NEWS

205 Live
Date: July 23, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness
We are officially in the FANS ARE BACK period but it isn’t going to matter given this show’s location. I’m never sure what to expect around here anymore but it’s nice to have the show staying at a short pace. That’s the best thing that you can have with a show like this, but maybe things can pick up a bit. Let’s get to it.
Asher Hale vs. Guru Raaj Rematch from last week where Raaj stole a win. Feeling out process to start with Hale going after the leg without much success. Raaj cranks on the arm and grabs a rollup to send Hale outside. Back in and Hale starts on the arm as the 205 chants begin. Raaj fights up and hits a dropkick, followed by a headlock takeover. Hale gets up so Raaj clotheslines him out to the floor but comes up favoring his wrist. The delay lets Hale sweep the leg and tie his legs around Raaj’s head for a twist.
Back in and we hit something l..

They aren’t happy. Wrestling is a lot of things, but ultimately it is a business, meaning it is there to make money. A promotion has a few different ways to bring in money, but one of the best ways it to pick up sponsors. Companies that are willing to give a promotion money in exchange for advertising works rather well, but things have not gone so well for one moment on this week’s AEW Dynamite.
During the main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, Nick Gage attacked Chris Jericho with a pizza cutter. The show then went to a commercial, which happened to be for Domino’s Pizza. This was not cleared with Domino’s in advance and it was not a pre-planned move. In a statement to Front Office Reports, Domino’s has said that they will be assessing their advertising presence on AEW programming going forward. It is not clear when Domino’s will make a decision about their future advertising with AEW.
“We share the concerns expressed about this incident and the content of this TV-14 rat..

That’s a serious one. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and absolutely no one is immune to them. Some of them are more serious than others, but at the same time they can all come from different places. An injury can happen all at once or be built up over time, either of which can cause all kinds of problems. The latter is the case with a certain legend and it isn’t going well.
During the most recent edition of the Kurt Angle Show, Kurt Angle revealed that he is having issues with his neck, which is causing him various health issues. Angle mentioned that he is having motor skill issues in his hands and numbness in his arms. While he has had various quick fix surgeries before, Angle said that he is going to need to have full neck fusion surgery to fix the issue for good. Angle has had neck issues for years and last had neck surgery in 2015.
Angle has been around the wrestling world with his bad neck. Check out what he can do either healthy or banged up:
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The real biggest party of the summer. WWE is getting back to normal from the Coronavirus and that is a great thing for fans. In addition to everything that is changing around the country, WWE has live fans back in attendance for their shows. This includes Summerslam, which may be the biggest show WWE presents all year. There are going to be things other than just the show, and one of them will be rather star studded.
Entertainment Tonight is reporting that Tiffany Haddish will be hosting the official Summerslam after party in Las Vegas, Nevada. The invitation-only event will feature various celebrities and wrestlers, though no location has been announced. Wrestlers mentioned in the announcement include Ric Flair, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley and Goldberg. WWE has also made a donation to Haddish’s She Ready Foundation, which provides resources for foster children.
WWE has had some parties of their own before. Check out some of their better ones:
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It’s worth worrying about. The Coronavirus has shaken up the world over the last year plus and wrestling has been no different. There have been a lot of challenges for everyone but a lot of forward progress has been made. However, things have recently taken a step back due to the variations of the virus spreading throughout the country and world. It is having another impact on wrestling as well.
According to Bodyslam.net, AEW is worried about how the recent spike in Coronavirus cases could affect their future plans. AEW is planning to run a series of events in Chicago in August and September, plus Grand Slam in New York City. There are worries that the cities may force new lockdowns or regulations which could impact the shows. So far, the only major changes have been new mask mandates, but more changes could be coming in the future.
This could be bad. Check out what AEW can do in Chicago:
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I’d hope he’s happy. Vince McMahon might not be the most popular person among wrestling fans, but he is still by far the most powerful person in the wrestling world. If McMahon does not like something, very little else is going to matter for the time being. At the same time, if McMahon does approve of something, it could go a long way in a hurry. That might be the case again.
In a new interview with GiveMeSport, Big E. talked about meeting with Vince McMahon just after he won the Money in the Bank briefcase earlier this month. While Big E. could not remember anything specific that McMahon said, he felt that the conversation was positive and that McMahon smiled at Big E. The conversation did not last long as Big E. had to do interviews, but nothing negative was said in their minute long talk. Big E. already has some interesting plans for his briefcase, which McMahon might need to approve.
The two do have a bit of a history. Check out the match that made McMahon smile and his time with..

That would mean something. The Women’s Revolution has meant a lot for wrestling in the last six plus years and that is a great thing. Women’s wrestling has come a very, very long way in that time and thankfully the new style has become the norm. There are still some things that can be done though and now we might be seeing one of them in a rather unlikely place.
Earlier this week, rumors began circulating that WWE would be running the first ever Queen of the Ring tournament starting in October. The tournament, a female version of the King of the Ring tournament, would be held on regular television, though there was no date for the finals. According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Wrestling podcast, the finals of the tournament will be taking place at the next WWE event in Saudi Arabia in October. WWE has yet to announce either the tournament or the Saudi Arabia show.
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its record on human rights, including those of women. WWE did present a women’s m..

Please don’t let him get me. In theory, wrestlers are supposed to be fairly tough. They are often bigger, stronger and more muscular than the average person, but they also have a certain aura about them that makes them more intimidating. Some wrestlers have a much stronger reputation than others and the one with perhaps the biggest reputation of all time made a cameo this week.
Former WWE/WCW star King Haku, also known as Meng, appeared on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Haku was in the corner of his son Hikuleo as he challenged Lance Archer for the IWGP United States Title in a losing effort. During the match, Haku applied his signature Tongan Death Grip to Archer. Haku retired from active competition in 2003 but he has made various cameos since, including wrestling in New Japan, where Hikuleo and Haku’s other sons, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa (the Guerrillas of Destiny) also wrestle.
Haku began wrestling in 1978 and spent the majority of his career in the WWF as Haku and WCW as M..

We’re not done yet. WWE has made a lot of changes this year and that is the kind of thing that can shake up the promotion in a big way. Having different wrestlers around the company is quite the issue, but at the same time you can see people backstage being moved around. WWE has done just that in recent months, and now they are doing it one more time.
According to Fightful Select, more WWE corporate employees have been laid off, including some from the marketing, shop and other product divisions centered around consumers. This comes after WWE made several more backstage cuts in May, including the consolidation of multiple departments. There is nothing to suggest that there will be any more talent cuts at the moment.
The company has fired some people before. Check out some of its more infamous incidents:
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Opinion: I’m not sure what to make of all of these..

The wrestling stories of the year so far have been all of the roster moves taking place. There have been all kinds of WWE moves and changes throughout the year, mainly due to a series of releases that have trimmed off all kinds of wrestlers from the company’s ranks. A lot of those wrestlers have moved on elsewhere, but WWE is not the only promotion to be making some moves. AEW has made some changes of their own, and now they are stealing some headlines of their own with a pair of potentially huge moves.
Last week, rumors began to circulate that both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had either come to terms with AEW or had already been signed to the company. Either way, it seems pretty likely that at least one of them is going to be showing up, probably either in Chicago or in New York at Grand Slam. So what does all of this mean for AEW and both Bryan and Punk going forward?
For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to assume that both of them have signed and will be debuting for AEW In the ne..

Hopefully it isn’t too bad. One of the worst things you can see in a wrestling match is an injury. These things can take place at any time and they can range in severity as well as the amount of time they make someone miss. It can be a scary thing to see someone get hurt and that was the case again this week. Now we know a bit more about what happened and how bad it is.
This week on AEW Dynamite, FTR’s Cash Wheeler was injured during a tag match against Santana and Ortiz. Wheeler was shoved off the top and his arm struck the buckle which connects the ring rope to the post. As a result, Wheeler grabbed his arm and went to be seen by the medical team, with Dax Harwood winning the match for FTR shortly thereafter. According to PWInsider.com, Wheeler suffered a “really bad cut” with no mention of a broken bone. He was treated and said to be ok, though there is no word on how much ring time he could miss.
https://www.pwinsider.com/article/149186/cash-wheeler-injury-update.html?p=1
This c..

A legend is returning. On tonight’s episode of Dynamite, MJF announced that the 3rd “Labor of Jericho” will feature a blast from the best. Next week, Jericho will be taking on Juventud Guerrera and that Le Champion must win via a move from the top rope.
The opponent for @IAmJericho's Labour No. 3 next week is one of his greatest rivals – legendary luchador Juventud Guerrera (@JUVENTUDGUERRE2) – and Jericho has to win with a move from the top rope!#AEWDynamite #AEW pic.twitter.com/Pkbpyf8piG
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 29, 2021
Guerrera and Jericho are no strangers to each other. They had a lengthy rivalry back in WCW in the late 90’s; at SuperBrawl VIII in 1998, Guerrera challenged The Painmaker for the title in a mask vs. title match. Guerrera lost forcing him to unmask; after unmasking Guerrera, Jericho would often berate Guerrera for his looks by referring to him as “Quasi-juice” which was in reference to “Quasimodo”, the disfigured lead character in The Hunchback of N..