SEScoops

Author: Jon Fuentes

  • JBL Defends Road Dogg From Twitter Troll, Carmella Reacts To Meltzer’s 1 Star Rating

    JBL Defends Road Dogg From Twitter Troll, Carmella Reacts To Meltzer’s 1 Star Rating

    JBL Defends Road Dogg Against Twitter Troll

    Yesterday morning former WWE Champion JBL Tweeted out a gif of himself clotheslining Billy Gunn, joking that he hurt his arm because Gunn ran so hard into him. SmackDown Live writer Road Dogg responded and said he himself ran into JBL’s clothesline hard twice in one match once.

    JBL responded by telling Road Dogg that he and Gunn should’ve learned to work better. Road Dogg jokingly responded by saying he still hears that same complaint today, only people now spell “work” as “w.r.i.t.e.” A podcast’s Twitter account attempted to troll Road Dogg with a response, but JBL was quick to jump to his old friend’s aid:

    Carmella Responds To Meltzer’s One Star Rating

    Many of you may know that F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer has a famous five star rating system in which he grades professional wrestling matches. Recently, Meltzer rated Carmella’s SmackDown Live Women’s Title match against Charlotte Flair at Backlash with one star.

    A fan asked Carmella how she felt about Meltzer’s rating, and she responded by acting like she didn’t know who he is:

    https://twitter.com/willbeckywinNo/status/994953828788310016

  • Kenny Omega Wants Three Fall Match With Kazuchika Okada

    Kenny Omega Wants Three Fall Match With Kazuchika Okada

    New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kenny Omega recently did an interview with Tokyo Sports to talk about several professional wrestling topics. The Cleaner first discussed his upcoming match-up against Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion. It will be the fourth match between the pair.

    Omega talked about the history he has with Okada and the amazing matches they’ve put on with one another:

    “In a normal match [Wrestle Kingdom 11], Okada won. In a match, where we both prepared to perfection (last year’s Dominion), it was a draw. In a match where we were both broken down and beaten up, I won.”

    In regards to how he thinks he and Okada’s rivalry should be put to bed, he’d like to see a Three Fall match to cap things off:

    “A three fall match is the best possible way, the fairest way for us to match stamina, technique and strength.”

    You can read Omega’s full interview with Tokyo Sports by clicking this link here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_q2eV6KPCY

  • SAnitY Wants To Purge SDL, Darren Young Vlogs From Convention (Video)

    SAnitY Wants To Purge SDL, Darren Young Vlogs From Convention (Video)

    SAnitY Wants To Purge SmackDown Live

    WWE again aired a “coming soon” promo for SAnitY’s upcoming debut on SmackDown Live. Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain took to Twitter and noted they want to “purge” Tuesday nights:

    https://twitter.com/TheWWEWolfe/status/994014517150601216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://twitter.com/KillianDain/status/994034470272536577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Darren Young’s Footage From Convention

    Former WWE Superstar Darren Young has uploaded a new vlog on his YouTube channel, including footage from a recent convention appearance. Young, real name Fred Rosser, is now going by the name “Mr. No Days Off” on the independent circuit:

  • Matt Sydal Reveals Backstage Environment At Recent IMPACT Tapings

    Matt Sydal Reveals Backstage Environment At Recent IMPACT Tapings

    Current Impact X Division Champion Matt Sydal recently did an interview with Wrestling Epicenter to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Sydal discussed the most recent IMPACT tapings that took place in Orlando, Florida, and the positive response they received:

    “Well, all I can tell you about those tapings are these were the tapings where I was most heavily involved. I was integral to these tapings and I really felt like I was able to get what I’ve been trying to say across. As the weeks go on, I think people will be able to enjoy our product, they’ll be able to log on, they can watch on POP! I always stand behind the things that I do.

    “I don’t listen to those who downplay things nor do I pay attention to those who grovel at our feet and tell us that we’re the greatest. For me, that is just noise. I’m out there to produce the best content – The most creative content I can do and express myself through wrestling. If you watch what happened at these tapings, if you’re a fan of wrestling, you’ve got something to watch!

    “I don’t know how much time you have got in your week to watch wrestling – Quite frankly, you’d be better off walking around a park with your phone not in your hand. But, when you’re done with that, come inside and watch Impact.”

    Sydal also noted that the atmosphere backstage changed for these most recent set of tapings:

    “One different thing that I can tell you about backstage was, there were a lot of monitor sell outs this taping. People really wanted to see what was happening in the ring. The production is coming together, the production looks great. Impact is just always improving at all angles.

    “There is a lot of creativity and thought that goes into everything. I’m happy to be a part of it as we move forward. And, I’m happy to move things in the wild direction! I am able to move things and steer things into a direction I’ve wanted to for my whole career.”

    He also compared his runs with WWE, Ring Of Honor (ROH), and his current run with IMPACT Wrestling:

    “That’s the thing. I always love the locker rooms that I end up in. There is so much great talent. [In WWE] I had so many awesome matches with the Usos, Primo and Epico, me and Kofi tore it up for years. I’ve wrestled Chavo. I’ve wrestled Jericho! I had so many awesome matches there. In Ring of Honor, I had such awesome matches with Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles both before and after my turn with WWE.

    “I mean, working with Will Ospreay before he broke out of England, working with him in Japan. Marty [Scurl], The [Young] Bucks! I’ve just been forever super lucky. So, in this Impact locker room, we’ve got some insane talent. Guys you need to keep your eye on are Desmond Xavier and Zach Wentz, the oVe guys are killing it.

    “LAX and oVe had this insane feud! Brian Cage, Austin Aries, John Morrison [Impact] is returning from a secret location that may not be disclosed. … All you can do is keep swinging for the fences. Whether it is good or bad, it all comes from a good place. I’m glad Josh [Mathews] thought these tapings were good. Clearly his spiritual path is right and he’s got his third eye open. I expect everybody else to do the same.”

  • Paige Thought She Would End Up In A Wheelchair After Accident That Ended Her Career

    Paige Thought She Would End Up In A Wheelchair After Accident That Ended Her Career

    Former WWE Divas Champion and current SmackDown Live General Manager Paige recently did an interview on Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about her in-ring career coming to an end and her new role in WWE. Paige was forced to retire after suffering an injury at a live event in January.

    She injured her neck just months after returning from a long layoff following multiple neck surgeries. Paige believes she pushed her body too much too soon, and it finally caught up with her:

    “I honestly felt really confident about it, but that’s the inner-wrestler stubbornness. You know how we are; we can be fine, and all believe we are unbreakable. Just coming back and it kind of humbled me a little bit,” Paige said.

    “I thought I was fine, and perhaps earn a championship match, but I did come back with the confidence that this was going to be fine, but I kind of felt that in a single’s match where something didn’t feel right as it was before.

    “I had to go down to the Performance Center and take bumps by moving my neck somewhere and kicking out of a finish and moving my head to the side because it couldn’t be the same. I had to adjust in a lot of ways.”

    Paige then recalled the moment she suffered the injury and called it the scariest moment of her life. She also said she feared she would end up in a wheelchair:

    “I felt it in a single’s match where I realized that something didn’t feel too good, but I thought that it was fine, I’m just rusty. I’m doing a 25 minute match, and I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be fine,’ but then when the accident happened and I lost all feeling in my legs and arms, it was the most terrifying experience in my life, and I never wish that upon anyone. It was so scary,” Paige said.

    “I literally was done, and I thought I was going to be in a wheelchair. I had pushed myself too much. I really did. Every time I was in a match I was like, okay, I will take the bumps, I pushed myself too hard where my body was literally done. I have been doing this since I was 17, it’s like, I need to let my body grow a little bit.”

    Her injury came at a time where women’s wrestling in WWE was on the rise, however, that doesn’t erase the amazing accomplishments Paige has already achieved in her legendary career:

    “I am really, really proud. I definitely filled in a lot of stuff after my small career in WWE. I have been with WWE for over 6 years now, and I had that year and a half out which wasn’t the best year of my life, but missions were accomplished after I came back,” she said.

    “I even had a couple months to accomplish a little bit more, and getting to commentate the all-female Royal Rumble, it was great. It’s not ending like I haven’t done anything with my career. I actually have a couple of trophies that I have to display under my belt as well.”

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

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Batista Improvised Hilarious Line In Avengers: Infinity War, The Miz Taunts Daniel Bryan, Lucha Underground

    Batista Improvised Hilarious Line In Avengers: Infinity War, The Miz Taunts Daniel Bryan, Lucha Underground

    Batista Improvised A Hilarious Line In Avengers: Infinity War

    Yahoo recently did an interview with two screenwriters from Avengers: Infinity War, and they shared a very interesting story about how former WWE Champion Batista improvised one of the more hilarious lines of the film:

    “Then there’s Dave Bautista, the giant of a man behind Drax, who is quickly emerging as one of the funniest Avengers/Guardians, thanks to laugh-landing lines like, “Why is Gamora?,” which perfectly breaks the tension during a heated standoff between Iron Man and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) on Titan.

