SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Renee Paquette Announces Gender Of Her Baby

    Renee Paquette has revealed the gender of the baby she and Jon Moxley are expecting next year. 

    The news of her pregnancy was first made a few weeks ago during a promo done by Moxley on an episode of Dynamite. The then-AEW World Heavyweight Champion later confirmed that he was going to let his wife share the news. However, changed his mind as a way to further his promo.

    At the time, there weren’t a lot of details about her pregnancy. That changed on Saturday night as the former WWE announcer took to Instagram to share a photo of a cake with the caption, \”It\’s pink!\”

    A clear sign that the married couple will be having a baby girl. We would like to extend congratulations to the couple.

    She just shared a photo of her baby bump in a recent post on Instagram. Moxley was the first guest on Paquette’s podcast as it just launched last week.

    Some wrestling personalities reacted to the news including AEW announcer Jim Ross. He wrote, \”Beautiful from a daddy of two daughters!\”

    Nia Jax responded with, \”Ahhhhhh yay!!! Soooo exciting\” and Sasha Banks replied to the photo with, \”Congratulations.\”

    Renee Paquette Talks Starting Podcast Whilst Pregnant During COVID-19 Restrictions

  • NXT TakeOver: WarGames Final Card & Results Tonight

    The card for Sunday\’s (December 6, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames event has been finalized.

    The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center and will air on the WWE Network, but this special will be headlined by the Men’s WarGames Match. 

    This show marks the final special for the yellow brand in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of five matches booked for this show with one of them being championship matches.

    As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special on Sunday night with results, takeaways, and match posts.

    NXT TakeOver: WarGames Betting Odds

    NXT TakeOver: WarGames Card

    Here\’s the lineup for tonight\’s NXT Takeover:

    • WWE NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Damien Priest – Triple Threat Match
    • Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis – Strap Match
    • WarGames Match: The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O\’Reilly, Bobby Fish) vs. The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch)
    • WarGames Match: Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, and Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, and Dakota Kai
    • Timothy Thatcher vs. Tommaso Ciampa – Singles Match

    Keith Lee Opens Up On Feeling Like He Abandoned WWE NXT

    What are your thoughts on this card and the feuds that WWE is presenting to their fans? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Big Matches Added To WWE TLC, Updated Card

    WWE announced a few new matches on Friday night for the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view event. 

    First up is Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend character taking on Randy Orton in a singles match. Because WWE likes to have TLC themed stipulations for the top matches on the card, it’s possible that this bout receives a stipulation. 

    The second match will see WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka & Lana. 

    This bout comes days after Asuka and Lana beat Jax and Bazler in a non-title match this past Monday night on RAW. 

    WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Carmella was also added.

    Last but not least is Roman Reigns defending his WWE Universal Title against Kevin Owens in an actual TLC Match. This looks to be the main event of TLC although that has yet to be confirmed. 

    WWE presents the TLC pay-per-view event on December 20, 2020 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida that will air on the WWE Network. 

    WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. The company has already a big match for this show that will see WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles.

    Booker T Reflects On The Undertaker’s ‘Final Farewell’ At Survivor Series

  • WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames Betting Odds

    The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames event.

    The card for the show that takes place this Sunday appears to be finalized as only 5 matches have been announced. It’s possible that a sixth match is added whether that be on the main card or pre-show. 

    Some of the more notable odds include The Undisputed Era is favored to win the Men’s WarGames Match while Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, and Io Shirai are favored to win the Women’s WarGames Match

    There are no titles expected to change, according to the odds.

    WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames Odds

    As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:

    WWE NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff 1/2 vs. Johnny Gargano 3/2 vs. Damien Priest 9/4- Triple Threat Match

    Cameron Grimes +200 vs. Dexter Lumis -250 – Strap Match

    WarGames Match: The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O\’Reilly, Bobby Fish) -300 vs. The Kings of NXT +240 (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch)

    WarGames Match: Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, and Io Shirai -200 vs. Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Indie Heartwell, and Dakota Kai +150

    Keith Lee Opens Up On Feeling Like He Abandoned WWE NXT

  • Melina Responds To Fan Asking About Reports She Signed With WWE

    Melina has further commented on reports that she had signed with WWE. 

    It was first reported by PWinsider.com back in September that she had come to terms with the company to make a return. There was even talk of her being part of the RAW roster when she did come back as a full-time performer on WWE television. 

    A few days after the initial report came out, she expressed her frustration with wrestling news websites about it. 

    She responded to a fan on Twitter asking what happened to her WWE return. She wrote the following:

    “The dirt sheets lie about stuff like that for clicks. That’s why I was upset a few months back. The dirt sheets lie about so much & fans deserve better. Best to follow the promotions & the wrestlers, along with people like @VickieGuerrero, @LilianGarcia & @ChrisVanVliet.”

    It has to be noted that while Melina is denying that she signed with WWE and perhaps that is indeed the case, there have been past instances of wrestlers not always telling the truth as a way to keep things a surprise such as WALTER.

    https://twitter.com/WalterAUT/status/969265942705434624

    Her last appearance on WWE television came in July 2019 when she made a cameo on the RAW Reunion edition.

    Melina Denies Reports She’s Signed With WWE

  • AEW Dynamite To Be Preempted Christmas Week

    It appears that the AEW Dynamite episode to air during Christmas week will have to change dates thanks to the NBA, which released its regular season schedule on Friday. 

    During the reveal of the schedule, it was confirmed that the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Boston Celtics will take place on Wednesday, December 23 at 7:30 pm ET and live air on TNT. AEW usually airs at 8 pm ET every Wednesday night. As a result, the show will have to be moved.

    This also means that WWE NXT will go unopposed on this night. The good news for AEW, this will be the only time that they’ll have to deal with this issue until the NBA playoffs start. 

    As of this writing, AEW has not announced a new date for the December 23 show, but that will likely change in the near future. 

    AEW has already announced several matches and segments for next week\’s episode of Dynamite. 

    Among things set for the show include FTR facing The Varsity Blondes (Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr), Orange Cassidy vs. MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring, and Sting speaking for the first time about his promotional debut. 

    Chris Jericho Talks Working With Dean Malenko in AEW, Changing ‘Coach’

  • Handicap Match & Firefly Fun House Set For Monday’s WWE RAW

    WWE has announced two things ahead of Monday’s episode of RAW. 

    Last week on RAW, AJ Styles became the number 1 contender for the WWE Championship after beating Keith Lee and Riddle in a Triple Threat Match to earn the shot at the WWE Title. Before he does, he will face McIntyre in a handicap match.

    The WWE Champion is slated to team up with Sheamus to take on Styles, John Morrison and Money In The Bank holder The Miz in a Handicap Match. In the weeks leading up to this match, Miz has been teasing cashing in his MITB case. There’s also been teases of Sheamus turning heel again and going after McIntyre’s title. 

    The segment announced for the show is Randy Orton inviting himself into the FireFly Fun House. Based on angles done in recent weeks, it appears that WWE is building towards Orton taking on Bray Wyatt in a stipulation match at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. 

    Orton recently brought up how he’s faced Wyatt in the past, which he has most notably in 2017 that saw them wrestle for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 33, but he has yet to face The Fiend.

    Styles will challenge McIntyre for the WWE Title at TLC, which takes place on December 20th. 

    WWE Bringing Back The Slammy Awards

  • WWE NXT Results (12/2): Ladder Match, Leon Ruff & Damian Priest Team Up

    The December 2, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center.

    WWE NXT Results 

    • Leon Ruff & Damian Priest def. Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar & Raul Mendoza).
    • Cameron Grimes def. August Grey.
    • Jake Atlas def. Tony Nese.
    • Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Imperium ended in an apparent no-contest
    • Shotzi Blackheart def, Raquel Gonzalez in Ladder Match

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    The Kings Of NXT

    \"\"

    Ahead of the show, WWE had hyped The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, Pete Dunne) would make a \”special appearance\” in order to promote their WarGames match against The Undisputed Era.

    Earlier in the night, there was a video package for The Undisputed Era where they were dressed in suits and said that they would make their four enemies their b*tch. 

    In the second hour, a video package for the Kings of NXT was shown. This was the same as UE as the group hyped that they ruled the brand and would take care of the rival group. Pure promotional stuff here, but very well done. 

    Kings of NXT then came out for a promo. McAfee said that he wants Cole to feel every single time they put them through tables and hit them with various weapons.

    Tag Team Action

    \"\"

    Damian Priest and Leon Ruff vs. Legado Del Fantasma in a tag team contest kicked off the show after a touching tribute to the late Pat Patterson. Johnny Gargano was on commentary. 

    This was done to further promote the three-way match at WarGames where Ruff will defend the NXT North American Title against Gargano and Priest. Throughout the match, Gargano continued to mock Ruff as a comedic and not the real champion. 

