Two more matches were added to the Battle of the Belts III broadcast which will be taped tomorrow night after the live Rampage.
The one-hour show will now have Thunder Rosa defending the AEW Women’s title against Jaime Hayter and Wardlow defending the TNT title against Jay Lethal.
These two matches join the Claudio Castagnoli vs Konosuke Takeshita for the ROH World title which was announced last week.
Battle of the Belts III will air this Saturday night at 8PM ET on TNT.
Arena: The Schottenstein Center
City: Columbus, Ohio
Finally the AEW game’s available for pre-order (at least in the US). Curious to see what it’s like after such a long wait. Though still a bit dubious of the December 31st release date, seems a bit fishy.
But enough of that.
It’s Wednesday night, it’s Dynamite. Let’s go.
Orange Cassidy vs Jay Lethal
Backstory: Cassidy beat Lethal etc., pinning Sonjay Dutt in a six-man Friday & was attacked after
Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone on comms. They’ve definitely done away with the ‘you know what that means’ tagline.
Loud ‘freshly squeezed’ chants kicked us off, Orange in control with a headlock and a series of armdrags before stopping dead as Lethal tried to respond, the latter hitting the mat to a loud pop. Quick sequence of his patented duck-unders/dive-overs culminated in a tope suicida, Jay crawling up the ramp being ‘drilled’ with Orange-kicks. The crowd loves them some Cassidy.
Distracted by Satnam Singh, who was banned from ringside but not the top of the ramp, this brought out the Best Friends, 90s-sitcom-style, Trent on Chuck’s shoulders with a long trenchcoat. Trentcoat?
Returning Lethal to the ring, Cassidy struck with a diving cross body but Lethal hooked a dragon screw and began working the leg against the steps on the outside.
An avalanche dragon-screw led into the figure 4 as we returned, Orange quickly rolling to the ropes to another crowd ovation. Dragged back in from the apron via superplex, Cassidy flipped it into a Stundog Millionaire, Lethal responded with a Lethal Combination as Cassidy went for the swinging ddt.
The diving elbow was next. Or would’ve been. Cassidy rolled away, Jay pursued, chops in the corner leading to strikes from Cassidy and a diving ddt from the top, a swinging ddt, a two count, and the lining up of the Orange Punch. Leg buckling, a smarmy Lethal stalked Cassidy but nearly paid for it after a beach break, Jay avoided another OP, a third, kick to the knee, Lethal Injection.
Kept waiting for Orange to kick out. He didn’t. This was a clean win for Jay over one of the most popular guys in the company, a guy who twice defeated Chris Jericho. And here I was thinking Lethal’s been getting way too much tv time when guys like Miro and Malakai can’t even sniff it.
Though the reason why became obvious next, as Dutt took to the mic: Lethal was being ‘built’ for Wardlow. This better be leading to Singh eating a powerbomb, or is yet another waste of Wardlow’s time. Match set for Battle of the Belts III, Saturday. Almost no reaction from the crowd, though they did get to chanting ‘Wardloooow’ and popped for the big guy. Though not as loudly as Cassidy, it’s worth noting.
WINNER: Jay Lethal
Brief Hook recap vid. To give Exclalibur his props, ‘El Guapo Diablo’ is worlds better than ‘Cold-hearted handsome devil’.
‘You know it’s all about the…’ Undisputed Elite returning. Cole referred to himself as the leader: ‘loyalty is everything, which brings me to this trios tournament’. With himself & Kyle still not cleared, he told the Bucks that if they weren’t picking Bobby, they weren’t allowed to do the tournament. ‘Sorry, what I meant to say, is you guys won’t be physically capable of doing the tournament.’ Cue: Bucks beatdown. Readying the chair ‘round the throat, Hangman’s music hit to LOUD ‘cowboy s***’ chants. Tony called Cole and co. ‘termites’ as they fled. Offering a hand, Page helped Matt to his feet, then abruptly left.
Moxley promo. Fantastic as usual. Discussed a variety of horrendous ways to hurt people. Doesn’t care who wins, friend or foe. ‘When they show up next week, they’d better be ready.’ Not sure this justifies promoting a Mox segment however.
Footage aired of Jungle Boy – who ‘wasn’t supposed to be here’, trying to attack Christian earlier.
