This recap was originally written by SEScoops’ staff writer Dominic DeAngelo on MLW.com. 

It’s a big weekend as MLW presents Once Upon A Time In New York! Who is the first person to welcome the Melrose Ballroom but Cesar Duran! He promises some intense lucha action and makes the challenge to Salina de la Renta to bring her best luchadores to Azteca Lucha on May 11 in Chicago to challenge his roster. He also promises a female luchadora to challenge Janai Kai but who comes in but Zayda Steel and Brett Ryan Gosselin. They take exception to Duran thinking he’s going to step in front of the line for a Featherweight title shot and Zayda eventually asks him why lucha libre promoters are so shady. Up pops Salina de la Renta on the screen. She disparages the intellect of BRG & Zayda (combined) and she accepts Duran’s challenge for Chicago as Rocky Romero unleashes shots on an Azteca henchmen.

BRG calls Rocky John Stamos and makes his way to the ring for the opening match.

MATCH 1
Scramble Match
Brett Ryan Gosselin vs. Love, Doug vs. Ichiban vs. Marcus Mathers vs. Dyln McCay vs. Cannonball

Before Cannonball can even make it to the entryway, AKIRA and Jake Crist jump him which causes an all-out brawl between The Calling & The Response. Cannonball is left laying but the match is underway.

Big highlights from the likes of Marcus Mathers & McCay as both use their tag team synergy to control a good deal of the bout. Love, Doug proves that love is a battlefield in this one, but does get caught with a beautiful tornado DDT by McCay. Cannonball does come to and dominates as expected. However, BRG proves himself to be the opportunist when he downs Doug and puts his feet on the ropes for the 1-2-3.

WINNER: Brett Ryan Gosselin

MATCH 2
Bad Dude Tito (presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Azteca 66

What a major signing by Salina de la Renta and Promociones Dorado as Bad Dude Tito walks out to the ring and he’s sure to make short work of Azteca 66. A massive lariat followed up by a Scott Steiner-esque screwdriver gets him the easy 1-2-3.

WINNER: Bad Dude Tito

Next up, out comes Mister Saint Laurent to introduce WTF’s latest signing in AJ Francis. Francis goes down to the ring to rip apart New York City which prompts Alex Kane, Faye Jackson and Mr. Thomas to come out. Kane makes clear that BOMAYE is for the people and NYC is the people. Francis says that Kane let down their elders by losing the World Title to in Black History Month. That prompts Mr. Thomas to handle business and the fight begins.

MATCH 3
AJ Francis vs. Mr. Thomas (with Alex Kane & Faye Jackson)

What a straight up FIGHT this match starts out as and both men clearly have the power to topple one another. Mr. Thomas has a bit more speed but gets caught by Francis who pulls Thomas up for a massive powerbomb.

However, Thomas later catches Francis off-guard with a leaping hurricanrana! He then splashes Francis in the corner. MSL gets on the apron for a quick distraction and Francis picks Thomas up for the Cash Out! 1-2-3!

WINNER: AJ Francis

The feed is cut by CONTRA and Mads Krule Krugger and he promises a new army of new soldiers in the Sentai Death Squad. “A reckoning is coming.”

MATCH 4
Zayda Steel vs. Delmi Exo

Salina de la Renta is on commentary as Zayda and Delmi are well aware of the stakes in this match. There’s some good grappling in this match and the momentum teeters back and forth in the favor of both Featherweights.

Zayda has an impressive flurry and channels Steve Blackman by sweeping Delmi’s leg. Eventually, an Azteca henchman hops on the ring apron which stops Zayda from hitting the Killswitch. Exo shows her savvy and catches Zayda with a Delmi Driver for the pinfall victory.

WINNER: Delmi Exo

Post-fight, out comes Cesar Duran who offers his hand to Delmi and she accepts. Zayda begins to talk trash to Salina on stage and she gets a hard shot from Janai Kai! All out chaos ensues! Cesar wants Janai to put her title right now on the line, but Salina says that he doesn’t control the show.

MATCH 5
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (with MSL & Joshua Bishop) vs. Matt Riddle

Riddle is beginning the feel like Public Enemy #1 for the World Titan Federation and him and Davey Boy Smith Jr. are going to be a battle for ages. It sure is as submissions are applied and power strikes are unleashed. DBS channels moves from his Hart Dungeon legacy including a Crippler Crossface and Uncle Bret’s Sharpshooter!

However, Riddle’s resiliency and MMA background comes in great handy. DBS seems to have the win with a sitdown pin, but it’s Riddle who rolls him over for the 1-2-3!

WINNER: Matt Riddle

You know it’s a big night in Major League Wrestling when Court Bauer comes out for a big announcement and being from NYC, Court is ready to go, but the feed cuts and Mads Krugger has a target in sight: it’s Bauer. A legion of the Sentai Death Squad comes out and begins ambushing Bauer and the roster! So many fighters are laid out and sure enough, CONTRA had their clutches on Court. Thankfully, SGC and league officials come out to attend to Bauer and the victims from CONTRA.

MATCH 6
Magnus (with Cesar Duran) vs. Star Jr. (presented by Salina de la Renta)

This is a much different type of lucha fight as Magnus and Star Jr. do a great deal of brawling on the outside. Both men do utilize their high-flying including an amazing over-the-top senton flip over the ring post to the outside by Star Jr.!

Magnus fights on, but does get caught with a MASSIVE superplex. Star Jr. gets to the apron and does a springboard double stomp for the pinfall finish! A big win for Promociones Dorado and Salina’s bid for Mistico’s Middleweight gold!

WINNER: Star Jr.

Duran soon gets his retribution. Cesar is seen whistling and happens to walk up on a fallen Rocky Romero. He puts coins over his eyes and it seems like El Jefe has taken out Salina’s Numero Uno!

It’s main event time.

MAIN EVENT
Alex Kane & CozyMax vs. WTF (Tom Lawlor, Richard Holliday & Joshua Bishop)

Okumura and Holliday duke it out, but eventually reach a stand-off. Okumura tags in Alex Kane and Holliday turns in Lawlor. These two have the grapple game down. However Lawlor utilizes his kicking strength but it’s not long before Lawlor gets caught with a CRISP belly-to-belly suplex. It’s a near fall for the former World Champ.

Big double suplex by Kane and Okumura as they get another two count. Lawlor soon manages to roll Okumura over to his corner and one half of CozyMax is isolated.

Holliday and Okumura are the two to go at it for a bit and then it’s back to Lawlor and Kane. Bishop finally gets in the mix and shows his pure strength against Kane, but it was Kojima who made a blind tag to Kane’s back while in the corner. Kojima may have an injured MCL, but that doesn’t stop him from hitting a beauty of a Lariato! He covers: 1-2-3!

WINNERS: CozyMax & Alex Kane

Post-fight, the celebration is about to begin, but in comes Davey Boy Smith to tip the scales. WTF takes over the ring as they beat down their three opponents. Suddenly backstage catches word of a brawl between The Calling & The Response. It’s just all-out unruliness as it’s ultimately the World Titan Federation who stand tall!

Jimmy Uso gave his brother Jey an answer for WrestleMania 40.

Uso was fired up backstage at Friday Night Smackdown that it startled forthcoming WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman. However, Jimmy made clear that Jey was the younger brother and always looked up to him. Just a year ago both were main-eventing WrestleMania 39 and now this year they’ll be facing one another. He accepts Jey’s challenge who laid it on the line against Jimmy on Monday’s Raw.

Considering that WrestleMania 40 is in Philadelphia, it’s ironic that Jimmy and Jey will be squaring off against one another in the “City Of Brotherly Love” as there hasn’t been any love-loss between the two twins.

Jimmy hasn’t cost Jey just one WWE title opportunity, but two. It was Jey Uso taking on Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship back at SummerSlam 2023 which is where Jimmy first backstabbed Jey. Then a few weeks back on WWE Raw Jey had his shot unseat the unprecedented GUNTHER for the Intercontinental Championship. Jey had GUNTHER down for the three count, but Jimmy rang the ring bell as a distraction.

The History Of “Brother vs. Brother” At WrestleMania 40

Once the fight does become official, Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso won’t be the first time brothers go against one another on the grandest stage of them all. 30 years ago, Bret Hart famously took on his younger brother Owen at WrestleMania 10 in Madison Square Garden. Owen Hart ended up getting the 1-2-3 for the surprise victory before Bret won the WWE Championship later in the evening against Yokozuna.

A more less-fondly remembered brother vs. brother bout was Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania 25, where a heel Matt Hardy got the pinfall victory in an Extreme Rules match.

More WWE men besides Bronson Reed want meat at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia and they aren’t talking cheesesteaks.

There may certainly be a stop at Tony Luke’s for WWE stars when they do hit the City of Brotherly Love for WrestleMania, but Bronson Reed has his own meat agenda in South Philly. The big Aussie implored fellow men on his roster to speak up on getting a Meaty Invitational cooking for WrestleMania in honor of Big E.

“There are some BIG brothers currently not on this year’s #WrestleMania. I think its time for Big E MEATY INVITATIONAL! If you, the WWE universe want it, let your voice be heard!!!”

Sure enough, Reed had several names answering the call. First was Otis, mentioning his past history with Bronson.

“YEAAA as a Matter of FACT.

“Ohhh YEAAA 

“I got sum unfinished business with You Big Daddy Claw…

“As to other BIG MEN on the Roster…

“That’s a lot BIG LOADS in 1 Ring…. 

“OVER SIZE LOADS in the squared circle

“PURE K@RNAGE!”

YEAAA as a Matter of FACT
Ohhh YEAAA
I got sum unfinished business with You Big Daddy Claw…
As to other BIG MEN on the Roster…
That's a lot BIG LOADS in 1 Ring….
OVER SIZE LOADS in the squared circle
PURE K@RNAGE! #MEATMANIA https://t.co/NYXCyV6vUE

— OTIS (DOZER) (@otiswwe) March 14, 2024

Ivar was another name to sound off, adding himself to the list after Otis did.

Otis, Bronson, Ivar….. who else is down for #MeatMania https://t.co/ffEktkBVnL

— Ivar (@Ivar_WWE) March 14, 2024

There’s plenty more meat to go around on SmackDown and Raw who could potentially throw their hats in the ring. Omos, Braun Strowman, Bron Breakker, Bobby Lashley, Akam, Rezar, Dijak and Odyssey Jones all have the capability of causing a monster stir in the ring.

Tony Khan had plans for a Meat Madness at AEW Revolution earlier in March, but decided to put that meat on ice when not everyone he wanted was available to compete in the match. Instead, there was a big scramble bout in which Wardlow won.

Kyle O’Reilly is set for his big return match this Saturday on AEW Collision and is just thankful he’s able to get back in a wrestling ring.

O’Reilly has been out of action for just under two years after suffering a neck injury which required double fusion surgety. However, he made his AEW return at Revolution and now has his first singles fight back against Bryan Keith. 

While backstage, an AEW camera crew caught up with Kyle to get his reaction about finally being able to put the boots back on. O’Reilly revealed that he lost the ability to use his right arm after a rare complication.

“I really didn’t know if I was ever gonna wrestle again. For a long while I was pretty damn sure that in June of 2022 my match with Jon Moxley was the last of my career and I was okay with that, I really was. If I could just get my arm back and I can brush my teeth again, I can wipe my a** like a normal human again and I can take care of my daughter and be a father that’s really all that I was focused on. That’s all that mattered and it took a long time to get any of that back. I mean I couldn’t move my arm for a damn near ten months.

O’Reilly said he really had a lot support while he was away, both from the fans and his wrestling colleagues. One fan reaching out to him was all the motivation he needed to get back in the ring. Kyle is confident in his ability to still compete, but he’s still uncertain how his body will react to first hitting the mat.

“He’s a good opponent to see if I really do have that beast in me.”

He says Keith is young and hungry to make a name for himself and there’s not better way to test his own meddle against The Bounty Hunter.

EXCLUSIVE: @KORCombat opens up about his journey to recovery, and how he's feeling on the eve of his first match back in two years, against Bryan Keith on #AEWCollision tomorrow night at 8/7c live on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/2pXDojRo2S

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 15, 2024

Darby Allin will unfortunately have a different mountain to climb rather than Mt. Everest: a broken foot.

TMZ Sports has confirmed that Allin the injury happened at AEW Big Business during his single match with Jay White. after performing a senton flip to the outside onto Jay White only a few minutes into the match. TMZ had mislabeled the injury as his right foot but the picture shown indicates that it is Allin’s left foot that is broken.

Darby Allin broke his foot 2 minutes into the match with Jay White

He was not only able to wrestle 10 more minutes but also deliver a great match against Jay pic.twitter.com/AfcrIQliJJ

— Peps? (@Peps_Wrestling) March 15, 2024

Despite the injury, Allin continued to wrestle with said broken foot for a solid ten minutes before being defeated by Switchblade. Jay and The Gunn Club were going to exact more pain onto Allin post-match, but was stopped by Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed.

Allin had plans to climb Mt. Everest later this month, but due to the injury. Allin had to make the decision to postpone his climb until 2024. After the article was posted, Allin confirmed the disappointing news.

“Unfortunately the foots really broke from Wednesdays match. Everest will have to be next year.”

Unfortunately the foots really broke from Wednesdays match.

Everest will have to be next year ??https://t.co/35rUTYkgeV pic.twitter.com/NZDjJ4jhiW

— DARBY ALLIN (@DarbyAllin) March 15, 2024

Darby Allin Making The Most Of His Injury

Allin has to be deflated at the speed bump of a broken foot, but he does plan to make the most of the situation. He told TMZ that one he gets a cast put on his foot, he’s going to have legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk do a stunt off of it for charity.

How is he still alive!?

Darby Allin attempts a Coffin Drop on Jay White outside of the ring ?#aew #AEWDynamite #AEWBigBusiness pic.twitter.com/2AwYDI2nQr

— Christine (@ShiningPolaris) March 14, 2024

With all the wild spots Darby is notorious for doing, it’s wild to think that a flip to the outside would have put him on the shelf. We at SEScoops wish Darby a speedy recovery.

It didn’t take Nic Nemeth long to cause some buzz in his new broadcasting gig. Just this week, Nemeth was revealed to be one of the new featured hosts of Busted Open Radio and the former Dolph Ziggler got into a conversation with Dave LaGreca about the story unfolding for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. 

LaGreca is a self-proclaimed “Cody Crybaby” and has been a major advocate for “The American Nightmare” to be the one to unseat “The Tribal Chief” at WrestleMania, so much that The Rock mocked LaGreca on one of his viral pre-SmackDown social media promos.

“I appreciate this two-year story, I really do, I just think it’s so funny that finishing the story isn’t like the end of the storyline, it’s like ‘No, he has to win cause his dad wasn’t champion.’ That’s the story?:

LaGreca noted that Dusty’s story isn’t the only one, but Cody has had his own journey to get to against WrestleMania. Nemeth believes that’s a story that any star has.

“Has it? Everybody else who wasn’t a legacy in the business had to go through a bunch of stuff too.”

Nemeth then coyly asked LaGreca if Cody got to wrestling on his own merits and when LaGreca emphatically said “yes” Nemeth had quite the pregnant pause that caused LaGreca to laugh as Nemeth put that notion in question.

We got some INTERESTING thoughts from @NicTNemeth & @davidlagreca1 on the subject of @CodyRhodes…

And yeah, this show was MUST LISTEN!???

Catch the FULL Breakdown on the #bustedopen247 Podcast!https://t.co/FJWfVbFpk4 pic.twitter.com/dH8FPNyQSF

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) March 15, 2024

We’ll likely at least get to see a little more of that “story” told from The Rock and Roman Reigns’ end as The Bloodline is set to be acknowledged Friday night in Memphis for SmackDown.

WWE reportedly will not be the only promotion playing host to its roster WrestleMania 40 weekend in Philadelphia as Shayna Baszler breaks down a wall.

There’s big news on the forefront when it comes to the relationship of WWE and GCW. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that Josh Barnett’s ever-popular Bloodsport event that takes place every WrestleMania will indeed feature multiple talents from WWE. 

One name who has been revealed to participating is Shayna Baszler as Josh Barnett made the announcement Friday afternoon.

“What does it mean when a Queen takes up the sword and marches to war? Blood. Victory. Glory. From battlefields all over the world – MMA & the UFC, WWE NXT, WWE, Stardom, and more – to now step into a ring she was made for from the beginning. The Warmaster’s disciple, “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler, comes to Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport X.”

What does it mean when a Queen takes up the sword and marches to war?

Blood. Victory. Glory.

From battlefields all over the world – MMA & the @ufc , @WWENXT , @WWE , @wwr_stardom , and more – to now step into a ring she was made for from the beginning.

The Warmaster's… pic.twitter.com/DKBbW2VTh8

— ??? ????????? (@JoshLBarnett) March 15, 2024

The collaboration is significant, considering in the past WWE has been very protective of its territory surrounding WrestleMania and other tentpole PLE events. 

A report and reveal like this further indicates WWE’s willingness to extend an olive branch out to other promotions not under their banner. Triple H and WWE did the same courtesy to TNA in January when they had TNA World Knockouts Champion, Jordynne Grace become a surprise entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match.

Wildly enough, last year’s Bloodsport featured AEW star Jon Moxley in a featured match against Alex Coughlin.

Keep your eyes out for more potential WWE names being announced for Bloodsport X as we draw closer to WrestleMania weekend.

Jackie Crockett, the former lead cameraman for his family’s promotion, Jim Crockett Promotions, has passed away, PWInsider reports.

Charles J. “Jackie” Crockett had been hospitalized for a month before passing away on the evening of March 13. Jackie’s brother, David made the following comment regarding his passing:

“It has been a long journey for Jackie and he went out his way. Tonight Jackie’s breathing was very labored and when we thought he was gone, he would come back like a wrestling false finish.”

Jackie was one of the three brothers of the very popular promotion in the southeast and stayed on as a cameraman after JCP was bought out by Turner Broadcasting all the way up until the final WCW Monday Nitro. 

Jackie will be buried alongside his older brother, Jim Crockett Jr. and their parents in Bristol, VA..

Jackie Crockett’s Relationship With R-Truth

Jackie got later notoriety for being a major help in getting Ron Killings, aka R-Truth, on the straight and narrow by introducing him to pro wrestling. Truth went in-depth about Jackie Crockett’s influence back in 2020 on the Feel The Power podcast with New Day.

“I met Jack Crockett in a halfway house. Messing around with dudes in the street, man. Doing stuff I shouldn’t be doing, man. Back and forth to jail, back and forth to jail. Now you talking about a R-Truth that was street, just straight. All I knew is that I had one job in my life, man. That was it. So met Jack Crockett at a halfway house and he saw me being me…

“He saw all of that man and he said, ‘You don’t belong here. I think this is just one of your pit stops in life.’ And then again, I had somebody else instilling that knowledge in me, man. God has always put what I call ‘rams in the bush’ around me, you know what I’m saying? To protect me, to give me that whisper in my ear what I need to do.

At the time, Truth still had aspirations to be a rapper and it took two years for him to let Jackie help point him in the right direction.

“He took me to three WCW shows and the first person to come out was Ric Flair and when Ric Flair’s music hit and that crowd man came up. Bro, it was my first time being at a wrestling show and Crockett was beside me and he said, ‘You see Ric Flair?’ He said, ‘That’s you. You could be there rapping. Rapping all those raps you’ve rapping in jail and dancing and you get in the ring. You can fight, you can fight and you can dance and you mix it all together and you create this character, but be yourself because people like you as you. Be original, be authentic, just be yourself.”

We at SEScoops would like to extend our deepest prayers and condolences to David Crockett, and all of Jackie’s family and friends at this time.

Chris Jericho is back to his Lionheart ways and has taken HOOK under his wing. After the duo picked up a victory on this week’s AEW Big Business special, All Elite Wrestling’s first World Champion laid down a challenge to his partner for a singles match next week on AEW Dynamite.

Jericho & Hook Victorious at Big Business

Jericho and HOOK seemed to compliment one another well in the ring and that was made clear in the finish as the two isolated Bishop Kaun. HOOK attempted to lock Kaun in the Red Rum and Jericho slid in to put him in the Walls of Jericho.

When Toa Loa went for the save, Jericho gave him a springboard dropkick and HOOK cinched in the Red Rum for the submission win.

LionHOOK Explodes Next Week

Paquette caught up with Jericho and Hook backstage after their hard-earned W. She dubbed them LionHOOK, which Jericho loved.

Jericho said the Gates of Agony were no joke, but Hook showed him he’s got ‘future world champion’ potential. He likes what he’s seen from hook when they’re on the same team, but wants to see what Hook is made of when they’re on opposite sides of the ring. 

NEXT WEDNESDAY!@CocaColaClsm | Toronto, ON#AEWDynamite LIVE 8/7c | TBS

‘Lionheart’ Chris Jericho vs. FTW Champion HOOK!

After teaming tonight on #AEWBigBusiness, ‘Lionheart’ @IAmJericho wants to see everything #FTW Champion @730HOOK can bring! pic.twitter.com/oLjQipness

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 14, 2024

HOOK fist-bumped Jericho and agreed to the challenge, which was made official later in the show. 

Chris Jericho vs. Hook will take place on the March 20 edition of AEW Dynamite from Toronto.

HOOK is no stranger to teaming with wrestling legends. Prior to his pairing with Jericho, the 24-year-old former lacrosse payer teamed with Rob Van Dam on several occasions.

• RVD Has A Team Name He Loves For His Pairing With HOOK

Kyle O’Reilly will be stepping back in the wrestling ring after there was a time he thought he’d never receive that opportunity again.

O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in 2022 and he hadn’t been back until making an unexpected return at AEW Revolution. While it seemed he may align with the Undisputed Kingdom, Kyle made clear that he planned to take his return into his own hands.

On this Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision O’Reilly steps foot in the ring against All Elite newcomer “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith in singles action.

Wildly enough, O’Reilly’s last match happened to be an AEW World Title match against then-champion Jon Moxley. O’Reilly competed in a Casino Battle Royal to earn his shot, but came up short against the champ. 

A lot has changed since O’Reilly has been away, including the exit of his ReDRagon partner, Bobby Fish, who just recently competed in Major League Wrestling against that promotion’s former World Champion in Alex Kane. Also, Kyle’s long-time friend Adam Cole is clearly out with injury, but did up becoming “The Devil” in the extensive storyline involving MJF in 2023 and now leads Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow.

Also On Tap For AEW Collision

Not only will Collision host Kyle O’Reilly’s in-ring return, but it also be the start of the AEW World Tag Team Title tournament. This is after Sting and Darby Allin defeated The Young Bucks to retain their tag gold, but being Sting’s retirement match, the titles were vacated.

Mercedes Mone made AEW Big Business her business on Wednesday and the company made sure they tied her first piece of merchandise tied into her own history.

Mone is the new “CEO” of AEW and she was the one to kick off Big Business in her hometown of Boston, MA as the TD Garden went bonkers for the former Sasha Banks.

AEW decided to embrace Mone’s mogul identity as they unleashed a classic hip-hop design that is reflective of imagery used by the storied Death Row Records label.

Death Row Records was an independent record label consisting of Dr. Dre, the late 2Pac, The Dogg Pound and of course, Mone’s cousin Snoop Dogg.

Mo Moné, No Problems! Check out the Mercedes Moné merch that just arrived at https://t.co/9hHlXpcSbp! @MercedesVarnado #AEWDynamite #AEWBigBusiness pic.twitter.com/MZGe4ZzTpy

— ShopAEW.com (@ShopAEW) March 14, 2024

Mercedes cut a “hero’s welcome” promo in front of the crowd and did get a little emotional in front of the crowd. She end-capped the evening as Willow Nightingale took on Riho in the main event of the program, but Mone made clear that she had unfinished business with Willow Nightingale.

Mercedes Mone & Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg and Mone are indeed tight as it was Dogg who introduced her to the ring for WrestleMania 32. Snoop may be the true locksmith to pro wrestling’s forbidden door as he’s not just a WWE Hall Of Famer, but also famously got physical on AEW Dynamite with a questionable top rope splash onto Serpentico. 

However, Dogg completely redeemed himself as he ended up defeated The Miz at WrestleMania 39 after Shane McMahon unexpectedly got injured after a surprise return. That moment got high praise from COO Triple H.

“I’ve known Snoop for years in this environment and what kind of a fan he is, but tonight he put himself on a different playing field and respect factor for me. I know a lot of guys that have been in business a long time; if that happened, they’d go, ‘what do we do?’ It was amazing.”

Could Jesse Ventura be back in politics? If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some influence, “The Body” could once again become “The Mind.”

RFK Jr., who is running indepedent for the 2024 Presidential election, confirmed to The New York Times that he’s considering to famous names for his vice presidential pick: Ventura and star NFL quarterback for the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers.

Ventura notoriously became the governor of Minnesota for one term back in 1998 which left both Democrat and Republican parties stunned. Ventura and Rodgers both have been strong advocates for a third party to compete against the two stalwart parties in America. Ventura shared the following a month ago on social media.

“We must end the duopoly of Republican and Democrat control in Washington. Electing a third party or independent candidate for President would be a major kickstart to that process but in order to do that you have to have ballot access.”

Ventura also spoke at RFK Jr.’s Arizona rally in February, stating that if RFK Jr.’s father and uncle, John F. Kennedy, both weren’t assassinated, then the United States we see today would be very different.

“I always say Jack Kennedy was the greatest president of all in my lifetime,” he said. “And the reason I say that is because they let him serve the least amount. He didn’t even get one term. That’s why he’s the best, because they couldn’t let him go past, not even one term. Well, maybe it’s time to elect another Kennedy.”

Aaron Rodgers is quite the unexpected wild card as he happens to still be an active NFL player, but did suffer a season-ending Achilles injury. Rodgers also happens to share some indirect ties to pro wrestling as during thhe NFL season he is a weekly guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” and is good friends with the WWE Raw color commentator.

SEScoops’ Dominic DeAngelo happened to interview Ventura back in 2023 and they do lightly touch upon his interest in getting back into politics, but also share memories of forthcoming WWE Hall Of Famer Muhammad Ali,  “Superstar” Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino.

Pro wrestling tragically has lost another talent this week, a young luchador by the name of Rey Destroller.

Luchablog is reporting that Destroller (pronounced Destroyer) passed away following a collapse in the ring at a March 2 RIOT Lucha Libre show in Monterrey, Mexico.  Destroller was tagging with his brother Black Spider Jr. in a tag match.

According to Spider Jr., Destroller delivered a headscissors to one of his opponents earlier in the match and got back up before collapsing. He was noted to suffer from severe brain damage while hospitalized and was in grave health before passing away on March 12.

Members of Destroller’s family believes that he was not properly taken care of by RIOT officials following the collapse and was also critical of the brothers not being paid. RIOT said that they were more concerned with taking care of Destroller, who was put on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. They also state that they’ve been in contact with Destroller’s mother and plan to pay his medical bills. 

LA Park (La Parka from WCW), his two sons and others, hosted a benefit show this past Friday to raise money for Destroller’s family for medical bills. Park posted the following on social media:

“I had heard about this young man, but what hurt me the most is that the promoter has not turned off his guarantee for fighting and even less has been responsible for the fighter’s damages, that is why I want to do my bit to support this family. Let’s see how much we can raise to pay the hospital expenses, now my people, let’s support with your presence, the entrance fee is not expensive, please, let’s support too.”

Luchablog was sent footage of the headscissors spot in question from RIOT. Luchablog states that it doesn’t appear that Destroller landed on his head following the move, but harshly on his shoulder and back. RIOT is claiming that there seems to be no moment Destroller would have severely injured his head at any point in the bout.

Following the news of Destroller’s passing LA Park issued a statement on the tragedy:

“My deepest condolences I have just been informed unfortunately just passed away our fellow king destroyer I join the sorrow and pain that engulfs the family…. what a bad news to start the day… rest in peace king destroyer.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C4bGMZCuyj5

We at SEScoops would like to extend our deepest prayers to Rey Destroller, his family, friends and fans at this time.

The wrestling world has to mourn the unexpected loss of another colleague this week as Yutaka Yoshie passed away following an AJPW match in Takasaki City on March 10. The cause of death was initially unknown, but wrestling colleague Suwama has confirmed why his close friend passed away.

Suwama, who also was in the tag tournament Yoshie was participating in, rushed to the hospital following his match to be with Yoshie. Speaking with Tokyo Sports, Suwama was told by Yoshie’s family that he passed away due to arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries.

Suwama said that the family notified him that “it was not caused by a professional wrestling match, so please don’t worry about it. Even in the snow, he was wearing short sleeves and shorts, and he was a cheerful and cheerful person. It was truly unexpected…”

Yoshie was only 50 years old and set to celebrate his 30th year in wrestling, making his debut in 1994 for NJPW.

WWE Hall Of Famer Mourns The Loss Of Yutaka Yoshie

2015 WWE Hall Of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami was actually a mentor of Yoshie, and commented on the sudden passing.

“I’m shocked. He also appeared at our house, and we were friends who worked together at Muga. I never expected to hear news like this. I never dreamed of that,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve been wrestling for more than 50 years, and he’s a memorable wrestler. When he wrestled with Muga, he was a great force, and he had character, so I guess you could say he was dependable. He worked hard as a member, and there were many fans of his, both locally and in the region, who cooperated with him.”

We at SEScoops would again like to send our prayers and condolences out to Yoshie’s family, friends and fans at this time.

Quotes translated via Google from Japanese.

John Cena has turned over the hourglass on his in-ring career.

Cena, who showed up in his birthday suit for the Academy Awards on Sunday, spoke on The Kelly Clarkson Show and put a cap on when he’s going to be done wrestling.

“You know what, 50 is my absolute line in the sand,” Cena said. “I would like to try to do it before that. But at 50 I’m just going to tweet, ‘Peace out, see ya.’ That’s it, I’m good.”

The Doctor Of Thuganomics is set to turn 47 in April which only gives Cena three more years before turning half a century.

By some other legendary colleague’s circumstances, Cena would be hanging it up early at the age of fifty. The Rock is currently 51, Chris Jericho is 53, Rob Van Dam is 53 and Sting just donned the facepaint for the last time at 64.

John Cena Has Other Avenues He Wants To Pursue

Cena also noted that he was 100% driven by WWE back in his prime, but now other passions have taken over and it’s not just the silver screen.

“I was very much driven where WWE was my passion 24/7. And I’m very grateful, but I’ve grown and there’s a lot of other avenues I’m curious about in life,” Cena said. “And certainly being a great husband and partner is one of those. So I just want to try to do what I can in those avenues.”

With SAG and the writer’s guild on strike last year, Cena did spend some extra time in the squared circle and fans can likely expect the future WWE Hall Of Famer in some capacity at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

H/t to The Wrestling Observer for the transcription.

Rob Van Dam is a bonafide WWE Hall Of Famer and now so is the man who put him on the map in Paul Heyman, but who will induct the original orchestrator of extreme?

In the upcoming episode of “1 Of A Kind With RVD” Van Dam said that he wasn’t originally planning on attending the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, but with Heyman getting announced, RVD said he’ll have to make plans.

Per usual, a lot of the fun speculation heading into WrestleMania is who will induct the inductees and there are several names who are worthy of inducting Heyman, including RVD. However, Rob had his own thoughts regarding that matter.

“I think they can definitely find somebody better than me. You know, it’d be an honor. And of course, if I was, nominated and asked to do it, I would give it my best.”

If I were to induct Paul Heyman…

Van Dam added that if he were to induct Heyman, he’d want input from other wrestlers who were impacted by Heyman, but named three names who would be more fitting to do the actual induction.

“I mean, [Tommy] Dreamer, Bubba [Ray Dudley]. Taz, those guys, they know Paul a lot more than I do. They were in New York. 

“I would see him on the weekends. They’d see him all week too and they were there in the office and the production studio helping move the TV forward, also with the merchandise and just booking towns.”

Taz or RVD would both be interesting names considering both have a working relationship with AEW, but Van Dam is featured in WWE 2K24 and has an upcoming figure set to be released by Mattel.

Heyman leads a Hall Of Fame class that so far has Bull Nakano, The U.S. Express and Muhammad Ali.

The new episode of 1 Of A Kind With RVD releases Monday at 4:20 PM ET.

Please credit “1 Of A Kind With RVD” and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Chad Gable really wanted to show wrestling fans that his potential Intercontinental Championship opportunity does indeed mean more for him.

On WWE Raw, Gable will be one of the six participants competing in a gauntlet match to earn a shot at Gunther and his Intercontinental gold at WrestleMania 40. Gable had his first chance on a September 2023 episode of Raw, but came up short. 

However, a fire was lit under him when Gunther made his daughter cry and ever since, Gable has been adamant at facing the unprecedented champion once again. That point was further hammered home on social media over the weekend as Gable posted a new vignette of himself expressing how important Monday’s match is to him.

“I’ve been running the gauntlet in my own head since that match with Gunther last September. Trust me, the only tears you wanna wipe off your child’s face are tears of joy, but if I want that chance, a new gauntlet stands in front of me. “

Gable says the match is full of “demons” of his past but that him going battling those is a chance at redemption for him.

“It’s a rare chance to rewrite history, we don’t get those every day so I intend to claim it and become a beacon of perseverance that my fans and my family can be proud of so I will endure, because for Chad Gable, this match just means more.”

Monday’s gauntlet match has implications larger than could possibly be put into words, but I created this piece to do my best to convey what this opportunity means to me above and beyond just Wrestlemania.

I’ll see you Monday night.

Thank you.

And enjoy…

Gable pic.twitter.com/XjpWtyeeww

— Chad Gable (@WWEGable) March 10, 2024

Coming from a storyline perspective, Gable and Sami Zayn are the two stars in the match who have made the greatest case to compete against Gunther at WrestleMania. The other participants in the fight are Ricochet, JD McDonagh, Bronson Reed and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Some extremely tragic news coming out of Japan on Sunday as All Japan Pro-Wrestling Star Yutaka Yoshie has passed away. Backstage following his tag match on Sunday, Yoshie’s health “suddenly deteriorated” and was quickly taken to a hospital in Tasaki City.  Yoshie was only 50 years old.

Yahoo Sports reports that Yoshie teamed with Ryo Inoue to face Hokuto Omori and Ryoji Choi, but nothing notable stood out that may have seem to affect Yukata’s well-being. No cause of death has been discovered at this time. AJPW issued a statement following the passing of the notable talent.

“Yutaka Yoshie, who was participating in the Takasaki tournament held today, passed away on March 10, 2024. After Yutaka Yoshie returned to the waiting room after the game, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was rushed to a hospital in Takasaki City, but he never returned home. We would like to remember Yutaka Yoshie’s achievements during his lifetime and pray for his soul to rest in peace. All Japan Pro Wrestling.”

The promotion also announced that the airing of those particular tapings will be postponed in light of Yoshie’s passing.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, who won the IWGP Tag Team Championships with Yoshie, took to social media to mourn the loss of his partner.

https://twitter.com/tanahashi1_100/status/1766829534484308462

Yoshie was set to celebrate his thirty years in the wrestling business as he was brought up training in the same class as Satoshi Kojima. He made his debut under NJPW in 1994.

We at SEScoops would like to extend our prayers and condolences to Yutaka Yoshie, his family and friends at this time.

Kazuchika Okada has been one of several big-name free agents AEW has locked down and Tony Khan is hoping it helps signifies a new era for the company, but could he have gone to WWE?

A new report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated states that there was a real consideration on Okada’s behalf to ink a deal with WWE. He especially loved the idea of being apart of WrestleMania, however, there were several factors coming to to play with him signing with AEW instead.

Okada has been friends with The Young Bucks for nearly a decade-and-a-half so that obviously came into play. Another added element is that Okada was not expected to relocate to the United States if he did sign with AEW.

Not only that, but The Rainmaker believes that he’ll be given the greatest chance at succeeding in AEW and has a lot of trust in AEW President Tony Khan.

Okada made his greatly-anticipated debut for AEW this past week on AEW Dynamite and did so in a memorable way, swerving the fans with an immediate heel turn. 

After The Young Bucks made several announcements following their loss at AEW Revolution, Eddie Kingston came out to confront the brothers. Matt and Nick Jackson began attacking Eddie when The Rainmaker entered, making it seem like he was there to help Kingston. However, he joined in on the assault and aligned with The Bucks, officially becoming a member of the Elite.

With him attacking Kingston and indicating an interest in his AEW Continental Championship, one would likely believe that it could be Okada vs. Kingston at AEW Dynasty on April 21 in St. Louis, MO.

The Hall Of Fame reveals came as a surprise to both Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda, but both couldn’t be happier about doing so together.

It was revealed on Friday that the U.S. Express would be the third Hall Of Fame induction announcement for 2024.

Speaking with Peter Rosenberg on “Cheap Heat,” Mike Rotunda comments how he didn’t see it coming.

“It was kind of out of the blue. I wasn’t expecting it. It means a lot. You’re getting rewarded for a lifetime of work. So a nice honor to have and have the respect of the officials that elect to put you in there and all the guys that I worked with to make me look good.”

Going in with Rotunda will be Windham’s second induction into the Hall as he went in as a member of the Four Horsemen originally. Despite that, Windham notes how much this particular induction means to him.

“It was a really big surprise and this one is special because I get to go in with my best friend and that makes it all that much bigger.”

Rotunda then went on to detail how he and Windham came to meet and talked about wrestling Jesse Ventura for only a minute and a half. Then him and Barry ended up bonding in Toronto.

They didn’t see one another for about a year-and-a-half, but then Dusty Rhodes called and got Rotunda down in Florida. Dusty ultimately put them together as a tag team. Rotunda would note that he and Windham would go thirty minutes while Dusty would work a main event that was seven minutes.

As of now, Windham and Rotunda join Bull Nakano and Paul Heyman as the current class for 2024.

Please credit Peter Rosenberg and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

The winds of change may be coming for TNA Wrestling and could be courtesy of Alex Hammerstone.

TNA Sacrifice took place Friday evening and one of the featured fights was a rematch between Hammerstone and former TNA World Champion Josh Alexander. The Walking Weapon walked out with the first victory at TNA Hard To Kill in January but this time it was Hammerstone who came out victorious, but not without nefarious actions.

During the match, the official was down in the corner as Alexander had Hammerstone in a standing switch, and Hammerstone decided to rip a page out of Ric Flair’s book by low-blowing Josh and then hitting him with his Nightmare Pendulum for the 1-2-3 victory.

As a means to rub salt to the wound, Hammerstone stole Alexander’s signature wrestling headgear as a “souvenir,” but Alex was far from being in a jovial mood in a post-match promo.

“You were looking past me like I was insignificant. Well who’s insignificant now, Josh? You talk about how you wanna be World Champion again using me as a stepping stone? Look at me! I’m what world champions are made out of.”

Hammerstone then went to go over Alexander’s extensive list of injuries he’s sustained recently in his career and decided to give him a new moniker.

“You are not the Walking Weapon, you are a walking liability. The future has started, Josh and it’s leaving you behind. You’ll be lucky if you step into the ring with me again and the only thing I take from you is head gear.”

EXCLUSIVE: @alexhammerstone has arrived in TNA and made an IMPACT at the expense of @Walking_Weapon!#Sacrifice pic.twitter.com/pojqraPpNl

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 9, 2024

Being a former MLW World Champion, one can only imagine that Hammerstone has the TNA World Title in his sights. He may have to go through Moose, who retained his gold against Eric Young in the main event of Sacrfice.

Please h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Matt Cardona wants a piece of Mick Foley. Not just that, but he wants to be the man to send the Hardcore Legend packing for good.

Before his ‘Foley Is Pod” series ended, Foley legitimately expressed an interest in having one final match and made an added note that he’d like for it to be a deathmatch. Enter “The Deathmatch King” Matt Cardona.

The Indy God has truly set the bar for how to establish oneself on the independent wrestling scene and speaking with Sports Illustrated, Cardona makes the case for him being the man to put an end to Mick Foley’s in-ring career.

“It’s no secret I’ve been politicking for this match. Go back to the Hammerstein ballroom a couple years ago, I was wearing a flannel that said ‘F— Mick Foley’. If he wants a deathmatch, it would only be fitting to have one against the deathmatch king. It would be the biggest match in the history of independent pro wrestling.”

Cardona happens to not be the only star to make a pitch to be Foley’s final opponent. 

A fellow WWE Hall Of Famer in Rob Van Dam laid out a compelling case as to why he should face Foley. RVD noted that he and Foley never competed against one another in singles action despite being notable main eventers in ECW. RVD also added that while he was the man to actually retire the WWE Hardcore Championship, Foley happens to have it in his possesion.

Kevin Von Erich is all too familiar with what it takes to run a wrestling promotion and the wrestling legend credits Tony Khan for a strong ability to hit the reset button.

Speaking on the A2TheK, Von Erich talked about what he thought of AEW, who happened to showcase his sons, Ross and Marshall on their programming.

“I love those people. It’s a great company. I know this isn’t anything, but the catering was great! What good food. The people are really nice.

“Tony Khan is something else. Every company needs a guy like that. Somebody that loves the business. That can look at the business like it was his first day every morning. That’s that guy. I have a lot of admiration for him. The wrestlers, all great, old friends,”

The Von Erichs starting appearing on AEW programming back when The Iron Claw was being released in theaters. Marshall and Ross actutally recently appeared on an episode of AEW Rampage as they teamed with Dustin Rhodes in triple tag action.

The Von Erichs would certainly be a great fit for the upcoming AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament. Already in the mix is Orange Cassidy and Trent Barretta as well as the AEW EVPs, The Young Bucks, who inserted themselves into the equation. Both Ross and Marshall are former MLW World Tag Team Champions as they actually defeated Richard Holliday and MJF to become the champions. 

If you haven’t gotten to see The Iron Claw, we have several reviews on the site, including a recent write-up from B.J. Bethel.

H/t to Fightful for the transcription.

Is Matt Hardy’s time in AEW set to expire? The tag team legend addressed as much on the latest episode of his “Extreme Life” podcast.

A report from Fightful surfaced this week that Hardy’s AEW contract was set to expire this Month and “Extreme Life” co-host Jon Alba asked Hardy if he’d like to address the report. Matt did give details about his current status with AEW and decided to have a little fun with fans while doing so.

“It didn’t come from me because no one had known anything about it so once again, Sean Ross Sapp breaking the news, right? Yes, it is coming up in March and we’ve spoke about it, we’ve talked about it and I guess we’ll see what happens. So we’ll see, if you listen to the podcast just give me your feedback, tell me what you think I should do next. I’m a person of the people, I listen to the people.”

Alba calls Hardy the consummate teammate and Hardy says that’s what he’s about.

“If I work with you and you’re taking care of me, I’m gonna fly that flag high and with pride, that’s what I do, man and that’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s what being a wrestler is.”

Hardy mentioned how close he is with The Young Bucks and how much he likes Tony Khan as a person too.

“I love AEW. I’m cool with staying with AEW. I really enjoy the locker room there, I enjoy the vibe there, but if that’s not what happens then that’s not what happens and life goes on. It’s all good.”

Hardy first showed up in AEW in 2020 under his “broken” persona, but has gone through several persona changes since, including being the manipulative “Big Money” Matt Hardy alongside Private Party and eventually reuniting with his brother Jeff as The Hardys.

Please credit “The Extreme Life” and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley may have an on-air partnership for WWE television, but their actual friendship holds no boundaries as “Mami” made certain Dirty Dom’s wedding was complete.

Mysterio happened to marry his high school sweetheart Marie Juliette this week in a private ceremony, but some familiar faces were certainly on hand including Damian Priest who was a groomsman and the WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley. Mysterio even got a heel’s welcome at his own wedding as he was showered with boos from his loved ones.

Following the wedding, Ripley took to X to share some special photos of herself with Damian and the happy groom Dominik, congratulating him and his new wife.

“What an amazing love-filled day! Congratulations  Dom Mysterio & Marie!”

What an amazing love filled day! ???
Congratulations @DomMysterio35 & Marie! pic.twitter.com/seUH0u14fO

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) March 8, 2024

Mysterio’s week sure finished in a great way, but didn’t start off swell in the ring as he went up against Gunther on WWE Raw and was left defeated by the WWE Intercontinental Champion. 

Now six competitors will battle in a gauntlet match next week on Raw to face Gunther at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. The six stars are Sami Zayn, Bronson Reed, Chad Gable, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet and Dirty Dom’s Judgment Day ally, JD McDonagh. 

From a storyline standpoint, Zayn and Gable have made the most compelling cases to compete against Gunther. Zayn has promised himself future championship gold while Gable seeks retribution for Gunther making his daughter cry.

Rhea Ripley already has her opponent lined up for WrestleMania as she’ll be battling Becky Lynch, but it still remains to be seen what Philadelphia holds for the newly-wedded Mysterio.