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Coming up in today’s show we have - all the latest talent signings and moves between
WWE, AEW, ROH and more, and reports of not just one, not two, not three - but four WWE
stars potentially asking for their release!
But first, a shocking development in what wrestling fans want…
Partially Undressed Blonde Women = Ratings Partially undressed blonde women… who could’ve
foreseen such a thing.
This week, WWE aired segments on both their main roster shows that contained a partially
undressed blonde woman.
On Raw, there was a scene where a production runner walked in on Alexa Bliss while she
was getting dressed, and SmackDown saw a lingerie-wearing Mandy Rose trying to seduce Jimmy Uso to anger
his real-life wife Naomi.
Raw clips rarely get over a million views on YouTube, but the Alexa Bliss segment drew
a statistically significant 4.5 million views, and the Mandy Rose lingerie brawl with Naomi
managed a very impressive 1.9 million.
They are both currently in the top 5 clips from Raw and SmackDown uploaded this year,
just a few days after they went live, and have received a number of critically praising
comments, like: “Can y’all just imagine if she accidentally
dropped the cover ohhhh baby my meat bouta be gone﻿”
And “I hope wwe make more sexiest scence for elxa bliss i love elxa bliss she's so
sexy and hot﻿” It’s a tactic IMPACT Wrestling have been
using with Scarlett Bordeaux’s sexualised character for some time now, with her lap
dance for Scott Steiner on last week’s episode getting 845,000 views on YouTube - far above
the channel average.
Speaking of IMPACT, but not partially undressed blonde women SEGWAY.
Chris Jericho Reveals IMPACT Wrestling Talks Chris Jericho has uploaded a tell-all edition
of his Talk Is Jericho podcast, revealing just how many promotions he was talking to
before eventually signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Confirming the Wrestling Observer’s report from last week, Jericho said he was actually
negotiating with WWE “all the way up to a few days before the [AEW] rally”, and
he gave Vince McMahon multiple opportunities to counter All Elite Wrestling’s proposal
- but “there was never really a [WWE] offer given.
” So Jericho chose to sign with AEW because
“they’re showing me respect…
In WWE, it doesn’t matter what I do.
It’s still gonna be WWE.
In AEW, it does matter what I do, and I have to be my best, and I have to really use my
30 years, or my 29 years of experience to help build this company.
And that was exciting to me.”
Y2J also revealed his AEW contract “is a three year exclusive deal, with the exception
of New Japan, which I still intend to work with.”
- where he’s rumoured to be starting a feud with current IWGP Heavyweight Champion and
owner of the most luscious hair in wrestling Hiroshi Tanahashi.
But just as interesting was how close Jericho came to signing with another promotion…
Y2J has been teased to join IMPACT Wrestling for months, mainly by his very good friend
Don Callis name dropping him on commentary, and the picture he posted late last year of
his meeting with IMPACT’s top executives.
But ultimately, he opted for All Elite...
“I really, really enjoy [IMPACT’s product], and I thought long and hard about doing some
shows there.
I even had a meeting with Scott and Don in Toronto with Ed Nordholm; the offer they made
was a great offer…
They were going to spend some money on Chris Jericho.
We had some great matches planned—Jericho versus Sami Callihan, maybe … Johnny Impact,
Brian Cage, Rich Swann.
I’d love to work with Rich Swann.
So, I did honestly talk to IMPACT and really, really thought about going there, and then
Tony Khan came in with this offer, that’s the biggest offer I’ve ever been offered
in my career.”
Jungle Boy To AEW Those Tony KHAAAAAAAN offers - the billionaire
President of AEW - might be popping up more and more as the fledgling promotion looks
to secure a vital TV deal.
And Wrestling News World claim they’ve added another wrestler to their roster - rising
star ‘Jungle Boy’ Nate Coy.
Showing how competitive the wrestling talent war is becoming between the major promotions,
AEW apparently tried to sign the 21 year old, relatively inexperienced Jungle Boy to a two
year deal, but him and his actor father Luke Perry negotiated it down to a shorter term
contract.
Ilja Dragunov To WWE?
Meanwhile in WWE’s attempts to lock up talent ahead of AEW’s launch, there’s speculation
they’ve signed the brilliant German wrestler Ilja Dragunov, following DEFIANT Wrestling’s
announcement he’s been pulled from their February dates.
ROH Signs RUSH, PJ Black & Tracy Williams And Ring of Honor are trying to replace the
Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes-shaped hole in their roster by signing the former Justin
Gabriel in WWE, PJ Black, former EVOLVE wrestler ‘Hot Sauce’ Tracy Williams and the huge
Mexican star from CMLL, RUSH, who is actually the leader of the Los Ingobernables faction,
which spun off into Natio’s LIJ group in New Japan.
As a mark of how good he is, Rush was one of Daniel Bryan’s dream opponents when he
was considering leaving WWE before he was medically cleared to return to the ring in
the promotion, and is thought to be the reason Bryan grew out his hair so much, for an eventual
hair vs hair match against Rush.
With so many promotions now bidding for talent, it’s a good time to be a free agent.
Which might be the reason behind four wrestlers in WWE allegedly asking for their release...
The Revival Ask For WWE Release According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp
over at Fightful - a wrestling reporter with a very reliable track record - there’s rumours
backstage in the company that The Revival’s Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have asked for
their releases.
“I'm careful to make sure not to say they outright asked for their releases, as I wasn't
told explicitly that's what happened.
Instead, I was told "has reason to be very fearful that The Revival are done or finishing
up with the company" after a situation unfolded at WWE Raw.”
The situation presumably being a real-life incident, rather than them losing unfairly
to Lucha House Party and Chad Gable and Bobby Roode in recent months.
Dave Meltzer has since reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that they have asked for their
release.
The Revival were a consistently TakeOver stealing act during their NXT run, having classic matches
against DIY and American Alpha.
But their main roster call-up stalled almost immediately, with Wilder fracturing his jaw
just two weeks after debuting on Raw, and shortly after the team returned from that,
Dawson suffered a ruptured bicep, taking them out until December 2017.
They’ve been booked as an undercard act in Raw’s lacklustre tag division ever since.
Fightful add that their multiple sources speculate the Revival would go to All Elite Wrestling
if they leave WWE.
This would tie in with their long running ‘FTR’ feud with the Young Bucks on Being
the Elite.
And they’re not the only double act who are reportedly potentially leaving the company…
Mike & Maria Kanellis Leaving WWE?
As Pro Wrestling Sheet claim Mike and Maria Kanellis have also asked for their releases
from WWE.
Unlike the Revival, Mike and Maria didn’t even get a critically celebrated run in NXT,
instead debuting straight on the main roster after signing with WWE from TNA in 2017.
They have
since done barely anything of note onscreen, with Maria taking time off to give birth to
their first child, and Mike overcoming an addiction to pain medication.
The article reveals they’ve “been unhappy with the way they’ve been used in WWE for
awhile and finally made the decision a few weeks ago to request their releases”.
Supporting those claims, Mike has started selling new shirts on Pro Wrestling Tees - a
merchandise store separate to WWE official shop.
Pro Wrestling Sheet point out, however, that WWE doesn’t always grant talent releases,
so Mike and Maria might be “paid to sit at home until the deal expires” - like how
Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan were in the past, a strategy even more relevant now WWE
might want to stop talent joining rival promotions.
The also very reliable WrestleVotes concurred, revealing this happened to another midcard
act last year: “Some interesting reports of multiple superstars
requesting to be released by WWE.
They are more than likely true.
Keep in mind however, WWE DOES NOT have to honor those requests.
A midcard superstar during the middle of ‘18 asked for his release & WWE refused.
So that’s that.”
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