Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy, ‘The Hardy Boyz’ will be teaming for the first time in 3 years during an upcoming indie event in March.
Big Time Wrestling announced on Twitter that the legendary tag team will be reuniting for their upcoming event from Webster, Massachusetts on March 12:
No word yet on who Matt and Jeff Hardy will be facing on this card.
More tour dates for the Hardy Boyz will be announced soon.
This will be Jeff Hardy’s first post-WWE appearance after being released from the promotion. He has previously been announced for a couple of meet & greet events with Matt Hardy on the day following his in-ring return as well.
Jeff was released from his WWE contract back in December last year. This came after the charismatic enigma was sent home by the officials following a live event incident.
Jeff Hardy’s non-compete clause restricts him from working with any other promotion until March 9. He will be free to sign with any organization afterward.
There is no word yet on if any companies have shown interest in bringing Hardy in or if the former world champion himself is looking to sign a contract with any promotion. We’ll keep you posted on his future.
Vince McMahon and Tony Khan had very different strategies when it came to running wrestling shows during the lockdown era of COVID-19 pandemic.
While WWE decided to run shows in a completely empty arena, AEW came up with the idea to use the wrestlers they had as an audience. Many people thought that this created a big difference in the presentations of both the shows. Fans watching the show at home felt more connected to the AEW product because of this.
The AEW President recently had an interview with Vegas Film Critic Jeffrey K. Howard to promote Dynamite’s move to TBS. During the talk, Khan was asked about AEW’s strategy during the pandemic, and he compared it to WWE:
“The first week, I came up with the idea of putting the wrestlers who weren’t in the matches, every wrestler I could get around the ring, to create an audience, and people enjoyed it. It was very different than watching the alternative. Our competitor was running empty arena shows. I stayed with that at first and kept the wrestlers at ringside through the pandemic for several months.
We stayed on the air through the pandemic. [We] debuted some stars including the late great Mr. Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy, in the pandemic. We’re able to keep fans interested. Frankly, I told people, this is voluntary. You don’t have to come to the wrestlers [stand]. So, we had a small crew and I built around that crew.”
AEW was also the first company to welcome fans back into the arena. They created pods allowing families or groups of friends to attend the shows safely while keeping their distance from other fans. Tony Khan mentioned how WWE on the other hand, came up with the concept of the Thunderdome:
“Then people started to come back as we got deeper into the pandemic. Our competition through the pandemic, a few months later, they went to a fan wall. [It was a] virtual wall of fans like you saw in other sports, you know, TV screens. And I thought, let’s bring wrestling back with live fans safely. We did it.
We had no COVID transmissions by going into an outdoor amphitheater and spacing people out where a family or group of friends could sit in what we called a pod. [I thought] it would be like a drive-in movie. You had your own section of seats in this case. There’s no one near you, you’re outdoors, and it was great. It brought the fans back to pro wrestling. There was months and months where that was the only place you could watch pro wrestling anywhere in the world where the fans were cheering the matches.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
CM Punk’s 434 days run as the WWE champion and his infamous pipe bomb promo got a lot of people invested and reinvested into wrestling. As it turns out, AEW referee Aubrey Edwards is one of the personalities who got hooked to the sport thanks to the Straight Edge Star.
The female star was recently interviewed by Forbs for their YouTube series. During the talk, the 34-year-old revealed that she wasn’t a fan of wrestling from her childhood. She watched her first wrestling show at the age of 23:
“Most people end up watching wrestling as a kid and that’s not something I did. My dad said it was stupid and that it’s fake and you shouldn’t watch it.” revealed Aubrey Edwards, “But I first watched wrestling, WrestleMania 27. Couple friends of mine had a party and I literally have no idea what’s going on. [I was like] ‘this is okay, I guess.’
That was the moment that got my husband back into it. He was a fan when he was younger. So, he started watching it and one day I come home from work and he says, ‘Hey, you got to watch this thing that happened.’ It was June about 10 years ago where CM punk does his famous pipe bomb promo. From that moment, I was hooked.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
WWE has apparently renamed former NXT UK champion Walter to Gunther which is also the name of a Nazi commander.
The news of WWE trademarking the name Gunther Stark made some headlines yesterday after the revealation that it was also the name of a German U-boat Commander during World War II.
Fans had been speculating which star could be given the name since then. It was revealed during this week’s NXT that Walter is the one being renamed.
The Austrian star faced Roderick Strong in a one-on-one match in the main event of the development show this week. The former NXT UK star won this match after delivering a big powerbomb for the pin.
As he was being announced the winner of the fight, Walter snatched the mic. He said that the winner of the match was Gunther.
The duo of Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner then rushed to the ring to attack Strong. The Creed Brothers came in to help the Diamond Mine leader and the show went off air with all 6 stars brawling in the ring.
The earlier revelation had received a lot of negative reactions. Though the use of the name on NXT is proof that the officials have decided not to back down.
For all of my fears about what WWE would do to Walter once he left NXT UK, I must admit, naming him after a fucking NAZI is something I hadn't thought of. These people are imbeciles in every sense of the word.
If there's one thing I know Vince McMahon likes, it's foreign guys with soft bodies in their 30s who need to be booked like monsters. Ol' Gunther is gonna be just fine.
Former WWE star Mascara Dorada better known to WWE fans as Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik has been announced for his GCW debut next month.
The promotion confirmed the former WWE star’s debut for their upcoming show from Houston on February 4 on Twitter.
They also announced him for a couple of other shows on February 19 from Atlantic City and February 26 from Los Angeles. Though as seen below, the company didn’t reveal his opponent for any of the events:
After competing for promotions such as CMLL and NJPW, Gran Metalik was brought in for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. He made it to the finals before losing to TJ Perkins.
The high-flying star was one of the first names to be signed for the cruiserweight division. He later joined the Lucha House Party stable.
Though Metalik wasn’t given much to do during his stint with the promotion. After being unhappy with his position within the company for a while, the luchador asked for his release in September last year.
Gran Metalik was released from his contract in November. He is still under the non-compete clause and the announced GCW dates are going to be his first post WWE appearances.
Chris Jericho is generally considered to be one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. DDP has now offered him a compliment which is rare in the industry.
The former WCW champion recently had an interview with DAZN. He was promoting his new podcast with Jake Roberts. The wrestling veteran discussed many things.
During the interview, DDP revealed that Chris Jericho’s Judas theme song was filmed in his Yoga Center. He then called Y2J the Ric Flair of the current era:
“To me, Chris Jericho is the most over guy in professional wrestling. He’s Ric Flair. He’s Ric Flair now. He’s got 30 years, he’s still on top, he continues to reinvent himself, and he can still work ass off.”
DDP was also asked whether he prefers the WWE product or the AEW product and the Hall Of Famer said that he has got to give AEW the ’60/40 (percent) thing.’
The former WCW star claimed that AEW is the cool thing on the top right now. He explained that the biggest thing he loves about AEW is the fan reaction and Page said that he would have not wrestled for AEW if there were no fans in the arena.
One of the most surprising names WWE announced for the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV is Summer Rae. She will be returning to the company after more than 4 years. The female star recently appeared on Oral Sessions With Renee Paquette. Among other things she detailed how her deal for this comeback came about.
Rae revealed that it was WWE referee and Senior Manager of Talent Relations John Cone who called her about the potential return in December:
“I’m packing for Abu Dhabi and 9 at night and I see Cone’s name on my phone, and I went, ‘Whaaaat.’ You just know. I picked up the phone and went, ‘What do you want? It’s been four and a half years.’ ‘Well, we have you on our list of potential girls and wanted to get your interest.'”
Though the first call wasn’t a confirmation of her return. According to Summer Rae, she was initially told that it will be a while before they gave her an answer:
“They were like, ‘you probably won’t find out until the New Year.’ Five days later he called me and was like, ‘Merry Christmas. We have an answer with you, it’s yes.'”
Summer Rae also admitted that it ‘stinks’ that WWE announced her return in advance. She mentioned that it was Vince McMahon’s idea to announce the entrances. The former Total Divas star was part of the WWE roster from 2011 to 2017. She was officially released from her contract in October 2017.
