Tag: video

Does WWE see Sami Zayn as just an underdog?: Wrestling Observer Radio

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dave Meltzer talked about the fallout from Sami Zayn’s loss to Roman Reigns on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Tuesday morning’s show had Meltzer talk about the Sami Zayn segment on Raw, where Zayn asked Kevin Owens to come out. Zayn said he knew what had happened between them in the last few months, but asked Owens to team with him, saying that he knew they could defeat the Bloodline together. Owens told Zayn that he attacked the Bloodline not for Zayn but for himself, his family, and Zayn’s family. He rejected Zayn’s offer, telling him to team with Jey Uso instead.

“You don’t need to be giving this right away,” Meltzer said regarding the storyline. “The longer you do this, the better story it tells…we got six weeks.”

As he was exiting the ring, Corbin jumped Zayn, leading to a match. Although Zayn won the match, Corbin had control for much of the match. Meltzer said this was a sign that WWE sees Sami Zayn as the ‘underdog’, who needs to work to get a win compared to Cody Rhodes, who beat Corbin without any problems.

“Their mentality obviously, watching the way this match was laid out, is that Sami is best served as the underdog and this underdog mentality, and therefore he has to be beat up a lot of the time, and then comes back to win. That is their Sami story,” he said.

Zayn lost to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber this past Saturday in his hometown of Montreal. 

VIDEO: Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez discuss Sami Zayn’s loss at WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez shared their thoughts on Sami Zayn’s loss on Wrestling Observer Radio.

The start of Sunday morning’s show had Bryan and Dave detailing their thoughts on the main event of Saturday’s Elimination Chamber event. Meltzer compared it to the situation between Drew McIntyre and Reigns last fall.

“These situations are very rare. It’s sort of like what happened with Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre, but this was way bigger,” Meltzer said. “You never get another chance to do this again. You can have him win later or somewhere else. But this was the night.”

Alvarez felt that if Zayn was going to win, Saturday night had to be the night. Any other night in the future won’t match what could have happened in Montreal.

“I’m sure when he gets the big win over Roman Reigns people are going to go crazy and love it and is going to get a big reaction, but you can’t have today again,” Alvarez said.

Later, Alvarez said that there was “literally no good reason” that Zayn shouldn’t have won, with Meltzer agreeing.

“Given that Sami is the one who’s drawing the ratings, Roman wasn’t on [SmackDown] last night and it drew another big rating. That show is doing well with or without Roman. The draw is Sami. Given that evidence, if you are analyzing the data, by doing so you’re looking it and going like ‘we will probably do better with Sami’. I mean that’s the conclusion I’ve come to. Yeah, we’ve spent a year on Roman, but guess what? Somebody passed him up!”

Meltzer ended their discussion saying that six months from now, we’ll know if this was the right call by WWE and it’s something that will have to be re-evaluated.

Zayn lost in the main event of Elimination Chamber on Saturday after he inadvertently laid out Jey Uso, who had come to the ring during a ref bump and was conflicted on helping Reigns. Reigns used the opportunity to hit the spear and win the match. Jimmy Uso and Reigns continued to attack Zayn until Kevin Owens made the save. 

VIDEO: Dave Meltzer on the life and times of Jerry Jarrett

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dave Meltzer discussed the legacy of Jerry Jarrett on Wrestling Observer Radio.

During Tuesday’s show, Meltzer went into detail regarding the life of Jarrett, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80. You can watch the clip below.

Starting his career as a wrestler, Jarrett would be best known as the promoter for the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, which later became known as the USWA after merging with World Class Championship Wrestling. They were one of the final territories still running shows before their eventual closure in 1997.

“He was the last surviving promoter partially because he wasn’t paying much, and also because he was getting paid by the television station,” Meltzer explained.

While talking about the history of Memphis Wrestling, Meltzer emphasized just how big their weekly television was at its peak.

“Their television ratings were ridiculous. The highest rated wrestling show anywhere, week after week after week. There was a year where the NBC affiliate would not air the World Series because wrestling was so popular,” Meltzer said.

