Steve Fall is back for Episode 1 of Getting Blue, recapping the April 22, 2022 edition of WWE SmackDown in a strange and unique way.
We’re looking at the Good, the Bad and the What The Heck?! moments from this week’s SmackDown.
Plus, we’ll name Getting Blue’s firsts MVE (Most Valuable Entertainer).
Check out the show below, Subscribe to the SEScoops YouTube Channel and be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you think.
WWE is headed overseas next week for the annual post-WrestleMania tour of Europe. Since talent will be out of the United States next week, WWE taped the 4/29 edition of SmackDown on Friday night from Albany, NY.
The following are spoiler results from Friday’s tapings. This will be the final edition of SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash.
Intercontinental Champion Ricochet retained the title against Shanky. They teased a split between Shanky and Jinder Mahal after the match.
Darius Martin of Top Flight has reacted to the Fightful report that he recently suffered a leg injury and will miss significant ring time.
On Friday, he posted a tweet and gave a different perspective:
The 22-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota just got back to AEW after over a year on the sidelines due to an ACL tear. He returned on March 2nd. Top Flight is 6-1 since then. The team wrestled in the main event of the latest episode of AEW Dark. They teamed with The Hardys in an 8-man tag match against Private Party, The Blade & Angelico.
Kenny Omega continues to rehabilitate his various injuries, but he probably won’t be back in time for AEW’s next pay-per-view event.
The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion has been out of action since late 2021. Last month, it’s believed that Omega had arthroscopic knee surgery and also went under the knife to correct a sports hernia. Both procedures have a recovery time of approximately 8-10 weeks.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said he doesn’t expect Omega to be healthy in time for AEW Double or Nothing in late May.
“I don’t know where Omega is as far as recovery on everything. But I don’t think he’s gonna make the May PPV. I don’t know that, the last I heard, it didn’t sound promising for May.”
– Dave Meltzer on Kenny Omega’s stauts
Kenny Omega is not your average athlete, but he should not rush his return. At this stage of his career, staying healthy is a top priority.
The June 23rd AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view would be incomplete without Kenny Omega, so it’s probably best that he plays it safe and gives himself that extra month of recovery time.
Drew McIntyre has some advice for boxing champion Tyson Fury: don’t screw things up this weekend.
Fury returns to the ring this Saturday. He defends the WBC heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
McIntyre spoke with Sky Sports this week to discuss the fight, his relationship with Fury and his desire to wrestle the big man at WWE’s big UK stadium show from Cardiff, Wales in September.
McIntyre says he cheers on Tyson Fury every time he fights. They keep in touch and “go back and forth” pretty regularly. However, whenever Fury attends WWE live events, McIntyre says the Gypsy King manages to avoid him. He joked that Fury is the World’s Tallest Ninja, due to Fury’s ability to avoid him when they’re in the same building.
McIntyre says, “I’m a big fan of his. He’s highly entertaining, he’s such an attraction. That’s why I’m always saying to him, ‘Hey, the door’s always open in WWE. The ball is in your court.'”
He’s no boxing expert, but even he can see Fury that is a superior fighter to Whyte. His cardio is second to none and he’s proven he can take a knockout punch and get back up. “There’s no reason he shouldn’t run right through him this weekend,” said McIntyre.
McIntyre advises Fury, “Don’t screw it up!” because there’s a big-money wrestling match on the table, if he’s up for it.
“All I’ll say to Tyson is, Don’t screw it up! Don’t screw it up. Get through this fight, win it, and then give us a call. We’ll figure out if it can happen in Cardiff.”
– Drew McIntyre to Tyson Fury
WWE’s first UK stadium show in 30 years takes place on Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
WWE should have no problem packing 70,000+ fans into Principality Stadium. However, a Drew McIntyre vs. Tyson Fury showdown all-but-guarantees a sellout crowd.
Watch Drew McIntyre’s comments to Tyson Fury:
Former WWE Superstar Zach Gowen says WWE wanted Brock Lesnar to F5 him off the SmackDown fist during their 2003 feud.
Luckily for Gowen, the spot never happened. According to the one-legged wrestler, WWE was unable to hammer out the logistics.
