Author: Ethan Renner - Page 203

WWE’s Nick Khan promises imminent NXT revamp

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Ethan Renner

WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan says that a “revamp” of NXT is underway and that changes to the product will be seen within a couple of weeks.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, Khan said that Triple H is leading the changes.

“We’re doing a complete revamp on NXT, led by Triple H, Paul Levesque, who is really one of the architects of the original NXT,” said Khan.

“In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it in the next couple of weeks. It’s gonna have a whole new look, it’s gonna have a whole new feel.”

Khan also indicated a change in philosophy when it comes to recruiting talent for NXT.

“What we believe, because of lot of the ‘indie wrestlers’ if you will have come through our system and are in our system with SmackDown and Raw now, we don’t want to just keep doing that same thing,” said Khan. “We want to look elsewhere for great young talent.”

Khan also spoke of a more direct kind of developmental system, comparing it to high school and college football talent recruiting.

“So what we found, it’s part of why we did the tryout [Las Vegas tryout on Friday], what we want to make sure is it’s easy for folks who want to be WWE superstars figuring out how to be WWE superstars,” said Khan.

“If you think of the life of an elevated athlete throughout their career, the opportunity to go play somewhere has always been easy, being able to play somewhere is not… If you’re an amazing high school football player, colleges come after you, you get recruited, you go into their system, and either you make it or you don’t make it. All that it takes to get there? Difficult. The system? Not difficult,” said Khan.

“We want our system to be an easy system where people who want to be superstars know how to get to us and we can get to them.”

The full interview can be seen below.

Nick Khan says WWE cuts not about readying company for sale

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Ethan Renner

WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan says that the rash of WWE talent releases are not about readying the company for a sale.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, Helwani directly asked Khan about rumors of a WWE sale and whether or not the talent releases that have taken place in 2020 and 2021 could be explained as preparation for a sale.

“I don’t know that there’s one explanation for it,” said Khan. “Ultimately, what’s looked at is this person, for us, going to move the needle now, or in the imminent future.”

“We live in the present, we live in the future, we don’t live in the past,” Khan said.

When asked to explain his “open for business” quote from an appearance on the Recode podcast, Khan said that “If someone credible calls on anything, NFTs, trading cards, we take the call. We are inherently sales people,” Khan said. “When I say ‘open for business,’ if somebody calls, credible, asking ‘hey, are you guys for sale?’ it’s what’s your offer? What are you thinking?”

Khan said plainly, though, that there are no active conversations with any outside entities about buying WWE currently going on. “People call all the time about all different things, but we’re not in an y active conversations about any of that.”

“We’re not trying to sell, that’s not our intent, there are no internal meetings about selling this company. The internal meetings are about growing it,” Khan said.

Khan went on to explain that there is a collective of individuals making the decisions as to which talent will be released. Khan listed himself, Bruce Prichard, Kevin Dunn, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Levesque and Vince McMahon as those who are responsible for the choices, but clarified that Vince McMahon has the final say.

“Keep in mind, in WWE, as you know, there’s one boss and that’s Vince,” Khan said.

The full interview can be seen below.

WWE Money in the Bank 2022 set for Las Vegas

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Ethan Renner

WWE announced a return to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium for the Money in the Bank PPV on July 2 or July 3, 2022.

During tonight’s SummerSlam show, a commercial aired promoting the event. A QR code was also shown, directing viewers to a website where they could register for ticket pre-sale information.

The date will mark the first time that Money in the Bank will be a standalone stadium show.

In a press release, WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan said “Las Vegas, its residents and visitors have demonstrated that Vegas is the perfect city for our biggest events. Money in the Bank, an appropriately titled event for Vegas and one of our five annual tentpoles, will bring the WWE Universe back to Allegiant Stadium July 4th weekend 2022.”

WWE ran Allegiant Stadium for the first time with tonight’s SummerSlam event. The company announced an attendance number of 51,326 for SummerSlam, while WrestleTix estimated an actual attendance of 45,690.

Money in the Bank 2021 was held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. It was WWE’s first PPV back in front of live fans since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Becky Lynch returns at WWE SummerSlam, wins Women’s title

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Becky Lynch returned to WWE at SummerSlam, defeating Bianca Belair to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship in an impromptu match.

Belair had been advertised for a title defense against Sasha Banks. After Belair’s ring introduction, announcer Greg Hamilton stated that Banks was unable to compete. He then said that Belair’s opponent would be Carmella.

After Carmella entered, Belair said that she knows one day soon she and Banks will face off again, but she would take care of Carmella in the interim.

Lynch’s music then hit.

Lynch made her way to the ring and challenged Belair to the unadvertised bout. After Belair accepted, Lynch hit a Manhandle Slam and pinned Belair in 25 seconds to win the SmackDown Women’s title.

The match was Lynch’s first since night one of WrestleMania 36, taped in March 2020. Lynch vacated the Raw Women’s Championship and announced that she was taking maternity leave on the May 11, 2020 edition of Raw.

Lynch and her partner Seth Rollins announced the birth of their daughter Roux in a social media post on December 7, 2020.

Lynch began teasing her WWE comeback with a social media post on April 9.

No reason was given for Banks being unable to perform. Banks and Belair both missed two house shows last weekend due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

CM Punk AEW deal not ‘short-term or part-time’

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Ethan Renner

CM Punk is in AEW for the long haul.

In a post-Rampage media scrum, Punk and AEW president Tony Khan would not disclose the details of Punk’s AEW contract, but Khan said that the deal “…isn’t a short-term thing or a part-time thing. This is full-time and we’re very excited.”

“Just know that I’m here, it’s not a short-term thing and I’m here to help anyone that wants help,” Punk said.

Punk also stated that his talks with Khan for a return to wrestling go back about a year and a half. According to Khan, there was no real consideration given to bringing Punk in without fans in attendance, so they had plenty of time to discuss the matter.

Punk jokingly blamed Renee Paquette for his return, saying that her encouragement led to him doing WWE Backstage on FS1. Punk said that the timing of his comeback was more about his being open to returning than AEW having anything to prove, and that he did Backstage to get his feet wet.

As for what his AEW role will be, Punk said that he is sure he will do some of everything, from wrestling to commentary. He said that his deal allows him to continue doing MMA commentary and outside projects. He said that ultimately he sees his role as similar to the one that Terry Funk, Eddie Guerrero, Harley Race and Tracy Smothers played in his career, as someone who gives back.

Punk listed The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Ricky Starks, Will Hobbs, Jungle Boy and Jon Moxley as potential future opponents, and also joked that who knows who else might join the company soon. He said that it was Khan’s idea for his program with Darby Allin, that Allin would be his favorite wrestler if he were a teenager and that he does not want to take the brunt of Allin’s suicide dive.

As to the possibility of stepping through the Forbidden Door, Punk did not give a definitive statement. “I’m an AEW guy,” said Punk. But he also stated that if Khan wanted him to go work NJPW’s G1 for example, they would talk about it.

H/t to Fightful, Sean Ross Sapp and ESPN’s Marc Raimondi for notes from the scrum and transcription.

Vice TV reveals return date for Dark Side of the Ring

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring docuseries will return with new episodes on Thursday, September 16 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

The premiere date for the second half of the third season of the show was announced today.

Seven new subjects will be covered over the course of the season. The topics will be WWE’s infamous Plane Ride From Hell, the life and death of Chris Kanyon, Japan’s FMW promotion, the XPW promotion, the life and death of Luna Vachon, the life and death of Bruiser Bedlam/Johnny K9, plus the 1994 trial where Vince McMahon was indicted and later found not guilty of providing steroids to WWF wrestlers.

The first half of Dark Side of the Ring’s third season premiered on May 6, 2021. The first seven episodes included a two-part Brian Pillman biography, Nick Gage, Collision in Korea, Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith and Dynamite Kid.

The trailer for the second half of season three can be found here.

Matt Lee and Jeff Parker of 2point0 officially sign with AEW

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Matt Lee and Jeff Parker are All Elite.

AEW President Tony Khan tweeted today that he has officially signed the 2point0 duo.

Khan tweeted:

After they arrived in #AEW and called out the toughest competition from day one and then survived a brutal Texas Tornado match last night on #AEWDynamite, there is no doubt: Matt Lee and Jeff Parker, #2point0 are #AllElite! #2forTheShow -@TonyKhan

Lee and Parker’s various tag team iterations go back to 2002, when they began teaming as Under Construction. They would later work as 2.0, Badd Boys, 3.0 and then Ever-Rise in NXT. Both were released from WWE on June 25, 2021.

Lee and Parker made their in-ring AEW debuts on the August 4 Homecoming episode of Dynamite, teaming with Daniel Garcia in a trios match against Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston.

Parker and Lee faced Sting and Darby Allin in a tornado tag team bout on this week’s Dynamite in another losing effort.

Parker and Lee have racked up three wins on AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation, but remain winless on Dynamite.

