With near a decade of experience now, “The Liverbird” Lizzy Evo has garnered an impressive resume in her professional wrestling career. In early 2022, she transformed into NXT UK’s Eliza Alexander, joining forces with Xia Brookside, and beginning a notable run in WWE. By August however, NXT UK officially began disbanding, as WWE announced the launch of NXT Europe instead. As a result, several NXT UK superstars were released from the company.

SEScoops’ correspondent Ella Jay recently spoke with Lizzy Evo (fka Eliza Alexander) about wrestling Mickie James at 1PW, NXT UK disbanding, her NXT UK influences, bouncing back from a car crash last year, and much more!

Watch Ella Jay’s interview with Lizzy Evo:

Here are some highlights of what Lizzy said about:

Wrestling Mickie James At 1PW

“So when they (1PW) first reached out to me and they were like, ‘So we want you to be a part of 1PW and we think you would work really well with Mickie James.’ And at first I was like, ‘That’s not going to happen.’ I used to her watch as a kid, I used to come home from school [and] I put wrestling on and Mickie James was coming out [on screen] and to me, that was surreal. I had very high hopes, but I was like, ‘maybe not.'”

“Then it got confirmed and she cut the promo on me and I think I cried mainly because little Lizzy would have been so, so proud because I never, ever, imagined that them things would happen. So when I got to the actual show, I was so nervous. I was like, ‘Look kid, [chill out].’ But she was just really, really nice, so humble and so lovely. It was an honor for me to be in a ring, sharing it with Mickie James. I can’t believe it’s even a real thing.”

How She Joined NXT UK

“So I remember, like go back a few years ago, and they reached out to me and they asked for like footage and stuff like that. So when I saw footage back and I knew it wasn’t what they’re looking for, and then COVID happened, so nothing really came off the email and stuff like that. I kind of just took it on the chin, ‘maybe it’ll never happen for me.'”

“Throughout lockdown, I tried to stay focused on getting mentally stronger and getting physically better because I was out of shape. I was always blowing in the ring and I just knew things needed to change and it was up to me to change them. No one was going to do it for me, and I couldn’t sit and be in a phase where I was like, ‘I wish, I wish,’ because that doesn’t it doesn’t change any. You just have to go and try and get it again. So that was what I did.”

“Then I just randomly one day I had an email that said like, ‘Are you still interested in working for NXT UK?’ That was kind of where it took off, and then I got a tryout and then I was invited for a dark match. I had quite a few dark matches before I was put on screen, which was cool because it allowed me to get like a feel of it. It was a dream, like for me at home with ten years to get to that — just being in a ring and seeing the WWE logo on turnbuckles and the cameramen and the steps. Yeah, I took it in. Some people don’t really appreciate moments like that, but, it’s the little things for me. They were everything that I ever wanted it to be when I was younger.”

Her Influences In The Company

“I had quite a few influences. Sam Gradwell, he’s always been like, ‘you’re so good.’ And he always gives me praise when he sees me and he always makes me feel better and gives me that recognition as a wrestler that as a fellow wrestler would like, if that makes any sense. Like I know from a fan’s perspective, it’s good to get their comments, but from a worker to a worker, it’s nice, especially someone who’s as good as Sam. So he did help me out a lot, a bit of guidance here and there, like ‘Don’t do this, don’t do this.'”

“It was helpful. It was helpful. So once I arrived, I think I watched Meiko [Satomura] a lot because that more was just the humbleness for such a legend in the wrestling world. It’s unreal. She was such a lovely, lovely woman and could just smack it off, so fast. She’s so cool. So I always looked at Meiko as inspiration to be like that.”

Finding Out NXT UK Was Disbanding

“I didn’t expect it at first. I was like, ‘[sigh].’ It kind of set [me back to] the mentality, like I said before, all them years ago, ‘You just have to go and try and get it again.’ I knew from that moment that was when I had to start working, if that was where I wanted to be back. It was sad because I felt like I never even got going. They gave me such a really good push, and they did look after me well. But, yeah, it was sad. It doesn’t take away from the fact that it was sad to see it all come to an end. Even before I got there, all the memories that I see people share, it’s [a] sad time. And now if you want that [back], you have to go and for it again.”

Roman Reigns has rightfully earned his seat at the head of the table. After clinching the Universal Championship at WWE’s Payback pay-per-view in 2020, “The Tribal Chief” went on to also claim the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38 this year, defeating “The Beast” Brock Lesnar in the main event. Now with over 800 days of gold strapped around his waist, Reigns believes his reign is far from being over.

“I’m right in the middle of it,” the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion declared on The Ringer. “People want these interviews, they want to do these documentaries. But this is the bottom of the third inning to me. We’re in the second quarter of the Super Bowl right now.”

With WrestleMania 39 season soon approaching, the identity of Reign’s opponent has been a widely debated topic as of late. With a possibility for Reigns to finally be dethroned, many fans have drafted up their own theories of who should receive the honor to unseat “The Tribal Chief.” Amongst that list, includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. Roman Reigns, however, reiterated that this story, hasn’t even reached its climax.

“Just wait, man,” he said. “We’ve done this in turbulent times, through a pandemic, through the biggest change of all time in this business. And we’ve done it seamlessly. We’ve done it without falter.”

“Down the road, 20 years from now when we start giving out all these crazy details of the inside, inside, there’s just going to be even deeper respect for the performances that we’ve been putting on,” Reigns promised. “Man, it’s been a hell of a journey. But it’s only begun. It’s going to get bigger.”

Reigns Carves The Bloodline Legacy

In addition to his impressive title reign thus far, Reigns has helped cultivate one of the most dominant factions of all-time: The Bloodline. Alongside his cousins The Usos, his special counsel Paul Heyman, and the recent additions of Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa, The Bloodline have emerged as a force to be reckoned with.

Now, they will gear up for a WarGames match this Saturday, November 26th. At Survivor Series: WarGames, Roman Reigns will tackle The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch), Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens with the help of The Bloodline in the intense five-on-five bout.

Andrade El Idolo’s future with AEW has remained a mystery lately.

In early October, Andrade and fellow AEW talent Sammy Guevara reportedly engaged in a physical altercation. On the site of October 5th’s episode of Dynamite in Washington D.C, El Idolo was subsequently sent home, while Guevara stayed. There, he teamed with Chris Jericho, defeating Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia in the main event.

Since then, Andrade has remained off AEW programming, and reportedly suspended, according to the Wrestling Observer. In the wake of his absence, Andrade recently responded to a fan about possibly quitting the company, but quickly deleted the tweet.

Now, he has posted a cryptic message on Instagram, hinting at a possible departure from All Elite Wrestling.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrade El Idolo (@andradealmas)

Tony Khan Addresses Andrade’s Absence

AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed the absence of Andrade (and Miro) during a post-show Full Gear media scrum.

“You’ve seen people take some sabbaticals, absences, breaks from AEW for various reasons and come back and get very involved,” he said, “and I think that’s still, for both of those guys, something that you could see.”

Although the reasonings for their absences may be different, both have remained off television. Nevertheless, Tony Khan finished by saying he “would like to get both of them involved again in the future,” including Andrade.

As of this writing, Andrade’s future in AEW remains uncertain. As he seemingly says “thank you” for his time in AEW, indicating a possible departure, Tony Khan wants to get El Idolo reintegrated into the product.

Bryan Danielson is just here to have fun.

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson pleasantly surprised AEW fans last year when he arrived at All Out. Since then, he went on to become one of the company’s top stars, most recently competing in a four-way match at Full Gear for the ROH World Championship. There, his efforts came up short, but overall, Danielson just wants to enjoy his remaining run in professional wrestling,

In 2016, Danielson — then under the ring name Daniel Bryan in WWE — was forced to retire from the sport due to a long series of concussions, and reported post-concussion related complications, including seizures. Two years later, Danielson received medical clearance, and returned to the ring. Now, he finds himself as a major player in All Elite Wrestling.

Danielson’s contract with AEW will extend through 2024, as he signed a three-year deal with the company back in 2021. Upon completion of his contract though, the former WWE Champion plans to take a step back from a full-time schedule. In speaking on One Fall with Ron Funches, Danielson discussed what his potential plans were in a post-AEW life, including his possible final match in professional wrestling.

“When my AEW contract is up, that’s pretty much me being done being a full-time wrestler,” he said. “But I like the way some people like Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler and those kind of guys do it where they do it for fun, right? And don’t do it all the time, they do it here or there, that sort of thing.”

By 2024, Danielson will be 43-years-old, with a hope to just have fun doing his passion. “It’s something I wanna continue doing for the rest of my life,” he said, barring any physical pain or injuries.

Staying Grateful

Danielson’s initial retirement announcement came almost 10 months after he last competed in a ring. In April 2015, he teamed with John Cena to defeated Cesaro and Tyson Kidd on an episode of SmackDown. It wasn’t until two months after that, that WWE told him he might never wrestle again. With that realization set in place, Bryan adopted a grateful mindset, because as in life, one never truly knows when it might be there last day, or in Bryan’s case, his last match.

With that mentality, Bryan doesn’t have a clear picture of what he wants his final match to look like, but would ideally wrestle up until two weeks before he dies. “But as it is now, it’d probably have to be like at least two weeks, if not a little bit before the day that I die,” he reiterated.

Danielson continued on to joke that his final match may end up “at some local indie in front of 300 people” that “just turns out to be my last match.” No matter how he ends his career though, “The American Dragon” declares every opportunity has he has to wrestle as “beautiful.”

Amale made WWE history as the first French female to ever sign with the company. In the summer of 2020, “The French Hope” officially joined the NXT UK roster, later racking up impressive performances in the company’s international brand. In August 2022, NXT UK announced its official hiatus, as WWE looked to expand and launch their respective NXT Europe brand. Accordingly, several NXT UK superstars were let go from their contracts.

SEScoops’ correspondent Ella Jay recently spoke with Amale about wrestling Meiko Satomura, who helped guide her in the NXT UK locker room, possible NXT Europe involvement, returning to the independent scene and much more!

Watch Ella Jay’s interview with Amale:

Here are some highlights of what Amale said about:

Representing France On WWE Programming

“Representation is something I really care about because when I was younger, looking back, I didn’t have anyone to look up to, anyone who looked like me. So I wanted to be that person for somebody and for all the French people. This is the reason why it’s really important to me. So yeah, it has been really cool to be able to do it.”

Wrestling Meiko Satomura For The NXT UK Women’s Championship

“That was amazing. It was exciting, but scary at the same time, I will say. I faced her before WWE with wXw [in 2019], I had a match against her and it was really intense at that time already, but I felt like I stepped up with the WWE one and it was really intense. I think it’s one of the highlights of my career so far there. So I really keep a good feeling about it.”

Who Helped Guide Her In The NXT UK Locker Room

“There was Kay Lee Ray, Alba Fyre now in NXT. She is so talented and she was like the longest reigning NXT UK Women’s Champion and everything. It was just so inspiring to see her around and to see her being that leader that just want to help people and give advice. She was watching our matches and just helping us, giving us advice, stuff like that. I keep a very cool souvenir of her. I will say JD McDonagh as well, former[ly] Jordan Devlin. He was as well, always really helping and he believed in us. He is someone that understands the business and how pro-wrestling works really well so he can share it and help us grow. “

Possible Involvement In NXT Europe

“So we’ve heard that they (WWE management) want to get back some of the former NXT UK people, but I have no clue what’s going on or what’s going to happen. So I’m just like, ‘wait and see.’ I’m just focusing on what I can control and what I can do right now, and tomorrow, not like next year. It’s really far away, so I just need to get things done now and we will see what happen.”

On Returning To The Independent Scene

“I feel like I’m falling in love with wrestling again, like going back into the roads and seeing new people all the time, new countries having new opportunities. That’s really everything I love about wrestling. I just regret that I was signed [to NXT UK] during — it was kind of bad timing because with the COVID situation and everything, we’ve been out for so long and then we it was pretaped. So we were there only a few weeks and then after nothing for six weeks, stuff like that. So, I wish it was different, but now I’m just more free. I can travel and can do whatever I want. So it’s so cool.”

All Elite Wrestling star Abadon has unfortunately sustained an injury this past weekend.

On Saturday, November 12, “The Living Dead Girl” wrestled Joey Ace at Warriors of Wrestling in Staten Island, New York. There, the two battled amidst the promotion’s “Intergender Warfare” event.

According to PWInsider, Abadon performed a routine hurricanrana against Ace, before she “landed wrong” and appeared to suffer an injury. Subsequently, the match was quickly halted, and Abadon was then driven to a hospital. It was later believed that the AEW star sustained a broken collarbone, but that was not officially confirmed. In addition, no official details were gathered on how long Abadon may be absent from in-ring action.

