SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • What Bobby Lashley Would Like To Do After Retirement

    Bobby Lashley doesn\’t want to be a rickety old guy in wrestling but he doesn\’t seem to have any plans of hanging up his boots anytime soon either. The All-Mighty recently had an interview with Ringer Wrestling. He mentioned how many fighters get in the ring past their prime wanting one more match while they can\’t even move properly.

    Lashley explained that he doesn\’t want to be that guy. He has told his coaches not to let him be the old guy out there. According to Bobby, he will take a step back when he can\’t give his 100% anymore:

    \”Once I can\’t give you 100% of everything I have, I\’m gonna take a back step and I\’m going to do something else. I\’m going to do some coaching or help some of the younger guys. I\’m not going to be one of those guys who are rickety trying to hang on to my youth. I\’m going to be sitting on the beach, doing yoga, just enjoying life and spending time with my kids,\”

    Bobby Lashley On When He Will Retire

    Though as far as when that time may actually come, Bobby Lashley doesn\’t have an idea right now.  The 45-year-old mentioned how 50 seems to be the natural cut off point for him. At the same time, he doesn\’t see a reason to hang up his boots as long as he can keep up his appearance:

    \”I\’m like, \’I don\’t believe I should be wrestling when I\’m 50 years old,\’ but I feel so good now that I don\’t know. If I\’m feeling as good as I feel now, two years from now, there is no reason why I can\’t. If my appearance fades or I can\’t keep on the weight or run with these kids the way they are coming up, I\’ll take note of that.\”

    The former WWE champion again mentioned how he is feeling 100% right now and he believes he can run through anybody in the roster. Bobby Lashley is currently scheduled to challenge Brock Lesnar for his WWE championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV this Saturday on January 29.

    https://s46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com/news/bobby-lashley-explains-ufc/

    Thanks to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

  • Seth Rollins Wants To See A Surprise Winner For Men\’s Royal Rumble

    The Royal Rumble this year is one of the most wide-open rumbles in the history of the event and Seth Rollins wants an underrated star to win the battle royal this year. The former Universal champion recently had an interview with Alex McCarthy of TalkSport. Among other things, he discussed the upcoming PPV event.

    Rollins first mentioned how winning the women\’s Royal Rumble last year catapulted Bianca Belair into superstardom. He said that he would love to see that on the men\’s side this time around:

    \”You look at Bianca Belair on the female side, winning the Rumble catapulted her into superstardom. I’d love to see that on the men’s side. I think there’s a lot of guys bubbling and we always need new top faces. I’d love to see someone come out of nowhere and win.\”

    Seth Rollins then explained that he would love to see a surprise winner at the men\’s Royal Rumble this year, someone who the fans can get behind:

    \”I\’d love a real surprise Rumble winner for people to get behind. Tons of guys on the RAW roster could; Finn Balor is someone who is right there. Chad Gable. Matt Riddle. Montez Ford.\”

    The 35th annual Royal Rumble will take place at The Dome at America\’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri on January 29, 2022.

    Who is your pick to win the battle royal this year? Let us know your choice for the winner in the comment section below.

    Seth Rollins Reflects On Creative Differences With WWE

  • Cody Rhodes Confirms AEW Contract Status

    Cody Rhodes has been the center of many news stories recently after it was reported that the AEW star was working with the company without a contract. The American Nightmare defended his TNT championship against Sammy Guevara on the Beach Break special of Dynamite this week. He, unfortunately, lost the bout.

    An emotional Rhodes was interviewed backstage after his loss and he told a story about his father Dusty Rhodes. He claimed that he has never felt more at home than in AEW, before addressing the elephant in the room:

    \”There are so many elephants in the room. This is an insane week in wrestling. People think that the Sean Ross story is BS, it\’s not. I\’m working here without a contract. I\’m not even on payroll anymore. I\’m working here on a handshake deal. That is 100% legitimate, I swear on Pharaoh\’s life,\”

    Cody Rhodes noted how he is usually slow in getting his rematches but teased that he \’won\’t be so slow\’ on getting a rematch for the title this time around. The now former TNT champion also mentioned how he helped bring Sammy Guevara to AEW and said that he is proud of the young star.

    You can check out Rhodes\’ comments in the video below:

  • Malakai Black On His Relationship With Tony Khan

    There are wrestlers who like to feel the atmosphere of an arena and build a match or a promo based on how the crowd is reacting. Then there are talents who meticulously plan out every little detail for anything they do well ahead of time. Malakai Black is a star that belongs to the latter category.

    The AEW star had an interview with Barstool Rassling. He discussed how every aspect of his character has a deeper meaning and claimed what we saw during his NXT days was a collaboration between him and Triple H. When asked how things have changed since joining AEW, Black detailed how Tony Khan provides freedom to his stars:

    \”Tony is a \’do whatever, you want, but run it by me and maybe I\’ve got some ideas [guy]\’, and he does have good ideas.\” said Malakai Black, \”Tony and me have sat down on numerous occasions and kind of like, you know, thought about some ideas or like, I\’ll tell him something and then he\’s like, \’hey, maybe we should do this.\’

    Because it\’s always good to get perspective on the outside from someone else. Because sometimes you have an idea that in your head is very streamlined and then someone else kind of brings an element [hearing which] you go \’Oh, that works way better.\’ That\’s the kind of relationship that I have with Tony.\”

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

    Malakai Black Explains Name Change and His Black Eye

  • Chris Jericho Says AEW Treats Stars \’A Million Times\’ Better Than WWE

    One of the biggest differences between WWE and AEW is how they treat their stars behind the scenes. Chris Jericho believes AEW\’s treatment is \’a million times better\’ than his former employers.

    Y2J recently appeared on Wrestling with Freddie podcast. He discussed things such as the younger AEW talents, staying relevant after 30 years in the business and more.

    Talking about the difference in how AEW and WWE treat their employees, Chris Jericho explained that the Khan family know how to take care of their talent because of their sports background:

    “AEW’s treatment is a million times better than WWE’s ever was because the Khan family are owners of sports teams, so, they come at it from a sports standpoint.

    I never had hotels and cars provided ever. Never ever in the thirty years of working in the States.\” said Chris Jericho, \”If I did a one-off or something, they’d never take care of that. AEW does.”

    The former AEW world champion also provided some insight on their TV deal discussing how their initial deal with TNT was on ad-revenue share basis.

    Though the broadcast network have since upgraded their contracts and Jericho revealed that their current deal is worth $160 million for four years.

    Chris Jericho Believes Bout With Nick Gage Derserved Five Star Rating

    Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

  • Danhausen Signs With All Elite Wrestling

    Danhausen is All Elite.

    After months of teasing, the former ROH star finally made his debut during this week\’s Beach Break special of AEW Dynamite from Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

    The main event of the show saw Adam Cole facing Orange Cassidy in a Lights Out match which was contested all over the arena.

    Cassidy got the first offense in the match but Cole quickly took the control of the bout. He dropped OC spine first onto the steel barricade.

    The former Undisputed Era leader then tried to pull a chair from the ring apron but it appeared to be stuck. As Cole finally got the chair out, Danhausen came out of the apron with it.

    https://twitter.com/AEWonTV/status/1486530789462454274

    The very nice, very evil star got a huge pop from the crowd and he shocked Cole. Though the debuting talent didn\’t interfere in the bout and he simply walked away.

    The match continued and after interference from a number of stars, Orange Cassidy managed to pin the former NXT champion for the win.

    After the show went off the air, Tony Khan took on his Twitter. With the usual graphic, he confirmed that Danhausen has signed with All Elite Wrestling.

    Before coming to AEW, the high-flying star has wrestled for promotions such as ROH and Full Impact Pro. He has been trained by Jimmy Jacobs and Truth Martini.

    AEW Dynamite Beach Break Results: Ladder Match, CM Punk & MJF, Danhausen Debuts

  • AJ Styles Says \’We Are Getting Close\’ To Edge Match

    Ever since Edge made his return to WWE, people have been wanting to see him getting in the ring with AJ Styles for a one-on-one match. Now the phenomenal one is saying that we are getting close to this encounter.

    The former world champion was a guest on the most recent episode of WWE\’s The Bump. He discussed things related to the Royal Rumble PPV including his own debut for the company during the 2016 Rumble and more.

    When asked if he has interest in going against the Rated R Superstar, Styles replied positively. He then recalled the last time they faced off in a ring:

    \”Absolutely, I think the last time Edge and I were in the ring together he separated my shoulder with a spear. Which was, you know, the way it should have been.

    But we need to get back in the ring with a one-on-one match and get this thing over with.\” said AJ Styles, \”I want this match. He wants this match. When is it gonna happen? We\’re getting close.\”

    The last time these two stars competed against each other was during the 2020 Royal Rumble event where Edge made his in-ring return after almost 9 years.

    Unfortunately for AJ Styles, he suffered a separated shoulder during the bout after taking a spear from the Attitude Era star. Though Styles at the time had claimed that Edge was not the one responsible for his injury.

    If you use the quotes from this article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Wardlow Comments On Potential Match Against MJF

    Wardlow has been on MJF\’s side from his start in AEW but things haven\’t been so good between these two Pinnacle members recently.

    The company has been teasing a potential feud between these two talents for a while and the heavyweight star is not denying the possibility either.

    During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Wardlow discussed how MJF loves adjusting his contract. He admitted that it has started to get under his skin:

    \”He loves adjusting my contract. He seems to make changes to it weekly, which is starting to get under my skin a little bit. But we\’ve been together for two years, he pays me to watch his back. So, you know, that\’s technically my job.\”

    Wardlow said that he will continue to do his job but on the question of a potential match with the Pinnacle leader, he claimed that his contract with MJF isn\’t forever:

    \”So I will continue to do so as long as I\’m under contract to do so. Because that\’s my job. I do my job, and I do it well. But who knows what happens? I know that contract isn\’t forever. So who knows what will happen down the road.\”

    MJF is currently feuding with CM Punk. It wouldn\’t be a surprise if the culmination of the feud leads to the end of his association with Wardlow as well.

    Watch Wardlow\’s interview with Chris Van Vliet:

    H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

  • Possible Update On Xavier Woods\’ Return

    It appears that King Xavier Woods might be returning to the WWE TV sooner than first thought and we might see him at the Royal Rumble event as well.

    Mike Johnson of the PWinsider recently provided some update on the New Day star who has been off TV due to his injury for the past few weeks.

    According to the report, Woods is expected to join the WWE crew back on the road starting this Friday. Though it\’s unknown whether he has been cleared for active competition.

    The King Of The Ring winner tore his Plantaris muscle during a Street Fight with The Usos on the January 7 episode of SmackDown earlier this month.

    At the time it was assessed that Xavier Woods will miss four to six weeks of action. Kofi Kingston had confirmed that he will not be competing in the Royal Rumble.

    Though his recovery period is short enough for WWE to keep the New Day member on TV until he gets cleared for in-ring action by the doctors.

    Woods won\’t be the only unexpected star backstage at SmackDown as reports suggest that several NXT stars are scheduled to be in the arena for the show as well.

    Xavier Woods Knows How He’ll React If WWE Releases Him

  • News On Broadcast Plans For Hall Of Fame And NXT Stand & Deliver

    WrestleMania this year will once again be a two-night event. It will be taking place on April 2 and 3 from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

    WWE has also announced the NXT Stand & Deliver PPV event and the Hall Of Fame ceremony for the Mania weekend.

    All these announcements had confused fans about the scheduling of these events. PWinsider has now provided an update on the current plans for these shows.

    According to the site, the current working plan is for the Hall Of Fame ceremony to air on Friday night, after the SmackDown broadcast has gone off the air. There is no word yet on if the ceremony is expected to air live or be taped ahead of time.

    As for the NXT event, the plan right now for the Stand & Deliver PPV is to air the show on Saturday afternoon, prior to night 1 of WrestleMania 38.

    These events will of course be in addition to the WrestleMania go home episode of Raw on Monday and the weekly NXT episode on Tuesday.

    With over 2 months remaining to the show of shows, these plans are still \”very preliminary” and could change as the event comes closer.

    Mark Henry Thinks Mickie James Is Closer To WWE Hall Of Fame

  • Johnny Gargano Really Wants to Work with AEW’s Top Stars

    Now that his WWE contract has officially expired, Johnny Gargano is free to show up anywhere he wants to wrestle the people of his choice. He is certainly not backing away from naming the people he wants to get in the ring with. There are a couple of top AEW stars he seems to have his sight set on at the moment.

    During a recent Twitch stream, Gargano offered his thoughts on the former AEW champion Kenny Omega. He said “I think Kenny Omega is one of, if not the, best wrestler in the world currently. I know that it is a legitimate dream match for a lot of people, me and Kenny, and it is definitely a dream match for me too.”

    Gargano was later asked if he watched the Hangman Page vs Bryan Danielson AEW world championship match from the Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite. He replied positively before claiming that Danielson is the best wrestler in the world:

    \”I did. It was fantastic. They\’re both amazingly talented and I wrestled Bryan twice on the Indies, both times for AIW in Cleveland. I [have] said time and time again that he\’s the best wrestler in the world. I know I say a lot of people are one of the best wrestlers in the world. I truly believe that Bryan is the best wrestler in the world.\”

    Johnny Gargano Wants Rematch Against Bryan Danielson

    \"Johnny
    Johnny Gargano

    Johnny Gargano continued by saying that he can\’t explain why he thinks Bryan is the best wrestler in the world. He claimed that you have to step in the ring with the former world champion to know, before expressing the desire of doing so himself:

    \”The guy for my personal opinion just because I have been in the ring with him. So, I kind of know from experience, I don\’t know how to explain it or say why he\’s the best wrestler in the world. You just got to be in there with him and you just know, like, you just know. Bryan is the best and it\’s a shame that we never got a chance to have entangled in the last couple years but hopefully at some point down the line that can happen.\”

    Johnny Gargano ended his six years long stint with WWE earlier this month. He let his deal expire and chose not to re-sign with the promotion. His last bout was the WarGames match between Team Black and Gold and Team 2.0. The belief is that he will take some time off to be with his wife until the birth of their first child in February before making a decision about his future.

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for the transcription

  • Randy Orton Reveals He Tested Positive For COVID Last Year

    Randy Orton has revealed that he missed a couple months of action back in 2021 after catching COVID and losing a lot of weight because of it.

    The Viper recently had an interview with The Ringer Wrestling Show. During the talk, he revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in June:

    “In June, I got COVID. I missed seven weeks of TV because my blood inflammation levels were so high that they were worried that it was going to turn into a mild cardease or echo cardease or something with the heart.”

    Revealing the effects of the disease on him, Randy Orton explained that he lost 20 pounds due to the infection and was stick skinny:

    “I lost 20 pounds during Covid. I had it so bad. I was stick skinny, stick thin. I had a chance to rebuild. I’m either going to do it this way or I’m going to do it that way.”

    Orton later explained that as part of his recovery he cut down sugar and alcohol from his diet. He also started seeing a physical therapist for some of his shoulder issues and Randy said that he is now feeling the best physically since he can remember.

    Randy Orton missed a couple of months of action in mid-2021. He wrestled during the June 21 edition of Raw and didn\’t compete in another match till 9 August.

    Randy Orton Offers Prediction On How Long He’ll Keep Wrestling

    Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcribed quotes

  • Killer Kross On His Relationship With Vince McMahon

    A lot of people have criticized how Vince McMahon and company handled Killer Kross on the main roster. Though the former WWE star himself does not have anything bad to say about the boss. The former NXT champion recently appeared on Busted Open Radio where he discussed a number of things.

    When asked if he had a relationship with McMahon, he claimed that the chairman always made himself available:

    “Not necessarily, but he always made himself available to me, I would be able to knock on his door and go in and talk to him about anything.\” said Killer Kross, \”But the information that he had given me about what he wanted from me was usually at Gorilla, at the end of the matches.\”

    The former NXT star explained that the information he needed for his character was given to him by writers. According to him, Mr McMahon told him he was very happy with everything Kross was doing:

    “He told me he was very happy with everything that I was doing.\” revealed Killer Kross, \”And in terms of bringing a character to life, aside from the outfit, I mean, I wasn’t really given much direction,”

    The former Impact star later mentioned how he felt his presentation was amputated because his theme song was still sung by Scarlett but she wasn\’t at his side. According to him, what went wrong with his character was that the presentation of it didn\’t provide a lot of explanation of what was going on.

    Killer Kross Knew Something Was Not Right From His First Day On The Main Roster

    Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

  • Several NXT Stars Slated To Be At SmackDown This Week

    Atleast four of the current WWE NXT superstars are slated to be at the SmackDown taping this Friday from Kansas City, Missouri.

    Per PWInsider, former NXT women\’s tag team champion Dakota Kai, and former NXT women\’s champion Io Shirai are both expected to be in the arena for the episode.

    On the men\’s side, both former Million Dollar champion LA Knight and Diamond Mine Leader Roderick Strong are slated to be at SmackDown.

    There is no word yet on what these stars will be doing on the show but they are most likely to be working dark matches as part of the process for their main roster callup.

    Lo Shirai hasn\’t wrestled on a main roster show since 2019. She was a surprise entrant for the Women\’s Royal Rumble match that year.

    Dakota Kai hasn\’t wrestled on the main roster this year either. Though she was brought in for some dark matches late last year.

    Both Strong and Knight, on the other hand, have wrestled several dark matches in recent weeks. The latest of them took place at last week\’s SmackDown episode which was won by LA Knight.

    These four aren\’t the only wrestlers being evaluated as Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne too have been working main roster shows recently. It would be interesting to see how many of them show up at Royal Rumble this Saturday.

    WWE Royal Rumble Betting Odds

  • Sheamus Says Vince McMahon Shot Down Idea Of Using His Old Theme Song

    Sheamus wanted to return to his original Written In My Face theme song when he came back from an injury in 2019, but Vince McMahon apparently shot down the idea.

    The former world champion suffered a concussion on the post-WrestleMania 35 episode of SmackDown which kept him out of action from April to September.

    During a recent interview with FanSided Daily DDT, Sheamus revealed that he wanted to return with his original music, but Mr McMahon didn\’t approve the idea:

    “When I came back, I really wanted to bring that song back, but it was shot down. Vince hates it, some other people didn’t like it or didn’t agree, but it’s very nostalgic. I haven’t given up on it.

    I guarantee you I will get that song back,\” said Sheamus, \”I just don’t know when, and nobody is going to know when, but I will get a chance to bring it back.”

    The Celtic Warrior mentioned how the music reminds him of a lot of his big wins, including winning the Royal Rumble match in 2012.

    Sheamus later claimed that he hasn\’t given up on trying to get that theme song back and he said that he doesn\’t think we have heard the last of it.

    Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

  • Randy Orton Has Started Feeling The Effects Of Using RKO For Decades

    Randy Orton continues to be one of the most exciting wrestling superstars even after being in the business for over 20 years and his finishing maneuver has played an important part in it.

    The unpredictable nature of RKO makes it one of the most unique and deathly finishing maneuvers of the industry. The Viper has hit it countless times on opponents of all sizes over the decades.

    Though during his most recent interview with Fox 2 Now, Orton admitted that he is starting to feel the effect of landing on his back night over night for the move:

    \”I kind of wish I could go back in time and create a finishing move that didn\’t entail me jumping up as high as I can and landing on my back. After doing that a couple of thousand times over the last few decades, I\’m starting to feel it,\”

    – Randy Orton

    Apart from this, Randy Orton also discussed the history of his family in the wrestling business and his children possibly continuing the legacy in the future.

    The former world champion hasn\’t officially been announced for Royal Rumble yet, but he is most likely to compete in the 30 men battle royal at the upcoming PPV event on January 30.

    Riddle Says Randy Orton Was Upset He Didn’t Get To Ride A Camel At Crown Jewel

  • AEW Star Nyla Rose Pulled From Indie Event After Contracting COVID

    AEW star Nyla Rose has been pulled from an indie wrestling event scheduled for this Saturday after contracting COVID.

    She was booked for an event of Enjoy Wrestling, but the promotion took on their Twitter to announce that the AEW talent will be missing the upcoming show:

    \”Welp, we have some bad news. Nyla Rose has contracted COVID and will not be able to participate in Striking Distance this Saturday.

    This is obviously upsetting, but what can you do? Shit happens. We wish @NylaRoseBeast a speedy recovery and are working to find a replacement.\”

    It\’s not known when or where Rose contracted COVID. She had wrestled for AEW as recently as the January 12 episode of Rampage.

    The 39-year-old teamed up with Penelope Ford & The Bunny to defeat Kris Statlander, Leyla Hirsch & Red Velvet in a six-women tag match in Raleigh, North Carolina. There is no word on if she had contact with any AEW star after testing positive for coronavirus.

    There aren\’t many details available about Rose\’s health so it\’s hard to say how she is doing or how long fans can expect her to stay out of action.

    We wish a speedy recovery to Nyla Rose.

    Watch: Jon Moxley Returns On AEW Dynamite

  • Watch: Jon Moxley Returns On AEW Dynamite

    Jon Moxley is back on AEW TV, and he hasn\’t lost a step.

    The former AEW world heavyweight champion was announced to make his return after almost three months of absence on this week\’s Dynamite from Washinton, DC.

    The company didn\’t make fans wait for long as Mox opened the show. During the opening minutes of his promo, a fan made some comments and Jon told him \’Go f**k yourself\’ without hesitation.

    The former WWE star went on to cut a passionate promo. He discussed how he has more scars than the average person but claimed that he doesn\’t run from his demons.

    Jon Moxley then thanked the people for their support and he claimed that this year he is going to grab the world of wrestling by the balls because he is now truly free:

    AEW later announced that Mox will be making his in-ring return during this Friday\’s episode of Rampage. He will face Ethan Page in a singles match.

    Jon took time off from AEW programming in October after entering a rehabilitation program for alcohol addiction. He was competing in the AEW world title eliminator tournament at the time where he was replaced by Miro.

    There is no word yet on what AEW has planned for Jon Moxley now that he is back. We will have to see who ends up being his first feud after his comeback.

    Jon Moxley Returning at THE WRLD ON GCW on Jan. 23

  • Adam Scherr Shoots At Critics: \’Making Trolls Cry Is My New Favorite Hobby\’

    It appears that Adam Scherr formerly known as Braun Strowman is in no mood of entertaining critics and he is ready to fire back at anyone criticizing his moves.

    It all started when The Titan posted a screenshot showing the difference in YouTube views of a video of his ROH debut compared to a Brock Lesnar appearance and Cody Rhodes\’ recent TNT title win.

    When fans started responding to this tweet negatively, Scherr doubled down on his take. He claimed that \’making trolls cry\’ is his new hobby:

    “Man why are Internet trolls such crybaby’s when you burn them with the rebuttal?? I think making trolls cry is my new favorite hobby. #DontComeAtMeIfYouCantHandleItBack ”

    This isn\’t the first time Adam Scherr has found himself under fire for his controversial comments. During the lockdown era, he infamously told independent wrestlers to change their professions if they can\’t pay their bills.

    Braun Strowman was released from his WWE contract back in June last year. He has made several indie appearances since then.

    He has also been announced for the Biggest Wrestling Show in the Middle East in UAE. The former WWE star will be teaming up with EC3 on the show.

    Braun Strowman Confirms Talks With AEW

  • Kevin Owens Reflects On WrestleMania Match Against Sami Zayn

    Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are not only best friends outside the wrestling ring but the two have helped elevate each other’s careers for years as both friends and foes inside the squared circle as well.

    While the two wrestling geniuses have delivered many classics against each other, their biggest encounter has to be their WrestleMania 37 match.

    Speaking to WWE Kids Magazine, Kevin Owens reflected on this fight. He claimed that it\’s incredible to look back on:

    “Not many people can say they’ve had a singles match at WrestleMania, especially these days as it’s getting more and more rare.

    So, to do it with Sami after all the history we have, it’s incredible to look back on and I think people loved the match. I loved that match, for sure.\”

    Kevin Owens also discussed how he has never won the tag team championship in WWE despite being a part of the promotion for almost 8 years now.

    The former Universal champion claimed that he would want to win the title with either Sami Zayn or Finn Balor because they could tell some great stories together.

    WrestleMania 37 was a two-night event that took place in April 2021 from the Raymond James Stadium. Owens defeated Zayn during night 2 of the event.

  • Hardy Boyz Reuniting For First Mach Together in 3 Years

    Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy, \’The Hardy Boyz\’ will be teaming for the first time in 3 years during an upcoming indie event in March.

    Big Time Wrestling announced on Twitter that the legendary tag team will be reuniting for their upcoming event from Webster, Massachusetts on March 12:

    \"\"/

    No word yet on who Matt and Jeff Hardy will be facing on this card.

    More tour dates for the Hardy Boyz will be announced soon.

    This will be Jeff Hardy\’s first post-WWE appearance after being released from the promotion. He has previously been announced for a couple of meet & greet events with Matt Hardy on the day following his in-ring return as well.

    Jeff was released from his WWE contract back in December last year. This came after the charismatic enigma was sent home by the officials following a live event incident.

    Jeff Hardy\’s non-compete clause restricts him from working with any other promotion until March 9. He will be free to sign with any organization afterward.

    There is no word yet on if any companies have shown interest in bringing Hardy in or if the former world champion himself is looking to sign a contract with any promotion. We\’ll keep you posted on his future.

    Jeff Hardy Was Scheduled For NXT 2.0 Run Before WWE Release

  • Tony Khan Compares AEW And WWE\’s Pandemic Strategies

    Vince McMahon and Tony Khan had very different strategies when it came to running wrestling shows during the lockdown era of COVID-19 pandemic.

    While WWE decided to run shows in a completely empty arena, AEW came up with the idea to use the wrestlers they had as an audience. Many people thought that this created a big difference in the presentations of both the shows. Fans watching the show at home felt more connected to the AEW product because of this.

    The AEW President recently had an interview with Vegas Film Critic Jeffrey K. Howard to promote Dynamite\’s move to TBS. During the talk, Khan was asked about AEW\’s strategy during the pandemic, and he compared it to WWE:

    \”The first week, I came up with the idea of putting the wrestlers who weren\’t in the matches, every wrestler I could get around the ring, to create an audience, and people enjoyed it. It was very different than watching the alternative. Our competitor was running empty arena shows. I stayed with that at first and kept the wrestlers at ringside through the pandemic for several months.

    We stayed on the air through the pandemic. [We] debuted some stars including the late great Mr. Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy, in the pandemic. We\’re able to keep fans interested. Frankly, I told people, this is voluntary. You don\’t have to come to the wrestlers [stand]. So, we had a small crew and I built around that crew.\”

    Tony Khan On WWE\’s Thunderdome

    \"Tony
    Tony Khan

    AEW was also the first company to welcome fans back into the arena. They created pods allowing families or groups of friends to attend the shows safely while keeping their distance from other fans. Tony Khan mentioned how WWE on the other hand, came up with the concept of the Thunderdome:

    \”Then people started to come back as we got deeper into the pandemic. Our competition through the pandemic, a few months later, they went to a fan wall. [It was a] virtual wall of fans like you saw in other sports, you know, TV screens. And I thought, let\’s bring wrestling back with live fans safely. We did it.

    We had no COVID transmissions by going into an outdoor amphitheater and spacing people out where a family or group of friends could sit in what we called a pod. [I thought] it would be like a drive-in movie. You had your own section of seats in this case. There\’s no one near you, you\’re outdoors, and it was great. It brought the fans back to pro wrestling. There was months and months where that was the only place you could watch pro wrestling anywhere in the world where the fans were cheering the matches.\”

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

    Tony Khan On His Favorite Memory Of Brodie Lee

  • How Aubrey Edwards Got Hooked To Wrestling Because Of CM Punk

    CM Punk\’s 434 days run as the WWE champion and his infamous pipe bomb promo got a lot of people invested and reinvested into wrestling. As it turns out, AEW referee Aubrey Edwards is one of the personalities who got hooked to the sport thanks to the Straight Edge Star.

    The female star was recently interviewed by Forbs for their YouTube series. During the talk, the 34-year-old revealed that she wasn\’t a fan of wrestling from her childhood. She watched her first wrestling show at the age of 23:

    \”Most people end up watching wrestling as a kid and that\’s not something I did. My dad said it was stupid and that it\’s fake and you shouldn\’t watch it.\” revealed Aubrey Edwards, \”But I first watched wrestling, WrestleMania 27. Couple friends of mine had a party and I literally have no idea what\’s going on. [I was like] \’this is okay, I guess.\’

    That was the moment that got my husband back into it. He was a fan when he was younger. So, he started watching it and one day I come home from work and he says, \’Hey, you got to watch this thing that happened.\’ It was June about 10 years ago where CM punk does his famous pipe bomb promo. From that moment, I was hooked.\”

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Watch: Walter Renamed As Gunther On NXT

    WWE has apparently renamed former NXT UK champion Walter to Gunther which is also the name of a Nazi commander.

    The news of WWE trademarking the name Gunther Stark made some headlines yesterday after the revealation that it was also the name of a German U-boat Commander during World War II.

    Fans had been speculating which star could be given the name since then. It was revealed during this week\’s NXT that Walter is the one being renamed.

    The Austrian star faced Roderick Strong in a one-on-one match in the main event of the development show this week. The former NXT UK star won this match after delivering a big powerbomb for the pin.

    As he was being announced the winner of the fight, Walter snatched the mic. He said that the winner of the match was Gunther.

    The duo of Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner then rushed to the ring to attack Strong. The Creed Brothers came in to help the Diamond Mine leader and the show went off air with all 6 stars brawling in the ring.

    The earlier revelation had received a lot of negative reactions. Though the use of the name on NXT is proof that the officials have decided not to back down.

    Reactions to WALTER being renamed Gunther

  • Former WWE Star Announced For GCW Debut

    Former WWE star Mascara Dorada better known to WWE fans as Lucha House Party\’s Gran Metalik has been announced for his GCW debut next month.

    The promotion confirmed the former WWE star\’s debut for their upcoming show from Houston on February 4 on Twitter.

    They also announced him for a couple of other shows on February 19 from Atlantic City and February 26 from Los Angeles. Though as seen below, the company didn\’t reveal his opponent for any of the events:

    After competing for promotions such as CMLL and NJPW, Gran Metalik was brought in for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. He made it to the finals before losing to TJ Perkins.

    The high-flying star was one of the first names to be signed for the cruiserweight division. He later joined the Lucha House Party stable.

    Though Metalik wasn\’t given much to do during his stint with the promotion. After being unhappy with his position within the company for a while, the luchador asked for his release in September last year.

    Gran Metalik was released from his contract in November. He is still under the non-compete clause and the announced GCW dates are going to be his first post WWE appearances.

    Jon Moxley Returning at THE WRLD ON GCW on Jan. 23