• AEW Forced WWE To Rewrite Shows In Real Time, Says Ex-NXT Tag Team Champion
When WWE NXT moved to the USA Network in the fall of 2019, AEW Dynamite had just premiered on TNT, kicking off the Wednesday Night Wars. The battle for viewership lasted until spring 2021, when NXT moved to Tuesdays.
In an interview with Cafe de Rene, former NXT Tag Team Champion Martin Stone (Danny Burch) recalled the early NXT reaction to AEW.
“We would have two TVs in Gorilla and they would be watching AEW, and then they were trying to change the show to compete with what they were doing. I’ll never forget. Me and my tag partner (Oney Lorcan), we were scheduled to have a 30-minute main event and I was really excited. We had three segments. And I was like, man, we were tag champs, we were gonna be able to go out there and really kill it.”
He went on to explain how the plans shifted once AEW’s card was seen.
“And then because they were watching (AEW) and they heard that there was a women’s match on first, they cut us to 10 minutes – with entrances – and said, ‘You guys are gonna go on first so we can steal the opening (viewers).’ So when they turned around said, ‘We were never in competition’ – you’re full of it. Yes you were.”
• Ex-WWE Wrestler Advised Ricochet To Delete Hateful Tweet
Ricochet sparked backlash last week after replying to a fan who said he still couldn’t act by tweeting, “I’m glad you got MS,” referencing the fan’s Multiple Sclerosis.
The comment came after AEW posted a backstage video of his reaction following his National Championship loss at Revolution, and the situation quickly escalated, with his wife Samantha Irvin also getting dragged into the controversy.
He later deleted the tweet and apologized, with reports noting that the decision was his own after being advised by a friend, while AEW officials told him it was the right thing to do.
There has now been a further update, with Fightful Select reporting that former WWE wrestler Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) was the friend who reached out to Ricochet and advised him following the backlash.
• Top WWE Star Could Get Medically Cleared This Week
Bron Breakker has been out of action for over a month after suffering an injury. He later underwent surgery to repair a hernia.
According to PWInsider, Breakker is expected to be at the WWE Performance Center this coming week as part of the process to get medically cleared for an in-ring return.
As previously noted, WWE remains optimistic about having him back in time for WrestleMania 42, which is now less than a month away, with a potential feud against Seth Rollins likely, if the former Intercontinental Champion is cleared in time.
• Update On Cody Rhodes
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will be back on the March 27th episode of SmackDown this coming Friday. He missed this past Friday’s SmackDown to sell Randy Orton’s attack.
WWE has announced the following matches for this episode:
– Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
– The Bella Twins vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
– Women’s United States Championship Match: Giulia (c) vs. Tiffany Stratton
• Good News For WrestleMania 42 Ticket Sales
WWE is proving that the Stone Cold Steve Austin brand is still a massive money-maker, even decades later. By launching a new “Austin 3:16” ticket promotion, the company has seen a huge surge in sales for WrestleMania 42 and several upcoming events.
According to data from WrestleTix and the Wrestling Observer, the nostalgia-heavy campaign moved about 2,000 extra tickets for each night of WrestleMania 42 almost immediately. It also gave a big boost to smaller house shows, with some seeing jumps of over 1,000 fans per night.
Before this promotion, WrestleMania 42 was trailing about 18% behind last year’s ticket pace. Now, that gap has closed to just 11%. Both nights are currently hovering around 40,000 fans. WWE has about a month left to hit their 50,000-seat goal, and experts fully expect them to sell out.
SmackDown events also saw a spike in interest as soon as the Austin-themed deals went live.
While interest on the secondary market (like StubHub) is still lower than last year, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is expected to be packed by the time April 18 rolls around.
