Matt Hardy made his All Elite Wrestling debut last night on Dynamite, coming to the aide of The Elite who were one man down.
With The Inner Circle winning the advantage for the Blood & Guts match, Jericho taunted The Elite and said that he’d like to ban all the “dip shit” fans from arenas moving forward as he doesn’t want to hear anyone chanting for The Elite. As Jericho continued to hype up his faction and the numerical advantage they have from the top of the stage, the Vanguard 1 drone showed up and hovered over The Inner Circle.
Matt Jackson then took the mic and said The Elite isn’t outnumbered, it’s not just four of them, in fact he made a phone call to a friend who owed him a favor. The camera then panned over to the stands where Broken Matt Hardy stood tall with his hands spread wide open as Jericho’s facial expression changed to that of seeing a ghost. Hardy did the Delete hand signal as the show faded to black.
Hardy will get in the ring for the first time for AEW next week in the Blood & Guts match, joining The Elite to take on The Inner Circle.
Brodie Lee, the artist formerly known as Luke Harper in WWE, has been unveiled as The Exalted One and the leader of The Dark Order, as AEW threw a nice swerve from having Matt Hardy as the leader.
Lee’s involvement came after Christopher Daniels, flanked by Frankie Kazarian, confronted Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, telling fans at home that The Dark Order was lying and there is no Exalted One. Daniels said that all they did was waste their time and now they’re sick of them.
But a video interrupted Daniels on the big screen and The Exalted One came out as the narration said that if he wants something, he’ll just take it and Daniels is not the first one to underestimate him, but he will be the last one. Lee then unveiled himself in the video. “My name is Brodie Lee, and I’m The Exalted One,” he said.
With the lights out in the empty arena, Lee positioned himself in the ring next to Evil Uno and Grayson and when the lights were brought up, The Dark Order attacked SCU. The segment ended with all of The Dark Order posing.
Harper was released from WWE in December of last year and his 90-day no-compete clause expired, enabling him to make his AEW debut. He has not appeared on television ever since the Crown Jewel pay-per-view on October 31. A month later, he trademarked his old independent wrestling name Brodie Lee.
In an unprecedented move, WWE announced that WrestleMania 36 will be set over two nights, to minimize to risk of the coronavirus spread as it hosts the show inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and other multiple locations behind a closed set.
WrestleMania will now take place on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, with both shows starting at 7PM ET live on the WWE Network, and the show will be hosted by former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski.
WWE has not revealed yet where the other locations will be. WWE has never hosted WrestleMania over more than one night but did host WrestleMania 2 in three different locations across the United States. More details will be provided on Smackdown tomorrow.
NXT on USA Network tonight is expected to be different according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, and not because it will take place inside a closed Performance Center.
No live matches will be taking place tonight on NXT as the show will feature interviews, a studio setting, and past footage that already aired. Raw on Monday only featured one match in a three hour broadcast and it looks like Smackdown this Friday will have a similar tone to it.
NXT last week was the first one to air from the Performance Center due to Full Sail University being already booked on that day. The PC will become the home of all three WWE shows for the next several weeks, or months, as the world continues its battle against the coronavirus.
The wait is nearly over as AEW will be unveiling who The Exalted One is tonight live on Dynamite.
The leader of The Dark Order has been teased for weeks and the leading candidate for the spot is obviously Broken Matt Hardy. The hints have been pretty obvious both from Hardy and AEW and today Hardy tweeted, “Dominant, Extraordinary, Tenacious, Limitless, Almighty, Xaroncharoo, Everlasting” with each word on its own line. Reading each first letter backwards spells Exalted.
Three matches scheduled for tonight include The Inner Circle vs The Elite in a six-man tag team match with the winners getting the advantage for next week’s Blood & Guts match, The Lucha Bros vs Best Friends, and The Butcher and The Blade vs Jurassic Express.
Impact Wrestling used several footage from WWE’s video library in their promo for Ken Shamrock’s Hall of Fame announcement.
With “courtesy of World Wrestling Entertainment” written across every time WWE footage appeared, Shamrock is described as a “pioneer in the era of attitude” with his WWE accolades shown: winning the Intercontinental title, the Tag Team titles, and tapping out The Rock to win the King Of The Ring.
WWE has used old Impact footage for WWE Network broadcasts in the past with the two companies reaching an agreement to use each other’s footage when needed. WWE promotes the Impact Plus streaming service when they use any of their footage.
The 55-year-old joins Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, Earl Hebner, Gail Kim, and Abyss in the Impact Hall of Fame. The company did not induct anyone during the 2019 Bound For Glory weekend.
16-time world champ John Cena made the day of a retired veteran after on Monday he covertly paid his grocery bill.
Charles “Bud” Phillips was grocery shopping at a Publix supermarket in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, sporting his SeaBees hat. When it was time to checkout, Charles was behind Cena in the line and they chatted, with Cena thanking him for his service according to Charles’ daughter Stefanie who recounted what went down to ET.
“John secretly paid for all of his groceries. My dad didn’t even know until he was being checked out and the cashier said, ‘John paid for your groceries.’ The bill was around $100,” his daughter Stefanie said. $100 might be nothing for Cena, but it’s certainly a lot for many people.
Cena then posed for a selfie with Charles, a photo which was posted on Reddit and made the rounds online.
“My dad is a retired Vietnam veteran [and] a widow. We lost my mom five years ago unexpectedly [after] they were married almost 50 years. So, as you can imagine, not too much these days make him smile as big as he did in that picture,” she shared. “That’s what so special about this moment. A simple act of kindness brightened his day. Along with his family seeing that smile on his face!”
All Elite Wrestling has released two shirts with all profits being donated to the World Health Organization COVID-19 Response Fund.
These two shirts feature former AEW World champion Chris Jericho and EVP Cody.
The Jericho one is pretty funny, having “Wash your hands, cover your mouth, shut your ass!” printed on the front in AEW colors while the Cody shirt has the Nightmare Family logo on a red shirt.
Monday Night Raw pulled in 2,335,000 average viewers this week for the show from the Performance Center with Taker, Edge, and Austin all appearing. That is up 173,000 viewers from last week and the best number in a month.
Hour one started strong with 2,412,000 viewers, then went up to 2,486,000 viewers in the second hour, before suffering a big drop to 2,108,000 for the third and final hour for Austin’s appearance.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic but #14 in overall viewership for the night on cable which was dominated by news shows. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Georgia Smith, the daughter of the late British Bulldog, revealed on Twitter that WWE is postponing the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and will not be holding it next month.
“Just a heads up! I have spoken with @WWE and they are postponing the Hall of Fame for a later date, and are hoping to do it for Summerslam (which would be appropriate for my dad) thanks again for all your support! Let’s all stay safe out there,” Smith wrote.
With the the coronavirus spread, putting a bunch of people in a closed space for the Hall of Fame was not going to be a very good idea, even if it was going to be held at the Performance Center.
The nWo, The Bella Twins, Batista, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, The British Bulldog, and Jushin “Thunder” Liger are the ones who will be inducted in the 2020 class.
The one-night-only TNA return at WrestleCon has been cancelled by Impact Wrestling. The event was scheduled to take place at The Ritz Ybor City on Friday, April 3.
“After consultation with representatives of Wrestlecon, all events associated with Wrestlecon have been cancelled, including TNA – There’s No Place Like Home. All refunds will be sent out in the next 7 days,” a statement from Impact Wrestling read. The event is not being rescheduled.
Several former Impact Wrestling talent including Ken Anderson, D’Lo Brown, Chris Sabin, Chris Harris, Petey Williams, Amazing Red, and others were scheduled to return for the show.
VICE has released the trailer of the Chris Benoit episode that will kick off season two of Dark Side Of The Ring.
The one-minute clip has Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra, Vickie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and Chris’ son David Benoit featured as some of Benoit’s career highlights are recreated in the same fashion we saw in season one of the highly-acclaimed series.
“People need to understand that…that was not him. He was my hero,” David says of his father. “I need to talk about this, if you’re going to say I’m glorifying a murderer, stop listening now,” added Jericho.
