Speaking to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, one of AEW’s biggest stars, MJF, said that his current deal with AEW runs through January 2024 and did not hide the fact that he will be shopping for the highest bidder when time comes.
MJF noted that he would not re-sign with AEW before his contract expires unless they offer a ton of money and knows that WWE is super interested in his services.
He mentioned that he likes Bruce Pritchard and the two go back to his MLW days and thinks Pritchard has an amazing mind for the business and while he thinks what AEW is doing is fresh, he thinks WWE is doing great as well.
MJF revealed that WWE were interested in him before he signed with AEW but at the time he thought WWE would not let him be himself and that’s the biggest thing.
MJF also commented on Cody Rhodes leaving AEW and wished Rhodes a lot of luck, happiness, and a lot of money in WWE. MJF said that Rhodes was a big weapon in AEW’s arsenal and is interested to see what he does next.
“I respect what he is doing as a businessman. Quite frankly, by 2024, if people have an issue with me leaving to go make real money, then me and him are going to be fighting on the same exact island,” MJF told Helwani.
This week’s NXT drew 628,000 viewers, up 4,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. It was the third most-watched NXT of 2022. The show did the same 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demo as last week and was #29 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Five matches and two segments, including CM Punk’s first appearance since Revolution, will be part of tonight’s Dynamite on TBS.
The matches include Adam Cole vs Jay Lethal in what should be a great match, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley team up to take on The Varsity Blondes, Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia vs John Silver and Alex Reynolds, Red Velvet vs Leyla Hirsch with Kris Statlander banned from ringside, and a tornado tag team match with Matt and Jeff Hardy, Sting, and Darby Allin facing Private Party, The Butcher and The Blade.
Also, CM Punk returns and MJF will speak after costing his former sidekick Wardlow the TNT title last week.
JJ Dillon and Kevin Sullivan appeared on Steve Harvey’s Court television show on ABC after Dillon took Sullivan to “court” over $7,500 that he had loaned to him to buy a boat.
According to Kevin Sullivan, who worked in WCW as the Taskmaster, Dillon loaned him the money years back but there was never an agreement on paper to specify by when he should pay him back, especially after the former Four Horsemen manager said he could pay him “whenever.”
Judge Harvey, who is a fan of professional wrestling, ruled in favor of Dillon, forcing Sullivan to pay the money. But wait, there was a Dusty finish! Harvey finished off their case by saying that because of their long-standing friendship and for giving everyone thousands of hours of entertainment along the years, the court would pay the $7,500 instead, getting Sullivan off the hook.
AEW President Tony Khan said on Busted Open Radio that he will never run an AEW show during WrestleMania weekend, and the only reason they’re going ahead with the ROH Supercard of Honor is because people had already committed to it and had to do right by the fans.
Khan claimed that this is the first time that he is going to WrestleMania weekend. “It’s not normally something I would do. It’s not normally something AEW would do. It’s not something AEW would ever do and we’re not doing it,” Khan said, noting that he knows there will be a lot of people around the area.
Khan, who announced that he purchased Ring of Honor earlier this month, said that they will try to make this the best pay-per-view possible for the fans who purchased a ticket “even though it’s unusual to go into enemy territory and run a show that weekend.”
He said he wished he had television time to build the card but that’s the hand they were dealt with and he’s ready to go in 100%.
“I never expected to be talking about WrestleMania weekend and the logistics of the shows there,” Khan quipped.
Monday Night Raw on USA did a total of 1,769,000 viewers this week, up 69,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
The show started with 1,778,000 viewers, then increased to 1,870,000 viewers in the second hour, before closing the night with 1,659,000 viewers.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with 0.53, 0.49, and 0.49 ratings respectively for an average of 0.50, up 0.02 from last week. That was the highest 18-49 demo since October 4, 2021. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Baccarat is one of those casino games that appear straightforward at first glance, but if you go a little further, you’ll discover a plethora of techniques, variants, and rules that may be confusing. The game’s beginning remains a mystery.
Many people believe that baccarat originated in Italy in the 15th century and that the name เล่นบาคาร่า comes from the Italian word zero, as the face cards have no value.
Baccarat features a straightforward set of rules that can get followed by even the most inexperienced players. It’s a game of chance in which you must pick whether the player or the banker will win. There remains the alternative of a tie for those who get swayed by the increased odds.
Baccarat Players Useful Suggestions
Keep your cash in mind before commencing the game.
Know the rules:
Knowing the regulations is essential while playing baccarat online. Although online casinos have all of the game-playing decisions pre-programmed, understanding the rewards and restrictions makes it easier to pick what sort of wagers to place.
Establish your boundaries:
Baccarat is ideal if you want a fast-paced game. Players become so absorbed in the game that they overbet or play for long periods without pausing. Setting a bankroll is the first step before beginning to play.
Set a time limit in addition to a spending cap. It’s time to call it quits if you’ve lost your whole wagering sum. It’s also time to take a break if your time restriction has expired. Set a ceiling on the amount of money you can win as well. It’s time to call it a day if you’ve won that much money. It might be a sign of gambling addiction if you don’t have the self-control to finish the game when you’re ahead. If this is the case, it is advisable to get help and permanently stop gambling.
Invest On Banker Until Losing Whole Money
It’s best to wager on the banker if you’re playing live baccarat. The banker has a slightly higher than 50% chance of winning. If the banker loses, do not place another wager. It’s advisable to hold off on deciding until the next one gets made. In the event of a tie, neither the banker nor the player is penalized.
Convenience
A brick-and-mortar casino could be close to where you live. You’ll have to drive a short distance to play land-based baccarat in this situation.
It’s possible that getting to the nearest casino will take an hour or more. You can’t just decide to play some baccarat on the spur of the moment in this scenario.
You may play at any time and from any location with the online version. All you need is an internet connection and a smartphone or PC To play hands. Baccarat on the go is very handy. You may log on to a casino and play within seconds if you have an iPhone or Android device.
Tie Bets Not Got Counted
Because tie bets aren’t apparent, it’s not a good idea to bet on them. It simply means they aren’t counted and get seen as a game pause.
WWE and MBC GROUP, the largest and leading group in the Middle East and North Africa today announced a major broadcast partnership that will see MBC’s video on demand streaming service, Shahid, become the new home of WWE in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the MENA region.
The partnership includes all WWE premium live events, kicking off with WrestleMania 38 on April 3rd and April 4th, live episodes of Raw and SmackDown, as well as WWE Network’s vast library of original programming and archived content.
Additionally, MBC ACTION, a free-to-air television channel by MBC GROUP, will broadcast one-hour highlight versions of Raw and SmackDown each week, in addition to WWE magazine shows Afterburn and Main Event.
“MBC GROUP is a market leader in the region and a great partner for WWE,” said WWE President Nick Khan. “By delivering our premium live events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, our weekly programming including Raw and SmackDown, as well as WWE’s massive library, we believe we will expand our reach throughout the Middle East and North Africa.”
Natasha Hemingway, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Shahid, added: “It’s no secret that WWE is massively popular in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the MENA region. This new partnership is sure to be incredibly exciting for fans, and with more and more live sporting events – including WWE – coming to the Kingdom, we cannot wait to see where this partnership takes us. We’re delighted that Shahid will be the home of WWE!”
Beginning 26 March 2022, Shahid will air SmackDown live on Saturdays at 4am KSA in Arabic, with a one-hour version of SmackDown then airing the same-day with Arabic subtitles on MBC Action at 9PM KSA. Beginning Tuesday, March 29, Shahid will air Raw live on Tuesdays at 4am KSA in Arabic, with a one-hour version of Raw then airing the same-day with Arabic subtitles on MBC Action at 9PM KSA.
The weekly programming will be broadcast 52 weeks a year, captivating fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.
In addition to weekly programming, Shahid will launch a dedicated WWE channel making the entire WWE Network archive – more than 10,000 hours of content – available to stream on-demand. The new WWE destination on Shahid will allow fans to browse and access the entire library including NXT airing next day following the US broadcast.
Shahid is currently available on the Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices, including Android, Android TV devices, Chromecast, and Chromecast built-in devices; PCs, Macs, and a wide range of connected Smart TVs including Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL, Sony & Toshiba.
The team of Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray won the women’s Dusty Tag Team Classic tournament last night on NXT.
The duo went through Lash Legend and Amari Miller in the first round, eliminated Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter in the second round, and finally beat Wendy Choo and Dakota Kai last night in the main event of NXT.
Usually, the winners of the tournament get a tag team titles shot but instead, Shirai and Ray inserted themselves in the NXT Women’s title match at Stand & Deliver, turning the planned Mandy Rose vs Cora Jade match into a fatal four-way.
Stand & Deliver will take place on Saturday, April 2 in Dallas on the day of WrestleMania, with a start time of 1PM ET.
WWE today announced that producer and DJ Valentino Khan will perform at WrestleMania 38, where he will welcome fans with the hottest hits in music as they arrive at AT&T Stadium each night in Dallas.
Khan became the first-ever DJ to play at a WWE event when he performed at SummerSlam last August at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Live music plays a vital role in elevating the WWE fan experience and we couldn’t think of a better way to jumpstart each night of WrestleMania than to have Valentino Khan kick off our biggest event of the year,” said Neil Lawi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, WWE Music Group.
“Words can’t express how hyped I am to be playing WrestleMania,” said Khan. “It’s the Super Bowl of sports entertainment. I’ve been a lifelong fan of WWE and to be part of such a massive two-night event is a true honor and I can’t wait to play at AT&T Stadium. See you all in Dallas.”
Bumped to a later time slot due to NCAA programming on TNT, last Friday’s episode of Rampage drew just 398,000 viewers, down 128,000 viewers from the prior week. The show started at 11:48PM so the number is not that much relevant. It placed #57 in the top 150 cable chart among the 18-49 demo, with a 0.13, down 0.09 from the previous show. Both numbers are the lowest in the history of the show. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Chants of “Cody” were very audible during the Seth Rollins in-ring segment with AJ Styles last night on Raw and the former WWE and Universal champion even acknowledged them.
“Simmer down Chicago,” Rollins said as fans inside the Allstate Arena started a “Cody” chant. “Rumors are a lot of fun but rumors don’t make moments and I’m living for my WrestleMania moment,” Rollins told the crowd.
Cody was not there on Monday Night Raw and Rollins lost another shot at making it to WrestleMania when he lost his main event match against AJ Styles after Edge made an appearance and whacked Styles with a chair for the DQ.
Rollins then emulated Bret “Hit Man” Hart and grabbed the mic and repeatedly said that this is “bullshit,” adding that he won’t allow Monday Night Raw next week to happen unless he gets his WrestleMania match. Bret Hart famously did a similar angle back in 1997 after he lost a title match against Sid and threw a tantrum by losing it in the ring.
Friday Night Smackdown on Fox drew a total of 2,147,000 viewers last week, down 113,000 viewers from the previous week. This was the second least-watched Smackdown of 2022, which faced competition from the NCAA championship games on CBS and TBS. The good news is that in the 18-49 demo, Smackdown was up 0.01 to 0.58 and was second to CBS. In the overnight ratings, the first hour registered 2,014,000 viewers and the second hour did 2,071,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Deadline.com reported that former AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes has teamed up with Scream and Teen Wolf producer DIGA Studios to turn her cooking show Shot of Brandi from YouTube to a television series.
The format would see Brandi cook and chat with celebrities in a 30-minute show and DIGA is already discussing with potential broadcasters and streaming providers.
“I started shooting this show in my kitchen four years ago with two iPhone cameras and a cocktail,” said Rhodes. “I am excited to see the show evolve and thankful for the fans who have followed along. I assure you, now that I’m working with DIGA the best is yet to come.”
“Brandi is an incredibly dynamic talent who just pops off the screen, and this genre busting concept she created is the perfect showcase for her electric personality,” added DiSanto, CEO of Allyance Media Group & DIGA Studios. “We are beyond excited to dive into this project with her and share some great food, drink, fun and a hell of a lot of laughs with viewers everywhere.”
Veer Mahaan’s long, long journey to Monday Night Raw will finally culminate with his arrival on the Raw After Mania episode on April 4.
Vignettes for the Indian-born star have been airing on Raw since October 2021 and apart from missing a couple of shows, his “coming to Raw” videos have been a staple on the show, so much so that fans have turned it into memes.
The former Pittsburgh Pirates MLB player has been signed with WWE since 2018 and regularly wrestles on Main Event but has not been featured in a match on any of WWE’s flagship shows.
Mahaan, whose real name is Rinku Singh, is quite the celebrity in his native country, winning the reality show The Million Dollar Arm in India and Disney even did a movie based on his story.
The Kickoff show of WrestleMania Saturday will be airing live on USA Network as well as on Peacock, WWE Network, and all WWE’s social media properties.
As things stand, only the first Kickoff show will air and PWInsider.com adds that there’s no listings for night two Kickoff on any cable listings. The two-hour broadcast will start at 6PM and will lead to the 8PM start time of the premium live event on Peacock. With over a three-hour scheduled time, the first night of WrestleMania will run close to six hours including the Kickoff show.
This is the first time that a WrestleMania pre-show will air on USA Network and it makes sense considering that WrestleMania will air on another NBCUniversal property. Peacock is expecting another bump in numbers for the show come April.
No matches have been announced for the Kickoff show yet but with two hours, they could easily fit two.
Date: March 21, 2022 Arena: Allstate Arena City: Rosemont, Illinois
Raw opens with glass breaking and Stone Cold Steve Austin’s entrance. The crowd erupts and cheers until they realize it is just Kevin Owens dressed like Austin. Owens cuts a promo on Austin whose music hits again only for Owens to say gotcha again.
Owens tries the beer catch like Austin but misses two cans, he then grabs the microphone and tells the guy throwing the beer to him to get one in his hand and hand it to him, then gives him a stunner. Owens then opens two of the cans and spills it on the guy.
They show what happened with Owens and Rollins last night. As Rollins is interviewed, he just laughs and says let me borrow this and grabs the microphone and walks away smiling.
Rey & Dominik Mysterio VS. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
The Miz comes out to the commentary desk before the match started. As Rey and Dominik both dive out of the ring, Seth Rollins’ music hits and Rollins says the show doesn’t move another inch until the world hears what he has to say.
Rollins says he wants a Wrestlemania spot, and he is going to get his spot because he is Seth “Freakin” Rollins. The microphone keeps going off as he talks and then shuts completely down. Rollins says you can’t shut him up as we cut to break
Back from break, the match is back in the ring as Rey Mysterio jumps off the top rope onto Ziggler, Robert Roode then goes to hit the Glorious DDT, but Dominik got out of it and hit him with the 619 and Frog Splash for the win.
Winners: Rey and Dominik Mysterio
After the match, The Miz slams Rey Mysterio into the ring apron outside then hits the Skull Crushing Finale on him on the floor and ripped Rey’s mask off.
Rollins again talking about a spot at WrestleMania with Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. Pearce tells Rollins maybe there is something he can do about it.
They show what happened on Smackdown Friday, with Brock Lesnar and the Bloodline. They advertise Roman Reigns will be on Raw next week with Brock Lesnar.
Omos VS. Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez
After Omos slams Azeez, Crews jumps off the top rope only to be caught by Omos who pressed Crews over his head and just dropped him. As Omos turned around, he round housed kicked Azeez in the face. Omos then grabs Crews telling him Azeez laying on the mat was his fault. Omos then gave Crews the face slam the pulled him over Azeez and pinned them both at the same time.
Winner: Omos
They Show Edge’s Promo from last week. A.J. Styles is out in the ring, and he says he has been home nursing an injury. He says he is not here for answers to why, he is here to kick Edge’s teeth down his throat and wants Edge to come to the ring.
But out comes Seth Rollins, he says to A.J. to go home and hug his wife and kids and get 100% and let him take his place at WrestleMania. A.J. says as long as he is able to walk, he will be at WrestleMania.
Rollins said if he gets taken out, then he can have his spot at WrestleMania. A.J. told Rollins he came out here looking like an idiot and he would do what Rollins couldn’t at WrestleMania and take out Edge.
Pearce interrupts and says he gets one last chance tonight…he will face A.J. Styles and if he wins he gets Styles’ place at WrestleMania. Styles then jumps Rollins who finally rolls out of the ring and heads to the back.
Carmella and Queen Zelina arguing in the back till Carmella slaps Zelina, and they start fighting.
Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley VS. Natalya & Shayna Baszler
During the match Carmella comes out crying to Cory Graves about what happened in the back. Liv fights out of the corner and just as she almost gets the tag Baszler pulls Ripley off the apron. Liv rolls Natalya up for a 2 count, then Baszler and Natalya hit the “Hart Attack” clothesline like the Hart Foundation and gets the 3 count on Liv.
Winners: Natalya and Shayna Baszler
After the match Zelina hits the ring and smashes a scepter over the back of Ripley and knees her in the face, as Natalya and Baszler watch from ringside. Just then, Carmella pushes Baszler into the ring apron and then slaps Natalya, then superkicks Baszler. Carmella gets in the ring and confronts Zelina who then just end up laughing and hugging.
They show what happened with Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair last week where Lynch injured Belair.
Becky Lynch comes out for a promo as we go to break. She said she knows Bianca didn’t mean to hurt her, but she meant to hurt Bianca. She says she will show her what is like to sell your soul to keep the title at WrestleMania, if you make it.
They show what happened between Pat McAfee and Austin Theory the past two Fridays.
Austin Theory in the back said he doesn’t care if his apology was sincere or not. He says he has so many selfies of Finn Balor knocked out he is almost out of storage, but he will try to fit in one more.
Finn Balor VS. Austin Theory
Special guest commentator for this match Pat McAfee. During the match McAfee went up to the ring and was slamming on the apron to support Balor. As Theory was pounding on Balor, McAfee again up on the apron. Theory went for his finisher, Balor gets out but Theory counters back into his move and hits Balor. Theory then went to the apron but kept getting distracted by McAfee. Theory then gets back in the ring and gets rolled up by Balor for the win.
