Here is your fight size update for Thursday, August 19, 2021:
- Ahead of tomorrow's historic episode of Rampage from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, Tony Khan is promising to bring back lapsed fans and start a new era tomorrow night.
I’m betting that excitement from the most anticipated announcement in @AEW history at #AEWRampage The First Dance will build up through All Out on PPV. We’ll make new fans + we’ll welcome dormant wrestling households worldwide back into the fold; a new era in #AEW begins tomorrow
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) August 19, 2021
- WWE has announced even more social media integration for SummerSlam with the #SummerSlamCam.
From Variety:
For the first time ever, WWE will be utilizing Twitter’s Tweet Cam feature during “SummerSlam” on Aug. 21. Fans who are unable to attend the in-person event can access exclusive photos from iconic moments during the show, taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, by tweeting the hashtag #SummerSlamCam at @WWE. The event will feature John Cena vs. Roman Reigns, Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley and Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks.
- Speaking to ET Canada's Shakiel Mahjouri, Drew McIntyre explained his budding issue with Jinder Mahal:
Maybe subconsciously I want to make sure, just because of how close we are, we both come out looking as good as possible. But I look at it that way for every single match I'm in. It doesn't matter who I'm in the ring with, I want to make sure people leave saying, 'Wow, that was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.' Hopefully, they go in thinking 'This is going to be good,' but for some reason, if they have it in their head -- Perhaps like on Monday Night Raw, I was wrestling with Jinder's associates, Veer and Shanky, who have very limited experience it's my responsibility to make sure that people watch that match and go, 'Oh, wow, OK, these guys have got something.' -- We highlight the positives, perhaps hide the negatives a little bit. And with the match with Jinder, I'm excited to show just how much he has grown over the past few years. When he won the title, it was a huge opportunity. I do think he did a good job with it, but it came out of nowhere. And I think that's why nobody really accepted it to the level of they've accepted mine. He's growing so much in the ring over the years, but also confidence-wise and thinking as a top-level performer-wise. And we're going to show that for sure on Saturday at SummerSlam.
Yeah, just talking about how crazy things are now. Perhaps we make jokes about, 'If only we had this mindset when we were in 3MB. When we were out partying and drinking and living the gimmick all the time. We're fake rock stars, but we're acting like real rock stars out of the ring. If we got our stuff together and started working out and having this positive attitude we have now, it could have been done sooner. But I see it as a journey that happens for a reason. All the ups and downs made us who we are today and we can laugh and joke about it now. But we both are very fortunate, happy, and proud to be able to get to the level where we're facing each other on this huge show, Summerslam. This is this year's WrestleMania. It's going to be wild. Over 40,000 people losing their minds. The fact I'm facing one of my best friends is pretty crazy.
- Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Roman Reigns noted that, despite his heel Persona, he is still committed to being a good guy behind the scenes and helping those fighting leukemia by sharing his relatable story.
“Even though the ‘Tribal Chief’ and ‘Head of the Table’ can make me look like a bad guy, I still make it a point to remain very authentic,” Reigns says. “I’m trying to shine a different light on being the top guy in WWE. For so long, the guy in that position was a superhero, someone that was bulletproof. This is different. Seeing the struggle and the burden, I thought that could be something people connected with. We all bond through adversity, we all bond through struggle. We all understand falling down and the process that’s involved in getting back up. So that’s what we’re doing, showing a different view of it from the highest level possible.”
- In a separate Sports Illustrated story, Ric Flair commented on Kenny Omega, whom he got physical with at AAA TripleMania:
“I’ve only met Kenny Omega a couple of times, but he’s one of the best,” Flair says. “You can tell very quickly he is so damn good and full of passion. He and Andrade really put on a show. And it was so much fun. I think people were surprised to see me put on the figure-four, but that’s something I’ll never forget. I could do that any time of day.”
- First AEW Rampage + Brittsburgh 2021 EVIL UNO VLOG
- Today's episode of New Japan Pro Wrestling on The Roku Channel features:
Road to Tokyo Dome: Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI vs. Kota Ibushi, SHO
It’s the last stop on the road to Tokyo Dome, and Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi can’t be kept apart! Naito and BUSHI take on Ibushi and SHO in a preview of Wrestle Kingdom 15’s main event.
- Jakob's Wife, which features former WWE Champion CM Punk, premieres on horror streaming service Shudder today.
- - Today, WWE stock closed at $47.25 per share.
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- Check out the latest episode of MC! True Long Island Story!
