SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • The Miz & Damian Priest Moved To WWE SmackDown, Tag Team Moved To Raw In Transfer Window

    A couple of former world champions in The Miz and Damian Priest have been moved to the SmackDown brand as part of the transfer window.

    Both these trades were confirmed during the January 24 episode of the Blue Branded show. The A-Lister was first informed of his move while meeting General Manager Nick Aldis in a backstage segment.

    The Miz orchestrated to get the Wyatt Family moved to SmackDown before to try and get away from the group so he was not happy with this latest change.

    In another backstage segment, we saw Carmelo Hayes pacing in Aldis\’ office waiting for an opponent when former World Champion Damian Priest walked in.

    The SmackDown GM welcomed the former Judgment Day star to the show and made the match between him and Hayes official for later in the night.

    The Miz tried to form an alliance with Greyson Waller and Austin Theory after this move to save himself from the Wyatts. Nick Aldis however, revealed another trade and informed the A Town Down Under that they were being moved to the Raw brand instead.

    Apart from this, WWE also confirmed the return date for former Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair during the show. You can check out more about it here.

  • Dominik Mysterio Reveals Memories of His Dad\’s Royal Rumble Win

    Dominik Mysterio has revealed his memories of his dad Rey Mysterio\’s incredible Royal Rumble win.

    The young veteran recently had an interview with the Babyfaces podcast to promote the upcoming PPV. He talked about things such as the global impact of Raw being on Netflix, his love for country music and more.

    When asked for his favorite Rumble memories, Dominik Mysterio revealed that one of the Rumbles he vividly remembers is when his father Rey Mysterio won the whole thing in 2006:

    \”Yeah dude, I love the Rumble. It\’s one of those things where you really never know who\’s going to come next. So it really is a surprise. But for me one of my favorite Rumbles is when my Deadbeat unfortunately won. Because I thought, I was a big Randy Orton guy, so like I thought Randy was gonna take it.

    And then Deadbeat just comes in and ruins it. But shout out to Triple H too, pulling him out, being a sore loser, throwing him against the steps. I thought that was pretty cool. I was like, all right this is a done deal. Randy\’s got it in the bag, but no. But anyways I\’m excited for the Rumble man. The Rumble\’s always, it\’s been one of my favorite pay-per-views of all time for sure.\”

    Rey Mysterio had entered at #2 in the \’06 Rumble right behind Triple H. He spent 62 minutes and 12 seconds in the match and eliminated 6 people to win the battle royal. He then went on to defeat Randy Orton and Kurt Angle in a triple threat to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.

    Royal Rumble this year will be taking place from Indianapolis, Indiana on February 1. You can check out a list of confirmed participants for this year\’s battle royal here.

  • Baron Corbin On His WWE Departure: One Person Was Behind It All

    Baron Corbin believes there was one particular person behind his WWE release.

    2024 saw some really surprising departures from the company including names such as Indi Hartwell, Jinder Mahal and Bobby Lashley. Though probably none of these was as shocking as the departure of the Lone Wolf.

    Being an extraordinary in-ring worker who can help build any star, as well as somebody who could even get characters like sad Corbin over, the former US Champion was considered the ultimate utility player. So the news of WWE not renewing his contract was met with astonishment among fans.

    The former WWE star opened up about the top brass\’ decision to not renew his contract during his new interview with Chris Van Vliet. Baron Corbin interestingly suggested that there was someone in particular who was not his fan:

    \”It was two and a half million views on my tweet alone. People were shocked. I was shocked. I could weirdly, kind of, you know when your gut instinct tells you something, and like I said, I think there was one person in particular that I think was behind all of it, and it sucks, but it is what [it is].\”

    I\’m Not Gonna Cry Over It: Baron Corbin

    Baron Corbin also revealed that Randy Orton had called him after learning the news and offered to talk to Triple H on his behalf:

    \”I’m not gonna cry over it because I’m grateful for everything I had there and every opportunity that I had there, I can’t let one person put me in a bad place. I’m not gonna let one person control my emotions.

    I mean the fact that Randy Orton’s calling me, going there’s someone that doesn’t like you. Again, I know who it is. I told him and he’s like yeah, probably right. But when you have someone of that magnitude being like I want to talk to Hunter, it makes you feel good.\”

    Despite the abrupt end of his 12-year tenure with the company, Baron Corbin seems to be in good spirits. During the interview, he explained that he has been smart with his money and proclaimed that he can now do whatever he wants.

  • Shelton Benjamin Opens Up About Failed Tag Team With Chad Gable

    Shelton Benjamin has explained why his partnership with Chad Gable did not go anywhere.

    The Gold Standard was paired with the former American Alpha member in SmackDown upon his WWE return in 2017. This came after Gable\’s former partner Jason Jordan was moved to the Raw brand to start his infamous storyline with Kurt Angle, quietly disbanding their team.

    Benjamin opened up about working with the former Olympic Athlete during his appearance on Talk Is Jericho. He first offered big praise to the 38-year-old and proclaimed that Gable still hasn\’t gotten his due:

    \”When I first arrived, they put me with Chad Gable and well, like, phenomenal worker. No, he has not [gotten his due]. He hasn\’t. And to me, it sucks, because everyone has an excuse.

    I said for every excuse, I can point out an example why that excuse makes no sense. That guy is special, whether fans realize it or not, he is. He\’s got a blue-collar mentality. He\’s Uber-talented. He\’s dedicated. He\’ll do whatever you need him to.\”

    We Just Didn\’t Click: Shelton Benjamin

    Though despite being compatible on paper, the team of Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable did not find a lot of success. Their run lasted 8 months before they were split up during the 2018 Superstar Shakeup without ever holding any titles together.

    Speaking about why the pairing did not work despite having similar backgrounds, Shelton Benjamin said that he never really clicked with Gable. He remembered his chemistry with Team Angle partner Charlie Haas and said that he never felt the same teaming with the current WWE star:

    \”When they put us together. Obviously, he\’s actually from Minneapolis too. So it seemed right, especially, with Jason not being able to work anymore. But I don\’t really think that tag team worked. We had some good matches. They threw us in some really zany matches. We had a great matchup with the Usos, but it, for me, it really wasn\’t working. Through no fault of anyone.

    The chemistry, it wasn\’t like me and Charlie. Me and Charlie were like, Charlie\’s the best partner I\’ve ever had. So for whatever reason, me and [Gable] while we got along great, we just didn\’t click the same way. It wasn\’t the same but again, that being said, all due respect, that kid is phenomenal. Everything he\’s done, he\’s made work.\”

  • Sting Retiring His Iconic Look At The End of 2025

    Sting has announced that he\’ll be retiring his iconic Stinger look and face paint soon after the end of his active wrestling career last year.

    The Icon competed in his retirement match at the 2024 Revolution PPV. While having the option of a singles match, the wrestling veteran chose to team up with his protege Darby Allin one last time to defeat The Young Bucks in a tornado tag team match.

    Despite hanging his wrestling boots at the March PPV, Sting has continued donning the iconic face paint for various meet & greet events. Though the WCW veteran confirmed that 2025 will be his last year of doing so in a new social media post:

    \”I have enjoyed meeting fans at events around the world. As much as I have loved interacting with you all in the traditional Stinger war paint, I’ve decided that 2025 will be my last year appearing in full gear. I guess it’s 2025 or never. Wow. Tough to speak that out.\”

    Sting made his in-ring debut for Tony Khan\’s promotion at the Revolution 2021 event, so his 2024 retirement match brought his run with the company to a full circle. In his 3-year run with the company, the 65-year-old wrestled a total of 29 matches and remained undefeated in the end.

    The former world champion has since signed a legends deal with AEW and he also made an appearance at the 2024 All In: London PPV.

  • Dragon Lee Confirms Birth Of Daughter Amid WWE Hiatus

    Current WWE Speed Champion Dragon Lee has announced the birth of his third daughter.

    The high-flying star had addressed his absence from WWE programming in recent times in an Instagram post earlier in the week. He revealed that his wife was in the final stages of pregnancy and he had been home helping her during this time.

    Lee had noted that the little one could arrive as soon as this week and he confirmed the birth of his daughter in a social media post late on Thursday:

    Dragon has a previous daughter from his first marriage and he also has another daughter from his second relationship as revealed in his previous post.

    The 29-year-old Mexican luchador left AAA to join WWE at the start of 2023. Lee held the NXT North American Championship during his time in the WWE developmental, notably having a feud with \’Dirty\’ Dominik Mysterio over the title.

    He joined the Latino World Order under the leadership of Rey Mysterio upon his main roster debut in April last year and Dragon Lee has been a part of the group ever since.

    The masked star has not wrestled for WWE since the December 16, 2024 episode of Main Event and a timetable for his return is not known.

    SEScoops would like to congratulate Lee and his partner on the occasion.

  • Jesse Ventura Confirms Status For Saturday Night\’s Main Event

    Jesse Ventura has confirmed that he\’ll be part of the next edition of Saturday Night\’s Main Event from San Antonio, Texas this weekend, January 25.

    There had been speculations about the status of the wrestling veteran despite being praised for his work at the last show in December, especially after the recent return of Hulk Hogan. Ventura however, powerbombed all rumors with a post on on X, confirming that he will in fact return to the airwaves as scheduled.

