FULL MATCH of the former NXT Champion Samoa Joe against the "Dirty Daddy" Chris Dickinson at HOG High Intensity 4.
No paywalls, no pop up ads and nothing stolen from paywalls Wrestling Past and Present Consistently shows the most weekly Independent Wrestling shows, classics and more than any other wrestling news site anywhere. Nobody does it like WP&P does it, nobody
FULL MATCH of the former NXT Champion Samoa Joe against the "Dirty Daddy" Chris Dickinson at HOG High Intensity 4.
Another exciting edition of SICW right here on the Prentice Wrestling Network. Follow SICW on Facebook!
The semi-finals and the FINALS of the Country Boy Kentucky Heavyweight Championship Tournament happen NOW! “The Complete Package” Tony Bizo (w/Dr. Ricky Jones) squares off against Reverend Ronnie Roberts and Ca$h Flo faces Luscious Lawrence - with the winners meeting in the FINALS to become the FIRST EVER OVW Kentucky Heavyweight Champion! PLUS: OVW Women’s Champion Sierra goes 1-on-1 with GLAM and OVW Heavyweight Champion Omar Amir has an announcement to make!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYTTi8rmZi4
I knew it, I knew it and I CALLED it, and thanks to "Lio The Liar' himself? He proved me right.
When he announced back in June that he was 'retiring' (for the second time, mind you) Right away I said "Bullshit, he's absolutely full, of bullshit". And wouldn't you know, he's exactly what I said he was, full.. of bullshit.
You can thank me now for calling that one, as I knew just like the first time, he was lying. He lied the first time, as well as this last time and the NEXT TIME he announces he's retiring', who's really gonna believe him?
I mean, look, here's the proof he lied, right here.
He also said on his Instagram that he was retiring because he wanted to be a better father and a better husband. But then claimed even though he was "cough cough" retired, he was just going to fulfill his NJPW obligations..
"Obligations' that stretched from June to October? YYEEAAHH Ok Lio The Liar, 'anything' you say (rolls eyes).
So NOW ,the 'retired' Lio who obviously has fulfilled his NJPW dates, and then some is proving he was lying about this alleged 'retirement' by now being added to a Garbage Wrestling show (as you saw in the above pic) as well as returning to AEW.
Fresh off the announcement of his return to AEW, Lio Rush will make his return to GCW as well.
Rush has been added to this Saturday's Fight Club show in Atlantic City, New Jersey, headlined by GCW Champion Jon Moxley vs. Nick Gage, Effy vs. Matt Cardona, Alex Zayne vs. Ninja Mack, a Mick Foley appearance, and more.
Rush's opponent has yet to be named. His last GCW appearance was the May 15th Draft Day show in a win over Starboy Charlie.
Rush appeared on AEW Dynamite last Wednesday in a promo as he is back with the promotion (and I'm sure many many people laughed, just like I did).
So the NEXT time Lio starts whining an d crying and claiming to be 'retiring'? You can just say the same thing I did the last two times he made this claim.
Bullshit, because you damn well, I'll call it to be bullshit again, and again.. Lio will prove me right.
To celebrate National #HispanicHeritageMonth, enjoy some of the greatest moments from ROH's past and present Hispanic stars, including Rok-C defeating Miranda Alize in the #QuestForGold Tournament Finals!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQ2FeOH9Is
All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship match - 1990.3.6
OCTOBER 2, 2021: Championship Wrestling from Atlanta! Pro wrestling is back at Center Stage with Episode 3 and a HUGE double debut Main Event! Here's today's card: SINGLES MATCH | SUGE D vs KALEB KONLEY SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH FROM CWFH | LEVI SHAPIRO vs JACK CARTWRIGHT SINGLES MATCH | CARLIE BRAVO vs SCOTTY BEACH TAG TEAM MATCH | THE TATE TWINS vs THE SKIMAHORNS MAIN EVENT | BARON BLACK vs LORD CREWE PLUS | Dustin Starr & Marti Belle will be standing by with pre and post match interviews!
OCTOBER 2, 2021: We are just 1 week away from Championship Saturday where The GunShow goes 1 on 1 with Alan Steel! This week, the stories unfold and we'll get a good look at what will transpire next week! NWA Women's World Champion Kamille is here, along with our Memphis Wrestling Women's Champion Nikki Lane + your Memphis Heritage Champion Alan Steel will let his voice be heard ahead of next week's big match with the return of the Steel & Johnny Show!
Here's the card for this week's Memphis Wrestling... SINGLES MATCH | BIG SWOLE vs JAY SMOOTH with KROSS & MARTIN We're kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness month with BIG SWOLE! We'll donate $25 for every bodyslam he lands in the month of October! SINGLES MATCH | MIKE ANTHONY vs CARLOS ALEXANDER RIOS Mike Anthony is not happy. Best wishes to Carlos Rios... SINGLES MATCH | THE REVENANT OF WALKER HAYES with JIMMY BLAYLOCK vs GUNSLINGER You will not believe what Jimmy Blaylock has up his sleeve this week. Let's just say you're going to see a MEANER and MORE AGGRESSIVE Revenant than ever before... SINGLES MATCH | MARTIN with KROSS & JAY SMOOTH vs UNCLE MIKEY with THE SKIMAHORNS Talk about a circus of a match - buckle up because this one will be a mess! MAIN EVENT | TAG TEAM MATCH DERRICK THE KING & DANNY B. GOOD vs RYAN PYLES & COLTON CAGE This match was made off what happened last week between Cage and Danny B. Now, we'll get to see if Danny B. Good and Derrick the King can co-exist and be a REAL tag team. PLUS | NWA Women's World Champion KAMILLE, Memphis Wrestling Women's Champion Nikki Lane, Memphis Wrestling Tag Team Champions The Yung GOATS! ALSO | What other Championship Matches will be made for next week's Championship Saturday? AND | Alan Steel promises to make a statement to The GunShow before next week's Championship match! AND REMEMBER | Anything can happen on the FASTEST HOUR IN PRO WRESTLING.
Aj Kirsch has lined up a Beast of an opponent for Steven Tresario this week. Can he overcome this Supersized challenge and make his way into the title picture? For the first time in almost 4 years, Christina Von Eerie returns to Best Of The West to take on a debuting Crystal White, The Original Diva.
48 years ago today! October 2nd, 1973 - Fort Homer Hesterly Armory Southern Heavyweight Title Match Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Dusty Rhodes (Title Change!) Dusty Rhodes regained the Southern Heavyweight Title by defeating Thunderbolt Patterson on October 9th, 1973 at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in a 'Lights Out' match.
Mike Bennett is victorious over a bright young wrestling talent, KC Navarro who left it all in the ring in a great fight at GCW "We Run This Town" After the match, Mike Bennett had some very interesting things to say in a quick promo.
WAR! Highlights of EC3 vs MOOSE wrestling match at GCW’s Tampa, Florida “We Run This Town” event on Wrestlemania weekend 2021
Moose takes a low blow and a championship belt shot from EC3 to win by DQ.
Warrior Wrestling Sweet 16 is on Saturday, October 16 at 8 pm in Chicago Heights, Illinois. There will also be a VIP Fan Fest from 4:30 until 7:30 and feature Bret Hart. He will also make an appearance later on the live show. Ticket can be purchased here. The show also streams on FITE for $19.99. The event is set to feature ten first-time matches:
* Trey Miguel (Champion) (IMPACT) vs. Jonathan Gresham (ROH) for the Warrior Wrestling Championship
* Aramis (Champion) (MLW) vs. Rey Horus (ROH) vs. Gringo Loco (MLW) for the Warrior Wrestling Lucha Libre Championship
* Buddy Matthews (fka Buddy Murphy in WWE) vs. Chandler Hopkins
* Davey Richards (MLW) vs. Ace Austin (IMPACT)
* Alex Shelley vs. KC Navarro (MLW)
* Moose (IMPACT) vs. Sam Adonis (AAA)
* Rok-C vs. Laynie Luck for the ROH Women’s World Championship
* YoKai (Yoya and Janai Kai) vs. Pretty Proper (Lady Frost and Victor Benjamin)
* “The Walking Weapon” Josh Alexander (IMPACT) vs. Calvin Tankman (MLW)
* Beast Man (MLW) and Warhorse vs. Dan the Dad and KLD
Tickets available at http://www.warriorwrestling.net/
Armstrong and Lightfoot take on Koloff and the Iron Sheik then Dick Murdoch hits the ring. Following that, Dusty Rhodes talks about his former partner and he's ready to help out against the Russian and the Sheik. WCW, March 1983.
On this week's episode: The Royal Flush and Jerry "The King" Lawler with the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart in the corner takes on Jared "X" Rawlings & the Clarks. Black Cat defends his TV championship against former tv champ the Wolervine Tavis.
TAJIRI will challenge Myron Reed for the MLW World Middleweight Championship in a four-way match which also includes Aramis and Arez.
Allysin Kay & ODB vs Melina & Marti Belle NWA Into The Fire December 14th, 2019 Long before the Hex were the reigning and defending NWA World Women's Tag Team Champions, they were going to battle at NWA's Into The Fire pay-per-view! After losing her tag team partner Ashley Vox due to injury at the hands of Thunder Rosa, then NWA Women's World Champion Allysin Kay brought ODB into the fold to take on challengers Melina and Marti Belle.
Director John Kopanski takes you on a journey in the AAW Women's division.
This week on CHARGED; Severino Corrente looks to be back in the winning ways as he takes on Dustin Uhirch in the Main Event. JK Pop defend the Tag Team Championships against David Drake and Jumbo Zamore. Baylum Lynx takes on Curtis Cole in a first time ever match and Lypto goes one on one with Mercury Yaden.
Are you born a monster? Or is it something you become?
After his shocking dismissal from the corporate wrestling realm, join Adam Scherr on a journey of self-discovery in his return to the ring when Scherr battles EC3 in "Free The Narrative II: The Monster In Us All." Is Scherr's fight against EC3 and his #ControlYourNarrative mantra? To take back #Control. Fight for your #Freedom. And find your #Purpose. Or is Scherr's fight against himself? What will happen when this "monster" knocks on this "man's" door? Adam Scherr's fight truly begins on October 2nd, 2021. "Free The Narrative II" will feature many more "names" and is the sequel to "Free The Narrative" featuring Matt Cardona vs EC3. Free The Narrative is a series that tells original and personal stories with some of professional wrestling's biggest names, and those yet known. "Free The Narrative" is completely independent of any wrestling promotion. Set to an original score, FTN blends professional wrestling, cinema, and harsh reality in what will become the true definition of "creative freedom" for an industry that desperately needs it, and any performer that truly seeks it. To #ControlYourNarrative is to "Tell Your Story. "In "Free The Narrative" those stories are told.
#FreeTheNarrative (excerpt VIII) #WILLIAM has a #DEATHWISH and death comes in the form of #PARROW. Soundtrack written by #TOMMYTANX and available through all streaming platforms. Just look up "Parrow is Death". #FreeTheNarrative I ft. ec3 vs @themattcardona (available now on @fitetv) #FreeTheNarrative II “The Monster In Us All” ft. ec3 vs @adamscherr99 (available 10/02/21) FREE THE NARRATIVE DOT COM
Exclusive video from RCW: Boom Boom! Kaun attacks RCW Champion Gino Medina after his match... but Mysterious Q stops him? Kaun is unrelenting. Buy tickets to the Nov 14 event at https://rcw.ticketspice.com/rcw-break...
Chelsea Green joined Busted Open Radio to talk about her post WWE career. Green was let go from WWE in April of this year, a move that she didn’t see coming. Months later, she remains ticked off about her time with the promotion, feeling they wasted her for two plus years after she came to the company hot following runs in Impact and Lucha Underground.
“Honestly, I did not see it coming,” Green said. “There was not one part of me (that saw it coming). The funny thing is, I got fired on maybe a Wednesday? I had my outfit sitting out for Friday because I had been consistently showing up, getting TV ready, sitting my ass in the car, driving to Tampa and showing up at RAW and Smackdown’s to try and get booked. My arm had been fine, I had been cleared for about two months. I had been showing up to TV, ready to go, with my gear in my car. So when that call came, it was about three days after I had actually contacted the office to say ‘hey, surprise! It’s me again. I have another idea. I’m coming to TV on Friday to pitch it to you guys.’
“So, I had no clue. I think my initial reaction was that I had no reaction and I just got down to business. I opened up my Pro Wrestling Tees store, then contacted Ring of Honor, NWA, and Impact and stuff. But then later on, slowly as time has gone by, it’s been one of – I just think it was a missed opportunity. And I’m a little upset, but I think I’m more pissed about it. I’m pissed that I was at the top of my game. I was the Knockout’s Champion, I was main-eventing Lucha Underground, they chose me to be one of the four females at All In. And then I sat for two years, or almost two and a half years. A lot of people are blaming that on my arm, but I broke my arm for six weeks out of those two and a half years. That’s no excuse, absolutely no excuse not to use somebody.”
Co-host Bully Ray asked if Green’s constant pitching of ideas may have rubbed some people at WWE the wrong way, making her come off as a pest. Green feels that is the case.
“Yes, absolutely. I absolutely think that,” Green said. “But then, that’s not the type of person that I am. When I did have my meeting with Vince, he was very appreciative of all the ideas. So I have to think that he’s okay with the ideas, it’s the maze that you have to get through to get to him. Those are all the people that are annoyed along the way, and I don’t blame them. Imagine how many people are in that company, and I’m one of 200 people on the main roster spit balling ideas to them weekly. I probably gave them three ideas a week. That’s going to be annoying.”
Since leaving WWE, Green has kept busy working for Impact, NWA, and Ring of Honor, while also launching her own podcast, Green With Envy (formerly 50 Shades of Green). According to Green, the inactivity of her WWE run is a big inspiration for why she has so much on her plate now.
“I mean, it was inactivity and it was also the COVID (pandemic), just sitting around and not being able to do anything,” Green said. “And then, of course, when you’re contracted with a big company, you can’t just have a podcast or open up a Patreon. Our hands are tied. So the minute those handcuffs were off, I wasn’t going to sit. I had years to think about all the things I could do if I wasn’t with WWE. So it would be so hypocritical of me to not go and put that stuff into action.”
ACW Live! Episode 23: Jason Kincaid vs Joshua Bishop-ACW International Title What starts out as a singles match between Jason Kincaid and Joshua Bishop for the International Title turns into an impromptu tag team bout when Wes Barkley and Huffmanly get involved!
GREAT "THE HAMMER" VALENTINE VS SOA AMIN WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion and former WWE Tag Team Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine takes on the 450 pound Soa Amin in this classic GNW match from 2011 at the Brockville Centennial Youth Arena.
•National Openweight Championship: Alex Hammerstone vs. Tom Lawlor •Aramis vs. Arez •Alex Kane vs. Budd Heavy Alex Hammerstone prepares to put his record setting National Openweight Championship reign to the test against “Filthy” Tom Lawlor on an action packed edition of Fusion: ALPHA, presented by newlawoffice.com. MLW matchmaker Cesar Duran has made a blockbuster championship main event, one that puts the mighty Hammerstone in jeopardy as he faces “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, just two weeks before Your Boy Hammer walks into the historic title vs. title war with Jacob Fatu. Could the 2020 Opera Cup winner play spoiler and pour gasoline on FIGHTLAND? After all, it goes without saying that “Filthy” Tom is a dangerous fight for ANY ranked fighter in the league. This monumental National Openweight title fight between the number one and two ranked heavyweights goes down on ALPHA! Ever the lucha libre aficionado, Cesar Duran will showcase two of Mexico’s finest on Fusion: ALPHA. Aramis puts his lightning fast offense and incredible agility to the test against the master of “Strange Style” Arez. 5150 ignited a violent turf war with Injustice in July. Konnan and his crew keep it 100 when they drop truth bombs on Fusion: ALPHA. The mission: submission! The “Suplex Assassin” Alex Kane makes his debut. Join Rich Bocchini, fight analyst Saint Laurent, and broadcast journalist Alicia Atout as MLW presents Fusion: ALPHA!
AMW-TV 264 We come to you from the Black Gold Festival in Hazard, KY. AMW Championship (c) Marty Clay vs. John Strange TV MAIN EVENT AMW SOUTHEASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP (c) Mega Destroyer vs. David Anthony also hear from John Noble on his Last match in Buckhorn, KY on 10/8 As always this weeks program is brought to you by Tim Short Ford Lincoln of Hazard. Air Date: September 29, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mSJIPEO3o4
AAW ALIVE 9/29/2021 Featuring... Sean Logan vs Hartenbower Damian Chambers, Jake Omen, JDX vs Storm Grayson, Kevin Blackwood, Isaiah Moore JT Energy vs Russ Jones Ren Jones vs Gary Jay La Sociedad Boricua vs Skye Blue & Christi Jaynes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZU9hne-Cjg
This week on the AWF! After winning the Buy In Battle Royal, Kenny Alfonso looks to cash in his chips as he sets his sights on the AWF Champion Kyle Pro! Can Alfonso hit the jackpot one more time and walk out of Diamond Jo's with Championship gold???
After a less than stellar chat with the majority of Strictly Business, Tim Storm finds himself in hot water as the faction closes in on him.
#FreeTheNarrative (excerpt VII) #TheUnkownHand takes on #JakeLogan in the opening fight of #FreeTheNarrative. Every perspective has a conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-qsjrEvmaY
Bailey McRoberts wants to take the fight to LEGION and his Disciples, but her father, Chuck McRoberts doesn't want her going after LEGION. Her trainer, Eric Draven, however, thinks she should be able to fight LEGION. The two get into a heated exchange, leading to a match.
Deonna Purrazzo challenges Willow Nightingale for her NYWC Starlet Championship. From April 2016
Before tearing it up in WWE NXT Shane Strickland aka Isiah "Swerve" Scott and Tony Nese went to battle at NYWC. From July 2013
NYWC would not be able to get extreme if it wasn't for Mikey Whipwreck! Watch him take on Tony Burma in a Dog Collar Match! From August 2008
IT IS SET! Deonna Purrazzo will defend her IMPACT KNOCKOUTS World Title against the legendary Mickie James at BOUND FOR GLORY (October 23, 2021.)
It's the 14th annual Liberty Lottery match! Twenty wrestlers compete in this over-the-top-rope elimination match where fans determine the order of the entrants via random draw. The winner is declared the number one contender to the new VCW Unified Virginia Heavyweight Championship! Commentary by: Blake Chadwick & Brandon Metheny
After weeks of torment, Chelsea Green finally gets her chance to extract a measure of revenge in a one-on-one intergender match-up with Rohit Raju !
In 2006, the wrestling world was put on notice when Kurt Angle signed with TNA Wrestling and left WWE after spending eight years with the company.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Angle revealed why he ultimately chose TNA after leaving the WWE, stating he wanted to carry a product and have a bigger purpose than what he had while in WWE.
“The reason I signed with TNA, and there’s nothing wrong with this, but when you’re in WWE, it’s a huge company,” Angle mentioned. “It’s bigger than you. There’s nothing you can do. You can have the greatest career of all time, you’re not going to make a bigger impression on the company itself. TNA, it’s a smaller company and you’re the bigger name in the company. You’re carrying the company on your back and making it into a WWE. You have a purpose that way. When you’re in WWE, you’re never bigger than the product. When you’re in TNA, you are bigger than the product and what’s carrying that product to another level. There’s a bigger purpose in it.”
Angle continued to talk about how he was able to help TNA reach a new level of stardom that they never had prior to him signing. The Olympic Gold Medalist even spoke about how good it made him feel to represent a company that was having success.
“It was about me proving myself that I could be a formidable player and make a company grow bigger than it was,” Angle said. “I think I did a good job of that, it wasn’t just me. There were a lot of other wrestlers in that company but I wanted to show that I had a purpose in my life and that purpose was TNA. And I could make this company grow that never became as big as WWE, but there were times where the ratings started getting fairly close. We were doing two million viewers a week, 2.1 million viewers a week, which was a big deal for TNA at the time. It made me feel very good as a representative of the company that I was one of the main reasons for it.
When Angle first debuted, the company pitted him against Samoa Joe, who was holding a very long undefeated streak at the time. The former WWE Champion said he didn’t like the creative choice from TNA to have Angle face Joe in his first match with the company because he knew it would mean he was going over.
“I don’t know. I did not like that because Samoa Joe was undefeated,” Angle mentioned. “I felt like if I came into the company and started out with someone else, Joe and I could work up to each other in six months to a year. Really build our program, but they wanted to slingshot this thing and do it really quickly. Unfortunately, I ended Joe’s undefeated streak the first pay per view I wrestled. It made no sense at all. I just felt like we could’ve built this up, done a lot more pay per view buys if we built it the correct way instead of sling-shotting it. That’s what the company wanted, so that’s what I did.”
While it's already been announced that All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Francesco Akira will debut at RevPro's show on October 3 in London, where he will face Robbie X, It's also been announced that he will be making his way over to Scotland's ICW as well.
Our own Les Thatcher will be taking part in the first of a brand new series of events next month in Knoxville, TN Dinner with The Stud.
For $30, fans can have dinner and then take part in a Live Studcast Podcast taping and Q&A Session with the legendary Tennessee Stud Ron Fuller and equally legendary Les Thatcher at Calhoun's on the River on Tuesday 10/13 at 7 PM. To order tickets.
https://tnstud.com/ Click Stud Store.
Curtis Wyld gets haircut live unedited do to a bet that he lost against Ricky Cruz.
From "Tussle in Tusla", the MPW debut in Oklahoma on Sept 2021. See what happens when AEW superstar Thunder Rosa (and owner of Mission Pro) puts the gold on the line!
Jon Moxley shocks the wrestling world and confronts SCHAFF in DEFY Wrestling!
MATCH: The Butcher & The Blade vs. Chris Dickinson & Tom Lawlor
EVENT: Know Your Enemy (9/6/19)
#FreeTheNarrative (excerpt V)
The #WrestlingGod sees a #Vision.
Moose was the #essentialcharacter’s initial #project. A test for #ec3 to see if his #ControlYourNarrative ethos can be adopted by others.
EC3 braved the #troubled waters of his past to confront and torment #Moose in an attempt to make him become who he COULD be. While progress was made, the mission is not complete.
To see if Moose could truly ascend, he again arrived at #TheNarrative. Moose had to face a vision in the form of an enlightened spirit. That vision is @mattsydal.
Is Moose able to take a step closer to finishing what he started? Or will he remain on the path to falter when the hard work truly begins?
A bench warrant was issued on Thursday 9/23 for the arrest of former WWE developmental and Impact Wrestling star Trenesha Daniyall Biggers aka Rhaka Khan in advance of the scheduled start of her 10/4 trial before the 409th District Court in El Paso, Texas. Biggers is facing charges of interference with child custody and "aggravated kidnapping facilitate."
The trial, which has been pushed back multiple times due to the slowdown in the court system brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Biggers has been issued a DCLK Warrant aka a bench warrant, which can be issued by a judge or court, usually when a defendant fails to appear at a scheduled court hearing.
Beyond the scheduled start date of 10/4, there is a motion hearing listed on 10/12 as well, although what motion may be remains unclear.
Biggers was indicted on the charges in August 2019, leading to her being listed as one of El Paso’s most wanted fugitives after failing to appear in court. There are two court instances where her no-shows led to her bail being revoked. She was finally arraigned in December 2019. Biggers is being represented by a public defender.
In the State of Texas, interference with child custody is when someone "takes or retains a child when that person knows that the taking or detention of the child violates a judgment or order." It is considered a state jail felony and can be punishable by up to two years in prison.
Biggers last wrestled in 2011 for the now-defunct Lucha Libre USA promotion, which aired on MTV. Biggers was part of the 2005 WWE Diva Search and was signed to a developemental contract after failing to make it past the top 25 contestants in the search. She was sent to Deep South Wrestling but was released in May 2006. She worked for a number of independent promotions and in Japan before signing with Impact Wrestling in 2008, departing that promotion in 2009. She worked for Lucha Libre USA in 2010 and 2011.
