WWE presented the CW Premiere episode of NXT tonight from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. One of the featured bouts on the show was Roxanne Perez defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Giulia.
The Japanese star was making her official in-ring debut for the development brand in the opening match of the episode. As expected, she dominated most of the bout.
Giulia sent Perez crashing onto the outside floor towards the ending of the fight. The referee started a ten count but both competitors beat it. Roxanne Perez then grabbed the Women’s title belt to hit her opponent but the ref stopped her.
When the referee was busy, however, a hooded figure dragged the former Stardom star out of the ring and delivered a DDT on the floor. The mysterious star dumped Giulia back into the ring where Perez picked up the victory with a Pop Rox. The figure then revealed themselves to be a returning Cora Jade.
The 23-year-old had been out of action since January this year. She tore her ACL during an NXT Live Event match against Lyra Valkyria.
Jade previously won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships with Roxanne Perez. Though their team didn’t last long as Cora Jade turned on her partner and then dumped the NXT tag title in a trash can.
It’s not clear if the events of tonight are leading towards a reunion between the teammates or if Jade has a different intention in mind. We’ll have to tune in to NXT in coming times to find out.
The Straight Edge star is known to be very generous when it comes to promoting local businesses and treating fans of his hometown of Chicago.
He famously treated all the fans with ice cream bars, when they attended his AEW debut from the United Center during the August 20, 2021 episode of Rampage.
So when NXT’s CW premiere rolled around from the Allstate Arena with Punk as a special guest on the episode, fans just knew that there would be surprises in store and the former world champion didn’t disappoint.
Fans leaving the arena after tonight’s show noted that they were all given free Lou Malnati’s Pizzas along with C4 Energy drinks:
CM Punk played the role of the special guest referee for the main event of tonight’s show. The bout saw Trick Williams challenging Ethan Page for the NXT Championship.
Williams was able to defeat Page and he became a 2-time NXT Champion in the process. The confetti rained down as Trick celebrated his victory and the show went off air with Punk giving a GTS to Page.
Apart from this, the show also featured the official in-ring debut of Giulia who challenged Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Title.
Everyone expected the Japanese star to pick up the victory in the bout but Perez retained the title with some help from a returning Cora Jade.
Winning the NXT Championship was a very emotional moment for Trick Williams.
The WWE star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast. He discussed things such as Shawn Michaels comparing him to Scott Hall, NXT moving to CW, a potential main roster call up and more.
When asked about his NXT title win earlier this year, Williams first gave a shout-out to Ijla Dragunov for taking his career to the next level:
“Unreal. Shout out to Ilja Dragunov, who I would say really took my career to the next level, especially at that time, all three to four of our matches showed people that I had that next level in me. The day I did take the title from Ilja Dragunov, it was a beautiful moment.”
Trick Williams won the NXT Championship at the Spring Breakin’ event in April this year. The 30-year-old had put his NXT career on the line and with an outpouring support from the fans, he was finally able to defeat Dragunov to win the title.
According to the young star, the whole moment was unreal, and the emotion he felt during the time will be very hard to replicate in his life:
“I’m not sure if you saw but the whole arena was shaking from the Whoop That Trick chants, people stomping, people screaming, people crying. It was unreal, man, and the emotion that I felt in that ring at that time, it’s gonna be hard to duplicate, because it was just 100% everybody was behind, and that’s a special moment. Man, that’s why I wanted to do this.”
Though Williams’ reign didn’t last very long. He dropped the title to Ethan Page at the Heatwave event in July, after only 74 days. Trick will get a shot at redemption when he challenges Page for the title at tonight’s CW premiere episode of WWE’s third brand.
Batista has revealed the best pieces of advice he got from his mentors in wrestling.
The former World Champion recently had a short conversation with The School of Hard Knocks on TikTok. He was asked about the best piece of advice he has ever got.
The Animal reflected on the time when he first got hired by WWE back in the early 2000. He mentioned that he was very afraid of pissing people off, until Triple H changed his perspective with two incredible pieces of wisdom:
“There’s been a few things, especially when I was wrestling, I had a mentor named Triple H, and it was a couple things he said to me that always stuck with me. And one of the things was, you know, when I first got there, I was so afraid, like I didn’t want to piss people off, it was a hierarchy thing, and I was so afraid of being disrespectful, or pissing somebody off. And one day he said, ‘Look, man, you want to make money or you want to make friends?’
He says ‘This is a business. You got to look at it as a business. You’re a business.’ And so I always thought about myself as my own commodity. I am my brand. And so another thing he said, he said, ‘Just always imagine that everybody’s pointing a gun at your head. it’s up to you how many bullets you give them.'”