    \”So very excited for Saturday Night\’s Main Event this weekend in San Antonio. The Body returns to Texas this Saturday Night!\”

    Jesse Ventura signed a new legends contract with WWE and returned to the promotion last year, putting his long-standing grudge against the company aside. At the time it was announced that the veteran wrestler and broadcast personality will be calling 4 shows for the company every year.

    His status for the January 2025 event became questionable again however, when WWE announced a new partnership with Hulk Hogan\’s beer company and brought him in for an appearance at Raw\’s Netflix premiere on January 6.

    The former governor of Minnesota has long been at odds with Hogan since learning that the latter exposed his efforts of forming a wrestling union to Vince McMahon in the late 80s.

    Many believed that Hogan will be making an appearance at the NBC exclusive event after his return but after Ventura\’s announcement, it\’s safe to say the Hulkster will not be at the show.

  • Matt Cardona Makes Surprise Appearance At Impact Wrestling Live, JBL Returns

    Matt Cardona has returned to TNA Wrestling.

    The company presented a special live episode of its weekly flagship show Impact Wrestling from San Antonio, TX for the first time in eight years this Thursday. The show featured a number of surprise appearances with both NXT stars and free agents making their presence felt.

    New TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry opened the show. Hendry first cut a promo about his title win before proclaiming that he\’ll be a fighting champion and then announced an open challenge for his title on the same night.

    TNA\’s Director of Authority Santino Marella then came out to announce Hendry\’s opponent for the night – Matt Cardona. Cardon a came out with a big smile to end the segment.

    The title match main evented the show. Frankie Kazarian who won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match previously was on the commentary for this bout. Cardona played the typical heel role from the beginning doing things like poking Hendry in the eye and mocking the crowd.

    The Indy God accidentally knocked the referee out towards the end of the bout and used the opportunity to low blow the champion. He then went outside to grab the TNA title belt but JBL came out. The WWE Hall of Famer delivered a Closethline from Hell to Cardona, leaving Hendry confused.

    Matt Cardona still managed to hit Joe Hendry with the title later on but it didn\’t prove to be enough. In the end, the champion delivered the Standing Ovation to retain the title.

    It appears that Cardona\’s return was a one-night-only affair. Though there was another former champion who returned to the company tonight and announced a new contract with the promotion. You can check out more about it here.

  • Shelton Benjamin Felt Betrayed by WWE After Helping Carry the Pandemic Era

    Shelton Benjamin has explained how the end of Hurt Business in WWE was mentally challenging for him.

    The former WWE star was the most recent guest on Talk is Jericho. He discussed things such as his first WWE run, his experience working for NJPW in Japan, his tag team with Chad Gable, and more.

    Benjamin also detailed his feelings about The Hurt Business\’ time in the company. The Gold Standard first discussed how he had only been used in odd spots since his return to the promotion in 2017 and never given a proper chance to showcase his talents. The formation of the Hurt Business in 2020 was finally a storyline that could have elevated him so it was a big blow when the group was disbanded:

    \”In my opinion, Hurt Business and Roman Reigns carried the WWE during the pandemic era. And I felt a bit betrayed because I come here every week. I\’ve never complained. I risked my life, just like everybody else. When other people wanted to stay home, you never had to question whether or not I will come to work.

    So for us to, bear that burden….and mind you, obviously, we\’re not the only ones. We\’re not the only people, but the fact that we were always willing and we were actually producing for you, to just immediately turn around and just kill it….like what the fuck man.\”

    Nothing\’s Good Enough: Shelton Benjamin

    Shelton Benjamin also revealed that he approached Vince McMahon directly when he first got the news of The Hurt Business\’ end, and to this date he has gotten no clear answer on why their run was cut short:

    \”His comment to me was, \’We\’ve gone as far as we can with Hurt Business.\’ The Hurt business was around for eight months before he pulled the plug. When he said that, it was almost like you want to cry inside.

    Because it\’s like, nothing I can do for this person seems to help, nothing\’s good enough. I was really just insulted, I knew then, like, I don\’t really have a future here. At this point this is just a job where I\’m just collecting a check.\”

    The current AEW star noted that he\’s always wanted to be the guy that helps build the momentum for the place he\’s working in instead of taking advantage of other people\’s work. The abrupt ending of the Hurt Business however, made it clear to him that he\’ll never be afforded that chance in WWE.

  • Brett Lauderdale Reacts To PCO Destroying TNA Title At His Show

    GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale is unsure of what to make of the PCO incident.

    The 57-year-old wrestling veteran made headlines over the weekend with his appearance at the People vs. GCW event. PCO who was the reigning TNA Digital Media champion brought the belt with him at the show and destroyed it in front of the public using a sledgehammer. At first, people thought that it was part of a storyline but multiple reports since then have claimed that TNA officials had no knowledge of it beforehand.

    Lauderdale talked about the incident on the Game Changer Weekly podcast and mentioned that PCO is a longtime friend of his who he has a lot of respect for. Discussing his knowledge of the incident in question, he claimed that he was under the impression of the whole thing being a work:

    \”What happened and what I thought was gonna happen were slightly two different things, and I thought we were kind of doing him a favor by letting him advance a storyline and returning to GCW at the same time, so I only kind of realized that it was more than that after the fact when I started reading reports that he may or may not have done that on his own.\”

    I Think There Is A Storyline Going On: Brett Lauderdale

    PCO was one of the many names who had his TNA deal expire at the end of last year and per reports, he was supposed to finish up with the company at their next taping. After the incident, however, TNA has removed both PCO and the Digital media title from their website, and the former WCW star is not expected to be brought back for any more shows.

    Though despite these claims, Brett Lauderdale is not entirely sure of the legitimacy of the whole thing and he still believes that it could be a work:

    \”No. I know a lot of the people at TNA, so I feel like I would have been contacted if there was any major issue that would have been on us or if they had questions about it.

    That’s why I think maybe there is still a storyline going on with it because I feel like maybe if there wasn’t, after the fact, they would have said, ‘Hey, what happened?’

    TNA is set to follow up the January 19 Genesis PPV with a live Impact taping from San Antonio, TX this Thursday, January 23. Whether or not the whole thing is really a work should become clearer after this show.

  • Baron Corbin Looking To Embrace Post-WWE Freedom

    Baron Corbin is excited about the freedom of a post-WWE career.

    The former WWE star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as his most recent GCW appearance, wanting to compete in NJPW and more.

    Corbin departed WWE in November last year ending his 12 year run with the company when the officials did not renew his contract. When asked what he wants to do now that he\’s no longer in the Endeavor-owned promotion, Corbin explained that he\’s been smart with his money so now he can do whatever he wants:

    \”Now I’m gonna have an opportunity where I don’t have to ask permission to do something. I’ve also been smart with all of my money that I’ve made over the years with WWE because I’ve watched how quickly it can end.

    When I left the NFL it’s like no more paychecks, and you go oh man, it ends that quick. I was playing ping pong, and now I don’t have a job, it’s crazy. So I put myself in a position now that I can literally just do the things I want to do.\”

    Just Like Guilty Pleasure: Baron Corbin

    The former US Champion real name Thomas Pestock, recently displayed one of his skills outside the wrestling world by winning a gold medal in an international jiu-jitsu competition. Discussing other post-WWE ambitions, Baron Corbin noted that he had his iron in a lot of fires even when he was under a WWE contract.

    The wrestling veteran explained that with the newfound freedom he can do whatever he wants and revealed his interest in pursuing an acting career in particular:

    \”I want to do movies, I want to do TV shows, and I want to do horror movies or thriller movies or darker action kind of films, anything in that world. Whether it’s television, it’s Netflix, it’s Hulu, or it’s the B rate horror movies that are amazing, just like guilty pleasures, I love them, that’s the world I want to dive into.\”

    Corbin appears to be interested in balancing his acting career with his continued presence in the world of wrestling. The former WWE star recently filed a trademark which potentially revealed his post-WWE ring name. You can check out more about it here.

  • Frankie Kazarian Pens Emotional Christopher Daniels Tribute Following Retirement

    Frankie Kazarian has posted an emotional tribute to Christopher Daniels after the latter announced his retirement from in-ring action.

    The Fallen Angle entered the ring one last time at last week\’s Collision when he squared off against Hangman Page in a Texas Death match. Daniels then addressed Page on this week\’s episode of Dynamite, confirming that his match on Saturday was his retirement bout.

    Kazarian who has long history with the former SCU teammate shared a photo collage showing the two through the years. He claimed that CD\’s contributions to the world of pro wrestling will never be realized:

    \”There\’s no way to articulate what @facdaniels means to me. As an opponent, a tag team partner, or most importantly as a best friend and brother. His contributions to our sport will never be realized. I love you CD. Bad Influence, The Addiction or SCU. I loved every single minute.\”

    The first overlap of Kazarian and Daniels\’ careers happened in TNA back in 2009 when Christopher took over the role of the masked wrestler Suicide upon Kazarian\’s injury. The duo started working as a tag team under the name of Bad Influence in 2012 and remained assosiated with each other for the next decade.

    With Scorpio Sky joining them in 2018, the group known as SCU became one of the hottest acts of the indie wrestling scene. Together with The Elite, the trio revolutionized the pro wrestling business by helping start All Elite Wrestling.

    Kazarian has since left AEW while Sky and Daniels remain part of the company. Daniels also serves as the head of talent relations behind the scene and it\’s a role he\’s expected to continue after his retirement from active competition.

  • Indie Hartwell Back Training Ahead of Impending Free Agency

    Indi Hartwell has started preparing for an in-ring return ahead of her free agency.

    The young star was released from her WWE contract in November last year, ending her 5-year-run with the company. Hartwell, who still had time left on her deal has to serve a 90-days non-compete period before becoming a free agent.

    Based on the announcement of her release, Hartwell is expected to become a free agent in February. Before the impending free agency, the former champion seems to be getting her ring rust off at Ace Steel\’s Foundation wrestling academy as revealed by Steel in an Instagram post:

    Indi Hartwell had a successful run in NXT from 2019 to 2023 before she was moved to the main roster. The female star was one of the members of Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae\’s The Way faction and she had runs with both the NXT Women\’s Title and NXT Women\’s Tag Team Titles during her time in the developmental.

    Her release while not linked directly, was part of a wave of surprising departures from WWE in 2024. Other names in the list include former champions such as Bobby Lashley, Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin.

    Hartwell has not been announced for any matches outside of WWE so far, but the former champion is scheduled to be in the Indianapolis area during the Royal Rumble weekend for a Wrestlecon signing.

  • House of Black Declare That They Have No More Leaders In New Video

    House of Black has declared that they have no more leaders.

    AEW has recently been teasing the reformation of the group featuring Julia Hart, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews as the faction\’s leader Malakai Black prepares to exit the company.

    Over the last few weeks, the trio have been told that they do not need a leader by people like Cope and Will Ospreay. This new direction of the group was confirmed in a vignette on this week\’s Dynamite, where the three declared that they don\’t have a guiding voice anymore:

    \”For years we\’ve had a voice to guide us, that voice was all but deafening. Now that voice has gone silent and we\’re done living in the shadows. It\’s time to honor ourselves. No rules. No leaders. No gods. No masters. Just violence.\”

    Brody King, Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart are continuing without Malakai pic.twitter.com/1Dq4eNeA1L

    — Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) January 23, 2025

    Malakai Black joined the Elite promotion in 2021. Despite his singles success in WWE, the former NXT champion was put into this group and he\’s never won a singles title in his four years with the company. Black\’s contract is expected to expire sometime before March and it\’s believed that he\’s on his way back to WWE.

    While AEW has teased the other members of his faction having singles run, it appears that they\’ll continue operating as a group as well. A new trademark filing has also revealed the potential new name for them moving forward. You can check out more about it here.

  • Christopher Daniels Announces End of In Ring Career On Dynamite

    Christopher Daniels has seemingly confirmed his retirement after his brutal match on this past week\’s episode of AEW Collision.

    The Fallen Angle wrestled longtime friend Hangman Page in a Texas Death match at the January 18th episode of the Saturday Night show. Page picked up the victory in this bout which was reported to be the last match of Daniels\’ career.

    The former SCU member seemingly confirmed reports of his retirement on this week\’s Dynamite. Christopher Daniels came out to confront Hangman after his victory over a local performer. In an emotional promo, the former ROH Champion confirmed that he\’s wrestled his last match ever:

    \”After that Texas Death match, that last Buckshot lariat, adding to all the damage I\’ve done to my neck over the years, my doctors have advised me to never wrestle again. So I\’m here face to face to tell you, you win. You\’ve won the last match that I\’ll ever wrestle. I\’m sorry, and I hope you can be happy now.\”

    Christopher Daniels has been advised to never wrestle again?!

    Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on @TBSNetwork & @SportsOnMax#HangmanAdamPage | @FACDaniels pic.twitter.com/lzPB2qQyBT

    — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 23, 2025

    The AEW Executive also took to Twitter after the announcement writing that he\’s sad at his journey coming to an end but thankful for it still:

    This marks the end of Christopher Daniels\’ 31-year in-ring career in wrestling. You can check out a list of matches Daniels said that he\’d like to be remembered for here.

  • DDP Puts Over Former Champion After NXT Appearance

    Diamond Dallas Page has put over former NXT Champion Trick Williams after his surprise appearance at last night\’s episode of the Black & Silver show.

    The wrestling veteran made a brief on-screen appearance during the show, being shown as part of the crowd during the main event NXT Championship match between Oba Femi and Eddy Thorpe.

    Page took to X on Wednesday morning to comment on his visit. He posted some backstage photos with Williams, claiming that the 30-year-old has a bright future ahead:

    \”A little over a year ago I was doing an interview and I was asked who I thought would be the next #NXT Superstar to cross over to the main #WWE roster and make a serious impact. I said it would be Trick! Nothing has changed. I think you can expect big things when my man crosses over\”

    \"DDP

    Trick Williams dropped the NXT title to Oba Femi in a triple-threat match at New Year\’s Evil earlier this month. This ended his second run with the championship at 98 days. The former champion confronted Femi after he retained his title at last night\’s show, indicating that he was not out of the title picture just yet.

    It\’s not known if DDP\’s surprise visit to the performance center had any behind-the-scenes significance. He signed a new legends deal with the company in October last year and it\’s possible that his on-screen appearance is tied to some future storyline development.

    DDP Says No To One More Match But Isn’t Done In Wrestling

  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan Remains Determined To Bring WrestleMania To UK

    London\’s Mayor Sadiq Khan remains hopeful about bringing WrestleMania to the city despite recent discouraging news.

    WWE has expanded its international presence under the new management in the last couple of years, taking many of its regular premium live events outside of the US. With Royal Rumble 2026 becoming the first of the \’big four\’ PPVs to be announced outside of the continent in recent years, it seems only a matter of time before WrestleMania goes international as well.

    One of the most talked about international destinations for the Shows of Shows is London. WWE seemingly also explored the possibility last year in July when Triple H and Nick Khan travelled to the city to meet Mayor Sadiq Khan.

    Things have mostly been quiet since then with no word coming from either side. This changed on Wednesday as the mayor’s office released a new statement to Daily Star, announcing that they\’re determined to bring the Superbowl of wrestling to UK:

    “The Mayor remains determined to bring even more sports from around the world to London, including the first international WrestleMania hosted by the UK, and continues to discuss future opportunities.\”

    This statement comes in light of the reports of WWE closing in on New Orleans and Indiana, Indianapolis as the respective destinations for the next two iterations of their biggest event of the year.

    Many WWE stars have also spoken positively about WrestleMania emanating from London in the past. Former Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan most recently claimed that she was here and ready for it when asked about the possibility.

    The SkyDome in Toronto, Canada has previously hosted the event on two occasions so UK would actually become the third country and second international destination for the show if and when it happens. Though as it stands, the people of UK will have to wait until at least 2028 before the Show of Shows can be held on their local turf.

  • Kurt Angle Believes John Cena Is Deserving of The 17th World Title

    Kurt Angle believes John Cena is WWE\’s greatest star.

    Cena has announced that 2025 will be his last year as an active performer in wrestling. With his retirement tour officially kicking off earlier this month, many believe that he\’ll be headlining the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. There are many names which are thrown around when it comes to the people who can induct John Cena, but very few of them have had the impact on Cena\’s career like Kurt Angle.

    The Olympic Gold Medallist was asked about the potential during his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. He mentioned how there are many contenders for the spot, while throwing the name of Stephanie McMahon on the list as well:

    \”There are a lot of people that deserve to induct John. Randy Orton, who was his biggest competition, or his nemesis. But Stephanie McMahon, don’t forget that she’s the one that discovered his rapping ability, and she was a big fan of his, she really supported him quite often. But no I’d be honored to induct John Cena.\”

    The Greatest WWE Superstar of All Time: Kurt Angle

    Kurt Angle faced Cena in the latter\’s famous main roster debut match which kickstarted the Ruthless Aggression era of WWE. Angle would go on to face the Cenation Leader in dozens of other encounters in the next few years before his 2006 WWE departure, providing him invaluable in-ring experience and exposure on his way to becoming the face of the company.

    This solid foundation allowed Cena to launch what became one of the most successful runs for any pro wrestler in the history of the business. The former TNA Champion believes that John deserves to be called the greatest of all time for it:

    \”The one thing I want to say about him is he has shown that he is possibly the greatest WWE superstar of all time. Winning 16 World Heavyweight Titles in one company,

    Ric Flair won 16, but he won them in NWA and WCW and WWE and you can’t take that away from him, they were all major promotions. But to do it all in one company, that makes you that company’s greatest star. And I really believe that he deserves another title before he retires.”

    Opponents have continued to line up for John Cena in his final year of wrestling and names from around the wrestling world have expressed interest in a potential showdown with the wrestling veteran. This list includes a current world champion outside of the company. You can check out more about it here.

  • Elias Believes He Can Do \’So Much More\’ In WWE

    Former WWE star Elias says he\’d love to return to WWE.

    The wrestling veteran was signed by the company in 2014. While he didn\’t have much success in his developmental run, the Drifter\’s mic skills made him an instant hit on the main roster.

    His run with the promotion came to an end in September 2023 but many believe that the officials could have done a lot more with the 37-year-old.

    The indie wrestling star who now goes by the name Elijah talked about a potential return to the company during a recent K & S WrestleFest virtual signing.

    Elias first claimed that his run in WWE was awesome and he got to do a lot of great stuff. While he had many memorable moments in the company, he would love to be part of the promotion again:

    \”Elias can and could and should do so much more in WWE. They only scratched the surface with my capabilities. I had a lot of great moments, some incredible guys to go up against,\”

    Right before his release, the former WWE star was involved in a storyline with Kevin Owens. He played the part of his own brother Ezekiel while Owens refused to believe that the two were different people.

    After KO won this feud, the storyline was dropped from TV. Elias renewing his rivalry with Owens who recently turned heel again would be the perfect way to reintroduce him on WWE programming.

  • Netflix Price Hike: Watching WWE Raw Just Got Costlier

    Watching WWE Raw on Netflix is about to get costlier.

    The Streaming Giant announced on Tuesday that they\’ll be raising their standard subscription praises for US customers from $15.49 to $17.99.

    The ad-supported tier will go up to $7.99 from the standard of $6.99 while the premium tier allowing four simultaneous streams will be getting a $2 raise to $24.99. Adding an extra member to a primary account is also going to get a dollar costlier, now being charged at $8.99.

    Countries like Canada, Portugal, and Argentina are expected to be affected by the price hike as well. Netflix last raised prices in October 2023 with various plans going up by as much as $3.

    WWE Raw On Netflix

    This announcement comes after the streaming platform acquired broadcast rights of Monday Night Raw in the US last year in an unprecedented $5 billion deal. The Red Branded show left cable TV for the first time in its history as part of this deal and moved to Netflix earlier this month.

    The January 6 premiere episode broke viewership records for the show. It debuted with 2.6 million household views in US, double of the show\’s average on its previous home USA Network in 2024.

    The show has continued to deliver strong numbers following the much-hyped premiere. The January 13th episode, featuring the viral debut of former AEW star Penta among other big moments ranked at #4 on Netflix\’s Top 10 shows of the week globally with 3.7 million views.

  • D-Von Dudley Explains How Paul Heyman’s Solo Leadership Style Led to ECW’s Downfall

    D-Von Dudley believes Paul Heyman\’s habit of doing everything on his own was one of the reasons for the downfall of the original ECW.

    The Attitude Era star who worked extensively with both Vince McMahon and Heyman during his career talked about the difference between the two in a video on his new YouTube channel.

    While discussing the things he didn\’t like about both the bosses, D-Von noted that Paul did not like asking for help even when he knew that he needed it:

    \”Paul had so much responsibility on his hands, he trusted nobody. Even though he knew he needed help, he was still going to carry the load all by himself. He didn\’t care. I think that\’s what burned him out.

    Probably one of the things that I feel that probably closed the doors of ECW. You got to have that help. You got to be able to put your pride aside and go \’Hey I need help. Can you help do this? Can you help do that?\’\”

    It Was My Home: D-Von Dudley

    According to the wrestling veteran, this is one of the reason for the failures of the original ECW as Heyman burnt himself up while trying to keep the brand going:

    \”When you\’re trying to live up to the hype that ECW created, it\’s hard to keep doing it on a regular basis when you don\’t have any help. So that was one of the things I wish Paul could have done because maybe the company would have been around, who knows.

    But that\’s one of the things that I feel that Paul basically I didn\’t like about it. I wanted to see ECW survive because it was my home. It was my first home and it was sad to me when it was gone.\”

    Paul Heyman took over the creative of ECW in 1993. He became the sole owner of the company in 1995 and started it off on the path that changed the wrestling world. The promotion folded due to financial difficulties in 2001, however, as Heyman failed to secure a new TV deal for it before WWE bought it in 2003.

  • Adam Copeland Reveals How Recent Injury Has Changed His Retirement Plans

    Adam Copeland has revealed his idea for a perfect retirement.

    The former world champion recently had an interview with Stephen Brunt on Up Close. He talked about things such as Hurricane Helene devasting his local area, growing up in Toronto, and more.

    When asked about a retirement match, Copeland who now goes by the name Cope claimed that it\’s going to be a big decision for him. According to him, he\’d love to give the rub to someone younger and cement their position as a main eventer:

    “That’s going to be the big decision for me. Who do I get in there with last? I’d love to get in with a young person and just try and strap a rocket to him and go, okay, in my last match, what can I do to try and get someone set up, or at least another block in the foundation to set them up to be able to take it further and further and further.\”

    I\’m Thinking Maybe Two Years: Adam Copeland

    The AEW star was then asked about the timetable for a potential retirement. He discussed missing more than 6 months of action last year after fracturing his tibia and claimed that it has extended his run:

    “I don’t know. I’m thinking maybe two years, and being off with the broken leg is kind of extended that, right? So now this six months or whatever that I’ve been off it’s like okay I gotta tack that on now.”

    Cope also noted that he doesn\’t want to be that old guy who\’s hanging on. He wants to work with someone who he feels can be the future of AEW and then call it a career.

    Apart from this, the wrestling veteran talked about how Bret Hart set up a great example for him by helping him early in his career and taught him the value of giving back to the business.

  • Christopher Daniels Reflects On His Career-Defining Matches

    Christopher Daniels has named the match he will like to be remembered for.

    The Fallen Angle wrestled in what is expected to be his final in-ring performance at Collision this Saturday. He took on Hangman Adam Page in a brutal street fight, putting over the former AEW Champion one last time.

    Prior to this bout, Daniels appeared at the GalaxyCon event where he spoke to Copper Age Gold. The AEW Executive talked about things like his backstage job in the company, people coming to him for advice and more.

    When asked which matches from his career he\’d like to be remembered for, Christopher Daniels reflected on the classic encounter between him, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe from TNA Unbreakable 2005 which is now considered the standard for triple threat matches by many:

    \”Well, honestly, I was talking about this at one of the panels today. It\’s almost 20 years old, but the three-way match with AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, it\’s by far one of the most talked about matches that people come up to me and mention in my career.

    Like by far, head and shoulders above everything else. That\’s the match people talk about when they come to see me. So, I like to be remembered for a match like that with two guys like Joe and AJ who are two of the greatest wrestlers to ever walk the planet. It\’s a big deal to me.\”

    Apart from this, Daniels also named his three-way match with Bryan Danielson and Low Ki at the ROH debut show and his ROH World title victory over Adam Cole at the company’s 15th Anniversary Show as the two other bouts he\’d like to be remembered for.

    During the interview, Daniels also noted that January 2025 marks 31 years of his wrestling debut. During this time, the 54-year-old has wrestled for almost all major promotions with Hall of Fame worthy runs in both TNA and ROH.

    https://youtu.be/4AQ7A2hk-dY

  • Baron Corbin Becomes Unlikely Defender Of Tony Khan Over Rey Fenix Situation

    An unlikely name has come into Tony Khan\’s defence amid the drama surrounding Rey Fenix\’s AEW status following Penta\’s WWE debut.

    The discussion about AEW extending Fenix\’s contract picked up again on Saturday after the high-flying star posted a picture of himself on social media. The former champion was seen wearing a straightjacket in the photo indicating that he was being \’restrained\’ by the company.

    Former WWE star Tom Pestock better known to fans as Baron Corbin came in support of Khan over the issue. Responding to a post suggesting that Tony should let Rey Fenix out of his deal, Corbin claimed that you need to honor your contract:

    \”If you sign a contract, you honor it.  Would it have been okay if Tony didn’t pay him while he was hurt or out of action?  The answer is no bc Tony signed the contract as well. You can’t switch teams after getting what you want and signing the contract.\”

    Baron Corbin also responded to some other objections to his remarks in the thread suggesting that there might be more to the story of Fenix and AEW than people know.

    The former WWE star\’s comments actually align with what the AEW star himself has suggested in the past. He\’s previously claimed that a \’huge injustice\’ has been done to him and that he\’ll get the chance to speak the truth one day.

  • Wade Barrett To Fill In For Pat McAfee On January 20 Raw Amid Commentary Drama

    Wade Barrett has been confirmed as the fill-in for Pat McAfee for the January 20th Raw from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

    ESPN announced earlier this week that McAfee will be a part of the broadcast team for the College Football National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, calling the action from inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

    Due to the ongoing drama over the Raw commentary position, fans wondered who will replace the former NFL star on the show. Barrett then revealed during the latest episode of SmackDown that he\’ll be joining Michael Cole on Monday.

    WWE made changes to both Raw and Smackdown commentary teams to start off 2025. With McAfee\’s return to the company, Michael Cole was put back with the Football star on Monday nights. The duo of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett who had been on the Red Brand were moved to Friday nights.

    These changes left Cole\’s existing partner Corey Graves in an awkward position. Despite being only behind the EVP in experience among the mentioned names, Graves was forced to return to NXT instead. The Savior of Misbehavior was visibly unhappy with what he considered a demotion.

    He was taken off TV by the company after Corey took to social media to express his frustrations in now-deleted tweets. Graves\’ status remains very much in the air since then with no updates on his return to TV.

    WWE has announced a match between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre for Monday\’s episode of Raw as well as an appearance from JBL. The New Day are also expected to compete at the show but their opponents have not been confirmed.