AEW’s women’s division has always been a point of criticism for the company. In recent times performers like Britt Baker, Ruby Soho, Serena Debb, and others have helped the division in getting more attention. Though Thunder Rosa believes that it still doesn’t get the respect that they deserve.
The former Lucha Underground star recently had an interview with Throwing Down w/ Renee & Miesha. She was asked if the female competitors are finally getting the respect they deserve, and Rosa replied with both a yes and no:
“Yes and no. I will say that people [are] still talking crap about it. A lot of the women now have been really trying to establish themselves as competitors. As somebody that can go with anybody.” said Thunder Rosa, “Even then I feel like there’s still a lot of criticism towards it. Everybody’s working really hard to make the division better. We’re definitely getting a lot more veterans into our division.
Rosa continued: “So it’s making things a lot easier for a lot of the younger talent to learn from them. And that’s the most important part. The talent is willing and wants to learn from veterans. Because we can say ‘Yeah, we’re good’ and etc, etc. But then when it comes down to throwing those punches and performing, we can underperform too. So we have to be mindful and open on that.”
Thunder Rosa also talked about the veterans that have joined the company in recent times. She revealed which female competitors serve as locker room leaders behind the scene. You can check out her comments at this link.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for the transcription
AEW generally has a younger roster compared to WWE. This is especially true for the women’s division which features a number of rising stars under the age of 25. Though they still have a few women who have been wrestling for a while and have competed for multiple promotions. Thunder Rosa is one such competitor who had worked for promotions such as ROH, Lucha Underground and more prior to joining AEW.
The female star was a guest on the most recent episode of Throwing Down w/ Renee & Miesha. She was asked which are some of the female talents who are locker room leaders of the AEW women’s roster. Responding to it, Rosa mentioned how Allie doesn’t get the credit she derseves despite being a veteran of over 15 years:
“I think a lot of people don’t give a lot of respect or credit to Allie, The Bunny. She’s been in the business for a long, long time. I’ve seen her progression in the last three years. Like this year or 2021, I could see that she was more confident. She’s one of the ones who has a lot more experience on TV. After that street fight, I think she gained more respect in the business. She’s always very positive in the back and she’s always willing to work.
Serena [Deeb] is another one if you have any questions, she is more than welcome to help you. With transitions or with ideas, or any of that sort.”
Thunder Rosa also mentioned someone who is not a wrestler but has been part of the wrestling world for a long time in Vickie Guerrero. She explained how Guerrero knows a lot about the business. Rosa then discussed how she has been around for a while as well and claimed that she tries to help wherever she can:
“Vickie Guerrero is another one. A lot of people don’t understand. As a manager, She knows a lot about this business. I like sitting with her and talking to her. That’s a lot of fun. And now we have Mercedes Martinez, who [I’ve been] feuding for a while so this is gonna be very interesting.
Every time I am in the ring with her, I learn so much. I love it. She’s really good. I consider myself one of the vets too since I’ve been working for TV for like six years now. So every time I’m there, and if I can offer something on the table or in the ring or whatever, I’m always willing to do that.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The build-up leading to the match between John Cena and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 was one of most unique stories ever told for a match of this calibre. Cena, who was looking for a way to get into Mania called out Taker for weeks.
When he didn’t get a response from The Dead Man, the Cenation Leader actually went to the show as a fan. He watched the PPV from the crowd for a good amount of time before finally having a confrontation with The Last Outlaw.
The 16-time world champion recalled this moment during his recent interview with Pat McAfee. John explained that it was one of his favorite experiences of all time because normally he only gets to peek at what’s going on in the ring from the curtain:
“That was one of my favorite experiences of all time because I got to sit out there. Normally I’m peeking around from a curtain. I can’t sit and watch a WWE show.” said John Cena, “I remember when they’re like ‘yeah, we wanna put you out there from like 8:06 to 8:17’ and I’m like ‘no, I’m going out when doors open.’
And I went out at three o’clock. I watched like three hours of WrestleMania. It was so cool, because they’re like ‘you’re gonna get mobbed.’ I’m like ‘I’m gonna get mobbed only for as long as it takes to meet everybody.’ And I literally met like three sections of people. Then everybody’s chilled and watched the show.”
