WWE Reportedly Did AEW Mention On RAW To Make The Show Seem Edgier

WWE officials reportedly scripted Sami Zayn’s AEW mention into Monday’s RAW, according to a new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The idea behind the name-drop was that it makes RAW edgy because someone said something they might not be allowed to say.

We noted before how the AEW mention was edited off the YouTube replay, but it was left on the USA Network website and app replay. The mention was also left in the Hulu replay, which is usually heavily edited.

While multiple sources are now reporting that the line was scripted, many if not most people within the company were told otherwise. It was previously reported that Vince McMahon “flipped out” backstage when Sami made the mention, and he did act like he was freaking out, according to the Observer. The Observer notes that since the buck stops with Vince in WWE, either his behavior was a miscommunication, which is what the Observer was told, or an attempt to “work the boys” backstage.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW Fusion Live “Fury Road” Preview 6/1/19

Go full throttle with Major League Wrestling on beIN SPORTS live this Saturday night at 9pm EST/6pm PST for 60 minutes of high octane as MLW presents FURY ROAD.

The one-hour special will feature two championship fights live from the greater Milwaukee area airing 9pm EST/6pm PST.

In a dream match, chaos will be carnage when Teddy Hart defends the World Middleweight Championship against “England’s Most Dangerous Man” Jimmy Havoc. Defending the middleweight belt a record 4th time, Hart will be tasked with stopping the violent death match wrestler in what promises to be a wild championship encounter.

History will be made in the National Openweight Championship Finals as the inaugural champion is crowned at Fury Road.  6’3” Alex Hammerstone and the 2018 Rookie of the Year Brian Pillman Jr. will clash in the championship finals Live on beIN SPORTS.  Will Dynasty’s ace Alex Hammerstone make good on his promise of winning the belt? Will destiny bring the popular Pillman his first major championship?

Myron Reed has a bad attitude and a brilliant in-ring game but will he be able to handle the veteran luchador known as “The Base God” Gringo Loco?

The reigning World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will sit down for an exclusive interview with Kaci Lennox to discuss his next title fight.

Ever the powerhouse promoter, Empresaria Salina de la Renta has brokered another blockbuster deal. What is it? Who is it? Find out LIVE on beIN SPORTS.

CONTRA Unit promises to continue their campaign to disrupt and destroy MLW. Who is next in the crosshairs of the global dealers in violence? Only the outsiders Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael and Simon Gotch know for sure.

Join play-by-play announcer Rich Bocchini along with the legendary Jim Cornette this Saturday night June 1 on beIN SPORTS as Major League Wrestling presents FURY ROAD at 9pm EST/6pm PST.

WWE NXT TakeOver XXV 6/1/19

WWE NXT TakeOver XXV

June 1, 2019 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 6:30 PM ET) Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut

NXT Championship: (C) Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole

NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai

NXT North American Championship: (C) Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Breeze

NXT Tag Team Championship (Vacant) – Ladder Match: The Forgotten Sons vs. The Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Undisputed ERA (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong

Kofi Kingston Presents WWE Title To President Of Ghana During Homecoming Tour (Photos, Videos)

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is currently on a four-day tour of Ghana. He presented a WWE Title belt to President Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday.

This is Kofi’s first trip to Ghana since 1993. He arrived in the capital of Accra on Thursday to a crowd of fans and members of the government’s 2019 Year of Return Steering Committee. Kofi then visited the President at Jubilee House to present the WWE Title.

Kofi was also scheduled to visit the Manhyia Palace to pay homage to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, host a children’s rally, visit the Mother and Baby Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and make other appearances. Kofi was also scheduled to visit Ejisu and Atwima Techiman, which are his paternal and maternal hometowns.

Below are a few shots from Kofi’s trip, along with part 1 of WWE’s Homecoming series for the WWE Champion:

https://twitter.com/TrueKofi/status/1134381283671302144

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Preview 5/31/19

Scheduled for tonight’s Impact, airing on Pursuit and Twitch 10 ET/9 C.

* Johnny Impact & Michael Elgin vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack

* Street Fight: Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross

* Glen Gilbertti vs. Tessa Blanchard

* Tommy Dreamer, RVD & Sabu vs. Moose & The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)

* Desi Hit Squad vs. The Deaners

* Health update on Impact World Champion Brian Cage

AEW Double Or Nothing PPV Buys, Online Interest Tops WWE Shows

All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing pay-per-view is currently estimated at drawing around 98,000 buys, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This number includes buys from TV and digital pay-per-view, with close to a 50/50 split between the two platforms.

To compare, the All In event from 2018 reportedly drew around 55,000 pay-per-view buys.

The Observer noted that around 2/3 of the Double Or Nothing buys came from the United States. The UK came in at a strong second, followed by Australia, Germany and Canada. With replay buys, Double Or Nothing should top ECW’s best pay-per-view, which drew 99,000 buys, and become the biggest pay-per-view in pro wrestling history that was not produced by WWE or WCW. The Observer noted that Impact Wrestling/TNA only did half the buys that Double Or Nothing did in its 16 years, and they only did that a few times, and never came close to beating the number.

Regarding online interest in Double Or Nothing, AEW was the second most-searched item on Google Trends for Saturday night, topping 220,000 searches, trailing only the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. All In, New Japan Tokyo Dome shows and the ROH/NJPW Madison Square Garden show never cracked the top 20 trends list. WWE NXT as only broke the top 20 once, when it hit 50,000 for the recent NXT “Takeover: New York” event. The AEW interest on Saturday night beat the last UFC show by 12% and WWE Money In the Bank by 35%. When it came to second-day interest, Double Or Nothing more than quadrupled Money In the Bank and was more than six times greater than UFC 237.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Joey Ryan Reveals His Pro Wrestling Future

There have been a lot of questions as to where Joey Ryan would be heading following his recent legal battle with Lucha Underground. While AEW and WWE had both reportedly been interested in signing him, Ryan has decided to go a different route.

Joey Ryan stated at a Bar Wrestling event last night that he turned down lucrative deals from multiple promotions. He will remain on the independent scene where he built and innovated his brand.

Over the years, Ryan has become the “King of Dong Style” and has been known for his intergender matches. It was before this promo that he actually faced Priscilla Kelly. He stated that he wouldn’t be able to be his true self if he took a deal with another promotion.

Ryan, 39, compared himself to Aladdin, stating that he wanted to be a prince but knew he had to be his true, authentic self. He went on to say that independent wrestling and its fans have become the blonde girl he’s been looking for on Being The Elite. He finished by saying he may be a big fish in a small pond, but it is his pond.

You can see the video at this link.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Goldberg Announced For Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown Live

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg has been announced for Tuesday’s SmackDown Live episode from the Sames Auto Center in Laredo, Texas, his first blue brand appearance.

Goldberg will appear on SmackDown just days before his match with The Undertaker at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. Taker has been announced for Monday’s go-home RAW from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

Below is WWE’s announcement on Goldberg:

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1134280261439578112

Sasha Banks Reportedly Met With Vince McMahon Recently

It has been a long time since Sasha Banks has been on WWE TV. The multi-time WWE Women’s Champion was last seen at WrestleMania 35, when she and Bayley lost the Women’s Tag Team Titles to The IIconics. There have since been reports of her wanting to quit the company.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sasha and Vince McMahon had a meeting on 5/23. Things have reportedly gotten better between the two, and while it is not official, she could be back sometime this summer.

It was reported a while back that Banks felt frustrated with WWE’s decision to take away her and Bayley’s tag titles at the last minute. The match with the IIconics also featured the teams of Nia Jax and Tamina along with Natalya and Beth Phoenix. She was under the impression that the duo would have a chance to have a strong run with the titles that they won at the Elimination Chamber PPV. The hope was they would help legitimize the titles.

Just recently, Sasha sent out a cryptic tweet that had that included lyrics from rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Dumb It Down” single, as seen below:

https://twitter.com/SashaBanksWWE/status/1134185047710425088

Source: Wrestling Inc.

When Will The First-Ever AEW World Champion Be Crowned? Chris Jericho Reveals Match With “Hangman” Adam Page

Chris Jericho appeared on Busted Open Radio today and revealed that he will do battle with “Hangman” Adam Page at AEW’s All Out pay-per-view during Labor Day Weekend near Chicago.

Page won the Casino Battle Royale on the AEW Double Or Nothing “Buy In” pre-show this past Saturday night to earn a shot against the winner of Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, in a match that will crown the first-ever AEW World Heavyweight Champion. It looks like AEW will be crowning that champion at All Out.

All Out takes place on Saturday, August 31 from the Sears Centre Arena near Chicago, the same arena where All In was held last year. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 14.

For those who missed it, below is a closer look at the AEW World Heavyweight Title belt, recently tweeted by AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart appeared at Double Or Nothing last weekend to reveal the belt.

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1133098085075152896

UPDATE:

All Elite Wrestling has confirmed Chris Jericho vs. “Hangman” Adam Page for the All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, August 31 near Chicago.

Page vs. Jericho will crown the first-ever AEW World Heavyweight Champion. Tickets for the event go on sale June 14.

Below is the announcement:

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1134565225053790208

Source: Wrestling Inc.