Here is your news for April 25 2020
We’re starting today with some worrying news from NXT, as Velveteen Dream got
plenty of attention this week, but not the kind of attention he was looking for.
On Reddit, a user accused the former North American Champion of sending
******** messages, including ***** images, after Dream said his DMs were open on
his Instagram stories. The user said:
He posted on his Instagram story that his DM’s were open and now
he’s genuinely sending my friends and I messages of a *******
nature. I’d like to think it’s a hacker but I don’t know. How do I begin
to approach this? How do I contact WWE? I have proof.”
The Redditor later added that they were blocked by Dream for not sending an
************** ***** picture back, and mentioned in the now- deleted post, that they
are 17, whilst their friends are also underage.
The user added that when they spoke to the person linked to the account, it
sounded exactly like the WWE Superstar, implying that the account used, which is
also Dream’s verified account, hasn’t been hacked.
An alleged audio clip of the person who used Dream’s account has also been
uploaded online where the user asks “what school do you go to”, and it certainly
sounds like the NXT Superstar.
On Twitter, Dream claimed that he did not communicate inappropriately with
anyone, but admitted the photo sent is indeed him, though claimed that it was
shared without his consent or knowledge, and that he is working with a third party
to look into this matter.
So far, WWE have not commented publicly on this situation, though the reddit
user claims to have more evidence which will be taken to the police, and whilst
some have claimed this is a hacker situation, if this turns out to be Dream himself
who sent the image, then this could easily lead to his departure from the company.
From NXT to SmackDown now, as this week’s main event saw Shawn Michaels
host a special 25th anniversary celebration for Triple H, and whilst the pair saw
Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair and the Road Dogg call in over face-time, Vince
McMahon wasn’t a fan.
Showing up in person at the end of the segment, the Boss said it was one of the
worst things he’s seen of all time, and argued that if the arena was full of fans,
they’d be chanting boring.
Comparing the segment to Bayley this is your life, the Gobbledy Gooker and even
Katie Vick, McMahon ended the show saying he loves his son in law, but
demanded the show be shut down, and we doubt the Heart Break Kid will be
throwing another celebration for his buddy, anytime soon.
We’ve got news from Smack Down now, and over the past few weeks, the WWE
has documenting the career of Jeff Hardy, with this week’s chapter including a
very special guest.
Last night’s chapter, titled ‘The Redemption’, showed Jeff’s journey back to WWE,
and included footage of his return at WrestleMania, alongside his brother and
AEW Star Matt Hardy.
Online, a lot of fans tweeted the Broken One to comment on his image being used
on WWE programming, though Matt made it clear that AEW knows about the
package with him in, and are perfectly fine with it.
After debuting on AEW recently, Hardy challenged Chris Jericho to a match at the
Hardy Compound a few weeks ago on Dynamite, and though the former AEW
World Champion hasn’t answered the call, it’s almost certain the match will
happen down the line.
We’re focussing on Monday Night RAW next, as the show hasn’t seen some strong
ratings as of late.
Though the simple response is that the lack of a crowd due to the ongoing global
situation is behind the falling numbers, Vince McMahon reportedly believes otherwise.
According to CagesideSeats, the WWE Chairman is putting the blame on the
talent, and believes that:
”It’s because new talent is being featured who still have to get over, and
because Brock Lesnar is no longer WWE Champion”
Though fans have been supportive of Drew McIntyre as WWE Champion, this
seemingly hasn’t been enough to please the Boss, and whilst we don’t know when
Lesnar will appear next, it’s possible that the part-timer may end up once again
holding the WWE Championship.
Now, we’ve already mentioned that Vince McMahon didn’t exactly enjoy his son-
in-law’s celebration on Smack Down, but one person who was much nicer to the
Cerebral Assassin was Chris Jericho, as the former AEW World Champion took to
Twitter to congratulate Triple H, saying:
Times and circumstances may change, but one thing that will never
change is the amazing chemistry that I had with Triple H. I just wanted to
wish him a happy 25th anniversary, to one of the greatest to ever step
inside the wrestling ring and a guy that I had just killer chemistry with.
Every match we ever had was great. Lemmy would be very proud of you,
and here's to another 25 years of dominating the wrestling world as only
The Game can do.
If fans want to check out one of the pair’s best matches, we recommend their Last
Man Standing encounter from Fully Loaded 2000, and it’s cool to see that whilst
they may be in companies competing against each other, the Game and the Best
in the World at what he does, have remained friends.
Speaking of Y2J, the AEW star recently sat down with the Major Wrestling figure
podcast, where he revealed that his status with AEW, prevented him from looking
at the latest batch of WWE toys. He said:
I was downstairs and I wanted to see the WWE set up and they told
me I couldn’t. I was like, ‘The f*ck I can’t I’ve made these guys
millions of dollars in action figures you’re telling me I can’t go up
there?’ So I walked up there and there was a security guard who
wouldn’t let me in, but there was a guy who works for whoever WWE
works with was like, ‘Ah come on in.
Jericho went on to say that when he tried to share what he was doing on
Instagram, the WWE rep pleaded with him not to post it, saying he could
lose his job over this, and admitted that he was surprised WWE would fire
somebody for letting him in.
It’s clear that’s there’s competition between AEW and WWE, not just on
TV but also in their toys, and this is something Jericho found out the hard way.
We’re going back in time to WrestleMania 36, as whilst the WWE Shop has plenty
of items related to the show on their website, fans can now add dirt to their basket.
This nicely-framed dirt, which will ship on May 8th, comes in a plaque celebrating
the Boneyard match, and with just 536 being made, we’re sure there are plenty of
fans willing to spend $75 on such a unique piece of WrestleMania history.
Now, earlier this month, the WWE finally released the Revival, and since then,
details recently leaked online of a terrible comedy gimmick that was pitched to
the duo during their final days with WWE.
The Gimmick would have seen the pair be dressed up as clowns, and now the
former Tag Champions, now known as the Revolt outside of the company, are
cashing in on the awful gimmick.
Fans of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler can now purchase the pair’s new shirt on
Pro Wrestling Tees, which features the pair in the outfits Vince McMahon wanted
them to wear, with the tagline “New Name, Same Game,” as well as their FTR hashtag.
This is a very clever idea from the Top Guys to use these leaked photos to help
make some money, as things certainly look bright for the former Revival outside of WWE.
From one big WWE release to another now, as EC3 was let go from the company
recently, but this hasn’t stopped the former 24/7 Champion from working hard in
the gym, to a very familiar song.
On his Twitter, the one percenter showed off his new haircut, and can be heard
listening to Judas by Fozzy, which is sung by Chris Jericho and used as his entrance
theme on AEW Dynamite.
It’s no secret that Y2J and EC3 are friends, as they were seen hanging out this past
February in Orlando, and EC3 commented about “Big Things Coming in the
Future” at the time.
It certainly seems like EC3 is interested in joining AEW, time will tell whether Tony
Khan will be eager to sign him, as the company is also making less money, due to
not generating a single penny in ticket revenue.
In fact, the only source of income for AEW at the moment is from their TV contract
with TNT, and whilst the company may not be quick to sign anyone recently on
WWE TV, time will tell whether the former Derrick Bateman soon finds himself as
part of the Inner Circle.
Although fans won’t see EC3 on WWE anymore, the show still goes on, and next
week’s SmackDown will see two Money in the Bank qualifying matches take place.
On the men’s side, Otis and Dolph Ziggler will continue their feud, as the winner
will join Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black, Apollo Crews and King Corbin
in the men’s ladder match.
Next week’s show will also see Bryan and Corbin face off in singles action, as the
former WWE Champion looks for revenge for his tag-partner Drew Gulak, who
Corbin defeated to qualify.
On the women’s side of things, Carmella will face Mandy Rose, with the winner
joining Mella’s tag parter Dana Brooke, Asuka, Shayna Baszler, and Lacey Evans,
who defeated Sasha Banks on this week’s SmackDown to advance.
Next week’s SmackDown won’t be the only show to have Money in the Bank
ramifications, as Monday Night RAW will also see a massive contract signing.
As announced on this week’s SmackDown, this Monday’s show will see Drew
McIntyre and Seth Rollins make their WWE Championship match official, and
given that the Scottish World Champion and the Monday Night Messiah will share
the ring, it’s likely that things are going to get physical.
We’re taking a break to look at AEW now, as the company record a ton of content
at QT Marshall’s gym in Norcross, Georgia, but once those matches run out, the
situation around them is allowing for live TV once more.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that AEW will return to live tapings
very soon, and the company even has a venue to host their shows, saying:
AEW is also going back, likely to live programming, in a few weeks, which would
put them in the same situation. While this could also change depending on the
circumstances and they have enough taped to last for several more weeks, the plan
right now is for AEW to go back either weekly or more often starting on 5/6 from
Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
Of course, anything can change in the ongoing global situation, but for now, the
Daily’s Place provides a great atmosphere for AEW, and time will tell just how long
it’ll be before crowds can return to the show.
Back to WWE now and we’ve got more news from RAW, and whilst Apollo Crews
has been on the main roster for a long time, it’s only recently that the former
Uhaa Nation has received something close to a push.
According to Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue, Crews is a favourite of RAW Executive
Director, as much like Aleister Black and Murphy, Heyman sees great potention in
the athletic star. He said:
There are definitely a few people who wanted to see him pushed. Paul
Heyman wanted to get a hold of him on RAW. He got him and we saw a
great match with Aleister Black and he's had a match with MVP now.
That match with MVP allowed Crews to qualify for the Men’s Money in the Bank
ladder match, and though it’s unlikely he’ll win, just having a spot in the match is a
huge step up for Crews, after years of not being used.
Speaking of AEW, the company is set to host their Double or Nothing Pay Per View
next month, and there has been an update on where exactly the show will take place.
In an update from F4WOnline, Dave Meltzer noted that the plan is for the show to
be filmed in Jacksonville, Florida, over 2000 miles from the originally planned
venue of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, which is no longer an option
due to the strip being closed.
Given that AEW is planning to air and tape episodes of Dynamite from the Daily’s
place in Jacksonville leading up to the show, it’s highly likely that the venue will
also play host to the Pay Per View.
Due to Professional wrestling being deemed an essential service in the state of
Florida, AEW is allowed to run shows there just like WWE is allowed to.
It’s also been reported that AEW will be resuming their TV tapings starting next
month, as the relatively new promotion is doing all it can to keep producing
content during these difficult times.
And finally today we’re ending with news from NXT, as due to the ongoing global
situation, not everybody has been able to make tapings.
The Wrestling Observer noted that both Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness have
been absent from the show for good reason, saying:
“With both McGuinness and Phoenix having young children and not
wanting to quarantine for two weeks, neither are working right now.”
Speaking of the commentators, Mauro Ranallo has been unable to make
the tapings from California, but the company has set up a system where
he can record his voice for certain matches.
Phoenix and McGuiness will likely return to the NXT announce desk very
soon, but until then, fans will just have to deal with not hearing the
Glamazon, or the British former wrestler.