What John Cena Learned From The Undertaker And Eddie Guerrero
John Cena
John Cena discussed how he got to be a fan in the moment. He claimed that this passion as a fan is what has kept him going for so long. He then mentioned how earlier performers had the mentality of giving people the worth of their money:
“That was a great experience for me because I got to be something I admire, and something that I am, I got to be a fan. I got to watch it from the seat. So I guess that’s what kept me on every night. Earlier performers like Undertaker, like Eddie Guerrero. Those guys really leaned into the fact that people paid to see them. They would give them all of themselves to make sure that you got your money’s worth. I learned that message very early.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The New Day and The Usos are two of the longest-running tag teams of the WWE roster and they have collided many times. Their most recent match took place just a few days before during the January 7 SmackDown. However, some fans have been critical of their repeated encounters. Kofi Kingston recently responded to this criticism.
The former WWE champion had an interview with Bleav In Pro Wrestling. He discussed many different things. Speaking of The Usos and The New Day, Kingston said that he has never heard so many people complaining about a guaranteed great match. He claimed that they take pride in the fact that their every next match with The Usos is better than the last one:
“I never heard so many people complain about a guaranteed great match, you know what I’m saying? Like, you don’t go out there and complain, ‘Aw, I gotta watch another great match!” Every match that we’ve had with The Usos, we pride ourselves on making it better than the last.
I always say this and I don’t mean to compare myself to the Dudleys and the Hardys and Edge & Christian but with their ladder matches,” said Kofi Kingston, that was the standard that they set, was to outdo themselves every single time.”
The New Day member went on to discuss how they share the mentality with Jimmy and Jey in terms of constructing a match and stealing the show no matter where they are on the card. Kofi Kingston said that he doesn’t like watching many of his matches back after participating in them. Though it’s not the case with The Usos and he always goes out of his way to re-watch their fights with The Bloodline members.
The Dr. Of Thuganomics is a character that is usually associated with the time when WWE used to have a more mature presentation. With John Cena becoming a mainstream Hollywood star, people wonder if we have seen the last of the gimmick.
The Cenation Leader recently had an interview with Pardon My Take. He was there to promote his Peacemaker TV series. The wrestling star discussed a number of things during his appearance.
When asked about the Thuganomics gimmick, Cena mentioned how it has become somewhat of a nostalgic act. On the question of its return, John gave the natural answer of never say never:
“Over the years, you’ve actually seen more of the good [version of] ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ than over the past 10 years. The appearance in the Firefly Funhouse match, the appearance at WrestleMania with Elias.
It’s almost like that character has taken on a sense of nostalgia itself.” Said John Cena, “So when it shows up, it’s a thing that gets people excited. So, never say never.”
The 16 time world champion last brought back the Thuganomics gimmick during WrestleMania 36. He wrestled Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match at the show.
John Cena’s Peacemaker TV series is now streaming. The first three episodes are available to watch on-demand on HBO Max. The other five episodes will be released weekly through February 17.
WWE has had to shake up a number of matches they had originally planned for the upcoming WrestleMania 38 due to various factors. Dave Meltzer talked about the upcoming event on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He revealed some matches which were originally planned for the show.
Meltzer reiterated that the original plan was for Brock Lesnar to face Roman Reigns at the Show Of Shows. According to him, Lesnar was supposed to walk into the AT&T Stadium as the champion. These plans obviously got affected when Roman Reigns missed the Day 1 PPV due to COVID.
Brock Lesnar was put into the WWE championship match as a result which he won. Reports suggest that the company is still building towards this bout for WrestleMania 38. We will have to see which one of these stars goes onto the PPV carrying the belt.
Seth Rollins was originally supposed to win the WWE championship and defend it at Mania. Big E was the front runner to be his opponent but it wasn’t set in stone. Now Bobby Lashley seems to be in the pole position to carry the title into the event.
On the women’s side, Charlotte Flair was expected to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks. This WrestleMania match is in jeopardy now because of Banks’ foot injury. It’s speculated that if Bayley comes back from her injury before The Boss, she may end up taking her place in the championship bout.
One match that doesn’t seem to have been affected is Becky Lynch defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair. The EST won the women’s Royal Rumble last year. So it would be interesting to see if she wins the Rumble second year in a row leading to this match.
Brock Lesnar has played a number of characters in his career but when he gets inside the ring, the WWE champion plays only one role – The Beast Incarnate. Lesnar is known to decimate his opponents whoever they are. While a lot of other stars are afraid of him because of this quality, Bobby Lashley actually gets excited by it.
The All-Mighty recently made an appearance on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast, ahead of his Royal Rumble encounter with Brock. Lashley claimed that the former UFC star ‘does not have a soul’. Though according to him, it’s the quality that excites him for his upcoming clash with the current champion:
“When you stand in front of somebody, you look them in their eyes, you can read their soul. Every time when I looked at him and we locked eyes for a little bit, I said, this son of a gun does not have a soul. Brock doesn’t have a soul.” said Bobby Lashley, “Brock can go out there and snap you, break your back and him and his little security guard in Paul [Heyman] walk out like it was no big deal. It’s just another paycheck.
He has no soul. And that’s what excites me. That excites me. Being in a ring with somebody like that, that’s really not gonna break. He’s not going to crumble. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if he hurts you. He doesn’t care If you hurt him. He knows how to fight. He’s big. He’s scary. I love all these things. If you’re a fighter in the challenge, that’s the challenge you want. I welcome that.”
Don’t miss the FULL interview with @fightbobby on @AfterTheBellWWE this week. Subscribe NOW! (I promise, it gets even better.)
Bobby Lashley won a fatal four way match defeating Kevin Owens, Big E, and Seth Rollins on Raw. As a result, he will now get his long-awaited wish of challenging Brock Lesnar for his WWE championship. This match will take place at the upcoming Royal Rumble event from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri on January 30.
Bayley has been out of action for a while but the former women’s champion is now teasing her return, that too at the upcoming Royal Rumble event.
The official Twitter account of The Bump recently made a post asking people whether broadcast personality Kayla Braxton should enter the upcoming battle royal.
Bayley used this opportunity to take a shot at the WWE star. She claimed that if Kayla entered the Royal Rumble match, she would make her return just to throw her out:
“If she does, then I am without a doubt making my return just to throw her out so far she lands on Michael Coles dumb face”
The former SmackDown women’s champion has been out of action since June last year. Bayley tore her ACL during a training match at the Performance Center.
Bayley had provided an update on her health during an Instagram Q&A last month. She said that she was doing great. While she didn’t provide an exact timetable for her return, Royal Rumble seems an ideal destination for her comeback.
The former champion became a free agent after not being chosen by Raw or SmackDown during the most recent drafts. Now it would be interesting to see if we witness her return at the PPV later this month.
Mark Henry spent the majority of his wrestling career in WWE. He made his pro wrestling debut at the age of 24 for the brand then known as WWF. He went on to have a Hall Of Fame worthy career with the promotion. Henry only left the company last year, when he made his debut for AEW. Though according to the former world champion, this transition was not very hard for him because the crowds are the same everywhere.
The World’s Strongest Man recently had an interview with The Hot FM’s Danny Ocean. He was asked if the transition from WWE to AEW was a big one. Replying to it, the former WWE star claimed that the companies change but the love for professional wrestling remains the same:
“Not at all. The crowd is the crowd. The fans are the fans. The product is the product, the names change, the companies change, but the love for professional wrestling supersedes the company name.” said Mark Henry, “It just so happens that Tony Khan and the AEW brand, we want to do well by the fans.
We want to do well by the crowds. We want them to have input. We want to please them” continued Henry, “Because ultimately they are the ones buying the tickets. When you go to a nice restaurant, and you walk in, you don’t just wait for somebody to come up and say, ‘Hey, here you go. This is what you get.’ You want, what you want. And we try to give that.”
