Jim Johnston is not impressed by today’s pro wrestling entrance themes. The legendary composer says many themes are “mediocre” and that is a big reason why there are fewer mega stars in this era.

Johnston was Chris Van Vliet’s guest this week on the Insights podcast. He spoke about his childhood, his love for music, the chance encounter that led him to WWE and much more during their discussion.

He began working with WWE in the mid-1980’s. He wasn’t a wrestling fan, but that didn’t hold him back. Johnston worked with the company until 2017 and is responsible for the most iconic themes in wrestling history, including Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, the Ultimate Warrior, DX and countless others. Amazingly, he worked on a ‘handshake deal’ and never even had a contract with WWE until after the company went public in 2001.

Johnston took his job very seriously. He felt a great responsibility to the wrestlers, because that has a big impact on a character’s presentation. He feels the lack of quality entrance music is a big reason why there are less big stars today.

Today’s Wrestling Entrance Music

“The music now, in WWE and in AEW, I think it’s.. sorry this is mean, it’s all homogenous and it’s mediocre and doesn’t have anything to do with the characters, and I think that’s why there are less big stars.”

“I don’t think there are no potential stars hiding there. I mean, before he was Steve Austin, he was the Ringmaster, and there are many examples there. These people need the right storyline, the right costuming and definitely the right music to lift them up.”

“Particularly the music, is serving multiple masters, in a way. It’s entertainment for the audience, it’s a big boot in the ass for the wrestler before they go out, to sort of get them in the head space of their character, and to kind of get them jacked up to do a great performance.”

“If you’re in that situation, I can’t imagine being in that situation where you’re not really sure of your character, the storyline. ‘I’m supposed to hate this guy, I don’t know why I’m supposed to hate this guy.’ And your music is just kind of generic, wrestler-guy music, and you’re supposed to go out there and be on top of the world. I think that’s a big ask.”

“Did not have a contract with WWE until the company went public. As soon as WWE went public, the lawyers got involved. Couldn’t believe he was working without a contract. Didn’t want him picking up and leaving.”

Setting the Mood

Johnston says he always saw WWE as a live movie, and he was scoring the characters in the movie. He gives Jaws and Darth Vader as examples of how music can instantly set the tone for the show.

He spoke about Steve Austin. You don’t need to know the storylines, you don’t need to know what he did last week. When you hear that music, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. That enhances the product and makes everybody’s jobs easier.

It’s like being in a movie, and the movie is not very good and you’re not following the movie. You’re lost without the music that sets the mood.

Final Years in WWE, AEW

After 30+ years with WWE, he never expected to get fired. However, Johnston did say there was someone in WWE that was always trying to push him out and get his own people in the door.

Johnston said AEW never reached out to him, which amazed him. AEW brought in so many people who used to work for WWE. He thinks Tony Khan could have really stuck it to Vince McMahon by hiring him and doesn’t know why that didn’t happen. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Listen to Jim Johnston’s appearance on the Insights podcast with Chris Van Vliet:

Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

Kenny Omega says the AEW Fight Forever console video game is “pretty close to wrapping up.” He’s also addressed the the game’s limited roster and how that will be addressed.

Omega spoke with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated this week to promote Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from Chicago. This is the go-home show before All Out this Sunday. Omega and the Young Bucks battle Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in the semi-finals of the tournament to crown AEW’s inaugural World Trios Champions.

He also spoke extensively about Fight Forever, including some glaring omissions to the game’s roster of playable characters. Omega says the development team is working diligently to ensure fans are more than satisfied with the final product.

“This game isn’t going to pull any punches,” he said. “It’s going to be physical, sometimes bloody, and we’ve got a very high weapon count for everyone to have fun with. The hijinks outside the ring are a lot of fun, and there’s still Career Mode, too. I hope people have a blast with it.”

• Pre-Order AEW Fight Forever Now from Amazon

Development Near Completion

AEW has yet to announce Fight Forever’s release date, but we know the game is due out some time before the end of the year. According Kenny Omega, AEW Fight Forever is nearly complete.

“We’re coming pretty close to wrapping up. There is still the approval process, and we’re looking to avoid any net play issues so people can play online competitively. We really want to make sure that when people try to log onto the servers, they can do so without incurring any issues.”

AEW’s Ever-Changing Roster

The AEW Fight Forever roster is expected to feature approximately 50 playable characters at launch. Unfortunately, this means a lot of people will not make the cut when the game launches.

AEW is always evolving. That pertains to the craft as pro wrestling, as well as talent roster. As the game was in development, they only left a few slots open for “very special cases” such as CM Punk and Adam Cole.

Owen Hart and Brodie Lee will be among the special characters who will be playable in the game.

Omega says the development team is committed to post-launch support, which means a lot of the wrestlers who did not make the cut for the launch roster will be available later as downloadable content. He joked that even if John Cena showed up in AEW, it’s too late to include him in the game.

“Now that our game is pretty much wrapped, between now and the release, it will be hard to include anyone new. Even if John Cena walked through the tunnel and down the stage, we probably wouldn’t be able to get him in on time. That is why we’re doing post-launch support.”

Visit SI.com to read their full interview with Kenny Omega.

Kenny Omega is feeling “pretty good” following his spectacular return to action on the August 17th edition of AEW Dynamite.

Omega was revealed as The Young Bucks’ surprise partner in the ongoing tournament to crown AEW’s first Trios World Champions. It was his first match in approximately nine months.

The former AEW World Champion fought back from a string of injuries that kept him out of action since late 2021. Omega looked good in his return match, but was a bit rusty and missed a few spots. AEW is portraying that he is not 100% just yet.

The Elite have their work cut out for them if they hope to advance to the Trios Tournament finals. They’ll battle Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in the semi-finals tonight on Dynamite.

Kenny Omega Health Update

Omega appeared on Busted Open Radio on Wednesday and spoke about his return to action. He likened getting back in the ring to riding a bicycle.

“It was very cool, very fun, he said. “I ended up coming out of it unscathed, which is nice. I didn’t bang up anything else. I didn’t get any inkling or feeling that there wasn’t something that wasn’t ready to be back. “

Omega says The Elite’s match against Andrade El Idolo, Dragon Lee and Rush presented some unique challenges, due to their high-risk lucha libre style.

He’s looking ahead to his next match and making history this Sunday at All Out.

H/T Fightful

Ricky Starks is sick and tired of backstage drama overshadowing AEW storylines.

Starks appeared on the iHeartRadio’s latest Battleground Podcast to hype his match against Powerhouse Hobbs this Sunday at AEW All Out. The former FTW Champion says he’s got revenge on his mind. He sees this as a big test for himself and a big indicator about how much further he’s going to go.

He believes he was the face of Team Taz because, “no one else was going to step up, but someone had to.” Hobbs has a strong presence and is actually very intelligent and caring, which is what made them a good team. There was a genuine friendship there. Unfortunately, people get greedy. They get paranoid.

Starks says paranoia is one of the worst things in wrestling. You see it from the top of the card all the way down to the bottom. Sometimes, these issues get leaked due to the media and distract from the stories they’re trying to tell on television.

Enough of the Drama

Ricky Starks was asked about the backstage environment in AEW. He says the dynamics have changed dramatically since the early days.

“The locker room has definitely changed,” he said. “Where we were once really really close, we’ve expanded that. We’re still close, we just have more people in the family now. More people that sit at the table.”

“I definitely think that the drama of the backstage stuff, while it does pique interest of people online & whatnot, I f***ing hate it. The reason I hate it is because it kind of overshadows some of the stuff that happens on TV and for that, I’d rather not be involved with it.”

Starks said certain people in AEW have “loose lips” and leak things to the media. He also warned that you can’t believe everything you read online, yet people do.

“But we have people backstage who have loose lips and that’s what happens. Now, we have created the scenario where we just have all the rumors and speculation. ‘Cause that’s all it is. I promise you what you read is not necessarily true.”

You can listen to Ricky Starks’ appearance on the Battleground Podcast below. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

Jim Ross is excited for Sunday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view and thinks the air of unpredictability surrounding the event is a good thing.

We’re just a few days away from All Out, but AEW has yet to announce the main event. A rematch between Jon Moxley and CM Punk is the most likely scenario, but that’s not confirmed as of this writing.

It’s been a hectic few weeks for All Elite Wrestling, but one thing is for sure. People are talking about the product and the company has momentum headed into one of it’s biggest shows of the year.

Everybody’s Talking

Jim Ross says he’s having a blast as of late, largely in part due to the unpredictable nature of AEW programming. On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross says Tony Khan is keeping a tight lid on what’s planned for Sunday.

“Based on what we’ve seen thus far, it’s hard to predict what’s going to come out of the mind of Tony Khan. I say that in a positive way, because as a broadcaster, when things get too predictable, it’s not fun. I will say I’m having a blast because I love trying to keep up with it.”

“It’s very challenging to do, because there are so many right ways to address these storylines. You have your favorite. If you’re a Moxley guy, you’re a punk guy, whatever the case may be, that’s cool and that’s your prerogative. But man oh man, it’s hard to keep up with whats going on. It makes you think and you hit the key thing, everybody’s talking. That’s a good thing. Everybody’s talking.”

“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be unpredictable and I can promise you: if anybody knows what’s going to happen, they’re keeping it to themselves, which i think is beautiful.”

– Jim Ross

Jim Ross says he was surprised by Jon Moxley’s 3-minute win over CM Punk last week on Dynamite. He believes we’re on a journey. We’re on a road that’s full of twists and surprises and expects it to end a way that leaves fans satisfied.

• Updated Betting Odds for Sunday’s AEW All Out 2022 PPV

Listen to Jim Ross’ Grilling JR podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

This weekend’s WWE Worlds Collide premium live event will be a pivotal show for the NXT and NXT UK brands.

Earlier this month, WWE announced NXT Europe, a new brand launching in 2023.

The new NXT Europe brand spells the end of NXT UK, which has operated since December 2016. As part of NXT UK going the way of 205 Live, WWE will be unifying the top championships from the NXT and NXT UK brands.

Worlds Collide 2022 Matches

WWE has confirmed five championship matches for Sunday’s Worlds Collide 2022 premium live event. Here’s the full card:

NXT Champion Bronn Breaker vs. NXT Champion Tyler Bate

The top champions from the two brands will square off to crown the Undisputed NXT Champion. Bronn Breaker puts the NXT Championship on the line against NXT UK Champion, Tyler Bate.

Triple Threat NXT Women’s Championship Unification Match

A new undisputed NXT Women’s Champion will be crowned in a triple threat match. Reigning NXT Women’s champion Mandy Rose puts her gold on the line against NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport.

North American Championship Match

Ricochet made a surprise appearance on this week’s NXT 2.0 to confront Carmelo Hayes, NXT’s reigning North American Champion. Ricochet says he’s back to collect “his” title.

NXT Tag Team Championship: Fatal 4-Way Elimination

NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers battle NXT UK Tag Team Champions Briggs & Jensen, Pretty Deadly and Gallus.

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match

Champions Katana Chance & Kayden Carter defend against former NXT stars Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop.

Plus, we’ll also see Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom in a best of three rounds match.

How to Watch: WWE Worlds Collide 2022

WWE presents Worlds Collide 2022 this Sunday September 4th from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

WWE Worlds Collide will stream live at 4pm (Eastern) on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.

Ric Flair says it’s great that he and Bret Hart are finally ‘best friends’ after decades of not getting along.

Flair spoke about his relationship with the Hitman on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast. This week’s show focused on Flair defeating the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WWE Championship on September 1, 1992. This began Flair’s second and final reign as champion. It would be a short reign. He dropped the title just over a month later to Bret Hart due to an injury he sustained during a match against the Ultimate Warrior just days after becoming champion.

Flair and Hart met up this past weekend at an autograph signing in Texas. They shared a nice moment together and he now considers them to be close friends. The Nature Boy tells Conrad Thompson, he can’t believe the held on to a grudge for so long.

Ric Flair & Bret Hart’s Reltionship

Flair and Hart have said some unpleasant things about one another over the years, but that’s all in the past. They’ve since buried the hatchet and Flair now considers Hart a good friend.

“I took a picture and I was just thinking to myself, ‘We used to call each other everything in the world for 30 years. Now, we’re like best friends and that’s the way it should be.”

“The business makes us all a dick at one time or another. Now with social media, it makes it even worse. You just look back and regret the things you said or even thought about because at the end of the day, what did you gain by it? A moment of satisfaction? I mean, it’s just ridiculous. I had a great time with Bret this weekend.”

SummerSlam 1992

SummerSlam ’92 took place just days before Flair won his second WWE championship. That show was headlined by Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith for the Intercontinental championship. The match is still talked about today, 30 years later.

Flair did not compete at SummerSlam ’92, but did get involved in the Randy Savage vs. Ultiamte Warrior WWE title match. Backstage after the show, Ric approached Hart and complimented him on an epic performance.

“I told Bret when I saw him back at the hotel that night, I said, ‘If I knew you could work that good brother, I would have come knocking on your door a long time ago.’ They had a hell of a match,” said Flair.

Flair Drops the WWE Title to Bret Hart

Days after winning the WWE Championship from Randy Savage, Flair was injured during a match against the Ultimate Warrior. Flair sustained inner ear problem that plagued him with equilibrium problems for 8 months.

Due to this injury, Vince McMahon made the call for Flair to drop the WWE Championship to Bret Hart just weeks into his reign. Flair regrets that he was only able to put on a “half-assed match” with Hart due to his injury.

Listen to Ric Flair’s To Be The Man podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

William Regal says he’s focused on the Blackpool Combat Club and helping develop younger talent who are interested in learning from them.

Over the past several weeks, there have been reports about AEW talent being disgruntled about a lack of television time. There was also the recent situation involving CM Punk’s shoot comments about “Hangman” Adam Page and the subsequent fallout.

Regal said, “there’s a lot going on” on the latest episode of his Gentleman Villain podcast.

“There’s always a lot going on with us,” he began. “We’ve talked talked about on this show before. We are trying to do our bit to change the views of some people, and younger talent.

Sometimes there’s things that play out on the show, but in reality, there’s the fact that we understand there’s a lot of young talent and they don’t get to wrestle better wrestlers, or people who have been in this for a long time, because the way the job has become, and the way TV is. A lot of the best wrestlers wrestle each other now.”

Blackpool Combat Club Staying Focused

Regal was careful not to get too deep into the subject matter at hand, but you can read between the lines and see he’s alluding to the professionalism of certain people.

“I can’t say too much at the moment,” he continued. “I’m not a gossip merchant and I’m not going to dignify anything that comes out. Nothing seems to happen around me, I’ll put it that way. I know that myself.. Jon’s Jon, and that’s the way he is. But, I know myself, Claudio, Bryan and Wheeler, are all doing our thing. Hopefully it spreads, and as far as trying to be the best professionals we can be, that’s all you can do, and do whatever we’re tasked with.”

“We’ve got a great team of talent and we want to make people have to face people in the BCC. and we are also hoping that it sets sort of standards of how to conduct yourself, and .. this is sort of in reality, just how to conduct yourself as a pro, and not. Let’s put it that way.”

Regal says he’s made mistakes during his long career, so he’s not out to cast judgement on anybody. The Blackpool Combat Club arrives at the arena early when AEW has TV tapings. They train in the ring all day and anybody is welcome to join them.

He also addressed his absence from last week’s AEW Dynamite, noting that he had to tend to a “family incident” and was in contact with everybody at TV.

Listen to William Regal’s Gentleman Villain Podcast at AdFreeShows.com. Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

WWE and Amazon have filed joint lawsuits against 13 vendors accused of marketing and selling counterfeit WWE Championship belt replicas.

In addition to civil lawsuits, WWE and Amazon worked with the Middlesex County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office to pursue these bad actors which led to felony counterfeiting charges against two connected individuals.

Matthew Winterroth, WWE’s Vice President of Intellectual Property, was quoted:

Here’s the official press release from the WWE corporate site:

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS

Amazon teams up with WWE, filing suit to protect customers and the authenticity of WWE’s historic championship title belts

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) (NYSE: WWE) and Amazon today announced joint lawsuits against 13 defendants who attempted to market and sell inauthentic replicas of WWE-branded championship title belts in Amazon’s store including inauthentic replicas of commemorative title belts as well as the historic WWE World Heavyweight, Universal, Intercontinental, United States and NXT Championship title belt designs.

WWE combined its proactive IP monitoring and enforcement program with Amazon’s Project Zero and Brand Registry protection tools to detect infringing listings, and Amazon removed them. Then WWE partnered with Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit to pursue these lawsuits targeting bad actors who attempted to sell counterfeit products and falsely represent their locations and identities.

One of the defendants was found to be operating their fraudulent business out of New Jersey. In addition to the civil lawsuits, Amazon and WWE worked with the Middlesex County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office to pursue these bad actors which led to felony counterfeiting charges against two connected individuals for sale of counterfeit WWE championship title belts.

“Amazon is the benchmark for collaboration with respect to brand infringement online,” said Vice President of Intellectual Property at WWE, Matthew Winterroth. “Official and licensed WWE products, branded by our IP, are trusted by our fans around the world and we go to great lengths to protect consumers from counterfeits and other types of infringements. It’s our hope that other companies look at Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit as a model of how to partner with companies of any size to help combat this relentless threat.”

“Amazon is committed to the authenticity of products in our store and protecting our customers from all forms of counterfeits, including those impacting fans of iconic entertainment brand WWE,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit. “We will continue to work with WWE and Middlesex County law enforcement to bring these bad actors to justice.”

WWE’s robust and aggressive IP enforcement program utilizes both internal and external resources to combat counterfeit and infringing products, piracy, and distribution abuse online as well as in physical points of sale. This includes trained internal staff and third-party vendors who consistently monitor online retailers around the world for IP infringements and counterfeit sellers. Amazon’s Project Zero also empowers WWE to directly remove suspicious listings from Amazon’s stores. Amazon’s latest lawsuit with WWE comes after Amazon in 2021 sued or referred over 600 criminals for investigation in the US, UK, EU, and China, an increase of more than 300% over 2020.  

Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit – a team of former federal prosecutors, former law enforcement agents, experienced investigators and data analysts – was formed to work with brands and law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable.

Amazon strictly prohibits the sale of counterfeit products, and won’t stop until there are zero counterfeits in its stores. Amazon’s efforts to stop counterfeit products is part of an investment of $900 million to protect its stores from fraud, counterfeits, and abuse. This includes using industry-leading tools to verify potential sellers’ identities and ensure product listings are authentic. In 2021, Amazon blocked more than 4 billion bad listings before they were listed in our stores. These listings were suspected of potentially being fraudulent, infringing, counterfeit, or engaging in other forms of abuse.

For more information, including the related court filing case numbers, visit Corporate.WWE.com.

Darby Allin did not have an easy road to AEW. He’s been All Elite since the company’s inception in 2019, but first had to buy out his contract with another company.

Allin was DDP’s guest this week on the DDP Snake Pit podcast powered by Ad Free Shows. During their discussion, he spoke about the circumstances that led him to joining AEW.

In 2019, All Elite Wrestling executives were scouring the globe to sign talent for the upstart promotion. Former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes attended a show for Northeast Wrestling, where Allin was wrestling Pentagon.

Allin tells DDP that prior to seeing him work against Pentagon, Cody thought he was just a ‘crash test dummy’ taking gnarly bumps. After watching him wrestle in person, Cody saw that Allin could actually work.

DDP stopped Darby Allin mid-story and told him Cody’s father, the late Dusty Rhodes, used to be ‘the worst’ about returning calls, and knows Cody is the same way. DDP joked, “Even his texting sucks!” He’s known Cody since he was 12 years old and loves him.

Choosing AEW over WWE/NXT

Allin said he didn’t care about blowing up Cody’s phone, he wanted to be part of AEW. He wasn’t going to take out that $12,000 loan without having Cody’s word that AEW was really interested in him.

AEW hadn’t even run its first show at this point and this was long before a TV deal was announced. However, there was one factor that really sold him that AEW was the right fit for him.

“All I heard, when they were promoting it, were the words ‘Creative Freedom.’ I was like, ‘That’s where I need to be.'”

– Darby Allin

Cody eventually invited him to his house and the rest, as they say, is history. DDP complimented Allin’s persistence. He sad, “What you have to be, is pleasantly persistent.”

At the time, Darby Allin was being groomed for NXT. He says he saw the writing on the wall there.

Allin felt his money was wrestling ‘David vs. Goliath’ matches and he’d have a better chance to get over as himself with AEW.

Darby Allin signed with AEW in April 2019. His debut match took place at Fyter Fest just two months later. His first opponent was none other than Cody Rhodes, which says a lot about how much Cody believed in him. That match went to a time-limit draw. Allin tells DDP that before the match, Cody texted him, “20 minute broadway?” Allin had no idea what the phrase meant at the time.

Allin has gone on to become one of AEW’s most successful homegrown stars. He’s a former TNT Champion and is currently aligned with the icon, Sting.

Visit AdFreeShows.com to subscribe for just $9 a month.

Seth Rollins and Riddle couldn’t wait for Saturday’s Clash at the Castle event to mix it up.

Rollins and Riddle are scheduled to have a face-to-face showdown on tonight’s Raw just five days before their match this weekend.

About two hours before Raw was scheduled to go live on the USA Network, the two competitors were involved in a physical altercation outside the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh PA.

As seen below, WWE officials had to jump in and keep the two men apart. It’s difficult to make out exactly what they are saying, but you can hear them screaming at one another.

You can also hear fans yelling at the sight of the two WWE Superstars needing to be physically kept apart.

This is probably a storyline situation to build anticipation for WWE Clash at the Castle, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.

Check out the video, courtesy of Twitter user @MusicByMaleena:

Wardlow has named WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar is his dream opponent. He’d love to mix it up with the likes of Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, but thinks Wardlow vs. Lesnar could be the biggest money match in the history of cable television.

AEW’s reigning TNT Champion appeared on The Zaslow Show to hype this weekend’s All Out pay-per-view from Chicago. During the appearance, the Cleveland native spoke about his road to the top, his plans to “flip the wrestling world upside down” and much more.

Here are some highlights of what Wardlow said about:

Wardlow’s Dream Opponent

As Wardlow’s star rises, fans will continue to think about ‘dream matches’ for him. He’s been in AEW for several years, but has yet to cross paths with the promotion’s top stars.

Wardlow named Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley as two men in AEW he’d like to work with. However, there’s another wrestler outside of AEW that he considers his true ‘dream’ opponent.

“Kenny Omega is very high on that list,” said Wardlow. “Jon Moxley is also at the top of that list. I would say within AEW, it is Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley – I want those two more than anybody. Outside of that, it is the dream match.”

This is not the first time Wardlow has discussed wanting to work with Brock Lesnar. Earlier this year, during an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Wardlow said, “I think if I ever found myself in the same ring as Brock Lesnar, that has money pouring out of the idea of it. I think him and I would just murder each other, I don’t know if there’s a ring that can hold the two of us.”

• Related: WWE Hall of Famer Sees ‘Brock Lesnar Potential’ in Wardlow

How He Got Into Wrestling

“I have been obsessed with professional wrestling ever since I could remember. There’s a video of me somewhere, before I could even talk, clanging and banging an old junkyard dog and action figure, using the kitchen table chair as my ring. I caught the bug young. My first memory is falling in love with Bret Hart — he’s the one that really started it for me. I just never looked back. I fell in love and it was game over.”

Wardlow joked that he’s really mad at Bret Hart, because he met him early in his wrestling career and was too nervous to ask for a picture with his hero.

Comparisons to Batista

Wardlow says he doesn’t mind people comparing him to Batista. He actually appreciates the comparison, because Batista is a legend who always carried himself well on television.

“I’ve gotten the Bautista comparisons, and there’s no greater compliment because I was a huge Bautista fan as I’m sure you could’ve guessed. Guys that influenced me in my life – Dave Bautista, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – guys when they came out on T.V. would dress nice, and that’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always dressed nice, taking care of myself, I enjoy looking good.”

Wardlow also spoke about recently wrestling in front of his hometown crowd when AEW Dynamite took place from Cleveland, Ohio. Wardlow says it was “an adrenaline rush like I’ve never experienced in my life” and wishes he could feel that way every single day.

Listen to Wardlow’s appearance on The Zaslow Show:

WWE Raw rolls into Pittsburgh PA tonight for a live edition of Monday Night Raw from the PPG Paints Arena. This is the ‘go home’ edition of Raw ahead of Saturday’s Clash at the Castle premium live event.

WWE has momentum after several weeks of strong programming that’s been well-received by critics and fans alike. We are only a month into this new era under the leadership of Triple H, but we’re off to a very strong start.

Tonight, WWE will crown new Women’s tag team champions. We’ll also see a special appearance from a hometown hero, Bobby Lashley defending the United States championship and more.

Raw Preview (8/29)

WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s Raw from Pittsburgh:

• New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned. The finals of the Women’s Tag Tournament will see Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah vs. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky.

• United States Champion Bobby Lashley puts his gold on the line against The Miz.

• WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will appear in front of his hometown crowd.

• Seth Rollins and Riddle will face off ahead of their match this Saturday at Clash at the Castle.

• Raw and SmackDown tag team champions The Usos will appear, along with Sami Zayn.

The advertised dark match main event will see Seth Rollins facing off against Riddle.

Ahead of tonight’s WWE Raw, check out this video recapping the intense feud between Riddle and Seth Rollins.

Finn Balor would like to have AJ Styles to join his Judgment Day faction.

Balor was the latest guest on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin. This was recorded during SummerSlam weekend in Nashville.

During their discussion, they spoke about a wide range of topics, including his experience living through the pandemic. Balor says the pandemic was the most mentally challenging period of his life, without question.

He was landlocked in the United States and dealing with visa issues that prevented him from going back to Ireland and resolving things. He vented that it was super challenging. His father got sick and he couldn’t be there for him. He also couldn’t see his siblings or their children, who were babies before the pandemic and ‘little humans’ 2 years later.

Judgment Day

Balor said he’s really excited about the Judgment Day faction. He really enjoys working with his partners, Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley.

He thinks Priest has a really cool look and is a total badass. Ripley has big star potential and feels this could be the vehicle to solidify her in that role.

All three of them get along great and he loves that the group is presented as equals. There is no leader and he’s truly excited for what lies ahead. However, he said, “Hopefully we add more members.”

Adding Another Member

This got Ryan Satin’s attention, who pressed Balor on who he’d like to add to the faction. He said this could be talent from Raw, SmackDown or NXT. Balor threw out several names, but focused on one man he’d most like to see in the group.

“I had thought of a couple people, said Balor. “I love Walter (Gunther), but he’s doing his own thing. Tommaso Ciampa is doing his thing with Miz, so that’s kind of off the table.”

“.. or we could go and find someone new, a fresh face from NXT. Given a little more time to think about it, I could have given you a better answer. I’d love Brock in the Judgment Day.”

Listen to Finn Balor’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:

Finn Balor says he craves a mega “cheat meal” powered by McDonald’s once a week.

Balor known for having one of the best physiques in wrestling. However, looks can be deceiving. In previous eras, we’ve seen men with eye-popping physiques who were anything but healthy. Balor says the older he gets, the better he feels.

At 41 years old, he’s never felt better. He’s not sure if that’s because he’s getting better in the ring and learning to work a safer style, or if he’s getting smarter with his training. Back when he was 31, he was wrestling in Japan, which was a much more physical style and may be a factor.

He also credits sleep as the key to feeling good. His worst day of the week is Tuesdays, because he’s traveling late after Raw and doesn’t get the sleep he needs.

Finn Balor’s Ultimate Cheat Meal

Finn Balor considers himself “super OCD” with his diet and it shows. However, he does allow himself a break once a week.

Balor used to never cheat on his diet, but eventually convinced himself that he needs to treat himself once a week. Now, he goes big on cheat days. So big that his wife jokingly telling him to reign it in.

Balor said he loves ice cream so much, he can’t decide whether to order the McFlurry or an ice cream sundae from McDonald’s, so he orders both. His wife taught him to dip french fries into ice cream and “Man, it is just delightful.”

Listen to Finn Balor’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:

WWE Superstar Theory spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston. They discussed a wide variety of topics, including when he’ll cash in his Money in the Bank contract, comparisons to John Cena, Triple H taking over WWE creative and much more.

The interview was set up to promote Survivor Series, which takes place Saturday, November 26th from Boston’s TD Garden. Theory confirmed this year’s WWE Survivor Series will continue the tradition of a Raw vs. SmackDown theme.

He teased that he might cash in his Money in the Bank contract at Survivor Series. Then again, who knows, he might be the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by then.

When asked about his Survivor Series dream team, Theory said his ideal partners would be Stone Cold Steve Austin, Batista and Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr.

They discussed Johnny Gargano’s return to WWE on Monday’s Raw. Gargano showed Theory “The Way” in NXT, but Raw is his show now and Gargano will have to accept that.

Failing to “Cash In” at SummerSlam

When asked if he’ll be cashing in at Clash at the Castle, Theory said he’s learned not to tell people when he’s cashing in. He also explained his failed cash-in attempt at SummerSlam.

“The reason why I wasn’t able to successfully cash in at SummerSlam is because of how ridiculously long the ramp was,” said Theory. “Did you see how long I was running? We would have been able to cash in, that was impossible, and did I know about that? No. I knew these guys were going to destroy each other, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, but did I know that the entrance was going to be like 2 miles? I mean, c’mon!”

Theory said he didn’t plan for a “2-mile” run to the ring, he didn’t plan for a tractor to lift the ring off the ground. He bemoaned that the whole situation was unfair and ridiculous.

Triple H Running WWE Creative

Theory was asked about Triple H’s new role as the head of WWE creative. Is everything ok with Theory and WWE management?

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a great position. There’s definitely a comfortability there, working with Triple H back in NXT, we all know the creative mind he has. Over past few weeks as he’s been running the show, it’s definitely a difference and by difference I just mean, a different side of a creative level, I think it’s going really well.”

He added that he wants a selfie with Triple H.

Comparisons to John Cena

“I will always appreciate that,” he said. “Just being a kid at 8 years old and seeing John Cena for the first time. It really inspired me to do what I’m doing now and it’s made a career and pretty much set up my whole life, so there’s always going to be that appreciation of comparison.

But for me, I want to be on my own and do my own thing. I think often times, when somebody is on the come up, people are always going to jump to, ‘He does this like this one, or he looks like this one,’ and thats great. People are always gonna do that. But I think time definitely tells and with time I think everybody is going to know that Theory is a standalone name.”

Watch Steve Fall’s interview with WWE Superstar Theory for NBC Sports Boston:

Liv Morgan’s reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion is off to a rocky start.

Morgan won the gold by winning Money in the Bank at July’s premium live event and cashing in on a battered Ronda Rousey later in the evening. Ambushing a vulnerable champion is not the best start to a babyface title reign, but fans were excited for her nonetheless.

She retained the title against Rousey at SummerSlam, but only won because the referee didn’t see her tapping out to Rousey’s arm bar. Once again, not the best look for a babyface champion.

Morgan is now feuding with Shayna Baszler. The Submission Magician has been getting the upper hand so far, with the champion in peril ahead of their upcoming match at Clash at the Castle.

Weak Champion

Former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed WWE’s booking of Liv Morgan on the latest episode of his Wrestling With Freddie podcast.

Prinze can’t believe what he’s been seeing and feels that Morgan has been portrayed as a punk who has shown no bravery or courage.

“I don’t know whose fault this is,” he began. “Hear me out on this. I’ve never seen someone have to play a weak champion. Someone who tapped out to get the belt, but remains a babyface. Has to protect her arm, it’s almost not even playing injured, it’s like, scared and frail and weak. The stuff with Shayna made her look like a punk – and she’s the champion!

Prinze wasn’t just complaining. He offered some suggestions about how things could have been done differently.

“Don’t look scared. Look defiant. That should be the note, you know, when Shayna is like, ‘I’m gonna break your hand,’ she should be looking at her like, ‘Do it. Do it now and just get it over with and then we’ll see if you even get a match.'”

“[Show] something. Some kind of bravery, courage, something, because everything else has been weird. I’ve never seen a weak babyface champion.”

– Freddie Prinze Jr. on Liv Morgan

You can listen to this week’s full episode of Wrestling with Freddie below:

Please link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. New episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s podcast Wrestling With Freddie drop Wednesdays.

John Morrison says his Drip Stick gimmick came about after Vince McMahon saw him reference ‘drip stick’ in a promo and saw dollar signs.

During a conversation with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston earlier this week, Morrison says he planned for an elaborate ring entrance that wasn’t meant to be.

“First of all, I wrote, ‘I’m gonna moisten somebody up with my drip stick’ in a promo as kind of a joke. So Vince reads that and he goes, ‘Drip Stick? We’re gonna make a fortune on these drip sticks!’ He loves it.”

“I wanted to have my entrance and then stand on the turnbuckle and have everyone shoot me with their drip sticks. It was going in that direction until people realized the arena would then be soaking wet and we decided we can’t sell drip sticks.”

Drip Drop vs. Drip God?

Later during the discussion, Steve Fall asked Morrison if he was bothered by Seth Rollins calling himself the Drip God. “As far as the drip stuff goes, I don’t know if he knows what drip is, even,” he said.

“I feel like I got pulled back on because Miz left and for some reason, I had like 3 different plans that got changed at the last second.”

“So, I was just sitting, and at TV, if you’re sitting for a couple weeks, then you start getting troubled, because you haven’t been on TV for a month or two, and suddenly it’s like.. ‘What are we doing with John? I don’t know, he hasn’t been on in a while. We need somebody to put over this guy, how about John?’ I think that’s kind of what happened, more than Seth Rollins being the cause of it. “

Watch John Morrison’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston:

New details have emerged about WWE storyline plans for Edge before his heartbreaking retirement in April 2011.

The Rated R Superstar’s career was cut short abruptly over a decade ago after he was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis. In an emotional address to the WWE Universe (seen below), Edge said doctors warned him he risked paralysis or even death should he continue wrestling.

The Toronto native never gave up on his dream to wrestle again. Nine years after stepping away from the ring, he made a shocking return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble.

With Edge pondering retirement once again, this time on his own terms, we’ve now learned about a major angle WWE creative had in store for him in 2011.

Plans for Edge before 2011 Retirement

On the latest episode of his Wrestling With Freddie podcast, former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. shared a storyline he wrote for Edge that wound up getting scrapped.

“I actually wrote the story for Edge that he ended up having to pull out of because he retired. We wrote this whole thing where, and it was creepy because it was kind of actually what happened to him.”

“He wanted to get the belt on Christian, and Christian was gonna turn on Edge. [He was going to] just for weeks, smash him. It was going to be like when Dave Chappelle spoofed Sesame Street. He was going to do something like that, and they were gonna spell the word spine and what each letter stood for. Just mock what he did to this dude’s neck. It was this whole thing.”

“Then Edge ends up actually hurting his neck. He couldn’t do the story. So they just wrapped it around Alberto Del Rio. [Christian] ended up getting [the title] for a day.”

WWE Raw was back in Edge’s home town of Toronto this week. After Raw went off the air, he addressed the crowd and spoke about his plans to retire once and for all in the near future. More on that story (including video of Edge’s speech) here:

• Watch: Edge Makes Massive Career Announcement After Raw In Toronto

Listen to this week’s full episode of Wrestling with Freddie:

Please link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. New episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s podcast Wrestling With Freddie drop Wednesdays.

John Morrison spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall this week for NBC Sports Boston. During their discussion, Morrison spoke about his unceremonious release from WWE, karma catching up to John Laurinaitis and early impressions of Triple H’s new regime.

Morrison believes there’s a “crazy shift” going on right now in wrestling and certain performers stand to benefit from the changes.

“There is a crazy shift going on right now in the wrestling world,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what that means for me, but for pro wrestlers out there like me are are unsigned, it means opportunity. Where? I don’t know. When? I also don’t know.

“Sometimes, like with [Karrion] Kross, and Dexter Lumis, the time was right and I think they made the right move. Sometimes it’s better to wait and sometimes it’s better to go to the other place. It just depends on who you are and what your style is.”

He said there are people in WWE he’d like to work with, including Seth Rollins.

Miz Program Cut Short, No ‘Future Endeavors’

Morrison reveals derailed plans for a feud with the Miz and shares how he coped with his WWE release.

He continued, “The thing about it is, after [his wife] Taya was gone, I didn’t want to be there anymore. When I heard I was going to be released, I went through the 8 steps of grief, 10, however many, in the like 30 seconds. From surprise to shock to regret to ‘ok.’

Morrison joked that he was never wished ‘the best in his future endeavors’ when he left WWE. “I thought he said that to people? I didn’t get that out of Laurinaitis.” He questioned if anybody said to him recently and laughed.

“He created his own problems.”

– John Morrison on John Laurinaitis

He continued, “I could talk about .. this subject, for hours, the litany of poor decision making. I think that’s what most wrestling fans do, and what the wrestlers do. When you’re actually behind the wheel and you’re making those decisions, it’s not that you’re making a decision in hindsight like we are now.”

Watch John Morrison’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston:

Ric Flair thinks the WWE’s new creative regime led by Paul “Triple H” Levesque will continue to yield significant positive changes.

Triple H took over as head of creative and talent relations following Vince McMahon’s retirement in July 2022. WWE programming has been getting better reviews by industry pundits and fans on social media over the past few weeks.

Flair discussed the new era of WWE on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast. He tells co-host Conrad Thompson that he’s enjoying the current product. He is also hearing good things from the WWE locker room.

Flair says it’s a looser environment behind the scenes and he’s confident Triple H has a good support system to lean on.

Big Change Fans Will Appreciate

WWE has relied on part-time performers over the past several years. The company’s top champions and box office attractions are not always working full-time schedules.

“I don’t think he’s crazy about the part-time performers.”

– Ric Flair on Triple H

Flair believes Triple H will want WWE’s champions to be available to appear week in and week out.

“He looks at the big picture totally different than other people do, than other people have,” said Flair. “I don’t think he’s crazy about the part-time performers. That would be my take on it. As he knows.. he worked every day until the day he got more involved in the office.”

Falling out with Triple H

Conrad asked Ric about the status of his relationship with Triple H. Are they still tight and thick as thieves?

“Well, I don’t think we’re thick as thieves, but I cant tell you this. We had a big falling out over the trademark, ‘The Man’ issue, a big falling out. But, I’d be very surprised if I wasn’t in the top 5 people who reached out to Stephanie when he got sick. Certainly, as soon as I became aware of it, I called her and I called him.”

“He is the first person I called when [Ric’s son] Reid died. So, for whatever people want to make about our relationship or not, I feel like everybody has ups and downs. You have arguments, you have disagreements. But I can guarantee you this, I will be at his funeral, and I’ll guarantee you this, he will be at mine. Everybody else can say what they want to say, make of it what they want to make of it.”

When Flair returned to WWE in 2001, Hunter was just as instrumental as Vince in welcoming him back into the fold. They knew he was battling big self confidence issues and helped rebuilt himself by pushing him to be his best and not rest on his laurels.

Flair said everything he has today in wrestling, as far as his ‘redemption’ post-WCW, is because of Triple H and Vince.

Please credit Ad Free Shows with a link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. Visit AdFreeShows.com to subscribe starting at $9/month.

Trish Stratus is regarded as one of the WWE Superstars of all time. Despite her accomplishments, she hasn’t lost sight of her humble beginnings in the business.

Earlier this month, Stratus became the first woman to accept the Lou Thesz Award as part of her induction into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. The success didn’t come overnight. It was a long road to the top for the 7-time Women’s champion.

Stratus recently sat down with DS Shin for Ring The Belle and revealed she was initially hesitant to present herself as a WWE Superstar.

WWE Rookie

Trish Stratus made her WWE debut in 2000 during the Attitude Era. She started off as a heel manager for T&A (Test and Albert) and Val Venis. It wasn’t long before she was competing in matches. By early 2001, still in her rookie year, Stratus was thrust into the spotlight and featured in a prominent storyline with former WWE boss, Vince McMahon.

Stratus tells Ring the Bell that she initially felt insecure about her role in WWE. She didn’t take the traditional path to the world’s most prominent wrestling organization. As a former fitness model, she bypassed the independent minor leagues. Had she earn the right to call herself a wrestler?

The humility served Trish Stratus well. She found her way in WWE, to say the least. After several WrestleMania appearances and rivalries that are still spoken about until this day, she retired as Women’s champion in 2007.

She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and has competed several times since then, including a ‘dream match’ against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019.

Stratus was back on Raw this week in her hometown of Toronto and teased that we may not have seen the last of her in the ring.

Watch Trish Stratus’ full interview with Ring the Belle:

Please credit Ring the Belle with a link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article.

AEW Dynamite and NXT 2.0 will go head-to-head once again, at least for one night.

WWE and AEW will see programming interruptions this October due to scheduling conflicts with Major League Baseball’s post season schedule.

A special Tuesday edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS will take place on October 18th from Cincinnati, Ohio (Tickets). This show will run against NXT 2.0 on the USA Network.

This will be the first time in over a year that AEW and NXT run opposite one another. Both companies are expected to present loaded shows. AEW will pull out all the stops to draw fans to a different night, while NXT will also want bragging rights up against its former rival.

As noted earlier, the upcoming WWE Worlds Collide (NXT vs. NXT UK) premium live event is scheduled for Sunday, September 4th, the same day as All Out.

AEW Dynamite Preemption(s)

All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite, will be affected first. At least one week of Dynamite will have to air on a different channel or date than usual.

The American League Championship Series kicks off Wednesday, October 19th. Game 1 of the ALCS will air live on TBS that night, during AEW Dynamite’s weekly time slot.

Should the ALCS go to a series-deciding 7th game, the following week’s Dynamite (Wednesday, October 26th) would also be preempted.

WWE SmackDown Preemption(s)

WWE SmackDown will also be preempted on Friday, October 28th. FOX will be airing Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.

Should the best-of-7 World Series go to 6 games, the September 4th edition of SmackDown would get bumped as well.

SmackDown has aired on FOX cable affiliate FS1 for preemptions, so this is a likely scenario here.

The Undertaker is headed to Cardiff, Wales next month.

WWE has announced The Undertaker’s “1 deadMAN SHOW” stage show will take place Friday, September 2nd at the New Theatre in Cardiff.

This is the day before WWE’s Clash at the Castle stadium show from Principality Stadium.

Update: Due to overwhelming demand, WWE has added a second 1 deadMAN SHOW to the Undertaker’s upcoming trip to the UK. An ‘early bird’ show will be held at 1:30pm, ahead of the originally scheduled 8pm evening show.

There will be VIP Meet and Greet sessions prior to each show.

Undertaker’s 1 deadMAN Show

UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW features The Phenom in an intimate setting, sharing never-before-heard stories from his Hall of Fame career and taking questions from fans in attendance.

These will be the second (and third) presentations of The Undertaker’s new stage show. The first installment took place last month from Nashville, TN during SummerSlam weekend.

The first show was well-received and drew a strong house on the opening night, despite going head-to-head with the Roast of Ric Flair in the same city.

If you’re attending WWE Clash at the Castle on Saturday, September 3rd, this is your chance to see WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker like you’ve never seen him before.

Tickets for the upcoming 1 deadMAN SHOW go on sale this Friday at 10am BST via NewTheatreCardiff.co.uk.

Recent News about The Undertaker

• The Undertaker Approves of WWE’s Return to TV-14
• The Undertaker Talks WWE Change That Revolutionized Wrestling Business
• Who Came up with The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak?
• The Undertaker Explains “Never Say Never” Line During WWE Hall Of Fame Speech

Championships are meant to signify greatness in pro wrestling. In a sport focused around in-ring exhibitions, title belts are the ultimate goal of every competitor. When used effectively, they can draw huge money and spark business. When a company has too many championships, their value diminishes.

Wrestling legend Bully Ray knows a thing or two about having gold around his waist. As one half of the Dudley Boyz, he’s one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers in history. He’s seen championships booked correctly and he’s seen opportunities squandered due to poor planning.

Bully Ray recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston. During a discussion about whether or not the NWA should add a secondary Women’s Championship, Bully Ray spoke about the broader topic of championships in wrestling.

Make Them Matter

WWE and AEW, the top wrestling promotions in the United States, feature so many sanctioned titles that it’s difficult to keep track of them all.

Does WWE need two world champions, two sets of tag champions, two mid-card titles, a comedy title, in addition to all the belts in NXT and NXT UK?

Does AEW need two mid-card men’s titles (TNT and All-Atlantic), an unsanctioned FTW title and new Trios titles?

According to Bully Ray, we’ve got a problem on our hands.

Thankfully, there are some glimmers of hope. Bully Ray pointed out that WWE has done a phenomenal job re-establishing the Intercontinental and United States Championships in recent weeks. Those belts had been watered down to be nothing more than props, but Triple H has given fans a reason to understand and appreciate their lineage.

Bully Ray said it would be great for the NWA to create a Women’s TV Championship, as a ‘workhorse’ title, and would be open to the idea of Women’s Tag titles, if they have enough women to warrant them.

Watch Bully Ray’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston: