Minutes to Bell Time

                    Body Slam Brigade February 11, 2021

                    Body Slam Brigade February 11, 2021

                    Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your email each week.


                    I have to go on a short trip this weekend, so I’m sending you your weekly dosage of wrestling news a day earlier than normal this week. Definitely check out my interview with Johnny Walker, the new Chair Shot T-Shirt, and weigh in on your favorite wrestling tournament from 2020.

                    Talking with The Magnifcent Johnny Walker

                    I spoke to the Magnificent Johnny Walker earlier this week on the Daily Wrestling News Show. Walker is a mainstay of the Florida wrestling scene, and he’s a fun interview. Johnny isn’t a nice guy and that comes through in the interview because he doesn’t break character. So yeah. . .he had a lot to say about my balding head, my stupid questions, and I botched his name 30 seconds into the interview. He made me start over. My mom says she won’t watch the Daily Wrestling News Show if I have him on again. Mom lives in NY, but when the world opens back up and she travels down here to Florida, you can bet she’ll want to go to an event just to boo Johnny. I guess that means he did his job. Listen to the interview here.

                    Tournaments

                    Click on the below image to join the conversation on Facebook. Let me know your favorite tournament in 2020.

                     

                    I love a good wrestling tournament! One of my earliest memories of wrestling was WrestleMania 4 where Randy Savage wrestled four men on his way to winning the WWF Championship. I was young when I saw the event, but it hooked me on wrestling. Critics have not been kind to WrestleMania IV because in four rounds of tournament action, there was hardly a single clean finish. There are other problems too, and I see them today, but I still love WrestleMania IV. My love for that event probably has something to dow with why I love tournaments in today’s wrestling environment.

                    When the pandemic first slowed things down last year, it seemed like every company was running a tournament: TNT Championship in AEW, New Japan Cup, Interim Cruiserweight Championship in NXT, Intercontinental Championship on Smackdown, Number One Contender tournament in Impact Wrestling, and I’m probably leaving out many other tournaments. When ROH first came back, they focused on the PURE championship Tournament.

                    Tournaments were everywhere in 2020, and if you remain a fan of tournament wrestling, I think it’s safe to say that 2021 will have a fair amount of tournaments. WWE will finish both the male and female versions of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on Sunday, while AEW just started the Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament. New Japan’s New Beginning Tour just concluded, so they’ll turn their focus to the New Japan Cup next month.

                    Nelio Cuomo Costa told me on a recent episode of the Daily Wrestling News Show that Coastal Championship Wrestling out of Florida will hold a 64 person cruiserweight tournament. That’s a huge field!

                    I hope you like tournaments as much as me because I think wrestling is going to be full of them for some time to come. Click on the image above to head over to Facebook and weigh in on the best pro wrestling tournament in 2020.

                     

                    Have a Great Weekend!

                    Ryan Joy

                     

                    CHECK OUT THE NEW CHAIR SHOT SHIRT!

                    The Chairshot is our featured shirt this week.At $20, this shirt not only features a STEEL chair, but it is also a STEAL of a Deal.

                    Super Soft Material – ✅
                    Comes in Multiple Colors – ✅
                    NO UP-CHARGE for Sizes Above XL ✅
                    Free Shipping ✅

                    CLICK HERE TO BUY!!!!!

                    Sasha Banks by Elbow Drop Art

                    WWE General News

                    • Steve Cutler was released from WWE late last week. Cutler later revealed that he battled COVID-19 in January. Other news outlets said that Cutler contracting COVID did not sit well with the office. Cutler was formally a member of the Forgotten Sons Tag Team. His latest role was as a member of King Corbin’s Knights of the Lone Wolf stable.
                    • The next WWE Pay Per View is Elimination Chamber, and it is scheduled for February 21, 2021. Three matches have been announced
                      • Drew McIntyre defends the WWE Championship against Sheamus, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Randy Orton inside the Elimination Chamber
                      • Asuka defends the Raw Championship against Lacey Evans
                      • Bobby Lashley defends the United States Championship against Matt Riddle and Keith Lee
                    • The next NXT Pay Per View event is NXT TakeOver Vengence Day on February 14, 2021. There current match card includes:
                      • Finals of Men’s Dusty Cup – GYV v. MSK
                      • Finals of Women’s Dusty Cup – Gonzalez/Kai v. Blackheart/Moon
                      • NXT North American Championship Match between Johnny Gargano (c) and Kushida
                      • NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match between Io Shirai (c), Mercedes Martinez, and Toni Storm
                      • NXT Championship Match between Finn Balor (c) and Pete Dunne.
                    • Monday Night Raw and Straight Up Steve Austin Ratings were both down this week.
                    • Following a very weird portion of Monday Night Raw where Nia Jax let out a painful scream of “My Hole,” Tushy founder Miki Agrawal reached out to offer his condolences. As part of the message, Agrawal also offered Jax multiple bidet systems and a position as Tushy Ambassador.
                    • Perhaps a bit less humored by the situation, WWE edited the “My Hole” line off their YouTube clip and the Hulu replay.
                    • John Cena spoke to Forbes this week about his involvement with WrestleMania. Cena explained that under normal circumstances, he would 100% be involved with WrestleMania. Due to filming in Canada, Cena would not be able to fly to Florida without a 14 day quarantine upon his return to Canada. Cena said that it would be super selfish to do that.
                    • Cena also referred to Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, and Sasha Banks as marquee stars for WWE.
                    • New York State announced that they will allow arenas to open back up at a limited capacity. Venues will be allowed 10% capacity and all fans will need a negative test in the preceding 72 hours.

                    NXT

                    • This week’s episode of NXT was the Go Home Episode for NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day. The Finals for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournaments were both decided. Brackets below
                    • Cameron Grimes returned to NXT with a slight variation on his gimmick. He’s the same Cameron Grimes, but now he’s filthy rich because he invested in Game Stop.
                    • The Karrion Kross and Santos Escobar match that has been building for several weeks was made official for the 2/17 episode of NXT.

                    NXT UK

                    • This Week’s Episode Includes
                      • Meiko Satomura was announced for the 2.11 show.
                      • Noam Dar’s Supernova Sessions returns on 2.11 with Sha Samuels
                      • The Hunt v. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews in a Street Fight.

                    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

                    AEW and New Japan Working Relationship Kicks Off

                    • Kenta made his AEW in-ring debut on the 2/10 episode of Dynamite. The match was very good. Kenta brought his briefcase to the ring, and Moxley brought his championship belt to the ring.

                    AEW Revolution

                    • AEW Revolution is the next major PPV from All Elite Wrestling. The event takes place on 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

                    Other Notes from Dynamite

                    • The Good Brothers seem to convince the Bucks that they should have issues with Santana and Ortiz. Bucks agree and say they’ll defend against Santana and Ortiz next week.
                    • After several weeks of build, Sammy Guevara quit the Inner Circle.
                    • Hangman Page agreed to a contract with Matt Hardy. After Matt handed Page the contract, Hangman Page switched the contracts. It’s not clear what Page and Hardy signed.
                    • Darby Allin defeats Joey Janela ~ 11:00
                      • This was a TNT Championship title defense.
                    • Lee Johnson and Cody Rhodes defeat Peter Avalon and Cesar Bononi – 07:48
                      • This was Lee Johnson’s first win.
                    • Pac defeats Ryan Nemeth – 04:18
                    • Chris Jericho and MJF defeat the Acclaimed – 09:00
                    • Thunder Rosa defeats Leyla Hirsch – 09:12
                    • Kenny Omega and Kenta defeat Jon Moxley and Lance Archer – 19:57

                    Upcoming

                    • Next Week
                      • FTR v. Matt and Mike Sydal
                      • Hangman Page, Matt Hardy, Private Party v. TH2 and Chaos Project
                      • Sting calls out Team Taz
                      • Serena Deeb v. Riho – Eliminator Tournament
                      • Young Bucks v. Santana and Ortiz – Tag Team Championships
                    • March 3rd Episode of Dynamite: Shaq and Jade v. Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet

                    Brackets for AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament

                    • The brackets were revealed ahead of the 2/10 episode of AEW Dynamite.
                    • Thunder Rosa advanced in the first match of the tournament with her win over Leyla Hirsch on 2/10

                    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

                    New Beginning in Hiroshima Key Takeaways

                    • G.O.D. defeated Zack Sabre Junior and Taichi by disqualification. G.O.D. retain the tag team titles.
                    • Hiromu Takahashi defeated Sho in the longest ever Junior Heavyweight Championship Match. Hiromu retains the title.
                      • ELP attacked Hiromu after the match. Bushi and Taiji Ishimori both came to the ring. ELP challenged Hiromu to a match for the IWGP Junior Championship. Hiromu countered the challenge by requesting a Junior Tag Team Championship Match.
                    • Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Yoshi-Hashi successfully retained their NEVER Openweight Six-Man Championships against G.O.D. and Jay White.
                      • Yoshi-Hashi issued a challenge to G.O.D. for the tag team titles. Yoshi-Hashi asked that he and Hirooki Goto get a title shot.
                    • Kota Ibushi successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental double championship against Sanada.
                      • Following the contest, Tetsuya Naito came to the ring and issued a challenge for the Intercontinental Championship. Naito wishes to pursue the Intercontinental Championship only. Ibushi originally discussed unifying the championships, and Naito does not like the plan.

                    Jon Moxley v. Kenta

                    • This match for the IWGP United States Championship takes place on February 27th edition of New Japan Strong.

                    Roku Show

                    • New Japan’s new television show debuts on 2/11 at 5PM on the Roku Channel. The first several weeks will be the television premier of Wrestle Kingdom 14 (2020), and Roku will make the show available for immediate streaming after the broadcast.

                    Tommy Dreamer by My Ill Gotten Brain

                    Impact Rebellion

                    • The Next Impact Pay Per View will be Rebellion on 4/24

                    Impact No Surrender – February 13

                    • Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers defend the Tag Team Titles against AEW’s Private Party and Chris Sabin and James Storm.
                    • Tommy Dreamer v. Rich Swann – Impact World Championship
                    • TJP v. Rohit Raju – X-Division Championship
                    • Hernadez and Brian Myers v. Eddie Edwards and Matt Cardona
                    • Triple Threat Revolver Match: Suicide v. WIllie Mack v. Ace Austin v. Trey Miguel v. Chris Bey v. Josh Alexander v. Blake Christian
                    • XXXL and Nevaeh v. Rosemary, Crazy Steve, Black Taurus
                    • Kimber Lee, Susan, Deonna Purrazzo v. Jordynne Grace, Jazz, ODB
                    • Fire n Flava v. Havok and Nevaeh – Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match
                    • Cody Deaner v. Jake Something

                    News from Impact Wrestling on 2/2

                    • Black Taurus made his debut as part of Decay

                    Essential Wrestling Podcast Episode 40 – 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

                    • Edge and Bianca Belair are making their rounds in WWE
                    • The Bullet Club with a Big Win, and then a surprise attack from oversees on Jon Moxley
                    • Gary Mehaffy is back to discuss Jordan Devlin’s Open Challenge on NXT UK
                    • Ryan Joy discusses everything New Japan, MLW, Ring of Honor
                    • Number 9 on Al’s Top 30 WrestleMania matches
                    • Our picks for No Surrender and NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day
                    • Updated Royal Rumble Stats to start the show.

                    Lio Rush Becomes a Double Champion

                    • Lio Rush became the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion when he defeated Laredo Kid on the 2/10 episode of MLW Fusion. Rush is now a double champion holding both the AAA Cruiserweight Championship and the MLW World Middleweight Championship.
                    • Rush is also the MCW Rage TV Champion.

                    Next Week’s Fusion 2/17

                    • Tom Lawlor Filthy Island Themed Episode
                    • Savio Vega v. Mil Muertes
                    • King Mo v. Low Ki

                    MLW Fusion March 3

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

                    ONLY SUBSCRIBERS ALLOWED!

                    As a subscriber, you can join the private Body Slam Brigade Facebook Group. Click the image above to be taken to the group.

                    Here and There

                    • Kenny King, Rush, and Dragon Lee sign new deals with Ring of Honor
                    • Shane Taylor v. Rush for ROH Championship will take place on ROH TV on February 27.

                    This Weekend on ROH TV

                    • Jonathan Gresham, Tracy Williams and Fred Yehi vs. Jay Lethal, Rhett Titus and Wheeler Yuta – Note that the foundation is on both sides of this match. They specifically requested to face each other to show everyone else what ROH stands for.
                    • Tony Deppen vs. LSG

                     

                    Share this: