SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • Ridge Holland Suffers Broken Nose At Day 1

    Ridge Holland Suffers Broken Nose At Day 1

    Ridge Holland teamed with Sheamus to take on Ricochet and Cesaro on a pre-match show on the Day 1 PPV. Early in the match, Ricochet kicked Holland square in the nose while attempting an assisted 450 splash. Blood came pouring out of Holland’s nose. He quickly tagged out and was then attended to by trainers on the floor. He never returned to the match.

    Despite not having a partner for the majority of the match, Sheamus picked up the victory for his team after hitting a Brogue Kick on Cesaro.

    The broadcast team announced during the match that Holland had suffered a broken nose and would not return.

    Real name Luke Menzies, Holland is a former professional Rugby League player. He started training for a wrestling career in 2016 and eventually signed with WWE in 2018. During the WWE Draft back in October, Holland was selected by Smackdown. He would later debut in November with Sheamus as his mentor.

    The match on Day 1 was just his 4th televised match on the main roster. He was eliminated from a battle royal on the 11/26 Smackdown, he lost to Cesaro on the 11/26 Smackdown, and defeated Cesaro on the 12/17 Smackdown.

  • Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona Get Married

    Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona Get Married

    Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green were officially married this weekend. Since the wedding did not appear on a wrestling show, it happened without incident and the two are now officially married. Numerous personalities from around the world of wrestling attended the event.

    The couple announced their engagement in April of 2019, at the onset of the global pandemic. They have been dating since 2017.

    Green and Cardona both perform for Impact Wrestling currently. In an angle on 12/17 show, Cardona accidentally hit Green with a chair shot while aiming for Moose. Cardona will challenge for the Impact World Championship against Moose and W. Morrissey on the Hard to Kill PPV.

    Impact Results (12/16): Chelsea Green Knocked Out By Chairshot During Contract Signing

    Chelsea Green Talks WWE Release

    Green was released from her WWE contract in April of this year. She later appeared on Busted Open Radio and spoke about her reaction.

    “I had no clue,” Green said of her release. “My initial reaction was that I had no reaction and I just got down to business. I opened up my Pro Wrestling Tees store, then contacted Ring of Honor, NWA, and Impact and stuff. But then later on, slowly as time has gone by, it’s been one of – I just think it was a missed opportunity.” 

    Chelsea Green Was More Angry Than Sad Following WWE Release
  • Jeff Jarrett Appears On GCW PPV

    Jeff Jarrett Appears On GCW PPV

    Jeff Jarrett made an unadvertised appearance on GCW’s Die For This PPV. Effy was in the ring when the lights went out. When the lights came back on there was a masked figure wearing a cowboy hat in the ring. The person then hit Effy with a guitar and took off the mask to reveal that it was Jeff Jarrett.

    https://twitter.com/KVR216/status/1477467943835512839

    Jarrett hasn’t wrestled an official match since the spring of 2019.

    GCW Die For This PPV Results

    The PPV emanated from the Carousel Room At Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It aired as a PPV on FITE TV.

    1. GCW Tag Team Championships
      The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (c) defeated Alex Zayne & Blake Christian 
    2. Calvin Tankman defeated Yoya
    3. Joey Janela defeated Scotty 2 Hotty 
    4. GCW World Title #1 Contendership Rumble Match
      Homicide defeated AJ Gray and Allie Katch and Atticus Cogar and Billie Starkz and Colby Corino and Cole Radrick and Dante Leon and Dark Sheik and Effy and G-Raver and Grim Reefer and Homicide and Jack Cartwheel and Jimmy Lloyd and Jordan Oliver and Matthew Justice and Nick Wayne and Ninja Mack and PCO and Shane Mercer 
    5. GCW Ultraviolent Championship
      Alex Colon (c) defeated John Wayne Murdoch 
  • Kofi Kingston Reacts To Big E’s Title Loss

    Kofi Kingston Reacts To Big E’s Title Loss

    Big E lost the WWE Championship last night at the Day 1 PPV in Atlanta. He was pinned by Brock Lesnar in a fatal 5-way match. Kofi Kingston also once lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar, he reacted to Big E’s title loss on social media.

    Big E Win/Loss Record Since Winning The WWE Championship

    Big E won the title on the September 13th, 2021 edition of WWE RAW. He defended the title 3x during his reign. 1x against Bobby Lashley (9/27), 1x against Drew McIntyre (10/21), 1x against Austin Theory (11/22).

    In singles matches, Big E lost to Roman Reigns at Survivor Series, to Kevin Owens via DQ on the 11/29 RAW, and to Bobby Lashley on the 12/13 RAW. On the 9/20 RAW, he also lost a triple threat to Roman Reigns (with Bobby Lashley being the 3rd competitor). On that same night, he dropped a trios match to Reigns and the Usos along with Kofi and Woods.

    In tag-team action, Big E also lost to the Usos via count-out along with Drew McIntyre on the 10/11 RAW. On the 11/15 RAW he teamed with RK-Bro and lost to Seth Rollins and the Usos.

    In total, since winning the title on 9/13 Big E was 7-3-1 in singles matches (including 3 title defenses), 0-2 in multi-person matches (including at Day 1), and he was 6-3 in tag-team matches.

  • Impact Announces “Wrestler of the Year” & Other Award Winners

    Impact Announces “Wrestler of the Year” & Other Award Winners

    Impact Wrestling aired the second part of its “Best of 2021” specials last night. During the broadcast, the promotion also announced several year-end award winners.

    On last week’s episode, Deonna Purrazzo was announced as the Knockout of the Year for the 2nd straight year. The Good Brothers also won the tag team of the year. Mickie James vs Deonna Purrazzo also won Knockouts match of the year.

    On this week’s episode, it was revealed that Josh Alexander and TJP’s Ironman match back in June has won the 2021 Men’s Match of the Year award.

    Josh Alexander was also announced as Impact’s Wrestler of the Year.

    Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering have won the Impact Knockouts tag team of the year award.

    Hard To Kill 2022 Lineup

    Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:

    • Impact World Championship
      Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
    • Knockouts Championship
      Texas Death Match
      Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
    • Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship
      Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
    • Josh Alexander vs JONAH
    • X-Division Championship
      Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
    • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
      The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
    • ROH Championship
      Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
    • 10-Man Hardcore War
      Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
  • Impact Announces Su Yung Is Pregnant

    Impact Announces Su Yung Is Pregnant

    Su Yung’s character is often addressed as “mother” by Brandi Lauren and Kimber Lee, but now she’s going to have a biological child to go along with her undead bridesmaids. On Impact Wrestling’s “Best of 2021 Part II” show last night, it was revealed that the former Knockouts Champion is pregnant.

    Real name Vannarah Riggs, the 32-year-old has been married to Rich Swann since March of 2017. This will be their first child together. Riggs has not wrestled since the summer and it was revealed last night that their child is due in February.

    Su Yung debuted in Impact Wrestling in 2018. Although she has spent much of her run as the undead bride character, she has two other alter-egos. “Susie” is the far more innocent and less violent version of her character. Then there is “Susan” who is something of a “Karen” and repeatedly reports things to management.

    https://twitter.com/realsuyung/status/1476751046374477832

    As of late in Impact, Brandi Lauren and Kimber Lee have both become minions of Yung. They have talked about “collecting souls for mother”. It seems this was perhaps a way to keep her character on television during her pregnancy.

    She defeated Allie (aka the Bunny) in 2018 to win the Knockouts title for the first time. Yung briefly won the title for a second time in 2020 after defeating Deonna Purrazzo. She would then drop the title back to Purrazzo a few weeks later.

  • Big E: “It’s A Great Time For Black Men And Women In Our Industry”

    Big E: “It’s A Great Time For Black Men And Women In Our Industry”

    Big E says that right now is a boom period for Black wrestlers and Superstars in the industry. The WWE Champion was recently interviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and spoke about the array of Black talent currently in WWE.

    “I think right now it’s just a great time for Black men and women in our industry,” Big E said. “We’re in a boom period because there is so much talent who are very good and happen to be Black whether it’s Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks or Bobby Lashley, who I won the title from. A couple of years ago, it was Kofi Kingston, my partner of seven years with New Day. They’re all richly deserving from what I’ve seen.”

    “When you talk about inclusion or diversity, I think it’s important you’re not just putting people of color in these positions merely because they’re a person of color. When you look at Bianca, Sasha and Bobby, they’re all talented and unique and they just so happen to be Black.”

    https://twitter.com/WWEBigE/status/1363866138577408001

    Big E has also partnered up with journalist Andreas Hale to create a first of its kind 3D Animated series titled Our Heroes Rock! The show will explore Black history with some added elements of science fiction and hip hop. The aim of the series is to help children and young people learn some important, but often overlooked, parts of American history.

    Big E will defend his WWE Championship tomorrow in Atlanta on the Day 1 PPV. He’ll face Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens in a fatal 4-way match.

  • Dax Harwood Takes Shot At Former WWE PC Coach

    Dax Harwood Takes Shot At Former WWE PC Coach

    Dax Harwood believes that FTR has helped to usher in a rejuvenated era of tag-team wrestling, one that incorporates the team aspect more than just two singles stars being paired together. Evidently, there is a former coach at the WWE PC who disagreed with them on this philosophy. Dax Harwood mentioned in a recent interview with Elite POV that there is a former coach from the Performance Center that they laugh at now when they look back upon. Harwood would stop short of mentioning who that coach was, however.

    “There’s a former coach at the PC, that I hope he’s looking at us and knowing that we are laughing at him in the face. Well, I won’t put Cash in that position,” Harwood said. “Knowing that I am laughing at him in the face.”

    Earlier in the discussion, Harwood had mentioned that around 2014, the art of the tag-team wrestling had been lost. He said that tag-team matches had become about two singles stars tagging in and out and doing their moves. Him and Cash wanted their tag-team to be different.

    “I’ll say this to pat ourselves on the back. Before us, you didn’t see tag matches, of the modern era at least, the heels grab a hold and the babyfaces working for the tag. You didn’t see that,” Harwood said. “You didn’t see hope spots that were slightly elaborate to give that baby a little bit of hope and have the heel stop them there. What you saw was a hold, the fans would start to come up. The two guys would start to come up, bring the elbows to the stomach. They’d hit the ropes and the heel would do something and the heel would hit some kind of cool move.”

    The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcriptions.

  • Liv Morgan Has Found “Angry Liv Girl”, Wants To Bring Her To Day 1

    Liv Morgan Has Found “Angry Liv Girl”, Wants To Bring Her To Day 1

    When Becky Lynch cheated to retain the RAW Women’s Championship against Liv Morgan, many fans in the crowd were upset. There was one fan who had such a disappointed face that she began to be known as “Angry Liv Girl.” Morgan revealed that she has found the fan and hopes to bring her, and the “Angry Becky Girl” who appeared on RAW after, to the Day 1 PPV on Saturday.

    “I have found Angry Liv Girl,” Morgan said in an interview with CBS Sports. “She’s awesome and I’ve been waiting to reach out. I found her and I’m going to send her a little DM. I would love for Angry Liv Girl and Angry Becky girl to both be there [at WWE Day 1]. They’ve both been stars during this feud. I would love for them to both be there.”

    Morgan also spoke about her title match with Lynch headlining an episode of RAW on the 17th anniversary of Trish Stratus and Lita becoming the first-ever women to main event an episode of the show.

    “That day was the 17th anniversary of the infamous Trish vs. Lita [match]. The first-ever women’s main event match for the Women’s championship,” Morgan continued. “It felt so weird to me. It felt like it was meant to be. Everything felt so aligned. Becky has red hair. I have blonde hair. We have this match 17 years to the date and we were the main event, which we didn’t know until later in the day because we weren’t the main event and then we got switched to the main event. As soon as I realized that, I was like, ‘I’m doing a dive.’”

    Liv Morgan will get another crack at winning the RAW Women’s Championship on Saturday at Day 1. If she wins, she would become just the 11th Superstar to win the title since its debut in 2016. Nobody has held the championship for more combined days than Becky Lynch. She’s been the holder of the title for 437 days split between 2 reigns.

  • Tony Khan Comments On Signing Kyle O’Reilly

    Tony Khan Comments On Signing Kyle O’Reilly

    Tonight on AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish will team up to take on Chuck Taylor, Trent, and Orange Cassidy. The 3 original members of the Undisputed Era were competition to the promotion when they were on NXT Wednesday nights. Tony Khan recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about what it’s like to now have them on his show.

    “Kyle O’Reilly is a huge addition for AEW. He’s a great, great wrestler. And not only did we get Kyle O’Reilly, we also got Bobby Fish and Adam Cole. These are huge signings individually, but even more massive together,” Khan said. “Adam Cole’s debut at the end of All Out, that’s one of the most important moments ever in AEW, and now he’s surrounded by his former partners. To have Kyle O’Reilly debut and help Adam Cole get the win over Orange Cassidy in a great wrestling match last week on Dynamite, that builds more interest in AEW.”

    Kyle O’Reilly debuted for AEW on last week’s “Holiday Bash” show from the Greensboro Coliseum. He interfered in the match between Cole and Orange Cassidy, leading to Cole picking up the victory. Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly left the ring area after the match, leaving the Young Bucks in the ring by themselves.

    “Kyle makes his debut in the ring this week, and it’s symbolic that it is happening on the final Dynamite on TNT,” Khan continued. “So much of our run on TNT was spent battling these guys—Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. When we were head to head, it was threatening to us every time they were on camera. Now we’ve added them to our team in AEW, which is such an advantage.”

    Cole, Fish & O’Reilly vs The Best Friends On AEW New Year’s Smash

    In addition to Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish teaming up to take on the Best Friends, 2 other big matches are scheduled for tonight’s show. 2.0 and Daniel Garcia will team up to take on Eddie Kingston and Santana & Ortiz. In the TBS title tournament semi-finals, Thunder Rosa will also take on Jade Cargill.

  • Cody Rhodes: “We’re Not Going The Direction You Think”

    Cody Rhodes: “We’re Not Going The Direction You Think”

    Cody Rhodes won the TNT Championship for a record 3rd time on Rampage last Friday. The crowds continue to give him a mixed reaction and many fans are wondering if he’ll turn heel.

    Rhodes was recently featured on Sammy Guevara’s vlog and teased that they are “not going the direction you think” with the angle.

    “I’m thankful to the fans that cheer me, and I’m thankful to the fans that boo me because both sets of fans are getting ready to go on a ride that’s just bizzare, and not… it’s not the path that you think. We’re not doing what’s been done before,” Rhodes said.

    https://twitter.com/TranquiloClubYT/status/1475892964635389961

    The full vlog can be viewed below:

    Cody Rhodes Wins The TNT Championship

    Cody Rhodes holds the record of most title reigns with the TNT title (3). Darby Allin holds the record for most combined days with the title and the longest single reign with the belt at 186.

    Rhodes holds the record for the most combined total defenses with 10. Darby Allin, Miro, and Rhodes are tied for most title defenses in a single reign with 8.

    He also holds the record for most wins in a TNT title match with 13, including his 3 title victories and 10 defenses.

  • Update On If AJ Styles Is Now A Babyface Or Still A Heel

    Update On If AJ Styles Is Now A Babyface Or Still A Heel

    As recently as December 26th, AJ Styles was a heel. He was a heel in his match against Omos on the Madison Square Garden live event the night after Christmas. On that show, he faked as though Omos had hit him with a chair and then won via disqualification. Last night on RAW, however, Styles appeared to be acting as a babyface. He even faced and defeated a heel in Apollo Crews.

    According to a report from PW Insider, Styles is now a babyface.

    “Going forward in WWE storylines, AJ Styles is now a babyface according to several WWE sources,” wrote Mike Johnson.

    Omos is reportedly still a heel. This despite their breakup last week on RAW seemingly putting him in the babyface role between the two.

    Omos was not on RAW last night from Detroit. He reportedly traveled to Detroit but was sent home earlier in the day and not backstage once the show began. On the show last night, Styles called out Omos but got Apollo Crews instead. He then defeated the former United States Champion in singles action.

    Styles and Omos won the RAW tag-team championships at WrestleMania 37. They then lost them to the current champions, RK-Bro, at SummerSlam.

  • Shawn Michaels Comments On New Role With NXT

    Shawn Michaels Comments On New Role With NXT

    Shawn Michaels recently discussed his new role in NXT during an interview with Denise Salcedo. Previously, Michaels had been in a coaching role for the brand. Since Triple H has been absent, however, Michaels has stepped up and is now involved more on the television and creative side of things.

    “I’ve now stepped out of the physical coaching aspect and into the Vice President of Talent Development and focusing more on television, the live show, and creative,” Michaels said. “The talent pool has gotten very big. To me, the biggest advantage of all of that is the freshness, the newness. When I went from a tag team to a single competitor, I wasn’t given a cookie-cutter ‘this is your character, this is what you’re gonna do.’ “

    https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1475587299282927626

    Shawn Michaels On Helping Characters Evolve In NXT

    Michaels continued to talk about needing some time to find his “Heartbreak Kid” character and how in NXT they work to allow characters to evolve. He also spoke about working in collaboration with new talent to find out who they are.

    “I was able to have some time to find ‘The Heartbreak Kid.’ I didn’t know who he was at the time but I had an opportunity to evolve this character and make it mine,” he continued. “That’s the one thing we’re allowed to do now with these new athletes coming in, is have time to sit down, to talk with them, to find out who they are, to get their insight, it really is a collaboration.”

    The full interview with Michaels can be seen in the player below:

    NXT will be live tonight from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 2 matches have been officially confirmed for the show. Cora Jade & Raquel Gonzalez will team up to take on the Toxic Attraction team of Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne. Also tonight, Dexter Lumis and Grayson Waller will meet in singles action.

    H/T To Wrestling Inc. for the above transcriptions.

  • Tony Khan Discusses The Owen Hart Cup

    Tony Khan Discusses The Owen Hart Cup

    AEW recently revealed that the Owen Hart Cup tournaments will take place this May and conclude at the Double or Nothing PPV in Las Vegas. Tony Khan was recently interviewed by PW Insider and spoke about the tournaments, his relationship with Dr. Martha Hart, and more.

    “I have so much respect for Dr. Martha Hart. She is a principled woman and cares so much about making sure the legacy of Owen Hart is treated with integrity. Integrity is something that is essential to AEW. I believe in personal integrity and try to maintain it in relationships. We’ve built a really strong relationship with Martha based on that,” Khan said.

    Tony Khan Comments On Having The Tournament Conclude At Double or Nothing

    Khan would continue to say that numerous factors went into when the tournament would be held. Some of this had to do with Hart’s teaching schedule in Canada and when she would be available to participate. They had considered the Revolution PPV in February but ultimately the decision was made to have the tournaments conclude at Double or Nothing.

    “Talking to her about how the legacy of Owen would be treated, I told her we would make it a top priority to make sure we would do something that would have great impact on the fans, but also where she could participate,” Khan said.

    “She’s a teacher in Canada and with her teaching schedule, we looked at AEW events. Double or Nothing is one of the most important shows we have, it’s where the company began, and it’s very fitting that on the three-year anniversary of our first AEW show, we will crown Owen Hart (Cup) winners.”

    Khan continued to speak about the decision to have both men’s and women’s winners fo the tournament. For Khan, the idea is that the Owen will be treated like other major tournaments in sports.

    “I discussed it with Martha and I thought it would be cool to treat the Owen like other prestigious cups in sports. For example, Wimbledon, there is a men’s and women’s winner. Martha thought this was excellent and was in favor of it.”

  • Killer Kross & Scarlett Comment On Their WWE Departures

    Killer Kross & Scarlett Comment On Their WWE Departures

    Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux were two of the more surprising releases in WWE this year. Kross had been built up as a huge star in NXT but when he hit the main roster, things changed. Scarlett was removed from his act, he was repackaged and given a helmet with no explanation. Then they were both just released.

    Kross and Scarlett were guests recently on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. During the discussion, both Kross and Scarlett spoke about trading in creative freedom for financial stability when they signed with WWE. Kross says his intuition knew something was off after he first lost to Jeff Hardy on RAW, however. He noted that he was given no notice when their planned 10-minute match was cut short by 9.5 minutes.

    “I do my entrance and get out there,” Kross said of his first match with Hardy. “The ref comes to me and goes, ‘Hey, your 10 minute match is down to 90 seconds.’ First time we’re working on television, we don’t really know each other in the ring, our rhythm, they come back from commercial and I’m trying not to laugh.”

    Kross continued to say that he was worried about where things were going after that match.

    “Part of this business is doing what you are told,” he continued. “My intuition was telling me that everything was off and felt wrong and I felt something bad coming four months before it happened, but everyone I talked to was like, ‘No, everyone loves you. There are no problems,’ but I felt it coming. I tried to, as professionally polite as I could, talk to people in the chain of command and be a good sport.” 

    https://twitter.com/realKILLERkross/status/1475645435356270594

    Kross became further concerned when he was given an email regarding the repackaging of his character. He was given something of an updated “Demolition” style gimmick, complete with a helmet and all. Kross said he knew the look would not get over in 2021.

    “I got an email with what it was supposed to look like,” Kross said of his repackaging. “Apparently, the music was supposed to change, the entrance was supposed to change, and it was supposed to be an enhanced version. When I saw the picture of it, I showed it to [Scarlett] and I just started laughing.”

    Scarlett would continue to say that despite what happened, they knew what they were getting into with WWE. They were trading in creative freedom for financial stability.

    “We were also ready, when we signed up for WWE, we were trading creative freedom to finally be able to have a steady income,” she said.

    We tried to take that perspective no matter what. ‘It’s not our money, no matter what, we’re going to make the best of whatever it is,’” Scarlett continued.

    H/T To Fightful for the above transcriptions.

  • Update On Omos Missing RAW

    Update On Omos Missing RAW

    Omos was scheduled to face AJ Styles on last night’s RAW from Detroit. The match didn’t happen, however. Instead, Styles faced and defeated Apollo Crews. According to a report from PW Insider, Omos did travel to Detroit for the show.

    Omos was not backstage as RAW was taking place, however. Rather, he had been sent home earlier in the day. No reason was given for his absence on television and it is not clear what led to him being sent home. Omos had previously performed on WWE’s live event in Madison Square Garden on December 26th.

    WWE has had numerous Superstars out of action as of late. The speculation is that these absences are due to health and safety protocols regarding COVID-19 but that cannot be confirmed. Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Bobby Lashley, Big E, and Roman Reigns all missed WWE live events recently. Lynch, Rollins, Belair, Lashley, and Big E were not in person on last night’s RAW broadcast but did send in videos. Kevin Owens was not pulled from the recent live events, however, and is the one person from the 4-way match at Day 1 who was live on RAW last night.

    Omos has been on the main roster a little over a year, mainly associating with AJ Styles. The duo are former RAW tag-team champions. Omos also won the 25-man battle royal at Survivor Series this year.

  • Jimmy Yang Gone From WWE After Tryout As A Producer

    Jimmy Yang Gone From WWE After Tryout As A Producer

    In late-October, Jimmy Yang started working as a producer in WWE on a tryout basis. According to Yang, WWE decided against using him full time.

    Yang’s pro career started in 1999 in WCW. He was cast as one of the Jung Dragons in the promotion’s cruiserweight division. After WWE purchased WCW, Yang was assigned to the Heartland Wrestling Association developmental territory but then released in January of 2002.

    He would spend 2002-03 with TNA Wrestling before re-signing with WWE in September of 2003. He was again released in 2005. Yang then had a brief run with Ring of Honor before once again signing with WWE in 2006. He would adopt the gimmick of Jimmy “Wang” Yang and compete in the company’s cruiserweight division. Yang was then released again in April of 2010. Following his last stint in WWE as a wrestler, Yang worked on the independent scene for several years and returned to TNA Wrestling briefly in 2011.

    He has several jobs in the Cincinatti area. He runs a wrestling school called Pro Training, LLC. Yang operates a party bus business as well and his own pest control company called “Jimmy’s Pest Control”.

  • Roman Reigns Pulled From WWE Live Event In Tampa Bay

    Roman Reigns Pulled From WWE Live Event In Tampa Bay

    Roman Reigns was pulled from last night’s WWE live event in Tampa Bay. Reigns had been scheduled to team with the Usos and take on Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston in the main event.

    Reigns being pulled from the Tampa show comes on the heels of Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Big E, Bobby Lashley, and Seth Rollins all missing the Madison Square Garden house show the same night. Not everyone who missed the shows will have tested positive for COVID, however. Seth Rollins may have announced he tested positive, and Dave Meltzer has seemingly confirmed that to be the case.

    WWE Tampa Bay Live Event Results 12/26:

    • Kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn
    • Xia Li defeated Shotzi
    • Ridge Holland defeated Mansoor
    • Smackdown Tag Team Titles: The Usos (c) defeated Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
    • Cesaro & Ricochet defeated Los Lotharios vs The Viking Raiders in a triple threat.
    • Happy Corbin defeated Rick Boogz
    • Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Sasha Banks
    • Tampa Street Fight: Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus

    WWE’s RAW show tonight from Detroit has several announced matches, none of which feature talent removed from the holiday live event tour.

    • The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio)
    • AJ Styles vs. Omos
    • Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory
    • Randy Orton vs. Otis
    • United States Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
  • WWE MSG Live Event Results, Lineup Changes Due To Outbreak

    WWE MSG Live Event Results, Lineup Changes Due To Outbreak

    The lineup to last night’s WWE live event in Madison Square Garden underwent several changes. The planned main event was Big E defending the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens. Becky Lynch was also supposed to defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair. Neither of those two matches ended up happening and of the above-mentioned names, only Kevin Owens appeared on the show.

    An announcement was made before the show that several talent would not appear but it was not specified who. Edge then made an unadvertised appearance and started the show saying he got the call a couple of days ago to be apart of the card. This brought out Kevin Owens and they set the stage for them headlining the show.

    1. Finn Balor defeated T-BAR
    2. Alpha Academy defeated The Dirty Dawgs
    3. NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa (c) defeated Pete Dunne
    4. Natalya defeated Nikki ASH
    5. Rhea Ripley defeated Natalya
    6. RAW Tag Team Championships: RK-Bro (c) defeated The Mysterios and Street Profits in a triple threat match.
    7. United States Championship: Damian Priest (c) defeated The Miz
    8. AJ Styles defeated Omos via disqualification (Styles pretended as though Omos had hit him with a chair and the referee fell for it).
    9. Steel Cage Match: Edge defeated Kevin Owens.

    Miz came out during the match to attack Edge and further their rivalry. Damian Priest would come out and make the save, however and Edge hit a spear on Miz.

    https://twitter.com/vXmichaels/status/1475301571982467080
  • Ric Flair Says He Sees Himself In MJF

    Ric Flair Says He Sees Himself In MJF

    Ric Flair spent some time on his Wooo Nation podcast recently speaking about Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Some comparisons were made between MJF and Roddy Piper during the show. According to Flair, however, he sees more of himself in Friedman than Piper.

    “I’m not taking away from Roddy, Roddy didn’t brag about his clothes and stuff like that,” Flair said. “This kid, what makes him different is he’s talking about the material things and he implies that he has the material things that other people don’t have and that really pisses people off, especially when it’s true.”

    Flair continued to praise MJF’s work as a heel. He noted that being a “bad guy” in the way MJF is means not signing autographs for fans. It also means keeping up the character in public.

    “If I saw that kid signing an autograph at the parking lot of the building, I’d never talk to him again,” Flair continued. “He’s so damn good at what he’s doing and it really catches my attention but I’ve seen so many guys in this business who go out and be a heel on TV, then they’re out in the parking lot signing autographs.”

    “I used to walk through the airport with Hunter and we would say ‘Bad guys don’t sign.’ Standard answer: ‘bad boys don’t sign.’ “

    MJF headlined last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. The show took place in one of Flair’s old stomping grounds, the Greensboro Coliseum. MJF’s team with FTR was defeated by Sting, CM Punk, and Darby Allin.

    The full podcast can be viewed in the player below:

    H/T To Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions.

  • Shawn Michaels Comments On Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly Leaving NXT

    Shawn Michaels Comments On Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly Leaving NXT

    Shawn Michaels recently commented on the NXT departures of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly. Now that they are gone, Michaels admits they are the reason he fell back in love with sports entertainment.

    “We still keep in contact, but yeah it is bittersweet, those young men were a big part of my life, they were a lot of the reason that I sort of got back into this line of work,” Michaels said during an interview with Denise Salcedo. “I was happily retired.”

    “When it came to Johnny, Tommaso, Adam, those guys, even way back, the Revival Boys, Shawn Spears who was Tye Dellinger at the time, all those young men sitting in a room with them; their passion, their excitement, their desire to be better was just hard not to love,” he continued.

    In November of 2018, it was revealed that Michaels was now working as a writer and producer for NXT. This was shortly after he had returned for one match at the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.

    “They are the reason that I came back, and fell back in love with Sports Entertainment, with this line of work. As you’ve heard and everyone has numerous times, in NXT at the Performance Center, is where it’s still pure, it’s still all the reasons we get into it before it becomes business, and money and negotiations and things of that nature. To fast forward your question, I miss them.”

    Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish Unite In AEW

    Adam Cole debuted for AEW this fall at the All Out PPV in Chicago. He aligned with the Young Bucks and they re-created their Super Kliq team. Then on this week’s Dynamite show from the Greensboro Coliseum, Kyle O’Reilly debuted for AEW as well. O’Reilly helped Adam Cole defeat Orange Cassidy. Then him, Cole, and Bobby Fish all left together, leaving the Young Bucks alone in the ring. After being at the top of NXT since 2017 as the Undisputed Era, they now appear to have re-aligned in AEW.

    The full interview with Shawn Michaels can be heard in the player below:

    H/T To WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptions

  • The Rock Teases New Venture, “Quite Possibly My Biggest One Yet”

    The Rock Teases New Venture, “Quite Possibly My Biggest One Yet”

    Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is teasing that 2022 could be the year he launches his biggest venture yet. While he’s not ready quite yet to announce what it is, he recently revealed in an interview with CNBC that he’s very excited about it.

    “I’ll be entering a new industry I’m passionate about in 2022. 2 1/2 years of organizing around this launch with a smart, hungry, credentialed in the streets team. Could be my biggest yet, and I think you guys are gonna love it,” The Rock Tweeted.

    CNBC also posted a clip of the Rock teasing the new venture during a recent interview. In the interview, he said that he’s entering a new industry and this venture could be his biggest one yet.

    “As far as for 2022, I’m excited about 2022. I think we have some great partnerships, some great alignments. In the world of movies, we have Black Adam coming out, we have Super Pets coming out.

    We have one venture, a new venture, I’m entering into a new industry, I won’t say what it is, but when we do I’ll come back and talk to you guys about it. It could be quite possibly my biggest one yet.”

    Watch The Rock’s video message from CNBC here:

  • Natalya Sets Another Guinness World Record

    Natalya Sets Another Guinness World Record

    No female Superstar in the history of WWE has had the career that Natalya has. The 39-year-old has been with the company since 2007 and has had yet another milestone recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Natalya had previously been recognized for having had the most matches of any female WWE Superstar and the most PPV matches of any female WWE Superstar. Now, Guinness has confirmed that Natalya has more wins than any other female WWE Superstar in history. Her win total currently sits at 641.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CX2KtNRsyLC/

    Natalya also helps train members of the WWE roster at her home where her and husband TJ Wilson have a ring set-up. She talked recently about how Liv Morgan has been training with her.

    “I am proud of Liv because she has been training with us in the dungeon,” Natalya said. “She’s been training with us for over a year. I said to Liv, ‘it’s so cool to see.’ Because training isn’t once every six months. Training is being consistent every single week, on days that you’re tired.”

    “She will get off the plane and come and train with me and my husband and a few of the other Superstars that come in and train with us. It’s a very special, elite group that come in and hone their craft,” Natalya continued. 

    Liv Morgan has been training in Natalya’s “Dungeon”
  • Anthony Ogogo Reportedly Has Backstage Heat In AEW

    Anthony Ogogo Reportedly Has Backstage Heat In AEW

    Olympic Bronze-medal boxer and member of the AEW roster, Anthony Ogogo, reportedly has backstage heat due to his recent comments on Twitter. Following Ring of Honor’s Final Battle PPV earlier this month, Ogogo Tweeted comments directed at Jonathan Gresham.

    “Super cute that @TheJonGresham was the last ever ROH champ, kinda reminds me when Hornswoggle was the last ever cruiserweight champ. Congrats kiddo,” Ogogo Tweeted.

    The comment drew responses from Gresham’s wife Jordynne Grace as well as Hornswoggle.

    According to a report from Fightful, Ogogo’s comments did not sit well with several members of the AEW roster. While several members of the roster were said to be upset, Ogogo’s heat is not believed to be substantial. One member of the roster stated that they believed Ogogo was trying to create an angle but by the time Grace had stated it was not a storyline, Ogogo had gone too far to go back.

    Jonathan Gresham took to Twitter to clarify that he was not working an angle with Ogogo.

    “No it’s not an angle. It is not a gimmick. We are not working on this together. It is simply someone going into business for themselves. And legit taking shots at myself and my wife online. But please continue to support that kind of behavior as its seems to entertain you,” Gresham Tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/TheJonGresham/status/1473116704112840707
    Jordynne Grace, Anthony Ogogo, & Hornswoggle Trade Shots On Twitter
  • Impact Announces Best Of 2021 Awards Part 1

    Impact Announces Best Of 2021 Awards Part 1

    Impact Wrestling is finishing off 2021 by airing two “Best of 2021” episodes. Last night’s broadcast included some of the best matches of the year as well as the announcement of multiple award winners. More year-end award winners will be announced on next week’s episode.

    The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) were named the promotion’s tag-team of the year.

    The best Knockouts Match of the Year award went to Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James from Bound For Glory.

    Last year, Deonna Purrazzo won both the Knockout of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards. She’s won the Knockouts of the Year award 2 years straight now. The Wrestler of the Year award will be announced next week.

    In addition to the awards given out last night, a new match for the Hard to Kill PPV was also revealed. Trey Miguel will defend his X-Division Championship against Steve Maclin on the show.

    Hard To Kill 2022 Lineup

    Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:

    • Impact World Championship
      Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
    • Knockouts Championship
      Texas Death Match
      Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
    • Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship
      Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
    • Josh Alexander vs JONAH
    • X-Division Championship
      Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
    • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
      The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
    • ROH Championship
      Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
    • 10-Man Hardcore War
      Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)