Meltzer noted that Jarrett had attempted to buy WCW, which eventually went to Vince McMahon in 2001. The following year, he founded NWA-TNA with Bob Ryder and his son, Jeff Jarrett. NWA-TNA still exists today under the name Impact Wrestling.

“Years later I remember talking to him and going how could you think this was going to work,” Meltzer recalled. “And he said when you’re older and have a son, you’ll understand.”

Jarrett left TNA in 2005 after a falling out with Jeff over the direction of the company.

“They had a lot of tension,” Meltzer recalled. “Jerry had different ideas than Jeff. Jeff was a big proponent of Vince Russo, and Jerry didn’t hate Vince Russo at first. I don’t know if he ever hated Vince Russo. In time, he did not feel that Russo was a good booker. And I think he was hurt that Jeff chose Russo to be the booker above him because he’s this legendary booker. Russo was not. But that was the decision that was made. “

Tributes have poured in across the wrestling community, including Impact Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett, in the days since Jarrett’s death.

VIDEO: Rhea Ripley & Dominik confront Rey Mysterio in WWE Valentine’s Day angle

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley attempted to ruin another holiday for Rey Mysterio, but again it didn’t go well.

WWE on social media posted the latest angle between Dominik, Ripley, Rey Mysterio, and his wife Angie over Valentine’s Day dinner. You can view the video below.

In the video, Dominik and Ripley confront Mysterio and his wife when they all end up in the same restaurant for Valentine’s Day dinner. Rey and Angie leave, leaving Ripley and Dominik to use their table for dinner. When it comes time to pay, Dominik finds out that Rey has frozen him off financially, with his credit cards no longer working. Seeing police officers nearby, Dominik bails, leaving Ripley to foot the bill.

Similar videos have aired between the Mysterios starting with Thanksgiving, where Dominik Mysterio attacked his father inside the family home. On Christmas, Dominik attempted to confront his father inside his grandparents house but was eventually arrested. In recent weeks, Dominik has claimed that he served hard time despite only spending a few hours in jail.

VIDEO: Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez discuss Sami Zayn’s momentum

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed what WWE should do at the Elimination Chamber this Saturday between Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

In the clip, which you can see below, Alvarez brings up that based on the well-received promo on Monday night between Cody Rhodes and Zayn, the question now is what they do this Saturday in Montreal at the Elimination Chamber. Meltzer suggests that they shouldn’t have Zayn lose based on recent television ratings, which have been high in segments featuring Zayn. 

Meltzer also said that Zayn shouldn’t lose in his hometown of Montreal, comparing the situation back to when Bayley was a babyface and WWE had her lose in her hometown of San Jose.

Towards the end of their recap of Monday’s Raw, the subject of Zayn was brought up again, with both arguing that with the string of hot ratings on SmackDown, and given recent crowd attendances and merchandise sales, they now have two hot babyfaces in Rhodes and Zayn and the time isn’t right to beat Zayn. Alvarez said that WWE needs to make the fans want to see Kevin Owens & Zayn beat The Usos.

Zayn and Reigns will headline this weekend’s Elimination Chamber event in Montreal. It is the final premium live event before WrestleMania 39 on April 1 and 2.

VIDEO: Dave Meltzer talks AEW needing a top babyface

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dave Meltzer talked about AEW’s need for a top babyface talent on Wrestling Observer Radio.

During Thursday morning’s show, Meltzer talked about AEW’s need for a top babyface similar to Cody Rhodes in WWE. You can watch the show clip below.

Meltzer said that AEW simply doesn’t have that guy that draws people in, pointing to recent sluggish attendeance for AEW shows. He also said that turning Chris Jericho or having CM Punk return isn’t the solution. He concluded saying that identifying the issue with AEW right now is the easy part, but finding the solution would be tough.

On Wednesday, AEW confirmed the World Championship match for AEW Revolution, with Bryan Danielson earning the match with MJF by successfully defeating Rush in what was a bloody, brutal match. After the match, MJF came out from the announcer’s desk and attacked Danielson, laying him out with a punch while wearing the Dynamite diamond ring. The two will now meet in a 60-minute iron man match on March 5.

VIDEO: Rhea Ripley & Dominik confront Rey Mysterio in WWE Christmas Eve angle

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley interrupted the holidays for the Mysterio family once again, and this time Rey was prepared.

WWE posted a video Saturday on their social media accounts showing Dominik being arrested by police after Dominik and Ripley appeared at his grandfather’s house, confronting his father and mother on Christmas Eve. You can see the footage below:

In the video, Dominik and Ripley enter his grandfather’s house where he quickly taunts his father and mother. Rey told his son that he would meet him outside. It was there that Dominik dared Rey to hit him, shoving Rey. Dominik’s mother Angie raised her hand, but was stopped by Ripley. Angie then slapped Ripley. That was when police showed up and eventually arrested Dominik, who instructed Ripley to “call Finn and Priest” before being taken away.

WWE aired a similar angle last month during Thanksgiving. In that video, Dominik confronted his father and eventually attacked him inside his own house, targeting his knee.

VIDEO: Keith Lee speaks following AEW Tag Team title win at Fyter Fest

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Keith Lee dedicated his match tonight to two friends following tonight’s AEW Dynamite.

In a video that was uploaded to YouTube shortly after the match, Lee said there were only three people in the world that he was really close to. He had heard two days ago that one of them is now suffering from stage 4 colon cancer. He dedicated his match to him and another friend. He said this was more than just a victory for him and the team’s story, it was a victory for his friend and Lee’s statement of love. He promised he would always be there for his friend and told him to stay strong.

In a tweet written on July 12, Lee wrote that he got some “less than stellar news today” and said that the upcoming match was for “my two brothers”.

Lee and Swerve Strickland won the AEW World Tag Team titles in the main event of tonight’s Dynamite, a three-way match involving Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs and champions The Young Bucks.

VIDEO: Cryptic teaser airs during WWE Money in the Bank

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A cryptic video aired during tonight’s WWE Money in the Bank event, leading to speculation over who the video was for.

Prior to tonight’s match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, a vignette aired showing imagery such as gold medals, taped glasses, a license plate that appears to read “LATINOHEAT”, armbands similar to what The Hardy Boyz used to wear, a crow, and a cross.

Speculation following the video suggests it could be Edge, as gold medals (Kurt Angle), taped glasses (The Dudley Boyz), LATINOHEAT (Eddie Guerrero), and The Hardy Boyz are former opponents of his. He was laid out and attacked by members of the Judgment Day following last month’s Hell in a Cell event and has not been seen since.

Other speculation includes Bray Wyatt, as the vignette was done in a style similar to past Wyatt vignettes, and Gable Steveson, who won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and signed with the WWE last year.

VIDEO: LA Knight introduces Mace prior to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New video footage shows LA Knight’s tryout as a manager prior to SmackDown on Friday.

In the video, which you can see below, LA Knight says he’s ‘been a good boy’ and has saved all of his money. He said he has started up Knight Model Management, is officially scouting, and no one in the audience was qualified. He introduced Mace, who came out in a suit and sunglasses.

According to reports, Mace went on to defeat Erik of the Viking Raiders in a singles match. It was his first match in WWE since the November 21 edition of SmackDown, where was in a battle royal that was later won by Sami Zayn.

Knight has been a regular on NXT programming since he signed with the WWE last year. He most recently appeared at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 2, where he lost to Gunther. He previously won the Million Dollar Championship while in NXT during a feud with Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase.

VIDEO: Jon Moxley returns to AEW on Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jon Moxley made his return to AEW television tonight on Dynamite.

Moxley opened the show and talked about a dream where his success was questioned. He said that he had a lot of scars, but the important ones were on the inside, scars that couldn’t be visibly seen. He said that those are the types of scars that make us who we are.

He said that there are a lot of people who want to write him off, but Moxley said he does not run away from his demons, he just “beats the s***” out of them. He thanked those who supported him and said that now more than ever, he was truly free.

