Last night Eric Bischoff appeared on TNT for the first time since working for WCW. His role was the moderator for the Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy AEW Super Wednesday Debate 2020. Overall it was an excellent segment, and Eric Bischoff played his part brilliantly. You can watch his entrance and the beginning of the debate below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPssFo1VKA
Back in July, AEW President Tony Khan was a guest on a podcast along with Eric Bischoff, where Khan acknowledged that if it wasn’t for the success that WCW had on TNT under Bischoff’s management, AEW wouldn’t be on the channel now. It’s likely this podcast interview lead to further communication between Khan and Bischoff, resulting in this one-off appearance. This was Bischoff’s first involvement in wrestling, apart from podcasts, since WWE released him from his executive director role of SmackDown last October.
Back in July, AEW President Tony Khan was a guest on a podcast along with Eric Bischoff, where Khan acknowledged that if it wasn’t for the success that WCW had on TNT under Bischoff’s management, AEW wouldn’t be on the channel now. It’s likely this podcast interview lead to further communication between Khan and Bischoff, resulting in this one-off appearance. This was Bischoff’s first involvement in wrestling, apart from podcasts, since WWE released him from his executive director role of SmackDown last October. XYZ
Earlier today, we posted about Marty Jannetty confessing to killing someone when he was a 13-year-old. It apparently was self-defense, as the man he allegedly killed was trying to sexually assault him.
Jannetty quickly realized he shouldn’t have posted this, and deleted the post off his Facebook page, but not before multiple people saved it. Now the Columbus Police Department in Georgia are investigating the Facebook post according to TMZ, who have communicated with a spokesman from their cold case division.
We are going to look into this. The first step will be seeing if we have any missing persons or unidentified remains cases that match the limited information in the post.Columbus Police Department
While this is a shocking claim, Jannetty has a history of substance abuse and making outlandish claims on social media, so there is a real possibility this event never happened. Hopefully, this is the case.
XYZ
Seemingly following an argument with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, former WWE wrestler Marty Jannetty took to Facebook to vent, and in the process admitted to killing a man. In the now-deleted post, he reveals that when he was 13 years old, a man tried to abuse behind a bowling alley and made the man “disappear.” Many fans took screenshots of the unexpected disclosure, and you can view them here.
I never told no one this, even my brother Geno..cause Geno would’ve killed him, and I didn’t want my brother gone “hell he’d only recently came home from Viet Nam..I was 13, working at Victory Lanes bowling alley buying weed from a f*g that worked there..and he put his hands on me..he dragged me around to the back of the building..you already know what he was gonna try to do..
That was the very first time I made a man disappear..they never found him..they shoulda looked in the Chattahoochie River..but Winnie(the girl in these pics) I likes you so damn much, probably my favorite..but I promised myself way back then, nobody would ever hurt me again..that includes you..I loved you but you hurt me with your f*ckin Jamaican jealousy..you can go your own way, I don’t need you.. Marty Jannetty
He would later post a follow-up comment saying:
Me and Winnie just had a fall out..but, if you’re asking bout the other thing..yes, that was a billion years ago, plus, I have the satisfaction of knowing that B*TCH ass n*nja never got to do another kid like that..Marty Jannetty
This is a very troubling post and could potentially lead to legal issues even though he was only 13, and it was self-defense. The fact he adds “that was the very first time I made a man disappear” implies it could also have happened on more than one occasion.
XYZ
Cesaro has spent almost half of his life in the ring. Despite still being in extraordinary shape and being involved in excellent matches regularly on SmackDown now he is approaching 40, the topic of retirement is bound to be at the back of his mind. In an interview with German publication Sport1, he was asked when he plans to retire, and revealed he goes by the advice John Cena gave him.
I want to get better every day; that’s how I handle my career. If I can’t do it anymore, it’s time to stop. A wise man named John Cena once told me that you are only as good as in your last match. I want my last match to be great. When I see that this is no longer possible, you have to stop. I don’t know when that is. Cesaro
Based on this philosophy and how he is currently performing, it seems we’ll be seeing Cesaro wrestling for several more years. Lately, his career has been focused on tag team wrestling, and he currently holds the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with Shinsuke Nakamura, but it would be great if he could have one last singles run in WWE or elsewhere.
XYZ
Since Drew McIntyre became WWE Champion Raw ratings are down between 10% and 18% depending on the week. This is appalling, but putting the blame solely on McIntyre would be unfair. Creative on Raw hasn’t been kind to him by putting him in programs with Bobby Lashley and Dolph Ziggler. Besides, worldwide events causing the show to be taped at the Performace Center with no fans is also a significant negative.
Now in an interview with TVInsider.com, McIntyre has addressed ratings decline on his watch.
It doesn’t bring me down. I’ve been through so much. The ups and downs in my career. Some really low points. I don’t let it get to me or distract me from the goal at home. I know a lot of previous champions have let it get to them. They’ve suffered in their personal life as a result and lashed out on social media. I don’t allow it to get to me from that standpoint.
The audience that has stuck around are getting to learn about the characters on a deeper level. I think because of this when we get back into the arenas, the viewership will grow. I think we will reach new heights to be honest because we’re going to have so many compelling characters. A lot of superstars are maximizing their opportunity in this environment. Right now you can really develop your character on a deeper level through this unique lens. I think when we do get back in the arenas they will attract the attention of fans. I hear what is going on. I see what’s going on social media. Things are going well there, but they can also be better. Once we get back to normal, I think we’ll reach new heights as a company.
Drew McIntyre
The lashing out on social media comment seemingly is about Seth Rollins, whose Twitter game fell apart last year as WWE Champion. Thankfully McIntyre hasn’t embarrassed himself in this fashion.
WWE would likely be in this position regardless of who is champion. That said, we now wait to see whether Vince McMahon decides to stick with McIntyre, or takes the tried and tested route and puts the title on Randy Orton.
XYZ
With the NBA back, and the playoffs now scheduled, TNT has announced that three episodes of AEW Dynamite will air on alternative days and/or times to accommodate them. You can view the schedule changes below.
Moving times and dates isn’t ideal for AEW, but the extra episode of Dynamite is a great bonus, especially in the buildup for the All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, September 5th. TNT will also promote the pay-per-view by airing Countdown to All Out following the Wednesday, September 2nd episode of Dynamite at 10pm.
XYZ
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with Raw’s ratings seemingly in freefall, WWE has brought back Shane McMahon and introduced a Fight Club aspect to the show. The concept is two men fighting in an anything-goes match, which appears to take place backstage at the Performance Center. They compete inside a no rope oversized wrestling ring with Shane McMahon emceeing and telling the referee when to end the match. Called, Raw Underground, it takes place during the third hour of Raw, and the below video featuring Dabba-Kato, a 6 ft 9 former football player who has taken part in preseason games for the Minnesota Vikings shows you the implementation.
Welcome to #RawUnderground! 😲@shanemcmahon is changing the game on Monday nights!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/kkTSns0t2i
— WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2020
Raw Underground would continue throughout the third hour, with both Erik of the Viking Raiders and Dolph Ziggler winning matches against unnamed opponents. After Ziggler’s match MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin entered, and MVP declared The Hurt Business was taking over Raw Underground, and all three members beat-up challengers, one of which was former Raw announcer Dio Maddin. This segment closed the show.
The last time Shane McMahon returned to WWE after being gone for an extended period saw Raw’s ratings increase by almost 12%, so WWE will hope this return will have a similar result.
XYZ
In what feels like a storyline from Ballers, The Rock has partnered with his ex-wife Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital Partners to buy his former bosses bankrupt football league. They paid almost $15 million hours before the planned auction was to commence in what is believed to be an equally split partnership. All that is left to confirm the purchase is for the count to approve it later this month.
As part of a press release The Rock stated the below:
The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Danny Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.The Rock
The Rock’s version of the XFL will be the second reboot of the football league, with Vince McMahon’s previous two versions failing. The first version in 2001 lasted one full season but closed due to the terrible ratings it received after an initial good start. The reboot went bankrupt earlier this year after being forced to cancel the season due to the global health crisis and losing out on tens of millions of dollars.
XYZ
During his always entertaining and informative Saturday Night Special show, Chris Jericho was answering questions and asked by YouTube user “evil birdee” who he would like to see join AEW.
Jericho chose Roman Reigns and Ricochet from WWE, Kota Ibushi and Will Ospreay from New Japan, and his good friend Don Callis, an executive and commentator for Impact Wrestling. The clip from the episode can be viewed below.
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Jericho answered numerous questions on this week’s Saturday Night Special, and you can watch the full edition on his official YouTube channel.
XYZ
Back in January 2020, the Bella Twins announced they were pregnant at the same time and had due dates two weeks apart. However, both Nikki and Brie are celebrating the birth of baby boys just 24 hours apart with Nikki giving birth on Friday and Brie on Saturday. The sisters would share the good news on their Instagram accounts earlier today.
I7/31/2020 💙 Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE! Everyone is safe and healthy.
It’s a BOY!!! 💙 8-1-2020 We are overwhelmed with joy and everyone is healthy!!!
Nikki’s baby is her first, and the father is her fiancé Artem Chigvintsev who she met when competing on Dancing with the Stars in 2017. For Brie, this is her second child with husband Daniel Bryan. The couple are already parents to three-year-old daughter Birdie.
XYZ
Two weeks ago, we reported on WWE wanting to bring back 90’s faction the Nation of Domination. WWE went so far as to bring both Ron Simmons and Mark Henry to the tapings to kick off the angle with MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin, but didn’t pull the trigger. Now it seems the idea has been scrapped according to MVP during on Say Less with Kaz and Lowkey.
No, no, short answer is no, because I’ve been hearing the chatter and I’ve been seeing that, and I don’t wanna do the new anything. The Nation was done; it was awesome in the time that it was done. It was needed, stars were made.
I don’t wanna rehash something else, I wanna bring something new, and I don’t necessarily, in our approach to The Hurt Business, me and Bobby, as you know, we are legitimate friends away from wrestling. We boys. Shelton is one of my closest friends. I just like making money with my friends, you know what I’m saying?
I have no interest in rehashing the Nation of Domination, and while I do wanna present myself and Bobby and Shelton as strong black role models, successful, we’re businessmen.
We’re not trying to make a statement on race. We’re trying to just make a statement, and in our case, what we’re trying to do, it’s not about black or white, it’s about gold and green, and at that point, I love the fact that there are young men of color that can watch us and go, “Oh, I wanna be like them” because when I was a kid, I used to wanna be like Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas. “Man, when I grow up, I wanna look like that. I wanna be like them.”MVP
MVP wasn’t the only individual who didn’t want a rebooted Nation of Domination to proceed. It’s been reported that many people backstage expressed the view that with what is happening in the world, establishing a group based on race would be contentious and tone-deaf. Thankfully, this time Vince McMahon acknowledged this.
XYZ
Matt Cardona, previously known as Zack Ryder when with WWE, made his AEW debut this past Wednesday on Dynamite. He would save his real-life close friend, Cody, along with Arn Anderson from Alex Reynolds and John Silver. This appearance saw Dynamite gain 84,000 views in the quarter with NXT losing 71,000, which will make TNT very happy. Next week he makes his in-ring debut tagging with Cody against Alex Reynolds and John Silver of the Dark Order.
Interestingly, it has been revealed by Wrestling Inc that Cardona has only signed a five appearance deal, meaning he only has four dates remaining. Fans of Cardona shouldn’t be overly worried as AEW has brought in wrestlers previously on short deals and has gone on to sign them on longer-term contracts. It’s likely both parties want to check they are a good fit together, and this number of dates allows this. If Cardona remains a rating success over the next four weeks, we’ll likely be seeing him for some time to come.
XYZ