Here's your wrestling news for September 16th 2021
And your headlines for today include
Kenny Omega vs Bryan Danielson & More Booked For AEW Grand Slam!
CM Punk’s First Televised Match In 7 Years Booked For AEW Rampage Next Week!
Chris Jericho References Brock Lesnar, Goldberg On AEW Dynamite;
The Men Behind This PROMO Is Revealed!
Big E Confirms When He Found Out About His WWE Title Win; Opens Up About Bobby Lashley!
Newly crowned WWE Champion Big E recalls Brodie Lee In Heart-Warming Conversation!
Adam Cole On Keeping His AEW Debut A Secret, When He Decided To Sign With AEW Over WWE!
Released WWE Wrestler Is Unable To Wrestle In United States!
LA Knight Suffered Bloody Injury During WWE NXT 2.0 Main Event Match!
Renee Paquette Reveals Her WWE Non- Compete Is Up, Gives Away Hint About Joining AEW!
“They Bounced A Big Check To Me And To This Day Have Not Paid Me.” Released WWE Superstar Calls Out WWE! And More!
We’re kicking off today with AEW, as the Grand Slam Dynamite will take place in Flushing, New York next week, and the promotion has announced
a stacked card for the show. On last night’s show, Kenny Omega accepted the challenge of Bryan Danielson, and the two
will face off at the Grand Slam show next week. That event will also see Ruby Soho get her title shot at AEW Women’s World Champion Britt
Baker, which she earned by winning All Out’s women’s Casino Battle Royale. Cody Rhodes returned on last night’s show,
and it was confirmed that he’ll get another shot at Malakai Black. Sting will also be in action, as he’ll team with
more matches and a CM Punk interview also confirmed, the Grand Slam Dynamite will be another huge night for AEW.
CM Punk will have an interview segment on next week’s Dynamite, but the former World Champion will do a lot more than that on next
week’s Rampage. On last night’s show, Punk took a beating at the hands of Team Taz, which ended with Punk
being sent through a table. Next week, Punk will be in action when he faces Powerhouse Hobbs on Rampage, in his first
match on TV since the January 20th 2014 RAW, where he beat Billy Gunn. Next week’s Rampage will be taped alongside
the Grand Slam Dynamite, as fans in New York will be in store for one huge night of All-Elite wrestling
The September 24th Rampage will mark Punk’s second match for AEW, but it’s one of many that’ll happen, according to Jim Ross.
Punk has made it clear that he wants to compete against the younger talent of AEW, in order to elevate them to the next level, and on
his Grilling JR podcast, the AEW commentator said that on a recent airplane ride, he determined there’s at least a year’s
worth of Punk matches, and that’s not including matches against new or returning talent. Punk has already beaten Darby Alin, and will
face Powerhouse Hobbs next week, and that’s just the start of what’s expected to be a long and illustrious career in the company
As for this week’s Dynamite, Chris Jericho appeared on last night’s show, and had some choice words when confronting
American Top Team’s Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year. After cracking a few jokes about the
meatheads’ in American Top Team, Jericho explained how the real fighting prowess of the group doesn’t’ scare him, saying:
“You rely on intimidation and scare tactics, but you can’t intimidate us,” Jericho said. “Big Jake here is undefeated in MMA fights, and I’ve been
getting into skirmishes backstage with MMA guys my whole career. “I got into it with a UFC champion Beast a few
years before that, I had a shoot fight with an MMA-trained Raging Bill backstage. They didn’t kill me, I don’t think you can either.”
Fans were quick to notice that this was a reference to Jericho’s infamous backstage altercation with Brock Lesnar, which came
at Summerslam 2016 after Lesnar’s match with Randy Orton was stopped because of blood-loss.
The Raging Bill line is seemingly a reference to Bill Goldberg, who Jericho feuded with in both WCW and WWE, and it’s reported that Jericho
worked with Tony Khan to put this promo together. Jericho has never shied away from
referencing WWE since leaving, and this week was no different, and it’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say next week when he and
Hager face the Men of the Year at the Grand Slam Dynamite.
Jericho wasn’t the only one who had things to say about WWE this week, as Impact World Champion Christian Cage also had some digs
at his former employer. Speaking about Adam Cole, Cage said how the Elite dragged Cole out of developmental,
despite NXT being established as it’s own unique brand during Cole’s tenure. Cage didn’t stop there, saying that Cole is
used to losing the Wednesday Night Wars, referring to the fact that AEW Dynamite usually won the battle for ratings, and said he can
add Friday’s as a day he’ll lose as well. After defeating Frankie Kazarian this week, Cole laid out the challenge for Rampage,
and we’ll have to see what Cage says next as he becomes yet another ex-WWE Superstar taking shots at the company.
Back to WWE, as this week’s RAW saw Big E capture the WWE Championship, in an emotional moment for him, the fans, and the New Day.
The plan was always for Big E to cash-in on Lashley, but that match was meant to happen in October, and it was during the Madison
Square Garden SmackDown that WWE decided to have this huge title change this week.
Speaking to The Bump, the new WWE Champion explained how quickly things came together, saying:
“When I started this loop, my intention was that I was supposed to be home Monday morning after the live event Sunday and I realized I was
going to Raw last minute. That was a bit of a last-minute decision. There was also the option of maybe I go out there and do
some teasing and come back later when it’s time to actually cash in or go back to SmackDown and cash in there.”
“I wasn’t really sure. It was an afternoon, that day decision and it all happened very, very quickly. For me, it was definitely not something that was
set in stone days and days ahead.” A world title win for Big E is something fans have been waiting for for a very long time
even back when he was part of the New Day, and despite fans waiting literally years, the new Champ didn’t have long to process
his huge title win before it actually happened.
As the new WWE Champion, Big E has been kept increasingly busy with media appearances, and recently sat down with
Complex to discuss this week’s match. Appearing out of character, Big E praised Bobby Lashley, saying the Almighty had an
incredible championship reign, and that when he got signed in 2009, he wanted to be like Lashley.
Lashley’s reign last 196 days, and saw the Almighty retain at WrestleMania, inside Hell in a Cell and defeat Goldberg at Summerslam,
and we’re sure that Big E will be looking to replicate that level of success now that he holds the richest prize on RAW.
Big E’s title win meant a lot to a lot of people, but sadly Brodie Lee wasn’t there to see it happen.
Passing away last December, Lee and Big E were close friends, and on Twitter, the Dark Order’s Stu Grayson said he could imagine
how happy Brodie Lee, aka Jon Huber would be to have seen his friend win the big one. Responding, Big E said how he couldn’t stop
thinking about seeing him and hugging him after his match this week, calling their friend a “tremendous man
Sadly, Brodie Lee is no longer with us, and he’ll never get the chance to see Big E’s WWE Championship victory, but this heartwarming
conversation shows just how much he meant to a lot of people.
At All Out, Adam Cole made his AEW debut, mere days after his short-term deal with WWE expired.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Cole described the lengths he went to to keep his AEW debut a secret, saying he flew into a
city, and didn’t stay at the same hotel as Bryan Danielson, who also debuted at All Out.
Cole noted that he was thrilled that his face mask helped keep his identity a secret, and that he on;y showed up to the building
when the show was going on, and waited outside in a trailer, keeping his debut a surprise, even from the locker-room.
He added: “It was the most secretive debut I’ve ever been involved in, and Tony Khan took every
measure to make this as big of a surprise as possible.” Cole also confirmed he had talks with WWE
and AEW after becoming a free agent, but signed with AEW not long before All Out: “My actual decision [to join AEW] was literally
only a couple days before [the pay-per-view]. I was awake in bed, it was close to 1 in the morning, and I was imagining being involved
AEW. That thought gave me such an excited feeling. I was so giddy I couldn’t even sleep. I loved the idea of coming to All Elite Wrestling,
and that’s when I knew what I needed to do.” Cole made his in-ring debut last night, defeating Frankie Kazarian on Dynamite, and fans can
expect plenty more from the NXT Champion after his incredible debut earlier this month
Back to WWE, and Killian Dain was released from his NXT contract a few months back, but he’s yet too wrestle for another company.
