Tag: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens attacks Randy Orton on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

 Kevin Owens has struck again.

Before the Women’s Tag Team title match on Friday’s SmackDown took place, Owens entered the ring and said he wasn’t supposed to be there as he was suspended and fined by WWE following the parking lot attack on Cody Rhodes after Bad Blood. He also said that he didn’t turn on Rhodes, but rather Rhodes turned on him. Rhodes came out and was about to confront Owens when Randy Orton appeared and attempted to cool things down. He entered the ring as security tried to hold Owens back from exiting the ring to attack Rhodes. Orton grabbed Owens’s shoulder and was met with an elbow by Owens. Orton responded with a punch as a stunned Owens left through the crowd.

Backstage, Orton told Rhodes to leave, as he would talk to Owens to settle things down. Later backstage, however, General Manager Nick Aldis ran over to the parking lot where Owens was seen attacking Orton. Security ran in to separate the two as Owens could be heard saying “You wanna pick sides? Picked the wrong side.”

Owens attacked Rhodes on Saturday in footage that wasn’t initially shared by WWE but was posted online by fans as the angle took place in a public parking area. Triple H on X wrote later that the situation would be handled internally.

Wrestling Weekly: AEW WrestleDream predictions & the fallout from WWE Bad Blood

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

On a brand-new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I look ahead to Saturday’s AEW WrestleDream and run down the big stories in WWE coming off last Saturday’s Bad Blood.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Triple H responds to Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens altercation following WWE Bad Blood

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Triple H has responded to the angle that took place following WWE Bad Blood.

On X Sunday, the CCO of the WWE wrote that the matter was being dealt with internally.

“We are aware of the incident outside of the arena last night between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens,” he wrote. “The matter will be dealt with internally.”

Fans outside of the State Farm Arena on Sunday captured video of an altercation that took place in full public view near Cody Rhodes’ travel bus. The videos show Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes arguing, though what they were saying couldn’t be heard. After Owens stuck his finger into the chest of Rhodes, he went in for the attack. The altercation was quickly stopped by security as Owens left the scene in a nearby car. Rhodes eventually was helped into his bus.

In the main event of Saturday’s premium live event, Rhodes & Roman Reigns defeated Solo Siko and Jacob Fatu thanks to a returning Jimmy Uso, who provided the distraction needed for Reigns & Rhodes to pick up the win. The end of the show saw The Rock make his return to WWE, staring down Reigns, Uso, and Rhodes in the ring as the show ended.

Kevin Owens attacks Cody Rhodes in parking lot following WWE Bad Blood

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Kevin Owens has attacked Cody Rhodes.

In an angle meant to be posted on social media, fans posted video of Owens attacking Rhodes near his travel bus following the events of WWE Bad Blood. In the footage, Owens could be seen arguing with Rhodes, who was still in his gear wearing a hoodie. What they were saying couldn’t be determined. Owens angrily poked at Rhodes as Rhodes attempted to de-escalate the situation. Owens then went in for the attack as security ran in to break it up. Owens got into a nearby car and drove off as Rhodes was helped back to his feet and went into his tour bus.

Owens has been teasing a turn on Rhodes in recent weeks after Rhodes defeated Owens last month at Bash in Berlin. Friday’s SmackDown saw the two lose a tag team match against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, with Sikoa pinning Owens. After the match, Owens was upset but ultimately hugged Rhodes to end the show.

Wrestling Observer Live: WWE Bash of the Bottom Line & Swerve’s new AEW contract

Posted on by Jim Valley

Image: AEW

It’s Saturday and that means Wrestling Observer Live.

It was another packed Friday with Stardom, TNA Resurgence, NJPW Capitol Collision, AEW Rampage, and WWE SmackDown.

Then, there’s tonight’s AEW Collision and WWE Bash in Berlin which is happening as I record the show.

Plus, WWE comes up against maybe its biggest opponent: the free market. There’s a feeling some new contracts likes Swerve Strickland’s are more than market value and what WWE wants to pay.

Plus, I talk about memories of Sid Vicious, All In and more.

Click to listen (sub required)

Kevin Owens on CM Punk: We never talk, we’re not friends

Posted on by Ian Carey

Kevin Owens says he has no reason to talk with CM Punk.

During a recent interview with Daily Mail, Owens was asked about his relationship with Punk and he responded by saying the two are not friends.

“We never talk,’ Owens said. ‘We have no reason to talk. We’re not friends. We’re not, we don’t, you know, we’re just not, I don’t know.”

‘We have no reason to talk. If we work together, we will talk, but just not a thing we do.”

Owens, who is friends with Matt & Nick Jackson, appeared to take a dig at Punk on the night of AEW’s Brawl Out incident in September 2022 when he posted an image of his WrestleMania main event match with Steve Austin to social media. Punk has frequently said that wrestling in the main event of WrestleMania was an as-of-yet unaccomplished goal of his. Owens also told SHAK Wrestling yesterday that he put Cody Rhodes in contact with The Young Bucks in 2016 when Rhodes left WWE and knew they would take care of him on the independent scene.

Owens and Punk are also said to have been involved in an altercation related to Owens wrestling in a t-shirt during their time together in Ring of Honor, something Owens referenced during an appearance on Busted Open Radio earlier this year.

Owens also spoke about Punk in April during an interview with The Gorilla Position. He said:

“We’re not each other’s type of people, I don’t think. There’s like a 10-foot vicinity, I’d say, that if we enter in, then we have to kind of, ‘Hey, hi.’ Otherwise, we don’t, and that’s fine. It’s perfectly fine the way it is.”

When asked about the belief that Punk had changed since returning to WWE, Owens responded:

“I don’t know that, and I don’t care, to be honest. He is who he is, I am who I am, and it’s fine that way.”

The full interview with The Daily Mail is available here.

Solo Sikoa wants another shot at Undisputed WWE Championship

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Despite his loss at SummerSlam, Solo Sikoa may be sticking around the Undisputed WWE Championship picture.

A promo aired during Friday’s SmackDown where Sikoa declared that — no matter who leaves Bash in Berlin with the title — he’s coming after the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cody Rhodes is defending the belt against Kevin Owens at Saturday’s PLE.

“Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens — I don’t give a damn which one of you wins,” Sikoa said. “Because whoever is the champion after tomorrow, the Tribal Chief is coming for you.”

The main event of SummerSlam on August 3 was Rhodes retaining his title against Sikoa. Roman Reigns returned during the match, laying out Sikoa with a Superman punch and spear. It was Reigns’ first appearance since dropping the Undisputed WWE Championship to Rhodes at WrestleMania.

While Reigns was off TV, Sikoa made himself the new Tribal Chief and reshaped The Bloodline with the additions of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu. There was an angle on SmackDown two weeks ago where Sikoa’s Bloodline laid waste to Reigns and powerbombed him through the announce table.

WWE SmackDown live results: Bash in Berlin go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

On tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens are set to go face-to-face.

Rhodes and Owens will square off for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Bash in Berlin tomorrow. Rhodes offered Owens the title shot after Owens helped Cody recently in his battle against The Bloodline.

Two title matches are scheduled for tonight’s show. Nia Jax will defend her WWE Women’s Championship against Michin in a street fight. Two weeks ago, Michin ruined Jax’s championship celebration, which ultimately led to this matchup.

United States Champion LA Knight has issued an open challenge to anyone willing to step into the ring with him for his title. Knight retained the belt last week when he defeated Santos Escobar.

And after weeks of tension, Apollo Crews will team up with Baron Corbin to take on Legado Del Fantasma’s Angel & Berto.

Join us for coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show as footage of Berlin aired.

– Video of Cody Rhodes walking earlier in the day was shown. Ditto for Kevin Owens, Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. LA Knight’s music then hit and Knight came out to massive pop.

– The commentary team was Cole and Wade Barrett.

The LA Knight open challenge

A fun opening segment in front of another hot international crowd. I’d like to think The International Crowd Pop will eventually fade for AEW and WWE, but I’m not so sure it will. If it does, it’s going to be a long, long time from now. Either way, it makes the viewing experience a lot more fun. Not only are these fans hungry to see these products, but it creates an interesting dynamic when you have a hometown hero – in this case, Kaiser – who is supposed to work as a heel, but those fans just don’t quite know how to respond, especially when said hometown hero heel is working with one of the company’s hottest babyfaces. It’s a nice wrinkle and that wrinkle didn’t disappoint here.

Knight stood in the ring and held the microphone out, soaking in “LA Knight!” chants. Knight said, “Let me talk to ya!” and spoke about how it’s been 27 years since WWE was in Berlin to do a major televised event. The crowd broke into “LA Knight!” chants again. Knight talked about how he had his first successful U.S. title defense in D.C. last week. “You deserve it!” chants began. Knight said if he was going to defend his title in the capital of the U.S., he wanted to defend it in the capital of Germany. Knight then called out anyone who wanted to come challenge him. Ludwig Kaiser’s music hit and the crowd went nuts. Kaiser then walked out.

Kaiser said “Berlin!” and spoke in German to a loud pop. Kaiser said if Knight is the champion he says he is, he should want to defend his title against the very best all over the world. Kaiser said himself and the entirety of Berlin can promise Knight that there is no one better on German soil than Kaiser. As Kaiser stepped in the ring, he said he’d beat Knight, take the title, make it bigger than it ever was and call it the European Championship. Chants broke out for Kaiser. Knight said that was impressive for Gunther’s stooge. Knight said he won’t let Kaiser win the title and the crowd didn’t really know how to respond, but they did rally behind Knight when Knight did his catchphrase. The show went to break before the match started.

LA Knight defeated Ludwig Kaiser to retain the United States Championship [12:02]

A very good LA Knight television match. Both Kaiser and the crowd helped, but these two worked hard and had those fans with them each step of the way. I’m into the idea of Knight continuing an open challenge series, but we’ll see if this is just a one-off. If it was, there was a lot to appreciate here even if it never felt truly possible that Kaiser would come away the winner. Knight is getting better in the ring when it comes to the WWE style and the booking braintrust is smart enough to pair him with people who can get the most out of him. That sounds like shade, but it’s not meant to be. This could be a very entertaining title run and though it hasn’t been a long time, it’s been a good short run so far.

“Ludwig Kaiser” chants echoed through the arena and they were loud. Things were slow early on as the two felt each other out. Knight eventually took Kaiser down and Kaiser popped up so the two could go face-to-face. Kaiser then worked a head-lock until Knight worked out of it and regain control, but Kaiser cut Knight off and stomped on Knight. Things spilled outside and Knight slammed Kaiser onto the ring apron. Kaiser came back and ran Knight’s back into the ring steps. Kaiser then ran around the ring and dropkicked Knight into the ring steps. The show went to a commercial break after that.

Back from said break, Kaiser was beating down Knight inside the ring. The two eventually traded blows as they stood up. Kaiser got the best of the exchange with a chop and a boot to Knight. Knight fired up and things went back outside the ring, where Knight slammed Kaiser’s head onto the commentary table. Back in the ring, Knight landed a neck-breaker and an elbow from the second rope for a two-count. Knight stomped on Kaiser and hit a running knee on Kaiser. Knight ran the ropes and ran into an enziguri from Kaiser for a good near-fall.

