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Wednesday, April 1 2020 Issue #5891
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Well, good thing WWE taped WrestleMania already because Florida is going on lockdown tonight! At least we have something to watch this weekend! Hah!

========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

FLORIDA UNDER LOCKDOWN

- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a statewide stay-at-home order that will take effect at midnight tonight, effectively putting all those living in the state of Florida under lockdown unless they are providing essential services or performing essential activities. The order will affect both WWE and AEW who film Raw, NXT, Smackdown, and Dynamite in the state of Florida. Up until last week, AEW was filming in Jacksonville but now they have moved to a different location within the state while WWE films in Orlando at the Performance Center. The stay-at-home order means that 99% both promotions will have to shut down operations at least for the next 30 days. WWE has enough filming to last them till next week's shows but AEW's status is unclear. WWE decided to go ahead and pre-record WrestleMania last week fearing that such order was forthcoming which would have essentially killed the pay-per-view if the company went ahead and held it live this weekend instead. Florida has a total of 6,741 cases reported and 85 deaths so far from the coronavirus, most of which are in the Miami-Dade County. Orange County, which Orlando falls under, has nearly 400 cases and four deaths.

NXT NORTH AMERICAN TRIPLE THREAT TITLE MATCH HEADLINES NXT TONIGHT

- Three matches have been announced for tonight's NXT including a match which was supposed to be part of Takeover: Tampa Bay. Keith Lee will be defending the NXT North American title against Dominik Dijakovic and Damien Priest as the main event on the show tonight. This was originally slated to be part of Takeover, an event which has been cancelled. The last member of the number one contender's ladder match for the NXT Women's title will be decided tonight in a second chance gauntlet match. Xia Li, Shotzi Blackheart, Kayden Carter, Aliyah, and Deonna Purrazzo will be part of this match and the winner will join Io Shirai, Candice LaRae, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, and Chelsea Green in the ladder match which will take place next week. And the other match announced is The Velveteen Dream taking on Bobby Fish as Dream continues to go through The Undisputed Era to get to the NXT title.

RAW RATING

- Monday Night Raw had the lowest number in modern-day history for its WrestleMania go-home show with an average of 1,923,000 viewers. Hour one started with 2,139,000 viewers, then dropped to 1,986,000 in the second hour before crashing to 1,646,000 viewers in the third and final hour. It is pretty clear that putting a lot of video packages and re-airing old matches is not working when it comes to retaining viewers during these difficult times. Raw was #3, #4, and #7 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and all the way down to #31 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

AEW FORCED OUT OF DAILY'S PLACE, TAPING DYNAMITE FROM DIFFERENT LOCATION

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that AEW has been forced out of the Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida as the city is taking over the location as a COVID-19 testing center. The arena is owned by the city of Jacksonville and the move was bound to happen sooner or later after the city closed all locations they own. AEW is now taping at an undisclosed location and are actually recording a lot of footage for both Dark and Dynamite for this week and weeks to come so Dynamite will not be live for the time being. AEW had the edge over NXT over the past couple of weeks as they continued "business as usual" with new matches and angles progressing while NXT resorted to video package shows and a lot of fillers in between new content which only returned last week.

FIRST FOUR PARTICIPANTS IN THE TNT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

- The first four participants of the eight-man tournament to determine the new TNT champion were revealed by All Elite Wrestling yesterday during their Dark YouTube series. The left side of the bracket includes Shawn Spears vs Cody and Sammy Guevara vs Darby Allin. The winners of those two matches will then meet each other in the semi final. The other four participants will be revealed tonight during Dynamite on TNT. The tournament will kick off on April 8 on Dynamite and will conclude with the final match at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view, currently scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on May 23. This is the fourth title in All Elite Wrestling and the TNT Championship will join the AEW World, Tag Team, and Women's titles.

LANCE ARCHER MAKING IN-RING DYNAMITE DEBUT TONIGHT ON TNT

- There's only one match which has been advertised so far for tonight's Dynamite which is Cody teaming up with Darby Allin to take on Sammy Guevara and Shawn Spears. These four individuals will all take part in the TNT Championship tournament as well. Lance Archer is also making his Dynamite debut tonight but no opponent has been named so far and the new tag team of Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall, now known as The Natural Nightmares, will be in action as well against opponents still to be announced. Dynamite was taped from an unknown location after being forced out of the Daily's Place in Jacksonville.

KYLIE RAE SIGNS WITH IMPACT WRESTLING

- Impact Wrestling announced that Kylie Rae has signed a long-term deal with the company and revealed the news after Rae made an appearance on Impact last night, defeating Cassandra Golden. Rae signed with All Elite Wrestling last year but was gone a few months later for reasons still unknown. AEW President Tony Khan had announced during the post All Out pay-per-view media scrum that Rae requested her release and it was granted to her. “I don’t know many rumors and honestly try to stay away from everything, obviously. But here: nobody made me leave. AEW took my career to new levels and I’m beyond grateful for every opportunity and experience that has come along the way and wish nothing but the best,” Rae wrote in a social media post in November of last year. The 27-year-old wrestled at an Impact Wrestling event which aired on Twitch in October and was rumored to be heading to Impact.


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Thursday, April 2 2020 Issue #5892
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Nothing to say today, back tomorrow.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

TRIPLE H ON ROMAN'S EXIT FROM WRESTLEMANIA AND WHY GO AHEAD WITH THE SHOW

- WWE has been getting a lot of flak for still advertising Roman Reigns taking part in WrestleMania when in fact he did not and actually addressed the issue publicly already. But the company is still promoting Reigns vs Goldberg for the Universal title with Reigns appearing on many of the promotional material for WrestleMania. That match never happened and it looks like finally WWE will address this tomorrow on Smackdown. Speaking with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Triple H said that Reigns' removal from the show will play out in a "unique matter" from a storyline standpoint. "I don't want to give away the ending of the movie before the movie takes place," HHH told Helwani during the video interview. "Everybody just has to watch and see how this unfolds. It will unfold in a unique way and I think it will be meaningful for everybody." Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania due to being a high risk health-wise since he just recovered from a second bout with leukemia and the coronavirus attacks more those who have a weaker immune system. Meanwhile, in the same interview, Triple H also said that all options were considered for WrestleMania including cancelling the event altogether. At one point the plan was to have fans inside the Performance Center but then that quickly changed. Triple H said that now they filmed WrestleMania from a "Hollywood standpoint" and controlled it in a way that "really nobody else can." HHH added that while not holding the event was considered, they all felt an obligation to the fans to do it regardless of the situation. "Our fans have been there for us for years and years and years and we want to be there for them in this time where everybody is just doing the best to get through this...stuck home and the world needs entertainment right now. We feel an obligation to give them that," he said. Triple H admitted that WrestleMania might not be the version that the fans or the company wanted it to be, but they still made it a spectacle that it needs to be.

DAKOTA KAI QUALIFIES FOR NXT LADDER MATCH

- Dakota Kai won the second chance gauntlet match last night on NXT on USA Network and has now earned the last spot in the Women's title number one contender's ladder match which will take place next week. Shotzi Blackheart was the star of the gauntlet match and ran through Deonna Purrazzo, Xia Li, Aliyah, and Kayden Carter before Kai came in last. Raquel Gonzalez also played her part in helping Kai defeating Blackheart. The winner of this ladder match will then meet whoever is the NXT Women's champion post-WrestleMania. The current champion, Rhea Ripley, will be defending her gold against former NXT Women's champion Charlotte Flair this weekend. No specific date was given as to when the new number one contender will get her shot.

ESPN WITH A FIVE-HOUR BROCK LESNAR MARATHON ON SUNDAY

- ESPN will be airing a five-hour Brock Lesnar marathon on WrestleMania Sunday, starting at 6AM and going up until 11AM. The marathon, which is mostly UFC-related, will air on ESPN2. The schedule will start with Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem at 6AM, then Lesnar vs Shane Carwin at 7AM, Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez at 7:30AM, and Lesnar vs Randy Couture at 8AM. At 9AM, ESPN2 will air the 2000 NCAA Wrestling Championship which Lesnar won. ESPN's E:60 ??feature on Brock Lesnar from 2009 will also re-air as part of Sunday morning’s SportsCenter. Then at 3PM, ESPN will air an encore presentation of WrestleMania 35 which featured the first-ever women's main event at a WrestleMania. This is the third and final WrestleMania that ESPN will air having previously aired WrestleMania XXX and 32. All telecasts will stream via the ESPN App as well.

WWE BACKSTAGE RATING

- After a string of bad numbers, WWE Backstage rebounded with 134,000 viewers for this week's remote-edition of the show. The last time Backstage aired on March 10 it drew just 35,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

WWE ICE CREAM BARS ARE BACK!

- Good Humor has teamed up with WWE to finally release the WWE Superstar sandwich ice cream bars, officially titled WWE Superstars Cookie Sandwich. The ice cream sandwiches feature the prints of Roman Reigns, John Cena, Becky Lynch, and WWE Hall of Famer Macho Man Randy Savage. "Rich, creamy and just 150 calories each, these frozen snacks are a delicious way to indulge and the perfect pick-me-up to keep in the freezer," Good Humor says of the product. Good Humor WWE Superstars Cookie Sandwiches are currently available for a suggested retail price of $3.00 to $5.29 in major retailers nationwide. The WWE ice cream bars returned to the spotlight when CM Punk referenced to them during a promo on Raw years ago, demanding that they should resume production. "I want everything with my face on it...the number one thing being, I want you to bring back the WWE ice cream bars," Punk said in 2011. Unfortunately for Punk, there's no WWE ice cream bars with his face on it...yet. In the late 80s and early 90s, WWE had the ice cream bars on a stick with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Jim Duggan, Big Boss Man and others. A variation of those bars were sold in late 2000 as well but they were stopped in 2009.

TOTAL BELLAS SEASON FIVE PREMIERES TONIGHT

- Total Bellas returns on E! tonight with the season five premiere titled Brave New Bellas. The show was originally set to premiere next week but E! brought it forward. Season five will pick up where season four left off with this season covering the pregnancy of the twins, Artem’s romantic proposal to Nikki in Paris, Nikki and Brie reconnecting with their estranged father while writing their memoirs, and more. Nikki and Brie serve as Executive Producers of the series with Gil Goldschein, Russell Jay and Farnaz Farjam Chazan serving as Executive Producers for Bunim/Murray Productions and Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser serving as Executive Producers for WWE. Total Bellas airs on E! starting at 9PM ET.

REMAINING WRESTLERS IN TNT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REVEALED

- The remaining four wrestlers who will be part of the TNT Championship tournament were revealed on Dynamite last night. The right side of the bracket will now have Kip Sabian taking on Dustin Rhodes and Lance Archer versus Colt Cabana. The winners of those two matches meet in the semi final match. The tournament will start next week with Shawn Spears vs Cody on Dynamite and is slated to end at Double or Nothing on pay-per-view with the winner crowned the inaugural TNT champion.


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(C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com
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Watch WrestleMania 36 free on the WWE Network!
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Friday, April 3 2020 Issue #5893
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

We'll be live tweeting during WrestleMania this weekend from our @wrestlingonline Twitter account. Follow us and feel free to interact. It's not the same buzz as your typical WrestleMania, but yeah, I will still watch it when it airs.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

ESPN DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING TALKS WWE PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

- Over the past few weeks, there has been several WWE programming on ESPN as the leader in sports tries to fill the void on their network due to the unprecedented situation caused by the coronavirus where all sports have been shut down. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, ESPN's Director of Programming and Acquisitions Brent Colborne said WWE's addition to the network has "added excitement" and the company knew they had to act fast to put some content on their network. "The collaboration between both entities came together in a quick and timely fashion,” Colborne told Sports Illustrated. “March 12 was the first day of all the events falling off the calendar, and it was pretty quickly thereafter, in discussion and communication with WWE, that the idea came up for ESPN to acquire some really incredible content in three WrestleManias for three consecutive Sundays.” ESPN has aired two previous WrestleManias already, will air another one on Sunday, along with a Brock Lesnar marathon, and other WWE programming in between. Asked if there will ever be a time when WrestleMania airs live on ESPN instead of pay-per-view, Colborne admitted that it's a great question and they're open to discussing ideas but the focus right now is short-term. “We felt like this was a really good content opportunity for us to show these three encores, and a really good promotional opportunity for WWE to help utilize our reach and our brand to create more excitement for WrestleMania this upcoming weekend,” Colbrone added.

NXT RATING

- NXT failed to crack the 600,000 viewer mark this week as the show dipped to 590,000, losing 79,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. The show did just a 0.15 in the 18-49 demo, putting NXT in #74 on the chart and way out of the top 50 list. The difference between the two shows was of 95,000 viewers, down from the 150,000 from last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

DISCOUNTED REPLICA TITLES AND NEW MANIA MERCHANDISE ON OFFER THIS MANIA WEEKEND

- The WWE Shop has got some more exclusive WrestleMania merchandise and a few special offers available to celebrate WrestleMania weekend. The offers available this weekend include a buy one t-shirt and get another one for $1 and up to 50% off on replica title belts. No codes are needed to take advantage of these offers and these prices will expire on April 7 at 2:59AM ET. Replica titles on offer include the Winged Eagle WWE title, 24/7 title, Daniel Bryan's Eco-Friendly wood WWE title, Women's Tag Team title, NXT Women's and North American titles, classic Intercontinental title, NXT UK title, and much more including the replica side plates. New WrestleMania merchandise include the commemorative chair, a new WrestleMania "In Your House" shirt, and many match t-shirts. You can shop by going to .

AEW MOVES TAPINGS TO GEORGIA, STATE GOES ON LOCKDOWN

- All Elite Wrestling held this week's Dynamite and recorded future shows from a location in the state of Georgia after they were forced to move out of Daily's Place in Jacksonville. The company did several recordings during the course of the week. While the state of Florida already ordered a lockdown just a few days ago, AEW are now in WWE's same boat as the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, announced yesterday that all people living in the state should stay at home with the exception of essential personnel. The lockdown will last at least through April 13, forcing 10.6 million residents inside due to the wide and fast spread of the coronavirus. WrestlingInc.com later reported that the location where Dynamite took place was QT Marshall's gym in Norcross and yesterday, state officials tried to shut down the operation but proper paperwork prevailed and the company was allowed to finish tapings while officials stuck around to make sure all proper precautions are being followed.

DYNAMITE RATING

- AEW Dynamite took a substantial hit in viewership this week but still managed to win another round of ratings battle against NXT. Dynamite pulled in 685,000 viewers this week which is down 134,000 viewers from the previous week. With a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demo, Dynamite placed #37 on the top 50 cable chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

JERICHO ON LIFE IN AEW, RELATIONSHIP WITH MCMAHON, THE HALL OF FAME, AND MORE

- In an interview published by the Tampa Bay Times, former AEW champion Chris Jericho discussed his relationship with former boss Vince McMahon, if he thinks a Hall of Fame induction would be on the way in the near future, joining All Elite Wrestling, the creative freedom he enjoys, Fozzy, and much more. It's an in-depth look at Jericho's current life in AEW and how the multiple-time wrestling champ has managed to reinvent himself over the past several years to stay current in an industry where sometimes even top stars find it hard to stay at the top of the mountain. Jericho said that he's had good talks with Vince McMahon ever since he left and the Chairman and CEO even offered to counter his deal with AEW but Jericho said that he's keeping some doors "shut" as long as he works for the Khan family and All Elite Wrestling. Asked if he sees himself being asked to enter the WWE Hall of Fame, he said he thinks he's already Hall of Fame material and if he doesn't get inducted, he's okay with that. “If I continue to work for the Khan family for the rest of my life, I’ll never go into the WWE Hall of Fame,” he said. “Does that bother me? No. I mean, the Sex Pistols didn’t show up for theirs. I always kind of liked that. I’m a hall of famer in the minds of the people who want me to be in the Hall of Fame,” he adds. “I’m a hall of famer in my mind. That’s all that matters.” You can read the full article at


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Watch WrestleMania 36 free on the WWE Network!
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|_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\


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Saturday, April 4 2020 Issue #5894
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Well, here we go! It's WrestleMania weekend. Don't forget we'll be tweeting live tonight during the show. Join us on Twitter @wrestlingonline. Enjoy the show!


