Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!
This week’s issue, Issue No. 10, includes news from Saturday, September 12, 2020 to Friday, September 18, 2020. Stories were written by Richard Gray and CJ Blaze with final editing done by Richard for clarity. Exclusive behind-the-scenes information was added, with content exclusive to WNC Insider Members.
Jump to section
– WWE News
– AEW News
– Impact News
– Ratings News
WWE News
– Mandy Rose has been traded to Monday Night Raw, WWE announced here on dot com.
– It was reported last month that MVP has agreed to a new multi-year deal with WWE. As first reported exclusively here on WrestlingNews.com Insider, the new deal is for two years with a downside guarantee in the $400,000 range. This was considered a strong offer in the current climate as the big bidding wars from 2019 seem to be a thing of the past as WWE and AEW adjust to conducting business during the middle of a pandemic. MVP returned to WWE earlier this year as a surprise entrant in the 2020 Royal Rumble. Shortly after his return, he signed a six month contract in early February, which expired. MVP had received interest from AEW, but talks didn’t get very far as MVP strongly preferred to stay with WWE after having been given a strong push in recent months, as well as getting to work with close friends Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.
– WWE Chief Product & Technology Officer Rajan Mehta, who played a key part in the innovation of the ThunderDome, recently spoke to Sport Technie about WWE operating through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We take pride in how we’ve operated through COVID-19; we tried to innovate every portion of our organization,” Mehta said.
“It’s important to create a diversion in these hard times and we took that to heart. We never stopped producing content and our weekly shows – we were really excited about that. Back in March, we moved content creation to Orlando without fans, central personnel only. Most recently with the ThunderDome at Amway, we are able to have 1,000 fans in attendance at any given time. When I look at what we did, at our technology and production capabilities, I feel like we set the bar. The ability to try and bring fans to our environment and give the energy of what WWE is, it feels great to watch. Part of what we do is create this energy at WWE that ties into our overall production value.”
WWE never halted operations due to the pandemic. Just like other organizations, they have had to deal with performers and staff becoming infected. AJ Styles is the biggest WWE name under contract to reveal he tested positive for the virus.
– As reported Saturday here on WrestlingNews.com, Mandy Rose has been traded from SmackDown to Raw.
The Miz broke the news on WWE Talking Smack as its his and John Morrison’s latest move in their tactic to obtain Otis’s Money in the Bank contract. All storyline of course. Rose, in-character, posted the following on Twitter:
“You dirty bastard. 3 weeks. It took 3 weeks to find out why I wasn’t on Smackdown and of course it’s because of you Mike. I had a career moment at SummerSlam to not be on Smackdown and you just drop it on Talking Smack LIKE ITS NOTHING!! You affect my career and my time so you could try and stop Otis from succeeding?
This is how you use your pull? Wowwww
If I’m going to RAW, that’s great. I’ll do bigger and better things on Mondays then I’ve done on Fridays. Oh, and if you think you’re going to split Otis and I up, think again Miz. There are 7 days in a week and me and Mr. Money in the Bank are as tight as ever.”
– Brock Lesnar’s asking price is believed to be around $5 million a year for approximately two matches a year with promotional appearances building to these matches, according to WrestlingNews.com Insider.
Vince McMahon remains confident he can get a deal done with Lesnar before WrestleMania 37 next year. A match on McMahon’s wish-list is one pitting Lesnar against WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman in his corner.
There remains a possibility that AEW makes an offer to Lesnar but we wrote why that is not as likely in today’s installment of Ask WNC.
As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Lesnar’s contract with WWE officially ended sometime over the summer. His merchandise was removed from WWE’s website in August.
There is always a possibility that Dana White and the UFC try to book a Lesnar fight but as of early September, he had not re-entered the USADA testing pool.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy has signed a new contract with WWE.
The news was confirmed during an interview Hardy did with BT Sport and leaked for promotional purposes on Twitter.
As explained exclusively here in Ask WNC, both Jeff and Matt Hardy signed contracts with WWE in 2017. The deals were for three years and Matt left after his deal expired. Jeff remained under that deal because he had time added on due to injuries and personal time off.