On Friday, Gowen replied to a tweet by the official account of McDonald’s. The burger chain asked, “bring back ______.” Gowen replied, the SmackDown fist.
This prompted him to reveal an interesting piece of information about the infamous angle that saw Lesnar throw a wheelchair-bound Gowen down a flight of stairs.
According to Gowen, WWE had other plans for Lesnar’s method of assault.
“Fun fact: The original plan was for Brock to F5 off the FIST through the stage, but we couldn’t come up with HOW we would get up there. The that plan evolved into him throwing me down the stairs in a wheelchair.”
Brock Lesnar F5’ing Zach Gowen off the SmackDown fist would have been a sight to behold. However, the whole “shoving a man in a wheelchair down a flight of steps” still stands out as one of the most violent and surreal moments in WWE history.
For those who are wondering if Zach Gowen went down the steps himself, he didn’t. Gowen was smart of enough to use a stunt man, despite a thoughtful offer by Vince McMahon himself.
During a 2015 interview with Nick Hausman, Gowen reveals that Vince McMahon offered him the chance to take the stunt himself. He respectfully declined.
“Right before the stunt man is about to take the fall, I’m standing up there watching them film it,” said Gowen. “Vince McMahon looks at me and he says, ‘You know, kid, if you want… you can take the bump. You can do it yourself if you want.’ I said, ‘No thanks, man!” I know I’m stupid, but I’m not that stupid! I’m not going to fall down two flights of stairs in a wheel chair. I’m not trained to do that.”
Good call, Zach. Good call.
FTR members Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will square off in an Owen Hart Memorial Tournament qualifying match next week on AEW Dynamite.
Shortly after the match announcement, Dax Harwood tweeted about the significance of this match. He revealed this will be the, “First time. Only time.” that the partners wrestle each other.
The reigning ROH & AAA World tag team champions appeared on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast to discuss the unique matchup.
According to Harwood, they’ve always wanted to have a match. Interestingly, they had to “fight” in order to get the match booked in an AEW ring.
“That was our idea, totally,” said Harwood. “We had to fight for it, but that was completely our idea.”
Harwood said they’ve always wanted to have a match, but it had to be under the right circumstances.
“There had to be a reason and this is the perfect reason to do it,” he continued. “The Hart family means a lot to both of us personally and professionally. So being able to show respect to Owen Hart and his whole family, what better way to do it than allowing the two biggest Hart family fans in the world compete?”
Dax Harwood says FTR will never break up so there hasn’t been a chance for them to wrestle each other.
“I’ll retire before we ever even entertain that idea,” said Harwood, about FTR breaking up. “I’ll say that right here right now. Print it. Tattoo it. I don’t care. We’re never going to do a breakup angle.”
When AEW announced the Owen Hart tournament, FTR went straight to Tony Khan and pitched the match idea. Khan liked the idea, but wasn’t immediately sold.
“[Tony Khan] did like it, but he was like, ‘Okay, I gotta see if I can make it make sense.’ We just stayed on him about it, ‘Hey, can we? Can we? Can we?’ Finally, he was like, ‘Alright, I got a way where we can make it all work. You’ll do it in Philly. It’s going down.’ So yeah, he liked the idea, and he finally gave us the nod, and here we are.”
Elsewhere in the interview, FTR spoke about their rising popularity. They acknowledged that fans are starting to “take to them” because they’re not “playing wrestler” or working a gimmick. They eat, sleep and breathe pro wrestling and fans are smart enough to know you can’t fake that.
Listen to FTR on the 300th episode of the Wrestling Perspective Podcast:
The finals of the Men’s and Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments will take place in May at AEW Double or Nothing 2022.
The Steiner Brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this month during WrestleMania 38 weekend.
Their induction was long overdue. Rick and Scott Steiner were one of the most dominant tag teams of the 1980’s and 90’s. There was little debate about whether or not they deserved to be honored. However, the induction was likely delayed a few years due to Scott’s contentious relationship with WWE.
Scott Steiner has been very outspoken about WWE since leaving the company in 2004. He’s ripped the company during various interviews and podcast appearances, including Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.
As recently as 2020, Steiner was calling Triple H a “p*ssy” who got ahead by sleeping with “the boss’ daughter.”
Big Poppa Pump recently spoke with the Detroit News and discussed reconciling with WWE. Steiner told Adam Graham that it’s important to let go of bad feelings and move on with your life.
“You’ve gotta’let it go. you can’t harbor all the bad feelings. You’ve gotta grow up.”
– Scott Steiner
Scott Stiner and Triple H made amends and were photographed together backstage at the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
He also commented on his late 1990’s transformation from tag team wrestler Scott Steiner to Big Poppa Pump, the Genetic Freak.
Steiner had flirted with the idea of a heel solo run for years, but finally pulled the trigger during the height of the nWo’s reign in WCW.
“I knew I had to go in a totally different direction, so I just totally flipped the switch,” said Steiner. “In amateur wrestling, you really didn’t talk too much trash. Wrestling is a humbling experience: if you get too big, you’ll get beat.”
“So I had always had that mindset. But after a while, once I saw everything in the business, the politics, I had a totally different mindset than when I broke in. I had a whole different attitude, it was more of a rage. And that’s what came out.”
Head over to Detroit News to read their full interview with Scott Steiner.
Watch The Steiner Brothers “bark” their way into the WWE Hall of Fame:
Bret Hart won’t be returning to AEW any time soon.
Hart is a beloved figure throughout the industry. Many of today’s top stars idolized the Hitman growing up. In recent months, names such as Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, CM Punk and of course FTR have praised the man and his legacy.
AEW stars FTR and CM Punk have paid tribute to Hart in recent weeks, including references to the “The Best There Is,” wearing pink and black and executing some of Hart’s signature moves.
A recent photo of Bret Hart also got people excited that he was gearing up for a television return.
Bret Hart will be in FTR’s corner at an upcoming event for Big Time Wrestling (6/10 in Webster, MA). However, there’s a reason this pairing is taking place at an independent show instead of in All Elite Wrestling.
People in AEW believe Hart recently signed a lucrative WWE legends contract, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This agreement would prevent him from being FTR’s new manager in AEW. It would also keep him from having any involvement in AEW’s Owen Hart Memorial Tournaments.
Bret Hart recently stated that he plans to slow down his appearance schedule, likely by the end of this year. He still hopes to make select appearances, including the lucrative ‘Comic Con’ events, but will scale back his traveling.
The 64-year-old legend is also considering writing a second book about his childhood. Of course, it would detail his childhood as the son of famed wrestler and promoter Stu Hart, and aspirations to conquer the wrestling world.
Hart’s first book, 2010’s Hitman, was an international best seller. You can read the synopsis of his first book below:
“A story of death, sex, betrayal and revenge; sweat, steroids and duplicity – wrestler Bret Hart lifts the lid on the wacky, mythic, secretive word of pro wrestling in this epic tell-all.”
Former WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) resurfaced on Thursday with a new Twitter name/bio and some puzzling comments and imagery.
Wyatt updated his Twitter name to reflect a red circle. His new Twitter avatar can be seen here:
He also sent out some messages talking about evolving into a sentient machine, so he doesn’t have to feel the pain of being a man anymore.
“I do think it’s true that ‘he who makes a beast of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man.’
But
But if you become the machine, you don’t have to feel at all.
#WhatIf?
To be Sentient.”
The tweet about “becoming the machine” included another illustration that you can view below.
Bray Wyatt has kept a low profile since leaving WWE in July 2021. We know he’s working on a horror movie, which has been in production since November. He’s made a couple appearances at wrestling conventions, including WrestleCon during WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, TX.
AEW: Fight Forever will be the name of All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming console video game.
Game production has been underway for some time. Recent reports have the game slated for release in September 2022.
After this week’s AEW Dynamite from Pittsburgh went off the air, AEW President Tony Khan came out to address the live crowd.
Khan explained that they would be recording audio for the Fight Forever video game, and asked the crowd to chant phrases including:
Last month, we covered the AEW: Fight Forever trademark application, which will be used for:
“Downloadable game software; Downloadable computer game software; Downloadable electronic game software; Downloadable interactive game software; Video game discs; Downloadable video game programs; Downloadable video game software; Recorded video game programs; Recorded video game software.”
Here are some more recent articles chronicling the game’s development:
Former WWE Superstars Killer Kross (Kevin Kesar) and Scarlett Bordeaux (Elizabeth Chihaia) are now married.
The couple recently took a helicopter ride to a glacier in Alaska for their “very private” ceremony. Kross posted a video online recapping their magical event.
He provided the following note:
“Hello Everyone, Elizabeth and I have recently eloped- we’re married!
We flew to Alaska, hopped on a helicopter and flew to a glacier for a very private ceremony (then wrestled the next day, naturally).
We initially weren’t going to share this footage but after further discussing it; we’d actually like to do so and say thank you so much for all the support we get from you all.
Whether you’re a fan, friend or family- you have all participated in brining joy into our lives.
Sincerely, Kevin & Elizabeth“
The couple wrestled for WrestlePro Alaska in Anchorage on April 9th, so it seems the wedding took place April 8th. They announced their engagement back in September.
SEScoops extends our congratulations to Killer Kross and Scarlett!
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Tony Khan will make a huge announcement tonight on AEW Dynamite!
In all seriousness, the company has a pretty good track record when it comes to announcements and free agent signings. Just hours ahead of the big reveal, TV Insider just dropped an exclusive interview with the AEW President.
Khan spoke with Scott Fishman to provide some ’11th hour’ hype for what’s sure to be a newsworthy event. According to TK, this announcement will be “unique” and unlike anything they’ve done before.
“I think this surprise is different than anything we’ve promoted before. We’ve had a lot of great surprise moments in AEW. A lot of special nights on Dynamite. Without giving too much away, I think this is a unique announcement. I’m excited about this as anything we’ve worked on.”
He continued, “I think there will be a lot of interest in this announcement. Given the amount of intrigue I think it will create, I thought it would be good to promote a big surprise coming to Dynamite. This is the kind of announcement that deserves a lot of fanfare.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Khan speaks about the dynamics of owning two wrestling promotions, CM Punk stating his intention to go after the AEW World Championship, Cody Rhodes’ departure and much more.
Head over to TV Insider to read their interview with Tony Khan.
WWE Raw tag team champions RK-Bro have a festive new t-shirt available at WWEShop.com.
To commemorate April 20th (“4:20”), WWE is now selling an RK-Bro t-shirt inspired by Stone Cold Steve Austin’s iconic Austin 3:16 shirt.
The shirt reads, “RK-bro 4:20” in green text on the front and “… says I just smoked your asssssss” on the back.
According to Randy Orton, it “took some work” to get the shirt made. The RKBro 4:20 shirt is on sale today only and begins shipping on May 5th.
In case there was any uncertainty about what the shirt is referencing, an image at WWEShop promoting the gear depicts Orton and Riddle surrounded by a puff of smoke. Click below to pre-order:
Marijuana is a banned substance under WWE’s talent wellness policy, but that hasn’t stopped various Superstars from partaking in the illicit activity.
During a 2020 interview with Ariel Helwani for ESPN, Riddle shared his views on marijuana.
“I’m a supporter of it, you know, it’s medically legal in most states. And I know most companies, aren’t you know, punishing people [for it] anymore. I know since my stint with WWE I’ve had no problems. You know they understand my situation, they know I’ve fought in UFC, they know I’ve had multiple surgeries, they know I bump all around the ring and I take damage and everything else and I’m 34 years old.
“And as long as I am not hurting anybody or doing anything they make sure they test me all the time. They know everything about me. They test us for everything all the time. So its like, you know, I’m well taken care of and I’m good. They understand who the Bro is.”
Last year, Randy Orton revealed that he got high with Snoop Dogg backstage at WrestleMania 24. The Viper made sure to clarify that wasn’t the first time he had used marijuana, just the first time he smoked with Snoop.
Roxanne Perez made a successful WWE television debut on Tuesday’s edition of NXT.
Just days after picking up a win on NXT Level Up last week, Perez is now working a program with Toxic Attraction.
A vignette aired on NXT that highlighted Perez growing up as a WWE fan. She’s watch WWE programming and play WWE video games to escape feeling like an outcast at school.
Perez was initially scheduled to debut next week, but she was confronted by Toxic Attraction (NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin). The heels attempted to intimidate Perez and told her to keep her expectations in check.
Perez wrestled Jacy Jayne and got a surprise win. The finish came after Wendy Choo was shown on the big screen destroying the Toxic Lounge. Perez used the distraction to her Code Red finisher on Jayne for the win.
Backstage after the match, Perez said wrestling in WWE is a dream come true. She’s been working for this goal since she was 13 years old and showed off a tattoo that marked the date of her first match.
“I had my first win in my debut for WWE NXT, and it feels so crazy to say that,” she said. “Because like I said, I’ve wanted this my entire life. This is all I’ve ever dreamed of, and now it’s real.”
She also tweeted that winning her NXT TV debut was like a fever dream. She received congratulatory messages from several people including WWE’s Senior Director of Content & Development Jeremy Borash.
Watch Roxanne Perez’s NXT TV debut:
Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano returned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL this week.
The former NXT Champion wasn’t there to brush up on his skills or train for his in-ring return. He was actually there to visit friends and introduce former colleagues to his baby.
Gargano and Candice LaRae’s son Quill was born back on February 18th.
NXT manager Malcolm Bivens posted a photo on Tuesday of Gargano’s visit. Bivens used the caption, “Fatherhood whoopin his ass.”
As seen below, Gargano looks like he’s been through the ringer.
Johnny Gargano left WWE in late 2021 after approximately 6 years in NXT. During his time away, he and wife Candice LaRae welcomed the birth of their son.
Gargano recently revealed that he left NXT because his character felt stale. However, he hasn’t lost his love for pro wrestling. Gargano is now taking independent bookings. He appeared at WrestleCon during WrestleMania 38 weekend, but has not made any high-profile appearances since leaving WWE.
He could follow guys like Adam Cole, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland to AEW. He also might wind up back in WWE, according to these recent comments:
AEW had plans for an extended storyline involving Orange Cassidy and Danhausen, but those plans have been put on hold due to Cassidy’s shoulder injury.
Cassidy competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match at AEW Revolution back on March 6th. He suffered a “significant injury” after Keith Lee tossed him outside the ring, as seen below.
Thankfully, Cassidy was able to avoid shoulder surgery. However, he remains on the sidelines 6 weeks later with no updates on when he’s expected back.
AEW President Tony Khan is this week’s guest on Robbie Fox’s My Mom’s Basement podcast. During their discussion, Khan revealed that Cassidy’s injury derailed plans for him and Danhausen to continue working together at Revolution.
It’s unclear exactly what AEW had planned for the two polarizing comedy figures, but wrestling fans can expect them to reunite when Cassidy is healthy enough to return.
Danhausen made his AEW debut earlier this year during an Orange Cassidy match. The duo is aligned with the Best Friends faction and interacted a bit before Revolution.
With Cassidy on the sidelines, Khan said Danhausen won’t be forgotten. Khan said he sees Danhausen as a crossover star for AEW who can represent the company in various forums outside of wrestling.
During Cassidy’s absence, Danhausen has been working with Hook. Khan says he’s very excited for Danhausen and Hook’s “journey together,” which should lead to some interesting interactions.
Watch Tony Khan’s appearance on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox:
Owen Hart’s AEW theme music has been released.
The track is titled, “Legacy” and is composed by Mikey Rukus. We know the song has been in production for at least 6 months, since we got a sneak peek back in October.
AEW has partnered with the Owen Hart Foundation for a series of projects, including men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments. Qualifying matches for the inaugural tournaments are currently underway.
The finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments will take place at the annual AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May.
As you can hear below, Legacy pays homage to the classic Owen Hart theme song that blared through WWF arenas during the mid-1990’s.
Listen to Owen Hart’s AEW theme:
Thunder Rosa appeared on the Mack Mania podcast this week and spoke about her experience working with AEW President Tony Khan.
As AEW Women’s World Champion, Thunder Rosa is the face of the company’s women’s division. She recently ended Britt Baker’s lengthy title reign and understands the responsibility that now rests on her shoulders. She’s the top dog in AEW and now has a target on her back.
As someone who has wrestled around the world, Rosa knows what makes a good boss. She believes one of Tony Khan’s major strengths is that he listens to ideas from talent and allows them to have a hand in their storylines.
‘He listens,” she said about Tony Khan. “When you make sense, he will listen to what you have to say.”
She sees wrestling fans debating AEW storylines online. Some of them can be harsh about the AEW product and Tony Khan in particular. She’s seen her boss’ creativity in action and believes he knows what he’s doing.
“You have to believe in his vision,” said Rosa. “It is what it is, and that’s one of the things that I have learned about him. Everything that he has done from when I first started to now, I left it up to him, like the buildup to the Lights Out match and now into having the match in San Antonio was great.”
Rosa continued, “I never went and said, ‘No, I want to do this.’ I told Tony, ‘I’m going to see your vision and make sure that what you see is what you’re going to get.’ That’s what I said, and I made sure that I did everything that was in my power to do that, and I will continue to do that as a champion.”
Thunder Rosa retained the AEW Women’s World title against Nyla Rose this past weekend at Battle of the Belts II. Following that match, the top contenders in the Women’s division include Serena Deeb, Anna Jay and Jamie Hayter.
Listen to Thunder Rosa on the latest Mack Mania podcast:
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin says he’s feeling great after competing against Kevin Owens earlier this month at WrestleMania 38.
Austin was scheduled to be Kevin Owens’ guest on the KO Show at WrestleMania Saturday. Wrestling fans were pleasantly surprised when the advertised talkshow segment turned into Austin’s first sanctioned match in nearly two decades. It was a wild brawl that saw Stone Cold get his hand raised one last time to cap off a once-in-a-lifetime career.
Stone Cold recently appeared on the Brewbound Podcast to promote his new beer, the Broken Skull American Lager by the El Segundo brewing company.
Austin said he’s feeling perfect after WrestleMania.
“Oh, I’m 100 percent,” he said. “I picked up a little bit of a cold the other day but I’m back home in Nevada. Shoot, I was 100 percent [after his match with Kevin Owens] and of course went back in action on Sunday, did a little extra physicality as a part of the show.”
He continued, “It’s just an exciting time for me to back to a business that I really, really love and you know, I never thought I’d be back in a ring but, there we were headlining, main event for the — headlining WrestleMania for night one and it was just truly an honor to be out there and really excited to be out there.”
Austin said it was very satisfying to be able to feature his own beer during WWE appearances. At one point, during the Attitude Era, WWE pitched one of the major beer companies the opportunity to feature a Stone Cold Steve Austin beer. Unfortunately, it never came to be. He thinks that’s because his character was a bit too edgy for middle America and the audience that the unnamed beer company tries to reach.
“I just think what I was doing was very cutting edge, it was very edgy and that was tip of the spear, as far as the Attitude Era is concerned. So, I just don’t think I was.. someone’s idea of what a role model for their beer would look like at that time.”
Listen to Steve austin on the Brewbound Podcast:
Hello readers, we are starting a new feature here at SEScoops. The great Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston has joined our team and will be providing weekly Raw and SmackDown reaction videos.
Steve’s Raw Reactions drop Tuesday mornings, while the SmackDown reactions arrive Saturday mornings (Eastern Time).
Steve recaps the shows in a strange and unique way, looking at all the big Good, Bad and What The Heck moments. Plus, Steve names a the MVE (Most Valuable Entertainer) for the show he’s reviewing.
We’re excited to present this new WWE TV recap series and hope you’ll enjoy.
Please check out the first Raw Reaction video below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
We have a couple more exclusive news items from tonight’s WWE Raw taping in Buffalo, New York.
As noted earlier, SmackDown star Butch is at Raw. WWE has been running a storyline that Butch keeps going missing, so we’ll see if he pops up on tonight’s broadcast.
SEScoops has learned that The Miz is not scheduled to be at Raw tonight. The Miz kicked off last week’s show by hosting Miz TV with special guest Cody Rhodes.
The segment saw Rhodes drop several “banned” words, including wrestler (instead of Superstar) and belt (instead of championship). Later in the night, Rhodes defeated Miz in singles action.
Additionally, Rey Mysterio Jr. won’t be at Raw either. Mysterio was scheduled to compete against Veer last week, but did not appear due to an undisclosed medical issue. Whatever Mysterio is dealing with, he won’t be back on TV tonight.
Finally, another wrestler who is at the arena is independent star Kayla Sparks.
Sparks “pulled a Rick Rude” back in February when she appeared on episodes of WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage on the same night.
Her most recent appearance from WWE came earlier this month when she appeared in Dayna Brooke’s bachelorette party segment.
Raw will feature a double wedding ceremony, with R-Truth officiating the dual marriages between Dana Brooke/Reggie and Tamina/Tozawa. Sparks will likely be an extra at the wedding as a friend of Dana Brooke.
Quick Raw Preview:
SmackDown star Butch went missing again over the weekend, but we’ve found him.
WWE is in Buffalo, New York for tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw from the Keybank Center. SEScoops has learned that Butch has arrived at the arena.
It’s unknown if Butch will appear on television, but he arrived to Keybank Center with Tommaso Ciampa around 1:30pm local time.
Former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne was recently called up to the main roster. He was renamed “Butch” and has been paired with Sheamus and Ridge Holland as part of the new Fight Night stable. Butch is unhinged and loves to fight.
Sheamus and Holland have had to restrain Butch, who has being going “missing” as part of his ongoing storyline.
On Sunday, the official WWE Twitter account asked if anybody has seen Butch, so he apparently “went missing” once again after Sheamus and Holland tied up him on Friday.
Check out our Raw Preview for everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s broadcast.
Triple H says he’s happy for former NXT talent who have jumped to AEW. He keeps in touch with “almost all of them” and thinks the WWE machine gave them the tools to be successful “over there.”
Earlier this month, Triple H was interviewed by Chris Vannini for The Athletic. During their discussion, he spoke at length about AEW, including whether or not he views Tony Khan’s promotion as true competition for WWE.
A staggering number of former NXT performers now work for AEW. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, Andrade, Malakai Black, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe and William Regal are just some of the names on this list.
Triple H worked closely with all of them and he’s thankful for that opportunity.
“I like all those guys,” said Triple H. “They helped us get where we needed to get, and I’m thankful for it. The truth is there was a period of time where we were trying to build NXT. We built NXT. Then we were trying to build a brand that could get a television show and sustain it. All those names helped us get there.”
Ultimately, Vince McMahon decides who belongs on the main roster. Triple H says he’s happy for the NXT alumni who have moved on to AEW.
“If they have great gigs, I’m happy for them. I stay in touch with almost all of them. I like to think they came into us here, we taught them a lot, got them to (a higher level) where they learned how to do television, how to be professionals and all that to be successful there.”
Triple H says some of the people he worked with in NXT may come back to WWE at some point. Some may not and that’s ok.
The Adam Coles and Keith Lees of the world got NXT where it needed to go, at one time. However, Triple H says the show must go on. He likened today’s wrestling landscape to football. “People leave football teams, move to different teams all the time, and it’s great.”
Pop star The Weeknd channeled legendary WWE faction The Shield for his Coachella 2022 performance this past weekend.
The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia wrapped up the Coachella music festival’s first weekend on Sunday night. SHM played solo for the first hour, Weeknd joined for a few songs together, and then finished solo for the final hour playing all of his big hits.
Wrestling fans couldn’t help but notice the outfit worn by The Weeknd. Dressed in all black, including a tactical vest and gloves, the “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” singer looked like he was cosplaying as a Shield member.
Of course, The Shield is the disbanded faction that made Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) household names. The group catapulted each man into the stratosphere of pro wrestling and is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous groups in WWE history.
The Shield disbanded when Jon Moxley left WWE nearly three years ago, but they remain popular to this day. Just a few months ago, Seth Rollins donned his Shield gear for his championship match against Roman Reigns at the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Here’s a look at The Weeknd looking like a member of The Shield at Coachella 2022:
Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw is scheduled to take place from Buffalo, NY at the Keybank Center. The show will feature two championship matches, a “double wedding” and a lie detector test.
Here’s what’s on tap:
Top superstars advertised for the show include Cody Rhodes, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles.
Becky Lynch claims she’s not ready to return to Raw without the Raw Women’s Championship, so we’ll see if she appears on TV.
If you’re in the Buffalo area, tickets for Raw are still on sale at Ticketmaster.
Check back later tonight for our WWE Raw Live Discussion and Results.