Search Results: "roderick strong"

NEWS

Missing Out Of Action: Update On WWE Status Of 39 Year Old Former Champion

March 14, 2023

That’s one way to go. With so many talented wrestlers in WWE, it can be difficult to find something for everyone to do. This can make for some strange and often annoying stretches where a wrestler is not around as often as they could be for one reason or another. Now we know something about where a missing star is and why he has been gone for so long. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Rare Breed: Rhea Ripley Reveals Special Privilege WWE Grants Her During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked about the status of Roderick Strong. While Strong has not been used by WWE since October, he is still under contract with the company and has not been released. Instead, WWE is simply not using him at the moment. It is not clear what caused them to go in this direction or when Strong might wrestle again. Strong can be a star. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vi..

NEWS

Someone Isn’t Happy: NXT Star Reportedly “Beaten Down” By Booking, Wants Out

July 15, 2022

Can you blame him? NXT is a pretty unique wrestling show, as it is designed to be both WWE’s developmental territory as well as its own promotion. That can make for some odd moments, as you will see wrestlers who have no business being in a minor league on the show for a very long time. It seems that one wrestler who has been in NXT for a long time is trying to get out but can’t make it work. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, NXT’s Roderick Strong is “pretty beaten down” by the way he is booked on television and has attempted to get out of the promotion. Strong has not been allowed out though, leaving him in a situation where he does not want to be there but is stuck doing so for the time being. There is no word on when Strong’s NXT deal expires. Opinion: Can you blame him for wanting out? Strong has been in NXT for more than a few years now and there is nothing to indicate that he is going to be moving up the card. I would assume that WWE thinks he is too small to be treated as..

NEWS

Former Champions Make Surprise NXT Return, Set Up Big Match

April 27, 2022

Welcome back? With so many wrestlers in WWE at the moment, it can be hard to find something for everyone to do. It doesn’t help when WWE seems to give up on someone and leaves them with little to do. One thing that helps a bit is NXT, where some wrestlers are being sent to give them some ring time. That seems to be the case again, with some wrestlers who have been a success there before. The Viking Raiders returned to NXT this week and defeated Malik Blade and Edris Enofe. Roderick Strong brought the team in as a challenge to the Creed Brothers, with their match scheduled for next week. The Viking Raiders are currently on Monday Night Raw and are former NXT Tag Team Champions, having won the titles in January 2019. They are the only team to voluntarily vacate their titles, having vacated them on their way to the main roster. Opinion: As has been the case with other main roster stars coming down to NXT in recent weeks, I’m not sure how well this is going to go but at least the team is..

NEWS

Ring Of Honor TV Results – April 20, 2022

April 22, 2022

Ring Of Honor Date: April 20, 2022 So this is the last episode of the Sinclair show and that means it is hard to say when the show is going to be back. That is quite the shame as I had been looking forward to this show for the last few weeks recently as opening the vault has offered a lot of gems. Maybe we can do that one more time. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. From Manhattan Mayhem IV, March 19, 2011. Ring Of Honor World Title: Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards Strong is defending. They shove each other around to start and Strong shoulders him down. Edwards sends him into the corner for some chops and a fireman’s carry faceplant has Strong down. A running boot to the face in the corner rocks Strong again and we’re clipped to Strong kicking him in the face and sending him outside. We’re clipped again to Edwards running into a boot in the corner and getting caught in the Stronghold. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope and we’re clipped again to Edwards backdropping him o..

NEWS

So Long: Former Champion Departs WWE

April 19, 2022

Fare thee well. There have been a lot of departures from WWE over the last several months and the majority of them have not been against the wrestlers’ wishes. WWE has released so many wrestlers that it has been hard to keep up with all of them, but not everyone has been let go. Now it seems that another wrestler has left, but this time it was their own decision to depart. According to Fightful, Kushida has left WWE. This comes after Kushida was attacked by Von Wagner last week on NXT, though there was no indication that Kushida was leaving. Kushida officially signed with WWE in April 2019 and spent his time with the company in NXT and on 205 Live. He won the Cruiserweight Title in April 2021 and held it for a little over five months before losing the title to Roderick Strong in September of the same year. There is no word on where Kushida plans to sign next. Fightful has confirmed that Kushida has left WWE We'll have details as we learn them on https://t.co/jy8u4a7WDa. pic.twi..