Roman Reigns says CM Punk ‘not as good or as over’ as Cena, Rock

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Roman Reigns said that CM Punk “Was not as good or as over as” John Cena and The Rock.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sports, Reigns was directly asked for his take on part-time WWE performers like Cena coming back to the company in main event positions. In framing the question, Helwani referenced CM Punk noting displeasure in the past with part-timers coming back in main event positions.

“Those statements are coming from bitter people who possibly thought they were better than they really were,” Reigns said.

“When it comes down to it, CM Punk was not as good or as over as John Cena, he was not as good or as over or moved the needle like The Rock. It just was what it was,” said Reigns. “From a full-time performer, I understand the frustration and wanting more. But like I said before, you’ve gotta take it.”

In answering whether he was okay with Cena coming back for a short-term run, Reigns answered affirmatively.

“If more eyeballs are being brought to our product, a guy like John Cena, who’s starring in multiple movies this summer, has earned the right where he’s at that portion of his career where he is a part-time performer, I’m not gonna complain,” said Reigns. “I’m just gonna capitalize on him being here and everything that he brings.”

The full Reigns interview with Helwani stretched for nearly 45 minutes and can be found below.

WWE reportedly tried to enlist Mike Tyson for SummerSlam role

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

WWE tried and failed to reach a deal with Mike Tyson for a SummerSlam role, according to a report.

PWInsider reports that WWE asked Tyson to do voiceover work for the opening video package for Saturday’s SummerSlam event, a video that would be built around Roman Reigns vs. John Cena for the WWE Universal Championship.

The report goes on to say that the reasons for the two sides being unable to come to an agreement is not clear, and it is is unknown who else WWE may contact to voice the video.

Tyson is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2012, but his most recent pro wrestling cameos have come with AEW. In all, Tyson has made four appearances for AEW since 2020, including presenting the title belt to inaugural TNT Champion Cody Rhodes at Double or Nothing in May 2020.

Tyson’s most prominent wrestling appearances came with the then-WWF during the height of the Monday Night Wars era. He served as a special enforcer for the Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XIV, turning on Michaels and endorsing Austin after Austin’s first WWF Championship win.

Stipulation added to KOPW 2021 match at NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

A fan vote has decided the stipulation for the KOPW 2021 match on night one of NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Saturday, September 4.

Chase Owens will defend the provisional 2021 KOPW title against Toru Yano in a No DQ I Quit match. A poll on NJPW’s Twitter account decided the stipulation.

Yano proposed the ultimate winner, while Owens had proposed a Texas strap match. Yano’s choice won by a 75.47 percent to 24.53 percent margin in a poll with 17,598 total votes.

Owens vs. Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi defending the IWGP United States Championship against Kota Ibushi, pus Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb are now set for night one of Wrestle Grand Slam.

Here are the announced lineups for both nights:

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night one, Saturday, September 4 —

IWGP United States Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
Provisional KOPW 2021 No DQ I Quit match: Chase Owens (c) vs. Toru Yano

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night two, Sunday, September 5 —

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. EVIL
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Ospreay, Suzuki, Archer added to NJPW Autumn Attack

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Three more names have been added to NJPW’s Autumn Attack shows in Texas on September 25 and September 26.

After making his return to NJPW at last week’s Resurgence event in Los Angeles, Will Ospreay will take part in the Autumn Attack shows in the greater Dallas area. Ospreay appeared at Resurgence and declared himself the true IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, asserting that he was never pinned or submitted for the title. Ospreay declared Shingo Takagi the interim IWGP Champion and promised to defend his version of the title in NJPW Strong.

Lance Archer has also been added to the Autumn Attack events. Archer is fresh off main eventing Resurgence, losing the IWGP United States Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Minoru Suzuki has also been announced for the Texas shows. Suzuki’s last appearance in the US was at a Warrior Wrestling show in December 2019, where he defeated Tom Lawlor.

Tickets for the Autumn Attack events in Garland, Texas are on sale now, with prices ranging from $29 to $149.

Here is the list of talent advertised for Autumn Attack so far:

Jay White
Will Ospreay
Lance Archer
Minoru Suzuki
Tom Lawlor
Juice Robinson
David Finlay
Hikuleo
Lio Rush
Fred Rosser
Brody King
Chris Dickinson
Karl Fredericks

Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia set for AEW Rampage: The First Dance

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Three matches have been announced for Friday’s AEW Rampage: The First Dance.

Jon Moxley will take on Daniel Garcia. Eddie Kingston will be in Moxley’s corner, while Garcia will have 2.0 in his corner. This match was set up on tonight’s Dynamite. Moxley and Kingston made an entrance to open the show, then were attacked in the crowd by Garcia and 2.0. Darby Allin and Sting then defeated 2.0 in a tornado tag match in the Dynamite opener.

