Mae Young classic competitor, Meiko Satomura, will soon be joining the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida.

According to Squared Circle Sirens, Satomura will be joining the company as a guest trainer.

Satomura has earned international popularity since she began training back in 1994 at the age of 14. She has gone on to wrestle worldwide for promotions including Gaea Japan, World Championship Wrestling, Chikara, and Senai Girls’ Pro Wrestling. She has even competed for Britain’s Fight Club Pro, where she wrestled against then-WWE United Kingdom champion, Pete Dunne.

Meiko has also competed for WWE, wrestling in the second Mae Young classic tournament in 2018.

Her participation in the tournament saw her defeat Killer Kelly, Mercedes Martinez, and Lacey Lane. She would be knocked out of the competition in the semifinals by NXT UK Women’s Champion, Toni Storm.

WWE Superstar, Natalya, retweeted the article, adding her thoughts on the subject with a succinct, “Wow.”

Given that Satomura is a disciple of the stiff, impactful style associated with Japanese female wrestlers known Joshi Strong Style, it will be interesting to see if Joshi will be taught to the current crop of NXT talent. If it is, what kind of matchups can we expect from the next generation of female WWE Superstars?

Unfortunately, it seems that new Impact Wrestling world champion, Brian Cage, suffered an injury during his matchup at the promotion’s Rebellion PPV.

Cage suffered the injury approximately three minutes into his match against defending champion, Johnny Impact. The spot occured as Johnny Impact delivered a Spanish Fly to Cage from off the ramp to the floor.

Despite this obvious setback, Cage was still able to to finish the match. He would then come face-to-face with a debuting Michael Elgin before being attacked post-match. Elgin would eventually hold the championship over his head, setting up a new contender for Cage going forward.

It’s reported that Cage had trouble walking backstage and was subsequently taken to the emergency room. There is no further update on his condition or the severity of the injury at this point in time.

Impact Wrestling addressed the situation on Twitter, announcing that Cage was rushed to the emergency room after his match with Johnny Impact. “More updates to come.”

We here at SEScoops hope the injury isn’t serious, and that the new Impact Wrestling world champion can get back to in-ring action as soon as possible.

• Full Results from Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV

It was recently revealed that Cody’s opponent at All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing, would be his brother, Dustin Rhodes. Dustin initially denied the possibility, claiming to still be under WWE contract.

It turns out that he was granted his release back in January and has been under a 90-day non-compete clause.

Not everyone who requested their release has been granted it, however, as Luke Harper recently discovered.

Harper, who shared that he had requested his release via social media, was denied his release by WWE. He isn’t the first Superstar to ask for their release, with Hideo Itami and Tye Dillinger doing the same in recent months.

According to Dave Meltzer via Wrestling Observer Radio, Triple H is the man behind Dustin being granted his release.

Meltzer stressed that Vince McMahon doesn’t want to release anyone right now, especially with AEW on the horizon, but Triple H reportedly convinced Vince to permit Dustin Rhodes his release.

The same, ultimately, can’t be said for Luke Harper.

Instead, WWE has chosen to trigger a clause in Harper’s contract. They have added the time that he missed due to surgery onto the end of his contract. This has apparently extended it by an additional six months. He was supposedly meant to be entering into a feud with Sami Zayn, but those plans have changed.

NetherRealm Studios made a big deal over Ronda Rousey’s inclusion in their recent release, Mortal Kombat 11.

Months ago, Rousey was introduced during a NetherRealm press event as the new voice of Sonya Blade. Ronda shared her excitement, describing the experience playing a character in a franchise she grew up playing was a “dream come true”.

Now the game is out, NetherRealm may regret her highly publicized inclusion with her vocal performance receiving almost universally negative feedback from gamers.

Fatality

Fans of pro wrestling already know that Rousey’s mic skills were a little…underwhelming, when she first started appearing for WWE.

Over her time with the company, however, her abilities steadily improved. Unfortunately for NetherRealm, her skills clearly didn’t develop in time for her role as Sonya Blade.

Fans of the game have been quick to lambast the Superstar. Many have highlighted her vocal inadequacies, especially juxtaposed with Johnny Cage—a character Sonya Blade apparently shares many scenes with. One even liked her to The Room’s (in)famous Tommy Wiseau.

If you’re a fan of the Mortal Kombat series, or want to buy the game just to experience Rousey’s vocal talents, the game is available now on all major platforms. Alternatively, you can listen to her performance in the videos above.

Ex-WWE producer, Dean Malenko, who recently parted ways with the company, has already booked his first non-WWE appearance.

Malenko, known as “The Man Of 1000 Holds” during his time as an in-ring competitor, will officially be in attendance during Starrcast II.

The Starrcast Twitter account sent out the following tweet, accompanied by an image of Malenko:

“This Superstarr is known as The Man of a 1000 holds!! He’s held championships all over the world… #Starrcast II is proud to welcome DEAN MALENKO to Las Vegas, Memorial Day Weekend!

Appearing Friday 1-4pm at Caesars Palace

Meet & Greets on sale now: Starrcast.com”

Starrcast II Superstarrs

Dean Malenko joins a star-studded convention, with legendary names and current ‘Superstarrs’ set to appear. Wrestlers like Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Cody, The Young Bucks, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, and many more will all be in attendance.

Unfortunately, two names will no longer be present during Starrcast: The Undertaker and Kurt Angle.

Although initially advertised, WWE has since locked down ‘Taker and Angle to new contracts. These contracts allow the company to withhold talent from attending events considered to not be in WWE’s best interests.

Starrcast II, apparently, falls into that criteria.

Starrcast II takes place from May 23-26th from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Andrade has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging Finn Balor to an Intercontinental championship matchup.

The Superstar defeated Finn during his RAW debut after the Superstar Shake-Up. This victory surprised many, considering Balor’s recent triumph at WrestleMania 35, and would have helped Andrade quickly establish himself on the RAW roster.

Things didn’t turn out that way, however, as Andrade would quickly return to SmackDown Live the following Tuesday. Upon his sudden, retconned return to the blue brand, he would subsequently lose to Finn Balor, who was making his blue brand debut. Balor’s move also brought the Intercontinental championship to SmackDown Live.

With the tally now at a win each, a rubber match makes sense to determine the final victor. Making it for the Intercontinental championship certainly ups the stakes involved for each man.

“El Idolo” would call out Finn via Twitter, writing:

“@FinnBalor I got you once, you got me once. Let’s make it more interesting next time…put that #IntercontinentalChampionship on the line! Que tú piensas ???”

Balor would reply the next day, more than happy to accept:

“¡Órale guey!! Step Up and Get Busy AMIGO!”

With the challenge having been accepted, it seems likely that the two will clash for the gold at WWE’s upcoming Money In The Bank event, which takes place on May 19th.

If you’re looking forward to finding out who will be involved in the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match, look away. It seems as though a new graphic has spoiled the entrants for this year’s briefcase.

The image, supposedly locally advertised from Connecticut, depicts Superstars from both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live including Drew McIntyre, Cesaro, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Aleister Black, Andrade, and the debuting Lars Sullivan.

A Moment Of Bliss

This week’s episode of RAW is scheduled to feature a special MITB edition of “A Moment of Bliss,” hosted by Alexa Bliss. This segment was expected to reveal the competitors in both the men’s and women’s Money In The Bank matchups.

Although the graphic itself is not full confirmation, it does appear likely that Bliss will be announcing these names this coming Monday. Though highly unlikely, WWE may elect to change certain Superstars now that the information has leaked.

Money In The Bank 2019

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Roman Reigns vs Elias

WWE Universal Championship Match

AJ Styles vs WWE Universal Champion, Seth Rollins.

RAW Women’s Championship Match

Becky Lynch vs Lacey Evans

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair

WWE’s Money In The Bank PPV takes place on May 19th from Hartford, Connecticut.

It appears as though, at least at one point, WWE had a feud in mind for Luke Harper.

According to Dave Meltzer on Westling Observer Radio, the former Wyatt Family member was scheduled to feud with Sami Zayn.

The details of the feud are unknown, but it’s clear that the proposed program has since been cancelled entirely.

“This Decision, As Difficult As It Was, Feels Right”

Harper received double ligament reconstruction surgery last October. Despite being cleared to return since February 6th, he has yet to be given a new televised feud or storyline.

He recently wrestled Dominik Dijakovic at WWE’s Worlds Collide event. He was also a participant in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35.

Luke has been transparent about his frustrations within the company, highlighting that his goal going forward is to “continue to grow as a performer and person” outside of the remits of WWE.

WWE, however, declined his release request. Instead, the company has enforced a six-month extension, adding the time he missed working due to his initial injury. This means that, unless anything changes, Harper will be with WWE until roughly next year’s WrestleMania in April 2020.

This could be a tactical decision on WWE’s part—much in the same way as they handled Neville’s contract. Given the upcoming All Elite Wrestling and the surge of other independent promotions, it seems WWE are content with keeping Harper close for the time being.

During the Hall Of Fame event that took place over WrestleMania weekend, Triple H would make several jokes at the expense of Degeneration-X stablemate, Billy Gunn, and his new company, All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The two were inducted into the HOF as a part of DX, alongside Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Chyna.

Triple H would tease Gunn, thanking him for being “all in” in an obvious reference to AEW’s event of the same name. He went on to joke that “Vince will buy that pissant company just to fire you again.”

Speaking with 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, Billy Gunn discussed Triple H’s comments about his new employer AEW.

“I thought it was done very tastefully, so it was some good, funny stuff that was — yeah, you were right. It’s typical DX stuff. You shoot at something and then you try to knock it down. So yeah, it was good.”

He was asked if any of the AEW jabs were planned backstage prior to their speech. Gunn denied this, claiming that, although they had an initial plan, that quickly went out the window. Their entire HOF speech would then unfold live without any preparation.

“We had some stuff we were gonna go to…we had a couple of calls before the Hall of Fame just to kinda figure stuff out. But none of it came true. Because it doesn’t work like that for us. It never has worked like that for us. We’ve always just been, ‘Hey. You point us in the direction, we’re gonna go there. We have no idea what we’re gonna do,’” he said.

“So when you start planning stuff out, it takes away from what we are. Because I feel like that’s what a lot of things are doing right now, you’re planning a bunch of stuff out, so when something organic happens, you don’t react to it, because it’s not in the script. And we’ve never ever been ones to go by the script.”

Despite his appearance for WWE, Billy Gunn is currently signed to AEW where he is working as a producer for the company.

Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

Sean Waltman recently made a bold prediction on his podcast, X-Pac 1, 2, 360. He revealed that he believes it’s only a matter of time until former WWE Superstar, CM Punk, returns to pro wrestling. Not only that, but it won’t be WWE that he returns to.

Instead, Walkman points to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the most likely promotion that Punk will end up calling home.

“I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling”

– Sean Waltman

“I haven’t said it in a while because the subject hasn’t come up really as much, because he’s doubled down on, ‘I am never coming back to wrestling.’ I mean, he’s said that over and over again. And I just — history tells me that eventually he will return to wrestling. A lot of people in entertainment that mean it just as much as he does eventually come back. I’m talking about, look at musical acts for instance: The Eagles, ‘When hell freezes over,’ right? Legit. They meant it just as much as he does,” he explained.

“The Misfits, Glenn Danzig’s war […] Never gonna happen, never gonna reunite with Jerry Only and the rest of the Misfits. They’ve had several shows. It just goes to show you. And trust me, I know Glenn Danzig and like, no one is as stubborn as that guy. So, trust me. He will be back. I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling. And no one should go, ‘Oh, see, we told you!’ because it’s his life. And at the time, he means it. When he says, ‘I’m never coming back,’ he means it. It’s just that history shows that everyone else that meant it too ends up coming back. And I can honestly see him showing up in AEW. That could be like this huge surprise they’re waiting to drop with the announcement of a TV deal.”

CM Punk was once again on the minds of wrestling fans worldwide after he made a surprise appearance at an independent show. He would sneak into the ring under a mask and deliver a GTS during a match for an MKE event in Wisconsin last Friday.

Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

At the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH) co-promoted event, G1 Supercard, Matt Taven delivered on his promise to all the ‘melvins’ out there by becoming the new ROH World Champion.

He would uncrown Jay Lethal in a triple threat ladder match that also featured “The Villain” Marty Scurll.

Speaking with the WINCLY podcast, Taven has reflected on the title win that ended Lethal’s 280-day reign. He admits that he enjoys that people are upset he is the current champion, and reflects on winning the big one in New York’s historic Madison Square Garden.

“Making people upset seems to put a really bizarre smile on my face, and I seem to make a lot of people upset being the ROH World Heavyweight Champion,” Taven confessed.

“It’s probably the greatest moment of my life. I’m not gonna lie—it was unbelievable,” he said. “All my life I’ve wanted to wrestle in MSG, and here I am not only looking up at that historic feeling, but winning the ROH World Championship. Having ‘FU Taven’ echo through the halls of MSG—I really couldn’t ask for a better moment in my mind to hold onto forever.”

Matt Taven will soon be defending his newly one ROH championship against Villain Enterprises’ PCO. Their matchup will be taking place during ROH’s War Of The Worlds tour, with the two competing in Toronto on May 9th.

Jimmy Jacobs, who is a former writer for WWE and current Impact Wrestling talent, is the latest wrestler to produce a podcast.

Entitled, “Jimmy Jacobs Doesn’t Know,” the first guest on his show will be none other than the former WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan.

“I’m Having A Mental Breakdown”

Jacobs has released a preview clip of the episode in which Daniel Bryan openly recounts his struggle with depression—something that becomes more acute for him when he has to be in cities.

“When I’m in cities around a lot of non-living things, I am more likely to be depressed than I am when I’m in Washington when I’m around trees,” he admitted.

“When I finally accepted, after I was forced to retire, that, like, I’m having a mental breakdown, I went to…this wasn’t the right thing to do, to leave,” Bryan said. “I said to Brie, I said, like…’I have to go to Washington.'”

“She still had other things that she had to do, I said, ‘I have to go.’ And she met me there like a month later, but I spent a month in Washington, just with my mom, with a couple of my friends, and just like, walking in the woods, like, just this really…like, being. I believe in the healing nature of trees, like, it’s a weird thing, but then I’ve also read a book about it, so it’s like, it makes me a little more justified as opposed to me being some weird mystic or something, you know?”

Former WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, hasn’t been on WWE programming since his loss to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35. WWE’s decision to do so, keeping the nature of his potential injury a closely guarded secret in the process, has sparked speculation over the extent of Bryan’s current injury.

This past Tuesday on SmackDown Live, honorary New Day member, Kevin Owens, would turn on both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.

Owens, who has a long history of turning on friends and tag team partners, showed his true colors once again. The attack would begin after the former Universal Champion nailed Kofi Kingston with a superkick. He would then deliver an impactful powerbomb to the apron onto Xavier Woods, who Owens had been performing commentary moments earlier during Kingston’s matchup against Shinsuke Nakamura.

Now the entirety of the New Day, including currently injured member, Big E, have reacted to the situation. Taking to Twitter, each member shared their thoughts and opinions on Kevin Owens and his actions.

“There Will Be Hell To Pay”

Woods would describe Owens as a “complete garbage human”:

His stablemate, Big E, described him as a “parasite,” adding that his “greatest joy” will be coming back to dole out a beating on KO.

“KO is the parasite in the system that desperately clings on to its host for life. Once its sucked all of the nutrients it can out of its host, it seeks another. I only take pleasure in knowing the virus has been detected & @TrueKofi & @XavierWoodsPhD will stomp out the organism.”

“My greatest joy will be returning in time to stomp the life out of the already lifeless roach myself.”

Current WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston, took a more thoughtful approach. He addressed the New Day giving Owens a chance, even when no one else would. He then promises that there will be hell to pay because of his most recent betrayal.

“Sometimes you feel compelled believe in someone and give them a chance, even when no one else will. As unpopular a decision as it may seem at the time, you give them the benefit of the doubt…And Then that person proves everyone right. Mark my words, there will be Hell to pay.”

This past Monday night, NXT’s War Raiders, made their RAW debut under a new name…The Viking Experience.

The former Hansen and Rowe—now named Ivar and Erik, respectively—competed in an eight-man tag team match, teaming with The Revival. They took on the team of Aleister Black, Ricochet, and current RAW tag team champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.

But, given that popular team are just coming off the back of defending their NXT tag team championships at NXT TakeOver: New York, what prompted the sudden name change?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is probably the first one you thought of: Vince McMahon.

“That’s All There Is To It”

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the justification doesn’t lie in WWE attempting to avoid the word ‘war’ in an attempt to placate advertisers. Instead, as to be expected, Vince McMahon simply didn’t like the name War Raiders and wanted it changed. This change would happen on the day of the show, no less.

“There’s nothing to do with ‘war,’ Vince just wanted to change the name, that’s all,” Meltzer explained. “He didn’t like ‘War Raiders’ and he wanted to change the name. That’s all there is to it. There’s no other reason. Vince just on the day of the show, on Monday, decided he didn’t like the name and told them to come up with a new one.”

And so The Viking Experience was born.

In that time, the name has been met with mixed opinions from the WWE Universe. It’s even received attention from the Jorvik Viking Center, who was more than happy to ride the sudden wave of interest in people looking for a Viking experience.

For months, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has been hyping up their next show through a series of videos on YouTube. Entitled ‘The Road To Double Or Nothing,’ these videos have chronicled the company’s journey towards Double Or Nothing.

One of the major storylines unfolding throughout these videos was who the Executive Vice President of the company, Cody Rhodes, would be facing.

Well, it turns out that AEW fans don’t have to wait too much longer to find out.

The AEW Twitter account uploaded a post not only promising a bonus episode of the popular show, but also the official reveal of who Cody’s opponent will be. That video is scheduled to drop later today at 7PM EST.

“Tomorrow @ 7pm Eastern @CodyRhodes opponent for #AEWDON will be revealed on a bonus episode of #AEW – The Road to #DoubleOrNothing”

Many names of been speculated to be standing across from Cody come May 25th—most notably his brother, Dustin Runnels. This particular theory was nixed, however, after it was revealed Dustin is still under contract with WWE.

Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With the final countdown now underway to the reveal, who do you think it could be? Is it somebody already announced for All Elite Wrestling, or perhaps somebody new coming in looking to make an impact?

One of the major talking points coming out of the G1 Supercard show from April 6th surrounded the supposed ‘invasion’ by Enzo and Big Cass.

The show, co-promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH), was interrupted during the conclusion of a four-way tag team championship match as a brawl broke out between the former WWE Superstars and ROH talent.

Now it seems that the duo may be done with the company before ever really starting.

According to Dave Meltzer via F4WOnline.com, neither Enzo nor Cass were present for ROH’s shows this past weekend. Additionally, they have not been scheduled for anything going forward.

Apparently, “key people were very upset” with the entire Enzo and Cass segment, with the whole angle being divisive.

The original plan would have been isolated by the barrier, with Enzo grabbing or shoving Mark Briscoe. This obviously didn’t happen, and things quickly escalated.

Presented as a shoot, it saw confusion spread throughout the crowd as people were unsure of what they were witnessing. ROH also refused to show the action on TV. Instead, they focused on their commentary team who also did their best to ignore it.

It’s been reported that NJPW talent weren’t informed this angle would take place. Recently, PCO, who was a participant, also claimed he had no idea Enzo and Big Cass would ‘invade.’

SaNITy has been seemingly disbanded with Eric Young’s move to Monday Night RAW. There is, however, one former member of the group that has been lost on the main roster for some time, long before the group’s breakup—Nikki Cross.

With WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up having taken place earlier in the week, many Superstars now have a different brand to call home. That includes a number of NXT Superstars who were called up months ago in December.

These NXT call-ups were utilized on both shows, appearing backstage and performing on both RAW and SmackDown for months before finally being signed a specific brand. Nikki Cross, however, is the only NXT call-up to still be unaffiliated.

Until now it seems, as it appears as though Cross can finally call Monday Night RAW her home going forward.

At the time of writing, the WWE website itself still lists Cross as having no official brand affiliation, but she has revealed her upcoming schedule via Instagram—a schedule that factors in working RAW Live Events that would see her in the vicinity of next Monday’s RAW in Des Moines, Iowa.

She has invited the WWE Universe to “come and play” as she will be appearing for the company on Friday in St. Louis, Saturday in Springfield, and Sunday in Moline.

This week’s episode of WWE’s Main Event featured a matchup between Tamina and Dana Brooke. During the course of the match, commentator Sam Roberts levelled some sharp criticism towards Dana Brooke.

His fellow Main Event commentators, Renee Young and Bryon Saxton, would attempt to defend Brooke, but Roberts was persistent with his negative opinion—frequently insulting and belittling the Superstar throughout the match.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for word of this to get back to Dana Brooke. She has since lashed back at Roberts via her Twitter account, calling him out for burying people and questioning what he has accomplished. She goes on to say that, unlike him, she doesn’t quit, stating that she simply pushes through and never gives up.

“Sam – always thought we were cool, but Damn, wondering why @WWE doesn’t have u on a lot, you burry people!! what have u accomplished.. prob gave up at it, unlike me I push through never giving up!Maybe @ReneeYoungWWE Will be right when I block you & 1 day make U eat your words!”

Dana Brooke recently returned to in-ring competition after a short storyline injury, which she suffered at the hands of former RAW Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey. In the run-up to the injury angle, she was able to get promo time with Rousey before the matchup took place the week after. Brooke returned during WrestleMania 35 as a participant in the Women’s Battle Royal.

WrestleMania 35 may still be fresh in the minds of the WWE Universe, but it hasn’t stopped the company from beginning to tease and hint towards next year’s event.

The promotion’s YouTube channel has uploaded an episode of their “List This!” show, hosted by Vic Joseph. In this particular episode, Joseph lists 5 “suggestions” they want to take place on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All” next year in Tampa, Florida.

His list included:

• Roman Reigns vs The Rock
• John Cena vs WWE NXT North American Champion, The Velveteen Dream
• Matt Riddle vs Brock Lesnar
• Horsewomen vs Horsewomen in an 8-women tag team matchup
• Finn Balor in a WWE Universal Title match

The majority of these matches, bar the Cena/Dream match, are already seemingly rooted in previous encounters or real-life situations—as with Riddle’s vocal wishes to face Brock Lesnar.

Some, like the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen affair, have been long hinted at, with a feud between the two factions speculated about for numerous months.

WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5th 2020. It will go down in the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

What do you think of their list? What would you like to see take place in a year’s time at WrestleMania 36?

The Superstar Shake-Up has seemingly brought about the end of WWE’s oft-overlooked and forgotten SaNITy stable. Its members were separated across both RAW and SmackDown, with the group’s former leader, Eric Young, ending up as one of the newest members of the red brand.

Posting on his Instagram account, Eric Young addressed his move to Monday Night RAW, claiming he has “never been one of the chosen,” before promising that this move will allow him the opportunity to show the WWE Universe what he’s capable of.

“I have never been one of the chosen! My path has never been easy! History will show you I ALWAYS END UP ON TOP! I have done it all and will DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT! Time to show the world AGAIN! #worldclassmaniac”

Finding Sanity

Since the Shake-Up took place earlier this week, his fellow SaNITy members have also commented on the situation.

Both Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe took to their social media accounts to express their feelings on the matter.

Despite not being officially disbanded, the way that all three Superstars address the situation gives the unmistakable impression that SaNITy is done.

During their time on NXT, the group would not only win the NXT tag team championships but also be recognised as the NXT Tag Team of the year in 2017. The initial impact the group enjoyed during their tenure in NXT was never replicated during their main roster run.

Despite the wealth of new talent being signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it’s become a running joke that any unhappy members of WWE’s roster will simply make the jump to the new, upstart promotion.

With the days ticking down to AEW’s next show, Double Or Nothing, Cody appeared on Jim Ross’ podcast, The Jim Ross Report. During the interview, the AEW Executive Vice President would comment on AEW’s hiring practices, as well as signing talent from WWE.

“I’ve jokingly said it’s currently at about 5%—Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes. A few others, maybe,” he said. “It’s not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful but you’ve got to be able to cut it and meet the standards that people have for their actual bell-to-bell contest.”

“That number might increase,” he continued. “There being the opportunity to exist for the boys and girls to make more money, here or there. Just to have options. If they can play, they’re gonna play. But right now, the recruitment is more about ‘freshmen.’ I want to build a new class of guys. I don’t them to feel like they were set up and that was it. I want them to feel like they were set up to win and succeed. Right now, it’s a lot of faces you’ve never seen and people you’ll be surprised when you do see them.”

Notable ex-WWE signings aside, AEW has been filling its roster with top independent talent from across the world. Their ‘freshmen’ mentality, however, hasn’t stopped fan speculation over wrestlers like Dean Ambrose and Tye Dillinger from eventually appearing for the promotion.

Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thanks to Fightful.com for the transcription.

Kofi Kingston’s momentous title victory over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 is still receiving waves of positive feedback—not only in regards to the story told but also for what it means to Kofi and representation within WWE.

WWE Hall Of Famer, Mark Henry, spoke with TMZ Sports about Kofi’s WWE Championship win. “The World’s Strongest Man” would candidly discuss the importance of Kingston becoming champion after a well-documented 11 years with the company. He labelled Kofi an inspiration for future generations of black Superstars.

“It’s very significant,” Henry said on Kofi becoming champion. “I said it best from Ron Simmons to myself, it was a 15 year period of black champions, with me and Booker T and The Rock and Ron Simmons, in that time-frame. 15 years from now there might be another 2 or 3 black wrestlers that come into the industry, and they were inspired by Kofi Kingston.”

“It’s A Powerful Thing To Have Representation”

Henry would go on to talk about the importance of representation and diversity within WWE, saying:

“[…] it’s a powerful thing to have representation, and it’s also a powerful thing to be able to see somebody that looks like you, and have them tell you, first-hand, the struggle and what it took to get there. And I think it’ll be balanced and great for the sport of wrestling, not from just a color standpoint but from an exposure standpoint. We need to have our kids exposed to seeing great talents like Kofi Kingston.”

When asked about diversity within the company, Henry reflected on when he first signed with the company, juxtaposing that with WWE’s current roster.

“I don’t think they have a diversity problem,” he added. “[…] When I came into wrestling there were 3 people, 3 black people in the company. There is growth. There is a future for the African-American in pro wrestling, and ya know, I want to be a part of that as much as I can.”

Henry recently posed in a photo, one shared by NXT’s Kieth Lee, that shows off the sheer depth of black talent within WWE today.

Despite her official retirement still being relatively new, Nikki Bella clearly still has an interest in pro wrestling, and the allure of an in-ring return remains an attractive prospect to her—but only if she can wrestle the right person.

In a recent episode of her podcast, The Bellas Podcast, hosted with twin sister Brie, Nikki divulged that there is one thing that would bring her out of retirement and get her back in the ring despite how busy she is now with her other endeavors.

That one thing? A matchup with Stephanie McMahon.

“Yes, everyone, I am retired,” she reiterated. “Right now I feel like I need to prioritise my life and my companies: Bella Radici Winery, Birdiebee Clothing Line and Nicole and Brizee. They’re number one, as well as this podcast, because I love connecting with you in my life.”

Nikki explained that, although she can no longer connect with her fans in the ring or on TV, she loves that she can maintain a connection through their podcast.

“I can’t connect with you guys in the ring. I can’t connect with you guys on TV, but I can connect with you on this podcast, and that is prioritising that my fans come first. But I’m thinking [about] my life in a different way,” Nikki confesses.

“I’m 35, and that is how I want to think of it, so yes [I’m still retired]. But if Stephanie McMahon wants to call me out, you damn right I will get back in that ring and take my boss on.”

Nikki Bella would wrestle her last matchup in a losing effort to then RAW Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey. The two competed on WWE’s first ever all women’s PPV, WWE Evolution. She would make her official retirement announcement during the March 24th episode of her reality show, Total Bellas.

Paige delivered on the promise she made last week on SmackDown Live this past Tuesday. During the show, she brought in new challengers for the IIconics’ Women’s Tag Team Championships. She would reveal the new team of Asuka and (now former) NXT Superstar, Kairi Sane.

After their first matchup on the blue brand, Kayla Braxton caught up with the three backstage. She asked Paige why she wanted to bring Asuka and Kairi together as a team.

“Uh, they’re both incredible athletes,” Paige said. “I mean, she [Asuka] was a SmackDown Women’s Champion already; Kairi, you were NXT Women’s Champion too, right? And they’re absolutely killing it. I mean, why wouldn’t you put them together? I mean, this is genius, right? Are you guys having a good time already? They won their first match already, hello?”

When asked about their motivations and goals on SmackDown, Paige revealed they were “[…] going to become WWE Women’s tag team champions, that’s all I’m going to say. Right? You’re going to be tag team champs, ladies. 100%, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

The team partnered with other SmackDown newcomers, Ember Moon and Bayley, emerging victorious in an 8-woman tag team match. They defeated the IIconics, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose.

He may have only recently returned, but Sami Zayn is already making an impact for himself. These past few weeks have seen Zayn lambast the WWE Universe on Monday Night RAW, insulting the crowd as he has highlighted the “toxic” environment that he has returned to.

Not content with just utilizing his TV time, Sami has now harnessed his social media to continue spreading his message.

Writing via his Twitter account, he picked up his attack against the WWE Universe. He claimed it would be “SO easy to publicly rip the idiots that fill my mentions to shreds,” referring to the people reaching out to him“idiots.”

He explained that if he were to “rip” into them, he would probably get “thousands of likes, retweets & affirmations like “yaaas drag him king!” […], because Twitter is mainly scum who live for public degradation of others.”

Zayn signed off with a promise that he wouldn’t “sink to your level.” He was even kind enough to include a few Xs and Os to end the tweet.

A Moment Of Bliss

This past Monday, Sami Zayn was the guest on Alex Bliss’ show, A Moment Of Bliss.

After soaking in the adulation from his fellow countrymen, he would compliment the city of Montreal before launching into a tirade about its citizens. He expressed how they, and the WWE Universe, should be “ashamed” of themselves for projecting their unaddressed issues, anger, and insecurities onto him—baggage he has stated he will no longer accept.