German wrestling promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling’s contract with WWE expired on May 30, at which time WXW content will no longer be accessible on WWE Network. According to PWInsider, it was a case of their agreement expiring and not being renewed.

WXW was the last remnant of independent wrestling content on the WWE Network. Besides WXW, some of the other independent wrestling content on WWE Network included shows from Evolve, Progress Wrestling, and Insane Championship Wrestling.

A subscription model which would include independent shows was in the plans for the streaming service, but it didn’t come to fruition. Instead, content from Progress and WXW was added via VOD to the Network and Peacock.

So where can you watch WXW programming now? The promotion will stream its events on YouTube going forward. The company would also be free to secure deals with other streaming providers after a long time, so we could potentially see WXW on some other streaming platform soon.

The latest event from the promotion is wXw Drive of Champions 2024, which is set to take place on Saturday, June 1. NJPW TV Champion Jeff Cobb will be at the event facing Mike D Vecchio. 

RELATED: End of the WWE Network: Streaming Service to Be Absorbed By Netflix Next Year (Report)

Former United States President and WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump has been found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which are related to a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane, wrote reacted to the news, after Clay Travis of Outkick.com posted the following on Twitter:

“Trump is guilty in business records case. In related news, congrats to Donald Trump on his election as the 47^th President of the United States.”

Jacobs posted the following reply to the tweet:

“Yep. Tonight, the political class will be patting each other on the back and offering toasts at their cocktail parties. On November 5th, they’ll be shaking their heads wondering what happened.”

The Knox County mayor also wrote “And people say pro wrestling is fixed” to another post about the topic.

Jacobs is the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, and affiliated with the Republican Party, which Trump is also affiliated with. Trump is the presumptive nominee of the party for the 2024 presidential election.

Jacobs announced he was officially running for the mayoral seat of Knox County in March 2017. In May 2018, he won the Republican primary election for the seat by 23 votes, and was elected mayor in August 2018. He won a second term in the election in August 2022.

Trump’s indictment is the first of a former US president, and was convicted on May 30, 2024. His sentence hearing is scheduled for July 11 this year, and it is not known yet what sentence Trump would receive. The 77-year-old is expected to appeal the conviction.  

A couple in the UK recently named their newborn child after TNA Wrestling star Joe Hendry. The Daily Star reports that parents Micalah and Lucas Roberts named their male child Micah Gene Hendry Roberts. Funnily enough, Lucas had to make sure his wife knew who the Scottish wrestler was before giving the name to their baby.

“We initially decided to split naming duties, with my wife choosing his first name, and I pick the middle name,” Lucas told the UK newspaper. “I chose Gene in honour of my father.”

Lucas added that his wife Micalah asked him a few months ago if he knew who Joe Hendry was. “I have been following his career for years, so I was happy to fill her in on who Joe is and she has since become a big fan herself,” he revealed.

The couple said that the name Hendry eventually grew on them, and the fact that their child shared the same birthday as Joe made it all better. It also helped that the couple were both fans of the longest reigning TNA Digital Media Champion.

“I am completely humbled, honoured and privileged,” Hendry said about the baby being named after him. “It’s so special when you’ve made an impact on people to the point when they want to include something about you in their own family. Their support means the world to me. I am going to keep in touch and have Micah and the whole family come and join us at one of our TNA shows.”

Joe’s theme song, titled “I Believe in Joe Hendry,” went viral in April 2024 after it was released as a single. The song went on to peak at number 1 on the UK iTunes Chart and number 4 on the Official Big Top 40 Chart.

WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i, who was part of the Wild Samoans tag team, has been suffering from various health issues. Anoa’i will be undergoing a back surgery on Monday, to correct loosened screws in his back, as reported by PWInsider. This comes after he just came back from a rehabilitation hospital the past weekend after heart surgery.

The Hall of Famer was also battling pneumonia, experiencing heart attacks, besides getting fractures in his back. Anoa’i was suffering from pneumonia earlier this year, which got worse after he got a mild heart attack during hospitalization. He then suffered another, smaller heart attack during the hospital stay. He got discharged in January.

But adding to the misfortunes, Anoa’i’s condition worsened after he suffered a fall in March and fractured his back in two places. Afa Jr. revealed the info in a Facebook post at the time.

Update: My father fell and fractured his back in 2 places. He is currently being transferred into a different hospital. Continued prayers are requested as well as privacy during these stressful times. The family will post updates as they come

Afa Anoa’i is a Samoan-American wrestler who is best known for partnering with his brother Sika to form the a tag team known best as The Wild Samoans. He’s best known for his run in the WWF. The Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Sika’s son Rosey in 2007.

We at SEScoops wish the great Afa Anoa’i a full and speedy recovery. 

Argenis is leaving Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide after 16 long years. The masked wrestler was part of the Mexican wrestling promotion since 2008.

The 37-year-old wrestler announced his departure from AAA on his social media (via Fightful), adding that he would be “look for his origins.”

Here is what he wrote in his message to fans:

“It is always difficult to start this kind of message, and I want to start by saying thank you. Thanks to AAA for these 16 years, where I met wonderful people along the way, with whom I shared more than just an adventure, many that I can call friends and some that I can call carnal.
Thanks also to all the fans for allowing me to share with them.
To Dorian Roldan, Maricela Peña, Licenciado Roldan, and Jorge Torres for helping Argenis reach many parts of the world.
Thanks for everything but it is time to look for my origins.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C7kD3D3vGYy

Argenis was last seen in the ring for AAA at AAA MerzaMania, which took place on April 20, 2024. He teamed up with Psicosis in a losing attempt to take on Los Psycho Circus – the team of Dave The Clown and Murder Clown in a tag team match.

Much like other luchadors, his real name was not publicly known much of his career, which started in 2006. But at Triplemanía XXXI: Monterrey in April 2023, he lost against Myzteziz Jr. in a Mask vs. Mask match. He was unmasked then, and his real name was revealed to be Mirzha Adán Uribe Nava.

Notably, Argenis is the brother of Mysteziz, who was known as Mistico and as the original Sin Cara during his run in the WWE. Argenis is the son of Dr. Karonte, and his other siblings include wrestlers Astro Boy, Argos, and Mini Murder Clown. 

Roman Reigns is currently on hiatus in the WWE, but he was seen training in a video shared recently on social media. The video was shared by bodybuilder and actor Kai Greene, in which he could be seen in a training session with Reigns.

“RISE UP ,” Greene wrote in the caption of the post. “Keep pushing, keep dreaming, and never let self doubt or fear stop get in the way. This is your journey, the pursuit of greatness is within grasp…all you have to do is go out there and earn it. HUGE shoutout to @romanreigns for tagging me in on this training session!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C7Jrs9AOipS

At Night Two of WrestleMania 40, Reigns lost the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes. After which, he took some time off from the ring, and working on a film. Last month, SEScoops reported that the former champion is involved in “Good Fortune,” a heist comedy film that is set to come out in late 2024. The cast of the film includes names such as Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, and comedian Aziz Ansari making his directorial debut.

This will be Reigns’ fourth film role, as he has starred in “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” with his cousin Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the past. He was also seen in Netflix’s “The Wrong Missy” and lent his voice acted Paramount+’s animated film “Rumble.” He’s also listed as a lead cast member in “Action Force,” which also features Tom Budgen aka Malakai Black in the cast.

The 39-year-old held the Undisputed WWE Championship for a historic 1,316 days. It is not known when Reigns will make a return to the ring, but a grueling training session vid does instill some hope in seeing him back in action soon.

WWE legend Marty Jannetty, one half of the Rockers tag team along with Shawn Michaels, is now a happily married man. The service was officiated by Missy Leslie, wife of fellow wrestling great Ed Leslie (Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake).

Missy wrote on social media, “I had the extreme pleasure of uniting these two in Holy Matrimony,” she wrote in the caption. “Congratulations to Marty Jannetty and his MRS. Addie!!!!”

I had the extreme pleasure of uniting these two in Holy Matrimony ! Congratulations to Marty Janetty and his MRS. Addie!!!! #Wedding #brutusbeefcake #WWE #martyjanetty #wrestling #missymania pic.twitter.com/zwFnykv7Vr

— MISSY BEEFCAKE (@MissyBeefcake) May 26, 2024

In January, Jannetty had shared a grim update regarding his health. The former Rocker revealed that he was advised by his doctors to amputate his leg, since he has had ankle issues during his wrestling career. At the time, it was the doctor’s recommendation, despite Jannetty getting surgery in 2020 for his ankle.

Recently, The Undertaker recounted stories about pranks that took place backstage in WWE, and he mentioned that Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were ,“a couple little turds” who would prank others. He specifically recalled that his hat would always be poked in with random things like sugar, flowers put in it. 

But Jannetty made headlines last year when he claimed that he made a man “disappear.” He wrote on his Facebook page that when he was 13, a man attempted to molest him, and in his defense, he made the man “disappear.” This statement received negative attention from fans, so Jannetty responded stating that he wasn’t a murderer and he hit the man with a brick who was trying to rape him. 

Maria Kanellis has cleared the air regarding her role at Ring of Honor.

Taking to Twitter, the former WWE Diva said that she’s not a backstage manager at ROH, but she mentors the girls at her own time when she can. She added that she tried to get her old job of being the booker of ROH’s women’s division, but that fell flat.

Kanellis concluded by stating that she’s focused on family, finding a home for the promotion Women’s Wrestling Army, and managing Griff Garrison and Cole Karter in ROH.

“Just saw some news about being a backstage agent at @ringofhonor. I’m not. I mentor the girls on my own time when I can. I tried to get my old job back in ROH booking the women’s division but it didn’t work. So, I’m focused on family, finding a home for @WWrestlingArmy, and managing @griffgarrison1 and @realcolekarter”

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1795204008451211366

The First Lady of Wrestling also spoke about not being happy about the “minor role” she has at ROH. she wrote on social media:

“I’m not happy about it. I’ve tried to fight it. I can only do my job and look for opportunities,” she wrote to a fan who said that she’s happy with her role at ROH with “about 2 minutes of TV time.”

She also agreed with a fan who pointed out that they were surprised Kanellis wasn’t used as part of the Undisputed Kingdom. Kanellis served as the manager of the stable at one point. However, she was given the role of managing Griff Garrison and Cole Karter in the Tony Khan-owned promotion. It seems like Kanellis wants to be part of the faction with Mike Bennett, but for whatever reason, that hasn’t come to fruition.

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1795234559522447468

In February, Kanellis addressed misinformation about her WWE departure in 2010 and husband Bennett’s rehab.

She said that she was “released” by WWE in 2010 when her contract was up, and she didn’t want to renew the contract only to make “one third what my male contemporaries were making.” Here’s what she further added:

“When I went back, I was told by many people I trusted that WWE had changed. WWE knew we were planning on adding to our family when we resigned. Mike asked for his release, I did not. Mike never went to WWE rehab. Nor did they pay for any rehab. We were lied to many times about our storyline and what direction it was going. I fought back against it to no avail. We were never paid millions of dollars in WWE. We had the average contract for WWE for 6 months. We are not millionaires and we don’t live in a mansion. I hope this helps people separate fact from fiction.”

Stardom founder Rossy Ogawa has addressed the scandalous allegations about him levied by Kenny Omega about him last month.

Omega spoke about the Marigold founder on a Twitch stream, calling him an “e-drone” over his working relationship with the WWE. Omega said that many people refuse to work with Ogawa and women stay away from him. He went on to add that Ogawa, “puts underage girls in very revealing swimsuit calendars.”

Ogawa addressed the claims while talking to Sports Graphic Number, a Japanese sports magazine. In the interview, Ogawa talked about how he was treated in Stardom, which he likened to being an “ornament.” He also talked about the meeting with Triple H, who Ogawa said encouraged and supported him.

Addressing Omega’s comments about him, the Marigold founder said, “I was feeling uncomfortable in Stardom. Things weren’t as I expected, and I felt I couldn’t exert my abilities. They told me to just ‘sit here,’ making me feel like an ornament. It became a general perception that I was causing issues in the one-man system of my predecessor, especially concerning AEW, but that wasn’t the case. Kenny Omega has attacked me with false claims from over there, which is defamation. He wants to be involved in women’s wrestling himself. Still, those who don’t know might think ‘So that’s how it is.’ If that were true, I couldn’t stay in this world.”

Ogawa added that people make various statements, but there is a lot of misinformation. He admitted that the nature of pro-wrestling and fame makes people associate stories like these, which become drama for them to enjoy. He added that even fans in America recognized him, likely due to the controversy, when he was invited to WrestleMania by WWE.

When talking on the Twitch stream, Omega had implied that he was holding back while talking about Ogawa, because he didn’t want “lawyers barking at my door.” It remains to be seen if the AEW VP will address these comments by Ogawa or not. 

At King and Queen of the Ring, Logan Paul challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. While Rhodes retained his title in an entertaining match, it also featured a drone which captured Paul’s Frog Splash to opponent Rhodes.

Paul shared a screenshot of texts on Twitter, revealing that he had pitched the idea of drones capturing him performing the high-flying move last year. The 29-year-old wrote that he has “been dreaming of that shot for a year.”

Look mom I can fly @WWE pic.twitter.com/vs6HdYhp6O

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) May 25, 2024

In the screenshot of the text thread, Paul is addressing a “boss” of his at WWE, which was sent on May 10, 2023. Paul wrote in the messages that he had pitched the idea of drones recording him while he does a high-flying jump for WrestleMania, but it was shot down due to some “venue issues.”

“Just another cool way to capture a Frog Splash that has never been done before. Creatively pushing media boundaries,” he wrote in his pitch.

While the idea didn’t come to fruition at the time, the United States Champion’s suggestion to pushing these boundaries was taken seriously by WWE this time around. On May 25, 2024 at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a drone captured a 360 degree shot of Paul as he jumped off the top rope onto Rhodes through a broadcast table.

RELATED: Watch: What Happened With Cody Rhodes After King And Queen Of The Ring Went Off Air

It was certainly a spot that looked impressive on screen, and the drones gave a unique look of the maneuver to audiences.

I’ve been dreaming of that shot for a year pic.twitter.com/hz7Yk8rpBg

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) May 26, 2024

As for the Undisputed WWE Championship match, it took place at King and Queen of the Ring after Rhodes challenged Paul for a Champion vs. Champion match after the post-Backlash France episode of SmackDown. While it was stipulated that both the titles would be on the line, Paul tore up the contract and brought out his own terms instead, which stated that only Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship would be on the line.

After their match, Paul wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he had “so much fun” going head-to-head with Rhodes. Paul showed his gratitude by thanking his opponent “for the dance.”

I had so much fun tonight

Thanks for the dance @CodyRhodes pic.twitter.com/bIuBJoBDyi

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) May 26, 2024

MJF made an explosive return to AEW TV at AEW Double or Nothing, and he paid tribute to Triple H while doing so.

What’s interesting about the return is that the Salt of the Earth was wearing a jacket that looked very similar to one that Triple H wore when he returned back to the company after a while in 2002.

No way. Max in the HHH return jacket. @The_MJF is back! pic.twitter.com/OBOMk5gUuW

— Sam Roberts (@notsam) May 27, 2024

Back in May 2001, Triple H suffered a career-threatening injury. On an episode of Raw Is War, Triple H and Steve Austin were defending the WWF Tag Team Championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. When Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho move to Austin, Triple H ran towards them to break it up, but he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps muscle. This injury caused The Game to be sidelined for eight months, and he even missed the iconic Invasion storyline because of it.

• How Did MJF’s Return At AEW Double or Nothing 2024 Come About?

The Cerebral Assassin then made his return to Raw in January 2002 in Madison Square Garden. During his return, he wore a denim jacket, which became an iconic symbol marking Triple H’s return. Triple H then went on to win the Royal Rumble that year and even won the Undisputed WWF Championship.

Quite similar to Triple H, MJF was also away from the ring for quite some time. He was last seen in the ring defending the AEW World Title in a losing attempt to Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End. The event took place on December 30, 2023. Sporting a similar jacket to Triple H, MJF signalled to audiences that his era is upon AEW, and he is here to stay. It remains to be seen what trajectory his career takes from here.

There were also some rumors swirling that the former AEW World Champion is bound for WWE, however these rumors were laid to rest for good after the return. In fact, he made his contract status with AEW very clear by showing off a tattoo of the company’s logo on his ankle. You can read more about how the return took place here.

New details about AEW’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament have emerged.

According to the daily newspaper The Calgary Herald, the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation tournament are set to take place on July 10 in Calgary. In attendance will be Martha Hart, the widow of Owen Hart.

Martha talked to The Calgary Herald about the tragic incident that took place during WWF’s Over the Edge event on May 23, 1999.

She talked about not wanting to work with WWE, whose negligence she believes is the reason behind her late husband’s death. Which is also one of the reasons was why she wasn’t able to celebrate Owen’s career until recently: “For years there was no way to celebrate Owen’s career because WWE monopolized the business, and I would never work with them under any circumstances.”

RELATED: Bret Hart Shares Touching Tribute To Owen Hart On His Birthday

On the contrary, AEW is a company that Martha trusts to “highlight, promote, and honour Owen’s wrestling legacy.” She added that they are working together “to ensure that legacy continues.”

Jericho, who is a massive fan of Owen Hart, took it upon himself to make sure that his wrestling legacy stays alive. “We’re able to give Owen the spotlight he deserves,” Jericho told the outlet. “Enough about his death. Let’s focus on his life, not just as a wrestler, but also as a person, a father, and an amazing human being.”

The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, also known as the Owen Hart Cup, is done in partnership with AEW and The Owen Hart Foundation. The first tournament began in September 2021 and ended at Double or Nothing in May 2022. Two single-elimination tournaments are part of it, each for male and female competitors. Adam Cole and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. won the 2022 men’s and women’s tournaments, respectively. Ricky Starks and Willow Nightingale won the 2023 edition of the tournaments, respectively.

RELATED: The Undertaker On Wrestling After Owen Hart’s Passing: I Don’t Know That Was The Right Thing To Do

On Thursday’s episode of TNA Impact, Matt Hardy was gifted a title match against Moose for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The match will take place at Against All Odds on June 14.

The announcement came after Matt Hardy won a tag team match, teaming up with Ryan Nemeth against the duo of Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers.

Backstage after the match, Director of Authority Santino Marella was going to give a tag team championship shot to Hardy and Ryan, however, Hardy wanted to take on Moose instead. He said that he had set his sights to win the world title from Moose, which Santino offered him.

In place of Hardy, Nic volunteered to be Nic’s partner, and Santino gave the duo a tag team title match against Edwards and Myers.

BREAKING: @MATTHARDYBRAND will challenge @TheMooseNation for the TNA World Championship at #AgainstAllOdds on June 14! Don’t miss the action, streaming LIVE on TNA+ from Cicero Stadium in Chicago.

Get tickets NOW: https://t.co/Qq97bN0z8H

Get TNA+: https://t.co/bHnJUqj5Ej pic.twitter.com/QtrUz9I9Qt

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 24, 2024

BREAKING: @NicTNemeth and @ryrynemnem will challenge @TheEddieEdwards and @Myers_Wrestling for the TNA World Tag Team Championships at #AgainstAllOdds on June 14! Don’t miss the action, streaming LIVE on TNA+ from Cicero Stadium in Chicago.

Get tickets NOW:… pic.twitter.com/gHANcR34ci

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 24, 2024

The card for Against All Odds 2024 is starting to shape up, and these are the confirmed matches as of now:

• Moose (c) vs. Matt Hardy for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
• The System (c) vs. Nemeth Boyz (Ryan and Nic Nemeth) for TNA World Tag Team Championship
• Mustafa Ali (c) vs. Trent Seven for the X-Division Championship

Matt Hardy on how the TNA return happened

Recently, Matt Hardy talked about how he returned to the TNA at the Rebellion PPV. Talking on Busted Open Radio, the Attitude Era star revealed that the deal happened last minute:

“So last night was me showing that pro wrestling can still be unpredictable. I popped up. This was done in a couple days notice. we kind of started talking about this on Wednesday. Then this kind of materialised over a couple days doing some shots for TNA and a little story arc. Pro Wrestling is at its best when it’s unpredictable.”

Even his brother Jeff Hardy wasn’t privy to Matt making his way to TNA, and he only found out after the show ended.

At Rebellion, Hardy confronted Moose and hit him with a Twist of Fate. This was the set-up to a match between the two, which has been now made official.

Cora Jade has sent out a notice to fans to set some boundaries.

Jade took to her Twitter account, requesting fans not to send fan mail to her personal address, and worse, at her parents’. She wrote:

“I love and appreciate all fan mail but if you are going to send it please refrain from sending it to my personal address or more importantly my parents’. All fan mail can be sent to the PC addressed to me :)”

I love and appreciate all fan mail but if you are going to send it please refrain from sending it to my personal address or more importantly my parents’. All fan mail can be sent to the PC addressed to me :)

— Cora Jade (@CoraJadeWWE) May 23, 2024

The fact that the 23-year-old female wrestler even had to issue such a request to fans is a shameful thing. Everybody deserves privacy, and no one should have to deal with their private information being available to the public.

Many wrestlers have previously spoken about fans crossing boundaries in the past. Wrestlers getting harassed by “fans” at airports and hotels is unfortunately a common theme.