The two went back to trading shots until Knight slammed Kaiser. Knight went for a BFT, but Kaiser rolled Knight up for a two-count. Kaiser hit a clothesline and a knee to the head, and, before long, a Kaiser Roll for another near-fall. Kaiser set up for his finish, but Knight countered with a quick slam and the BFT for the win.

**********

– A Randy Orton/Gunther video aired.

Los Garza (Berto & Angel) defeated Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin [9:07]

Crews and Corbin got a lot of offense, so that was fun while it lasted. Neither team does much for me these days, though to be fair, Crews and Corbin are a lot earlier in their journey as tag partners than Angel and Berto are. Foreign crowds love Corbin, so it was a nice to see Germany be the latest to get behind him for reasons that may or may not be ironic. The match was just kind of there. It’s hard to think Los Garza are gearing up for a tag title challenge, so there weren’t a lot of stakes here. Still, a nice win nonetheless.

Berto & Angel go by Los Garza now. They also have Wolverine-esque scratch marks on their chests. So, there’s that. Crews started the match and got the babyfaces working from ahead before Corbin tagged in, much to the delight of the crowd. Corbin had control over Angel, until Berto got involved and the heels went on the offensive. Berto was the legal man and Corbin threw him over the top rope. Crews tagged in and Corbin hip-tossed Crews over the top onto Los Garza on the outside. The show went to a commercial break after that.

The show returned and the action was back inside the ring, but in the interim, Los Garza took over. They both worked over Crews, Angel hitting a splash on Crews. The advantage didn’t last for long because Crews moved when Angel ran at him and Angel hit the post. Corbin then received the hot tag and took care of both Berto and Angel. Crews tagged in and went to the top only to hit a cross-body on Angel. Crews followed it up with a German Suplex on Angel. Berto stopped the momentum with a springboard kick. Things broke down between all four men and all of them were down in the ring.

Corbin chokeslammed Angel on the commentary table, but Elektra Lopez distracted the ref and Santos Escobar ran Corbin into the ring steps. Crews went to the top, but Berto cut Crews off and Los Garza hit the MTY to get the pinfall victory over Crews.

**********

– A Bloodline video aired. Solo Sikoa said next week, the Street Profits and #DIY will take on the Bloodline. Sikoa then went through his own accomplishments in WWE. Sikoa said those four other wrestlers will acknowledge him. Sikoa turned his attention to Owens and Rhodes and said whomever is champion after Bash In Berlin, Sikoa will come for them.

– Nick Aldis was in the ring and he said it was great to be there. Naturally. Aldis said Bash In Berlin could change the trajectory of WWE forever on Saturday. Oh. OK. Anyway, Aldis introduced a video recapping the company’s recent European tour. Aldis said on behalf of SmackDown … and then he spoke in German. Aldis said the most important match on Saturday will be for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Aldis then introduced Owens. Owens walked to the ring and Aldis then introduced Cody, who did the same.

The Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes segment

These two showed good fire and the drama with Owens leaving the ring after whispering something in Cody’s ear is a common trope in pro wrestling these days, but it packs a little more punch when someone like Owens does it to someone like Cody. And this, for a match that feels like a throwaway main event on a throwaway PLE, mind you. It’s hard to trust Owens, and at this point, I almost prefer to see Owens fully turn on Cody at some point this weekend because Owens is a better heel than he is a babyface. The only complaint is that perhaps there were too many inside baseball things that a common wrestling fan might not know or care about in this exchange, what with the references to KO helping Cody get started on the indies and then Cody ultimately helped begin AEW. Not everything has to be ultra meta or ultra smart. Anymore, it feels like pro wrestling leans on those things too much.

Aldis said the floor was theirs and left the ring. A whole bunch of chants began in the crowd. Owens started with, “Cody … what do you wanna talk about?” Cody responded in German and Owens had no idea what Cody said. Cody got everyone riled up about their match on Saturday. Owens said there was something he wanted to talk about – what happened to Cody’s knee during the recent European tour. Cody said his knee was good and pivoted to what happened last week, which was Cody and Owens beating Grayson Waller & Austin Theory.

Cody brought up what happened after the match, when it looked like Owens was going to hit Cody with the belt from behind. Cody said with Owens’s track record, he had to ask about it. Owens dismissed the questions about his track record. Owens reiterated how everyone he ever turned on – except for Kofi – deserved it. Owens talked about the relationship he had with Cody’s dad and wondered how Cody could think Owens would do that to him. Cody said maybe Owens is a little angry with him. Cody referenced his indie run and said when it comes to the renaissance in the pro wrestling industry, Kevin Owens doesn’t get enough credit, but Cody gets too much. The crowd cheered.

Owens responded said he didn’t need to hit Cody with a cheap shot because he knows Cody got hurt on the European tour. Owens said he got a lot of text messages saying Cody was limping all week backstage. Cody said Owens is sabotaging his shot at the title. Owens said if Cody’s knee is fine, he wondered why Cody didn’t take a knee during his entrance, which he usually does. Owens said yesterday marked eight years since he won the Universal Championship. Owens said people told him he didn’t deserve the title and that tainted his run as champion. Owens said that made him mad.

Owens kept rambling until Cody cut him off and said Owens was speaking out anger. Cody said Owens was angry because he had to share the spotlight the night after WrestleMania 38 because Owens’s match with Stone Cold was overshadowed by Cody’s return to the company. Cody said he loved Owens and asked Owens if even after the match, Owens and Cody would still be friends. Owens threw is microphone down, whispered something into Cody’s ear and left the ring. Owens’s music hit and Owens left the ring to end the segment. Michael Cole made a vague reference to Chris Jericho as Owens walked off.

