SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • Watch: Bret Hart Canada Walk of Fame Induction Video

    Watch: Bret Hart Canada Walk of Fame Induction Video

    Pro wrestling legend Bret Hart was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame last week.

    The Hitman was inducted by Chris Jericho. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also recorded a special video message and thanked Bret Hart for mentoring him early in his wrestling career.

    Bret Hart has posted video of his induction to social media, which you can check out in the player below:

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CX1c1pUKdrk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Bret Hart touts his accomplishments

    Bret Hart
    Bret Hart

    Bret Hart recently spoke to TSN about his induction. Hart talked about his in-ring style and what it was like growing up in the business.

    “I gave 100 per cent in my matches all the time. There was something different about [my] matches. They were so real, and believable,” Hart told TSN. “My matches were an amazing blend of athletics and acting. You have to know from real pain in your life, what really hurts and how to sell something and make people feel your pain. I think I did that as good or better than any wrestler.

    “I grew up in the business from the time I was a little kid, I was watching wrestling matches since I was five years old,” Hart continued. “When I became a wrestler I had a really good idea of how to entertain a wrestling fan like myself. I could bring the fan out of the wrestler, and when we’d go out there and perform it, the fans and the wrestler you worked with are so happy that you delivered this beautiful story.”

    Bret Hart’s Hall of Fame Resume

    Bret Hart
    Bret Hart

    In addition to Canada’s Walk of Fame, Hart was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma in 2006. The Hall of Fame and museum honors achievements in amateur wrestling. Hart won the city of Calgary wrestling championship in 1974. 

    For professional wrestling, Hart is in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame, Prairie Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame, Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, and he’s been inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame.

  • AEW Rampage Holiday Bash Spoilers

    AEW Rampage Holiday Bash Spoilers

    AEW taped Rampage Holiday Bash following Dynamite last night from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The show was headlined by a TNT title match between champion Sammy Guevara and Cody Rhodes.

    Cody Rhodes defeated Sammy Guevara to win the TNT Championship for a 3rd time. Reports are that Rhodes used multiple Cross Rhodes and a pedigree to win the match.

    The other 3 matches all had submission finishes.

    Kris Statlander defeated “Legit” Leyla Hirsch via submission. In his second ever match, HOOK defeated Bear Bronson. Jungle Boy also defeated Isiah Kassidy from Private Party.

    The TNT Championship has now changed hands 7x, with Rhodes being the only champion to hold the title more than once. His first run with the belt lasted 82 days and included 8 title defenses. Rhodes then dropped the title to Brodie Lee who defended it twice before dropping it back to Rhodes again. He would then drop the title to Darby Allin, who eventually lost it to Miro. Guevara then defeated Miro before dropping it back to Rhodes.

    Next up for AEW will be a show in Jacksonville on December 29th. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish will reunited to take on the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy. Jade Cargill will face Thunder Rosa in the second TBS Title Tournament semi-final. Eddie Kingston will also team with Santana and Ortiz to take on 2.0 and Daniel Garcia.

  • Sting Praises “Electrifying” CM Punk, Grateful to Retire on His Terms

    Sting Praises “Electrifying” CM Punk, Grateful to Retire on His Terms

    This week’s special Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite saw Sting team up with Darby Allin and CM Punk in the main event. They defeated the team of Maxwell Jacob Friedman and FTR of the Pinnacle.

    Sting and Punk paid homage to one another with their face-paint and ring gear.

    Ahead of this memorable bout, Sting spoke to Sports Illustrated and had glowing things to say about Punk.

    “CM Punk, he’s truly amazing to me,” he began. “Hearing the crowd respond to him, it’s made me turn back the clock and think of all the different memorable reactions over the years to different wrestlers. I’ve especially been thinking about The Road Warriors. Animal was really big on that. He would say, ‘This guy got a huge pop, but it wasn’t a Road Warrior pop.’ That’s what Punk gets.”

    Sting and CM Punk

    Sting has wrestled alongside some of the biggest names in pro wrestling history. He’s worked with them all, yet still credits Punk for being a “remarkable” and “electrifying” performer.

    “I had an idea of CM Punk’s greatness, but now I have experienced it,” Sting continued. “His appearances are so electrifying. He is remarkable, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to be in the ring with him and Darby as their tag team partner.”

    Sting Retiring on His Terms

    Sting also spoke about how fortunate he is to write this final chapter of his career on his terms.

    “Not many people get to rewrite their final chapter, not at this level. I had great matches at the Greensboro Coliseum with Lex Luger, and now I get to do it with Darby and CM Punk against MJF and FTR. It’s a great way to end my career. The crowd, their appreciation makes me want to tear up. It’s almost as if they don’t want to say goodbye.”

