SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Real1 (Enzo Amore) Thinks he Would Brutalize MJF in Promo Battle

    Real1 (Enzo Amore in WWE) doesn\’t want to hear comparisons to MJF because he thinks he is on another level with promos than the AEW World Heavyweight Champion. 

    Real1 got over in WWE as a babyface alongside Big Cass (Big Bill in AEW) for his microphone skills.  Many fans consider MJF one of, if not the best, on the microphone and one of the best talkers in the business. 

    While speaking on Busted Open Radio, Real1 was asked about MJF\’s mic skills.

    \”Don\’t ever compare apples to oranges. You can\’t compare a career heel to a career babyface.”

    The Showdown?

    \"enzo

    Rearl1 was asked whether he\’d be willing to go toe-to-toe with MJF in a promo battle, and Real1 replied.

    \”It\’s not even a question. We don\’t have to ask those questions because if that\’s the truth of the matter, my phone is on. People know where to call me. People know where to find me. If you want to give the people that shit tomorrow, you\’d be wasting a lot of time, money, and investment because that\’s a build that deserves to be built. I\’m not taking anything away from other people who do great work on the microphone, I want to see other people eat. Generational talent? I had ten years in this business. My first generation, my decade is done. What I did is undeniable. You can\’t ever discredit it. I\’m called a babyface because I got over. I don\’t have to shit on the people and bury the people. I can make people love me. I can make people listen, cheer, chant. You can\’t do that. Until you make people chant your catchphrases, love you, and book you as babyface, it\’s easy to be a heel. It\’s easy to shit on these people. It\’s real easy. “

    Real1 brought up how he created the word, Sawft, and mentioned that he didn’t curse for seven years in WWE to get a cheap pop.  Rearl1 thinks he would destroy MJF on the mic in a five-minute promo battle.

    \”Don\’t ever compare apples to oranges. Don\’t ever disrespect me. Five minutes? Brutalize him. You give me five minutes on a live microphone, I\’m trending number one in the world. When is the time you drew a two? When CM Punk got there is when they drew a two? If I show up on that screen, you\’re getting the number one trend in the world, guaranteed, with or without MJF on the screen. I didn\’t have to be there when Cass showed up, and he trended, and I trended number five on my fucking couch. It wasn\’t Wardlow trending, it wasn\’t Cass, it was Enzo trending.\”

    Real1 said that no three letters could hold him, including WWE, AEW, and MJF, before reiterating that he didn\’t need to take cheap shots on the microphone to get over. 

    WWE released Real1 in January 2018 due to sexual assault allegations before the Phoenix Police Department ceased their investigation due to insufficient evidence a few months later. 

    H/T to Fightful for the transcription

  • WWE Pulled D-Von Dudley From ECW Tribute Event

    WWE pulled D-Von Dudley from making a scheduled appearance at an ECW tribute event over the weekend.

    The WWE Hall Of Famer was slated to appear at the Battleground Championship Wrestling\’s \”A Tribute to the Extreme\” show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday night. 

    The promotion stated they had received a legal letter from WWE, according to Pwinsider.com. 

    The Report

    \"D-Von
    D-Von Dudley. Image Credit: WWE.com

    The report noted that \”D-Von was then pulled from the show, despite, according to the promotion, personally reaching out to WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque to get the edict reversed, which was not successful.\”

    Dudley, who works for WWE as an NXT coach and producer, was also removed from the Icons of Wrestling convention that was being held in conjunction with the show.

    Dudley was supposed to appear during a match between Bully Ray and Matt Cardona at the show. Last Friday, Icons of Wrestling wrote about the situation:

    “Here we go: Due to circumstances beyond my control D-Von will no longer be at Icons & Battleground. D-von is beyond devastated by this and I want everyone to know that this turn of events had absolutely NOTHING to due with D-von. Currently I\’m hesitant to put the reasoning in writing but I will have zero hesitation telling the entire wrestling world why this happened inside the ring. To those who made this decision you will not deter us. You will not stop us. You may think you have control but rest assured you do not. All Dudley boy presales will be refunded first thing Monday Morning. The Dudleys platinum VIP will be replaced by 3 guests of your choosing. One final message to those responsible, I\’ll see you in the ring and we shall let the people be the judge & jury.”

    The Dudley Boyz were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.

  • Sasha Banks Traveling to Japan Ahead of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17

    Sasha Banks, real name Mercedes Varnado, will go to Japan earlier than expected. 

    It was originally reported that the former WWE Women\’s Champion is expected to appear at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. It has since been revealed that Varnado has verbally agreed to a deal with NJPW after negotiating her release from WWE months ago with the stipulation that she couldn’t do anything wrestling related until 2023.  

    Hiroaki Sawa confirmed that Varnado would be back in Japan in the middle of this week. Sawa tweeted (Translated from Japanese):

    The Announcement

    “Sasha Banks, a female top wrestler who has surpassed 5.6 million Instagram followers and is active in the American professional wrestling organization WWE, will be staying in Japan from the middle of this week. Hope to collaborate with Japanese brands. If you are interested in brands or agencies, how about MTG including her on the night of 12/21 (Wednesday) or 12/23 (Friday)? I’ll be waiting.”

    Although not confirmed, the belief is Banks will appear at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 to confront KAIRI, who will be defending her IWGP Women’s Championship on the show.

    Contract talks between Banks and WWE fell through due to money, as Banks wanted to be paid on the level of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. They also thought she had peaked as a top star. 

    https://twitter.com/HiroakiSawa/status/1604781317748453377

  • Rumor Killer on Goldberg’s WWE Contract Status

    Goldberg hasn’t been seen on WWE television for months and while he has publicly expressed interest in wrestling again, he has been waiting on the sidelines for that to happen. 

    There was word that Goldberg had a new WWE contract, but that\’s not the case. Last week, rumors went around that the Hall Of Famer had inked a new deal that would keep him under contract for two years with five matches guaranteed over that time and three matches to be against new talent that he hasn\’t faced. 

    The rumored deal would’ve also seen those five matches take place in Saudi Arabia and WrestleMania.

    The Truth

    \"Goldberg\"

    Fightful Select reports those close to him say not so fast and specifically, they said, \”that would be news to his reps that negotiate those kinds of deals.\”

    Goldberg\’s current WWE agreement runs through 2022, but there are no matches remaining on it. There\’s always a chance he signs a new deal with WWE, but according to his reps, that\’s not the case yet.

    Goldberg has only wrestled once in 2022, which was the Roman Reigns match at Elimination Chamber. In 2021, he worked three matches – a loss to Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble and Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam before beating Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel.

  • Top Matches Rumored for the Royal Rumble Including Hell in a Cell

    Planning is well underway for next month\’s Royal Rumble premium live event, with things kicking into high gear after the holidays.

    WWE presents the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome. The event will stream live on Peacock in the US and on the WWE Network internationally.

    Matches the Rumble will be announced in the coming weeks, but WWE has already locked in the top of the card. Some aspects of the Rumble can\’t be announced until after the December 30th edition of SmackDown, which will be headlined by John Cena teaming with Kevin Owens against Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. 

    Royal Rumble 2023 Matches

    Here\’s what\’s currently in the works for the Royal Rumble, according to our friends at WrestlingNews.co:

    • Barring an injury, the card will feature Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.
    • Ronda Rousey defending the WWE SmackDown Women\’s Championship against Raquel Rodriguez
    • Edge will battle Finn Balor, who will revive his Demon alter-ego. There\’s been talk of this being a Hell in a Cell match.

    It\’s also been rumored that WWE will be introducing a new stipulation match at the Rumble, a Pitch Black match. Bray Wyatt, who has been feuding with LA Knight, was linked to this Pitch Black concept. However, it seems unlikely WWE would hold four big stipulation events on the same card (two Royal Rumbles, Hell in a Cell and Pitch Black), so it\’s likely we\’ll see either Hell in a Cell or Pitch Black.

  • \”Tears in my Eyes\” – Mick Foley Thanks The Rock for Young Rock Portrayal

    Mick Foley was a key name in Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson\’s career, which helped make him a big WWE star. They had a memorable rivalry in early 1999 before teaming together as the Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection.

    The latest episode of Young Rock featured the story of both The Rock and Foley, with Foley teaching a lot of things to the young Johnson.

    Foley took to Facebook to share a heartfelt message to The Rock for his appreciation after watching the show. He wrote the following: 

    Heartwarming Message

    \"Mick
    Mick Foley

    “ROCK & SOCK: a true connection

    I’m not sure words can do justice to how grateful I’m feeling after watching last night’s episode of #YoungRock While I’ve had some special wrestling moments in front of thousands, last night’s moment was just me, alone in my hotel, tears in my eyes, as I watched an actor portraying me (doing a fine job, too) teaching Dwayne Johnson’s character a lesson about the gift of Christmas giving.

    It’s funny, because there was a time – many, many years ago – when I wondered if @TheRock appreciated me. Well, brother, he has answered that question in the affirmative so many times, in so many ways that I feel foolish for having ever wondered. In turn, my respect and admiration for Dwayne Johnson has only grown over the years – as has my appreciation for the incredible moments we shared together – on the road, in the ring, and on the microphone.

    Thank you Rock, for being so good to me. Your kind words – in person, on social media, in texts and VM’s, have meant so much to me. If I did in fact, teach you a lesson about giving, it is one you have paid forward a thousand times over. Merry Christmas, my friend.”

    The Rock has been rumored for a match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and WWE has discussed the idea of him making an appearance at the Royal Rumble match next month.

  • Kevin Owens Missed Friday’s WWE SmackDown Due to a Nightmare Travel Situation

    Since Triple H took over main roster creative, Kevin Owens has once again been a big part of WWE television and that importance will likely only grow as the road to WrestleMania picks up. 

    He was supposed to be on television for SmackDown this week, but that didn’t go as planned. WWE aired a live episode this week before taping next week’s Friday right after the show went off the air from Chicago. 

    What Happened 

    \"Kevin
    (via WWE)

    Fightful Select reported that Owens was supposed to be on both week’s episodes, but he couldn’t make it due to what was called a “nightmare travel situation.”

    The report added, “Owens had to be written out of the shows and major production and writing changes were made. Originally Owens was supposed to be face-to-face with the Bloodline to introduce the John Cena video.”

    Cena will team up with Kevin Owens to take on Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on the December 30th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. 

    This comes after The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Sami Zayn, & Solo Sikoa) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland & Kevin Owens) in the Men’s WarGames Match at this year’s Survivor Series premium live event.

  • Kenny Omega Wrestled at AEW Dark Tapings (Photos)

    Kenny Omega has been a household name for years thanks to his in-ring skills as he is considered one the best pro wrestlers on the planet. Omega has always competed at a high level whether that be in New Japan Pro Wrestling or AEW. In that time, he has faced numerous top opponents all over the world.

    The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion also doesn’t shy away from competing on less popular shows. Omega decided to compete during the latest taping event for AEW Dark, held on Saturday from Universal Studios. 

    In Action

    \"Kenny

    Omega worked the set of tapings when he wrestled Hagane Shinno in singles competition. It’s unclear when the episode of AEW Dark with Omega will air. 

    Omega is set to team up with The Young Bucks and square off against Death Triangle in their next match in the best-of-seven series with Death Triangle, for the AEW Trios Titles. The two teams will clash in a No Disqualification Match on the December 21 Dynamite episode. If necessary, the sixth bout will be a Falls Count Anywhere contest. 

    We will have spoilers on the homepage later tonight. You can check out some tweets of Omega’s appearance below: 

  • WWE SmackDown Spoilers: Airing December 23, 2022

    Due to the crew being given time off to spend Christmas with their families, next week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown from Chicago was filmed after the December 16 show. 

    WWE SmackDown Spoilers

    \"WWE

    Here are the spoilers for next week (December 23), courtesy of F4Wonline.com:

    Raquel Rodriguez won a gauntlet match to become the number one contender for the SmackDown Women’s title. Xia Li beat Emma and Tegan Nox. Raquel defeated Li, Liv Morgan, and Sonya Deville to win the match. Shayna Baszler came out as a surprise entrant, only to be defeated by Rodriguez.

    Bray Wyatt came out and said that LA Knight owes him an apology. Wyatt ends up attacking the cameraman.

    Rey Mysterio defeated Angel of Los Lotharios as Karrion Kross and Scarlett were watching in the crowd.

    The Bloodline came out for a promo. Solo Sikoa vs. Sheamus was booked for the December 30 show in Tampa. During the promo, Sami Zayn said that Kevin Owens was like a black cloud that is still following him.

    The Usos defeated Hit Row to retain the WWE Undisputed Tag Team titles.

    Braun Strowman and Ricochet defeated Imperium in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. Presents were everywhere and were used as weapons. The New Day was dressed as nutcrackers. Ricochet, at one point, was hurt as he was bleeding. He recovered and won the match for his team.

  • WWE Wants to Make Upcoming SmackDown With John Cena a “Must-Watch” Show

    John Cena is slated to return to WWE television on the December 30 edition of SmackDown. 

