Former WWE Superstar Velveteen Dream (Patrick Clark) was briefly advertised to appear at an upcoming independent wrestling show. He was quickly pulled from the event after “careful consideration” by the promoter.

Dream was released by WWE back in May. The controversial former NXT wrestler had his WWE career derailed after numerous ‘sexual misconduct’ allegations.

• Update On Events That Led To Velveteen Dream’s WWE Release

New Jersey-based promotion SWF announced Velveteen Dream would appear at their Home Sweet Home event on September 11th from Toms River, New Jersey. This would have been his return to the public eye.

Within a matter of hours of Velveteen Dream being advertised for SWF Home Sweet Home, plans changed. SWF owner Rob Fury issued a statement on social media addressing the situation.

Fury wrote, “I believe any man can be slandered and have been through other situations in my life unrelated but untrue. After careful consideration, Dream has been removed.”

Patrick Clark issued a lengthy statement following his WWE release, which you can read here.

Kenny Omega retained the Impact World Championship over Sami Calihan this past weekend at Slammiversary.

The next challenger to Omega Impact title was determined at Monday night’s television tapings from Nashville, TN. (Spoilers)

In the final match of the second set of tapings, Brian Myers won a #1 contender’s battle royal to earn the championship opportunity. This episode of Impact is expected to air Thursday, August 12th on AXS TV.

Kenny Omega vs. Brian Myers will headline Impact Wrestling’s next special event, Emergence. Impact has not yet confirmed the date(s) for Emergence, which took place over two weeks last year.

• Impact Spoiler: Jay White Adds New Member To Bullet Club

In the video below, you can see Don Callis and Kenny Omega backstage after Omega’s title defense from Slammiversary:

Impact Wrestling held another round of television tapings on Monday night from Nashville, TN. They now have four weeks of TV recorded, so we have a good look at how storylines will play out through mid-August.

You can find results from Sunday night’s Impact on AXS tapings here. Those shows will air this Thursday (7/22) and next Thursday (7/29).

Here are the results from Monday’s tapings, courtesy of Darryn Simmons and Impact Asylum:

Impact on AXS Tapings Results
Airing 8/5

• Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King defeated Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona in a Homecoming tournament match.
• Decay defeated Rachel Ellering and Tommy Dreamer in a Homecoming tournament match.
• Eddie Edwards defeated W. Morrissey in a Hardcore Match.
• Sam Adonis defeated Joessa.
• Jake Something defeated Daivari, Rohit Raju and Trey Miguel in a 4-Way Match.
• Chris Bey w/Jay White defeated Juice Robinson w/David Finlay. Afterwards, Jay White presented Bey a Bullet Club shirt and gave him a “too sweet” salute.
• Taylor Wilde defeated Kaleb.
• Moose defeated Chris Sabin. There was a big brawl to end the show.

Impact on AXS Tapings Results
Airing 8/12

• Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King defeated Decay in the Homecoming tournament finals to be crowned Homecoming King and Queen.
• Tenille Dashwood defeated Taylor Wilde. Dashwood got help from the returning Madison Rayne.
• Maclin destroys Jah-C.
• Josh Alexander defeated Daivari.
• FinJuice picked up a DQ win over Bullet Club’s Jay White and Chris Bey after White hit Robinson with a chair.
• John Skyler defeated Matt Cardona after a distraction from Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera.
• Homecoming Queen and King Deonna Purrazzo and Drama King came out for a promote. They were interrupted by Mickie James, who has a contract for Deonna Purrazzo to work the upcoming NWA Empowerrr all-women’s PPV. Deonna refuses to sign it unless she knows her opponent. Mickie then introduces Melina. They signed the contract and the match is on.
• Brian Myers won a battle royal to earn a World title shot at Kenny Omega at Emergence.

STARZ has released an extended trailer for Heels, a new original drama series based on the world of independent pro wrestling.

Heels premieres Sunday, August 15th at 9pm (Eastern).

Heels stars Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, with Alexander Ludwig playing his younger brother, Ace. STARZ sent in a press release that includes the following synopsis and character overview:

“Heels is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.

The drama series also stars Alison Luff as Staci Spade, Jack’s wife who learns that she has to contend with the emotional stakes her in-laws have invested in their wrestling goals and the demands it puts on her family; Mary McCormack as Willie Day, Jack’s business partner and the logistical brains behind the local wrestling organization; Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler, Ace’s valet and love interest; Allen Maldonado as Rooster Robbins, one of the best wrestlers in the circuit who always has something to prove and always backs it up; two-time Super Bowl champion James Harrison as Apocalypse, a been-around-the-block journeyman wrestler who’s been at it for decades and has no illusions of fame or glory; and Chris Bauer as Wild Bill Hancock, a larger-than-life former wrestling star who is now a high-level pro wrestling scout.”

All Elite Wrestling is headed to Cincinnati, Ohio for the first-time later this summer.

AEW Dynamite will emanate from Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday, September 8th. This will be a ‘PPV fallout’ week, taking place just three days after the upcoming AEW All Out pay-per-view from Chicago.

Tickets for AEW Dynamite’s Cincinnati debut go on sale this Friday at AEWTix.com and start at just $25.

AEW released this video of Jon Moxley announcing Dynamite is headed to his hometown:

AEW Dynamite Upcoming Schedule

The following is an updated look at AEW’s road to All Out:

• 7/21: Garland, TX (Fyter Fest: Night 2)
• 7/28: Charlotte, NC (Fight for the Fallen)
• 8/4: Jacksonville, FL (Homecoming)
• 8/11: Pittsburgh, PA
• 8/18: Houston, TX
• 8/25: Milwaukee, WI
• 9/1: Chicago, IL

Rey Fenix will soon return to action for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The high-flying luchador has been sidelined since April with a groin injury. His most recent match was a win over Chuck Taylor on the April 21st edition of Dark: Elevation.

With Rey Fenix out of action, his partner Penta El Zero Miedo has teamed with PAC and Eddie Kingston. Penta and Kingston recently made a run at the AEW tag titles and even scored a victory over the champions in a non-title match.

Expect to see the Lucha Bros. and Death Triangle reunited in the weeks ahead – just in time to start a new program with a very tranquilo individual.

This past week on AEW Dynamite, Andrade El Idolo stated that he’s looking for Death Triangle (PAC, Pentagon & Fenix). It’s unknown exactly what Andrade’s motives are, but we do know Andrade will be at Dynamite next week in hopes of meeting with Death Triangle.

SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay recently spoke with Impact Wrestling star Willie Mack to promote this weekend’s Slammiversary PPV. Mack and Rich Swann are competing in the Tag Title Fatal 4-Way match at the event.

You can order Impact Wrestling Slammiversary at FITE.TV now for $39.99.

Willie Mack SEScoops Interview

Topics discussed during this 17+ minute discussion include:

• His strategy for the to win the tag titles at Slammiversary: “Just look around and start swinging! Whatever hits, hits.”

• His partnership with Rich Swann, how they linked up and how their styles mesh

• How they plan to celebrate if they win the Impact tag titles this weekend

• The wildest match he’s ever participated in

• His pick to win the Ultimate X match at Slammiversary (“As long as I’m not in it, I’m happy.”)

• Summer movie picks & more

Check out Ella Jay’s full interview with Willie Mack:

Several WWE Superstars will be using different ring names moving forward.

Nikki Cross recently introduced a new super hero character focused on being a good person and inspiring others. She has dropped the name Cross and is now going by Nikki A.S.H. (ALMOST. SUPER. HERO.).

Her Superstar profile at WWE.com still lists her as Nikki Cross, but that is sure to be updated soon.

More Recent Name Changes

Former Retribution members Reckoning and Slapjack have shed those names and have reverted back to Mia Yim and Shane Thorne, respectively.

Last week on SmackDown, we saw the main roster debuts of Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox. Nox’s last name was spared, but Blackheart is now going by simply Shotzi.

WWE has a long history of renaming wrestlers when they join NXT or get called up to the main roster. Just a few weeks ago, the following Performance Center recruits got new names as well:

• Harlem Bravado is now Andre Chase
• Drew and Jacob Kasper are now Brutus and Julius Creed
• Avery Taylor is now Jacy Jayne

Major League Wrestling returned Saturday night live from Philadelphia, PA with MLW Battle Riot. SEScoops correspondent Samira was in attendance at the 2300 Arena and interviewed several MLW fighters. We’ll have videos of those interviews live on the site next week.

