SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • ROH War of the Worlds PPV Preview

    ROH War of the Worlds PPV Preview

    Ring of Honor returns to PPV tonight, Friday May 12th 2017. The show will broadcast from the famed Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

    War of the Worlds Lineup & Preview

    ROH World Championship Match
    Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Jay Lethal vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

    Originally this match was supposed to be just Jay Lethal challenging Christopher Daniels, but Cody interjected himself into the title picture by attacking Daniels at a set of TV tapings.

    This has angered Lethal to no end, as he feels Cody shouldn’t have been included int he match, due to Lethal defeating him in a Bullrope match at the last PPV.

    ROH TV concluded last week with Lethal laying out both Daniels and Cody with the Lethal Injection.

    ROH Tag Team Championship Match
    The Young Bucks (c) vs. Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Bushi)

    As it is the War of the Worlds tour, NJPW faction Los Ingobernables gets a shot at the tag team championship. Don’t think that NJPW wrestlers won’t win ROH gold however, as that has happened previously.

    For the second year in a row the Bucks will not take part in NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament later in the month.

    It should be interesting to see how Naito responds to the Young Bucks’ chicanery in this bout.

    ROH TV Title 
    Marty Scurll (c) vs. Matt Sydal

    Scurll will defend the TV title against “Reborn” Matt Sydal on the PPV. Sydal lost his gig in NJPW due to being arrested in Japan for marijuana possession. He actually spent some time in jail before being allowed to travel home.

    Sydal is splitting his time between ROH & Impact Wrestling now, one of only 2 people to receive special permission to do so (Cody being the other).

    It will be the UK technical style of Scurll vs. the high flying style of Sydal, which should make for an interesting match-up.

    ROH 6-Man Championships
    Bully Ray & the Briscoes (c) vs. Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero & Beretta (CHAOS)
    Ray & the Briscoes successfully defended their titles on the 2nd night of the tour against

    Los Ingobernables, but they will now go up against the longstanding NJPW faction of CHAOS here.

    It’s been a good run for Bully Ray since joining up with the Briscoes in ROH. You just have to wonder if his partnership with the tag team will come to an end under dubious circumstances however.

    Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

    Cole and the rest of Bullet Club have not been seeing eye-to-eye as of late. While Kenny Omega will not be in New York for this show, the two of them have shown signs of dissension whilst in NJPW.

    Last month at a set of TV tapings, Cole attempted to fire the Young Bucks from Bullet Club, however the Bucks countered by pointing out that Cole didn’t have the ability to do so.

    It might be interesting to see if there are any developments in that storyline in this match here.

    It’s an excellent opportunity for Cole to show what he can do against arguably the biggest star in Japanese pro-wrestling in several decades.

    Also on the card:
    • Jay White vs. Will Ospreay (CHAOS)
    • Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    • Sanada & Evil (Los Ingobernables) vs. Chris Sabin & Johnathan Gresham (Search & Destroy) vs. War Machine
    • Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle vs. Kushida vs. Silas Young
  • Matt Hardy Comments On Billy Corgan/Impact Wrestling

    Matt Hardy Comments On Billy Corgan/Impact Wrestling

    Matt Hardy was one of many talents on the Impact roster who was upset when Billy Corgan was not given control of the company. Hardy also believes the company’s current relationship with Anthem Sports’ Ed Nordholm is benefitting GWF far more than Impact.

    Billy Corgan recently purchased NWA Wrestling, although he is currently unsure where he wants to take the brand. Many wrestlers speak positively in regards to Corgan’s ability to lead a wrestling company.

    Hardy Family vs. Anthem Sports

    This isn’t the first time Matt has made derogatory public comments regarding Ed Nordholm from Anthem Sports or the current Impact product, though he is somewhat more restrained than his wife Reby.

    Matt Hardy tweeted this after Impact applied to trademark the Broken characters:

    https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/861969768126926848

    https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/860846593783734272

    Impact Wrestling has filed for trademark over the Broken Hardy universe last week. Matt Hardy previously applied to trademark the characters back in March. How this will play out is anyone’s guess, as while the characters did appear in TNA, Matt also used them regularly on the independent scene and through social media.

  • Comparing Asuka’s Win Streak With Goldberg’s Actual Streak

    Comparing Asuka’s Win Streak With Goldberg’s Actual Streak

    There is a lot of confusion currently regarding how many wins Goldberg started his WCW career off with, and where Asuka’s current NXT streak is at. This post should clear up that confusion.

    Goldberg’s Streak

    According to the long-standing German pro-wrestling statistic site: cagematch.net, Goldberg competed in 159 matches before losing to Kevin Nash at Starccade 98. What is not common knowledge however, is Goldberg’s 1997 loss to Chad Fortune at a set of WCW Saturday Night tapings. The match never aired, and was supposedly a test to see how Goldberg would react to being asked to lose. It is mentioned in Goldberg’s autobiography as well.

    Goldberg would then go 153-0. The number often mentioned by WWE (and previously by WCW) is 173-0. Even if you ignore the un-televised loss to Fortune, his streak was stopped at 158.

