SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Backstage News On How The Recent Changes To The NXT Commentary Team Were Made Possible

    This week\’s episode of NXT saw the return of Mauro Ranallo and Beth Phoenix on commentary and now latest report on the matter has revealed how it was made possible.

    According to reports from Pro Wrestling Sheet, both the commentators recorded their portion of the show from their homes as an additional precautionary measure during the coronavirus outbreak.

    The production team put together a way for the duo to record the show from home in an effort to keep them on commentary while also limiting the amount of travel they need to do for the time being.

    The company was able to make this change because the NXT announcers are not placed on the ringside and they appear on screen less than the Raw and SmackDown commentators.

    For those who don\’t know both Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuinness took time off from their schedules because they have young children and they didn\’t want to quarantine for two weeks after working WWE shows.

    On the other hand, Ranallo had decided not fly from his home in Southern California to the Performance Center in Florida for the shows.

    Both Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton have been calling the shows in their absence in recent weeks and it was reported recently that the company was looking for a way to bring the original commentary team back in the mix.

  • John Cena On His Most Memorable Make A Wish

    John Cena has achieved a lot in the wrestling business. However, his victories in the wrestling world are not the only impressive accomplishments of his career and one of the most impressive achievements of the 16 Time World Champion is the 600+ wishes he has granted with Make A Wish foundation.

    The organization recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and the Cenation Leader posted a video from his Twitter commemorating the moment. In the video as seen below, Cena revealed which is the most memorable wish for him, explaining that the first wish he granted was the most memorable of his whole record:

    \”A question I am most often asked is what is some of my most memorable wishes. Each wish is unique and beautiful. The one that comes to mind is my first one. So in my first experience of Make-A-Wish, I didn’t know what it was and I was asked to go into a room and say hi to a bunch of people which I willingly did.

    When I left, the live event representative was very thankful and said, ‘Hey that was great, thank you very much for doing that. That was for Make-A-Wish,’ which led me to my next question, ‘Well, what’s Make-A-Wish?’\” recalled John Cena. \”And so started a wonderful two-decade relationship with an organization that’s become very important in my life.  So that first one’s always the most memorable to me.”

    John Cena was last seen on WWE programming during WrestleMania 36 where he competed in a Firefly Fun House match with Bray Wyatt. There is no word yet on if the company has any plans for his return so it\’s hard to say if we will see him on WWE TV again anytime soon.

  • Tony Khan Reportedly Wrote Recent Weeks Of AEW Dynamite By Himself

    The last few weeks of AEW Dynamite have received praise for its well-written script and latest reports reveal that the credit for it goes to the president of the company Tony Khan.

    According to report from PWinsider, the word making round is that the AEW officials realized that they were going to have a very small crew to work with because of the restrictions that have been put in place around the country.

    After understanding the situation, Khan sat down and wrote the script for the last 4 weeks of Dynamite himself and completed the work in a \’matter of minutes\’.

    He built the shows around the TNT Championship tournament and the available local talents. The situation was described as a “trial by fire\” moment for the boss and his crew.

    Cody was instrumental in putting the things together as Tony\’s right hand. He was very hands-on with his own program and he helped others with their programs as well.

    Chris Jericho has gotten praise for his commentary work on the shows because the former World Champion was given less than 24 hours of notice to work the role while he also put together the inner circle vignettes.

    Orange Cassidy and The Best Friends are some more names who were applauded internally in the promotion as they wrestled four times over the course of 24 hours of the tapings.

    This hard work seems to have paid off for Tony Khan and the talents as the last few weeks of Dynamite programming has been liked by the fans.

    The company will return to live programming next week with the return of many top names including the AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley.

  • Dustin Rhodes On Why He Asked For His Release From WWE

    Dustin Rhodes was one of the first stars to leave WWE to join AEW and he paved the path for a number of stars to leave the company and reignite their passion for pro wrestling.

    The former WWE star recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, where he talked about things like his responsibilities in AEW, training young stars and more.

    Talking about his final days with WWE, Dustin said that sitting at home and doing nothing made him lose his passion for wrestling for the first time in 31 years:

    \”When you\’re sitting at home for a couple of months with another company who doesn\’t value you at all, and you\’re sitting there knowing you have so much more to offer. You kind of lose your passion, and for the first time in my 31 years, I lost my passion for the wrestling business,\”

    Explaining his decision to quit the company, the former Goldust said that he had enough. So for the first time, he stood up for himself in a big way and asked for his release:

    \”They just will not give me the time of day, and I had enough.\” said Rhodes,\” I said enough was enough, and for the first time, I kind of stood up for myself in a big way and said, \’I am quitting. I am asking you for my release. I am done. I\’m not happy here anymore,\’\”

    However, the company didn\’t grant his request right away and they stalled the former Champion for a while before finally approving his release in March 2019.

    A month later in April, it was announced that Dustin Rhodes will be facing his brother Cody Rhodes in a match at Double or Nothing. Since then he has signed a contract with the company to work with them as a performer as well as a coach.

  • Rey Mysterio On Possibly Putting His Mask On The Line In A WWE Match

    There were rumors before WrestleMania 36 that WWE could be planning a mask vs. title match between Rey Mysterio and The US Champion Andrade for the show.

    While this match obviously did not take place, it appears that the Master Of 619 is not shying away from the concept and he is open to putting his mask on the line in WWE.

    The former World Champion recently appeared on The Bump and talking about the possibility of putting his mask on the line, Mysterio said he would jump to it in a heartbeat if the opportunity came about:

    \”If the opportunity came about, I would jump in a heartbeat [on putting his mask on the line again], I think that\’s what makes Lucha Libre exciting and in this case to bring Lucha Libre to the WWE, and show the WWE Universe the excitement behind the mask vs. hair match, or the mask vs. title match.

    You know you put your heart out there in those matches.” said Rey Mysterio. “I would actually love to jump in the ring one of these days before I retire and put my mask on the line against something that is well worth it.\”

    The former World Champion had previously put his mask on the line when he teamed up with Konnan and lost to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in a hair vs. mask match at WCW SuperBrawl IX in 1999.

    His unmasking caused quite the stir and Rey Mysterio had to seek permission from the Lucha Libre Commission to wear his mask again because of its significance in the lucha libre world.

  • Zack Ryder Teasing Return Of The Internet Championship

    It appears that the recently released WWE star Zack Ryder is looking to bring back an old idea he used to get himself over with the fans while he was in WWE.

    It was recently revealed that the former IC Champion has filed an application to trademark the term Internet Champion for his own personal use.

    After this, Ryder took on his Twitter and posted the following teaser of his title, while also tagging the popular pro wrestling belt maker Wildcat Belts:

    Zack Ryder started a YouTube show called Z! True Long Island Story back in February 2011 and proclaimed himself as the Internet Champion of the company.

    The fans liked the concept, and it became a hit. The former WWE star then had a custom belt made for his title and he even defended the championship in a few WWE shows before the idea died.

    Now the latest tweet suggests that Zack Ryder is looking to revive the old concept and bring back the Internet Championship and possibly a variation of his Z! True Long Island Story YouTube show as well.

    Ryder was one of the guys released by WWE as part of their budget cuts. There is no word yet on what he is planning for his future but we should get a better idea after July 15, when his non compete clause with the company expires.

  • Shawn Michaels On Who Is Going To Be The Next Big Star In NXT

    Shawn Michaels has taken a coaching position in NXT in recent times and the WWE Hall Of Famer has helped mentor many of the current generation NXT stars such as Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.

    The former World Champion recently appeared on WWE Backstage where he talked about things like working with Drew McIntyre, his work in the development territory and more.

    When asked who he thinks is going to be the next big star in the Black and Yellow brand, Shawn said that it\’s a changing group of people before naming stars such as Killer Kross and Dexter Lumis:

    \”As you know it\’s sort of an always changing group, so to speak, over the years, I started with Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, Ricochet, and The Revival. On to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, and of course, Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.

    \”Killer Kross — or Karrion Kross — I should probably be better about saying that.\” said Shawn Michaels. \”Dexter Lumis, [Timothy] Thatcher, I think there\’s a number of guys coming up that are going to be very interesting, and again, take NXT to that next level.\”

    The former DX member also talked about his friendship with Diesel and said that the current NXT stars Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez have the same kind of bonding.

    Apart from this, Shawn Michaels talked about putting together the Triple H tribute segment from last Friday\’s SmackDown and more. You can check out his full interview below:

  • Moose Re-Introduces Old Impact World Title Belt, Becomes New Champion At Rebellion

    Things took a very interesting turn during the night two of Impact\’s Rebellion PPV and the event saw the crowning of a new Impact World Champion in Moose that was not originally on the card for the show.

    Tessa Blanchard was set to defend her World title in a triple threat match against Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards at the event. However, both Blanchard and Edwards failed to make it to the show due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Michael Elgin was the only one to show up and he started demanding to be declared the new World Champion because the other contestants failed to appear.

    However, as the referee was going to make the announcement, Moose, who has been feuding with many TNA originals in recent times, showed up with the old TNA World Title.

    Hernandez was the next to join the party and the three then started fighting, officially starting a triple threat match for the Impact World Heavyweight Championship.

    Moose won the match after hitting a No Jackhammer Needed on Hernandez and the former Football player left the show as new World Champion.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyMgzPu7whI

    There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Moose after this victory but the re-introduction of the old belt could likely mean that we will see a feud between him and Tessa Blanchard to determine the undisputed champion in the coming time.

  • Renee Young Got Heat For Jon Moxley Cameo On WWE Backstage

    Jon Moxley made a surprise cameo at WWE Backstage a few weeks ago but it seems his appearance didn\’t sit well with the WWE officials and his wife and WWE Backstage host Renee Young got heat for the incident.

    The AEW World Champion recently spoke to PWInsider to promote his upcoming Cagefighter movie where he talked about things like his life in lockdown and more.

    Talking about his health, Mox described some of his injuries and explained that the biggest contributor to his condition was the constant travel that came with the WWE schedule:

    \”What ran my body down in the grounds over time was the travel, because it\’s that and getting put there two tables on house shows five nights a week for years straight. But it\’s like, I go through the table, but then you got to jump in a car and drive 300 miles,

    Even when I started getting rundown, I should have taken some time off\” said Moxley. \”or I should have been like, I\’m injured, I shouldn\’t do this, or whatever, I just kept pushing through. Foolishly, I might add because there was no gold star for that.\”

    When asked about his cameo at WWE Backstage and if Renee Young got heat for his appearance, he replied with “Short answer is yes.\”

    Though Jon Moxley refused to go into any detail so it\’s hard to say how the WWE officials reacted to his appearance or what they told Young about it.

    Apart from this, Mox also talked about the difference between Tony Khan and Vince McMahon and more. You can check out his full interview at this link

  • Christian On Potential Hall Of Fame Induction

    Christian is one of the stars WWE Universe believes should be inducted into Hall Of Fame and fans root for his name every time the WrestleMania season comes around.

    The former World Champion recently had an interview with Andrew Thompson to promote his upcoming Cagefighter: Worlds Collide movie where he talked about a number of things.

    When asked about a potential Hall Of Fame induction, Christian claimed that he doesn\’t think about it on a regular basis but he does appreciate the people who want him there:

    \”It\’s not something that I think about on a daily basis, It is what it is and I feel like the things that I\’ve done, I\’m content with what I\’ve accomplished and it\’s like, everybody gets offended. And I appreciate — I really do appreciate the people who wanna see me in there

    But it\’s not like this is gonna be the last year, or next year\’s gonna be the last year or the year after that is gonna be the last year. So honestly I don\’t think about it at all. It doesn\’t bother me. But I do appreciate the people who wanna see me in there.\”

    During the interview, the Attitude Era star also confirmed the rumors that their E&C Pod of Awesomeness podcast was canceled due to Edge\’s planned return to in-ring action.

    Apart from this, Christian also talked about the recent budget cuts made by WWE. He said it\’s unfortunate and it\’s hard to see people who he knows lose their jobs. You can check out his full interview at this link.

  • Deonna Purrazzo On How She Felt About Her WWE Release

    Former NXT star Deonna Purrazzo was one of the stars that were let go by the company last week and the list includes names such as Kurt Angle and Rusev.

    The former WWE star recently had an interview with SportsKeeda where she talked about things such as the support she has received since her release from the company and more.

    When asked how she felt after getting the call from the company, Purrazzo claimed that she knew in her heart that she would get the call and revealed that she was unhappy with her position in the company:

    \”I kind of knew, in my heart, that I would get a call last week. It’s not something that I didn’t expect because I was unhappy for the last six or so months with what I was doing in NXT – and I let office people know that. We had conversations where I said, if nothing is going to happen for me, I’d just rather be let go.\”

    Deonna Purrazzo also discussed how the company did not announce the NXT releases publically but she decided to go online and address the situation after knowing about it.

    Apart from this, the former NXT star also talked about her future and a potential AEW run as well. You can check out her comments about possibly joining WWE\’s rival promotion at this link.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMpCD2AYI0U

  • Apollo Crews Pulled From Money In The Bank Match After Raw Injury

    This week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Apollo Crews picking up a big victory over a current champion but things didn\’t end the way he wanted to.

    The former NXT star teamed up with Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black on the show to face the team of Angel Garza, Austin Theory and Andrade in a 6 men tag team match.

    Apollo won the match for his team while pinning the US Champion Andrade in the process. This win earned him a shot at the US Championship later in the night.

    However, the Raw star ended up suffering a leg injury while attempting a Frogsplash in the championship match and the bout was stopped because he couldn\’t continue the match.

    The company later announced on their website that Apollo Crews is not medically cleared and so he will not be able to compete in the upcoming Money In The Bank ladder match as announced.

    The company has not confirmed a replacement for the high flying star so it would be interesting to see who ends up taking his place in the upcoming match.

    The Money In The Bank this year will be contested at the WWE Headquarters on May 10. After Crews\’ removal, the remaining confirmed participants for the bout are Daniel Bryan, Aleister Black, Rey Mysterio and King Corbin.

  • Former US Champion Provides Update On WWE Status After Recent Releases

    WWE announced the release of over a dozen stars earlier this month including names like Kurt Angle and Rusev. However the actual count was even bigger and there were many names which were let go by the company quietly.

    Kalisto who has not been seen on WWE programming in recent months became subject to such rumors and so the WWE star had to come forward to clarify his status.

    The former US Champion recently released a new video. He confirmed that he is still with WWE and revealed that he has actually been out of action due to a shoulder injury:

    \”I wanted to take this moment because I am seeing a lot of fans tweeting at me, messaging me: ’Where am I?\’ \’Am I still in WWE?\’ and the answer is yes.

    But unfortunately, I got hurt back on December 31, at the staples center in LA. So I ended up having ACL separation on my shoulder and some ligaments. Thank god no surgery but it\’s a longer recovery.\”

    Kalisto continued by saying that he watches SmackDown and he believes his Lucha House Party partners Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado will win the tag team championships.

    The former Champion did not provide a timetable for his return so it\’s hard to say when he will be back on WWE TV but we will keep you posted on his status.

  • Heath Slater Talks About His Future After WWE Release

    Heath Slater had been a company man for WWE from a long time and the former Nexus member has spent most of his wrestling career working for WWE in various roles.

    However, the former 24/7 Champion is not associated with the company anymore and for the first time in his career, he has the option to choose from the various opportunities that are available in the wrestling world right now.

    Slater recently appeared on the Chasing Glory podcast and talking about his future, the former SmackDown champion said that there are many cool things in the wrestling world right now and he wants to dabble into some of that:

    \”I have never been outside of the WWE. You know, I never got to go to Japan. I\’ve never been to any other federation. AEW is amazing, they\’re doing good stuff, [they\’re] good people. Impact is doing good things. I\’ve never ever got to go to ROH; they have so much good talent coming from there. Even NWA is back up with their old school stuff.

    There are so many cool things out there that you can do, that\’s what excites me.\” said Heath Slater. \”I want to dabble into some of this because I have never in my life done it. This is like a new journey for me.\”

    The former NXT star also claimed that he was burned out in his position at WWE mentioning how he had been on the road for more than 10 years.

    Heath Slater started his wrestling career in 2004 and he was picked up by WWE in 2006. He had been featured on WWE programming regularly ever since his main roster debut in 2010 before being released earlier this month.

  • SmackDown Draws Lowest 2020 Viewership For Triple H\’s 25th Anniversary Celebration

    Last week\’s episode of SmackDown featured the 25th-anniversary celebration of Triple H\’s in-ring debut for the company, however, it didn\’t manage to attract the audience and the show saw another decline in viewership numbers.

    The episode of the Blue Branded Show featuring the return of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon drew a total of 2.005 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

    This is an 8.3% decline from the previous episode of the show which had drawn 2.187 million viewers. This number is also down from the overnight viewership released on Saturday morning which was counted at 2.014 million viewers.

    The episode managed to draw a 0.5 rating in the key 18-49 demographic compared to a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demo for the previous episode of the Blue Brand. The episode ranked #7 in ratings for the 18-49 demographic.

    The show made a new record for low viewership with these numbers as they are the lowest SmackDown audience that have been registered since the start of this year.

    This is also the new lowest SmackDown viewership since the show moved to Fox Network in October last year and with WWE returning to taped shows recently, the numbers are only expected to get worse in the foreseeable future.

  • Triple H Reveals His Dream Opponents From The Past

    Triple H is one of the last old school guys in the current WWE roster and his wrestling style shows the influence of many famous names that came before him.

    The Game recently joined Corey Graves on his After The Bell podcast where he talked about things like the WrestleMania 36 event, the effects of coronavirus, and more.

    During the interview, Corey Graves asked Triple H about his dream matches and names from the past which he wishes he could have faced. Replying to the question, the King Of Kings took names like Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race

    \”You know there are certain guys in that period of time like Harley [Race] and Dusty [Rhodes]. I did a few little things with Dusty but to get in there when he was Dusty Rhodes [would have been great].

    I would have loved to have got in there with Buddy Rogers.\” said Triple H. \”Just cause I think he is a guy that kind of changed the business and changed the pace of it.

    Andre [The Giant] obviously would have been one that would have been huge. Harley would have definitely been one for me cause he was a big influence on me and I respected him so much.\”

    During the interview, Triple H also talked about WrestleMania 36 being a two-night event and discussed the possibility of future WrestleMania\’s being stretched to two nights as well.

    Apart from this, Triple H also talked about things like his WrestleMania 12 match with Ultimate Warrior, his favorite match, and more. You can check out his comments in the video below:

  • Triple H Reveals Favorite WrestleMania Match Of His Career

    WWE is celebrating the 25 year anniversary of the in-ring debut of Triple H and the Game has been doing media rounds on the occasion, talking about various things.

    He recently had another such interview with ESPN where the former World Champion talked about things like the talent adapting to shows without an audience and more.

    When asked which is the favorite WrestleMania match of his career, Triple H said that it\’s probably his End of an Era bout against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28:

    \”Probably myself vs. The Undertaker in \”Hell in a Cell\” [at WrestleMania 28]. They billed it as an \”End of an Era\” match. Shawn Michaels was the guest referee. I think it was the most meaningful for the three of us — the end of all of our time together, the last big hurrah in the ring. So that one really stands out to me.\”

    When asked if he has a favorite opponent, H said that there are a bunch of them and the honorable mentions include people like The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley and The Rock.

    However, if there is one guy he could roll out of his bed on five minutes\’ notice and can still tear the house apart with in a 45 minutes match, then it\’s definitely Shawn Michaels.

    Apart from this, Triple H talked about his favorite non-WrestleMania match, his favorite behind the scene moment in WWE and more.

    You can check out his interview at this link.

  • Backstage News On If WrestleMania 37 Could Be A Two Night Event

    WWE successfully managed to produce WrestleMania 36 as a two-night event and after this, Triple H made the case for the show to be a multi-night event in the future.

    The Game\’s comments made many wonder if it was an indication of things to come and if the company was planning to stretch future WrestleManias into two nights after the change this year but it doesn\’t appear to be the case.

    Dave Meltzer discussed the event on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter and confirmed that currently there are no plans for WrestleMania 37 to be a two-night event.

    This doesn\’t necessarily mean that the top brass could not consider the change in format for the show in future but the report confirms that Triple H\’s comments are not an indication of the same.

    Triple H’s Comments On WrestleMania Being A Two Nights Event

    The King Of Kings had recently appeared on the After The Bell Podcast of Corey Graves and talking about the Show Of Shows he said that the big main stage attraction needs to be stretched to two nights:

    “Like, it’s a week long festival and I think that the big main-stage attraction needs to be those two nights and it’d be this weekend of events. I do think that’s probably a change that; with chaos comes the genius and maybe that is the genius of it.\”

    Triple H continued by saying that he knows people who have been rooting for this for a period of time but this is a major shift that doesn\’t come easy.

    What do you think about WrestleMania possibly being a two-night event in future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • Backstage Updates On Drake Maverick And Sarah Logan\’s WWE Status

    There have been some speculations that WWE might be looking to re-sign Drake Maverick and Sarah Logan but latest update on the situation suggests that this is not the case.

    Drake Maverick is being used for the ongoing Cruiserweight title tournament and he has cut a number of emotional promos claiming that he is fighting to save his job.

    However, while the company has worked his departure into the storyline, as of this week the decision of his release still stands, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    Sarah Logan was also rumored to be rehired after it was revealed that the company had planned to use her on this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

    Though the plans were changed at last minute and Logan was not used for the show despite being backstage. Observer is now reporting that there are no plans for her to be re-hired by the promotion either.

    The idea behind her planned Raw appearance was that since the company is still paying her during the 90-day non-compete period they could use the female star for a storyline if required.

    There is no word yet on what the company had planned for Sarah Logan on Raw but it\’s believed that they can still use her on the show before the 90 days period expires.

    The non compete clause for the recently released stars will be expiring on July 15 and as of this writing, all the fired wrestlers including Maverick and Logan are expected to be done with the company after that.

  • The Big Show On His Favorite WrestleMania Storyline

    The Big Show has been a part of WWE for over two decades and over the years he has participated in many unique WrestleMania angles and storylines.

    During his recent appearance on WWE\’s The Bump, the former World Champion talked about a number of things and also revealed his favorite Mania storyline.

    The Giant said that if he had to pick a promotion that he thought was the best, then he would pick his WrestleMania 24 storyline and match with boxer Floyd Mayweather

    \”If I had to pick a promotion that I thought was the best, I\’d have to pick with Floyd Mayweather [Jr.] and I during WrestleMania 24, that was an incredible opportunity for me, and the media pushed into it.

    [Plus], all the trash talking going into it.\” said The Big Show \”I mean, that is an exceptional one that will always stick out in my mind like, \’Wow, that was an incredible WrestleMania [moment].\’

    The former World Champion also recalled his WrestleMania 20 match with John Cena. He mentioned how it comes up a lot and revealed that he himself had chosen Cena as his opponent for the show.

    The Big Show faced Floyd \”Money\” Mayweather in a no disqualification match at WrestleMania 24. Mayweather won the bout after he knocked Show out with a shot to the jaw with brass knuckles.

  • Chris Jericho Congratulates Triple H: \”Time And Circumstances May Change But Our Chemistry Doesn\’t\”

    WWE had announced a special celebration for the 25th anniversary of Triple H\’s in ring debut for the company and wrestling stars from around the globe have been coming forward to wish the Game on the occasion since then.

    One such surprising wish came from former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho who has drifted apart from the WWE world in recent times due to his association with AEW.

    The former WWE star posted a video on his social media accounts recently to congratulate Triple H. In the video as seen below, he claimed that time and circumstances may change but the chemistry between the two does not:

    \”Times and circumstances may change but one thing that never changes is the amazing chemistry that I had with Triple H. So I just wanna wish him a happy 25th anniversary.

    To one of the greatest to ever step inside a wrestling ring and a guy I had killer chemistry with. Every match we ever had was great. Happy 25th anniversary. Lemmy would be very proud of you.\”

    After his one year contract with WCW ended, Triple H signed a deal with WWE and he made his in ring debut for the company on the April 30, 1995 episode of Wrestling Challenge.

    Since then he has went on to build a Hall Of Fame worthy career in the promotion including over a dozen world title victories and many memorable moments throughout the years.

  • Recently Released WWE Star Talks Potential AEW Run

    WWE released more than a dozen talents as part of their budget cuts recently due to coronavirus and people have been speculating about the future of these released stars.

    One such star in Deonna Purrazzo recently had an interview with SportsKeeda where she talked about a number of things and also discussed her future.

    The former NXT star was asked which company she could end up working in and she said that ideally, she would like to join AEW and be part of their kick-ass women\’s division:

    “I guess, ideally, like, I haven’t been to AEW yet, so… Britt Baker is my best friend, she works there, they have a kick-ass women’s division now.\” said Purrazzo. \”It’s a lot of people I’ve never worked with, and it’s a brand-new product – so I would love to experience that and be part of it.“

    Also Read: Vince McMahon Comments On WWE Morale Amid Coronavirus

    Deonna Purrazzo continued by saying that if an AEW run is not an option then she would be interested in joining impact, noting that they also have an amazing women\’s division right now with stars such as Tessa Blanchard and Kylie Rae.

    The former NXT star signed a development contract with the company in May 2018 and competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic. She made a couple of appearances on Raw as well but was never officially called up to the main roster.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7lB9hlpjb/

  • Vince McMahon Comments On Talent Morale Amid Coronavirus

    There have been reports of a drop in WWE morale due to the difficult working conditions amid the coronavirus outbreak but the boss Vince McMahon believes that the talent are taking this as a challenge instead.

    The WWE Chairman recently took part in the 2020 Q1 earning calls with others where the WWE officials detailed the financial performance of the company in the first three months of 2020 and answered many questions.

    When asked about the talent morale amid the coronavirus outbreak, Mr McMahon claimed that their talents have taken this as a challenge and risen to the occasion:

    \”Our only natural resource, obviously, is talent, and our talent have taken this as a challenge, have taken this almost as a duty, which has always happened with us, and they realize that, people are sitting at home, they\’re bored.

    And we can entertain them like no one else can entertain them. So, I think that they look at this as a challenge and they\’ve really risen to the occasion. It\’s amazing actually.\”

    Vince McMahon On Talents Missing WWE Tapings

    Vince McMahon also mentioned how there are a few talents who are unable to perform due to certain pre-existing conditions, though he did not take the name of Roman Reigns or anyone else:

    \”There are a few that are unable to come down due to certain existings… certain things that exist, but nonetheless, by and large, kudos to them. They are a very, very special people, they\’re extraordinary athletes. They love to give.

    The boss continued by saying that the business is all about giving and performing for the audience. He gave another kudos to the performers for working without an audience in the attendance and said that he is proud of them.

    Apart from this, Vince McMahon also talked about their deal with Saudi Arabia and provided an update on the status of their next Saudi show. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

  • Triple H Talks About The Process Of Putting Together The Boneyard Match

    Triple H was recently a guest on After The Bell podcast of Corey Graves, where among other things; he explained the process of putting together the boneyard match between Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.

    The Game first explained how he got assigned to produce the match and revealed that he went to Vince McMahon. He asked the Boss what he needed to look at and McMahon assigned him to the boneyard match without even knowing what it was going to be:

    \”I then went to Vince and was like, \’what do you think needs the most for me to look at it?\’\” recalled Triple H. \”And he was like, \’the Boneyard match\’, and I was like, \’OK, great. So what is the Boneyard Match?\’ He\’s like, \’I don\’t know, like a graveyard. It\’s in a graveyard.\’ I said, \’OK.\’\”

    The former World Champion then explained the tough conditions they had to shoot in. He remembered how he was only assigned one cameraman for the match because the company was shooting WrestleMania simultaneously at the Performance Center.

    Triple H spoke to Vince McMahon about it. He got the approval to get the NXT crew including Jeremy Borash and a team of digital shooters involved in the production and they finally began the shooting:

    \”So we gathered everybody up and we started laying it all out together and then set it up like a movie and went and shot it. I think we had seven cameras and we used a couple of drones in the process to shoot some of Taker\’s arrival and things like that.

    \”Literally when we were shooting into the graveyard, if it was light out, there\’s a house right there, but luckily the guy that owned this place over here was his house and he had all lights off so you couldn\’t see it on the other side of the darkness.\”

    The King Of Kings later also revealed that the set they were shooting at was a one-acre land that was behind a barn at the end of a residential neighborhood.

    Previous reports have revealed that it took them 5 days to build the set and 8 hours to complete the shoot of the highly praised cinematic match. You can check out some more backstage details and behind the scene photos of the production here.

  • Dean Malenko On Why He Ended His 18 Year Long Stint With WWE

    Dean Malenko ended his 18-year long stint as a road agent with WWE last year. AEW was quick to act on the opportunity and sign the veteran producer to their brand.

    During the recent episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, the former WCW star joined Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone and talked about a number of things.

    Malenko also explained the reasoning behind his WWE departure, saying that he thought it was time to move on and claimed that he hasn\’t looked back since:

    \”I thought it was just time to move on. There\’s a little birdie that sits on his shoulder and tells you it\’s time to make the next move, it\’s time to move on,

    And I haven\’t looked back since. I\’ve had nothing but fun and some really good group of guys here working\” said Dean Malenko. \” With Tony and Cody and everybody here in the office just marvelous to work with.\”

    He later admitted that he was a little nervous in AEW because it\’s a startup but at the same time, he likes taking chances and taking risks.

    Dean Malenko explained that he did the same when he left WCW with The Radicalz to join the WWF in early 2000. He said that it\’s always been a lot of fun for him and he likes anything that\’s new or exciting and gives him a challenge.