NEWS

Smackdown
Date: April 15, 2022
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole
We’re back to the blue guys and now the build seems to be on for Wrestlemania Backlash. Last week saw Shinsuke Nakamura come after Roman Reigns to suggest that he is the next challenger while Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match is officially set. Hopefully we get some build towards those matches this week so let’s get to it.
We open with a long recap of Roman Reigns sending the Usos after the Raw Tag Team Titles, setting up a pair of matches on Raw.
Here are Raw Tag Team Champions Rated RKBro for a chat. We get a lot of posing before Riddle talks about how stoked he is to be back on Smackdown, especially with his best friend Randy. After going on about Worcester being the name for Worcestershire sauce, but it’s named after the one in England, not this one. He learned that off of a Snapple lid, but Orton cuts him off to get serious. Orton wants the Usos out h..

Rampage
Date: April 15, 2022
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Taz
It’s a big show this week as AEW has suddenly started turning Rampage into something that matters. That means a World Title match this week, as Hangman Page defends the World Title against Adam Cole in a Texas Death Match. That could mean a possible title change and that means a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Blackpool Combat Club vs. Gunn Club William Regal joins commentary as Austin punches Yuta in the face to start. Yuta ties the legs up and hammers away before putting on a leglock. It’s off to Danielson to tie up the legs and rip at Colton’s face, setting up a surfboard. Billy comes in and elbows Danielson in the face to cut him off as we take a break.
Back with Danielson hitting his way to freedom so Moxley can come in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Yuta hits a high crossbody. Danielson adds the running knee to Colton but Billy’s..

Welcome to the team. There are a lot of wrestlers on the AEW and WWE rosters, but there are several who are not signed to either of the major promotions. That means there are several stars out there that one of the promotions would want to sign. It is a big deal when one of them signs, and that seems to be the case again with one of the biggest named out there.
According to Fightful Select, Ring Of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham has signed a contract with AEW and will be working for Ring Of Honor. Gresham is currently scheduled to defend his title against Dalton Castle on Saturday at Battle of the Belts II. There is no word on when Ring Of Honor will run its next event, after it returned from hiatus on April 1 with Supercard Of Honor.
Opinion: This is hardly a surprise, as Gresham was rumored to be coming to AEW before Tony Khan purchased Ring Of Honor. He is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world today and AEW seemed interested in bringing him in for a long time. Gr..

When factions collide. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel in which they show the full match between The Shield and Evolution from WWE Extreme Rules 2014.
You can see the video in its entirety below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

From WWE.com:
Evolution worked over their opposition methodically. “Bootista” chants rained down as The Animal worked over his prey, and Ambrose looked downright punch-drunk after an exchange with Triple H, which ended with a fierce spinebuster by the 13-time World Champion.
The Hounds of Justice would not be denied, though. The trio’s Lunatic Fringe turned the tides with a DDT on Triple H, and once Reigns found his way into the contest, he turned into a one-man wrecking crew, taking out Orton, Batista, and Triple H in succession.
The Shield looked to have the match locked up when they struck Batista with a Triple Powerbomb, yet savvy veterans Orton and Triple H prevented the pinfall. Reigns subsequently ate a Pedigree and an R..

Welcome back. You never want to see an injury in wrestling. It might be major or minor, but there is nothing good about someone getting hurt. An injury can shake up a wrestler’s career for a long time and the question becomes how long it can be before they return to the ring. That was the case again earlier this year, and now we might have an answer to that question.
Back on January 5, Rey Fenix suffered an arm injury during a match on an episode of AEW Dynamite. Fenix has not wrestled since, though AAA has posted a tweet saying that he will be at TripleMania XXX Part 1 on April 30. He did not say what he will be doing at the show and has not yet been announced for a match. There is no word on when Fenix could return to AEW television.
? ¡ Ya lo dijo @ReyFenixMx !
Nos vemos este próximo 30 de abril en Triplemanía XXX Monterrey. ?
¿Ya tienes tus boletos?
?Estadio De Béisbol Monterrey
? 20:00 hrs.
? Boletos ya a la venta: https://t.co/lynooFrYgg #30AniversarioAAA pic.twitter.com/..

They have a list. WWE’s women’s division has come a very long way in the last several years. After spending so much time as little more than eye candy, women’s wrestling has become a major part of WWE’s presentation, with several wrestlers being able to make their mark on the company. Some of the current group have done so more than others and WWE has put them in a list.
Earlier this week, a report surfaced revealing the internal list of WWE’s male stars. Now, a similar list has been revealed, according to PWInsider.com. The six main women on the Monday Night Raw roster have been sorted into a babyface and heel group. In descending order, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley are listed as the top babyfaces while Becky Lynch, Carmella and Queen Zelina are listed as the top heels.
Opinion: That is quite the interesting list, though it tells me that Monday Night Raw needs some stronger heel women. Lynch is great at what she does, but Carmella and Vega have hardly been treated as a..

That’s some character work. With so many wrestlers in the world today, it can be difficult for anyone to stand out. A wrestler has to either have a big personality or do something special that makes then get the fans’ attention. There are a few ways to do this and it can be interesting to see some of them come together. That was the case this week, with a segment that we are getting to see from after the TV show stopped.
This one needs to be seen to be believed (and it’s worth it). Check out the amazing post-Dynamite shenanigans (contains some NSFW language):
[This post contains video, click to play]

AEW has uploaded a video from after this week’s edition of Dynamite went off the air, featuring the Blackpool Combat Club, Ricky Starks and Danhausen. Jon Moxley addressed the crowd, talking about how a lot of wrestlers come up through the ranks at smaller shows but eventually get to come back to their hometown. Moxley tried to bring out Starks but Danhausen interrupted, with Wheeler Y..

Maybe not? Wrestlers are like any other athlete, in that at some point they are not going to compete any longer. The end of their career can be something sad to see, but it is going to happen to everyone at some point. Some wrestlers get to leave on their own terms and it is great when someone gets that luxury. That seems to be the case for someone else, at least from their current promotion.
New Japan Pro Wrestling star Juice Robinson appeared on Wrestling Observer Live and announced that his New Japan contract is expiring on April 30 and he will not be wrestling for the promotion any longer. Robinson said that he wants to relax for a bit rather than wrestle somewhere else, though he did say that he does not have the urge to wrestle anymore. There is nothing to suggest that this means Robinson, 33, is ready to retire.
Opinion: I hope Robinson isn’t planning to retire but if he does not want to at the moment, good for him for getting out when he wants to. Robinson is someone who has ..

NXT UK
Date: April 14, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd
We’re in an interesting place here as this is one of the few shows without a title match over the next few weeks. Instead we have A-Kid vs. Teoman in a match that should be worth a look and some other stuff that should work out as well. This kind of show tends to work well for NXT UK so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Coffey Brothers vs. Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz Joe and Mastiff collide to start but the shoulders don’t send either of them anywhere. Mastiff tries it again to some more success before bringing in Starz. This doesn’t go as well as Joe takes him into the corner for the tag to Mark and some arm cranking. A double atomic drop sets up a backbreaker for two but Starz manages a dropkick. Joe gets driven into the corner for a change and the tag brings in Mastiff.
That actually doesn’t go well at first as Joe tries a slam, only to have Starz hit a dropkick to..

It’s his thing. AEW has done a lot of great things for the wrestling world and one of the best has been the introduction of new stars. The company has allowed some stars to get their first shot on a national stage and that has opened several eyes. Some wrestlers have done better than others with their chance and now one of them is getting to do his thing completely outside of the ring.
AEW’s Darby Allin has released a video on Twitter showing him putting another man through a table at a Ludacris concert earlier this week. Allin attacked the other man and then splashed him onto a table, though he needed to do it twice to make the table break. Allin is currently scheduled to face Andrade El Idolo in a coffin match on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
He really doesn’t like that table. Check out the clip from the concert:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Opinion: Allin is one of the most unique stars in all of AEW and I’m curious to see what he can do going forward in the ..

He’s the future. We are freshly into the unofficial new season for WWE as WrestleMania 38 has come and gone. The main event of the show saw Roman Reigns defeat Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE Championship with his own Universal Championship to become Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. This extends Reigns’ time as champion to nearly 600 days and that number could grow.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, there are no plans for Reigns to lose the title anytime soon. Reigns has been Universal champion since August 30, 2020, making him the fifth longest reigning World Champion in company history. There has been speculation that Reigns will hold the title through next year’s WrestleMania, which will allow WWE to discuss him as the greatest star of all time. There is no word on who Reigns will face, though WWE is hoping that they will be able to get the Rock for the match.
Opinion: I don’t think it is any surprise that Reigns is going to hold the title even longer, though I’m not sure how well th..

That’s what’s next. WWE is in the beginning of an unofficial new season as WrestleMania 38 has come and gone. That means things are starting to pick up a little bit as WWE is trying to go with some new stories and ideas. Some of these ideas can be rather fascinating and interesting, though it depends on what they are going to be doing. Now we might have an idea of what WWE is planning.
WWE has announced some of the lineups for their upcoming European tour. The announcement includes three matches over the course of four shows from April 28 – May 1 in England, France and Germany. The three matches include Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title, Raw Tag Team Champions RKBro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions the Usos and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against Drew McIntyre. These shows will take place a week before WrestleMania Backlash on May 8.
Opinion: This is a nice preview of what we are going to be seeing in the next few weeks, though WWE has..