CM Punk Return Rejected By WWE; October 11th Live Wrestling News Round-Up

It seems Halloween will have more than just tricks, treats, and monsters to contend with this year as the annual holiday has drawn the ire of Bryan Danielson!

On the latest episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, Danielson advocated for Halloween costumes to be banned due to their impact on the environment. The American Dragon argued that Halloween does not celebrate an important value like Thanksgiving nor does it have religious links like Christmas and so he does not see the point in celebrating the occasion.

“I think Halloween does a number on the environment. So yeah, I think we should take a stand against Halloween right now and say ‘no more Halloween costumes.’ It’s a very logical argument.

It’s not like Thanksgiving where we’re celebrating family. It’s not like Christmas where depending on your tradition or whatever it is, could be a religious holiday or another family celebration. Halloween is really none of those things, so why are we celebrating and why are we getting dressed up?”

At the time of writing, Halloween is still set to go ahead on October 31st but it might not be for long if Danielson has anything to say about it…

h/t to SEScoops

AEW has settled a lawsuit relating to the merchandising rights of the Luchasaurus mask.

Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics reported the news on X, revealing that an order of dismissal has been filed in the lawsuit between AEW and Composite Effects as the two sides have come to a settlement.

Composite Effects first filed the lawsuit back in December 2022, alleging that AEW and Austin Matelson, better known as Luchasaurus, had violated the merchandising rights of Matelson’s mask as the company had created merchandise using the mask when Matelson only had permission to use it for his in-ring work.

AEW attempted to get the lawsuit dismissed earlier this year but their request was denied by a judge, who claimed that Composite Effects had “adequately pleaded” both its breach of contract and LUPTA claims.

AEW and Louisiana-based mask maker Composite Effects (CFX) have reached a settlement in their dispute over the merchandising rights to the Luchasaurus mask.

CFX filed a lawsuit in December of last year alleging that AEW and Austin Matelson (Luchasaurus) are merchandising CFX's… pic.twitter.com/W6nNKfxSiP

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) October 11, 2023

Paul Heyman seemingly had an ulterior motive for appearing on NXT last night as he was seen recruiting a female star into The Bloodline!

The NXT Anonymous X account, which occasionally posts kayfabe behind-the-scenes goings-on at NXT, posted a clip during last night’s edition of NXT. In it, Paul Heyman can be seen talking to someone in a secluded room whilst pointing to the Bloodline logo on his phone. The camera pans over to reveal the other person to be Ava Raine, the daughter of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

On NXT itself, Heyman accompanied Bron Breakker for his match in the main event against Carmelo Hayes, who was accompanied by an equally huge star in John Cena.  Breakker ultimately fell to Hayes and as he attempted to get some revenge post-match, The Undertaker appeared and delivered a chokeslam to the former NXT Champion.

👁️ pic.twitter.com/QGVcH1aTwE

— NXT Anonymous (@NXT_Anonymous) October 11, 2023

Adam Copeland has revealed that plans for The Judgement Day that were set to take place over a year were scrapped.

During an appearance on Talk Is Jericho, Copeland discussed his short-lived run as leader of The Judgement Day. The former Edge revealed that he was actually meant to lead the group for a year after Finn Balor joined, but plans changed and he was instead kicked out of the faction just a day later.

“When we were doing Judgment Day, the plan was that Balor joins and about a year later, they all turn on me. Well, then I got to Hell in a Cell and it was like, no, we’re changing everything and we’re speeding up that year long process and he’s joining tomorrow and turning tomorrow, and it was just starting to find some legs, but it was going to be swimming upstream with me in it. It really was.

I started to have that realization. It’s like, I don’t think they’re gonna get where they need to get to with me in this thing. People know the real story and that was an instance where I did try and flip everything, change it all overnight, cut my hair off, change the music, and start coming out in suits. I tried changing everything and I realized at this stage, it’s not what they want, at least for me. They wanted to be able to cheer for this guy that they didn’t get for nine years.”

h/t to WrestlingNewsCo

Was kicking Edge out of The Judgement Day so soon the right choice? Let us know your thoughts through the link above!

Demetrious Johnson has urged Tony Khan to let him “beat the s**t” out of a particular AEW star!

A few days before his Street Fighter showdown with Kenny Omega, Johnson was in attendance for AEW WrestleDream. The former UFC fighter recently shared a clip of his experience on his X account, showing him getting into a verbal spat with Sammy Guevara during the event.

In the clip, Guevara taunts Johnson and his family several times during his WrestleDream match before it cuts to Sammy jokingly confronting them backstage at the event. Johnson accompanied the clip with a caption directed at AEW President Tony Khan:

Please @TonyKhan, let me beat the sh*t out of this jacka** @sammyguevara #AEWDynamite

It didn’t take long for Guevara to hit back, replying with a shot at Johnson’s height:

“Yes @TonyKhan, let me fight this life sized micro brawler”

At the time of writing, Khan has not responded to either man’s X posts.

It seems it isn’t out of the question that Bryan Danielson could still wrestle in Japan as he looks to wind down his in-ring career.

Last month, Bryan Danielson admitted that it may be “irresponsible” of him to compete in the G1 Climax at this stage in his career. However, he wasn’t so pessimistic about wrestling in Japan in general in a new interview!

Appearing on The Nikki & Brie Show, The American Dragon responded to a fan-submitted question on if he’ll ever wrestle in Japan again. Danielson admitted it was a “never say never” situation but claimed it was a matter of his schedule and time.

“Maybe (Danielson responded when asked if he’ll wrestle in Japan again)… I never say never.

Wrestling in Japan is one of my favorite places in the world to wrestle if not the favorite place and so, yeah, I’ve loved wrestling in Japan and would love to wrestle there more. It’s just a matter of schedule and it’s just a matter of, you know, time.”

Adam Copeland has praised Darby Allin, comparing the AEW original to both Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy!

The former Edge was the latest guest on Talk Is Jericho and the topic of Darby Allin cropped up during the conversation. Copeland praised Allin as a special talent and pointed out that he sees parts of Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy in the young star!

“A guy like Darby. I know he’s already a lynchpin to this place and is one of the foundations, but that guy, he’s special. I told him this and I meant it with the utmost respect because sometimes when you compare to other people…it’s just natural to compare. I was like, ‘You’re Rey Mysterio with Jeff Hardy splashed all over you.’

That’s awesome. He does (have the x-factor). He has that thing. He knows how to sell. How to be aggressive, when to be aggressive, it’s fun to see. Meeting him, seeing his attitude, I really think that guy is special.”

h/t to Fightful

The first official trailer for ‘The Iron Claw’, the upcoming movie based on the Von Erich family, has been released.

The film, which was first announced back in June 2022, is set to release later this year and will star the likes of Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Lily James, and even AEW World Champion MJF. Chavo Guerrero and Ryan Nemeth are also set to feature in smaller roles.

Earlier today, the film’s production company A24 released its first official trailer across social media, which focuses primarily on Efron as Kevin Von Erich, his relationship with his wife and family, and hints at the tragedies that befall the family in the latter half of the trailer.

Check out the trailer above and let us know what you think by using the thumbs down below!

Bianca Belair has discussed when she could return to WWE programming amidst her ongoing absence from the company.

Belair hasn’t appeared since the August 18th edition of SmackDown where she was injured in kayfabe by Damage CTRL but subsequently went on to beat Bayley and IYO SKY in a tag team match alongside Charlotte Flair. In the time since then, she has only made one public appearance: Appearing at the New York Stock Exchange last month to celebrate TKO Group Holdings’ formation.

In a new interview with Rolling Out, Belair gave an update on when her ongoing hiatus could end, hinting that her return could come sooner rather than later!

“Hopefully, I’ll be back on SmackDown sometime soon. In the coming future, we got me and my husband. We have a Hulu show coming out, a reality series, so be on the lookout for that. Just a lot of exciting things for the future.”

Below are the results for the October 13th 2023 edition of AEW Rampage, which was taped following last night’s AEW Dynamite and is set to air this Friday. Full spoilers below, you have been warned!

• Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker defeat Brother Zay and The Hardys
• Skye Blue defeats Emi Sakura
• Jay Lethal defeats Trent Baretta
• The Blackpool Combat Club defeat The Gates of Agony

Following the main event, Castagnoli and Yuta brought out Tony Khan to the live crowd to celebrate his birthday and the three did the crab dance together.

Results courtesy of Bodyslam.net

Despite previous reports, Cash Wheeler being injured is NOT the reason FTR lost their AEW World Tag Team titles on Collision!

In a shocking upset, Ricky Starks and Big Bill dethroned FTR to become the new AEW World Tag Team Champions on AEW Collision this past Saturday. Shortly after the match, a report emerged that Cash Wheeler had suffered an injury and this was why Starks and Bill won the titles in such a dominant fashion.

However, that report has since been disputed. Speaking on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Wheeler is, in fact, not injured and the angle was done in order to establish Starks and Bill as a major new team in the tag division.

“So the deal, I guess, is that Cash Wheeler wasn’t hurt, and it’s all storyline. [He wasn’t hurt?] No, it’s storyline. And, you know, it was just to put those guys over big. And, you know, they’re gonna be back in the mix. And it was, it was the match thing. I mean, the match thing was their idea for sure.

[Alvarez mentioned no one disputed Cash Wheeler was injured up until this point] They said that it’s all story. There’s no injury, it was just that. But there’s supposed to be a rematch. I mean, the way it was laid out. It’s setting up a rematch. When Ricky Starks and Big Bill said there’s gonna be no rematch. It was to say it was basically set up a rematch.”

h/t to TJRWrestling

WWE has uploaded last night’s NXT main event between Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker in its entirety to their YouTube channel.

The bout saw the two former NXT champions clash accompanied by John Cena and Paul Heyman respectively. Hayes ultimately came out victorious over Breakker and even received some assistance from The Undertaker himself after Breakker attempted a post-match beatdown.

What did you think of last night’s NXT main event? Check out the match above and let us know your thoughts here!

Former NXT star The Velveteen Dream has denied rumours that he recently visited the WWE Performance Center.

Recently, a rumour has emerged that Dream, real name Patrick Clark, has been in rehabilitation and undergoing therapy. Furthermore, the rumour also claimed the former NXT North American Champion has visited the WWE Performance Center several times as of late.

Last night, Fightful Select spoke to multiple sources at the PC who all denied that Clark had visited and WWE themselves told the outlet they had no information on the situation. Now, Clark himself has outright denied the rumour in a new Instagram Story.

“I AM NOT IN A REHABILITION FACILITY NOR HAVE I VISITED ORLANDO, FLORIDA – THE WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER – OR ANY WWE EVENTS OR FACILITIES.

I encourage all wrestling media and platforms to highlight the women and men who put together awesome weekly television! And not waste time publishing and pushing false narratives and fake news about me! I haven’t contributed anything to your line of entertainment for YEARS!

Please do better and use your platforms to showcase the bright and promient future that is PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING.”

AEW World Champion MJF has addressed a controversial AEW Dynamite segment involving himself and Bullet Club Gold.

During AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday last night, MJF was confronted by Bullet Club Gold ahead of his AEW World Championship defense against the group’s leader Jay White. Controversy arose when Juice Robinson revealed a roll of quarters with “FRIEDMAN” written across them, referencing antisemitic bullying Friedman was subject to as a child.

The segment received a mixed reaction on social media with some believing it went too far and should not have been approved.

Now, the AEW World Champion has addressed the segment’s divisive nature. Taking to X, MJF said it brought about awareness of bullying in general and used the post to promote his appearance at a convention later this week standing against Jewish hate.

“Tonight that piece of shit, Juice Robinson decided to bring up a story from my childhood that has left me scared. I’m glad he did. He brought awareness to something we’ve all gone through in one way, shape, or form in our lives.

On behalf of anyone who’s ever been bullied for being different in any capacity. I look forward to leaving him scared too. I also look forward to this Thursday #StandUpToJewishHate”

Tonight that piece of shit, Juice Robinson decided to bring up a story from my childhood that has left me scared.

I’m glad he did. He brought awareness to something we’ve all gone through in one way, shape, or form in our lives.

On behalf of anyone who’s ever been bullied for… pic.twitter.com/wc1oba4YFG

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™️ (@The_MJF) October 11, 2023

WWE has reportedly turned down the opportunity for CM Punk to return to the promotion.

Last week, it was reported that CM Punk was in talks with WWE regarding a potential return for the first time since his abrupt exit following the 2014 Royal Rumble. However, multiple reports since then have refuted that.

During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has since claimed that the company rejected the possibility of the two-time AEW World Champion returning due to the negatives outweighing the positives.

“They turned him down. He wanted to go there and the decision was a no. It can always change, and it was brought up to me, there’s no such thing as ‘no forever’ when it comes to WWE, but it’s no for now.

That was the decision that was made. It’s Vince’s decision. Vince, Nick Khan, Paul Levesque, and obviously they decided that the negatives outweighed the positives.”

Do you want to see CM Punk back in WWE? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

h/t to WrestleTalk

Good morning everyone, hope you’ve had a great week so far!

Welcome back to the ITRWrestling live blog! I’ll be with you from 12pm to 6pm BST (7am – 1pm ET) covering all the biggest stories from WWE, AEW, NJPW, IMPACT and more.

Today’s top stories are:

• CM Punk Return Rejected By WWE
  
• MJF Addresses Controversial AEW Dynamite Segment
• Velveteen Dream Debunks WWE Performance Center Rumour