Also set for Friday, Jade Cargill will be in action, taking on Kiera Hogan. Hogan debuted against Hikaru Shida on Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation.

Also set for Friday, Jurassic Express will take on Private Party in the first match of an AEW World Tag Team Championship eliminator tournament. The tournament will also feature The Lucha Bros and Hollywood Blonds, with their first round match announced for next week’s Dynamite. The tournament winners will get a AEW Tag Team title shot in a steel cage against The Young Bucks at All Out on Sunday, September 5.

AEW Rampage: The First Dance airs Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern time on TNT.

Here is the lineup:

Jon Moxley (w/Eddie Kingston) vs. Daniel Garcia (w/2.0)
Jade Cargill vs. Kiera Hogan
AEW World Tag Team Championship eliminator tournament: Jurassic Express vs. Private Party (w/Matt Hardy)

Sammy Guevara proposes to girlfriend Pam at AEW Dynamite

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Sammy Guevara proposed marriage to his girlfriend Pam Nizio in the ring before tonight’s AEW Dynamite show in Houston.

Guevara called Nizio into the ring and said he wondered what he would do without her by his side, then said that he never wants to think about that. He dropped to a knee, produced a ring, then asked her to marry him. Nizio appeared to accept and the two hugged.

An edited version of the segment aired on Dynamite, but AEW posted the full proposal on social media.

Guevara then faced Shawn Spears in the second match on tonight’s Dynamite, winning with his GTH.

Guevara, 28, debuted for AEW at Double or Nothing in May 2019. Guevara lost to Kip Sabian at that event. He was part of the first match in Dynamite history, losing to Cody Rhodes. Chris Jericho attacked Rhodes after the match, and The Inner Circle was formed later that night as Guevara joined Jericho, Santana, Ortiz and Jake Hager in attacking Rhodes and The Elite.

NJPW crowns Super Junior Tag League 2021 winners

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Ethan Renner

There are new Super Junior Tag League winners after today’s NJPW Summer Struggle event.

El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori in the main event of today’s show to win the 2021 Super Jr. Tag League. Kanemaru used a schoolboy to pin Ishimori and win the tournament.

Both teams involved in today’s final finished the tournament with eight points, but Desperado and Kanemaru took the tiebreaker by virtue of the head-to-head win.

The two teams have spent the bulk of the last year trading the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag titles, with both teams having two reigns with the titles since September 2020. They will meet again at a later date in another title match.

Here are the final standings for the tournament:

Final Super Jr. Tag League 2021 standings —

El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 8 points (4-1) *winners*
Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo 8 points (4-1)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato 6 points (3-2)
Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask 6 points (3-2)
SHO & YOH 0 points (0-5)
Gedo & Dick Togo 0 points (0-5)

NJPW Summer Struggle results: Super Junior Tag League finals

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Ethan Renner

The NJPW Super Junior Tag League wrapped up today at Summer Struggle at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Seven wrestlers being pulled from the card due to COVID-19 protocols forced a series of changes to the event.

Shingo Takagi and BUSHI missed a third straight show awaiting the results of PCR testing after both had fevers and were pulled from Sunday’s event.

Shingo, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA faced EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo in an eight-man tag on Saturday’s untelevised Summer Struggle show. Shingo, BUSHI, Naito, SANADA, Gedo, Togo, and Yujiro were pulled from today’s show.

A double forfeit took place on the final night of Super Jr. Tag League. With Gedo and Togo unable to compete and SHO and YOH dissolving as a team yesterday, their bout was ruled a double forfeit.

The other two scheduled Super Jr. Tag League matches went on as planned, with El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru facing Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo in the main event, plus Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask taking on Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato.

Below are results from today’s show.

**********

Great-O-Khan defeated Tomoaki Honma (10:50)

O-Khan pinned Honma with an Eliminator.

Toru Yano & Togi Makabe defeated Chase Owens & Jado (11:21)

Yano beat Jado with a neck lock.

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (15:21)

Sabre used an octopus hold on Tenzan for the submission.

Super Jr. Tag League: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask (15:40)

Taguchi used a Japanese clutch to pin Tiger and eliminate Eagles and Tiger from contention.

Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (21:04)

Kanemaru pinned Ishimori with a schoolboy to win the tournament.

**********

Final Super Jr. Tag League 2021 standings —

El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 8 points (4-1) *winners*
Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo 8 points (4-1)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato 6 points (3-2)
Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask 6 points (3-2)
SHO & YOH 0 points (0-5)
Gedo & Dick Togo 0 points (0-5)