Tony Khan announced in early November that Moxley would be entering in-patient rehab for alcohol use. His first match will take place Friday, as he will face Ethan Page on a live edition of Rampage.

In addition to AEW, it was confirmed earlier this week that Moxley would appear at The Wrld on GCW on January 23 for their show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. He will defend the GCW World Heavyweight title against Homicide.

VIDEO: ‘Fast and Furious 9’ trailer featuring John Cena

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Universal Pictures has released a new trailer for Fast and Furious 9, which features John Cena in a prominent role.

The new trailer comes as the movie is set to be released in the United States on June 25. You can see the trailer below:

In the film, Cena plays Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) brother, Jakob Toretto. The trailer features Diesel fighting Cena both via car and in person. Cena’s character is a master assassin and thief who holds a personal vendetta against his brother.

The film was originally scheduled to be released on April 19, 2020. However, it was delayed a year due to COVID-19. 

Since leaving WWE full time in 2017, Cena has focused on his acting career, having a leading role in the Transformers spin off Bumblebee and also starred in films such as Blockers and Dolittle. He is also scheduled to have a prominent role in this summer’s The Suicide Squad. Cena will play Peacemaker in the film and will star in a television series starring the character on HBO Max in 2022.

VIDEO: Road to AEW Fight for the Fallen

Posted on by Bryan Rose

An interesting name was brought up during a video hyping this Wednesday’s Fight for the Fallen. You can watch the video below:

The video started with Cody and his coach Arn Anderson talking about Sonny Kiss, who will challenge for the TNT title. Cody put over Kiss’ ability. When the question was brought up about other possible challengers on the independent scene, Arn Anderson mentioned the name Warhorse. The video cut to the next segment before Cody could answer.

The video also highlighted the other matches on the card. FTR and The Lucha Brothers talked about their match, which comes off of a match last week both teams were in. Brian Cage and Taz were also featured, hyping Cage’s bout against Jon Moxley for the AEW World title.

Another match announced for Fight for the Fallen is The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasarus, and Marko Stunt).

This year’s Fight for the Fallen will be raising money for COVID-19 relief.

VIDEO: NWA Power episode 16 – ‘Dealer vs. Villain’

Posted on by F4W Staff

NWA Power returns tonight following the company’s latest pay-per-view, Hard Times. You can watch the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FDcAXfLC-c

Nick Aldis was able to remain NWA World champion after defeating Ring of Honor’s Flip Gordon. Scurll showed up on the show and demanded a title shot. This episode of Power will have a sit-down between the two in regards to Scurll’s future title opportunity.

A number of new champions were also crowned on Friday. Ricky Starks became the new NWA Television champion after defeating Trevor Murdoch in a tournament final. Thunder Rosa defeated Allysin Kay to become the new NWA Women’s champion, and the team of James Storm & Eli Drake won the NWA World Tag Team titles, defeating the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. All of the new champions are scheduled to be on the show.

Royce Issacs, one half of the Wildcards with Thom Latimer, will be in action.

The show will also feature the debut of Sean Mooney, longtime WWE announcer from the late eighties and early nineties.

VIDEO: AEW Road to Cleveland

Posted on by F4W Staff

AEW released their latest Road to show, focusing on their Dynamite event in Cleveland this Wednesday. You can watch the video below:

The first segment focused on Kip Sabian explaining why he and Penelope Ford have been attacking Joey Janela. He also talked about his upcoming match against Cody this Wednesday, saying that he knows Arn Anderson’s expertise, but he can’t wrestle the match for Cody.

The next segment focused on Private Party. They talked about growing up in Brooklyn, avoiding peer pressure and how they connected with one another as a team. They will be teaming up with Darby Allin to take on Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz.

The final segment focused on Brandi Rhodes speaking to a therapist about her recent change in attitude. She also talked about the other members of the Nightmare Collective, including Awesome Kong, Mel and Luther. 

Also announced for Wednesday is Jon Moxley, who will be in attendance and will speak out after becoming the number one contender to the AEW title last week.

The Butcher & The Blade will also team up to take on The Young Bucks.