SEScoops

Author: Jon Fuentes

  • Booker T Believes Rousey vs. Banks Could Be Best Women’s Match Ever

    Booker T Believes Rousey vs. Banks Could Be Best Women’s Match Ever

    The WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) is set to go down this weekend (Sun. January 27, 2019) from the Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. In one of the premiere match-ups of the night, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will be defending her title. She’ll face off against former RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The pair have been feuding on WWE TV for the past several weeks to hype up their bout.

    This week, Rousey teamed up with Natalya to take on Banks and Bayley in the main event of RAW. Rousey has proven herself to be a solid worker inside the ring. As for Banks, she’s one of the best in-ring performers the WWE’s women’s division has to offer. It will certainly be interesting to see how the pair work together in singles action on one of WWE’s biggest pay-per-views (PPV) of the year.

    Best Ever?

    WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T seems pretty optimistic about the match-up. Speaking on his “Heated Conversations” podcast recently, Booker said he believes the bout has the potential to be the best women’s match ever:

    “It could be the best women’s match that we’ve seen thus far – and really, I’m not just saying that – as far as Ronda Rousey goes,” Booker said. “As far as Ronda going out there and having that match to where she look back and say, ‘Man, that was so, so good.’ Sasha Banks, she’s one of the best. And she’ll throw caution to the wind.

    “She puts herself in certain positions sometimes where it scares me – seriously – inside of the ring, as well as outside of the ring. She’s just one of those type that just will put herself out there and you got to love that. That’s what the business is about, it’s not ballet or anything like that.

    “Ronda Rousey’s definitely gonna be tested as far as her cardio and endurance goes because Sasha can go all night long. I’m looking forward to it. All around, the ladies are doing some crazy stuff.”

    Do you think Rousey vs. Banks could turn into the best women’s match ever?

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Brie Bella Went Into Deep Depression After Injuring Liv Morgan

    Brie Bella Went Into Deep Depression After Injuring Liv Morgan

    Back in September, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, and Natalya teamed up for a Six-Woman Tag Team match. They faced The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, and Sarah Logan) on an episode of Monday Night RAW from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. During the match, Brie Bella knocked Morgan out cold by hitting her with some of her husband, Daniel Bryan’s, signature kicks.

    A pair of kicks hit Morgan in the face and she folded over unconscious. Liv tried to get back to her corner but was stumbling and didn’t look to realize where she was:

    https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/1044388801047654400

    Eventually, Morgan was taken to the back and the match continued as a Tag Team bout. Bella received a lot of online hate after the botched spot. It turns out, the incident even forced her into a “deep depression.”

    Bella had this to say about how she reacted to the ordeal in an interview with Digital Spy:

    “Yes, it definitely is, because first off it’s crazy how I’ve been wrestling for 12 years and one of my major mistakes in the ring I get judged so harshly on. We’re not perfect, no one’s perfect, you know how many people have been injured in the ring? But for some reason I was like showcased in such a way of like, this evil person, and ‘look what she’s done’ and I got bullied really bad.

    “I wanted to run into a cave and you’ll see, I don’t think people have ever seen me break down as bad as they will during the whole Liv situation. I went into deep depression, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to go back to work.

    “All the horrible things people were saying about me, I felt a thousand times worse than the things they thought of me and I really had to sit down and think to myself, ‘Brie, you’re a mother’ and if Birdie was in this situation would you want her to feel this bad or would you want her to stand up to it and be like ‘Screw you guys?’

    “I made a mistake and she’s not badly injured and you know what, this is our business, this is what we all signed up for. Everyone’s going to see backstage even how Liv and I were with each other. Out in the WWE ring, we have to play so much, bad guy, good guy, don’t talk to your competitors, but backstage you’ll see that we’re all really close and it affects us.

    “We never want to go out there and hurt each other so when it happens it’s emotional. But people are going to hear my side of the story and my voice and how it’s about damn time that trolls stopped going on the internet and bullying everyone.”

    What do you think about Bella saying she was depressed after injuring Liv Morgan?

  • Rob Gronkowski Not Expected To Join WWE

    Rob Gronkowski Not Expected To Join WWE

    New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has long been linked to rumors of a WWE career. It’s no secret that WWE likes to pick off stars from other sports to join their roster. WWE has an infatuation with scooping up mixed martial artists and former NFL players. Baron Corbin, Matt Riddle, Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns, Mojo Rawley, and more all have links to either the NFL or MMA.

