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Here are your quick, editorial-free NXT results for April 22, 2020. Tonight’s episode from WWE’s black and yellow brand included more matches from the tournament to crown an interim Cruiserweight Champion and Dexter Lumis in the main event. Make sure you’re back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of NXT review.

WWE NXT results:

– The episode opened by addressing the “incident” revealed on the NXT Twitter account earlier today in which Finn Balor’s belongings were ransacked in the locker room. Velveteen cut a promo on Balor, his scheduled opponent for the night, who was nowhere to be found. Adam Cole entered the venue, accused Dream of trying to weasel his way into a title shot, and said he would never get one. The Undisputed Era attacked Dream from behind. Keith Lee ran in to save Dream and all the men brawled. The segment ended with Lee and Dream in the ring and the UE on the retreat.

1. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai defeated Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox. Gonzalez pinned Blackheart after hitting a one-armed powerbomb.

– The night’s main event was announced as Lee and Dream vs. Cole and Roderick Strong.

– A video package about Drake Maverick and the cruiserweight tournament played. It began with Maverick’s emotional video response to being laid off last week.

2. Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion Tournament match: Jake Atlas defeated Drake Maverick after hitting his cartwheel DDT (known on the indies as the LGB-DDT.) Atlas tried to talk to Maverick after the match, but Maverick walked past him.

3. Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion Tournament match: Kushida defeated Tony Nese by submission with the Hoverboard Lock.

– In a backstage interview, Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher talked about their new partnership.

– From their dining table, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae cut promos about how they’ve been under-appreciated in NXT.

– A video package hyped Io Shirai challenging Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women’s Championship.

– A dejected Drake Maverick was interviewed on the stairs backstage about his tournament loss.

4. Mia Yim defeated Jessi Kamea. After the match, Flair entered and asked Yim if she accepted her offer of a title match. Yim said she would be honored. Flair thanked Yim for helping make her a star by facing her in her first NXT match and said she would help make Yim a star next week.

5. Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion Tournament match: El Hijo del Fantasmo defeated Jack Gallagher.

– Yim vs. Flair for the NXT Women’s Championship and Lee vs. Damian Priest for the NXT North American Championship were promoted for next week.

– We saw that during the commercial, the masked men who have been kidnapping people in the parking lot tried to abduct Fantasma, but he fought them off.

6. Velveteen Dream and Dexter Lumis defeated Adam Cole and Roderick Strong. As the match began, Priest attacked Lee, hurting him enough that he had to be taken to the back. Dream began to wrestle essentially a handicap match against both Undisputed Era members. Dexter Lumis appeared on the apron during the match and stared silently at Dream. Dream eventually tagged Lumis and the ref allowed Lumis to compete. The match ended after Dream pinned Cole with the Purple Rainmaker for the win.

Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free AEW Dynamite results for April 15, 2020. The show featured Kip Sabian versus Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara versus Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy versus Jimmy Havoc, and more. Make sure you’re here tomorrow for the complete Ins and Outs of AEW Dynamite column.

AEW Dynamite Results:

— The show opened with Cody in a Batcave-looking control room talking about all the wrestlers who have matches tonight, and then questioning his place among them. He said that critics of AEW will continue to move the goalposts, but he’s not worried about that.

1. Darby Allin defeated Sammy Guevara to move on in the TNT Championship Tournament. Allin pinned Guevara in the Last Supper.

— Matt Hardy cut a promo on Chris Jericho from his compound. He started in his Broken “Damascus” persona, and then became regular Matt Hardy and cut a more normal promo as well.

2. Kenny Omega defeated Alan Angels. Omega pinned Angels after hitting a second V-Trigger.

— Scorpio Sky was the subject of a video package about his history and how close he came to leaving wrestling after a back injury and problems finding opportunities before he joined SCU.

— Cody listened to Dustin Rhodes’ voicemail about how he’ll retire if he doesn’t beat Kip Sabian.

3. Orange Cassidy defeated Jimmy Havoc. Penelope Ford attempted to interfere, but Chuck Taylor tried to pull her off the apron. She went down into a split instead, and Kip Sabian jumped on Chuck and Trent. In the chaos, Cassidy managed to pin Havoc. Havoc and Kip Sabian attacked Cassidy after the match, but the Best Friends made the save.

— MJF appeared in front of his house, and said he would explain why he hasn’t been wrestling on AEW Dynamite. He acted like he was going to cry, and then announced that he’s suffering from a bad hangnail. The camera backed up to reveal his arm in a sling with a Burberry bandage around his little finger.

4. Wardlow defeated Lee Johnson. Wardlow pinned Johnson quickly after an Airplane Spin.

— An ex-football player was seen applying online to be in the Dark Order, and then the video cut to his interview with Mr. Brodie Lee. Brodie gave him a mask and welcomed him into the Dark Order.

5. Brodie Lee defeated Justin Law. Lee pinned Law after a Lariat. After the match, he got in Marko Stunt’s face

— In a backstage interview, the Best Friends challenge Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc to a tag team match.

— In a new edition of The Bubbly Bunch, Sammy Guevara was feeling down about the Inner Circle’s recent losses, but the rest of the group encouraged him to be positive. Jericho suggested that they dance to cheer up. Santana suggested the Flim Flam, and Jericho said that who ever did the best job would get a bottle of hand sanitizer as a prize. Then they all danced. Jericho was mad that Sammy clearly won the contest, calling him a show-off and throwing the hand sanitizer at the screen of his phone.

— Dustin Rhodes and Kip Sabian had a video package about their match and the TNT Championship.

6. Dustin Rhodes defeated Kip Sabian to move on in the TNT Championship Tournament and save his career. Rhodes pinned Sabian after a Code Red, after Sabian was distracted by Penelope Ford’s fight with Brandi Rhodes.

Kawhi Leonard is one of the best all-around basketball players on the planet, and that is in no small part thanks to one of is defining physical attributes, i.e. his enormous mitts. Like Michael Jordan before him, Kawhi has figured out ways to leverage those hands to his advantage on both sides of the court.

Early on in his career, they earned him the nickname “The Klaw,” and through his endorsement deal with Jordan (owned by Nike), that led to the development of a logo that has been associated with him ever since. However, Kawhi has since parted ways with the Oregon-based shoe giant and signed on with New Balance.

Nike, however, has refused to give up the rights to the logo, and on Wednesday, a court rejected his bid to regain the copyright, ruling that the final version of the logo is just different enough from Kawhi’s original sketch to ensure their ownership of its intellectual property rights.

Via Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian:

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled that the logo Nike designers helped create with Leonard marked an “independent piece of intellectual property’’ that was distinct from the original sketch Leonard initially conceived and shared with Nike.

“It’s not merely a derivative work of the sketch itself,’’ the judge ruled from the bench after an hour of oral argument held by phone as well as multiple briefs filed in the case. “I do find it to be new and significantly different from the design.”

Nike sues Kawhi back over his “Klaw” logo

Read more: https://t.co/fl1GUfQXa6 pic.twitter.com/aY8IVwiHY4

— SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector) July 18, 2019

Leonard originally filed his suit during the 2019 NBA Finals when he was still with the Raptors. The following summer, there were rumors that the Los Angeles Clippers were considering making a bid to Nike for the rights to the logo as part of their free agency pitch to Kawhi. That didn’t happen, but Kawhi, of course, ended up signing their anyway. Regardless, it’s a tough loss for Kawhi and his camp, but also an opportunity to move forward on something bigger and better.

(The Oregonian)

Much of America has been on lockdown, quarantining from the still rampaging pandemic, for well over a month now, and what have we been doing to keep busy? Streaming, of course. But a new online petition has been gaining traction, one that offers a modest proposal: Netflix should be free for at least the next 60 days.

Entertainment Weekly caught the petition, which was launched on Change.org and currently has over 50,000 signatures. Their argument? It states that quarantining and social distancing are of utmost importance, but there are also drawbacks, among them that it “runs the risk of boredom and isolation, which can lead to depression, among other factors.”

The petition states that many “are turning to their streaming services to alleviate their monotony,” but that there’s a problem: “many people cannot afford these membership fees, especially in a time like now when many people’s economic livelihood is already strained.”

It continues:
“Therefore, this petition asks that all worldwide streaming services inact a temporary 60 day stoppage of membership charges, as well as per-movie rental fees,” continues the petition. “If people can watch as much as they want, whenever they want, this will help alleviate the stress of home isolation, as well as encourage people to stay home. This is a responsible community health strategy… I call upon every one of these companies that can help make an involuntary homestay more comfortable and therefore more successful to do their part to lift our sorrows and stresses of the quarantine.”

As per EW, Netflix has added 16 million new subscribers so far this year alone, which doubled its projections and led to a surge in its stock price. Indeed, as of Tuesday its value is more than $190 billion, making it more profitable than Disney — although Disney, some of its major cash cows being shuttered because of COVID-19, is currently bleeding cash. Still, Disney+ has signed up over 50 million subscribers since launching in November.

EW reported that neither Netflix nor any other streamer had commented on the petition since, so we’ll see what happens.

To view the petition, visit Change.org.

(Via EW)

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Welcome to this week’s Wednesday Night Wars open discussion thread. This week we’ve got an AEW Dynamite featuring two more matches in the TNT Championship Tournament going up against an episode of NXT with Finn Bálor vs. Velveteen Dream and, most importantly, the WWE TV debut of El Hijo del Fantasma.

On tonight’s cards:

AEW Dynamite

• TNT Championship Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
• TNT Championship Tournament Semi-Finals (and Career-threatening) Match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Kip Sabian
• Orange Cassidy vs. Jimmy Havoc
• Kenny Omega, Mr. Brodie Lee, and Wardlow & Associates all in action

NXT

• Finn Bálor vs. Velveteen Dream
• NXT Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match: El Hijo del Fantasma debuting against Jack Gallagher and Jack Gallagher’s weird tattoos
• NXT Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match: Kushida vs. Tony Nese
• NXT Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match: Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas
• Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez

As always, +1 your favorite comments from tonight’s open thread and if we get enough comments, we’ll include 10 of the best in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of NXT and AEW reports. Make sure you flip the comments by selecting “newest” in the drop down menu under discussion, and enjoy the show!

If you’re into whiskey, you’ve probably seen the gold and black World Whiskies Awards logos floating around at some point or another. The group is part of TheDrinksReport.com, which offers industry news and insights and runs alcohol-centric awards for whiskey, beer, brandy, vodka, etc. The point of this particular award is to find and promote the best whiskies in the world, and they take the job very, very seriously.

Since this list is about the best of the best, it’s broken down into 16 unique whisk(e)y categories. The awards cover everything from America’s bourbon to the world’s best single malts to primo bottles of rye. Within each category, there are specific regional winners — that is Scotch single malt, American single malt, Taiwanese single malt, and so on. But we’re not focusing on those today. We’re diving into the best of the best, the so-called “Taste Winners” of 2020 for each category.

Since this award was specifically about taste, we’ve pulled the tasting notes from the judges for each winner. Also, we haven’t priced these bottles out. While some are accessible, several of them are very hard to come by. Even if you do find one of the rarer bottles, they’ll cost a small fortune. That being said, this is a stellar international selection of great whiskeys that are worth tracking down if you have the means or opportunity.

World’s Best Blended Limited Release — Ichiro’s Malt & Grain

ABV: 48.50%
Distillery: Chichibu Distillery, Chichibu, Japan

The Whisky:

Chichibu Distillery founder and master whisky maker, Ichiro Akuto, takes his time when making a blend. He knows what’s he’s doing. Akuto’s family has been making spirits since the 1600s in Japan. Where this whisky truly stands out is in its blend. The base grain and malt whiskies are from Chichibu’s stills and aging program. That is then blended with malt and grain whiskies from Canada, the U.S., Scotland, and Ireland.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Rich with slight hints of sulfur. A burst of fresh mint is mixed with slightly peaty notes. A powerful dram.”

World’s Best Blended Malt — MacNair’s Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 21 Years Old

ABV: 48%
Distillery: The GlenAllachie Distillery, Aberlour, UK

The Whisky:

This masterful blend mingles peaty single malts from both the Speyside and Islay whisky regions of Scotland with a single malt from GlenAllachie (also Speyside). Ex-bourbon, new oak, ex-Oloroso sherry, and ex-red wine casks are used in the aging process. The aged juice then goes into the bottles without any fussing or filtration.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Fragrant and sweet, with floral and fruit aromas. Fruit Pastilles and a touch of honey. Rich with a gentle mouthfeel, fruitiness of plums, and black grapes with a touch of cinnamon, tobacco, and licorice. Lingering pepper and spice on the finish. Great balance.”

World’s Best Blended Whisky — Dewar’s Double Double 32 Years Old

ABV: 46%
Distillery: John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. (Bacardi)

The Whisky:

This is a very complex dram. The blended whisky goes through what master blender Stephanie Macleod calls a “four-stage aging process.” The first stage takes single malt and grain whisky and ages them separately for 32 years. Then the whiskies are blended — single malts with single malt, grain with grain — and mellowed in old whisky casks. Next, the single malts and grains are blended and rested again in old oak. Finally, the whisky is transferred for final finishing in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. This imbues a lifetime of wood, weather, and terroir into every single drop.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Brown sugar-glazed roasted pineapple on the nose. Polished oak develops. Thick, sweet palate with caramel, vanilla, molasses, and toffee with soft spice and baked apples. Raisin notes build. Water brings out tropical fruit notes. Rich and rather complex.”

World’s Best Bourbon — Ironroot Harbinger

ABV: 57.5%
Distillery: Ironroot Republic Distillery, Denison, TX

The Whisky:

This multiple-award-winning bourbon keeps it simple. The grain-to-glass experience embraces locally grown Texas heirloom corns in the mash alongside a nice dose of rye. The hot juice is then aged in Texas until it meets the high standards of co-founder and head distiller Jonathan Likarish who founded the craft distillery with his brother, Robert, back 2014. If you can get your hand on a bottle, you won’t be disappointed.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“A punch of alcohol on the nose, kettle corn, oak, salted caramel, and vanilla. Full-bodied and strong with a caramel sweetness, licorice, and dried fruits. Rounding out with a long finish of oak and spice.”

World’s Best Canadian Blended — J.P. Wiser’s Alumni Whisky Series Darryl Sittler

ABV: 40%
Distillery: J.P. Wiser’s Distillery, Windsor, ON (Pernod Ricard)

The Whisky:

J.P. Wiser’s teamed up the NHL Alumni Association to create whiskies that celebrate iconic players and support the NHLAA’s charities. This expression celebrates the career of Darryl Sittler who led the record-breaking ten-point game while playing for the Maple Leafs. That’s why this corn-forward expression is aged for ten years in ex-bourbon and new Canadian oak. There’s six percent rye in the mash to represent the six goals Sittler scored in the game alongside four percent wheat for his four assists.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Dark amber in color. Nose is quite oaky, herbal, lots of tobacco. Palate is dark caramel. Very little spice. Pleasant. Finish is medium length, peppery. Semi-sweet on the nose with a vanilla backbone. Integrated and smooth on the palate. Very good rye notes, grassy on the finish with a splash of citrus.”

World’s Best Corn — Spirit of Hven MerCurious

ABV: 45.6%
Distillery: Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn, Sankt Ibb, Sweden

The Whisky:

This year’s best corn whisky went to craft Swedish distillery Spirit of Hven. The whisky is made in the world’s smallest pot still distillery situated on an island in the Öresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark. The whole operation is carbon neutral. The mash bill of 88 percent corn, five percent wheat, 3.5 percent barley, and 3.5 percent rye are all locally and sustainably sourced. The corn whisky then ages for eight years before going into the bottle.

Tasting Notes according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Very creamy on the nose, sweet corn with vanilla pastries, subtle berries, pear drops, red apples, and white chocolate. Well-integrated wood. The palate offers pear drops, caramel popcorn, and chocolate nibs. The finish lingers on with gentle wood spice, vanilla, pastries, and a little spearmint.”

World’s Best Flavored — FEW Spirits Cold Cut Bourbon

ABV: 46.5%
Distillery: FEW Spirits, Evanston, IL

The Whisky:

This is an interesting marrying of small-batch, cask-strength bourbon meeting cold brew coffee. What’s at play is a flavoring of bourbon by cutting the juice with coffee instead of water when it’s brought down to proof. Yes, it’s a flavored whiskey, but it’s flavored with the actual product as opposed to an artificial adjunct or flavoring agent. That makes this expression the perfect base for a bourbon-forward coffee cocktail.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Nose is subtle with aromas of cold brew coffee.”

World’s Best Grain — Fuji Single Grain 30 Years Old

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Kirin Mount Fuji Distillery, Gotemba, Japan

The Whisky:

This very rare bottle of Japanese whisky masters the single grain experience. Kirin’s Fuji Gotemba distillery is all about precision at every step. The distillery’s location at 2,000 feet above sea level on Mount Fuji provides a mild-climate similar to Scotland, making it a great place for whisky to age to perfection.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Great depth, gentle, fruity, vanilla beans, woody notes, popcorn, tannin, sherry. Oaky.”

World’s Best New Make — Macaloney’s Peated Clearach

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Victoria Caledonian Distillery, Victoria, BC

The Whisky:

Any white dog, or unaged whisk(e)y, is always an interesting entry. This “new make” is made on Vancouver Island from peated barley grown in British Columbia. The whole operation is a nod to the traditions of Scottish distilling and aging and has only been around since 2017.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Nose is reminiscent of barbecue, smoky and meaty with vegetal notes. Palate has a beautiful fruity note with green pepper. Sweet spirit on the palate well done. Palate stands out with a beautiful fruity note.”

World’s Best Pot Still — Redbreast 21 Years Old

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Irish Distillers, Ireland (Pernod Ricard)

The Whisky:

This unique Irish whiskey has malted and un-malted barley in its mash bill. It’s triple distilled in pot stills. Then the juice goes into ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry oak for 21 long years before bottling. This expression remains a masterpiece if Irish whiskey-making.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Beautiful nose – oaky, fruity, zingy. Soft, creamy, and fruity with small zaps of oak spice. A honey softness on the tongue. The fruit intensifies throughout too, with a hint of wine alongside. Some nutty notes. Delicious.”

World’s Best Rye — Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Archie Rose Distilling Co., Rosebery, Australia

The Whisky:

This new craft rye from Down Under is wowing whiskey-lovers worldwide. The whisky is the product of carefully selected malted rye and barley in the mash bill. The juice then goes into new American oak that has spent 36 months baking in the Australian sun. The barrels are then racked next to Syndey’s coastline so they can weather the sea air.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“An apple-led nose with dried apples and dry cider, some anise, caraway, and toasted bread crust. Palate has a thick, almost creamy texture. Spiced sponge, light ginger, and star anise. Initial sweetness dries out with a medium, nutty, dry fruit finish.”

World’s Best Single Barrel Bourbon — Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10 Years Old

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Lux Row Distillers, Bardstown, KY

The Whisky:

This wheated bourbon spends ten long years in charred new American oak. The expression is then barreled directly from individual barrels with no alterations. This means that bottles from the same year’s batch will have a lot of nuances. It’s one-of-a-kind in every way.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):
“A sweet, buttery nose with salted caramel, vanilla, and chocolate. Nice balance of spice in flavor with pink peppercorns and candied fruit. Hot, drying, and a long finish.”

World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt — Sandy McIntyre’s Tamdhu Single Cask Speyside Single Malt

ABV: 56.2%
Distillery: Ian Macleod Distillers, Broxburn, UK

The Whisky:

The single casks for this whisky were hand-picked by distillery manager Sandy “Big Mac” McIntyre. The juice went into ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks back in 2003. This single cask expression was bottled and released late last year. There were only 595 bottles made, so don’t count on it being cheap if you do find one.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Excellent complexity and depth. Nose has notes of rosewater and wildflowers with rich manuka honey, flapjacks, vanilla, and overripe nectarines. Velvety palate with orange oil, dried papaya, cherry chocolates, and some gentle spice. Superb.”

World’s Best Single Malt — The Hakushu Single Malt 25 Years Old

ABV: 43%
Distillery: Suntory Hakushu Distillery, Hakushucho, Japan (Beam Suntory)

The Whisky:

This is another rare and crazy expensive bottle. Hakushu is often billed as one of the highest elevation distilleries in the world. It’s nestled in the Mt. Kaikomagatake forests in southern Japan, providing a unique water source and climate. The expression is a blend of single malts that have been produced at the distillery. Each has been aged for at least 25 years in varying casks (mostly ex-sherry).

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Fresh wood and green apple make for a fresh, summery whisky with a pleasant lightness and complexity leading to a sophisticated aftertaste. Elegant and clean throughout.”

World’s Best Tennessee — Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey 1820 Single Barrel

ABV: 58.6%
Distillery: Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville, TN

The Whisky:

This masterclass in Tennessee whiskey is worth getting your hands on. The hot juice from the still is first filtered through sugar maple charcoal before spending eleven years in charred new American oak. The barrels are hand-selected from Uncle Nearest rickhouses with a less than one percent selection rate. That makes this expression an extremely special bottle of Tennessee whiskey.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):
“Pleasing nose with roasted corn and oak. Rich on the tongue, with the notes of oak continuing throughout. Good complexity, great character.”

World’s Best Wheat — Bainbridge Two Islands Hokkaido Cask

ABV: 43%
Distillery: Bainbridge Organic Distillers, Bainbridge Island, WA

The Whisky:

This Seattle-area craft whiskey distillery is making very unique expressions through very rare barrel programs. Their Hokkaido Cask is aged in rare Mizunara Oak from, well, Hokkaido. The juice that goes into those barrels is made from 100 percent Washington-grown organic white wheat. That juice is then aged in small-format new oak with a medium char. Finally, the juice is transferred to the used Mizunara oak for a finishing mellow.

Tasting Notes (according to World Whiskies Awards):

“Very nice color. On the young side, but well balanced. Grain forward and sweet caramel on the nose. Nice mouthfeel includes hot flavors of spice and sweet pear, hints of wood are balanced. Dry on the finish, warm with pleasant spice and oak.”