It’s Clash of Champions this Sunday, and with nine matches currently announced for
the show, it seems that for once, plans are pretty much all in place for the show ahead
of time.
Unless Covid has anything to say about it.
And as well all know by now, COVID always has something to say about things.
It was reported earlier this week that NXT suffered another outbreak of Covid-19, with
the reports stating that it wasn’t as large as the first one, and that it seemed to originate
from a coach who unintentionally spread it among those they were training.
This week’s episode of NXT had to undergo “several changes” according to Dave Meltzer,
but it may not just be NXT that’s been affected.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer expanded on the outbreak, stating that “there are
people on the main roster who got it from this outbreak, a few, that may impact TV this
coming week.”
It’s not the best timing for WWE, with SmackDown tonight, Clash of Champions on Sunday and
Raw on Monday.
More worryingly though, there are those on the main roster who had taken time away to
avoid the pandemic as much as they could such as Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, who have just
recently returned into a supposedly safer environment such as the ThunderDome, only
for Covid to spread to the main roster almost immediately after.
WWE have responded to this outbreak, releasing an official statement that reads:
“As part of ongoing testing protocols, WWE completed its second round of weekly COVID-19
testing on Tuesday.
Individuals that tested positive will quarantine for 14 days, receive medical care, and then
will only be cleared when they are symptom-free and test negative.
Additionally, extensive contact tracing has taken place and other individuals have been
placed in 14-day quarantine, and will then only be cleared after they test negative.”
In addition, a report from PWInsider reports that talent who worked at the Performance
Center or Full Sail will not be permitted to work tapings of Raw and SmackDown at the
ThunderDome until further notice.
For NXT, the next tapings taking place will be on October 4th, so anyone who has tested
positive or is quarantining will not be available for that show, including the extras that make
up the crowd.
But for the main roster, it may spell slightly more trouble, as on last week’s episode
of SmackDown, as the angle where Bayley attacked Sasha Banks was supposedly filmed inside the
Performance Center.
And with those who worked in the Performance Center are reportedly not permitted to work
in the ThunderDome, so Bayley may need to be written off of Clash of Champions and tonight’s
SmackDown.
With that said, the angle could very well have just been backstage in the ThunderDome
with them simply saying it was the Performance Center, but it’s worth bearing all of this
in mind.
And if you want to add fire to the speculation fire, WWE have announced three segments for
tonight’s episode including Roman Reigns, Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss, Jeff Hardy and Sami
Zayn, but currently nothing for Bayley or her challenger on Sunday, Nikki Cross.
One of the people that seemingly tested positive for Covid-19 is NXT talent Chelsea Green,
who was seen posting to Facebook that “it feels so good to be out and about again after
testing positive for COVID.”
Green’s fiancé Matt Cardona was absent from AEW programming since All Out, so it
may be possible that he has been in quarantine.
But now we can get back to our regular dose of silly wrestling news, and brand warfare
is very much alive with Roman Reigns shooting on Raw!
It’s fair to say that since Roman has returned to the blue brand, it’s been putting out
some of the best shows in WWE this calendar year.
This is made even more drastic by the comparisons to Raw which has comparatively been clasping
around the ankles of SmackDown as it strides away from it.
Appearing on a Mania Club meet and greet, Roman compared Raw and SmackDown to cooking
- comparisons I can get on board with as I love cooking, Chef Show is back on Netflix
what are you doing this weekend?
- saying that SmackDown is the superior chef: “We got a bunch of fast food fans and they
complain that they want stories and well thought out stories to develop.
When you start doing that for them, they want it all now.
My people, I'm cooking a steak.
We're creating an elaborate omelet and we're in the process of cracking eggs right now.
You're not going to get it quite yet.
We're gonna let the steaks stay on the grill.
If you want your cheeseburger, watch Raw.
SmackDown, we do filet mignon”.
I’ve got to be honest, Roman.
I don’t want an omelet with my filet mignon.
Just roast up some potatoes with a bit of rosemary and thyme, which should compliment
the butteriness of the steak if you’re basting it, which I presume you are.
It’s a fair comparison in all honesty, because while SmackDown has managed to build an immense
amount of anticipation for Reigns vs Jey Uso this Sunday, Raw has debuted Slapjack, T-Bar
and Mace.
In the main event of Raw this week, Retribution’s newly named gang of misfits took on the Hurt
Business, which ended with Mace getting disqualified for punching Bobby Lashley when he wasn’t
the legal man.
According to Dave Melzter on Wrestling Observer Radio, this was a botch as “they screwed
up their own rule because it’s a breakup of a finish so a submission is also a thing.
So, if you break up a pin or submission you’re allowed to do it, but if you just hit the
legal man for no reason then it is a disqualification which makes absolutely no sense, but that’s
the story.”
‘It makes absolutely no sense’.
I think that’s Retribution’s tagline.
And speaking of Retribution, after the frankly hilarious debut on this week’s Raw, it seems
the group may be going under a gimmick change.
At least, that’s what their social media accounts would have you believe.
While T-Bar, Mace and Slapjack all made Twitter accounts recently, they seemed to be fairly
serious, with T-Bar posting a group shot of them, Mace continuing his spooky cryptic stuff,
and Slapjack...posting his face.
