Swerve Strickland told Renee Paquette that his first few months in AEW erased his memory of the last three years he spent in WWE.
Strickland appeared on an episode of The Sessions released on Tuesday. During the discussion, he expressed frustration with his time in WWE.
“For that first year, I felt like I was just like a good hand to have and that’s also what built up a lot of that resentment. It’s starting to build a little bit cause I put over the Lio Rushs, I put over the Cameron Grimes’, I put over the Santos Escobars, I put over the Bronson Reeds, the Austin Theorys. I kept putting all these people over.”
Strickland continued to say that he tried to speak to Triple H about his standing in the company.
“I had a couple conversations with Triple H. I’m like, ‘When am I going to be your guy? What is it gonna take for me to be your guy?’ I had three, three specific conversations with him, I’ll never forget them, that I always pushed the envelope for. I even texted him one day, I was like, ‘Can I have a conversation with you?’ He said, ‘Is it anything that you can talk to Matt Bloom about?’ I was like, ‘No.’ He was like, ‘Okay, okay.’”
“I would stare holes in him all day at production, I wanted him to feel the heat that I was glaring on him. Finally, when we did have a conversation, I’m like, ‘What is your hesitation putting the ball in my hands?’ He gave me the answers that kind of felt like they were repetitious answers from this person asking him, this person asking him, and the one before.”
“I knew keeping tapping that egg, it wasn’t going to work,” Strickland continued.
He continued to say that he then went to Shawn Michaels. The two of them would have hour-long tape sessions watching Strickland’s matches against Matt Riddle from DEFY or his work in PCW Ultra.
“Then it was just like, okay cool, and that’s where it started really turning around. That’s where my hair color started changing, they put the grills in my mouth and all that other stuff. I really started dabbing into the hip hop field of things,” he continued.
Strickland also recalled a conversation he had with Stephanie McMahon around this time.
“Then Stephanie McMahon came up and said, ‘You’re like my favorite heel, you’re my favorite heel here’, and then everything just kind of whirlwind and went up from there. That’s when Hit Row started forming.”
Hit Row was called up to the WWE main roster in early October 2021. B-Fab was released on November 4 and the rest of the faction was cut two weeks later.
“It hit hard because they got rid of Briana right away. That indicated to me and everybody else, like, I don’t think they believe in us as much as they think they should believe in us. For me, the writing was on the walls.”
Strickland then signed with AEW in March.
“So like right away, I was just like, [my] first three months in AEW made me completely forget about my last three years in WWE. I put all of that focus and energy and that resentment and stuff into building something. Now, it’s like I’m here seven months and I truly believe without a shadow of a doubt I’m the best acquisition of 2022 in any company.”
“Those big disappointments turned into big successes later on for me,” he continued.
WWE has updated the lineup for tonight’s SmackDown.
Two new matches have been added to the show. The “Honorary Uce” Sami Zayn will be in singles action against Ricochet and Bayley will face Raquel Rodriguez.
Additionally, three of the four teams originally announced for the tag team number one contender’s match have been replaced. The original teams scheduled for the match were The New Day, The Street Profits, Alpha Academy, and Los Lotharios. The match is now listed as Hit Row vs. Imperium vs. The Brawling Brutes vs. The New Day. No reason was given for the change.
Logan Paul is also scheduled for the show.
The September 16 edition of WWE SmackDown takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The announced lineup is as follows:
Logan Paul appears
Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet
Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Tag Team title number one contender’s match: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci) vs. Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland)
The morning after their return to WWE, Hit Row’s Top Dolla spoke to Busted Open Radio about the process in bringing them back
Dolla (AJ Francis) said that he and Paul “Triple H” Levesque had kept in communication, even after the group was released and Levesque was no longer in WWE. He had sent Levesque clips of he and Ashante Adonis working indies and talked about working together again in the future.
Levesque reached out Wednesday of last week to gauge their interest in returning and how quickly they could be back. The three had a Zoom call with the new head of creative to discuss plans and then had physicals and contracts this week.
“When (Levesque) got the reigns and is like, ‘I want to bring my guys back,’ we were one of his top priorities to get back because he knew what we could bring to the table. About a week and a half ago, he hit me up and was like, ‘How are the rest of the guys?’ ‘We’re good.’ None of us wasted time this whole time,” he said. “We never stopped training and never stopped being ready. He was like, ‘How fast can I act and get you guys here?’
Dolla, Adonis and B-Fab returned to action on Friday’s SmackDown with Dolla and Adonis picking a tag team win over two enhancement talents. The trio, in addition to then-team member Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, were released in November 2021, in one of WWE’s many rounds of pandemic cuts. Scott (Swerve Strickland) eventually signed with AEW and is one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions.
Dolla acknowledged some of the rumors that his interactions with Vince McMahon following B-Fab’s initial release were the reason for their eventual release.
“People love to say I’m hard to work with. I’m not. I’m hard to fool,” saying there were “a myriad of reasons” they were all released.
“Everyone in the world thinks they know who I am. Everyone in the world thinks I’m hard to work with. People who never worked with me had one conversation with me and felt they could talk down to me like I’m not a 30-year-old man. I told them about themselves and then they get in their buddies’ ears like I’m hard to work with. In actuality, I’m not hard to work with, I’m hard to fool. You can’t tell me something that’s not true and you’re not going to stand on. That’s how I was raised. If that makes me wrong, I’m going to be wrong forever,” he said.
He effused praise on Levesque for bringing all three talents back as there were a hundred wrestlers he could have done that with, a reference to all of the cuts WWE made over the past few years.
Regarding any previous heat, Dolla said Levesque told them he didn’t know what happened before and didn’t care, that it’s a new place and they have a clean slate on this second go-round.
“It was a breath of fresh air. I was down when we got released. Hit Row was hotter than anything in wrestling. Period. I don’t care who you are, get your feelings hurt if you want. When we got released, I feel we had something great and it turned into ashes in my hand. It made me stop watching wrestling for the first time in my life. I went eight months without watching wrestling,” he said.
WWE SmackDown last night featured more returns to the company and an Intercontinental Championship match in the main event.
After making their WWE return on last Friday’s show, Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux were back this week. Scarlett interrupted an in-ring promo by Drew McIntyre. With McIntyre distracted, the Usos jumped him from behind. The Usos then told Scarlett to tell Kross that this is the Bloodline’s territory. Scarlett responded to the Usos by saying Kross has the same message for them.
Much like what was done on Raw with the United States Championship, there was a video package on last night’s show detailing the lineage of the Intercontinental title. Later in the night, Gunther successfully defended the belt against former two-time champion Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event.
Hit Row returned to WWE on SmackDown as well. B-Fab, Top Dolla, and Ashante “Thee” Adonis become the latest formerly released talent to be brought back to the company by the new regime.
We also saw another team advance in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament this week. Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah defeated Shotzi & Xia Li to advance.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio talking all the latest news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter including stories Triple H’s strategy of surprises, WrestleMania ticket sales and strategy, and the latest on the G1 Climax 32.
We also go into Dave’s bio on Judo Gene, the latest on AEW ratings and AEW and WWE house show business.
The former NXT stable appeared on tonight’s SmackDown. Top Dolla and Ashante “Thee” Adonis, accompanied by B-Fab, came to the ring for a squash match, which Dolla and Adonis quickly won. They then re-introduced themselves, with the group finishing the promo by saying they were the OG3.
PWInsider reported on Thursday that WWE were bringing in Adonis and Dolla for Friday’s SmackDown. However, it was unknown at the time if B-Fab would be brought in as well.
The group, along with Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, formed Hit Row back in May of last year on the NXT brand. In October, they were drafted to SmackDown. However, B-Fab was released on November 4, and a few weeks later the rest of Hit Row were released on November 18. Scott has since reverted back to his Swerve Strickland name and signed with AEW earlier this year, where he is now one half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions with Keith Lee, who was also released from WWE last year.
Hit Row are the latest to be brought back to WWE in recent weeks, with Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Dexter Lumis all making returns.
WWE is planning to bring back two members of the Hit Row group, according to a report.
PW Insider reports that AJ “Top Dolla” Francis and Ashonte “Thee” Adonis are planned to be at Friday’s SmackDown taping in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Top Dolla and Ashonte Adonis would be the latest WWE talent released by the former regime to be brought back by new executive vice president of talent relations Paul “Triple H” Levesque, joining Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Dexter Lumis.
As part of the Hit Row stable, Top Dolla and Ashonte Adonis were drafted to SmackDown in the WWE Draft along with B-Fab and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott on October 1, 2021. B-Fab was released by the company on November 4, 2021, while Top Dolla, Adonis, and Scott were released on November 18, 2021.
Prior to their main roster call-up, Hit Row operated as a stable in NXT, debuting as a foursome in May 2021.
Scott has since signed with AEW and is one half of the company’s World Tag Team Champions, along with Keith Lee.
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Tuesday News Update
WWE
Main Event matches taped prior to Raw on Monday included Veer Mahan vs. Apollo Crews and Liv Morgan vs. Queen Zelina.
Titus O’Neil, Damian Priest, and Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys will be on The Bump this Wednesday.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Big E said he did not expect to be moved back to SmackDown after his WWE Championship run. “My focus has been on controlling what I can,” he said. “We’ve had several interviews and I’m sure I’ve already talked your ears off about meditation and how much that has helped me. But, that’s my job. I focus on being the performer and do the very best with what I’m given, that’s my focus. But, I don’t want any of that to be perceived as me taking away from being with Kofi and Woods. That’s my greatest delight. For me, it was a transition I will say I did not expect at this time in my career. I had hoped to climb back and try once again to win back the WWE championship. But, we have a pretty big champion [Roman Reigns] and pretty big title on SmackDown as well so, you never know.”
The Rock on Instagram praised Montez Ford and thanked him for kind words in an interview: “We’ve never shared the ring together, but pro wrestlers all have a very special bond. Pro wrestling is a very unique, intense and wild culture that’s not for everybody. When you love the wrestling business, you become very respectful about the wrestling business. And when you’re respectful about the wrestling business, you become PASSIONATE about the wrestling business. It seeps deep into your DNA. Fans can always sense who’s passionate inside that squared circle ~ and who’s not. This man is passionate. We share that DNA (And he flys like the Superfly —-). Keep kicking ass brother and give my love to your family. And when you become world champion one day, I’ll be right there rooting ya on.”
The former Top Dolla, Ashante Thee Adonis, and B-Fab, now under the name HitMakerZ, have been added to GCW’s For the Culture event that will take place on April 1.
Former WWE head of talent relations Canyon Ceman has joined Obsesh.com as a Chief Athlete Officer.
In an interview with WrestlingInc, Shane ‘Swerve’ Strickland talked about his current status and what he wants to do. “Right now I am content with exploring,” he said. “The state that WWE is in right now, I don’t think it needs me. I don’t think what they’re looking for, and what they’re asking for is something that I can provide. Because I am always wanting more. I am always moving on a different pace, I don’t like waiting around too much, I don’t like waiting in line, I don’t like trying to fill one lane that everybody else is already jamming in. I am always into creating my own lane and doing something, it’s sometimes the things that I want to venture out and try is going to take risk. There’s a lot of unknown territory that the system is not familiar with, and that’s okay, because it’s their system, it’s still going to be successful with what they do, whether they change or not. They’re still going to make their money.”
The group formerly known as Hit Row are set to reunite at an independent wrestling show next month.
MCW Pro Wrestling has announced that Shane “Swerve” Strickland, AJ Francis, Tehuti Miles, and Briana Brandy will all be appearing at their Spring Fever event on Saturday, March 19. The show is being held at Tall Cedars Hall in Parkville, Maryland.
“The 2022 #MCWSpringFever Tour kicks off on Saturday night March 19th in Parkville, MD with special guests & former #WWE / #NXT Stars formerly known as Hit Row,” MCW Pro Wrestling wrote. “Tickets Are On Sale Now & Going FAST”
The 2022 #MCWSpringFever Tour kicks off on Saturday night March 19th in Parkville, MD with special guests & former #WWE / #NXT Stars formerly known as Hit Row🔥🔥
Strickland was formerly known as Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in WWE, Francis was known as Top Dolla, Miles was known as Ashante “Thee” Adonis, and Brandy was known as B-Fab. The group formed in NXT, with Scott holding the NXT North American Championship once before Hit Row were called up to the main roster.
Hit Row were drafted to SmackDown last October. But shortly after their SmackDown debut, Brandy was released from her contract. The remaining members of Hit Row were then released two weeks later.
A day after his release, the former “Top Dolla” AJ Francis has responded to a report in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that he “rubbed a ton of people the wrong way” in WWE.
In covering the most recent round of WWE releases, Dave Meltzer wrote this of Francis:
“While he came across well on television, he rubbed a ton of people the wrong way in NXT and was getting the same reputation on the main roster.”
Francis quote-tweeted another site’s coverage of the report and responded with:
“Here’s what rubs people the wrong way.
-Standing up for your own. When Bri was released and I called the office myself to tell them they made a mistake.
-Standing up for yourself. Ppl in the PC told me “Hit Row” wouldn’t work for a year and a half & I never took their advice.”
“TRUST ME I got plenty stories I can tell about how I was disrespected but just took it on the chin like a professional.
Even with the video I released today it was all professionalism. But I’m NOT gonna let these BS “reports” ruin my reputation.
I got tea I can spill too.”
The video Francis references is a rap he released today that references the 89 days left in his non-compete window following his WWE release and name-checks a series of wrestling companies he would be interested in signing with once the window closes.
In addition to his NXT and WWE run with Hit Row, Francis was a character on WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures series that aired on A&E from April 2021 to June 2021.
Detailed look at the WWE draft, the rosters in different categories, strengths, weaknesses, depth and why so many picks were expected going in. Divisions strengthened, weakened, decimated, key personalities and more looking forward on the WWE roster
This past week in G1, who were the stars, standings, key matches and a rundown of every match, what to see, what to miss, storylines and what’s coming next
WWE Crown Jewel update
The death of Reggie Parks, the famous beltmaker who had a long career in the industry
WWE & AEW business in September, the numbers, what do they mean, comparisons, who watches what show and live attendance
Complete rundown of this past week’s UFC show and what’s coming this week
TV changes for the month of October
Detailed look at ratings, including what shows people watch together with the most frequency, how wrestling rates with sports and entertainment programming, men vs. women viewership
Promotion in serious talks about a new TV deal
The return of Women of Wrestling and distribution
How U.S. wrestlers fared in world championships
Behind the Alberto Rodriguez lawsuit over the Tito Ortiz fight
Lots of wrestlers getting TV media gigs
Promotion has new distribution method for next major PPV
Ticket sales for all the major shows between now and the end of the year
What regulatory incompetence led to the death of a fighter
International TV ratings
New WWE coaching staff members
Another top star contract expiring soon
Oldest skewing major wrestling show of the year and what’s being done to fix it
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
An angle aired on social media prior to tonight’s NXT where Legado del Fantasma kidnapped B-Fab and Top Dolla in broad daylight. Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott defends the NXT North American title against Santos Escobar on tonight’s show.
Matches taped for Main Event this week prior to Raw include John Morrison vs. Angel Garza and Drew Gulak vs. T-Bar.
The company has trademarked the term ‘the suplex-orcist”, in reference to Roman Reigns.
G4 has confirmed that the network, which will feature Xavier Woods as an on-air personality, will relaunch on November 16. It will be available on Comcast XFINITY, Cox, and Verizon Fios TV subscribers. Additionally, the network will stream through Twitch, YouTube, and Philo.
Raquel Gonzalez talked to Yahoo Sports about her latina heritage and how it shaped her WWE career.
In an interview with Allure, Bad Bunny talked about his match at WrestleMania. “It was like I died and went to heaven,” he said. “I’ve never sat to watch a recording of one of my concerts. Never. But my wrestling fight — I’ve watched it a hundred times. For like a week, I would go to bed watching it.”
Bryan Danielson wrote on Twitter regarding his upcoming match against Minoru Suzuki: “In 2004, I wrestled Minoru Suzuki 1 on 1. He beat the sh*t out of me. Showed me what violence and sadism inside a wrestling ring looks like. Since then, I’ve learned a thing or two about violence myself. And sadism. Excited to show Mr. Suzuki what I’ve learned #DANIELSONvsSUZUKI”
In place of Dynamite, AEW will air an episode of AEW Dark: Elevation tomorrow on their YouTube channel at 8 pm ET and an episode of AEW Dark on October 20. Both will be “best of” specials.
MLW has announced the signing of Joe Dombrowski to their announce team. He will start with the MLW Fusion: Alpha show that will air on MLW’s YouTube channel on Wednesday night.
Combat Zone Wrestling, which has not run a show since March of 2020, announced a pay-what-you-wish event called Renaissance of Tradition for October 24 at Studio Z in Blackwood, NJ. Fred Yehi, Diego Hill, Vinny Talotta, and Lucky 13 have been announced for the show.
PWInsider reported that at one point, there was a Memorandum of Understanding signed for Game Changer Wrestling to purchase CZW. However, CZW owner DJ Hyde pulled out of the deal.
Alberto el Patron’s trial for aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault begins on October 25 in San Antonio, Texas.
Aja Kong told Tokyo Sports she is undergoing surgery to put an artificial joint in her knee. She said that she does not expect to be out of action long.
Heels’ season finale on Starz scored 81,000 viewers, up from last week’s 73,000. In the 18-49 demo it scored a 0.01, down from last week’s 0.02.
Shaquille O’Neal told PopCulture that any match with Paul Wight would need to take place in New Jersey. “It has to be done in Northern New Jersey. Because you saw what I did to Cody [Rhodes]. …And see, I took it easy on Cody because he was a little guy, but big guys, I don’t take it easy on big guys, Paul Wall, or whatever your name is.”
Forbes has a video feature on Tony Khan and his involvement running AEW.
Lio Rush was the guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. He talked about his current relationship with Mark Henry (h/t Fightful): “Me and Mark Henry’s relationship is super cordial now,” he said. “I think it came down to two very strong personalities and two very different eras of wrestling and we agree to disagree. We’re about to be working together now and AEW is such an incredible place to be. It would be foolish of us to carry on any kind of whatever it was as it was pretty random and wild.”
Chelsea Green on her Green With Envy podcast said that WWE had sent out a text telling talent they were not allowed to be at All Out. “I will say that I really wish Matt [Cardona] had been able to go,” she said (h/t WrestlingInc). “Every one at WWE who had a spouse or a partner that was on All In got a text the week or two out from talent relations at WWE, saying they were not allowed to be at All In. So originally, of course, Matt and people like Deonna and Adam Cole, so many people were going to be at All In, just backstage watching us. And when they sent that text, I mean, it was way too risky for any of them to be there, especially after being told not to. It was such a bummer, but it still feels like yesterday when I came back from my match to a hundred texts from Matt saying how awesome it was. I actually could cry thinking about it all.”
Hit Row, as well as Austin Theory, are heading to WWE’s main roster.
During the third round of tonight’s WWE Draft, it was announced that Hit Row (Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Top Dolla, and B-Fab) were drafted from NXT. Scott is the current NXT North American Champion. At the end of the final round of draft selections, Theory was drafted to Raw.
Theory has been associated with The Way stable on NXT, along with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. He previously was on Raw last March as a protege of Zelina Vega, but by June the relationship had ended. In August, he returned to NXT, eventually aligning with the Gargano family.
Top Dolla appeared in a dark match prior to tonight’s SmackDown, defeating Cedric Alexander.
The Hit Row stable began back in May, when Scott defeated Leon Ruff in a match after Top Dolla interfered. Soon after, the entire stable including B-Fab and Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, were introduced.
Elektra Lopez appeared on tonight’s NXT, aligning herself with Legado Del Fantasma.
The main event of tonight’s NXT had Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) team up to take on Hit Row (Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Ashanti “Thee” Adonis, and Top Dolla). The finish of the match had Lopez come out to confront B-Fab, who was at ringside. Lopez then took out a pipe and attacked B-Fab. As the referee and Scott were distracted, Escobar took the opportunity to roll up Scott for the win.
Lopez is the former Karissa Rivera, who signed with WWE in February of this year. She first appeared on the June 22 edition of NXT, where she lost to Frankie Monet in what was billed as Monet’s “World Premiere Encore”. Previously, Lopez has had matches in Ring of Honor and Impact and is a former Wrestling Superstar Women’s Champion.
Also on tonight’s NXT, Xyon Quinn made his television debut, pinning Boa after Boa was distracted by Mei Ying. Julius and Brutus Creed, twin amateur wrestlers, also appeared in the background of a Malcom Bivens promo tonight, training with Roderick Strong.
The fallout from TakeOver 36 takes place on tonight’s episode of NXT.
There’s a new NXT Champion after Samoa Joe defeated Karrion Kross in the main event of Sunday’s TakeOver special. In defeating Kross, Joe became the first three-time NXT Champion in history. Joe will address the audience tonight.
TakeOver also saw Kyle O’Reilly defeat Adam Cole in The Undisputed Finale, Ilja Dragunov defeat WALTER to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship, Raquel Gonzalez retain her NXT Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai, and Cameron Grimes win the Million Dollar Championship from LA Knight.
Former NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray confronted Gonzalez after her title defense. KLR will be in action tonight.
There will be a championship celebration with Grimes and Ted DiBiase on tonight’s show.
The feud between Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma will escalate as Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis face Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde in a six-man tag team match. The finals of the NXT Breakout Tournament will also take place as Odyssey Jones takes on Carmelo Hayes.
Plus, Timothy Thatcher will face Ridge Holland, Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro will team against Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, and Boa will be in action. Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The show opened with the new Million Dollar Champion, Cameron Grimes, arriving to the building in a limo with Ted DiBiase. They walked the red carpet into the building, and Grimes sporting a sparkling vest with dollar signs on the lapels, similar to the orginal Million Dollar Man himself.
