Logan Paul sent a message to Roman Reigns on last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
The 27-year-old made his way to the ring at the end of SmackDown for a promo. He suggested that he was going to shock the world and defeat Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Honorary Uce Sami Zayn was on the phone with Roman Reigns earlier on the show and was instructed to inform The Bloodline not to confront Logan Paul. Sami told The Bloodline not to do so but Jey Uso didn’t listen. Jey made his way to the ring and Logan knocked him out with one punch.
Jim Cornette Praises Logan Paul
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette had high praise for Logan Paul following his segment on last week’s episode of SmackDown. Speaking on the Jim Cornette Experience, the legendary manager praised Logan Paul for his promo ability and for taking the business seriously.
This guy can talk. He’s taking the business more seriously than the guys that are in it. He’s constructed, whether it is his story or whether they gave it to him and he’s fleshed it out, about nobody takes him seriously.
They don’t think he’s going to beat Roman Reigns but what if he gets one lucky shot? They said he couldn’t do this, they said he couldn’t do that and look where he is now.
He seems serious and motivated. And he’s got personality. It is not just scripted bullsh** or a monotone uninteresting delivery like Ronda Rousey has been, where she’s just like in a trance and doesn’t give a sh**.
I think this guy is going to do very well. Also, we’ve seen before he takes the physical part seriously too and he’s been training.
Cornette added that he is more offended by wrestlers like Orange Cassidy or Joey Janela than celebrities such as Logan Paul trying their hand in the wrestling business.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE is coming off its latest NXT premium live event – Halloween Havoc – this past Saturday night was headlined by Bron Breakker defending the NXT Championship in a Triple Threat match against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh.
“Halloween Havoc was NXT’s most-viewed standalone PLE since the start of the Peacock relationship. By standalone, I mean running a weekend where there is no main roster PLE.”
TakeOver: In Your House 2021, TakeOver 36, and WarGames 2021 were the only three standalone premium live events the brand put on since the Peacock partnership began in early 2021.
Internal Feeling
(WWE)
Halloween Havoc 2022 can now be added to that list, topping them all. Zarian also added how NBCUniversal, the parent company of the USA Network, the home of weekly NXT TV and Peacock, feels about the brand.
“More on Halloween Havoc — Execs were “encouraged” that additional promotion helped translate into additional viewership for this PLE. The overall attitude towards NXT from NBCU side of things has been very positive over the past few weeks.”
A few weeks ago, WWE dropped the “2.0” from the NXT name as the brand had taken on a new identity starting in September in 2021. WWE will present the next NXT premium live event, NXT Deadline, on December 10 — the same day as Ring of Honor’s Final Battle pay-per-view. No matches for NXT Deadline have been announced just yet.
Shawn Michaels and The Rock never worked a singles match together in their wrestling careers. The only time that they shared the ring was when Michaels served as a special guest referee for two of The Rock’s matches.
Over the years, there have been rumors that Michaels’ attitude in the 90s towards The Rock caused Rock to never want to work with him. In 2017, Rocky Johnson, the father of the Rock, shared that Rock was upset that Michaels caught him too hard with the Sweet Chin Music, leading to a confrontation between the two.
Before Rock became a top star, Michaels retired in 1998 but made sporadic appearances in the following years. He returned full-time in 2002 at WWE SummerSlam against Triple H.
While speaking to Logan Paul on ImPAULsive, Michaels was asked where things stood with The Rock and noted that it wasn’t as bad as people thought.
Shawn Michaels on The Rock
(WWE)
“I’ve never worked with him. His daughter [Simon Johnson] is here [in NXT]. The times I’ve seen him, we’ve always gotten along okay. I don’t think it was as bad as everyone made it out to be. I know I gave everybody a hard time back when I was younger. When I came back, I made sure I went up to everybody and was at least like, ‘Sorry.’ That’s the best that I could do. When I came back in 2002, I knew there was going to be, ‘We’ll see.’ It was important to me to go around and make amends and at least tell everyone, ‘Sorry about the way I was. I have no excuse. I’m willing to earn back whatever. If you never talk to me again, I’m cool with that too.”
Michaels is currently the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative at WWE, while The Rock is arguably the biggest movie star in the world,
With WWE gearing up for its return to Saudi Arabia in just over a week and the announcement on Monday of what the company has planned for the Elimination Chamber event, there has been speculation as to when WWE will hold its first Saudi Arabia in 2023.
On November 5th, WWE will present its Crown Jewel premium live event headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Logan Paul from Saudi Arabia.
On February 18, 2023, the Elimination Chamber event will be held from the Bell Centre in Montreal, marking a change from this year, where they held the Chamber event from Saudi and had a main event that saw Brock Lesnar regain the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match.
For November, WWE will have two premium live events with Crown Jewel and then hold the Survivor Series event later in the month. WWE won’t be doing this in February, a typical month that WWE holds Saudi shows.
WWE’s Return
WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia
According to Pwinsider.com, there will not be a Saudi Arabia event in February as is planning to hold the next Saudi Arabia show in the Spring, although an official date has yet been locked down.
WWE and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority have a long-term partnership through 2027. That contract states that WWE is obligated to hold two events annually in the country.
Dana Brooke has fired back at Seth Rollins for his comment about her on Monday Night RAW this week.
During the show last night, while on commentary, Rollins addressed the possibility of Austin Theory cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase on him for the United States Championship.
Rollins said that Theory “has a better chance cashing in on Dana Brooke!” Brooke definitely caught wind of this, and was seemingly not happy about it. She took to Twitter to fire back at Rollins, saying the following.
“Talk is CHEAP!! I work my a** off every single day & will not tolerate this sh*t anymore! I can promise you I am the hardest working WOMAN around, never have I taken off work, always worked through injuries, proved multiple times I can fit any position given & DO IT W/ A SMILE!”
Talk is CHEAP!! I work my ass off every single day & will not tolerate this shit anymore! I can promise you I am the hardest working WOMAN around, never have I taken off work, always worked through injuries, proved multiple times I can fit any position given & DO IT W/ A SMILE! https://t.co/Sx6vzrliHI
Brooke, who is no stranger to being poked fun at on live TV by her peers, has been with WWE since 2013, having worked on both RAW and SmackDown Live. Throughout that time, Brooke has yet to win a championship title outside of the 24/7 Championship.
Photo Credit: WWE.com
As of this writing, Brooke is a 13-time WWE 24/7 Champion, and currently holds the title, which is what Rollins was referencing in his comment last night.
Alexa Bliss has opened up on the criticism that she and other WWE stars receive from fans, and how “disheartening’ it can be.
Bliss was recently interviewed by The UK Metro, where she discussed what it’s like to be in the spotlight and receive so much criticism from the likes of WWE fans. The former RAW Women’s Champion believes everyone has a right to their own opinion.
However, when the line is crossed and fans are not criticizing their storylines or characters – but rather themselves as people – it’s a “disheartening” experience.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t really understand – nine times out of 10 when you see us performing, we are going on no sleep, we are going on beat up bodies because we do travel four, five, six days a week.
“We are emotionally exhausted, we are mentally exhausted, we are physically exhausted but we are doing it to entertain everyone else. I agree that everyone should have the right to speak their opinion.
“But when you talk about us as human beings, people, and not our characters, that’s where the line stops, and I don’t feel like that’s OK. But we do it because we love what we do, we love entertaining people. It’s really disheartening and heartbreaking when we are putting our all out there.”
(WWE)
Alexa Bliss recently made her return to WWE TV after a lengthy layoff in which she got married. Now, Bliss has separated herself from her former supernatural persona alongside Bray Wyatt, who has also since returned to WWE.
Now, Bliss is back on Monday Night RAW, looking to get back in the World Title picture that is currently lead by champion Bianca Belair.
Former Monday Night RAW commentator Jimmy Smith has opened up on his WWE release.
Smith recently took to his Sirius XM MMA show Unlocking the Cage, where he discussed his departure from the professional wrestling juggernaut.
The former mixed martial arts (MMA) commentator explained that he’s doing fine after the release, explaining he didn’t ever expect to be in WWE in the first place.
“When people say, ‘Are you okay? Is everything alright?’ I didn’t expect to do this at all. At all, I had no idea that I would be doing professional wrestling at all. The call came out of the blue, the audition came out of the blue, getting on Raw came out of the blue.
“And me leaving is out of the blue. So I didn’t expect any of this. So to then lose it, everyone is asking me — I’m fine. I didn’t expect to be there at all. This is all kind of a goof.
“It all feels almost like a dream when you look back on it. Like, ‘Dude, I called WrestleMania? That’s weird.’”
Prior to joining WWE, Jimmy Smith was known as a MMA commentator for promotions such as Bellator MMA and the UFC. He also did some commentary work for boxing before signing with WWE in May of 2021.
During that run, he commentated some big events, including WrestleMania earlier this year in Texas.
Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is very impressed with Logan Paul’s in-ring performances thus far, and thinks Paul will fare well in his upcoming title match.
Roman Reigns is scheduled to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Paul next month at WWE Crown Jewel.
The Tribal Chief most recently defeated Drew McIntyre at WWE Clash at the Castle in September to retain the title. Logan Paul enters the match as a heavy underdog as the popular YouTuber has only had two matches in his career.
He teamed with The Miz at WrestleMania to defeat The Mysterios and then defeated The A-Lister in a singles match at SummerSlam. Logan Paul was recently spotted training with a WWE Hall of Famer and Roman reacted to the photos.
Kofi Kingston Picks The Winner Of The Title Match At Crown Jewel
Kingston recently spoke with Steve Fall for NBC Boston’s The Ten Count. Kingston is looking forward to Reigns vs, Paul and gave his pick for who will leave Crown Jewel as champion.
Look man, I know I’ve said on a lot of different interviews that I’m very impressed with the way that Logan Paul’s been able to like naturally be so good.
Not even good, but like kind of amazing in the ring these past couple of matches that he’s had.
You’re not supposed to be that good. You’re not supposed to be able to pick it up that fast, from promos, all the way to in-ring work, moves, and like attitude. Making things look realistic and believing it, you’re not supposed to be that good.
I love the way he’s brought just amazing energy to the WWE like you can’t take your eyes off him. It’s amazing. Having said that, I’ve got to go with Roman Reigns.
I mean, you’re not the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion for almost two years now without being very good.
His progression has been phenomenal. Seeing him develop in terms of character all the way from The Shield to what he is now, it’s remarkable, and just carrying the industry right now.
Realistically, I feel like Roman should kind of wipe the floor with him. But, Logan Paul, he’s surprised me the past couple of matches. So, I’m going to watch like everybody else and see what’s what.
