I am back with another episode of Wrestling Observer Live, hours before tonight’s AEW WrestleDream from Seattle, Washington.
I talk about the latest news from this past week and break down the best from all the shows, including Saturday’s AEW Collision show that went head-to-head with WWE NXT No Mercy.
I discuss both shows and highlights breakout stars on both. I also talk about AEW WrestleDream including what Tony Khan meant when he mentioned a “new era” beginning tonight. I talk about this very stacked card and wonder what match will steal the show.
Plus, I discuss Jade Cargill heading to WWE, Khan’s media call from Tuesday and more!
Ahead of Saturday’s NXT No Mercy, WWE NXT head Shawn Michaels spoke with the media Thursday about a variety of topics that included CM Punk, Jade Cargill, the recent releases, and more.
The full audio of the call can be found below.
The main news was the official announcement of Deadline for Saturday, December 9th in addition to confirming Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan for this Saturday’s pre-show.
CM Punk
Michaels was asked about his thoughts on bringing Punk back to WWE. Michaels said that while he assumes Punk would be a main roster performer, he would love to have Punk in NXT due to his star power and said he has always got along well with Punk in the past as they have some similarities. He said the decision to bring Punk back would be made by those well above him.
Jade Cargill
On Cargill’s recent signing, Michaels was very excited and said he got to briefly engage with her at the Performance Center but understands why there’s all the hype. He would love to have her in NXT, but that she will be successful regardless of where she ends up. He said she is “tailor-made” for WWE.
Gable Steveson
Michaels said it’s up to him to figure out what’s next for Steveson and what will make sense for him next given his busy schedule. He says everything has been fantastic with Steveson, but that he’s a busy, young man.
NXT releases
Michaels said the Mustafa Ali release took him by surprise and that he found out right before Ali did. He said he will have a successful future and is very bright and talented. He was also surprised by the Dana Brooke release.
He added that they have had to deal with situations like releases before and have learned how to make adjustments.
Other notes:
Michaels put over the work ethic of Trick Williams very strongly, saying he is one of the top two or three hardest workers in NXT right now. He wants to work for everything and that he is getting the opportunity this weekend because of that work ethic.
He also put over Tiffany Stratton and that it was hard to say when she would be called up. He thinks the experience she is getting working with main roster talent like Becky Lynch is only going to increase her level of improvement.
Becky Lynch has commented on WWE signing Jade Cargill.
The NXT Women’s Champion was asked by the NY Post recently about a possible dream match with WWE’s newest signee and if she followed Cargill’s work in AEW.
“I watch all the products. I think it’s great,” Lynch said. “More women with more platforms. I think she has a lot of work to do when she gets here, but if she is willing to do that, just look at her. She’s a star. It’s more people for me to get in the ring with and kick their asses.”
Lynch has been working recently with another talent expected to make a big splash on the main roster, Tiffany Stratton. She will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Stratton on Saturday at No Mercy.
Lynch says that Stratton, much like Cargill, has a long way to go to get to her level.
“My level takes a long time to get to, my friend,” Lynch said. “It takes experience, it takes ups, it takes downs. But (Stratton) has so much natural talent. I don’t know nothing about having natural talent. If she wants to apply, if she wants to put her all into this and become a student of the game, she can be great. She can go on and do wonderful things in this business. I think getting to work with me she’s seeing that. She’s seeing how much she doesn’t know and that’s a good thing.”
“Because when you look like (Stratton) and you’re athletic like her and you come in with a character and you’re easy to package to the moon — ‘Here ya go, here’s everything handed on a silver platter. This is gonna be easy.’ Then you realize that this is actually quite complicated and there are gonna be people like me who come along and love this and want to put you in your place and you’re gonna have to rise to the occasion. So we are gonna see how much she rises to the occasion. She has everything in her toolbox to do that. If she wants to do it, the world is her oyster,” Lynch continued.
Stratton was asked about Cargill coming into the company as well recently during an interview with WrestlingNews earlier this month.
“Bring her on in,” Stratton said of Cargill. “I don’t know much about her but I’ve seen photos of her and she’s beautiful.”
Jade Cargill already knows which WWE brand she’ll be on.
In an interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Cargill said that she already knew which brand she would be on. However, she wouldn’t reveal what brand.
“Everybody’s going to have to tune in to every network to see where I’m going,” she said. “I’m here to stir the pot and keep people guessing where I’m going to be. So, just tune in.”
Cargill put over WWE and the people in charge, saying that the Performance Center was where one could get the best quality training. She also noted she was the first signee under TKO.
“I mean you can’t get any better than that. And I’m the first signing under the TKO umbrella…where else can you go to get the best quality training, nowhere else. The PC here is one and one, the machine is behind you…the question is, why not?”
Cargill ultimately said that the choice to switch from WWE to AEW was “a no-brainer”.
“I thought this was a no-brainer. I thought I could get any better as far as in the ring than to come here and join a mega company.”
It was announced on Tuesday that Cargill had signed with the WWE. She last appeared on AEW television on the September 13 edition of Dynamite, losing to Kris Statlander.
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In an interview with Uproxx, Carmelo Hayes talked about not adapting to a cruiserweight vs. heavyweight mentality. “One time one of my coaches here, he said when you watch Shawn Michaels versus the Undertaker, you’re not looking at big guy, little guy,” he said. “If you really think back on it, you’re just looking at an icon, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker,” Hayes tells Uproxx Sports ahead of Saturday’s No Mercy live event. “So, it’s the same energy. I don’t try and carry myself like a cruiserweight. On paper, yeah, I’m a cruiserweight. But in the ring, you’re not going to get that type of energy from me at all. I’m just as big as whoever my opponent is. And that’s kind of the mindset that I walk into every match with.”
The Iron Claw, the film based on the lives of the Von Erich family, will be released in theaters on December 20.
Teddy Hart is next expected in court on 10/19 in Florida over his possession of ecstasy and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
‘Cancel Starz’ was trending on X Tuesday morning following news that Heels was canceled on the network after two seasons.
Kemonito held a press conference on Monday and announced that he has left CMLL and would take legal action to keep the trademark to the name Kemonito. CMLL later confirmed that Jesus Juarez Rosales, the real name of Kemonito, had departed the company.
Impact has announced Throwback Throwdown 4 on November 11 in Toronto at the Don Kolov Arena.
Yuya Uemura wrote on Twitter after getting the ‘fired’ briefcase in the feast or fired match on a recent episode of Impact Wrestling: Thank you and good bye @IMPACTWRESTLING I’m available all over the world. You can message me for booking. #YUYAUEMURA”
Jade Cargill is excited about the next step in her career.
On Tuesday morning, Cargill was officially announced as WWE’s newest addition. She’s signed a multi-year contract with WWE.
After the news was announced, Cargill appeared as a guest on The Ringer Wrestling Show. Cargill was asked how it feels now that she can officially call herself a WWE superstar.
It feels great. I feel like I was just in preparation for the grand stage. I felt like this was always the mission. I felt like, you know, the shoe fit. I felt like this was going to happen. Honestly, this is all expected. So, I’m excited to be here.
Cargill addressed how difficult of a decision it was to leave AEW and join WWE.
I want to create a legacy. I want to be in the Hall of Fame. I want to wrestle with the best women in the world. I mean, there is no grander stage than this stage. The opportunities are endless for this company. It’s a no-brainer. It was very welcoming. I didn’t have any second thoughts about it at all. It was just an easy choice. It wasn’t easy, but it was easy.
When asked how her connection with Cody Rhodes affected the decision, Cargill confirmed that it was a factor.
He was top three — and not third. He is a phenomenal man. I’ve seen what the business did for him. I’ve seen him just be the stellar athlete that he is. And I didn’t see any different for myself.
Cargill named Nia Jax, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair as opponents she wants to face in WWE. Cargill said there’s not just one person she wants to wrestle — she wants to take them all down.
Cargill said there are a lot of people from AEW she will miss. She listed Ricky Starks, Billy Gunn, QT Marshall, Bryan Danielson, Dustin Rhodes, and Mark Henry as some of those people. Cargill said all of the greats in AEW want to see her succeed.
On the September 15 episode of Rampage, Cargill had her final AEW match. She lost to TBS Champion Kris Statlander.
Tony Khan was asked about Cargill during a media call on Tuesday. Khan wished Cargill the best in her future and said he has nothing but positive things to say about her. Khan said Cargill would always be welcome in AEW.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Jade Cargill signing with WWE, ratings for all the big shows this weekend, line-ups for AEW and NXT this week, the RAW report with some great wrestling, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
WWE has shared its first footage of Jade Cargill since she signed with the company.
On Tuesday morning, it was officially announced that Cargill has signed a multi-year deal with WWE. Cargill became a free agent earlier this month when her AEW contract expired.
WWE gave fans a first look at Cargill on Tuesday afternoon, posting a video on social media of her arriving at the WWE Performance Center.
During a media call on Tuesday to promote AEW’s upcoming WrestleDream pay-per-view, Tony Khan was asked about Cargill signing with WWE. Khan wished Cargill the best in her future and said he only has positive things to say about her. Khan said Cargill would always be welcome in AEW.
Cargill’s final AEW match aired on the September 15 episode of Rampage. Kris Statlander defeated Cargill to retain the TBS Championship.
Cargill made her pro wrestling debut for AEW in 2021. She had a dominant run in the promotion that included being the inaugural TBS Champion. She held the title for more than 500 days.
It isn’t known if Cargill will be making her WWE debut on the main roster or in NXT. Dave Meltzer has reported that WWE is working on high priority main roster creative for Cargill.
On the same day when one of his homegrown stars signed with WWE, AEW head Tony Khan spoke to the media Tuesday to hype up this Sunday’s WrestleDream pay-per-view and was asked about Jade Cargill’s new home.
The audio from the call can be found below.
Khan said he has nothing but positive things to say about Cargill, that she would always be welcome in AEW, and wished her the best. He didn’t comment further about efforts to re-sign her.
Khan also was vague on the current status of Adam Cole after the apparent leg injury he suffered while jumping off the entrance ramp on last Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Grand Slam. Khan said that as of now, the MJF & Cole ROH Tag Team title defense against The Righteous this Sunday is still on, but that they will address Cole’s status on tomorrow’s Dynamite.
While not directly saying the word “no,” Khan said he was unsure where the rumors of him buying NJPW are coming from. He was asked about his voiceover comments on the WrestleDream promo video saying that Sunday would be “the end of an era.” He declined to specify what those comments meant, joking that he wants people to buy the PPV Sunday.
It doesn’t appear that will mean the merging of AEW & ROH as Khan has been happy with how ROH TV has been lately and that newer champions like Eddie Kingston, The Young Bucks & Hangman Page, and MJF & Adam Cole will appear on ROH TV in the future.
Khan answered a question from our Dave Meltzer about rumors of WBD taking an ownership stake in AEW. Khan said he would be open to conversations with partners like WBD, but wants to remain in control of decision-making and voting.
Other notes:
Khan said Antonio Inoki’s family will be in attendance Sunday and that he filed the date away in his mind when Inoki passed last year. He hopes the tribute will be an annual event for AEW.
He said he’s never said AEW will move to one PPV a month. He isn’t sure what the right number is while saying there is more appetite for AEW content.
He said with a streaming service, that would likely be packaged into their next TV rights deal as they don’t want to do a 6-9 month tryout before those come up.
Khan said Wardlow is a great star for the company and will “surely be back on AEW TV when the time is right.”
Khan would like to stay on WBD “forever” and when asked about whether Fox could be a possible home for AEW, he didn’t feel it was the right time to talk about it. He mentioned how there’s not enough loyalty these days and mentioned the recent WWE post-merger layoffs without directly referencing the company by name.
Jade Cargill has officially made the jump from AEW to WWE.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that Cargill has signed a contract with WWE. The news was confirmed to ESPN by WWE officials. Cargill’s WWE contract is a multi-year deal.
“Cargill, who was AEW’s longest-reigning TBS champion and appeared on AEW television as recently as two weeks ago, will start with WWE on Tuesday at its Performance Center in Orlando, officials said,” ESPN wrote.
“It remains unclear if Cargill will go straight to the WWE main roster or if she will first perform for its developmental brand, NXT.”
Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted about the news, calling Cargill a “dominant athlete who’s here to change the game.”
.Cargill’s final match for AEW was against TBS Champion Kris Statlander on Rampage earlier this month. After that match was taped, it was reported that Cargill was believed to be leaving AEW and heading to WWE. Cargill was removed from the roster page on AEW’s website soon after.
Cargill made her in-ring debut on an episode of AEW Dynamite in 2021. She had a long undefeated run in the promotion, which included holding the TBS Championship for more than 500 days. She lost the title to Statlander at Double or Nothing this May. Following Double or Nothing, Cargill was away from AEW television for nearly four months until returning and setting up her rematch with Statlander.
Tony Khan was recently asked about Cargill’s status during an interview on Superstar Crossover. Khan said he couldn’t really comment on the rumors that Cargill was headed to WWE, but he praised Cargill for always having been a great wrestler for AEW. Khan said she would always be welcome in AEW.
Dave Meltzer has reported that WWE is working on high priority main roster creative for Cargill. It isn’t known if she’ll have a stint in NXT before that.
Tiffany Stratton would welcome former AEW star Jade Cargill into WWE.
While speaking with The Ten Count, Stratton was asked about rumors that Cargill is WWE bound. Stratton said she would welcome Cargill into WWE or NXT with open arms.
“Yeah, for sure. Bring her on in,” Stratton said. “I don’t know much about her, but I’ve seen photos of her and she’s beautiful. But yeah, I’m not sure what’s really going on there. So I guess we’ll see.”
It was reported on September 14 that Cargill was believed to be leaving AEW and heading to WWE. She’s since been removed from the roster page on AEW’s website. Dave Meltzer reports that WWE is working on high priority main roster creative for Cargill.
Cargill’s final match for AEW aired on Rampage last Friday. Kris Statlander retained the TBS Championship against Cargill.
When asked about Cargill’s status, Tony Khan told Superstar Crossover that it’s something he can’t really comment on. Khan praised Cargill and said she would always be welcome in AEW.
Stratton is challenging Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Championship in an extreme rules match at NXT No Mercy on Saturday, September 30. Lynch won the title from Stratton in the main event of last week’s NXT.
It’s a brand new We’re Live, Pal! with Andrew Zarian and I — available for free on YouTube. Just click above to watch.
We talked about what AEW’s PPV schedule might look like in 2024 and how B/R Sports on Max may fit in. We also go over the WBD press release on the new tier of their streaming service which starts on October 5th.
We talk about The Rock showing up on last Friday’s WWE SmackDown and if that means he’s wrestling Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. We also talk about the current Raw angle with Jey Uso and wonder if it pertains to plans on bringing CM Punk back.
We go over Jade Cargill’s final match in AEW and plans for her in WWE. Finally, we look at the matches scheduled for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.
Tony Khan “can’t really comment” on reports that Jade Cargill is leaving AEW and heading to WWE.
While appearing on Superstar Crossover, Khan was asked about Cargill’s status. Khan didn’t confirm or deny anything regarding Cargill. He praised Cargill for having been a great wrestler for AEW and said she would always be welcome in the promotion.
Well, Jade had a great match on Friday night on AEW Rampage and it was a great match against Kris Statlander. Kris Statlander retained the TBS Championship on Rampage on Friday night and I thought that was a great match. Definitely one of the best matches I’ve seen either of them have. And I thought a really great main event for the show. As far as Jade goes, I can’t really comment on that except to say that Jade’s been a great wrestler for AEW and certainly [is] always welcome in AEW. You know, could always be somebody we would always love to work with here in AEW.
It was reported last week that Cargill was believed to be on her way to WWE. Cargill’s apparent final AEW match was against Statlander on last Friday’s Rampage.
Cargill has been removed from the roster page on AEW’s website.
Dave Meltzer noted on the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is working on main roster creative for Cargill. Meltzer described it as being high priority creative.
In 2021, Cargill made her in-ring debut for AEW. She was the inaugural TBS Champion and held the title for more than 500 days until dropping it to Statlander at Double or Nothing this May.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave an update on Jade Cargill’s expected arrival to WWE.
Meltzer stated that WWE is working on main roster creative for Cargill right now. Meltzer said he would call it “high priority” creative.
She was in Orlando today, right? I asked if she was at the Performance Center. People had not seen her — that doesn’t mean she wasn’t there. I was told that, ‘Doesn’t mean she wasn’t there. We didn’t see her.’ They’re doing main roster creative for her right now. What would I call it, it’s high priority. They’re not bringing her in to be like — you know how they would bring in some of the NXT people like Von Wagner or Alba Fyre. Alba Fyre’s actually a good one. Or Katana Chance. You know [people] that are brought up and they have like no idea of what to do with them and then they just kind of disappear into the dust. And it’s almost like, ‘Why did we even bother calling them up?’ She is not earmarked to be like that. She’s earmarked for real stuff.
It was revealed last week that Cargill is expected to be departing AEW and signing with WWE. Her apparent final match for AEW aired on last Friday’s episode of Rampage. Kris Statlander retained the TBS Championship against Cargill.
Cargill had a dominant run in AEW, holding the TBS Championship for more than 500 days. At Double or Nothing this May, Cargill’s undefeated run came to an end when Statlander defeated her to win the title.
Cargill was away from AEW television for nearly four months after Double or Nothing.
Following their rematch on Rampage last Friday, Statlander and Cargill hugged and showed respect to each other.
Cargill made her in-ring debut in 2021 by teaming with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal against Cody Rhodes & Red Velvet on AEW Dynamite.
