NEWS

It is pretty rare that you see a show getting the kind of nearly universal acclaim that AEW’s All Out 2021 is receiving. That show was a near masterpiece and one of the best shows I’ve seen in a very, very long time. Outside of some Takeovers, it might be the best show I’ve seen in about ten years or more. The interesting thing though is how few people are talking about the actual matches. That leaves a lot to talk about….and it is going to continue to be that way because we’re going to be talking about the really cool debuts.
All Out was built around a huge card but the show ended with a pair of huge debuts. Those were the third and fourth debuts of the night and that is what will be remembered from the event. All of them open at least a bit of a door (level of forbiddenness may vary) and today we are going to look at each one of them today. Some of them are bigger than others, but each one deserves at least a look.
Minoru Suzuki Is A Scary Human Being One of AEW’s major deals has b..

That’s quite the honor. Thanks to the internet, there is more wrestling coverage available than most people know what to do with. That is quite the change from the old days, when magazines were about all you could find. Some of them are still around today and a few of them have quite the prestige. Now a modern champion has earned an honor for the second time in his career.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated has revealed that Kenny Omega has topped their annual PWI 500 for 2020-2021. The list ranks the top 500 male wrestlers from July 2020 – June 2021, taking into account a mixture of different criteria, including success, championships and level of competition among others. This is Omega’s second time earning the honor, following his 2018 win. The rest of the list has yet to be revealed.
As just announced by @AlCastlePWI on @BustedOpenRadio: Congrats to @KennyOmegamanX, who ranks #1 in the 2021 #PWI500—his second time topping the list.
Preorder your copy of our 31st annual “500” issue at ht..

It’s becoming more and more common. The Coronavirus has shaken up the wrestling world on more than one occasion. That has been the case for well over a year now and while some things have gotten better, we are still a long way off from things being the way they were before the pandemic started. You still see wrestlers testing positive for the virus and that is the case again.
In a new video posted to his Instagram, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida revealed that he tested positive for the Coronavirus three weeks ago, with his family testing positive as well. While his family has been vaccinated, they have also experienced some symptoms, including low energy. The diagnosis caused Kushida to be pulled from his scheduled title defense against Roderick Strong. Kushida said that he would be back in the ring soon but did not give a specific date.
It could be worse. Check out Kushida’s announcement plus what he can do in the ring when he is healthy:
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Call it a different path. WWE has been trying to expand beyond being just a wrestling company for years now and that is going to be the case for a long time to come. This includes making movies under the WWE Studios banner, which have had hit or miss results. Now they are trying it again, though this time it is going to be unlike anything they have ever done before.
According to Bloodydisgusting.com, Undertaker and New Day will be starring in a new interactive Halloween film debuting on Netflix. The movie, called Escape The Undertaker, will focus on Undertaker setting a trap for New Day at his mansion with viewers making decisions to help New Day escape. The film will be released on October 5. WWE has worked with Netflix before, including a wrestling themed film called The Main Event.
This is one of those things that is hard to imagine. Check out Undertaker and New Day on their own and the closest thing they have had to interaction:
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Card subject to change. NXT has been shaken up in a big way as of late and some of those changes have come out of nowhere. There have been multiple instances of wrestlers being released in a hurry and that has changes things all over the place. Those changes seem likely to continue in the near future and it turns out that one of them messed with an established plan.
According to Fightful Select, Ariya Daivari was scheduled to face Cameron Grimes on the June 29 NXT. Ari Sterling took Daivari’s place and lost the match, as Daivari had been released just before the match. Despite Sterling wrestling as a heel on 205 Live, he was turned into a babyface for the match as Grimes needed to face a heel to further his babyface push. Sterling was then released by WWE in early August, along with several others.
What could have been. Check out Sterling’s time in WWE, including the Grimes match:
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It was a busy week. There have been a lot of changes in WWE and NXT over the last few months and those are going to continue going forward. With so many moves being made, it can be easy to lose track of who is doing what and even who everyone is. That was the case again this week, as several new names and faces made a variety of debuts during the latest episode of NXT.
There were four debuts of different kinds during this week’s edition of NXT. First up, a woman named Persia debuted during Indi Hartwell’s bachelorette party. Persia said that she came from Australia to see Disney World and stayed for her best friend’s party. She is better known as Steph de Lander, an Australian wrestlers who signed with WWE back in March.
Later in the show, the Creed Brothers, Julius and Brutus, made their in-ring debuts as part of the Diamond Mine, winning a short match. The two had been shown helping to train the Diamond Mine in recent weeks. Later in the show, Mei Ying made her in-ring debut and wo..

Next one up? One of the most interesting wrestling stories of the last year and a half has been the massive exodus of wrestlers leaving WWE. Some of these moves have involved some big names, including former World Champions. That has changed the wrestling landscape and now it seems that we are getting ready to see another big name go on the free agent market.
According to Fightful Select, former Universal Champion Kevin Owens’ WWE contract is set to expire in January. Owens announced that he had signed a five year deal with the company in May 2018, but the deal was restructured early last year. As a result, it will expire early next year instead of in May 2023. WWE is said to know that Owens’ deal is coming up and there is no word on what Owens plans to do in the future.
You might need to enjoy him while he lasts. Check out Owens’ time in WWE:
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It was nice while it lasted. Factions and groups have been a part of wrestling for years and that has certainly been the case in WWE as well. The company has come up with all kinds of alliances over its history with some of them being more memorable than others. Almost all of them have to come to an end at some point though and that was the case again this week.
The main event of this week’s edition of NXT saw MSK successfully defend their Tag Team Titles against Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Following the loss, Lorcan and Burch’s friends Ridge Holland and Pete Dunne came to the ring and attacked the two of them to end the show. This came after Dunne had told Lorcan and Burch to win the titles and take out MSK for good. The four have teamed together on and off for about a year, though Burch missed several months due to an injury.
That was a nasty moment. Check out the match and brawl, thoughts from Holland and Dunne and what the team looked like before:
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He had an offer. AEW All Out featured a series of major changes to the AEW roster, including a pair of huge debuts to end the show. That is the kind of thing that you do not see very often and you certainly could feel the changes taking place right in front of you. WWE was unable to keep the two of them on their side, but it turns out that they made one a rather special offer.
Bryan Danielson made his AEW debut at the end of All Out, marking an end to his free agent status. Danielson left WWE at the end of April and it was unclear where he would sign next. Danielson spoke during the post All Out press conference and revealed that WWE made him a special offer, including allowing him to work outside of WWE. While he did not specify the locations, Danielson mentioned wanting to wrestle in Japan and Mexico. There is no word on when he might appear in those countries.
I think they would be interested. Check out Danielson’s matches around the wrestling world:
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He’s right listening to. There are certain retired wrestlers who never quite get away from the industry. Many of them have something to say about the goings on in the wrestling world and some of them can be quite fascinating. They have the history and knowledge to offer some great takes and that is the case again, as a certain legend has some interesting thoughts on a popular wrestling topic.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley released a video on Facebook which he called “WWE, We’ve Got A Problem.” In the video, Foley speaks on why he feels AEW is becoming a problem for WWE, which he believes is due to how WWE talent is treated. Foley talks about how WWE either changes too many things about developmental talent on their way to the main roster, such as with Karrion Kross, or just drops them entirely. He concludes by saying that if he was in the prime of his career, he is not sure if he would sign with WWE.
This is quite the take. Check out the full video, plus Foley’s (full time) WWE debut ..

It can happen to anyone. AEW has gone from non-existent to one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world in less than three years. Now that things have changed a bit in the Coronavirus pandemic, AEW is able to get out of Jacksonville and tour around the United States again. That means a lot of extra work, and that was even more of the case this week.
According to Wrestling Observer Live, the Young Bucks and some other AEW wrestlers had travel issues leaving Chicago after AEW All Out last Sunday night. Instead of being able to fly to the show, the wrestlers were forced to drive or take a busy five to six hours to Cincinnati, Ohio for this week’s Dynamite. This was said to be especially difficult for some of the wrestlers who were banged up from the pay per view. Everyone will be at this week’s show as scheduled.
It isn’t easy in AEW. Check out some of the company’s harder hitting matches:
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NXT
Date: September 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett
This is how it ends. We’re wrapping up the original run of NXT this week as everything changes with the next show. I’m a mixture of scared, excited and scared excited as the idea of Monday Night NXT scares me to death, but NXT does need some changes. There are a pair of title matches tonight to finish things off. Let’s get to it.
Ember Moon vs. Kay Lee Ray Feeling out process to start with Moon snapping off an armdrag. Back up and Ray hits a quick faceplant for two before taking Moon into the corner. Ray cranks on the arm and pulls Moon down into a cross armbreaker. That’s reversed in a hurry and Moon is back up with a middle rope Codebreaker for two. The Crossface has Ray in more trouble and Moon rolls it into the middle to make it worse. Ray slips out so Moon pulls her into a triangle choke but gets rolled into the corner to break it up.
Back from a..