Arn Anderson revealed on his podcast that he had tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies after becoming ill for ten days.
During this week’s episode of the ARN podcast, Anderson said that he got really sick for ten days during an off period in AEW’s taping schedule. He said he had tested negative several times for COVID-19 before feeling the symptoms.
“I was [in bed] for probably a week,” he said. “I couldn’t drink anything. Couldn’t eat anything. I was hallucinating. I was looking at my ceiling and I saw ice forming on the ceiling. So, I had one day there for a minute where I couldn’t catch my breath and it was a lot of things I never experienced in my life. It scared me to death. So what I want to do is reiterate to everybody out there, guys, that this thing is bad. It’s really bad and it varies from person to person.”
Anderson noted that at the most recent taping prior to recording the podcast, he had tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies despite never testing positive for COVID-19. He urged people to wear masks and adhere to social distancing.
“So all I’m asking is let’s do some common sense things,” Anderson said. “Go the extra mile, for those of us that can do it, do something nice for a stranger. Do something nice for a family member. Do something nice for a friend and let’s get this thing knocked out.”
Anderson currently works for AEW as Cody Rhodes’ on-screen personal advisor, accompanying him to ringside for matches.
AEW’s Twitter account revealed the news, with Anderson saying that he had signed a multi-year contract with the promotion.
“About a year ago, I didn’t want to be anywhere where I’m not wanted,” he said. “A year later, it seems I am wanted somewhere, and I’m very happy to say today I signed a multi-year contract with AEW. I am absolutely thrilled to be here with all this young talent and watch this company blossom into being the platinum of all of our industry.”
Anderson first appeared on AEW back at last year’s All Out event on August 21, helping Cody in his match against Shawn Spears. In December, he was announced as Cody’s “head coach”, assisting him in matches.
He had previously been a producer with WWE dating back to 2001. He was released by WWE in February 2019, reportedly after letting an intoxicated Alicia Fox wrestle a house show match.
Cody is the first-ever TNT Champion, defeating Lance Archer tonight at Double or Nothing.
Towards the end of the match, Cody’s coach Arn Anderson was ejected to the back after a second referee came out and told the referee that Anderson had crotched Lance Archer on the top turnbuckle. After Anderson was ejected, Archer’s manager Jake Roberts brought out a snake.
However, the snake was never brought to the ring as Mike Tyson, who was set to present the TNT Championship to the winner, took off his shirt and stared down Roberts. As this was going on, Cody hit two Cross Rhodes to Archer and pinned him to win the title. Tyson then presented the title to Cody.
It was noted prior to the match that the AEW TNT Championship belt hasn’t been fully completed due to COVID-19.
Cody’s first championship defense will take place on June 3. The winner of a battle royal scheduled for Dynamite this Wednesday will be the first challenger.
A number of matches and one segment has been announced for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Orange Cassidy will face Fenix in a singles match. The latter attacked Orange Cassidy tonight with a flying kick during a Best Friends vs. Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy match. Meanwhile, MJF will face Marko Stunt in a singles match. After defeating Lee Johnson on tonight’s show, MJF said Stunt had an open match contract, and he signed it. Wardlow and MJF also interfered in the Best Friends/Jurassic Express match, with Wardlow laying out Stunt and MJF attacking Jungle Boy.
Matt Hardy will face Sammy Guevara in a battle of The Elite vs. The Inner Circle. Hardy laid out Guevara, who was wearing a neckbrace, with a twist of fate on tonight’s show.
Jon Moxley will battle The Dark Order’s 10, who in recent weeks has been seen by the side of Mr. Brodie Lee.
Finally, a face-to-face confrontation will take place between Lance Archer’s manager Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Cody’s “head coach” Arn Anderson. The feud between their clients has heated up in recent weeks, with Cody and Archer coming to blows in the opening segment of tonight’s Dynamite.
Cody Rhodes is kicking off the new year by adding a legendary wrestler as his manager.
It was announced via Sports Illustrated today that Cody will introduce Arn Anderson as his “new on-screen personal advisor” on this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
“2019 was the most successful year I’ve had in pro wrestling,” Cody said in a press release. “Beyond the superfluous financial, it’s been incredibly rewarding on a spiritual level to be able to engage so many fans with a like-minded place in their hearts for the sport.”
The press release also included Cody giving a storyline explanation for choosing Anderson as his manager: “That said, one of my greatest fears came true as I lost the opportunity to wrestle for the World Championship again. But, on the other side of that fear is freedom to chase every other accolade outside of that title. I still want to collect all the accolades I can and dominate the singles division. That’s why I’m bringing in Arn Anderson as my personal advisor and head coach. He has been in business with my family for over three decades. Having been a wrestler throughout so many different generations of talent, he understands what ingredients it takes to look beyond the horizon and produce the best content and results.”
Cody had sent out a tweet on Friday teasing that he would be making a change to his in-ring presentation: “Excited to make a big change and apply a new strategy to my personal in-ring presentation in 2020. Hopefully I can share the good news soon!”
Anderson appeared during Cody’s match against Shawn Spears (who is managed by Tully Blanchard) at All Out and gave Spears a spinebuster. Anderson was also one of the judges for Chris Jericho and Cody’s AEW World Championship match at Full Gear.
Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida is hosting Wednesday’s Dynamite. Cody will face Darby Allin on the episode, and MJF will give his stipulations for a future match against Cody.
Cody vs. Allin is a rematch from when they went to a time-limit draw at Fyter Fest in June. Allin getting the rematch was a stipulation of him teaming with Cody against The Butcher & The Blade two weeks ago.
A new report indicates that Arn Anderson was fired from WWE because he reportedly let Alicia Fox wrestle intoxicated.
According to WrestlingInc, Alicia Fox reportedly showed up at a house show intoxicated. Anderson, who was the agent for her match, allowed Fox to compete despite this. When word got to Vince McMahon he was reportedly furious, which led to the firing.
Fightful soon after reported that Alicia Fox was offered rehab, but instead went absent to the extent that several in the company had no idea if she was offered rehab or where she was. She has not competed in a match since February 10, when he teamed with Mickie James and Nikki Cross in a losing effort against Bayley, Dana Brooke and Natalya.
In her first post since 2/18, Fox posted the following on Instagram this afternoon: “#resilience /rəˈzilyəns/ noun 1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness And for those w your own opinion #nofoxgiven #fancy #mood #digitaldetox”
Anderson had been with the company since 2002 as a road agent/producer. Alicia Fox has been with WWE since 2006.
Arn Anderson, who had been a long-time producer for WWE, is no longer with the company.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported overnight that Anderson exited WWE on Thursday and had “apparently been let go” by the company. Further details on why Anderson is departing WWE have yet to be revealed.
Rusev tweeted about the news: “Thank you AA for teaching me and letting me sit under the learning tree. #ArnAnderson”
WWE has recently hired several new producers, with Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, Sonjay Dutt, Shawn Daivari, and Shane “Hurricane” Helms joining the promotion in behind-the-scenes roles. WWE uploaded a video yesterday that featured brief interview clips with those five new hires.
Anderson, who is now 60 years old, joined WWE after the closure of WCW.
Anderson’s Four Horsemen stablemate Ric Flair will be appearing on Monday’s Raw for a 70th birthday celebration segment. The Four Horsemen (Flair, Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and JJ Dillon) were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
The U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted WWE Starrcade 2018 on Saturday night. A one-hour special of the event will air on the WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time tonight.
– Elias was in the ring performing and then brought Ric Flair out. Flair mostly flirted with women in the front row until Nia Jax, Tamina, Alicia Fox, and Mickie James came out. Jax had a lot of heat. Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, and Dana Brooke eventually came out as well.
– Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon & Dana Brooke defeated Nia Jax, Tamina, Alicia Fox & Mickie James
They had a short house show-style match where Banks submitted Fox with the Banks Statement. Bayley got the best reaction of the babyfaces.
– Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor
Pretty good match. McIntyre won with the Claymore Kick in about 10 minutes. Balor got a big reaction and was the most over face on the first half of the show. Dolph Ziggler was ringside and interfered a few times.
– The B-Team defeated The Revival
They had a short match, ending when Curtis Axel pinned Dash Wilder with a sunset flip.
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defeated The New Day to retain their titles
The Bar retained with a Brogue Kick in about eight minutes. This was mostly a comedy match.
– Baron Corbin issued an open challenge since Braun Strowman (his scheduled opponent) couldn’t be there. Bray Wyatt answered to a big reaction, getting tons of “fireflies.”
– Bray Wyatt defeated Baron Corbin
Corbin stalled a lot. They ended up having about a five-minute match that Wyatt won with a roll-up, but Corbin ordered the match to be started again as no DQ and then brought out Ziggler and McIntyre.
– Bray Wyatt defeated Baron Corbin in a no DQ match
Elias and Balor made the save and Wyatt ended up hitting Corbin with Sister Abigail. They forgot it was technically a match and had to roll Corbin back in the ring for the pin.
– Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka
They had a pretty good match. Charlotte won with a small package in about 10 minutes. They did a babyface match and then embraced after.
– Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio appeared on Miz TV. Mysterio was wearing a neck brace to sell the attack from Randy Orton on SmackDown. The Miz asked why he was here instead of recovering at home, and Mysterio talked about how important Starrcade is to him because it was the first place he saw his heroes like Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, and Eddie Guerrero. There was a big “Eddie” chant.
Miz and Mysterio ended up getting in each other’s faces and Nakamura attacked Mysterio from behind to start the match.
– Rey Mysterio defeated United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura by DQ
Less than two minutes in, Mysterio took out Miz with a dive after Nakamura moved. Miz broke up a 619 attempt for the DQ. Rusev came out and made the save, with this being turned into a tag team match.
– Rey Mysterio & Rusev defeated United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & The Miz
Mysterio and Rusev won in about five minutes after a 619 and a Machka Kick on Miz. There were big “Rusev Day” chants throughout.
– WWE showed highlights of Sting vs. Flair from Starrcade 1989 while the cage was put up.
– AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe in a steel cage match
Styles won in about 12 minutes with the Calf Crusher. Joe had the rope break, but Styles wouldn’t let the hold go since it was no DQ. Good match, though they didn’t incorporate the cage too much.
– Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose in a steel cage match to retain his title
Rollins retained after escaping the cage. It was a great match and went about 20 minutes. The crowd was hot for both guys, especially Ambrose since the show was in his hometown.
They used the cage a lot, along with a kendo stick that Rollins brought in. Ambrose seemed to be playing the cowardly heel. He begged off, raked the eyes, and tried to escape as much as possible. Definitely match of the night.
For the first time since acquiring WCW in 2001, WWE utilized the Starrcade name for a house show last night that also served as a tribute to the history of the event.
Ric Flair, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, and Ricky Steamboat were all advertised for the show and made appearances. Arn Anderson made a cameo as well, serving as the special guest enforcer for Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler. Anderson got involved and hit Ziggler with a spinebuster after getting into it with him on the outside:
For their appearance on the show, Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson danced in the ring with The Hardys and New Day after cutting a promo:
The Hardys discussed Starrcade and it taking place in their home state, with Jeff giving an update on his injury and saying he hopes to be back by April:
Appearing at the event his father helped create, Dustin Rhodes ditched his Goldust attire and entered using his “Natural” theme music:
During his match against Dash Wilder, he paid tribute to Dusty Rhodes by pointing to the sky and hitting a bionic elbow before getting the win:
Dustin did an interview after the match about wrestling as Dustin Rhodes and how he and Cody are continuing the family legacy:
Charlotte Flair talked her family’s legacy, Starrcade’s importance to it, and facing Natalya in a steel cage match:
Ric Flair also discussed coming back to the Greensboro Coliseum, Starrcade, and being proud of Charlotte:
Every year, Karl Stern embarks on a month-long journey taking listeners through a daily dose of classic wrestling goodness. This year was no different as the Dragon King did 32 shows over 31 days with focuses on well-known guys like Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and Jushin Liger, while also spotlighting enhancement workers, wrestlers who paint their face, and even the late, great Muhammad Ali.
Below, you’ll find all of Karl’s July Classic Wrestling Marathon in alphabetical order, available now for subscribers. Enjoy!
“The Enforcer” Arn Anderson is best known for his years spent as a member of the Four Horsemen in the NWA and WCW.
He and Ole Anderson formed the second version of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. He and Tully Blanchard formed one of the best teams of the era. He was best friends with Ric Flair. Anderson was a great promo and solid in-ring wrestler.
Starting out his career as a fan taunting the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Anderson eventually worked his way into the wrestling business.
Being trained and coached by “Nightmare” Ted Allen, he spent his early years wrestling in Mid-South, Southeastern, and Georgia. When he and Ole teamed up as the new Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Anderson held his own with the veterans both inside the ring on the microphone.
Still to this day, Anderson is involved with pro wrestling working as an agent for WWE.
On today’s edition of July Classic Wrestling Marathon, Karl Stern takes a look at the career of “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson.
On this week’s show, Karl takes a few questions from the mailbag dealing with a wide range of topics including Survivor Series, Sid Vicious, and a couple off-topic questions. Then, Karl tackles the last episode of NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling in June 1985 as he watches his favorite promotion be put to rest.
Other topics:
We look at the original Survivor Series format — one that went head to head against Jim Crockett Promotions’ biggest show of the year and ultimately forced that show off its date
A talk about Ric Flair
Vince McMahon’s muscle monster fetish from the 1980s and 1990s with a focus on Sid Justice (Sid Vicious/Sycho Sid), Papa Shango, The Warlord, Davey Boy Smith, Ultimate Warrior, and more
“Dirt sheet” terminology
Indy show payoffs
The last NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling show that aired in June 1985 featuring Ron Fuller, Lord Humongous (Jeff Van Camp), “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, Jerry Stubbs, Arn Anderson, and the death of my childhood.
