A tournament kicked off to determine who will advance to a four-way match for the AEW Women’s title at the upcoming All In pay-per-view.
Toni Storm got a bye in the tournament as her rematch clause so she was the first one in the match. Hikaru Shida defended her AEW Women’s title successfully on Dynamite against Anna Jay so she advanced in the tournament as well.
The remaining matches are Saraya vs Skye Blue which will take place on Rampage this Friday and The Bunny vs Britt Baker in a match set for next week’s Dynamite.
Sports have been around for as long as people have been huddling up around the fire together. Taking up a sport can have numerous benefits. Physical improvement, mental improvement, ambition-building, social interaction, and more are all reasons to watch and practice sports. However, the primary reason we watch sports is entertainment.
It is no wonder then that a subgenre of both sports and entertainment came about. Sports entertainment refers to any scripted and pre-planned sport-related activity. The most popular variant of sport entertainment is, of course, professional wrestling.
Pro Wrestling and Betting
Pro wrestling began in Mexico, and quickly gained popularity in the southern regions of the USA. Very soon, organizations like the WWE (or WWF as it was known in the past), began dominating the industry, and gaining international success. Today, pro wrestling fans exist in America, Mexico, South America, Canada, the UK, and Japan.
Wrestling is so successful, that even betting shops have opened their doors to it. You can take a look at an online sportsbook like Novibet, and you will find that they take bets on WWE matches, for example. Some might wonder how this can be, as pro wrestling matches are scripted.
The truth is, betting on WWE is still possible. Rather than focusing on athleticism and odds, what you should be looking at is the drama, story beats, and wrestlers’ popularity. All of those factor into who will become the future WWE champion.
Wrestling Gimmicks
Fans of WWE, or pro wrestling in general, will be aware that the world of pro wrestling is dominated by gimmicks. Some fighters dress up as animals, others base their personality on horror films, music, or a certain aesthetic. For example, one of the most beloved wrestlers, the Undertaker, revolves his personality around Universal horror films, and dark, gothic aesthetics.
However, throughout wrestling history, there have been certain gimmicks that are too strange to be real. Let’s take a look at a few of the weirdest wrestlers to ever take the stage of the WWE.
The Gobbledy Gooker
Still one of the weirdest things WWE has done, the company laid out an egg for all to see. Pretty soon, the egg hatched, and a wrestler in a giant chicken costume came out, challenging others to a match. The Gobbledy Gooker is bizarre, but certainly funny and corny. There is something to like about it. Unlike this next entry.
Naked Mideon
Mideon has had ups and downs in his stage career. However, the lowest low certainly came after the wrestler left Undertaker’s Ministry. The WWE decided it would be a great idea to have Mideon run around wearing nothing but boots and a thong. Short-lived though it may have been, the gimmick still went on too long.
Eugene
The WWE certainly has a history of pushing the boundaries. They’ve made racial caricature fighters, often have engaged in queer-baiting, and much more. However, Eugene tops all of that. Nick Dinsmore portrayed Eric Bischoff’s nephew, named Eugene. One problem though, Eugene was mentally challenged. You can imagine that the fights involving him were filled to the brim with some of the most poorly-dated humor in WWE history.
WWE’s Rhea Ripley and AEW’s Buddy Matthews announced their engagement on social media yesterday.
Ripley and Matthews, 26 and 34 respectively and both from Australia, have been dating since 2022 and it was Ripley who posted a photo kissing her now fiancee on the cheek with her new bling on her finger.
“1000x YES! Pure F*cking happiness,” she wrote as the caption along with a heart emoji.
AEW Dynamite tonight comes to us from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. After last week drawing 894,000 & 0.31 in the 18-49 demo.
*****
The rest of the JAS already in the ring, Matt Menard took the mic to introduce Jericho. The announcers tried to make out that he did this unenthusiastically but it doesn’t make sense why he’d even do it all. The crowd were not exactly wholeheartedly bopping along to his entrance. A small section were. Basically, the song’s played out.
Jericho started speaking, Daniel Garcia asked Jericho to stop talking and listen. Some of the crowd clapped. Garcia reminded us how Jericho had cheated to beat him last week. Despite everything Garcia had done for the Ocho. And because Jericho wasn’t choosing him – ‘I can’t do this anymore’. He did his stupid dance then left.
Hager was next. He meandered confusingly then left too.
Jericho tried to talk the others round. Saying their careers were better since joining him, backhandedly telling the girls how proud he was of them. Tay said it seems Jericho can’t make a decision so she will. She’s going to leave to have her baby then come back next year and be a champion. She was cheered.
Anna was next. Jericho might’ve helped them a bit but he helped himself most of all. Tonight she’s being selfish, it’s about winning the women’s title, not helping him. The ladies left together.
Angelo Parker referred to a catchphrase I didn’t even know he had. And said he loved being a sports entertainer and he’s given Jericho everything he has but Jericho’s given him nothing. He kept saying he didn’t want to leave the group but then did.
Crowd quiet now since it’s repetitive and they don’t care about any of the people in the JAS save maybe Sammy and Garcia.
Menard bought a Jericho tee with his first paycheck. And Jericho helped get him a job when his wife was pregnant and he didn’t have one. The last 18 months have been a ‘dream’ for him. But he now understands why guys like Eddie Kingston and Kevin Steen hate his guts. He left too.
Crowd making a little noise now since Sammy was left. He snatched the mic, he’s had Jericho’s back since the very beginning. Been doing things Jericho needed him to rather than things Sammy wanted to. Since he’s loyal. So he’s not going to walk out on Jericho. If Jericho gets his stuff together, ‘maybe I’ll be here’. He placed a hand on Jericho’s shoulder then left through the crowd to cheers and chants.
Schiavone called Sammy a ‘stand up guy’.
Garcia & Sammy were pretty good here. The rest of it was weird. Certainly the other three guys talked about being happy/the JAS being good for them then left anyway. It achieved the former two guys being cheered and they bookended the segment as they should since they have the most potential. And now of course Callis can swoop in.
And did after the break. Renee talking to Jericho as Callis rushed up to say he hoped he hadn’t played any role in the dissolution of the JAS. Jericho said he had an answer for Callis that they’d announce next week.
Callis said he’d take care of everything.
*****
Recap of FTR calling out the Bucks on Collision.
Young Bucks vs the Hardys
Backstory: To give the Bucks a win over the previous gen’s ‘best team’ ahead of them accepting FTR’s challenge for the best team of this gen
Crowd seemed to be behind the Bucks, the Hardys too. The latter came out with Isiah Kassidy & Ethan Page. They recapped the Hardys helping the Elite against Jarrett and etc last week. Uh oh.
Excalibur said 2023 is the longest run the Bucks have ever had without a tag team match. Matt Jackson and Jeff to start, each working the arm, Jackson spinning free into an armdrag but taking an atomic drop, snapmare and neckbreaker.
Matt Hardy in, double team combo then suplexing of Nick onto Matt (Jackson) before dumping Nick outside. The Hardys then hit a double team suplex/slam for two. Before Hardy rammed Jackson’s head repeatedly into the buckle. Then hit a powerbomb for another two.
Jeff back in, legdrop into a pin, Nick broke it up and was again sent outside. Matt Hardy back in, Poetry in Motion interrupted by a Nick enziguri from the apron, allowing the tag, Nick running through the Hardys with his usual comeback: punt from the apron, out-to-in facebuster, moonsault, crowd loud for the first time all match.
Risky Business left both Hardys outside for Nick to dive onto as Matt bridged the ropes. Nick did the Elite chant into the camera as the break beckoned. Slow so far prior to that Nick hot tag.
Back to Matt and Matt slugging it out, simultaneous lariats until Jackson was caught into a Side Effect. Both bagged tags, Jeff hitting a chop and running elbow, inverted atomic, yambag legdrop and dropkick, Matt Jackson broke it up at two.
Jeff got the boots up against both Bucks, Whisper in the Wind, two on Nick. Nick avoided an attack, Matt smacked Matt Hardy via superkick, the Bucks hit a superkick party then a 3D for two.
Meltzer Driver ready, Jeff cut it out, to the top, Swanton to Nick, Matt broke the pin at the last second. Matt Jackson left outside, Nick in the ring vs both Hardys, Twist of Fate from each, Matt Jackson back in with superkicks, fighting Jeff off, superkicking the ankle to prevent another Whisper, BTE Trigger on Matt, win for the Bucks.
Was dreading Jarrett and co deciding this. The Bucks need to be winning clean after a long hiatus. In fact, it’d be nice to see them have a nice run beating good teams ahead of All In. Because that’s what FTR have been doing. Yes, hardcore fans know it’s a quality match. But it should feel like a clash of the titans even for fans who care about entertainment r/t star ratings.
Both teams shook hands and hugged after the match. Before Matt Jackson asked for a mic. (Jeff’s either a great seller or was in serious pain after this.) Nick spoke first – ‘F..T..R’ all he got out before the Midnight Express homage kicked in.
The sides went face to face, talking a little smack. Neither heels to the fans. A light ‘All In’ chant started. TiA following. Nick then said ‘All In’ before dropping the mic. FTR held their belts aloft then left. The crowd chanted for the champs amid some duelling ones.