    ““The script only said, ‘Where is Gamora?’ ‘I’ll do you even better: Who is Gamora?’ And then one day Bautista just goes, ‘I’ll do you one better: Why is Gamora?’” Markus recalled. “It’s like, ‘OK, you’re very good at your job.’””

    The Miz Taunts Daniel Bryan

    The Miz continues to tease Daniel Bryan now that they’re both on the same brand on SmackDown Live. He Tweeted out the following after Bryan lost his Money In The Bank Ladder Match qualifying bout to Rusev:

    https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/994034603353571328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Lucha Underground Season 4 Trailer

    You can check out the extended trailer for Lucha Underground Season 4 here below:

    The new season debuts on June 13 at 8pm ET on the El Rey Network.

  • Who Produced SmackDown Live’s Matches This Week?

    Who Produced SmackDown Live’s Matches This Week?

    We now know who produced a few of the matches from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that Charlotte Flair and Carmella’s match was produced by Sarah Stock – better known as Sarita during her time in TNA.

    Tyson Kidd reportedly produced the match between Mandy Rose and Becky Lynch. Cesaro and Xavier Woods’ match was produced by Arn Anderson. The Miz vs Jeff Hardy was produced by Dean Malenko.

    Michael “P.S” Hayes produced the main event between Rusev and Daniel Bryan, which was a Money In The Bank Ladder Match qualifying match.

    Discussion: Which match did you enjoy the most from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live? And which producer’s matches have you been enjoying the most in the past few months?

  • Samoa Joe Responds To Notion That WWE Is Killing Indy Wrestling

    Samoa Joe Responds To Notion That WWE Is Killing Indy Wrestling

    WWE continues to swoop up the best talent in the world and bring them to their Performance Center in Orlando before grooming them on NXT. Some fans have said that WWE is killing independent wrestling by signing some of the best talent on the indies and locking them up.

    In a recent interview with Pop Culture, SmackDown Live Superstar Samoa Joe addressed this notion. Joe had a rather interesting take on the issue. Here’s what he had to say:

    “Hey, you know whose fault it is, that your favorite wrestler got bought out? The company he was working for, cause they were too cheap to pay him what he was worth. So he should get paid what he’s worth, and if WWE comes and pays him what he’s worth, that’s on your sorry ass. Get the money right. And start paying these dudes.

    “There are too many crazy talented dudes out there that aren’t getting paid, and if you have a problem with WWE making those dudes rich, you can kiss my ass, cause those dudes deserve to be rich, cause they’re talented as hell. It’s funny because people are like, ‘oh, well that’s kind of messed up,’ No. No. That’s how you win.

    “That’s why they’re the number one company in the world. You go out there and you get the best dudes. You don’t get mad at a tiger for being a tiger.”

    You can read Joe’s full interview with Pop Culture by clicking this link here.

  • Alexa Bliss Injury Update, Heath Slater’s New Tattoo For His Kids (Photo), Peyton Royce

    Alexa Bliss Injury Update, Heath Slater’s New Tattoo For His Kids (Photo), Peyton Royce

    Injury Update On Alexa Bliss

    As we’ve noted, it seemed that Alexa Bliss suffered an injury during her Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) match against Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Title.

    It seems like the injury was either minor or a storyline because Little Miss Bliss is booked for WWE’s European Tour and competed at WWE’s live event in Bournemouth, GB last night.

    Heath Slater Gets A New Tattoo For His Kids

    Former Tag Team Champion Heath Slater recently got a huge tattoo on his left arm for his kids in North Carolina. Slater noted that the tattoo was dedicated to his daughters Remmy and Roz. Check it out here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BimMx0HgzZ4/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Peyton Royce Reacts To Her New Finisher Name

    The new WrestleMania Fusion card for Peyton Royce on WWE Super Card is out, and it notes that the name of her finisher is “The Ugh.” Royce took to Twitter to react to the name, and you can check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/peytonroycewwe/status/994265613131571200?s=21

  • Former Glamour Girl Speaks Out On Fabulous Moolah Allegations

    Former Glamour Girl Speaks Out On Fabulous Moolah Allegations

    Former Glamour Girl Judy Martin recently did an interview with Nigel Sherrod to discuss the allegations against former WWE Women’s Champion Fabulous Moolah. There was a ton of controversy surrounding WWE naming the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal after Moolah.

    The name was changed and all ties to her were removed after an uproar from fans and WrestleMania’s key sponsor, Snickers. Martin first discussed how she believes Vince McMahon and the WWE should’ve handled the situation:

    “Vince should have come out with a press conference and said, “Mars and Snickers, let’s get the fact straight, because here’s a woman that worked for us for so many years and I stand behind her…Let’s see where this came from and who started this mess.”

    In regards to the pimping allegations on Moolah, Martin says that she has had members of her own family ask her if it’s true and she explains how much that hurts her:

    “I’ve had cousins ask, “Judy did you really do that…about Moolah pimping you out?” Nobody knows how that hurts you that you worked for somebody that pimped you out so you could get where you did…

    “I never talked about how much I loved wrestling. That was something that I really loved. I don’t mean to cry but when you get older, you get a little sentimental. I tried my best to be as good as I could and that really hurt.”

    As for the fans who signed the petition to have the Rumble match disassociated with Moolah’s name, Martin said she’s not sure if the people who signed are real wrestling fans:

    “You really said that she pimped us girls out. That never happened. The drugs, I’ve never done drugs. I was tested way back then and I guarantee the only thing they found on me was a cigarette. It hurts. It really hurts.

    “I don’t know if you guys are really wrestling fans…but you damaged a lot of girls that worked in this business at that time. You need to get to know who you’re talking about before you go out and screw up people’s lives…I hope Vince will take it upon himself to correct this matter.”

  • Legend Explains Why Roman Reigns “Would Be Fired” In Territory Era

    Legend Explains Why Roman Reigns “Would Be Fired” In Territory Era

    Former professional wrestling tag team legend Bobby Fulton, of the Fantastics, was recently a guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show where he talked about several professional wrestling topics.

    Fulton was promoting his upcoming World Classic Professional Big Time Wrestling show which is set to go down on May 26 in Circleville, Ohio, where he will be wrestling the final match of his 40-year career.

    During his appearance, Fulton offered his thoughts on WWE’s current booking of Roman Reigns. Reigns is one of the more controversial characters in the business as he is received with a plethora of boos around the country, despite being pushed to the moon by WWE creative as one of the company’s top stars.

    Fulton divulged that if Reigns were working in the old territory days of professional wrestling, he would’ve already been fired:

    “I’ma tell you right now. If Roman Reigns was wrestling back in the day, they would have fired him already,” Fulton said. “Because he can’t get the job done if they hired him as a babyface. Jerry Lawler told me one time when I was breaking in the business, I was going out to the ring and was wrestling underneath – and underneath means that you’re at the bottom of the rung – and it got to the point where the people knew I was gonna lose when I walked to the ring and I was working in Memphis.

    “I said, ‘man, the people are booing me when I walk to the ring!’ [Lawler] said, ‘well, maybe it’s time for you to go. You’re here as a babyface.’ And, like I said, if Roman Reigns was wrestling back in the day, and I mean I give all props to his family and where he comes from and who he is. But as far as getting the job done as a professional wrestler, even as a sports entertainer, he’s not getting it done because he is not able to make that connection with the people.

    “The people just aren’t buying him. He needs to become a heel and just forget about it if Vince is gonna keep him hired. But if they’re gonna keep doing what they’re doing, then they need to turn him heel or get rid of him because he’s not gonna be an asset to the company and whoever he beats he’s gonna make them more popular just like Brock Lesnar. The more Brock Lesnar beat on him and bloodied him was the more the people got behind Brock.

    “So, with that being said, if this would have been back in my day, Roman Reigns would either be a heel or be fired right now because he’s not getting the job done… Vince is trying to prove a point but he can’t prove it because it just ain’t gonna happen.”

    You can listen to Fulton’s full interview on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show by clicking this link here.

  • Bruce Prichard Reveals The Storyline That Made Him An RVD Fan

    Bruce Prichard Reveals The Storyline That Made Him An RVD Fan

    Former WWE official Bruce Prichard recently dedicated an episode of his podcast, Something To Wrestle, to overlooking the WWE career of former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam. Prichard first discussed that RVD made his WWE TV debut back in 1987 as a fan:

    “Rob told me, when I first met him. He said, “You know I was one of those people that came out of the audience and did one of Ted Dibiase’s ‘Will you do this for money’ deal,” Prichard explained.

    “He actually did the ‘Kiss My Feet’ thing with Ted Dibiase where he got paid to kiss his feet. We actually went back and found the footage and it was Rob Szatkowski, so I thought that was really cool. He was a mega fan.”

