Jay White could be leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling for real.

According to Super J-Cast, a podcast focusing on NJPW, several sources indicate it is unlikely that Switchblade will sign a new contract with the Japanese promotion. His current deal is rumored to be up later this month. He’s been with New Japan since 2016.

WWE is said to be making a ‘strong play’ to get White onboard. AEW would be another option for the 28-year-old star, White’s association with the Bullet Club.

@WrestleVotes notes that “a few of the boys” have gone out of their way to vouch for Jay White with WWE management.

For what it’s worth, Jay White also “liked” this tweet by NXT Champion Finn Balor earlier this week:

Jay White Hints At Leaving NJPW

“Switchblade” faced Kota Ibushi on Day 2 of Wrestle Kingdom with the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles on the line. However, he could not secure a win in the match.

Overwrought with his loss, White cut a promo during the backstage media scrum, where he said that he felt “physically closest to death” than he has ever been. He complained about never being appreciated for the sacrifices he has made over the years for wrestling at NJPW.

Regretting all the time he has spent away from his family for this, White said, “I am not going to do this anymore. Maybe my time would be better spent someplace else.”

He would at most appear at NJPW’s New Year’s Dash, but after that he is done with the promotion, a distraught White said.

It seems like there was some truth in Jay White’s words after all.

You can watch the video of Jay White’s comments below:

The main event of this week’s NXT saw the conclusion of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne dubbed the ‘Broserweights’ faced off against NXT UK’s James Drake and Zack Gibson, the Grizzled Young Veterns.

Both teams has strenuous journies to the final. The Broserweights defeated Mark Andrews and ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and Imperium. Whereas, Grizzled Young Veterans defeated the Timesplitters and Undisputed Era to earn their spot.

On the line was a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT Takeover: Portland against Undisputed Era.

Broserweights vs Grizzled Young Veterans: The Match

Unfortunately, this tag team classic was interrupted by a non-‘picture in picture’ commercial break. Therefore, these statistics cover televised action only. However, there was a rather stacked 18 minutes and 9 seconds of this!

These 18 plus minutes saw a notable total of 195 offensive attacks. This averages out at an electric 10.7 manoeuvres per minute.

In terms of tide changes, this tag-team bout contained 55. Thus averaging out to 3 tide changes per minute.

Broserweights vs Grizzled Young Veterans: Match Report

The Broserweights would eventually walk out winners earning the Dusty Cup and the NXT Tag Team Championship shot at NXT Takeover: Portland. Their superiority showed throughout the match as they took 8% more of the total offence in comparison to their foes.

The first five minutes of this match saw the Broserweights explode into action. An avalanche of strike downs and grapples gave Riddle and Dunne the advantage early in the bout.

The second five was a more balanced affair. Both teams employing double team manoeuvres as things became competitive. This five also saw the teams teeing off on each other in a ferocious war of strikes.

The third five saw the Grizzled Young Vets take control at last. Their output dwarfed the Broserweights in this portion of the match. This was achieved via a plethora of strong strikes resulting in strike downs constantly. Gibson finished this five with the Shankley Gates.

The last few minutes of this encounter saw Broserweights bounce back and dominate the Grizzled Young Vets. Three double teams in three minutes led to the win for the Broserweights.

This competitive contest saw both teams enjoy flurries of significant offence. This match was less back and forth and more periods of sustained offence being traded by the competitors.

On average the Broserweight’s flurries tended to be more significant however the Grizzled Young Vets achieved the biggest flurry of the contest in the thirst five of the contest.

Also notable from the chart is the trend in significance of the offence. As the match progressed flurries became larger and larger. Thus leading to the biggest flurry of the match and the Broserweights ultimate victory.

Broserweights vs Grizzled Young Veterans: The Margins of Victory

The Grizzled Young Veterans have been a tag team for years whereas the Broserweights only formed for the Dusty Classic and this was their third match as a tag team. This makes their superior use of double team manoeuvres more impressive.

It was this trend that led to the victory. In the last three minutes of the match, Riddle and Dunne hit three double team moves, the last of which resulted in the winning pin fall.

The main event for the ‘Chris Jericho Rock N Wrestling Rager at Sea’ episode of Dynamite was the conclusion to the AEW World Championship Number 1 Contendership mini-tournament, PAC vs Jon Moxley. The victor of this bout would go on to face AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution.

PAC went into this match at number 2 in the Men’s Singles rankings, whereas Jon Moxley went in at number 1. However Jon Moxley also went into the match with a vision impairing eye patch as a result of the spike Chris Jericho drove into his eye a week prior.

• AEW Dynamite Results & 4 Takeaways (1/22)

PAC vs Moxley: The Match

Clocking in at 17:15, this match is at the longer end of the scale in terms of AEW Dynamite matches. It is the third longest AEW Dynamite match to date, behind Cody/Allin and the tag match from earlier in the show.

Spread out over the course of the 17 minutes were a total of 83 offensive manoeuvres. This averages out at 4.8, a match pace well above average.

The tide changed 35 times as Moxley and PAC jostled for dominance. This averages out at 2 tide changes per minute, a somewhat average rate of tide changes.

PAC vs Moxley: Match Report

In this match, PAC’s rate of offence across the match is eerily consistent. The value of his offence in the four five minute blocks stays within a window of 10. Whereas the value of Moxley’s offence across the match fluctuates to twice the degree.

