SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Mike Santana Makes Pointed AEW Reference In Latest TNA Promo

    Mike Santana had an interesting comment.

    The former LAX member is set to challenge Frankie Kazarian for the TNA World Heavyweight title at Impact\’s AMC debut episode on January 15.

    The final episode of the Thursday night show before this move saw the two stars sitting down for a contract signing. During the exchange, Santana brought up both their time in AEW, referring to the company as a place that drained their wrestling passion:

    “At one point in time, we were both at the same place, miserable as all hell. We were at a place that tried to drain the passion out of what we love the most, and what did we do? We held each other up, we left that place, we bet on ourselves and today, we’re sitting across from each other about to go toe-to-toe for the grandest prize in pro wrestling on the biggest show in TNA history!”

    TNA AMC Debut Match Card

    TNA AMC debut will be taking place from Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, TX. Below is the updated card for the show:

    • TNA World Championship Match: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs. Mike Santana
    • TNA X Division Championship Match: Leon Slater (c) vs. Myron Reed
    • Six Man Tag Match: The Hardy Boyz & Elijah vs. Order 4 (Mustafa Ali, Jason Hotch & John Skyler)
    • TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: The IInspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee) (c) vs. The Elegance Brand (M by Elegance & Heather by Elegance)

    Jesse Venture: US Is A Third World Country Now

  • Liv Morgan Says 2025 Shoulder Injury Shook Her Beliefs

    The latest shoulder injury was very tough for Liv Morgan.

    The former Women\’s Champion talked about her most recent shoulder injury during her appearance on Stephanie McMahon\’s podcast. She compared it to a similar injury in 2022 but claimed that this hiatus affected her mental state a lot more:

    “I don’t know if it was, like, the initial devastation of the injury. When I tore my shoulder in 2022, I accepted it. It was my first injury. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll come back from this.’ But this injury really, like, mentally messed with me.\”

    What The Fuck Do I Believe In: Liv Morgan

    The Judgment Day star was in the middle of a dominant tag team title run with Raquel Rodriguez and involved in a prominent story with Roxanne Perez before the shoulder injury in June last year. She stayed out of action for 5 months before returning at the Survivor Series: WarGames event in late November.

    The female star mentioned that she generally is a believer in the philosophy that everything happens for a reason. The latest shoulder injury, however, shook this belief and made Liv Morgan question if it really was for the better:

    \”Being someone that believes everything happens for a reason, I’m so delusional. Like, ‘This happened. Even if it seems terrible, I’m going to come back better on the other side.’ Believing in that, but then suddenly not believing in that — I’m like, ‘What the fuck do I believe in?’ What do I have to believe in if I don’t believe that everything’s going to be okay at the end of the day?”

    Morgan resumed her on-screen pairing with Dominik Mysterio upon her return to the company. She helped Dirty Dom win back the IC title from John Cena at the show.

  • Mustafa Ali Makes 2026 Wrestling Announcement

    Mustafa Ali is staying with TNA.

    The Anthem-owned promotion generated more buzz in 2025 than in many years before that, and the former WWE star was one of the prominent names behind this resurgence. Now that the company is set to make a big move with its AMC debut on January 15, the former X-Division Champion has chosen to stick around.

    The wrestling veteran revealed this news during his recent interview with Denise Salcedo. Mustafa Ali credited Anthem president Carlos Silva and head booker Tommy Dreamer as names who put their trust in him and made the deal possible:

    “I actually want to give you some breaking news here. Just a few days ago, I officially re-signed with TNA Wrestling. TNA, Mustafa Ali, AMC. Breaking news: I have re-signed, and I’m very, very happy with that.\”

    Battle Against Time: Mustafa Ali

    The 39-year-old also explained the mindset behind this decision, noting that he has done some cool stuff, but he is not satisfied with his career just yet. Mustafa Ali noted how he has limited time left in the ring and he wants to make the most in his battle against time:

    “People bring up cool stuff I’ve done all the time. I’m not satisfied yet. So to me, the investment and the thought decision wasn’t just, ‘How do I take care of my family?’ but it’s like, ‘How do I make sure that I maximize whatever time I have left in my career?’ I mean, I’m not the oldest guy out there, but I’m not the youngest either, you know? So I have this thought process of this battle against time.”

