Minutes to Bell Time

                    Body Slam Brigade February 26, 2021

                    Body Slam Brigade February 26, 2021

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                    I started this week talking to an active wrestler from the Florida who is in the early stages of his career. I closed the week talking about a legend of wrestling with that legend’s daughter. I provided links to both the Bugs Moran and Georgia Smith (daughter of the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith) interviews below. They’re both well worth your time and attention, so just click on the pictures below and away you go.

                    Bugs talks about the origins of his name “Bugs Moran” and his love for the Big Red Machine Kane. He also has some stories about wrestling outside in Nashville and how faithful the fans have been sitting through rain and snow.

                    Georgia talks about how WWE came to her house for an entire day to film her talking about her dad. She said she left nothing on the table, and Georgia is so excited for all of us to watch the Icon documentary when it comes out.

                    I also want to announce that I’m going to be talking with Jake St. Patrick on Monday. Jake is very well known in Florida, and he recently wrestled several AEW Dark matches against Will Hobbs, Brian Cage, Preston Vance, and The Butcher and The Blade. The interview will air live everywhere you listen to the Daily Wrestling News Show Monday Morning at 10 AM. For your convenience, here’s a link to You Tube where the interview will air. You can subscribe and hit the notification button so you don’t miss the episode.

                    You can also see Jake wrestle on this week’s episode of CCW Alive (Episode 2.23). Jake has a match with Hector Perfecto from their Homecoming event last month.

                    Kim Artlip, owner of Ignite Wrestling here in Florida, debuted a new live show on You Tube, Twitch, and Facebook. The show is called Ignite Rewind, and it features classic matches from the Ignite vault. This week we saw Lince Dorado v. Dezmond Xavier and KiLynn King v. Kaci Lennox. It was a fun episode.

                    Have a Great Weekend!

                    Ryan Joy

                     

                    BUGS MORAN INTERVIEW

                     

                    Interview with Georgia Smith

                    Daughter of the late British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
                     

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                    Sasha Banks by Elbow Drop Art

                    WWE General News

                    • The next WWE Pay Per View is Fastlane on March 21, 2021. WWE has yet to advertise any matches for that show.
                    • Sportsnet will now air NXT live each Wednesday in Canada. This adds to Sportsnet’s current slate of WWE programming, which includes both Smackdown and Raw. Sportsnet is also the exclusive streaming partner for the WWE Network in Canada.
                    • WWE ran multiple video packages hyping the debut of Rhea Ripley on Monday Night Raw.
                    • Sunday April 18th kicks off a relationship between A&E and WWE
                      • The Biography Series airs at 8PM that night. First biography is Steve Austin
                        • Subsequent Biographies include Roddy Piper, Macho Man Randy Savage, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior, and Mick Foley
                      • At 10PM, HHH and Stephanie host “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Hunter and Stephanie lead a team of collectors and wrestlers as they try to track down collectibles like Kane’s original mask, Ric Flair’s butterfly robe, Andre The Giant’s passport and Andy Kaufman’s neck brace – Nine Episodes
                    • The new NXT class reported to the Performance Center this week. This class is the largest to date and includes several well known wrestlers from the Independent and National scene:
                      • Taya Valkyrie, Blake Christian, Priscilla Kelly, Elayana Black, and Lacey Ryan
                    • Samoa Joe spoke to Sportskeedia about his status as an in-ring performer. Joe said that he doesn’t believe his career is over, but they are being extremely cautious when it comes to evaluating his condition. There is not a timetable at the moment for his return.
                    • Pretty Deadly defeated Gallus on this week’s episode of NXT UK to win the WWE NXT UK Tag Team Championships.

                    Elimination Chamber

                    WWE held Elimination Chamber, their second PPV of the year, on 2/21.
                    • Two new champions were crowned as Bobby Lashley dropped the United States Championship to Matt Riddle in a triple threat match. Riddle pinned John Morrison in the match leaving Lashley strong for upcoming programs.
                    • The second champion crowned at Elimination Chamber also involved Bobby Lashley. After Drew McIntyre outlasted five other men inside the Elimination Chamber, Lashley came to the ring and viciously attacked McIntyre. The Miz ran to the ring, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, and won the WWE Championship.
                      • The Miz kicked off Raw the next night, but Lashley and MVP came to the ring to claim a WWE Championship opportunity that was presumably part of the deal that included Lashley softening up Drew McIntyre at Elimination Chamber. While The Miz attempted to squirm out of the situation, Adam Pearce and Shane McMahon forced Miz into negotiations with Lashley.
                      • Irate about not being included in Elimination Chamber, Braun Strowman interjected himself trying to lay claim to the first title shot citing his credential as a former Universal Champion. McMahon announced that the main event of Raw would be Bobby Lashley v. Braun Strowman. If Strowman could defeat Lashley, then it would be a triple threat match between Braun, Lashley, and The Miz next week for the WWE Championship.
                      • Lashley ran through Strowman in the final segment of Monday Night Raw in under five minutes. The match saw Lashley kick out of Braun’s powerslam and use a spear to put Strowman down for the three count.
                      • The absence of Drew McIntyre on Monday Night Raw this week seems significant as the entire show was built around the idea of taking Bobby Lashley to the next level. Without question, his decisive victory over Braun Strowman is meant to portray Lashley as an invincible monster and serious threat to The Miz’ WWE Championship run.
                    • In other action from Elimination Chamber, Daniel Bryan won the Smackdown Chamber match, which gave him a Universal Championship Match against Roman Reigns on the same night. Roman Reigns ran through Daniel Bryan in less than 1.5 minutes.
                    • The only other match on Elimination Chamber was Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler’s victory over Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. Between this match and the match with Charlotte and Asuka the next night, Nia Jax pinned both singles champions in consecutive nights.

                    Upcoming

                    • Raw March 1
                      • The Miz (c) v. Bobby Lashley – WWE Championship Match
                    • NXT March 3
                      • Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championships against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
                      • Xia Li v. Kayden Carter – Presumed
                    • NXT UK March 4
                      • Ilja Dragunov v. Sam Gradwell
                      • Kay Lee Ray v. Meiko Satomura – NXT UK Women’s Championship
                      • Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan v. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter
                      • Supernova Sessions with Tyler Bate
                    • NXT March 10
                      • Io Shirai v. Toni Storm – NXT Championship
                    • NXT UK March 11
                      • Tyler Bate v. Dave Mastiff
                      • Jinny and Joseph Connors v. Piper Niven and Jack Starz
                     

                    Wins and Losses Book Now Available

                    My 1,360 page e-book has the 2020 win-loss data for over 400 wrestlers that competed in AEW, WWE, ROH, Impact, and NXT. Every page is in full color, and I’ve also included a bunch of retrospective articles and top 10 lists.

                    Purchase Here: www.TheWinsandLosses.com

                    One customer printed out several pages and has been getting them signed by wrestlers. That’s a really fun use for this reference book.

                    I have this massive collection of wrestling stats and articles priced at $20, but I want people to see my work. If you email me ([email protected]), I’ll happily give you a discount code for 50% off.

                    If you have a wrestling podcast or if you write for a wrestling website, this could be a valuable tool when discussing professional wrestling in the year 2020.

                    Kenny Omega by My Ill Gotten Brain

                    The Big Show Paul Wight is All Elite Plus New You Tube Show

                    • AEW announced this week that Paul Wight (FKA The Big Show and The Giant) has signed a long term deal with the company.
                    • Big Show will be an active wrestler, but he will also try his hand behind the commentary desk alongside Tony Schiavone on a new Monday Night You Tube show called AEW Dark: Elevation. The debut episode will air at 7PM on March 15th.
                    • To me, the most interesting part of this story is not how AEW will use The Big Show, but why a wrestler that debuted 22 years ago this month in WWE would decide to jump ship. Wight is considered a legend in WWE who makes consistent appearances in legends type programming. Wight also had his own Netflix Show called The Big Show Show. The show was canceled by Netflix last year.
                    • My understanding is that Wight’s contract ran out last month. Since WWE and Wight did not reach mutual terms, the door was open for Wight to pursue other options – and he did.

                    AEW Revolution

                    • AEW Revolution is the next major PPV from All Elite Wrestling. The event takes place on Sunday March 7th from Jacksonville.
                    • Matches Announced
                      • Chris Jericho and MJF v. The Young Bucks – AEW World Tag Team Championships
                      • Sting and Darby Allin v. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks of Team Taz
                      • Jon Moxley v. Kenny Omega – Exploding Barbed Wire Match for the AEW World Championship
                      • Face of the Revolution Ladder Match where Winner Gets a TNT Championship Match: Cody v. Scorpio Sky v. Pentagon v. Lance Archer v. either Max Caster or Preston Vance
                      • Miro and Kip Sabian v. Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy
                      • Matt Hardy v. Adam Page – Big Money Match

                    Notes From Dynamite

                    • Jon Moxley defeats Ryan Nemeth – 02:41
                    • Team Taz defeats the Varsity Blonds – 09:07
                      • Sting and Daryb Allin came to the ring. Sting hit a Stinger Splash and Scorpion Death Drop on Brian Cage.
                    • Jake Hager defeats Brandon Cutler – 03:10
                    • Hangman Page defeats Isiah Kassidy – 13:27
                      • The Dark Order provided Hangman with some back up and Matt Hardy tossed 5 off the stage following the match. What are the odds Page joins the Dark Order at this point?
                    • Nyla Rose defeats Britt Baker – 12:39
                    • Lance Archer defeats Rey Fenix – 17:31 – Archer advances to the Face of the Revolution ladder match.

                    Upcoming

                    • Women’s World Title Eliminator on Bleacher Report 2/28 at 7PM
                      • Yuka Sakazaki v. Ryo Mizunami – Finals of the Japan Side of the Bracket
                      • Thuner Rosa v. Riho – Second Round Match on the American Side.
                      • Hikaru Shida, Mie Suruga, Rin Kadokura v. Emi Sakura, Maki Itoh, Veny
                    • Dynamite on 3/3
                      • Dark Order (1,2,3,4,5) v. Matt Hardy & Private Party & TH2
                      • Dark Order 10 v. Max Caster – Ladder Match Qualifier
                      • Shaq and Jade v. Cody and Red Velvet
                      • FTR and Tully Blanchard v. Jurassic Express
                      • Chris Jericho and MJF answer Questions from the Press

                    Brackets for AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament

                    • On 2/22, AEW held another You Tube Special to broadcast three more matches in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. The matches included:
                      • Yuka Sakazaki defeating Emi Sakura – 2nd Round
                      • Ryo Mizunami defeating Aja Kong – 2nd Round
                      • Nyla Rose defeating Tay Conti – Opening Round
                      • Britt Baker defeating Madi Wrenkowski – Opening Round
                    • On the 2/24 Dynamite, Nyla Rose defeated Britt Baker in the second round of the tournament.

                    Introducing the Daily Wrestling News Show

                    The Body Slam Brigade Newsletter comes out on Friday, but if you want news closer to real-time, Body Slam Brigade author Ryan Joy is hosting a new podcast called the Daily Wrestling News Show!

                    The show is live every day at 10 AM on Facebook and You Tube or you can subscribe to the audio version on Apple, Spotify, or pretty much anywhere else you get podcasts. Use the links below to find the show!

                    Subscribe on Apple Podcast: Click Here
                    Subscribe Spotify: Click Here
                    Watch Live on Facebook: Click Here
                    Watch Live on You Tube: Click Here

                    Jon Moxley by My Ill Gotten Brain

                    Jon Moxley v. Kenta on FRIDAY

                    • This match for the IWGP United States Championship takes place on the February 26th edition of New Japan Strong.

                    Hiromu Takahashi Out with Torn Pectoral Muscle

                    • Hiromu Takahashi confirmed this week that his injuries would keep him out of action for several months. As a result, he vacated the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship and his opportunity (with Bushi) to challenge for the IWGP Jr. Tag Titles.

                    New Champions Crowned at New Japan’s Road to Castle Attack

                    • El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori on the 2/25 Road to Castle Attack Show. Desperado and Kanemaru previously lost the titles to ELP and Ishimori.
                    • The scheduled match saw Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi challenging ELP and Ishimori, but they had to forfeit their opportunity due to Hiromu’s injury.

                    Cards for Castle Attack Night 1 and Night 2 Announced

                    • 5 Singles Matches highlight Night 1
                      • Yoshi-Hashi v. Tanga Loa
                      • Hirooki Goto v. Tama Tonga
                      • Toru Yano v. Chase Owens – KOPW Interim Championship
                      • Tomohiro Ishii v. Jay White
                      • Kazuchika Okada v. Evil
                    • 4 Title Matches highlight Night 2
                      • Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto v. G.O.D.
                      • Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Great-O-Khan – NEVER Championship
                      • Bushi v. El Desperado v. ELP – Vacant IWGP Junior Championship
                      • Kota Ibushi v. Tetsuya Naito – IWGP IC Championship

                    New Japan and CMLL Remain Partners

                    • The two companies issued a joint statement explaining that the annual Fantasticamania slate of shows had to be canceled this year due to the Global Pandemic.
                    • The point of the release was to reassure fans that the long term relationship between CMLL and New Japan remained in place. CMLL is still New Japan’s exclusive partner in Mexico.

                    Tommy Dreamer by My Ill Gotten Brain

                    Impact Rebellion

                    The Next Impact Pay Per View will be Rebellion on 4/24. Impact has not announced any matches yet.

                    Sacrifice

                    The Next Impact Plus special will be Sacrifice on March 13th

                    • Rich Swann (c) v. Moose – Impact World Championship
                    • Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz (c) v. Jordynne Grace and Susan

                    Upcoming Episode of Impact Wrestling on 2/23

                    • Before The Impact – Chris Sabin and James Storm v. Rohit and Shera
                    • Ace Austin v. Black Taurus v. Chris Bey – X-Division Championship Opportunity
                    • Brian Myers v. Eddie Edwards – Matt Carona as Referee
                    • Good Brothers, David Finlay, Juice Robinson v. XXXL and Reno Scum

                    Essential Wrestling Podcast Episode 41 – Click Here

                    The Essential Wrestling Podcast airs every Tuesday at 6:00 PM. Join Al Karl, John D’Aconti, John Smith, Gary Mehafy, and Minutes to Bell Time’s Ryan Joy as they take you through the latest in Pro Wrestling. Find out and get the rationale behind who they think wins the week’s matches.

                    This Week’s Lineup

                    • The Miz Throws a Wrench in everything we were expecting and Predicting for WrestleMania.
                    • Huge WWE Championship Match Next Week that will not include Braun Strowman
                    • Adam Cole was handing out Super Kicks Again!
                    • Tommy Dreamer has had enough of Moose on Impact
                    • Gary Mehaffy is back to discuss the Heavyweight Scrap between Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey
                    • Ryan Joy discusses New Japan and both nights of Castle Attack
                    • Al Reveals #7 on Al Karl’s Top 30 Favorite WM matches.
                    • We Make our Picks for the week’s upcoming shows.
                    • The show is main vented by Kenny Omega’s stipulation for Jon Moxley’s rematch at AEW Revolution.

                    No MLW Fusion This Week

                    • MLW did not have a new show this week. They will be airing a classic MLW show.
                    • MLW did announce that their signature event “Never Say Never” will take place on March 31 at 7PM – all the normal Fusion distributions hubs.

                    MLW Signs Leo Brien

                    • From the press release:
                      • “Leo is one of the sport’s best kept secrets,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “A 265 pound southern brawler that hits like (Stan) Hansen and moves like (Terry) Gordy? You simply don’t see guys like this today.”

                    MLW Fusion March 3

                    • Jacob Fatu v. Jordan Oliver – World Championship
                    • Calvin Tankman v. Laredo Kid
                    • Los Parks v. Simon Gotch and Daivari – World Tag Team Championship
                     

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                    Here and There

                    • Shane Taylor Promotions defeated Mexisquad to win the ROH 6-Man Championships. Taylor has the opportunity to become a double champion as he challenges Rush for the ROH Championship on this weekend’s episode of ROH TV.
                    • EC3 has signed with ROH.
                    • The next Ring of Honor PPV will be their 19th Anniversary show on March 26th. This will be the first PPV since Final Battle in December. ROH has said that all championships will be defended on the show.
                    • Brian Johnson’s title match against ROH World Television Champion Dragon Lee will take place on March 3 at 7 p.m. Eastern exclusively on the ROH The Experience Facebook page and YouTube.

                    This Weekend on ROH TV

                    • Shane Taylor v. Rush (c) – ROH World Championship
                    • Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham (c) v. Kenny King and Dragon Lee – ROH World Tag Team Championships

                    Dark Side of the Ring News

                    Vice continues to build upon their Dark Side of the Ring franchise with a special coming up on March 9th.
                    Dark Side of the Ring: Confidentiall will feature Conrad Thompson interviewing series creators Evan Hunsley and Jason Eisner. PW Insider reported that Dark Side of the Ring Episodes for Season 3 Include
                    • Dynamite Kid
                    • The late Brian Pillman.
                    • XPW.
                    • The WCW-New Japan event in North Korea.
                    • The Smith family – Grizzly Smith and his children, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston and Rockin’
                    • Robin.
                    • Nick Gage.
                    • FMW in Japan.
                    • The late Bruiser Bedlam.
                    • The late Chris Kanyon.

                    Josephus/Question Mark Passes Away

                    • Billy Corgan announced via Instagram that NWA talent The Question Mark passed away from an unknown illness. Not much else is known at this time.

                     

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