SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • John Morrison Reveals Why Vince McMahon Changed His Original WWE Name

    John Morrison Reveals Why Vince McMahon Changed His Original WWE Name

    John Morrison has revealed why his WWE name was changed.

    The 46-year-old has used over a dozen different names in his wrestling career, and even today, he uses a different moniker based on the promotion he is working for. This unique trait started very early in his career when he went through multiple name changes in the first few weeks of his WWE main roster run, before the company settled on the name Johnny Nitro. This new moniker lasted a couple of years before it was changed again.

    During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, the wrestling veteran told the story of this name change. John Morrison revealed that Vince McMahon had never liked the Nitro name because of its connection to WCW:

    “When I won the ECW championship, I was Johnny Nitro. Prior to that, Vince had mentioned a few times that Johnny Nitro is not a champion’s name, or not a good name, ‘You got to change it.’ [I responded]’Why do you think that, Vince? Is it because it reminds you of WCW Monday Nitro?’ [Vince said] ‘Yes.’”

    I Like It, That’s It: John Morrison

    John Morrison won the ECW Championship at the 2007 Vengeance: Night of Champions PPV. Chris Benoit was originally supposed to face CM Punk for the vacant title at the show but after the late WWE star failed to show up at the event, the decision was made for Morrison to replace him and win the belt.

    The week after he won the title, Mr. McMahon insisted on changing his name, and he did not give the new champion a lot of time to think about it. After being put on the spot, Johnny Nitro came up with the name that would stick with him for the rest of his WWE career:

    “The week after, Vince walked up to me in catering, which is rare, and said, ‘You got to change your name.’ Put a paper down on the table and a pen and said, ‘Just make a list of names.’ So I was really on the spot, and I just started writing down what could be an M and M name that fits?

    Then I was like, maybe Johnny Brando, John Morrissey, John Morrison, couldn’t think of very many Ms, so I made a list of kind of like celebrity, Brando, Morrison, Johnny Brando, stuff like that. The first one that I’d written down was John Morrison, and a couple of hours later, I handed this list to Vince, and he just went like this and read the top was like, ‘John Morrison, I like it. That’s it.’”

    Elsewhere in the interview, Morrison also discussed the emotional effect of finding out that his ECW title victory was result of the Chris Benoit tragedy. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

  • Backstage News On Poorly Received Ricky Saints Segment

    Backstage News On Poorly Received Ricky Saints Segment

    The NXT concert was not a Ricky Saints idea.

    The March 3 episode of the development show featured the former AEW star in a concert segment that ended with Joe Hendry attacking Saints. The whole thing was received poorly, however, and the company ended up removing some videos of it from their social media channels.

    Fightful Select recently provided an update on the NXT segment. They noted that the concert received a lukewarm reaction backstage as well, but the officials were not worried about the future of either Henry or Saints.

    The report also claimed that the idea of the concert did not come from Ricky Saints. Though he was said to be involved in the writing of the segment, with the idea of drawing comparisons to The Rock.

    Ricky Saints failed to defeat Joe Hendry for the NXT title at the Vengeance Day PPV this past Saturday. He was involved in a tag team match at this Tuesday\’s episode of the show, where he teamed with Ethan Page to defeat Hendry and Myles Borne.

    The 36-year-old had a strange expression on his face when he realized that Page had pinned Hendry for the victory, and we\’ll have to see where this new development leads the two stars.

  • Steel Cage Match And More Added To 3/17 NXT

    Steel Cage Match And More Added To 3/17 NXT

    Multiple things have been added to next week\’s NXT.

    Tonight\’s episode of the development brand featured a backstage brawl between Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame. After getting things under control, Robert Stone announced that Dame will get her rematch on next week\’s episode of the show, and it will take place inside a steel cage.

    This wasn\’t the only announcement made by the Interim NXT General Manager, as he also confirmed a new tournament to determine the challengers for NXT tag team champions, Vanity Project. The tournament will begin with a match between Hank & Tank and Birthright next week with the finals taking place at NXT Roadblock on March 31.

    Finally, Vic Joseph got out of his commentary chair for a special announcement for the show set to take place from Houston, TX. He surprised his broadcast partner with the announcement of holding a Booker T Appreciation Night on the episode taking place from his hometown.

    WWE NXT 3/17 Match Card

    • NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. ZARIA vs. Sol Ruca
    • WWE Women’s Speed Championship Match: Fallon Henley (c) vs. Wren Sinclair
    • Steel Cage Match For NXT Women’s North American Championship: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Izzi Dame
    • 6-Man Tag Team Match: Vanity Project (Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes) vs. Los Americanos (Rayo Americano, Bravo Americano & El Grande Americano)
    • Tag Team Match: Hank and Tank vs. Birthright

  • William Regal & Fit Finlay Appearance Leads To Heel Turn On NXT

    William Regal & Fit Finlay Appearance Leads To Heel Turn On NXT

    Charlie Dempsey has joined Birthright.

    Tonight\’s episode of NXT featured a tag team match with Lexis King & Uriah Connors going up against Charlie Dempsey & Tavion Heights as the rest of the Birthright members looked on from ringside.

    The ending of the bout saw the action spilling outside the ring as all four contestants brawled at the ringside. Dempsey and Heights got the upper hand, and the two No Quarter Catch Crew members dumped their opponents back into the ring.

    William Regal and Fit Finlay

    As the two young stars shared a hug, William Regal and Fit Finlay made an appearance on the show. Heights, being unaware of this development, tried to get back into the ring. His partner, however, looked at the veterans and then pulled Tavion back.

    Charlie Dempsey went on to take out Tavion Heights with a German Suplex. He threw Heights back in the ring, allowing Lexis King to get the pin for his team.

    After the bell, Dempsey nodded at his father and then entered the ring to stand tall with King and the rest of the Birthright stable.

  • Johnny TV Feels Underutilized In AEW

    Johnny TV feels like he can do more in AEW.

    The wrestling veteran recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. He talked about things such as winning WWE Tough Enough, his crazy Elimination Chamber spot and more.

    During the talk, the high-flying star also discussed his most recent CMLL match against Ángel de Oro. Johnny TV, who has sported a long hair look for the majority of his wrestling career, put his hair on the line in this bout, but he unfortunately lost the match. Despite the defeat, however, the former champion claimed that the whole thing was fantastic:

    “I gotta admit, the match did feel fantastic. That hair match, I feel like, was one of the best matches I’ve had in years. Was the first time in a while that I felt like me again. Kind of feeling unfulfilled, basically. Not just me, a lot of people in wrestling. But for me right now, in AEW, I feel underutilized.\”

    After making his AEW debut in May 2022, the 46-year-old officially joined the company roster in June 2023 by becoming a part of Q. T. Marshall\’s QTV stable. The faction did not find success in the company, however and the former WWE star was moved to ROH. He has only been featured sporadically on both Tony Khan-owned promotions since then, having wrestled less than 50 matches for both brands combined.

    Johnny TV claimed that he doesn\’t blame anyone in particular for his lacklustre AEW run since he understands that TV time is limited. He then claimed that not being part of the \’AEW island\’ with Tony Khan is probably the reason for it:

    \”Can’t blame anyone, that’s just how wrestling promotions work. There’s only enough TV time for a certain amount of people. Those people at AEW, we’ve coined the term the island. Those people are on the island, so to speak.

    I don’t feel like I’m on the island with Tony or AEW right now. So because of that, I feel like I’m doing like 10-20% of what I’m capable of, storytelling-wise, wrestling-wise, in the ring. With CMLL, I’m on their island, and so I got to do everything that I could, and it was cool.”

    During the interview, the former John Morrison also talked about winning the ECW title due to the Chris Benoit tragedy. You can check out what he said here.

  • John Morrison Discusses Chris Benoit Tragedy Affecting His WWE Career

    John Morrison has opened up about the Chris Benoit tragedy changing his WWE career path.

    The 2007 Vengeance: Night of Champions PPV was originally going to see Benoit facing CM Punk for the vacant ECW Championship. After Chris failed to show up at the event, however, the company replaced him with Johnny Nitro, who ended up defeating the Straight Edge Star to win the title.

    The former WWE star revealed details of that night during a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. John Morrison noted that he had been one of the few ECW names who had been called up to the show without any definite plans for him at the event. His first reaction to winning the title was thinking that it was the best night of his career:

    \”So I win the ECW Championship, and it was one of those. This morning, I thought I was just coming to this pay-per-view to eat catering and hang out, didn’t really have anything going on TV storyline-wise. To tonight, now ECW World Champion, the writers are all asking me questions. They’re going to start writing the show around me and, holy crap, this is the best night ever.\”

    I Felt So Guilty: John Morrison

    His mood completely changed, however, once the details of the tragedy started coming in. John Morrison denied thinking that his victory was tainted because of what happened with the Benoit family. Though he still finds the whole thing to be very confusing as he only remembers Chris Benoit as someone who respected his love for wrestling:

    \”Then the next day, we get the news about Benoit and what happened. I felt like crap. I felt so guilty just for being happy with something that came to be because of the tragedy we’ve heard about and talked about ad nauseum. It’s still tough for me to be happy about how everything came about. I’m happy that I got that match and my career took a huge turn upwards because of everything. It’s just a very confusing thing to benefit from a tragedy, even if you really had nothing to do with it.\”

    Elsewhere in the interview, John Morrison revealed that Mordecai had also been considered as a replacement for Benoit. The current AEW star believes that he was chosen for the role instead since he had been featured on TV more consistently before the PPV. Johnny Nitro would hold on to the ECW title for 69 days before dropping it to Punk. He also told the story of how Vince McMahon made him change his name to Morrison during this reign because he didn\’t like the word Nitro.

  • The Bella Twins Confirm WrestleMania Status Amid WWE Absence

    The Bella Twins are going to WrestleMania.

    The sisters announced their intention to go after the Women\’s tag titles during their post-Royal Rumble promo on the February 2 Raw. Even a couple of weeks removed from Elimination Chamber, however, they have not appeared on WWE programming since.

    The duo was asked about their WrestleMania status during a recent interview with Access Hollywood. The Bella Twins confirmed that they are still set for the Show of Shows in Las Vegas despite their recent absence:

    “Officially at WrestleMania, that’s right. In Vegas, and I will say last year’s WrestleMania, I was there, Vegas was unreal. So amazing that we have to do it again, but now The Bellas are going to be in it, so you have to come.”

    Elsewhere in the interview, Nikki and Brie named Nia Jax and Lash Legend as one of the teams they would like to face now that the Twins have reunited in WWE. The duo of Jax and Legend defeated Rhiyo to win the Women\’s Tag Titles at the February 27 episode of SmackDown.

    The new champions, known together as The Irresistible Forces, have not had any title defences yet, and it\’s likely that the Bella Twins will be the first team to get a shot at them. Though with the WrestleMania card still being in flux, it\’s possible that the match might not happen at the PPV itself.

  • Big Title Match And More Confirmed For Next Week\’s Raw

    WWE has set up some big things for next week\’s Raw.

    Tonight\’s episode of the Monday Night show saw a big #1 contender’s gauntlet match featuring women such as Asuka, Bayley, Ivy Nile, IYO SKY, Lyra Valkyria, and Raquel Rodriguez.

    Bayley won this match by defeating Asuka after Valkyria helped even the odds against Kairi Sane. The victory earns her the right to face AJ Lee in a Women\’s IC title match on next week\’s episode of the show.

    The company also announced a singles match between the original El Grande Americano and El Grande Americano after the original faced Penta in an IC title match at the latest Raw episode instead of his counterpart.

    Apart from this, a Roman Reigns appearance was confirmed for the Red Brand next week. This comes after The Usos confronted CM Punk about disrespecting their uncle in tonight\’s main event, and shoved the World Champion to end the show.

    Brock Lesnar had previously announced that he would be holding a WrestleMania open challenge with multiple Raw appearances leading up to the Grandest Stage of Them All, and he will be starting his tour with the March 16 Raw as well.

  • Finn Balor Kicked Out of Judgment Day On Raw

    Finn Balor is no longer in Judgment Day.

    Last week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Dominik Mysterio losing his Intercontinental Championship to Penta, after Balor stopped JD McDonagh from helping their teammate.

    The trio of Dirty Dom, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez then made an appearance on this week\’s Raw with Mysterio demanding a rematch for his title. Finn Balor accompanied by McDonagh, made his entrance and confronted the now former champion.

    After some back and forth, Balor told Dom that maybe his father was right, and maybe he is just a spoiled little prick. This led to Mysterio shoving the former world champion and then eating a Pelé Kick from Finn in return.

    JD tried to calm things down by taking Balor to a corner. Finn, however, shoved McDonagh out of the way as he saw Dominik charging at him, leading to JD laying him out with a clothesline.

    A full-scale attack followed, with all Judgment Day members beating up Finn Balor. Dominik Mysterio used the timekeeper’s hammer to deliver a 619 on his former friend and then took him out for good with a frog splash on a chair.

    Balor could stay out of action for some time to sell this attack but he\’s likely to be back before WrestleMania to set up a match with Mysterio at the Show of Shows.

  • CM Punk\’s Emotional Reaction To Larry Being In WWE 2K26

    CM Punk misses Larry very much.

    The WWE World Heavyweight Champion recently spoke to Gaming Bible to promote WWE 2K26. Among other things, he talked about Larry being included in the game as a manager and what it means to him.

    The Straight Edge star noted that Larry\’s passing is still pretty fresh in his mind. CM Punk explained that the inclusion means the world to him because he remembers his dog every day:

    “It means a lot. I’ve cried once a day since Thanksgiving, you know, so it’s still pretty fresh, and it’s still pretty raw. I don’t know if it’s ever gonna go away, but looking at pictures of him always makes me smile. Being able to share that joy with the world, it means a lot, you know.”

    CM Punk had adopted Larry from PAW’s in Chicago after quitting WWE in 2014. The rescue dog became a beloved wrestling figure once Punk started bringing him to shows following his return to the business in 2021. Larry, unfortunately, passed away in December last year.

    The former AEW star also talked about fans paying tribute to Larry with social media messages and signs at shows, saying that it\’s cool to see that other people loved his dog too:

    “I see constant signs in the crowd and people’s messages, specifically about Larry. It’s great, you know, fans are always drawing him and making bracelets with his name on them and gestures like that. I love that little dude, and it’s cool to see that a lot of other people did too.”

    Punk\’s wife, AJ Lee had recently discussed what Larry meant to her and how she feels about fan tributes. You can check out what she said here.

  • LA Knights Says He Knows As Much As Fans About His WrestleMania Plans

    LA Knight doesn\’t know his WrestleMania plans.

    The WWE star recently spoke to The Coach\’s Corner for a new interview. He discussed things such as how he got his start in wrestling, driving an ambulance for the segment on this Monday\’s Raw and more.

    The former US Champion was also asked what he can tell fans about his WrestleMania plans without going into too much detail. LA Knight responded by saying he doesn\’t have to worry about giving away any details because he doesn\’t know them himself:

    “Don’t worry about the details because I don’t have any. I know about as much as you know. And people find that hard to believe, but in all honesty, that’s just wrestling.\”

    I\’d Like To Know More: LA Knight

    Though LA Knight later noted that not knowing too much about plans is not unusual in wrestling, and gave example of his early career:

    \”You know, when I came up in wrestling, I’d say most of the times I was going to a show, I’d never even met my opponent before. So I’m meeting him 2-3 hours before showtime, before we’re learning anything.

    So with that being the case, I don’t know a lot. I’d like to know more, but all I know is, it’s going to be, of course, as it always is, it’s going to be a gigantic week.\”

    Knight has been feuding with The Vision over the last few months and he was pinned by Logan Paul at Elimination Chamber. So it\’s possible that we\’ll see the two in a match at the Show of Shows if Bron Breakker returns to face Seth Rollins at the PPV.

  • Konnan Hospitalized With Severe Health Issues (Report)

    Wrestling veteran Konnan is reportedly dealing with severe health issues.

    Rumours about the 62-year-old\’s health started spreading around social media earlier this week, with some even claiming that the former WWF star had passed away.

    El Planchitas, a collaborator of Record Mexico, wrote on X, however, that Konnan was still hospitalized in San Diego, and he had his leg amputated:

    \”I can confirm that Carlos Santiago Espada (62 years old) had a leg amputated. For some time now, the Triple A star has been dealing with health problems that have left him in a delicate state in San Diego, United States.\”

    The story has been picked up by other outlets in Mexico, with Herald Mexico saying that the amputation was a result of long-term health issues, and Konnan is at risk of getting his other leg amputated as well.

    Known for his work in WCW and TNA among other promotions, the wrestling legend has also been a part of the AAA creative team. Though he has been less active in recent years owing to various health issues, including a February 2021 hospitalization after contracting COVID-19.

    Stay tuned for more updates on his status.

  • Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After SmackDown Went Off Air

    Cody Rhodes celebrated his victory with the Portland crowd after SmackDown.

    Tonight\’s episode of the Friday night show saw The American Nightmare challenging Drew McIntyre for the WWE title. Nick Aldis had made the bout after McIntyre cost Cody the Elimination Chamber match this past Saturday.

    The ending of the fight was a chaotic one as Drew took out not one but two referees in trying to save his title. With an appearance from Jacob Fatu, however, Cody Rhodes was able to defeat the Scottish Psychopath and win back the title to close out the show.

    What Happened After SmackDown

    Drew left the arena after his loss, but the new champion remained in the ring for a short promo. He first talked about Portland\’s wrestling history before coming to his victory. The former AEW star thanked the fans for their support and then dedicated his victory to his two daughters:

    \”Thank you. I have two daughters. One\’s four, one\’s 6 months. Liberty and Leilani. People always talk about Dusty and they don\’t realize, you know, not to sound morbid, I\’m not doing this for the dead. I\’m doing this for the living. Liberty has gotten; she\’s gotten four WrestleMania main events. Now Leilani gets one herself.\”

    Cody Rhodes ended his promo saying that his current run as the QB1 is far from being over, and he asked the crowd to point to the WrestleMania sign with him

  • Cody Rhodes Wins Back WWE Championship On SmackDown

    Cody Rhodes is WWE Champion again.

    Nick Aldis had awarded the American Nightmare an opportunity to win back the WWE title after Drew McIntyre cost him the Elimination Chamber match.

    The ending of the bout that main evented this week\’s SmackDown saw the referee going down after McIntyre pulled him into a disaster kick by Rhodes. Cody was then able to deliver the Cross-Rhodes to the WWE Champion but he couldn\’t get the pin with the official down.

    Rhodes called for another ref, and Dan Engler came out. Cody ended up eating a Claymore from Drew as he turned around, but McIntyre too was unable to secure the pin. Being frustrated with Engler, the Scottish Psychopath took him out with a headbutt.

    Drew McIntyre tried to use the opportunity to take out his opponent with a chair, but Jacob Fatu appeared out of nowhere to stop him. Cody Rhodes was then able to deliver a Cutter and a Cross Rhodes to the champion, and he got the pin as the first referee recovered.

    Tonight\’s development means that the Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton will now face his former protege at WrestleMania 42. McIntyre on the other hand is likely to go after Jacob Fatu for his loss.

  • Aleister Black Reveals Real Reason He Missed Royal Rumble

    Aleister Black has revealed why he missed Royal Rumble.

    The former AEW star had travelled to Saudi Arabia with the rest of the WWE crew for the PPV event but ended up not appearing at the show. There were some speculations that his tattoos might have been the reason why the officials ultimately chose not to include him in the battle royal.

    The former NXT Champion was asked about this during his interview with The Stunner. Aleister Black confirmed that he was originally planned to be part of the 30-man match, but denied that his tattoos were the reason for his removal from the show:

    “No, that is not true. I was supposed to be in the Royal Rumble, but then they were going to start myself and Randy, and I felt like if we are going to do that story and start in the Royal Rumble, it is just going to get snowed under. We do not want it to just go to waste for them to just be two guys that are like being dumped out. Why do we not save it for the weeks to come?\”

    Aleister Black competed in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match with Randy Orton and Solo Sikoa on the SmackDown after Royal Rumble. While he lost the qualifying bout, Black went on to defeat The Viper in singles competition at the February 20 episode of the Friday Night show.

    The former champion confirmed that his tattoos had been a point of discussion years prior, when the company first started visiting the Middle Eastern country, but not anytime recently:

    \”The initial setup of Saudi Arabia, my tattoos did come into question. That is absolute fact. In the initial setting, it was definitely like, ‘Well, we do not know how they are going to respond.’ I am talking five years ago when it all first started. That was a conversation I had with Vince. But that is no longer the case.\”

    The wrestling veteran later mentioned how he has been part of the broadcast from Saudi Arabia before, where people could see his tattoos so the rumors don\’t make any sense.

  • Unlikely Name Defends LA Knight Over Elimination Chamber Botch

    Logan Paul has come to the defence of LA Knight.

    The Elimination Chamber PPV did not go as planned for the former Million Dollar champion. Not only did he fail to win the cage match but his botched top rope dive during the main event became one of the biggest points of discussion among the fans coming out of the show.

    The YouTube star, who eliminated Knight from the match, talked about the whole thing on the latest episode of his podcast. Logan Paul noted that he is not a fan of the 43-year-old but explained that the slip was not his fault:

    “What I’m about to say is the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to do this, bro. Because I despise LA Knight and everything he stands for. Because let’s be honest, he doesn’t stand for anything. He stands for one affirmative word. Yeah, we get it, bro. Shut up. I don’t want to say this, bro, but that particular botch that LA Knight had is not his fault.\”

    You Have No Idea: Logan Paul

    LA Knight was not the only one who found it hard to deal with the slippery ropes as Finn Balor had a similar accident during his match with CM Punk earlier in the night. Logan Paul explained that being in the main event meant that the ring had been exposed to a lot of action before them:

    \”And I was in the ring. I was watching it go down live, and I can feel the ropes before I do the jumps. They are so slippery and oily. You have no idea. Especially when you’re the last match of the night because it’s been used, right? And all these oily, sweaty wrestlers are just greasing these ropes up. So by the time it’s 10:00 p.m. at night and you’re the last group to go, the ropes are soaking wet.\”

    Logan Paul got 3 eliminations in the chamber match and he looked to be a favorite to win the bout. This was until Seth Rollins made a surprise appearance and took out the Vision star. You can check out what the company is planning for The Architect for WrestleMania here.

  • TNA Couple Quits Company Over Wrestling Dispute (Report)

    Two TNA stars have quit the company.

    Fightful Select is reporting that both Mance Warner and Steph De Lander have quit the promotion over a dispute about the latter\’s wrestling status.

    De Lander has been out of action since August 2024 due to a neck injury, though she has continued making appearances for the company in non-wrestling roles.

    According to the report, the female star had been trying to get cleared for action, and she even went to WWE\’s spinal surgeon for clearance.

    TNA wrestling, however, told the 29-year-old that she will never be able to wrestle for the company again, prompting the husband-wife duo to take the action.

    There is no word on the official status of the two with the company but the belief is that they could finish up after the current loop of tapings.

    Steph De Lander had posted a story a few days ago suggesting that she will be returning to wrestling by the end of this month, so it\’s likely that we will see her back in action sooner than later.

  • New Faction Officially Joins AEW Roster After Dynamite Debut

    The Dogs have joined the AEW roster.

    Tonight\’s episode of Wednesday night Dynamite featured the former NJPW duo of Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd in action against the team of Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin.

    The ending of the bout saw Darby taking Connors and Kidd out with a Coffin Drop outside the ring from the top rope. Cassidy then got Clark back in the ring and delivered an Orange Punch to him for the victory.

    They couldn\’t celebrate the win for long, however, as David Finlay made his surprise AEW debut. Bringing a Shillelagh with him, the former IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion helped his partners beat up Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin to end the segment.

    Tony Khan took to X after this to confirm that all three names have officially signed with the company under the new faction name of The Dogs:

    Both Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors have been regulars on AEW TV since the beginning of this year, but there had been rumors about the future of David Finlay after he became a free agent last month.

    Being the son of wrestling veteran and current WWE coach, Fit Finlay, there had been speculations that David could end up in the Endeavor-owned promotion before his debut tonight.

  • Former WWE Champions Squashed In AEW TV Debut

    The IInspiration have arrived in AEW.

    The former Knockouts Tag Team Champions had officially made their debut for the promotion during the House Rules Australia live event last month. They had won a tag match against Aysha & Frankie B quickly.

    The duo of Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay made their televised debut for the promotion at tonight\’s episode of Dynamite. They squared off against the newly formed team of Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayter, collectively known as the Brawling Birds.

    The IInspiration asked for their music to be played again before the match began but Windsor & Hayter were having none of it. The Brawling Birds attacked the former WWE duo, and they picked up an easy victory with the Two Birds One Stone finisher.

    The tag team formerly known as The IIconics ended their latest TNA run at Impact\’s AMC premiere episode, where they dropped the Knockouts tag titles to The Elegance Brand. This concluded Lee & McKay\’s second reign with the championship.

    The duo also had a run with the WWE tag titles during their time in the company. So we\’ll have to see how they recover from tonight\’s loss and if they are able to win the AEW tag titles in the future as well.

  • Backstage News On Rhea Ripley And Jade Cargill Exchange

    WWE is happy with the buzz for Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill.

    The Twitter exchange that started with the Women\’s Champion reacting to The Mami\’s Elimination Chamber victory quickly took a sharp turn after Cargill said that Ripley spent hours talking to the creative. This prompted a number of female stars to speak up in support of Rhea and made people wonder about Jade\’s standing in the company.

    Fightful Select recently provided an update on the whole thing, noting that the comments started as a work but took a \’more serious turn\’ when the Women\’s Champ brought up creative. On the belief that the exchange was all part of the story, a creative team member said that bringing them up undermines the point of their feud.

    There is no news of heat from the management for any of the involved parties, and no concerns about the two working together. The higher-ups were said to be happy about the buzz generated by the online beef and the feeling that the two women legitimately disliked one another.

    Sources close to Jade Cargill dismissed the situation as not being a big deal. Though the locker room has also taken note of the fact that Tiffany Stratton, Michin and B-Fab all suffered injuries after wrestling the former AEW star.

    Rhea Ripley on this week\’s Raw, confirmed that her tag team with IYO SKY was going on a break as she pursued the Women\’s title. She also announced an appearance on this Friday\’s SmackDown for a confrontation with her WrestleMania opponent.

  • Women\’s Street Fight And More Added To NXT Vengeance Day

    Multiple matches have been announced for NXT Vengeance Day.

    This week\’s episode of the development show saw Darkstate\’s Dion Lennox calling out Tony D’Angelo. A match for the upcoming PPV was confirmed after some back and forth. Towards the ending of the segment, Lennox told D’Angelo that their fight would start in the parking lot, and Tony said that he\’d drag Dion\’s lifeless body to the ring so he can beat him in front of everyone.

    Elsewhere in the show, Blake Monroe had another heated confrontation with Jaida Parker, which turned violent, with multiple locker room members having to stop the two from brawling. It was confirmed after this that the upcoming match between the two will now be a street fight.

    NXT Vengeance Day Updated Card

    NXT Vengeance Day will take place from WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on March 7, 2026. Below is the updated card for the show:

    • NXT Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Ricky Saints
    • NXT Women\’s North American Championship: Izzi Dame (c) vs. Tatum Paxley
    • NXT Underground Match: Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan
    • Street Fight: Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker
    • Singles Match: Tony D\’Angelo vs. Dion Lennox

    The episode tonight also featured an NXT title match between Jacy Jayne and Zaria, which ended with Sol Ruca taking both the champion and the challenger out. Robert Stone in a backstage segment then said that he will address the future of the Women\’s title at the show this Saturday.

  • Kris Statlander Reveals Original WWE Debut Plans

    Kris Statlander has revealed the original plans for her WWE debut.

    The former AEW Women\’s Champion recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for an interview. She talked about things such as defeating Jade Cargill for the TBS title, her extreme match with Willow Nightingale at All Out and more.

    During the interview, the AEW star also opened up about her 2019 SmackDown match. Kris Statlander revealed that originally, their tag team was supposed to be called the Brooklyn Pizza Connection:

    “Well, originally the team name was supposed to be the Brooklyn Pizza Connection, and we were supposed to be named Saucy and Cheesy.”

    The April 9, 2019 episode of SmackDown saw The IIconics defending their tag titles against an enhancement team called The Brooklyn Belles. Peyton Royce ended up picking the victory for her team in the match by pinning Karissa Rivera.

    Kris Statlander, who was billed as Kristen for this bout, was asked if she was going to be named Saucy or Cheesy. The former champion explained that the plans never went that far but she would have loved to debut under either moniker

    “I don’t know, we never got that far, but those were the options. Then it was the Brooklyn Belles, and then just used our first names. But I was like, that would have been iconic to have been either saucy or cheesy, and my only match there was a tag title match.

    So what a way to go, to go in and go out right away. Yeah. But then now I have tag titles at AEW to go for, and maybe I’ll be Saucy or Cheesy or Garlic or Oregano, something like that.”

    The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien would make her AEW debut a few months later in November, this time teaming up with Big Swole. The company officially signed her to a contract a month later and Statlander has been a part of the promotion ever since.

  • Watch: Luchador Unmasked During Raw Match

    Gunther continues to be the ultimate villain of WWE.

    The Ring General was in action on this week\’s episode of Raw. He faced Dragon Lee in a singles match after the masked star attacked him during his entrance. Lee put on a valiant effort, and he almost beat his opponent via a countout after delivering an Operation Dragon to him outside the ring.

    The ending of the bout then saw the former World Champion countering another Operation Dragon into a sleeper hold. In a controversial moment, Gunther ended up removing Dragon Lee\’s mask during this sequence, forcing the high-flying star to tap out for the victory:

    What\’s Next For Gunther?

    The Austrian star did not compete at the Elimination Chamber PPV after losing his qualifying match on the February 16 Raw thanks to Dragon Lee. He ended AJ Styles\’ career at Royal Rumble before that.

    There is no word on what the company is planning for Gunther at WrestleMania. After tonight\’s angle, it\’s likely that we will see him crossing paths with Lee\’s mentor Rey Mysterio in the coming times.

  • WWE Tag Team Taking Break After Elimination Chamber

    Rhiyo is going on a break.

    The duo of Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY had an emotional exchange on this week\’s episode of Raw, following the events of the last few days. The Mami, after losing the tag team titles to Nia Jax and Lash Legend at last Friday\’s SmackDown, thanked her partner for all her support during their run together:

    “So I just want to say…thank you, IYO. Thank you for always supporting me and standing by me, and most of all, thank you for pulling me out of a very, very dark situation.”

    I Will Be Alright: IYO SKY

    IYO SKY in response, brought up Ripley winning the Women\’s Elimination Chamber match on Saturday. She confirmed that their tag team will be going on hiatus as Rhea moves to SmackDown while SKY remains on Raw:

    “You did the same for me, Rhea. But you won the Chamber and showed everyone why Mami is always on top! I will be alright; I will be okay on RAW. You go handle your business and win the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania! Do it! Do it!”

    Rhea then announced that she will appear on SmackDown this Friday to confront the Women\’s Champion. Though the two women have already kicked off their WrestleMania feud with a heated exchange on social media not entirely rooted in kayfabe. You can check out more about it here.

  • CM Punk to Roman Reigns: You Just Made The List

    The WrestleMania season is here.

    Tonight\’s episode of Raw was main evented by a heated confrontation between CM Punk and Roman Reigns as the duo officially kicked off their WrestleMania 42 feud after Elimination Chamber.

    Fireworks started flying as soon as the two wrestling veterans got in the ring, with Punk calling Roman out for his part-time schedule. Reigns responded by saying that he does not hold grudges about things people say on podcasts.

    After some more back and forth about The Bloodline not being there to help Reigns anymore, the Tribal Chief promised to put Punk on a John Cena retirement tour after his WrestleMania defeat and started walking away.

    I\’m Gonna Bury You: CM Punk

    The champ wasn\’t going to let the challenger have the last word, however, and CM Punk stopped the Head of the Table for one final shot before the show went off air:

    \”You\’re gonna retire me? You\’re gonna retire CM Punk? Well, brother, you just made the list. You went from getting beat at WrestleMania, now I\’m gonna bury you, and then you won\’t be all alone anymore, because I\’m gonna bury you next to your father.\”

    There are 6 more Raw episodes between now and their WrestleMania main event, so Roman Reigns will get plenty of chances to respond to the former AEW star.

    What did you think about tonight’s confrontation between the two mega stars? Let us know in the comments below.