On this week’s Raw, there was an odd moment when the New Day vs Hurt Business tag title
match had to be restarted because of a double countout.
On mine and Luke’s Raw review podcast yesterday, one fan theorised that this was the start
of a slow, subtle New Day heel turn, that Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were realising
they weren’t as good without Big E, so they have to start taking more shortcuts to keep
hold of their tag belts - explaining that’s why they heelishly ran away from the Hurt
Business when they fluked the double countout draw on Monday night.
We all thought it was Big E that was turning heel on the New Day, when it could be the
New Day turning heel on Big E. It’s a potentially brilliant storyline,
that’s totally not happening because it was all reportedly a botch.
Bryan Alvarez explained on Wrestling Observer Live that Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander
were supposed to win the match via countout when Kofi was injured in the ringside area,
to give them some momentum back after losing their tag title match the previous week.
But Alexander “didn’t get in the ring fast enough and so the referee called it a
double count-out.”
To protect their integrity, WWE referees are instructed to call the matches like a shoot,
meaning it’s on the performers if they miss their spots - which caused Alexander to redo
the terrible women’s Survivor Series finish the previous night.
Thinking on the fly, MVP then grabbed the mic and challenged the New Day to restart
the match.
Unfortunately, this had the unintended consequence of presenting the Hurt Business as babyfaces
and the New Day as heels trying to escape the match.
And as the countout finish had already been botched, New Day beat the Hurt Business clean,
derailing the momentum they’d built the previous week.
But let’s fantasy book anyway - do you want to see a New Day heel turn?
Tell me it’s a Bad Day, yes it is in the comments, where I’ll be replying to people
FROM OUTTA NO...Dammit, I didn’t get there in time.
Before we get on with the rest of the news, I’d just like to say a huge thank you to
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They say physique building is about diet, and exercise and supplementation.
But really it’s about smooth, hairless abs.
Otherwise I would be ripped right now.
Kurt Angle, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and my personal hero, was unceremoniously
fired by WWE back in April as part of their mass releases at the start of the pandemic.
He made two brief cameo appearances in May before his contract fully expired, special
guest refereeing Matt Riddle vs Timothy Thatcher in NXT, and then announcing Riddle’s main
roster call up the following week.
Angle actually told Sports Illustrated afterwards that WWE offered him a job to manage Riddle
on SmackDown, but he turned it down to focus on his Physically Fit Nutrition business - speculating
the plan was for him to manage Riddle, “and then, eventually, probably a match between
the two of us.”
Which would’ve been much better than Kurt’s last WWE match we got, being retired by Baron
Corbin at WrestleMania.
It still hurts.
But while Kurt said he’s “almost 100% I won’t wrestle again,” he did say his
mind could be changed after the extensive rehab work he needed to do on his body, “trying
to get myself back to where I’m able to live a healthy lifestyle.
I’d been so banged up—my neck, my back, and my neck—but I’m making improvements.
If I get to the point where I feel I can do it, then I’ll probably do it.”
Which makes his tweet yesterday very interesting: “Damn it feels good to be able to train
hard again.....feeling like I'm in my 30s #MilkDoesTheBodyGood #HealthyMindset #WorkHardPlayHard
#WakeUpAndWorkForIt #itstrue” - with a picture of him looking like one incredibly muscular
thumb.
Do you think we could see Angle return to the ring?
And who do you want to see him wrestle?
List the entire AEW roster in the comments down below.
One of whom would be Ricky Starks, even though WWE tried to snatch him from under AEW’s
nose.
Starks debuted for AEW back in June in one of Cody Rhodes’ first open challenge TNT
title matches, where he impressed so much, he was quickly signed full time by the company,
and is currently part of Team Taz.
But that same day he debuted in AEW was coincidentally the same day WWE said they’ve been following
his work for ages, and would love for him to join them.
“The funny thing is, the day that I wrestled Cody I got a phone call from WWE saying, 'Hey,
we've been watching you and we wanted to bring you in'.
I said, 'Oh really?
Oh ok.
Interesting.
Of all days.'.
And so I entertained that conversation because I was curious but I think I knew already which
decision I was going to make…
So that put things in perspective and I don't hold any ill will towards WWE but I really
think they dropped the ball majorly on that.
I'll never know why and I guess I don't care now."
You can watch Starks’ full interview with Chris Van Vliet in the video description below!
Who, if you hadn’t heard already, has interviewed the Rock a couple of times in the past.
Ricky’s story supports the many reports over the last year about WWE trying to sign
talent away from AEW - with recent examples being Top Flight, who ended up signing with
AEW, and Ben Carter, who opted for NXT UK in the end.
It’s a cynical, but smart strategy by WWE.
You either get a valuable wrestler away from your competition, or give them leverage to
drive their price up higher and drain AEW of money.
But it’s also a strategy that saw WWE’s roster become incredibly bloated and overpaid
before April’s cuts.
And one WWE talent might’ve just made themselves quite expendable...
WWE referee Drake Wuertz, also known as NXT’s Most Orange Man, has come under scrutiny recently
following journalist David Bixenspan’s article ‘WWE Appears to Have a Drake Wuertz Problem’
on Babyface vs Heel - which you can read in full in the video description links below.
In it, Bixenspan recounts his previous reports of Drake using his work email account to volunteer
for the QAnon-adjacent Operation Underground Railroad and cancel Candy Cartwright’s NXT
bookings because of her past with Matt Riddle.
And then goes onto show alleged posts from Wuertz’s Parler account, which is the controversial
“‘free speech’ alternative to Twitter that has become a hotbed of right wing extremist
activity,” claiming he follows a number of extreme right wing groups or thinkers like
the the Proud Boys and Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and reposts misinformation
and conspiracy theories.
Bixenspan notes that there is “increasing distaste for him within NXT thanks to his
views,” and while WWE hasn’t yet responded to his request for comment, Wuertz himself
now has in a lengthy statement on Instagram: “An irresponsible and biased “wrestling
journalist” has been recklessly attacking me and my family.
I will not be bullied and I will not put up with it.
For some reason, he has targeted me for quite some time now.
He has gone so far as to stalk my wife’s social pages and has documented every ‘like’
or ‘follow’ we’ve made in an attempt to have me “cancelled”.
He’s falsely labeling me with some of the most evil names that you could ever call someone.
We are neither racists, sexist, nor members of any white supremacist organizations, conspiracy
theory groups, or otherwise.
This generation of “woke cancel culture” keyboard warriors thrive on trying to take
out people they simply don’t agree with.”
Wuertz then claims he helps fight human trafficking and child exploitation, and then accuses Bixenspan
of using hate speech himself, although doesn’t provide any evidence because “that’s not
how I choose to fight this battle.”
While WWE prefers to discipline talent for trying to play Twitch instead of more serious
accusations, the promotion did drop the Forgotten Sons act earlier this year after Jaxson Ryker
was publicly criticised by the locker room for supporting Trump during the Black Lives
Matter movement.
In less serious wrestling news, WWE have kayfabe announced they’ve “indefinitely suspended”
Braun Strowman after he headbutted definitely not Raw General Manager Adam Pearce on Monday’s
show.
Which makes total sense if the reported plan is for him to return next week and get a WWE
title match at TLC ahead of everyone who actually qualified.
Adam Pearce retweeted WWE’s suspension announcement, adding:
“Now that it’s official, I personally don’t feel good about any part of this situation.
Unfortunate for Braun, myself, and the WWE Universe.
It stinks for all of us.
Hoping we all can move forward.”
Sadly, it stinks most for Drew McInFart.
In typical WWE fashion, Braun vs Drew is reportedly the only plan they currently have for next
month’s TLC, with Dave Meltzer revealing they “have no card”. Roman Reigns vs Daniel
Bryan and Randy Orton vs the Fiend are possibilities, but they could also be saved for January’s
Royal Rumble.
Where it’s finally been revealed that AJ Styles will still be with the company.
After Gallows and Anderson teased “a phenomenal opponent” for last night’s episode, AJ
Styles did not return to his former promotion, with Ethan Page instead facing the Weenomenal
One Say Jay Swoggle, who even came out with AJ’s old TitanTron and entrance music.
It’s been a busy week for the former Hornswoggle, who also cameod on last week’s AEW Dynamite.
The Good Brothers are currently feuding with The North over the IMPACT Tag Team Championships,
and, of course, far more importantly, the QuizzleMania tag team championships which
has passed into the IMPACT tag title lineage.
Until Gallows and Anderson defend those belts on QuizzleMania, though, we will be crowning
interim QuizzleMania tag team champions on today’s live show - with The News of me
and Pete, The Podcasts of Denise and Luke, The Website of Tempest and Andy and The Wrestling
Daily of Alex McCarthy and Louis all competing.
Set your reminder by clicking the video on the right!
And what’s the real reason Aleister Black has been removed from WWE?
Click the video below that to find out why!
I’ve been Mr Davis, please check out Manscaped using our links below to support the channel,
and Jam that Jam.