    The heels beat down the babyfaces in the early going. After selling for most of the match Priest fought back and got the hot tag to Ruff only to have Priest do all the heavy lifting. Ruff won the match with a splash off the top rope.

    An easy win here for Ruff, who continues to be booked as someone who has no business in winning. 

    More Mind Games

    \"\"

    WWE decided to book a quick singles match between Cameron Grimes and August Grey that was short and to the point, which was a dominant win for Grimes. 

    Things got interesting after the match as Dexter Lumis appeared from out of nowhere and attacked Grimes with a strap. Lumis stood tall in the ring. 

    This was done to further hype their third match, which will have the gimmicked strap in play at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

    This appears to be the blowoff match between the two stars and based not only on my take but the majority of fans online, we’re hoping that’s the case. 

    Ladder Match

    \"\"

    Shotzi Blackheart battled with Raquel Gonzalez in a ladder match with the winner earning the WarGames advantage for their team.

    Shotzi tossed a ladder to the floor onto Raquel. They sent each other into the ring post. Shotzi was tossed onto the barricade, but she caught herself and did a dive off of it. Shotzi went for an outside dive, but Raquel caught her and slammed her on the apron. 

    Raquel was sent into the rope then Shotzi hit a splash into the corner sending Raquel’s face into a ladder. They took a spill to the floor and the two teams checked on their representatives. Raquel tried to climb the ladder, but Io Shirai jumped on her back. Io sent her to the floor. Shotzi managed to climb the ladder to earn the advantage. 

    This was just like the men’s ladder match last week. WWE has already confirmed that Blackheart’s team features Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley and the NXT Women’s Champion. while Candice LeRae’s team has Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Indie Heartwell, and Dakota Kai. They’ll wrestle inside of the WarGames structure this Sunday night. 

  • Kenny Omega Wins AEW World Championship With Help From Don Callis

    In the highly anticipated rematch, Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega presented a very good match on AEW Dynamite.

    The special episode of the weekly All Elite Wrestling television show had a “Winter Is Coming” theme on TNT with Moxley defending the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Omega. 

    The main event of this show from Jacksonville, Florida went several minutes. It featured a hard-hitting yet technical style of match. Omega worked over the left knee of Moxley throughout the match, but they did have momentum swings. Moxley teased bringing in chairs despite their agreement of no weapons so instead of using them, they sat down and exchanged strikes. 

    Towards the end, they hit some of their signature moves. Omega caught Moxley with the V-Trigger when Mox went for an outside dive. They did a spot where Moxley sent Omega into a heater and a doctor checked as well as Don Callis on Omega.

    Moxley pulled him into the ring. Callus got hit after getting on the apron by Moxley and Omega took the microphone to hit Moxley with it so Mox started to bleed. Omega hit Moxley with a few V-Triggers then the One-Winged Angel for the win. 

    Omega is the new AEW world heavyweight Champion. Post-match, Callis, and Omega got into an SUV just before Callis said that they would tell all on Tuesday\’s episode of Imact Wrestling. 

    https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1334332355511803905
    https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1334329261319213057

    Omega earned this title match when he beat Adam Page in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator to determine the new #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Title at last month’s Full Gear pay-per-view event. 

    Kenny Omega Open To AEW Having A Working Relationship With WWE

  • Sting Debuts On AEW Dynamite, Signs Full-Time Multi-Year Deal

    The Icon Sting is All Elite. 

    For the first time since 2001 when wrestling Ric Flair on WCW Nitro, the legendary pro wrestler made an appearance on TNT during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. 

    The show saw Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin (with Arn Anderson in their corner) face Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs in a tag team match. The finish of the contest saw Allin hit the Coffin Drop on Starks after Rhodes hit him with a cutter. 

    Post-match, Hobbs attacked Allin and Anderson got involved by trying to make the save. However, Arn got taken out only to have Dustin Rhodes try to make the save and Brian Cage took him out. The lights went out then back on with Sting appearing with his trusted baseball bat in his hand.

    AEW sent out a press release announcing that Sting has signed a full-time multi-year agreement. \”The surprise introduction of Sting was a great way to celebrate our biggest episode of Dynamite yet,\” said Tony Khan, CEO and GM of AEW.

    \”When AEW launched, I was ecstatic to bring wrestling back to TNT after a very long absence. Sting defeated the legendary Ric Flair in the final wrestling match to be shown on TNT for more than 18 years until the debut of Dynamite in 2019. Now, almost two decades later, it’s such a thrill to welcome Sting to AEW and bring him back home to TNT!”

    https://twitter.com/WesSnowAEW/status/1334347498245255169

    Sting hasn\’t wrestled a match since 2015 at Night of Champions in a match with Seth Rollins due to a neck injury. His legends deal with WWE expired earlier this year. 

  • WWE NXT Star Reportedly Tests Positive For COVID-19

    The WWE NXT brand has been dealt with another positive COVID-19 test as one of its stars has the virus. 

    Fightful Select reports that another top star tested positive for the virus recently. However, there’s not the same concern attached to it compared to previous wrestlers testing positive as it hasn’t led to an outbreak. 

    The name of the wrestler wasn’t mentioned, but what the report did state was the wrestler isn’t known to be around large crowds of people very often. 

    WWE has been criticized in the past for its handling of the coronavirus, but NXT has been hit harder as of late due to the guidelines in place. WWE has resumed training its developmental talent and has an odd schedule of tests. 

    The report stated that it’s not on the same level of concern on the main roster because they’re tested before every show. 

    For those who are wondering, this talent testing positive doesn’t look to impact the NXT WarGames event this Sunday. 

    There was a big outbreak within NXT back in October thanks to several wrestlers attending a party. Because of its reactions being relaxed, Florida has been hit hard since the start of the pandemic. 

    Details On How Recent WWE Performance Center COVID-19 Outbreak Started

  • Two Rascalz Members Officially Sign With WWE

    Part of The Rascalz trio has officially signed with WWE as Deveon Aiken (Dezmond Xavier) and Zachary Green (Zachary Wentz) were introduced as two members of the new Performance Center class. 

    The new class of Performance Center recruits was confirmed by WWE on Wednesday. The new talents are now training at the facility located in Orlando, Florida.

    What’s interesting is that Trey Miguel was not announced for this class even though he was the third member of the faction in Impact Wrestling. There was talk that he could end up with AEW, but it’s possible that he has signed with WWE and wasn’t included as part of this class announcement. 

    The Rascalz finished up with Impact Wrestling last month. At the time of their departure, it was reported they left on good terms.

    WWE sent out the following details on the other recruits: 

    Alex Brandenburg competed under the name Alex Zayne on the independent scene. The Kentucky native has made a name for himself in promotions like Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro and Ring of Honor during his 15-year career.

    Sojiru \”Ikemen\” Higuchi is a 26-year-old wrestler from Japan who was trained by former United States and WWE Tag Team Champion Tajiri, and he has competed for Wrestle-1 and All-Japan Pro Wrestling.

    Twenty-three-year-old Georgia native Anriel Howard played college basketball at Mississippi State and Texas A&M. She was selected in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and played professionally for the Seattle Storm.

    Russ Taylor of Phelan, Calif. brings plenty of global experience to the WWE PC. Taylor has competed for wXw in Germany, as well as in Japan and across the United States.

    As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when Aiken and Green will make their debut on NXT TV. 

    The Rascalz Leaving Impact Wrestling After 2 Years

  • WWE RAW Viewership & Demo Down This Week (11/30)

    Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.741 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week in total viewers, which did 1.808 million viewers and the 0.57 demo rating. 

    To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.208 million viewers. The viewership was expected to drop this week after last week\’s show, which served as the post-Survivor Series edition, although WWE did have a big Sudden Death Triple Threat Match in the third hour on Monday’s show. 

    WWE went up against an NFL game that aired on ESPN, which was between the Seahawks and Eagles that had 11.376 million viewers. 

    Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:

    • Hour 1: 1.828 million, 0.56 in the 18-49 Demo
    • Hour 2: 1.763 million, 0.53 in the 18-49 Demo
    • Hour 3: 1.632 million, 0.49 in the 18-49 Demo

    SmackDown Viewership

    Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.141 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.326  that the show did for the previous week on FOX.

    The overnight rating was 1.987 million viewers, which was down from 2.215 a week ago. The first hour did 2.016 million viewers while hour two did 1.957million viewers. This was up from a week ago with hour one doing 2.202 and hour two doing 2.228. 

    SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from 0.70 rating as last week’s show.

  • Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles Set For WWE TLC (12/20)

    Drew McIntyre will make his next title defense against AJ Styles at the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view event. 

    Last week, WWE started a tournament to determine the new #1 contender to the WWE Championship. The finals took place in a Sudden Death Triple Threat Match that featured AJ Styles, Riddle and Keith Lee.

    This contest was booked in the third hour of Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network. This match saw Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm to Riddle for the win in just about 14 minutes. 

    As a result of the win, Styles become the new #1 contender and will now challenge McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the final PPV event for WWE in 2020.

    WWE TLC takes place Sunday, December 20th and airs live on the WWE Network.

    \"\"

    It was reported last Monday that Strowman was slated to challenge McIntyre for the strap at this show. However, that changed due to Strowman dealing with a knee injury. 

    WWE got around this injury when he headbutted Adam Pearce and was suspended in storyline as a way to get him off television. Now, it should be noted that it’s possible Strowman can recover in time and WWE does an angle to add him to this title contest and make it a three-way bout. 

  • Pete Dunne Explains Why He Likes NXT Being Separate From RAW & SmackDown

    Pete Dunne holds WWE NXT and NXT UK in high regard because that’s where he started in WWE. 

    The former NXT UK Champion did an interview with Scott Fishman of Wrestling Inc to discuss the importance of NXT to him. 

    He noted that NXT has always been what it is and never changed despite who is working on the brand. He put it over for having a competitive locker room and everyone trying to have the best match on the card. 

    Dunne then brought up why he thinks NXT should not be seen in the same light as RAW and SmackDown. 

    \”It’s great to be part of Survivor Series and getting the chance to do that. At the same time, I want NXT to stand out on its own. NXT has been great to me. I love being able to wrestle the way I want to wrestle and be who I want to be. NXT is this amazing platform to do that. Raw and SmackDown, main roster, whatever you want to call it.

    That’s its own thing too. Whether it’s progression or moving from brand to brand if I ever move to Raw or SmackDown, I want it to feel exciting and interesting. I feel like you can be overexposed there now.\”

    Dunne brought up how that wouldn’t do anything for the brand or himself even if it\’s good for the pickets. He stated that being in the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series is great, but he’s not in any rush to get to the main roster. 

    Dunne also doesn’t think anyone should feel panic when NXT is not involved in Survivor Series, which it wasn’t this year. 

    “So having us as separate entities is not bad at all.”

    “Vince McMahon Doesn’t Know How to Communicate, He Only Knows How To Lie” – Ryback

  • Keith Lee Opens Up On Feeling Like He Abandoned WWE NXT

    Keith Lee gave some interesting comments while doing an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. 

    Lee had a great run in NXT and even became the top star by being the NXT Champion. However, he does admit that he feels like he abandoned everyone on the brand when he was called up to the main roster. 

    \”Most definitely,\” Lee responded. \”As monumental as it\’s been to go to the main roster, I\’m not sure it was so important to end that [NXT championship reign] as abruptly as it happened.”

    He brought up watching NXT because he has friends there such as Damian Priest. Thus, he saw how Karrion Kross was sidelined with a shoulder injury when the rising star won the title from him in August and then Finn Balor became the champion only to be out of action with a broken jaw.

    \”I like those guys, and I feel like I abandoned them. It\’s difficult to think about.”

    He noted that he’s proud of what he’s done on the main roster, but it\’s been difficult to see the injuries. He mentioned that he doesn’t know what would’ve happened if he had stayed longer. 

    \”At the end of the day, we\’re not always in control of our journey, and that\’s just how it goes. The main roster wanted me, and that\’s where I ended up. All I can do right now is root those guys on and be there for them in whatever capacity I can be, while still focusing on what I\’m doing.\”

    Lee will work the Sudden Death Triple Threat with AJ Styles and Riddle on Monday’s RAW to determine the new #1 contender to the WWE Network. 

    “Vince McMahon Doesn’t Know How to Communicate, He Only Knows How To Lie” – Ryback

  • Paul Heyman & Kevin Owens Have Intense Segment On Talking Smack (Video)

    There was an entertaining segment during Saturday’s episode of WWE Talking Smack between Paul Heyman and Kevin Owens.

    It all started when Heyman shared the respect that he has for Owens and he understands how dangerous Owens is. He brought up being a fan of Owens’ before he got to WWE and even after he joined the company. 

    Heyman stated that while Owens is the #1 contender to the Universal Title, he sees that Owens is at a crossroads in his career. However, Heyman thinks that if Owens wants to get to the main event level then he would need to go through Roman Reigns.

    Owens responded by talking about how Heyman only works for himself and declared himself as being the person to take the Universal Title from Reigns. 

    Heyman ended the segment before Owens walked off by stating that he has to shake his hand so he doesn’t get smacked as he’s carrying a message. He made Owens know that this wasn’t just business, but he also has to do it on a personal level as well. 

    With WWE delaying a match between Reigns and Daniel Bryan for the Universal Title, there’s speculation that WWE could book Owens vs. Reigns in a top match at the TLC pay-per-view event next month. That is not confirmed just yet. 

    Below, you can watch Paul Heyman and Kevin Owens\’ discussion from Talking Smack:

  • Paul Heyman Names WWE Star Who He Thinks Is Future Of Women’s Division

    Paul Heyman is a big fan of Bianca Belair and during a recent episode of WWE Talking Smack, he shared his take about “the EST of WWE.” 

    Heyman co-hosted the show alongside Kayla Braxton and Belair was a guest on the show that aired Saturday morning on the WWE Network. This is where Heyman let her know how much he respects what she can bring to the future of WWE.

    “I would be remiss if I don\’t also let Bianca know, and I think she knows this quite well, You\’re the future of the women\’s division and [future is] a word that is thrown around here a lot, but you are. You are an athlete with amazing credentials. 

    You bring those credentials and that credibility to WWE. What you do is truly worthy of the tagline \’the EST of WWE.\’ I am in awe of the magnitude of your talent. You know, my feelings about The Street Profits. Those same feelings of admiration are bestowed upon you as well and I think that you know that.”

    WWE called up Belair from NXT to Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 36. This was during Heyman’s tenure as executive director of RAW. Since that time, Heyman is no longer in this role as he was replaced by Bruce Prichard. 

    During this year’s Draft, Belair was moved over to Friday Night SmackDown from Monday Night RAW in the 2020 WWE Draft. She has picked up victories.

    Bianca Belair On When She Found Out About Her WrestleMania Debut

  • Details On WWE Piping In Crowd Noise At The ThunderDome

    WWE came up with the idea for its ThunderDome set up over the summer and has been running shows from the Amway Center since August. 

    The set up gives company officials the ability to use piped-in crowd noise. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this is something that WWE has been doing a lot lately. 

    Per the report, using recorded crowd noise has been used for every match as of late. It was noted that WWE has always wanted complete control of the crowd noise.

    The reason for this is due to it making it appear as if every Superstar they want to get over is over with the fans. On the flip side, those who the company doesn’t want over then they won’t have crowd noise. As a result, this makes it easier to control the narratives.

    Although WWE has control over the crowd noise, they still have to deal with visual reactions from fans in the virtual crowd. People still have the chance to give thumbs up or thumbs down among other reactions that are visible. 

    Starting December 11th, WWE be moving its ThunderDome setup to Tropicana Field

    Details On How Available Vince McMahon Has Been At WWE Shows

  • Details On How Available Vince McMahon Has Been At WWE Shows

    WWE had to make various changes to its business due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that includes the attendance of Vince McMahon at shows. 

    Fightful Select reported today that the WWE Chairman was “stowed away in his office” on most days when they were at the WWE Performance Center. When they signed a deal with the Amway Center and created the ThunderDome, things changed. 

    Per the report, McMahon is likely to be sitting in the Gorilla Position a lot more now at SmackDown shows. This wasn’t something that he had been doing while at the Performance Center. 

    Before the pandemic, McMahon would attend more SmackDown shows compared to RAW events. However, he did cut back on his travel schedule several months ago. 

    Kevin Owens was the person to bring awareness to the WWE Chairman several months ago that people working TV tapings had relaxed on wearing masks and social distancing. This and in addition to positive COVID tests, WWE was forced to do actual COVID testing. 

    WWE will be moving from the Amway Center to the Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay starting on December 11th where they\’ll be staying for several months until baseball season starts. 

    Jon Moxley On WWE Superstars Being Independent Contractors, Why He’s Frugal With Money

  • WWE NXT Results (11/25): Ladder Match, Ember Moon vs. Candice LeRae

    The November 25, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

    WWE NXT Results 

    •  Candice LeRae def. Ember Moon
    • Kushida def. Timothy Thatcher
    • Cameron Grimes def. Jake Atlas
    • Pete Dunne def. Kyle O’Reilly in Ladder Match

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    Ember Moon vs. Candice LeRae

    Ember Moon vs. Candice LeRae in a singles match took place as it opened the show.  

    LeRae dominated the majority of the match as expected concerning she’s the heel. Moon fought back once hitting a suplex. Things broke down and they went back and forth. Indie Heartwell got into the ring and Moon hit her finisher to her. This led to LeRae kicking Moon in the head for the win. 

    Post-match, Toni Storm came out to check on Moon then they were about to hit the ring but Storm turned heel and attacked Moon. Dakota Kai, Raquel, LeRae, and Heartwell beatdown Moon. 

    WWE had announced last week that LeRae will be one of the captains for the women\’s WarGames match at TakeOver while the other team will be captained by Shotzi Blackheart. The two captains will need to find three partners each. 

    Moon & Toni Storm defeated Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez on NXT last week, but LeRae and Indi Hartwell helped Kai and Gonzalez attack Moon and Storm.

    https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1331768090036752387

    Ladder Match for WarGames Advantage

    Heading into the show, WWE had announced an unknown Undisputed ERA member vs. an unknown Team McAfee member in a ladder match. The winner of this match gained the advantage for their upcoming WarGames Match.

    The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O\’Reilly, Bobby Fish) vs. The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch) has been announced for the WarGames Match at this TakeOver special on December 6th. 

    Pete Dunne represented Team McAfee while Kyle O’Reilly repped Undisputed Era. WWE gave these guys about 15 minutes. Dunne sold his left knee throughout the match. Kyle was powerbombed onto a ladder in the corner. They did a suplex spot off the apron through a ladder.

    Kyle hit a suplex onto another ladder. They brawled on top of the ladder until Dunne snapped Kyle’s fingers. Kyle knocked Dunne off the ladder and connected with a clothesline. Dunne hit Kyle a few times with a chair then suplexed him onto the barricade. Kyle tipped over the ladder sending Dunne crashing onto a ladder in the corner. A masked man came into the ring and pushed Kyle off the ladder, a nasty bump to the floor. Dunne got the briefcase. 

    Rhea Ripley Addresses Fans

    Rhea Ripley did a promo following losing to NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai on last week’s episode of NXT. Post-match, Shirai and Ripley shook hands and hugged.

    She noted that fans have been speculating about her future after last week’s loss. She noted that her hugging Io was all about respect. She noted that she’s here to get back the NXT Women’s Title and she won’t stop until she gets it. 

    This led to Candice LeRae and Storm coming out to the stage where LeRae mocked Rhea for her comments. She noted that Rhea talks a lot, but can’t back it up. Raquel comes out while holding Io, who is laid out.

    They walked down to the ring and a brawl broke out. The numbers game got too much for Rhea and she was left in the ring.

    Kushida vs. Timothy Thatcher

    Kushida vs. Timothy Thatcher in a singles match took place. 

    This came after last week’s show that saw Kushida defeat Arturo Ruas and Thatcher defeat August Grey. Thatcher was confronted by Tommaso Ciampa after his win.

    This contest actually saw Ciampa take a chair and sit at ringside for it. Kushida and Thatcher did some technical wrestling in the early going. Near the end of the match, they traded various submission holds such as an armbar and ankle lock. 

    Thatcher was bleeding from the nose. Ciampa got up from his chair and this led to Kushida locking in an arm submission for the win. 

    https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1331777206352273411

    The KO Show

    There was a KO Show segment with Kevin Owens and NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff. Aside from this segment, Owens also did commentary as he filled in for Wade Barrett on the show.

    This was done to have Ruff talk about winning the NXT North American Championship from Johnny Gargano on NXT two weeks ago. Last week on NXT, a rematch took place but ended in a disqualification when Damien Priest punched Ruff so he would get disqualified and Gargano wouldn\’t win the title.

    Ruff noted that he signed his WWE deal seven weeks ago. A video package of him winning the title was shown. He said that having the title fall off of him was embarrassing, but winning the title was to prove the doubters wrong. Owens tried to encourage Ruff to continue to go forward but noted that Ruff needs to be loud about winning the title.

    Ruff fired up. Owens was confused about Gargano not coming out and then he did. They did some comedy where Gargano didn\’t want a chair so he threw it out. Priest came out and cut a promo. William Regal eventually came out to book a three-way match between Gargano, Ruff, and Priest with the North American Title on the line. 

  • Title Match Set For WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames

    A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames. 

    On Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT, there was a comedy segment during the Kevin Owens Show with WWE NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano, and Damien Priest.

    Gargano made his case for the third match with Ruff while Priest pointed out how he never got a rematch for the title that he lost. 

    NXT General Manager William Regal came out and booked a Triple Threat Match featuring all three stars with the title on the line at TakeOver. 

    On this same show, WWE confirmed that Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Indie Heartwell, and Dakota Kai have joined Candice LeRae’s team. They\’ll take on Shotzi Blackheart\’s team in a WarGames Match, which has yet to be announced. 

    Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis in a Strap Match was also added to the card.

    WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: WarGames event on Sunday, December 6, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center and will air on the WWE Network.

    The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O\’Reilly, Bobby Fish) vs. The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch) in a WarGames Match is expected to headline the show. 

    Pete Dunne Discusses His WWE NXT Return

  • Stephanie McMahon Confirms WWE Wanted To Have Fans Back At Shows In The Fall

    Stephanie McMahon took part in Forbes CMO Summit Virtual Series to talk all things WWE. 

    During the appearance, the WWE Chief Brand Officer talked about how the company\’s ratings fell because of the COVID-19 pandemic. McMahon also confirmed that WWE had hoped to have fans back in attendance at their shows this fall, but that didn’t happen. 

    “And without them [the fans], it’s just not the same. Our ratings fell off. We tried bringing in our developmental talent to see if that would help in terms of some type of audience. 

    It just wasn’t enough, and ultimately we had hoped to be back in arenas in the Fall but when we realized that wasn’t gonna happen, we doubled-down and invested with a new partner called The Famous Group and we now have nearly one thousand virtual fans.”

    It had been reported several months ago that WWE had hoped to have fans back at shows way back in July. That hope had been pushed back for a few months until WWE decided to hold off on the idea. 

    There have been various reports about WWE moving WrestleMania 37 from California to Florida due to the states being different regarding COVID-19 protocols. 

    Hurricane Helms Back In Producer’s Role With WWE

  • Pete Dunne Discusses His WWE NXT Return

    Pete Dunne has made his return to WWE NXT after being associated with the NXT UK brand for the majority of his time with WWE. 

    The former NXT UK Champion had been sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down not only the NXT UK brand but also prevented him from working in the United States for the NXT brand. 

    He spoke with SI.com about his return to the NXT brand.

    “I couldn’t leave the U.K. because of the travel ban, so it became a chance to reset my goals. I’ve done this since I was 12 years old and this was the most time off I’ve ever had. When it’s your job and it’s day–in and day–out, you’re so close to it that you can lose focus of the bigger picture. I was able to get in the best shape of my life and completely focus on what I wanted. The NXT title is atop that list.”

    He noted that he never had the time to just focus on training as his previous focus was about the performance in order to put on better matches in the ring and stay injury-free.

    Dunne continued that mindset was something he could control and now feels better for it as he kept his muscle mass. 

    “I can carry a brand. I did it in the UK with an entire brand basically built around me, and my in-ring work speaks for itself. Now I’m with Pat McAfee, who is incredibly charismatic. It’s a winning combination.”

    Dunne is aligned with the faction led by Pat McAfee. 

    Pete Dunne Says Travel Restrictions Impacting WWE Stars Could Be ‘Trial’ For Off-Season

  • The Godfather Agrees With Fan Criticism About Undertaker’s \”Final Farewell\”

    The Godfather responded to some fans who were critical of what WWE did with The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at Sunday’s pay-per-view event. 

    Before Taker came out for his promo, WWE brought out Godfather and several past and present wrestlers with full entrances only to have them leave the ring. 

    A fan commented on a photo of Taker and Godfather on Instagram where the person wrote, The whole \’Farewell\’ was pretty boring. You guys all came to the ring…for what?\” Godfather responded, \”right.\”

    One fan questioned why WWE brought everyone in only to have them say nothing. Godfather wrote back, \”could\’ve been written better.”

    Another fan took shots at WWE creative and The ThunderDome. Godfather wrote back, \”Well said. And you right the night before was epic.\”

    The fan responded by noting that the night before Survivor Series where they all reunited was what really matters. Godfather agreed, \”Thats the most important.\”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CH65xDEpBRh/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Along with Godfather, Shane McMahon, Big Show, JBL, Jeff Hardy (who had Taker\’s symbol painted on his face), Mick Foley, The Godwinns, Savio Vega, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Kane were part of the segment. 

    Vince McMahon did the introduction for Taker.

    The Undertaker Bids His Final Farewell At WWE Survivor Series