    According to Fightful Select, there\’s been talk of seeing him before then. Per the report,  “there have been discussions within WWE and even plans to integrate Cena into upcoming episodes of SmackDown even before he arrives.” 

    Some of the talks included having a \”video presence\” of some sort, but the extent of that wasn\’t known. That was one of the several things that were teased to hype up Smackdown this week.

    The report added that the Cena appearance will be promoted heavily over the next two weeks and that they wanted to make the December 30 show a \”must-watch.\”

    His Last Appearance

    \"\"

    During Cena’s return on Raw for his 20th Anniversary celebration over the summer, he did not set up his match with Theory at SummerSlam, which had been speculated about because they had been publicly teasing a match.

    Instead, nothing was announced regarding his WWE future, as Cena stated he wasn’t sure when he would wrestle again. 

    Shortly before WWE confirmed Cena would be appearing on this episode of SmackDown, it was reported that Cena was expected to work WrestleMania 39 although an opponent wasn’t mentioned. 

  • AEW Star Undergoes Surgery

    Griff Garrison is on the mend after undergoing the knife. 

    The AEW star announced on Friday evening that he had surgery by tweeting that he “had to go under the knife,” but added that he’d be back in no time. The post also featured a picture of himself in a hospital bed. As of this writing, it’s unclear what the surgery was for and how long he’ll be out of action.

    Garrison’s Last Match

    \"Varsity

    Garrison has not wrestled since the AEW Dark taping in October, where he and Brian Pillman lost to QT Marshall and Cole Karter. 

    Garrison entered the pro wrestling business in 2016 after graduating from the Fire Star Pro Wrestling Academy in Greensboro, NC.

    In 2020, Garrison started making appearances for AEW as he made his promotional debut on the June 10th edition of Dark, where he lost to Jimmy Havoc in a singles match.

    Garrison was paired up with Brian Pillman Jr. in AEW, where they have found success as a tag team known as The Varsity Blonds. Both Pillman and Garrison were on tiered deals before

    The tag team lost the rights to the “Varsity” name to Josh Woods and Tony Nese in October. As a result, they’re now simply The Blonds.

    We wish him a speedy recovery.

  • WWE Discussing Multiple WrestleMania 39 Ideas for Top Stars

    Triple H is gearing up for his first WWE WrestleMania in charge of creative after Vince McMahon decided to retire due to the hush money scandal. 

    Since taking over creative, fans believe WWE has changed for the better. WrestleMania 39 will be a two-night show, set to take place on April 1st and 2nd at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

    In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the company has already started discussing multiple ideas for top talent.

    Where Things Stand

    \"Wrestlemania
    Graphic Credit: Business Wire

    Meltzer wrote, “regarding stories that the WrestleMania card is finalized, we are told that there are multiple ideas for Mania cards in discussion and every top act has multiple different things under discussion right now.”

    As previously reported, WWE has locked in plans for Brock Lesnar. WWE is hoping to have The Rock, Steve Austin, and John Cena wrestle at the show. 

    The speculation is that if WWE can\’t get The Rock to come back to do a match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns then Cody Rhodes may fill that rople. There\’s also been talk of having Reigns wrestle on both nights of the show against both stars on different nights. 

    Spoiler on WWE Plans for Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania 39 Opponent

  • Chris Jericho Lands Role in Horror Movie \’Dark Match\’

    Chris Jericho has his next movie project lined up as he is set to lead cast in a wrestling-themed horror movie, \”Dark Match.\”

    Deadline reported today that Jericho will star with Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon) in the movie. 

    The Dept. 9 Studios film, which recently wrapped in Edmonton, Canada, is written and directed by Lowell Dean (Wolfcop) and is produced by John MacDonald who also serves as one of the executive producers along with Jericho. Don Depoe and Michael Feehan, who are also Dept.9 producers, are joined by Rhonda Baker (The Grudge) and Michael Peterson.

    The Synopsis

    \"Chris
    (via AEW)

    The movie sees a small-time wrestling company accept a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

    Jericho previously starred in Terrifier 2 which was released in October that saw him portray a nurse. It became a hit at the box office, grossing $11.5 million.

    The ROH Final Battle event was headlined by Jericho defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli which saw Jericho drop the championship back to Claudio. 

  • TBS Were Initially Against Chris Jericho Working ROH Final Battle

    Chris Jericho is arguably AEW’s top act and the biggest name on the roster since the start of the promotion in 2019. 

    TBS is also well aware of that value as Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tony Khan had always planned Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli would close out the ROH Final Battle event on December 10. However, Khan did receive a little pushback.

    Jericho dropped the ROH World Title to Claudio at Final Battle. Per the report, “[TBS SVP] Sam Linsky and TBS actually were at first against Jericho, as one of the top guys in AEW, appearing on this PPV show.”

    Agreement

    \"Chris
    (AEW)

    There was a point where Jericho was scheduled to lose the ROH World Title in the fatal 4-way bout at Full Gear in November to Claudio. However, they ultimately changed it when everyone got on the same page. 

    The stakes were high for Castagnoli at Final Battle as his future in the Blackpool Combat Club was on the line. The stipulation stated that if Castagnoli would have lost his Final Battle fight, he would have had to join The Jericho Appreciation Society. 

    Jericho started off his reign by defeating Castagnoli before he defended it against several names, including Dalton Castle, Bandido, and Colt Cabana. 

    ROH Final Battle Attendance, Live Gate & PPV Buys

  • ROH Final Battle Attendance, Live Gate & PPV Buys

    Ring of Honor presented its third and final pay-per-view event of 2022 with Final Battle last weekend. It closed up the first year under Tony Khan’s ownership and creative vision for the brand. 

    The early estimates are in for ROH Final Battle. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the show drew over 25,000 pay-per-view buys (19,000 streaming and 6,400 cable) based on first-week estimates, which are \”always low in the end by five to 10 percent.\”

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

    Other Metrics

    \"Samoa

    This edition was the biggest PPV number, and the highest attended ROH Final Battle in company history.

    The show reportedly drew 2,700 fans, with 2,500 paid at the College Park Center.

    The show featured a loaded lineup, including the highly praised double dog collar match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles between The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) against FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) that saw FTR drop the titles. 

    It was headlined by Chris Jericho defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli. Jericho dropped the championship back to Claudio. 

  • WWE Star Dealing With a Legitimate Injury

    Over the last month, Shotzi has been in a feud with Ronda Rousey on WWE television.

    Shotzi challenged for Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at Survivor Series WarGames, but came up short.

    WWE shot an angle recently before an episode of SmackDown where Shotzi was shown lying in the parking lot while holding her hand and screaming in pain as Rousey and Shayna Bazsler walked away., implying that Rousey and Shayna slammed Shotzi’s arm in a car door, injuring it in the process. Rousey and Baszler injured Raquel Rodriguez’s arm a couple of weeks prior.

    Reality

    \"Shotzi

    Shotzi was pulled from television and later shared an X-ray of her hand to show the broken bones. While at first, it looked like the injury was just part of the storyline, that’s not the case. 

    According to a report by Pwinsider.com, the injury is legit and led to the angle in the first place. The extent of her injury and how she got injured is not known at this time.

    The injury came at a bad time as she was being pushed on the main roster with her tank along for the ride. 

    We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back in the ring soon. 

  • WWE\’s Main Roster Call-Up System Under Triple H Detailed

    The way that WWE does its call-up system from the NXT developmental brand to the main roster has been an unknown process, as it seems like every wrestler called up is in a different situation. 

    A few times throughout 2022, fans thought NXT stars may be called up. Typically, WWE does NXT call-ups the night after WrestleMania and on the nights of the annual WWE Draft. Up until this year, it was always up to the whims of Vince McMahon. With Triple H overseeing the main roster creative, some fans have wondered if the call-up system will also change. 

    The Process

    \"Triple

    Brian \”Road Dogg\” James, who works as the Senior Vice President of Live events, discussed that on his latest, Oh…You Didn\’t Know podcast. 

    \”Yeah. So all of the above to be quite honest with you because there\’s not a strict streamlined process, especially now that Hunter is in charge of the creative. He understands much more about giving fair warning so you can write the person out or write the person off or however you\’re going to do it. It gives you time to prepare creatively for that. I like a heads-up. 

    So sometimes we got those and sometimes we didn\’t. I think going forward, you\’ll always, I\’m speaking now from NXT creative experience, that we had time to prepare to send people off, but sometimes we got, \’Hey, we\’re taking this person because we got an idea for this and this\’, and you could be in the middle of something with them or not, and there they went.”

    Road Dogg doesn’t think it\’ll be that way anymore because everybody understands the star needs to get beat on the way out or finish up a feud. He thinks giving NXT time to finish a program will happen much more now because Triple H knows what that is like to not have much notice.

    WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is now overseeing NXT creative. It was recently reported that just because an NXT talent works a Main Event taping doesn’t mean they’re being called up. Instead, they view it as a reward and WWE officials simply want to take a look at them on a bigger stage. 

    H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

  • Miro on Return to AEW TV: ‘It\’s Not Up to me, I\’m Waiting for The Opportunity’

    Miro is looking forward to making a return to AEW television in the near future, but for now, he’s just waiting and doing everything he can to do so. 

    Miro’s last match in AEW happened when he teamed with Sting and Darby Allin to defeat The House of Black at AEW All Out 2022. Fans have wondered when they would see him again since that time. 

    Miro commented on his AEW status while  speaking to MUSE TV at the premiere of “Disney+\’s National Treasure: Edge of History.”

    The Latest

    \"Miro\"
    (Scott Lesh Photography)

    \”It\’s not up to me, I\’m doing everything I can and from then on, I\’m just sitting and waiting for the opportunity.”

    It was previously reported that Rusev was eager to compete and awaiting conversations around his creative direction, as he has only wrestled four times this year. 

    Samoa Joe did reference Miro following his win at last Saturday’s ROH Final Battle 2022 event as he noted that if Miro wants to step up to him, he will gladly take the challenge.

    He was released by WWE in April 2020, debuting in AEW as Miro in September of that year. He first aligned with Kip Sabian before going on to become a one-time TNT Champion. 

  • Spoilers: WWE NXT TV Tapings Results (12/14/22)

    On Wednesday night, WWE taped the next two weeks of NXT television from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 

    With Christmas and the New Year on the horizon, NXT taped its final two episodes of the year as the company gave talent time off. Here are the spoilers, courtesy of F4Wonline.com:

    (December 20 Results)

    Carmelo Hayes defeated Axiom after Trick Williams interfered. Axiom hit an Asai moonsault on Williams after the match.

    Zoey Stark defeated Nikkita Lyons once Stark grabbed the ropes.

    Kayden Carter & Katana Chance defeated Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley and Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin to retain the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Titles. 

    Apollo Crews called out Carmelo Hayes. The two had a back-and-forth promo.

    Elektra Lopez defeated Indi Hartwell

    Sol Ruca and Alba Fyre ended when Isla Dawn attacked Fyre, smashing her hand on the ring steps with a baseball bat.

    The New Day defeated Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles. 

    Grayson Waller called out Bron Breakker, who exited his car in the parking lot and went straight to the ring, spearing Waller, who had a metal plate under his jacket.

    (December 27 Results)

    Julius Creed defeated JD McDonagh after a sliding lariat. Indus Sher confronted The Creed Brothers after the match.

    Wendy Choo defeated Cora Jade after a top rope splash.

    Scrypts defeated Ikemen Jiro

    Lyra Valkyria defeated Lash Legend

    Scisim defeated Odyssey Jones, Edris Enofe, and Malik Blade

    Fallon Henley defeated Kiana James

    Drew Gulak came out for a training segment and was accompanied by Hank Walker. He showed other NXT wrestlers the proper way to apply holds. Charlie Dempsey came to the ring and set up a match for a future episode.

    Wes Lee defeated Tony D’Angelo. Stacks attempted to interfere, but Dijak took him to the back, allowing Lee to score the win.

  • MLW\’s Lawsuit Against WWE Expected To Move Forward

    MLW is moving forward with its lawsuit against WWE after initially filing it in January. 

    Judge Edward J. Davila scheduled a conference yesterday to discuss a trial date for the case between the two sides, according to Pwinsider.com. The conference is scheduled for September 7, 2023, in San Jose, California. 

    Davila also ruled that all amended pleadings in the lawsuit are due on February 13, 2023. MLW laid out the materials they were seeking in discovery on December 7th. 

    The Latest

    \"Court
    Court Bauer on WWE

    The court documents note that the Plaintiff anticipates taking discovery concerning its claims, including:

    “(1) the relevant antitrust market; (2) documents related to VICE, Tubi and FITE; (3) WWE’s employment agreements, event venue agreements and distribution agreements; (4) WWE’s poaching of talent from MLW, AEW and other competitors; (5) WWE’s interference with booking arenas; (6) the impact of WWE’s conduct on entry into the market for broadcasting of professional wrestling programming and related consumer harm; (7) documents related to Jerry S. McDevitt’s appearance in the Dark Side of the Ring program; and (8) damages.”

    Defendant anticipates taking discovery with respect to its defenses in the case, including “Plaintiff’s attempts to obtain broadcasting rights from the hundreds if not thousands of other potential buyers, Plaintiff’s efforts to start its own streaming service (which it acknowledges that WWE and Impact have started), and Plaintiff’s recent successes in obtaining broadcast agreement(s), such as its agreement with Pro Wrestling TV, which demonstrate the frivolous nature of its antitrust claims. The Parties are not proposing to conduct discovery in phases or to limit discovery to particular issues.\”

    Sources tell SEScoops WWE’s motion will be formally dismissed shortly. The judge found there is merit and a case for the court to examine.

    In January, MLW filed a lawsuit against WWE, alleging that WWE attempted to undermine their competition by preventing Major League Wrestling from finalizing multiple media distribution deals. It also accused WWE of attempting to sign MLW talent while they were still under contract with the wrestling company. 

  • AEW Secures the Rights to Roundball Rock (\’NBA on NBC\’ Theme)

    AEW President Tony Khan has secured the rights to \”Roundball Rock,\” the iconic theme song NBC used for many years for their NBA broadcasts.

    Khan announced the news on Twitter and also noted that it\’s his favorite song. Khan tweeted: \”We got the rights to my favorite song! See you tomorrow for Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork at 8pm ET/7pm CT for Winter Is Coming!\”

    AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming Card

    \"MJF
    (AEW)

    AEW has loaded up the card for this show with two title bouts featured, including the fourth match between Death Triangle and The Elite in their AEW World Trios Championship best-of-seven series. Also, MJF will defend the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Ricky Starks in the likely main event. 

    Here\’s the full card:

    • AEW World Championship and Dynamite Diamond ring winner takes all: MJF (c) vs. Ricky Starks
    • House of Black in action
    • AEW World Trios Championship best-of-seven series: Death Triangle vs. The Elite (Death Triangle leads 2-1)
    • Ruby Soho vs. Tay Melo
    • Chris Jericho in action

    You can hear the song below in the preview video for the special edition of Dynamite: 

  • Mandy Rose Released By WWE

    Mandy Rose is no longer under contract with WWE. 

    In a surprising move for fans (and likely Rose), Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that she\’s been released effective immediately. She had been with the company since 2015.

    WWE felt they were put in a position where she was not fit to be part of the organization due to the explicit nature of the content Rose shared on her FanTime page. The content was believed to be outside the parameters of what is permitted in wrestlers\’ contracts.

    FanTime, a service similar to OnlyFans, allows celebrities and content creators to communicate with their fans on a subscription basis. The content is often \’adult\’ in nature.

    Some of the content from Rose\’s FanTime page circulated on social media over the weekend, which may have been a factor in her being disciplined.

    Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline tweeted that Rose was “very much caught off guard” by the firing. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer added, “the title change last night was a last minute decision based on the fact she was getting fired and not the original plan.”

    Farewell to Mandy Rose

    \"Mandy

    Mandy Rose\’s final match for WWE took place at Tuesday\’s NXT broadcast, when she lost the NXT Women’s Championship to Roxanne Perez. The bout was originally slated to happen on January 10 at New Year’s Evil, but after an angle shot in the opening segment, the match was moved to this show in a headlining spot. 

    Rose won the NXT women\’s title from Raquel Gonzalez last October at Halloween Havoc. Her reign lasted 413 days and successfully defended the title 10 times.

    Rose signed with WWE back in 2015 after appearing on Tough Enough. While on the main roster, she was paired with Sonya Deville before going back to NXT in 2021. 

    We\’ll be following this story and will provide further details as they become available.

  • Triple H \’Underwhelmed\’ by Some Recent WWE Returns (Report)

    Triple H has brought back a lot of WWE stars who the company had previously released under the Vince McMahon regime. 

    Some of the signings were praised by fans as they thought the wrestlers shouldn’t have been released from the beginning, while others have been criticized as they hadn’t been big stars or seen with a high upside during their first runs with the company. 

    WrestleVotes reported today that there are several stars who were brought back that have underwhelmed Triple H since coming back. 

    The Report

    \"Braun
    (WWE)

    “I’m told a handful of talent brought back in the \’rehiring wave\’ over the summer have underperformed and severely underwhelmed Triple H & others since returning to the company.”

    Triple H has brought back names such as Johnny Gargano, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and perhaps most notably, Bray Wyatt.

    Triple H attempted to bring back Naomi and Sasha Banks after they walked out of the company earlier this year due to creative differences. Naomi is still under contract with WWE while Banks is headed to NJPW in January as her contract expires this month. 

    As previously reported, former Impact Wrestling stars Chelsea Green and Eric Young are on their way back to the company. Matt Cardona is rumored to be another possible star to make a return. 

  • WWE NXT Results (12/13): Deadline Fallout, Women’s Title Match

    The December 13, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

    WWE NXT Results 

    •  
    •  Wes Lee def. Channing Lorenzo
    • Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne def. Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile via DQ
    • Odyssey Jones def. Von Wagner
    • JD McDonagh def. Brutus Creed
    • Lyra Valkyria def. Amari Miller
    • Duke Hudson def. Damon Kemp
    • Roxanne Perez def. Mandy Rose to win the NXT Women’s Title

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    WWE NXT Deadline Fallout

    \"\"

    NXT Champion Bron Breakker retained his title over Apollo Crews in the main event of NXT Deadline. Following the bout, Grayson Waller laid out Breakker ahead of their New Year’s Evil match next month after Waller won the men’s Iron Survivor Match. 

    Roxanne Perez won the women’s Iron Survivor Match to earn a shot at NXT Women’s Champion Mandy rose. 

    Roxane Perez and Grayson Waller opened the show. Waller was bragging about himself when Perez told him to shut up. Waller said Perez peaked at 21 because there’s no way she’s ever beating Rose. Breakker said that Waller is wrong and Perez is the ironwoman of NXT and put her over. Breakker said Perez is the future NXT Women’s Champion. Waller vowed to become the new NXT Champion by outsmarting Breakker. 

    Breakker chased off Waller while Rose laid out Perez with a title shot. Perez demanded that Rose put her title on the line tonight. 

    The Main Event

    \"\"

    Rose put her NXT Women’s Title on the line against Perez in the main event. 

    Rose dominated the majority of the match with Perez making a comeback at the end. Rose hit her finisher for 2. Perez rolled her up for 2. 

    Tag Team Bout

    \"\"

    Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction vs. Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile took place. The match didn’t last long as Nile and Paxley were tossed into NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, who were on commentary. A brawl broke out and the DQ was called. 

    New Day Celebrate

    \"\"

    The New Day came out to celebrate their NXT Tag Team Title win after beating Pretty Deadly at NXT Deadline. Woods bragged about Kingston’s 15 Tag Team Champion. Woods pointed out how he had the first-ever NXT match and it was against Big E. Pretty Deadly came out and they wanted a rematch. 

    The New Day agree to give Pretty Deadly a rematch if they recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen come to the ring with an American flag. Pretty Deadly declined and gave Briggs and Jensen a title match next week. 

    Von Wagner vs. Odyssey Jones

    \"\"

    WWE booked Von Wagner vs. Odyssey Jones in a singles match. 

    The match was kept short. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe got involved and Jones hit his finisher for the win. 

    Lyra Valkyria Arrives

    \"\"

    Lyra Valkyria made her in-ring debut in a match against Amari Miller. 

    The match was short and all Valkyrie. She went over with a frog splash. 

    In a promo last week, Valkyria said that according to legend, the Morrigan would take form of a crow, and the crow would foretell who would be victorious in a battle. She has earned a feather for every match she has won.

    Valkyria is the former Aofie Valkyrie, who wrestled for WWE’s NXT UK brand in 2020 and 2021. Her most recent appearance happened on the August 26, 2021 edition of NXT UK, winning a no disqualification match against Jinny.

  • Roxanne Perez Wins WWE NXT Women’s Title (Video)

    Roxanne Perez was the person to dethrone Mandy Rose as the WWE NXT Women’s Champion. 

    Perez defeated Zoey Stark, Cora Jade, Kiana James and Indi Hartwell in the first-ever Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match at Saturday’s WWE NXT Deadline. As a result of winning the match, Perez earned the right to challenge Rose for the championship at a later date, which was supposed to be on January 10th at New Year’s Evil. 

    The Match

    At the start of Tuesday’s NXT episode, Rose attacked Perez from behind. This led to Perez challenging her to a title match on this show instead in the main event with Rose accepting. 

    The back-and-forth match ended after Perez kicked out of Rose’s finisher and rolled up Rose for the win. 

    Rose defeated Gonzalez to win the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc last year with the help of Dakota Kai.  Rose became the unified champion at NXT Worlds Collide when she beat NXT UK Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport in a triple threat match. 

    Rose held the title for 413 days, making her the third-longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion.