Here is your news for November 14, 2019
We're kicking off by looking at the main event of NXT, as Mia Yim and Io Shirai
battled in a ladder match to see which team gets the advantage at WarGames.
Though the match was great,this wasn't the first time these two Superstars were on the show
as earlier that night, fans saw Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley attacked backstage.
Many fans believed that this was an attack by Shayna Baszler ahead of the show, until the
Queen of Spades' henchwoman Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir were down as well.
Putting this on the back burner, the main event saw Shirai defeat Yim (who suffered a nasty
fall from one ladder through another), and also received helpfrom NXT UK's Kay Lee Ray.
When Bianca Bel Air joined Io and Kay Lee in the ring, Bazler applauded the group
indicating that the NXT UK Women's Champion will be her team's fourth member.
Things seemed to be going well for the Queen of Spades, until she was attacked
by SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley, who ambushed Baszler
with a chair ahead of the two meeting at Survivor Series against Becky Lynch.
The NXT crowd were rightly shocked by the attack, as Bayley was at one point
the most lovable star on the gold brand, but this time is far over.
With Survivor Series less than two weeks away, could Becky Lynch
invade NXT next week? Stay tune to find out...
While fans may still be reeling from CM Punk's shocking return to the WWE
it should be mentioned that Punk is actually working for FOX, not his old employer.
With that said, this tidbit of information hasn't stopped many fans and Superstars
expressing their delight of the news, with Backstage host Renee Young
enjoying some of the freedom her new FOX contract allows her.
After WWE posted about Punk on Twitter, Young told them "tag him
you cowards!", a cheeky move by the Canadian but one she is in a position to make.
Young's fellow WWE Backstage star Paige also let herself be heard
agreeing with a fan who now wants AJ Lee back in the fold as well, whilst Seth Rollins
wasted no time in challenging Punk for a match.
With Ricochet saying he's the next in line to face the Best in the World
there's still no proof that the retired Punk will ever lace up his boots again, but the door
for a potential return to a WWE- produced show has just been cracked open slightly.
SmackDown's Universal Champion Bray Wyatt also commented on Punk's return
sharing an image from the pair's Nexus days, when Punk whipped the then-Husky
Harris to prove his loyalty, a painful moment that the Fiend hasn't forgotten.
Since Punk's shock return on WWE Backstage, there's been plenty of speculation on what
will happen next, and it seems that the Chicago Made star may be around for quite some time.
Before indie wrestlers’ debut in WWE, they'll often take down their ProWrestlingTees shop
allowing WWE control of all their merchandising, which is some thing Punk has done as well.
Now, if you go to Punk's Tees page, you'll find an error 404 page, but there are
some fans who aren't happy with the former World Champion.
There are some online who are calling Punk a sellout for returning
to WWE, which would be hurtful if true, but it isn't.
The facts are that Punk has signed with FOX to work on WWE Backstage, not the wrestling
promotion, so fans shouldn't expect to see him on RAW, Smack Down or NXT anytime soon.
We know that Punk won't be wrestling in WWE anytime soon, but sadly neither
will Johnny Gargano, who was confirmed to be injured during last night's edition of NXT.
Due to his injury, Gargano won't be a part of either WarGames or Survivor Series
and whilst the former NXT Champion said he's proud of the NXT Superstars
for their recent invasions, you know he wants to be with them.
The NXT Grand Slam Champion looked to be on a collision course with Finn Balor
for next Saturday's event, after the Irish Superstar attacked
Gargano as part of his heel turn, but for now, this feud is off
Gargano would have also been a logical fit as part of the NXT men's
Survivor Series team, but now the role will have to go to some one like Tomasso
Ciampa, or perhaps reigning NXT Champion Adam Cole.
With more fans now seeing NXT than ever before, thanks to both the recent invasion
storyline and the move to the USA Network, it's a shame that the show is missing
not one, but three of its biggest stars, as there's no news that Velveteen Dream or Kushida
will be ready for action in Chicago by next Saturday.
With Gargano's neck injury keeping him out of action at TakeOver, some
had hoped that Finn Balor,who knows all about how bad an untimely injury can be
would show sympathy, but that wasn't what the new Prince had in mind.
Appearing in the ring during last night's show, Balor said he was disgusted
at what NXT had become, and even referred to Gargano's neck injury
as a bruise that kept the heart of NXT out of action.
With Gargano unable to compete, the inaugural Universal Champion
turned his attention to Matt Riddle, who he attacked last week, but paid the
price this week when the Original Bro struck
Riddle didn't get far in this attack though, as he was blocked by the
Undisputed Era, who seemed to form a suspicious alliance with the Irish Superstar.
This team-up could just be because Cole and RIddle have been feuding,
and the group wanted to send a message to the King of Bros, but a partnership between
the Undisputed Era and Balor could be some seriously good programming.
When Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee joined Riddle to fight off the group, Balor quietly
made his exist, and all this led to a Lee Vs. Roderick Strong match which was won by Lee.
When the Undisputed interfered in that matched and team Tommaso tried to
even the score, Balor returned to decimate the King of Bros, and the news is now
that Riddle has been replaced by Dominik Dijakovic in the War Games match
so he can instead face the Prince of NXT.
With Dijakovic replacing Riddle, that still means there is one spot left
to fill on Ciampa's team, but fans will have to wait and see to find out who.
Back to Backstage now, and it's been a while since Samoa Joe was seen
seen in a WWE ring, as he's been out dealing with a thumb injury, but the former US Champion
did appear as a guest host on the show, where Renee Young asked for an update. Joe said:
"“The status update is we’re kind of taking it day-by-day but recovery
is going well. Hopefully a few more weeks and we’re back and rolling."
If this prognosis is true, then Joe will be back just after Survivor Series
and will be right on schedule for the Royal Rumble and road to WrestleMania 36.
One Superstar who fans won't be seeing at WrestleMania, or at any shows in the future
is Jordan Myles, who has publicly quit the company after the recent controversial t-shirt.
The shirt, which many have said has allusions to Blackface, has been the topic
of debate for a month now, as the white smile and red back ground on a black
shirt has made many, including Myles, see it as referencing blackface, and Myles described
the shirt as a slap in the face for every African American performer, fan and supporter.
In a scathing video, Myles said he didn't want to go by his quote "slave name",
but was instead going back to ACH. In the video, the former Superstar said:
"As of today, I like to officially announce that I quit f***ing WWE. I'm no longer
It's a real shame that this incident had to come to this, but we wish
ACH all the best in whatever he has planned next in his young career.
Speaking of name changes, SmackDown Superstar Ali has
now had the Mustafa part of his name given back to him.
The name change occurred earlier this year, and Mustafa was just
one of several Superstars to have lost part of their name over the years,
with Alexander Rusev and Big E Langston also being victims.
It's unclear why the name was given back, but all we know is that
fans should expect to see plenty of Mustafa Ali merch from now on.
We're looking ahead to next month now, and the WWE is bringing
their TLC Pay Per View to the Target Center in Minneapolis on December 15th.
The arena is already advertising some huge matches, as they're claiming that
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch will face the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
the Kabuki Warriors in what they're calling the first-ever women's TLC match.
Someone may need to remind them that there already has been
a women's TLC match, which was won by Asuka, and a second TLC match, involving
King Corbin and Roman Reigns is also being advertised
Rusev and Bobby Lashley are also expected to continue their feud
into December, but its not known whether the rumored match
between the two will have a stipulation attached to it.
It's important to remember that like all WWE shows, the card is subject to change, but it
certainly appears that WWE is gearing up for another milestone in the Women's Revolution.
Fans will remember that for all the many opponents The Man has beaten this year, she is
is yet to defeat Asuka, but doing just that at TLC could see the return of Becky Two Belts.
We're wrapping up our news from NXT now, as the show had
plenty of action in its two hours on the USA Network.
In the show's opener, Lio Rush defeated Angel Garza to retain the NXT
Cruiserweight Championship, after Garza qualified for the match last week.
In women's action, Xia Li once again used her dangerous feet to score a big win,
using her signature kicks to defeat Aliyah, who required medical attention after the match.
Following the pre-mentioned incidents with the Undisputed Era
and the match between Lee and Strong, fans next saw Isiah Swere Scott face Bronson
Reed in a battle of two of NXT's most talented rookies
One-upping each other constantly, it was Scott who got the win on this
occasion, but a post-match handshake between the two showed
that there is a level of respect between the two opponents.
The war between Killian Dain, Pete Dunne and Damian Priest continued this week
as whilst Dunne and Dain sought to settle their issues in a scheduled singles match, the contest
never took place, as Priest blind sided the Northern Ireland Night mare during his entrance.
With no opponent, Dunne decided to fight Priest, but it wasn't long until Security
broke the two apart, but one member of the crew took a running crucifix bomb by Priest
onto their colleagues, leaving the Archer of Infamy standing tall on this occasion.
NXT may have been a huge show and built to both War Games and
Survivor Series nicely, but it wasn't the only wrestling available for fans to see last night.
AEW Dynamite was in Nashville this week, and whilst the fans were pleased
to see AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, he wasn't pleased to see them.
Demanding a thank you from everyone in AEW for retaining his title at last
week's Full Gear, the fans gave Jericho exactly what he wanted, but the champ
retorted by saying that the fans didn't matter and it wasn't their approval he was seeking.
Interrupted by MJF, who turned on Cody Rhodes at Full Gear, MJF claimed that
Rhodes was trying to keep him down, and put himself forward to joining the Inner Circle.
After Cody appeared, a brawl naturally ensued, but Jericho was able
to escape before appearing in the main event, with Sammy Guevara.
Last night's show also showed how dangerous Jon Moxley can be, as the
Lunatic claimed that everything he said would happen at Full Gear came true.
Meeting Michael Nakazawa, the match was a complete squash, with Moxley hitting the
Paradigm shift in seconds to get the win, and post-match, said if anyone in the locker
room wants to challenge him, they should kiss their loved ones goodbye.
The war between AEW and the Inner Circle was in full effect during the show,
as the Young Bucks were seen brawling backstage with Santana and Ortiz.
It wasn't long until the fight spilled to the ringside, and after the Bucks hit superkicks on security,
the Inner Circle duo laid out their bosses, and attacked Nick's right leg with a blackjack.
Power bombing Matt through a section of the stage for his troubles
it took Brandon Cutler and Private Party to eventually cause Santana and Ortiz to back off,
and the pair will meet Private Party on next week's show.
In Women's division action, Nyla Rose made quick work of Danni Jordan
leveling her much smaller opponent with a big boot, and following up
with a lariat, Samoan Drop and Beast Bomb to get the win.
PAC also continued his successful ways during the show, defeating
Hangman Page, who is quickly gaining a reputation in the company
of someone who can't quite win the big one.
After a back and forth match, Pac was able to hit a series of stomps
to Page's head, and eventally a Black arrow and Brutalizer to get the win.
In Tag team action, the Dark Oder defeated Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt
but it seems the war between these two groups is far from over.
After the match, Uno tried to recruit Stunt to the Dark Order
though Stunt refused to abandon his tag partner.
Uno even said he respects the decision but had the creepers attack
the two babyfaces, in a powerful message to the entire tag team division.
Though the numbers were against him, Darby Allin was able to hold his own
during last night's show, defeating Shawn Spears and Peter Avalon in handicap action.
As if the 2-on-1 handicap wasn't bad enough, Allin also had to avoid
attempted interference by Bates, but hit a cutter and coffin drop for the win.
After the big win, Allin grabbed the mic and accepted Jon Moxley's challenge
as a match pitting the two against each other has been confirmed for next week.
After all this, it was time for the main event, as Jericho
and Guevara challenged for the SCU's AEW Tag Titles,
but the match was a setback for Jericho, who suffered his first pinfall loss in AEW.
As the show ended, Jericho was seen having a tantrum in the ring
so fans will have to wait and see what he does next.
A fun way to end the show, it'll be interesting to see which company won the ratings war
this week, as WWE has closed the gap to less than 10,000 fans difference last week.