Liv Morgan\’s reign as SmackDown Women\’s Champion is off to a rocky start.
Morgan won the gold by winning Money in the Bank at July\’s premium live event and cashing in on a battered Ronda Rousey later in the evening. Ambushing a vulnerable champion is not the best start to a babyface title reign, but fans were excited for her nonetheless.
She retained the title against Rousey at SummerSlam, but only won because the referee didn\’t see her tapping out to Rousey\’s arm bar. Once again, not the best look for a babyface champion.
Morgan is now feuding with Shayna Baszler. The Submission Magician has been getting the upper hand so far, with the champion in peril ahead of their upcoming match at Clash at the Castle.
Weak Champion
Former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed WWE\’s booking of Liv Morgan on the latest episode of his Wrestling With Freddie podcast.
Prinze can\’t believe what he\’s been seeing and feels that Morgan has been portrayed as a punk who has shown no bravery or courage.
\”I don\’t know whose fault this is,\” he began. \”Hear me out on this. I\’ve never seen someone have to play a weak champion. Someone who tapped out to get the belt, but remains a babyface. Has to protect her arm, it\’s almost not even playing injured, it\’s like, scared and frail and weak. The stuff with Shayna made her look like a punk – and she\’s the champion!
Prinze wasn\’t just complaining. He offered some suggestions about how things could have been done differently.
\”Don\’t look scared. Look defiant. That should be the note, you know, when Shayna is like, \’I\’m gonna break your hand,\’ she should be looking at her like, \’Do it. Do it now and just get it over with and then we\’ll see if you even get a match.\’\”
\”[Show] something. Some kind of bravery, courage, something, because everything else has been weird. I\’ve never seen a weak babyface champion.\”
Please link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. New episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s podcast Wrestling With Freddie drop Wednesdays.
John Morrison says his Drip Stick gimmick came about after Vince McMahon saw him reference \’drip stick\’ in a promo and saw dollar signs.
During a conversation with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston earlier this week, Morrison says he planned for an elaborate ring entrance that wasn\’t meant to be.
\”First of all, I wrote, \’I\’m gonna moisten somebody up with my drip stick\’ in a promo as kind of a joke. So Vince reads that and he goes, \’Drip Stick? We\’re gonna make a fortune on these drip sticks!\’ He loves it.\”
\”I wanted to have my entrance and then stand on the turnbuckle and have everyone shoot me with their drip sticks. It was going in that direction until people realized the arena would then be soaking wet and we decided we can\’t sell drip sticks.\”
Drip Drop vs. Drip God?
Later during the discussion, Steve Fall asked Morrison if he was bothered by Seth Rollins calling himself the Drip God. \”As far as the drip stuff goes, I don\’t know if he knows what drip is, even,\” he said.
\”I feel like I got pulled back on because Miz left and for some reason, I had like 3 different plans that got changed at the last second.\”
\”So, I was just sitting, and at TV, if you\’re sitting for a couple weeks, then you start getting troubled, because you haven\’t been on TV for a month or two, and suddenly it\’s like.. \’What are we doing with John? I don\’t know, he hasn\’t been on in a while. We need somebody to put over this guy, how about John?\’ I think that\’s kind of what happened, more than Seth Rollins being the cause of it. \”
Watch John Morrison\’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston:
New details have emerged about WWE storyline plans for Edge before his heartbreaking retirement in April 2011.
The Rated R Superstar\’s career was cut short abruptly over a decade ago after he was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis. In an emotional address to the WWE Universe (seen below), Edge said doctors warned him he risked paralysis or even death should he continue wrestling.
The Toronto native never gave up on his dream to wrestle again. Nine years after stepping away from the ring, he made a shocking return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
With Edge pondering retirement once again, this time on his own terms, we\’ve now learned about a major angle WWE creative had in store for him in 2011.
Plans for Edge before 2011 Retirement
On the latest episode of his Wrestling With Freddie podcast, former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. shared a storyline he wrote for Edge that wound up getting scrapped.
\”I actually wrote the story for Edge that he ended up having to pull out of because he retired. We wrote this whole thing where, and it was creepy because it was kind of actually what happened to him.\”
\”He wanted to get the belt on Christian, and Christian was gonna turn on Edge. [He was going to] just for weeks, smash him. It was going to be like when Dave Chappelle spoofed Sesame Street. He was going to do something like that, and they were gonna spell the word spine and what each letter stood for. Just mock what he did to this dude\’s neck. It was this whole thing.\”
\”Then Edge ends up actually hurting his neck. He couldn\’t do the story. So they just wrapped it around Alberto Del Rio. [Christian] ended up getting [the title] for a day.\”
WWE Raw was back in Edge\’s home town of Toronto this week. After Raw went off the air, he addressed the crowd and spoke about his plans to retire once and for all in the near future. More on that story (including video of Edge\’s speech) here:
Please link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. New episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr.\’s podcast Wrestling With Freddie drop Wednesdays.
John Morrison spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston. During their discussion, Morrison spoke about his unceremonious release from WWE, karma catching up to John Laurinaitis and early impressions of Triple H\’s new regime.
Morrison believes there\’s a \”crazy shift\” going on right now in wrestling and certain performers stand to benefit from the changes.
\”There is a crazy shift going on right now in the wrestling world,\” he said. \”I don\’t know exactly what that means for me, but for pro wrestlers out there like me are are unsigned, it means opportunity. Where? I don\’t know. When? I also don\’t know.
