SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Triple H On Velveteen Dream\’s Absence, Pat McAfee\’s Future With WWE

    Velveteen Dream hasn\’t been seen on NXT programming since his match with Adam Cole in December and Triple H was recently asked about his status.

    The Game held a media conference call ahead of the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day which is scheduled to take place this Sunday, on February 14.

    During the call, the former World Champion was asked about Dream, who has been a controversial figure since he was accused of inappropriate behavior with minors, and Triple H said that he has nothing to add:

    “There’s really nothing to add with Velveteen Dream. We’ve gone over it a million times. Status update – he’s still training. He had a little bit of a physical thing here for a bit. But, still there, still with us, still PC, still training, still on the roster.”

    Triple H has previously claimed that the company has looked into the accusations about the 25 year old star and they have moved on from the controversy because they didn\’t find anything.

    Triple H On The Status Of Pat McAfee

    The King Of Kings also provided an update on the status of Pat McAfee and explained that the former NFL player is just taking a break from his busy routine:

    “He’s a busy dude. We’ve been talking about it. He had said, ‘Look, give me a moment to breathe when the Super Bowl is over.’

    He just got married not that long ago. He’s like, if I don’t take a breath for a minute after this Super Bowl, I might not be married for much longer. My words, not his. I think he just needed to take a breather.”

    McAfee has been away from WWE programming since December as well and he hasn\’t been seen on NXT TV since his team lost the WarGames match to Undisputed Era.

  • Carlito On Why He Returned To WWE

    Carlito made his return to WWE during the Royal Rumble PPV after staying away from the company for more than a decade following his release in 2010.

    After his surprise return during the PPV, the former Intercontinental Champion joined Corey Graves for his After The Bell podcast where he talked about his release from the company, his time away and more.

    Discussing the reason for his return to the promotion, Carlito said that he came back because he didn\’t like the way things ended in his last run:

    “[I came back because] I just didn’t like the way things ended. I didn’t expect it to take 10 years to get back but at least if I came back once, I just wanted to leave a better taste in someone’s mouth.

    Bury the hatchet; everything is on the up and up, happy to be back and happy to be around.\” claimed Carlito, \”If that was my last time, I was glad to finally get a chance to come back and end things on better terms.”

    Carlito On His WWE Future

    When asked about his future with the promotion, the former champion claimed that he doesn\’t know what the future holds for him and he would love to be back if the conditions are right:

    “As of now I don’t know, we’ll see what the future holds, I don’t know, if the conditions are right I’d love to be back. That was always my goal, was to go away, take a breather and come back.\”

    Previous reports have suggested that the company is looking to hire Carlito as a backstage producer and it wouldn\’t be a surprise if he ends up having an on screen run as well.

  • Former WWE Star Rusty Brooks Passes Away At 63

    Former WWE star Rusty Brooks, who wrestled for the company during the mid 80s has passed away at the age of 63, as reported by PWinsider.

    Real name Kurt Koski, the wrestling veteran had been dealing with some health issues recently. He also underwent a surgery a few weeks ago, though the exact cause of his death is not known.

    Brooks started his wrestling career in 1982 and he went on to wrestle for many North American promotions such as International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW), Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

    He was signed by WWE to a contract only two years after his wrestling debut and the heavyweight star had matches against the likes of André the Giant and Ricky Steamboat during his time with the promotion.

    Rusty even had a match with the then WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan on national television before being released by the company in 1985. He made a brief return to the company in 1988 and continued wrestling in the independent circuit before eventually retiring from active competition in 2013.

    We at SEScoops send our deepest condolence to the family and friends of Rusty Brooks.

  • Eric Bischoff Says AEW Has Flatlined

    Former WCW President Eric Bischoff returned for his 83 weeks podcast and during the latest episode of the show, he made some interesting comments about the current state of AEW.

    The former SmackDown Executive Director was talking about Chris Jericho\’s comments about TNA in 2011 where Y2J had called the company out for not believing in themselves and wasting their resources.

