Matthew Rehwoldt is not pleased with the way that Wrestling Entertainment Series (WES) has been doing business with him.
On May 31, WES announced that they were postponing their debut event, which was scheduled for June 4. The date for the event was moved to July 9 at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, UK, with some notable changes to the card.
Matthew Speaks Out
The event is being promoted by the Legion of Pain (formerly Authors of Pain in WWE). Matthew Rehwoldt is an IMPACT wrestler and commentator who was contacted to be a part of the show. He had previously worked with Gzim Selmani (Rezar) & Sunny Dhinsa (Akam) in WWE.
In a series of tweets, Matthew explained that WES has cost him time and money. He noted that he turned down another booking to help his former colleagues.
Unfortunately, he has not been contacted by anyone since confirming the booking. He currently doesn’t believe that the show will actually take place.
In addition to this, he states that no there has been no information regarding travel or accommodations passed on to anyone he knows.
So @wesofficialtv has cost me time and now cost me income.
I was asked to be on this show but had a conflicting booking. I was told they really wanted me and would pay me upfront. So as they were former colleagues I took them at their word and passed on my other booking.
“So WES has cost me time and now cost me income. I was asked to be on this show but had a conflicting booking. I was told they really wanted me and would pay me upfront. So as they were former colleagues I took them at their word and passed on my other booking.”
Matthew Rehwoldt on WES situation
Now I’m also out a weekend or income due to them. Part of that is on me as I chose to forgo my other date… But as I said I was told repeatedly that “for sure“ this was happening and they wanted me to be there.
I would be wary of buying a ticket or the broadcast of this show.
Another match for the 2022 WWE SummerSlam premium live event has been announced.
On the June 17 SmackDown, Happy Corbin confronted Pat McAfee following a loss to Madcap Moss. Corbin harassed the commentator due to Pat constantly calling him a bum. McAfee made sure that the crowd laughed Corbin out of the arena.
The next week, on the June 24 SmackDown, Pat challenged Corbin to a match at SummerSlam.
At Money in the Bank on July 2, after the show went off the air, Corbin attacked the commentator and accepted his challenge.
This is going to be Pat’s second match on the main roster. He had his first main roster match at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year when he defeated Theory.
The match will take place at WWE SummerSlam on July 30 at 8 p.m. ET. It’ll be held in Nashville, TN at Nissan Stadium. So far, the only other match announced is Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship in a Last Man Standing match.
It will be no laughing matter when Pat McAfee tangles with Happy Corbin at SummerSlam!
McAfee's issues with Corbin became apparent on the June 17 edition of SmackDown. Just moments after losing a Last Laugh Match against Madcap Moss, an irate Corbin attempted to take out his frustrations on the blue brand announcer. In response, the outspoken McAfee led the WWE Universe members in Minneapolis in laughing a humiliated Corbin right out of the arena.
The following week, McAfee challenged Corbin to a showdown at The Biggest Event of the Summer and proclaimed he was ready to feel alive. Corbin responded at WWE Money in the Bank with a brutal attack after the show went off the air and let the electric commentator know his challenge was accepted.
The passionate, fearless McAfee claimed an eye-opening win against Theory at WrestleMania, but will he have what it takes to overcome the former King of the Ring, Mr. Money in the Bank and United States Champion.
Find out when SummerSlam streams LIVE on Saturday, July 30, at 8 ET/5 PT on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else!
Liv Morgan made history on Saturday night by winning the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, cashing in on Ronda Rousey later in the show and capturing the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
We now look ahead to SummerSlam, where Morgan is slated to be featured in a top match on the summer spectacular.
Liv Morgan had a career-altering night at Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank.
After winning the women’s MITB ladder match in the first match of the show, she would cash in on the same night after SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey successfully retained the title over Natalya.
After Ronda’s title defense, Liv ran to the ring and cashed in immediately. As soon as the match began, Rousey locked Morgan in the ankle lock.
Morgan then kicked Rousey’s bad knee that had been worked over in the match with Natalya, allowing Liv to roll her up and get the win.
SummerSlam Plans for Liv Morgan
(via WWE)
On today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that the current plan for Liv at SummerSlam on July 30 is to defend the title against Ronda.
There apparently has been some speculation that WWE might utilize Charlotte Flair and reignite her feud with Rousey at this upcoming event.
Charlotte has been off of WWE TV for a while after getting married to AEW star Andrade El Idolo.
Dave said, “Right now, the plan is Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, which kind of surprises me in a lot of ways, especially because they didn’t leave with any heat. Ronda just hugged her, walked out of the ring, and let her have her moment.
“They’ve been building for this with Liv Morgan for a while. It is interesting, though, as I think almost everybody figured it was going to be Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, and it’s not.”
As of right now, WWE has not yet confirmed these plans for Liv, Ronda, or Charlotte.
This event was the 11th installment of the Against All Odds live event. This event follows IMPACT’s Slammiversary event.
Quick Results
Pre-Show: Black Taurus (with Crazzy Steve) def. Laredo Kid
Pre-Show: Dot Combat match for the Impact Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers def. Rich Swann (c)
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)
Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo def. Mia Yim & Mickie James
Impact X Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) def. Trey Miguel
Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie (c) def. The Influence (Gisele Shaw & Tenille Dashwood) (with Madison Rayne)
Heath, America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm), and The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) def. Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, & PCO) (with Maria Kanellis & Vincent)
Clockwork Orange House of Fun match: Moose def. Sami Callihan
Grammy-award-winning rapper Cardi B has long been a fan of the WWE. She recently made a reference to a WWE legend and their finishing move in her new song with Lil Durk and Kanye West.
Cardi B & The WWE
On January 4, 2021, Cardi B received an unexpected shoutout on Monday Night Raw by WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson. The name drop came during a backstage segment between Wilson and Angel Garza.
Garza presented a rose to Wilson who politely rejected it. The WWE Hall of Famer said that she had “invited Cardi B, Kylie Jenner, and Ariana Grande to come here to watch RAW tonight.”
Wilson then added that all three were chilling just down the hall and told Garza that the “WAP” rapper would LOVE the rose. “She’s looking SOOO fine tonight,” Wilson lied, encouraging Garza to go and find Cardi in what turned out to be a dark room where he encountered the Boogeyman instead.
Cardi, who has tagged the promotion in the past, was both super excited and a bit angry, that her WWE ‘debut’ came in such a backhanded way.
WWWWTTTTFFFFFFFFF ….?????This is not how my wwe debut was supposed to be ! Vince McMahon COUNT YOUR FUCKIN DAYS !!!! https://t.co/P4LQvOWnsx
Ok nomore wwE tweets I haven’t watched it in years.I was just confused on all the wwe tweets I was getting.Before this last thing I Hurd bout it was about a sexy wrestler name Carmella.
Cardi’s tweets received a response from WWE Superstar Lacey Evans which lead to the two having a spicy exchange of tweets, some of which have been deleted.
Aww bless your heart! @iamcardib U got it all wrong. I heard DEBUT and was giving you a friendly heads up!? but since you wanna be a bad ass… keep me in mind when/if you show up to @WWE. Ill kick your ass while listening to your music. ?? #PullUphttps://t.co/Yirw1ELOAL
The theme song for last year’s SummerSlam event was none other than Cardi B’s song “Up.” WWE dubbed the song “the song of the summer.”
Cardi B Shouts Out Jimmy Snuka
In the next layer of Cardi’s relationship with WWE, she recently gave a shoutout to Jimmy Snuka and his finishing maneuver in her recent song ‘Hot Sh*t.’ This song features some of the music industry’s hottest rappers with Lil Durk and Kanye West also hopping on the track.
In the first four lines of the song, Cardi makes the reference and starts the song off with a bang:
“Now this that hot sh*t
Jimmy Snuka off the top rope, superfly sh*t (Fly)
Might get in the tub with all my ice on some ‘Pac sh*t (Hot)
Either way you slice it, bottom line, I’m the top b*tch”
WWE Superstars Respond To ‘Hot Sh*t’
Fans and wrestlers alike took to Twitter to react to the line. Cardi even responded to a tweet from a fan which prompted wrestlers to respond.
