Author: Thomas Lowson

Elijah Holyfield is looking to make his name in the world of wrestling but things took a shocking turn during the May 4, edition of WWE LFG. During a showdown with Shiloh Hill, things took a turn when Hill bit Holyfield’s ear mid-match.

The spot was an obvious nod to the infamous 1997 fight between Elijah\’s father Evander Holyfield and \’Iron\’ Mike Tyson. During their match, Tyson bit Holyfield\’s ear in one of the sports most infamous moments. Tyson received a $3 million fine from the Nevada Boxing Commission as well as a one-year ban from boxing.

This ban allowed for the WWF to strike a deal with Tyson, given that there was no ban on him appearing in pro wrestling. Tyson would appear as part of the build to WrestleMania 14 and would play a key role in ushering in the Attitude Era.

Now, close to three decades after his father was bitten, Elijah Holyfield has suffered a similar fate. And while what happened in 1997 was a shocking unplanned moment, Hill teeth-sinking attack was part of WWE\’s storyline.

The recent WWE releases have rocked the wrestling world, but Shotzi is still with the company, at least for now. In a now-deleted post on X, fka Twitter, Shotzi shared that while she is leaving WWE, she won\’t be officially gone until July.

\”Just to clarify, I still have a good amount of time on my contract. But come July I will be full time balls to the walls!\”

Shotzi has been informed that her WWE contract will not be renewed and her profile on WWE.com has already been moved to the Alumni section. It remains to be seen if WWE will use Shotzi in any capacity before she is gone from the company.

Shotzi may not have been released like Braun Strowman, Cora Jade, Shayna Baszler, and the rest, but the result will ultimately be the same. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Shotzi\’s future in WWE and beyond.

CM Punk finally has a WrestleMania main event to his name, but now the Best in the World is ready for more. During an Instagram Live, a fan asked Punk if he believes another WrestleMania main event will come. Punk responded by saying he\’s confident it\’ll happen, adding that he\’s \”Gotta hit night two for all those people that move the goalposts.\”

Punk\’s comments are a response to many criticizing the notion that Punk main evented WrestleMania this year. Some have argued that, despite WrestleMania now being a two-night event, only the match that headlines the show\’s second night is a \’true\’ main event. If so, that would mean Punk is back to never headlining the Showcase of the Immortals.

Whether Punk headlines WrestleMania\’s second night remains to be seen. With Punk set to turn 47 this year though, the clock is ticking for the Best in the World.

Finn Bálor did not capture his third Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania but Las Vegas was the setting of a personal milestone. On Instagram, Finn shared that he and his wife Vero Rodríguez renewed their vows in Vegas, complete with an Elvis impersonator os the officiant. In the comments, Vero shared her delight at renewing her vows at what she called \”Weddingmania,\” another nod to their ceremony taking place in the same city as WrestleMania 41.

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A post shared by Finn Ba?lor / PRIN?E (@finnbalor)

Bálor and Rodriguez, a Mexican Spors Journalist, married on August 19, 2019, in a private ceremony in Tulum. The pair went public with their relationship in June of that year during an interview at the UEFA Champions League final and Bálor popped the question the next day.

On WWE TV, Bálor remains a fixture of the Judgment Day though tensions within the group have raised questions as to how long he\’ll remain a member. Stay tuned for the latest on WWE\’s first Universal Champion and his moves both in and out of the ring.

Cora Jade\’s time in WWE has come to an end, and fans are excited to see what Elayna Black does next in the ring. Now, the former NXT Superstar has suggested that her future outside of the ring may be as part of OnlyFans.

On X, Indi Hartwell teased that Black should join OnlyFans, captializing the \’O\’ and \’F\’ in her message \”I Only wanna be your Fan.\” Black responded that Hartwell should \”stay tuned honey,\” teasing that she will be on the exclusive fan-content platform soon enough.

OnlyFans is already used by several wrestlers, giving talent an extra source of income without having to take bumps. In 2020, WWE cracked down on talent haing OnlyFans account, spawning a debate over the level of control WWE should have over its \’independent contractors.\’

Elayna Black had an impressive career before WWE and many are expecting to see her thrive in the wrestling world outside of the company. It remains to be seen how far the former NXT Women\’s Tag Team Champion goes now her WWE dream is over.

Another wave of WWE releases have taken place, leaving the former Superstars to navigate a career outside the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. Now, AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone has shared her support for those who have been cut.

On X (formerly Twitter), Mercedes Moné shared a throwback image from her WWE days featuring herself alongside several released Superstars. In the photo, the then–Sasha Banks is pictured with Shotzi and Shayna Baszler, both of whom have since departed WWE. Dakota Kai\’s face is edited over Natalya’s, reflecting Kai’s second release from the company. Toni Storm, who exited WWE in 2021, rounds out the group.

This post caught the attention of Shotzi, who shared it on her account. Grateful for the support, Shotzi declared \”Thank you my CEO.\”

Moné is no stranger to success after WWE. She and Naomi left the company under controversial circumstances in 2022. While Naomi has returned to WWE, Moné has expanded her career with notable runs in AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and ventures outside the ring.

Mercedes Moné has achieved significant success since leaving WWE. Whether those recently released will find similar success in their post-WWE journeys remains to be seen.

WWE and UFC came together in September 2023 under TKO Group Holdings, merging to massive entities in Sports Entertainment. Ahead of UFC Fight Night on Saturday, May 3, middleweight fighter Bo Nickal sat down with Khel Now TV and addressed making a potential move to WWE, saying he would \”if it makes sense.\”

\”I think that it would be a ton of fun and I’ve always been a fan of the sport since I was very young.\”

Nickal isn\’t just interested in competing in WWE but is interested in winning. Describing a potential crossover as \”awesome,\” Bickel added that \”I would love to be a champion in amateur wrestling, in MMA and in WWE.”

If Nickal makes the move, he\’d hardly be the first to step from the Octagon into the squared circle. Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Shayna Baszler, Ken Shamrock, and Matt Riddle all saw success in WWE after making their names in UFC.

Nickal will face Reiner de Ridder in UFC Fight Night\’s co-main event. With these comments, it\’s not hard to imagine that some of WWE\’s higher-ups will be keeping an eye on the show from their TKO allies.

Things didn\’t go as planned during the May 2 episode of WWE SmackDown in Des Moines, Iowa—specifically when Fraxiom stepped in the ring with Pretty Deadly. Nathan Frazer landed a standing shooting star press that appeared to strike Elton Prince directly in the face. Prince was visibly busted open, bleeding from the mouth, and seemed disoriented as he tried to recover.

The first indication that something was amiss came moments later when Frazer went for a pinfall and Prince failed to kick out, though the referee stopped the count. Prince looked clearly dazed and only managed to crawl over and tag in Kit Wilson after a noticeable delay.

Later in the match, Wilson hit a powerbomb on Frazer and went for the pin. The referee counted to three, but Frazer kicked out at the same time the bell rang. The referree waved off the finish and allowed the match to continue if another clear example of things not going as planned.

Despite the missteps, Fraxiom ultimately secured the win after Frazer pinned Wilson while Prince was being attended to by medical staff outside the ring. As of now, WWE has not released an official update on Elton Prince’s condition.

Cody Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41 and has been absent from WWE programming ever since. Fans eagerly await Rhodes’ return, and a recent update from WWE may have revealed when The American Nightmare will finally come back to TV.

Rhodes is currently being advertised on WWE’s official website for the May 16 episode of SmackDown in Greensboro, North Carolina—the first show following WWE Backlash. Notably, Rhodes had been absent from promotional materials for all prior episodes, suggesting this post-Backlash appearance is part of a deliberate return plan.

Rhodes typically shares his schedule at the beginning of each month but has remained silent so far in May. The former Undisputed WWE Champion has been recovering from his emotional loss at WrestleMania 41, where he was defeated by John Cena—with an assist from Travis Scott—inside Allegiant Stadium.

John Cena will defend his record-setting 17th WWE World Championship against Randy Orton at WWE Backlash, in what is being promoted as the final singles match between the two legends. Regardless of who leaves St. Louis with the title, all signs point to Cody Rhodes being next in line.

Drew McIntyre may be one of WWE’s most recognizable stars competing today, but that fame has come at a cost for the former WWE Champion. In a recent appearance on Pub Darts, the Scottish Superstar opened up about how his days of traveling incognito are now a thing of the past.

\”The other week I was contemplating whether to get the Tube, and I was like… you just can’t.\”

For McIntyre, it’s not just his wrestling accolades that draw attention. Even those unfamiliar with WWE still take notice of the imposing figure known as the Scottish Warrior.

“I don’t like people looking at me all the time, but I’m 6’5 with long hair and a beard and 280. People are gonna stare no matter what.”

McIntyre may be steering clear of public transport for now, but he acknowledges things could be worse. Reflecting on how far he’s come, the WWE Superstar is grateful for where he is today.

“I’ve also been at the point where nobody gave a f** and I was walking along. Now I prefer the way it is, especially before retiring one day.”

With McIntyre reportedly set for another big movie role, his public profile could be poised to grow even further. While the Scottish Superstar remains grateful for his success in WWE, part of him still misses blending in with the crowd.

Zelina Vega is the new WWE United States Champion and is dedicating her victory and title reign to her late father. In a heartfelt video shared by Josiah Williams, Vega opened up about honoring her father by finally capturing singles gold—over two decades after he tragically passed away during the 9/11 attacks.

“Finally getting to put singles gold on my dad’s name at the memorial. So, I’m very, very excited to finally do that… It’s kind of mind-blowing, honestly, to see this right now. Like, to actually have it here physically… because I’ve said it, that I wanted to do it for so long.”

Vega\’s father was among the thousands of lives lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. While she admitted that revisiting those painful memories is difficult, she was grateful to do so as the reigning WWE Women’s United States Champion.

\”If this is the closest that I can get to him and doing this, then I’m happy to do it.”

Vega\’s connection to her mother also runs deep. In an emotional FaceTime call, the weight of the moment hit home as her mother told her, “You have made my day. Well, my life.”

For Vega, winning the U.S. Title was about more than holding gold—it was about paying tribute to the man who may be gone but is never forgotten.