SEScoops

Author: Rayan Sayyed

  • Chris Jericho Says Neville Turned Down Appearance At All In

    Chris Jericho Says Neville Turned Down Appearance At All In

    Chris Jericho recently on his podcast talked about how Neville turned down an offer to appear at the All In event in September.

    All In was an important independent wrestling event in 2018, and there was quite a bit of talk going around that Neville will make his professional wrestling return at the event.

    We instead saw him in the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate where he returned under his former ring name PAC and defeated Shingo Takagi at the Korakuen Hall.

    Chris Jericho talked about this topic on his Talk Is Jericho podcast with guest Sami Zayn. (H/T Michael McClead of WrestleZone)

    “They tried to get him to go to All In, like over the top and he wouldn’t do it. He wanted to make his debut with Dragon Gate,” Jericho said about Neville refusing to make his return at All In.

    Sami Zayn added to this by saying how disciplined he is when it comes to these things and how much he respects him.

    “That’s the kind of guy he is dude, lot of love, a lot of respect for him. He’s principled. He told me straight up, a lot of money – the indies weren’t what they were when I left five years ago. Old timer in the indies back in my day [Don Cherry impression]…there wasn’t as much money on the indies and I did really well by indie standards right before I signed [with WWE]. He was telling me straight, ‘Man there’s a lot of money being offered in a lot of directions,’ but he’s never been an overly money driven guy. That’s why maybe he didn’t fit in the WWE system very much because the culture here is very overly ambitious and money and success and that has to be what takes you to the next level and he’s never really been like that. So he went back because he’s a loyal guy and he always just loved wrestling for Dragon Gate, so he went straight back to Dragon Gate.”

    You can listen to the entire episode of the Talk Is Jericho podcast here.

    Neville In The Indies

    Neville or PAC right now is doing well in the indies wrestling and has been booked for promotions like BWR Wonderland, Over the Top Wrestling and Defiant Wrestling.

    He had also won the Open the Dream Gate Championship at Dragon Gate’s “Fantastic Gate 2018” event, by defeating Masato Yoshino.

    He will be facing Will Ospreay for Revolution Pro Wrestling at the “High Stakes” event in London, England from the York Hall on February 15, 2019.

     

     

     

  • Bayley Believes Women Will Headline WrestleMania

    Bayley Believes Women Will Headline WrestleMania

    Bayley recently talked to The Star promoting the upcoming WWE Live Tour 2019 which is set to take place at the Sheffield FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield, England on May 16.

    Besides talking about the tour, Bayley also said that she believes WWE WrestleMania will be headlined by female superstars in the future.

    She said she does not know when or where it will happen, but according to her it is inevitable.

    “Oh yes, I believe it definitely will happen,” said Bayley. “I don’t know when or where but with everything we’ve accomplished over the past few years I definitely know its going to happen. I don’t know who it will be. But I can’t wait for the day.”

    Bayley also talked about the fact that how it was looked down upon for girls watching wrestling, and how much that is changing right now. She recalls her childhood when she used to be called weird for watching wrestling.

    “It’s very cool to inspire other girls to be a WWE star. They used to say it wasn’t a girlie thing and it’s something i used to get all the time – they looked at me weird because I watched wrestling. But now it’s such a normal thing to be a fan and cool to be a female superstar some day.”

    You can listen to the full interview on The Star’s website by clicking here.

    WWE’s Sheffield tour has names such as Bayley, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor and Dolph Ziggler lined up for the event. Matches already set for the card are Braun Strowman vs Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose. You can check out more info here.

     

  • Seth Rollins Looks Back On Past Year In WWE

    Seth Rollins Looks Back On Past Year In WWE

    Seth Rollins has had a great run in WWE this year as he went on to win a number of titles and had a lot of cool moments.

    He won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 34, where he pinned The Miz in a triple threat match also involving Finn Balor.

    We also saw him and his brothers Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose reunite as The Shield which was one of the most memorable moments this year.

    The Architect also won the Raw Tag Team Championship with Dean Ambrose, before Ambrose turned on him. Currently he’s involved in a feud with Ambrose as he lost the Tag Team titles to AOP in a handicap match and the IC title to Ambrose on the Tables, Ladders and Chairs PPV.

    Rollins posted a deep and insightful message on Instagram where he revealed how 2018, which he calls it his favorite year, is so important in his career.

    “This year was my favorite year in professional wrestling because it was the most intentional of my career,” Rollins wrote. “At the start of 2018, there wasn’t a lot of buzz around me and some people were wondering (including me) if maybe my best years were behind me.”

    “With the support of my friends, my fans, and my WWE family I was able to capitalize on opportunities given and transform that doubt into momentum. I hit a stride so smooth that my confidence shot through the stratosphere. I began to flourish in the roles of general and leader.