NEWS

Some More NXT Wrestlers Are Heading To Another Show

April 17, 2022

Jump around? There are so many wrestlers on the WWE roster that it can be easy to forget where some of them are. To make it more complicated, sometimes you see wrestlers appear on other shows, which has been the case even more frequently as of late. Now it seems like it will be happening again, as three NXT wrestlers seem set to appear on another show. NXT wrestlers Lash Legend, Ivy Nile and Damon Kemp have posted photos of themselves in front of an NXT UK logo, suggesting that the three of them will be appearing on the show soon. This comes after NXT’s Roderick Strong has made some appearances in NXT UK in recent weeks. There is no word on when they might appear or who else from NXT might be heading to NXT UK. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lash Legend? (@lashlegendwwe) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Steveson aka Damon Kemp (@damonkempwwe) Opinion: This is a good idea and something that WWE should have started doing a long time ago. These wrestler..

NEWS

NXT UK Results – April 7, 2022

April 11, 2022

NXT UK Date: April 7, 2022 Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness It’s time for the big title fight as United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov is defending the championship against Roderick Strong. It says a bit that NXT UK has to import challengers for Dragunov, but it isn’t like there is anyone around to give Dragunov a run for his money at the moment. Let’s get to it. The opening video looks at the title match. Opening sequence. Primate vs. Wild Boar The rest of Symbiosis is here and if Boar wins, he gets to face Eddie Dennis. They go straight to the slugout with Primate getting the better of things for all of a few seconds. Boar takes him down and stomps away before going after Dennis. T-Bone gets in the way and the distraction lets Primate take Boar down. That doesn’t last long either though as Boar knocks him into the corner and hits the big reverse Cannonball. T-Bone offers another distraction though and Dennis gets in a chai..

NEWS

Pat McAfee To Wrestle At WrestleMania 38

March 4, 2022

Now that’s a SHAHT AHT! During his first live interview in 15 years on today’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Vince McMahon invited the host to compete at WrestleMania 38. The invitation was extended due to the former NFL player and Smackdown commentator’s tremendous connection to the WWE Universe. You can see the announcement below: [This post contains video, click to play] McAfee last competed in a WWE ring at NXT Takeover: WarGames 2020. McAfee, along with Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch defeated The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish). It is unknown at this time who his opponent will be. Editor’s Opinion: YES! This is awesome! I remember thinking all during the pandemic how absolutely terrific he has been at everything that he has done in WWE. Not only has become the best commentator in the company on Smackdown, but his in-ring work was fantastic and he has earned the right to compete at the Showcase of the Immortals. I have..

NEWS

Important Update On Controversial WWE Name Change

January 20, 2022

That might be a better idea. Every now and then you see WWE make a decision that might not make the most sense. It might be the kind of thing that could get them in a bit of hot water, or at least some bad publicity. Sometimes a new solution has to be found, if nothing else for the sake of damage control. That seems to be the case this week, as WWE has already changed a change. This week, WWE filed a trademark for the name Gunther Stark, which is also the name of a Nazi U-boat captain from World War II. During this week’s edition of NXT, Walter defeated Roderick Strong in the show’s main event and then announced his new name as Gunther. Now, Walter’s WWE.com profile has been changed to Gunther, with no sign of the name Stark. While not confirmed, this could suggest that WWE has dropped the name Gunther Stark, instead sticking with just Gunther. Opinion: Having Walter change his name to Gunther might not be the greatest idea in the world, but it is the kind of thing that WWE tends to ..

NEWS

Walter Seems To Unveil New Name With Controversial History

January 19, 2022

That’s in a name. The right name is one of the most important parts of a wrestler’s presentation. Going with the right name can make a career while going with the wrong choice can cripple a wrestler’s run right out of the gate. Sometimes you will see a wrestler change their name to something better or worse and now we have another interesting change taking place. This week’s NXT featured the full time debut of Walter, who has moved over from NXT UK. Walter defeated Roderick Strong in the show’s main event before grabbing a microphone. Following the match, Walter said that the winner of the match was “Gunther”, leading to a brawl between Imperium and the Creed Brothers to end the show. This comes on the same day PWInsider is reporting that WWE has filed a trademark for the name “Gunther Stark”, which is the name of a Nazi U-Boat commander during World War II. The name “Stark” was not used during the show. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that seems like it could have been solved by ..

NEWS

Two Title Changes Take Place During NXT New Year’s Evil

January 5, 2022

They went for the gold. Titles are the most important thing in all of wrestling and have been for a very long time now. In theory at least, every wrestler who gets in the ring wants to win the biggest title around. That is how wrestling has worked for pretty much all of wrestling history and it is still the case to this day. Title changes make a difference, and that was the case this week. NXT presented its annual New Year’s Evil event this week, featuring three title matches, with two titles changing hands. First up, North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong to unify the titles, with the North American Title being the name of the championship going forward. Then in the show’s main event, Bron Breakker defeated Tommaso Ciampa to win the NXT Title. The win marks Breakker’s first title in WWE. In the other title match, Women’s Champion Mandy Rose defeated Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade to retain her title. It was a big night. Check out how the..

NEWS

NXT Results – December 28, 2021

December 29, 2021

NXT Date: December 28, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett It’s time for one of those things that you don’t get to see very often in WWE, as we’re getting a contract signing between Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong. Other than that, odds are we’ll be hearing a lot more from Grayson Waller, because he is on this show as much as a Steve Austin Raw in 1998. Let’s get to it. Here is Grayson Waller to get things going. Waller flips around a lot and talks about having a great Christmas. This included flying himself to Detroit to Monday Night Raw, where he met AJ Styles. We see a clip of their showdown last night, before Waller talks about how he is supposed to face Dexter Lumis tonight. That isn’t going to happen, so he insults Indi Hartwell too. Cue the returning Odyssey Jones and we have a replacement match. Odyssey Jones vs. Grayson Waller Jones throws him around to start and then steps on Waller’s back. A big side slam give..

NEWS

WWE Seems To Be Unifying Two Of Its Titles

December 22, 2021

One for two. Titles are the lifeblood of a wrestling promotion as you have people fighting to be recognized as the best in the world. They have been around forever and always will be, even if there are occasionally more than there need to be around a promotion. That is the case in WWE, but now it seems that they are getting rid of one of them as a few are going to be unified. This week on NXT, a title for title match was set for New Year’s Evil on January 4, 2022, as North American Champion Carmelo Hayes will face NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong. The two champions ran into each other last week and got into a brawl this week, with the title match being made later in the evening. This comes as WWE is phasing down its cruiserweight division, as the weight limit has been waved and there has been talk of changing 205 Live. We could be in for something special here. Check out the titles in action, plus some unification matches: [This post contains video, click to play] [This ..

NEWS

Kyle O’Reilly Is Officially A Free Agent

December 11, 2021

Add another one to the list. According to a report from PWInsider, Kyle O’Reilly has not-resigned with WWE and has officially become a free agent. Both he and Johnny Gargano have been removed from the company’s internal roster. This news comes after Gargano became a free agent the day before. He is currently free to work anywhere he wants to since there was no non-compete attached to his contract. O’Reilly has had quite a career in NXT. He was a three-time WWE NXT tag team champion, and also won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2018 with Adam Cole. The pair, along with Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong, was known as the Undisputed Era and was one of the most successful factions in NXT history. However, Cole and O’Reilly had an intense rivalry throughout most of 2021, which led to a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at NXT Takeover: 36. You can see the final war of words below: [This post contains video, click to play] Editor’s Opinion: This isn’t surprising to me at all. With Bobby Fish a..

NEWS

205 Live Results – November 26, 2021

December 3, 2021

205 Live Date: November 26, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph NXT is on its way to WarGames and that means we are on our way to a non-cruiserweight challenging for the Cruiserweight Title. I’m not sure why that should be a surprise, as Roderick Strong hasn’t defended the title in about two months, so the future isn’t exactly bright. At the same time, that has very little to do with this show so let’s get to it. Valentina Feroz vs. Elektra Lopez Legado del Fantasma is here with Lopez. Feroz tries to take her down to start and is blocked with straight power. A hard slap to the face sets up a slam spun into a Rock Bottom and we hit the nerve hold. That’s broken up and Feroz kicks away at the leg, setting up a running hurricanrana. Lopez isn’t having that though and muscles her up into a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 3:50. Result: Elektra Lopez b. Valentina Feroz – Sitout powerbomb (3:50) Erica Yan vs. Amari Miller Th..