Grimes is so much fun. Pro wrestling is best when it’s fun.
DiBiase and Grimes entered the ring to celebrate Grimes winning the Million Dollar title at TakeOver 36. DiBiase began a congratulatory speech by talking about why he came to NXT. He wanted someone to carry on the legacy of the Million Dollar Man. That person would have to be strong of body and mind. DiBiase emphasized they should also be strong in heart. Quitters never win, and winners never quit.
DiBiase went on to say Grimes is no quitter. Grimes got back up no matter how many times he fell down, until he finally became Million Dollar Champion. And that is who is now!
Grimes said DiBiase drove him crazy at first. DiBiase replied that he was just testing him. Grimes went on to say he was beginning to lose focus with all of those zeros in his bank account. Grimes thought he was something, but he didn’t have that accomplishment that made him something. As he lost track as he was cleaning trash and srubbing toilets, but there was no way he was going to allow “that dummy” to make the Million Dollar Man his butler.
So at TakeOver 36, Grimes and DiBiase “took care” of LA Knight, and Grimes became Million Dollar Champion. The fans chanted “TO THE MOON!” Grimes wondered where they can go from here. DiBiase said there is only one place to go, and that is “TO THE MOON!”
Money with Grimes face on the bills fell from the sky like he was a Rainmaker, and Grimes embraced DiBiase. Great segment.
Clips from TakeOver highlighted the results from the card this past Sunday.
First bout on the show tonight is a grudge match several weeks in the making.
Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne) defeated Timothy Thatcher (with Tommaso Ciampa)
Holland pinned Thatcher with a powerslam to win a slobberknocker. A brawl after the match looks to set up Ciampa against Holland. There could also be a tag team match down the road, after the heels laid out Ciampa and Thatcher this match. Thatcher was also injured in storyline by a post-match attack.
They tied up at the start like two bulls locking horns. The fight went to the ground, and Thatcher went for submissions. Holland got back to his feet, and he floored Thatcher with a punch. Thatcher was reeling with his butt on the mat, but he fought back by kicking at a standing Holland like Inoki did to Ali in ’76.
Thatcher got to his feet, and he clubbed Holland. Thatcher dropped to the mat again after eating a back elbow from Holland. To fight went back to the ground, and Thatcher targeted a leg. Moments later Thatcher went to target on arm. The tables had seemingly turned, until Holland rocked Thatcher with a lariat.
Thatcher took a beating through a picture-and-picture commercial break. They were trading forearms as the show returned from the break. Thatcher caught Holland in a half crab. Holland kicked free, and he got to his feet. Thatcher slapped him, which only served to fire up Holland. He blocked a kick from Thatcher, and Holland delivered a headbutt. Holland then scooped up Thatcher for a powerslam, and Holland covered Thatcher for a clean pinfall.
Ciampa and Dunne began brawling after the match. Ciampa threw Dunne out of the ring, but Ciampa was hit with a sneak attack. Oney Lorcan and the returning Danny Burch attacked Ciampa. The beatdown continued with Burch laying out Ciampa with a KO punch. The heel stable was still not done. Holland struck Ciampa with a headbutt, and Ciampa fell at Holland’s feet.
Holland went to put his hat back on, and he was attacked by Thatcher. Dunne ran interference, allowing Holland to retrieve his club. Holland hit Thatcher in the arm with the club. Dunne then held Thatcher’s arm so Holland could hit Thatcher again with the club. Holland struck Thatcher in the throat, the heels left him laying on the floor.
Arash Markazi sat down with Carmelo Hayes for an interview ahead of the Breakout Tournament final later tonight. This was a good personality profile. A modern take on the type of segment first perfected by Les Thatcher on Ron Fuller’s Southeastern show in the late 1970s. What’s old is new again.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed the newly engaged couple, Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis. In-Dex revealed their wedding date is September 14th on NXT.
Catanzaro pinned Carter to win the match. Finish kind of came out of nowhere, but it was fun while it lasted.
Catanzaro & Carter have a new gimmick where they do Tik Tok dances. Meanwhile, Dolin & Jayne were badasses. The Tik Tokkers won in the end. Heat on Catanzaro. Hot tag to Carter, and she briefly ran wild. Although Carter was soon cut off, she recovered quickly to set up the finisher. Carter with a neckbreaker as Catazaro delivered a 450 splash, and Catanzaro cradled Jayne for a three count.
Catanzaro & Carter yelled at the announcers after the match about wanting a shot at the tag team titles.
Franky Monet, flanked by her entourage, interrupted an interview with NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Monet challenged Gonzalez to a title match.
Before being interrupted by Monet, Gonzalez mentioned Kay Lee Ray, who was on deck with a match up next.
Before the women’s bout came another sit-down interview with Markazi. This time he was interviewing Odyssey Jones.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz
Ray pinned Feroz after a Gory Bomb. This was a showcase match for Kay Lee Ray. Feroz got a few moves in, but Ray basically ate her up. The announcers called it Ray’s debut, but she already been on the show before tonight. Regardless, she looked like a killer in the ring.
Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne were approached by Mandy Rose with Rose seemingly wanting to basically be their manager.
Big brawl as Samoa Joe calls out the locker room
NXT Champion Samoa Joe headed to the ring for a promo. This was a Monday Night Raw segemnt. That is not necessarily a compliment, but it turned out alright I guess.
Joe is the first three-time NXT Champion. It was a time for celebration, but Joe says he did not come to celebrate. Joe went to say the tension in the air tonight is more palpable, the handshakes were colder, and the stares were a bit bolder. Who would actually dare stepping to Joe.
Out comes Pete Dunne to confront Joe. Dunne told Joe that Joe wasn’t the baddest around, and Dunne instructed Joe to find his pal Willial Regal so he could make the match.
LA Knight interrupted them to cut a promo of his own. Knight said a lot of word when he was basically just challeneging Joe to a match. Dunne threatened to break Knight’s fingers if he got into the ring. Knight stayed outside the ring, and he told Dunne to use his inside voice. What? OK, whatever.
Kyle O’Reilly was out next, and he spoke to “Samoa Jospeh” and “Peter Dune” about knowing them well enough. O’Reilly said he did not know “La” (like the Spanish pronunciation) Knight. O’Reilly claimes he earned a title match.
Ridge Holland jumped O’Reilly in a blindsided attack. Ciampa ran in to attack Dunne, playing off the sneak attack from earlier in the show. Holland came to the aid of Dunne by attacking Ciampa. It’s a Gordon Solie Pier Sixer. Joe dropped Knight, and Joe’s music plays as he stands tall as NXT Champion.
Cameron Grimes escorted Ted DiBiase to a waiting limo. Grimes said he thought it over, and Grimes believes the Million Dollar Championship should go with DiBiase. Grimes tried to give the title belt to DiBiase, but DiBiase seemingly gave it back to Grimes. DiBiase said everytime Grimes looks at belt he will know who he is, but there is a twist to the story. Grimes says the belt feels different, and Grimes learns it is a replica belt. Maniacal laughter from DiBiase as the limp sped away, leaving Grimes holding the replica.
Kyle O’Reilly was attacked a second time. This time Duke Hudson jumped him, but only after O’Reilly slapped Hudson. O’Reilly’s slap came after Hudson interrupted an backstage interview to mock O’Reilly. They had a pull-apart brawl, and O’Reilly screamed about wanting to fight Hudson. Of course, this sets up a match between the two.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the NXT Breakout Tournament
Hayes won with a crucifix pinfall on Jones. Hayes wins the Breakout Tournament, earning a title shot against the champion of his choice. Really good match.
The match began as a David vs. Goliah struggle. Jones manhandled Hayes, but Hayes would use his quickness aganist Jones. The match went through a commercial break, and the show returned from the break with Hayes gaining control on offense.
Hayes was rocking Jones with strikes, and Hayes with La Mistica into a facebuster for a two count. Jones moments later cut off Hayes with a shoulder breaker. Hayes rolled out of the ring to regroup. Hayes off the top rope with a flying legdrop, but Jones won’t stay down. Hayes went for a second flying legdrop off the top, but no water in the pool. Jones with a splash on Hayes, and Jones went for a nonchalant cover. Hayes countered with a crucifix for a three count.
William Regal presented Hayes with a contract for a title shot of Hayes’ choice.
New NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov is set to appear on NXT next Tuesday.
Xyon Quinn defeated Boa
The match was all Boa, until he was distracted by instructions from Mei Ying. Boa walked into a flying forearm smash hy Quinn, and Quinn covered Boa for a pinfall. Frightened by a menacing Ming, Quinn jumped the barricade and hightailed it out of the CWC.
Johnny Gargano tried to get William Regal to cancel the wedding between Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis. They had some funny comedy lines, but that interrupted by LA Knight pitching a fit. Regal ordered them both out of his office, and he slammed the door in their faces. “Buffoons,” Regal remarked. \
Malcom Bivens cut a promo as the Diamond Mine trained in the background. Roderick Strong will issue an open challeneg next Tuesday on NXT.
Announced for next week is Tommaso Ciampa against Ridge Holland.
El Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) defeated Hit Row (NXT North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Top Dolla with B-FAB)
Legado del Fantasma won the match when Escobar pinned Scott with a roll-up, which means Escobar scored a pinfall on the reigning North American title holder. That should set up a title match down the road. Electra Lopez interfered before the finish, clearly aligning herself with the rudo faction.
Hit Row with an early advantage, which led to Hit Row standing tall before a commercial break. Rudos took a powder, and the two teams glared at each other before the show cut to commercial.
During a picture-in-picture break, the rudo team gained the advantage. Heat on Scott as Legado del Fantasma worked him over. Scott eventually fought back. Hot tag to Top Dolla, and he cleaned house. He was one man wrecking crew. Top Dolla carried all three rudos around the ring at the same time, leading to a triple fall away slam.
Rudos fought on, using teamwork to target Adonis. Mendoza hit Adonis with a springboard missile dropkick, and Mendoza followed with a modified Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Scott broke up the pinning attempt with a House Call on Mendoza.
Scott squared off with Escobar, and Scott nailed Escobar with a leaping flatliner. Scott off the top with a 450 splash on Escobar for a false finish. The rudos tried to stop Scott, but Top Dolla wiped them out with a dive to the outside.
Escobar tripped up Scott on the apron, and B-FAB posted him. After B-FAB sent Escobar crashing into the ring post, Electra Lopez appeared at ringside brandishing a pipe. Lopez hit B-FAB with the pipe. The attack by Lopez distracted Scott, allowing Escobar to roll up Scott with a schoolboy for a 1…2…3.
Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma glare at each other as the show closed.
NXT taped Monday night at the Capitol Wrestling Center for the show that will air on Tuesday. Additionally, two weeks’ worth of 205 Live was taped. PWInsider reported the following:
205 Live for August 27:
Grayson Waller defeated Andre Chase. Drake Maverick was on commentary for the opening match.
Ikemen Jiro defeated Trey Baxter. Jiro won after countering a springboard 450 splash with a small package.
September 3:
Amari Miller defeated Cora Jade.
Joe Gacy defeated Josh Briggs.
NXT for August 24:
Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes started the show with a celebration over Grimes’ victory at TakeOver 36.
Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne) defeated Timothy Thatcher (with Tomasso Ciampa). Holland won the match following the Northern Grit. There was a brawl between all four men after the match. Oney Lorcan and a returning Danny Burch then came out to aid Dunne and Holland.
Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis announced that their wedding would take place on the September 14 edition of NXT.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin. Catanzaro and Carter won with a neckbreaker/450 splash combination.
Raquel Gonzalez cut a promo backstage, mentioning Kay Lee Ray. Frankie Monet, Robert Stone, and Jessi Kamea then appeared, talking about taking the NXT Women’s Championship away from Gonzalez.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz.
New NXT Champion Samoa Joe entered the ring for a promo, talking about his victory at TakeOver. He wondered who his first challenger would be. Pete Dunne, LA Knight, and Kyle O’Reilly came out. Ridge Holland attacked O’Reilly, leading to a brawl. Ciampa came out to attack Dunne and Holland, with Joe and Ciampa staring down Dunne and Holland as they retreated.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the NXT Breakout tournament. Hayes pinned Jones with a jacknife pin. Hayes was interviewed after the match and told William Regal that it was too soon to decide what title he wants to compete for, saying for now he wants to celebrate his victory.
In a backstage promo, Pete Dunne said Thatcher is now on the shelf and Ciampa is next.
Xyon Quinn defeated Boa (with Mei Ying). Boa was pinned after he was distracted by Mei Ying.
Backstage, Johnny Gargano tells William Regal he wants the wedding called off. LA Knight enters and all three start yelling at one another.
Malcolm Bivens cuts a promo with Roderick Strong in the background. Bivens says Strong is the uncrowned Cruiserweight champion and will hold an open challenge for next week’s show.
A match between Ridge Holland and Tomasso Ciampa was also announced for next week.
Legado del Fantasma defeated Hit Row in a six-man tag match. Santos Escobar pinned Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott. Towards the end of the match, B-Fab attacked Escobar while the referee was distracted. An unidentified woman came out and attacked B-Fab with a weapon.