Batista did a mini interview with The School Of Hard Knocks and my man was dropping GEMS pic.twitter.com/gsiVdKetHJ
Batista has been pretty open about his financial difficulties after leaving WWE in 2010. Despite multiple world titles in the company, the retired wrestling star found himself in a pickle. The 55-year-old wanted to pursue an acting career but he had a hard time because he couldn’t find a lot of jobs the first few years.
The Hollywood star has since found success and starred in hit franchises like Guardians of The Galaxy and Dune. Despite this, however, he tries to live beneath his means, as explained to him by The Undertaker:
“Financial advice. Best advice that I ever got, which I always offer to, especially to like professional athletes, because a lot of professional athletes they grow up, you know, not really having much. So when you get all this money dumped on you, you just want to buy everything you can afford. The best advice that I ever got was actually from the Undertaker, another wrestler.
He said, ‘always live beneath your means.’ I learned that the hard way. When I came out of wrestling, I literally lost everything. My house got foreclosed on, but I had a second opportunity to be successful in the film industry. Now that money in the bank means more to me than something that I don’t really need. Like I don’t need a Bugatti. I’d love to have a Bugatti but I’m not paying 3-5 million for a car because I don’t need one.”
Batista has not only found success for himself in the movie industry but he is also helping other wrestling stars get their foot into the door. Drew McIntyre is one such talent who has gotten a big movie role recently due to a recommendation from the MCU star.
WWE has announced an injury to former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov that will likely keep him out of action for the rest of the year as well as the WrestleMania season next year.
On Monday’s episode of Raw, the company aired footage of the 30-year-old facing the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in a match at this past Saturday’s house show from Columbus, Georgia.
In the commentary, they noted that Dragunov is suspected to have suffered a torn ACL and the medical team believes that he will be out of action for 6 to 9 months:
Ilja Dragunov had a successful run in WWE developmental. He started in NXT UK in January 2019 and has the credit of ending Gunther’s 2 year-long reign with the NXT UK Championship at NXT: Takeover 36 in August 2021.
He had to relinquish the title after 346 days due to a leg injury in July 2022. Dragunov joined the main NXT brand after returning from injury where he had a 200+ days run with the NXT title.
The former champion was finally called up to the main roster during the 2024 Drafts. He has competed in the King of The Ring tournament and also unsuccessfully challenged Sami Zayn for the IC title since then.
A minimum of 6 months recovery time means Dragunov will not be ring-ready until April at least. That implies he’ll be absent for the whole WrestleMania 41 season, with a high potential of missing the Show of Shows as well.
SEScoops wishes a speedy recovery to Ilja Dragunov
Posted September 30th, 2024 in WWE. Tagged: Injuries.
AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson has laid out a huge challenge for the upcoming Dynamite 5-year anniversary show this Wednesday night.
The wrestling veteran recently shared an Instagram video of himself meditating in a forest. He started off his promo by calling out Jon Moxley. Mox had said that Bryan’s idea of a world champion wasn’t working after turning on his BCC teammate at All Out.
Danielson responded to the former Shield member saying that as much as he’d like to face Jon in a match, he realizes that he is fighting against an idea and not a man.
The AEW Champion proclaimed that he wants to be someone who defends his title at a monumental show like the upcoming Anniversary Special and proceeded to call out Kazuchika Okada for the bout:
Bryan Danielson has called out Okada for a World title match at Dynamite this Wednesdaypic.twitter.com/GG76Cpclmw
— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) October 1, 2024
The AEW world title match is the 4rth match announced for the October 2 episode of Dynamite. Here is the updated line up for the show:
Singles Match: Hangman Page vs. Juice Robinson
Singles Match: Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb
AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet
AEW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
Bryan Danielson has faced Okada in two singles matches so far. He defeated the Japanese star in their first match when they collided at the Forbidden Door 2023 event.
A rematch between the two took place at WrestleKingdom 18 in January this year. Okada picked up the win this time, tying the score to 1-1.
Okada has since signed a contract with AEW, becoming a full-time member of the Elite roster. We’ll have to tune in on Wednesday to see which one of the two picks up the victory in this rubber match.
Powerhouse Hobbs might be on his way back to AEW programming very soon after spending the last 5 months on the shelf due to injury.
The former TNT Champion has been spotted backstage at AEW shows recently, starting rumors about a potential return for him.
Now Fightful Select is reporting that Hobbs has actually been cleared for action in the last few weeks. Hobbs went through extensive in-ring testing before being cleared and now he’s just awaiting creative plans for his return.
The heavyweight star last wrestled during the April 24, 2024 episode of Dynamite. He unsuccessfully challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the show and sustained a knee injury in the same bout.
Powerhouse Hobbs had primarily been involved in a storyline with Don Callis before being put on the shelf. He was recruited into Callis’ faction in October 2023.
Prior to that, the 33-year-old had a short run with the TNT Championship between March and April 2023. He also briefly joined the short-lived QTV faction but that didn’t lead to anything significant.
There is no word on what the company is planning for Hobbs upon his return but the recent debut of MVP opens up a very intriguing possibility for him.
The appearance from the former WWE star teased the arrival of The Hurt Syndicate on AEW programming. Though the faction is expected to be one member short compared to their WWE days as Cedric Alexander recently signed a new deal with the Endeavor-owned promotion.
If the group feels the need for a new member to strengthen their position, then someone like Powerhouse Hobbs would be the perfect addition. It will make the faction more dominant and allow the former champion to learn from the veterans.
During the interview, he was also asked about the influence HBK was for him. Strickland said that Michaels was a huge influence on him and revealed that they keep in touch even now. The former NXT star then told a story about the time he felt stuck in NXT:
“He was the influence on when I really took off in my WWE NXT era because I was just stuck, hitting this wall over and over again weekly. I was having these conversations with Triple H; I was getting this runaround. I wasn’t really getting anywhere.
Then I got a promotion one day, and I was just not happy about it. I was like ‘I don’t feel like I earned the promotion, I feel like you just paying me to keep me here rather than paying what I’ve earned,’
So I spoke out about it. I was like ‘I want to be learning under Shawn.’ He was like, ‘Well, yada yada yada,’ Matt Bloom was like saying ‘yada yada yada whatever. But his office is over there.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, bet.’ I walked over to Shawn and said, ‘Hey, can we do tape study?'”
Swerve Strickland mentioned that he took the leap because he had nothing to lose. He explained that Michaels approached the whole thing with an open mind and then helped him understand what the office wanted from him:
“I was like, ‘Shawn, can I watch tape with you sometime? Like an hour, something like that.’ He’s like, ‘Give me three matches, email them to me, and I’ll pick one. We can watch it on Tuesday.’ Sure enough, he lived up to his word. We watched a match of me on the Indies from like four years ago. He’s like, ‘I want to see the reason you got here. What’s the reason that we signed you to this contract to be here? I want to watch that.’ So we watched this stuff, and he like, he’s quiet, just watching.
Guys like that, they’re not gonna [go] ‘ooh, hah hah hah’; No, they’re just gonna watch. William Regal was very much like that too. The match was over, and he stopped. He’s like, ‘I know exactly the kind of performer you are now. Now I know who you are, now I know what you can offer.’ Next thing you know, he’s in meetings talking about TV the night before, and he’s texting me, he’s like ‘Okay, they want to see you get a little more aggressive and stuff like that. So bring it next match.’ I’m like, ‘That’s it? That’s all I’ve got to do?’
Next match, beating the hell out of me and Bronson Reed going back and forth. He comes to me in the back, and it’s like a football coach after the match. He’s like smacking my ass and [going], ‘That’s what I’m talking about. There you go.’ So I was like, ‘Yeah, I got that from Shawn.’ Next thing you know, North American Championship match happened. Next thing you know TV, I’m getting the microphone to talk now live. I get to show my personality more.”
The AEW star noted that these chances helped him stand out among other recruits. He started taking more and more risks after that and started getting much more comfortable in front of the camera. It got him ready for the bigger opportunities that came his way and made him the star he is now.
AEW star Thunder Rosa is furious over misleading reports about her health.
The former Women’s Champion took to Twitter recently, responding to a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter saying that she was cleared to compete.
The female star claimed that the information was absolutely wrong. Rosa also addressed her status in a new video on Instagram, saying that she will take the time to announce any changes in her status:
“I just wanna make something very clear. I just got a note from the dirt sheets that I’ve been cleared to wrestle. No I am not cleared. I was following the [Concussion] protocol this Wednesday and I’m not cleared to wrestle.
So if you’re a dirt sheet writer, anyone, ask me about my health directly. Cause I am not cleared to wrestle. When I am cleared, when my doctors tell me I can wrestle, I will personally announce it. Stop putting things that are not right.”
Thunder Rosa has been out of action since the August 31 episode of AEW Collision. She competed in a TBS Championship #1 contenders match at the show. The bout won by Hikaru Shida also featured Queen Aminata, and Serena Deeb.
After a couple weeks of unannounced absence, Rosa revealed on Busted Open that she had actually been put on the shelf after suffering a concussion.
This was another setback for the female star who spent most of the 2023 on shelf due to back issues. She returned to action in December 2023 but has only wrestled about 20 matches since her comeback.
The concussion protocol makes it hard to determine how long the Mexican star will remain out of action or when she could return to AEW. Stay tuned to SEScoops for any updates on her status.
The last few years have been trying for Jeff Hardy but his mental health has improved tremendously after quitting drugs and alcohol.
The Hardy Boyz were guests on Busted Open Radio, sitting down with fellow legends Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer. They talked about things such as their AEW run, working in TNA, where they want to retire and more.
Jeff was asked about his mental health and how his current state is different than other times when he’s felt that he was in a good place. Hardy revealed that he is feeling like he felt during his childhood:
“Oh, clear-minded. To be a sober, innovative Jeff Hardy, I mean, it just…it’s almost childlike, the feeling of how it felt before I ever gave into drugs or alcohol. We were obsessed with pro wrestling. That was it.
That’s what, that was our main concern. That obsession became our dream that came true as pro wrestlers. So I feel like I’m back there in an older body. I think a lot more with my heart now, instead of my mind. I try my best not to let my mind play tricks on me.”
Jeff Hardy also revealed his new obsession that is helping him stay off drugs and alcohol – ice baths. He takes one every morning and according to the former world champion, it’s almost like a high of its own:
“The ice baths have been helping incredibly. I’m totally addicted to ice baths now, instead of alcohol or drugs and I love it. The first time I went underwater in an ice bath, I said, ‘Whoa, there’s something.’
It was the strangest thing ‘Whoa, there’s something to this.’ It was almost like a high of some kind. Every morning I’m in the ice bath, and that’s the biggest difference is just a clean and sober Jeff Hardy. Shoot, the moon, the sky, the stars are the limit.”
The Charismatic Enigma made a surprise TNA appearance at the Against All Odds event in June. He reunited with his brother Matt Hardy at the show and the legendary tag team has been on an exciting run in the promotion ever since.
AEW star Swerve Strickland has seemingly confirmed that Tony Khan’s promotion will be producing a show for Fox Network soon.
Youtuber Trevor “Queenzflip” Robinson recently published a video about his visit to Sneakcon in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The convention took place on 21 and 22 September at the Maimonides Park stadium.
Robinson ran into the former AEW Champion during his trip. Strickland first educated him about all the work he has been doing with the wrestling promotion, including him becoming the first African American world champion of the company.
During the talk, the AEW star mentioned how SmackDown has moved from Fox to USA Network and claimed that they’re taking Fox after that:
“We about to get on Fox. Cause SmackDown’s leaving Fox. And then we’re taking Fox. TNT, TBS, and Fox, we got all three of them. Tony Khan lets me do whatever I want.”
The new TV deals of AEW will be a historic event not only for Tony Khan but for the whole sports entertainment world. Reports suggest that the company will be getting around $170 million a year for producing two shows a week for various Warner Bros Discovery platforms.
Unlike their current agreement, however, AEW programming is not expected to be exclusive to WBD anymore. The cancellation of Rampage would open doors for the company to produce a new show for a different network.
Swerve Strickland is currently off TV after suffering two big losses. He lost the AEW World Title to Bryan Danielson at All In on August 25 and suffered another brutal defeat at the hands of Hangman Page at All Out on September 7.
WWE has finally announced the return of AJ Styles to TV, putting a lot of rumors about the former World Champion to rest.
The Phenomenal One has been absent from WWE programming for more than three months, causing all kinds of speculation about his health and status with the company.
The promotion finally announced his return for the October 4 episode of SmackDown from Nashville during tonight’s episode of the show. The announcement was made via a video package featuring Styles’ best in-ring moment and his catchphrase ‘This is still the house that AJ Styles built’
Apart from this big return, the upcoming SmackDown episode will also feature a couple of high-profile matches. Below you can check out the card for the Bad Blood go-home show:
Ladder Match For WWE Tag Team Championships: The Bloodline vs. Street Profits vs. DIY
AJ Styles has not been seen on WWE programming since WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland PPV in June. He unsuccessfully challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the show.
The former world champion had continued competing at live events. He even traveled with the roster when they made the trip to countries like Japan, Belgium, and Germany. During this time, AJ also made a rare non-WWE appearance, competing at the NOAH Destination event on July 13.
The unexplained absence resulted in much speculation and rumors about the status of the high-flying star. Fans began to wonder if Styles would also be let go from the company like Bobby Lashley when it was revealed that his contract was set to expire later this year.
The announcement of his return, however, confirms that the officials have plans for the wrestling veteran yet and they will likely re-sign him before his deal ends.
A lot happened after tonight’s episode of SmackDown from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma went off air.
The show featured not one but three dark matches including two women’s bouts. The first dark match saw Kairi Sane picking up a submission win over Chelsea Green.
Liv Morgan defended her Women’s title against Zelina Vega in the second dark match of the night. The two women had a lot of fun with the match. Zelina mocked Liv with her signature pose while Liv pulled out the Three Amigos to try and get the win. In the end, Morgan retained her title.
The final non-televised bout of the night featured Cody Rhodes taking on Austin Theory. Rhodes addressed the fans after his win and even held a fan’s baby for a while.
The SmackDown episode tonight saw some very interesting developments for The American Nightmare. The main event featured Kevin Owens and Randy Orton taking on The Bloodline.
KO had asked Rhodes not to come out for the match but the Undisputed WWE Champion still tried to help his friends. In doing so, however, he inadvertently caused Owens and Orton to lose the bout.
Kevin Owens was visibly frustrated with Cody for this. Orton tried to make peace between the two but KO also shoved him, opening the possibility for some interesting story developments in the future.
The status of the Davenport show had been in question until today due to Hurricane Helene. Many wrestling shows have been affected by the same.
TNA recently re-scheduled their TV tapings set for Friday and Saturday while MLW canceled their St. Petersburg show on October 4. Joe Hendry is unable to make this weekend’s House of Glory event due to it. WWE earlier today confirmed however that the NXT house show will continue as planned.
Apart from the return of the injured star, the show also featured Giulia in action. The Japanese star picked up a victory over Wren Sinclair during the event.
Nikkita Lyons signed with WWE in 2021 and made her in-ring debut later that year. The female star caught the eye of the fans and went viral after debuting on NXT but her short run has been littered with injuries.
Early in her career, she had to be removed from the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament of 2022 after suffering a partial MCL tear and an MCL sprain.
The young star spent most of the 2023 rehabbing as well after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in a match against Jakara Jackson during the January 17, 2023 episode of WWE NXT Level Up.
It had been less than a month since Lyons returned to action when she was put on the shelf again in early 2024. Prior to tonight’s show, she competed against Blair Davenport at the January 9, 2024 episode of NXT.
Bron Breakker has opened up about his segment with Undertaker in NXT.
The October 10, 2023 date saw the renewal of an old rivalry in wrestling as NXT went head-to-head with AEW Dynamite once more since the end of the Wednesday night wars. WWE took the competition very seriously and booked a number of big names for the show, including none other than The Undertaker.
The former NXT Champion recently had an interview with 99.5 WKDQ radio to promote Monday’s Raw from Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. He discussed things such as losing the IC title to Jey Uso, his rivalry with Carmelo Hayes and more.
When asked about his experience of working with the Undertaker, Bron Breakker revealed that the Phenom actually sat down with him after the show and they have developed a relationship since then:
“We sat and we talked for a long time after that show. He just gave me a lot of great advice. That sort of started a little bit of relationship with him and I since then. Every time I see him in the building, or when he comes around, I always go up, we have conversation. Undertaker’s the best. He’s great.”
The segment in question came after a match between Breakker and Carmelo Hayes. Hayes had John Cena in his corner while Paul Heyman joined Bron. Hayes won the match in the end. The second-generation star didn’t like the result and he continued his assault on Melo.
This is when the Dead Man showed up and he delivered a chokeslam to the young star. According to Bron Breakker, it was an experience he’ll never forget:
“Absolute honor for me to even be in that position with him, with such a legend. It was an incredible night. That’s a night I’ll never forget. That’ll probably be some sort of poster or picture that’s on my wall forever. So surreal moment between me and him, and [I’m] just so thankful I got to be a part of it. He’s awesome. Love that dude.”
Apart from Cena and Taker, the October 10 NXT also featured names such as Cody Rhodes, Asuka and LA Knight. With the star-studded lineup, WWE’s third brand managed to crush AEW’s flagship show in ratings, drawing 921,000 viewers compared to 609,000 viewers from their competitors.
Jade Cargill didn’t think the WWE fans would accept her the way she has been accepted since her debut for the promotion.
It has been one year since the former TBS Champion reported to the WWE performance center in September 2023 and about 9 months since she made her in-ring debut for the company at Royal Rumble in January.
