The match card for WWE Clash at the Castle is starting to take shape.
WWE\’s first UK stadium event in 30 years takes place Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Approximately 63,000 tickets have been sold for the event, as of last week (via WrestleTix). The venue is configured to accommodate nearly 72,000 people and this show might just sell out as we get closer to bell time.
SEScoops will be covering WWE Clash at the Castle from all angles. Stay tuned for more news, our expert staff predictions, betting odds and more.
Clash at the Castle Matches
Monday\’s edition of WWE Raw saw the return of Riddle. The Original Bro called out the man he was supposed to face at SummerSlam, Seth \’Freakin\’ Rollins.
Later in the show, Rollins was in the ring cutting a promo when he was attacked by Riddle. This ignited an intense brawl that spilled over into the crowd.
WWE has since confirmed Riddle vs. Rollins is signed. With that match set, here\’s the updated card for WWE Clash at the Castle:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler
Riddle vs. Seth Rollins
Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky
Stay tuned to SEScoops as more matches are announced for WWE Clash at the Castle.
How to Watch
WWE Clash at the Castle takes place Saturday, September 3rd. The show begins at 1pm ET.
Clash at the Castle will stream live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Clash at the Castle is gearing up to be one of WWE\’s biggest events of 2022.
WWE runs premium live events every month, but Clash at the Castle will be the company\’s first stadium event from the United Kingdom in 30 years. It all goes down Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
WWE has promised a big card for Clash and so far, we\’re on course. Announced matches include:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
SmackDown Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler
Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky
More matches are sure to be announced in the coming days, but one former WWE Champion has confirmed he will not be there.
AJ Styles Won\’t Be There
The Phenomenal didn\’t compete at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam. Unfortunately, he won\’t be wrestling at Clash of the Castle, either.
Styles broke the news during a recent interview with Inside the Ropes.
\”I would love to put on a show,\” said Styles. \”I don\’t know that I have a story or anything, and it\’s a shame. There are plenty of other performers that have great stories, so I\’m not saddened by the fact that I won\’t be there because I know you guys are going to have such a great night with so many great matches.\”
Based on Styles comments, it\’s a bit unclear as to why he\’s miss missing three conjecture premium live events. He\’s been competing on television, so it\’s not an injury.
Watch AJ Styles\’ recent interview with Inside The Ropes, featuring Styles\’ thoughts on AEW, Triple H taking over WWE creative and much more:
AEW has been criticized for signing too many former WWE performers, but that trend does not appear to be slowing down.
Ariya Daivari is the latest wrestler to sign a full-time deal with AEW, according to Fightful.
Daivari has been featured on AEW programming over the past several weeks. The former 205 Live star has been throwing his not-so-hard earned money around in AEW. He leads the Trustbusters faction, a group that has been making noise on AEW Dark.
Ariya Daivari in AEW
(AEW)
Since joining AEW, Ariya Daivari has received a fair degree of creative direction. He\’s positioned as a \”trust fund kid\” who has a lot of not-so-hard-earned money to throw around.
The Trustbusters faction includes Daivari, Slim J, fellow WWE castoff Parker Bordeoux and Sonny Kiss is the latest addition.
Aside from his work on-screen, Daivari has also worked as a producer behind-the-scenes for AEW. He recently helped put together the Thunderstorm vs Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter match from AEW Dynamite. The bout got rave reviews, which only helped Daivari\’s standings behind the scenes.
In addition to some critics feeling that Tony Khan is signing too many former WWE wrestlers, certain AEW performers have publicly expressed frustration with the company. Last week, company president Tony Khan addressed the chatter that underutilized performers are growing frustrated. You can read his reaction at the link below:
There is a case to be made that AEW should focus on the talent already under contract. However, someone like Ariya Daivari is extremely talented. At 33 years old, he\’s in his athletic prime and has a lot to offer the business on and off screen. As noted earlier, he\’s starting off on the right foot. Daivari\’s character is being developed and a faction is being built around him, so it does appear that AEW has the creative \’bandwidth\’ for him.
We\’ll wait and see how Ariya Daivari does in the months ahead.
WWE rolls into Washington, D.C. tonight with a live edition of Monday Night Raw from the Capital One Arena.
We\’re on the road to WWE\’s next premium live event, Clash at the Castle, which takes place in less than three weeks (Sep. 4).
As of this writing, WWE is advertising three main items for Raw.
Lashley vs. Styles
Bobby Lashley defends the United States Championship against AJ Styles. Lashley has promised to be a fighting champion and he is backing up his words week after week.
Interestingly, this will be the first clash between Lashley and Styles inside a WWE ring. Lashley and Styles are two of WWE\’s most talented performers, so we recommend fans go out of their way to watch this match.
Women\’s Tag Tournament Continues
Alexa Bliss and Asuka will face Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop in a first round match for the tournament to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The winners of this opening round contest will advance to face Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky next week.
Riddle Returns
Riddle returns to Raw. WWE\’s resident \’Bro\’ will provide an update on his status after his altercation with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.
Also Appearing
The Capital One Arena website is also hyping appearances by Bianca Belair, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Kevin Owens, Theory, Alpha Academy, and The Street Profits.
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE Raw Results and Live Discussion. After the show, SEScoops corespondent Steve Fall checks in with his reactions.
Longtime WWE photographer Tom Buchanan says he was shocked and offended at an idea Vince Russo had for a 1998 WWF Magazine cover shoot featuring DeGeneration-X (DX).
DX was at the forefront of the Attitude Era, a chapter in WWE history that was all about pushing the limits, testing boundaries and often times, crossing the line. WWE programming featured antics that were \”edgy\” to say the least and would no longer be socially acceptable.
According to Buchanan, Vince Russo came up with an idea for DX\’s WWF Magazine cover shoot that he refused to carry out. In the end, Russo\’s \”out there\” concept never saw the light of day, but we now know what he intended to do.
If you know anything about the Attitude Era and the type of humor that was popular at the time, you probably won\’t be shocked to learn the proposed \’punchline\’ relates to the late WWE Hall of Famer Chyna\’s gender identity.
DX, The American Flag & Chyna\’s…
Here\’s the full story Buchanan posted on Facebook:
\”In life there are battles you win, battles you lose, and battles that are negotiated to an uncomfortable settlement.
In the late 1990’s WWF was getting very edgy, and that was especially so in the magazine division under the direction of Vince Russo. We started publishing RAW Magazine in 1996 with the general concept that it would be a “shoot” oriented publication for a mature audience seeking the edge of edginess, and the legacy WWF Magazine would be a “work” publication for a family-type readership.
So I was troubled, really troubled, when Russo said we would celebrate United States Independence Day by putting Degeneration-X (DX) on the cover of the July 1998 WWF Magazine, and then presented his creative vision for the image. In his mind the five members of DX would be positioned behind a big American Flag with Chyna dead center. The American flag would cover their midsections but leave their bare shoulders exposed, and they’d be wearing old style white judicial wigs. At the bottom we’d see their bare legs in goofy slippers. The center of the American Flag would be right bellow Chyna’s belly button, and we’d position a piece of wood poking against it from behind, giving the impression that Chyna was sporting a giant erection while surrounded by naked men.
I found the entire concept offensive, and told Russo straight up that I wouldn’t shoot it, which was an almost unheard of flat-refusal. That turned into an ugly shouting match in the second floor hallway of Titan Tower, and we both had to back off and let the temperature cool for a bit. Within a day or so I had calmed down and could articulate specific concerns about desecration of the American Flag and the grotesque insinuation that Chyna had a penis. Plus, this photo was planned as the cover of a family magazine that lived or died with newsstand sales, which required that big distributors be willing to carry the magazine, and that shopkeepers in the American heartland be willing to display it openly on their magazine racks.
We fought hard. Eventually Russo agreed that we didn’t need to use a current American Flag, and could substitute the Betsy Ross flag. That helped, but he still insisted on the simulated nudity and the erection gimmick. That was a no-go for me, but I agreed to ask freelancer Rich Freeda if he would be willing to shoot the picture.
I checked in with Rich and gave him a no-penalty option of refusal, with a commitment that I’d take the heat. Rich was also uncomfortable, but he was willing to do the shoot as long as I was there to negotiate with Russo and the talent. I quietly worked with our art directors to come up with softer alternatives in case the whole shebang blew up on set, and then we scheduled the shoot backstage at a TV event. My recollection is that none of the talent were bothered by the flag, but Chyna balked at the simulated nudity and the insinuation that she had a penis.
I grabbed Russo, and after talking it over with me and Chyna, and Rich Freeda, he reluctantly agreed that Chyna could be in front of the flag, dead center, looking tough, while the seemingly naked guys were being smug and goofy behind the flag. And that’s the way Rich shot the photo, as I looked on, still not happy with the image, but knowing I had at least softened it from the original plan and brought us to an uncomfortable settlement.\”
The Final WWF Magazine Cover
Here is the WWF Magazine cover in question, which was a toned-down version from what Vince Russo originally envisioned:
WWE\’s creative reshuffling continues, as a pair of former tag team champions are going their separate ways.
This week\’s edition of WWE Main Event, taped Monday before Monday Night Raw, featured former tag team champions squaring off against one another.
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander competed against one another on the show. This is the latest sign that their team, and the Hurt Business faction, are dead and buried.
Alexander got the victory in this battle of former partners. After the match, they embraced one another in a mutual sign of respect.
Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander were formerly part of the Hurt Business faction, along with Bobby Lahley and MVP.
The faction achieved a great deal of success during its limited run. Benjamin and Alexander were a big part of that success, capturing the Raw tag team championships from the New Day back in 2020 at the Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) premium live event.
The Hurt Business has dissolved, with each member going its separate way. MVP turned on Bobby Lashley and sided with Omos, while Benjamin and Alexander are no longer teaming up together. Omos and MVP have since broken up, as well.
The Hurt Business
Despite the group breaking up, Bobby Lashley recently expressed interest in a Hurt Business reunion. During a recent appearance on WWE\’s Out of Character podcast, Lashley said he might call on Alexander, Benjamin or MVP to help take down Omos.
When asked about a potential Hurt Business reunion, Lashley said, “You know what, I was thinking about what could happen to actually bring us together, and I thought about this the other day. I was like, if [MVP] made Omos too dangerous where he couldn’t contain him anymore, and Omos turned on him, he would need somebody to help him. There’s only one person that can beat Omos. I may need some help. You’ve got Cedric, you’ve got Shelton, you have MVP. We could take him down and we’re babyfaces again. [Fans] would love us.”
Lashley is the reigning WWE United States Champion. As part of his quest to find worthy challengers, he recently named Benjamin and Alexander as men he\’d like to see step up and take a shot at him.
Watch the Top 10 Beset Moments of the Hurt Business:
Charlotte Flair is the next guest appearing on Steve Austin\’s Broken Skull Sessions.
