SEScoops

Author: Mike Reichlin

  • Check Out the WWE Clash at the Castle Stage & Production Setup

    WWE has constructed an impressive production setup for today\’s Clash at the Castle premium live event. It all goes down at 1pm (Eastern) from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Over 65,000 fans will be on hand to witness a spectacle of epic proportions.

    Nobody does big-time events like WWE. The world\’s premiere wrestling organization typically goes \’all out\’ with the staging for big stadium shows, including WrestleMania and the Crown Jewel events from Saudi Arabia. Today\’s show will be no exception.

    Sticking with the castle theme, there is a massive castle covered in LED screens hanging above the ring. The aisle is also covered in stone and fire, which should make for an incredible visual effect.

    Let\’s take a look inside Principality Stadium for WWE Clash at the Castle, shall we?

    Here\’s another vantage point from inside the stadium:

    \"\"/

    Triple H posted this photo of the production setup, which gives us a clear look at the castle hanging above the ring. The Game credits Jason Robinson as the man who \”built this whole thing,\” so big props to him. It takes a lot of work to make a WWE television production run smoothly, especially one of this magnitude. The lighting, the music, the pyrotechnics; it\’s going to be incredible once the opening bell rings.

    Finn Balor posted a video on social media giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what WWE Superstars will see as they make their way from backstage to the ringside area.

    As you can see, WWE has spared no expense to present Clash at the Castle as the once-in-a-generation show that it is.

    5 Bold Predictions For Clash At The Castle & All Out Weekend

  • Final Betting Odds for WWE Clash at the Castle

    WWE Clash at the Castle is finally upon us. After months of anticipation, it all goes down later today from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Over 65,000 fans will be on hand for WWE\’s first UK stadium show in over 30 years. .

    Here are the final betting odds for WWE Clash at the Castle, courtesy of Bet Online:

    • Roman Reigns is favored (-160) to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre (+120).
    • Liv Morgan is favored (-500) to retain the SmackDown Women\’s championship against Shayna Baszler (+300).
    • Gunther is a strong favorite (-700) to retain the Intercontinental Championship against Sheamus (+400).
    • Seth Rollins is a slight favorite (-250) to defeat Riddle (+170) in their grudge match.
    • Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are the favorites (-800) against Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka (+450).
    • Judgment Day\’s Finn Balor and Damian Priest are favorites (-350) to defeat Edge & Rey Mysterio (+225)

    Keep it locked to SEScoops this weekend, as we\’ll be covering WWE Clash at the Castle from all angles, including results and news coming out of the event.

    How WWE Can Book Itself Out of a Corner with Reigns vs. McIntyre at Clash at the Castle

  • Triple H Reveals Vince McMahon\’s Advice for Running WWE

    Vince McMahon had some valuable advice to offer when he retired and handed WWE\’s creative reigns over to Triple H earlier this summer.

    Triple H spoke with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport this week\’s to promote Saturday’s WWE Clash at the Castle premium live event from Cardiff, Wales.

    During their discussion, he spoke in-depth about Vince McMahon\’s retirement. Even though it\’s been a few weeks since Vince left WWE, Triple H said it\’s still hard for him to fathom.

    \”In some manner — it’s even hard for me to picture now that he’s not in the equation. And he’s not, in any way, shape or form, but it’s hard to think about that he’s not there.\”

    – Triple H on Vince McMahon\’s WWE Departure

    Triple H says it must have been painfully difficult for Vince McMahon to walk away from WWE after decades of building his empire.

    Vince did give him some advice, but most of the advice was centered around, \’This is what you\’ve been preparing for all of these years, working alongside me. You\’ve got this.\’

    \”Just be confident in your decision-making, listen to people, be open to ideas and collaborate with other people.\”

    – Vince McMahon\’s advice to Triple H

    Triple H maintains that Vince McMahon is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of WWE, but he knows what Vince would encourage him to listen to the people around him. Now that he\’s running WWE\’s creative team and talent relations departments, he has even more respect for what Vince was able to do.

    More of Vince\’s Advice to Triple H

    Vince told Triple H that he has to chart his own course and not worry about, \”What would Vince do?\” in certain situations. He knows Triple H will do things differently than he would, but that\’s part of being a leader.

    “It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong, we use the term in the business ‘chocolate and vanilla.’ I want chocolate, you want vanilla. One of us has to pick a flavor, he would always pick the flavor. Now it’s my turn to pick the flavor,” Triple H stated.

    “It’s all good, it’s all ice cream, but it’s my time to pick the flavor and I have to be confident in those decisions and I can’t look back and say, ‘well what would Vince want to have for a flavor?’ Because it just wouldn’t be authentic then.\”

    Triple H Discusses Sasha Banks, The Rock and Bray Wyatt Possibly Returning to WWE

    H/T: WrestleZone

  • Triple H Discusses Sasha Banks, The Rock and Bray Wyatt Possibly Returning to WWE

    Triple H spoke with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport on Thursday to promote Saturday\’s WWE Clash at the Castle premium live event from Cardiff, Wales.

    During their discussion, Helwani asked Triple H about the possibility of four people returning to WWE. Triple H spoke candidly about each performer:

    Sasha Banks

    \”Time will tell,\” he said. There was a communication breakdown between Sasha Banks and WWE, for whatever reason. To start that communication back up, it\’s not a difficult process, but it\’s a process. She is an unbelievably talented young woman. At the end of the day, it comes down to what she wants to do with her life and her career. He called her one of the biggest stars in the business.

    Braun Strowman

    The Monster Among Men is rumored to be returning to WWE next week. When asked about Strowman\’s future, Triple H said, \”We\’ll see.\” He said Strowman is a polarizing person, but you can\’t deny his talent. What he brings to the table, in terms of size and personality, does not come along very often.

    Bray Wyatt

    Triple H said Bray Wyatt is one of the craziest, most creative people he\’s ever been around, and he means that in the best way. He said Bray\’s mind never stops thinking about creative plans for his character. Without someone to harness him, it gets off track. \”He\’s a victim of his own mind,\” said Triple H. However, he\’s loved working with him.

    He has no idea where some of Bray Wyatt\’s ideas come from. He called him, \”Wonderfully crazy.\” He said Wyatt has a free-flowing creative mind, as long as you can harness his ideas.

    Triple H asked if he could use profanity during the interview, and Helwani said no problem. Triple H said, sometimes you\’ll be working with someone that people don\’t like. \”That guy is an asshole, but he\’s my asshole.\” He said some people can be difficult to work with, but that\’s part of the fun of working with creative, eccentric people.

