SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • 205 Live Highlights: Austin Aries Addresses His Future

    205 Live Highlights: Austin Aries Addresses His Future

    205 Live this week was from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Austin Aries made his first appearance since Extreme Rules, and an unfortunate angle from Raw was continued.

    205 Live
    June 13th 2017
    New Orleans, LA

    1. Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari

    • Alexander defeated Noam Dar on Raw, after Dar was distracted by his face-timing “fluffy button”, Alicia Fox. Daivari is coming off a win as well, having defeated Gran Metalik on Main Event.
    • Alexander was getting the upper hand when Noam Dar came down to ringside while again speaking to Alicia Fox through FaceTime. Dar’s phone was pictured on the big screen.
    • As Dar approached the ring, Cedric gave him a dropkick and took the phone. He hung up on Fox, then kicked out of a roll-up by Daivari.
    • After kicking out, Alexander hit the Lumbar Check and pinned Daivari.
    • He tried to tell Noam that things between them are over, but that doesn’t appear to be working for him.

    Winner: Cedric Alexander

    Austin Aries Addresses WWE Universe

    • Aries mentioned he has some injuries which will keep him out for awhile.
    • As he’s talking, “the Premiere Athlete” Tony Nese comes to ringside and starts running Aries down.
    • This brings out Jack Gallagher, who told Nese he was “no Austin Aries”.
    • Nese tried to attack Gallagher, but was thwarted, and thrown from the ring.

    2. Akira Tozawa vs. TJP

    • Earlier in the show, we saw Tozawa backstage with Titus O’Neil. The leader of the Titus brand was trying hard to recruit Tozawa.
    • TJP and Rich Swann spoke briefly before the match. Swann told TJP that he had started to make the 205 Live fans believe in him again (not sure that’s true).
    • Tozawa won with a series of german suplexes, followed by a diving Senton for the pin.

    Winner: Akira Tozawa

    • After the match, Titus O’Neil celebrated in the locker room, but was interrupted by Neville.
    • Neville said that Tozawa was only next in line for disappointment if he challenged him for the cruiserweight championship.
    • O’Neil told Neville, that Tozawa is the future of 205 Live.

  • Scheduled NXT Matches for Tonight: Asuka Defends Her Championship

    Scheduled NXT Matches for Tonight: Asuka Defends Her Championship

    This week NXT is from Full Sail University, as we countdown to Takeover: Brooklyn III. The event will be held the night before SummerSlam, on August 19th, inside the Barclay’s Centre.

    Tonight as many as 6 matches will take place, including an NXT Women’s championship title defence.

    Matches for NXT Tonight:

    Unless NXT airs some matches out of order (which has happened before) these should be the matches which air tonight:

    • Kassius Ohno vs. Aleister Black
    • Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce w/Billie Kay
    • the Velveteen Dream vs. Raul Mendoza
    • Drew McIntyre vs. Rob “Terra” Ryzin
    • the Authors of Pain vs. Local Talent
    • NXT Women’s Championship Match
      Triple Threat, Elimination Rules
      Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross (Sanity) 
  • Finn Balor Speaks on “the Demon”, Reforming the Club, and His Unique Ab Workout

    Finn Balor Speaks on “the Demon”, Reforming the Club, and His Unique Ab Workout

    Finn Balor recently spoke with the Australian media, and indicated he was available to wrestle at this year’s WrestleMania.

    Additionally, Balor spoke of why he hasn’t wrestled as the demon in quite a while, and his pursuit to recapture the Universal championship.

    Finn Balor Interview Highlights

    On why he deserves a shot at the Universal title:

    “Perhaps considering the fact I never actually lost the Universal Title, maybe at some point I’ll be granted a rematch — maybe against Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar,”

    On his decision to finish the match at SummerSlam:

    “Obviously I hit the deck, my shoulder was out of place and it was kind of a make or break moment. Do you call for the doctor, abandon the match, be the guy who is forever remembered as the guy who blew an opportunity at Summerslam? Or with your left hand reach down, grab your right arm, pull it back into place and go and finish the match?

    I wasn’t about to sacrifice many years of hard work for a little bit of a scratch on the shoulder.

    Obviously it turned out a lot worse than first expected, but the show must go on and I’m glad I did what I did.”

    On missing this year’s WrestleMania:

    “It was quite an interesting scenario, because the reality was I actually was fit and I was ready and I was back wrestling, there was just no space on the card at WrestleMania,” Balor revealed.

    “Obviously I had done my part in the rehabilitation, but it was kind of too late situating anything to do with the card. There was literally no space left, no opponents left, that was the reality of it.”