ThunderStorm vs Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter
Backstory: Both faces have had prbs w Britt, who’s trying to sew discord
Rosa was rocking a ‘sandbagging’ tee, about as insider as it gets. She and the Dr. began to the tune of dueling chants, Britt immediately looking for the Lockjaw, Rosa escaping into a backdrop, Britt heading for Hayter, also drilled by Rosa as she entered, eating a pair of leaping dropkicks while draped across the ropes.
Quick tags kept Jamie in the good girls’ corner, Hardy-style combo offense culminating in a double suplex for a count of two before a dead crowd. Distracted by Baker, the heels took over, drilling Rosa in the corner and keeping her there as the ads arrived.
Still stuck as we returned, Rosa struck with a stunner to Hayter as Storm came in with a diving cross body off the top, then another, before an awkward-looking waterwheel drop and a tag back to Rosa. Preparing another double suplex, Hayter instead suplexed both faces, to a loud cheer, bringing Britt back in as Rebel distracted Storm, leading to an avalanche air-raid crash and a curb stomp for an ultra-close 2.
A melee followed with all four girls laid out on the mat, briefly waking the crowd to the obligatory ‘this is awesome’ chant as ThunderStorm struck with synchronized Germans, Toni following up with a flurry of brutal-looking hip attacks until Britt pulled Rosa in the way of the last one, allowing Hayter to hit a lariat for the 1,2,3 as the heels – far more over than the faces – celebrated.
Had its moments.
WINNER: Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker
If I didn’t already love Eddie Kingston… The Mad King thankfully, mercifully cutting short an ostensibly faux-awful but in reality just awful Sammy/Tay engagement video. In his usual original, ultra-intense style, revealing that there’s a contract coming Sammy’s way to face him at the ppv. ‘Sign it!’
Will Hobbs vs Ren Jones
Backstory: Hobbs turned on Ricky Starks last week
Taz permanently shut-down Team Taz as Hobbs made his entrance. To new music, similar to the old but not as good. The big fella gets better every time we see him. Size, physique, presence, mic skills, ring skills… dude has it all.
This one ended quickly, Hobbs talking trash about Ricky Starks as he went about it, bringing Starks running to the ring as the post-match bell sounded. A heated brawl before a heated crowd ensued, Starks eating a Spinebuster after the ref got in the way. The most heated heel/face dynamic all night. Easily.
WINNER: Will Hobbs
Miro video. Wondered whether his God had sent the ‘messenger’ (Malakai), ‘in the end, everyone reveals themselves.’
Then Darby. Revealed that he’d brought Brody to the company, asking Tony Khan to hire him, while supposedly tattooing his hand with ‘the coffin shuts on Brody King.’ Must’ve been handy for Malakai that Brody King just turned up one day. ‘Brody, whatever are you doing here? Fancy a coffee?’, ‘Love one Mr Black, how’s that faction going?’ ‘Funny you should ask…’
Christian vs Matt Hardy
Backstory: Hardy defended Jungle Boy, attacked by Luchasaurus (mks no sense if LS is babyface, so presumably he’s not) at Christian’s behest
Jim Ross joined on comms, unable to resist the allure of a match which peaked a quarter of a century ago. It’s the clash of the immovable objects. As in, they won’t move from our tv screens. Christian at least is still good between the ropes.
Ducking out as Hardy arrived, Christian made Hardy pursue him; it didn’t work until Cage caught Matt with an uppercut as he attacked in the corner. Christian took a nasty bump from the top onto the apron as it spilled outside and we were reminded that this isn’t even their first meeting in AEW.
‘Delete’ face-plants into the corner briefly woke the crowd as JR interrupted that ‘we just need a Dudley as a referee.’ No. We. Do. Not. Please.
Dumping Hardy into the ring steps, Cage followed with a running knee, meaning the break beckoned.
Welcoming us back with a superplex, Matt crawled to a two-count, both fighting their way up off their knees, back body drop from Hardy, ‘10’ punches in the corner, diving elbow smash from the middle rope, ‘delete delete delete’, Christian countered with a pendulum kick but was flung from the top with another back body drop, Hardy following with a diving elbow drop for another two.
Countering out of the Killswitch, Matt was dropped neck-first across the ropes as Christian landed a diving headbutt from the top but was then hit with the Side Effect for another close 2. And another followed on the apron.
Here things took a turn though, Hardy looking for a diving elbow with Christian laid across a table, but Cage moved, dragged Matt back inside, Killswitch, victory. Not gonna ‘delete’ what I wrote earlier. Accountability and all that. This was a very enjoyable match. Christian took some crazy bumps – the diving headbutt in particular needs to go – and clearly both vets have a lot of pride and wanted to put on a show. They did.
About to go to work with a chair, Cage fled as Jungle Boy, who’d ‘bought a ticket’, hit the ring.
WINNER: Christian
Daniel Garcia promo. Called himself ‘the Dragon Slayer’, promised to slay Danielson again when he returns.
Another of those Pac title defences. They finally referred to the front-row-guy-with-the-bag-over-his-head as Kip Sabian (hell of a way to pay off months of ‘build’), so it looks like that’s where the Bastard is heading next.
All Ego was in the ring.
‘Why?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Why is Ethan Page not on TV? Ethan Page deserves better.’ This drew cheers until Page heeled on the crowd. Stokely Hathaway, waiting patiently for the rant to finish, whispered in Ethan’s ear then offered a business card, Page kept it, leaving with Hathaway.
Anna Jay & that tag team who’re in the JAS (genuinely can’t remember their names) promo promoting the main event and next week’s AEW title match. Not into much of this Sports Entertainment ‘banter’, but legit LOL’d at ‘AEW Galaxy’. That was funny. It closed with Anna ‘snapping’ again, choking out a cameraman with her legs wrapped around as JR wisecracked ‘what a way to go’ and Taz laughed.
Acclaimed vs Gunn Club, Dumpster Match
Backstory: Shrt version: they were all teaming ‘til Gunn Club turned on the Acclaimed
This might just be the first dumpster match since ‘Mania 14, and the first serious outing for Billy Gunn’s Boys.
Cutting-in as the Ass Boys were making their entrance, the Acclaimed laid out Daddy Ass then his seedlings with a trash can. Cue the music: ‘No filter, I ain’t Instagram, we make the Ass Boys retire like Vince McMahon’.
‘J.R. I’ve never called a dumpster match before, do they typically start with raps?’ quipped Excalibur.
Fighting on the ramp, Bowens suplexed both Boys, ate a boot from Colton and a double-team powerbomb into the dumpster. Caster followed. But the lid wasn’t shut. And it needs to be.
Double-teaming Caster on the stage when we returned, Bowens intervened but was drilled with a Colt 45. That looked sore. With Bowens draped over a table, Austin climbed the entrance tunnel but Bowens moved, Caster sneaking up behind, flinging Austin off the top into a dumpster very clearly filled with polystyrene (not complaining, just noting), then landing a huge Mic Drop elbow off the tunnel, through Colton, and that very same table.
Into the dumpster he went, lid shut, game over.
Copying what led to the original dumpster match, they then flung the Ass-Boys-filled dumpster off the stage. Unlike in ’98, we immediately moved on. Guess they’re fine.
There wasn’t much to this, we didn’t see much of what there was, but it had the right result.
With the fans solidly behind them, the Acclaimed are poised for the proverbial ‘push’. Assuming they can dislodge heavyweights such as Tony Nese and Mark Sterling from the title picture.
WINNER: Acclaimed
On the subject, Nese and Josh Woods (still have no idea who he is and they haven’t explained) will face the champs on Rampage. Footage of Mance Warner (ditto) winning at Ric Flair’s Last Match aired, he’ll face Mox on Rampage. Recent signee Madison Rayne will debut.
Jericho vs Yuta, Winner gets title shot next week
Backstory: Yuta manipulated Jericho into putting his shot on the line in a fantastic segment Friday
Jericho came with backing, so Claudio’s music kicked in just before we kicked off. Leaving he and ‘Daddy Magic’ or whatever at ringside.
Flying out the blocks, trash talking quickly led to a flick to Jericho’s broken nose, a double leg and punches and chops in the corner until Jericho bailed. Yuta in hot pursuit, they brawled around ringside. More accurately, Yuta kicked Jericho’s ass around ringside, hurling him back in just as Jericho’s flunkies grabbed his boot, leading to their dismissal.
Taking advantage, Jericho crotched the youngster on the ropes. And we all know what the heel taking over means. Break time.
Still in control as we returned, Jericho had the youngster down in the middle but after whipping him in, ate a boot to the face, a Manhattan drop and a step-up enziguri, followed up by a very nice clothesline/bulldog-looking move from the top, kipping up to roars from the crowd, until the two collided in mid-air looking for cross-bodies.
Yay/Boo palmstrikes brought them back to their feet, Yuta locking his hands to deliver a flood of German suplexes, not stopping until the veteran countered-out, locking in the Walls of Jericho slap-bang in the middle. After Yuta made the crawl to the ropes, Jericho bickered with Aubrey and was elevated over the top to the outside. Tres tope suicida followed and a diving cross body led to a count of two.
Caught rebounding off the ropes, Yuta ate a double underhook backbreaker and a clothesline but got the knees up on a Lionsault. Countering back, Jericho turned a leap from the top into the Codebreaker for a two of his own. Then tried to rub salt with hammer and anvil elbows but Yuta again targeted the broken nose to escape, locking in the Regal Stretch as Jericho desperately grasped at Floyd. Though Aubrey was a step ahead, snatching the bat away.
Or was she? The vet using the distraction to land more-bang-to-your-balls, lining up the Judas Effect only for Yuta to duck, countering into a seatbelt pin for a two which no-one really bought, Jericho rolling out into the Lion Tamer for the tap and the loudly-cheered win.
This was good but never felt as intense as the two excellent matches we saw last week. Definitely hurt by the fact that it was too obvious who’d be facing Moxley next week. Otherwise, following last week’s upset, the crowd might’ve been more into it.
Post-match, Le Champion refused to relinquish the hold, wrenching-back deeper. You know what’s coming. Wild Thing blared and Jericho bailed. Grabbing the mic, Jericho, the last survivor of the Dungeon, vowed to ‘stretch the sh**’ out of Mox next week.
WINNER: Jericho
Next Rampage (live):
• Mox vs Mance Warner
• Swerve in our Glory vs Tony Nese & Josh Woods, Street Fight
• Madison Rayne debut
Battle of the Belts:
• Claudio vs Takeshita, ROH title
• Wardlow vs Jay Lethal, TNT title
• Rosa vs Hayter, AEW Women’s title
Next Dynamite:
• Jericho vs Mox, AEW Title
• Brody King vs Darby Allin, Coffin Match
• Lucha Bros vs Rush & Andrade, Tornado Tag
• Jade Cargill open challenge for TBS title
Overall impressions
Pretty meh. There was some enjoyable wrestling, though nothing to blow you away. Mox’s promo was excellent but they nearly always are. You could’ve easily skipped this, tuned in next week and not been the worse for it. And with the momentum shifting, that isn’t good enough.
Check Out…
• Nothing
Thanks for reading.
AEW Dynamite returns tonight on TBS with five matches already announced for the broadcast and a main event which will have implications on next week’s show.
The main match tonight will be between Chris Jericho and Wheeler Yuta as whoever wins will move on to face Jon Moxley next week for the interim AEW World title.
Other matches announced include Orange Cassidy vs Jay Lethal, a dumpster match between The Acclaimed and Gunn Club, Matt Hardy battles Christian Cage, Thunder Rosa teams up with Toni Storm to take on Britt Baker and Jaime Hayter, and Powerhouse Hobbs will also be in action.
Plus, the Undisputed Elite make their return following Adam Cole’s injury at Forbidden Door in June.
AEW star Shawn Spears and former WWE and Impact Wrestling star Cassie Lee announced that they are expecting their first child together.
The news was shared via a video on Lee’s Instagram where she surprised her husband with the news. “Can’t wait to meet you,” the former IIconics tag team member wrote. The post was met with joy from several current and former colleagues of Lee and Spears.
The video has been recorded a while ago as in one of the photos in the end part of the video shows a sizable baby bump. The two have been married since August 2019.
A few months ago, Lee and her tag team partner Jessie McKay announced that they were stepping away from wrestling and Impact Wrestling let them go. They did not give a reason why they were leaving but this seems like a very valid reason why!
NXT crowned new Women’s Tag Team champions last night with Katana Chance and Kayden Carter winning the titles in a four-way match which also had the participation of Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz, and Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley.
The spectacular ending came when Carter gave Jayc Jayne a neck breaker followed instantly by a 450 splash from the top rope by Chance, who covered for the pin. The two were overcome with emotion after they won with both crying as they were handed the titles.
The Women’s Tag titles were vacated a few weeks ago after Cora Jade turned on her tag team partner Roxanne Perez a week after the two won the titles from Toxic Attraction. Jade then dumped her title in the trash, prompting an appearance from WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze last week who announced the four-way match to crown the new champions.
Chance and Carter have been tag teaming for several years in NXT and this is the first title that they have held in WWE so far.
THQ Nordic has launched the website for the AEW Fight Forever video game which finally went on pre-sale yesterday. The release date for the game is listed for December 31, 2022.
The website highlights the arcade feeling, career mode, customization, match types, and online co-op as the most important features. The highly anticipated game, developed by YUKE’S, has reportedly cost over $1 million to produce and is over budget and delayed. It will be available for PS4, PS5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch.
A 26-second teaser, 20 seconds of which are intro logos for THQ, YUKE’S, and AEW, doesn’t show much except for CM Punk, Britt Baker, Chris Jericho, Jade Cargill, Jon Moxley, and Kenny Omega as images, and not even as their playable characters.
The website also has seven still images from the game and you can see it at https://aew.thqnordic.com/
The post-SummerSlam Raw saw a huge increase in ratings, becoming the most-watched Raw since March 16, 2020, the first episode of Raw from the WWE PC without fans. The show drew a total of 2,223,000 viewers, up 329,000 viewers from the previous week.
The first hour did a big number with 2,433,000 viewers, followed by 2,288,000 viewers in the second hour, and then down considerably to 1,969,000 viewers in the third hour. With hour one starting so high, Raw lost 464,000 viewers along the way from start to finish.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart for the night in the 18-49 demo, with 0.65, 0.62, and 0.56 respectively for an average of 0.61, up 0.11 from the previous week and the best number since April 4, 2022. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW is making some changes to its talent relations team, promoting four and adding another one to the team.
Madison Rayne, the former five-time Impact Knockouts champion, has joined All Elite Wrestling as a new coach in the women’s division. She starts her new role tonight in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Sonjay Dutt has been promoted to Vice President of Production and Creative Coordination. His role will see him coordinate communication of AEW storylines, lease between post-production and key staff to maintain content workflow, produce content, and mentor new producers. He’s been working for AEW since last year.
QT Marshall is now Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination where he will manage show elements including planning programs and storylines, character development, overseeing extras, and live event logistics. He’s been with AEW since 2019.
Pat Buck, who joined AEW after he quit WWE following WrestleMania 38, is now the Vice President of Talent Development. He will lease with talent and production, oversee all coaches, provide input on matches and promos, and lead the talent relations team.
Tony Schiavone has been promoted to Senior Producer and Special Advisor to Talent. He will work directly with talent as part of the talent relations team.
WWE will be holding a free WrestleMania Launch Party at SoFi Stadium on Thursday, August 11 starting at 7PM PT.
The free admission party will feature live in-ring matches and interviews with WWE Superstars, celebrity appearances, official WWE merchandise and more. Attendees will receive a commemorative WrestleMania souvenir ticket while supplies last.
The event will give fans an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to WrestleMania before they become available to the general public the following day.
The WrestleMania Launch Party will feature some of the hottest stars from the entertainment world including Snoop Dogg, JoJo Siwa, and Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias. In addition, WWE Superstars scheduled to appear that evening include Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Becky Lynch, The Miz, Maryse, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, The Usos, Theory, The Street Profits, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Corey Graves, Dominik Mysterio and Ricochet.
Fans interested in free admission and parking at the WrestleMania Launch Party can register at https://www.SoFiStadium.com/wmparty.
WWE Chairwoman and co-CEO Stephanie McMahon announced that last weekend’s SummerSlam was the most-watched SummerSlam in company history.
“During the week we surpassed 90M subscribers and 70B lifetime video views on YouTube, and 18M followers on TikTok,” Stephanie said. “We were also proud to be the first brand that Epic Games rolled out across three games simultaneously: Fall Guys, Rocket League and Fortnite, timed to coincide with our Premium Live Event.”
Steph sent a special thank you to the Tennessee Titans, Nissan Stadium, Xfinity, Samaritan, Wildhorse Saloon, Pure Life, Cricket Wireless, Nutrabolt, DraftKings, Constellation Brands, Papa Johns, the entire Nashville LOC, as well as WWE Superstars, the crews and teams behind the scenes and the WWE Universe who she said none of the successes of this past weekend would have been possible without.
Week four of the WWE block on A&E Network saw the focus on Olympic gold medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.
Biography: Kurt Angle drew 406,000 viewers and a 0.11 rating in the 18-49 demo, placing it in #32 in the top 50 cable chart. That is down 14,000 viewers from the Bella Twins episode from last week and 0.01 down in the 18-49.
Rivals: Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar followed Biography and drew 361,000 viewers and a 0.09 rating in 18-49. It was #39 on the top 50 cable chart. That is down 62,000 viewers from Austin vs Rock last week and down 0.06 in 18-49.
Smack Talk finished the night with 208,000 viewers and a 0.06 in 18-49, placing #72. That is also down 4,000 viewers from last week and 0.01 down in 18-49. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE today announced the appointment of Craig Stimmel as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Partnerships. Stimmel, who previously held leadership roles across Snapchat, Procter and Gamble and NCR, will report to WWE Chairwoman & co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and WWE co-CEO Nick Khan.
As head of WWE’s Global Sales & Partnerships division, Stimmel will be a key member of the company’s senior management team, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and leading WWE’s sales organization while expanding its roster of sponsors and promotional partnerships.
Stimmel spent the last three years as Head of Global Brands at Snapchat, where he was responsible for creating and leading the company’s Global Brand organization. Prior to that, Stimmel served in various leadership positions across Procter and Gamble, including overseeing partnerships and marketing ideation for the company’s Media Investment team.
Stimmel earned his Bachelor of Science in Business-Accounting from the University of Dayton.
Roman Reigns made history by surpassing 700 days as WWE Universal champion in one reign, a reign which started back at Payback in August 30, 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
This is Reigns’ second run with the Universal title, a title he actually never lost as the first run ended when he surrendered it after he announced the leukemia has returned. His first reign ended after 63 days after he won it from Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018, ending Brock Lesnar’s 503-day run as champion. With both runs, Roman Reigns has been Universal champion for 764 days and counting.
“For over 700 days, you’ve sat at MY table and enjoyed MY body of work,” Reigns tweeted. “It’s not over, I’m not finished, but if you’ve waited until this point to do so… #AcknowledgeME.”
When it comes to men, only Bruno Sammartino (2,803 days and 1,237 days), Pedro Morales (1,027 days), Bob Backlund (1,470 days), and Hulk Hogan (1,474 days) held a WWE title more than he did.
Reigns has also held the WWE title for the past 120 days, winning it from Lesnar at WrestleMania this year.
Ronda Rousey has been “fined” and “suspended” for her actions at SummerSlam where she attacked a referee following the disputed finish against Liv Morgan.
Rousey made Morgan tap while she was in a pin position and the referee did not see Morgan tapping out, but counted down to three as Ronda’s shoulders were on the mat. Rousey attacked Morgan after the match was over and then unloaded on the referee.
“Following her attack on referee Dan Engler at SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey has been fined an undisclosed amount and will be suspended,” WWE wrote. “Due to her suspension, Rousey will not appear on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.”
Rousey is advertised for the Clash at the Castle show in Cardiff next month so her “suspension” should not last very long.
It was not a good Friday night for Rampage as the show did just 375,000 viewers for the latest episode, down 53,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. This was the least-watched Rampage in its regular time slot ever. In the 18-49 demo, the show did a 0.11, down 0.06 from the previous week and finished #23 on the cable chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The AEW video game Fight Forever is now available for pre-order on Amazon and other websites with a release date of December 31, 2022.
Out for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, and PC, the game is being sold for $59.99.
The product description reads, “Developed by YUKE’s Co, Ltd., creators of numerous, multi-million unit selling wrestling games, AEW: Fight Forever combines that nostalgic arcade-wrestler feel with innovative All Elite Wrestling finishers and tandem offensive moves. Online co-op wrestling is going completely next level in Fight Forever with Tag Team matches that feature sequences of team maneuvers performed with simple commands. A deep career mode, wrestler customization, signature AEW arenas, multiple match types and more match types than you can count, including some good ol’ fashioned, unsanctioned fun, all await!”
The SummerSlam go-home episode of Smackdown drew a total of 2,193,000 viewers on FOX, down 63,000 viewers from the previous week. The show did a 0.52 in the 18-49 demo and was #1 by a wide margin on both network and cable television. That was down 0.10 from the prior week. In the overnight numbers, Smackdown did 2,104,000 viewers in the first hour and 2,016,000 viewers in the second hour. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Multiple industry insiders are reporting that Sasha Banks and Naomi have agreed to return to WWE. The news was originally broken by WrestlingNews.co.
Ever since McMahon resigned his position from the company, WWE’s talent relations, headed by Paul Levesque, has been working overtime trying to reach out to those names who either left or were let go in the past.
Communication with Banks and Naomi started quickly as the company realizes the star power behind the two and it’s believed that the former WWE Women Tag Team champions will be back on television soon.
In fact, the WWE social media has already started to drop hints, with one tweet yesterday saying, “With SummerSlam in the rearview, who will make the biggest statement tonight on WWE Raw?” Naomi used the Rear View as her finisher while Banks uses the Banks Statement. It’s a tactic that WWE used when also teasing Cody Rhodes’ arrival prior to WrestleMania.
Sasha and Naomi quit WWE two-and-a-half months ago. They handed over their titles to John Laurinaitis prior to Raw and following a meeting with Vince McMahon which went nowhere, decided to simply walk away.
While there were reports that both were released from their contract, WWE never made any official statement and their profiles remained on the active roster page. Both women removed references to WWE from their social media.
Football is the only sport that uses down markers and chains; hence they are pieces of equipment unique to the sport. During a game, the officials use them to assist in indicating down measures on the field. These are required to participate in an official football game and are also extensively used during practice.
Chains and down markers are two essential pieces of training equipment that you need to have available for your team’s sessions. If you want to purchase a football down markers chain set for your practice, you may do so at any internet retailer that carries this item.
Most people haven’t heard down markers if they’ve never played football. To clear up any misconceptions, I’ll review the basics of how markers work.
In football, a down marker is an item that is used to denote the down a team is currently playing on. Plaques indicating “1st down,” “2nd down,” “3rd down,” or “4th down” are shown since “downs” might refer to “first down,” “second down,” “third down,” or “fourth down.” The group of officials known as the chain gang and, more significantly, the box man are responsible for operating the down marker while a game is in progress.
The down marker is essential because it ensures that the players, coaches, supporters in the stadium, and officials are always aware of the current stage that their team’s drive is at. Because of this, the numbers on the down markers are shown in bright orange color on a black backdrop. This makes it simple for everybody in the stadium to understand what down the game is on.
The information shown by a down marker is easily accessible to viewers with the game score; hence, a down marker is not often shown on television broadcasts. As previously said, stadium patrons must be informed of what is happening throughout the game.
For every chain set to be functional, three posts must be connected. Each component comprises a metal rod coated in foam and cushioning and is often softened. This will guarantee player safety should they come into contact with a post. Every position provides a unique role.
The placement of one post denotes the beginning of the set of downs. This marker will feature a pad in the form of a triangle, and on top of that pad will be a circular indication. A second post, which often seems to be a replica of the first post, is positioned precisely 10 yards behind the first post. This indicates that the team currently has control of the football and has to get within four downs to avoid turning the ball over to the opposing side.
These two markers are linked together at the base by a chain that is precisely ten yards in length. The last post also referred to as the down marker, is used to denote the location of the line of scrimmage and the current down. This marker has complete freedom of movement between the other two markers.
Arena: Toyota Center
City: Houston, TX
Raw opens with Becky Lynch who comes out in a sling on her right arm, we are then showed highlights of SummerSlam.
She said at SummerSlam she finally remembered who she is. She said she went through 20 most painful minutes of her life after separating her shoulder but what was harder was realizing she was so detached from reality. She said the new era starts now but not before she gives thanks to the woman who pushed her to be her best this past year, Bianca Belair.
Bianca comes out and says you don’t define the man, you are the man, and they hug, and Becky says hold it down B, I will see you soon.
Bianca continues by saying she has respect for Becky Lynch and as Bianca continues about being ready for whomever is next to challenge her, in the back, cameras show Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai attacking Becky Lynch hitting her with a chair.
AJ Styles VS. Mustafa Ali VS. The Miz
Winner of this match will face the winner of another triple threat to face the US Champion Bobby Lashley
Ali DDT’s Styles on the floor, leaving him and the already injured Miz in the ring. As Ali goes for the 450 splash on the Miz, Styles comes back in the ring and grabs him after he lands on the Miz for the Styles Clash for the win.
Winner: AJ Styles
In the back, Bayley, Sky and Kai are walking and asked why they targeted Becky Lynch and Bayley said it’s not about her.
The Usos walk in and get asked about defending against the Mysterios just after SummerSlam. They said Mysterios are the 2s and we the ones.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins is out next. As Rollins was talking, he is interrupted by the Street Profits. Rollins told them they suck as a team and should break up. Rollins says 2 on 1 is not fair and the Profits say no problem and Ford runs to the ring and almost gets stomped but moved.
Seth Rollins VS. Montez Ford
Great match, ending saw Ford go for the frog splash but Rollins brought his knees up and then hits a stomp on Ford.
Winner: Seth Rollins
After the match, Rollins was going for another stomp, but Dawkins made the save.
Alexa Bliss VS. Asuka
As the match was going on, Bayley, Sky and Kai come in and attack both women.
Winner: No Contest
Bianca Belair comes in for the save and the three go running. Belair grabs a microphone and says I don’t care which one of you it is but I want a match with one of you tonight!
Winner will meet AJ Styles to see who faces Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship.
Dolph Ziggler VS. Ciampa VS. Chad Gable
With Dolph knocked outside Ciampa grabs Gable in the fairy tale ending for the win.
Winner: Ciampa
Edge comes out to talk and says thank you for the welcome. For the past few months, he has been a bit of an asshole but that changes now so now we get what we want. He says now it’s time to kill what he created. “I am going to end Judgment Day.”
The Mysterios are being interviewed in the back and asked about their championship match tonight and Rey warned Judgment Day that they have no idea what Edge can do. They are focused on one thing and that is becoming the tag team champions.
Action spills on the outside and Bayley and Dakota sit on the apron blocking Belair from getting back in the ring, this brings Asuka and Alexa Bliss out. As Belair goes for a boot, Sky ducks and rolls her up and tries to use the ropes for the pin but Bliss knocks her feet off and Bayley and Kai get on the apron trying to tell on Bliss and Bliss and Asuka jump on the apron on the other side.
Iyo Sky VS. Bianca Belair
Winner: No contest
Words are exchanged then they all come in the ring and begin fighting. Officials finally get the fight broken up and Bayley, Kai and Sky are finally out of the ring.
In the back, The Miz is trying to hype up Ciampa for his match with AJ Styles and Kevin Patrick comes in and says things did not go his way at SummerSlam. Miz says tonight isn’t about him, tonight is about this man Ciampa. Miz added that he used to respect AJ but he chose to support Logan Paul and not his fellow WWE Superstars so for that its going to be more satisfying when he beats him.
AJ Styles VS. Ciampa
Winner gets a shot at the United States Championship
Great match, multiple pin attempts, Styles hits a Styles Clash but Miz was able to grab Ciampa’s foot on the bottom rope. Styles goes after the Miz, Ciampa gets back in the ring and Styles was being held by the Miz, Styles breaks free just in time to beat the 10 count but gets a knee to the face from Ciampa then Ciampa hits the fairy tale ending for the win.
Winner: Ciampa
The Mysterios VS. The Usos for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship
Dominik fought off what was about to be a superplex from the top rope. But Usos got the tag and hit the 1 D for the win.
Winners and Still WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions: The Usos
After the match, the Judgment Day attack the Mysterios. Edge comes out and goes right after the Judgment Day. Edge goes to spear Balor, but Rhea Ripley shoved Dominik and knocks Balor out of the way and Edge spears Dominik.