    Sting has a lot of great memories wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum. Back in 1988, he wrestled NWA Champion Ric Flair to a 45-minute time-limit draw at the first-ever Clash of the Champions. That show went head-to-head with WWE’s WrestleMania IV.

  • Kyle O’Reilly Comments On Signing With AEW

    Kyle O’Reilly Comments On Signing With AEW

    Kyle O’Reilly made a shocking debut on Wednesday’s Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

    O’Reilly did a run-in during Adam Cole’s match against Orange Cassidy. In doing so, he reunited with former Undisputed Era partners Cole and Bobby Fish.

    After Cole picked up the victory, O’Reilly, Cole and Fish stood together in the ring. Out came the Young Bucks, who questioned Adam Cole’s loyalties.

    Cole has partnered with the Bucks, as well as Fish & O’Reilly. He left with Fish & O’Reilly, which sets up an interesting scenario about where this leaves the Super Elite.

    Kyle O’Reilly debuts on AEW Dynamite

    Kyle O’Reilly comments on his AEW debut

    O’Reilly addressed his arrival in AEW on social media.

    “Life is crazy and I’m very grateful that my professional wrestling abilities have taken me to a new frontier in which to explore my ass-kicking ways,” he wrote. “Proud to be apart of AEW and thanks to Tony Khan for the opportunity.”

    “If you’re a fan of mine from elsewhere I hope you continue to support me. If you’re new to KOR prepare to see a man that pours his f’n soul into that ring every night and has an unquenchable thirst for cans of whoop ass.”

    “Also, reDRagon is back!!!”

    Tony Khan Reacts

    Tony Khan also commented on signing O’Reilly and reuniting him with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish.

    “I’m still amazed that we were able to reunite Adam Cole & Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly tonight on AEW Dynamite; it doesn’t seem like it should’ve been possible, still doesn’t feel real. The only reason it was possible was because of you great fans supporting AEW on TNT! Thank you.”

    Kyle O’Reilly Is All Elite, Aligns With Adam Cole & Bobby Fish
  • Corporal Kirchner Has Passed Away

    Corporal Kirchner Has Passed Away

    Michael Penzel, better known to wrestling fans as Corporal Kirchner has passed away. He was 64. The cause of death is listed as a heart attack.

    As a teenager, Kirchner enlisted in the United States Army and eventually became a paratrooper in the  82nd Airborne Division. He left the Army in his early twenties and began working as a mechanic and a bouncer in Minnesota.

    He met Hulk Hogan in a gym who introduced him to Verne Gagne. Penzel then went to Gagne’s wrestling school.

    In 1984, Kirchner worked as enhancement talent in WWF until Vince McMahon found out he had been in the 82nd Airborne Division. McMahon then gave him the name Corporal Kirchner and incorporated his military background into his character.

    He left WWE in 1987 and had a brief run in Calgary for Stampede Wrestling. In 1989, he ended up with New Japan Pro Wrestling and adopted the Leatherface gimmick. He would work for various Japanese promotions until landing with FMW in 1995.

    After FMW closed, he worked a few years for various Japanese promotions before retiring from full-time in-ring work in 2004. He’d later make some appearances for the Insane Clown Posse’s promotion in the years after.

    SEScoops extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael Penzel.

    Corporal Kirchner Remembered

  • WWE Staff & Talent Reportedly Test Positive For COVID-19

    WWE Staff & Talent Reportedly Test Positive For COVID-19

    Following Friday’s Smackdown and weekend live events, numerous WWE talent and staff reportedly started to feel ill. According to a report from PW Insider’s Mike Johnson, some have tested positive for COVID-19. Others are still awaiting test results. No names have been released, however.

    “A number of talents and staff were feeling run down and some have since tested positive for COVID-19, while others who were feeling sick are still waiting for their test results to return,” wrote Johnson.

    This week’s edition of Smackdown was taped last week and will air on Friday night in its usual time slot.

    WWE has also postponed live events scheduled for Quebec next week. The province has issued a shutdown due to surging COVID-19 cases. A WWE live event for Toronto on December 29th still has tickets on sale even though the province of Ontario has limited live events to 50% capacity and the venue has already exceeded that amount in ticket sales for the show. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Toronto show is “in a state of flux”, which sounds a lot like they just aren’t sure what they are going to do about it yet.

    The NHL has postponed all games for the next week and cancelled sending players to the Olympics. The NBA has postponed several games but has said they will continue to operate despite rising cases.

