SEScoops

Author: Jon Fuentes

  • Graves Wants Hilarious T-Shirt, Undertaker & McCool Celebrate Anniversary, Ember Moon

    Graves Wants Hilarious T-Shirt, Undertaker & McCool Celebrate Anniversary, Ember Moon

    Corey Graves Loves Anti-Saxton Merch

    When Corey Graves and Byron Saxton shared the WWE commentary booth on Monday Night RAW, the former NXT star loved to burn his colleague. Now, of course, they work together on SmackDown Live after some things were moved around for the Superstar Shake-Up.

    Despite the move to Tuesday nights, Graves’ love for burning Saxton remains the same. He recently showed his support for a “Shut Up Saxton” t-shirt idea on WWE Shop which was suggested by a fan:

    Undertaker & Michelle McCool Celebrate Wedding Anniversary

    Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and former WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool recently celebrated eight years of marriage. She shared some photos from the occasion on Instagram:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkgs8j8BR4l/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Ember Moon Has Bank Account Shut Down Without Notice

    RAW Superstar Ember Moon took to social media to call out Chase bank for closing her bank account unexpectedly and without explanation after seven years of business. She posted the following:

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

  • Disco Inferno Opens Up About Heat With Cody Rhodes

    Disco Inferno Opens Up About Heat With Cody Rhodes

    Former WCW and TNA star Disco Inferno recently made an appearance on “The Matt Riviera Show” podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Inferno was first asked about his issues with Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Cody Rhodes.

    Inferno commented on a social media photo posted by Rhodes showing a graphic head wound that he suffered in a match against Kenny Omega. Rhodes apparently took things the wrong way and a beef between the pair started:

    “ I think he completely misinterpreted what I was saying, because I wasn’t burying him….I’ve worked, I’ve been on a writing team, and I’ve been an agent, okay. So, if I’m critical of somebody, like wrestlers, like I do sometimes on the podcast…

    “It’s not anything, like if I was there agent, I wouldn’t be saying right to their face.. of course the fans are going to say, ”Oh, you’re just hating him”. No, I’m not hating, this is what I did for a living… That’s the perspective that I’m critical on commentary with professional wrestling these days.”

    Inferno then offered his thoughts on the large number of wrestlers suffering serious injuries lately:

    “The one thing I see in the business that kind of bothers me is that, as wrestling’s gotten, like the quote unquote “evolution of wrestling” is that, you know, back in the day… when I got hurt, I hurt my back. When guy’s got hurt, they hurt their knee, they hurt their shoulder… We’re at a stage in the business where, back in the day, if guys were watching, like the way the guys work today…

    “We would tell the guys, “What the hell are you doing? You guys are killing each other out there.” I’ve never seen a time in the business where guys are hurting each other. Not like hurting their shoulders or hurting their knees… They’re hurting each other, because they’re doing things that look like they hurt, and they do… Everybody was a mark for Benoit…

    “You watch Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Edge all had neck injuries that were serious neck injuries… What did they do every match? German suplexes… 6, 7, 8, 9 German suplexes… You look at the move, regardless if it’s a work or not. You’re landing on your neck constantly. Constant stress on your neck that’s going to add up… you can’t do that… Alex (Wright) would do a German suplex to me one time, and it was a finish. ”

    Finally, Disco discussed how he believes that modern wrestling has lost its way:

    “Professional wrestling is predicated, and always has been… two guys wrestling/fighting each other. That’s the concept… so when everyone talks about psychology… If you do things that don’t look like something you would do in a fight, that’s bad psychology. Because if you’re just taking a bunch of acrobatic maneuvers and acrobatic spots… and try to insert it into the concept of professional wrestling, which is supposed to be a fight, it just does not make sense…

    “Now we have this younger generation of people that grew up, that didn’t watch that wrestling, when it was like a suspended disbelief and pretending two guys are in a fight, they’ve accepted this as professional wrestling. That it’s acrobatics, it’s spots, it’s a performance… and that’s kind of where wrestling’s lost it’s way… The shows now are just a bunch of critics that kind of just applaud the performance. They’re not emotionally invested…”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGKqGsDy4i4&feature=youtu.be

  • Paul Heyman Rather Watch Commercials Than RAW, Seth Rollins Calls Out Drew McIntyre (Video)

    Paul Heyman Rather Watch Commercials Than RAW, Seth Rollins Calls Out Drew McIntyre (Video)

    Heyman Rather Watch Commercials Than RAW

    Glenn Rubenstein of Wrestling Inc. Tweeted out a mention to Paul Heyman during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, asking if The Advocate was watching the show.

    Heyman responded by saying that RAW is built around challengers instead of a once in a lifetime athlete like Brock Lesnar. Heyman then said that the commercials were actually the best part of the show:

    Rollins Calls Out Drew McIntyre

    Last night Seth Rollins was on the verge of recapturing the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler. Rollins and Ziggler main evented the show and were putting on an absolute classic.

    Initially McIntyre accompanied Ziggler to the ring but was thrown out backstage by the referee during the match. Just when it looked like Rollins was about to win the match, McIntyre came out to break things up and attacked Rollins. The Architect won the match via disqualification, however, the title could not change hands.

    Backstage WWE pulled Rollins aside for an interview. Rollins said he’ll stomp on McIntyre’s face and knock his teeth out for standing in his way of the Intercontinental Title:

  • WWE Follows The Young Bucks On Twitter, What Happened After RAW?

    WWE Follows The Young Bucks On Twitter, What Happened After RAW?

    WWE Follows A Young Buck On Twitter

    There have been plenty of rumors going around as to whether or not the WWE could sign The Young Bucks to a deal soon. The Bucks are currently enjoying success with Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), as well as selling out their self-funded All In event with Cody Rhodes.

    WWE’s Twitter page shows that they recently followed Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks, sparking some speculation from fans on social media. Here’s a screenshot of who WWE is following:

    What Happened After RAW?

    The dark match main event for Monday Night RAW last night was Elias vs. Jinder Mahal. Unfortunately the match never got to finish as both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns hit the ring and attacked both Elias and Mahal.

    They celebrated with the crowd after clearing the ring to send them home happy and end the show.

  • Tatanka Comments On His WWE Career

    Tatanka Comments On His WWE Career

    Former WWE Superstar from the ’90s Tatanka recently did an interview with Ringside News to talk about his run with the company. He first talked about not having ever won WWE gold during his run and how the meanings of titles have changed over the years:

    “People were asking me at today’s signing, “Well, we’ve never seen you with a championship belt.” The belts were different. In today’s business, they’ve lost there meaning because they exchange hands too much.

    “The belts back then, they were a tool to get someone over the top. The company also used other ways to get people over, like having a two-year undefeated streak. When it comes to the belts if you’re already a fan favorite, you don’t need a belt.” 

    Tatanka then revealed his favorite televised loss of his WWE career:

    “While they referred to me as The Undefeated Native American Tatanka. I finally had that first defeat against Ludvig Borga on tv, with the help of Yokounza with Mr. Fugi, it really meant something. You know, fans were like, “Oh my gosh!” 

    Finally, Tatanka offered his thoughts on Ludvig Borga:

    “They(WWF) really liked him and wanted to push him. Not like a Hulk Hogan but they wanted to give him a strong push, but he just didn’t get the flow of things in the ring. He was too robotic. They used him to defeat me so they could elevate his career. So it shows you just how important that two-year streak was.”

    H/T NoDQ.com for the transcriptions

  • More Information On Rey Mysterio’s WWE Status

    More Information On Rey Mysterio’s WWE Status

    As we’ve noted, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio has been announced as the special pre-order bonus character for the WWE 2K19 video game.

    Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Mysterio has yet to sign a contract with WWE. He did note, however, that he does expect a deal between The Master Of The 619 and WWE to eventually get done.

    The only thing putting a stop in the negotiations is the issues regarding money and dates on both sides, not to mention that Triple H is very busy and it’s hard to find time to negotiate.

    The 43-year-old hasn’t worked for WWE as a full-time talent since 2015. His contract with WWE expired in February of 2015 and he decided to work the indies for a few years. Before his contract expired his run with the company lasted nearly 13 years.

    He made returns for WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble and at the Greatest Royal Rumble in April. Both were one-off appearances and both sides have been trying to negotiate a deal to bring the Mexican star back full-time for the past several months.

  • Steel Cage Match Advertised For Extreme Rules

    Steel Cage Match Advertised For Extreme Rules

    WWE is set to hold its Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 15th. It will be the final PPV before SummerSlam in August.

    Currently AJ Styles is set to defend his WWE Title against Rusev at the event, and last night on RAW a bout between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley was teased as well. It seems that another match is also set to take place at the event – but this one will be inside a Steel Cage.

    According to the PPG Paints Arena website, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman are being advertised to go one-on-one inside a Steel Cage at the event. Owens and Strowman have had their share of issues on RAW for the past few weeks.

    Last night on RAW Strowman partnered up with Owens to defeat the team of Finn Balor and Baron Corbin. After the match Strowman chased Owens out of the arena and destroyed his car in the parking lot.

    The card is still “subject to change” but it’s interesting to see that the PPG Paints Arena is advertising this match to happen.

  • Alexa Bliss Reacts To Little Kid Slapping Her Butt At Live Event

    Alexa Bliss Reacts To Little Kid Slapping Her Butt At Live Event

    Last year in August current RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss teamed up with Nia Jax at a Live Event. Little did they know that one of the most viral videos of the year in professional wrestling would be recorded after their match.

    When the match was over Jax slung Bliss over her shoulder and carried her backstage. As she was being carried backstage a young WWE fan managed to slap Bliss on the butt. Jax’s reaction was priceless but we couldn’t really see how Bliss reacted to the slap.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0UT-9NvLTw&feature=youtu.be

    In a recent interview with GiveMeSport, Bliss detailed her reaction after what had happened. Bliss asked Jax if it was her who had done it, and Jax told Bliss it was a kid from the crowd. They pair laughed things off backstage and didn’t seem to make a big deal of it:

    “Well when had happened- I asked Nia because she was carrying me over her shoulders. I was like ‘Was that you?’ and she was like ‘No!’ And like we just walked back and laughed it off.

