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WWE announces top matches for Manchester, England live event after slow ticket sales

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Live

In a bid to boost ticket sales, WWE today announced the top three matches of the card for their non-televised live event debut at the Manchester Co-op Arena for Wednesday, October 16.

Ticket sales for this show has pretty much flopped so far, with less than 3,000 tickets sold for a show in the United Kingdom’s newest and largest arena which holds well over 20,000 seats.

The show will be headlined by a bull rope match with Cody Rhodes defending the WWE title against Solo Sikoa. Gunther defends the World Heavyweight title against Jey Uso in a street fight, and Nia Jax vs Bayley in a WWE Women’s title match.

Others scheduled to appear are LA Knight, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Bloodline, DIY, Santos Escobar, Andrade, Piper Niven, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, Chelsea Green, Randy Orton, and others.

Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster.co.uk.

Eric Young to host AXS TV’s Vinyl Obsession series

By
Colin Vassallo
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AXS TV today announced that TNA star Eric Young will be hosting a the network’s original series Vinyl Obsession, which returns for season two on Sunday, October 6 at 10:30PM ET.

The two-time TNA World champion is a self-described lover of music and a passionate record connoisseur, armed with an eclectic collection of more than 2,000 vinyl albums amassed over nearly two decades.

“There’s something incredibly special about vinyl records, and the deep and lasting connection that’s forged between them and the listener,” Young said. “I think we really showcased that this season, capturing the enduring impact that each album has had on the icon who selected it. You can see it instantly on their faces, as they transform from a bona fide rock god into that young kid who heard Johnny Cash for the first time on their parents’ radio, or rocked out to Led Zeppelin at a high school party. It’s more than a hobby, it’s an obsession, and I look forward to sharing all of their stories with our viewers.”

The show will run through Sunday, November 24.

USA Network displays a slightly modified Smackdown logo

By
Colin Vassallo
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USA Network is using a slightly modified version of the Smackdown logo for the show’s return on its network starting this Friday night.

The words “Friday Night” are no longer part of the actual logo and the USA version has a 3D-like image with the WWE logo at the top, and the usual Smackdown logo but curved.

It’s unclear which version of the logo WWE will be using come Friday night once the show officially moves to USA Network.

You can see the logo below.

AEW files a trademark application for the term Shockwave

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW logo

AEW has filed an application to trademark the term Shockwave as a name of a future show.

The application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office three days ago on September 6. It was filed under the category, “Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services in the nature of live professional wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of professional wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of professional wrestling.”

Asked about the trademark, AEW President Tony Khan said that following All Out, the company will continue to provide “shockwaves” throughout the industry but did not specifically address the use of the trademark. There are rumors that the WBD deal will not be exclusive and AEW could technically air another show on another network similar to what WWE has at the moment.

AEW currently has Dynamite airing on TBS, and Rampage and Collision airing on TNT.

Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland with their most violent battle yet at All Out

By
Colin Vassallo
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Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland took their epic feud to a whole new level last night at All Out in an extremely violent match which perhaps, was tough to watch at some points.

The match ended when the referee deemed he had seen enough after Page whacked Strickland with a sickening chair shot to his unprotected head. To make it worse, just seconds earlier, Page removed Swerve’s grill from his teeth and stuck a needle in his mouth…and then hit the chair shot with a violent swing.

Violence was wildly expected in this “unsanctioned” lights out cage match but maybe it did go a little bit too far with fans putting their hands on their head on many occasions.

At the beginning of their match, Strickland tried to crush Page with the cage which was coming down but thankfully, Hangman managed to escape in time. Staple guns were the early order of the match as well, with both stars stapling each other, including Swerve stapling photos of his family to Page’s face. Every weapon you can think of was also in use, including a cinder block which served as the landing spot for a sickening vertebreaker by Strickland on Page. Page returned the favor with the cinder block, powerboming Swerve right on it as fans looked in disbelief. Page, who pretty much just like his dance partner committed several felonies in this match, also tried to stab Swerve with a piece of wood from the burned-down house, but Strickland turned it around and stabbed Page in the head instead.

This was definitely a match not for the faint of heart, a match you typically see at the extreme indie promotions and as AEW President Tony Khan likes to say, it was “for the sickos.”

Strickland is rumored to be taking some time off from AEW after last night, a much-deserved break after an MVP year for him in the company.

Tony Khan “90% confident” AEW TV deal to be announced within the next month

By
Colin Vassallo
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At a very different and short post-show press conference, AEW President Tony Khan said that he’s 90% confident that the AEW media rights deal will be announced in the next month.

Khan repeated the fact that he feels they’re at the “one-yard line” although he’s not sure how many more takes it will need before the ball goes into the end zone.

“I’m 100% sure the ball is going into the end zone,” Khan continued, saying that’s how good he feels about it.

He did admit though that the deal is not signed yet as they’re still working out on some details.

There were no other AEW stars who attended the press conference and it was wrapped up in around 20 minutes.

NXT on CW premiere episode from Allstate Arena surpasses 5,000 tickets sold

By
Colin Vassallo
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The NXT on CW premiere episode from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont has now surpassed 5,000 tickets sold with less than a month to go for the show.

The Allstate Arena is not being used in full and is configured to around 7,500 seats according to @WrestleTix.

This will be the biggest audience for an NXT TV episode, although premium live events have drawn way more than that.

The Rosemont and Chicago crowd has typically showed up for WWE events at this particular arena, with constant sellouts since last year’s Survivor Series and the return of CM Punk.

Speaking of Punk, Chicago’s favorite will be in the arena on October 1 although it’s not confirmed if he will be on the actual live broadcast or just for something off camera for fans in attendance.

Attorney Stephen P. New unloads on Jim Ross after “frivolous” claim

By
Colin Vassallo
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Stephen P. New, the attorney representing Kevin Kelly and the Tate brothers in their lawsuit against AEW, ripped Jim Ross a new one while appearing on the House of Kayfabe podcast after Ross said that the lawsuit is “frivolous” and the plaintiffs will run out of money before Tony Khan will.

New said that Jim Ross is part of the problem because he fed the guys in WWE those same kind of “crap contracts for a quarter of a century” when he worked for WWE in the Talent Relations department.

“You told these guys that it was a take it or leave it deal and they needed to sign these crap contracts, that were contracts of adhesion that they should have never signed,” New said.

New added that he might lose, but this is not a frivolous lawsuit as JR has indicated.

“Tony Khan has paid Jim Ross a lot of money to do nothing for about five years now,” New ranted on. “So, if I were Jim Ross and I were living at Jacksonville Beach and making a bunch of money to not do much at all, I’d probably come out and call Stephen P. New’s lawsuit frivolous also. Everybody’s got a price.”

AEW President Tony Khan chimed in afterward, writing that he was “shocked and appalled” by the comments on Jim Ross.

He called JR a legend, part of AEW’s foundation, and someone who is important from the beginning of AEW to today.

“AEW, JR & I reserve all rights,” Khan wrote.

Giulia to make in-ring NXT debut on Tuesday

By
Colin Vassallo
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Giulia will make her NXT in-ring debut this coming Tuesday as WWE announced that the former STARDOM champion will take on Chelsea Green in a one-on-one match.

Green was on the receiving end of a knee to the face by Giulia earlier this week after Green interrupted Roxanne Perez and demanded an NXT Women’s title shot. Instead, it was Giulia who came out, took out Green, and told Perez that the two will face on The CW premiere on October 1.

“Ah shit,” responded Green’s husband Matt Cardona to the news! “I guess date night is cancelled.”

Reacting to the news, Giulia said, “I’m ready to fight, anytime, anywhere,” and warned Green to “be ready.”

Blackpool Combat Club turns on Bryan Danielson

By
Colin Vassallo
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Bryan Danielson’s BCC team mates turned on him at All Out last night, ending his association with the faction.

After Danielson defeated Jack Perry to retain the AEW World title, Killswitch came from behind and head butted him. Christian Cage came out with his Casino Gauntlet contract to cash in but Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Pac all came out to prevent that from happening.

When the BCC celebrated along with the champion, Castagnoli decked Danielson with an uppercut. A stunned Danielson looked at the Swiss Superman but he was then quickly assaulted by Mosley from behind, who used a plastic bag to suffocate him. Yuta was held back by Pac and then Marina Shafir came in and took care of the referee.

Mox and Claudio kept on their attack on the champion until they eventually stopped. They left together but Yuta stayed behind with Danielson who was stretchered out after the attempted murder!

All Out 2024 pay-per-view results

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from the All Out 2024 pay-per-view which took place live from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

ZERO HOUR: The Acclaimed defeated Iron Savages; Hologram, Sammy Guevara, and Dustin Rhodes defeated The Premier Athletes in a trios match; Bang Bang Gang defeated The Dark Order in a trios match; The Undisputed Kingdom defeated The Beast Mortos and Shane Taylor Promotions, and Action Andretti and Top Flight in a three-way trios match.

PPV: MJF defeated Daniel Garcia; The Young Bucks defeated Blackpool Combat Club to retain the AEW Tag Team titles; Will Ospreay defeated Pac to retain the AEW International title; Kris Statlander defeated Willow Nightingale in a Chicago street fight; Kazuchika Okada defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Konosuke Takeshita in a four-way match to retain the AEW Continental title; Mercedes Mone defeated Hikaru Shida to retain the TBS title; Bryan Danielson defeated Jack Perry to retain the AEW World title; Hangman Adam Page defeated Swerve Strickland in a lights out steel cage match.

Latest betting odds for All Out 2024

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW is back on pay-per-view just two weeks after All In with All Out live from Chicago.

Below are the latest betting odds for the available matches. Remember, odds are likely to change so please bet carefully.

Bryan Danielson defends his AEW World title against Jack Perry and Danielson is 1/100 in his odds to keep the gold against the TNT champion Perry who is at 20/1.

Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland will go for match number three between the two and with Strickland winning the previous two, Page is the favorite in this one with 2/7 odds while Swerve is 9/4. This will be a lights out unsanctioned cage match.

A Chicago street fight will pit Willow Nightingale vs Kris Statlander and Statlander is currently the favorite with 1/5 odds while Nightingale is 3/1 for the victory.

In the AEW International championship match, Will Ospreay is 1/100 favorite to retain his gold against Pac who has odds of 20/1.

MJF and Daniel Garcia will have a one-on-one match and the former AEW World champion is 1/3 favorite to beat Garcia who has 2/1 odds.

Mercedes Mone shares the same odds as Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay in her TBS title defense with 1/100 in her favor while Hikaru Shida is 20/1.

Wintrust Arena announces Dynamite and Collision on Thanksgiving Eve

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dynamite logo

The Wintrust Arena in Chicago announced that AEW will be taping Dynamite and Collision on Wednesday, November 27 on the eve of Thanksgiving. This has become a tradition to hold Dynamite in the city on Thanksgiving Eve.

A pre-sale will start on Tuesday, September 10 at 10AM using the code TURKEY while public on-sale starts on Thursday, September 12 at 10AM.

Tickets will be on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Becoming Bray Wyatt documentary to air on USA Network next week

By
Colin Vassallo
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The Becoming Bray Wyatt documentary from Peacock/WWE Network will be screened on USA Network for the first time on Tuesday, September 10 immediately following the conclusion of NXT.

The two-hour documentary originally premiered on April 1 and takes you behind the scenes and in the world of one of the greatest minds that the industry has ever seen, with new sit-down interviews specifically shot for this documentary including with Triple H, John Cena, Braun Strowman, his sister Mika Rotunda, his fiancee JoJo Offerman, and many more.

There was a big teaser in the post-credits scene at the time, with the in memory graphic turning glitchy in typical Wyatt style and then a lantern is shown. The lantern eventually switches on after a few tries and we see an image of Uncle Howdy in the background and a voice which says “run!”

That was the beginning of what eventually turned out to be the debut of the Wyatt Sicks.

Bray Wyatt passed away unexpectedly this past August at the age of 36.

Former WWE Women’s champion Jacqueline signs WWE Legends deal

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline Moore revealed that she has also signed a WWE Legends deal, following the similar news of Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria) earlier this week.

Moore becomes the first African American female to sign such a deal, a deal which covers licensing, merchandising, and potential TV appearances. WWE Legends who sign such a deal also get an up front sum along with royalties.

The former two-time WWE Women’s champion was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2016.

She was at the inaugural 2018 women’s Royal Rumble match, getting eliminated by Nia Jax and last appeared on WWE television at the 2024 SummerSlam where she was filmed in a suite along with others such as Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page, and more.

AEW struggling with crowds in the Chicago market

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW logo

For a few years, Chicago was an AEW hotbed. Fans jam packed arenas whenever the company was in town, be it for the annual All Out pay-per-view, the Thanksgiving eve Dynamite episode, or the occasional big show at the United Center.

But today, the NOW Arena and the Wintrust Arena, one in Hoffman Estates and the other right in the city of Chicago, have struggled to attract AEW fans as in previous years, especially if it’s not a pay-per-view.

Last night’s Collision at the NOW Arena drew just under 2,500 fans. Tonight’s All Out pay-per-view is currently at 8,000 fans, down slightly from last year’s attendance of 9,800, 10,000 of 2022, 10,000 of 2021, and 10,500 of 2019. Last year’s event was held at the United Center while the others were all at the NOW Arena.

The previous All Out shows at the NOW Arena all sold out, but it’s looking less likely that tonight’s show will continue that trend.

Collision last night was the lowest attendance for AEW in Chicago so far.

Shayna Baszler signs new WWE deal

By
Colin Vassallo
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Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Wrestling is reporting that Shayna Baszler has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE.

The former NXT Women’s champion now forms part of Pure Fusion Collective, a faction consisting of herself, Zoey Stark, and Sonya Deville.

The 44-year-old has been signed to a WWE deal since 2017 and apart from the NXT Women’s championship, she’s also won the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles three times, twice with Nia Jax and once with her close friend Ronda Rousey.

All Out 2024 live on pay-per-view tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Live from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, AEW presents All Out 2024 on pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:

PPV: Bryan Danielson vs Jack Perry for the AEW World title; Will Ospreay vs Pac for the AEW International title; The Young Bucks vs Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta for the AEW Tag Team titles; Kazuchika Okada vs Mark Briscoe vs Orange Cassidy vs Konosuke Takeshita in a four-way match for the AEW Continental title; Mercedes Mone vs Hikaru Shida for the TBS title; Willow Nightingale vs Kris Statlander in a Chicago street fight; MJF vs Daniel Garcia; Swerve Strickland vs “Hangman” Adam Page in a Lights Out Steel Cage match;

ZERO HOUR: Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett vs The Beast Mortos, Shane Taylor, and Lee Moriarty) vs Action Andretti, Dante Martin and Darius Martin in a three-way trios match; The Bang Bang Gang vs Cage of Agony; The Acclaimed vs The Iron Savages; Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, and Hologram vs The Premiere Athletes.

The Zero Hour portion of the show will start at 7PM ET while the pay-per-view will start at 8PM ET. Fans can purchase the show via Bleacher Report, YouTube, PPV.COM, DAZN, and Triller TV. Pricing varies by country.

AEW media rights deal announcement expected very soon

By
Colin Vassallo
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The AEW media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be announced fairly soon, some suggesting within the next couple of days.

During a conference call with reporters ahead of All Out, AEW President Tony Khan said that when announced, it will be fair to say that AEW will become the second most profitable wrestling of all time. A good deal is required for AEW to be profitable, with double value of the existing deal targeted.

Khan said that they are in “the red zone” and once it’s announced, AEW will score a “huge touchdown.”

No other hints were given as far as financial details or any other timeline. Khan has been sporting WBD-related caps to video interviews and has made it clear that WBD is AEW’s home.

Last night following the Collision and Rampage show, Khan made an appearance in front of the fans and said, “I feel pretty good to say that AEW on TBS and TNT I think is here to say.”

Former WWE and TNA star Tenille Dashwood announces pregnancy

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former WWE Superstars Tenille Dashwood (Emma) and Michael Rallis (Riddick Moss) announced on social media that they will be parents for the first time next year.

“Baby Rallis coming 2025,” Daswhood wrote along with a video of the two discovering they were expecting.

“This is the raw unedited version of us finding out the amazing news. Unedited other than the beeps over my language… my apologies,” she continued.

“Could you tell how nervous I was to look? I didn’t even answer Mikes questions! In fact, there’s more to this story that I’ll explain at a later date. For now we wanted to share our news and how over the moon we are to be parents and welcome our little one into the world,” the former Emma wrote.

Both of them were released from WWE last year.

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