This will be the series’ first double-episode and pretty much explains the whole Benoit story from those who knew him. Season two kicks off on March 24 at 9PM ET on Viceland.
If you were going to WrestleMania, you are entitled to get a full refund of your WrestleMania ticket and even the WWE travel package you purchased.
For those who purchased a ticket to any of the WWE events – Axxess, Hall of Fame, Smackdown, Takeover, WrestleMania, and Raw – refunds are now available at all original points of purchase. Ticketmaster will be refunding everyone’s tickets within the next 30 days while those who purchased tickets in person at the Amalie Arena box office, refunds will be made available once the box office reopens.
Meanwhile, WWE has already started contacting people who purchased the very expensive WrestleMania travel packages and full refunds are going to be processed soon as well.
Stone Cold Steve Austin admitted that it was strange to be on Monday Night Raw in an arena with no people at all, but despite the lack of fan interaction, the Rattlesnake said it was really cool to be able to participate nonetheless.
“To be here in front of an empty crowd, it was interesting…very strange feeling,” Austin said backstage in a video interview at the Performance Center after Raw. “I worked in front of small crowds back when I first started, and I’m used to a lot people being here…it’s a little bit different,” he continued, as he recounted how when train, you train to get a response from the fans and obviously there was none of that yesterday.
Austin also said it was cool to finally see the WWE Performance Center and see where the next generation of WWE Superstars train and get ready to step in the ring. “I’m glad to be here, and everybody out there…hang in there,” Austin concluded.
Three additional matches were made official yesterday on Raw for WrestleMania 36, which has moved from one of the biggest stadiums in Florida to one of the smallest places in the state!
Edge opened the show to address Randy Orton. He said that years ago, he pulled Randy out of a hole and now Orton is returning the favor…taking Edge out of a hole. He then proceeded to challenge Orton to a last man standing match at WrestleMania and vowed that this story wouldn’t be a tragic one, but a story of redemption.
The Undertaker vs AJ Styles contract signing took place last night after Styles taunted “Mark” from backstage. Styles signed the deal but then gave the contract to Gallows and Anderson to hand deliver to Taker who was pacing in the ring. Well, that didn’t turn out well for The O.C. who got their asses handed to them by The Undertaker.
The third match confirmed was Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins. Owens said that he will have the home advantage with WrestleMania taking place at the Performance Center as Rollins never spent time there. Owens added that come WrestleMania, he will make new memories in the same location he earned his place in this company.
Something that was not mentioned in the WrestleMania announcement is the status of NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay and the WWE Hall of Fame.
Both shows were taking place at the Amelie Arena in Tampa Bay, with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday and Takeover on Saturday night. In its statement, WWE only mentioned that WrestleMania will stream live.
An option for a Takeover would be to air that same week of WrestleMania, but on Wednesday night instead of the usual NXT on USA Network show. WWE could potentially ask for a third hour on USA Network that night and as things stand right now, any new, live program would be gold for any television network.
The Hall of Fame is a totally different scenario and could be held off to a later date.
WWE announced yesterday that WrestleMania 36 will not be taking place in Tampa Bay, Florida, and will instead be airing live from the WWE Performance Center in a closed set, meaning no fans at all.
“In coordination with local partners and government officials, WrestleMania and all related events in Tampa Bay will not take place. However, WrestleMania will still stream live on Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm ET on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view. Only essential personnel will be on the closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida to produce WrestleMania.”
The news comes after weeks of speculations on what will happen to the show due the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our community has waited 36 years to host WrestleMania, and while we are saddened that this unforeseen situation has led us to today’s announcement, this is totally the right call for the safety and security of everyone involved. A huge thank-you to all of our local leaders and our friends at the WWE, as we collectively worked through the unprecedented fluidity of the last few weeks. The Team Tampa Bay-WWE partnership has never been stronger,” the Tampa Bay local organizing committee said in a statement afterward.
This will be the first time in 36 years that WrestleMania will be held without fans and in the smallest arena possible.
Monday Night Raw tonight will be airing live from the WWE Performance Center in front of empty chairs as no audience will be present due to the coronavirus spread.
It will be a loaded Raw nonetheless with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, and The Undertaker all scheduled to be part of the show. The Rattlesnake will be there to celebrate #316Day although with no audience in place, it will be interesting how Stone Cold adjusts to the environment. The Undertaker will be part of the contract signing with AJ Styles as the two are set to meet at WrestleMania…whenever that might happen. And following last week’s appearance in DC, Edge will make it two weeks in a row as his storyline with Randy Orton continues.
All Elite Wrestling announced today that the upcoming Dynamite in Boston originally set for April 15 has been moved. The new Boston date is now August 5 at the same place, The Agganis Arena.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Boston show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the August 5 show.
“We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management,” AEW said in a statement.
The next two AEW shows – on March 18 and 25 – are being advertised with no location yet although this week’s show will take place without an audience at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa has postponed all shows and pool parties until mid-April, and that also includes the Hulk Hogan beach party which was set for April 6 by the event organizer team.
“While we have been looking forward to an amazing party at The Hard Rock Pool on 4/6/20, given recent events, for the health and safety of our guests, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Hogan’s Beach Party. Stay tuned for new dates,” a tweet from Hulk Hogan read yesterday. Managers аnd оthеr executives mау hire a corporate event planner tо organize a party, retreat, sales conference аnd meetings. Event planners hаvе thе ability tо organize events thаt wіll leave thе invited guests happy аnd satisfied. Sоmе оf thе reasons whу people ѕhоuld hire a corporate event planner include tіmе consumption. Planning fоr a major event requires a person tо tаkе tіmе making thе necessary preparations. Mоѕt managers аnd executives rarely hаvе thе tіmе tо dо thіѕ аnd thіѕ іѕ whу thеу opt tо hire planners. In Toronto, people access thе services оf thе planners vіа thе internet оr bу looking thrоugh directories. Evеrу planner possesses different organizing skills аnd thеу аrе creative іn thеіr оwn degree. Finding оnе whо саn comfortably organize large events іѕ necessary bесаuѕе thеу hаvе thе experience аnd thе necessary skills tо make аnу event lively. For best event planner visit to Venue Hire Auckland. Thеrе аrе numerous things thаt a person ѕhоuld consider whеn organizing corporate events. Sоmе оf thе things tо plan fоr include seating аnd table arrangements, food service, hiring sound equipments, coordinating thе entertainment, food catering аnd facility rentals. In Toronto, mаnу skilled planners hаvе thе necessary qualifications tо plan fоr ѕuсh events thоugh thе uniqueness оf thеіr services depends оn thеіr sense оf creativity. A corporate event planner operating іn thе city оf Toronto, mау ask thе company tо make dоwn payments bеfоrе thеу begin tо make аnу arrangements. Subsequent tо thе event, thеу mау complete thе payments. Thе аmоunt оf money tо pay depends оn thе number оf services thаt thе company requests. Whеn planning fоr a small event, a management team ѕhоuld consider hiring a corporate event planner whо mоѕtlу organizes large events. Thоѕе thаt hаvе perfected thеіr organizing skills аrе likely tо organize a fabulous event аnd thе hiring company ѕhоuld рut іntо consideration. Aftеr identifying a particular corporate event planner, thе company ѕhоuld hаvе a brainstorming session tо decide оn a number оf things ѕuсh аѕ thе mode оf payments аnd thе services tо include іn thе event. Thе brainstorming session gives thе planner a foundation tо begin making thе necessary arrangements. Event organizers іn Toronto consider production services tо bе оnе оf thе mоѕt important factors whеn organizing corporate events. Thе lighting designs, theme generation, creative writing, staging, talent booking, speaker scheduling, décor design, emceeing, presentation design, ѕhоw direction аnd special effects аrе ѕоmе оf thе factors thаt differentiate corporate events frоm аll thе оthеr events.
The party is obviously dependent on WrestleMania taking place and as things stand, it’s not likely to happen. Those who purchased tickets to a postponed event are encouraged to hold on to their tickets for a new date to be announced. For those unable to attend a future postponed show, refunds will be available at original point of purchase.