    Mustafa Ali originally made his TNA debut in January 2024, though he left the promotion in August after a six-month run. The former champion returned to the company in early 2025 and he has been a regular on Impact since.

  • Jesse Ventura: US Is A Third World Country Now

    Another WWE Hall of Famer has taken a stand against Donald Trump.

    Hardcore Legend Mick Foley had recently announced the end of his relationship with WWE in light of the company\’s relationship with the current US administration.

    During a recent interview with FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, fellow wrestling legend and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, also revealed his thoughts on the recent happenings within the country. Ventura, who comes from a family of army veterans, accused the Republican Party of destroying the Constitution.

    The 74-year-old noted that he took an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic alike, and he sees the Republicans as the latter after January 6:

    \”I’ll give you a quote: we’re a third-world country now. You want to know why? I’m an expert. I’ve been to them. I spent 17 months in Southeast Asia while the draft dodger was playing golf. I know we’re a third-world country because in third-world countries, the military does police work in cities. I was in the Philippines the day Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Overnight, there was a guy with a machine gun on every corner. That’s what happens in a dictatorship.\”

    I Don\’t Even Call Him By Name: Jesse Venture

    Jesse Venture was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, among other accolades, for his time in the US Navy from 1969 to 1975. The wrestling legend brought his record up when asked about Donald Trump as president. The former NWA star refused to address the President by name, calling him out as a \’draft dodging coward\’:

    \”You mean the draft-dodging coward? I don’t even call him by name. When it was his time to serve his country, he did what rich white boys did. I wasn’t a rich white boy. I grew up in South Minneapolis. Most of my friends are Vietnam veterans. We had to go. The rich ones didn’t. And now he’s going to tell me what courage is?”

    The wrestler turned politician was most recently featured on WWE programming on John Cena\’s retirement show at the December 13 Saturday Night\’s Main Event.

  • Oba Femi Main Roster Direction Revealed

    Oba Femi is set to make a big impact on the main roster.

    The 27-year-old ended his NXT run in a unique fashion this week, vacating the NXT Title in the ring after defeating Leon Slater in the New Year\’s Evil main event.

    WWE has been teasing him for main roster since his SNME match against Cody Rhodes, and the latest segment got people talking about what the future holds for the young star.

    Fightful Select recently provided an update on the matter. According to them, Oba Femi is believed to be headed to the Raw roster, and people within the company expect him to debut near the top of the card.

    While the exact plans for his debut are not known, there is a pitch for Oba to be featured prominently on WrestleMania 42. It\’s one of the reasons for him relinquishing the title since the creative did not want him to take a loss before moving up.

    Femi is not the only big name expected to make the move soon. After an unexpected title change on New Year\’s Evil, another prominent talent is believed to be on their way out of the brand. You can check out more about it here.

  • Raven Reveals Real Thoughts On Controversial Crucifixion Angle

    Raven doesn\’t think the crucifixion angle was that bad.

    The original ECW under the leadership of Paul Heyman defied the expectations (and the law) at every turn of its existence. Though there were some things that were considered extreme even by their standards. The angle at the High Incident PPV in 1996 was one such instance, which saw Raven crucifying The Sandman by tying him to a cross and placing a barbed wire crown on his head.

    The ECW legend was asked if he thought the angle was too controversial during his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. Raven said that he understands why Paul Heyman made him apologize for the incident afterward, but he doesn\’t think they were pushing the envelope too far with the whole thing:

    “I didn’t think it was pushing the envelope. I didn’t think so. I understand why Paul E made me cut an apology afterwards, but partly it’s because my family’s Jewish. I don’t follow the religion, but my family’s Jewish, and my last name is Levy, so people just assume I’m Jewish, and Paul E is Jewish, and Todd’s Jewish. Todd Gordon, the owner. So they thought it was a mockery of Christianity, but had nothing to do with that.\”

    I Considered Him A Martyr: Raven

    The widely criticised angle led to Kurt Angle ending his relationship with the promotion and forcing the company to delay their PPV debut. Even then Raven seems to think the whole thing was blown out of proportion as others had done worse:

    \”I mean, Madonna masturbated with a crucifix on MTV. I’m thinking this is tame compared to that. To me, it was just a metaphor. It was a metaphor. The Crucifix with Sandman was just for him to feel my pain. Because Raven was always. I considered him a martyr for society’s dysfunction.”

