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Top 10 Wrestling Stories of the Week 2/21: WWE NXT Takeover Portland, AEW Cage Match, Hall of Fame, More

By Matthew Fowler • Published 21st February 2020
TJR Wrestling

Welcome back TJR readers. Did you spend all day Friday quarantined due to Cornavirus and miss Smackdown? Were you too traumatized by the end of the Daytona 500, and missed RAW? Worry not fellow wrestling fans as I have returned, once again, with The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week to catch you all up.

10. New NXT Tag Team Champions Crowned

The BroserWeights, made up of Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne, made history this past Sunday night at NXT Takeover Portland, when they defeated The Undisputed Era to become the new NXT tag team champions. Dunne and Riddle earned their opportunity for the titles by winning the Dusty Classic earlier this month. Since winning the Dusty Classic, the BroserWeights have been rolling over the competition, weeding out all the lesser teams on their way to the titles. Now that they are finally champions the BroserWeights will hope to keep the fire burning, and smoke through all the challengers that face them. (TJRWrestling)

9. RAW Women’s Elimination Chamber Match Set

Becky Lynch’s opponent for Wrestlemania is set to be determined at the Elimination Chamber PPV on Sunday, March 8th. Natalya, Liv Morgan, Shayna Baszler, one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka, Ruby Riott, and Sarah Logan are all set to compete in an Elimination Chamber match, with the winner going on to face Lynch at Mania. Anything can happen in WWE, but after last week’s events I have a gnawing suspension that Baszler is going to win that match. (TJRWrestling)

8. Samoa Joe Injured During Commercial Shoot

When it comes to freak injuries in WWE, nobody has had worse luck recently than Samoa Joe of late. Joe missed several months at the end of last year with a thumb injury. Once Joe was finally able to get medically cleared to return to the ring he then suffered a concussion a few weeks later. When Joe returned to RAW on February 10th to help Kevin Owens and the Viking Raiders against Seth Rollins and his disciples, it seemed he was finally back on track. Unfortunately for Joe, however, he was once again unexplainably missing from RAW this week, as he has suffered another freak injury. Joe is believed to have suffered the injury when he hit his head hard on a table while filming a commercial last week. It is unclear how long the present injury will keep Joe out of action, or if he will be ready for Wrestlemania in April. When Joe does finally return he may want to consider having Hornswoggle in his corner, as he could really use some Lucky Charms. (TJRWrestling)

7. Orton Viciously Attacks Matt Hardy Again

Many people were surprised when WWE announced that Matt Hardy would be facing Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match this past Monday on RAW. It was believed by many that the attack by Orton the previous week was meant to write Hardy off of TV for good, as his contract is up March 1st. Hardy did appear on RAW this week, however, to confront Orton once again, but was not medically cleared to compete in the scheduled match. Orton responded to the already injured Hardy by brutally attacking him once again, including hitting him with two Conchairto’s against the steel steps. Hardy was stretchered out of the arena and taken to a local medical facility. This will most likely finally write him off TV for good, as after two attacks by Orton he seems pretty Broken at this point. (TJRWrestling)

6. Cody Rhodes Defeats Wardlow in the First AEW Steel Cage Match

The first Steel Cage match in AEW history was held this week on AEW: Dynamite. Cody Rhodes defeated Wardlow in the match when Cody hit Wardlow with an insane moonsault from the top of the cage. By competing in the match Rhodes has now completed all the tasks necessary to go on and face MJF at AEW: Revolution on February 29th, as he already received ten lashes from MJF the previous week on Dynamite. By getting lashed and moonsaulting off the top of the cage, Rhodes has showed without a shadow of doubt that he will do whatever it takes to push AEW to the Stars and make sure it never crumbles to Dust. (TJRWrestling)

5. JBL Rumored to be Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame

With Wrestlemania weekend being just a little over a month away, the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class is continuing to grow. Former WWE Champion and RAW/Smackdown commentator JBL is rumored to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. JBL is a Grand Slam Champion, and in addition to holding the WWE Championship for 280 days, he also is a former Intercontinental, United States and three time tag team champion with his APA partner Farooq. WWE may have wished to wait a few more years before inducting JBL, but he was able to bully them into doing it this year. (TJRWrestling)

4. AJ Styles Versus the Undertaker Rumored for Wrestlemania

With Wrestlemania a little over a month away, one of the biggest names in the history of wrestling is suspected to once again compete at the event. The Undertaker is heavily rumored to be returning for this year’s Mania to face AJ Styles. Styles gave a promo this week on RAW where he called out several superstars including the Undertaker. The 54-year-old Undertaker missed last year’s Wrestlemania for the first time in 19 years. Taker did compete in Saudi Arabia, however, as he is one of a handful of superstars who meets the age requirement to main event those shows. (TJRWrestling)

3. Johnny Gargano Turns on Tommaso Ciampa

After wrestling for over thirty minutes, Tommaso Ciampa seemed on his way to defeating Adam Cole and once again becoming NXT Heavyweight Champion. This all changed, however, when Ciampa’s DIY tag team partner Johnny Gargano turned on Ciampa, hitting him with the championship title and costing him the match. DIY has had a tumultuous relationship in the past, including having a series of incredibly brutal matches against each other in 2018. Their relationship is still not nearly as complicated as my kids Do It Yourself instructions for some of their toys on Christmas….easy assembly my ass! (TJRWrestling)

2. Charlotte Flair Officially Challenges NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley to Wrestlemania Match

Women’s Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair officially chose which champion she will face at Wrestlemania 36 on April 5th. After NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley successfully defended her title against Bianca Belair at NXT Takeover Portland, Flair attacked Ripley informing her she was choosing her for the Mania match. This match will make history for the NXT brand, as it will be the first time one of their championships is defended at Wrestlemania. As for Flair, she has not competed in NXT since July of 2015. Once she was called up to the main roster she helped usher in the Women’s Revolution, won ten singles championships, and was in the main event of Wrestlemania last year. It is unclear why Flair has decided to leave RAW and return to NXT, but maybe she heard that NXT doesn’t bite. (TJRWrestling)

1. The “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith expected to enter the WWE Hall of Fame

JBL is not the only name that is heavily rumored to be going into the WWE Hall of Fame this week. The “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith is expected to finally enter the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Smith who tragically passed away in 2002 at the young age of 39, is a former two-time WWF Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion, European Champion and Hardcore Champion. Smith’s induction is believed to be long overdue by many fans, who have seen a number of seemingly less deserving wrestlers go in before him. Hopefully WWE is opening up their Hart and will let other deserving, overdue wrestlers in as well. (TJRWrestling)

That will conclude another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week. As always, if you like what I do, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter @BackseatBookers and listen to my podcast The BackseatBookers (please be aware that it is explicit as I have already been inducted in the four-letter-word Hall of Fame.)