Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Samoa Joe calls the injury to Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson) his biggest regret: “To this day that probably remains the largest regret in my career that that happened. But that doesn’t change things for Tyson. Doesn’t change things for a guy who is probably one of the most passionate people in the world of professional wrestling. For a guy who has an amazing mind for it. WWE is fortunate to have him. Because even though he’s not in a physical role within the company, the finishes, his ability to put together matches and be a producer and agent are unparalleled. It just makes me sick to this day that that guy is not out there being the Tyson Kidd that I know that he is. He’s an amazing human being. He a great understanding of a greater picture and when you talk about guys who who are great finish men, guys who can produce, he’s going to be heralded as one of the dudes there if he isn’t already.”
In this interview Bret Hart says he may start his next book talking about his WWE return in 2010: “I think I have some very interesting chapters about when I came back in 2010 and did that whole storyline with Vince. A lot of people don’t rate it that much or some people thought it was really bad or not very good stuff, pro wrestling-wise, but I loved the stuff I did with Vince in that time period. I was grateful for the opportunity to come back and re-write my ending so there wasn’t quite the… I found once I left WWF and retired from wrestling around 2000, it was always a bad ending and everything they talk to me about was stuff that triggered bad feelings and bad emotions. ‘Was the screw job a work? It was all pretend.’ Scott Hall and different guys circulated this idea that it was all planned out, that me and Vince planned the whole screw job and it was never real, which is not true. I was always really frustrated that that was the final chapter in my career and life in wrestling. When that whole opportunity presented itself with Vince, I knew it was a chance to re-write the ending a little bit. I don’t know if the greatest ending, it wasn’t the greatest wrestling I ever did, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed every bit of it and I wouldn’t change any of it. It was an important page for me to turn the corner and move on, get on with my life. I’ve never been asked much about the screw job and whether it was real since then even thought you’d think you’d get bothered by that even more. I love the storyline that I did with Vince and I thought some of the stuff we did was really good and I thought the final match that I had at WrestleMania was everything you could hope for under the circumstances. I was always really proud of it. I love how it ended and what we did. I would love to write about that. In fact, that would probably be the opening chapter of my second book if I can get the time to focus on it and write about that.”
After spewing a bunch of transphobic and homophobic remarks online, implying that “wrestlers are entertainers and entertainers should stay out of politics” in the process, Chelsea Green stepped up to respond: “Val, I’ve been holding back from responding with the same level of hostility you’ve shown, but since you keep tagging me, I’ll say this and I won’t be responding again: I’m Canadian – I can’t even vote. So when I speak about human rights, I’m not talking about politics; I’m talking about equality. Although I am sure you would love to take this time to further push your political agenda, I will continue to push for the LGBTQ+ community with my cis privilege. It is the least I can do. End of discussion.”
Is Akira Tozawa teasing retirement? “It’s been 20 years since my first match. Maybe I’ve been doing this for too long.”
Here’s the card for Impact tonight on AXS TV. (TNA)
- Masha Slamovich, Xia Brookside & Lei Ying Lee vs. Tessa Blanchard, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx
- Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian
- Spitfire vs. Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson
- We’ll hear from the Hardys
- We will have a special announcement from Santino Marella
- The System public firing
- We’ll hear from Steph de Lander and Mance Warner
And here’s the Ring of Honor card for Honor Club. (ROH)
- ROH Pure Championship: Lee Moriarty (c) vs. AR Fox
- ROH Tag Team Championship Proving Ground: Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara vs. Griff Garrison & Cole Karter
- Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, & Volador Jr vs. Mascara Dorada, Titan, & Templario
- Dark Order (Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds) vs. The Infantry
- The Outrunners vs. Premier Athletes (Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari)
- The Gates of Agony in action
The non-spoiler card for Collision on Saturday night is below. (AEW)
- Mercedes Mone & Harley Cameron vs. Athena & Julia Hart
- Cash Wheeler vs. PAC
- Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii
- Dante Martin & Darius Martin vs. Lio Rush & Action Andretti
- Mike Bailey vs. Dralistico w/ Ricochet on commentary for the match
Via social media Booker T addressed allegations he was an enabler for Chasyn Rance by doing a training seminar at his wrestling school: “I’ve been a guest trainer at hundreds of wrestling schools over the years, helping to teach and mentor up-and-coming talent. I don’t conduct background checks on every trainer or individual I’ve crossed paths with or taken photos with along the way. This feels like a clear attempt to falsely associate me with something I have 100% nothing to do with and absolutely no knowledge of! Any student who’s trained with me can vouch for the kind of coach, mentor, and person I am. My record speaks for itself.”
The last WWE LFG had 151,000 viewers, down from the prior week’s 156,000. The 18-49 demo went down from 0.05 to 0.04. WWE Rivals did the opposite, going from 0.04 to 0.05 with an increase from 160K to 187K. WWE’s Greatest Moments also rose from 115K to 161K. (PI)
Mike Bailey talks about Ricochet’s issues: “So it’s funny because Ricochet, again, he is one of the world’s most talented wrestlers. He is one of the most influential high flyers of our generation, right? Extreme innovator. Just push the envelope. Unbelievable stuff. Hasn’t really seen a lot of success in terms of wins in AEW, right? He lost a, lost to Swerve and lost his previous championship opportunities, again, came close, but I think that Ricochet, his main issue right now is he is way more interested in trolling than in winning professional wrestling matches. I think what I have to do is I’m focused on Kenny Omega. He’s the champion. I have to beat the champion and I have to not let Ricochet get in the way.”
Daria Berenato f/k/a Sonya Deville is attending Invicta FC 61 tomorrow. (PWI)
AEW All In: Texas ticket holders were sent an email today notifying them that the start time has been changed. It will now begin at 2 PM ET/1 PM CT at Globe Life Field in Arlington on July 12th. (PWI)
