We’ve got the real reason a WWE star was suspended, a Chyna documentary being dropped
and issues with WWE moving their massive Thunderdome dystopian structure in today’s WrestleTalk
News, but first…
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has wrapped filming his new movie COVID-19: Invasion.
That sounds a bit exploitative of the current global pandemic, you might think.
Well to you quick to judge person, I point you in the direction of the film’s official
synopsis.
“Chinese bats invade America.
It's up to Navy Seal Team Six to stop them.”
Oh, no that is exploitative.
And just like the WWF in 2001, COVID-19: Invasion hasn’t signed any of the big WCW contracts
to appear.
Where’s Goldberg?
Where’s Flair?
Where’s Disco Inferno?
Do we not learn anything from history?!
Which five wrestlers would you most want to cast in an action movie?
Let me know in the comments, because I’ll be replying to people FROM OUTTA NOWHERE PLEADING
SAVE US, KEVIN NASH, YOU’RE OUR ONLY HOPE.
Unfortunately, Braun Strowman starring alongside Nash in COVID-19: Invasion isn’t why he’s
been suspended from WWE… because there’s another, less virus-spreading bats reason.
Damn, pesky bats!
WWE announced Strowman was suspended indefinitely as part of a storyline following Monday’s
episode of Raw, where Braun headbutted definitely not the show’s General Manager Adam Pearce.
Pearce then booked a Triple Threat No. 1 contenders match for next week’s show between AJ Styles,
Keith Lee and Matt Riddle.
And called the WWE Champion Drew McInFart.
The reported plan is for McIntyre to face Strowman at TLC for the WWE title next month,
but according to Wrestling Observer Radio, there’s a story going around backstage that
Braun “got a knee injury in that elimination match [at Survivor Series]”, and the suspension
was done to cover this up, with the Triple Threat match as a Plan B:
“If he’s okay, he’ll be getting the title shot at the pay-per-view, I guess, but
if he’s not then they got a backup plan.”
Meltzer did admit he’d only heard the injury story from one source, though, so this might
not be 100% accurate.
RingsideNews have added since - so do take this with a pinch of salt - that Strowman
isn’t currently listed on WWE’s internal company injury list, and the creative team
have not been told Strowman is unavailable for storylines.
This doesn’t necessarily disprove Meltzer’s report though, as there're several reasons
why WWE wouldn’t have updated their internal lists - like just not getting round to it
yet, or if Braun has suffered a concussion, which WWE typically keep quiet.
And WWE must be breathing a sigh of relief that a documentary on one of their most controversial
former stars has been dropped for now...
Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring series has been hailed as one of the greatest wrestling
shows ever made - tackling some of the darkest moments in wrestling’s past with significantly
more objectivity than WWE’s more North Korean approach to history.
The two seasons so far have seen a two part special on Chris Benoit’s double-murder
suicide, Jimmy Snuka and the Death of Nancy Argentino, and the Final Days of Owen Hart
- the latter of which being the highest ever rated program on the Vice Network.
The show has been renewed for an even longer third season, at 14 episodes, where they’ll
hopefully find out who really did throw the pie at Kevin Owens.
Because according to Dark Side’s producer, they won’t be making one on Chyna.
Speaking on Wrestling Inc’s new podcast series Documenting Chyna, her former manager
Anthony Anzaldo claimed Dark Side were making a “two hour” special on her life, and
he was offered $1,500 for a sit-down interview - but alleged he was disputing the wording
of the release form he signed, saying he never gave them the rights to use his footage
Wrestling Inc reached out to Dark Side’s producer Evan Husney, who replied with the
statement: “There are no plans for an episode about
Chyna for the upcoming season of Dark Side of the Ring.
At the start of pre production earlier this year, we became aware of multiple projects
that were currently in production about Chyna, and thus, we ultimately decided against pursuing
this as a future subject."
But while WWE won’t have to worry about any Chyna controversy being resurfaced in
the near future, they do have the rather large logistical headache of moving the ThunderDome
to a new venue with the Amway Center set to kick them out in the first week of December.
Even though WWE’s deal with the Amway Center expired on the 25th November - where they’ve
been running shows since the SummerSlam go-home episode of SmackDown - the venue is letting
them broadcast Raw and SmackDown until at least the 7th December.
As according to Fightful Select, WWE has found the set up time in their new Tropicana Field
location to be “much longer… possibly even twice as long” with the get-in this
Saturday, which is expected to take until December 10th.
The first show from Tropicana Field will be the 11th December SmackDown.
Maybe by then we’ll have the new WWE baby from Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
You should be born on Christmas Day, Baby Lynch.
You’re exposing the Messiah gimmick.
Seth has given an update on the couple to the WWE Network, saying Becky is “doing
really well” and their “due date is fast approaching.”
Rollins was written off TV for the foreseeable future at last Sunday’s Survivor Series
to be at home with the new bubba - which he rather optimistically described as a break.
“The timing of that worked out really well.
It's a nice break for me both physically and mentally.”
I assume he misspoke and means his baby dominated sleep schedule will break him both physically
and mentally.
Interestingly, Rollins gave the impression Becky was eager to return to WWE after being
off since May, saying: “I'm sure she's ready to get back to work just like we all are.
But yeah, she's been so incredible through the entire pregnancy."
There was speculation, even from Becky herself in interviews, that her priorities might change
after becoming a mother, and she might focus more on her acting career, where she’s reportedly
had interest from several major studios, including Marvel.
Now here’s everything else going on in wrestling news!
Ali might’ve led RETRIBUTION to semi-relevancy in the last two weeks, beating both Ricochet
in a great match on Raw, and just stealing a win from the men’s Survivor Series team,
but the three week push appears to have struck again - as the faction was left off Raw entirely
this week’s episode, and is once again being advertised for Main Event.
Not the main event, remember.
The WWE D show Main Event.
To be fair, though, this Main Event is unusually packed with star power, including Miz, Morrison
and Jeff Hardy.
So hopefully this is just a post-Survivor Series spillover, and not a return to Ali
being buried every week.
For Mike Kanellis, he’s happy to be gone from WWE, who released him and his then-pregnant
wife Maria as part of their mass firings back in April - calling his decision to leave Ring
of Honor five years ago “the biggest mistake of my life.”
Kanellis has now returned to ROH under his real Mike Bennett name, reuniting The Kingdom
with Matt Taven.
Ali and Bennet’s stories are potentially cautionary tales to anyone about to become
a free agent… like a number of current IMPACT Wrestling stars.
Fightful Select is reporting that IMPACT filmed their last set of tapings of the year last
week in a “gruelling” four days - which will take the promotion all the way up to
January 12th’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
And for some, this taping could be their last dates in the company.
“There are several wrestlers who have not re-signed new deals, and unless terms are
reached you won't see them on the next set of tapings.
One of those is Ethan Page, who reaches free agency at the end of the year.
For those wondering, Josh Alexander does not.”
Page and Alexander make up the brilliant tag team The North, who also briefly won the QuizzleMania
tag team championships from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson last month.
Many wrestlers want to go to WWE because it’s their lifelong dream.
But AEW has provided a genuinely viable alternative, where you can get national exposure on TV,
while still being allowed to wrestle for other promotions around the world, and getting to
play your MegaDrive on Twitch.
And nowhere is that more evident than the promotion’s top star Kenny Omega, who not
only launched his own supplement line with REDCON1 today, Wrestling Observer Radio is
also reporting he’s currently scheduled to defend his AAA Mega Championship against
Laredo Kid in Mexico City on December 12th’s Triplemania 28 - where he could also potentially
be AEW champion following his title match against Jon Moxley next Wednesday.
Omega’s AAA return does depend on the current COVID-19 travel restrictions in place, though.
Save us from the bats, Kevin Nash!
And Duane Gill, best known for playing the Goldberg parody Gillberg, has suffered a heart
attack on Wednesday.
Thankfully, his wife has said “he’s doing good, he just got out of ICU.”
Awkward merch plug transition!
Head on over to wrestleshop.com where we’ve got some fantastic Black Friday deals for
you this weekend.
Including the WrestleTalk Essential Bundle which gets you the official WrestleTalk logo
t-shirt, hoodie and mug, for just £49.99 – our cheapest price ever!
Click the merch link onscreen now to be taken right there!
And what WWE star return has been scrapped?
Click the video on the right to find out!
And the CineMania movie quiz returns today on CineWorld!
Watch me embarrass quiz master Luke yet again to take his CineMania championship!
I’ve been Mr Davis, Jam that Jam.