NJPW will declare new IWGP Junior Tag Team Champions in a four-team tournament beginning September 5 and concluding September 11.
Bray Wyatt is considered the top babyface on Smackdown after the loss to Roman Reigns. I like that switch. Fans clearly prefer him to Roman at this point, and Roman feels really fresh in his new direction.
Atlas Security has donated more than $10,000 for animal shelters.
MLW has moved its October 3 Texas event to September 11, 2021 for obvious reasons.
MLW TV tapings are set for October, with content returning in November. Court Bauer spoke to Sports Illustrated about the move. That's certainly a positive for the group.
Paul Roma's wrestling promotion has been given a cease and desist letter due to local zoning law considering wrestling studios as adult entertainment. Parade Alley Pro Wrestling has been operating for five years.
Dark this week announced:
- Frankie Kazarian vs. Angelico
- Private Party vs. The Initiative
- Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy vs. Jon Cruz and David Ali
- Anna Jay vs. Red Velvet
- Allie vs. Cassandra Golden
- Abadon vs. Dani Jordyn
- Kip Sabian vs. Shawn Dean
- Billy and Austin Gunn vs. Donnie Janela and Ryan Rembrandy
- Santana and Ortiz vs. Faboo Andre and Ryzin
- Shawn Spears vs. Eddie Taurus
- Ricky Starks vs. Tony Donati
Wade Barrett is in talks with WWE to return as a full-time announcer, which could mean joining NXT UK in that role. There is no discussion of him signing a wrestling contract. WWE has been interested in using him in this role since early 2020. This could certainly be a good shift for both sides.
NXT has signed EVOLVE talents Anthony Greene, Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, Joe Gacy, and Josh Briggs, as well as EVOLVE referee Jake Clemons. These are the only names expected to be signed right now. I hope they all do well there.
Brock Lesnar's WWE contract has expired. WWE has removed all his merchandise while the two sides continue negotiations. That's really not a huge surprise, since WWE isn't likely to throw around his asking price while there are no crowds in the building. The only reason I would see to sign him before they intend to use him again is if he has a major offer elsewhere, but I would think they would be in a similar boat as far as not wanting to use him while there are no tickets being sold. I would be very surprised if this is the last we see of him in WWE, but I also could see him staying on the market until WrestleMania season.
Rey Mysterio has a best of collection on WWE Network.
Jeff Hardy spoke to Sport360 about being Intercontinental Champion and more. How many people 20 years ago would have called him still wrestling, much less holding gold, in 2020?
Dynamite and GLOW were in TV Guide's Top 100 Shows on TV. Very significant press for AEW. WWE should really pay attention to this and what it means for the company's rise.
- Tony Khan responded to the honor.
Mauro Ranallo has left WWE in order to focus on his family's health and charity endeavors. He will continue to do boxing and MMA work. I respect him for his advocacy, and wish him happiness going forward.
All Out has added Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara in a Broken Rules match. This is under last man standing rules, and if Hardy loses, he pledges to leave AEW. I have a bad feeling either Matt will win or he'll lose and return as some other character. I guess the best bet is to hope Sammy shines in defeat.
Brandi Rhodes is on the Major Wrestling Figure podcast.
World Wrestling Network is launching Eddie Kingston's Grindhouse on September 26. This will be a new brand under that umbrella. I'm curious what will be unique in that group.
Rey Mysterio suffered a triceps injury at Payback. More on this in tomorrow's post. Obviously unfortunate timing given Dominik's rise and signing a new contract. I hope he's not on the mend too long.
The Big Show Show will not return for a second season. That's surprising! It felt like it was getting good press. We'll see what that means for his future.
Clash of Champions has announced Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. I'm guessing that means Keith Lee vs. Seth Rollins. That has potential.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Joseph Park was Abyss' brother (later revealed to be split personality) who was also a member of a family law firm (later revealed to be fictional). Joseph was naive to the world of wrestling in contrast to his sadistic brother. It was really well done as far as allowing him to show some great range as a performer. Probably one of my favorite Impact gimmicks, truly.
2. I like that Mandy idea! I was thinking a heel could hold her hostage in order to get the briefcase or get him to cash in. The Fiend would have worked for that. Corbin could, too, but I expect he'll end up challenging Roman and failing in a valiant effort.
3. They haven't retroactively declared he was never WWE Champion, but he's clearly back to where he was before KofiMania.
4. Not necessarily. It could just be wanting the match to be more serious.
5. I think the idea is for him to allow other projects to get the spotlight, as he can be a top-tier singles wrestler again down the line when Jericho and/or Moxley aren't around. They are seemingly telling a long story of him being overconfident as a top name leading to a number of high profile losses, and now being content to be a tag team guy, but can later break out again.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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