    Apart from this, Raven also detailed the various health complications he faces today because of his extreme career. You can check out more about it here.

  • Raven Opens Up About Nightmarish Health Struggles After Extreme Career

    Raven has opened up about his health struggles after a brutal wrestling career.

    The ECW legend spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview recently. He discussed things such as being part of the controversial crucifixion angle with The Sandman, the chairshot heard around the world, his time in WWE and more.

    The 61-year-old also detailed the various health struggles he has to deal with after making a career out of extreme spots. He first revealed that he cannot get proper sleep at night. While the medical professionals don\’t have a name for the disease, Raven noted that he knows another person who deals with similar issues. You wake up many times throughout the night and still feel exhausted in the morning because of it:

    “So I have to wear a special CPAP that makes me breathe the air. I’m sure, from years of drug abuse and chair shots to the head and stuff like that, and abusing my body, I’m sure this is the price I’m paying. So I go to bed, I can fall asleep, no problem. But then I start waking up. After about two hours, I’ll wake up, and I’ll wake up like every 20 minutes for the next six to eight hours. So when I wake up for good, I’m exhausted, so I’m waking up like 15-20 times a night.”

    Raven Details Struggle With Parkinson’s

    When asked about his overall health, the former ECW World Champion revealed that he is also struggling with Parkinson’s disease. Raven noted that he has not put enough effort into getting diagnosed properly but he has been feeling tremors in his body for the last 10 years:

    “I got the early onset Parkinson’s, which I’m of the mind to say that I don’t have it. But it’s why I have the tremor, and that’s what they think it is. There’s no 100% proof tests, so I didn’t [get tested]. The test they give to prove it only proves it like 90% and there’s a lot of false positives and negatives in it. So there’s no reason, because he said he would treat me the same way, which is nothing as of now, because nothing’s bad enough, although my tremor is really bad right now.”

    When asked if he believes all this is caused by his wrestling style, Raven replied positively. He mentioned how at one point he used to be proud of his ability to handle drugs, but now he is embarrassed by how much abuse he put his body through.

  • CM Punk Backs Jey Uso Against IWC

    CM Punk continues to hammer the IWC.

    The WWE World Champion had called out the online wrestling community for constant negativity and expecting surprise guests based on unfounded rumors during an interview on Tuesday.

    The Straight Edge star continued with this attitude during his appearance on Busted Open Radio. He discussed the discrepancies in the reaction for Jey Uso in the arenas and online, mentioning how he remains extremely over with the live crowd:

    “I’m battling with John Cena and Jey Uso over who sells more T-shirts on any given night. Everybody’s going crazy for his music. They’re Yeeting. They want him to run it back. This dude can go on TV for 10 minutes and just Yeet. But then you go on the internet and suddenly it’s, ‘Oh, he’s the worst wrestler alive.’ Is he? Or are you just being extremely hyperbolic?\”

    There\’s No In Between: CM Punk

    CM Punk mentioned how people nowadays seem to have lost the ability to recognize a difference of opinions and they want everyone to hate the things they hate:

    \”Everything nowadays is ‘this is the best thing ever’ [or] ‘this is the worst thing ever.’ [It turns into,] ‘I don’t like this, so you have to not like it too.’ And it’s really just like—like what you like. Champion that. I try to stay away from the negativity.\”

    The former AEW star went on to note how wrestlers live a public life where people feel very comfortable at pointing fingers and laughing at them even at the smallest mistakes. He claimed that Jey Uso is \’100% fucking phenomenal.\’

  • Blake Monroe Deletes Tweet Referencing The Rock After New Year\’s Evil

    Blake Monroe might have gone too far.

    Tensions grew between the female star and the NXT General Manager, Ava after Monroe attacked Thea Hail before their scheduled North American Championship match at New Year\’s Evil this Tuesday. The two continued fighting on X after Ava threw the former AEW star out of the building for her conduct.

    It was during this exchange that the former champion made the now deleted comment. Referencing Ava\’s father and WWE board member The Rock, Blake Monroe wrote: “Don’t make me call daddy, you power-tripping nepo baby bitch.”

    Thea Hail would go on to conduct an open challenge in the absence of her expected opponent. Izzi Dame managed to snatch the opportunity with help from her partners of The Culling, and she walked out of the show with the North American title.

    This might be the beginning of the end of Monroe\’s development run. Reports suggest that the company changed plans for her after she accidentally lost the NA title last month, and there has been talk of fast-tracking her main roster call-up alongside other recent debuts.

    Watch: Andrade Returns To AEW TV After WWE Issues

  • John Cena Reacts To First Look at His Netflix Project

    John Cena has a new look.

    Netflix recently shared the first look at The Cenation Leader and comedy actor Eric Andre from the new project, Little Brother. The movie features the wrestling star in the role of a famous real estate agent whose life is upended when his eccentric brother reappears out of nowhere.

    Apart from Cena and Andre, the film also stars names such as Michelle Monaghan, Chris Meloni, Ego Nwodim, Sherry Cola, Caleb Hearon, and Ben Ahlers. Reacting to this first look on X, John Cena noted that he has been wanting to work with Andre for a long time:

    The former face of WWE retired the jorts look, which became synonymous with him during his long and illustrious wrestling career, upon his retirement from the ring last month. He put over Gunther in his last match at Saturday Night\’s Main Event.

    John Cena had noted that the high cost of insurance for filming projects was one of the main reasons behind his decision to retire from in-ring action. The wrestling veteran had also suggested that he had contributed to the insurance premiums for some of his projects from his own pocket.

  • Latest On Jay White After Wrestle Kingdom Appearance

    Jay White is not expected back anytime soon.

    The former Bullet Club leader made a surprise appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4. He was there to honor Hiroshi Tanahashi, who competed in his retirement match at the PPV. The appearance got people talking about a potential in-ring return for the AEW star.

    A new report from Fightful Select, however, suggests that it isn\’t the case. According to the site, Jay White is not cleared for an in-ring return yet. The AEW officials also don\’t seem to expect him back imminently, as the Switchblade is not factored into any creative plans at the moment.

    The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has not wrestled since March last year. He sustained a hand injury in his bout with Kevin Knight while competing against him on Collision.

    Upon being sidelined due to the injury, Jay White also opted to get shoulder surgery for issues that had been bothering him for a while. Tony Khan had confirmed afterward that he will be out of action for a long time, and we\’ll have to see when the 33-year-old finally makes his return to the ring.

    Watch: Andrade Returns To AEW TV After WWE Issues

  • Updated: Shelton Benjamin Worries Fans With Emotional Dynamite Entrance

    Shelton Benjamin got people talking with his Dynamite entrance.

    The latest episode of the Wednesday night show featured the Hurt Syndicate star facing the new Continental Champion Jon Moxley in an eliminator match.

    Fans noted, however, that Benjamin looked uneasy during his entrance for this bout, with many mentioning how he appeared to have shed tears right before coming out for the fight.

    Update: Benjamin himself has since responded to the concern from fans. The former WWE star noted on Twitter that it was water, not tears, dripping from his head:

    https://twitter.com/KXNGAO/status/2009070214118625391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://www.sescoops.com/article/tna-veteran-signs-with-aew

    The wrestling veteran would go on to prove why he is considered one of the best in-ring talents in all of the industry as he delivered another instant classic with the Death Riders leader in this opening match of the night.

    Though it was Moxley who picked up the victory in the end. The Continental Champion would steal the pin right before the time limit draw, and the two opponents shared a handshake after the bout.

