The New Day stopped by NXT last night to set up a title match for Deadline.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods crashed Pretty Deadly’s presentation of “A Real Christmas Story” to issue a Tag Team title challenge for NXT Deadline. Pretty Deadly then tried to attack New Day, but Kingston & Woods fought back and sent them packing. Kingston & Woods smashed Christmas presents over Elton Prince & Kit Wilson’s heads before giving both of them superkicks.
It was officially confirmed later in the night that Pretty Deadly will defend their NXT Tag Team titles against Kingston & Woods at this Saturday’s Deadline special.
Drew Gulak also made an appearance on NXT last night, watching on from ringside as Charlie Dempsey defeated Hank Walker.
The final build to Deadline saw two Iron Survivor Challenge wildcard matches take place. Axiom and Indi Hartwell became the final two wrestlers to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge bouts. The men’s match will be Carmelo Hayes vs. Grayson Waller vs. Joe Gacy vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom. The women’s match is Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade vs. Zoey Stark vs. Kiana James vs. Hartwell.
A match between The New Day and Pretty Deadly has been added to NXT Deadline.
Saturday’s Deadline will now have a NXT Tag Team title match between the two teams. The New Day appeared on Tuesday’s NXT, challenging Pretty Deadly to a title match.
In addition, a match between Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre has been made.
Pretty Deadly were in the ring Tuesday reading their version of A Christmas Story. Once they were done reading their poem, The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) came out and challenged them to a match. The two teams eventually got into a brawl, with The New Day gaining the upper hand after putting Christmas presents on top of Pretty Deadly’s heads and superkicking them off the apron and to the floor.
Dawn defeated Thea Hail on Tuesday’s show. After the match, Fyre emerged and attacked Dawn, retribution for what happened weeks ago on NXT when Dawn made her debut by attacking Fyre and costing her the NXT Women’s Championship.
It was also announced during the show that the pre-show kickoff event will be hosted by McKenzie Mitchell, Sam Roberts, and our own Denise Salcedo.
Here is the updated lineup for Saturday’s NXT Deadline:
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Apollo Crews
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match: Carmelo Hayes vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Joe Gacy vs. Axiom
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match: Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade vs. Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell
NXT Tag Team titles: Pretty Deadly vs. The New Day
Tonight’s SmackDown from Indianapolis, Indiana features SmackDown’s fallout from Crown Jewel and the start of its build to Survivor Series.
A high-stakes tag team title match will kick off the episode. The Usos are defending their Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles against The New Day. If The Usos win, they’ll be poised to break New Day’s record and become the longest-reigning tag team champions in WWE history.
The Usos are coming off a successful title defense against The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) at Crown Jewel.
The SmackDown World Cup tournament begins tonight with Santos Escobar taking on Shinsuke Nakamura in a first-round match. The tournament’s winner receives a future title shot against Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
Nakamura teamed up with Hit Row a few weeks ago to defeat Legado Del Fantasma, leading to tonight’s contest.
Plus, Raquel Rodriguez, Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan, Lacey Evans, Shotzi, and Xia Li compete in a six-pack challenge. The winner will become the number one contender for Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated New Day to retain the titles (23:51)
Not a surprise, but this match rocked. They worked a long match, so it started slow but picked up toward the end.
They showed Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Solo Sikoa watching from their locker room. Later, Michael Cole mentioned that Sami Zayn wasn’t at the show tonight.
The fans broke into an “Ucey” chant before the bell. There was a short “New Day Rocks” chant too. The Usos briefly isolated Kofi Kingston but New Day quickly took over. After sending The Usos to the floor, Kingston wiped them out with a trust fall dive.
Kingston and Jimmy were trading shots as they came back from the break. The Usos took over after Jey caught Kingston with a suicide dive. They cut Kingston off from his corner and beat him down.
The fans erupted into a loud “We want Sami” and “Sami Uso” chant. On commentary, Michael Cole mentioned that Sami Zayn’s not at SmackDown tonight because he’s dealing with a personal issue.
Jimmy slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Kingston broke free with a middle rope dropkick. He dumped Jimmy to the floor and fought off Jey. Kingston went to make the tag, but Jimmy pulled Xavier Woods off the apron.
Back from the break, Woods tagged in and dominated The Usos. He caught Jimmy with a side Russian leg sweep and scored a near fall on Jey. Woods and Kingston hit a series of moves on Jey ending with Woods hitting a top rope leg drop for a close two-count. Kingston hit the boom drop but missed the trouble in paradise. Jey made a blind tag, but Kingston hit the SOS for a near fall.
The Usos ran wild with double superkicks on New Day. They followed with the double-flying splash on Woods for a very close near fall. The Usos were frustrated. They set up for the 1 D, but Kingston pulled out Jimmy. First, New Day hit the midnight hour on Jimmy on the floor. In the ring, New Day hit the midnight hour on Jey for a very close two-count. The fans thought that was the finish.
The Usos and New Day met in the middle of the ring and traded shots. Jey sent Woods to the floor and took him out with a superkick into the timekeeper’s area.
Kingston fought off The Usos. The finish was incredible. Kingston dove off the top rope, but The Usos hit the 1 D in mid-air for the win.
Cole pushed that The Usos will become the longest reigning champions by Monday.
After the break, Reigns congratulated The Usos for their victory in the locker room. Reigns noted he had something to take care of tonight and needed them by his side. He’s going to deal with this in the ring. He hugged Jimmy and then gave Jey a slightly longer hug.
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World Cup First-Round Match: Santos Escobar (w/Zelina Vega, Cruz del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (8:20)
Escobar vs. Nakamura was fun while it lasted. It wasn’t spectacular, but a solid 8-minute match. There was a ton of interference in setting up the finish.
Cole promoted Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Great Muta on New Year’s Day.
They went to a break after a minute of action. Escobar hit a dropkick, but Nakamura took over and tossed him into the barricade.
Nakamura rocked Escobar with an enziguri back from the break. After a flurry of offense, Nakamura hit the sliding German suplex off the middle rope. Escobar fought back by attacking Nakamura’s injured knee.
Legado del Fantasma caused a distraction. Nakamura recovered and took out the heels. Nakamura climbed to the top rope, but Escobar cut him off. He then hit a middle rope phantom driver for the win. Escobar advances to the semi-finals in two weeks.
*******
They showed a Veteran’s Day video package.
LA Knight/Bray Wyatt Segment
Megan Morant spoke with LA Knight in the back. Knight was complaining about not being in the World Cup. Bray Wyatt’s images flashed on the monitor behind him as he spoke.
He turned around, and Bray Wyatt was standing in front of him. Wyatt got a massive pop when he showed up on screen.
Wyatt said he’s sick of pretending he’s not proud of the horrible things he did to people. Knight got in Wyatt’s face. Suddenly, an image flashed across the screen again. Wyatt knocked Knight down and walked away. Knight jumped to his feet, looking for Wyatt to end the segment.
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Number One Contender’s Six-Way Match: Shotzi defeated Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Sonya Deville, Lacey Evans, and Xia Li (11:24)
At one point, everyone seemed lost and confused. There was a lot of standing around. The finish was a mess after a badly botched table spot and a flat finish.
Everyone fought all around ringside. Morgan and Deville took the focus as they battled in the ring. Morgan set up the ring steps, but Deville dropped her on the steps instead.
Li caught Shotzi with a kick to the spine back from the break. Li and Evans went back and forth in the ring. Everyone else was lying around the ringside area. Morgan fired up and ran wild on Li and Evans. She caught Rodriguez with a DDT, but Deville tried to steal the pin. Morgan broke up the pin attempt.
Rodriguez hit the Texana bomb on Li, but Deville pulled her out. The fans broke into a “tables” chant. Rodriguez set up a table in front of the steps. She set up for something on Devile but Morgan dove off the barricade. They were supposed to crash onto the table, but the spot got botched badly. They completely missed and just fell under the table. Rodriguez, Morgan, and Deville just lay on the ground. Wade Barrett tried to cover it up by saying Rodriguez hit the side of the table.
In the ring, Shotzi hit the Never Wake up on Evans for the pin in a flat finish. Shotzi takes on Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s title at Survivor Series.
*******
Emma approached Shotzi backstage to congratulate her on her win. Emma was looking for Madcap Moss. Shotzi assumed Emma’s crushing on Madcap. Emma blushed and walked off, looking for Moss.
Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey approached Shotzi. Shotzi turned her back to Baszler. Baszler jumped her and choked her out.
********
Kayla Braxton interviewed Ricochet about his first-round World Cup match against Mustafa Ali next week. He promised to regain the title. Imperium showed up. Gunther wants Ricochet to win the tournament so he can beat him again.
*******
They recapped Omos vs. Braun Strowman from Crown Jewel.
The Progressive Match Flo of the week was Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross from Crown Jewel.
World Cup First-Round Match: Braun Strowman defeated Jinder Mahal (1:38)
Jinder Mahal cut a promo before the match. He promised to win the World Cup and then the title. No man can stop him.
Mahal jumped Strowman before the bell. He had the early advantage until Strowman recovered and easily beat him with a powerbomb. Strowman advances to the semi-finals in two weeks.
********
Zelina Vega (w/Legado del Fantasma) vs. B-Fab (w/Hit Row)
The match didn’t happen. The Viking Raiders and Sarah Logan returned to attack both teams.
Legado del Fantasma was waiting in the ring as Hit Row entered. The lights went out, and The Viking Raiders’ music hit. Erik, Ivar, and Sarah Logan hit the ring. They beat up everyone except for Vega, who escaped through the crowd. The Viking Raiders and Sarah Logan posed to end the segment.
********
Roman Reigns Special Moment
Earlier in the night, Reigns said he had business to take care of in the ring. When they got in the ring, he began to address The Usos, but The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre interrupted. Reigns never dealt with whatever was his business.
Roman Reigns, The Usos, Sola Sikoa, and Paul Heyman entered the ring to a positive reaction. The fans broke into a loud “Ucey” chant. Reigns demanded Indiana acknowledge him. Heyman took the mic and buried Indiana. The fans booed, and he said they were not very ucey. Heyman praised The Usos and mocked The New Day.
Reigns admitted it’s not easy being his cousin. He was always the star of the family. Reigns began to address The Usos when The Brawling Brutes interrupted. Ridge Holland and Butch are tired of the Bloodline having the numbers advantage.
Sheamus returned to a big pop. He cut a promo on Reigns, but his mic wasn’t working. Reigns laughed at Sheamus for the mic cutting out. The Brawling Brutes jumped into the ring, and a brawl broke out. The Bloodline overpowered them.
Drew McIntyre ran out for the save and to even the odds. SmackDown ended with all eight guys brawling.
*******
Next week: The first round of the World Cup concludes with Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet and Butch vs. Sami Zayn. Plus, Shotzi goes one-on-one with Shayna Baszler.
Wrestling’s stars were out for Wednesday’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere in Los Angeles.
Sasha Banks, Naomi, plus WWE’s The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) and Jimmy Uso walked the purple carpet at the Marvel Studios premiere.
The stars posted content from the premiere on their social media channels:
Earlier Wednesday, Banks and Naomi were announced for a panel at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles on November 12.
Banks and Naomi walked out of a WWE Raw taping on May 16, vacating the Women’s Tag Team Championship. The team were then suspended indefinitely by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon, and publicly buried on commentary by Michael Cole.
Reports later suggested that Banks had received a WWE release, reports that WWE has never confirmed nor denied. Still more reports would later suggest that Banks and Naomi had reached a deal to return to the company, although no return to WWE has officially been announced.
A sequel to 2018’s Black Panther and the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wakanda Forever will be released across the United States on November 11.
Date: May 30, 2022 Location: Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
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Show Recap —
Becky Lynch entered to start the show. She was in good mood despite her claim that the fans were awaiting her downfall. Some people collected stamps, some collected friends, but she collected enemies. She knew she was on track to do just that when she regains her title at Hell in a Cell. The odds were against her but that was always true and she always overcame it.
Lynch recalled Asuka winning Money in the Bank in 2020 before handing her the title the next night on Raw. Even back then, Lynch had a plan. She knew she could beat Asuka and thought Asuka would hold the title until she returned.