    The Rock

    Triple H said The Rock may be the most recognizable person on the planet. He\’s the most-in-demand actor in Hollywood and has a slew of other business projects going on. When you\’re in that position, you\’re very busy.

    However, as busy at The Rock is, there\’s one thing he can only get in WWE. \”I do know this, because i\’ve had this conversation with him..\” At no time when The Rock is making a movie can he stand in the middle of the ring and feel the energy of 100,000 people. There\’s nothing else on the planet that gives you that rush.

    The Rock knows the clock is ticking for one last match. He knows The Rock has the burning desire to take advance of this small window of opportunity. The platform is there: WrestleMania. Los Angeles. Roman Reigns. All the pieces are in place, it just comes down to whether or not The Rock can devote the time to making the match happen.

    WWE Clash at the Castle takes place Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

  • AEW Star Kyle O\’Reilly Recovering From Neck Fusion Surgery

    Another AEW star will be out of action for significant time due to injury.

    On Thursday, Kyle O\’Reilly posted photos on Instagram indicating he\’s undergone neck fusion surgery. In this first photo below, he\’s in a hospital bed. Another photo he posted was an advertisement for the Ford Fusion car, with the name Ford replaced by the word, \”neck.\”

    At this stage, we can safely say he will be out of action at least until the end of the year.

    \"\"

    Kyle O\’Reilly Update

    Kyle O\’Reilly last competed for AEW on the June 8th edition of AEW Dynamite. He won a Casino Battle Royal to earn a shot at Jon Moxley later in the evening. Moxley won that match and went on to compete for the Interim AEW World title at Forbidden Door.

    O’Reilly\’s last televised appearance took place on the August 3rd edition of Dynamite, when he, Bobby Fish and Adam Cole turned on the Young Bucks.

    Back in July, O\’Reilly said he\’s been dealing with a nagging injury for the past five years. During an interview with This is VANCOLOUR, he said:

    “This October, I’ll be wrestling for 17 years now. It’s a lot of bumps, a lot of wear and tear on your body. Fortunately, nothing serious has really happened to me. I’ve been hurt a lot, I’ve been injured, but I’ve always grinded through, made the date, showed up and performed as well as I can in the ring despite whatever I was nursing. Sometimes, the medical staff needs to save us from ourselves.

    “As wrestlers, we’ll go until the wheels fall off. ‘My shoulder is hurt? Okay, I won’t do any moves where I land on my shoulder.’ We’re crazy like that. 

    “This is something I’ve been dealing with, it’s a nagging thing that I’ve been dealing with, specifically, pretty bad for the last five years. In the last few weeks of wrestling on AEW, I’ve been really banged up and didn’t know the extent of it until now.\”

    – Kyle O\’Reilly, July 2022

    SEScoops wishes Kyle O\’Reilly a full and speedy recovery.

    Kyle O’Reilly Details The Underlying Problem With NXT 2.0

  • The Wrestling Showcase to Crown Inaugural Champion This Weekend

    This Saturday, September 3, 2022, The Wrestling Showcase will hold its inaugural event, emanating from suburban Chicago, Illinois and available world-wide on FITE.

    The event will feature some of the most recognizable names in professional wrestling and will be headlined by a one-night, eight-man tournament to crown the first-ever Wrestling Showcase Champion.

    It all goes down Saturday, September 3rd at 5pm (Eastern).

    \"Wrestling

    It\’s a one-night, eight-man single elimination tournament to crown the inaugural Wrestling Showcase Champion. The first round matches will include:

    • Matt Cardona vs. Tatanka
    • Jacob Fatu vs. Steve Maclin
    • Rich Swann vs. Johnny Showcase
    • Josh Alexander vs. Moose

    Johnny Showcase (FKA John Morrison) vs. Rich Swann

    Steve Maclin vs Jacob Fatu

    Matt Cardona vs Tatanka

    Also in ActionMajor League Wrestling has also put its women\’s featherweight title on the line with Taya Valkerie defending against \”The Virtuosa\” Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green – both currently tag team partners and co-holders of the Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles in Impact Wrestling. Though here it will be every woman for herself!

    Who will be crowned the first-ever Wrestling Showcase champion?

    \"\"

    Also in action, MLW Women\’s Featherweight Champio Taya Valkerie puts her gold on the line in a triple thread match against \”The Virtuosa\” Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green.

    Plus, in a Future Star Showcase Match, Kal Herro faces \”Certified\” Luke Kurtis.

  • AEW Star Fined After Dropping F-Bomb on Dynamite

    AEW producer Ace Steel was hit with a fine due to his use of profanity on Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite.

    The incident occurred during an in-ring segment that saw Steel convincing CM Punk that he should sign the contract to challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World title this Sunday at All Out.

    Punk was questioning himself and his abilities after getting steamrolled by Moxley next week. Steel, a former wrestler who trained CM Punk, forced Punk to look within himself and muster up the courage to face Moxley once again. Even though he got \’knocked down\’ last week, he urged Punk to \”f**king get up\” and literally slapped some sense into him.

    It made for some entertaining television, and Punk did sign that contract, but Steel was disciplined for his unscripted profanity. According to PWInsider, AEW talent was told to be on their best behavior this week, including no swearing on Dynamite or Rampage.

    Talent was informed on Thursday that Steel took responsibility for his actions and was commended for doing so. A fine was levied, with the proceeds being donated to charity.

    Ace Steel made his debut on the independent scene back in 1991. Over the years, he wrestled for TNA Wrestling, ROH and WWE.

    Steel and Punk actually teamed together in TNA as the Hatebreed (2002) in a rare pairing of teacher in student. In an obscure bit of trivia, Ace Steel portrayed Donald Trump for the infamous \’Trump vs. Rosie O\’Donnell\’ comedy match on WWE Raw in 2007. He joined AEW as a producer earlier this year.

    \"\"/
    Ace Steel and CM Punk in TNA Wrestling

  • Updated Betting Odds for Sunday\’s AEW All Out PPV

    We have an updated look at the betting odds for Sunday\’s AEW All Out pay-per-view. The main event is finally set and we\’ve got 13 matches confirmed for the show (including the Zero Hour kickoff show).

    Here are the current betting odds (as of Monday) for AEW All Out, courtesy of Bet Online.

    • CM Punk is a slight favorite (-130) to defeat Jon Moxley (-110) for the the AEW World Championship.
    • Toni Storm is the favorite (-180) to defeat Britt Baker (+325), Jamie Hayter (+300) and Hikaru Shida (+700) to win the Interim AEW Women\’s World Championship.
    • Bryan Danielson is favored (-400) to get the win over Chris Jericho (+250)
    • Swerve in our Glory are strong favorites (-450) to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Acclaimed (+275).
    • Christian Cage (-150) is now favored to defeat Jungle Boy (+110) in their grudge match. This is a reversal from what was expected just days ago.
    • Ricky Starks is favored (-240) to get the win over Powerhouse Hobbs (+175)
    • Jade Cargill is heavily favored (-1000) to retain the TBS Championship against Athena (+500).
    • FTR and Wardlow are strong favorites (-650) to beat Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns (+375)
    • The mystery Joker (+150) is the favorite to win the Casino Ladder Match.

    Zero Hour Kickoff Show

    • PAC is favored (-600) to retain the All Atlantic Championship over the returning Kip Sabian (+350).
    • Hook is the strong favorite (-1500) to retain the FTW championship against Angelo Parker (+600)
    • Eddie Kingston is favored (-180) to defeat NJPW star Tomohiro Ishii (+125).

    Keep it locked to SEScoops this weekend, as we\’ll be covering AEW All Out from all angles, including results and news coming out of the event.

  • Former Universal Champion Returning to WWE Next Week

    Braun Strowman is on his way back to WWE.

    Triple H has wasted no time reshaping the WWE roster since taking over talent relations this summer. He\’s brought back several acts who were previously released due to budget cuts, including Karrion Kross, Dakota Kai, Io Sky, Dexter Lumis and more.

    There are still some big names on the free agency market and WWE just snagged the \’biggest\’ one of them all. Strowman is the latest former Superstar to be brought back into the fold and fans won\’t have to wait long to see him back on WWE television.

    The Monster Among Men is scheduled to be at Monday\’s WWE Raw from Kansas City, Missouri. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

    Braun Strowman\’s Road Back to WWE

    A former Universal Champion, Braun Strowman is released from WWE in June 2021. His surprise caught many people off guard. The 6-foot-8, 385 pounder from Sherills Ford, North Carolina seemed to be the prototype WWE Superstar. He\’s got the size, the look, he can talk and is no slouch in the ring.

    Since becoming a free agent, Strowman appeared for Ring of Honor and the upstart Control Your Narrative promotion. He had preliminary talks with AEW, but nothing ever came of it. He told Sports Illustrated last year,

    “Yeah, we’ve sat down and discussed stuff like that with my agent and things like that.  We’re just trying to find a fit now, where everything kind of will work together since now, there’s so many things that I’m working on in my personal life.\”

    \”I don’t have as much time to devote to the full-time schedule to wrestle now. So, it’s trying to find somewhere where I’ll be able to land in there to show up, have fun and entertain the people, but still be able to work on my side projects along the way.”

    Regarding those side projects, he had something in the works with Ric Flair before deciding on returning to WWE. Earlier this week, Ric Flair revealed on his podcast that he and Strowman were in the early stages of working on a \”marketing scheme\” together.

    “We’re kind of working on a project together, it hasn’t really come to fruition yet,\” said Flair. \”It’s a promotional scheme that somebody brought to me that, it’s legitimate, but we just haven’t gone to work on it yet. He’ll probably have to make a decision if he wants to do that. It could potentially be very lucrative, or go back to WWE.”

  • Jim Johnston Blames \”Mediocre\” Music for Lack of Big Stars Today

    Jim Johnston is not impressed by today\’s pro wrestling entrance themes. The legendary composer says many themes are \”mediocre\” and that is a big reason why there are fewer mega stars in this era.

    Johnston was Chris Van Vliet\’s guest this week on the Insights podcast. He spoke about his childhood, his love for music, the chance encounter that led him to WWE and much more during their discussion.

    He began working with WWE in the mid-1980\’s. He wasn\’t a wrestling fan, but that didn\’t hold him back. Johnston worked with the company until 2017 and is responsible for the most iconic themes in wrestling history, including Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, the Ultimate Warrior, DX and countless others. Amazingly, he worked on a \’handshake deal\’ and never even had a contract with WWE until after the company went public in 2001.

    Johnston took his job very seriously. He felt a great responsibility to the wrestlers, because that has a big impact on a character\’s presentation. He feels the lack of quality entrance music is a big reason why there are less big stars today.

    Today\’s Wrestling Entrance Music

    \”The music now, in WWE and in AEW, I think it\’s.. sorry this is mean, it\’s all homogenous and it\’s mediocre and doesn\’t have anything to do with the characters, and I think that\’s why there are less big stars.\”

    \”I don\’t think there are no potential stars hiding there. I mean, before he was Steve Austin, he was the Ringmaster, and there are many examples there. These people need the right storyline, the right costuming and definitely the right music to lift them up.\”

    \”Particularly the music, is serving multiple masters, in a way. It\’s entertainment for the audience, it\’s a big boot in the ass for the wrestler before they go out, to sort of get them in the head space of their character, and to kind of get them jacked up to do a great performance.\”

    \”If you\’re in that situation, I can\’t imagine being in that situation where you\’re not really sure of your character, the storyline. \’I\’m supposed to hate this guy, I don\’t know why I\’m supposed to hate this guy.\’ And your music is just kind of generic, wrestler-guy music, and you\’re supposed to go out there and be on top of the world. I think that\’s a big ask.\”

    \”Did not have a contract with WWE until the company went public. As soon as WWE went public, the lawyers got involved. Couldn\’t believe he was working without a contract. Didn\’t want him picking up and leaving.\”

    Setting the Mood

    Johnston says he always saw WWE as a live movie, and he was scoring the characters in the movie. He gives Jaws and Darth Vader as examples of how music can instantly set the tone for the show.

    He spoke about Steve Austin. You don\’t need to know the storylines, you don\’t need to know what he did last week. When you hear that music, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. That enhances the product and makes everybody\’s jobs easier.

    It\’s like being in a movie, and the movie is not very good and you\’re not following the movie. You\’re lost without the music that sets the mood.

    Final Years in WWE, AEW

    After 30+ years with WWE, he never expected to get fired. However, Johnston did say there was someone in WWE that was always trying to push him out and get his own people in the door.

    Johnston said AEW never reached out to him, which amazed him. AEW brought in so many people who used to work for WWE. He thinks Tony Khan could have really stuck it to Vince McMahon by hiring him and doesn\’t know why that didn\’t happen. \”It doesn\’t make sense to me.\”

    Listen to Jim Johnston\’s appearance on the Insights podcast with Chris Van Vliet:

    Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

  • Kenny Omega Addresses AEW Fight Forever Roster Omissions

    Kenny Omega says the AEW Fight Forever console video game is \”pretty close to wrapping up.\” He\’s also addressed the the game\’s limited roster and how that will be addressed.

    Omega spoke with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated this week to promote Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite from Chicago. This is the go-home show before All Out this Sunday. Omega and the Young Bucks battle Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in the semi-finals of the tournament to crown AEW\’s inaugural World Trios Champions.

    He also spoke extensively about Fight Forever, including some glaring omissions to the game\’s roster of playable characters. Omega says the development team is working diligently to ensure fans are more than satisfied with the final product.

    \”This game isn’t going to pull any punches,\” he said. \”It’s going to be physical, sometimes bloody, and we’ve got a very high weapon count for everyone to have fun with. The hijinks outside the ring are a lot of fun, and there’s still Career Mode, too. I hope people have a blast with it.\”

    Development Near Completion

    AEW has yet to announce Fight Forever\’s release date, but we know the game is due out some time before the end of the year. According Kenny Omega, AEW Fight Forever is nearly complete.

    “We’re coming pretty close to wrapping up. There is still the approval process, and we’re looking to avoid any net play issues so people can play online competitively. We really want to make sure that when people try to log onto the servers, they can do so without incurring any issues.”

    AEW\’s Ever-Changing Roster

    \"FTR\"
    (AEW)

    The AEW Fight Forever roster is expected to feature approximately 50 playable characters at launch. Unfortunately, this means a lot of people will not make the cut when the game launches.

    AEW is always evolving. That pertains to the craft as pro wrestling, as well as talent roster. As the game was in development, they only left a few slots open for \”very special cases\” such as CM Punk and Adam Cole.

    \”Generally speaking, you’re going to see a lot of familiar faces from the early years of AEW, many of whom are still here today. Having that original, year-one roster is important to us. We’re trying to retell that story of how we came into existence.\”

    – Kenny Omega to Sports Illustrated

    Owen Hart and Brodie Lee will be among the special characters who will be playable in the game.

    Omega says the development team is committed to post-launch support, which means a lot of the wrestlers who did not make the cut for the launch roster will be available later as downloadable content. He joked that even if John Cena showed up in AEW, it\’s too late to include him in the game.

    “Now that our game is pretty much wrapped, between now and the release, it will be hard to include anyone new. Even if John Cena walked through the tunnel and down the stage, we probably wouldn’t be able to get him in on time. That is why we’re doing post-launch support.\”

    It was never the game plan to purposely hold back, but it’s to make sure fans can be a certain wrestler, then they’ll be available as soon as possible.”

    – Kenny Omega

    Visit SI.com to read their full interview with Kenny Omega.

  • Kenny Omega Provides Health Update Following AEW Return

    Kenny Omega is feeling \”pretty good\” following his spectacular return to action on the August 17th edition of AEW Dynamite.

    Omega was revealed as The Young Bucks\’ surprise partner in the ongoing tournament to crown AEW\’s first Trios World Champions. It was his first match in approximately nine months.

    The former AEW World Champion fought back from a string of injuries that kept him out of action since late 2021. Omega looked good in his return match, but was a bit rusty and missed a few spots. AEW is portraying that he is not 100% just yet.

    The Elite have their work cut out for them if they hope to advance to the Trios Tournament finals. They\’ll battle Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in the semi-finals tonight on Dynamite.

    \"\"

    Kenny Omega Health Update

    Omega appeared on Busted Open Radio on Wednesday and spoke about his return to action. He likened getting back in the ring to riding a bicycle.

    \”It was very cool, very fun, he said. \”I ended up coming out of it unscathed, which is nice. I didn\’t bang up anything else. I didn\’t get any inkling or feeling that there wasn\’t something that wasn\’t ready to be back. \”

    As long as there were no red flags, for me, I\’m just going to keep easing back into things without biting off more than I can chew.\”

    – Kenny Omega on Busted Open Radio

    Omega says The Elite\’s match against Andrade El Idolo, Dragon Lee and Rush presented some unique challenges, due to their high-risk lucha libre style.

    He\’s looking ahead to his next match and making history this Sunday at All Out.

    H/T Fightful

  • Ricky Starks Hates AEW\’s Backstage Drama Overshadowing What\’s on TV

    Ricky Starks is sick and tired of backstage drama overshadowing AEW storylines.

    Starks appeared on the iHeartRadio\’s latest Battleground Podcast to hype his match against Powerhouse Hobbs this Sunday at AEW All Out. The former FTW Champion says he\’s got revenge on his mind. He sees this as a big test for himself and a big indicator about how much further he\’s going to go.

    He believes he was the face of Team Taz because, \”no one else was going to step up, but someone had to.\” Hobbs has a strong presence and is actually very intelligent and caring, which is what made them a good team. There was a genuine friendship there. Unfortunately, people get greedy. They get paranoid.

    Starks says paranoia is one of the worst things in wrestling. You see it from the top of the card all the way down to the bottom. Sometimes, these issues get leaked due to the media and distract from the stories they\’re trying to tell on television.

    Enough of the Drama

    Ricky Starks was asked about the backstage environment in AEW. He says the dynamics have changed dramatically since the early days.

    \”The locker room has definitely changed,\” he said. \”Where we were once really really close, we\’ve expanded that. We\’re still close, we just have more people in the family now. More people that sit at the table.\”

    \”I definitely think that the drama of the backstage stuff, while it does pique interest of people online & whatnot, I f***ing hate it. The reason I hate it is because it kind of overshadows some of the stuff that happens on TV and for that, I\’d rather not be involved with it.\”

    Starks said certain people in AEW have \”loose lips\” and leak things to the media. He also warned that you can\’t believe everything you read online, yet people do.

    \”But we have people backstage who have loose lips and that\’s what happens. Now, we have created the scenario where we just have all the rumors and speculation. \’Cause that\’s all it is. I promise you what you read is not necessarily true.\”

    You can listen to Ricky Starks\’ appearance on the Battleground Podcast below. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

  • Jim Ross on the Unpredictability of AEW All Out: \”It\’s Beautiful\”

    Jim Ross is excited for Sunday\’s AEW All Out pay-per-view and thinks the air of unpredictability surrounding the event is a good thing.

    We\’re just a few days away from All Out, but AEW has yet to announce the main event. A rematch between Jon Moxley and CM Punk is the most likely scenario, but that\’s not confirmed as of this writing.

    It\’s been a hectic few weeks for All Elite Wrestling, but one thing is for sure. People are talking about the product and the company has momentum headed into one of it\’s biggest shows of the year.

    Everybody\’s Talking

    Jim Ross says he\’s having a blast as of late, largely in part due to the unpredictable nature of AEW programming. On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross says Tony Khan is keeping a tight lid on what\’s planned for Sunday.

