SEScoops

Author: Eric Lynch

  • WWE Superstar Returning This Week With A New Gimmick & Manager (Spoiler)

    WWE is repackaging a former Tag Team Champion with a Hall of Famer. Darren Young is being paired up with former WWE World Champion Bob Backlund in a storyline to “Make Darren Great Again.”

    In a backstage segment taped on Tuesday night for this week’s SmackDown, Young asked the former World Champion to be his “life coach.” Backlund accepted, and gave him the “Make Darren Great Again” catch phrase based on Donald Trump’s slogan. This will be Backlund’s first appearance on WWE TV since April 2014.

    Darren Young has been with WWE since the first season of NXT in 2010, where he was mentored by CM Punk. Young and Titus O’Neil won the WWE Tag Team Championships back in June of 2015 at Money In The Bank.

    The segment with Backlund and Young will air on Thursday night on the USA Network.

  • WWE SmackDown Spoilers For May 5, 2016

    WWE SmackDown Spoilers For May 5, 2016

    WWE invades The Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO to tape the May 5th, 2016 episode of SmackDown. This episode will mark the return of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel segment, with guest Sami Zayn.

    WWE Main Event:

    – Titus O’Neil def. Damien Sandow

    – Apollo Crews def. Viktor

    – Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara. Sin Cara accidentally lost mask during the match, but got it back on.

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Stardust with a superkick.

    WWE SmackDown:

    – Jojo is the ring announcer for tonight’s taping. The show opens up with Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel. Jericho cuts a promo on Dean Ambrose before he brings out his guest Sami Zayn. They’re quickly interrupted by The Miz and Maryse, which infuriates Jericho. Jericho calls everyone idiots and walks out on his show. Zayn and Miz get in each other’s faces, and we have a match.

    – Sami Zayn def. The Miz via DQ. Kevin Owens was on commentary for the match, and he ended up running in to attack Zayn for the disqualification. Cesaro ran out for the save and cleared the ring.

    – Backstage, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson tell AJ Styles he needs to get a little extreme if he wants to beat Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules. Styles says he needs to have a chat with Reigns first.

    – The Vaudevillains def. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Big Cass comes out clears the ring with powerbombs after the match.

    – Natalya and Becky Lynch def. Emma and Charlotte w/ Ric Flair. The finish came when Emma tapped to the Sharpshooter from Natalya.

    – Styles finds Reigns in the back and asks if he’s going to get involved in The Usos vs. Gallows & Anderson tonight. Reigns says he’s the champion and he’ll do what he wants.

    – Rusev def. Zack Ryder in a short match. Lana and Rusev celebrate after the match until Kalisto runs down, hits a corkscrew forearm on Rusev, then runs back out.

    – In the back, Fandango tries to show Goldust new dance moves. R-Truth and Tyler Breeze confront them and they end up dancing together.

    – Darren Young approaches Bob Backlund and asks him to be his new life coach. The WWE Hall of Famer says yes, and their new catch phrase is “Make Darren Great Again.”

    – Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson w/ AJ Styles vs. The Usos w/ Roman Reigns ends in a no contest after Anderson kicks Reigns in the face while he’s standing at ringside. Reigns hits the ring and the match ends in a DQ, leading to a six-man tag match.

    – Reigns & The Usos def. Styles, Gallows & Anderson after Reigns speared Anderson for the win. The Usos held Styles’ legs so he couldn’t break the pin, and the show ends with a stare-down between Styles and Reigns.

  • Report: Ryback Sent Home Over Contract Dispute

    Ryback is in the midst of a contract dispute with WWE that will keep him off television indefinitely, according to a report at PWInsider.com. After losing to Kalisto on Sunday night’s Payback kickoff show, he was advertised for the the battle royal on RAW to determine the new #1 contender to Kalisto’s US title, but did not appear.

    Dave Meltzer spoke about the situation on Monday night’s Wrestling Observer Live, noting that Ryback met with Vince McMahon on Monday to negotiate. Ryback didn’t like WWE’s offer and the discussion ended with Vince suggested maybe Ryback needs time off. Ryback reportedly obliged. Meltzer said, “The feeling is that unless there’s a reconciliation, then that’s it.”

    Ryback’s current deal with WWE expires this summer and it appears the two sides are having difficulty finding common ground as they assess his value to the company moving forward.

    In recent months, Ryback has been outspoken about WWE not utilizing him properly. the way WWE has booked his character, noting that he’s not satisfied with his character’s booking. During a recent interview with Dubai radio personality Myles, Ryback said he was “absolutely not” satisfied with working the WrestleMania kickoff show, noting that “the last 3 WrestleManias have not been great.”

    He’s very eager to get back to the top of the card and isn’t afraid to walk away from wrestling if he can’t achieve his goals. “I’ve heard in this business hard work doesn’t always pay off,” he said. “So maybe The Big Guy has to go find another world where that does pay off.”

  • WWE RAW Results – May 2, 2016

    WWE invades the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri for the May 2nd, 2016 edition of Monday Night RAW. This is the first episode after Payback 2016, where Vince McMahon decided that Shane & Stephanie will have equal control over the show.

    – After a video recapping Sunday’s Payback pay-per-view, Stephanie McMahon comes out to open the show. She is quickly interrupted by Shane, who she hands a gift to as a “peace offering.” It’s the photo of Shane and Vince that Vince stomped on shortly after Shane’s return. Stephanie says she wants to hear Shane’s ideas for tonight’s show, but before he can start he’s interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens says he has an idea for tonight: Give him a title match against The Miz. He’s interrupted by Cesaro, who says he’s the one who deserves a rematch with The Miz. Shane tells them they’re going to fight over it tonight, and the winner gets a shot at The Miz’s IC Title.

    – Cesaro def. Kevin Owens via DQ: The Miz and Maryse are on commentary for this one. Cesaro starts off on the offensive with a series of uppercuts. He beats Owens down at ringside, then throws him back in the ring for a cross body splash off the top for a 2 count. Owens comes back with a superkick and a senton splash for a 2 count. Cesaro hits a suplex on Owens off the top rope, but K.O. recovers and sends him to the outside. Owens comes off the apron with a frogsplash onto Cesaro on the floor at ringside. Back in the ring, Cesaro starts coming back, but Owens shuts him down with a German suplex and a cannonball in the corner for a near-fall. They brawl around ringside, and Cesaro gives The Miz an uppercut while he’s down there. He goes to swing Owens, but The Miz runs in and beats down Cesaro and the match ends in a DQ. Owens gets in Miz’s face, and the three of them start brawling. Sami Zayn hits the ring and joins the fight. Zayn hits a t-bone suplex on Miz, and a big boot on Owens.

    – In the back, Dean Ambrose tells Stephanie he thinks her being nice to Shane is just an act. She tells Ambrose she’ll go on the Ambrose Asylum tonight and he can ask her anything he wants.

    – R-Truth is in the back giving a pep talk to Tyler Breeze. He says he’s going to teach Breeze how to rap. Goldust confronts the new duo, and dares them to fight him. Goldust introduces his new partner, Fandango.

    – AJ is in the locker room talking to Anderson and Gallows. They tell him he was “phenomenal” last night, and there’s no way Roman Reigns leaves Extreme Rules as the champion. And with that, Reigns walks in to confront AJ. He says after last night he has a lot of respect for AJ, but not his two friends. He challenges them to a 6-man tag match with him and The Usos, and AJ accepts.

    – Tyler Breeze def. Goldust: Fandango comes out with Goldust, and R-Truth is accompanying Breeze. Breeze gets the roll-up from behind for the pinfall victory in a very short match, as Goldust was distracted by R-Truth’s antics at ringside.

    – The New Day comes out to cut a promo on The Vaudevillains. He also talks about Enzo Amore’s injury he sustained at Payback, and showed a replay. The Vaudevillains interrupt and cut a promo on Enzo, saying a real man would have gotten back up from his bump last night. The Dudleys interrupt and say they didn’t beat anyone last night because the referee stopped the match. The Dudleys say to make it right, the tag team tournament needs to restart. Big Cass interrupts to hit the ring and everyone starts brawling.

    – New Day & Big Cass def. The Vaudevillains & The Dudley Boyz: Cole explains that Shane & Stephanie made this match during the commercial break. The New Day gets lots of offense in on The Vaudevillains in the opening moments. Bubba eventually gets the tag and goes to work on Xavier, all while lexturing The Vaudevillians on what they should have done in the ring. The Dudleys and Vaudevillains take turns beating on Kofi until he gets the hot tag to Big Cass, who clears the ring. He hits a fallaway slam and a splash in the corner on English, followed up by a big boot and elbow drop. Big E hits a belly to belly suplex on Gotch on the floor at ringside. Kofi breaks up a 3D attempt on Big Cass, and Cass hits his finisher on D-Von for the win.

    – They air a video showing the history between Ric Flair and Charles Robinson, who once was part of Flair’s entourage in WCW and wrestled in mixed-gender matches.

    – Emma def. Becky Lynch: After several minutes of back-and-forth action, Emma takes control with a suplex and a boot to the face. Becky comes back with a flying forearm in the corner and a t-bone suplex. Emma pokes her in the hit and hits a piledriver for the win.

    – Dean Ambrose and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring for the Ambrose Asylum, and Ambrose starts grilling Stephanie about why she’s being so nice. Stephanie says she’s not mad, but she is going to cancel the Ambrose Asylum. As Ambrose is leaving, Stephanie introduces Chris Jericho who will be returning to host The Highlight Reel. Jericho comes out and brawls with Ambrose until he hits the Codebreaker on him in the ring. Jericho smashes Ambrose’s houseplant over his head before heading to the back.

    – Battle Royal for #1 Contendership for the U.S. Title: Titus O’Neil makes his RAW return as one of the competitors in this battle royal. Titus gets several eliminations in the opening moments. Sheamus eliminates Apollo Crews. Ziggler eliminates Corbin and Corbin beats him down at ringside for it. Sheamus eliminates titus, then Del Rio eliminates Sin Cara, leaving the final four of Sheamus, Rusev, Zack Ryder, and Del Rio. Rusev hits Sheamus with a superkick, then Del Rio superkicks Sheamus to the floor to eliminate him. Rusev throws Del Rio to the apron and Ryder dropkicks him to the floor for the elimination. Ryder and Rusev are the final two. Ryder gets in a missile dropkick off the second rope and a running knee in the corner, but Rusev overpowers him and throws him to the outside for the win. Winner: Rusev

    – Ric Flair and Charlotte come out to the ring to say they did not screw over Natalya at Payback, and they bring out Charles Robinson to endorse their side of the story. Natalya comes out to confront them. Natalya drops Charlotte and kicks her out of the ring, then gets in Ric Flair’s face. Flair takes off his coat and his Rolex, then walks into a slap in the face and a Sharpshooter from Natalya. Charlotte drags Ric out of the ring for the save and Natalya steals his Rolex and Hall of Fame ring.

    – In the back, Stephanie sets up a rematch between Charlotte and Natalya, with Ric Flair banned from ringside.

    – AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows def. Roman Reigns & The Usos: Styles and Reigns start things off. Gallows tags himself in and goes back-and-forth with the Usos. Anderson gets the tag and goes to work on Jey Uso. AJ gets tagged in, but then gets distracted by Gallows interfering. After lecturing Gallows to let him handle it, AJ walks into a superkick from Jey. Reigns gets the tag and clears the ring. Styles blocks a Superman punch with a Pele kick and Reigns tags in Jimmy Uso. Gallows and Anderson hit the Boot of Doom on Reigns at ringside. Back in the ring, AJ hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Jimmy for the pinfall victory.

    – After the match, Anderson and Gallows try to gang up on Reigns with a steel chair, but AJ won’t take part. They hand AJ a chair to hit Reigns with, but AJ drops the chair. The Usos come from behind and lay AJ out of with a chair, then Superkick Gallows and Anderson out of the ring. AJ picks up the chair and gets his revenge on the Usos. Reigns gets up behind AJ and hits him with the Superman punch then beats him down at ringside. Reigns powerbombs AJ through the announce table to close out the show.

  • Hulk Hogan Launches New Lawsuit Against Gawker For Ending His WWE Career

    Hulk Hogan has launched another lawsuit against Gawker, who he successfully sued for $140 million earlier this year for releasing his sex tape. The New York Post says Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, is suing the website again, this time for leaking the transcripts of his racially-motivated rant that got him fired by WWE. The suit says that his “income was cut off, his legacy in entertainment was severely damaged (if not completely destroyed), and his global brand was forever tarnished.” Gawker founder Nick Denton allegedly taunted Hogan before the transcripts leaked, saying Hogan’s “real secrets” would come out.

    The lawsuit alleges that Gawker and radio host Mike “Cowhead” Calta were behind leaking the transcripts, and that Gawker had threatened to release them months before they leaked. Calta is a rival of Bubba the Love Sponge, who filmed the sex tape between his ex-wife and Hogan.

    Gawker’s stance on the new lawsuit is that Hogan is “abusing the court system” for PR purposes, and that he needs to blame himself for WWE firing him. Below is a statement from Gawker about the case:

    https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/727206955429842950

    Hogan’s lawsuit is for unspecified damages, and there’s no word on how much he expects to get. His lawyer could bring up lost earnings from WWE merchandise and WrestleMania 32. Gawker is working on appealing the original $140 million verdict from March.

  • WWE Payback Results – May 1, 2016

    WWE Payback Results – May 1, 2016

    WWE’s fourth annual Payback pay-per-view took place on Sunday, May 1st at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

    Pre-show:

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin: Corbin dominates most of the match, getting lots of offense in at ringside. Ziggler comes back with a quick small package pin for the 1-2-3 out of nowhere. This was Corbin’s first loss on the WWE roster.

    – A video package airs about the history between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who have a match later tonight.

    – Kalisto def. Ryback: Ryback’s belt reads “The Pre-Show Stopper.” They go back and forth early on, and eventually Kalisto hits a series of high-flying dives onto Ryback to take control of the match. Ryback hits some suplexes but Kalisto drops him with a big tornado DDT off the ropes. He hits another one that drives Ryback’s face into the apron, he follows up with a splash then a corkscrew elbow off the ropes for a 2 count. Ryback comes back with a spinebuster for a 2 count of his own. Ryback goes up top but Kalisto kicks him in the head. Kalisto joins him on the turnbuckle and Ryback htis a military press slam off the top and follows up with a splash, which he misses. Kalisto hops up and hits the Salida Del Sol for the 1-2-3 to retain the U.S. Title. Lawler says this was the best match he’s seen Ryback have, “thanks to Kalisto.”

    WWE Payback 2016

    – The New Day comes out first to open the show. They cut a promo about how New Day Rocks, and they sit down at ringside for the WWE Tag Team Championship #1 contenders’ tournament finals. Then we get a Payback opening video that says it’s “the first pay-per-view of a new era.”

    – Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains: Enzo and Cass get the majority of the offense in early on, while The New Day eats pizza at ringside. Simon throws Enzo to the outside but he hits the ropes very awkwardly and they have a doctor checking him out. They bring a stretcher out and the match is called off. They put a neck brace on Enzo and bring him to the back on a stretcher. Cole says Enzo is talking and moving his extremities.

    – Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn: Sami starts off on the offensive. He throws Owens to the outside and follows up with a suicide dive. K.O. eventually mounts a comeback with hits a senton bomb for a 2 count. Sami Zayn hits two Blue Thunder Bombs for
    a 2-count each. Owens hits a backbreaker and a frogsplash off the top for a 2 count of his own. Owens hits a cannonball in the corner, Zayn comes back with a half nelson suplex, and then they collide for a double clothesline that leaves them both on the mat. Michael Cole talks again about how this is the first PPV of a new era. Zayn goes for a tornado DDT but Owens reverses it into a backbreaker. Zayn gives Owens a back body drop that sends him to the outside, then dives through the ropes for a tornado DDT to follow up. Back in the ring, Owens hits a superkick out of nowhere then a pop up powerbomb for the 3 count.

    – After the match, Owens slaps Zayn and throws him out of the ring. K.O. calls out Byron Saxton to come into the ring to interview him. Owens cuts a promo about beating Sami Zayn, and says he’s going to get his Intercontinental Title back. Owens says he’s going to join the commentary team for the next match.

    – The Miz def. Cesaro: On commentary, Owens cuts a promo on Byron. Cesaro opens up the match in control and hits a gut-wrench suplex for a 1 count. Cesaro catches Miz in mid-air and spins him around for a backbreaker for a 2 count. Maryse grabs The Miz’s leg to prevent him from being superplexed, and the Miz starts going to work on Cesaro’s injured shoulder. Cesaro comes back with a series of running European uppercuts and a dropkick for a 2 count. Owens is trashing Cole on commentary any time he calls something. Cesaro hits a corkscrew uppercut, then another but uppercut for a near-fall. Miz hit a Skull Crushing Finale for a near-fall of his own. The camera cuts to ringside and we see Sami Zayn come out of nowhere and jump Owens. Zayn beats down Owens all over ringside. Meanwhile back in the ring, Cesaro swings The Miz and gives him the Crossface Crippler. The Miz taps, but the ref doesn’t see it as Owens and Zayn are now brawling on the apron. The Miz rolls up Cesaro from behind for the 1-2-3 out of nowhere to retain the IC title. Cesaro, The Miz, Owens and Zayn continue to brawl after the match, and K.O. is the last man standing.

    – Dean Ambrose def. Chris Jericho: Ambrose starts off in control and beats down Jericho in the corner. After a few minutes, Jericho throws Ambrose to the outside and follows up with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Jericho drops Ambrose across the top rope then hits his patented springboard dropkick to sending him to the outside. Back in the ring, Jericho hits a suplex and a dropkick for a 2 count. Ambrose comes back with a series of elbows and kicks, then a DDT for a 2 count. Ambrose misses an elbow off the top rope and Jericho gets him in the Walls. Ambrose gets to the ropes to break the hold, throws Jericho to the outside, then goes flying onto him with a suicide dive through the ropes. Ambrose goes for the Dirty Deeds on Jericho through a table, but Jericho gets out and slingshots Ambrose onto the floor. The referee started his 10-count after they came off the table rather than after they exited the ring, Ambrose rolls back in the ring at 8. Back in the ring, Ambrose blocks a dropkick and hits an elbow off the top for 2. Jericho reverses the Dirty Deeds and gets Ambrose in the Walls again, and Ambrose gets out. Jericho hits a kick to the head and a backbreaker for 2. Ambrose blocks a Lionsault and hits the Dirty Deeds for the 3 count.

    – Charlotte w/ Ric Flair def. Natalya w/ Bret Hart: Natalya goes for the Sharpshooter early on but Charlotte gets out. They go back and forth in the opening moments, until Charlotte gets the upper hand and starts dropping knees on Natalya. Charlotte lays into Natalya with chops until Nattie comes back with some of her own, then hits a German suplex for a 2 count. Charlotte starts working on Natalya’s left leg. Natalya comes back with a headscissor takedown on the outside, then a discus clothesline back in the ring for a 2 count. Charlotte hits the Natural Selection for a 2 count. Charlotte hits a moonsault off the top for another 2. Charlotte puts her in the Figure 4 but Natalya gets out. Charlotte goes for the Sharpshooter, “Little Naitch” Charles Robinson calls for the bell even though Nattie didn’t tap, and we have a Montreal Screwjob re-creation. While Ric Flair and Charlotte are celebrating, Natalya and Bret Hart hit the ring and put them both in Sharpshooters to make the Flairs tap out.

    – Vince McMahon struts out to the ring to announce which of his offspring will run Monday Night RAW. Vince says RAW has been running so long because they re-invent it time and time again, and says his favorite era of the show was the Attitude Era. Vince introduces his daughter Stephanie, and she cuts a promo about her position as The Authority in WWE. Shane McMahon comes out and interrupts. Shane pleads his case for why he should be in charge of RAW. Vince says this isn’t about Shane, Stephanie, or the fans, because Vince only listens to himself and this is about what he wants. Vince says he wants to see his children slit each other’s throats and disembowel each other, or collaborate together. He says they both have equal say, and they both are running Monday Night RAW. He tells them to figure it out, and with that, the WWE Chairman leaves the ring.

    – Roman Reigns def. AJ Styles: Cole called Reigns “The Guy” four times during his entrance. Reigns overpowering Styles is the story in the opening moments of the match. AJ starts working on the leg of Reigns with kicks. Reigns drops AJ with a shoulder block then a clothesline, then powerbombs him twice for a 2 count. Reigns goes for the Superman punch, but he runs right into the Pele kick from Styles. AJ goes for the Calf Crusher but Reigns gets out. AJ sends Reigns to the outside then hits him with a Phenomenal Forearm off the top rope onto Reigns and through the announce table. AJ gets back in the ring and wins via countount, which means Roman Reigns retains the WWE Title. After the decision is announced, Shane McMahon comes out and re-starts the match with no more count-outs. The bell rings and the match is back on. AJ rolls Reigns back in the ring, goes up top, and goes for the 450 splash. Reigns gets his knees up to block it for a 2 count. Reigns hits AJ with an accidental low-blow and gets disqualified. This time, Stephanie comes out and re-starts the match with no disqualifications. They brawl all over ringside before getting back in the ring. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Reigns hits him with the Superman punch in mid-air for a 2 count. Reigns hits another Superman punch, then waits for AJ to get up. Anderson and Gallows come in and pull AJ out of the ring then beat down Reigns. AJ slowly crawls up on the apron and hits Reigns with the Phenomenal Forearm for a 2 count. The Usos run out and brawl with Anderson and Gallows on the ramp. AJ goes up top, but Roman Reigns pushes him off onto the four men brawling at ringside. Reigns hits a suicide dive on to everyone except AJ, who was hiding behind the fan barricade, and comes flying out of nowhere onto Reigns. He hits a 450 splash on Reigns off the top for another near-fall. Reigns ducks a Phenomenal Forearm and spears AJ for the 3 count.

    – After the match, the McMahons are in the back. Vince asks Shane and Stephanie if AJ should have a rematch. His children decide the rematch should be at Extreme Rules in another no DQ match.

  • Final Card For Tonight’s WWE Payback PPV

    Final Card For Tonight’s WWE Payback PPV

    WWE will be at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois tonight for Payback 2016. Our live coverage starts tonight at 8 PM ET for WWE’s fourth annual Payback pay-per-view event. Here’s the final card for tonight’s show:

    WWE Title Match
    – Roman Reigns © vs. AJ Styles

    Intercontinental Title Match
    – The Miz © vs. Cesaro

    Women’s Title Match
    – Charlotte © (with Ric Flair) vs. Natalya (with Bret Hart)

    – Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

    – Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho

    – WWE Chairman Vince McMahon decides who controls RAW, Shane or Stephanie.

    – Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

    WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders’ Tournament Final
    – Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains

    Pre-Show
    – Kalisto © vs. Ryback for the United States Title

  • Jim Ross Gives His WWE Payback Predictions

    If you’re planning on betting on WWE Payback on Sunday, you might want to check out Jim Ross’ predictions for the event. The WWE Hall of Famer updated his blog on Friday with his predictions for Payback 2016.

    Ross predicted the main event first, saying he thinks while AJ’s first WWE PPV main event will be impressive, Roman Reigns will get the win to retain the World Heavyweight Title. He thinks the co-main event between Charlotte and Natalya will also result in the champion retaining, as he predicts Charlotte will “squeak out a quality win” over Nattie.

    Despite Ross wanting to see Cesaro win the IC Title, he thinks The Miz will cheat to win in their match on Sunday. He says Ambrose will go over Jericho in “what should be a really good wrestling match.” Ross thinks losing to Lesnar at WrestleMania gave Dean’s TV persona a boost.

    The former WWE Head of Talent Relations predicts Sami Zayn will be victorious over Kevin Owens in a bout he says he’s excited to watch live. Ross thinks Ryback will cheat the smaller underdog Kalisto out of the United Stats title, and says he likes Ryback as a bully heel, but suggests he learns to “occasionally retreat.”

    You can read Ross’ entire blog entry here.

  • Report: TNA Owed Bobby Roode & Eric Young A Combined Six-Figures

    Report: TNA Owed Bobby Roode & Eric Young A Combined Six-Figures

    David Herro, founder of Great Lakes Championship Wrestling, says he knows the real reason Bobby Roode and Eric Young left TNA. “Bobby Roode and Eric Young left because they were owed a combined six-figures,” Herro said on the Pro Wrestling Report.

    “How do you not pay those two guys?” Herro asked. “You let Bobby Roode go… a guy who could have gone to WWE but he wanted to be loyal to the company. Thank God he left. He’ll be a big star in NXT. He’ll make the main roster in a year from now. Same with Eric Young.”

    As far as TNA’s future goes, Herro thinks they need a management change. “I wish Ring Of Honor would buy TNA,” Herro said of TNA’s current financial problems. “They already have the infrastructure in place. They already have the TV deal alone. They’re already in more markets than Pop TV.”

    Herro also pointed out that TNA does not currently get paid by Pop TV, and that they bartered for their Impact Wrestling time slot.

  • This Week’s SmackDown Viewership Decreases

    This Week’s SmackDown Viewership Decreases

    The April 28, 2016 edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2,109,000 viewers on the USA Network. This is down from last week’s 2,431,000 viewers. SmackDown was ranked #7 on the Top 150 cable shows for the night.

    SmackDown went up against John Cena’s new American Grit series on FOX in the 9 PM ET time slot. American Grit averaged 2,190,000 viewers on Thursday.

    The NFL Draft was the evening’s viewership leader with 6,289,000 viewers on ESPN.

  • Paul Heyman Lands New Reality Series

    Paul Heyman and his Looking4Larry advertising/marketing  agency will be the focus of a new unscripted series currently in development.

    Heyman is partnering with Left/Right Productions on the show, an NYC-based production company specializing in television and film projects that “illuminate the drama and comedy of real life.” According to their website, Left/Right tells “stories that are both honest and surprising, revealing and entertaining, dramatic and cinematic.”

    In an interview with The Wrap, Heyman said the show is completely unscripted and shows all of the problems his company is forced to solve on a daily basis. The article mentions that Heyman’s “ingeniously dysfunctional” approach to his job will be well-documented in the series.

    “It’s the juggling act,” Heyman said. “I’m a single parent looking to demonstrate to his children that you can work your ass off and have the time of your life doing it. I sleep two hours a night, so if I don’t keep busy, I end up getting myself in a lot of trouble.

    “At least now if I get in trouble, it’ll make for good television.”

    The pilot episode is currently being filmed in New York City. No word yet on the distribution model for the show, whether it be traditional television or an online streaming service, but The Wrap reports that Lionsgate and British TV networks are interested in the show.

  • WWE Network Adds Chyna Collection To Streaming Service

    WWE Network Adds Chyna Collection To Streaming Service

    The WWE Network is paying tribute to the late Joan “Chyna” Laurer. The streaming service added a collection of Chyna’s greatest moments and matches with WWE on Friday. Chyna passed away on April 20th from what her manager says was an accidental overdose of prescribed medication. Here’s what you’ll find in the WWE Network’s “Chyna Collection” so far:

    – In Your House: Final Four – Chyna’s Debut

    – WrestleMania 13 – Triple H vs. Goldust

    – Raw 08/10/1998 – The DX Split

    – Raw 11/30/1998 – An Evening with Sexual Chocolate

    – Raw 01/11/1999 – Corporation Battle Royal – Chyna becomes entry #30 in the Royal Rumble

    – Royal Rumble 1999 – Chyna paves the way for women by becoming the first female to compete in the Royal Rumble Match.

    – Heat 06/06/1999 – Chyna vs. Val Venis (Qualifying match for the 1999 King of the Ring)

    – Raw 08/09/1999 – Chyna becomes the #1 Contender for the WWE Title in a Triple Threat.

    – No Mercy 1999 – Chyna vs. Jeff Jarrett (Intercontinental Championship match)

    – Survivor Series 1999 – Chyna vs. Chris Jericho (Intercontinental Championship match)

    – Raw 04/24/2000 – Mamacita For Prom Queen

    – Raw 09/04/2000 – Feeling The Burn of Latino Heat

    – SmackDown 09/21/2000 – A Proposal For The Cover Girl

    – Raw 09/25/2000 – The Right To Dream

    – Raw 12/11/2000 – Dismantling The Ninth Wonder

    – WrestleMania X-Seven – Chyna vs. Ivory (Women’s Championship match)

  • Ric Flair’s Podcast On Hiatus Over Money Issue

    Ric Flair’s Podcast On Hiatus Over Money Issue

    Shortly after Ric Flair was treated for a cut on his head at Logan Airport, his Woo! Nation podcast co-host revealed that the podcast is on hiatus because Flair “terminated the contract.” His co-host, Conrad Thompson, said the airport incident had nothing to do with the podcast going on hiatus.

    Thompson wrote that Flair is doing “fine,” and the issues with the podcast are over money and not his health. Thompson says he does think the podcast will be back, but doesn’t know when.

    Flair’s podcast started back in May of 2015 when he interviewed Kurt Angle. The podcast has been inactive since WrestleMania weekend when the 46th installment was recorded in Dallas.

  • Spoilers: NXT TV Results Through May 18th

    WWE taped several episodes of NXT TV in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University on Thursday night. Here’s what happened:

    Airing on May 4th:

    – NXT Champion Samoa Joe was in the ring to open up the show, when Eric Young made his debut by coming out to challenge Joe to a match. Joe accepts and says he’ll destroy him.

    – Nia Jax def. Tessa Blanchard

    – Austin Aries def. Tye Dillinger

    – The Revival def. The Hype Bros

    – No Way Jose def. Noah Kekoa

    – Non-Title Match: Samoa Joe def. Eric Young via submission

    Airing on May 11th:

    – Finn Balor opens the show and cuts a promo about losing the NXT Title. Elias Samson confronts him and Balor lays him out.

    – American Alpha def. Skyler & Hollis

    – Shinsuke Nakamura def. Alex Riley

    – Alexa Bliss def. Rachel

    – Finn Balor def. Elias Samson. After the match Balor demanded a rematch with Samoa Joe. Joe comes out and William Regal books them in a match for NXT Takeover.

    – Asuka def. Adrienne Reese

    Airing on May 18th:

    – Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Blake and Murphy

    – Carmella def. Peyton Royce

    – Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa def. Martin Stone & Rob Ryzin

    – Nia Jax def. Bayley

    – American Alpha def. The Revival

  • Main Event Announced For Next NXT Takeover

    Main Event Announced For Next NXT Takeover

    It was revealed at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings that Samoa Joe will be defending his NXT Title in the main event of the next NXT Takeover special. His opponent will be former champion Finn Balor. Joe beat Balor for the NXT Championship at a live event last week.

    The next Takeover special will take place on June 8th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL and will air on the WWE Network.

    The title match between Joe and Balor is the only match announced for the card as of this writing.

  • Lucha Underground Viewership Drops This Week

    Lucha Underground Viewership Drops This Week

    The April 27th episode of Lucha Underground averaged 107,000 viewers on the El Ray Network in the first run, and 52,000 viewers for the replay for a total of 159,000. This is down from last week’s total of 198,000 viewers, with 149,000 people watching the first run and 49,000 watching the replay.

    The show didn’t place on the Top 150 cable shows for the night. This is the fifth week in a row they haven’t placed on the chart.

    The show’s highest viewership ever came earlier this month on April 4th with a total of 234,000 viewers.

  • New Female NXT Announcer, Details On Tonight’s TV Tapings

    New Female NXT Announcer, Details On Tonight’s TV Tapings

    – TV host Andrea D’Marco recently announced on Twitter that she will be joining NXT. It’s unknown when she’ll first appear on NXT TV, but she says her first day was Monday, so it’s likely she’ll be at tonight’s tapings. D’Marco is a former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader who has previously worked for several South Florida TV channels.

    – WWE tapes episodes of NXT TV on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stars advertised for the tapings include NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, and Austin Aries. Aries will be featured in action on next week’s episode. We’ll have spoilers from the tapings later tonight.

  • Bret Hart Criticizes Triple H’s Work In WWE, Says WrestleMania 32 Had “No Great Wrestling”

    Bret Hart Criticizes Triple H’s Work In WWE, Says WrestleMania 32 Had “No Great Wrestling”

    Bret Hart continues to have very few nice things to say about Triple H. In an interview with Notts TV News, the WWE Hall of Famer criticized Triple H for his desire to push performers based on their physiques. Hart does give credit to his NXT brand for having better wrestling than WrestleMania 32, which Hart says had “no great wrestling” on it. Hart also takes jabs at Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior while discussing The Game.

    “I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I’ve never seen any real genius come from Triple H yet,” Hart said. “I sound like I’m always knocking him, but it seems like he’s quick to push the great wrestling to the side and push the bodies, guys who have [good] physiques, all the time. They wonder why CM Punk quit and they wonder why Daniel Bryan got hurt. It’s because they squeeze so much out of those guys. I’m just calling it the way it is. Triple H is a former bodybuilder. He’s all about bodies. He thought that Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler in the world. They think Ultimate Warrior was the greatest wrestler in the world because that’s what they’re attracted to, but he’s not really a wrestling fan like I grew up.”

    Hart credits Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Bayley for putting on a better show at Takeover: Dallas than anything he saw at WrestleMania 32. The Hitman objects with WWE putting part-time wrestlers at the top of the card at ‘Mania, and feels those positions should go to talent that works year-round.

    “As much of a great job Undertaker did to carry him, to me, from a storyline standpoint, Vince McMahon’s son got the main event spot,” Hart said of Shane McMahon’s Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker.

    “Triple H got the 1,000th time world champion spot. He’s making the top money. Brock Lesnar is making top money. They’re working twice a year, three times a year, five times a year,” Hart said. “You look at Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens and Natalya, people who are slogging it out day in, day out, week in, week out, in every part of the world, traveling every day, and they’re all in the opening matches, the pre-card. There’s something wrong with the logic of that. […] All these guys are doing the work all year round and they give the money spots to these guys who are part-timers. It’s just not right.”

    You can watch Hart’s entire interview here.

  • Rich Brennan No Longer With WWE

    Rich Brennan No Longer With WWE

    Rich Brennan is no longer with WWE. The former NXT and SmackDown announcer was let go this week after the company decided to not renew his contract, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. He has since removed all references to WWE from his Twitter bio and issued this brief statement:

    https://twitter.com/RichBocchini/status/725438458718785536

    Brennan had been with WWE since 2014. Prior to that, he worked with Booker T’s Reality Of Wrestling promotion out of Houston and did some announcing for the Central Hockey League. Here is his final WWE interview from this week:

  • Report: WWE Investigating Ric Flair’s Airport Incident

    As reported on Wednesday, Ric Flair was involved in some sort of incident at Logan airport in Boston. Airport police say they don’t think Flair was drunk, and he was treated for a cut on his hand. The Massachusetts State police are saying Flair hit his head and was treated for a minor head injury. A witness told TMZ, “[Blood] was dripping down from his head to his neck. A significant amount of blood.”

    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there are other witnesses saying there was a shouting incident involving Flair when someone was rude to him and then asked him for a selfie. The Observer reports that WWE officials are currently looking into this situation and investigating what really happened.

  • Update On When Bray Wyatt Is Expected To Return To Action

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aodT0Mz-x6A

    Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer on Wednesday that Bray Wyatt will be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Wyatt suffered a calf injury back on April 14th during his match with Roman Reigns in Milan, Italty.

    The original plans for Payback were for The Wyatts to wrestle The League of Nations, but those plans — and the League of Nations stable itself were scrapped as a result of Bray’s injury.

    Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman haven’t appeared on WWE TV since the injury.

  • This Week’s Impact Wrestling Viewership Increases

    This Week’s Impact Wrestling Viewership Increases

    Tuesday night’s Impact Wrestling averaged 332,000 viewers on Pop TV. This is up from 312,000 viewers last week. This is Impact Wrestling’s third week without having a replay the same night.

    Impact placed at #91 on the Top 150 cable shows for the night. TNA was up against two NBA playoffs games that drew over 4,000,000 viewers.

  • Jim Ross Says Cesaro & Crews Will Be Main Eventers, Talks Fans Booing Reigns

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross watched RAW on Monday and says he thinks Cesaro is a main eventer “waiting to explode.” In a new blog entry on his website, Ross says once Cesaro gets “over,” he would pay to see him wrestle Brock Lesnar.

    Ross predicted another future main eventer after watching Monday’s RAW: Apollo Crews. “Crews is a helluva prospect and has a legit chance to be a main event player for years to come,” Ross wrote. “No guarantees, but he’s got all the tools or so it seems.”

    The former WWE Head of Talent Relations says the audience booing Roman Reigns is at least better than silence. “Most fans are booing, but they are also making noise which is encouraging,” Ross wrote. “I’m not even sure any more what reactions the live audience would provide us, viewers if Reigns was turned into a full fledged villain. Just my take but how Roman Reigns has been booked may be the single biggest reason that fans are so reluctant and resistant to accept him as a fan favorite. That may sound overly simplistic but today’s audience is more complex and knowledgeable than their predecessors of any generation and as a society few like being ‘force fed’ anything. It’s that defiance thing.

    “Roman Reigns is a talented, valuable piece of talent who’s a long term, work in progress and his TV persona isn’t close to being refined as it will be say by WM33 in Orlando for example,” Ross continued. “Patience is the key here for all, however, in the age of defiance patience is a fleeting trait.”

    You can read his entire blog entry here.

  • Titus O’Neil Returns, Ric Flair Makes Controversial Statement To Natalya, More

    Titus O’Neil Returns, Ric Flair Makes Controversial Statement To Natalya, More

    – Titus O’Neil is officially back to work after serving a suspension for grabbing Vince McMahon’s arm in an unscripted moment on RAW two months ago. He defeated Tyler Breeze in a dark match before the SmackDown TV taping on Tuesday night in Manchester, NH at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

    – A remark Ric Flair made at the SmackDown taping on Tuesday night is already getting criticism from fans on Twitter. During an in-ring segment with Dean Ambrose, Natalya, Charlotte and Flair, The Nature Boy told Natalya to kill herself after she said that Bret Hart could beat him up. It’s unknown whether this will make it to TV or not on Thursday. Here’s how it went down according to someone in attendance at the Verizon Wireless Arena:

    https://twitter.com/WWRPodcast/status/725136620068950016

  • Backstage Reaction To Adam Rose Speaking Out Against Wellness Policy Suspension

    Backstage Reaction To Adam Rose Speaking Out Against Wellness Policy Suspension

    Members of WWE management reportedly were shocked when they heard news that Adam Rose had publicly addressed his wellness policy violation. Rose was suspended for 60 days for using what he claims were prescribed medications, and said his doctor was “shocked and appalled” by the suspension.

    According to PWInsider.com, WWE officials did not know Rose was going to address the suspension on Twitter, and found out when everyone else did after he posted it online. PWInsider reports that Rose gained some respect within some circles in the company for explaining his position. Rose reportedly has a good reputation with his co-workers and seems to have some support from them.

    Konnor was also suspended by the company for a wellness policy violation, although he didn’t test positive for anything illegal either.