SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Latest On When The WWE Contract Of Sami Zayn Expires

    Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer has confirmed that WWE has added time to the contract of Sami Zayn for the period he missed after his shoulder surgeries in 2018.

    The wrestling journalist previously reported that the former NXT champion\’s WWE contract was going to expire sometime before the current year ends. Though later reports contradicted these claims.

    Meltzer corrected his report about Zayn recently and he wrote that WWE “may have extended it as much as nine-and-a-half months so it could be March or April depending on the length of time it was frozen before he’s a free agent.”

    The former IC champion signed a three-year deal with WWE back in June 2018. So his contract would have already expired if it wasn\’t for the added time.

    Unfortunately for Sami Zayn, he missed about 10 months of action after having double shoulder surgeries right after the signing of his current deal. This means he will have to wait until next year before he can get free.

    His friend Kevin Owens seems to be on track to leaving WWE and joining his pals at AEW once his contract expires in January 2022.

    The fans of Sami Zayn on the other hand will have to wait for an extended period before we can know what decision he makes about his future.

  • Talents Reportedly Told Not To Talk Business With Triple H

    Talents have been told not to talk about WWE business while speaking to Triple H after his emergency procedure earlier this month according to the latest reports.

    Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently provided some updates on The Game\’s health and status. He noted that the former world champion is in good enough shape to take calls:

    “Everything remains quiet regarding Paul Levesque [Triple H]. We are told that he’s in good enough shape that he is taking calls. Talent was told that they can call him and wish him well but that they are not to talk any WWE business with him.\”

    WWE sent out a statement earlier this month announcing that the Executive Vice President underwent a successful procedure following a cardiac event.

    End Of Triple H\’s NXT?

    The timing of this health event was unfortunate for NXT talents as the show\’s rebranding brought a lot of uncertainty to the NXT locker room and the absence of Triple H created an environment of trepidation.

    Though a small relief for the stars was that Shawn Michaels was the one running things at the development territory in the absence of his best friend.

    There is no word yet on how long Triple H may take to recover or when he will be back in office. We will keep you posted on his status.

    Backstage News On Why Several WWE NXT Contracts Are Expiring This Year

  • Paul Wight Compares How AEW & WWE Produce Their Matches

    Paul Wight spent over two decades of his career in WWE and did everything there was to do. He knows the in and outs of how the company does everything. The former WWE star talked about few different topics during his recent interview with Adam’s Apple YouTube Channel. The former world champion also explained the difference between how the two companies produce matches.

    Wight mentioned how there is not a team of writers backstage at AEW and the upper management is not micromanaging things when they want something:

    \”There’s not 15-20 writers backstage in AEW. If you have a promo, you have a promo, and if you have a match, you have a match, There’s not as much upper-level handling on what they want during the match and what they’re trying to present for the extra property they own.\”

    Paul Wight Never Had As Much Freedom

    Paul Wight went on to claim that he has never had as much freedom in his almost 3 decades long career as he has now in All Elite Wrestling:

    \”Even for me, I’m doing Paul Wight but I’ve never had as much freedom as I do now in AEW doing this. Before, when I was in WWE as Big Show, it was a committee to get anything done.”

    Like Mark Henry, Paul Wight\’s last WWE appearance was also during the Raw legends night in January this year. He made his AEW debut in March. He defeated QT Marshall at All Out in his in ring debut for the promotion.

    Paul Wight On How He Got The Big Show Name From Vince McMahon

  • How Tony Khan Kept Adam Cole And Daniel Bryan\’s AEW Debut A Secret

    Keeping anything secret in today\’s digital world is almost impossible and that\’s why AEW president Tony Khan had to take extreme measures to make sure Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan\’s All Out debut didn\’t get spoiled.

