SEScoops

Author: Steve Russell

  • Adam Cole Reveals Shawn Michaels Has Been Involved With All His NXT Matches

    Adam Cole Reveals Shawn Michaels Has Been Involved With All His NXT Matches

    Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole has revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has been instrumental in all of his NXT matches to date.

    The NXT Champion shared the insight during a recent conversation with Lilian Garcia for her podcast, Chasing Glory. He discussed how Shawn Michaels and Michael Hayes helped to put together his TakeOver: Toronto main event before crediting Michaels with his guidance to date.

    “The two gentlemen involved in producing our matches were Michael Hayes and Shawn Michaels,” Cole said. “Michael Hayes is great and brilliant. Normally he is involved with producing my matches. Shawn Michaels is involved in every one of my matches. At the Performance Center, I go and work with him directly. A bunch of us do. He is kind of like a mentor for so many of us right now at NXT, so he takes a liking and makes sure he has his hand in everything that we are doing.”

    Coaching Style

    Cole then extrapolated on Michaels’ coaching style, explaining how he doesn’t dictate what they should do. Instead, it becomes a somewhat collaborative process with ideas passing backwards and forwards between HBK and NXT Superstars.

    “Lots of times, the best thing about Shawn Michaels is that he doesn’t tell us, ‘This is what you should do.’ He lets us come up with what we think, and he will be excited about the stuff that we are coming up with,” Adam said. “But randomly, if we are stumped on something and we think something is cool but aren’t crazy about it, in a matter of five-seconds, he would give us an idea and it’s amazing and so much better. It’s awesome to have those two to pick their brains. They played a big part in what we created in our match for sure.”

    Adam Cole recently retained his NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano in a Two-Out-Three-Falls matchup at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

  • The Rock Calls Ken Shamrock A Major Influence During The Attitude Era

    The Rock Calls Ken Shamrock A Major Influence During The Attitude Era

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has credited former WWE Superstar Ken Shamrock with helping to develop his character during the Attitude Era.

    This comes off the back of Shamrock promoting his return to Impact Wrestling. He contended that he would tear through Moose, whom he is currently feuding with, before running his way through the promotion until getting to Impact Wrestling World Champion, Brian Cage.

    A Twitter user then shared his feelings on Shamrock’s run in WWE (then WWF) in the ’90s. He stated that people don’t understand how underrated “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” was as a wrestler. He claimed he was a “HUGE part of the attitude era” before listing The Rock, Vader, and Owen Hart as wresters Shamrock had great matches with.

    Brian Cage would subsequently get involved after seeing the opinion, sharing that he agrees wholeheartedly:

    “I agree. Shamrock all around was great. And jacked!”

    This led to The Rock “co-signing” Cage’s sentiment, adding that “@ShamrockKen helped build “The Rock” character. Huge #AttitudeEra influence. We tore the houses down together. I’ll always be grateful and respectful. He’s a f machine. They don’t make em like that anymore. Thanks for the house brother Ken”

    Ken Shamrock returns to Impact Wrestling on September 5th and 6th for the promotion’s Las Vegas tapings.

  • Cesaro Promises To Be At NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff

    Cesaro Promises To Be At NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff

    Cesaro will be stopping over in Wales this weekend just in time for NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.

    He revealed the news during a short interview backstage after Monday Night RAW. Cesaro corrected the interviewer, informing them he wasn’t just heading to China for a WWE promotional tour—he was also planning on visiting Cardiff to check out NXT UK.

    “Not just China,” Cesaro stated. “I’ll also be paying a visit to Wales. Cardiff, Wales to be more specific. See, I’ve heard a lot of things about NXT UK, so I’m going to go to NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff to find out first-hand what it’s all about, and maybe take a little more of a hands-on approach.”

    At the time of writing, there is no indication as to if Cesaro will be performing during the event or simply appearing.

    Other Superstars have jumped between brands. Kassius Ohno, who has been missing from NXT, for example, has been competing for NXT UK, so Cesaro would be in good company.

    Brand jumping like this ties into Triple H’s thoughts on levelling out WWE’s brand hierarchy. This would allow Superstars to freely move between shows, providing opportunities for different storylines and rivalries to take place.

    WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff takes place this Saturday, August 31st from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. 

  • Daniel Bryan Shares His Concerns Over Amazon Rainforest Fires

    Daniel Bryan Shares His Concerns Over Amazon Rainforest Fires

    Daniel Bryan is known for being an outspoken environmentalist. At one point he insisted on being called “The Planet’s Champion.” He also debuted a hemp championship belt during his reign.

    During an interview with Super Luchas, Bryan was asked about his thoughts on the current fires devastating the Amazon. 

    “It’s really sad because there are apparently hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in the area losing their homes, and not only that, because… It’s hard to say because I hate talking about politics, but they are letting everything burn so they can use the land for other things,” Bryan said.

    He expressed his concerns for the indigenous people of the rainforest, mocking the idea they could move into a city.

    “As someone who cares about the environment, this whole situation affects me. And it covers more than just the environmental issue, there is also the problem of all the people who live in the Amazon rainforest. They are hundreds of thousands of people, and what they want is to move them to the cities. But that’s not how things work. You know what I mean, they have been living there for longer than anyone can remember, and they want to move them to the cities and expect them to work in factories or something? It is a tragedy, and I hope that it can soon be controlled and that everyone realizes that the Amazon is a central part of the ecosystem.”

    “It Is A Devestating Scenario”

    Bryan highlighted how the balance within the Amazon’s ecosystem would be disrupted by the fires. He explained how this kind of irreparable damage could lead to the extinction of animals and plant life.  

    “[…] the diversity of species in the Amazon rainforest is higher than anywhere else in the world, and there is much that could be lost. There are species that could become extinct, and the interesting part is that we don’t know which species correlate with others. We cannot say ‘These specific species must be saved’. There is, for example, the fungi kingdom, fungi. There is no variety of fungi as large as the one that exists in the Amazon rainforest, and we do not know how many of them are necessary for the planetary ecosystem, because everything causes an impact. We already know the impact caused by the reduction in the number of bees and the danger it represents. However, it is a devastating scenario.”

    His wife, Brie Bella, has also shared her thoughts on the fires:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1fZU6ghWz0/

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the translated transcription.

  • Rhyno Reflects On Why He Left WWE For Impact Wrestling

    Rhyno Reflects On Why He Left WWE For Impact Wrestling

    Former WWE Superstar Rhyno debuted on Impact Wrestling soon after his contract with WWE had ended. Turns out that he did so despite being offered a deal that was allegedly double what he was making. 

    Speaking with Wrestling Inc., Rhyno addressed his decision to leave WWE and his experiences with the company during his last run.

    “It was a great experience with WWE; they treated me great,” he admitted. “I enjoyed wrestling with [Heath] Slater, tagging with Slater, traveling with Slater. And you know, we talked about re-signing, and they offered me more than double what I was making. Way more than double.”

    He knew he was in a position to help younger talent develop but ultimately felt his services would be more beneficial to Impact Wrestling and the independent scene. When it came to re-signing with WWE, Rhyno expressed that he “just didn’t want to.”

    “[…] there’s a lot of men and women there, my job is to try and help the younger talent out and try to discover guys like The Rock, the next Stone Cold, and all that. And I think I can service the wrestling business more on a level like Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene too. So it’s very important for guys that have been wrestling for so many years to help out the younger generation because the guys that came before me helped me out a lot.”

    Rhyno debuted for Impact Wrestling on July 7th during the promotion’s Slammiversary event.

  • Ali Believes That Buddy Murphy Brought Out The Best In Him

    Ali Believes That Buddy Murphy Brought Out The Best In Him

    Ali and Buddy Murphy competed last night in a first-round matchup for the King of the Ring tournament. Despite having momentum on his side, Buddy Murphy would lose to Ali.

    Following his victory, Ali caught up with WWE.com to discuss his mindset going up against Murphy. He also spoke about advancing in the tournament, and his next opponent.

    “I’ll be honest with you, a lot of people thought I had some sort of advantage knowing Buddy Murphy, having past battles with Buddy Murphy. Listen, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the best version of Buddy Murphy. And I won’t lie, heading into this match, I didn’t know how I was going to overcome that.”

    The Superstar highlighted Murphy’s recent run of success, culminating in his victory over Daniel Bryan:

    “I mean he just pinned Daniel Bryan last week, and he took Roman Reigns to what people are calling ‘Match of the Year.’ So I won’t lie to you, he had all the momentum on his side.”

    For him, however, the people helped carry him through. He reflected on his time on WWE’s recent South American tour, recalling how one kid told Ali how he gives him hope. 

    “I’ve said this before, Buddy can have all the momentum. I’ve got the people.”

    Ali will face Elias in next round of King of the Ring tournament.

  • More Details Regarding Sasha Banks’ RAW Promo

    More Details Regarding Sasha Banks’ RAW Promo

    Sasha Banks recently returned to WWE television, attacking both Natalya and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. 

    This week on Monday Night RAW, Banks addressed her hiatus from the company. She also revealed her motivations behind the recent attacks against her former friends after four months away from the spotlight.

    According to The Pro Wrestling Torch’s Wade Keller, her impassioned promo had a notable voice behind it: Paul Heyman.

    Heyman, who is WWE’s RAW Creative Director, has reportedly been majorly involved in how Sasha Banks will be presented on screen going forward. He was supposedly the individual behind the script for Banks’ explanation this past Monday. 

    There was plenty of speculation over Sasha Banks’ future with the company during her time away. Rumors surfaced over her frustrations at losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. She was allegedly promised a long run with them to help legitimate the belts.

    Whether she would return to WWE also became a topic of conversation, even after “The Boss” met with her boss, Vince McMahon, to discuss her issues.

    Her recent promo saw her fold these real-life events into the narrative of her return. With Heyman helping to drive this new heel persona, there may be more examples of real issues slipping into Banks’ promos and character going forward.

  • Information On Randy Orton’s SmackDown Live Promo

    Information On Randy Orton’s SmackDown Live Promo

    Last night’s SmackDown Live began with an interesting promo segment between WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and his Clash of Champions challenger, Randy Orton.

    Kofi spoke about the long-term issues between himself and Orton. Randy then interjected himself into the conversation, pulling out a letter supposedly written for him by Kofi’s son asking him to stop hurting his dad.

    It turns out that Orton’s contribution was actually a throwback to a 1984 “Rowdy” Roddy Piper promo, as highlighted by WrestlingNews.co’s Angel Rodriguez:

    “You Are A Mean Man, Mr. Orton”

    Kingston admitted that the issues between the two Superstars have escalated after Orton made things personal:

    “He made it very personal when he brought my family into it. He made it personal when he, alongside his new found buddies The Revival, tried to take out my friend, my partner, my brother, Xavier Woods.”

    Orton then interrupted Kingston, repeatedly calling him “stupid.” It was at this point he pulled out the letter left for him under his hotel room door. He claimed the letter was written with heart before reading its contents:

    “Dear Mr. Orton, stop hurting Kofi Kingston. Kofi is not stupid. Kofi is a good man, but you are a mean man, Mr. Orton. So mean that you make my hero Kofi Kingston cry at night. Do you want to know how I know this? Because Kofi Kingston isn’t just my hero. Kofi Kingston is my dad.”

    The two will face off for the WWE Championship at Clash Of Champions on September 15th at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.  

  • Details On Who Will Compete During NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed Tour

    Details On Who Will Compete During NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed Tour

    Following their recent Super J-Cup tournament, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has released information on who will once again be flying to the United States for their Fighting Spirit Unleashed tour.

    The promotion has announced 15 names will be competing during their tour, which sees events take place in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

    NJPW has listed the following names representing different factions will be present:

    Main Unit

    • Hiroshi Tanahashi 
    • Kota Ibushi 

    CHAOS 

    • Kazuchika Okada
    • Tomohiro Ishii
    • Hirooki Goto
    • YOSHI-HASHI

    Los Ingobernables de Japon

    • Tetsuya Naito
    • EVIL
    • SANADA
    • Shingo Takagi
    • BUSHI

    Bullet Club

    • Jay White
    • Tama Tonga
    • Tanga Loa
    • KENTA

    They write that “Faction warfare will hit the East Coast as these units will all be vying for superiority!”

    It’s worth noting that Kazuchika Okada will only be in attendance for the Boston and New York shows.

    Fighting Spirit Unleashed

    The Fighting Spirit Unleashed tour begins in Boston on September 27th at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. There are still tickets available for those interested.

    They will then travel to the Manhattan Center/Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on September 28th. This show is sold out.

    The final show takes place in the 2300 Arena, Philadelphia on September 29th. Like their New York show, this show is also sold out.

  • The Miz Credits John Cena With Teaching Him How To Become A “Main Event Caliber Superstar”

    The Miz Credits John Cena With Teaching Him How To Become A “Main Event Caliber Superstar”

    The Miz has credited John Cena for teaching him how to become a main event Superstar. 

    He gave Cena props during an interview with Hot 94.1 while doing promotional work for WWE. 

    When asked which Superstar, past of currently active, he had learned the most from, The Miz responded:

    “John Cena. Being in the ring with John Cena taught me how to become a main event caliber superstar.”

    The two have feuded numerous times over the years. However, The Miz’s most notable victory over Cena saw him successfully retain the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 27 back in 2011. His win actually came with a major assist from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who had delivered a Rock Bottom to Cena that Miz capitalized on.

    Clash Of Champions

    Just last night, The Miz challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to a match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. His challenge brought out Nakamura’s ‘mouthpiece,’ Sami Zayn who insulted Miz, calling him “The King of Soft Style.”

    The SmackDown segment ended after Nakamura blind-sided Miz from behind, leading to a beatdown at the hands of the current Intercontinental Champion, ending with an assisted Kinshasa as Zayn held Miz in place.

    At this point in time, the challenge has not yet been accepted. If it is, the two will likely compete at WWE’s Clash of Champions event. 

  • Ric Flair: “This Is The Greatest Time In The Last 20 Years To Be A Pro Wrestler”

    Ric Flair: “This Is The Greatest Time In The Last 20 Years To Be A Pro Wrestler”

    Ric Flair believes that now is the greatest time in the past 20 years to be a professional wrestler. 

    “The Nature Boy” shared his thoughts on the state of modern pro wrestling during an interview with The Houston Chronicle. He claimed that the Khan family’s willingness to spend money to elevate All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will undoubtedly provide younger talent with career alternatives to WWE.

    “This is the greatest time in the last 20 years to be a pro wrestler,” Flair declared. “Tony and the Khan family have a lot of money, and they’re going to spend the money to get good. For the young guys coming along, it provides an alternative way. The WWE can pay only so many guys and feature only so many guys. They do a great job of it, but a lot of guys who do have talent never get an opportunity.”

    He added that there is a lot of pressure on future talent to stand out, but reiterated that “it’s a good time to be a wrestler.”

    WWE will be debuting NXT on USA Network on September 18th, lengthening their show to two hours. AEW will air their first show on TNT a few weeks later on October 2nd. 

  • Tyler Bate Discusses Walter Ahead Of TakeOver: Cardiff, Whether He Would Jump To NXT

    Tyler Bate Discusses Walter Ahead Of TakeOver: Cardiff, Whether He Would Jump To NXT

    NXT UK Superstar Tyler Bate recently sat down with The Sun ahead of this Saturday’s NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff event. He will be competing against Walter for the promotion’s WWE United Kingdom Championship.

    During the interview, Bate discussed the possibility of jumping from NXT UK to NXT. He also addressed the idea of a brand versus brand show that would pit NXT UK Superstars against their U.S. counterparts.

    He admitted that, despite Pete Dunne’s current run in NXT, as long as there are new experiences for Bate in NXT UK, he doesn’t see himself jumping brands any time soon. 

    “Pete seems to be enjoying himself, and it’s something new for him to experience in his career. He’s enjoying it,” Bate said. “As far as I’m aware, there are no plans for me to be going anywhere any time soon. I’m quite enjoying my time here in NXT UK, and my goal is to keep things fresh and interesting. I like to try new things and go to new places, and if I can do that in NXT UK then I’m fine staying here – but there’ nothing planned as far as I’m aware for me to go anywhere soon.”

    Bate admitted to being intrigued by the idea of an NXT super show, saying he would be “super up for that” if the opportunity arose. “It sounds like it would be a hell of a show for the fans to watch,” he added. “You never know.”

    TakeOver: Cardiff

    Addressing his opponent on Saturday, Bate is fully aware of the monumental challenge ahead of him:

    “All I can do is try my very best. I’m a big believer in fate, and if it’s not supposed to be me that stops him, then I’m sure there’s somebody else down the line who could do it. […] But I will be putting on the very best performance that I can.”

    WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff takes place this Saturday, August 31st from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

  • Daniel Bryan Wants to See Bandido, Rush & Dragon Lee In WWE

    Daniel Bryan Wants to See Bandido, Rush & Dragon Lee In WWE

    Daniel Bryan has been a firm fixture of WWE’s roster for years at this point, but the Superstar made a name for himself wrestling worldwide on the independent scene. 

    Bryan recently reflected on his time on the indies, highlighting what he misses about that scene and lifestyle in an interview with Super Luchas. He also discussed which luchadors he would like to compete in WWE.

    Regarding the indie scene, Bryan admitted that he misses it—in particular getting the opportunity to wrestle against different people across the globe.

    “Yes … I really miss all that,” Bryan confessed. “And one of the things I miss is fighting with different people. Being independent, you can fight with people you’ve never faced before, and that’s something I like. For example, on SmackDown, I struggled with Buddy Murphy, and I was very excited because I had never fought him. As an independent fighter, my mind was always working. ‘I don’t know who this guy is, I don’t know what he does, I’ve never been in this arena.’ I like those experiences.”

    Lucha Lucha Lucha

    When it comes to naming which luchadors he would love to see in WWE, Bryan admitted that it was difficult to choose as many of his favorites are now too old.

    “I could say: ‘Wait a minute, I want Negro Casas in WWE’ or something, because I love Blue Panther, I love Negro Casas,” he said. “The first time I saw a fight of his was about 1987, but he is amazing. In 2019 he is still impressive. Then I have a lot of respect for them, but thinking about who could do it now in WWE, I could tell someone like Rush. I think Bandido would do it big; also, Dragon Lee could succeed.”

    Despite recognizing their talent, he also stressed that WWE is loaded with top lucha talent. He name-dropped Andrade and Gran Metalik, calling both “fantastic.”

  • WWE Debuts New YouTube Series, WWE Fandom

    WWE Debuts New YouTube Series, WWE Fandom

    WWE’s Performance Center YouTube channel has debuted a new digital web series entitled WWE Fandom. 

    The first episode followed WWE NXT Superstars Johnny Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae. They were joined by WWE Host Vic Joseph as they visited the Cleveland Browns’ Training Center in Berea, Ohio. 

    During the video, the Superstars got a first look at the 2019 Cleveland Browns NFL team. They also had the opportunity to interact with fans as well as to meet and interview NFL Quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

    At the end of the video, Joseph encouraged the WWE Universe to comment with their favorite sports team, teasing that “down the line on WWE Fandom, we’ll be able to take your favorite WWE Superstar to talk about your favorite team.”

    From Superstar To Fan

    The show introduces WWE Superstars to their favorite sports team, granting them unique access as they get to embrace the role of being a fan.

    It’s not clear, however, whether the show is exclusively centered around American Football or if the show will open up to other sports or fandoms entirely.

    It’s worth noting that Vic Joseph introduced the video with the following:

    “We’re getting ready to step on the gridiron as so many fans from across America are getting ready for their favorite football team.”

    Although not confirmed, Joseph’s words indicate that the series will be focused purely around American Football.

  • Adam Cole Is Excited About NXT Going Head-To-Head With AEW

    Adam Cole Is Excited About NXT Going Head-To-Head With AEW

    Adam Cole has shared his thoughts on the impending Wednesday Night War between NXT and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

    The NXT Champion discussed the two brands competing during an interview with SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. He spoke about the comparisons between the promotions, highlighting that it is an incredibly exciting time for pro wrestling and wrestling fans.

    “I’m incredibly proud of our team,” Cole said. “I stand by the fact that I really do think, bell-to-bell, NXT puts on the best shows on the planet. I stand by that. To now get a chance to do that on such a huge stage weekly on USA Network, two hours live every week, it’s exciting.”

    When asked by Mark Henry about the concept of competition and comparison between the two promotions, Cole was forthcoming with his response.

    “There’s no question. Of course there’s going to be a lot of comparisons,” Cole stated. “Obviously, we’re going live at the same exact time. There’s these new Wednesday Night Wars that people are calling it, but NXT did get to the USA Network based on the work within NXT. I’ve been hearing for weeks and weeks and weeks that NXT is the third brand […] and now we have a chance to prove it on the USA Network.

    He added: “For me, it creates such an exciting situation for wrestling fans. There are so many different options for people to watch and enjoy different types of wrestling or different promotions. So as a fan and a wrestler […], it’s never been a more exciting time.”

    WWE NXT on USA Network debuts on September 18th. AEW’s first show on TNT will air a few weeks later on October 2nd. 

  • The Bouncers Discuss ROH Ambitions, Wanting To Change Fan Perceptions

    The Bouncers Discuss ROH Ambitions, Wanting To Change Fan Perceptions

    Ring Of Honor (ROH) continues their efforts to develop new talent across its numerous divisions. One tag team, in particular, have become fast fan favorites since coming together: The Bouncers.

    Speaking with Wrestling Inc., the Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas discussed their ambitions in ROH. They also revealed their intentions to change how fans perceive big man wrestling.

    Bruiser confessed that the two are actively chasing tag team gold in ROH, admitting that they would like to one day be remembered as one of the greatest teams in ROH history.