WWE Crown Jewel takes place Saturday, November 5 at 12pm ET / 9am PT from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event streams live exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and on WWE Network internationally.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit NBC Ten Count with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
According to former WWE head-writer Brian Gewirtz, Vince McMahon once declared a WWE Superstar had picked the “worst name” he had ever heard. McMahon made his disdain for former Superstar Al Snow known during a conversation with Gewirtz many years ago.
First arriving to WWE in 1998, Al Snow widely made himself known for carrying around a mannequin head named “Head.” Amidst his run, Snow notably captured the European Championship, and acquired six Hardcore Championship reigns. In addition, he created a strong bond with writer, Brian Gewirtz — who went on to develop multiple creative pitches for Snow’s on-screen character.
Then WWE Chairmen Vince McMahon was not a fan of those repeated pitches, as Gewirtz recently revealed on Notsam Wrestling. Gewirtz said he fell into a common “trap” of “becoming friends with wrestlers too quickly,” that ultimately lead an outburst by Vince McMahon.
“There’s no name in professional wrestling worse than Al Snow.”
Vince McMahon
“In my case, I’m buddying up with Al Snow. I hit it off with him when we were shooting these vignettes with him and Steve Blackman back in the day. Al’s a great guy and he’s very funny and personable. I would push Al and Al Snow matches to the point of being very detrimental to Al himself because it’s like, ‘Oh, this fucking guy and his Al Snow obsession’ to the point where it was just like, ‘would you please stop pitching Al Snow?’
“I think the fact that I was pitching Al Snow so much probably, somewhere in Vince’s head as we were making a drive in the Carolinas, I think was like, ‘what is this guy’s obsession with Al Snow? Al Snow, [it’s a] stupid name anyway.’ Then just blurting out loud after the conversation about Al that ended 20 minutes ago, [he said] ‘there’s no name in professional wrestling worse than Al Snow.’”
I was like boy, ‘I have done a disservice to this person I’m trying to help,’” Gewirtz recalled.
Creative Pitches
Gewirtz continued on to discuss some of the ideas he initially pitched for Snow when he came on board as a writer:
“Al Snow, basically, he still had the ‘What Does Everybody Want?’ theme music and everything. But when I started, ‘Head’ was still part of his gimmick, but we were trying to do other things with him. That’s why the stuff with Steve Blackman, Head Cheese [happened]. I pitched the idea of him coming out in a different European outfit every time he was defending the [WWE] European title.
“Again, just to make it entertaining, it’s like a cold match between Al Snow and Viscera, let’s say, on SmackDown. ‘Well, what can we do?’Well, what if Al is celebrating Luxembourg because he is European Champion, All right. Then we like, ‘let’s get all these props and magic and let’s have them come out in lederhosen one day’ and all this type of thing. And Al always played it to the hill perfectly. In the midst of accidentally torpedoing his ending with Vince, that we could actually sneak in some good stuff along the way.”
Jeff Jarrett has expressed his respect for wrestling legend ‘Bullet’ Bob Armstrong, calling the WWE Hall of Famer the John Cena of his era.
Armstrong broke into the wrestling industry in 1960 and would compete for over half a century before his final match in 2019.
Armstrong would capture dozens of championships throughout his career, including over a dozen reigns as a Heavyweight Champion.
Less than a year after his final match, Armstrong passed away in August 2020 due to complications with bone cancer.
Bullet Bob Armstrong
In 2002, Armstrong began working with the up-start promotion TNA Wrestling, known today as Impact Wrestling.
Working with TNA put Armstrong together with company founder Jeff Jarrett, a long-time fan of Armstrong.
Speaking on his ‘My World’ podcast, Jarrett praised Bullet Bob as one of the greatest of all time.
“Bob was a regional, a territory superstar, but he was like a megastar. He was a Hulk Hogan. He was a Stone Cold [Steve Austin.] He was a John Cena of the territories. He was so good at his trade, at his craft.
“He could talk them into the building like none other. He looked great. He worked out, daily into his late, late, late, late years. Until he got really sick, he was in the gym. He took care of his body. He worked his a** off. He was just a megastar.”
“He was a Hulk Hogan. He was a Stone Cold [Steve Austin.] He was a John Cena of the territories.”
Jeff Jarrett on ‘Bullet’ Bob Armstrong.
Speaking about Armstrong’s 2011 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, Jarrett said there were very few more deserving of the honor.
“His place in the WWE Hall of Fame is big-time rightfully deserved in so many ways.”
Jeff Jarrett.
“He was box office, and at the end of the day, that is what the industry is about. You can be a good in-ring performer, you can have a great promo skill. You can do this and that. In this era, you can have all kind of five-star accolades. Bullet drew money, and that’s the most important thing at the end of the day. Bullet put butts in seats.”
Bullet’s Legacy
While Bob Armstrong was an accomplished wrestler in his own-right, he would also be the father to four sons who broke into the industry.
Armstrong was the father to Bob, Scott, Steve and Brian Armstrong, the latter of whom fans known as ‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James.
Speaking about the family, Jarrett had even more praise.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Scott, Brad, Steve, Brian. They’re all phenomenal workers… Brian by far has the best verbal skill but in-ring skills, they can all tell stories.”
Jeff Jarrett.
All four Armstrong sons would compete in the ring, and Scott Armstrong would go on to become a WWE referee.
It appears that Nikki A.S.H. is no more and Nikki Cross is back in WWE.