    As the former NXT champion detailed during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, he had to fly to a different city a day before the show to make sure no one spotted him at the airport. He then stayed at a different hotel than Bryan:

    “I didn’t even fly into Chicago [the site of All Out], I flew into a different city the day before,\” recalled Adam Cole, \”I didn’t even stay in the same hotel as Bryan\”

    \”The Most Secretive Debut\”

    The former WWE star then remembered how they both showed up at the Now Arena after the show had already begun and waited outside in the trailer until the time for their debut had come:

    \”We showed up to the building while the show was going on,\” said Cole, \”And we waited outside in a trailer.

    The locker room didn’t even know until the absolute last moment. It was the most secretive debut I’ve ever been involved in, and Tony Khan took every measure to make this as big of a surprise as possible.”

    Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan made their debut after the main event between AEW champion Kenny Omega and Christian at All Out. While Cole aligned himself with the Elite, Bryan chose to oppose them.

    Adam Cole Comments On Reports WWE Wanted Him To Be A Manager

  • Bron Breakker Expected To Get Big Push In Coming Weeks

    Fans can expect newly debuted NXT star Bron Breakker to get \’quite the push\’ in the coming weeks according to a new report from PWInsider.

    The son of WWF and WCW veteran Rick Steiner made his debut for the promotion on this week\’s rebranded episode of NXT 2.0. He defeated LA Knight in the opening match of the night. Though this wasn\’t the only segment he had during the show.

    Breakker also had a confrontation with the new NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa at the end of the show. Their segment reminded many of the moment between John Cena and Undertaker from years ago.

    As far as why WWE did not use the initially planned Rex Steiner name for the star, one source pointed out that the possible reason for the switch was their policy to trademark and own the ring names for all their talent.

    Bron Breakker & NXT 2.0

    WWE introduced the revamped version of NXT this week. The show saw the debut of a new stage and changes in overall presentation for the brand.

    Apart from Bron Breakker, the first episode of this new era of NXT also saw the debut of a number of other stars. You can check out a list of the names that made their first appearance on the show here.

    Who Was In Charge Of NXT 2.0 Revamp Episode? (Report)

  • Title Match Added To Extreme Rules, Updated Card

    WWE has announced that The Usos will be defending their SmackDown tag team championships against Street Profits at the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV.

    Last week\’s Super SmackDown featured a tag team championship match between these two teams in the main event of the show. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman came to the ringside mid-way through the match.

    It looked like the Street Profits would win the match when the Tribal Chief rushed to the ring and attacked Montez Ford. He locked Ford into a Guillotine.

    The disqualification caused by Reigns\’ run-in resulted in The Street Profits being declared the winner. Though the Usos remained the tag team champions.

    Updated Extreme Rules Match Card

    Now WWE has announced that we will get a rematch between these two at the upcoming PPV. This is the fifth match that has been announced for the show. Below is the updated card for the event:

    • Universal Championship Match: “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns
    • Raw Women’s Championship Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair
    • SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch
    • WWE United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest
    • SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. The Usos

    Extreme Rules this year will take place from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, September 26.

    John Cena On If He Will Ever Wrestle For Any Other Company

  • Renee Paquette On Why CM Punk Chose AEW Over WWE

    After making his triumphant return to pro wrestling last month, CM Punk had \’blamed\’ Renee Paquette for paving the way for his comeback by convincing him to join WWE Backstage on FS1. The female star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc. Among other things, she also discussed the former WWE champion\’s return to wrestling.

    During the interview, Paquette explained why she thinks Punk chose AEW over WWE for his comeback, claiming that there was nothing fresh for him in WWE:

    “I don’t think there was anything fresh and new in WWE that he really wanted to do. I don’t think there was anyone there that he wanted to work that he hasn’t already worked, storylines he’s not already been able to do.

    Whether it was at AEW, or Ring of Honor or what have you, to now looking at things being busted wide open at AEW And having Adam Cole there now. You’ve got Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, for him to be able to tag with Bryan Danielson, that was one thing that he mentioned to me on my podcast.\”

    Renee Paquette continued her explanation by mentioning how the straight edge star was driven more by the different avenues he can take rather than a truckload of cash:

    \”I think it’s just those other opportunities and different avenues that he can kind of take his career now. I think that’s what really spoke to him more so than somebody driving a truck of cash up to his house, which hopefully he got that too.”

    Apart from this, Renee Paquette also discussed her new Serious XM Fight Nation show with Miesha Tate and explained how it came together.

    Renee Paquette: Watching Jon Moxley In Deathmatches Isn’t Easy

  • AEW Morale Very High Heading Into Dynamite Grand Slam (Report)

    Morale in the AEW locker room is very high heading into next week\’s Dynamite: Grand Slam event from Queens, according to reports from PWInsider.

    According to the site, the people in the company realize that\’s their NYC debut is going to be a huge milestone for the promotion and everyone wants to appear on that show in some fashion.

    This is going to be AEW\’s biggest crowd till date and talent realize that the Grand Slam event will outdraw the live attendance figures for WWE\’s return to Madison Square Garden at last Friday\’s Super SmackDown event.

    WWE announced an official attendance figure of 14,425 for the Super SmackDown special with advertised appearances such as Brock Lesnar and John Cena but the real attendance is believed to be close to 13,000.

    The Arthur Ashe Stadium has a capacity of 23,771. The expected capacity for Dynamite is 18,692 and it was reported last week that the promotion had already sold more than 18,000 tickets for the Grand Slam special.

    AEW has announced big matches such as the women\’s title match between Britt Baker and Ruby Soho and a nontitle match between AEW champion Kenny Omega and Daniel Bryan for this show.

    Updated Card For AEW Grand Slam: Omega vs. Danielson Confirmed

  • John Cena On If He Will Ever Wrestle For Any Other Company

    We have seen a number of former WWE stars showing up at different companies in the past few months, though there is one star who is certain that he will never work for any other promotion – John Cena.

    The cenation leader took part in a Q&A at the Florida Supercon over the weekend. Among other questions, the former champion was also asked if we would ever see him wrestling for another promotion.

    Replying to it, Cena reiterated pro wrestling\’s famous “never say never” philosophy. Though he later added that he is certain this won\’t be the case:

    “There’s a whole like ‘never say never’ philosophy and I’m also that way in life because you never know what life will bring you. But, I can with certainty say no,\”

    John Cena also talked about the ECW One Night Stand event in 2006 where he defended his WWE championship against RVD. He revealed that he found out that he was losing the WWE title to the Hall Of Famer four hours before the show.

    The 16-time world champion made his most recent WWE return at Money In The Bank in July. He then faced Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. He completed this stint with his MSG appearance. There is no word on when we will see him in WWE again.

    John Cena Reveals His Choice For Best Actor In WWE

  • Update On When Sami Zayn’s WWE Contract Expires

    It appears that fans may have to wait a bit longer to see Sami Zayn reuniting with his friends at All Elite Wrestling than originally expected.

    Author Pat Laprade recently provided some update on the WWE star\’s contract. He recalled how the former NXT champion told him back in June 2018 that he had signed a three years deal with the company.

    This means that Zayn\’s deal would have already expired if it wasn\’t for the time that was added to his contract for the period he spent on the shelf after his shoulder injuries in 2018.

    The former champion missed around 10 months of action from June 2018 to April 2019 back then after tearing both of his rotator cuffs. So his contract will likely expire sometime in March or at the beginning of April next year.

    This is excluding the time Sami Zayn missed while sitting out at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic from April to August 2020. WWE officials had allowed wrestlers to stay home at the time without any penalty.

    The original report on his status said that the former IC champion\’s deal expires sometime this year. Kevin Owens\’ contract is set to expire in January 2022.

    This means KO will be able to join his friends of the Elite at least a couple months earlier. Zayn, on the other hand, will likely have to wait a few extra months before being able to jump ships if he chooses to.

    Sami Zayn Is Not a Fan of The “You Deserve It” Chant

  • Jim Ross On Reports About Stepping Away From AEW Commentary

    Some recent reports claimed that Jim Ross will be stepping away from full-time AEW commentary in coming times but the wrestling veteran is ready to continue his run for as long as he can.

    The AEW star talked about things such as the recent debut of CM Punk that created a lot of buzz among other things on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast.

    Ross claimed that he felt the emotional side of Punk\’s return in Chicago. He then referenced the reports about his future, saying that he will keep doing what he is doing until he decides he has had enough:

    “I got the best job in the world. I’m in the business that I love. I want to do this as long as I can. I don’t know how long that is, but until I or somebody including me decides I’ve had enough, then I’m going to keep doing it.

    I couldn’t have that feeling with half a house, or three, or four hundred people, or an empty audience in Daily’s Place.\” said Jim Ross, \”Life is good. I don’t know it could be much better.”

    JR also discussed how he made a mental note on a flight and realized there are at least a year\’s worth of opponents ready for CM Punk in AEW right now.

    He explained how the former WWE champion will not be wrestling every week for the company before claiming that nobody should be wrestling every week.

    Jim Ross Got WrestleMania X-7 Vibes From AEW All Out

  • Kofi Kingston Found Out What He Was Doing At Raw From Social Media

    WWE superstars have so little communication with the management that they often find out what they are doing on the show through social media, according to Kofi Kingston. The former WWE champion recently had an interview with 106 KMWL. Among other things, he also talked about his match on this week\’s Raw.

    During the interview, Kofi explained how as performers, they are usually the last ones to find out what they are doing. He gave the example of his tag team match on this Monday\’s episode of Raw:

    “You would be surprised. Usually, as performers, we are the last one’s to find things out. This week and last week, I found out on Twitter what I was doing on Raw. It was announced I would be in an eight-man tag team match and I was like, ‘Oh, good to know. I gotta prepare.’

    Same thing last week when we had the tag team turmoil, I had no idea until I looked on social media and I saw it.\” said Kofi Kingston, \”If I didn’t look on social media, I wouldn’t have known until I got to the building.”

    The New Day member went on to say that oftentimes they have no idea what the show is going to entail. Even when they do know sometimes, it always gets changed. Though Kingston explained that it\’s the bittersweet part of being a WWE star. According to him, it\’s a good thing because it keeps everyone on their toes.

    Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods teamed up with Mansoor and Mustafa Ali to face the team of AJ Styles, Omos, MACE and T-BAR on this week\’s Raw in a losing effort.

    Kofi Kingston Says Vince McMahon Won’t Let New Day Turn Heel

  • Big E Opens Up About His WWE Title Win

    After years and years of hard work, Big E finally got the success he deserves when he cashed in his Money In The Bank contract and became the WWE champion on this week\’s episode of Raw. The new champion spoke to Sports Illustrated to talk about his emotions after the big win.

    The former NXT champion first detailed the minutes leading up to his victory. He recalled how he was lost in space for a moment during his match with Bobby Lashley but then he refound his focus:

    “At first, I couldn’t find the hard camera, I lost where I was in space when Bobby grabbed me for the Dominator. This is the single biggest night of my career, so I wanted to get that moment right. Then, as I was going for the Big Ending, I had a very big man in my hands so I was only focused on the task at hand. After that, all I could hear was that reaction from the crowd.”

    \”It Was A Spiritual Experience\”

    Opening up about how he felt in the moment when he finally got the pin and was handed the WWE championship, Big E said that it was a spiritual experience for him:

    “It was a spiritual experience, I connected with this massive group of people that all wanted the same thing. To have that support and the people behind me, it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

    E then discussed how many people have helped him get to this point. Apart from his tag team partners of the New Day, he credited names such as Michael Tarver, Curt Hawkins and Mike Doughty for his success.

    Concluding the talk was Big E\’s statement that it is only the beginning of things. He said that he will stay as he is before promising to put his own spin on his title run:

    “This is only the beginning, I’m still going to be myself. I’m still going to be fun. I’m going to put my own spin on this run, and I’m here with purpose and drive. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve got.”

    Original Plans For Big E’s WWE Championship Win

  • Bron Breakker Warns Tommaso Ciampa After NXT 2.0 Goes Off Air (Video)

    The first episode of NXT 2.0 ended with the new NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa and one of the debutants of the night Bron Breakker congratulating each other and shaking hands in a backstage segment.

    However, the young star stared Ciampa\’s hand down for a bit before shaking it. He also kept the NXT champion\’s hand held for a while, seething and staring, resulting in Tommaso staring back at him as well.

    WWE later released a post-show video after the NXT 2.0 episode went off air. In the video as seen below, Breakker warned the new champion to keep his head on a swivel:

    \”I’m here to make a statement. Ciampa, congratulations on the win. I respect ya, I got mad respect for you and what you’ve done here in NXT, but know this – I got my eye on ya now. Keep your head on a swivel, brother.”

    Bron Breakker made his debut on WWE TV during the opening segment of this week\’s episode of NXT. He defeated LA Knight via a power slam in the first match of the night.

    Real name Bronson Rechsteiner, the 23-year-old star is the son of former WWF and WCW star Rick Steiner. The NXT episode makes it seem like he is in line for a push.

    WWE NXT 2.0 Results (9/14): Fatal 4-Way Title Match, Wedding Ceremony

  • How Was AEW Dynamite Viewership This Week Compared To Raw

    Despite WWE\’s effort to attract young viewers with the world title match and Big E\’s Money In The Bank cash in, AEW Dynamite managed to beat this week\’s episode of Raw in the key 18-49 demographic once again.

    The September 15 episode of the Wednesday night show featuring the in-ring debut of Adam Cole and CM Punk doing commentary did a total of 1.175 million viewers, according to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.com.

    This is a 10.91% decline in average viewership compared to last week. Last week\’s episode of the show featuring the first Dynamite appearances of debutants such as Bryan Danielson and Ruby Soho had drawn 1.319 million viewers.

    When it comes to the key 18-49 demographic which has been a matter of discussion among fans since last week, AEW Dynamite drew a 0.44 rating. This represents a total of 574,000 viewers of the age group.

    A 0.44 rating means that AEW managed to beat this week\’s episode of Raw in the key demo once again. Though Raw drew a 0.43 rating in the same demo so the margin for this victory was very narrow.

    AEW has already announced a stacked card for next week\’s Grand Slam special of Dynamite. It will feature matches such as Bryan Danielson\’s AEW in-ring debut against Kenny Omega and more. So it\’s very much possible that they will be able to extend their winning streak to the third week.

  • Booker T On What Changes He Would Push For In NXT

    The new direction for NXT has been a buzzing topic of discussion among wrestling fans. Though Booker T has a different idea of what changes they should make.

    The former WCW champion discussed this topic on the latest episode of his Hall Of Fame podcast. He revealed his thoughts on things such as the new logo.

    Booker also explained what change he thinks should be made. He said that the thing he would push for will be to send some of the talents to different camps around the world. It will help them understand what territory wrestling is about:

    “My thing is this man, I love that NXT system but the one thing I would push for is, for instance, let some of those guys go to Reality of Wrestling, Let some of those guys go to some of these really good camps around the world.

    Send them there for a month, just so they can understand that territory wrestling is really about wrestling in front of different crowds,\” said Booker T, \”As opposed to just being under that NXT system at the Capitol [Wrestling] Center.\”

    The former US champion continued by saying that he doesn\’t think the officials will have to spend any more money on this than they are already doing on talent development and it wouldn\’t hurt the guys either.

    A former world champion in his own right, Booker T not only has the experience of being a main event talent, but also running a wrestling promotion in his Reality Of Wrestling indie as well.

    Booker T On Concerns That Adam Cole Will Be Lost In Shuffle In AEW

  • How Was Raw Viewership With WWE Championship Main Event

    It appears that the WWE championship main event between Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley and the promise of Big E cashing in his Money In The Bank contract did not help the ratings for the September 13 Raw.

    This week\’s episode of the red branded show with the championship main event got an average of 1.670 million viewers according to Wrestlenomics. This a big 9.68% decline from last week\’s episode of the brand.

    Last week\’s episode with the tag team turmoil match to determine the new #1 contenders for the Raw tag team championships had drawn 1.849 million viewers.

    As far as the numbers for the 18-49 demographic goes, the show garnered a 0.43 rating. This is also a massive decline from last week\’s episode which had a 0.52 rating.

    In terms of actual numbers, a 0.43 ratings with 1.670 million viewers represents 556,000 viewers of the 18-49 demo. This is a big 17.01% decline compared to the 670,000 viewers of the same demo based on the ratings and viewership of last week\’s episode.

    Reports suggest that losing to AEW Dynamite in the 18-49 demo last week prompted WWE to move the championship match from Extreme Rules to this week\’s episode.

    Now it would be interesting to see how the Dynamite episode performs this week and what strategy the WWE officials devise to bounce back from this decline.

    Original Plans For Big E’s WWE Championship Win

  • Diamond Mine Gets Female Member, Multiple New Stars Debut On NXT 2.0

    The first episode of the revamped NXT dubbed as NXT 2.0 saw multiple new debuts including the newest and first female member of the Diamond Mine – Ivynile.

    The female star was introduced after The Creed Brothers defeated Dan Jarmon and Trevor Skelly in a tag team match. She signed with WWE back in January 2020.

    Ivynile, real name Emily Andzulis first gained fame after winning NBC\’s sports game show Titan Games. She became the first female titan champion in the game show hosted by The Rock.

    Other debuts of the night included Von Wagoner who was added to the NXT championship match. Real name Cal Bloom, Wagoner is the son of former WWF and WCW star Beau Beverly of the Beverly Brothers. He was signed in March 2019.

    Tony D\’Angelo, who was introduced via a vignette teasing a mafia character, is Joe Ariola. He has a background in collegiate wrestling. He was undefeated state and national champion and also qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2016.

    Trick Williams, who debuted accompanying Carmelo Hayes to the ring during NXT was signed in February 2021. The 27-year-old, whose real name is Matrick Belton trained at the CZW wrestling academy in New Jersey

    The star who debuted under the ring name Bron Breaker is Bronson Rechsteiner. He is another second-generation talent and the son of former WWF and WCW star Rick Steiner. \’Big Poppa Pump\’ Scott Steiner is his uncle.

  • Big E\’s WWE Title Win Served As Morale Booster For Locker Room (Report)

    The incredible WWE championship win of Big E on last night\’s episode of Monday Night Raw not only created a positive buzz among fans but it apparently served as a huge morale booster for people in the locker room as well.

    According to reports from PWinsider, there was a \’huge uptick\’ in morale among the talents present at last night\’s show out of genuine excitement over the New Day member\’s big win.

    E is beloved by the locker room so his win over Bobby Lashley was seen as a huge deal. There were even some SmackDown talents who wished to be at the event for the night just to be part of the environment.

    There were concerns over Lashley\’s knee after the spot where he slammed Randy Orton through the table. Though the site reports that he was 100% fine.

    The all-mighty did an excellent job selling his knee coming out of the spot. He received a lot of praise for his performance during his match with Orton and Big E as well.

    There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Lashley after Raw. We will have to see when or if he gets a championship rematch against the new titleholder.

    Original Plans For Big E’s WWE Championship Win

  • Details On Backstage Morale Heading Into Tonight’s NXT 2.0 Relaunch

    A new era begins tonight for NXT, WWE\’s developmental brand. According to PWInsider, there is a great sense of unease in the locker room as the wrestlers learn what \”NXT 2.0\” will actually look like.

    Talent was already on edge following the last round of releases. The feeling is that people who \’did everything they were supposed to\’ and received praise from coaches were still let go. This has led to trepidation and uncertainty as it relates to job security.

    NXT has already undergone a dramatic overhaul in recent weeks. After losing the ratings war against AEW Dynamite, NXT moved to Tuesday nights. Viewership has been acceptable since the move, but the show failed to generate much momentum.

    Earlier this month, news broke that Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard would be taking over NXT, with Triple H and his team carrying out their vision and handling the day-to-day operations.

    Triple H undergoing an emergency medical procedure only fueled concerns about NXT\’s future. Then came a report by Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net about a new wave of NXT production cuts. He described NXT being down to a \”skeleton crew.\”

    Samoa Joe relinquishing the NXT Championship late Sunday night was the latest curveball for WWE\’s black and gold (rainbow?) brand.

    Tonight\’s NXT 2.0 launch will be interesting to watch, from multiple perspectives.

  • Mickie James Says WWE Rejected Her Pitch For An All-Women\’s Brand

    Wrestling legend Mickie James is a fierce advocate for women\’s wrestling. She was the driving force behind the recent NWA EMPOWERRR all-women\’s pay-per-view.

    During a recent interview with Nashville\’s SportsLine One, James spoke about all things women\’s wrestling, including EMPOWERRR, WWE\’s Women\’s Revolution and more.

    The multi-time Women\’s Champion says she once pitched an all-women\’s brand to WWE. However, it not meant to be.

    \”It was met with a lot of resistance and maybe not understanding of why I was fighting so hard.\”

    – Mickie James

    Mickie James presented the concept to some \’very important\’ people in WWE. She thought the idea made a lot of sense, because it would provide content for the Network while utilizing the company\’s vast women\’s roster.

    \”I had very important conversations with very important people,\” she said. \”I said, \’Hey, let\’s do an all-women\’s brand. We do 205 Live and all these other things. We need content for The Network.\”

    Mickie James went on to explain how the all-female brand could have been a place for female stars to find their voice and wrestle until they were ready for live television.

    \”We have an immense amount of talent, talent that isn\’t necessarily getting used on television right now. This could be a wonderful place for them to grow.\’\”

    WWE Not Interested

    The veteran wrestler revealed that her pitch to WWE about an all-women\’s brand was met with a lot of resistance.

    \”It was met with a lot of resistance and maybe not understanding of why I was fighting so hard. I wasn\’t just fighting for me and I wasn\’t the only one who posed this question or went to the well. When I realized that this was the fight that I was hanging my hat on, it was unfortunate that it didn\’t happen the way I wanted to in that moment.\”

    Mickie James was released by WWE on April 15, 2021. NWA President Billy Corgan has stated that she is not under contract with the NWA.

    James has not revealed her future plans as of this writing, but it will be interesting to see where she ends up next.

    Check out our recent interview with Mickie James during the NWA EMPOWERRR weekend:

  • Original Plans For Big E\’s WWE Championship Win

    Big E finally reached the pinnacle of his professional wrestling career during tonight\’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to become the new WWE champion.

    Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast provided some backstage update on this big title change. According to Zarian, WWE\’s original plan called for Big E to cash in his Money In The Bank contract and become champion during the WWE Draft episode of Raw.

    This year\’s WWE Draft was scheduled to kick off on the August 30th episode of Raw. As announced during Monday\’s Raw broadcast, the WWE Draft will begin on Friday, October 1st. It will conclude on Monday, October 4th.

    There has been speculation regarding WWE\’s decision to put the title on Big E at this time. In hindsight, the title change occurred later than expected (September 12th, instead of August 30th), yet 3 weeks before of the Draft.

    At the end of the day, Big E is WWE Champion, regardless of the scheduling changes. Big E actually explained his reason for cashing in Money in the Bank when he did:

    Big E Explains Why He Chose To Cash In MITB On Monday’s RAW

    Big E as WWE Champion

    As we approach the WWE Draft, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the New Day and which brand(s) the three members end up on.

    With Big E as the new \’top dog\’ on Raw, many fans are hoping we\’ll see New Day feud with Roman Reigns and his Bloodline faction. This would be an exciting program as we head into the fall season, so hopefully this does come to fruition.

    Big E and Roman Reigns have been on a collision course dating back several years. The former NXT alums were previously at odds when the New Day clashed with Reigns\’ former faction, The Shield.

  • Samoa Joe Was Scheduled To Appear On This Week\’s Raw (Report)

    Samoa Joe was originally going to make an appearance on this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw, per reports from Fightful select.

    According to the site, the former NXT champion was scheduled to make an appearance on the red branded show to promote the relaunch of NXT:

    “We’re not sure what Joe was scheduled to do or if he’ll remain on the program, but we were told it was in relation to promoting the relaunch of NXT on Tuesday night.”

    WWE has been teasing the launch of a new version of NXT for this Tuesday with a revamped set, new logo, and a new direction for the brand in terms of storyline and character development.

    Samoa Joe announced this past Sunday that he is relinquishing the NXT championship. He was informed by the WWE doctors that “certain injuries” will prevent him from wrestling anytime soon.

    The company has since confirmed the plans for the vacant title. They have announced a fatal four-way match among Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne and LA Knight for this week\’s episode of the show to determine the new champion.

    There is no word yet on how long Joe is expected to stay out of action. We\’ll keep you posted about his status and future with the black and yellow brand.

    Update On Samoa Joe & The New Direction For NXT

  • Booker T On Concerns That Adam Cole Will Be Lost In Shuffle In AEW

    Adam Cole becoming the AEW champion somewhere down the line after his incredible debut at All Out looks inevitable and Booker T is all for it. The WWE Hall Of Famer talked about the former Undisputed Era leader changing sides among other things on the latest episode of his Hall Of Fame podcast.

    Discussing the prospect of Cole becoming the AEW world champion one day, T claimed that it will change the whole name of the gamet:

    “If Adam Cole wins the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, it will change the whole name of the game, just because he’s that guy that a lot of people don’t think should be playing that role and that position. It would show the adversity of what AEW is all about.

    Booker T On If Adam Cole Will Be Washed Out In AEW

    Booker T also addressed the concerns that Adam Cole may get lost in the shuffle in AEW with stars such as CM Punk and Bryan Danielson being given priority. He claimed that it won\’t be the case because of the way AEW handles their roster:

    “I don’t think he’s going to get washed out. I think the way AEW works their talent, they’re trying to make everybody on the roster a star. I think that’s what the business has always been in the past,

    Every wrestler in the 90s in the WWE came out of the curtain and they were a star. They brought somebody’s a** to a seat in that arena. That’s what I think AEW is trying to do, have all of their stars create as far as reaching to their fan base only.”

    Adam Cole\’s NXT contract expired last month. He made his AEW debut after the main event of All Out and immediately aligned himself with the Elite.

    Mark Henry Responds To Booker T’s CM Punk Remarks

  • Kenny Omega Says Roman Reigns \’Could Have Easily\’ Been Ranked #1 In PWI 500

    The list of accolades Kenny Omega has achieved this year now includes ranking #1 in the PWI 500 list for the second time after 2018. The AEW world champion sat down with PWI Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney on the PWI Podcast to discuss this achievement and what it means for him.

    During the interview, Omega discussed how his #1 ranking this year was different than 2018. He explained that he was playing to his strength during his time in NJPW. Kenny mentioned how that wasn\’t the case this year. According to him, he didn\’t run away with it this time because he doesn\’t think he was #1 by far:

    “I’ve really stepped outside of my own comfort zone, and not only that, but everyone else stepped up their game too. It’s fantastic that I don’t feel like, no matter how I look at it, I didn’t run away with it. I don’t think I was number one by far.

    I think the best part about this year, especially, is you could have went in multiple directions and no one would be disappointed. I feel that, up until his unfortunate injury, number one could have been Will Ospreay. Number one could have easily been Shingo Takagi. Number one could have easily been Roman Reigns.\”

    Kenny Omega joined a coveted list when he was ranked #1 in the PWI 500 list for the second time. Prior to the current AEW world heavyweight champion, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, and Seth Rollins have been the only stars to top the ranking more than once.

    Kenny Omega reportedly wants to face two major NJPW stars