Asuka interrupted. Asuka said Lynch was still a big-time baby. Lynch tried to interrupt but Asuka snapped at her in Japanese. Asuka said nobody was ready for her and she would become the new champion.
Bianca Belair entered. Belair didn’t want to complain about having to defend her title in a triple threat because she did her talking in the ring. She had payback ready for Asuka tonight after Asuka kicked her in the face last week. She also threatened to drop Lynch.
Lynch took a cheapshot at Belair which led to a short brawl that ended with Asuka and Belair knocking Lynch out of the ring.
********
Lynch joined commentary for the match. She dropped a, “I’m a wizard” line at one point. Perhaps she realized what she said because she quickly followed by calling herself a magician (because she made Belair’s title disappear in seconds at SummerSlam).
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defeated Asuka (13:06)
They wrestled back and forth before knocking each other out of the ring ahead of a break. Asuka hit a German suplex and a running hip attack following the break for a two count.
Belair got Asuka up for the KOD but she slipped out. Asuka sold it like she hurt her leg on the fall sp Lynch mocked her and called her a baby. Belair went after her but Asuka caught her with a knee strike for a nearfall.
Belair countered an Asuka Lock and hit a Glam Slam. Asuka tried a cradle but Belair countered into a cradle of her own for the pinfall win.
Lynch hit the ring immediately after the match and laid out both women.
The bulk of this match was good but the finish was awkward.
(During the match, there was a clock counting down to the top of the third hour. It’s not Cody Rhodes this time but rather The Usos vs. Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura.)
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Six-man tag match: Ezekiel, Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio defeated Kevin Owens, Chad Gable & Otis (8:33)
The babyfaces worked together to clear the ring. It took a triple dropkick to knock out Otis. However, Gable shoved Dominik off the middle rope to the outside before driving him into the barricade.
The heels worked over Dominik through a break until Ezekiel made the hot tag. He handed out Stinger splashes to Gable and Owens before giving Gable a spinning powerbomb. Otis broke up the cover so Dominik tried hitting him with a high cross. Otis caught Dominik easily so Rey took him down with a seated senton.
Owens avoided a 619 and tried a superkick but Rey ducked and Gable got superkicked instead. The Mysterios gave Gable a double 619 before Ezekiel hit his finisher (an odd-looking suplex/brainbuster) for the pinfall win.
The announcers pointed out that Owens inadvertently helped Ezekiel win the match and Owens was pissed.
(I know it’s his catchphrase but I think someone in charge told Gable to yell, “thank you!” as often as possible during his matches.)
********
Cody Rhodes entered and they went to break.
[SECOND HOUR]
Cody Rhodes promo
Rhodes received a good reaction. He said he’s always been a big fan of Seth Rollins and he always saw potential in him. There was another man who saw potential in Rollins — the man who raised him. The crowd chanted for Dusty Rhodes. Dusty told Cody that Rollins had everything it took to be a generational talent and he lived up to the hype.
Rhodes learned that he would be getting his second chance at WrestleMania and it would be against Rollins. He admitted he was nervous. He couldn’t return with a loss. But he was at the top of his game and he has now defeated Rollins twice. It’s driven Rollins mad.
Rhodes called Rollins a desperate egomaniac — but he was also dangerous. Hell in a Cell would be the biggest challenge of his career and he wanted Rollins to know that any respect or self-control he had would be locked outside of the cell. Rollins would be locked in with someone who wanted to hurt him.
Rollins interrupted. He cut his promo while in the crowd. Rollins said he didn’t like Rhodes. He tried to accept this new version of Rhodes but he couldn’t take the pandering or the “Cody” chants. He can hear it in his sleep.
Rollins said Rhodes left WWE because he wasn’t good enough, then he and his little friends (AEW) tried to tear down what he built. That didn’t work out for him and now he’s back trying to be the hero.
“You don’t get to take a sledgehammer to the throne and then try to take that throne from me.”
Rollins said he would end Rhodes at HIAC and then we could finally wake up from this American nightmare. Rollins cackled.
Rhodes dared Rollins to come to the ring so they could fight right now. Rollins acted like he would but he actually didn’t so Rhodes went after him.
They brawled in the crowd until Rhodes tackled Rollins through the barricade. Rhodes continued the attack until officials ran down to break it up. The crowd chanted “let them fight.”
Rhodes went to the back and Rollins thought it was over but Rhodes sprinted back down and attacked until officials finally broke it up.
There was a “this is awesome” chant but it was probably fake. I did think this was pretty good, though.
********
Alexa Bliss defeated Doudrop (w/Nikki ASH) (3:18)
Bliss avoided a splash, kicked Nikki off the apron, and landed Twisted Bliss for the pinfall win.
(Last week and this week, Cory Graves went on about how Bliss doesn’t have the same intensity and ruthlessness that she had before she left. He preemptively told Twitter to leave him alone for saying this because he knows what he’s talking about.)
********
They showed a clip of Lacey Evans signalling the start of the NASCAR race over the weekend.
Miz TV with guests The Street Profits
Miz plugged Miz & Mrs but was interrupted by the Street Profits. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins basically took the segment over. They said Miz was talking about his show when she should be talking about HIAC. Dawkins was looking forward to Rhodes vs. Rollins and reminded Miz that he lost to Rhodes. Ford was looking forward to the beautiful Belair retaining her title.
They realized they were being rude to the host so they asked Miz what he thought of HIAC. He was about to answer but they both yelled, “it doesn’t matter what you think!” Dawkins mocked him for still falling for that line after all these years.
Miz put his hand up to make them stop talking but Dawkins gave him a high five instead. Miz tried to explain the gesture but they continued to mock him.
Dana Brooke suddenly ran down through the crowd and into the ring. T-Bar randomly showed up to drop Akira Tozawa. Ford sat up out of his seat, superkicked T-Bar out of the ring, then calmly sat down. Dawkins did the same when he decked Apollo Crews.
Anyway, a bunch of stuff happened before Tamina gave Brooke a Samoan drop to win the 24/7 title. She kissed Tozawa before he used a backslide to win the title.
(The 24/7 stuff is awful but at least the Street Profits were entertaining.)
********
Theory joined commentary. Ciampa didn’t get an entrance.
They said Mustafa Ali would earn a US title shot with a win.
Mustafa Ali defeated Ciampa via disqualification (3:28)
Ciampa was in control until Ali fought back and hit an intense suicide dive. As Ali went to the top, Theory yanked him down and attacked for the DQ. Theory also chucked him into the steel steps.
Theory informed Ali that his US title shot was happening right now.
(Ciampa disappeared.)
Theory defeated Mustafa Ali to retain the United States Championship (1:45)
Theory was putting the boots to Ali after a break and the announcers said he was doing that throughout the break. The ref asked Ali if he wanted to start the match and he said yes. (There was a very light chant for CM Punk.)
Theory was in control until Ali nailed a kick and tornado DDT. However, Theory knocked him off the top rope and hit ATL for the pinfall win.
— Adam Pearce entered after the match. He informed Theory that Mr. McMahon wanted to see a fair fight so he booked a title rematch at HIAC.
********
Riddle cut a backstage promo. He thanked everyone for their kind words about Randy Orton. He warned the Usos that he didn’t come to Raw alone. Shinsuke Nakamura said he had Riddle had a common purpose: to bleed the Bloodline dry.
The Usos entered.
[THIRD HOUR]
Non-title match: Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos via disqualification (12:24)
The Usos worked over Riddle until Nakamura made a tag and got a nearfall on a flying knee strike to Jimmy Uso. Jey Uso distracted him which allowed Jimmy to hit a superkick. Jey followed with a splash but Riddle broke up the cover.
Riddle made a hot tag after a break and he hit Jey with a suplex and senton. Nakamura made a blind tag as Riddle fell out of the ring and he crushed Jey with a Kinshasa as he was setting up for a dive but Jimmy broke up the cover. That was a great spot.
Riddle hit a few Orton-esque powerslams before Jimmy hit Riddle with his scooter for the blatant DQ.
After the match, the Usos were going to splash Riddle but Nakamura kicked Jimmy off one turnbuckle before Riddle brought down Jey with an avalanche RKO.
This was a “championship contender’s” match so Riddle/Nakamura earned a title shot with this result.
********
They showed a clip of Titus O’Neil at the Indy 500.
Kevin Patrick approached Ali in the back. Ali said he was hurting and he knew the odds were against him but he planned on walking out of his hometown of Chicago as US champion. Theory attacked him from behind and laid him out.
The announcers ran down the HIAC card. Among the matches is a 6-person match with Liv Morgan, AJ Styles and Finn Bálor against Rhea Ripley, Edge and Damian Priest.
********
There was a Memorial Day video.
********
Morgan entered at 10:15pm and her match began 20 minutes later.
Liv Morgan defeated Rhea Ripley (10:14)
Ripley has new music. Styles and Priest came to ringside during a break.
Morgan fired up at one point and hit a flying crossbody to the outside. She went for Oblivion but Priest held Ripley against the ropes by her pants (like Edge did last week) so Styles went after him. Morgan kicked out of Ripley’s pin attempt and countered a Rip-tide into a cradle for the pinfall win.
— After the match, Priest attacked Styles and turned his attention to Morgan. Finn Bálor ran down and tackled Priest. Styles gave him a Phenomenal forearm and Bálor followed with Coup de Grace. Morgan also wiped out Ripley with a missile dropkick. Styles, Bálor and Morgan stood tall.
(Graves referred to Ripley and Priest as Edge’s “Saints of Fate.”)
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Contract signing with Bobby Lashley, MVP and Omos
The main event was a contract signing that began with 6 minutes left in the show. (Lashley is facing MVP and Omos in a handicap match at HIAC.)
MVP and Lashley exchanged words before everyone signed the contract. MVP didn’t want to wait for Sunday and Lashley was fine with that. Lashley chucked the table aside before he and Omos both cleared the ring of security guards. Omos and Lashley were about to go at it before Cedric Alexander chop-blocked Lashley.
Omos set up a table in the corner of the ring but Lashley speared him through it.
Xavier Woods is back on WWE TV, appearing on tonight’s SmackDown.
Kofi Kingston was originally set to face Ridge Holland in a singles match. However, Kingston came out and said it wasn’t he who was going to wrestle Holland. He instead introduced Woods, who proceeded to pin Holland in a quick match.
Woods had been off television since January with torn plantaris, a muscle that is located under the calf muscle. He returned to in-ring action on March 13, wrestling at a house show in Jackson, Mississippi where he and Kingston lost to Sheamus & Holland and The Usos in a three-way match for the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
Sheamus, Holland, and Butch have been at odds with The New Day in recent weeks. On the March 11 edition of SmackDown, Big E broke his neck after a botched overhead belly to belly suplex by Holland during a match between Kingston and Shemaus. E has since said his injury will not require surgery.
Xavier Woods returned to the ring at a WWE SmackDown house show event in Jackson, Mississippi on Saturday night.
Woods teamed with Kofi Kingston in a losing effort against Ridge Holland & Sheamus and The Usos in a triple threat match that had been for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. This was his first match back since the January 7 edition of SmackDown, where The Usos defeated Woods and Kingston to retain the Tag Team titles in a street fight. He had been recovering from an injury to the plantaris muscle in his calf.
Other members of the New Day, Big E and Kingston, have been feuding with Ridge Holland and Sheamus in recent weeks. On Friday’s show, Holland gave Big E a belly to belly suplex. Big E broke his neck on impact but has all feeling in his extremities and has since given updates regarding his injury, saying his injury won’t require surgery.
Here are the full results from Saturday night’s WWE house show in Jackson:
The Viking Raiders defeated Los Lotharios
Shayna Baszler defeated Aliyah
Ricochet defeated Sami Zayn to retain the WWE Intercontinental title
Happy Corbin defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
The Usos defeated Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods and Ridge Holland & Sheamus in a triple threat match to retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles
Sasha Banks and Naomi defeated Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville
Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Universal title
Two matches have been announced for SmackDown next Friday.
Queen Zelina will face Sasha Banks, while Big E and Kofi Kingston will face Sheamus and Ridge Holland following an angle that took place on tonight’s show.
Zelina will face Banks after Naomi defeated Carmella on tonight’s SmackDown. On last week’s SmackDown, Banks and Naomi declared their intention to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles at WrestleMania 38. The following Monday on Raw, champions Zelina and Carmella accepted their challenge.
Big E and Sheamus were scheduled to face off in a match on tonight’s show. Kingston went to The New Day’s ATV and honked the horn. The scheduled match turned into an angle, where Holland grabbed a chair and struck Kingston. Sheamus then attacked Big E. Both Sheamus and Holland got into the ATV and drove away. Later backstage, footage was shown of Sheamus and Holland destroying the ATV.
Next week’s SmackDown will be held at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
A SmackDown Tag Team title match has been added to WWE Day 1.
The New Day (King Woods and Kofi Kingston) will face current champions The Usos for the titles. This comes based on a match that happened on tonight’s SmackDown, where Woods defeated Jey Uso by disqualification after Jimmy Uso interfered. Backstage in a promo with Kayla Braxton, The New Day confirmed they’d get their title match at Day 1.
The New Day have been feuding with Roman Reigns and the Usos in recent weeks. The Bloodline took out Kofi Kingston, attacking his knee and putting him out of action for a few weeks. Roman Reigns also destroyed Woods’ crown and scepter, which he won after winning the King of the Ring tournament back in October.
Already announced for Day 1, which takes place on January 1, 2022 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, includes a triple threat match for the WWE title involving champion Big E against Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defending the WWE Universal title against Brock Lesnar.
The final build to Extreme Rules took place on last night’s SmackDown from Philadelphia.
Two days before his Universal Championship defense against “The Demon” Finn Balor, Roman Reigns was in action against Montez Ford in last night’s main event. After getting his knees up when Ford went for a frog splash, Reigns used a guillotine to get the submission win.
Paul Heyman then counseled Reigns to beat down Ford as a way of showing both Balor and Brock Lesnar what happens when Reigns takes it to the extreme. Reigns attacked Ford with a steel chair and slammed him through a table at ringside. Ford’s tag team partner Angelo Dawkins couldn’t make the save because it was said that Dawkins was attending a friend’s wedding and wasn’t at last night’s show.
The lights went out after Reigns put Ford through the table. When they came back on, Balor was standing on the top rope dressed as The Demon. Balor took out Reigns and The Usos with a crossbody to the outside, then started hitting both Usos with kendo sticks.
Reigns cut Balor off and threw him into the ring. But when he went to attack Balor with a steel chair, Balor hit a slingblade and used the chair himself. Balor hit Reigns and The Usos with the chair and then took out Reigns with a dive to the outside.
Date: September 20, 2021 Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
The Big Takeaway —
Roman Reigns won twice tonight.
Show Recap —
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Bryan Danielson was removed from the signature video intro that starts every WWE show. Ric Flair’s “woo” has been removed now as well.
********
The New Day kicked off the show. Big E did the introduction for the reunited New Day, introducing Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston individually before introducing himself as the new WWE Champion.
Big E got a very nice reaction and “you deserve it” chants and he took a few moments to soak it in. Big E thanked every fan who “New Day rocks” and even the fans who once chanted “New Day sucks.” He thanked those who cheered when he won the Money in the Bank contract and was grateful for the fans who lost their minds when he became the new WWE Champion.
He was thankful for everyone — especially one person in particular watching from the heavens. A few fans chanted for Brodie Lee.
Big E said they’d have to cut their celebration short because they had business tonight against the Usos and Roman Reigns (whose name got a big reaction). He said Raw was their show and they’d send the Bloodline packing because New Day rocks.
Reigns and the Usos entered. Reigns held his belt up high and Big E responded by doing the same. The crowd was into this. The match is up next.
Six-man tag match: Universal Champion Roman Reigns & The Usos defeated WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (13:02)
New Day were firmly in control until Reigns yanked Kingston out of the ring, bounced him off the announce table, drove him into the post, and chucked him right over the table. Reigns and the Usos faced off with Big E and Woods as they went to break.
(This is a somewhat minor complaint, but Woods was fully in a position to try to save Kingston but he didn’t. Normally this would be because he’s not the legal man, but neither was Reigns.)
Shortly after returning from break, Kingston fought back by knocking down Jey Uso with a missile dropkick. Big E and Reigns each tagged in and the crowd collectively got on their feet.
They traded blows until Big E handed out three straight suplexes as the crowd cheered. A momentary distraction by Jey allowed Reigns to hit a Uranage for two. Reigns went for a superman punch but Big E caught him and hit a suplex and a running splash.
Jimmy Uso tried to get involved so Kingston wiped out both Usos with a dive. This allowed Reigns to knock down Big E with a superman punch. Woods and Reigns had an exchange that led to Woods hitting a superkick for a nearfall.
Lashley sprinted out and speared Big E (outside the ring) before posting Kingston as the referee just watched. Lashley also laid out the Usos.
Woods was distracted so Reigns nailed a spear for the pinfall win.
Lashley speared Reigns after the match before spearing Big E through the barricade.
(I’m not sure why Lashley’s attack wasn’t a DQ but this was a fun match and the crowd was very hot for everything.)
********
After a break, Lashley complained to Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville about Big E cashing in last week while he was hurt. Lashley claimed he could beat Big E or Reigns any day of the week. It was still the All Mighty era and that it wasn’t about to end. (They all stared at each other for a while until the segment ended.)
********
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles was announced for tonight. They also mentioned MVP breaking a rib thanks to an Orton RKO last week.
Riddle approached Orton in the locker room. Riddle rambled about something until Orton asked him if he was confusing a movie with real life. Orton told Riddle to keep an eye on Omos while he breaks a few of Styles’ ribs.
Orton thanked Riddle for getting him new headphones. Riddle had a matching pair. He put them on and sang Orton’s theme music. You can imagine Orton’s reaction.
********
Marie grabbed a mic. She said she wasn’t into shaming or negativity, but asked the crowd to take a look at her before taking a look at Doudrop. Marie was well put together while Doudrop was a mess. The crowd cheered Doudrop, who was unbothered by Marie’s comments.
Doudrop defeated Eva Marie (1:19)
Marie tried avoiding Doudrop but Doudrop gave her a senton before hitting a running crossbody for the pinfall win.
********
A pissed-off Big E marched into the office of Deville and Pearce. He demanded a match with Lashley and Reigns.
(“Raleigh” appears to be on the list of banned words. The announcers are only calling it “NC State.”)
********
[Second hour]
Paul Heyman approached Deville and Pearce to complain about Big E. Heyman and Pearce began arguing until Deville informed Heyman that there would be a triple threat between Reigns, Big E, and Lashley tonight. (The crowd cheered.) Heyman seemed fine with this.
********
Raw Tag Team Champion Randy Orton (w/Riddle) defeated AJ Styles (w/Omos) (14:57)
Orton was in control until he was tripped by Omos. Orton complained to the referee and encouraged the crowd to do the same. The ref tossed Omos from ringside but Omos laid out Riddle before leaving. Styles sent Orton to the outside near Omos, who was still standing there. Styles hit Orton with a slingshot forearm before Omos finally left and they went to break.
Orton tried fighting back but Styles used a chop block and targetted the leg from there. Orton avoided a charge and Styles went face-first into the middle turnbuckle. They traded strikes until Orton hit a powerslam for two. They traded counters until Styles applied a sleeper. A few more reversals led to Orton hitting an exploder suplex (out of Riddle’s playbook) for two.
Styles came back with strikes and a Pelé kick for two. Orton blocked a Styles Clash but Styles hit a low forearm for two. Styles followed with a Lionsault for two.
Styles set up for the Phenomenal forearm but was momentarily distracted by Riddle. Styles set up for it again but stopped when he saw Orton set up for a mid-air RKO. (They pointed at each other, acknowledging that they each know what the other was thinking, which was funny considering they always do some version of this spot.)
Orton caught Styles anyway with a draping DDT and an RKO for the pinfall win. Strong match.
********
Shayna Baszler defeated Nia Jax (2:21)
The match began with an argument over who was better. Jax was briefly in control until Baszler hit a series of kicks. Baszler tried the Kirifuda Clutch but she couldn’t quite keep it locked in. She managed to lock it and Jax tried to counter by falling back on top of her. However, Baszler held on to the submission and Jax passed out. Baszler wins.
After the match, Baszler contemplated what to do before deciding to attack Jax. Baszler squeezed Jax’s hand into a gap in the steel steps and stomped on it. She held Jax’s arm against the steps before stomping on it. Baszler seemed to be doubting her own actions as officials checked on Jax.
(This all made it seem like they were setting up Jax as a sympathetic babyface.)
********
Before the upcoming match, Byron Saxton acknowledged that Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo were usually at odds. The two men did a pre-match promo where they basically said they’d be better off together.
Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo defeated Mustafa Ali & Mansoor (2:47)
After Garza launched Ali into the ring post, Carrillo applied a submission while Garza dropkicked him in the head. That was enough for Carrillo to cover Ali for the pinfall win.
It appears Garza and Carrillo will be a heel team.
********
There was a Karrion Kross video package.
********
Nikki ASH and Rhea Ripley entered. (For Nikki’s entrance, they’ve added a Bat-Signal effect with her name in the spotlight.) They spoke about Connor’s Cure. They dedicated their match to anyone affected by pediatric cancer and anyone that has supported Connor’s Cure.
Nikki ASH & Rhea Ripley defeated Natalya & Tamina to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (2:32)
Tamina and Natalya used a Hart Attack 25 seconds into the match but Ripley broke up the cover. Jimmy Smith actually mentioned that Ripley is only allowed one save and she just used it early in the match. Tamina hit a Samoan drop but instead of going for the cover, she went for a diving splash and Nikki got her knees up (sort of).
Nikki went for a tag but Ripley had been knocked out. Natalya dropkicked Nikki while Tamina tried going after Ripley. Ripley gave Tamina a Riptide on the apron while Nikki rolled up Natalya for the pinfall win. Ripley and Nikki are the new tag champs.
They moved on from this very quickly. This could have been done a lot better.
********
[Third hour]
Alexa’s Playground
The ring was set up with the swing set, play horse, and slide. Alexa Bliss introduced Charlotte Flair. Charlotte entered and mocked Bliss for barely being a “competitor” (wrestler) anymore. Bliss called Charlotte the fun police. Bliss said she didn’t have any tricks up her sleeve and noted how short her sleeves were.
Bliss noticed Charlotte didn’t bring her Charly doll but, not to worry, she had a new one. The crowd chanted for the doll. Charlotte said she didn’t want the doll and the crowd booed. Charlotte wanted the old Bliss, the five feet of fury, the former champion. Charlotte called all of this an attempt to hide how fragile Bliss really was.
Charlotte mentioned that they haven’t crossed paths a lot because they’ve been on different brands. She wondered how she went from main eventing WrestleMania 35 to dealing with dolls. She went from beating the Nightmare to feuding with a child. Charlotte wondered if she should beat up Bliss now or wait until Sunday.
Bliss mocked Charlotte for constantly bragging. It was true that Charlotte had won more titles than any other woman, but that also meant she lost more than anyone. Bliss didn’t need to play games to expose Charlotte. Without the title on her shoulder, we didn’t really know who Charlotte was.
The crowd yelled “woo” and Charlotte posed but Bliss said that chant didn’t originally belong to her. Charlotte said Bliss isn’t the one who should be talking about originality. Bliss called Charlotte a bitch and said Charlotte would be able to call her champion on Sunday.
They got into a brawl and Charlotte got the better of it. Charlotte ripped the head off of Charly before going after Lilly. Bliss saved Lilly by knocking down Charlotte with a tornado DDT.
********
There was 24/7 segment in the back. Drake Maverick devised a plan for Truth, Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa to drop a net on Reginald but they failed and Gulak wound up in the net.
********
Damian Priest joined commentary for the upcoming match.
Jeff Hardy defeated Sheamus (approx. 10 min)
Hardy hit a Twist of Fate but Sheamus got his knees up (which looked painful for Hardy). This looked like the end for Hardy, but he managed to roll up Sheamus for the pinfall win. (Sheamus came up bleeding from the nose during the match.)
By winning this match, Hardy has been added to the Priest vs. Sheamus match for the US title on Sunday.
Sheamus confronted Priest after the match and blamed him for the result. They got into a long brawl that officials failed to break up.
********
They’re plugging tonight’s triple threat between Big E, Lashley and Reigns by saying it’s a match we’ll never see again.
********
(They plugged Reigns’ match against Finn Bálor at Extreme Rules, but there was no mention of Brock Lesnar or Crown Jewel.)
Non-title triple threat match: Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Big E and Bobby Lashley (20:07)
Big E came out last and went right after Lashley. Reigns decided to just watch until he had an opportunity to hit Big E with a drive-by dropkick, leading to a break 49 seconds into the match.
Big E was still after Lashley after the break (despite what we just saw) until Reigns knocked him down with a clothesline for two. Reigns tried a drive-by on Lashley but Lashley clotheslined him on the apron. Lashley used tackles on both men in the corner but Big E knocked him down with an STO. Big E went after Reigns but ate a Samoan drop for two.
Reigns repeatedly clotheslined Lashley in the corner before hoisting him up on the top turnbuckle. Reigns set up for a superplex but Big E got under them and did the big tower of doom powerbomb, which led to break.
Reigns was in control of Big E (despite what we just saw) when they returned. Big E came back and hit consecutive suplexes on Reigns until Lashley yanked him out of the ring and drove him into the barricade. Lashley gave Reigns a flatliner and an impressive delayed vertical suplex for two.
Big E came back in the ring and knocked down both men before hitting them both with a splash. He covered Lashley for a two count. Big E went for a running spear through the ropes but Reigns got his knee up. Lashley gave Big E a spinebuster but Reigns broke up the cover and tried a cover himself for two.
Big E ducked a superman punch and gave Reigns a Big Ending but Lashley yanked Big E out of the ring. Lashley gave Big E a chokeslam right through the announce table.
Lashley tried to spear Reigns but Reigns hit a superman punch for a nearfall. The crowd chanted “this is awesome.”
Reigns tried to spear Lashley but Lashley speared him first and Big E just barely broke up the cover. Lashley tried to put Big E in the Hurt Lock but Reigns hit a superman punch. Big E followed by spearing Reigns out of the ring.
Big E gave Reigns a Big Ending but Lashley hit a Big E with a chair. (I think the crowd was expecting the bell but it’s no disqualification.)
Lashley repeatedly hit Big E with the chair until he was speared by Reigns for the pinfall win. Reigns pins Lashley. Very fun match.
(It’s telling that Reigns won both the opener and the main event. At the very least, Big E came across like a guy who very much belonged with Reigns and Lashley. That being said, Big E almost certainly should have picked up a win tonight.)
SmackDown’s Roman Reigns and The Usos are coming to Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will face off with The Bloodline (Universal Champion Reigns & SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos) in a six-man tag match on Monday’s Raw. The show is taking place at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the WWE Championship from Bobby Lashley on Raw earlier this week. On SmackDown tonight, Big E interrupted Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman in the opening segment.
The interruption led to a tag team match where Big E & Finn Balor defeated The Usos. The Usos later attacked Big E backstage.
Reigns and The Usos were advertised locally for Monday’s Raw prior to the announcement of the six-man tag match. They’re also appearing at Raw’s house shows this weekend while the SmackDown brand has a house show tour in the United Kingdom.
Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler is also set for Monday’s Raw. The episode is Raw’s go-home show for Extreme Rules.
Monday’s Raw will face competition from the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. The episode also comes after AEW Dynamite has beaten Raw in the 18-49 demo the past two weeks.
A SmackDown Tag Team title match is the latest addition to the card for Extreme Rules.
WWE has announced that The Usos will defend their SmackDown Tag Team titles against The Street Profits at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
A Tag Team title match between The Usos and The Street Profits headlined last week’s episode of SmackDown. The Street Profits were on the verge of getting the win after Montez Ford hit a frog splash on Jimmy Uso, but Roman Reigns interfered to cause a disqualification.
Reigns put Ford in a guillotine after last week’s title match. The show ended with Finn Balor’s “Demon” character making its return as Balor came out to the ring and had a staredown with Reigns. Balor is challenging for Reigns’ Universal Championship at Extreme Rules.
A non-title match between The Usos and The Street Profits on SmackDown two weeks ago also ended with The Street Profits winning by DQ. After Ford hit a frog splash on Jimmy near the end of that match, Jey Uso broke up the pin, attacked Ford, and wouldn’t leave the ring. The Street Profits got the better of a brawl with The Usos after the match.
Here’s the updated card for Extreme Rules:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
An interactive horror movie starring WWE’s The Undertaker and The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods) is coming to Netflix in time for Halloween season.
It was announced today that “Escape The Undertaker” will premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, October 5. Here’s the description for the film:
In this interactive film featuring WWE Superstars, The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion. What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker.
As part of WWE’s partnership with Netflix, Kingston also appeared in Netflix’s movie “The Main Event” that was released in 2020.
WWE and Netflix also partnered together for the sitcom “The Big Show Show” last year.
It was revealed last October that WWE and Netflix are producing a four-episode docuseries on Vince McMahon.
We have a lot of different news stories headlining the new issue of the Observer. Our lead story looks at the condition of Terry Funk, his legacy and his generation of wrestlers.
Also in this issue:
Ticket sales for WWE and AEW shows including the four shows that will top 10,000 tickets sold, hottest wrestling tickets on the secondary market as well as this week’s UFC show, ticket sales for all AEW events on sale, every major WWE show including Madison Square Garden and every event this month, details on all shows and capacity of the buildings.
Schedule and some early details on the 2021 G1 Climax tournament.
The arrest of Jonathan Fatu (Jimmy Uso), his track record of arrests from the past and more reaction.
Grappl’s list of the best matches of 2021 so far as well as sleeper matches from small promotions worth checking out.
The biggest lawsuit settlement in WWE history, update on John Cena, Linda McMahon with Donald Trump, Daniel Bryan mentions on Smackdown, Thea Trinidad return to WWE, how often each company does rematches, Smackdown doing a split site show, changes to a WWE streaming product, huge match coming, wrestlers recently cut were to be put in a new group, notes on Breakout tournament competitors, International TV ratings for WWE and AEW, WWE exec honored as one of the best in the world except they fired him, new WWE marketing deal, the most viewed segments on YouTube of WWE programming this past week as well as the current WWE market value.
Update Dwayne Johnson’s planned launch of the XFL and explain the latest delays.
A story on the death of Cyanide Sid Cooper, a top U.K. heel who was both a major inspiration of the Lord Steven Regal character in WCW and Regal’s favorite wrestler as a young child, his matches, what he was known for, life after wrestling and more.
Coverage of AAA’s Verano de Escandalo.
A story on Chris Romero aka Chris Youngblood, from the famous Romero wrestling family, his family, including relatives few know about, his breaking into the business, how he became a big star in Puerto Rico, the heyday of The Youngbloods there, the death of Bruiser Brody, and the glory days of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
More detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week, how many different viewers the shows had, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
WWE has uploaded Paul Orndorff’s Hall of Fame speech from 2005 on their YouTube page.
Baron Corbin has set up a Cameo. He posted an in-character promo asking people to help him out after losing his investments and his crown.
Big E, in an interview with TalkSport, said he and the rest of the New Day rejected the idea of splitting up after Kofimania: “I can’t really divulge the conversation, but even from the top of the business, the very head of what we do – you know exactly who I’m talking about – he directly told us ‘hey, this is the idea’ and we said, we’re not feeling it. This was post-KofiMania. There were people who wanted it earlier [than that] as well. If we’d done it, we would have missed out on so many great moments. I still think that doing it now or soon, there are great moments to come and we have a lot more to offer. I think you’ve seen happy, clappy New Day for a very long time.”
Blair Davenport, the former Bea Priestley, spoke to TalkSport on what led her to signing with WWE. “I wanted to do everything that I wanted to do, then come to this part in my life,” she said. “During the pandemic, there was a small window. Obviously, I got cut from AEW because my visa expired and there was no hope for a new visa happening at that time. There was a tiny window in August where people who had Japan visas could go back, so I went back to Japan. I loved STARDOM so much, but this time I think I was the only foreigner there, whereas before, I had a group of friends with me. I love the roster, but I did feel very isolated and I started to feel stagnant with my role and feeling like there was only so much more I could do with this company before I stayed in my same position. I hate being stagnant and I wanted to be like, ‘I need to do something for me now. This is when we got in touch with WWE and we were chatting. I almost wanted a bit of time at home as well to have a bit of a rest, but I love NXT UK so much and it’s definitely where I want to be right now.”
Speaking with TVInsider, Johnny Gargano spoke on taking up a mentor/ambassador role within NXT. “That’s always been my goal,” he said. “I wanted to give what I could. I’m always a bigtime team player, just doing what is best for the show and the brand and company. I’ve been a big proponent of preparing for the future of NXT. Being able to mentor Austin and Indi and give my thoughts and insights wherever they are needed. Also help out other young people on the show. I’m very proud of what I’ve done in NXT. The secret is just constantly changing and evolving and bringing something new to the table.”
Gargano also spoke to Sportskeeda ahead of his NXT title match tonight against Karrion Kross.
Sami Zayn on Twitter: “Wow we made it! In 24hrs we raised $10,003 for http://SamiForSyria.com mobile clinic! Thank you all for making this 37 year old boy’s birthday wish come true & for donating to help provide medical care to the displaced Syrian population. So grateful for all of you. Thank you.”
Beth Phoenix is the guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
El Texano Jr. appeared at a press conference for Alberto El Patron’s Robles Patron Promotions and announced he has left AAA for Patron’s promotion.
AEW has released a Road to Fyter Fest video promoting the IWGP US title match, Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage, and the coffin match between Darby Allin and Ethan Page.
The NWA held a press conference today for their upcoming 73rd Anniversary Show which included Mickie James, NWA World Champion Nick Aldis, NWA President Billy Corgan, Trevor Murdoch, and NWA Women’s Champion Kamille, among others. At the confrence, Mickie James announced that the NWA will hold a Women’s Invitational Cup, and the winner of that tournament will challenge for the Women’s title at the anniversary show.
Trent of the Best Friends talked to Stephanie Chase about his recovery from neck fusion surgery. “It’s been like two weeks now and I feel great, but I know that in between my vertebrae I don’t have bones or anything yet. It’s kind of just dust, and I’m waiting for it to grow into bone. It doesn’t feel like anything but, it’s still gonna be a while before I come back so, but it was actually, surgery-wise, like way easier than I expected it to be.”
Impact is offering two months of their streaming service, Impact+, for free. When signing up, use the code SLAMMIVERSARY to receive the offer.
On That Hashtag Show (h/t Post Wrestling), Eddie Edwards said that he was recovering well following a bout of appendicitis. “I’m good man,” he said. “I feel back to 100 percent or as I like to say, normal or whatever normal is. For each and every person, I feel relatively normal right now. It was a rough couple of weeks but now I’m back on and I feel good, back in the routine, getting ready for [Slammiversary] man. There [were] a couple moments like heading to the hospital at the time and it’s like what if there’s a couple minutes of traffic and it’s like, ‘Maybe that’s the two minutes where my appendix blows up and kills me. What if that’s taking me out.’ You try to stay positive, and it was mostly focused just on the pain and wanting to get it done and over it.”
Arturo Ruas spoke to Wrestling Inc. about the Raw Underground concept. “RAW Underground was totally different than what we see in pro wrestling matches,” he said. “I had so much fun doing it, and I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of people and that was very good to be there. I had so much fun on the show. It was supposed to be non-stop, running all the time, but the pandemic sucks, and the pandemic changed the lives of millions of people. So RAW Underground died because of the pandemic.”
Kelsey Heather is one of the few people that have appeared on AEW and WWE television that aired on the same night. On AEW Dark: Elevation yesterday, she lost to Leyla Hirsch. On Raw, she was one of the women associated with Bobby Lashley and MVP, appearing in backstage segments and on the VIP Lounge.
WatchMojo posted a video of their top 10 AEW Dynamite matches.
Sammy Guevara’s latest vlog, which features the Dark Order after they were booted from Being the Elite.
A video featuring Session Moth Martina ahead of OTT’s return to shows starting on July 18 in Belfast, Ireland.
