Donovan Dijak revealed WWE sometimes quietly tests wrestlers by assigning certain matches to determine how easy they are to work with.
Responding to an X post about Femi’s wins on NXT against talents no longer associated with WWE, Dijak revealed it does not surprise him. He linked it with WWE’s silent test on wrestlers’ mindset going into certain matches to assess how they deal with the assignment.
“I don’t even know if this is true or not, but it wouldn’t surprise me. WWE will often quietly test wrestlers to see if they have an attitude problem, especially if they have big plans in store. Oba obviously passed with flying colors, I never heard anything even remotely negative and he was a pleasure to work with,” tweeted Dijak.
Femi transitioned to the main roster this year after four years on NXT. He competed and won his first WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar last month. Since then Femi announced open challenges on Raw. Otis confronted him on the May 5 edition of the show and Femi defeated him within minutes.
This week on Raw, Adam Pearce announced there were no challengers to step up to Femi. He lashed out at Angel and Berto to make an example out of them.
I don’t even know if this is true or not, but it wouldn’t surprise me. WWE will often quietly test wrestlers to see if they have an attitude problem, especially if they have big plans in store. Oba obviously passed with flying colors, I never heard anything even remotely negative… https://t.co/CY4pXtVQp5
Donovan Dijak revisited the 2019 online feud with Kenny Omega. The dispute arose over Omega’s remarks on AEW focusing on featuring real talents unlike NXT’s developmental wrestlers on Being The Elite Vlog.
In an interview with Fightful’s In The Weeds Podcast, Dijak revisited the tension at the Performance Center during the time. He revealed that a few coaches were supportive of him standing up for NXT. Fast forward to now, he still perceives Omega as one of the best wrestlers in the industry.
“A handful of coaches at the PC, said that they liked that I was sticking up for us, cause that’s just kind of how I felt in that moment. When I go back, I don’t even remember what article I was talking, for those of you who aren’t familiar, there was some sort of article I think with the benefit of hindsight, he was probably in character when he was doing this, but I don’t know. It was a very volatile time and he said something effective, like everybody on the NXT roster like would be a midcarder in AEW or something like that and again I’m paraphrasing, obviously, that’s offensive to me because I’m on the NXT roster, so I took a jab at him.”
“I doubt he took it personally. Maybe he did. I don’t know if he meant his thing personally. Maybe he did. I don’t know. I’ve never spoken to him since, and we only had two interactions before that. It was a time when people were saying all sorts of stuff about the other ones. In my youth, I was the kind of person who enjoyed stoking the flames, so to speak. I had no issue with it. I’ve been on record many, many times saying that I think Kenny Omega is one of the best wrestlers in the world. I can’t say that enough,” said Dijak.
Dijak further added that while he felt his retaliation was relevant, many of the current AEW stars are former NXT talents.
“My anger was about the attack that was happening to us. Ironically, now, pretty much everybody on the roster, on the black and gold roster, is on AEW or has been on AEW at some point. So, you know, I’m sure nobody actually cares. But, you know, like everything else in pro wrestling, you just kind of take something that has semblances of reality and you go off with it. But, you know, that’s just kind of the nature of how it was going back then.”
AEW premiered Dynamite as a weekly series in 2019 shortly after the promotion was launched, and it instantly clashed with NXT which also aired on Wednesdays.
Dijak was released by WWE in 2024 after a seven year stint with the company. Since then he has been competing across the indies, most notably MLW, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and WXM.
The MLW World Tag Team Championships will be on the line next month in Charleston, South Carolina.
MLW announced on Wednesday that The Skyscrapers (Donovan Dijak & Bishop Dyer) will defend their titles against The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) at MLW x Don Gato Tequila: Live Special on Thursday, November 20. It will be Anderson and Gallows’ promotional debut.
