SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Multiple Stipulations Confirmed For All In: Texas Matches

    The upcoming All In: Texas PPV will feature more than one stipulation match.

    The duo of Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay had laid out a challenge to The Young Bucks for a tag team match last week. Ospreay had pitched the idea for the EVPs to put their executive positions on the line for this match.

    The duo of Matt and Nick Jackson agreed to this bout on this week\’s Dynamite 300 special. Though with the stipulation that Strickland and Ospreay will not be able to challenge for the World Championship for a year if they lose the upcoming match.

    Not only that but Hangman Adam Page also challenged Jon Moxley to turn their upcoming AEW title bout into a Texas Death Match during the show which the Death Riders leader accepted.

    AEW All In Texas Updated Card

    All In Texas will take place from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas this month on July 12. Here is the updated card for the show:

    • AEW Women’s World Championship Match: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
    • Teas Death Match For AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
    • Title Unification Match: Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. International Champion Kenny Omega
    • Tag Team Championship Match: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. JetSpeed (Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight)
    • Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match For AEW World Title Shot
    • Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match For Women’s World Title Shot
    • Tag Team Stipulation Match: Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay vs. The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson)

    Kris Statlander will be the first entrant in the Women\’s Casino Gauntlet while Mark Briscoe will enter the Men\’s Gauntlet first. Briscoe will be followed by MJF who earned the second entry into the match at tonight\’s show.

  • Spoiler: Hall of Famer Set For Title Match At Evolution 2 After SmackDown Return

    A WWE Hall of Famer is set for Evolution 2.

    The company presented this week\’s episode of Raw from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They also taped Friday\’s SmackDown on the same day, and the show featured some exciting segments.

    One such segment saw Jade Cargill confronting the Women\’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, after winning the Queen of The Ring tournament. The Champion, however, ended up giving a big surprise to fans, and she introduced a returning Trish Stratus.

    This led to the wrestling legend announcing her first singles match since 2023, confirming that she\’ll be challenging Tiffany for the title at Evolution 2.

    Stratus was part of the 2025 Women\’s Royal Rumble. She also teamed with Stratton to take on Candice LeRae & Nia Jax at the Elimination Chamber PPV from Canada earlier this year.

    This is the fifth match that has been announced for the upcoming show. Jordynne Grace previously won a fatal four-way to earn a shot at Jacy Jayne\’s NXT Women\’s title at the event.

    Rhea Ripley is set to challenge IYO SKY for the women\’s title at the show while Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez will be defending the tag titles in a fatal four-way match. Apart from this, a battle royal has been announced with the winner receiving a title shot at Clash In Paris on August 31.

  • Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After Raw Went Off Air

    Jey Uso helped Cody Rhodes celebrate his birthday after Raw.

    The Main Event of this week\’s episode of the Monday night show from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, saw the duo of Bron Breakker & “Big” Bronson Reed taking on Penta & Sami Zayn.

    Breakker hit Sami with a spear outta nowhere after a chaotic match, and he then pinned the wrestling veteran to pick up the victory for his team. The heel duo were not finished with Zayn, and they looked to deliver the 747 splash on him after the bout until Jey Uso made the save.

    The babyfaces cleared the ring and stood tall to end the show. This wasn\’t the end of the night however, as WWE also taped this Friday\’s SmackDown on the same night as well.

    What Happened After Raw

    Cody Rhodes did his usual routine after the second taping. He invited a kid from the audience in the ring and gifted him a signed wight belt.

    Though The American Nightmare wasn\’t alone. Uso joined him in the ring and he helped the former AEW star celebrate by bringing out a cake and leading the crowd in singing him happy birthday.

    Jey ended up dropping the cake, however, before Cody could get a taste. Though the Birthday Boy did not let the cake go to waste. He picked it up and teased smashing it into Uso\’s face before smearing his own face to end the night.

  • Karrion Kross Addresses Rumors of Him Refusing To Bump

    Karrion Kross says he just laughs at the rumors about him and moves on.

    The former NXT Champion has seen a growth in his popularity recently but his screentime on WWE TV has not increased in proportion. Many fans wondered if there was some backstage issue preventing him from being pushed, and recently, a rumor emerged that the wrestling star refuses to take \’flat back bumps.\’

    The WWE star addressed these rumors during an interview with The National promoting Night of Champions. He claimed that this was the weakest story that has been fabricated about him in recent times. Karrion Kross then went on to reveal another rumor that he recently heard about himself:

    “I thought out of all the crazy articles that are fabricated about me every week, that was the weakest. There was another wild one I saw last week that was even funnier.

    It said something like, ‘Karrion Kross is going to come to Monday Night Raw and he\’s going to quit and do a shoot promo live, and then walk out.’ I thought that was a good one. But I don’t really respond to any of them. There’s a crazy one about me every week or two. You just kind of have to laugh.\”

    Latest backstage updates also indicate that the report about Karrion Kross refusing to take bumps is false and producers who have worked with the heavyweight star have denied the allegations.

    It appears that the officials are also slowly accepting Kross\’ popularity and incorporating him into their plans. The former Final Testament leader is scheduled to compete in his first PPV match since WrestleMania 40 at Night of Champions this Saturday, where he will face Sami Zayn.

  • John Cena Considered His Recent Promo To Be A \’Pretty Good Failure\’

    John Cena has branded one of his recent promos as a failure.

    The Cenation Leader has been the focal point of SmackDown for the last few weeks. Not only has he been involved in the storyline with CM Punk, but he has also interacted with competitors from the King of The Ring tournament. The winner of the tournament is set to receive a world title shot at SummerSlam.

    One such segment came during the June 13 episode of SmackDown when Cena opened the show. He cut a promo for a few minutes before being interrupted by LA Knight, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton one by one.

    During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, the 17-time world champion was asked when was the last time he truly \’bombed\’ at something. John Cena brought up the specific segment in response, saying that it was a real hard spot for him:

    “I had a pretty good failure two weeks ago, I think. I was out in front of a live audience, not Grand Rapids, where were we — Lexington, Kentucky. I’d opened the show.

    I had five minutes to speak before three other performers came out and that’s a real hard spot to be in because I can’t do any action yet, you kind of got to tell people what my purpose is and my character is not someone to rile up the audience, it’s somebody against the audience.\”

    They Fucking Hated It: John Cena

    John Cena noted how he took the route of being the evil mastermind and used the five minutes to explain his plan to the audience. In his mind, the Hollywood star thought the promo was well constructed, and he was dropping easter eggs for the fans. The reaction he got, however, was completely unexpected:

    \”They fucking hated it. The great thing is, they loved when the next three guys came out, so the bit itself worked. But man, it was crickets. I know the noise. I really cannot wait for this to be over, I really thought this was going to work.”

    Though a report from Fightful Select noted that this was Cena\’s own self-diagnosis of the segment instead of being the backstage perception. So it appears that the officials were not as critical of the whole thing.

    The WWE Champion will be defending his title against CM Punk at the Night of Champions PPV from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday.

  • Watch: Everything That Happened During SmackDown Broadcast Outage

    WWE faced an embarrassing moment during the latest SmackDown broadcast.

    The company presented the the Blue Branded Show from Saudi Arabia this week. The show opened with King of the Ring finalists Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton coming face to face before their big match at the Night of Champions PPV.

    Halfway through this segment, however, the Netflix international feed went out, and a message saying that the broadcast would be back online soon was displayed for almost half an hour before the show resumed.

    PWinsider reports that the broadcast issue was a result of a power outage in Riyadh that affected WWE production. Both the control room and the gorilla position were affected and the officials lost the ability to control the show.

    What Happened During SmackDown Outage

    A fan posted a two-hour video that covers the Main Event tapings that happened before SmackDown went on air, as well as how things played out during the power outage. The video shows the big screen above the ring glitching halfway through the Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton segment.

    Though the two continued their war of words despite the issues. There was no physicality in the segment, and it ended with The American Nightmare leaving the ring. The Viper was informed of the outage by this point and he stayed around.

    His music played in the arena as the Legend Killer went around the ringside greeting the fans for a while to kill time. Cody then made a second entrance as Orton headed to the back. The WWE Quarterback told the fans about the technical difficulties and started working the crowd.

    Carmelo Hayes then made his entrance in his street clothes and cut a promo on the former Undisputed Champion. Cody ended the segment with a CrossRhodes on the former NXT star. Both the competitors then left the ring before the feed came back on with the backstage segment of JC Mateo and Solo Sikoa.

  • John Cena Names His Favorite Star Wars Movie

    John Cena has picked his favorite Star Wars movie.

    The Cenation Leader recently took part in a Q&A session at FAN EXPO Dallas 2025. He answered questions about things such as his favorite WrestleMania entrance, his love for K-pop and more.

    When asked to reveal his favorite movie from the Star Wars franchise, Cena first noted how there are many impactful moments from the series that he admires. He then mentioned Joseph Campbell\’s book A Hero\’s Journey before naming Episode V as his favorite:

    \”What I love about the Star Wars movies is it truly is like Campbell\’s A Hero\’s Journey. They do great job with storytelling. Actually, because of that, I would like to say Empire Strikes Back.\”

    Long Term Storytelling: John Cena

    John Cena went into detail of the reasoning behind his pick. He explained that committing to the idea of long-term storytelling and not resolving the story by the end of the movie was a brave move:

    I think everyone in this room will probably have their opinion and give their answer of why. I think it\’s brave to do a whole movie and not have the ending you want. Commit that it is a piece of the journey. Like you want to talk about long-term storytelling.

