Welcome to the Behind The Barricade, where we give the Good, Bad, and What the *bleep!?* of pro wrestling. A WWE Superstar maybe out indefinitely, another Superstar comes out. A Raw performer wants to go back to NXT! Will Osprey admits to almost doing something regrettable. Fight For The Fallen recap, who will Keith Lee choose for his first opponent? Let’s get started, right now!
The Good:
Raw:
As the go home Raw show for The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, this was serviceable. Nothing too great, nothing too bad. WWE, playing it safe. Sasha Banks and Bayley retain their titles and continue to excel in the TV time that they are given. Kari Sane looked fantastic, as it may be one the final times we may see her in WWE.
Bianca Belair teams up with Ruby Riott and handles the IIconics by herself! This was the start of feel good moments for me watching Raw. Kevin Owens and Set Rollins are just great in their storytelling, even if the main story is Rollins vs Rey Mysterio at Extreme Rules. Before R-Truth faced Randy Orton, he asked Akira Tozawa for karate lessons. This lead to a Shayna Baszler interruption. This made feel giddy, seeing the Queen Of Spades make her return!
Randy Orton is displaying his best work in his entire career in 2020, one the bright spots of this crazy year. Even having to face R-Truth, Orton still made it a match to see. Finally, Drew McIntyre.. this man is a supernova caught in a pandemic black hole. Drew not only cuts a simple, but fantastic promo by just slapping the taste out of Dolph’s face, makes it feel organic.
AEW:
There was not much of Fight For The Fallen that was bad or what the *bleep?!*. Sonny Kiss looked great in his defeat to Cody. FTR and Lucha Bros finished strong and had a after match story that intrigued and built upon later on. The return of Darby Allin had this fanboy screaming at the skies. The Elite vs The Jurassic Express, left the younger and less known talent have a spot in the ring. A seed planting of two of the biggest AEW star’s turning heel tonight, was interesting.
That being the already predicted Cody, but not Kenny Omega! Yes, the AEW baby of baby faces lost his cool and maybe mind at this show. FTR humiliated him as well as Marko Stunt. Leading to Omega resurface his old heel Bullet Club persona. Chris Jericho continues to be a PROMO GOD! Le Champion cuts a shoot promo about ratings between NXT and AEW. Look, there is VERY loyal camps on both sides and there is ammo for a heated debate.
However, the ones yelling for or at Jericho for his promo may have forgotten something. Jericho is a straight up professional. Le Chanoion KNOWS how to get heat and does it with a smile on his face. With knowing that, I find it hard press to find a greater promo worker than him in pro wrestling. Oh, and Orange Cassidy “juiced: the Inner Circle, like it was Nickelodeon.
NXT:
The Age of The Limitless One begins and it was a banger! The double NXT champion, Keith Lee calls out frenemy, Dominik Dijakovic. The Limitless One explains that he wants to defend both his titles against some that took him to the limit. We get that match and was… not as classic as their past ones, but still great! Here is the thing, NXT had these two men duke it out many times in a short period, so there is many matches to compare this to. It was a darn good match, but could’ve been better. Still earns it’s spot on the “Good” section.
Io Shari vs Tegan Nox was a spectacle on it’s own! This is FAR THE BEST TEGAN NOX performance in WWE! If you call my a liar, I challenge you to “@ me”. I am open for friendly debates, but honestly this was a spotlight for Nox and Io had some help on it. I must implore you to watch this match, if you missed it. The internet is your friend.
SmackDown:
SmackDown was that special show that borderline between meh and good. In which was an upgrade from last week. Bray Wyatt’s promo was outstanding, pulling from his Cape Fear Wyatt persona. I couldn’t stop chuckling from Joh Morrison’s promo about fighting Jean-Claude Van Dam on a yacht. Sasha Banks and Bayley are absolute golden right now and can do no wrong. The Cesaro vs Big E match proved both men can easily be singles stars, with Cesaro winning the match.
The winner would choose the stipulation for the tag team title match, Cesaro chose a Tables match. Even Braun Strowman got in the promo game and cut a better than usual promo for him. The AJ Styles vs Matt Riddle match showed great promise in the future.
The Bad:
Raw:
Here is the Bad for Raw. Seth Rollins didn’t think the match at Extreme Rules was actually for an “eye”. While the rest of the fans for WWE knew it was. Most fans knowing the stipulation for Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler’s match at Extreme Rules, but Dolph still is quiet about it. *hint* It was displayed on a WWE Facebook page.
WWE testing the waters on talent. Ivar from Viking Raiders got a big push against Angel Garza and Andrade. This looked to be a testing waters for Ivar and see if he become a single’s star. Here is my thought, the Viking Raiders BARELY got a push when called to Raw. If Ivar is pushed as a singles star and according to WWE’s track record, this will be bad.
