<![CDATA[WrestlingHeadlines]]> Follow WrestlingHeadlines, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/wrestling-headlines Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:07:51 +0200 <![CDATA[Dan Lambert Says His Experience In AEW Has Been "Fun As Sh*t,” Talks MJF]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJAZCQobxi-KwO5yOwvVe_2

During his recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri from Cageside Seats American Top Team founder Dan Lambert spoke about his experience in AEW, and why he thinks fans are overreacting to the promos done by top company superstar, MJF. Highlights from the interview are below.

Why MJF’s promos are not pushing the line:

“Yeah, it’s pushing the line in everybody’s minds. But then you go home and turn on a TV and the bad guy is sex trafficking 12-year-old girls and this guy is a murderer and this guy is a serial killer and everything is great and fun and these Hollywood actresses are the coolest people in the world. But then MJF gets up and says something mean and he’s an assh—e. People are stupid. And by people, I mean you people.”

Says his experience in AEW has been fun as sh*t:

“It’s fun as s—t. What am I going to say? It’s a blast. You got 45 years of practising in front of your mirror as a wrestling fan, yelling at everybody. I was always playing the heel my whole life. I always liked the bad guys. When you get a chance to do it and it reflects some of your own real feelings anyway, it’s even better,” Lambert says with a cheeky grin. “I know as much about pro-wrestling as I ever will about MMA. I’ve been following this s—t since I was 6-years-old. It’s what I wanted to be when I wanted to grow up for all those years. So it’s super cool. I would take any personality that they wanted me to do and run with any angle they wanted me to run. It’s just fun having a good time.”

Names his influences on the microphone:

“Oh God, there are so many. It’s really hard to limit it,” he begins. “There are so many good guys. ‘The Rock’ and ‘Stone Cold’ going back-and-forth. Ric Flair. Just go back and watch an Arn Anderson promo. Really short, really simple, really concise. But, come on. I don’t mean to toot my own horn but toot-toot.”

The post Dan Lambert Says His Experience In AEW Has Been “Fun As Sh*t,” Talks MJF appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 04:09:18 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJAZCQobxi-KwO5yOwvVe_2 <![CDATA[TNT Title Match Announced For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJL2pAE9nNrLDlRpWVnEcNkS

AEW has announced that Miro will defend his TNT championship against Inner Circle member Sammy Guevara on next week’s edition of Dynamite.

This comes after Miro destroyed Guevara’s buddy, Fuego Del Sol, on this past Friday’s Rampage, and Guevara came for the save.

At this time no other matches or segments have been announced but stay tuned for more bouts to join the card following Rampage: Grand Slam.

The post TNT Title Match Announced For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 03:49:57 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJL2pAE9nNrLDlRpWVnEcNkS <![CDATA[Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega Go To A Time-Limit Draw On Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJIGqmoKIoYXspJTpfXVttXD

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam (full results here) opened with the highly-anticipated dream matchup between AEW world champion Kenny Omega and new signee Bryan Danielson, a bout that ended in a 30-minute time-limit draw.

Omega had control of most of the match but Danielson came back with his signature offense and leveled the champ with stiff strikes that had the fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium losing their collective minds. The final stretch saw both men trade attempts at their finisher until the bell finally rang. The Elite came out to beat Danielson down but Christian Cage and Jurassic Express ran them off. Check out highlights of the classic bout below.

The post Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega Go To A Time-Limit Draw On Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 02:50:35 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJIGqmoKIoYXspJTpfXVttXD <![CDATA[MLW Fusion Alpha Results 9/22/21]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLXe88GQC0yhFe5jCclomp-

MLW Fusion Alpha Results 9/22/21
The 2300 Arena
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezMedia

Commentators: Rich Bocchini & MSL

Transcription by Josh Lopez

First Match: The Von Erichs vs. Team Filthy w/”Filthy” Tom Lawlor In A Bunkhouse Brawl 

Pier six brawl ensues after the bell rings. Ross is throwing haymakers at Osburne. Osbourne with a knife edge chop. Von Erichs dumps Team Filthy out of the ring. Marshall kicks Ku in the gut. Ross punches Ku in the back. Ku with a forearm smash. Marshall sends Osbourne face first into the steel ring post. Ross stomps on Ku’s chest. Ku with a knife edge chop. Ku uppercuts Ross. Marshall puts Osbourne in a wheelbarrow. Marshall drives Osbourne face first into the ring post. Ross rolls Ku back into the ring. Marshall plays to the crowd. Double Irish Whip. Von Erichs gangs up on Ku. Following a snap mare takeover, Ross with The PK. Marshall with The Standing MoonSault for a two count. Osbourne drives his knee into the midsection of Ross. Ross and Osbourne are trading back and forth shots. Osbourne rakes the eyes of Marshall. Marshall reverses out of the irish whip from Osbourne. Assisted Cutter for a two count. Ku dumps Ross out of the ring.

Forearm Exchange. Marshall with a Forearm/Mid-Kick Combination. Ku hyperextends the right knee of Marshall. Osbourne rakes the eyes of Ross. Osbourne sends Marshall to the floor. Chop Exchange. Ross with a Belly to Back Suplex on the ring apron. Ku attacks Marshall with a lead pipe. Osbourne continues to rely on eye rakes. Marshall with forearm shivers. Marshall punches Ku in the back. Marshall bodyslams Osbourne on the floor. Marshall rolls Osbourne back into the ring. Ku throws beer into Ross’s eyes. Ku repeatedly kicks the left hamstring of Ross. Marshall with a Corner Dropkick. Ku repeatedly stomps on Ross’s chest. Marshall dropkicks Ku. Marshall with a corner clothesline. Marshall gets distracted by Lawlor. Marshall applies The Claw. Osbourne delivers the chop block. Ku sends Ross face first into the ring post. Osbourne drops Marshall with a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. Osbourne with a basement dropkick. Marshall throws sand into Osbourne’s eyes. Ku jams a shovel into the back of Ross’s neck. Osbourne attacks the left knee of Marshall. Marshall unloads two knife edge chops. All hell is breaking loose in Philadelphia. Osbourne hits The DDT on the floor.

Osbourne repeatedly kicks the left knee of Marshall. Osbourne with a single leg takedown. Ku attacks the left knee of Marshall with a shovel. Osbourne wraps the left leg of Marshall around the bottom rope. Osbourne runs Marshall into the ring post. Ku toys around with Ross. Machine Gun Chops. Second Forearm Exchange. Ku kicks the left knee of Ross. Ross avoids The Roundhouse Kick. Ross with a Step Up Enzuigiri. Ross with The Twisting Falcon Arrow for a two count. Ross sets up a chair contraption. Ross kicks Osbourne in the face. Ku connects with The Fisherman’s Buster into the chair contraption for a two count. Lawlor inadvertently clocks Ku with a 2X4. Ross drops Osbourne with The Big Boot. Marshall pulls Lawlor off the ring apron. Marshall sends Lawlor face first into the ring post. Ross whips Osbourne with the 2X4 for a two count. Marshall places a wooden board in between two chairs. Marshall plants Ku with The MoonSault through the board to pickup the victory.

Winner: The Von Erichs via Pinfall 

– We get a video recap of Alexander Hammerstone winning Battle Riot III.

– Hammerstone/Fatu will go down at MLW Fightland on October 7th on Vice TV.

– The Sea Stars, Brittany Blake, Holidead, Zoey Skye, Willow Nightingale, and Nicole Savoy will be joining MLW’s Women’s Featherweight Division.

– Matt Cross tells Cesar Duran that he deserves a title shot.

– LAX Vignette.

– Alex Kane will make his MLW Fusion Alpha debut next week.

– Next week on MLW Fusion Alpha, it will be Alexander Hammerstone vs. Filthy Tom Lawlor For The MLW National Openweight Championship.

Second Match: Gino Media vs. KC Navarro 

Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Wrist Lock Exchange. Leg Sweep Exchange. That leads us to a quick standoff in the center of the ring. Medina refuses to shake Navarro’s hand. Medina shoves Navarro. Navarro ducks a clothesline from Medina. Navarro leapfrogs over Medina. Navarro slips over Medina’s back. Navarro with a Cazadora Arm-Drag. Navarro with a running elbow smash. Navarro follows that with a rolling elbow. Following a snap mare takeover, Navarro with a Running Neck Snap. Medina avoids The Double Foot Stomp. Navarro dropkicks Medina to the floor. Medina calls for a timeout.

Medina rolls Navarro back into the ring. Navarro lands The Suicide Dive. Navarro tosses Medina back into the ring. Navarro dives over Medina. Medina with a Pop Up Mid-Kick. Medina drops Navarro with The Windmill Kick for a two count. Medina applies a chin bar. Navarro with a sunset flip for a two count. Forearm Exchange. Navarro with a diving clothesline. Navarro dropkicks Medina. Navarro with a flying forearm smash. Medina reverses out of the irish whip from Navarro. Navarro drops Medina with The Spinning DDT for a two count. Medina with a Pop Up Knee Lift. Medina with a Crescent Kick. Medina connects with The Spinning Torture Rack/X-Factor Combination to pickup the victory.

Winner: Gino Medina via Pinfall

Josef Samael Promo 

Alex Hammerstone, The mighty National Champion. The CONTRA Hunter. You say you’re gonna do what no man has done, since we took the belt on July 6, 2019? You think you can beat the World Heavyweight Champion, Jacob Fatu? Typical american arrogance, in its purest form. This won’t be a title fight. This will be a warzone. And you won’t be going home with two titles. You will be going home in a body bag. HAIL, CONTRA.

Third Match: Davey Richards vs. TJ Perkins 

Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Richards applies a side headlock. Perkins whips Richards across the ring. Perkins drops down on the canvas. Richards with a double leg takedown. Perkins denies The Boston Crab. Perkins with a deep arm-drag. Perkins goes for an arm-bar, but Richards counters with the headscissors escape. That leads us to a quick standoff in the center of the ring. Strong lockup. Wrist Lock Exchange. Perkins with a Headscissors Takeover. Perkins applies a headscissors neck lock. Perkins gives the crowd the middle finger salute. Richards reverses the hold. Perkins grapevines the legs of Richards. Perkins applies a hammerlock. Richards leapfrogs over Perkins. Richards drops down on the canvas. Richards goes for a dropkick, but Perkins holds onto the ropes. Perkins sends Richards tumbling to the floor. Perkins with The Slingshot Pescado. Perkins poses for the crowd. Perkins rolls Richards back into the ring. Richards denies The Face Wash.

Richards with forearm shivers. Perkins reverses out of the irish whip from Richards. Perkins with a running knee lift. Richards regroups on the outside. Perkins rolls Richards back into the ring. Perkins with The Slingshot Senton for a two count. Following a snap mare takeover, Perkins rams his boot across Richards face. Perkins drives his knee into Richards’ back. Perkins applies The Bow and Arrow Stretch. Richards reverses the hold. Perkins applies The Octopus Stretch. Perkins with a Vertical Suplex. Perkins with a Belly to Back Suplex. Richards has Perkins perched on the top turnbuckle. Perkins with clubbing blows to Richards back. Perkins with forearm shivers. Richards fires back with multiple headbutts. Richards with The SuperPlex. Second Forearm Exchange. Perkins uppercuts Richards. Richards with a Spinning Back Kick. Richards with a flying forearm smash. Perkins thrust kicks the midsection of Richards. Richards with The Roundhouse Kick.

Richards hits The Bridging German Suplex for a two count. Richards goes for a Vertical Suplex, but Perkins lands back on his feet. Richards with an arm-drag takeover. Perkins sends Richards across the ring. Perkins goes for The Sunset Flip, but Richards counters with The Ankle Lock. Richards blasts Perkins with The PK for a two count. Perkins avoids The Flying Double Foot Stomp. Perkins dives over Richards. Perkins SuperKicks Richards. Perkins rams his boot across Richards face. Perkins delivers The Face Wash. Perkins denies The Pop Up Mid-Kick. Richards applies The Cross-Arm-Breaker. Perkins reverses the hold. Richards goes back to The Ankle Lock. Rollup Exchange. Perkins applies The Heel Hook. Perkins transitions into The STF. Richards grabs the bottom rope which forces the break. Richards decks Perkins with a back elbow smash. Mid-Kick Exchange. Richards with The Exploder Suplex on the apron. Richards rolls Perkins back into the ring. Richards connects with The Flying Double Foot Stomp for a two count. Richards drills Perkins with The BrainBuster for a two count. Richards makes Perkins tap out to The Ankle Lock.

Winner: Davey Richards via Submission 

Checkout Episode 275 of The Hoots Podcast 

The post MLW Fusion Alpha Results 9/22/21 appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 02:17:52 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLXe88GQC0yhFe5jCclomp- <![CDATA[Spoilers: AEW Dark: Elevation Results From Arthur Ashe Stadium In New York]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLXe88GQC0yhHOFESPuQWsX

Below are results to the dark matches that were filmed ahead of tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. These bouts will air on Monday’s edition of AEW’s weekly Youtube episodic, Dark: Elevation.

-Thunder Rosa defeated Kayla Sparks
-The Dark Order won an eight man tag team match
-Paul Wight won a handicap match against three opponents. The Gunn Club watched from the stage.

(H/T PW Insider)

The post Spoilers: AEW Dark: Elevation Results From Arthur Ashe Stadium In New York appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 02:15:30 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLXe88GQC0yhHOFESPuQWsX <![CDATA[Photo of MJF’s Parents with Their Anti-MJF Sign for Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, MJF Comments]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJKogCb_c4t3gVhGNgNo2_0q

MJF’s parents are attending tonight’s Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT with an anti-MJF sign.

Nina and Steven Friedman took to Twitter this afternoon and posted a photo of their fan sign that reads, “We’re MJF’s parents and we think he SUCKS too!”

MJF’s dad is also wearing the “I HATE MJF” t-shirt.

MJF’s mother captioned the tweet with, “Probably NOT gonna make the cover of Parents Magazine but see you at Arthur Ashe tonight! #AEWDyanmite @The_MJF @thepagelking @AEW”

Steven responded to the tweet and added, “Mother and Father of the year right here! #AEWDynamite”

MJF also responded to his mother’s tweet and wrote, “Fuck off mom.”

MJF will be in action against Brian Pillman Jr. on tonight’s show, which will air live from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. For those who missed it, you can click here for their pre-show comments.

You can see the full tweets from MJF and his parents below:

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post Photo of MJF’s Parents with Their Anti-MJF Sign for Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, MJF Comments appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:31:31 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJKogCb_c4t3gVhGNgNo2_0q <![CDATA[Bryan Danielson on Why He Wanted to Wrestle Kenny Omega for His AEW Debut, How Big the Match Is, More]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJI1-l1QPqJ7aUGT5aWO9DEx

Bryan Danielson recently spoke with The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski to promote his AEW in-ring debut on tonight’s Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT. Danielson will face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega in a non-title match.

Danielson was asked if he likes the idea of getting the dream match with Omega right out of the gate. Danielson revealed how he wanted his debut to go this way, and how he wanted his first match to be a big deal. He noted that there is no bigger deal than Danielson vs. Omega right now.

“This is kind of one of my ideas I came in with is doing this right away,” Danielson revealed. “The idea came from when I came back from my retirement (in 2018) there were a lot of matches in WWE people wanted to see and we either took a long time to get to them or even didn’t get to them at all and I think we lost some of the momentum when fans were excited about me coming back from my retirement. And at the time I felt yeah, build to these matches, build to these matches.

“I think with so many exciting people coming into AEW you can build to a CM Punk-Kenny Omega match. You can build to some of those matches, but I also think fans want to see something right away to get them super excited. To be fair, I want my first match in AEW to feel like a big deal. So there is no bigger deal than me versus Kenny Omega right now.”