    Setting a movie up as a standalone piece of like, \’Yo, this is the middle and we\’re cool with that.\’ I thought that was very brave at the time and I still remember it as a kid, so I\’m going with that.\”

    The 17-Time World Champion is set to compete at the upcoming Night of Champions PPV from Saudi Arabia. He\’ll be defending his title against CM Punk at the event set for this Saturday, June 28.

  • John Cena Reveals His Favorite WrestleMania Entrance

    John Cena has revealed which of his WrestleMania entrances he likes the most.

    The Cenation Leader made an appearance at the Fan Expo Dallas recently and took part in a Q&A. He answered questions about things such as his line about Aquaman in Peacemaker season 1, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight and more.

    During the session, he was also asked about his favorite WrestleMania entrance of all time. John Cena first claimed that it would be his entrance from the Show of Shows this year. He explained that he started doing special entrances after seeing JBL doing one for his very first Mania main event.

    It made him want to do something special for fans. Now that everyone has started doing special entrances however, he enjoyed flipping the script and doing a very plain entrance this year:

    \”I really liked the spectacle he made of the entrance. So, I was like, ‘Man, if nobody is doing special stuff…’ That’s WrestleMania. That is an event that is a big ask for you as a fan.

    I wanted to make it special and unique. now, tons of people do special and unique entrances. So, this year I just wanted to flip it and go like as barebones simple as I could. So, I like this one.\”

    There\’s Nothing Like The View: John Cena

    Though the 17-time world champion then took his words back. John Cena later said that being able to share his entrance with Make-A-Wish kids at WrestleMania 39 has to top the list:

    “I got to take that back. Sorry, got to take that back. I had a chance to bring 50 kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation on the stage for WrestleMania.

    There’s nothing like the view out of the tunnel when you look at the stadium and it’s just bananas. So, the fact that I got to share that moment with some close friends that day, that was a big opportunity,”

    John Cena is set to defend his WWE Championship at Night of Champions from Saudi Arabia this Saturday on June 28. He\’ll be facing his arch rival CM Punk in their final encounter.

  • Rhea Ripley Addresses Claims of Taking Women\’s Wrestling Back 20 Year Over Viral Clip

    Rhea Ripley has responded to the criticism of her viral clip.

    The former Women\’s Champion spoke to Chris Van Vliet for an interview recently. She talked about things such as a terrifying incident of a fan showing up at her house, the back injury she has been living with for years and more.

    During the discussion, the Mami also opened up about the viral clip of her giving stinkface to Nia Jax during a house show in March 2024. Rhea Ripley revealed that the idea was pitched by Jax herself and she had no idea it would explode on social media like it did:

    “I knew it was gonna be big, but that sh*t exploded. It wasn’t even my idea. It was Nia’s idea. She’s like, ‘Yeah. And then you stink face me.’ I’m like, ok, if you want. It still pops up on my Twitter, it’s wild. I got so much publicity off that, but I also got so much like, negativity. I was like guys; you need to calm down.”

    Rhea Ripley unleash Rikishi stinkface on Nia jax face pic.twitter.com/BvVJ1cy7QC

    — iZone Entertainment (@JustFactHub) March 24, 2024

    Am I Not Allowed To Have Fun?: Rhea Ripley

    When asked what kind of negativity she is talking about, Rhea Ripley revealed that some fans have criticized the spot, saying that she is undermining the evolution of women\’s wrestling. The former champion however, said that it was just a fun moment that shouldn\’t be taken seriously:

    “Just people were saying that I’m taking the women’s division back 20 years. And I’m like, That’s not what’s happening. It’s a fun moment, and it’s a house show. Am I not allowed to have fun? If it was anyone else, you’d be supporting it.

    I feel like people love to hate Rhea Ripley. And you know, the more you talk about me, the more you act like a fan, so continue talking. It wasn’t even my idea, Nia wanted to take my ass to her face, just trying to make the wishes come true.”

    Apart from this, Rhea Ripley discussed how she came up with her ring name, the origin of her finisher Riptide and more. You can check out her full interview below:

  • Rhea Ripley Reveals Terrifying Fan Encounter At Her Home

    Rhea Ripley has revealed a recent scary interaction with a fan.

    WWE stars encountering overzealous fans has become a problem in recent times, with people invading the privacy of wrestlers at airports and hotels. It’s been a cause for concern for female talents especially, with incidents such as potential stalkers getting arrested from outside of WWE Performance Center or someone sharing Roxanne Perez’s home address with a threatening message.

    During her recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rhea Ripley revealed that she faced similar harassment recently when a fan showed up at her house unannounced and stayed there for a long time:

    “I’m sorry if you’re watching this lady, but you were terrifying. She was scary, she rang the doorbell, she got real close to it and just [smiles creepily]. Then she looks at her phone and she [smiles again], and she did this for so long.

    She was there for like 10 minutes, and then she left, came back, did it again, and then she left, and then she came back wearing something different and rang the doorbell.”

    What Could Have Happened: Rhea Ripley

    Rhea Ripley noted how wrestlers are normal people outside of their work, and they like their privacy. She said that they also like their normal humanity, and this kind of incident is crossing a line that people shouldn’t be doing.

    Thankfully the Mami or her husband and fellow wrestler Buddy Matthews was not at home at the time. Though the former Women’s Champion noted how the whole thing was still very scary and anything could have happened if she was there:

    “I was just like this lady really thinks that we’re home, the cars are there because we left them there. If I was home, I wouldn’t know what to do. If I opened the door and she was just standing there, what could have happened?

    She could have done anything, I don’t know you; you could have attacked me, and I don’t know how she got her car in the gate. We have a gated community, no one lets you in, terrifying.”

    Ripley later discussed how a number of such incidents have taken place in recent times. Rhea explained that people need to understand that wrestling is their work, and what you see on TV is not how they are in real life. She stated they are normal people and asked the fans not to stalk them or threaten them over WWE storylines.

  • The Undertaker Believes Only One WWE Superstar Should Be Allowed To Use Spear

    The Undertaker has reacted to a recent viral WWE clip.

    The Dead Man invited WWE star Bron Breakker to the latest episode of his podcast. During the session, they talked about the viral clip of the former NXT champion giving a spear to YouTuber IShowSpeed during this year\’s Royal Rumble.

    HOLY FKING SHIT ???

    BRON BREAKKER WITH THE MEANEST SPEAR TO SPEED ??? pic.twitter.com/k4dcqEGOeq

    — The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) February 2, 2025

    The wrestling veteran first revealed his immediate reaction to the spear. He noted that it was a rare moment that made him jump out of his seat and high five his daughter because he was so excited:

    “I think we were watching it first on TV and everybody jumped up. I don’t jump up, bro. I’m just saying. I don’t jump. I don’t get up. Me and my daughter — everybody was high-fiving each other.

    You bent him in half so bad… No disrespect, but I mean, he’s a little light in the ass to be hit by somebody that hits like you do.\”

    That Should Be His: The Undertaker

    The Undertaker also said that seeing the spear convinced him that Bron Breakker should be the only one using the move in the WWE roster:

    \”I said, ‘They should take the spear from everybody else.’ I know there’s probably some people that probably take exception to that, but I was like, ‘Man, that should be his solely.’ Dude, his head almost hit his feet.”

    The WWE Hall of Famer had recently revealed an undisclosed heart issue he had been dealing with earlier this year which led to him getting surgery right after WrestleMania 41. You can check out more about it here.

  • Kevin Owens Reveals Random Tag Team Pairing He Turned Down In WWE

    Kevin Owens has revealed a random TV pairing that he turned down.

    The former Universal Champion recently appeared on Cody Rhodes\’ What Do You Wanna Talk About podcast. He discussed things such as working with Dusty Rhodes, feeling the effects of his neck injury, when he is planning to get surgery, and more.

    During the interview, KO also discussed his rivalry with Roman Reigns that started back in the Thunderdome era. He revealed that at the time, officials had pitched him the idea of joining forces with Damian Priest, who was still in NXT:

    \”I’m at television and they tell me, ‘Things are kind of changing now. You’re going to be introduced to your new best friend to help you take on the Bloodline because of the numbers games.’ ‘

    Who is this guy?’ ‘Do you know Damian Priest from NXT?’ ‘The guy with arrows?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Well, nothing against him, but no one would believe that we’re best friends. We could not be more opposite. Why? It’s so random.’\”

    He Was Going To Take My Match: Kevin Owens

    Kevin Owens had a highly praised Last Man Standing match with Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021. While WWE would revisit their rivalry later on, the bout was the end of their feud at the time.

    The Canadian star revealed that the idea was for Priest to get the match with The Tribal Chief instead and Owens was understandably not a fan:

    \”Turns out, somebody threw this idea out there and it stuck for about five minutes before I said no. I didn’t want to be friends with him on TV. Maybe real life, let’s start somewhere.

    He was going to take my match. It was going to be him vs. Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. I was incensed. I said no. For what it’s worth, I didn’t derail his career, he was on the main roster like two weeks later.”

    Damian Priest would end up making his Raw debut on the night after Royal Rumble. He was paired with Bad Bunny and the two teamed against The Miz and John Morrison for a match at WrestleMania that year.

  • Rumor Killer On Karrion Kross\’ Backstage Behavior

    A rumor killer on Karrion Kross.

    The former NXT Champion has seen an increase in popularity following his viral worked shoot promo after WrestleMania 41. He has been receiving some of the biggest pops from the crowd since then, and fans online have also praised his recent work despite not getting much screen time.

    The company however, does not seem to have a long-term plan for the 39-year-old, despite fans demanding more for him. A lot of people wondered if there was some backstage issue that was stopping the officials from pushing the heavyweight star. Recently, a rumor picked up that Karrion refuses to bump in his matches.

    This was wild. Karrion Kross mixing promo with his real feelings.

    Goldberg told him to be a good soldier, and being a good soldier got his time cut, and gets your great ideas shot down because they only want good ideas. pic.twitter.com/jbPQViba71

    — Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) April 21, 2025

    Rumor Killer On Karrion Kross

    Fightful Select provided an update on the matter and noted that producers who have worked with Korrion Kross have confirmed that the rumor is false:

    \”Regarding the online discussion of Karrion Kross not bumping that picked up steam, Fightful spoke to multiple people who produced matches of his and they claimed that has never been an issue they\’ve encountered.\”

    The WWE creative under Triple H is known for planning things months in advance, and it\’s been claimed that The Game does not like fans hijacking creative. So it\’s more likely that the company is taking their time factoring Kross into their plans.

    The former Final Testament leader has been booked for his first PPV appearance since WrestleMania 40 at Night of Champions this Saturday. He\’ll be going up against Sami Zayn at the show and it\’s likely that we\’ll see him being featured more prominently on TV after this event.

  • Real Reason Chelsea Green Missed Recent SmackDown Episode

    Chelsea Green missed a recent episode of SmackDown because of an infection.

    The former Women’s US Champion was originally scheduled to compete in a Queen of the Ring first-round match at the June 13 episode of SmackDown. During the show, however, Green facetimed General Manager Nick Aldis and claimed that she couldn’t find a suitable flight for the ‘one-horse town’ of Lexington, Kentucky.

    Now a new report from Fightful Select has provided some update on this angle. They noted that the WWE Diva was originally willing to compete in the match despite a broken nose.

    Chelsea Green, however, ended up with a sinus infection before the specific SmackDown episode. The former champion experienced hearing loss and had to be sent to the emergency room because of which she was pulled from the match.

    Though the female star was able to get back on her feet quickly. She was back on TV the next week, and producers were complimentary of her quick turnaround.

    Alba Fyre ended up replacing Green in the fatal four-way against Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Candice LeRae at the show.

    Bliss was victorious in this bout, and she went on to face Asuka in the semi-finals of the tournament. It was the Japanese star who advanced from there, and she will now face Jade Cargill in the finals at Night of Champions this Saturday.

  • MJF Makes Surprise MLW Appearance To Continue AEW Feud

    MJF has returned to his old stomping grounds.

    The AEW star has been involved in a feud with CMLL\’s Místico in recent weeks. He was part of a controversial segment with the Masked star during AEW\’s recent visit to Arena Mexico, which even led to a fan attacking Maxwell after the show.

    The two stars met once again to continue their rivalry this week, though the place for this interaction was one which people would not have expected.

    Mistico was part of a segment at MLW Summer of the Beasts in New York City this Thursday night. He came out to address Ikuro Kwon of the Contra Unit at the show who he has been feuding with as well.

    MJF Returns To MLW

    Before the Luchador could say anything, the goon squad came out to attack him. Mistico was able to clear everyone out but he was then taken out by someone wearing a Contra mask.

    Everyone thought this was Kwon at first, but the mystery star removed the Contra mask to reveal a Mistico mask underneath. Under the second mask was none other than MJF himself.

    The former AEW Champion, who has long history in MLW, then cut a promo saying that he was not done with Mistico. Max claimed that he will beat the CMLL star within an inch of his life when they wrestle again.

    While not confirmed, it\’s likely that these two stars will face each other at the upcoming All In Texas PPV set for July 12.

  • Roman Reigns Lands Movie Role That Would Affect His WWE Schedule For 2025

    Roman Reigns is set for a big movie role.

    The Tribal Chief has expressed interest in pursuing a Hollywood career on numerous occasions, saying that it would be a waste not to use the skills he has learned in pro wrestling for an acting career. Now it appears that the former WWE Champion is actually making moves to make the transition happen.

    Hollywood Reporter recently provided an update on the cast for the upcoming Live Action Street Fighter movie, revealing that rapper 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson has joined the cast. Other names attached to the project include Jason Momoa, and Noah Centineo.

    The article also noted that Roman Reigns, real name Joe Anoa’i, is also on the roll call for this upcoming project. He is set to play the role of Akuma.

    This isn\’t the only recent movie role for the wrestling star as he has a part in the upcoming heist comedy The Pickup, which is set to release in August.

    There have been rumblings of the Head of the Table returning to WWE programming soon to start the build for the two-night SummerSlam event.

    The Street Fighter movie, however, is expected to begin production in August in Australia. This likely means that Reigns\’ WWE return would be short-lived, and he will be off TV again after the biggest party of the Summer.

  • Keith Lee Assures Fans He Is Fine, Says AEW Return Is Out of His Hands

    Keith Lee says he is doing fine.

    The AEW star has been on a prolonged absence from TV with very little information about his status and a potential return timetable.

    The 40-year-old broke his recent silence about his status on social media when a fan noted that he misses the wrestling star. The fan hoped that Lee is taking care of himself to which he replied that he is doing fine and his return is out of his hands:

    \”Again, I am quite fine. It is not up to me when it comes to a return. But blessings to you as well.\”

    The fan suggested that they should start a campaign to get Keith Lee back on TV if creative issues are at the helm of his AEW absence. The former WWE star however noted that something like that is not required:

    \”I\’ve been good for quite some time, though I do appreciate the concern. But no campaign required. Things happen the way they are suppose to, and eventually, the purpose will show itself.\”

    Keith Lee has not been seen in a wrestling ring since December 2023 when he wrestled on an episode of Collision. The heavyweight star was scheduled to fight Swerve Strickland at the Worlds End PPV that year but he was pulled from the bout.

    The AEW star announced at the time that he was dealing with an injury and would have to get double surgery at the start of 2024. There has been no solid update on his status ever since.

  • Rhea Ripley Reveals Injury She Has Been Living With For Years

    Rhea Ripley has revealed an injury that has been bugging her.

    The Mami spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently. During the interview, she talked about things such as how working with Judgment Day and Dominik Mysterio was a turning point for her main roster run, how she never envisioned herself to have this kind of success in wrestling and more.

    Most wrestlers are dealing with atleast some kind of physical issue at any given time. When asked if there is anything that is bothering her right now, Rhea Ripley revealed that she has been dealing with lower back pain:

    “Normally my lower back, especially lately, I don’t know what’s been going on. I think it actually started from the match I had with Raquel in NXT, where she gave me the back body drop onto the announce table, but we undershot it and I hit the very edge of the table, like right on my lower back.\”

    Rhea Ripley Almost Missed WrestleMania 41

    Rhea Ripley squared off against Raquel Rodriguez a number of times during their NXT tenure. Their last singles match under the banner came during the New Year\’s Evil special in 2021 where Raquel defeated the former champion in a Last Woman Standing match.

    The former Judgment Day star revealed that she has a masseuse who has been helping her through her injury and has kept her going:

    \”After that, my lower back was never the same. But I mean, I do whatever I can to try and make it better. I have a masseuse Matthew come over and he works on it.

    He helps stretch me out, and puts my hips back in line pretty much, and just fixes all that. And thank God for him that he comes over to help. Because sometimes it gets really bad. I didn’t think that I would be able to wrestle at WrestleMania 41.”

    The 28-year-old noted that her back pain was really bad leading up to WrestleMania 41 and she had to bring her masseuse to Las Vegas for the show. He worked on her back on days leading up to the PPV, without which she wouldn\’t have been able to wrestle at the event.

  • Rhea Ripley Names Turning Point of Her Main Roster Run

    Rhea Ripley has revealed the turning point of her WWE career on the main roster.

    The former Women\’s Champion recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. She talked about things such as never thinking she would become as big of a star, the back injury she has been living with and more.

    During the interview, The Mami also discussed how being paired with Judgment Day and Dominik Mysterio changed her career. Rhea Ripley explained that it made her open up as a performer:

    \”I think that was like another turning point in my career, being partnered with Dom and also being a part of the Judgment Day. It made me open up as a performer. It made me have to work a lot more because I was doing nine segments in a 16-segment show. Sometimes more.\”

    I Had No Time To Think: Rhea Ripley

    Rhea Ripley explained that Vince McMahon did not understand her character when she first came to main roster. Despite everyone\’s saying that she was a babyface, the former Chairman booked the female star as a heel based on her looks. The former champion noted how she found it hard to connect with the audience due to the adverse booking.

    Things changed after she joined the Judgment Day in 2022. The faction\’s popularity led to her being part of many different stories and angles. The partnership with Dirty Dom then further helped her character transform:

    \”We were doing everything as a part of Judgment Day. I was running around helping Finn and Damian, and then helping Dom and doing promos, making business deals, wrestling myself, doing women’s storylines. And I was just like, I had no time to think about absolutely anything. I just had to go. I was like, What do I need to do? Cool. Going live in 3, 2, 1, do what you got to do.\”

    The former Judgment Day member also revealed that she originally wanted to push The Papi nickname for her but ended up being called The Mami instead.

  • Rhea Ripley On Her Success: \’I Forget Who I Am Sometimes\’

    Rhea Ripley never thought she would become this successful in wrestling.

    The Mami recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. She talked about things such as the back injury she has been living with, working with Dominik Mysterio and Judgement Day and more.

    During the interview, the former Women\’s Champion was asked if she thought the kind of success she has gotten was even possible. Ripley recalled her tryout for Riot City Wrestling in Australia and discussed how their coach told everyone on the very first day that the WWE dream was not realistic:

    \”I’ve always been someone that likes a challenge, but I never thought that I would be able to make it as far as I’ve come.

    Even by the time that I did get signed and I moved to America and I started NXT, I never thought that the name Rhea Ripley would be as big as it is now, and it’s just wild to see, especially the last couple years how much I’ve blown up.\”

    I Get Mad: Rhea Ripley

    Rhea Ripley explained that even now she sometimes forgets that she is a celebrity. She still gets annoyed with the attention of the people, and the first thought in her mind in such scenarios is wondering if something is wrong with her appearance:

    \”I forget who I am sometimes. I’m walking around and I’m like why are these people looking at me? Do I look like a 13-year-old boy? Just staring at me because I look stupid, what is wrong with me right now? Is my hair staticing to my face or something?

    Why are they looking at me? And I get mad. I’m like, look away. Take a photo. It’ll last longer. And then I’m like oh sh*t. They probably know who I am.\”

    The WWE star later reiterated how people staring at her makes her mad sometimes because she doesn\’t remember her popularity. If she did, she would be nicer to people and even invite them for photos.

  • SmackDown Star In Line For Push (Report)

    A WWE star is expected to get a big push in the coming times.

    Damian Priest has solidified himself as a main eventer for the company in the last couple of years with his work with the Judgment Day as well as his world title reign.

    Now PWInsider has provided an update on another star who has been receiving praise in the creative circles within the promotion in recent times.

    According to them, the same source that reported on Priest\’s push a couple of years ago is now saying that the management has been discussing about raising the profile of Aleister Black the same way.

    The former NXT Champion returned to the company in April this year, after a four-year stint with AEW. He was leading the House of Black faction in Tony Khan\’s promotion but had very few singles matches.

    WWE has reestablished Black as a singles star since returning to the company. Per the report, the officials have been happy with both his work and merchandise sales. This is the reason he has been interacting with many personalities in recent times.

    Aleister Black most recently wrestled in a first-round King of The Ring fatal four-way, which was won by Randy Orton. We\’ll have to see what the company has in store for him next.

  • Blake Monroe Reveals \’Greatest Achievement of Her Life\’ In Emotional Video

    Blake Monroe has named the greatest achievement of her life.

    The star previously known as Mariah May left AEW in May this year, ending her 2-year run with the company. She ended up making her NXT debut only a few days later during the June 3 episode of the show.

    The former Women\’s World Champion recently posted a video she had recorded shortly before making her debut for the development brand. The English star first discussed how joining WWE had always been her goal, but she did not think that the possibility was real even after moving to America:

    \”I never really thought I would be in WWE. I don\’t know if I felt not good enough or there were different plans for me because wrestling is amazing and there are so many different experiences and things you can do, which is so great. I felt a little dejected at the end of last year and I didn\’t know it was an option for me.\”

    To Be Part of WWE: Blake Monroe

    The 26-year-old noted that she started training again at the end of last year. She went to Shawn Spears & Tyler Breeze\’s Flatbacks Wrestling school, which helped renew her passion for wrestling. This is when the possibility became real:

    \”I didn\’t think I was going to be in WWE and it still doesn\’t really feel real to me. This is maybe, thus far, the greatest achievement of my life, to be a part of WWE.\”

    Monroe also thanked all the fans and members of her family for always supporting her and making the realization of her dream possible.

  • Tag Team Match With Unique Stipulation Teased For All In Texas, Updated Card

    A new tag team match with an interesting stipulation has been teased for the upcoming AEW All In: Texas PPV next month.

    This week\’s episode of Dynamite continued the build for the upcoming show. The opening match of the night saw the team of Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay defeating Blake Christian and Lee Johnson. The Young Bucks were at the ringside for the bout.

    The Bucks had a faceoff with Ospreay and Strickland after the bell, who went on to challenge the EVPs to a match at All In. Just before the closing of the segment, Ospreay threw in an interesting stipulation, saying that the AEW founders should put their Executive positions on the line for this match.

    Apart from this, the company confirmed during Dynamite that the duo of Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight will be challenging The Hurt Syndicate for the Tag Team Championships at the show.

    AEW All In Texas Updated Match Card

    The June 25 episode also saw Kris Statlander and Mark Briscoe picking singles victory to earn the First Entrant Slot in their respective Gauntlet matches at the upcoming PPV. Here is the updated card for the show:

    • AEW Women\’s World Championship Match: \”Timeless\” Toni Storm (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
    • AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. \”Hangman\” Adam Page
    • Title Unification Match: Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. International Champion Kenny Omega
    • Tag Team Championship Match: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. JetSpeed (Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight)
    • Men\’s Casino Gauntlet Match For AEW World Title Shot
    • Women\’s Casino Gauntlet Match For Women\’s World Title Shot

    All In Texas will take place from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas next month on July 12. Bryan Danielson is also expected to be at the show.

  • Championship Match And More Announced For Dynamite 300

    AEW has announced a couple of big matches for next week\’s episode of Dynamite.

    The wrestling promotion will be celebrating the 300th episode of their Premiere weekly show at the July 2 episode of Dynamite from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Canada next week.

    The company has announced that the Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada will be in action at the event, and he\’ll be going up against none other than Kota Ibushi.

    This comes only days after Ibushi made his wrestling return during this past Saturday\’s Collision, after nearly 2 years of TV absence. He made his in-ring debut for the company this week, defeating Trent Beretta in a singles match at the June 25 Dynamite.

    This isn\’t the only match announced for the show. The promotion has also confirmed that the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will be defending her title against Mina Shirakawa next Wednesday night.

    Both of the champions announced for the show are set to compete in big matches at the upcoming All In: Texas event on July 12. Okada will be facing arch-rival and reigning International Champion Kenny Omega. Both titles will be on the line for this unification bout.

    Mone, on the other hand, would be looking to add another belt to her collection when she challenges Toni Storm for the AEW Women\’s World Title at the show. If Mercedes is planned to win the bout, it\’s possible that she\’ll drop the TBS belt on Dynamite 300 before the PPV.

  • John Cena Confirms WWE Changed Original Plans For His Retirement Run

    John Cena has confirmed that they have had to change the original story for his final run.

    The Cenation Leader had shown signs of his heel turn early in his final run when Jey Uso eliminated him to win the Royal Rumble. The entry of The Rock in his story, however, changed things up. Many believe that the company had to alter the direction of Cena\’s story to fit in with the vision of The Great One.

    The 17-time world champion talked about these changes during a recent interview with Collider. He was asked how far in advance WWE plans their storylines. John Cena mentioned how he has done many different things as an entertainer and claimed that there is no more adaptable form of storytelling than wrestling:

    \”There is no more adaptable form of storytelling than WWE. WWE can change a story as it happens live. You\’re seeing, so far over the farewell tour dates, the 18 of 36 so far, we\’ve made a ton of pivots, a ton of pivots right there in the moment.”

    The Audience Will Begin To Feel Differently: John Cena

    John Cena\’s story has seen another change in the form of R-Truth. The Attitude Era star was originally expected to wrap up his WWE run with his Saturday Night\’s Main Event match against his childhood hero last month. The negative reaction to his release, however, forced the company to bring Truth back, and he has since continued his story with The Peacemaker star.

    The Hollywood star told people that more such pivots should be expected as he enters the second half of his retirement tour. He explained that the decision of what to change and what to keep is dictated by the audience:

    \”As we get close to the end of this thing, what dictates those pivots is the audience, and I think the audience will begin to feel differently, because now we are truly coming to the end.

    So, if you ever had a voice to use, if you ever wanted to say something, I hate to steal my own cliché, but the time is now. I look forward to the road ahead because the audience is going to dictate the direction we go.\”

    The WWE Champion is set to defend his title against arch rival CM Punk in presumably their last encounter at the upcoming Night of Champions PPV from Saudi Arabia on June 28.