NEWS

NXT Live Coverage And Results – March 20, 2019

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NXT
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson
We’re on the final taping cycle with three shows left before Takeover: New York. Last week’s big story saw Johnny Gargano finally outsmart Tommaso Ciampa after DIY was eliminated from the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Unfortunately a neck injury is going to put Ciampa on the shelf for a long time so now we have to find out what is being done to replace the most obvious title change ever. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here’s HHH to get things going and he’s got the NXT Title. After a HHH chant, HHH talks about how this place is special because dreams can become a reality. For some, the dreams start here but for others it takes years. Sometimes, that dream gets derailed in the blink of an eye. He was supposed to be out here to announce Johnny Gargano challenging Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title in the main event of Takeover: New York. The trut..

The End Of An Era. WWE Making Major Move.

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The end of an era. WWE has a complicated history. There are various things that they have done over the years that have become iconic and others that are never to be discussed again. Throughout the history, there are a few things that are able to stand the test of time and have never really changed. That’s the case with a certain place for the company, but now even that is changing.
As announced in a press release, WWE is moving to a new headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut and selling Titan Towers. The company will be moving to a new location in the same city in early 2021, with a sixteen and a half year lease starting on July 1 of this year. Part of the idea of the move is to have the production studios and corporate offices under one roof, as opposed to the separate buildings they are in now.
This is the most famous footage of the building. Check out this famous Super Bowl ad:
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Opinion: This might not mean much in the long term as the c..

NXT UK Results – March 20, 2019

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NXT UK
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: Coventry Skydome Arena, Coventry, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness
Things are getting very interesting around here as Walter made it clear that he’s coming for the UK Title. Last week saw Walter and champion Pete Dunne defeat the Coffey Brothers, but the big story was after the match when Walter stood on the title. That could make for an instant classic in New York so hopefully they go with the obvious move. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Johnny Saint and Sid Scala are in the ring with a big announcement: Pete Dunne will defend the United Kingdom Title at Takeover: New York. An opponent isn’t named but here’s Dunne to interrupt. Dunn: “GIVE ME WALTER.” The fans certainly like the idea but Dunne leaves before anything is said.
Toni Storm isn’t worried about Jinny but they both love gold. Jinny doesn’t like her because Toni makes her work for once. They’ll deal with things later. Toni leaves and Rhea Ripley comes in with a c..

The New Day Contemplating “Quitting” WWE: What Happens Now? (VIDEO)

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Kofi Kingston came extremely close to realizing his WrestleMania dreams but at the very last moment, they were ripped away from him. The 11-year veteran ran the Gauntlet on the March 19 edition of SmackDown Live, wining all five announced matches. Sheamus, Cesaro, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton were all pinned and Erick Rowan lost by disqualification. Kofi did everything he was asked to do and in the end, it wasn’t good enough. That’s because of the unannounced match against WWE champion Daniel Bryan, which Kingston lost. Once again, Vince McMahon has ruined everything for Kofi and The New Day. But now there’s a new twist to the story.
Big E took to Twitter on March 20 and voiced his frustrations. He was sincere, he was serious and most importantly, he was very believable. In an environment in which everyone watching knows they’re getting worked, this promo significantly blurred the lines between fact and fiction.
But then again, that’s what WWE strives for these days. Kayfabe has been r..

Big Names Involved In Pre And Post SmackDown Live Dark Matches

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You have to start well and end better. There’s a lot going on at a WWE TV taping with a bunch of stuff that you don’t see on the broadcasts. With so many people running around and all those things to take care of, sometimes you forget about all the matches you get to see. Most of the time though you get a pair of bonus matches that the TV audience doesn’t get, which was the case on Tuesday.
According to Wrestlinginc.com, there was a dark match both before and after last night’s SmackDown Live tapings. Before the show went on the air, Ricochet and Heavy Machinery teamed up to defeat Sanity. After the show was over, Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte by submission. Lynch and Charlotte were both on SmackDown Live where they brawled as guests on the Kevin Owens Show.
And now, the brawl. Check out Lynch and Charlotte going at it on SmackDown Live:
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Opinion: Starting the night off with people like Heavy Machinery and Ricochet is a good idea as you ha..

NXT II? Impact Wrestling Announces Partnership With New Developmental Territory.

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It’s a good way to teach. I’d think it’s safe to say that NXT has been a success in more than one way. While it offers some of the best and most exciting wrestling in the world right now, it also serves as a way to get the newly signed wrestlers some experience in the ring. It serves WWE well as a developmental system, and now it seems that another major company is doing the same.
Impact Wrestling has announced via their Twitter account that they are reestablishing their relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to make it their official developmental territory again. OVW, out of Louisville, Kentucky served as the WWE’s developmental territory from 1999-2008 and for Impact Wrestling from 2011-2013. The two companies recently worked together for a One Night Only event from Impact Wrestling’s Davis Arena.
BREAKING: We are thrilled to announce that we have re-entered into an agreement with @ovwrestling to serve as an official development and training territory for IMPACT Wrestling. ..

That’s One Way To Do It. #1 Contenders Match Set For Next Week’s SmackDown Live.

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You have to stack up the card somehow. With less than three weeks to go before WrestleMania 35, only about half of the card has been announced (assuming the seventeen match card is coming to reality). There are multiple ways to set up a title match at WrestleMania and WWE has used another one, even if it’s not something that made television this week.
At least they made the announcement. Check out how a title match will be set:
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In a new video posted to WWE’s YouTube page, it was announced that Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Carmella and Naomi will face off in a fatal four way next week to determine the #1 contender for Asuka’s SmackDown Women’s Title. Naomi and Carmella are both former champions and Rose received her shot earlier this month at Fastlane, when Deville accidentally cost her the match.
Opinion: Why do I have a feeling that we’re still heading for a triple threat match? This isn’t the most thrilling set of options in the world and ..

E Pluribus Challenger. New Title Match Set For WrestleMania 35.

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This one might surprise you. Last year at WrestleMania 34, Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali to become the new Cruiserweight Champion in a tournament final. It was a well received story and with things going as well as they did, it was decided to do it again this year. Now the tournament is over and we have a new #1 contender to Buddy Murphy’s Cruiserweight Title at WrestleMania 35.
This week on 205 Live, Tony Nese defeated Alexander to win the #1 contenders tournament and earn the WrestleMania 35 title shot. This year’s tournament featured eight names vying for the shot as opposed to sixteen last year. Nese and Murphy do have a personal history together as the two have been both training partners and tag team partners. Murphy attacked Nese after his win.
Here’s how it went down. Check out Nese’s tournament win:
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Opinion: Well, ok then. Nese is an interesting choice as he’s far from the most popular or successful names on the 205 Live r..

Back In The Fold? WWE Interested In Former Impact Wrestling World Champion.

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They would be a dummy not to be interested. WWE certainly loves piling up talent both down in NXT and on their main roster. There are a lot of gifted wrestlers around the world and with more and more shows airing online, it has become a lot easier to see this talent elsewhere. That means a lot more opportunities both for the wrestlers and WWE to get something out of this, and it might be the case again.
According to PWInsider.com by way of Ringsidenews.com, WWE is interested in former Impact Wrestling World Champion Eli Drake, whose contract with Impact Wrestling expires in May. WWE was interested in Drake before, though Drake signed an extension with Impact Wrestling. Drake wrestled for WWE before, performing in the developmental system under the name Slate Randall.
Drake is certainly someone who knows how to talk. Check out one of his rather entertaining chats:
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Opinion: I’m all for this as I’ve been a big Drake fan for a long time. He ha..

Wait Don’t Go. Recent NXT Callup Not Sticking Around On Main Roster?

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Not so fast? Earlier this year, four names from NXT appeared on the main roster seemingly out of nowhere and made quite the impact. Aleister Black, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano and the injured Tommaso Ciampa all debuted and took the show by storm with Black and Ricochet already having had a title match on pay per view. However, for another one for another one of them, plans seem to have changed.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Gargano may be staying down in NXT instead of moving up to the main roster full time due to Ciampa’s injury. The two were brought up as a tag team but with Ciampa on the shelf for several months, Gargano may be heading back down to developmental. With the NXT Title now vacant, Gargano may be taking the title to carry the brand.
What could be again. Check out Gargano returning as Johnny Wrestling:
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Opinion: I can’t say I’m surprised and I also can’t say I’m not disappointed. Gargano is more than ready for t..

Can You Smell It? What Is The Rock’s Current WrestleMania 35 Status?

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That would be a great one. The Rock isn’t like most wrestlers and that’s about as strong of an understatement as you can have. He’s one of the biggest movie stars in the world but is still willing to remember his roots. That means he’s going to show up for WWE every now and then, which makes for some entertaining television. But will it be making for an interesting WrestleMania?
According to Ringsidenews.com, there are currently no plans to bring the Rock in for WrestleMania 35, though a last minute change or a surprise appearance are always possibilities. The main problem is the Rock’s busy schedule, as he is always either filming or promoting something he’s been working on, making it very difficult for him to just pop in to a WWE event on any given night.
In other words, it’s unlikely anything gets added to this list. Check out some of the Rock’s best insults:
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Opinion: Really, this is for the best. I know Rock is a huge star and easily t..

They’re Cutting It Close. WWE Changing WrestleMania Title Plans.

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The more things stay the same, the more they change. We’re coming up on WrestleMania 35 and that means the rumors and plans are coming and going almost every single day on the way towards New Jersey. A lot of the matches haven’t been made official yet but you can probably see some of the stories coming from here. In this case, what you see on TV seems to have changed the original plans.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original plans for the SmackDown Women’s Title have been changed from Asuka defending against Lacey Evans. While there has been no decision made on who will be challenging Asuka, a triple threat against Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Evans has only had a few matches on the main roster, with no singles matches on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live.
I didn’t hear “win a title” involved in here. Check out what Evans has in mind:
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Opinion: This isn’t the biggest surprise in the world and I’m still not sure I buy..