Search Results: "pace"

NEWS

The Less The Merrier: WWE Reportedly Making A Change For This Year’s Hall Of Fame Class

March 15, 2023

Still works. We are coming up on WrestleMania weekend and that means it is time for a lot of things to start coming together. This includes the WrestleMania card of course, but also several other pieces that are only starting to be announced. One such thing is the WWE Hall Of Fame, with this year’s class only starting to come together. Now we might have a better idea as to why. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Of Course: 60 Year Old WWE Legend Inducts Himself Into Hall Of Fame, Accuses Miz Of Theft Last week on SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was announced as the first inductee into the WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2023. While WWE is planning to announce at least one more inductee later this week, this is slower than the company’s usual pace for announcing inductions. According to Fightful Select, the current plan is to have this year’s class be “way smaller” than in previous years. There is no word on how many names will be included in the induction ceremony, which is set for March 31. There is one big..

NEWS

Almost Time: Samoa Joe Opens Up About Possible Retirement From Wrestling

February 3, 2023

That would have been different. The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works, as the company allows wrestlers to have a new place to go. After so many years of WWE dominating the landscape, it is a change of pace to have another large scale company around. It has given several wrestlers another place to go and that might have kept a popular wrestler’s career going. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Good Sign: How Cody Rhodes Has Been An “Outstanding” Success Since WWE Return Samoa Joe appeared on a recent episode of the Sessions and revealed that he was considering retirement from wrestling after his second release from WWE. Joe had suffered two concussions in short order and was dealing with health issues related to them. He then spent a year and a half doing commentary for WWE, allowing him to heal up and recover before being released for the second time. Joe also praised Michael Cole for the work that he does under such pressure. Joe wrestled for WWE from May 2015 until Ap..

NEWS

We’re Getting Started: Backstage WWE Reaction To Vince McMahon’s Return, Changes So Far

January 8, 2023

And now, the reaction. We are in the middle of another huge change in WWE, as Vince McMahon has returned to the company after retiring from the company last July. The move came after a rapid fire change of pace, as McMahon and two hand picked partners returned to the Board Of Directors less than twenty four hours after announcing his plans. Now we are seeing the reaction to the whole situation. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Next Target: WWE Reportedly Interested In 40 Year Old Second Generation Star According to Wrestling Observer Radio, some who were previously supportive of McMahon in WWE have changed their stances about his return. However, so far the situation is described as “business as usual” with McMahon having not move back into his office and no reported plans for him to do so. There are also no current plans for changes among the company’s management, though that could change in the future. Change can be a good thing. Check out some WWE changes over the years: [This post contai..

NEWS

Monday Night Raw Results – January 2, 2023

January 3, 2023

Monday Night Raw Date: January 2, 2023 Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves We are inching closer to the Royal Rumble and that means it is time to start setting up the show. With so many wrestlers needed to get into the Royal Rumble matches, there are only going to be so many spots left for other matches. At the same time though, only one person has been announced for either Royal Rumble so they might want to start picking up the pace. Then again, they might want to have a lot of surprises this time. Let’s get to it. We open with the Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns/Paul Heyman) wrecking havoc at ringside. Sami Zayn says they’re taking over tonight but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Sami calls this a hostile takeover but Owens says he wants to punch Zayn in the face. Cue Adam Pearce and company to tell Owens that this isn’t happening tonight or all year. Security goes after the Bloodline but gets dropped, drawing Owens into the r..

NEWS

SmackDown Results – December 16, 2022

December 17, 2022

Smackdown Date: December 16, 2022 Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole We are just over a month away from the Royal Rumble and it’s time for a pretty big title match on the way there. This week will see Gunther defend the Intercontinental Title against World Cup winner Ricochet, which should make for a solid main event. Other than that, Roman Reigns is here so let’s get to it. The Usos and Sami Zayn arrive. Opening sequence. Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Liv Morgan/Tegan Nox Damage Ctrl, with Bayley, is defending. Nox takes over on Sky to start and hits a gordbuster, setting up a double suplex for a near fall. Morgan comes in and knocks Sky to the floor, where she gives chase with the kendo stick. Both champs are sent outside for the big dive from Nox and we take a break. Back with Nox having to fight out of trouble and handing it off to Morgan to pick up the pace. Morgan nips up out of the corner but gets caught in a dou..

