Tonight’s WWE SmackDown takes place from Glendale, Arizona at the Desert Diamond Arena.
WrestleMania 40 is just 36 days days away and business is about to pick up. “Greatness is coming” tonight, as The Rock, Roman Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline will be on hand. Roman Reigns is Tribal Chief and the Undisputed WWE Champion, but it’s The Rock who is commanding most of the attention headed into the event.
How will The Rock react to Cody Rhodes issuing a challenge to him last weekend at Elimination Chamber? The American Nightmare stated, “Any time, any place.” The Rock hasn’t been one to back down for a challenge, so it will be interesting to see how he responds, and when a hypothetical match between these two would take place.
Wrestling fans who can’t get enough of The Rock are in luck, as he recently revealed his upcoming WWE schedule and confirmed he’ll be on SmackDown for the next several weeks.
Matches For SmackDown:
In addition to The Bloodline gracing us with their presence, WWE has announced the following matches for the March 1, 2024 edition of Friday Night SmackDown:
Dakota Kai & Bayley against The Kabuki Warriors. Kai has been recovering from ACL surgery and hasn’t wrestled since May 2023.
Carlito will battle Santos Escobar in a Street Fight.
SEScoops will have full coverage of all the WWE news coming out of tonight’s SmackDown broadcast.
Major League Wrestling is back tonight with MLW Intimidation Games 2024 from New York City’s Melrose Ballroom. Intimidation Games will stream live on TrillerTV+.
Fans in attendance will also witness additional matches as part of a beIN SPORTS TV taping. For fans in the New York area, visit Eventbrite to purchase tickets.
MLW Intimidation Games Card (TrillerTV+)
MLW Intimidation Games 2024
MLW World Heavyweight Title Fight Satoshi Kojima (champion) vs. Minoru Suzuki
NJPW World Television Title Fight Matt Riddle (champion) vs. Bad Dude Tito
MLW World Middleweight Title Fight Rocky Romero (champion, presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Místico (with Cesar Duran)
MLW World Tag Team Title Fight Second Gear Crew (champions) vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (promoted by Saint Laurent)
Bobby Fish vs. Alex Kane (cornered by Mr. Thomas)
NYC Street Fight The Calling (Rickey Shane Page & Sami Callihan) vs. AKIRA & Jake Crist
5 minute $5000 challenge MLW World Featherweight Champion Janai Kai fights
MLW at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NYC
beIN SPORTS Card
MLW cameras will be rolling for these additional matches:
¡Lucha Libre Espectacular! Star Jr. (presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Magnus (with Cesar Duran)
CozyMAX open contract fight Delmi Exo vs. Zayda
Scramble-6 match Ichiban vs. Love, Doug vs. Brett Ryan Gosselin vs. Marcus Mathers vs. Cannonball vs. Dyln McKay
Plus, there will be a special Meet & Greet with Satoshi Kojima, Minoru Suzuki, and Mistico.
DAY OF EVENT SCHEDULE:
5:30 p.m.: Early entry for front row ticket holders
6:00 p.m.: Doors open for general public (all ticket holders)
The FITE streaming platform, a leading PPV carrier and subscription channel covering wrestling, MMA and boxing events, is rebranding as TrillerTV.
A countdown clock at the soon-to-redirecting-elsewhere FITE.tv shows they’ll flip the switch on the rebrand this Wednesday, December 13 at 7:59am.
Below is the official press release, including quotes from industry veteran Michael Weber and other executives at Triller.
Sports Streaming Leader FITE Renamed TrillerTV
TrillerTV
The best value in live streaming and the most reliable PPV and subscription platform, FITE is growing beyond its combat sports roots to offer fans even more action
New York, NY (December 11, 2023): FITE is proud to announce its rebranding as TrillerTV, signaling the continuing addition of new sports categories and closer alignment with parent company Triller. The PPV platform, subscription channel, and FAST channel will all continue to deliver the same incredible action, with the same reputation for quality, reliability, and innovation. Now, the massive reach and resources of Triller will power FITE’s continued growth through acquisitions and major sports rights licensing deals.
“TrillerTV is everything you know and trust from FITE, but with doors open for even more sports,” said Michael Weber, Co-Founder and COO of TrillerTV. “Our original name served us well, as have our loyal customers, promoters, and athletes to whom we are super grateful. The time has come to give even more to expand the experience we’ve built from the ground up to celebrate the passion and precision that makes us all love sports.”
FITE was founded in 2015 using pioneering and proprietary AI tools to enhance the viewer experience. The platform has since grown, thanks to its hard-driving, sports-fanatic team, to serve 8 million registered users around the world, and to present blockbuster events with the biggest names in their fields.
Subscription services AEW Plus, FITE+, and the FAST channel, FITE 24/7 have all grown at an astounding rate, and now FITE+ becomes TrillerTV+, FITE 24/7 becomes TrillerTV 24/7, and AEW Plus keeps its name. Both TrillerTV+ and AEW Plus have newly enabled geo-tagged pricing, increasing their value proposition for international audiences.
”Now that we’ve proven FITE in 10s of thousands of live events from all over the world, it’s time to expand to more content verticals under our new brand TrillerTV,” Kosta Jordanov, Co-Founder and CEO of TrillerTV, said, “We will be adding new sports categories, more premium brand promotions, and continuing to improve our technology to give the best user experience in streaming sports and entertainment.”
“We are thrilled to realize one of the core objectives of the acquisition of FITE,” added Mahi de Silva, CEO of Triller. “The launch of TrillerTV is the culmination of the strategy of expansion from their combat sports roots to broader sports content and even broader entertainment verticals across the globe. TrillerTV is a great example of Triller’s open-garden approach of delivering high quality entertainment on every platform; mobile phones, PCs, streaming devices, set-top-boxes and gaming consoles.”
WWE has announced The Undertaker is bringing his ‘1 deadMAN SHOW’ to Royal Rumble weekend.
The show will take place on Sunday, January 28 from Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida, the day after the Royal Rumble at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
About The Show
The Undertaker’s 1 deadMAN Show
UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW features the WWE Hall of Famer in an intimate setting, sharing never-before-heard stories and answering questions from the audience.
The show has sold out venues in Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio and London since debuting.
Tickets
If you’re in town for the Royal Rumble, this could be a great way to cap off your weekend. Tickets will be available to purchase next Friday, December 15 at RutheckerdHall.com.
An exclusive pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 14. A limited number of VIP tickets, which includes premier seating and a meet-and-greet with The Undertaker, will also be available.
Japanese wrestling sensation Sareee has addressed her departure from WWE.
Sareee joined WWE in April 2021 and wrestled as Sarray for the company’s NXT brand. On Monday, she held a press conference at the from Tokyo, Japan at the Inoki Genki Factory to discuss her time with WWE and her future in wrestling.
According to Tokyo Sports, she said she has nothing but gratitude for her two years in America. She learned what she wanted to learn in America, but the time has come to take her career in a new direction.
“I made friends all over the world, I think that’s what I’ve gained,” she said (translated). “I think I need to make the most of what I have experienced in the No. 1 promotion in the world in my wrestling career”.
She is excited to be an independent wrestler once again. She feels that her purpose in life is to fight and she’s open to wrestling anywhere that fits her style. Her return match in Japan will be Tokyo Shinjuku Face Tournament “Sareee-ISM” on May 16th.
“I would like to make the most of it and go on a rampage in the Japanese professional wrestling world.”
Sareee
Sareee also tweeted the following, thanking WWE and the WWE Universe for the experience.
No matter what some people might say, I did my best. I am so glad that I had the chance to go to WWE??
The group comprised of students from Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall’s Nightmare Factory training facility has officially disbanded.
Formed during the early days of AEW, The Factory was originally branded as the Nightmare Factory and served as a ‘training camp’ of sorts for the American Nightmare.
Members of The Factory included Marshall, ‘Big Shotty’ Lee Johnson, Anthony Ogogo, Nick Comorodo, Aaron Solo and Cole Karter.
(Photo: AEW)
QT Marshall says The Factory is No More
Over the weekend, a fan on Twitter tagged QT Marshall and said he misses The Factory and hopes to see them back in AEW. He replied saying they broke up due to overwhelming hate from wrestling “experts.”
On a brighter note, Marshall said the guys had fun together and encouraged people to follow the members’ careers.
Cody Rhodes has a date with destiny in just over four weeks when he battles Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39. The American Nightmare seeks to fulfill his ‘American Dream’ and capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Rhodes is laser focused on WrestleMania, but that doesn’t mean he can’t look ahead and think about what awaits him after WWE’s biggest show of the year.
During a recent interview with AJ Awesome, Rhodes revealed there are two WWE Superstars he is eager to work with after he gets through the Bloodline’s Tribal Chief.
He began by saying, he will really need to be on his game to beat Reigns. He named several very talented people who were unable to do so, including Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), Edge, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre. However, if he can do the ‘impossible’ – he’d love to work with Johnny Gargano and Edge.
Cody Rhodes on his Post-WrestleMania Plans
Rhodes says wants to test himself against Johnny Gargano, because he remembers how intense it was when AEW went head-to-head with NXT during the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’
NXT was tough competition at the time and Gargano was one of their biggest stars. He says Gargano always delivers and is a wrestler’s wrestler. They’ve never worked together, they have different styles, so he wants to cross paths with Johnny Wrestling to see what they’re each made of.
The other man he wants to work with is Edge. He’s told a few people that he wants to wrestle Edge, but never told Edge himself, because he doesn’t want to seem adversarial or confrontational. He questioned how much time Edge has left, which adds an extra sense of urgency to this potential match-up.
He considers Edge a locker room leader who leads by example and isn’t shy to pull pepole aside and give them advice in a way that’s not overbearing.
“He’s the real deal and he’s in that lofty air that very few are in and while he’s here, again, he could be here forever but while he’s here, I’d like to get that one,” said Cody.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rhodes spoke about his Royal Rumble victory, saying it was somewhat poetic that he and Gunther were the final two men in the ring. He sees Gunther as one of the toughest men in WWE, which made his win that much more satisfying.
Catch AJ Awesome’s interview with The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes:
The Young Bucks have fond memories of the early years of All Elite Wrestling.
Nick and Matt Jackson have been with AEW from the very beginning. They were instrumental in making the dream of AEW a reality. Through some exciting highs and heartbreaking lows, the brothers from Rancho Cucamonga have unquestionably left their mark on the wrestling industry.
Since AEW launched in May 2019, there are some matches that stand out above the rest. One of the most memorable AEW matches occurred at Revolution 2020, when the Young Bucks challenged Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World tag team championships.
On Tuesday, the Bucks commented on the match, calling it their “vision of what wrestling can be.” They also reminisced about the early days of AEW.
Our vision of what wrestling can be. Will always look back fondly at the early years. Happy 3 year anniversary. https://t.co/M7vV2WmHCH
In the end, Hangman Page and Omega were victorious. The match was an instant classic and may be the best tag team match in AEW history. For what it’s worth, this match is the highest rated tag team match ever by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
On his podcast, Jim Ross said, “That was one of the best tag team matches that I’ve ever seen. Certainly I don’t know if I’ve ever called a better executed one.”