    Asuka’s Streak

    Asuka’s streak, while longer, is less concrete than Goldberg’s. Often not acknowledged is the 4 matches Asuka has wrestled in NXT where she was not the winner. The first match occurred in January of 2016, when she was eliminated from a battle royal. She then failed to win 3 fatal 4-way matches for the NXT championship within a week of each other in late February and early March of 2016. All 3 matches were won by Bayley and took place on the NXT live tour.

    Take those matches out of the equation and Asuka’s NXT streak is 175-0. If you include those 4 non-wins, Asuka has won 130 straight since her last non-win in NXT.

  • Impact Wrestling Highlights & Results: Alberto El Patron vs. Magnus

    Impact Wrestling Highlights & Results: Alberto El Patron vs. Magnus

    Impact Wrestling
    Airdate: May 11th 2017
    Orlando, FL

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsV8Fh18fNo

    1. X-Division Fatal 4-Way
    Matt Sydal vs. Andrew Everett vs. Caleb Konley vs. Desmond Xavier

    Sydal is doing double duty on both Impact and ROH. Odd, that Sydal and Cody are the only two able to arrange such a deal, but there it is.
    Fast paced X-division match to start the show.
    All four were exchanging moves, when Everett hit a Franken-driver on Xavier for the pin. After the match it looked as though Sydal was telling Everett that he had been close to winning the match as well. A friendly rivalry could be brewing there. 
    Winner: Andrew Everett

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvliCRp280k

    KM orders pizza, but is not interested in paying for it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNIzukcMb8

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ea49XBiDOA

    EC3 & James Storm Segment

    EC3 comes out dressed as a cowboy, mocking James Storm. This brought Storm out to beat him up. EC3 turned the tides and ended up handcuffing Storm to the ropes whipping him, all wearing cowboy chaps.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdI7v03OPPc

    1. Hakim Zan & Idris Abraham vs. Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid

    The luchadors from the Crash Promotion came out looking strong here, with Laredo Kid pinning Zan with a 450 splash from the top. Commentary mentions that a tag team tournament is upcoming. 
    Winners: Garza Jr. & Laredo King

    1. Ava Storie vs. Laurel Van Ness w/Kongo Kong

    Van Ness wrestled this match in her wedding dress. She’s now been in that dress longer than the new ownership group has had control of the company. They botched her “big stomp” finish and the match ended. Van Ness kept attacking Storie after the match. When Hepnar went to get Van Ness off Ava, Kongo Kong ran in and rescued her. They are playing up the idea that Kongo Kong is her protector.
    Winner: Laurel Van Ness

    LAX Funeral For Decay

    At first it appeared as though LAX was going to respectfully pay respects to Decay, but then they just dumped the ashes on the mat. This brought out the Veterans of War and a melee ensued.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i6niFG7c3s

    1. Impact Grand Championship
      Marshe Rockett vs. Moose

      Moose took round 1 via unanimous decision. Then he just hit Rockett with a chokeslam and pinned him in round 2.
      Winner: Moose (retains)

    After the match Tyrus came down to ringside to confront Moose. As Moose was preparing for Tyrus’ arrival, Eli Drake hit him from behind. The two of them then beat up Moose. Chris Adonis then hit the ring and put Moose in the Masterlock. Drake then hit Moose with a chair.

    1. Angelina Love vs. Alicia Edwards

    The two female counter-parts to Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards battled it out here. The match starts with brawling around the ring area.
    Alicia hit a DDT, but that brought Richards to the ring apron. With the refs back turned Love hit Alicia with a chain wrapped around her fist. The ref turned around in time to see what Love did and called for the DQ.
    After the match Richards hit Edwards in the leg with a crutch repeatidly.
    Winner: Alicia Edwards via DQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FZGI1_HlU

    1. GWF World Championship
      Magnus © vs. Alberto El Patron

    The GWF vs. Impact storyline continues here, as El Patron challenges Magnus for the GWF championship.
    El Patron had Magnus locked in the armbar, but found a way to roll to the outside. Magnus got the advantage briefly, but Alberto countered a fireman’s carry into another armbar and Magnus tapped.
    Winner: Alberto El Patron (new GWF champion)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FZGI1_HlU

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=589IqURqcl0

  • Ric Flair Releasing Limited Edition “Space Mountain” T-Shirt

    Ric Flair Releasing Limited Edition “Space Mountain” T-Shirt

    Ric Flair sells his own merchandise at RicFlairShop.com, and just released a “Space Mountain” design shirt.

    Flair’s MO on this shop seems to be to release shirts on a temporary basis. Other t-shirt designs have already been sold out.

    Ric Flair In 2017

    68 year old Ric Flair recently mentioned why he no longer does his podcast, saying that with Charlotte playing a major role on WWE programming, he didn’t feel it was wise for him to be in a position to critique the show on a regular basis.

    Flair’s fiancee, Wendy Barlow, was involved in an automobile accident in late April. Wendy was banged up but luckily not seriously injured.

  • NXT Highlights & Results: Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong

    NXT Highlights & Results: Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong

    NXT
    airdate: May 10th, 2017
    Full Sail University

    Ember Moon out of NXT: Chicago

    We start off this week’s episode by getting an update on Ember Moon’s injury. She confirmed that she will no longer be in the NXT women’s match at Takeover: Chicago. Asuka will now be defending against only Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross.

    1. Aleister Black vs. Cezar Bononi

    This match was a minute and a half of innovative striking from Black, capped off with the Fade to Black for the win. He then did his ominous cross-legged sitting pose in the ring.
    This was the WWE Network debut for Bononi. The 30 year-old Brazilian began his pro career in Brazil from 2014-15, until being signed by WWE and starting on the NXT live tour in 2016.
    Winner: Aleister Black

    Aleister Black the Cruiserweight? 

    NXT is certainly building Black up to be a big star, but his destination might be 205 Live as opposed to the main roster. WWE even teased the idea of a Black vs. Neville feud sometime in the future. They posted this on Instagram yesterday:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BT7AzmKAGuS/

    2. Team DIY vs. the Gifted Athletes (Riddick Moss & Tito Sabbatelli)

    Both Sabbatelli & Moss are former NFL players with no indy experience before starting with NXT in 2015. They made their WWE Network debut in September as part of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. They also lost a match to the Revival last December. After this loss they are now 0-3.
    For the most part this was a showcase match for DIY. They picked up the win after double running knees to a seated Moss.
    Winners: Team DIY

    • After the match William Regal came out and was about to award Team DIY with the next title shot, but Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain interrupted. Despite the interruption, Regal announced Team DIY will challenge the Authors of Pain in a ladder match at Takeover. 

    • Kassius Ohno is interviewed backstage. He’s interrupted by Andrade “Cien” Almas. Ohno challenged him to a match next week and Almas accepted. 
    • UK Championship Match Announcement: Commentary announced that Tyler Bate will defend the UK Championship at NXT Takeover: Chicago against Pete Dunne. 

    3. NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match
    Roderick Strong vs. Hideo Itami

    Heading into this match there were reasons to believe either could win. While an Itami and Roode program has already been teased, they’ve also been airing background videos on Roderick Strong for the last two weeks.
    The finish of the match came when both guys countered each others finishers, but then Itami hit a running boot and a hesitation dropkick in the corner, followed by the GTS for the win. The story presented was that Itami was the better wrestler on this night, but Strong refused to quit.
    Winner: Hideo Itami (will face Bobby Roode at Takeover)

    While not shown on the Network, Sanity attacked Roderick Strong after the match.

  • Eric Bischoff: Trump’s Firing Of FBI Director Had “Vince’s Fingerprints All Over It”

    Eric Bischoff: Trump’s Firing Of FBI Director Had “Vince’s Fingerprints All Over It”

    On the latest episode of his Bischoff on Wrestling podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff commented on President Donald Trump’s controversial firing of FBI Director James Comey. Bischoff, a hard-line Republican, suggested the idea that President Trump used the line “I wish you the best on your future endeavours” in his termination notice to Comey.

    https://twitter.com/EBischoff/status/862073869162520576

    Bischoff Quote On Comey’s “Future Endeavours”

    The US President’s official letter of termination to Comey includes a line that will be familiar to wrestling fans: “I wish you the best in your future endeavours.” 

    This phrase has been used with regularity before WWE began using it as their tagline when releasing wrestlers, but some, notably Bischoff, find it interesting that Trump, a WWE Hall-of-Famer, would use it in the context that he did.

    “He future endeavor-ed him! I thought it was just awesome!” Bischoff said. “Look, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I’m really not. You can get lost in that. Literally, you can lose your mind if you think about that stuff too much but come on! That had to be some tongue-in-cheek shit right there. I thought it was great. That had Vince’s fingerprints all over it.”

    “I loved it,” Bischoff continued. “That was not a government boiler-plate termination letter. That was a kick in the balls on the way out the door termination. Like I said, I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories, but if that wasn’t Vince McMahon and Donald Trump having a yuck over the phone I don’t know what it was.”

    A copy of the letter sent to Comey can be read here. 

  • Impact Wrestling: Turning Point 2017 Non-Spoiler Match Listing

    Impact Wrestling: Turning Point 2017 Non-Spoiler Match Listing

    Impact Wrestling is back on PPV at tonight. Turning Point 2017, a pre-taped One Night Only PPV, will premiere at 10pm.

    The company filmed matches for the Turning Point & No Surrender PPVs on April 22-23rd in Orlando. FL. They have yet to announce when No Surrender will air.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJ7DuxWmgw

    Turning Point 2017 Lineup:

    1. Mario Bokara & Fallah Bahh vs. the Veterans of War
    2. Laurel Van Ness vs. Ava Storie
    3. Mahabali Shera vs. Marshe Rockett
    4. KM vs. Matt Morgan
    5. Davey Richards vs. Suicide
    6. Sienna vs. Rosemary
    7. Eli Drake vs. Eddie Edwards
    8. Impact Wrestling World Championship
      Lashley (c) vs. Moose
  • The Rock Says: Running for President “A Real Possibility”

    The Rock Says: Running for President “A Real Possibility”

    WWE legend, Sexiest Man Alive and highest-paid actor in the world Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson graced the cover of GQ Magazine once again this month. The article covers a lot of ground, including his new movie Baywatch and what an all-around amazing human Johnson appears to be. Writer Caity Weaver gushes about Johnson’s likability, with quotes like,

    “If Johnson’s personal magnetism were any stronger, birds in his vicinity might plummet from the sky, their internal navigation thrown off by the force of his personality.”

    The biggest story coming out of the piece is the very real possibility of Johnson getting into politics and running for President of the United States. When asked if he really would consider throwing his hat into the 2020 Presidential race, Rock said:

     “I think that it’s a real possibility”

    It doesn’t sound like he was just blowing smoke with a teaser quote to grab headlines. Rock is talking policy. When asked about President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown (the “Muslim ban”), Johnson kicked it into high gear and had a strong opinion ready to share.

    “I completely disagree with it,” he said without hesitation. “I believe in our national security to the core, but I don’t believe in a ‘ban’ that bans immigrants. I believe in inclusion. Our country was built on that, and it continues to be made strong by that. And the decision felt like a snap judgment. I feel like the majority of, if not all, Americans feel that protection is of huge importance. But the ideology and the execution [of national-security initiatives] is where we really have to be careful of not making those snap decisions, because there’s a tail effect… Within 24 hours, we saw a ‘tail effect.’ It grew to heartache, it grew to a great deal of pain, it grew to a great deal of confusion, and it had a lot of people scrambling.”

    The article features quotes from several Hollywood bigwigs who wholeheartedly endorse the idea of The Rock running for President. Producer Beau Flynn, who worked with The Rock in projects like San Andreas, has no doubt that The Rock could be president. How sure is he?

    “A trillion percent,” says Flynn. “One hundred percent, he would win, I have no doubt. His level of commitment and his care for people would translate immediately. If he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘I want to build a campaign. I want to run for the president of the United States,’ done, and you can lock it.”

    It’s a really good read if you want to check it out over at GQ.com.

    The Rock For President

    There have been calls for Rock to run for President even before the most recent election and this is not the first time Rock has publicly entertained the idea. A Time magazine article last summer detailed the surge of enthusiasm many have for this idea.

    The Rock told Time Magazine in July 2016, ““The thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring,” Johnson admitted. Last summer during the Democratic National Convention, The Rock posted the following on his Instagram page:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BIT1S2fDCGG/

    That same week, he tweeted that he would would enter politics in coming years if he could be a “strong, authentic, and impactful leader for the people.”

  • 205 Live Highlights & Results: Tozawa vs. Kendrick

    205 Live Highlights & Results: Tozawa vs. Kendrick

    205 Live
    May 9th, 2017
    London, England

    “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher Toasts Austin Aries

    Gallagher came out to the ring area and cut a promo regarding being jumped by TJP on Raw. He brought out Austin Aries, who gave a fan a banana peel on his way to the ring, to thank him for assisting him the night before.
    This brought out Neville, who said Gallagher is a symptom of a larger problem: England has become a parody of itself. TJP attacked Gallagher & Aries from behind and a melee ensued. Eventually Aries & Gallagher gained the advantage, cleared the ring, and downed a couple of pints.

    • Alicia Fox & Noam Dar ran into Rich Swann backstage, who was confused as to why Noam would still want to be with Alicia. Fox says she didn’t really leave Noam, not like she left Cedric and Swann. Dar warns Swann that he’ll be getting what he deserves. 

    1. Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

    Ali hits a diving cannonball to the outside on Nese, and the camera cuts to Drew Gulak, who has been protesting high-flying moves as of late. Back and forth match, Nese using mainly power-movies, a torture rack, etc. but it was Ali who put it away with the inverted 450 splash for the win.
    Winner: Mustafa Ali

    • In the back, Ariya Davairi is talking about how expensive his shirt is when he runs into Tozawa, who says “ha!” at him until he goes away.
    • We are showing a video package of former “Alicia Fox champion” Cedric Alexander, who will be returning to 205 Live shortly.

    2. Akira Tozawa vs. the Brian Kendrick

    Tozawa got the early advantage, sending Kendrick to the floor. On the outside Kendrick got the advantage again and hit Sliced Bread on the floor. Inside the ring however, Tozawa countered another Sliced Bread into a roll-up for the pin.
    Winner: Akira Tozawa

    • After the match, Kendrick attacked Tozawa, giving him a russian leg-sweep into the steps. He then put Tozawa under the top set of the stairs and stomped on him. Kendrick then said the last lesson he is ever going to give him is “don’t mess with the Brian Kendrick”. This might of been the blow-off to this feud.
  • Updated ROH “War of the Worlds” PPV Lineup, New Match Announced

    Updated ROH “War of the Worlds” PPV Lineup, New Match Announced

    Ring of Honor is back on PPV this Friday, May 12th. The 4th annual War of the Worlds PPV will come from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York this year. The main event will be a 3-way for the ROH World Title.

    ROH announced that Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi has been added to the card.

    ROH War of the Worlds Lineup

    • ROH Championship
      3-Way Match
      Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Cody (Bullet Club) vs. Jay Lethal
      ** Daniels has a title defence against Matt Taven still before this match. If Taven wins the title he replaces Daniels in this match. 
    • ROH TV Title
      Marty Scurll (c) vs. Matt Sydal
    • ROH Tag Team Championships
      the Young Bucks (c) (Bullet Club) vs. Bushi and Naito (Los Ingobernables)
    • 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match
      Bully Ray & the Briscoes (c) vs. Roppongi Vice & Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)
      ** Bully Ray & the Bricoes defend the belts against Los Ingobernables before this on the tour. If they lose the titles they will be replaced in this match. 
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Adam Cole
    • Jay White vs. Will Ospreay (CHAOS)
    • Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    • Evil & Sanada (Los Ingobernables) vs. Search & Destroy (Sabin & Gresham) vs. War Machine
    • Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle vs. Kushida vs. Silas Young
  • Paul Heyman Getting Coverage For His Work Promoting NASCAR

    Paul Heyman Getting Coverage For His Work Promoting NASCAR

    Paul Heyman’s “Looking For Larry” marketing agency has been hired by NASCAR to promote the September 9th race from Richmond, VA. The event will be held at the Richmond International Raceway.

    Paul Heyman and NASCAR

    Mike Waddell, head of communications for the Raceway, had this to say regarding bringing Heyman’s agency onboard.

    “If you don’t come at it with a fresh angle, nobody’s ever going to notice you. If you don’t make waves, you’re going to drown. So we got out the wave machine, and we’re going to get after it.”

    Both Heyman and Waddell have noted the challenge is to get young fans out to the track. By bringing in a “wave machine” like Heyman, Waddell is hoping to change that.

    Heyman had this to say regarding his agency’s new project.

    “Getting people out to the track has become more and more difficult,” Heyman stated, then continued to say his company will seek to bring “new people to at least see what it’s like to be a part of the NASCAR experience at Richmond International Raceway.”

    The full article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, can be read here.

  • Golden Truth: Their Actual Win/Loss Record

    Golden Truth: Their Actual Win/Loss Record

    On Raw recently, General Manager Kurt Angle commented on how Golden Truth’s win/loss record does not warrant them receiving a shot at the tag team championships.

    This led some to note that Golden Truth’s win/loss record, when house shows are factored in, is actually pretty good. When house shows are not factored in however, Kurt Angle’s point becomes much more solid.

    Golden Truth’s TV & PPV Record

    Since joining forces as a tag team in early 2016, Golden Truth’s televised tag team match record on Raw, Smackdown or PPV is 4W-13L. Their record on Superstars and Main Event is 9W-1L.

    They are a team that gets wins against only the lowest of the lowly ranked. When they get their chance on Raw, Smackdown, or PPVs, Golden Truth rarely win anything.

    Golden Truth’s 2017 House Show Record

    Some fans have pointed out the pair is actually 36-0 (36-1 after factoring in last night) in 2017. All 36 of these matches took place on house shows however. Their opponents have been Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, the Colons, and other wrestlers who struggle to get television time.

    With Superstars being cancelled, Golden Truth have not wrestled on television much at all in 2017. Their only matches televised so far this year that they have participated in are: the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, a battle royal on the March 27th Raw, and last night’s tag-team turmoil match.

  • Looking At The Latest Episode Of WWE Bring It To The Table

    Looking At The Latest Episode Of WWE Bring It To The Table

    After Raw last night, the WWE Network aired another episode of “Bring It To the Table”, the sister show to Smackdown’s “Talking Smack”.

    It was on a previous episode of this show that JBL made several disparaging comments regarding Mauro Ranallo. The popular combat sports announcer would leave the company shortly after.

    Bring It To The Table

    The show has been somewhat controversial in it’s short history, and this week a few more potentially controversial statements were made.

    Quotes and Moments from “Bring it to the Table” This Week: 
    • The show started off this week with Peter Rosenburg and Corey Graves each talking about controversial comments they have made in the past. The camera then cut to JBL who only said that he won $21 playing golf this week. This appeared to be poking fun at the controversy surrounding JBL as of late.
    • JBL would say later in the show that he would rather be “captured by Isis” then have “dinner with Sami Zayn”. This could be considered controversial due to Sami Zayn being muslim. Had JBL chosen any other person he’d rather have lunch with (or be captured by) it may have been for the best.
    • JBL on House of Horrors: “I thought it was a great match!”, “I thought the TV audience (loved it)”.
    • JBL on Alexa Bliss: “I think she’s bigger than both divisions” 
    • JBL on Roman Reigns “Roman Reigns has good match after good match after good match.”
      “People who want to hate him, please continue to do it, that’s your right, but you’re hating him for the wrong reasons.”
    • After Peter Rosenburg said the line “if you’re like me”, JBL interrupted him to say “we’re not like you”, with Corey Graves nodding his head in approval. JBL had been playing the role of “pleasant and complimentary announcer” since the Ranallo situation. Evidently, his heel persona still exists on this show however.
    • JBL to Rosenburg: “We don’t hate all your opinions, just the wrong ones, of which you have many”. 
    • JBL on hockey: “I’d rather poke needles in my eyeballs than watch a hockey game.”
  • Former 2012 Olympian Returns To London Tonight With WWE

    Former 2012 Olympian Returns To London Tonight With WWE

    Chad Gable competed for the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games. Those games were held in the same city which hosts Smackdown tonight: London, England.

    Gable qualified for the games by winning the US Olympic Trials in 2012 at 84kg. He would win his first bout at the Olympics, before getting eliminated in his second.

    American Alpha in WWE

    Chad Gable & Jason Jordan were paired together in NXT, and quickly became the division’s hottest tag team. American Alpha helped usher out the old era in the division by beating the Vaudevillains and Ascension. They would feud with Blake & Murphy and the Revival before getting called-up to the main roster in 2016.

    American Alpha defeated the Wyatts, Slater & Rhyno, and the Usos in a 4-corners elimination match to win Smackdown’s tag titles on December 27th, 2016. They recently dropped two straight title matches to the Usos however, to both drop the titles, and fall out of title contention.

    Recently, Breezango won the “Beat the Clock Challenge” to become the new #1 contenders to the Usos. American Alpha will need to put together a winning streak if they are to be back in title contention after Backlash.

  • Nakamura & Dolph Ziggler Segment Set For Smackdown Tonight

    Nakamura & Dolph Ziggler Segment Set For Smackdown Tonight

    Shinsuke Nakamura’s first program since landing on the main roster appears to be against Dolph Ziggler.

    WWE announced yesterday on Twitter that Ziggler plans on confronting Nakamura tonight on Smackdown. The show will air from London, England.

    Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Feud

    Considering the push the company seems to be giving to Nakamura, this storyline appears to be geared towards making him look strong. Ziggler has continued to get lost in the shuffle as of late, even after his most recent heel turn.

    At WWE live events recently, Nakamura has been defeating Ziggler in singles matches, as well as in dark matches after TV tapings. This is nothing new for Ziggler, who loses more than he wins. Before Ziggler was dropping matches to Nakamura at house shows, he was doing the same for Mojo Rawley. Since Rob Gronkowski is no longer around however, Rawley doesn’t seem to be winning matches anymore.

    In March, Ziggler did manage to get some wins over Apollo Crews on house shows, but in general his heel turn has not done much to change his win/loss record.

  • ROH TV Report: Bullet Club Continues To Crumble

    ROH TV Report: Bullet Club Continues To Crumble

    Ring of Honor Television
    air date: May 8th 2017 (Fite App)
    Baltimore, MD

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ivXF4MwBDo

    1. the Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. the Spirit Squad (Kenny & Mikey)

    Last week the Young Bucks sent out an open challenge, and oddly enough it was the Spirit Squad who accepted. Squad jumped the Bucks to start the match but were quickly sent to the outside with super kicks.
    Spirit Squad got a bit of offence in, but not much. Bucks win with the Meltzer Driver.
    Winners: the Young Bucks

    2. Punishment Martinez vs. Beer City Bruiser

    The Bruiser got a surprising amount of offence in this match. He hit a sidewalk slam, and several cannon balls. He finally missed a cannonball and that allowed Martinez to pop up and hit the “South of Heaven” chokeslam.
    Winner: Punishment Martinez

    3. Christopher Daniels & Dalton Castle vs. Adam Cole & Cody (Bullet Club)

    Before the match, a video package of Adam Cole aired. He said everything is OK with Bullet Club, which of course means the opposite is true. Early in the match, Cole called for a tag but Cody seemed hesitant. It would be the first of several “teased dissension” moments between the two during the match.

    Jay Lethal was on commentary, mainly talking about how unfair it is that Cody has been added to the ROH World Title match at the upcoming PPV. Considering Lethal defeated Cody in a Bullrope match at the last PPV, he might have a point.

    Later in the match, Cody accidentally hit Cole with the Disaster kick, sending him to the floor. Cole then got up and left the ring area! The match continued with a 2-on-1, with Adam Cole seemingly having abandoned his Bullet Club teammate.

    Just when it looked like Daniels was going to put away Cody, Cole ran back in and hit a super-kick to the back of Daniels’ head. Cody then hit a Cross Rhodes on Daniels for the pin.

    Afterwards, Cole played it off as if his leaving the ring area was all part of his plan. Young Bucks then hit the ring and all 4 celebrated, although there were perhaps some suspicious glances towards Cole.
    Winners: Adam Cole & Cody

    Once the Bullet Club left, Jay Lethal got in the ring with Christopher Daniels. Lethal helped him to his feet but then got in Daniels’ face, blaming him for the match now being a triple threat.

    As they were arguing, Cody hit the ring again and knocked them both down. Lethal and Cody started brawling briefly, when almost out of nowhere Lethal landed the Lethal Injection on both Cody and Daniels.

    Cody vs. Adam Cole vs. Christopher Daniels for the ROH Championship main event’s “War of the Worlds” this Friday, May 12th 2017 from the Hammerstein Ballroom. 

  • Stephanie McMahon: WWE’s “Secret Sauce” Is Listening To Fans

    Stephanie McMahon: WWE’s “Secret Sauce” Is Listening To Fans

    Stephanie McMahon appeared on “This Morning” earlier this morning, as part of the company’s promotional work on the UK tour. At one point the hosts praised WWE for continuing to listen to their audience despite how successful the company already is.

    The show posted Stephanie’s performance on their YouTube channel.
    (skip to 3:40 for the “secret sauce” comments):

    Highlights of Stephanie McMahon’s Interview

    On WWE listening to their fans:

    “Our fans are our secret sauce and that is why we are so successful on social media.”

    On “Women’s Revolution”:
    Not sure if this was a Freudian slip or not, but Stephanie referred to WWE’s “Women’s Revolution”, as the “Women’s Evolution”

    “There is actually something we call the “Women’s Evolution”. Really all of the credit goes to any woman who has ever stepped foot in a WWE or wrestling ring, but i like to give credit to our audience.”

    On WWE’s Family-Friendliness: 

    “It’s family friendly; people watch in generations. It’s grandparents and grandchildren, and parents and their children.”

    “More families watch WWE together than any other franchise, with the exception being the NFL”

  • Emma Provides Update on Shoulder Injury

    Emma Provides Update on Shoulder Injury

    As reported here, Emma was recently injured at a WWE house show in Liverpool. At the time, Emma was tagging with Raw women heels Alexa Bliss & Nia Jax to take on Sasha Banks, Bayley and Mickie James.

    Emma landed badly on her shoulder, causing the match to be stopped. Recently, Emma provided an update on her status.

    Emma on the Main Roster

    28 year old Tenille Averil Dashwood has been a wresting fan her whole life. She would begin to get involved with PWA: Australia as a teenager after being introduced to wrestling by her brother.

    At 18, she moved to Calgary to train at the Storm Wrestling Academy. A few years later, in 2011, she would go back to the school for more training. The additional training, along with some appearances for Shimmer and indie promotions, earned Emma a developmental deal in 2011. A should injury sidelined her until 2012 however.

    Emma would get over in NXT from 2012 to 2014, and made her main roster debut in early 2014. Her dancing gimmick failed to resonate with fans, and after her comedy duo with Santino ended (due to Santino leaving the promotion) Emma was left in limbo, and then sent back down to NXT.

    Her evil Emma character in NXT once again got over with fans and she was brought back up to the main roster. She endured months of preparation to become the Emmalina character, but in the end it was scrapped and Evil Emma returned.

  • Top NXT Prospect Dylan Miley Has A New Ring Name

    Top NXT Prospect Dylan Miley Has A New Ring Name

    At 6-foot-3 and close to 300 pounds, WWE has a monster up their sleeve with NXT star Dylan Miley. The former football player and powerlifter was signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2013 and made his NXT in-ring debut at WrestleMania Axxess back in 2015.

    Dylan Miley made his NXT television debut last month and is now working under a new ring name: Lars Sullivan.

    Dylan Miley Becomes Lars Sullivan

    Lars Sullivan has been on the road with NXT touring over the past several weeks. Now that WWE is starting to develop his character, he’s on an impressive winning streak and hasn’t been pinned or submitted all year.

    Sullivan was formerly paired up with Braun Strowman in developmental, prior to Strowman joining the Wyatt Family on the main roster. Triple H is said to be quite high on Sullivan, and judging by how he is being positioned in NXT at the moment, he could be someone the WWE sees giving a large main roster push to at some point.

    Now that he’s had his first NXT television match, Lars Sullivan is already looking ahead to next April:

  • Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers: Free Match from Mexico’s Crash Promotion

    Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers: Free Match from Mexico’s Crash Promotion

    The Crash promotion in Mexico is comprised mainly of defecting AAA luchadors.  Many young luchadors left AAA to join Crash, feeling as though AAA was not willing to push un-established names.

    Oddly enough, AAA was created by luchadors fed up with CMLL for doing the same thing in the early 90s.

    Crash has posted the full match between the Young Bucks and the Lucha Brothers from their Cinco De Mayo event last Friday.

    State of Mexican Lucha Libre

    The addition of the Crash promotion to the Mexican scene has now extended the war to 3 promotions: AAA, CMLL, & Crash.

    Despite losing many stars, AAA Lucha Libre is still going strong. Just recently Johnny Mundo won the promotion’s Mega-Championship. He also holds the Latin American & Cruiserweight championships for the promotion.

    Konnan is involved with the Crash promotion, and has suggested he is less than pleased that Jeff Jarrett signed a talent-sharing agreement between Impact and AAA.

  • Blue Demon Jr. Says Lucha Underground Is “No Longer Mexican Lucha Libre”

    Blue Demon Jr. Says Lucha Underground Is “No Longer Mexican Lucha Libre”

    Blue Demon Jr. defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. in the first official Lucha Underground match to air on television. The lucha libre legend is no longer performing for the promotion however, and seems to be disillusioned with what the program has become.

    Ahead of a big Cinco De Mayo show, Blue Demon took some time to speak with reporters from “the Roman Show”.

    Translations of Blue Demon Jr. Interview:

    His thoughts on Lucha Underground: 

    “It was a great experience. We didn’t finish on a good note. There were many things that remained. The writers left a lot on the table and they focused on other things. If you look at Lucha Underground it’s no longer Mexican Luchalibre, which what was intended to be. Since it wasn’t like that I left.”

    On returning to the NWA (he is a former NWA champion):

    “I think you might see me in NWA. I have a stake in NWA Mexico. I need to speak with the owner to see if we continue with our alliance and we’ll let you know the good news.”

    On his relationship with AAA Lucha Libre in Mexico:

    “AAA has been controversial. In whatever promotion I am, I try to close my cycle and say my thanks even if I leave with problems. I don’t like to talk about the problems. The relationship you have with a promotion should be private. But it comes to the point were the talent isn’t happy or information is being circulated that isn’t good and then the rumors start. I can tell you it is controversial. It is the lead promotion in Mexico just like CMLL. Everyone has their following.”

  • Titus O’Neil Being Sued By WWE Cameraman

    Titus O’Neil Being Sued By WWE Cameraman

    Things couldn’t get much worse for the Titus brand. TMZ Sports is reporting that Titus O’Neil is being sued by a former WWE cameraman for injuries sustained during filming of the Network show “Swerved”.

    The show featured WWE superstars being pranked, and evidently Titus had the least sense of humour about it. O’Neil received a small electrical zap from a prank on the show, causing him to become upset and kick the camera our of the plaintiff’s hand.

    The camera operator is claiming he suffered injuries to his hand and fingers, and is suing Titus for $1.2 million.

    Titus O’Neil

    40 year-old Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. is better known to wrestling fans as Titus O’Neil. He was a standout football player at the University of Florida for four years. He would go on to play several years in the Arena Football League afterwards.

    Following his time in the AFL Titus signed a developmental deal with WWE. He was 32 at the time with no wrestling experience, but his size and athletic background was enough to earn him a shot.

    O’Neil would debut on the main roster in 2012 alongside Darren Young in the Prime Time Players. The team is former 1x tag team champions.

  • New Day To Tour India Next Week

    New Day To Tour India Next Week

    WWE is continuing to make efforts to increase their exposure in India. The company recently announced that New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Big E will be touring the country next week.

    WWE India Expansion

    As previously reported here on SEScoops.com, WWE has been pursuing multiple avenues lately to increase their exposure in India, the world’s 2nd most populated country.

    Last month, WWEShop.com products were made available in the country for the first time, a new Vice President of WWE India was named, and Jinder Mahal has received a push to main-event level. Mahal is Canadian, but his family roots are from India.

    Kofi Kingston is recovering from ankle surgery, however it will be he and Big on the tour next week. Woods will not be on the short promotional tour.

  • Bully Ray: WWE Nixed My Bully Character Due To “Be-A-Star” Partnership

    Bully Ray: WWE Nixed My Bully Character Due To “Be-A-Star” Partnership

    Bully Ray recently spoke with reporters about his latest stint with the WWE. He revealed that his updated “Bully Ray” character almost debuted for the company, but WWE’s anti-bullying charity work prevented it from happening. Instead the company stuck with his “Bubba Ray Dudley” character. He told ESPN.com,

    “We were one day away from becoming Bully Ray in WWE.  One of the problems with having Bully Ray in the WWE was the word bully.

    How could they have a guy named Bully when they had the ‘Be a STAR’ program? It was a little too risky for them.”

    Bully Ray in Ring of Honor

    After their latest contract with WWE ran out, D-Von stayed on with the company as an agent, and Bully Ray signed with Ring of Honor.

    https://twitter.com/WWEonESPN/status/860502243824603136

    Since debuting in the company, Bully Ray has teamed up with ROH originals the Briscoe Brothers. The trio recently captured the company’s 6-man tag team championships.

    “Ring of Honor reached out to me I think the day after I left WWE,” He continued. “They were actually interested in bringing in both me and D-Von into Ring of Honor, which would’ve been insane. D-Von had made a life decision where he wanted to devote a little more time to his family and physically in the ring wanted to slow it down just a little bit. I still have gas in the tank. I think Ring of Honor was the perfect place for me to continue as Bully Ray.”

    The full interview can be read here.