This past weekend Game Changer Wrestling held their biggest show ever, with one of the featured matches being between Matt Cardona and Joey Janela. With the show at Hammerstein Ballroom, the same location as 2006’s ECW One Night Stand, the match would playoff of the famous John Cena vs. RVD match with Brian Myers taking the role of Edge and interfering. However, unlike the 2006 match, this won’t be going down as a classic, with many fans believing it was overbooked. Additionally, another negative coming out of the match was that Cardona suffered both a broken nose and foot, which he revealed on Twitter.
While overall reviews for the match were unfavorable, Cardona should be commended for reinventing himself following his WWE release. Since 2020 he has become one of the most talked-about wrestlers on social media and appeared for AEW, Impact Wrestling, and Billy Corgan’s NWA. GCW, though, has been where he has received most of his buzz, and it now appears there is a possibility he could be about to work with Mick Foley in some capacity.
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With AEW’s Beach Break-themed episode of Dynamite taking place in Cleveland, many fans were hoping for the debut of Johnny Gargano. However, while the former NXT star didn’t appear, another popular wrestler did make his presence felt during the show’s main event in the form of Danhausen. The much loved demon-possed character would appear clinging onto a chair from underneath the ring during the Lights Out match between Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole. This would distract Cole and allow Cassidy to capitalize.
It hasn’t been revealed precisely when Danhausen officially signed with AEW. Still, as he has been interacting with AEW talents on Twitter in recent months, his signing wasn’t likely a last-minute agreement. That said, he did suffer a broken tibia and fibula during an indie show on Halloween when an opponent landed on his leg, so it’s doubtful he has been medically cleared for long.
For those unaware, Danhausen is best known for his comedy wrestling and, over the last few years, has become a cult favorite on the indie scene. This resulted in him getting to work for ROH, much to the chagrin of their old-school wrestling fanbase. Unfortunately, that run ended with the promotion going on hiatus and him subsequently becoming a free agent.
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Bray Wyatt’s final feud in WWE was with Randy Orton, and to many fans, it will be remembered as one of the worst. A big part of this was because it was so outlandish and included The Fiend being burnt alive, vomiting black ooze, and an intergender match with Alexa Bliss. Now, during an interview with The Ringer Wrestling Show, Orton acknowledged that the feud wasn’t great, and he found it very hard to make it appear authentic.
I just take what they give me and do it to the best of my ability, like I was doing stuff with The Fiend a year ago, and it was hard. Some of it was rough, they put me in the burn mask one week, and then the next week, I’m out of it, and my skin healed. It’s tough.
Randy OrtonI’m lighting a dead guy on fire, and he’s the babyface, I had a very hard time trying to make that real, but I feel like I did a good enough job that even though it was a little cringe-worthy for some people.
Randy OrtonWhile The Fiend was one of WWE’s most marketable characters and had huge merchandise sales, it was always a challenge for his opponents who had to act terrified of what was basically Husky Harris in a mask. This became even worse after The Fiend was squashed by Goldberg yet remained dominant against full-timers. Ultimately, the company would cut ties with Wyatt with it believed creative issues playing a significant role. Seemingly indicating he was just as aware as Orton was regarding the poor storytelling and preposterous stunts.
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Bully Ray was recently on the receiving end of social media backlash after he commented that Jon Moxley owed fans an apology for taking time off to deal with his alcohol addiction. One of the first to condemn Bully Ray’s opinion was Moxley’s wife Renee Paquette, and she has now spoken about the situation in more detail on her Throwing Down podcast.
I’ve always really liked Bully. I always thought I had a good relationship with him despite other people not having a good relationship with him or him having burned bridges in other places and leaving a bad taste in other people’s mouths.
Renee PaquetteBully has not apologized for it, and I don’t even need Bully to apologize, and I assure you, Jon could give a sh*t. It’s annoying to even be talking about it at this point. The fact is that Jon is back in wrestling, and he looks like a million bucks, and he feels good.
Renee PaquetteWhile some have suggested the whole thing could be an angle, it certainly doesn’t appear to be. And while It’s good to hear Moxley wasn’t affected by the comment, the entire situation is regrettable regardless. Perhaps after hearing Paquette’s remarks, the former WWE and ECW star will now reach out to the couple to make amends, as it would be sad for a friendship to end over a bad take.
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If you only know Brian Kendrick as a performer, it could be easy to forget he still works for WWE, having not wrestled since October 2020. Yet, he is still employed by the company and has been working as a coach and producer on NXT and 205 Live. However, that would be his former job if it was up to him. That is because, according to PWInsider, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion requested his release six weeks ago.
It’s somewhat surprising WWE is keeping Kendrick employed when they’ve been so eager to reduce costs. Especially when the company just cut multiple backstage personnel like Road Dogg and William Regal. However, like with the Mustafa Ali situation, WWE likes to control releases on their terms.
Precisely why Kendrick wants to depart WWE isn’t known, but given he is just 42 years old, he may wish to return to the ring. He was meant to wrestle Harland back in December 2020 on NXT, but the angle was dropped, and the timing of that would almost match that of his release request. Meaning it potentially played into his decision to quit.
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Wrestling legend Dutch Mantel created Wrestler’s Court in the late 80s to help settle backstage issues between wrestlers to ensure another Bruiser Brody tragedy didn’t occur. While it makes sense as an idea, it evolved over the years into something dealing with much more trivial matters and, to some, comes across as bullying.
Stories of Wrestler’s Court became well-known to fans over the years due to the WWE locker room’s fondness for the concept, with The Undertaker, JBL, and even Triple H all sitting as a judge on occasion. Now though, during a Twitter conversation, CM Punk has denounced the concept and referred to it as “insecure small dick energy” and an “embarrassment to the wrestling business.”
While countless stories of Wrestler’s Court can be found in shoot interviews, Muhammad Hassan’s was one of the most expensive punishments. The former WWE talent had received heat for using the Camel Clutch, which Eddie Guerrero also used, and while Guerrero wasn’t bothered following a conversation, Hassan had to pick up a $2000 bar tab for the boys. Nowadays, though, the belief is the backstage culture of WWE is very different, and Wrestler’s Court is scarcely heard about, which from at least CM Punk’s statement, is for the best.
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Nine months ago, Ronda Rousey announced that she was pregnant to her fans. This news came as a huge surprise as WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan had only recently stated that Rousey was set to return to the company at a “certain period of time.” Now it has been reported by Fightful Select that WWE wants the former UFC fighter to return for the Royal Rumble with it considered a poorly kept secret within the company.
Rousey last competed for WWE in April 2019 at WrestleMania 35, afterward stating she was stepping away from wrestling to start a family. However, she would later say on the podcast of Jackass star Steve-O that she was unhappy with how many shows she had to attend. She’d also state she’d never wrestle a full-time schedule again and called WWE fans ungrateful, setting herself up to be a big-time heel on her return.
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#FreeAli began trending after fans heard that the WWE star was denied his WWE release. Seemingly despite WWE letting go of countless wrestlers, they aren’t prepared to let Ali leave on his own terms, which has upset his fans. Now in what comes across as very immature and counterproductive, whoever runs the @WWEonFOX Twitter account has blocked at least one fan who used the hashtag. This has prompted Ali to block the WWE-associated account himself.
It’s understood that Ali had a heated argument with Vince McMahon ahead of his potential return with a new gimmick. While it isn’t known what was suggested, given WWE’s track record, it’s possible it was something that could offend. Especially when you consider that Ali has spoken out about Muslim wrestlers’ issues with negative stereotypical gimmicks. Whether Ali does end up receiving his release remains to be seen, but it certainly appears he won’t be silenced and just wait out his contract.
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Photo/Video Credit: twitter.com/TheGlamazonPDM
Following Jon Moxley’s triumphant return to AEW last week, much of the wrestling world applauded the former AEW and WWE Champion for battling his demons head-on. However, on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray would criticize Moxley for not apologizing to the fans and showing some accountability.
This resulted in many objections towards Bully Ray’s take, with Renee Paquette, Paige, and Mick Foley sharing their discontent on social media. Seemingly this opinion wasn’t limited just to those in the business, as during Moxley’s match at Sunday night’s Game Changer Wrestling show, fans in attendance would chant, “F*ck Bully Ray!“
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”lYoOmy6A” upload-date=”2022-01-24T16:46:36.000Z” name=”F-ck Bully Ray Chant.mp4″ description=”undefined” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]With Bully Ray being an old-school wrestler, this was never going to phase him, and he has subsequently taken to Twitter. He would claim the chant was actually music to his ears. He’d also declare the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City where the show took place, as his building.
While Bully Ray is no longer a full-time wrestler following his departure from Ring of Honor, he still occasionally wrestles on indie shows. So given that and how GCW fans have rejected him, it would seem a wise business move to have him appear on a future show against a top GCW wrestler like Joey Janela, Effy, or perhaps even Moxley himself.
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Four months ago, Alexa Bliss was written off WWE television to undergo sinus surgery. However, she recently returned for therapy session segments under her demonic and sinister character, which she adopted when aligned with Bray Wyatt and The Fiend. While some fans have been critical of this, Bliss herself has told fans to be patient and let things play out.
Now it appears that the conclusion of the therapy sessions will see her return to her previous character that she initially debuted in NXT. This is because on January 19th WWE applied to trademark “The Goddess.” This persona was incredibly popular for Bliss, so it makes sense for her to return to it, seeing as her current gimmick is played out and no longer makes sense without The Fiend. Whether she’ll be The Goddess in time for the Royal Rumble remains to be seen, but it certainly appears to be the long-term plan.
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The former Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, now known as Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee, were released by WWE in April 2021 and have since begun working for Impact Wrestling. Interesting thought Fightful Select has reported that WWE recently spoke to the Australian duo about returning to the company for the women’s Royal Rumble match. However, the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions somewhat surprisingly turned down WWE’s approach.
With WWE releasing so much talent recently, there had been legitimate concerns about whether they could fill the 30 spots for the women’s Royal Rumble match. The company would address this by announcing they are bringing back multiple former talents, including Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Lita, Michelle McCool, Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly, and Mickie James, to make up the numbers. With James being contracted to Impact Wrestling herself and WWE working out an agreement with the promotion, it’s likely why WWE felt McKay and Lee would be available to return.
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Last Friday, fans worldwide were rocked at the news that 74-year old Meat Loaf had sadly died. This prompted fans to laud him online; however, WWE star Shotzi Blackheart’s tribute would receive a lot of vitriol after she seemingly made light of his passing by tweeting, “Woah. I ate meatloaf last night. RIP.” While she would promptly delete the tweet, the criticism would continue to come, and she has now posted a public apology.
The apology certainly comes across as sincere, and the controversy shows how quickly a misguided comment on social media can result in dogpiling. Shotzi actually wasn’t the only one to upset fans regarding the passing as Meat Loaf, as Weber Grills was also criticized after emailing out a recipe for “BBQ Meat Loaf” on Friday. They, too, would apologize, saying they were unaware that the legendary rockstar had died when the email was sent.
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