SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Maven On His Interaction With The Rock Before WrestleMania 18

    Former WWE star Maven recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about many different things and discussed his time with the company in detail. Probably the most successful run of his career was his reign with the Hardcore championship. He held the title heading into WrestleMania 18.

    Recalling that time of his career and his experience at the Show of Shows, Maven revealed that he was very nervous about going out in front of 70 thousand people. He recalled how the Rock helped him in this situation:

    “So it’s WrestleMania 18 in Toronto, I went in the Hardcore Champion and left the Hardcore Champion. I’m backstage and I am scared to death, there’s 70 something thousand people out there. The Rock sees this and he says ‘Mave, come here.’ So I go up to him and I think I’m going to get words of advice from the best.

    He goes ‘hey, no one is really expecting much out of you. So just do the best you can.’ He turns around and walks away I’m like ‘what the f**k was that?’ He then turns and winks at me.\” said Maven, \”That calmed me down. That one little joke, then it was like ‘f**k it, lets have some fun.”

    Apart from this, the former champion also discussed another important moment from his career, the time when he eliminated The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble. Maven revealed that it was Shane McMahon who told him about the spot and even The Undertaker was surprised by these plans. You can check out his interview below:

  • Domino’s Issues Statement On Pizza Cutter Spot On AEW Dynamite

    Chris Jericho and Nick Gage put on a brutal but impressive match on this week\’s episode of Dynamite. Though it appears that the pizza cutter spot in the bout didn\’t go over very well with Domino’s.

    The company released a statement to Front Office Sports regarding the spot. In the statement as seen below, spokeswoman Jenny Fouracre-Petko said that they are assessing their advertising presence on the show:

    “We share the concerns expressed about this incident and the content of this TV-14 rated program, and are assessing our advertising presence on it going forward,”

    For those who don\’t know, the Fight For The Fallen special of Dynamite saw former AEW champion Chris Jericho taking on hardcore wrestler Nick Gage in a No Disqualifications match.

    There was one point in the bout where Gage used a pizza cutter on his opponent. Right after he cut open Jericho\’s head, the broadcast went into split-screen mode.

    The second screen featured a Domino’s commercial with an image of a pizza being sliced. This got a lot of attention on social media.

    Many people wondered if the two companies worked together for the spot. Though this report makes it clear that the pizza delivery chain was not involved and it appears that they didn\’t have any prior knowledge of it either.

    https://twitter.com/trillmoregirls/status/1420740036841050113

  • Carmella On Potentially Moving To Raw In Upcoming Drafts

    Carmella has almost exclusively been a SmackDown star since the return of WWE brand extension back in 2016, though she is open to a move to the Raw roster in the upcoming drafts.

    The former SmackDown women\’s champion recently had an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling where she talked about things such as why she wants to face Toni Storm and more.

    Discussing a potential move to Monday nights in the upcoming drafts, Carmella admitted that she sometimes feels as if she has done everything she could do on the SmackDown roster:

    “Sometimes I feel like I kind of have done everything I could do on SmackDown, That’s why I do get excited when new girls come up because it’s like okay, opportunity for fresh matchups and fresh stories.

    Because I don’t ever want to ever get to a point where it’s like, okay we’ve seen this a million times, I don’t wanna do this anymore.\”

    Though according to the SmackDown star, the blue brand will forever have a special place in her heart whether she gets drafted to Raw or not:

    “So if it happens, if this is the year, cool. If not, then maybe I’ll just bleed blue forever. I have no idea. But no matter what, SmackDown will have such a place in my heart because this is Carmella. Carmella is SmackDown.”

    Latest reports suggest that WWE has moved the planned dates for the drafts a bit further. It\’s currently expected to take place sometime in early October.

  • Stephen Amell On How CM Punk Replied When Asked About Wrestling Return

    Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. The duo talked about a number of things and also discussed the recent rumors surrounding their Heels co-star CM Punk.

    The former WWE champion has been heavily rumored for a wrestling return in near future. Many signs point towards him being AEW bound already.

    Discussing his reaction to these rumors, Amell revealed that he actually texted Punk to ask about the reports and the former WWE star simply sent him a picture of a cat:

    “And I actually texted him when all this stuff broke, I’m like, ‘You coming back?’ And he sent me back a photo of a cat shrugging.

    But I mean look, anything, I think as a general rule, anything in the world of pro wrestling that is gonna piss Vince McMahon off and get his competitive juices flowing is probably good for business.\”

    Stephen Amell then talked about CM Punk\’s involvement in their drama series. He revealed that Punk wasn\’t originally going to be part of the show:

    “We had originally another actor, not a wrestler, really good guy, set for the role of Ricky Rabies. And then scheduling-wise, it ended up not working out. And then all of a sudden, it’s like; we got CM Punk on the show? Really?

    And I get to train with him a little bit, and I mean Phil was so great in and out of the ring that we ended up bringing him back for the finale.\”

    Heels is an upcoming wrestling drama series featuring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig among others which is set to premiere on Starz on August 15.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFfSSXavYc

  • Update On Cash Wheeler After Injury On Dynamite

    AEW star Cash Wheeler suffered a nasty injury during FTR\’s tag team match against Santana & Ortis during Wednesday\’s episode of Dynamite.

    The AEW star was seen bleeding heavily from one of his arms. It made fans wonder about him after the show. PWinsider has provided some updates on his status.

    The site notes that Wheeler suffered what was described as a \’really bad cut\’ to his arm when he was shoved off the ropes during a spot in the match.

    The incident occurred when FTR were attempting a superplex/splash combo. Santana broke the spot and sent the injured star off the top to the floor.

    His arm connected with the metal piece between the ring post and turnbuckles, causing the cut. The heavyweight star was immediately treated by the medical staff at the ringside. He was said to be ok in the back afterward.

    The officials decided to cut to the finish of the match after Cash Wheeler\’s injury. His partner Dax Harwood picked up the victory for his team using a brainbuster.

    There is no word yet on if the injury will cause the former WWE star to miss any ring time. We will keep you posted about any updates on his health.

  • Cody Rhodes On Wanting To Face Former WCW Champion

    Former TNT champion Cody Rhodes recently had an interview with the Inside The Ropes magazine for its latest issue where he discussed many different topics.

    AEW has signed a number of wrestling veterans in past year. Legendary names that have joined their roster includes people such as Paul Wight, Christian, and more.

    However, if there is one star Rhodes is interested in facing more than all others, it\’s Sting. During the interview, Cody said that while the idea hasn\’t been discussed creatively, he still hopes to have a match with the Icon in future:

    “I absolutely was adamant about wanting to do a match with him and it’s not something that’s been discussed or contracted or anything like that but, while he’s here, I still would hope that it happens,

    He’s such a huge part of who I am and he was such a d*ck to me on the second week when he showed up,\” said Cody Rhodes, \”and I love that. And I love his love for my dad as well.\”

    The former WWE star said that Sting is a big part of the company. He explained having people like Sting and Jack Evans signed to the promotion at the same time is an example of how diverse AEW\’s roster is.

    Apart from this, Cody Rhodes gave AEW president Tony Khan the credit for signing Sting to the company. He also discussed things such as the process of getting the former WCW star cleared for his in-ring return and more.

  • NXT On SyFy Draws Lowest Viewership Since TV Premiere

    While AEW\’s audience is on a steady increase since the end of Wednesday night wars, NXT doesn\’t seem to be attracting a lot of new viewers. This week\’s episode of it has recorded the lowest audience since the show\’s premiere.

    This Tuesday\’s edition of the Black and Yellow brand on SyFy drew a total of 520,000 viewers according to Nielsen which is the lowest TV viewership in the show\’s history.

    Last week\’s episode of NXT drew 709,000 viewers. The numbers this week saw a big 20.5% decline compared to last week\’s average audience.

    The episode drew a 0.12 rating in the much talked 18-49 demographic which is a 40% decline from last week\’s 0.20 ratings in the same demo.

    USA Network was airing the Olympics this week due to which NXT was moved to SyFy. This change and the competition from the Olympics seem to have been important factors in the big rating drop.

    The show will air on SyFy next week as well so the ratings aren\’t expected to improve much. NXT will return to USA Network for the August 10 episode and we will have to see how the viewership rebounds for that episode.

  • The Rock Says \’There\’s Nothing\’ To Tease About WWE Return

    We have seen a number of big WWE returns in the past couple of months including names such as John Cena and Edge. Though reports suggest that there is an even bigger return being planned for later this year in form of The Rock.

    The Great One hasn\’t been seen on WWE TV since the SmackDown 20th anniversary show back in October 2019. His last proper wrestling match was his bout with John Cena during WrestleMania 29 in 2013.

    The Rock had a chat with Entertainment Tonight alongside his Jungle Cruise co-star, Emily Blunt on the premiere of their new movie. When asked if he can tease anything about his rumored WWE return, he said \”there\’s nothing.\”

    Emily Blunt then chimed in to joke that she is going to be forming a tag team with The People\’s Champion: \”[It\’s] gonna be me and him, and there\’s gonna be a big fight.\”

    WWE is reportedly working on a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock for WrestleMania 38. The Hollywood star is expected to make his return to the company later this year to set up this bout.

    While not confirmed, latest reports suggest that the plan is for the former champion to make an appearance at this year\’s Survivor Series PPV in November. It will mark the 25th anniversary of his official in-ring debut for the company.

  • Kalisto On The Original Name For The Lucha Dragons

    Being part of the Lucha Dragons with Sin Cara was one of the highlights of Kalisto\’s WWE career. The duo even won the NXT tag team titles during their time together.

    The star now known as Samuray Del Sol recently spoke to Lucha Libre Online. He talked about many things and also revealed the original name for their tag team.

    According to Kalisto, the Lucha Dragons were originally going to be called The Lucha Lions. However, he didn\’t like the name very much so he suggested a change:

    \”Initially, The Lucha Dragons were going to be the Lucha Lions. I didn’t like it so much. I love the Japanese culture. So why not a dragon? Let’s try Lucha Dragons. Sounds better.\”

    Sin Cara returned to NXT after a main roster run and formed the Lucha Dragons tag team with Kalisto in May 2014. The duo went on to defeat The Ascension for the NXT tag team championships in September the same year.

    They held the title for a few months before losing it to Blake and Murphy in January 2015. The Lucha Dragons made their main roster debut in March 2015. They remained a team until they decided to go their separate ways before the 2016 draft.

  • Malakai Black Reveals Conversation With Brodie Lee That Inspired Him To Join AEW

    Malakai Black didn\’t spend a lot of time on deciding which company he wanted to sign with after his WWE release. As it turns out, an old conversation with late Jon Huber aka Brodie Lee helped him in this decision.

    The former WWE star recently appeared on The Wrestling Perspective podcast. He talked about things such as his desire to work with NJPW and more.

    Discussing his decision to sign with AEW after his release, Black revealed that the name of the promotion popped into his head on the same day because of a conversation he had with Huber:

    “I’ll be completely honest with you, the day I got released, AEW popped into my head. I had so many friends there. One of the last conversations I had with Jon Huber, rest in peace, he told me, ‘You’d love it here. You’d have so much fun here.’

    That kind of always stuck with me because him and me,\”said Black, \”Every once in a while, would talk and there have definitely been moments where I was very frustrated.”

    The former NXT champion was released from his WWE contract back in early June. He made his AEW debut during the July 7 episode of Dynamite.

    Later reports revealed that WWE had forgotten to update Black\’s contract when he was moved to the main roster. He was able to sign with AEW because his non compete clause with WWE lasted only 30 days, which is a standard for NXT talents.

  • Mojo Rawley Says \’The Door Is Open\’ For A WWE Return

    Former WWE star Mojo Rawley recently spoke to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful where he opened up about his release from the company among other things.

    WWE is known for putting a lot of restrictions on the stars contracted to the promotion. Rules they have to follow not only dictate their real-life but the officials have control over their lives on social media as well.

    During the interview, Rawley discussed how he feels now that he is free from such restrictions. He explained that he is once again learning what freedom smells like, now that he can do anything he wants without asking for permission:

    \”Now, it’s like, I’m re-learning what freedom smells and tastes like and I can do anything I want,\” he said. \”I don’t have to ask permission. I can start a Twitch account.

    I can go to a restaurant for a nice meal and tag the restaurant on my personal social media. So, there’s a lot, man. I’m hustling. I’m busier now than I’ve ever been, which has been nuts. It just shows it was time. It’s a win-win.\”

    Mojo Rawley On Potential WWE Return

    On the topic of whether or not a WWE comeback is possible somewhere down the line, Mojo Rawley revealed that he was told that the door was open for his return in future when he was let go by the officials:

    \”More or less. There was a lot that went into that. Maybe we’ll touch on that later. But, yeah, more or less it was like, ‘Hey, man. Door’s open. Good luck,\”

    After a nine-year-long career in WWE, Mojo Rawley was released from the organization back in April this year. His non-compete clause has expired but the former 24/7 champion has not revealed his future plans just yet.

  • Raw Match Nixed After Jeff Hardy Tested Positive For Coronavirus

    Jeff Hardy, unfortunately, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier yesterday. The news was revealed by a music venue called recordBar in Kansas City. The former world champion was scheduled for a meet and greet event there on Monday.

    Though it appears that this wasn\’t the only plan that had to be halted due to his positive test. According to PWInsider, the former champion was scheduled to compete in a match on this Monday\’s episode of Raw.

    Per the site, Hardy was scheduled to compete against Karrion Kross in a rematch from last week\’s episode of the show. Though this match has been canceled now.

    For those who don\’t know, the high-flying star faced the debuting NXT champion in a one-on-one match during last Monday\’s episode of the Red Branded Show.

    To the surprise of many, Jeff Hardy picked up a victory over Kross in this match. He pinned the NXT star with some help from the ropes after a powerbomb.

    It\’s said that this surprising result was part of a long-term plan for the current champion. It\’s yet to be seen how the company will handle things now that Hardy has to be taken off-screen for at least a couple of weeks.

  • Nikki A.S.H. On Potentially Defending Her Title Against Becky Lynch

    Last week was probably the biggest week of her WWE career for Nikki A.S.H. Not only did she manage to win the Money In The Bank briefcase at the namesake PPV on Sunday, but she successfully cashed in the contract on Monday at Raw to win her first singles\’ women\’s title in the company.

    The new champion spoke to Sunday Post after her championship victory. Discussing how she is feeling after her big win, the female star said that it all feels like a dream:

    “It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s a dream and it feels like I don’t want anyone to wake me up.\’ said Nikki, \”I was just staring at it when I got back to my hotel room, thinking of all the memories, all the people that helped, encouraged and inspired me on the journey.”

    Nikki A.S.H. On Potential Match With Becky Lynch

    Now that she is on the top of the mountain, the former Sanity member has many potential opponents looking to dethrone her and take the title for themselves.

    One such potential opponent is Becky Lynch who has been rumored for a WWE return for a while now. When asked about potentially defending her title against The Man, Nikki said that she is ready for the challenge:

    “I’m ready for the challenge from Becky and I truly hope it does happen, Becky and Drew [McIntyre] have been amazing role models, inspiring me and creating that blueprint.\”

    Apart from this, Nikki A.S.H. discussed becoming the second Scottish star to win a singles championship in WWE after Drew McIntyre and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

  • Kenny Omega On Potential Partnership Between WWE And AEW

    AEW vice president Kenny Omega recently made an appearance on Wrestling Observer Radio where he talked about a wide variety of topics.

    All Elite Wrestling opened \’The Forbidden Door\’ last year. They have developed partnerships with many companies since then. The AEW champion himself has made appearances for a number of brands such as Impact Wrestling and AAA.

    Though the big question is still about WWE and fans wonder if we will ever see these two rivals working together. When asked about it, Kenny said that he wouldn\’t hold his breath but at the same time, he wouldn\’t say it\’s impossible:

    “The one huge crossover, will you ever see WWE team up with anybody? Who knows? I feel as the world evolves and changes and time goes by, people become more open-minded to everything,\” said the cleaner, \”Whether it be the wrestlers themselves, people in the office, the fans.

    “I wouldn’t hold my breath but at the same time I would never say it’s impossible.”

    – Kenny Omega

    Kenny Omega also talked about their partnership with other wrestling organizations such as Impact wrestling and NJPW. He said that he wanted to open the floodgates and according to him, it\’s a situation where only the fans win.

    Apart from this, the wrestling veteran opened up about things such as the recent rumors about Daniel Bryan and CM Punk joining AEW in the future. You can check out his thoughts on the topic at this link.

  • Jeff Hardy Has Reportedly Tested Positive For Covid

    WWE superstar Jeff Hardy was supposed to take part in a meet and greet after Raw this Monday night at recordBar in Kansas City but the event has been cancelled because of Hardy testing positive for coronavirus.

    The music venue released a statement from their Facebook page revealing that the former world champion will not be taking part in any live events for at least two weeks:

    \”Jeff Hardy just tested positive for covid this morning, and will have to quarantine for the next two weeks, and will not be participating in any live events for the next two weeks.\”

    As with other positive cases, WWE has not commented on his status. Hardy himself has been quiet so far as well. Though if the report is true then the high-flying star will miss upcoming WWE shows for at least two weeks.

    Jeff Hardy wrestled on this past Monday\’s episode of Raw where he picked up a surprising victory over the NXT champion Karrion Kross. This was Kross\’ official debut match for the red brand.

    There is no word yet on how Hardy\’s expected absence might affect the plans for the NXT star. We will have to see if Kross makes an appearance on this Monday\’s episode of Raw or if he is kept off TV as well.

  • Eric Bischoff Says RK-Bro Reminds Him Of WCW Tag Team

    A number of wrestling personalities have paid their tribute to the late WWE Hall Of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff since his passing earlier this month. Eric Bischoff recently joined this list.

    The former WCW president dedicated the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast to the wrestling veteran and long-time friend. He talked about the various stages of Orndorff\’s career during the episode.

    Bischoff also recalled the time Mr Wonderful teamed with Paul Roma in WCW. He revealed which current tag team compares to the duo who were then known as Pretty Wonderful:

    “Roma was a little more flamboyant and Orndorff was a little more dangerous,” Bischoff said. “I like that, I like how contrasts work. Randy Orton and the skateboard burn out guy, Matt Riddle.

    I love that team because that’s just an interesting contrast of characters. It’s like a good buddy cop movie, you generally have contrasting characters that compliment each other and I think that’s the way Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff were.”

    Randy Orton formed a tag team with Matt Riddle after a match between the two in April this year. Since then, the two have become a fan favorite.

    Apart from this, Eric Bischoff also talked about being relieved from his management position in WCW in 1999. He claimed that he felt betrayed by the decision but didn\’t go into detail for the reason behind it.

  • Ryan Nemeth On How His AEW Debut Came Together

    Ryan Nemeth made his AEW debut during a Dynamite episode back in January this year. Though this wasn\’t really his first match for the promotion.

    The brother of WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. He was asked how he ended up in AEW and he revealed that he actually used to help babysit Brodie Lee Jr.

    Nemeth showed up at an AEW event where they were celebrating the birthday of Lee Jr. He was then offered a 6 men tag team match at AEW Dark but Tony Khan ended up deciding not to air the bout:

    “We did a six-man Dark, and then Tony [Khan], as we were going back through a tunnel; he came halfway through the tunnel and said, ‘We’re not going to air this. I want you to figure something else out.’ I was like, alright.\”

    While Ryan Nemeth thought that he had somehow blown up his opportunity, Tony Khan had something else in mind. He was then called up for a match with Hangman Page on national television:

    “I interpreted that as, aw, I really blew it. I must have sucked, something went wrong, and the next morning, Jess Palombo was talking on the phone but looking at you [Chris Jericho]. She goes, ‘Hey, it’s you and Hangman tonight,’

    And she walked off and I was like, ‘What? Why? I mean, great. Okay, cool.’ I don’t know [what Tony saw], but I’m happy about it.”

    Ryan Nemeth made his official AEW debut during the 27 January episode of Dynamite. The former WWE star faced Hangman Page in a losing effort.

  • Matt Cardona Becomes New GCW Champion At Homecoming: Night 1

    Former WWE star Matt Cardona shocked everyone and became the new GCW world heavyweight champion by defeating Nick Gage during tonight\’s GCW: Homecoming night 1.

    The main event of the show saw Gage defending his title against the former Zack Ryder in a brutal match that left both the competitors bloodied.

    Nick Gage was in control for the majority of the match. He used multiple light tubes and a pizza cutter among other things on Cardona during the bout.

    Chris Jericho\’s Judas theme played at one point in the match. While the hooded figure that showed up, ended up not being Jericho, the distractions continued even after that.

    The 44OH! faction came out and attacked Gage not long after this. Former GCW champion RSP came out in Gage\’s aid and the two managed to fight off the attackers.

    Though this alliance was short-lived as RSP ended up low-blowing Nick Gage. This allowed Matt Cardona to hit a Rough Ryder on his opponent and win the match.

    Fans started throwing trash in the ring immediately after the bout ended. Cardona ran off the arena to save himself, leaving Cage in disbelief.

    This ends Nick Gage\’s 100+ days long championship reign with the title. Now it would be interesting to see what the promotion has planned for Cardona\’s title reign.

  • Career vs. Title Match Announced For NWA 73rd Anniversary Show

    Former WWE star Trevor Murdoch will be challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA world heavyweight championship in a career vs. title match at the upcoming NWA 73 PPV.

    The former tag team champion from WWE challenged the current NWA champion for his title during TMart Promotions’ The Gathering II event this Saturday.

    Aldis managed to defend his title successfully in this bout. After this, Trevor Murdoch challenged the former TNA star to a career vs. title match during the upcoming NWA 73rd anniversary show.

    Trevor Murdoch wrestled for WWE from 2005 to 2008. He teamed up with Lance Cade during his stint with the promotion. This duo known as Cade and Murdoch became three times WWE tag team champions before being disbanded.

    After leaving the company, Murdoch had a short stint with TNA in 2009. He had been wrestling in the independent circuit since then. He made his NWA debut back in 2019.

    Apart from this championship bout, it has been confirmed that Mickie James will be wrestling at the upcoming PPV event but her opponent for the show has not been announced.

    NWA 73rd anniversary show will be taking place live on Sunday, August 29 from Khorassan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri.

  • Senior Talent Relation Executive Canyon Ceman Released By WWE

    WWE has let go the company\’s senior vice president of talent development Canyon Ceman this Friday according to reports from PWinsider. The rumors of the promotion releasing the executive had been heard a few weeks ago as well. They had turned out to be false at the time but now his departure has been confirmed.

    Ceman had been working for WWE since 2012. He was initially hired as the senior director of talent relations in March 2012 and promoted to his latest title in August 2015. Prior to joining the world of professional wrestling, the WWE official served as the chief financial officer for the association of volleyball professionals until 2010.

    Over his nine year long tenure with WWE, Canyon Ceman had been involved in scouting, recruiting and evaluating potential talents for the company\’s developmental system. He was also involved with NXT. He is not the only big backstage name to have been let go by the officials in recent times.

    Just like their talent roster, WWE seems to be working on decluttering their employee list as well. They have let go a number of backstage personnel in recent times. There is no word yet on why WWE decided to let go Canyon Ceman but it wouldn\’t be a big surprise if his release was budget-related as well.

  • Jim Ross On Which AEW Star Is The Closest Thing To Stone Cold Steve Austin

    Wrestling veteran Jim Ross talked about a number of things on the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast. He also revealed which current AEW star reminds him the most of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

    Steve Austin is widely regarded as one of the biggest if not the biggest wrestling superstars of all time. Ross has the first-hand experience of his rise to superstardom. He was the lead commentator for WWE throughout the Attitude Era.

    During the episode, Jim Ross claimed that Jon Moxley is the closest thing he has seen to Stone Cold since the Texas Rattlesnake hung up his boots:

    “[Jon] Moxley is the closest thing I’ve seen in pro wrestling like Stone Cold, since Stone Cold, attitude, body english, facial expressions, legitimate intensity, absolutely phenomenal.”

    Alongside the other companies, AEW has also welcomed the fans back to the arenas this month. Speaking of the AEW crowds, Ross claimed that they remind him of the Attitude Era audience:

    \”Our audience because they’re younger, they come prepared. They have their signs, posters, it reminds me of the Attitude Era as far as audience participation. It’s a really good time to be a wrestling fan no matter which brand you support,

    I’m a really big believer in if you’re a wrestling fan, be a wrestling fan of all of them., said Jim Ross, \”Don’t go out of your way to piss on something that’s not on fire. It’s a great time to be a fan.”

    Jim Ross also discussed how people like Jon Moxley know how to work TV matches in an arena full of fans but there are many young wrestlers in AEW who are having this experience for the first time in their careers.

  • Britt Baker Worked Championship Match On Dynamite With Broken Wrist

    Britt Baker picked up a big win on this week\’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. If her victory wasn\’t impressive enough on its own, it\’s now been revealed that she did it with a broken wrist.

    The AEW women\’s champion recently posted a picture of herself with MMA fighter Paige VanZant. In the photo she is seen wearing a cast on her right hand and in the caption she confirmed that she has a broken wrist:

    \”With @paigevanzant …And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at #aewdynamite with a broken wrist. Not taking any time off either. #AndStill\”

    Britt Baker won her first women\’s title in AEW during the Double Or Nothing PPV in May. She defeated Hikaru Shida in a one-on-one match for the championship.

    The women\’s champion had her first title defense on this Wednesday\’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. She successfully defended the title in a match against Nyla Rose.

    She apparently suffered the injury during a death valley driver spot in the match. Though according to the champion herself, she is taking no time off.

    There is no word yet on who will be Britt Baker\’s next challenger after her victory on Dynamite this week. She will likely not be defending her title again until the All Out PPV on September 5.

  • WWE Reaction To CM Punk Negotiating With AEW

    The news of CM Punk being in talks for an in-ring return for the first time since leaving WWE in 2014 has possibly been the biggest wrestling story of the week.

    Multiple parties are said to be interested in bringing the Straight Edge star on board. Though AEW seems to be the most likely destination for his comeback. It appears that people within WWE believe the same.

    According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the internal belief in WWE is that Punk has already signed a deal with their rival promotion.

    There are \’a number of things going on behind-the-scenes\’ that would indicate that AEW is going to be the new home for the former world champion.

    Meltzer notes that nobody in AEW has confirmed the news about CM Punk so far. It\’s understandable as people would keep quiet about an announcement of this magnitude until the top brass decides to go public with it.

    The former WWE champion had originally shot down the possibility of an in-ring return in the future after quitting WWE. However, he seems to have changed his mind in recent times.

    Punk himself has claimed that he would be open to making an in-ring return against the right opponent. He has indicated that the right circumstances and storyline are more important than the amount offered to him for a comeback.

    With AEW becoming home to some of the most exciting free agents of the wrestling world in recent months, it wouldn\’t be a big surprise if a potential program with any of them has caught his eye and made him consider the return.

  • WWE Interested In Bringing Back Braun Strowman

    The decision to let Braun Strowman go was a surprising move from WWE. Now latest reports suggest that the officials are interested in bringing him back.

    Dave Meltzer talked about the Monster Among Men on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He wrote \”there is interest in bringing Strowman back especially after recent AEW signings\”

    AEW has recently signed a number of stars released by WWE during the budget cuts in the past year. People like Andrade and Malakai Black have already made their debut for the promotion.

    Not only that but there are also reports about big names such as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan heading to the company in near future.

    Braun Strowman was released from WWE on June 2. At the time it was said that Strowman\’s massive contract that earned him over $1 million per year was one big reason behind his release.

    The belief among fans has always been that the company will bring him back after a renegotiation of his salary. Now the competition from AEW seems to be an added incentive for WWE officials to get him back before his non-compete clause expires on August 31.

    Though people like Mark Henry have shown interest in signing Braun Strowman to AEW. So it\’s possible that the two companies will find themselves competing over the former Universal champion in near future.

  • Booker T On Reports Of Daniel Bryan\’s AEW Signing

    Recent reports of former world champion Daniel Bryan signing a contract with AEW have excited fans. WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T recently commented on it.

    The former WCW star talked about this major development on the latest episode of his Hall Of Fame podcast. He said that he is not going to hate this decision.

    Booker explained how WWE shouldn\’t hate the decision either, giving the example of basketball players who change teams every year. He then mentioned how Bryan will be able to do his own thing in AEW:

    “One thing about Daniel Bryan and AEW, he’s going to be able to pretty much write his own ticket, go out and have the matches that he wants to have. Go ahead and create the stories that he wants to create.

    That’s what guys want to do, they want to be able to do their own thing\” said Booker T, \”And AEW has given a lot of these guys a chance to do their own thing.”

    Daniel Bryan\’s contract with WWE expired in May this year. While WWE officials were said to be pushing hard to re-sign him, there hadn\’t been any positive update in the direction since then.

    A report then came out earlier this week that claimed the former world champion has made his choice. It mentions that he has officially signed a contract with AEW and his debut date for the promotion is already set.