\”Sometimes, like with [Karrion] Kross, and Dexter Lumis, the time was right and I think they made the right move. Sometimes it\’s better to wait and sometimes it\’s better to go to the other place. It just depends on who you are and what your style is.\”
He said there are people in WWE he\’d like to work with, including Seth Rollins.
Miz Program Cut Short, No \’Future Endeavors\’
Morrison reveals derailed plans for a feud with the Miz and shares how he coped with his WWE release.
\”We were going to feud, but he missed a couple of Raws before he left for Dancing with the Stars, so that never happened. I don\’t know if the reason for that is public. But, that never happened and that\’s why I was left in limbo, and then.. anyway, I don\’t even want to get into it.\”
– John Morrison
He continued, \”The thing about it is, after [his wife] Taya was gone, I didn\’t want to be there anymore. When I heard I was going to be released, I went through the 8 steps of grief, 10, however many, in the like 30 seconds. From surprise to shock to regret to \’ok.\’
Morrison joked that he was never wished \’the best in his future endeavors\’ when he left WWE. \”I thought he said that to people? I didn\’t get that out of Laurinaitis.\” He questioned if anybody said to him recently and laughed.
\”He created his own problems.\”
– John Morrison on John Laurinaitis
He continued, \”I could talk about .. this subject, for hours, the litany of poor decision making. I think that\’s what most wrestling fans do, and what the wrestlers do. When you\’re actually behind the wheel and you\’re making those decisions, it\’s not that you\’re making a decision in hindsight like we are now.\”
Watch John Morrison\’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston:
Ric Flair thinks the WWE\’s new creative regime led by Paul \”Triple H\” Levesque will continue to yield significant positive changes.
Triple H took over as head of creative and talent relations following Vince McMahon\’s retirement in July 2022. WWE programming has been getting better reviews by industry pundits and fans on social media over the past few weeks.
Flair discussed the new era of WWE on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast. He tells co-host Conrad Thompson that he\’s enjoying the current product. He is also hearing good things from the WWE locker room.
\”I just like the whole show. It\’s enjoyable to watch.\”
– Ric Flair
Flair says it\’s a looser environment behind the scenes and he’s confident Triple H has a good support system to lean on.
Big Change Fans Will Appreciate
(via WWE)
WWE has relied on part-time performers over the past several years. The company\’s top champions and box office attractions are not always working full-time schedules.
\”I don\’t think he\’s crazy about the part-time performers.\”
– Ric Flair on Triple H
Flair believes Triple H will want WWE\’s champions to be available to appear week in and week out.
\”He looks at the big picture totally different than other people do, than other people have,\” said Flair. \”I don\’t think he\’s crazy about the part-time performers. That would be my take on it. As he knows.. he worked every day until the day he got more involved in the office.\”
\”Especially in a title role, the title picture, this is just me taking a guess, I think he\’s going to work towards having people who are champions working more dates. That would be my guess.\”
– Ric Flair
Falling out with Triple H
Conrad asked Ric about the status of his relationship with Triple H. Are they still tight and thick as thieves?
\”Well, I don\’t think we\’re thick as thieves, but I cant tell you this. We had a big falling out over the trademark, \’The Man\’ issue, a big falling out. But, I\’d be very surprised if I wasn\’t in the top 5 people who reached out to Stephanie when he got sick. Certainly, as soon as I became aware of it, I called her and I called him.\”
\”He is the first person I called when [Ric\’s son] Reid died. So, for whatever people want to make about our relationship or not, I feel like everybody has ups and downs. You have arguments, you have disagreements. But I can guarantee you this, I will be at his funeral, and I\’ll guarantee you this, he will be at mine. Everybody else can say what they want to say, make of it what they want to make of it.\”
When Flair returned to WWE in 2001, Hunter was just as instrumental as Vince in welcoming him back into the fold. They knew he was battling big self confidence issues and helped rebuilt himself by pushing him to be his best and not rest on his laurels.
Flair said everything he has today in wrestling, as far as his \’redemption\’ post-WCW, is because of Triple H and Vince.
Please credit Ad Free Shows with a link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article.Visit AdFreeShows.com to subscribe starting at $9/month.
Trish Stratus is regarded as one of the WWE Superstars of all time. Despite her accomplishments, she hasn\’t lost sight of her humble beginnings in the business.
Earlier this month, Stratus became the first woman to accept the Lou Thesz Award as part of her induction into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. The success didn\’t come overnight. It was a long road to the top for the 7-time Women\’s champion.
Stratus recently sat down with DS Shin for Ring The Belle and revealed she was initially hesitant to present herself as a WWE Superstar.
\”In the beginning, we would be at the airport [somebody would] be like, \’Are you a wrestler?\’ and I wouldn\’t say yes because I felt like I didn\’t deserve it.\”
– Trish Stratus
WWE Rookie
Trish Stratus made her WWE debut in 2000 during the Attitude Era. She started off as a heel manager for T&A (Test and Albert) and Val Venis. It wasn\’t long before she was competing in matches. By early 2001, still in her rookie year, Stratus was thrust into the spotlight and featured in a prominent storyline with former WWE boss, Vince McMahon.
Stratus tells Ring the Bell that she initially felt insecure about her role in WWE. She didn\’t take the traditional path to the world\’s most prominent wrestling organization. As a former fitness model, she bypassed the independent minor leagues. Had she earn the right to call herself a wrestler?
\”In the beginning, we would be at the airport, [somebody would] be like, \’Are you a wrestler?\’ and I wouldn\’t say yes because I felt like I didn\’t deserve it, even though I was wrestling, but it was almost like I don\’t want the boys to hear me saying \’Yeah I\’m wrestler\’ and then going \’You\’re not a wrestler. Who do you think you are?\’
Even though I\’m doing the same road schedule as them, I was working every weekend. I was having matches, but it just felt like [I didn\’t belong]. I don\’t know, it took me a long time to be like \’I\’m a worker. It\’s like, respectful of the business.