That’s because Dain, now going by his old wrestling name Big Damo, isn’t a U.S. citizen, and like the IIconics, cannot earn money
in the U.S. while he sorts out his visa. Speaking to Wrestle Zone, Big Damo revealed that he hopes to sort his visa issues out soon
but it’s hard to say when: “My main issue is I’m a foreigner living in the USA so there’s still legal hurdles I have to
make before I can get anywhere. That could be sorted within a week, it could be sorted within a couple of months and sadly that’s
the reality of the situation. I’m here legally, but I won’t be able to work legally just for a little time yet, and that is something that we’re
hoping to get sorted ASAP… I’m really excited for what’s next. Damo’s wife Nikki A.S.H can be seen appearing
on RAW each week, and has even had a RAW Women’s title reign since his release, and once he’s able to wrestle again, odds are fans will
see a lot more of the former Killian Dain.
One person fans can see is LA Knight, who competed for the vacant NXT Championship on NXT 2.0.
Facing Pete Dunne, Von Wagner and eventual winner Tommaso Ciampa, the night didn’t go as Knight had planned, as he lost more than just
the chance to be NXT Champion. Fightful Select notes that Knight was busted open badly during the match, and had to be
tended by medics, as they needed to stop the bleeding on live television. Knight’s injury was not meant to happen,
as WWE doesn’t like to feature blood on their programming because of their PG rating. LA Knight also lost NXT 2.0’s opening match,
falling to Bron Breakker, the son of Rick Steiner, as the relaunch of the multi-coloured brand was not a night Knight wants to remember.
In the summer of 2020, Renee Paquette left WWE, and has been kept pretty busy since then.
Not only has Renee launched her own successful podcast ‘Oral Sessions,’ and become a mother, but she recently started a new series ‘Throwing
Down’ with Miesha Tate, which can be found on SiriusXM. Speaking to Wrestling Inc about her future plans,
Renee announced that her lengthy non-compete clause with WWE is seemingly over, saying:
“I think I’m free and clear. I can be at Bloodsport. I’m gonna be at Bloodsport. Everyone better buckle up and hold on to their asses. I
I’ll fight anyone, except for Miesha. I won’t fight Miesha.” Upon leaving WWE, fans speculated on whether
Paquette would join the many ex-WWE names, including her husband, in AEW, and that’s definitely something the former RAW
commentator is considering: “I’m definitely open to the idea. I miss pro wrestling, I miss being involved in the pro
wrestling world, in that capacity, but I don’t know what that job would be or what my role could be within AEW. We could probably rattle
off a couple different ideas of things to do, and as AEW is growing, as their broadcasts are growing, as they’re adding on new shows
I think there’s definitely a role. “I don’t know that I necessarily want to jump back onto commentary by any means,
but I think doing some interviews, doing some features., I love doing features. I just love pro wrestling. I love all the athletes be
behind it so getting to pick their brains in sort of an Oral Sessions way and Throwing Down way, to have them be part of a broadcast
with AEW or something like that could be really cool. Or, maybe I just valet Miesha.”
Renee Paquette still has the wrestling bug, and has remained active in the wrestling community thanks to her podcast, and with
her non-complete clause over, it may be just a matter of time before she joins her husband in AEW
And we’re ending with Jonathan Coachman, who worked with WWE from 1999-2008, and later returned for a stint in 2016.
This second stint, which saw Coach as a commentator and pre-show panelist, led to some bitterness with WWE, and during an
appearance on Ad Free Shows, the former WWE personality spoke about his future foals with CBS, calling out Vince McMahon in
the process. He said: “I have a very bad taste in my mouth from the sport of wrestling right now. Ultimately a year
ago when they asked me specifically to come back and do the XFL, from January to March I flew coast to coast. They didn’t have the
expenses set up because it was a different company. I paid my own expenses, between eight and twenty thousand dollars.
I was supposed to be reimbursed later. They bounced a big check to me and to this day have not paid me. I reached out and the
week after XFL bounced that big check, they cut my contract on the WWE side.” “Sometimes when you’re a leader you are called
on to sacrifice. Not cash checks and stock for millions of dollars when you’re bouncing checks. I’m not okay with that and I will never
work with somebody like that again. At the same time they’re cashing in millions of dollars in stock and laying people off while they’re
doing that? It’s just bad business.” When asked, Coach said he’d decline any potential Hall of Fame induction, adding that he
plans to be with CBS for the rest of his career, praising the great people he works with. Coach plans to be an executive for CBS,
and is doing a lot for the network already, but don’t ever expect to find the former commentator/general manager/occasional
wrestler back on WWE programming.