SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Former WWE Star Offered Full-Time Deal by AEW

    EJ Nduka has some options regarding what he wants to do with his wrestling career. 

    The former WWE star worked the AEW Dark tapings on January 28 in Orlando, Florida, where he made his debut for the promotion. His loss to Konosuke Takeshita aired this week on Dark. 

    In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Nduka was offered a full-time AEW contract after the match. As of this writing, there is no word yet on if Nduka has signed the contract. 

    MLW aired his match with World Heavyweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing main event for the MLW Underground premiere on REELZ.

    Free Agency

    His contract expired last month, but he went forward with finishing up with the promotion at the February 4th tapings. He is still one-half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions with Calvin Tankman. Their match with Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i of The Samoan SWAT Team is slated to air soon.

    According to multiple reports, Nduka also has interest from MLW, WWE, and those in Japan. MLW officials have praised EJ in the past, while the former WWE star previously credited the promotion for giving him a chance when he needed it. 

    The former NXT star was let go in May 2021 after having been with the company since 2019. He made his MLW debut the following month when his non-compete clause expired. 

  • John Cena Featured in Official Trailer for ‘Fast X’ Film

    The trailer for Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, has been released. 

    The franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang and Scott Eastwood are back for the film. 

    Returning cast members include Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto, Helen Mirren’s Magdalene “Queenie” Ellmanson-Shaw, and Charlize Theron’s Cipher.

    New cast members include Jason Momoa and Brie Larson. Momoa portrays a villain named Dante, while Larson plays a new character named Tess.  Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, and Rita Moreno have also joined the cast. 

    The film is directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans and The Incredible Hulk) while it’s produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Samantha Vincent. The executive producers are Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr., David Cain, Chris Morgan, Amanda Lewis and Mark Bomback. 

    The Synopsis 

    The synopsis of the film reads like, “Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.”

    Fast X is set to hit theaters on May 19, 2023.

  • NWA Women’s Champion Trains With WWE Superstars

    Kamille is preparing for her next title defense this weekend, but she got to train with two WWE stars before she does. 

    The NWA Women’s Champion recently trained with Natalya and TJ Wilson at Workhorse Fitness in Tampa, FL. She shared a photo with Natalya while in the ring and wrote the following in the caption: 

    “Huge thanks to @NatbyNature @TJWilson for being so welcoming last night! Helping me to get ready for a big weekend of wrestling. So happy to be continuing my journey in training with the best of the best in the world and can’t wait to see where else this year takes me!”

    Next Title Defense

    The NWA will present its Nuff Said pay-per-view event this Saturday night at 7 pm EST on FITE TV. Kamille will defend her title against Angelina Love in a no DQ match at the show.

    Kamille has been the Women’s Champion for over 600 days after winning it from Serena Deeb at When Our Shadows Fall in June 2021.

    Other top matches that will be featured on the card include NWA World Champion Tyrus vs.Matt Cardona, NWA National Champion Cyon vs. Homicide, and Thom Latimer vs. Fodder in a Singapore cane match

  • Paul Wight is Planning In-Ring Return for Next Month

    Paul Wight has provided an update on his current injury status, as he has only worked a handful of matches since signing with AEW.

    The former Big Show has continued to do commentary for the promotion every week on AEW Dark: Elevation but hasn’t wrestled since March 2022, a bout that aired on Dark: Elevation in Wight\’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.

    While speaking with Alistair McGeorge for Metro UK, Wight talked about the injury setbacks he’s had in recent months. 

    \”You know, there’s been some setbacks personally. I mean, I’ve had a couple of injury setbacks, had to get a knee replaced in August. That knee was bad for 12 years, so it could’ve gone any day! It’s like kind of like that tire on your car that you know you should change but keep driving anyway.\”

    The Goal

    Wight then shared that he’s hoping to be back in the ring next month. 

    \”But we’re good now, and hopefully we’ll be back in the ring in March. Everything’s on schedule, so we’re looking good!\”

    Regarding potential opponents, Wight named newly crowned AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns. He praised them for being athletic and thinks they have a bright future.

