Here's your wrestling news for September 21th 2021
And your headlines for today include
How Did The RAW- Smackdown Crossover With Roman Reigns Go?
WWE’s Treating Of Bobby Lashley Post WWE Title Reign!
Ric Flair Breaks Silence After The Plane Ride From Hell Episode Of Dark Side Of The Ring; Expands On ‘Bad Decisions’ He Made In Life!
Ric Flair Removed From New York Comic Con After Dark Side Of The Ring!
WWE Subtly Reacts To Recent Ric Flair Controversy!
Why DREW McIntyre Missed WWE RAW?
AEW announces annual Owen Hart Cup Tournament, partnership with Owen Hart Foundation; Fans Are Angry!
Dominik Mysterio Reportedly Considered For Masked Heel Character!
Keith Lee Gets New Nickname Before WWE RAW! And More!
We’re kicking off today with RAW, which opened with a New Day celebration that surprisingly wasn’t cut short right away.
In a classy move, WWE Champion Big E thanked “one incredible friend above,” a line that was obviously in reference to his good
friend Brodie Lee, who sadly died last December. This sparked a Brodie chant by the crowd, as Big E took a moment to appreciate that the
fans knew exactly who he was referencing. Roman Reigns and the Bloodline waited until the end of the segment to enter, building to
to their highly-anticipated and entertaining six-man-tag match. That match ended prematurely after
Bobby Lashley emerged to take out the New Day, and it was Reigns who got the pin over Xavier Woods to win.
It wasn’t just the New Day on the Almighty’s radar, as he also assaulted the Usos and delivered a spear to the Head of the Table.
After losing the WWE title, we wondered how Lashley’s post-reign time would go, and this is the best way to keep him relevant and looking
strong. Claiming he was willing to take on both World Champions, a colossal main-event was
announced, in what could be the biggest main event RAW has seen in 2021. An explosive encounter with no interference,
Lashley used a steel chair to assault Big E, but it was the Tribal Chief who once again got the win, pinning Lashley following a spear
One could argue that having SmackDown’s top star win twice in the same night only weakened Big E, Lashley and RAW itself, but it remains
a huge statement for WWE to make. WWE are under pressure from Network executives to treat RAW and SmackDown
equally, but this match shows that SmackDown remains their top priority.
Dark Side of the Ring news now, as the impact from last week’s episode continues to be felt, and Ric Flair has finaly broke his silence on the
controversial episode. During the show, Flair’s actions during the Plane Ride From Hell were focussed on,
including him reportedly forcing a flight attendant to touch his genitals.
The flight attendant, Heidi Doyle was in tears as she recalled the incident, and last night, Flair sent out the following tweet:
"Every person that I've worked with has said not to post a response; but I've never run from past behaviors before hand I'm not
going to start now. I want to clarify a few things: About four years ago, I gave ESPN full access to my life for a "30 for 30" special.
They covered taxes, financial issues, adultery, divorces, the passing of my child and drinking/partying AT LENGTH
Rory Karpf, desperate to matter for another 15 minutes, did an interview about it this morning. When Rory's lips are moving, he's typically lying
but one part of what he said was the God's honest truth:" Flair said that one thing Karpf (the director of his
ESPN 30 for 30 episode) was honest about is that he’s never heard of Flair forcing himself on anyone
The two-time Hall of Famer added that he’s allowed his personal life and the lives of his wife and children to be turned upside down because
he believes the truth matters in wrestling, and continued: "My issues have been well documented over
my 40+ year career. The impact of drinking too much (which nearly killed me 5 years ago) has been told time and time again. The reason
Rory (or anyone else for that matter) never heard stories of me forcing myself on ANYONE is simple: it never happened."
Since the Dark Side of the Ring episode aired, Flair has faced some major backlash, including being pulled from an appearance at New
New York Comic Con. Flair was set to be there as part of a comic book launch, and had been announced for
the event just last week, but now all references have been removed by Scout Comics, which he was supposed to appear for.
We’ll have to see what the wrestling world makes to Flair’s comments, but for now, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer is denying
the worst of what he’s been accused of.
Flair is denying that he ever forced a flight attendant to touch his genitals, but that’s only one part of what the 16-time World Champion
allededly did on the 2002 plane ride from the UK to the U.S. After issuing his first statement, many fans
didn’t buy it, and he released an additional statement to Wrestling Inc, where he admitted to gyrating his genitals round-and-round
To clarify, the ‘helicopter’ as it was called, is accurate. I wish I could blame it on youth, but it was a case of drinking too much and
being inappropriate and I apologize for that (and have countless times over the years). “I made some bad decisions during dark periods
in my life, and it is something I’ve spent a significant part of years I was given by the doctors in 2017 trying to make right.
“I condemn sexual assault in any way, shape or form. I could (and have) written books (as have others) that have covered my transgressions
I’ve made some terrible decisions, but I’ve never forced myself on anyone in any way. Period.” Flair’s legendary career has been damaged in a
a major way due to Dark Side of the Ring, and it seems that the plans for him to join AEW are up in the air, but the Nature Boy is making
it clear he doesn’t condone forcing one’s self of anyone, something he denies ever happened.
Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring episode aired mere weeks after Flair left WWE, and the company has responded in it’s own quiet ways.
Before RAW got underway, WWE’s signature opening package aired, but Flair’s Wooo had been removed.
Not only that, but if you search for Ric Flair on WWE Shop or WWE Euro Shop, there’s no results, as it appears all his merchandise
has been pulled. It was less than two weeks ago that WWE released a new $1,000 legacy title, celebrating
Hall of Famer’s incredible career, but fans won’t be able to buy that, or any Flair merch, as the company continues to distance
themselves from the controversial legend
More from RAW next, as this week’s show aired from the UK, but one of Britain’s top stars didn’t appear.
On the three-hour broadcast, there was no sign of former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, and we now know what kept the Scottish
Superstar from making it to RAW. Instead of appearing on TV, McIntyre was at a WWE Live event, where he defeated Jinder
Mahal in what was billed as a London Street Fight. Judging by photos from the show, Singapore canes
chairs, and a table were just some of the weapons used, but none of these items are explicit to the English capital.
After the match, McIntyre promised to keep working to bring a WWE Pay Per View to the UK, much to the delight of fans in the O2 Arena.
This is something McIntyre has been wanting for a long time, and something he’ll keep fighting for, but until then, the former WWE Champion
will keep fighting in the ring, despite not making it to last night’s RAW.
In May 1999, tragedy struck the wrestling world when Owen Hart fell to his death, and in the decades since, his widow Martha has kept the
Rocket’s name away from WWE. Holding the company responsible for Owen’s death, this is why Owen has never been
inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame, but the former Superstar’s legacy will live on in AEW. This week, a new arrangement was announced
between AEW and the Owen Hart Foundation was made public, which will see Owen’s legacy be celebrated in various ways
This collaboration will include an Owen Hart Cup Tournament be held, new Owen Hart merchandise sold by AEW including new action
figures of the Rocket via the company’s partnership with Jazzwares. Owen will also be part of the upcoming AEW
console game, which is expected to release at some time next year. In the press release, Tony Khan spoke of AEW’s
relationship with the Harts, which started at Double or Nothing 2019 when Bret Hart appeared, and called the agreement a “powerful
and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.” Cut down in the prime of his career, Owen is
remembered fondly by fans as a fantastic wrestler and notorious prankster, and this Public- Relations score for AEW will only help the
company win over even more fans.
This partnership is a huge win for AEW, and countless fans of the former WWF Intercontinental Champion, but not every fan
is happy with the deal. On Twitter, over 10,000 people tweeted about Owen Hart, causing his name to trend, and
many fans were outraged that AEW was celebrating his legacy, a company he never appeared for, unlike WWE.
Others defended the actions of the Owen Hart Foundation, saying that this isn’t a case of AEW taking a shot at their competition, but that Martha
is choosing one company over another she holds responsible for her husband’s death. One fan went s to far to say they can never
respect WWE’s fanbase because of this incredible news being turned into “anti AEW propaganda.”
It’s worth mentioning that those who do have a problem with AEW teaming with the Owen Hart Foundation represent a loud minority of fans
and that the vast majority are pleased to see the Rocket’s legacy get revered. Owen Hart will likely be a very popular
discussion point as his name will come up with AEW for years, and whether fans like it or not, the legendary wrestler will now be part
of the All-Elite promotion.
And we’re ending with Dominik Mysterio, who has been a clean-cute babyface since debuting a year ago, but all that could soon change.
According to sources, Vince McMahon has been “receptive” to the idea of turning the young Superstar heel, in what’d be his first
heel turn since becoming a wrestler. Not only that, but the Chairman is open to giving Dominik a mask, and the angle would
see Dominik claiming that he is the superior member of the Mysterio family. If this heel turn does happen, a feud with
his father Rey seems the logical step, and with the pair teasing some tensions since losing the SmackDown Tag Titles, we may be a matter
of weeks away from a Dominik heel turn.