Tony Khan is excited for what’s to come for the AEW women’s division and indicates that there may be some new names in the mix.
Ahead of AEW World’s End, Khan spoke with the media about how big a of transitional period this time is for the company. Khan spoke about the company overall both from a creative and presentation standpoint with a particular focus on the women’s division.
Khan mentioned several names on the roster as to what women have helped contribute to the growth of the company this year, including Julia Hart, Riho, Toni Storm, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale and of course, Timeless Toni Storm.
There’s been a deliberate effort to refocus attention on the women’s division and AEW fans should get ready for some more new faces showing up in the months ahead.
“So, so many great names, so many great fights happening in the women’s division, which is in, I think, the strongest place it’s been – and imagine how much better it’s going to get because I plan to be very active in free agency.”
Aside from the former Sasha Banks, other potential additions to the AEW Women’s division could include Giulia, Deonna Purrazzo, Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans and Kamille, just to name a few.
Khan added that several of AEW’s top female competitors have been out of action and have recently returned or will be returning soon. Thunder Rosa, Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker are all former Women’s World Champions who were out of action for extended time. As the year winds down and we look ahead to 2024, there is a sense of optimism surrounding the division’s future.
CM Punk is riding high with his return to WWE and it’s now going to translate over into a popular sports clothing line.
Today on his Instagram, CM Punk announced that he will have an upcoming featured clothing collection on Roots Of Fight. Punk evidently be collaborating with the band Rancid on the collection, as he’s formed a friendship with Lars Fredrickson.
“Following in the footsteps of the greats. I’ve been excited to share this with you all,” Punk shared in his post. He also tagged several other legends who are associated with the Roots Of Fight brand, including Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper and Rey Mysterio.
If you’ve been following CM Punk on television and on social media, you’ll notice that he’s been sporting a great deal of the brand’s merchandise. Any of the Bret Hart styles you’ve seen him wearing is all under Roots Of Fight. As a matter of fact, just as he was getting ready to compete against Dominik Mysterio at Madison Square Garden he was wearing a Roddy Piper tee from Roots Of Fight.
The merchandise brand isn’t just isolated to pro wrestling. Roots Of Fight specifically featured legendary names in boxing, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano. They also showcase baseball legends including Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr.
As far as other wrestling legends featured, Roots Of Fight showcases Ric Flair, The Iron Shiek and Andre The Giant.
Punk’s line is set to release on January 15, 2024 and it should be a huge seller considering the type of numbers he has done for WWE.
Tony Khan believes that the Continental Classic has been a successful experiment and wants to implement that feel for AEW moving forward.
During the AEW World’s End media call, Khan said some of that success has translated over to AEW Collision with their ratings increase. Khan said he feels very strongly about how well the Continental Classic has done for the company and it’s had an influence on his creative philosophy.
“Will this affect the presentation and will I book the show’s more sports-based presentation and accept the fan feedback which is very tangible and real? Yes, absolutely and that is why this has been such a great experiment and the results are there, they are tangible.
“As I’ve said, an experimental group and a control group, the experiment increasing the allocation of real quality pro wrestling.”
In the early days of AEW, part of the initial strategy was to incorporate a sports-based presentation, including a rankings system, but the company has veered away from it. However, Khan had really utilized tournaments in 2023 and although that is certainly sports-oriented, he says that the storytelling process has been rich with MJF, The Devil and the women’s division.
“I’ve been really trying to put an emphasis on more stories and as because everybody’s been stepping up and it’s time and we have a great group that I’ve been trying to build and, and a lot of injuries, you know, it’s really challenging for wrestling promotion.”
Please credit AEW and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.
If you’ve been curious who’s been involved in the creative process for AEW after losing a name like CM Punk, Tony Khan provided a little clarity to that. Speaking on The World’s End Media call, Khan spoke with SEScoops correspondent Dominic DeAngelo about whether or not he’s reconsidered his booking strategy as we round the corner into 2024.
During the All Out 2023 media scrum, it was mentioned how overworked Khan is and to Bryan Danielson’s suggestion, hired Jimmy Jacobs as a full time assistant. Those two, along with others, are names he said he had working creatively at AEW Dynamite.
Who helps Tony Khan book AEW?
“We have a great group of people. Just an example, yesterday, you had a great group with Bryan Danielson, Mike Mansury, Will Washington, Jimmy Jacobs, Sonjay Dutt, Sarah Stock and Dean Malenko and several others that were in my office throughout the day at various points. Bryan had his match, people were in and out, I think everybody had great points and there were a number of other people.”
Khan talked about how the recent string of shows from AEW have been very good, but the system he does have set up could likely use some tweaking.
“It wasn’t quite the set-up I was looking for so I’ll see if I still get it, but very excited to talk about the science of the booking and I think in particular, recently, we’ve had some of the best shows we’ve ever done.”
Khan noted that the Continental Classic has been a huge influence of how he books moving forward and then reiterated the confidence he has with his strategy.
“I think the experiments we’ve been doing are working and I have a better sense of where to go and what to do going into 2024 than I ever have been.”
Despite the eye patch, Bryan Danielson is ready for Kazuchika Okada at WrestleKingdom 18 and he thinks there’s a reason for that.
Danielson was apart of the Wrestle Kingdom 18 Interview Series over on the company’s YouTube channel and was asked what does strong-style and fighting spirit mean to him,
“All of what that means to me is continuing to fight despite the adversity and where I think I’m better at that than Okada is is because he hasn’t face the adversity that I’ve faced.”
Danielson says Okada had the physique, look and skill to get catapulted right to the top while Danielson has had to fight his way up the card.
He talked about the struggles about when he first fractured his ortibal bone in 2007 with no insurance or no money and Okada has not had to worry about that. However, Okada previously had to worry about Danielson at Forbidden Door 2 when he submitted Okada in the ring.
“When you want to talk about fighting spirit and you want to talk about strong-style, I don’t know if there’s a better example than breaking your arm and tapping out Okada on the same night, when nobody’s tapped out Okada since 2015.”
The American Dragon says his vision is blurry and therefore he can’t drive his kids to school, stating that a lot of his motivaton stems from his kids. He says he’s going to break Okada’s right arm and take away his best weapon.
“We’re going to see if you’re the next Antonio Inoki or just another wannabe.”
Wrestle Kingdom 18 will go down January 4th.
Please credit NJPW and h/t SEScoops for the transcription.
Friedman played the role of the fake Von Erich cousin, “Lance Von Erich,” but you only just saw his face briefly in a tag match with Zac Efron, who was Kevin Von Erich in the film.
Wrestling fans were shocked that so little was used of MJF, but speaking with
ComicBook.com, the champ kept a good perspective on it, primarily hoping for the film to be successful.
“I want this film to succeed, and the film needed to be about the brothers. As fun as I had shooting that scene, realistically, it didn’t add to the overarching story and the importance of the story between the brothers and what they were going through in dealing with the pressures that their father put on them. It didn’t fit in the pieces of the puzzle.”
MJF actually was an executive producer on the production as “The Iron Claw” released everywhere on December 22. There were several other wrestlers involved in the film. Ryan Nemeth of AEW actually played Gino Hernandez while Chavo Guerrero Jr. portrayed The Original Sheik. Other popular independent names like Will Allday, Luke Hawx and even Shane Taylor helped do stunts for the film.
According to Dave Meltzer, “The Iron Claw” is estimated to make $5.06 million the first weekend at the box office, and was estimated to finish at $7.5 million after Christmas evening. Overall for theaters nationwide, the movie came in sixth place overall with the breadwinner being Aquaman.
From a ratings standpoint, “Iron Claw” got 87% positive reviews and an audience score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
There are a good deal of pro wrestling fans in the NBA and Tyrese Haliburton was pumped to Booker T was there to catch a game
Booker T is based out of Houston, TX and the Indiana Pacers were in town to face the hometown Rockets. The Pacers’ social media account caught their star shooter Haliburton running his wy to the court when Tyrese saw Booker T standing off to the side. Haliburton was clearly well-aware of who Booker was and also his wife Sharmell who was at his side.
Haliburton came in for a hug and was excited to see that the two-time WWE Hall Of Famer in the house. It happened to be WWE Night for the Rockets so “King” Booker and “Queen” Sharmell were the guests of honor that evening.
The Pacers ended up getting the win that night and after the game Haliburton said that he was “locked in” due to it being WWE Night.
“Booker T, no way…And the Queen!”
Tyrese Haliburton met @WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Queen Sharmell before last night’s game. safe to say he was a little excited ?? pic.twitter.com/Ik4q2yZOTG
Since they started, AEW has made sure to cross-promote the NBA product, the biggest of note was Shaquille O’Neal returning to the ring to face Cody Rhodes. That particular bout also happened to be the in-ring debut of Jade Cargill.
Chris Jericho has been pretty active on social media the past few days and has garnered some buzz because of it.
Over the Christmas holiday, Jericho and Steve P. New, an attorney who has represented several wrestling personalities over his career, exchanged words back and forth due to the impending litigation surrounding the “Brawl Out” incident in September 2022. New happens to represent CM Punk and Ace Steel in the legal dispute and the argument he and Jericho were having was over non-disclosure agreements.
Jericho says he never signed an NDA while New states it would be in his employee handbook. This led to a contentious exchange where Jericho called New a “mark” and said what he saw went down was “truly disgusting” in the infamous backstage incident.
Chris Jericho Tips Cap To CM Punk & WWE
Despite Jericho having contention with New, it appears to want to keep things copacetic with CM Punk and WWE.
Punk made his in-ring return for WWE Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden to face Dominik Mysterio and WWE posted a video of Punk’s entrance up on Instagram. Jericho decided to leave a comment of his one, simply putting “Congrats” with three flame emojis.
Chavo Guerrero trained all the actors in preparation for “The Iron Claw,” but one of them did some added work in light of playing a pro wrestling patriach.
Speaking with SEScoops’ Dominic DeAngelo, Guerrero spoke to the level of commitment by veteran actor Holt McCallany, who took on the role of Fritz Von Erich in the new film by A24.
Before production even started, McCallany, who is greatly known for his work on Netflix’s Mindhunter, already put some time in the squared circle.
“He comes on set and it wasn’t like he just stepped foot in the ring. He went like a month out. He went to Gleason’s gym in New York and was getting trained in pro wrestling by Johnny Rodz who’s a family friend. He was great friends with my dad. So when he came on, I was like,’Wow, like he put the effort,’ he was already ready to go and he’s an ex-boxer.’ So Holt’s a very intense guy, anyway. So he was ready to go.”
As a matter of fact, Guerrero talked about having to slow Holt’s intensity down as he brought the brute out for Von Erich.
“He was like, ‘Man, I’m really gonna have to hit it hard.’ And I said, ‘No, you don’t, We’re going to make it look like you’re hitting it hard,’ and I kind of had to untrain him at certain things to retrain him the way I wanted him to do things, but he’s a he’s a like he’s a baller, man. He’s a pro. He’s a professional I mean in every sense of the word.”
You can catch both Guerrero and McCallany on screen now as “The Iron Claw” is available in theaters everywhere. You can watch SEScoop’s full video review of the film below.
Mick Foley has always been an amazing storyteller, but he’s making the decision to close a chapter in his post-wrestling career.
On this week’s episode of “Foley Is Pod” Foley and co-host Conrad Thompson revealed that they’d be ending the series after they complete one final episode with “Mick-A-Mania.” The two plan to finish off the series strong. “I can’t wait. I had such a great time,” added Foley when the announcement was made.
“Foley Is Pod” first started up in 2021 and he along with Thompson and producers Dave Silva and Kris MacDonald, did a video format for the show. Initially, the duo actually joined each other in person to record episodes that featured a fresh new format for recording wrestling podcasts.
The latest episode of the show has Foley covering his on-air relationship with The Rock, but the two have covered all facets of Foley’s career since he started the show including his time in ECW and WCW. They also did a very special episode after the legendary Terry Funk passed away in August.
Before Foley signed off to celebrate his Christmas holiday, he said that he and Conrad plan to pack a punch with the final episode.
“Tell your friends to tune into the last episode. We’re gonna try to make it something special. It’s been a great experience.”
Since its launch, “Foley Is Pod” has been a major player of the AdFreeShows.com podcast network. AdFreeShows.com hosts “Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard,” “83 Weeks With Eric Bischoff,” “My World With Jeff Jarrett,” “The Snake Pit With Jake Roberts” and more.
Before CM Punk puts on the kickpads for his first match back with WWE, he’s appreciative of the journey he’s had so far.
Ahead of his match at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Punk took to Instagram to express his gratitude to the fans and his squared circle colleagues that came before him.
“Grateful for all the fans who have carried me to my greatest moments. Thankful for the legends that paved the roads I travel. I wouldn’t be who I am without all of you. Thank you. ‘So goes The Garden, so goes the business.'”
Punk indeed paid homage in that very story as he was wearing the hoodie of a legend he’s continuosly been a fan of: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
CM Punk Has A First-Ever Legacy Match Waiting For Him At MSG
CM Punk will pack a punch in The Big Apple this evening as he’ll be going up against a white-hot heel in Dominik Mysterio. Punk was quick to cultivate a feud with Dirty Dom on his social media when he shared a photo over ten years ago of him confronting a young Dom in the ring with the Mysterio family. Dom fired back with his own post before he crossed the competitve lines and shared a “botch” clip of Punk during his AEW run.
Mysterio sure seems like an appropriate starting point for CM Punk’s WWE return as not only does it tie back to his Straight Edge Society feud with Rey Mysterio, but Punk clearly likes working with younger talent.
Booker T believes CM Punk has brought back a refreshing attitude since returning to WWE.
The two-time WWE Hall Of Famer was speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast with Brad Gilmore, and made mention of Punk’s presence, who has been a very proactive participant in helping out down in NXT.
“Punk seemed to enjoy it. He’s been down there every time I’ve been to work. ‘What are you doing here?’ He’s been very refreshing. It’s been a different CM Punk. CM Punk said this time around, it’s not about him, it’s about the fans.”
The talent down at NXT have clearly welcomed Punk in with open arms, who is reportedly eyeing a leadership role down the road with the brand. Both Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez were photographed working out with Punk who playfully called the session a “father/daughter” day at the gym.
Being a commentator for NXT, Booker speaks to the energy down in NXT with Shawn Michaels and the crew he’s assembled. He believes Punk is feeling a good deal of that energy as well.
“At NXT, these guys are learning and trying to figure it out. I can give advice here, give advice here. For me, I think that’s what he’s feeling, being down there because it is uplifting be part of the system down there. Those guys give you that kind of energy.”
Punk is clearly making an effort to show an ability to change and work with everyone. On a recent YouTube episode of the ‘Oh You Didn’t Know’ podcast, Road Dogg Brian James talked about he and Punk hugged it out at catering when the two saw one another and that hug was prompted by Punk himself.
Since his recent WWE return, CM Punk has already proven to move a staggering amount of merchandise. As WWE negotiates the next media rights deal for Monday Night Raw (starting October 2024), Punk is already giving WWE increased leverage as it finalizes where Raw will air for the next several years. More on that right here:
Former WWE and WCW star Virgil is in need of help this winter and an emergency GoFundMe has been created to help the wrestling veteran.
Virgil, real name Mike Jones, was unfortunately diagnosed with dementia in 2022. Before that, Virgil would typically be a consistent presence on the wrestling convention circuit, but it now appears the talent could use some assistance from fans. The following was written on the GoFundMe page, noting that Jones is hoping to reach $400 in an effort to provide him clothes, toiletries and other basic needs for the winter.
“Hi, we are trying to help raise at least $400 to help get more clothes and toiletries and with other expenses. As you know Mike was diagnosed with Dementia last may . Any help would be appreciated. Anyone that donates $25 or more we have some autographed pictures we like to send out. I like to say thank you and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah.”
As of this writing, Jones has received well over that amount, almost accruing $3,700 of donations from fans. Several contributions are anonymous $100 donations.
As Virgil in WWE, Jones reached his highest in the industry, initially becoming Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard, before making a memorable face turn and feuding with The Million Dollar Man.
Later signing with WCW, Jones would become Vincent in the NWO. He rarely wrestled in the role, but was a consistent presence within the NWO ensemble. Jones would later make a special cameo in AEW, reprising his ring name Soul Train Jones in a parody video package for Chris Jericho.
We at SEScoops wish Jones and his family all the best this holiday season. You can donate to Jones’ GoFundMe by clicking here.
Posted December 21st, 2023 in News. Tagged: Virgil.
Dogg and Punk had professional friction between one another and Dogg has been critical of Punk in the past. However, Dogg did note even before Punk signed with WWE again, that he’d be a definite needle mover for the company.
Speaking with co-host Matt Mitchell, Dogg said that he first saw Punk at catering. Punk stood up and the two shook hands. Nothing was said but then Punk broke the ice by indicating James should pull a “Step Brothers” and come in for the hug.
“He literally shrugged his shoulders and went like, ‘Ah, come on’ and pulled me in and hugged me and… I’ll tell you the truth. It made me feel immediately like an a-hole, like I’m a piece of crap. It humbled me in myself if that makes sense (he laughed). I don’t know how else you can humble yourself but, it humbled me in a way where I thought, ‘I have talked negatively about you. and I thought negatively about you and then you embrace me and wow,’ you know what I mean?”
That wasn’t the only interaction the two had with one another. James has been back on the road with WWE and is the Senior VP of Live Events. The WWE Hall Of Famer believes that a higher power brought him and Punk together.
“I believe God works in mysterious ways and he worked that weekend. Every bit of it was orchestrated to put me and Punk in certain situations and I hope he hears this because I think he’ll realize the depth of it because, I don’t know. We were just put together for like five days in a row, working and working together and speaking about the future and what he’ll be doing as far as what I do in my job and so, I don’t know man. It felt very much like, ‘Stop talking bad about people, Brian. Stop thinking negatively about people…'”
CM Punk is set to make a return to the squared circle both in Los Angeles and in New York City ahead of The Royal Rumble.
Please credit “Oh, You Didn’t Know?” and h/t Andrew Thompson of POST Wrestling for the transcription.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. knows all about having family in the pro wrestling business along with the generational pressure that comes with it, but he believes Dom Mysterio is bucking the convention.
Throughout his wrestling career, Chavo had carved out his own unique path, so much that it led to him working in Hollywood and becoming an intrical part of A24’s “The Iron Claw” set to release this Friday.
Much like he did with the critically-acclaimed GLOW on Netflix, Guerrero trained all the actors in the ring for the wrestling scenes in Iron Claw, as they tell the emotionally heavy story of The Von Erich family. It’s evident his teachings left an impression on the cast as in promotion for the film, particularly Jeremy Allen White, who plays the legendary Kerry Von Erich.
“You know, I was very proud when I heard him say that and then the rest of the wrestlig community was as well. They’re like, ‘Wow, this guy gets it.’
“He really he understood that because that’s storytelling. That’s what he does in movies. It’s not the car crash. The car crash helps tell the story, but the car crash itself is not the story. The moves help tell the story, but the moves themselves are not story. And that’s I think it’s lost in today’s wrestling little bit because these guys are incredible athletes, and they’re doing great moves. But I just think sometimes the storytelling needs to be worked on a little bit as well. They could probably do less moves and tell a better story.”
Chavo adds that he has learned just as much from White and the rest of the cast as they learned from him, noting that he would have been a better wrestler if he somehow got involved in Hollywood first.
Dom Mysterio Is Ahead Of The Generational Game
During his analysis of the “little details” with Jeremy Allen White, Guerrero uses both Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio as examples to how they make the moves mean something in their storytelling. That prompted a discussion on Dom Mysterio who Chavo is extremely impressed with.
“He’s doing so great. He’s far above where he should be. You know, I said, he’s not supposed to be this good, but, you know, he had some trials growing up.
“If you remember, when he first started, fans were didn’t really like them that much. They were kind of like, ‘Hey, this kid is not ready, I don’t know if he’s gonna live up to the Mysterio name.’ Well, we all felt that. Every second/third generation [wrestler] felt the same thing because you sometimes get the door open, but every second or third generation actor has felt the same way or any performer.”
Iron Claw releases everywhere in theaters on Friday, December 22 and you can catch Chavo playing The Original Sheik in the film.
There are some early-on talks being made about the possibility of Warner Bros. Discovery merging with Paramount Global.
Axios learned from multiple sources that CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakis on December 19 about the idea of merging the two television powerhouses.
WBD plays host to TNT, TBS and HBO while Paramount controls CBS, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central so together the duo could really pack a punch for continuing and prospective customers. However, where does it all leave AEW and WWE?
Whenever a wrestling fan hears the term “merger” it could cause cold sweats because of the infamous AOL-Time Warner fusion that ultimately ended WCW. That changed the landscape of the business solely WWE. However, in this case, the move may bode well for perhaps both promotions.
It was believed that WWE would soon sign its Raw television rights over to WBD, but nothing has happened as of yet. It appears by past actions Zaslav has an appreciation for pro wrestling and if WBD were to mergr with Paramount, they’re the primary bread winner between the brands. WBD earnings are valued around $29 billion while Paramount is around $10 million. That’s likely an indicator that Zaslav would at least want to sign one promotion.
However, in the same turn, the fact that there may still be interest in AEW could allow Paramount to host AEW programming while Raw airs every Monday could be on TNT. In that regard, AEW’s brand identity doesn’t get diminished or discarded.
Tape up your knuckles because next week WWE NXT is going “underground.”
In a promo for his upcoming fight against Dijak next week, Eddie Thorpe says that ropes can’t contain the two’s intensity and he wants to do it in a ring without one. He wants to settle the score in a concept that used to be briefly popular on WWE Raw: the two will go mono-a-mono in an Underground match.
From a storyline standpoint, the “Underground” concept was brought in by Shane McMahon and was brought to WWE television during the global pandemic. “Underground” never took place in a WWE arena or the “ThunderDome,” but rather went down in an open warehouse, giving everything the intended “Fight Club” feel of it all. There were also no pins and had more of a MMA execution to it rather than your conventional wrestling match.
Shane originally introduced “Underground” on the August 3, 2020 episode of Raw and the concept only lasted eight weeks until Vince McMahon decided to scrap it. However, some battles did take place that involved names like Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Titus O’Neil, Riddick Moss and even Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler had a memorable run with Underground as he faced Lashley and several others where the impending free agent got to utilize his impressive collegiate wrestling background.
During the pandemic, NXT did happen to do a bout that could be considered somewhat similar to Underground as Matt Riddle took on Timothy Thatcher. Like Underground, the match didn’t have ropes, but instead of open space there was a cage around the ring. Kurt Angle happened to be the special guest referee for the contest.
Posted December 20th, 2023 in News, NXT. Tagged: Dijak, NXT.
Impact Wrestling has been very busy at making announcments ahead of their return to TNA and that includes another signing.
The company announced on Tuesday that former Impact Digital Media Champion Brian Myers.
Myers, who had two memorable runs with WWE before making the leap over to Impact Wrestling, has been with the company since the summer of 2020 after being released from his WWE contract.
However, this return of TNA will not signify Myers’ first run with those letters. The Major Player initially worked for the promotion in 2015, actually becoming a TNA World Tag Team Champion with Cameron Grimes (then known as Trevor Lee) before being re-signed by WWE in 2016.
The news of Myers signing coincides with several big happenings in the company including a new deal that he’s all too familiar with. Just this Monday, TNA announced a new action figure deal with Power Town Wrestling, a company owned by Magnum TA and Greg Gagne that excells at making very detailed figure scults of wrestling legends from yesteryear.
The move has to be exciting for Myers, who alongside his longtime friend and tag partner, Matt Cardona are notorious wrestling figure collectors. The two host their own show, The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast and one would have to imagine the company’s new relationship with Power Town will be talked about.
Becky Lynch wants to retire with WWE and “The Man” makes that clear in a new interview.
Speaking with “Strutting From Gorilla,” Lynch was asked if she’d ultimately like to leave her wrestling boots in a WWE ring when it’s all said and done.
“I love that I get to continue to drive that and that my voice matters in WWE. I feel listened to, and I feel we’ve been able to change the landscape of women’s wrestling forever. That feels very special to me. It’s my home. It’s where I was born as a professional wrestler in many ways in terms of my influence, and it’s where I’ll retire.”
Lynch is a well-traveled main eventer in WWE as she clearly established herself as a top star for the company, but she recently had a fun run down in NXT as the Women’s Champion, a belt that eluded her during her first run with the black and gold brand.
Even though Lynch expressed a desire to retire with WWE, her current contract is set to expire in 2024. She currently have a full decade under her belt with WWE.
Lynch remains as three of the four remaining “Four Horsewomen” with the company. While Sasha Banks notoriously walked out on the company in May of 2022, Bayley, Lynch and Charlotte Flair still are with WWE.
Funny enough, Charlotte Flair has reportedly signed a new deal with WWE giving her one of the highest-paid deals for a woman in company history.
It sounds like Charlotte Flair sealed a new deal with WWE.
According to Fightful Select, the future WWE Hall Of Famer signed an extension with the company that will reportedly keep her around for several years. The exact length and details of the deal is currently unknown but from how it sounds, it’s one that may have some history attached to it.
Fightful has heard that Flair’s new extension has a huge increase and it’s quite significant, so much that it’s one of the highest-paid deals for a woman in WWE history.
Not only that, but Charlotte has seemed to join the ranks of Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes as a top talent to receive a travel bus in the exchange.
Charlotte Flair Has A Major Injury To Deal With
While the extension is excellent news financially for Flair, the star unfortunately recently suffered some major injuries that will keep her on the shelf for months.
That clearly rules the star out for WrestleMania 40. She’ll be a notable omission considering she and Rhea Ripley stole the show with their match at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles.
Konnan has some sound advice for AEW President Tony Khan and it involves filtering through the haters.The luchador legend’s K100 colleague Disco Inferno was under the ire of Khan after Inferno told Khan that AEW needs a “reset” on X, to which Khan called the former WCW star an “irrelevant parasite.”
“Just worry about the people that are supporting you and listen to the people that are giving you constructive criticism. You should be able to differentiate by now and listen to what they’re saying.”
Konnan in AEW
Konnan asked Disco if he made that post on X during the airing of AEW Collision to which Disco said he posted it after the show was over. With that factored in, Konnan empathized with Khan’s energy and response.
“So he’s probably right fresh off the show with adrenaline and he’s like, ‘I put out this thing and Disco shot right at me even though I haven’t talked to him directly so now I’m going to get him back,’ and he’s getting over with the red meat, his base, cause he hates you.’”
Does AEW Need need a reset?
Disco added that his main point at AEW needing a reset was constructive criticism.
“He works for a professional football team, he works for a professional soccer team, I watch football, I watch the soccer games, and bro you’re writing three shows and I’ve written shows and anybody in the business that has done this before will tell you, ‘Dude you need help.’
That’s the major criticism! That’s it. Your ratings have kind of stagnated, you need help writing these wrestling shows because that’s a very difficult job to do to write one and maintain good ratings.”
Konnan adds that Khan is also handling talent, signing contracts, sitting in Gorilla and trying to work TV deals on top of that.
He says he could be working so hard that it stress him out and believes that if Khan and Disco actually met one another, they’d hit it off as friends because of their similar interests in sports and other topics.
Billie Starkz has extra motivation heading into ROH Final Battle tonight.
Starkz is set for the biggest match in her career to date as she’ll be challenging the longstanding ROH Women’s Champion Athena for her title in the main event of the PLE. Now Starkz is getting support from all over, including WWE.
Billie left an impression on one major WWE star and that’s Bayley, who is clearly keeping tabs of her work in ROH. In light of Starkz’s main event fight this evening, On X, Bayley shared a photo of Billie as a kid giving her a hug at a WWE event and sharing the emoji caption of a magic wand and a crystal ball.
(WWE)
Obviously, this was not lost Starkz who acknowledged the support from one of the wrestlers who clearly influenced her and her career.
After an ongoing struggle with substance abuse issues Shannon Moore was close to ending his life, but he credits WWE and one particular Hall of Famer for saving his.
A new article by the Tampa Bay Times focuses on Moore’s inspiring life journey so far and how he’s been able to help so many others after being six years sober.
Moore said that his primary drug abuse came from using painkillers initially, but branched out even further to other drugs, something that he was introduced early in his career. He said that his real problems came back in 2012 once he took a leave from wrestling after a TNA run. He had a lot of time and a lot of money on his hands.
“That was the worst thing I ever did,” he said. “I was just sitting at home. I had time. I had money. And what do you do? You just party. I think that’s the point where physical addiction really set in.”
Speaking on the Road Dogg Brian James’ podcast earlier this year, Moore spoke about how he was on the verge of ending his life and potentially ending his ex-wife’s until he gave James a call.
“I said, ‘Hey, dude, you’re probably going to hear about me on the news. Something bad is going to happen,’” Moore said. “He reached back out, and the rest is history.”
James is also over a decade sober and he was someone that Moore kept having on his mind during the darkest time of his life. Now Moore works as a client relations manager at Riverside Recovery in Tampa. He still wrestles, but doesn’t plan on going back to it full-time.
“There have been plenty of offers,” Moore said. “But Riverside has an amazing team. I believe in what we are doing. I’ve got a taste of being in service. My whole thing now is just trying to do my part and hopefully use my platform and use my career to hopefully help somebody.”
If you have a brother or a sister you’re close to, get ready to text them after you see “The Iron Claw.” I was fortunate enough to have mine sitting right beside me to catch an advance screening of the film, and both of us being ardent wrestling fans, it hit several different notes.
The looming tragedy of the Von Erich’s is immediately set in the first scene of the film with Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, battling in “Raging Bull” black and white, showing the raw brutality that pro wrestling fanatics of yesteryear yearned for. The punishment wrestlers put on their bodies is a lingering backdrop to the sad story that’s on tap. Director Sean Durkin does a beautiful job at making it a visual necessity, giving the viewers the feeling that they’re the ones taking the elbows and backdrops. The cinematography is foreboding and immersive throughout the majority of the film.
Dominic DeAngelo of SEScoops is joined by his wrestling podcast brother, Marcus DeAngelo, to give their advanced (spoiler-free) review of “The Iron Claw” – including if it hits with wrestling fans, if it hits with the non-wrestling fans, the standout performances and what was missing.
The Acting ‘Does The Work’ In “Iron Claw”
From a performance standpoint, there isn’t a weak link in “The Iron Claw.” McCallany (from “Mindhunters” the amazing short-lived FX boxing series “Lights Out”) is prideful, blunt and frustratingly cold as patriarch Fritz. Zac Efron will surprise people with the range he shows playing the title role of Kevin Von Erich, bringing a caring naivety to a person who ultimately endures so much. Jeremy Allen White delivers as Kerry, so much that it feels like he doesn’t get enough screen time. However, the low-key stars of the Von Erich brothers are the portrayals of David and Mike.
Harris Dickinson gives the role of David his just due, the Von Erich brother who really defined the familial identity that so many World Class fans were drawn to. He’s positioned in a supporting role, but his efforts are imperative to displaying the loving kinship the brothers have with one another, making his passing all the more devastating.
Stanley Simons is spot-on at portraying the unnecessary loss that became Mike Von Erich. Due to his lack of desire to wrestle, Mike was a lighting rod for the cruelty of Fritz. Simons is excellent as the funny, sweet son who could have been an invaluable asset to the family’s success without ever having to step inside the ring. He, for many reasons, defines the tragedy as a whole.
Familiar Faces & Heels
When it comes to the wrestler cameos, they are there, but they don’t necessarily stand out to the un “mark”-ed eye. Ryan Nemeth has brief dialogue as Gino Hernandez and you see Chavo Guerrero Jr. working smoothly against Efron as The Original Sheik. “Iron Claw” executive producer MJF gets just a sip rather than a full “cup of coffee” as Lance Von Erich. The fake family cousin has literally a second of screen time (but the AEW Champ does makes the most of that).
Two legends do get their promo time in the film. We have a full monologue from Ric Flair, portrayed by Aaron Dean Eisenberg. His mannerisms, cadence and body type are pretty accurate to that of The Nature Boy’s and it’s likely the closest you can get without grabbing a time machine. It’s hard to nail Ric Flair without actually having Ric Flair.
The other talent to get a spotlight was Harley Race and it’s with good reason. Kevin Anton nails it as “The Greatest on God’s Green Earth.” Fans will also enjoy seeing the Fabulous Freebirds get their screen time, but may also come away not being fully satisfied considering how big that rivalry was for WCCW. The late Jerry Jarrett gets a hat-tip with a portrayal near the end of the film.
Music Puts You In A “Stranglehold”
Music in “The Iron Claw” is, quite simply, great. You want those 1979 vibes? The film delivers and Von Erich fans will absolutely eat up the “Tom Sawyer”-fueled montage mid-film (I know I did). It should be a sought-after playlist on Spotify. Coinciding with this vibe, is the film’s first showing of Allen White as Kerry. In true pro wrestling fashion, Durkin makes you wait in anticipation for your first sight of the late great Texas Tornado.
Significant Differences From The Full Story Down In Denton, TX
From a historically accurate standpoint, “The Iron Claw” takes its fair share liberties; primarily its biggest one is not including the youngest brother, Chris Von Erich, at all in the film. Like Kerry and Mike, the smaller Chris also committed suicide in 1991 after not being able to compete in the ring due to health issues.
In addition to that glaring omission, timelines are shifted and occurrences are substituted in an effort to streamline the story for the masses. Fans super in tune with the Von Erich history may come away frustrated, but local Pittsburgh wrestler, Shawn Blanchard, a WCCW diehard, didn’t let that deter his overall enjoyment of the film. In turn, fellow wrestling journalist Tom Letergy noted it may be difficult for the regular movie goer to keep track of all the “who, where, and when” (Note: We were watching it on a Dolby surround screen and the bottom part of the film was cut off, so there could have been significant notations us viewers didn’t see.)
While it’s touched upon, the wild lifestyle of all the Von Erich brothers was mostly burdened onto Kerry in an effort to show his own unraveling. Like Kerry, Kevin also had the tendency to get crazy and miss shows. More of an effort could have been made to embrace the fun (yet ultimately destructive) side of the business that the brothers were known for, simply to give viewers a break from all that heartache.
Family Comes First In “The Iron Claw”
As expected, the overall story of the film is drastically sobering. That’s all the more accentuated if you grew up in a family of siblings, have experienced loss, or are concerned with losing someone. There were several moments where I wanted to turn to my own brother and tell him how much I love him, but I followed the unhealthy method of the callous Fritz by expressing no feelings. It’s certainly moving for a wrestling fan looking through such a prism. Therefore, the ending of the film makes a very unique choice to lighten all the sadness the family endured and if you loved the Von Erichs, you’ll be grateful for the effort made.
If you’re an old school wrestling fan, you’ll have plenty to appreciate. If you have a brother you can talk to afterwards, you’ll have even more.
“The Iron Claw” releases everywhere on December 22. Follow Dominic DeAngelo on X @DominicDeAngelo.
Impact Wrestling is making an effort to get wrestling fans excited about the return of TNA and they’re loading up their first official PPV with some big matches and it sounds like a major name as well.
Impact took to social media to reveal that “Worlds will collide” on January 13 as the company emphasizes that fans “won’t believe who is showing up” to TNA Hard To Kill.
Additionally, Impact CEO Scott D’Amore joined “Busted Open Radio” to reveal that the company signed a big name and fans will find out about it during the PPV.
“We’re right there at the goal line of finalizing one of the biggest signings in TNA. I think it’s something that’s really gonna shake things up. I think some of what we have in store is gonna blow your socks off.”
BREAKING: As @ScottDAmore teased on @BustedOpenRadio, worlds will collide on January 13 at #HardToKill LIVE on PPV from the Palms in Las Vegas – you WON'T BELIEVE who is showing up!
D’Amore and Impact are getting fans hyped for the rebranding with some big names in wrestling, particularly two in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, will be working at TNA Snake Eyes. Both Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada are scheduled to appear at the tapings. The latter will team up with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin to battle Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers. Ospreay’s opponent is still currently unknown.
