SEScoops

Author: Jon Fuentes

  • Title Matches Confirmed For NWA Pop-Up Event

    Title Matches Confirmed For NWA Pop-Up Event

    NWA President Billy Corgan has implemented an interesting idea into his promotion. Corgan announced NWA will be holding their first-ever Pop-Up Event, similar to the way bands in the music industry hold spontaneous concerts for their fans in random locations. The show will go down from Clarksville, Tennessee on January 5th.

    The show will feature three NWA Title bouts; the World Heavyweight Championship, National Championship, and Women’s Championship, will all be on the line. The first match that was announced for the card was Nick Aldis’ World Title defense. He’ll be facing former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm. Storm had this to say about his match-up with Aldis:

    “You know I was asked to wear this [NWA] shirt right here,” Storm said. “It’s a nice shirt, but there’s something I much rather be wearing and that is the ten pounds of gold, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on January 5th, Clarksville, Tennessee.

    “The NWA has a long history in Tennessee and I was a big fan of it growing up. That’s all I ever watched was Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and the list goes on and on.

    “Nick Aldis, we have a long history, and Billy Corgan, we have a long history, January 5th just got a lot more interesting.”

    Recently, NWA’s official Twitter account made the other two title bouts official.

    Jazz will defend her Women’s Title against Allie. And Mack will be defending his National Championship against Matt Cross. The show will also feature the first Crocket Cup qualifying contest. Here’s the NWA’s official announcement:

    “ UPDATE! Challengers for  and  revealed for January 5, 2019  New Years Clash. National Title –  Women’s Title –  Tix and VIP experiences now on sale. ”

    What do you think about the three title bouts confirmed for NWA’s Pop-Up Event?

  • WWE Interested In Two ROH Stars

    WWE Interested In Two ROH Stars

    Next month will likely be a huge month for professional wrestling news. Several top stars from both Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) are set to become free agents in January 2019. The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, and Kenny Omega amongst others will be hitting the open market and are looking for a new home. All four men have been linked to Jacksonville Jaguars owner Tony Khan’s new startup promotion, All Elite Wrestling.

    In fact, Cody Rhodes recently said he turned down a WWE offer. So with that being said, WWE will have to shift their focus to other free agents to bring in for 2019. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that one star WWE has their eye on is former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle. Meltzer also said Karen Q is on WWE’s radar. One reason for the interest in Karen Q is because WWE is planning to open a Performance Center in China.

    Q happens to be a Chinese-American, and WWE would like to sign more Chinese stars. Karen Q recently participated in WWE’s second Mae Young Classic tournament. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

    How do you feel about Castle and Karen Q possibly coming to WWE?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toP23En-iAs

  • The Reason Alexa Bliss Didn’t Speak On RAW

    The Reason Alexa Bliss Didn’t Speak On RAW

    On this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, Alexa Bliss did not speak during her “press conference” segment between Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey. The segment was to hype this weekend’s RAW Women’s Title bout between Rousey and Jax at the Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV). Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bliss is dealing with an illness, which is the reason she didn’t speak Monday.

    The original plan was for Bliss to cut a lengthy promo, however, the decision was made for her not to speak. Instead, Nia Jax carried the segment until Rousey came to the ring. Bliss then left the ring as soon as Rousey entered.

    The report noted that several WWE stars have been dealing with illnesses, so something seems to be spreading throughout the locker room. Mandy Rose also noted on social media that she has been dealing with an illness. This would explain why her match with Naomi didn’t go down on SmackDown Live on Tuesday. Also, earlier this week a report emerged revealing Finn Balor had been sent home from WWE’s Latin American tour.

    Initial speculation suggested Balor was dealing with an injury, but it turns out Balor was also dealing with an illness.

  • Darren Young Hopes To Work For ROH In 2019

    Darren Young Hopes To Work For ROH In 2019

    Former WWE star Fred Rosser (better known a Darren Young) has been keeping busy since his WWE release in 2017. Young has been doing a lot of speaking engagements this year, which has cut into his professional wrestling career a bit. However, he’s hoping to turn all that around with 2019 right around the corner.

    Young was recently interviewed by “The Roman Show” to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During their conversation, Young expressed interest in working for various promotions in 2019. He named Ring Of Honor (ROH) specifically, as well as expressing interest in working around Japan too:

    “2019 for me is going to be a big year. 2018, I spent a lot of time doing speaking engagements, very little wrestling, but 2019 is going to be a big year for me. Hopefully [I will wrestle in] Japan, and hopefully [Ring of Honor].”

    Back in 2005 Young signed a developmental deal with WWE and competed in their Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) territory, before it became known as NXT. In 2010 he made his main roster debut as a member of the Nexus. He’d briefly return to NXT in 2011 and eventually formed the “Prime Time Players” alongside Titus O’Neil.

    In 2014 Young began a singles career, which included a run with WWE Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund as his manager for a brief period of time. Young was released from his WWE deal in October of 2017. It will be interesting to see how his career progresses working the indy scene, and potentially getting booked for promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) or ROH.

    Check out Young’s interview on “The Roman Show” below:

    What do you think about Young wanting to work for ROH in 2019?

  • Tommaso Ciampa Upset By Recent WWE Social Media Post

    Tommaso Ciampa Upset By Recent WWE Social Media Post

    Current NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa continues to make a case for being the best heel in wrestling. Ciampa’s social media is one of the most entertaining to follow on WWE’s roster. He continuously stirs up controversy by engaging with fans, fellow Superstars, and even blocking company Twitter pages.

    Recently, NXT’s Twitter account issued out a post asking fans who poses a bigger threat to Aleister Black – Johnny Gargano or Ciampa. Ciampa took issue with how the question was presented and voiced his frustration on Twitter:

    “Umm…I’m The Champ…what the hell does Aleister Black have that I want? Fairly certain the question should be rephrased: Who poses a bigger threat to The Champ? Answer: Neither. The Champ already beat both.”

    https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1072637414856892416

    Ciampa is currently scheduled to defend his NXT Title against Black at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. The show goes down on Saturday, January 26, 2019, from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It will stream live on the WWE Network and more matches for the card are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

    Next week on NXT, Black is actually set to face Gargano in a Steel Cage match. Black hopes to settle his issues with Gargano once and for all before focusing his full attention to Ciampa and reclaiming the NXT Title.

    What do you think about Ciampa’s response to WWE’s post?

  • What Happened After SDL & MMC (Video)

    What Happened After SDL & MMC (Video)

    Last night’s episode of SmackDown Live went down from Las Vegas, Nevada, and was the go-home show before this weekend’s Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV). In the main event of the night, Charlotte Flair and Asuka went one-on-one in a preview of what’s to come this weekend. They’ll be involved in the first-ever female TLC match. Asuka, Flair, and Becky Lynch will compete in a Triple Threat TLC bout for the SDL Women’s Title.

    After SDL, WWE held its tapings of the second season of its Mixed Match Challenge tournament. This saw the teams of Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox, and R-Truth and Carmella punch their tickets to the tournament finals. The finals will also take place at this weekend’s TLC PPV in San Jose, California. The winners will earn the 30th entry spots in the men and women’s Royal Rumble matches this year.

    Finally, after the conclusion of the SDL and MMC tapings, WWE held a dark match to send fans home happy. Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton after hitting a 619 and splash off the top rope. Mysterio and Orton will face off in a Chairs match at TLC this weekend as well. Check out a video from their dark match here below:

    https://twitter.com/WWEguyfromvegas/status/1072698123363901441

    What do you think about Mysterio facing Orton in a Chairs match this weekend at TLC?

  • Daniel Bryan’s Match For SDL Tonight Confirmed

    Daniel Bryan’s Match For SDL Tonight Confirmed

    Tonight, WWE Champion Daniel Bryan will be competing inside the ring on SmackDown Live. This will be Bryan’s final match before he defends his title against AJ Styles at the Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV). The show goes down this weekend form the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

    Before Bryan has to worry about “The Phenomenal One,” however, he’ll step into the ring against Mustafa Ali. WWE made the match-up official on their Twitter account earlier today. It was noted that it’s the first-ever time Bryan and Ali will be squaring off inside the squared circle:

    “For the first-time-ever, will go one-on-one with the TONIGHT on !”

    Check out the full card for TLC as it stands below:

    • WWE Championship Match: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
    • WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: (C) Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
    • TLC Triple Threat Match for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship: (C) Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
    • Raw Women’s Championship Match: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
    • Triple Threat SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship Match: (C) The Bar vs. The New Day vs. The Usos
    • TLC Match: Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
    • Cruiserweight Championship Match: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander
    • Tables Match: Natalya vs. Ruby Riott
    • Ladder Match: Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
    • Mixed Match Challenge Finale: TBD vs. TBD
    • Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre
    • Elias vs. Bobby Lashley

    What do you think about Bryan being matched up with Ali tonight for SDL?

  • UFC Releases Statement On “Glitch” In Brock Lesnar’s Drug Test Results

    UFC Releases Statement On “Glitch” In Brock Lesnar’s Drug Test Results

    A lot of eyebrows were raised when Brock Lesnar’s UFC drug testing numbers were tampered with recently. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) website updated their testing numbers in mid-October, showing Lesnar had now been tested six times. However, recently, that number was dropped back down to five. Many fans immediately raised red flags and begun throwing out conspiracy theories.

    Now, USADA has issued an official statement on the matter. It turns out, a “technical glitch” was to blame for the confusion. The number currently reflected on the site (five) is deemed to be accurate (via ESPN):

    “USADA updates the Athlete Test History page of the UFC/USADA website on a weekly basis. During an update on the week of October 15th, we experienced a technical issue that resulted in the information on the page being displayed incorrectly.

    “The correct test history for the athlete is one test [that week], not two. The issue has been fixed and the testing numbers on the website are all accurate. We are still investigating the specific technical issue that led to the error.”

    In response, UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky, also issued a statement on behalf of the promotion. Novitzky noted that he and the promotion don’t seem to be overly concerned with the issue:

    “I have access to a more specific database than the public, which displays the date a sample is collected, what type of sample it is and what the results are as soon as they are available,” Novitzky said.

    “The public website, as I understand it, indicated there had been two tests during this last quarter, and it recently dropped to one. I have always seen one test in this quarter for Lesnar. It was a urine test and it came back negative.”

    One reason fans have taken issue with the recent “glitch” is because Lesnar has a history of failed drug tests. Back in 2016 after his fight with Mark Hunt at UFC 200, Lesnar delivered a failed drug test. The 41-year-old returned to the MMA scene over the summer when he confronted Daniel Cormier after his heavyweight title win. UFC President Dana White has said he plans to book Cormier vs. Lesnar for the heavyweight title in the first quarter of 2019.

    Before that can happen, Lesnar must fulfill his suspension stemming from his 2016 failed test. He will be eligible to return on or after the Jan. 8, 2019 date.

    For more MMA news please visit our sister site over at MMANews.com

    What do you think of the “technical glitch” behind Lesnar’s latest drug test results?

  • Four Confirmed Names For WWE’s Upcoming Tryouts

    Four Confirmed Names For WWE’s Upcoming Tryouts

    This week, WWE will be holding tryouts at their WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Thanks to a report from PWInsider, we now know four names that have been confirmed for the upcoming tryouts. The first is yet another former mixed martial artist. WWE has been very interested in signing former MMA competitors as of late. Stars like Shayna Baszler, Ronda Rousey, Matt Riddle, and Sonya Deville all have a history in MMA competition.

    Now, WWE is bringing in recently released UFC fighter Eric Spicely. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 (TUF 23). Spicely was a semi-finalist in the tournament but had three-straight losses in the Octagon. He was released from the promotion in August as a result. Spicely has worked for the Beyond Wrestling promotion in New England in the past.

    Also, Penelope Ford will be coming in for a tryout as well. Ford is best known on the independent circuit for her time spent alongside Joey Janela. They appeared together on the “All In” pay-per-view (PPV) in Chicago earlier this year. Former High School volleyball player, NPCC bodybuilding competitor, actor, and model Courtney Lemmings will also be trying out this week.

    And finally, former University of Maryland Football player Tehuti Miles will also be a part of the tryout. Football players are also athletes that WWE likes to target, such as Baron Corbin, Roman Reigns, Mojo Rawley, and more.

    What do you think about the names confirmed for WWE’s upcoming tryouts?

  • Jim Ross On If He’ll Call XFL Games In 2020

    Jim Ross On If He’ll Call XFL Games In 2020

    The XFL is set to relaunch in February of 2020 just after the conclusion of that year’s NFL season. Vince McMahon is relaunching the league that failed to see a second season back in 2001. This time, however, McMahon is doing things very differently. He has hired former NFL quarterback Oliver Luck to serve as the league’s commissioner.

    McMahon wants to “reimagine” football and provide fans with a game that’s shorter, and a lot more hard-hitting. Recently, the eight teams to receive an XFL team in the inaugural 2020 season were announced. Those eight being Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Washington D.C., New York, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, and St. Louis.

    Broadcast deals and information on how fans can view the XFL should be announced sometime in 2019 as kickoff approaches. In that regard, the XFL will also have to hire broadcasters to do play-by-play for their games. It was noted early on in the relaunch process by Vince McMahon that there would be no WWE and XFL crossovers.

    With that being said, one fan took to Twitter to ask WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross if he’d be calling any XFL games. Ross called a few XFL games back in 2001 for the initial launch. However, based on his answer, it doesn’t seem like “Good Ole’ JR” plans on calling any games for the inaugural 2020 season:

    “ will you be doing the commentary for the xfl ?”

    “Highly Unlikely.”

    What do you think about Ross saying it’s “highly unlikely” he calls XFL games in 2020?

  • Baron Corbin On Negative RAW Reviews

    Baron Corbin On Negative RAW Reviews

    In recent weeks, WWE Monday Night RAW has been receiving some very negative reviews. Its been reported that Vince McMahon rewrote RAW himself the past two weeks. The latter in Houston, Texas was due to the somber mood of the city after the passing of local former President Of The United States, George H. W. Bush. McMahon wanted to write a show that would send the crowd home happy, so he made a lot of changes to the original script.

    Despite this, the past few weeks have been considered to be some of the worst episodes of RAW in recent memory. Recently, acting RAW General Manager Baron Corbin was a guest on Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, “Heated Conversations.” He was asked about the negative reactions RAW has been getting as of late.

    Corbin seemed to brush off the criticism of those who take to social media to voice their opinions:

    “Just because [Twitter fans] are the loudest, it doesn’t mean they’re the majority,” Corbin said. “It’s good that people speak their minds about these kinds of things, but it’s my show and if you want to change it, try. That’s what I say.

    “Come get it, if you want it. I’m in charge, but tonight we’re going to step it up and put something fresh out there. We’re always out there like [Booker T] said to put on the best show possible. I want tonight to be better than last week.

    “I want last week to be better than the week before. I want next week to be better than this week. Like, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.”

    What do you think about Corbin’s reaction to the negative RAW reviews?

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Finn Balor Sent Home From WWE’s Latin American Tour

    Finn Balor Sent Home From WWE’s Latin American Tour

    It looks like Finn Balor is dealing with something that forced him to miss the rest of WWE’s Latin American tour. Balor only worked one night of the tour before being sent back home. That one show was in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday. There are no credible reports suggesting Balor is injured and no further information has been given on the issue.

    Fans can only hope the reason Balor was sent home early was not injury-related. Balor missed six months from 2016 to 2017 when he tore his shoulder labrum after winning the Universal Championship. He was forced to vacate the title and hasn’t won a championship on the main roster since.

    Currently, Balor is scheduled to face Drew McIntyre at the Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend (Sun. December 16, 2018). He defeated Jinder Mahal on last week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. Check out the current TLC PPV card below:

    • WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
    • WWE Intercontinental Championship: (C) Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
    • TLC Triple Threat match for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship: (C) Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
    • Raw Women’s Title match: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
    • Triple Threat SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship match:(C) The Bar vs. The New Day vs. The Usos
    • TLC Match: Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
    • Tables Match: Natalya vs. Ruby Riott
    • Mixed Match Challenge Finale: TBD vs. TBD
    • Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre
    • Elias vs. Bobby Lashley

    What do you think about Balor being sent home from the Latin American tour?

  • Final Card For Last New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League Show

    Final Card For Last New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League Show

    New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has announced the match card for their final World Tag League 2018 event. The show goes down on December 9th, and the Tag League finals will be contested between IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny and the team of EVIL and SANADA.

    Also on the card, Will Ospreay will take on Taichi for the Numer One Contenderhsip for the NEVER Openweight Championship. The NEVER Openweight Championship will also be defended, as champion Hirooki Goto defends against Kota Ibushi. Check out the full card below:

    • Togi Makabe, Toa Henare, Ayato Yoshida, and Shota Umino vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yuji Nagata
    • Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, Beretta, and Chuckie T vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, Takashi Iizuka, and Minoru Suzuki
    • Tomohiro Ishii, SHO, and YOH vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and El Desperado
    • Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Hangman Page vs. Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, and Shingo Takagi
    • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, and KUSHIDA vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, and Taiji Ishimori
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Marty Scurll
    • NEVER Openweight Championship Number One Contender match: Will Ospreay vs. Taichi
    • NEVER Openweight Championship match: (C) Hirooki Goto vs. Kota Ibushi
    • World Tag League Finals: Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa vs. EVIL and SANADA

    What do you think of the final NJPW 2018 World Tag League show card?

  • Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Hangman Page Pay Tribute To Dynamite Kid (Video)

    Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Hangman Page Pay Tribute To Dynamite Kid (Video)

    Earlier this week the professional wrestling community lost an absolute legend. United Kingdom professional wrestling trainer Marty Jones took to Twitter and revealed that Dynamite Kid passed away on his 60th birthday. Kid is a former WWE Junior Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion. He inspired an entire generation of talent and has often been referred to as the hero to several of today’s top stars.

    At a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) World Tag League 2018 event, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Hangman Page paid tribute to Kid. Smith, who is the son of Kid’s former tag team partner, and Page recreated a spot from one of Kid’s most memorable matches. That match was Kid’s bout against Tiger Mask. A fan posted the following clip from Hangman’s Instagram story, showing the recreated spot. It also featured clips from the original bout as well.

    Check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/HangmanPageFans/status/1070723007767822337

    Earlier this week, Davey Boy Smith Jr. had this to say about Dynamite Kid’s passing on Twitter:

    “It deeply saddens me to announce the passing of Tom Billington the “Dynamite Kid. I was really happy and glad I got to see Dynamite one last time last June in the UK. Dynamite was certainly an inspiration to myself and many others and really revolutionized”

    What did you think about Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Page’s tribute to Dynamite Kid?

  • James Storm Challenging For NWA World Title

    James Storm Challenging For NWA World Title

    The NWA will be holding their first-ever “Pop-Up Event” on January 5th in Clarksville, Tennessee. NWA President Billy Corgan picked up the idea from the music industry. Some bands like to hold impromptu concerts for their fans in random locations. Corgan thought this would be an interesting idea to implement in professional wrestling.

    All three of NWA’s champions, Jazz, Willie Mack, and Nick Aldis, will be defending their titles. The show will also feature the first Crocket Cup qualifying contest. NWA’s official Twitter account made the first match for the Pop-Up Event official. It was announced that former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm will be challenging Aldis for the NWA World Title.

    Storm had some brief comments on the match-up in NWA’s Twitter video. Check it out below:

    “You know I was asked to wear this [NWA] shirt right here,” Storm said. “It’s a nice shirt, but there’s something I much rather be wearing and that is the ten pounds of gold, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on January 5th, Clarksville, Tennessee.

    “The NWA has a long history in Tennessee and I was a big fan of it growing up. That’s all I ever watched was Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and the list goes on and on.

    “Nick Aldis, we have a long history, and Billy Corgan, we have a long history, January 5th just got a lot more interesting.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • NXT Star Possibly Suffers Injury (Photos)

    NXT Star Possibly Suffers Injury (Photos)

    NXT recently held a live event in Green Bay, Wisconsin. During the event, it looks like one of the show’s stars suffered an injury. A few fans on Twitter posted photos of Dakota Kai dealing with an injury during her match. Kai was part of a Six-Woman Tag Team match. She teamed up with Kairi Sane and Candice LeRae against the trio of NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir.

    During the contest, the referee threw up the “X” symbol and trainers came out from backstage to help Kai to the back. Kai was reportedly limping on her way out and needed the help of trainers to move. After Kai departed, the match continued on as a standard Tag Team match.

    No official details on the severity of Kai’s injury have been made available as of this writing. But we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Check out some photos from Kai’s incident in Green Bay below:

    https://twitter.com/Big_Head_Mikey/status/1071237928028987392

  • Becky Lynch Discusses Being Trained By Finn Balor

    Becky Lynch Discusses Being Trained By Finn Balor

    Becky Lynch is arguably WWE’s hottest star at the moment. Her rise began back at SummerSlam when she turned heel on Charlotte Flair following their SmackDown Live Women’s Title match. Despite attempting to turn heel, the WWE Universe has thrown a tremendous amount of support behind “The Irish Lass Kicker.”

    Lynch won the SDL Women’s Title from “The Queen” at Hell In A Cell (HIAC), and has reigned ever since. Now, she’s preparing for yet another historic title defense. After successfully defending her title in the first-ever Last Woman Standing match at Evolution, she’ll attempt another historic defense. Lynch will defend her title against Flair and Asuka in the first-ever Women’s Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match.

    The bout goes down at the TLC PPV on December 16th from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Recently, Lynch did a Q&A with the Asbury Park Press to promote the match. One of the questions she was asked was about being trained by fellow WWE star Finn Balor early on in her career.

    Here’s what Lynch had to say about being trained by her fellow countryman:

    “You know what he taught me a long time ago? He said, “If anybody tells you it’s raining, go out and check.” And I always think that’s perfect. It’s a little bit like the whole (idea that) you can’t trust anybody, right? And not everybody’s got your back, right?

    “And so I think I’ve learned that, and you’ve seen that in me coming out on TV recently, that I don’t trust anybody, that I’m going to go out and check for myself and take things for myself. I think that’s what he meant by that. Also, what was so great about Finn is that he was so passionate, right?

    “I think that extended down to everybody he taught because we all absorbed that passion and we wanted to be the best. And he just has such a great work ethic and such a discipline and such a drive and such a belief in himself.

    “So I think that extended to me and that was something that I looked at and idolized and hoped that one day I could bring out in myself. And look, here we are.”

    What do you think about Lynch’s comments regarding being trained by Balor?

  • Joey Ryan Cancels Upcoming Tour Dates

    Joey Ryan Cancels Upcoming Tour Dates

    Joey Ryan is expected to miss quite a bit of time from the ring. Ryan suffered a torn pectoral muscle recently which will require surgery to repair. He hasn’t competed since the MLW taping in November, where he wrestled with a sling on his arm. With the significance of the injury, Ryan will likely spend a significant time on the shelf.

    A few days ago, Ryan took to Twitter and provided fans with an update on his status. Ryan confirmed doctors are recommending surgery and he will have to call to make the appointment soon:

    “The MRI revealed that I have an acute tear of the left pectoral muscle including a high-grade tear of the clavicular head at the myotendinous junction and a high-grade intratendinous tear of the sternal head with retraction and hemorrhage into the muscle belly. Disorganized fibers of the muscle tendon tear identified within the deltopectorial groove.

    “The Doctor is recommending surgery and I’m to call the surgeon on Monday or Tuesday to set up an appointment to see them. A timetable on recovery will be determined by the surgeon.”

    He again took to Twitter last night to provide fans with another update. Ryan revealed a list of appearances on his tour that he was forced to call off due to the injury. You can see the dates below:

    • 12/8: House Of Hardcore
    • 12/9: FEST Wrestling
    • 12/13-4: MLW
    • 12/22: HurricanePro
    • 12/27: NOVA Pro Wrestling

    https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/1070165166883397632

  • Kenny Omega Allegedly Getting HBO Documentary

    Kenny Omega Allegedly Getting HBO Documentary

    IWGP heavyweight champion Kenny Omega could possibly get an HBO documentary. Joseph Shabson, a Toronto musician, did an interview on the “Kreative Kontrol” podcast. He noted that he recently scored music for a documentary about a professional wrestler named Kenny Omega.

    Here’s what Shabson had to say about the project:

    “I just finished a documentary about a wrestler. That’s going to be coming out on HBO in the New Year, which is going to be really exciting.

    “It’s a wrestler named Kenny Omega. He’s a wrestler from Winnipeg, but went to Japan and formed this tag team called the Golden Lovers, which was sort of like the first ever queer storyline in wrestling. He’s a pretty incredible dude; I was really happy with scoring that.”

    HBO is no stranger to professional wrestling documentaries. They recently co-produced a very successful one about WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant. WWE, JMH Films, and Ringer Films also produced the documentary. A potential documentary about Omega would certainly be an interesting one.

    To listen to Joseph Shabson’s comments about the potential Kenny Omega documentary on HBO, click this link here.

    Would you be interested in seeing an Omega HBO documentary?

    H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

  • NFL Star Celebrates Touchdown With Stone Cold Stunner (Video)

    NFL Star Celebrates Touchdown With Stone Cold Stunner (Video)

    In the late 90s and early 2000s, there wasn’t a hotter star in professional wrestling than Stone Cold Steve Austin. “The Texas Rattlesnake” has produced some of the biggest pops of all time, is one of the greatest characters WWE TV has ever seen, and was the face of the Attitude Era. Austin inspired an entire generation of youngsters that would eventually go on to be today’s sports mega-stars.

    Just a few weeks ago, Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard arrived to one of his games in a Steve Austin mask. He also carried the Smoking Skull WWE belt around the arena. The scene made quite the buzz on social media, and even got a response from Austin on Twitter.

    Over the weekend, another sports star paid homage to Austin during his game. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hit one of his teammates with a celebratory Stone Cold Stunner. Kelce hauled in the opening touchdown of the Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders game on Sunday. Check out Kelce’s Stone Cold Stunner here:

    The Chiefs went on to defeat Oakland 40-33, and remain a top favorite to potentially win this year’s Super Bowl.

    What do you think of Kelce’s touchdown celebration?

  • Ric Flair Still Drinks Despite Health Scare

    Ric Flair Still Drinks Despite Health Scare

    Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair had quite the health scare in August of 2017. “The Nature Boy” was hospitalized and underwent an emergency surgery to remove an obstructive piece of his bowel. Flair suffered from complications from the surgery, including kidney failure which required dialysis treatment. He remained hospitalized for over a month before being released.

    There was a point in his hospitalization where Flair was fighting for his life. However, “The Nature Boy” emerged from his hospitalization in good health and is still “stylin’ and profilin’” all over the world. A lot of Flair’s health issues were due to his excessive drinking throughout his life. After his hospitalization, Flair was advised to no longer drink alcohol. According to Flair, this was because doctors feared once he had another drink, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

    Controlling Alcohol Consumption

    Flair spoke to fellow Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin on an episode of his podcast, “The Steve Austin Show.” He revealed that he does still drink from time to time since his hospitalization, but seems to have it under control:

    “I’m gonna be completely honest with you. I’ve asked the doctor ten different times and of course I’ll ask other doctors because I refuse to believe – at my wedding I had three glasses of champagne.

    “At my daughter’s wedding I had the same or maybe one glass of wine with the champagne and while I was in Florida with Wendy, this past week, we were there for Thanksgiving, I drank about four beers, so it’s not the alcohol that’s gonna hurt me.

    “It’s that the doctors are afraid that if I have one, that will lead to another, but I have had a drink, so alcohol is not gonna kill me. I’ve never had any hard liquor and that won’t happen, but I have had probably ten or twelve beverages with alcohol in them; beer, wine, or champagne.”

    What do you think about Flair still drinking despite his health scare last year?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrssIG3FI0

    H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

  • PAC (Neville) Will Face Will Ospreay For RevPro (2/15)

    PAC (Neville) Will Face Will Ospreay For RevPro (2/15)

    Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion PAC (better known as Neville) has been booked in another high-profile match-up. He will now face Will Ospreay at the Revolution Pro Wrestling “High Stakes” event in London, England from the York Hall on February 15, 2019.

    This comes shortly after it was announced PAC will also be facing Zack Sabre Jr. in 2019. RevPro made the announcement official on their Twitter page over the weekend.

    We noted last week that PAC would be appearing on the show, however, now his opponent has been finalized. He recently appeared at RevPro’s Portsmouth show, where he faced Mike Bailey. PAC will also be a part of their “Live At The Cockpit” show from The Cockpit Theatre in London, England on January 6, 2019.

    He’s also slated to perform for Dragon Gate in a huge championship match against Masato Yoshino for The Dream Gate Championship. That will go down on December 4th from Korakuen Hall. Last month, PAC participated in his first match since leaving WWE. He faced Flamita in an International Special Singles match at the “The Gate Of Destiny” event for Dragon Gate. He picked up the victory in only 18 minutes after hitting the “Black Arrow.”

    What do you think of PAC’s indy run since he left WWE?

  • Lucha Star Taking Advantage Of Recent Negative Publicity

    Lucha Star Taking Advantage Of Recent Negative Publicity

    A very unfortunate incident occurred last month during a Lucha Memes and Lucha Libre Boom event on +LuchaTV. Wrestlers Demonio and El Cuervo de Puerto Rico competed in a match at “Rumores Blasfoemos.” During the bout, Demonio tossed a concrete block outside of the ring at Cuervo, hitting him in the head. Cuervo was knocked unconscious for a brief period of time before waking back up.

    It appears that Demonio tossing the concrete block was a receipt for some hard chair shots from Cuervo earlier in the match. Cuervo required brain surgery to remove a blood clot as a result of the incident. As for Demonio, he was indefinitely suspended by Mexico’s Boxing and Wrestling Commission. Earlier this week it was announced that Cuervo had finally been released from the hospital after his brain surgery.

    Demonio, on the other hand, seems to be reaping the rewards of Cuervo’s injuries. He has recently been promoted by The Lucha Juarez promotion in Mexico as a top star, and they’re even using the cinder block used on Cuervo as a big selling point. Since the incident, Demonio has seen a rise in bookings under the name “The Brick Thrower.”

    Despite his newfound fame, Demonio released the following statement regarding the incident with Cuervo:

    “I feel very bad for the guy, I am devastated as a person and dismayed for Cuervo, for me it has been very difficult  these days, I just ask that it (surgery) goes well”

    If you haven’t already, take a look at Demonio hitting Cuervo with the concrete block here:

    What do you think about Demonio’s recent promotional push?

  • Nia Jax Tells Ronda Rousey To Learn How To Wrestle

    Nia Jax Tells Ronda Rousey To Learn How To Wrestle

    Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax have begun their social media back-and-forth ahead of their title bout. Rousey will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against Jax at the Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV). Jax earned the opportunity when she won a Battle Royal at Evolution, WWE’s first-ever all-female PPV.

    Rousey was briefly involved in a feud against SmackDown Live’s Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, however, for now, she’ll focus her attention on Jax. Jax has garnered quite a bit of heel heat for herself in recent weeks. Things really kicked off for her when she legitimately broke Becky Lynch’s nose and gave her a concussion on an episode of RAW.

    As a result, Lynch was removed from last month’s Survivor Series PPV, and fans have held a grudge ever since. This won’t be the first time Rousey and Jax have shared the ring. At the Money In The Bank PPV earlier this year, Jax defended the RAW Women’s Title against Rousey. However, MITB briefcase winner Alexa Bliss attacked both women before cashing-in, defeating Jax for the title.

    Rousey went on to defeat Bliss at SummerSlam for the RAW Women’s Title, which she has held ever since. Recently, Rousey took to Instagram and threw out a shot at Jax ahead of TLC. Jax responded by telling Rousey to lay off social media, and instead spend more time “learning how to wrestle”:

    “The #IrresistibleForce and the #MonolithicMute are apparently some busy ladies with no spare time to catch the ass whoopin’ that’s coming to them. Good thing this Monday on #RAW @niajaxwwe and @saronasnukawwe have a hot double date with me and @natbynature. And the tables will turn, cause this time THEY are going to be the ones leaving repulsed by their choices. #RowdyHartVsMuteForce”

    “I don’t have time for a social media war. spend less time on here and more time learning how to wrestle”

    https://twitter.com/NiaJaxWWE/status/1068628278003539968

    What do you think of Jax’s comments to Rousey?

  • David Arquette Responds To Jake Roberts’ Criticism

    David Arquette Responds To Jake Roberts’ Criticism

    David Arquette’s recent return to the professional wrestling world has been met with a lot of criticism. Arquette won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship back in the early 2000s. This came shortly after his success in the film “Ready To Rumble,” which was a big hit with the professional wrestling community.

    WCW made the decision to bring in Arquette for real storylines, and he eventually won the World Title. Arquette’s reign as World Champion was viewed as a huge embarrassment and a key contributor to WCW eventually going out of business. Almost 20 years later, however, Arquette wants to earn the respect of the professional wrestling community and lessen to blow his reign had on his reputation.

    He has been competing on the independent circuit for the past few months. Recently, Arquette took part in a controversial Hardcore match with Nick Gage. On a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts reviewed the match with Joe Rogan. Roberts doesn’t seem to be much of a fan of Arquette’s in-ring work. The Hall Of Famer told Arquette to get a “day job.”

    Arquette Responds To Roberts

    Speaking to Booker T on the “Heated Conversations” podcast recently, Arquette responded to Roberts’ comments:

    “I was supposed to do a Game Changer event during SummerSlam, I think, in New York, and it didn’t work out with my schedule or whatever, so I had to back out last minute and I was supposed to wrestle Ethan Page, who is an incredible wrestler, and so is Nick Gage.

    “I’m not knocking that guy, but it wasn’t gonna be a hardcore match. It was gonna be a regular match, but then Joey Ryan got injured recently, so they had a slot open up and it was in L.A., my hometown. Nick Gage, I wasn’t really aware of him. I knew of him, but I wasn’t really aware of the extent of the whole thing.

    “After I started researching him [laughter], I’m like, ‘What am I getting myself into?’ So, I agreed to do it and I’m crazier than some people know. Hollywood definitely knows. That’s why I don’t work quite as much as maybe I’d like to, but I’m real. I always loved Mick Foley, I always loved Terry Funk, – I always loved Jake “The Snake” until he said I should get a day job. I got a day job, Jake The Snake, I got a day job, thank you.”

    What do you think about Arquette’s responds to Roberts?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m13ALmCEow8

    H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions