Hello and welcome to the WrestleTalk MECHA NEWS, I am Luke Owen. We’ve got a packed
show of news today - with an update on the contract of AJ Styles, more names joining
All Elite Wrestling, and news on the WrestleMania 35 main event. But first!
Who are the best wrestlers in the whole world? Find out by buying the latest issue of the
WrestleTalk Magazine - which has a countdown of the top 100 wrestlers curated by a panel
of total wrestling experts! There’s also an in-depth look at the career of Roman Reigns,
full reviews of TV shows and PPVs, and a full breakdown of everything we know about All
Elite Wrestling. Buy your copy of the magazine using the link below and support WrestleTalk.
Someone who could also use some support is former United States Champion and incredibly
handsome man, Rusev. Despite being one of the most over acts in the company - with his
Rusev Day gimmick catching more fire than I think anyone in WWE could have predicted
- Rusev was an afterthought for a lot of 2018. His tag team with Aiden English was never
fully pushed, then split up, and now he’s back to being a heel again after forming an
alliance with Shinsuke Nakamura. He did win the United States Championship in December,
but lost it just a few weeks later on the kick off show for Royal Rumble. And thanks
to the folks over at Cage Side Seats - who put together some stats with boffins in lab
coats - we’ve learned that this pre-show loss is just one in a long line of PPV losses.
In fact the last time Rusev won a match on PPV was on the Roadblock: End of the Line
2017 pre-show where he beat Big Cass by countout. And if you want to just talk about main card
matches, his last win was at Battleground 2016. And that was against Zack Ryder. Yeah,
two thousand sixteen against Zack Ryder. That’s nearly three years ago.
And these sorts of win-loss records appear to be playing into the various reports that
many wrestlers are unhappy backstage with their positions in WWE. Over the last few
weeks we’ve heard that The Revival, Mike and Maria Kanellis, Hideo Itami and Dean Ambrose
have all asked to leave the company, with Itami being granted his release and WWE announcing
that Ambrose will be leaving after WrestleMania. Although it should be noted that the Ambrose
story could all be a work.
The latest group of people who are seemingly upset are forgotten NXT call-up Sanity - who
have done absolutely nothing since coming up to the main roster after WrestleMania last
year. Sanity haven’t had a feud since their short-lived rivalry with New Day - which resulted
in an Extreme Rules kickoff show match in July last year - and couldn’t even get on
TV this past week to be part of the fatal four way match to crown new number contenders
to face Miz and Shane McMahon at Elimination Chamber.
And Sanity’s non-appearance on the show led to group member Killian Dane posting “where
is Sanity” on Twitter. And while this could just be a wrestler looking to get their spot
back on TV again, his tag partner Alexander Wolfe retweeted his hashtag with: “sick
of this.”
Another Smackdown wrestler that has been in the news a lot as of late is that of former
WWE Champion AJ Styles. It’s been widely reported that Styles signed a three-year contract
with WWE - which was reported to expire at the end of January. This brought up a lot
of talk about whether or not AJ would leave WWE and join fledgling promotion All Elite
Wrestling - especially with the option to work less dates to spend time with his family
likely being an offer that would be put on the table. Styles is set to be part of the
Elimination Chamber for Daniel Bryan’s Hempyweight Championship in a few weeks, and a new report
suggests we’ll be seeing more of AJ in WWE in the future.
Dave Meltzer has written in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AJ’s contract is
actually set to expire in April this year following WrestleMania, but adds that although
he has friends in AEW, “he appears to be staying with WWE.”
And speaking
of
AJ Styles!
That was your Impact Wrestling Re-re-rewind [with some mixing sound effects] of the week!
A clip from AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defending the NWA Tag Titles against the original
LAX at Bound For Glory 2006. A big thank you to Impact for letting us use their footage
and not giving us a copyright claim on YouTube.
Someone who looks like they won’t be returning to Impact Wrestling anytime soon is Matt Sydal.
Sydal is currently out with an injury and had surgery on it this past Tuesday - but
according to the Wrestling Observer he was offered a new deal with Impact and decided
to turn it down. Interestingly, Meltzer writes that Sydal has been in talks with All Elite
Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and WWE about signing with them now he’s a free
agent. Sydal previously wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, but has also worked with New
Japan and the Young Bucks. Meltzer adds that NJPW have not made an official offer to Sydal,
and adds that Matt and Nick Jackson are very high on him from their previous matches.
And some more names that have reportedly signed with All Elite Wrestling include Sammy Guevara
and Kylie Rae. It’s being reported that Guevara told MLW he was finishing up with
the company, and Kylie Rae - not to be confused with British wrestling star and new WWE signee
Kay Lee Ray - should be officially announced at the AEW Double or Nothing ticket announcement
party in Las Vegas next Thursday.
Ever since Ronda Rousey was rumoured to be joining in 2017, there have been reports that
WWE want to do a Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen match - pitting the UFC Horsewomen of Rousey,
Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir against WWE’s Horsewomen of Charlotte Flair,
Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley. WWE even filmed teases for this match at the 2017 Mae
Young Classic - and these rumours only intensified after Rousey debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble
and when it was reported that Shafir and Duke had signed developmental deals in NXT.
Although news of that rumoured match have run cold as of late - although Duke, Sharif
and Baszler are now a faction in NXT - the possibility of the match once again came to
life this past Sunday - when Sasha Banks threw up the Four Horsewomen gesture to Ronda Rousey
after their Raw Women’s Championship match, as well as a cheeky little moment between
Bayley and Lynch on the following night’s Raw - though I’m not sure Charlotte is all
on board with this at the moment.
And it seems as though Flair isn’t the only one not down for the match, with Dave Meltzer
reporting in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, “There is no plan to do that 4-on-4 match.
It can change, but that’s not planned for the next two PPVs.” This will also rule
out WrestleMania as the main event of that show is set to be Lynch vs. Rousey for the
Raw Women’s Championship. Meltzer adds though that all eight women really want to have the
match but “they have to convince Vince” McMahon.
But while the WrestleMania match is currently Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey for the title,
the long-standing rumour is that Charlotte Flair will be added to that match to make
it a triple threat. However a new report suggests that might not be the case any more.
Justin Barrasso has reported in his Extra Mustard column that, “sources close to WWE
have told Sports Illustrated that the current plan is to close WrestleMania 35 with the
Ronda Rousey-Becky Lynch match as the main event” - suggesting that WWE will do a straight
one-on-one match rather than the triple threat.
Now it should be noted that Barrasso sadly doesn’t have the best track record of backstage
news - last year reporting that Rey Mysterio would face John Cena at WrestleMania and that
Rey could also be the mystery tag partner of Braun Strowman against The Bar - neither
of which came to fruition.
For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer has again reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer
Newsletter that, "the idea is still a 3-way” and “[WWE] already have a storyline to add
Charlotte”. He does add however, “this is WWE and anything can change as of now”.
And while many of you will be quick to type in the comments that Bruce Prichard and Eric
Bischoff told you that Meltzer ‘just makes everything up’, it is worth noting that
he correctly reported last year that Seth Rollins would face Brock Lesnar for the title
at Mania, that Braun would not face Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, and that Shawn Michaels
would wrestle at Crown Jewel back in October.
And before we get out of here we just wanted to let you know that the poll for WrestleRamble
Extra - where Oli and I review classic wrestling PPVs - is now live! You can choose from St.
Valentine's Day Massacre, No Way Out 2000, TNA Against All Odds 2005, Elimination Chamber
2011, Ring of Honor's 14th Anniversary show, PWG Only Kings Understand Each Other and many
more - with No Way Out just eeking ahead with 21% ahead of Elimination Chamber 2011's 19%.
It's still all to play for.
Become a Pledge Hammer today by clicking the Patreon icon on screen. And is Brock Lesnar
also set to leave WWE and join AEW? Sounds implausible and it probably is, but watch
the WrestleTalk News to find out the details. I’ve been Luke Owen and that was Mecha News.