Khan then made the match official via the announcers. This probably needed a little more heat but there’s still time. The Bucks got a solid match out of the Hardys here.
Winner: Young Bucks
The women’s title will be defended at All In in a four way. There’s a tournament to sort out who else will be in that. Shida vs Anna Jay; Skye Blue vs Saraya; Bunny vs Britt Baker; Toni Storm has a bye. Think we can safely guess who’ll win those but at least they’re somewhat building the match.
*****
Recap of last week’s Cole/MJF segment with the contract signing. They then went to the pair on another night out to celebrate the signing. MJF assumed they’d be skinny dipping ‘with rats’ since he was told to wear shorts. Cole had taken them to a trampoline park. Max wasn’t happy. He sulked while Cole acted like a ten-year-old. Until being told there was dodgeball.
Cole asked Max to watch how high he could jump.
MJF then walloped a bunch of tiny kids at dodgeball, telling them they were adopted or he’d slept with their mom etc. Cole told him off for bullying the small children. A little girl called them nerds for being there. Cole told her she shouldn’t say things like that, she flipped him off, Cole said ‘one more’ to Max as he prepared a final dodgeball.
This followed the usual pattern. It was very funny in places, laughed out loud at the girl flipping them off. But did not remotely make me want to see them wrestle. Especially for the world championship. Cole came off like a total geek again which’d be fine if he wasn’t supposed to be the #1 contender.
*****
Recap of last week’s triple threat between Mox, Trent Beretta & Penta. And of the BCC beating the Best Friends on Friday.
Cut to the BCC backstage.
Mox said ‘eagles don’t hunt flies’ as a warning to the Best Friends. As relates to tonight’s match with the Lucha Bros they don’t hope they’ll win, they expect to,. Claudio said he’d warned Pac he shouldn’t mess with him and now he’s injured (that’s legitimate). Yuta pointedly mentioned Pac wouldn’t be at Wembley so that’s either nice honesty so fans aren’t disappointed or the Geordie will make some of surprise appearance even if he can’t do anything physical.
Mox said the BCC ‘doesn’t fear death, death fears us’.
Jack Perry vs Rob Van Dam (FTW Title & Rules)
Backstory: Perry’s been slamming ex-ECW guys after taking Taz’ old title from his son.
Perry came out dressed in pants like Jerry Lynn’s old gear and displayed the FTW title to Taz. Still hate that theme. RVD came out to Pantera again. Crowd stood as Justin announced the match.
Perry attacked RVD while the announcements were being made. To boos. Van Dam swung and missed until a legscissors into a pin bought two. Crowd chanting RVD as they talked smack and Perry offered a handshake. Rob slapped him then smacked him with a kick to the head. Shoulders to the gut in the corner, leg lariat, he was readying something else when Perry headed outside.
Tried to sneak back in and was caught so ran back out. Poking the eye as Rob pursued him, RVD blocking a suplex then depositing Perry across the barricade. To the apron, the thumbs, then a spinning legdrop that just crushed Perry.
Break. Decent start, crowd into it, Perry playing the cowardly heel well. Van Dam’s still pretty damn athletic. It’s a minimum of ten years since I’ve seen him.
It’s also been a very easy first hour to watch. Hasn’t felt quite as jammed-in as usual.
Perry missed Roling Thunder and a series of elbows, Van Dam sent him to the corner, monkey-flip out, chair ready, running dropkick into the chair into Perry. Then placed it over Jack’s chest, his Rolling Thunder didn’t miss. Count of two.
Wild swing from Perry, RVD missed a Van Daminator, Perry threw a chair and it hit the ref, Rob took Perry out, to the top, 5 Star ready, Perry crotched him, RVD fought back with shots to the gut and sent the youngster off the top through a ringside table.
The ref still down as Van Dam tried again with the frogsplash, hitting, covering despite the ref still being down, big visual pin, Aubrey ran down, Perry kicked out at two. RVD argued with Aubrey and was low-blowed and pinned with the trunks hooked.
Entertaining match; lower than dogs*** finish. Van Dam looked a complete moron here between trying to cover with the ref down in his sightline then arguing with Aubrey. Taz is getting increasingly pissed each week, surely leading to a Tazmission at some point.
Winner: Jack Perry
Renee with the Lucha Bros and Alex Abrahantes. Alex pointed to the Death Triangle symbol – they fight for brotherhood, the BCC fight to hurt people. Fenix called them the Blackpool Coward Club, Penta said they’d show them why they’re the best team in the world, ‘zero miedo’.
Penta was in Joker gear again.
*****
Max’s music hit to a huge pop. It was a mash-up, they both came out. Slapping hands with the fans, doing the ‘Boom’ pose as the commentators debated Max’s actions. Taz said he’d always been a good guy.
MJF played to the crowd, saying that any footage of him calling the Mid-West ‘mid’ is fake. Challenging god to strike him down if he’s lying when he says the Mid-West is his favorite place in America. They both braced then celebrated that they had not been struck down, Zeus style.
Cole told MJF he was going to beat him for the title. Max said it sounded like Cole wanted a ‘promo battle’. He called Cole so skinny and pale that if it were the 80s Hogan ‘would’ve snorted ya!’. Crowd loved that. He carried on being wacky – crowd loved that too – until Cole yelled at him to stop. He hadn’t wanted a promo battle.
Cole said they’d make history at Wembley for the AEW title. But ‘let’s go all in’ since he’s pretty sure the fans want to see them as a tag team again. They did. Cole’s had his eyes on the ROH tag titles (muted cheers) since Cole owes his entire career to ROH. The wrestling we know and love is thanks to Ring of Honor (I thought it was ECW?).
Cole won a ton of gold there but never the tag titles. He listed teams who’d held the belts: Kings of Wrestling, ReDragon, the Briscoes. So during the zero hour before All In starts, he wants to challenge for the ROH tag titles.
Max was bewildered at Cole expecting him to wrestle twice. Max said since Cole’s his best friend and he’s a sucker for a cheap pop, he asked the crowd if they wanted to see them become the new ROH champs. Again, they did.
MJF then challenged Aussie Open, looking right into the camera. ‘Because we’re better than you Bay Bay’.
Roderick Strong then began yelling ‘Adaaaam’ from the back. He can’t believe Cole’s chosen Max over ‘an ROH legend… me’. MJF said he’s sick of Strong’s jealousy. He wants him to do what all generic white people do: go home and slam the door to his room and cry into his pillow listening to Taylor Swift and ‘shake it off you bland bitch’. The crowd chanted ‘shake it off’ as Strong continued to whine, asking if Cole was really going to let MJF talk to him like that. He then said the Kingdom had been right and Cole was never really his friend. The Kingdom came out and hugged him, Strong left with them.
Cole shoved Max hard, saying he was his friend but was also friends with Strong. Max wasn’t happy, Cole said he’d overreacted and apologized. Max accepted and they hugged. Cole said he had to go check on Strong. Max kind of eyed him as he left but then yelled that it was cool and clapped.
That’s a very smart ploy to get the crowd in there early, as Excalibur acknowledged.
Another entertaining segment which made me excited for the tag but not for the world title match.
*****
Collision recap highlighting FTR, the Acclaimed, Joe/Punk & Punk/Starks. Punk said there was a ‘bullseye’ on Starks now.
The announcers even discussed Starks’ attack on Steamboat. As Mox’ music hit.
Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs Lucha Bros
Backstory: They’ve kinda sorta been feuding in amongst the BCC feuding with the Best Friends
Wow, the women are main-eventing again?
The Bros out following a break. They came through the crowd, thrust kicks to the BCC, perfect stereo planchas, working over Claudio inside: cutter, diving stomp from the top, Fenix wiped out Mox with a tope as Penta hit Made in Japan for two. Looked brutal.
Fenix tried to get the crowd going – they’ve largely been quite outside of BtYBB. Series of thrust kicks, Claudio avoided uno, dos, tres, coming back with lariats as Mox made it to the apron.
In he came, stomping down Penta in the corner, KKL, catching Fenix off the top, double ddt to the Bros, Penta blocked an underhook, slingblade, Claudio hit him via lariat, avoided a Rey hook kick then Aubrey pulled Claudio away for no reason other than so she didn’t see Yuta hit Fenix with a weapon.
Rey kicked out so they did all that garbage for a near fall. Big slam from Claudio to Rey, count of two. Crowd almost silent as we hit another break. Also the BCC are very clearly positioned as heels here but the crowd doesn’t see them that way since their booking’s been so wishy-washy.
Fenix being worked over in the BCC corner, Castagnoli smacked him with an uppercut then booted Penta off the apron, spike piledriver to Rey, two only.
Quick tags in and out from the heels as Claudio hauled Fenix onto his shoulders, Rey avoided a Domesday lariat from Mox that missed by miles, hit a stomp, Penta in, cazadora/ddt combo, backstabber to Claudio for two. Fenix back in, missing a frogsplash after a long pause, Penta was taken out by Claudio, Rey and Claudio exchanged near falls until Mox hit a cutter on Penta and Rey popped up to drill him via superkick.
All four down. Crowd waking briefly. TiA chant despite sitting on their hands for most of the match.
Rey and Claudio exchanged shots from their knees, fighting to their feet, the strikes quickening until Claudio stomped the foot only for Rey to hit the ropes and rebound via hook kick.
Tag to Penta who took a long time shaping a springboard only to land into an uppercut. He and Mox then slugged it out with chops, neither budging, for a good solid minute, the chops getting stiffer as they transitioned to overhands until Penta hit a kick to the leg but sprang off the ropes, escaping a Death Rider and hooking Mox for a stuffed piledriver for two (again it was delayed and out-of-sync).
Yuta then just blatantly grabbed the boot directly in front of Aubrey, a bunch of nonsense happened, Moxley rolled Penta up for two, grabbing the trunks. Amid all the nonsense, theyd pulled Penta’s mask off, even the announcers only noticed this afterwards cause so much other dumb stuff was going on.
A distraction roll-up finish grabbing the tights. Been a while since we’ve seen one of those. The BCC then beat down the Bros as they posed with Penta’s mask. A heel trio stealing the mask of a Luchador, been a while since we’ve seen that too.
Mox yelled ‘zero respect’ into the camera. That’s what AEW have for their refs yep. This was disjointed even before that rotten finish. Why don’t AEW let names pin names?
Winner: BCC
Kenny Omega backstage, asked by Marvez about the Bucks’ match with FTR. So what about him? Omega put over all four guys. He’s going to sit down with JR next week to talk about Callis, Takeshita and his plans for All In.
(Maybe AEW could’ve even had Takeshita appear on tv since he’s being built for a match with one of their top stars? But perhaps the bookers were distracted booking distraction finishes.)
Nice idea having Omega do a sitdown anyway. As long as it isn’t one of the ones where JR asks one question and that’s it. Kenny doesn’t speak nearly enough for a guy on his level. If it’s done well, JR will add a level of realism to a feud that needs reigniting.
*****
Swerve Strickland out for a promo, Prince Nana did his usual corny dancing. Only Fox walked with Swerve, the rest of his clique waited on the ramp. Nana took the mic to pour cheap heat onto the crowd. Strickland said last week was to make a point, to put the ‘fear of God’ into Nick Wayne. Mogul Embassy are ‘above the law’. He asked whose house it was, the crowd chanted even though he’s a heel.
Fox then demanded Darby Allin come out. He did, without music. Demanding Fox tell people the whole story. He tried to help Fox into AEW but Fox never answered his phone. They both know he had his demons. But praised him for making it to AEW all by himself.
Then revealed the actual story of the feud: Fox is mad that Darby helped Nick Wayne into AEW but not him.
Allin said he’ll always respect Fox for helping him. But it looks like he has some new friends, though Darby has friends too… lights out, darkness reigning for a long time until coming up to reveal Sting in the ring with his bat. The heels fled excepting Swerve who took a bat to the gut. Then begged for mercy with it pointed at his throat.
The vet then pointed the bat toward the All In banner before shoving Strickland out to his waiting crew.
Never thought I’d see Darby be the equal of Swerve on the mic but that’s how far he’s come. Decent enough segment. Crowd enjoyed Sting’s return.
Anna Jay vs Hikaru Shida (Women’s Title)
Backstory: Jay beat Skye Blue on Rampage to get a title shot
Jay was accompanied by 2.0. Shida’s theme is badass. Crowd briefly chanting for both as Shida flung the youngster to the corner. A slap exchange begat each avoiding lariats until Jay rolled up Shida for two. The champ bailed to the corner, reset.
Lockup, whip, leaping knee from Shida, lariat missing in the corner but a second knee connecting. Ten punches as Menard yelled continually. Jay slipped under to send Shida to the apron and knock her off with a weak spinning kick.
Back inside, cover, two. Ads. They’re certainly trying to set a pace and an aggression, it’s just not all that crisp.
Back to a wild flurry from Shida, swwinging and swinging and swinging, neckbreaker, cover, two only. Jay to the apron, the champ looking to suplex her back in, Jay fought her off and hit a nice looking spin kick to the face, the two battling on the apron until a Shida enziguri knocked her to the floor.
Shida grabbed a chair and set it up to propel herself at Jay, 2.0 ran in the way (again right in front of the ref), Jay got two after hitting a ddt on the outside. Shida fought off the Queenslayer, Jay applied it again, dragging her back center, Shida broke out and grabbed the ropes.
Clearly something went wrong there since they went back to the Queenslayer and Shida carried Jay up the ropes on her back, dropping backwards from the middle, Falcon Arrow, Jay kicked out. Shida hit the Katana, Angelo Parker weirdly kind of interfered but didn’t during that pin. Strange moment to end a show chock full of horrible finishes.