  • JBL is No Longer Scheduled to Appear on WWE TV Going Forward

    The latest run for JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) on WWE television has ended. 

    Pwinsider.com reports JBL is not scheduled to appear on WWE programming going forward. This comes after WWE did an angle on Monday Night Raw this week where Baron Corbin lost another match, and JBL wasn’t happy about it. 

    The Split

    After the show went off the air, WWE released a video where JBL stated he didn’t want to be associated with Corbin any longer. The reason for that is due to Corbin making him look bad by losing on television. 

    Corbin has been on a losing streak on TV and at house shows despite the paring. The idea behind putting Corbin and JBL together was to give Corbin a boost, but WWE officials clearly felt like it wasn’t working out. 

    Now, what Corbin’s future holds remains to be seen. Corbin is well-liked among the talent in the locker room and was someone Vince McMahon was high on.

    Before this pairing, Corbin had been with Madcap Moss on SmackDown, where they were a heel duo, only for Moss to turn babyface after Corbin turned on him. 

  • Carmella to Vince Russo: \”Put Some Damn Respect On My Name!!!\”

    Vince Russo has been critical of Carmella in the past and recently criticized a booking decision made by WWE involving her, something the WWE star didn’t appreciate so she put him on blast. 

    This past Monday night on Raw, Carmella defeated Piper Niven, \”Michin\” Mia Yim, and Candice LeRae to win the last Elimination Chamber qualifier. 

    While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling\’s Legion of Raw, Russo noted that he thought Niven should have been the one to qualify for the Elimination Chamber Match. 

    \”Listen, we have gone through the well with Carmella a million times. To me, I am going with Piper Niven. Do you know why? At the end of the day, here\’s the deal bro. If they get Rhea Ripley if she beats Charlotte Flair. Who do you think would be a better opponent for her? Carmella or Piper Niven? Carmella is not even in the same conversation, why are you going there?\”

    Carmella Fires Back

    Carmella responded on Twitter by demanding the former WWE/WCW/TNA creative writer give her the respect she has earned: 

    “Lololol not in that same conversation?? Allow me to list the women I have wins over: Charlotte, Asuka, Becky, Bayley, Sasha, Bianca, Liv, Alexa. The list goes on and on. I have more charisma in my pinky finger than both of these jabronies COMBINED. PUT SOME DAMN RESPECT ON MY NAME!!!”

    Asuka, Carmella, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, and Nikki Cross will be featured in the Women’s Chamber bout. The winner will earn a shot to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.

  • Big E: ‘Montez Ford Has All The Tools, It’s Time to Get This Guy Cooking’

    Although Montez Ford has mostly been used as a tag team star in WWE alongside Angelo Dawkins as part of The Street Profits, Big E thinks it’s time to see what Ford can do on his own. 

    The Street Profits made their debut in 2016 and rose up the ranks in NXT before capturing the NXT Tag Team Championships. they later went to the main roster on Raw in 2019 and found more success with multiple reigns as Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Champions.

    Many have expected to see Ford break away from Dawkins in pursuit of a singles run. This includes Big E, who praised Ford while appearing on WWE’s The Bump

    Ford qualified for the Elimination Chamber Match with the United States Title on the line this past week on Raw with a win over Elias. 

    Big E’s Praise

    “It’s hard not to be a Montez guy. You talk about someone who has all the tools, charismatic as hell, absurdly athletic. He has everything, so it’s about time for Montez to get his. I’m excited to see his rise and see his run. Talk about a star. Guy has screamed ‘star’ for a long time, so it’s time to get Montez cooking,”

    Ford joins US Champion Austin Theory, Johnny Gargano, Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed, and Damien Priest in the Elimination Chamber match.

    H/T to Fightful for the transcription.

  • NJPW x IMPACT Multiverse Event & Matches Announced for WrestleMania weekend

    WrestleMania weekend just got bigger as IMPACT Wrestling, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced a co-promoted show. 

    The event will take place on Thursday night, March 30, at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, with stars from both promotions competing. There will be numerous first-ever dream matches confirmed.

    The show, titled Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive, is slated to air live on pay-per-view on fite.tv, starting at 8 p.m. PST.

    The Matches

    Some of the top matches announced for the show include IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander taking on KUSHIDA while “Speedball” Mike Bailey battles Will Ospreay in the co-main event.

     The match between Bailey and Ospreay will be their fifth singles match against each other, with the first taking place in 2015 while their most recent bout coming in August 2022. 

    “Will Ospreay is the best professional wrestler in the world, after me,” Bailey said. “So, this will be the best professional wrestling match of the year.”

    Also set for the show is Jeff Cobb vs. Moose. IMPACT’s X Division Champion Trey Miguel, Ace Austin, and Chris Bey are advertised to appear. At the same time, NJPW will be represented by KENTA, Rocky Romero, Minoru Suzuki, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight, Fred Rosser, and many others.

     Tickets for Multiverse United start at $60 and go on sale this Friday at 10 am EST on highspots.com. Fans can get front-row seats for $350 each. There will also be limited VIP seats that are perk-filled, including an exclusive event t-shirt, commemorative ringside photograph, and more.

  • WWE NXT Results (2/7/23): Bayley Appears, Ilja Dragunov Returns

    The February 7, 2023 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

    WWE NXT Results 

    • Zoey Stark def. Sol Ruca 
    • Dabba Kato def. Dante Chen.
    • Isla Dawn (w/ Alba Fyre) def. Tatum Paxley.
    • Carmello Hayes (w/ Trick Williams) def JD McDonagh.
    • Lyra Valkyria def. Valentina Feroz (w/ Wendy Choo).
    • Channing \”Stacks\” Lorenzo (w/ Tony D\’Angelo) def. Odyssey Jones.
    • Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) def. Chase University (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    Carmelo Hayes Opens, Ilja Dragunov Returns

    \"\"

    Carmelo Hayes opened the show with Trick Williams where they bragged about Hayes’ win over Apollo Crews at Vengeance Day. He said it is his destiny to call out this man…. JD McDonagh came out instead and said it sounded like Hayes was going to call for an NXT Title shot. JD said Hayes isn’t ready to be the NXT Champion and he couldn’t hold his jock strap. Hayes said he has beat everyone in NXT. This set up a match for tonight. 

    Hayes went over thanks to a distraction from a returning Ilja Dragunov, who took out Williams at ringside. 

    Bayley Appears

    \"\"

    Bayley appeared for a Ding Dong Hello segment with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin.

    Jayne and Dolin came up short in the triple threat match with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at Vengeance Day. 

    Bayley said she was there because she loves NXT and Toxic Attraction. She brought them out and asked what happened at Vengeance Day. They blamed each other for losing the bout. Bayley wanted them to think about what would happen if they split up. They both thought they would succeed on their own. Bayley said that they would get there quicker with a ride or die. They made up and Jayne said no matter what, she will always be her sister. Jayne wanted to have one more run. Gigi wanted to have a run at the Women’s Tag Team Titles held by Damage CTRL. Bayley wanted them to hug it out and they did. Jayne superkicked Gigi then tossed her into the door. This closed the show. 

    Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark

    \"\"

    Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark in a singles match took place. This was the first match of the night. Stark went over with her finisher to win the bout. Post-match, Ruca laid out Stark, who was trying to add insult to injury. 

    The two stars also faced off one-on-one last November with Stark picking up the win.

    https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1623129822649061376

    Valentina Feroz vs. Lyra Valkyria

    \"\"

    Valentina Feroz vs. Lyra Valkyria was booked in a singles match. 

    After a match between Cora Jade and herself did not take place on last week\’s NXT, Valkyria issued a challenge, claiming Jade must have changed her mind. Feroz agreed to the challenge for this show. 

    This match took place in the second hour. Elektra Lopez came out during the bout. This led to a distraction and Lyra hit a spin kick finisher for the win. 

  • Alexa Bliss Taking Time Off From WWE

    Alexa Bliss will be off television as she is on hiatus from the WWE storylines right now.

    Bliss came up short when challenging Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the Royal Rumble. Post-match, Bliss sat in the ring as a video of highlights from her recent run with Bray Wyatt. The video was shown on the big screen along with scenes of a playground while we could hear Uncle Howdy say, “Do you feel in charge?”

    The Break

    It’s been a few weeks since that show, and Bliss hasn’t been seen on television. Pwinsider.com reports WWE knew going into the match that Bliss would be taking some time off after the loss.

    Bliss hasn’t been seen backstage at WWE shows since the Royal rumble. This is not a typical instance of WWE not using her while she’s at shows. Bliss is away from the company because of a planned temporary exit from the storylines. 

    As of this writing, there’s no word yet on how long the break is. It should be noted that Bliss isn’t injured. 

    It could be a case of WWE putting Bliss on a break to build her back up in storylines with Wyatt and Howdy for WrestleMania 39 or if she asked for time off. 

    The match was designed to make Belair look strong as she moves towards WrestleMania 39. 

  • Trish Stratus Calls for Former WWE Star to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

    Trish Stratus has shared the ring with some of the best female talent to step foot inside of the squared circle, but she feels one name missing from the WWE Hall of Fame and getting the honor she deserves. 

    Stratus believes Victoria deserves to get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

    Victoria’s career started with WWE in 2002 and feuded with Stratus, leading to several matches, including when she beat Stratus to win the WWE Women\’s Championship in a Hardcore Match at Survivor Series 2002. 

    Victoria would depart in 2009 before going to TNA Wrestling and won the Knockouts Championship five times and the Knockouts Tag Team Championship once.

    The Push

    In an interview with Justin Dhillon on Casual Conversations with The Classic, Stratus was asked to name which stars she\’d like to see honored by WWE. 

    \”The aforementioned Mickie James, that’s for sure. I’d like to Victoria [get inducted]. Soon would be great. I think she’s well deserving. I think she’s underrated. I do so many interviews, and people ask me about different feud and different rivalries. I feel like when we were [competing], women’s wrestling was just turning the corner as far as being taken serious. Those matches with her that people [see] like, ‘Oh, this actually legit, and this is a viable part of the entire show.’ So yeah, Victoria for the Hall of Fame,\” Stratus said.

    H/T to Fightful for the transcription

  • Piper Niven\’s Eye Banged Up During Backstage Attack on WWE Raw

    Piper Niven came out of this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw battered. 

    WWE booked Niven vs. Candice LeRae vs. Michin vs. Carmella in a women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match on the show. The finish of the bout saw Carmella superkick Niven and then cover LeRae for the pin to win the bout. 

    Carmella joins Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross, and Natalya in the Elimination Chamber Match at the PLE next Saturday night. The winner of this bout will earn a title shot against Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39. 

    The Photo

    Niven took to Twitter today to send a message to Michin (Mia Yim) and show off her battered eye. She tweeted, \”Things imma not forget\” and posted this photo:

    \"\"/

    When Niven was called up to the WWE main roster from NXT UK in June 2021, she underwent a name change, Doudrop, and turned heel while being paired with Eva Marie. 

    Before returning at the Royal Rumble, her previous bout happened on the September 6 edition of NXT when she teamed with Nikki ASH to defeat Toxic Attraction, while her last Raw match was the night before. She then disappeared from WWE television for several months.

    Niven made her return by competing in the 30-Woman Royal Rumble match last month and with her old ring name. 

  • Jerry Lawler Hospitalized Following Stroke, Recovering from Surgery

    WWE Hall of Famer Jerry \”The King\” Lawler is in the hospital following a serious medical episode on Monday, February 6.

    Lawler suffered a stroke at his home in Fort Myers, Florida, according to Action News 5 out of Memphis, Tennessee. He\’s since undergone surgery and is recovering at a Florida hospital.

    Word of Lawler\’s condition began circulating Monday night. Tag team legend Ricky Morton publicly wished him well on Twitter earlier today, which led to more details coming out. The 73-year-old star was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon after having lunch with friends, as first reported by PWInsider. Sometime after the meal, he became ill and was rushed to the hospital.

    Dutch Mantell, Lawler\’s longtime friend, provided an update on the situation on Tuesday afternoon:

    LATEST UPDATE ON LAWLER: LAWLER experienced paralysis on his right side immediately following the stroke. Latest news has reported that he has regained partial use of his arm. His speech is still affected but that takes a bit more time. But he’s improving.

    SEScoops extends our support to the Lawler family during this difficult time.

    Jerry Lawler most recently appeared on the WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Kickoff Show two weeks ago as part of the panel. This past weekend, he did an autograph signing in Florida. 

    Lawler wrestled for nearly every top wrestling promotion in the United States, including WWE, AWA, WCCW, Continental Wrestling Association, and United States Wrestling Association. He was a household name in the Memphis area. Younger fans know him best for his time in WWE as a color commentator alongside Jim Ross during the Attitude Era. In recent years, he has stepped away from being a full-time commentator and is used for the Kickoff Shows. 

    The wrestling legend previously suffered a stroke in 2018, and had a heart attack on live television during an 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw.

  • Cody Rhodes: WrestleMania Doesn\’t Need Roman Reigns vs. The Rock

    Cody Rhodes has already confirmed that he will challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39, a title currently held by Roman Reigns. 

    Rhodes earned the shot by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. If Reigns retains the title against Sami Zayn at the Elimination Chamber on February 18, Reigns will meet Rhodes in the main WrestleMania event. 

    For nearly a year, WWE had hoped to have The Rock back for a match with Reigns at Mania. However, The Rock didn’t feel like he was in good enough ring shape for a WrestleMania main event match and turned it down. 

    Some fans have been pushing for Sami Zayn to be inserted into the WrestleMania main event because of his strong storyline with The Bloodline. 

    While speaking to Alex McCarthy of Daily Mail, Cody talked about the ongoing story between Zayn and The Bloodline. Rhodes noted that sometimes fans think it should be one wrestler or another in a top spot. He thinks the fans can get everything if decided upon by management. 

    “I was fully expecting these things to converge, and I’m still expecting them to converge just because we have these wonderful options.” 

    This was when he noted that the current WWE stories are better than having The Rock back at WrestleMania 39. 

    The Rock

    \”With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening. One story about finishing something that started in 1978 – seven years before I was even born – and another story of really the tragedy of being welcomed into the Bloodline and then what you saw unfolds.

    I think with the amount of time between now and WrestleMania, it’s important I keep my eyes squarely fixed on WrestleMania, squarely wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Championship and as you hinted that may not be against Roman Reigns. Now I don’t know if anyone can beat Roman Reigns, I truly don’t, but for me, it’s about picking up the chip. I love the melodrama,I love the heaviness in these stories that develop in our industry, but I am very simply a man who’s looking for a belt.

    I’m looking for a championship title belt, the most important one in our world the biggest in all – not just in the WWE bubble but in all the bubbles – and be the first to say as a Rhodes I did it, and it wasn’t Dusty Rhodes and it wasn’t Dustin Rhodes it was Cody Rhodes.\”

    The Rock has reportedly left the door open to doing the match at WrestleMania 40 next year. 

  • AEW/ROH Stars Pulled From Beyond Wrestling Event

    Several AEW/ROH stars were slated to work an upcoming Beyond Wrestling event but have been pulled due to a conflict with the reported ROH TV tapings. 

    On Monday, Beyond Wrestling announced that Wheeler Yuta, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora would no longer be appearing at their Perfection or Vanity show in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday, February 26.

    As previously noted, the belief is that ROH is scheduled to hold TV tapings that weekend, most likely at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. 

    The Statement

    \”Wheeler YUTA, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora will no longer be appearing or competing at \’Perfection Or Vanity\’ on Sunday, 2/26 at White Eagle in Worcester,\” Beyond Wrestling’s statement read\”Email [email protected] if you\’d like a refund.\”

    Yuta and Nightingale are under contract with AEW, while Williams and Adora, who were both part of the ROH roster before Tony Khan bought the promotion, have also made appearances for AEW.

    Yuta currently holds the ROH Pure Championship after he won back the title by defeating Daniel Garcia at Final Battle. Adora was also in action at this same show, losing to Nightingale on the pre-show.

    It was announced last December that weekly ROH TV was coming to the HonorClub streaming service, although no start date was given.

  • WWE Stable Officially Switches Brands

    WWE has decided to move the Maximum Male Models from Friday Night SmackDown to Monday Night Raw. 

    WWE had the trio appear in a segment last week on Raw where Maxxine Dupri, ma.çé (Mace), and mån.sôör (Mansoor) were backstage. Dupri looked like she was interested in recruiting Otis of Alpha Academy.

    WWE has updated its website\’s Raw roster page and added the three members to the red brand. 

    Explanation

    WWE is planning to do an angle on tonight’s Raw to solidify Maximum Male Models moving to the red brand, according to a report by Fightful Select. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Otis or Chad Gable will be involved or what they have planned for the group. 

    WWE created the stable in April 2022 on SmackDown. Originally, LA Knight, known as Max Dupri, led the group. It was said the stable was a pet project of Vince McMahon while he was still in charge of creative. 

    Maxxine was later introduced as Max’s sister, while Knight left the group and returned to his previous gimmick. This was shortly after WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H took over creative.

    Before last week, WWE last used the faction on television during the January 20 SmackDown episode. This show saw them lose to Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde of Legado del Fantasma. They didn’t get much television time, but Mansoor, Mace, and Dupri continued to work non-televised live events.

  • Bron Breakker Retains WWE NXT Title at Vengeance Day

    WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Grayson Waller in the main event of the Vengeance Day special on Peacock. 

    The match started outside of the ring before Bron tossed him into the ring. Bron beat him down in the early going until Waller cut him with a drop kick off the middle rope then a leg drop off the top rope. Waller tied him up in the ropes to do more damage. Bron then made his comeback. Breakker hit a superplex off the top rope. Breakker went over with two spears. Post-match, Carmelo Hayes appeared, pointing at Breakker, an indication he’s next in line. 

    How we Got Here

    Their first match happened last month at New Year’s Evil when Breakker retained the title by countout. The finish of the bout saw Waller not be able to back into the ring and the match ended in a countout. 

    Breakker won the NXT Title for a second time on the April 4th edition of Raw when he beat Dolph Ziggler. Breakker previously won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January from Tommaso Ciampa.

    Breakker’s recent title defenses have come against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh at Halloween Havoc, Tyler Bate at Worlds Collide, JD McDonagh in August, and Cameron Grimes on July 5th. 

  • Gallus Wins WWE NXT Tag Team Titles at Vengeance Day

    NXT Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson were booked at Saturday’s Vengeance Day special. 

    The match took place in the middle of the card and was a typical multi-team match where it started slow and built from there with chaotic moments. 

    Wolfgang put Hudson through the announce table. Kofi went for a wild dive on the outside from the top rope only to be caught by Pretty Deadly. The finish saw Woods go for an elbow drop. However, he was caught by Wolfgang and Gallus hit their finisher for the win.

    New Day defeated Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) on December 10, 2022 at NXT Deadline to win the titles.

    WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction with the Tag Team Titles as New Day are still a main roster tag team. 

    What are your thoughts on Gallus winning the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Wes Lee Retains North American Title at WWE NXT Vengeance Day

    WWE NXT North American Champion Wes Lee put his championship on the line in a defense against Dijak at Saturday’s WWE NXT Vengeance Day.

    The bout opened the show and was a fast paced bout with both stars getting time to shine. Lee got the early start before Dijak took over. Lee had a close near fall when hitting a brainbuster. The two did some near falls down the stretch. 

    Lee reversed a powerbomb with a hurricanrana and Dijak had a nasty landing.  Lee hit his finisher for a near fall. 

    Lee went over with a head kick after interference by Tony D’Angelo and Stacks. This was a big upset as Dijak was over a -300 favorite to win the title. 

    Lee became the champion in his first reign when he defeated Carmelo Hayes, Oro Mensah, Nathan Frazer and Von Wagner in a five-man ladder match on October 22, 2022 at Halloween Havoc in Orlando, Florida. 

    Dijak returned from a hiatus after he was sent back to NXT from the main roster following a run as T-Bar a few months ago where he has had his eyes on Lee’s North American Title. 

    WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered. 

    What are your thoughts on Lee retaining the North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Two AEW Stars Had Backstage Scuffle at Double or Nothing

    AEW had ups and downs in 2022 including backstage altercations. Most notably, CM Punk and Ace Steel got into it with The Elite (Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) at the All Out event last September. 

    Two AEW stars have admitted that they got into a skirmish in 2022. Those wrestlers are Swerve Strickland and Ricky Starks, who were part of a Tag Team Championship match at AEW Double or Nothing. 

    Fightful Select reports it led to a scuffle, according to the two wrestlers. There had been a report last year regarding there being some issues between them after the match over a miscommunication. However, this was the first word of them having a scuffle. 

    The issues came down to a “miscommunication late in the match, where there was an unplanned spot that saw Swerve attack Ricky Starks after an attempted pin on Jungle Boy.” 

    Starks was originally slated to hit his finish on one of his opponents, but Swerve ended up doing nothing because he thought it would be better to get hit and dumped out of the ring, otherwise he\’d be standing there watching it. 

    Fightful had heard that they had a follow-up segment on Dynamite after that. However, they made peace after that, and are fine to this day. At Fyter Fest a few months after the show, they worked together. 

    The report noted they spoke with each other about the scuffle while on the Jericho Cruise for an upcoming episode of Swerve\’s podcast.

  • Seth Rollins on Logan Paul: “I Don’t Really Need Him in my Locker Room”

    Both Seth Rollins and Logan Paul worked this year’s 30-Man Royal Rumble match as Paul entered the bout at the 29th spot. 

    It was a surprise return for the YouTuber after he was injured in his match with Roman Reigns at the 2022 Crown Jewel event.

    Paul eliminated Rollins from the Royal Rumble match after Rollins had been in the match for 37 minutes.

    Rollins Sounds Off

    While speaking on Instagram Live, Rollins went off on Paul in storyline and noted that Paul is not a real wrestler and he\’s only in the WWE to further his popularity.

    “Alright, look. I was going to avoid this topic but since I’ve seen a few of you guys asking so far about Logan Paul, I don’t know. I don’t know about Logan Paul. All I know is that I don’t really like Logan Paul. I’ll just say it. A lot of us don’t really like Logan Paul. We don’t. I don’t like Logan Paul, I don’t really need him in my locker room, in my space. Great, the guy is ultra talented as far as athletic ability is concerned.”

    Rollins noted that it was his fault that Paul eliminated him from the bout because he took his eyes off the ball. 

    “It’s probably the coolest thing Logan’s ever gonna do in his life. I just advise him to stay in his lane. He’s had what, three or four matches? Again, athletic freak, no doubt about it. But, at the end of the day, he’s just not a wrestler. He doesn’t want to be a wrestler. He just wants to be famous, he doesn’t care about the industry. He’s not a wrestler. It’s best for him to just stay in his lane, whatever his lane is, I don’t know, buying counterfeit Pokémon cards. If that’s your lane, stay in that lane. Don’t come knocking on my door cause I’ll knock you out.”

    Rolllins said that Paul doesn’t have his brother as backup because he’s about to get cooked in his upcoming boxing ring. He said that Paul shouldn’t be bragging about the Rumble elimination. 

    All signs point to Rollins wrestling Paul at WrestleMania. For Now, Rollins will compete in the Men\’s Elimination Chamber match for the United States Championship on February 18.

    H/T to Fightful

  • Plans for Upcoming ROH TV Tapings

    ROH is slated to start filming episodes for its weekly TV show heading into Supercard of Honor.

    Fightful Select’s Will Washington reports the promotion will start taping content almost a year after Tony Khan bought the promotion. It was said that ROH talent had been told tapings will take place in Orlando, Florida, during the last weekend of February.

    The Venue

    The assumption is that it would be at Universal Studios, where AEW regularly films its Dark series. Voices Of Wrestling previously reported information about the dates.

    Although VOW didn’t have more details past that, those Fightful spoke with think it will serve as tapings leading into the Supercard of Honor PPV on March 31. 

    The report added that several wrestlers were signed by AEW as far back as last spring with the intent of using them on ROH programming.

    2022 closed up the first year under Khan’s ownership and creative vision for the brand. Final Battle was the most recent ROH PPV event, which drew over 25,000 pay-per-view buys (19,000 streaming and 6,400 cable) based on first-week estimates.

    The other 2022 pay-per-view events for ROH were ROH Supercard of Honor in April, with 23,000 buys, and ROH Death Before Dishonor in July, with 37,000 buys.

  • Nick Khan on WWE Sale Timeline: \”Maybe Three Months\”

    WWE CEO Nick Khan has publicly commented on when the possibility of a WWE sale will happen. 

    Khan appeared on CNBC\’s Squawk Box to talk about Thursday\’s earnings call. During it, he noted that he feels a sale of the company will happen \”quick\” and speculated it might be a done deal within three months. 

    Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter had previously reported the company had been hoping to sell by mid-summer.

    Comcast Out of The Race?

    Co-host David Faber told Khan that he has heard \”probably not at this point\” regarding Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, buying WWE. NBCU has had a longtime partnership with WWE and currently has the TV rights to WWE Raw, NXT, and WWE Network content on Peacock in the United States. 

    Another co-host mentioned the likes of Amazon and Netflix could be buyers, while Faber also brought up Endeavor, who owns the UFC. 

    Khan added that \”we\’re still bullish on Comcast being possible.\” He mentioned they got a warm reception in the marketplace for those who are interested and they want to get a sale done before the TV rights deal not to eliminate any potential buyers. 

    Khan doubled down on his previous comments from the earnings call that Vince McMahon is willing not to be part of the company if the buyer doesn’t want him part of it. 

    A CNBC article noted that \”McMahon’s potential future involvement in WWE has become an early sticking point in preliminary talks with various buyers, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.\”

  • Batista Hoping for 2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction

    Batista, real name Dave Bautista, was supposed to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans were nixed. 

    The pandemic forced all wrestling companies to hold shows in front of no fans. WWE not only nixed the Hall Of Fame that year, they moved WrestleMania from a stadium to an empty Performance Center. 

    The Class of 2020 inductees eventually got their ceremony the following year and was paired with the 2021 class. It was pre-taped inside the virtual WWE ThunderDome.

    However, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion decided to pull out of the 2021 ceremony \”due to previous obligations.\” 

    Although he noted that WWE honored his request to induct him at a \”future ceremony\” because he wants \”to properly thank the fans and people who made [his] career possible,” it has yet to happen. 

    While speaking with ComicBook.com\’s Liam Crowley at the premiere of his latest movie, “Knock At The Cabin,” Batista said he\’s \”trying\” to be part of the 2023 ceremony.

    \”I hope so, but I can\’t say for sure. I can say that I\’m trying. I am trying.\”

    – Batista on a possible 2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction

    As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce any inductees for the class this year. 

  • WWE SmackDown Star Comments on Lack of TV Time

    Aliyah has been off TV for months, and it looks like that will not be changing any time soon. 

    The SmackDown star went down with an elevated first rib and AC sprain in September. She was teaming with Raquel Rodriguez on the blue brand at the time of the injury, which kept her out of in-ring action for a few weeks. However, her absence from television isn’t due to injury any longer. 

    Aliyah Update

    In a post on Twitter, the WWE star told a fan that she\’d been cleared since October 27, 2022. A fan asked her where she has been as of late, and she responded with a Britney Spears meme with the caption, \”Umm, i don\’t know…\”

    In a response to a fan that suggested she film backstage content, she responded with, \”If only I was backstage,” indicating she hasn’t been brought to events. 

    She also indicated that she would not be at the Elimination Chamber show in Montreal on February 18 when she wrote the following in response to a fan who hoped to see her there: \”Sorry to let you down,\”

    She also tweeted, \”Sorry to let you down\” in response to a fan who hoped that she would be in the upcoming WWE 2K23 video game.