We wish Abadon a speedy recovery.

During the same weekend, Abadon was spotted with WWE Superstar and former SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan. The duo posed together amidst their appearances at the Big Event NY, one of pro-wrestling’s biggest conventions

In AEW, Abadon last competed on the November 4 AEW: Dark tapings against Leva Bates.

Previous Injuries

In October 2020, Abadon suffered an injury during a scheduled AEW: Dynamite match against Tay Conti. Conti reportedly delivered an elbow strike to Abadon’s throat, rendering her opponent unable to breathe. Subsequently, the match was stopped, and Abadon was sent to the hospital for evaluation.

Abadon eventually returned a month later on the November 25 edition of Dynamite. There, she targeted then AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida, eyeing her title. The two later clashed in January 2021, as Shida retained her title against Abadon at New Year’s Smash.

Jimmy and Jey Uso have made WWE history once again.

November 14, 2022 marks the 484th day of The Usos’ reign with the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. This number remains significant, as the Usos now eclipse the New Day’s previous record of 483 days with the Raw Tag Team Championships, which lasted from August 23, 2015 to December 18, 2016.

Now, the Usos are the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history. In honor of their incredible feat, the Usos shared their excitement on Twitter:

Battle Of The Throne

On the November 11 edition of SmackDown, the Usos battled their long-time rivals, the New Day. With the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships on the line, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods looked to preserve their previous set record. The match would surpass 20 minutes, with a plethora of back-and-forth action before Jimmy and Jey gained the upper hand. In the end, Kingston landed into a 1D by the Usos, allowing Jey to get the pinfall victory for his team, and ensure their place in the company’s history books.

The duo first captured the Smackdown Tag Team Championships last year at Money in the Bank in July after defeating Rey and Dominik Mysterio. In May 2022, the team collected the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships by defeating RK-Bro (Matt Riddle and Randy Orton) on SmackDown, subsequently securing themselves as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.

Over the last 17 months, The Usos have successfully retained their titles over a dozen times during the respective reign, most recently against New Day, and the Brawling Brutes at WWE Crown Jewel.

• The Best Moments from The Usos’s Historic Tag Title Reign

WWE held their usual Saturday Night’s Main Event house show this past weekend in Peoria, Illinois. However, the show would later take an unfortunate turn.

“The Scottish Warrior” Drew McIntyre rekindled his rivalry with Karrion Kross in a bout between the two. Accordingly, Kross’ real-life wife and on-screen manager, Scarlett, accompanied him to ringside. During their match, a routine spot occurred, where Scarlett fueled up their heel roles, slapping McIntyre as the referee was distracted.

As a heel, Scarlett certainly drew disfavor from the crowd, but on this night, that heat was turned up to the extreme, as multiple fans were soon ejected and the police arrived.

Following her slap to McIntyre, Scarlett pivoted to gauge the crowd’s reaction, but was met by an alcoholic beverage, to the face. A woman from the third row reportedly launched the drink at “The Smoke Show.”

Security then quickly attended to Scarlett, checking on her safety. Eventually, the WWE fan and her family in attendance would all be ejected, before a member of the crew cleaned up the mess at ringside.

After getting cleaned off, Scarlett posted a tweet about the incident, with a clear message for the woman who threw the drink at her.

As a classy woman from Chicago, I’m not surprised that something like this would happen in Peoria.

PS. To the granny who threw the drink, your booze was as cheap as your hairdo.

Scarlett, via Twitter

McIntyre vs Kross

Prior to Saturday’s match, Drew McIntyre and Kross last met inside a steel cage at WWE Crown Jewel. There, he defeated Kross, but later revealed to be battling a severe case of the flu, per PWInsider. Although he was highly sick, McIntyre was “adamant” about the match going on. McIntyre soon pivoted his attention to a new venture though.

McIntyre soon returned on the November 11th edition of SmackDown, evening the odds for Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch, as they fended off the Bloodline to close out the show ahead of the company’s impending Survivor Series: WarGames pay-per-view.

On the heels of Nick Aldis’ impending departure from the National Wrestling Alliance, the company has officially suspended the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.

Yesterday, “The National Treasure” revealed that he was leaving the NWA at the end of 2022. On January 1st, Aldis will become a free agent. In a post to his Instagram Subscribers, Aldis cited a dissolving relationship with company owner and promoter, Billy Corgan, and his displeasure with the programming as motivating factors in leaving.

Aldis Suspended

Amidst his recent comments, the National Wrestling alliance has suspended Aldis, according to PWInsider. In an official statement released by the NWA, Aldis’ suspension will go into effect immediately. Additionally, Aldis will not appear at their upcoming Hard Times 3 pay-per-view, where he was scheduled to face Odinson.

Pursuant to the recent comments made by Nick Aldis, the National Wrestling Alliance, has suspended Aldis from the main roster and effective immediately Aldis will not appear for the
Hard Times 3 PPV and Revolution Rumble television tapings in New Orleans, LA on Nov. 12, 2022 and Nov. 13, 2022.

As such, the National Wrestling Alliance reserves its right to comment on this matter at a future date.

National Wrestling Alliance Statement

In responde to the above statement, Chief Operating Officer Joe Galli confirmed that Aldis will remain under contract with the NWA through 12/31. Galli also confirmed that was suspension was “not a wrestling angle.” 

Aldis later confirmed his suspension, noting he will not be at the corresponding television tapings in New Orleans following Hard Times 3. PWInsider also the company noted “does not yet know how this suspension would impact the promotion’s planned TV Tapings in December.”

The Kingdom recently joined All Elite Wrestling, but another company reached out to them during their brief free agency.

Following their exit from IMPACT Wrestling in mid-October, the stable — comprised of Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Maria Kanellis — explored their options. During their brief period as free agents, Fightful Select reported that contact was made between The Kingdom and WWE.

Despite previous reports that WWE initially expressed interest in Matt Taven, “there were actually conversations with all three members of the Kingdom, including Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett,” Fightful clarified. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and creative team member Gabe Sapolsky were reportedly “the points of contact among the three” as well.

Additionally, “no firm offer” was ever presented to The Kingdom, and the situation was described as “more of a feeling out process between the two sides.”

Since no official deal was ever made with WWE, The Kingdom have since signed to AEW.