    “But it was still one of those… I was very shocked it happened. I was like “Oh my gosh, was that you?” and she was like “No!” It was just a little kid, kids do what they want.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmtVNQ27lE&feature=youtu.be

    H/T Ringside News for the transcribed quotes

  • Brie Bella Expresses Desire For WWE Return

    Brie Bella Expresses Desire For WWE Return

    Former WWE Superstar Brie Bella recently did an interview with TV Insider to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Bella first discussed her husband, SmackDown Live star Daniel Bryan, and his recent return to in-ring action:

    “One thing about Bryan is he is just so healthy and physically fit,” said Brie. “He really knows what he can do. That’s the one thing. I do trust him with the way he moves out there and his body and what he does.

    “I’m letting him live his dream and do what he wants because life is too short. There are times I watch and am like, ‘Oh my.’ At the end of the day though, he is great. He is super safe and super healthy.”

    Bryan seems to want to have another child, but Brie seems focused on coming back to WWE for a big storyline. She also pondered the idea of coming back alongside her twin sister Brie for a Bella Twins reunion:

    “My husband really wants us to get pregnant again. I tell him that in my heart I just really want to come back to have a main story,” said Brie. “Whether it’s a month long or two months, six months. I would love that. I think about how much work one kid is. Bringing another in, I can’t imagine.

    “My sister and I are really pushing hard. We would both love to, especially since the last couple of years it was Nikki was there or I was there. The Bella Twins really haven’t had a run since the ‘Divas Revolution.’”

    If WWE isn’t able to come up with anything for her creatively soon, Brie will shift her focus to trying for another child with Bryan:

    “Even with the Mixed Match Challenge. I was like, ‘Bryan, we should do it if it came back. Wouldn’t it be amazing?’ I’m hoping,” Brie said. “I told him to give me until next summer. Let me see if I can do something before then. If the boss doesn’t want us back by next summer, we can start trying for babies.”

    You can read Bella’s full interview with TV Insider by clicking this link here.

  • Triple H Talks NXT Becoming A More Global Brand

    Triple H Talks NXT Becoming A More Global Brand

    Triple H recently did an interview with Inside the Ropes during this week’s UK Championship Tournament tapings. During the interview, The Game discussed the WWE’s UK brand becoming included in a more global vision of NXT. Here’s what he had to say on the matter:

    “I think it organically developed into that, it what was always in my head of how it would end up being. When we did it the first time it was, ‘Hey, WWE is going to do this UK tournament’ and I think it helped up put more eyeballs on it. But as NXT has become more and more established, the ability to look at Raw and SmackDown as kind of these two bigger flagship juggernauts that are out there and where everything sits beneath it.

    “It’s not a downgrade, but it’s just this global system that allows you to have the benefits of the WWE and a career that can be meaningful. Putting these in other international markets and in some way building a global territory system, much like what existed in the U.S. year ago, but global.

    “Having talent have those places to work, so even if they spend time in a location and they’re not quite ready to make that move yet or it’s just time for them to go someplace else, they can go someplace else, but still stay within that system. Still continued to grow.

    “If I were a 25 year old kid trying to make it in the business and they told me, ‘You want to go to the Middle East for six months and work a territory there?’ I’d say, ‘hell yeah.’ Those are the things that are a blast when you’re at that time frame and to be able to have that experience will be so valuable to all those talents.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Shane Taylor On If He’d Like A WWE Run

    Shane Taylor On If He’d Like A WWE Run

    Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Shane Taylor recently did an interview with Wrestling Epicenter to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Taylor first offered his thoughts on former EVOLVE and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) star Keith Lee recently signing with WWE:

    “I am overjoyed for Keith. When he decided to sign on with EVOLVE, I told him I was proud of him then. He’s been absolutely tearing the globe up going everywhere doing everything. I am incredibly proud of him. He’s like a big brother to me. I can’t wait to watch him on the Network and see the things that they do and that they accomplish.”

    Taylor was then asked if he’d like to have a WWE run of his own. While he admits that many professional wrestlers want WrestleMania moments, he’d like to be the guy that sticks with one promotion and puts it on his back:

    “I like what I’m doing. I have a lot of goals I want to reach in Ring of Honor and I don’t want to go anywhere until those are completed. But, again, there are a million variables that go with that. Time, business, money, opportunity, my family – of course. Obviously, everybody wants to have those big stages, those big moments – WrestleMania moments.

    “But for me, and I told this to Jay Briscoe, there is something very cool about being the guy that sticks with one company and puts that company on his back and says, “We’re going to go as far as I can take you.” For me, there is something very, very cool about that. One of my goals, whether I stay there my entire career or not, is that people look back at my era in Ring of Honor – with all the talent that we have – and go ‘That was Shane Taylor’s era. That was my era!’ That’s something I work hard for everyday.”

    Finally, Taylor offered his thoughts on Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks’ self-funded “All In” event scheduled for September 1st in Chicago:

    “I think what “All In” does, and what Bullet Club does by proxy, is they present a very DIY punk rock style. They represent that sort of counter-culture to other promotions. People gravitate towards them because they feel like they’re the outcasts, they’re the rebels. They’re the guys who do things by their own rules.

    “People can get behind that. When you have something like that, when you have a movement like that and you are able to capitalize like that, I want to say 10,000 seats sold in under 30 minutes? I want to say we were in Chicago, the last stop of the War of the Worlds tour, when they found out.

    “I went up to all of them and congratulated them because that’s awesome! To stick your neck out like that and to have it pay off like that only means better things for wrestling, better things for them, and better things for ROH!”

    You can read Taylor’s full interview with Wrestling Epicenter by clicking this link here.

  • Simon Gotch Reveals Who He’d Want To Feud With In WWE Return

    Simon Gotch Reveals Who He’d Want To Feud With In WWE Return

    Major League Wrestling (MLW) star Simon Gotch was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV Entertainment‘s Chris Van Vliet at a Blueprint Pro Wrestling event in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Gotch was had this to say about whether or not he’d be interested in a potential WWE return down the road:

    “Under different circumstances, yes. It’s hard to predict it. I will say this, unlike some other people that got released recently, I did get wished well in my future endeavors, so there’s always the door open for me to return. My whole thing is I wouldn’t want to go back to do the same thing and to be unhappy.

    “My logic is I can work in an office and be miserable, I don’t need to get beat up and be miserable. I wrestle because it makes me happy, I enjoy doing it. It’s fun for me. So in my mind if were going to go back I’d want to work with the guys I’d want to work with. I’d want to be able to have the matches I want to have.”

    Should Gotch make the decision to return to WWE, he’d like to feud with his old tag team partner Aiden English:

    “I would actually want to feud with [Aiden] English. I think that would be a hell of a way to push him as a babyface to be honest. Let him vanquish the ghosts of his past. And having worked with him so much I’m actually aware of what he’s capable of. People don’t know how good he is.

    “He’s super athletic and he can do some really insane stuff but often times he has a more restricted opinion on how he should work. He doesn’t want to do all that much because he doesn’t want to put himself in a position where he has to and he’s going to injure himself because he looks at his career as a long term investment.”

    Finally, Gotch offered his thoughts on former WWE Champion CM Punk’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career in the UFC. Punk has lost two fights in a row now under the promotion’s banner after signing with them in 2014:

    “I think he got to do something he wanted to do and he got to do it on the biggest stage that he could do it on. That’s great for him. At the end of the day if he’s proud of his work and he’s proud of what he’s done he has no one to explain it to or apologize to. I could see why people have their opinions on it because he’s in an awkward position. The guy’s been a main eventer at WrestleMania, the guy’s been all over the world, it’s hard to tell him ‘Ok, we’re going to need you to fight in this King of the Cage Tournament in Altoona, PA.

    “And you need to do these for the next 6 years before we decide to give you a fight.’ That’s what a lot of guys in UFC have to do. So it’s hard to do that. It’s hard to get a guy who’s been at that level of notoriety and ask him to step that far back. And they also know as a company that the longer CM Punk’s out of wrestling, the less name value he might have so for the money they’re paying him, you can see why UFC wants to get him on those Pay Per Views and want to get him out there.

    “Even if it’s just to watch him get killed, people will pay attention to it. The reality is Jose Canseco did an MMA bout in Japan and I tracked it down the second I heard about it.”

  • Bruce Prichard On Setting Up Sable’s Playboy Deal

    Bruce Prichard On Setting Up Sable’s Playboy Deal

    In a recent edition of Bruce Prichard’s Something To Wrestle, Prichard discussed Sable’s run with WWE. One of the more interesting topics of discussion was WWE striking a deal with the famous men’s adult magazine Playboy. Sable graced the cover of the April 1999 edition of the magazine:

    “We were hot at the time and the product itself was hot and Rena was — good god, Sable that character [was] one of the most downloaded females in the world,” Bruce Prichard said. “Playboy as they often or at least did back in the day would often reach out to celebrities or other people who would appeal to their audience and make that offer, ‘would you pose nude for Playboy?’

    “They approached WWE about Sable and asked. There was even talk of doing the women of WWF and all that other stuff but Playboy had approached us. I don’t know all the particulars about this but usually they approach the company and since we have the talent contract we’re the ones that broker the deal and yeah the company gets a portion of that money because they’re under contract to the company.

    “So I’m sure Vince looking at it and saying, ‘which of the females?’ Then approached her and asked if she would even be in interested in it if it’s something she’d consider doing and she interested in doing it so they went further on with the deal until finally it was actually done and everybody agreed on it.”

    Two different photos were shot as options for Sable’s cover photo. The first was Sable being covered by nothing except a WWF Women’s Title. The other, which was eventually selected, was Sable wearing a black catsuit:

    “I think it was Playboy’s choice looking at the two pictures and deciding which one was gonna sell more magazines,” Prichard said. “Not just appealing to the wrestling fan with the belt and what have you. I don’t know what the hell their thinking was behind it but I thought the cover they picked was a pretty good one.”

    You can listen to Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Edge Discusses Exchanging Gear With The Undertaker At WrestleMania

    Edge Discusses Exchanging Gear With The Undertaker At WrestleMania

    WWE Hall Of Famer Edge and Christian discussed exchanging ring gear in a recent episode of their podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness. Christian first started things off by confessing that he never has been good at keeping memorabilia from his matches, and knows he’ll probably regret that one day:

    “I have talked about this before, I have always been bad at saving memorabilia. I tried to get better at it my last two years,  have done it on a couple of occasions, but I know for you [Edge], like when you had your match against Undertaker, you were better at exchanging things and doing things like that than I have.

    “I wished for some of the bigger moments and matches, looking back now someday I am going to regret not doing more of that.”

    Edge then revealed that the only time he ever swapped gear with someone was after WrestleMania 24 with The Undertaker. Edge lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker. Edge gave Taker his kick-pads and tights, while Undertaker gave him his gloves:

    “The only time I have exchanged gear with someone was with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 24. I gave him my kick-pads and my tights from that and I got his gloves. It is pretty cool. I am glad I got that memory. I saved everything; all my gear over the years; my trench coats and stuff that I have saved.

    “It is all packed away nicely and neatly in vacuum-sealed bags and all that stuff. One day if the girls decide they want to do something with it—whether they want to give it away to charity, or buy a slushy with it, I don’t know, but it’ll be there.”

    You can listen to E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.

    H/T IWNerd for the transcriptions

  • Seth Rollins Could Join Elite Company Tonight, Stephanie McMahon Congratulates Charlotte

    Seth Rollins Could Join Elite Company Tonight, Stephanie McMahon Congratulates Charlotte

    Seth Rollins Could Join Elite Company Tonight On RAW

    Tonight, Seth Rollins invokes his rematch clause for the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler defeated The Architect for the strap last week on Monday Night RAW.

    According to WWE’s Instagram account, Rollins could join some Hall Of Fame company tonight. If Rollins defeats Ziggler and reclaims the Intercontinental Title he’ll be one of a few names to have held both the Intercontinental and WWE Championship several times each:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkc7PrjAU8e/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Stephanie McMahon Congratulates Charlotte Flair On ESPN Honor

    SmackDown Live star Charlotte Flair has been featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. Flair has already teased her shoot on her Instagram account with a few pictures:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkdBHdNFVmN/?taken-by=charlottewwe

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNZ9t3F6dr/?taken-by=charlottewwe

    WWE’s Stephanie McMahon recently took to Twitter to congratulate Flair on the ESPN honor:

  • Adam Cole On Being In Both The Undisputed Era & The Bullet Club

    Adam Cole On Being In Both The Undisputed Era & The Bullet Club

    NXT North American Champion Adam Cole was recently interviewed on the So Catch by Hal YouTube channel to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Cole first discussed having been a part of two of the most famous factions in professional wrestling today – The Undisputed Era and The Bullet Club:

    “I’ve been in a lot of different factions my whole career and all the guys who made up those factions are different performers. For example, if you look at the Undisputed Era as a whole I’m very different than Roderick Strong who’s very different from Kyle O’Reilly who’s very different from Bobby Fish.

    “Bullet Club was the exact same way. Everyone was different but together collectively that’s what made The Bullet Club what it was. Of course you’re gonna see people who compare the groups especially when someone jumps from group to group.

    “Undisputed Era has the same cocky, no-nonsense, do whatever we want attitude that Bullet Club does so you get the comparisons, but at the same time I do think the group that we have now in the Undisputed Era is different in that sense. I definitely have noticed differences, yeah.”

    Cole then talked about being NXT’s North American Champion and getting to defend that strap in EVOLVE:

    “It’s exciting, I made a comment before when I won the North American Championship I said I was gonna make it the most important title in NXT and one of the ways for me to do that is to go out and defend the title in other companies like Evolve. I think it makes it cool. I think it adds to the coolness of pro wrestling in 2018 where NXT champions are showing up elsewhere.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd-WqPu7EgA&feature=youtu.be

    H/T 411Mania for the transcriptions

  • Adam Cole On How Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks Would Fit In The Undisputed Era

    Adam Cole On How Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks Would Fit In The Undisputed Era

    WWE NXT North American Champion Adam Cole recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Cole was first asked if he thinks Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks would be good additions to The Undisputed Era:

    “Those guys would fit perfectly in the Undisputed Era. They’re exactly what the Undisputed Era is all about: cutting-edge, going against the grain, doing what they want when they want.

    “Obviously, a lot of people know my history with Kenny Omega, and I have a very long history with the Young Bucks, and those guys would fit perfectly. It’s like two peas in a pod.”

    Cole then discussed going back-and-forth on the NXT TakeOver: Chicago pre-show with panelist Pat McAfee:

    “Pat McAfee is real quick on his feet and he’s real entertaining to listen to when he talks, but every time I speak to Pat, I make sure he knows that he’s in my world. This isn’t a football field, and I make sure he’s very aware of that every time we exchange words.

    “Pat got a taste of that again on NXT TakeOver: Chicago’s pre-show panel. As long as Pat’s running his mouth the way that he does, I guarantee I’ll be there to back up every word that comes out of my mouth, as well.”

    The North American champ seems confident in his ability inside the ring. So confident in fact that he believes he’s not just the best in NXT or in WWE, but the best in the world:

    “I’m not just the best in NXT, I’m not just the best in the WWE, I’m the best on the freaking planet. Part of backing that statement up is competing outside of WWE, and the North American championship has given me the opportunity to do that.

    “I can go to a company like EVOLVE and wrestle a talent as good, as big, and as strong as WALTER and defend my championship on a non-WWE show. That’s the epitome of making the North American title a world championship, one I can defend all over the world.”

    You can read Cole’s full interview with Sports Illustrated by clicking this link here.

  • Jim Ross Offers Advise To Big Cass After WWE Release

    Jim Ross Offers Advise To Big Cass After WWE Release

    Big Cass’ recent release from WWE is very much a mystery at this point. There are several rumors floating around as to why the seven footer was recently released from the company, but no clear answer has yet to be given.

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to offer his thoughts on Cass’ recent release:

    “I saw where Big Cass got released. I don’t know what it was, I have no idea and it’s none of my business,” Jim Ross said. “Hey look, I have had three sabbaticals from that company. Did I like it? Nope. Did it ruin my life and my career? Hell no.”

    Ross went on to offer Cass some advice, saying he’s far too young to let these recent actions define him. JR seems to believe that Cass is capable making a WWE comeback in the future:

    “So all he’s gotta do is figure out how I can get better how I can cure the perceived ills that I may or may not have. Your world’s not over. Don’t say anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid just get better. You’re too damn young with too much of an upside to not be able to resurrect yourself without question. Let’s keep an eye on how Big Cass progresses.”

    You can listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Ricochet Reveals His Reaction To Getting Signed By WWE

    Ricochet Reveals His Reaction To Getting Signed By WWE

    Ricochet recently did an interview in his hometown with the WPSD 6 local news outlet. He began by discussing how he got into professional wrestling in the first place:

    “I was having more fun doing wrestling than I was going to school, since I can remember I always watched it. … I quit the football team to start wrestling and at first my Dad was like, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea, I don’t like it. It’s not a good idea.’”

    Ricochet then talked about signing with WWE and when it had actually hit him that he’s inked a deal with the professional wrestling juggernaut:

    “I never thought I would be here, the fact that I am is insane. I always say nothing is certain until it’s certain. That’s just always the way I looked at it. … It didn’t really hit me until I had the [WWE] contract and I was at the post office. I thought, ‘Oh man, when I send this off, that’s it. You know what I mean?’”

    Being from Paducah, Kentucky may not sound like the coolest thing to hear from the WWE announcer who introduces you. In fact, some have suggested Ricochet opt to be billed from Louisville instead:

    “They all poke fun at me like, ‘Where’s Paducah from? Where’s Paducah? You should be from Louisville, because Paducah doesn’t sound cool.’ I’m like, ‘Aw no, Paducah’s cool, man!’ I like the fact they say I’m from Paducah, Kentucky because home is where it all started.”

    You can check out Ricochet’s full interview with WPSD 6 by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Rey Mysterio Explains Why It’s Hard For Heels Today To Get Heat

    Rey Mysterio Explains Why It’s Hard For Heels Today To Get Heat

    Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio was recently a guest on Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Mysterio first offered his thoughts on Chris Jericho, proclaiming Y2J a “visionary”:

    “I’ve actually, without picking his mind that much, I’ve learned a lot about how he likes to roll and do his own thing.” Mysterio continued, “and I tip my hat off for him because he has worked his ass off. He has. He has been on the grind.

    “He was the first guy ever to leave WCW, take that risk, go to WWF at the time, and look at him now. He has his rock band. He’s a visionary. He sees something, if he wants to go for it, he goes for it. And he’ll achieve it when he’s finished.”

    The Master Of The 619 then explained why he thinks it’s difficult for heels today to get heat. In Mysterio’s estimation, fans tend to cheer on heels as if they were babyfaces in today’s professional wrestling universe:

    “It is [impossible for heels to get real heat nowadays] because of the fact that, for the fans, if you have a rich history on your way to becoming one of the top heels, all-of-a-sudden, heels are loved. Why? Because you worked hard to obtain your spot.” Mysterio added, “it sounds weird, but you become a babyface in their eyes.”

    Mysterio then stated that fans can’t cheer for both competitors inside the ring, the same way they can’t cheer for both football teams in the NFL, both competitors in a fight, etc.:

    “You can’t go to an arena and cheer both fighters.” Mysterio explained, “in this case, you can’t go for Manny Pacquiao and cheer for Julio César Chávez. You either go for one or the other. And same for football. You can’t go for both football teams. You’ve got to pick one.”

    Finally, Mysterio discussed his involvement in All In. He admits he doesn’t know who he’s facing yet but said Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are looking to put together the best card possible:

    “I don’t have a clue yet [about his All In opponent].” Mysterio said, “I’m sure they have something good cooked up because they’ve been doing this very methodical and just the way they announced the show, the way they’ve announced talent little by little. It’s a good strategy, so I’m sure they have a good show lined up.

    “I’ve been in contact with both the Bucks and Cody, so they’re letting me choose as well. They’re throwing some stuff around. But, at the end of the day, whatever we think the fans are going to love the most, that’s what we want to give them.”

    You can listen to Mysterio’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • ROH’s Christopher Daniels On Still Wrestling At 48

    ROH’s Christopher Daniels On Still Wrestling At 48

    Former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with Monsters and Critics to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Daniels first discussed how his latest run with ROH compared to his previous ones:

    “I was there in 2011 and left right when Sinclair bought the company. I came back in 2014 with Frankie [Kazarian] and it was different because over those three years, Sinclair brought Ring of Honor from a company that was just starting to do syndicated television. In those three years, they brought them to the point where they were doing live pay-per-views, which is where Frankie and I debuted at their first broadcast pay-per-view.

    “It was great to get back. It was different because over the course of my career there, I’d sort of been by myself, but I came back with Frankie, who was the best partner I have ever had. It put a different dynamic into what we were doing and what I brought to the company, anyway. Over the course of the last four years, Frankie and I have held the tag team titles twice and just recently we were the six-man tag team champions with Scorpio Sky. We have been very successful, and it has been very beneficial to the three of us.”

    Daniels then named two ROH stars that he thinks professional wrestling fans should keep their eyes on – Scorpio Sky and Adam Page:

    “The first guy I have to talk about is Scorpio Sky. We were very fortunate to get Scorpio as a part of Ring of Honor and to bring him in as part of SoCal Uncensored with me and Frankie. I mean, he’s been wrestling for 15 years but I feel like people weren’t really aware of him because he hadn’t had that breakout performance on a national stage. In the last year in Ring of Honor, people have started to see that Scorpio is, hands down, one of the best guys on the planet.

    “I feel like whatever the future holds for him and us, as SoCal Uncensored, no matter what happens, Scorpio is going to be a big part of Ring of Honor for a very long time. Another guy that I feel has the world in front of him as far as wrestling goes is Adam Page. In the last couple of years as part of Bullet Club, people have started to see Adam grow as a performer and as a wrestler. It is tough too because there are so many dynamic personalities in Bullet Club that, for a while, it seemed that Adam was in the background.

    “Now, he sort of stands out front and he is one of the dynamic personalities that people have come to expect from Bullet Club. He has become one of the more popular guys and certainly one of the most talented guys that Ring of Honor has had in the last couple of years. There is probably going to be championship gold in his future.”

    At 48-years-old Daniels is still putting on great matches. He offered his explanation as to how that is:

    “It is not an age thing for me. It is, for me in my head, I have always tried to do the things that I know I can do no matter what part of the match it was in. I’ve always told other wrestlers that, in terms of staying safe and staying smart, you do the things that you can do whether it is the first five minutes of the match or the last five minutes of the match. For me, I have been very cognizant of taking very calculated risks. I am not a high flier in the sense that I take those high risks in every part of my match.

    “I wrestle what I feel is a very safe style for me. That might be comical to an outside eye to see some of the things I do at the age of 48. It’s something I feel comfortable doing and I feel safe doing. Whatever acrobatic things that I do that seems high risk to other people, to me it is a very calculated risk. Those are the risks that I take any time I wrestle. I know that no matter what I am doing — if it seems dangerous — it is something I know I can do 10 times out of 10.

    “I have been fortunate to avoid the accidental injuries that come and go in everybody’s career. I keep my risks at a minimum in my head. That is something all pro wrestlers have to learn. There are things they can do every time and not suffer from fatigue or mistake and keep it within that risk factor.”

    You can read Daniels’ full interview with Monsters and Critics by clicking this link here.

  • Steve Austin Reveals Who The ‘Big Van Vader’ Gimmick Was Originally Meant For

    Steve Austin Reveals Who The ‘Big Van Vader’ Gimmick Was Originally Meant For

    It was announced earlier this week that former WCW and WWE star Big Van Vader sadly passed away due to complications from pneumonia.

    WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently took to his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to share some of his thoughts on Vader. Austin used to team up with Vader in WCW and would compete against him in WWE.

    Austin noted that the first time he ever saw the Big Van Vader gimmick was over in Japan:

    “He [came] walking to the ring, and that guy was as big as a house to began with,” said Austin. “Just the intimidation factor. And then he’d set that thing on the floor, on the ground, and he’d start whistling and point at it, and of course that’d blow the steam, whatever that was that they blow out of there, it was incredible.”

    Austin then revealed that the Big Van Vader gimmick was meant for someone else aside from Leon White.

    “I think, if memory serves me correct, I think they originally wanted to give that gimmick to the Ultimate Warrior who I think passed it up,” said Austin.

    Despite the original idea, Austin feels that no other person would have served it justice, and it “ended up with the right man at the right time, because I don’t think anybody else could have pulled that gimmick like Leon did with his work style, with his athleticism. It was a parallel along with the first time I saw the Road Warriors.”

    You can listen to The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

  • Triple H On How Aware Vince McMahon Is Of WWE’S NXT & UK Brands

    Triple H On How Aware Vince McMahon Is Of WWE’S NXT & UK Brands

    WWE’s Triple H recently did an interview with Inside The Ropes at the WWE’s UK Championship Tournament tapings. The Game was asked how aware Vince McMahon is of the WWE’s NXT and UK brands with them being under his control:

    “He’s well aware of all of it. It’s a funny thing, some people think he’s not aware of things in his own company. [Laughs] He’s well aware of all of it. He’s all for all of it. There’s a lot of things going on. We grow as a brand every single day and that growing and that expanding, and all of it is an important part of WWE.

    “It doesn’t take away from any of the things we were in the past, but our intent is not to stay what we were, our intent is to be what we can become. Our vision of WWE is massive compared to what it is right now.

    “His vision of what WWE will become is massive and you have to remember this is a guy who envisioned it going from little smoke-filled bars to 100,000 people in a stadium and being seen all around the world with one global brand. That vision is amazing, so he has a vision for all of it, but he’s well aware of all of it, trust me.”

    HHH was then asked about those who say that NXT and the UK brands are putting out a better product than what’s happening on the main roster with shows such as Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live:

    “Everybody has opinions. I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before. Yeah, everybody has opinions. Look, you just try to put out the best product you can put out. For me, it’s a different reach and a different vibe. If you’re a fan of a certain genre of music, you just like that music better.

    “If you go to that concert, you like that concert better. It’s a big world, lot of fans. WWE has almost a billion followers on social media, number one channel for sports, number two channel overall on YouTube. We got a lot of people watching. Some of them like different things. It’s just funny people believe what they believe is the answer. It certainly doesn’t seem to be hurting business, there’s enough product to go around for everybody.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Kenny Omega Says He Might Work Better In A WWE Enviornment

    Kenny Omega Says He Might Work Better In A WWE Enviornment

    IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recently participated in a media call to help promote the G1 Special in San Francisco from the Cow Palace on July 7th. The Cleaner will defend his title against Cody Rhodes at the event. Omega was first asked how he would prepare for a match in an environment where his match length is limited:

    “It’s funny there’s this idea where Kenny is only good because he can do what he wants and he gets time. Well, everyone else through those doors had had time and opportunity. Why didn’t they do anything special?”

    He was then asked how he feels he’d work in a restrictive environment such as WWE. Omega feels he would thrive in such an environment as it would force him to think creatively to work around such restrictions:

    “I actually work better within restrictions,” the IWGP Heavyweight Champion continued. “When you leave everything wide open things tend to get a little convoluted. So when you give me those restrictions and I start to use my brain creatively to work around those that’s when things get interesting.

    “I mean no, you’re not going to get a seven-star match or six or five in a seven-minute segment but I always do the best I can to make that segment memorable and entertaining and I think that’s always the name of the game.

    “The thing is too it’s like, ‘hey if you ever go to WWE what are you gonna do if you only get five minutes?’ I mean sure you’d have nights like that but would I take a contract with WWE if I were not gonna be able to show the best of Kenny Omega? That would be a disservice to fans to professional wrestling, it would be a disservice to my own career all the hard work I put in.

    “I would for sure make sure that I was able to show the best of what I do and that requires a little bit of time. So yeah, things like that don’t really worry me I think I would be fine.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Ember Moon On If She’s Open To Doing Total Divas

    Ember Moon On If She’s Open To Doing Total Divas

    Former WWE NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon recently did an interview with The New York Post to talk about several professional wrestling topics. You can read some of the highlights below:

    Where did the genesis of the Ember Moon character come from?

    “To be honest, the qualities about myself that I always … I’ll say used to feel ashamed of. I used to be very secluded. I used to just kind of chill out on my own, but then when the opportunity presents itself, I just like fire up and just do it.

    “I always felt that there was a lot of rejection thrown at me outside of wrestling and I always overcame that every single time and I just won’t be told “No” and I won’t stay down and that’s just amplified through Ember Moon. Man, it’s crazy. It is me times one thousand.”

    What was it like eventually being trained by Booker T ?

    “He’s kind of the person that started telling me to branch out and to start going to different states and just make a name for myself on the independent scene. It’s crazy because his knowledge extends well past what you guys have seen of him on WWE TV and I will forever be thankful for that. He’s the reason why the Eclipse is off the top rope.”

    Were you trying to do it from the middle rope before?

    “So, when I first started doing the Eclipse, I’m terrified of heights, I was doing it on the middle rope. And, Booker was the one who talked me into doing it on the top rope and it just worked so much better because I had more time to adjust and spin.”

    You talked about yourself being kind of a shy person. When you’ve seen the success of Total Divas, is that something that would be hard for you or would you look forward to the opportunity if presented with it?

    “You see everything. Me being the reclusive person that I am, I don’t know if that’s something I would do. I’ve been on Total Divas a couple of times in a guest role and I just don’t know. I really don’t. I’m not saying I would say “No.” I just don’t know.”

    You can read Moon’s full interview with The New York Post by clicking this link here.