    \”Based on what we\’ve seen thus far, it\’s hard to predict what\’s going to come out of the mind of Tony Khan. I say that in a positive way, because as a broadcaster, when things get too predictable, it\’s not fun. I will say I\’m having a blast because I love trying to keep up with it.\”

    \”It\’s very challenging to do, because there are so many right ways to address these storylines. You have your favorite. If you\’re a Moxley guy, you\’re a punk guy, whatever the case may be, that\’s cool and that\’s your prerogative. But man oh man, it\’s hard to keep up with whats going on. It makes you think and you hit the key thing, everybody\’s talking. That\’s a good thing. Everybody\’s talking.\”

    \”It\’s going to be fun, it\’s going to be unpredictable and I can promise you: if anybody knows what\’s going to happen, they\’re keeping it to themselves, which i think is beautiful.\”

    – Jim Ross

    Jim Ross says he was surprised by Jon Moxley\’s 3-minute win over CM Punk last week on Dynamite. He believes we\’re on a journey. We\’re on a road that\’s full of twists and surprises and expects it to end a way that leaves fans satisfied.

    Listen to Jim Ross\’ Grilling JR podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

  • WWE Worlds Collide Preview: Matches, How to Watch (Updated)

    This weekend\’s WWE Worlds Collide premium live event will be a pivotal show for the NXT and NXT UK brands.

    Earlier this month, WWE announced NXT Europe, a new brand launching in 2023.

    The new NXT Europe brand spells the end of NXT UK, which has operated since December 2016. As part of NXT UK going the way of 205 Live, WWE will be unifying the top championships from the NXT and NXT UK brands.

    Worlds Collide 2022 Matches

    WWE has confirmed five championship matches for Sunday\’s Worlds Collide 2022 premium live event. Here’s the full card:

    NXT Champion Bronn Breaker vs. NXT Champion Tyler Bate

    The top champions from the two brands will square off to crown the Undisputed NXT Champion. Bronn Breaker puts the NXT Championship on the line against NXT UK Champion, Tyler Bate.

    Triple Threat NXT Women\’s Championship Unification Match

    \"World\'s

    A new undisputed NXT Women\’s Champion will be crowned in a triple threat match. Reigning NXT Women\’s champion Mandy Rose puts her gold on the line against NXT UK Women\’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport.

    North American Championship Match

    Ricochet made a surprise appearance on this week\’s NXT 2.0 to confront Carmelo Hayes, NXT\’s reigning North American Champion. Ricochet says he\’s back to collect \”his\” title.

    NXT Tag Team Championship: Fatal 4-Way Elimination

    NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers battle NXT UK Tag Team Champions Briggs & Jensen, Pretty Deadly and Gallus.

    NXT Women\’s Tag Team Championship Match

    Champions Katana Chance & Kayden Carter defend against former NXT stars Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop.

    Plus, we’ll also see Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom in a best of three rounds match.

    How to Watch: WWE Worlds Collide 2022

    WWE presents Worlds Collide 2022 this Sunday September 4th from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

    WWE Worlds Collide will stream live at 4pm (Eastern) on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.

  • Ric Flair on Bret Hart: \”We\’re Like Best Friends\”

    Ric Flair says it\’s great that he and Bret Hart are finally \’best friends\’ after decades of not getting along.

    Flair spoke about his relationship with the Hitman on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast. This week\’s show focused on Flair defeating the late \”Macho Man\” Randy Savage for the WWE Championship on September 1, 1992. This began Flair\’s second and final reign as champion. It would be a short reign. He dropped the title just over a month later to Bret Hart due to an injury he sustained during a match against the Ultimate Warrior just days after becoming champion.

    Flair and Hart met up this past weekend at an autograph signing in Texas. They shared a nice moment together and he now considers them to be close friends. The Nature Boy tells Conrad Thompson, he can\’t believe the held on to a grudge for so long.

    Ric Flair & Bret Hart\’s Reltionship

    Flair and Hart have said some unpleasant things about one another over the years, but that\’s all in the past. They\’ve since buried the hatchet and Flair now considers Hart a good friend.

    \”I took a picture and I was just thinking to myself, \’We used to call each other everything in the world for 30 years. Now, we\’re like best friends and that\’s the way it should be.\”

    \”The business makes us all a dick at one time or another. Now with social media, it makes it even worse. You just look back and regret the things you said or even thought about because at the end of the day, what did you gain by it? A moment of satisfaction? I mean, it\’s just ridiculous. I had a great time with Bret this weekend.\”

    SummerSlam 1992

    SummerSlam \’92 took place just days before Flair won his second WWE championship. That show was headlined by Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith for the Intercontinental championship. The match is still talked about today, 30 years later.

    Flair did not compete at SummerSlam \’92, but did get involved in the Randy Savage vs. Ultiamte Warrior WWE title match. Backstage after the show, Ric approached Hart and complimented him on an epic performance.

    \”I told Bret when I saw him back at the hotel that night, I said, \’If I knew you could work that good brother, I would have come knocking on your door a long time ago.\’ They had a hell of a match,\” said Flair.

    Flair Drops the WWE Title to Bret Hart

    Days after winning the WWE Championship from Randy Savage, Flair was injured during a match against the Ultimate Warrior. Flair sustained inner ear problem that plagued him with equilibrium problems for 8 months.

    Due to this injury, Vince McMahon made the call for Flair to drop the WWE Championship to Bret Hart just weeks into his reign. Flair regrets that he was only able to put on a \”half-assed match\” with Hart due to his injury.

    Listen to Ric Flair\’s To Be The Man podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

  • William Regal Addresses Reports of Backstage Drama in AEW

    William Regal says he\’s focused on the Blackpool Combat Club and helping develop younger talent who are interested in learning from them.

    Over the past several weeks, there have been reports about AEW talent being disgruntled about a lack of television time. There was also the recent situation involving CM Punk\’s shoot comments about \”Hangman\” Adam Page and the subsequent fallout.

    Regal said, \”there\’s a lot going on\” on the latest episode of his Gentleman Villain podcast.

    \”There\’s always a lot going on with us,\” he began. \”We\’ve talked talked about on this show before. We are trying to do our bit to change the views of some people, and younger talent.

    Sometimes there\’s things that play out on the show, but in reality, there\’s the fact that we understand there\’s a lot of young talent and they don\’t get to wrestle better wrestlers, or people who have been in this for a long time, because the way the job has become, and the way TV is. A lot of the best wrestlers wrestle each other now.\”

    Blackpool Combat Club Staying Focused

    \"Blackpool

    \”We\’re out to do our thing, let\’s put it that way. That\’s all I can say. In our world, everything\’s good.\”

    – William Regal

    Regal was careful not to get too deep into the subject matter at hand, but you can read between the lines and see he\’s alluding to the professionalism of certain people.

    \”I can\’t say too much at the moment,\” he continued. \”I\’m not a gossip merchant and I\’m not going to dignify anything that comes out. Nothing seems to happen around me, I\’ll put it that way. I know that myself.. Jon\’s Jon, and that\’s the way he is. But, I know myself, Claudio, Bryan and Wheeler, are all doing our thing. Hopefully it spreads, and as far as trying to be the best professionals we can be, that\’s all you can do, and do whatever we\’re tasked with.\”

    \”We\’ve got a great team of talent and we want to make people have to face people in the BCC. and we are also hoping that it sets sort of standards of how to conduct yourself, and .. this is sort of in reality, just how to conduct yourself as a pro, and not. Let\’s put it that way.\”

    Regal says he\’s made mistakes during his long career, so he\’s not out to cast judgement on anybody. The Blackpool Combat Club arrives at the arena early when AEW has TV tapings. They train in the ring all day and anybody is welcome to join them.

    He also addressed his absence from last week\’s AEW Dynamite, noting that he had to tend to a \”family incident\” and was in contact with everybody at TV.

    Listen to William Regal\’s Gentleman Villain Podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

  • WWE & Amazon File Lawsuits Over Counterfeit Championship Belts

    WWE and Amazon have filed joint lawsuits against 13 vendors accused of marketing and selling counterfeit WWE Championship belt replicas.

    In addition to civil lawsuits, WWE and Amazon worked with the Middlesex County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office to pursue these bad actors which led to felony counterfeiting charges against two connected individuals.

    Matthew Winterroth, WWE\’s Vice President of Intellectual Property, was quoted:

    “Amazon is the benchmark for collaboration with respect to brand infringement online. Official and licensed WWE products, branded by our IP, are trusted by our fans around the world and we go to great lengths to protect consumers from counterfeits and other types of infringements. It’s our hope that other companies look at Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit as a model of how to partner with companies of any size to help combat this relentless threat.”

    – Matthew Winterroth for WWE

    Here\’s the official press release from the WWE corporate site:

    FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS

    Amazon teams up with WWE, filing suit to protect customers and the authenticity of WWE’s historic championship title belts

    World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) (NYSE: WWE) and Amazon today announced joint lawsuits against 13 defendants who attempted to market and sell inauthentic replicas of WWE-branded championship title belts in Amazon’s store including inauthentic replicas of commemorative title belts as well as the historic WWE World Heavyweight, Universal, Intercontinental, United States and NXT Championship title belt designs.

    WWE combined its proactive IP monitoring and enforcement program with Amazon’s Project Zero and Brand Registry protection tools to detect infringing listings, and Amazon removed them. Then WWE partnered with Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit to pursue these lawsuits targeting bad actors who attempted to sell counterfeit products and falsely represent their locations and identities.

    One of the defendants was found to be operating their fraudulent business out of New Jersey. In addition to the civil lawsuits, Amazon and WWE worked with the Middlesex County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office to pursue these bad actors which led to felony counterfeiting charges against two connected individuals for sale of counterfeit WWE championship title belts.

    “Amazon is the benchmark for collaboration with respect to brand infringement online,” said Vice President of Intellectual Property at WWE, Matthew Winterroth. “Official and licensed WWE products, branded by our IP, are trusted by our fans around the world and we go to great lengths to protect consumers from counterfeits and other types of infringements. It’s our hope that other companies look at Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit as a model of how to partner with companies of any size to help combat this relentless threat.”

    “Amazon is committed to the authenticity of products in our store and protecting our customers from all forms of counterfeits, including those impacting fans of iconic entertainment brand WWE,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit. “We will continue to work with WWE and Middlesex County law enforcement to bring these bad actors to justice.”

    WWE’s robust and aggressive IP enforcement program utilizes both internal and external resources to combat counterfeit and infringing products, piracy, and distribution abuse online as well as in physical points of sale. This includes trained internal staff and third-party vendors who consistently monitor online retailers around the world for IP infringements and counterfeit sellers. Amazon’s Project Zero also empowers WWE to directly remove suspicious listings from Amazon’s stores. Amazon’s latest lawsuit with WWE comes after Amazon in 2021 sued or referred over 600 criminals for investigation in the US, UK, EU, and China, an increase of more than 300% over 2020.  

    Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit – a team of former federal prosecutors, former law enforcement agents, experienced investigators and data analysts – was formed to work with brands and law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable.

    Amazon strictly prohibits the sale of counterfeit products, and won’t stop until there are zero counterfeits in its stores. Amazon’s efforts to stop counterfeit products is part of an investment of $900 million to protect its stores from fraud, counterfeits, and abuse. This includes using industry-leading tools to verify potential sellers’ identities and ensure product listings are authentic. In 2021, Amazon blocked more than 4 billion bad listings before they were listed in our stores. These listings were suspected of potentially being fraudulent, infringing, counterfeit, or engaging in other forms of abuse.

    For more information, including the related court filing case numbers, visit Corporate.WWE.com.

  • Darby Allin Took Out a $12k Loan So He Could Join AEW

    Darby Allin did not have an easy road to AEW. He\’s been All Elite since the company\’s inception in 2019, but first had to buy out his contract with another company.

    Allin was DDP\’s guest this week on the DDP Snake Pit podcast powered by Ad Free Shows. During their discussion, he spoke about the circumstances that led him to joining AEW.

    In 2019, All Elite Wrestling executives were scouring the globe to sign talent for the upstart promotion. Former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes attended a show for Northeast Wrestling, where Allin was wrestling Pentagon.

    Allin tells DDP that prior to seeing him work against Pentagon, Cody thought he was just a \’crash test dummy\’ taking gnarly bumps. After watching him wrestle in person, Cody saw that Allin could actually work.

    \”At the time, I was signed with another little promotion. The moment I heard Cody was interested, long story short, I paid $12,000 to get out of my contract. I took a loan out and I remember I used to hit Cody up like every day, just blow his phone up, and he would never really answer.\”

    – Darby Allin on joining AEW

    DDP stopped Darby Allin mid-story and told him Cody\’s father, the late Dusty Rhodes, used to be \’the worst\’ about returning calls, and knows Cody is the same way. DDP joked, \”Even his texting sucks!\” He\’s known Cody since he was 12 years old and loves him.

    Choosing AEW over WWE/NXT

    \"Darby

    Allin said he didn\’t care about blowing up Cody\’s phone, he wanted to be part of AEW. He wasn\’t going to take out that $12,000 loan without having Cody\’s word that AEW was really interested in him.

    AEW hadn\’t even run its first show at this point and this was long before a TV deal was announced. However, there was one factor that really sold him that AEW was the right fit for him.

    \”All I heard, when they were promoting it, were the words \’Creative Freedom.\’ I was like, \’That\’s where I need to be.\’\”

    – Darby Allin

    Cody eventually invited him to his house and the rest, as they say, is history. DDP complimented Allin\’s persistence. He sad, \”What you have to be, is pleasantly persistent.\”

    At the time, Darby Allin was being groomed for NXT. He says he saw the writing on the wall there.

    \”This was back when 205 Live was a thing. I was like, hell f*cking no, I\’m not going there to do that. I don\’t want to be put in a box.\”

    – Darby Allin

    Allin felt his money was wrestling \’David vs. Goliath\’ matches and he\’d have a better chance to get over as himself with AEW.

    Darby Allin signed with AEW in April 2019. His debut match took place at Fyter Fest just two months later. His first opponent was none other than Cody Rhodes, which says a lot about how much Cody believed in him. That match went to a time-limit draw. Allin tells DDP that before the match, Cody texted him, \”20 minute broadway?\” Allin had no idea what the phrase meant at the time.

    Allin has gone on to become one of AEW\’s most successful homegrown stars. He\’s a former TNT Champion and is currently aligned with the icon, Sting.

    Visit AdFreeShows.com to subscribe for just $9 a month.

  • Watch: Parking Lot Fight Breaks Out Before WWE Raw

    Seth Rollins and Riddle couldn\’t wait for Saturday\’s Clash at the Castle event to mix it up.

    Rollins and Riddle are scheduled to have a face-to-face showdown on tonight\’s Raw just five days before their match this weekend.

    About two hours before Raw was scheduled to go live on the USA Network, the two competitors were involved in a physical altercation outside the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh PA.

    As seen below, WWE officials had to jump in and keep the two men apart. It\’s difficult to make out exactly what they are saying, but you can hear them screaming at one another.

    You can also hear fans yelling at the sight of the two WWE Superstars needing to be physically kept apart.

    This is probably a storyline situation to build anticipation for WWE Clash at the Castle, but that doesn\’t make it any less entertaining.

    Check out the video, courtesy of Twitter user @MusicByMaleena:

  • Wardlow Names Brock Lesnar as His Dream Opponent

    Wardlow has named WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar is his dream opponent. He\’d love to mix it up with the likes of Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, but thinks Wardlow vs. Lesnar could be the biggest money match in the history of cable television.

    AEW\’s reigning TNT Champion appeared on The Zaslow Show to hype this weekend\’s All Out pay-per-view from Chicago. During the appearance, the Cleveland native spoke about his road to the top, his plans to \”flip the wrestling world upside down\” and much more.

    Here are some highlights of what Wardlow said about:

    Wardlow\’s Dream Opponent

    As Wardlow\’s star rises, fans will continue to think about \’dream matches\’ for him. He\’s been in AEW for several years, but has yet to cross paths with the promotion\’s top stars.

    Wardlow named Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley as two men in AEW he\’d like to work with. However, there\’s another wrestler outside of AEW that he considers his true \’dream\’ opponent.

    “Kenny Omega is very high on that list,\” said Wardlow. \”Jon Moxley is also at the top of that list. I would say within AEW, it is Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley – I want those two more than anybody. Outside of that, it is the dream match.\”

    \”I always saw Wardlow vs. Lesnar to be the biggest money match in the history of national TV\”

    – Wardlow on his Dream Opponent

    This is not the first time Wardlow has discussed wanting to work with Brock Lesnar. Earlier this year, during an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Wardlow said, “I think if I ever found myself in the same ring as Brock Lesnar, that has money pouring out of the idea of it. I think him and I would just murder each other, I don’t know if there’s a ring that can hold the two of us.”

    How He Got Into Wrestling

    \"Bret
    (AEW)

    “I have been obsessed with professional wrestling ever since I could remember. There’s a video of me somewhere, before I could even talk, clanging and banging an old junkyard dog and action figure, using the kitchen table chair as my ring. I caught the bug young. My first memory is falling in love with Bret Hart — he’s the one that really started it for me. I just never looked back. I fell in love and it was game over.\”

    Wardlow joked that he\’s really mad at Bret Hart, because he met him early in his wrestling career and was too nervous to ask for a picture with his hero.

    Comparisons to Batista

    \"Batista\"
    Batista

    Wardlow says he doesn\’t mind people comparing him to Batista. He actually appreciates the comparison, because Batista is a legend who always carried himself well on television.

    “I’ve gotten the Bautista comparisons, and there’s no greater compliment because I was a huge Bautista fan as I’m sure you could’ve guessed. Guys that influenced me in my life – Dave Bautista, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – guys when they came out on T.V. would dress nice, and that’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always dressed nice, taking care of myself, I enjoy looking good.”

    Wardlow also spoke about recently wrestling in front of his hometown crowd when AEW Dynamite took place from Cleveland, Ohio. Wardlow says it was \”an adrenaline rush like I’ve never experienced in my life\” and wishes he could feel that way every single day.

    Listen to Wardlow\’s appearance on The Zaslow Show:

  • WWE Raw Preview: Women\’s Tag Tournament Finals, Kurt Angle

    WWE Raw rolls into Pittsburgh PA tonight for a live edition of Monday Night Raw from the PPG Paints Arena. This is the \’go home\’ edition of Raw ahead of Saturday\’s Clash at the Castle premium live event.

    WWE has momentum after several weeks of strong programming that\’s been well-received by critics and fans alike. We are only a month into this new era under the leadership of Triple H, but we\’re off to a very strong start.

    Tonight, WWE will crown new Women\’s tag team champions. We\’ll also see a special appearance from a hometown hero, Bobby Lashley defending the United States championship and more.

    Raw Preview (8/29)

    \"WWE
    WWE Women\’s Tag Team XChampionships

    WWE is advertising the following items for tonight\’s Raw from Pittsburgh:

    • New WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned. The finals of the Women\’s Tag Tournament will see Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah vs. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky.
    • United States Champion Bobby Lashley puts his gold on the line against The Miz.
    • WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will appear in front of his hometown crowd.
    • Seth Rollins and Riddle will face off ahead of their match this Saturday at Clash at the Castle.
    • Raw and SmackDown tag team champions The Usos will appear, along with Sami Zayn.

    The advertised dark match main event will see Seth Rollins facing off against Riddle.

    Ahead of tonight\’s WWE Raw, check out this video recapping the intense feud between Riddle and Seth Rollins.

  • Finn Balor Names the WWE Star He Wants to Join Judgment Day

    Finn Balor would like to have AJ Styles to join his Judgment Day faction.

    Balor was the latest guest on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin. This was recorded during SummerSlam weekend in Nashville.

    During their discussion, they spoke about a wide range of topics, including his experience living through the pandemic. Balor says the pandemic was the most mentally challenging period of his life, without question.

    He was landlocked in the United States and dealing with visa issues that prevented him from going back to Ireland and resolving things. He vented that it was super challenging. His father got sick and he couldn\’t be there for him. He also couldn\’t see his siblings or their children, who were babies before the pandemic and \’little humans\’ 2 years later.

    Judgment Day

    Balor said he\’s really excited about the Judgment Day faction. He really enjoys working with his partners, Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley.

    He thinks Priest has a really cool look and is a total badass. Ripley has big star potential and feels this could be the vehicle to solidify her in that role.

    All three of them get along great and he loves that the group is presented as equals. There is no leader and he\’s truly excited for what lies ahead. However, he said, \”Hopefully we add more members.\”

    Adding Another Member

    \"AJ

    This got Ryan Satin\’s attention, who pressed Balor on who he\’d like to add to the faction. He said this could be talent from Raw, SmackDown or NXT. Balor threw out several names, but focused on one man he\’d most like to see in the group.

    \”I had thought of a couple people, said Balor. \”I love Walter (Gunther), but he\’s doing his own thing. Tommaso Ciampa is doing his thing with Miz, so that\’s kind of off the table.\”

    \”Maybe AJ, you know. We haven\’t essentially fallen out, we\’re just not on the same page. Maybe AJ, bring AJ in. I think his work as a heel is just, pardon the pun, but phenomenal.

    – Finn Balor

    \”.. or we could go and find someone new, a fresh face from NXT. Given a little more time to think about it, I could have given you a better answer. I\’d love Brock in the Judgment Day.\”

    Listen to Finn Balor\’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:

  • Finn Balor Reveals His Ultimate Cheat Meal

    Finn Balor says he craves a mega \”cheat meal\” powered by McDonald\’s once a week.

    Balor known for having one of the best physiques in wrestling. However, looks can be deceiving. In previous eras, we\’ve seen men with eye-popping physiques who were anything but healthy. Balor says the older he gets, the better he feels.

    At 41 years old, he\’s never felt better. He\’s not sure if that\’s because he\’s getting better in the ring and learning to work a safer style, or if he\’s getting smarter with his training. Back when he was 31, he was wrestling in Japan, which was a much more physical style and may be a factor.

    He also credits sleep as the key to feeling good. His worst day of the week is Tuesdays, because he\’s traveling late after Raw and doesn\’t get the sleep he needs.

    Finn Balor\’s Ultimate Cheat Meal

    Finn Balor considers himself \”super OCD\” with his diet and it shows. However, he does allow himself a break once a week.

    Balor used to never cheat on his diet, but eventually convinced himself that he needs to treat himself once a week. Now, he goes big on cheat days. So big that his wife jokingly telling him to reign it in.

    \”I\’ve got super OCD with everything, including my eating, but now, Tuesdays, I\’m just craving McDonald\’s. I\’ll get home on Tuesdays, it will be 10pm and I\’ll be moping around the house. I\’ll Uber Eats two double cheeseburgers, a McFlurry, a sundae, large fries and large coke. Now it\’s to the point where [my wife is] telling me, \’We can\’t have that today.\’ But I will keep everything in line the rest of the week, so it\’s just the one cheat meal.\”

    – Finn Balor

    Balor said he loves ice cream so much, he can\’t decide whether to order the McFlurry or an ice cream sundae from McDonald\’s, so he orders both. His wife taught him to dip french fries into ice cream and \”Man, it is just delightful.\”

    Listen to Finn Balor\’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:

  • Theory Teases MITB Cash-In, Talks Cena, Triple H & More

    WWE Superstar Theory spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston. They discussed a wide variety of topics, including when he\’ll cash in his Money in the Bank contract, comparisons to John Cena, Triple H taking over WWE creative and much more.

    The interview was set up to promote Survivor Series, which takes place Saturday, November 26th from Boston\’s TD Garden. Theory confirmed this year\’s WWE Survivor Series will continue the tradition of a Raw vs. SmackDown theme.

    He teased that he might cash in his Money in the Bank contract at Survivor Series. Then again, who knows, he might be the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by then.

    When asked about his Survivor Series dream team, Theory said his ideal partners would be Stone Cold Steve Austin, Batista and Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr.

    They discussed Johnny Gargano\’s return to WWE on Monday\’s Raw. Gargano showed Theory \”The Way\” in NXT, but Raw is his show now and Gargano will have to accept that.

    Failing to \”Cash In\” at SummerSlam

    \"\"/

    When asked if he\’ll be cashing in at Clash at the Castle, Theory said he\’s learned not to tell people when he\’s cashing in. He also explained his failed cash-in attempt at SummerSlam.

    \”The reason why I wasn\’t able to successfully cash in at SummerSlam is because of how ridiculously long the ramp was,\” said Theory. \”Did you see how long I was running? We would have been able to cash in, that was impossible, and did I know about that? No. I knew these guys were going to destroy each other, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, but did I know that the entrance was going to be like 2 miles? I mean, c\’mon!\”

    Theory said he didn\’t plan for a \”2-mile\” run to the ring, he didn\’t plan for a tractor to lift the ring off the ground. He bemoaned that the whole situation was unfair and ridiculous.

    Triple H Running WWE Creative

    Theory was asked about Triple H\’s new role as the head of WWE creative. Is everything ok with Theory and WWE management?

    \”Yes, absolutely,\” he said. \”I feel like I\’m in a great position. There\’s definitely a comfortability there, working with Triple H back in NXT, we all know the creative mind he has. Over past few weeks as he\’s been running the show, it\’s definitely a difference and by difference I just mean, a different side of a creative level, I think it\’s going really well.\”

    He added that he wants a selfie with Triple H.

    Comparisons to John Cena

    \"Austin

    \”I will always appreciate that,\” he said. \”Just being a kid at 8 years old and seeing John Cena for the first time. It really inspired me to do what I\’m doing now and it\’s made a career and pretty much set up my whole life, so there\’s always going to be that appreciation of comparison.

    But for me, I want to be on my own and do my own thing. I think often times, when somebody is on the come up, people are always going to jump to, \’He does this like this one, or he looks like this one,\’ and thats great. People are always gonna do that. But I think time definitely tells and with time I think everybody is going to know that Theory is a standalone name.\”

    Watch Steve Fall\’s interview with WWE Superstar Theory for NBC Sports Boston:

    https://youtu.be/3uwYwIKyoYQ