**********

– Crews and Corbin were walking backstage and they ran into Waller and Theory. Corbin got in Theory’s face and Crews had to calm Corbin down. Theory was annoyed with Waller because Waller instigated the confrontation. Theory said he thinks he and Waller are falling apart. Waller said it was just banter and Theory is Waller’s “best mate.” Waller asked Theory if they were good and the two shook hands.

– Another Giovanni Vinci video aired. It wasn’t unlike the one from a week ago.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Andrade [13:13]

I just love this booking. Hayes gets his two wins back, but the first felt like a fluke and the second involved an exposed turnbuckle. This on top of the great in-ring action that nobody expected from, as I said last week, a seemingly throwaway mid-card feud. These two worked hard again and their chemistry only really gets better with each match. That’s an impressive thing considering their chemistry was already pretty good merely just going into that aforementioned throwaway mid-card match weeks ago. Great stuff from both guys. Again. I’m excited to see Match Five.

Hayes ran into the ring and the two brawled to begin the match. Andrade quickly landed a corkscrew plancha on Hayes, who was on the outside of the ring. Back inside the ring, Hayes came back with a springboard clothesline. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade cut Hayes off. Andrade then hit a double-stomp on Melo, who was draped on the turnbuckle. The show went to a commercial break after that and it was about one minute into the match.

Back to the action, Hayes had the advantage over Andrade inside the ring. Andrade fought back with a dragon-screw leg-whip and a leaping elbow to regain control. Andrade went to the top and the inevitable moonsault/miss moonsault/standing moonsault combination occurred. Andrade got a two-count out of it. Andrade fired up the crowd, but ran into a First 48 from Hayes. Melo followed it up with a Meteora and that was good enough for a two-count. Hayes chopped Andrade repeatedly. Hayes went for a suplex, but Andrade countered with a Three Amigos attempt, which was thwarted by Hayes. From there, Andrade landed a wild one-handed slam for a two-count. A turnbuckle was exposed.

Andrade went to the corner without the buck, but realized it was exposed and stopped. From there, Andrade turned into a super-kick from Hayes, which got Hayes a two-count. With both men on the second rope, Andrade landed a springboard Spanish Fly for a nice near-fall. The show went to a second commercial break in the middle of this match.

Getting back into it, the two were battling on the top and Andrade did a flip powerslam from the top for a good near-fall. The two traded strikes will on their knees and they eventually got to their feet, where Andrade hit a back elbow for another good near-fall. Andrade perched Melo on the top in the corner where a buckle was missing. Andrade set up for something, but Melo slipped out and Andrade fell on the exposed top turnbuckle. Melo went right to the top and hit Nothing But Net for the win to even the series at 2-2.

**********

– A video chronicling the women’s tag team title match set for Saturday aired. The commentary team then ran down the card for Bash In Berlin.

Nia Jax defeated Michin to retain the WWE Women’s Championship [10:54]

A good WWE-style weapons brawl. I’m almost getting a kick out of the Stratton/Jax dynamic, with Stratton potentially cashing in, and here I thought it would instantly become predictable and boring. Bayley coming back was a nice touch and boy, did that crowd love it. I can’t imagine a world where taking Jax’s finisher feels good while wearing a trashcan, but God bless Michin for doing it. In all, this was a fun title defense.

Michin cut a promo backstage with a kendo stick in hand. She said after this match, nobody will forget her. From there, Michin’s music hit and the camera followed her through the curtain, where she walked out with a shopping cart filled with weapons. Michin started in with the kendo stick, but Jax quickly shut her down. Michin got her stick back and Michin hit an awkward, draping head-scissors(?). Whatever it was, Michin earned a two-count. Michin reached under the ring and got a table, much to the intense delight of the crowd. Jax responded by hitting Michin with the kendo stick and pushing the table back underneath the ring.

Michin fought back, went back under the ring, and re-grabbed the table, again much to the intense delight of the live crowd. The show then went to its final commercial break as Michin had a table in her hands. The show came back and Michin was beating the hell out of Jax with the kendo stick. Jax fought back and slammed Michin on the ring’s apron. Jax then set up the table Michin had grabbed earlier. Jax went to grab Michin, but Michin had a fire extinguisher and sprayed Jax with it. Michin hit Jax with some trash can lids before landing a Tornado DDT on Jax.

Michin set up another table and grabbed a trash can from under the ring and threw it into the ring. Jax eventually got up and attacked Michin with a chair. Jax put Michin on a table, but Michin got off the table and powerbombed Jax through a table. From there, Tiffany Stratton’s music hit and Stratton ran to the ring with her MITB briefcase. Instead of cashing in, Stratton hit Michin with the briefcase and went for her moonsault, but Bayley’s music hit and Bayley took out Stratton. Back in the ring, Michin kicked Jax until Jax Samoan Dropped Michin through a table. After that, Jax hit her finish, complete with a trashcan on Michin’s head, for the win. Holy God that had to hurt. After the match, Jax kept beating Michin up with weapons. Jax looked angry and held her title to end the show.

Wrestling Weekly: AEW All In fallout & WWE Bash in Berlin predictions

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

On a new Wrestling Weekly, we have two big shows to discuss as we go from the fallout from last Sunday’s AEW All In to predictions for Saturday’s WWE Bash in Berlin.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Kevin Owens discusses Cody Rhodes friendship, connecting him with Young Bucks

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kevin Owens is looking forward to sharing the ring with his friend Cody Rhodes at WWE Bash in Berlin.

Owens is set to challenge Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Bash in Berlin this Saturday. It’s the first-ever WWE PPV/PLE to take place from Germany. The show has a 1 p.m. Eastern start time airing live on Peacock/WWE Network.

In an interview with SHAK Wrestling, Owens looked ahead to Bash in Berlin and discussed his friendship with Rhodes.

“I mean, it’s just great to be able to experience that with my friend, you know? In any way. Anytime I get to wrestle a close friend on a big show, it’s great,” he said.

“Cody left [WWE] in 2016, and it sucked. It sucked to lose my friend at [that] time. So I really wanted him to have the best possible introduction to the independent scene, because he had never been around. He had never done that. At the time, he had already been in the WWE system for so long. The independent scene is a whole different ballgame from the WWE. So I just guided him in the right direction and put him in touch with The Young Bucks [who would] take care of him. And I knew they’d hit it off, you know? They did, I was right. And that just helped him get the right platform, I guess. Everything else, he did. He knew what he was capable of and he really wanted to show people — the promoters — what he already saw in himself. And he succeeded. That’s an understatement. So it’s great to see him get all his flowers, if you want to say that. And to see him in the position he’s in now.”

Owens connecting Rhodes with The Young Bucks helped shape modern wrestling history, leading to the creation of AEW and Rhodes eventually returning to WWE as a main event star.

Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He’s made successful title defenses against AJ Styles, Logan Paul, and Solo Sikoa.

SHAK Wrestling’s full interview with Owens can be watched below:

Kevin Owens has less than six months left on WWE contract

Posted on by Ian Carey

Kevin Owens doesn’t have a lot of time left on his WWE contract.

The 40-year-old former Universal Champion revealed in an interview with Metro UK on May 4 that he had nine months until his deal expired. He recently told Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown that the only thing that has changed regarding his contractual status since then is that there is now less time remaining on the agreement.

“He tells The Takedown on SI that the only change in his contract status since then is that there’s now less time on his deal,” wrote Rick Ucchino.

Owens signed a three-year deal with WWE in late 2021 that is believed to be in the $2-3 million per year range.

“It’s a very good money deal,” our own Dave Meltzer wrote shortly after Owens signed. “I think that the feeling was it was more than he would be able to get with AEW. It’s $2-3 million, in that range, per year, so it may be. I don’t want to say it probably will be because I don’t know what AEW would have offered.”

Owens is currently involved in a program with Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown and will challenge Rhodes for the WWE Championship next Saturday at Bash in Berlin.

Wrestling Observer Live: AEW has the recipe for success, but just needs to mix the ingredients

Posted on by Jim Valley

Image: AEW

The Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live is on the air.

Here’s some thoughts I will share on today’s show:

  • Some new fresh faces in main event programs could help AEW maintain momentum coming out of All In
  • We have adrenaline in our souls as we watch the Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes storyline unfold on WWE SmackDown.
  • It may be the most popular storyline in wrestling: the delusional women’s champion who doesn’t realize she’s being manipulated by the pretty blonde barbie type who’s pretending to be her biggest fan but is actually plotting to take her title. But enough about Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. Who else could it be?

All that plus some AEW In thoughts, Dory Funk Jr. returns to the ring, an AEW star wins the CMLL Grand Prix and more.

Click here to listen (sub required)

Daily Update: Hulk Hogan, Kevin Owens, Shane Haste

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site now.  Among the stories covered are:

  • Lots of news on John Cena’s retirement tour
  • What plans are made and what are yet to be made
  • WWE marketing of Cena
  • The Ric Flair and Lou Thesz records
  • Who actually held the most world title reigns
  • The 15 biggest drawing cards in North American history
  • Cena’s early career
  • The Stephanie Vaquer timeline and why everything happened the way it did
  • SummerSlam top seven matches
  • Money in the Bank coverage
  • Unique poll result
  • Business notes on the show
  • PPV updates on Money in the Bank,  Forbidden Door, Double or Nothing and Diaz vs. Masvidal
  • Dana White talks about two giant deals from the past and why they fell through at the last minute
  • NXT Heatwave coverage  
  • All In update and business notes
  • Explaining the decline in cable television and how AEW compares to that
  • The most detailed look at  the TV ratings for all wrestling and MMA shows including competition, one-year comparisons and segment-by-segment.
  • Weekly TV placings for the top wrestling shows
  • Mistico  vs. Chris Jericho
  • G-1 updates
  • Oldest still-living major world champion agrees to come back for one last match
  • Notes on the Marigold PV show
  • Update on Kevin Sullivan
  • Second oldest living wrestler passes away, career dates back to the 1940s
  • Historical wrestling landmark about to be torn down
  • Major matches in Europe
  • Update on AEW TV negotiations
  • Lots of health updates on WWE stars
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers and what wrestler in main events makes a 31% positive difference in AEW international numbers
  • Studying the changes in submissions in UFC by the decade
  • Ronda Rousey praises Dana White and Paul Heyman
  • WWE talking new belts update

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • Hulk Hogan will speak at the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention tonight. There will also be speeches by Linda McMahon and Dana White. Yesterday, Glenn Jacobs (Kane) met up with Linda at the convention.
  • At the RNC, Going Ringside asked Linda McMahon how the McMahon family is doing. “We’re all doing great,” she responded. “Thank you. Doing great.”
  • Kevin Owens announced some good news regarding his mother’s health status today. He tweeted a photo of her holding a Just Keep Fighting shirt and captioned it with “She kicked out.” On SmackDown earlier this month, Owens gave an emotional speech revealing that his mother had been rushed to the hospital and was fighting like hell. He still wrestled at Money in the Bank because he knew his mother would be mad if he didn’t.
  • Cody Rhodes interviewed LA Knight on episode two of “What Do You Wanna Talk About?”

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan thanked everyone who watched AEW Dynamite’s 250th episode last night: “Thank you all who watch AEW! Thanks to you, last night Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite 250 had our most viewers on TBS in over 3 months, + continued a streak of great Dynamites! See you all next Wednesday on TBS, we’ll extend this hot run, + this weekend don’t miss @AEWonTV on TNT!”
  • AEW will make its Springfield, Massachusetts debut at the MassMutual Center for Collision on Saturday, September 21.
  • New CMLL Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale appeared on CMLL Informa and said she plans on showing up to Mexico City to defend her title. It was said that Nightingale will be coming to Arena Mexico soon.
  • Ric Flair sent out a tweet congratulating MJF on his AEW International Championship win.
  • AEW Music’s “Who We Are: A Celebration Of Excellence, Vol 2” is now available to stream on Apple and Spotify.
  • On Instagram, Minoru Suzuki wrote about chatting with Mercedes Mone after Dynamite last night:
    • Checking in at the hotel and a voice over there… ‘Hey Suzuki ~ Come Here ~’ AEW Dynamite is over with a few people drinking… It’s a blast… Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Let’s go! Then Mone @mercedesmone said, ‘You’re going to Tequila, right?’ I got involved. They’re going! And meet up. We talked about many things. Pro wrestling talk, past talk, future talk… The nights in Little Rock are slipping away.
  • PCO told Straight Talk Wrestling that he feels like he’ll end up appearing for WWE as part of the working relationship that now exists between WWE and TNA:
    • I think the day you see that (me back in WWE), I think the roof will go off the building. That would be pretty amazing. I guess, yeah. I guess. I’ve got a strong feeling it’s gonna happen. I don’t know why. Just, I’ve always been very super close to guessing a little bit. I don’t know how things are gonna happen, I never know how. Like when I decided to stay with TNA, I was not supposed to stay and I had that conversation with Scott (D’Amore) before he got fired and I don’t know, for whatever reason, he convinced me to stay and he had planned for Montreal and after the month that it was supposed to be on didn’t happen and then, it came back and the way it’s happening now, it’s like, okay, now I know why I’ve been with TNA for the last two years and now everything was aligned with this. The (Canadian) International Heavyweight title on the line too (at Slammiversary) with the great lineage and the Digital Media title and all that on the line. It’s so much on the line and in front of my people.
  • TNA streamed its pre-Slammiversary press conference this afternoon.
  • Comicbook.com interviewed Nic Nemeth ahead of Slammiversary.
  • Shane Haste confirmed to WrestleMobs that he’s signed a new contract with NJPW. Haste said that, with how much he loves Japan and with how well NJPW treats him, it wouldn’t have made sense to go anywhere else.
  • Hiromu Takahashi has officially been announced for NJPW Capital Collision in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 30.
  • Stardom wrestler HANAKO will debut for MLW at Summer of the Beasts in New York City on Thursday, August 29.
  • GCW announced that Nick Gage won’t be able to wrestle at their events this weekend: “Due to injury, Nick Gage will not be able to compete on this weekend’s events. We apologize for the late notice. Nick fully intended to wrestle but it’s in his best interests to wait.”
  • PWInsider reports that production has started on season six of Dark Side of the Ring.

Kevin Owens opens up about his mother ‘fighting like hell’ in hospital

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Kevin Owens opened up on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, detailing his mother “fighting like hell” in a Quebec hospital on the eve of his six-man tag team match against The Bloodline at WWE Money in the Bank.

Standing in the ring with his tag partners Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, Owens detailed the week he has spent at his mother’s hospital bedside, and vowing to “kick the asses” of The Bloodline at Saturday’s pay-per-view in Toronto.

Owens said:

“Monday morning I got a call from my dad telling me my mom was rushed to the hospital and I needed to get home.

So I jumped on a flight and I flew back to Quebec, and that’s where I’ve been for the last five days or so. In the same hospital where she gave birth to me, with my dad and my brother at her bedside, watching her fight like hell.

And the shows in Toronto are always super special for all of us cuz the family gets to get together, the kids get to see their grandparents, all the family’s there, and everybody gets to enjoy wrestling together.
But my dad and my mon are not here tonight, they won’t be here tomorrow, because my mom is still in that hospital bed fighting like hell.

I know I could have stayed home tonight and it wouldn’t have been a problem with anybody back there [backstage], or out here [in the ring], and I probably should have stayed home.

But I didn’t. Because the one person it would have been a problem for is my mother. Because ever since I was 11 years old and I discovered professional wrestling and WWE, she did everything she could, along with my dad, to make sure I would realize my dream, get to WWE.

She wanted me to fight like hell. She told me every single time to come in here and leave it all in the ring.
So if she knew, if she heard, that I had missed a show because of her, she’d be so pissed.

So here I am. And Bloodline, let me tell you this — I am more serious than I have ever been in my entire career — tomorrow, win, lose, or draw, all I care about is that I do what my mom has wanted me to do for the last four years. And that is not just kick the living hell out of The Bloodline, it’s to beat their asses worse than ever before.”

Owens, Rhodes, and Orton will face three of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa at Money in the Bank in Toronto on Saturday, July 6.

Video of Owens’ promo is embedded below.

WWE SmackDown live results: Money in the Bank go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Money in the Bank weekend kicks off tonight with Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena hosting SmackDown.

In advance of Saturday’s PLE, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens will address The Bloodline. Rhodes, Orton & Owens are teaming up together against three members of The Bloodline at Money in the Bank. It’s yet to be confirmed which three of Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa & Jacob Fatu will be in the match.

The WWE Tag Team titles will be on the line tonight as DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) take on champions A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) for the gold. After weeks of feuding, the teams brawled last week as part of a backstage segment during which Waller jumped Gargano after Gargano suggested Waller never truly cared about Theory.

Also on tap for SmackDown, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill face off against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– The show opened with a shot of Toronto as Corey Graves welcomed everyone into things. Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were shown walking backstage. A photo of Paul Heyman being powerbombed through a table last week was shown. Jey Uso’s music hit and Jey ran out to a hot crowd.

The Men’s MITB Participants Segment

This was as formulaic as it gets in WWE. Nothing surprising about it. Nothing particularly entertaining. Nothing that sells anyone on anything happening this weekend (which is a shame). Prayers up for Andrade, who received a reaction that felt akin to an usher yelling about selling beer in the aisles. Good for WWE for trying to turn him into something after coming back over from Evil AEW; it hasn’t worked yet. Here’s hoping he has a noteworthy performance in the men’s MITB match this weekend and he can get going from there.

The crowd chanted “Yeet!” before Jey spoke. Jey made a joke about being let into Canada, which would have been funnier if he didn’t make it earlier in the day at the MITB press event. LA Knight’s music hit and Knight walked to the ring with purpose. The crowd chanted Knight’s name before Knight spoke and when Knight spoke, he said … you guessed it … “Let me talk to ya.” Knight said Jey was the odds-on-favorite to win the MITB match and how Knight last year was the favorite to win the match. Knight said the way he’d show Jey respect tomorrow was by not showing him respect at all. Knight noted how tomorrow, all of Toronto will say “Yeah!” and the two engaged in a stare down before Jey said “Yeet.” Knight responded with “Yeah!” Jey took off his sunglasses and said “Yeet!” Knight took off his sunglasses and then … Carmelo Hayes’s music hit and Hayes walked out.

Hayes said he’s “that guy” and Toronto did not want to hear all “that yeet and yeah.” Hayes said the last time he saw Knight, his head was up Logan Paul’s behind. Hayes tried to call out Jey, but Chad Gable’s music hit and Gable walked out with a microphone. Gable said he’s been living in his own personal hell throughout the last three weeks. The crowd chanted “You suck!” Gable talked about how the Wyatt Sicks were after him for reasons he doesn’t understand. Once Gable made it to the ring, Andrade’s music hit and Andrade walked out with a microphone.

Andrade mocked everyone for having the dream of winning MITB. Andrade said dreams don’t win matches – and especially MITB matches. Out of nowhere – surprise! – Drew McIntyre’s music hit and Drew walked out to a fairly impressive pop from the live crowd. The crowd immediately started a “CM Punk!” chant. Drew said he expected better from Canada and noted how Punk’s family is always with him due to the bracelet he stole from Punk. Drew said the violent he inflicted on Punk, he will inflict upon the other guys in the MITB match.

Drew called Andrade “EL Idiot” as he walked into the ring. Drew said he feels bad for Gable. Drew said Melo has a bright future but he is not HIM. Drew called out Knight and said it won’t be “yeah.” Instead, it’ll be “No.” Drew asked Jey how he got across the border anyway. Andrade then attacked Drew and things broke down. Before long, Jey and Knight teamed up on McIntyre and double-clotheslined Drew over the top. Knight and Uso stood tall to end the segment.

**********

– Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley backstage and asked her what it would take to win the MITB ladder match. Bayley said it’s one of the most rewarding matches in WWE. Chelsea Green showed up and said Bayley is irrelevant and Bayley wouldn’t be the champion if Green hadn’t been kicked out of Bayley’s match against Piper Niven. Out of nowhere, Niven attacked Bayley and ran her into road cases.

– Bayley was shown coming out of Nick Aldis’s office and it turns out, Bayley will face Piper Niven later.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated Pretty Deadly (Hit Wilson & Elton Prince) [9:45]

Where have Pretty Deadly been? This wasn’t the best way to reintroduce them, but hell, the Profits looked good. And I’m happy that the Profits are getting pushed on some level. I do wonder what’s next for both teams. This match felt like little more than a placeholder.

Ford had control early against Prince. Dawkins tagged in and the Profits landed a hip toss on Wilson, who had tagged in. Prince fired up and tagged in before long and went after Dawkins, but Dawkins came back with a leaping elbow. Prince and Wilson took Dawkins down with a series of moves before the show went to a commercial break. Back from break, Prince was working over Dawkins. Wilson tagged in and that’s where Dawkins battled back and the two found themselves in a makeshift headbutt on each other. Dawkins then got the hot tag to Ford, who ran in and took out both members of Pretty Deadly.

Ford landed a standing moonsault for a two-count on Prince. Ford went to the top, but Prince cut Ford off. From there, Pretty Deadly hit a super-duper-plex on Ford. Dawkins came off the top instantly onto Wilson for a good near fall. With Pretty Deadly on the outside, Ford landed a running flip dive. Back inside the ring, Wilson was the victim of a Ford frog-splash and that was good enough for the win.

**********

– Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were shown talking backstage and Waller hyped up Theory, reminding him that Theory being with Gargano meant nothing. Waller said if they aren’t on the same page, they need to catch up.

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell [4:08 of TV time]

There wasn’t much to this, and we only got four minutes of it. Still, the ending in-ring interview had me thinking a turn was coming. Maybe soon? The Cargill/Belair team seems too good to be true to last for as long as it already has. At this point, it’s little more than a countdown.

Cargill had control once the match was joined in progress. Quickly, LeRae and Hartwell had control and performed a double-team move on Cargill. Hartwell gave Cargill a stiff elbow and posed before working on Cargill’s arm. Ultimately, Hartwell and Cargill hit boots on each other and both women were down. Belair got the hot tag and went to work on both LeRae and Hartwell. Belair threw LeRae onto Hartwell and hit a springboard moonsault on LeRae.

Cargill tagged in, but LeRae rolled up Cargill for a near-fall. Cargill came back with pump kick and Cargill and Belair hit their finishers on LeRae and Hartwell for the win. After the match, Cathy Kelley interviewed Cargill and Belair in the ring. Belair said their goal is to get back their tag titles. Cargill chimed in and noted how it’s inevitable that they get their tag titles back. The two posed to end the segment.

**********

The Cody/Randy/KO segment

All of the best feelings and positive wishes to Kevin Owens and his family. He’s already one of the best promos in WWE, but putting the real world slant on it here sure did pack a punch. If he doesn’t work the show tomorrow night, nobody could blame him, but if he does end up out there, you can’t help but root for him to put on a hell of a performance.

Cody started things out with his “So … what do you want to talk about,” line. The crowd erupted. Cody shouted out the 16,000 people at SmackDown or Sami Zayn’s comedy show on Thursday night. Cody said WWE and Toronto are “just a good fit.” Cody said everyone has heard enough from Solo Sikoa and the “modern Bloodline.” Cody said he and his buds are ready for a fight. Orton chimed in and said the fight will end with the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment, “RKO.”

Owens went to talk, and the crowd got loud. Owens started to talk but the crowd cut him off with the “Ole!” chant. Owens said on Monday he got a call from his dad and his mom had to be rushed to the hospital. Owens talked about how he had been by his mom’s hospital bed all week watching her fight like hell. Owens said his mom is still fighting like hell in her hospital bed. Owens said he could have stayed home, but it would have been a problem for his mother. Owens recalled how his mom wanted him to go in there and leave it all in the ring. Owens said if his mom knew he missed a show because of her, she’d be pissed. Owens said his mom would want Owens to beat the Bloodline’s asses more than ever before. Owens slammed the microphone to end the segment.

**********

Bayley defeated Piper Niven [7:39]

This was more fun than the men’s MITB match entrants spot that opened the show. Jax and Michin popping up was a little unexpected, but welcome. The match itself deserved a little more shine if only because this was a Big Deal match on a PLE very, very recently. But, for what it was, it accomplished enough.

IYO SKY was shown sitting in the audience. Niven had control early until Bayley worked a headlock and the action spilled outside. From there, Niven ran Bayley into a ring post and the show went to break. Back from that break, Zoey Stark and Lyra Valkyria were shown the crowd. Tiffany Stratton walked down the aisle as the match continued to unfold. Inside the ring, Bayley worked a sleeper hold until Niven slammed Bayley to break things up and the match reset.

The MITB women’s wrestlers brawled on the outside as things got chaotic. Stratton went to the top and hit her moonsault on everyone. Inside the ring, Niven went for a splash, but Blayley moved and landed the Roseplant for the win. Bayley screamed “f— a—” and the camera caught it. Nia Jax appeared out of nowhere and took out Bayley after the match, complete with a leg drop. Michin ran out and cleared the ring of Jax with a Keno Stick. Bayley and Michin stood tall to end the segment.

**********

– Next week, Michin vs. Nia Jax will happen. Also, Corbin & Crews vs. Angel & Berto will go down. The main event entrances then took place.

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship [14:19]

This was great. All the callbacks, all the fun, all the mess. It’s hard to be mad at this. And good for Gargano and Ciampa for getting the win and actually winning those titles – something a lot of people argued should have happened sooner. But this worked, and this worked well. Good for everyone involved. I continue to wonder how Theory and Waller split for good and I would have thought the title drop would have been it. But maybe the story will be better for it being longer. We’ll see. In the meantime, a very good main event and a fun title change.

Things broke down quickly and the teams brawled. Action spilled to the outside, where Ciampa and Gargano hit stereo splashes and the show went to a commercial beak. Back from tha tbreak, Gargano had control over Theory. With the help of a distraction, Theory elbowed Gargano and changed the course of things. Waller tagged in and landed a splash on Gargano before working an arm-bar. Theory tagged in and kept control over Gargano.

The action spilled outside, where Waller was taken out by a Cleveland Destroyer by Gargano. Back inside the ring, Gargano and Theory exchanged blows. Theory hit a neck-breaker on Gargano and got a two-count. The show then went to its final commercial break. The show returned and Gargano ran into a knee from Waller. From there, Waller accidentally hit Theory. In a great spot, #DIY landed a Shatter Machine on Waller for a good near fall.

The four wrestlers brawled in the ring, Gargano taking the burnt of the strikes. Ciampa inserted himself with a back-breaker and tagged in Gargano and the two hit a Meet Me In The Middle. Waller looked to be out, but Theory put Waller’s leg on the rope for a break. Gargano sunk in a cross-face and Ciampa did the same to Theory. Waller ultimately tapped out, mimicking the finish to their NXT match with The Revival in the same city #DIY won the tag titles all the way back then. Gargano and Ciampa posed in the aisle as pyro fired off.

A Bloodline vignette aired and Solo Sikoa talked about he was the Tribal Chief. Sikoa said he is the Tribal Chief now and Sikoa challenged Roman to take his title from him. Sikoa said he is coming for Cody Rhodes and Cody will acknowledge him. The show then ended with the new Bloodline posing.