    It\’s unknown why Benjamin was so emotional before his match on the show. Stay tuned for any update on the matter.

  • TNA Veteran Signs With AEW

    Jake Something is back in AEW.

    A social media video had seen Ricochet putting a bounty on JetSpeed prior to this week\’s episode of Dynamite. The show then opened with a backstage segment where Renee Paquette mentioned that the duo of Kevin Knight & ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey had been attacked by someone or something.

    Don Callis, along with Ricochet and his partners, then entered the frame, at first denying the allegation of putting a bounty on the rival tag team. Callis, however, then introduced the TNA veteran as the guy who took out JetSpeed, referring to him by the new ring name of Jake Dolye:

    Jake Something had been part of the TNA roster for 8 of the last 10 years in his multiple runs with the company. Though he had also made some appearances for NJPW and AEW. His latest run with the Anthem-owned promotion came to an end with his contract expiring on January 1 this year.

    The latest AEW segment suggests that he is going to be a regular part of the company\’s roster going forward, potentially teaming with Mark Davis in the coming times. The segment with Jake also led to a couple of big returns later on the show. You can check out more about it here. 

  • Watch: Andrade Returns To AEW TV After WWE Issues

    The Don Callis family was all over Dynamite this week.

    Former TNA star Jake Something made his debut for AEW this week in a backstage segment with Callis. Now going by the name Jake Doyle, he seemingly took out JetSpeed, who were supposed to team up with Jack Perry at the show.

    The returning Young Bucks then joined Perry for his match against The Demand (Bishop Kaun, Ricochet, & Toa Liona) instead. Perry and Bucks won the match but got attacked by members of the Callis Family right after.

    JetSpeed, still hurt from the earlier beatdown, came down to help their partner with weapons in hand. Just as the faces looked to have the upper hand, however, the lights went out.

    Andrade El Idolo in his mask, was standing in the ring as the lights came out, and he took out both Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey. The segment ended with the former WWE star removing his mask and standing tall with other members of the Don Callis family.

    The former NXT champion had been pulled off AEW TV after a return in October last year due to a Cease & Desist letter from WWE. Andrade had been working on an agreement to resolve his issues with the Endeavor-owned promotion since then, and he finally became a free agent last month.

  • Tony Khan Comments On Wrestler Safety In AEW

    Tony Khan has weighed in on the wrestler safety debate.

    The discussion about dangerous moves and the need for talent to protect themselves became a topic of conversation again recently when William Regal made a post highlighting the dangers of the sport. The post made the day after the latest AEW PPV led to some negative reaction from tribalistic fans, but a number of wrestlers from AEW and other promotions have since shown support for Regal\’s view.

    The AEW President was asked for his opinion on the whole matter and the risks in AEW during an appearance on The Mark Hoke Show. Khan first discussed the inherent risk that is present in every match before mentioning how there has been no career-ending injury in AEW since its inception:

    “Pro wrestlers are always taking hard-hitting and high-risk chances. That’s one of the things that makes pro wrestling so exciting. In AEW, we’ve been able to have all of these great events, and we’ve never had a career-ending injury like that from our wrestling.\”

    I Don\’t Think AEW Is Any Different: Tony Khan

    Tony Khan proclaimed that his promotion is not different than any other wrestling company in the world. He also noted that there have been instances in AEW where he has stepped in to protect talent when needed:

    \”I don’t think that AEW is any different than any other wrestling promotion in the world. The wrestlers want to do their very best and sometimes a promotion will step in. AEW and I have at times stepped in and said, ‘I can’t do that. I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ I don’t want to do that every day or every match, but there are times where it comes up.\”

    The wrestling executive later brought up his experience of managing the Jacksonville Jaguars into the discussion. He explained that in every sport, you have to strike a balance between doing things to protect the health of your athletes and making the whole thing work.

  • CM Punk Addresses Chris Jericho Raw Situation

    CM Punk does not understand modern fandom.

    The WWE World Heavyweight Champion recently appeared on the My Mom\’s Basement podcast. He was there to promote his upcoming Night Patrol movie, which is set to release in theatres on January 16.