The Bucks are two-time AEW World tag team champions. Along with Kenny Omega, they are the reigning World Trios Champions.
The Elite will defend the trios championships against the House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) at AEW Revolution 2023.
Kenny Omega was Renee Paquette’s guest on the latest episode of The Sessions podcast. The reigning AEW World Trios Champion spoke at length about the injuries that resulted in him taking extended leave of absense from wrestling, the events that unfolded at All Out 2022 and how it’s affected things behind the scenes.
Omega was working through a slew of injuries during his reign as AEW World Champion. When he lost the title to “Hangman” Adam Page at Full Gear 2021, he decided it was finally time to get healthy.
“I had to get both my knees done, I had to get a shoulder done, I had to get my septum fixed, and then a stomach hernia, so there’s a lot,” said Omega. “So knowing that I had to get all those things done, it felt like they were more minor surgeries, it felt like it, but I ended up being out for like eight months.
But I’d felt like the company was in a fantastic position, and i’d felt that the story i was able to tell with Hangman, was one that i was very proud of, and i felt that the people were behind him. I was happy we were moving forward, in a direction that didn’t necessarily require me. I felt like, ‘Now is a good time to get this stuff taken care of.'”
Kenny Omega sensed something ominous upon his AEW return
When Kenny Omega finally returned to AEW, he felt that things were very different. There were some new faces in the locker room. More importantly, he sensed there was very bad energy brewing.
“Then I felt like, 8 months had passed, and it was time to come back, and it was kind of like, the GIF of the dude walking in with the pizza boxes and the whole room is on fire. I didn’t get it, I was like, ‘What’s with this strange atmosphere? What’s with this strange aura? Why does something feel so ominous right now?’
– Kenny Omega
“I didn’t even know, i couldn’t figure it out, and next you knew, there was more stuff happening again, like.. it’s so surreal because it’s almost like it never even happened. It happened! Of course, it happened.”
Of course, the “it” he’s referring to is the backstage brawl that took place with CM Punk and The Elite after AEW’s All Out 2022 pay-per-view. More on that to come.
Kenny Omega returning to AEW after his 8-month hiatus
“I hadn’t even gotten like, familiar with my surroundings yet, or re-familiarized backstage with the new AEW at that point, because there were new people in the locker-room, and a lot had happened in 8 months. So, to kind of come back and see a lot of old faces, and be like, ‘Oh, hey’ but then feel this eerie sort of.. I felt like i was in Eerie, Indiana for a second, it was like, ‘Oh, boy’ and then, stranger things started happening.
I was like, ‘Oh man, what do i do? This isn’t right. Someone needs to be the voice of reason. This is silly.’ Then, things fell off the rails, and we just involved in a very silly situation that people are probably going to be talking about for months and possibly years to come, i don’t know.'”
AEW All Out and the Fallout
Renee asked about the incident that took place at All Out, and if it bothers Omega that people will be talking about it for so long, especially considering all the secrecy that remains until this day. Part of you wishes you could sweep everything under the rug, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding what went down.
“Here’s the way I look at it,” Omega began. “I’ve been involved in competitive sports, contact sports, at the highest level. some people on our roster have, some people on our roster have not. but i feel like, if you have, you’ve probably been in a spat or two with a teammate, and maybe sometimes, a time or two, it might come to blows, you know, it happens. so, coming from that sort of background, there was a point to it all, when i felt like, ‘Oh, this just happens. We’re gonna get over it. Let’s just calm down and talk it over.’ Nope, nothing is … we’re all doing ok here, you know, we’re getting it out of our system, no problem, but let’s maybe stop? You know?
We just don’t live in that world anymore, I suppose, sometimes there are things, especially now when you are in a multi-billion dollar industry, when there are sponsorships on the line, and TV deals on the line, it’s not like high school football. It’s not a little tiff you maybe have on your fellow amateur wrestling team or whatever, or maybe someone held a submission too long in jiu jitsu training, it’s not that. These things shouldn’t even be happening.
It’s a shame, that the general public and a lot of people aren’t ever going to know what went down and how it could have been prevented or how it could have ended differently.
– Kenny Omega
That’s just sort of how things go, again, when it’s a big business operation. i don’t think anybody is happy that it happened, or is proud that it happened, or anything like that. i think across the board, everybody thinks it was a terrible situation that was unnecessary.”
AEW’s Backstage Atmosphere Today
Omega says the atmosphere in AEW has been cleared up and things have calmed down considerably. It’s unfortunate that the public will probably never know exactly what happened that night, but he’s moved on. H’s thankful nobody got seriously injured and sincerely wishes everybody well.
“There was a while when, and I can understand the confusion, it’s sort of like, “Hey, we heard this thing happened, we know this thing happened, it’s all over the dirtsheets, why don’t we know what happened?’ It’s like, we were gone and we were sworn to secrecy, we can’t say anything, legally, so that was the poopie part, where it was like, ‘Well, why doesn’t anybody tell us what’s happening?’ And then you’re forced to form your own opinion, or come up with your own theory as to what happened.”
Renee said this creates a really weird situation. Omega agrees.
“Of course! ‘Well, I’m more of a fan of the other, so here’s the way I’m going to create the story, so that it puts this person in the best possible light’ It might be that, chances are, it’s something else, or it might be a combination of various theories. And we might never get to speak about it.
But what’s important, is that nobody was seriously injured emerging from that, and I’m so thankful from that, and we’ve moved on with life. I’m completely fine, it doesn’t dictate what I do, what i say. I’m sure the bucks are in the same boat, i can’t speak to the other parties, hopefully they’re doing well. and i mean that. that’s it.”
Listen to Kenny Omega’s appearance on The Sessions:
Gunther continues to ‘stir the pot’ regarding a potential showdown with Brock Lesnar.
The two warriors had a face-to-face confrontation at last month’s Royal Rumble premium live event. Fans in attendance went nuts at the sight of these two going at it. Neither man went on to win the Rumble. That honor was claimed by Cody Rhodes. However, Gunther did make history that night, setting the record for longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match.
The reigning Intercontinental champion has been talking about the moment ever since. During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, he praised Lesnar as “fantastic” and a performer who stands out from everybody else.
Gunther: Brock Lesnar Match “Something I Really Want to Go For”
Gunther appeared on Wednesday’s edition of The Bump and was asked about his reaction to confrontation with Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.
“That moment? Let’s go! That was a super exciting moment for me, obviously Brock is a competitor that I was always impressed with. I’ve said it before, people call me the the ‘End Boss’ in situations..Brock might be my personal end boss, and I think that moment we had was all I needed out of it right now. Basically like a real life confirmation that the audience is up for that.”
The Ring General has a full place as the reigning Intercontinental champion. However, he’s not losing sight of this ‘bucket list’ match-up.
“Obviously, my focus right now is on being the Intercontinental champion. Going down the line, I think that’s something I really want to go for, being in the ring with Brock one-on-one.”
Gunther on Roman Reigns
Gunther also commented on the top star in professional wrestling, Roman Reigns.
He said Reigns has been a dominant champion and is impressed with the Tribal Chief. For all of his achievements, Reigns going to “fall hard” when he does get toppled – and he may be the man to knock Reigns off his perch.
“Let’s see who’s going to be able to end his reign and The Bloodline hasn’t faced us yet, so…”
AEW President Tony Khan says he’s excited to deliver some big news on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. He teased that it’s something that will be “great for the company” and has given a hint about what it’s about.
Dynamite will take place from Phoenix, Arizona just weeks before Revolution, the company’s next pay-per-view event scheduled for Saturday, March 5.
AEW is advertising a number of matches and segments for the broadcast, including:
Jon Moxley vs. Evil Uno
Orange Cassidy defends the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta
A Tag Team Battle Royale to determine who challenges the Gunn Glob at Revolution
Saraya vs. Skye Blue
The Acclaimed vs. Big Bill & Lee Moriarty
We’ll hear from Bryan Danielson, the #1 contender to MJF’s AEW World Championship
Christian Cage speaks with Tony Schiavone about his AEW return
TK spoke with the Phoenix New Times to hype Dynamite and continued to hype up this mystery revelation.
Tony Khan’s Big Announcement
When asked about the big announcement, Khan told Benjamin Leatherman of the Phoenix New Times, “Hah. Well, I can’t tell you right now, but it’s something I’m very excited about and it’s great for the company.”
That’s not very substantive, but the ‘hint’ came when Khan was asked about the possibility of AEW collaborating with New Japan Pro Wrestling again for another Forbidden Door PPV.
Without answering the Forbidden Door question directly, he circled back to the announcement.
“There are a lot of exciting things in the near future for AEW,” said Khan. “All I can say is we have an important announcement coming at this show in Phoenix. And it’s an exciting development for the company, and I’m excited to share it with the fans in Phoenix and all over the world.”
NXT star Nikki Lyons says she will most likely be out of action for the remainder of 2023.
Lyons sustained a serious knee injury during her most recent match, which took place on the January 20 edition of NXT Level up.
She later revealed on social media that she tore her ACL and meniscus. She’s keeping a positive attitude about the setback and expressed gratitude for the people who are supporting her during this tough time.
She wrote, “This comeback is personal. Thank you to all who consistently show love & genuine support every week. You have know idea how much it means to me.”
Nikki Lyons Delivers the Bad News
As seen in the above video, Lyons appeared on Tuesday’s edition of NXT TV. During a backstage segment involving Tiffany Staton, she explained that doctors have pegged her recovery time at around one year.
WWE used Lyons’ announcement as a chance to get heat on Stratton, who said Lyons would be gone from action permanently if she had anything to say about it.
It’s a tough break for the 23-year-old star from Las Vegas, but injuries are a very real aspect of this business. She’s pretty active on social media and will surely keep her fans apprised of her recovery journey. Follow her on Twitter at @Nikkita_WWE.
Brie Bella is opening up about backlash they received in WWE as the Bella Twins’ popularity exploded thanks to the success of the Total Divas.
WWE had a monster hit on their hands with the launch 2013 launch of Total Divas. The E! Network reality series exposed a new audience to WWE’s female stars, but it was the Bella Twins who enjoyed the most success and were catapulted into the mainstream. They’d eventually get their own spinoff, Total Bellas. You’d think that WWE would have been thrilled with the situation, but Nikki tells Renee Paquette that this was not the case.
Nikki was Renee’s guest on the latest episode of The Sessions podcast. Renee brought up the fact that The Bella Twins were pulled from WWE’s RAW 30th Anniversary special at the last minute, a sign that WWE’s relationship with the twins was less than ideal.
Renee says The Bella Twins have plenty of respect from women in the locker room, but it doesn’t seem like WWE gives them nearly the credit they deserve.
“I remember one time Triple H saying, ‘Perception is reality in this business’ and we perceive people however we want,” said Nikki. “I think that’s what’s happened to Brie and I. At that time, they made people believe so much that like, Brie and I only care about reality TV, we are only there because of our men, because they were super cool in doing amazing things as well.
I think when we were in the run, and I know AJ [Lee] has spoken about it in her book and I think she’s regretted a lot, because that could have been a time where we could have empowered women even more and created more change. That was still a fight and that locker room was really difficult.
A lot of women could speak about that. I think that was the time when I saw so many women with their heads down and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna fight real hard for this.’ I didn’t have to come back with reality cameras. I already had them with E! but I chose to came back to showcase women’s wrestling because what I thought women were doing was so badass and they weren’t being appreciated for it.”
WWE’s Control of the Bella Twins Slipping Away
Nikki Says Total Divas was delivering viewership on par with Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the E! Network’s hottest property. Instead of embracing their success, the company shunned them, because they were gaining freedom and independence.
“Honestly, Total Divas should have been praised even more. We were literally at a point where we were almost beating [Keeping Up With] The Kardashians in the ratings. We were shaking the world up. What a great time. We could have had the industry behind us, but instead, they used it to turn it against us, and that was really shocking to me, because I was like, ‘But wait, we’re making great change to women’s wrestling, why are you hating on it?”
Renee asked what Nikki thinks that was all about. She says “the boss” didn’t like his control over them slipping away.
“I think a lot, as far as the boss [Vince McMahon], is that he lost control of what he could make and not make, because when Brie and I won Diva of the Year, we got in trouble and I got yelled at, and I remember we came back so happy, and it was like, ‘Oh, because you brought in all these new viewers, and the women are now voting for you and all these new women are here.'”
Success and Resentment
Renee said her jaw must have been on the floor, to be getting negative backlash for bringing WWE new female viewers.
“On the floor! Everyone’s around was on the floor, like, ‘The Bella Twins are getting yelled at for getting successful?’ Because it wasn’t it what they wanted, cause they were the story tellers. They push who they want the crowd to be behind, just .. perception is reality. That is WWE, to a T. Even though the fans think they own it, no. They laugh in the back. ‘No, we own you at the end of the day.’ So, I truly believe Total Divas was the first thing they couldn’t control. They couldn’t control the success, they couldn’t control what mainstream was saying. There was no control, so that was hard on one said, because they lost that. And then, I think, everyone backstage truly thought we were going to fail. I don’t like to use the words ‘envy’ or ‘jealousy’ but i think there was a bit, and we all kind of get that.”
“[Our success] brought in a lot of hate within people in the back. Some people were super supportive, and then some that were hate. And then some got the mic and they just really expressed it and it gave me great fire and it made for great story, but I wish people wouldn’t have believed it beyond that, but it was also sad for me because people just slut shame or tear a woman down. I was not for that.”
Listen to Nikki Bella’s full appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette:
Please credit SEScoops.com if you use any of the quotes we transcribed for this article
The Undertaker says he’d “absolutely” be wrestling right now if his body could handle it. After a legendary WWE career spanning three decades, he doesn’t see himself lacing up the boots again.
Undertaker has been doing the media rounds to promote 1deadMAN Show, his one-man live stage shows. His latest stop was for the Hawk vs. Wolf podcast, where he spoke with skateboarding legends Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis.
The Dead Man’s most recent ‘match’ took place nearly three years ago at WrestleMania 36, when he and AJ Styles clashed in the cinematic Boneyard Match. Even then, he physical limitations restricted him to a format that allowed for ‘smoke and mirrors’ and heavy editing.
Countless pro wrestlers have spoken about how difficult it is to step away from the sport they love so dearly. The desire to compete is still there, but there’s one key factor preventing him from wrestling again.
“I Know I Can’t” Deliver
The Undertaker takes a lot of pride in his matches. When asked if he wants to continue wrestling, The Undertaker didn’t mince words. He’d do it in a heartbeat, if he felt that he could deliver a performance that have fans have grown to expect from him.
“Absolutely,” he said enthusiastically. “If I was physically able to do it, I would be out there right now. There is a huge amount of our fanbase that will grade you on a curve. They understand that you’re getting long in the tooth, you have a lot of miles on you, but they just want you out there.
Then there is one part of that fanbase, ‘Ah man, he’s old, he shouldn’t be out there, he shouldn’t be doing this.’ Without any hesitation at all, if I felt like I could go and deliver, and deliver a performance that people expect when they see my name on the card, I would do it, but I know I can’t.”
Listen to The Undertaker’s appearance on the Hawk vs. Wolf podcast:
Ariel Helwani is speaking out after AEW President Tony Khan called him a “fraud” after his appearance on Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
Helwani is primarily an MMA journalist, but also covers some pro wrestling. In recent months, he’s interviewed WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque, AEW President Tony Khan and several WWE superstars. He’s also worked for WWE in a limited capacity, narrating video packages and most recently, serving as an on-screen correspondent.
Several people blasted Helwani as unethical, including Khan. Several months ago, Helwani called his interview with Tony Khan “one of the most frustrating, and to a degree, not-so-fun interviews of my career.” That relationship has deteriorated even further, with Khan labeling Helwani a “fraud” and Helwani referring to Khan as “the snowman.”
Helwani hasn’t been phased by Tony Khan’s attack. After SmackDown, he wrote on Twitter that it was a “perfect” experience. “Life is short,” he tweeted. “I’m enjoying the ride. Thanks to the real ones for the support along the way”.
On Monday, he addressed the situation on the latest edition of his MMA Hour podcast.
“I see this tweet from Tony Khan, and I read it like three times, I swear to god, I thought it was fake. I thought it was fake. You know, because anybody can have a blue check, right? This guy doesn’t follow me, he’s never tweeted me, I was like, ‘There’s no way that he actually tweeted this.’
Number one, proving that he was watching, which is bizarre, why would you put the competition over and show that you’re watching some random SmackDown at some random moment in telecast?
Number two, putting down his own guy in the process, the great Tony Schiavone, Atlanta sports legend. Calling me a fraud, and then saying that I am as much as a journalist as Tony Schiavone. Now, I’m trying to think, what is the point that he is trying to prove here? He is trying to prove that Schiavone isn’t a journalist? Correct me if I’m wrong, as an Atlanta guy, doesn’t he kind of have some respect as a media dude?
So this guy is calling me a fraud, then he’s saying, Tony Schiavone is as much of a journalist as me, I guess trying to imply that he’s not a real journalist and I’m not a real journalist? Why insult your own guy in the process?
The real thing he should have done is not say anything. Why are you putting over the competition’s broadcast? Your show is coming up, nice little cheeky hashtag there on the tweet as well. You talk about an own-goal, and I know Fulham is having a better season, they certainly haven’t had a great run with the Khans involved, but, this was one of the all-time great own-goals. I just couldn’t believe it. I had to check multiple times, is this really him?”
Backstage Reaction to Tony Khan’s Tweet to Ariel Helwani
Helwani is convinced Tony Khan is still upset that he did so poorly during their interview, which he finds ridiculous. AEW reached out to him about having Khan on his show and he agreed. They didn’t put any restrictions on what he could ask and he thinks Khan is mad that he came off as foolish and a person who wasn’t comfortable doing anything but promote his product.
Backstage at SmackDown, he questioned why Khan was so quick to call him a fraud during his moment. He said the ‘Old Ariel’ would have let a tweet like this bother him. He was actually invigorated by it and thought it was hilarious.
“The amazing thing was how everything spread backstage,” said Helwani. “Everybody was, ‘Did you see the tweet? Did you see the tweet?’ I’ve just been here for four hours. I don’t even know a lot of these people. ‘This is amazing. How could he have done this? Was that really him? What a ….’ Yeah, I guess it was really him!’ Bizarre.”
Ariel Helwani’s Work with WWE
Helwani said he didn’t even know he’d be attending Elimination Chamber weekend until Wednesday of last week. He’s had conversations in the past about doing things for WWE. He did the video package for Extreme Rules a few months ago. WWE offered to pay him for it, he said no, because he wanted to avoid conflicts of interest. Someone advised him that he was stupid to refuse payment for his work. He came to the conclusion that he isn’t a wrestling journalist, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Many years ago, Jeff Jarrett tried to get him on the creative team for Impact Wrestling. He didn’t accept the position, but working in the wrestling business has always been a ‘bucket list’ thing for him. He made a promise to himself that if he would seriously consider accepting an offer from WWE if that came up.
The Elimination Chamber opportunity came up and said, I’m going to do it. I’m not going to live and die by people’s opinions on social media. He’s going to do what brings him joy. He says yes, it was a paid gig. He joked that he technically hasn’t been paid yet and hopes he didn’t blow it with all the controversy that’s unfolded over the weekend.
Helwani gave a shout out to Triple h for going to bat for him, believing him, being welcoming and kind to him throughout their interactions. Helwani says he was on cloud nine over the SmackDown appearance until he saw people complaining on social media.
Cena’s most recent appearance took place on the December 30 edition of WWE SmackDown. He teamed up with Kevin Owens that night to defeat The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. In doing so, he continued his long-running streak of wrestling at least one match per year.
On Monday, WWE announced Cena will be on hand Monday, March 6 when Raw rolls into his home town of Boston, MA. Here’s the official announcement from WWE, including a link to purchase tickets, if you’re in the Boston area.
John Cena to Appear Live in Boston!
16-time World Champion John Cena will appear LIVE at TD Garden in Boston, MA for the 3/6/23 edition of Monday Night RAW.
Don’t miss out on seeing this epic Monday Night RAW on the Road to WrestleMania LIVE!
John Cena’s next appearance comes in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 39. Cena is expected to compete against reigning Untied State Champion Austin Theory at WWE’s biggest event of the year. Theory defends the gold against Edge tonight on Raw.
Cena and Theory have been talking about wanting to work against each other over the past year. Theory has named Cena as one his favorite wrestlers while he was growing up, which paves the way for a built-in storyline for such a match. Theory has been complaining that people compare him to Cena, and has boasted that he’s achieving things in WWE that Cena never did.
Teddy Long is best known to WWE fans as the former General Manager of SmackDown (more specifically, booking tag team matches and making people go one-on-one with the Undertaker).
Prior to his memorable role as the SmackDown GM, Long worked as a referee and also guided several wrestlers as a manager, including Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed), The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious, “Mean” Mark Callous and Butch Reed), 2 Cold Scorpio, Marcus “Buff” Bagwell and many more.
Teddy Long & The Street Profits
During a recent interview with Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda for WrestleBinge, Long was asked a hypothetical question about current WWE act(s) he’d want to manage.
Long said, if he were to manage anybody, he thinks he’d probably choose a tag team. He then named multi-time tag team champions, The Street Profits.
“I like them, I watch them,” he said. “You know they are good, they are good in the ring. Their mic skills are good. You know they are a couple of nice guys. I had a chance to meet them. So Street Profits are the guys I’d like to be with.”
WWE’s roster is loaded with talented performers, but the Street Profits are a great pick. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are one of the biggest success stories to come out of NXT over the past several years. Ford in particular is seen as having tremendous upside and will likely branch out on his own as a singles act in the future. He had an impressive showing over the weekend in the men’s Elimination Chamber match.
Six of WWE’s top female Superstars will battle in the Elimination Chamber to determine who will challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39.
Carmella, Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez, Dana Brooke, Nikki Cross and Natalya will put it all on the line in just a matter of hours.
During an interview with Spencer Love for Love Wrestling, Rodriguez explained why she’s feeling extra confident headed into the most dangerous match of her career.
“I feel really, really good about it,” she said. “I’ve felt really good about a lot of what I’ve been doing on Smackdown right now and with WWE. I’m super excited for Elimination Chamber. I feel like Royal Rumble kind of helped highlight my size and where I stand when it comes to the women’s division of WWE. So, now that I think the women have a little bit better of an idea of that, and the world does, I’ll be taken a little bit more seriously from now on!”
Rodriguez vs. The EST?
Surviving the Elimination Chamber is only half the battle. In the event that Raquel Rodriguez can defy the odds and emerge victorious in Montreal, there’s one more obstacle standing between her and championship glory. Her name is Bianca Belair.
Rodriguez sees Belair as one of her dream matches and is hungry to learn from her and WWE’s other top stars.
“I’ve just been saying that that would be one of my dream matches. I’ve yet to have a moment where I’ve been able to step into a ring with Bianca across from me as my sole opponent. This would definitely be a first for both of us, and who wouldn’t love a powerhouse-powerhouse match? You know what I mean?
I would love to step into the ring with the EST, because win or lose, there’s something to learn from that match. There’s something to gain from that match. I want that knowledge. I’m hungry for more. I know I’m one of the newer girls on the block here, but trust me, I’m ready to go and I’m ready for whatever they’re willing to throw at me.”
Check back at SEScoops later tonight for our WWE Elimination Chamber live coverage.
Sami Zayn looks to make history in just a matter of hours when he battles Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber.
WWE Superstars have been doing the media rounds in the days leading up to the event. Zayn spoke with Zak Ralph of Love Wrestling about his storybook journey from wrestling in billiard halls to the biggest match of his career.
It’s going to be an electric atmosphere when Zayn’s music hits in Montreal. Some fans may be surprised to see Zayn headlining a premium live event, but he feels it feels right.
“Like on the one hand, it feels like the next logical step. When you look at it on a week to week level, or you look at a month to month level. If you follow this story with the Bloodline, and you’ve seen how it’s progressed,” said Zayn. “That’s like, yeah, naturally, that’s where you go next, right? But when you stop and kind of zoom out, and you take a look back, and you look at it on a longer timeline, and you look at it from day one, as a 13 year old kid, going to the Bell Center, and watching Bret and Shawn, in that arena, and to now 25 years later be at the center of a match almost has that same level of excitement and anticipation.”
Zayn says he’s in somewhat of a surreal position, but he’s making sure to take it all in and appreciate how special this is.
Sami Zayn’s Helluva Kick
If Zayn can pull off the impossible at Elimination Chamber, there’s a decent he’ll employ his Helluva Kick to finish off Roman Reigns. Zayn revealed how AEW commentator Excalibur is partially responsible for the name of his Yakuza kick in the corner.
“When I was a kid, I had a WCW magazine, and I was reading some match results. It said Chris Jericho defeated Syxx or maybe it was the other way around with a hell of a kick. It was written ‘helluva'”‘ like that, and I thought it was a Helluva kick, so I thought it was a type of kick.
So I told this story to Excalibur, who now does commentary on AEW every Wednesday. I told this story to him at dinner one time at Denny’s after a PWG show, then we started calling the running Yakuza kick in the corner that I would do at the time, we started calling it a Helluva kick. So that’s actually the real history of that name.”
Check back at SEScoops later tonight for our WWE Elimination Chamber live coverage.
H/T to Zak Ralph of Love Wrestling for the transcribed quotes
Jay White is ready to embark on the next chapter of his wrestling career. Switchblade is winding down with New Japan Pro Wrestling after a 5+ run that included two reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
He competes against AEW star Eddie Kingston this Saturday at NJPW Battle in the Valley from San Jose, California. In a new interview for Sports Illustrated, White spoke with Justin Barrasso about this weekend’s event and his desire to wrestle full-time in the United States.
So much is possible. Impact, AEW, WWE—we’ll see.
– Jay White
White has been a standout talent for years, but gained mainstream popularity as the former leader of the Bullet Club. He says he’s at peace putting the Bullet Club and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the rear view mirror. He did everything he wanted to do in Japan and doesn’t feel that he left any boxes unchecked. “Now I’m looking at what’s next,” he says.
White is looking ahead, but he’s not overlooking Eddie Kingston. He says Kingston is “real” and throws some of the hardest chops he’s ever felt. Kingston wants to build his legacy by knocking White out, which makes him a dangerous opponent. White plans to teach Kingston that you can’t always get what you want.
You can order NJPW Battle in the Valley on FITE TV for $19.99. Visit SI.com to read the full interview with Jay White.
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is getting his own docuseries on A&E.
‘Stone Cold Takes on America’ will see Austin taking viewers on an epic adventure as he redefines what life after years in the ring looks like and experiences everything he missed out on while focused on his career. The show premieres Sunday, April 30 at 10pm (EST).
The Texas Rattlesnake put out this video Thursday afternoon once the news went public:
A&E sent in a press release to SEScoops that includes the following details:
For over two decades, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gave everything to wrestling, becoming one of the all-time greats. However, his dedication to his career meant sacrificing many of the other experiences life has to offer. In each one-hour episode of “Stone Cold Takes on America,” Austin will hit the road in his RV, accepting challenges from fans that push him out of his comfort zone, and make up for lost time. Through archival footage from classic WWE moments and his own stories, the series weaves together Austin’s old and new life—both filled with incredible feats and his unique point of view—as he celebrates and learns from new experiences how only “Stone Cold” Steve Austin can.
“Stone Cold Takes on America” is produced by Pilgrim Media Group for A&E Network. The series is executive produced by WWE. Executive producers include Craig Piligian, Steve Austin, Heather Olander, Stijn Bakkers and Mike Nichols, who also serves as showrunner. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “Stone Cold Takes on America.”
2K has unveiled the official soundtrack for the upcoming WWE 2K23 video game, due out next month.
The 12-track list is curated by John Cena himself, who has been given the title of Executive Soundtrack Producer for the ‘Even Stronger’ soundtrack.
Featuring a collection of songs from some of the biggest artists in the world today, fans can check out this Even Stronger soundtrack today on Apple Music.
Cody Rhodes says he’s got a different mentality this year as he gears up for the crowning moment of his professional wrestling career.
Rhodes’ WWE return at WrestleMania 38 will go down as one of the most memorable moments of 2022. The American Nightmare sent shockwaves throughout the industry when he walked through the curtain at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Unfortunately, his feud with Seth Rollins was cut short when he suffered a pectoral tear prior to June’s Hell in Cell PLE. He toughed it out and still wrestled in a HIAC match that night, delivering a performance for the ages. He’d soon undergo surgery and took six months to recover.
Rhodes returned from injury last month at the Royal Rumble. He won the men’s Rumble match and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 39. During an interview with Peter Rosenberg for Hot 97, Rhodes explained that he is taking a very different approach for this run.
2022 Cody vs. 2023 Cody
Rhodes told Rosenberg that he could barely sleep in the month leading up to the Royal Rumble. He tried everything to quiet his mind, but he was just so excited to get back to what he loves doing. He explained his mood as “giddy” in the weeks leading up to his return, but he’s made a conscious effort to tweak his outlook on things.
“The final month before I came back, I really couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I was trying everything I possibly could just to quiet my mind down and go to sleep, because I was really giddy. Very giddy about returning to wrestling”
“I don’t know if ‘giddy’ is the most masculine of words, but very giddy, but also at the same time, giddy is what got me into trouble. Lifting and just going nuts because i was so excited and i felt so much responsibility.”
He may have pushed himself a bit too hard last year. He felt the pressure to perform and that probably got to him. This year, he’s
“This time i just tried to be calm an cool and come in and do my thing and help in the best way i can. Not that WWE needs help, but it did feel like there was this absense on Raw perhaps, maybe it was just my absense, i’m glad to jump back in and take that responsibility.”
The Undertaker understands why fans compare Bray Wyatt to his WWE character, but he doesn’t think that comparison does Wyatt any favors.
The Hall of Fame legend appeared on Tim and Friends this week to promote his upcoming stage show that’s taking place in Montreal during Elimination Chamber weekend.
Last month at the Raw 30th Anniversary special, Undertaker and Wyatt got fans buzzing with a brief-yet-surreal in-ring interaction that saw Taker whisper something into Wyatt’s ear.
Everybody wants to know what he said to Wyatt that night. The Undertaker would not spill the beans, but did acknowledge, “it was a cool moment” that “did exactly what I thought it would do.”
The Undertaker is considered the greatest ‘gimmick’ in pro wrestling history. There have been countless supernatural characters throughout the years, but nobody has made an impact like him.
Undertaker says there’s obviously a huge amount of comparisons between Wyatt’s character and his, but Wyatt is his own man and his own character.
In the big scheme of things, obviously it’s kind of in that same supernatural genre, but it’s 2023, and he’s doing his own thing. I can appreciate, I can see what he’s trying to do.
– The Undertaker on Bray Wyatt
Undertaker says he’s told Bray Wyatt that “his phone is always on” and he’s happy to guide Wyatt, if he ever wants to run creative ideas by him. He’s got a wealth of experience and could help shine a lot on some of the questions Wyatt may have.
If you’re in the Montreal area next weekend, catch UNDERTAKER: 1 deadMAN SHOW on Thursday, February 16 at L’Olympia. For more information, visit WWE.com.
Update (2/12/23): Several other news outlets misinterpreted The Undertaker’s comments about what he said to Bray Wyatt at Raw 30. The Undertaker did not reveal what he whispered to Wyatt that night and is keeping it a secret.
As stated during his Tim & Friends interview, The Undertaker told Wyatt “my phone is always on, if you ever want to run ideas by me” in a separate interaction. He set the record straight on Instagram:
WWE announced the following on Friday, February 10:
UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW ADDS STOPS IN LAS VEGAS AND LOS ANGELES AHEAD OF WRESTLEMANIA 39
Tickets For Both Events Go On Sale Tuesday, February 14
STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 10, 2023 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that the critically acclaimed UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW will add stops in Las Vegas and Los Angeles ahead of WrestleMania 39. The one-man show featuring WWE Legend The Undertaker will take center stage at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Friday, March 24 and The Novo at LA Live on Friday, March 31.
UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW will feature “The Phenom” in an intimate setting, sharing never-before-heard stories from his Hall of Fame career and taking questions from the WWE Universe in attendance. The show has sold out venues in Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston and San Antonio since debuting last summer.
Tickets for UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW go on sale this Tuesday, February 14 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased via ticketmaster.com for the March 24 show in Las Vegas and via axs.com for the March 31 show in Los Angeles. A limited number of VIP tickets, which includes premier seating and a meet-and-greet with The Undertaker, will also be available for each show.
WrestleMania goes Hollywood during a special two-night Premium Live Event on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Limited tickets are still available for the biggest WWE event of the year via Ticketmaster.com and the two-day premium live event will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.
