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CM Punk discusses heat with The Rock and if he would take a call from WWE

By
Colin Vassallo
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CM Punk appeared in front of a sold out crowd at Starrcast III yesterday for a Q&A panel moderated by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com.

One of the topics that came up during the Q&A was his program with The Rock. Punk was not particularly happy at the time that he had to wrestle The Rock and basically lose the WWE title to the part-timer.

Punk mentioned how before their Royal Rumble match, he went up to Rock’s hotel room and found out that his own promo was written by the people who write stuff for The Rock, mainly Brian Gewirtz. Gewirtz and others were there inside the room and Punk made it clear that he wasn’t happy that they wrote the promo for him. Eventually both sides found a compromise that satisfied the two parties.

The former WWE champion admitted that he did apologize to Rocky afterward for “being a dick” and Johnson accepted his apology and the two made up. He called The Rock the smartest man in the business and recalled that time when they were filming a part of the Fighting With My Family movie where fans in Los Angeles started a massive CM Punk chant before the scene was set to be filmed.

Johnson, not intimidated by the crowd, decided to give Punk a call on his cell phone in the middle of the ring, sending everyone at the STAPLES Center into delirium. Unfortunately, Punk said that when The Rock was calling him he was in the elevator going to walk his dog and couldn’t take the call. He noted that he received tons of text messages afterward and thought that someone died.

During the same Q&A panel, Punk was asked if he would talk to Vince McMahon or Triple H if they called him. Punk said that he wouldn’t not take a call from them but if they call, they better have something good. “I’ll have a conversation with anybody, but I’m not calling them,” Punk said.

Punk added that he’s over what happened to him in WWE and he has been over it for a while, noting that he’s now 40 years old and tries not to let that stuff affect him anymore.

AEW announces Full Gear as their November pay-per-view

By
Colin Vassallo
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All Elite Wrestling will have another pay-per-view before the year is over as the company announced Full Gear as the name of their November 9 PPV broadcast.

Full Gear will take place at The Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and ticket information will be released this coming week on all AEW social media platforms.

This will be the third pay-per-view for All Elite Wrestling following Double or Nothing and All Out.

Three days before the show, AEW has an episode on TNT airing from the Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets for that show go on sale this week.

Former LAX members Ortiz and Santana make their All Elite Wrestling debut

By
Colin Vassallo
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The hottest free agents tag team are no longer free agents as the team of Santana and Ortiz, the duo formerly known as LAX in Impact Wrestling, made their AEW debut last night at All Out.

The two stormed the ring after The Lucha Brothers defeated The Young Bucks in the ladder match and beat up both teams. Both Santana and Ortiz wore masks to conceal their identity before unmasking to a nice pop from the crowd.

With Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks taking on Chris Jericho and a mystery tag team on the October 2 episode of AEW on TNT, it looks like now we know who the new AEW champion will be teaming up with in Washington.

Santana and Ortiz worked their last Impact television tapings in Mexico City last month and their final match will air on Impact next Friday.

And the inaugural AEW World champion is…

By
Colin Vassallo
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The first-ever Undisputed WWE champion is now also the first-ever AEW champion as Chris Jericho defeated Hangman Adam Page yesterday at All Out.

Jericho, who practically has won it all in the world of professional wrestling, won the match after delivering the Judas Effect finishing move on his opponent for the pinfall.

The journey for both of them to All Out was different, with Hangman Page winning the 21-man Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing while Jericho had to overcome Kenny Omega also at Double or Nothing.

The match for the AEW title main evented the All Out pay-per-view and Jericho will defend the title for the first time in Philadelphia on the third episode of AEW on TNT on October 16.

Jericho posted a photo on his Instagram holding up the AEW title and writing, “And New…. #HistoryMaker.”

AEW All Out pay-per-view results

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from AEW All Out which took place from the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Nyla Rose won the Casino Battle Royal to receive an AEW Women’s title shot; Private Party defeated Jack Evans and Angelico; SoCal Uncensored defeated Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, and Marko Stunt in a six-man tag team match; Pac defeated Kenny Omega; Jimmy Havoc defeated Joey Janela and Darby Allin in a triple threat Cracker Barrel Clash; The Dark Order defeated Best Friends to receive a first-round bye in the AEW Tag Team title tournament; Riho defeated Hikaru Shida to receive an AEW Women’s title shot; Cody defeated Shawn Spears; The Lucha Brothers defeated The Young Bucks in a ladder match to retain the AAA Tag Team titles; Chris Jericho defeated Adam Page to become the inaugural AEW World champion.

NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff results

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff which took place from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

Noam Dar defeated Travis Banks; Cesaro defeated Ilja Dragunov; Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster defeated Zack Gibson and James Drake and Mark Coffey and Wolfgang in a triple threat tag team match to become the new NXT UK Tag Team champions; Joe Coffey defeated Dave Mastiff in a last man standing match; Kay Lee Ray defeated Toni Storm to become the new NXT Women’s champion; Walter defeated Tyler Bate to retain the WWE United Kingdom title.

AEW All Out live on pay-per-view tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
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Live from the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, All Elite Wrestling presents All Out on pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:

Adam Page vs Chris Jericho for the inaugural AEW World title; Lucha Brothers vs The Young Bucks in a ladder match for the AAA World Tag Team titles; Kenny Omega vs PAC; Best Friends vs The Dark Order with the winners receiving a first-round bye in the AEW World Tag Team title tournament; Cody vs Shawn Spears; Darby Allin vs Joey Janela vs Jimmy Havoc in a triple threat Cracker Barrel clash; Riho vs Hikaru Shida with the winner advancing to the AEW Women’s title match; Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, and Marko Stunt vs SoCal Uncensored in a six-man tag team match; The Buy-In pre-show will have Private Party vs Angélico and Jack Evans; and the 21-woman Casino Battle Royale with the winner advancing to the AEW Women’s title match.

All Out will be streaming on B/R Live in the United States for $49.99 as well as on traditional pay-per-view for the same price. Those in the United Kingdom and Ireland will need to order the pay-per-view through ITV Box Office for £14.95 and €17.95 respectively. Customers living anywhere else will be able to order the show through FITE for $19.99.

Triple H categorically denies the Enzo and Cass return rumors

By
Colin Vassallo
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In an interview with UK-based TalkSport ahead of tonight’s NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff, Triple H discussed the rumors that cropped up this week saying that WWE has reached out to Enzo Amore and Big Cass for a possible return to the NXT brand.

“I immediately told our PR to shoot down the Enzo and Cass rumors,” Triple H said. “Absolutely zero interest. Congratulations to Enzo…I’m sure spreading rumors is working well for him but I want no part of it,” Triple H added.

Dave Meltzer of the Observer reported this week about how WWE floated the idea of having the duo appear as a surprise on one of the episodes of NXT on USA Network. The way Triple H categorically denied these talks however it seems that the whole thing was a non-starter.

Triple H said that there are over 100 talent at the Performance Center in the United States and around 50 at the UK Performance Center so there’s no shortage of talent.

WWE to celebrate 40th anniversary of the Intercontinental title with Network marathon

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Network

WWE will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Intercontinental title with an IC title marathon on the WWE Network tomorrow.

The marathon will be hosted by former one-day IC champion himself Zack Ryder who will be presenting the top 20 matches that defined the title. The synopsis for the show reads, “In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Intercontinental Championship, join former champion Zack Ryder as he watches 20 of the greatest matches that made the title prestigious, featuring Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Seth Rollins and more in classic matches and forgotten gems.” It will start broadcasting at 1PM ET.

WWE acknowledges the date of September 1, 1979 as when Pat Patterson became the inaugural Intercontinental champion. The story is that the tournament was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Patterson defeating Johnny Rodz to unify the North American Heavyweight title – held by Patterson – with the South American Heavyweight title – held by Rodz – to create the WWF Intercontinental title. In reality, the South American title never existed and the tournament never took place either.

NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff live today on the WWE Network

By
Colin Vassallo
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Live from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales, WWE presents NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff exclusively on the WWE Network. This is the second NXT UK Takeover featuring the British and European stars of the NXT UK brand. The card is as follows:

Walter vs Tyler Bate for the WWE United Kingdom title; Toni Storm vs Kay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Women’s title; Zack Gibson and James Drake vs Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster vs Mark Coffey and Wolfgang in a triple threat tag team match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles; Dave Mastiff vs Joe Coffey in a last man standing match; Travis Banks vs Noam Dar.

The event will be airing at 7PM local time and for those on the East Coast at 2PM and 11AM for those on the West Coast.

Chris Jericho: “Why would you start a war with some minor leagues?”

By
Colin Vassallo
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In an interview with Hollywood Life, Chris Jericho took a dig at WWE and its NXT brand saying that they’re not war with NXT because “why would you start a war with some minor leagues?”

Jericho added that there is not one guy on NXT that he ever heard of before “and that is not being snobby.” He said that he does not watch NXT and is not familiar with who’s on the roster.

“But, it is certainly not a war on our part, because we have been doing great on our own — selling out shows and selling 10,000 tickets in five minutes without any type of war or competition,” Y2J said.

He believes that WWE doing what they did will put more eyeballs on All Elite Wrestling and their Wednesday show and said that one thing he learned from his time in WCW is that the worst thing you can do is worry about your competition. “Worry about what you are doing and clean your [own] house and make sure your own sh!t is going good. That is what we are doing, and we are not worrying about whatever anyone else is doing,” he continued.

You can read the full interview at HollywoodLife.com.

Ric Flair applies for THE MAN trademark with the USPTO

By
Colin Vassallo
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Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair filed an affidavit and consent for registration of the trademark THE MAN with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The affidavit states that he is the living individual who uses, goes by, is known as, and have utilized the name THE MAN as one of his professional and business names in the United States as early as January 1, 1976. He applied for the trademark through his Ric Flair LLC company registered in Georgia on August 23 and it was “live” on the USPTO website on August 26 after his attorney Alan Clarke filed the proper paperwork. The mark was filed under entertainment services.

While the application was accepted by the Office for meeting the minimum filing requirements, it has not not been assigned to an examining attorney yet and that is a process that takes around three months after the filing date. The chances of the USPTO approving are slim though as the term is vague and usually the Office is very strict on giving someone sole trademark rights on something similar.

WWE has been promoting Becky Lynch as “the man” and even selling merchandise bearing that term, which would be a problem if the USPTO decides to agree with Flair and give him the mark.

Reacting to the news, Becky Lynch posted on Twitter simply writing, “I am The Man.”

Who will be calling tonight’s All Out pay-per-view?

By
Colin Vassallo
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There seems to be some confusion of who will be calling All Out tonight on pay-per-view with two sets of teams being mentioned.

After it was confirmed that Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez signed with All Elite Wrestling, Mendez himself posted a video on Twitter saying that he will be on commentary for All Out. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer said that the three-man team will include Mendez, Excalibur, and Jim Ross as the lead commentator.

Meanwhile at Starrcast III yesterday it was announced that Jim Ross, Excalibur, and the also recently-signed Tony Schiavone will be providing the commentary for the show. JR and Schiavone worked together during their WCW days and the pairing will certainly bring some nostalgia feel to the show.

At this point, AEW has not confirmed who will be behind the desk at All Out but there could be a combination of people running commentary tonight for certain matches.

Lucha Libre AAA engages Impact Wrestling to promote NY event at Hulu Theater

By
Colin Vassallo
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Lucha Libre AAA today announced that it has engaged Impact Wrestling to promote Lucha Invades NY, the upcoming event which will be held at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on September 15.

“Impact Wrestling and Lucha Libre AAA have been strong partners for many years and this event marks a significant milestone in our collaboration to bring fans dream matches featuring the best international talent from both organizations,” said Ed Nordholm, Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and President of IMPACT Wrestling. “For over 50 years, Madison Square Garden has hosted some of the biggest events in the world. It is an honor to team up with Lucha Libre AAA for this monumental show to present the best of Mexican professional wrestling in this legendary venue.”

Lucha Invades NY will feature former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, as he competes in his second-ever professional wrestling bout. The event will also feature AAA Reina de Reinas (Queen of the Queens) Champion and Impact Wrestling star Tessa Blanchard in a defense of her title against former Reina de Reinas Champion and current Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie, while Mexican legends Blue Demon Jr. and Rey Wagner will face one another in a grudge match.

“We are thrilled to bring the most popular Lucha Libre legends to fans in the Hulu Theater at MSG,” said Dorian Roldán, Director General of Lucha Libre AAA. “The Hulu Theater seating offers our fans the kind of exciting, personal experience they expect from AAA.”

In addition to Impact Wrestling stars taking part in the event, FN Originals (Fight Network’s original production department) will be on-site producing a behind-the-scenes Diary documentary episode on Velasquez.

New Friday Night Smackdown logo unveiled

By
Colin Vassallo
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Once Smackdown debuts on FOX on October 4, it will also debut a new logo and a tiny change to the name: It’s no longer Smackdown Live but Friday Night Smackdown, the name used before the show moved to Tuesdays live on USA Network.

The new logo features usual blue and white colors that the brand has been known for since its inception with the word Smack in blue on white background at the top and the word Down at the bottom in white with blue background.

The show underwent several logo changes throughout the years but always kept the blue and white color scheme although different shades of blue were used. The new logo uses the blue that resembles more the original logo from 1999 rather than the current blue.

FOX will become the sixth home of Smackdown, with the show having previously aired on UPN, The CW, MyNetworkTV, SyFy, and USA Network.