NEWS

WWE Has A Special Reason For Running WarGames At Survivor Series

November 9, 2022

That’s a good reason. We are less than a month away from this year’s Survivor Series, which will feature the first ever WarGames matches in WWE history. While the company has presented WarGames matches in NXT, they have never been held between main roster stars. That is quite the change of pace and it turns out there is a very unique reason for the matches taking place. According to Bryan Alvarez’s Super Followers Twitter feed by way of Wrestlingnews.co, WWE is planning “craziness” during the WarGames matches because WWE needs some new highlight footage. WWE’s previous WarGames matches feature several wrestlers who are no longer in the company. There are two WarGames matches scheduled, with one each involving men and women. Per Bryan Alvarez, expect "craziness" at WarGames because they need footage for video packages. The video footage they have is from NXT and most of the people are no longer in WWE. — Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) November 9, 2022 Opinion: That isn’t a surpri..

NEWS

WWE Changes Recruiting Philosophy, Scouting Talent Again

November 3, 2022

That’s a change of pace. WWE has a very talented roster of stars but there are times when new names have to be added. There are a variety of places that can serve as a line of talent, with WWE recently looking in one rather specific direction to find its next generation of stars. Now though, it seems that direction might be shifting back towards the place WWE looked before. According to Bryan Alvarez’s Super Followers Twitter account, WWE is once again scouting for independent wrestlers to sign to the company. This includes Gabe Sapolsky scouting talent at this weekend’s Defy Wrestling event. WWE’s previous strategy had involved focusing on athletes from other sports being turned into wrestlers. It is not clear if athletes from other sports will still be used in significant numbers. Opinion: That is a nice development to see but it is also not the biggest surprise. At the end of the day, it did not make sense to bring in so many stars from outside the wrestling world with no one comi..

NEWS

WWE Faces Possible Scheduling Conflict With Its Upcoming Premium Live Event

October 21, 2022

It’s a busy night. WWE has dominated the wrestling world for decades and has long since had a tight grip on almost anything that takes place. Things have changed a bit in recent years though, as promotions are now able to present their own events on large stages as well. That is going to be the case in December, but WWE might be wanting some of the same space on the same day. This week on AEW Dynamite, an announcement was made that Ring Of Honor Final Battle 2022 will take place on December 10. According to Fightful Select, WWE will be presenting an NXT premium live event on the same day, though it is not clear if the two events will take place at the same time. Final Battle is scheduled to take place at 4pm EST. In September, NXT presented its Worlds Collide event on the same day as AEW All Out. Opinion: This is one of those things that makes for a rather busy day and little else. WWE could very easily run the NXT show that night and nothing will come of this, so it’s probably too e..

NEWS

Bayley’s Monday Night Raw Promo Sets Off Twitter Spat With Superfan Izzy

October 5, 2022

Well she’s evil now. A well timed turn can do all kinds of things for a wrestler, as they might need a change of pace. Occasionally they just need to switch things up a bit to see what else they can do and it can lead to much greater success. That is the case with a current WWE star, who is now getting into it with one of the company’s most well known fans in a personal issue. At Summerslam, Bayley returned after missing over a year with a knee injury. Since her return, Bayley has become the leader of the Damage Ctrl stable and has a chance to win the Raw Women’s Title this weekend at Extreme Rules. The contract signing for the match took place this week on Monday Night Raw, with Bayley insulting her former fans. This prompted Bayley superfan Izzy to say comment, saying sh felt personally attacked. Bayley responded, calling Izzy the worst. In addition, Bayley insulted another fan who brought a TEAM BAYLEY sign to Monday Night Raw, saying no one would see that “tiny a** sign”. I feel ..

NEWS

WWE Executive Explains “Up Or Out” Rule Regarding NXT Releases

September 23, 2022

That’s their policy. There are some incredibly talented stars in NXT, which is an important destination for several wrestlers. It is the official developmental territory for WWE and being there means that a wrestler is on their way to the main roster. That is in theory at least as some wrestlers never quite make it. Now a WWE executive is explaining the process behind making it or not. During a new interview with Wrestlerant, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and Strategy James Kimball explained the WWE’s “Up Or Out” rule. The idea is that if a wrestler is signed to a developmental deal but does not appear as a regular on NXT TV in two years, they will likely be let go. WWE’s position is that there are so many wrestlers that need to be rotated in that they do not have the space to spend on someone moving so slowly. There is no word on who has been released from WWE under this policy. Opinion: This might sound a bit harsh but it does make some sense. At the end of the day..

