On the latest episode of his podcast, Kurt Angle said that WWE recently contacted him about returning to television “for the next month or so.”
Angle revealed the news when “The Kurt Angle Show” co-host Paul Bromwell asked him about a call he had gotten the past week.
“Yes, I did [receive a phone call], from the WWE” Angle said. “And they want me to be involved in the show for the next month or so. And I’m really excited about it. So, we’ll see what’s in store for me.”
The podcast episode was released on Sunday but was recorded before the Royal Rumble.
WWE brought Angle to St. Louis for the Royal Rumble, though he wasn’t in the men’s Royal Rumble match and didn’t appear on the pay-per-view. PWInsider reports that Angle did film content for Peacock/WWE Network, including an episode of Table for Three.
Angle retired from in-ring competition with his match against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. He was released from his behind-the-scenes position with WWE during the company’s April 2020 releases, but he’s made multiple on-screen appearances for WWE since then.
im Barnett, the last link to the beginning of television wrestling, and for most of the past 55 years, one of the most influential people in the industry, passed away on 9/17 at the age of 80.
Barnett and Sam Muchnick were considered the two most powerful promoters during most of the NWA’s glory period, even though Barnett was actually never an official member until 1969, and for years, other promoters didn’t even want him at meetings. Along with Vince McMahon Sr., and later Eddie Graham, they were the probably most influential men on the promotional end of the industry during the 60s and 70s. He was in the middle of many of the biggest deals and changes that shaped the real changes in wrestling history. He was a charming figure, and with the possible exception of Stu Hart, perhaps the most imitated man in the industry with his effeminate, “Tom, my boy,” entree.
For probably the past three years, the 2004 elections for the Wrestling Observer looked to be the most interesting in the history of the elections because more unique candidates than in any other election would become eligible. At the time, in 2001, the list was Jun Akiyama, HHH, Kazushi Sakuraba, Great Sasuke and Kiyoshi Tamura. Over the past two years, the name Kurt Angle would have been added.
Akiyama had a career filled with incredible matches, but he also worked with some of the best people in history, and was never a success when the spotlight of being the top singles star in his promotion was put on him. Angle is the first man in the history of pro wrestling to be the consensus best legitimate wrestler in the world in his weight division, and later become the consensus best illegitimate wrestler in the world. However, Angle started his career in late 1998, and didn’t even come up to the main WWF roster until late 1999.
Date: March 29, 2021 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Baron Corbin appeared at the end of Raw to assist Bobby Lashley in laying out Drew McIntyre. The show opened with Lashley kicking Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin out of the Hurt Business. (Lashley later defeated Benjamin in a match.)
Rhea Ripley dumped a table on Asuka’s head before accepting a tag match with Asuka as her partner next week against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
Samoa Joe was not on the show.
Show Recap —
Raw kicked off with Sarah Schreiber approaching Drew McIntyre as he arrived to the building earlier today. She asked about Bobby Lashley’s bounty. McIntyre said anyone considering the offer should wonder if Lashley was a man of his word. He dared someone to come after him.
The Hurt Business segment
Lashley and the Hurt Business entered the ring. MVP said Lashley would walk in and out of WrestleMania as the champion. Lashley made his proposition clear: whoever took out McIntyre would earn a WWE title match at WrestleMania.
MVP didn’t want people to think they were being generous — they just thought that McIntyre has already had his opportunity and they wanted somebody new in the picture. He asked if anyone was willing to step up but nobody entered.
MVP said there were two men who would not get that opportunity and he showed a replay of Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin losing last week. Lashley was embarrassed that they lost last week and lost the tag titles. He couldn’t count on them anymore and refused to associate himself with incompetence. MVP said they failed miserably.
Alexander said they could have done this privately. Benjamin wondered if they brought them out here just to embarrass them. Benjamin fired up and reminded Lashley that they always had his back and he was champion because of them.
MVP tried to settle things down when Lashley decked Alexander. Benjamin took down Lashley but a brawl ended with Lashley giving Benjamin a flatliner.
Lashley said the Hurt Business was over as far as Benjamin and Alexander were concerned.
In the back, Schreiber asked Riddle why he thinks Sheamus attacked him with his scooter. Riddle didn’t know why. Maybe Sheamus had a tummy ache or just didn’t have a soul. Riddle was pissed off — as pissed off as he’d be if he dropped a burrito. Riddle saw Titus O’Neil and told him he should roast a pig at Mania.
O’Neil thought there was something wrong with him and checked his forehead. Riddle said he was fine. “They checked me earlier, I’m fine.” Riddle thought he was part of the “roast” of WrestleMania. O’Neil clarified that he’s hosting with Hulk Hogan. O’Neil left. As Riddle talked to himself about food, Sheamus ran in and decked him.
Alexander and Benjamin confronted Adam Pearce. Benjamin wanted a match with Lashley tonight. Alexander wanted what was left of him next week. Pearce hesitated so they questioned if he was protecting Lashley or if he was even in charge. Alexander wondered if he had to check with Lashley the way he always checked with Roman Reigns. Alexander told him to grow a pair and make the match.
Samoa Joe was not on commentary so MVP joined Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton at the desk.
Sheamus defeated US Champion Riddle in a non-title match (12:45)
They were fighting back and forth until a cool spot where Riddle ran up the ropes to suplex Sheamus off the turnbuckles. Riddle followed with a Pelé kick, forearm strikes, an exploder suplex, kicks to the chest, a final flash knee and senton for two.
Riddle applied a triangle choke but Sheamus hoisted him up and hit a powerbomb. Riddle managed to hold on and reapply the hold but Sheamus got a rope break. Sheamus picked up Riddle and hit a White Noise on the apron for a close nearfall. Sheamus followed that with an Alabama Slam for two.
Sheamus set up for a Brogue Kick but Riddle ran right at him with a knee strike. Sheamus blocked a kick and hit a knee strike of his own for the pinfall win. Very good action, particularly the last few minutes.
As Sheamus celebrated, a pissed-off Riddle knocked him out of the ring. They played “bro” chants.
Kevin Patrick asked Shane McMahon (who was with Elias and Jaxson Ryker) what he planned to reveal in his exposé tonight of Braun Strowman. Shane wasn’t going to tip his hand but did say we’d find out some interesting things.
Shane McMahon segment
Shane claimed that his knee injury was real. He managed to sprint away last week due to adrenaline and he would recover in time to beat Strowman at Mania.
Shane posted Braun’s (not his real name, of course) fifth-grade report card. He received a D- in social studies and math, a D in English, and a D+ in gym class. The card had notes from the teachers and was even signed by “Mrs. Strowman” (or “Mr. Strowman”). They also posted a photoshop of Strowman wearing a dunce cap with “2+2=5” written on a chalkboard.
Strowman marched out for his scheduled match against Ryker. (They cut to break which means Strowman just stood around in the vicinity of the man who has been mocking him for weeks for five minutes.)
They announced some sort of deal where you can get half-price on your Peacock premium subscription which is only $2.50 a month.
Strowman won with a powerslam. They played the train noise again mid-match when he ran around the ring. This led Phillips to call him “WWE’s answer to Snowpiercer.”
Strowman chased after Shane after the match but Elias cut him off with a knee strike. They triple-teamed him until Strowman fought them off and Shane ran to the stage.
Strowman grabbed a mic and cut an out-of-breath promo where reminded Shane that he was allowed to pick the stipulation for their match. He announced a cage match. MVP (on commentary) said, “Shane isn’t smiling anymore.” They cut to Shane who was, in fact, smiling.
[Second hour]
The Dirt Sheet with The Miz & John Morrison
Miz said Bad Bunny was nominated for a VMA last year but didn’t win. Morrison said, “he did win a Grammy, though.” Miz blew through that remark and said he would beat Bad Bunny at WrestleMania.
They rambled for a bit before introducing their music video. That led to a clip of them introducing their music video again. They claimed it was filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico but it was obviously filmed in the Thunderdome with crowd shots spliced in.
Miz and Morrison wore all-white suits in the video but there were also shots of them hopping around in bunny costumes. They cut back to the live Thunderdome where they played loud booing. Miz and Morrison were very proud of themselves.
Bad Bunny and Damian Priest interrupted. Priest said Bad Bunny would handle the Miz at Mania. Bad Bunny responded in Spanish. Miz demanded to know what he said so Priest translated: Bad Bunny would make the Miz his bitch.
Miz and Morrison left the ring and Miz got in Priest’s face. Miz said Priest wouldn’t be able to protect him at Mania. Priest moved aside so he could make his move. Miz went after him but Bad Bunny punched him right in the face (which looked good).
Priest and Bad Bunny hit the ring where Bad Bunny tossed the Dirt Sheet set props around. They dared Miz and Morrison to get in the ring but they didn’t.
In the back, Randy Orton ran down a list of legends that he has encountered in his career but stated that none of them compared to the Fiend. Orton tried burning the Fiend only to realize he wasn’t human, he was an abomination straight from hell.
Orton was glad to learn what he’s dealing with because he can finally put an end to this. Orton said they were cut from the same cloth and he knew how far into hell he’d have to reach to ensure the Fiend was out of his life once and for all.
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Shelton Benjamin (w/Cedric Alexander) in a non-title match (4:14)
Lashley confronted Alexander who sprinted to the back. Benjamin caught Lashley with Paydirt in the ring for a nearfall. Benjamin hit knee strikes but Lashley cut him off with a spinebuster. Lashley hit another spinebuster and won with the Hurt Lock after Benjamin passed out.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods bumped into AJ Styles and Omos in the back. New Day had game night set up for Styles and Omos because New Day wanted to see how well they know each other. Styles said no, he only planned on beating Woods in their match tonight. They called him a chicken so he accepted.
Riddle vs. Sheamus was made official for Mania. (They’re making it very clear which matches are on which night, so that’s good.)
The New Day Game Night
New Day had games set up in the ring. The first game they played was charades. Kingston had to pantomime a specific song and Woods guessed it right. Styles had to pantomime “The Lion King” but Omos didn’t guess it.
The next game was Pictionary. Woods had to draw a rocket ship and Kingston guessed it right. Styles had to draw the sun. He drew the sun but Omos didn’t guess it. It was clear he wasn’t interested in playing.
New Day celebrated their win. Omos had enough. He said the only thing they had to win was their match at Mania and he planned on showing them what he’s capable of.
Woods thanked us for watching. Styles started chucking the games out of the ring so Woods said he was mimicking a three-year-old.
They aired a clip from social media of a young fan doing a Hulk Hogan impression. It was the best promo of the night so far.
Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods (w/Kofi Kingston) defeated AJ Styles (w/Omos) via DQ (7:55)
They went to break two minutes into the match after Woods hit a flip dive. Back from break, Woods hit a back body drop for two. Styles responded with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two and Woods followed that with a tornado DDT for two.
With Styles on the apron, Woods appeared to be going for a running kick but was blocked by Omos. Omos chucked him into the ring for the DQ.
Kingston tried going after Omos but Omos caught him and chucked him over the barricade. Styles whipped Woods into Omos who powerbombed him. Omos put his foot on Woods and Styles counted to three.
[Third hour]
There was a Snickers commercial earlier with the Miz and Xavier Woods. There was a Snickers-sponsored video here of Daniel Bryan beating Randy Orton and Batista at WrestleMania 30 to win the world title.
Alexa’s Playground
Alexa Bliss had a jack-in-the-box toy. She said it was no ordinary jack-in-the-box. She gave us a history lesson and let us know they used to be called a devil-in-a-box. She said Orton thought he could get rid of the Fiend but he was wrong, and now she has her Fiend-in-a-box.
She said Orton didn’t know what was next. She gave us a hint: “At WrestleMania, the legend killer dies.” She giggled as she played with her toy.
The camera expanded to reveal that the Fiend was sitting on the swingset beside her (motionless) the entire time.
Drew McIntyre segment
McIntyre busted into the locker room where half the wrestlers weren’t even paying attention to him as he ranted about the fact that nobody was going after him. McIntyre looked at one wrestler who was on his phone and wondered if he was busy Tweeting because that’s the only way people try to get noticed anymore. McIntyre dared somebody to stand up and take a shot.
He got in Strowman’s face and said he should be a five-time champion by now. Strowman said he would deal with Shane at Mania first before coming after him. McIntyre threatened Humberto Carrillo and tossed him aside before getting in Riddle’s face.
As Riddle spoke, Angel Garza tried attacking from behind but McIntyre tossed him aside too. Gulak thought about going after McIntyre but McIntyre headbutted him.
McIntyre got in Ricochet’s face. Ricochet told McIntyre that he doesn’t trust Lashley, but if he was looking for a fight, he’s got one. McIntyre was content. (Ricochet often comes across as intimidated and he did here, too.)
Naomi (w/Lana) defeated Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) (2:22)
Naomi won with a cradle after a bunch of distractions outside the ring involving Lana, Jax, Reginald, and Dana Brooke/Mandy Rose who were on commentary.
There was a weird segment with Asuka and Riddle in the back. They were doing comedy about his scooter when Riddle suddenly remarked that he forgot what he was saying and just walked off. It was odd because he looked right at the camera when he said that. Asuka looked confused but smiled and chuckled as a way to cover, perhaps.
Rhea Ripley was shown speaking to some guy in the back. She was considerably taller than him.
Asuka-Rhea Ripley Contract Signing
Pearce introduced both women. Ripley made it clear that Asuka was the “current” champion. Asuka laughed and said yes, she is the champion. Asuka called her overconfident. Ripley said she was confident enough to challenge her on her first night and confident enough to say she will win at WrestleMania. They both signed.
Asuka called Ripley’s confidence borrowed, not earned. Asuka was about to say Ripley wasn’t ready for her but Ripley turned the table over onto her.
Jax and Baszler (wth Reginald) interrupted. They spoke about how much they’ve dominated Raw the past year and wondered where their Mania match was. Baszler said she kicked Asuka’s teeth out and couldn’t wait to give Ripley a taste. Ripley told her to go ahead. Jax challenged Asuka and Ripley to a tag match next week. Ripley accepted on Asuka’s behalf.
(Asuka was down selling the entire time Jax, Baszler and Ripley spoke.)
MVP approached Ricochet in the back. He was glad to see Ricochet thinking like a businessman and taking them up on their offer. Ricochet said this wasn’t about their offer and thought they were both full of it. Ricochet wanted this match because he doesn’t know when he’ll get another opportunity and knows he can beat McIntyre.
They announced Kane, The Great Khali, and RVD for the hall of fame, joining Molly Holly and Eric Bischoff.
Drew McIntyre defeated Ricochet (2:46)
McIntyre tossed Ricochet around with ease early on until Ricochet mounted a brief comeback. McIntyre whipped him toward the barricade but Ricochet balanced himself on the barricade before hitting a dropkick. Ricochet missed a splash off the top and McIntyre nailed a Claymore Kick for the pinfall win.
Mustafa Ali attacked McIntyre after the match until McIntyre tossed him out of the ring. McIntyre dared him to fight.
Drew McIntyre defeated Mustafa Ali
The match was underway after a break and Ali was targeting McIntyre’s leg. Ali hit a splash to McIntyre’s legs which got him a two count. McIntyre came back with some great-looking suplexes. Ali tried a cutter but McIntyre headbutted him out of the air and hit a Claymore Kick for the pinfall win.
Main event angle
McIntyre grabbed a mic and demanded that Lashley come out and do the job himself. Lashley entered. MVP (on commentary) wasn’t happy that Lashley came out. This… led to commercials.
After four or five minutes of them standing around, Lashley entered the ring.
Lashley told McIntyre that he never needed anyone’s help. He could have and should have ended McIntyre’s career at Elimination Chamber, and what he did that night will pale in comparison to what he’ll do at WrestleMania.
McIntyre liked that Lashley was fired up. He knew Lashley was dangerous and he would be the man around here if McIntyre didn’t exist. But he did exist and it was clear that Lashley was afraid of him.
They brawled until McIntyre headbutted Lashley out of the ring.
Baron Corbin suddenly attacked McIntyre from behind. Corbin slammed McIntyre but McIntyre came back with a suplex. McIntyre set up for a Claymore but Corbin countered into a Deep Six.
Lashley put down McIntyre with the Hurt Lock as Corbin encouraged him to do it again. Lashley put him in the Hurt Lock twice more as Corbin looked on.
What was billed as a night that would change the face of the WWE wound up simply being a very entertaining shuffling of mid-carders, and not really addressing the major problem, leaving Smackdown at present with the weakest PPV main event in modern company history scheduled for May.
With the quitting of Brock Lesnar, who had been the focal point of the Smackdown show from when Hulk Hogan quit in August of 2002, until the spot was given to Eddy Guerrero in February, Smackdown’s heel side was weakened. Vince McMahon called for a lottery, theoretically to find a logical way to fill the gap. The decision was made before Kurt Angle called the morning after Wrestlemania with numbness in his fingers, which put his career in jeopardy.
McMahon made the decision almost immediately, under the assumption Angle wouldn’t be wrestling, that he would replace Paul Heyman as General Manager, thereby keeping him as a regular part of the show.
There is a major misconception in wrestling today about what the problems facing the industry are.
For the most part, now more than ever because of the workload involved, the major decision makers live in an insular world. The reaction to wrestling consists of crowd reactions at the live venues, and feedback, either from those in the company who are also in the insular world, or to a lesser extent from the internet or newsletters, which generally represent the views of people who have been fans forever and many of whom will be fans until it’s literally driven out of them, which in many cases, has also already happened.
They all represent a tiny percentage of actual fans. If you go to a WWE live event and sit in the stands, while the things you hear from the audience are not nearly as funny as 15 years ago, you find very few people (to be honest, I’ve never heard it and I go to almost all WWE house shows when they are in this area) who bring up what is happening or going to happen because the same show was run the night before and you can to go a web site and see what happened.
The first Raw episode of the new year will have a legends theme.
During tonight’s Raw, it was announced that Legends Night will be the theme of the January 4, 2021 episode of Raw. The show will feature appearances by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, Torrie Wilson, and more.
Big Show, Jacqueline, Booker T, Sgt. Slaughter, Mickie James, Tatanka, Jeff Jarrett, Jimmy Hart, Ivory, Carlito, The Boogeyman, Melina, Mark Henry, IRS, Alicia Fox, Hillbilly Jim, and Michael Hayes were the other wrestlers who appeared in the commercial for Legends Night.
Get ready to ring in 2021 with one legendary night.
Some of your favorite WWE Legends and Hall of Famers will return for Raw Legends Night on the first Monday Night Raw of the new year. The guest list is already set to feature two of the greatest of all time: ‘The Immortal’ Hulk Hogan and ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair.
Will your favorite WWE Legend show up on this epic night?
There’s no telling what surprises are in store when Raw Legends’ Night rings in 2021 on Monday, January 4 at 8/7 C on USA Network!
The announcement of Legends Night comes after Raw drew its lowest ratings in history last Monday. The week after Legends Night, Raw will face competition from college football’s National Championship game.
With a huge feature on the crazy story of the original Hollywood Blonds tag team with the death of Jerry Brown, we’ve got a double issue this week of the Observer up on the site right now.
Our lead story looks at this year’s G-1 tournament looking at every card, the stories going into the card, the restrictions, the odds, and the new Will Ospreay, start time for every show, complete lineups, comments by Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley regarding this year’s new format.
Also in this issue:
Update on WWE Clash of Champions, with the matches announced, updates on titles not yet announced with matches and keys to the show.
The situation with Matt Riddle and Samantha Tavel.
Daniel Cormier getting COVID and a new UFC product being pushed.
Changes at the USA Network, Sasha Banks with a major acting gig, Update on Jeff Hardy, details behind the Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns pairing, new contracts signed in WWE, wrestler teases gimmick change, Mandy Rose angle, law being talked about reglated to the Sonya Deville incident, Retribution update, this coming week’s WWE television, Randy Orton new business, Ivar injury update, Ronda Rousey update, Next NXT Takeover, weird TV moment, Sports & International ratings, Jimmy Jacobs talks WWE protocol and Vince McMahon, injury update, movie with WWE performers, market value of WWE and the most-watched shows on WWE Network.
This past week’s UFC show with the stories behind the show and match-by-match coverage.
New Japan’s last show this past week before G-1, held at Korakuen Hall, with the matches and angles and what is being pushed.
Our huge feature covers the life and career of Jerry Brown, who teamed with Buddy Roberts to form the Hollywood Blonds, one of the greatest heel tag team acts of all-time. This major feature looks at their beginnings, their heyday in Quebec and Florida, places they went, who they faced, as well as the other territories they went, championships they held, the second version of the Hollywood Blonds people don’t remember, the mentality of the act and some crazy Jerry Brown stories, with lots of comments from Bill Watts, who put the team together.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
We have a number of weekend shows up on the site including Bryan Alvarez with Lance Storm on Friday, Garrett Gonzalez and I with Rich Swann on Friday, and Bryan and I from last night talking G-1, UFC and Smackdown.
Last night’s UFC had 1.1 million searches putting it No. 3 behind the California Earthquake and Boston Celtics. That’s the PPV level having to do with Colby Covington, for better or worse. The key topics were Covington and his phone call from the president, Donald Cerrone and Khamat Chimaev (who finished the day in the top 20 meaning people are seeing him as a star). The only other combat sports thing in the top 20 during the week was Floyd Mayweather on Wednesday at No 13 with 200,000 stemming from rumors of the idea he will do a boxing match with Logan Paul. There is no contract signed for such a match although there have been talks. The idea is preposterous on multi-levels.
All Japan has a show live tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time with Champion Carnival matches from Korakuen Hall of Suwama vs. Zeus, Jake Lee vs. Kuma Arashi, Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi and Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shotaro Ashino. It’s live on All Japan’s streaming service.
Dragon Gate also has a major show at 2 a.m. late tonight Eastern time from the Tokyo Ota Ward Gym. It’s live on the Dragon Gate streaming service with a six-way cage match with a ton of stipulations with Yamato, Big R Shimizu, BxB Hulk, Kai, Eita and Masato Yoshino. There are also multiple title matches:
Kaito Ishida defends the Open the Brave Gate title against Yosuke Santa Maria
Gamma & Ho Ho Lun & Kagetora & Yasushi Kanda vs. Keisuke Okuda & Problem Dragon & Punch Tominga & U-T
Don Fujii & Genki Horiguchi & Ryo Saito vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Shuji Kondo & Ultimo Dragon
Naruki Doi vs. Kzy
Ben K & Strong Machine J & Dragon Dia defend the Open the Triangle Gate titles against Diamante & Kazma Sakamoto & Takashi Yoshida
Jason Lee & Kota Minoura defend the Open the Twin Gate titles against Dragon Kid & Susumu Yokosuka
Six-way cage match. People enter at different intervals. There are different stips involving winning as well as the last guy left.
There will be a Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show on Sunday after the Clash of Champions PPV with Kurt Angle as the guest.
WWE
Names announced so far for the Gauntlet Eliminator on Wednesday’s NXT show for a shot at Finn Balor’s title at the 10/4 Takeover are Timothy Thatcher, Cameron Grimes, Kushida and Kyle O’Reilly. I would say any of the four would be a major surprise to be in the main event against Balor of a Takeover show, and all of the four would probably deliver a good match.
MISCELLANEOUS
Mission Pro Wrestling from Friday night in Buda, TX for a show put on by Thunder Rosa: Avery Taylor b Alex Gracia, Killer Kate & Promise Braxton b Jenna Lynn& Vert Vixen, Madi Wrenkowski b Red Velvet, Big Swole b Rosa Negra, Elayna Black b Rachelle Rose, Jenna Cide b Rok-C, Thunder Rosa b Lindsay Snow to retain the NWA women’s title (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
Toa Henare announced that his first show put on by his wrestling school will be on 2/27 in Whanganui, New Zealand. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Warrior Wrestling from last night in Chicago Heights, IL before about 200 fans. It was really cold last night which held down the crowd, but also showed the difficulty in running weekly in this day and age: Garrison Creed b Jordan Cross, Sam Adonis b Jake Something, Beast Man won over The Sign, Icon Lee, Dani Mo, Jack Griffin and Dan the Dad,Lee Moriarty b Tre Lemar, Ace Austin & Mad Man Fulton b Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku in an Impact vs. MLW match, Kimber Lee b Jordynne Grace, Alex Shelley d Jonathan Gresham with a double pin finish that didn’t seem to work, Luchasaurus & Tay Conti b Chris Bey &Rae Lyn, Trey Miguel won three-way over Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz to earn a title match, Brian Pillman Jr. b Warhorse to keep the Warrior title (thanks to Lance LeVine and Shannon Walsh)
Adam Brooks vs. Havoc headlines to Riot City Wrestling on 10/10 in Adelaide, Australia.
The Pro Wrestling Darwin promotion in Northern Australia is closing because the owners are moving to Perth.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Friday night in Omaha: Omar Pachecco b Logan Ocean, K-Dos b Ryan Monroe, Duke Cornell b Moonshine Russell, Pat Powers b Xander McIntosh, Pat Powers b Nicky Scent-COR, Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels b Purule & Mack Riggs, The Carver b Brett Bishop, Branden Juarez b Jack Darling-DQ. Next show is 10/10 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
A couple of notes regarding masks. Rich Baker’s family at [email protected] are doing Lucha Libre COVID masks that look really cool. Pro Wrestling Revolution also has Lucha COVID masks that are cool.
The attempt by Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar to make modern television wrestling history with the most widely viewed 60:00 match ever in the U.S. turned into an emotional experience in the days before the match that took place on 9/16 in Raleigh.
Lesnar blew out his knee while wrestling a tune-up match in Richmond on 9/14, and the next night in Greenville, NC, he and Angle only did about a 1:00 match, with much interference, to protect him. The exact nature of the injury hasn’t been determined. The first diagnosis was floating cartilage in the knee, which caused it to lock, but there was some fear by the next night that it was a torn ACL. The company was going on the belief that the injury was not that serious since the original plan of Lesnar going over to win his third WWE championship wasn’t changed. Then, on 9/15, Angle’s older sister died from heart problems. The Angle family has had a long history with angina, to the point Angle himself has done TV commercials for angina awareness.
On 9/16 in Raleigh, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle will do something that hasn’t been done in the U.S. in nearly 17 years. They will do a 60:00 match on free television.
It wasn’t that many years ago when it would have never happened. There was a belief for a while that in these days of shorter attention spans and hundreds of television alternatives, that no television match should ever go much over ten minutes. In the history of Raw, Thunder, Nitro and Smackdown, no match has ever legitimately gone 30 minutes. Lesnar and Angle will be doubling that.
The Iron man match, which is expected, given the direction of past and future booking and what happened at SummerSlam, to be the title change, is one hell of a risk. While most 60 minute matches historically are remembered fondly, very few have been done in recent years. And also, if for some reason the crowd isn’t with it, it’s going to be a long and painful process.
While he was the person to announce Matt Riddle’s call-up to SmackDown, it looks like Kurt Angle could have played a bigger role in Riddle’s main roster career.
Angle revealed in an interview with Comic Book Resources that WWE offered him a job to be Riddle’s manager. Angle said he would have loved to manage Riddle, but he turned the offer down for a few different reasons and it just wasn’t the right time.
“I think that Matt Riddle is going to be one of the faces of the [WWE], he has all the ability. His personality is great. At first, it’s a little odd. But once you get to know him, he’s very likable,” Angle said. “And that’s what he’s going to get from the fans. They’re going to love this kid. And he proves it in the ring. He’s phenomenal in the ring. There’s no doubt about that. But his whole bro gimmick thing works really well. And he’s going to do extremely well. WWE has offered me a job to manage him. Unfortunately, I turned it down due to a few different reasons, but I would have loved to manage him. It just wasn’t the right time.”
“You never know [laughs],” Angle said when CBR brought up the possibility of him and Riddle reuniting in the future.
Angle appeared in a backstage segment on SmackDown last week and officially announced that Riddle is joining the show’s roster. A hype video for Riddle then aired following Angle’s announcement.
Angle was also the special guest referee for Riddle’s fight pit match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT last week. Thatcher defeated Riddle in what was Riddle’s final match in NXT.
Angle, who had been working in a behind-the-scenes role with WWE since the end of his in-ring career, was part of April’s WWE releases.
A “cage fight” between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher headlines tonight’s edition of NXT.
After their partnership imploded two weeks ago, Riddle and Thatcher will face off in a cage match that can only be won by knockout or submission. WWE posted pictures of the fight pit that is being used for the match.
Kurt Angle, who was part of last month’s WWE releases, will return as the special guest referee for Riddle vs. Thatcher.
Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai will take on NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and a partner of her choosing. The match comes in advance of Charlotte defending her title against Ripley and Shirai in a triple threat match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House on Sunday, June 7.
The build to TakeOver will also continue with NXT Champion Adam Cole and general manager William Regal having a live negotiation tonight. Cole has said he wants to make sure Velveteen Dream disappears forever and stays out of the Undisputed Era’s business.
Plus, a triple threat match between Kushida, Drake Maverick, and Jake Atlas will decide who advances to the interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament finals from Group A. The group ended in a three-way tie last week after Maverick defeated Kushida. The winner of the triple threat match will advance to face El Hijo del Fantasma in the finals.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show is opening with the triple threat match to decide who advances to the cruiserweight tournament finals from Group A.
Drake Maverick defeated Jake Atlas and Kushida to advance to the finals of the Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
Maverick pinned Atlas in a nifty finish where Kushida had Atlas in a submission hold, and Maverick jumped in to cover Atlas.
Atlas got to shine early on with a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle to the floor on Kushida, and then he springboarded into a blockbuster for a near fall on Maverick. Kushida soon fired up for a cartwheel dropkick and a couple of palm strikes.
They teased a Tower of Doom, but ended up doing something way better before the show cut to its first commercial break. Kushida with an O’Connor Roll had Atlas rolled up for a cover. Maverick went to break it up, and Kushida — still cradling Atlas with his legs — gave Maverick a German suplex into a bridge. Kushida’s bridge had a dual cover on both Atlas and Maverick for a double near fall. That was pretty damn cool.
All three were trading strikes when the show returned from break. Maverick sidestepped the other two, and he capitalized with a missile dropkick. Atlas was kinocked off the apron, leaving Kushida and Maverick in the ring. Kushida dived off the top turnbuckle for a flip dive on the outside to wipe out Atlas.
Kushida with a tornado DDT that he transitioned into an armbar. Maverick countered to cradle Kushida for a two count. Atlas got back into action with a reverse suplex on Kushida, but he posted himself charging at Maverick. Atlas then took a sliced bread from Maverick for another two count.
Kushida dropped Maverick with a wind-up punch. Atlas then caught Kushida in a German suplex. Atlas executed the Rainbow DDT on Maverick, but Kushida broke up the pinning attempt. Atlas hit Kushida with a kick. Atlas tried to climb the ropes, but Kushida tripped him up.
All three took turns fighting on the turnbuckles. Kushida did his flip off the top into the cross-armbreaker that he has done numerous times. Kushida was wrenching on the arm when Maverick jumped in to place an arm over the chest of Atlas. The referee counted Atlas shoulder down for the three count, and Maverick advances to the tournament in a creative finish.
El Hijo del Fantasma came out to face off with Maverick after the match. They shook hands as they will soon meet in the tournament finals.