    Prichard also revealed that after seeing Van Dam get his start in WCW he seriously considered bringing him in to WWE:

    “The first time I saw Rob Van Dam was actually with Dory Funk Jr, long before he was in ECW. Right about the time he was going to WCW. Rob Van Dam does the ‘Van Dam Deadlift’ where he takes two chairs and does the splits and then he lifts a barbell in between,” Prichard said.

    “Extremely difficult to do and extremely impressive when someone does it. He had a unique look and had a different style, so watching Rob from day one thought that he was special and thought someone that can come to WWE and have a big niche following.”

    RVD got his start with WWE in 2001 as a member of the Invasion storyline. Prichard said that he became a fan of RVD’s during this storyline when he saw his interactions with WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin – as he believes the ECW legend has great chemistry with the Texan:

    “The Alliance stuff with Steve Austin and Rob Van Dam, to me, that was where I fell in love with RVD because I really didn’t know him that well, except superficially, but when we were doing stuff with Steve Austin and Steve was doing stuff with his watch and doing the ‘What?’ chant and looking at his watch, we’re shooting and I am telling Rob to act natural, react and just go with it because I wasn’t a big fan of scripts, so I would let the guys freestyle at times, and if it would work we would go with it,” Prichard said.

    “So, Steve is putting his watch in his ear and RVD takes the watch and puts the watch up to his ear asking what it is he was listening to. It was real, and it was something that everybody wanted to do but they’re looking for a script, but I told Rob to just freestyle with it and it was good.

    “Steve and Rob had a chemistry in the backstage vignettes where we thought that there may be something there. It was just good chemistry.”

    You can listen to Bruce Prichard’s comments on Something To Wrestle by clicking this link here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Seth Rollins On Historic IC Title Feat, Big Cass Takes Credit For Rusev’s SDL Win (Video)

    Seth Rollins On Historic IC Title Feat, Big Cass Takes Credit For Rusev’s SDL Win (Video)

    Seth Rollins On His Historic Intercontinental Title Feat

    WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins recently took to Twitter to comment on himself completing a historic feat as Intercontinental Champ. Rollins noted that he was getting set to defend his title on a fourth continent in three weeks.

    That doesn’t seem to be enough for The Architect, however, as he followed up by saying he wants even more:

    Big Cass Takes Credit For Rusev’s SDL Win Over Daniel Bryan

    On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Rusev defeated Daniel Bryan to qualify for the Money In The Bank Ladder Match in several weeks. Cass was not used on the show last night, but did do a post-show interview for WWE’s YouTube Channel to discuss his rival Bryan’s loss.

    Cass took credit for Rusev defeating Bryan because of his assault on the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion after their match at Backlash. Check out what he had to say here:

  • Sonya Deville Threatens Paige, Tommaso Ciampa Blocks WWE Network On Twitter

    Sonya Deville Threatens Paige, Tommaso Ciampa Blocks WWE Network On Twitter

    Sonya Deville Threatens Paige

    On SmackDown Live last night, General Manager Paige barred Sonya Deville from ringside for Mandy Rose’s match against Becky Lynch. Deville revolted on Instagram by posting a picture of herself and Rose, asking who the hell Paige thinks she is for barring her from ringside.

    Deville also warned “this isn’t over”:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BiifmuDguf5/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Paige got to respond perfectly by saying “I’m your boss that’s who I am.”:

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/994038238024224774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F952781-sonya-deville-calls-out-paige-smackdown-gm-responds

    Tommaso Ciampa Blocks WWE Network On Twitter

    Yesterday was NXT star Tomasso Ciampa’s 33rd birthday, and WWE Network’s Twitter account wished him a Happy Birthday while also saying he has a “black heart” – a play on his nickname. Ciampa then responded by posting screenshots of himself blocking the WWE Network Twitter account. Check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/993955811750764545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F952803-tommaso-ciampa-turns-heel-on-the-wwe-networks-twitter-account-nia-jax-visits-stone-henge

  • MVP On Turing Bobby Lashley Heel, Interesting Miz vs. Jeff Hardy Stat, Vader

    MVP On Turing Bobby Lashley Heel, Interesting Miz vs. Jeff Hardy Stat, Vader

    MVP On Possibly Turning Bobby Lashley Heel

    Former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley is back in the WWE fold but it doesn’t seem like his return has garnered as much attention as the company would’ve liked. Lashley seems to have formed an alliance of sorts with Braun Strowman as they recently took out Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn together at Backlash.

    One fan on Twitter suggested that WWE turn Lashley heel as it would benefit his better in regards to a crowd reaction. The fan also noted that he’d like to see former United States Champion MVP return to be Lashley’s mouthpiece. MVP took to Twitter to respond to this possibility – simply replying with “intriguing”

    Interesting Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz Stat

    Last night on SmackDown Live The Miz took on Jeff Hardy for a spot in the upcoming Money In The Bank Ladder Match. The Miz wound up winning the contest and qualifying for the bout.

    WWE Stats & Info posted a very interesting fact about the pair on Twitter, revealing their match last night was only the second time ever they’d shared the ring together in one-on-one competition:

    Vader Update

    WWE and WCW Legend Vader revealed on Twitter that he recently underwent another heart surgery to repair an irregular heartbeat that put him at higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Vader noted the operation was a success:

  • Who Has Been The Decision-Maker Behind Drew McIntyre’s Main Roster Call-Up

    Who Has Been The Decision-Maker Behind Drew McIntyre’s Main Roster Call-Up

    Last month former WWE NXT Champion Drew McIntyre was called up to the main roster as a member of Monday Night RAW. Interestingly enough, he made his debut alongside Dolph Ziggler – who moved over to Monday Nights from SmackDown Live – in a tag team.

    McIntyre has been expected to be a big singles star upon his main roster call-up by fans, so seeing him paired with Ziggler was a very interesting choice by WWE creative. In regards to who has been calling these shots, PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson reports it has been all Vince McMahon.

    Vince reportedly made the call to bring McIntyre up from NXT and it was also his call to pair him up with Ziggler.

    McIntyre previously worked for WWE back in 2007 when he was signed to a developmental deal. He went on to win the Intercontinental Championship before having a major drop-off in his career, subsequently pairing up with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater to form Three Man Band (3MB).

    He was released from the company in 2014 and returned to the independent circuit. Following stints with EVOLVE, IMPACT, and many others – McIntyre signed back with WWE in April of 2017 and was sent to NXT.

    Discussion: How do you like the pairing of McIntyre and Ziggler? And where do you think WWE is going with the team?

  • Triple H Talks Possibly Holding WrestleMania In The U.K.

    Triple H Talks Possibly Holding WrestleMania In The U.K.

    WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Sky Sports to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic of discussion was the possibility of WWE hosting a WrestleMania in the United Kingdom. The U.K. has been clamoring for a WWE pay-per-view (PPV) for quite some time now, and a WrestleMania in their homeland would be absolutely massive.

    The Game said “never say never” when it comes to the possibility of the WWE taking WrestleMania overseas:

    “If you’re going to set an ambition, set it high. As we always say, never say never. WrestleMania is a week-long series of events and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard. Doing them internationally with international crews and international support systems and everything else is a factor of difficulty way beyond what we have in the US.

    “Can we get there? Sure, maybe over time. We would take steps in that direction and those steps are probably other pay-per-views. From my point of view I’d like to bring other meaningful events through WWE, whether that’s NXT or the United Kingdom championships, taking international brands and putting them on in those markets.

    “As the world becomes smaller and more technologically advanced, it becomes easier to do these things live from different places. From my end, that’s what I’m working towards.”

    You can read Triple H’s full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.

  • Sheamus’ Hilarious Mid-Match Selfie On SDL, Former WWE & TNA Star On Fans Criticizing Wrestling

    Sheamus’ Hilarious Mid-Match Selfie On SDL, Former WWE & TNA Star On Fans Criticizing Wrestling

    Sheamus Takes A Mid-Match Selfie

    Last night on SmackDown Live Xavier Woods took on Cesaro with their respective teammates (Cesaro and The New Day) at ringside. At one point in the match Cesaro was working on Woods in the corner, and The Celtic Warrior took the opportunity to snap a funny selfie.

    Woods’ face is in pain from Cesaro’s boot driving into the back of his neck, while Sheamus is all smiles. Check it out:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Biidd47AsEX/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Ex-WWE and TNA star reacts to fans criticizing wrestling

    Former WWE and TNA star Frankie Kazarian recently took to Twitter to offer some lengthy thoughts on some professional wrestling fans criticizing the sport. He also got into some constructive back-and-forth with fans as well. You can check it out here:

  • Roman Reigns On His Backlash Victory (Video), Cesaro Talks Watching PPV From Home, Rusev

    Roman Reigns On His Backlash Victory (Video), Cesaro Talks Watching PPV From Home, Rusev

    Roman Reigns On Defeating Samoa Joe At Backlash

    WWE posted an interview between Cathy Kelly and Roman Reigns, who describes the pride he feels over his win against Samoa Joe at Backlash. Reigns said that Joe had been saying a lot of things about him in recent weeks, and his victory solidifies that this is still his yard:

    Cesaro On Watching Backlash From Home

    Not all WWE Superstars were used on last night’s Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) event. While there were no Tag Team Title matches on the show, that meant that SmackDown Live’s team, The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro), didn’t have a spot on the card.

    The Swiss Superman took to Twitter to comment on what it was like watching the event from home instead of performing:

    Rusev On Bobby Roode Twerking During Rusev Day

    A segment during last night’s Backlash event featured Elias being interrupted by the likes of The New Day, Rusev and Aiden English, No Way Jose, and Bobby Roode. In the end everyone (except Rusev and English) were dancing with Jose’s conga line – including Roode. Roode actually twerked a bit for the crowd.

    Rusev took to Twitter to comment on The Glorious One’s twerking abilities:

  • Carmella Fires Back At Wrestling Critics On Twitter, Natalya Pays Tribute To Owen Hart

    Carmella Fires Back At Wrestling Critics On Twitter, Natalya Pays Tribute To Owen Hart

    Carmella Goes Off On Backlash Performance Critics

    Last night SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Carmella successfully retained her title against Charlotte Flair during the Backlash pay-per-view (PPV). There were a few sloppy spots during the match that fans called The Princess Of Statin Island out for on Twitter.

    Carmella decided to respond to some of these comments on Twitter; ranging from people telling her she has no in-ring talent, to others saying she’s nothing more than eye candy. Check it out:

    https://twitter.com/deejaykage/status/993465105991036929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F951927-carmella-responds-to-fan-backlash-comments-on-just-being-eye-candy

    https://twitter.com/BrianAn56619818/status/993461240801394689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F951927-carmella-responds-to-fan-backlash-comments-on-just-being-eye-candy

    Natalya Pays Tribute To Owen Hart

    RAW Superstar Natalya took to social media to pay tribute to her late uncle Owen Hart, who would’ve turned 53-years-old today. Hart passed away back in May of 1999 after taking a fall from the top of the rafters in a stunt gone wrong at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri for the Over The Edge PPV. He died from internal bleeding and blunt force trauma at a nearby hospital:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BiegDB0h5rC/?utm_source=ig_embed

  • John Cena Posts Cryptic “Heel Turn” Tweet, Vader Looking To Wrestle Again

    John Cena Posts Cryptic “Heel Turn” Tweet, Vader Looking To Wrestle Again

    John Cena Posts Cryptic Tweet

    John Cena is notorious for posting cryptic content on his Instagram page, and he didn’t disappoint this time around. The Leader Of The Cenation has posted a photo that shows a figure hitting another person with a steel chair, captioned by the phrase “heel turn.”

    Cena could be referring to a number of things; likely last night’s controversy with Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe’s main event match at Backlash. Fans started to walk out of the arena in protest of Reigns’ continuing to be shoved down their throats – not to mention the match was a snoozer. Many have called for The Big Dog to turn heel instead of being pushed as WWE’s top babyface.

    He could also be referring to the hype from fans to have himself turn heel. This has been an ongoing debate for years now, so perhaps Cena is simply having his fun with fans’ minds and making them speculate. You be the judge:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BiehQbUglv9/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Vader Teases A Return To Wrestling

    WWE and WCW Legend Vader has been battling severe health issues as of late and has been keeping fans updated via social media. He recently took to Twitter and noted that he’s hoping to get a medical release soon that will allow him to continue wrestling:

  • The Reason WWE Can’t Mention Bobby Lashley’s First Run With The Company

    The Reason WWE Can’t Mention Bobby Lashley’s First Run With The Company

    Former ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley made his return to the WWE last month on the night after WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans when he interrupted Elias and delivered a massive Suplex.

    As of late Lashley seems to have developed an alliance with Braun Strowman on Monday Night RAW, as the pair defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at last night’s Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) event.

    One thing that some WWE fans are wondering about, however, are why commentators on RAW aren’t mentioning Lashley’s previous success with the company. Per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, it turns out that they want to flush out his relationship with current United States President Donald Trump.

    Trump, who is a WWE Hall Of Famer in the celebrity wing, is currently a very controversial figure in the country. He selected Bobby Lashley to represent him at the Battle Of The Billionaires for WrestleMania 23 over 10 years ago.

    Although this happened over a decade ago, WWE doesn’t seem to want to offend anybody by bringing up Lashley’s past and possible rekindling the memory that Lashley and Trump were aligned together on WWE TV.

  • It Looks Like MITB Will Feature Three Ladder Matches

    It Looks Like MITB Will Feature Three Ladder Matches

    WWE’s next pay-per-view offering, Money in the Bank, takes place from Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on Sunday, June 17th.

    After last year’s event featured the the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank match, there are a few indications that the 2018 installment will feature a third MITB briefcase up for grabs. As seen below, advertising for the show features three briefcases – red, white and blue.

    For what it’s worth, the Allstate Arena website states, “For the first time ever … a men’s and women’s ladder match with Superstars from Raw and SmackDown Live.”

    Last year Carmella won the first-ever female MITB ladder match and would cash-in last month to win the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship from Charlotte Flair. Baron Corbin won the men’s MITB ladder match, but failed to cash it in on Jinder Mahal during an episode of SmackDown Live.

    It should be interesting to see who leaves the Allstate Arena with the briefcases this year.

  • Santino Marella Gives His Thoughts On IMPACT Wrestling’s Personnel Changes

    Santino Marella Gives His Thoughts On IMPACT Wrestling’s Personnel Changes

    Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Anthony Carelli (a.k.a. Santino Marella) was recently hosting his Twitch show, Behind The Lights, and offered his thoughts on various professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) topics. Marella first discussed the personnel changes to IMPACT Wrestling:

    “I tell you what, IMPACT Wrestling, this is such an interesting phenomenon, because they’ve had different incarnations — TNA, IMPACT Wrestling. Sometimes there’s somebody new at the helm and then people wonder, ‘How is this going to turn out?’. And sometimes, ‘ah it’s kinda the same thing, they’re shuffling old guys, whatever, whatever’, and it hasn’t really connected in the past in terms of that renaissance.

    “But this one here there’s a different feeling — again, Scott at the helm and Don — there’s real change. It was getting a reputation in the past of being, ‘Oh they’re just recycling old WWE guys’, you know, hand-me-downs, and that was the reputation they had for a while. Now that’s not the case. Now they’re developing fresh, new talent that’s not… I mean if there’s someone there from WWE that’s fine, but the roster’s not comprised of leftovers anymore.

    “The mentality, the direction they’re going in, it’s very good for the business because you need competition. There was a long time when there was no competition to WWE. Now there’s places to go.”

    As for IMPACT Wrestling’s recent Redemption pay-per-view (PPV), Marella explained why he loved the event:

    “I thought it was awesome. It solidified the notion of the change of direction for me. It’s funny because to be competition with WWE already means that you’re on the map, you’re on the radar. But you can’t compete with the budget. You can’t compete with the juggernaut marketing machine that they have.

    “But you don’t have to have a massive budget to have that one creative genius especially with the different platforms we have today to be able to get out there. So before it was only TV, and now because of all these different mediums you can compete with TV.”

    Marella also told fans to enjoy this evolution that IMPACT Wrestling is currently going through, and predicts a legendary moment in wrestling is coming:

    “For the viewers at home, the pro wrestling universe, enjoy watching this evolution. This is history right now in the making. Back in the day when ECW was growing and there was something happening. You felt it. And it was a legendary moment in wrestling. This is the beginning of another legendary moment in wrestling.

    “So watch it, be a part of it, so you can say, ‘I was there, I was a part of it, I watched it happen’ and I would love to even have my fingerprints just a little bit involved on this evolution to say that, ‘We did something great in the professional wrestling business and we became something that could compete with the big juggernaut.’”

  • Luke Harper On No Longer Being In The Wyatt Family, The Big Show Is Back In The Gym (Photo)

    Luke Harper On No Longer Being In The Wyatt Family, The Big Show Is Back In The Gym (Photo)

    Luke Harper On Not Being A Part Of The Wyatt Family

    One half of SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers, Luke Harper, recently took to Twitter to comment on no longer being a part of The Wyatt Family. Harper got his start in WWE alongside Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan in the faction.

    His Tweet got responses from former Wyatt Family members Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton, as well as Tyler Breeze:

    https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/991739651265310720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    The Big Show Gets Back In The Gym

    The Big Show is back in the gym after recovering from recent complications from a surgery. Show posted a photo on social media showing that he’s back to work in the weight room, and is even breaking equipment:

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