Renee Paquette left WWE after an 8-year-long stint with the company in 2020. She played a lot of roles before her departure. Though this run could have been a lot shorter had the officials granted her first release request.
The former WWE star recently had an interview with Ariel Helwani. She discussed things such as the covid-19 pandemic, her pre-WWE career, and more.
During the interview, Paquette revealed that she actually asked for her release from the promotion about 5 years ago. Though she is glad that she wasn’t given the orders:
“About five years ago, I asked for my release from WWE and I wasn’t granted it. It was before I did commentary and other things.
I’m glad I didn’t leave at that point and that I wasn’t granted my release” said Renee Paquette, “because my resume wouldn’t be what it is today if I had left.”
Explaining why she wanted to leave at the time, the female star said that she felt like she kept hitting the wall. The former Raw commentator kept being told that she cannot be a star in WWE because she wasn’t a wrestler.
Apart from this, Renee Paquette also talked about her post WWE career. She revealed whether she has had any talks with Tony Khan about potentially joining AEW.
Former WWE cruiserweight champion Tony Nese made an appearance on this week’s Saturday night Dynamite. He was shown as a part of the crowd during the opening bout of the night.
The show opened with the AEW world title eliminator tournament match between Bryan Danielson and Dustin Rhodes. The former WWE star was shown on the screen during the bout and referred to as “one of the hot free agents in pro wrestling.”
After wrestling for promotions such as Impact Wrestling and others for a few years, Nese made his WWE debut as part of the cruiserweight classic tournament in 2016.
He made his main roster debut during the September 26 episode of Raw the same year. He lost a singles match against the then cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins.
Tony Nese became a regular member of the cruiserweight division after this. He wrestled on main event and later 205 live in addition to Raw.
He won a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the cruiserweight title prior to WrestleMania 35. The high-flying star went on to defeat Buddy Murphy for the championship in the pre-show of the PPV.
Tony was released from his WWE contract on June 25. Now we will have to see what AEW has planned for him.
WWE superstars Corey Graves and Carmella have confirmed their engagement. The longtime couple revealed the news via a post on Twitter.
The female star shared a photo of herself kissing Corey Graves while showing off her engagement ring. In the caption of the tweet made on her birthday October 23, she wrote “Best birthday ever,”
Carmella, real name Leah Van Dale began her relationship with the former NXT star back in 2019. She has been dating Graves, real name Matthew Polinsky ever since.
These two aren’t the only wrestling couple to get engaged recently. SmackDown star Toni Storm announced her engagement to NJPW’s Juice Robinson earlier this month.
The duo of Scarlett Bordeaux & Karrion Kross also made a similar announcement just last month. Scarlett confirmed her engagement via Twitter as well.
Corey Graves has been working as a commentator on the main roster since 2016. He is currently part of both SmackDown and Raw’s broadcasting teams.
Carmella on the other hand had only been part of the SmackDown roster since the brand split returned in 2016. However, she was moved to the Raw brand for the first time since then during the recently concluded draft.
SEScoops would like to congratulate the couple on their engagement.
Moose has become the new Impact Wrestling world heavyweight champion after picking up a couple of big victories during tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV event.
The former NFL player was part of the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match on the show. He won the match and a future title opportunity by defeating Matt Cardona last.
The main event of the night then saw Christian defending his Impact world title against Josh Alexander. The former champion had given up his X Division title for a shot at the world championship.
Alexander won this match after a tough battle between the two stars. He put Christian in an ankle lock and made him tap out. Josh won the match after stepping on the former WWE star’s hand to stop him from getting to the ropes.
Christian showed respect to the new champion by hugging him and handing him the title before heading to the back. Alexander’s wife and son who were in the front row then made their way to the ring to celebrate.
This is where Moose entered the arena again and cashed in his trophy. Josh Alexander moved his family out of the way, only to take a spear from Moose and lose the title.
Latest report suggests that the partnership between AEW and Impact Wrestling may be ending soon. If so, this was a good way to write Christian off the Impact TV and build a feud between Moose and Alexander to move the storyline further.
All Elite Wrestling has confirmed that Dr. Britt Baker will defend the Women’s World championshipC against Tay Conti at the upcoming AEW Full Gear PPV.