    “We’ve wrestled The Briscoes…and had a hell of a match with them for the tag team titles. That’s definitely No. 1 on our list,” Bruiser said. “The Kingdom, they’re mad because we like to have fun and drink, but they’re gonna find out the hard way that when you hit us with chairs and put a cigar out on my chest, it kind of p***** us off. And you don’t wanna p*** off a drunk guy. So once we finish with them, then definitely the tag team gold.”

    “Obviously we wanna be the tag champions, but on a larger scale, we wanna change perceptions,” Milonas added. “We don’t look like the type of guys that have traditionally done big things in ROH. There haven’t been too many guys our size, our build that can move like us.”

  • Nia Jax Teases Comeback Speculation In Total Divas

    Nia Jax Teases Comeback Speculation In Total Divas

    Former RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax has teased her future status and potential comeback to WWE in a recent tweet. 

    “Your resident b**** is back! Tune in to watch me be the big s*** stirrer that I am, having great times with my sisters @BellaTwins @RealPaigeWWE & find out if I’m actually going to make a comeback after having major surgery #TotalDivas #Ad”

    Her message comes off the recent news regarding Season 9 of Total Divas. The promotional material features her positioned above Ronda Rousey and flanked in between the Bella Twins.

    Nia Jax is still recovering from surgery undertaken in April to repair a torn ACL.

    https://twitter.com/NiaJaxWWE/status/1166046855140192262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1166046855140192262&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wrestlinginc.com%2Fnews%2F2019%2F08%2Fnia-jax-on-her-comeback-and-wwe-total-divas-658826%2F

    She will be returning to Total Divas alongside WWE Superstars Carmella, Natalya, and Naomi. Her tweet indicated Paige will also feature on the show, though she is not in the image. Both “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and Sonya Deville will be making their Total Divas debut this season. 

    Total Divas returns for its ninth season on Wednesday, October 2nd on E! Network. It is produced by WWE and Bunim/Murray Productions. Gil Goldschein, Russell Jay Staglik and Farnaz Farjam Chazan are Executive Producers for Bunim/Murray Productions. Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser serve as Executive Producers for WWE.

  • Ken Shamrock Reflects On Time In WWF, Reveals Advice Bret Hart Gave Him

    Ken Shamrock Reflects On Time In WWF, Reveals Advice Bret Hart Gave Him

    Ken Shamrock was billed as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” during his tenure in WWF. Now, he’s getting ready to launch the new Valor Bare Knuckle boxing promotion. In a conversation with Wrestlezone, Shamrock has reflected on his time with WWE and shared a crucial lesson imparted by Bret Hart.

    “One thing that I learned, and I got a lot of that from Bret Hart, was that, when WWF brought me in, they brought me in to be “The World’s Most Dangerous Man. The submission specialist,” he recalled. 

    “So therefore when I was working with Bret to prepare myself to go into pro wrestling, that’s what Bret told me: ‘Don’t change. Be yourself. Go in the ring, don’t do the things – somebody tries to call a spot for you to do all these wrestling moves.’ He says people will just, they won’t register, because they’re looking at someone that they know where you come from, and they’re not going to buy anything else you’re doing. You need to be the guy you are. So you throw your ankle locks, and you throw your armbars and your chokes, and your punches and your kicks, while you’re in the pro wrestling ring.

    “So I really did,” Shamrock said. “I just kind of mastered me and just put myself in that ring and just went through it like I was sparring in a match without trying to hurt somebody. I just went in there and tried to spar with guys.”

    Making An Impact

    By the end of his time in WWF, Shamrock had claimed numerous accolades. He had won both the WWF Tag Team Championship as well as Intercontinental Championship. He was also the winner of the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. 

    Alongside competing in Valor Bare Knuckle, it was recently announced that Shamrock would be returning to Impact Wrestling. 

  • Adam Cole Discusses TakeOver Main Event Against Johnny Gargano

    Adam Cole Discusses TakeOver Main Event Against Johnny Gargano

    Current NXT Champion Adam Cole recently defended his title against Johnny Gargano in a competitive Two-Out-Of-Three Falls matchup. The two competed for the gold at WWE’s recent NXT TakeOver: Toronto event over SummerSlam weekend.

    In an interview with Lilian Garcia for her podcast, Chasing Glory, Adam Cole spoke about the matchup, and what the backstage reaction was once their bout had concluded.

    “This Feud Started Like A Replacement To Tommaso Ciampa”

    “I’m definitely incredibly sore from that one,” Cole admitted. “I don’t know how many of those I have in me. This trilogy with Johnny was so important to me and him. We’ve known each other for 10 years. So we had talked forever about getting the chance to maybe wrestle on a really big stage like NXT.”

    “This kind of – this feud started, almost, like a replacement to Tomasso Ciampa, ‘cause Johnny and Tommaso were in the middle of their big feud,” he said. “So then, they needed a big main event for WrestleMania weekend, and were like, ‘Okay, let’s do Adam and Johnny.’ And then it turned into this crazy trilogy that had its punctuation mark last night and ended all in that wrestling street fight and crazy steel cage match. It was a lot of fun. Painful, but a lot of fun. And Toronto was great. I love wrestling in Toronto.”

    When he came back behind the curtain, Cole described how “everyone was applauding”, and he was greeted with hugs and handshakes. Despite the praise, he shared that he still looks for flaws in his performance.

    “I look for it, yeah,” he confessed. “I obsess on – to me, I’ve never had, I know everyone feels this way, but I’ve never had and will never have the perfect match. But I’m going to try so hard to get it. I’ll find 10 different things that I’m like, ‘Oh I didn’t like this, or this could’ve been a little bit better,’ I’m proud of it, for sure. And I’m happy with it. But I definitely don’t think I’ve ever had a match that, start to finish, it was exactly what I wanted. But sometimes that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.”

    Adam Cole was the only member of Undisputed Era to leave NXT TakeOver: Toronto with a championship, as the stable continue their attempts to drape themselves with gold.

    H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

  • Dustin Rhodes Believes Social Media Is Ruining Wrestling

    Dustin Rhodes Believes Social Media Is Ruining Wrestling

    Dustin Rhodes has shared his issues with how social media has integrated into and changed pro wrestling.

    Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Rhodes spoke on how social media has taken away not only from kayfabe but has also negatively impacted long-term storytelling in modern pro wrestling. He also stated how the use of social media guarantees WWE will never enter another Attitude Era.

    “This business has changed so much. The Attitude Era of yesterday is never gonna come back because there’s too many kids involved. There’s too many parents. This world we live in now is so worried about everything, so if we do something wrong on TV, they’re gonna call us out on it, and they’re going to make a big public thing about it,” he said.

    “Social media has done that too, also. I think if you take social media out of the equation—and I know sometimes change is bad, but sometimes change is good—and if you could just take social media away from the wrestling, to where they cannot comment about wrestling, I think wrestling would be a lot farther along than where it is right now,” Dustin argued. “Social media has kind of destroyed what we do, what we try to do out there. They’ve killed the storylines. They’ve killed the kayfabe.”

    “If The Undertaker’s on Twitter, it feels weird to me,” he added. “It takes away the mystique of The Undertaker, the Deadman, right? If Goldust is on Twitter he needs to be talking like Goldust does in his promos. I don’t do that on Twitter.”

    Rhodes then spoke highly of NXT Superstar The Velveteen Dream, pinpointing how Dream stays in character for his social media accounts and is a better storyteller because of it. 

  • The Viking Raiders Vow To Wreak Havoc, Tease Returning To NXT

    The Viking Raiders Vow To Wreak Havoc, Tease Returning To NXT

    The Viking Raiders have issued a warning to the entire WWE tag team division following their matchup on last night’s RAW. 

    Speaking backstage, the pair promised to cause chaos, with no team being safe from their intentions as they continue their journey towards not only tag team dominance. They also stated that their business with O.C. members Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson is far from over.

    Notably, they specified that it didn’t matter to them where any given team calls home. They stated that they are willing to take on teams from not only RAW and SmackDown, but also WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT.

    “Karl, Luke Gallows, O.C., we’ve known you boys a long time. This is far from finished. This is far from over,” Erik promised. “But until we get our hands on you, we’re going to take it out on every single team we can find. I don’t care if it’s RAW, SmackDown, or NXT.”

    “No one is safe,” Ivar added before the team walked off.

    The team were eliminated from last night’s Tag Team Turmoil match via double disqualification alongside Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, so it may be likely that the teams will feud prior to the Viking Raiders jumping between brands in search of competition and gold.

  • Chris Jericho Thinks AEW All Out Will Be Adam Page’s “Coming Out” Party

    Chris Jericho Thinks AEW All Out Will Be Adam Page’s “Coming Out” Party

    Chris Jericho will be competing against Hangman Page during the main event of All Elite Wrestling’s next show, All Out. The two will clash to crown the inaugural AEW Champion.

    Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Jericho commented on how he has helped to elevate Hangman Page to the next level.

    “He looks like a million bucks, he wrestles great, his promos are getting better. How do you make him a star? Put him in the ring with Chris Jericho. How do you make him a bigger star? Put him in the ring with Jericho in a match for the first AEW Championship.”

    He continued, “This is Hangman Page’s coronation. This is his coming-out party. I’m really excited about it. I’ve seen enough of him that I know, this is the type of guy that we want on our roster, and we’re gonna build him into a bigger star in one night than WWE has built any star they’ve had in six months.”

    With so many established wrestlers Jericho could have feuded over the championship with, he believes that Page was the right choice over Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, or Jon Moxley in order to build more top talent for AEW.

    As far as he’s concerned, this one match will see Page assert himself as a main event player going forward, turning him into more of a star in one night than his entire career to date. 

  • Apollo Crews Talks About Trusting “The Process,” King Of The Ring Tournament

    Apollo Crews Talks About Trusting “The Process,” King Of The Ring Tournament

    Apollo Crews trusts the process. 

    In an interview with The Wrap, Crews spoke about being patient and understanding in how the process works as he continues to try and break through on WWE’s main roster since leaving NXT in 2016.

    “I wanted to come in here and shock the world, I guess you could say,” he admitted. “I felt like I would have done much more at this moment in my career. I’m still young — I’m about to be 32 in a couple of days — and there’s still a lot of time. I’m still very patient and understanding in how the process works. I trust the process.”

    Crews was one of the Superstars announced for the current King of the Ring tournament. When asked about what it was like to be taking part in the competition, he responded:

    “First of all, the talent that we have, in my opinion, I think it’s the greatest roster of all time as far as talent goes. There’s so much potential for these amazing matches with the talent that is matched up in the tournament, and I’m excited to be a part of it. Growing up watching ‘King of the Ring,’ I never thought I was gonna actually be in ‘King of the Ring.’”

    Crews competed in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament last week on SmackDown Live. He lost to Andrade.

  • Nikki Bella Still Has “Unconditional Love” For John Cena

    Nikki Bella Still Has “Unconditional Love” For John Cena

    Although they have not been together for some time, Nikki Bella still considers John Cena to be her soulmate.

    Opening up about her emotional well-being during an episode of The Bellas Podcast, Nikki admitted that she was incredibly unhappy during the final days of her relationship with Cena.

    Her unhappiness made her reflective, questioning why she was so sad despite having everything she thought she needed.

    “I live in these gorgeous homes. I have these gorgeous things. I would understand that when you would look at my life, it was like, ‘how was this girl becoming so unhappy?’ And honestly, it’s still questions I asked myself today. Like, I’m still trying to get over my break-up. I have unconditional love for him. We were such a great couple, but our lives didn’t work.”

    She continued, “Sometimes people, when they get into marriage, they don’t realize that marriage is beyond just loving someone. You are joining a life together. It’s a partnership. It’s so many things that those are things, unfortunately, you have to look at, and I look at my marriage just being different than what John and I were gonna have.”

    Nikki is currently dating her former Dancing with the Stars partner, Artem Chigvintsev, who she also claimed to be a soulmate during the podcast.

    John Cena is dating 29-year old Shay Shariatzadeh.

  • Brandi Rhodes On NXT’s Move to USA Network Ahead Of AEW on TNT Premiere

    Brandi Rhodes On NXT’s Move to USA Network Ahead Of AEW on TNT Premiere

    With WWE officially announcing that NXT will be moving to USA Network on Wednesdays, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Executive Vice Presidents, The Young Bucks, have stated that they “aren’t scared” of the competition. 

    Now AEW’s Chief Branding Officer, and head of AEW’s Women’s Division, Brandi Rhodes has offered her thoughts on the announcement, WWE’s supposed counter programming efforts, and her approach to the impending competition.

    Speaking with TribLive, she stated that AEW are “all for it.”

    “I definitely can’t speak for them [WWE] and their business planning and thinking, but as far as AEW is concerned we’re all for it,” she admitted. “We are excited to be on Wednesday night. We’ve got amazing things lined up. We can’t wait to get to air.”

    Brandi continued, “We’re actually on the TNT campus right now with a ton of meetings and going over all sorts of aspects of rolling into Oct. 2. It’s a wild and great time for everyone. Our fans are going to be shocked, satiated and I think they will keep coming back for more.”

    Although AEW debut on TNT in October, their next major event, All Out, will take place at the end of the month on August 31st from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.