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On the eve of his match with Satoshi Kojima at All Out, AEW star Jon Moxley won the GCW championship Saturday night.
Moxley pinned Matt Cardona with a Paradigm Shift onto light tubes during the Art of War Games show to win the title.
Prior to the match, Cardona beat Frank The Clown with a belt shot to retain the title. He then fought off an attack by G-Raver and a group of druids.
After dispatching G-Raver and most of the group, there was still one person dressed up as a druid in the ring with Cardona. The druid hit him with the DDT and took off the mask to reveal it was Moxley.
Moxley's title win wasn't the only surprise at the show Saturday night. Nick Gage came out and challenged the new champion to a death match at the GCW event on Oct. 9 in Atlantic City.
AEW fans who saw the exploding barbwire death match between Moxley and Omega at Revolution—at least before the explosion failed to deliver—in March know to expect a wild, violent confrontation between two wrestlers, who will go all-out to put on the best possible match.
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John Cena believes UFC lightweight mixed martial artist Conor McGregor would be a great fit in WWE.
Cena spoke with Dan Patrick on the That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast (h/t Eric Mutter of Wrestling Inc) and provided his opinion on the matter when asked:
He'd be fantastic. He is what we do. What he does is a little less predictable. Our surprises are getting people to show up at random, and trying to weave the choose-your-own-adventure to a different alley. His surprises are getting a few teeth knocked out or getting an operation. Not to say that doesn't happen with us, mistakes happen with us. But in his profession, it's not a mistake. It's a certainty.
Cena is hoping that comes to fruition.
"I hope, because I want to see it," Cena said. "At my core, I'm a fan and he's interesting. He has a gravity about him. I want to see him perform."
The door appears wide open for McGregor if he ever chooses to make WWE appearances.
McGregor engaged in some banter with WWE Superstar and fellow Irishman Finn Balor last February, and Triple H interjected to let him know that McGregor was welcome.
Cena isn't the only person who thinks McGregor would work out in WWE. Balor said so himself in a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated.
Matt Riddle, who made the transition from MMA to WWE, feels the same way. He spoke with Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda last month:
He's Conor McGregor. The guy puts butts in seats. The guy has a mouth on him. I don't know if he would pass the PG WWE code. But I guess he could do his best. At the end of the day, it's like Jake Paul or any of them...I don't know how they're doing it but they get people talking, they're controversial, they make money with fights and drama.
Do I think he'd be a good fit for WWE? If he's willing to do the work and work hard and put his time in, yeah. Just like Ronda was good. Just like I'm good. But if you think you're just going to come in, collect a payday which will probably happen and be more like a Cain (Velasquez) situation, where a guy comes in, even if he had the skills, only comes in for a show or two. I think it'd be great for business. Conor's good, marketable, and everything else.
McGregor is currently rehabbing a broken leg suffered in his first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July. He's a former two-division UFC champion who previously held lightweight and featherweight titles. The 33-year-old is 22-6 as a professional.
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WWE reportedly signed Olympic gold medal-winning heavyweight wrestler Gable Steveson to a contract Saturday.
F4WOnline's Dave Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Joshua Gagnon) reported that WWE is Steveson's next destination after he won the 125-kilogram freestyle competition at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo.
Steveson tweeted the following Saturday, seemingly in reference to signing a contract:
WWE and Steveson were linked even before the Olympics, and Steveson was an invited guest to WWE SummerSlam last month after his performance at the Games.
Steveson would be the latest in a long line of accomplished amateur wrestlers to join WWE.
The most notable among them is Kurt Angle, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and became one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time.
Another is Brock Lesnar, who wrestled at the University of Minnesota, just like Steveson. Lesnar is an eight-time world champion in WWE, plus he held the UFC heavyweight championship.
Another link Steveson has to WWE is his older brother Bobby Steveson, who signed with WWE earlier this week. Like Gable, Bobby wrestled at the University of Minnesota.
WWE has a lot of options when it comes to Gable Steveson, from bringing him up slowly through the developmental system as a singles wrestler or tag team wrestler with his brother to putting him on the main roster immediately to capitalize on his popularity.
Regardless of how WWE utilizes Steveson, it could have one of the fastest-rising stars in professional wrestling on its hands already.
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Warning: This article discusses suicide.
Former WCW and TNA wrestler Daffney died Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to the police report.
TMZ Sports reported that police arrived at Daffney's home in Norcross, Georgia, for a welfare check on Thursday after she posted a video on Instagram where she suggested she was considering suicide.
Daffney, whose real name was Shannon Spruill, appeared to be in emotional distress in the video. She said she was "all alone" and that she was "sorry" multiple times in the video.
At the end of the video, Daffney said, "Remember, my brain goes to Boston."
The police report said there was no answer the first time police arrived at Daffney's home, and they left without trying to gain entry.
The police returned "a few hours later" and called in the fire department to unlock the deadbolt. Upon entering the home, Daffney was found on her bed with a gunshot wound to her chest.
The cause of death has yet to be confirmed by a medical examiner.
Spruill, 46, was best known for portraying the Daffney character in several wrestling companies, including WCW and TNA.
She was a key part of the WCW roster from 1999 to 2001 and became just the second woman to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
Daffney also had a regular on-screen role in TNA from 2008 to 2011. She made subsequent appearances for other promotions, including Shine Wrestling and Ring of Honor.
One of All Elite Wrestling's biggest annual events, All Out, will once again emanate from the Chicago area Sunday, and it will feature perhaps one of the most historically significant professional wrestling matches of all time.
After more than seven years out of the game, CM Punk will make his in-ring return in his hometown against rising star Darby Allin. It will mark Punk's first match since competing in the 2014 Royal Rumble match in WWE.
There will also be four titles on the line, including the AEW World Championship, which will be defended by Kenny Omega against Christian Cage.
On top of that, rumors are circulating that former WWE star Daniel Bryan could make his AEW debut at the show.
With excitement mounting for All Out, here is a full rundown of the card and all the information needed to watch it Sunday night.
Where: NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
When: Sunday, Sept 5 at 8 p.m. ET (pre-show starts at 7 p.m. ET)
Watch: PPV available for purchase on Bleacher Report for $49.99. Can be purchased and streamed on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Xbox.
AEW All Out 2021 Match Card
Top Matches to Watch
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
Wrestling fans have waited years to see Punk back inside a ring, and the wait will finally come to an end Sunday when he locks horns with Allin.
Punk has already been on AEW programming on a few occasions, and the reactions have been huge. That was especially true of his return on AEW Rampage in his hometown of Chicago.
It is fitting that Punk's first match back will take place in the Chicago area, which should ensure that the crowd is raucous and 100 percent behind him despite Allin's popularity.
The possibility of ring rust exists given how long Punk has been on the sidelines, but since he was one of the best in-ring workers in the world before leaving wrestling, he shouldn't struggle too much in terms of getting back in the swing of things.
The added element of Sting potentially being in Allin's corner as well brings some additional intrigue to the table, especially if there are plans in place for a Punk vs. Sting dream match in the future.
Perhaps the biggest question related to Punk vs. Allin is where it will go on the card. It could make sense as an opener, but given that it is the most highly anticipated match, it likely deserves the main event slot.
If it does go on last, perhaps an encounter between Punk and Bryan could be the way All Out goes off the air.
Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
Punk vs. Allin may be the match fans most want to see, but it can be argued that the most important match on the card is Omega vs. Cage for the AEW World Championship.
Omega and Christian have been at odds for the past several weeks, and they have already faced each other once, as they went head-to-head in the opening match of the first episode of Rampage.
In that match, Omega put the Impact Wrestling World Championship on the line, and he dropped it to Cage in controversial fashion.
Omega attempted to cheat, but the wily Cage got the upper hand by hitting Omega with a Kill Switch on to a steel chair while the referee's back was turned.
With Christian having a singles win against Omega under his belt, he has the makings of a true threat to end Omega's AEW World title reign as well.
While it seems somewhat unlikely that Omega will drop the title to a veteran like Christian rather than an up-and-coming star like "Hangman" Adam Page down the line, Cage will undoubtedly have plenty of support.
Regardless of the result, it promises to be a quality match between two of the best in-ring workers AEW has to offer.
Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros.
Although it isn't the most significant match of the night, the AEW World Tag Team Championship match between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros. has a legitimate chance to be the best match at All Out.
The Bucks and The Lucha Bros. have a long history, including the memorable ladder match they had for the AAA Tag Team Championships at All Out 2019.
Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo won that bout, but two years later The Young Bucks are at the top of the AEW tag team division.
Like Omega, The Young Bucks have experienced much of their success thanks to outside interference, but that won't be possible at All Out because of the steel cage stipulation.
The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros. have already shown many times over that they have great in-ring chemistry, although they have never faced off in a ladder match.
The added wrinkle should ensure that it is a much different match than ones they had in the past, and it should allow everyone involved to shine as well.
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Brock Lesnar will appear at WWE Super SmackDown at Madison Square Garden in New York City next Friday.
The news was revealed after Paul Heyman, who works as special counsel to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, told the news to the Tribal Chief on this week's edition of SmackDown.
Lesnar returned to WWE after a year-and-a-half hiatus, confronting Reigns at SummerSlam on Aug. 21 following the champion's title defense against John Cena. The two engaged in a staredown as the show went off the air.
Reigns has held the Universal Championship belt for over a year after beating "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a Triple Threat match at Payback in August 2020.
Lesnar hasn't been in the ring since losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. He's a five-time WWE Champion and three-time WWE Universal Champion.
Reigns and Lesnar have a past beef: The two fought each other three times in 2018, with Lesnar defending his Universal title twice before dropping the belt to Reigns at SummerSlam that year.
Now Lesnar clearly wants that title back.
Super SmackDown is set to begin on Fox at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Daniel Bryan Reportedly Scheduled for AEW All Out
In addition to CM Punk competing in his first wrestling match in more than seven years, AEW All Out will reportedly feature the debut of another major star.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), multiple sources have said that Daniel Bryan will make his AEW debut at All Out on Sunday.
Meltzer noted that if Bryan does not appear, it will be because the original plans changed in some way.
Bryan wrestled under his real name, Bryan Danielson, until he signed with WWE in 2009, and he will likely revert back to that name in AEW.
The 40-year-old veteran became one of the biggest stars in wrestling during his WWE tenure, winning the world title five times in addition to being a former Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team champion.
Bryan also competed in the main event of WrestleMania twice at WrestleMania 30 and earlier this year at WrestleMania 37.
The WrestleMania 37 main event saw both Bryan and Edge fall to Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat for the Universal Championship. Bryan then lost a match to Reigns on SmackDown at the end of April, resulting in him having to leave SmackDown.
Shortly after that, it was reported that Bryan's WWE contract had expired and he was a free agent.
Rumors have been circulating for the past several weeks that Bryan was either poised to sign with AEW or had already done so, and Meltzer has essentially confirmed those reports.
If Bryan does appear at All Out, it is safe to assume he will show up after the main event. Punk vs. Darby Allin or Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage could be in that spot.
Either way, Bryan would represent another massive signing for AEW just weeks after the arrival of Punk.
Orton vs. Lashley Reportedly Scheduled for Extreme Rules
WWE reportedly has plans for a big WWE Championship clash at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on Sept. 26.
According to Meltzer (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), WWE is moving forward with Bobby Lashley defending the WWE title against one half of the Raw Tag Team champions Randy Orton.
WWE seemed to tease the start of that rivalry on Monday's episode of Raw, as Orton and Riddle defended the Raw Tag Team Championships against Lashley and MVP.
Just before Raw went off the air, Orton hit Lashley with an RKO out of nowhere, which may have been the catalyst for their feud.
Putting Orton in the WWE Championship scene would be an interesting decision on WWE's part given that Orton and Riddle are the Raw Tag Team champions and have been one of the hottest acts in the company as RK-Bro.
Additionally, AJ Styles and Omos are still very much in the Raw Tag Team title picture after dropping the championships to RK-Bro at SummerSlam, and they were at ringside from Monday night's title match.
It stands to reason that Orton could pull double duty at Extreme Rules by defending the Raw Tag Team Championships and vying for the WWE Championship in the same night.
If WWE doesn't want to go in that direction, however, the rematch with Styles and Omos could take place on Raw instead.
When Top AEW Contracts Reportedly Expire
AEW reportedly won't have to worry about the possibility of some of its top stars leaving for two years.
According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), many of the big names that signed with AEW when the company was officially formed in January 2019 signed contracts that will keep them in the fold through early 2023.
Meltzer noted that while many of them were three-year deals, "most" had a fourth-year option that are likely to be picked up by AEW.
Although Meltzer didn't provide any specifics regarding precisely who could become free agents in 2023, some of the wrestlers who have been with AEW from the start include Omega, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, "Hangman" Adam Page, Chris Jericho, The Lucha Bros., Britt Baker, MJF, Jungle Boy and Allin.
Given that AEW has signed many former WWE stars who were either released by the company or chose not to re-sign, there is some intrigue regarding whether WWE may try to raid AEW's roster in 2023 when some free agents become available.
To this point, the roster jumping has been one-sided with WWE paring down its roster and AEW bringing in the big names.
As wrestlers continue to make a name for themselves in AEW, however, there could potentially be some desire on WWE's part to poach that talent.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
Warning: This article contains descriptions of suicidal thoughts.
SHIMMER Wrestling announced Thursday that the family of former WCW and TNA wrestler Shannon Spruill, who wrestled as Daffney Unger, informed the promotion that she had died at the age of 46.
Daffney left wrestling fans and fellow wrestlers concerned for her health after posting a video on Instagram live Wednesday night in which she appeared to suggest she was considering suicide.
Unger looked to be in a state of emotional distress and may have been holding a gun at one point. She was crying throughout the video and said she was "all alone."
Daffney also said "I'm sorry" repeatedly and at the end of the video she said, "Remember, my brain goes to Boston."
On Thursday, TMZ Sports provided an update on Daffney after reaching out to the Gwinnett County Police.
Police said they made attempts to contact Daffney, including showing up at one of her old addresses, but had been unable to locate her as of Thursday morning.
After the video surfaced, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley took to Twitter and called for anyone with ties to Daffney to attempt to reach out to her:
Foley noted that his calls to Daffney went straight to voicemail.
AEW's Dustin Rhodes and NXT Superstar Indi Hartwell were among the wrestlers who reacted to the tragic news of Daffney's passing:
Daffney is perhaps best known to wrestling fans for her tenure in WCW from 1999 to 2001. She was initially aligned with David Flair and Crowbar, and she eventually went on to win the Cruiserweight Championship, making her one of only two women to win that title in WCW.
She also enjoyed a successful run in TNA from 2008 to 2011, wrestled for Shine from 2012 to 2015 and made appearances for various independent promotions during her career.