    At 29-years-old, Gronkowski is already considering retirement from the NFL. He has already established himself as one of the most dominant tight ends the game has ever seen. However, injuries have plagued his career and kept him off the field for a favorable amount of time. Despite this, Gronkowski is still a two-time Super Bowl Champion, with the possibility of winning his third against the Los Angeles Rams next month.

    He’s also a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro. Much like last season, it’s being reported that Gronkowski is strongly considering retirement after this season is over. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reports that Gronkowski is considering beginning a new career. That career could be in either WWE – which Rapoport noted as unlikely – or in movies. Check out Rapoport’s report here:

    Gronkowski has made an appearance for WWE before. He helped his good friend and former teammate Mojo Rawley win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2017 at WrestleMania 33. He attacked Jinder Mahal after being insulted by the former WWE Champion at ringside.

    What do you think about Gronkowski likely opting to go to Hollywood over WWE?

  • Goldust Injury Update, Paul Heyman Calls Out Gimmick Infringement

    Goldust Injury Update, Paul Heyman Calls Out Gimmick Infringement

    Goldust Injury Update

    Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Goldust underwent double knee surgery this past summer. After undergoing surgery in Alabama, Goldust is expected to make a full recovery.

    He joined the “WINCLY” podcast last week to discuss his status. The 49-year-old noted he has been undergoing a lengthy rehabilitation process. Goldust thinks he’ll be good to return to the ring after an evaluation at the WWE Performance Center this week :

    “Wednesday at the Performance Center is my next evaluation and I believe we’re gonna probably get me cleared that day,” said Goldust. “So I’m hoping. They put stem cells in both knees and my knees feel a lot better. I’m feeling pretty good.”

    Paul Heyman Calls Out Gimmick Infringement

    The Cricket World Cup recently used a play off WWE’s Paul Heyman’s “Eat, Sleep, Conquer, Repeat” catchphrase. They Tweeted out “Eat. Sleep. Finish games. Repeat.” in reference to Indian cricket player Mahendra Singh Dhoni:

    Heyman responded to the Tweet by saying he and Brock Lesnar will take their royalties in cash, check, stock, or cryptocurrency:

    “My most (in)sincere compliments to for promoting the amazing by paraphrasing my mantra for . Our royalties may be paid in cash, check, stock or cryptocurrency.”

    The Cricket World Cup account responded by saying they’ll give Lesnar and Heyman free tickets to the game:

    “How about tickets to the for you and ?”

    Heyman responded by saying the Cricket World Cup was “exploiting” the fame of himself and Brock Lesnar. An appearance by himself and “The Beast” would also cost the Cricket World Cup around eight figures in appearance fees:

    “. Thank you for your interest in expanding your global audience even further by exploiting the fame/notoriety of and the reigning defending undisputed Universal Champion . I look forward to your 8 figure appearance fee offer.”

  • Ring Rope Breaks During Styles vs. Bryan At WWE Live Event (Video)

    Ring Rope Breaks During Styles vs. Bryan At WWE Live Event (Video)

    Something pretty interesting happened at yesterday’s (Sun. January 20, 2019) WWE live event from Omaha, Nebraska. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan faced off against AJ Styles inside the squared circle. At one point in the match, the middle rope in the ring broke. Styles stopped the match, got out of the ring, and got on the mic. He used the opportunity to poke fun at Bryan choosing not to eat meat:

    “Hold on now, it looks like I’ve had too many delicious Omaha steaks!” Styles said. “But Daniel, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would ya? That’s alright, I don’t need this middle rope to kick your ass.”

    Both mean eventually used the rope as a weapon on one another during the match. Check that out here:

    https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/1087308013566873605

    Royal Rumble

    Styles and Bryan have been feuding for the past several weeks on SmackDown Live. Bryan is set to defend his WWE Championship against “The Phenomenal One” at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend (Sun. January 27, 2019). The event will go down from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out the card for the PPV below:

    • WWE Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
    • WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
    • 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, John Cena, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Apollo Crews, Elias, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Kalisto, TBA
    • 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match: Carmella, Naomi, Zelina Vega, Natalya, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, TBA
    • WWE RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
    • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: (C) Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
    • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
    • Fatal Four-Way Match For The WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami
    • WWE United States Championship: (C) Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Braun Strowman Provides Roman Reigns Update

    Braun Strowman Provides Roman Reigns Update

    Its now been several months since Roman Reigns’ heartbreaking announcement. “The Big Dog” opened up an October episode of Monday Night RAW to announce he has been diagnosed with leukemia. The disease is something Reigns has battled and beat before when he was younger. Now, however, it has returned, and as a result, he was forced to relinquish his Universal Championship.

    Reigns has since been taking time from WWE to focus on his health and spend time with his family. Recently, Reigns was photographed with a fan in Hawaii while on vacation. The former World Champ was in the gym getting a workout in, and looked to be in great shape and good spirits. Now, in a recent interview with WrestlingNewsCo, Braun Strowman has provided an update on his longtime rival.

    “The Monster Among Men” confirmed that Reigns is vacationing in Hawaii and visiting family. He also added that he’s doing his treatments at home and is feeling well:

    “[Roman is] doing really well. I think he’s in Hawaii right now on vacation seeing some of his family so everything is going good.

    “It’s just a day by day thing. I know he’s doing his treatments and stuff at home. When I speak to him, he sounds well and says he feels well. I trust him with everything he’s ever told me.”

    Do you think Reigns will be able to get back in the ring at any point this year?

  • Kenny Omega Documentary Premiering On TSN In March

    Kenny Omega Documentary Premiering On TSN In March

    Last month we reported that Toronto musician Joseph Shabson said he scored music for a documentary on New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kenny Omega. The documentary is being worked on by HBO. However, it’s HBO’s Canadian department. Not to be confused with the team that worked on WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant’s documentary last year.

    While fans have only had the word of Shabson to go on, we now have confirmation, and a release date, for the documentary. Writer, assistant director, and producer Corey Erdman recently confirmed the project. Erdman revealed on Twitter (The Tweet has since been deleted) that the documentary will be named “Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story.” He also noted that it will be released on TSN on March 27th:

    “I can finally talk about what I’ve been doing for a year. I have been writing/producing and assistant directing Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story, on the brilliant . Premiering March 27 on . Watch the early trailer here: ”

    The Sports Network is not a channel available in the United States. There’s currently no news on how wrestling fans stateside can watch the documentary upon its release. But we’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

    Kenny Omega’s Free Agency Status

    There has been a lot of speculation in regards to Omega’s future. His deal with NJPW is set to expire soon. Many assume the former IWGP Heavyweight Champ is All Elite Wrestling-bound (AEW). However, Omega recently noted that he’ll be wrestling on a “large international platform” in 2019. This led many to believe he’ll be going to WWE. It remains to be seen where Omega will end up, but expect the announcement very soon.

    What do you think about Omega getting his own documentary?

  • WWE May Have Spoiled This Year’s Hall Of Fame Headliner

    We might have just spilled the beans on which legendary Superstar will be headlining the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019.

    The Road to WrestleMania kicks off this weekend at the Royal Rumble. We’re just three short months from the ‘Showcase Of The Immortals.’ In addition to WWE’s biggest show of the year, fans also look forward to WrestleMania weekend as icons of years past take their place in history in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

    Over the weekend, WWE sent out an email announcing that 25 episodes of WWF Superstars from 1992 have been added to the WWE Network. That’s great in itself, but a closer look at the promotional material for this new content reveals something else. The ad, seen below, touts the Superstars episode feature WWE Hall of Famers The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair. Of course, Michaels and Flair have already been inducted, while The Undertaker has simply been rumored for this year’s class.

    It’s possible this was a misstatement by WWE’s marketing team. However, it is more likely that this email referencing The Undertaker as a Hall of Famer was inadvertently sent out before the official announcement. The first inductee for this year’s class is expected to be announced very soon.

    The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Saturday night, April 6th from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.

  • Sheamus Says Creation Of Characters In Wrestling Today Is “Abandoned”

    Sheamus Says Creation Of Characters In Wrestling Today Is “Abandoned”

    Over the years one of the biggest changes fans have seen in the professional wrestling industry is the development of characters. In today’s era, there don’t seem to be any larger than life characters like in years’ past. Names that immediately come to mind are Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, and more.

    Some of WWE’s biggest stars today include Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, however, their stardom is more due to their athletic accomplishments than their actual characters. Recently, SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Sheamus was interviewed by Solo Wrestling to discuss the matter. “The Celtic Warrior” feels that the creation of characters in wrestling today has been “abandoned”:

    “Today a very different product is offered,” said Sheamus. “I think we’re missing some characters. Yes, I believe it. I think we are leaving the creation of characters a little abandoned.

    “Any important series like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead base their product around the characters and their background. I think the athletes and wrestlers that we have today are the best in the history of the business, although in turn I think the business has changed to what people want to see.”

    Sheamus is gearing up to defend his SDL Tag Team Titles, alongside Cesaro, at the Royal Rumble. The pair will be facing off against Shane McMahon and The Miz. The Royal Rumble goes down from the Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on January 27th. Check out the updated card for the pay-per-view (PPV) here:

    • WWE Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
    • WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
    • 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, John Cena, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Apollo Crews, Elias, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Kalisto, TBA
    • 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match: Carmella, Naomi, Zelina Vega, Natalya, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, TBA
    • WWE RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
    • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: (C) Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
    • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
    • Fatal Four-Way Match For The WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami
    • WWE United States Championship: (C) Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

    What do you think about Sheamus’ comments regarding character creation in wrestling today?

  • Lap Dance Segment Doing Big Numbers For IMPACT On YouTube (Video)

    Lap Dance Segment Doing Big Numbers For IMPACT On YouTube (Video)

    IMPACT Wrestling recently aired a lap dance segment involving professional wrestling legend Scott Steiner and Scarlett Bordeaux. Bordeaux dances around the ring in lingerie while Steiner sits down on a chair and watches. The segment was uploaded to IMPACT’s YouTube channel. It’s nearing 1 million views as of this writing with 883,000 views. It’s one of IMPACT’s most viewed videos in recent memory. Check it out here:

    WWE has been putting on somewhat similar content this week. On Monday Night RAW, WWE did a segment in which an employee accidentally walked in on Alexa Bliss changing. The employee was delivering Bliss’ coffee, who was shirtless and only covered up by a top she was holding up to her chest.

    Also, on SmackDown Live, WWE did an angle in which Mandy Rose sent Jimmy Uso a key to her hotel room. Jimmy Uso is married to Naomi, and Rose said she wanted to ruin their marriage in an attempt to torment the former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion. Both of those segments have done very well on YouTube as well. Bliss’ YouTube video has 5.8 million views, while the Mandy Rose, Jimmy Uso, and Naomi segment has 2.6 million.

    What did you think about IMPACT’s lap dance segment with Steiner and Bordeaux?

  • Matt Sydal Reveals He’s Dealing With Knee Injury

    Matt Sydal Reveals He’s Dealing With Knee Injury

    IMPACT Wrestling will be without the services of Matt Sydal for the next few months. The former WWE star recently took to Twitter to announce that he has suffered a knee injury. He will require surgery to repair the issue. Sydal divulged that the operation will happen on Thursday and he’s eying a return around March or April. In the meantime, Sydal said he’ll be teaching wrestling online and from the World Wrestling Network training center:

    “I’m having surgery next Thursday to repair torn cartilage in my knee. I should be able to return to the ring by March or April. I’ll be teaching wrestling online, and at the training center throughout. Reach out to mattsydal@yahoo.com with questions.”

    Lately, the former IMPACT X Division Champion has been teaming up with Ethan Page. The pair are former foes from an Ultimate X qualifying match during IMPACT’s recent TV tapings in Las Vegas this past November. Page would win the bout and advanced to the Ultimate X match for the then-vacant X Division Championship at IMPACT’s “Homecoming” pay-per-view (PPV).

    The match was eventually won by former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann. We’ll keep you updated on Sydal’s injury situation as we learn more…

    What do you think about Sydal undergoing surgery for his injured knee?

  • Paige Denies Ever Getting Plastic Surgery

    Paige Denies Ever Getting Plastic Surgery

    Female WWE stars have a long history of getting plastic surgery to enhance their physical appearance. However, one WWE star who has opted not to go that route is Paige. The former Divas Champion was featured in the “10 Year Challenge” on Twitter by a fan. Paige joins current United States Champion Rusev as the latest WWE star to be part of the social media trend.

    A fan account shared a photograph of Paige in her teenage years, compared to a recent picture of herself currently at 26-years-old. There’s certainly a big difference in the two photographs, but not a surprising one given it shows Paige’s transition from her teenage years to adulthood:

    In response to the photo, a fan accused Paige of undergoing plastic surgery. Paige responded by saying she has never gone under the knife for surgery unless it was to repair an injury:

    “False. No plastic surgery. Never been under the knife unless it’s for injuries. Lip fillers absolutely I have. Little lesson for ya. This thing happens when you age where your body matures. Crazy right?”

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1085698821152096264

    Paige In WWE

    Making her debut the night after WrestleMania 30 in April of 2014, Paige won the Divas Championship from AJ Lee her first night on the main roster. It was evident that the former NXT Women’s Champion was going to be a big star for the company moving forward. Unfortunately for the two-time Divas Champ, she suffered an injury during a house show in December of 2017.

    The injury forced her to retire from in-ring competition in WWE. At just 26-years-old, it looks like her days of competing inside the ring for WWE are over. Paige was briefly the General Manager of SmackDown Live. However, she was removed from the position after The McMahons decided to take back control of both RAW and SmackDown.

  • Charlotte Flair Wasn’t Allowed To Act Like Her Father In Developmental

    Charlotte Flair Wasn’t Allowed To Act Like Her Father In Developmental

    Charlotte Flair has had an extremely successful career with WWE thus far. The 32-year-old started her professional wrestling career back in 2012. She signed with WWE and was sent to developmental in NXT. Throughout her years in the company, Flair has already established herself as one of the best female competitors of all time. The former NXT Women’s Champion is also a former Divas Champion, a four-time RAW Women’s Champion, and a two-time SmackDown Live Women’s Champion.

    Being the daughter of two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, it’s no surprise how talented “The Queen” has been given her bloodline. Currently, Flair often pays homage to her father inside the ring on a regular basis. From regularly “Wooooo’ing” to utilizing her Figure Eight Leg Lock as one of her finishers, a play off of Ric Flair’s old Figure Four submission maneuver. However, Flair wasn’t always allowed to use any of her father’s old signatures.

    Developmental Restrictions

    Speaking to SportsBible recently, Flair revealed that she actually wasn’t allowed to act like her father in developmental:

    “Truly that’s why I am here celebrating today because I am NXT homegrown. I know my dad’s Ric Flair but when I showed up at FCW/NXT, I didn’t know anything about wrestling – I didn’t watch it, I didn’t study it, I didn’t know the history of it – I just knew I liked my dad and he was a wrestler.

    “If you take a clean slate like me, even though I played division one volleyball, the performance centre molded me. Yes, I had the last name but I wasn’t allowed to woo, I wasn’t allowed to chop and I couldn’t do the figure four.

    “I couldn’t do anything like my dad, and I think they were like, ‘Wow she’s got the it factor, maybe she can carry the name’. They’ve molded a professional wrestler from nothing is how I look at it.”

    What do you think about Flair not being allowed to act like her father in developmental?

  • WWE Offering To Beat Out Offers From Other Companies

    WWE Offering To Beat Out Offers From Other Companies

    This is probably the best time in nearly 20 years to be a professional wrestler. Especially after the announcement of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), there are so many options out there for talent. From New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), to Ring Of Honor (ROH), AEW, or WWE, companies are willing to pay big money for top stars. However, WWE has apparently been getting super aggressive as of late.

    Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE stars have been told, if they can show an offer on paper, WWE will beat out the deal. Some have even been told they’ll double the contract on the spot if they immediately sign with WWE. This idea came around after Bandido decided to sign with ROH over WWE. Interestingly enough, WWE opted not to match or double AEW’s offer to Chris Jericho.

    There’s an extremely competitive market right now for promotions. ROH, NJPW, WWE, and AEW are essentially in bidding wars with one another at times, competing for talent. Probably the hottest free agent on the market will be Kenny Omega, whose deal with NJPW is set to expire at the end of the month. The belief is that he’ll leave NJPW in favor of either WWE or AEW, with the latter being his likely landing point.

    What do you think about WWE offering to match offers from other promotions?

  • Dolph Ziggler Could Be Done With WWE

    Dolph Ziggler Could Be Done With WWE

    Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler’s days in the company might be numbered. PWInsider reports that there has been a lot of talk about Ziggler possibly being done with WWE as of late. He recently turned down an offer to serve as a producer for the company. Ziggler hasn’t appeared on TV since taking a beatdown from Drew McIntyre inside a Steel Cage on RAW last month. Since, Ziggler has removed the “Dolph Ziggler” name from his social media accounts.

    He is also getting ready to begin a comedy tour soon. The report also notes that Ziggler hasn’t been on the road with the company since the conclusion of the holiday live event tour. PWInsider sources say that Ziggler remains under a WWE deal. While some are saying Ziggler won’t leave at all, others are pointing to a January 31st exit date. WWE seems to be having quite a bit of issues keeping some of its talents happy.

    Several WWE stars have asked for their release from the company lately. Perhaps the idea of being part of the start-up All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion has enticed their decision. It will be interesting to see how the landscape of professional wrestling changes in the next several months.

    What do you think about Ziggler possibly leaving WWE?

  • Rusev Shows Off Body Transformation Over The Years (Photos)

    Rusev Shows Off Body Transformation Over The Years (Photos)

    Add WWE United States Champion Rusev to the list of people competing in the “10-Year Challenge.” For some reason, the challenge has taken social media by storm. People post a photograph of themselves from 10 years ago, side-by-side with one of them during present day. Rusev shared some photos of himself from his early days in WWE. “The Bulgarian Brute” had a little bit more mass on him back then.

    However, today he has trimmed down a bit, looking leaner. Rusev captioned the post with “Guess the the years ! #bodytransformation #rusevday”. Check out Rusev’s 10-Year Challenge here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BstfyWjHlme/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Currently, Rusev is slated to defend his championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. The match will happen at the Royal Rumble from the Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on January 27, 2019. Check out the current card for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) here below:

    • WWE Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
    • WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
    • 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, John Cena, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Apollo Crews, Elias, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Kalisto, TBA
    • 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match: Carmella, Naomi, Zelina Vega, Natalya, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, TBA
    • WWE RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
    • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: (C) Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
    • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
    • Fatal Four-Way Match For The WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami
    • WWE United States Championship: (C) Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

    What do you think of Rusev’s transformation over the years?

  • Kevin Owens Not Expected To Return Until After WrestleMania

    Kevin Owens Not Expected To Return Until After WrestleMania

    Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has been sidelined with an injury for several months now. “KO” underwent knee surgery in October. Initially, it was believed that he would be out-of-action for eight months. If that remains the case, this would put Owens’ return sometime around February. But WWE began promoting Owens’ return last month during an episode of Monday Night RAW.

    However, not much has been mentioned about him since. His last appearance on TV came on the RAW after WWE’s Super Show-Down in Australia. Bobby Lashley attacked Owens as a way to write him off television before his surgery. Many speculated that Owens would make his return at the Royal Rumble. However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter points out that’s unlikely.

    The report suggests that WWE isn’t anticipating bringing Owens back until after WrestleMania. It was also noted that Owens is expected to be cleared “fairly soon.” It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for the former NXT Champion upon his return. Especially with his good friend Sami Zayn getting ready to get back into the ring as well.

    What do you think about WWE holding off on bringing Owens back until after WrestleMania?

  • Kenny Omega Says He’ll Be Wrestling On A ‘Large International Platform’ In 2019

    Kenny Omega Says He’ll Be Wrestling On A ‘Large International Platform’ In 2019

    Kenny Omega’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is coming to an end. “The Cleaner” has said he won’t be returning to NJPW once his deal is up. Now the question remains – where will Omega land? Of course, the option of WWE is always there. However, Omega recently turned down an offer from the professional wrestling powerhouse. Now, it’s expected that Omega will be joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

    While that’s the expectation, nothing has been made official as of this writing. Earlier this month, Omega dropped the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Japan. He made his first public appearance this week since his title loss. Omega, alongside Kazuchika Okada, appeared at the Tokyo Sports Awards to accept the award for Best Bout of 2018.

    In his acceptance speech, Omega (via a translation from Chris Charlton) noted that he “wouldn’t stand on the Tokyo Sports stage next year, that he would still be putting on moty (Match Of The Year) performances on a large international platform.”

    AEW is not an international platform this early into its start, but certainly has the potential to be. As for WWE, they’re a well-established international platform with a good shot at signing Omega to a deal. Perhaps WWE isn’t completely out of the Omega sweepstakes after all.

    Where do you think Omega will end up wrestling in 2019?

  • Tommy Dreamer On Possibly Working For AEW

    Tommy Dreamer On Possibly Working For AEW

    All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has the interest of everyone in the professional wrestling business at the moment. The new promotion is being funded by Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan. Khan will serve as the President of AEW. Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are the Executive Vice Presidents of the company. Big names such as Chris Jericho, PAC, Adam “Hangman” Page, and more have already joined the roster.

    Several notable names have already expressed interest in becoming involved with AEW. It looks like ECW original and former WWE star Tommy Dreamer is one of them. Dreamer has ties with Cody, as he was part of his NWA World Title match at “All In” last year. In a recent interview on “Busted Open Radio,” Dreamer admits he has already spoken to Cody and The Young Bucks about doing work in AEW:

    “I have spoken with Matt and Cody about doing stuff there. I said whenever you guys need me I’m happy to help,” Dreamer said. “Nick and Matt helped House of Hardcore in the early stages, I always saw them as main eventers. If there are any two individuals that, If I had sons, I’d want them to be like them.

    “They are two great human beings. Cody, I’ve known him since he’s a little kid, his father was my hero, my friend. I will do anything for those guys because I love them. They want me there, I’m there, if there’s not a spot for me, I get it.”

    Perhaps Dreamer will be a part of AEW’s first event later this year. “Double Or Nothing” will go down from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25th. No matches have been announced for the card, as AEW is still just getting off the ground after officially announcing itself at a rally last week.

    What do you think about Dreamer possibly working with AEW?

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Bludgeon Brothers Cleared For In-Ring Return

    Bludgeon Brothers Cleared For In-Ring Return

    SmackDown Live’s Tag Team division will be getting back a big piece to the puzzle. PWInsider reports that The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) have been cleared to make their in-ring returns. The former SDL Tag Team Champions will be back on the road with WWE as early as next week’s episode for the blue brand in Wichita, Kansas. Earlier this week, Rowan was spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

    He suffered a bicep tear back in August that forced him to be shelved. As for Harper, he was seen wearing a cast on his left hand for the past several months. However, he’s now ready to get back to work inside the ring as well. The Bludgeon Brothers were forced to drop their SDL Tag Team Titles the Tuesday after SummerSlam last year. Due to Rowan’s injury, he and Harper were defeated by The New Day to drop the titles before going on hiatus.

    With The Bludgeon Brothers now back in the fold, they’ll re-join SDL’s Tag Team division, which is currently championed by The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro). It remains to be seen how long it’ll take before they get back into the title mix.

    What do you think about The Bludgeon Brothers returning to the SDL Tag Team division?

  • Video: AJ Styles Impersonates Steve Austin After Smackdown

    Video: AJ Styles Impersonates Steve Austin After Smackdown

    Following Tuesday’s SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings, WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defended his title against AJ Styles in a dark match. Bryan wound up retaining his title over “The Phenomenal One” via disqualification. However, after the match, Bryan cut a heel promo on the Alabama crowd.

    Bryan poked fun at their college football team for losing the National Championship game to Clemson in a blowout. Styles then came back and attacked Bryan before celebrating with a young fan. He then did an impersonation of WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin.

    Styles asked the crowd if they want to see him hit Bryan with a Phenomenal Forearm, then give him a “Hell Yeah.”

    After the crowd chanted “Hell Yeah” Styles hit Bryan with the elbow. He then mimicked Austin’s beer drinking celebration with water bottles.

    Check out the video of AJ Styles paying homage to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin:

    https://twitter.com/R_Discussion/status/1085543320045191169

  • Roman Reigns Spotted With Fan In Hawaii Hotel Gym (Photo)

    Roman Reigns Spotted With Fan In Hawaii Hotel Gym (Photo)

    This past October, former WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns made a heartbreaking announcement. “The Big Dog” revealed that he has been diagnosed with leukemia, a disease he has dealt with before. As a result, he was forced to relinquish his Universal Championship. Reigns then announced he’d be taking some time off from his WWE duties to focus on his health and spend time with his family.

    However, he did promise to beat the disease and return home to the squared circle. Reigns has been spotted in public a few times by fans since the announcement, who have snapped photos with the former Shield member. Yesterday, Arkansas TV anchor Susanne Brunner Tweeted a photo of “The Big Dog” from a hotel in Kauai, Hawaii. Reigns was spotted at a hotel gym and took a photo with a fan. Brunner said the former WWE champ was a “nice guy”:

    Jericho Provides Reigns Update

    In a recent interview with WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet, Chris Jericho provided an update on Reigns’ health:

    “He’s doing his treatment, and I think things are going really well. I don’t really know much about leukemia. I don’t know what the endgame is as far as when you’re ‘cured’ — when it goes into remission, when you can do physical matches or travel or whatever it is. But we talk to him quite a bit.

    “I’ve got a group text with him in it, and I text him on the side quite a bit. He always seems to be doing pretty well and in good spirits. We love him, and I think it’s just a matter of time before he comes back. But more importantly that he stays healthy for his family, for sure.”

  • Jim Ross Believes AEW TV Deal Is ‘More Set Than People Probably Know’

    Jim Ross Believes AEW TV Deal Is ‘More Set Than People Probably Know’

    There has been a lot of talk regarding All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and what’s next for the startup promotion. AEW held a big rally last week to announce several signings and answer various questions from media outlets. The promotion is being funded by the Khan family. Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan will serve as the President of AEW. Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Chris Jericho, Adam Page, PAC, and more are part of the promotion’s roster.

    One of the big bits of news that has yet to become clear is what network AEW will sign a broadcast deal with. It’s likely that AEW already has a deal in place with a major network. Someone like Chris Jericho wouldn’t have signed with the company without knowing such an announcement is on the horizon. WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross offered his thoughts on the matter on his podcast, “The Ross Report.”

    “JR” said he doesn’t think the AEW rally would’ve happened if a television deal wasn’t already in place:

    “I don’t think you go on and do a big presentation like those folks, the Khans, AEW, did on Tuesday if you’re not pretty damn set on your television outlet. So I think the television outlet is more set than people probably know and maybe they’re not ready to know or need to know right now.” Ross said.

    “Maybe there’s an I not dotted, or T crossed or whatever, but getting on a basic cable channel to me is imperative.”

    Do you think AEW already has a TV deal in place?

  • Cameron Wishes Feud With Naomi Lasted Longer

    Cameron Wishes Feud With Naomi Lasted Longer

    Former WWE star Cameron was recently interviewed on “Ring The Belle.” Cameron was part of the revival of “Tough Enough” back in 2011. She was the first person eliminated from the show. However, Cameron was then signed to a WWE deal after the show and was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In 2012 she made her main roster debut as one-half of The Funkadactyls (along with Naomi), accompanying Brodus Clay.

    In 2014 Cameron turned heel on Naomi, attacking her after a loss to AJ Lee and Paige on RAW. Her singles career didn’t ever really take off, leading to her release from the company in 2016. As for Naomi, she has gone on to have a very successful career in WWE. She is a two-time SmackDown Live Women’s Champion and won the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal in 2018.

    Cameron discussed her feud with Naomi after their split as the Funkadactyls. She admitted that she wishes the feud could’ve lasted longer, but is happy they got their big “blowout”:

    “It was difficult. I actually wish that this feud would have gone a lot longer. It was cut very short, but when we had like our big blowout, I had like the blond hair. It wasn’t even a match, we just ended up getting to like a huge brawl.

    “I just wish it would have continued, but this was awesome because it’s like I was able to get the ‘W,’ which we all known back when I was wrestling I was always jobbing out to everyone, but that’s okay. I’m saying as long as I looked good getting my butt kicked.

    “She’s my boo, I have so much love for her and I’m so happy where she’s at right now in her career.”

    Would you have liked to see Cameron and Naomi’s feud last longer?

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Rhea Ripley Opens Up On ‘Heartbreaking’ Tegan Nox Injury

    Rhea Ripley Opens Up On ‘Heartbreaking’ Tegan Nox Injury

    During the 2018 Mae Young Classic, Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox’s match was a hot topic of discussion. In the midst of the bout, Nox suffered a dislocated knee cap, torn MCL, LCL, and a complete tear of her ACL and both meniscus after a dive. Of course, Nox could not continue the match, and Ripley won via forfeit.

    Although she didn’t win the tournament, Ripley went on to do rather well for herself. She won a tournament to become WWE’s first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. However, she dropped the title to Toni Storm over the weekend. Storm actually won the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament last year. With that being said, Ripley, still the NXT UK Women’s Champion at the time, was in attendance for WWE’s launch of their UK Performance Center in London.

    She spoke to “Inside The Ropes” at the event and discussed her match with Nox in the MYC. In regards to Nox’s unfortunate injury, Ripley said the moment was “heartbreaking.” Ripley also said it was distressing to see her opponent in so much pain:

    “That was a very heartbreaking moment for me and for everyone that was involved, everyone that was there,” Ripley said. “It was just distressing seeing her in so much pain, but at the same time, the show must go on, so, gotta put the mean face on and keep going.”

    What do you think about Ripley’s comments on Nox’s injury?