NEWS

WWE Considering Dropping One Of Its Titles

December 2, 2021

A little less silver. Titles are a rather simple concept in the world of wrestling as they are so easy to understand: the person who has the big shiny belt is at the top of the ladder and everyone else wants to take it away. That is something anyone can understand, but there is a limit to how many titles can still be effective. WWE seems to know this and might be dropping a title. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is considering dropping the NXT Cruiserweight Title. The potential move would be part of a long string of changes NXT has been making in recent months. This comes before Joe Gacy, who does not meet the cruiserweight limit, challenges Roderick Strong for the title at WarGames. There is no word on if Gacy will be winning the title or if it will just be dropped with Strong retaining. Strong has not defended the title since the September 28 edition of NXT. The title has done well when it is around. Check out some of its better moments: [This post contains video, click..

NEWS

205 Live Results – November 5, 2021

November 12, 2021

205 Live Date: November 5, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph This has rapidly become a show that actually offers something and I’m still not sure how to feel about that. It’s very nice to have 205 Live actually matter for a change, as there is only so much you can do with two hours of NXT. Let the wrestlers get in the ring somehow and see what they can do with some extra time. Let’s get to it. Roderick Strong vs. Ru Feng Non-title and the rest of Diamond Mine is here too. Feng shoves him into the corner to start and cranks on the wrist with Strong not being able to do much to escape. Some chops up against the ropes have Feng in trouble though and Strong stomps away near the ropes. Feng fights out of an abdominal stretch and grabs a powerslam for two. That’s enough for Strong, who hits the jumping knee for the pin at 4:55. Result: Roderick Strong b. Ru Feng – Jumping knee (4:55) Valentina Feroz vs. Erica Yan This is ..

NEWS

NXT Announces Three Title Matches For Loaded Show

September 22, 2021

Yeah I’d call that big. We are still in the early days of the new NXT and that means we are in for some big changes. There are all kinds of moves going on and it seems that WWE is trying to come up with something to get the audience watching. There are various ways to keep people interested, and that is what they are trying to do next week, as there will be a lot of gold on the line. This week on NXT, three title matches were officially announced for next week’s show. First up, Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne will challenge Io Shirai and Zoey Stark for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Next, Roderick Strong will defend the Cruiserweight Title against Grayson Waller. Finally, Frankie Monet will challenge Raquel Gonzalez for the Women’s Title. This comes after there has been a title change on each of the first two editions of the new NXT. These are some big matches. Check out how they have been set up: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, clic..

NEWS

New Champion Crowned On NXT

September 22, 2021

History has been made! There are a lot of titles under the WWE banner and that makes some sense. With so many wrestlers and so many unique brands in WWE, you have to have a good deal of titles to spread between all of them. It can also make for a lot of title changes, as those titles are defended fairly regularly. We saw another title change take place this week. During this week’s edition of NXT, Roderick Strong defeated Kushida to become the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The win came after assistance from the Diamond Mine, who attacked Kushida so Strong could get the win. The match was originally scheduled for August, but was postponed due to Kushida testing positive for the Coronavirus. There is nothing to suggest that plans were changed as a result. Hail the new champ. Check out who is holding the title: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This was long overdue as the title..

NEWS

VIDEO: Two Surprise Returns Take Place On NXT

September 15, 2021

It’s nice to see some familiar faces. This week’s edition of NXT marked the launch of NXT 2.0, which saw the biggest change in the history of the show. All kinds of new names debuted on a new set with a new layout of the Capitol Wrestling Center. That alone should make for something new, but there were also some familiar faces showing up for the first time in a good while. There were two surprise returns this week on NXT. First, Austin Theory returned from his self imposed hiatus to take part in the wedding between Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell. Theory appeared at the wedding and was asked to present the rings, which Ikemen Jiro actually had. In addition, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida returned after missing several weeks due to testing positive for the Coronavirus. Kushida agreed to defend his championship against Roderick Strong next week, in a match originally planned for last month. It certainly was an eventful night. Check out what happened with the returns, plus a mashup f..