SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Sami Zayn Shoots Angle For Live Crowd At EVOLVE 50 On Sunday

    NXT star Sami Zayn shot an angle during his appearance at the EVOLVE 50 iPPV event in New York City on Sunday evening.

    Zayn shot an angle with Ethan Page and EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher. During Page’s match against Matt Cage, which Page lost, he mocked Zayn’s “Ole!” chants and used his “Helluva Kick.”

    After the match, Zayn confronted Page in the ring and told him he has all the talent in the world, but a bad attitude. Page simply walked out of the ring as a sign of disrespect to Zayn.

    Zayn spoke about watching Friday’s EVOLVE 49 iPPV from backstage and how it made him miss the independent scene. He said he has a hole in his heart from leaving the indies to go to WWE. He gave props to everyone backstage and said they will carry EVOLVE and independent wrestling to the next level. Once again, he teased big things to come for EVOLVE and NXT.

    Eventually, this brought out Thatcher, who wasn’t pleased with Zayn saying Johnny Gargano is the best on Friday’s iPPV show. Zayn said he meant that if Thatcher wants to be the man, he has to beat the man — Gargano. Thatcher said he will challenge Gargano when EVOLVE returns to Florida. The two shook hands to end the segment. The segment did not air on the iPPV broadcast.

  • Tyler Breeze To Move To Main WWE Roster This Week?, Sami Zayn/EVOLVE News

    – As noted, former NXT Champion Sami Zayn made a special appearance at the EVOLVE 49 iPPV event in New York City on Saturday night, addressing the live crowd after the main event. Zayn praised the efforts of Johnny Gargano, who competed in the main event of the evening, and teased big things between NXT and EVOLVE going forward. Zayn’s appearance helped set EVOLVE’s new all-time attendance record, and the NXT star was reportedly having a blast hanging out backstage at the show.

    – Speaking of NXT talents, Tyler Breeze is expected to move to the main WWE roster “very soon,” according to a new report at F4WOnline.com. The current talk is that his official main roster debut could happen this week, but it could end up being bumped back one week.

  • Update On NXT Star Injury Rumors, Lana Hangs With Former Roommate (Photo), Maryse

    – Former WWE Diva Maryse is currently filming an action-horror movie called “XP-573” with actor Joey Lawrence in Los Angeles, California. The film is another zombies vs. Navy SEALs story made by the creators of the SyFy show “Z Nation.” Maryse’s character in the film is called Mikaela Usylvich. The movie is scheduled for a June 15, 2016 release. Below is a photo of Maryse on the set.

    – As noted recently, Colin Cassady was at the NXT meet and greet in Tampa, Florida on crutches on Friday. Cassady was involved in an injury angle on the show that some believe to have been a real injury. Whether or not Cassady was using the crutches to sell the injury angle or because he is legitimately injured remains to be seen. Below is a photo of Cassady on crutches at the meet and greet this past Friday.

    https://twitter.com/gravenbabies/status/655476725233668097

    – WWE Diva Lana and recently released NXT Diva Devin Taylor have been hanging out in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend. Lana lives in the area with her fiancee Rusev and Devin was her former roommate. Below is a photo of Lana and Devin together this weekend.

    https://instagram.com/p/89QmmgBKw_/

  • Video Of Sami Zayn At EVOLVE 49 In NYC, Final SmackDown Rating For 10/15

    – The Thursday, October 15th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.55, down from last week’s show, which delivered a 1.57 final rating. Thursday’s SmackDown, which went against the MLB Playoff game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers (7.38 million viewers), averaged 2.090 million viewers. By comparison, last week’s SmackDown averaged 2.147 million viewers.

    – Below is a clip of Sami Zayn in front of the crowd at the EVOLVE 49 iPPV event in New York City on Saturday evening.

  • Backstage Update On Real Reasons Blue Pants Has Heat In NXT

    Leva “Blue Pants” Bates was said to likely be done with NXT after backstage heat caught up to her. It was originally alleged that she made comments and acted as if she were above the other talents. It was also speculated that WWE officials continued to use her due to the fact that they knew she would get a big pop as the mystery partner for The Vaudevillians at “Takeover: Brooklyn,” however her run was supposed to end once she was beaten by Alexa Bliss.

    An NXT source shared yesterday that Blue Pants didn’t catch heat for the reasons originally noted, but because it was felt within the company that she didn’t appreciate the spot she had. Bates apparently rarely paid attention to what was going on during NXT TV tapings, as she was constantly seen paying more attention to her phone than anything else.

    Another noted incident involving Blue Pants is when she became intoxicated in public during SummerSlam weekend in Brooklyn, New York. She was said to be acting highly innappropriate at an outing where she reportedly drank too much after the SummerSlam pay-per-view. Her behavior did not sit well with WWE corporate employees from Stamford that were in attendance for the gathering, and the incident led to her missing her flight back to Florida with the rest of the crew the following morning.

  • Sami Zayn Appears At EVOLVE 49 iPPV, Teases Big Things

    NXT star Sami Zayn appeared at a meet and greet as scheduled prior to the EVOLVE 49 iPPV event in New York City on Saturday night.

    The iPPV broadcast actually started late to accommodate the meet and greet before the event. After the show went off the air following Johnny Gargano’s victory over Ethan Page in an “I Quit” match, Zayn came out and appeared before the live crowd.

    Zayn thanked the EVOLVE fans for having him, telling them he “misses all this.” He also thanked the fans for supporting EVOLVE and promised that this is only the beginning, and that things are only going to get bigger and better

  • Update On Colin Cassady Injury Angle At NXT TV Tapings

    Currently out of action, WWE NXT Superstar Colin Cassady has what appears to be a broken leg. Cassady worked Friday’s meet and greet in Tampa, FL which also featured Enzo Amore and WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee. It’s worth mentioning that Cassady was walking on crutches and did not wrestle.

    At last week’s NXT TV taping, the storyline appeared to be an injury angle with Cass and The Mechanics for the 10/28 episode. Cassady’s knee brace was removed and they were working his leg over, leading correspondents in attendance to believe it was just an angle for the show.

  • NXT Diva Gets New Ring Name, Jim Ross’ Podcast Guests, SmackDown Moments

    – NXT Diva Jasmin Areebi is now going by the name Aaliyah. She appeared in a segment at the NXT live event on Thursday night in Cocoa Beach. Areebi was in the news this summer after some of her old controversial social media posts resurfaced. WWE and Areebi claimed that the posts were made by someone else.

    – Legendary Memphis wrestling announcer Lance Russell and Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Dan Murphy will be the guests on next week’s “Ross Report” podcast, which drops on Tuesday evening at PodcastOne.com.

    – Below is this week’s Top 10 SmackDown Moments video.

  • Triple H Drops 15 Pounds, Chyna Snubbed By WWE.com

    – It’s interesting to note that WWE.com is running a feature looking at ‘Divas who won men’s championships’ and former Intercontinental champion Chyna is not mentioned.

    – Triple H noted via social media today that he has lost 15 pounds after completing day 15 of his ongoing 21-day cleansing diet. HHH tweeted the following:

  • WWE To Feature Bayley’s Number One Fan On NXT Kids Show?

    A pilot for the NXT Kids show was leaked this past August, which sparked interest in regards to casting for the upcoming television show. There is speculation that a second pilot is set to be shot with different kids due to the fact a new casting call was sent out this past week.

    It’s said that the premise of the show is set to be something along the lines of Saturday Morning Slam. For those who may recall that would be one or two matches per episode, and kids conducting interviews with wrestlers during a 30 minute show. The pilot shows a lot of kids in the crowd shots during matches.

    According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a source in WWE claims that this may all be a vehicle for the little girl shown during Bayley’s matches named Izzy. The young girl is always shown in the front row during NXT shows, and most recently she is seen in the front row at NXT tapings as well.

    The original NXT Kids trailer was pulled after leaking back in August, however to get an idea of what the show may be like, watching a clip of Saturday Morning Slam from a few years ago would give you the best idea.

  • Spoilers: Tonight’s WWE NXT Results (10/14)


    WWE taped tonight’s episode of NXT on October 8th in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University. Here’s what you’ll see on tonight’s NXT broadcast:

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley opens the episode with a promo about her match with Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Respect. Alexis Bliss hits the ring and they exchange words. Bliss grabbed the title, threw it in Bayley’s face, then walked away.

    – The Vaudevillians defeated Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match.

    – Nia Jax defeated Evie in a singles match.

    – Apollo Crews won the number contender’s battle royal to secure a future NXT Title Match. The final four were Samoa Joe, Crews, Tyler Breeze, and Baron Corbin.

    Related: WWE Moving Forward With “NXT Kids” Show

  • Update: Sami Zayn To Appear At EVOLVE iPPVs, But Won’t Be Wrestling

    As noted on Monday evening, former NXT Champion Sami Zaym has been officially announced for this weekend’s EVOLVE internet pay-per-views in New York.

    It was made clear today that while Zayn won’t be wrestling at the shows, however he will appear before the live crowds during the events, and will air during the beginning of the internet pay-per-view broadcast.

    EVOLVE issued the following today:

    “I love what EVOLVE does….I support them.” – Triple H in last week’s NXT conference call

    The man backs up what he says. Sami Zayn is coming from NXT to EVOLVE in New York this weekend. We have all the details in this WWN Alerts. Let’s get to it….

    October 13th: In an unprecedented move, Sami Zayn will be at EVOLVE 49 this Saturday in Queens, NY and EVOLVE 50 this Sunday in Long Island, NY. Here are the details:

    -VIP ticket holders can take part in a meet and greet with Sami Zayn. This includes an autograph opportunity.

    -If you have already purchased tickets, you can upgrade it to a VIP ticket at the events.

    -Sami Zayn will make an in ring appearance on both events, but this will not be broadcast on live iPPV. It will be a special moment for fans in Queens and Deer Park. What will Zayn do? Who will he end up in the ring with? Be there and find out!

  • WWE Moving Forward With “NXT Kids” Show

    Over the summer, a pilot video surfaced online for a new show titled, “WWE NXT Kids” featuring children interviewing NXT wrestlers and doing commentary over NXT matches with Corey Graves. Now it appears that WWE is moving ahead with the project, as a casting call has been posted at Backstage.com with the following description:

    PRODUCTION DESCRIPTION: WWE NXT is casting a pilot for a new wrestling show aimed at kids.REHEARSAL AND PRODUCTION DATES & LOCATIONS: Production will be taking place monthly on Thursday nights at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL.

    SEEKING TALENT: Males & Females, ages 7-14, All Ethnicities

    ROLE DESCRIPTION: Announcers & Interviewers: (Supporting) with high energy. Must be personable, lively, quick on their feet and a good talker. Kids should have an understanding/familiarity with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment programming. Kids will be acting as announcers/backstage interviewers/presenters.

  • Sami Zayn Announced For Two EVOLVE Shows, Gabe Sapolsky Thanks Triple H

    NXT star Sami Zayn is confirmed to appear at both the EVOLVE 49 and EVOLVE 50 iPPV shows in New York this coming weekend.

    The announcement came courtesy of EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky, who broke the news on social media and then proceeded to publicly credit Triple H for being a man of his word and helping support the independent wrestling scene. Sapolsky and Zayn also shared a brief back-and-forth.

    This is said to be part of W#WE’s new working relationship with WWN Live.

    Below is the reaction from Sapolsky and Zayn on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/653696764239872001

    https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/653734135303942144

    https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/653741807994585088

    https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/653742893115568128

  • Cesaro Speaks On The “Cesaro Section,” His Favorite Wrestlers to Work With, & More


    Cesaro recently spoke with Upvoted.com to promote WWE and NXT. Here are some highlights:

    On the “Cesaro Section” trend:

    “The first time I saw the Cesaro section was a couple years ago in Nashville and it was very cool. Since then, it has become even stronger. My favorite part about it is that it came organically and was the fans’ initiative in support of me which is very humbling and makes me proud. It is something that connects me with the fans and motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing.

    I was not expecting that huge show of support [at the San Jose RAW taping] because it kind of slowed down at one point. After my two matches with John Cena it started to gain momentum again. When I walked out for the MIZ TV segment it was crazy and there were Cesaro Section signs everywhere—which was one of the coolest feelings I have had since joining WWE. After that, it just kept growing with more and more cities picking it up.”

    His favorite wrestlers to work with:

    “There are a lot of Superstars I love being in the ring with. I tend to have great chemistry with whomever I step in the ring with because of the way I train and came up in this business. If I had to name a few, I would say people like Sheamus, Kevin Owens, and John Cena are all great guys to be in the ring with.”

    On NXT’s popularity, and his match with Sami Zayn at Arrival:

    I would like to think it had some type of influence [on NXT’s popularity]. It was an honor to be the first match on the first live WWE Network special. That is something nobody can take away from me and it was a huge milestone I was involved in. That is something I am very proud of and is part of my “body of work” as Dream would say. It has helped make me who I am today, and it is definitely one of my favorite matches I have been a part of in WWE.

  • Billy Gunn’s Role In James Storm Working With WWE, TNA’s Reaction

    James Storm made an impact last week when he attended NXT Takeover: Respect and then made his NXT in-ring the following night at the NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University.

    It turns out that it was actually Billy Gunn who was instrumental in Storm working with WWE. The two are good friends behind the scenes and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center, Gunn helped open the lines of communication between the two sides.

    There had been some reports that TNA made a last minute ‘big money’ offer to get Storm back, but PWInsider states that TNA simply reached out to Storm in hopes of getting him to join their upcoming tour of India, without any promises of a bump in pay.

  • Bayley & WWE Camera Crews Attend Indy Show To Film WWE Network Footage (Photo)

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley was not at the NXT live event in Winter Haven, Florida because she was at the American Combat Wrestling event in New Port Richey, Florida.

    Bayley was at the ACW show on behalf of WWE, as camera crews were present, likely filming some footage for the WWE Network original series, “Breaking Ground.”

    ACW is a WWN Live affiliate promotion, and as noted, WWN has been in talks with WWE about the possibility of a working relationship. Triple H confirmed that there is something to the recent WWE-WWN Live online reports during his NXT Takeover: Respect conference call.

    Additionally, Bayley’s real-life boyfriend Aaron Snow wrestles for ACW, so it’s possible that he was included in some of the filming.

    WWN Live official Sal Hamaoui noted on social media, and made an announcement during the event itself that WWE had cameras present to film the show.

    The following are some tweets from Bayley and others who attended the event.

    https://twitter.com/PatrickMcVicar/status/652924425684287488

  • New NXT Star Cuts His First Promo, NXT Takeover Added To Hulu, Corey Graves

    – In Winter Haven, Florida last night Kenneth Crawford successfully cut his first WWE NXT live event promo. He made his debut in the ring a few weeks back during a battle royal. Crawford declared we were entering the “era of Ken” and that he was sent to NXT to clean it up on account of his military background. He took shots at NXT Champion Finn Balor, NXT Tag Team Champions The Vaudevillains and Tyler Breeze. Crawford is a United States Marine from North Carolina. He was signed to NXT back in April of this year with the rest of the new recruits. Crawford was a high school Athlete of the Year, however he has no wrestling experience.

    – There may be a new agreement between WWE and Hulu as NXT Takeover specials are now available on the official Hulu website. The most recent “Takeover: Respect” special is already available.

    – As noted earlier, Sunday would have been the 70th birthday of the late WWE Hall Of Famer, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. In addition to Triple H acknowledging “The Dream’s” birthday on social media yesterday, Corey Graves tweeted this one out.

  • WWE Filming NXT Live Events, Billy Gunn Works With Balor, HHH/Dusty Rhodes

    – WWE had camera crews at the NXT live event in Winter Haven, Florida this weekend filming matches for the WWE Network show, “Breaking Ground.” They have had the same crews at the WWE Performance Center and other recent NXT live events for the same reason.

    – Speaking of the NXT live event in Winter Haven, Billy Gunn made an appearance in front of the crowd and the aforementioned camera crews at the end of the show. Finn Balor invited Gunn to the ring after his match, and while Gunn declined at first, the fans in attendance eventually changed his mind. Gunn went on to hit Blake with a FameAsser before closing out the show doing the D-X routine alongside Balor and The Vaudevillains.

    – Triple H posted the following on Twitter to the late Dusty Rhodes on what would have been “The American Dream’s” 70th birthday.

  • Photos: WWE Debuts New NXT Diva This Weekend

    After much speculation, top independent women’s wrestler Athena has arrived in NXT.

    Athena made her debut last night in Winter Haven, Florida at the NXT live event that took place there. She teamed up with Gionna Daddio and ultimately lost to Peyton Royce and Alexa Bliss. Fans and spectators in attendance agreed Athena looked great in the ring.

    Photos were shared on several Twitter feeds, a few can be viewed below:

    https://twitter.com/SCsirens/status/652996477048848384/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://twitter.com/ninjordan/status/652995493707051009/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://twitter.com/JessGuin84/status/652996428210552832/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://twitter.com/ninjordan/status/652995781176225792/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  • Update On James Storm’s NXT Status, TNA Still Trying To Get Him Back

    After making a surprise appearance at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University, it’s being reported by Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet that Storm has yet to sign a deal with WWE – and TNA is still very interested in bringing their former World Champion back in.

    Last week TNA offered Storm a substantial pay increase, however Storm visited the NXT live event in Nashville last Friday and was then invited to Takeover: Respect on Wednesday. Storm spoke with WWE officials while there which led to his debut at last night’s taping.

    Though there was no contract signed before or after last night’s match, WWE officials are reportedly interested in signing Storm to a deal similar to that of Samoa Joe’s, which would allow him to continue working independent shows.

    WWE officials indicated they may in fact want Storm at the next set of NXT TV tapings set for later this month.

    Storm is reportedly considering his options right now, as TNA officials reached out to Storm on Thursday morning after reports came out that he was at Takeover. TNA reportedly offered Storm even more money to re-sign this week, however he has yet to sign the dotted line.

  • James Storm To Be Player/Coach In NXT?, Zeb Colter’s WWE Status, WWE/Pez

    – Although he hasn’t been a character on television in what seems like forever, Zeb Colter is still under contract to WWE. Colter is currently listed as “out of action” with the reason listed being that he is recovering from surgery.

    – Former TNA star James Storm has been in talks with WWE as of late regarding a possible role as a player/coach kind of figure in NXT. If he were to get the job, he would be working matches as a talent in the company, but would also work to help some of WWE’s up-and-coming developmental talent.

    – WWE has inked a new deal with Pez. The candy company is scheduled to make brand new Pez dispensers using the likeness of such WWE stars as John Cena, The Rock and The Undertaker.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Finn Balor & Samoa Joe Win First Ever Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup

    At Wednesday’s NXT Takeover: Respect special on the WWE Network, the first-ever “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament winners were crowned.

    The teams of Finn Balor & Samoe Joe, The Mechanics, Baron Corbin & Rhyno and Chad Gable & Jason Jordan advanced to tonight’s WWE Network special, with Balor and Joe eliminating The Mechanics in the opener, and the team of Corbin and Rhyno taking out the team of Gable and Jordan to advance to the finals.

    In the finals, which were held in the co-main event spot of the NXT special, Balor and Joe ended up defeating Corbin and Rhyno, who put up a good effort.

    Cody Rhodes came out to do the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup presentation to Balor and Joe. He mentioned that tonight everyone is a “Rhodes” member as “The American Dream” theme music played and the fans echo’d chants of “Thank You Dusty! Thank You Dusty!” to close out the first ever Dusty Classic Tournament and move on to the 30-minute “Ironwoman Match” for the NXT Women’s Champion.

    For complete NXT Takeover: Respect results, click here.

  • NXT Takeover: Respect Results – October 7, 2015

    NXT Takeover: Respect takes place tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stay right here throughout the evening as we will be providing quick match play-by-play results of the show.

    The show kicks off with an elaborate video package and then we are welcomed to Full Sail University by Rich Brennan, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton as fans chant for Dusty Rhodes.

    – Finn Balor and Samoa Joe def. The Mechanics to advance to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic. We went straight to the ring for our first match of the show, which is a Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic semi final, as Finn Balor and Samoa Joe take on The Mechanics. They gave this opener a little time, and had Balor selling his leg throughout. In the end, Joe hit a Muscle Buster and Balor hit the Coupe de Gras for the 1-2-3 to advance.

    – Baron Corbin and Rhyno def. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to advance to the Dusty tourney finals. This match was given a good bit of time as well and had a lot of back-and-forth action, however after a spear from Rhyno and an End Of Days from Baron Corbin, this one was over. Rhyno and Corbin win and advance.

    – Asuka def. Dana Brooke in NXT Divas action. The crowd at Full Sail was hot for Asuka throughout the match, and she definitely looked good here on the big stage for what this match was. Dana Brooke got in some offense throughout due to outside help from Emma, who was out at ringside during this one. In the end, Asuka got Brooke in the Asuka Lock — a crossface chicken wing and body-scissors combo — for the victory.

    – Apollo Crews def. Tyler Breeze in singles competition. This one went a little bit and both guys got in an equal amount of offense, despite the fact that Crews is clearly one of the next projects that management is going to be focusing on. In the end, Crews hit his powerbomb finisher for the 1-2-3 in what was a good match.

    – Finn Balor and Samoa Joe def. Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the finals to win the first annual Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic tournament. This match was also given some time and featured a lot of action, double teams and near the end, a lot of saves. Eventually, the team of Balor and Joe were too much for the Corbin-Rhyno duo. After the match, Cody Rhodes came out and presented the official Dusty tournament cup to Balor and Joe. He tells all the fans that for tonight, they are all Rhodes’ members. Dusty’s music plays, “thank you Dusty” chants echo from the fans and that about does it.

    – Bayley def. Sasha Banks in a 30-minute Iron Woman Match to retain the NXT Womens Championship. We see Stephanie McMahon, Lita, Becky Lynch and WWE Divas Champion Charlotte all seated at ringside for this, our main event of the evening. They gave this one the big build up with the lengthy video packages and formal ring introductions in the arena. The NXT Divas made it to the victory lap split 2-2, as Bayley tied things up after starting out down 2 falls to 1. She won two in a row and managed to retain the NXT Women’s Championship 3-2 in what was no surprise to the fans — an excellent effort by Sasha Banks and Bayley to headline NXT Takeover: Respect. Like NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, when this was done it felt like the main event, but unlike Brooklyn, tonight, it actually was.

  • Triple H Q&A: HHH Wrestling In NXT?, NXT Title Match At WrestleMania?, Apollo Crews

    Triple H held a conference call on Wednesday afternoon to promote tonight’s NXT Takeover: Respect event. Below are some of the highlights.

    On if he sees Apollo Crews as NXT Champion one day:

    On Triple H possibly wrestling in NXT:

    On the next division he wants to revolutionize after the Divas:

    On what they’re doing with women not translating to the main roster:

    On who to keep an eye out for heading into NXT Takeover: London in December:

    On a possible NXT Title match at WrestleMania: