Britt Baker and Max Caster absent from AEW Dynamite

While the AEW Dynamite episode was taking place, Tony Khan reported on social media that Britt Baker was sent to rest due to an unspecified illness. The showdown between Baker and Ruby Soho was rescheduled for next week's episode. Curiously, Adam Cole had to be absent from Forbidden Door last Saturday for the same reasons as his wife.

 

It was also reported that Max Caster was also unable to attend on Wednesday due to the same flu. Originally, Max was scheduled to accompany The Acclaimed at the AEW Rampage tapings after the live broadcast.

The Elite will face Blackpool Combat Club at AEW Blood and Guts 2023

After several weeks of rivalry, and an exchange of victories between one team and another, Jon Moxley spoke on behalf of Blackpool Combat Club, clarifying that it is time to bring his rivalry against The Elite to a definitive close. The solution provided by Mox was three simple words: "BLOOD AND GUTS".

 

Kenny Omega was absent from Dynamite this week. On the other hand, Bryan Danielson will be forced to miss a season because of his forearm injury.

 

AEW Blood and Guts 2023 will take place on Wednesday, July 19 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bryan Danielson Could Extend His Absence From All Elite Wrestling

Bryan Danielson, who scored a historic win at Forbidden Door 2023 against Kazuchika Okada, suffered a forearm injury attempting a flying elbow off the top rope. Initially, Bryan calmed reporters by making it clear that the injury would only take six to eight weeks to heal.

 

However, an update provided by Brie Bella (now known as Brie Garcia) raised alarms among fans. The former WWE wrestler presented on Instagram the x-ray that reveals a much deeper Radius break than anticipated by Danielson in the hours after Forbidden Door.

 

If surgery is confirmed, Bryan Danielson could extend his absence from the ring from three to six months, and could be discharged for the rest of the year within All Elite Wrestling. To this day, neither the company nor Bryan Danielson provided updates on the latter's recovery.

Carmelo Hayes retains the NXT Championship at Gold Rush

Carmelo Hayes managed to retain the NXT Championship after defeating Baron Corbin one-on-one.

 

Under his "The Lone Wolf" persona that he left behind five years ago, Corbin managed to put up a tough battle against the champion with very even dominance. Baron was seen constantly in brutal attacks, including a Powerbomb to the commentary table that greatly affected the champion. However, he was unable to outrun his opponent's quick attacks. A Nothing But Net from Carmelo gave the latter the win on a pinfall count.

 

Hayes got the belt 24 days ago at the Stand and Deliver 2023 special, defeating Bron Breakker.

Tiffany Stratton Retains the Women's Championship at WWE NXT Gold Rush

Tiffany Stratton managed to retain the NXT Women's Championship after defeating Thea Hail.

 

Both women staged an even one-on-one, with the champion seeing her reign in jeopardy during the submission holds applied by her opponent. Charlie Hempsey tried to cheat on behalf of Thea, who reproached him for the fact along with Duke Hudson. This was taken advantage of by Tiffany who used a quick Roll-Up for the pinfall.

 

"The Center of the Universe" got this belt 30 days ago at the NXT Battleground special.

Bryan Danielson wins the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door main event

Bryan Danielson defeated Kazuchika Okada in the Forbidden Door main event.

Both fighters started quite even in the first moments. Bryan managed to corner a "Rainmaker" who showed resistance to blows to his chest.

Okada took the matchup further when he launched Danielson into the crowd area with a Crossbody. With kicks on the top rope, "The American Dragon" managed to push the CHAOS leader away to attack him with a Missile Dropkick. Bryan threw himself into his opponent's arms and almost received the Rainmaker, but managed to escape to use his Psycho Knee and his classic kicks to the chest before receiving the Tombstone Piledriver.

The Blackpool Combat Club man tried to fool the referee with a fake convulsion, and took the opportunity to use a second Psycho Knee. Kazuchika was not indifferent, avoiding a third knee before performing the first Rainmaker of the night. Bryan's response was immediate, so he used a LeBell Lock, and to the surprise of the fans, it was Okada who gave up.

Will Ospreay wins the IWGP United States Championship at Forbidden Door 2023

Will Ospreay won the IWGP United States Championship after defeating Kenny Omega one-on-one.

The two fighters had an extensive one-on-one, which remained intense throughout its development. Don Callis accompanied Ospreay to ringside, only to be thrown out by the referee mid-match.

With both men bleeding and under enormous exhaustion, it looked like Omega would win the match with a One Winged Angel. However, a screwdriver offered by Callis allowed the United Empire leader to escape to use his Storm Breaker. Surprisingly, "The Cleaner" saved himself from the pinfall by placing his foot on the rope. Several minutes later, a second Storm Breaker gave Will the win via pinfall.

Kenny Omega ends a 172-day reign and a single successful defense, which began at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Toni Storm retains the AEW Women's Championship at Forbidden Door 2023

Toni Storm managed to retain the AEW Women's Championship after defeating Willow Nightingale one-on-one.

Despite constant interference from The Outcasts, Willow managed to fight back in order to leave Toronto with a second belt in her possession. After the referee ejected Ruby Soho and Saraya, NJPW Strong Champion came pretty close to victory. However, a shove to the official allowed Toni to use her Storm Zero for the pinfall win.

The Outcasts member earned this title 28 days ago at the Double or Nothing 2022 pay-per-view.

SANADA retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door

SANADA managed to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Jack Perry.

"Jungle Boy" started fast with a lock around his neck looking for his surrender. From here, the "Just 5 Guys" man gained dominance for most of the match, with his opponent barely getting any offense. After receiving two Poisonrana, the challenger received a Moonsault for SANADA's victory via pinfall.

After the match, Jack Perry attacked his partner Hook, much to the shock of those present.

Orange Cassidy retains the International Championship at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door

Orange Cassidy managed to retain the AEW International Championship after defeating Katsuyori Shibata, Daniel Garcia and Zack Sabre Jr.

The four competitors carried out a very even and constant exchange between all of them. In the final moments of the fight, Garcia received Shibata's PK before Cassidy caught the latter for the pinfall win.

Orange Cassidy completes 256 days of reign since his victory at AEW Dynamite: Anniversary 2022. The title was known as "All-Atlantic" until the naming change made on March 15.

CM Punk advances to the Owen Hart Tournament semi-final at Forbidden Door 2023

CM Punk managed to advance in the Owen Hart Tournament after defeating Satoshi Kojima at Forbidden Door 2023.

Kojima started with an advantage against "The Best in the World". The latter recovered and attacked with several Lariats, as well as repeating the Powerslam and Legdrop combination he performed last night at Collision. Finally, Punk used his GTS on Satoshi for the pinfall win.

Thus, CM Punk advances to the Owen Hart Tournament semifinal. His opponent will be decided next week at AEW Collision, when Samoa Joe and Roderick Strong face off in the first round.

MJF retains the AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door 2023

Maxwell Jacob Friedman managed to retain the AEW World Championship after defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door 2023.

Tanahashi dominated the opening moments, causing the champion to almost leave the scene before being greeted with chants of "coward". MJF managed to rally with several locks until the referee stopped a hold against the ropes, allowing "The Ace" to regain ground. Hiroshi stopped joking as soon as he got a poke in the eyes that sparked his fury. "The Salt of the Earth" distracted the referee with his belt, and hit Hiroshi's forehead with his ring for the pinfall win.

MJF got this title 218 days ago at the Full Gear 2022 pay-per-view after defeating Jon Moxley.

IMPACT Wrestling Announces More Headline Matches For Australia Tour

IMPACT Wrestling announced three title matches for the tour in Wagga Wagga, Australia: Down Under Tour. The X-Division, Tag Team and Digital Media championships will be in dispute on the company's international tour in the oceanic country.

Additionally, local wrestler Robbie Eagles, who is under contract to New Japan Pro Wrestling with the TMDK stable, will make his company debut before its Australian audience.

Chris Sabin will put the X-Division Championship on the line in a Triple Threat against Frankie Kazarian and Robbie Eagles.

ABC will defend the World Tag Team Championships against Motor City Machine Guns.

Madison Rayne is dealing with a foot injury

Madison Rayne left IMPACT Wrestling to sign with AEW last summer. She joined the company's women's division as a coach, although she would also participate in some matches on the company's programming.

However, two months ago, it was reported that Rayne may have been injured on ROH's television tapings in early April. A fact that was confirmed today by Tony Khan during the conference call with the media prior to AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II.

Her last match took place during the ROH television tapings on April 7 at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island, where she suffered the aforementioned foot injury that has kept her away from the ring for the past two months. On the other hand, this has not prevented her from continuing to carry out her role as a coach.

Seth Rollins retains the World Heavyweight Championship on WWE NXT

During the WWE NXT broadcasts, superstar Seth Rollins managed to retain the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Bron Breakker.

This was the main event of the NXT Gold Rush special at the WWE Performance Center. Bron took full advantage of the damage his opponent suffered last night on RAW at the hands of Finn Bálor. However, "The Visionary" did not drop and managed to level the match. After escaping from a Stomp, Breakker was hit with a thunderous Frog Splash that tore through the announce table.

The giant was more cautious after the last commercial break and dodged a second jump before applying pressure to the back. Rollins miraculously withstood his opponent's Frankensteiner and Military Press Slam. After getting up from a Spear, Seth caught his opponent in the air and attacked with two Curb Stomps for the win via pinfall.

"The Visionary" celebrates 24 days since his title victory at Night of Champions 2022.

Wes Lee retains the North American Championship on WWE NXT

During the WWE NXT broadcasts, Wes Lee managed to retain the North American Championship after defeating Tyler Bate.

This was the first showdown of the NXT Gold Rush special at the WWE Performance Center. Despite how evenly matched the two men were, Mustafa Ali's refereeing affected the speed and dynamics of the fight on several occasions, with slow counts and interference affecting the champion and his challenger. 

After landing on opposite sides of the ring, Wes Lee and Tyler Bate began to get "impulsed" from the official to get up and carry on with the match. Precisely, Tyler was affected by this distraction and received his opponent's Cardiac Kick for Lee's victory via pinfall. Ali raised the arm of both fighters, who looked at him doubtfully.

Thus, Wes Lee retains the NXT North American Championship in his tenth title defense.

All Elite Wrestling backstage reacts to CM Punk's words

A few days ago, All Elite Wrestling held the premiere of AEW Collision, its new weekly program for TNT. The first episode of the Saturday show took place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, with CM Punk's return to the company in more than nine months as the main attraction.

There are two very divided backstage opinions regarding the CM Punk promo.

The first is pleasure to hear the wrestler "letting out what he had in his chest", and even surprise when anticipating a possible television agreement when he mentioned the phrase "One Bill Phil" that a WBD executive told him.

However, his "false apology" was called out as a hypocritical act by those who took into account his reaction to Adam Page's promo on the road to Double or Nothing 2022.

People close to The Young Bucks pointed out that the Jackson brothers took their mention lightly, without showing a negative reaction to it.

Trish Stratus qualifies for WWE Money in the Bank 2023

During the Monday Night RAW broadcasts, superstar Trish Stratus managed to qualify for the Money in the Bank 2023 ladder match.

The final RAW Women's Qualifying Match was held en route to the event in London. Trish Stratus and Raquel Rodriguez matched forces for several minutes until Becky Lynch appeared to attack both women. The disqualification favored Stratus, who will join the ladder match that will choose the next "Ms. Money in the Bank". The winner will get a contract that can be exchanged for a title match at any time and place during a period of one year.

Logan Paul joins the ladder match at WWE Money in the Bank 2023

During the Monday Night RAW broadcasts, it has been confirmed that Logan Paul will join the ladder match at Money in the Bank 2023.

On this week's episode in Cleveland, Ohio, Logan Paul spoke to his hometown audience from the top of a ladder. "The Maverick" stated that he is tired of Ohio being a "land of losers", and assured that he will change that next week when he joins the ladder match to become Mr. Money in the Bank. Nearly all of his opponents in London turned up to confront him, starting a physical altercation that ended with Logan lunging at them at ringside before picking up the briefcases.

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 will take place on July 1 from the O2 Arena in London, England.

Tommaso Ciampa returns to WWE RAW

During WWE RAW broadcasts on USA Network, Superstar Tommaso Ciampa made his return to WWE programming in over nine months.

Frustrated at not being able to answer Seth Rollins' open challenge, The Miz offered his own challenge to anyone willing to take him on backstage. "The Blackheart" surprised the audience in Cleveland, Ohio with his entry under the song No One Will Survive, which characterized him during his time at the WWE Performance Center.

Tommaso Ciampa's last WWE appearance occurred on September 17, 2022, facing Bobby Lashley in a company house show. The former NXT Champion was forced to take a break between the ropes to treat a hip injury. Ciampa underwent surgery in October that kept him out of action for the next few months.

All Elite Wrestling softened the Brand Division

A few hours ago, All Elite Wrestling carried out the premiere of AEW Collision, its new weekly program for TNT.

One of the most striking aspects that this new project brings is a "split" in the general cast of All Elite Wrestling, which will be responsible for differentiating the roster from its two main programs. Initially, the rumors pointed out that Dynamite and Collision may have their exclusive stars, but they will not stop appearing in both shows if the narrative requires it.

Interestingly, everything seems to indicate that this idea was not in All Elite Wrestling's plans. The concept of the brand division in the company was intended as something much more rigorous. One of the clues about it is the TRANSFER PORTAL patent that AEW registered on the way to Collision. However, the talents received the report of a much more "softer" concept for this split. The directors of Warner Bros. Discovery agreed not to split the cast despite the fact that they welcomed any intermediate decision.

CM Punk could appear on AEW Dynamite

Several people close to CM Punk have anticipated his participation in AEW Dynamite for the June 21 episode, which will take place at Chicago's Wintrust Arena. If his presence is confirmed, it would be the first time that "The Best in the World" has appeared before the TBS cameras since August 31, 2022, when the episode prior to his fight against Jon Moxley was made in AEW All Out.

However, there is still zero chance of CM Punk and The Elite crossing paths backstage at All Elite Wrestling. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks are away from Chicago for those dates. The three wrestlers recorded promotional videos that will be featured on Dynamite, previewing the road to Forbidden Door and other developing rivalries.

Jey Uso attacks Roman Reigns and leaves The Bloodline

Jey Uso attacked Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in the main event of the Friday Night SmackDown broadcasts and, along with his brother Jimmy, declared themselves out of The Bloodline.

Reigns reminded them that thanks to him they got to WrestleMania, to star in it, because it took them ten years to do it themselves. And to give Jey an example, he confessed that the only one who complained about Jey being the right hand man was Jimmy. Angered, Jey looked at his brother and asked him if it was true. Jimmy confirmed it.

In a fit of anger, he released all his reproach and assured him that such a betrayal was expected from Roman and not from him, he recognized his cousin's work in his careers and then kicked him out of The Bloodline without qualms. But he also announced that he was out and superkicked Reigns. Both team up for another Superkick to Solo Sikoa and close the segment with the same move but duplicated against The Tribal Chief.

Pretty Deadly become the new challengers for the Unified Championships on WWE SmackDown

Pretty Deadly became the new number one contenders for the WWE Unified Tag Team Championships after defeating The Brawling Brutes, The O.C., L.W.O. and The Street Profits during the Friday Night SmackDown broadcasts.

Sheamus and Holland started strong and eliminated the Profits and then The O.C. with a Brogue Kick to Karl Anderson. L.W.O. and Hit Row were also dispatched by Sheamus and his Brogue Kick so it was the turn of Kit Wilson and Elton Prince, who initially refused to enter.

The villains had no advantage despite being more rested for the fight and Sheamus ran over them, with some help from Holland. But in the end, Prince got the tag from Wilson at just the right time, when Sheamus attacked with the Crucifix Bomb, landing a Leg Drop from the heights for the 3-count win.

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo return to WWE NXT

Superstars Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo made a surprise appearance on WWE NXT.

This week's episode at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida saw Scrypts and AXIOM take their first win as a team against the giant Dabba-Kato. After the match, Los Lotharios entered the ring from the stands to attack the winners. Garza and Carrillo clarified in a later interview that they intended to rejoin NXT and belong to its tag team division.

Following their in-ring appearance, Angel Garza and Humberto were interviewed backstage, where they were asked about which team will win the triple threat for a title shot to Tag Team Championships. Garza mentioned that it didn't matter because no one is at their level.

Seth Rollins will face Bron Breakker at WWE NXT Gold Rush

During the WWE NXT broadcasts through the USA Network, it has been confirmed that Seth Rollins will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Bron Breakker next week.

Seven days ago, the former NXT champion challenged "The Visionary" to face him at the WWE Performance Center for his top title. Bron Breakker reappeared before the public moments ago looking for answers from his opponent. Seth Rollins was present on the development territory screens to accept Breakker's challenge for next week.

Nathan Frazer wins the Heritage Cup at WWE NXT

During WWE NXT broadcasts through the USA Network, wrestler Nathan Frazer won the NXT Heritage Cup after defeating Oro Mensah hand in hand, who represented former champion Noam Dar.

This was the third matchup of the day on Tuesday at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Unable to defend due to an attack by Dragon Lee last week, Noam Dar sent Oro Mensah into tonight's title match to "defend his honor."

Although Nathan Frazer started with a fall in his favor, dirty tricks from Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson put him at a disadvantage. After Oro got the first point, Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon stepped in to knock both villains out of the way, allowing Frazer to land his Phoenix Splash on Mensah for the pinfall victory in the fourth round.

Thus, Nathan Frazer wins the NXT Heritage Cup, his first official recognition within WWE. Noam Dar ends a reign of 342 days and a single successful defense that began in the now extinct NXT UK. The Scottish Supernova defeated Mark Coffey in London, England to earn this recognition for the second time in his career.