One of Danielson’s final WWE matches was the WrestleMania 37 main event back in April, which was a Triple Threat match with WWE Hall of Famer Edge and the winner, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. He was asked if it’s hit him that he was in the WrestleMania main event a few months ago, and now he’s debuting on what looks to be the biggest Dynamite ever. Danielson talked about how this feels like the biggest match of his career, and how he’s been looking forward to the match for years.

“It doesn’t hit me like that,” Danielson said. “The WrestleMania part at least doesn’t. It’s weird though because it literally feels like the biggest match of my career (Wednesday) because of the jump. It’s my first match in AEW. Because it’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, because I think a lot of people are going to be watching it and maybe trying out AEW for the first time and if we give them something great, I hope they stick around. On the converse side (laughs), if it really bombs and it really sucks, it’s gonna be, ‘We don’t want to watch this show.’

“I have also been looking forward to wrestling Kenny for years. As I was in WWE I thought it was a match that actually would never happen. But when Kenny and I wrestled before he didn’t have that much of a name on the independent scene and hadn’t done all the stuff he did in Japan. As that was happening and I was in WWE I was like, ‘Whoa, I would love to wrestle this guy.'”

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post Bryan Danielson on Why He Wanted to Wrestle Kenny Omega for His AEW Debut, How Big the Match Is, More appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:15:38 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJI1-l1QPqJ7aUGT5aWO9DEx <![CDATA[First Looks at the AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Venue for Tonight, Top AEW Wrestlers Comment on the Show]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJIhdUAWlh_51eQEmsPXZ5C9

Several AEW stars took to Twitter today to promote the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on TNT as the company prepares to welcome their biggest crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

Bryan Danielson called tonight’s non-title bout with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega the biggest match of his career.

“Tonight’s the night. First match in @AEW. Largest crowd in AEW history. First wrestling show at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Biggest match of my career. Ready to kick @KennyOmegamanX’s head in. LET’S GOOOO! #AEWDynamite,” Danielson wrote.

CM Punk will appear on tonight’s show for a live interview, just days before he wrestles Powerhouse Hobbs on the Grand Slam edition of Rampage. Punk gave some advice to fans attending tonight’s show.

“Be excited. Freak out. Have fun. Cheer and boo like nobody is watching you. Lose your voice and your mind. 20k people. All love wrestling. Let’s get it New York City. #AEWGrandSlam #AEWDynamite #AEWRampage,” Punk wrote.

Adam Cole commented on how he will reunite in the ring with The Young Bucks on Friday’s Rampage for six-man action against Impact World Champion Christian Cage and Jurassic Express.

“It’s the biggest week in @AEW history…first time in 5 years teaming w/ @youngbucks NYC isn’t ready…no one is…,” Cole wrote.

New Yorker MJF, who is from Long Island, took a shot at Queens and had some harsh words for Brian Pillman Jr. ahead of their match tonight.

He wrote, “Today, as I wake up, I realize that I’m heading to rat infested Queens to wrestle in front of a capacity crowd of people who all wish they were me. To share a ring with Brian Pillman Jr the product of Methanie. Kill me.”

Pillman called the bout with MJF the most important match of his career.

He wrote, “The most important match of my career. All the hardships I endured in my youth, the adversity life has thrown at me, the sleepless nights, training, traveling… It all culminates TONIGHT! Failure is not an option, it never has been!!!”

Matt Hardy and Fuego Del Sol tweeted the first look photos from inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The photos don’t show much but Shawn Spears indicated that the setup will be a sight to see.

Spears wrote, “Guys… Wait until you see this shit [smirking face emoji] Wow. [clapping hands emoji x 3] #AEWGrandSlam #AEW #AEWDynamite @AEW @AEWonTNT”

You can see those photos from Hardy and Fuego Del Sol below, along with more photos and clips from the venue.

Stay tuned for more and be sure to join us for live Dynamite coverage at 8pm ET. Below are the related tweets mentioned above, along with comments from Sting, Lance Archer, Stu Grayson, Evil Uno, Ethan Page, Dasha Kuret, Isiah Kassidy, Jeff Parker, Santana, Diamante and Anthony Bowens:

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post First Looks at the AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Venue for Tonight, Top AEW Wrestlers Comment on the Show appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:55:45 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJIhdUAWlh_51eQEmsPXZ5C9 <![CDATA[Wrestler Makes WWE/AEW History, WWE NXT 2.0 Enhancement Talents Identified]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PX1d0VB8z-7c

The indie wrestlers used as enhancement talents on this week’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode have been identified.

Tuesday’s show saw Elektra Lopez defeat a wrestler billed as Anna Scheer. This was actually indie star Tesha Price.

Price made her WWE debut back on the July 25, 2018 NXT show, losing to Lacey Evans. She was billed as Tenilla Price that night. She then worked the 2018 Mae Young Classic tapings on August 8, 2018, losing a dark match to current AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker. Price has worked 21 AEW matches on Dynamite, Dark and Elevation since November 2020, but has not picked up a win yet. Her last AEW appearance came on the August 9 edition of Elevation, a loss to Hikaru Shida.

Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 episode also saw Odyssey Jones win a 2-on-1 Handicap Match over two enhancement talents billed as Cary Millman and Darren Chiappetta. Millman was played by indie star Cameron Stewart, while Chiappetta was indie star Dante Marquis Carter.

This match was the WWE debut for Stewart, and the second WWE bout for Carter. He previously worked the August 7, 2020 WWE 205 Live episode, teaming with Mikey Spandex for a loss to Ever-Rise (aka 2point0 in AEW).

Stewart made history on NXT 2.0 last night as he became the first male wrestler and second wrestler overall to appear on WWE and AEW programming in the same night. While Stewart worked the Handicap Match on last night’s NXT 2.0, he also appeared on AEW Dark, teaming with Luke Kurtis for a loss to Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson.

The first time a wrestler appeared on WWE and AEW programming in the same night was back on July 12 when Kelsey Heather made her AEW debut with a loss to Leyla Hirsch on Elevation, while appearing on a live RAW as one of “Lashley’s Ladies” in a segment with MVP and Bobby Lashley. Stewart would be the first wrestler to compete on both WWE and AEW programming in the same night since Heather didn’t wrestle on RAW.

Price took to Twitter this morning and commented on her NXT 2.0 match, writing, “Thank you guys for all the love and support [smiling face emoji] [purple heart emoji] seriously felt the love waking up to all the messages, comments, and tags. Thank you [folded hands emoji]”

Stay tuned for more. You can see related tweets below, along with a few tweets from Carter:

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post Wrestler Makes WWE/AEW History, WWE NXT 2.0 Enhancement Talents Identified appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:26:53 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PX1d0VB8z-7c <![CDATA[Adam Cole Has His Eye On The TNT Championship, Predicts How Tag Match Will End On Dynamite: Grand Slam]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PWnhpmeYcemU

AEW superstar Adam Cole recently spoke with UPI to hype up this evening’s Dynamite: Grand Slam special on TNT, where the former NXT champion teams with the Young Bucks to battle Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus. Highlights from the interview are below.

Has his eye on the TNT championship:

“I want to get some gold of my own. Maybe getting the TNT Championship is something that is pretty exciting to me.”

ON getting to wrestle Christian at Dynamite Grand Slam:

“He delivers every single time, every single night. It doesn’t matter who he’s in there with. This will be my first time ever getting the chance to wrestle him at all and what better way to do it than on Grand Slam in front of nearly 20,000 people.”

How he thinks the matchup will end:

“All three of them down and out, with The Young Bucks kissing me on either side of the cheek as we stand over them, would be the perfect ending. The perfect introduction of the Super Kliq. The perfect showcase of what Adam Cole and The Young Bucks bring to the table. You know what, I’m going to call this a spoiler alert. That’s going to happen.”

The post Adam Cole Has His Eye On The TNT Championship, Predicts How Tag Match Will End On Dynamite: Grand Slam appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:21:10 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PWnhpmeYcemU <![CDATA[AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Results 9/22/2021]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PcfGo0LrnZNO

It’s Wednesday night, and you know what that means …

All Elite Wrestling returns with their weekly Dynamite program on TNT, which this week, will be the special “Grand Slam” edition of the show from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

On tap for tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam show is a jam-packed lineup, including Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson, Dr. Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho for the AEW Women’s Championship, Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black, MJF vs. Brian Pillman Jr., Sting & Darby Allin vs. FTR, as well as CM Punk addressing his Rampage: Grand Slam match against Powerhouse Hobbs.

Featured below are complete AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam results from Wednesday, September 22, 2021 in Queens, NY.

AEW DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM RESULTS (9/22/2021)

Updates to begin momentarily. Stay tuned and refresh this page often for the latest AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam results and updates from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y.

The post AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Results 9/22/2021 appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:18:50 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJPaXhp_BP8PcfGo0LrnZNO <![CDATA[More on Max Caster Challenging Tony Khan to a Freestyle Battle at AEW Dynamite Tonight]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJ9e-9yzxBTSkGb1Jh49AJn

As we noted earlier, Max Caster of The Acclaimed challenged AEW President Tony Khan to a freestyle rap battle earlier this week, to potentially take place at tonight’s Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

Caster tweeted a clip of Khan watching The Acclaimed’s rap at last week’s tapings in Newark, New Jersey, where he took a friendly jab at the AEW boss. Caster captioned the clip with a challenge for tonight.

“[see-no-evil monkey emoji] IN CASE YOU MISSED IT [see-no-evil monkey emoji] Here’s my Fire freestyle from #AEW in Newark, NJ Our boss Tony Khan didn’t really like my rhymes. Well, maybe he can do better… I challenge @TonyKhan to a RAP BATTLE in Queens, NY at #AEWGrandSlam #MaxVsTony [boxing glove emoji],” Caster wrote.

In an update, Caster has since posted several related tweets where he continues to taunt and challenge Khan, including three clips posted today from Arthur Ashe Stadium. Khan has not responded as of this writing.

It’s possible that Khan and Caster do some sort of dark segment at tonight’s tapings for the live crowd, but nothing has been confirmed.

“[shouting silhouette emoji] Yo! Yo! Listen! [shouting silhouette emoji] Looks like @TonyKhan STILL hasn’t accepted my challenge. It’s just a little rap battle in front of 20K people! Accept the challenge! We should give the people what they want… #MaxVsTony [boxing glove emoji] at #AEWGrandSlam,” Caster wrote in another tweet.

You can see Caster’s related tweets below, including three clips of The Acclaimed searching for Khan at the venue today:

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post More on Max Caster Challenging Tony Khan to a Freestyle Battle at AEW Dynamite Tonight appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 23:59:53 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJ9e-9yzxBTSkGb1Jh49AJn <![CDATA[Booker T Names Who He Thinks Is The Best Promo Wrestler Right Now]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLa1bZgPScWHoMOI2eu70Rg

Booker T discussed a wide range of topics on a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast. 

During it, Booker T talked about who is the best promo guy in the business right now:

“I can’t lie to you.  The best promo guy right now in the whole damn world is MJF. He’s good. He’s so good. He’s so believable. He sounds like one of those promos from back in the day where you get caught up in just looking at the guy’s eyes. The feel of the promo makes you go, ‘Good God, man.’ This guy is really good. You can tell it’s natural just having the feel of which route to go during his promos. I give that guy a whole lot of credit. Damn good promo guy, MJF.”

H/T to WrestlingNews.co

The post Booker T Names Who He Thinks Is The Best Promo Wrestler Right Now appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 23:31:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLa1bZgPScWHoMOI2eu70Rg <![CDATA[WWE House Show Results From Glasgow, Scotland 09/22/21]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJvPTXxhQ_wple5jCclomp-

Below are the results to today’s WWE live event from Glasgow, Scotland, which included Drew McIntyre battling Jinder Mahal in the main event. (Special thanks to WrestlingBodySlam.Com for sharing.)

-The Street Profits defeated Chad Gable/Otis
-Kevin Owens defeated Happy Baron Corbin
-Becky Lynch defeated Bianca Belair to retain the SmackDown women’s championship
-Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Apollow Crews to retain the I.C. championship
-INTERMISSION
-Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Dirty Dawgs went turned into a six-man tag
-Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio/Finn Balor defeated Dirty Dawgs/Seth Rollins
-Drew Mcintyre defeated Jinder Mahal in a Glasgow Street Fight

The post WWE House Show Results From Glasgow, Scotland 09/22/21 appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 23:20:34 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJvPTXxhQ_wple5jCclomp- <![CDATA[Eddie Kingston Says AEW Is Capturing People’s Imaginations, Talks Return To New York]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJMrDIH8bz7FqJCIqJppjfU

AEW star Eddie Kingston recently spoke with Inside The Ropes about the promotion’s big shows at Arthur Ashe Stadium this week, which include Dynamite: Grand Slam and a special two-hour edition of Rampage. Highlights from the Mad King’s interview can be found below.

Says all the members of the roster from New York are excited to return for this week’s shows:

“I don’t think we’re invading New York. We’re back, well, I’m back in town. I believe all the New Yorkers on our roster are like, ‘We’re coming back to take it back. This is ours. We grew up here. This isn’t a company thing, this is our thing.’ A lot of the New Yorkers like me, Santana, and Ortiz all feel like, ‘we let you have New York and now we’re coming to take back our tower.’”

Says AEW is more successful in New York because of the bigger names:

“We have bigger names. We have names that people want to see. Like him or not, people want to see Kenny Omega. I don’t like the Bucks, but people want to see The Bucks. People want to see Miro. They want to see Punk. We’re capturing people’s imaginations.”

(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)

The post Eddie Kingston Says AEW Is Capturing People’s Imaginations, Talks Return To New York appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:53:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJMrDIH8bz7FqJCIqJppjfU <![CDATA[WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Graham Hospitalized Again]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX095ZnUTwRGH7

WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham is currently hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.

Graham took to Facebook on Sunday night and announced that he was dealing with heart problems, titling the post, “Atrial Fibrillation.” He noted that he was headed to the Mayo Clinic to get checked out, and expected to be admitted as he was not feeling well. Graham’s page was then updated on Monday with a message from his wife Valerie, who noted that Graham was hooked up to IV lasix to help get fluid out of his lungs. She wrote, “he is in afib and heart failure with fluid in his lungs.”

Graham’s page was updated again at around 10pm on Tuesday night with his wife writing, “the fluid is coming off slow but every little bit helps. Still in afib as well. They are doubling his diuretic dose for 3 days to see if that works….can’t do more because it can damage his kidneys”

Valerie thanked fans for their prayers and support, and noted that Superstar was expected to check in with a personal message later tonight, Wednesday.

There has been no update since then.

Graham, age 78, has dealt with multiple health issues in recent years. He currently has a GoFundMe campaign going for medical expenses, which was launched in December 2020 after he was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic for various issues. You can access the GoFundMe at this link. The campaign has raised $34,785 of a $50,000 goal as of this writing, with 681 donors.

Stay tuned for more on Superstar’s health.

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Graham Hospitalized Again appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:31:56 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX095ZnUTwRGH7 <![CDATA[Can’t Knock The Hustle: The Matches That Made Me (Part 3 – The 2000’s)]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX00QqW5gBv7mX

We’re into the third part of this series, so there’s no need to have a long intro here. However, for those who have clicked on this link without reading the first two parts, what I’m doing here is simple. I’m going back through every year of my wrestling fandom and talking about my favorite match to take place in that year. “Favorite” is the word you want to pay attention to. The matches I pick may or may not be anything great, but something about it has helped to mold me into the wrestling fan I am today. Then, at the end, just for the sake of completion, I will also list the matches I feel were the best in each particular year.

Now that we’re all caught up, let’s keep it moving. We’ve moved into the 2000’s now.

 

Cactus Jack, The Rock, Rikishi & Too Cool vs Triple H, X-Pac & The Radicalz (Monday Night Raw – February 7th, 2000): One of my favorite things in wrestling are the matches that come out of nowhere to surprise you. Either you weren’t expecting a match to be good and it was, or it’s just a random match on a random episode of television with no weekly build to it. This falls into the latter category. Three of the WWF’s newest signees (Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn) teaming up with DX to face off against The Rock, Cactus Jack, Rikishi, Grandmaster Sexay, and Scotty 2 Hotty? Sounds more like a homeless person’s fever dream than an actual match that was put together.

If you’re just judging this match by the in-ring quality, we probably wouldn’t be talking about it right now. It was pretty much your run-of-the-mill WWF television match from that era, just with some major star power in it. What helped set it apart is the crowd in Dallas, Texas that night. They were r-e-d h-o-t for every little thing that took place here. Every move, even the rest holds, was met with loud noise from the fans. When the match came to an end, and an all-out brawl broke out involving all ten men, plus Billy Gunn and Road Dogg running out to give the heels the numbers advantage, the fans got even louder for the arrival of Kane, who was feuding with DX at the time.

If you’ve never seen the match, it’s worth going to check out. Ten minutes of entertainment with a super hot crowd that only got hotter for the post-match shenaniganery.

 

Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon (WrestleMania X-7 – April 1st, 2001): In doing some research this entry, I discovered that Vince McMahon has wrestled in 55 official matches through the years. For some reason, I thought the number would be way, way lower than that. Just a fun fact I thought I’d throw in here.

This match is, perhaps, one of the most wildly “overbooked” bouts in WrestleMania history. The thing is… I don’t say that in a negative way. Two non-wrestlers facing with each other, with Mick Foley as a Special Guest Referee. Stephanie McMahon interferes in the match. Trish Stratus interferes in the match. Linda McMahon interferes in the match… to one of the biggest pops ever. Foley was attacked by Vince, but would end up attacking Vince later on to get his revenge. A kendo stick, television monitors, steel chairs, an announce table, and a garbage can were all used as weapons during the match. Linda kicked Vince in the Little Vinces. It was pure, unadulterated clusterfuckery on every level.

But it worked.

You know you’re not going to be witness to a technical marvel of a match here, so your expectations are on a different level. The match was over-the-top, full of grandeur and spectacle. It was everything a WrestleMania match should be. Yes, the five-star classics are fantastic and are necessary, but it is matches like this one that the casual fans are talking about the next day, whether some of you would like to admit it or not.

 

Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit (No Mercy – October 20th, 2002): If you weren’t around for the “Smackdown Six” era, you really missed out on a lot.

For the uninitiated, Paul Heyman was put in charge of the creative direction of Smackdown in 2002. After the brand split, separating Raw and Smackdown into completely different rosters, Heyman was looking to have his show stand out as being different than the company’s “flagship” show on Monday nights. He put a group of wrestlers together… the Smackdown Six… that could basically be interchanged into different feuds and different matches, all while showcasing that Smackdown would be a show that was leaning heavily to the in-ring side of pro wrestling.

Kurt Angle. Chris Benoit. Edge. Rey Mysterio. Eddie Guerrero. Chavo Guerrero. Six of the best workers in the entire world. Heyman had the luxury of being able to put these guys in matches with each other or against each other. You want a singles match? Heyman could make that happen multiple times in one episode. Tag team match? He could do that. Six-man tag? Heyman’s got your back.

All four men in this match wrestled like they had something to prove. At this point in time, Angle was the only one who had been a World Champion in the company, so there was a lot of hunger all around. Adding to that hunger is the fact that this match was to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions after the World Tag Team Titles became a Raw exclusive in the split. In approximately 22 minutes of action, there was everything you could want in a tag team match. Reversals? Sure. Counters? Yup. Innovative double-team offense? Got it. Balls-to-the-wall pacing? Indeed. This may very well be the best straight up (no cage, no ladder, no table, etc.) tag match in WWE history.

 

Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar (Smackdown – September 18th, 2003): When people talk about the greatest match trilogies in wrestling history, I don’t think the one Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had in 2003 gets enough credit. They had a very good match at WrestleMania 19, but it gets overshadowed by the end, when Lesnar nearly killed himself on a Shooting Star Press attempt. Five months later, they would have an even better match at SummerSlam. Lesnar won at WrestleMania, and Angle won at SummerSlam, so a third match was needed.

Three weeks after SummerSlam, we got that third match on Smackdown, in the form of a 60-Minute Ironman Match.

Look… I get that a 60-minute match isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, no matter who is involved in it. This one was so much fun, though. As expected, with who was involved, this was heavy on the technical wrestling and suplex throwing. The falls got underway with a great idea by Lesnar that you don’t see often enough in these types of matches. He got himself disqualified on purpose by attacking Angle with a chair, but the attack weakened Angle enough that Lesnar was able to gain the next two falls pretty quickly. That’s some stuff that I would do when I would have Ironman Matches in video games. Take a weapon, wear your opponent out until they’re barely able to function, and then rack up the falls against an opponent that can’t defend themselves anymore.

It was highly enjoyable for me, but it certainly wasn’t perfect. For one, lengthy matches on television are often hurt by having multiple commercial breaks splitting the action up. You can watch a 20-some minute match and see multiple breaks, so you can imagine what a 60-minute match saw. On top of that, I’m not a fan of Ironman Matches that feature a ton of falls. There were nine falls in this match. Their WrestleMania and SummerSlam matches combined to last 42:21, and obviously only had two total falls. I’ve said before how things like that are a pet peeve of mine. Same for Survivor Series and other elimination-style matches seeing people get pinned by the simplest of moves that you would never, ever, ever see them lose to in a “normal” bout.

 

Samoa Joe vs CM Punk (Ring Of Honor’s Joe vs Punk 2 – October 16th, 2004): Hey, speaking of match trilogies… this one was pretty epic.

Joe and Punk started their series of matches in 2004 at RoH’s World Title Classic event on June 12th. It would end in a 60-minute time limit draw, and it would catch everyone completely off guard. Joe and Punk were great in-ring performers, even back then, but Punk came into this without having a singles victory in four months, so it was expected that he would be Joe’s ninth consecutive singles win. It was clear, pretty much right off the bat, that things weren’t going to go as plan. Punk and Joe had the crowd in Dayton, Ohio in the palms of their hands, selling them on every near fall.

With the second match, fan expectations were entirely different. Even if the fans in Chicago Ridge, Illinois still assumed Joe would be retaining the RoH World Title, they also assumed that Punk was fully in the mix as a legitimate contender. Punk and Joe themselves had concerns about this match going in. Originally, this was supposed to be Joe defending the title against Steve Corino, but Japanese promotion ZERO-ONE pulled Corino at almost the last minute, leaving RoH scrambling to make a new match. The planned rematch between Joe and Punk was moved up here, but it meant that both men weren’t going to be as “ready” for the match as they could’ve been.

You couldn’t tell.

As evidenced by where this match took place, Punk was easily the crowd favorite. They were red hot for him the entire match. The story in the first match was that Punk had Joe reeling, and that if the time limit would’ve been 61 or 62 minutes, there would’ve been a new champion. The end of this match saw things switched a bit, with Joe having Punk reeling. For the second time, though, the time limit would expire. Joe “survived” again. With everything that went into this one, it’s my favorite of their entire trilogy. Their backs were against the wall, but they were able to pull off something special, and the story was logical, both creating something new but also building on what happened at World Title Classic.

A third match would be set up for December 4th, with the only logical match stipulation after what happened in the first two matches… No Time Limit.

 

Christopher Daniels vs Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles (TNA’s Unbreakable – September 11th, 2005): Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the X-Division has been something special from the very beginning. It was a style that WWE wasn’t really using on a regular basis, and the division helped to make a bunch of stars that might not have gotten a chance to otherwise.

Joe was still relatively new to TNA, with his debut match for the company coming a little less than three months earlier. He looked unstoppable, earning a 9-0 record in singles competition. Styles and Daniels were already well established within the division, with Styles holding the X-Division Title four times prior to this event, and with Daniels coming in with a then-record 182-day title reign. Even with that said, it seemed almost inevitable that this was going to be Samoa Joe’s day.

TNA must have known this was going to be good, as they made it the main event. It was the first X-Division match to main event a monthly pay-per-view after TNA’s switch from weekly pay-per-view events. Raven defended the NWA World Heavyweight Title against Rhino in the previous match.

These three went to war for nearly 25 minutes. They each played a different role in this match. Joe, of course, was the monster. AJ was the daredevil that was willing to go to great lengths to win. Daniels was the intelligent veteran that had to use his head to counter his opponents. It’s great to have clearly defined roles in matches, and all three of them played those roles to perfection.

Triple Threat Matches are always going to fall victim to the “Wrestler A gets knocked out of the ring, allowing Wrestler B and Wrestler C to fight for a while until Wrestler A returns and knocks Wrestler B out of the ring, allowing Wrestler A and Wrestler C to fight for a while, etc.” formula. The better ones avoid it as much as possible, and this was an example of that. There’s a ton of stretches where all three men are involved, with lots of innovative offense and counter spots. Sixteen years later, this remains my favorite match from NWA-TNA, TNA Wrestling, Global Force Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, or any other name they’ve gone by.

 

Bryan Danielson vs KENTA (RoH’s Glory By Honor 5, Night 2 – September 16th, 2006): Throughout all my years of watching wrestling, one of my favorite stretches that any promotion has put on is Ring Of Honor from 2005 to 2008. My introduction to so many fantastic performers, and some of my all-time favorite matches and angles, took place in those years. If I were forced to choose, this would be my favorite RoH match, from any year.

I had already grown into a massive Bryan Danielson fan, but I was quickly becoming a fan of KENTA, too, from his brief time in Ring Of Honor. This would be his ninth match for the promotion, and I loved everything I had seen.

A common theme you’ll see from a lot of my favorite matches is a hot crowd. Ring Of Honor was known for their super hot crowds in those years, but on this night, the Manhattan Center in New York was crazy loud. They were excited for everything, from the first match (Jack Evans vs Davey Richards) to this match as the main event. Danielson using Europe’s “The Final Countdown” as his entrance music was so awesome to watch, with him timing his walk to the ring so that the crowds could bang on the metal guardrails and yell out “IT’S THE FIIIIINALLLLL COUNTDOWWWWWNNNNN” as he climbed the turnbuckles and raised his hand in the air. God, I miss that.

The story going into this match was twofold. The first story was that KENTA seemed to have Danielson’s number. He pinned Danielson in a tag team match (Danielson & Samoa Joe vs KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji) at RoH’s Best In The World event in March 2006, and then again during a Triple Threat (including Samoa Joe) at In Your Face in June 2006. The other, more important, story is the health of Danielson. As the RoH World Champion, he was defending the title left and right, in epic match after epic match. This was his 23rd title defense in 2006, and his 31st overall title defense since he won the title 364 days before this show. Three weeks before this show, in a title defense against Colt Cabana, Danielson would separate his shoulder, tearing two tendons in said shoulder in the process, and tearing another tendon in his chest. He spent most of that 60-minute match fighting through that injury. By the way, that match with Cabana came a night after another 60-minute match, that time against Nigel McGuinness. Two weeks earlier, Danielson had two matches on the same card, putting in a total of 32 minutes of in-ring work. The night before that, he had a brutal 26-minute war with Nigel McGuinness. A week before that, he had a 60-minute match with Samoa Joe. You get the point. The man was worn down, fatigued, and seriously injured. No matter who you were rooting for here, a title change was fully expected.

Remember the injuries I said Danielson had? A badly separated shoulder, two torn tendons in the shoulder, and a torn tendon in his chest? Well, imagine dealing with all that, and then imagine a complete psychopath like KENTA kicking the ever loving fuck out of your shoulder and chest on a repeated basis. KENTA’s kicks are painful looking to begin with, but when you know what Danielson was dealing with, you cringe each and every time. With each passing minute, the champion has to dig himself out of a hole that seems to get bigger and deeper, and he is forced to really fight to try and keep his title. A fantastic match in front of a rabid New York crowd.

 

John Cena vs Umaga (Royal Rumble – January 28th, 2007): Sgt. Slaughter in 1991. Razor Ramon in 1993. Chris Benoit (WWE Title) and Scott Steiner (World Heavyweight Title) in 2003. Hardcore Holly in 2004. Mark Henry in 2006. Test (ECW Title), Mr. Kennedy (World Heavyweight Title), and Umaga (WWE Title) in 2007. Jeff Hardy in 2008. Dolph Ziggler in 2011. Seth Rollins in 2015. Sami Zayn in 2018. The Royal Rumble event has a long history of seeing World Titles defended against people who have either never been in the main event scene in WWE or have just never competed for any World Title there.

John Cena, the seemingly unstoppable WWE Champion. Umaga, the seemingly unstoppable challenger. A Last Man Standing stipulation. If you’ve never seen this match, that is just about all of the description that you need to read. This was a really fun, physical brawl, complete with a creative ending that was very well done. It really helped open the eyes of many people to what a unique in-ring talent Umaga was. He was billed at 6’4″ and 350 pounds, and had the strength to match, but he also had the speed and athleticism of a much smaller man.

In this era, Cena was receiving a lot of “you can’t wrestle” criticism from fans all over the world. It didn’t matter how many good-to-great matches he was a part of. While this match didn’t change that narrative completely, it went a long way to get people to really think about it. In those good-to-great matches Cena was having prior to this, his opponents were people like The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Christian, Edge, Rob Van Dam, and people that were always known for being able to have quality matches. Umaga wasn’t exactly on the level of names like that, so Cena being in this match that was received so well said a ton.

 

The Briscoes vs Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black (RoH’s Supercard Of Honor 3 – March 29th, 2008): Right back to Ring Of Honor in that era I loved so much.

This was extra special to me. After a few years of major fandom in Ring Of Honor, I was finally able to see RoH shows in person. This was during WrestleMania 24 weekend in Orlando, Florida. My first RoH show was Dragon Gate Challenge 2 the night before, but this show… my goodness… to this day, Supercard Of Honor 3 might still be the best wrestling show, top to bottom, that I’ve ever seen. It’s not just because I was there. Hell, the show is actually better when I watch it on DVD, simply because I’m not missing anything. Of the eight matches on the card, the final five could’ve all been included here. If you’re looking at star ratings, my lowest-rated match in that five-match stretch was Nigel McGuinness vs Austin Aries, which I still give four stars to. Of the three matches that started the show, the first two were comedy matches that did their job (Go Shiozaki vs Delirious and then Bushwhacker Luke, Dingo & Alex Payne vs Kenny King, Sal Rinauro & Chasyn Rance) and a pretty good tag match (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero vs Jigsaw & Ruckus).

The reason I chose this match is just the wild atmosphere. There was a crazy brawl into the crowd, fighting into the bleachers mere feet from me and my friends, as well as a balcony dive from Mark Briscoe. The ending saw the Briscoes attempt a Springboard Doomsday Device, only for Jimmy Jacobs to reverse it in mid-air, locking Mark Briscoe in his End Time (Guillotine Choke) finisher to get the win. It was such a smooth reversal that most people in our section didn’t even notice it at first. My guy Joe Crack saw it, yelled out what was going on, and everybody went nuts.

After being a wrestling fan for so long, I loved that I was still able to mark out over something as I watched it happen live.

 

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25 – April 5th, 2009): While we’re on the subject of marking out over something as I watched it, that brings us to the first WrestleMania match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

I remember watching this on pay-per-view as if it were yesterday. Who I watched it with, what I was eating, what I was drinking, exactly where on the couch I was sitting… all of it is still very vividly emblazoned in my mind. I was already enjoying the match, caught up in what I thought was the best chance that anybody had of ending The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania, which stood at 16-0 at the time.

Then… it happened.

As Michaels was attempting to “skin the cat” and flip his way back into the ring over the top rope, as he often did, Taker caught him and drove him into the mat with a Tombstone Piledriver. It was all over. Taker goes in for the count…

1…

2…

NO!

Shawn Michaels had kicked out of the Tombstone, which was one of the most lethal and effective finishing moves in pro wrestling history. Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas nearly lost its roof when it happened. My friend and I jumped up off the couch, and we went crazy just like the fans in attendance did. Kicking out of a patented Undertaker Chokeslam was one thing, and kicking out of a Last Ride was another thing, but kicking out of a Tombstone? Let’s just say the list of people who have done that isn’t exactly a long one.

As I said, I loved being able to just lose myself in the art and be able to mark out over something again.

 

As always, to show the other side of the “Favorite/Best” coin, here are my choices for the BEST matches to take place in the decade:

  • 2000: Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz (TLC Match at WWF’s SummerSlam on August 27th)
  • 2001: Steve Austin vs Triple H (3 Stages Of Hell at WWF’s No Way Out on February 25th)
  • 2002: The match I chose as my favorite
  • 2003: Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle (WWF’s Royal Rumble on January 19th)
  • 2004: The match I chose as my favorite
  • 2005: The match I chose as my favorite
  • 2006: The match I chose as my favorite
  • 2007: Takeshi Morishima vs Bryan Danielson (RoH’s Manhattan Mayhem 2 on August 25th)
  • 2008: Shingo & BxB Hulk vs Kevin Steen & El Generico (RoH’s Supercard Of Honor 3 on March 29th)
  • 2009: Bryan Danielson vs Naruki Doi (Dragon Gate USA’s Untouchable on September 6th)

 

If you’ve got anything to say about pro wrestling in the 2000’s, now is your chance. As always, hit me up in the comments section below or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage) if you have anything on your mind.

 

 

Weekly Power Rankings

  • The Hype For AEW Grand Slam: In their relatively brief period of existence, AEW has done a tremendous job of loading their television shows up to almost be like pay-per-view events all by themselves. Grand Slam is going to be the latest example of that. Take 20,000 fans and throw them into the great looking Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. Give them Bryan Danielson’s in-ring debut for the company, and have it be against AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega, in their first match against each other since April 2009. Also give them Britt Baker defending the AEW Women’s Title against Ruby Soho. How about Cody Rhodes returning to the ring to try and get his revenge on Malakai Black? Brian Pillman Jr. and MJF squaring off in a newly-formed blood feud? Sting and Darby Allin taking on FTR? That’s a loaded show, and that’s only Dynamite. Rampage is also taking place at Arthur Ashe Stadium. On that show, we’re getting Christian Cage teaming up with Jurassic Express to take on Adam Cole and The Young Bucks. CM Punk takes on Powerhouse Hobbs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston taking on Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer in a Lights Out Match. It’s another loaded show. It makes for must-see television. I’m beyond excited to tune in and watch.
  • Big E vs Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley: In the current WWE landscape, there aren’t many bigger matches, especially of the first-time variety, that the company can give us than this. The brand new WWE Champion, the long-reigning Universal Champion, and the man fresh off of an epic WWE Title reign… all together in a meaty men slappin’ meat contest. When the match was announced, I didn’t think there was any way it would really happen. Maybe we’d get a couple minutes, but then outside interference would throw it all out. The fact that we got 20+ minutes blows my mind. WWE knows how to put a Triple Threat Match together, and this was no different. A huge match with a big fight feel that keeps feuds going for the future and gives us more potential matches down the road.
  • Ruby Soho & Britt Baker’s Promo Battle: A heated, personal back-and-forth promo battle. Both women looked like stars here. I know a lot of people are thinking that it’s “too soon” for Ruby to win the title. Her title match is going to be her fourth overall match in AEW, and only her second singles bout. That is pretty early, but I don’t know if “too soon” is the right term to use. This might be one of those fun times in wrestling where there’s no right or wrong option. If Britt retains the title, it’s a good thing, as she has earned the right to have a memorable, lengthy reign. On the other hand, if Ruby wins the title, it’s a good thing, because she has a ton of momentum behind her right now. Either way, this was a good setup for the match.
  • Roderick Strong: It’s a damn shame that the match was so short, but Roderick Strong is the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion. Kushida got five months with the title, but this change makes sense. It’s a new “version” of Roddy, and it looks like The Diamond Mine is going to be a major part of NXT 2.0 moving forward.
  • New Day vs The Bloodline: The “lesser” of the two major crossover matches on Raw, but this one was still fun. You know it’s going to be high quality when The Usos and The New Day face each other, so it’s icing on the cake when you add Roman Reigns and Big E to the mix.
  • Bron Breakker: Well, it seems pretty clear that this man is going to be a star on the NXT 2.0 brand. Two weeks in, and not only is he undefeated, but he’s working alongside the NXT Champion, all while keeping his eyes on the title for the inevitable shot. In NXT 1.5, it seemed like Ridge Holland was going to be a future star, but in NXT 2.0, Holland does the job to the man who really, really should be called Rex Steiner.
  • Big E & Finn Balor vs The Usos: Quite the week for Big E and The Usos, eh?
  • MJF: Another week, another promo from MJF where he, a habitual line stepper, tries to incite a riot. He’s really amping the heel work up recently, and it’s working for him. Just for my own selfish entertainment, I want to see one of these “IT’S STILL REAL TO ME, DAMNIT” fans take a swing at him one day, just to watch what happens next.
  • Randy Orton vs AJ Styles: We’ve seen these two face each other a bunch, but they have good in-ring chemistry together. I love that they continue to try and find new ways to showcase the battle between the RKO and the Phenomenal Forearm.
  • Rhea Ripley & Nikki ASH: New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, so… hooray? Natalya and Tamina won the titles on May 14th. In the four months that they were champions, they successfully defended the titles three times in the first two weeks of their reign… and then they had a grand total of zero defenses until they lost the belts this week. They also went 0-4 in non-title tag matches in that span, were on the losing end of a six-woman tag, were both unsuccessful in winning Money In The Bank, and lost a total of four singles matches (two each). I mean… the bar is super low, but it probably only gets better for the new champions, right? Right?!?

 

 

This Week’s Playlist: “Asylum” by Vended… “DiE4u” by Bring Me The Horizon… “Surviving The Game” by Skillet… “Frozen Peas” by Rittz… “Dig Deeper” by Rittz… “Ufo” by Rittz… “La Familia” by Rittz… “Keep It Like That” by Rittz & Vinnie Paz… “Expert” by Rittz… “S.O.S.” by Rittz… “Sick Of Suffering” by Rittz… “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals… “Yellowjacket” by Spiritbox & Sam Carter… “The Wanderer” by Insomnium… “Secrets” by Written By Wolves & Sonny Sandoval… “So Sad” by TheCityIsOurs… “Drowning” by We Are The Catalyst… “Paralyzed” by Sueco… “Free Your Mind” by En Vogue… “Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue… “Falling (Remix)” by Montell Jordan & Flesh-N-Bone… “Get It On Tonite” by Montell Jordan… “Let’s Ride” by Montell Jordan, Master P & Silkk The Shocker… “Touch Me, Tease Me” by Case & Foxy Brown… “They Don’t Know” by Jon B

The post Can’t Knock The Hustle: The Matches That Made Me (Part 3 – The 2000’s) appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:21:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX00QqW5gBv7mX <![CDATA[WWE NXT Viewership and Key Demo Rating Down as the Revamp Continues]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX01hGNgNo2_0q

Tuesday’s live edition of WWE NXT 2.0 drew 746,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Nielsen via Showbuzz Daily.

This is down 3.11% from last week’s revamp episode, which drew 770,000 viewers.

Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 episode drew a 0.20 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is down 4.76% from last week’s 0.21 rating in the key demo. This week’s 0.20 key demo rating represents 260,000 18-49 viewers, which is down 5.45% from the 275,000 viewers that last week’s 0.21 key demo rating represented, according to Wrestlenomics.

NXT ranked #11 on the Cable Top 150 this week with the 0.20 rating in the 18-49 key demographic. This is down from last week’s #10 ranking.

NXT ranked #43 in viewership on cable this week. This is up from last week’s #45 ranking.

This week’s live NXT 2.0 episode was down in audience and key demo rating, but still better than what the show has been doing for most of the summer. This week’s viewership was down 3.11% from last week, while the key demo rating was down 4.76% from last week.

This week’s NXT viewership was up 7.2% from the episode that aired one year ago, while the 18-49 key demo rating was up 11.11% from the show that aired one year ago. The 2020 episode aired head-to-head with AEW Dynamite. This is the second week in a row where both the total audience and the key demo rating were up from the same week one year ago.

Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News topped the night in the 18-49 demographic on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.32 rating. The Five on FOX News topped the night on cable in viewership with 3.644 million viewers, ranking #3 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.25 key demo rating.

The Voice on NBC topped the night on network TV in viewership with an average of 7.350 million viewers. The Voice also topped the night on network TV in the 18-49 key demo with a 1.09 rating.

This week’s live NXT 2.0 episode featured a few happenings advertised ahead of time – new NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa opening the show, Toxic Attraction addressing the fans, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs revealing how they formed their tag team, plus Kushida defending the NXT Cruiserweight Title against new champion Roderick Strong. The main event saw Ciampa and Bron Breakker defeat Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland.

Stay tuned for more pro wrestling ratings data.

Below is our 2021 NXT Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from this week’s show:

January 6 Episode: 641,000 viewers with a 0.16 rating in the 18-49 demographic (New Year’s Evil episode)
January 13 Episode: 551,000 viewers with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 20 Episode: 659,000 viewers with a 0.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 27 Episode: 720,000 viewers with a 0.21 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 3 Episode: 610,000 viewers with a 0.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 10 Episode: 558,000 viewers with a 0.12 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 17 Episode: 713,000 viewers with a 0.16 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Takeover episode)
February 24 Episode: 734,000 viewers with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 3 Episode: 692,000 viewers with a 0.20 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 10 Episode: 691,000 viewers with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 17 Episode: 597,000 viewers with a 0.13 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 24 Episode: 678,000 viewers with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 31 Episode: 654,000 viewers with a 0.21 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 7 Episode: 768,000 viewers with a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night 1 episode, also aired on Peacock/WWE Network, final Wednesday show)
TUESDAY NIGHT TIMESLOT BEGINS
April 13 Episode: 805,000 viewers with a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Takeover episode, first Tuesday show)
April 20 Episode: 841,000 viewers with a 0.23 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 27 Episode: 744,000 viewers with a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 4 Episode: 761,000 viewers with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 11 Episode: 697,000 viewers with a 0.17 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 18 Episode: 700,000 viewers with a 0.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 25 Episode: 698,000 viewers with a 0.13 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 1 Episode: 668,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 8 Episode: 669,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 15 Episode: 695,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Takeover episode)
June 22 Episode: 665,000 viewers with a 0.17 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 29 Episode: 636,000 viewers with a 0.13 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 6 Episode: 654,000 viewers with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Great American Bash episode)
July 13 Episode: 705,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 20 Episode: 709,000 viewers with a 0.20 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 27 Episode: 520,000 viewers with a 0.12 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped Syfy episode)
August 3 Episode: 520,000 viewers with a 0.10 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped Syfy episode)
August 10 Episode: 751,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic
August 17 Episode: 654,000 viewers with a 0.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic
August 24 Episode: 685,000 viewers with a 0.16 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped post-Takeover 36 episode)
August 31 Episode: 717,000 viewers with a 0.17 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
September 7 Episode: 601,000 viewers with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
September 14 Episode: 770,000 viewers with a 0.21 rating in the 18-49 demographic (NXT 2.0 revamp episode)
September 21 Episode: 746,000 viewers with a 0.20 rating in the 18-49 demographic
September 28 Episode:

2020 Total: 37.027 million viewers over 53 episodes
2020 Average: 698,623 viewers per episode

2019 Total: 10.209 million viewers over 13 episodes
2019 Average: 785,307 viewers per episode

Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.

The post WWE NXT Viewership and Key Demo Rating Down as the Revamp Continues appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:20:38 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJLQw_gaWphX01hGNgNo2_0q <![CDATA[Minoru Suzuki Discusses Decision To Miss The G1 Climax and Tour In America]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJGTuY2hF4ohN5ZnUTwRGH7

Japanese wrestling legend Minor Suzuki recently spoke with the NJPW press about his decision to skip out on this year’s G1 Climax tournament, and instead work a tour of the United States, which included a surprise appearance at ALL OUT and a showdown with Jon Moxley in AEW. Highlights are below.

On deciding to take opportunities in the states and miss the G1 Climax:

Well, I had an offer from a promotion over there, and I really wasn’t sure whether I should take it. There’s the whole quarantining for two weeks when you come back deal, and it would have meant missing the G1. But as I was mulling it over, more and more offers were coming in. It kept snowballing, so I took that as a sign. Well, someone looking down, maybe. I figured that this could turn into a real chance for me, so I told my agent that I didn’t need any time off, just fill my schedule with matches. And here we are.

On taking the opportunities placed in front of him and challenging himself in America:

“When it came down to it, going to America was the bigger challenge and adventure to me personally than the G1. That’s why I chose the US. It’s not a value judgement. I said before, right? I’m not contracted. I’m not a New Japan guy. I choose all my own paths, take responsibility for all my own actions and live the way I want. There might be some morons who want to analyse those choices I make for myself, but it’s all about making my own road. It isn’t about my interest in them. They want me. There’s a lot of companies in the US. If they want me there, and the conditions are right, well I’ll head there and tear apart anybody put in front of me.”

The post Minoru Suzuki Discusses Decision To Miss The G1 Climax and Tour In America appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:16:07 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJGTuY2hF4ohN5ZnUTwRGH7 <![CDATA[Aron Stevens Recalls Plans For Him To Win WWE Championship In 2013]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJGTuY2hF4ohM4HQhe4ZUzd

Former WWE star Damien Sandow (Aron Stevens) recalled how he was supposed to go on to win the World Title after winning Money in the Bank in 2013 while doing an interview with Chris Featherstone for Sportskeeda Wrestling.

“I was supposed to win it and I was supposed to cash it in. Cody and I had our feud. Everything was great. I heard I was going to win the World Title and Cody would chase me. We had a whole wonderful thing planned, and, yea, it didn’t happen, but, whatever. I’m still very proud of the Money in the Bank match we had, and I think Cody said this before that it was one of his favorite matches, if not his favorite in WWE, and mine too.

It has nothing to do with the fact that I won, but in Philadelphia, we had like seven heels and we made a babyface in that match. It was such a great moment. I remember when I was hiding out by Lilian [Garcia] in the pit, Cody had fought everybody off, and he had just a little bit of color, just enough to where you can see it, but they didn’t stop the match and all that crap. He’s climbing up, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is going to work.’ I slid in. It was magic and it took everyone involved in that match to do it.  In my opinion, it was an absolute masterpiece.”

H/T to WrestlingNews.co

The post Aron Stevens Recalls Plans For Him To Win WWE Championship In 2013 appeared first on Wrestling Headlines.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 22:01:21 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/3d-GRyiqYJJGTuY2hF4ohM4HQhe4ZUzd