Sting

AEW Dynamite continues to thrive since WWE NXT's move to Tuesday nights, as Dynamite scored another ratings win this week.

According to F4WOnline's Bryan Alvarez, Dynamite averaged 889,000 viewers during its two-hour timeslot on TNT, while NXT averaged 744,000 viewers for its two-hour show on USA Network.

Darby Allin once again defended the TNT Championship in the main event of Dynamite, this time against 10 of Dark Order. Despite interference from Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky, Allin retained the title.

Page and Sky beat down both Allin and Sting after the match, but Lance Archer ran out to make the save despite his recent rivalry with Sting.

Dynamite also featured the final build prior to next week's Blood and Guts match between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle. Members of both stables cut passionate promos and played up the danger of the brutal stipulation.

Also on Dynamite, Brian Cage beat "Hangman" Adam Page, The Young Bucks defeated Matt and Mike Sydal, Orange Cassidy beat Penta El Zero Miedo, Kris Statlander defeated Penelope Ford, The Factory beat The Nightmare Family in a six-man tag team match, Miro turned on Kip Sabian, and Kenny Omega appeared and showed off his new Impact World Championship.

The main event of NXT was a six-man tag team match pitting Legado del Fantasma against Cruiserweight champion Kushida and NXT Tag Team champions MSK.

Legado del Fantasma won the match, meaning Santos Escobar could be in line for a Cruiserweight title rematch, while Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza may soon challenge for the tag titles.

Another key result on NXT saw Bronson Reed beat Austin Theory after a distraction from Dexter Lumis, meaning Reed is again the No. 1 contender for Johnny Gargano's North American Championship.

Cameron Grimes was involved in an entertaining segment as well in which he bought an expensive watch only for WWE Hall of Famer "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to arrive and show off his even more valuable watch.

Additionally on NXT, Mercedes Martinez beat Dakota Kai by disqualification after interference from NXT Women's champion Raquel Gonzalez, Zayda Ramier upset Toni Storm thanks to a distraction from Zoey Stark, Imperium defeated Killian Dain and Drake Maverick, and Adam Cole spoke for the first time since losing to Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

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Orton Reportedly Pushed for Program with Riddle

Randy Orton and Riddle formed a tag team known as RK-Bro on Monday night's episode of Raw, and they enjoyed a successful debut with a win over Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), original plans coming out of WrestleMania 37 called for Riddle to continue his feud with Sheamus over the United States Championship and for Orton to feud with Braun Strowman.

Instead, Sheamus is seemingly involved in a rivalry with Humberto Carrillo, while Strowman beat Drew McIntyre on Raw to earn his way into the WWE Championship match between McIntyre and Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania Backlash.

The decision to pair Orton and Riddle reportedly came about because The Viper was "in favor" of working with The Original Bro.

On last week's Raw, Orton and Riddle faced each other, and Riddle came away with the victory, marking one of the biggest wins of his career.

Fightful Select (h/t Middleton) reported that Orton suffered a "deep bruise" to his shoulder during that match amid speculation of an injury, but it wasn't enough to keep him out of action this week.

Orton congratulated Riddle this week during a backstage segment and expressed interest in teaming with him. The announcers played up the possibility of Orton turning on Riddle, but they worked well together and won the match.

For now, it looks like Orton and Riddle will continue teaming, and perhaps they will even earn a shot at the Raw Tag Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos, but one can only assume that the endgame is for Orton and Riddle to split off and have a blow-off match against each other at a pay-per-view down the line.

Young Bucks Poke Fun at WWE Trash Bag Incident

The Young Bucks often crack jokes at the expense of WWE, so it came as little surprise when they made mention of the company's trash bag controversy on this week's episode of Being The Elite.

At the 14:25 mark of the episode, Nick and Matt Jackson handed Brandon Cutler a plastic bag containing his belongings since Cutler is set to miss some time due to injury:

The segment was a direct shot at WWE's actions following the release of several Superstars on April 15.

Mickie James, who was among the released wrestlers, tweeted a photo of a trash bag WWE mailed to her as a means of sending back some of her belongings. James clearly took issue with the optics of the situation:

Dear @VinceMcMahon Im not sure if you’re aware, I did receive my @WWE care package today. Thank you. #AlwaysBlessedandGrateful #WomensWrestlingMatters 💋 pic.twitter.com/PyDC7ZC9lG

— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) April 22, 2021

After James' tweet went viral, WWE executives Triple H and Stephanie McMahon tweeted their apologies and noted that the person responsible had been fired:

Upon learning of the disrespectful treatment some of our recently released talent received on behalf of the company, we took immediate action. The person responsible for this inconsiderate action has been fired and is no longer with @WWE.

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 23, 2021

.@MickieJames I am embarrassed you or anyone else would be treated this way. I apologize personally and on behalf of @WWE. The person responsible is no longer with our company. https://t.co/nvN4WsKC0I

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) April 23, 2021

WrestlingInc.com's Raj Giri later reported that longtime WWE Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano was the one who was fired over the incident.

James later released a statement in which she called the incident "tone deaf," although she placed no blame on the McMahon family:

♥️ To whom it may concern ♥️ pic.twitter.com/RPGOOazm8F

— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) April 24, 2021

Subsequently, Maria Kanellis said the same thing happened to her last year, and Gail Kim suggested that it was a longstanding practice in WWE.

The Young Bucks and AEW tend to target wrestling fans who are fed up with WWE or aren't WWE fans in the first place, and by poking fun at something that netted WWE some bad PR, The Bucks undoubtedly appealed to that fanbase.

A big reason for The Young Bucks' popularity has been their willingness to fire shots at the biggest wrestling company in the world, and even as AEW continues to grow, they clearly aren't changing their ways.

Allin Praises Sting

TNT champion Darby Allin has worked closely with Sting on AEW programming in recent months, and it is clear that Allin has a great deal of respect for the veteran.

Appearing on Drinks with Johnny (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Allin discussed the street fight he had at Revolution in March, which saw him and The Icon beat Team Taz members Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.

Allin described being hesitant over a certain part of the match only for Sting to pull it off to perfection:

"The only thing that stopped me was when I had to throw the bat down to Sting. I was like, 'Alright, I'm going to throw this down.'—[AEW President] Tony Khan put it best—'You know how the laws of physics work, right? The bat is going to come down and we don't know if it's going to break Sting's face or not.'

"It was the first time in the whole shoot I started thinking like, 'What if I do break Sting's face and he can't finish this match?' He is the one who was like, 'I'm catching that bat.' It was a perfect catch, first try, and he beat the f--k out of everyone. I was on cloud nine."

Sting made his surprise debut for AEW back in December, and he has been a big part of the weekly show ever since.

The 62-year-old legend only has one match to his credit thus far, but he has constantly been working with and around Allin, and he has played a big role in Allin retaining the TNT title on multiple occasions.

Having Allin work side-by-side with Sting is a big vote of confidence in his ability and a sign that AEW has huge things planned for him in the future.

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In the second week of AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT airing on separate nights, Dynamite once again beat NXT in the ratings battle. 

According to Showbuzz Daily, Wednesday night's episode of Dynamite averaged 1.104 million viewers on TNT. Meanwhile, NXT garnered 841,000 viewers during its two-hour broadcast Tuesday on USA Network.

The main event of Dynamite was a TNT Championship match between Darby Allin and Jungle Boy, which Allin won to retain. After the match, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page emerged to attack Allin, but they were run off by Lance Archer and Sting.

Another title match occurred earlier in the night with Hikaru Shida putting the AEW Women's Championship on the line against Tay Conti.

Conti pushed Shida to the limit, but the champ was able to win and retain. After the hard-fought bout, Britt Baker showed up on the stage and pointed to the rankings, which showed her as the new No. 1 contender to Shida.

Also on Dynamite, Christian Cage defeated Powerhouse Hobbs; The Pinnacle, The Inner Circle, The Elite and the team of Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston all took part in promo segments; and Adam "Hangman" Page beat Ricky Starks.

NXT focused heavily on Kyle O'Reilly on the heels of his win over Adam Cole in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. O'Reilly opened the show with a promo, only to be interrupted by Cameron Grimes.

That led to a match between O'Reilly and Grimes in the main event of the show, which O'Reilly managed to win.

Additionally, Sarray made her long-awaited in-ring debut for NXT, facing Zoey Stark in an entertaining match. Stark acquitted herself well, but Sarray prevailed as expected.

Elsewhere in the women's division, Franky Monet interrupted a promo segment involving Io Shirai, while Mercedes Martinez continued to call out NXT Women's champion Raquel Gonzalez.

Other moments of note included L.A. Knight beating Dexter Lumis because of accidental interference from Indi Hartwell, and Cruiserweight champion Kushida defeating Oney Lorcan in an open challenge, only for Legado del Fantasma to attack him, followed by MSK running out to make the save.

    

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Pro wrestling legend Sting paid a huge compliment to Darby Allin, Jungle Boy and AEW following Wednesday's episode of Dynamite. 

Sting addressed the live audience at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, after the show went off the air on the heels of a TNT Championship main event between Allin and Jungle Boy:

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1385058937456758784

The Icon said: "This is the best wrestling I have ever seen, and I mean that. I've seen a lot of years of wrestling."

Sting, 62, broke into pro wrestling in 1985 and went on to become one of the biggest and most recognizable stars in the business.

The Stinger was a eight-time world champion in WCW before winning five world titles in TNA and then having a brief run in WWE that included a match against Triple H at WrestleMania 31.

Sting has seen and done it all in the world of pro wrestling, which is why his opinion carries such weight.

The legendary wrestler has been working with Allin since making his AEW debut in December, and they even tagged together in a victory over Team Taz members Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at Revolution.

On Wednesday, Allin beat Jungle Boy in a tightly contested match to retain the TNT Championship, but Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page did a run-in afterward, attacking Allin.

Lance Archer emerged to make the save but got attacked as well, only for Sting to show up and chase off the heels.

Sting has been a big part of AEW's weekly programming since his debut, but he has largely allowed the younger stars like Allin and Jungle Boy to shine, which is likely the key to AEW's long-term success and sustainability.

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Sting sought to channel something inside of Lance Archer during Wednesday's edition of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite.

The Icon showed a level of respect toward Archer, telling him he's "main event material" and has the potential to challenge for the AEW Championship again.

Wait did @Sting just really say that..... #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/E4mAfw5eia

— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) April 8, 2021

Upon making his debut in AEW, Sting slowly built up a friendship with Darby Allin. Together, they defeated Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at Revolution in March.

The storyline was not only a good way to introduce Sting to the promotion but also provided a big spotlight to Allin. The same thing could happen for Archer should this be the prelude to a long-term program.

Archer already has one legend, Jake Roberts, by his side, but Sting is simply in a different class. Perhaps the former WCW star will help lead The Murderhawk Monster to greater heights.

Conversely, being the first guy to beat Sting in AEW would be a great stepping stone before challenging Kenny Omega for the world title.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

    

Details on The Hurt Business Breaking Up

On Monday's episode of Raw, The Hurt Business seemed to officially breakup, as WWE champion Bobby Lashley and MVP disowned Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.

Lashley and MVP called Benjamin and Alexander out for losing to Drew McIntyre in a handicap match the week before and getting themselves banned from ringside at WrestleMania 37. That led to Lashley assaulting both of them.

Benjamin and Lashley faced each other in an official match later in the night, which Lashley won, and a match between Lashley and Alexander was teased for next week.

MVP said Benjamin and Alexander are done in The Hurt Business, which suggests Lashley and MVP are the only ones left standing in the group.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), the decision to break up The Hurt Business was made by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon despite objections by those in the group.

Lashley and MVP reportedly met with McMahon in an attempt to "talk some sense into him," but Vince just "dug his heels" in and moved forward with the plan.

The timing of the move was somewhat surprising since Lashley could use some backup at WrestleMania against McIntyre.

As part of the storyline, Lashley has offered a WrestleMania title match to anyone who is able to take McIntyre out. Multiple Superstars tried to take Lashley up on his offer, including King Corbin, who helped Lashley attack McIntyre to conclude Raw.

While the angle is intriguing, it is difficult to rationalize why WWE would want to break up what has been arguably the best stable in the company over the past several months.

   

TNT Was Reportedly Upset with Sting's AEW Debut

Chris Jericho said on a recent episode of his podcast that TNT was not happy about AEW's decision to keep Sting's debut in December a surprise.

On Talk Is Jericho (h/t Upton), Jericho said:

"When Sting was a surprise, [TNT] was like, 'Don't do that again.' That's why Paul Wight was announced on social media because TNT said, 'We don't want surprises, we want to take advantage of the ratings.' We had a big surprise, a big announcement, and we used the big announcement to announce the next big surprise. I think that's one of the reasons too, to spread it out a little."

AEW did not announce Sting's debut ahead of time, which made for a memorable moment. While wrestling fans enjoy surprises, it is understandable why a network like TNT would prefer for something to be announced ahead of time due to the impact it could have on television ratings.

To Jericho's point, AEW announced the shocking signing of Paul Wight on social media and advertised his first appearance on Dynamite following the Sting situation.

AEW then used Wight's Dynamite debut to set up a surprise for Revolution, which ended up being the debut of another former WWE Superstar in Christian Cage.

It is important for wrestling companies to find the right balance between what should be a surprise and what should be advertised, but from a wrestling fan's perspective, Sting being a surprise was undoubtedly the best choice.

Some anticipated Sting joining AEW at some point, but the fact that he did without any prior clues added to the excitement and hype, and likely aided in AEW getting a ratings bump for Dynamite the following week anyway.

   

Jushin Liger Reportedly Not Part of WWE HOF Ceremony

Jushin "Thunder" Liger reportedly won't be part of the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which will stream Tuesday on Peacock.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Upton), Liger will not appear in any capacity, and it is unclear why.

WWE announced Liger as part of the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class last year, but no ceremony was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, this year's Hall of Fame special will see members of both the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame classes honored.

Liger was announced as part of a class with Batista, John Bradshaw Layfield, The Bella Twins, The British Bulldog the nWo and William Shatner.

The 2021 class includes Kane, Eric Bischoff, Molly Holly, Rob Van Dam and The Great Khali thus far.

Batista announced that he would not take part in this year's ceremony due to a prior engagement, but plans to accept his spot in the Hall of Fame in the future:

https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/1374461713827778575

It is possible Liger is in a similar situation, although no specifics have been provided.

The 56-year-old Liger is one of the most legendary Japanese wrestlers of all time, and he enjoyed an in-ring career that stretched from 1984-2020.

Liger's last match before retiring was a tag team match at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 14 in 2020, which saw him and Naoki Sano lose to Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee.

In addition to being arguably the greatest junior heavyweight of all time in Japan, Liger was a Light Heavyweight champion in WCW and he wrestled one match for WWE, beating Tyler Breeze at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015.

      

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