SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Sean Waltman Dubs Classic Encounter \’Greatest Match I\’ve Ever Had\’

    There are a lot of people who had the best match of their career against Bret Hart and Sean Waltman is one of them.

    The WWE Hall of Famer recently appeared on the No Contest Wrestling podcast. He talked about things such as DX invading WCW, the effect of the Curtain Call on the wrestling world, and more.

    They also talked about Waltman\’s famous 1994 match with Bret Hart. Waltman who was very new to the business still, challenged Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Title. While he did not win the match, Sean gave an incredible performance and many believe the bout to be his star-making moment.

    Sean Waltman, known as The 1-2-3 Kid at the time noted how Bret Hart worked the match as a heel despite being a babyface at the time to make sure the fans got behind him:

    \”Bret was so giving in that match man. I mean he didn\’t turn heel, but like he was the heel in that fucking match. He was on me. He made sure that people were behind me. That was like, you know, I mean he\’s the top babyface in the company so it\’s like – thank you.\”

    Greatest Match I\’ve Ever Had: Sean Waltman

    The former WWE star discussed how despite being a veteran by that point, Bret Hart took all the offense Sean Waltman threw at him. Per the former DX member, it was the greatest match he ever had:

    \”He let me do all my shit man. He put it in the proper place but yeah, he let me do everything I wanted to do. Some of that shit I never even used to…like I jack-knifed him and yeah. That\’s the greatest match I\’ve ever had. For sure. There\’s like seven minutes missing from the actual match itself. They chopped it up a little bit to fit it into, to fit it into that segment.\”

    Sean Waltman had recently revealed that he was also diagnosed with diverticulitis in 2024 and noted that Kenny Omega helped him through the disease. You can check out his comment on the matter here.

  • Lex Luger Opens Up About Working With DDP

    Lex Luger has opened up about working with DDP.

    The wrestling veteran recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as the passing of miss Elizabeth, his relationship with Eric Bischoff, making his debut on the very first WCW Nitro and more.

    During the interview, Luger went into depth describing his health issues and revealed the moment he finally asked for DDP\’s help. The former World Champion discussed being present for Sting\’s retirement match at Revolution 2024 in Greensboro, North Carolina:

    \”I saw DDP back at Sting’s retirement match that we both were able to go to, which was awesome. I just said, ‘Hey, D. You think we could do maybe a little bit of work on getting a little more movement? I’m pretty much in this chair full time, I’m having trouble just doing everyday stuff and brushing my teeth and to shower, my quality of life’s dropped quite a bit, my energy levels, everything.’\”

    He\’s A Special Guy: Lex Luger

    Lex Luger discussed how he had actually regained a lot of mobility following his original 2008 spinal cord injury after spending 2 years in a rehab center. After he fell down a few times, the doctors convinced him to start using mobility devices to avoid further damage. This change however, led to him losing his confidence and he became dependent for even the most basic day to day tasks.

    Revealing how DDP reacted to his request, the former WCW star said that he was more than willing to help and their friendship has only grown strong since then:

    \”You know DDP, all you got to do is tell him that he goes, ‘Brother, I’ve been waiting for you to come to me on this.’ So we went to work, and we made amazing progress that we were going to reveal to everybody for his incredible partner, Steve and him are documenting, kind of filming it and the progress, and it’s going to be pretty cool. I’m real excited and thankful for what he’s doing with me. Our friendship was always there, but our friendship is growing. So he’s a special guy.”

    Lex Luger seems to be making great progress in his recovery with DDP. A recent video showed that the wrestling veteran is able to stand up on his own and move his body a lot freely than he did before. During the talk, Luger noted that he is able to do the basic tasks like brushing his teeth or getting into the bathroom by himself once again as well.

  • Adam Cole Reveals If He Signalled End of Malakai Black\’s AEW Run During Their Match

    Adam Cole has opened up about his match with Malakai Black.

    The Undisputed Kingdom star recently had an interview with 107.7 The Bone to promote the upcoming Revolution PPV. He talked about things such as his ankle injury, making his AEW debut alongside Bryan Danielson and more.

    During the interview, the AEW star was also asked about sharing a hug with Malakai Black after their Dynamite match last November and if he had any idea about the future plans for the former House of Black leader. Adam Cole explained that it was just two friends sharing a moment after his return from his long hiatus:

    \”No, I really didn\’t. So again I do have a history of working with Malakai. [He\’s] just an unbelievable opponent, an unbelievable guy to step in there with. We\’ve shared a lot of really really cool moments together. So for me all it was, was this personal moment between two guys who have a lot of love and respect for each other.

    I don\’t know anything about or didn\’t know anything about what his plans were and things like that. For me it was just a cool moment with a friend after getting to work together after a long time.\”

    Malakai Black is believed to be on his way out of AEW and reports suggest that he has already finished up with the promotion. If true then it would mean that the Adam Cole match was Black\’s final 1-on-1 match in the company as he only wrestled in a few tag matches after that.

    Cole is currently not booked for a match at the AEW Revolution PPV but the show features a lot of interesting matches including a couple added this week. You can check out more details about the PPV here.

  • Drew McIntyre Reveals Unsaid Comeback to CM Punk’s Vince McMahon Jab

    Drew McIntyre had a nasty reply ready for CM Punk during their infamous promo battle referencing Vince McMahon last year.

    The name of the former Chairman has essentially been banned from WWE programming after ex-employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon accusing him of sexual trafficking among other things.

    This didn\’t stop CM Punk from referencing his former boss during a promo battle with McIntyre on the March 25, 2024 episode of Raw. Punk startled his rival by asking him about being \’The Chosen One,\’ a nickname given to Drew by Vince during his first WWE run.

    On the March 25, 2024, edition of RAW, CM Punk asked Drew McIntyre who gave him the nickname "The Chosen One."

    During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, Drew McIntyre revealed that he wanted to respond to CM Punk by saying the man [Vince McMahon] "that fired you on your… pic.twitter.com/1CdvbEWZpV

    — NOTO Sports (@noto_sports) February 26, 2025

    The Scottish Warrior opened up about what was going through his mind at the time during a new interview with Inside the Ropes. He revealed that he had an equally bold response that he refrained from saying out loud:

    \”What’s going through my mind is: \’The same person that fired you on your wedding day.\’ But I’m a professional.\”

    For The Company: Drew McIntyre

    CM Punk infamously got the papers of his WWE firing after his 2014 walkout on the day of his wedding with AJ Lee. In an interview with Steve Austin, Vince McMahon later claimed that the whole thing was an accident and apologized to Punk.

    Drew McIntyre claimed that the whole promo battle was off the cuff with two guys who genuinely disliked each other going at it. Still, he refrained from the retort for the benefit of the company:

    \”It was a choice for me to make. Do I go back and then we see where we end up? Or do I bite my tongue and say OK, this round belongs to you. I’ll be a professional. I’ll do it for the company as well as the de facto babyface, even though I’m really the real babyface of the situation. So I let him have it. For the company, not for him.”

    Drew McIntyre will be competing in the Elimination Chamber match this Saturday. This comes only days after the former champion had to get his knee drained. You can check out what McIntyre said about his knee before the PPV here.

  • WWE Changing Saudi Arabia Schedule For 2025

    WWE will be making a change to their Saudi schedule this year to accommodate bringing Royal Rumble to the Kingdom next year.

    The company has held two PPV events on Saudi soil since the beginning of its 10-year deal with the country in 2018, with the exception of the COVID years in 2020 and 2021.

    During the 2024 TKO fourth quarter earnings call this week, however, CFO Andrew Schleimer revealed that the company will only hold one event in the Middle East this year, and make up for it in 2026:

    \”Our guidance for 2025 includes one PLE in Saudi Arabia, compared to two PLEs in 2024. This results in an unfavorable impact to our 2025 plan of approximately $55 million of total company revenue. We expect to host three PLEs in Saudi Arabia in 2026, including Royal Rumble,\”

    WWE has already announced the 2026 Royal Rumble event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season. So far, the company has not confirmed the date for the 2025 Saudi event.

    TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE is expanding its partnership with the Saudi government in other ways as well. Their other major promotion UFC held their second big Saudi event in UFC Fight Night 250 earlier this month.

    Apart from this, the company is also nearing an agreement to start a brand-new combat sports league with the help of the country\’s Public Investment Fund. You can check out more details on the matter here.

  • Top WWE Star Set For Chris Bey Benefit Show Alongside Former AEW Champion

    WWE has opened the door for collaborations with other promotions since Triple H took over creative but this new approach will be reaching a whole new level when Karrion Kross appears alongside AEW talents for a show.

    Future Stars of Wrestling announced on Twitter that the former NXT Champion will be returning to the company for their March 23 show. The event titled \’Benefit For Bey\’ will be raising funds to assist TNA star Chris Bey after his neck injury last year in October:

    The show will also feature multiple top AEW stars in the lineup including former AEW Champion Swerve Strickland and Brian Cage. Other names announced for the event include John Morrison, Rich Swann, Sam Adonis, Rhyno, Ace Austin and more.

    Chris Bey suffered the neck injury during last year\’s post-Bound For Glory TV tapings. He was competing in a tag team match against The Hardy Boyz while an awkward fall resulted in him having to be stretchered out of the arena.

    The 29-year-old star had to undergo emergency surgery for the injury that had left him temporarily paralyzed. He spent a week in ICU after undergoing operation for spinal cord fusion (C6-C7 and C6-T1).

    The TNA star provided a positive update on his recovery earlier this month, revealing that he is able to stand up and walk on his own again. Bay still has a long way to go in his recovery. You can check out ways to help the injured star here.

  • Sonya Deville Is Unsure If Wrestling Career Is Over After WWE Departure

    Sonya Deville has commented on her wrestling future following the abrupt end to her decade-long WWE career earlier this month.

    The now-former WWE star appeared on Made It Out podcast recently. She talked about things such as growing up in a small town, how she got her break in wrestling, coming out on WWE TV and more.

    Talking about her future, Deville noted that she is still processing her release and does not have all the answers yet. The former Absolution member revealed that she booked her first big movie project the same week she got released, and the former champion is not sure if she will be returning to the ring or not:

    \”I don\’t know if wrestling is over for me yet, so that\’s something that I\’m figuring out right now too and I\’m giving myself the time to really decide what the next moves are. But we have some really fun things in the works that I\’m excited to share with everybody.\”

    Everything Is Going To Be Okay: Sonya Deville

    Sonya Deville had been talking to WWE about a potential new contract and given the impression that she would be re-signed shortly before officials told her that her deal would not be renewed. Despite how things turned out, however, the former NXT star is not bitter about the situation:

    \”I\’m very in the mentality of nothing happens to you, it happens for you. So I don\’t have an ounce of anger, regret. Even the sadness, the sadness is just missing the moments, but the sadness isn\’t like, \’Oh my God, I want to be back there right this second.\’ It truly isn\’t. It\’s Like \’No, I\’m so at peace with What\’s happening because I\’m such a strong believer in the Universe.\’ Whatever the powers that be are, I\’m a believer. Because I know that everything is going to be okay.\”

    While Sonya Deville herself does not sound too worried about her WWE departure, the abrupt end of her run has led to concerns among other female roster members. You can check out an update on how the locker room feels here.

  • Vince McMahon Originally Wanted Brock Lesnar To Assume Failed Gimmick Of Ex WWE Star

    Matt Morgan has revealed that his horrible stuttering gimmick was originally meant for The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar.

    The wrestler-turned-politician recently had an interview with Jonathan Coachman on his YouTube channel. They talked about things such as Morgan\’s journey to sobriety, his time in WWE and TNA, and more.

    During the interview, the 48-year-old recalled the stuttering gimmick given to him back in 2005. He told the story of Vince McMahon pitching the gimmick and his initial reaction to it:

    \”He goes, \’Could you imagine? You, six feet, whatever you are, six ten, six eleven, you\’ve all these physical, body perfections, and you have that Achilles\’ heel to you that nobody sees coming. And you start to stutter.\’ And I\’m like, \’With respect sir, I graduated top of my class in college with a public speaking degree. Are you sure?\’\”

    The Next Big Stutterer

    During the interview, Matt Morgan also discussed how Vince had been obsessed with the gimmick for some time. According to him, the boss originally wanted to give the character to Brock Lesnar:

    \”Vince trying to sell the stuttering character, he actually wanted to put this on Brock Lesnar as God as my witness. He wanted to find somebody that\’s jacked and has all these great physical attributes. That looks like a warrior as he put it. But that when they opened their mouth there was this verbal imperfection. Coach we could have had \’The next Big Stutterer.\’\”

    Morgan debuted the stuttering gimmick in April 2005, defeating then-unknown Matt Cardona in his debut. He then aligned himself with Carlito as his backup in May. The gimmick did not last long and Morgan was released from his contract in July that year after Carlito was drafted to Raw.

  • Mercedes Mone Opens Up About \’Darkness\’ Surrounding Her WWE Departure

    Mercedes Mone has detailed her mental health struggles following her WWE departure.

    The current AEW star recently had an interview with fellow Mandalorian star Katee Sackhoff. She opened up about her departure from the promotion then owned by Vince McMahon during the talk. Mone noted how it was not an easy decision because it meant potentially saying goodbye to the Sasha Banks character forever.

    Mercedes Mone explained that she wasn\’t sure what to do even after her departure and her run in Japan was a way for her to figure out if she still wanted to continue wrestling. When asked if she considered leaving the business for good, the wrestling star revealed that she did have those thoughts:

    \”I did. I did because of how hurt I was by it and how much it drove me into a place of darkness. I couldn\’t believe something that brought me so much light in my life, that saved me so many times when I was a kid, brought me so much darkness.

    I was just like \’I don\’t want to feel like this.\’ I don\’t want to have so much stress where I\’m legit killing myself because of all the stress that I\’m creating or the sadness that I\’m bringing to myself because of this bad constant mental talk in my head.\”

    A Lot of Healing: Mercedes Mone

    The former Sasha Banks had been frustrated with her booking for a long time before she finally decided to quit WWE in May 2022. The decision was not an easy one, however, and the former WWE star struggled with it for a long time.

    Thankfully in the end, Mercedes Mone decided not to give in to those voices. She decided that she would continue pursuing her dreams instead of letting people who wanted her to quit win:

    \”So just a lot of healing. Just a lot of healing and I told myself \’No, this is still what I freaking love. I love wrestling. I still have the same goal of when I was 10 years old. No one\’s going to take that away.\’ I felt like at this time maybe they want to see me gone forever.

    Maybe people want to see me disappear and I\’m like \’I can\’t give that to people. I can\’t give up on myself and I can\’t give up on my dream. I still have so much light and passion for this and such a chase and a drive.\’\”

    Mercedes Mone also discussed potential retirement from wrestling and noted that she wants to start setting up her post-retirement career soon. You can check out her comments on the matter here.

  • Mercedes Mone Is Looking To Set Up Post Retirement Career In Wrestling

    Mercedes Mone is not thinking about hanging her wrestling boots anytime soon but she definitely wants to take more time off to pursue her other interests and set up a post-wrestling career.

    The wrestling veteran had already started exploring outside roles during her time in WWE, staring in Star Wars series The Mandalorian. She has only expanded her scope following her departure from the company in 2022, having made both her modelling and film debut since then.

    The TBS Champion was asked if she has thought about her retirement from in-ring action during a recent interview with Katee Sackhoff. Mercedes Mone claimed that she is scared of the thought of hanging her wrestling boots, though she does want to start taking more time off to try out new things:

    \”You\’re giving me goosebumps. That scares me, I don’t want to think about the word retirement but I do think about slowing down because I’ve been doing it for so long and aches and pains start to catch up and different dreams start to happen.

    Life starts to grow and I just have so many more dreams that I want to go pursue and chase and go accomplish while I still can, being young and feeling good and having my body feel good.\”

    I Really Enjoy The Process of Creating: Mercedes Mone

    Mercedes Mone later explained that she wants to stay connected to the wrestling world long after she has stopped competing. The current TBS Champion noted that she enjoys the creative process of putting together matches and it\’s something she\’d like to continue doing:

    \”I don’t want to put a time frame of when that exact moment I will slow down, but I know sooner than later, I definitely want to take more time to pursue other things and just really set that place of what am I going to do when I’m done wrestling.

    What’s going to bring me the most joy, what is still my passion, and I still love this business so much so I always want to be a part of it whether that’s being a producer or a coach which is putting the matches together and creating something or just always being involved with that,

    I really enjoy the process of creating and forming matches and I feel like I’m really good at that, especially for a women. So I feel like when I’m done with wrestling, that’s an aspect or avenue that I want to go into.\”

  • \’Maybe It\’ll All End Here\’: The Hardy Boyz React To NXT Debut

    The Hardy Boyz are back at their \’birthplace.\’

    The legendary tag team returned to WWE programming on this week\’s NXT. The duo defeated Tavion Heights and Myles Borne in their NXT debut.

    They were asked how they feel about the return in a backstage interview after the show. Matt Hardy was the first to comment and said that it feels like being back home where their historic career began:

    \”It feels incredible. It\’s extremely flattering. I mean, we returned home. We\’re back at our birthplace. WWE will always be our home. It will always be our birthplace.

    Without WWE, we wouldn\’t be who we are and we are blessed to have had this 33-year-long career and coming back in NXT, making our debut, wrestling on live television. It was an absolute honor, an absolute blast and thank you for having us.\”

    It\’s Where It All Began: Jeff Hardy

    Jeff Hardy then said that it\’s very surreal to be back where it all began for them. Hardy, who has been open about his desire to end his career in WWE, claimed that it might be where it all ends:

    \”Amen. Yeah, this is very surreal. It\’s good to be back. It\’s where it all began. Maybe it\’ll all end here, but for right now we\’re Total Nonstop Action, baby. Mixing it up with NXT and the WWE. It don\’t get much better.\”

    The Hardy Boyz were confronted by NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom and Nathan Frazer after their bout. Santino Marella then announced that the TNA tag team champions would defend their titles at the upcoming Roadblock event. You can check out the other matches that were made official for the show tonight here.

  • The Hardy Boyz Defence, Title vs Title And More Confirmed For NXT Roadblock

    The Hardy Boyz are set for Madison Square Garden return.

    NXT is set to hold the Roadblock event from The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on March 11. The company made multiple big matches official for this show during tonight\’s episode of the development brand.

    After Moose successfully defended the X Division Championship against Lexis King, the current NXT Champion Oba Femi came out to confront the TNA star. Femi announced that the former NFL star would be facing him for the NXT title at the upcoming show.

    Elsewhere in the show, Women\’s Champion Giulia came out to confront the NXT Women\’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer after the latter defeated Karmen Petrovic in a title match.

    The Japanese star first congratulated Vaquer and then declared that she wanted to know who the best champion was. She then challenged the Mexican star to a title vs. title match at the upcoming show.

    The Hardy Boyz Set For NXT Roadblock

    Potentially the biggest match that was announced during the night was of The Hardy Boyz. The TNA tag team champions defeated Tavion Heights and Myles Borne in their WWE in-ring return at the February 25 show.

    The NXT tag champs Axiom and Nathan Frazer came out looking for a fight with the legendary tag team after this. TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella then announced that The Hardys will defend their titles against the NXT team at the upcoming PPV.

    With multiple crossover matches, the upcoming event is becoming a must-watch show. It\’d be interesting to see if the Hardy Boyz stick around WWE programming after Roadblock.

  • Kurt Angle Explains Why He Doesn’t Shy Away From His Dark Past

    Many wrestlers from the Attitude Era battled with issues like addiction but a lot of them do not like to talk about it. Kurt Angle is different, however, as the Olympic Gold Medallist does not shy away from discussing his past mistakes. He is very open about his pill and alcohol addiction through his early WWE and TNA days.

    The WWE Hall of Famer recently had an interview with TribLive to talk about a new movie about his life that is in the works. The film will focus on Angle\’s journey from his childhood through his victory in the Olympics.

    During the interview, Kurt Angle also talked about his past demons and explained that he always talks about it in hopes that people will learn from his mistakes:

    “It is important I use that platform to be able to talk about my life story and hopefully help people out by talking about mistakes I’ve made about my addiction, how I overcame that, and what I had to do to make that happen,”

    I\’m Happy To Motivate People: Kurt Angle

    Kurt Angle explained that he wants people dealing with similar issues to take inspiration from his own journey and know that they can also get their life in order if they try:

    “I am a pretty open book about my life. I want to share that with people to hopefully give them motivation to go ahead and get their lives in order if it has turned into a mess.

    I tell them my story and how I have been clean and sober for more than 14 years. I get a lot of great responses. I am just happy to be able to motivate people to better their lives.”

    The wrestling legend had recently detailed his mindset during those times and opened up about the passing of his sister due to drug overdose. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

  • Drew McIntyre Provides Update On His Knee Before Elimination Chamber

    Drew McIntyre has opened up about getting his knee drained and his status for Elimination Chamber this Saturday.