    Bischoff said that these comments could come back to haunt the former AEW Champion in future because his company has flatlined in the past year:

    “I think it’s going to come back to bite him in the ass is what I think, AEW last week they did about 800,000 viewers, they opened the door with 1.5 million viewers and haven’t been able to crack 1 million since or if they have it’s been only on 1 or 2 occasions. They’ve essentially flatlined at 7 or 800,000 viewers on average for the last year and a half.

    “That’s an observation that could, unless something turns around in the next 18 months, come back to haunt someone like Chris.\” said Eric Bischoff, \”Quite frankly, AEW has flatlined and it’s been that way essentially for a year.\”

    The former WCW official continued to say that it\’s easy to talk about a business you are not in. He mentioned how Chris Jericho had never run a business when he made the statement and he was making them from a position of a talent.

    What do you think about Eric Bischoff\’s comments about the current state of AEW? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • Kevin Owens On Botched Royal Rumble Spot

    The Royal Rumble match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns had many interesting spots, though one of them didn\’t go as planned.

    The handcuff botch during the match became a talking point among fans after the show and the former NXT champion recently discussed the spot during his interview on The Jake Asman Show.

    Owens stayed in character during the interview and when asked about the spot, he claimed that he has never been cheated by a referee in this way before:

    “I’ve never been cheated by a referee that way before, he [Reigns] brought handcuffs, I handcuffed him to something and I thought I had him, I really did have him. Some screw-ups from the referees and here I am, sitting in my car without the Universal Championship.”

    For those who don\’t know, the Last Man Standing match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2021 featured a spot where Owens handcuffed his opponent to a metal structure.

    The Universal Champion couldn\’t get out of it in time so he knocked out the referee who had already reached a nine-count. Reigns then called in Paul Heyman for help as a second referee came out and restarted the count.

    However, Heyman had some trouble with the cuffs. The second referee stopped the count when it became clear that Paul would not be able to free Roman in time and this botch became a point of discussion among fans after the show.

  • AEW Announces Signing Of Nightmare Family Member Lee Johnson

    AEW has officially announced the signing of indie star Lee Johnson after the high flying star picked up his first victory in the company during this week\’s episode of Dynamite.

    The announcement was made by President Tony Khan himself, who mentioned how Cody Rhodes was the one who first recommended his name in April and how the indie star has worked hard since then:

    Lee Johnson has wrestled a number of matches for AEW in the past year and the former indie star has competed against talents such as Rey Fenix, Colt Cabana, Eddie Kingston and more in recent months.

    This week\’s episode of Dynamite then saw the Nightmare Family member teaming with his mentor Cody Rhodes to take on the team of “Pretty” Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi.

    Johnson actually picked up the victory for his team in this bout. Lee got the hot tag during the match and he hit a cutter on Avalon as soon as he got in the ring.

    His pin attempt was broken up by Cezar Bononi but Bononi got taken out by Cody Rhodes. Johnson then avoided a double knee from Avalon and rolled him up for the win. This was Lee Johnson\’s first victory in AEW.

  • WWE Releases Forgotten Sons Member Steve Cutler, Cutler Reacts

    WWE has announced the release of former Forgotten Sons member Steve Cutler. The announcement was made on their official website with a standard statement, wishing the now former WWE star the best in his future endeavors.

    The former SmackDown star reacted to the news and he took on his Twitter to claim that the decision was shocking but he is excited about his future:

    While WWE or Cutler himself did not reveal any details on the reason behind his release, Fightful select is reporting that the former NXT star had backstage heat.

    According to the report, Steve had received significant heat from Mr McMahon himself after he contracted COVID-19 in January and it\’s believed to be the reason for his dismissal from the company.

    Though this might not be the end of his relations with the company as WWE has indicated that their doors are open for Cutler to return down the line.

    Steve Cutler signed with WWE back in 2014 and he made his main roster debut alongside Wesley Blake and Jaxson Ryker as the Forgotten Sons in April 2020.