    “I was able to travel the world, make new friends, share the ring with some of the most talented humans on the planet, and learn a little about a lot I didn’t know before. I don’t know what 2019 is gonna look like, but I am forever grateful that I am able to experience the life I’ve been given.

    “Thank you to everyone out there that played any part in making my 2018 what it was. It’s never too late to turn it all around.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrtNibHBnpm/?utm_source=ig_embed

  • Bully Ray: WWE Will Never Let Anybody Get To John Cena’s Level

    Bully Ray: WWE Will Never Let Anybody Get To John Cena’s Level

    WWE has changed a lot with time and gone through different eras where we got to see a top superstar reigning over the company for a period of time. Legends like Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena were the best of the best in the company during their prime. However, today, even though we have a lot of great talented stars on the roster, there really is no one on Cena’s or Rock’s magnitude.

    WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray Dudley talked about why he thinks WWE will never let any other superstar in the future get as big as John Cena. Appearing on the Jim Ross Report, Bully Ray explained how when a superstar gets too popular, the company and Vince McMahon loses control over them. Such stars can decline to work a certain match or event, and the company will have to abide by their decisions. This is why, according to Bully Ray, WWE doesn’t want to make stars as significant and iconic as John Cena.

    “Okay, so those three guys in their own way do what they wanted to do without Vince’s approval. Listen, Steve was able to walk out and still come back and have a job. [Ross] helped out a lot, but not a lot of people walk out and come back in the next day,” said Dudley. “Rocky was able to walk away and become the biggest star in Hollywood. And John, my God! He just won the Muhammad Ali Award. He [has] granted more wishes than anybody on the planet. I mean, he walks on water when it comes to the WWE. And he was able to tell Vince, ‘I’m not [going to Saudi Arabia].’ I don’t think they’re ever going to let anybody get to that level again where they have control or say.”

    Cena has the ability to decline, without any consequences, an appearance for an event that was important for the company. WWE doesn’t want stars that can have this amount of leverage on the company. But Dudley says that McMahon prefers if the talent uses their leverage when they have the chance.

    “I learned a very important lesson from Vince McMahon one day, JR, that he taught me one-on-one,” hee said. “I don’t remember the arena we were in, but we were in a hallway and he said, ‘Bubba, it’s very rare that the boys have leverage on me, but when they do have leverage on me and they don’t use it, shame on them.’ What a lesson to learn from Vince McMahon and I apply that lesson to what’s going on in the WWE today. They’re creating their stars, they’re letting their stars get as big as they possibly want them to be, but then there’s a ceiling. And I think Roman [Reigns] is at the top of that ceiling. I think Ronda [Rousey] is at the top of that ceiling. I think Charlotte is at the top of that ceiling. I’m not sure who will ever get passed that.”

    H/T to WrestlingINC for transcript.

  • Naomi Is Thankful To Asuka; Mustafa Ali Now Part Of SmackDown Roster

    Naomi Is Thankful To Asuka; Mustafa Ali Now Part Of SmackDown Roster

    Naomi Is Thankful To Asuka

    Last night’s SmackDown Live saw from Fresno, California witnessed current WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka successfully defend her title against Naomi. This was he first title defense since winning the title from Becky Lynch in the triple-threat Tables, Ladders and Chair match on Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view event.

    After her loss to Asuka, Naomi was interviewed by Mike Rome where he asked her how she is going to use this opportunity for her future success, this is what she said:

    “You know what? SmackDown is the land of opportunity and I saw an opportunity tonight and I took it. Asuka is my friend and to me Asuka is one of the best. As well as Becky, and Charlotte. But I am just as good as those women, and I wanna be in the conversation, I wanna be there in those matches and I am not sitting in the back anymore, whenever I see an opportunity, from here on out I am gonna do what I gotta do, and I am gonna take it. And this doesn’t change anything between me and Asuka and our friendship. It’s all about love and respect and she gave me an amazing match tonight, and I am thankful and I learned a lot and this won’t be my last shot at the title, I can guarantee you that.”

    Mustafa Ali Now Now Part Of SmackDown Roster

    Mustafa Ali made his début on SmackDown on the 11 December edition of SmackDown where he faced Daniel Bryan and earned praise for his performance.

    On this week’s episode, Ali returned again and was in a tag-team match with AJ Styles as he defeated the team of Daniel Bryan and Andrade “Cien” Almas by pinning Bryan.

    It was unknown at the time if these were just one-off performances from the star or if he is going to make the shift to the Blue Brand. But now, his WWE Superstar profile has been moved to the SmackDown Live roster so it’s pretty much official that he is now a member of SDLive.

     

  • Reason Why The Rock Never Worked With Shawn Michaels

    Reason Why The Rock Never Worked With Shawn Michaels

    The Rock and Shawn Michaels are one of the biggest names in the professional wrestling industry, both having a decorated and illustrious career. Even though they worked in the WWE together, we never got to see a match between them, and since Rock has moved on from wrestling and Michaels has retired, it is safe to say that it will never happen.

    On this Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked a question from fan on this topic. Apparently, there were some problems in the dressing room between Rock and Michaels that started in the ’80s.

    “There was a time when the Midnight Rockers were on a show in Hawaii and Rock’s grandmother was the promoter and I guess there were problems in the dressing room and Rock wanted to beat up Shawn. I think Shawn was acting like a d*ck,” said Meltzer.

    Later in the WWF when Rock started gaining popularity Michaels was one of the people who didn’t want him to succeed, to protect Triple H. After The Rock started reaching heights in the company, he didn’t want to work with Shawn Michaels.

    “Hunter and Rock were vying for the same spot. A lot of people saw that Rock had a lot of friends and he had a lot of potential. They wanted to make sure that he didn’t get there and he was smart enough to see that it happened. When he got to where he was a really big star, he didn’t want to work with him.”

    Meltzer also revealed how Michaels was trying to get Mick Foley to take Rock’s place in the WrestleMania 15 match against Steve Austin. And it was not because they wanted Foley to succeed, it was pretty much only because they didn’t want The Rock in that match.

    h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

  • Asuka Claims She Is Now ‘The Man’

    Asuka Claims She Is Now ‘The Man’

    The Empress of Tomorrow has finally done it. Asuka won her first championship in the main roster last night when she came out on top of the first-ever triple threat Tables, Ladders and Chairs match involving Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at TLC pay-per-view event.

    The newest SmackDown Women’s Champion had some words to say when she was interviewed backstage after her match. She claimed she is now “The Man” and that nobody is ready for Asuka.

    “Becky says she is The Man, Charlotte says she is The Man, but now I am The Man! Nobody is ready for Asuka!,” she exclaimed in excitement over her victory.

    As for how Asuka won it, it was because of Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey who interfered in the match and pushed Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair off a ladder, giving Asuka a chance to gain victory. The two losing women weren’t too happy with the outcome.

    You can check out the video below:

  • Watch What Happened After TLC Went Off The Air

    Watch What Happened After TLC Went Off The Air

    As noted before, Asuka walked out of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view event last night as the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, in the main event match which also saw interference by Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.

    In a video released by WWE, we get a glimpse at what happened after the match when TLC went off the air:

    As Charlotte Flair was making her way back to the ring, we see Becky Lynch angry over the interference by Ronda Rousey which cost both the competitors the title.

    Charlotte Flair herself was not too happy with the outcome, and understandably so.

    During the match, Ronda Rousey interfered by pushing Becky and Charlotte off a ladder which gave Asuka the chance to win the match.

    “I will be back, I will be back, I will be back!” an emotional Becky Lynch proclaims on the ramp whilst making her way backstage.

    While as of this writing there is no news on when Becky Lynch will get her rematch for the title, it seems like it could be coming soon. We could see a rematch this Tuesday on SmackDown Live or on the Royal Rumble, whenever it is, we’ll keep you updated.

  • Jay Lethal On How Randy Savage Loved His Macho Man Impression

    Jay Lethal On How Randy Savage Loved His Macho Man Impression

    Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal did an interview with Mat Elfring of Gamespot recently where he discussed his Macho Man impression and how Randy Savage and his brother Lanny Poffo loved it.

    Jay Lethal gained popularity due to his persona inspired by ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, which he called ‘Black Machismo.’ He revealed how when he first spoke to Randy Savage and came to know that Randy loved his impression:

    “The first time I spoke with [Macho Man Randy Savage], now I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t believe it was him because I can do a pretty good Macho Man impression, and I’m sure other people could too. I’m sure that I know a couple people who can do one.”

    “So, when I was talking to him on the phone, deep down inside, I thought this could be somebody else playing a trick on me. Until Lanny [Poffo] actually confirmed that it was his brother. But he loved it. He said he didn’t watch it on TV but he did watch some of the stuff, he pulled my stuff up on YouTube and he absolutely loved it.”

    Jay Lethal also talked about how he had talked with Randy’s brother Lanny Poffo and how their hilarious but sweet interaction took place.

    “He loved it so much that at the All In pay-per-view, the days before Starrcast, big signing, there was so much to do. Well, I had a signing with Lanny, we were at the same table and he told me, ‘One of the things that I miss the most about my brother is, just sometimes at random times he would just yell at me. So if you could, just at random times throughout this signing just find a reason to yell at me I would love it.’”