“This marks a first-time-ever collision between two of the sport’s top teams, and it carries special meaning. The Good Brothers’ arrival in MLW has been years in the making, dating back to when the duo first launched their smash-hit podcast, Talk’n Shop, on the MLW Radio Network. Now, their long-awaited MLW debut comes full circle — and they’re looking to make it count with championship gold. Could the Good Brothers pull off the ultimate debut and win the MLW World Tag Team Titles in their very first match? Or will the skyscraping champions stand tall once again?”
The show is scheduled for the Charleston Music Hall and will air on YouTube and BeIN Sports. It’s currently the final event MLW has listed for 2025, with their first show of the new year set for Kings of Colosseum VI on January 10 in Dallas.
MLW x Don Gato Tequila: Live Special
Matt Riddle vs. Killer Kross w/Scarlett Bordeaux
Arn Anderson to make a special appearance
MLW World Tag Team Champions The Skyscrapers (Bishop Dyer & Donovan Dijak) defend against The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)
The field for next month’s CMLL International Grand Prix has been revealed and will include wrestlers from AEW, NJPW, MLW and RevPro.
Announced Wednesday night, the annual 20-man Torneo Cibernetico bout will feature ten CMLL stars vs. a team of ten representing the rest of the world.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey, Rocky Romero, CRU (Action Andretti & Lio Rush), and The Beast Mortos will represent AEW while Taiji Ishimori and TJP will represent NJPW. RevPro’s Michael Oku and Robbie Eagles will also be part of the team as will MLW Tag Team Champion Donovan Dijak.
Bailey will be making his Arena Mexico debut while Mortos and CRU have been on recent CMLL events. It will be Ishimori and Oku’s first match in the venue since June 2024 while Eagles hasn’t appeared there since 2022.
The all-star CMLL side will feature Mistico, Neon, Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada, Templario, Volador Jr., Titan, Difunto, Zandokan Jr. and Angel de Oro.
The show takes place on Friday, August 29th from Arena Mexico.
Donovan Dijak and Bishop Dyer, billed as The Skyscrapers, are the new MLW Tag Team Champions.
Dijak and Dyer appeared as the surprise opponents for former champs Magnus and Rugido at Thursday’s Summer of the Beasts event and captured the titles in their first bout under their new billing.
A notable interpromotional angle also took place on Thursday’s card with AEW’s MJF attacking CMLL’s Mistico in a continuation of their feud from AEW Grand Slam Mexico.
Thursday’s event also included Matt Riddle successfully defending his MLW World title against KENTA, plus Ultimo Guerrero retaining the MLW National Openweight title in a three-way. The full show can be viewed in the embedded video below.
Quick results from the show:
MLW Summer of the Beasts results —
Matt Riddle defeated KENTA to retain the MLW World Championship
Donovan Dijak and Bishop Dyer defeated Magnus and Rugido to win the MLW Tag Team Championship
Ultimo Guerrero defeated Alex Hammerstone and Matthew Justice to retain the MLW National Openweight Championship
What people thought of WrestleMania and Stand & Deliver
An in-depth look at WrestleMania
Crowd reactions
Dwayne Johnson and his role in the show and the entire back story
How the John Cena story started and evolved
Why the Cena retiring the belt story makes no sense historically
Johnson tells his version of what went down
Matches that at different points were scheduled for the show and how they changed
Show audience
Joe Hendry story
How much WWE spent on Mania week compared to what AEW spent for Double or Nothing week
A look at all the matches and angles
Detailed look at how the WWE purchase of AAA went down, the partners, different people comment on what it means, AAA’s history as well as its attempt to expand to the U.S., Lucha Underground, does this effect CMLL, the original When Worlds Collide, how AAA was formed and more
The death of Hisashi Shinma, the golden age of New Japan Pro Wrestling, how he first got into wrestling, what he’s credited with as a booker, the rise of Inoki, the first UWF, Universal Lucha Libre, WWE Presidency, Backlund vs. Inoki, Inoki vs. Ali and more
A look at the life and career of Steve McMichael
CMLL and a week of sellouts including a killer Friday main event
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver coverage and poll
The life and times of Black Terry
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows this past week, demos, competition and segments looked at, as well as streaming numbers for Raw
Universal tournament ends this week
Biggest women’s show of the year this week
What’s new with Tetsuya Naito & Bushi
Dark Side of the Ring on Billy Graham
A look at the Mania week on the indies side including Bloodsport
Notes on future AEW PPV shows
Kenny Omega on What is the best schedule for wrestlers?