  • Bryan Danielson defends AEW using Time Limit Draws

    Bryan Danielson defends AEW using Time Limit Draws

    Bryan Danielson said 2021 has been a year of surprises for him. He was speaking with the Asbury Park Press recently and noted that he’s done multiple things this year that he didn’t expect to.

    Bryan noted during the interview that he was surprised to be inserted into the WrestleMania main event earlier this year. He noted that he told WWE he was leaving, and didn’t think being in the main event of WrestleMania was what they would have him do on his way out.

    “The thing that surprised me the most (in 2021) was being inserted into the main event of WrestleMania,” said Danielson. “When I started the year, I knew my contract was ending and I was part of the creative team with WWE and I was like, ‘OK, what’s the best thing for me to do on my way out?’ And it was certainly not (being part of) the main event of WrestleMania”.

    Bryan Danielson On Time Limit Draws In Wrestling

    Since arriving in AEW, Danielson has wrestled in two time-limit draws. Him and Kenny Omega went to a 30-minute time limit draw at Dynamite Grand Slam in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Then at Winter is Coming last week, Danielson and Hangman Page went to a 60-minute time-limit draw. He also spoke about these matches during the interview.

    “If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would do a 60-minute match on television, I would have been like, ‘Where’s that happening?’” Danielson said. “So I’ve had some really cool surprises this year.”

    He continued to say that time limit draws are an interesting storytelling device, one that sets the stage for a rematch.

    “It’s just a story device, right?” Danielson continued. “And it’s interesting to me in the sense of in sporting events, and especially when you’re looking at MMA or boxing and the idea that there are draws in boxing and there are draws in MMA … Usually what it does is it’s a mechanism to lead to a rematch.”

    Visit App.com to read their full interview with “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson.

  • Big E Reveals How Much Longer He Plans To Wrestle

    Big E Reveals How Much Longer He Plans To Wrestle

    At one point, WWE Champion Big E said he wanted to stop wrestling by the age of 35. Now that he is about to turn 36, Big E feels he still has more years left in the ring. He spoke to The Sun recently about how much longer he plans to wrestle for.

    “I’ve got a few more years left in me. I don’t really know when that time will be… but when you’re 23, 35 feels like it’s ages from now and that you’ll be an old man and beat up,” Big E said.

    “So 35 felt like at the time a good time to get out and I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

    Big E would continue to say, however, that some wresters aren’t hitting their prime until they are 35-40.

    “We have so many guys now… Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, Bobby Roode, Dolph Ziggler – so many guys in their 40s performing at such a high level.  They look great and are ageing well,” he said.

    Big E still isn’t sure if he plans to wrestle into his forties, however, as he always told himself he would get out before then. He says that he feels good physically and if his body holds up, he’ll keep wrestling for years more still.

    “In the ring, I feel leaner and my cardio is getting better. There’s so much about where I’m at physically that I’m really appreciating.”

  • Serena Deeb Working As A Producer & Coach Backstage In AEW

    Serena Deeb Working As A Producer & Coach Backstage In AEW

    Serena Deeb recently noted that when she was out with a knee injury earlier this year she began working backstage in AEW as a producer and a coach. Deeb was speaking with Wrestling Inc. when she mentioned having taken on the role.

    “When I was kind of sitting on the sidelines I stepped into the coaching role and the producing role,” Deeb said. “Kind of like the stuff I was doing before at the other company,” she said. “I’m helping them with their matches, I am on headset next to Tony calling their matches, talking to the truck, doing all of that. I love that too and, you know what? That has an exhilarating component in itself. Like, especially when you really help and then you watch them go out there and they kill it. You feel like you’re part of that, it’s very rewarding.”

    Deeb worked as a trainer in the WWE Performance Center from 2017 until the spring of 2020. She was released in April 2020 along with many others at the start of the pandemic.

    “Yesterday I did what was supposed to be a four-hour seminar but it ended up being a six-hour seminar because we were just in it and we were just going. I felt so good at the end of it,” Deeb continued. “I really love coaching and I want it to be a part of my life and my future and I am getting to do a little bit of that at AEW, as well. So that’s a part of me, for sure. I have an innate desire to help people and I’ve kind of always been like that, I really love it.”

    Deeb recently faced Hikaru Shida in the rubber match of their series at Winter is Coming. Deeb had defeated Shida on the October 6th episode of Dynamite. Shida then defeated Deeb in the 1st round of the TBS title tournament. Deeb attacked Shida after the match, targeting her already damaged knee. She then attacked Shida during her quarter-final match with Nyla Rose, again attacking the knee. Rose ended up submitting Shida with a stretch muffler shortly after. Shida then defeated Deeb in the 3rd match in their trilogy last week.