Broken Skull Sessions features WWE Hall of Famer \”Stone Cold\” Steve Austin having candid conversations with some of the industry\’s biggest stars. Recent guests have included Sami Zayn, Jeff Jarrett, Cody Rhodes and Bubba Ray Dudley.
Episode 30 with Charlotte Flair premieres on Peacock next Friday, August 19th.
WWE has curated this playlist of \”unforgettable\” stories from Broken Skull Sessions:
Charlotte Flair\’s Hiatus from WWE
Charlotte Flair has been out of action since May. Her last match took place at WrestleMania Backlash, when she dropped the SmackDown Women\’s Championship to Ronda Rousey.
After the match, WWE announced that Charlotte Flair would be \”out of action indefinitely\” due to \”injuries\” she sustained during the match at WrestleMania Backlash.
\”Judo\” Gene LeBell has passed away at the age of 89.
Nicknamed \”The Godfather of Grappling,\” LaBell is an icon in the worlds of martial arts and pro wrestling. He was also an actor, stuntman and so much more.
LeBell earned a 10th degree red belt in Judo and a 9th degree black belt in Ju-jitsu. He also trained some of combat sports most famous names including Chuck Norris, the late \”Rowdy” Roddy Piper and WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey.
For more on Gene LaBell\’s storied life and professional career, check out his Wikipedia page.
In December 1963, perhaps the first televised MMA fight took place as Gene LeBell representing the Japanese martial arts (Judo) took on Milo Savage representing modern Western Boxing.
Here are some reactions to the passing of the great Gene LeBell:
Everyone here at the CAC is saddened to hear the legendary "Judo" Gene LeBell has passed away at the age of 89. A long time supporter & lifetime member of the CAC. He was an actor, pro wrestler, martial artist, stuntman and more. Our sincerest condolences to his family & friends pic.twitter.com/cRZsD8PCWn
Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment. A teacher to many of the sport’s greats, his influence is felt throughout @WWE to this day. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.
AEW joins the wrestling world in mourning the passing of “Judo” Gene Lebell. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/epDTGpY16q
Sad to hear about the death of Gene LeBell, unique life, judo champion, enforcer, announcer, wrestler, stunt man, coach (including Ronda Rousey & Roddy Piper) and self promoter, lots of write about in this one.
“I won every R-E-A-L fight I ever had & was penniless. I LOST every R-E-E-L fight I ever had and made millions” — Judo Gene trying to convince me to quit fighting and go into Hollywood stunt work.
Unfortunately we never met but I’ve read and heard lots of stories and eye witness accounts and we shared a lot of mutual friends. Rest well “Judo” Gene LeBell.
Tony Khan is setting the record straight about AEW possibly expanding its pay-per-views to be two-night events.
During a Wednesday appearance on Busted Open Radio, Khan squashed the rumor that AEW will be shifting to 2-night pay-per-view weekends.
AEW currently runs four big pay-per-view events per year: Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out, and Full Gear. The shows typically run for four or five hours, which many fans find excessive.
AEW star Dustin Rhodes recently stated that AEW will address this issue by expanding pay-per-view events to 2 nights, similar to what WWE does with WrestleMania.
According to Tony Khan, Rhodes is mistaken and this is not the case.
AEW Not Shifting to 2-Day Pay-Per-Views
Dustin Rhodes appeared at the \”Terrificon\” convention Fandom Spotlite and said:
\”I think we\’re going to go to two-day events now, for pay-per-views. I believe. I\’ve heard that down the pike. It\’ll be like a WrestleMania experience, you have two days of Double or Nothing or two-days of All Out or Revolution.\”
Tony Khan says he\’s not sure what Dustin Rhodes is talking about here, because it\’s not something that has been seriously discussed internally. He made it very clear: AEW is definitely not shifting to 2-day PPV events in the foreseeable future.
\”I love Dustin so much and I was surprised that he said it because it\’s not something we seriously internally discussed.”
– Tony Khan
All Elite Wrestling\’s next pay-per-view event is AEW All Out,. The show takes place Sunday, September 4th at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (outside Chicago).
AEW President Tony Khan has addressed the chatter that certain performers are unhappy with their roles in the company.
Khan spoke with Josh Martinez of Z100\’s Superstar Crossover this week to promote Wednesday\’s Quake by the Lake edition of AEW Dynamite.
In addition to hyping up the latest themed Dynamite, Khan was asked about disgruntled members of the AEW locker room.
According to TK, \”the vibe is really positive\” in AEW and he believes people are excited for the big season ahead. He touted AEW\’s recent management hires and promotions and said they\’re focused on continuing to improve communication with talent.
Listen to Josh Martinez\’s interview with Tony Khan on Superstar Crossover for Z100:
Improving Communication
\”Well, we have a great crew, we\’re very happy with the shows we\’ve been doing,\” said Khan. \”I think we\’ve got a great team of people. I recently did some promotions and added to the team, and I think with the new group, hopefully, communication is only going to get better, because I can only be in so many places at one time and talk to so many people on such a big team.\”
He continued, \”I think that will help, but also, I jus tin general think we have a really great environment and a really great backstage, and overall it\’s been a really great summer for us and it\’s only going to get better. A lot of the big stars in AEW have been out, so it\’s been great for us to maintain position.\”
\”The Vibe is Really Positive\”
(via AEW)
AEW Dynamite has been the top show on cable on Wednesdays for 6 of the past 7 weeks, a feat that Khan feels deserves some attention. That consistency has been thanks to the wrestlers and staff they have, and of course, wrestling fans.
Khan says there\’s a lot of good camaraderie and momentum in AEW, but it\’s been challenging to feature everybody regularly when they only have 3 hours of cable TV programming each week.
\”I can\’t get everybody on to the show,\” said Khan. \”It is challenging in some ways when you have 3 hours of television. I get that if you\’re looking at a competitor that has 7 hours of television, that really, the people in that company are more than twice as likely to be on TV, if you look at it that way.\”
\”So, I think it\’s very competitive for spots, but it also means that people have to do the most to maximize the time they do get, wherever it is, whether its on TV or streaming.\”
He added that overall, there are no serious morale issues in AEW.
\”Overall, I think the vibe is really positive and we\’re all really excited.\”
– Tony Khan
AEW has a big couple months coming up, with All Out taking place in early September and Grand Slam, the company\’s biggest TV event of the year, just a few weeks after that.
AEW Morale Issues?
Here are some recent articles related to possible morale issues in AEW:
Solo Sikoa was diagnosed with a sprained PCL on Tuesday\’s edition of NXT 2.0. The PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) is a ligament in the knee.
According to the WWE medical professional who examined Sikoa, he\’ll be out of action for 4-6 weeks while he heals up. Thankfully, it\’s not torn or broken. As a result, he will miss next week\’s NXT Heatwave special.
It\’s believed that Sikoa tweaked his knee during his Falls Count Anywhere match against Von Wagner next week. On this week\’s NXT 2.0, Cameron Grimes visited Sikoa in the trainers room to congratulate him on that match.
Sikoa made it clear that he\’s got his sights set on the NXT North American Championship, currently held by Carmelo Hayes.
Solo Sikoa (Joseph Fatu) is a member of the legendary Anoa\’i wrestling dynasty. He\’s the real-life brother of The Usos and son of Attitude Era star Rikishi.
Below, you can watch highlights of the hard-hitting war between Sikoa and Von Wagner from the August 2nd episode of NXT 2.0:
Fans of the WWE 2K video game series have reason to be optimistic about the franchise\’s future.
WWE 2K22, released back in March, promised to \”hit different\” after WWE 2K20 was so buggy that the following year\’s installment was scrapped entirely. Thankfully, it lived up to the hype and was well-received by critics and gamers alike.
WWE 2K20 on PS4 had an aggregate critic score of 43/100 (via Metacritic), while the PS5 edition of WWE 2K22 earned a 77/100.
The fate of the WWE 2K franchise hinged on the success of this year\’s game. According to Take-Two Interactive, WWE 2K23 is already in the works.
Take-Two Interactive released its fiscal 2023 first quarter earnings report earlier this week. It cited WWE 2K22 as one of its best-selling games for the quarter, contributing to the company\’s healthy sales figures and net revenue:
\”The largest contributors to GAAP net revenue were NBA® 2K22; Grand Theft Auto® Online and Grand Theft Auto V; Red Dead Redemption® 2 and Red Dead Online; Empires & Puzzles™; Tiny Tina\’s Wonderlands®; WWE® 2K22; Rollic\’s hyper-casual portfolio; Toon Blast™; The Quarry®;and Top Eleven®.\”
More importantly, Take-Two Interactive lists WWE 2K23 as one of the games scheduled to be released by the end of its fiscal 2023 calendar.
Take-Two\’s fiscal year ends March 31, 2023, so it looks like WWE will be sticking with the format of releasing the new video game at the height of WrestleMania season.
We\’ll keep you posted as more details become available regarding WWE 2K23.
WWE 2K23 is not not the only wrestling video game in development. As we\’ve been covering, All Elite Wrestling is also working on its first console video game, titled AEW Fight Forever.
AEW has yet to confirm the release date, but Fight Forever is due out some time before the end of this year. Instead of directly competing with WWE\’s simulation-style offering, Fight Forever looks to be more of an arcade-style game that fans can pick up and play.
Major League Wrestling has announced the main event for the upcoming MLW Super Series event from the greater Atlanta, GA area.
MLW World Champion Alex Hammerstone will put his gold on the line against high-flying luchador, Bandido.
The following is from MLW\’s official match preview and provides backstory on this championship showdown:
\”With no man having pinned or submitting Bandido since debuting in MLW in January, this luchador has put himself in contention for a championship bout, a bout that was originally set for the Battle Riot IV.\”
\”Collecting championships from Mexico to the United Kingdom, Bandido now has MLW’s most cherished gold on his mind. Grabbing this prize wouldn’t just bring him bragging rights for AAA and his homeland but make him the World Champion.\”
MLW Super Series \’22
MLW Super Series goes down Sunday, September 18th at the Space Event Center at in Norcross, GA. The card is a FUSION TV taping, airing on beIN SPORTS nationwide.
Super Series has been dubbed a \”cross-promotional summit\” and will feature talent from Mexico\’s Lucha Libre AAA promotion.
Lex Luger is one of the most successful wrestlers of the past 30 years. The Total Package is the subject of the latest Biography: WWE Legends, premiering on A&E this Sunday night at 10/9C.
WWE has released a few teaser clips from the episode, including one of Luger telling a captivating story about how he chose his in-ring name.
Lex Luger Name Origin
(A&E)
Lex Luger is objectively a great ring name. Lawrence Pfohl had the look, the athleticism and the charisma to back it up. According to Luger, he came up with the name less than an hour before his debut match.
Right before his television debut for Championship Wrestling from Florida (1985), he was sitting in the office and they asked what his wrestling name would be. He replied that he didn\’t have a ring name. With his in-ring debut fast approaching, everyone began scrambling of what to call him.
Lex raised his hand timidly and said, \”I\’ve got a name.\” His favorite television show at the time was Magnum P.I. Everybody just called him Magnum. If Tom Selleck could be called Magnum, Lex figured, \”I should be called Luger,\” after the German firearm.
They asked if he had a first name, he took a moment and replied, \”Lex,” an homage to comic book supervillain Lex Luthor.
In a humorous humble-brag, he quipped, \”It kind of worked out pretty good.\”
Hall of Fame Bound?
Despite a storied career that includes 2 World Heavyweight title reigns in WCW, Luger is one of the biggest names who is not part of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Luger was on bad terms with WWE for many years due to the abrupt nature of his departure in 1995. At the time, he had been working for WWE without a contract. To the dismay of his former boss Vince McMahon, Luger shocked the world by making a surprise appearance on the debut episode of WCW Monday Nitro. It was the first shot fired in the Monday Night War.
Many legends have advocated for WWE to bestow this honor on Luger, including Jim Ross and Mick Foley.
Jim Ross said, \”If they want to tell stories and they want a visual, Lex is obviously, thank God, still alive. Here’s a guy that will be rolled onto the stage to tell his story, he’s in a wheelchair. If you’re looking for a story, this could be a great story and a story of success because Lex found true happiness in his faith. I think that he’ll be in and I think it will be a great induction, I truly believe that. I think that some old wounds just don’t heal as quickly as others when you embarrass the company to some degree.”
Luger recently told Sports Illustrated that he\’d be so honored by a WWE Hall of Fame induction, “I might pop out of the [wheel] chair for that. I would take that chance if that moment comes. That honor would be the cherry on top of my career.”
Catch Biography: WWE Legends on A&E Sunday nights at 10/9C.
Sasha Banks and Naomi made their first public appearances on Saturday since \’walking out\’ of WWE back in May.
The duo held autograph signings at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) at McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America.
Wrestling fans were eager to see the former WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions for the first time in months. They will be back again on Sunday for another round of signings.
It\’s interesting to note that Sasha Banks is advertised by her real name, Mercedes Vernado. However, as seen below, she\’s sporting multi-colored hair, a signature of WWE\’s Sasha Banks character.
Sasha Banks and Naomi were \’suspended indefinitely\’ by WWE after reportedly walking out of a Monday Night Raw taping due to creative difference. A lot has changed since then, most notably Vince McMahon\’s retirement. More recently, it\’s been rumored that Sasha Banks and Naomi are in talks for a return.
Other WWE legends in attendance for C2E2 include Mick Foley, Trish Stratus and Lita, who participated in a panel.
Here are some photos of Sasha Banks and Naomi from C2E2 2022:
All Elite Wrestling presented AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night from Columbus, Ohio at the Schottenstein Center. The main event saw Chris Jericho defeat Wheeler Yuta to earn a shot at AEW World Champion Jon Moxley next week at Quake by the Lake.
Dynamite went off the air with Moxley and Jericho talking trash about the upcoming title match.
Rick Ucchino of Cageside Seats was in attendance and tweeted throughout the show. He provided an update about what happened after Dynamite and before AEW began taping Friday\’s episode of Rampage.
According to Ucchino, Jon Moxley cut a promo after Dynamite went off the air.
While Moxley was talking, he was interrupted by QT Marshall. This led to Mox to name-drop none other than Cody Rhodes while burying the leader of The Factory.
Jon Moxley cuts a promo after Dynamite. QT Marshall interrupts and says they don’t have the production capital to keep the show going.
Mox: “Hey guys this it QT… he’s the guy who used to wet wipe Cody Rhodes’ asshole.” ??? #AEWDynamite
The main event of Friday\’s AEW Rampage will see Jon Moxley vs. the debuting Mance Warner.
Also on Rampage, the legend Madison Rayne also debuts, and AEW World tag team champions Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland are in action against Tony Neese and Josh Woods.
WWE brings WrestleMania to Hollywood in 2023. WrestleMania 39 is scheduled to take place Saturday April 1st and Sunday April 2nd from Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. The venue holds an estimated 70,000 fans.
WrestleMania Hollywood tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, August 12th.
The day before (Thursday, August 11th), a WrestleMania ticket launch event will be held at Sofi Stadium. The free event will feature live in-ring matches, as well as celebrity appearances from Snoop Dogg, JoJo Siwa and Gabriel Iglesias. WWE superstars advertised to appear include Seth “Freakin” Rollins, The Miz, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, The Usos, Theory and more.
WrestleMania Hollywood Front Row Tickets
SoFi Stadium
If you want to score front row or ringside tickets for WrestleMania Hollywood, your best bet is WWE Priority Pass. WWE has partnered with On Location to offer premium all-inclusive ticket packages for WrestleMania.
\”A limited number of the top-tier packages remain available and are the only way to guarantee a front row seat today to WrestleMania.\”
– WWE Priority Pass
\”Also included is the most robust offering in history of WWE’s all-inclusive ticket packages, including a selection of private event transportation, an exclusive backstage experience, an evening event with a WWE Superstar and an excursion at Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Brewery or Mattel’s Design Studio where WWE’s Action Figures have been developed for over a decade.\”
There are five tiers of ticket packages available, all including lots of perks, starting at $675 per person.
Lynch last competed at Saturday\’s WWE SummerSlam event, where she challenged Bianca Belair for the Raw Women\’s Championship. Lynch sustained a shoulder injury during the match.
After the event, Fightful was first to report that it was a separated shoulder.
Just my guess but it looks like Becky Lynch popped her shoulder back in herself during her match with Bianca.
Wrestling podcaster and author Eric Bischoff spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston.
During their discussion, Bischoff spoke about some of the financial ups and downs he\’s experienced over the years. After filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy just a few years ago, he\’s proud to say he\’s currently worth \”seven figures\” once again.
Here\’s video of the 40+ minute interview, with highlights below:
From Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to Millionaire
“I filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is a corporate bankruptcy, not a personal one, because I invested a massive amount of my own money into a new venture that we had every right to believe was going to be a successful one, we had high quality people involved, did the work, blah blah blah. But the market changed and I lost a fortune.
And it was like, ok, because I’m a risk taker, I’m an entrepreneur, that’s what we do, we lose 7 or 8 times out of 10, but those 2 or 3 times we win, we win big. That’s just the nature of the game, it’s like being a professional gambler in a way. I took the risk, I knew it was a risk going in, I knew I was too old to be taking that risk, by taking all of the money and all of the assets I had and putting it up against this idea, but I believed in it, so I did and it didn’t work.
So, I’m filing Chapter 11. I’m 60 years old and I’m filing for Chapter 11. I didn’t want to talk about that. But, I now have a net worth in the 7 figures, I’m all good, I paid off every one of my debts 100%, that is in my rear view mirror. I reinvented myself at 60 years old and in really less than 3 years, I’ve paid off all of my debts and like I said, have a net worth in the 7 figures.\”
Bischoff\’s upcoming autobiography is titled Grateful, so it should come as no surprise that he speaks passionately about the importance of practicing gratitude each day.
\”Learn, discipline yourself, learn to start your day recognizing what you have to be grateful for. It wasn’t easy for me, you know, when I filed for Chapter 11, it was a bad time for me. But, fortunately, I’ve got a great wife, and she reminded me every day.
I’ve got it tattooed on my wrist – it says, ‘Grateful.’ We all.. whether its your health, whether its the fact that you get to see another sunrise, because a lot of people don’t, a lot of people I know don’t, a lot of people I’ve been close to for years, can’t anymore. We all have something to be grateful for, but once you start recognizing, as insignificant as it may feel in the moment, but then you look at it differently, all of a sudden, you’ll start realizing all of the other things you have to be grateful for, and the more grateful you are, the more positive you are. The more positive you are, the more likely it is you’re going to come out of your crap. That’s what worked for me.”
\”It sounds so simple, we’ve all read those books, we’ve all seen those bumper stickers, we’ve all heard those conversations, and it seems so simple, but man, when you’re down, things are going against you, you’re emotionally getting your butt kicked, it’s not as easy as it sounds. But once you master that art, and you start off every day that way.. again, I’ll speak for myself, I’m not trying to tell other people what to do. What I learned, and what you’ll read about in the book, is just waking up every day being grateful changes everything.\”
Grateful byEric Bischoff is due out November 11th. You can pre-order it now.
All Elite Wrestling sent in the following press release Wednesday morning announcing the expansion of the company\’s talent relations and development team.
Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion Madison Rayne has signed on to coach the women\’s division.
During his weekly appearance on the Busted Open Radio show on Sirius XM, AEW President Tony Khan had this to say about Rayne joining the organization:
“She\’s going to be great for the team,\” said Khan. \”Everyone’s excited to have Madison Rayne as part of AEW. I\’m not saying she wouldn\’t wrestle anymore, we\’re open to it. We have other people in the office who do wrestle as part of their schedule, so I\’m open to it.”
In addition to AEW signing Madison Rayne, several existing employees will see their roles expanded under the overhauled talent relations department, including Sonjay Dutt, QT Marshall, Pat Buck and Tony Schiavone.
– – –
August 3, 2022 – AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan announced an expansion to AEW’s talent relations team with the promotions of key staff members including Sonjay Dutt, QT Marshall, Pat Buck and Tony Schiavone. In addition, Madison Rayne will join AEW as a coach in the women’s division.
As AEW continues its meteoric rise, the expanded talent relations team will strengthen the infrastructure required to facilitate the development, health and safety of AEW’s outstanding roster. The following promotions and additions are effective immediately:
Sonjay Dutt (Retesh Bhalla) has been promoted to Vice President of Production and Creative Coordination. In this role, he will coordinate communication of AEW storylines, liaise between post-production and key staff to maintain content workflow, produce ancillary content and mentor new producers. Dutt joined AEW in 2021, bringing more than 20 years of experience in professional wrestling – both in-ring and as a producer – and continues to serve on-screen as manager to Satnam Singh and Jay Lethal.
QT Marshall (Michael Cuellari) has been promoted to Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination. He will help to manage show elements including planning programs and storylines, character development, overseeing extras and live event logistics coordination. Marshall, an AEW original with more than 20 years of experience, will continue to wrestle as the leader of The Factory with Anthony Ogogo, Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo and Cole Karter.
Pat Buck (Pat Buckridge) has been promoted to Vice President of Talent Development. In this position, he will liaise with talent and production, oversee all coaches, provide input on matches and promos, and lead the talent relations team. Buck brings nearly two decades of experience serving wrestling promotions as a talent, trainer, producer and promoter.
Tony Schiavone has been promoted to Senior Producer and Special Advisor to Talent. In this capacity, he will work directly with talent as part of the Talent Relations team. Schiavone is one
of AEW’s most tenured members and has nearly 40 years of experience, with an iconic voice that has guided fans through professional wrestling’s most incredible moments.
Madison Rayne (Ashley Nichole Lomberger) will join AEW as a coach in the women’s division, and kick-off her new role tonight in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Madison has competed in numerous professional wrestling promotions where she has held multiple championship titles, including 5-time Women’s World Champion. She has more than 15 years of experience in professional wrestling, and is also a proud mom to a daughter.
Christopher Daniels, an AEW original who brings more than 30 years of industry experience, will continue to serve as Manager of Talent Relations. The Talent Relations team will also remain in close contact with AEW’s Legal and Talent Resources team – led by Margaret Stalvey, Chris Peck and Megha Parekh – who help to support the physical and mental health, safety and security of talent. AEW is also committed to supporting talent beyond the ring, and offers access to world- class physicians, trainers and mental health clinicians.
Eric Bischoff spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston. Bischoff was there to promote his second autobiography Grateful, which is due out November 11 (Pre-order here).
During their discussion, Bischoff spoke at-length about Vince McMahon retiring from WWE, what it was like working directly under Vince McMahon and his personal outlook for WWE\’s future with Triple H leading creative and Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan serving as Co-CEO\’s.
You can watch the full interview here, with highlights below:
Eric Bischoff on Vince McMahon Retiring
\”It’s funny, I just got done talking with Hulk Hogan, we were talking about this. It’s going to be strange for people like us, all of us who have been fans, all of us who have been in the business and have worked with fans, in my case, competed against him, worked for him, covered the gamut,\” said Bischoff. \”It’s just weird, he’s been there forever, he’s the only head coach the team has ever had since the team was born, for most of us.
It\’s going to be weird, but I think it’s going to be better. Look, Vince did amazing things. Anybody that doesn’t give him credit, a lot of it, and respect, not only credit, but respect for what he’s accomplished business wise, let’s separate his personal proclivities from business and what he built.. Anybody that doesn’t respect what he built is just juvenile, child-like. But, I think with new management..
Bischoff on Working Under Vince McMahon
\”I’ll talk about this briefly, when I was there in 2019, I worked side by side with Vince McMahon. On a pretty regular basis. I was in way too many meetings with Vince McMahon than I even want to think about, I get PTSD-like symptoms when I do. As amazing as what Vince built is, and how he went about it, his personal way of going about creative, his system, his creative system and approach, doesn’t work for anybody but him. It just doesn’t. It’s well documented, working 20 hours a day, 2 o’clock in the morning meetings, by the way, true, been there, had to do it. It doesn’t work well for a team that you’re relying on.
\”I think with Triple H in there now, because Triple H has been in that spot before, he knows how tough it is to work with Vince, because of Vince’s system, and because he knows, I think we’re going to see a new creative system in place in the next few months, I think that new system is going to allow some extremely talented writers that I know are still there, that I had the chance to meet and work with for a few months, incredibly talented people, guys like Ed Koske who’s been there 20-something years, incredible talent. A lot of great talent there on the writing team that will be able to emerge in this new environment, and I think you’re going to see a much better product as a result.\”
WWE\’s Bright Future
\”The rest of the company, you know, one of the old things that I think anybody that is honest about Vince, has to acknowledge and respect, is that he built the public company that is now WWE, is a blue-chip public company. There are seasoned executives that are highly credentialed, their bios, their history, their success, their resumes are off-the-charts good, in every part of the company, whether it’s the CFO’s, Nick Khan, Stephanie could not be a better person to be in the position she’s in, it’s a very solid company that will survive the former CEO. Not only survive it, but surpass it.\”
\”The stock market reflected that. The stock is up 10%. Everybody on Friday, the Dave Meltzers of the world, ‘Oh my god, he made the announcement after the market closed because he knows the market is going to crash’ – not only is this piece of garbage trying to pretend to know what’s going on in the wrestling business and the television business, now he’s a stock market analyst, and what did the stock market do? It went up. Vince is gone, ‘Ok, I’m in!’\”
Pre-Order Eric Bischoff\’s second autobiography, Grateteful, now at GuyEvansBooks.com.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
THQ Nordic Gives AEW: Fight Forever The Push Fans Have Been Waiting For!
Vienna/Austria, Jacksonville/Florida, Tokyo/Japan August 3, 2022: THQ Nordic GmbH and All Elite Wrestling, LLC (AEW) and YUKE\’S Co., Ltd. today confirmed that the release of AEW: Fight Forever will be the tag-team event of the century! The two companies have joined forces to bring developer YUKES’ latest creation to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo® Switch.
“One of the first things I did after signing with AEW was to ask Tony Khan to let me help assemble the best gaming team on the planet, to make the best wrestling game ever,” said Kenny Omega, EVP of AEW and former AEW World Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion. “Well, we just landed the perfect finisher by partnering with global publishing and distribution powerhouse THQ Nordic for AEW: Fight Forever. The THQ brand has long been synonymous with wrestling games – there is simply no more qualified partner to bring AEW: Fight Forever to the millions of wrestling fans the world over.”
YUKE’S president and CEO Yukinori Taniguchi said, “I am both gratified and excited to have the opportunity to work with AEW—who is breathing new life into the pro wrestling industry—and the THQ Brand, with whom we have created an entire era of pro wrestling games. Using the expertise we have cultivated over the years, we are taking on this project with the ultimate staff from the YUKE’S Development Team in order to recreate AEW’s appeal within a video game to the highest degree. We hope that fans will enjoy experiencing the most cutting-edge technology, and the next evolution, in pro wrestling gaming.”
“Kenny’s incredible vision for AEW: Fight Forever is informed by his wrestling pedigree both inside the ring and on the controller,” said Executive Producer Reinhard Pollice, THQ Nordic. “Combine that vision with YUKES’ unparalleled wrestling game development history is resulting in an AEW experience that draws heavily on the arcade feel that first won wrestling gamer hearts more than two decades ago.”
A touch of nostalgia is just the beginning in AEW: Fight Forever. Players can look forward to pulling off the most current wrestling moves seen on wildly popular AEW programming. This, in addition to innovative, tandem offensive moves. Online co-op wrestling is going completely next level with Tag Team matches that feature sequences of team maneuvers performed with simple commands. A long roster of the most popular AEW wrestlers, deep career mode, create-a- wrestler, signature AEW arenas, multiple match types and even some good ol’ fashioned, unsanctioned fun await!
AEW Fight Forever Screenshots:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgxTt7bu6V-/
AEW: Fight Forever Features:
Match Types
o Single Matches o Tag-Team o 3-Way o 4-Way o Ladder Matches o Casino Battle Royale o Falls Count Anywhere o Unsanctioned Lights-Out (allows use of weapons) o Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches
Career Mode
Wide Range of Customization Modes
o Custom Wrestlers (attire and appearance) o Custom Move-Sets o Custom Entrances o Custom Teams o Custom Arenas
All Elite Wrestling has filed a new trademark application that will interest fans of women\’s wrestling.
On Monday, AEW filed to trademark the term, \”All Elite Women\” for usage in the production of television programming.
The trademark application does not yet appear in the USPTO database, but was first reported by PWInsider.
Among the \’Goods and Services\’ usage, \”All Elite Women\” will be used for:
Entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, and production of television programming;
Entertainment services in the nature of professional athletes competing in wrestling;
Streaming of pay-per-view events material on the Internet; Streaming of audio material on the Internet; Streaming of video material on the Internet;
The application notes, All Elite Wrestling \”has a bona fide intention, and is entitled, to use the mark in commerce on or in connection with the identified goods/services.\”
All Elite Wrestling currently features four weekly shows in its programming lineup, including AEW Dynamite (TBS), Rampage (TNT) and Dark/Dark Elevation on YouTube.
Stay tuned for more when we gather more information about All Elite Women.
Latest AEW Women\’s Rankings
Here\’s a look at the latest Top 5 rankings for AEW\’s women\’s division:
AEW Women\’s World Champion: Thunder Rosa
AEW TBS Champion: Jade Cargill
Contenders
Miyu Yamashita
Toni Storm
Kris Statlander
Serena Deeb
Nyla Rose
Visit our AEW Roster page to view the full list of women signed with AEW.
Craig Stimmel has signed on to be the company\’s new Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Partnerships.
Stimmel previously held leadership roles at Snapchat, Procter and Gamble and NCR. According to the press release below, he\’ll be responsible for \”overseeing day-to-day operations and leading WWE’s sales organization while expanding its roster of sponsors and promotional partnerships.\”
Craig Stimmel joins WWE
WWE® Names Craig Stimmel SVP & Head of Global Sales & Partnerships
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the appointment of Craig Stimmel as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Partnerships. Stimmel, who previously held leadership roles across Snapchat, Procter and Gamble and NCR, will report to WWE Chairwoman & co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and WWE co-CEO Nick Khan.
As head of WWE’s Global Sales & Partnerships division, Stimmel will be a key member of the company’s senior management team, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and leading WWE’s sales organization while expanding its roster of sponsors and promotional partnerships.
Stimmel spent the last three years as Head of Global Brands at Snapchat, where he was responsible for creating and leading the company’s Global Brand organization. Prior to that, Stimmel served in various leadership positions across Procter and Gamble, including overseeing partnerships and marketing ideation for the company’s Media Investment team.
Stimmel earned his Bachelor of Science in Business-Accounting from the University of Dayton.
WWE has announced a storyline fine and suspension for Ronda Rousey due to her unprofessional conduct at Summerslam.
Rousey unsuccessfully challenged Raw Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan at Saturday\’s premium live event from Nashville. The match ended in controversy and things went downhill from there.
Liv Morgan pinned Ronda Rousey\’s shoulders to the mat and was awarded the victory. However, the referee missed that Morgan was tapping out from Rousey\’s armbar submission before counting the pin.
An instant replay showed that Rousey should have won the match, but the referee can\’t call what he didn\’t see.
Rousey became irate, feeling that she\’d been robbed at the chance to reclaim the Raw Women\’s title. The Baddest Woman on the Planet attacked Morgan and then shifted her attention to referee Dan Engler.
Rousey proceeded to attack referee Engler and applied the same armbar to him that she had just locked on to Liv Morgan.
WWE has taken swift action against Rousey for her conduct. A statement from WWE reads:
\”Following her attack on referee Dan Engler at SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey has been fined an undisclosed amount and will be suspended… Due to her suspension, Rousey will not appear on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.\”
This storyline suspension will be a way for WWE to write Ronda Rousey off television for the foreseeable future.
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