    On the Demon character:

    “The Demon character is something I draw on occasion. It’s something that requires a lot of focus to tap into and really requires the right situation for me to sort of draw on that darker side of my personality.

    Since I’ve been back on Raw, the opportunity hasn’t really presented itself to tap into that side and I’ve had such a good time being back I haven’t wanted to change.

    I quite like walking out in my sweet new Balor club jacket. popping my collar and being Mr Cool.”

    On Reforming the (Bullet) Club in WWE:

    “To me it was a moment in time. That moment for me was four years ago. A lot has changed in those four years.

    Myself, Luke, Karl have a lot of history together and AJ (Styles) is on Smackdown, the possibility of perhaps reuniting in the future, sure it’s tasty to a lot of people. I think individually right now we’re all stronger on our own paths.

    Maybe that will change in the future. We may need to reassemble the troops, but for now I think we’re all doing fine.”

    On how to get great abs:

    “It’s a very simple answer, how to get my abs so defined. I have a very healthy diet of a lot of laughter. If you laugh all the time, you’re consistently flexing your abdominals all the time.

    You can be doing abs all day long. Watch a lot of comedy, listen to funny TV shows and podcasts and have a general positive outlook on life and Bob’s your uncle.”

    The full interview can be read here.

  • Bullet Club Release “Paid Advertisement” For NJPW Los Angeles Shows

    Bullet Club Release “Paid Advertisement” For NJPW Los Angeles Shows

    In the late 90s, the old NWO faction would release “paid advertisements” on Nitro. Bullet Club is now doing the same in NJPW.

    The faction has been the focal point of NJPW’s marketing strategy for their July 1st and 2nd shows in L.A, and have now released the following video:

    Bullet Club at NJPW G1 L.A Special

    Somewhat surprisingly, Cody will receive an IWGP heavyweight title shot on night 1 of the 2-night event. At Dominion, Cody defeated Michael Elgin in what turned out to be a pretty important match.

    The rest of the announced lineup so far:

    NJPW July 1st 2017 Lineup

    1. the Briscoes, Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale, the Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
    2. Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
    3. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
      Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    4. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
      Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, Jay White & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
    6. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
      Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)
    7. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
      Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
    8. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
      Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

    NJPW July 2nd 2017 Lineup

    1. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships
      the Young Bucks (c) (CHAOS) vs. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS)
    2. IWGP Intercontinental Championship
      Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn
    3. U.S Championship Tournament Semi-Finals & Finals
  • John Hennigan and Taya Valkyrie Engaged

    John Hennigan and Taya Valkyrie Engaged

    37 year-old John Hennigan, now known to Lucha Underground fans as Johnny Mundo, has proposed to girlfriend, Taya Valkyrie.

    Hennigan announced the couple’s engagement on social media recently:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVTsZKCDRja/?hl=en

    Johnny Mundo and Taya

    Mundo and Taya wrestle for Lucha Underground and AAA Lucha Libre in Mexico. Taya is the longtime Reina de Reinas champion, and Hennigan holds AAA’s top 3 singles titles as well as the LU championship.

    The real-life couple were put together in Lucha Underground as part of Mundo’s “World Wide Underground” stable. On last week’s episode, Taya informed Mundo he would be defending his title against Rey Mysterio Jr. next.

    Kira Renee Forster, better known as Taya, trained with Lance Storm in Calgary, and began competing in Mexico in 2012. She debuted in Lucha Underground last year

  • Lucha Underground Announces Brackets for the Cueto Cup

    Lucha Underground Announces Brackets for the Cueto Cup

    On last week’s episode of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto announced “the Cueto Cup”. The single elimination tournament will determine who willchallenge the champion at Ultimate Lucha 3.

    Also announced last week, is that Johnny Mundo will defend his LU championship against Rey Mysterio Jr. on the same night the winner of the Cueto Cup is determined (an exact date has not been given as of yet).

    Cueto Cup Brackets

    Group A:

    Aerostar
    vs.
    Drago

    Pentagon Dark
    vs.
    Argenis

    the Mack
    vs.
    Mala Suerte

    Famous B
    vs.
    Texano

    Group B:

    Cage
    vs.
    Vinnie Massaro

    Mascarita Sagrada
    vs.
    Pindar

    Marty “the Moth”
    Vs.
    Saltador

    Fenix
    Vs.
    Mariposa

    Group C:

    Vibora
    Vs.
    Paul London

    Veneno
    Vs.
    Mil Muertes

    Jeremiah Crane
    Vs.
    Killshot

    Joey Ryan
    Vs.
    Taya

    Group D:

    Sexy Star
    Vs.
    PJ Black

    Ricky Mandel
    Vs.
    Prince Puma

    El Dragon Azteca Jr.
    Vs.
    Dante Fox

    Son of Havoc
    Vs.
    ???

    Semi Finals:
    Winner of Group A vs. Winner of Group C
    Winner of Group B vs. Winner of Group D

  • 4 Matches Announced for Tonight’s Smackdown Live!

    4 Matches Announced for Tonight’s Smackdown Live!

    Tonight’s episode of Smackdown Live! will emanate from the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans. The city will also host next year’s WrestleMania.

    Matches Announced For Smackdown

    • AJ Styles, Sami Zayn & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin & Dolph Ziggler
    • New Day & Breezeango vs. the Usos & the Colons
    • Tamina vs. Naomi
    • Charlotte vs. Natalya

    Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton are also scheduled to have a face-to-face confrontation on the show.

  • The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega Post “Harmful Ribs” on Masa, Flip Gordon

    The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega Post “Harmful Ribs” on Masa, Flip Gordon

    In the latest edition of the Elite’s Youtube series “Being the Elite”, Omega and the Young Bucks play a “harmful rib” on Masa. They also welcome Flip Gordon to the Ring of Honor roster.

    Cody and Frankie Kazarian also appear on this episode:

    Being the Elite

    The Bucks and Omega have now posted 57 episodes of the show, which often includes other members of Bullet Club.

    Flip Gordon, who took part in Ring of Honor tapings back in June, only started his career back in 2015.

    The Young Bucks recently won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championships at Dominion, and are scheduled to defend those titles against former champions, Roppongi Vice, at the NJPW Los Angeles show on July 1st. The Bucks are also ROH tag team champions, and will most likely face War Machine soon.

    Kenny Omega most recently wrestled to a time limit draw with Okada at Dominion. He is scheduled to participate in the IWGP U.S Championship tournament on July 1st and 2nd.

  • Main Event Taping Spoilers

    Main Event Taping Spoilers

    Last night, WWE was in the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA, and taped two matches for Main Event prior to Raw. Curtis Axel went one-on-one with Curt Hawkins, and in cruiserweight action Gran Metalik faced Ariya Davairi.

    Main Event Taping Results

    1. Curtis Axel defeated Curt Hawkins
      Axel improved his post-WrestleMania televised record to 2W-2L in singles matches, and 0-1 in tag-team matches. Axel’s last match on Raw, aside from a Battle Royal, was in December.
      For Hawkins, the loss drops him to 0-10 in televised matches since WrestleMania. He holds the rare distinction of being able to say he’s lost on Raw, Smackdown, NXT and Main Event in the last few months.
    2. Ariya Davairi defeated Gran Metalik
      Metalik is on a real losing streak, having dropped his last 4 televised matches, 3 on Main Event, and 2 on 205 Live.
      Davairi ended a 3 match losing streak in televised singles matches with the win.  
  • Samoa Joe, Paul Heyman, and Others Comment on Raw Opening Segment

    Samoa Joe, Paul Heyman, and Others Comment on Raw Opening Segment

    Last night’s Raw from the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA opened with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. They addressed Joe’s attack on Heyman from last week. This brought out Joe and led to a pull-apart that has garnered strong reactions from fans and those in the pro-wrestling community.

    Highlights of the segment have already been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube:

    Reactions to Samoa Joe/Brock Lesnar Segment

    https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/874421255243309056

    Brock Lesnar defends his Universal Championship against Samoa Joe in Dallas on July 9th.

  • Kazuchika Okada Ties the Great Muta, Moves Closer to Tanahashi’s Record

    Kazuchika Okada Ties the Great Muta, Moves Closer to Tanahashi’s Record

    NJPW held their second biggest show of the year Sunday from Osaka. 7 title matches took place at the event, including a 60-minute time limit draw between Kenny Omega and IWGP heavyweight champion, Kazuchika Okada.

    While he only retained his title on a time limit draw, Okada has now tied the Great Muta’s tally of total IWGP heavyweight title defences, and is moving closer to the all-time record.

    IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada

    Title Defences (current reign): 6
    Title Defences (all-time): 19
    Title Reigns: 4
    Total Days as Champion: 1,154

    Only 5 other wrestlers have ever had title reigns of equal or greater length in terms of title defences: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, Yuji Nagata, Shinya Hashimoto, and Tatsumi Fujinami. 

    Tanahashi holds the record for most title defences in a single reign, when he had 11 from 2012 to 2013.

    The title defence Sunday moved Okada into a tie with the Great Muta for 3rd most title defences all-time with 19. Should Okada defeat Cody on July 1st in L.A, he would tie Shinya Hashimoto for 2nd with 20 title defences. Tanahashi is again the leader in this category with 28.

    Greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champions of All-Time:

    1. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 7 Title Reigns – 28 Title Defences
    2. Shinya Hashimoto – 3 Title Reigns – 20 Title Defences
    3. the Great Muta – 4 Title Reigns – 19 Title Defences
    4. Kazuchika Okada – 4 Title Reigns – 19 Title Defences
    5. Tatsumi Fujinami – 6 Title Reigns – 13 Title Defences
    6. Yuji Nagata – 2 Title Reigns – 12 Title Defences
    7. Kensuke Sasaki – 5 Title Reigns – 9 Title Defences
    8. Shinsuke Nakamura – 3 Title Reigns – 9 Title Defences
    9. Riki Choshu – 3 Reigns – 5 Title Defences
    10. Big Van Vader – 3 Reigns – 4 Title Defences

    Antonio Inoki, the company’s 1st champion, held the title just the once, and defended it 4x.

  • Daniel Bryan Already Teaching Birdie Joe Wrestling Moves

    Daniel Bryan Already Teaching Birdie Joe Wrestling Moves

    Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are 1 month into parenthood, and Bryan is already teaching their newborn daughter some wrestling holds.

    The Bella Twins’ official YouTube video posted the following video earlier today:
    (skip to the 3:00 mark for his comments about wrestling holds he is teaching her)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfPitsis7Qc&feature=youtu.be

    Daniel Bryan’s Future Wrestling Career?

    While he may be currently spending his time training Birdie Joe, there continues to be speculation regarding Daniel Bryan’s in-ring career. While Bryan has retired from WWE, and likely will never receive clearance to perform in the company again, he hasn’t closed the door on his career altogether.

    Speaking to Inside the Ropes wrestling, Bryan had the following to say regarding an in-ring return:

    “Yeah. I understand why they (WWE) won’t let me wrestle. It’s a liability thing. It’s also they’re trying to protect me and that sort of thing. But there’s good reason to believe that I should be able to wrestle…so we’ll see in a year and a half (when his WWE contract expires) what happens.”

    Bryan’s contract with WWE is set to expire in the 2nd half of 2018.

  • WWE Announces Opening Segment for Tonight’s RAW

    WWE Announces Opening Segment for Tonight’s RAW

    WWE has announced which segment will open tonight’s episode of Raw. There are four episodes of Monday Night Raw until the brand’s “Great Balls of Fire” PPV in Dallas, on July 9th.

    Recently, WWE announced which segment will open tonight’s Raw from the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, LA.

    Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar

    Samoa Joe won the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules match 8 days ago from Baltimore to earn the next Universal Championship title shot. This set the stage for last week’s Raw, when Samoa Joe attacked Brock Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman.

    Samoa Joe sent out the following earlier today:

  • NJPW Announces Lineup for July 1st L.A Show, Tournament Brackets Revealed

    NJPW Announces Lineup for July 1st L.A Show, Tournament Brackets Revealed

    The most important shows in NJPW’s global expansion plan take place July 1st and July 2nd in Los Angeles.

    With yesterday’s Dominion show concluded, the promotion announced the full lineup for Night 1 and a partial lineup for Night 2 of the short American tour.

    NJPW July 1st 2017 Lineup

    1. the Briscoes, Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale, the Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
    2. Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
    3. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
      Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    4. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
      Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, Jay White & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
    6. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
      Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)
    7. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
      Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
    8. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
      Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

    NJPW July 2nd 2017 Lineup

    1. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships
      the Young Bucks (c) (CHAOS) vs. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS)
    2. IWGP Intercontinental Championship
      Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn
    3. U.S Championship Tournament Semi-Finals & Finals
  • WWE Posts Video of Ricky Morton at the Performance Centre

    WWE Posts Video of Ricky Morton at the Performance Centre

    WWE recently brought in 1/2 of one of the greatest tag teams of all time, the Rock N Roll Express, into the WWE Performance Centre.

    60 year old, Ricky Morton, who only wrestled briefly in WWE, dropped by the centre last month, and WWE has now posted the footage:

    State of Tag-Team Wrestling

    Tag-team wrestling has gone through its ups and downs throughout the years. Lately however, there seems to be a renewed interest in the division. With teams like the Hardyz, the Revival and the Young Bucks generating fan interest, tag-team wrestling is on an up-swing.

    When last we saw the Rock N Roll Express in action, they were part of “Tag Team Apocolypto” on Impact. The Hardyz are long time fans of the team.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDIhQ4nPUU

  • ROH Weekly Report and TV Results: Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page

    ROH Weekly Report and TV Results: Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page

    Ring of Honor held TV tapings this weekend in Chicago. Those episodes will probably not begin airing until after the “Best in the World” PPV on June 23rd.

    This week, ROH TV was once again from Philadelphia, having been taped the night after the War of the Worlds PPV. The main event for the show was Adam Cole taking on Bullet Club’s Hangman Page. Next week, Kushida defends the TV title against the newest member of Bullet Club, Marty Scurll.

    ROH War of the Worlds UK Tour

    This week ROH announced some of the talent that will be appearing on their UK tour from August 18-20 in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh.

    ROH wrestlers announced for the tour so far:

    • Jay Briscoe
    • Mark Briscoe
    • Jay Lethal
    • Christopher Daniels
    • the Young Bucks
    • Frankie Kazarian

    CMLL luchadors announced for the tour so far:

    • Atlantis
    • Rey Bucanero
    • Ultimo Guerrero
    • Mistico

    Revolution Pro Wrestling stars are also expected to participate on the tour.

    Ring of Honor Television This Week

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frayd9GvWD0

    ROH TV
    air date: June 6th 2017 (Fite App)
    Philadelphia, PA

    1. Will Ferrara & Cheeseburger vs. War Machine 

    • War Machine will defend their IWGP Heavyweight tag team championships this weekend at Dominion, against the Guerrillas of Destiny.
    • Ferrara and Cheeseburger did get some offence in, but for the most part they were overpowered by War Machine here.
    • Hanson backflipped Cheeseburger into the air and Rowe caught him and gave him a sit-down power-bomb. The move got a big pop from the crowd, and an even bigger one when Cheeseburger kicked out at 2.
    • Burger began to make a comeback after, using the palm strike he learned from Jushin Liger.
    • He went off the ropes but was caught by Hanson who threw him high in the air, then Rowe caught him and power slammed him and got the 3-count.

    Winners: War Machine

    • After the match, War Machine cut a promo about how Philly is an important wrestling town, and an important town for War Machine.
    • They said they want the titles, and said the Young Bucks were next.
    • The Young Bucks, currently hold the ROH tag team championships, and will challenge Roppongi Vice for the IWGP Jr. heavyweight tag team titles at Dominion this weekend.

    2. Bushi, Sanada, EVIL, and Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables) vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe, Bully Ray and Dalton Castle

    • This 8-man tag involved NJPW’s 6-man tag team champions (Sanada, Bushi, Evil), and ROHs (Briscoes & Bully Ray).
    • The finish of the match came when Bully Ray called for the Briscoes & Castle to get the tables. Castle then began to get really into doing the “Get the Tables” part, when the Boys pushed him out of the ring to avoid an attack from Bushi.
    • Bushi then hit Jay Briscoe with the poison mist and Naito rolled him up for a 3-count.

    Winner: Los Ingobernables

    • After the match Bully Ray got in Castle’s face. The Briscoes and Bully Ray blamed Castle for the boys pushing him out of the way of Bushi’s attack, putting Jay in the path of the poison mist.
    • The Briscoes chased the Boys and Dalton Castle away from ringside. Perhaps there is something building there.

    3. Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

    • After a fairly even match, the finish to the match began when Cole hit a flipping piledriver (Canadian destroyer) to Page on the outside.
    • Cole rolled him into the ring and looked to do the move again, but Page countered it into the Right of Passage piledriver. Cole kicked out at 2.
    • Page then hit Cole with a big lariat, and gave him the Right of Passage again. This time he got a 3-count.

    Winner: Hangman Page

    • After the match, Page looked to attack Cole some more, but Kazarian ran out to make the save.
  • Miz & Maryse Selling Los Angeles Home

    Miz & Maryse Selling Los Angeles Home

    According to Forbes, reigning Intercontinental champion The Miz and his wife Maryse are selling their Los Angeles based home.

    The property is currently listed at $3.65 million, and includes 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. It is 4,500 square feet and includes a basketball court and a swimming pool.

    The Miz’s IC Title Run

    As reported here earlier this week, the Miz recently moved into sole possession of 2nd most IC title wins, with 7. He is now only behind Chris Jericho, who has won the title 9 times.

    Miz is also on pace to eventually become one of the all-time greatest Intercontinental champions in terms of days spent as champion. He is now less than 100 days away from moving into 3rd place on that list, and the most of any wrestler since the 1980s.

  • Kurt Angle Says He is “Dreaming of Wrestling” Finn Balor

    Kurt Angle Says He is “Dreaming of Wrestling” Finn Balor

    WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently sat down for an interview with UK media outlet Metro. RAW’s General Manager opened up about his past addictions, his current role and who he would like to face if he ends up wrestling in WWE. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

    Opponents he’d like to wrestle in WWE:

    “There are a lot of great athletes in WWE right now so I’m not going to be too choosy. I’d love to go another round with Brock Lesnar or Triple H or even John Cena again, but there is a lot of talent I really enjoy watching.

    AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Sheamus, I love Rusev and I’d love to get my hands on Finn Balor. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know how long Kurt Angle will last, but I’m going to go as long as I can as long as I stay healthy.

    I’m not here to do a one-off and ride off into the sunset, I’m here to help contribute to the company, whether it be one, two or five years.”

    Not Recognizing Finn Balor:

    “I’ve known Finn for ten years because I was wrestling over in Japan when he was there. I remember him as this young kid with a Justin Bieber style haircut with the hair spinning all over his head.

    When I came back to WWE, I didn’t even know he was the same person. He said hi to me a couple of months ago and I just said hi back and walked past him. He was like ‘you don’t remember me do you?’ and I was like you’re the kid from Japan!”

    The Possibility of Wrestling Balor: 

    “He’s on top of the world, one of the top three guys right now and he’s just started. Being able to do a program with him would be awesome.

    I’m sure he dreamed of wrestling me back then, now I’m dreaming of wrestling him.”

    The full interview can be read here. 

  • Road Dogg Mentions Which NXT Stars He Wants on Smackdown

    48-year old Brian Girard James, better known to wrestling fans as Road Dogg, appeared on X-Pac’s 12360 Podcast.

    Previously on the show, Pac mentioned that Road Dogg currently has creative control of Smackdown, and Vince is “letting him have the wheel”.

    Highlights of Road Dogg on X-Pac’s Show

    On Which NXT Stars He’d Love to Have on Smackdown:
    “I would love to have Asuka. I think she is a huge star down at NXT and I think she can be an even huger star at the next level. So I’d love to have her.

    I love Bobby Roode as a human being known him for years in TNA and nowhere (WWE) too you know it’s weird to say but AJ Styles is just getting better and better so I’m really really glad to have gotten him and to have kept him.

    I like those Authors of Pain. They’re a big young group of guys really willing to learn and willing to perform, and they’re just getting better and better. Their instincts are good, their timing is good for a couple of big dudes. It seems like everyone down there is doing really well. You know I was really glad to get Tye Dillinger he’s a great guy.”

    On Women’s Money in the Bank Match:
    “It was an easy thing to want to do it but then we got to think about okay well dang what if one of these girls gets hurt on this ladder match what if something happens and is that on me? So it was a big talk with the girls to make sure that they were all game for it and of course, they were. It’s all about making history now.”

    On MITB Going Between Brands:
    “At this point, it’s going to be solely for SmackDown and so that’s the decision that was made and I think that’s okay because we want to keep the integrity of the brand extension.”

  • Reby Hardy Gives Birth to Second Child: Epic Baby Name

    Reby Hardy Gives Birth to Second Child: Epic Baby Name

    The Hardy Family grew by one member early this morning, as Reby Hardy gave birth to the couple’s second son. The couple have named the child Wolfgang X Hardy.

    Between Birdie Joe Danielson and Wolfgang X Hardy, it has been an interesting year for wrestler baby names.

    https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/873106684754788352

    The Hardy Family Grows

    We first learned that Reby Hardy was pregnant again at the end of “Total Non-stop Deletion” back in December. Most recently, Matt Hardy missed Raw this week, possibly due to wanting to be at home for the pending birth of his child.

    The Hardyz recently lost the Raw tag team championships in a steel cage match against Sheamus & Cesaro at Extreme Rules.

  • Kenny Omega Promises Something Different at Dominion

    Kenny Omega faces Kazuchika Okada this weekend in Osaka, Japan for the IWGP heavyweight championship. It is a rematch from their highly-praised Tokyo Dome match at WrestleKingdom.

    Omega wrote an article for Sports Illustrated recently, and spoke about the importance of not falling into patterns.

    Kenny Omega’s Letter to Fans

    On his health heading into Dominion:
    “Okada and I had the most recent Best of the Super Juniors tour off (partially), and it’s done wonders for my health both physically and mentally. Even though it has only been a few weeks, I’ve made improvements to my physique, healed various nagging injuries, and found new sources of inspiration for future matches.”

    On his rematch with Okada being “different”:
    “As for the next match with Okada, I’ve mentioned previously that I hope to create something very different in feeling from the Tokyo Dome match. It would actually be easy to copy the old formula for an easy 4.5+ match rating, but I’ve never been one to follow patterns for the sake of a standalone rating and/or reaction.”

    On his relationship with the Young Bucks:
    “Speaking of the Young Bucks, they’ll be here this weekend and we plan to tear the house down at the Road to Dominion show in the main event on June 9 against Okada, Rocky Romero, and Beretta. Of course, they’ll corner me on June 11 as well (not to mention film a few Being the Elite’s, as well). Those guys mean the world to me, and no matter how much negativity surrounds me, their support and positivity help me be the best Kenny Omega that I can possibly be.”

    The full article can be read here. 

  • WWE Posts Video From Titus O’Neil’s Recent TED Talk

    WWE Posts Video From Titus O’Neil’s Recent TED Talk

    WWE recently posted video highlights of Titus O’Neil’s TED Talk. The video was shot at UCLA University on May 20th. Amongst other topics, Titus was said to speak of “the domino effect of advocacy”.

    Titus O’Neil

    40 year old, Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr, has been with the WWE since 2009. Before then he was a standout college football player for the University of Florida, and then spent a few seasons in the Arena Football League.

    He cracked the main roster in 2012 as part of the Prime Time Players. As of late he is currently the proprietor of the Titus Brand, and seems to be managing Apollo Crews.

  • Hideo Itami Comments on Rumours He’s Going Back to Japan

    Hideo Itami Comments on Rumours He’s Going Back to Japan

    Earlier this month, rumours began to circulate that NXT star, Hideo Itami, was going back to Japan. Itami addressed the rumours in a segment that aired on NXT.

    Hideo Itami

    36 year old, Kenta Kobashi, changed his ring name to Hideo Itami when he debuted in NXT in 2014. He has battled injury problems in the 2.5 years he’s been with the company.

    Itami made a name for himself in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah from 2000 to 2013. He wrestled a tryout at the Performance Centre in January of 2014, and was signed shortly afterwards. He would debut at NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way in September of that year.

  • NXT Highlights: No Way Jose vs. Killian Dain, Itami & Ohno Rivalry continues…

    NXT Highlights: No Way Jose vs. Killian Dain, Itami & Ohno Rivalry continues…

    NXT
    June 7th 2017
    Full Sail University

    1. Heavy Machinery vs. Lars Sullivan & Victor Andrews

    • No highlights were posted for this match.
    • Sullivan was taking it to Heavy Machinery when Andrews begged to be tagged in.
    • Andrews was promptly destroyed by both members of Heavy Machinery.
    • They finished Andrews off with the Compactor.

    Winners: Heavy Machinery

    • After the match Sullivan lost it and attacked Andrews.
    • He slammed him a few times and locked him a modified Torture Rack like move.

    Roderick Strong Promo

    • Strong talked about how he opened up to the fans about his story and how much he appreciated their support.
    • Strong then said he wants the NXT championship.
    • This brought out Bobby Roode, who ran down Strong and his family.

    3. Peyton Royce vs. Sarah Logan

    • No highlights posted for this match either.
    • Billy Kay was on the outside giving her partner instructions.
    • Royce got some boos from the crowd for doing the 3 Amigos suplexes, only she modified it by changing the 3rd suplex into a death valley driver.
    • Logan did get some offence, including a near fall after a running knee.
    • Royce finished her off with a fishermen’s suplex shortly after for the win however.

    Winner: Peyton Royce

    4. Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan

    • Itami, who snapped at Kassius Ohno backstage at Takeover, continued to show heel-ish tendencies in this match.
    • After Lorcan got a surprising amount of offence, Itami cut him off and gave him the GTS.
    • Itami didn’t pin him however, he picked him up and gave him another one.
    • He looked like he was going for a 3rd when Kassius Ohno ran down and prevented him.
    • The two argued and shoved each other before Itami left the ring.
    • Commentary said the ref threw the match out.

    No Contest

    5. Killian Dain (Sanity) vs. No Way Jose

    • The other members of Sanity left ringside at the start of this match.
    • Dain got the bulk of the offence and finished Jose off with Ulster Plantation.
    • It was his 1st singles match on NXT television. It looks like Dain is in line for a push.

    Winner: Killian Dain

  • Lucha Underground Recap: the “Cueto Cup” is Announced

    Lucha Underground Recap: the “Cueto Cup” is Announced

    Lucha Underground was back this week for their 2nd episode to season 3 pt II. Last week, Johnny Mundo and the Mack fought to a 3-3 draw in an “All-Night Long” match (basically Iron Man rules). Dario Cueto however, ruled that the match must continue under sudden death rules this week.

    Lucha Underground
    S03E21
    Boyle Heights, Los Angeles

    • In the back we see a video of Prince Puma staring into a mirror. Images of Vampiro, and having been locked in a coffin flash. Rey Mysterio walks in and says he’s worried about him, and not to trust Vampiro. Puma says no one is his master, and that includes Rey Mysterio.
    • Puma leaves, and a ghostly image of Vampiro appears in the mirror. He tells Mysterio to stay away from Puma. Rey punches and shatters the mirror to end the scene.

    1. Lucha Underground Championship Match
    Johnny Mundo (c) vs. the Mack

    • Before the match Dario Cueto came out and announced it would be a Falls Count Anywhere match.
    • Mack dominated early. He hit a Samoan drop, standing moonsault, and clothesline in the corner.
    • The match then moved to the outside where Mack still got most of the offence. He body slammed Mundo into a pile of chairs, and hit a cannonball while Mundo was sitting in the 3rd or 4th row of seats.
    • Mundo then fled throughout the crowd.
    • Ricky Mandel came out and interfered, which allowed Mundo to go on offence. Hit hit a dividing corkscrew like move from the guardrail. Mandel asked Mundo what he needed, to which Mundo replied “a chainsaw”.
    • Mandel couldn’t find a chainsaw but did start to bring over a trash can when Sexy Star came out and took him out.
    • Mack got back on offence, but then PJ Black came out from under the ring and hit him in the head with a kendo stick. Mack ended up giving Black a stunner on the apron, causing him to fall through a table.
    • Mundo was able to go back on offence afterwards. He hit a running knee strike before going for the End of the World. Mack got his knees up and then hit a sit down power-bomb for a near-fall.
    • Mack looked as though he was going to try and power-bomb Mundo through the pile of chairs on the outside, but Taya pulled Mundo into the ring. Shortly after, Mundo hit a sunset flip power-bomb to Mack, who was on the apron at the time, sending him into the pile of chairs. Mundo got the 3-count afterwards to retain his title.

    Winner: Johnny Mundo

    • Dario Cueto announced the “Cueto Cup”, which will be awarded to the winner of a single elimination tournament. The winner will receive a Lucha Underground Championship match at Ultima Lucha 3.
    • He also announced that Johnny Mundo would defend his Lucha Underground championship against Rey Mysterio Jr. on the same night of the Cueto Cup finals.

    2. Lucha Underground Trios Championships
    Aerostar, Fenix, & Drago (c) vs. the Reptile Tribe 

    • Most of this match seemed to involve Aerostar taking out the smaller reptile character. Neither Kobra Moon or Drago tagged in for their teams until the end.
    • The Giant Viper like reptile took out Fenix with a tombstone on the outside.
    • Aerostar went to tag Drago, but Drago hit him with the poison green mist.
    • Drago then walked over to the other corner, and tagged in for the Reptile team.
    • Drago hit Aerostar with a splash and pinned him.
    • Evidently, Drago had been on the Reptile team all along, and was doing the bidding of Kobra Moon.
    • They celebrated with the titles, as Moon attached a collar around Drago’s neck.

    Winners: the Reptile Tribe (new champions)

    • In the back Taya tells Johnny Mundo that he will have to defend the title against Rey Mysterio.
    • Mundo says he’ll have to train harder than he’s ever trained before.

    3. Boyle Heights Street Fight
    Mill Muertes vs. Prince Puma

    • Puma and Muertes spent the early portion of the match fighting throughout the crowd.
    • Muertes ended up putting Puma on his shoulders and carrying him back towards the ring. Then he gave him a TKO.
    • Muertes then walked over to Vampiro at the announcers booth and the two stared each other down for a few moments.
    • Puma seemed to gain the advantage on the inside and set Muertes up for a Van Terminator. His version of the move included doing a flip as well, which he landed into a drop kick. Muertes kicked out at 2 after the move.
    • After that, Puma hit his 630 splash, but Katrina hit Puma with the rock before he could pin him. As Katrina is helping Muertes, Vampiro hands Puma a brick.
    • Puma hit Muertes with the brick and pinned him for a 3 count to end the show.

    Winner: Prince Puma