  • Rikishi Calls For Umaga To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

    Rikishi Calls For Umaga To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

    Rikishi took to social media recently to call for the “Samoan Bulldozer” Umaga to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

    Umaga had two different stints in WWE. He first signed with the company in 2001 and debuted as Jamal of 3-Minute Warning along with Rosey. He was released in 2003 but would return to the company in 2005 and was repackaged as Umaga.

    Umaga was Vince McMahon’s representative in the hair vs hair match at WrestleMania 23. He lost to Bobby Lashley resulting in Vince McMahon having to have his head shaved.

    Umaga was also a 2x Intercontinental Champion in WWE. In 2009, WWE released him due to his refusing to go to rehab following a violation of the company’s wellness policy. He would pass away due to a heart attack just 6 months later at the age of 36.

    Last year, Jim Ross spent some time on his Grillin Jr. podcast speaking about Umaga.

    “Umaga was the prototype that in a different era would’ve been a perfect NFL nose tackle. He had amazing athleticism for a guy that big. He was a super heavyweight that had light heavyweight feet. Just was so athletic and good-hearted. I just loved being around him – he was just a big kid and a good dude. Like you said, he left us way too early,” Ross said on the show.

  • Liv Morgan has been training in Natalya’s “Dungeon”

    Liv Morgan has been training in Natalya’s “Dungeon”

    Natalya has a wrestling ring in her home and regularly helps train a lot of wrestlers in the industry. She recently noted on the Tuesday Wrestling Tuesday with Jonathan Hood show that Liv Morgan has been putting in a lot of extra time in Natalya’s “dungeon”.

    “A lot of really talented men and women come and train with us, Liv Morgan being one of them. I was so proud to see Liv put her skills to the test,” Natalya said. “A lot of the things that she’s been working on in the dungeon, she did in her match last Monday with Becky Lynch as they main evented Raw, which was really cool.”

    The original “Hart Family Dungeon” was opened by Natalya’s grandfather, Stu Hart, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Natalya now keeps up the family tradition along with her husband TJ Wilson (aka Tyson Kidd).

    “I am proud of Liv because she has been training with us in the dungeon,” Natalya continued. “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.”

    Natalya continued to mention that the wrestlers who train in her dungeon are a very special, elite group.

    “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 said. 

    https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/1472657825042161669

    Brodie Lee Jr. (-1) Trains With Liv Morgan In Natalya’s Dungeon

    Footage of Natalya’s dungeon was posted this summer when The Dark Order’s -1 (Brodie Lee Jr.) spent some time training with Liv Morgan. The ring has WWE turnbuckles and there is a cutout of Bret Hart attached to the door.

    “Liv is always so patient with Brodie and they work really well together. Nattie has done a great job making sure Brodie learns how to keep himself safe, as well as whoever he works. Also, who better to learn the basics of wrestling from than a Hart?” Amanda Huber wrote on Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CQFU9jXhmGi/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=61561381-5054-40cd-93a9-94792e7f459c

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Alexander Hammerstone Re-Signs With MLW

    Alexander Hammerstone Re-Signs With MLW

    MLW has locked down its current World Champion in Alexander Hammerstone to a multi-year contract. Hammerstone originally signed with the company in 2019 and his contract was set to expire shortly. According to a report from Fightful, Hammerstone noted the schedule MLW offers was one of the reasons he chose to re-sign. He is able to work independent shows as well but not for any promotion with national television.

    “I’ve been in the business for ten years now and it’s nice to finally be in a position where I’m really starting to see a return from it,” Hammerstone said to Fightful. “Beyond that, there are a lot of things that MLW offers me that other companies might not. Not an intense schedule, not the demand of being on the road five days a week or something like that. That’s not something I might ever want to do.”

    Hammerstone won the Battle Riot match this year in MLW leading to him getting a title shot against then champion Jacob Fatu. He then defeated Fatu at Fightland on October 2nd in Philadelphia.

    “As my time goes on in wrestling, I always say, ‘I wrestle for free, but you have to pay me to travel.’ I love the wrestling part, but the traveling kicks my ass and is the most frustrating part of it. There are a lot of advantages at MLW right now. As far as the contract goes, we were able to come to something I was happy with.”

    Hammerstone is the 9th wrestler in history to hold the MLW World Championship. No wrestler has held the belt more than once. Fatu had previously been the longest reigning champion in the company’s history. His title reign lasted 819 days.

  • Seth Rollins on His Current Character: “If The Joker Were A Narcissist Going Through A Midlife Crisis”

    Seth Rollins on His Current Character: “If The Joker Were A Narcissist Going Through A Midlife Crisis”

    Seth Rollins believes his current character is similar to if the Joker going through a midlife crisis. This is according to comments he made to Z100’s Josh Martinez recently.

    When asked to describe his current character, Rollins had the following to say:

    “God, it’s as if — it’s as if this crazy — if The Joker were a narcissist going through a midlife crisis. I guess that’s the best way to really put it,” Rollins said. “I don’t really know any other way to do it. But yeah, it’s a lot. It’s a lot happening but the cool thing about the character is it can kind of go any which way. There’s a lot of unpredictability with it and I think that’s fun, you know?”

    “You can have matches like a Hell In A Cell match with Edge, but you can also have television segments where I just laugh with my best friend Bayley for five minutes. So, you know, I just think that there’s not a lot of characters on our television program that can do all these different things and so, that’s kind of just my approach to where I’m at right now.”

    WWE recently celebrated Rollins “Year of the Drip” with the following video posted to social media:

    Rollins will be part of the fatal 4-way match for the WWE Championship on the Day 1 PPV. Big E will also defend the title against Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens in that match. Last night on RAW, Owens and Rollins continued to be loosely aligned as they orchestrated a post-match attack on Bobby Lashley.

    Should Rollins win the title on January 1st, it would be his 3rd time holding the WWE Championship. Rollins is also a 2x Universal Champion and the inaugural NXT Champion. He’s also a 6x tag team champion, 2x Intercontinental champion, and 1x United States champion.

    Rollins comments can be heard in the player below.

    H/T to Post Wrestling for the transcriptions.

  • AJ Styles Announced For Tonight’s NXT

    AJ Styles Announced For Tonight’s NXT

    It was announced on WWE Raw last night that AJ Styles will be on WWE NXT tonight. This was set up in a video posted to social media by Grayson Waller. In the video, Waller was critical of The Miz having AJ Styles as his guest on Miz TV.

    Waller said that Styles is a future Hall of Famer but is hanging on a little too long. He also told him to get a haircut. Styles responded to the video as well.

    Waller then responded to the news that Styles will be on NXT tonight.

    5 matches have also been scheduled for tonight’s show.

    • Street Fight
      Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai
    • Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo
    • Dexter Lumis vs. Trick Williams
    • Von Wagner vs TBD
    • The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)

    Omos Turns On AJ Styles

    Styles’ team with Omos broke up last night. Omos ended up laying Styles out after refusing to tag in during their match against the Mysterios. The 7-footer then told AJ that the next time he would see him in the ring it would be for a match. Omos and Styles won the RAW tag team championships at WrestleMania this year. They would later drop the belts to RK-Bro at SummerSlam.

  • Matt Hardy Teases New Project

    Matt Hardy Teases New Project

    Matt Hardy is teasing a new project that will start in 2022. He recently posted a short video to social media teasing this.

    “In 2022 I’m starting a brand new project with a great team of people,” Hardy said. “I’m very excited to start telling some more stories and sharing some of my insight. Everyone knows I’ve led an extreme life and when it comes to wrestling, I think I’ve been a pretty extreme performer. And I feel I’m owed a lot of extreme credit for the cinematic rage after the whole Broken Universe saga. And I have a lot of extreme viewpoints and perspective on pro-wrestling and I’m very excited to start talking about these on a regular weekly basis.”

    Hardy continued to say that there will be a very special announcement soon.

    Matt Hardy Provides Update On Jeff Hardy

    Matt Hardy also recently shared an update on his brother Jeff during a Twitch stream.

    “Jeff is in the best place I’ve seen him in a very long time,” said Matt. “As far as the details of what went down on that evening, and in that match, I’ve talked with Jeff, I feel good about everything he said and that’s Jeff’s story to share. And he told me he will when he’s ready to.”

    Matt Hardy: WWE May Have ‘Jumped The Gun’ by Releasing Jeff Hardy
  • Ric Flair Praises Darby Allin

    Ric Flair Praises Darby Allin

    Ric Flair recently spent some time on his podcast talking about AEW’s Darby Allin. Flair had nothing but praise for the 28-year-old.

    “There’s nothing you can say but good,” Flair said. “He’s a kamikaze pilot! When I watched him do that thing and dive off the rope backwards with his hands at his side, the first time I saw him do it I came out of my chair.”

    Flair and Mark Madden continued to talk about the angle Darby Allin and Sting did with the Gunn Club.

    “The thing I thought last week with Sting and Darby Allin and Billy Gunn and his boys, I thought it was fantastic. How proud do you think Billy Gunn is of those two boys, huh? And Billy looks like he’s 35 years old.”

    “And he’s a very, very nice guy. Very humble,” Flair continued to say about Darby Allin.

    Flair continued to mention that he hopes Darby Allin doesn’t suffer any injuries or mobility problems as a result of his in-ring style, however. He also noted that he once felt the same way about Mick Foley.

    “I just hope that when he’s 35-years-old he can walk. That’s what I used to tell [Mick] Foley.”

    Flair’s comments can be heard in the player below:

  • Jim Ross Comments On The Best Backstage Agents In Wrestling

    Jim Ross Comments On The Best Backstage Agents In Wrestling

    Jim Ross recently spent some time on his Grilling Jr. podcast talking about who the best agents in wrestling have been and currently area. While he didn’t want to take away from anyone else, he noted that Pat Patterson might be the greatest to ever do it.

    “The best agent probably was [Pat] Patterson. The way that he could lay out a match and developed talent and how he got talent to trust him on his judgement,” JR said.

    “The Rock was going to be a big star no matter what but his road to that promised land was expedited by him taking the teachings of Pat Patterson and putting them to work.”

    “Jack Lanza was always a good agent, Blackjack Lanza. Gerald Briscoe did a great job in so many ways there. We had several good agents but I think if you went back and looked at all those shows, most of the stars wanted Patterson involved in some way.”

    “If you ask the roster, Patterson would win that vote overwhelmingly.”

    Ross then spoke about agents currently with AEW.

    “Oh we have a good crew. Dean Malenko, Jerry Lynn, Billy Gunn, Dustin Rhodes. Dustin does a terrific job working with he females in AEW and he’s been a real strong presence with them. Slowly but surely we are building that roster up, in numbers and talent.”

    “QT Marshall puts some matches together and does a nice job,” JR continued.

    JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

  • Bret Hart Praises Canadian Wrestlers Including Kenny Omega & Kevin Owens

    Bret Hart Praises Canadian Wrestlers Including Kenny Omega & Kevin Owens

    Bret Hart was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame last Friday. Over the weekend, Hart took to Instagram to release a statement and thank both the Canadian wrestlers who came before him and those active today.

    Bret Hart praised the many Canadian wrestlers who paved the way for him.

    “Thank you to the many Canadian wrestlers that paved the way for me: my father Stu, Gene Kiniski, Abdullah the Butcher, “Killer” Kowalski, “The Stomper”, Ed Carpentier, “Whipper” Watson, Sky Low Low, Rocky Johnson, Pat Patterson, Roddy Piper,” Hart wrote.

    He then praised the many Canadian wrestlers who have come after him.

    “To the many other Canadian wrestlers, some that filled my shoes after my career ended, that someday will deserve this same honour: Chris Jericho, Edge, Trish Stratus, Kevin Owens, Kenny Omega, my niece Natalya, my brother Owen, and so many more,” Hart continued.

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

    Kevin Owens saw the post and responded as well.

    A video featuring the Rock aired during Hart’s induction. After Hart thanked the Rock for this, he took to social media to talk about what Bret Hart meant to his career.

    “Bret Hart was a mentor to me when he didn’t have to be and in our wild and intense world of pro wrestling, there weren’t many “mentorship programs” back then. He gave me guidance and I’ll always be grateful. Congrats my friend on your incredible accomplishment.”

  • Liv Morgan Attacks Becky Lynch At Seth Rollins’ Wrestling Academy

    Liv Morgan Attacks Becky Lynch At Seth Rollins’ Wrestling Academy

    WWE filmed and released footage of an angle shot at Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Wrestling Academy. In the video, Liv Morgan attacks someone she assumes to be Becky Lynch from behind, only for the real Lynch to appear behind her.

    The two then fought with a kendo stick for a period before Morgan eventually gained the advantage and Lynch escaped the ring area.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXr9ZFYlahi/?utm_medium=twitter

    Morgan and Lynch will again clash for the title at the Day 1 PPV on January 1st, 2022. The first title match between the two ended when Lynch scored the victory while grabbing a hold of Morgan’s tights. It was just the second time the two have faced each other in singles competition on WWE programming. The first occurred in 2019 when Lynch needed just 1 minute and 18 seconds to defeat Morgan in a Beat the Clock Challenge.

    Morgan recently commented on when she found out she’d be main eventing an episode of RAW against Lynch during an Instagram live session.

    “Not until that day [did Becky Lynch and I know we were main eventing Raw] and all week I was hoping, I was hoping so much that we’d get to main event because I really want to pay homage but also, you know, do our own thing and I just was hoping it would be the main event and then I found out a couple hours into the day that we were gonna be the main event because originally, we weren’t. We weren’t gonna be the main event. It got switched and so it was just so special.”

  • Film Co-Written By AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) Finishes Production

    Film Co-Written By AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) Finishes Production

    AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) recently took to Twitter to note that a movie she co-wrote has wrapped production. She worked with her long-time writing partner Aimee Garcia as well as comic book writer John Swetnam on the project. The film is titled “Blade of the 47 Ronin”. It is a sequel to 2013’s “47 Ronin” but set 300 years after the original.

    The film is scheduled to be released next year on Netflix.

    “Ancient Japanese Ronin warriors set 300 years after 47 Ronin, in a modern-day world where Samurai clans exist in complete secrecy,” reads an IMDB description of the film.

    The original film was criticized for elements of white-washing but director Ron Yuan spoke to Variety about what will be different about this film.

    “We need people who know the genres, people that know the history, people that can understand how to bring these stories, make it fresh and pop off the screen. Not like those old TV shows where every time there’s an Asian theme, or an Asian character, you hear the gong going ‘ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding dang’,” he told Variety. “None of that shit anymore.”

    AJ and Aimee Garcia have partnered together on multiple projects. They co-wrote the comic book series GLOW vs. The Babyface. They also wrote a 4-part Dungeons and Dragons series as well. Their production company is named  Scrappy Heart Productions.

  • Sonya Deville Comments On How WWE Can Incorporate LGBTQ Characters

    Sonya Deville Comments On How WWE Can Incorporate LGBTQ Characters

    Sonya Deville has been outspoken about the importance of LGBTQ inclusion since arriving in WWE. She publicly ‘came out’ as gay during a segment on Tough Enough before she was ever hired.

    Deville recently spoke with TalkSport and discussed how WWE could incorporate LGBTQ characters into its programming.

    “LGBTQ inclusion is something I’ve talked about for years,” she said. “To incorporate that into WWE TV organically should happen because it’s just part of life. It’s like every TV show usually has a gay character because, statistically, there would be a gay character!”

    Sonya Deville On How To Include LGBTQ Characters In WWE

    Deville also commented on how it could be included as part of her character if done in an organic and subtle way.

    “I think it’s a natural thing. I’d like it to be really organic. I’d like it to be done right, of course, but I would like it to be organic so that if it was ever a part of my character or a layer of me, I would like it to be subtle and make sense.”

    Finally, Deville said the best way to include LGBTQ characters on WWE programming is to be subtle about it, not build an entire angle around it, and have it occur organically.

    “You don’t necessarily need a whole angle around it. We’ve had ideas in the past and things like that, but it just needs to be organic,” Deville said. “If there’s a scene where one of the male superstars called his wife backstage and then one day, I could call my girlfriend backstage, you know what I mean? Just organic things like that which are a part of life, I don’t think anything needs to be forced.”

    The 28-year-old Deville appeared on Tough Enough in 2015 and was signed to WWE shortly after. She made her main roster debut in 2017 along with Mandy Rose. Deville is currently an on-screen authority figure in WWE along with Adam Pearce after losing a “loser leaves WWE” match to Mandy Rose.

  • WWE SmackDown Spoilers For Christmas Eve (12/24/21)

    WWE SmackDown Spoilers For Christmas Eve (12/24/21)

    WWE has pre-taped the December 24th edition of Smackdown on Friday night frmo the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

    3 matches were taped for the show including a 12-person gauntlet match to determine a new #1 contender for the Intercontinental title.

    Here are the results, courtesy of Twitter user @TheQumarZaman:

    • Sami Zayn won the 12-person gauntlet match and is now the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. The other participants included Angel, Cesaro, Drew Gulak, Erik, Humberto, Ivar, Jinder Mahal, Mansoor, Ricochet, Shanky and Sheamus. Ricochet was the last to be eliminated.

      Zayn, a 2x Intercontinental Champion himself, will now face current champion Shinsuke Nakamura at the Day 1 pay-per-view on January 1st.
    • Charlotte Flair successfully retained the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Toni Storm. Flair reversed a pinning combination from the challenger into her own and got the three count. On this week’s Smackdown, Storm pinned Flair in tag-team action. Storm had also defeated Flair via disqualification in their previous title match.

    Then there was a “Miracle on 34th Street Fight” that saw Drew McIntyre & The New Day’s (Woods & Kingston) defeat Madcap Moss & The Usos.

    After the match, the babyfaces gave gifts to the fans at ringside.

    The full show will air December 24th, 2021 on Fox Sports starting at 8 PM est.

  • Dax Harwood Invites the Briscoes to Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

    Dax Harwood Invites the Briscoes to Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

    Dax Harwood of FTR has invited ROH and GCW Tag Team Champions the Briscoes to Wednesday’s Dynamite. After FTR attacked Jay and Mark Briscoe at ROH’s Final Battle recently, Harwood took to Twitter to say that the Briscoes should come to next week’s AEW Dynamite in the Greensboro Coliseum.

    “Hell no. We came in their house, beat the shit out of them, and made them more relevant in 4 minutes than they’ve been in the last 4 years. They should come the Greensboro and give us their payday from Final Battle. I’m sure I could almost pay my light bill with that money,” Harwood Tweeted.

    FTR have a scheduled match for the show. They are set to team with their Pinnacle stablemate, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ll face Sting, Darby Allin, and CM Punk in trios action.

    FTR recently appeared on Barstool Rasslin‘ with Brandon F. Walker. During the discussion, they spoke in regards to some of their plans for 2022 and mentioned the Briscoes specifically.

    “I think we are going to be the first-ever two-time AEW Tag Team Champions. In 2022, we are going to get the titles back. We are going to have the title run that we should’ve had the first time,” said Wheeler. He continued, “…We are never going to lose those again. Rematch with the Young Bucks. Beat the sh*t out of The Briscoes. Hold titles everywhere.” 

    FTR Shares Plans for 2022: “We Don’t Have Much Longer on These Current Contracts”
  • ROH’s Joe Koff: We Never Used the Words “Shutting Down”

    ROH’s Joe Koff: We Never Used the Words “Shutting Down”

    In late October, Ring of Honor announced that the promotion would be going on hiatus following Final Battle. They also noted they planned to return in April of 2022. It was further revealed that the company would no longer be using contracted talent moving forward. Some fans took this to mean ROH was shutting down. ROH COO Joe Koff recently appeared on the ROH Strong podcast to refute this.

     “What seeped into the narrative … is that we were shutting down, when all we announced is that we were not doing any live events in the first quarter,” Koff said.  “We never used the words ‘shutting down.’”

    According to a report from PW Insider, a venue for a Ring of Honor show in April during WrestleMania week in Dallas has been booked and paid for. It’s not clear what date the show will run or what venue has been booked, however.

    https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1470876441067798535

    With ROH returning in April but running with no contracted talent, they are likely looking at booking wrestlers much like independent promotions do, using whoever happens to be available on the date with no exclusive contracts. The ROH Championship titles are currently held by Jonathan Gresham (ROH World), The Briscoes (Tag-team), Rok-C (World women’s title) and Josh Woods (Pure).

    H/T To PW Insider for the transcriptions.

  • Details on AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournaments

    Details on AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournaments

    AEW President Tony Khan was a guest on Busted Open Radio on Friday and revealed first details about the Owen Hart Cup.

    AEW announced a partnership with the Owen Hart Foundation back in September. The deal will also involved AEW being able to use Owen’s likeness for video games, action figures, and more.

    Owen Hart Cup Details

    Tony Khan broke the news that there will actually be two Owen Hart Cup tournaments One men’s singles tournament and one women’s singles tournament.

    Dr. Martha Hart, widow of the late Owen Hart, will be on hand to present trophies to the winners.

    The finals of the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Cup tournaments will take place in May at the annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

    Additional details will be given next week on the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite. A video package will air on that show featuring Owen Hart from his days in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Khan thanked Rocky Romero for being instrumental in securing that footage.

    You can listen to Tony Khan’s comments from Friday’s Busted Open here:

    AEW & Owen Hart

    Tony Khan previously had this to say about AEW’s relationship with the Hart Family:

    “AEW’s relationship with the Hart family dates back to our inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019, and Owen’s influence is still felt today,” said Khan. To extend his memory and his legacy even further through this agreement is a powerful and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.”

    Martha Hart issued this statement on behalf of the Owen Hart Foundation regarding the Owen Hart Cup Tournament(s) and its decision to partner with All Elite Wrestling:

    “The Owen Hart Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with AEW in this wonderful joint venture to honor Owen’s substantial international wrestling career and the lasting influence he and his craft has had in the sport.

    AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament serves as a tremendous tribute to Owen and provides an incredible way for professional wrestling enthusiasts to celebrate his work in a most fitting way.

    We trust that Tony Khan and his amazing AEW team will do a brilliant job with this highly anticipated project. This OHF/AEW partnership is my special gift to all of Owen’s magnificent loyal fans who forever remember him and his inspiring repertoire of talents.”