The Undertaker shocked the audience in attention and the fans watching earlier this week when he made a surprise appearance on Monday Night Raw and saved Roman Reigns from Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon’s attack.
Shane was about to go Coast To Coast and that’s when the spine-chilling gong was heard. The Deadman appeared and Chokeslamed Shane, and kicked McIntyre outside of the ring.
It was later confirmed that this return would be an in-ring one, as The Phenom will be teaming up with The Big Dog to take on McMahon and McIntyre on Extreme Rules.
However it looks like there is another appearance The Undertaker just might make on the Monday Night show. WWE is seemingly teasing Undertaker’s appearance on Raw on their preview of the show.
“It was an alliance that no one saw coming (especially not Roman Reigns), but The Undertaker returned this past Monday night on Raw to help The Big Dog repel a two-on-one beat-down at the hands of Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. The unexpected assist led to a blockbuster WWE Extreme Rules announcement that Reigns and The Deadman will join forces against “The Best in the World” and The Scottish Psychopath in Philadelphia.
What fallout from this shocking team-up will we witness this Monday on Raw?”
We would like to remind our readers that WWE has not officially advertised Undertaker for Raw, but that he is only featured in the preview. Do you guys think there is a possibility he will make an appearance on 1 July? Let us know below.
Impact Wrestling has announced three matches for next week’s episode. The next episode will be the final one before Slammiversary.
Johnny Impact and John. E Bravo will go against the team of Rich Swann and Willie Mack, whereas Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz will face each other in a triple-threat match, and the winner will join The Rascalz against LAX at Slammiversary.
Johnny Impact & John E. Bravo vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack
Dezmond Xavier vs. Trey Miguel vs. Zachary Wentz
Kiera Hogan vs. Madison Rayne
Impact airs live Friday night at 10 PM ET on Twitch and Pursuit.
Christopher Daniels, who is getting ready to face CIMA at All Elite Wrestling’s Fyter Fest event, recently talked about his backstage role as the Head of Talent Relations in AEW and how he managed to transition into a role of managerial capacity.
Speaking to CBS Miami, Daniels described his backstage role at the company. “It’s really just a matter of being a liaison between the talent and the office. Right now my job is a lot of emails, a lot of phone calls. We’re working on visas for international talents and all this stuff for all the regular talent. Trying to find referees, trying to find announcers. Just coordinating all of that stuff. It’s a lot of busy work. But, it’s fun and I’m glad that I was given an opportunity to sort of use my relationships with a lot of these wrestlers in a positive way, to help the company and build from the bottom a good locker room, and a positive feeling between the talent and the office.”
Daniels says that while he hoped he got to work backstage, he never envision it to happen so fast. If the AEW didn’t exist, Daniels would be working in Ring of Honor in a similar capacity.
“If you had asked me two years ago, I probably would have told you that I would be doing something similar to this in Ring of Honor. But you know, this opportunity came around, and when it did, I couldn’t really turn away. Yeah, it’s brand new territory that we’re sort of blazing a trail in, but it’s an opportunity that I couldn’t say no to. And I’m glad. So far the trip has been exciting and amazing and I can’t wait to see how the next couple years go for us.”
AEW will soon be getting its own live weekly TV show. Daniels was asked if he has thought about how he’s going to manage his in-ring and backstage role.
“No. It’s not going to be up to me whether I’m wrestling every week or not. If I’m wrestling every week, so be it. And we’ll see if I can hang or not. We’ll all find out together, but my plan is to wrestle as often as I can, and once the television goes on, it’s all hands on deck. I’m going to continue to go until I feel that I can’t go at a level that is respectable for me.”
The WWE is also seemingly teasing an appearance from The Undertaker for the show. The website is focusing on what fallout the team of Roman Reigns and The Undertaker will witness on Monday night. Interestingly enough, there are no mentions of Paul Heyman or Eric Bischoff in the official preview.
Finally, the Raw preview at WWE.com focuses on the following:
How will Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans exploit Seth Rollins’ “kryptonite”?
Is AJ Styles in line for a U.S. Title opportunity?
Is Samoa Joe our next WWE Champion?
Check back SEScoops on Monday night for our WWE Raw Takeaways feature.
WWE referee Charles “Lil ‘Naitch” Robinson has found himself the victim of a major storage unit heist.
TMZ Sports broke the news on Saturday morning that the veteran pro wrestling referee was robbed for approximately $55,000 worth of historic Hollywood memorabilia and wrestling collectibles.
“Lil ‘Naitch” is now on the hunt to retrieve his stolen items, however he hasn’t had much luck thus far.
Robinson reportedly went to check on his storage unit in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 28th, when he discovered that he had been the victim of a robbery.
“Lil ‘Naitch” Loses Hollywood Collectibles
Among the financially significant items that were stolen as part of the storage unit heist were ultra-rare Evel Knievel stunt cycle toys, collectible “Chucky” movie dolls, “Friday the 13th” movie action figures, “Planet of the Apes” movie lunchboxes and a laundry-list of WWE stuff.
The veteran pro wrestling referee has filed a police report regarding the robbery, however so far officials have not been able to make any headway in terms of tracking down the culprit.
Robinson told TMZ Sports that the security cameras at the storage company did not catch the thieves in the act in any form-or-fashion.
He also noted that he doesn’t feel that the company is very concerned with resolving the issue.
An interesting note is that one of the items that came up missing from Charles Robinson’s storage unit was a “Jaws” movie statue valued at $2,400.
The item coincidentally appeared for sale on eBay on June 27th, however the post and the username of the person who posted it were removed by the time Robinson was made aware.
As part of their article on the subject, TMZ Sports released a nine-page document listing all of Charles Robinson’s stolen items, as well as their estimated value. You can check out the PDF file by clicking here.
Robinson A WWE, WCW Veteran Of 18-Years
Robinson, who has worked for over 18-years as an official in WCW and WWE, is affectionately referred to as “Lil ‘Naitch” within the industry due to his longtime friendship and working relationship with two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair.
He served as the referee for “The Nature Boy’s” memorable “Retirement Match” at WrestleMania 24 in 2008 against fellow two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels.
In recent years, Robinson has found himself on the wrong end of injuries and controversies.
Another match has been announced for Monday’s episode of WWE RAW.
On Saturday the company officially revealed that The New Day will go up against The Viking Raiders in a tag team match. This marks the first-ever encounter between the two teams.
WWE holds this show in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere Match has already been announced. The company is expected to announce more matches and segments as this episode gets closer.
This will be an interesting episode of RAW as WWE sent out an email this week hyping that fans will see what Heyman will ‘have in store’ for the brand as he has been named as the Executive Directors of Monday Night RAW. That was a mistake on WWE’s part as there was miscommunication due to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon not signing off on the announcement.
There’s a lot that can change from now until Monday but as of this writing, Heyman is not scheduled to appear on this show unless WWE has something planned for him to do a promo about his client Brock Lesnar.
WWE will also be adding matches to the card for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event and continue to build already announced contests scheduled for the show.
Impact Wrestling 6/28 was filmed inside New York’s Melrose Ballroom. It featured the continued build to Slammiversary on July 7th from Dallas.
Here are 7 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 6/28:
Brian Cage Goes Against Doctors Orders…
Impact’s doctor attempted to tell Cage he was not medically cleared this week but this led to Cage giving him an F-5. Elgin then attacked Cage from behind. The challenger at Slammiversary delivered two Elgin Bombs to the champion before pulling out a table.
Elgin then power-bombed Cage from the ring down through a table on the floor below. Don Callis attempted to stop Elgin but ended up taking a beating himself as a result. Elgin was going to deliver an Elgin bomb to Callis but Brian Cage got up and made the save to close the show.
Sami Callihan Takes A Bat To Tessa Blanchard
After beating Fallah Bah this week, Sami Callihan wanted to show Tessa Blanchard that he’ll treat her as an equal.
After calling her out to the ring, Callihan kicked Blanchard right in the face but this didn’t keep the former Knockouts champion down. Tessa would get up and take the fight to Callihan, resulting in OVE coming out to pry her off him. With Blanchard restrained, Callihan hit her in the midsection with a baseball bat and then gave her a piledriver.
Killer Kross vs Eddie Edwards – 1st Blood Match At Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dzLLkdTVkM
Eddie Edwards went to church this week to deal with all of his violent tendencies. The pastor he was talking to suddenly turned into Killer Kross, however. Edwards then left and told Kross he would be waiting for him outside the church. Kross decided to hang out in the church awhile and told a pastor he would like to confess to a long list of sins.
It was later announced that Kross and Edwards will face each other in a first blood match at Slammiversary.
Rascalz Beat LAX In 6-Man Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVqVl4wRkO0
The Rascalz pulled off a bit of an upset this week when they defeated Santana, Ortiz, and Laredo Kid in 6-man action. The team would later debate which two of them will face LAX at Slammiversary, leading to a match between the 3 of them next week.
Rascalz Triple Threat To Determine Who Goes To Slammiversary
The Rascalz will compete in a 3-way match NEXT WEEK with the loser not competing against LAX for the Tag Titles at Slammiversary!
After defeating LAX and Laredo Kid in 6-man action, the 3 members of the Rascalz debated who should represent their team at Slammiversary. They eventually decided to face each other in a triple threat match next week with the losing wrestler being excluded from their team at Slammiversary.
There Are No Alliances In Monster’s Ball
A tag team match between Su Yung & Havok vs Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie was thrown out this week due to excessive use of weapons. That won’t be the case at Slammiverssary when all four competitors meet each other in a Monster’s Ball match for the Knockouts title.
Father James Mitchell again seemed to have problems getting his Yung and Havok to work together. He had to stop the two from fighting each other to end the segment.
The North Are Ready For LAX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiG2_XCw-NE
Before LAX defend their tag team titles against The Rascalz in Dallas at Slammiversary, they will have to contend with Josh Alexander and Ethan Page. The North will challenge for the tag team championships at Bash At The Brewery on July 5th. They defeated the Deaners to open up last night’s show and will head into their title match on a winning streak.
Quick Results:
The North defeated the Deaners
Su Yung & Havok vs Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie – No Contest
Sami Callihan defeated Fallah Bah
The Rascalz defeated LAX & Laredo Kid
Next Week:
NEXT WEEK at 10p.m. ET on @PursuitChannel & @Twitch:
Former WWE NXT star and 2017 Mae Young Classic competitior Zeda Zhang sent a message to wrestling promoters who false advertise her on their shows.
In a post on her Instagram, Zhang sent a stern warning to the promoters who lie about her making an appearance on their show. Zeda posted the following message:
“PSA: For the promoters who false advertise and say I am on their show… You look dumb AF. I will call your ass out on all my social media so all the many wrestling fans will see you are a scam. To the fans: If I don’t post it on my social media, it is probably fake.”
Zhang was signed in 2017 to NXT under the ring name Zeda. She made her wrestling debut on May 13, 2017. She was eliminated in the first round of the Mae Young Classic by Shayna Baszler. She made a few appearances for NXT until she was released from her contract on June 2, 2018. Since then she has been competing on the independent circuit in Florida, China, and Singapore.
Former WWE Star Scotty 2 Hotty, real name Scott Garland joined WWE performance center as a coach in 2016 and since then he has helped train a number of NXT Stars.
During a recent appearance on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness,
the former Tag Team Champion talked about his experience of training stars and
more.
While talking about one of the hottest NXT Stars in the
current roster, Velveteen Dream, Scotty praised the Dream saying that he ‘gets
it’.
He explained his comments by saying that at only 23 years
old, Velveteen has got everything. You can see in his work that he is a fan and
he loves wrestling.
Continuing on the topic, Scott also praised the NXT star’s Work Ethics and said that he sees shades of legends like Randy Savage and Rick Rude in him.
Though Dream is not the only star the former Champion has worked with and he has also trained some current main roster stars like Elias and Lacey Evans in their early days too.
Talking about them, Hotty said that he has got the coolest job on the planet and it’s cool to see these stars going from zero to becoming main event talents in top WWE shows. You can check out Scotty 2 Hotty’s interview at this link.
Natalya recently gave her thoughts on WWE Studios’ Fighting with My Family which is based on Paige’s wrestling family.
Natalya praised how the movie showcased Paige’s relation with her family, and that she was able to relate to it since she also comes from a wrestling family.
Writing for the Calgary Sun, Natalya described her biggest takeaway from the movie. “My biggest takeaway from this movie, which I told Paige after I had watched it, wasn’t just about her family being a wild and lovable group of sports entertainers. What I loved about this movie is that it showcased one of the important lessons in life — to be yourself.”
Natalya writes that Paige and her brother both attended a WWE tryout but only she got selected. She was nearly quit when her brother Zack encouraged her to go with it as for WWE is once in a lifetime opportunity.
Natalya believes that the great thing about Paige is that she’s different and stands out from the rest – and that makes her great. “At times Paige felt she didn’t fit in and wasn’t enough. But she soon realized after nearly walking away from her dreams that she was more than enough and what landed her a dream job with WWE was that she stood out from everyone else. Paige was different and that is what makes her great.”
Fighting with My Family was theatrically released on 14 February, 2019 and received generally favorable reviews. The film depicts the WWE career of professional wrestler Paige, which was portrayed by Florence Pugh. The film also stars Dwayne Johnson who was also a producer for the film.
WWE announced this week that Paul Heyman will be the new Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff will fill the same role for Smackdown. Triple H, who heads up WWE’s NXT brands, recently commented on what the two men have contributed to the wrestling industry throughout their careers.
He sent the following out on Twitter in response to the news:
Triple H briefly worked for Bischoff in WCW. Then wrestling as Terra Rizin, Triple H left the company in 1995 to go to WWE. Bischoff spoke about their brief working relationship recently during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
“When Hunter came in it was at a time in WCW when we were really cutting costs. Expenses were a really big issue. I think it was Terry Taylor who first introduced Hunter to us. My biggest concern with him was that he lived in the Northeast. At that point, things were so tight financially that we were looking to concentrate on the talent that lived in Atlanta, Georgia because we couldn’t afford to fly people all over the country, so that was one big issue.”
Marty Scurll, who had been teasing a new addition to the stable Villian Enterprises, finally delivered at last night’s ROH Best in the World.
At the event, Scurll revealed that “The Mercernary” Flip Gordon will be the fourth member of the group.
After the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship match ended with a win for the Villian Enterprises against Lifeblood & PJ Black, The Sons of Savagery came out and attacked LifeBlood and Black. Bandido and Bully Ray came out too to save their buddies. Gordon came with a kendo stick and chased off Bully Ray, saving Lifeblood.
Lifeblood offered Gordon to join their group and at this moment the lights went out and Scurll appeared on the screen. He made the announcement that Gordon has joined the Villian Enterprises. It was all a swerve. The Enterprises then took out everyone. The crowd went nuts when Gordon hit a 450 splash from the top rope to the floor through a table on Tracy Williams.
During this week’s episode of WWE Main Event, a new stable made its debut featuring Raw stars. Robert Roode, EC3, and Cesaro tagged up together to defeat the Lucha House Party.
Renee Young on commentary said that she has the scoop about the team. She revealed that the the boys are calling themselves “The Main Event Muscle Men”. However, EC3 later clarified that the name is not an official handle. EC3 wrote on Twitter, “The commentary stated that in one of my therapy sessions with @ReneeYoungWWE, I had a lucid dream that I formed a trio with Mr. Roode and Mr. Cesaro and in that dream we were dubbed “The Mainevent Muscle Men.”
By no means was that an official handle. But dreams come true.”
The commentary stated that in one of my therapy sessions with @ReneeYoungWWE, I had a lucid dream that I formed a trio with Mr. Roode and Mr. Cesaro and in that dream we were dubbed “The Mainevent Muscle Men.”
It would be interesting to see how this new stable makes their Raw debut, or if they even make it at all. The group could work as a decent upper mid-card heel stable but it all depends on what direction WWE takes with them.
Former Impact World Champion Eli Drake has been announced as the latest NWA signing.
Drake was revealed as Nick Aldis’ tag team partner at ROH Best in the World last night. He came out and cut promo in which he mentioned that he is no longer a free agent.
During the pre-show, Aldis came out to reveal his tag team partner. James Storm came out and said he wasn’t his partner, but he wanted to know who it is. That’s when Aldis introduced Eli Drake.
Drake was fired from Impact Wrestling back in April when he criticised Impact’s booking. He didn’t want to wrestle in inter-gender matches and asked to be removed from a planned match with Tessa Blanchard.
The NWA had announced this week that Aldis’ tag team partner had signed an exclusive deal with them.
Colt Cabana was supposed to be Aldis’ tag team partner but pulled out due to a leg injury.
BREAKING!@RealNickAldis reveals that his partner for #ROHBITW has also signed an exclusive deal with the NWA!
Impact Wrestling has revealed another match that will be added to their pay-per-view event Slammiversary XVII. On Friday, it was revealed that Killer Kross and Eddie Edwards would face each other in a First Blood match.
The company issued the following: “Eddie Edwards and Killer Kross will cross the line on Sunday, July 7th in Dallas, TX at Slammiversary. Their match will not be an ordinary wrestling match, their match will be a violent affair and there is only one way to win this match… Make your opponent bleed. A First Blood Match is not one you see very often, because the violence is so extreme. Both men have found a dark place inside of themselves and they will have to unleash that fury on Sunday, July 7th in Dallas, TX on Pay Per View.”
The PPV will begin at 8 PM ET and will be available via all major distributors including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw, Sasktel.. It will be streamed globally live on IMPACT Plus and FITE.tv app.
Slammiversary XVII will be emanating from Gilley’s Dallas in Texas on Sunday, July 7.
Slammiversary XVII Card
Here is the current card of the event:
Impact World Championship: Brian Cage (c) vs Michael Elgin
X-Division Championship: Rich Swann (c) vs Johnny Impact
Moose vs Rob Van Dam
Monster’s Ball – Knockouts Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Havok vs Su Yung vs Rosemary
Impact Tag Team Championships: Santana & Ortiz (LAX) vs Dez & Wentz (the Rascalz)
All Elite Wrestling returns with its second live event, Fyter Fest, this Saturday night streaming live (and free) via the Bleacher Report (B/R) Live service. The show will be co-promoted with CEO Fighting Game Championships.
The show kicks off at 7pm Eastern Time with their one-hour long “Buy-In” pre-show, which streams live via the promotion’s official YouTube channel, as well as on Bleacher Report Live. From there, the main card kicks off on B/R Live at 8pm Eastern Time.
A Look At The AEW Fyter Fest Lineup
This Saturday’s AEW Fyter Fest features a stacked lineup, with the AEW in-ring debut of former WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose. Ambrose made his AEW debut at the aforementioned inaugural Double Or Nothing PPV in May, attacking Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega after their “Alpha vs. Omega II” main event match. This weekend, Ambrose, now performing as Jon Moxley, will step inside the squared circle with AEW for the first time, as he faces off against Joey Janela in one-on-one action.
In other featured matches on the card, Cody takes on Darby Allin in singles competition, The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) will battle in six-man tag-team competition against the trio of the Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) and Laredo Kid, Hangman Page vs. MJF vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy will take place in a Four-Way Match, Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA will go one-on-one and there will be a Women’s Triple-Threat Match with Nyla Rose vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho.
On the “Buy-In” pre-show there will be three matches, with Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey, Kylie Rae vs. Leva Bates (with Peter Avalon) and a special three-way tag-team match with the winning team advancing to the ALL OUT PPV on 8/31 in Illinois for an opportunity at a first round bye in the AEW World Tag-Team Championship Tournament, with Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. SoCal Uncensored (Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) scheduled.
SEScoops.com writers Ian Carey, Andrew Ravens and Jeff Moss have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Saturday night’s big event. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for AEW Fyter Fest.
Kylie Rae vs. Leva Bates (Fyter Fest Pre-Show)
Ian Carey: Put your money on Kylie Rae for this match. Kylie took the pin to Britt Baker in the 4-way match at Double or Nothing and could use a win to get back on the right trajectory. Meanwhile, one of the promotion’s two librarians, Leva Bates, appears to have a secret admirer in the other AEW librarian, Peter Avalon. Kylie seems like a safe pick here.
(Prediction: Kylie Rae)
Andrew Ravens: To be honest, I’m a big fan of Rae as I think that she has a ton of potential and could be a real player in the women’s division. Bates is a solid worker and you know what she brings. There’s more upside with Rae.
(Prediction: Kylie Rae)
Jeff Moss: Leva Bates. Leva bates wins this and then wins the women’s title. Then she single-handedly wins the tag team tournament. Then in the World Title Match at All Out, Chris Jericho takes off his face and it’s Leva Bates. I really like Leva Bates. (Prediction: Leva Bates)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Kylie Rae
Best Friends vs. SCU vs. Private Party (Fyter Fest Pre-Show)
Ian: So the winner of this match earns a shot at a wild card match in the upcoming tournament to declare AEW tag team champions. This will be Private Party’s first match for the promotion while the other two were victorious at Double or Nothing. I expect the Best Friends to pick up the win here and book their ticket to All Out. (Prediction: Best Friends)
Andrew: One of the more important matches on the card due to the stipulation that it carries. I don’t think Private Party or SoCal need a win here but rather, Best Friends do as they need one to establish themselves in the American market.
(Prediction: Best Friends)
Jeff: This is a tough one to call. All three of these teams area great, and a bye in the upcoming tag tournament is a pretty significant prize given some of the talent that’s bound to show up there. Also, can I just note how awesome these team names are? I know they aren’t new, but “Best Friends” vs “Private Party” just looks fun on paper. SCU are a great team, but at the end of the night, the power of friendship will prevail and the Best Friends will pick up the victory. (Prediction: Best Friends)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Best Friends
Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey (Fyter Fest Pre-Show)
Ian: Expect a lot of baby oil and weapons in this special hardcore match. Even though it is his company running the CEO Fighting Game championships in Daytona, I’m expecting Jebailey to lose this match to Nakazawa, likely after numerous comedic shenanigans.
(Prediction: Michael Nakazawa)
Andrew: I’m interested in seeing how far they go with Nakazawa in AEW as he’s talented but the bigger question is where does he fit in the promotion. Time will tell regarding that question. This is a nothing match, to be honest, so I have Nakazawa winning.
(Prediction: Michael Nakazawa)
Jeff: I’ll be honest, this match is a total coin flip for me. I don’t know either of these wrestlers, to be frank. Alexa Jebailey is actually the head of Community Effort Orlando, and Nakazawa I’ve heard of only in passing. That said, what AEW has started with Double or Nothing, and can continue through Fyter Fest, Fight For The Fallen, All Out and into their TV deal is what WCW couldn’t do: CREATE stars. Even matches I have no idea about like this one are exciting to me. If I had to pick a winner (and I guess I do) it’d be Nakazawa, purely because he is listed on the official AEW Roster and Jebailey isn’t. (Prediction: Micheal Nakazawa)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Michael Nakazawa
Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA
Ian: SCU defeated CIMA’s Strong Hearts team at Double or Nothing but I’m expecting the OWE representative to pick up the win here. SCU has wrestled OWE teams once in China and once for AEW in Las Vegas, winning each time. I think CIMA is going to pick up the first victory for his side in this rivalry at Fyter Fest.
(Prediction: CIMA)
Andrew: This is a classic pick em match as either star can win and it doesn’t really matter who goes over. What does matter is laying out and presenting a quality style match.
(Prediction: Christopher Daniels)
Jeff: With AEW being a wrestler-run company, they have to be very conscious of executives and higher ups booking themselves to win. Now, I don’t think we’re in Hogan/Nitro territory by any stretch of the imagination, and as long as the story makes sense they will be fine. But it’s something they have to keep in the back of their minds. Daniels is head of Talent Relations (The HHH Role) and CIMA is president of OWE, with whom they’d like to have good Talent Relations, I’m sure. I’m saying that CIMA wins here to build up not only himself, but OWE. (Prediction: CIMA)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, CIMA
Hangman Page vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. MJF vs. Jungle Boy
Ian: Hangman Page will main event the next AEW PPV so it’s likely the promotion wants him to look as strong as possible in the build-up. I’m expecting him to be the main focus of this match, get some revenge on MJF for DoN, and then move on to All Out on a hot streak.
(Prediction: Hangman Page)
Andrew: This is a fun match that could go anywhere regarding the winner. Ideally, with Page being built up as a credible star and potential World Champion then there’s no reason for him to lose here. However, someone else could lose the fall and keep Page looking strong if that’s the route they want to go.
(Prediction: Hangman Page)
Jeff: I think that logic dictates that Jungle Boy or Jimmy Havoc would be the ones taking a pin here, but wrestling has never been logical and neither have I. Let’s make a star here. All four of these guys can go and they will shoot the lights out, but I think MJF will try and sneak in a win, only to find Jungle Boy with an unlikely victory. (Prediction: Jungle Boy)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Hangman Page
Nyla Rose vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho
Ian: Nyla Rose and Awesome Kong took each other out of the 4-way match at Double or Nothing and it seems likely things aren’t finished between the two monsters of the women’s division. I’m expecting Rose to roll through both Sakazaki and Riho here, though not before both are able to showcase their Joshi style a little. Rose should end this match looking real strong as the promotion builds towards her versus Kong. (Prediction: Nyla Rose)
Andrew: This is just a filler match in my opinion although I think that Sakazaki is a fun wrestler to watch. I see Rose being a big player in the women’s division in AEW and thus, gets the win here.
(Prediction: Nyla Rose)
Jeff: Since Nyla Rose wasn’t involved in the finish of the killer 4-way at Double or Nothing, I think she’s the easy choice for a win here. She’s going to be a big player in the Women’s Division heading into TV and this is a great way to build her up. Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with her opponents in this match, but in the context of AEW this makes the most sense. (Prediction: Nyla Rose)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Nyla Rose
Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela
Ian: I don’t think there will be any surprises here as Moxley will pick up his first victory in AEW here. Expect Joey Janela to give this match everything he has, similar to what he did at All In against Hangman Page. Janela and Moxley strike me as two guys who aren’t going to hold back when they don’t have. They won’t have to here so expect something good to occur.
(Prediction: Jon Moxley)
Andrew: While Janaela is extremely talented, there’s no reason for Moxley to lose here unless Kenny Omega gets involved to further their storyline and match at All Out. Moxley needs a win here and shouldn’t lose until he gets to All Out.
(Prediction: Jon Moxley)
Jeff: Show me someone who says that they aren’t excited for this match and I’ll show you someone who’s probably dead inside. This match is going to RIP. Mox has been tearing it up in Japan, and Joey Janela is no slouch either. As to who wins here at Fyter Fest, I have to go with Moxley. He’s on a hot run and is clearly going to be a centrepiece of AEW going forward, so let’s keep his chaotic, bloody momentum going. (Prediction: Jon Moxley)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Jon Moxley
Cody vs. Darby Allin
Ian: There is a reason Darby Allin is in AEW and there is a reason he is facing Cody here. Allin is someone who the AEW crowd will really respond to. Expect Allin to give Cody a run for his money but ultimately come up short. It will establish Allin without costing Cody anything. Two weeks after this match, Cody will team with his brother to go up against the Young Bucks. At some point at Fyter Fest, something will happen between the team of Cody and Dustin and The Young Bucks to build to that match. It could possibly happen here.
(Prediction: Cody)
Andrew: This is going to be an interesting match due to the dynamic of the talent involved in this contest. I find it hard to believe that Allin wins here considering the stature of Cody in the promotion. Cody wins but Allin gets a rub off of losing to him.
(Prediction: Cody)
Jeff: This will be a really intriguing matchup. Cody singles matches are always full of drama and fun, but Allin is somewhat of a wild card to me as an opponent. In my mind, it’d be cool for Allin to win this match too give him a bit of a mainstream rub and also to give Cody a bit of a chip on his shoulder heading into his tag match with Dustin at All Out. Then they’d both have something to prove against those Bucks of Youth. (Prediction: Darby Allin)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Cody
The Elite vs. Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
Ian: Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks will pick up the victory here to send the crowd home happy. Omega needs a win after losing to Jericho and the Bucks just lost the AAA titles at Verano De Escandalo to the Lucha Bros. From here the Young Bucks will take on the Cody and Dustin at Fight for the Fallen. This match here at AEW Fyter Fest could build to that match in some way. (Prediction: The Elite)
Andrew: While the Bucks and Bros have gone back and forth with trading wins as of late, I think that this is an easy pick with an easy excuse for a loss to Bros. Omega and Bucks should go over here as I think this will be a great match and with them winning, it would feel like a good feel win for the live crowd. There is much more storytelling involving these teams. (Prediction: The Elite)
Jeff: I’ll be honest, normally 6-man tags don’t do much for me unless there’s a ladder involved. This is not to say there haven’t been great ones, but for me, it’s not a match I’m usually that into. That said, with the talent assembled here? It might be the greatest multi-man tag match assembled since Steve Austin led a team into Calgary against the Harts. This is going to be crazy, and I think the team of Omega/Young Bucks is going to win to end the show at AEW Fyter Fest. Matt and Nick can get their win back against the Luchas and Omega can look good before heading into All Out. (Prediction: The Elite)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, The Elite
What do you think of the above AEW Fyter Fest predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Saturday evening for live AEW Fyter Fest results coverage.
WWE made the surprising announcement of the appointment of new Executive Directors earlier this week which many are seeing as the start of a new era for WWE Programming. However, at the time there was no news on when these Executives namely Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff will take over their respective shows which left fans wondering.
Now PWInsider has provided some update on the situation and it reveals when these two will begin their tenure. The site reveals that these two Directors will officially take over their new roles on this week’s episode of Raw and SmackDown Live respectively.
Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that we will see major changes into the quality of the programming overnight as these two are expected to be “eased into” their new positions. According to reports, while both Heyman and Bischoff have already started preparing for their new roles, their ideas and contributions are expected to be implemented over time.
We noted before how Paul Heyman has already been working
with WWE in a backstage capacity and he has been providing input for some of
the top WWE storylines including the ones related to Brock Lesnar and Ronda
Rousey.
The former ECW Owner is also said to be very up to date with
everything and everyone. He is very popular with the backstage crew and
Heyman’s new role only strengthens the possibility of Brock Lesnar staying with
WWE and Ronda Rousey returning to the company.
On the other hand, Eric Bischoff has made some on-screen
appearances recently but he wasn’t involved in any planning backstage. His
experience with the TV industry is part of the reason why he has been brought
back and the former WCW Official is expected to be an intermediary between WWE
and Fox Officials for SmackDown’s move to the network.
After starting to advertise Paul Heyman for the upcoming episode of Raw, WWE has confirmed another big attraction for this week’s episode of the show.
The company has announced that the former Wyatt Family
Member Braun Strowman will be in action on Raw and he will be facing Bobby
Lashley in a one on one bout.
Though this match will not be a regular fight. The Officials
have confirmed that this will be a falls count anywhere match, meaning that we
can expect some chaotic action on this week’s episode of Raw.
That’s what I’ve wanted this whole damn time! No more arm wrestling, no more tugs of war. @BraunStrowman you and me, one-on-one with all of Dallas to work with. Square up big man! #RAWhttps://t.co/7Abj5w8gPq
Other points the company is focusing on for the show are the follow up of the angle between Baron Corbin, Lacey Evans, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins and the fallout of the Undertaker’s return on the show.
Apart from this, the company is also teasing both AJ Styles and Samoa Joe as the next possible contenders for the US title and WWE title respectively after the events of last week’s Raw.
For those who don’t know, AJ Styles defeated the current US
Champion Ricochet in a one on one match at Raw last week which should put him
in the title picture.
On the other hand, Samoa Joe made his claim on the title by
attacking the current Champion Kofi Kingston after he had defeated Sami Zayn
and Kevin Owens in separate matches during the show.
Just days removed from the news that Jinder Mahal had signed a new contract with WWE, the former WWE Champion revealed that he’ll be on the sidelines.
Mahal noted in a post on his official Instagram account that he was in Birmingham, Alabama to undergo knee surgery at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. In this post, he noted that while wrestling Ali, who won the match, at the WWE live event in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, June 15, he ruptured his patella tendon.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when Mahal will be back in action. The good news is that that surgery went well and his knee is better than expected. You can see his post here:
Earlier this week it was reported that Mahal had signed a new deal that is said to be for 5 years. Jinder joins Mojo Rawley, Mike Kanellis, and Maria Kanellis as stars who have recently signed new five-year contracts.
Mahal hasn’t been doing much on television since last year on RAW or SmackDown Live. He has been involved in recent WWE 24/7 Title chase segments where he became a two-time WWE 24/7 Champion but lost the title.
All Elite Wrestling has released the opening video package for Saturday’s AEW Fyter Fest live event from Daytona Beach, Florida.
Fyter Fest airs live (and free) on the Bleacher Report Live streaming service and is co-presented by the Community Effort Orlando (CEO) video game convention.
The ‘Buy In’ pre-show kicks off at 7:30pm (EST). The main card starting a half hour later. As seen below, the opening video package declares a “new wrestling empire” is on the rise:
“Tonight, it’s time to show the world why All Elite Wrestling is here to stay. AEW is ready to embrace the bright lights ready to prove themselves yet again. Because they realize in order to survive the struggle and succeed, they need to fight for this dream every day. Their passion will create an energy that will infuse your soul. An energy that declares, ‘Let’s live forever.’ Welcome to All Elite Wrestling. This is Fyter Fest. Welcome to the show.”
AEW Fyter Fest Card
The following is the final card for Saturday night’s AEW Fyter Fest pay-per-view, streaming free on BR LIVE:
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr., Fenix, and Laredo Kid
Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela – Non-Sanctioned Match
Cody vs. Darby Allin
Adam Page vs. MJF vs. Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose
Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA
Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa – Hardcore Match
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose – Triple Threat Match
Join us here Saturday night for our Live Coverage of AEW Fyter Fest and check back after the event for our AEW Fyter Fest Takeaways feature.
Earlier this week, WWE shocked the wrestling world by announcing Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff have been named as the Executive Directors of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown live, respectively.
A WWE statement reads, “In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.”
There were conflicting media reports about whether Heyman and Bischoff would begin their new functions immediately or imminently, but WWE is now featuring Heyman and Bischoff in ads for next week’s shows.
In an effort to sell tickets for Monday’s Raw from Dallas and Tuesday’s SmackDown from San Antonio, WWE is hyping that fans will see what Heyman and Bischoff ‘have in store’ for their respective brands.
As of this writing, it is unclear whether Heyman and Bischoff will serve as on-screen authority figures. However, it’s certainly interesting to see the company already using the star power and intrigue factor of the former ECW and WCW head honchos to spike ticket sales.
Shayna Baszler vs Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s championship inside a steel cage aired this week on NXT. Baszler was able to retain her championship against Shirai, causing the challenger to turn on Candice LeRae after the match was over.
Former RAW Women’s champion Ronda Rousey offered up the following praise for her stablemate’s performance on social media:
Baszler is the only 2x champion in the lineage of the NXT Women’s championship. The 376+ days she has spent with the title across her two reigns is good for second all-time. Asuka is the leader in the days spent as champion category with 510.
Baszler’s current reign sits at 243+ days, already 4th all-time for a single reign. Asuka’s 510-day title reign leads the category. Paige’s inaugural run with the belt lasted 308 days. In two weeks, Baszler will top Charlotte Flair’s 258-day title reign.
On Friday, a new and final trailer for “Hobbs & Shaw” was released.
This is a spin-off film of the Fast & Furious series that stars former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham. You can watch it here:
It’s directed by David Leitch, who presented Deadpool 2, and a script written by longtime Fast & Furious narrative architect Chris Morgan.
The film is produced by Chris Morgan, Johnson, Statham and Hiram Garcia. The executive producers are Dany Garcia, Kelly McCormick, Steven Chasman, Ethan Smith and Ainsley Davies.
The promotional material reads, “Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves. Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.”
Booker T appears to have taken some offense to Matt Riddle’s recent comments about Bill Goldberg. Riddle was publicly critical of Goldberg’s performance at Super ShowDown against the Undertaker. According to comments made by Booker T, however, Riddle should focus more on his own craft.
“I was listening to Matt Riddle talk about Goldberg,” Booker T said on his Reality of Wrestling show. “And I got a chance to watch Matt Riddle work. This guy needs a lot of work. You’re talking about somebody that needs to work on their craft? This Matt Riddle, he needs to work on his craft and that’s coming from Booker T.”
“I wish Matt Riddle would come down to my school and get a first-class one-on-one wrestling 101 training,” Booker continued.
“Before Matt Riddle starts talking about anybody, Matt Riddle needs to work on his game and he needs to work on it very, very hard and that’s coming from a Hall-of-Famer. That’s coming from one of the best in the business. Now, Matt Riddle he can say whatever he wants to say about Booker T but I’ll tell you right now, I was top five. Top five in the world, I hover somewhere in that top 5 echelon.”
“Hey Matt Riddle, work on your game kid,” Booker continued. “That’s coming from the 5-time champ.”
AEW filed to trademark the term “Wednesday Night Dynamite” on June 18th. It is the latest indication that Wednesday is, in fact, the planned night for AEW’s weekly cable show.
Early indications had been it was between Tuesday night and Wednesday night that AEW weekly TV would air. The Tuesday night timeslot had been rumored since before the promtinon was officially announced. AEW filed for the trademark “Tuesday Night Dynamite” back in November.
Now it appears Wednesday October 2nd, 2019 is the likely first night the show will air.
“It now looks like the start date for TV will be 10/2 since the company has filed for a trademark on the name Wednesday Night Dynamite,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “There are still meetings going on regarding television, battle strategies, and a variety of ideas from the TNT side but Wednesday is pretty much the day unless something changes (and has been the favorite to be the day for months) with 8-10 p.m. being currently the most likely time slot.”
Several international broadcast deals are awaiting the finalizing of the night of the week the show will air on. ITV and broadcast deals in Canada specifically, are reportedly unable to be finalized until the weekday night is determined.
AEW weekly TV is scheduled to begin the same week Smackdown moves to Fox. The first episode of Smackdown on Fox is scheduled for Friday, October 4th, 2019.