Officially announced for TakeOver: In Your House is Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair in a triple threat for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae came to the ring cutting a promo. Gargano says he is being misunderstood. The “Gargano Way” isn’t about eliminating people, but instead he claims it is about making NXT a better place. He said there were at least a few “good hands” there, and he wanted to give people a chance. So he announced tonight for the first time is the “Johnny Gargano Invitational”.
Gargano will give a young wrestler the chance of “stepping in the ring with the greatest performer of a generation.” After a drum roll, he announced the first participant as Adrian Alanis.
Johnny Gargano (with Candice LeRae) defeated Adrian Alanis in the first ever “Johnny Gargano Invitational”
Gargano offered to shake hands, but that was a red herring to set up a sucker punch. Alanis fought back — only for him to run into a superkick. Gargano then applied the Gargano Escape, and Alanis quickly tapped out.
Gargano & LeRae’s celebration was interrupted by a skit from Mia Yim & Keith Lee. They were spoofing the Garganos’ skits from their dinner table. They made fun of the flashlight spot from the previous skits. This was a great.
Yim prepared LeRae’s favorite kind of dinner — takeout. Tegan Nox delivered them a pizza, but she had eaten it all but one piece.
Yim & Lee then got serious by cutting a promos to hype up their upcoming mixed tag team match.
Maverick was being interviewed backstage when Kushida approached him to encourage Maverick, and Maverick promised him the first title shot when he wins the title. That was nice of him.
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium cut a promo on Danny Burch & Loney Orcan. Good stuff.
Gonzalez pinned Blackheart after interference by Kai. Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae also got involved in an angle at ringside during the match.
Blackheart used her quickness to counter Gonzalez in the early portion of the match. Gonzalez soon cut her off. Meanwhile, Kai got in Blackheart’s mini-tank and went to drive it around ringside.
Tegan Nox ran down to make a save for the tank. She shoved Kai out of the tank, and Blackheart in the ring got a near fall with a roll up off the distraction.
After a commercial break, Gonzalez was working over Blackheart. Gonzalez with a powerslam for a two count, and she then applied a bear hug. Gonzalez dashed a hope spot using a backbreaker for another two count.
Blackheart made a comeback and then took a nasty bump doing a trust fall to the outside. She landed hard on the floor.
Nox was checking on her when LeRae ran down to confront Nox. Maybe LeRae was upset about the pizza too. Regardless, they argued while the referee tried to separate them. Why? They weren’t even actually interfering in the match. This might have been distracting, but was it illegal? Really this just a lame excuse for the ref to miss seeing the ensuing interference.
Meanwhile, Blackheart was trying to finsih the match when Kai interfered. The ref finally got back into the ring. Gonzalez with a side slam, and then she covered Blackheart for the pinfall.
A great vignette hyped up the TakeOver match between Finn Balor and Damian Priest.
Charlotte Flair has a mystery partner for a tag match against Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai. However, the mystery won’t last much longer because that match is next! Who could it be?! Turns out it was Chelsea Green. It did make her seem important.
Charlotte Flair & Chelsea Green (with Robert Stone) defeated Io Shirai & Rhea Ripley
Flair pinned Shirai with her feet on the ropes.
Mauro Ranallo on commentary honored the memory of Hana Kimura during Shirai’s entrance.
Flair let Green start the match, which kept Flair away from her upcoming challengers. Shirai wiped out going for a Tiger Feint Kick, and Green leapt through the ropes with a tope on Shirai.
With Shirai hurt, Flair was now more than willing to tag into the match. Shirai with a recepit on Green when Shirai dived through the ropes to splash Green. Reversing a whip, Green sent Shirai crashing into the guardrails before a commercial break.
Flair was working over Shirai when the show returned from the break. Shirai ducked a chop and Flair hit Green with the chop by mistake. Green shook it off, and got back into the match.
Ripley was a house of fire after a hot tag, and Green fed into her. Flair twice in the matter of moments jumped in to break up pinning attempts. Flair went for the figure-four, but Shirai made a save. Shirai tagged in and she had Flair reeling for a near fall.
Shirai with roll up into a double stomp on Flair, and she followed with a Tiger Feint Kick. Green pushed Flair out of the way to take a bullet for her when Green got in the path of a springboard missile dropkick from Shirai.
Ripley was knocked off the apron, and Flair rolled up Shirai with a schoolgirl. Flair put her feet on the ropes for added leverage, and she got the pinfall on Shirai.
In a Zoom meeting, NXT Champion Adam Cole and General Manager William Regal had formal negotiations. Cole was of course a heel that kept insulting Regal. Cole wanted Regal to agree that Velveteen Dream never gets another title shot against Cole after he beats him at TakeOver. Regal agreed to the stip so Dream’s challenge at TakeOver is now is “last” shot at winning the title from Cole. The NXT Championship match and the stip are official for TakeOver.
A vignette profiled Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. This was great character development. The feature concluded with them meeting in a bar to drink water. They toasted to what they hoped will be a victory over Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Leon Ruff
Scarlett came out to ringside scouting Ciampa ahead of his match against Karrion Kross at TakeOver. With Ciampa distracted, Ruff rushed in to schoolboy Ciampa looking for a quick upset. Ruff continued to shine until eating a knee strike from Ciampa.
Ciampa pummeled Ruff, and then he exeuted the Fairy Tale Ending to score the pinfall.
On the Titantron, Kross cut a promo on Ciampa after the match. This was like the scene in a comic book involving a super villian. I guess it worked. I’m intrigued.
Announced for next week on NXT is the finals in the cruiserweight tournament with Maverick vs. Fantasma. Also on the next episode is Mia Yim vs. LeRae in a singles match, and a “Prime Target” feature on the title matches at TakeOver.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Matt Riddle in a cage fight with Kurt Angle as special guest referee
Thatcher won via ref stoppage after he choked out Riddle with a sleeper.
The set for this was amazing. There were no ropes, and the ring was surrounded by a huge caged structure. There was a catwalk platform on top of the cage, which basically made it a scaffold match within a cage fight. The announcers referred to the set as the “fight pit”.
The fight could only be won by a 10-second knockout or via submission.
They started the match on top of the platform as they stood on opposite corners of the catwalk. Riddle leapt off the catwalk and rolled through into the ring, and the fight was on.
Thatcher went down first when Riddle springboarded off the side of the cage into a disaster kick. Thatcher was able to get to his feet to break the ten count, but he was spitting up blood. He spat out what was sold as his teeth.
Angle put on latex gloves and went to check to see if Thatcher could continue. A doctor also came to check on Thatcher, and the doctor said he could continue just as the show went to a commercial break.
They were grappling when the show returned from break. Riddle went for another springboard off the cage, but this time Thatcher countered trying for a Fujiwara armbar. Riddle escaped — only for him to take a suplex a moment later. Thatcher then applied a half crab. Thatcher transitioned into a crossface.
Riddle was able to break a ten count and get to his feet. A grappling battle developed on the ground with both going for submission holds. Riddle escaped the guard, and he mounted Thatcher for ground and pound.
Thatcher went for a triangle, and Riddle deadlifted him. Riddle went to powerbomb Thatcher into the cage, but Thatcher instead broke free to climb atop the platform. Riddle joined him on the catwalk and the cage fight suddenly turned into a scaffold match. There was a even a “Skywalkers” reference for all of the old school Starrcade fans to enjoy.
They were trading strikes on the platform when Thatcher caught Riddle in an ankle lock. Riddle kicked free, but no water in the pool on an attempted senton. They were teasing high spots off the apron, and Riddle hit Thatcher with a ripcord knee strike. Thatcher tumbled off the platform into the ring.
Riddle backflipped off the platform into a Floating Bro into a the ring on Thatcher. Riddle landed a flurry of kicks, but he crashed into the cage when Thatcher sidestepped a charge. Thatcher then locked in a sleeper. He was riding Riddle like a jockey as Riddle took him on a tour of the cage trying to break the hold. Riddle eventually fell backwards to sandwich Thatcher into the mat.
Thatcher nevertheless again applied the sleeper, and Riddle was trapped. Angle raised Riddle’s arm, and his limp arm dropped three times. Angle stopped the fight for techincal submission.
On NXT this week, Thatcher cut a promo challenging Riddle to a match that can only be won by knockout or submission. He said they could have the match anywhere Riddle wants, and Riddle responded later in the show by accepting the challenge and saying their match would take place inside of a cage.
Thatcher filled in as Riddle’s temporary partner while Pete Dunne is unable to travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Riddle & Thatcher lost the NXT Tag Team titles to Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner on the May 13 episode of NXT when Thatcher walked out of the match.
After their partnership imploded, Riddle then defeated Thatcher in the main event later on that episode. Riddle managed to reverse a submission attempt into a pin, but Thatcher then attacked him after the match.
Here’s the updated lineup for Wednesday’s NXT:
Cage fight: Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher (Kurt Angle will be the special guest referee)
Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai vs. NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and a partner of her choosing
Triple threat match: Kushida vs. Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas (the winner advances to the interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament finals from Group A)
NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT general manager William Regal will have a “live negotiation”
Kurt Angle made the decision to go with the minimally invasive surgery techniques of Dr. Hae-Dong Jho, with an operation for his damaged neck scheduled on 4/11 in Pittsburgh.
The decision had been one of considerable controversy because it was contradictory to the diagnosis of Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, who had been the company’s go-to guy for wrestlers with neck problems. Youngblood had recommended that Angle retire, while Jho said Angle could be back in action in four to six weeks, although internally the expectations are that he won’t be back quite that quickly. No exact time frame estimate for his return can be accurately assessed until after the surgery.
Angle met with Jho again after Wrestlemania, and was leaning toward him until making the final decision a day or two later. In an article on the company’s web site, Angle cited the fact that after taking a year off for surgery from Youngblood, that a few years later, Steve Austin is in need of another neck fusion surgery.
The injury to Kurt Angle, has caused something of a continuation of what has long been an attempt to change the style within the company. Angle will be undergoing neck fusion surgery shortly.
The surgery was originally scheduled for 3/17, but is being moved to early April. The planned title change on 3/11 to Brock Lesnar in Pittsburgh didn’t happen when Angle himself asked Vince McMahon on 3/10 to allow him to do the match at Wrestlemania. Angle went to all the key parties such as Lesnar, Chris Benoit (who was to get the spot at Mania) as well as his wife to talk over his decision. McMahon was expecting that Angle would change his mind at the end, but he didn’t. The plan is for Angle to work a real match as opposed to a short gimmick oriented match, and drop the title.
Angle is expected to be out of action for a minimum of one year, getting similar surgery, from Dr. Lloyd Youngblood in San Antonio, that Terry Gerin (Rhyno), Steve Williams (Austin) and Benoit among others have recovered from and that Edge underwent on 3/10.