MLW Battle Riot III Results
Julyl 10, 2021
Philadelphia, PA (2300 Arena)
Report by Samira

MLW kicked off their Battle Riot III show with a moment of silence for the lives that were lost due to COVID-19.

The first match to start was Anthony Catena vs. Rustin Grundy. The match was very quick with Rustin giving a powerbomb to Catena for the win.

Next, we had a women’s match. Brittany Blake vs. Delmi Exo with Ashley Vox ringside. Exo picked up the win by giving a buster to Blake.

Third match was Budd Heavy, who got a loud chant from the crowd, against Alex Kane. Budd received a powerbomb from Kane, which resulted in Kane winning. Budd had given Kane the finger as he was walking up the ramp, which led to Kane running back in the ring and giving Budd many suplexes. Heavy was then helped backstage by referees.

KC Navarro, making his MLW debut, went up against Gino Medina. However, Medina hit his “Eat Defeat” on Navarro, which resulted with him winning the match.

Next, Team Filthy came out with Tom Lawlor talking on the microphone about how Kit Osbourne and Kevin Ku were going to defeat the Von Erichs. Marshall and Ross then came out to start the Bunkhouse Brawl Match. The Von Erichs won by pinfall once Marshall did a moonsault from the top rope landing on Ku who was laying on a table.

Cesar Duran then came out and cut a promo on how he was going to bring Lucha and the Azteca Underground to MLW. Injustice came out asking Duran for a fight when LAX came out, which resulted in a big pop from the crowd. This new LAX consists of Danny Rivera (Limelight) and Slice Boogie. Konnan and Julius Smokes came along with them as well. LAX talked on the microphone for a bit, which then led to a fight between them and Injustice, which led the fight backstage. Cesar then announced there will be a match later and then mentioned the championship match between Jacob Fatu and Matt Cross.

Next was Lee Moriarty against Calvin Tankman. Tankman picks up the win with his “Tankman Driver.” As he walks up the ramp, he is stopped by Alicia Atout, who is with Alex Kane. Atout asks Tankman if he would join the American Hustle, which he responded with “I’ll think about it,” then walked backstage.

Alicia comes down to the ring, but not with the American Hustle, but with Cesar Duran. They sit down behind the commentators and enjoy some champagne as they watch the next match of Richard Holliday defending his Caribbean Championship against King Muertes. Muertes becomes the new champion. According to Holliday’s Instagram story, he had to receive stitches in the back of his head after the match.

National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone defended his title against Tom Lawlor. During the match, the crowd had chanted “Daisy Dukes” in reference to the very short jean shorts Lawlor was wearing. Lawlor’s “Daisy Dukes” didn’t help as Hammerstone retained the title.

The other half of the Sea Stars, Ashley Vox, then went up against Willow Nightingale. Delmi Exo was ringside as the match went on. Nightingale won by pinfall after giving Vox a powerbomb.

Up next was Davey Richards, making his MLW debut, against TJP. Throughout the whole match, the crowd showed very loudly their dislike for TJP as they had cheered “TJP sucks” and “TJPussy.” Richards wins his debut match after making TJP submit to an ankle lock.

We then had LAX versus Injustice. Smokes had come to the ring with LAX, but not Konnan. Rivera picked up the victory for LAX with a roll up. LAX then proceeded to beat up Injustice along with a few referees. Danny then spray painted on one of the members of Injustice chest.

Arez versus Aramis. Both had some nice high flying moves off the top rope that landed outside of the ring. Aramis won after using his “3 Seconds Around The World.” The two shook hands after the match.

The last singles match of the night was Matt Cross again Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship. Fatu retained the title by doing a moonsault off the top rope onto Cross. Cross was then placed in a body bag and taken backstage.

The last and final match of the evening was the Battle Riot. Among all the 40 entrants, we saw surprises from Savio Vega, Zicky Dice, Kim Chee, and the Blue Meanie. EJ Nduka came in and had eliminated a lot of wrestlers, but then was eliminated by LAX. Fans had believed LA Park had entered, but it turned out to be Tom Lawlor after he was unmasked. He then was eliminated by Marshall Von Erich. Alexander Hammerstone ended up winning the Battle Riot, who then tore up a Contra flag. Jacob Fatu came out wanting to fight, but then walked away. Hammerstone celebrated his victory in the ring.

MLW Battle Riot will air for free on beIN Sports later this month on July 24th.

LAX has arrived in Major League Wrestling.

During Saturday night’s MLW Battle Riot III event from Philadelphia, PA, Azteca Underground boss Cesar Duran (formerly Dario Cueto) came out. He was interrupted by Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver of Injustice. This brought out LAX, now comprised of Konnan, Danny Limelight and Slice Boogie.

SEScoops correspondent Samira is live on site and sent in word that LAX got a huge reaction from the Philly crowd.

Konnan is a founding member of LAX dating back to the early 2000’s. Limelight is a fan favorite who has appeared on AEW Dark and Elevation several times over the past few months. He has also appeared on NJPW Strong.

SEScoops will have full results from MLW Battle Riot III later tonight.

Here is footage of Cesar Duran introducing LAX, courtesy of John Siino:

Former WWE Superstar Aleister Black made a surprise debut this past week on AEW Dynamite. Now known as Malakai Black, the Dutch grappler immediately made an impact by taking out Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes.

Malakai Black was on WWE’s payroll just last month. Due to an administrative oversight by WWE, Black only had to sit out for 30 days instead of the standard 90 days.

AEW broadcaster Jim Ross appeared on Busted Open this week to discuss Black’s newsworthy debut at Road Rager. Ross reveals that he didn’t know Malakai Black was in the building until he appeared in the ring.

Ross prefers to learn about surprises like Black’s debut at the same time the audience does. He likened this to a sports game by sayin, “I don’t need to know who wins the game until the game is over.”

“I was pleasantly surprised that Malakai Black joined us,” said Ross. “I saw him after the show, he shook my hand. I never met him before, he said he was glad to meet me and likewise for me. I said, ‘We’re counting on you. We’re counting on you to play in a big way. Not just come in and be one of the boys, but come in and be one of the stars.’”

JR got the impression that Malakai Black had not been spoken to like that in quite some time. He thinks it meant a lot to him and he meant every word of what he said.

“I wasn’t trying to blow smoke,” Ross continued. “I was just trying to say, you’re a highly regarded piece of talent that we value and we’re happy you’re here. So, now we’re looking for great things. You set the bar high with your debut, now let’s see where we can take you.”

Listen to JR’s comments about Malakai Black in the Tweet embedded below:

SmackDown Superstar Bayley will be out of action for the remainder of 2021.

WWE announced on Friday that Bayley sustained an injury while training for her upcoming “I Quit” match against SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at Money in the Bank (7/18).

Upon asking around sources in WWE, we’ve heard Bayley is dealing with a knee injury. In an update to this situation, Pwinsider confirms Bayley tore her ACL during a recent training session at the Performance Center.

With Bayley out of action, a “suitable replacement” to challenge Belair at MITB will be named tonight on WWE SmackDown.

SEScoops wishes Bayley a full and speedy recovery.

Reactions to Bayley’s Injury

Here are some reactions from WWE Superstars and social media:

WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested for DUI again this week. His latest arrest for driving under the influence occurred Monday night in Pensacola, FL (Escambia County).

Uso, real name is Jonathan Fatu, posted $500 bond Tuesday morning and was later released from custody.

A copy of the police report by arresting officer William Roper, was obtained by EWrestlingNews.com and can be seen below. The report details Uso running a red light, getting pulled over and showing multiple signs of intoxication from alcohol.

[ STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE / NARRATIVE ]

On 07-05-2021, at approximately 2235 hours, I was running radar in the area of Garden Street and I Street in my marked patrol vehicle. While running radar I observed a white Dodge Charger with FL [license plate redacted] traveling east on Garden Street in the inner lane. I measured the vehicle going 50mph. While catching up to the vehicle I observed the vehicle run the red light at Garden Street and A Street.

Due to the above listed circumstances, I conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Garden Street and Rues Street. I approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, later identified as Johnathan Fatu, and smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage. After identifying Fatu I returned to the vehicle and asked Fatu to get out of the vehicle. Fatu exited the vehicle and walked to the rear of the vehicle, swaying. I asked Fatu if he had consumed any alcohol that night, to which he advised [redacted]. During my investigation I observed the following signs of impairment:

Strong smell of alcoholic beverage

Due to the above observed circumstances I requested Fatu submit to SFST’s, which he agreed to.

Fatu and Officer Leach #178 walked to the parking lot of 315 W Garden Street (Everman’s) where I performed the SFSTs.

During the HGN Fatu was unable to keep his head still, and I observed multiple signs of nystagmus. Fatu had difficulty maintaining balance, and had difficulty in performing the Walk and Turn. During the one legged stand Fatu was unable to maintain balance, and placed his foot down multiple times.

Due to the above circumstances I placed Fatu under arrest for DUI.

Fatu was requested to submit to a lawful test of his breath to determine his alcohol content. He refused to answer and Implied Consent was read. Fatu agreed to give a lawful test of breath after being read Implied Consent.

I transported Fatu back to the Pensacola Police Department where Officer Martinez #201, as a licensed Breath Test Operator, performed the lawful test of Fatu’s Breath. Fatu’s breath tests resulted with a .202 and a .205.

Fatu was issued a DUI citation AD4ELPE

Fatu was issued Uniform Traffic Citations ADN9ZPE (Speeding) and ADN9ZQE (Ran red light.)

Fatu’s vehicle was secured and left, legally parked, on Garden Street eastbound near the intersection of Garden Street and Rues Street.

Fatu was transported to the Escambia County Jail.

My department issued body camera, and in car camera were activated during this investigation.

Tonight marks the beginning of a new chapter for All Elite Wrestling. For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, AEW hits the road for a special edition of AEW Dynamite from Miami, Florida.

AEW presents Road Rager tonight on TNT. The event will feature the in-ring debut of Andrade El Idolo, the Young Bucks defending the AEW World Tag Team Championships, an Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle 6-man tag match and much more.

Here is the full lineup for tonight’s AEW Road Rager edition of Dynamite:

• AEW Tag Team Championship Match:
  The Young Bucks vs. Penta El Zero M and Eddie Kingston

• Mixed Tag Team Match:
  Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander vs. The Bunny and The Blade

• South Beach Strap Match:
  Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

• Andrade El Idolo vs. Matt Sydal

• Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Chris Jericho go face-to-face

• The Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager) vs. The Pinnacle (Wardlow and FTR)

Ahead of tonight’s broadcast, check out AEW’s latest Road To special previewing Road Rager:

Major League Wrestling (MLW) is launching a women’s division this summer.

This announcement comes just days ahead of MLW’s big return to a sold-out 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA this Saturday night.

According to MLW, legendary promoter Dave Prazak (founder of SHIMMER) will spearhead this new initiative.

Prazak had this to say about the launch of MLW’s women’s division:

“During my twenty-five years working in the sport thus far, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a number of different capacities, for many companies which have focused on different types of professional wrestling. It is that variety of styles, and the right mix of different elements which makes me most excited to join the team at Major League Wrestling.”

He added, “Having focused greatly on the promotion of women’s wrestling over the years, I value the chance to assist some very deserving SHIMMER athletes in receiving opportunities to grow by entering the MLW ranks.”

AEW star Darby Allin denies he’s appearing in the upcoming movie Jackass Forever, due out October 22nd.

Multiple outlets have listed Allin as a cast member, but the former TNT Champion says that’s not the case.

The Jackass movies are a continuation of the popular MTV series Jackass (2000-2002), which featured a group of friends performing a variety of dangerous (and disgusting) stunts.

Jackass 4 will reunite the Jackass gang one more time, including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuña, Chris Raab, Ehren McGhehey, Dave England, and Preston Lacy.

Jeff Tremaine will return to direct the fourth Jackass movie, with Tremaine, Spike Jones, Knoxville, and Steve-O serving as producers.

Guest appearances by extreme sports legends Tony Hawk and Matt Hoffman, comedian Eric Andre, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and basketball great (and AEW part-timer) Shaquille O’Neil.

Jackass is rooted in skateboard culture and Darby Allin’s love of skating is well-documented. The former TNT Champion is friends with members of the extended Jackass family, with Steve-O and Tony Hawk both appearing on AEW Dynamite in some of Allin’ segments.

WWE President Nick Khan wants to see Las Vegas, Nevada become one of the premiere wrestling cities in the United States.

WWE is gearing up to invade the Vegas area later this summer. SummerSlam will take place on Sunday, August 21st from the new Allegiant Stadium.

Based on what we’ve been hearing in recent weeks, WWE is hoping to make SummerSlam bigger than ever this year with a loaded card and “all hands on deck.”

• Roman Reigns Comments On Potential SummerSlam Match With John Cena

During an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Nick Khan touted Vegas a world-class destination for live sporting events. The city has a long list of venues, including the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the Thomas & Mack Center, the T-Mobile Arena and more.

“There’s a surge of sports in Las Vegas and the mistake I think the sports world was making previously is looking at the local market without seeing the hundreds of millions of tourism dollars every year. With the NFL’s 16, now 17-week season, you’re figuring if the home games can attract enough out-of-town fans, and that’s easy. It makes all the sense in the world.”

WWE and Las Vegas city officials are betting that SummerSlam will provide another boost to the city’s reputation a destination for sports. Khan noted that Allegiant Stadium is close to the strip, which makes it easily accessible.

Visit the Las Vegas Sun to read the full interview with Nick Khan.

AEW stars Jungle Boy and Anna Jay of the Dark Order appear to be more than “just friends.”

Jungle Boy had an impressive showing against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this past weekend on Saturday Night Dynamite. Omega retained the gold, but Jack Perry showed once again that he can hang in the main events.

On Monday, Jungle Boy posted this photo of himself making out with Anna Jay outside Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field stadium.

Colt Cabana replied to the tweet and jokingly asked Anna Jay if this was her way of trying to recruit Jungle Boy to the Dark Order.

Anna Jay’s Road Back To AEW

Anna Jay has been out of action since February dealing with a shoulder injury that required surgery. At the time, AEW announced that she’s expected to miss 6-12 months of action.

Anna Jay recently tweeted that she “can’t wait to get back in the ring.” Late July would be 6-months from the time of her injury, so she could be back in action as early as next month.

Samoa Joe is motivated to get back in the ring. During an appearance on the Out of Character podcast, Joe told Ryan Satin that he is “absolutely” working on getting medically cleared to compete again. He’s been sidelined since February 2020 due to concussion-related injuries.

He recently returned to WWE television after a 2-month hiatus. He was released on April 15th, but now serves as NXT General Manager William Regal’s new enforcer. Since returning, we’ve seen Joe cross paths with some of NXT’s top stars.

Samoa Joe sees several NXT competitors he’d like to mix it up with. “Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne are at the top of that list,” he said. “A guy like WALTER, people have been asking for it, I’m not blind. It’s for good reason. The guy is a powerhouse and people want to see some furniture moving.”

Joe vs. WALTER is a dream match that would have wrestling fans salivating. We can only hope it comes to fruition one day. He also named Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly and Bronson Reed as potential opponents.

Samoa Joe: Talent Scout

In addition Samoa Joe’s new on-screen role, he is also scouting talent for WWE and doing other tasks behind-the-scenes.

“It’s a transition into some of the other aspects of the business,” says Joe. “It’s an evolution of my journey. It was a cool opportunity that Hunter offered me. It was a very nice understanding that we had come to.”

Joe is particularly well-suited for his job . He follows pro wrestling, MMA and other sports closely. His vast network of connections will be a valuable resource for WWE as they look to sign the next generation of athletes.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight for an all-new episode of Monday Night Raw. We’re on the road to Money in the Bank, which takes place in less than three weeks.

The following items are being advertised for WWE Raw:

• Second Chance Money In the Bank Qualifier: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles. As of this writing, qualified competitors for the men’s MITB ladder match include Big E, Riddle, Ricochet and John Morrison.

• Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs. Charlotte Flair and Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka.

• Former partners clash when Elias takes on Jaxson Ryker in a Strap Match.

Plus, Kofi Kingston will confront MVP ahead of his match against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley at Money in the Bank.

All this and more goes down in just a matter of hours on the USA Network.

Head over to our WWE News page for more of our recent articles.

Edge will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WWE’s upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

The Rated R Superstar made a surprise return at Friday’s SmackDown. He laid out the Tribal Chief and later demanded a shot at Reigns. WWE officials granted his request and the match is set for July 18th

Some fans have questioned the logic of Edge being placed into the top feud on SmackDown after being away from TV for several months. However, Edge and Reigns are seasoned veterans. They are more than capable of building a captivating program as WWE returns to a road schedule.

Over the weekend, Roman Reigns tweeted:

Edge replied and reassured Reigns he’s ready to face him head-on:

WWE Money in the Bank takes place Sunday, July 18th from the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The show will stream live on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Several recently-signed WWE Superstars have received new ring names.

According to the Roster section of the WWE Performance Center website, the following changes have been made:

• Harlem Bravado is now Andre Chase

• Drew and Jacob Kasper are now Brutus and Julius Creed

• Avery Taylor is now Jacy Jayne

The United States Patent & Trademark Office database shows that WWE filed to trademark all four ring names earlier this month (June 11th).

Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper)

Hopefully all four of these talented athletes have bright futures in WWE. The company has high hopes for Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper) in particular, a two-time All American heavyweight wrestler from Duke University.

Last October, former WWE agent Gerry Brisco told ESPN that Kasper reminds him of a young John Cena.

“In my nearly 50 years in the wrestling business, I have seen only a few wrestlers who have such powerful personalities that when they come into a room, everyone there knows that person has arrived,” Brisco said. “Jacob Kasper has that type of personality, and he reminds me in many ways of a young John Cena.”

WWE presented Hell in a Cell steel cage matches on Friday’s SmackDown and Monday’s Raw. You could argue that these matches diluted the uniqueness of the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but the company had a very specific reason for booking this way.

SEScoops has learned that WWE ran the Hell in a Cell matches on Raw and SmackDown in an effort to provide their television partners (Fox and USA Network) a little “something extra.” The pandemic era was not kind to WWE viewership. Raw and SmackDown have drawn historic-low ratings this past year.

In light of their massive TV contracts, WWE has been feeling the pressure to jumpstart things to renew fan interest.

WWE initially had Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio booked for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. That match was moved to Friday’s SmackDown to boost viewership. The tactic worked, as SmackDown topped 2 million viewers.

USA Network was said to be unhappy about WWE holding a special Hell in a Cell match on SmackDown instead of Raw. This was a a factor in the Bobby Lashley vs. Xavier Woods match airing on last night’s Raw.

All Elite Wrestling is returning to Pittsburgh, PA this summer with two live television tapings. Both events will take place from the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

The first show is Wednesday, August 11th for AEW Dynamite. Doors open at 6pm and the action begins at 7pm.

Just two days later, AEW returns for Rampage on Friday, August 13th. This is the series premiere of AEW’s new show, which airs Friday nights on TNT at 10pm (Eastern). Doors open at 7pm and showtime is scheduled for 8pm.

Tickets for the AEW Pittsburgh shows go on sale this Friday, June 25th at AEWTix.com. For fans who are interested in attending Dynamite and Rampage, a special price two-event combo ticket package will be available.

Pittsburgh is one of the top wrestling cities in America and is the home of AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker.

WWE is looking to re-sign Brock Lesnar as part of the post-pandemic effort to spike business.

The Beast Incarnate is currently a free agent. His most recent WWE contract expired in April 2020. It was not unusual for Lesnar to come and go for months at a time, but this has been his longest hiatus since returning in 2021

WWE has been negotiating with Brock Lesnar as of late, according to Fightful Select. If everything goes smoothly, they hope to bring him back into the fold effectively immediately.

Earlier this month, Brock Lesnar’s profile was added back to the ‘active’ Superstars section of WWE.com.

Brock Lesnar is pro wrestling’s top box office attraction over the past decade. WWE looking to make SummerSlam an “all hands on deck” event. Lesnar would certainly add some much-needed star power to the show. WWE had considered Lesnar as Roman Reigns’ opponent for SummerSlam, but John Cena is now the frontrunner for that role. Other marquee names discussed for SummerSlam include Edge and Becky Lynch.

Brock Lesnar was last seen at WrestleMania 36, when he dropped the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre. A lot has changed since then, including Lesnar’s former Advocate, Paul Heyman, aligning with Roman Reigns.