SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Charlotte Says She Will Headline A WWE PPV Some Day, Talks NXT Divas Division

    NXT Divas Champion Charlotte recently spoke to the folks at talkSPORT’s “Gorilla Position” podcast about her future goals in WWE.

    Regarding the Divas division in NXT, Charlotte claims fans haven’t fully seen yet what they are capable of.

    “We’ve only given a taste [so far], that’s only a little bit of what the girls can do down here,” said Charlotte. “I don’t know how long it will take, but we won’t stop until we prove to the world NXT means business.”

    The daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair continued, pointing out the fact that she fully believes she will headline a WWE pay-per-view one day.

    “I guess that sounds cliched but that’s what I want to do. I want to be taken as… I know we’re not men, but I want to be a main eventer,” said Charlotte. “I know one day I will main event a pay-per-view. It might not be Wrestlemania, but it will be a pay-per-view.”

    Check out the complete Charlotte interview at TalkSport.com.

  • Latest On Randy Orton’s WWE Return, NXT Preview For Tonight

    – As noted recently, Randy Orton has been advertised locally to return at several of the past WWE television tapings, but was held back due to creative decisions made by the company. Orton is being advertised for the February 16th edition of RAW in Orlando, which is the Fast Lane “go-home” edition of the show. With Orton scheduled to return in time for a program at WrestleMania 31, one would assume that if he doesn’t return on the 2/16 RAW show, he will be returning either at the pay-per-view itself, or at RAW the following night.

    – The following matches were taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

    – Emma vs. Carmella

    – Adrian Neville vs. Baron Corbin (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender’s Tournament)

    – Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

    – Hideo Itami vs. Finn Bálor (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender Tournament)

    – Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Tyson Kidd

    Check out the official video promo for tonight’s NXT show below.

  • NXT Star Kalisto’s New Character: Gay Hair Stylist?

    One of the reasons that WWE had The Lucha Dragons, Sin Cara and Kalisto, drop the NXT Tag-Team Championships recently is because they are contemplating giving Kalisto a new gimmick.

    Verified Reddit user MetsFan4Ever noted recently that WWE is looking for a new masked Superstar to take over the void that Rey Mysterio will soon be leaving, however they have recently tried using Kalisto under a new, unmasked gimmick — that of a homosexual hair stylist.

    WWE officials were reportedly pleased with Kalisto’s performance as that character and as a result, they are said to be seriously considering having him do that gimmick permanently instead of continuing with his current Kalisto character.

  • Enzo Amore On Being Discovered By Triple H, How Accessible He Is With NXT Talents

    NXT star Enzo Amore recently spoke to the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show about being discovered by Triple H, how accessible Triple H is for the talent in NXT and other people in the WWE developmental system that he credits for his success.

    Below are highlights of the interview:

    On the NXT product and guys working both NXT and the main roster: “I never was in a wrestling ring before I stepped foot into a WWE ring, so I am a product of NXT. I trained under Bill DeMott. I did a lot of my promo work with Dusty Rhodes. Those two guys were so instrumental in my career, I feel like I never could just completely take that step out of NXT. I owe it to the fans, I owe it to the people around me, the trainers, the coaches. That’s what you see in our product, you see people who are hungry and those people who are coming back, pulling double duty, they’re hungry, they wanna compete. The NXT environment is so competitive.”

    On being discovered by Triple H: “He had started training with my strength coach. From the age of 14 I had been training with Joe DeFranco from DeFranco’s Training Systems out of New Jersey, they do a lot of combine training. I had played college football, I had always lifted and was a huge fan of the sports entertainment business, more particularly the WWE. Huge fan of DX, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. One day I was working out at DeFranco’s gym and Joe came up to me and said, ‘I got a phone call from a guy named Paul Levesque, who wants me to train him.’ My jaw just hit the ground.

    After about a year of him training with Hunter, I made a YouTube video… I was always training so basically I gave Joe a link to a YouTube page that had a compilation of me lifting, running, boxing, and then I cut a promo at the end of it on the Hudson River around the time the Jersey Shore was popular. Came at the Jersey Shore people’s necks, a little disrespect, hit em with a little 1-2 combo, the haymaker, pancaker, and badaboom, the realest guy in the room was born.

    He showed it to Hunter and Hunter just gave me a tryout. He’s our boss and he’s very approachable out here at NXT. He gave me my first opportunity and I’ll never forget the words that he said to me when I met him, he simply said, ‘don’t screw this up.’ He probably wouldn’t remember it, but for me I hung onto those words, because that’s all he said.”

    On how accessible Triple H is with NXT talents: “He is hands on as hands on gets. I’ve seen him step in the ring with guys, I’ve seen him go over promo material, I’ve seen him congratulate people when they’ve done something admirable. He’s extremely approachable, you can’t ask for a better boss. He’s somebody who you wanna work for.”

    Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

  • Stephanie McMahon Trades Shots With TV Host During Super Bowl, NXT Divas “#LikeAGirl” Video

    – The NXT Divas released a “#LikeAGirl” video to go with the “Always #LikeAGirl” ad that aired during the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday evening. NXT General Manager William Regal tweeted that he was proud to present the video, which you can check out below.

    – As noted earlier today, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were in attendance at the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday night in Arizona cheering on the New England Patriots. During the game, Stephanie and television host Joel McHale of “The Soup” fame on E! went back-and-forth in a playful manner on social media. Below are some of the comments the two made to each other.

  • Sami Zayn On Rumors Of NXT Match At WrestleMania 31, Becoming NXT Champion & More

    NXT Champion Sami Zayn recently spoke to The National to promote WWE’s upcoming tour of Abu Dhabi.

    Below are highlights from the interview.

    On becoming NXT Champion: “It was huge for me on so many levels, professionally and personally. I don’t even know how to begin to put it into words, but it was definitely a career highlight for me.

    The match was one of my favourites of my career against one of my all-time best opponents in Adrian Neville, who I have known for years and years, so it is a really huge deal for me to be the NXT champion.

    In the interests of full disclosure, from a personal perspective, when I came here, there is a lot of doubts on how are you will do, because I came from an independent wrestling background, and you are not sure what kind of deal you are going to get.

    So, for me this is a big symbol of having kind of thrived in this kind of environment in WWE on the NXT level and makes me very confident in that next step forward on to the main roster I think I can do just as well as I have down in NXT. It is very important to me and it means a lot.”

    On how important crowd reactions are: “That is a very subjective question and different people are going to give you different answers. Personally, to me, the crowd is the show, that is just me. Someone else will tell you something completely different, it all stems from your background and experience or whatever.

    But for the me the crowd is the show and it can make or break the show, and any great memories in wrestling in my life, as a fan, that I remember, that I cling on to, that I think moved me or affected my life or decision to want to become a wrestler or anything like that, if I really stop and think about any one of them, it is all about the crowd at any given moment.

    The easiest example is the Rock versus Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8. They are not even moving for the first few minutes but the crowd is dancing. You watch something like that have such a profound affect on these people that it moves you.

    So to me the crowd is extremely important and in the case of the night I won the NXT championship I think that is definitely a big factor in why it was so amazing.

    Even after the match and all the celebrations, it probably went on for 10 minutes, and they were relentless and just loving it. I could probably watch it back over and over again because I don’t think I will ever get tired of knowing not only was I a part of that reaction, but that I was the cause of it, and that is very powerful to me.”

    On rumors of a NXT match at WrestleMania 31: “Obviously it goes without saying that it would be a dream come true to perform at WrestleMania. I really don’t know. I’ve heard rumours, but I put very little stock into them.

    But a small part of me feels as great as it would be to be on WrestleMania, you know the likelihood if we were featured in that kind of light, would be probably a five-minute showcase and that is not how you envision your WrestleMania debut.

    But listen, a WrestleMania debut is a WrestleMania debut, especially if you are defending a championship at WrestleMania. It would be awesome, it goes without saying. But I would hopefully envision a time when I can be at WrestleMania in a bigger role.”

    Check out the complete interview at TheNational.ae.

  • The Rock Helps Jimmy Fallon With New TV Show, NXT TV Taping Sells Out

    – The Rock was in New York City recently to assist “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon with the launch of his new Spike TV show called “Lip Synch Battle.” The show is scheduled to premiere on Spike TV on April 2nd.

    – The February 12th NXT television taping at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida are officially sold out. The 2/12 taping will be the night after the next NXT Takeover live special on the WWE Network. Less than 200 tickets remain for the NXT TV taping scheduled for February 18th.

  • Finn Balor Given Time Off Due To Leg Injury

    As noted over the weekend, NXT star Finn Balor seemed to suffer some kind of leg injury during his triple-threat live event match with Hideo Itami and Adrian Neville in Cocoa Beach. When the match was over, Balor reportedly limped to the back and seemed to be in pain.

    Balor did not work the NXT live event the following night and since then, it has been confirmed that Balor has been given time off from WWE to deal with an ankle injury of some kind.

    Balor’s injury doesn’t appear to be too serious. In fact, the rising NXT performer posted the following photo of himself skiing on Twitter.

    (Partial Credit: PWInsider.com)

  • Finn Balor Injured At NXT Live Event?, Hulk Hogan Predicts Royal Rumble Winner

    – There are some reports that claim Finn Balor suffered an injury during a triple-threat match with Hideo Itami and Adrian Neville at the NXT live event in Cocoa Beach on Friday night. After the match was over, Balor left to the back in a hurry and was apparently noticably limping. We will keep you posted.

    – WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan posted the following tweet this weekend, predicting Daniel Bryan to win this Sunday’s Royal Rumble match.

  • NXT Diva Carmella Speaks On Her Dream Match, Plans For 2015, Miss Elizabeth

    The following are highlights of a new WWE.com Q&A with NXT Diva Carmella:

    On being a fan of Miss Elizabeth: “When I was a little girl, I loved Miss Elizabeth. I would dress up in my old dance costumes and my dad would carry me around on his shoulder. I thought I was a true Diva. Sometimes the craziest dreams actually turn into reality and I truly feel blessed for this opportunity.”

    On her dream match: “My dream match would be with Trish Stratus. She was the epitome of a Diva and someone I looked up to as a little girl. Although she started as a fitness model, she didn’t let that hold her back. She was willing to work hard and wasn’t afraid to take risks, which is something I think we have in common. It would be an absolute honor and dream come true to step in the ring with her.”

    On her plans to win the NXT Divas Championship in 2015: “I’m headed straight for the top of the NXT Divas division. Although my road to NXT might have been different than the other Divas, I’m here to work. I put 100 percent into everything I do, and I won’t quit until I reach the top. Plus, I think we can all agree that the NXT Women’s Championship will look much more fabulous around my waist.”

    Check out the complete interview at WWE.com.

  • Kevin Owens On Triple H’s Dedication To NXT, His In-Ring Debut & More

    The following are highlights of a new Journey Of A Frontman interview with NXT star Kevin Owens:

    On what was going through his mind before his NXT debut match: “I wish I could tell you exactly what I was thinking about, but there were so many things going through my mind. I thought a lot about my family because they got me to the point.

    It sounds really corny because it seems like that’s what people would say when there’s a big moment in their lives. I thought about my kid, my parents and my wife. I remember at one point, I stopped midway through the ramp before I got in the ring and I clearly remember having a flash of running to the ring in my first match. It was just such a culmination. It’s always been my dream. It’s really hard to describe how memorable that was.”

    On Triple H: “All I can say is that Triple H is literally the most dedicated man in sports entertainment, nobody works as hard as he does. I only see glimpses of it when he’s at the NXT tapings and the specials, but he’s always available for ideas. We were talking about what I was gonna do and how I was gonna be presented, he was very hands-on. It’s not just me, he’s got his finger on the pulse of everything we do here. And we do a lot of stuff, there’s seventy people here and he keeps track of everyone.

    I don’t know when he sleeps, I don’t know when he works out, but he’s alive and he’s in great shape. From what I can tell, he’s a machine. His dedication is really something to behold. I’m lucky to have somebody like him willing to work with me, just like everybody else I mentioned earlier. He’s another great mind who knows so much more more about this than I do and he’s willing to share it with me and share it with anybody who wants the knowledge. It’s pretty awesome.”

    Check out the complete interview at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.

  • WWE Changes Original Plan For Next NXT Takeover Special, Recent WWE Attendance

    – The next NXT Takeover live special on the WWE Network is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11th. The original plan was for the show to take place in March, however the most recent NXT TV tapings were re-written at the last minute and storylines ended up being sped up to have the special in February.

    – Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:

    • January 15th in Winter Park, FL for NXT drew 400 fans
    • January 16th in Tampa, FL for NXT drew 275 fans
    • January 16th in St. Louis, MO drew 5,300 fans
    • January 17th in Jacksonville, FL for NXT drew 150 fans
    • January 17th in Abilene, TX drew 3,500 fans
    • January 17th in Las Vegas, NV drew 5,000 fans
    • January 18th in Houston, TX drew 5,000 fans
    • January 19th in Dallas, TX for RAW drew 12,000 fans
    • January 20th in Austin, TX for SmackDown drew 5,500 fans

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Update On NXT Stars In The Royal Rumble Match, Xavier Woods Injury News

    – WWE is considering the idea of having one or two NXT stars participate in Sunday’s 30-man Royal Rumble match.

    WWE surveyed fans asking which NXT stars they would most like to see in the Rumble, with the options being — Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, Kalisto, Tyler Breeze, Bull Dempsey and Enzo Amore.

    – Xavier Woods has been out of action at recent WWE live events due to an injury. The New Day member was wearing a walking boot on Monday’s RAW and noted that his ankle is currently “out of commission.” Regardless, Woods is still advertised to wrestle in the six-man tag-team match against Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Adam Rose this Sunday night.

  • NXT Star Getting Called Up To Main Roster Soon?, Jim Cornette On “Piper’s Pit”

    – There are some rumors going around NXT that Kalisto of the Lucha Dragons may be getting called up to the main WWE roster in the near future. It remains to be seen whether WWE keeps the team together, or if he’s brought in as a singles star.

    – Legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette is the guest on the latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:

    PP-Ep42 – Jim Cornette

    “Yeeee Hawwwww! Jim Cornette crashes into Piper’s Pit like a Level 5 Tornado, tearing apart everything you thought you knew about pro-wrestling. Why did Vince McMahon think Lex Luger was going to be the next Hulk Hogan? Who was tapped to run the WWF when Vince McMahon thought he’d be trading in his designer suits for prison stripes when the wrestling titan was an ass hair away from going to jail? You can only find out by downloading the latest episode of the best wrestling podcast in the whole damned world! Baby Jesus!”

    You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

  • Backstage Rumors On A Possible Debut At The Next NXT Takeover Special

    There are some rumors going around about the possibility of Solomon Crowe finally making his NXT television debut at the next Takeover special in February on the WWE Network.

    Apparently the fact that Crowe has been working NXT dark matches for so long has become a running joke among many of the regulars at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where NXT traditionally holds the majority of their events.

  • Another Royal Rumble Entrant Confirmed, Video Preview For This Week’s NXT

    – After an angle on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which saw Stephanie McMahon force Dean Ambrose to get papers signed by a doctor after a mental health evaluation, Ambrose is now officially confirmed as an entrant into the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble match.

    – Below is a video promo for this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, which airs on Wednesday, January 13th at 8pm EST.

    http://youtu.be/jheiJa1YbSYv

  • Update On Plans For NXT Involvement At WrestleMania Weekend, NXT Diva On “The Bachelor”

    – Despite the fact that Triple H was reportedly down on the idea of doing a NXT show during WrestleMania weekend this year, there are in fact plans to have NXT matches during the weekend, likely as part of WrestleMania Fan Axxess.

    – NXT Diva Devin Taylor was on the season opener of the popular reality television show “The Bachelor” on January 4th as a contestant under her real name — Brittany Fetkin. On the show, Fetkin was referred to as a “WWE Diva in training.” She ended up being eliminated from the show pretty early on in the season.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • ROH Champion Jay Briscoe Talks CM Punk Going To UFC, Success Of Stars In NXT

    The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with Ring of Honor Champion Jay Briscoe:

    On his gruesome shoulder injury in 2013: “It was pretty nasty, man. They said they could have did surgery for it and drove a screw down screwed the shoulder bone back into my arm but they said I would have been out for a while. So I just kinda let it heal on its own and now I guess it’s gonna be popped up like this until I get it taken care of. It’s not too bad I’ve learned to live with it.”

    On the success of ROH and independent stars in NXT: “I think it’s awesome. You see people like Claudio (Cesaro) on TV, I mean that’s my friend, I’m watching my friend succeed on TV, it’s cool being able to watch that. All the guys now in NXT seems like they’re just blowing up. It just shows that what we’re doing here in Ring of Honor, it’s almost like a proving ground. If you can do your thing and you can succeed here, it pretty much proves that you can handle it, you’ve got what it takes.”

    On CM Punk: “Punk’s my boy and he’s a determined dude if he puts his mind to something. I wish him all the luck in the world and I think he’s gonna surprise some people, man.”

    Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

  • Sami Zayn To Remain In NXT For Another Year?, Cameron’s “Bye Bye” Music Video

    – NXT officials are looking at doing a lengthy singles program between NXT Champion Sami Zayn and new NXT Superstar Kevin Owens. Depending on how long they keep the feud going, Zayn could end up staying in NXT for another year.

    – Below is the official music video for the single “Bye Bye” by WWE Diva and Total Divas star Cameron (aka Arianne).

    http://youtu.be/s3uyMQuYhfg

  • Update On Kurt Angle’s Future: Job As A Coach In NXT?

    As noted earlier this week, TNA announced the re-signing of Kurt Angle, which obviously means he will not be returning to WWE as was rumored a few months back. Apparently, WWE simply wasn’t interested in bringing Angle back as an active performer.

    There is, however, a feeling within WWE that once Angle is eventually done with his in-ring career, he will most likely be hired as a coach/trainer for their NXT developmental system.

  • VIDEO: Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier AND Their Camps Involved In CRAZY Backstage Altercation On Thursday

  • VIDEO: Official Promo For NXT Moving To Wednesday Nights

    WWE issued the above video promo regarding NXT moving to Wednesday nights on the WWE Network.

    NXT moves from Thursday to Wednesday due to the weekly time change for WWE SmackDown, which moves to Thursdays later this month.

    NXT begins airing on Wednesday nights at 8pm EST. on the WWE Network starting January 14th.

  • VIDEO: Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier AND Their Camps Involved In CRAZY Backstage Altercation On Thursday

  • NXT Preview For Tonight On The WWE Network

    The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, the first episode of the show of 2015.

    – The Ascension vs. Fin Balor & Hideo Itami

    – NXT Tag Team champions The Lucha Dragons vs. Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger

    – Blue Pants vs. Carmella

    – Baron Corbin vs. C.J. Parker

    Also appearing on tonight’s show are NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, Bull Dempsey, Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Sasha Banks, Natalya and Becky Lynch.

  • Following CM Punk, Del Rio Situations, WWE Changes EVERY Performers Contracts (FULL STORY)

  • NXT Diva Does Main Roster Announcing, ROH Graduate Working With Adam Rose

    – NXT Diva and former Total Divas cast member JoJo did some of the ring announcing at the WWE live event on Monday night in Richmond, Virginia.

    – Ring Of Honor graduate Mandy Leon has been on the road with WWE working as a “Rosebud” for the past week. Below is a photo of Mandy with Adam Rose.

    https://twitter.com/WWEAdamRose/status/549746753906696192

  • Undertaker CONFIRMED For WrestleMania 31 Weekend For Either A MATCH Or A WWE HOF Induction …

  • NXT Stars Congratulate The Ascension, Rapper Attends RAW, Lucha Underground Marathon

    – The El Rey Network will be airing a Lucha Underground marathon tonight, featuring eight hours worth of shows, beginning at 4pm EST.

    – Hip-hop artist Wale, who is friends with Paul Heyman and is a Washington D.C. native, was in attendance at Monday’s RAW.

    – Several NXT talents sent congratulatory messages to The Ascension after their in-ring debut for the main WWE roster on RAW. Paige noted that she actually went out into the arena to watch their match.

  • Undertaker CONFIRMED For WrestleMania 31 Weekend For Either A MATCH Or A WWE HOF Induction …

  • Finn Balor Speaks On Learning At The Performance Center, Busy NXT Schedule

    The following are highlights of a new Finn Balor interview from The Score:

    On being in WWE: “It’s kind of like the culmination of 14 years hard work. At the beginning, I just wanted to have a wrestling match, and I did that in England. I just took it step by step and to be here in WWE — it’s a real feeling of achievement. But now that I’m here, I want to achieve more. So this is the beginning of a whole new chapter for me. It’s been an incredible experience so far and I’m just looking forward to seeing what happens in the future. WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world, and it is that for a reason.”

    On learning at the WWE Performance Center: “The coaches here include Billy Gunn, Matt Bloom, Norman Smiley and Terry Taylor… So there’s just a wealth of experience to learn from. It’s really been like the floodgates have opened for me. The amount I’ve learned in the last three or four months here has surpassed what I learned in the past three or four years before that.”

    On the busy schedule in NXT: “The schedule here [is manic]. We’re working six days a week. We train in the ring three hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the weight room in the afternoon Monday to Friday. Then Thursday, Friday and Saturday we have shows in the evening where we’re competing. So there’s very little free time to get home, and at the moment, it’s all eyes on the prize, and training to build my career in NXT.”

    Check out the complete interview at TheScore.ie.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31