SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Damian Priest Comments On His Future After Bad Blood Victory

    Damian Priest might be looking to become a champion again after his big Bad Blood 2024 victory against Finn Balor.

    The PPV match between the two rivals saw Carlito and JD McDonagh trying to help their Judgment Day teammate. Priest managed to outsmart the two in the end and picked up the victory with a South of Heaven.

    The former World champion took part in the post-show press conference after the latest PLE where he was asked if he is done with Judgment Day and if he sees himself pursuing the world title again after this victory. Priest said that it\’s something he\’s gonna think about on his day off on Sunday:

    \”That’s something I have to think about. Obviously, today felt good. To get that win, beat the man that I said was gonna regret everything he did. I feel like I accomplished that. Am I done with the Judgment Day? I don’t think so, but who doesn’t want to be the champion?

    That is something I’m going to have to think about, something I\’m gonna have to consider. I have [a day] off tomorrow. So that\’s what I’ll be considering, and come Monday, you’ll probably get my answer.\”

    The Ring General is the one who dethroned Priest at SummerSlam with some help from Finn Balor. So a rematch between the two would make sense.

    Gunther is currently scheduled to defend his title against Sami Zayn on Monday\’s Raw from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. After his remark, it\’s possible that Damian Priest will be watching this encounter very closely.

  • Reason For Awkward Finish To Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley Bad Blood Match

    The awkward finish of Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley Women\’s Championship match at Bad Blood was seemingly the result of an audible called during the bout.

    According to Fightful Select, the original plan for the bout was Liv winning the match with help from a returning Raquel Rodriguez. Things went into disarray when the referee called for the bell before that:

    \”It was implied that the original finish to Rhea vs. Liv was Liv winning with Raquel\’s help. However the referee couldn\’t justify not doing a DQ finish as he saw everything unfold.\”

    Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

    The shark cage match at Bad Blood saw Dominik Mysterio being suspended in a cage at the ringside while Rhea and Liv battled inside the squared circle.

    Prison Dom managed to pickpocket the lock and opened the cage door towards the ending of the match. While the door was open, Mysterio had nowhere to go because of his fear of heights.

    Ripley took advantage of the situation and brought Liv outside to punish her right in front of Dom\’s eyes. After a while, Dom couldn\’t take it anymore and he tried to get out. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, he forgot about the chain securing his leg to the cage and he found himself hanging in the air.

    Rhea Ripley took the opportunity to get her revenge on her ex, and she picked up a kendo stick to punish Dominik. This is when Raquel Rodriguez made her return and she blindsided Rhea.

    Raquel then threw Ripley back into the ring and after an awkward pause, the bell rang to signal the end of the bout. Rodriguez unsure of what to do after the sudden change in plans, still put Liv on top of Ripley for the pin but then picked Morgan up.

    Rodriguez had been diagnosed with Mast cell activation syndrome in January this year. She competed at the Elimination Chamber in February despite her condition but was pulled from the active roster in March.

  • Drew McIntyre \’Banged Up\’ Coming Out Of Brutal Bad Blood Match

    Drew McIntyre was understandably banged up after his brutal Hell In A Cell match at tonight\’s Bad Blood PPV from Atlanta Georgia.

    One of the spots in the grueling match featured Punk bashing McIntyre with the metal toolbox that the Scottish Psychopath himself had introduced in the bout.

    Drew was legitimately busted open from this spot and according to PWinsider, the former World Champion required as many as 16 staples to close the wound after the show.

    The site says McIntyre was \’banged up\’ coming out of the PLE but they didn\’t confirm if he suffered any other injuries besides the obvious one tonight.

    What Happened At Bad Blood

    Things didn\’t turn out as Drew McIntyre would have hoped at the PPV. The ending of the brutal match saw Punk wrapping a chain around his thigh and following it up with a GTS on his opponent for the win.

    The year-long feud between the arch-rivals is believed to be over after tonight\’s PPV. It\’s unknown what the Triple H regime has in store for either of these stars after the Hell In A Cell match.

    While the future of Punk and McIntyre is in question, there are some other major storylines that have been teased at and after tonight\’s show.

    Apart from an appearance of Goldberg in a segment featuring the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, the show also saw the electrifying return of the Rock. If all this wasn\’t enough, WWE also pulled the plug on a long-teased heel turn, after the Bad Blood broadcast was over. You can check out more about it here.

  • Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After Bad Blood 2024 Went Off Air

    Cody Rhodes just made Triple H and Nick Khan\’s job harder by adding another name to the list of potential cities in line to host a WrestleMania.

    The Undisputed WWE Champion picked up a big win in the main event of tonight\’s Bad Blood PPV from State Farm Arena in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. With some help from a returning Jimmy Uso, the team of Rhodes and Roman Reigns defeated The Bloodline.

    The original Tribal Chief and his cousin left the ring after the PPV went off the air but as always, Cody stayed around to greet the fans. Before that, he cut a promo about his hometown and advocated for the city to get a bigger event after they set a new record for WWE in Atlanta:

    \”You heard the statistics about how many people, you heard that we set a business record for WWE. We did that here. We did that in Atlanta. I don\’t know anything, I\’m not a manager or anything like that, but I would wager that after a night like tonight, somehow something even bigger than Bad Blood comes to Atlanta.\”

    Cody Rhodes also talked about growing up in the area and said that people would never know how much it means to him that a cocky kid from the South holds the biggest prize in the business.

    Not everything worked out in favor of the American Nightmare tonight, however. Apart from the electrifying return of an old rival, Cody also had to suffer betrayal at the hands of a longtime friend after Bad Blood.

  • Kayla Braxton Details Initial Frustration With Paul Heyman Pairing

    Kayla Braxton has revealed that she wasn\’t thrilled with the Paul Heyman pairing at first but she learned the genius of the former ECW owner as time went by.

    The former WWE personality recently had an interview with Denise Salcedo. She talked about things such as her love for horror movies, the reason she left WWE, and more.

    During the talk, Braxton was asked about her work with Heyman which was one of the highlights of her later run in WWE. Kayla revealed that she wasn\’t a fan of the wise man when he first started appearing on Talking Smack with her:

    \”Yeah, probably one of the most—if not the most—brilliant mind in wrestling. Paul\’s been around forever, for like many different leaderships and eras of wrestling. That really happened very organically back during the Thunderdome era, during the pandemic, when they put us together on Talking Smack.

    So we had the panel show.  I didn\’t really know Paul, hadn\’t worked with Paul that much at the time. I just knew that this really big, loud man was on my kickoff show all of a sudden, taking up all my airtime. I was getting really frustrated with him, but then the more I got to work with him…man, I would not have become the broadcaster I had become if it weren\’t for Paul Heyman.\”

    Something Really Special: Kayla Braxton

    Things changed once Paul Heyman started working his magic. Kayla Braxton mentioned how even before her time, Talking Smack was a destination for some big storyline developments. Her mini-feud with Heyman also made its way to SmackDown when Paul Heyman started doing his thing:

    \”From there, we\’d create little mini storylines on the panel—which a lot of times, Talking Smack, things that would happen on there, even that the Renee Paquette, then Renee Young and Daniel Bryan – things would end up on TV at storylines. That\’s kind of what inched our way into this whole Bloodline feud that I had.

    And listen, there were a lot of times we\’d be going live, I\’d be handed a script of what to say in my interview. and Paul\’s like \’You don\’t need that.\’ I\’m like \’Yo we\’re going live and I don\’t know if I can just tell them in the truck hey, I\’m not saying that\’ But we would just go off the cuff, and anything Paul touched turned to gold. It was really fun. And that\’s also something that\’s really special. Not a lot of people can say that they got to work that closely with the wise man.\”

    Kayla Braxton left NXT for the main roster in April 2019. She was made host of Talking Smack in August 2020 and the show was renamed to SmackDown LowDown. She left the company in June this year.

  • Chelsea Green Outraged As Fans Gloat Over Her SmackDown Dumpster Dive

    Chelsea Green is not happy with the fans and fellow WWE superstars gloating about her loss in the dumpster match on this week\’s episode of SmackDown.

    Former General Manager Vickie Guerrero suggested the return of the match during the show\’s Fox premiere. Current GM Nick Aldis made the match official.

    The Bad Blood go-home episode of the show this week saw Green taking on Michin in the stipulation match. Chelsea\’s partner Piper Niven tried to help her friend win the bout but she failed.

    The ending of the match saw Michin first sending Niven crashing through the side of the dumpster. She then power-bombed Chelsea Green through a table set inside the dumpster and closed the lid to win the match.

    Chelsea Green Is Not Happy

    The Canadian star was understandably not happy about her defeat at the Blue Branded Show. She went on a Twitter tirade after the show went off air, calling out fans who mocked her defeat.

    A number of WWE stars also joined in on the fun. Chelsea Green has responded to tweets from the likes of Corey Graves, Hurricane Helms and more:

    Apart from the Dumpster match, the SmackDown episode also featured the TV return of AJ Styles. The former World Champion unfortunately ended up suffering an injury during his match on the show.

    Cody Rhodes was also in action tonight, though his match took place after SmackDown. You can check out everything that happened after the broadcast ended here.

  • Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After (10/4) SmackDown Went Off Air

    Cody Rhodes picked up a dark match victory after this week\’s episode of SmackDown from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville went off air.

    A number of matches took place after the Blue Branded Show this week. WWE first taped the finals of the Women\’s Speed Championship Tournament set to air on X on October 11.

    The first dark match of the night then saw Liv Morgan with Dirty Dom defending the Women\’s Title against Lyra Valkyria. Morgan picked up the victory in the bout.

    The second dark match featured Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes facing Austin Theory. The latter had his A Town Down Under partner Greyson Waller on his side.

    While Waller tried to help his partner win the bout, Rhodes ended up outsmarting them. He sent Theory crashing into Greyson when he hopped up on the apron and then picked up the victory with a Cross Rhodes.