[I wondered ] \’Do I deserve to be called a wrestler?\’ I mean , I didn\’t come up the traditional way. I didn\’t come up in the in the minor leagues or so to speak, indies and stuff.\”
The humility served Trish Stratus well. She found her way in WWE, to say the least. After several WrestleMania appearances and rivalries that are still spoken about until this day, she retired as Women\’s champion in 2007.
She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and has competed several times since then, including a \’dream match\’ against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019.
Stratus was back on Raw this week in her hometown of Toronto and teased that we may not have seen the last of her in the ring.
A special Tuesday edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS will take place on October 18th from Cincinnati, Ohio (Tickets). This show will run against NXT 2.0 on the USA Network.
This will be the first time in over a year that AEW and NXT run opposite one another. Both companies are expected to present loaded shows. AEW will pull out all the stops to draw fans to a different night, while NXT will also want bragging rights up against its former rival.
As noted earlier, the upcoming WWE Worlds Collide (NXT vs. NXT UK) premium live event is scheduled for Sunday, September 4th, the same day as All Out.
AEW Dynamite Preemption(s)
All Elite Wrestling\’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite, will be affected first. At least one week of Dynamite will have to air on a different channel or date than usual.
The American League Championship Series kicks off Wednesday, October 19th. Game 1 of the ALCS will air live on TBS that night, during AEW Dynamite\’s weekly time slot.
Should the ALCS go to a series-deciding 7th game, the following week\’s Dynamite (Wednesday, October 26th) would also be preempted.
WWE SmackDown Preemption(s)
WWE SmackDown will also be preempted on Friday, October 28th. FOX will be airing Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.
Should the best-of-7 World Series go to 6 games, the September 4th edition of SmackDown would get bumped as well.
SmackDown has aired on FOX cable affiliate FS1 for preemptions, so this is a likely scenario here.
The Undertaker is headed to Cardiff, Wales next month.
WWE has announced The Undertaker\’s \”1 deadMAN SHOW\” stage show will take place Friday, September 2nd at the New Theatre in Cardiff.
This is the day before WWE\’s Clash at the Castle stadium show from Principality Stadium.
Update: Due to overwhelming demand, WWE has added a second 1 deadMAN SHOW to the Undertaker\’s upcoming trip to the UK. An \’early bird\’ show will be held at 1:30pm, ahead of the originally scheduled 8pm evening show.
There will be VIP Meet and Greet sessions prior to each show.
Undertaker\’s 1 deadMAN Show
(WWE)
UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW features The Phenom in an intimate setting, sharing never-before-heard stories from his Hall of Fame career and taking questions from fans in attendance.
These will be the second (and third) presentations of The Undertaker\’s new stage show. The first installment took place last month from Nashville, TN during SummerSlam weekend.
The first show was well-received and drew a strong house on the opening night, despite going head-to-head with the Roast of Ric Flair in the same city.
If you\’re attending WWE Clash at the Castle on Saturday, September 3rd, this is your chance to see WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker like you\’ve never seen him before.
Tickets for the upcoming 1 deadMAN SHOW go on sale this Friday at 10am BST via NewTheatreCardiff.co.uk.
Championships are meant to signify greatness in pro wrestling. In a sport focused around in-ring exhibitions, title belts are the ultimate goal of every competitor. When used effectively, they can draw huge money and spark business. When a company has too many championships, their value diminishes.
Wrestling legend Bully Ray knows a thing or two about having gold around his waist. As one half of the Dudley Boyz, he\’s one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers in history. He\’s seen championships booked correctly and he\’s seen opportunities squandered due to poor planning.
Bully Ray recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston. During a discussion about whether or not the NWA should add a secondary Women\’s Championship, Bully Ray spoke about the broader topic of championships in wrestling.
Make Them Matter
WWE and AEW, the top wrestling promotions in the United States, feature so many sanctioned titles that it\’s difficult to keep track of them all.
Does WWE need two world champions, two sets of tag champions, two mid-card titles, a comedy title, in addition to all the belts in NXT and NXT UK?
Does AEW need two mid-card men\’s titles (TNT and All-Atlantic), an unsanctioned FTW title and new Trios titles?
According to Bully Ray, we\’ve got a problem on our hands.
\”I think the wrestling industry is littered with championships that don\’t mean a damn thing.\”
– Bully Ray
Thankfully, there are some glimmers of hope. Bully Ray pointed out that WWE has done a phenomenal job re-establishing the Intercontinental and United States Championships in recent weeks. Those belts had been watered down to be nothing more than props, but Triple H has given fans a reason to understand and appreciate their lineage.
Bully Ray said it would be great for the NWA to create a Women\’s TV Championship, as a \’workhorse\’ title, and would be open to the idea of Women\’s Tag titles, if they have enough women to warrant them.
The first playable demo for the AEW Fight Forever video game will be featured at this week\’s Gamescom convention from Cologne, Germany.
This will be the first time that AEW\’s in-development console video game can be played by the general public. The game is due out this year, although the release date has yet to be confirmed.
Amazon.com lists December 31st, 2022 as the release date for AEW Fight for the Fallen, but that is a placeholder until the actual date is announced.
In addition to the AEW Fight Forever playable demo, All Elite Wrestling is also sending talent to the convention for a series of live exhibition matches.
From Thursday to Sunday, THQ Nordic will host the first-ever AEW matches from Cologne, Germany. A press release sent in from THQ Nordic reads:
\”Watch famous AEW talents fighting forever (well, maybe not forever) in our very own ring and bring incredible wrestling action right to you.\”
If you can\’t make it to Cologne, Germany, don\’t sweat it. THQ Nordic will be streaming live from the convention center from Wednesday through Sunday live at Twitch.tv/thqnordic.
Roman Reigns portrays the most dominant villain in WWE, but the Tribal Chief still goes out of his way to create special moments for young fans.
Reigns was back in action this past weekend during WWE\’s weekend tour of Canada. He does not appear at many non-televised live events these days. However, he did compete at Saturday Night\’s Main Event from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Canada.
Reigns successfully retained the Undisputed Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match.
After the match, he was making his way backstage when a fan got his attention.
Reigns Breaks Character for a Good Cause
As seen below, a father told Roman Reigns that his son loves him and it\’s his birthday. Reigns stopped in his tracks, embraced the child, shook his hand and wished him a happy birthday. The father couldn\’t contain himself and screamed, \”holy sh*t\” in excitement.
The Reigns vs. McIntyre vs. Sheamus bout was a tune-up for Reigns\’ upcoming showdown with McIntyre at WWE Clash at the Castle.
The heavyweight Superstars are scheduled to headline the upcoming Clash At The Castle premium live event from Cardiff, Wales on September 3rd. This will be WWE\’s first UK stadium show in thirty years.
WWE Saturday Night Slam Results
August 20, 2022, Ottawa, Canada, Canadian Tire Centre
Los Lotharios defeated Butch & Ridge Holland
Natalya defeated Shotzi
Gunther retained the Intercontinental championship against Shinsuke Nakamura
Ricochet defeated Happy Corbin in a No DQ Match
Sami Zayn defeated Madcap Moss
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler defeated Smackdown Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan & Aliyah
Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus
Big E has provided an update on his health five months after breaking his neck.
The former WWE Champion was Ryan Satin\’s latest guest on the Out of Character podcast for Fox Sports. During their discussion, he spoke about his health over the last few months and what the road to recovery looks like.
At this stage, he\’s feeling good. More than anything, he\’s grateful. When he fractured the C1 and C4 vertebrae in his neck, he could have been paralyzed. He could have died. He\’s not experiencing any pain or weakness, which is nothing short of a miracle.
He\’s unsure if he\’ll ever be cleared to wrestle again. The next big update will come in March 2023, one year after the injury. His C1 is not completely ossifying (the bone is not reforming), which could prevent him from getting back in the ring.
Big E is says his neck is \’good enough\’ that doctors aren\’t worried about his ability to live a normal life. Here\’s the word straight from Big E:
\”For right now, I\’m cleared to live a normal life and I do live a normal life. But, I\’m not cleared to be taking off and hitting suicide spears and be to be taking back bumps. The nature of what we do is very physical, it involves your neck and your spine, and I\’d like to keep that as in tact as possible.
So, for me right now, kind of the next step, is they want to take a look at it again after a year, get some more scans, so we\’re talking about March 2023 to see whats doing. We might also along the way, at the 6 and 9 month mark, look it again. But, the upside is that right now, I have no nerve issues, there\’s no tingling, no weakness.\”
I\’ve been in the gym since 2 weeks after breaking my neck. They told me, \’As long as your neck is in the brace, as long as you stay in the brace, you\’re good for that.\’
So, yeah i\’ve been working out, I feel great, I\’m just really grateful. Honestly, it feels like a bullet whizzed by my face. I felt the wind of the bullet go by my head and I\’m very grateful to still be here, to have use of my limbs, to still feel good. That\’s really my biggest takeaway, is just gratitude. I try to be grateful that I\’m still here. I\’m still kicking.\”
Being an Introvert, Dating
Elsewhere in the conversation, Big E spoke about being introverted. On television, he\’s gyrating his hips and riling up the crowd. Some fans might be surprised to learn that when the cameras stop rolling, he likes to relax and have quiet time.
Big E was asked about his dating life. He joked, \”It\’s a mess out here\” and said, \”It\’s a mine field, don\’t do it man!\” He tends to be interested in women that don\’t live anywhere near him. \”I don\’t know what I\’m doing,\” he said. \”I don\’t have it figured out.\”
He\’s open to sharing his life with someone, but never felt the drive to settle down and start a family. He loves working, loves traveling and fears a partner would have a problem with his lifestyle.
Catch Big E\’s chat with Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast:
Hit Row made a \”smash return\” to WWE on the August 12th edition of Friday Night SmackDown. However, they are missing a key component of the original act.
The group, which was comprised of Swerve Strickland, Top Dolla, Ashante \”Thee\” Adonis and B-Fab, were broken up and released from WWE at different points throughout 2021.
Strickland later signed with All Elite Wrestling. Along with Keith Lee, he\’s one half of the reigning AEW World tag team champions.
The three remaining members now look to reestablish themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the SmackDown brand.
During a recent appearance on the Jobbing Out podcast, Top Dolla spoke about how their WWE return came about and his thoughts about the group continuing without Swerve.
Hit Row\’s Road Back to WWE
Hit Row member Top Dolla appeared on the Jobbing Out podcast this week and spoke about their road back to WWE. He never stopped talking to Triple H after his release. They kept in regular touch and said they have a strong relationship.
He kept in touch with other members of WWE management, as well. The day after he was released from WWE, John Laurinaitis (former head of talent relations) called him and said Hit Row would be waned back in WW when the company resumes hiring.
Top Dolla said the group knows they created something special. They never stopped plotting their return and were eager to get back to work. When Triple H came into power at WWE, Top Dolla was waiting for \”the call\” to return. That call came and he told Triple H the crew is ready to come back. Within a week or so, they were back on television.
Hit Row Without Swerve Strickland
Of course, Top Dolla was asked about the absence of Swerve Strickland, the group\’s breakout star during their initial run in NXT.
The former NFL star said it\’s not really a big deal, because the three remaining members have been working together for over two years and were a unit before Swerve was added to the group.
\”Swerve was added to the crew two weeks before we debuted. And – when we got released, he told us he wanted to do his own thing. We didn’t tell him he couldn’t be in Hit Row… He said he wanted to do his own thing. So, he’s doing his own thing.”
– Top Dolla
Top Dolla said he, Ashante \”Thee\” Adonis and B-Fab are the \”OG-3.\” The group was his creation and were just fine before Swerve was added. The three original members feed off of each other creatively and will be just fine on SmackDown.
Listen to Top Dola\’s appearance on the Jobbing Out podcast:
Social media can be a toxic place. This rings especially true for female celebrities, who are often the subject of targeted harassment.
This weekend, WWE Superstar Shotzi deactivated her Twitter account (again) to get away from online negativity.
The controversy began when Shotzi had a tense exchange with on-screen rival, SmackDown Women\’s champion Liv Morgan. Morgan referenced Shotzi deactivating her Twitter account earlier this year, which led to the green-haired grappler firing back with an allegation that caused a lot of commotion on Wrestling Twitter.
Shotzi Claims Liv Morgan Got Ruby Soho Fired
Shotzi claims that Morgan is responsible for getting Ruby Soho released by WWE in June 2011.She told Morgan that she won\’t be the next \”green haired tattooed girl\” to get run over. In fact, she\’s the one that typically does the running over.
Shotzi Deactivates Twitter Again
Shotzi was attempting to stand up for her friend, but was inundated with messages calling her a bully towards Morgan.
Things spiraled out of control when some fans sent death threats. Shotzi saw this as the right time to unplug.
She said \”Bye!\” to her followers and sarcastically wrote that she\’ll be back when she\’s in the mood to \”bully another one of her coworkers\” again.
As noted, this is the second time this year that Shotzi decided Twitter wasn\’t for her. Just last month, she took a break from social media after fans mocked her for botching spots during the women\’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
After this latest exchange, it will be interesting to watch how Liv Morgan and Shotzi interact on WWE television. The two wrestled just days ago, on Friday\’s episode of SmackDown. You can see footage from that match below.
Morgan defends the SmackDown Women\’s Championship against #1 contender Shayna Baszler at the upcoming Clash at the Castle premium live event on September 3.
Charlotte Flair is Steve Austin\’s latest guest on The Broken Skull Sessions.
The two wrestling legends covered a lot of ground during the 90+ minute discussion. Topics discussed included breaking into the business, how her brother\’s death changed the course of her life, coming up with the Four Horsewomen and much more.
The following are the main takeaways of what we learned from Charlotte Flair on Steve Austin\’s Broken Skull Sessions.
They started off talking about her recent wedding to Andrade, which was held in his hometown in Mexico. They honeymooned in Costa Rica and were grateful to have a full 7-day break from wrestling, which is rare these days.
Charlotte said it can be difficult being married to someone in the business, especially someone who works for a different company. At the end of the day, they\’re best friends. It can be tough being married in the business, but it would be even harder being a woman in the business being married to someone on the outside. Few people can understand what a woman goes through as a pro wrestler and spouses who are not in the business would have a very tough time understanding that life.
Breaking into the Business
Charlotte Flair on Steve Austin\’s The Broken Skull Sessions (via WWE)
She\’s done it all at this stage of her career, but becoming a pro wrestler was not a childhood dream of hers. Even at 25 years old, she had no aspirations of being a wrestler. She got emotional talking about her brother Reid\’s passing and carrying out his dream.
Before she got into wrestling, she remembers going backstage at WWE shows with her father and being intimidated by how beautiful all the Divas were.
She attended the Four Horsemen\’s WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2012, along with her father and brother. They were sitting at dinner and a WWE producer came up to them and asked her, \”Why aren\’t you doing this?\”
Got to FCW, didn\’t know what she was doing, felt resentment because she didn\’t need to do a tryout. Her brother passing away put her on a completely different path. It propelled her to the highest heights, but she still hasn\’t fully processed it.
The Four Horsewomen vs. WWE Divas
Charlotte said she learned the most from the women who she came up with, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch. Together, they were dubbed the Four Horsewomen, an homage to her father and the legendary Four Horsemen faction. That was her group, that\’s who she learned from and that\’s who she felt the need to keep up with. She looked up the other women and they all got better by competing with each other.
During the time that the Four Horsewomen were getting buzz in NXT, WWE\’s Divas division took notice. There was a sense of competition between the two rosters. She doesn\’t know if they were making the women on the main roster nervous, but it definitely bred competition.
She remembers the Divas being fired up as the Four Horsewomen were getting called up. Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Bayley were getting time in NXT, while the WWE Divas were not.
\”We were getting the time in NXT, they weren\’t, so it was like, being territorial,\” she said. \”We were hungry, they were hungry, but its not like the four of us [the Four Horsewomen] sat in a room and were like, \’We\’re going to change the game.\’ We just didnt know how to look at it any different. We thought we were just as good.\”
When she got to the main roster, she feuded with Nikki Bella. She remembers Nikki being very hungry to prove herself, which she saw as a good thing overall. She was still pretty green at the time, but felt confident in what they had been doing in NXT.
WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 was a turning point for her career. She was Divas Champion at the time and competed against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch in a match to crown the new WWE Women\’s Champion.
She admits, \”I still at this point don\’t know what I\’m doing.\” Charlotte carries herself with an aura of confidence, which has helped her during times when she wasn\’t so confident.
They felt a lot of pressure going into this match. After the reputation they had built for themselves, they absolutely had to deliver. They were nervous, but knew they had to knock it out of the park to get more opportunities. \”If they trust us, they\’ll give us more.\”
Anyone could have won that night, but in the end, she was the victor. She said, when she won the Divas Championship at Hell in Cell 2015, she didn\’t feel ready. When she won the Women\’s Championship at WrestleMania 32, she felt ready.
Ric Flair
Steve Austin asked about Charlotte\’s father, Ric, and how consistent their views about the business are. How often are they on the same page?
\”It\’s up and down,\” she said. Sometimes she thinks he\’s spot on, sometimes, she thinks he\’s way off. She has a stronger athletic background than her father did. Sometimes, he encourages her to show off more of her athletic abilities, like moonsaults, but she understands and knows he\’s just proud of her abilities
Austin asked what she learned about life on the road, having grown up with a father who was always making towns. She said, she learned what not to do. Ric Flair had so much fun during his wrestling career, she\’s found herself on the opposite side of the spectrum, encouraging herself to loosen up more. She joked that she\’s kept all her robes, laughed and left it at that.
Charlotte admits that she craves approval, but still feels like she\’s a natural heel. Her father is Ric Flair, which is not exactly a relatable trait. Over time, she learned that heel heat is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than babyface pops.
She credits her match against Natalya at the first NXT Takeover (2014) as the moment she truly arrived. It put her on the map and established her in the eyes of the fans. She attained great success on the main roster, but it wasn\’t until her match with Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series 2018 that she felt that she could perform 100% on instinct.
Charlotte Flair also played the \”Word Association\” game, a regular feature on Broken Skull Sessions. Here\’s the first thing that came to mind for Charlotte when presented with the following topics:
Bayley: Role model
Ronda Rousey: Legit
Becky Lynch: Character
Trish Stratus: Queen
Lita: Teacher
Nikki Bella: Star
Asuka: Iron
Liv Morgan: Future
Rhea Ripley: Unfinished business
Watch Charlotte Flair\’s appearance on Steve Austin\’s The Broken Skull Sessions on Peacock.
WWE has a busy weekend ahead, with the Raw and SmackDown crews touring Canada, while NXT has two shows in Florida.
Here are a few interesting notes for what\’s ahead:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be making a rare live event appearance at Saturday\’s SmackDown house show from Ottawa. He\’ll be wrestling in the main event against his Clash at the Castle opponent, Drew McIntyre.
Reigns has been working a greatly reduced schedule over the past several months. He\’s been kept off a few premium live events and does not work many non-televised shows.
Ronda Rousey, who is currently serving \’suspended\’ due to her attacking a referee at SummerSlam, is also back on the road for SmackDown She\’ll be competing in 3-way matches with SmackDown Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan and Natalya.
On the Raw side, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be hosting the events from Kingston, Ontario and London, Ontario. This weekend\’s Raw brand main events will see Theory vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Street Fight. Rollins vs. Riddle is also advertised.
WWE Weekend Schedule
Friday, August 19
Friday Night SmackDown (Montreal, QC)
NXT Live (Lakeland, FL)
Saturday, August 20
NXT Live (Venice, FL)
Saturday Night\’s Main Event – SmackDown (Ottowa, ON)
Shawn Michaels, WWE’s Vice President of Talent Development Creative, was quoted in a press release saying, “Given the success of NXT UK, we felt like it was time to expand beyond that.”
WWE recently canceled upcoming NXT UK TV tapings, which understandably created an aura of uneasiness amongst the roster.
L’équipe, je sais que c’est pré enregistré et que des spoilers sont déjà sortis mais malgré l’annonce de la fin d’NXTUK: je vous invite à regarder jusqu’au bout et à donner de la force. On a tous bossé très dur pour vous divertir. RDV ce soir dès 21h sur le WWE Network. ?
Very thankful to @WWE for allowing me to entertain thousands every week. This is just a road bump for me and I solely believe that. I have a chip to prove and I'm going to do everything I can so I can get back to where I belong. I'll be back! ?? pic.twitter.com/mGpPXup97G
Kenny Omega made a not-so-surprising return on Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite. After a week of speculation, Omega was revealed to be the Young Bucks partner in their first round match of the Trios World Championship tournament.
The reunited Elite defeated Andrade El Idolo, Rush, Dragon Lee to advance to the second round. Following their loss, Andrade and Rush turned on Dragon Lee, effectively ending that short-lived alliance.
After AEW Dynamite went off the air, Kenny Omega addressed the live crowd. He broke character and discussed his long road to recovery, doubting himself along the way, what keeps him motivated and what the future holds for him and The Elite.
After Dynamite Ended
Kenny Omega has been healing from a slew of injuries and procedures over the past 9 months. However long its been, it\’s been pretty grueling. Many times, he questioned himself. He questioned if he\’d be able to come back to AEW and perform at the highest level.
He admits it will take him a while to catch up to the Young Bucks and what they can do in the ring. It may be a while before he can challenge for a singles title again, but this is a work in progress and he\’s very glad that everyone is joining him on this journey.
Omega told the audience, \”Don\’t get it confused I\’m not a good guy. I might even cheat to win every now and then. But one thing that I will say, is when we\’re in this ring, you\’re getting a genuine Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Elite performance from the genuine Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.\”
\”We\’re not pretending to be something we\’re not. We\’re not a tribute act. We\’re not a parody. We\’re not selfish and we\’re not in this for selfish means or for selfish gains.\”
Omega said The Elite is here to leave a legacy. That legacy is not about titles or match ratings or money. The Elite is here to change the world by changing wrestling.
They\’re going to give fans the best wrestling in the world. That\’s always been their mission statement. As long as The Elite are in AEW, they vow to give fans variety every time they perform. Win lose or draw, you\’ll always get their best effort.
The Best is Yet to Come
Early Thursday morning, the Best Bout Machine provided additional commentary on his long road to recovery.
Omega admits he isn\’t 100% just yet, stating, \”the pieces aren\’t all there yet.\”
He does not want to be the weak link on his trios team, but is certain that he and the Young Bucks have a real chance at becoming the first AEW World Trios Champions.
Omega also teased that we haven\’t seen him at his best, which is quite a statement, considering the success he\’s attained in his career.
\”I\’ll surpass where I was at,\” he wrote. \”I\’ll surpass everyone.\”
The pieces aren’t all there yet but I refuse to burden the Bucks with my limitations.
We have a real chance at this. I’ll be even stronger in round 2. I’ll surpass where I was at.
New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to New York City this October.
On Monday, NJPW announced Rumble on 44th Street will take place on Friday, October 28th from the Palladium in Times Square.
This will be a live pay-per-view event that will feature talent from the Stardom women\’s promotion. It will be New Japan\’s first big show from the Big Apple since 2019.
Friday October 28 sees NJPW’s biggest event in the US since Capital Collision this past May, as Rumble on 44th Street hits the Palladium in Times Square. The stars will be out for the fall’s most significant American card, which will include the best of STARDOM for the very first time as part of an NJPW card in America!
Rumble on 44th Street tickets go on sale next Thursday, August 25th. There will be a pre-sale held on August 22nd, which cans can sign up for here.
Another former WWE Superstar is hoping to become All Elite in the near future.
The AEW roster features a healthy mix of homegrown talent, former WWE stars and legends. Competitors such as PAC, Malakai Black, Andrade, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland are just some of the names who joined Tony Khan\’s promotion hoping to show fans their true potential.
Miro is a great example of a former WWE star who has taken advantage of the creative freedom offered by AEW. Having reinvented himself as The Redeemer, Miro has done a commendable job establishing a new character that is completely different from his former persona, Rusev.
God\’s Favorite Champion has long spoken about his hot, flexible wife. After countless references to his better half, it sounds like former WWE Superstar CJ Perry (Lana) is itching to get back to business.
Lana Wants to Join AEW
CJ Perry appeared on Wednesday\’s edition of Busted Open Radio and spoke about Miro\’s success in AEW.
Miro was courted by Julia Hart to join the House of Black faction last week on Dynamite. He rejected the offer, but the interaction caught Perry\’s attention.
According to Perry, she didn\’t like seeing Hart proposition her man. She was so enraged by the interaction that she was ready to retaliate with violence.
\”I’m not a jealous type of person, but I was furious. I wanted to literally show up and slap the shit out of her.\”
– CJ Perry on Julia Hart
She wasn\’t done venting about what she wants to do to Julia Hart. Perry continued, \”She does all these cute pictures on Instagram and her vibe is very House of Black, then she shows up in a blazer. I will literally dropkick her in the face.\”
CJ Perry was asked if she\’d be interested in working with Miro in AEW. As we saw in WWE, the married couple has undeniable on-screen chemistry.
\”Hopefully, I get a chance to do that,\” she said. \”I’d love to do something with Miro in AEW. We’ll see what happens.”
Watch CJ Perry’s comments about wanting to join AEW:
Miro spoke with WhatCulture last month and had this to say about his wife possibly joining AEW:
“You never know. She’s really focused on CJPerry.com, her website, and everything it has to do with. She’s doing movies, she’s producing movies, so she’s really, really busy. But like I said in my interview, it’s about my god, my gold and my gorgeous wife.\”
He says he and his wife have always been \”money\” wherever they\’ve gone, whether it\’s pro wrestling, reality television or online digital content.
\”In my mind, in The Redeemer’s mind, his wife is always there, so it’s a no-brainer for my gorgeous wife to join my team eventually and walk through fools together.”
All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with a special \”House of the Dragon\” themed edition of AEW Dynamite from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia.
The show is being presented as a promotional tie-in to the Game of Thrones spinoff series premiering this Sunday on HBO Max.
Dynamite will feature a huge 2 out of 3 falls main event, a Trios Tournament first round match, a special appearance by Ricky \”The Dragon\” Steamboat and more.
Daniel Garcia shocked the world when he defeated Bryan Danielson last month. Can the Jericho Appreciation Society member do it again?
The Young Bucks need a partner for the AEW World Trios Championship tournament. \”Hangman\” Adam Page turned them down last week. Will they be able to find a suitable third man?
AEW Dynamite Preview (8/17)
AEW has announced the following for tonight\’s AEW Dynamite:
Best-of-3 Falls Match: \”The American Dragon\” Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia
Trios Tournament (First Round): Andrade El Idolo, Rush and Dragon Lee vs. The Young Bucks and a Mystery Partner
Toni Storm vs. KiLynn King
The Gunn Club vs. The Varsity Blondes
Plus, wrestling legend Ricky \”The Dragon\” Steamboat will serve as the special guest time keeper for tonight\’s matches.
Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and news coming out of the show.
AEW Control Center
AEW has produced this special \”control center\” preview for tonight\’s House of the Dragon episode of Dynamite:
Triple H posted a Twitter thread on Tuesday afternoon to hype tonight\’s NXT Heatwave special on the USA Network.
WWE\’s head of talent relations and creative ran down the full card and explained why fans should invest in the performers and rivalries.
The following has been lightly edited for clarity:
\”There has been a lot of excitement around the WWE Universe on Raw and SmackDown, but wanted to share thoughts on the great work the talent and coaches [in] NXT have been doing and the matches at NXT Heatwave tonight on the USA Network.\”
Carmelo Hayes vs. Giovanni Vinci
\”Consistency is a characteristic of any great performer. Carmelo Hayes has been just that. As NXT North American champion, he\’s been equal parts entertaining and impressive in the ring.
He also complimented Hayes\’ opponent, Giovanni Vinci, stating that the challenger knows what it takes to win.
Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo (Street Fight)
\”No matter how experienced you are, leading a group of your peers is difficult. You have to be equal parts teammate and visionary. BOTH Santos Escobar and Tony D\’Angelo have thrived in that role and have discovered a lot about themselves in this process.\”
Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez
\”You don\’t fight with anyone harder than your best friend. (Right, Shawn Michaels?) For both Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez, the sky is the limit and while this match may seem a personal vendetta, I think it is just the beginning of another fabled tale of the NXT Women\’s Division.\”
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark
\”Zoey Stark\’s week is packed. Not only does she tag with Nikkita Lyons in the Women\’s tag title tournament on SmackDown, but tonight she faces Mandy Rose for the NXT Women\’s Championship.
Another massive step in her growth and development, but since coming to NXT, Mandy Rose has demonstrated to everyone the kind of dedication she has always brought to her career. In what is now a record reign, she has solidified her position at the top of women\’s division and for good reason.\”
NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh
\”The list of NXT Champions features competitors throughout the entirety of our industry\’s landscape. Bron Breakker, to many, was thrust into his role as \’top dog\’ but has grown immensely as not only the person with the title, but a student of the game.
All the while, Jordan Devlin continues to level up. The audience is familiar with his skill in the ring, his journey through NXT UK and the passion and guts he brings to each performance. He\’s entered into a new landscape & embraced it. I\’m excited to see these two tonight.\”
Major League Wrestling has announced another international promotion will be participating in the upcoming MLW Super Series event.
Super Series \’22 takes place Sunday, September 18th at the Space Event Center in Norcross, Georgia. This is MLW\’s debut event in the greater Atlanta area.
The card will feature talent from multiple companies from around the world.
On Tuesday, MLW announced DRAGONGATE will also be represented on the card.
MLW x AAA x DRAGONGATE
The first competitor from the DRAGONGATE envoy competing at MLW Super Series will be none other than Shun Skywalker. Skywalker is a former Open The Dream Gate Champio and is regarded as one of the best wrestlers in Japan.
MLW CEO Court Bauer had this to say about Skywalker\’s involvement:
“Skywalker has been the most requested wrestler MLW fans have hoped to see in an MLW ring since we began a strategic alliance with DRAGONGATE,” said Bauer. “Now the day has arrived when Skywalker will walk down that aisle and fight in Major League Wrestling. I want to thank the entire DRAGONGATE organization, as well as Mr. Kido being a part of this historic card in Atlanta.”
For more information on this show, including the current card and talent signed to appear, visit: MLW Super Series \’22.
Paul Wight recently spoke with CricketNext about his role with AEW, what it\’s like working for Tony Khan and the importance of wrestling fans having an alternative to WWE.
Since joining AEW in March 2021, Paul Wight has appeared as himself, not the Big Show character wrestling fans have known since 1999. WWE owns the intellectual property rights to the Big Show character. Wight likened himself to an actor playing Captain America, a character owned by Marvel.
When he was first approached about joining AEW, he was concerned about leaving the Big Show behind. He spent over 20 years building that identity and it was a big step to leave that behind.
Establishing His Own Identity
At the end of the day, Paul Wight felt it was the right move to chart a new path as himself. Despite the Big Show\’s global notoriety, he\’s always more comfortable being in his own skin.
After considering Tony Khan\’ss offer to join AEW, he couldn\’t say no to the chance to be himself on television, do commentary and occasionally compete.
Wight says he likes the challenge of establishing his true identity. Behind the scenes, he\’s also mentoring AEW\’s young talent. One of the big lessons he\’s tried to instill is that talent has to believe in themselves. \”If you don’t believe in it, the fans won’t believe in it.\”
On television, he\’s a larger than life figure. When the cameras stop rolling, he says, \”I\’m just a regular dude. He’s got 12 cats and goes to the grocery store like everyone else.
Wight had glowing things to say about Tony Khan, who he believes is a die-hard wrestling fan who truly cares about the business.
He also emphasized the importance of having a viable alternative to WWE. Not everybody wants \’soap opera\’ sports entertainment and AEW tries to offer a more sports-based product for wrestling fans.
The next themed episode of NXT 2.0 is NXT Heatwave. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16th and will air live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida.
Five big matches are signed for NXT Heatwave, including three championship bouts.
The following is a preview for the event:
NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. Giovanni Vinci
Street Fight: Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo (If Escobar wins, Legado is free; if D’Angelo wins, Santos must leave NXT)
Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez
Main Event Preview
The main event of NXT Heatwave will see JD McDonagh challenge Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship.
WWE has produced the following video recapping this feud:
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