In this interview Ilja Dragunov talks about what he loves about AEW: “We love this craft. I’m the part of a company that loves this craft with all devotion and all the heart, and that’s the focus. Even the fans, when they approach AEW and watch Dynamite or Collisions or the pay-per-views, they want to see this craftsmanship at their highest level. So that’s a major change. The people come in, and they know what they’re coming in for.”
Here’s an update from Conrad Thompson on Jim Ross: “As you all know, J.R. had to do a little outpatient visit recently, and it turns out that he got a bit of a chest cold; he’s got some sort of infection in his chest. They said that his oxygen was low, so he spent the night in the hospital, but I’m happy to report that he is home and on the mend.” Great to hear!
WWE is planning “a loaded show” when NXT and AEW go head to head November 4th. (WO)
Track star Elly Finch has reportedly been signed to a WWE developmental deal. (PWI)
The lawsuit against Jon Moxley and AEW has a new development — the presiding judge denied a motion for a change of venue to Florida.
Tomoaki Honma just had successful elbow surgery. Best wishes to him!
Damian Priest says he’s in “a better place” now: “I’m feeling a lot better. I got some procedures done while I never took a day off, you know what I mean? So, I got some stuff done to ease pain and I feel a lot better. I think people can see it visually. I’m training differently, I’m getting back into the shape that I used to be in and it’s all because I feel better. I’m in a better head place too, you know – I got myself down and for somebody who likes to think positively of myself and my career, I started doing the opposite and I had to check myself a little bit. So that came with my health, physically and mentally. I’m in a good place now, man.”
In a sign the ongoing slow motion train wreck that is Crown Jewel in Riyadh is not getting off the tracks, the Raw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in November 2nd has a new start time of 6 PM ET to tape SmackDown the same night then get the talent out of the country to Saudi Arabia. (FF)
Syko Stu recounts what happened with Raja Jackson: “So we came up with the angle, and we wrote it in after the beer can thing; you want to get your credibility back or whatever the case may be. So I believe it was supposed to be one punch and that was it. But I was out on the slam.” He says he has no memory of the beating he got and his memory of what happened before the show is hazy due to a TBI.
