Month: May 2021

One more time? Celebrities are a natural fit in wrestling as it can be interesting to see what happens when a famous person come into a different world. This is something that has been done for decades in wrestling and there is nothing to suggest that it will be stopping anytime soon. It took place earlier this year and it might be the case again before the year is done.
During the Thursday night edition of Inside The NBA on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal was asked when he would be wrestling again. O’Neal said that it would be “Soon. This summer.” O’Neal did not give any more details than that, including where he would be wrestling. This comes after O’Neal wrestled a tag team match on the March 3 edition of AEW Dynamite. O’Neal’s only other match took place at WrestleMania 32, when he took part in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
O’Neal has done well in his time in the ring. Check out what he has done:
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That’s never good. Injuries are something that can happen to any wrestler at any given time. Some of them are a lot worse than others and that can make for some terrible situations. What seems like a rather light or mild injury can be something a lot more serious, which seems likely to be the case again with a current popular Impact Wrestling star.
This week on Impact Wrestling, the company’s doctor announced that Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder in WWE, will be out of action for about twelve weeks due to a broken orbital bone. The injury took place the previous week when Brian Myers sent Cardona face first into a camera. It is not clear if this is an angle or a legitimate injury which will keep Cardona out of the ring.
There is a bit more here. Check out the announcement and what took place after, plus Cardona at full health:
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Opinion: I’m not ..

Dynamite
Date: May 28, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
We have a special Friday show this week due to the NBA Playoffs, which is some bad timing as this is also the go home show for Double Or Nothing. That means it is time for the final push towards the show, with the celebration of the Inner Circle, plus the weigh-in for Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
The arena is structured differently, with the ramp at the upper right hand corner of the ring instead of opposite the hard camera.
Darby Allin vs. Cezar Bononi Allin has Sting with him and has badly banged up ribs. Bononi starts fast by sending Allin into the corner and working on the ribs, because he’s smart enough to figure out what a lot of tape means. Some hiptosses into the corner have Allin in more trouble but he comes back with a sleeper to slow Bononi down. Allin takes him into the corner for the flipping Stunner and the C..

Smackdown
Date: May 28, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
It’s a tag team show this week as the Usos are reuniting to face the Street Profits, marking their first match as a team in about fifteen months. Other than that, the Mysterios are defending the Tag Team Titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode because this feud must continue due to reasons. Let’s get to it.
The Usos are ready for their first match back but here is Roman Reigns to interrupt. Reigns wants to know their endgame, with Jimmy saying the goal is to win. They want the Tag Team Titles next to Reigns’ Universal Title so they’ll have all the gold. Reigns is behind them and says good luck. Jimmy leaves and Jey looks worried, so Reigns asks if Jimmy is doing the talking for Jey now. Jey says he’s with Jimmy tonight but he’s with Reigns too. Reigns says he should go tell Jimmy, so Jey leaves too.
Street Profits vs. Usos Before the match, the Profits talk about how ..

When worlds combine? WWE is the biggest and most powerful wrestling promotion in the world, but they are not the only wrestling company around. There are several other strong wrestling promotions in the world, with some of the biggest outside of North America in Japan. WWE has wanted to establish a foothold in Japan for a long time and now they might have a better chance.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling are in discussions for WWE to become the exclusive American partner for New Japan in America. These discussions have been taking place since March or early April, though it is not clear how far along the discussions have gone. The deal would see WWE wrestlers appearing in New Japan as well. Part of the reasoning behind the deal would be to help prevent stars from signing elsewhere, as WWE could have a bridge to New Japan as opposed to being on their own.
According to PWInsider.com, there is nothing to suggest that a deal is imminent, mea..

Stick around for a bit. There are several wrestling promotions in the world today but, as has been the case for a very long time now, WWE is the biggest and most influential of all. Being a part of the WWE roster can make someone’s career, even if they are not around very long. Two names who have left the company are now going to try to see what they can do without WWE behind them.
Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee, formerly known as Billie Kay and Peyton Royce as the IIconics in WWE, were interviewed by Busted Open Radio and said that they planned to stay together after leaving WWE. It is not known where the two will be signing in the future, though McKay mentioned that AEW or Impact Wrestling are both potential destinations. Their no compete clauses will end in mid-July.
The pair are former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, having won the titles at WrestleMania 35. Following their loss of the titles, the team eventually split and wrestled on their own. Kay would team with Carmella at Wrest..

Ring of Honor
Date: May 26, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Last week’s show felt a bit more unique with a nice mixture of stuff so hopefully they can keep it up here. I’m never sure what to expect from this show, but they have been surprising me enough lately. The match quality has been better as well so maybe they can keep that up too. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Quinn McKay is back, thanking everyone for her support and promising to have another match. We get the card run down as well and we’re ready to go.
Matt Taven has been attacked and his ankle is hurt again. The Tag Team Title match tonight might be a little bit in trouble.
Fred Yehi vs. Rocky Romero Pure Rules and the World Famous CB is on commentary. During the entrances, Yehi wonders if he is pure or anti-pure, while Rocky is ready for Yehi. They go slow to start with some grappling on their feet, followed by a bit more on the mat. Yehi takes hi..

NXT UK
Date: May 27, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd
Things picked up a lot last week when the Heritage Cup changed hands. Tyler Bate defeated A-Kid to win a heck of a main event, and now we could be in for a few different directions. The big story coming up would seem to be Meiko Satomura challenging Kay Lee Ray for the Women’s Title, whenever that is going to take place. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Nathan Frazer vs. Sha Samuels Noam Dar is here with Samuels. Frazer chops away to start but Samuels hammers him with right hands in the corner. A running clothesline is countered into a Downward Spiral into the corner but a Dar distraction lets Samuels toss him REALLY far off the top. The chinlock goes on, followed by a hard elbow for two on Frazer. Back up and an elbow drops Frazer again as the power is working for Samuels. Dar suggests and receives a slam for two and it’s time for some fishhooking. Samuels runs him..

Any publicity is good publicity right? Wrestlers are not brought up in the mainstream very often and when they are, it rarely winds up going well. Sometimes it can be better than others, but more often than not, the mentions are not the most positive. Every now and then you find a wrestler who has made it into the mainstream in a more positive light, but that was not quite the case this time.
The Late Show parodied John Cena’s apology to China earlier this week on an episode of its show. Earlier this week, Cena referred to Taiwan as a country, which was followed almost immediately by an apology to China in Mandarin, even though the apology did not specify why he was apologizing. The Late Show aired a video, showing Cena’s “full” apology, including captions saying what he “really” said.
You knew something like this was coming. Check out the Late Show’s parody:
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Opinion: This is a situation where Cena needs to just take what is coming to him ..

They’re two of the good ones. There are certain wrestlers who seem to be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the pack. You can always see the talent, but it is a special kind of wrestler who stays revered even years after they get out of the ring. It can be nice to see wrestlers offering each other some praise and now two of the best ever are doing just that all over again.
Earlier this week, Chris Jericho sent out a tweet talking about how great of an in-ring performer the Rock was during his career. The Rock has since responded, thanking Jericho for the compliments and calling Jericho one of the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time). Rock also mentioned an unspecified incident involving chewing tobacco. Jericho and Rock feuded on and off over the years, including trading the WCW World Title in 2001.
Going down the @YouTube rabbit hole tonight and one thing is clear….he may be the biggest box office draw in Hollywood today, but my goodness, let’s not ever forget how GREAT @TheRock was in t..