This week’s episode of Rampage saw the current champion successfully defending her title against Anna Jay. She then unleashed a post-match assault on Jay.
Conti came out to make the save for The Dark Order member. She held the women’s title high after sending Baker in retreat, suggesting that she is next in line for a shot at the belt.
AEW then confirmed on this week’s episode of Dynamite that the #1 ranked female star on the roster will get a chance to win the championship at the upcoming PPV.
The episode also featured a Britt Baker interview segment hosted by Tony Schiavone. The champion claimed that Toy Conti has done nothing in AEW except showing off her a%* and she will beat her at Full Gear.
This is the second championship match that has been confirmed for the show. Hangman Page previously won a ladder match to earn the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW world title at the upcoming PPV.
AEW Full Gear this year will be taking place on Saturday, November 13. The show will air live from Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The IInspiration has finally arrived at Impact Wrestling and the duo has picked up a big win in their debut match at the Bound For Glory event.
The promotion had announced that the former WWE stars will be making their debut for the company during their biggest show of the year. They had confirmed that the former IIconics will face Decay for the knockouts tag team titles.
The female stars then opened the show. They walked out to Harley Cameron singing The IInspiration’s theme song for the pair’s first entrance in the company:
The two introduced each other by their new names and claimed that they are here to inspire people. The tag team did their signature pose before kicking off the championship match.
The ending of the bout saw all four competitors getting in on the action. Havok hit a choke bomb on Jessie McKay and a forearm to Cassie Lee.
Though Lee managed to fight off both the opponents and sent Rosemary on the floor. The IInspiration sent Havok into the corner a couple of times and then into the ring post outside.
Rosemary got up to send McKay back into the ring but Lee tagged herself in. Lee delivered a big knee to Rosemary and hit a neckbreaker on her opponent to pick up the victory for her team.
There is no word yet on the length of their contract with Impact Wrestling. Although the championship win suggests that The IInspiration is here to stay.
The heat for the awkward SmackDown segment and the post-show confrontation between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch is falling on Flair and not Lynch per the latest report. PWinsider, who broke the story, has provided more details on the aftermath of the situation. The new report reveals how people backstage feel about the surprising turn of events and who is being blamed.
Flair had been arguing against being made to ‘look week’ in the segment throughout the day. She is the one seen as the person responsible for the segment going off the rails. There is heat on The Queen in ‘certain circles’ for disrespecting Becky.
Becky Lynch, on the other hand, has no heat for the confrontation as there was no physical altercation between the two. The locker room saw it as The Man standing her ground and reaching the boiling point after being pushed too hard.
Some feel that Flair took the segment that was supposed to build a match between herself and Sasha Banks and put the attention back on her and Becky. People believed that the whole thing undermined Banks, who is being positioned as the top babyface of the SmackDown brand opposed to Flair.
Though the site has rectified the report about the script for the segments after it was revealed that Charlotte was supposed to play ‘cat and mouse’ with the belt. They confirmed the plans but added that Flair wasn’t expected to pull the belt away from Becky at any point. The segment was not rehearsed in advance or suggested to the talent for that matter.
People believe Charlotte Flair disrespected Becky Lynch
The belief among people backstage is Flair pulling the title was done to make Lynch stupid. She would have had to pick up the belt after being ‘one-upped.’ This obviously didn’t happen as Sonya Deville made Flair hand the belt to her. Becky Lynch ended up throwing the SmackDown women’s title at her arch-rival, which was supposed to happen but happened ‘differently’ than originally planned.
The confrontation between the female stars happened in the gorilla position. Fightful select reported that Charlotte Flair was told to leave the building while Becky Lynch competed in a dark match. This was done to avoid further argument. The new report adds that Flair was escorted out by a WWE official.
Flair was said to be very upset coming out of the situation as well, though it likely wasn’t a strategy to get out of her contract. Charlotte has years left on her current deal. WWE is not likely to let someone they deem an important asset walk out of the company only for them to show up on TNT.
Alex McCarthy of Talk Sport has provided some more details on what led to the confrontation between the two stars and the aftermath of it.
According to him, the awkwardness that ensued during the title exchange segment was result of a timing error. Charlotte was meat to play ‘cat and mouse’ with the belt.
Lynch was supposed to get her hands on the strap before Flair pulled it back, but a timing error between the pair led to the title being dropped on the floor. Whatever the reason, the championship wasn’t meant to be dropped.
The segment was a topic of debate among the people involved throughout the day. None of the talent were happy with the way it went during the show but they moved things along as Sasha Banks had to make her way to the ring.
The Relationship Of Charlotte Flair And Becky Lynch
The relationship between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch has been strained for a while
Charlotte Flair walked past gorilla without talking to Vince McMahon after the show. The boss wasn’t happy with this action from the women’s champion. The Queen is now headed to this week’s Dynamite from Orlando to support Andrade.
The friendship of Flair and Lynch has apparently been strained for some time. People close to them believe that Flair didn’t like being called ‘plastic’ during a promo a couple of years ago. Their relationship has been tense ever since.
Charlotte is also said to be a huge fan of Bianca Belair. Per the report, she actually campaigned to lose to the EST clean during their championship match on Raw. Flair believed that the DQ finish killed what could have been a big win for Belair.
Becky Lynch is now the Raw women’s champion while Charlotte holds the counterpart SmackDown belt. These two will meet at the Survivor Series PPV, that is if both of them remain champions till then.
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch had a shoot confrontation after going off script during their title exchange segment on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
The Queen had raised concern about the championship exchange segment before the show went on air, according to reports from PWinsider.
Flair reportedly didn’t want to look weak herself or wanted her title reign to look week during the show. Though the segment went as planned despite her concerns.
The tensions grew when the Raw women’s champion went off script during the title exchange. There was a moment where she had to hand her title belt to her rival.
However, Charlotte Flair pulled the title and threw it on the mat away from Becky, which wasn’t the original plan. Sonya Deville demanded Charlotte to retrieve the belt and hand it to her, which she did.
The on-screen WWE official asked Becky to hand over her title as well, but The Man threw her belt at Flair instead, which was again not part of the plan.
Charlotte then picked up the SmackDown women’s title and did the mic work to set up Sasha Banks’ entrance. Things went as planned from there on with Becky teasing a potential match with Flair or Banks for Survivor Series.
After the show-closing altercation between Flair and Banks, Charlotte went to the back. This is where the face off between the two horsewomen took place.
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch had a confrontation over Flair allegedly disrespecting Lynch by “trying to make her look bad.” The two exchanged loud words but they didn’t get physical.
Paul Wight is teasing lacing up his boots and stepping back inside the squared circle for a match during this week’s episode of Saturday night Dynamite. The heavyweight star recently had an interview with Brandon Kravitz podcast. He discussed having ring rust before his AEW debut match after not having wrestled for over a year and more.
Wight also teased getting physical at the Dynamite episode from Orlando. He said that he is having the itch to lace up his boots once again this Saturday:
“I might be lacing up my boots this Saturday, it’s about that itch. It has been a little bit so I’m bringing my gear bag with me, So if you come to the event in Orlando, you might see my big ass in the ring. Where else are you going to see 400lbs of spandex, brother? That alone is worth the price of admission. ”
This will be only the third match for Paul Wight if he does wrestle at Dynamite tonight. He made his in ring debut against QT Marshall at All Out and then defeated CPA, RSP & VSK in a three-on-one handicap match on September 22 Elevation.
Though it’s worth mentioning here that AEW has not officially announced a match for the former champion as of this writing. So his status for the show is still up in the air.
Vince McMahon tried to no sell SmackDown’s rating loss to AEW Rampage suggests the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
According to observer, the WWE chairman was at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA when the full ratings for both the shows became available on Monday.
Mr. McMahon didn’t get mad in front of anyone. It was important because there have been times where the boss has come across as immature in such situations before.
The original fast national numbers were available on Saturday where WWE garnered more viewers. While the chairman didn’t know the full breakdown of numbers, he likely had an idea of the close competition before Monday.
Contrary to the belief, the numbers were not a major topic of discussion among talents. They were busy with the TV taping followed by their trip to Saudi Arabia.
Per the Observer, the key personnel within the organization were in total denial of the numbers. Their reaction was something similar to what Roman Reigns said about how the Vince McMahon owned promotion appeals to more people.
WWE SmackDown was shifted to FS1 last week and the final half-hour went head to head with AEW Rampage. While WWE’s show still drew more viewers overall, AEW managed to attract more viewers in the key demo during their collision.
The updated WWE rosters after draft came into effect from this Friday’s SmackDown including the NXT stars that were called up such as Hit Row, and more.
A new report from PWinsider provides some updates on these stars. They reveal what the company is planning for some of the talents.
According to the site, “Top Dolla” AJ Francis is expected to be pushed as a singles star. His Hit Row partners Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott are expected to compete in the tag team division.
Though this doesn’t mean that the group will be breaking up and they will continue being a faction. There is no word on plans for “B-Fab” Briana Brandy but she will likely compete in the women’s division
Shotzi Blackheart is scheduled to work as a heel on the SmackDown brand after her split with Tegan Nox. Nox on the other hand will continue to work as a babyface on Raw. Xia Li will be a babyface on the blue brand.
Another star that is scheduled to work as a babyface is Mia Yim. Her Reckoning character appears to have been dropped so we might finally see her NXT persona on the main roster.
There is talk of Apollo Crews working in a tag team with Commander Azeez on Raw. Azeez has mostly been working as the muscle for Crews since his debut.
While Renee Paquette is open to joining the AEW roster one day, she doesn’t have any immediate plans for it. According to her, she hasn’t talked to president Tony Khan about the possibility.
The former WWE star recently spoke to Ariel Helwani. She discussed things such as her decision to leave WWE, how she feels watching Jon Moxley in the ring, and more.
She was then asked the question everyone has in mind about a potential AEW signing, now that her WWE non-compete is up. Paquette was asked if she has had any talks with Khan, to which she replied negatively:
“No, I’ve never talked to Tony Khan about it, ever. It’s never come up, I’m sure there could be a million different things that I could do there. I’m certainly open to the opportunity.”
Paquette discussed how a lot of her friends are in AEW. She said that maybe one day the other shoe will drop and she will join the company. Though she isn’t sure when that might happen.
Sh also recently revealed her thoughts on The Undertaker’s appearance in Saudi Arabia earlier in the week. She explained why she wasn’t a fan of the dead man breaking his character to introduce Pitbull during a concert.
Andrade El Idolo has revealed how long his current AEW contract runs and when he might become available for signing as a free agent.
The former NXT champion recently spoke to Milenio. He discussed things such as carrying the legacy of his father, how he started wrestling at the age of 13 and more.
When asked for his short-term goal in AEW, Andrade revealed that he has signed a three-year deal with the promotion. He explained that he is looking at the world title because he didn’t get the opportunity in WWE:
“Now I have a three-year contract with the AEW, I’ve only been half a year, I am looking for the most important championships with them since in WWE they did not give me that opportunity and in this new company I want those opportunities.”
Andrade El Idolo made his AEW debut in June this year, aligning himself with Vickie Guerrero. A three-year deal means he will stay with AEW at least until mid-2024.
Apart from this, the AEW star also talked about things such as having Charlotte Flair as his partner, the difference in wrestling styles of Mexico and America, and more.
Quotes in this article have been translated with Google translate.
Paul Heyman had plans to make Malakai Black one of the top players in WWE. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
WWE appointed Heyman as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw in June 2019. During that stint, he identified several underutilized wrestlers that he saw as having big potential. AEW star Malakai Black (formerly Aleister Black) was at the top of that list.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Heyman wanted Black to wrestle and defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. The victory would have handed Black the biggest win of his career. He would have been solidified as a top star on the Raw brand.
Heyman did not get his wish and Drew McIntyre got that spot instead. The feeling at the time was that McIntyre was more over with the fans. He won the 2020 Royal Rumble and went on to defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36.
Black, on the other hand, defeated Bobby Lashley in a singles match on the show. He made a few appearances on WWE television after that, but his best days in WWE were behind him at that point.
Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi first addressed the media. He revealed that they will be lifting some of the restrictions imposed due to Covid. NJPW shows will feature more matches moving forward.
Providing an update on Ibushi after his unfortunate injury, he confirmed it was a dislocated shoulder that caused the abrupt end to the match.
“Kota Ibushi incurred a dislocated right shoulder during the match, and was treated by the ring doctor and training personnel,” said Sugabayashi.
“Further updates to Ibushi’s condition and a timetable for return will be announced after Ibushi has received more thorough appraisal.”
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada then spoke to the media. He was asked to elaborate on his comments regarding the fourth championship belt.
Okada said that he wants something ‘concrete’ to represent his promise of a rematch to Ibushi Instead of the usual contract awarded to the G1 Climax winner, Okada says he wants to carry the retired IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
He clarified that he doesn’t want people to call him a heavyweight champion, but wants to hold the belt Ibushi retired until he is healthy to return.
Okada hopes to fire up NJPW as the G1 champion until he gets to face Ibushi again. Sugabayashi said that he will need some time for consideration.
The Undertaker made a surprise appearance in Saudi Arabia ahead of Crown Jewel to introduce Pitbull during his concert. Renee Paquette was not amused with this act from the dead man. The former WWE star made an appearance on Busted Open Radio. She explained that it should have been someone else introducing the rap star:
“I just feel it should’ve been somebody else introducing him, I feel like seeing the Undertaker, in the big black hat, in full Undertaker gear, introducing ‘the 305, the Grammy Award Winning artist.’ Bringing on Pitbull that way, I feel it could’ve been somebody else.”
The female star said that she is not sure who was in the crew headed to Saudi Arabia for the WWE event. Though she suggested someone like the New Day would have been a better fit to introduce Pitbull on the show.
Renee Paquette Doesn’t Want To Be On Level Of Undertaker
Renee Paquette
Discussing why she doesn’t like The Undertaker making such appearances, Renee Paquette said that we have already lost some of the mystique surrounding his character with his multiple retirements. She then mentioned how some fans want to see the other side of the character, but she wants things to be protected:
“I do understand the social media side of things and having the documentaries and being able to see little glimpses into these superstar’s real lives and whatnot. I get the lure of that. But let’s protect things a little bit.
That’s what the business is about, right? Protecting these things, keeping these characters larger than life. I don’t want the Undertaker to be on the same level as me. He’s the Undertaker. He’s much better and cooler than me.”
Paquette also explained that we all have goldfish brains. We can forget some things to be able to remember The Undertaker in his character. However such appearances make it hard to forget the reality. She said that she could get on board with Taker introducing someone like Megadeath, Slayer or Metallica but she doesn’t want to believe that he knows Pitbull.
Chris Jericho has responded to Eric Bischoff calling the rivalry between AEW and WWE a cosplay competition. His boss Tony Khan previously called the remarks amusing. The former world champion took on his Twitter to respond to the former WCW president. He claimed that AEW has decreased the market share of their competitors:
“Not sure what a “cosplay competition” is Eric, but @WWE market share has definitely been decreased by @AEW. To the point whenever they forced themselves into “real head to head competition” w us (most recently last Fri) they lost. I’m gonna shut the fuck up now & keep wrestling.”
Not sure what a “cosplay competition” is Eric, but @WWE market share has definitely been decreased by @AEW. To the point whenever they forced themselves into “real head to head competition” w us (most recently last Fri) they lost. I’m gonna shut the fuck up now & keep wrestling. https://t.co/ZVn6t9a7U1
The comments Chris Jericho is referring to came during a recent episode of 83 weeks. Bischoff claimed that he was actually having a real competition with Vince McMahon:
“And by the way, Tony, in 1996 I was kicking WWE’s ass. Every week! In a real head-to-head competition, not a cosplay competition.”
Bischoff was discussing how Tony Khan said he wouldn’t make the mistakes of WCW. The WCW official also claimed that Khan is inventing some new mistakes. His advice to the AEW owner would be to shut up and focus on his own product.
Chris Van Vliet has revealed that his deal with All Elite Wrestling was on per appearance basis and he is not under contract with the company.
The Emmy-winning TV host recently had an interview with WrestlingInc. He discussed things such as the current landscape of professional wrestling and more.
Speaking of his appearance on the Inaugural episode of Dynamite in 2019, Van Vliet revealed that he was only asked to be a part of that one episode:
“I was only asked to be part of the first show, I was asked to be part of that first episode of Dynamite October 2 live from Washington D.C., and that was it.”