The Kingdom In AEW

On the October 14th edition of Rampage, The Kingdom first arrived to All Elite Wrestling. There, FTR teamed with Shawn Spears to take on Brian Cage and Gates of Agony. Soon after FTRY and Spears secured the victory, The Kingdom emerged. Maria Kanellis certified that the trio were “The Kingdom,” and attested that Alli Elite Wrestling “was built on the back of The Kingdom.”

Since introducing themselves to AEW, the Kingdom have been featured on programming a few times. Most recently, Matt Taven challenged Wardlow for the TNT Championship on the October 28th episode of Rampage, falling short in his efforts.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has officially reintroduced his signature “Fave Five” series. The former five time WCW World Champion reprised his role as a commentator last month, officially joining the NXT brand. Alongside Vic Joseph, Booker T lends a voice to the action and progressions of WWE’s developmental base. In addition, he receives a first hand look at some future stars of the company. 

Recently, Booker T released his latest “Fave Five” list, comprised of his current five favorite wrestlers to take notice of in NXT. Amongst that list were a few current and former champions. “Fave 5IVE. Carmelo Hayes. JD McDonagh. Bron Breakker. Pretty Deadly/ Elton Prince & Kit Wilson. Cora Jade. Don’t forget to check out NXT This Tuesday,” Booker wrote via Twitter. 

Former NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes has captured the interest of Booker in recent months. “Hayes is one of the guys that I want to see get to that next level and literally just kick it in,” he recently said on The Hall of Fame podcast. In the same episode, Booker also praised former WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion JD McDonagh.”I’m really high on that kid,” he said after watching his match with Ivan Dragunov. 

Former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Cora Jade was recently deemed “on the fast track to becoming the next Sasha Banks,” according to Wrestle Votes on Give Me Sport. 

Bron Breakker reigns as the current NXT Champion, while Pretty Deadly serve as the current NXT Tag Team Champions. 

Two-time Hall of Famer Booker T previously acted as a commentator for Raw and SmackDown in the past, before later joining kick-off show panels for WWE. Now, he serves as a voice the company’s third brand.

Tis the (spooky) season!

Several professional wrestlers are getting into the spirit of Halloween this year. From creepy creatures, to comic book characters, to other wrestlers, check out some of the best costumes from this year’s Halloween celebrations! Leave a link in the comments section if you find any others!

On October 29, NXT hosted a Halloween-themed Battle Royale featuring several Superstars dressed in their favorite costumes. Accordingly, rivals Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade paid homage to two former champions in the company: Bayley and AJ Lee.

2022 Women’s Breakout Tournament Winner Roxanne Perez resurrected “The Hugger” era of former RAW Women’s Champion Bayley with her signature tassels, headband, and high ponytail. She even shared the love with fellow NXT Superstar Wendy Choo, who dressed up as a sumo wrestler.

The Generation Of Jade honored the previous generation of the “Black Widow” AJ Lee with the Divas Championship, Chuck Taylor shoes, and Lee’s signature “Love Bites” shirt.

Sloane Jacobs also joined the festivities as she resembled DC Comic character, Poison Ivy.

NXT Superstar Valentina Feroz is “ready to call the shots!”

Former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly (Barbie Blank) spread her wings as an angel this year.

Former RAW Women’s Champion and Judgement Day’s Rhea Ripley continued her reign of darkness as a haunted clown this year.

Former Intercontinental Champion Ricochet and WWE announce Samanthan Irvine channeled Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf.

Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin paid homage to horror villain Chucky for Halloween.

Finally, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley dressed up as his longtime rival, The Undertaker.

The professional wrestling world awoke to great shock recently upon Pro Wrestling NOAH’s announcement of Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling the Great Muta at the start of next year.

On January 1st, 2023, Nakamura will battle the Great Muta, also known as Keiji Muto, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, amidst Muta’s ongoing retirement tour. The journey to confirm this match, however, wasn’t easy, as Nakamura is still under contract with WWE. An article with Tokyo Sports explained how exactly the dream match came together.

Upon Muto’s announcement of his upcoming retirement, the NOAH organization originally pitched Nakamura as an opponent for him. “Despite initially disagreements, they persistently negotiated with the new structure after the retirement of Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in July,” Tokyo Sports reported. Under the new leadership of WWE with the likes of Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, all parties finally managed to reach an agreement on October 26th. Therefore, Shinsuke Nakamura has permission from WWE to appear at NOAH for this special occasion.

The former Intercontinental Champion himself revealed that the match itself is “a miracle” despite the “people in WWE who pushed me back.”

Nakamura continued on to express his excitement for the match, as the two meet for the first time in 14 years. “Of course, I wanted to do it. It opened a door that no one had ever stepped into, or a door that no one had been able to pry open. Ha ha ha…, it’s the real ‘F?rbidden D??r’ (Forbidden Door),” Nakamura said.

A former Superstar made a surprise return to WWE this past Friday, and it looks like she’s here to stay.

The Australian veteran has officially signed with World Wrestling Entertainment, according to a report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. No additional details were given on her contract, such as the length, but we do know Emma is slated to join the SmackDown roster.

Emma returned to WWE on SmackDown last week, accepting a Smackdown Women’s Championship open challenge from “The Baddest Woman On The Planet,” Ronda Rousey. The two would battle back and forth before Rousey forced Emma to tap out from the armbar.

This marks Emma’s first appearance in five years, since her release in October 2017. Since then, she performed under her real name of Tenille Dashwood, notably competing in Ring of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling. Dashwood would claim the Knockouts Tag Team Championships earlier this year alongside Madison Rayne, before dropping the titles in June. Dashwood’s contract with IMPACT expired this summer, before she announced her free agency.

Now, Dashwood returns to Friday nights as Emma.

WWE published this video of Emma backstage after he return on SmackDown. Despite a loss to Rousey, she believes she learned from the match and is confident as she embarks on this new chapter of his career.

Former world champion boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson will return to All Elite Wrestling next week.

As announced on the October 28th edition of AEW Rampage, Tyson will once again appear on the Friday night show. Next week, Tyson will serve as a special guest commentator as AEW emanates from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

What Went Down During Mike Tyson’s Last AEW Appearance?

Tyson’s last AEW appearance occurred on April 7th, 2021 at Dynamite. There, Tyson bolted to the ring to fend off The Pinnacle as they attacked Chris Jericho. Tyson would lay a series of punches on “The Chairman” Shawn Spears before The Pinnacle members pulled him to safety. The Inner Circle then emerged, joining Tyson in the ring as The Pinnacle fled backstage. Tyson shared a hug with former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho as the two had seemingly patched things up from their previous encounters in the company.