Mark Hunt’s case against UFC and Brock Lesnar thrown out
Advanced ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows
How streaming platform advertising works vs. television
Bayley talks her knee injury
WWE ID tournaments
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue
WWE is promoting John Cena vs. Randy Orton at Backlash with the tagline “One Last Time.” The match is Cena’s first Undisputed WWE Championship defense of his retirement tour, which will conclude in December 2025.
At the end of the day, when he turned heel—like the [nWo] storyline, like Eric [Bischoff] said—we set it up, we set up, we set up, then we delivered. And then not only did we deliver, we rolled out with me, Hall and Nash. And that story kept snowballing and snowballing, and we kept getting more evil and evil. And so for me, watching that story with John Cena, when The Rock did the throat thing, cut his throat, and John Cena turned heel, I expected more of the same.
And then John Cena came out and there was no Rock, and I just got disconnected at that point, ’cause I was expecting the characters to keep rolling out like we did. So I know everybody’s got movies and obligations and stuff, but it didn’t feel like that big tidal wave coming at you. Like when the nWo took over, man, I even hate to say the word, we just cleaned house and beat everybody’s ass, and we just killed it. All the babyfaces were crying and complaining, and it got really ugly. We were so powerful with that trio.
It’s Paul Heyman. He’s my favorite, and he’s been doing this at such a high level for so long. What he’s doing now is the best stuff in wrestling. He’s putting food on the table for a lot of people in WWE.
Paul Heyman, he’s magic. He makes every part of what he’s doing so meaningful. That’s what I tried to do, too–if they were going to paint me yellow, then I brought the paint. Paul is the same way–you have to watch to see what he’s going to do next. He’s a genius.
Dakota Kai, who hasn’t wrestled in more than a month, tweeted yesterday: “I miss wrestling and I miss you guys”
SKY thanked the audience for the reception they gave her on NXT: “What an amazing night!! The NXT universe welcomed me very warmly!! Thank you #WWENXT!!!”
Busted Open and Screen Rant have interviews with Zelina Vega. After winning the WWE Women’s United States title last Friday, Vega told Busted Open that – while in New York – she’s going to the 9/11 Memorial so she can place single’s gold on her late father Michael Trinidad’s name:
I am going to the 9/11 Memorial and finally getting to put single’s gold on my dad’s name at the memorial. So I’m very, very excited to finally do that. And, I mean, the thing is, it doesn’t mean that the journey is over in that sense because I still – there’s always a part of you that’s like, ‘I want the World title.’ I do. And I think if anything, this inspires me to show people who I am as a champion. And you kind of have a duty to show them how you can rock with that title too.
So it’s nice to be able to finally just do this and have that moment because I’ve wanted it for so, so long.
Montez Ford has been announced as one of the inductees for the Boys & Girls Club of America Alumni Hall of Fame class of 2025. Ford said he’s “humbled, grateful, and truly honored” by the induction.
TNT Champion Adam Cole told Comicbook.com that Will Ospreay and Kevin Knight are two of the people he really wants to face in AEW.
Cole praised the work Ricochet is doing as a heel:
Unbelievable. I mean, again, when you look at Ricochet, anyone who’s seen Ricochet wrestle, he’s maybe the best athlete I’ve ever seen. Just like an absolute freak of nature. We jokingly in the locker room – we call him an alien. Like, he’s not even a real person. He’s not even a human being. The things he can do [are] just absolutely unbelievable.
Clearly one of the best, one of the most athletically gifted guys in the entire world, but getting to see this different side of Ricochet has been so much fun because he’s showing the world what he can bring to the table. Maybe people thought, ‘Oh, ok, cool. He can do all these really, really cool athletic things, and that’s awesome, and we really love that.’ But now he’s showing what a great character he can be. The timing that he has. His aura right now is absolutely unbelievable. So, yeah, Ricochet’s work has been absolutely incredible to watch. It’s been super, super fun. And I’ll tell you what, I may be a good guy, but I’m liking this new side of Ricochet. I am.
Billie Starkz noted that she’s only a few classes away from obtaining her associate’s degree: “Exams next week and then Summer break! Three classes away from my associates degree! Woohooo!”
TNA announced that we’ll hear from Steve Maclin on this Thursday’s live episode of Impact following his successful International title defense against Eric Young at Rebellion.
With Bryan Alvarez still shivering in the dark, Mike Sempervive flies solo on Wrestling Observer Live to take you through another busy day in the world of pro wrestling.
We took a look at last night’s AEW Dynamite, which served as the go-home for Full Gear. Plus, news on CM Punk, Donovan Dijak, and more.
Even after being with WWE for nearly seven years, Donovan Dijak admits he should have been better prepared for the end date of his contract and has some advice for those in similar situations.
This past June, WWE chose not to renew the contract of the former Dominik Dijakovic and T-Bar. He still maintains that WWE never negotiated with him after attempts on his part were made.
“We attempted to negotiate and they stonewalled us. They never made me a single offer. Then, they informed me they would not renew my contract at the eleventh hour,” he said.
However, he doesn’t blame WWE and instead is taking responsibility, saying, “I didn’t see it as a realistic possibility even though I should have.”
He went on to offer advice to both his former colleagues and friends in WWE and anyone with a job that they should always prepare for the worst case scenario.
“I’ll put this warning out for all my colleagues and friends in WWE, those of which I haven’t spoke to personally. Don’t assume, right? If your contract is up on ‘X’ date, plan for that. Don’t assume, ‘Okay, I’m going to get renewed.’ Prepare for the worst case scenario. Then, if the best case scenario happens, great. I didn’t. I did not. I just assumed that ‘Oh, I’m doing so well, I’ll be the best case scenario.’ That was a poor assumption on my part. I should have planned better because I knew the date it was up and it was getting closer and closer and obviously, there was anxiety growing. But I didn’t plan for it. I just hoped it wouldn’t happen and that’s not the case. So, not just for WWE wrestlers, any wrestler, any person, any human being.”
Dijak started his WWE career in August 2017 with NXT, making his Raw debut in September 2020 as T-Bar in Retribution. After the group disbanded, he was drafted to SmackDown where he would team with Mace (Mason Madden). Then in 2022, he was repackaged as Dijak back in NXT. Two years later on night two of the 2024 WWE Draft, he was drafted back to Raw. However, it wasn’t shown on TV but instead on social media. Soon after, his contract wasn’t renewed.
He thought that drafting not being shown on TV was a bit of a red flag and when he started “hoping for the best and planning for the worst.”
“It wasn’t the end of the world. I wasn’t horrified or anything but it was a (red) flag. I said. ‘There’s the possibility that they don’t see me as a financial asset’ in the way that I hoped they did which up until that moment, I hadn’t felt that way. That was the first moment where I was like, ‘Maybe I should have planned better for what’s after this.’ And it turned out I was right. I should have planned better because they didn’t see me as the financial asset that I was hoping that they might. And again, I don’t blame them for that.”
Dijak recently made his debut with MLW in addition to staying extremely busy on the indie scene. Hear about all that and more in our hour-long conversation below:
The first match has been announced for One-Shot 2024, a show that’s being built around Eric Bischoff’s MLW debut.
Former WWE wrestlers Matt Riddle and Donovan Dijak will face off at the Thursday, December 5 One-Shot event in New York City. Airing live on MLW’s YouTube channel, MLW is billing that Bischoff will serve as executive producer for one night only and will have “total control” of the matchmaking.
Riddle was released by WWE in September 2023, while Dijak departed WWE earlier this year when his contract was not renewed. Both are looking to become World Heavyweight Champion in MLW. The championship is currently held by Satoshi Kojima — and Riddle is owed a future title shot as the winner of MLW Battle Riot 2024. Dijak could also be in line for a title shot if he’s able to defeat Riddle.
Kojima will be in action at One-Shot but an opponent for him has not been revealed yet.
Melrose Ballroom in Queens will be the venue for One-Shot. The YouTube broadcast has a start time of 9 p.m. Eastern.
MLW has announced a change to one of its matches planned for Slaughterhouse 2024.
After announcing yesterday that Donovan Dijak vs. TJP would be taking place at the event, MLW shared an update today revealing that it will now be Dijak vs. Trevor Lee at Slaughterhouse. The show is taking place from The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 4 and will air for free live on MLW’s YouTube channel.
“In a shocking twist ahead of MLW Slaughterhouse on October 4 at the Coliseum, Trevor Lee has stepped up to face the unstoppable force known as Donovan Dijak. Following TJP’s unexpected withdrawal from the match, MLW’s roster was notified of an open contract to fight Dijak,” the promotion wrote. “Wasting no time, a fearless Trevor Lee raced to sign his name, setting the stage for an electrifying debut.”
Dijak and Lee both departed WWE earlier this year. Dijak left the company in June when his contract was not renewed, while Lee (formerly known as Cameron Grimes) was released by WWE back in April.
Lee is making his MLW debut at Slaughterhouse. Dijak arrived in the promotion last month at MLW Summer of the Beasts.
Here’s the updated card for Slaughterhouse:
MLW Slaughterhouse 2024 (Friday, October 4) —
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima defends against Ultimo Guerrero
MLW Tag Team Champions Minoru Suzuki & Ikuro Kwon defend against Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane & Mr. Thomas)
Weapons of Mass Destruction match: Mads Krule Krugger vs. AKIRA
Former WWE wrestler Donovan Dijak is set for his first MLW match.
Dijak will make his MLW in-ring debut at Fightland 2024, facing off against Timothy Thatcher. The show is being held at Center Stage in Atlanta on Saturday, September 14 and will stream live on MLW’s YouTube channel for free.
Last week, Dijak arrived in MLW by disrupting a scramble match between Jimmy Lloyd, LSG, Little Guido, and Nolo Kitano. He laid out everyone in the match and then cut a promo saying his aim is to become the next MLW World Heavyweight Champion. The belt is currently held by Satoshi Kojima. Dijak also mentioned Thatcher, Matt Riddle, and Minoru Suzuki as targets.
The 37-year-old Dijak is a free agent after departing WWE this June when his contract was not renewed by the company. On June 27, Dijak posted a statement saying he tried to negotiate with WWE, but they never made him an offer. He was informed at the “eleventh hour” that WWE would not be renewing his contract.
Mister Saint Laurent is Dijak’s manager in MLW.
Here’s the updated card for Fightland:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima defends against Mads Krugger
Opera Cup finals: TBA vs. TBA
Opera Cup semifinal match: KENTA vs. TJP
Opera Cup semifinal match: Mistico vs. Bad Dude Tito
Donovan Dijak vs. Timothy Thatcher
The Andersons (Brock Anderson & CW Anderson) vs. Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane & Mr. Thomas)
Whether Dijak ends up joining the promotion remains to be seen, but Tony Khan has been made aware of his interest in AEW.
Dijak was backstage at Forbidden Door over the weekend after departing WWE when his contract expired on June 28. In an interview with Forbes, Dijak explained that his representatives at Paragon Talent Group arranged for him to be backstage at the show. Dijak said his interest in being part of AEW has been made known to Khan and — if nothing else — a “reciprocal respect” exists between the two.
“Nobody. I showed up uninvited (laughs),” Dijak joked when asked who invited him to Forbidden Door. “No, Mojo [Rawley] and Steve [Kaye] both arranged that for me. They have great connections. Steve was there with me, so he brought me along, brought me in. I don’t know if anything needs to be approved by Tony [Khan] specifically or if they just kind of have people going in and out. But I know that Tony has been made aware of my interest, and I know that there’s reciprocal respect if nothing else.”
Last week, Dijak posted a letter to social media announcing that WWE had decided not to renew his contract. Dijak wrote that he had attempted to negotiate with WWE, but the company “stonewalled” him and never made a single offer. At the eleventh hour, Dijak was told his deal would not be renewed.
In the 2024 WWE Draft, Dijak was called up from NXT but never wrestled on Raw after joining the show’s roster. His final match for the company took place on WWE Speed.
Dijak made his first post-WWE appearance at a show for Blitzkrieg Pro last weekend and will have his first post-WWE match for Beyond Wrestling tonight (July 4). He’s back to going by “Donovan Dijak,” which is the name he previously used on the indies and in Ring of Honor.
On the Fourth of July, Dijak will wrestle his first match since departing WWE.
Beyond Wrestling has announced that Dijak will return to the promotion at Americanrana 2024 in Worcester, Massachusetts this Thursday. He’s facing Aaron Rourke at the event. It’s the first time Dijak has wrestled for Beyond since 2017.
Dijak posted a letter on social media last week revealing that he would be departing WWE when his contract expired on June 28. In the letter, Dijak said WWE “stonewalled” him during attempted contract negotiations, never making a single offer. He was informed at the eleventh hour that his contract would not be renewed.
Despite being called up in the 2024 WWE Draft, Dijak never wrestled on Raw after joining the show’s roster. He had one match on Main Event and one match on WWE Speed after the draft. Dijak said there had been plans for him to feud for the NXT Championship, but he was called up to Raw instead.
Beyond Wrestling was one of Dijak’s home promotions on the Northeast indies before he signed with WWE. He’s back to using “Donovan Dijak” as his wrestling name, which is the name he previously went by on the indies and in Ring of Honor.
Americanrana 2024 is taking place from White Eagle hall in Worcester.
Dijak’s post-WWE career has officially begun as he made a surprise appearance for New England indie promotion Blitzkrieg Pro on Saturday night.
Moments after CPA had won the company’s Bedlam title in their main event, he was celebrating with several members of the roster when a tall man dressed in black with a mask joined in on the fun. However, no one seemed to know who he was until he revealed himself and laid everyone out including the new champion, completing his attack by hitting a Feast Your Eyes and later looking at the title belt.
Afterward, he cut a two-minute promo that was not on the IWTV on demand airing:
– Kona Reeves (w/ Vanessa Borne) defeated Stacey Ervin Jr.
It was a return to action by Ervin who had a scary bump at the previous TV tapings. Post match, Borne felt bad for Ervin which only led Reeves to rough him up some more before Ervin fought his way out of it.
– Jessie defeated Chelsea Green after a stomp to the back
– Brennan Williams defeated Eric Bugenhagen
Brennan won after hitting a spin kick. The big man has been looking good lately, but the crowd still loves Bugenhagen.
– We had an In-ring interview with the former Jordan Omogbehi, the 7’3” former basketball player from Nigeria now known as Tomu.
– Adrian Jaoude and Cezar Bononi defeated Denzel and Mansoor
The Brazilians were just too much for the fun loving duo.
– We got an encore air guitar performance by Bugenhagen as he went all over the gym rocking out with the crowd.
– Matt Riddle defeated Dominik Dijakovic
This was a great match. Riddle went for the ankle lock early and often while Dom powered out and hit big moves of his own for separation. Riddle finally forced the submission via ankle lock after escaping a chokeslam attempt.
– The Forgotten Sons (Blake and Ryker) defeated The Street Profits
The Sons won after an assisted hold up dropkick with Blake coming off the top. Crowd was into this one.
Belair fought her way out of the clutch a few times, but Baszler was relentless and finally got the submission. Post match, the champ kept attacking Belair until Mia Yim made the save.
– NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders defeated The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly)
This featured great action throughout. The Raiders were just too much for the Era, winning with the assisted power slam before celebrating with the crowd.