Chris made another appearance for the promotion a few weeks later but he hasn’t been seen on AEW TV since. Revealing his contractual status with them, the wrestling journalist claimed that he never signed a contract to begin with:
“I never signed a contract. It was just like, ‘Do you want to be part of the first episode?’ I went, ‘Yes I do.’ It was so cool. Here we are, Dynamite just had its two-year anniversary recently. So cool to think that was two years ago.”
Chris Van Vliet also discussed how the wrestling landscape has changed since the Dynamite premiere and commented on the faults of the current TV rating system.
WWE Crown Jewel has received a generally positive review from fans. It appears that the people in the company are pleased with how things went as well.
PWinsider has provided some news from the show, noting that people within the promotion were ‘thrilled’ with the PPV. The feeling was that it was one of the better major shows they have produced over the last year.
The talents had more freedom to explore their surroundings at Crown Jewel this time around. They had a bowling alley and a movie theatre at their disposal.
While Titus O’Neil and Natalya were not on the card for the PPV, they were still brought in for community outreach events. Adam Peace and Chris Parks aka Abyss, were also there working as producers for the show.
One name who surprisingly wasn’t in the arena for Crown Jewel was The Undertaker. It appears he was in Saudi Arabia only for his appearance at the Pitbull concert.
Tarek Hamdi who made a surprise appearance during the show helping Mansoor was said to have fallen in love with the entire process and showmanship of WWE.
There are some who believe that the 2020 Olympic silver medallist will be getting a look by the officials when he is done with competing in karate.
Finally, the word going around the show was that WWE will return to Saudi Arabia for their next show in the first quarter of 2022. Though no official date has been determined for that yet.
WWE presented an impressive show in Crown Jewel and the event gave fans a lot to talk about. WWE stars have also been reacting to the outcome of various matches and the show overall throughout the day.
Chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon was the first to react to the women’s matches. She posted photos of the triple threat match for the SmackDown women’s championship and the Queen’s Crown final.
McMahon sent out a statement saying that the women of WWE never disappoint and she is proud of the example set by the female competitors:
Every time the women of @WWE compete on a global stage, they never disappoint and tonight’s matches at #WWECrownJewel were no exception. I am so proud of the example these women are setting for the millions of kids looking up to them across the globe! pic.twitter.com/lJxtKDosnV
One of the most appreciated moments of the night was Xavier Woods realizing his long-lasting dream and finally winning The King Of The Ring tournament.
Both of his New Day partners took on their Twitter to react to this achievement of their friend. Kofi Kingston posted a video of his reaction to the KOTR finals while Big E simply posted a GIF:
A surprising name that was seen on the show was Jessika Carr. The WWE star made history by becoming the first female referee to officiate a wrestling match in the country during Crown Jewel. She said that she was blown away by the oppertunity.
Apart from this, people such as Natalya, Mustafa Ali, Sasha Banks, and many more took on their social media to react to the PPV. You can check out all the reactions below:
Such an incredible night in Riyadh, especially for women. I also had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, like these brave women who are breast cancer survivors. A night to remember forever???? pic.twitter.com/bJzNPywKbu
two Muslims competed in a singles match on a WWE PPV for the first time ever. the intention was simple; inspire the next generation. pic.twitter.com/ICWuOMO53w
I am so blown away at the opportunity that I was blessed with tonight. Thank you #CrownJewel I’ll absolutely share more of this in the days to come. pic.twitter.com/neBXM00LaG
This is incredible. My heart is so full. Thank you @WWEUniverse of Saudi Arabia and everyone watching at home. I’ll never ever forget this night. ???? #WWECrownJewel@WWE
Sasha Banks believes her triple threat match at WWE Crown Jewel is about much more than the SmackDown Women’s Championship. According to her, it’s about sending a message to everyone that they can achieve anything they want.
The Boss spoke to New York Post this week to promote WWE’s latest Saudi Arabia super-show. She discussed how WWE is always striving to do more, mentioning how there are two women’s matches on the PPV this time.
When asked the message she hopes comes across in her women’s match, Banks said that she wants not only females but everyone to know that they can do anything:
“When I go out there and perform, I want not just only females, [but] children, males, I want them to all know that I can do anything, they can accomplish anything no matter what as long as they put their heart and their soul out there. Anybody can have their whole dreams come true.”
Sasha Banks have previously made history by competing in the first women’s wrestling match in the region. She wrestled Alexa Bliss for the Raw women’s championship in Abu Dhabi back in 2017. Discussing the bout, the former champion said that it was one of the top five things she has ever done in her career:
“To see little kids’ faces and women’s faces of just … they’ve never seen anything like that before, In Abu Dhabi that was such a special moment for me. It’s one of the top-five things that I’ve ever done in my career. It’s something that I take with me for the rest of my life, just the feeling alone.”
Sasha Banks alongside Bianca Belair will challenge Becky Lynch for the SmackDown women’s championship in a triple threat match at the event.
This isn’t the only women’s match on the Crown Jewel match card. It will also feature the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament.
Charlotte Flair is often considered the chosen face of WWE’s women’s division and her accolades support this notion. That’s why fans were surprised when she was left out of the Crown Jewel match card.
She wasn’t included in the Queen’s Crown tournament. So many believed that she will be added to the announced SmackDown women’s championship match on the show.
However, a new report from Fightful suggests that it won’t be the case and Flair might actually be left out of the Saudi Arabian event completely. According to the report, the Raw women’s champion is currently not listed internally for Crown Jewel. Talents who they have spoken to have not seen her in the country either.
Charlotte Flair regained the Raw women’s championship at SummerSlam marking the beginning of her sixth run with the title. Though she was then drafted to SmackDown.
Her exclusion from the show is especially interesting as the updated WWE rosters are expected to come to effect from this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
So now we will have to see what the company is planning for the Queen and if they will address the situation surrounding the Raw title that she is currently holding on the blue brand this week.
Kazuchika Okada has been declared the winner of the 31st G1 Climax tournament after his opponent Kota Ibushi suffered an injury during the finals and was unable to complete the match.
Ibushi suffered the injury due to a botched phoenix splash. He landed hard on the mat and was seen clutching his arm. The referee decided to stop the bout and the NJPW star was immediately attended by the medical team.
Kota Ibushi wanted to continue the match but the medical staff didn’t allow it. Okada was then declared the winner. Ibushi made his way back as Kazuchika Okada was being presented the trophy.
Before Ibushi was taken to the back, Okada told him that they would do this again. He addressed the crowd after receiving the trophy. The former IWGP champion said that this wasn’t the ending he wanted and he is willing to face his opponent again.
In the backstage presentation after this match, Tama Tonga challenged Kazuchika Okada for the briefcase. He mentioned how he was the only one to defeat Okada during the tournament.
No official details are available on Ibushi’s condition but the announcer Kevin Kelly believed that he has suffered a dislocated shoulder. Officials appeared to have popped his shoulder back into place.
This is the third G1 Climax victory for Okada and the first since 2014. He will now challenge the IWGP world heavyweight champion at Wrestle Kingdom 16, that is if he can keep hold of the briefcase until the event.
Becky Lynch was part of the first-ever women’s WrestleMania main event. She isn’t shying away from potentially recreating this history with her Crown Jewel match.
The man recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated ahead of the upcoming Saudi show. She will be defending her SmackDown women’s championship against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in a triple threat match.
Discussing what it would mean for her and the other competitors if they got to main event the PPV, Lynch said that it would send a powerful message:
“It would be very powerful if we headline the show, this is the biggest match you can have in pro wrestling right now, regardless of gender.”
Becky Lynch On The Importance Of Their Crown Jewel Match
Becky Lynch will defend her title in a triple threat at Crown Jewel
The triple threat match at the Crown Jewel PPV will be only the third women’s wrestling match in the country. For the current champion, it will be even more special because it’s her first match in the region. Discussing the importance of the bout, Becky Lynch said that it’s very important:
“I think what’s very important, in a place like Saudi Arabia, is to show the women what’s possible, maybe pro wrestling catches a young girl’s eye. If we can have that effect on even one person, it’s huge. Maybe it’s not now, but for the future, you can dream and you can achieve. Now more than ever, that’s so important.”
Natalya and Lacey Evans were the first female stars to be allowed to compete in Saudi Arabia during the Crown Jewel 2019 event. Bayley and Bianca Belair then followed in their footsteps with the first-ever women’s title match from the country during the Super ShowDown 2020 event.