    The Scottish Warrior wrestled a singles match against Jimmy Uso on this past Friday\’s SmackDown. In an Instagram story, the WWE star revealed that he had to get his knee drained 45 minutes before the bout that opened the show.

    The former World Champion was asked if he has any concerns about the knee during a media call to promote Saturday\’s PLE. McIntyre noted that the doctor was not thrilled about the whole thing but he does not have a lot of concerns:

    \”I mean, I have no concerns with the knee personally. I couldn\’t bend it fully, unfortunately, and I told the doctor, \’Listen, like let\’s get this fluid out.\’ He wasn\’t exactly over the moon about it, but medically it was safe or I wouldn\’t have done it in the first place. But it was legitimately 45 minutes before the match. I told him, \’This is going to hinder me in the match.\’\”

    You Don\’t Have To Hand Me A Thing: Drew McIntyre

    Drew McIntyre unfortunately ended up losing the bout against Jimmy Uso. He then brutally attacked the Bloodline member after the bell. Talking about his post-match actions and the upcoming Elimination Chamber match, he said that he wouldn\’t miss the PPV even if he had to duct tape himself together for it:

    \”I\’m not one to make excuses, I\’m not going to say that\’s why Jimmy got himself the biggest victory of his damn career and had his WrestleMania moment at my expense, but yeah, to put it simply, I\’m not a pussy. A lot of the guys are now.

    I said get that out. I\’ve got a show to put on. I\’ve got a performance to do and this is affecting me, so we took that fluid out. I got in the ring and I did my job. I left Jimmy not looking like a winner, that\’s for sure. I\’ll be good by Elimination Chamber.

    If I have to tape myself together to get in the ring with the likes of Punk, Seth, and John Cena, people I really want to be in there with. Show the world that Drew McIntyre belongs on top. You don\’t have to hand me a thing, I\’ll keep taking and taking and taking and showing why I belong on top. That\’s a match I\’m not going to miss, if I have to hold myself together with duct tape.\”

    Drew McIntyre will be entering the Elimination Chamber cage hoping to win a shot at Cody Rhodes\’ WWE Championship at WrestleMania. You can check out more details about the show here.

  • Kayla Braxton Recalls Her Disastrous Bump Class Experience In WWE

    Kayla Braxton has detailed her reaction to her only bump in WWE.

    The former WWE broadcaster recently had an interview with After We Wrap podcast. She talked about things such as working with Roman Reigns in WWE, her love for horror movies, and more.

    During the interview, Braxton also told the story of her only bump in WWE. She revealed that announcers used to have to take bump classes to protect themselves from any unforeseen incidents in the ring:

    \”The announcers used to have to take a bump class just in case we\’re in the ring and something went wrong we had to learn how to fall without getting hurt, in our high heels.

    So I put on, I don\’t know if you ever saw tough enough, but I had a tough enough helmet to make sure I was all locked in. Michael Cole was watching me with his camera because he thought it would be really funny to show everybody.\”

    They Make It Look Easy: Kayla Braxton

    Unfortunately for Kayla Braxton, she forgot the basic rule for taking bumps and ended up getting the wind knocked out of her:

    \”Then I fell on my back and I didn\’t tuck, you have to tuck your chin and I didn\’t tuck my chin so my neck snaps back. Felt like I got hit by a truck. I crawled away whimpering.

    That was the only time I ever took a bump. Anytime someone\’s like, \’Would you ever consider getting in the ring and wrestling?\’ \’No, absolutely not.\’ It\’s terrible. But they make it look easy.\”

    Kayla Braxton ended her 8-year-long WWE run in July last year. According to her, she had outgrown her role in the company and decided to end her tenure to be able to pursue other projects.

  • WWE Employees Gutted About Stalling Compensations As CEO Ari Emanuel Reaches Billionaire Status

    WWE has been experiencing a period of record growth and posting unprecedented profits but the benefits of this boom do not seem to be far-reaching within the organization. A new report from Wrestlenomics has chronicled multiple issues that have led to a decline in employee morale behind the scenes since the WWE-UFC merger in September 2023.

    A big reason for this merger was to consolidate services under the branding of Endeavor, which resulted in significant layoffs in multiple departments at the time.  Since then, the workload for the remaining employees has increased significantly with some people saying that they\’re working 50 to 60 hours per week, particularly during the WrestleMania season. In addition to the responsibility in their WWE role, many have also been assigned additional UFC-related tasks.

    The compensation for employees has not kept up with the increased workload, however, with multiple staff members saying that they\’ve received a meagre 3% cost-of-living raise this year. Many with strong performance reviews, have been told they would not be receiving comparable raises due to budget constraints set by upper management.

    The same constraints do not seem to apply to the top brass, however. In addition to bonuses received by top executives at the time of the merger, the nearly 50% increase in Endeavor Group Holdings shares since the time has helped people in administrative positions amass more wealth. The TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel has reached billionaire status for the first time thanks to this significant increase in share values this month. This is in stark contrast to the cost-of-living raises given to employees which many argue hardly keeps pace with the rising living costs around the areas of WWE Headquarters in Connecticut and New York

    In addition to the limited increase in pay, reducing employee perks has also led to staff members increasingly feeling undervalued, while the management continues to emphasize the value of its workforce in town hall meetings. Some significant perks that have been discontinued include the removal of the peer-recognition initiative called \’WWE Superstar\’, as well as the elimination of complimentary live event tickets for employees.

    This decline is in addition to frustration within the talent side, specifically among the female roster members. It\’s been reported recently that female talents have been frustrated with their WrestleMania build and a recent WWE departure has left many feeling insecure about their position. You can check out more about it here.

  • How Did The Rock\’s Appearance Affect SmackDown TV Ratings

    The Rock returned to WWE last week to cut an awkward promo on Cody Rhodes and help kick the SmackDown ratings into the WrestleMania gear.

    The months after Royal Rumble is usually the period that sees an increased interest in WWE programming as the company builds storylines for the Show of Shows. This hadn\’t been the case for SmackDown whose ratings had more or less been steady in the past few weeks but it changed with the February 21 show.

    Despite The Rock\’s WWE return coming together very quickly, the Great One\’s comeback generated enough buzz for The Blue Branded show to garner 1,736,000 viewers overnight per Programming Insider.

    This is a huge increase for the show from last week\’s 1,384,000 overnight viewers, which featured multiple qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber and an appearance from Cody Rhodes.

    The show also saw an increase in the key 18-49 demo which rose up to 0.51. This is a significant increase from last week\’s 0.42 rating.

    The Rock is not advertised for this week\’s episode of SmackDown but the company will continue to unravel the meaning of his promo on the show.

    The People\’s Champion will return to WWE programming the night after. The Hollywood star has been announced for the Elimination Chamber PPV on March 1, where he will expect an answer from The American Nightmare on his proposal.

  • Carmella Breaks Silence After Unceremonious End To WWE Run

    Carmella has broken her silence for the first time since the unceremonious end of her 12-year run with WWE earlier this month.

    The former Women\’s Champion posted a short video on Instagram thanking fans who have reached out and shown their appreciation since the news broke. She also mentioned how there\’s a lot of uncertainty around her future. The female star noted that she has \’a lot\’ to say and promised to jump on a podcast this week to address her WWE departure in more detail:

    \”Hi guys. I am aware I\’ve been MIA for the last week. If you can\’t tell I\’m so sick. I\’ve been sick for over a week now. There\’s also obviously been a lot happening. Some news broke last week and I just wanted to let you know that I\’ve seen all of your texts and tweets and messages and DMs and like oh my god, you guys are just the best.

    I\’m so grateful for you and everything that you\’ve been saying about Carmella and my career and I\’m so blessed. So thank you. I know there\’s a lot of questions and uncertainty around everything. I will be going on a podcast later this week, answering some of those questions and telling my side because I have a lot to say about the situation. So yes, stay tuned, I\’ll give you the details later when I can and I can\’t wait to fill you guys in.\”

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L3PGkz1AO-s

    The news of Carmella\’s WWE deal expiring first broke out earlier last week. The company then moved her to the alumni section of their website. The former champion herself also changed her name on various social platforms to essentially confirm that the two parties were no longer working together.

    The Staten Island Princess had not been active in the ring since March 2023, when she took maternity leave from the company. She gave birth to a son in November 2023, but health complications arising from childbirth have prevented the wrestling veteran from making an in ring return.

  • Sami Zayn On How Triple H\’s Takeover Has Changed His Relationship With WWE Creative

    Sami Zayn has revealed how his relationship with WWE creative has changed over the years.

    Whether it\’s giving a celebrity like Johnny Knoxville a good match or putting over young stars like Bron Breakker, Zayn is a name that WWE officials always seem to rely on more than most veteran talents on the roster.

    During a recent interview with Flamesnation, the Underdog from The Underground was asked if the creative ever hear no from him for anything they throw at him. Sami Zayn explained that they don\’t hear no but they always hear different ideas:

    \”I don\’t think they hear no, but they hear ideas, that\’s for sure. They hear a lot of them. I think I\’ve been pretty fortunate over the years to have a pretty decent success rate to where it\’s given me a certain amount of equity with them that my ideas will be heard. And again, I\’ll also give a little bit of credit to the sort of change in creative and the creative shift over the years.

    Last couple of years under Triple H, but even a little bit prior to that, just with my relationship with the creative team to where just my voice feels heard. They\’re not gonna do everything I suggest but they don\’t look at it like \’Gosh, these wrestlers giving us these ideas.\’ Some wrestlers might give bad ideas. I hope I\’m not throwing anything bad out there.\”

    Privilege That\’s Earned Over Time: Sami Zayn

    Sami Zayn explained that the equity he has built with the creative over the years has allowed the two parties to be more communicative. His positive reputation is one of the reasons why the former IC Champion is always factored into plans:

    \”So I\’ll throw a lot out there and I really appreciate having a voice that\’s heard and being met or if an idea doesn\’t work, they kind of explain why and \’Hey we want to do this idea instead\’ or whatever and you just go with it.

    But even that\’s sort of like a privilege that\’s earned over time. Because they don\’t write everybody into stories all the time. I feel like over the last 4-5 years I\’ve been consistently written into a story at all times. Then it\’s incumbent on me to just make it work. So that I don\’t know, that\’s not lost on me.\”

  • Sami Zayn Reveals How He Felt Taking The Package Piledriver After So Long

    Sami Zayn has revealed how he felt taking the package piledriver from Kevin Owens again.

    KO and Sami are no strangers to the move, as they used it a lot during their time in the indies. In WWE however, it had been banned for a long time due to its high risk. Owens has brought it back on TV recently since turning heel and both Zayn and Cody Rhodes have been on the receiving end of it in recent weeks.

    The Ultimate Underdog was asked how he felt taking the move after so long during his interview with FN Barn Burner. The 40-year-old claimed that he felt things that he has never felt before when Owens delivered one to him during the February 3 episode of Raw:

    \”Oh my god. Yeah, different ball game. I felt things in my spine that I\’d never felt taking that move. And you know, I used to take that move a lot in my early 20s. My entire 20s, actually, was just me taking that move pretty much. [It] felt very different at 40, no question.\”

    It\’s Time To Solve It: Sami Zayn

    Sami Zayn was also asked if his relationship with Kevin Owens was damaged beyond repair or they could become friends again in the future. The former IC Champion noted that after doing this dance for many years with his real-life best friend, he\’s learned to never say never:

    \”Look I\’ve said before no and I\’ve been wrong. So I don\’t know, maybe I\’m just being emotional when I\’m saying \’No no, this is it, this is it for real.\’ and you know maybe 3-4 years pass, and you kind of start to overlook things. It\’s just kind of how life is I feel. I don\’t know, never say never. I\’ve learned that by now. But I don\’t know. Right now we\’ve got an issue and it\’s time to solve it.\”

    15 years after their first unsanctioned match at ROH Final Battle 2010, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be going to war once again under the stipulation at the upcoming Elimination Chamber: Toronto event on March 1.

  • Mick Foley on WWE\’s Shift from Attitude Era Programming

    It\’s been over 2 decades since the end of The Attitude Era but there are many fans who still begrudge WWE for moving away from the mature themes and eccentric programming of the time. Wrestling legend Mick Foley, however, believes that it happened for a good reason.

    The Wrestling veteran recently had an interview with SportingTalk to promote his 40 years of Mick Foley show. During the interview, he was asked about the evolution of WWE and things being toned down since his active years.

    The WWE Hall of Famer explained that in some ways the matches today are a lot better than past and there is a different kind of danger involved because of how fast-paced some of the moves are. He also discussed how the change was required for WWE to survive because even at the height of the Attitude Era they couldn\’t get sponsors:

    \”When you say toned down, I think the matches are better on a whole than they\’ve ever been. I see danger in a different way. I see things like the fast moves coming off the ropes are things that can hurt ligaments and things like that. So these really quick moves that require lightning speed and strength, they\’re dangerous for your joints and your ligaments.

    But also, I know how frustrated we were in the attitude era that our ratings were through the roof and we couldn\’t get sponsors. Like nobody would touch us. So I definitely understand why WWE moved in the direction they did. They made it more accessible to people not only in United States but around the world. So worldwide wrestling and WWE has never been more popular. And then I think some of the superstars are making a lot of money. And they should.\”

    I Thought I Had 18 Months Shelf Life: Mick Foley

    When asked if he felt he was undervalued or underpaid during his time in WWE, Mick Foley discussed how things could have gone either way had he come up in a different era. The former champion noted that he feels lucky that people remember him after all these years:

    \”Well, I\’m never going to begrudge anybody who gets what they deserve. Yeah, maybe if I\’d come along in a different time. But if I\’d come along at a different time, maybe I wouldn\’t have been utilized as well. I was kind of an outside-the-box type of wrestler and I was lucky that when I got to WWE the powers would be saw something in me and used me really well.

    But I\’m lucky that I can come to Manchester and have people waiting in line to see me. I mean I haven\’t wrestled full time in 25 years. I seriously thought I had a 18-month shelf life before everyone forgot about me. You would have told me that I\’d be making more money for a signing in Manchester than I did main eventing Madison Square Garden. I would have thought you were crazy.\”

  • Female Talents Feel Insecure About WWE Spot After Sonya Deville\’s Abrupt Departure

    Female talents in WWE are not only frustrated with the creative direction heading into WrestleMania but they also feel insecure about their future in the company after the sudden release of Sonya Deville.

    Deville\’s run with WWE came to an abrupt end when officials told her that her contract would not be renewed earlier this month. This came as a surprise to the former champion as she had been in active negotiations with the promotion for a potential new deal.

    Fightful Select in a new update noted that Deville had been told that she would be re-signed 4 days prior to the decision. So her sudden departure has made talents who are not being used much feel insecure about their spot in the company.

    Female talents also feel frustrated at the lack of focus on developing contenders for the various titles and talents lower on the card not getting screen time. The issues are more glaring when compared to NXT where the women\’s roster is given a lot more opportunities to develop characters resulting in the emotional investment of the fans.

    Talents have also pointed out how a lot of the time the same names are featured at the top of the card and in the mid-card title scene as well, instead of lesser used talents getting the spotlight.

    While the new regime gets praise for its focus on long-term storytelling from fans, the talents on the female side don\’t seem to be benefiting a lot from it. According to the report, many have just been told that their time will come and asked to be patient when they inquired about their creative plans.

    With The Rock making a last-minute return to insert himself back into the build for WrestleMania, the card will have to be shuffled around again. So it doesn\’t seem like the concerns of the female division will be addressed anytime soon.

  • Toni Storm Match Made Official For AEW Revolution 2025

    Toni Storm is set for a Hollywood ending at the upcoming AEW Revolution PPV.

    This week\’s episode of AEW Collision opened with Mariah May attacking the AEW Women\’s Champion backstage. May then dragged Storm onto the stage, holding the Women\’s title in her hand.

    The former protege laid out the Timeless star with a Storm Zero. Mariah then asked for the spotlight and cut an intense promo challenging Storm to a Revolution match:

    \”Look what you made me do. You never did know how to write an ending, did you? I guess I\’m going to write one for you. I\’m going to write it in your own blood. This is our spotlight; this is our moment. Let\’s be stars together. At Revolution, let\’s have a Hollywood ending.\”

    AEW Revolution 2025 Updated Match Card

    The match was later made official for the upcoming AEW PPV. Here is the update card for the show:

    • Steel Cage Match: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
    • AEW International Championship Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (with Don Callis) vs. Kenny Omega
    • Singles Match: MJF vs. \”Hangman\” Adam Page
    • AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Cope
    • AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Momo Watanabe
    • AEW Women\’s Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mariah May

    \”Big Boom!\” A.J. is also expected to be in action at the March 9 show but his opponent is yet to be confirmed. The AEW Revolution PPV will be taking place from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

  • Matt Hardy: Jeff Hardy Wants to ‘Right the Wrongs’ in WWE Return

    Matt Hardy says his brother Jeff Hardy wants to \’right the wrongs\’ with his WWE return.

    The Hardy Boyz are set to make a return to WWE programming next week after years. The duo will be representing TNA Wrestling and face off against Tavion Heights and Myles Borne at the February 25 edition of NXT.

    The Broken One opened up about his excitement about the upcoming appearance on his podcast. He revealed that the whole thing came together very quickly and he is not sure where it is headed:

    “Really excited about this, man. All this stuff — even us popping up and responding to that challenge on NXT, that was a very last-minute thing. So it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun.

    I don’t know where this ride’s going. I really don’t want to know where this route is going in all capacities. Because I want, especially whatever we end up doing, I want everything to be as natural and as organic and as real as possible, as authentic as possible.”

    He Wants To Show Them Who He Is: Matt Hardy

    For Jeff Hardy, the return would be a sort of redemption after his infamous walkout during a live event match that led to his WWE release in December 2021. After his failed AEW run, the Charismatic Enigma has expressed interest in making a return to the company in recent times believing that he could retire CM Punk before going into Hall of Fame.

    Matt Hardy also revealed how his brother feels about the comeback claiming that Jeff wants to use the opportunity to show everyone who he really is:

    “He’s very happy to be going back and I feel like he wants to right the wrongs, he wants to leave on a good note, no more erratic behavior. He wants to go back and show them who he is.\”

    The Attitude Era star expressed the belief that WWE waited this long to do something with The Hardys as part of the TNA deal because they wanted to see how Jeff fared in his TNA run.

  • The Rock Reveals Wrestling Moment That Broke His Spirits

    The Rock has revealed the wrestling moment that almost made him quit the business.

    The Great One\’s misadventures as Rocky Maivia is a well-known chapter of wrestling history. Despite being pushed as a babyface in his early days, the fans did not connect with The Hollywood star\’s first wrestling persona at all. WWE put the IC title on him only a few months after his debut in February 1997, but the fans kept booing him out of the building everywhere he went.

    The People\’s Champion remembered this time when asked about a moment that broke his spirits during the post-SmackDown press conference. He specifically remembered getting booed out of the building during his WrestleMania 13 match with Rikishi:

    \”I go into WrestleMania in Chicago at the Horizon at that time. It was sold out and I was the Intercontinental champion. And that entire arena booed me and they were chanting Rocky sucks. And it was very hard. I was just a kid, but also, I was what\’s called a babyface, in wrestling binocular you\’re a good guy. You\’re not supposed to get booed.

    That place, they [booed the shit out of me] that night. So much so I remember being on the mat and the guy I was wrestling was called the Sultan. He\’s actually a family member of mine. He\’s my cousin Rikishi. I remember him holding me in this wrestling move and he goes, \’Don\’t worry about it. Don\’t listen to them, it\’s okay.\’ Meanwhile, there\’s 15,000 people chanting \’Rocky sucks.\’ It\’s like, man.\”

    That Was My WrestleMania Moment: The Rock

    The Rock revealed he was making $150,000 per year at the time and didn\’t have a lot of money left over after paying his taxes and various bills. When Vince McMahon decided to take the title off him after his WrestleMania match, he seriously considered switching careers to MMA:

    \”So then that was a big turning point for me. That was in March of 1997. And you think a year earlier I was, I just got cut from the CFL, the Canadian Football League. I had no money; I had seven bucks. Now I\’m champion and everything is supposed to be amazing and I was getting booed out of the building.

    Then that was at WrestleMania. That was my WrestleMania moment. After that night, I had a meeting with Vince. He said \’Things aren\’t working out. I\’m going to take the title off you.\’ A week later I got hurt. I tore a ligament in my knee. He said you got to go home. I went home for the rest of the summer and I didn\’t know what I was going to do.

    In that summer, I thought \’Man I\’ve got really no money. I\’m getting booed out of the building. I went to WrestleMania. I don\’t know what to do.\’ At that time I thought maybe I should consider a career in MMA. At that time there was a company called; it was called Pride in Japan. They were making a lot of money and I thought maybe I should do that.\”

    Thankfully, The Rock did not pull the trigger on this career change. When McMahon decided to bring him back as a heel, the former world champion asked to be given 5 minutes of promo time. Vince only agreed to give him 2 minutes and that became the turning point of his career.