Tyson also joined The Inner Circle in being named to Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s 2021 Faction of the Year. Since Tyson’s last appearance in AEW, though, Jericho has gone on to adopt a heel persona and formed the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Will Y2J and Iron Mike meet again? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

According to former WWE head-writer Brian Gewirtz, Vince McMahon once declared a WWE Superstar had picked the “worst name” he had ever heard. McMahon made his disdain for former Superstar Al Snow known during a conversation with Gewirtz many years ago.

First arriving to WWE in 1998, Al Snow widely made himself known for carrying around a mannequin head named “Head.” Amidst his run, Snow notably captured the European Championship, and acquired six Hardcore Championship reigns. In addition, he created a strong bond with writer, Brian Gewirtz — who went on to develop multiple creative pitches for Snow’s on-screen character.

Then WWE Chairmen Vince McMahon was not a fan of those repeated pitches, as Gewirtz recently revealed on Notsam Wrestling. Gewirtz said he fell into a common “trap” of “becoming friends with wrestlers too quickly,” that ultimately lead an outburst by Vince McMahon.

“There’s no name in professional wrestling worse than Al Snow.”

Vince McMahon

“In my case, I’m buddying up with Al Snow. I hit it off with him when we were shooting these vignettes with him and Steve Blackman back in the day. Al’s a great guy and he’s very funny and personable. I would push Al and Al Snow matches to the point of being very detrimental to Al himself because it’s like, ‘Oh, this fucking guy and his Al Snow obsession’ to the point where it was just like, ‘would you please stop pitching Al Snow?’

“I think the fact that I was pitching Al Snow so much probably, somewhere in Vince’s head as we were making a drive in the Carolinas, I think was like, ‘what is this guy’s obsession with Al Snow? Al Snow, [it’s a] stupid name anyway.’ Then just blurting out loud after the conversation about Al that ended 20 minutes ago, [he said] ‘there’s no name in professional wrestling worse than Al Snow.’”

I was like boy, ‘I have done a disservice to this person I’m trying to help,'” Gewirtz recalled.

Creative Pitches

Gewirtz continued on to discuss some of the ideas he initially pitched for Snow when he came on board as a writer:

“Al Snow, basically, he still had the ‘What Does Everybody Want?’ theme music and everything. But when I started, ‘Head’ was still part of his gimmick, but we were trying to do other things with him. That’s why the stuff with Steve Blackman, Head Cheese [happened]. I pitched the idea of him coming out in a different European outfit every time he was defending the [WWE] European title.

“Again, just to make it entertaining, it’s like a cold match between Al Snow and Viscera, let’s say, on SmackDown. ‘Well, what can we do?’Well, what if Al is celebrating Luxembourg because he is European Champion, All right. Then we like, ‘let’s get all these props and magic and let’s have them come out in lederhosen one day’ and all this type of thing. And Al always played it to the hill perfectly. In the midst of accidentally torpedoing his ending with Vince, that we could actually sneak in some good stuff along the way.”

Brian Gewirtz’s new book There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE is available now.

Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz has offered some insight into an on-screen segment that saw The Rock impersonate then WWF Champion Triple H.

In mid- February of 2000, Triple H and D-Generation X targeted the likes of Kane and Mick Foley, forcibly shoving them into their DX-Express travel bus on an episode of RAW. Later in the evening, the New Age Outlaws defended their WWF World Tag Team Championships against The Rock and The Big Show. However, The Rock ended up challenging for the titles alone.

Before the bout could conclude, The Big Show appeared to confront The Rock before the two traded punches. Billy Gunn and Road Dogg (The New Age Outlaws) would then join the Big Show in fending off The Rock. Soon after, “The World’s Largest Athlete” took hold of Rock, dragging and throwing him into the baggage compartment of the DX-Express. The Rock would eventually escape, surprising The Big Show with a slate of wood to the back of his head.

The following week, DX, along with Stephanie McMahon, gathered in the ring to brag about leaving Foley and Kane stranded. The Rock, however, was unamused with their celebration. In cutting off Triple H, “The People’s Champ” emerged to cut a promo, mocking the way “The Game” spoke.

Pitching The Idea

In speaking on NotSam Wrestling, former WWE head-writer Brian Gewirtz recently opened up about the meeting for the idea, which saw him in the same room with Triple H during the pitch.

“I think that was in 2000, and the stage being set for that with us coming up with the idea for the promo, me pitching to him doing the Triple H voice and then pitching it to Vince, which normally would be easy. But when we went into Vince’s office, which at the time this is pretty incredible to consider, the writing team was so small that the writers shared an office with Vince. The writers didn’t get their own little office until 2002.”

“We would share our office with Vince, so we would go in and at that time Triple H and all of DX and Stephanie [McMahon] were all there, and Rock was setting up the promo and he’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to love it, Hunter.’ I go in and [Rock says], ‘You know, Triple H, every time you open your mouth, you sound exactly like this.’ Then he stops and goes, ‘Brian, go ahead, do the voice.’”

As he was put on the spot with eight people, including the match producers, in the room, Gewirtz tried to avoid mimicking Triple H. “‘Well, you have to do it in TV. We should hear how you do it,'” he told The Rock. “He’s like, ‘But I’m learning from you when you do it.’”

WWE Chairmen Vince McMahon then proceeded to interject, saying ‘Damn it, Bryan, do the damn voice.'”

WWE has excelled through many eras in its history. From the famous Attitude Era, to Ruthless Aggression, to the New Era, World Wrestling Entertainment has garnered favorable success. Perhaps one of the more polarizing eras though, ran just over a year amidst the family-friendly format of the company: the Guest Host Era.

From June 29, 2009 until June 14, 2010, Monday Night RAW featured a special celebrity guest host each week. Ranging from backstage segments, to in-ring confrontations, to even booking Superstar matches, the guest host element would become a key feature to the weekly editions of RAW with the likes of Shaquille O’Neil, Betty White, and Bob Barker.

Despite the addition of some high-profile celebrities, former head writer Brian Gewirtz admitted his shock at how long the era actually survived. During a recent interview with Sam Roberts for his NotSam Wrestling podcast, Gewirtz opened up about this unique period in WWE history.

“It’s amazing that it lasted for over a full year, which is crazy to think about,” he began.

“I think everyone is kind of in agreement on the best shows from that era. Most people liked the Bob Barker episode a great deal. They liked Hugh Jackman. They liked Mike Tyson. Shaquille O’Neal was really good. Ozzy Osborne people liked, even Seth Green, when he kicked it off — that went really well.”

“It never should have been an era to begin with, but it did, and somehow we all survived.”

Brian Gewirtz continued on to reveal the original idea behind the era:

“The whole idea was born out of, how could we just take a break from the heel GM character? That segued into what if it was a different legend every week who was the GM? That’s when to what if it was a different celebrity every week? And then that turned into what if we’re just like Saturday Night Live only better?”

Memorable Guest Hosts

In naming some of the memorable guest hosts from the era, Gewirtz recalled meeting stand-up comedian Ken Jeong after he had tossed over the top rope by John Cena.

“I got to meet and become friends with Dr. Ken Jeong from the Jeremy Piven episode, who very bravely agreed to get himself thrown out of the ring from John Cena and was assured by everyone that he would be caught safely,” he said.” He was caught, but I don’t think he landed safely as his head smacked against the steel entrance way and he had to stitch himself up. hYat’s the thing, like the pacing, like waiting for Dr. Ken to come out, waiting for Ken to come out and going, ‘Oh my God, is he going to be pissed? I thought I had this brand new friend. Now he’s going to hate me. What’s going to happen? Is he going to badmouth WWE to everyone he knows in Hollywood, or is our reputation going to be sunk?’

Then he comes out and is just like so full of adrenaline and positive energy. He was like, ‘that was awesome,’ and apologizing to me like, ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t take that bump right.’ Like, again? No, I mean, personally, we’re glad you’re not suing all of us, but also glad that you’re okay and are happy about this.”

The Hoff Arrives To RAW

On April 12th, 2010, actor David Hasselhoff arrived in the United Kingdom to host RAW, later instructing David Otunga to face then WWE Champion John Cena. There, Brian Gewirtz explained how the Hasselhoff episode ultimately led to guest hosts no longer being allowed to book matches.

“When David Hasselhoff in the UK, when he had all these–Hasselhoff is great. At this point Dave Kapoor is one of the former writers, WWE, the former Ranjin Singh of the Great Khali fame. He’d come up to me because David is, as you know, the friendliest, most affable person, and he’s not faking it, he just is.”

“[Ranjin] come up to me and like, ‘Hey, Brian. Yeah, man. So Hasselhoff wants a group of people to be hanging out in the parking lot, chanting, Hoff, Hoff, Hoff! Then he gets out of his big truck and they follow him into the arena all the way in the ring, and they’re chanting Hoff!’ I’m like, ‘okay’ and then he’s got to somehow make the Intercontinental title match at SummerSlam. None of this makes sense anymore.”

The Hasselhoff show was when Vince [McMahon] finally said, okay, these guest hosts no longer have the power to make matches. They’re just going to be there, andthat’s when you saw like a turning point. That’s when it all started to wane a little bit, where it’s like they’d have their one segment, but it wouldn’t be like we’d go into their guest host office and then people would be arguing and they’d make a match and that kind of thing, because it was just a very, very unfair position to put them in, especially the non-wrestling fans who had to now learn all this exposition and ‘but it’s going to be a no disqualification match, but you got to remember it’s going to be taking place this Sunday night live on pay per view right now on the WWE Network’ and all that kind of thing.

“It’s like, I just want to come in and have fun. What am I doing here? I have so much information to give that ultimately, it kind of fizzled and then changed. And then it’s like, ‘Hey, if a celebrity happens to be on the show this week, great.’ But now they don’t have the onus of having to book matches and be in charge, and remember a lot of things, which is the way it should have been in the first place.”

Brian Gewirtz’s new book There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE is out now.

Sasha Banks has racked up another impressive accolade to her resume. Earlier this year, Banks and former WWE Superstar Kalisto launched Premier Kanndela Labs, a brand that develops a variety of CBD (Cannabidiol) wellness products.

It has not taken long for Kanndela to be recognized for its medical benefits. Kandella just won the Industry Newcomer Award at the World CBD Awards in Barcelona, Spain.

Here’s a clip of their win, courtesy of Cannabis Health Magazine:

Sasha Banks shared her excitement on social media. She feels “so beyond blessed” to be part of the cannabis industry. She thanked the scientists, doctors, engineers, lawyers and entrepreneurs who made the award possible and proclaimed, “Cannabis has changed my life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mercedes Varnado (@themercedesvarnado)

Sasha Banks & Kanndela CBD

Sasha Banks (Mercedes Varnado) spoke with  “Cannabis & Tech Today” Magazine over the summer and revealed that CBD helped her reduce her alcohol consumption and overcome depression and anxiety.

“Being a professional wrestler, it’s so draining,” she said. “It’s so, so hard. We’re never home. We’re always banged up and always hurt. And once I got introduced to CBD my life just fully, fully changed. I noticed that anxiety I would get, once I took CBD it all just dissipated. I started to feel like myself again.”

This led her to launch Kanndela CBD. According to the official Kanndela website:

“Kanndela was designed with peak performance and homeostasis in mind. We are confident our groundbreaking product, combining nutrition with the power of phytocannabinoid extracts, is a game changer in both the CBD and wellness industries!”

Banks has kept busy since quietly departing WWE earlier this year. In addition to the Kanndela CBD brand, she’s also walked the runaway at New York Fashion Week and appeared at the C2E2 convention.

Next week, she returns to television with a special appearance on the USA Network’s new series, Barmageddon (co-hosted by Nikki Bella).

Two new bouts have officially been added to the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel Premium Live Event.

As announced on the October 21st edition of SmackDown, Drew McIntyre revealed that he will be taking on rival Karrion Kross in a steel cage match. Following their grueling match at Extreme Rules and McIntyre’s attack on Kross last week, the two will now settle the score inside the steel structure on Saturday, November 5th.

A Colossal Collision Set For Crown Jewel

In addition, Braun Strowman appeared on SmackDown to confront Omos. Instead, Omos’ manager MVP emerged, warning Strowman to avoid his client. Strowman then challenged “The Nigerian Giant” to a match at Crown Jewel. Upon his subsequent arrival, Omos rattled “The Monster Among Men” after pushing him through the ring ropes.

Next, the two giants will clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in two weeks.

As of this writing, the updated lineup for Crown Jewel is as follows:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul
• Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
• The O.C. & AJ Styles vs. The Judgment Day
• Omos vs. Braun Strowman
• Steel Cage Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

WWE SmackDown will air on FS1 next Friday, October 28th, with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns set to return.

Candice LeRae shocked the WWE Universe when she returned to the company last month. Prior to her return, LeRae’s announced her pregnancy, prompting an extended absence from the company. In May, her contract with WWE expired, and she was then reassigned to the alumni section of WWE.com.

In August, her real-life husband Johnny Gargano returned to WWE in an appearance on Monday Night RAW. A month later, Candice LeRae herself made a surprise appearance, facing Nikki A.S.H. in a match on RAW, simultaneously making her official main roster debut. In a recent chat with MuscleManMalcolm, “The Poison Pixie” opened up about when plans formulated for their returns to the company.

“So Johnny and I both knew for sure about, I want to say a week before he debuted,” she revealed. “So I knew for a while. Keeping a secret was very very difficult. In this day and age there’s so much social media and so many things leaking and trying to keep a secret was really difficult. I think him being a secret was a little harder, me being a secret was easy but hard because I was going with him to train, I was his training buddy but we were just like ‘oh yeah I’m just training with him.’”

“I think people just weren’t expecting me to be ready to come back so soon, not even Triple H was ready. We said ‘hey, what do you think?’. He (Triple H) goes ‘oh okay’. Everybody’s been surprised, so I’m glad that in this day and age, we were able to be both genuine surprises. That’s awesome.”

Upon her return, LeRae does have some goals in mind, including two potential mixed tag team matches at WrestleMania. 

“I can tell you that my ultimate goal I would love, love, love to have a mixed tag match at WrestleMania,” she revealed, “with me and Johnny against, verses–I mean it could be anybody–but I’m just going to say there’s Edge and Beth, [that] would be pretty awesome. I keep putting this out there because I’m hoping. Then Seth [Rollins] and Becky [Lynch] would be really awesome too.”

Candice LeRae Wants The Way To Come Back

The former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion also wants to see the return of her former stable, The Way. The group formed in 2020 with LeRae, Gargano, Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell as core members. Dexter Lumis would serve as an extension of the faction, as Hartwell’s on-screen love interest, before the two later tied the knot on NXT television.

“I would like The Way to come back!” LeRae admitted. “We have Dexter now so we can [maybe re-form]. Theory can figure his life out and then we’ll get there, maybe. I hope.… what is he doing? He went away to college, has a job now and he’s better than all of us now.”

As previously mentioned, LeRae returned to in-ring competition for the first time since announcing her pregnancy and giving birth earlier this year. She continued on to explain what life is like now being on the road as a mother.

“It’s different leaving [home now],” she said. “I’m a homebody, I really like being home but obviously my job entails travel. We (herself and Gargano) wanted to make sure that we cherished every moment that we could with him (their son) once he was born, and that’s why we both just like ‘we’re taking time off’ and left it at that.”

“We’re hoping eventually to be able to bring him with us but we want to be able to kind of get ourselves used to it before we bring him. It is definitely different. There’s a lot more to think about like packing before I leave and trying to make sure he’s all situated. It’s a longer process to get ready but it’s worth it.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit MuscleManMalcolm and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

A new episode of Table for 3 premiered last week featuring an eclectic group of WWE Hall Of Famers. The series features legends reminiscing about their careers and memorable moments in wrestling history.

Airing on Peacock and the WWE Network (outside of the United States), the newest installment is titled “New Generation Gathering.” There, WWE Hall of Famers Jerry “The King” Lawler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Kane gathered to discuss the respective era of the company.

The New Generation’ era would roughly begin amidst WWE’s debut and introduction of Monday Night RAW in January 1993. The time period would extend to about 1997, a lead-in of sorts for the beloved Attitude Era in WWE. 

WWE posted a preview clip of the Table For 3 episode, taking a sneak peak at another previous persona of Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs). The video description reads:

“Kane looks back at his first foray into the business, portraying the “Christmas Creature”, in this sneak peek at the newest edition of Table for 3: New Generation Gathering.”

The month of October also marks Kane’s 25th anniversary in the company.

Before he was Kane, Jacobs would also embody the personas of Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel. Yankem would find himself aligned with Jerry Lawler during his tenure, in a storyline that rivaled Bret Hart. Lawler and Hart famously met in June of 1995 to compete in a “Kiss My Foot” match, which saw “The Hitman” take home the victory.

Former CEO Vince McMahon actually came up with the stipulation concept, as Lawler revealed in the episode. Coinciding with Lawler’s royalty gimmick, he often demanded the WWE Universe to “kneel down and kiss my royal feet”. Accordingly, McMahon sparked the “Kiss My Foot” match idea. Leading up to the bout, Lawler was instructed to disgust the audience with mention of his “hammer-toe”, “bunions”, and “calluses”. Bret Hart regarded Lawler as a “master heel” during the time, which made their work and the build to the match even more effective.

The newest Table for 3 episode is now available for streaming on Peacock and WWE Network.

Steve Maclin will compete in the first ever triple threat barbed wire massacre match in IMPACT Wrestling history this weekend at Victory Road. This event takes place from Nashville, Tennessee and airs live on IMPACT Plus.

Ahead of this grueling match, Maclin spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about his upcoming match at Victory Road, who he wants to see join IMPACT, working towards his psychology degree, preparing for his wedding with “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo, and more.

Here are some highlights of what Steve Maclin said about:

On Who He Wants To Join IMPACT Wrestling:

I would love to have [Wesley] Blake here, and it would be fun to share the locker room and the road again with him and for him to be able to show the world how good he actually is. Because I know a lot of people say he’s underrated, but he is and he’s one of the best in the world at what we do. I would love for him to showcase his talents here.

His Next Goals In IMPACT Wrestling:

“Obviously, after barbed wire massacre, my eyes are on either Josh Alexander or Eddie Edwards at Bound for Glory. Whoever comes out with that title, that’s what I’m gunning for, and I’ve been gunning for for a while. Personally, I hope Josh holds on to it. That’s, I think, the match that people are quietly talking about and thinking that’s going to happen, and I know at some point he and I will be in the ring, whether it’s for the title or not. That’s the one guy I’ve been wanting to work with personally and within IMPACT Wrestling.”

Working On His Psychology Degree:

“I originally wanted to get into Health Fitness when I first started college, when I got out of the Marine Corps at 25. Then I got into wrestling, so wrestling took over. Then as I’ve been growing, mental health has become a big thing amongst my friends in my area and dealing with that. Once I was let go by WWE, I was looking into jobs at the VA (Veterans Affair Medical Center). I was, ‘all right, well, maybe wrestling might be done.’ I don’t know. I don’t want it to be, but I need to pay the bills and help feed our family.”

“It’s a two way street for both of us. It’s not just one way. So we both work hard together. For Deonna [Purrazzo] and I, I looked into social working and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s something I would like to get into.’ But every application was like, Oh, you need a psychology degree or a degree in something.”

“So ‘Okay cool, maybe that’s my avenue down the road’ because not many veterans at the VA hospital I go to are social workers there or help there. So why not have somebody that’s experienced in it and can relate to you and be able to just sit and talk to somebody to get to know them and help them out however you can? Just be that voice.”

His Favorite Things About “The Virtuosa”, Deonna Purrazzo:

“For how she is in the ring and how she’s so glamorous and is the Virtuosa and loves the attention, I love that outside of the ring, she does not like attention. I don’t know if people know that she’s very–just wants to keep to herself and she doesn’t want to be the spotlight outside of the ring. It’s funny, and I think that’s just one of the quality traits that I love about her, too, just because that’s just who she is.

Victory Road & The Fallout will run this Friday September 23rd & Saturday September 24th from Nashville, Tennessee. The event will air live on IMPACT Plus at 8pm est / 7pm cst.

IMPACT Wrestling presents Lone Star Stampede this weekend from Dallas, Texas. The two-day television taping event will feature “The Quintessential Diva”, Gisele Shaw.

Ahead of the IMPACT tapings, Shaw spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about why 2022 was the right year for her to sign the company, her thoughts on Killer Kelly joining the Knockouts Division, her ring-gear inspirations, and more.

Here are some highlights of what Gisele Shaw said about:

Why Now Was The Right Time To Sign With IMPACT Wrestling After Previous Attempts From The Company:

“I just feel like before there were no opportunities. So I’ve been the kind of person where if there’s no opportunities, I’m going to create opportunities for myself. So that’s why I went to the U.K, I did that. I was hoping anyway. I was banking on them loving me and hopefully making me want to stay and keep me there, which they did. At the time, I just wanted to make a name for myself and learn that type of wrestling.

When IMPACT first came to me, I just was not ready because I didn’t really feel like I’ve accomplished what I needed to accomplish in the UK at the time. So when I’ve reached the pinnacle, as you would say, in the British scene, I felt like, ‘okay, what’s next? You know?’. Then it just so happened at the time, IMPACT Wrestling came back again and they go, ‘Are you ready now?’ I said, ‘Let’s go. This is the time’.”

On Killer Kelly Joining The Knockouts Division:

“I actually know Killer Kelly from the UK when we were both working in that scene. It’s so crazy because, the only time that we’ve actually wrestled was once in a four way and immediately we were like, ‘Oh man, I really want to wrestle you,’ and vice versa. We’ve just been waiting and waiting and watching her now at IMPACT [Wrestling].

She’s so incredible. When she comes out on her entrance, I tell everyone, ‘oh, my God. She’s such a vixen’. She’s just got this aura about her that’s just like, ‘yeah, I’m about to mess you up,’ you know what I mean? I don’t know. It’s just like something about her. It’s like that, Je ne sais quoi.”

Ring Gear Inspirations:

“So my ring gear, I like it to be inspired like Victoria’s Secret style. When I was growing up–so this is what I was when I was growing up. I always wanted to either be a Victoria’s Secret Angel or a professional wrestler. And you know what? I’m doing it both right now. Pretty much. Why not have the best of both worlds? And so, yeah, they [Victoria Secret Angels] do inspire me to [be] like sexy but confident, strong, independent woman, That’s what the Quintessential Diva is.”

The Lone Star Stampede will run this Friday August 26th & Saturday August 27th from Dallas, Texas. Tickets for the event can be found here.

Mickie James will be the special guest enforcer in IMPACT’s first ever Queen of the Mountain match this Sunday. The event takes place from Nashville, Tennessee and airs live on pay-per-view.

Ahead of this historic match, the former Knockouts Champion spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about her future in wrestling, being the special guest enforcer, wrestling Allie Katch at GCW Spring Break, and more.

• Order Impact Slammiversary 2022 now from FITE ($39.99)

Watch Ella Jay’s interview with Mickie James:

Here are some highlights on what Mickie James said about:

Her Future In Wrestling:

“For the last couple of months since I’ve lost the [Knockouts] championship, I just kind of had a reset moment, honestly, because to be honest, I’ve done so much in the last year and a lot of it was not expected.

I just had to sit in a moment of gratitude to go like, wow, this has been a lot’. But then like what is? Because that’s the question I keep getting. ‘What’s next? What are you going to do next?’ I really I don’t know. Obviously my focus and my intention is always to help women’s wrestling and do more for women’s wrestling. But other than that, I’m like, ‘gosh, what else can I do?’ So it’s been crazy.”

Being the Special Guest Enforcer in the Queen of The Mountain Match at Slammiversary:

“Slammiversary is like 20 years and when I remember when IMPACT first started and that was the birth of myself, a little Alexis Laree coming to the Fairgrounds and to kind of come home. And even a year ago, I came back to impact at Slammiversary because of the announcement of Empowerrr and all of these other things. And I think since that moment and moving forward between NWA and IMPACT, I’ve just been able to do so many amazing things and obviously it’s in Nashville is right down the road.

It’s back at the Fairgrounds where it all began, and it’s the first ever Queen of the Mountain match. That’s incredible. And I thought, Well, I’ve really wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t want to just insert myself in the matches, like be one of the competitors because all these girls have done so much to get to this moment. But I’d really like to have the best seat in the house, you know, and definitely watch it from in the thing and make sure there’s no shenanigans.”

Wrestling Allie Katch At GCW Spring Break

“I really, really like Allie Katch, and I think that she’s really presented herself and found her niche and her home there, which is GCW. But also she was over, she was super over there and it wasn’t just because obviously it was her hometown too, and it was cool for me to go into that environment because that was not my world and they were very open. I think that the crowd was really hot and excited, but they were very split in the match because they wanted Allie to win.”

“It was great, and she’s fantastic. I would hope to wrestle her again. And I can’t wait to see what more she does and can do, you know, in the world of wrestling, because she’s really unique and she’s fun and she’s exciting and she’s bad ass and she can wrestle her butt off. So it’s cool to see.”

Impact Wrestling presents Slammiversary live on pay-per-view this Sunday from the Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, TN.

Order Impact Slammiversary 2022 now from FITE ($39.99)