Mark Henry currently works as a commentator and coach for AEW. Though he has been vocal about wanting a retirement match in the promotion. It would be interesting to see when exactly does that match take place.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
With the WrestleMania season being just around the corner, WWE superstars have started talking about their ambitions for the biggest wrestling show of the year. This includes Liv Morgan who has yet to win a championship in WWE. Her ideal WrestleMania scenario is winning her first-ever title at the grandest stage of them all.
Morgan recently had an interview with Barstool Wrestling. In the interview that took place before this week’s episode of Raw, the female star was asked about her dream WrestleMania scenario. Replying to it Liv, who competed in a triple threat #1 contender match at the red branded show on Monday, said that she would either like to win her first title at the show of shows or defend it:
“This is a hard question because I want to say that my ideal situation is that I win my first ever title on the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania. But in my mind, I’m like, ‘I’m going into this triple threat match for number one contendership for a title match at the Royal Rumble.’
So I am like ‘I’ve gotta walk into this match thinking I’m gonna win. So that I can go into Royal Rumble and win.’ And if I do win, then that kind of changes the stakes of my dream WrestleMania scenario. But I’d also love to be a defending champion at WrestleMania.”
Liv Morgan Wants Her Journey To Culminate At WrestleMania
Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan mentioned how winning the championship at Mania would be a cool culmination of her journey. She also unsurprisingly revealed Becky Lynch as her choice of opponent for either of the scenarios:
“So I think those are my two ideal scenarios, either win the title, off of Becky at WrestleMania. My first-ever title on the grandest stage of them all, which is such a cool culmination of this journey that I’ve had of trying and losing and trying and losing and trying and losing and finally getting the big one when it means the most.
But I kind of want to think bigger than that. So I would like to go into WrestleMania [as a] champ and maybe Becky wants a rematch if I didn’t give her one already. Those are my two dream scenarios. I’m either gonna be champ or I’m gonna be defending champ and win and just have the best WrestleMania ever.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The recent mass talent releases have put WWE in a bad light and they have been a big topic of discussion among fans. People have been guessing what could be the reason for it, and there are many who believe that Vince McMahon might be gearing up to sell the promotion. Though as often is the case, John Cena has different outlook of the whole situation and the reasoning behind it.
The Cenation Leader gave his thoughts on the mass layoff during an interview with The Rich Eisen Show. Cena first mentioned how regular cuts used to be the norm when he was starting in the company and according to him, it creates stakes for the development talents. He then discussed how the promotion had been on a spree of defensive hiring in recent years:
“I’m not thinking for the WWE, this is just me posing a different perspective, I think a lot of it might have been defensive hiring because there was and still is a giant boom in sports entertainment. People are absorbing this content and people are making a name for themselves outside the WWE, it’s no longer a one stop shop.”
“It Actually Has To Do Very Little With The Profit Or Loss Margin”
John Cena
A big point of criticism for WWE has been the massive profits they have been touting while also laying off people due to budget cuts. John Cena explained that it actually has to do very little with the profit or loss margin. It’s just the strategy the company is going with:
“There is only so many spots and only so much program. I understand, from a business standpoint, the amount of releases that had to happen if the company justifies, ‘this is the move we’re making, we want to carry less talent,’ it has very little to do with profit-loss margin. If the company strategy is to run on a lean roster, it doesn’t matter, you run on a lean roster.”
Later the 16-time world champion mentioned how this is a touchy subject. He said that his heart goes out to everybody who has to get the sad news. Cena also recalled how he was in the building when the company fired Stone Cold Steve Austin. According to him, the incident shot through him like a canon. After that, he always ran with the perspective that if they could release Austin, he could get fired anytime too.
You can check out his comments in detail in the video below:
WWE recently confirmed a number of big entrances for the upcoming Women’s Royal Rumble match and among them were none other than The Bella Twins.
The twins had been talking about a potential return for a while. On the latest episode of their The Bellas Podcast, the sisters opened up about WWE finally confirming their comeback for the upcoming battle royal.
The sisters first discussed how their return was announced in advance instead of being kept a secret. Brie mentioned that it makes sense business-wise and then suggested that there could still be some surprise appearances:
“My guess is, there will still be surprises, but I have no idea. Is it a comeback? The greatest thing about WWE and big pay-per-views like the Royal Rumble is you can come back for one great night and have fun.”
Nikki Bella had been very open about her health issues prior to this announcement. During the episode, she revealed that she was cleared over the holidays:
“I officially got cleared. I think everyone remembers from Total Bellas, when we had the first women’s Royal Rumble, there were a lot of rules on me. Those are the same.
When we were in Phoenix, I went in and saw my surgeon. They scanned me, I did MRI, scans on my brain, my neck, everything you can think of, they did.”
Apart from the Bella Twins, WWE has confirmed entries such as Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly, Lita, Michelle McCool, and the Impact Knockouts champion Mickie James for the upcoming event.
After being bound to a WWE contract for almost 2 years, Killer Kross is on his way to becoming a free agent once again. Once his 90 days non-compete clause expires, he will be able to do whatever he wants. It appears that the former NXT star is not only interested in returning to wrestling but he will be dabbling his feet into other forms of entertainment as well.
The former NXT champion was asked what’s next for him during his recent interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. Replying to it, Kross claimed that being bound to a pre-determined script for so long has made him hungry to create new things:
“I realized that I like to create. I’ve been somewhat aware of this but I like to create things. I like to create music. I like to paint. I love professional wrestling. I love to create stories for people. I love to create stuff like short films.” said Killer Kross, “That’s something I like to do. So, anything within that field is probably gonna be of interest to me.
And how do I say this? Being bound to a script or the ideas of others and then being released from that, has really made me very hungry to create even more.” Kross continued, “So I’m feeling very motivated, very inspired, and very creative to express that. So wherever those opportunities may arise, whether it’s with music or television or movies, definitely going back to wrestling. I’m gonna be there. I’ll be very engaged.”
Killer Kross also talked about his lackluster main roster debut. He explained that the way he was brought up was a big red flag for him and he knew that it was only a matter of time before his release. You can check out his comments here.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
CM Punk has once again blasted the people who chase celebrities for autographs in airports during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The AEW star shared his frustrations with such people in a tweet telling them that they need to stop frequenting airports to get things signed.
This tweet prompted a fan to post a GIF of CM Punk during his AEW debut in Chicago last year where he is seen jumping into the crowd.
The straight edge star responded to this tweet as well. He explained that the audience at the show had to show proof of vaccination to get entry into the arena:
“Sure is me, you c–t. At a show. Post vax, pre omicron, had to show proof of vax to gain entrance. NOT STALKING ANYONE AT AN AIRPORT OR A HOTEL. How stupid are you?”
Still in a pandemic. If you’re waiting at an airport to get stuff signed, you need to stop doing that shit.
Sure is me, you cunt. At a show. Post vax, pre omicron, had to show proof of vax to gain entrance. NOT STALKING ANYONE AT AN AIRPORT OR A HOTEL. How stupid are you? https://t.co/5mEseS94kR
This isn’t the first time CM Punk has targeted the fans for this type of behaviour in public places. He previously called out the autograph chasers during his infamous 2011 pipebobm promo.
He said “At five in the morning at the airport, you try to shove it in my face so you can get an autograph and try to sell it on eBay because you’re too lazy to go get a real job.”
Punk is scheduled to face Wardlow in a one-on-one match during this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC.
Killer Kross had the most unusual main roster debut for a former NXT champion. Not only did WWE not promote his arrival in advance but he also lost his first match after his official callup. According to the now-former WWE star, this was a big red flag for him and he knew that he was going to be released by the company sooner or later.
The former NXT star recently appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. When asked if he had any idea that he was going to be released, Kross explained that his debut itself was a red flag for him. He knew that it was a sign of bad things to come:
“Yeah, I thought for sure I was getting released. Because I knew that the segments weren’t getting over. It was very obvious to me. A smart enough fan watching, being able to read between the lines, could see what was happening.” said Killer Kross, “I just knew it was gonna be a matter of time.
One of the big things for me and it might not be a big thing in general for other people to see, [was the] snap reaction of being debuted on the main show, without any sort of vignette or any sort of notice.” Kross continued, “It was just sort of out of nowhere. There was no next week he’s gonna be here or nothing. So I thought that was weird. It was intuitively a red flag. I thought that was unusual. And I thought that was a sign of bad things to come.”
In 2020, Killer Kross had the option to sign with either WWE or AEW. During the talk, he also revealed why he preferred to join the Vince McMahon-owned company than the one run by Tony Khan. You can check out his comments on the matter here.
If you use the quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
It appears that the recent visual overhaul was only the beginning of the end for the old NXT, not only from a presentation viewpoint but from how the brand operates behind the scene as well. PWinsider is reporting that the officials have made some big changes to the creative approach for the development brand and its creative team is no longer operating independently.
During Triple H’s time as the head of the brand, NXT’s creative team had been ‘autonomous’ in nature. It operated as a separate bubble within the promotion. However, the creative bench has been informed that at least for now they will be reporting to Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano, similar to how the teams for Raw and SmackDown operate.
With the departure of Road Dogg, Johnny Russo is now said to be leading the creative team under the supervision of Prichard and Lubrano. Russo has been with WWE since 2011. He has worked on the Raw and SmackDown creative teams. He was promoted to the role of Senior Creative Writer/Producer in 2018. Johnny Russo has been working on the NXT creative since 2019 and he was apparently made the head writer in July 2020.
Dewey Foley, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley also remains a part of the NXT creative team. He has been overseeing the 205 Live brand for some time now. This comes after the promotion released a number of key personnel last week that were integral part of Triple H’s NXT team, including William Regal and Samoa Joe.
John Cena is not sure if he will be able to make it to WrestleMania this year but he is assuring his fans that he hasn’t had his last dance inside the pro wrestling ring yet.
The Cenation leader recently made an appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He spoke spoke about what he did for Christmas and more.
During the talk, Ellen asked if plans to appear at WWE WrestleMania 38 in April. The 16-time World Champion is not sure if his schedule will allow for it.
“WrestleMania is usually in the cusp of late March, early April,” said Cena. “I don’t know if I’m going to make it this year. That’s a good conundrum to have because there are a lot of good opportunities coming up, which I would love to take. If all those things line up, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make WrestleMania.”
Though John Cena did assure all his fans that he is not done with wrestling. He mentioned his most recent WWE return and claimed that it’s his home:
“I will tell everybody out there watching, I’m not done with WWE by a long shot. That’s my home, I love it. I was able to go back during the summer for a few months and entertain audiences when they welcomed audiences back to arenas. I’ve far from had my last performance.”
John Cena made his most recent WWE return during the Summer time last year. He had a feud with the Universal champion Roman Reigns leading to a match between the two at SummerSlam.
Watch John Cena talk about his WWE future on Ellen:
Eric Bischoff made his surprise return to Raw a few weeks ago during the December 27 episode of the show. This was only months after he made an appearance for AEW on Dynamite in June. The former WCW president talked about his return to the red brand on the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast. He detailed how it all came together.
Bischoff revealed that he drove to Florida with his family for the vacations. He got the call from Bruce Prichard on the Thursday before the show:
“We finally got in and got settled, and I got a call from Bruce Prichard. He said, ‘Hey Eric. So, do you think you can make TV Monday?’ This was Thursday afternoon. I said, ‘Well, first of all, where is it because I’m in Florida?’ If it was a West Coast trip, I couldn’t have made it. He said, ‘It’s in Detroit, your hometown.’ I said, ‘Ok, I can make that.’”
Eric Bischoff then explained how he wasn’t given a lot of details as to what he would be doing on the show. The officials just told him that there was going to be a wedding. They asked him to bring a pastel suit and expect it to get trashed:
“He said, ‘Well, why don’t you get a really light colored pastel suit and expect it to get trashed. There’s going to be a wedding.’ That’s all he told me, no details, not who, nothing. I got there, and what’s funny is I didn’t even know Bruce wasn’t going to be at TV until about four in the afternoon. I had fun.”
Bischoff also talked about his experience at the show. He mentioned how he got to hang out with people such as Edge and Kevin Owens during his visit. He praised The Miz as well. He claimed that the A-Lister is a really good performer and that’s why he has been around this long.
