SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Rhea Ripley May Soon Be Part Of WWE’s Main Roster

    Rhea Ripley May Soon Be Part Of WWE’s Main Roster

    NXT Superstar and former NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley may be heading towards WWE’s main roster.

    According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Ripley could soon be featured on either WWE’s red or blue brand. He revealed how he had recently “heard talk of Ripley moving to the main roster.”

    Rhea Ripley competed on this week’s episode of NXT. She faced off against current NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai in a hard-hitting affair. Despite her best efforts, Ripley lost her bout to Shirai. After the match, the women embraced and showcased mutual respect for one another. Meltzer noted how the matchup and respect shown was done to showcase “finishing up their story.”

    Following their match on the black-and-yellow brand, both Ripley and Shirai were listed on NXT’s Injury Report. Ripley reportedly suffered multiple contusions, with her ear getting split and bleeding at one point during the bout. Shirai, meanwhile, is said to be dealing with a sore neck.

    Ripley has already had experience competing for WWE’s main roster audience. As well as her Survivor Series 2019 appearance as a part of Team NXT, she more recently competed against Charlotte Flair. The two competed for the NXT Women’s Championship during Day 2 of WrestleMania 36 back in April. Flair defeated Ripley for the championship gold.

  • AEW Dynamite Tops NXT With Big Jump In Viewership & Demo

    AEW Dynamite Tops NXT With Big Jump In Viewership & Demo

    AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 850,000 viewers, 0.37 rating (7th on cable for the night)
    • NXT: 638,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (56th on cable for the night)

    For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.778 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the key demo. AEW and NXT combined tied Raw in the Adults 18-49 demo.

    The big story this week is the strength of AEW’s numbers. This was the second best rating for Dynamite of 2020, only behind the January 15th Bash at the Beach episode. Dynamite, while going head-to-head with NXT, actually beat Raw in the Adults 18-34 demo. This is extra impressive considering Raw featured Drew McIntyre defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event.

    You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:

  • Second WarGames Match Announced For NXT Takeover (12/6)

    Second WarGames Match Announced For NXT Takeover (12/6)

    WWE has confirmed two WarGames matches for the next NXT TakeOver event.

    During Wednesday’s NXT broadcast, a promo video aired of Shotzi Blackhart calling out Candice LeRae. Blackheart spoke about going to war with LaRae. The two have been feuding since this summer, around the time of NXT’s Great American Bash.

    LeRae and Indi Hartwell took out Blackheart on NXT after LeRae had picked up a victory over Toni Storm. (Full Results). It was later announced that the two women will captain two teams inside the WarGames double steel cage match.

    The second WarGames match will see Undisputed Era battle Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan. NXT General Manager William Regal made the official announcement after NXT went off the air in this WWE Network exclusive:

    Roderick Strong tweeted this video late Wednesday night of Undisputed Era reacting to the news that they’re going to war with Pat McAfee and company.

    The 4th annual NXT Takeover: WarGames takes place Saturday, December 6th. The event airs live on the WWE Network. WWE has yet to confirm the host venue, but it will likely take place from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL.

    WarGames
    WarGames
  • Bully Ray Talks Why Pat McAfee Is So Effective in NXT

    Bully Ray Talks Why Pat McAfee Is So Effective in NXT

    WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed Pat McAfee and his ongoing NXT run. McAfee has created his own stable of talent over the past few weeks, including the NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch as well as former WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne.

    Pat McAfee was extremely impressive in his debut NXT bout. However it is his work on the microphone that has shone through over the past few weeks.

    Bully Ray would massively praise Pat McAfee on Busted Open; however he would state that McAfee isn’t doing anything extraordinary to get ‘heat.’ “It’s not really about what he is saying? It’s about how he says it” Bully Ray began on Busted Open.

    Bully Ray on Pat McAfee

    “I’ve been complimented over the years about some of the promo work that I’ve done. People ask me questions like ‘how do you generate this kind of heat!?’ Or whatever. I will always tell people, I have not reinvented the wheel” Bully stated.

    Bully Ray would then attribute what McAfee has been producing on NXT to his own style of heel promo. “What I do? It’s Heel 101, it’s just how I say these things. All in the delivery, it’s all in the tone, it’s all in the inflection. It’s all about the eye contact, those things that take the very basic and very generic words like ‘we rule and you suck’ and make them mean something.”

    “Where it’s somebody like Pat McAfee saying them? Their unique personality? It gives a life to those very generic words. That’s when you know you have something. And that’s what Pat McAfee is like. When you heard him Wednesday night did he say anything that resonated with you, like, ‘Oh my god, that was the greatest promo I can’t believe he said that?’ No.”

    Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think that Pat McAfee is one of the best talkers in the company if not pro wrestling as a whole right now? Let us know in the comments

    Bully Ray
    Bully Ray
  • Bully Ray Compares Leon Ruff NXT Win to 1-2-3 Kid

    Bully Ray Compares Leon Ruff NXT Win to 1-2-3 Kid

    WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed Leon Ruff’s NXT North American Championship win.

    Leon Ruff defeated Johnny Gargano in shocking fashion on the most recent episode of NXT. Bully Ray would state that he ‘loved’ the angle, comparing it to when the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) defeated Razor Ramon on WWF television.

    Bully Ray on Leon Ruff

    “Obviously in the middle of the match I’m saying to myself ‘please do the 1-2-3 Kid thing here’” Bully Ray began on the show. “What they did there? It was great, really entertaining, and with Gargano bitching and moaning [even] later on to Regal? Leon Ruff played his part perfectly.

    When Leon Ruff was on the top of the stage and he put the Championship around his waist and the Championship fell down like his pants were too big? Mega Pop, out loud! it was amazing.”

    Bully Ray would then discuss the average size of wrestler in the industry today. Of course Leon Ruff is on the diminutive side but even Johnny Gargano is nowhere near the size of a performer from the mid-80s.

    “You know what stuck out to me? The size of a lot of wrestlers, it’s not a big man’s business anymore now. That was evident to me last night when Gargano and Regal were face to face in the back.”

    “When it was just the two of them on the screen? Oh my god” Bully Ray continued. “Regal was an average size guy in my world of pro wrestling! Back in my day? Regal was average size, and he was towering over Gargano last night. The business has morphed into maybe a smaller man’s game, with a few big men.”

    Busted Open co-host Dave LaGreca would chime in by saying how the size of Leon Ruff would’ve made the angle even more memorable ‘back in the day,’ as he was so much smaller than the ‘average’ wrestler. “If that would have happened say 25 years ago it would have been ‘oh my god!’ Just because the pure size of Leon Ruff. [But] we’ve seen champions the size of a Leon Ruff over the last five or six years.”

    Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think that Pro Wrestling is now a ‘smaller man’s game?’ Let us know in the comments

    Bully Ray
    Bully Ray
  • Details Behind Leon Ruff’s NXT North American Championship Victory

    Details Behind Leon Ruff’s NXT North American Championship Victory

    This week’s episode of NXT saw Johnny Gargano suffer an upset loss to Leon Ruff. This loss cost Gargano the NXT North American Championship in the process. The belief is that Ruff’s win is being considered a joke at Gargano’s expense. It is intended to be used to reinforce the idea the Gargano is a “cursed” champion.

    According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, Ruff’s victory was not done in an effort to turn the young talent into a major star. He reflected on how a Superstar coming in and winning a championship in their first bout is rarely done.

    It was noted, however, that the technique has been used in the past. When done, it was intended to help get a Superstar instantly over with the crowd. Past Superstars who have won singles gold in their debut matches include Paige, Carlito, and Santino Marella, to name a few.

    Leon Ruff: NXT North American Champion

    It didn’t take long for people to congratulate Leon Ruff following his surprising victory and for Gargano to take issue with the loss.

    Triple H reached out to Ruff via Twitter to offer his congratulations. After winning the match, the North American Championship actually fell off Ruff after he raised his hands to celebrate. Triple H commented on the moment in his tweet, joking how “That’s why we don’t call it a belt.”

    You can watch Ruff’s surprise championship victory over Gargano below:

  • AEW Dynamite Tops NXT In Viewership & Key Demo (Nov. 11th)

    AEW Dynamite Tops NXT In Viewership & Key Demo (Nov. 11th)

    AEW Dynamite scored another win over NXT this week in overnight viewership and the Adults 18-49 demographic. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 764,000 viewers, 0.30 rating (17th on cable for the night)
    • NXT: 632,000 viewers, 0.16 rating (56th on cable for the night)

    Both shows were up slightly from last week, when AEW had 717,000 viewers with a 0.30 rating (even) and NXT did 610,000 viewers and a 0.14 in the key demo. The Top 20 shows on cable were dominated by news shows once again, with only two episodes of ‘Real Housewives’ drawing better than AEW.

    For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.690 million viewers with a 0.54 rating.

    You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:

  • Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano & Triple H React To NXT North American Title Change

    Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano & Triple H React To NXT North American Title Change

    Leon Ruff scored a shocking win over Johnny Gargano on Wednesday’s NXT to capture the brand’s North American Championship. Ruff noted on Twitter that the victory was one of the greatest moments of his life.

    WWE NXT Results & Takeaways (11/11)

    The match came about when Gargano spun a wheel with various NXT wrestlers’ names on it to determine who he would defend the title against. In what turned out to be a short match, Ruff scored the victory with a crucifix driver after Damian Priest came out and distracted Gargano.

    You can see footage from the Ruff vs. Gargano match here, in case you missed it on television.

    Triple H congratulated Leon Ruff on his big win. In a memorable moment after the match, the North American Championship fell off Leon Ruff when he raised his hands in victory. Triple H joked, “That’s why we don’t call it a belt.”

    Johnny Gargano was livid after his short title reign came to a dramatic conclusion. WWE released the following video Gargano complaining to NXT General Manager William Regal.

    Overall, this was a pretty hot angle for NXT and an effective way to catapult newcomer Leon Ruff into prominence.

  • Karrion Kross Could Return To NXT From Injury “Any Second”

    Karrion Kross Could Return To NXT From Injury “Any Second”

    Karrion Kross fans will not have to wait much longer for his return to WWE’s NXT brand. Kross has been out of action since August, when he suffered a separated shoulder during the main event of NXT TakeOver: XXX. Kross captured the NXT Championship at that show, but was forced to surrender the title just days later due to the injury.

    The undefeated star provided an update on his condition this week. “I feel absurdly stronger now than I did even before July. I have not squandered this time away,” he said. “And I see no point in returning if I’m not coming back even stronger than I was to begin with.”

    He then put the NXT roster on notice and warned that he could return “any second” – even when people least expect it.

    “See you all again when the T I M E is right. Which as you know… could be any second. Or maybe when you least expect it.”

    He also posted this cryptic tweet this week:

    https://twitter.com/WWEKarrionKross/status/1325876558540705793

    Karrion Kross holds an undefeated record in NXT. There is no question that he will be a huge threat to whoever stands before him upon his return. Now feeling stronger than ever, he has something to prove once again after having his championship taken from him just as he reached the top of the mountain in NXT.

    The message was accompanied by a video of Kross training hard in the gym.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWYsupJXFS/
  • Jim Cornette Says WWE Match is How Pro Wrestling “Should’ve Evolved”

    Jim Cornette Says WWE Match is How Pro Wrestling “Should’ve Evolved”

    Former WWE, TNA, WCW and NWA personality Jim Cornette recently discussed the NXT UK bout between WALTER and Ilja Dragunov. The two UK based Superstars had a brutal, bloody match for the WWE United Kingdom Championship that gained critical acclaim.

    Cornette himself was a huge fan of the match itself. Discussing the bout on the Drive Thru podcast, Jim Cornette would say that this was how pro wrestling could, and should, have evolved.

    Jim Cornette on WALTER vs Dragunov

    “I tweeted that for all the people talking about ‘pro wrestling has to evolve and pro wrestling has evolved and pro wrestling has to modernise.’ Well this is what it COULD have evolved into” Cornette began on the podcast.

    “That’s if it hadn’t been commandeered, taken, over co opted or otherwise run into the ground over the last 20 years by comedy writers and backyard cosplayers.”

    Cornette would then praise the match further, saying “This was brilliant. And the evolution thing? Again it’s so ridiculous. When you have guys doing everything but sticking fireworks up their asses and running around playing f*cking hopscotch in the middle of the ring on one national programme?”

    Jim Cornette would finish by discussing the disparity between this presentation from NXT UK and the rest of WWE’s output currently. “The major company that operates this little subsidiary [NXT UK] that just put on this classic? This Oscar winner? [WWE] has f*cking Judge Judy and People’s Court mashups on their network cable programme in this country! AND all this other tomfoolery and shenanigans!”

    Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Have you seen Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER on NXT UK? Let us know in the comments

    Jim Cornette
    Jim Cornette (Photo: Vice)
  • Rhea Ripley Talks Working With Triple H In NXT

    Rhea Ripley Talks Working With Triple H In NXT

    Rhea Ripley was a big fan of Triple H’s growing up. In a recent interview with Wide World of Sports, Ripley opened up about working for the wrestler that she says was the reason she started watching wrestling in the first place.

    “Growing up, Triple H is the reason I started watching WWE and the reason I started wrestling,” Ripley said during the interview. “Now he’s my boss and saying that I might be the one to main event WrestleMania in the next five years – to me that’s amazing.”

    “To think how far I’ve come from wrestling in little Adelaide, South Australia, to now having Triple H say nice words about me and putting me over everyone is wild.”

    The 24-year-old last wrestled on NXT’s Halloween Havoc special last week. She defeated Raquel Gonzalez on the show.

    Ripley continued to talk about the confidence she gets from Triple H’s praise.

    “Sometimes you need a confidence boost in anything you do and it’s nice to get that from someone like Triple H,” Ripley continued.”I normally like to prove people wrong and that gets me going and that’s what makes me push myself to the next level but every now and then it’s nice to get some positivity and I can use that to become the best Rhea Ripley.”

    Ripley also spoke about how far women’s wrestling has come in recent years.

    “We’re proving to everyone we’re just as good as the men and some of us are better. I’m putting that out there, some us go in harder so it’s cool to be part of this women’s revolution and just showing everyone that women can do it too.”

    The full interview with Rhea Ripley can be read at this link.

  • Ilja Dragunov Discusses Working With WALTER

    Ilja Dragunov Discusses Working With WALTER

    NXT UK Superstar Ilja Dragunov has opened up about his history and intense rivalry with current NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER.

    Speaking with Inside the Ropes, Dragunov reflected on their past working together on the independent circuit prior to reigniting their feud in WWE. According to him, WALTER has been instrumental in helping him to grow as a pro wrestler.

    “I think he may have made a lot of my life, like, as a wrestler. He made me completely because every time we fought, it was like you had to really work for something, so much fight for something, I think it’s like WALTER and I fighting was meant to be, it’s like we need to fight each other,” Dragunov explained.

    It was a beneficial competitive working relationship that both Superstars recognized almost as soon as they began working together. “[…] we recognised it very early, back in 2017, there was electricity when we both stepped into the ring. We had no choice but to just go at it.”

    Dragunov believes their in-ring chemistry is “very unique” and believes performers should lean into the energy and intensity between them if it’s there. He noted how WALTER’s intensity is different from his own but stressed that these differences ultimately lead to key similarities:

    “[…] we just hit each other like a lightning strike. And that’s something that people feel when we face each other.”

    Ilja Dragunov and WALTER faced off during last week’s episode of NXT UK in a hard-hitting affair. Despite his best efforts, Dragunov would ultimately succumb to The Ring General.

  • Cameron Grimes Claims The WWE System ‘Cannot Be Beat’

    Cameron Grimes Claims The WWE System ‘Cannot Be Beat’

    NXT Superstar Cameron Grimes has praised the WWE Performance Center, claiming that the WWE system simply “cannot be beat.”

    He stressed how the Performance Center is unmatched when it comes to guiding and training pro wrestlers. Grimes also highlighted the sheer talent available in the WWE PC’s coaching staff. He pointed to WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and “Road Dogg’ Jesse Jame as further proof of his argument.

    “Let me be completely honest with you. The PC, the system that WWE has cannot be beat,” Grimes informed Daily DDT.

    He stressed how “The coaches WWE has cannot be outmatched. Let me tell you, when you’re a young stud coming in like Cameron Grimes with all the potential in the world and all the pieces just right, all those coaches throw themselves at you. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Road Dogg, Norman Smiley, Terry Taylor, they all want to talk to Cameron Grimes because look at me.”

    Grimes argued how he’s able to “pull off things you have never seen before” inside the squared circle. He noted how his Cave In finisher is the “most dominant” finisher in WWE. He added that the RKO is number two.

    Cameron Grimes recently wrestled a losing effort against Dexter Lumis. The two competed in a Haunted House of Terror matchup during last week’s NXT Halloween Havoc special.

  • Pat McAfee On Internet Wrestling Fans: “They’ve Ruined Something That I Loved”

    Pat McAfee On Internet Wrestling Fans: “They’ve Ruined Something That I Loved”

    Pat McAfee revealed that Pete Dunne has joined his stable in NXT. The group also consists of the NXT tag team champions, Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan. McAfee posted a clip from The Pat McAfee Show on social media recently where he talks about the events from last night’s Halloween Havoc.

    “I’ve decided yep I’m just going to go ahead and continue to take over the wrestling business,” McAfee said. He would continue to say that fans will hate that he’s going to take over NXT on Wednesday nights. He then took some shots at the internet wrestling community.

    “The people that are going to hate it is literally the worst community on the internet, and it’s the internet wrestling community. I think these people are the worst humans on Earth. They’ve ruined something that I’ve loved, wrestling is something that I’ve loved. These fans, though, are so toxic and terrible, they’re bums in every sense of the word.”

    McAfee’s new stable in NXT appears to be building to a big team vs team match with the Undisputed Era.

    McAfee posted a clip of him talking about NXT in the Tweet below:

  • Triple H And Stephanie McMahon React To NXT Halloween Havoc

    Triple H And Stephanie McMahon React To NXT Halloween Havoc

    Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have reflected on last night’s special edition of NXT. The black-and-gold brand resurrected the Halloween Havoc concept for the first time in twenty years with last night’s show.

    Triple H tweeted throughout the show’s entirety, hyping how so much action had already taken place during just the first match. NXT Halloween Havoc opened with an NXT North American Championship matchup between Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano.

    “The first spin of the wheel, a deflated pumpkin, and absolutely BRUTAL #DevilsPlayground match, and a NEW #NXTNATitle Champion… AND THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST MATCH! #HalloweenHavoc #WWENXT”

    He also noted how NXT Superstars Rhea Ripley and Raquel González were able to showcase an “entirely different side” of the NXT Women’s division. Triple H called their bout the “most physical fight” from any division in NXT.

    Triple H also praised the work of NXT Halloween Havoc’s host, Shotzi Blackheart. He described her commitment as a “BREAKOUT performance” before stating how Blackheart is a bright star with “even bigger [star emoji] potential.”

    He added a final congratulations and thanks to everyone involved with NXT Halloween Havoc. Triple H also gave props to the crew who made an “incredible set to honour the legacy of #HalloweenHavoc” before thanking the fans at home for tuning in.

    Stephanie McMahon shared her thoughts after the show had concluded. She stressed how the entire show was “INCREDIBLE!!!!!” Stephanie also congratulated all involved in the production, stating how she wanted to retweet all of the praise she had seen complimenting the show.

  • Pat McAfee’s New Stable Forms at NXT Halloween Havoc

    Pat McAfee’s New Stable Forms at NXT Halloween Havoc

    A new stable formed on Wednesday’s special Halloween Havoc edition of NXT TV.

    Pat McAfee, accompanied by Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, cut a promo about hiring Ridge Holland to take out The Undisputed Era. When Ridge Holland was injured, he hired Burch and Lorcan to carry on with the mission.

    Pat McAfee Reveals He Paid Ridge Holland To Attack Adam Cole

    Kyle O’Reilly came out with a steel chair, followed by Pete Dunne. With Dunne and O’Reilly staring down McAfee & company, Dunne turned on O’Reilly by attacking him with a steel chair. Dunne has aligned himself McAfee and this dangerous new faction.

    Don’t be surprised if we see these two groups square off inside War Games at the next NXT Takeover event.

    Check out the footage of the segment below:

  • Shotzi Blackheart On Finding Out She’s Hosting Halloween Havoc

    Shotzi Blackheart On Finding Out She’s Hosting Halloween Havoc

    Shotzi Blackheart will serve as the host of tonight’s NXT Halloween Havoc event. The green-haired wrestler was interviewed recently by SI.com and talked about the return of the famed event, her role tonight, and more.

    “I didn’t even know Halloween Havoc was coming back, but when I found out I was hosting, I was so happy I almost fainted,” Blackheart said. “It was the greatest news ever.”

    She also talked about how before getting into wrestling she wanted to be a horror host like Elvira.

    “My favorite match of all-time is from ’97, Guerrero–Mysterio. And before wrestling, I wanted to be a horror host, just like Elvira and Vampira, watching horror movies and making cheesy comments about them. It’s going to be reason enough to tune in just to see the Halloween outfits I’ll be wearing.”

    Blackheart also spoke about what first caused her to get into wrestling during the interview. She had bee attending college as a musical-theater major when she realized wrestling was her calling.

    “Theater is the vehicle that led me to pro wrestling,” Blackheart continued. “I was watching Raw, this blend of theater, violence and rock, and I asked myself, ‘Why have I not been a wrestler the entire time?’ I signed up the next day at a wrestling school.”

    The full interview with Shotzi Blackheart can be read here.

  • Bobby Fish Talks About Triple H’s Pro Wrestling Aptitude

    Bobby Fish Talks About Triple H’s Pro Wrestling Aptitude

    Undisputed Era member Bobby Fish has shared high praise for Triple H, noting how “The Game” has an undeniably incredible “aptitude” for the pro wrestling business.

    “[…] he saw something that I would think Adam, Kyle and I would like to write for ourselves, and he saw it and was like, ‘Yep. Those three,’” Fish explained to Wrestling Inc. Daily.

    Fish noted how he’s been able to witness how Triple H works behind-the-scenes at NXT for three years now. These lessons have allowed him to know how Triple H “operates.”

    Regarding the Undisputed Era, Fish believes that Triple H’s “aptitude” always meant a plan was in place to add Roderick Strong to the group:

    “I feel like he had an idea long before that and maybe that was the plan regardless. Four peas in a pod,” Fish said. “Triple H was smart enough to see that and recognize that. It’s a little bit of a humble brag I guess, but WWE now gets to benefit. We as the four individuals get to benefit being this brand that nobody has given a name to. Triple H did. Now, along with Shawn Michaels, between the two of them. They have their influence on helping us become who we are. You can’t put a price on that.”

    Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were unable to participate in a scheduled NXT Tag Team Championship matchup last week. They were replaced by Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, who would go on to win the titles from Breezango.

    It was recently revealed that Pat McAfee had been orchestrating recent attacks against Undisputed Era, including last week’s attack on Fish and Ridge Holland’s attack on Adam Cole.

  • Pat McAfee Reveals He Paid Ridge Holland To Attack Adam Cole

    Pat McAfee Reveals He Paid Ridge Holland To Attack Adam Cole

    Pat McAfee closed out last week’s episode of NXT by revealing his new alliance with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. McAfee recently released a video explaining that he paid Ridge Holland to attack Adam Cole but has since reached a deal with Lorcan and Burch.

    McAfee starts his video explaining that he didn’t appreciate Cole flashing him the UE hand-sign after defeating him at Takeover 30.

    Pat McAfee Comments On Hiring Ridge Holland

    “After the match, instead of reaching out his hand,” McAfee says about Cole in the video. “Instead of doing that, he flexes on me!”

    “That didn’t sit lightly with me,” McAfee continued. “And although I couldn’t be hands-on with the dismantling of the Undisputed Era and Adam Cole, I knew there was a way that they could feel my impact.”

    “I can’t be down there every single day so I hired somebody to take care of my light work. I hired somebody that is a younger, more handsome, and more built version of me, Ridge Holland. You all saw it, when he dumped Adam Cole’s lifeless body over the barricade and walked it off. Who do you think bought him that Mercedes? That was me, you’re welcome, Ridge.”

    McAfee then continued to say that after Holland was injured, he reached out to Burch and Lorcan.

    “Now Ridge got hurt, Ts and Ps for him, I will not ask for a refund, you did your job. And now I had to look for a Plan B, my guy that I was going to run alongside and takeover NXT with is now out with a gruesome injury. Who should I call? Well, why not the guy that took out my guy? The psycho from Boston, Oney Lorcan, I reach out to him, I say ‘hey pal, you want to make a little money, huh? Want to go on a little bit of a run? They say ‘no’, they lose to Undisputed Era, they call back, we make a deal.”

    McAfee’s full video can be seen below:

  • Drake Maverick Explains Why He’s Willing To Do What Others Won’t

    Drake Maverick Explains Why He’s Willing To Do What Others Won’t

    NXT Superstar Drake Maverick recently joined Alexa Bliss for an episode of her new podcast, Uncool with Alexa Bliss. During their conversation, Maverick opened up about being a team player in WWE and why he is so willing to do things others may balk at.

    Reflecting on how he was bullied when he was younger, Maverick noted how the experience helped make him tougher in the long run.

    “Now, you’re talking to the guy when asked to pee himself on worldwide PPV in front of millions of people, I said, ‘yea, I’ll do it.’ A lot of people would be walking around today embarrassed that they did that. Did it entertain people? Did people think it was stupid? Maybe. Did people react to it? It’s the badge of honor of doing something like that. I do stuff that makes other people happy at the expense of myself because I can take it.”

    Maverick explained how he may be the “little guy” but it doesn’t stop him from being mentally and physically tough because of his upbringing. He believes these challenges helped to shape him and make him a better person.

    “This is my shield. You aren’t ever going to get past that. I’m fine. Nothing you can do can harm me because I have no problem doing it myself,” Maverick said. “I remember toasting a bunch of friends at a Comic-Con and Woods (Xavier) was there as well. I told him, here is a comic convention and all of us thought we were uncool when we were younger and I said, the nerds won.”

    Drake Maverick and Killian Dain competed on last night’s episode of NXT, losing their bout against Ever-Rise via disqualification.

  • AEW Dynamite & NXT Previews for Tonight (10/21)

    AEW Dynamite & NXT Previews for Tonight (10/21)

    The following are previews for tonight’s AEW and NXT broadcasts:

    AEW Dynamite

    • Chris Jericho and MJF will meet for a steak dinner in a segment dubbed, Le Dinner Debonair.
    • Fatal 4-Way Tag Title Match: The Young Bucks vs. Private Party vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. The Butcher & The Blade. The winners face FTR for the AEW World Tag Titles at Full Gear.

    AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament (1st Round):

    • Penta El Zero M vs. Rey Fenix
    • Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela
    • Hangman Page vs. Colt Cabana
    • Wardlow vs. Jungle Boy

    NXT

    • AEW Tag Team Champions Breezango vs. Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish)
    • Triple Threat: Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream
    • Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza vs. Isaiah Scott, Jake Atlas, and Ashante Adonis.
  • Karrion Kross Injury Update from Scarlett Bordeaux

    Karrion Kross Injury Update from Scarlett Bordeaux

    Scarlett Bordeaux has provided an injury update on Karrion Kross. The former NXT Champion was forced to vacate the title shortly after winning it from Keith Lee at TakeOver 30 due to suffering a separated shoulder.

    According to an Instagram post from Bordeaux, however, Kross’ recovery is going well. “Everyone loves a comeback, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes.”

    “We’re getting closer… and he’s about to be the deadliest piece on the board,” Scarlett wrote regarding Kross’ recovery. “

    Bordeaux included a video of Kross using a pulley to life both her and another person from a seated position in her post.

    Kross currently holds a perfect 7-0 record in NXT. He’s defeated Leon Ruff, Liam Gray, Tommaso Ciampa, Bronson Reed, Dominik Dijakovic, Danny Burch, and Keith Lee. There is currently no timetable for his return.

    Separated shoulders typically take between 2-3 months to recover from but it depends on the severity of the injury.

    Her full Instagram post is below:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGi9Xsyn7ID/

    Kross became the 18th wrestler to ever win the NXT title when he did so at TakeOver 30. He began the 20th reign in the title’s lineage before being forced to vacate the belt the next week.

  • Tino Sabbatelli Returns To NXT After Allegations Of Leaking AEW News

    Tino Sabbatelli Returns To NXT After Allegations Of Leaking AEW News

    Tino Sabbatelli is once again signed to a WWE contract. According to a report from PW Insider, the 37-year-old from Orlando re-signed with the company last week. The report also states that Ace Steel has been re-hired in a coaching role at the PC as well.

    According to a report from Fightful, there are those in AEW who believe Sabbatelli was responsible for leaking news from AEW tapings. It is not clear if he did or not, however.

    Shortly after Eric Bischoff’s appearance on an episode of AEW Dynamite was leaked before airing, accusations were made that it was leaked by an “NXT reject” who was at the tapings. Chris Jericho stated as much on an episode of his Saturday night live stream.

    “For example, when we had the debate and Eric Bischoff, and it was announced on Reddit. We know who the spy is by the way, oh we know, and he’ll never be back in f*ckin AEW. NXT reject was the spy, so print that!” Jericho said.

    Sabbatelli wrestled on an episode of AEW Dark this summer after having been released from his NXT contract this spring. He teamed with Brady Pierce in a losing effort to The Best Friends.

  • Viewership For AEW Dynamite Anniversary & NXT TV (10/14)

    Viewership For AEW Dynamite Anniversary & NXT TV (10/14)

    AEW scored another win over NXT this week with its Dynamite Anniversary special. Both shows were up this week and benefitted from less competition.

    AEW widened the gap over NXT, but expectations were higher since this was a heavily promoted episode. Dynamite viewership was up 9.7% from last week, while NXT increased 1.9%. Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 826,000 viewers, 0.30 rating (15th on cable for the night)
    • NXT: 651,000 viewers, 0.17 rating (51st on cable for the night)

    For comparison, Monday’s Raw featuring Night 2 of the 2020 Draft averaged 1.855 million viewers with a 0.57 in the key demo.

    You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:

  • Ember Moon Reveals Which WWE Hall Of Famer Helped Her Recovery

    Ember Moon Reveals Which WWE Hall Of Famer Helped Her Recovery

    Ember Moon has revealed that a certain WWE Hall of Famer helped her recover from a ruptured Achilles injury. According to the Superstar, Edge was instrumental in her recovery process.

    Although the recently returned Superstar also credited Triple H’s help and support, it was Edge’s “Cliff-noted version” of what to do that really helped her.

    “Edge was basically like, ‘Do this, get a sauna, get a bike, you have to do this.’ He basically sent me a Cliff-noted version of what he was doing because he had such a bad Achilles rupture, too, that they said he would never come back. When the complications started happening, that’s when they told me I might not be coming back,” Moon informed Daily DDT.

    She stressed how Edge also recommended “what type of therapy to do” as well as specific exercise routines that would help strengthen the Achilles tendon. Moon revealed she sent his recommendations to her therapist, and then “everything started to turn around.”

    She noted that although the recovery was still slow, it was still encouraging to see things improve. Ember Moon also added how had she had surgery for a second time, she may not have been able to return to in-ring action.

    Ember Moon made her surprise to the black-and-gold brand at NXT TakeOver: 31.