    Jay Lethal had revived the Black Machismo character at All In and not only that, he also came to the ring accompanied with Lanny Poffo, which made for a really memorable moment. Last night, Jay Lethal defeated Cody Rhodes at Final Battle to retain the ROH Championship. You can check it out by clicking here.

  • Two More Wrestlers Rumored To Be Gone From WWE

    Two More Wrestlers Rumored To Be Gone From WWE

    Following reports that Nick Miller has been released from WWE, it appears NXT UK star Tucker and developmental talent Taishan Dong also gone from the company.

    Tucker

    Tucker, who is of Northern Irish origin, was signed to NXT UK and had competed in the 2017 WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament. He was eliminated by Tyler Bate on Day 1. He had also competed for the 2018 edition, where he lost in the first round against Joe Coffey. On NXT UK, Tucker had mostly been used as an enhancement talent.

    The 28 year-old is an over name in the Northern Ireland wrestling circuit and has been a Irish Junior Heavyweight Champion in Irish promotion Fight Factory Pro Wrestling, as well as two-time Pro Wrestling Ulster Champion.

    While nothing is officially confirmed yet, just like Nick Miller, Tucker’s profile is also gone from WWE’s website so it may be an indication that the company is soon going to announce their release.

    Taishan Dong

    Taishan Dong is a 7-foot tall boxer from China who had took part in the three-day talent tryout at the WWE Performance Center in October last year. He was announced as part of the latest class of WWE recruits in July this year. Dave Meltzer reported that it is being said that he quit the company on his own volition some time ago.

  • Rumor: WWE Has Something Big Planned For January

    Rumor: WWE Has Something Big Planned For January

    WWE has something big in plans for January, after the recent dip in viewership and ratings for their shows.

    According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer, WWE has an idea in mind that will turn around the ratings for their show.

    “For those of you who hate Raw, all I’m going to do is tell you that the belief within WWE is that — take this for what it’s worth — they believe it is all turning around in January. Apparently, they have some sort of idea and they think it’s all turning around in January and that the ratings in January are going to be good again. The show is going to be better and something big is going to happen.”

    Alvarez did caution that rumors will run wild in speculation, and advised not to get our hopes up for anything.

    “Of course, everybody is going to be speculating all sorts of crazy things [like] The Young Bucks, this and that. Don’t get your hopes up for that stuff everybody. They seem to believe that starting in January, this thing is turning around.”

    It seems like WWE is going to take a new route or make a big decision in their programming or storyline that can make their product more appealing to the audience. Or perhaps they are going to sign someone new? Whatever it may be, the company really needs to step up their game as the recent numbers don’t look good at all.

    The last two episodes of Raw were the lowest-drawing episodes in history.

    SmackDown isn’t looking too good either, as they it has stayed under 2 million viewers.

    Maybe the shows would see a boost as we head into the Road to WrestleMania with Royal Rumble set to take place at 28 January.

    What do you think WWE has in mind for their alleged “huge plan”? Let us know in the comments below!

    h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

  • Becky Lynch Talks About Her Heel Turn

    Becky Lynch Talks About Her Heel Turn

    The WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently spoke to Yahoo Sports where she touched on the topic of her heel character, after she turned on her best friend Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam. “The Man” also talked about why her turn has been one of the best angles in professional wrestling and more.

    After sitting on the sidelines for a almost a year, Becky Lynch took out her frustration on her best friend Charlotte Flair when she turned on her after losing a title match against her.

    “I think I knew going into it that I wasn’t the bad guy in that situation,” Lynch told Yahoo Sports. “How could I be the bad guy? I had gone on a winning streak unmatched by anyone on ‘Raw’ or ‘SmackDown.’ I owned the show. As soon as Charlotte comes back she gets a title opportunity and then steals the win from me. I think the fans wanted me to have that single moment.”

    Becky talks about how instead of the fans hating her for being a villain, she was cheered on and supported by everyone. She was surprised that turning on her best friend made her even more popular than before.

    “Yes [I was a bit surprised],” Lynch said. “I don’t think you can ever expect a response like that. When you get one it’s incredible, but it’s never expected or guaranteed.”

    “[Fans] want somebody that they can look at and emulate,” Lynch said. “Someone who knows when enough is enough. When they’ve been passed over continuously, undermined, underestimated and they say, ‘No, you know what, I deserve this. I worked for more than this, I am more than this. I’m going to show the world.’ That’s what [I’m] doing.”

    Becky says that her heel turn was something that she knew she had in herself, but she wasn’t sure on how she could bring it out and be well received by the audience.

    “It’s something that I knew that I had in myself, but I didn’t know how to bring it out, what the right opportunity would be,” Lynch said. “I’ve walked around saying the things that I’ve been saying in my head for a long time and now the truth is coming out and I’m saying what I want to say without any fear of what people think of me, fear of being disliked. It’s been very freeing.”

    Becky Lynch In TLC

    Becky Lynch is set to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka tomorrow at TLC. After being out from Survivor Series due to a legit broken nose and concussion, and unable to face Ronda Rousey at the event, Charlotte Flair took her place and was disqualified for her brutal attack on Rousey. Flair explained that she attacked Rousey for Becky’s sake, but when Becky returned on the subsequent episode of SmackDown she revealed that she actually did it for herself. After a title match was set between the two at TLC, the female roster demanded a chance for the title and an eight-woman battle royal was held. Asuka emerged as the winner, who was then added in the match at TLC. The event will broadcast tomorrow on WWE Network on 7ET/4PT from the SAP Center in San José, California. You can check out the entire card here. Also take a look at our predictions for the event.

  • MLW Signs Rush vs. LA Park For WrestleMania Weekend

    MLW Signs Rush vs. LA Park For WrestleMania Weekend

    Major League Wrestling has announced that they have signed Rush vs. LA Park for WrestleMania week next year, as the company revealed in a press conference held yesterday in Manhattan.

    The match will main event MLW Fusion taping next year on Thursday, 4 April, 2019 from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. Another MLW taping is going to be held on 5 April, the event being dubbed the Battle Riot II. You can order tickets here.

    The two collided at Friday night’s MLW Fusion Live Special on beIN Sports after Rush had defeated Rich Swann when LA Park came out and the two went at it against each other and had to be broken up by security.

    This was the American live TV début for the leader of Los Ingobernables, his first taped match for MLW from November being against Sammy Guevara which was aired last week on Fusion. After the match, he had expressed his desire to face LA Park and that facing him was his reason for joining MLW.

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073760201432535045

  • MLW Fusion Live Results From Miami (12/14)

    MLW Fusion Live Results From Miami (12/14)

    Major League Wrestling’s held its first live Fusion episode on beIN Sports last night at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami, Florida.

    Below are the results and highlights from the event:

    • Fatal four-way ladder match for the vacated MLW Middleweight Championship

    The match featured Kotto Brazil, El Hijo de LA Park, Dezmond Xavier, El Ringo Loco as replacements for Jason Cade, Marko Stunt and MJF as they were unable to compete due to injury.

    Teddy Hart was added as the fifth participant in the match and had attacked Dezmond Xavier before the match started. Hart went on to win the gold after Hart lungblower on Brazil.

    Winner: Teddy Hart

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073749803383824385

    • Dragon Lee vs DJZ

    Dragon Lee won with a knee strike and a modified falcon arrow to win in an impressive match-up of high-flying athleticism.

    Winner: Dragon Lee

     

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073753491397586949

     

    • “Filthy” Tom Lawlor Gets Into A Brawl With World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki

    Low Ki called out Lawlor and the two went at it when Lawlor came through the crowd.

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073759550082293760

    • Rush vs. Rich Swann

    The leader of Los Ingobernables in his American live TV début faced off against the former WWE cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann in a very competitive match.

    Swann was going for the 450 Splash but Rush turned it into a piledriver for the win.

    Winner: Rush

     

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073758945326624768

    LA Park came towards the ring after the match and the two engaged in a fight and had to be broken up by security.

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073760201432535045

  • Impact Wrestling (12/13) Sees Rise In Viewership

    Impact Wrestling (12/13) Sees Rise In Viewership

    This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling sees a rise in viewership by 20% as the episode drew in 144,000 viewers. Last week’s episode that aired on 6 December had 116,000 tuning in.

    The ratings of this week’s episode were the highest since 25 October, when Impact shifted to the late night time-slot on POP TV.

    The episode got a rating of 0.05 in the 18-49 year-old demographic. Last week’s episode’s ratings averaged in at 0.04.

    The show is again experiencing a rise in viewership and ratings which is a good news as the road has been kind of topsy-turvy lately. Last week’s episode only managed to pull in 116,000 viewers, whereas just a month ago the 15 November episode was the worst rated  with a rating of 0.01 and 101,000 viewers.

    The episode also ranked in at 145 on the Cable Top 150 list this week. Last week’s episode barely made it on the list at no. 150.

    Here are the viewership stats for the last four episodes:

    • 13 December: 140,000
    • 6 December: 116,000
    • 29 November: 122,000
    • 22 November: 124,000

    You can check out the results and the takeaways from the episode by clicking here.

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi Named MVP Of The Year By Tokyo Sports, Full List Of Award Winners

    Hiroshi Tanahashi Named MVP Of The Year By Tokyo Sports, Full List Of Award Winners

    Tokyo Sports has named Hiroshi Tanahashi as the MVP Of The Year.

    The publication released the names of the winners of their annual Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards where Tanahashi won the MVP Award with eighteen votes. Kazuchika Okada was second in place with twelve votes and Kenny Omega in the third place with three votes.

    Tanahashi gave the following statement after being selected as the winner of the MVP Award:

    “It is I, 2018’s MVP Hiroshi Tanahashi. Since the final of the G1 Climax, I realized that I have once again become the center of the Wrestling world, whether it was during my fight over the challenger rights contracts or in the lead-up to WK13. I’ve been continually thinking about how to appeal to people who have never seen professional wrestling. In the past, Pro-Wrestling was more broadly known in Japanese culture. The broadcast of “World Pro-Wrestling” every Friday at 8.00pm gave the public the chance to see legends such as Mr. Inoki, Mr. Choshu and Mr. Fujinami come to local gymnasiums and has made Pro-Wrestling more famous as a result. Since I first became champion in 2006, I’ve often said the mic after headlining the main event “Thank you very much for today” or “I love you!” and performed air guitar. There have been some fans, however who have felt “Why is he saying things like that?” but I’ve always tried to reply “I will be f-ing famous!” by demonstrating my in-ring ability. This year, I think, was the first year I actually achieved that goal. Although it is still only half-way through it’s run, movie I starred in has exceeded 100 promotional events and 1,000 media spotlights. It showed the passion of professional wrestling and was able to connect with the general public nationwide. From influencers in the business world to famous people, I’ve spoken to numerous people now who have felt that “Pro-Wrestling is really fun!” I’ve always strived to achieve my goal of “It would be great if I could be famous!” I didn’t expect to win the MVP award, so I’m pleasant surprised. Thank you very much.”

    Tanahashi has won the award three times before, first in 2009, then in 2011 and in 2014.

    Mr. Okamoto of Tokyo Sports explained that the reason for selection of Tanahashi as the winner was his G1 Climax tournament victory, which served as a deciding factor. Another reason cited was the fact that Tanahashi is helping aleviate the image of professional wrestling in Japan by starring in movies and TV shows.

    This is also the sixth straight year a wrestler from New Japan Pro-Wrestling has won the award.

    Additionally, the Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo Hall was awarded the Best Bout Award.

    “Thank you. Since I have won the this award many times, please enter me into the Hall of Fame,” said Kazuchika Okada on his match winning the prize.

    “We’ve done it for the second consecutive year. Even though there is a feeling that the story of Okada and I has ended after having four matches in a year and a half, I want to do it again someday,” Kenny Omega. “These matches have pushed me to the best physical condition of my life and wee were able to accomplish special things together. I’ve been able to combine that classic New Japan style with unpredictable newness. With the upcoming ideological clash at Wrestle Kingdom, we will prove that there is a home for every type of wrestling.”

    Here is the list of all the awards and their recipients:

    • MVP Award
      Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
    • Best Bout Award
      Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega
      (New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
    • Outstanding Performance Award
      Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling Noah)
    • Fighting Spirit Award
      Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling Noah)
    • Technique Award
      Tetsuya Naito (New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
    • Best Tag Team Award
      Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama (All Japan Pro Wrestling)
    • Newcomer Award
      Utami Hayashishita (World Wonder Ring Stardom)
    • Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize
      Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)
  • John Cena Receives 2018 Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

    John Cena Receives 2018 Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

    John Cena has accepted Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali legacy Award on Tuesday at the Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Los Angeles, California.

    Cena said he accepted the award on behalf of his fellow superstars at WWE, and that it was a wonderful night for the company to receive such a honor.

    ”I’ve just been given the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award here at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards. It’s truly moving to see some of those moments back and get to relive some of those moments.

    “To be mentioned in the same sentence as Ali, let alone a respectable comparison, comparable legacy is simply incredible. I just wanted to say that I accepted this award tonight on behalf of all the WWE Superstars, because I believe if put in my shoes, they would all make the exact same choice.”

    “Tonight is a wonderful night for WWE, because here I am, a sports entertainer, being awarded a tremendous honor among athletes. It’s not something that probably would have happened a few years ago, but it’s amazing to see culture change, and people have open minds about what we do, and accept us for just being damn good at what we do.” (ht: WrestlingInc)

    John Cena also said that he is sending the award to Connecticut to be displayed at the WWE Headquarters.

     

    “From his unparalleled work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to his support for a wide range of causes ranging from activism for military families to cancer research, John has made personal outreach and generosity of time and spirit his calling cards,” Sports Illustrated executive editor Stephen Cannella said. “He might just be the most charitable person in sports, and his dedication to philanthropy richly reflects the spirit of the Ali Legacy Award.”

    The Legacy Award, which was created in 2008, has been awarded to names such as Colin Kaepernick, Bill Russell, Jack Nicklaud, Jim Brown and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. John Cena became the first WWE Superstar win the award.

    The Leader of Cenation has been busy with promoting his new film Bumblebee and has not been seen in the ring since his last match in Australia at the WWE Super Show-Down event on October 6 where he teamed up with Bobby Lashley to win against Kevin Owens and Elias. Cena is set to return to the ring 26 December at the Madison Square Garden shows.

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  • Dominik Dijakovik To Make NXT Debut Next Week

    Dominik Dijakovik To Make NXT Debut Next Week

    The former Ring of Honor star Donovan Dijak is going to make his debut on WWE NXT under a new ring name: Dominik Dijakovic.

    WWE had signed Donovan last year in September where he made a few appearances in NXT under the name Chris Dijak, where he was mostly used as an enhancement talent.

    WWE aired a vignette on the 28 November edition of NXT introducing Chris Dijak as Dominik Dijak and on the vignette aired this week WWE has revealed that he would be making his debut on the very next episode.

    The 270 pounder was a force to be reckoned with in ROH where he went on to win the Top Prospect Tournament in 2015. If you want to see his performance in the WWE, just check out this clip of his televised match on NXT with Ricochet:

    Not only is his agility impressive for his 6 ft 7 in height and size, he is pretty athletic as his moonsault showed. The point is, he has a lot of potential and it looks like WWE wants to give him a chance with this new character.

  • Bully Ray Reveals He Was “Real Close” To Portraying That Character In WWE

    Bully Ray Reveals He Was “Real Close” To Portraying That Character In WWE

    Ring of Honor star Bully Ray is widely regarded as one of the greatest tag team wrestlers in history. As part of the legendary Dudley Boyz tag team, he and (current WWE producer) Devon would hold tag team gold in virtually every major league promotion across the world.

    The former Bubba Ray Dudley rebranded himself as Bully Ray back in 2010 when he was wrestling for Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA). During his reign as Impact World Champion, many fans wondered how that character would fare on the big stage in WWE. When the Dudley Boyz returned to WWE in 2015, he reprised Bubba Ray Dudley for one last run.

    Responding to a fan on Twitter, Bully Ray revealed that he was “real close, 48-hours-away-close” to portraying the Bully Ray character in WWE back in August 2016.

    “As I’ve stated in the past, we came close…real close…48hrs away close. It was suppose to happen on the night we said goodbye on Raw. Oh well…their loss. And I am having a blast destroying young boys @ringofhonor”

    Although we never got to see Bully Ray unleashed on the WWE roster, he’s still doing must-see work in Ring of Honor all these years later.  Bully Ray challenges Flip Gordon in an “I Quit” match this Friday night at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle pay-per-view, the promotion’s biggest show of the year.

    Bully Ray co-hosts Busted Open Radio, which airs weekday mornings on SiriusXM Channel 93. 

  • Dakota Kai Injury Update

    Dakota Kai Injury Update

    As we reported earlier, Dakota Kai suffered an injury during a match at a recent NXT live event in Green Bay on Friday, 7 December. Details were not available at the time but now the Wrestling Observer has provided some information on the incident.

    Kai was a part of a six-woman tag team match where she teamed up with Kairi Sane and Candice LeRae against the trio of NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir.

    The referee threw up the X symbol when Kai suffered the injury. She was limping and had to be helped to the backstage by trainers.

    Dave Meltzer revealed that Kai went through an MRI scan and while not confirmed by doctors yet, it is being said that she is suffering from a torn ACL.

    A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) would mean that we can expect Kai to be out of action for six months to ten months.

    Nothing has been confirmed officially by WWE or Dakota Kai herself so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed and update as more news comes out.

  • Kenny Omega On Which Video Games Inspire Him, Top Game Of 2018

    Kenny Omega who was nominated for the Favorite Celebrity Gamer (Athlete) category for the 2018 Gamers’ Choice Award recently spoke with Geek.com where he discussed video-gaming and revealed which games have given him inspiration.

    Speaking about video game heroes, Kenny named characters from Smash Bros.! like Kirby, Ness, Luigi, Mega Man, Zack Fair, and (maybe) Sans.

    Kenny Omega revealed that Street Fighter has been a very big inspiration for him. But it’s not just limited to fighting games, as he takes inspiration from different types of games like the action horror Resident Evil.

    “For wrestling, I had some obvious Street Fighter ties. Most of them might be from Street Fighter, actually. Hmm, but there are actually a few moves based off of Mother as well. I take inspiration from all sorts of games though –Resident Evil for example. Even though it’s a horror game, I’ve found inspiration in Albert Wesker’s character. Persona and Chrono Trigger too. I tend to try to draw inspiration from games that are timeless, so that way when I apply it to matches they may (hopefully/luckily) end up that way too.”

    The IWGP Heavyweight Champion named Undertale and Monster Hunter World as his favorite games. While on the topic, he also shared his thoughts on the stigma attached with gaming and what advice he has for people who look up to him.

    “Once you focus on your dreams, really home in on your goal, the negativity around you just becomes faint background noise. The journey may be lonely at first, but you’ll meet new friends with the same motivations and the world of ridicule and doubt that you came from won’t even exist anymore.”

  • SmackDown Live! 12/11 Preview

    SmackDown Live! 12/11 Preview

    SmackDown Live heads to Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for the go-home show for the TLC pay-per-view event. The final show before Sunday’s TLC will be held at the T-Mobile Arena.

    The show’s highlights are going to be a WrestleMania rematch between Asuka and Charlotte Flair, a rap battle between The Usos and The Bar (with The New Day as hosts), and a match between Naomi and Mandy Rose.

    Charlotte Flair meets Asuka in a WrestleMania Rematch

    After ending Asuka’s two-and-a-half year undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34, Charlotte will once again go face-to-face against the Empress of Tomorrow before their triple threat match at TLC.

    The Usos and The Bar to clash in a Rap Battle hosted by The New Day

     

    The rap battle on SmackDown makes a return – and the participants are the same faces that we saw last year, with the addition of The Bar. Except The New Day this time are going to serve as the hosts.

    The Bar are going to defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Usos at TLC and the rap battle will serve as an momentum booster for the teams before their match on Sunday.

    Jeff Hardy to address Samoa Joe’s “public service announcement”

    Not only did Samoa Joe made Jeff Hardy lose his match against Randy Orton last week, he made a “public service announcement” on the dangers of drinking in excess, mocking Hardy’s addiction problems.

    The Charismatic Enigma will address Samoa Joe’s public service announcement in response tonight on SmackDown.

    Naomi goes one-on-one with Mandy Rose

    Naomi and Mandy Rose will see each other in the ring tonight after their war of words on Twitter. The two went on about each other on the website when SmackDown General Manager Paige had to get involved and set an official match between the two.

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1072227575424937984

  • NXT Spoilers: Championship Match Set For TakeOver: Phoenix

    NXT Spoilers: Championship Match Set For TakeOver: Phoenix

    This Wednesday night, WWE held television tapings for NXT at Full Sail University which saw a number of major developments.

    One such filmed segment consisted of Bianca Belair defeating Io Shirai, Mia Yim and Lacey Evans in a fatal four-way match to win a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship.

    The episode will air on January 2 on the WWE Network.

    The EST will also put her undefeated streak on the line when she goes against the champion as the #1 contender.

    WWE NXT Recap & Results (11/28)

    Bianca Belair will face Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Phoenix event on Saturday, January 26 from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

    The NXT tapings will provide enough content for the remainder of this year and take us into the TakeOver: Phoenix event. WWE is scheduled to tape more episodes for NXT on 3 January.

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  • NXT Spoilers: Main Roster Member Appears At Tapings

    NXT Spoilers: Main Roster Member Appears At Tapings

    A main roster member made a surprise appearance at the NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University this Wednesday night.

    Ricochet was set to defend his NXT North American Championship that night as it was announced that he would be challenged by a mystery opponent on the show.

    Tyler Breeze returned to NXT and took on Ricochet in a title match in a losing effort.

    Breeze has also made some appearances on NXT house shows before but this is the first time that he has appeared on NXT television in three years.

    Breeze joined WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) where he performed under the ring name Mike Dalton.

    He would later work in NXT after the rebranding of FCW, and would début his heel selfie-taking pretty boy persona under the Tyler Breeze name. He made his main roster début in October of 2015.

    Breeze’s partner Fandango of “Breezango” is injured and that has left Breeze out of the tag team division.

    Currently directionless on the main roster, Tyler Breeze could have a fresh start once again on NXT as a singles wrestler.

    Related: WWE NXT Recap & Results (11/28)

  • Kairi Sane Contracts Hand-Foot-And-Mouth Disease

    Kairi Sane Contracts Hand-Foot-And-Mouth Disease

    Former NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane revealed on Twitter that she is diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease.

    Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious illness and often seen in young children. The 2017 Mae Young Classic Winner is confused as to why she has contracted a disease that children under age 10 are most likely to catch.

    “The fever has gone down, but now my hands, feet, and mouth have a mysterious eczema… Ouch you go to the hospital with it? (even in the United States, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease) It is a disease that infants under 5-years-old have been examined. Why did the virus enter my body by mistake?”, wrote the 30 year-old on Twitter in Japanese.

    The viral infection can be contracted by adults too, even though it commonly only affects children. There is no treatment required as it is not serious and it generally goes away within a week or two.

    We at SEScoops wish Kairi Sane a speedy recovery.