Winner: Finn Balor
A recap of the Tag Team Championship issues and now the Raw Tag Team Championship match for WrestleMania is a Triple Threat RK-Bro defends against Alpha Academy and The Street Profits.
RK-Bro VS. Alpha Academy
Orton hits his off the ropes DDT, goes for the RKO on Gable but Gable pushes him off into the corner where Riddle is. Riddle tags Orton before more action continues with Gable. Gable sends Orton over the rope but turned into Riddle, then attempted to roll Riddle up but Riddle gets out of it. Gable immediately goes for a back suplex but Riddle out again. Gable turns into a knee to the face from Riddle who then hits the Bro Derrick for the win.
Winners: Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro
Otis, who threw Orton into the barricade at ringside, hits an unexpected Riddle who then goes up for the splash but is saved by the Street Profits. As Riddle gets back to his feet to thank Dawkins, he hits Riddle with a Sky High, then Ford off the top rope with a splash onto Riddle.
Dana Brooke & Reggie VS. Tamina & Akira Tozawa in a tornado tag team match
Tamina into the corner, Tozawa whipped into her and Dana hits her elbow into the back of Tozawa who squashed Tamina as well. Tozawa falls to the mat, Tamina staggers then falls hitting her head into the stomach of Tozawa. Reggie for the pin.
Winners: Dana Brooke & Reggie
A.J. Styles VS. Seth Rollins
Rollins picks Styles off the mat and yells at him and says I need this and slaps Styles in the face who in turn slapped Rollins in the face. This has been a great back and forth match, Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow but only gets a 2 count, Rollins goes for the stomp, but Styles hits a hurricanrana, both get two 2 counts after a series of roll ups and reversals.
Styles then hits a suplex into the corner and heads to the top rope but gets caught by Rollins. Rollins climbs up but Styles knocks him off. Rollins back to the top, Styles pushes him back down. Another slam by Styles for only a 2 count.
Styles goes for a forearm, gets a superkick and Rollins hits a buckle bomb, then goes up for a frog splash but Styles get his knees up. Styles out on the apron to go for the phenomenal forearm but Edge attacks him with a steel chair.
Winner By DQ: A.J. Styles
Rollins then argues with the ref saying you got to be kidding me. He then runs over and rips the commentary desk top off then grabs the microphone and says, “This is bullshit” and says next week Monday Night Raw will not happen if he does not get his WrestleMania moment.
He then continued to go crazy destroying the ringside area, flipping the announce desk as we end the show.
The Raw Tag Team titles match at WrestleMania 38 is now a triple threat tag match as WWE announced today that Alpha Academy will be joining the fray.
The match will now feature champions Randy Orton and Riddle defending the titles against The Street Profits and Chad Gable and Otis. The Raw Tag Team titles match is advertised for WrestleMania Sunday while the Smackdown Tag Team titles match is set for WrestleMania Saturday.
Around two more matches are expected to be announced, with night one having five matches so far plus the KO Show segment with Steve Austin and night two having six matches.
On Location, WWE’s official hospitality partner, today unveiled the SummerSlam 2022 packages, consisting of just ticket or else combined with accommodation.
This year’s SummerSlam will be the earliest one ever, taking place on July 30 from the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The early show is probably due to another stadium show that will take place in early September in the United Kingdom which is yet to be officially announced.
Packages start at just $275 per person while the cheapest hotel package with one night accommodation start at $635 per person with a quad occupancy or $955 for a single occupant. All accommodation will be at the Marriott Courtyard in downtown Nashville.
This is the first time that the city of Nashville will host a SummerSlam and the first time at the 70,000-seater Nissan Stadium as well.
After winning his second NCAA title, WWE’s Gable Stevenson has spilled the beans on his next stop: “I plan on going to WrestleMania,” Stevenson told Sports Illustrated in an interview released today.
“That’s the first time WWE fans will see me and what I’m about. I’m going to put my heart out there,” he continued, hinting that he might be doing more than just an appearance at the show of shows.
Before signing with WWE, Stevenson said the thought about joining the UFC or trying for the NFL, but at 21 years of age, he has plenty of time. “This is my chance to work for Vince McMahon in WWE and create something you’ve never seen before,” he said.
In the interview, Stevenson also revealed his three biggest supporters in WWE who always check on him. They are Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, and Triple H and said that Heyman is always the first one to text, and that means a lot to him.
Stevenson, who is part of the Raw brand, was paraded around at SummerSlam last August in Las Vegas after having just won the Olympic gold medal.