Rhea Ripley in particular voiced her frustration after having a bad experience with people coming up to her to get things signed. She wrote on Twitter:

“Today has put me off completely! I will not sign ANYTHING that isn’t a personal photo of us anymore. Hate me, I don’t care. Disagree with me, try putting yourselves in our shoes for one bloody day.”

Others such as Kris Statlander have also voiced their opinions on people waiting in lines at airports and hotels to get things signed. Statlander said that she’s not a fan of people who do this.

“…I’m not a fan of when fans wait at airports and hotels,” said Statlander. “We are not technically at work at that time, you know, and it’s just like most travel has been so hectic lately that a lot of us just cannot be bothered to put on a happy face sometimes. Some of us we have a lot of real-life things to deal with, and it’s like sometimes we’re not always our best selves, especially when traveling. We don’t feel our best.”

However, Seth Rollins did mention an important point in an interview that such “pseudo-collectors” at the airports are outliers, and the majority of the fans he encounters in public are respectful.  

Uganda’s Soft Ground Wrestling sees the coronation of its first champion.

The match to crown the first champion of the SGW took place between Tate Mayfairs and Anoa. The finish of the match saw Anoa hit Mayfairs with a Cross Rhodes to pick up the win.

You can check out the full match below, which also features a celebration by the audience post-match as well as a look at the SGW Championship belt:

Earlier this month, Mayfairs went to Uganda for his SGW debut, and reached the finals in the tournament to crown the inaugural SGW Champion. He aligned the Lord White, a popular heel figure in the promotion.

On May 14, SGW Uganda announced plans for a championship belt for the promotion.

Soft Ground Wrestling is a backyard wrestling promotion based in Uganda that went viral online in the recent months. The promotion got attention for using a soil ring with string ropes similar to those found in professional wrestling rings, along with bamboos serving as ring posts at the four corners.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to help SGW get a wrestling ring as well as for its upkeep. The fundraiser saw donations from AEW’s Will Ospreay and TNA Wrestling’s Jordynne Grace also donating to it.

A charity stream was also done which raised over $28,000 for SGW. Names such as AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali, and Tough Enough-winner and popular wrestling YouTuber Maven Huffman were involved in the stream. 

Kenny Omega reportedly underwent surgery last week to recover from diverticulitis.

The report comes from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. The surgery took place in New York on May 16, 2024. There were also some pictures shared online of the star in the city from that time.

Kenny Omega underwent surgery last week to help in the recovery from diverticulitis, @FightfulSelect has learned.

We wish him a speedy recovery

Full story and more details on the free tier of Fightful Select. pic.twitter.com/yKQzIPpnvy

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 24, 2024

Omega had confirmed earlier this month that he would be going under the knife. He said the following at the time:

“I will actually be getting surgery very very very soon… this guy is top in his field and I feel even though it’s a major surgery, I feel most comfortable with this individual. So even though there’s always worries going into a major surgery, if there’s one person the most confident with, I think it’s this dude.”

According to Mayo Clinic, “diverticulitis is inflammation of irregular bulging pouches in the wall of the large intestine.” The website states that severe diverticulitis needs antibiotic treatment in the hospital or surgery.

Regarding his plans for AEW, currently, there are no plans for the wrestler creatively in the company. His most recent in-ring plans, according to which he was set to partner up with Chris Jericho to face World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks at Worlds End 2023, were thwarted due to Omega suffering from diverticulitis.

RELATED: Kenny Omega Respects Triple H For Being A Body Guy

He did appear recently on Dynamite, where he declared his intentions to face AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada, so we can see him in the ring competing against the Rainmaker when he recovers. 

TNA wrestler Jordynne Grace has suffered a pretty gnarly-looking injury on her ear. The injury took place on the May 23 edition of TNA Impact when Grace was in action in the ring with Marti Belle.

The match was for the TNA Knockouts World Title at the MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport, Kentucky, and Grace was able to successfully defend it against Belle. However, Belle’s fishnets ripped out a small chunk of her ear.

“There’s a reason why I am one of the most dominant champions in TNA,” Grace said in a post-match promo. “I went out there and I got a piece of my ear ripped out! And I still came out with the Knockouts World Championship! There’s a piece of my ear, with the earrings on that woman’s tights. But she still took the pin. Now I gotta go see a doctor.”

EXCLUSIVE: @JordynneGrace suffered an ear injury following a brutal attack by HEX moments ago! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/wFozriuErY

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 24, 2024

What’s worse is that TNA actually showed the bit of Grace’s ear stuck to Belle’s fishnets, and used it for a promo. Allysin Kay of The Hex pointed out the chunk of meat stuck on the fishnets.

“Marti might not have won the match, but she’s taking home a souvenir with her,” Kay said. “You just don’t listen, so I had to make sure I took a piece of your ear,” Belle stated. “Just know, that as long as you have that Knockouts Championship, you’re gonna have a Hex on your back.”

EXCLUSIVE: HEX had harsh words for @JordynneGrace after ripping off part of her ear! @TheAllysinKay @MartiBelle pic.twitter.com/LsIPB6MTvf

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 24, 2024

It remains to be seen how serious is Grace’s injury, and if she would take some time off from wrestling to recover. SEScoops will keep you updated of any further developments.

RELATED: “Please Don’t Eat That!” – Jordynne Grace’s Inventive Snack Suggestion Causes Unrest With Fans

WWE star MVP has confirmed that he isn’t retired from in-ring competition, despite not competing in the squared circle for nearly two years.

The 50-year-old wrestler also revealed that he is going to go through stem cell therapy, which will prepare him for an in-ring return.

“I’m getting ready for my stem cell therapy trip to Mexico,” MVP wrote in a video post on Instagram. “Getting my body ready. I want to wrestle a bit more before I hang them up for good! What do you think?”

In the video, MPV revealed he got his heavy work out done for the day and was leaving the gym. The former WWE U.S. Champion revealed that he will be leaving for Mexico in two weeks to get his stem cell therapy done. He added that he’s looking forward to the procedure because his shoulders and knees have been “beat up pretty bad.”

“I haven’t officially retired yet,” MVP added. “I feel like I need a few more matches before I officially hang up my boots. I know I got a little bit in me. What do you guys think?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C7P2SzSu6pw

One More Run for MVP

MVP had issued the clarification that he wasn’t retired last year as well, and it seems like he is clear on not hanging up his boots yet. 

The wrestler, who is also known as Montel Vontavious Porter, was last seen competing in the ring in a tag team match at the 18 July 2022 episode of Raw. He teamed up with Omos against The Street Profits, who won via DQ.

His last win in WWE was against Cedric Alexander on the 13 June edition of Raw on the same year. This was also MVP’s second-last match. 

Matt Cardona is attached to a movie project that’s currently seeking funding Indiegogo to get made. Down the Long River is described as a grim and violent revenge tale that reimagines the ‘Spaghetti Western‘ genre.

Western is a film genre in which films are set in the American West. Think sheriffs, cowboys, gunslingers, and bounty hunters. Spaghetti Western was a sub-genre of this style. They were produced and directed in Europe primarily by Italians (‘spaghetti’). Their heyday was the mid-late 20th century.

Down the Long River marks Matt Cardona’s feature film debut. The creators commented on him joining the project, saying “his involvement brings a unique charisma and dedicated fanbase to our film.” 

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Civil War, a former Army surgeon, a notorious gang, and a duplicitous Pinkerton agent cross paths in a forgotten river town. With revenge and a fortune in gold at stake, the town is caught in the crossfire.

? https://t.co/7RkJAUllL8 pic.twitter.com/gFYMESmpuh

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) May 21, 2024

Cardona Update

As for Matt Cardona’s pro wrestling career, he’s currently sidelined with a torn pec injury which he suffered during a match for Reality of Wrestling on April 13.  He underwent successful surgery that week. In a message posted on social media, he thanked everyone for their support and made it clear the injury won’t stop him from doing what he was born to do

“You can’t kill me… I’m already dead.”

While he’s unable to wrestle, Cardona was recently announced as the new General Manager of Game Changer Wrestling.

More on Down the Long River

The team behind Down the Long River call it a mature, thought-provoking film that ‘examines our relationship with violence and antiheroes.’ It reimagines the classic Western movie tropes while delivering the genre’s beloved elements: horses, gunfights, bounty hunters, and a riverboat loaded with gold. At its core, it’s a dark, human story about the aftermath of violence and how it perpetuates further violence.

In an effort to set the project apart from the usual Western landscapes, it’s set in a river town nestled in a lush forest, which offers a striking visual departure.

Learn more about Down the Long River:

Chris Jericho and Swerve Strickland are joining hands together for a musical night.

AEW announced that Fozzy, the heavy metal band whose lineup consists of vocalist Chris Jericho, will be performing before All In. The convert is set to take place on Friday, August 23, at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, England, United Kingdom.

Wrestler Swerve Strickland and musical artist Flash Garments will be joining Fozzy on that night at the show.

You can check out the official performance below:

FOZZY have announced their hugely anticipated return to the UK capital with a date at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. Promising an explosive Friday evening of rock and rap, the show kickstarts a weekend that culminates in the return of AEW (All Elite Wrestling) to London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday 25th August.

If it’s not enough for fans to have FOZZY, with their heavy melodic groove and fronted by 8 time World Champion Chris Jericho headlining the night, fans will go crazy knowing that direct support comes from current AEW World Champion: Swerve Strickland. Swerve Strickland & Flash Garments will be performing their first concert as a rap duo in the UK.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C7RODzcuU2X

Tickets to the show can be purchased from Ticketmaster.

AEW All In is set to take place t the Wembley Stadium in London on August 25, 2024. No matches have been announced for the event yet.

But before that, AEW’s next PPV is going to be the 2024 Double or Nothing, which will take place on May 26, 2024 during the Memorial Day weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Thhe main event will see Swerve Strickland defend his AEW World Championship against Christian Cage. You can check out the full event card here.

Sidney Akeem, who was known as Scrypts or Reggie during his time in the WWE, has been announced for his first post-WWE booking. As part of it, Akeem will be making his way to Game Changer Wrestling.

GCW announced on Tuesday that starting June, Sidney Akeem will make his debut for the promotion on three shows. Here is the lineup:

1. Saturday, June 15: GCW Hit Em Up in Los Angeles
2. Saturday, June 29: GCW Crime Wave in Dallas
3. Friday, July 19: GCW So High in St Louis

The now-free agent commented on the GCW announcement, stating that “it’s time.”

It’s time ?? https://t.co/dMrmoGbqqf

— Sidney Akeem (@sidneyakeem) May 21, 2024

Akeem was released from WWE on May 1, 2024. He confirmed his exit from the company with a video on Instagram, confirming that he is a free agent.

Life After WWE

During a recent chat with Sean Ross Sapp for Fightful, Akeem said that he’s “very positive” about the release and he’s been in “really good spirits” about it. Sidney Akeem added that he’s looking forward to the next chapter of his career.

“I am full-on excited for this next chapter in my story. People don’t know this, but I did circus for 16 years. I was ready to lay that career aside and go on the independent circuit if WWE didn’t offer me a contract. I was willing to dive into this head first from the very beginning. But I was fortunate enough to get a contract with WWE, so that didn’t happen.

Now, I’m here, and I’m excited to do that. Lots of companies have hit me up. Lots of projects in the works. The future is very very bright.”

Earlier this week, Akeem training in the ring with Mercedes Moné ahead of her her AEW in-ring debut this weekend at AEW Double or Nothing.

Check out Sidney Akeem’s first post-WWE interview with SRS:

Paul Heyman recently appeared on The Roku Channel’s The Rich Eisen Show, where he talked about a number of topics, such as getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, meeting Roman Reigns and working with him, and more.

Being active in the industry since 1986, Heyman has had an illustrious career as a professional wrestling manager, promoter, and executive. It was announced in March that Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2024. As for whether he’s got a speech prepared, Heyman said that he doesn’t, because he is going to “just wing it.”

“No, I’m going to figure this out as we go along. I’m going to take the pulse of the room that night. I’m going to wing this, because I don’t know really what the crowd itself is expecting from me. Is this a crowd that wants me to talk about the modern-day WWE, Roman Reigns, The Bloodline, the WrestleMania main event of Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes? Is this a crowd that in Philadelphia wants to talk about ECW? Is this a crowd that’s looking for some inspiration in a speech about pursuing one’s own dreams? I really won’t know until I take the temperature of the room that night, and as you know better than I, you always have to know your audience.”

Paul Heyman Says The Bloodline Story Could Have Some Extra Innings

Speaking about Roman Reigns, whom Heyman manages alongside The Bloodline on SmackDown, he said that Reigns would be the greatest star in the industry regardless of the generation he was in.

Paul Heyman also recalled his first meeting with Roman Reigns, revealing that The Tribal Chief was only 3 years old at the time:

“I first met Roman Reigns when he was three years old and his father Sika of the Wild Samoans brought him into the locker room at Panama City, Florida. Even at three years old, he had so much charisma. I thought he was going to become a child star like Ron Howard or whomever. Roman had so much charisma even at three years old. You look into his eyes and say, ‘Oh my god this kid’s a star and he’s three years old!’ He just had that intangible It Factor. You knew you were in the presence of someone or something special even though it’s a three-year-old kid running around.”

Heyman also spoke about how the partnership of him and Reigns came about together. While Heyman was with Brock Lesnar, a golden opportunity presented itself when the pandemic hit and Lesnar took time away from the WWE.

“Well, Roman and I had been talking about working together for many, many years. The timing was never right in that WWE was presenting him as The Big Dog, as the big hero, this WrestleMania main-eventer to follow in the steps of John Cena.

“And I was the advocate for Brock Lesnar, and just leaving that position would have been insane. I also then became the executive director of Monday Night Raw. Now the pandemic hits and Brock Lesnar wraps up his time in WWE and he goes off to Saskatchewan to hunt and kill whatever he puts on the family’s dinner plates.

“The entire landscape of sports and entertainment and sports entertainment was changing, and Roman Reigns had taken time off because his wife had given birth to another set of twin boys, and also because of the pandemic and his health concerns regarding staying safe for his family during this unfathomable health crisis that was gripping the entire world. So in August 2020 when I’m Brock Lesnar-free, I’m no longer the executive director of Raw, so I’m in the ocean of obscurity at that point, and Roman Reigns agrees to come back to WWE if he’s allowed to portray himself, and we get a chance to work together. He rescued me from the ocean of obscurity, pulled me onto the island of relevancy with him, and we have been together ever since.”

Heyman had previously said that The Bloodline was in only in the third inning, and speaking about that, Heyman said that there may be many extra innings in store for the faction.

“Every time I talk about innings, it gets shoved up my tuchus. Also, I’ve kind of gotten away now from baseball analogies because I’ve learned in my experience that baseball is fake.

“So whatever inning that we’re in, we’re dominating that inning, and it’s a game that I would suggest may go into many extra innings as well. And some of that, we have to give credit to The Final Boss, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, for adding a whole new set of layers, and therefore innings, to the story of the Bloodline.”

Jack Perry, who made his return to wrestling at NJPW Battle in the Valley in January. While his stint with the Japanese wrestling promotion was going well, he was not nowhere to be seen in AEW.

At Battle in the Valley, Perry even took out the AEW contract, and tore it up, sending a message. For those not in the know, CM Punk infamous altercation with Perry led to Perry’s suspension. However, even though the Jungle Boy’s suspension ended, he was still not seen on AEW TV.

But Perry is still active in Japan, and he is in fact set to face Shota Umino at New Japan STRONG’s Windy City Riot event on April 12. Speaking to NJPW1972.com about the matchup, and it is during this interview that he talked about his work with NJPW and leaving AEW behind.

Perry believes that he was the “scapegoat” in the CM Punk-All In incident. He even wears an armband with the word written on it as part of his ring gear and nickname.

“Well, Japan for me is an opportunity, not to start over, but start a new chapter without having to apologize or pretend to be sorry for the actions of other people. It’s a way that I can stay true to myself and continue to grow despite everything that’s gone on.”

The message is as clear as it can be: Perry is done with AEW, and doesn’t care about the promotion anymore.

“Ripping that contract was a declaration. I’m not playing by your rules anymore. If (AEW) are too afraid to have me anymore, if the specter of Jack Perry is too much, they don’t want to deal with the conversations, the ramifications that brings, then that’s fine.”

And Perry wants to prove this by going on a wrestling journey of his own and making a name for himself on his own terms and efforts:

“I don’t need them. I will go by myself across the world, all by myself, without any of my friends, without any of the things I’m used to, anything that’s been my life for the last five years, and I’ll do it on my own, make my own way.”

That being said, he is still not sure which group or promotion he currently represents:

“Some of these things are unclear even to me, but I would say this: Loyalty is a two-way street, and I show loyalty to those who are loyal to me. As of now, certain parties have been very good to me, and I intend to repay that.”

Speaking about his Scapegoat nickname, Perry added that he’s “man enough” to take the blame and is not “shying away” from it:

“I think it’s ingrained in human nature to be afraid of blame, and the disapproval of others. At the end of the day, that’s weakness. That’s a weak mindset, a weak soul. If you know the truth, what good is the opinion of other people? If you know the truth, you have power. I’m not shying away from the blame. If you need me to be the scapegoat because you don’t have the bravery to stand up for your own actions, then that’s fine. I’m man enough to take that blame from all of us and I’m not going to shy away from it.”

Recently, it was reported that Tony Khan was upset with Jack Perry, and in a subsequent interview, Khan praised his achievements in NJPW and asked fans to “stay tuned” about whether Perry will return to AEW or not.

“Well, I think you gotta stay tuned. Absolutely, Jack’s doing great things in New Japan. The New Japan Cup – he’s had a great run. He’s established himself over there. He feels he’s the ‘Scapegoat.’ But he’s doing great things, and he’s wrestling for a great promotion, and it’s been great tracking Jack’s progress in New Japan. And I think he’s done excellent work there.”

Mustafa Ali was released from WWE back in September 2023, and when he became an official free agent, he released a global campaign tour video. The video highlighted his upcoming appearances at other promotions, as well as his dream opponents.

Ali talked about his campaign video and the inspiration behind it while speaking on the Straight Talk Wrestling podcast. The former WWE star revealed that it was Cody Rhodes’ infamous list that inspired him for the campaign video.

Ali started off by saying that he is surprised by how quickly he was able to see the successful results of such a risky move. While something like this would usually take a lot of time, Ali revealed he was contacted by multiple promotors telling him that “they haven’t had someone move tickets and have these sell-out crowds since a Cody Rhodes.”

“So to have that comparison and look where he’s at. Literally the top of the business, heading into WrestleMania, the talk of the industry and deservingly so and Cody was a guy that I take a lot of inspiration from and what I mean by that is what set this all up was the launch of my campaign video which was released on December 21.”

Ali revealed that the reaction to Cody Rhodes’ list when he left WWE left people asking where they could see all these dream matches that Rhodes mentioned. The former Retribution member took inspiration from that, and ran with it for his video. Fortunately for him, he got a similar reaction from fans.

“The concept behind it was who was the last guy that really made that impact of like, what’s gonna happen? And this is when Cody Rhodes released the list and I remember everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, these dream matches, but where? And how? How are we gonna see them?’ And I go, ‘What’s the 2024 Mustafa Ali version of the list?’

So the campaign video came about, calling out guys like Will Ospreay and ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey and (El Hijo del) Vikingo and (Matt) Cardona and all these notable names. And what happened is it became a frenzy of people wondering how is this gonna go and where is he gonna go? Where is this gonna happen? And it’s happening, it’s happening so a marketing campaign well done.”

Since his release, Mustafa Ali has made appearances for promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling, and has drawn interest from top promotions.  

Ali is also the current X-Division Champion in TNA Wrestling, and his career is on a high. However, despite being a title holder, he is reportedly not under a contract for the promotion. You can read more about that here.

AEW wrestler Swerve Strickland has praise for Mercedes Mone, as he recently talked about her debut in AEW.

Strickland talked to Bootleg Kev at the Rolling Loud music festival, where he talked about a number of topics such as bloody matches in wrestling, CM Punk’s tenure in AEW, and Mercedes Mone making her way to the Jacksonville, Florida-based wrestling company.

Strickland was asked about the “big contract” of Mone, as she is reportedly making bank at the company, which is said to be sufficient enough to establish her as the highest-paid woman in wrestling.

“We’re building a dynasty now in AEW,” Strickland said. “For what she can do for women’s wrestling, not just for AEW, but across the industry period, it’s pivotal. She’s a matriarch for that. I’ve never seen a women’s free agent make that kind of noise, ever. She’s top billing. She’s worth it. Hopefully that challenges other industries to boost the revenue for other female wrestlers.”

Big Business

Mone was in talks with WWE before joining AEW, and hit a financial roadblock with the company when talks were ongoing. Mone reportedly didn’t want to be paid more than her peers in the women’s roster, but she did want her financial compensation to be equivalent of the top stars. While that didn’t work out for her and WWE, AEW was down with it.

Mercedes Mone’s massive contract sets a positive precedence in the professional wrestling industry, as it increases the value of female wrestlers and how much they can be paid. It’s also a testament to the fact that maintaining a social media following and connecting with fans is really important as a wrestler.

Mone’s debut at Big Business was certainly massive, and it remains to be seen what’s in store for her next In AEW. For more, you can read about the drama between Britt Baker and Mone, and what Adam Copeland has to say about him and Mone’s work in the AEW as WWE alumni.