Daily Update: Big E, Hit Row, Shane ‘Swerve’ Strickland

Daily Update

Latest News:
- Biff Busick announced for three more GCW events
- WWE SmackDown ratings down slightly for Elimination Chamber go-home show
- AEW Rampage viewership down, demo rating up for one-week time slot change
- Report: AJ Styles signs new multi-year contract with WWE
- AEW’s Dax Harwood on Shawn Michaels’ Raw 25 snub, Briscoes match, WWE trademark demands
- TJP vs. Myron Reed added to MLW SuperFight
- Jay White to face Alex Shelley at Impact Wrestling Sacrifice
Latest Audio:
- Wrestling Observer Live: Elimination Chamber, RAW REPORT, NXT 2.0, women’s Dusty
- DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of pro wrestling at MSG in 1877
- Wrestling Observer Radio: New Japan Cup, Women’s Dusty, AEW and NXT, RAW recap
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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2021 Awards issue, Cody and Brandi Rhodes leave AEW
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Tuesday News Update

WWE
- Main Event matches taped prior to Raw on Monday included Veer Mahan vs. Apollo Crews and Liv Morgan vs. Queen Zelina.
- Titus O’Neil, Damian Priest, and Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys will be on The Bump this Wednesday.
- In an interview with talkSPORT, Big E said he did not expect to be moved back to SmackDown after his WWE Championship run. “My focus has been on controlling what I can,” he said. “We’ve had several interviews and I’m sure I’ve already talked your ears off about meditation and how much that has helped me. But, that’s my job. I focus on being the performer and do the very best with what I’m given, that’s my focus. But, I don’t want any of that to be perceived as me taking away from being with Kofi and Woods. That’s my greatest delight. For me, it was a transition I will say I did not expect at this time in my career. I had hoped to climb back and try once again to win back the WWE championship. But, we have a pretty big champion [Roman Reigns] and pretty big title on SmackDown as well so, you never know.”
- The Rock on Instagram praised Montez Ford and thanked him for kind words in an interview: “We’ve never shared the ring together, but pro wrestlers all have a very special bond. Pro wrestling is a very unique, intense and wild culture that’s not for everybody. When you love the wrestling business, you become very respectful about the wrestling business. And when you’re respectful about the wrestling business, you become PASSIONATE about the wrestling business. It seeps deep into your DNA. Fans can always sense who’s passionate inside that squared circle ~ and who’s not. This man is passionate. We share that DNA (And he flys like the Superfly —-). Keep kicking ass brother and give my love to your family. And when you become world champion one day, I’ll be right there rooting ya on.”
- Matches added to WWE’s YouTube account today include Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow from WCW SuperBrawl IX, John Cena and The Miz vs. The Corre from the February 21, 2011 edition of Raw, and Batista vs. MVP from the February 22, 2008 edition of SmackDown.
AEW
- This week’s AEW Road To, focusing on the Chris Jericho/Eddie Kingston face-to-face and The House of Black vs. Death Triangle.
- The presale code for AEW’s return to Pittsburgh on April 20 is BBDMD. The presale for tickets begins on Thursday at 10 am EST.
- Serena Deeb has filed for the trademark “The Professor of Professional Wrestling”.
- Sammy Guevara’s latest vlog.
Other Wrestling
- The former Top Dolla, Ashante Thee Adonis, and B-Fab, now under the name HitMakerZ, have been added to GCW’s For the Culture event that will take place on April 1.
- Former WWE head of talent relations Canyon Ceman has joined Obsesh.com as a Chief Athlete Officer.
- In an interview with WrestlingInc, Shane ‘Swerve’ Strickland talked about his current status and what he wants to do. “Right now I am content with exploring,” he said. “The state that WWE is in right now, I don’t think it needs me. I don’t think what they’re looking for, and what they’re asking for is something that I can provide. Because I am always wanting more. I am always moving on a different pace, I don’t like waiting around too much, I don’t like waiting in line, I don’t like trying to fill one lane that everybody else is already jamming in. I am always into creating my own lane and doing something, it’s sometimes the things that I want to venture out and try is going to take risk. There’s a lot of unknown territory that the system is not familiar with, and that’s okay, because it’s their system, it’s still going to be successful with what they do, whether they change or not. They’re still going to make their money.”
- Jonathan Gresham will defend the ROH World Championship against Emeritus in Copenhagen, Norway this Saturday.
- Gresham is also set to face PROGRESS Champion Cara Noir in a match that will take place on March 20.
- Sports Illustrated talked to Katsuhiko Nakajima ahead of his match against Kazuyuki Fujita at NOAH’s Gain Control show on Wednesday.
- Road Dogg has filed for the trademark “Road Dogg BG James”.