been sidelined from WWE since April and had to relinquish her WWE Women’s World Championship after suffering a legitimate shoulder injury. As per a recent report, The Judgment Day member could potentially return to WWE at SummerSlam, which is set to take place on August 3.
Following her hiatus from WWE, Ripley’s on-screen partner, Dominik Mysterio, has been in an ongoing romantic storyline with Liv Morgan, the current Women’s World Champion, who was also the reason for Ripley’s injury.
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, live on TBS from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and AEW International Champion Will Ospreay vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun)
Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinal: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix
Trios Match: Blackpool Combat Club’s (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) vs. LIJ (Shingo Takagi, Titan and Hiromu Takahashi). Bryan Danielson will be on commentary for this match.
Saraya, Harley Cameron and Anna Jay vs. AEW World Women’s Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa
AEW has encountered challenges utilizing its extensive talent roster despite having multiple hours of weekly television.
In recent weeks, fans have expressed a strong desire to see the return of Ricky Starks, who has been absent from AEW programming for several months.
Starks’ last appearance was on the March 30 episode of AEW Collision, during which he suffered an injury scare, leading to a change in the planned match outcome.
Since that match, Starks has publicly stated that he is not injured and expressed uncertainty regarding AEW’s decision not to involve him in programming. Meanwhile, AEW President Tony Khan has publicly expressed his desire to bring Starks back to television.
Fightful has now shared an update on Stark’s status with AEW. According to sources within the promotion, Starks has turned down specific proposed storyline ideas despite conflicting accounts.
Some sources claim that Starks declined only one storyline pitch in recent months, while the extent to which he rejected other ideas remains to be determined.
According to reports, there were concerns regarding fan reaction when Starks was not booked at AEW All In 2023. This led to the development of a suspension storyline.
Additionally, at that time, Starks was reluctant to be part of a tag team and was dissatisfied with the lack of follow-up to his match with Bryan Danielson. Starks perceived the conclusion of last summer as a pivotal moment in his booking, noting a slowdown in his momentum following CM Punk’s departure.
Criticism has emerged within AEW regarding Starks’ approach to potential storylines. While some within the company have expressed disappointment at his reluctance to engage in proposed creative directions, others involved in the storytelling process had hoped to use these opportunities to elevate different characters.
Further reports suggest that there’s been internal disagreement within AEW regarding communication between Starks and the management.
Moreover, conflicting information about Starks’ aspirations has surfaced, with speculation that he may be considering a move to WWE. However, the specifics of his AEW contractual status remain unknown.
WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoaʻi has died at the age of 79. Born Leati Sika Amituana’i Anoa’i, he was the father of Roman Reigns and late WWE star Rosey
Jahrus Anoa’i broke the news that Anoa’i passed away in an Instagram post. He leaves behind his wife Patricia and four children including Roman Reigns. Sika was preceded in death by his son Rosey.
Following in his brother’s footsteps, Sika began training in the early 1970s and made his Stampede debut in 1973. The Wild Samoans made their way to WWF in 1979 and became two-time WWF Tag Team Champions during their initial run. While away from the company for a few years, The Wild Samoans spent time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Mid-South, and Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Upon returning to WWF in 1983, Afa and Sika regained the WWF Tag Team Championship and reigned for several months that year. Sika returned again in 1986 as a singles competitor before teaming up with Kamala. His last televised WWF match would be a battle royal at WrestleMania IV, which was won by Bad News Brown.
Sika wrestled nearly a dozen more times following his sole WrestleMania bout, and his last match took place on the indies in 2006. The Wild Samoans were then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and remained active as trainers at their own school in Florida.
After news broke Tuesday that WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i had died at the age of 79, his son Roman Reigns took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a tribute to his late father.
“My family and I thank everyone for the outpouring of support in the name of my father, Pola’ivao Leati Sika Anoa’i, who will forever be remembered as one half of The Wild Samoans tag team,” he said. “My father had a profound impact on my entire family and we are forever grateful for the foundation he built for us. There’s no way to fill the void left by his passing but my sisters and I will do our best to represent him and his legacy. Rest in Power, Dad. We love you.”
NXT Heritage Cup Match: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Nathan Frazer
NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tag Team Turmoil Match: The O.C. vs. Chase U vs. New Catch Republic vs. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs. Humberto & Angel
Ludwig Kaiser reportedly suffered an injury on the June 24 episode of WWE RAW, and it prompted WWE to change plans.
Kaiser faced Bron Breakker on Monday’s show, and the referee checked on him during the bout. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that he heard that Kaiser was hurt. However, he noted that he did not know how serious the injury was. (H/t Ian Carey of F4WOnline.com)
Likewise, WrestleVotes reported that they heard that Ludwig Kaiser suffered an injury during the match. The report noted that Kaiser was scheduled to compete in the Money in the Bank qualifying match with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus on the July 1 episode of WWE RAW. WWE announced that Ilja Dragunov would be the third participant in that match.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that there was concern that Kaiser was injured backstage on Monday.
There is concern Ludwig Kaiser is injured backstage.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) June 25, 2024
The Wyatt Sicks’ resident Abby the Witch, formerly known as Nikki Cross, delivered a message to the WWE Universe from Uncle Howdy and Bo Dallas on “WWE Raw,” all while giving Chad Gable another scare. Gable was taken out backstage in an attack by the Wyatt Sicks during their debut on “Raw” last week, but was cleared to compete after suffering what looked like a head injury from the debuting faction, ultimately qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating “Big” Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman.
Gable — whose digital graphics could be seen glitching as he approached and entered the ring — was celebrating his victory in the ring when the lights in the arena shut off, a chilling piano tune began, and fog filled the ring. Cross crawled into the ring behind Gable, who fell down, and was backed into a corner before making his escape.
Cross then made her way out of the ring and grabbed a package ringside. She handed it off to Michael Cole, who was the only person on commentary. When the broadcast came back from commercial, Cole opened the package, which he said was addressed to his co-commentator Pat McAfee, who was not present after receiving another Wyatt Sicks scare on an episode of his ESPN show earlier in the day. The package contained a VHS tape that said “play me” on the side.
Later in the show (after somebody in production found a VCR, per Cole) the video was played for the audience. The same piano music played to start off the footage, and Uncle Howdy was shown, as the tape flashed to show the entire Wyatt Sicks faction.
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“Are you happy?” Howdy said in a distorted voice. “How have you been since the loss? Do you feel as though you have been forgotten?”
The late Bray Wyatt’s brother, Bo Dallas, who plays the Uncle Howdy character, was then shown, appearing maskless on WWE TV for the first time since he was released from the company in 2021. He told his alter ego he was “nobody.” Uncle Howdy then asked Dallas how he felt when his brother died.
“Like the most important thing in my life was taken away from me,” Dallas said. “Like nothing was ever going to matter again.”
Uncle Howdy then asked the mourning talent if he thought he was exploiting his brother’s legacy, echoing concerns expressed by many fans in the wake of the Wyatt Sicks’ debut last Monday. Dallas said that all he ever wanted his entire life was to be like his brother. He said he looked up to him and worked his entire career so he could be next to him.
“We were going to rule together. We were there. We had it,” Dallas said. “And then it was taken away from me. There is no one on this earth that feels more hurt than me from his loss. Not one person on this earth feels what I feel. What am I supposed to do? … let everyone forget about what he stood for? What he fought for? What he believed in?”
Dallas said that they made them “all remember,” to which Uncle Howdy agreed. “Yes, we did,” he told Dallas, and the camera panned to show that Dallas and his alter ego seated across from each other as the footage ended.
On the April 8th episode of WWE RAW, Liv Morgan attacked Rhea Ripley in a backstage segment which resulted in Ripley suffering a legitimate shoulder injury. She later relinquished the Women’s World Title and was written off WWE television, with an expected return timeframe of around four months.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Ripley has opted to undergo shoulder rehabilitation instead of surgery. Due to this, she may not make it back as early as expected.
With that being said, several preparations have been made so Ripley can return whenever she’s needed. It’s also possible that she could return in a non-wrestling capacity if creative decides to go that route.
While Ripley is expected to continue feuding with Liv Morgan when she returns, the specific story available at the time of her return will determine her creative direction.
Finally, it was added that the hope is that she will make an on-screen appearance in some capacity before SummerSlam 2024.
According to a report from TMZ, former WCW, ECW, and WWE wrestler 2 Cold Scorpio was arrested earlier this month in connection with a stabbing incident.
The altercation occurred on June 15 at a Love’s Travel Stop in Kansas City, MO.
Scorpio, whose real name is Charles Scaggs, stated to the police that he was a security guard at the time. He noticed a man lighting a cigarette inside the building and approached him.
The situation escalated, leading to an altercation outside, during which Scorpio claimed he acted in self-defense by using a knife.
The injured man, found on the ground with multiple wounds, accused Scorpio of causing the incident.
As a result, Scorpio was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He has since been released on bond and has pleaded not guilty.
An upcoming hearing on this case is scheduled for next month.
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