YES I LOVE WRESTLING….I kinda wonder if this new generation was going to know who I’m talking about https://t.co/fynSMHUylG
On October 28, 2018 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the only all-women’s WWE pay-per-view titled Evolution took place.
The show featured women from the Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and NXT UK women’s divisions. The show also saw WWE superstars and legends like The Bella Twins, Lita, Trish Stratus, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and many others.
Since Evolution, fans have called for a second installment of the special live event.
This Saturday, at Money in the Bank 2022, Lacey Evans will be in the women’s Money in the Bank match competing for the MITB briefcase. Inside the briefcase is a contract that guarantees the winner a title match at any time and place of their choice.
Evolution 2 Is Necessary
Before her match on the pay-per-view, Lacey Evans caught up with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston to speak about her own personal interest in a second installment of the Evolution pay-per-view.
“I think it’s always necessary. Why, why not? What would be the hurt of it? I don’t think there’d be any hurt of it. I think that all the moms out there now, that are especially like wrestling, I mean you’ve got Ronda Rousey. You’ve got Becky Lynch. You got The Bellas, you got Lacey Evans. You got Bianca Belair, you got Tamina.
Lacey Evans on potential Evolution 2 PPV
“You’ve got all these badass women that are now-
“How about let’s do another one and have all our babies ringside watching their mommas? And then behind that, have all the girls in the world that want to be a sports entertainer behind the babies. And then behind them, you know what I’m saying?
“Like you have all the moms that dream of not becoming pro wrestlers, but just having freaking careers and having to juggle what we juggle. The fact that we get to show the world what mommies are capable of, that we can still chase our dreams and these careers and be badass wives and moms and work hard is cool. So, I’m down for any time we can highlight the strengths of a woman, let’s do it. Especially with having two girls myself,” Evans said.
As of right now, there is no official announcement that there will be an Evolution 2 pay-per-view but many women’s wrestling fans are hoping that there will be soon.
Money In The Bank
This Saturday, Lacey will face off against Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch to try and capture the Money in the Bank briefcase.
While Lacey is competing in the women’s ladder match, on the men’s side Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Omos, Sami Zayn, Riddle, and Madcap Moss will be vying for the briefcase as well.
Watch Steve Fall’s interview with Lacey Evans:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with an h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE Money in the Bank takes place Saturday, July 2nd from Paradise, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main card of this premium live event starts at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.
How to Watch
WWE Money in the Bank streams live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
This Saturday, at Money in the Bank 2022, Lacey Evans will be in the Women’s Money In The Bank match competing for a contract that guarantees the winner a title match at any time and place of their choice.
The field of this year’s Women’s Money In The Bank match includes the following: Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch.
Before her match on the pay-per-view, Lacey Evans caught up with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston to give some insight on her mindset heading into the match.
Lacey said, “I been working. I’ve been working on the right hand more so than anything. But yea, it’s a different kind of match. It’s a different style. The last one I was in was with no fans at all which was wild, at the headquarters in Connecticut. The ladder was on top of this multi-story building. So, this will be a first like original ladder match for myself. A lot of different women are in this one.
“So yeah, I’m excited. I’m more motivated than ever, like you said, my girls are ringside. They’re ready to see their mom kick butt and take names and become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. You see what I did there? I already named who I’m coming after too honey.”
What To Expect At 2022 MITB
The SmackDown roster member continued to speak about what fans can expect and look forward to at the 13th edition of Money in the Bank.
“I mean, excitement and entertainment. I think WWE no matter what they are given or brought, pandemic, you know all this stuff, this negativity- In life, they bring the entertainment. They find the top females, and men, and entertainers, and they come and give everything that they have. I think that this will be no different.
“I think that stuff like this, matches like this, there’s so much at stake. And, what I like about this one is the fact that there’s so much new women that you really haven’t got to see do Money in the Bank ladder matches or have much time to do anything. So, when you put us all together, there’s no telling what can happen.”
Lacey Evans on this year’s women’s MITB match
“One thing we do know, is that whoever climbs to the top and gets that briefcase, it’s life-changing. They have an opportunity to get in the history books as a freaking champion. So like, it’s just exciting. You just wanna see who’s gonna make it and who’s not. It’s exciting for us and it should be just as exciting for the fans,” Evans said.
The Other MITB Match
Evans will be competing for the Money in the Bank briefcase which has changed the lives of many superstars who have held it.
While Lacey is competing in the women’s ladder match, on the men’s side Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Omos, Sami Zayn, Riddle, and one other competitor will be vying for the briefcase as well.
Watch Steve Fall’s interview with Lacey Evans:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with an h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE superstars Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, and Angelo Dawkins recently had a scary encounter with a fan following a WWE Live Event.
Bianca Belair Opens Up
On June 28, the WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair spoke about the incident on her Instagram Stories and explained how the experience scared her.
Bianca Belair posted the following on her Instagram Stories:
“We drove 20 minutes from the venue, sitting at a red light… a fan just ran up to the window, tapped on the window trying to take a picture. Scared the sh*t out of us…
“I love my fans, but Do NOT FOLLOW me from the venue. DO NOT RUN UP to my car window while I’m sitting at red light at 11pm tapping on the window. It’s not safe for me. It’s not safe for you. I try my best to stay around and sign as many autographs and take as many photos as I can… It may seem harmless and all in fun to you, but that wasn’t right or fair. I was legit scared. BOUNDARIES.”
Bianca Belair on scary fan experience
Needs to be LOUDLY at this point.
Stop making wrestlers feel uncomfortable. They aren't your play things, they are real people. pic.twitter.com/B46NkOE52r
— NukemTalksWrestling (@NukemWrestling) June 27, 2022
Angelo Dawkins Comments
Following this situation, in an interview with Adrian Hernandez for 1140 The Bet Las Vegas, one-half of the Street Profits, Angelo Dawkins, revealed that he was also in the car when the situation went down.
Angelo had the following to say about the incident:
“Yea, yea we were in the car. Nah, nah, nah, we were in the car. Nah man, it’s just like we were at a red light. We just gotta be careful man. You don’t know how like people in traffic can be. [inaudible] just run up to the car, especially like late at night too.
“We had already been on the road for a couple minutes too, it wasn’t even like five minutes, wasn’t even three. It was like 25, 30 minutes. So, like we were already on the road. So, it was like, ‘Yo, did they just follow us all the way out here just to do that?’
“And this is like, it just creates a not safe moment for everybody you know what I’m saying. You try to get out the car, do it, run up to the car, and the light turns green, and you in park. You’re holding up traffic in the back of you, and like there’s other lanes coming so they probably ain’t gonna stop. So, like you’re also putting yourself at risk.”
Dawkins’ Warning
“I just advise like, ‘Hey, look, be careful.’ If you see us in public when there’s not oncoming traffic or like we’re not busy, just please be respectful, you want like- you know what I’m saying.”
Angelo Dawkins with advice for overzealous fans
“We like it when fans come up to us and want to take pictures or want to get our autographs and stuff, like that’s cool. But, we just also like want people to be safe and not put their life in danger while trying to accomplish that.”
Dawkins is a member of the Street Profits tag team alongside Montez Ford. Montez and Bianca Belair are married, so it makes sense that the three of them would travel together.
Money In The Bank
Angelo will be competing at Money In The Bank, alongside Montez, as they challenge The Usos for the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. At the pay-per-view, Bianca Belair will also be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Carmella.
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with an h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Chelsea Green spoke about the creative pitches she made during her time in WWE and the process surrounding it.
Chelsea Green and her husband Matt Cardona have been everywhere on the independent scene after their releases from WWE. On April 15, 2021, Chelsea Green was released from her WWE contract.
Matt was released exactly one year before Chelsea on April 15, 2020.
After her release, Green made it known that she made multiple pitches to Vince McMahon to try and get herself on TV.
Unfortunately, during her main roster debut match on the November 13, 2020 episode of SmackDown, Chelsea suffered yet another arm injury.
Green’s WWE Creative Pitch
Green spoke about the pitches she made and her process for pitching them to Vince.
“No, actually one that was really ridiculous and I get made fun of all the time on the internet still for it, was like this kind of like nun character where- What was Seth Rollins? He had a character and he would come out and be like The Messiah. And, I wanted to come out with him, I always thought that I could be a good valet, but then also be able to be in the women’s division. But I really loved the idea of being like a 90’s style valet.“
“So, I wanted to come out with him as kind of like his follower, his disciple, and just basically be like a yes man to everything that he wanted when he wanted to kind of stir things up in each division.”
Chelsea Green on her WWE pitch
“When I first pitched the character to Vince and I said a nun, I think everyone just has this immediate thought of what that is and how that’s not going to work, and finally he kind of like laughed and was like, ‘I need you to explain this for me.’
“And I explained like the look that I had in mind, the attitude that I had in mind, the fact that it was more of building this following of everyone following Seth Rollins to the ring. Finally, he’s like, ‘Oh, okay,’ and you can see the wheels turning.“
WWE Creative Is Ever-Changing
“A lot of the scenarios that I pitched were like that, like, ‘Okay, how can we make this work? Can we make this work? What’s gonna be-‘ I mean Raw and SmackDown, when I say they’re ever-changing, I seriously mean up until ten minutes before showtime. So, something could work, and then ten minutes before showtime, it doesn’t,” Green said.
“All these ideas are so out of left field and so opposite that they can’t tell you whether it’s a bad idea or a good idea or yes or no because they might need to use it last minute, or they might need to give it to somebody else and have someone else use it because they fit the mold. They’ll never tell you no, but I mean if you have any sort of brain, you can tell what’s hitting and what’s missing,” she said.
Possible Name Change
Recently, WWE has seen many superstars face name changes. It seems that Chelsea was scheduled to get a name change as well. She was asked about working with WWE creative and how they responded to her pitching so many ideas.
Green responded, “I think there’s a fine line where if you don’t do what they want then yes [creative would ignore ideas]. But, I never did that. They gave me, they called me, they said, ‘You’re going to be in this qualifying match for Survivor Series and your name is going to be Victorious.’
“I’m like, ‘Great.’ A lot of people laughed at that name, but I’m like, ‘F*cking awesome dude.’ This is a name I can work with. This is a name people won’t forget.
“It might be so ridiculous and sound like a stripper, but on the other hand you’re not going to ever forget this name. Once I’m Victorious, you’re not going to forget Victorious was Victorious kind of thing.
“I think if I had been like, ‘Well, I have different names for you.’ Do you know what I mean? Like, that is something I would never do.“
Green’s Willingness To Work
“I only suggested things because I was sitting waiting. So, I wanted them to know, ‘Hey, I’m not just sitting here collecting a paycheck.
“I’m sitting here collecting a paycheck because I am every single day thinking about what I can do to get on TV, how I can change my look. Goddamnit, I will dye my hair.’ I will never forget, I said to Cannon before he hired me at NXT, ‘What do you need?
“Do you need me to dye my hair blue? Do you need me to shave my head? I’ll do it. I will do it. Just tell me what you need. Tell me what’s missing, and I will be that missing piece.’ That’s what I was trying to give to the writers.
“So, if they told me, ‘You’re going to be CM Punk’s next person who’s shaving their head and stuff,’ I would’ve done it. “
Green In Impact
Chelsea can still be seen on Impact Wrestling as she recently competed, in a losing effort, for the Knockouts World Championship in a first-ever Queen of the Mountain match at the Slammiversary pay-per-view.
Chelsea was able to have a memorable moment with Deonna Purrazzo when they both fell off of a tall ladder to the outside of the ring and through two tables.
Front row view of the Chelsea/Deonna table spot from #Slammiversary !! Fkng terrifying!!?? Glad they’re both OK.
Kurt Angle does not feel WWE fully appreciates his contributions to the industry, but he thinks he knows why that is.
Angle is the only man to have won the WWE Championship, the (retired) WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Kurt has held the WWE Championship four times, the WCW Championship once, and the World Heavyweight Championship once. Angle is the tenth Triple Crown Champion and the fifth Grand Slam Champion.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2017. His retirement match, a losing effort against Baron Corbin, took place at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.
Lack of Recognition
Kurt Angle spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston earlier this week. During their discussion, Angle explained why he believes WWE does not give him the red carpet treatment reserve for stars like Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena and Shawn Michaels.
“No I don’t [get the recognition he deserves], but there’s a reason for that. I left the company high and dry in 2006, and didn’t come back for 11 years. When you leave a company like that, and they wanted me to stay, you’re going to pay the price eventually.”
During his 11-year hiatus from WWE, Kurt Angle “crossed the line” and became a franchise star for rival organization, TNA Wrestling (Impact Wrestling).
“So, I was in TNA longer than I was in WWE,” he continued. “I think that that has a bearing on it as well. So, I feel like even though I’m a WWE product, it’s where I started, it’s where I ended, I think the WWE looks at me as a TNA product. And I think that’s the reason why.”
Kurt’s first run in WWE lasted for 8 years. Angle was on the TNA/Impact Wrestling roster for ten years, making his original WWE run shorter. Angle had been on somewhat of a legends run from 2018-2019. During this run, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, was RAW General Manager, teamed up with The Shield, and had his retirement match against Baron Corbin.
Highlight-Reel Moments
“For my first two world titles I beat The Rock and I beat ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. So, those are two formidable names. It is surprising I’m not in a lot of the highlight reels. Like I told you, there’s nothing I can do about it,” he added.
Watch Kurt Angle’s discussion with Steve Fall:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
This past weekend, various wrestling promotions hosted Friday, Saturday & Sunday night shows.
Blitzkrieg! Pro, Sean Henderson Presents, DEFY Wrestling, House of Glory, National Wrestling Alliance, STARDOM, H2O Wrestling, NJPW, ICW No Holds Barred, Xtreme Pro Wrestling, Women’s Wrestling Revolution, and Warrior Wrestling all presented events on June 27.
We have compiled results for the independent shows below along with ways to stream them, if possible.
6/24
Blitzkrieg! Pro
Blitzkrieg! Pro hosted its 4th Annual Luau event in Enfield, Connecticut The event took place on June 24 at Old Country Banquet Hall. The event aired on IWTV.
B!P The 4th Annual Luau Results (6/24)
The CDC (Devantes & Juba) def. Locked And Loaded (50 Cal & Dan Barry)
Bobby Orlando def. Allie Katch
Dog Collar Match: Kirby Wackerman def. Bryce Donovan
The Haven (Jay Onyx & Shawn Knyte) def. A Message To You (Leary & Perry Von Vicious)
Anthony Greene def. Dirty Dango
Fans Bring Pool Toys: Logan Black def. Chris Benne (w/ Alex Cypher)
B!P Tag Team Championships: MSP (Aiden Aggro & The DangerKid) (c) def. Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King)
B!P Bedlam Championship: VSK (c) def. Alec Price
B!P Bedlam Championship #1 Contendership Ten Way Scramble Match: CPA def. Andy Brown, Angelo Carter, Evil Kip, Ichiban, Jeff Cannonball, Manders, Riley Shepard, Sammy Diaz & Travis Huckabee
Sean Henderson Presents hosted its I’d Do Anything event in Williamstown, New Jersey. The event took place on June 24 at H2O Wrestling Center. The event aired on IWTV.
SHP I’d Do Anything Results (6/24)
Marcus Mathers def. Reid Walker
Hardcore Match: Deklan Grant def. Chris Bradley
Cole Radrick & Jimmy Lloyd def. Dyln McKay & Ryan Radix
NWA Rules: Colby Corino def. Joel Bateman by referee’s decision
Death Match: Otis Cogar def. Louie Ramos
Scramble Match: Stan Stylez def. Casey Carrington and Mouse and Nick Grande and Riley Rose and Ryan Redfield
Giulia and Mai Sakurai dominate Utami, while @_Maika0324 uses all that power to hold back Kamitani AND AZM, from earlier today in Kyoto! pic.twitter.com/qoEfzjWwv4
H2O Wrestling hosted a two-part 6 F’N Years event. The event in Williamstown, New Jersey. The first event took place on June 25 at H2O Wrestling Center. The event aired on IWTV.
H2O 6 F’N Years – Night One Results (6/25)
H2O World Championship Match: Colby Corino defeated Deklan Grant (c)
Death Match: Matt Tremont vs. EFFY ended in a no contest
H2O Hybrid Championship Match: Billie Starkz defeated Adonis Valerio (c), Reid Walker, Steve Sanders, and Dyln McKay
Alex Stretch & Anthraxx defeated Kennedi Copeland & Mouse
Mitch Valley defeated Jeff Cannonball
H2O Danny Havoc Hardcore Championship: Lucky 13 (c) defeated Bam Sullivan and Cole Radrick
Fans Bring The Weapons Match: Jimmy Lyon Chondo & Mickie Knuckles defeated Chris Bradley & Kristian Ross
NJPW aired their newest episode of NJPW Strong on June 25 on NJPW World. The tapings took place on May 15 as a part of the NJPW STRONG Collision tapings.
NJPW STRONG Results
David Finlay defeated Danny Limelight
Minoru Suzuki defeated Tony Deppen
STRONG Openweight Championship: Fred Rosser defeated Tom Lawlor (c)
Rosser fights back with a massive Tombstone on the concrete floor!
Xtreme Pro Wrestling hosted its Beautiful Disaster Event in Pomona, California. The event took place on June 25 at The Derby Room. The event aired on FITE TV.
XPW Women’s Championship Tournament First Round: Sage Sin Supreme def. Chelsea Green
XPW Women’s Championship Tournament First Round: Taya Valkyrie def. Steph De Lander
XPW Women’s Championship Tournament Final – Ladder Match: Taya Valkyrie def. Kamille Brickhouse and Ludark Shaitan and Sage Sin Supreme to win the vacant title.
XPW King Of The Death Matches Championship #1 Contendership Death Match: Alex Colon def. Ciclope
Death Match: MASADA def. Miedo Extremo
XPW King Of The Death Matches Championship: SHLAK (c) def. Big Joe
Women’s Wrestling Revolution hosted its Aces High event in Worcester, Massachusetts. The event took place on June 26 at White Eagle. The event aired on IWTV.
WWR+ Aces High Results (6/26)
Armani Kayos def. Gal Barkay
Willow Nightingale def. Little Mean Kathleen
Davienne def. Paris Van Dale
Ashley D’Amboise def. Tiara James
The Administration (Damian Adams, Pedro Dones & Tina San Antonio) def. Clara Carreras & The Hispanic Mechanics (Jos A & Jos B)
H2O Wrestling hosted a two-part 6 F’N Years event. The event in Williamstown, New Jersey. The second event took place on June 26 at H2O Wrestling Center. The event aired on IWTV.
H2O 6 F’N Years – Night Two Results (6/26)
Three Way Match: Anthraxx def. Bam Sullivan and Ron Mathis
Three Way Tag Match for the H2O Tag Team Championships: The End Game (Darien Hardway & Leroy Robinson) (c) def. Kaos Control (Cecilio Vega & Rocket) and WTF (Bruce Grey & Tyler Voxx) to retain the H2O Tag Team Championships
Mouse defeats Aiden Baal
Four Way Death Match: Brandon Kirk def. Cole Radrick, Drew Blood and Jimmy Lloyd
Death Match: Joel Bateman def. Louie Ramos
Death Match: Mickie Knuckles def. Jess Moss
H2O Hybrid Championship Match: Reid Walker def. Billie Starkz (c) to become the new H2O Hybrid Champion
Anything Goes Match: Matt Tremont def. Deklan Grant
Last Man Standing Match: GG Everson def. Chuck Payne
Warrior Wrestling hosted its Warrior Wrestling 24 event in Chicago, Illinois. The event took place on June 26 at the Malcolm X College. The event aired on FITE TV.
Warrior Wrestling 24 Results (6/26)
Miranda Alize def. Heather Reckless
Mike Bennett def. Beast Man
Six-Way Lucha Scramble Match For The Warrior Wrestling Lucha Medallion: Gringo Loco def. Ninja Mack, Alpha Wolf, Dragon Bane, Golden Dragon and ASF
Frank The Clown interrupted Denise Salcedo, who was set to crown a Homecoming King and Queen. Maria Kanellis made the save.
Davey Richards def. ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor
Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed & Dante Leon def. Blake Christian, Nick Wayne & Fuego del Sol
Warrior Wrestling Championship: KC Navarro (c) def. Brian Pillman Jr
Money In The Bank will always be a piece of WWE’s history. 2022 brings the 13th edition of MITB as a standalone show.
A newer piece of said history is that of the few women’s Money In The Bank matches we’ve seen. Due to the women’s revolution, the female performers in WWE got the opportunity to fight for the Money In The Bank contract like men.
So far, there have been six Women’s Money In The Bank matches, all but one being on under the pay-per-view titled after the match. Charlotte Flair has been included in 3/5 of the cash-ins with Carmella, Bayley, and Nikki A.S.H. cashing in on Charlotte. Natalya has been in the most matches with her participating in 5/6 of the Women’s Money In The Bank matches.
Throughout the years, the women’s MITB match has always been one that many look forward to. Sadly, fans have come to not expect much of the run that the winner would have with the briefcase.
Carmella is the only woman to hold the briefcase for more than one day. Carmella held the briefcase longer than Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Asuka, and Nikki A.S.H. with both of her reigns with the case being more than a day. The briefcase and the contract inside of it can do many things to help boost the character and star power of the person holding it. We even saw this in the case of Carmella, but stars like Big E, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, and other have benefitted from their time with the contract immensely.
Women’s Money In The Bank Reigns
Women’s MITB #1 & 2: Carmella (2 Days & 287 Days)
Carmella is the first, and somehow second, Women’s Money In The Bank match winner. The first-ever Women’s Money In The Bank match took place at Money In The Bank 2017. In the infamous match, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Tamina and Carmella competed for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Money In The Bank contract. Carmella became the inaugural WWE Women’s Money In The Bank winner because James Ellsworth retrieved the briefcase for Carmella and dropped it to her.
Carmella was stripped of the briefcase because of the interference. A rematch was scheduled for two days later on the June 27, 2017 episode of SmackDown Live. Carmella won the match herself this time. She held the contract for 287 days, which is the longest of any wrestler, male or female, to hold the contract. Carmella would go on to cash in her contract on Charlotte Flair. This would lead to Carmella becoming the SmackDown Women’s Champion on the April 10, 2018 episode of SmackDown.
Women’s MITB #3: Alexa Bliss (1 Hour, 10 Minutes)
Alexa Bliss is the third Women’s Money In The Bank match winner. Alexa won the Women’s Money In The Bank match at Money In The Bank 2018. She defeated Ember Moon, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Lana, Naomi, and Sasha Banks to get the contract. The match included stars from both brands, so the winner would be able to cash-in on the champion of their own brand. This started the trend of allowing stars of different brands to fight for the same MITB contract.
Alexa was the first woman to cash in the briefcase on the same day she won it. Later in the night, Nia Jax was defending the RAW Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey, when Bliss decided to make her move. Bliss attacked both women before cashing in. This cash in lead to a SummerSlam 2018 match with Bliss and Rousey.
Women’s MITB #4: Bayley (39 Minutes)
Bayley was the fourth Women’s Money In The Bank match winner. She won the Women’s Money In The Bank match at Money In The Bank 2019. In the match were the following: Natalya, Dana Brooke, Naomi, Nikki Cross, Mandy Rose, Ember Moon, Carmella, and Bayley.
Bayley cashed in her Money In The Bank contract only 39 minutes later. She attacked Charlotte Flair who had just won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Becky Lynch seconds before. This victory over Charlotte came after she hit the elbow drop on her to win her first SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Women’s MITB #5: Asuka (1 Day)
Asuka became the fifth Women’s Money In The Bank contract winner at the Money In The Bank 2020 pay-per-view. She defeated Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, and Carmella to win the contract.
Asuka was the one of the winners of the most unique Money In the Bank match ever. Due to COVID-19, WWE was forced to get creative with what 2020’s Money In The Bank matches would look like. The company decided to hold the women’s and men’s ladder matches simultaneously at the WWE HQ in Stamford, CT. The rest of the matches on the show took place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The next night on RAW, the Raw Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, came out with the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase and announced that she was going on hiatus. Asuka came out very confused after Becky’s announcement. Lynch stated that by Asuka winning the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, she had actually won the Raw Women’s Championship. The RAW Women’s Championship belt was inside of the MITB briefcase. Lynch then revealed that she was going on hiatus because she was pregnant. Due to this, Asuka became WWE’s second Women’s Grand Slam Champion and third Women’s Triple Crown Champion.
Women’s MITB #6: Nikki A.S.H. (1 Day)
Nikki A.S.H is the sixth Women’s Money In The Bank match winner. She won the Women’s Money In The Bank match at Money In The Bank 2021. In the match were the following: Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Natalya, Tamina, Zelina Vega, and Nikki A.S.H. Money in the Bank was the first WWE pay-per-view with a full crowd following the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the PPV, Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Championship. The following night on RAW, a rematch between the two women for the title was scheduled to take place that same night. The match ended after Charlotte was disqualified, but Ripley still hit the Riptide on Flair after the match.
The lead to Nikki A.S.H. running down to the ring and cashing in her Money in the Bank contract and defeating Flair to win the Raw Women’s Championship.The next week, it was announced that Nikki was going to defend the title against Flair and Ripley in a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Nikki went on to have an infamous title reign where she lost constantly and only held the title for 33 days.
Men Vs. Women MITB Statistics
If you were to run the statistics, on average, male Money In The Bank contract winners hold their briefcase for almost two times as long as the female contact winners do. Honestly, these statistics are a bit wonky due to a few of the women’s contract reigns lasting hours, not even days. If you were to find the average of the reigns of the last six Men’s Money In The Bank contract winners, it would come to 92 days. On the other hand, the average of the reigns of the last six Women’s Money In The Bank contract winners comes to 48 days. The statistics of the Women’s contract reigns are heavily supported by the lengthy reign of Carmella.
It is yet another indictment of how the women’s division is treated by creative that all but one women’s Money In the Bank contract cashed their briefcase within a day. It is an obvious sign of the amount of investment that is put into not only the title reigns within the division, but also the women in general. Many of the women heading into this year’s Women’s Money In The Bank match are deserving of holding the briefcase for more than just one day.
As of right now, there are still two spots remaining in the Women’s Money In The Bank match this year. So far, Lacey Evans, Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Shotzi have qualified to compete in the match. Two of these stars have already won the MITB contract, so many are hopeful one of the newer talents will win. Liv Morgan seems to be the fan-favorite heading into the match. Liv, for example, is one of the talents who could really benefit from the elevation that the MITB contract can tend to bring.
Angle knew that it was going to be a tough recovery process. During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall, the Olympic gold medalist reveals the thought process that led him to have both knees fixed at the same time.
“Well, my knees were shot,” said Angle. “I had to have something done. I had a plan that I was going to have one knee done, and then wait about 6 months and have the other knee done, but they were both so bad, the doctors said let’s just get them out of the way.”
He added, “I’m glad I did because now I’m starting to come out of it a little bit, it’s been about a month. I was regretting having the surgeries up until now, but now I’m glad I did it.”
Athletic Ability Helped His Recovery
Angle explained that he was in constant pain before the procedure, “Yeah, it was very painful, when you get your knees replaced, you literally can’t walk at least for about a week, although I was walking the next day, I’m not going to lie to you.”
“Everybody’s different, you just have to go at your own pace. The doctor told me, the more active I was, the quicker my recovery time would be.”
It appears that Angle being an all-around athlete benefited him a lot in the recovery of this surgery.
‘He [the doctor] said, ‘You’re a world class athlete. Just go at your own pace, just don’t do anything too crazy,'” Kurt added.
Watch Steve Fall’s interview with Kurt Angle:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
Wrestling legend Kurt Angle says he had a chance to join All Elite Wrestling, but didn’t feel he was physically up for what they wanted out of him.
Angle is now retired, but he has been in the wrestling business for around 25 years. He is an Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling and former collegiate wrestler. Angle has won 21 total championships and is a 13-time world champion.
All Elite Material
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Angle opened up about an offer he received from AEW.
Angle had the following to say when he was asked about AEW reaching out to him:
“Well, you know what. They actually wanted me to wrestle in particular. Tony Khan gave me a call, wanted me to wrestle. They offered me a pretty good deal, but I just can’t do it anymore. I wish I could, but it’s just not possible.
They did offer me two different times, and they did want me to do an on-camera personality as well, or a non-wrestling role. I actually turned that down as well. I just wanted to start up my supplement company, so I wanted to put more time into that. So, I didn’t want to leave the company at this particular time, so I decided not to do it,” he said.
“I decided not to do it because of my supplement company, and the fact that I’m just not the same as I used to be.”
– Kurt Angle on AEW’s offer
“They wanted me to have big special matches. They gave me a contract for ten matches, but they didn’t say how long it would be, so it might not have just been for a year. It might’ve been for three years, and I would’ve wrestled three matches a year.
But I decided not to do it because of my supplement company, and the fact that I’m just not the same as I used to be. If I’m gonna go in there and wrestle, I want to be the old Kurt Angle, and I know I can’t be that anymore,” Kurt added.
Not The Same Kurt Angle
Kurt was asked if he felt like he received a contract offer for the person he used to be.
“Well yea, I did think that. You know what, I don’t want to perform if I can’t perform at my best. I don’t want to put together a match that is less than average. That’s what I felt like I was doing at that particular time, especially my retirement match. I didn’t think it was very good. I could tell that I was slower. I gained a lot of weight. I was more methodical. It just felt like it wasn’t the retirement I was expecting,” the 13-time World Champion explained.
Sting & His Longevity
AEW currently have a few legends on their roster at the moment. One of them being Sting. At 63 years old, Sting is still an incredibly physical wrestler and defies the bounds of age.
Kurt, like many, is in awe of Sting’s longevity within the business.
The WWE Triple Crown winner said, “He’s timeless. The guy, it doesn’t matter how old he gets, he still can go. It’s amazing how Sting has been able to go this long. I mean, he’s had to be in the wrestling business for 40 years.”
Check out Steve Fall’s interview with the great Kurt Angle:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
AEW star Kris Statlander spoke with SEScoops correspondent Jaychele Nicole this week.
Since AEW Double Or Nothing, we have seen Statlander pair up with Athena and sometimes other women in the division to take on Jade Cargull and The Baddies. Kris Statlander has long been a crowd favorite. Particularly in her Owen Hart Tournament match with Ruby Soho, Statlander was able to turn the crowd around and gain overwhelming support during the match.
Kris Statlander On Mixed Tag Team & Intergender Matches
On the January 19 edition of AEW Dynamite, we saw Kris Statlander pair up with Orange Cassidy to take on Adam Cole and Dr. Britt Baker DMD in a mixed tag team match. This was one of the few mixed tag team matches that we have seen in AEW.
Kris Statlander spoke with Jaychele Nicole about the possibility of there being more mixed tag team matches in AEW and her desire to participate in them.
Statlander said, “Yeah, absolutely. I would love to. If anyone has been following my career since before AEW, they knew that at one point, the majority of my matches were intergender matches. So, I know that I can hang with the guys and be better than them. And I’m bigger than some not going to be humble about it. I’m bigger than some of the guys. Not necessarily on the roster. But you know, just in general. And, like, it’s a lot of what made me so different. And it’s like, if I didn’t have all those intergender matches, it wouldn’t have got me to the level that I’m at today.
So, as much as some people like don’t like it because of the ‘domestic violence’ it kind of ‘insinuates’. It’s like we’re wrestlers. If I take a suplex from Nyla versus I take a suplex from Orange Cassidy, it’s still a suplex, like it’s still wrestling. That’s kind of like people have to remember, like, we’re trained professional wrestlers. Most of the time when we’re in training we’re training with more guys than we are girls, unless you find an all girls wrestling school, which you most likely won’t. This just got very intergender preachy and I apologize, but yes, I would love to participate and do more mixed tag and intergender maybe, but that’s probably not gonna happen. Yeah, intergender probably not.”
Kris Statlander had participated in many intergender matches prior to joining AEW. She has had matches with the likes of John Silver, Orange Cassidy, Nick Gage, MJF and many others.
Kris Statlander’s ‘More Than A Woman Branding’
Statlander has recently transitioned to brand herself as ‘More Than A Woman.’ During her feud with Leyla Hirsch, Kris debuted new music, new hair, and a new titantron. Her merchandise now describes her as ‘More Than A Woman.’ At the beginning of her matches, Kris signs ‘More Than A Woman’ in American Sign Language.
When asked about where the ‘More Than A Woman’ branding came from, Stalander had this to say, “It came from the song. Not the Aliyah one, the Bee Gees one. Yeah, I had the Bee Gees version of the more than a woman song as my entrance on the Indies for a while because it was just so different. And it was just so fun. And it was one of those like, everyone knew it. Just got a crowd in a good mood before a match and stuff. Like it’s like just one of those, like, feel good songs.
And then, when I was doing the alien thing, still, I would be like, ‘Oh, she’s more than a woman because she’s an alien.’ And now it’s more than a woman leaves what I am up to interpretation by the audience now. So, it’s kind of like I can be whatever you want to be. Or whatever, however you want to perceive me is whatever you want, because being more than a woman as being more than what meets the eye and stuff like that. So I took it from the song, but then I made it more deep than it is.”
Kris Statlander’s Use of ASL
Statlander also commented about the reasoning behind her using ASL to communicate her ‘More Than A Woman’ message before her matches.
“I think it was something that I wanted to do something different, I don’t actually know anyone that’s deaf. I don’t have a reason to know ASL. Once I started doing it, some people were raising questions about do I have a reason to use it in my life? And I don’t, I just thought it was something useful to learn. It’s kind of an underappreciated language. So, I figured, why not try something different? And it seems to be getting a really good reaction. I’m not fluent in sign language. But I could do a basic sentence like, ‘Do you want water? Are you hungry? My name is Kris.’ Like, I can do all that stuff.
But, I originally got the idea to do some side language because on the Indies, sometimes if I was a bad guy, I would do like an F and a U. So, I’d say FU to my opponent and like no one knew what it meant, butI did and it was funny to me. So, sometimes I would do that. And that’s kind of where I got the idea to find a way to incorporate sign language a little bit more just because it’s so different. And especially like if there is a deaf person watching TV, and they actually see something like that instead of just having to read the subtitles all the time. So, you can actually like focus on the action for a moment. I think it’s a cool little way to reach out to that underserved community,” she said.
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
AEW star Kris Statlander spoke with SEScoops correspondent Jaychele Nicole this week.
Since AEW Double Or Nothing, we have seen Statlander pair up with Athena and sometimes other women in the division to take on Jade Cargill and The Baddies. Kris Statlander has long been a crowd favorite. Particularly in her Owen Hart Tournament match with Ruby Soho, Statlander was able to turn the crowd around and gain overwhelming support during the match.
Kris Statlander’s Feud With Red Velvet
Kris has been in a feud with Red Velvet who she has a long history with. Prior to Kris’ recent character change, she teamed with Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch a few times. Leyla would eventually turn on Kris and Velvet, which led to Statlander’s character change. When Hikaru Shida needed to be replaced in the Women’s Owen Hart tournament, Statlander took her place and defeated Red Velvet to advance. They also faced off on the June 10 edition of AEW Rampage where Statlander once again defeated Velvet.
Kris Statlander commented on the possibility of her feud with Red Velvet continuing despite the history of their friendship.
Stalander said, “Uh, it might. If it is, I am not complaining because she’s small and she’s very easy to throw. And you know, when we were friends I loved her to death and you know, everyone goes their separate ways sometimes friends don’t last forever, unfortunately. But I don’t mind if she’s someone that I have to see all the time.”
Statlander On Slapping The Back Of Stokely Hathaway’s Head
Statlander recently slapped Jade Cargill’s publicist Stokely Hathaway on the June 17 edition of Rampage. Following Willow Nightingale’s match with Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship, Kris Statlander came out to help rescue Willow and Athena from the beatdown that they were receiving from Jade and The Baddies (Kiera Hogan and Red Velvet). While running down to the ring, Statlander slapped Stokely on the back of the head before getting into the ring.
Kris Statlander slapping the shit out of Stokely Hathaway on her way down to the ring was fucking hilarious hahahah #AEWRampagepic.twitter.com/KrZ8z63uis
Statlander had the following to say about slapping Stokely, “I mean, I saw him as I was getting ready to run out. I saw him walking down there. And I was like, ‘Oh, he deserves it because he’s annoying that he had it coming.’ So, I guess you can say, sort of planned it as in like, we all want to. But, just when the opportunity arrives. Oh, it was gonna happen for sure.”
Statlander On Working With Willow Nightingale
Statlander and Athena said on the June 22 that they had Willow Nightingale in their corner when taking on Jade and The Baddies. Willow has been a big crowd favorite and has received great reactions during her AEW appearances. Willow took on Mercedes Martinez at ROH Supercard of Honor for the Interim ROH Women’s Championship back in April. Since they, Willow has been fighting off Jade and The Baddies.
Statlander spoke about the possibility of Willow joining her and Athena and Willow being on TV more.
“I hope so considering that we said that we had her on our side. So, it’d be great if she were able to join us. So yeah, I really hope that you know if there ever comes a time to do maybe we gotta take down Jade and The Baddies all together as a group. I do hope that she’s one that’s on our side. She’s someone that I’ve known for a very long time, way before AEW, so I love working with her,” Statlander commented.
The Possibility Of Kris Statlander Vs Jade Cargill
Kris Statlander vs Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship is a match that has been long hyped up. Many believe that Kris Statlander may be the first person to defeat Jade Cargill, and that she will be the one to take the belt away from Jade. Especially during her recent feud with Jade and The Baddies, many believes that the booking around the TBS Championship may be working towards having Kris finally challenge Jade. These two have never faced each other one on one.
When asked about the possibility of facing Jade and what fans could expect from the match, Kris said, “I’m gonna say you’re gonna see Jade’s toughest challenge ever. Yet. Ever, maybe, we’ll see. But um, I appreciate everyone that’s supporting the idea of me being the first one to beat her. That would be really cool, but we gotta get the match booked first. So don’t don’t get your hopes up until we see that graphic. Okay. That’s all I’m gonna say is, if it happens, it happens if it doesn’t. Don’t get your panties in a twist over it. Life goes on. I’ll get something one day, maybe one day will be my time to shine, but if not.”
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
Matt Cardona recently suffered a torn bicep at GCW Downward Spiral back on May 28th. The following Tuesday, Matt Cardona confirmed on Twitter that his bicep was torn after an MRI. He also revealed that he would be getting surgery and that he will be canceling upcoming dates.
Cardona was set to defend the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at NWA Alwayz Ready on June 11 against Nick Aldis. The title of the pay-per-view is a nod to Matt Cardona and his branding.
Steve Fall of SEScoops recently spoke with ‘Alwayz Ready’ Matt Cardona before NWA’s Alwayz Ready pay-per-view this Saturday to give an update on his injury.
Cardona Speaks About The Timing Of His Injury
Cody Rhodes recently competed at Hell In A Cell with a torn pectoral muscle. Cardona spoke about his mindset when he originally found out about the injury.
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion said, “It’s not my choice. I didn’t walk into that GCW show, last Saturday in Vegas, [saying] ‘I can’t wait to tear my bicep tonight.’ You know, that wasn’t part of the plan. Stuff happens. Life happens. There is no good time to get injured. Certainly, this is the absolute worst time to get injured. I saw two doctors, one surgeon. I told myself, ‘Hey. Let’s see what the majority says.’ All three said surgery of course. Old school thinking had me [saying], ‘I want to tape it up and just go out there.’ It’s just not worth it. It’s not safe. I want to be doing this for a really, really long time.
It’s unfortunate that it’s near Alwayz Ready, a pay-per-view named after me. It’s my show. I was supposed to defend the Worlds Heavyweight Championship on it, and I will not be able to compete. I will be there, I will walk down that aisle, I will have the ten pounds of gold in my hand. Will I walk out with the ten pounds of gold? That’s up to Billy Corgan. I can’t make a decision for him, I don’t know the plan. I don’t have the pencil. We’ll see what happens. I’m always ready, even with this injury.”
Matt Cardona’s Injury Time Frame
Cardona provided a possible time frame for his injury, “I’ve been told three to five months. I’m obviously shooting for three months, but I don’t want to rush before I’m ready. I want to make sure that I’m 100% before I get in the ring. It’s not like I’m just taking this three or five month vacation. I’m still making towns. Last weekend, I did two shows. I didn’t wrestle, but I made appearances and signed some autographs. I’ll continue to do that all summer long. Whether it be conventions or wrestling shows, NWA, IMPACT, GCW, I’m still going to be everywhere, just not lacing up those boots.”
On June 11, Matt Cardona will make an appearance at the NWA Alwayz Ready pay-per-view. At that pay-per-view, we will find out the fate of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, as well as Matt Cardona’s reign with the championship.
SEScoops would like to wish Cardona a speedy recovery. SEScoops will work to keep fans updated on the status of Matt Cardona, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, and his injury.
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
Matt Cardona recently announced that he suffered a torn bicep on May 28 at GCW Downward Spiral. The following Tuesday, Matt Cardona confirmed on Twitter that his bicep was torn after an MRI. He also revealed that he would be getting surgery and that he will be canceling upcoming dates.
Cardona was set to defend the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at NWA Alwayz Ready on June 11 against Nick Aldis. The title of the pay-per-view is a nod to Matt Cardona and his branding.
Steve Fall of SEScoops recently spoke with ‘Alwayz Ready’ Matt Cardona before NWA’s Alwayz Ready pay-per-view this Saturday.
Matt Cardona Will Sue Nick Aldis If He Touches Him
When first speaking with Cardona about the aggression Nick Aldis has shown recently, Cardona repsonded, “First of all, you know, Nick Aldis is so upset that he can’t get his hands on me. I know he just wants to punch me right in the mouth. He won’t be able to do it at Alwayz Ready.
If he does, he’ll be sued. I will get Michael Dockins on him, Mark Sterling, my two lawyers on him. This will not be a match. There will be no match.”
Cardona Speaks About Being The Face Of The NWA While Unable To Compete
Cardona continued by speaking about what his injury means for his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship title reign, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if there is going to be some sort of match for the title. I don’t know if I’m going to have to give up the title. I’m prepared to do so. I am a fighting champion, and I will not be able to defend it all summer. I get it.
I’ve been saying all along, ‘I want to be the face of the company. I want to be the face of the NWA. I want to bring this title all over.’ While I still can bring it all over the place, I won’t be able to defend it. So, we’ll see what Billy says, but I’ll tell you what.
When I got that NWA title, when I beat Trevor Murdoch, that thing was brand spanking new. Not a scratch on it. You look at it now, scratches, dents, the gold is fading, because I bring it everywhere. I’m a proud champ. I bring it out with me to all my shows. I bring it to all my conventions. It’s in my sweaty gear bag. It stinks. It’s disgusting. That’s how the NWA Worlds Title should be. We’ll see what Billy wants to do with it.”
Matt Addresses The NWA Locker Room
“I walk in, and I just take the title. I go right into that main event scene. It wasn’t just him that I annoyed. It was all the boys in the back. They’re thinking I was there to take their spot, and I took their spot. I had my own damn spot. They can have their spots. I don’t want your spot. I have my own damn spot.
It’s not my fault that the people gravitate towards me, whether they love me or hate me. Whether they wanna see me get my a*s kicked or see me kick a*s, the people are invested in me. Nick is smart to want to wrestle me, to leech off me, to get some of my buzz,” Cardona addressed those speculating that the injury was a ‘work.’
On June 11, Matt Cardona will make an appearance at the NWA Alwayz Ready pay-per-view. At that pay-per-view, we will find out the fate of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, as well as Matt Cardona’s reign with the championship.
SEScoops would like to wish Cardona a speedy recovery. SEScoops will work to keep fans updated on the status of Matt Cardona, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, and his injury.
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
AEW’s third edition of Battle Of The Belts has been announced along with its location.
AEW confirmed the time and place of Battle Of The Belts 3 on the June 1 edition of AEW Dynamite. The one-hour special will be taped on August 5 after a live episode of Rampage. The event will be taped at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The arena recently confirmed the event through the following post on their website:
All Elite Wrestling Rampage & Battle of the Belts III will take place on Friday, August 5, 2022 at 8:00PM at Van Andel Arena. This is a televised event.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 10th at 10:00AM. *Note the box office will not be open.
Ticket prices are subject to change. For current ticket prices visit Ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices may vary, as market pricing applies to all tickets.
Prices may fluctuate based on supply and demand. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or online at Ticketmaster.com. A ticket limit of 6 will apply to every order.
Previous Battle Of The Belts Events
The first two Battle Of The Belts specials were headlined by AEW Women’s World Championship matches.
In the first event, Britt Baker defended the title against Riho. In the second, we saw Thunder Rosa defeat Nyla Rose.
The Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, and the match itself, make up a huge piece of WWE’s history. A newer piece of said history is that of the few women’s Hell In A Cell matches we’ve seen. As a result of the women’s revolution, the female performers in WWE got the opportunity to go at it inside the cell just like the men.
So far, there has been four women’s Hell In A Cell matches. Three out of the four have included Sasha Banks. Women’s Hell In A Cell matches were featured at the following Hell In A Cell pay-per-views: 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021. We have seen Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, and Bayley vs. Bianca Belair.
Throughout the years, the women’s match has always been one to steal the show. Many times we only see wrestlers get thrown into the cell when the feud is undeserving of it. However, with there being only one women’s Hell In A Cell match, it is normally given to the feud that is most deserving of it.
Previous Women’s Hell In A Cell Matches
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (2016)
Charlotte and Sasha set the stage for what the women could do inside Hell In A Cell. From their entrances, you could tell that this match was extremely meaningful. These women took brutal and captivating bumps before the bell even rang. Even though there were some unfortunate, and uncontrollable, mishaps, these women were able to put forward incredible efforts. Unfortunately, the finish of the match was messed up, and the result deflated the crowd, but these women went on to have better matches against each other.
Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (2019)
Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch has been regarded as one of the best women’s wrestling matches in the WWE. This was viewed as Sasha Banks’ redemption match from her match with Charlotte Flair. The atmosphere of this match really enhanced the match itself. There was so much creativity within this match that it set the bar for the other female Hell In A Cell matches to come. The match itself is regarded as one of the best Hell In A Cell matches of all time.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley (2020)
Sasha Banks vs Bayley was the culmination of one of the biggest stories during WWE’s pandemic era. Banks’ legacy was partially formed due to the incredible matches she had within the cell. Each year, we have seen Sasha improvise and create new things to do within the cell. Bayley’s first go in the cell was one of the defining matches of the pandemic. She was not afraid to take the bumps necessary to make it as legendary as it was.
Sasha and Bayley have such a long history that they were able to use that to their advantage. Everyone remembers their match from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. They did all they could to create new spots and moments to try and make the match just as memorable.
Bayley vs Bianca Belair (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLiErWk2OLI
Bianca Belair’s first time in the cell was epic. With only about five years of experience, Belair was able to define her career with that match. From Bianca’s gear to her creativity inside the match, it was one of the significant matches in Bianca’s match catalog.
It would be a crime to not mention the performance that Bayley put on in this match. Bayley worked this match as the veteran had already competed against Sasha in the cell the year before. She was able to lead the match while still playing up her usual heel tactics. Bayley had been messing with Bianca since before she won the title. This was the perfect stipulation for this feud that was unfortunately was also the last match in the feud as Bayley got hurt before their scheduled ‘I Quit’ match.
The Importance Of Women’s Hell In A Cell Matches
It’s another scathing indictment of the booking of the women’s division that there is not a women’s Hell In A Cell match on this card. Between the walkout and suspension of the women’s Hell In A Cell veteran Sasha Banks and Naomi, and the lack of strong storylines in the women’s division on SmackDown, it is honestly no surprise that this is where the division is at right now. As the card currently stands, the SmackDown Women’s Championship isn’t even being defended at the pay-per-view.
Possible Hell In A Cell Matches For This Year
Each year, we see new women enter the cell and test the limits of their in-ring ability. It’s sad that this will not be the case this year. There are many women on the roster who would’ve been deserving of the Hell In A Cell match slot.
The best option for this year seems to be Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley. If Asuka hadn’t returned, it would’ve made sense to do Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair inside the cell for the Raw Women’s Championship. This would’ve been the perfect match stipulation to tie a bow on their long-running feud. The Raw Women’s Championship feud is currently based on a two-person feud that Bianca was placed in. It doesn’t make sense to put this feud inside of the cell due to the lack of engagement in the feud from the champion herself.
There are many combinations of undeveloped stars within the division that would’ve especially benefited from having the experience of being in the cell. Especially those like Rhea Ripley, Shotzi, Liv Morgan, Doudrop, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, and so much more would benefit from being in a match like this.
They truly have dropped the ball with the opportunity to include a women’s Hell In A Cell match like they have for the last three years. The division, especially in the state it is in without its big stars like Sasha, Naomi, and Charlotte, the other women in the division would’ve benefitted from the chance to compete in a more hardcore and savage match stipulation.
Since CM Punk’s return, many have questioned and hoped for his wife AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) to return.
AJ is now signed to Women of Wrestling as an executive producer and commentator. This made fans want to see her back in the ring even more.
AJ Lee On CM Punk’s Return & Possibility Of Her Returning
AJ Lee spoke with Renee Paquette on The Sessions. She spoke about CM Punk’s return and the fulfillment she has now that she is working with WOW.
Lee said, “The conversation was a conversation that was way longer than people knew, with many things happening in the universe. There were many options. It was a very long time of, ‘what’s the right route? What’s the safest route? What does it look like?’ It was something I was scared of, just seeing what would emotionally happen. That was more or less for his stuff. To me, I retired and I retired.”
“I always say, ‘never say never, but don’t hold your breath’ and everyone holds on to the ‘never say never.’ [laughing] Don’t hold your breath, you’re going to die.
I just wanted him to be emotionally safe and protected. That’s been the coolest thing about his experience. It feels like he’s always in a safe space and has a good group of people around him in AEW, that makes me very happy.
There was a lot of ‘Let’s go!’ To me, that didn’t spark anything in me, but the combination of wrestling and writing, wrestling and producing, that was more comfortable and more exciting because it was a challenge,” AJ continued.
AJ Lee On The Timing Of Her Retirement
The former Divas Champion added, “I always felt great about the timing of when I retired. You never want to be the last girl at the party, you want to go out on top. Everything felt so perfect and tied up in a bow.
I know his experience is different. To me, I didn’t want him, or me with WOW, anything to feel like you were the person going back to hang out with high school kids. I was hoping it wasn’t that and it seems to not be.”
Women Of Wrestling Update
Women of Wrestling has already taped episodes for the future. However, there is currently no date set for the premiere. There were tapings scheduled for early June that were postponed due to a positive COVID test.
The June 6th episode of AEW Dark: Elevation was taped on June 1st.
The taping took place before AEW Dynamite at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
It’s possible that more matches will be filmed before Rampage on Friday.
AEW Dark: Elevation Spoilers For 6/6
Frankie Kazarian def. Serpentico
Nyla Rose & Serena Deeb def. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita
Death Triangle (PAC, Rey Fenix & Penta Oscuro) def. The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Ryan Nemeth, & Cezar Bononi)
AEW Dark: Elevation streams at 7 p.m. ET on Monday on the AEW YouTube channel.
Notes From 6/1 AEW Dynamite
Matt Compton of PWInsider shared a few notes from last night’s AEW Dynamite that only fans in attendance were privy to.
There did not seem to be any areas tarped off, besides perhaps the area behind the stage. There was no large screen above the ramp. They did have 3 or 4 large screens hung from the rafters/scaffolding around the building.
Hayter On The Possibility Of Joining The Blackpool Combat Club
Hayter recently spoke with WhatCulture about her interest in joining the Blackpool Combat Club.
Hayter said, “Yes, absolutely. I would love to be. If I wasn’t with Britt, I would be gunning to go to the BCC. It’s just because they kick ass. That’s my shit. They do the stuff I love doing. I’m a bit rough around the edges and things like that, like a usual British person is. I would love to be under their wing and learn from them and be more of a lethal weapon. I’ll be the new Steve Blackman [laughs].”
The Blackpool Combat Club is currently being led by William Regal. Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Wheeler Yuta are members of the group as well.
Jamie On Learning From William Regal & Other Legends
Hayter also spoke about learning from minds like Regal backstage at AEW.
“It’s fantastic. Especially being here, all we want to do is learn. Everybody just wants to get better and put out a really good product for TV, which we do, but personally, if I want to improve, you want to pick these people’s brains like a Regal, Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Jerry Lynn, all these amazing performers and people who have been in the business for such a long time. You can just go up to them and talk. It’s crazy.
I never thought I could go up to Regal and be like, ‘I’d like to pick your brain about something. What do you think about this?’ It’s great and very handy. In the short time of being here, I have learned a lot and made the most of the fact that there are so many incredible people there,” Hayter responded.
Hayter is scheduled to compete in a tag team match on the 6/1 AEW Dynamite. She will team with Dr. Britt Baker to take on Toni Storm & Ruby Soho.
H/T to Jeremy Lambert Fightful for the transcription
Ruby Soho recently spoke about Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on WWE before an episode of Monday Night Raw. When the walkout happened, many people across the internet and different promotions began to give their own opinions. Sasha and Naomi have not yet commented on the incident. However, Ruby Soho, a former co-worker of theirs, has.
Ruby Soho On Her Relationship With Sasha & Naomi
When speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Ruby revealed that she supports both women and how they decided to stand up for themselves and their careers.
Ruby said, “I’m a very firm believer in everybody’s career and everybody’s experiences are different. No matter what company you work for, no matter who you are or what level you feel like you’re on or what level people portray you to be on. I feel like everyone’s experiences are different.
I have for a long time considered Sasha and Naomi to be friends of mine. If that in the moment and in their heart of hearts is what they felt like they needed to do, then I can only understand from an outside perspective because you never know with that kind of stuff.”
Ruby Soho On Sasha & Naomi Walking Out
The AEW star continued, “You never know what they’re experiencing, what their journey is like to that point, and why they felt like they needed to do what they needed to do. But at the end of the day, you can only just try and see them for who they are as people, and I adore them. So whatever they felt like they needed to do, I understand. Everybody handles things differently. Everybody has different experiences. So until you’re in the shoes of that person, you can’t always say what you would do.
It’s definitely one of those things where I’m glad that they did what was best for them and what they felt was right at the time. I’m always for people standing up for themselves regardless of the circumstances. So if that’s what they felt like they needed to do. 100%.”
Ruby Soho In AEW
Ruby Soho recently faced Britt Baker, in a losing effort, at AEW Double or Nothing in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Memorial Cup Tournament.