    The Straight Edge Star discussed people being unhappy with the Stranger Things finale during the show, among other things. He mentioned how nowadays it feels like fans only watch things to be mad about them:

    “People just seem to want to be angry about everything because it didn\’t happen the way they fantasy booked it in their head. To me, that\’s a slight mental illness.\”

    You\’re Getting Mad At That: CM Punk

    There was heavy speculation about Chris Jericho potentially making his WWE return on this past Monday\’s episode of Raw after a tease from General Manager Adam Pearce. Many believed Y2J would show up during the main event world title match between CM Punk and Bron Breakker, and fans expressed frustration when it did not happen.

    The former AEW star seemingly addressed this reaction while turning the conversation towards wrestling fandom. He noted how people build up their expectations on unfounded rumors and get mad when things do not turn out as expected:

    \”Like, ‘Hey, I bought tickets to go to this wrestling show, and then I look on Twitter and wrestling journalist 345678910 reports that there\’s going to be a big surprise guest. I go to this show and there\’s no big surprise guest, and I spend an unhealthy amount of time complaining about that online.’

    And it\’s just like, well, you weren\’t promised a big surprise guest. Somebody that probably knows less about what they\’re talking about than you do and is just a fan, just like you, made some sh*t up on the internet and passed it off as a journalism. And you\’re getting mad at that.”

    Chris Jericho has not been removed from the AEW roster page, which suggests that officially, he is still under contract with the company. Though WWE teased him once again during Punk\’s Raw match, further adding fuel to the fire about his wrestling future.

  • CM Punk Rumor Killer After Raw Match

    CM Punk is not injured.

    There had been rumors going around that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion had been placed in concussion protocol after his match with Bron Breakker on Monday\’s Raw.

    PWInsider provided an update on the matter. They confirmed that there is no truth to this talk, and that CM Punk came out of the match without any serious damage.

    The Straight Edge star made multiple media appearances the day after the bout, starting with an interview on FOX\’s local Good Day New York show on Tuesday morning. This further confirms that the World Champion was just fine despite the physical match with the young star.

    The match between CM Punk and Bron Breakker had a lot going on. A WWE lucha trio led by Rey Mysterio helped take out the rest of the Vision members. Punk also punched Paul Heyman during the bout, which featured yet another Chris Jericho reference.

    There was a scary botch during the match which also became a topic of discussion. You can check out an explanation of what went wrong with the spot here.

  • OG Nation of Domination Member Safe After Car Accident

    Former WWE star Jamie Dundee is safe after a car accident.

    The retired wrestler took to Facebook yesterday, noting that he was involved in an accident, flipping his truck three times. Thankfully for the wrestling veteran, the seatbelt saved his life despite the truck being totaled in the incident:

    \”Well flipped my truck 3 times yesterday I\’m sore as hell but I\’m good seatbelt saved me from being ejected ..trucks totalled but I\’m not lol …\”

    Starting his career in 1988, James Dundee was best known by his ring name J. C. Ice. A second-generation star who followed the footsteps of his father, Bill Dundee, Ice\’s best work came as part of the PG-13 tag team with Kelly Wolfe.

    The duo of Ice and Wolfe made appearances for WWE, ECW, and WCW during the Attitude Era. PG-13 were briefly a part of the Nation of Domination faction when it was first introduced. Ice remained active in the independent circuit long after his WWE run, officially retiring from the ring in 2016.

  • Ex-WWE Star Explains Scary Raw Botch

    Lance Storm has reacted to a scary mishap on Raw.

    CM Punk defended his World Title against Bron Breakker in the main event of the show this Monday. One spot in the bout saw the challenger having a scary landing during a failed Frankensteiner attempt on the champion.

    Discussing the spot with Bryan Alvarez, Storm explained what went wrong with the whole thing. He mentioned that Punk had assumed the wrong position for the move, as his legs should have been inside the ring:

    “Assuming they were going for the Frankensteiner there and not a counter, it’s like Punk specifically put his legs on the outside of the ropes and sat back so his butt was almost on the post, which you cannot take that move from there. That is the wrong position to be in. You can’t take the bump from there.\”

    Lance Storm noted that Bron Breakker himself also shares the blame for the missed spot, as he should have known that the move could not be performed in that position.

    The 56-year-old said that it had nothing to do with being a good athlete and mentioned that it could be the fault of either name that the whole thing did not work out as planned:

    \”And Bron was facing him and watched him do it, then climbed up and did the move anyway. You cannot take that bump with your feet on the outside and sitting that far back. It just doesn’t physically work. I find it hard to believe Punk doesn’t know that.\”

    Breakker was able to execute the Frankensteiner successfully in a second attempt, not long after this spot. It was Punk who ended up victorious in the match; however, despite shenanigans from the vision.

  • Unplanned Name Wins Women\’s North American Title At New Year\’s Evil

    An unexpected NXT crowning.

    Blake Monroe was originally scheduled to challenge Thea Hail for the NXT North American Championship at New Year\’s Evil tonight. This came after a botched finish last month, leading to Hail winning the title. The former Mariah May, however, ended up attacking Hail during her entrance.

    The match was then called off as Thea was taken backstage for a medical evaluation. General Manager Ava kicked Monroe out of the building. The reigning champion still wanted to defend her title, and she suggested an open challenge.

    The majority of the women\’s locker room emptied at ringside, trying to take advantage of the opportunity. Tatum Paxley then came out with a chainsaw to clear a path. Though Izzi Dame was sneaked into the ring by The Culling before Paxley, and she got the opportunity instead.

    The champion put up a good fight, but her earlier injury and the damage in the match proved too much. Izzi picked up the victory with a super-Dame, ending Hail\’s run with the title at just 22 days.

    You can check out potential reason behind Monroe\’s removal from the match here.

  • Oba Femi Vacates NXT Title At New Year\’s Evil

    Oba Femi has seemingly vacated the NXT title.

    The New Year\’s Evil special of the development show featured the Ruler successfully defending his title against TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater.

    After the main event match, the camera cut to backstage, where General Manager Ava was seen addressing young stars. She talked about the recent NXT call-ups and gave a speech about upcoming opportunities in NXT before being interrupted by Robert Stone.

    Stone asked the NXT authority whether she had seen what Oba just did. The camera then cut back to the arena, showing the NXT Championship placed in the middle of the ring with no sign of its holder:

    Oba Femi has been teased for the main roster in recent weeks. This latest development suggests that the heavyweight star has chosen to relinquish the title instead of losing it as he prepares for the next chapter of his career.

  • Big NXT Name Discussed For Main Roster Move

    A big NXT call-up is in the works.

    WWE has been slowly introducing the new crop of talent on the main roster in recent weeks. The latest episode of Raw saw Je\’Von Evans making his call-up official, while both Trick Williams and Oba Femi have been teased for a career move as well.

    Now, Fightful Select is reporting that this is not the only call-up expected in the coming time, and potentially the biggest name discussed for a brand change comes from the female roster.

    According to the site, Blake Monroe has been discussed for the WWE main roster recently, and some people within the company believe that she will end up on the Raw brand.

    Monroe was recently involved in an awkward situation in NXT. She ended up losing the North American Championship to Thea Hail in a botched finish, and the report notes that there have been discussions about the immediate plans for Monroe being changed.

    Having joined WWE under the new ring name in June last year, Monroe had a successful AEW career as Mariah May. She had a memorable feud with Toni Storm in the Tony Khan promotion and also had a run with the Women\’s World Championship.

    Many expected her to debut on the main roster directly upon signing with WWE, and it\’s no surprise if the officials are looking to fast-track her call-up.

  • Steve Austin Explains Rivalry With Vince McMahon

    Steve Austin has explained why his rivalry with Vince McMahon worked

    The Texas Rattlesnake spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview recently. He discussed things such as his cats becoming internet celebrities, his WrestleMania match with Kevin Owens, and more.

    When asked how the legendary rivalry between him and Vince McMahon began, the former world champion claimed that he doesn\’t really remember the origin of it. Though he recalled a promo from the September 22, 1997 episode of Raw, when Steve Austin first acknowledged McMahon as the owner of WWE:

    “I don’t remember. I just remember he was interviewing me one time. He was talking about whoever was the President at the time. But I said on the interview, I said, everybody knows you’re the boss, Vince. And I think maybe that was when he woke up and said, Hey, let’s do this.\”

    The rivalry between the two that started in 1997 became the biggest storyline the wrestling world had seen at that time. Being the center story of WWE through the Attitude Era, the feud is credited as the rivalry that helped WWE get the advantage over WCW and win the Monday Night Wars.

    Discussing what made the whole thing so special, Stone Cold Steve Austin explained that it was a story that connected with even those who were not fans of wrestling. He mentioned that at some point in their life, everyone has fantasized about punching their boss, and he became the one who really got to do it:

    \”That was a feud that transcended the wrestling business. And even if you didn’t, even if you weren’t a wrestling fan, per se, you were interested in being entertained. So you put on to see what this motherf*cker from South Texas is terrorizing his boss from New York City.

    Of course, Vince is from North Carolina, but you know, he’s the guy with all the money, and here’s this guy that he’s trying to give a hard time to and make everything hard for him. He’s outsmarting him, and he’s kicking his ass. At some point in anybody’s life, they’d like to punch their boss in the mouth. When it was time for me to get mine in, I did.

    Steve Austin also noted that he doesn\’t know what the former WWE chairman is up to nowadays. When asked if he was surprised at how far the former wrestling executive was willing to go in their story, the Attitude Era star replied negatively. He mentioned that McMahon considered himself to be the leader of the pack and was willing to go to any length because of it. According to Austin, they were the perfect rivals for each other.

  • Big Gunther Match Announced For Raw Next Week

    Gunther is set for his first big challenge after retiring John Cena.

    The former World Champion has been mocking the legacy of the Cenation Leader after making Cena tap out in his final match at Saturday Night\’s Main Event. A number of WWE stars have taken exception to this behaviour from the Ring General, with AJ Styles being the most prominent name among them.

    This week\’s episode of Raw saw the two coming face-to-face in the ring for the first time since SNME. Tensions continued to rise with Gunther not letting up on his mockery, and it finally led to Styles slapping the 38-year-old.

    While the former Imperium leader did not respond to this physicality from the Phenomenal One in the moment, WWE has since announced a match between the two for the January 12 episode of the Red Branded show.

    Gunther has continued wrestling on House Shows since the Cena match, and he also defeated R-Truth in a short match last Monday. The former Bullet Club leader, however, is likely to prove to be a much bigger challenge for the Raw star.

    AJ Styles has announced 2026 will be his last active year in wrestling, and the belief is his WWE contract expires before WrestleMania 42. This makes the rivalry even more interesting as it gives his opponent the chance to potentially retire yet another veteran after Cena and Goldberg in 2025.

  • Chris Jericho Teases Continue On Stranger Things Raw

    The Chris Jericho mystery continues.

    There had been a lot of buzz about the former AEW World Champion potentially making his WWE return on the Stranger Things Raw on January 5 after a tease from Adam Pearce early in the week.

    While the fans were left disappointed on the return front, the company did continue to suggest that a homecoming was imminent for the wrestling veteran during the show.

    Liv Morgan first acknowledged the Y2J chants during her match on the show. The Judgment Day star also hit a codebreaker on her opponent Lyra Valkyria during the bout, which she eventually won with an Oblivion.

    This wasn\’t all, as Corey Graves also said that Bron Breakker has been sitting under \’The Learning Tree\’ of Paul Heyman during the main event. This less subtle reference in the World title match between Breakker and CM Punk is another indicator that a Chris Jericho return is something the officials feel confident about:

    The wrestling legend has not been removed from the AEW roster page just yet. Therefore, it\’s possible that he is still officially under contract with Tony Khan\’s promotion.

    Though all signs point towards the former champion being done with the promotion, and the only question is when his WWE return will officially take place.