Shortly after social media stories began to make the rounds about a reported assault on a transgender fan in the bathroom of The Globe Theater at last night's Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Threemendous event in Los Angeles, PWG issued the following statement:
Bryan Danielson was on a recent episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina where he reflected on his WWE experience, and looked ahead to his latest run now with AEW. Danielson talked about the freedom he has in AEW, and he talked about his experience working with writers in WWE.
“I was actually a little bit blown away,” Danielson admitted. “My first time I had to talk or anything was in Cincinnati, and I was like, so what are we doing? ‘I don’t know, what do you want to do?’ Wait, what? Last week in Newark, it was the same thing. I was never handed a sheet of paper. I was never told what we’re doing. We kind of sit down and decide what we’re doing, and I was just like, oh. And then there’s this overarching fear for me a little bit because some people don’t like working with the writers.
“I love working with the writers. I like collaborating. I had a really good time with that. Actually, one of my favorite times was as a bad guy in WWE as the ‘Planet’s Champion’, and the writer I worked with was Robert. We had so much fun, and he would present me with a piece of paper. I had a lot more leeway than a lot of people in WWE. I would work with the writer and be like, ‘Hey, what if we say this? What if we say this?’ And Robert was great because he would pull me back from the edge.
“Sometimes, I’d go off on a tangent. ‘Hey, this is too far environmental and maybe not focused enough on the show that we’re actually doing.’ I think Robert helped me stay on track. Eventually, I wasn’t saying anything about the environment at all, but Robert was great because he would throw in little things there, and so I love collaborating with the writers. There’s a real fear of the blank page – the writer thing of, hey, you have to craft your own story, and you want that. You want that freedom, but then all of a sudden, it’s like, oh no, here’s this blank page.
“You can create whatever you want. You’re like, ah, ah! That’s a little bit nerve racking, but for the last couple of months with WWE, I would get scripts. But my time in WWE has been pretty much that, always working with a writer but always collaborating, and in the last couple of months, I was part of the creative team a little bit. And so sometimes, very rarely, would I do my own stuff. ‘Hey, what if I said something like this?’ And I might have said that on a Tuesday. I’d show up on the Friday, and then it would be somebody else’s words but a version of what I kind of mentioned, and then we just work together.”
AEW has allowed talent to say what they want in promos. This has typically lead to talent using swears that are sometimes bleeped out on network TV, and Bryan talked about whether he will take advantage of that opportunity to go outside of the PG rating.
“Well, I’ve already used the s-h-i-t word on TV, but I think it’s all circumstantial,” Danielson noted. “I don’t look forward to using curse words, but the one thing that I do look forward to doing is not having to worry about PG in the sense of the actual wrestling. You can just get a little bit more intense and a little bit, I hate to use the word ‘violent’, but a little bit more violent in AEW. And I think in wrestling, sometimes that’s called for. When you have the big grudge match, people want to see that. I think one thing in WWE is when you start doing the Hell in the Cell matches, there’s no blood or whatever it is. I’m excited for that.”
Traina brought up the Justin Roberts tie incident, and noted how Danielson seems more relaxed in real life as opposed to a more violent personality. Danielson responded to that and talked about what pro wrestling has allowed for him.
“Well, to be fair with that specific incident, I legitimately choked him,” Danielson revealed. “Justin Roberts was the announcer, and I knew him a little bit, but I came from the background that, ‘hey, we have to make this look good, and if he doesn’t know, like, I can’t trust him to be great at what I do, which is the pretend part of it.’ They wanted a gang style beat down, so I wrapped it up.
“There were big, big marks on his neck after. But I think that is an aspect of my personality that pro wrestling has really allowed me to explore, especially pre-WWE is the more aggressive side of me. Because for the most part, I try to stay very calm and very chill. I don’t want to be angry, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to get that aggression out, and pro wrestling allows you to do that in a safe way.”
British promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling announced last night that All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Francesco Akira will debut at its show on October 3 in London. He will face Robbie X.