Impact Wrestling Preview 8/19/21, New Impact World Champion Christian Cage

Tonight on Impact on AXS TV:

* Emergence go-home show

* Impact World Champion Christian Cage makes his first appearance since winning the title.

* NWA’s Melina makes her in-ring debut

* Chris Sabin & Sami Callihan vs. Ace Austin & Moose

* Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering

* GCW World Champion Matt Cardona vs. Shera

* Madison Rayne’s “Locker Room Talk” returns with special guest Tenille Dashwood

* Knockouts Tag Champ Havok will be in action against Tasha Steelz on Before The Impact at 7 PM ET!

Be sure and check out our live coverage of Impact Wrestling tonight at 8 PM ET!

Paul Wight Confirms In-Ring Return, Will Face QT Marshall At All Out

Former WWE Superstar Paul Wight will make his in-ring AEW debut against QT Marshall at All Out next month.

The legendary Paul Wight will lace up his boots for the first time since July of 2020 when he goes one-on-one with QT Marshall at AEW’s upcoming All Out pay-per-view on September 5th.

Wight announced his imminent return to the ring on the most recent edition of Dynamite, but the catalyst for his return was ignited on Dynamite a few weeks ago when QT Marshall poured a protein shake over Tony Schiavone’s head during a backstage interview. Schiavone had been critical of The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, and Nick Comoroto) and their dastardly antics in the weeks leading up to the incident, much to the chagrin of Marshall, who lashed out and tried to make an example out of the veteran broadcaster.

The following week, The Factory continued to torment Schiavone by assaulting his son in front of his eyes. Paul Wight had no intention of letting Marshall and his cronies bully his old friend and current broadcast partner and so he inserted himself into the matter. The artist formerly known as The Big Show came to the ring and hit Solow with a huge Chokeslam while QT and Comoroto got outta dodge.

On this week’s Dynamite, Wight joined Schiavone in the ring for a chat. He explained that it felt good to hit that chokeslam and said he was still hyped up about it. Before he could go any further, QT and The Factory interrupted. Marshall was clearly concerned that Wight was considering an in-ring return because he came prepared with images of Wight’s carious surgeries, which he displayed on the big screen for all to see. Marshall’s attempts to deter Wight from getting back in the ring failed, and Wight revealed that he would be making his in-ring AEW debut at All Out … against QT Marshall.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1428162490261811203
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1428163484357906442

Wight’s match at All Out will be his first for AEW. His last match took place in WWE back in July of 2020 when he lost to Randy Orton in an Unsanctioned match on Raw.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Preview 8/18/21

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas.

* The Young Bucks (c) vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus (AEW World Tag Team Championship)

* Shawn Spears vs. Sammy Guevara (who also has a major announcement)

* Darby Allin and Sting vs. 2.0 (Texas Tornado Tag Match)

* MJF vs. Chris Jericho (5 Labours of Jericho: Chapter 5 – Jericho can’t use judas effect in the match, can’t use his “Judas” theme song)

* FTW Champion Ricky Starks and Brian Cage confrontation

* Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford

* Britt Baker in action

Goldberg Reveals How Many More Matches Are Left On His WWE Contract

Goldberg appeared on The Bump this week and revealed that he only has two more matches left on his current WWE deal.

SummerSlam is almost upon us and Goldberg will be getting a WWE Title shot as part of the proceedings. The one title that has managed to evade the Hall of Famer for his entire career. Some fans are unhappy that Goldberg is able to waltz in whenever he likes and demand a title shot, while more casual fans are happy to see someone they know back and competing at the top of the card.

Goldberg’s age is one of the primary reasons some fans aren’t all that happy to see him back. When Goldberg’s age is combined with Bobby Lashley’s, it makes their WWE Title match this weekend the second oldest in the championship’s history. As for how much longer Goldberg thinks he can go, he may have shown his hand a little during an appearance on The Bump this week.

Goldberg was asked to pick a winner in the other World Title match taking place at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns versus John Cena. After declaring he isn’t backing either of them, he digressed into speaking about which one he would prefer to face. That conversation ended with the revelation he only has a couple of matches left on his current deal.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1428007101603909634

“I’ve only got one more match, or two more matches on my deal here so we’ll see what happens,” Goldberg says in the clip above. The hesitation over exactly how many matches he has left to wrestle might even suggest his showdown with Lashley could be one of those two matches. If so, he may have to choose between Cena and Reigns for his final match unless he plans on signing a new deal.

If Goldberg wins on Saturday, then perhaps the final match on his current deal will be against whoever he loses the title to. There’s even a chance both matches happen on the same night. Many are lobbying for Big E to cash in on Goldberg at SummerSlam so The New Day man can face his dream opponent and become WWE Champion on the same night. Whether a Money in the Bank cash-in counts as an official match in terms of Goldberg’s deal could be a little dubious, though.

Source: TheSportster

Fans Attending AEW Rampage In Chicago Required To Wear Masks

Fans attending AEW Rampage at the United Center in Chicago this Friday will be required to wear masks.

On Tuesday, Chicago officials imposed a new indoor mask mandate which covers all indoor public settings, including bars and restaurants, clubs and common areas of residential buildings.

Starting Friday, anyone over the age of 2 will have to wear a face mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccine status, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference.

Following Friday’s Rampage, AEW will return to Chicago for three consecutive shows – Dynamite on Sept. 1, Rampage on Sept. 3 and All Out on Sept. 5.

With rumors of CM Punk showing up at United Center, Friday’s Rampage is expected to be one of the biggest shows in AEW history.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Superstar Ruby Soho Teases Next Career Move In New Vignette

Former WWE Superstar Ruby Soho (Ruby Riott) has released a teaser video in anticipation of her return to the ring. Is she AEW bound?

Former WWE Superstar Ruby Soho (Ruby Riott) has shared a vignette in which she teased her return to the world of wrestling following her WWE release back in June.

Ruby took to Twitter to share the 1-minute-long teaser video on Tuesday, August 17. In the video, Ruby can be seen hurrying to catch a train. At one point, the camera cuts to focus o the ticket in her hand which says she is traveling from Orlando to New York’s Penn Station. Unfortunately, Ruby arrives at the platform too late and can do nothing but watch as the train pulls away from the station without her onboard. As the video ends, its title, “The Runaway” appears on screen.

https://twitter.com/realrubysoho/status/1427677496263204869

So far, there’s been no official word from Ruby regarding her next move, but if the ticket in the vignette is a clue, her destination is no longer unknown. We can assume that her return will take place at an event in New York, which is where AEW will be hosting its “Grand Slam Dynamite” on September 22nd.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 8/17/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be the go-home show for Sunday’s Takeover 36 event.

WWE Reportedly Considering “RAW On The Roof” And More Off-Site Events For Next Year

WWE is reportedly considering “off-site events” for next year.

Due to the success of MLB’s Field of Dreams game last week, word now is that WWE officials are in the early stages of talks for a few “off-site events” to be held in 2022, according to @Wrestlevotes.

There’s no word on when these special events might be held, but some ideas discussed among the WWE creative team include a return to the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, more direct festival shows like Rolling Loud, and a RAW on the Roof special, which could see WWE return to the roof of WWE HQ like they did with Money In the Bank last year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Is Considering Moving Royal Rumble For The First Time In Its History

WWE is reportedly considering having 2022’s Royal Rumble in February for the first time in the event’s 34-year history, according to a new report from Fightful (via Cultaholic).

The report states that there have been internal discussions about moving the event to February. There could be a number of reasons for doing so. Perhaps most notably the reports that WWE will be holding a PPV on New Year’s Day in 2022 is the biggest factor. Moving the Rumble would prevent there from being two major shows in the same month.

If WWE does move forward with its plan to have the Rumble in February, it will be the first time the PPV has taken place outside of January in its history. The Royal Rumble has been a staple of the WWE calendar ever since it was first introduced in 1988. The latest it has ever taken place in the past is January 31 in 2010 and again this past January.

As for where exactly next year’s Royal Rumble will go down, that is yet to be announced. However, the same report from Fightful detailing the potential change in month also states that St. Louis, Missouri is the frontrunner right now. That has reportedly been the favored destination of WWE officials for a while with Seattle also being considered.

Royal Rumble is one of the biggest events of the year. The one that marks the start of the road to WrestleMania as the two Rumble winners book their spots in respective title matches. While moving the Rumble closer to WrestleMania would mean overloading that part of the year somewhat, it would also reduce the chance of the Rumble winners getting stale before they get to their title matches. It has already been confirmed that WrestleMania 38 will take place on April 3, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.

Source: TheSportster

WWE RAW Preview 8/16/21

The SummerSlam go-home edition of WWE RAW will take place tonight from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas with the final red brand build for Saturday’s big event.

* Randy Orton vs. RAW Tag Team Champion Omos

* Drew McIntyre vs. Veer and Shanky in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

* WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg has been announced for tonight’s show for a final face-off with WWE Champion Bill Goldberg.