SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Bryan Danielson Update Following AEW WrestleDream

    Bryan Danielson has dropped the AEW World Championship and he is a free agent following tonight\’s WrestleDream 2024 PPV.

    The American Dragon not only lost the championship to his former friend Jon Moxley at the event but he was also written off TV with the turn of Wheeler Yuta and a brutal post-match attack from Mox and his allies. According to Fightful Select, Bryan had legitimately been working without a talent contract through his AEW title run after his deal expired in August. Though Danielson has expressed multiple times that he isn\’t planning to go back to WWE anytime soon.

    The health issues the 43-year-old had detailed prior to the match were legitimate, according to the report and the doctors had stopped him from working Blood and Guts. While Bryan was cleared to wrestle in regular matches, the AEW star apparently wished that he hadn\’t done a couple of them as WrestleDream approached.

      Bryan Danielson\’s AEW title run began at All In where he made Swerve Strickland tap out. Strickland had pushed for the match to end that way than any other conclusion. Danielson in turn had wanted to drop the title to Moxley which happened tonight.

      The wrestling veteran has said many times that he\’ll eventually require surgery for his neck issues. Now that his full-time run has come to an end, Bryan can take the time off required for the procedure and the recovery.

      AEW is hoping that the former WWE star will continue wrestling for them periodically and resume additional duties when he is ready to do so.

      While Mox won the title at the show, the higher power he\’s been referring to was not revealed tonight. We\’ll have to follow along the story to find out more of what\’s been planned for the new AEW World champion and his faction.

    • MJF To Continue Movie Project Despite WrestleDream 2024 Appearance

      MJF made a surprise appearance at tonight\’s WrestleDream PPV from Tacoma Dome but he is not gonna be sticking around.

      The PPV saw Jack Perry beat Katsuyori Shibata to retain his TNT Championship. Daniel Garcia came out to help Shibata when Perry continued his assault after the match.

      MJF\’s music hit after this and he entered the ring to confront Garcia. The distraction allowed Perry to clock Garcia from behind. The former AEW champion then unleashed an assault on the young star.

      The Salt of The Earth revealed that he had found his missing Dynamite Diamond Ring. He looked to attack Garcia with it but Adam Cole\’s music hit and the Undisputed Kingdom leader made his return.

      Cole was ready to get some retribution from his former tag team partner but MJF quickly retreated. The segment ended with Cole helping Daniel Garcia get up.

      MJF Going Back To Hollywood

      According to Fightful Select, the former AEW Champion told people backstage at WrestleDream that he won\’t be sticking around AEW programming. He has to return to filming Happy Gilmore 2 after this show.

      Happy Gilmore was a 1996 sports comedy movie featuring Adam Sandler in the title role. The Netflix sequel sees Sandler reprising his role and MJF is said to have a significant part in the movie.

      This isn\’t the only movie in the pipeline for the AEW star. We reported exclusive details of his next project, the action-comedy movie Stranglehold, directed by Clark Duke.

      A feud between MJF and Adam Cole is long due since the latter turned on his friend and revealed himself as \’The Devil\’ at the Worlds end PPV last year in December.

      With multiple movie projects in the works, however, it\’s hard to say when the 28-year-old will be allowed to compete again.

    • The Rock Responds To \’Bullsh*t\’ Reports of His WrestleMania 41 Status

      The Rock has responded to talks about his WWE future.

      The Great One made a surprise appearance at the Bad Blood PPV on October 5. He came out after Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns defeated The Bloodline to warn them of impending consequences.

      Many believed that this segment was an indication for the direction of WrestleMania 41. Dave Meltzer reported, however, that The People\’s Champion was too busy to be at the Show of Shows next year.

      When a fan asked him about these reports on Instagram, The Rock actually responded and told everyone not to believe \’any of that bullshit\’:

      The Bloodline Story Continues

      The Hollywood star did not appear on SmackDown this week after his Bad Blood return but The Bloodline story continued with Roman Reigns.

      The returning Jimmy Uso went up against Solo Sikoa in the main event of the show. Uso couldn\’t overcome the numbers game. Even Roman couldn\’t help him when the Head of The Table showed up to save him from a post-match beatdown.

      Jimmy had suggested getting help in their feud against The Bloodline but Reigns had originally shot down the idea of asking the Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso to back them up.

      It\’s believed that the former Undisputed WWE champion will be leading a team against Solo Sikoa and his cousins at the upcoming Survivor Series PPV on November 30.

      The events of SmackDown might be a step towards changing Reigns\’ mind. It\’s likely that we will see him reaching out to some old allies in coming times to join their war.

    • The Undertaker Believes Current Backstage Environment In WWE Is \’Almost Too Calm\’

      The Undertaker has revealed how Triple H has completely changed the backstage environment in WWE.

      The Dead Man recently appeared on Booker T\’s Hall of Fame podcast. The two wrestling veterans talked about things such as their own time coming up in the business, how young generation needs to focus more on storytelling and more.

      When Booker asked Taker about his experience at recent WWE shows, The Last Outlaw explained that things have taken a 180-degree turn since the new management took over and Triple H became head of creative:

      \”It\’s crazy to me how calm everything is backstage now. You know, Paul\’s demeanor is so chill. Every time I see him, he\’s got time to sit down and explain something to you. It\’s just not that Helter Skelter fire drill [anymore]—which I thrived in. You had to be able to [do that].

      I just remember working on a promo all day long, and then 10 minutes before you go out, it\’s completely changed. You had to come up [with something] and you gotta go do it. You gotta do it live. It\’s so [calm], it\’s almost too calm for me.\”

      Paul Is So Nurturing: The Undertaker

      While The Undertaker himself thinks that he wouldn\’t have survived in an environment like this, he acknowledged that it\’s a blessing for all the young athletes coming up:

      \”I know it\’s gotta be better for the athletes and performers to get there and \’Okay this is what we\’re gonna do\’ and that\’s pretty much what\’s gonna happen. That Helter Skelter fire drill thing that happened every Monday Night. You just expected it.

      But it\’s gotta be especially for so much young talent that there is, it\’s gotta help them develop a little quicker. Because they don\’t have that \’staring down the barrel of a gun\’ kind of mentality. Paul is so nurturing I think to the talent that it\’s gonna really help a lot of people.\”

      The Undertaker\’s most recent WWE appearance came during the WrestleMania 40 weekend. He first inducted Muhammad Ali into Hall of Fame and then helped Cody Rhodes finally beat Roman Reigns in the main event of the show.

    • Major Departure From AEW’s Creative Team

      Jimmy Jacobs has resigned from the AEW writing team.

      The former WWE writer had worked closely with President Tony Khan since joining the Elite promotion back in June 2023.

      Fightful Select is now reporting that the 40-year-old submitted his resignation over the past week and he has already finished up with the company.

      Jacobs had been feeling burned out of late and the two sides remain on amicable terms despite his decision. The AEW officials are looking at this as an opportunity to freshen up the writers room.

      Jimmy Jacobs\’ Writing Career

      A former ROH star, Jimmy Jacobs ventured into writing when he joined the WWE creative team in March 2017. Chris Jericho has credited Jacobs for helping \’The List\’ get over during his 2016 run with the company.

      Jimmy was fired from the promotion in October 2017. This came after Jacobs posted a photo with Bullet Club on Instagram during their \’invasion\’ of Raw. After his WWE departure, Jacobs returned to the independent circuit as a wrestler.

      He made his TNA debut in November 2017. It was later revealed that the wrestling veteran was also working as a producer for the company.

      Jimmy Jacobs would be included in the creative team of TNA later on as well. He remained in the position until June 2023, when he moved from Impact to AEW.

      There is no word on what the former ROH tag champion is planning for his future. Though he has wrestled a few indie matches in the last few months. It\’d not be a surprise if we see him making a full-time in-ring return in coming times.

    • Hornswoggle Latest Legend To Ink Nostalgia Deal With WWE

      Dylan \’Hornswoggle\’ Postl is the latest ex-WWE star to sign a Legends deal.

      The wrestling veteran made the announcement during a recent appearance at ACW Wisconsin. He confirmed that as of last week, he has signed a deal that will allow him to be featured in action figures, video games, and more moving forward:

      WWE has been very active in signing veterans to legends deals in recent months. Just in last few weeks, DDP, RVD, Mick Foley, and even Jesse Ventura have confirmed new contracts with the company.

      Veterans wrestlers are not the only ones the company has been signing. They\’ve also been engaged in active negotiations with a number of current top stars.

      The officials have reached out to talents such as Kevin Owens, Nia Jax and Liv Morgan in recent times. Rhea Ripley is one star who is very close to signing a new deal with a significant raise.

      Hornswoggle In WWE

      Hornswoggle was an active member of the WWE roster from 2006 to 2016. He was assosiated with names such as Finaly and DX during his time in the company.

      The two most famous storylines involving the 38-year-old include him being revealed as the anonymous Raw GM in 2012 and as Vince McMahon\’s illegitimate son in 2007.

      The former WWE star has continued being active in the wrestling business since his departure from the Endeavor-owned promotion. He has made appearances for companies such as TNA, ROH, and even AEW since 2016.

    • Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After (10/11) SmackDown Went Off Air

      Cody Rhodes extended his dark match winning streak against \’Dirty\’ Dominik Mysterio after this week\’s episode of SmackDown from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

      The episode featured two dark matches after the broadcast of the show. Jey Uso defended his IC title against Bron Breakker in the first match. He pinned Breakker with a spear to retain the title.

      The American Nightmare took on the Raw star in the second dark match. Towards the ending of the bout, Mysterio locked him up for three amigos but Rhodes countered it into a cutter. The Undisputed WWE Champion then hit the Cross Rhodes for the victory.

      He stayed around the arena for almost an hour after this match, and took photos with all the fans. Cody even brought a young fan into the ring and gifted him his weight belt.

      What Happened On SmackDown

      The SmackDown main event featured the returning Jimmy Uso taking on Solo Sikoa. This came after Jimmy cost Solo and Jacob Fatu their match against Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes at Bad Blood.

      In the end, the numbers game proved too much for Uso and Sikoa picked up the victory. Reigns tried to make the save for his cousin when the Bloodline attacked him after the bout but his presence also didn\’t prove to be enough.

      The opening segment of the night featured Jimmy and Roman having a talk after Bad Blood. Uso had told Reigns that they needed help in their fight against the Bloodline.

      The main event segment that followed was the perfect set up for Reigns to acknowledge that and potentially reach out to his former allies such as Jey Uso or Sami Zayn.

    • Motor City Machine Guns Debut Confirmed For 10/18 SmackDown

      WWE has confirmed that Motor City Machine Guns will be making their SmackDown debut during next week\’s episode of the Blue Branded Show.

      The company started airing vignettes teasing the arrival of the legendary tag team last week and we deciphered the code behind the mysterious video package.

      This week\’s episode of the Friday night show then featured a backstage segment with General Manager Nick Aldis and Legado Del Fantasma. The leader of the group Santos Escobar complained to Aldis about his faction members never getting any title opportunities on the show.

      Aldis in response announced that Angel and Berto will take on a team of his choosing next week on October 18. Nick said that if the duo win, they might be in position for a title shot and Escobar told the SmackDown official that he won\’t regret the decision. As the group went out of the frame, Aldis murmured \’\’I won\’t regret it, but you might.\’

      Shortly after this segment, another mystery vignette based on Detroit played with the initials MCMG flashing on the screen. The video package further confirmed that the duo will be making their debuts next week.

      Motor City Machine Guns have been free agents since their TNA contracts expired in April this year. The duo have already said goodbye to the indie circuit, all but confirming that they have signed a contract with the Endeavor-owned promotion.

    • The Rock Not Scheduled For WrestleMania 41 (Report)

      The Rock\’s current WWE storyline is seemingly not headed where people are expecting it to go.

      The Great One is believed to be the force behind Solo Sikoa\’s Bloodline. Ever since Sikoa took over the faction, many have expected it to finally lead to a match between The People\’s Champion and his cousin Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41.

      Per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, the Hollywood star is currently not scheduled to compete at the Show of Shows next year from the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

      According to one WON source, The Rock\’s schedule has gotten too heavy. He has already given word to WWE that he won\’t be able to wrestle at the show next year.

      What\’s Next For The Rock?

      The 52-year-old made his electrifying return to WWE during the Bad Blood PPV earlier this month on Ocotber 5, indicating that the next chapter of his current run would be written very soon.

      Because he returned after Roman Reigns teamed up with Cody Rhodes to pick up a victory over The Bloodline, some have believed it\’s leading towards a triple threat involving Rock, Rhodes and Reigns at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

      If Rock\’s return is not headed toward a WrestleMania match, the most obvious direction would be for him to lead The Bloodline in a WarGames match against Roman, Cody, and their other allies at the upcoming Survivor Series PPV on November 30.

      Both Cody and Roman have teased a rematch for the Undisputed WWE title since the latter\’s return to TV at SummerSlam. So it\’s possible that the singles match to complete the trilogy would then be saved for Mania.

    • Bryan Danielson Says He Almost Got Paralyzed In Okada Match At Dynamite Anniversary

      Bryan Danielson has revealed that he almost got paralyzed during his most recent title vs. title match against Kazuchika Okada.

      The AEW World Champion has been open about the neck issues he\’s dealing with in his current run and how they resemble the problems that led to his initial retirement in 2015.

      While the American Dragon has continued to push through in order to give fans a memorable final run, some latest details regarding his health are making people question if it\’s worth it.

      During a recent interview with Uncrowned, Danielson opened up about his current struggles. Speaking about his Dynamite 5-year anniversary match with Kazuchika Okada, Bryan revealed that he started losing strength in his legs halfway through it:

      “Midway through the match, I started losing strength in my legs, there’s a point later in the match where I’m trying to kick him and I can’t turn over my kicks. That’s something that I have the body mechanics to do because I have been doing it for so long, but here I am and I can’t turn my hip over for this kick.\”

      We\’re Seeing The Signs: Bryan Danielson

      Bryan Danielson was later informed that the scary situation stemmed from his ongoing neck issues. He\’s also dealing with severe pain in his arm and it\’s getting to a point where he hasn\’t been able to sleep properly:

      “When I got to the back, I went to the trainer right away and they worked on me for like 30 minutes. They said it was stemming from the neck stuff. It’s getting to a point where, physically, we’re seeing the signs. I haven’t been sleeping well because I have been having this shooting pain down my arm.”

      Though Bryan also explained that the current health issues are making his decision to walk away much easier. Compared to the last time he was forced to quit; he is in a much better mental state.

      Bryan Danielson put his career on the line in the World Title match against Swerve Strickland at the All Out PPV and emerged victorious. He has said that he will retire from a full-time schedule once his current reign ends.

      The 43-year-old is scheduled to defend his championship against former friend Jon Moxley at the WrestleDream PPV this Saturday, October 12.

    • Update On Rhea Ripley\’s Contract Status With WWE

      WWE is super close to locking in Rhea Ripley in a new long-term deal with a big raise.

      After letting many contracts get close to expiry in early 2024, the company has changed its approach in recent months and started reaching out to talents aggressively to lock them into deals.

      It was reported last month that on the female side, the promotion had reached out to WWE Women\’s World Champion Liv Morgan, WWE Women\’s Champion Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley about signing long-term extensions. PWInsider is now reporting that at least one of them has reached a new agreement with the company in principle. According to them, Mami has come to terms on a new contract with the sports entertainment giant.

      The new contract will be for 5 years and it\’ll see the former Women\’s Champion getting a \’considerable\’ raise. While the actual signing is yet to take place, the belief is that it\’s \’just a matter of time\’ before pen is put to paper.

      Longterm Commitment

      The news is not very surprising as Rhea Ripley has been a featured star of WWE programming in the last few years and one of the faces of not only the women\’s division but also the Raw brand.

      Her storyline with Dominik Mysterio and rest of The Judgment Day continues to be the anchoring feud of the Red Branded Show as it inches towards the historic Netflix move.

      The mentioned female stars are not the only ones approached by WWE recently. Reports suggest that officials have also begun negotiations with a former Universal Champion within the last month. You can check out more about it here.

    • Britt Baker Provides Health Update After Missing Scheduled Dynamite Match

      Britt Baker has provided an update on her health after missing her scheduled match on Tuesday\’s Dynamite due to an illness.

      The former Women\’s Champion was expected to compete in a #1 Contenders match at the TV tapings. She was supposed to go up against Willow Nightingale but got pulled on the day of the show.

      The AEW star took to Twitter and provided an update on her status late on Thursday. She thanked everyone who sent her well wishes in a video and revealed that she is dealing with strep throat:

      “I still have a strep throt, but I sound way worse than I actually feel. I feel so much better now. Two days ago, I was dying, but now we’re good. I went to urgent care, got tested for strep, took antibiotics, got an IV shot. I’m good. I’m good. I’m on the mend.\”

      ?? pic.twitter.com/XAxEqidpee

      — Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) October 11, 2024

      Britt Baker Stuck At Home Without Emergency Supplies

      The female star also revealed that the sudden change of plans caused some distress to her because of recent weather calamities in the US. Britt Baker didn\’t stock up on emergency supplies and they were all gone by the time she realized she was staying home instead of traveling to Washington for the AEW show:

      \”For future reference, if you are in an area that could be affected by a hurricane, stock the fuck up. I messed up. I didn’t think I was going to be here. I was supposed to be at Dynamite in Washington, so I was like, I’m fine. No, change of plans.

      I was stuck in Orlando. And there was no supplies by the time I realized that there was no gas, no water, nothing. All the essentials gone off all the shelves. So stock up in advance. Don’t be a dumb ass like me. And thank you, again, everybody who checked in and all the weirdos with your f*cking conspiracy theories, f*ck off.”

      Britt was replaced by not one but three women in the match against Willow. Jamie Hayter, Saraya, and Nyla Rose all joined the bout, making it a fatal four-way.

      Hayter was taken out of the match in the end due to interference from a returning Penelope Ford, and Nightingale won the bout after pinning Saraya. She will now face Mariah May for the women\’s title at the October 12 WrestleDream PPV.

    • Jinder Mahal Discusses Popularity Of 3MB

      Jinder Mahal believes 3MB is special because of the success all three members of the group achieved after being a part of the faction.

      The Modern Day Maharaja recently had an interview with Straight Talk Wrestling. He talked about things such as his WWE Championship win, why representation is important in wrestling and more.

      During the talk, Mahal was asked about the popularity of 3MB. The former champion explained that the group is more over now than it was during its run. According to Jinder, what makes it special is the things they were able to do after 3MB:

      \”I think we\’re more over now, like in people\’s memory, than we were at that time. And I think what really makes it special is what we did after 3MB. Heath Slater with the Tag Team Championship with Rhino and the kids, and the getting a job—amazing, very memorable stuff.

      Drew McIntyre, obviously, one of the best professional wrestlers on Earth, not only in WWE but on planet Earth. And then myself, winning the WWE Championship, United States Championship, 24/7 Championship.\”

      We Made A Point To Work Hard: Jinder Mahal

      3MB featuring Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal was formed back in September 2012. While they lost the majority of their matches, the faction was featured regularly on TV and they participated in many memorable segments during their time together.

      Mahal explained that people did not expect anything from them when they were put together. The trio, however, took the whole thing as a motivation to do better:

      \”So, I think just the success that we had after 3MB, when really nothing was expected from us, and we made a point to work hard and succeed. We weren\’t going to look at this as a demotion or something. If anything, it was to motivate us, to take us to the next level, and that\’s what we all did.\”

      3MB stayed together until April 2014 when both Mahal and McIntyre were released from their contracts. Jinder Mahal was brought back a couple of years later in July 2016 while Drew McIntyre rejoined the company in April 2017.

    • Jonathan Coachman Opens Up About Infamous Katie Vick Storyline

      Jonathan Coachman has opened up about the infamous Katie Vick storyline of WWE.

      The broadcast personality was part of WWE from 1999 to 2008. He worked closely with Vince McMahon during this time and got to witness the best and worst of the former WWE chairman\’s creativity. The Katie Vick storyline between Triple H and Kane is possibly the biggest example of the latter.

      Coachman talked about the same during a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. He mentioned how people were terrified of McMahon during his reign. The former commentator himself remembers many instances in which he regrets not standing up to the former WWE owner:

      \”I’m not proud of the fact that I never told him no this is one of the things that I’ve told you on and off camera. There’s a lot of things I should have said no to.

      That was one of the most repulsive, disgusting storylines of all time. During that time, Vince would go down a road and everything he was doing was hitting, whether it was the milk truck, whether it was the cement truck with the Corvette, all of that stuff. So let’s just keep going. Let’s do shock TV.\”

      You Could Hear People Groaning: Jonathan Coachman

      The storyline between Triple H and Kane saw The Game accusing the Big Red Monster of having murdered Katie Vick. While Kane would later admit to Vick dying during a car accident with him, the Cerebral Assassin wasn\’t done yet. He would go on to accuse Kane of being drunk during the accident and furthermore claimed that the Masked Athlete had intercourse with the late star after the incident.

      A week later Triple H would appear in a backstage segment with Jonathan Coachman where he teased showing a videotape of his professional rival. The tape that was shown with a warning of discretion featured Triple H. Dressed as Kane in a funeral parlor, H got intimate with the body of the supposedly deceased Vick.

      According to Coachman, nobody in the arena was aware of the contents of the video until it aired on the show, and nobody was happy with it:

      \”I can tell you this, because they shot that off-site so nobody had seen it until it ran on the show. And backstage, you could hear people just groaning because it was so incredibly bad. And if you put a lie detector on Triple H today, he would probably tell you the same thing.”

      This is not the first time Jonathan Coachman has opened up about the poor working conditions of his WWE run. He previously told a story about how Vince McMahon made him miss Christmas by calling him up at the last minute.

    • MVP Has Hashed Out Past Issues With Chris Jericho Since AEW Debut (Report)

      The situation between Chris Jericho and MVP has already been hashed out since the latter joined All Elite Wrestling a couple weeks ago.

      The most recent AEW signee has had a rocky relationship with Y2J in the last few years. There have been reports of the two having a physical altercation at a past edition of Jericho Cruise. An argument between the two at an AEW hotel had also been reported.

      That\’s why a lot of people wondered how things will play out when MVP made his debut for Tony Khan\’s promotion during the Grand Slam special of Dynamite.

      Fightful Select is reporting that the tensions have already been relieved after an initiative from the Hurt Syndicate Manager. According to them, MVP went directly to Jericho\’s locker room on his very first day on the job.

      While specific details of how the meeting went down are not provided, the belief in AEW is that things have been hashed out and there won\’t be an issue between the two moving forward.

      The two AEW stars have been seen interacting with each other backstage since then and MVP has been praised by people backstage for taking the initiative and addressing the issues up front.

      While the backstage issues have been resolved, MVP\’s debut is a matter of concern for the roster on screen. The former WWE star has teased the arrival of The Hurt Syndicate since his first appearance for the company.

      With Shelton Benjamin having already joined the promotion, it\’s only a matter of time before we see Bobby Lashley reuniting with the two. The arrival of this formidable trio that dominated Raw during the pandemic era is certainly a matter of concern for anyone finding themselves in a prominent position on AEW programming.

    • Fox Acquires AEW Media Rights, But Not In US

      AEW is coming on Fox…but in Mexico.

      Amid all the talks about Tony Khan\’s promotion looking for a new platform for their third show, they have at least started a new relationship with Fox.

      The Fox Sports Mexico account announced on Twitter early on October 10, that they have acquired the media rights for all three AEW shows, including Rampage:

      \”WE GET IN THE RING WITH AEW! FOX Sports Mexico acquires the broadcast rights to All Elite Wrestling, one of the most spectacular professional wrestling brands in the world.\”

      AEW\’s Media Deals

      After months of speculation, AEW finally announced their US media rights renewal deal with WarnerBros Discovery earlier this month. In addition to the TV shows, a Max deal to carry out AEW PPVs at a discounted price for subscribers was also announced.

      The announcement, however, did not have any mention of Friday Night Rampage. It\’s believed that the show is set to be cancelled after the current contract with WBD expires and the new deal kicks in.

      The belief is that Tony Khan is looking to replace Rampage with a new AEW program dubbed \’Shockwave.\’ He\’s shopping around different networks for the show and the name of Fox has been brought up repeatedly.

      With SmackDown leaving Fox last month, the Network company has a slot open. An AEW show costing less money seems like a good option to replace the Blue Branded Show.

    • Cody Rhodes Breaks Silence On Kevin Owens\’ Betrayal At Bad Blood

      Cody Rhodes has broken his silence about Kevin Owens\’ attack after Bad Blood 2024 but he\’s not giving away anything just yet.

      The Undisputed WWE Champion recently spoke to Manchester Evening News ahead of WWE\’s upcoming UK tour. He was instantly asked about the topic everyone has in mind.

      Rhodes first admitted that it\’d be foolish for him to try and deny the unfolding of events since the entire video exists online. Though he is determined to keep his remarks short at the moment:

      \”It\’s a very passionate industry, everybody wants the north star of our business which is the WWE championship and the championship that I hold at this time. I don\’t know if you\’ll see this unfold on screens, on Smackdown, on Raw or when we come overseas.\”

      The Road To WrestleMania Started Early: Cody Rhodes

      The Owens turn had been teased for several weeks. The two stars almost came to blows during the August 27 SmackDown, after Rhodes inadvertently cost KO and Randy Orton a match against The Bloodline.

      Nobody expected it to happen in such close proximity to The Rock\’s return however and without any WWE cameras around. Even several days after the incident, the only official word has come from Triple H himself, who claims that the matter will be dealt with internally.

      Cody Rhodes is not sure if the matter will be made public, but the events following his big match does make him feel like the WrestleMania season has already begun:

      \”Pro Wrestling and sports entertainment tends to like dive into that. Perhaps it does, or perhaps its dealt internally. I overall, I did feel very happy about my match at Bad Blood. I was happy for the city of Atlanta, that being the city that raised me. Everything happened and appeared and I was happy for Atlanta and the WWE because it feels like the road to WrestleMania started early this year.\”

      The American Nightmare is more focused on his upcoming Crown Jewel match with fellow World Champion Gunther at the moment. We\’ll have to wait and see when the next chapter in his rivalry with his former friend is written.

    • Kurt Angle Opens Up About Passing Of His Sister

      Kurt Angle has opened up about the passing of his sister Le\’Anne Angle.

      The Olympic Gold medallist recently had an interview with Danielle McCartan. Among other things, Kurt talked openly about his pill addiction during his time in WWE.

      Angle mentioned that at one time he was taking more than 50 pills a day and hiding his addiction from everyone. The incident that made him realize that he had a problem was the sudden passing of his sister Le\’Anne, right before his big Iron Man match with Brock Lesnar back in September 2003:

      \”I remember at one point in time, I was getting ready for the biggest match in my career. It was going to be a one-hour Iron Man match against Brock Lester. I was at a house show—an non-televised show—the night before. I just got done wrestling, my brother, Eric called me. He said, \’Listen, your sister Le\’Anne just died of a heroin overdose.\’

      Man, that devastated me. I remember I went back to my hotel room, grabbed about 30 pills, threw them in my mouth, chewed them up, and swallowed them. I didn\’t want to feel any pain and I passed out. I didn\’t wake up until 4:30 in the afternoon the next day.

      The WWE was trying to get a hold of me all day long to tell me I didn\’t have to show up for TV; I could go home and plan the funeral for my sister. I looked up at the ceiling and said, \’Le\’Anne, what do you want me to do?\’ And all I could hear was, \’Do it for me. Do it for me.\’ So, I went and wrestled, and I had the greatest match of my career.\”

      I Was Such A Hypocrite: Kurt Angle

      Kurt Angle would stay with WWE for 3 more years before finally deciding to leave the company and join TNA. While Angle got over his painkiller addiction in TNA, he went deep into alcohol addiction, getting 4 DUIs in a span of 5 years. He finally went to rehab after his 2013 arrest and the wrestling legend has been sober ever since.

      The former World Champion was asked how he felt about the passing of his sister while he was dealing with an addiction himself. Angle revealed that he had actually stopped talking to her to try and get her to quit. Looking back at it now, it\’s one of the biggest regrets for the former World Champion:

      \”That\’s what hurts the most looking back now I mean I was such a hypocrite. I didn\’t have a chance to talk to my sister before she passed away because I had too much pride. I didn\’t want her to know I had a drug problem. But I was criticizing her for hers. I said, \’Listen, I\’m not going to talk to you until you get clean.\’ Unfortunately, she never got clean, and she passed away. So, I regret that decision.\”

      Angle was finally asked what he would tell his sister if he got the chance to do it all over again. The former WWE star said that he would have acknowledged his own problems and encouraged Le\’Anne to go into rehab with him:

      \”I\’d tell her, listen, Le\’Anne, I\’m in this with you. We both need to go to rehab together. I would have loved to went to rehab with my sister, knowing that she was going to be with me, and I was going to be with her. I think we could have done it as a team, I think we\’d both be clean and alive, today.\”

    • Claudio Castagnoli Is Not Worried About Diminishing World Title Prospects

      A world championship run may not be in the cards for Claudio Castagnoli at this stage of his career but he is not bogged down by this.

      The former WWE star has remained one of the most popular wrestling stars in the sphere for the last decade. With his unparalleled skills in the ring, many veterans have expressed their amazement at the 43-year-old never getting a run at the top.

      Many expected things to change when Castagnoli left WWE for AEW in 2022 but with the current depth of the Elite roster, it seems unlikely that Claudio will get a run with the world title anytime soon if at all.

      Though he doesn\’t seem to take this prospect negatively. During a recent interview with The Takedown, Claudio explained that everyone in wrestling should aspire to be a world champion. He has realized, however, that the single-minded focus on it could be detrimental sometimes:

      “Everybody should aspire to be the World Heavyweight Champion. I think I may have realized as I\’m getting older, that that single-minded focus can actually be a big detriment to me. Not everybody is the main character. Not everybody can be the hero of the story. So to me, it is how can I make the most impact?”

      Claudio later explained that he is grateful to have blessings of names such as Bryan Danielson and Mick Foley who believe he should be a world champion, but he feels that he doesn\’t need a belt to be a champion.

      The Swiss star has been making an impact on AEW TV recently since joining Jon Moxley in his new quest to rid the company of its problems.

      Claudio turned on his longtime friend Bryan Danielson at All Out 2024. He has since become part of the new faction led by Mox, alongside Marina Shafir, and PAC.

    • Penelope Ford Makes AEW Return On Dynamite Title Tuesday

      Penelope Ford made her return to AEW programming after a long hiatus during tonight\’s Title Tuesday edition of Dynamite from Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.

      A Women\’s Championship #1 Contenders match between Britt Baker and Willow Nightingale had been scheduled for this week\’s episode of AEW\’s flagship show.

      When Baker was unable to make the bout due to illness, Tony Khan replaced her with not one but three names including Jamie Hayter, Saraya, and Nyla Rose.

      During a spot in the bout, Hayter took a chair from Saraya\’s hand and beat the former champion with it. Saraya retreated outside and Hayter followed but Harley Cameron stopped her from using the chair again.

      Jamie Hayter sent Cameron crashing into the barricade in response. Penelope Ford then appeared out of nowhere and hit Hayter with a chair. Jamie started chasing Ford to the back, essentially removing herself from the match:

      Penelope Ford\’s Absence

      Penelope Ford has not been seen on AEW programming for some time now. She last wrestled for the company way back in February 2023.

      Ford and her husband Kip Sabian opened up about suffering a miscarriage in March of that year. Sabian also made his return to TV very recently.

      After Penelope\’s interference, Willow Nightingale managed to win the match. She sent Saraya flying through a table with a Death Valley Driver and pinned the former WWE star for the win.

      Willow will now be challenging the AEW Women\’s World Champion Mariah May at the upcoming WrestleDream PPV on October 12.

    • Swerve Strickland\’s AEW Return Date Confirmed

      Former World Champion Swerve Strickland is set to make his AEW return very soon.

      The Premier Athlete has not been seen on AEW TV since he suffered a gruesome loss at the hands of Hangman Adam Page in their unsanctioned match at All Out.

      The company finally confirmed Swerve\’s return on this week\’s episode of Dynamite. They announced that Strickland will be making an appearance at the upcoming WrestleDream PPV on October 12:

      What\’s Next For Swerve Strickland?

      Prior to his loss to Adam Page, Strickland had suffered another major defeat at All In. Bryan Danielson ended his 126-day-long reign as the AEW World Champion and saved his career in the process.

      That means the former champion has a long road ahead to build himself up again if he plans on pursuing the world title he lost.

      There is also the question of The Hurt Syndicate looming around. MVP expressed the desire to work with Swerve upon his AEW debut a couple of weeks ago.

      Shelton Benjamin has also made his debut for the company as MVP\’s business partner and the debut of Bobby Lashley is highly anticipated.

      With all the new players in town, it\’d be interesting to see how Swerve will interact with them and if they\’ll prove to be friends or foes for the former NXT star.

    • Bronson Reed Gives Credit To Triple H For Viral Braun Strowman Feud

      Bronson Reed has given Triple H the credit for having a vision for his feud with Braun Strowman that led to the rivalry going viral.

      The heavyweight star has established himself as a huge threat to the WWE roster in the past few weeks. His encounters with Braun Strowman have played a crucial part in presenting Reed as a serious competitor after his past mishaps in the company.

      The 36-year-old was asked if he anticipated his work with Strowman going viral during a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. Reed explained that he didn\’t expect it to be such a huge hit but was excited to work with Strowman nonetheless:

      “No, I don’t think so. I was excited to be able to work with Braun. I think there was a natural chemistry there, we have maybe touched one time before in the Andre the Giant battle royal last year. And I was like, oh, we could do something there with me and him. But then it’s like, what do you do?

      It Worked: Bronson Reed

      Bronson Reed specifically mentioned giving Tsunami to the Monster Among Men on top of a car. He said that all this was the vision of WWE\’s Chief Content officer Triple H:

      \”Then Hunter obviously had great vision for things, came up with the car angle and everything. And then once we were filming that, it’s in the moment, I was like, Okay, this is gonna be cool. I think people were gonna really respond to this.

      And then it ended up being WWE’s most viral moment of the week. I think it got almost 13 million views across social media platforms. So it worked.”

      Bronson Reed had the upper hand during most of his feud with Braun Strowman. Though he ended up losing their most recent Last Monster Standing match last week on September 30 due to the returning Seth Rollins.

      Reed previously laid out The Architect at the start of his terror run. After his comeback last week, Rollins has now challenged the former NXT star to a match at the time and place of his choosing.

    • Spoiler: Injured Tag Team Returns To Old Name At Raw Tapings

      The War Raiders have returned.

      The duo of Erik and Ivar have not been seen together on WWE TV since September last year but they have finally returned to action.

      WWE taped the October 14 episode of Raw in advance this week from St. Louis, Missouri because of an upcoming UK Tour. The show saw the start of a tournament to determine new #1 Contenders for Finn Balor and JD McDonagh\’s Tag Team Championships.

      The Viking Raiders made their return to the Red Branded Show for the first match of the tournament, defeating Alpha Academy. Notably, the duo reverted back to the War Raiders name upon their return:

      The War Raiders in WWE

      The tag team last competed together during the September 15, 2023 episode of SmackDown. They suffered defeat in a Denver Street Fight at the hands of Alpha Academy.

      After this match, it was announced that Erik had suffered a foot injury that will keep him out of action for an undisclosed amount of time.

      The duo was moved to the Raw brand during the 2024 Drafts. In the absence of Erik, Ivar continued appearing on TV as a singles competitor.

      The 40-year-old unfortunately also suffered a spinal injury in April this year. He was written off TV with an attack from Gallus during the May 14, 2024 episode of NXT.

      Erik and Ivar notably wrestled in the indies under the name of War Machine before their WWE signing. The War Raiders name was given to them during their NXT debut in early 2018.

      The duo was repackaged as The Viking Experience upon their main roster debut in April 2019. They were later renamed to The Viking Raiders after backlash on social media.

    • WWE Raw (10/14) Spoilers: Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes And More

      WWE taped the October 14 episode of Monday Night Raw from St. Louis, Missouri tonight because of the upcoming UK tour. The show featured the return of a tag team and more. Here are the full results of the episode:

      • Rhea Ripley Promo: Ripley calls out Raquel Rodriguez for costing her the women\’s title at Bad Blood. Ms. Money In The Bank Tifanny Stratton comes out instead and says that she has a message from Nia Jax. Before she could deliver it, however, Liv Morgan and Rodrigez attack them both from behind. A match between the two teams is made official for later in the night.
      https://twitter.com/livinucey/status/1843478991245885798
      • Tag Team Match: Women\’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill def. Kairi Sane and IYO SKY.
      • Tag Team Match: A tournament to determine new challengers for the Tag Team Championship begins. The Viking Raiders return to action, reverting back to The War Raiders name. They defeat Alpha Academy.
      • Cody Rhodes Promo: Gunther interrupts Cody during his promo. Gunther attacked Cody after an exchange but Rhodes was the one standing tall in the end.
      • Singles Match: R Truth def. The Miz: Karrion Kross and the crew come out to distract Miz, allowing Truth to get the pin. They toss Truth back into the ring for Miz to attack him.
      • Singles Match: Bron Breakker def. Kofi Kingston
      • Tag Team Match: Tiffany Stratton & Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez: The match ends in a disqualification when SmackDown\’s Nia Jax shows up. She goes after Liv Morgan before Dominik pulls Morgan out of the ring.
      https://twitter.com/monesplicty/status/1843497607295054237

      WWE reverted back to the two-hour format for Raw this week which will continue till the end of the year. The show will be leaving USA Network for Netflix at the start of next year. You can check out what the company\’s planning for the Netflix premiere here.

    • Triple H Asked About Raw\’s Length On Netflix

      Triple H says the length of Raw on Netflix is not fixed and they\’re still working out the details of what the company\’s flagship show will look like on the streaming platform.

      The Red Branded Show is set to revert back to two hours after 12 years this coming Monday. The show will continue with the format for its final three months on USA Network before moving to the streaming giant in January next year.

      The WWE Chief Content officer was asked about this change and what to expect from the show when it crosses over to Netflix during the Bad Blood post-show. Triple H joked that he\’ll let us know as soon as he finds out himself, before explaining that they\’re still working on the finer details:

      “When we get to Netflix, we are still working through all of that. So I think the truth is, you guys will have to watch and see and I am gonna wait and see, but we will deal with it.\”

      We Are Making A Movie Every Week: Triple H

      Triple H also advised people to not get too caught up in details like this. He explained that their approach while booking shows is to figure out the stories they wanna tell first and worry about the rest later:

      \”The truth is, no matter what the length of time is, it’s just about putting out the best product we can, telling the best possible stories we can. At the end of the day, that is what this is all about – telling stories. Sometimes in our business, we get so caught up in two hour – three-hour, one-hour, this [that]…the movie is the movie.

      When the movie is over, it was either really good, or it was not good, or too long, or too short. Whatever it is. But we are just making a movie every week, twice a week, three times a week, actually, with more to come. We kind of approach it in that matter. Let’s write the best stories and then we\’ll try to figure out how to jam it into whatever timeslot we have available.”

      Apart from this, Triple H answered questions regarding The Rock\’s return to WWE programming during Bad Blood and the lack of Black representation on WWE PLEs. You can check out the full PPV post-show below: