Daily Update: Xavier Woods, AEW notes, Dark Side of the Ring

New Day Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods from WWE.com
New Day Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods from WWE.com (Image credit: WWE)

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Wednesday Update

Tony D'Angelo Naraku
Tony D’Angelo faces Naraku in WWE NXT street fight. (Image credit: WWE)

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Tony D’Angelo vs. Naraku NXT Championship street fight from last night.
  • Trick Williams told The Takedown on SI that he doesn’t believe his wrestling character is all that different from who he really is:
    • My birth name is Matrick. So Trick is just a piece of who Matrick is, you know what I mean? And that’s almost exactly what Unreal will show you. Trick is inside of Matrick, and it’s not something that’s polar opposite. This really just gives you a opportunity to see exactly who Trick is and things that you wouldn’t be able to see on Friday nights or on Monday Night Raw.
  • WWE Vault put together a video with footage from CM Punk and Jeff Hardy’s 2009 rivalry.
  • Brie Bella uploaded a new vlog.
  • ESPN Vibe Check interviewed Alexa Bliss.
  • WWE’s countdown of the 25 most shocking moments in SummerSlam history continued with Becky Lynch’s 2021 return and victory over Bianca Belair being ranked at number eight:
    • 25. Logan Paul smashes Jelly Roll through a table (2025)
    • 24. Bray Wyatt debuts The Fiend (2019)
    • 23. Shawn Michaels returns to the ring in unsanctioned match against Triple H (2002)
    • 22. Ultimate Warrior ends Honky Tonk Man’s historic Intercontinental title reign (1988)
    • 21. IYO SKY cashes in to win WWE Women’s Championship from Bianca Belair (2023)
    • 20. Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge & Christian face off in first-ever TLC match (2000)
    • 19. Nikki Bella betrays Brie Bella (2014)
    • 18. Brock Lesnar defeats The Rock for WWE Undisputed Championship (2002)
    • 17. Finn Balor double-crosses Damian Priest (2024)
    • 16. Seth Rollins defeats Brock Lesnar for Universal Championship (2019)
    • 15. Shane McMahon’s scaffold fall against Steve Blackman (2000)
    • 14. Shawn Michaels costs Undertaker WWF Championship against Bret Hart (1997)
    • 13. Brock Lesnar defeats Randy Orton by technical knockout (2016)
    • 12. Roman Reigns helps Cody Rhodes vanquish Solo Sikoa (2024)
    • 11. Becky Lynch demolishes Charlotte Flair in post-match ambush (2018)
    • 10. Paul Bearer betrays The Undertaker (1996)
    • 9. Jimmy Uso sabotages his twin brother Jey (2023)
    • 8. Becky Lynch returns, quickly defeats Bianca Belair for SmackDown Women’s Championship (2021)

Other Wrestling

  • In a largely comedic piece for video game website Giant Bomb, Austin Creed (the former Xavier Woods) and Kenny Omega ranked their 10 best video games from last year. Woods said he’s enjoyed having some time off before he officially hits free agency after his WWE release:
    • Taking a full ass break for the first time in 22 years. It’s been great getting to relax. It’s summer, kids are out of school, have been going on hella vacations, and are enjoying just existing and sleeping well.
  • Tony Khan praised Kevin Knight while speaking with the Battleground Podcast ahead of AEW Redemption:
    • Well, I really believe in Kevin. I think Kevin’s done great in AEW as part of the team, JetSpeed. But also as an individual, Kevin has been fantastic since he left the tag team. And I really think Kevin is an excellent wrestler. He arrived here, seemed like a great athlete and great person.
    • He has fallen under the tutelage of the Don Callis Family. Don Callis is a manager of champions. He’s led top stars to top championships throughout AEW and all over the world of wrestling. And ‘The Jet’ Kevin Knight is definitely one of the top prospects in the sport. He’s risen to become a top star.
  • Matt Jackson spoke to Undisputed about a potential Young Bucks vs. Adam Copeland & Christian Cage dream match:
    • I think it’s one of the few, final big money tag matches that are currently left and on the table. 
    • For years, we obviously counted this one out as a possibility, but now here we are – and the match is possibly at play? It still doesn’t feel real. My mind is already racing at the thought, and ideas are already in my notepad. But I won’t believe it until I see it.
  • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega has replaced MJF on the advertising graphic for August 5’s Grand Slam Mexico edition of Dynamite.
  • In an interview with The Wrestling Classic, AEW National Champion Mark Davis discussed how he’s adjusted to becoming a singles wrestler:
    • Switching and having to make that step towards singles wrestling from that has just been a lot of making sure my conditioning is up to scratch, getting myself in a little bit better shape to perform at the level that I need to be doing to be an elite singles wrestler.
    • I don’t think anybody necessarily steps into professional wrestling to just be in a tag team, if that makes sense. I think there’s like unique cases towards it. You know, people like The Young Bucks who are the Young Bucks and they’re both fantastic singles wrestlers on their own, but that’s their identity.
    • So it has been a nice liberating and fun feeling for me to get out there and just do singles wrestling for quite a while. And this is probably the longest run that I have had in quite a while just doing singles matches. So it has been cool finding my footing doing that 20 years into wrestling.
  • Davis said he believes his former Aussie Open tag team partner Kyle Fletcher has all the potential in the world:
    • I think he’s only just still getting started, if I’m honest. He has such an undefeatable spirit. He gets so laser-focused on what he wants to accomplish, and I think that he can just take it as far as he wants to. He’s honestly a fantastic person, a fantastic wrestler – very, very, very proud and very happy for him.
  • Lio Rush will face off against UK indie wrestler Rhio for PROGRESS Wrestling in London on August 31.
  • The full “Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe” Dark Side of the Ring episode that premiered last night has been uploaded to YouTube.
  • Former WWE wrestler Braun Strowman appeared on Snack Wars from SPORTbible.
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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.