But now, it seems the trio have leaned into the hilarity of everything, with T-Bar initially
responding to Bryan Alvarez revealing this week’s AEW and NXT ratings with “T-BAR:
1,667,000”.
Slapjack and Mace also did the same thing, and then, T-Bar carried on, saying that he
and Retribution will lay waste to every superstar on the roster, “The only exception to this
is X-Pac, because X-PAC is an outstanding name.”
And acknowledging that his mask is a direct ripoff of Bane’s from The Dark Knight Rises,
T-Bar paraphrased his speech from the movie, saying “Ah you think training is your ally?
You merely adopted the Performance Center.
I was born in it, molded by it.
I didn't see the main roster until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING”,
while also claiming Tom Hardy, who played Bane in that movie, is a false idol because
he’s 5’9” and Bane is supposed to be 6’8”.
Meanwhile, Mace claims that he hates two things: corrupt billionaire conglomerates, and poor
grammar.
Slapjack weighed in to say that people didn’t watch Shane Thorne, but they watch Slapjack,
posting a screenshot of a match featuring Shane Thorne having 88,000 views on YouTube,
while the Raw main event had 2.2 million.
This all seems like a...drastic change from what they’ve been presenting on Raw, as
they’ve been all seriousness and no comedy at all.
Not intentional comedy anyway.
But now, this may be a change of heart from management on how their characters should
be portrayed following the response from the collective audience worldwide.
Or, it could just be the wrestlers leaning into the negative reaction and laughing along
with us.
What do you think?
Do you think Retribution is going to be changing their gimmick?
Let me know in the comments because I’ll be replying to people FROM OUTTA SLAPJACK’S
PAPER PLATE MASK.
But even if T-Bar did draw 1,667,000 viewers, people want to know what NXT and AEW drew
this week, and the numbers are in.
It was another good week for the Wednesday Night Wrestling War of Wrestling Shows, even
though both AEW and NXT were down in their respective ratings.
AEW drew 835,000 viewers - around 50,000 less than last week - with a .32 in the all-important
18-49 demo.
NXT was around the same as last week, falling just under 700,000 viewers with 696,000 viewers.
Which has the numbers 69 in it, so nice.
Combined the shows did 1.5 million viewers, which is a good sign as they went up against
the NBA and NHL playoffs, with the NBA game doing 4.5 million viewers, and that 1.5 million
viewers isn’t that far off the Raw rating from Monday.
Speaking of Raw, and a couple of weeks ago Ivar of Viking Raiders suffered an injury
while doing a dive during an 8-man tag, immediately throwing up the X for the refs, and they went
straight to the finish.
It was reported that he could be on the shelf for around a year, and Ivar confirmed on Twitter
yesterday that he’s now recovering from his neck surgery saying, “Little over a
week post surgery, the road to recovery has begun!!!
I can't say Thank you enough to everyone for all the love and support, it has been unbelievably
humbling.
Better, Stronger, Healthier here I come!”
We here at WrestleTalk wish him the speediest of recoveries.
And Ivar isn’t the only WWE star who’s had surgery recently, with Naomi posting on
her Instagram Stories that she underwent a myomectomy, which I’ve very likely said
wrong.
Get off my back, I’m on YouTube, I’m not House.
Naomi posted: “In the midst of hurricane sally and Covid I also underwent an unexpected
6 hr surgery to finally remove a massive fibroid that's caused me severe anemia fatigue horrible
abdominal pains and more problems I don't even want to mention over the past year and
a half...I'm recovering well I'm relieved and already feeling so much better so family
friends and fans don't worry I'm ok lol miss ya.”
Get well soon, Naomi.
We miss you on TV.
And the bad news rolls on for Tegan Nox, who has reportedly suffered another torn ACL which
could put her on the shelf for a year.
This is awful news for Nox, who has been plagued with injuries throughout her WWE run.
She was originally lined up for the 2017 Mae Young Classic, but was replaced prior to the
tournament kicking off as she tore her ACL, and instead competed in the 2018 Mae Young
Classic, where she tore her ACL and various other things in her match with Rhea Ripley.
She was also written off TV after last year’s War Games due to an injury, before returning
in January 2020.
Nox’s injury was reported by WWE in their NXT injury report, which is usually a kayfabe
list, but Rovert on Twitter is claiming it's a legit ACL tear.
If true, we really wish Nox the speediest of recoveries.
To end on a positive note, WrestleTalk.com’s Louis Dangoor is exclusively reporting that
it’s not just Vince McMahon that is high on a Raw star, but so is the rest of the locker
room.
Wrestlers within WWE told QuizzleMania Champion Louis that Peyton Royce has been working hard
in-ring - likely at her husband’s Shawn Spears’ training school that he runs with
Tyler Breeze, and one wrestler was quoted as saying she had a “tremendous attitude”
and deserves all the opportunities she’s reportedly set for.
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And we’ll be doing live reactions to WWE Clash of Champions this Sunday, with myself,
Adam Blampied and Q-Tip of the Olithrority, where I not only get my job back full-time,
but I’ll also become the new Jam That Jampion.
But before that, you should check out myself and El Fakidor Laurie Blake talking about
the latest movie news - including Tom Cruise going into actual space to film a movie - over
on Cineworld!
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And which WWE star has been shooting on Ronda Rousey?
Click the other video to find out.
I’ve been Luke Owen, Jam That Jam and give me a Yes Please.