We’ll look at the positive and say Jay at least beat somebody to get a shot and they told us about it on Collision.
Tonight’s Dynamite will be headlined by a tag team match featuring two of the most popular tag teams in the world – The Hardys vs The Young Bucks. The last time these two teams wrestled each other was at last year’s Double or Nothing when the Hardys came out on top.
Former WWE and ECW champion Rob Van Dam returns to action as well as he takes on Jack Perry for the FTW title. Van Dam has claimed that if he wins, he will retire the title.
Also set for tonight, new AEW Women’s champion Hikaru Shida defends against Anna Jay and Lucha Bros take on Blackpool Combat Club.
Plus, we’ll hear from MJF and Adam Cole ahead of their title match at All In and there will be a “mandatory meeting” between the members of the Jericho Appreciation Society.
The Young Bucks appeared on the Swerve City Podcast and discussed The Elite re-signing with AEW, staying with the company for the foreseeable future.
Matt and Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page made a pact to stick together and negotiate new contracts together, but the four didn’t always agree on the votes if they should stay in AEW or go to WWE.
Dismissing the reports that people thought it was obvious they would stay in AEW, Matt said, “The votes did not line up every time. There were a lot of emotions in the last year, as the world knows. So one day this person’s voting to leave, this person’s voting to go. We weren’t even on the same page the whole time.”
WWE were interested in bringing the group over although they couldn’t technically offer them any deals as they were still under an AEW contract.
The Elite moving to WWE would have been a major blow to AEW but after Cody Rhodes left, the company avoided another major upset by offering the four mega money deals.
Matt said that the group signed “NBA-level” contracts, calling it “pretty crazy.” He also admitted that WWE is helping everyone being hot because the whole industry keeps gaining momentum and that enables them to negotiate better deals.
On his latest Impaulsive YouTube podcast, Logan Paul was full of praise for both his opponent Ricochet and his girlfriend and Raw ring announcer Samantha Irvin.
Calling it a night to remember due to his match and then joining his brother in Dallas for his boxing match against Nate Diaz, Paul said he was exhausted before the night even started because he knew the weight he had to pull from his end at SummerSlam and then the worry of making it to Dallas in time.
Paul said that he was part of the most-viewed social clip which was Irvin announcing him as the winner.
“There’s a video of her announcing me winning the match after, ‘And your winner is Logan Paul,'” he explained. “And she has just a look of torture and sadness, despair on her face, but it’s still delivering that energy of a ring announcer and I think that clip got like 30 million plus views or so.”
Paul said that Ricochet “is so good” that he made it easy to look good and thinks the fans responded well to the match they had.
“It was a fun match and I’m interested to see how this conversation continues in my WWE career story arc with this boxing weaving in. I want to hop back and forth, I don’t know if it’s ever been done,” he said.
It was announced this week that Paul will face Dillon Danis in a boxing match on October 14 in Manchester, England and that will be a pay-per-view on DAZN.
The post-SummerSlam Raw drew an average of 1,886,000 viewers, and while up 126,000 viewers from the prior week, it has to be considered a big disappointment for not hitting at least 2 million on this occasion.
The commercial-free first hour drew 1,960,000 viewers and then dropped to 1,880,000 viewers in the second hour and 1,820,000 viewers in the third and final hour. Just for comparison, last year’s post-SummerSlam Raw had 2,230,000 viewers.
Raw did 0.62, 0.60, and 0.60 in the hourly 18-49 demo for an average of 0.62, up 0.09 from the prior week. The show was #1 on both cable and network television, tripling the next show on cable in the charts. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
During their Q2 2023 earnings results conference call with investors, Endeavor announced that their acquisition of WWE is expected to wrap up towards mid-to-late September.
Once completed, Endeavor will create TKO Holdings Inc., a company valued at $21 billion combining WWE and UFC. The group, whose Executive Chairman will be Vince McMahon, will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the TKO symbol. Anyone owning WWE stock will be transferred to the new stock.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, the brains behind the whole operation and who will also serve as the boss of TKO, said that once the merger is complete, there will be several cost-savings cuts which will happen immediately.
WWE will still operate from their brand new corporate headquarters in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, but many jobs will be lost as certain departments will start doing the work for both. WWE employs over 700 people.
On her Twitch stream, one third of Damage Control, Dakota Kai, explained the madness of making it to SummerSlam after she was told to be in Detroit on the same day.
Kai said that Saturday was her “sleep day” and did not even set an alarm and put her phone in do not disturb mode before she slept. But much to her surprise, after waking up she found a ton of messages and missed calls waiting for her.
“My anxiety was just through the roof. I saw all of these missed calls, all these texts…and Bayley’s like… ‘We need you here!’”
The problem was there was only one flight which was going to land in Detroit in time for the show and the airline was Spirit. Needless to say, mechanical issues put the flight on a delay but she landed in Detroit during the broadcast.
Kai noted that she landed during the Gunther vs Drew McIntyre match and WWE sent her a car and a makeup artist to pick her up and get her makeup ready in the vehicle on the way to Ford Field, 20 miles away from the airport.
“Lucky it was semi-main because I definitely wouldn’t have made it, I don’t think,” Kai said.
Collision on Saturday night, going against SummerSlam and UFC Fight Night, drew just 417,000 viewers, down 255,000 viewers from the prior week. This was the second least-watched episode of Collision so far. The show drew a 0.13 rating in the 18-49, down 0.14 from last week. It placed #16 on the chart. Collision was headlined by CM Punk vs Ricky Starks for the “real” AEW World title. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
Tonight’s NXT will be headlined by a North American title match which will also feature an appearance by Rey Mysterio.
Dominik Mysterio will be putting up his North American title on the line against Dragon Lee and while Rhea Ripley will be in the corner of Dirty Dom, the WWE Hall of Famer will be back to face his son while he stays in Lee’s corner.
Also announced for tonight are Tyler Bate vs Noam Dar in a Heritage Cup rules match, Bron Breakker takes on Von Wagner, Axiom battles Mustafa Ali, and two women’s matches featuring Kelani Jordan vs Blair Devenport and Ivy Nile vs Kiana James.
Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that Roman Reigns got injured in the opening minutes of the main event match at SummerSlam and worked the rest of the match hurt.
It’s believed that Reigns got hurt when Jey went for a suicide dive and landed on Roman’s back/side while Roman was still not on his feet. Reigns looked in visible pain and replays show that he uttered something to Jey after the move. Reigns kept holding his side and was then driven through the steel steps. A referee then immediately checked on Reigns.
Despite his injury, the main event match dragged to 36 minutes and Reigns completed the match as expected.
The Tribal Chief will now be on Smackdown this Friday where he will participate in a “Hail to the Chief” segment.
His SummerSlam match was his first WWE Undisputed Universal title defense on television since WrestleMania 39 against Cody Rhodes.
Rampage on Friday night, headlined by a parking lot fight, drew 434,000 viewers, up by a considerable 110,000 viewers compared to last week. The show did a 0.14 rating in 18-49, up by 0.04 from the last show, and placed #8 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
When the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, told the world on his X social media platform that he’s going with the WWE as his fighting style for his “fight” against Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, you knew WWE was going to butt in.
Musk retweeted a video of Jey Uso doing a splash on Roman Reigns from SummerSlam and wrote, “Am going with @WWE as my fighting style.”
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque responded to the SpaceX, Tesla, and X owner writing, “Say the word, @elonmusk. I know a thing or two about making an X sign.” Triple H also included a GIF of him doing the DX crotch chop.
Musk and Zuckerberg have been feuding online not only with their competing platforms but also for an alleged upcoming cage fight which Musk said X would stream with all proceeds going to a charity for veterans.
Zuck replied on his new Threads platform, suggesting that they should use a “more reliable platform that can actually raise money for charity” instead.
“I’m ready today. I suggested Aug 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn’t confirmed,” the Meta owner said. “Not holding my breath.”
The WWE, an iconic powerhouse in sports entertainment, has had its fair share of memorable moments. From iconic catchphrases that once echoed through arenas to jaw-dropping stunts that left us breathless, there’s a treasure trove of special moments the WWE should consider resurrecting.
While wrestling has continuously evolved, some of the most awesome practices from yesteryears may have fallen into the shadows. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to revisit some awesome events that WWE should consider bringing back.
Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania
Back in 2005, the WWE had a genius idea to pump up the excitement of WrestleMania with a new event called the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. This thrilling contest had multiple wrestlers battling it out to get their hands on a special briefcase containing a championship contract. It was a massive hit, drawing in countless fans to WWE.
The rise in fans was also registered in another relatable field; WWE betting. Initially, most markets were on choosing the potential winner of a one-on-one match and now fans had a more exciting event to bet on which included 5-10 participants. Some of the top casino sites in the UK which also have a sportsbook section, offered this and several other markets for players to bet on. By introducing Money In The Bank, the WWE made its betting scene even more vibrant.
The event was also influenced by the previous success of TLC matches, making it an instant fan favorite. But what made it even more exciting was the unique twist—the winner could cash in the contract for a title shot anytime within the following year, adding the element of suspense.
Over time, WWE tried different approaches to ensure more wrestlers had a chance to shine at WrestleMania like big tag team matches and the André the Giant Battle Royal. However, none of these alternatives could match the thrill of the original Money in the Bank ladder match on WrestleMania’s grand stage.
King of the Ring
The King of the Ring was a thrilling event featuring intense one-on-one matches among fifteen to sixteen wrestlers in a single elimination bracket. Each victor progresses to face another, leading to the ultimate King of the Ring. This memorable three-hour pay-per-view tradition offered more than just the tournament; it had an exciting lineup with matches that left fans wanting more.
The tournament style allowed for fresh rivalries and captivating storylines, and the unpredictability added excitement, especially with the winner earning a shot at the number one spot in SummerSlam.
Over the years, the King of the Ring has catapulted many WWE wrestlers to superstardom, like Stone Cold, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar. Even established stars find winning the King of the Ring rejuvenating, providing an opportunity to reinvent themselves and reach new heights in their careers, all the more reason it should make a comeback in the WWE.
Non-scripted Promos
In today’s WWE, fans are frustrated with the lack of individuality among superstars due to excessive scripting. Gone are the Attitude Era days, when charismatic stars like The Rock and Mick Foley had more creative freedom. Now, performances feel insincere, lacking the authentic connection with the audience that once made them memorable.
In the past, wrestlers engaged with the crowd, adding personality and believability to their acts. It makes one wonder if today’s legends could reach the same heights under such stringent control or if WWE would have emerged victorious in the epic Monday Night Wars against WCW.
A great example is from one of the greatest promo artists of all time—Stone Cold Steve Austin. He understands the value of speaking from the heart and captivating the fans, creating unforgettable moments. Take his iconic “Austin 3:16” promo after winning the King of the Ring in 1996, where he said, “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your a**,” a catchphrase that still resonates today.
Rare Encounters
It’s well-known that in the world of pro wrestling, rare encounters between wrestlers can make the matches all the more exciting. Vince McMahon, the big boss of WWE, once pointed out that less frequent appearances of certain wrestlers, like Brock Lesnar and Sting, actually make fans want to see them even more.
Remember when The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, two legendary wrestlers, faced each other at WrestleMania 25? What made this showdown so special was that it had been 11 years since their last singles match back in 1998. Keeping iconic wrestlers like Stone Cold and The Rock apart for long periods also added to the hype. They only had a few one-on-one pay-per-view matches, which turned out to be some of the most epic clashes in WWE history.
Let’s compare this with more recent feuds, like John Cena versus Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose against Bray Wyatt. When these rivalries started in 2014, they faced each other weekly for three months straight! It felt like we saw them every time we turned on the TV, often in regular singles matches and sometimes even in special gimmick matches.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting that Brian Pillman Jr is scheduled to be at NXT tonight after signing a contract with WWE.
Pillman recently left AEW after the company opted not to renew his contract. He last wrestled for AEW at a non-televised live event in mid-May.
During a recent virtual signing, Pillman said that a huge opportunity is in the works, an opportunity which will enable him to continue making memories and sharing his version of professional wrestling.
“There is a lot to come. I can’t speak on it right now. It’s kind of in the works, but I’ve got a huge moment, a huge opportunity, coming up in my career,” Pillman said.
Friday Night Smackdown for the SummerSlam go-home episode drew 2,248,000 viewers, down 75,000 viewers from the previous week. The show did a 0.63 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 0.01 from the prior week and easily won the night on both network and cable television. Smackdown did 2,151,000 viewers in both hours in the overnight numbers. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
The New Day – the team of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods – made their return to WWE television last night on Raw, defeating The Viking Raiders in their first match back together in months.
Kingston suffered an ankle injury in early March during an episode of Smackdown and had to undergo surgery, a surgery which was done on March 17 at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
While Woods wrestled as a singles for a few weeks, the UpUpDownDown host has not appeared on television since mid-May, with his last match coming on Raw against Dominik Mysterio.
The curse of the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles has struck again as one half of the current champs, Sonya Deville, is out indefinitely after she tore her ACL.
In a video posted on the X social media platform, Deville said she got injured on Friday night in the tag match against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair and will be undergoing surgery today.
She noted that this is her first injury in wrestling and comes at a time where she had been working for the last eight years to win a title.
“Obviously, it’s super disappointing and it couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Deville said. “But I don’t think any injury comes at a great time. That’s just how the cookie crumbles.”
What happens to the Women’s Tag Team titles remains to be seen now but it is highly likely they will be vacated again.
Reacting to the news, her tag team partner Chelsea Green posted a broken heart emoji. This was the first title for both of them in WWE.