Hardy also confirmed in the interview with BT Sport he will bring back his “No More Words” theme song once there are live fans at shows again.
– Carmella continues to be rumored as the mystery female Superstar joining WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
The woman’s identity has not been announced as vignettes have ran on the blue brand concealing her identity. However, many fans have pointed out the dove tattoo on her left arm.
Carmella hasn’t worked a match since the WWE Friday Night SmackDown taping on April 25, where she went over Mandy Rose. She was on SmackDown the week prior where she teamed with Dana Brooke to challenge Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. They were unsuccessful in that match.
– Ivar is set to have neck surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, Bryan Alvarez hears. As previously reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Ivar suffered a cervical injury on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw during a suicide dive spot in a match with The Hurt Business. WWE seemed to downplay the injury but Ivar revealed he was working hard to recover.
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will face The Riott Squad at Clash of Champions. The Riott Squad became the No. 1 contenders a few weeks ago after beating The IIconics. The stipulation called for the IIconics to disband.
– Tom Phillips is off the WWE Raw broadcast team for the second week in a row. Samoa Joe is also off this week. Announce duties are being handled by Michael Cole, Byron Saxton and Dolph Ziggler. There is currently no word on the reason behind the temporary changes.
– WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will defend his title against Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match later this month at Clash of Champions.
– The five Retribution members who appeared under masks and were used in the promo on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw were Dominik Dijakovic, Mercedes Martinez, Shane Thorne, Dio Maddin and Mia Yim, per John Pollock
The two who spoke were Dijakovic and Martinez. These are the five members set to be revealed as the faction when they are finally revealed.
Mercedes Martinez was written off TV on last week’s episode of NXT when she lost in a steel cage match to Rhea Ripley. WWE has used extras to play Retribution members up until now but these talents, all regulars in NXT at one point, will be part of the faction.
– There was an odd finish to the WWE Raw Women’s Championship match between Asuka and Mickie James on last night’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
For those that missed it, Asuka went for the Asuka Lock and Mickie was able to avoid it. Out of nowhere, the referee called for the bell and told ring announcer Mike Rome that James could no longer continue. James appeared baffled about the decision in a match that lasted under 12 minutes.
Per Bryan Alvarez, Mickie James was not injured but this was a mistake made by the referee.
There were obviously never any plans for James to win the title from Asuka. WWE teased Zelina Vega as a challenger after the match.
– WWE Hall of Fame Booker T tested positive for COVID-19. Booker revealed the news on his Reality of Wrestling podcast. He was tested for the virus in June but did not receive the results until Monday. He has taken three tests since then and they all came back negative. Book had symptoms as he complained of headaches, night sweats and a loss of taste and smell for a couple of weeks. He quarantined in a part of his home away from the rest of his family and did not spread it to them.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy knows another mistake and his WWE career is over.
Hardy has struggled with sobriety and has had multiple arrests for driving while impaired. WWE even incorporated his struggles with addiction [and driving under the influence] in a program with Sheamus, culminating with a “Bar Fight” that aired on an episode of SmackDown over the summer.
BT Sport recently interviewed Hardy, where he confirmed he has signed a new contract with WWE. Part of that contract will allow for him to back the “No More Words” theme song. However, Jeff understands if he screws up again, he’s finished.
“I can’t screw up again if I do I’m done, said Hardy. “Living one day at a time has been huge for me.”
Hardy admitted he has never completely committed to getting sober and surrendered to the idea he has a problem.
– Ahead of tonight’s new episode of NXT, WWE officially announced that the next NXT TakeOver event will take place on Sunday, October 4.
The following was posted on dot com:
“Mark your calendars! The next edition of NXT TakeOver will come crashing into your home on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7 ET/4 PT.
The event comes on the heels of an historic NXT TakeOver XXX that saw Damian Priest win a grueling North American Title Ladder Match, Io Shirai valiantly defend her NXT Women’s TItle, and Karrion Kross bring Doomsday by capturing the NXT Championship. Since then, Kross’ injury opened the window for Finn Bálor to capture the NXT Title in an epic series of matches involving Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
Don’t miss the next NXT TakeOver on Sunday, Oct. 4 on the award-winning WWE Network, and catch NXT tonight at 8/7 C on the USA Network.”
This news comes after reports that WWE will hold two more TakeOvers this year – one in October and one in December. Word going around is there will not be a TakeOver before Survivor Series this year.
– Daniel Cormier confirmed in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he has had discussions with WWE.
“We’ve been talking,” Cormier said. “We’ve spoken to some of the people over there in very, very early conversations. WWE is a company I’ve watched and loved my entire life.”
Cormier retired from the UFC after losing to Stipe Miocic in a fight for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 252 on August 15, 2020. Cormier, who also did commentary work in UFC, has expressed interest in calling matches for WWE.
“Put me at the commentary table,” Cormier says. “Let me call the matches for six months and tell you how great these wrestlers are in the ring. I would love that, and I wouldn’t be faking it. WWE is something I’ve loved my entire life.”
DC stated he would be open to getting in the ring after that.
“Then, after those six months, what if I’m sitting next to Michael Cole, and Roman comes over and smacks the microphone out of my hand?” Cormier said. “But I’m an announcer. Will I hit him back? Then you’re asking if this will happen or not. That’s what I want, that slow build, the type of story you want to see, and your heart feels like it’s going to explode while you’re waiting for it. Give me the slow build, let it simmer.”
As first reported here on WrestlingNews.com Insider on August 17, 2020, Triple H reached out to Cormier shortly after his last fight. At the time, WWE wanted to get him involved quickly but he suffered a torn cornea during the Miocic fight, which created a delay.
– Ivar underwent neck surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. The surgery was said to be a success but he is out indefinitely. As previously reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Ivar suffered a cervical injury on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw during a suicide dive spot in a match with The Hurt Business. WWE seemed to downplay the injury but Ivar revealed he was working hard to recover.
– WWE announced on Wednesday that Wade Barrett has signed with the company again, but this time to serve as a full-time color analyst for the NXT brand on Wednesday nights. According to Sports Illustrated, Barrett has signed a one-year contract with an option to extend.
The following was posted on dot com:
“Wade Barrett has officially signed with NXT as part of the commentary team.
The former Intercontinental Champion has been part of the announce team in recent weeks alongside Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix.
As first reported by Sports Illustrated, Barrett will now remain an official member of the announce team. The former King of the Ring returned as a color analyst for the black-and-gold brand after several years away from WWE.
Don’t miss Barrett and all the black-and-gold action tonight on NXT at 8/7 C on the USA Network.”
As the article notes, Barrett will now call NXT alongside Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix following Mauro Ranallo’s recent departure. Nigel McGuinness is expected to work solely with NXT UK going forward.
– Two big contenders matches have been set for next week’s NXT.
A women’s battle royal will decide who will challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship. Announced competitors include Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Kacy Catanzaro, Kayden Carter, Aliyah, Indi Hartwell, and Xia Li.
On the men’s side, a Gauntlet Eliminator will determine Finn Balor’s first challenger for the NXT Championship. While no names were officially announced, several top stars were shown in a video package.
The rules for the Gauntlet Eliminator are embedded in the tweet below:
#WWENXT's roster is too stacked to do a regular No. 1 Contender's match for @FinnBalor's #NXTTitle.
Let @RealKingRegal present to you the FIRST-EVER #GauntletEliminator Match: pic.twitter.com/1YSXMxS6I5
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 17, 2020
Next week’s show will also feature a rematch between Tommaso Ciampa and Jake Atlas. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.
– Lince Dorado had an interesting post on his Instagram where he showed a photo of him holding his mask with the caption “Goodbye.”
He wrote this in the comments: “Wow so many people who never comment/liked on my post unless ya see something negative. Shame on you! To the true supporters, one love! Everyone else, good freaking bye!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFMvjy0JsyH/
– There was apparently talk of bringing Kofi Kingston back on Raw and leaving Big E on SmackDown, according to WrestleVotes.
It was pitched they would remain part of New Day with the same gear and entrance music but just on separate brands. Under the idea, Xavier Woods would serve as a manager for each and appear on both brands.
The idea was pitched but was turned down.
WWE is currently in the process of pushing Big E as a singles Superstar. It is something they have wanted to do for quite some time but have not had the opportunity with the success of New Day.
Xavier Woods remains out with an Achilles injury, while Kofi is out with an undisclosed injury.
– Ricochet is not leaving WWE. Apparently rumors indicating the contrary began to circulate online so he took to Twitter to dispel them.
“But seriously, where the hell did these rumors start? I’ve never said once that I am leaving,” Ricochet wrote. “To anyone! So for these “dirt sheets” out there.
Maybe facts check before you just blast some trash on your website for some clicks?”
Ricochet signed with WWE in early 2018 after being someone the company had coveted for years. After initially going to NXT and having success there, many fans have been critical of his usage on the main WWE roster. He is currently in a program with former partner Cedric Alexander on Raw.
– Pete Dunne is now working as a producer for WWE’s NXT UK brand, per new programming that aired this week.
Dunne remains a member of the NXT roster but has not been featured since March due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been assigned to the NXT UK relaunch in the meantime.
As CJ noted here on WrestlingNews.com, Dunne is set to appear on next week’s episode of NXT UK where he picks the match-ups for the Heritage Cup Tournament.
– Melina is returning to WWE as she recently agreed to a new contract with the company, PWInsider hears.
There is no word as of press time whether she will be returning on Raw or SmackDown.
The company has been interested in bringing back the former WWE Women’s Champion and WWE Divas Champion since she worked the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble match. She was unavailable at the time due to a deal with the NWA but that deal has expired.
Melina, 41, first signed with WWE in 2004 and debuted in 2005. She was released in August 2011 and has been on the independent scene since. She appeared on the Raw Reunion show in July 2019.
– Mickie James doesn’t know what happened for the bell to be called during her WWE Raw Women’s Championship match against Asuka on this week’s episode of Raw. During an interview with Talk Sport, Mickie commented on the finish.
“I honestly don’t know. I rolled back to count – one, two – there was no count. So she obviously went to go and lock back in the Asuka lock and I think in those moments, here’s the thing: it is a dangerous sport,” said James. “We have to be very careful. The refs do their job and kind of their job is to protect us and make sure it never goes too far or no one ever gets hurt. So he made his decision based on what he thought was a reality, that I was hurt or I couldn’t continue and that’s unfortunate for me.”
The match ended due to a referee error. Apparently it was thought she was injured and the call was made from the back to end the match. The referee did what he was told through his ear piece.
“In that moment it’s very hard for them to tell whether you are hurt or not. It can’t just be his call either. It must have been whoever thought I was hurt,” James continued. “They’re just trying to protect me and keep me safe because concussions are a real thing. What we do as a sport is very dangerous. So if somebody gets a concussion, not only can they not wrestle the rest of that match, but they could possibly never wrestle again depending on how bad it is, same with football.”
The plan all along was for Asuka to go over James but it was supposed to be by submission in the Asuka Lock. Many critics have pointed to the fact the James vs. Asuka match was rushed.
Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest on Mickie James and the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
– Former Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard was spotted in the upcoming WWE 2K Battlegrounds video game.
A silhouette of Blanchard was shown during a live stream play-through on the newLEGACYinc Twitch channel. Check it out below:
This was discovered in the new WWE 2K Battlegrounds via a Twitch stream by @newLEGACYinc. Impact photog @Beezzzzy has questions. pic.twitter.com/zeUmEuoVwt
— Richard Gray (@grayinternet) September 18, 2020
Impact Wrestling photographer Basil Mahmud wants to know why the photo was used without permission.
“Hey @WWEgames you wanna tell me why you took my photo without my permission to use it in your game?”
https://twitter.com/Beezzzzy/status/1306763424400113665
Blanchard is currently a free agent but WWE is interested. The problem is she has been labeled by some as “impossible” to work with, despite her high degree of talent. Blanchard returned to the ring for the first time since March last weekend during day one of the Warrior Wrestling Stadium Series. She lost the Warrior Wrestling Women’s Title to Kylie Rae in 17:17.
– WWE has announced Kushida and Cameron Grimes will both take part in the Gauntlet Eliminator match on Wednesday’s NXT to determine NXT Champion Finn Balor’s challenger at TakeOver on October 4.
.@CGrimesWWE joins @KUSHIDA_0904 as the latest competitor announced for next week's high-stakes #GauntletEliminator Match! #WWENXT https://t.co/q0uTAIskO2 pic.twitter.com/sMWy6tgtw9
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 18, 2020
The match will have five competitors in total and will run as a gauntlet match with competitors entering every four minutes. The only way to be eliminated is by pinfall or submission.
– Jeff Hardy will defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn at Clash of Champions.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura will defend the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Lucha House Party.
Below is the updated pay-per-view lineup:
Ambulance match for the WWE Championship
– Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton
Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship
– Roman Reigns (c) w/Paul Heyman vs. Jey Uso
Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
– Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross
Tag team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (c) vs. The Riott Squad
Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Lucha House Party
Ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn
WWE Clash of Champions 2020 will take place Sunday, September 27 from the ThunderDome at Amway Center in Orlando, FL. We’ll have live coverage here at WrestlingNews.com.
AEW News
– Jack Evans continues to defend All Elite Wrestling after accusations from fans that he and Angelico are treated poorly by the promotion.
In July, a fan stated they wanted Evans and Angelo to leave for Impact Wrestling. Evans shut it down immediately.
Evans took to Twitter again over the weekend to explain his lack of television time in AEW:
I keep seeing stuff like this and honestly, we haven’t [been treated poorly]. There is 2 hours to fill and they don’t want to have 2-3 minute matches just to stick more people on TV, so there is going to be some downtime as new people are rotated into angles.
Part 2: On top of this there are little things the fans aren’t privy too, for instance, my ring cardio was at such a low point (I have improved it 200% now) that in my match with Kenny we had to cut a good 5 minutes out because I was done, or other little things. Cont’d…
Part 3: For instance, to the annoyance of @AngelicoAAA I have been pulling schitz styles on everything from in-ring character, gear and all the way to if we need to do more or less “cool moves” as a heel team. Finally on-top of it all… cont’d…
Part 4: On top of it all, and someone needs to formulate a way to teach this in wrestling schools, we straight suck at pitching angles. This is an email to the bookers. “So like, give me a mic and I talk some s–t, and then like we fight and stuff.” Cont’d…
Part 5: which when you have a booking crew that is already over-loaded, they want something a bit more concrete than that. So there is much more that goes into who gets a push and who doesn’t than people think. and… cont’d…
and when you have limited TV time, and everyone wants it, you have to be sure that whoever you are giving that TV time/push to, that they are ready to go on all cylinders, and up until recently, we haven’t been. Or at least me. Angelico has been pulling his hair out waiting.
– Chris Jericho is a fan of Miro and explained this week on his Saturday Night Special that he is another guy that fell through the cracks in WWE.
He recalled Miro’s debut promo in AEW and how he asked him if he could use the glass ceiling and brass ring line. Jericho was obviously alright with it.
Jericho went on to explain they don’t want to constantly bash another place on AEW, emphasizing the need to move on. AEW had discussions internally about bringing Miro in since WWE released him in June.
Miro made his debut on last week’s episode of Dynamite as he was revealed to be Kip Sabian’s best man for Sabian’s upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford. Miro to AEW is not a surprise as Cody Rhodes revealed the former WWE Rusev as an AEW target back in July.
Impact made him a huge offer, which we exclusively detailed here on WrestlingNews.com.
Jericho stated Miro is a great guy and they’re delighted to have him in All Elite Wrestling.
– All Elite Wrestling is getting back into the business of selling tickets.
The promotion has started running shows in front of a limited audience and announced on Monday a pass for seven upcoming television tapings at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. The product is called a Dynamite Seven and is $175. The pass begins with the September 23 event.
– The former Rusev, now known as Miro, showed up in AEW as a surprise and there have been reports that he signed a “multiyear” agreement with AEW.
While technically true, reports have been misleading. When Miro first left WWE, he was seriously contemplating retirement and turned down a nice offer from New Japan Pro Wrestling. AEW had made inquiries as well, but hadn’t made a formal offer like NJPW had.
A source familiar with the company’s approach to recruiting Miro said Tony Khan, AEW’s owner, didn’t want to pressure Miro at a time when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep wrestling or not.
Miro eventually warmed up to the idea of joining AEW, but was hesitant to make a long term commitment and insisted on only signing a one year contract. AEW was uncomfortable giving a big push to someone who could leave in a year and the impasse led to AEW’s original plans for Miro being delayed.
The compromise ended up being that Miro can opt out of his deal in one year, but AEW can match any offers he receives. Khan is said to be very confident he can retain Miro in the event that Miro opts out next year. However, AEW has tried to put out in the media that Miro signed a multiyear deal, which again is technically true, but there’s no guarantee Miro will be in AEW longer than a year.
– There has been a lot of concern in the Khan family about the social media outbursts of Matt Hardy’s wife, Reby Hardy.
When Matt was injured at the recent AEW pay-per-view, Reby was very vocal in her criticism of how the company handled the situation, believing her husband had clearly suffered a concussion and AEW allowed his match to be restarted regardless.
In addition to TNT complaining to AEW about Reby’s behavior, there is also worry among AEW brass that since Matt has left so many companies so many times, that making sure Reby is happy will be key to trying to re-sign Matt when his contract expires.
There is a lot of worry that Matt will just go back to WWE when his deal is done.
– Will Hobbs is officially #AllElite. AEW announced the news on Wednesday ahead of this week’s new episode of Dynamite. Hobbs has wrestled since 2009 and has worked a number of Dark matches this summer. Most recently, Hobbs competed in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale at All Out. Last week, AEW announced the signings of Tay Conti and Miro (Rusev).
– Although the deal is not done, AEW is currently in negotiations with former WWE wrestler and manager Lio Rush.
Rush, still only 25 years old, has been pitched on an idea to come in and join up with Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss.
Rush has been very focused on his music career since leaving WWE and during COVID-19, he has turned down many offers to wrestle, including international opportunities.
After Matt Sydal ended up being a bust at the AEW pay-per-view, Tony Khan started getting more aggressive with recruiting Rush, although it remains to be seen if a deal will get done.
– This week’s AEW Dynamite Post Show is embedded in the video above.
In it, Tony Schiavone provided an update on AEW landing a television deal in India. He explained the company realizes India is a huge market and fans want Dynamite there. The promotion is in negotiations but nothing is done yet. Schiavone urged fans to be patient.
We have complete results from last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite at this link.
– Matt Sydal’s AEW debut at All Out went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Sydal slipped while attempting a shooting star press and was fortunate to avoid a serious injury in a very scary situation.
As first reported here on WrestlingNews.com Insider on September 8, Sydal was in talks with WWE before COVID-19, but a deal was never reached. He had been largely inactive over the past six months.
A source close to Sydal claimed he had complained to friends after All Out that he felt ill prepared for the appearance, having been given very little notice.
Who else was being considered for the surprise spot by AEW is unknown as of this writing, but Sydal privately claimed he wasn’t confirmed to appear until the morning of the show and blamed the short notice for his nervousness. He was booked for a one time appearance, but the appearance could have led to more opportunities had he impressed AEW officials.
With his AEW debut being compared to WCW’s debut of the Shockmaster, it remains to be seen if and when Sydal will be brought back.
– AEW President Tony Khan thanked fans on social media following the release of this week’s Dynamite viewership numbers.
“Thank you everyone who watched #AEWDynamite last night,” Khan wrote. “We got great feedback from our fans & amazing numbers, finishing #1 for the night among all cable shows in total 18-34 year old viewers + #1 Males 18-49 + #1 Males 12-34, all due to our great fans + great wrestlers & staff!”
As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Dynamite drew 886,000 viewers on TNT. This is down from last week’s 1.016 million. The show ranked No. 3 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.34 rating.
Our complete results from Dynamite are online at this link.
AEW has announced 11 matches for next week’s Dark. Notably, Serena Deeb will be in action after making her Dynamite debut two weeks ago.
- The Butcher & The Blade vs. Calvin Stewart & Puf
- Billy & Austin Gunn vs. M’Badu & Cruz
- Kevin Blackwood & Daniel Garcia vs. Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss
- Dark Order’s Evil Uno & Stu Grayson vs. Rembrandt Lewis & Fuego Del Sol
- Will Hobbs vs. Serpentico
- Lee Johnson vs. Ben Carter
- KiLynn King vs. Serena Deeb
- Eddie Kingston vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
- Lucha Brothers vs. Dontar Smiley & Maxx Stardom
- Ryzin & Xander Gold vs. Dark Order’s 5 & 10
- Ricky Starks vs. Christopher Daniels
Impact Wrestling News
– Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo is coming to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport next month.
Purrazzo beat Jordynne Grace by submission at Slammiversary to win the Knockouts Championship. She spent the last two years under contract with WWE NXT, but was largely misused with lack of TV time. She was released from WWE in April and made her official Impact Wrestling debut earlier this summer.
Purrazzo will take part in Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport on October 11, 2020 in Indianapolis, IN. Impact’s Josh Alexander and Homicide have also been announced for the show, which will stream live on pay-per-view on FITE.
– It was made official on this week’s Impact Wrestling that Eric Young will defend the Impact World Championship against Rich Swann in a marquee match at the Bound For Glory pay-per-view on October 24.
Their rivalry was started in the Slammiversary main event where both men returned to action. Young injured Swann for the storyline, and the two have been at each other’s throats ever since with Swann temporarily doing a retirement angle.
Young vs. Swann is the only match confirmed for the card so far. Based on current booking trends, other matches in the works would include Kylie Rae vs. Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, a multi-team Tag Team Championship match, and possibly a multi-man X-Division Championship match. EC3 vs. TNA World Champion Moose is also expected to be added to the card.
Ratings News
– Last night’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown did an average of 2.261 million viewers on FOX in the overnight numbers. The first hour did 2.236 million viewers and the second hour did 2.286 million viewers. The show did a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That is up from the week prior, which did 2.066 viewers. We’ll have the final number out early next week.
– Last week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew an average of 2.329 million viewers on FOX. That is up from the 2.261 million viewers the show did in the overnights. The week prior’s final number was 2.129 million viewers for the fallout from WWE Payback episode. The broadcast did a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, a 0.8 rating in the 25-54 demo and a 0.4 rating in the 18-34 demographic.
– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw did an average viewing audience of 1.689 million viewers on the USA Network. This was down from the 1.725 million viewers the show did last week. The first hour did 1.812 million viewers, the second hour did 1.734 million viewers and the third hour did an average of 1.521 million viewers. The hours finished fifth, sixth and eighth in the 18-49 demographic. This week was the return of Monday Night Football on ESPN. Game one between the Steelers and Giants did 10.762 million viewers and game two between the Titans and Broncos did 7.697 million viewers.
– Viewership numbers were down for both Dynamite and NXT as the shows resumed their head-to-head competition for the first time in a month.
This week’s WWE NXT drew 689,000 viewers on the USA Network. This is down from last week’s 838,000. The show ranked No. 31 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.18 rating.
This week’s AEW Dynamite did 886,000 viewers on TNT. This is down from last week’s 1.016 million. The show ranked No. 3 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.34 rating.
Leave a Reply