AEW:
The Nightmare Sisters, a tag team of Brandi Rhodes and Allie. Not to say the team is bad, it can be interesting to watch unfold as the rack up the wins. While Allie being an outcast and her only real tie to the Nightmare Family is QT Marshall. However, their match was just bad. Jon Moxley vs Brian Cage.. ok, ok… please put down the knife! Honestly, this WAS A GOOD MATCH!
Yet, we have been accustomed to have the AEW championship match be outstanding, this was not. Moxley used an Armbar related attack like he was reenacting Jericho’s “1001 List of Moves”.It could’ve been better, the surprise return of Darby Allin boosted the ratings for me. Over all solid show, but there was a few things that made it far from great. Check out “What the *Bleep!*”.
NXT:
Cameron Grimes vs Damian Priest was just an average match. In which was a shame because the two are very talented! Not a smooth transaction in terms of story telling. Timothy Thatcher vs Denzel Dejournette, honestly I may have put this on the “Bad” list, because I need Google to spell these names. However, my main gripe was that Denzel really took it to Thatcher in this match. You can’t build someone like Tim and almost has his arse handed to him this quickly from his “student”. Just bad booking in all.
SmackDown:
Baron Corbin. Honestly, that is most of the “Bad” for SmackDown. Not to say the show was good or great, it teetered between “Good and Bad”. If you really want a grade, SmackDown was bad. Why? It BARELY enticed the viewers to tune in for The Horror Show At Extreme Rules. This was the ABSOLUTE last show to promo that PPV and it did very little to make me want watch it. The main reason I am going to watch it is to see, allegedly an eye being torn out of a wrestler and the Swamp Match.
While Bray Wyatt and Strowman cut good/great promos for the Swamp Match, I barely feel the need to watch the other matches. Yes, even Bayley vs Nikki Cross’s match. From tonight’s show, I actually just skip most of Extreme Rules and just watch two matches.
What the *Bleep!?*:
Honestly, there was no fully “What the *Bleeps!?* from this week, in which is AMAZING! All shows were ok to solid. Thre was a few “Bad” moments, but nothing too bizarre that I had to yell WHAT THE *BLEEP!?*. So kudos, promotions, you did well… for the most part.
The news from Behind the Barricade:
A WWE star out indefinitely? Kari Sane’s real intentions, a WWE star comes out. Will Osprey tells about his darkest moment. A Raw star that changed the WWE and wants to go back to NXT. WrestleMania 37 in jeopardy? What former WWE Super Stars appeared on Impact’s Slammiversary PPV?! Let’s tackle the news from Behind the Barricade.
The Queen’s real reason from being away.
Charlotte Flair announced through a series of tweets on what has been going on with her absence from TV. The Queen started with this tweet.
“My air conditioning is broken, and we have a little free time,” tweeted Flair. “These tweets may be spaced out a bit, but we’re going to talk time off, plastic surgery and boobs. The entire world having an opinion on the topic bothers me more than I care to let on, so we are going to discuss it.”
Then followed up with..
“A trip to the doctor tells us the likely culprit is silicone poisoning, and that my implant had been leaking for quite some time. It was one of the worse cases the doctor had seen.”
Then the following..
“My implant had been leaking for quite some time. It was one of the worse cases the doctor had seen,” she recalled. “At that time, I had a few options to fix the issue. Each option had a specific recovery time. I love this job more than anything, so I picked the option that allowed me to return the soonest. That was the choice I made.”
Lastly..
“Something felt off, so I went back to the doctor. Same issue again,” Flair tweeted. “This time, I’m going with an option that I believe will solve the issue long time, even though the recovery period is a little longer than I would like.”.
Event though this time around it is not silicone poisoning, we at the Scrum Sports wish Charlotte a speedy recovery. Say what you will about he booking, but this is a human being that sacrificed A LOT to entertain the fans.
Where is Kari Sane going?
The debate about Kari Sane’s departure from WWE has been a mixed bag of information. However, according to Tokyo Sports, a very reliable source. Kari WILL leave for Japan after SummerSlam, the reason is the same as before. To be with her husband, the two wed in February of 2020. Yet, the wrinkle in this news that was reported by Dave Meltzer is that, Kari WILL still be a part of WWE. Something more as an ambassador for Japan. This may be the way WWE is looking to gain a foothold in Japan. Especially after NXT UK practicality shutting down, due to the COVID-19 virus and especially the #SpeakingOut movement. It seems that WWE has no choice but to try and take on the Japanese territory.
Will Osprey confesses.
The talented Will Osprey confessed on Instagram that he nearly committed suicide just weeks ago. Here is his testimony..
“Few weeks ago, I came very close to something I know I’d regret. I’m still dragging my feet but I’m getting better. I’m still smiling, barely but a smile nonetheless. Suicide isn’t an option even when you feel like you’ve dropped the world, learning and pushing forward to be better is an option. Thank you to the people who have ever made me smile and been there to pick me up. Because of you, my heart still beats. I love you all.
Thank goodness that Will found courage through his fans and not to commit suicide and that his fans helped him through this rough part of life. It’s a long journey to overcome depression, if you ever need help please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.. 1-800-273-8255. Your life and any other’s life IS ALWAYS WORTH SAVING. Stay strong Will and anybody that may have the same thoughts.
The man that changed WWE and may want to go back to NXT.
It has been revealed that main reason the “audience” for WWE tapings are wearing masks is non other than Kevin Owens. Owens went straight to Vince McMahon and discussed his worries about WWE workers not wearing masks hen not in a ring, performing. For most fans know, KO is a family man with children. Owens concerns and most likely draw factor changed Vince’s mind about face masks needed. Now the WWE is fining talent that do not wear face masks that can go up to $1,000. That is a stiff penalty for talent that are in the developmental stage.
Owens also talked about his desire to return to NXT. Stating..
“I have been vocal about wanting to go back there as I’d love to help make NXT grow even more and help make it as big as it can be, so that we have three brands people know about, I would love for people to be just as aware of NXT as they are about Raw and SmackDown.”
Would you be excited about a full NXT KO run? Let us know!
WrestleMania 37 in Los Angeles?
WWE and it’s main event, WrestleMania has entered a conundrum. It has been set that Mania 37 will hail from the SoFi Stadium, California in 2021. However, with the spike of COVID-19 virus, it may be a non event. California Governor Gavin Newsome has recently re-closed indoor operations at restaurants, bars, and movie theaters after reopening. This can be a big hurdle for WWE and it’s biggest draw. With a timetable of December for WWE to know if the show will go on in California, everything is up in the air due to COVID-19. WWE must have a plan by December on what to do about Mania, as it involves many bookings, travel arrangements, and just plain planning. We will keep you up to date as the news filters through in this crazy time.
WWE Super Star comes out!
After probably her greatest match in WWE, during her title shot on NXT vs Io Shirai. Tegan Nox comes out as a gay
on social media, with her relationship with Sierra St. Pierre. Nox stated..
“My life has always been a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation, but I felt like it was the right time, especially when you’ve found the right one you’re in love with. ‘It was the right time to do that. The reaction has been great. There are a few people who obviously don’t agree with that, but 99 percent of the reactions have been positive”
Nox found comfort in other Super Stars like Sonya Deville and the words from her friends gave her the courage to finally live her life. We at the Scrum Sports are happy that Tegan found the courage to fully live her life. We believe that there should be NO OBSTACLES that blocks one’s happiness. Tegan Nox, we toast you with a Steveweiser and a HELL YEAH!! Live your live and be proud of it!
Former WWE Super Stars appear on Impact’s Slammiversary!
Impact Wrestling’s PPV, Slammiversary featured wrestlers that were let go during one the darkest WWE days in history. Who appeared? Let’s get this started! There was no secret that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson was set to appear. As they spilled the beans during their podcast Talk N’ Shop. The Good Brothers open up on what happened that caused their firing from WWE and that they have signed with Impact Wrestling, a day before Slammiversary. To be quick, they call out Paul Heyman as a “f—ing liar and a piece of s–t!” Tell us you really feel guys. Honestly, this is not surprising, as Heyman has garner this reputation for years. Check out their podcast for the full story!
The surprise appearances were… HEATH “I have kids!” Slater! I really was caught off guard with this one, I figured that Heath will always find is spot back to WWE and be a lifer. Well, Slater has to feed those kids and good for him! Next up, Eric young! Truthfully, there was few talents that WWE squandered like Young. It is great to see him back in the ring and maybe build back up his brand. The Good Brothers ended the night, but there was one more return. A video package from… non other than EC3!!!!! Fantastic reveal! This was after the Good Brothers helped out the new Impact Wrestling Champion, Eddie Edwards. Also, The Motor City Machine Guns returned!
The following winners of Slammiversary were:
- Motor City Machine Guns win over Rascalz
- Moose wins over Tommy Dreamer in a Old Schools match
- Kylie Rae wins the Knockouts Gauntlet Match and becomes the new number one contender for the Knockouts title. A bout that featured Tasha Steelz, Kylie Rae, Keira Hogan, Kimber Lee, Susie, Katie Forbes, Madison Rayne, Havok, Alisha Edwards, Nevaeh, Rosemary,John E. Bravo in cosplay, and Taya Valkyrie.
- Chris Bey wins vs Willie Mack, and is new X-Division Champion.
- The North (Josh Alexander/Ethan Page) retain their tag team title vs Ken Shamrock/Sami Callihan.
- Deonna Purrazzo wins over Jordynne Grace, becoming the new Impact Knockout’s champion.
- Eddie Edwards wins the vacant Impact World Championship.
Big surprises from Impact Wrestling.
Honestly, this was a solid PPV. The lack of ANY crowd hurt A LOT! However, the surprise appearances made this one to casually check out. I am glad to see talents find a venue to continue to prosper. Impact Wrestling may be a dark horse in competition. -David G