    What Happened On SmackDown

    The Bad Blood go home episode of SmackDown was full of many noteworthy moments. The show saw the TV return of AJ Styles who unfortunately seems to have suffered an injury during his match with Carmelo Hayes.

    The event also featured the return of the Dumpster match. Michin picked up a victory over Chelsea Green in the bout, sending Green into a Twitter tirade.

    The Bloodline defended their tag titles in a triple threat ladder match in the main event of the show. They went up against DIY and Street Profits. The duo of Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga managed to retain the titles without any outside help.

    Tomasso Ciampa wasn\’t very happy with the outcome of this bout and he can be seen refusing a handshake from Street Profits in a fan-made video after the show.

  • Spoiler Behind Mysterious \’Coming Soon\’ Vignette On (10/4) SmackDown

    The mystery personnel behind the vignette on this week\’s episode of SmackDown from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville have been revealed.

    The Blue Branded show this week featured a \’Coming Soon\’ vignette with a speeding car seemingly running away from law enforcement in a metro city.

    The first sign of the persons behind the video package was observed in the skyline shown in the video. Fans recognized it as a scene of Detroit, the hometown of the veteran tag team Motor City Machine Guns.

    If the hints weren\’t enough, the WWE Brazilian announcer Marco Alfaro confirmed during the broadcast that the teaser belonged to the legendary tag team:

    Motor City Machine Guns To WWE

    The duo of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin became free agents in April this year after their TNA contracts expired. Initially believed to be AEW bound, the Guns have come much closer to making their WWE debuts in recent months.

    Shelley and Sabin regularly competed in independent promotions in the months after their departure from TNA but they have since said goodbye to the indie scene.

    WWE is usually very strict about allowing contracted talents to make outside appearances. The Guns wrapping up their indie dates was a big hint towards their future.

    The reports that first suggested that they would be joining the NXT brand have subsided. The tag team is now believed to be heading directly to the main roster.

    The new vignette pretty much confirms that the former Impact stars will be joining the SmackDown brand in the very near future.

  • Spoilers: Inaugural WWE Women\’s Speed Champion Crowned

    WWE began a tournament to crown the new Speed Women\’s Champion last month and now the name that becomes the inaugural champion has been revealed.

    The company taped the finals of the Speed Women\’s tournament alongside this week\’s episode of SmackDown from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

    They first taped the Semifinal match between Kairi Sane and Candice LeRae in which the latter picked up the victory and made her way into the finals for the match against IYO SKY.

    The former member of The Way faction was able to defeat SKY as well and she was crowned the first-ever Women\’s Speed Champion:

    WWE Speed On X

    The concept of WWE Speed was introduced back in April this year in partnership with X. The program airing on the social media platform sees stars from all three brands competing against each other in matches that have a 5-minute time limit.

    The inaugural Speed champion was determined with a tournament that ran from April 3 to May 3. Former WWE star Ricochet was crowned the inaugural champion on the men\’s side after he defeated Johnny Gargano in the finals.

    The Women\’s Speed championship was first announced by Triple H in early August. A tournament featuring names such as Naomi, Lyra Valkyria, Blair Davenport, Piper Niven and more began on September 4.

    The speed title is the first singles championship for Candice LeRae in WWE. The only other championship she has held in the company is the NXT Women\’s Tag Team title with Indi Hartwell.

  • Austin Theory Reveals Viral Jelly Roll Moment Was His Idea

    Austin Theory has revealed that his viral SummerSlam 2024 moment with Jelly Roll was part of his own idea.

    The former US Champion recently had an interview with Battleground podcast. He talked about things such as his partnership with Greyson Waller, how the creative approach has changed in Triple H regime, and more.

    During the interview, Theory was asked about the company trusting him with celebrity moments such as the segment with The Rock or his SummerSlam encounter with Jelly Roll. Talking about the latter, Austin Theory revealed that it was actually his idea for the rap star to give him a chokeslam during their interaction:

    \”Speaking of the Jelly Roll situation, it wasn\’t going to be a choke slam. I heard little ideas of—maybe a choke slam or this—but I think a scoop slam was actually gonna be what it was. I remember being in the ring with everybody and going to Triple H, being like, \’Hey, just trust me on this. Let him give me a choke slam; I\’ll make it look amazing. All he has to do is put his arm up.\’ Sure enough man, we went out there, and it looked amazing. It trended like crazy; it was all over the place.\”

    Not One Other Place I\’d Ever Go: Austin Theory

    While some other people would take being booked in spots like these negatively, Austin Theory keeps a positive mindset. According to him, his focus is always on what the company needs from him because it\’s the place he\’s always wanted to be in:

    \”But it\’s just understanding that job, of what you need to do that night. I think always understanding why I\’m doing something—ok is this gonna help this. Is this what we\’re trying to do for the company right now and the position they\’re putting me in—And I\’m just, I\’m all in. I\’m never like, \’Ah,\’ or disappointed in stuff like that.

    I have a huge opportunity; I got a moment. It\’s the WWE— it\’s the place I\’ve wanted to be my entire life. There\’s not one other place I\’d ever go. This is it. So, I\’m locked in, man. So whatever the opportunity is at the moment, or whoever the guy is—it doesn\’t matter if it\’s The Rock or Jelly Roll—it doesn\’t matter. I\’m all in.\”

    Austin Theory and Greyson Waller are scheduled to compete at the upcoming October 8 episode of NXT. They will challenge Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Championships.

  • Austin Theory Says New WWE Creative Is \’Very Hands On\’

    Austin Theory says the new WWE regime is allowing wrestlers to be truly creative with their characters.

    A number of WWE stars have spoken positively about the creative changes from Vince McMahon to Triple H regime. Names such as Becky Lynch, Randy Orton and Sami Zayn have explained that the new regime is thinking months in advance and they have long-term plans for everything that you see on TV.

    Another aspect of this conversation is allowing talent to have input in their own characters. Austin Theory spoke up about it during an interview with Battlegrounds podcast, saying that the creative process now is very hands-on:

    \”I would have to say, man, with the creative process now, it\’s very hands-on. There\’s a lot of opportunity for us superstars to make tweaks, make changes, have our own ideas and them not be shut down; them actually having the opportunity to be looking at and say, \’Well, maybe we could go somewhere with this.\’ Or, \’Ah, that\’s not really the plan, but that might have something to it.\’

    So, it\’s very hands-on, but it\’s also very, it being the creative – it\’s very creative for all of us. Because we\’re all being able to create. When it comes to what we do as sports entertainers, professional wrestlers, is showing our art. So, that creativity is so important for us to have in our own hands. And I feel that way now that we do have it.

    Austin Theory is currently involved in a tag team with Greyson Waller. The duo known as A Town Down Under previously won the SmackDown tag team championship which was renamed to the WWE Tag Team Championship during their reign.

    Waller and Theory are scheduled to compete at the upcoming October 8 episode of NXT. They will challenge Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Championships.

  • Update On Sammy Guevara After Being Stretchered Out Of ROH Tapings

    Both Sammy Guevara and indie wrestler Kelly Madan seem to be doing well after being stretchered out of the latest ROH tapings before the Dynamite anniversary show.

    Guevara was knocked out after delivering a cutter to Serpentico during their match. There were serious concerns among colleagues and the management about his well-being after the incident.

    Though PWTorch is reporting that the former TNT Champion was seen walking around on his own backstage after being treated and evaluated. Anyone who didn\’t know about his match, wouldn\’t have guessed about it.

    Independent star Kelly Madan also found herself in a similar situation. She was knocked out during her match with Lady Frost last night in Pittsburgh.

    Madan was taken to the Peterson Events Center next door after being stretchered out of the arena. Per PWinsider, the word-making round among AEW talents was that she suffered a concussion but was coherent and alert last night. She did not suffer any other injuries.

    It\’s worth noting that concussion symptoms can appear within a few days of the injury so it\’s likely that both the stars will be kept away from action for a while for further evaluation.

    Fans would remember Adam Cole dealing with some scary symptoms that developed a month after his Forbidden Door 2022 concussion that kept him out of action for almost 9 months.

    SEScoops wishes a speedy recovery to both the wrestling stars.

  • Nikki Garcia Gets Restraining Order Against Husband Artem Chigvintsev

    • Caution – The following article contains details of a domestic violence incident

    Former WWE star Nikki \’Bella\’ Garcia filed a restraining order against husband Artem Chigvintsev this past Monday after the latter\’s domestic violence arrest back on August 29.

    According to TMZ, Nikki submitted a sworn declaration to the court revealing details of the alleged domestic violence incident and the judge signed off on the order. Nikki explained that Artem grew \’increasingly angry\’ after learning that he won\’t be part of the new season of Dancing With The Stars and he snapped at her.

    On the morning of the incident, Artem snapped at Nikki over the fact that their son\’s English muffin should be toasted. He screamed that the retired wrestling star had made their son a \’picky eater.\’ The incident escalated from there and according to Garcia, Chigvintsev \”tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present.\”

    Overwhelmed by the yelling, Nikki threw their son\’s toddler-sized shoes toward Artem which hit his leg. Though she argues that the light shoes could not have hurt him. Artem then grabbed Mattero and ran upstairs and when she tried to get into the room, Artem grabbed her arm and held her on the ground for about 30 seconds.

    The Russian Dancer went into their son\’s room again and closed the door. When the female star tried to push open the door again, Artem came out and pushed her across the hall into the couple\’s bedroom. Nikki alleges that Artem then forced her to the floor in their bathroom and had his hands on her chest near her sternum. Nikki felt like she was suffocating and she grabbed his neck in an attempt to get him off. When the police came, Mettero told them that \’Daddy hurt my hand\’

    Nikki Garcia also detailed a previous incident of physical violence in mid-2023. According to her, he \’violently grabbed me around my waist\’ to keep Nikki away from Mattero. There were numerous other instances of verbal abuse.

    Garcia wants Artem to get the help he needs with therapy and anger management because she doesn\’t want her son to grow up in a tumultuous environment. She wants her and Matteo to have enough space away from Artem until he has bettered himself.

    Garcia also asked the judge if she could leave the country with her son for a filming project in London but the court denied her request. The Judge has prohibited Artem from contacting or coming within 100 yards of her, their son, or their home with the exception of visitation or exchange of the child per court-ordered visits

    Prosecutors previously declined to file charges against Artem for his arrest citing a lack of evidence. In a statement from her representative, Nikki claims that she requested the Napa District Attorney not to file charges as she does not want Artem to go to jail but she wants him to be accountable for his actions. In the meantime, the former WWE star has also filed for divorce from her husband.

    You can call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for Domestic Violence Hotline or text START to 88788. More details about the issues can be found at US Department of Justice website here.

  • Watch: What Happened With Bryan Danielson After (10/2) Dynamite Went Off Air

    AEW has released a video of Tony Khan and Bryan Danielson thanking the fans after the 5-year anniversary special of Dynamite from Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia went off air.

    Khan first mentioned that Pittsburgh was one of the first places they visited when Dynamite started and thanked the fans. He then thanked Bryan for his 3-year run with the promotion.

    The AEW World Champion took the mic and credited TK for creating an alternative to WWE. Addressing the crowd, Danielson thanked them for making him a WrestleMania main eventer:

    \”First of all, I\’d like to thank Tony Khan, without whom, AEW wouldn\’t be here. You wouldn\’t have an alternative. It is better that AEW exists – for the wrestlers, for the production people, and for professional wrestling fans. I first wrestled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 23 years ago. And I don\’t know if you guys remember, but you were the crowd that made me into a WrestleMania main eventer. So, I just wanted to say thank you, Pittsburgh.

    Best Wrestling Company In The World: Bryan Danielson

    Bryan Danielson then claimed that AEW is the best wrestling company in the world. It has the best locker room and fans, for whom he left a lifetime job at WWE:

    \”And last but certainly not least, I want to thank all the men and women in the back because they\’re the ones who made this place so great that I had a lifetime job at WWE, and I chose to come here because they were the best wrestlers in the world, the best fans in the world, and this is the best wrestling company in the world. Now, next week, check out WrestleDream, cause at WrestleDream in Tacoma, Washington. I am gonna kick Jon Moxley\’s fucking head in.\”

    The 5 Year Anniversary show gave fans a lot to talk about with both good and bad news coming out of the show. The episode saw a huge debut and the return of Jay White from his injury.

    Prior to Dynamite, however, a couple of wrestling talents suffered injuries during the ROH tapings. This included the current ROH tag champ Sammy Guevara who had to be stretchered out of the arena.

  • Jay White Makes Surprise Return On Dynamite 5 Year Anniversary

    \’Switchblade\’ Jay White has returned to AEW TV after spending the last three months on the shelf due to a foot injury.

    This week\’s 5-year anniversary special of Dynamite featured a singles match between Hangman Adam Page and Juice Robinson.

    The ending of the bout saw Robinson setting up for The Juice Is Loose but Page countered with a low blow. Hangman then connected with a Buckshot Lariat to pick up a pinfall victory.

    The former AEW World Champion took off his cowboy buckle belt and started using it to choke Robinson out. This is when White\’s music hit and he made his return.

    Jay White took out Page from behind with a clothesline. He continued beating Page down before sending him crashing through a table at the ringside to end the segment.

    Jay White\’s Absence

    The former IWGP World Champion last wrestled during the July 6 episode of AEW Collision. The Owen Cup semifinal match saw Page defeating White after using his belt, very similar to how he attacked Robinson tonight.

    Prior to the injury, Jay White and The Gunns had held the AEW Trios Title. They were stripped of the championships by Christopher Daniels when they tried to invoke the Freebird rule to give Robinson a share of the title.

    Jay White wasn\’t the only big name that made a surprise appearance during tonight\’s Dynamite. A former WWE star also made his long-awaited debut for the promotion during the show. You can check out more about it here.

  • Sammy Guevara Stretchered Out of ROH Taping Before Dynamite

    Sammy Guevara has suffered a legitimate injury during the Ring of Honor taping before the 5-year anniversary special of Dynamite.

    One-half of the current ROH tag champions wrestled Serpentico in a match during the taping. SEScoops correspondent Dominic DeAngelo was in attendance for the show. He noted that Guevara landed awkwardly while delivering a cutter to his opponent and then he didn\’t get up.

    The match was stopped immediately after it and a video of medical professionals attending to the former TNT Champion has surfaced online. Guevara was then stretchered out of the arena.

    This was one of the two injuries reported during the night as a female enhancement talent was also stretchered out after suffering an injury during a match with Lady Frost.

    Frost landed a move off the top rope which appeared to have knocked the female talent out. PWInsider has since identified her as indie wrestler Kelly Madan.

    Sammy Guevara had only returned to action in August this year. He had been off TV since February after being suspended for not following concussion protocols in a match with Jeff Hardy.

    Guevara has formed a team with Dustin Rhodes since returning to TV and has been working on ROH regularly. The duo won the ROH tag team championships during the August 17 episode of AEW Collision.

    Stay tuned for more updates on his health.

  • Shelton Benjamin Makes AEW Debut At Dynamite 5 Year Anniversary

    Shelton Benjamin is All Elite.

    The former WWE star had been expected to make his debut for Tony Khan\’s promotion ever since MVP made his first appearance for the company last week.

    This week\’s 5-year anniversary special of Dynamite then saw Renee Paquette interviewing MVP backstage where he was getting ready to make an announcement.

    Before he could do so, however, Prince Nana interrupted and reminded everyone that he once was a wrestler. In response, MVP said that he was not the one who handled complaints like that and then the camera panned out to the one who does deal with complaints – Shelton Benjamin.

    Benjamin got a huge pop from the crowd as MVP introduced him as his business partner and \’President of the Complaint Department.\’

    Shelton Benjamin Is Not Done

    Shelton was released from his WWE contract back in September 2023. While a lot of people expected him to go to AEW straight away, it took over a year for the wrestling veteran to arrive.

    Now that he has arrived, however, the 49-year-old is expected to make a big impact along with his Hurt Business partner.

    The group is still one member short as Bobby Lashley is yet to be introduced on AEW TV. Though after the arrival of MVP and Benjamin, it seems only a matter of time before the former WWE Champion makes his way to the company as well.

  • Bron Breakker Has A \’Steiner Math\’ Singlet In Works

    Bron Breakker is someone who is very proud of his heritage and he is never afraid to tap into it. The 26-year-old always finds different ways to pay tribute to his family history.

    One such way the former IC Champion always shows his admiration for the generation before him is through his ring gear. A memorable example of it is when Breakker replicated his father, Rick Steiner\’s gear from the very first episode of Raw for his Spring Breakin\’ 2022 match.

    Breakker has now revealed that he has one more such gear planned for near future. The WWE star recently talked about it on Casual Conversations With The Classic podcast. He revealed that he has a very special \’Steiner Math\’ singlet in the works:

    \”Man, I don\’t want to give any spoilers away, alright? I\’m gonna try…I\’ve got some ideas in the works for some gear that\’s…Okay, so I\’ll put it this way – all my PLE singlets are a tip of the cap or salute to the Steiners, for the most part. Some of them have my little bit of…You know I\’ll change a little bit.

    But most of them are, I\’m bringing back the classics. There\’s going to be one coming up soon that is a Bron Breaker version of the Steiner math. Cause I already did the pink one; it was huge, it was a cool thing. But I\’m gonna do something different with that. I\’m in the shop a little bit with the creative team. We\’re gonna make something cool.\”

    Bron Breakker is referring to the infamous promo of his uncle Scott Steiner from his TNA days. Steiner was promoting the Sacrifice 2008 match between him, Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle for the TNA World Title when he cut the promo that became a classic.

    Apart from this, Breakker also talked about things such as his UpUpDownDown appearance, his extended family, his IC title run and more.

  • Roxanne Perez Reflects On NXT Segment With CM Punk

    Roxanne Perez says being part of a promo segment with CM Punk was a \’pinch me\’ moment.

    The Straight Edge star has become a mentor for many NXT talents since returning to WWE. Two names that have especially become close to the wrestling veteran are Cora Jade and current NXT Women\’s Champion Roxanne Perez.

    The latter recently got to share the screen with Punk as well prior to her title defense against Giulia. She opened up about the segment while speaking to New York Post, and claimed that the experience was really insane:

    \”Oh my gosh. I mean to have an in-ring promo with the best promo I think ever, was so insane. It definitely was a pinch me moment. But the fact that I\’ve been able to create a friendship with him and sit under his Learning Tree for months now. I think being able to have that relationship definitely made me so much more comfortable.\”

    Everything I Have Been Working For: Roxanne Perez

    CM Punk played the role of a moderator in the segment between Roxanne Perez and Giulia during the September 17 episode of NXT. Perez talked about Punk being her childhood hero but said that she should have been a Drew McIntyre fan instead.

    Speaking about her promo on the night, the NXT Women\’s Champion said that it was ok for her to give Punk some attitude, because it was something he would have done himself a few years ago:

    \”I do remember getting in the ring and starting to say my lines and just really feeling it. Because I was just like, \’Wow, this is insane. I\’m standing in the ring with someone that I looked up to my entire life.\’ A part of me was like, \’Well I can\’t believe this.\’

    But another part of me was like, \’Wait, I can believe this, because this is everything I\’ve ever worked for.\’ And I felt like I definitely stood my ground. I said a little…I gave him a little bit of attitude, something that he would have done a few years ago. So it was really fun. It\’s everything that I\’ve been working for.\”

    Perez was successful in her title defence against Giulia at the CW Premiere episode of NXT last night. Though she had help from a returning superstar. You can check out more about it here.

  • Jinder Mahal\’s Point About Representation In WWE Is Proven By Indian Talents On International Stage

    WWE has been under scrutiny recently due to a lack of representation for African American wrestlers in the company\’s PLEs, and now Jinder Mahal has spoken up about similar treatment for South Asian talent.

    The former WWE Champion who now goes by the name Raj Dhesi recently responded to the reports about representation on Twitter.

    Mahal noted that despite the huge population of the region, there is currently only one South Asian talent signed to the promotion. He explained that talents from other sports can become stars if given the opportunity to be themselves:

    https://twitter.com/RajTheMaharaja/status/1841167104940077338
    https://twitter.com/RajTheMaharaja/status/1841167330446815432
    https://twitter.com/RajTheMaharaja/status/1841175762592023031

    The former champion is not the only one who has spoken up about this issue recently. Former WWE star Sanga had previously criticized the company for wanting the viewership from India but not giving any representation to talents from the country.

    Indian Talents On International Stage

    The debate about lack of people to sign doesn\’t work when Indian talents have shown their abilities on the international stage many times. Indian wrestlers have won at least one medal in the last 5 summer Olympics.

    Names such as Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Aman Sehrawat are proving every day that talents from the region can make it big when given an opportunity.

    This is not even counting someone like Vinesh Phogat who unfortunately missed her chance at a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after being disqualified due to being above the stipulated weight on the day of the finals.

    The unforeseen events led to many veteran wrestlers speaking up in support of Phogat. Prior to that, she had ended the incredible 82-0 international winning streak of Japan\’s Yui Susaki in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

    Editor\’s Note

    Forced inclusivity at the top at the cost of someone more deserving is never the goal of these talks. Mahal is not saying that people should be forced into the position because of their background. The question that we ask is how are talents supposed to reach that level without a fair opportunity to showcase their potential.

    With the general lack of resources for people in these parts of the world, its industry leaders like WWE who have to step up to provide a chance to talents from all backgrounds to truly become global in every sense of the word.

  • Cora Jade Returns To NXT After 9 Months, Costs Title Match To Giulia

    Cora Jade is back!

    WWE presented the CW Premiere episode of NXT tonight from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. One of the featured bouts on the show was Roxanne Perez defending the NXT Women\’s Championship against Giulia.

    The Japanese star was making her official in-ring debut for the development brand in the opening match of the episode. As expected, she dominated most of the bout.

    Giulia sent Perez crashing onto the outside floor towards the ending of the fight. The referee started a ten count but both competitors beat it. Roxanne Perez then grabbed the Women\’s title belt to hit her opponent but the ref stopped her.

    When the referee was busy, however, a hooded figure dragged the former Stardom star out of the ring and delivered a DDT on the floor. The mysterious star dumped Giulia back into the ring where Perez picked up the victory with a Pop Rox. The figure then revealed themselves to be a returning Cora Jade.

    The 23-year-old had been out of action since January this year. She tore her ACL during an NXT Live Event match against Lyra Valkyria.

    Jade previously won the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Championships with Roxanne Perez. Though their team didn\’t last long as Cora Jade turned on her partner and then dumped the NXT tag title in a trash can.

    It\’s not clear if the events of tonight are leading towards a reunion between the teammates or if Jade has a different intention in mind. We\’ll have to tune in to NXT in coming times to find out.

  • CM Punk Treats NXT CW Premiere Audience With Free Pizzas

    CM Punk has done it again.

    The Straight Edge star is known to be very generous when it comes to promoting local businesses and treating fans of his hometown of Chicago.

    He famously treated all the fans with ice cream bars, when they attended his AEW debut from the United Center during the August 20, 2021 episode of Rampage.

    So when NXT\’s CW premiere rolled around from the Allstate Arena with Punk as a special guest on the episode, fans just knew that there would be surprises in store and the former world champion didn\’t disappoint.

    Fans leaving the arena after tonight\’s show noted that they were all given free Lou Malnati\’s Pizzas along with C4 Energy drinks:

    https://twitter.com/WrestlingFan250/status/1841300727026622940

    NXT on CW Premiere

    CM Punk played the role of the special guest referee for the main event of tonight\’s show. The bout saw Trick Williams challenging Ethan Page for the NXT Championship.

    Williams was able to defeat Page and he became a 2-time NXT Champion in the process. The confetti rained down as Trick celebrated his victory and the show went off air with Punk giving a GTS to Page.

    Apart from this, the show also featured the official in-ring debut of Giulia who challenged Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women\’s Title.

    Everyone expected the Japanese star to pick up the victory in the bout but Perez retained the title with some help from a returning Cora Jade.

  • Trick Williams Reflects On Emotional NXT Title Win

    Winning the NXT Championship was a very emotional moment for Trick Williams.

    The WWE star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet\’s Insight podcast. He discussed things such as Shawn Michaels comparing him to Scott Hall, NXT moving to CW, a potential main roster call up and more.

    When asked about his NXT title win earlier this year, Williams first gave a shout-out to Ijla Dragunov for taking his career to the next level:

    “Unreal. Shout out to Ilja Dragunov, who I would say really took my career to the next level, especially at that time, all three to four of our matches showed people that I had that next level in me. The day I did take the title from Ilja Dragunov, it was a beautiful moment.\”

    It Was Unreal: Trick Williams

    Trick Williams won the NXT Championship at the Spring Breakin\’ event in April this year. The 30-year-old had put his NXT career on the line and with an outpouring support from the fans, he was finally able to defeat Dragunov to win the title.

    According to the young star, the whole moment was unreal, and the emotion he felt during the time will be very hard to replicate in his life:

    \”I’m not sure if you saw but the whole arena was shaking from the Whoop That Trick chants, people stomping, people screaming, people crying. It was unreal, man, and the emotion that I felt in that ring at that time, it’s gonna be hard to duplicate, because it was just 100% everybody was behind, and that’s a special moment. Man, that’s why I wanted to do this.”

    Though Williams\’ reign didn\’t last very long. He dropped the title to Ethan Page at the Heatwave event in July, after only 74 days. Trick will get a shot at redemption when he challenges Page for the title at tonight\’s CW premiere episode of WWE\’s third brand.

  • Batista Reveals Advice From Mentor Triple H That Changed His Career

    Batista has revealed the best pieces of advice he got from his mentors in wrestling.

    The former World Champion recently had a short conversation with The School of Hard Knocks on TikTok. He was asked about the best piece of advice he has ever got.

    The Animal reflected on the time when he first got hired by WWE back in the early 2000. He mentioned that he was very afraid of pissing people off, until Triple H changed his perspective with two incredible pieces of wisdom:

    \”There\’s been a few things, especially when I was wrestling, I had a mentor named Triple H, and it was a couple things he said to me that always stuck with me. And one of the things was, you know, when I first got there, I was so afraid, like I didn\’t want to piss people off, it was a hierarchy thing, and I was so afraid of being disrespectful, or pissing somebody off. And one day he said, \’Look, man, you want to make money or you want to make friends?\’

    He says \’This is a business. You got to look at it as a business. You\’re a business.\’ And so I always thought about myself as my own commodity. I am my brand. And so another thing he said, he said, \’Just always imagine that everybody\’s pointing a gun at your head. it\’s up to you how many bullets you give them.\’\”

    Live Beneath Your Means: Batista

    Batista has been pretty open about his financial difficulties after leaving WWE in 2010. Despite multiple world titles in the company, the retired wrestling star found himself in a pickle. The 55-year-old wanted to pursue an acting career but he had a hard time because he couldn\’t find a lot of jobs the first few years.

    The Hollywood star has since found success and starred in hit franchises like Guardians of The Galaxy and Dune. Despite this, however, he tries to live beneath his means, as explained to him by The Undertaker:

    \”Financial advice. Best advice that I ever got, which I always offer to, especially to like professional athletes, because a lot of professional athletes they grow up, you know, not really having much. So when you get all this money dumped on you, you just want to buy everything you can afford. The best advice that I ever got was actually from the Undertaker, another wrestler.

    He said, \’always live beneath your means.\’ I learned that the hard way. When I came out of wrestling, I literally lost everything. My house got foreclosed on, but I had a second opportunity to be successful in the film industry. Now that money in the bank means more to me than something that I don\’t really need. Like I don\’t need a Bugatti. I\’d love to have a Bugatti but I\’m not paying 3-5 million for a car because I don\’t need one.\”

    Batista has not only found success for himself in the movie industry but he is also helping other wrestling stars get their foot into the door. Drew McIntyre is one such talent who has gotten a big movie role recently due to a recommendation from the MCU star.

  • Ilja Dragunov Out Of Action For 6 To 9 Months After Live Event Injury

    WWE has announced an injury to former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov that will likely keep him out of action for the rest of the year as well as the WrestleMania season next year.

    On Monday\’s episode of Raw, the company aired footage of the 30-year-old facing the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in a match at this past Saturday\’s house show from Columbus, Georgia.

    In the commentary, they noted that Dragunov is suspected to have suffered a torn ACL and the medical team believes that he will be out of action for 6 to 9 months:

    Ilja Dragunov In WWE

    Ilja Dragunov had a successful run in WWE developmental. He started in NXT UK in January 2019 and has the credit of ending Gunther\’s 2 year-long reign with the NXT UK Championship at NXT: Takeover 36 in August 2021.

    He had to relinquish the title after 346 days due to a leg injury in July 2022. Dragunov joined the main NXT brand after returning from injury where he had a 200+ days run with the NXT title.

    The former champion was finally called up to the main roster during the 2024 Drafts. He has competed in the King of The Ring tournament and also unsuccessfully challenged Sami Zayn for the IC title since then.

    A minimum of 6 months recovery time means Dragunov will not be ring-ready until April at least. That implies he\’ll be absent for the whole WrestleMania 41 season, with a high potential of missing the Show of Shows as well.

    SEScoops wishes a speedy recovery to Ilja Dragunov