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

WRESTLEMANIA 36 NIGHT ONE ON WWE NETWORK TONIGHT

- WWE will be presenting a two-night WrestleMania weekend starting tonight and airing on the WWE Network and other streaming providers as well as on traditional pay-per-view. The show is recorded from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. WWE has not announced which matches will be on night one or night two yet so here's the full card for this year's WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre for the WWE title; Goldberg vs Braun Strowman for the Universal title; Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler for the Raw Women's title; Bayley vs Sasha Banks vs Lacey Evans vs Tamina vs Naomi in a fatal 5-way match for the Smackdown Women's title; Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's title; Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan for the Intercontinental title; The Street Profits vs Austin Theory and Angel Garza for the Raw Tag Team titles; The Miz and John Morrison vs The Usos vs The New Day in a triple threat ladder match for the Smackdown Tag Team titles; The Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women's Tag Team titles; The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles in a boneyard match; John Cena vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match; Edge vs Randy Orton in a last man standing match; Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins; Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley; Elias vs King Corbin; Otis vs Dolph Ziggler. The WrestleMania Kickoff show will start at 6PM ET and will air on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, FOX Sports 1, and FITE TV. WrestleMania is FREE to watch if you are a first-time subscriber to the WWE Network. Simply go to to subscribe and get your 30-day trial.

TWO ADDITIONAL KICKOFF MATCHES FOR WRESTLEMANIA ANNOUNCED

- Apart from the 16 matches on the WrestleMania main card, WWE has just added two more matches for the Kickoff shows. This year's Kickoff shows are one hour each and will take place on each WrestleMania night. The two matches are Liv Morgan vs Natalya and Cesaro vs Drew Gulak. WWE did not specify which match is airing on what night but if you go with the order in which the matches were listed, the women's match was mentioned first. WWE has not announced who will be hosting the Kickoff shows and who will form part of the panel. Papa Johns is listed as the presenting sponsor for the two Kickoff shows.

BRAUN STROWMAN REPLACES ROMAN REIGNS IN UNIVERSAL TITLE MATCH

- With Roman Reigns out of WrestleMania, Braun Strowman stepped in to take his place and will now be facing Goldberg for the Universal title this weekend. The former Intercontinental champion was not even slated to be on the card and had no match at Mania. Last year he was also left out from a singles match and thrown in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal which he won. That match was on the Kickoff show. Strowman and Goldberg both were missing from the Smackdown broadcast last night and no angle was played out to write Reigns off. Smackdown announcer Michael Cole simply announced the match without any backstory given. Triple H has said in an interview this week that the way Reigns' exit will play out will be satisfying for everyone but unless they're keeping it for the WrestleMania pay-per-view, nothing was satisfying about how they announced the replacement. The man also known as the monster among men had several Universal title shots over the past few years but he came up short every time. He even won the Money in the Bank match but failed to cash-in against Seth Rollins.

TRIPLE H TO MISS SECOND WRESTLEMANIA IN 25 YEARS

- This weekend's WrestleMania will have no fans, most likely few to no pyro either due to the location, and something else will be missing from the card: Triple H. Since his first WrestleMania in 1996 against the Ultimate Warrior, Triple H only missed one - in 2007 when he was injured - and competed in 23 of them in total. This year, the man who usually has an elaborate entrance at every Mania held in a stadium, will be sitting backstage helping directing traffic and producing the show along with his father-in-law Vince McMahon. “Last year, it was questionable whether I was going to do anything at WrestleMania, and the Batista match came up," Triple H told Sports Illustrated in an interview. "This year, it was never really discussed, and I never brought it up.” The former champ and WWE Hall of Famer admitted that as every year has passed, he's been busier and busier with added responsibilities so it's not always that he can lace up his boots and step inside the squared circle. Triple H has a horrible record at WrestleMania, losing 13 out of the 23 matches he has competed in. His last win came last year against Batista.

SMACKDOWN RATING

- The WrestleMania go-home episode of Friday Night Smackdown on FOX did 2,374,000 viewers, which is the identical audience that it did last week. Hour one did 2,407,000 viewers and hour two dipped slightly to 2,342,000 viewers. In the 18-49 demo, Smackdown did just a 0.6 which is lower than usual. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

SCREEN "GLITCHES" ON WWE TV CATCH UP WITH SONYA'S ANTICS

- The screen "glitches" that had been appearing every week on WWE television had some sort of closure yesterday as it was revealed on Smackdown that a hacker was behind them all - and exposed a "mystery" that was bad news for Sonya Deville. With "The Truth Will Be Heard" flashing on TV after Tucker and Dolph Ziggler wrestled, a mysterious figure was shown from the back in front of several computer monitors. The person wore a hoodie and his voice was altered to conceal the identity. After pressing a button, footage played of Sonya Deville sending a text message to Otis from Mandy's phone saying that she would be late for their Valentine's Day date. She then deleted the evidence unbeknownst to Mandy. Another clip was played with Sonya being in cahoots with Dolph Ziggler, saying that whatever they want, they get. The revelation seems to have pissed off Mandy Rose who wanted nothing to do with Sonya throughout the rest of the night despite repeated attempts to apologize.

TOTAL BELLAS RATING

- The season five premiere of Total Bellas with an episode titled Brave New Bellas did a total of 563,000 viewers, up from the 448,000 the season four finale did last year. This was the most-watched episode of Total Bellas since episode 12 of season three which did 665,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

REPORT SAYS AEW HAS ENOUGH FOOTAGE TO LAST NEARLY TWO MONTHS

- Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch is reporting that All Elite Wrestling filmed enough footage over the course of the past week that with some creativity they can stretch the episodes of Dynamite and Dark up until the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in late May. While the company did manage to film additional material at the Daily's Place in Jacksonville before they were booted, AEW crew had to move to Georgia and went full speed ahead with filming several matches but had to stop after the lockdown enforcement in the state came down. Keller added that the wrestlers who were part of the match tapings this week in Georgia will be the ones who will be appearing on TV over the next several weeks as no additional wrestlers were brought in. AEW is believed to be using footage shot by their talent to fill in the gaps as they cannot do like WWE and air old matches since their tape library is fairly new. The Hager vs Moxley match which is set for the April 15 episode of Dynamite was apparently already filmed in Jacksonville so at least for that match AEW will "switch" locations during the pre-recorded Dynamite.

DWAYNE JOHNSON'S JUNGLE CRUISE MOVIE PUSHED BACK BY A YEAR

- With no signs of the coronavirus spread slowing down, major movie studios are delaying many of their releases and Dwayne Johnson's Jungle Cruise suffered the same fate. Disney announced yesterday that the highly-anticipated movie will now be released on July 30, 2021, a full year after its original schedule. "Our @disneystudios JUNGLE CRUISE is officially pushed by one year to be released JULY 30, 2021. I feel great and bullish about this date as it gives us time for Disney to be fully operational in all their businesses - theme parks, hotels, cruise ships, but more importantly, it gives the world time to bounce back to living confidently, productively and joyously once again," Johnson wrote in a message on social media. "Thank you, Disney leadership team. And thank you to all the fans worldwide. The movie will be worth the wait. Stay healthy, my friends. D" Joining Johnson in the leading role for the big-budget flick are Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. It's directed by Jaume Collet-Serra off a screenplay by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa.


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Sunday, April 5 2020 Issue #5895
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Okay, WrestleMania wasn't the spectacle that we're used to see, but I was thoroughly entertained, especially by the main event. I thought all matches were solid, well, maybe except the Corbin/Elias one, but considering the circumstances, everyone gave it their all. The main event boneyard match was something else. It was fantastic and pleasantly surprised how it was produced.

We'll be back on Twitter tonight for round two!

========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

WRESTLEMANIA 36 NIGHT TWO ON WWE NETWORK TONIGHT

- WWE will be presenting night two of WrestleMania tonight and airing on the WWE Network and other streaming providers as well as on traditional pay-per-view. The show is recorded from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The card for night two is: Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre for the WWE title; Bayley vs Sasha Banks vs Lacey Evans vs Tamina vs Naomi in a fatal 5-way match for the Smackdown Women's title; Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's title; The Street Profits vs Austin Theory and Angel Garza for the Raw Tag Team titles; John Cena vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match; Edge vs Randy Orton in a last man standing match; Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley; Otis vs Dolph Ziggler; and Liv Morgan vs Natalya in the Kickoff match. The WrestleMania Kickoff show will start at 6PM ET and will air on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, FOX Sports 1, and FITE TV. WrestleMania is FREE to watch if you are a first-time subscriber to the WWE Network. Simply go to to subscribe and get your 30-day trial.

WRESTLEMANIA 36 NIGHT ONE RESULTS

- Here are the results from night one of WrestleMania 36 which took place from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Cesaro defeated Drew Gulak in the Kickoff show; Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeated Asuka and Kairi Sane to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team champions; Elias defeated King Corbin; Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler to retain the Raw Women's title; Sami Zayn defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the Intercontinental title; John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso in a triple threat ladder match to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins; Braun Strowman defeated Goldberg to win the Universal title; The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in a boneyard match.

A FANTASTIC CINEMATIC ENDING TO THE FIRST NIGHT OF WRESTLEMANIA 36

- Night one of WrestleMania 36 had one of the most memorable main events ever, if not the most memorable one in the history of the show. With all matches pre-recorded, WWE had a chance to think outside the box for some of its gimmick matches and did just that for the boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles. This was no ordinary match, there wasn't even a ring or a referee, just two future Hall of Famers beating the crap out of each other in the dirt. And WWE gave it a cinematic look to make it stand out above the rest with its own score, presenting it more like a movie rather than a regular wrestling match. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson also got involved during the fight along with a bunch of other druids, all of whom got their asses whopped by The Undertaker who brought back his American Badass persona, even riding in with a motorbike to Metallica's Now That We're Dead music. The fight ended after The Undertaker put AJ in a grave and dumped the dirt from a tractor on him. A shot showed AJ Styles' hand and glove trying to reach out from the dirt but the former WWE champion was buried alive. Taker then unveiled a headstone which showed Styles' name and the year he was born and died. This was similar to one of Matt Hardy's matches at his compound but with production value ramped up 1,000 times more. It was a fitting way to end the first night of a weird WrestleMania with no fans. Judging by the reaction online, fans and critics loved the boneyard match and the production aspect of it and how it was presented. WWE Superstars were tweeting about it during the match and were just as surprised as everyone else. Even Metallica tweeted about the match saying that Taker came out to their song. You can see some clips from the match at .

THREE TITLES CHANGE HANDS DURING NIGHT ONE OF WRESTLEMANIA 36

- WrestleMania 36 part one ended the night with three new champions as the Women's Tag Team championship, the 24/7 championship, and the Universal championship all changed hands during the three-hour broadcast. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were the first ones to become new champions on the show, having participated in the opening match of the night. Bliss and Cross, who had been teaming up for the past several months, regained the WWE Women's Tag Team titles from The Kabuki Warriors after the two lost it to them back in August of last year during an episode of Monday Night Raw. This makes Bliss and Cross the only two-time champs after ending the 181-day reign of Asuka and Sane. The 24/7 title also switched hands with Mojo Rawley becoming the new champ. R-Truth was getting interviewed by host Rob Gronkowski and Rawley when all of a sudden Gronk hit Truth and went for the pin. But Rawley didn't let that happen and broke the pin and then went for the pin himself, preventing his best friend from winning his first title in WWE. And the third title to change hands was the Universal title with Braun Strowman beating Goldberg fairly quickly in the second-to-last match on the broadcast. Goldberg hit several spears on Strowman but the monster among men recovered quickly and hit four powerslams on the champion for the clean pinfall. The match did not even last three minutes. Reigns' exit from the storyline was never explained despite Triple H saying it would play out to be satisfying for everyone. "It’s real. The #UniversalTitle is in these hands. Thank you @Goldberg and the @WWE Universe who’ve always supported," Strowman tweeted after the match.

TRUMP MEETS WITH SPORTS LEADERS INCLUDING VINCE MCMAHON OVER CONFERENCE CALL

- United States President Donald Trump held a conference call yesterday with leaders of all major sports leagues in the United States which also included WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White. The conference call took place at Noon. WWE and the UFC are the only ones which are still going ahead with shows although the UFC have had less luck in finding locations where to hold their next pay-per-view event after having cancelled a few shows over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus. WWE has used their own Performance Center for multiple recordings, including WrestleMania, but with Florida under lockdown, WWE has to move to continue tapings unless a special waiver is granted. Adam Schefter from ESPN reported that other individuals invited to the conference call included Adam Silver from the NBA, Cathy Engelbert from the WNBA, Rob Manfred from the MLB, Roger Goodell from the NFL, Gary Bettman from the NHL, Jay Monahan from PGA Tour, John Middlebrook from NASCAR and Don Garber from MLS.

TRIPLE H SAYS "NEW NORMAL" WILL FORCE WWE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN FUTURE

- WWE executive Triple H believes that the way WWE will do business will change forever because the world will have to adjust to a "new normal" even after this coronavirus pandemic is over. Speaking to TV Guide, Triple H said, "I think that it will get back to some normalcy, but the new normal will be what is normal. It's not going to be what it was before. How people do business, how people interact with each other... I think all of that will change." He added that for WWE, the opportunity of doing these shows without fans and doing WrestleMania with off-site shoots will open their eyes to different ways of doing things that they as a company maybe didn't see before and "will change the product probably for the better in the long run."

EDGE SAYS HE HOPES FANS "GET LOST IN WHAT WE LOVE TO DO" THIS WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND

- In a post on Twitter, the recently-returned Edge hoped that this two-night WrestleMania would help "get people lost" in what they love to do and get their minds off the sucky situation that the world finds itself in at the moment. "Whether you agree or disagree. The could haves or should haves, we're here. It's done," Edge said of the mixed reaction of having WrestleMania in front of no crowd at the tiny Performance Center. "Speaking as a performer who didn't have this for 9 years I realize what a privilege it is to do this for a living and WrestleMania is the pinnacle of that." Edge said that it wasn't the same without a crowd as the crowd helps making the show and everyone missed them but he went with the mindset of thinking that people would enjoy his performance. "And, maybe, wishful thinking, just for a few hours this weekend, you get lost in what we love to do. Perform for you. To forget and just try to have fun. Cheer. Boo. Laugh. Cry," he said. The Rated-R Superstar also thanked the whole crew and everyone behind the scenes who helped "bring this beast to life" in the the safest and most responsible way.

UNDERTAKER: LAST RIDE LIMITED SERIES EVENT COMING TO WWE NETWORK

- The WWE Network will have a limited series event focusing on The Undertaker and a preview will air tonight immediately following the conclusion of WrestleMania 36 night two. Titled Undertaker: The Last Ride, the documentary focuses on what might soon be the end of Taker's long wrestling career. The quick 50-second preview featured brand-new sit-down interviews with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Michelle McCool, and an emotional-looking Vince McMahon specifically filmed for this series. Footage of The Undertaker in hospital, training, and discussing his career were also shown. "I gotta go out with a match befitting The Undertaker. That's what separates being good and great and being a legend," Taker is shown saying.


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Monday, April 6 2020 Issue #5896
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

And there goes another WrestleMania. Yeah, it wasn't like anything before, but I am not going to complain. I was entertained for the most part and certainly appreciate the effort and work everyone put in to make it happen. I preferred night one over night two and thought the first night flowed better and went by quicker. That Firefly Fun House match was something else! Count me in the "loved it" group because once you get all the hints, you will appreciate the creative behind it.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

WRESTLEMANIA 36 NIGHT TWO PAY-PER-VIEW RESULTS

- Here are the results from night two of WrestleMania 36 which took place from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Liv Morgan defeated Natalya in the Kickoff show; Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT Women's champion; Aliester Black defeated Bobby Lashley; Otis defeated Dolph Ziggler; Edge defeated Randy Orton in a last man standing match; The Street Profits defeated Austin Theory and Angel Garza to retain the Raw Tag Team titles; Bayley defeated Lacey Evans, Sasha Banks, Naomi, and Tamina to retain the Smackdown Women's title; The Fiend Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena in a Firefly Fun House match; Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE title.

THE FIEND FORCES JOHN CENA TO FACE HIS PAST IN WEIRDLY ENTERTAINING FIREFLY FUN HOUSE MATCH

- After the cinematic experience of the boneyard match on Saturday, no one knew what to expect from the Firefly Fun House match between The Fiend and John Cena on Sunday night. Needless to say, after the match ended, no one could have ever imagined that we would get that type of experience. While the match was going to start normally with Cena making his entrance, it quickly turned sideways with Cena finding himself in the Fun House and confronted to face his past. As Wyatt stepped in Kurt Angle's place and recreated the Ruthless Aggression Cena debut, Cena came out in similar attire from that era and tried to take multiple swings and Wyatt but always missed. Cena then came out as the Dr. of Thuganomics and rapped to Wyatt, who did not appreciate the lyrics. Wyatt then transformed into Easy E, Eric Bischoff, and introduced Cena as the latest member of the nWo, complete with the Nitro set, nWo WCW title, black and white images and showing everyone what if...Cena ever turned heel. A throwback to their 2014 feud which led to a WrestleMania XXX match also played out. That night, Cena won, but this time, Wyatt in his Wyatt Family setting, reigned supreme as he continued to mess with Cena's - and everyone's - sanity. The unusual and weird match ended with The Fiend applying the Mandible Claw to Cena after which Cena's body disappeared from the ring. Fans and even Superstars online reacted in disbelief over what they just saw, with the feedback highly positive and some even wondered how such a presentation even managed to make it on the card, let alone at a WrestleMania.

ERIC BISCHOFF AND KEVIN NASH COMMENT ON nWo BEING PART OF FIREFLY FUN HOUSE MATCH

- The Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania brought back the iconic nWo and the Nitro set to the show as Cena recreated a what if moment...what if he turned heel and what if he had joined such a faction. Bray Wyatt, dressed as Eric Bischoff, introduced Cena as the latest member of the nWo and Cena came out through the WCW Nitro set in nWo gear with the nWo spray-painted WCW title acting like, well, a cocky member of the nWo. Actual footage of Bischoff from his nWo days were also shown to compare to Wyatt's recreation. Perhaps no one was more surprised than former WCW President Eric Bischoff who quickly uploaded a video as soon as the match was over. "Okay, that was bizarre. Really bizarre," Bischoff said as he watched WrestleMania from his home. "I mean, I was fired in October and now in the main of WrestleMania in April? Wow, bet you nobody's ever done that!" Bischoff was hired last year to serve as the Executive Producer of Smackdown but his stint did not last long and was fired in October just after less than three months on the job. Meanwhile, fellow nWo member Kevin Nash also had props for WWE for WrestleMania and thanked Cena and Wyatt for the nWo love. "Made a 60 year old man smile. If we had those two gentlemen wearing the colors I might be heading back to the ring in some capacity," Nash said. The WWE Hall of Famer also jumped to WWE's defense for those who were criticizing the company for going ahead with WrestleMania during these difficult times. "The company is called World Wrestling Entertainment. I was entertained. @StephMcMahon said we're bringing this to you to take you away from where we are. I was immersed and not watching the news. Thank you @WWE for going beyond what every other product has. Delivered," he added.

THREE MORE TITLE CHANGES ON NIGHT TWO OF WRESTLEMANIA 36

- Charlotte Flair was the first one to force a title change on night two of WrestleMania as she tapped out Rhea Ripley to the Figure 8. It was an excellent match that gave Flair her second NXT Women's title and her impressive 11th overall. The 24/7 title also swapped hands with newly-signed Rob Gronkowski walking out of the Performance Center with the green and gold belt. Mojo, who walked in night two as the 24/7 champ, came out to ringside as he was chased by a bunch of people but Gronk jumped on everyone from the high platform and pinned Rawley to win his first title in WWE. And the night ended with another title change as Drew McIntyre finally became the WWE champion, beating Brock Lesnar in another fairly short match. McIntyre had to deliver four Claymore Kicks to keep the beast down but it paid off as the Royal Rumble winner pinned Lesnar clean. Lesnar remained laying flat on his back throughout the the time Drew celebrating in the ring selling the kicks. This WrestleMania had a total of six title changes when adding the previous three changes from night one. Taking out the 24/7 swaps, only the Women's Tag Team, Universal, NXT Women's, and WWE title switched hands. Becky Lynch, Sami Zayn, The Miz and John Morrison, The Street Profits, and Bayley all kept their respective gold.

TYSON FURY AND DREW MCINTYRE CHALLENGE EACH OTHER TO A WRESTLING MATCH

- Tyson Fury is getting his wrestling bug again as he and McIntyre have been going back and forth since yesterday's airing of WrestleMania. Fury predicted that McIntyre would beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and then started talking some trash, typical of Fury! When questioned by BT Sport in the UK, the new WWE champion said he's ready to take on Fury too. "Yep, I'm ready. When everything is back to normal, set up, maybe we can do it at Hampden (in Glasgow), or Wembley (in London), he can pick the ground, he started this," McIntyre said as he recounted how it all started. "So alright mate, let's do this thing, let's have the super fight, let's do it in the UK," McIntyre added, noting that Brock got four Claymore Kicks and he has eight in store for Fury. The undefeated boxing champion congratulated McIntyre on his victory and then accepted his challenge. "I accept his challenge, anytime any place, anywhere," Fury wrote on social media. Tyson Fury is a huge WWE fan and has one match under his belt already - against Braun Strowman in Saudi Arabia - a match which he won via count-out.

SCOTS RULING THE WWE UNIVERSE

- There's a wave of Scottish WWE Superstars who are ruling the company at the moment with five in total carrying a WWE or NXT UK championship. Markus Coffey and Wolfgang - both from Glasgow - are the NXT UK Tag Team champions while Kay Lee Ray - born in Paisley - is the NXT UK Women's champion. After this past weekend, Nikki Cross - also from Glasgow - joined them as WWE Women's Tag Team title holder and Drew McIntyre - born in Ayr - won the big one from Brock Lesnar and became the WWE champion. The five champs, all proudly flying the Scottish flag, represent the biggest non-North American block of champs at the same time in WWE history. Drew McIntyre also became the first British wrestler to win the WWE title.

WITH RAW AND NXT ALREADY TAPED, SMACKDOWN REMAINS IN LIMBO DUE TO LOCKDOWN

- WWE has Monday Night Raw and NXT already taped for this week but no tapings have been done for Friday Night Smackdown. The company managed to squeeze in the post-Mania Raw and the much-anticipated NXT episode tapings before the state of Florida went into lockdown. It's unclear if WWE has applied for a waiver or if they will be allowed to hold any tapings at the Performance Center but the plan is to tape Smackdown from somewhere on Friday, the day of the show. WWE can move tapings to its world headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut if need be but the state of Connecticut is also under partial lockdown with non-essential businesses forced to close. The company might have a bit more pull in that state since it's headquartered there but with such close proximity to New York and New Jersey where the virus is spreading like wildfire, it might not be the best option either. Pretty much every WWE Superstar who participated at the Mania tapings has been at home for the past week and a half and they would have spent two weeks inside if recalled for tapings on Friday.

BIANCA BELAIR GETS HER WRESTLEMANIA MOMENT

- Bianca Belair, the wife of Raw Tag Team title holder Montez Ford, got her first WrestleMania moment last night after she came to the rescue of The Street Profits. After Ford and Dawkins successfully defended the Raw Tag Team titles against Angel Garza and Austin Theory, the heels quickly jumped on the champs following the match and were assisted by their business manager Zelina Vega. Vega attacked Ford but that did not last long as the NXT star rushed to the rescue and whooped Vega's ass, delivering her finishing move. As Belair celebrated in the ring, her husband slid into the ring and hilariously admired his wife and then he and Dawkins lifted Belair on their shoulders to end the segment. Belair was the third person from NXT, along with Rhea Ripley and Austin Theory, to be part of this year's WrestleMania.

THE BIG SHOW SHOW SEASON ONE NOW ON NETFLIX

- The Big Show Show season one is now available to watch in full on Netflix. The comedy series is available in all Netflix regions worldwide. The eight, 30-minute episodes of the first season features the former champion Big Show as he enters into retirement and faces his toughest challenge yet: raising three daughters with his wife in Florida. The series also features Allison Munn, Reylynn Caster, Juliet Donenfeld, and Lily Brooks O’Briant. Josh Bycel and Jason Berger serve as executive producers and showrunners. Susan Levison and Richard Lowell also serve as executive producers for WWE Studios. Netflix already has clips from season two suggesting that more episodes have been filmed that will be marked as a second season.

AEW'S KIP SABIAN AND PENELOPE FORD GET ENGAGED

- All Elite Wrestling's Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford, both 27, got engaged this weekend which was a surprise for Ford as she had no idea about it. In a post on Instagram, Sabian said he tricked his girlfriend into taking a family photo for his parents at his favorite place and set the camera on video and on a timer to capture the whole thing. "I was so confused why he was on his knee when we were taking a picture for his parents to frame," Ford added in her own Instagram post. "This has been the happiest moment in my life and we had our puppy there with us. I’m still so shocked!"


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Tuesday, April 7 2020 Issue #5897
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Nothing to say today, back tomorrow.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

NIA JAX RETURNS

- The post-WrestleMania Raw yielded one surprise – the return of former Raw Women’s champion Nia Jax. Jax showed up and defeated NXT’s Deonna Purrazzo and used Paige’s old RamPaige finisher to secure her quick and decisive victory. On Twitter, Paige admitted that she gave Jax permission to use her finisher. “You never use another persons finishing move unless it is given to you. I gave it to @NiaJaxWWE and she just killed it. I have chills. Proud moment,” Paige said. The two are very close friends. Jax has been out of action for a year as she underwent surgery on both her ACLs and faced a long recovery. She last wrestled at WrestleMania 35.

WWE TO RESUME TELEVISION TAPINGS AT THE PC THIS FRIDAY

- Sean Sapp of Fightful Wrestling is reporting that WWE will resume television tapings this coming Friday and will film continuously for a week. The first order of business will be to get tapings done for Smackdown which would air later in the day on FOX. WWE plans to tape six episodes combined of Raw and Smackdown during the week while also doing multiple episodes of NXT at the nearby Full Sail University in Winter Park. With major sports events clearly not returning in front of an audience over the next couple of months, taping empty arena shows remains the only option to keep business going. Tomorrow's NXT, featuring Gargano vs Ciampa and the women's ladder match, was already filmed. Florida remains under lockdown and WWE is not deemed as an essential business but the company has obviously obtained some kind of permission to go ahead with tapings over the next week.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE 8-HOUR WWE BONEYARD MATCH FILMING

- WhatCulture.com has some exclusive details on the filming of the boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles that aired as the main event of night one of WrestleMania 36. According to WhatCulture, WWE found a location in Florida and contracted a production unit to assemble the set that was used for the match. It took five days for construction workers to assemble it according to WWE's specifications. Filming of the match was done on March 25 and took eight hours in total to complete. The work started at 9PM and then wrapped up at 5AM the following morning under the guidance of Triple H and Michael PS Hayes. Shawn Michaels and Jeremy Borash were also on location to help. WhatCulture adds that after production wrapped up, it took a full week of clean-up for the location to be returned to its original state. The people who were in charge of constructing the set were all locals and sources said that WWE pretty much "paid their rent for April" as the company had no work due to everything shutting down because of the coronavirus. It said that WWE and everyone on site including the main ones - Undertaker and AJ Styles - showed their appreciation to the crew and treated everyone with their utmost respect. The report also state that WWE wanted to use a different scene for Taker's arrival on his bike that would have required him to drive through an abandoned ditch and bridge. Production crew told WWE though that the property was the city's and they did not have any paperwork or permit to shoot there. To refrain from going through legal hoops, those in charge on site then decided to film solely on the property they were originally allowed to. And as for the constant trash talking during the fight, that wasn't originally part of the plan but the two competitors expressed their view and Triple H gave them the go ahead to do whatever they wanted. The boneyard match received a lot of praise online from critics, fans, and fellow WWE Superstars.

WWE AND DAZN TEAM UP FOR NEW TV DEAL

- WWE and DAZN announced a new multi-year agreement which will see the company's weekly flagship programming becoming available live and on-demand with original U.S. commentary on the DAZN streaming platform in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Starting this week, DAZN will air Raw and SmackDown exclusively, live 52 weeks a year. WWE fans can also access Raw and SmackDown via video-on-demand on DAZN along with a two-hour version of Raw, a one-hour version of Raw, a one-hour version of SmackDown and WWE’s two weekly recap series Bottom Line and Afterburn. “We are thrilled to be embarking on a new chapter for WWE in Germany as we bring our unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly sports entertainment to DAZN’s robust portfolio of premium sports content,” said Stefan Kastenmüller, WWE’s senior VP and group general manager. Thomas de Buhr, executive VP of DAZN DACH, added, “We are expanding our portfolio to add an absolutely premium sports entertainment brand that delights many fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We are very pleased to make WWE’s two biggest weekly shows available to all fans live and on-demand.”

WRESTLEMANIA 36 KICKOFF SHOWS RATING ON FOX SPORTS 1

- The WrestleMania 36 Kickoff show on Saturday night did a total of 106,000 viewers on FOX Sports 1 while night two Kickoff did another 112,000. The Kickoff shows aired on FOX Sports for the first time since the WWE/FOX partnership started and FOX even offered WrestleMania on traditional pay-per-view through their apps. Just like ESPN, FOX is relying on some WWE content to fill up their void on their sports channel and will be airing 22 hours of WWE footage throughout spring every Tuesday that will serve as a lead-in to WWE Backstage. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

WRESTLEMANIA 35 RATING ON ESPN

- The WrestleMania 35 encore presentation on ESPN on Sunday afternoon did 421,000 viewers, which is way down from what WrestleMania XXX and 32 did the previous two weeks. Those two shows were on at prime time though and this one aired at 3PM ET. WrestleMania XXX did 839,000 viewers two weeks ago and WrestleMania 32 last week did 720,000 viewers. ESPN aired these three WrestleManias to fill up the void on their network since all major sports are on hiatus due to the coronavirus. ESPN’s Director of Programming and Acquisitions Brent Colborne said in an interview that WWE’s addition to the network has “added excitement” and the company knew they had to act fast to put some content on their network. Colborne also did not shoot down the idea of having WrestleMania air on ESPN in the future rather than on PPV but they are focusing on short-term ideas for now.

ANDRE THE GIANT BIOGRAPHY TO BE RELEASED ON APRIL 14 BY ECW PRESS

- ECW Press announced the publication of the definitive and exhaustive biography of André the Giant, The Eighth Wonder of the World. The book will be officially released on April 14, 2020. This comprehensive biography addresses the burning questions, outrageous stories, and common misconceptions about his height, his weight, his drawing power as a superstar, and his seemingly unparalleled capacity for food and alcohol. The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of André the Giant transports readers beyond the smoke and mirrors of professional wrestling into the life of a real man. The book is written by Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hébert. Laprade has been involved in pro wrestling for more than 15 years and was a field producer for HBO's critically acclaimed documentary André the Giant. Involved in wrestling for more than 25 years, Hébert also co-wrote Pat Patterson's biography, Accepted. The hardcover book contains 440 pages and is selling for $26.95 on Amazon.com. A Kindle version is available for $16.18. It's available for pre-ordering now.

ANNA JAY SIGNS WITH ALL ELITE WRESTLING

- All Elite Wrestling announced yesterday the signing of Anna Jay who made her in-ring debut for the promotion last week in a losing effort to Hikaru Shida. Jay, real name Anna Marie Jernigan, is from Brunswick, Georgia, and is 26 years old. She was trained by Ray Lloyd, better known to wrestling fans as Glacier from WCW. Jay is also a student at QT Marshall's gym, the AEW star who let the company use his premises to film several weeks worth of television shows over the past week. She is pretty new to the wrestling business and has mainly worked for Georgia Premier Wrestling under the name of Anna Jayy and the moniker of "The Star of the Show."


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Wednesday, April 8 2020 Issue #5898
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Hope all of you are staying safe at home. Man, I'm telling you, the first wrestling show to have fans should be a massive party. Never underestimating a live crowd ever again.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

TWO BIG TAKEOVER MATCHES ON MASSIVE NXT ON USA EPISODE TONIGHT

- Tonight's NXT on USA Network will feature two matches which were originally scheduled to take part at NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay during WrestleMania weekend. The first match is a six-way ladder match where the winner will be named as the number one contender for the NXT Women's title. Those who will be participating in this match are Candice LaRae, Mia Yim, Io Shirai, Tegan Nox, Chelsea Green, and Dakota Kai. All of them had to go through a qualifying match and in Kai's case, she also went through a second chance match after originally losing her qualifying match. The other match is being marketed as "One Final Beat" with Blackheart vs Rebel Heart - Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano - in their final NXT match against each other. The two will be banned from getting physical with each other after tonight and if they do they will get both fired from NXT.

TOURNAMENT TO CROWN INTERIM CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP

- WWE will hold a tournament to crown the NXT Cruiserweight interim champion since the current champ, Jordan Devlin, is in Ireland and cannot defend the title. Regal made the announcement during today's episode of The Bump on the WWE Network. Regal said that more information will be given over the next few days on NXT's social media accounts. Asked about the NXT Tag Team titles since Pete Dunne is also stuck in the United Kingdom, Regal said that a decision is still to be made over those titles and hopefully they'll reach a decision next week. Those who are not currently in the United States are not allowed to enter due to the travel ban imposed because of the coronavirus.

WWE WOMEN TAKE ON THE #DONTRUSHCHALLENGE

- The WWE women have teamed up to film the #dontrushchallenge which is taking social media, especially TikTok, by storm lately. The video starts with Sasha Banks in bed getting a call on her cell phone with the caller ID displaying "Vince." She covers her face and then when she removes her hand, she's all dolled up in her WWE outfit. The phone is then thrown to the next person who's also in her regular clothes. A rub on the camera lens later...and she's also transformed into a WWE Superstar. The female Superstars who participated in this video are Sasha Banks, Naomi, Nia Jax, Zelina Vega, Tamina, Bayley, Liv Morgan, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Carmella, Natalya, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Bianca Belair, and Lana. The video is performed with the Don’t Rush song by U.K. rap duo Young T and Bugsey in the background. You can check it out at .

WRESTLEMANIA 36 SETS NEW RECORDS

- This year, WWE couldn't brag about setting new attendance records for WrestleMania but they did find something else to tout - viewership and consumption milestones. WWE set WrestleMania Week viewership records with more than 967 million video views across all of WWE's digital and social media platforms, an increase of 20% year-over-year. Additionally, a record 46 million hours of content were consumed during WrestleMania Week, an increase of 28% year-over-year. WrestleMania was the most social event in WWE history with more than 13.8 million total social media interactions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a 57% increase over last year’s WrestleMania, according to Nielsen Social.

RAW RATING

- The post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night Raw did 2,100,000 viewers, up 177,000 from last week's record low. Hour one started with 2,311,000 viewers, then dropped to 2,063,000 viewers for the second hour, before finishing the night with just 1,925,000 viewers. It was the least-watched post-Mania Raw in history, something which was expected as fans seem to have enough of the empty arena shows and countless replays of old footage. Raw was #1, #4, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #28 in overall viewership for the night on cable as news programs continue to dominate the daily chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

IMPACT TO HOLD TV TAPINGS THIS WEEK

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Impact Wrestling will be tapings several weeks worth of TV shows over the course of three days this week. Impact has set up shop at their old stomping grounds in Nashville, Tennessee to continue doing business as they are running out of shows to air on AXS TV. Meltzer also adds that most of the talent will be missing from the tapings as they couldn't make it to Nashville so it will be interesting to see how Impact works around that with minimum talent available. The tapings in Nashville will of course be without fans as Impact now joins WWE and AEW in filming in empty arenas due to the coronavirus spread. Tennessee is also under lockdown with essential businesses only allowed to operate in the state. How Impact Wrestling got around that, just like WWE in Florida, remains a mystery.

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT STARTS TONIGHT ON DYNAMITE

- Three matches have already been announced for tonight's Dynamite on TNT which was taped from QT Marshall's gym in Norcross, Georgia. These matches are Cody vs Shawn Spears in the first match of the TNT Championship tournament, Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa vs Best Friends, and Hikura Shida vs Britt Baker. Brodie Lee, the leader of The Dark Order, will also be in action against an unnamed opponent. Tonight's commentary will be taken care of by Tony Schiavone and former AEW champion Chris Jericho.


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Thursday, April 9 2020 Issue #5899
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Two solid matches on NXT yesterday. Enjoyed the Ciampa/Gargano fight more than the Edge/Orton one at WrestleMania. Both similar in a way, but so much different.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

MALE WWE SUPERSTARS DO THEIR OWN #DONTRUSHCHALLENGE VIDEO

- Not to be outdone by their female counterparts, the male WWE Superstars did their own #dontrushchallenge, the latest trend that has taken TikTok by storm. Participating in this video are R-Truth, Titus O'Neil, Otis, Matt Riddle, No Way Jose, Adam Cole, Aiden English, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mojo Rawley, Kalisto, Lince Dorado, and the new Universal champion Braun Strowman. It's not as good as the women's version of the challenge but it's still a great effort from the men. You can see it at .

UFC PRESIDENT DANA WHITE PRAISES VINCE MCMAHON

- UFC President Dana White praised WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon for not being afraid of this pandemic and marching on with his business despite everyone else closing down. White, who is securing a private island to host UFC shows for international fighters and a hotel on tribal land somewhere on the West Coast to do shows for the next two months, said that he's ready to get back to work. "I think a lot of other people are ready to get back. First of all, everybody’s afraid to be first. Realistically the only guy right now who isn’t afraid is me and Vince McMahon," White told ESPN. "Vince McMahon hasn’t skipped a beat. What he did was he found solutions. He found ways, get rid of the crowd, and I’m sure he’s doing everything in his power, too, to make sure his guys are safe. Everybody else is afraid to be first.” Both White and McMahon were on a call with President Donald Trump last Saturday along with other leaders of sports leagues to see what the plan is to reopen sports for fans.

WWE BACKSTAGE RATING

- WWE Backstage this week did 140,000 viewers, up 6,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. The show has certainly benefited from the WWE programming on FOX Sports 1 that is serving as a lead-in on Tuesdays. CM Punk will be returning to the show next week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

WWE STEPPING UP EFFORTS TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE DURING TV TAPINGS

- In an e-mail WWE sent to its performers and seen by TMZ, the company is now advising everyone who will be participating in the upcoming television tapings to wear a mask when they're in the WWE Performance Center until it's time to get in front of the camera. WWE will use the same techniques they implemented for WrestleMania tapings with a medical team screening everyone before making their way inside what it turned out to be one of WWE's biggest investment - the Performance Center. WWE encouraged everyone to arrive earlier than usual due to the added medical screenings they will be doing. The company also sent in tips how to create a face mask by sewing fabric, wearing a bandanna or ripping off an old t-shirt sleeve and it looks like they will not be providing their own masks to the performers. The CDC is now encouraging everyone to wear a face cloth mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19. WWE will be resuming television tapings tomorrow, starting with Friday Night Smackdown which will air later in the day on FOX.

CIAMPA AND GARGANO END THEIR NXT FEUD

- In a segment that took the whole second hour of NXT on USA Network, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano ended their rivalry in a stripped-down building. Triple H, waiting for the two in a ring, greeted them as they entered the building. "This is where it ends right? Right here. It starts in this ring, it ends in this ring," Triple H told them. "I don't care what you guys do to each other, but when it's done here, it's done." He then introduced NXT referee Drake Wuertz. "What he says goes...he's just here to decide the winner, nothing more. So you guys have at it. When I walk through that door, it's on." As soon as Triple H exited the warehouse, Ciampa and Gargano beat the hell out of each other for the following 40 minutes or so. The filming of the match was different than what you usually see on NXT and it was shot more like a fight scene in a movie, although not at the extent of the boneyard match. The surprise ending came when Candice LaRae came to the ring to plead with both men to stop. Ciampa refused to finish Gargano so LaRae decided to finish Gargano herself with a low blow. Ciampa, surprised, had a soft moment and said sorry to his former partner and did not pin him. As he stood up, LaRae returned to the ring and kicked Ciampa in the nuts. Gargano, smiling, revealed he had a cup so this was all a show to trick Ciampa. Gargano then hit the Jay Driller on Ciampa on the exposed ring and covered him to end the feud once and for all.

IO SHIRAI SETS UP MATCH AGAINST CHARLOTTE FLAIR

- Io Shirai will challenge Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's title after she won a six-way ladder match on last night's NXT which was taped from Full Sail University. Candice LaRae, Tegan Nox, Chelsea Green, Dakota Kai, and Mia Yim were the other five competitors who took part in this ladder match. Raquel Gonzales and Robert Stone also made their presence felt on their clients' behalf but were wiped out by their challengers. Shirai had a few opportunities to get the NXT Women's title last year but always came up short against Shayna Baszler, eventually turning heel in the process as well after she turned on Candice LaRae. WWE did not specify when Flair vs Shirai will go down.

THE ELITE DELETION COMING TO THE HARDY COMPOUND

- It looks like Matt Hardy will be resurrecting the Hardy compound for another one of his classic matches as the former WWE Tag Team title holder challenged Chris Jericho to The Elite Deletion. Hardy had some words to say to The Inner Circle before challenging the former AEW champion to come to his property for The Elite Deletion. The two have been feuding ever since Matt arrived in AEW a few weeks ago and took The Elite's side in their war against The Inner Circle. Back when he was employed by Impact Wrestling, Matt used his compound for three matches: The Final Deletion, Delete or Decay, and Total Nonstop Deletion. WWE also used the compound once for The Ultimate Deletion match against Bray Wyatt. AEW did not announce when this match will happen.

JAKE ROBERTS IN QUARANTINE IN A HOTEL FOLLOWING AEW TAPINGS

- Speaking to WrestlingInc.com in an interview, AEW's Jake "The Snake" Roberts said that he's currently in quarantine in an Atlanta area hotel for next several weeks after finishing AEW tapings. Roberts said that he was living with Diamond Dallas Page when AEW called and told him to come for tapings. Page, who locked up his house due to the coronavirus, advised Roberts that if he leaves he's not coming back due to the pandemic. "He had a baby in the house and nobody needs to be sick around a baby. He took the hard line and said, 'Dude, if you leave, you can't come back.' I had to do it for AEW as I wanna help these guys. Now I'm paying for it brother," Roberts said in the interview. The WWE Hall of Famer also believes that wrestling should take a break during these times and everyone should pull it together to help eliminate this virus as quickly as possible. "It really chaps my ass to see people not paying attention to what they're asking us to do and they're doing the same old thing they always do. It shows you how selfish some people can be," he said. "They're gonna cause this thing to last longer than it should if we just do the right thing now. People like that should be arrested and put in jail." Jake's full interview on The Wrestling Inc. Daily can be heard at .


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Friday, April 10 2020 Issue #5900
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

A little bit earlier than usual today. We're 100 issues away from hitting the big 6,000!

========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

XFL SUSPENDS ALL OPERATIONS AND TERMINATES EMPLOYEES

- ESPN's Field Yates reported today that during a conference call with XFL employees, the league's COO Jeffery Pollock notified them that they are suspending operations and all employees are being terminated. Vince McMahon announced the return of the XFL two years ago and the league started in February after McMahon pumped over $100 million of his own money into it. Just like all other sports, the XFL had to stop mid-season due to the coronavirus pandemic and it looks like it will not be revived for a second season, with the new XFL suffering the same fate of the first one. XFL promised to be back for a second season when the league stopped but that is now completely out of the window and there are no plans for a restart. The league has also opted to pay all its employees and players the money they're owed for what was remaining for the 2020 season. While they were airing on FOX, FS1, FS2, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2, the league did not get any money from television rights. Viewership for the first week averaged 3.1 million, but by the fourth week the average dropped to 1.4 million.

THE REVIVAL RELEASED FROM WWE

- Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival have been released from their WWE contracts effective today, Friday, April 10. A short statement on WWE.COM said, "Effective today, Friday April 10, 2020, WWE and The Revival have agreed on their immediate release from WWE. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors." The two have asked for their release a couple of times in the past but were always denied. Their last known request was in February of this year. Addressing the reaction from the fans when news broke that they have once again requested to be let go, Dawson wrote, “If we settle, you guys say we’re lazy & complacent. If we try to be better, you guys say we’re whining & complaining. Make up your mind.” In January, Dawson and Wilder applied for a trademark for the name Shatter Machine, presumably the name of their tag team in their post-WWE life. Their deal was going to run out later this year and there were no intentions for the two to renew. The two have been tag teaming in WWE since 2014, first under the name The Mechanics and then The Revival. They won the NXT Tag Team titles twice, the Raw Tag Team titles twice, and the Smackdown Tag Team titles once. At the 2016 NXT Year-End Awards, they were voted the Tag Team of the Year and also won the Match of the Year against DIY in a two-out-of-three falls match at Takeover: Toronto.

THE MAIN EVENT OUT ON NETFLIX

- Netflix today released The Main Event, a movie produced with WWE Studios about an 11-year-old who discovers a magical wrestling mask that grants him super strength and uses that to enter a WWE competition to achieve his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar. Running for 1 hour and 43 minutes, The Main Event is available in all Netflix regions worldwide. Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Adam Pally, and Ken Marino are the leading stars in the movie. Several WWE Superstars are in the movie including Keith Lee, Otis, The Miz, Sheamus, Babatunde, Kofi Kingston, Mia Yim, Corey Graves, and Renee Young. Reviews so far has been positive for this family movie. This is the first movie collaboration between WWE Studios and Netflix. The two companies also produced The Big Show Show which is currently also available on the streaming service.

NXT RATING

- NXT delivered 693,000 viewers this week on USA Network, up 103,000 viewers from last week’s show. The show did 0.19 in the 18-49 demo and finished #51 in the top cable chart. NXT beat AEW in total viewership this week, the first time this has happened since the December 18, 2019 episode and only the second time that NXT got more viewers than Dynamite. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

MONEY IN THE BANK NOT TAKING PLACE IN BALTIMORE ANYMORE

- The Royal Farms Arena, the planned host of this year's Money In The Bank pay-per-view, announced that the show will not be happening at their arena due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The WWE Money in the Bank event originally scheduled for Sunday, May 10 in Baltimore has been cancelled. Refunds are available at all points of purchase," a statement from the arena said. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded. If WWE intends to still go ahead with the pay-per-view, the WWE Performance Center will be the one hosting the show as surely venues will not open to host fans over the next month or so.

WWE RESCHEDULES MAY TOUR, CANCELS NXT UK TV TAPINGS

- WWE has pushed back its UK tour from May to October of this year with other dates in other European countries set to be announced shortly. The company embarks on a two-week hectic European tour every May and usually they visit the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, etc but obviously due to the pandemic, none of that will be happening especially since Europe is also a hotspot for the virus right now. WWE has rescheduled the shows from Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Sheffield, and London to early October with Newcastle getting their turn in April 2021. The UK tour wasn't the only one canned as the company also officially cancelled the NXT UK television tapings they had set for May 1 and 2 in Bournemouth. NXT's participation in the Download Festival where they were set to do additional tapings was also dropped. Unlike other WWE shows, WWE has not taped any additional NXT UK television shows since most of the major players behind the scenes are in the U.S. and cannot travel.

DYNAMITE RATING

- Dynamite did 682,000 viewers on TNT yesterday, down 3,000 viewers from last week’s episode. With a 0.26 in the 18-49 demo, Dynamite placed #31 in the top 50 cable chart. While they placed higher than NXT in the chart, AEW lost by 1,000 viewers this week against NXT. The difference in viewers last week was of 95,000 viewers in favor of AEW. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)


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Saturday, April 11 2020 Issue #5901
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Have a great weekend folks, stay safe.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

SMACKDOWN RATING

- Friday Night Smackdown on FOX this week drew 2,348,000 viewers, down 24,000 viewers from last week and the lowest number of 2020 so far. That is off 2,372,000 viewers in the first hour and 2,325,000 in the second hour. The show did 0.6 in the 18-49 demographic and trailed a bunch of shows. Smackdown usually tops that rating on Friday nights. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

NXT EPISODES ON WWE NETWORK TO HAVE A WEEK DELAY FOR THOSE IN THE UK

- All NXT on USA Network episodes will now be uploaded on the WWE Network seven days after their original air date in the UK. Up until last week, the shows were being uploaded the next day, making it easier to skip the live broadcast and catch it on-demand the next day. But the show is now on a week delay on the Network, most likely due to TV rights issues with BT Sport. The latest NXT shows up for non-UK subscribers, meaning that WWE is using geo-targeting to limit what shows go up depending which country you are in. The week-long delay before being available on the WWE Network was confirmed by the company's support team on Twitter. "Please be advised that NXT will be available on WWE Network on demand 7 days after it’s original airing date," said a tweet to a user who questioned why this week's episode was not online yet.

WWE TO RESUME LIVE TV BROADCASTS NEXT WEEK

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that WWE will be resuming live broadcasts of their weekly television shows Raw, NXT, and Smackdown starting from next week. Last night's Smackdown was taped but was a regular episode with minimum replays of old footage and followed the usual format, with Michael Cole also regaining his broadcast partner Corey Graves. Meltzer says that WWE's television deal with NBCUniversal and FOX only allows them to do a certain number of taped shows, with the rest contracted to be live. The report says that there were fears that if WWE continues to tape shows during this pandemic rather than be live, the television networks would be in a position to withhold money or pay less money due to a violation of contract. WWE television ratings, while they were in decline before, has suffered greatly since going taped and in front of an empty arena. The constant replaying of old footage, such as long WrestleMania matches, was also a turn off for many fans as they occupied a huge chunk of the broadcast when factoring in commercials. The decision to go live was taken yesterday afternoon according to Meltzer and this will require all WWE Superstars to fly in to Orlando every single week unless they find temporary housing in the area. Florida remains under lockdown but WWE has been allowed to operate within the closed set for the time being.

MITB QUALIFYING MATCHES TO KICK OFF NEXT WEEK

- While the Money In The Bank pay-per-view will not take place from Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena, the show will go on as scheduled on May 10 and qualifying matches from Smackdown's side will start from next week's show. Two qualifying matches were announced last night with Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro and Naomi vs Dana Brooke. The winners of these matches will advance to their respective MITB ladder match which usually features eight WWE Superstars - four from Raw and four from Smackdown. Last year, Bayley and Brock Lesnar won the MITB ladder matches, with Bayley successfully cashing in her briefcase just an hour later against Charlotte Flair.

SMACKDOWN TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF TRIPLE H

- In two weeks, Smackdown will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Triple H in the WWE with a special broadcast. A teaser ran yesterday during Smackdown on FOX announcing the broadcast. Triple H, as the Connecticut Blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley, made his WWE debut on April 30, 1995 during an episode of Wrestling Challenge, defeating Buck Zumhofe. It wasn't until 1997 that his career took off in WWE when he joined D-Generation X and as they say, the rest is history. The Game had a total of 24 title reigns in 25 years, including nine times as WWE champion and five times as World Heavyweight champion. It will be interesting to see how WWE tackles this special tribute episode...hopefully with not a lot of old replays! You can see the teaser at

ROUSEY BLASTS "UNGRATEFUL" FANS DURING HER WWE RUN

- Former Raw Women's champion Ronda Rousey has said that if she returns to WWE, it will not be a full-time affair and blamed the "ungrateful" wrestling fans for that. Appearing on the Steve-O podcast Wild Ride, Rousey admitted that she loved WWE and all the women in the locker room and she had a great time in the year that she was there leading up to WrestleMania 35. “Running out there and having fake fights for fun is just the best thing! I love choreography...love acting. I love theater...live theater and some of the last forms of live theater," Rousey explained. But while she enjoyed all of that, she didn't enjoy the time away from her family and claimed she was only home a day and a half every week when she was working. "It was just not worth it for my family because we were eliminating all of our expenses and living this lifestyle...we didn’t need it...we didn’t need the money,” Ronda said. And then came the dig to the fans. WWE fans, while most accepted Ronda, there were still many who did not appreciate her crossover from MMA and those fans were very, very vocal about it. Ronda questioned why was she doing wrestling and not being able to spend time with her family when in return she's entertaining those fans. "What am I doing it for if I’m not being able to spend my time and energy on my family, but instead spending my time and my energy on a bunch of f*cking ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me?" Ronda added. "I love performing. I love the girls. I love being out there...but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F*ck these fans, dude.’ My family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into them. So that was my decision at the end of the day," the former champ concluded. Ronda has not been seen on WWE television ever since main eventing WrestleMania 35 with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. She was recently pictured at the WWE Headquarters with Cain Velasquez. Ronda took time away from her WWE deal to concentrate on starting a family. (Credit to ProWrestlingSheet.com for quote transcripts."

TWO FEMALE SUPERSTARS RESPOND TO ROUSEY'S "FAKE FIGHT" COMMENT

- Two WWE female Superstars didn't react nicely to Ronda Rousey's latest interview where she said she loves fake fighting and the theatrics that come with professional wrestling. Lana said she has "no words" for Rousey's audacity to say WWE is fake fighting and questioned why Paige and Tyson Kidd couldn't wrestle anymore if it's fake. She also questioned why Edge couldn't wrestle for nine years if this was fake. "This is a contact sport where REAL things happen," Lana said. WWE Women's Tag Team title holder Alexa Bliss also took issue with the comment, saying, "Hm. Was out for almost a year. Must have been 'fake.'" It is safe to say that Rousey wasn't the most popular woman backstage when she was around and got along mostly with Natalya and The Riott Squad. In a recent chat, Nia Jax also said she went to complain to management when Bliss was getting thrown around like a rag doll and getting injured every day by a particular person and requested that she take her place and see what happens instead. Jax was referring to Rousey, who had a string of matches with Alexa Bliss in the Summer of 2018.


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Sunday, April 12 2020 Issue #5902
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it!


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

ON-SCREEN TALENT IS FIRST WWE EMPLOYEE POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS

- Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com revealed that WWE reported its first case of coronavirus among its talent. The person infected is not a member of the roster but an on-screen talent according to Satin. The name of the person was not revealed. WWE confirmed the news and issued a statement saying, “A WWE employee has tested positive for COVID-19. We believe this matter is low risk to WWE talent and staff, as the individual and a roommate became symptomatic in the days following exposure to two people working in acute health care on the evening of March 26, after WWE’s TV production on a closed set was already complete,” the statement said. “The employee had no contact with anyone from WWE since being exposed to those two individuals, is doing well, and made a complete recovery.” All talent went home for 14 days following the conclusion of the WrestleMania tapings. The company taped Smackdown on Friday, the first tapings since WrestleMania 36 was recorded over two weeks ago. WWE resumes live broadcasts from tomorrow.

WWE DEFENDS DECISION TO RESUME LIVE BROADCASTS

- Following the first COVID-19 positive case within WWE, the company issued a statement to ESPN defending their decision to resume live television broadcasts from tomorrow night at the WWE Performance Center. "We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff," the statement said. "As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance." The individual who tested positive for the coronavirus is an on-screen talent but the company did not specify who it was. The person got infected after he hung out with two other people who work in the health sector after WrestleMania tapings. WWE did not hold any tapings for two weeks after WrestleMania so the individual was not in contact with anyone in the promotion. WWE has said that the person has fully recovered. How WWE is being allowed to continue to operate in Florida when the state remains under lockdown remains a mystery as well. ESPN reached out to the office of Governor DeSantis but a request for comment was not immediately returned.

GOLDBERG PUTS OVER ROMAN REIGNS AND DISCUSSES WRESTLEMANIA CHANGE

- In the latest episode of the CarCast podcast with Adam Carolla, Matt D'Andria, and Goldberg, the former Universal champion wondered why WWE even considered Reigns as his opponent fully knowing the situation with him and the risk it carried due to the coronavirus outbreak. Goldberg put over Reigns for willing to go ahead with the plan despite the risks but that went all down the drain when someone showed up at the Performance Center sick. That someone was eventually outed to be The Miz. “I think what happened was somebody was sick and Roman heard about it. They didn’t have the virus, they just had the flu. But just the fact that someone was sick in those circumstances...at the end of the day he just couldn’t do it," Goldberg said, giving him props for still wanting to get it done until this incident happened. "But you’ve got to love the guy because up to the 11th hour, he was still willing to do it.” The former champ said that "literally until the 23rd hour," it was still a possibility that they were going to wrestle but as it often happens in the wrestling business, plans change in the last minute. Goldberg also said that after he and Strowman filmed the match there was still a possibility for him to do the match with Reigns before WrestleMania aired but plans for that fell through. Goldberg revealed that he had a two-match contract with WWE, one against Wyatt and one against Reigns, which turned out to be against Strowman, so he's done with WWE for the time being until they request him back.

ROUSEY CONTINUES TAUNTING AS JAX VOWS TO "KNOCK HER THE F*CK OUT"

- Ronda Rousey has doubled down on her comments that sparked outrage among wrestling fans and women in the business and said that anyone who is mad that she called pro wrestling "fake fights for fun" has never been in a real fight. "While you all are tip toeing around bruising some pro wrestlers' huge soft egos -- no one is thinking about all the REAL fighters you're insulting when pretending pro wrestling is somehow on the same level of realism," Rousey said. The former UFC and Raw Women's champion admitted that wrestling 300 days for years on end is incredibly tough on the body and a difficult profession but asked what would happen if you got in 300 real fights a year. "You would be dead," Rousey concluded while also using the hashtag #kayfabekiller. She then uploaded another tweet with a video saying goodnight to "jabronie marks without a life that don't know it a work when you work a work and work yourself into a shoot, marks!" Meanwhile, Nia Jax also responded to Rousey's comments and said she cannot wait for Ronda to return to WWE. "Even if WWE orders me to make Ronda look good in the ring, which is the ONLY way for Ronda 2 look good in the ring w/me. I’ll risk my job 2 go down in history as the one from this biz that knocked her the F**K out," Jax said, adding her own hashtag #TestMeBitch. Jax is not one of Ronda's fans and she reported her to management when Bliss was getting injured everyday when wrestling Ronda during the Summer of 2018. So far, only one person has jumped to Ronda's defense, and that's fellow Four Horsewomen member Shayna Baszler. "How dare Ronda care more about her family than pleasing fans that are never happy?" the former NXT Women's champ tweeted.

TOTAL BELLAS RATING

- Episode two of season five of Total Bellas, titled The Book of Bella, did a total of 454,000 viewers, down 109,000 viewers from last week's episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

NXT CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE TOURNAMENT RULES AND PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED

- WWE has revealed the format and participants of the upcoming tournament that will crown an interim NXT Cruiserweight champion. The news was announced last week by William Regal due to the current champion, Jordan Devlin, being stuck in Ireland and unable to defend the title. The eight-man tournament will be split in two groups of four with Superstars competing against each of the three other members of their group. The one with the best record in each group will advance to the championship match and any ties will be broken by head-to-head record. The winner of group A will then face the winner of group B to determine the new interim NXT Cruiserweight champion. Those in group A include Kushida, Drake Maverick, Tony Nese, and Jake Atlas while those in group B are Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa, and Gentleman Jack Gallagher. The tournament begins this Wednesday live on NXT on USA Network.


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Monday, April 13 2020 Issue #5903
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Let's see if live Raw brings at least a decent show tonight. I'm so over constant replays.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

MCMAHON'S ALPHA ENTERTAINMENT, PARENT OF XFL, FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

- Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parent company of the XFL, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, just days after the league informed its employees that it is suspending operations and firing everyone on their payroll. In the court filings, Vince McMahon is listed as having 76.5% of Class B shares of the company while World Wrestling Entertainment is listed as owning 23.5% of the remaining Class B shares. According to the document, the St. Louis Sports Commission is the biggest creditor and they are owed $1.6 million. NEP Integrated Solutions, which provides broadcast technology for high profile events, are owed $1.2 million. Bob Stoops, former head coach of the Dallas Renegades and Marc Trestman, the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Vipers are owed $1.08 million and $777,000 respectively. It's not known how much the total amount for all creditors is. Austin Karp of the Sports Business Journal added that the league is for sale as part of the bankruptcy process. Ticket season holders will be receiving a refund for their tickets in the coming days as well. In a statement to TMZ, an XFL spokesman said, "The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football. Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code." TMZ says that the company has paid all employees full wages up until yesterday as well as any accrued vacation days. McMahon funded Alpha Entertainment with $100 million of his own money after cashing out hundreds of thousands of WWE stocks back in 2018.

WWE RESUMES LIVE BROADCASTS TONIGHT STARTING WITH RAW

- WWE is resuming live broadcasts with tonight's Monday Night Raw, a decision which has raised some eyebrows as WWE is being criticized for not taking care of the health of its employees during this pandemic. With tonight's show it will be "business as usual" so to speak, apart from having no fans inside the Performance Center. The shows will return to regular episodes rather than a bunch of replays, something which already happened with this past Friday's Smackdown on FOX. Ever since the empty arena shows started last month, WWE took a hit in the viewing numbers as fans turned away following replay after replay of old content with major cable news networks stealing the audience every night. Jerry "The King" Lawler will return to the announce booth for Raw tonight as well and all talent are in a local area hotel. Lawler has been missing from the majority of these shows and also missed WrestleMania due to his health as a precautionary measure. WWE last week confirmed its first case of COVID-19 among its employees. Although the company did not mention who it was apart from saying the person is an on-screen talent, WWE said that the individual has recovered.

WWE TEAMS UP WITH AD COUNCIL FOR COVID-19 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

- As an extension of Ad Council’s ongoing efforts to ensure the American public is receiving critical and vetted information during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national nonprofit has partnered with WWE to launch a new suite of PSAs featuring WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston that stress the importance of practicing good hygiene during these unprecedented times. “As the days slowly pass and we learn more about the virus, encouraging Americans to stay safe is our duty as marketers,” said Lisa Sherman, president & CEO of the Ad Council. “Our partners at WWE have been by our side to educate Americans on many issues and we’re so grateful to them and their Superstars for joining us again now, when so many lives depend on these critical messages being heard.” “These are unprecedented times and there is no greater responsibility than providing people with simple, yet important messages that can help save lives,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “We are all in this together, and WWE and its Superstars are committed to helping support the critical work of our partners at the Ad Council.”

WWE'S NEWEST SERIES, FIGHT LIKE A GIRL, NOW AVAILABLE ON QUIBI

- WWE's newest series, Fight Like A Girl, debuts exclusively on Quibi today, the newest mobile-only streaming service. The transformational series will feature episodes including Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch, NXT Women's champion Charlotte Flair, WWE Women's Tag Team champion Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Paige, Nia Jax, and soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Bella. The episodes are hosted by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon who pairs a young woman struggling with a personal issue with a WWE Superstar to help her over obstacles, become tougher, stronger and healthier versions of their former selves inside and out. The series was shot at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida last year and each episode features a transformation and a reveal. Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levinson, and Ben Zierten are the Executive Producers for WWE Studios while Tom Forman, Jenny Daly, and Jon Beyer are the Executive Producers for Critical Content, who jointly produced the show with WWE. Quibi is available for free for 90 days and then $4.99 per month.

REBELLION 2020 TO TAKE PLACE OVER TWO EPISODES OF IMPACT

- The planned April 19 Rebellion pay-per-view which was first cancelled by Impact Wrestling last month will now take place over two episodes of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. The show, taped with a bunch of other episodes of Impact from Nashville, will air on April 21 and April 28. Originally, the show was going to take place from Terminal 5 in New York City but the coronavirus pandemic also forced Impact to cancel its planned shows. Lockdown, March Breakdown, and There’s No Place Like Home were all scheduled for March and April. Impact said that the show was taped in a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance, as per the guidelines put in place by the CDC. Rebellion will air for free on AXS TV and Twitch in the U.S. and Fight Network in Canada, along with international IMPACT! broadcast partners. Tessa Blanchard vs Eddie Edwards vs Michael Elgin in a triple threat match for the Impact World title headlines the show.


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Tuesday, April 14 2020 Issue #5904
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Nothing to say today, back tomorrow!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

JAKE ROBERTS FEARED HE WOULD LOSE HIS SPOT IF HE DIDN'T GO TO AEW TAPINGS

- Jake "The Snake" Roberts admitted that he went to the AEW tapings in Jacksonville during the coronavirus outbreak because he felt he would lose his spot if he refused despite Diamond Dallas Page telling him that he can't return to his house if he leaves. "You know, my fear was that if I missed one, something would happen and I wouldn't be needed anymore. So stupid man. You know, I just...so insecure, I'm so insecure. So I had to go," Roberts reflected as he sat at DDP's house again after DDP found a way to bring him back. Roberts was living in a hotel close to the airport and had room service, restaurant open, a gym, and swimming pool. But then the gym closed, everything closed, and it got depressing. Knowing that he wasn't going to return back to DDP's place, Jake took all his belongings with him. As a former addict, being locked inside a room wasn't helping. "I didn't like what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking about drinking or doing drugs...but I wasn't far from thinking about drinking and doing drugs," Roberts said, adding that he didn't like the way he was feeling. After he sent out a tweet explaining his situation, Page decided to let him back in, although with some conditions. Page said he had to think about his daughter and her baby and while he told Jake he cannot come back, Jake helped him build the DDPY brand so he had to reach out and help him. "I didn't want to let him go," Page admitted. "But I couldn't stop him from getting this opportunity."

FORMER DIVA AMY WEBER ACCUSES ORTON AND EDGE OF HARASSMENT

- Former WWE Diva Amy Weber raised some eyebrows during a video she posted on her YouTube channel this week, discussing why she left WWE back in 2005. In the video titled 'The truth finally revealed about my time in WWE', Weber said most of the women backstage had animosity towards her because while she didn't pay her dues like them, she was still getting more television time than others. She listed JBL, Eddie Guerrero, and Big Show as her favorite wrestlers and also said that she has the utmost respect for Vince McMahon. During her time in WWE, Weber was cast as JBL's image consultant in The Cabinet. Weber recalled the trip that was the beginning of the end of her WWE tenure and on the way back to Alaska from Japan as she was sleeping in her seat, Weber said that Randy Orton "slammed into it like a linebacker" and knocked her on the floor of the plane. "And then he said to me, 'You're gonna learn, bitch.' I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't understand what he was talking about, so I turned around and went back to sleep," Weber said. She then said that she was woken up by someone pouring a drink on her face. When she got up, she saw Edge with a partially-drank drink in his hand which had the same color that was poured all over her. Weber confronted Edge but he denied being involved in it. "When I got to Alaska, Shane McMahon was there and we were all getting our bags...and I was done," Weber said. "I just felt like I couldn't continue to be in an environment where people had no respect for me." Earlier in the video, Weber described getting injured on the tour and was asked by one of the trainers to go in the men's locker room and grab some ibuprofen and some ice which she thinks sparked the reaction from both Orton and Edge. "At the end of the day, did I deserve it because I took two ibuprofen that the trainer told me to take and some ice from the guys' locker room? I don't think so. As a decent human being, you just don't do that to people. I didn't think I was better than anyone else, but I did feel like I was deserving of respect because that's what I gave to every other wrestler in that entire company," she concluded. You can hear her recount the whole story at .

WWE DEEMED AS "ESSENTIAL BUSINESS" BY FLORIDA GOVERNOR ORDER

- Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings was questioned about WWE being allowed to film in the county while the state is under lockdown during one of his televised press conferences to update the public on COVID-19. “I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings said as he chose his words carefully how to go around answering the question. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business, therefore they were allowed to remain open.” The order from the Governor was signed on Thursday and states that employees at professional sports and media production with a national audience can continue operate if the location is closed to the general public. CNN, which also covered the story, said that officials told them this essential service was added because it is “critical to Florida’s economy.” Asked about the performer who tested positive for the coronavirus, Mayor Demings compared that to WWE having a family member getting the virus and hoped that WWE took all the necessary precautions to prevent it from spreading. WWE resumed live broadcasts yesterday and will be able to operate freely within the Performance Center during the lockdown.

THREE RAW WOMEN QUALIFY FOR MITB LADDER MATCH

- Three women from Raw qualified for their Money In The Bank ladder match after winning their respective matches on the show yesterday night. Former NXT champ Shayna Baszler defeated Sarah Logan to go through. The ring announcer proclaimed Logan as the victor by mistake but then it was corrected. Oops! The returning Nia Jax easily went through Kairi Sane to advance, while Asuka defeated Ruby Riott to earn her place. The match typically has four from Raw and four from Smackdown so one more will be added unless WWE is changing it to six competitors this year. This Friday on Smackdown, Naomi will take on Dana Brooke to start forming the Smackdown side of the match

RAW MEN'S MITB QUALIFYING MATCHES FOR NEXT WEEK ANNOUNCED

- Monday Night Raw next week will see three more Money In The Bank qualifying matches although this time it will be from the men's side. In a backstage segment hosted by MVP, he announced that Rey Mysterio vs Murphy, Austin Theory vs Aleister Black, and Apollo Crews vs MVP himself will all take place on the show. On Smackdown this Friday it will be Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro in a qualifying match as well. It still remains unclear how many participants will be in the two MITB ladder matches this year. While there are usually eight, WWE might tone down the number to six due to the current situation and less bodies in the ring is better.


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Wednesday, April 15 2020 Issue #5905
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

It's never a good day when someone loses his or her job. Today was one of those horrid days at WWE where many got the chop due to the current financial situation businesses find themselves in thanks to the coronavirus outbreak. It was a massacre.

Thankfully, the wrestling business this year is stronger than it was last year in the sense that there's competition and hopefully, those who were released can get picked up by someone else once this whole pandemic is over.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

WWE ANNOUNCES COST-CUTTING MEASURES AND EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS

- WWE today announced that due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations which resulted in the implementation of various short-term cost reductions and cash flow improvement actions. These cost-cutting measures include reducing executive and board member compensation, decreasing operating expenses, cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting, and deferring spend on the build out of the new headquarters for at least six months. "Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Company also identified headcount reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective immediately. The decision to furlough versus permanently reduce headcount reflects the fact that the Company currently believes the furlough will be temporary in nature," the statement said. The reduction of employee compensation and headcount will result in an estimated monthly savings of $4 million along with cash flow improvement of $140 million primarily from the deferral in spending on the new headquarters. WWE said they have approximately half a billion dollars in financial resources to manage the challenges ahead. Vince McMahon delivered the news to company employees today in a short conference call before the press release was issued.

SEVERAL WWE SUPERSTARS AND PRODUCERS GET THE PINK SLIP

- Several WWE Superstars and producers were released from their contract due to the cost-cutting measures that WWE has implemented due to COVID-19. This was the largest single-day layoff in WWE history. The wrestlers who were let go are Rusev, Aiden English, Drake Maverick, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Karl Anderson, Mike Kanellis, Rowan, Luke Gallows, EC3, Primo, Epico, Lio Rush, Eric Young, No Way Jose, Heath Slater, Maria Kanellis, and Sarah Logan. Long-time WWE referee Mike Chioda also got released. It's not known if they will have a 90-day no-compete clause as part of their termination. PWInsider.com also adds that several producers were released from their backstage positions including Kurt Angle, Billy Kidman, Scott Armstrong, Shawn Daivari, Shane Helms, Fit Finlay, Pat Buck, Sarah Stock, Mike Rotunda and Lance Storm who just started with the company again. Rotunda was just on The Bump today as IRS. There are rumors that all the producers were furloughed rather than released although that is not 100% confirmed. Employees at the WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut also got bad news with furloughs and layoffs going around. Many more are expected to be let go over the next several hours.

MCMAHON JOINS TRUMP'S GREAT AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIVAL GROUP

- WWE's Vince McMahon will be among the industry leaders negotiating with the White House as the United States attempts to begin reopening?its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Announcing the "Great American Economic Revival Industry Group," at a press briefing yesterday, United States President Donald Trump has appointed 15 sports leaders - including WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon - to spearhead a plan to reopen sports in America. McMahon joins others from the NFL, UFC, NBA, MLS, NHL, PGA, and other organizations tasked with the plan to revive the sports industry once this COVID-19 pandemic is deemed safe. The President also appointed other groups with leaders from different sectors to draw up a plan for their sector. The press release said that these bipartisan group of leaders will work together with the White House to "chart the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity." Two weeks ago on the first day of WrestleMania, McMahon was invited to a conference call with President Trump along with Dana White and other sports league commissioners to discuss the state of sports in America right now. Trump told them that he wants fans to be able to enjoy sports in person as quickly as possible.

POLITICAL INTERFERENCE SUGGESTED IN GOVERNOR LISTING WWE AS ESSENTIAL BUSINESS

- The order signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that cleared the way for WWE to resume live broadcasts from the WWE Performance Center is now being associated to political interference. DeSantis signed the order on Thursday of last week and WWE returned to tape at the PC on Friday with Smackdown. WWE then announced their decision to resume live shows from Monday, starting with Monday Night Raw. Upon further investigation, Spectrum News 13 revealed yesterday that DeSantis granted the order after a Super PAC which is working to re-elect President Trump announced that they were spending nearly $20 million in advertising in Tampa and Orlando this year. The Super PAC is headed up by Linda McMahon, the former SBA Administrator under the Trump Cabinet. DeSantis, a Republican, is in Trump's good graces. Meanwhile, it was also reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Department was sent to the WWE Performance Center in March and April to notify WWE that they were not following the rules of the lockdown. That did not change anything as WWE continued ahead with their tapings, including WrestleMania. Ironically enough, the order signed by DeSantis thanks to WWE will now also allow All Elite Wrestling to run events in the state as the order was not specific to the company.

RIDDLE TO FIND NEW TAG TEAM PARTNER TO DEFEND NXT TITLES

- The NXT Tag Team champions find themselves in an odd position as one half of the Broserweights, Pete Dunne, is stuck in the United Kingdom and unable to defend the title with his tag team partner. William Regal appeared on The Bump today and announced that after a conversation with Riddle and Dunne it was decided that going forward, Matt Riddle will have to find another partner to continue defend the NXT Tag Team titles and if they are still champions by the time the whole travel ban is lifted, Dunne will return to the team and continue where he left off. The NXT General Manager then dropped a bigger bomb, saying that Riddle has to be quick in finding a new tag team partner as The Undisputed Era will get another rematch for the NXT Tag Team titles...tonight live on NXT on USA Network.

NXT BACK LIVE FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY STARTING TONIGHT

- NXT returns live on USA Network tonight from Full Sail University as WWE continues to try to return to some normalcy with their television broadcasts. The tournament to crown the interim NXT Cruiserweight champion starts tonight but it's not yet known which match(es) will take place on tonight's broadcast. Finn Balor will taking on Fabian Aichner of Imperium and the NXT Tag Team titles will also be defended with Matt Riddle and a mystery partner taking on The Undisputed Era. Other segments announced are Adam Cole's and Velveteen Dream's "chat" and Charlotte Flair returns to Full Sail as the new NXT Women's champion.

PROMOTER BOB ARUM REACHING OUT TO WWE TO USE PC FOR BOXING EVENTS

- Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum has told ESPN that he will be reaching out to WWE to see if he can use the Performance Center to hold boxing fights in Orlando behind closed doors now that Governor Ron DeSantis has opened up combat sports to accommodate WWE. "It's very, very interesting, and we're going to be in touch with them. There's a possibility to use their facility to maybe do events without a crowd," Arum said Tuesday. Arum appeared with his client Tyson Fury during a WWE press conference to promote Fury's in-ring debut against Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel last year. "We're very close with Vince [McMahon] and the WWE. So let's see, but we're still not talking before June."

BID ON A DINNER WITH THE UNDERTAKER

- The Undertaker is participating in the All In Challenge, a concept that will help raise funds to provide food for those in need during these difficult times. 100% of the money raised through the auction will go directly to Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. What do you get if you outbid everyone? You get to fly to Austin, Texas, with a friend to meet and have a private dinner with The Undertaker and the WWE legend will also gift you one of his custom-made ring jackets worn during his WWE career for you to keep. After eight bids at time of this writing, the auction stands at $4,700. You can bid at .

RAW RATING

- Raw continues to break records, but the wrong kind of records. This week, the show drew just 1,913,000 viewers, down 187,0000 viewers from last week's post-Mania show. Hour one started with 1,994,000 viewers, then dropped a bit to 1,913,000 viewers, before closing the night with 1,832,000 viewers. This was the least-watched Raw since the December 23, 2019. The show was #3, #5, and #7 on the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #32 in overall for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

MOXLEY VS HAGER NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH HEADLINES DYNAMITE TONIGHT

- Five matches including a big main event are set for tonight's AEW Dynamite which was taped from QT Marshall's gym in Georgia. The TNT Championship tournament continues with Lance Archer taking on Colt Cabana. Last week, Cody advanced in the tournament after he defeated Shawn Spears. Speaking of Spears, he will also be in action and so will Dr. Britt Baker although their opponents haven't been announced. Sammy Guevara of The Inner Circle will take on Sugar D and then in the main event, Jon Moxley will defend his AEW title against Jake Hager in a no holds barred match. The main event was apparently taped in Jacksonville with Jim Ross on commentary. Chris Jericho and Tony Schiavone will be doing commentary for the other matches on the show. Dynamite lost the ratings against NXT last week by just 1,000 viewers but all signs point to a rebound this week especially with a strong main event.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING MOVING FROM LAS VEGAS THIS YEAR

- All Elite Wrestling announced that Double or Nothing, which was set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas next month, will move locations but still remain a pay-per-view event. The location will be revealed in the weeks ahead "with features of the event itself ultimately being determined by the latest guidance of national and global health authorities" according to a statement issued by the company. With Florida now making professional wrestling events an essential business thanks to WWE, the company could return to the state although they might not be able to run at the Daily's Place in Jacksonville. AEW added that the show will be available via pay-per-view with iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live all carrying it. FITE.TV will make the show available for international fans. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase or have their original ticket valid for admission to the 2021 Double or Nothing also scheduled for the same location. Those who are also in possession of a ticket to the May 27 Dynamite tapings in Las Vegas will be issued a full refund within 30 days. "As illustrated in our mission statement, the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority.?AEW is grateful to MGM Grand Hotel and Resorts and everyone close to and within the AEW family – including fans – for their patience and understanding, and sends thanks around the world to healthcare and other frontline workers who are answering the call to protect and serve their communities," the statement concluded.

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Thursday, April 16 2020 Issue #5906
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

So sad to hear about the passing of The Fink today. The word "greatest" is thrown around a lot in the biz but he truly is the one and only greatest ring announcer this industry has ever seen. Hearing him announcing new champions gave me goosebumps. Rest in peace, Howard. Your voice will forever be part of this crazy world of professional wrestling.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

LEGENDARY WWE RING ANNOUNCER HOWARD FINKEL PASSES AWAY AT AGE 69

- WWE reported today that Howard Finkel, better known as The Fink, has passed away at age 69. While no cause of death has been revealed, Fink was stuck in a wheel chair lately as his health deteriorated big time over the years. Fink was first hired by Vince McMahon Sr back in 1975 and made his ring announcing debut in 1977. He is regarded as the first registered WWE employee under Vince McMahon in April 1980. He quickly became the lead ring announcer for the company and his iconic voice is forever immortalized in many iconic wrestling moments as he proclaimed new champions. The Fink appeared at every WrestleMania from 1985 to 2016, first doing ring announcing and then moving to the Hall of Fame segments. Problems with his health however prevented him from doing more WWE appearances throughout the past few years. Howard is also the one who came up with probably the single biggest name in professional wrestling history: WrestleMania. Fink was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

THE WRESTLING WORLD REMEMBERS THE FINK

- For the second day in a row, the wrestling world was rocked this time with the announcement of the death of legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel. Many wrestling personalities, past and present, used Twitter to pay homage to the greatest ring announcer of all time. "You weren’t someone until you heard Howard announce you. A championship win didn’t feel real until you heard him say “and the new!” His voice, his personality, and his positivity will be sorely missed. Thank you for everything...especially your friendship," Triple H wrote. Stephanie McMahon said it's already been a tough week for the WWE family and now they also lost their first ever employee. "Howard’s voice is iconic & recognized by generations of fans. He will be missed. Thank you for everything." One man who's had his name announced a lot by The Fink is Hulk Hogan. Hogan said that Fink was Team Hogan through the good times and bad times. "Even when I was on the outs Howard would call on a consistent basis to tell me to always keep my head up, it was 'never say never' and 'you and Vince will work it out.' My good friend RIP, I love you." The Iron Sheik also spent his fair share of his wrestling career with The Fink. In a typical all caps tweet, Sheik said that Fink always put him over and made him look like a legend. "He make me smile. Forever I love you Howard Finkel," Sheik wrote. Fellow Hall of Famer Jim Ross described Fink as the greatest ring announcer in the business and was sad to hear of the passing of his friend. "The Hall of Famer is now ring announcing in Heaven. No one was more loyal or loved pro wrestling more than The Fink," JR said. Former WWE and AEW champion Chris Jericho wrote, "Thanks Howard....for being the best wrestling ring announcer in history, a great employee for the WWE, a good guy and a loyal lackey! Hopefully you’ll announce my entrance into the great unknown when I join you someday." "First met Howard Finkel in 1993 when I started working with WWE," Jerry Lawler wrote. "Always the most helpful and genuine friend to everyone he came in contact with. My favorite day with Howard was when he and I attended a Cleveland Browns, New York Jets game together. Miss you, Fink!" Matt Hardy said that Fink was his main contact when he first started getting booked with Jeff as extras in the mid 90s. "Howard always took great care of us & had a soft spot in his heart for The Hardy Boyz," Matt said. Eric Bischoff said that Fink will always be the number one while Taz said that he was just a great guy always joking, laughing, and staying positive. "The greatest ring announcer ever, his iconic voice will live in pro wrestling history forever," Taz added. Tommy Dreamer kept in touch with Fink most than others and saw him once a month. Dreamer wrote that he loves him and he's crushed that he lost his friend, calling him the voice of professional wrestling. "I saw a voicemail after a day of training at OVW, it was my call up to Raw! Howard Finkel spoke as if announcing a new world champion at Madison Square Garden," Dolph Ziggler wrote. "I will never forget that and his 'Welcome to the Jungle' entrance is unmatched and sparked us all to have a great show!" Younger Superstars such as Big E and Johnny Gargano also spoke how Fink was a major part of their childhood. "He couldn’t have been sweeter to me any time I saw him backstage. I’m grateful to have known him," Big E wrote, while Gargano detailed the time he met Howard backstage for the first time at WrestleMania 33. "I walked up and as I said 'Hello, sir' and went to introduce myself, he burst out 'HELLO, JOHNNY!' I couldn't believe he knew MY name!"

FLORIDA GOVERNOR DEFENDS LABELLING WRESTLING AS ESSENTIAL BUSINESS

- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended his the decision to label wrestling as an essential service to the state, allowing WWE to resume live television broadcasts behind closed doors, saying that people are starved for content. "People are chomping at the bit," DeSantis told reporters according to The Tampa Bay Times. "If you think about it, we have never had a period like this in modern American history where you've had so little new content, particularly in the sporting realm. I mean, we are watching reruns from like the early 2000s." DeSantis was accused of political interference because he signed the order after it was revealed that a Trump Super PAC headed by Linda McMahon would be spending nearly $20 million in marketing in Tampa and Orlando. Confronted by these accusations at a COVID-19 press conference, DeSantis didn't hold back. "Who suggested that? What does that have to do with me? Like, are they supporting me? Did you look up that? They didn’t, right? Okay." The Governor also suggested that a NASCAR race without crowd could be doable and supported the idea of a one-on-one golf match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. "So my view would be, let's do what we can do to stop the spread, to make sure we’re flattening the curve. But at the same time, you can give people some outlets. Maybe that’s with programming on TV, maybe that’s with essential activities," DeSantis said. "And so that’s kind of the deal. But obviously, people can look up anyone that’s supported me. If there’s no support, it’d be really hard to draw that connection at that point. Not that it would be legitimate anyway, but in this case the factual predicate isn’t even there."

NXT AND PERFORMANCE CENTER HIT WITH LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS TOO

- NXT and the Performance Center were also hit with layoffs and furloughs although on a much smaller scale than their fellow co-workers. MJ Jenkins, Deonna Purrazzo, and Dan Matha were released and so was on-air talent Josiah Williams as part of the mass layoff from yesterday. The Performance Center trainers Ace Steel, Serena Deeb, and Kendo Kashin were furloughed so they could return once this is all over. All the producers let go yesterday were also furloughed rather than fired.

RELEASED WWE SUPERSTARS AND PRODUCERS THANK FANS FOR SUPPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

- The mass layoffs and furloughs by World Wrestling Entertainment shook the whole industry to its core. With around 40 WWE Superstars, coaches, and producers let go and many more from the corporate headquarters as well, it feels like Vince McMahon decided to hit the nuclear button a month after WWE were forced to perform in front of no crowds. While everyone's lives somewhat changed ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit, the lives of everyone who will no longer receive a paycheck will be changed even more. While most corporations are on a furlough or firing spree, WWE as a company was in a far better position than others to ride the wave for several months. With house shows tanking and nearly losing money, not going on live event tours will probably save WWE money rather than the opposite and with guaranteed TV money in the billions and $500 million in cash with minimum debt, the situation could have been handled better to say the very least. Many of those individuals who either got the call or text about their fate in the company went on social media to discuss their departure and thank the fans. You can read them at .

KILLER KROSS ARRIVES IN NXT AND GETS A NAME CHANGE

- Killer Kross attacked Tommaso Ciampa last night in the closing moments of NXT on USA Network, announcing his arrival by whispering "Tick Tock" to a fallen Ciampa. This was Kross' second quick appearance on NXT after last week he was shown in a vehicle as Johnny Gargano and Candice LaRae went back to their car following the main event match. His girlfriend, Scarlett Bordeaux, was with him on both occasions, but while last week we could quickly see her, this time we only saw her boots as she stood over Ciampa. Kross is also undergoing a slight name change as the word Killer is being dropped and replaced by Karrion. Kross was signed to a WWE deal in February.

TIMOTHY TATCHER MAKES NXT DEBUT

- Matt Riddle found a new tag team partner to defend the NXT Tag Team titles with, temporarily replacing Pete Dunne who is stuck in the United Kingdom unable to travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Riddle's new partner comes in the form of Timothy Thatcher, the 37-year-old, 15-year in-ring veteran who has wrestled mostly on the independents since his debut. Thatcher was signed to a deal in February along with Killer Kross and yesterday picked up the win for his team, successfully defending the titles against The Undisputed Era. Thatcher had stints with wXw, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, EVOLVE, Major League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, RevPro, Combat Zone Wrestling, and many others.

WRESTLEMANIA 37 ALSO IN JEOPARDY AS LOS ANGELES MAYOR PAINTS A GRIM PICTURE

- During his weekly briefing, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti indicated that “large gatherings such as concerts and sporting events may not be approved in the city for at least one year,” in an e-mail reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. This could spell bad news for WWE as the company has WrestleMania 37 set to take place in LA in March 2021. The other problem is that the huge SoFi Stadium is not ready yet and construction has slowed down due to the pandemic. Garcetti spokesman Alex Comisar confirmed the mayor’s comments at the meeting. “The mayor was generally referencing studies of current and historical data and best practices for safely reopening our economy,” Comisar told the Times. The mayor has made it clear that it would be a mistake to reopen Los Angeles for normal business before this pandemic could be fully controlled and the plan is to reopen in phases, starting with essential businesses and small businesses with a timeline of up to 10 months.

BACKSTAGE RATING

- Tuesday's WWE Backstage episode on FS1 drew a total 161,000 viewers, up 21,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. The show was helped with three episodes of the Ruthless Aggression series which aired on FS1 as a lead-in. The three episodes did 226,000, 302,000, and 224,000 viewers respectively. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

ROMAN REIGNS AND WIFE EXPECTING SECOND SET OF TWINS!

- Roman Reigns revealed in an interview with Muscle & Fitness that he and his wife Galina Becker are expecting twins...the second set of twins believe it or not! When asked about kids during the interview, Roman replied, "Three, with two in the oven. I’m looking to be Papa Bear Five. Breaking news, we haven’t shared that!” Roman, 34, and Galina, 33, have been married since 2014 and the two have three children already - a girl born in 2008 and twin boys born in 2016. The former WWE and Universal champion got some flack from fans for backing out of WrestleMania due to the coronavirus pandemic and for being a high risk due to his bouts with leukemia and with his wife being pregnant it was also the absolute correct decision to take.

HAGER SUFFERS FIRST LOSS IN AEW AS MOXLEY RETAINS TITLE

- Jake Hager suffered his first loss in All Elite Wrestling yesterday in a no holds barred match against AEW champion Jon Moxley. The 30-minute main event match was recorded a few weeks ago in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily's Place and Jim Ross did the voice over for the long match. Hager, thanks mainly to still being undefeated in his MMA career, had been kept strong in AEW but that run ended yesterday after a chair shot and a Paradigm Shift on the same chair, enough to keep the former World Heavyweight champion down for the three count. He made his AEW debut on the inaugural episode of Dynamite on October 2 and aligned himself with The Inner Circle.


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Friday, April 17 2020 Issue #5907
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Nothing to say today, back tomorrow!


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

WWE GOING BACK TO TAPING THEIR TV SHOWS

- Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com reported today that WWE will be returning to filming episodes of Raw, NXT, and Smackdown after finishing the live episodes next week as the company is stepping up efforts to protect its Superstars and crew from the coronavirus. The tapings schedule goes all the way to July 1 with the last episode airing on July 10, suggesting that there are no intentions of running big arenas over the next two-and-a-half months. After finishing live broadcasts next week, WWE will commence tapings on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. Most tapings will then follow a pattern of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with two tapings held each day. As things stand, after next Friday's Smackdown on April 24, there will not be a live Raw, NXT, or Smackdown for the foreseeable future. It's not known if Money In The Bank will be airing live as it's not part of the schedule that Satin released. WWE returned to live broadcasts due to fear that NBCUniversal and FOX might keep money from their billion dollar television contracts as their deals only allow for a few taped episodes per year with the rest all needed to be live.

SMACKDOWN PREVIEW

- Four matches, including two Money in the Bank qualifiers, will take place on live Smackdown on FOX tonight from the empty WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The two qualifying matches are Naomi vs Dana Brooke and Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro. The winners of those matches will join their respective MITB ladder match. The Smackdown Tag Team titles will also be on the line as the three who did not participate at WrestleMania - Jey Uso, Big E, and The Miz - take on each other in a triple threat match while Tamina will take on Sasha Banks who was "sacrificed" by Bayley last week.

SHANE HELMS DEFENDS VINCE MCMAHON'S DECISION ON LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS

- The recently-furloughed WWE producer Shane Helms took Vince McMahon's side when asked about the recent mass layoffs that happened this week and praised his boss saying he would not want to be in his shoes. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Helms said that every decision Vince makes, it has a "million dollar price tag" on it and leadership dictates taking some of the tough decisions as well especially when you have to answer to shareholders. "Can you even imagine having to deal with that on a constantly daily basis? That every decision you make is going to effect people’s lives and have million dollars behind it. It’s very difficult, so I understand people going after him, he’s the biggest name, so why wouldn’t they,” Helms said. The former Cruiserweight champion also added that he doesn't think Vince sat behind a desk and decided to be evil and fired who needed to be let go. "I don’t think he enjoyed making it. Vince loves being able to pay people. He loves putting on this product," he added, saying that this business exists mainly because some of the tough decisions he had to make over the years. Despite being furloughed and won't be getting paid until this thing is over if he's brought back at all, Helms said he doesn't have anything negative to say about his boss and just wants to stay positive despite being in a tough situation. "I’m definitely sad about this, I don’t want anyone to think I’m not. Something I really love got taken away from me, and if you love something, it’s going to effect you, but I’m going to remain positive and I just hope everyone else finds a way to stay positive too.”

STYLES SAYS HE FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR "NOT TAKING CARE" OF GALLOWS & ANDERSON

- AJ Styles, who we last saw on WWE TV getting buried alive by The Undertaker at WrestleMania, expressed his sadness at the release of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson while doing a session on his Mixer channel. "That one hurt. That one hurt really bad. Really bad. The only way I know I can explain this is that these guys are my family and I couldn’t take care of my own brothers, you know what I’m saying?" Styles said in a somber tone. "I’m the eldest. I’m supposed to take care of them and I didn’t do that and I feel responsible in some weird way for them being released. It’s devastating. I don’t know any other way to explain it.” AJ then ran down the list of wrestlers that were released and wondered how and why WWE missed the boat with some of them. "It's just weird, like, this stuff is expected with all the stuff that's going on but I'm as shocked as you are that some of these guys got released," Styles added.

NXT RATING

- NXT made it two weeks in a row winning the Wednesday night war back-to-back for the first time when it comes to total viewership. The show did 692,000 viewers, down 1,000 viewers from last week’s episode. In the 18-49 demographic, NXT did 0.17 and placed #58. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

DYNAMITE RATING

- Dynamite pulled in 683,000 viewers this week, down 9,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show did 0.25 in the 18-49 demo and placed #29 in the top 50 cable chart. This was the first time that Dynamite lost back-to-back to NXT with the difference between the two shows being 9,000 viewers, up from the 1,000 of last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)


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ADVERTISING:
(C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com
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Watch WrestleMania 36 free on the WWE Network!
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_ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___
\ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __|
\ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ |
\_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___|
___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___
/ _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __|
| (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _|
\___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___|
_ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___
| \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \
| .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| /
|_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\


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Saturday, April 18 2020 Issue #5908
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Man, weekends are boring with everything closed. Never thought I'd say that LOL! Hope everyone is holding up good and staying safe.


========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

SMACKDOWN RATING

- Smackdown ratings, just like Raw, continue its nosedive with this week's show getting 2,192,000 viewers, 111,000 viewers down from last week's broadcast. This was the least-watched episode of Smackdown on FOX. Smackdown had 2,239,000 viewers in the first hour and 2,145,000 viewers in the second hour and did 0.6 in the 18-49 demo, losing to several shows in a demographic where WWE usually dominates. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCHES MOVE TO WWE HQ WITH A NEW TWIST

- The Money In The Bank ladder matches this year will be quite unique as the company is forced to dig deeper into their creative minds and take advantage of the fact that shows will be taped rather than live. WWE announced that the two ladder matches - one for the men and one for the women - will not be taking place at the Performance Center in Orlando, but rather at the WWE corporate world headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The matches will start on the ground floor of WWE HQ and gradually move up as the briefcases will be hanging on the roof of the location known as Titan Towers, with WWE using the tag "climb the corporate ladder" for these matches. Yesterday, Daniel Bryan and Dana Brooke qualified for Smackdown's side and next week Drew Gulak takes on King Corbin and Sasha Banks takes on Lacey Evans in two more qualifying matches. Asuka, Shayna Baszler, and Nia Jax already qualified from Raw. Raw will see Black vs Theory, Crews vs MVP, and Mysterio vs Murphy in qualifying matches this coming Monday. The number of Superstars for this match has been reduced to six from eight.

TWO TITLE MATCHES ADDED TO MITB CARD

- Two title matches were announced for the Money In The Bank pay-per-view on May 10 last night on Smackdown. The Universal title will be on the line as Braun Strowman takes on Bray Wyatt in his first title defense since winning it at WrestleMania. Wyatt is being promoted for this match rather than The Fiend gimmick so don't expect the mask in this match. Also, Tamina earned a Smackdown Women's title shot last night after she went through Sasha Banks in the opening match of the show. Tamina will now take on Bayley in her first title shot in years. Tamina had some help from Lacey Evans who came out to take down Bayley and even the odds and after the match was over, Evans raised Tamina's hand in victory.

MORE CUTS MADE FROM NXT AND WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER

- The layoffs at WWE continued throughout the week unfortunately, with many more NXT and developmental talent who were training inside the WWE Performance Center getting the pink slip. Those who got the cut from NXT include Taynara Conti, Tino Sabbatelli, Cezar Bononi, Kassius Ohno, interviewer Alyssa Miles, and ring announcer Jon Quasto. They joined MJ Jenkins, Deonna Purrazzo, Dan Matha, and on-air talent Josiah Williams who got released due to COVID-19 cost-cutting measures. The Performance Center, which is the home of nearly 100 developmental talent also suffered several cuts as many individuals who had been training there but never made their NXT debut got released. Three of the coaches - Ace Steel, Serena Deeb, and Kendo Kashin - were furloughed as well. Over 50 WWE Superstars, NXT, and producers were released and/or furloughed during the week, which was the biggest "bloodbath" in WWE history. Those are in addition to the several others at the WWE headquarters in Stamford who also suffered the same fate.

TOTAL BELLAS RATING

- Total Bellas episode three of season five, titled Bellas Without Borders, did a total of 461,000 viewers, up 6,000 viewers from the previous week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

WRESTLEMANIA 37 HOST SOFI STADIUM ANNOUNCES DELAY IN CONSTRUCTION AND OPENING

- The SoFi Stadium, the planned host of WrestleMania 37, announced that there will be a delay in the opening of the facility due to the COVID-19 situation. In a statement released yesterday, SoFi Stadium said, "These are trying and uncertain times for all. As we navigate this station, under guidance from federal, state, and local officials, the safety and health of all involved with SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park remains the top priority in everything we do." The stadium also cancelled the July 25 and 26 Taylor Swift Lover Fest tour which was supposed to be the inaugural event held inside the brand new $5 billion facility. It is being rescheduled for 2021. Workers on site helping in the construction of the stadium tested positive for the coronavirus which slowed down the completion of the giant project. Earlier this week, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti indicated that “large gatherings such as concerts and sporting events may not be approved in the city for at least one year,” in an e-mail reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

WWE PANEL ON CAMEO CARES TODAY

- Cameo, the platform which lets fans book a personalized video shout-out from their favorite talent, will be hosting a WWE panel during their Cameo Cares program today at 3:15PM ET. 100% of proceeds from orders will benefit COVID-19 causes. Today's panel is part of a three-day all-digital even which brings fans and top celebrities together from all around the world with Q&A sessions, games, improv comedy, and live concerts. Former ring announcer Lilian Garcia will be the host of today's event titled Ringside with WWE. Scheduled to join during the live broadcast are current and former WWE Superstars including Bret Hart, Matt Hardy, Mandy Rose, Tommy Dreamer, Rey Mysterio, and Jerry Lawler. You can join the free broadcast at cameo.com.

IMPACT STARS UNITE FOR #URTHEIMPACT STAY-AT-HOME CAMPAIGN

- As part of Impact Wrestling’s ongoing #URTheIMPACT campaign concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion has been releasing a series of wrestler-created #StayAtHome videos. These videos range in subject matter and spotlight what Impact wrestlers are doing while staying at home, providing a glimpse into their personal lives, their at-home fitness routines, and more. The latest video from Moose shares a light-hearted look at his daily at-home life, including a make-shift volleyball game against his wife. Today, Impact wrestler and real-life hospital emergency room worker Adam Thornstowe of the tag-team Reno Scum will share a more serious look at life on the front line of the healthcare world. The first #URTheIMPACT video featured a strong, emotional message from World Champion Tessa Blanchard, Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace and more members of the Impact roster. For more information about IMPACT Wrestling’s #URTheIMPACT campaign, visit impactwrestling.com.

LOCAL PROMOTER STILL GETS PAID FOR TWO CANCELLED IMPACT WRESTLING EVENTS

- A promoter who was engaged by Impact Wrestling to be the local promoter for the now-cancelled Lockdown and March Breakdown events posted a story on Reddit how he got paid anyway by the company for the service even though the shows never took place. The story, by Reddit user impactdrumboy, said that he "silently cried" when the shows were cancelled and refunded everyone's tickets. "Today, I check my account and Impact paid me for both shows even though they didn’t happen. You have no idea how appreciated and needed this was. If I never promote or announce another Impact Wrestling show again, will always be thankful to them for this selfless act," he wrote. Asked by another user what being a local promoter for a much larger company such as Impact Wrestling, he said that they design the tickets and posters, print them, set up local ticket outlets, set up online sales, order chairs, buy Facebook ads, do email blasts to previous buyers, and contact charities and clubs about group ticket plans. "I’ve been doing event promoting for several years now, the first event I did for them was Bound For Glory 2006 and whenever they come to the Detroit/Windsor area, I get to help," he said.


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Monday, April 20 2020 Issue #5909
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Hello everyone! Happy Monday, or better yet, happy 4/20!


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

RYDER SHOOTS BACK AT THE MIZ AFTER COCKY MERCHANDISE COMMENT

- Zack Ryder did not appreciate a comment The Miz made on his Instagram after he plugged his new t-shirts on ProWrestlingTees.com. The recently-released former WWE Superstar was quick to start selling his own merchandise now that he will not be receiving a paycheck from WWE. The first shirt he put up just says "Not There." The Miz, being his usual cocky self, replied with, "And you made fun of my shirts." Ryder, who now uses his real name of Matt Cardona, was quick to shut Miz down. "Yeah Mike...as the calls were coming in that your colleagues were losing their jobs, I quickly set up a Pro Wrestling Tees store and got a logo out ASAP before I even got the phone call. Pro Wrestling Tees is a website where independent wrestlers sell their perch. Independent wrestling is...ah never mind," a clearly ticked off Cardona wrote. All talent who sell their shirts from Pro Wrestling Tees receive commission for the merchandise they manage to move and is another - albeit small - source of income. You can check out Cardona's store at .

JIM ROSS SAYS GETTING RUSEV TO AEW WOULD BE HIS PRIORITY

- In the latest episode of Grilling JR, AEW announcer Jim Ross expressed his wish to bring in Rusev to the company after he was surprisingly released last week. Ross said getting Rusev would be his priority although he admitted that he has not talked with anyone in the company about bringing in the former United States champion to the fold. "Our fans are hearing it from me first out of my head. But he’s the kind of guy they missed on him. WWE missed on Rusev and they gave him a great build, they invested and they just all of a sudden...boom," Ross said, adding that he has no idea why he was misused as Rusev worked on his body, he's lean, young, and looks great. Ross said that while in WWE, he never heard a single bad thing about Rusev and always found him to be polite and a decent human being. "Rusev would be my priority. That’s who I’d want to go after first because I can see him having some major pay-per-view main event matches with a variety of top talents in our company. Anyone would be smart to hire him." JR concluded saying that Rusev has something to prove now and he would like to call some of his matches in AEW.

ERIC BISCHOFF CLAIMS SOME AEW STARS ARE MAKING MORE MONEY THAN IN WWE/WCW

- Speaking on AfterBuzz TV's After Show for 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President and Smackdown Executive Producer Eric Bischoff said that it's unrealistic for people to assume that All Elite Wrestling will be able to absorb the majority, or even around 10 people, who were released from WWE. Bischoff noted that for a company who doesn't tour and relies solely on gate money from one live event per week and a television deal, it's impossible for them to take on the talent who got cut. Eric said that he has a pretty good idea on what some of the guys are making in AEW and it's "astronomical sums of money" compared to what some of them ever made at their peak of their careers in WWE or WCW. Bischoff also took a dig at Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer as back in the day he would also disclose internal information about how much WCW was paying their stars but now he keeps everything behind closed doors when it comes to AEW. Eric said he thinks that AEW would eventually bring in one or two of the bigger names and name-dropped Erick Rowan as a guy who would be probably scooped up by the company. "Erick Rowan is a guy that I’d be surprised if they’re not looking at that got released. Super guy by the way I loved working with him in WWE," he said. All the released talent are on a 90-day no-compete clause so the earliest they could appear on any other wrestling show would be in mid-July.

DUSTIN RHODES: WIN ON WEDNESDAY OR RETIRE

- Dustin Rhodes is contemplating retiring out of the blue and in the latest Road to the TNT Championship series, he is shown speaking to his brother Cody on the phone saying that if he doesn't win against Kip Sabian this coming week, he will retire. "There is only 1 first! @TheKipSabian you are a tough, athletic talented young man but, you're in my way! This is your first and only warning. This means more to me than you can fathom or understand," Rhodes tweeted earlier before the video dropped. The announcement then sparked a barrage of tweets from Dustin's colleagues to encourage him and those who said that they still need him within the company. Whoever wins between Rhodes and Sabian will have an even bigger challenge as they have to defeat Lance Archer in the next round to advance. It's not known if Dustin is embarking on a lose-or-retire tour like Flair was forced to in WWE before losing to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania although for now it looks like it's only this match against Sabian, catching everyone by surprise since there wasn't really any back story to it.

ROCK VS REIGNS? "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN," SAYS DWAYNE JOHNSON

- In one of his live Q&A sessions on Instagram, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was asked if we would ever see him in the ring taking on his cousin Roman Reigns. "Rock vs Roman Reigns is it possible? I think anything is possible. Sure of course," Johnson said. "I'm always open and that's the cool thing about the world of pro wrestling...is that there's an adaptability to wrestling and you never say never in the world of pro wrestling and you never say never with Vince McMahon," he continued, describing his former boss as one of his mentors and a very, very close friend and confidant. "For something like that to happen I think the venue would have to be right...I think the business model would have to be right," Johnson continued as he laughed with the business comment. "But I'm very close with Roman, that's family to me so we'll see."


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_ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___
\ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __|
\ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ |
\_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___|
___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___
/ _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __|
| (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _|
\___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___|
_ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___
| \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \
| .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| /
|_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\


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Tuesday, April 21 2020 Issue #5910
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]-

Raw wasn't bad yesterday to be honest. I'm liking the Andrade/Garza/Theory team with Zelina Vega. Good stable in my opinion and Vega is showing how talented she really is too.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

ANONYMOUS WWE EMPLOYEE SAYS THEY'RE "FORCED" TO WORK DURING PANDEMIC

- At today's Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting, a note from an anonymous and unverified WWE employee using the name of John was submitted, telling the mayor that he and his colleagues are being "forced" to work the weekly television tapings. "My employer World Wrestling Entertainment, aka WWE, is forcing me to work the weekly TV tapings despite the stay-at-home orders for coronavirus. I am unable to speak out as I need this job and I know I'll be fired if I approach my higher-ups," the public comment submitted said. "Despite sanitary precautions, we cannot maintain social distancing and have to touch other people. I request the government to shut down these tapings and enforce the stay-at-home order so my colleagues and I may follow the social distancing rules without fear or repercussion of losing our jobs." Journalist Jon Alba from MyNews 13 in Orlando has reached out to WWE for comment over this but no reply was received at time of this writing. Several industry insiders have confirmed that talent were not forced to wrestle or work these tapings and everyone was free to make his or her own decision.

IMAGES LEAKED FROM MITB LADDER MATCH SETUP AT WWE HQ

- WWE has apparently already filmed the Money In The Bank ladder matches last week at the corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, with images being leaked of the setup that was used on the roof. A ring was constructed on the roof of Titan Towers with large plants lit up green surrounding one side and a tower crane that served as the lighting rig and where the briefcases were hung from. In the photos leaked, several ladders are seen around the ring. Sean Sapp from Fightful Wrestling adds that filming actually took place earlier last week and took a whole day to complete, with WWE opting to use their cinematic technique for these matches. With the matches filmed more like a movie rather than a regular match, there were a lot of stoppages to get different angles and involved a lot of patience from everyone involved. The weather at night did not help things either with WWE Superstars required to wrestle on the roof in the cold for a long time until all shots were filmed. You can see some leaked images at .

RAW'S SIDE OF MITB LADDER MATCH COMPLETE

- All three Raw spots on the men's Money In The Bank ladder match were confirmed yesterday during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw. Aleister Black, Apollo Crews, and Rey Mysterio all qualified after they defeated Austin Theory, MVP, and Murphy respectively in their qualifying matches. Smackdown's side still needs two more Superstars to make up the six participants with only Daniel Bryan so far qualifying. Drew Gulak vs King Corbin will take place this Friday for Smackdown's second spot. Over at the women's MITB ladder match, Baszler, Jax, and Asuka all qualified for Raw while Dana Brooke qualified for Smackdown. Banks vs Evans takes place this Friday in another qualifying match.

WWE WOMEN'S EVOLUTION NIGHT ON FS1 TODAY

- Tonight, WWE Backstage will feature an all-woman panel with Renee Young anchoring the show with Paige, Ember Moon, and Beth Phoenix, the first time that four women will be hosting the show. Booker T and Christian, who are regular panel members, will not be appearing. The all-woman theme will also be an all-night affair on FS1 as the network will air Becky Lynch's most memorable matches at 7PM, WWE 24: Ronda Rousey at 8PM, Charlotte Flair's most memorable matches at 9PM, and WWE 24: Becky Lynch at 10PM leading up to the new episode of Backstage.

DWAYNE JOHNSON TO PRODUCE HBO SERIES ON BACKYARD WRESTLING

- Dwayne Johnson is getting back in business with HBO after the successful Ballers series wrapped up, but this time, as executive producer of a new show about the creation of a backyard wrestling promotion according to an exclusive story by Variety. The project has a working title of TRE CNT, standing for Tre Count, and focuses on a young dock worker who is also a struggling professional wrestler who uses inherited life insurance money to start up a hip-hop centric backyard wrestling promotion in Houston's Third Ward (The Tre). Mohamad El Masri will serve as an executive producer and writer while Judah Miller will also be an executive producer and will serve as show runner. Johnson and his business partner Dany Garcia will executive produce along with Hiram Garcia under their Seven Bucks Productions banner. Rae and Montrel McKay will executive produce via Issa Rae Productions. Dave Becky, Tom Lassally, and Jonathan Berry will executive produce for 3 Arts Entertainment.

MARIA KANELLIS AND MIKE BENNETT LAUNCH PODCAST

- Maria Kanellis and her husband Mike Bennett, both of whom were released last week from WWE, are the latest to jump into the podcasting world with the launch of their new podcast titled Non-Essential Wrestlers. The title of the podcast is obviously a dig at their release last week where WWE fired and furloughed over 50 WWE Superstars, producers, and office workers who were deemed non-essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bennett, who publicly asked for his release lately, is getting some flack online for complaining about being let go from the company with fans blasting him for wanting out and now changing his mind. "Yes I just had a baby 9 weeks ago, yes my husband was released, yes I was a debit in a ledger for WWE that no longer exists, during a recession and a pandemic, is life not fair? You are damn right! It isn’t," his wife Maria wrote while plugging her "Milk Money" t-shirt on ProWrestlingTees.com. Maria also said that Mike will be taking bookings for signings and wrestling during this pandemic but she will be staying at home until further notice due to their kids.


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