FOX airing new kick-ass commercial for Smackdown coming to the network

By
Colin Vassallo
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FOX is airing a brand new cool commercial for Smackdown coming to their network featuring some of the top WWE Superstars of today – and some from the past – including Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The promo starts with Austin at a restaurant who orders something and then a waiter smashes his tray full of drinks and the violinists in the background start Austin’s theme song. “Oh hell yeah,” Austin says from his seat.

The commercial then moves to other people doing WWE-related moves, including a doctor doing the “You Can’t See Me” hand sign on a patient who is under before surgery, a little girl spelling “submission” at a spelling bee and turning into Becky Lynch, a kid impersonating Kofi Kingston doing the boom drop in a pool, another kid doing an RKO on a mannequin at a store, and much more.

A new logo for Smackdown is also displayed with “Coming to Fox” and the October 4 date at the bottom.

You can check it out below.

Jon Moxley drops out from Starrcast III event

By
Colin Vassallo
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In another blow to Starrcast, Jon Moxley will not be appearing at the show as scheduled as the surgery he underwent on his elbow is preventing him from traveling to Chicago.

“We received word today that unfortunately @JonMoxley won’t be able to travel to @StarrcastEvents. Once he got the word from his doctor he told us, ‘I’m sorry, this sucks.’ I’m sure we all echo those sentiments. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him soon,” Conrad Thompson tweeted yesterday.

Moxley’s panel along with that of CM Punk were the two headliners of the Starrcast weekend. A couple of months ago for Starrcast II, Ric Flair also dropped out of his roast event due to the hospitalization a few days earlier and Thompson also had to do without The Undertaker and Kurt Angle who WWE pulled out from the event.

Those who purchased tickets for the Moxley event will be receiving a full refund.

In place of Moxley, Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone will be stepping in for a Turner Memories event as the two recount their experiences with Turner Sports over the years. Both worked for the organization when they were in WCW in the early 90s.

Moxley was supposed to take on Kenny Omega at All Out tomorrow but he was replaced by PAC after undergoing surgery to treat an MRSA infection in his elbow.

TNT airing Countdown to All Out tonight at 10PM ET

By
Colin Vassallo
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TNT will air its first AEW show tonight at 10PM ET with a countdown show for All Out. This will be the first wrestling program on the network since the last episode of WCW Nitro in March 2001.

TNT posted a tweet with a 10-second teaser of the show with the tag line “Rise up for the revolution.” The show carries a TV-14 rating. The hour-long countdown show focusing only on All Out has a synopsis on the TV guide reading, “A world-class roster of diverse male and female wrestlers give fans a new wrestling experience.”

The AEW Buy-In show on Saturday will air on TNT’s sister site B/R Live while the pay-per-view will also be airing on the streaming service apart from the traditional PPV providers.

AEW returning to Sears Center for Thanksgiving eve episode of AEW on TNT

By
Colin Vassallo
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All Elite Wrestling is returning to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois for their November 27 episode of AEW on TNT. This episode will be on the eve of Thanksgiving Day.

Tickets for the Sears Centre Arena show will go on sale today at Noon ET on AEWTix.com. Tickets are priced $25, $40, $60, $75, $90, and $125.

The Sears Center hosted All In and is also hosting All Out tomorrow night on pay-per-view. It will be a busy week for the Chicago area as WWE is also hosting Smackdown, NXT Takeover, Survivor Series, and Raw in Rosemont a few days earlier.

AEW has sold out Washington, Boston, and Philadelphia so far with tickets remaining in Pittsburgh and Charleston. Tickets for the show in Charlotte also go on sale next week.

Dustin Rhodes extends his deal with All Elite Wrestling

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dustin Rhodes looks like he will be sticking with AEW as the former WWE Intercontinental champion signed a new multi-year extension with the company.

Rhodes, the man formerly known as Goldust, will have two other roles in the company apart from being an in-ring performer as he will also take on the duties as promo coach and producer.

“Dustin Rhodes has had an incredible wrestling career that has spanned decades. His amazing journey brought him to AEW, and he’s rejuvenated his career here. In addition to all of the wisdom he’s shared with us as we’ve launched All Elite Wrestling, he’s come here and worked so hard for us. His comeback match against his brother Cody at Double or Nothing was one of the most acclaimed bouts in recent years, and it marked a new chapter for all of us,” AEW president and CEO Tony Khan said.

“Dustin and I had agreed weeks ago after Fight for the Fallen that we both wanted him to stay with All Elite Wrestling. He’s already done so much for us, and I’m thrilled that it’s official now that Dustin will be on our team going forward, both backstage and in the ring,” Khan added.

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