The former AEW star spoke to Sports Business Journal recently. Looking back at her first year in her new home, the premier athlete explained how the WWE fanbase has surprised her:
“This year went by so quick; the WWE fan base surprised me in all kinds of ways. I didn’t think that I was going to be accepted the way I was accepted. They came in with open arms. I did the Royal Rumble. The crowd was electrifying. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The former Basketball player has achieved a lot in her relatively short tenure in the biggest sports entertainment company of the world. Apart from winning the Tag Team Championships with Bianca Belair, she has also wrestled on PPVs such as WrestleMania XL, Bash In Berlin, and Clash At The Castle: Scotland.
The thing she is most proud about during this time period, however, is incredibly personal. Jade Cargill revealed that her mother passed away this year and being able to do all she has done while dealing with the loss is what she is most proud of:
“My mother passed away this year. I’m sorry, and it’s OK. And it was a hard moment for me, but I pushed through it, and I talked to my mother, I used to talk to my mother every morning about my family, my daughter, what to do if she got sick.
If she got a cold, you talk to your mother, and she wasn’t there for me this year. So, I would say the thing I’m most proud of is that I was able to push through that, to just strive through parts.”
Cargill noted that she is proud of being able to continue to push the envelope through this time and setting an example for her daughter to do major things.
The WWE star along with her partner Bianca Belair are currently scheduled to make an appearance at NXT’s CW premiere from Allstate Arena in Chicago on October 1.
TNA has been forced to re-schedule its latest TV taping from Spartanburg, S.C. due to disturbance caused by Hurricane Helene.
The wrestling promotion was set to record the latest set of its weekly TV shows from the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium this Friday, September 27 & Saturday, September 28.
The company released a statement, however, announcing that due to severe weather forecasts throughout the Southeast, the tapings will now be held on Sunday, September 29, & Monday, September 30.
TNA fans can use the tickets for Friday and Saturday’s tapings on Sunday and Monday respectively. A start time for the re-scheduled events will be announced on their social media pages.
Names such as Nic Nemeth, Jordynne Grace, Joe Hendry, Eric Young, Ash By Elegance and Moose are expected to appear at the TV tapings.
Hurricane Helene is a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region at about 11:10 p.m. on Friday, according to NBC News.
61 out of Florida’s 67 counties have declared a state of emergency because of it. Florida Highway Patrol is reporting that a driver was killed in Tampa on Friday night after a sign fell onto the driver’s car.
President Joe Biden has approved the emergency declaration in South Carolina and ordered for federal resources to be made available to deal with the Hurricane. Almost 700,000 homes and businesses are said to be without power as authorities continue the rescue efforts.
Affected personnel can contact the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557 for details on resources and assistance. The Florida Governor’s office has also released an update on the response efforts which can be found here.
MVP says the newest chapter of his wrestling career is quite possibly the final chapter of his illustrious run in the sports entertainment world.
The former WWE star made his highly anticipated AEW debut during the Dynamite: Grand Slam special this Wednesday. He interrupted a segment with Prince Nana and looked to make acquaintence with the former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland.
The newest AEW signee commented on his arrival in a new video on Instagram. He claimed that he is the same MVP, just conducting business in a new place:
“Cat’s out of the bag. By now I’m sure many of you know – and if you don’t, you’re about to find out – that I’ve embarked on an exciting new chapter for my professional wrestling career.
And I’m excited because this new chapter is quite possibly the final chapter. And I’ve got some really cool things in store. So if you’ve been a fan of mine for this long, come hang out for just a little bit longer. Same MVP, just conducting business in a new location. MVP is AEW. See you next week.”
Managing the Hurt Business was the highlight of MVP’s second WWE run from 2020 to 2024. The group consisting of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander ruled the Raw brand during the pandemic era.
While the group disbanded in early 2022, the fans believed that there was a lot more the company could have done with them. WWE even teased a reunion for the faction in early 2023 but the idea was quickly dropped.
Three of the four members of the Hurt Business have since left WWE with MVP himself departing in August this year after his contract expired. Cedric Alexander is the only star who is still with the company, having signed a new contract recently.
MVP has been talking about the reunion of the faction in recent months. Fans who paid close attention to his AEW debut will know that it also teased the arrival of the group on Tony Khan’s promotion.
Shawn Spears has explained that his AEW departure wasn’t caused by any disputes or frustrations and that he simply left because he wanted to contribute more.
The Chairman recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast. He discussed things such as his classic ‘stan’ segment with Shawn Michaels, returning to WWE, his friendship with Cody Rhodes and more.
While talking about his departure from Tony Khan’s promotion in January this year, the former AEW star explained that he wanted to contribute a little bit more both on camera and behind the scene:
“I think it just came down to a personal want, in terms of wanting to contribute a little bit more, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. I had a wonderful time in AEW.
I have and have had a great relationship with Tony Khan. You’re never going to hear me say anything bad about that guy. Same thing with a lot of EVPs, talent, everything. I had a wonderful time.”
Shawn Spears mentioned that his time in AEW helped him become a better businessman. He learned things like having faith in your own ability and putting your foot down when needed:
“My time there was special, getting to work with all the top guys based on a lot of storylines that I was in with Max and FTR and things like that. So a lot of things that I would have never gotten to do, I think in my career, I was very fortunate enough to do there.”
While Spears didn’t win any titles during his four years with All Elite Wrestling, the wrestling veteran shared the ring with the likes of Cody Rhodes, MJF, Chris Jericho, and many more.
The 43-year-old made his return to the NXT brand in February this year. He has been a featured star on the brand ever since and has competed in many high-profile matches.
AEW presented an eventful episode of Dynamite: Grand Slam this Wednesday featuring the surprise debut of a former WWE star among other things. The company also taped Saturday’s Collision on the same night.
The show which will continue the two-night event featured Jack Perry holding an open challenge for the TNT title, Kazuchika Okada facing Sammy Guevara in an eliminator match, and more. Below are the complete spoilers for Collision: Grand Slam event from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York:
AEW TNT Championship Open Challenge: Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki answered the open challenge. Perry managed to retain his title. The match was taped before Dynamite.
6 Men Tag Team Match: Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly. Big Bill put Briscoe through a table, allowing Jericho to get the pin.
Singles Match: Brody King defeated Action Andretti. After King got the pin, The Righteous, and Lance Archer attacked Andretti and Top Flight. They brawled until officials pulled them apart.
Saraya’s Rule Match: Jamie Hayter defeated Saraya
Lumberjack Strap Match: Hangman Page defeated Jeff Jarrett
AEW Trios Tag Team Championship Match: Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta & PAC defeated Private Party & Komander.
MxM Segment: The tag team had a fashion runway with models and revealed a new version of Max Caster’s jacket. One of the models was revealed to be Billy Gunn however who attacked the duo. The Acclaimed showed up in the end of clean the house.
Triple Threat Match: Hologram defeated Beast Mortos and Dralistico after pinning Dralistico for the win. Once the bell rang, Rush led an attack with the other two opponents and took out Hologram.
AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match: The Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated Sammy Guevara. Okada got the pin with the Rainmaker.
Apart from this, the night also featured a match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin with WrestleDream implications. You can check out the result of the bout here.
Big E has not wrestled a match since March 2022 due to his neck injury but he is still hopeful about potentially making an in-ring return somewhere down the line.
The former WWE Champion recently had a conversation with Sports Talk Philly where he discussed things such as his partnership with Pancheros, the recent troubles of the New Day, the success of The Rock and more.
During the talk, E was asked if there has been any improvement in his status since his injury. The wrestling veteran explained that it’s hard to judge because he doesn’t face any trouble in his day-to-day life. He went on to reveal that he underwent stem cell therapy about three months ago:
“I did go down to a beautiful place called RejuvStem in Cancun, and got some stem cells, so we’ll see. That was about three months ago, so we’ll see how that looks and if there’s any progress there.”
Big E mentioned how he has things going on outside the wrestling world as well and he’ll be content if he is never able to wrestle again. Though he has not lost hope for a comeback either and he continues to be in touch with doctors who monitor his status:
“I get scans again in another three-to-six months, and if they look great and the doctors say it’s healthy for me to go back, then that’s something where we’ll sit down and talk about it.”
The New Day star broke his neck while wrestling in a tag team match on the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown. He has continued his relationship with WWE in a non-wrestling capacity, making appearances at PPVs and other big events as part of the pre-show panels.
WWE Superstar Angelo Dawkins has welcomed his second child into the world.
The former Tag Team Champion took on his Twitter earlier on Wednesday. He announced the birth of his second child with some photos and the caption addressing him as ‘lil homie 2’:
The 34-year-old got married to his partner Grace in a private ceremony earlier this year in June. Dawkins’ tag team partner Montez Ford actually officiated the wedding. The couple already have one son.
Despite many people wanting them to break up, the Street Profits have remained a tag team in WWE since they were first put together in NXT in 2016.
They had a successful run at the development brand which included a reign with the NXT Tag Team Championships. The duo of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford were called up to the main roster in 2019.
The Street Profits have since won both the Raw and SmackDown tag team titles. The latter made them the second triple crown tag champions in the history of WWE.
Former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley recruited them in his new stable called The Pride last year. This marked the first time the two had turned heel in WWE.
The faction disbanded however after WWE pulled Lashley off TV and then chose not to renew his contract. The Profits have since returned to being faces and they have been feuding with DIY and The Bloodline over the WWE tag team championships.
Nigel McGuinness is just looking to prove that he’s the better wrestler when he faces Bryan Danielson at this Wednesday’s Gram Slam special of AEW Dynamite.
The wrestling veteran had an interview with Battleground podcast to promote the upcoming AEW special. He talked about things such as when he first decided to make an in-ring return, what his journey to get back into ring shape has been like, and more.
When asked what is the thing he is looking forward to the most this Wednesday, apart from defeating Danielson, McGuinness noted that he is excited to be in front of a live crowd again:
“I just think the experience of being in front of those people again. It’s something that I arguably took for granted when I was a wrestler. I suppose I still am a wrestler to that extent. But when I walked out at Wembley Stadium and got that reaction, it was just incredible. So heartwarming to be remembered that way and respected that way.”
The former ROH Champion knows that the reaction in New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium will not be the same as his home country, but Nigel McGuinness feels that any kind of reaction from the crowd is a good reaction:
“So I know it’s not going to be the same reaction. There’s going to be plenty of people in New York that don’t like me. But I’ve always said, when people ask me about getting in the job, ‘What do you need?’ ‘You just need people to care about you.’
It was always the case with me—people either loved me or hated me—but as long as they had an opinion, that was all that mattered. I think there’s going to be a lot of that, hopefully.
A lot of those people who followed our careers since Ring of Honor are going to come out and really want to see who can prove that today they are the better wrestler. That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to show that all this success he’s had should have, could have, and would have been mine in a different universe.”
Apart from the match between McGuinness and the AEW World Champion, the show will also feature bouts such as Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin, The Young Bucks vs. Kyle Fletcher & Will Ospreay and more.
Drew McIntyre was in action after this week’s episode of SmackDown and he got fans worried for a second after faking a knee injury.
The Scottish Warrior went up against Jey Uso in the second dark match of the night after the show from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California went off air.
During one point in the bout, both men were down and McIntyre tried to do his signature kip-up. The former World Champion, however, failed to perform the move and he started favoring his knee afterward.
The referee checked on him and even Uso slowed down his offense. The images of the spot were seen on social media claiming that McIntyre got injured. Though a fan-made video shows that when Jey went close to his opponent, Drew poked him in the eye and then stood tall once again.
The Scottish Psychopath then delivered a GTS to Jey Uso in response to the CM Punk chants from the crowd. As he went for the Claymore, Uso managed to counter. The Yeet Man actually ended up winning the match after delivering a spear.
This wasn’t the only dark match that took place at the show. Before the Drew McIntyre bout, Liv Morgan successfully defended the Women’s World Championship against Lyra Valkyria.
The third dark match of the night saw Cody Rhodes defeat Carmelo Hayes. The WWE Champion brought a young fan to celebrate with him in the ring after the bell.
Prior to all this, Kevin Owens and the Street Profits took on the Bloodline in the main event of SmackDown. The match ended in a disqualification and the heel faction continued dominating until Rhodes made the save.
WWE once again teased Owens turning on the American Nightmare right at the end of the broadcast but the two ended up shaking hands and celebrating together.
Multiple top WWE stars including Liv Morgan, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre were in action in dark matches after this week’s episode of SmackDown from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California went off air.
The first dark match saw Liv Morgan defending the Women’s World Championship against Lyra Valkyria. The Judgment Day member was able to retain her title at the end.
Drew McIntyre took on Jey Uso in a singles match after this. During one point in the bout, Drew faked a leg injury to sneak attack Uso and get the upper hand.
The Yeet man however came back. He actually managed to beat the former world champion with a spear. McIntyre was unhappy with the outcome and he threw a tantrum before heading to the back.
The final dark match saw Cody Rhodes defeating Carmelo Hayes in a singles match. The Undisputed WWE Champion brought a young fan into the ring after the bout to celebrate with him, showing once again why he is the face of the company.
The main event of the show saw Kevin Owens teaming up with the Street Profits to take on The Bloodline. This came after DIY, who were originally supposed to team up with KO, were brutally attacked by the Samoan faction backstage before the bout.
The main event match ended in a disqualification when the referee couldn’t control the chaos anymore. The trio of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu continued wreaking havoc even after the bell rang.
DIY were also taken out when they tried to help Owens. It wasn’t until Cody Rhodes came out with a chair that things evened out. The American Nightmare sent the heels retreating.
WWE once again teased Kevin Owens turning on his friend after he grabbed the chair right before the show went off air. In the end, the Prizefighter shook hands with Rhodes and the broadcast ended with both the stars standing tall.