The first five minutes of this match is a stalemate. The competitors match each other offensive output. Mainly strikes here.

Moxley hits his highest output in the second five, out striking PAC. PAC has to take to the skies in an attempt to keep up.

The third five sees a huge dip from Moxley as PAC lasers in on the eye injury. A barrage of strikes from PAC to Moxley, characterises this five.

The final 2+ minutes of this encounter sees PAC go for broke with an avalanche manoeuvre, the Brutalizer and a string of even more strikes. However a missed Black Arrow allowed Moxley to hit the Paradigm Shift for the upset win.

Unsurprisingly, PAC was the man in control for most of this contest. With Moxley navigating a fairly substantial injury, PAC was the man who dished out most of the punishment and directed the course of the match.

The fact that this match was such a back and forth affair is a testament to Moxley’s determination and ingenuity in managing an injury that would have rendered most competitors doomed before the bell even rung.

Incredibly, Moxley had the advantage in this match before PAC zeroed in on Moxley’s injured eye.

The barrage of strikes pin-pointed at Moxley’s eye almost gave the match and the opportunity to PAC.

In the chart to the right you can see the extent to which PAC dominated in the closing stretch before Moxley snuck the win.

PAC vs Moxley: The Margins of Victory

I had expected to be writing about how a man such as PAC can not be overcome by a competitor with an impairment that would be to the detriment of any competitive performance. However, that is not how this one panned out.

PAC went for a Black Arrow, perhaps the most difficult aerial move in wrestling, after struggling to pull off a 450° Splash in the noticeably difficult winds on board the Jericho Cruise. Going back to the well with the Brutalizer would have been a safer option rater than throwing all caution to the literal wind.

Even with one functioning eye, Moxley is too sharp an opponent to miss an opportunity such as this when it presents itself.

AEW’s Bash at the Beach ended with a singles match between the #4 ranked men’s singles wrestler PAC and the currently unranked but highly rated, Darby Allin.

Throughout the match commentary mused on whether the victor of this match would be first in line for a AEW World Championship match as a result of the potential injury to Jon Moxley.

PAC vs Darby Allin: The Match

AEW remained true to form when it comes to TV matches and ended another show with a short yet action-packed match. This week’s main event went for 11 minutes, 45 seconds.

The action in this match amounted to a grand total of 35 offensive manoeuvres. This averages out at slightly under 3 moves per minute. An above average pacing for a match.

Pac versus Darby Allin saw a total of 14 tide changes throughout the match. Thus averaging out at 1.2 tide changes per minute. This rate of tide changes seems to be lower than the average via stats gathered so far.

PAC vs Darby Allin: Match Report

This match saw PAC maintain a consistent rate of offence whereas Allin peaked and then got overwhelmed by PAC.

The first five minutes of this match saw an exchange of reversals. Both men hit a series of big moves. Pac with slams and Allin with dives. Pac took control on the outside.

The second five minutes started with domination from PAC before Allin rallied with an explosive barrage of grapples and a Coffin Drop onto a standing opponent on the outside. PAC was able to take control at the end of this five.

The final minute, 45 seconds saw PAC destroy Allin with a series of grapples followed by the unwithstandable Black Arrow to pick up the win.

Despite Allin matching PAC’s offence throughout the first 10 minutes of the match in terms of numbers, PAC was able to control huge chunks of the almost 12 minutes.

Allin was kept down by PAC as a result of the Powerbomb on the steel steps and the use of some submission holds by PAC.

The flow of offence chart shows how evenly the offence was split until the ending sequence of the match. Allin made up for PACs dominance of the match in terms of controlling for large periods by hitting hard and fast at every slight opportunity afforded to him by his opponent.

What is also notable is how the competitors did not exchange small bursts of offence. The two wrestlers instead had to respond to larger bursts of hard hitting manoeuvres.

PAC vs Darby Allin: The Margins of Victory

As priorly mentioned Darby Allin was able to find opportunity to deal PAC the same amount of offence for most of the match. However he did this while PAC controlled for significantly longer periods of time. Therefore Allin is under immense pressure to make the absolute most of every opportunity. He did this for ten minutes before succumbing to PAC’s offensive might.

We also have to highlight the strength of PAC’s Black Arrow which has never been escaped by an opponent.

The final episode of NXT of 2019 opened with a huge match up seeing Finn Balor challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Championship. Balor had promised to make ‘his future his past’ and aimed to become the third two time NXT Champion. Whereas Adam Cole did not want to be the first member of Undisputed Era to no longer be draped in gold.

Finn Balor vs Adam Cole: The Match

The opening bout of NXT went just over 15 minutes, clocking in at 15:16. These 15+ minutes saw fast paced action amounting to 105 offensive manoeuvres being executed by the two competitors. This balances out at an average of 6.9 manoeuvres per minute.

The competitors often exchanged reversals or strikes jostling to get the better of each other. This meant that the match saw a total of 47 tide changes, a swift 3.1 per minute average.

Balor vs Cole: The Competitors

This was a highly contested match. The competitors were only separated by 6% in terms of total offence with Cole utilising more offence than Balor. This was mainly down to his submission time as Balor led in terms of strikes, grapples and dives.

Balor also has a superior strikedown rate emphasising the impact of his strikes and a better reversal rate proving he had done his homework.

Despite the stature of his opponent Cole still appeared the more confident of the two and showed a willingness to taunt his adversary. Additionally he wasn’t scared to bend the rules and this would prove decisive.

Interestingly, Balor was able to kick out of Cole’s Last Shot even as the match neared it’s end. Perhaps this is what prompted Balor to go for the 1916 after the Coupe De Grace. This may have been costly…

Balor vs Cole: The Margins of Victory

When we examine the flow of the offence that was dished out in this match we can see the extent to which Adam Cole’s grinding submission slowed down Finn Balor early on and gave Cole a way into the match.

We can also see how closely matched the two men were. If was rare that an offensive flurry from one man wasn’t immediately followed up by a matching offensive flurry from his opponent.

When we break the match into five minute chunks we see the full extent of the onslaught Adam Cole had to withstand to be in a position to hit that second Last Shot.

in the last third of the match Balor took control with his striking ability, achieving a series of Strikedowns and looked on course to pick up the with. However Adam Cole’s resilience kept him in the match long enough that he was able to pick up an under-handed victory when the opportunity arose.

This year Survivor Series was a treat with a variety of excellent matches. The first match of the main show kicked things off right, with the women’s elimination match taking centre stage. This was the first of the two elimination matches that, this year, would also include a team from NXT, triple threats between the five woman teams.

Team NXT vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team Raw.
Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Candace LeRae vs. Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Carmella, Nikki Cross and Dana Brooks vs. Charlotte, Natalya, Kairi Sane, Asuka and Sarah Logan
Women’s Elimination Match at Survivor Series (November 24th, 2019)

This match has been eagerly anticipated by fans of NXT as it would be a main roster showcase of the brand’s excellent women’s division. They were not to be disappointed with the announcement on Sunday of an exciting team consisting of Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Candace LeRae.

NXT vs. SmackDown vs. Raw: The Numbers.

This match almost hit half an hour, coming in at 28 minutes. On average, each minute saw about seven offensive moves out of a total of 203.

The dominant team throughout much of the match was SmackDown with 41% of that offense coming from them. They really showed their dominance eliminating four and a half superstars (Storm was eliminated by both Natalya and Banks).

Raw were probably the weaker of the teams with significantly less offense than the other two brands, only 25% of the offense came from them. They did however boast the most grapples and the highest strike-down rate, an impressive 46%.

• Like this feature? Check out our Statistical Analysis of:
  Team Ciampa vs. Undisputed Era from NXT TakeOver: War Games

The Margins of Victory.

Team NXT did not dominate proceeding by any means and in fact had to just survive for a significant chunk of the match after losing Shirai and LeRae to injury. In the end it was the individual dominance and tenacity of Rhea Ripley that saw them over the line.

There was however, some controversy as Candace LeRae and Io Shirai returned to the ring seemingly no longer injured. This happened at an opportune time for Ripley as they rescued her from the Bank Statement. Another involvement then set up the Rip Time and Ripley’s victory.

A shame as this really undermined Ripley’s performance. Without the sketchy involvement on Shirai and LeRae the result may very well have been no different.

Statistical Analysis is back and this time we are diving deep into the numbers that came out of the main event of TakeOver: War Games.

The Undisputed Era found themselves booked in a War Games match after antagonizing multiple members of the NXT roster. Thus making it the third of these matches in three years they have found themselves in.

• 4 Takeaways From NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019

The Undisputed Era vs Team Ciampa

Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Dominick Dijakovic, Keith Lee and a mystery partner (Kevin Owens)

War Games match at NXT TakeOver: War Games (November 23rd, 2019)

An annual staple of the NXT calendar, War Games showcases bitter rivalries in faction warfare. This year, William Regal looked this match to ensure the Undisputed Era could not continue to use their pack mentality to continue riding roughshod over NXT.

Undisputed Era vs. Team Ciampa: By The Numbers

This match contained an epic 488 offensive manoeuvres! A ferocious, 13 attacks a minute in this 38 minute, 26 second match. In an evenly contested battle, Team Ciampa dished out 52% of this total and only 4% more than the Undisputed Era.

The two teams were, amazingly, only separated by one strike in the near 40 minute clash. Team Ciampa were, however, the more effective strikers with 3% more of their strikes resulting in Strike-downs.

Unfortunately for the Undisputed Era, Team Ciampa also out did them in every other category with the only exception being submissions.

What we can notice from the flow of offense dealt out during the match, Team Ciampa took control when all eight competitors were in the ring. Before then, the Undisputed Era had significant spells of offense. The biggest advantage in the match coming when they had a four on three advantage over Team Ciampa.

The Margins of Victory

Surprisingly, the Undisputed Era’s experience as a unit did not gift them the advantage when it was four on four. As soon as Kevin Owens came into the match everything changed. His initial flurry included all his most devastating offence, Powerbombs and Stunners included.

Team Ciampa, gained victory as a result of a series of devastating manoeuvres which saw multiple members of the Undisputed Era crashing through tables. During this period of mayhem Adam Cole attempted to find safe ground. He regretted this dearly.

At the end of this period where each member of the Undisputed Era was on the end of a huge move, Adam Cole took a death-defying plunge through a table from the top of the cage courtesy of Tommaso Ciampa. Cut to a visibly stunned Britt Baker.

Tommaso Ciampa must now be owed an NXT Title opportunity.

Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega tore the house down as the final match at Saturday night’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view. This installment of our Statistical Analysis feature takes a deep dive into this hardcore clash between two of AEW’s most violent competitors. Let’s take a look at the key factors that led Jon Moxley to victory.

• 7 Takeaways From AEW Full Gear

Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
Unsanctioned “Lights Out” Match
AEW Full Gear (November 9th, 2019)

One of two matches on the Full Gear card dating back to Double or Nothing, the build for this match has spanned seven months. AEW fans have anticipated this match from the moment Jon Moxley attacked Kenny Omega in the final minutes of Double or Nothing.

Cancelled at All Out due to Moxley’s Mercer infection only heightened fans desire to see these two clash in an AEW ring. After six weeks of spotlight on AEW Dynamite, the build to this match has simmered to boiling point. To say that it finally boiled over at Full Gear would not do it justice!

Omega vs Moxley: The Numbers

This match was a very violent and painful 38 minutes 45 seconds and contained 165 offensive manoeuvres. Thus meaning viewers witnessed, an often brutal, offensive action ever 14 seconds! Kenny Omega was the man who dealt out the majority this collective offence with 58% of it coming from him.

As previously mentioned, this was an extremely violent match. In fact, 64 of the 165 offensive actions would have been illegal in a traditional match, that’s 39%.

Omega was not out of his depth in this kind of contest with 40 of his 96 manoeuvres fitting the criteria of this category, 42% of his total offensive moves. In comparison, Moxley’s numbers were 24 of 69, 35%. Not many people would have expected Kenny Omega to be the more violent participant in this match up.

Statistically, Kenny Omega owned Jon Moxley in this match up. He out did him when we examine strikes, dives, reversals and use of usually illegal offence. There was a small advantage for Moxley through use of submission and they cancelled each other out when it came to the use of grapples. When we look at these numbers it is far from clear how Moxley won this match.

The Margins of Victory

Part of the story here is Moxley’s ability to absorb the kind of punishment he endured in this match from his years of experience in these types of encounter. This was illustrated by the pre-match video package. Kenny Omega does not have the same level of experience.

Another strand of this Moxley-victory is the simple fact he hit the Paradigm Shift, twice. The Paradigm Shift is easier to execute than Kenny Omega’s more deadly One Winged Angel which Moxley did escape from in this match. The same was often true in Omega’s encounters with Okada who often benefitted from the hit-rate of his finishing move as opposed to the effectiveness of Omega’s.

Both Moxley’s ability to absorb extreme levels of punishment and the swiftness of the Paradigm Shift are undoubtedly factors. However, ultimately, it could be suggested that Kenny Omega was almost drunk on violence and was more interested in proving himself Moxley’s equal in this type of match than only securing the win.

This is evidenced by the fact Omega dealt out 18% more of the match’s offence but went for the same amount of pin attempts as Moxley and spent less time on submissions. A more visual piece of evidence? He needed three members of the Elite to bring out a pre-meditated additional object of violence.

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• Statistical Analysis: Chris Jericho vs. Cody (AEW Full Gear)

This installment of our Statistical Analysis examines the ‘sanctioned’ main event of AEW Full Gear, the highly anticipated AEW World Championship bout between Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. (7 Takeaways From AEW Full Gear)

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho
AEW Full Gear (November 9th, 2019)

The first AEW Pay-Per-View to have a weekly television build has been built around the main event rivalry of the ‘American Nightmare’ Cody and ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho. This rivalry has reached levels of animosity rarely seen, even in the competitive world of professional, in recent weeks seeing Cody even feel the need to put his eligibility for future World Championships opportunities on the line.

This match has dominated Dynamite on TNT over the last six weeks with fans enjoying some of the hottest confrontations and promos in the entire industry. The magnitude of this match was heightened by the big match feel added to by the addition of time limit draw separating judges. For this match they were revealed to be legendary wrestlers Dean Malenko, Arn Anderson and The Great Muta!

Cody vs. Jericho: By The Numbers

In a contest lasting almost half an hour, coming in at 29 minutes and 35 seconds, 141 offensive manoeuvres were hit with a further 37 being reversed and another 18 classified as fouls. This meant viewers saw an offensive move every 12.5 seconds. The majority of which came from Chris Jericho.

Jericho was the dominant force in this match, with 77 offensive actions to Cody’s 64 giving him 55% of the matches offence which does not take into account the 17 fouls, he and Hager managed to get away with.

The majority of Jericho’s offence came from strikes and submissions. He won the striking battle 56 to 49 with 6 knockdowns to Cody’s 4. He contained Cody in submission holds for 59 seconds longer than the reverse, 74 seconds in comparison to 15.

Cody was very much fighting from underneath for a significant amount of this match. This was illustrated by Jericho’s advantage in overall offence delivered. Cody dealt with this admirably and reversed more manoeuvres than Jericho, 20 compared to 17. Offensively he dealt more damage from grapples and dives however his exploits with the latter may have led to his eventual downfall.

The Margins of Victory

Commentary teams across the many arenas of professional wrestling draw attention to the risk taking nature of competitors who employ diving manoeuvres in their in-ring repertoire. Cody hit four of these attacks during the course of this match but it may be the one that he missed that cost him victory and any future chances at the AEW World Championship.

A mere eight minutes into the contest, Cody attempted a dive over the top rope but crashed face first into the elevated entrance ramp. This bloodied the challenger and supplied Jericho with a target for the remainder of the match. This mistake from Cody allowed Jericho to dominate the match to such an extent that ultimately it led to his downfall.

When a match is decided but the duplicitous actions of an outside party, it is hard to point to a competitive factor as being the margin in the competing performances that led to the victory. MJF threw in the towel at a moment during which it would be believable for an ally of Cody’s to do so.

For MJF to believably throw in the towel, Cody had to be losing and in this match it was not a guarantee that he would end up with a loss but at this stage in the contest he certainly was losing. Jericho was able to beatdown Cody to a stage where he was able to apply his submission finisher not once but twice.

All this can be traced back to that early missed dive at eight minutes and two seconds.

If you liked this article, check out ..

• Statistical Analysis: Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley (AEW Full Gear)

We are introducing a new feature here at SEScoops: a Statistical Analysis of (at least) one featured match per week. Our first installment looks at the finals of All Elite Wrestling’s tournament to crown the first-ever AEW World Tag Team Champions.

SCU vs Lucha Bros.: AEW Tag Tournament Finals
AEW Dynamite: October 30th, 2019

The main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite saw SCU (Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian) clash with the Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix). This match wasn’t just about championship gold however, SCU were also out to avenge their fallen SCU team member Christopher Daniels, who hasn’t been seen since Pentagon gave him a piledriver on the ramp several weeks ago.

Breakdown & Deciding Factors

This championship match was a fraught and often chaotic affair, with 70 strikes being thrown in the opening exchange. Lucha Bros weathered the early storm and took charge of the match, so much so they limited SCU to only one tag.

The amount of strikes thrown by SCU led to them to use a higher percentage of offense in this match, 58% of the match’s offense came from SCU.

SCU’s eventual victory came as a consequence of fighting from underneath in the closing stretch as Sky reversed the Foot-Stomp Piledriver to pin Pentagon.

SCU landed significantly more strikes than their opponents, but the Lucha Bros. landed more dives (4-3), reversed more moves (13-10) and had more pin attempts (4-3). Ultimately, SCU’s win was the result of grit and determination, as they did not have any big [statistical] advantages over the Lucha Bros.

• 5 Takeaways From AEW Dynamite (10/30)

Comment and let us know what you think on this new feature.

Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite premiere on TNT means a lot of things to a lot of people. For Jungle Boy, it marks the end of his independent wrestling career.

Jungle Boy has been one of the breakout performers of the upstart AEW promotion. Along with with Luchasaurus, the Jurassic Express tag team has taken the wrestling world by storm.

As one of eight teams in the of tournament to crown AEW’s inaugural tag team champions, the ‘boy and his dinosaur’ have hands full in the first round. They’ll face the Lucha Bros, who are arguably the odds-on favorite to win it all. That tournament kicks off in Week 2 of AEW Dynamite.

• AEW Tag Team Tournament Brackets Released

With bright lights and big cities ahead, Jungle Boy posted a message on Instagram reflecting on the independent wrestling career that led him to this big moment.

“Last night marked the end of my independent wrestling career,” he wrote. “I’m not saying you’ll never see me in an Indy ring again, but it closes a symbolic chapter of my life. I’ve had some of the most amazing times, met the wildest people, and made the best friends I could ever ask for.”

Jungle Boy continued, “There are way too many pictures to choose from, and way too many moments not photographed, but these are just a few of the most recent on my phone. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has been a part of this crazy ride. I’m so excited to see what adventures the future holds, but I’ll never forget where I came from. One love. One family.”

Here is the photo he posted on Instagram:

After much speculation, The Rock has confirmed that he’ll be at the debut WWE SmackDown on Fox this Friday night.

Here’s the official word from The Great One himself:

WWE Friday Night SmackDown

Here is an updated preview for the premiere of Friday Night SmackDown on Fox from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California:

• Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston
• RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks
• Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match
• Roman Reigns Erick Rowan vs. Roman Reigns

Plus, there will be special appearances from Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, Booker T, Lita, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Bill Goldberg, Trish Stratus, Mark Henry, and Jerry “The King” Lawler.

• WWE Confirms New Commentary Teams For RAW & SmackDown

Ahead of Wednesday’s premiere of AEW Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling has released what appears to be the opening video package for the new weekly series.

As seen below, the opener features footage of AEW’s top stars with the familiar ‘exploding rainbow-colored paint’ style we’ve seen in the first AEW Dynamite posters and promotional artwork.

The official theme song of AEW Dynamite is aptly titled, “Dynamite” by the band No One Hero. They wrote on Facebook:

“We’ve been underground reorganizing but now we are back and pleased to announced that our new upcoming single “Dynamite” is now the official Theme Song Show opener for All Elite Wrestling’s “DYNAMITE” which premiers this Wednesday 8pm/7C on TNT!! Check it out!!!”

AEW Dynamite kicks off this Wednesday, October 2nd from Washington, D.C.

The stars of All Elite Wrestling are doing the media rounds ahead of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite premiere on TNT.

Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes spoke with Scott Fishman of TVInsider this week about AEW’s plans to change the wrestling landscape, the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, her in-ring training and more.

Rhodes spoke in-depth about the AEW women’s division, including her close relationship with Awesome Kong and her overall vision for the female roster. She says AEW has around 16 women under contract, including some surprises.

“You’re going to see in the first few weeks of TV a heavy focus on the familiar names,” said Rhodes. “There will probably be some you haven’t seen before, but they were actually signed for some period of time. So, it’s going to be new to you, but we’ve been planning to use them for a long time.”

The ‘Roster’ page at AEW’s official website lists 11 female competitors. The Casino Battle Royale at last month’s All Out pay-per-view featured 21 women.

“I was really excited for and impressed with a lot of the girls,” Rhodes said of the Casino Battle Royal match. “I think the fans were too. Just wait and see. You will probably see some of those involved in there again.”

Head over to TVInsider.com to read Scott Fishman’s complete interview with Brandi Rhodes.

• Cody Confirms AEW Dynamite Will Be TV-MA

WWE and Fox Sports have announced the launch of WWE Backstage, a weekly hour-long studio show coming to FS1 starting Tuesday, November 5th.

Hosted by Renee Young and ‘Studio Analyst’ Booker T, WWE Backstage will air 11pm (ET) / 8pm PT. A special preview episode will air Tuesday, October 15th following the Major League Baseball ALCS Game 3 on FS1.

According to a press release sent in to SEScoops, WWE Backstage will be devoted to all things WWE.

“WWE BACKSTAGE is a wrestling show for wrestling fans. From hardcore fans to people new to wrestling, we’ll give them a little bit of everything,” said Renee Young. “It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be loud, we’re going to give them a ton of opinions and I can’t wait to help spread the word about SmackDown coming to FOX.”  

2-time WWE Hall of Famer Booker T also commented on his role in the new project.

“I think this is going to be a tag team that’s going to last for a long time, and one that cannot lose. As I always say, now can you dig it, sucka?”

More information on WWE BACKSTAGE, including additional on-air personalities and special guests, will be announced at a later date.

For more information on WWE on FOX, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.

All Elite Wrestling has raided the production team of Impact Wrestling, SEScoops has learned.

Impact has been outsourcing the majority of its production work to Kevin Sullivan’s KevinSully TV, a company based out of Nashville. Over the weekend, KSTV cut a deal with AEW and will be working directly with AEW lead producer Keith Mitchell.

The mass exodus of virtually its entire production division has left Impact scrambling. Impact was blindsided over the weekend when the Sullivan group notified them the working relationship was over effective immediately. The news of Kevin Sullivan giving notice to Impact was first reported by John Pollock of POST Wrestling.

KSTV tried to secure a contract with Anthem, which would have given them a sense of stability. That never came to fruition, which understandably led to some uncertainty and left the door open for AEW to swoop in.

Impact is trying to spin the situation as if AEW only took one person, but that is not the case. Kevin Sullivan TV is composed of editors, graphic artists, sound engineers, video producers, voiceovers studios and more. They assembled all of Impacts weekly programming for domestic and international.

Over the past couple days, Impact hired a local Tennessee producer to handle the work of several people while it regroups from this latest setback.

One source who we spoke with about this story called it a “huge strategic move” by AEW and “crippling” to Impact ahead of their move to AXS TV in late October.

The situation is not without some irony, as it relates to the business practices of Impact and (parent company) Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Following Anthem’s recent purchase of AXS TV, they immediately gutted the production staff of AXS TV’s offices in Dallas and Colorado. Many very talented production people were pushed out of their jobs. Now, Impact finds itself badly in need of very talented production people.

• Key Player Emerging In Upcoming WWE vs. AEW Talent War

Major League Wrestling returns to the famous 2300 Arena for MLW FIGHTLAND Saturday, February 1st 2020.

Tickets for MLW Fightland 2020 go on sale Monday, September 30th at 10am at MLW2300.com.

The main event of last year’s MLW Fightland saw the Lucha Bros. (Pentagon & Rey Fenix) defeat LA Park & Hijo de LA Park to retain the MLW World Tag Team Championships (Full Results).

Here’s an updated look at MLW’s upcoming schedule through Fightland. Tickets for all these events are available at MLWTix.com.

MLW Saturday Night Superfight (PPV)
Chicago, IL (Cicero Stadium)
Saturday, November 2nd

MLW: Blood & Thunder
Orlando, FL (GILT Nightclub)
Saturday, November 9th

MLW: Opera Cup 2019
New York City (Melrose Ballroom)
Thursday, December 5th

MLW Zero Hour
Dallas, TX (Nytex Sports Centre)
Saturday, January 11th

Reactions to MLW’s Return to Philadelphia

AEW Dynamite premieres on TNT in just over one week. Ahead of next week’s big show, there are some interesting new details to report regarding behind-the-scenes happenings at All Elite Wrestling.

As first reported in our world exclusive about the formation of AEW, agent Barry Bloom was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, until he was effectively pushed out of the venture in its early stages.

Since then, Bloom has maneuvered himself back into the AEW mix in a more profitable way: by cornering the market on AEW’s top stars.

Barry Bloom has been a power broker in the industry for decades. He represented Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and others during the height of WCW’s boom period. He still reps some of the top names in the wrestling, including Jim Ross and Chris Jericho.

SEScoops has learned that Bloom recently signed Kenny Omega as a client. Omega is arguably the franchise player of All Elite Wrestling, so this signing is significant as it relates to Bloom’s influence. Nick and Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks are also in talks with Barry Bloom.

Fellow AEW Executive VP Cody Rhodes is currently signed with Brian Wittenstein, but Jim Ross is encouraging Cody to keep his options open.

In addition to Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, Barry Bloom is taking meetings with high profile talent from WWE and Impact Wrestling about representation.

According to a source to the matter, Bloom is actively positioning himself to be a key player in the inevitable WWE/NXT vs. AEW talent war.

CaZXL, formerly known as Big Cass, has issued a statement addressing the incident he was involved in at the WrestlePro live event this past weekend from Rahway, New Jersey. You can read our initial report bout the situation here, which involved a physical altercation with WWE producer Pat Buck and police involvement.

The statement, posted on Twitter by Cass’ former tag team partner Enzo Amore, reads:

To my fans and all concerned,

I have been very honest with my past struggles, and it has been an ongoing battle. On Saturday night, I obviously let my demons get the better of me and I ruined an important night for a really great guy in an unfortunate series of events. I have worked incredibly hard to get where I am, and even harder to overcome my ongoing battle with depression.

But I will work my absolute hardest to right the wrongs of Saturday night and apologize to Kevin Mathews, Pat Buck, Joey Janela, and the entire WrestlePro locker room and all parties involved from the bottom of my heart.

I’m getting help from family and friends as we speak and will be getting professional help in the near future and ask all to please respect my privacy in the meantime.

When & if I reemerge as a public figure it will be in good faith and I hope to inspire those who struggle with the same mental health issues I do to seek the help they need. If Tyson Fury can do it….so can I.

Remember…I ain’t dead yet. And neither are you.

Peace and love,
William Patrick Morrissey III —

He later followed up with this message on social media:

Reactions to CaZ’s statement

CaZ’s longtime friend and tag team partner nZo (formerly Enzo Amore) gave the following show of support:

WrestlePro promoter Kevin Matthews also responded to CaZXL’s statement:

AXS TV sent in the following press release on Monday:

LOS ANGELES – AXS TV announced today the broadcast premiere of LUCHA INVADES NY, presented by Lucha Libre AAA and IMPACT Wrestling from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, on Friday, Sept. 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Showcasing stars from the world’s premier Mexican professional wrestling organization, LUCHA INVADES NY features an impressive roster of leading Mexican and internationally-known Luchadores, showing off the colorful aspect of the wrestlers’ unique masks and outfits, as well as the dramatic, high-flying matches inside the ring.

LUCHA INVADES NY features former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, as he competes in his second-ever professional wrestling bout, teaming up with IMPACT World Champion Brian Cage and Psycho Clown against Los Mercenarios, the team of Rey Escorpion, Texano Jr. and Taurus.

The AAA World Tag Team Championship will be on the line as the Lucha Brothers, Pentagon Jr. and Fenix, defend against LAX, the team of Santana and Ortiz, in the latest installment of their rivalry which has already produced numerous in-ring classics.

The event will also feature AAA Reina de Reinas (Queen of the Queens) Champion and IMPACT Wrestling star Tessa Blanchard in a defense of her title against former Reina de Reinas Champion and current IMPACT Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie.

Mexican legends Blue Demon Jr. and Rey Wagner will also face off in a no disqualification grudge match.

Lucha Libre AAA returns to U.S. soil on Oct. 13, as the organization hosts INVADING LA at The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif.

For more information, visit www.axs.tv.

WWE has announced a Draft is taking place next month. The move comes just months after the latest Superstar Shakeup, which was held after WrestleMania 35.

The rosters of Raw and SmackDown will be shaken up once again on the October 11th episode of Friday Night SmackDown on Fox. The Draft will continue three days later on the October 14th episodes of Raw.

• SmackDown on FOX Ad Reveals Likely Draft Trades

The following is WWE’s official press release on the matter:

WWE DRAFT SET FOR FOX AND USA NETWORK ON OCTOBER 11 AND 14

The destiny of WWE’s Superstars will be determined during a two-night draft taking place live on Friday Night SmackDown® on October 11 at 8 pm ET on the FOX broadcast network and Monday Night Raw® on October 14 at 8 pm ET on USA Network.

On both nights of the draft, Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will appear along with personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal programming who will announce select picks from each brand. The draft will determine the Superstars that compete for Raw and SmackDown, which feature distinct casts, unique storylines and dedicated writing teams.

Friday Night SmackDown on October 11 will emanate from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while Monday Night Raw on October 14 will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Raw and SmackDown are the #1 and #2 longest-running weekly episodic television shows in U.S. primetime history. The programs have aired more original episodes than The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.

Raw will continue airing on USA Network while SmackDown moves to FOX beginning Friday, October 4.

Impact Wrestling is moving to AXS TV next month. The news follows the announcement earlier this week that Impact’s parent company, Anthem Sports & Entertainment, purchased a majority stake in AXS TV.

As of this writing, there are no details regarding a premiere date or what night of the week Impact will air. The press release below simply states Impact will premiere on AXS TV “immediately following” Bound for Glory on 10/20.

Two Hours of IMPACT! to be broadcast weekly on AXS TV

IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and one of the world’s largest professional wrestling organizations, announced today it has entered into an agreement to broadcast its flagship weekly two-hour program IMPACT! nationally across the U.S. on AXS TV, a leading music, sports, entertainment and lifestyle channel in which Anthem Sports & Entertainment recently acquired a majority interest.

Immediately following IMPACT Wrestling’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year Bound For Glory, which takes place on Oct. 20 in the Chicago area, IMPACT! will begin airing weekly on AXS TV. The program will continue to simulcast globally on IMPACT Wrestling’s official Twitch channel.

“IMPACT Wrestling is a perfect fit for AXS TV’s slate of live sporting events and combat sports content,” said Ed Nordholm, Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and President of IMPACT Wrestling. “The newest addition to our growing portfolio of media assets, AXS TV’s audience perfectly aligns with our passionate IMPACT Wrestling fan base, and this move increases the reach for our weekly program with distribution in over 50 million homes. We could not ask for a better home and are excited by the opportunities to work with Mark Cuban and Anschutz Entertainment Group, our partners in AXS TV, to bolster IMPACT Wrestling’s presence in the market, as we continue to deliver action-packed and innovative weekly programming featuring some of the most athletic and gifted stars in the professional wrestling industry.”

Showcasing top professional wrestling stars such as IMPACT World Champion Brian Cage, plus Rob Van Dam, Rhino, Moose, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, Rich Swann, Michael Elgin, the high-flying X-Division and the Knockouts, including Gail Kim, Tessa Blanchard, Taya Valkyrie, Tenille Dashwood, Rosemary, Madison Rayne and Su Yung, IMPACT! has been a leading destination for professional wrestling fans, televised globally in 120 countries since its inception in 2002, while growing its popularity and reach on YouTube, Twitch, Pluto and social media platforms.

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has given another strong indication that Tony Schiavone will be joining Jim Ross on commentary when AEW goes live on TNT in just under three weeks.

Episode 2 of the Road to AEW On TNT series went live Wednesday night. The latest installment features a profile on Sammy Guevara and Tony Schiavone conducting a sit-down interview with Cody.

Towards the end of their discussion, Cody said he had a question for Tony Schiavone. In light of Schiavone’s experience as the voice of WCW Nitro on TNT, Cody asked, “Will you be returning to the desk, and will you be calling matches with Jim Ross?”

Schiavone laughed and said, “I don’t know, you’re the boss! You tell me.” as Cody winked to the camera.

Schiavone and Jim Ross would presumably be joined by Excalibur, who has served as the lead play-by-play announcer on AEW shows thus far. “Golden Boy” Alex Mendez is also expected to be part of the team in some capacity.

During the recent AEW All Out post-show media scrum, company President Tony Khan commented on their current plans for the AEW commentary team.

“I think there’s been a huge demand for fans that want to hear Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone call wrestling together again,” he said. “And Excalibur also brings a lot of knowledge and really intelligent insight into what’s going on in the matches, and I think he’ll be a really good addition to those guys as well. So I expect we’ll mix it up for PPV and TV.”

Visit AEWTIX.com for details on how you can attend upcoming AEW TV tapings in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charleston (WV), Charlotte, Nashville and Chicago.

• Triple H Sends a Warning to AEW

Check out the latest Road to AEW on TNT:

Sasha Banks challenges RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch this Saturday night at WWE’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view from Charlotte, North Carolina. “The Boss” appeared on Charlotte’s WFNZ Sports Radio this week to hype the pay-per-view and commented on a few interesting topics.

Speaking about the state of women’s wrestling, Banks said it’s incredible and a dream come true that women are featured some prominently in WWE. She has always wanted to be known as the greatest women’s wrestler of all time, but now she just wants to be the greatest wrestler ever, period.

Earlier this year, Sasha Banks took a hiatus from WWE. Following WrestleMania 35, she took four months away from the chaotic life of a Superstar. In addition to traveling the world, she used the down time to reevaluate her life and career.

“I’ve been doing this for 7 years straight,” she said. “No breaks. People need to step back and re-evaluate their lives. Take care of their souls and their minds. And I’m back and I’m better than ever. I’ve got myself a championship match this Sunday, so I think I’m doing quite well for myself, right?”

Sasha Banks said everybody is talking about her. She’s a star, she’s making money and she’s making moves, which is what she was born to do.

You can listen to the full interview at WFNZ.Radio.com or in the player embedded below.

Who’s The Man? In the context of the WWE Universe, it’s RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. The Irish Superstar adopted the moniker last year during her meteoric rise to the top of WWE’s women’s division.

If you ask Ric Flair, he’s the man and he’s ready to battle WWE in court over the rights to that nickname. Flair insists he’s been calling himself The Man since 1981 and wants WWE to pay him royalties if they continue using the phrase.

Ric Flair recently filed a trademark for “The Man” for usage in pro wrestling. He’s willing to let WWE use the name – as long as they pay up.

“I love Becky Lynch and no one has supported the women’s division more than me as an outsider,” Flair said. “Becky can have [the name] all day long but I want the company to pay me for it because I’m going to take care of my family,” he continued.

ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi reached out to Becky Lynch this week and got a brief statement regarding this ongoing controversy over who can market themselves as, “The Man.” According to Raimondi, Becky Lynch says:

“All I can say about Ric is, I like Ric. He’s been a good friend to me over the years. We’ll see what happens with that.”

Watch: Ric Flair Declares War on WWE Over “The Man”