    The trio was pulled from TV in June after Ryker made a controversial tweet in support of the then-president Donald Trump. Cutler and Ryker made a brief return in December as part of Baron Corbin\’s “Knights of the Lone Wolf” faction but they haven\’t been seen on WWE programming in a while.

  • Omega & Kenta vs. Moxley & Archer Set For Next Week\’s AEW Dynamite

    Kenta made his AEW debut after the main event match during this week\’s episode of Dynamite which saw Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers defeat Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix and Pac in a 6 men tag team match.

    Lance Archer came out to clear the ring of the Good Brothers following their win. Kenta then showed up to respond to Mox\’s attack on last week\’s NJPW Strong.

    Kenny Omega caught Kenta outside of the Daily\’s Place after the show. Omega tried to welcome him to \’The American Club\’, to which he responded “Shut the f**k up, I’m not your friend. I’m here to beat Jon Moxley\’\” and walked away.

    Though the response did not stop the AEW chamion and he issued a challenge and asked Tony Khan to book a match for next week\’s episode of Dynamite.

    Kenny Omega said that after he \’smoothes things over\’ with his new friend Kenta, he would like the AEW president to let them fight Mox and Lance Archer in a bout. He mentioned that since the NJPW star is not under contract with the company, the fight will have to be unsanctioned.

    None of the other stars have responded to this challenge issued by Omega yet. You can check out his post-show interview in the video below:

  • Edge On Potential Reunion With Christian – \”It Needs To Happen\”

    The small reunion between Edge and Christian during Royal Rumble was one of the most emotional moments of the whole PPV and it created a lot of buzz.

    While Captain Charisma has not revealed his cards about his future after his in ring return, people have already started wondering about a tag team run for him with the Rated R Superstar.

    During his recent interview with Metro.co.uk, Edge was asked about his thoughts on a possible tag team run with his partner. Replying to it, he said that it needs to happen at some point:

    \”I would love it! I think at some point that would need to happen -just because there’s so many opportunities there.

    Between Edge and Christian against The Usos – I mean, man! Edge and Christian against The New Day, Edge and Christian against Ziggler and Roode, Edge and Christian versus the Street Profits!\”

    Edge On His Royal Rumble Moment With Christian

    The former world champion then explained that wrestling works at its best when you have real emotions involved and said that the look on his face during their moment at Royal Rumble was real:

    \”So the look you saw on my face as Christian was coming down the ramp, that was real. That was me being part dumbfounded that we were both in the Royal Rumble in 2021 after being told we could both never do this again.

    Proud – there was pride because I know how hard he worked to get back to the point where he could be cleared – which was evident by looking at him.\”

    After his Royal Rumble victory, Edge appeared on both Raw and NXT this week and he is also scheduled to make an appearance on SmackDown to confront the brand\’s top champion Roman Reigns.

    Which matches would you wanna see if Edge does have one final run with Christian? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

  • Kenta Debuts For AEW, Attacks Jon Moxley (Video)

    Former WWE and current NJPW star Kenta made his AEW debut during this week\’s episode of Dynamite and attacked the IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley.

    The main event of this week\’s episode of Dynamite: Beach Break saw Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers defeat the team of Moxley, Pac and Rey Fenix in a six-man tag team match.

    The two sides continued the brawl after the match before Lance Archer ran to the ring. Archer cleared out the Impact stars which left Moxley and Omega in the ring but Jon was then attacked from behind by a masked man.

    The masked man then revealed himself to be Mox\’s upcoming opponent Kenta. The NJPW star picked up his rival and delivered Go To Sleep. He then left the ring, leaving Omega celebrating to end the show.

    KENTA in AEW

    Kenta won the New Japan Cup USA tournament in August 2020 to become the #1 contender for Jon Moxley\’s IWGP US Championship and he had been calling the champion out since then.

    Jon Moxley responded to the taunts during NJPW strong last week where he attacked his challenger. After that the company announced that Kenta will finally be getting his title shot at The New Beginning USA 2021 on February 26.

    Kenta will make his AEW debut next week on Dynamite. He will team with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega against Jon Moxley in Lance Archer. This will be a non-sanctioned Lights Out match.

  • Christian On What\’s Next For Him After Royal Rumble Return

    Former world champion Christian made a surprise in ring return during this year\’s edition of the Royal Rumble PPV for the first time since 2014.

    The former champion was interviewed backstage after the show was over. When asked how he felt being part of the action after so long, he said that it was surreal and he didn\’t know what to expect:

    “It was surreal to be honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect. You know it’s funny, everybody has a plan until you get hit. And that’s exactly what happened to me.\” said Christian, \”I got hit once and I was like, ‘ok, it’s on.’

    This is what I was born to do, so I felt like I was home. I was playing coy all day in the locker room since nobody knew what was going on. It was a fun surprise.”

    Talking about the victory of his former tag team partner Edge, Christian said that if he couldn\’t win the battle royal, he is glad the Rated R Superstar did.

    Captain Charisma was then asked the question which is in everybody\’s mind and when asked what\’s next for him after the big return, Christian said this:

    \”What’s next for Me? All I ever promise was one more match. That could be it,”

    You can check out his interview below:

  • Edge Reacts To Royal Rumble Victory (Video)

    WWE Hall Of Famer Edge pulled off the impossible at the Royal Rumble 2021 and the Rated R Superstar became only the third person to win the battle royal by entering the match at #1 and outlasting the 29 other superstars.

    WWE\’s cameras caught up with the former champion after the show was over and they asked the Ultimate Opportunist for his reaction to the incredible victory.

    Replying to it, Edge explained how this feat seemed impossible only a few years ago and he said that he feels like it\’s a dream which he is going to wake up from:

    “If you had told me four years ago that I’d be in the Royal Rumble, enter the match first, win it, and go onto WrestleMania. I feel like I still need to pinch myself and feel like I’m going to wake up, It still doesn’t make sense.\”

    Edge also mentioned how he got to share a moment with his former tag team partner Christian who made his return during the show as well and he said that he will try to stop analyzing his victory and just try to enjoy it:

    \”And for Christian to also be in there…if you wrote this as a script for a Hollywood movie, they’d say it’s impossible, it can’t never happen. Yet, here we are. I still don’t get it, I think I’m going to stop trying to get it and just enjoy it.

    I’m going to stop analyzing why and how.\” said the former world champion, \”F–k it, it’s happening and it\’s awesome, and I feel great and I have my best friend back with me again. I couldn’t be happier.”

    There is no word yet on which champion Edge will be challenging at WrestleMania and it would be interesting to see if he picks Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns as his opponent for the Show Of Shows.

  • Backstage News On Carlito\’s Return, Next Appearance

    Former Intercontinental Champion Carlito finally made his return to WWE programming during the Royal Rumble PPV this year after not appearing at Raw legends night and he entered the battle royal at #8.

    While the former champion was not able to win the bout and Elias eliminated him, latest reports suggest that this wasn\’t a one off appearance for him.

    According to reports from PWInsider, the word backstage at Royal Rumble was that Carlito will be making an appearance at this week\’s episode of Raw. Not only that but there is also talk that the wrestling veteran may be getting a tryout in near future to rejoin the company as a backstage producer.

    Former United States Champion MVP had a similar experience last year where he was brought back for a couple of appearances during the WrestleMania season and he made his in ring return for the company during Royal Rumble.

    \"\"

    The promotion later hired him as a backstage producer and the former champion has since become a regular for WWE programming once again.

    Now the big question with Carlito\’s return is if we can see him going down the same route and if this return leads to another WWE run for the Puerto Rican star.

    Check out this video of Carlito reacting to his big return at the WWE Royal Rumble:

  • Peyton Royce On How Split With Billie Kay Has Affected Her, Why She Needs To Win Royal Rumble

    Peyton Royce once looked to be getting ready for a singles push after her split with IIconics partner Billie Kay but her momentum has dwindled since then and the female star has got lost in the shuffle.

    The former NXT star was recently interviewed by Instinct Culture where she opened up about her current position in the company among other things.

    Royce first discussed the upcoming Royal Rumble event and she explained that she needs to win the battle royal because she needs a breakout performance:

    \”I feel I really need that breakout performance so that I can get myself into the top level which I\’ve been trying to get to for so many years now

    And I feel that’s the way I am going to be able to do it. To win the Royal Rumble and have a championship match, at Wrestlemania and in the same year, what more can you ask for?\”

    Peyton Royce also opened up about how her split with Billie Kay has affected her and the Australian star said that Kay was the support system which she has lost:

    \”She’s just my support system that I feel like I have lost and I am trying to rebuild that within myself. I am trying not to rely on somebody else for that. So it has been really tough.

    I am so happy for her, she’s absolutely killing it on SmackDown right now, she’s a comedic genius and she’s just thriving. And I hope that I can get there too.\”

    The IIconics made their main roster debut in April 2018 and while the duo have had a reign with the women\’s tag team championships, fans believe that Peyton Royce has the potential to be a main event star if given the chance.

  • Roman Reigns Thinks Competing In The Attitude Era Would Have Been \’Too Easy\’

    Roman Reigns has become the flag bearer of WWE after John Cena and many fans believe that the current Universal Champion is the epitome of how the company has changed in the last two decades.

    A lot of people think that he would have not risen through the ranks as he has done during the Monday Night Wars era, but the former WWE Champion believes that it would have been too easy to compete during the Attitude Era.

    Reigns made these comments during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated and claimed that it\’s a real challenge to be PG and not go the \’cheap route\’:

    \”To be honest, and this is gonna make some good headlines, but it would\’ve been too easy, I feel like [John] Cena said it before. It\’s a challenge to be PG. It\’s a challenge to not have to go the cheap route.

    Being able to shove everything up everyone\’s ass, to do that stuff, to just chug beers—and I\’m not taking anything away from the performance and the physicality of what they did and the stories they told in the ring—these guys were great performers and great in-ring wrestlers.\” according to the Big Dog, \”But the character development was easier.\”

    Roman Reigns Says The Business Is Bigger Now

    The former Shield member continued by saying that the things they do now are more challenging and that\’s why the business is bigger compared to that time:

    \”If I could just start chugging bourbon and smoking cigars, imagine what my character could be. We could go even further on this mob boss thing. It\’s more challenging what we do now. It\’s the facts.

    That\’s why the business is bigger. That\’s why we have a bigger platform now. And that was all due to the work done before us to get us to this point, but at the same time if we don\’t do it the way we do it now, it wouldn\’t be that way. It was a different time.\”

    During the same interview, Roman Reigns also responded to Undertaker\’s comments about the current generation of wrestlers. You can check out his thoughts on the matter at this link.

    What do you think about the Tribal Chief\’s remarks about the current era? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • D-Von Dudley Claims A Lot Of Young Talents Are Disrespectful And Rude

    The discussion that stemmed from the recent comments of The Undertaker about the current generation of wrestlers is still going on and now D-Von Dudley has shared another interesting opinion about the new generation of stars.

    The Attitude Era star recently appeared on the Table Talk podcast where he was interviewed along with former WWE star Fred Rosser aka Darren Young.

    During the discussion, Dudley noted how Rosser is one of the great talents which isn\’t always the case with the younger generation. According to D-Von, many of the young guys who are brought up in the business are disrespectful and rude:

    “You’ve got to understand nowadays in this business the young guys that are brought up in this business, they’re disrespectful, they’re rude. Generation X, which is my generation, the Attitude Era, and all of that. Yes, we had attitude we had problems,

    But there was one thing I will say about my generation is that we respect those who came before us.\” said D-Von Dudley, \”And that’s one of the problems that we have with a lot of young talent.\”

    The former champion did not name any talents who have been disrespectful to him but he did list some of the young guys who have respect for older talents.

    D-Von Dudley said that people like Drew McIntyre, Rusev, and Sheamus always came in to pick their brains and it was great being in the locker room with them. You can check out the Hall Of Famer\’s comment marked in the video below:

  • Stephanie McMahon On The Future Of Live Events

    WWE\’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon recently had an interview with TVinsider where she talked about things like the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV and more. Discussing how they announced the details of three upcoming WrestleManias together, the WWE official said that they wanted to give fans some hope during these challenging times.

    When asked about the announcement of WrestleMania returning to the standard one night schedule from next year, Stephanie McMahon suggested that the decision is not permanent. She explained that their approach is to wait and watch what happens:

    \”We want to maximize the value. The two nights are unique to the times. [We have plans] to go back to one night for future WrestleMania events, but of course we will see what happens this year. We want to deliver the best possible value we can for our fans who are hopefully able to attend and for those watching all around the world.\”

    The coronavirus pandemic has forced the company to close its doors for the public and while fans will finally be returning for WrestleMania this year, a lot of people believe that the live event business will never be the same again.

    Stephanie McMahon On The Future Of Live Events

    The former Raw General Manager was also asked where she sees the future of live events going. Replying to the question, Stephanie McMahon explained that the fans are the secret sauce of their recipe:

    \”Our fans are our secret sauce. When we pivoted to the ThunderDome, we brought our fans back [virtually] as well as the lights, the lasers, the pyro. There is an intersection of technology and live attendance.

    It happened faster than I think anyone anticipated, but we are absolutely looking to merge those worlds together the biggest and best way we possibly can. I know that our audience will be very vocal in telling us what they do and don’t like, which is certainly appreciated.\”

    Apart from this, Stephanie McMahon talked about things like filming the WrestleMania commercial with Triple H and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

  • Possible Spoiler For Surprise Royal Rumble Entrant

    A latest photo from Natalya might have spoiled a big surprise for the Royal Rumble PPV this Sunday and revealed an interesting entry for the women\’s version of the battle royal.

    The former SmackDown women\’s champion recently posted a photo of herself with WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus and wrote that she \’can\’t wait for Sunday\’.

    However, Natalya quickly deleted the picture as seen in the screenshot below and her actions have started the rumors about Stratus possibly being one of the surprise entrants for the upcoming bout:

    \"\"

    Trish Stratus was a part of the inaugural women\’s Royal Rumble match in 2018 where she entered at #30 and was eliminated by the Boss Sasha Banks.

    Though she did not participate in the next two Royal Rumble matches and her last wrestling appearance was during SummerSlam 2019 where she faced Charlotte Flair in a one on one match.

    Trish Stratus is a WWE Hall Of Famer who was part of the company\’s roster and wrestled as a full-time star from 2000 to 2006. During her active years, the female star won the women\’s championship seven times.

    She has been making sporadic appearances for the company since 2006 and an in-ring return for the former champion is not completely out of question.

  • Rey Mysterio Teases Surprise In His Ongoing Feud With King Corbin

    Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik have recently been involved in a feud with King Corbin and the high flying star is now teasing a big surprise in this storyline.

    The former world champion recently had an interview with Forbs where he talked about things like winning the Royal Rumble in 2006 and more.

    Mysterio also discussed his son Dominik\’s recent string of losses against rival Baron Corbin and the Master Of 619 teased a surprise for the storyline:

    “I have a little surprise that eventually will pop up, I’m just waiting for the right time for that, and the whole SmackDown family will know…we do know that Corbin was a former Golden Gloves boxer, so we might go down that route.”

    While Rey Mysterio did not elaborate further, there are a couple of interesting possibilities stemming from his comments about Corbin\’s abilities as a striker.

    The former champion has previously aligned himself with former UFC Fighter Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury has also shown interest in returning to the company after his match with Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel 2019.

    With the WrestleMania season about to begin, it wouldn\’t be a big surprise if the company brings either of these two names back to boost the ratings and uses the Mysterio family\’s ongoing storyline as the catalyst for it.

  • Paige Feels Goldberg Shouldn\’t Be In The WWE Championship Match At Royal Rumble

    A lot of people are not thrilled with WWE\’s decision to bring back Goldberg as the opponent for Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble and it appears that Paige is one of the stars who thinks that the former WCW star should not be in the spot.

    The former Diva\’s Champion returned as one of the hosts for the special Royal Rumble edition of WWE Backstage alongside Renee Young and Booker T.

    During the episode, the trio talked about the upcoming show, and while discussing the WWE title match featuring Drew McIntyre and Goldberg, Paige said that she feels like the former champion shouldn\’t be in it:

    “Honestly, like I’m a fan of Goldberg, right, I just don’t feel like he should be in this kinda thing. I think Drew has been having this massive buildup over the last year. He’s been completely carrying as the babyface of the company. I think he’s been doing so freaking well.\”

    Paige went on to explain how there are many people who have been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time and she feels that Goldberg should at least not be the one to win this Sunday:

    \”Then you’ve got people who have been there for a long time who want to have that opportunity and unfortunately, they’re not getting it. I just don’t feel like it’s needed and I don’t think he should be the one to, at least, win it.”

    Goldberg will be challenging Drew McIntyre for his WWE Championship at Sunday\’s Royal Rumble PPV taking place from the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

  • NJPW Confirms Date For Jon Moxley vs. Kenta

    NJPW has confirmed that the IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley will be defending his title against the #1 contender Kenta on February 26 at New Beginning USA 2021. This announcement came after the former AEW world champion made his NJPW Strong debut earlier this week and confronted the Bullet Club member.

    Kenta had been calling out Moxley for a while. The confrontation between the two finally took place during the main event segment of the show. Kenta, El Phantasmo, and Hikuleo were in the ring and the lights went out.

    Mox was there when the lights came back and the US champion quickly got rid of El Phantasmo and Hikuleo so he can take on his challenger alone. The segment ended with the AEW star delivering a Death Rider to the NJPW star.

    The company announced the details of their match alongside several other bouts for The New Beginning USA 2021 after this confrontation via the following tweet:

    Jon Moxley won the IWGP United States Championship by defeating Lance Archer at Wrestle Kingdom 14. Kenta then became the #1 contender for the title when he won the New Japan Cup USA tournament in August last year.

  • Eric Bischoff Says DX Was A Copy Of nWo

    The nWo faction created by former WCW president Eric Bischoff is one of the most well-known groups of not only the Attitude Era but the history of professional wrestling.

    Its WWE counterpart was the D-Generation X group which became a household name during the peak of the Monday Night Wars era as well and the former WCW official claims that it was a rip off of his original idea.

    Bischoff discussed the two groups during the latest episode of 83 weeks and claimed that DX was a copy of nWo: “It should be pretty obvious that it was,”

    The former SmackDown Executive Director continued by making another interesting claim and he said that Shawn Michaels overplayed his part in the group while Triple seemed a lot more natural at it:

    “It was entertaining as hell; they knocked it out of the park. I wasn’t a big fan of Shawn Michaels\’ character in DX, he overplayed it, he tried too hard to be cute. Triple H to me seemed a lot more natural at it. He didn’t have to force it quite as hard, I think he was having a lot of fun with it. \”

    \"Eric

    Eric Bischoff later said that he thinks that former Cruiserweight Champion Sean Waltman got the faction over more than Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

    He explained his remarks by saying that Waltman brought a more edgy character and him leaving WCW to return to WWE and join the group made it feel more like the Monday Night War era.

    What do you think about Eric Bischoff\’s comments about the two factions? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • \”I Do It With A Smile”: Goldberg Responds To Fans Complaining About His Victories Over Young Stars

    Goldberg is one of the prime examples of WWE management\’s favoritism of part time talents. The former WCW champion has scored dominating victories over many young talents since his return to the company in 2016. These booking decisions have led to a lot of people being critical of the former universal champion but he does not care about the opinion of the others.

    The heavyweight star was recently interviewed by Ryan Satin of Fox Sports where he was asked about people\’s complain of him being featured over younger stars. Replying to the question, Goldberg said that the fans can complain all they want. He claimed that he is a relief pitcher who is just doing his job:

    \”They can complain all they want. I was brought in for a reason. I’m a relief pitcher. I’d like to think that I’m the top-echelon relief pitcher, and if they didn’t think there was value in bringing in that relief pitcher to close out the game, then they wouldn’t call me. I don’t make the decisions. I just follow orders, and I go out and do my job.\”

    The former world champion continued by saying that he tries to do his job on to the best of his ability and while he may be far removed from his prime, he can still kick 98.9% of their asses.

    Goldberg On Ending The Unstoppable Run Of The Fiend

    Goldberg was then asked about his specific victory over The Fiend during the Super Showdown event in February 2020. Up until that point, the Fiend had been protected by the company. When asked how he feels about being the one to end his unstoppable run, the wrestling veteran said that he is just a service provider who does his job with a smile on his face:

    \”You know, again, at the end of the day, Ryan, I do a job, right? I’m asked to go out and perform, and I don’t pass judgment on it. I don’t worry about a finish. I don’t worry about who’s winning. I don’t worry about who’s losing.

    At the end of the day, I’m there to provide a service, and I do it with a smile on my face either way. And I’m not a booker. I don’t make the decisions. I really don’t. I just come in and provide \”that guy,\” and the only thing I can do in a situation like that is be the best package that they remember.\”

    Apart from this, Goldberg was also asked about his upcoming match for the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. He said that McIntyre has paid his dues in the business but the question he is asking is whether he has paid enough. You can check out his full interview here.

  • Jim Ross On The Undertaker Calling Today\’s Generation Soft

    The Undertaker\’s recent comments about the new generation of wrestling stars being soft have quickly turned into a debacle. Top stars like Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre have come into the defense of the current generation and dismissed the comments made by the Dead Man. Though there have also been people who have agreed with the Dead Man and Jim Ross has joined this list.

    The veteran wrestling broadcaster shared his thoughts on the comments made by the former world champion during the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast. Ross explained that Taker has a point when he says that wrestlers nowadays are soft, because they are brought into the business differently:

    “Because they’re trained differently, they’re brought into the business differently, they’re not sitting in a car, they’re not making 25-40 bucks a night. It’s just a different ball game and Takers got a good point there.\” said Jim Ross,

    \”Today’s wrestling getting chopped unmercifully to where your blood is rushing to the surface and bruising is already in affect, probably wouldn’t happen in today’s world because the offending person wouldn’t stand for it.\”

    Though Ross did mention how not all the changes are negative. He said that the COVID era of wrestling has been a \’career extender\’ for a lot of talent because they are not on road as much and are traveling less. He explained that in many aspects, the business is much better than it was just a few years ago.

    Jim Ross is not the only person to address The Undertaker\’s controversial remarks. You can see what Roman Reigns had to say about the issue at this link:

    Bill Goldberg also took a stance on today\’s generation being \”soft\” compared to his era:

    Goldberg Agrees With The Undertaker: WWE Is Soft Compared To His Era

    Discussion: What is your take on the debate that has stemmed from the remarks of the Phenom?

  • Backstage Update On Lana\’s Health

    Some photos posted by Lana earlier this year had made fans worried about her health. The pics in which the female star was seen wearing a sling and brace had made people wonder if she was dealing with a legitimate injury.

    However, the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provided some update on her status. It confirms that the former NXT star is not legitimately injured and this is all part of her ongoing storyline.

    Lana has been off WWE TV since the December 14 episode of Monday night Raw. She defeated Nia Jax in a bout during the show but was attacked by the former women\’s champion afterwards.

    Jax alongside her partner Shaynza Baszler had focused on the female star\’s arm and leg during the attack until the Raw women\’s champion Asuka made the save.

    It was later reported that the whole angle was a set up for the return of Charlotte Flair who made her comeback during the TLC PPV. Flair took Lana\’s place at the show. She teamed up with Asuka and defeated Jax and Baszler for the women\’s tag team titles.

    At the time it was said that the company was expected to keep Lana off TV for about 6 weeks to sell the injuries. So it\’s very likely that we will see her making a comeback during Sunday\’s Royal Rumble PPV.