NEWS

The Other Side: Some WWE Stars Worried About Their Status Amid Company Changes

August 3, 2022

It might not all be great. WWE has been shaken up by the departure of Vince McMahon after decades of him running the company. That is something that was not expected for a long time and it is now time to make changes at a faster than thought pace. Some of them have already gone well, but there are a few wrestlers who are not so happy that things are being changed. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, while the majority of the WWE roster is happy with the changes that are being made. These wrestlers are worried about losing their spots, as Triple H’s new regime has already started moving some wrestlers into new roles. It will also take several weeks for Triple H’s creative vision to be presented in full on WWE television. There is no word on any other major changes Triple H is hoping to make. Opinion: I can understand why some of the wrestlers are worried but at the end of the day, as William Regal once said, nobody owes you a living. If these wrestlers aren’t impressing the new bos..

NEWS

WATCH: Former WWE Johnny Gargano Star Makes Surprise Cameo On Impact Wrestling

July 29, 2022

There’s a surprise. The wrestling world often sees stars moving from one promotion to the other at a rapid pace. While a good deal of these moves do not mean much, you will occasionally see a move that feels like it is a big deal due to the star power involved. That might have been the case this week, as a surprise named showed up somewhere he probably wasn’t expected. Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano made a surprise appearance on this week’s Impact Wrestling. Gargano was one of several wrestlers who appeared in a series of videos praising Alex Shelley, who is challenging Josh Alexander for the World Title next month at Emergence. This was Gargano’s first appearance on a wrestling television show since leaving NXT in December 2021, though there is nothing to suggest that it is is anything more than a one off appearance. It was nice to see him. Check out the cameo: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: That’s very cool and it’s nice to see someone pop up like this. Wh..

NEWS

Say What? There Were Already Some Changes Made To WWE In Vince McMahon’s Absence

July 24, 2022

You can already feel it. Earlier this week, Vince McMahon officially retired from WWE, meaning that we are entering into a brand new era in the company. This could be quite the change of pace and there is no way of knowing just how things are going to go. One of the biggest changes is going to be the lack of McMahon influence on the product and some of those changes have already started taking place. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there were multiple changes made during this week’s SmackDown, the first show without McMahon in charge. Some of these included New Day mentioning Ring Of Honor and the IWGP Tag Team Titles, as well as Michael Cole referring to “the WWE fans”. There is no word on other changes that might be made, but the lack of McMahon talking to the commentators throughout the show could cause more to take place. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that could be rather interesting. There are going to be a lot of changes to WWE in the big picture, but the smaller on..

NEWS

Crossover: WWE In Regular Talks With UFC Legend, Possible Plans For Him

July 19, 2022

It’s a good connection. Wrestling is in a weird place when it comes to being seen as a sport. While the wrestlers are absolutely athletes and people who are able to do some amazing things in the ring. At the same time though, there are always going to be people who do not see it as a real sport. It can be interesting to see what happens when athletes from more mainstream sports get into wrestling, and now a pretty big name is in talks with WWE. During a recent Twitter Spaces, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier spoke about his relationship with WWE. Cormier revealed that he regularly talks to people in WWE, including Triple H, and has been asked to work with the Creed Brothers in NXT. Cormier, who is friends with Julius Creed, is interested in working with them in some capacity but has never been able to make it work. There is no word on if Cormier will be able to work with WWE at some point in the future. Opinion: Cormier is someone who has always seemed interested in wre..

NEWS

Run It Back: Title Rematch Officially Set For WWE Summerslam

July 5, 2022

Round two. Money In The Bank has come and gone but WWE has to pick up the pace because Summerslam takes place later this month. That means they need to set up a card for the event in a hurry and thankfully they have already gotten started on the process. Some of the matches will be things that you have seen before and now we know another rematch that will be taking place. At Money In The Bank, Bobby Lashley defeated Theory to become the new United States Champion. This week on Monday Night Raw, Theory announced that he will be receiving his rematch against Lashley at Summerslam. Theory also promised to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase that night against the winner of the show’s main event. Summerslam takes place on Saturday July 30. Opinion: This is a match that makes sense for both people as there is already a match built in and a reason for it to take place. Theory isn’t likely to get the title back but I’ll take a match like this over throwing something together in such a s..

NEWS

Big Ouch: Another AEW Injury May Lead To Major Company Change

July 2, 2022

That could be a big change. AEW has done quite a bit in its first three years of existence and a lot of that has been due to the signature style that they work. The company presents a combination of high speed and hard hitting matches between a variety of wrestlers. That can create some exciting matches but it might also be causing some issues, some of which might be addressed soon. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Adam Cole suffered a very serious concussion at Forbidden Door, which led to the awkward finish to the IWGP Title match. This is the latest in a series of injuries in AEW and should AEW President Tony Khan see it as a result of the company’s style, he may limit the amount of dangerous spots, perhaps even limiting them to pay per view. There is no word on if Khan will do so, or if he will see the injuries as a mere run of bad luck. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that AEW might want to consider slowing down on anyway, as the fast paced offense and hard hit..

NEWS

Change Of Pace: Surprise Heel Turn Takes Place On AEW Dynamite

June 30, 2022

It’s a new direction. There are several different ways to present any given wrestler in the world and sometimes they need to do something new. You can only have a wrestler do things the same way for so long before a change is needed and that can make things all the more interesting. One of those changes might have taken place this week in a bit of a surprise. Two weeks ago on AEW Dynamite, Christian Cage turned on Jurassic Express and cost them the Tag Team Titles in the process. Last week, Cage explained himself but was attacked by Luchasaurus, who he then talked down and left with, seemingly on good terms. This week, Cage introduced Luchasaurus, who came to the ring in new gear and defeated Serpentico, only to attack him again after the match. This seems to mark Luchasaurus’ first heel turn in the company, having been around since AEW’s inception. Opinion: This is an interesting move on paper, but now we get to see what happens when Jungle Boy gets back. For now, the idea of Cage p..

NEWS

More Details On AEW’s Blood & Guts Match, To Be Bigger This Year

June 26, 2022

They have a plan for that. While Forbidden Door is coming up later this weekend, there is another major AEW event taking place in less than a week. That would be a special edition of Dynamite, featuring the second ever Blood & Guts match. The match is AEW’s version of the classic WarGames match and is extremely violent. Now we have a bit of an update on what to expect from the whole thing. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match is expected to be six on six, an upgrade from last year’s five on five. The match is expected to feature Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker vs. Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Santana, Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta and a mystery partner. Yuta was always planned for the match and is the reason why Guevara was added to the other side. Opinion: That is quite a bit for a single match but at least they are going to have two rings to space things out a bit more. Blood & Guts is a match idea that has worked for..

NEWS

Not So Fast: WWE Changes Money In The Bank Title Match, New Challenger Named

June 21, 2022

Card subject to change. We are well on the way to Money in the Bank and that means things are getting more interesting. The card will be centered around the show’s namesake ladder matches, which will take up a good chunk of the company’s roster. However, there are other matches on the show and now one of them is going to need someone new to fill in a gap. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw opened with Raw Women’s Champions Bianca Belair announcing that her title defense against Rhea Ripley at Money in the Bank is off. While specifics were not announced, Ripley was said to not be medically cleared to compete. As a result, a fatal five way was held for the title shot, with Carmella defeating Asuka, Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss to earn the match against Belair. Opinion: I’m not sure what is wrong with Ripley but it is quite the change of pace to have her dropped from a scheduled title match with almost two weeks’ notice. Hopefully Ripley is ok, as medical issues could fi..

NEWS

AEW Announces New Series Of Matches To Crown Interim World Champion

June 4, 2022

Call it a change up. Wrestling is a lot of things, and one of the most important is fast paced. With so much content out there, it can be difficult to keep track of everything going on at once. There are certain things that can happen to make it even more complicated and that was the case this week. To make it worse, it was one of the most important situations that a wrestling company can have. This week’s AEW Rampage featured CM Punk announcing that he needed surgery and was considering vacating the AEW World Title. Commentator Chris Jericho said that Punk was in fact relinquishing it, but the situation changed later in the show. During another match, the commentary team explained that Punk HAD NOT vacated the title and that a new Interim World Champion will be crowned with the following process: There will be a battle royal to open Dynamite The winner will face #1 contender Jon Moxley later in the night The winner of Moxley vs. the battle royal winner will go on to face an unnamed ..