Bayley squared off against Bianca Belair in the main event of tonight’s episode of WWE RAW. The EST defeated The Role Model in a Ladder match to retain the RAW Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules and tonight’s bout was a non-title match.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY were ringside for the match to root on the leader of Damage CTRL. Bayley knocked the RAW Women’s Champion out of the ring and distracted the referee as Dakota and IYO beat Bianca down.
A mystery woman then flew off of the top turnbuckle and leveled the referee, Kai, and SKY with a Crossbody. Back in the ring, Belair connected with the KOD but there was no referee for the cover.
Nikki Cross then got into the ring and planted Belair with a Fisherman’s Neckbreaker. Bayley capitalized on the attack and covered Belair for the pinfall victory. After the bell, Nikki Cross attacked Bayley and stood tall in the ring as the crowd booed to close the show.
When was the last time Nikki was on WWE TV?
Nikki A.S.H. teased a character change on September 26th following her loss to Candice LeRae on RAW. She was scheduled to battle her former tag team partner, Doudrop, but Candice was revealed as a surprise opponent. Candice picked up the victory in her debut match on the main roster and Nikki took off her mask in frustration after the match.
She won the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match last year and cashed in on Charlotte Flair to win the RAW Women’s Championship. Nikki has also been in tag teams with Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley on the main roster. She debuted on the November 6, 2018, episode of SmackDown against Becky Lynch. The former NXT faction SAniTY accompanied her to the entrance ramp.
The Judgment Day kicked off this week’s episode of WWE RAW and cut a promo on The OC ahead of their match at Crown Jewel next month.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson recently returned to the company after two years away. Finn Balor had been trying to recruit AJ Styles to The Judgment Day but The Phenomenal One declined.
The Judgment Day attacked Styles but Gallows and Anderson made the save. WWE has announced that The OC will battle The Judgment Day in a 6-man tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel.
James Ellsworth Reacts to AJ Styles Referencing Him on WWE RAW
During The Judgment Day’s promo, Dominik Mysterio claimed that he was this generation’s Eddie Guerrero. Dominik picked up a victory over AJ Styles last week after Rhea Ripley interfered.
After the comment by Dominik, The OC interrupted and made their way to the entrance ramp. AJ Styles joked that Dominik is more like this generation’s James Ellsworth. Styles and Ellsworth had a humorous rivalry along with Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) several years ago.
James Ellsworth took to Twitter to upload a video of him spitting out a beer after AJ referenced him on RAW. Ellsworth defeated AJ Styles multiple times on SmackDown in 2016 thanks to interference by Dean Ambrose. He was released from WWE in November 2017.
Karl Anderson went on to battle Finn Balor in a singles match to begin RAW. Balor picked up the victory after Rhea interfered in the match again. Rhea also hit Luke Gallows with a Body Slam during the match in an awesome moment.
Triple H had been away from WWE events for a week after testing positive for COVID-19 but was said to be doing well. The good news is that The Game is back in the saddle.
Triple H was backstage at this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, according to Sean Ross Sapp via Fightful Select. He was there to run things and appeared to be feeling okay.
Triple H is Back
(BT Sport)
The report adds:
“We’re told he was feeling okay and just frustrated he had to miss the event. Road Dogg filled in during his absence, and most of the show was written by the day before, as was SmackDown.”
Triple H’s return comes at a good time as it will give the crew a morale boost ahead of the building to its next premium live event.
WWE will have a double SmackDown taping this Friday before having a live Monday Night Raw next week ahead of them flying over to Saudi Arabia for the November 5th Crown Jewel event, which will be headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Logan Paul.
Kofi Kingston captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 by defeating Daniel Bryan, now known in All Elite Wrestling as Bryan Danielson.
Kingston hit Bryan with the Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall victory. The veteran celebrated with the New Day in the ring as the crowd erupted. A video went viral featuring MVP and the tragically passed Shad Gaspard getting emotional following Kingston’s victory.
Speaking with Steve Fall of NBC Ten Count, a question was sent in by students for Kofi Kingston. He was asked if he felt his WWE character has impacted young African-American children and if he finds it a responsibility of his every time he’s in front of the camera. Kingston responded with
Absolutely. Being the first African-born WWE Champion impacted a lot of African-American children in ways, and really all children, but particularly African-American children because you didn’t really see African-born Superstars in championship roles.
And I mean main championship roles. It is something you didn’t see, and it is one thing to say like anything is possible because, in theory, anything is possible.
If you believe in yourself, you can be the one who breaks the ground and you can be the first person to do something.
But it is a whole other thing to say that anything is possible because it actually happened.
– Kofi Kingston
Kingston said that he was blown away by all the videos of him on social media after winning the WWE Championship. He still gets messages about it to this day.
“So we were in New Orleans, like me and my son walking in, and one of the security guards stopped me and talked to me about how impactful that moment was to him watching it as an adult.
You have all these videos of people watching it with their kids and it just really establishes a sense of hope, and belief that you can do whatever you want to do.”
Not the Typical WWE Champion
“By all standards, I shouldn’t be here. I’m not 6’8”, I’m not 300 pounds, and I don’t have a strapping chest.
As a matter of fact, I have pretty much all sternum. No muscle here. My legs are very skinny, I’m not as big as the other people on the roster.
When I was a kid and I told people that I wanted to be a WWE Superstar they laughed at me because I didn’t look the part.
Now, you fast forward all these years later, I’ve been able to have so many incredible accolades, so many awesome moments, I’ve had 22 different title reigns. This is all from a guy that wasn’t supposed to be here.”
Watch Kofi Kingston WWE Championship Celebration:
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit NBC Ten Count with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Bianca Belair and Bayley have been involved in a rivalry in WWE since last year.
Bayley was training for her match against Bianca Belair at Money in the Bank 2021 when she tore her ACL. The Role Model returned at SummerSlam alongside IYO SKY and Dakota Kai. The trio is now known to WWE fans as Damage CTRL.
Dakota and IYO recently captured the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Bayley battled Bianca in a Ladder match at Extreme Rules but The EST was able to retain the RAW Women’s Championship. Their rivalry continues tonight on RAW in a non-title match.
Bayley & Bianca Belair Trade Words Ahead of Tonight’s Match on WWE RAW
The RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Bayley are set to battle tonight once again in a singles match. Bayley has not defeated Bianca in a singles match since 2020. The Role Model did get the pin on The Est during the 6-woman tag team match at Clash at the Castle last month.
Bayley posted on Instagram that tonight is the beginning of the end for the RAW Women’s Champion.
TONIGHT We’ve been through a lot together in these last couple of years and it’s been a journey. It’s been fun, annoying, tiresome, distracting, motivating, and some more annoying.
I’ve watched you grow from this young hopeful into a main eventer in what seemed almost over night.
But I know that wasn’t easy, because the lifestyle of a pro wrestler is far from easy. I’ve seen how dedicated you are to this company, I’ve seen you go out of your way for fans.
I’ve seen you not go home for weeks just to make the shows, I’ve seen you all over the country making appearances to make sure @wwe is represented the right way.
And for that, I thank you. But just know that all of those things are the EXACT reason I need to beat you tonight.
Nobody loves this company or business more than I do and I should be the one waving that WWE flag around the world, not you!!! This sh*t runs through my blood and I guarantee you have no idea what that feels like or how it fuels me.
So tonight when I beat you Bianca, it is the beginning of the end for you. #raw
Belair took to Twitter and wondered if it was actually going to be a singles match or if Damage CTRL were going to interfere once again.
Soooo… is it Me vs. 1 of them?… or all 3 of them?… this time. Asking for a friend…
Soooo… is it Me vs. 1 of them?… or all 3 of them?… this time?
Renee Paquette wasn’t the only on-air talent to have talks with AEW, who had a past in WWE, as Cathy Kelley did.
The battle to sign talent between WWE and AEW doesn’t just mean in-ring performers but outside of the talent. It was reported that WWE had reached out to Paquette before signing with the rival promotion to see if she would be interested in returning to the company where she did commentary, hosting, and interviewing work.
Another broadcaster went the opposite direction, according to Fightful Select.
Earlier this month, WWE announced big commentary changes and on-air shakeups. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are the main commentators for SmackDown. Samantha Irvin serves as the ring announcer, with Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant as backstage interviewers. Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves are on the commentary team for Raw. Mike Rome is the ring announcer, while Cathy Kelley and Byron Saxton conduct onscreen interviews.
Cathy Kelley Was Nearly All Elite
Cathy Kelley
Sources told Fightful earlier this year that Cathy had conversations with AEW, including speaking to Tony Khan directly at some point about the possibility of working there, and that things looked promising. It didn’t happen, and there’s no word yet on what happened to make the deal not be reached.
Kelley and AEW were on solid terms before she headed back to WWE. Kelley returned to WWE after leaving the company in 2020.
Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz has offered some insight into an on-screen segment that saw The Rock impersonate then WWF Champion Triple H.
In mid- February of 2000, Triple H and D-Generation X targeted the likes of Kane and Mick Foley, forcibly shoving them into their DX-Express travel bus on an episode of RAW. Later in the evening, the New Age Outlaws defended their WWF World Tag Team Championships against The Rock and The Big Show. However, The Rock ended up challenging for the titles alone.
Before the bout could conclude, The Big Show appeared to confront The Rock before the two traded punches. Billy Gunn and Road Dogg (The New Age Outlaws) would then join the Big Show in fending off The Rock. Soon after, “The World’s Largest Athlete” took hold of Rock, dragging and throwing him into the baggage compartment of the DX-Express. The Rock would eventually escape, surprising The Big Show with a slate of wood to the back of his head.
The following week, DX, along with Stephanie McMahon, gathered in the ring to brag about leaving Foley and Kane stranded. The Rock, however, was unamused with their celebration. In cutting off Triple H, “The People’s Champ” emerged to cut a promo, mocking the way “The Game” spoke.
Pitching The Idea
In speaking on NotSam Wrestling, former WWE head-writer Brian Gewirtz recently opened up about the meeting for the idea, which saw him in the same room with Triple H during the pitch.
“I think that was in 2000, and the stage being set for that with us coming up with the idea for the promo, me pitching to him doing the Triple H voice and then pitching it to Vince, which normally would be easy. But when we went into Vince’s office, which at the time this is pretty incredible to consider, the writing team was so small that the writers shared an office with Vince. The writers didn’t get their own little office until 2002.”
“We would share our office with Vince, so we would go in and at that time Triple H and all of DX and Stephanie [McMahon] were all there, and Rock was setting up the promo and he’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to love it, Hunter.’ I go in and [Rock says], ‘You know, Triple H, every time you open your mouth, you sound exactly like this.’ Then he stops and goes, ‘Brian, go ahead, do the voice.’”
As he was put on the spot with eight people, including the match producers, in the room, Gewirtz tried to avoid mimicking Triple H. “‘Well, you have to do it in TV. We should hear how you do it,’” he told The Rock. “He’s like, ‘But I’m learning from you when you do it.’”
WWE Chairmen Vince McMahon then proceeded to interject, saying ‘Damn it, Bryan, do the damn voice.’”
WWE has excelled through many eras in its history. From the famous Attitude Era, to Ruthless Aggression, to the New Era, World Wrestling Entertainment has garnered favorable success. Perhaps one of the more polarizing eras though, ran just over a year amidst the family-friendly format of the company: the Guest Host Era.
From June 29, 2009 until June 14, 2010, Monday Night RAW featured a special celebrity guest host each week. Ranging from backstage segments, to in-ring confrontations, to even booking Superstar matches, the guest host element would become a key feature to the weekly editions of RAW with the likes of Shaquille O’Neil, Betty White, and Bob Barker.
Despite the addition of some high-profile celebrities, former head writer Brian Gewirtz admitted his shock at how long the era actually survived. During a recent interview with Sam Roberts for his NotSam Wrestling podcast, Gewirtz opened up about this unique period in WWE history.
“It’s amazing that it lasted for over a full year, which is crazy to think about,” he began.
“I think everyone is kind of in agreement on the best shows from that era. Most people liked the Bob Barker episode a great deal. They liked Hugh Jackman. They liked Mike Tyson. Shaquille O’Neal was really good. Ozzy Osborne people liked, even Seth Green, when he kicked it off — that went really well.”
“It never should have been an era to begin with, but it did, and somehow we all survived.”
Brian Gewirtz continued on to reveal the original idea behind the era:
“The whole idea was born out of, how could we just take a break from the heel GM character? That segued into what if it was a different legend every week who was the GM? That’s when to what if it was a different celebrity every week? And then that turned into what if we’re just like Saturday Night Live only better?”
Memorable Guest Hosts
In naming some of the memorable guest hosts from the era, Gewirtz recalled meeting stand-up comedian Ken Jeong after he had tossed over the top rope by John Cena.
“I got to meet and become friends with Dr. Ken Jeong from the Jeremy Piven episode, who very bravely agreed to get himself thrown out of the ring from John Cena and was assured by everyone that he would be caught safely,” he said.” He was caught, but I don’t think he landed safely as his head smacked against the steel entrance way and he had to stitch himself up. hYat’s the thing, like the pacing, like waiting for Dr. Ken to come out, waiting for Ken to come out and going, ‘Oh my God, is he going to be pissed? I thought I had this brand new friend. Now he’s going to hate me. What’s going to happen? Is he going to badmouth WWE to everyone he knows in Hollywood, or is our reputation going to be sunk?’
Then he comes out and is just like so full of adrenaline and positive energy. He was like, ‘that was awesome,’ and apologizing to me like, ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t take that bump right.’ Like, again? No, I mean, personally, we’re glad you’re not suing all of us, but also glad that you’re okay and are happy about this.”
The Hoff Arrives To RAW
On April 12th, 2010, actor David Hasselhoff arrived in the United Kingdom to host RAW, later instructing David Otunga to face then WWE Champion John Cena. There, Brian Gewirtz explained how the Hasselhoff episode ultimately led to guest hosts no longer being allowed to book matches.
“When David Hasselhoff in the UK, when he had all these–Hasselhoff is great. At this point Dave Kapoor is one of the former writers, WWE, the former Ranjin Singh of the Great Khali fame. He’d come up to me because David is, as you know, the friendliest, most affable person, and he’s not faking it, he just is.”
“[Ranjin] come up to me and like, ‘Hey, Brian. Yeah, man. So Hasselhoff wants a group of people to be hanging out in the parking lot, chanting, Hoff, Hoff, Hoff! Then he gets out of his big truck and they follow him into the arena all the way in the ring, and they’re chanting Hoff!’ I’m like, ‘okay’ and then he’s got to somehow make the Intercontinental title match at SummerSlam. None of this makes sense anymore.”
The Hasselhoff show was when Vince [McMahon] finally said, okay, these guest hosts no longer have the power to make matches. They’re just going to be there, andthat’s when you saw like a turning point. That’s when it all started to wane a little bit, where it’s like they’d have their one segment, but it wouldn’t be like we’d go into their guest host office and then people would be arguing and they’d make a match and that kind of thing, because it was just a very, very unfair position to put them in, especially the non-wrestling fans who had to now learn all this exposition and ‘but it’s going to be a no disqualification match, but you got to remember it’s going to be taking place this Sunday night live on pay per view right now on the WWE Network’ and all that kind of thing.
“It’s like, I just want to come in and have fun. What am I doing here? I have so much information to give that ultimately, it kind of fizzled and then changed. And then it’s like, ‘Hey, if a celebrity happens to be on the show this week, great.’ But now they don’t have the onus of having to book matches and be in charge, and remember a lot of things, which is the way it should have been in the first place.”
Kofi Kingston is a former WWE Champion, four-time Intercontinental Champion, three-time US Champion, and thirteen-time tag team champion.
There are currently a lot of factions with three members in WWE. The Brawling Brutes, Imperium, Legado del Fantasma, New Day, etc.
Speaking with Steve Fall of NBC Ten Count, Kofi discussed the possibility of WWE introducing Trios Championships down the line.
Anything is possible, man. Like you said, there is a lot of trios going on, Sheamus and The Brawling Brutes, The Bloodline, New Day. We’ll see how E (Big E) does, he’s getting a lot better for those who are concerned.
He was actually rollerskating the other day and I’m like ‘oh my God is he okay?’. He’s coming along and he’s in great spirits. We’re just kind of taking it one day at a time with him.
But yeah, I think a Trios title would be interesting. It is obviously something that has never been done before in WWE. Who knows? You got to stay tuned and watch to find out!
Kofi Kingston on a Tag Team Match Headlining WrestleMania
During the interview on NBC Ten Count, it was pointed out that a tag team match has not headlined a WrestleMania since 1985. Kofi was asked if fans will ever see a tag team match main event a WrestleMania again and he said it was possible. Kingston added that The Usos would make the most sense as their opponent at WrestleMania.
Anything is possible, like I said. For example, Ronda Rousey being in a main event of WrestleMania. Who would have thought that would ever happen? Anything is possible, even like Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair main eventing the first night of WrestleMania.
Who would have ever thought that two women would be able to main event a WrestleMania? It is unheard of. I really enjoy the way that, especially now, WWE has done a great job over the past 8-9 years now of doing things that are completely just remarkable, and unheard of in the business.
The women’s revolution, having an all women’s PPV, the women having their own Royal Rumble is amazing and awesome.
So we are in a really special time right now in terms of wrestling. We are really doing things that are historical and groundbreaking, so a tag team match in the main event of WrestleMania is certainly not out of the cards.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit NBC Sports Boston and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Bray Wyatt made his expected return to WWE at the Extreme Rules premium live event and has been assigned to work on the WWE SmackDown brand moving forward, with his only scheduled appearances on the blue brand for now.
Wyatt has made a few appearances on SmackDown since his return as he builds his next character. Some fans have wondered whether he will be a babyface or a heel going forward, as he has teased being both.
Bray Wyatt as a Babyface
Wyatt is slotted as the number one babyface on the SmackDown brand on WWE’s internal roster, according to a new report at PWInsider. Drew McIntyre is the number two babyface after being in the top spot since being moved over from Raw.
Wyatt had been the top draw in merchandise for the company before his release in 2021, which made the decision to cut him even more surprising.
He has recently become the company’s #1 merchandise seller, and WWE officials are reportedly thrilled with the rollout of his return. He will reportedly receive new merchandise from the company, including pushes of every Funhouse character.
Because of the success that WWE had with the White Rabbit stuff, they will be looking to do similar content for future storylines if the time is right and fits the story.
It will be very interesting to see who WWE pairs Wyatt with in his first feud since returning.
Jim Ross has offered up some thoughts on the controversial Katie Vick storyline from his days in WWE.
Back in 2002, a feud between Triple H and Kane birthed one of the most horrific segments that WWE TV has ever produced. Triple H accused Kane of being a murderer, suggesting he was responsible for the death of a woman named Katie Vick.
Kane later admitted that Katie Vick was a friend of his who he drove home from a party one night. However, Kane was unfamiliar with the car her was driving, leading to a crash, and Vick’s death.
Later, a segment ran with Triple H, wearing Kane’s mask, visiting a funeral home, visiting the casket of what was supposed to be Katie Vick. Triple H got into the casket with Vick’s body before the camera blurred, and suggestive sounds could be heard from Triple H, saying things such as “I screwed your brains out” before tossing out some brain-like material.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, “Grilling JR,” to offer his thoughts on the segment 20 years later. It’s safe to say, Ross has the same viewpoint that many wrestling fans have on the segment.
“I don’t know [if that was always the plan]. I don’t recall any more decent ideas. There may have been. Somebody may have said, ‘Well, that’s not outlandish enough, that’s not sensationalistic enough.’
“But it was an attempt to become more entertainment. For Raw anyway, the entertainment side of that show became the HLAs and all that shit. Lawler and I did our best to make some sense out of it, narrate it, or lay out.
Jim Ross
“I found us laying out of it more than anything because sometimes when you’re not sure what to say, or an angle is being introduced and you don’t know how the audience is gonna take it, you lay out….some of that content was hard to lay out. What do you say sometimes?
“The only thing I will say about that stuff is it was different, it was unique, it was new. But none of those things were good. It wasn’t good new. Nothing. This show was a great example of us getting way out of our lane.”
Wrestling fans “up north” have reason to celebrate. Hot off the heels of a record-breaking Canadian tour, WWE is bringing a premium live event to Canada early next year.
WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 is scheduled to take place Saturday, February 18 from Montreal, Québec, Canada at the Bell Centre. In addition to Elimination Chamber, Montreal will also host Friday Night SmackDown the previous night.
Elimination Chamber 2023 marks the first WWE premium live event from Montreal in 14 years.
Tickets for Elimination Chamber and Friday Night SmackDown will be available beginning Friday, December 2 at 10 AM ET. For more information, visit WWE.com.
WWE’s New PLE Strategy for 2023
The news of WWE bringing next year’s Elimination Chamber to Canada aligns with recent reports about the company’s new approach to premium live events (sort of).
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline recently sent out a tweet to his ‘Super Followers’ noting that WWE will be holding more International events next year. That aspect of the report checks out. Alvarez noted that WWE will be holding fewer “gimmick” events. Elimination Chamber is considered a gimmick event, so we’ll have to see how the handles other shows like Hell in a Cell, TLC and Extreme Rules.
The first PLE of 203 will be the Royal Rumble on January 28 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. WWE Day 1, which was originally scheduled for January 1, has been scrapped.
For more on the major changes coming to WWE’s premium live events next year, visit:
WWE has undergone massive changes at the top of the company in 2022 and it has resulted in a completely new vision for the product.
Vince McMahon resigned in late July and was replaced by Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as co-CEOs. The 77-year-old was being investigated by the company’s Board of Directors for alleged hush money payments to former female employees.
John Laurinaitis was dismissed from the company and replaced by Triple H as EVP of Talent Relations. The Game has since been named Chief Content Officer for the company as well.
Since gaining power in the company, Triple H has brought back several released stars and seems to be reverting some of the changes to WWE NXT.
Kofi Kingston on Triple H’s New Role
Speaking with Steve Fall of NBC’s Ten Count, Kofi Kingston was asked which former stars he wants to see return to the company. “I would have said Bray,” he said. I would have said Bray if he didn’t debut last week. But I don’t know man. Off the top of my head, there are just so many people.”
“Even people that haven’t been here in WWE I would love to see in WWE. There is so much talent. I’ve said it before, but this is a real special time in wrestling. There’s just so much talent out there.”
Kingston then brought up that there will likely be more surprises in store for WWE fans now that Triple H is at the helm.
Especially with Triple H at the helm right now, we are going to have a lot more surprises and we are going to have a lot more moments of people coming back. We are really ticking the people’s fancy and giving them what they want. And that is a great thing to be a part of.
WWE Crown Jewel
The New Day is not currently booked for WWE’s upcoming Crown Jewel premium live event from Saudi Arabia. Some people might enjoy a break from international travel, but Kingston says he loves Saudi Arabia and wants to be booked on every WWE show.
“I’m at the point now where I kind of, of course, I want to be on every single show,” he said. “You know what I mean? I’m still very hungry in that sense. But I just wait to see what is happening and how things are going to unfold. I know that things always change at the last minute.”
“So often times we are not on a show and then I’ll find out on social media that we are on the show. I’m always the last one to find things out. I would love to go to Crown Jewel. I love Saudi, I love the people there. “
“I was actually the first person to go there before we actually started running televised shows there. I stayed there for 7-8 days or so, and I got to really immerse myself in the culture. It was one of the best experiences that I’ve had as a WWE Superstar hands down.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit NBC Ten Count and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
CJ Perry was not punished by WWE for her husband Miro joining All Elite Wrestling, despite what some have claimed.
In 2020, months after his April 15, release, Miro joined AEW where he is a one-time TNT Champion.
Perry herself was released from WWE in June 2021, with her high-dollar contract reportedly a factor in WWE’s decision.
Not Punished
Not long after Miro’s AEW debut, Perry (known as Lana in WWE) was involved in a storyline that saw her put through tables each week.
Some speculated that WWE’s storyline was a form of punishment for Perry, who denied the claim in a talk with Fightful Select.
Not only was this not a punishment, Perry made it clear that she pitched for the angle to happen, adding that she had to fight Liv Morgan for the ‘honor.’
Perry explained how the tables spot was supposed to get Nia Jax over as a babyface, as Lana was a heel at the time.
Ultimately, fans would ultimately side with Perry for her resilience each week, culminating in a babyface turn.
Miro and AEW
Perry hasn’t appeared for All Elite Wrestling, but Miro has made references to his “hot wife” multiple times.
Speaking about the Bulgarian wrestler, Perry said that Miro never gives her a heads-up before referencing her on TV.
Addressing possibly joining AEW, the former Total Divas star said that there have not been “extended talks” with the company, but is open to a role.
Perry said that even though she loved wrestling, she would prefer to focus on outside-the-ring roles such as a manager or valet.
Is CM Punk going to return to WWE? Not if those close to Head of Talent Relations Triple H can help it.
After walking out of WWE in January 2014, Punk joined AEW in August 2021 but is currently suspended for his role in the AEW All Out 2022 post-show backstage fight.
It is reported that AEW’s higher-ups and the locker room do not want him back and are in talks to buy out the remainder of his contract.
Voting No
If Punk is fired from AEW as many predict, then the only possible promotion able to afford his services is WWE.
Despite the very critical comments both sides have had over the years, there is a belief that Triple H would be interested in making a move to bring Punk back.
During a recent PWTorch.com audio show, Wade Keller addressed a possible Punk return, and that those close to the Game are against the idea (via Wrestling News.)
“Somebody who’s currently in WWE, and is within the sphere of influence of Paul Levesque’s decision-making would be a hard ‘No’ as of me asking this person today. A hard ‘No’ on endorsing the return of CM Punk, even if it would help business.”
Keller has previously reported that Triple H is more inclined to bring Punk back than his father-in-law Vince McMahon, who retired from WWE in July this year.
Not Wanted Back
Given Punk’s past issues with WWE, he may not be willing to return to the company who handed him his firing papers on his wedding day (mere coincidence WWE claims.)
In his report, Keller added that if WWE says no, then AEW may not be willing to bring him back either.
“I talked to three people of significant stature in AEW in the last couple of days…I asked how would a vote go in the AEW locker room if they were asked if they wanted Punk to return? One person said he wouldn’t fare very well. Another person said he thinks he might not get a single vote.”
AEW’s roster is said to be vehemently anti-Punk at this time, believing his comments during the All Out media scrum damaged the company.
Punk was heavily critical of ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, who has been one of AEW’s biggest stars since the company’s launch in 2019.
