SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Charlotte Flair Reacts to Jade Cargill Wanting to Face Her

    WWE star Charlotte Flair has responded to AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill showing respect to her on Twitter. 

    Cargill and Flair are two of the most dominant female wrestlers in their respective companies and in the entire wrestling business. Flair has been pushed as a top star in the sports entertainment company for years, while Jade has stayed undefeated in the rival wrestling promotion. 

    The Exchange

    The AEW star recently noted on Twitter that she’d love the opportunity to face off against The Queen. This was after she was asked by a fan about which non-AEW wrestler she’d choose to defend her TBS Championship against. 

    Cargill tweeted: “@MsCharlotteWWE – because she can GO.”

    Flair replied with her own praise, tweeting: “Keep killing it, queen. #undefeated.”

    Flair hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania Backlash in May, when she lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship to Ronda Rousey. She recently teased her return on social media by revealing that she has been training for her eventual comeback.

    Her husband and AEW star Andrade El Idolo previously revealed that she has been out of action due to ‘personal reasons‘ that she will one day discuss herself. WWE has reportedly been working on plans for her return. 

  • WWE Files for Several New Inspirational Trademarks

    WWE has filed for several trademarks centered around slogans as the filing was made on Friday, December 23, 2022

    WWE applied to trademark the terms \”All Heart All In,\” \”Inspire The Impossible,\” From Dreams To Destiny,\” \”Desire. Determination. Destiny.\” and \”Where The Stars Align” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

    Purpose

    The trademarks all list the same Goods and Services usage descriptions, which are for general pro wrestling and sports entertainment use, as well as merchandise and other common uses.

    Earlier in the month of December, WWE filed trademarks on its logo for metaverse-related purposes earlier this month. WWE has spoken in the past about its interest in breaking into the metaverse, which is why it opened an NFT shop, WWE Moonsault. There are occasional NFT drops to go along with holidays or premium live events.

    Regarding e-sports, a field largely untapped by WWE for now, Stephanie McMahon is on the Board of Directors for FaZe Clan, a popular e-sports franchise.

    As of this writing, there’s no word yet on what the new trademarks are for. Most recently, WWE filed to trademark its logo for various categories. 

  • Glass Onion Director Calls Dave Bautista the Greatest Wrestler-Turned-Actor

    Dave Bautista (Batista) has come a long way in life as he found a ton of success in the world of pro wrestling in WWE and now in Hollywood as an actor. Many wrestlers have tried acting like Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and plenty more in featured films over the years.

    Bautista, The Rock, and John Cena have found the most success out of those who attempted it. Bautista has often spoken about wanting to carve a different path for himself by taking various roles to show his range.

    While speaking to The Atlantic, filmmaker Rian Johnson discussed Bautista\’s acting chop after working with him on \”Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery\” when asked who has surprised him the most. 

    High Praise

    \”Dave Bautista. When I was writing [his character, a men’s-rights streamer named Duke Cody], I was picturing a scrawny dude who’s trying to overcompensate. When Bautista was brought up, I was instantly so smitten by the idea. I’ve been a very big fan of his dramatic chops as an actor.\”

    It was noted that Batista is \”Low-key the greatest wrestler-to-actor ever,\” Johnson replied, \”I absolutely 100 percent agree. And I think somebody like [Paul Thomas Anderson] is going to give him a real part and is gonna look like a genius. As a person, Bautista is genuinely, immediately vulnerable when you meet him, and that’s what I was excited about. This is someone who has the physical trappings of someone who would play it big, but he actually brings sensitivity to the role.\”

    Batista gifted Johnson with a WWE Championship after filming the movie that is currently on Netflix. 

    Dave Bautista Gave World Title to Rian Johnson on Glass Onion Movie Set With his WWE Theme Playing

  • Cain Velasquez Has Discussed Doing a Wrestling Match With Daniel Cormier

    Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier have been friends and training partners for years. They also have a love for pro wrestling as they have both attended and even participated in WWE events in the past. 

    Velasquez had an opportunity to become WWE Champion against Brock Lesnar in 2019 for an event in Saudi Arabia, but came up short.  Velasquez has also wrestled for AAA Lucha Libre in Mexico, while Cormier hasn’t wrestled a match yet, but has entertained the idea. 

    During a recent appearance on Konnan\’s K100 podcast, Velasquez revealed that he and Cormier have discussed doing a match together for AAA. Velazquez did not specify whether it was about competing in a one-on-one match or a tag-team scenario.

    The Moment

    \”Daniel Cormier was actually at my house yesterday, him and Luke Rockhold came over. DC, we talked about doing a match as well — like doing something with me, him, AAA,\” said Velasquez. \”For me, man, it\’s just good that I get to have like my family involved in it. You know, my kids get to watch it and they love it. They\’re big fans of AAA and WWE. I\’m just glad I get to bring my family into the sport that I\’m doing now. With fighting, it wasn\’t like that. I had to like kind of shelter them throughout that whole thing.\”

    Cormier, a former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, was recently the referee during the Fight Pit Match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle at WWE Extreme Rules. Konnan, the head of talent relations for AAA, said he would be excited to work with Cormier and Velasquez in AAA.

    H/T to Fightful

    Cain Velasquez Opens Up About Release From Jail – Working with AAA

  • Shinsuke Nakamura on The Great Muta Match: ‘It Would\’ve Never Happened Under Vince McMahon’

    Shinsuke Nakamura made a name for himself in NJPW and was nicknamed the King Of Strong Style, but decided to make the jump to WWE several years ago, where he found a spot on the main roster. 

    This Sunday, a rare situation is happening when WWE allows Nakamura to wrestle The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) at the NOAH The New Year show on January 1st, 2023. The match was first announced in October. 

    While speaking to Yahoo Sports, Nakamura discussed the upcoming match, and during it, Nakamura revealed that Vince McMahon initially declined his request to face Muta. However, when McMahon resigned due to the hush money scandal, Triple H took over and approved the match. 

    Initial Reaction

    “I was like, “No way. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think it would happen. It was something that would never have happened under the previous structure of the WWE. Noah came to me with the idea, and we discussed it, but my answer was no. Vince (McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE) stepped down in the summer, and I was advised by people within the company that it might be possible now. I still thought it would be difficult, but I even talked directly to Triple H (WWE’s vice president). When the decision was actually made, I was shaken.”

    Nakamura noted that a big change happened between when Mutoh announced his retirement and when the match was decided, as a lot of changes happened when McMahon walked away. Nakamura admitted there was a feeling that many things would change in the future.

  • Apollo Crews Comments on William Regal\’s Reported WWE Return

    Apollo Crews has weighed in on William Regal\’s return to WWE.

    Regal had been WWE\’s Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting, where he played a big part in helping Triple H build NXT into what it became. However, in late 2021, things changed for Regal as Triple H stepped away due to health issues.

    The company made sweeping changes to NXT and WWE released Regal on January 5, 2022. He went on to sign with AEW, where he made his promotional debut at AEW Revolution in March. 

    Once Triple H was put in charge of main roster creative, it only took a few months before Regal asked for AEW not to renew his contract option so he could return to WWE. It’s been reported that Regal has come to terms with WWE, and he is set to start with the company in the first week of January 2023.

    The Influence

    While speaking with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Crews commented on the reports about Regal\’s return to WWE.

    \”I feel like there’s a lot of young kids – not just young kids, but anybody can benefit from somebody with credentials like William Regal. If it’s something that’s happening, it’s gonna be fantastic for a lot of the younger kids, all of us, to get the knowledge and experience of someone who’s so well traveled, so well-versed. He’s been around for as long as I’ve been watching wrestling, really. I’m all for it,\” Crews said.

    Crews thinks the locker room should make the most of the opportunity to learn from someone like Regal.

  • WWE\’s Current Plans for WrestleMania 39 Main Event Matches

    WWE is still locking in its long-term plans for the first few months of 2023 and that includes which matches will serve as the main event of both nights of WrestleMania 39 in April. 

    It’s been noted in various reports that WWE wants to have its WrestleMania plans for top matches locked down by mid-January. That includes commitments from top stars such as John Cena, The Rock, and Steve Austin regarding whether they plan to be part of the year\’s biggest event. 

    Cena is committed and just needs to finalize his schedule, as he will be filming a movie in February and March. 

    The Big Match

    Just over three months out from WWE\’s biggest event of the year, the top matches hinge on The Rock\’s availability. As of this writing, he\’s still not committed.

    WWE typically finalizes the WrestleMania main events in mid-January, so this will come down to the wire. According to our friends at WrestlingNews.co, here\’s what we\’re looking at:

    • WrestleMania Saturday: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre or Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship.
    • WrestleMania Sunday: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes or TBD for the Universal Championship

    If The Rock does work WrestleMania, it will be Rollins vs. Rhodes headlining Saturday night and Rock vs. Reigns on last Sunday night.

    If The Rock does not work WrestleMania, it will be Rollins vs. Rhodes at Night 1 and Reigns vs. an opponent TBD at Night 2.

    As of this writing, it\’s not clear how the company will split the WWE Championship and Universal Championship before WrestleMania 39, but WWE wants to have a top title for each brand heading into the summer.

    WWE Discussing Multiple WrestleMania 39 Ideas for Top Stars

  • Update on The Rock\’s Status for WWE WrestleMania 39

    Time is ticking on WWE\’s plans for the main events of WWE WrestleMania 39 as the company wants to have these plans locked in by mid-January. The company will need two headline attractions for the main event of each night. 

    They will need to also figure out the plans for the men\’s and women\’s world title matches by January 28th, as that is when the WWE Royal Rumble premium live event goes down. 

    The women’s roster will need two title challengers for its two world champions: Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair and SmackDown Women\’s Champion Ronda Rousey. On the men\’s side, things are a little more complicated.

    As previously reported, WWE is hoping to have Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns face The Rock at WrestleMania 39, but it comes down to The Rock’s busy Hollywood schedule. 

    WWE has targeted this show because it takes place in Hollywood and will get more mainstream attention. Reigns has been championing himself as the head of the Anoa\’i family for his entire run as The Tribal Chief. The stars are aligning for a battle between the two stars, but the match has yet to be confirmed.

    Where Things Stand

    In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Reigns vs. Rock is neither \”off the boards\” nor \”a lock\” for WrestleMania. The uncertainty of the match means that there have to be \”back-up plans put in place,\” although it\’s unclear if those plans have been made yet. 

    The report emphasizes that The Rock has to \”make up his mind,\” likely \”just before the Rumble.\” Should he not go forward with the match, fans have speculated Cody Rhodes is stepping up to challenge Reigns for the title at the show. 

  • Dave Bautista Gave World Title to Rian Johnson on Glass Onion Movie Set With his WWE Theme Playing

    “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” a Netflix film with a limited theatrical run, has been released on the streaming service. 

    Dave Bautista is among the cast, including Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, and Kate Hudson. Here is the synopsis of the film:

    “Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.”

    The Moment

    Rian Johnson wrote and directed it and produced the film alongside Ram Bergman.

    As seen below, while the movie was being made, the former WWE star gave Johnson a World Heavyweight Title belt while entering the set to his WWE theme music, “I Walk Alone” by Saliva. 

    Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” started streaming last month on Disney+ featuring Bautista. 

    Bautista portrays Drax in the franchise. Also, part of the cast includes Kevin Bacon, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Vin Diesel as Groot, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket.

    “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” hits theaters May 5, 2023. Bautista has indicated this movie could be the end of his run as the character.

  • Buff Bagwell Shares Positive News on his Sobriety

    Marcus “Buff” Bagwell has updated his fans regarding his sobriety. 

    The former WCW star noted in a post on Twitter that he’s been sober for 117 days and is on a healthy path toward recovery. Bagwell added that sharing his experiences on Cameo and with those at live events has been super beneficial for his process. 

    His full tweet reads, “117 days sober. My walk of sobriety has just begun but I have learned so much in just a few months! Thank you to all those who continue to support me. Sharing my experience on my cameos and at recent live events has been a huge part of knowing I’m on the right path.”

    Progress

    Back in October, in a video posted on the DDP Yoga YouTube channel, Bagwell revealed that he was working on the \”Change Or Die\” project to document his addiction issues before going to rehab. Bagwell said that when an intervention was done on him, and he initially didn\’t want to go to rehab, he decided to go through with it. 

    WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page commented on Bagwell’s post to tell him that he is super proud of the progress he’s made. 

    The WWE Hall Of Famer has been instrumental in Bagwell’s recovery as he’s been working next to him at his compound. He previously helped Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Scott Hall with their addictions. Check out the tweets below.

  • Latest on Adam Cole\’s Recovery from Concussion

    AEW fans have been concerned regarding the health of Adam Cole as he’s been on the sidelines for months. 

    The promotion is being cautious with him, although there is still no timetable on when he will return to the squared circle. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported the update after a fan asked him on Twitter where things stand with the former ROH World Champion. 

    Still No Return

    \”He\’s doing much better. The last I heard is they were being cautious. Don\’t have any time frame for a return. With concussions, you can\’t predict a time frame,\” Meltzer tweeted.

    Cole has been out of action since he suffered a serious concussion at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view this past June when he was involved in a Four-Way for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the show with Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, and Hangman Page. 

    The popular star fell to the ground at the end of the match, leading to White covering him immediately. He reportedly suffered another concussion at Double Or Nothing. 

    In August, Cole resurfaced for one show so he, Kyle O\’Reilly, and Bobby Fish could turn on The Young Bucks but he hasn\’t been seen on TV since. Cole has been a part of AEW since September 2021.

  • Dax Harwood: ‘Sasha Banks has a Reason to Feel Slighted’

    In May, Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of an episode of WWE Raw over a creative dispute about how they were being booked as WWE Women\’s Tag Team Championships.

    They put their titles on John Laurinaitis\’ desk and left the arena before the company stripped them of the titles and suspended them. The commentary teams for both Raw and SmackDown publicly chastised them for weeks. 

    Once  Laurinaitis and Vince McMahon were gone from the company, some fans believed it would only be a matter of time before the two returned. For Naomi, fans are still waiting for that day to happen while Banks negotiated her WWE release months ago and is slated to start working for NJPW next month. 

    Banks reportedly signed a highly-lucrative contract with New Japan\’s parent company Bushiroad. Although not confirmed, it’s believed Banks will feud with Kairi (Sane) over the IWGP Women\’s Championship. 

    Dax Harwood, who is good friends with Banks, offered some insight in a new interview with AdFreeShows while promoting his new podcast “FTR With Dax Harwood.” He noted that she worked hard for the company and became a big star, but still feels slighted.

    Insight

    \”I think that, just like me, I feel that sometimes she gets a bad rep because of how passionate she is and how much she wants,\” Harwood explained. \”You know, she wants it all, but she wants to work for it. That\’s the same with us. Like, I want everything this business, but I want to work for it and I want you to know that I\’m going to work hard for you, and that\’s her, man. She knows what she deserves, and she knows what she\’s earned, and she works her ass off to get it, and if she doesn\’t get it, she feels slighted and she has a reason to feel that way. Huge star, huge heart, beautiful human being, the greatest woman wrestler of all time. I think she\’s just incredible.\”

    FTR was in action on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, where they lost to Austin & Colten Gunn.

    H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

  • Mike Mansury Talks Why he Left WWE, Decision to Join AEW

    Mike Mansury has opened up about the journey that has led him to AEW after working as Vice President of Global Television Production for WWE and is now working in AEW as a co-Executive Producer and Senior Production Executive.

    He did so when appearing on The Sessions with Renee Paquette. It started off with the end of his time in WWE. 

    Leaving WWE

    He explained that it was inferred that he was going to be the successor to Kevin Dunn and while he was praised for his work, they didn’t know what to do with him until they figured out what Dunn’s future was. 

    “I knew that there was more that I was capable of but I had already excelled at everything they allowed me to do at that point. I was looking for that new challenge and even if it was something that were outside of the scope of what people would have defined as my potential, it would have been nice to be able to kind of spread wings a little bit and take on a new challenge so, once I kind of realized I was in the lane that I was in and the path to the destination wasn’t really gonna change or even progress that much, I knew it was time to make a change.”

    The Decision

    He decided to leave WWE in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic started. After giving them his notice, they offered him the opportunity to rescind his resignation. While he appreciated the offer, felt that if he did not give notice and bow out then, he would never do it. 

    “I remember I had gone back up to Stamford and they had offered me the opportunity to rescind my resignation and I was beyond appreciative of it but you know, I told them, I said, ‘Look, I know we’re heading into uncertain times but if I don’t do this, I’m never gonna do it and I need to.’

    AEW Talks

    Mansury dove into his talks with AEW and how joining the promotion came about. It happened when  Mike and his wife were in Singapore as they moved to the country for his job with ONE Championship MMA. 

    Mansury felt it was not the right time, and AEW already had a solid team with Keith Mitchell at the helm, but Mitchell retired from his role months after those talks. 

    “I don’t think they knew Keith was gonna wind up retiring a couple months later. But a lot of folks on the AEW side that we had known from WWE had spoken to Tony [Khan] a lot and had talked to me about coming down and just checking things out and just saying hello. But ultimately, you know, ONE was the new home.”

    Things picked back up again as the two sides began talking over the summer between Mansury, Tony Khan and Chief Legal Officer Megha Parekh. They expressed to Mansury that they feel AEW is ready to break into their next level and he felt like there was some unfinished business. 

    “I don’t know that I left wrestling feeling fulfilled. I think when I left the WWE, I was burned out at that point and I was frustrated.”

    H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription

  • WWE has Postponed its India Event (Report)

    According to a new report, WWE won’t be going to India after all. WWE had plans to run a show on a “grand scale” in Hyderabad, India, and would consist of “a mix of superstars, both Indian and international.”

    It was later reported that the show would be on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, from the G.M.C. Balayogi Sports Complex, an indoor stadium in Hyderabad with a capacity of 5,000 people featuring SmackDown talent mostly. 

    WWE never announced the show, nor was it confirmed whether the company had plans to air it as a special on Peacock, tape it for the local market, or just have it as a house show. 

    Postponed

    According to WrestleVotes, the show has been postponed, although no reason was given. It\’s also unclear when the company plans to reschedule the show: 

    Sanga & Veer Mahaan vs. The Creed Brothers had been booked for the WWE NXT Deadline event earlier this month, but it was later nixed. 

    The match was reportedly pulled due to Veer dealing with a minor injury and the promotion is being careful with him, so they pulled the bout as he was supposed to be featured at this India event. 

    WWE’s Upcoming India Event Will be “Built All Around” Injured Superstar (Report)

  • Backstage Update on Edge’s Status With WWE

    Edge had a memorable homecoming in the main event of the August 22 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw despite not being around every week leading up to the show to do the match with Damian Priest or the Finn Balor match at Extreme Rules. Since then, he hasn\’t been seen since.

    Fightful Select reports that Edge is on a deal with limited dates, which is why he has appeared periodically since splitting from the Judgment Day group. 

    One WWE higher-up said that the vignettes this past summer were a way to \”buy some weeks\” on television for him before he made his return to television and give them a little more time to build to some important matches throughout the rest of the year. This happened with the Balor and Priest matchups.

    His Deal

    In 2020 when Edge was medically cleared and made a deal with WWE, it was reported the Hall Of Famer had signed a three-year contract for 25 appearances and five matches per year.  Edge had talks with All Elite Wrestling before his WWE deal was signed. 

    However, Fightful’s new report notes that it was either incorrect or amended, as Edge competed in ten matches in 2021 and has already competed in six matches in 2022.

    It’s unclear when his deal is up or how many appearances are left on his existing deal, but if the length was correctly reported, that deal could be up soon. It’s always possible that the deal was frozen due to injury, but that’s not confirmed if that\’s the case.

  • Sasha Banks Arrives in Japan Ahead of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17

    Sasha Banks has reportedly arrived in Japan, days before she is expected to start the next chapter in her pro wrestling career. 

    It was anyone\’s guess that Banks would end up in wrestling after she and Naomi walked out of WWE in May of this year. That changed when it was recently reported that Banks was scheduled to be at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.

    She is slated to do multiple dates for NJPW/STARDOM as she has been able to get her release from WWE.

    Arrival

    According to a report by PWInsider, Banks has now arrived in Japan ahead of her appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 17:

    “PWInsider.com is told that Mercedes Varnado, aka Sasha Banks, is now in Japan in advance of the 1/4/23 New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome event.”

    Banks’ appearance at the upcoming show is still yet to be officially announced by NJPW so it looks like it will be saved as a surprise. Many fans expect that she will be setting something up with the winner of the IWGP Women\’s Title match between Champion KAIRI & Tam Nakano.

    The top matches on the card include Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, and Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Title.

  • MJF Featured in New AEW Fight Forever Trailer

    MJF is featured in a new spotlight trailer for the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game.

    AEW has released a new trailer for Fight Forever that features clips of “The Salt of The Earth” in action. He also tweeted the video and wrote in the caption, “Even in video game form I’ll be better than your favorites in #AEWFightForever and you know it.”

    The release date has yet to be revealed for the game, but it is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2023. The game will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.

    There had been rumors about an M for Mature rating, but the word is that the game will be rated T for Teen. 

    The Trailer

    Fight Forever is All Elite Wrestling’s first console video game. A website with information has been launched, and a teaser trailer is out.  Wrestlers, move-sets, entrances, and arenas in the game will be customizable. There will also be a deep career mode. 

    MJF became the AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Jon Moxley with the help of William Regal at Full Gear. He retained his championship last week against Ricky Starsk on Dynamite: Winter Is Coming.

  • AEW TV Will Have An All-New Look Starting January 4

    Tony Khan has provided new details about the \”new look\” coming to AEW programming in the very near future.

    AEW Dynamite and Rampage have maintained a similar production aesthetic since the shows premiered. Following the recent hire of Michael Mansury as Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer, it\’s been reported that big changes are in store for the look and feel of the company\’s flagship shows.

    Khan spoke with Scott Fishman for TV Insider this week and laid out what fans can expect on the first Dynamite and Rampage of 2023.

    Changes Coming January 4

    \"Tony

    Wrestling fans won\’t have to wait long to see the \’new\’ incarnations of Dynamite and Rampage. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of Dynamite moving to TBS, the show is getting a facelift.

    “I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag necessarily, especially so close to the big day. But at the start of 2023, we’re going to open the year on Wednesday, January 4 with the first Dynamite in Seattle, marking a full year of Dynamite on TBS,\” said Khan.

    We’ll definitely have a new look, to say the least. I’m excited about it. I think it’s a nice thing to present to the fans.

    – Tony Khan

    He doesn\’t want to hype up the set re-design too much, because that can create expectations that are impossible to live up to. However, he couldn\’t contain his excitement.

    \”I will say the set will be beautiful though,\” he aded. \”The look of Rampage will also be different. This will affect the way people view AEW on Wednesdays and Fridays in terms of presentation with the set and the show with the same great action.”

    Khan was also asked about signing Mansury and what he brings to the team. He called it a huge acquisition for AEW and put him over for his knowledge of TV production. 

    He feels Mansury is a great signing for the company and important to have someone with his experience and can\’t wait to see what he brings to AEW. 

  • WWE NXT Results (12/20): Two Title Matches

    The December 20, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

    WWE NXT Results 

    •  
    • Carmelo Hayes defeated Axiom 
    • Zoey Stark defeated Nikkita Lyons 
    • Kayden Carter & Katana Chance defeated Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley and Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin to retain the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Titles 
    • Elektra Lopez defeated Indi Hartwell
    • The New Day defeated Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    NXT Women\’s Tag Team Titles

    \"\"

    Kayden Carter & Katana Chance defeated Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley and Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin to retain the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Titles when Nile went to choke out Carter but fell on her back and was pinned.

    All the teams worked hard and the fans were invested down the stretch. 

    Let’s Talk

    \"\"

    Carmelo Hayes defeated Axiom after Trick Williams interfered in the opening match. The finish saw  Hayes hit a jumping Codebreaker and then he went up top and hit Nothin But Net. 

    Post-match, Axiom hit an Asai moonsault on Williams. It was an actual packed match. 

    Later in the show, Apollo Crews came out. He said he plans to meet the winner of NXT Champion Bron Breaker vs. Grayson Waller that takes place at New Years Evil and he wants that match at NXT Vengeance Day. Carmelo Hayes came out, and the two had a back-and-forth promo. 

    Crews said that there is always somebody else better out there. Hayes knocked him for not being able to become NXT Champion. Crews said that he’s better than Hayes and he will prove it anytime anywhere.

    Tag Team Title Match

    \"\"

    The New Day defeated Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles when Woods won with a top rope elbow.

    This served as the main event of the show. New Day went over when Kofi hit a head kick and Woods hit a spring board elbow drop. 

    The Call Out

    \"\"

    Grayson Waller called out Bron Breakker after demanding his title shot tonight in a backstage segment earlier in the show. Waller cut a promo at the end of the show about how he is the greatest NXT star and about to be the greatest NXT Champion of all time. He said he carried NXT for the whole year. 

    Breakker exited his car in the parking lot and went straight to the ring to spear Waller, but Waller had a metal plate under his jacket, similar to the Bret Hart/Bill Goldberg angle in WCW. Waller vowed to outsmart Bron again and become NXT Champion. 

    Roxanne Perez Speaks

    \"\"

    Roxanne Perez did a sit down interview with Booker T about winning the NXT Women’s Title last week from Mandy Rose, who wasn’t mentioned. 

    Perez said that she didn’t expect for it to happen. She recalled training at Booker T’s school and putting in the work where she became Women’s Champion. She said when she was a kid she wanted to be NXT Women’s Champion. She brought up her accomplishments in NXT in just nine months. She said she didn’t want to wait for New Year\’s Evil and wanted to bet on herself. 

  • The Rock Addresses Black Adam’s Future in The DC Universe

    Dwyane \”The Rock\” Johnson has confirmed that Black Adam will not be featured going forward, at least in \”the first chapter\” of a new direction for DC\’s storytelling under new Studio Heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, now in control of all of DC Studios.

    They control the comic book company\’s film, TV, animated, and gaming storylines and direction going forward. This character was a passion project for him for years as the original plan in September 2014 was for him to introduce him as the villain in the Shazam! film series.  

    The former WWE Champion lobbied for Black Adam to be introduced in his own film, allowing for two separate franchises to be launched instead.  

    The Rock got his wish for a standalone “Black Adam” movie a few months ago when the film was released in theaters and now streaming on HBO Max, but there have been a lot of changes at DC Studios. 

    The Rock’s Statement

    “My passionate friends, I wanted to give you a long-awaited Black Adam update regarding the character\’s future in the new DC Universe. 

    James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters. 

    James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It\’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG. 

    You guys know me, and I have very thick skin – and you can always count on me to be direct with my words. There had been rumors that The Rock’s movie wasn’t as profitable as it appeared on the surface, something he later dismissed. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens. 

    After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, I\’m very proud of the film we delivered for fans worldwide. I will always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility and love. 

    We did great. To my very passionate and vocal Black Adam/Super Hero genre fans – I love you, THANK YOU, and I will ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOU and do my best to deliver and entertain you. What a helluva month – now we all need some Teremana! Have a productive week and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and your families! “

    There had been rumors that The Rock’s movie wasn’t as profitable as it appeared on the surface, something he later dismissed. 

  • Top AEW Star Teases Forming Tag Team With Kenny Omega for Upcoming Event

    Chris Jericho may be a member of The Elite alongside Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks for one night only as the top AEW star suggested a dream tag team with Omega for an upcoming huge event.

    AEW will make its debut in Winnipeg with a live episode of Dynamite and a taping of Rampage on March 14. This is the hometown of Jericho and Omega. 

    The Possibilities 

    While speaking with Winnipeg Sports Talk, the former ROH and AEW World Heavyweight Champion was asked about potential plans for AEW in Winnipeg. He suggested the possible dream tag team.

    “That’s three months from now, so we’ll have to see where the storylines take us. We just finished up with the Blackpool Combat Club. The biggest upset in pro wrestling history when Action Andretti beat me on Dynamite last week.”

    The former AEW World Champion hinted at a potential rivalry with Ricky Starks, who recently fell short to current World Champion MJF on last week’s Winter Is Coming special. 

    “We’ll have to address that. Ricky Starks is another one that we’re looking at getting involved with. There are a lot of great programs. That’s the thing with me and the Jericho Appreciation Society. We always want to work with somebody new and really sink our teeth into the storyline.”

    Jericho hinted at a possible plan discussed for the team. 

    “In mid-March, we’ll probably have a lot of cool things going. We’ve already discussed a few ideas of what we could do that night. Maybe something with Kenny and I, Kenny and I tagging, it all depends on what the storylines are. It doesn’t matter what the exact storylines are, I know it’s going to be a great show.”

    Transcription via Fightful

  • Triple H Viewed Bronson Reed as a Priority Hire

    The latest star brought back by Triple H was Bronson Reed, formerly known as JONAH, who made his return to the company on Monday’s episode of Raw. 

    This is over a year after Reed was let go by the company when Vince McMahon was still in charge. There had been rumblings that Triple H wanted to bring him back. 

    His return happened when the former NXT North American Champion got involved in The Miz and Dexter Lumis’ ladder match. Reed helped Miz go over and got the money that was part of the stipulation for the match. 

    Triple H Got His Man

    Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that “Bronson Reed was a priority hire for Triple H when he gained power within WWE.” It was said that NJPW wanted to retain Reed and was hopeful he would stay. 

    The report noted that Reed is done with NJPW and has signed a contract with WWE. 

    After Jonah first joined WWE in January 2019, he made his televised in-ring debut as a competitor in the NXT Breakout Tournament. In May 2021, he won the NXT North American Championship. 

    Jonah worked his last match on WWE television in July 2021 when he lost to Adam Cole on an episode of NXT. 

    Released WWE Superstar Returns on RAW

  • MVP Teases Reunion With Bobby Lashley on WWE Raw

    The Hurt Business was a fan-favorite group that mostly got over when there were no fans in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic era. 

    First, MVP was the manager of Bobby Lashley before recruiting Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. Vince McMahon dissolved Hurt Business without a logical explanation, which upset those in the group and fans alike. 

    On Monday\’s episode of Raw, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick brought up the Bobby Lashley incident, where he was fired at one point in storyline. The announcers noted that WWE official Adam Pearce was waiting on Lashley to respond to him. WWE cut to the backstage era, where Pearce was seen delivering a voicemail to Lashley to set up a meeting with him.

    The Moment

    MVP appeared and asked Pearce about Lashley, teasing a Hurt Business reunion in the process., but Pearce was unable to answer the question as he was approached by a referee who told him about an attack by The Bloodline. 

    https://twitter.com/WEST0NR0AD/status/1605013671436079104

    Lashley has made it publicly known that he wants the group to get back together. While speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast in August, Lashley shared his vision about how they could reunite: 

    Bobby Lashley Lays Out Plan For Hurt Business Reunion

  • NXT Star Gets WWE Tattoo on His Chest (Video)

    WWE NXT talent Edris Enofe is dedicated to WWE and wanted to show off his desire to be in WWE for the long haul as he got some new ink. 

    There have been many people who plan on staying with the company for many years and while sometimes that happens, there are some who don’t fit in the company and need to go somewhere else when their run is up. 

    Enofe is seemingly one person who has no plans to ever leave WWE because he is showing his dedication with this new tattoo. He got the ink done on his chest and it’s a large WWE logo. 

    The Ink

    Enofe shared the tattoo, which is on the right side of his chest, in a new video that he posted on Twitter. It will be hard to miss when he wrestles. You can watch the clip below to check out the tattoo.

    https://twitter.com/Edris_Enofe/status/1604989775521656832

    After training at the WWE Performance Center in 2021, he started being used on NXT television in November 2021 where he beat Malik Blade on an episode of 205 before he was paired with Malik Blade.

  • Adult Film Actress Seemingly Confirms Matt Riddle is Going to Rehab

    Matt Riddle has had his personal business aired on not only WWE television, but also social media. 

    WWE used Riddle’s personal struggles and family life in his storyline with Seth Rollins while recreating a split interview segment from years ago in the UFC between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. 

    Riddle was written off WWE television on the December 5 episode of Raw after the Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa viciously attacked him.

    The attack angle was reportedly done because Riddle failed a second drug test this year with the expectation that he would be going to rehab. Riddle previously violated the company\’s wellness policy over the summer, although a source close to him denied this report and stated he wanted time off. 

    This time it was not part of a storyline as adult actress Jordan Maxx tweeted about Riddle\’s situation in response to a user’s joke about Riddle being with another adult actress known as Misha Montana. 

    The Tweets

    \"Matt
    Matt Riddle

    “Does it make you feel better about yourself to kick people when they’re down? Try to imagine for one second, the man you’ve spent the last 6 months with, who said ‘I love you’ for the first time 2 months ago, is all of a sudden making out with someone else WHO IS IN YOUR INDUSTRY, and then, rather than keeping plans for Christmas and NYE, he’s going to rehab? Do you have any idea how confusing and hurtful that is?”

    Twitter user @IAmRockReigns replied with, “Wait.. you would rather have him be with you at Christmas than to let him get the help he needs? He dodged a bullet with you, that’s for sure.”

    Maxx responded to the user by writing: “Can you even read? That’s not what I’m saying at all. He told me that he quit drugs, and then to find out he’s a) with another girl b) doing those drugs with her and c) failing drug tests so he has to go to rehab for it is disappointing.”