SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • Johnny Gargano Reveals The Big Reason That Made Him Return To WWE

    Johnny Gargano Reveals The Big Reason That Made Him Return To WWE

    There was one big reason why Johnny Gargano decided to make his return to WWE after hitting free agency.

    Gargano had his contract with WWE expire back in December, and was a free agent for several months after. Much was made about his future, with some speculating Johnny Wrestling could make the jump over to All Elite Wrestling like so many other former WWE stars have.

    However, the former NXT Champion ultimately returned to WWE on the August 22 episode of RAW, officially having signed back with the company. Speaking to Ryan Satin on his “Out Of Character” podcast, Gargano he on his decision to return to WWE.

    Gargano noted he was perfectly content staying at home with his family during the several months he was off. However, when he heard about the head of creative change, putting Triple H at the helm after having worked with “The Game” for so long in NXT, it was a no-brainer to return to WWE.

    Gargano was quite the figure in NXT. During his five years with the brand, Gargano amassed an NXT Title run, three NXT North American Title wins, and an NXT Tag Title run.

    Undoubtedly one of NXT’s best creations, it will be interesting to see if Johnny Gargano is able to replicate that success now that he’s on the main roster.

    Watch Johnny Gargano’s discussion with Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast:

  • Road Dogg Wanted to Fight CM Punk After Being Disrespected in WWE

    Road Dogg Wanted to Fight CM Punk After Being Disrespected in WWE

    Road Dogg has opened up on his issues with CM Punk, which were big enough that he considered throwing down with him.

    The former WWE Tag Team Champion spoke about his issues with CM Punk while discussing world championship runs and the perception behind “needing” a world title win.

    Road Dogg recalled during the new episode of his Oh… You Didn’t Know? podcast on AdFreeShows.com that Punk had the mentality of needing to be the top champion and being in the main event. 

    Road Dogg on his Issues With Punk

    Road Dogg

    Road Dogg discussed wrestlers wanting certain clauses in their contracts and recalled why he still doesn’t have any respect for Punk. It goes back to the 2014 brief run together in WWE between Punk and the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn). 

    “Bro, I’ve been burying him for years, and I’m not kidding. He’s not a nice person. He’s not a good — I don’t know. I don’t know. If you’ve been friends with somebody for so long and all the sudden you’re in a lawsuit over stuff and you can’t just talk to it? I just don’t understand it, but that’s not the straw that broke the camel’s back for me,” Road Dogg said. “It was when we actually had to work with him in our 2014 run [in WWE]. Seeing the attitude he had towards me and Billy — granted, we were not Hall Of Famers at the time, but we were on our way to be for sure — and we were the New Age Outlaws, at least we’d been there as long as he had, you know what I mean? He showed us not respect, he showed us disrespect, so that was that. You don’t get a second chance at that. I’m showing you respect, why aren’t you showing me respect? Honky Tonk Man said, ‘I don’t bodyslam you, why are you bodyslamming me?’

    “The truth of it is, respect is a two-way street and if you don’t give it, you dang sure ain’t getting it. Not from me, and you got one shot at that, from me and Billy. It was just, he talked to us negatively and if I hadn’t had a job there, if I wouldn’t have been newly hired, I probably would’ve fought him. I feel relatively confident I would’ve come out on top. This was prior to his [MMA training], so maybe I would’ve come out on top, maybe I wouldn’t have,” Road Dogg proclaimed, “but I was willing to find out. That’s enough burying Punk, he’s burying himself good enough right now.”

    The New Age Outlaws and CM Punk had a brief run together in January 2014. That same year, Road Dogg returned to working as a producer while Billy Gunn resumed his duties as a trainer in NXT and Punk left the company. 

    Quotes via WrestleZone

  • Roman Reigns Topping the 2022 PWI 500 Should Surprise Nobody

    Roman Reigns Topping the 2022 PWI 500 Should Surprise Nobody

    Roman Reigns has topped Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “2022 PWI 500” list, an annual ranking of the world’s best pro wrestlers. It’s the second time the Tribal Chief has earned the #1 spot after first scoring the honor in 2016.

    Professional wrestling has a highly-opinionated fanbase, so this list is sure to inspire passionate discourse. You do not have to look farther than the Top 20 to find some puzzling inclusions and questionable omissions:

    • Jon Moxley is not in the Top 10.
    • Will Ospreay and Jay White are not in the Top 20
    • Matt Cardona is ranked above MJF, Seth Rollins, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega and Drew McIntyre.

    That said, you’d be hard pressed to argue that anybody but Reigns is more deserving of #1. He’s firmly entrenched as this generation’s ‘Face of WWE.’ He’s leaps and bounds ahead of the pack, based on PWI’s established criteria.

    The Top 20 wrestlers on the 2022 PWI 500 include:

    1. Roman Reigns
    2. Kazuchika Okada
    3. CM Punk
    4. Hangman Adam Page
    5. Bobby Lashley
    6. Cody Rhodes
    7. Bryan Danielson
    8. El Hijo del Vikingo
    9. Big E
    10. Jonathan Gresham
    11. Shingo Takagi
    12. Jon Moxley
    13. Matt Cardona
    14. Josh Alexander
    15. Hiroshi Tanahashi
    16. MJF
    17. Seth Rollins
    18. Adam Cole
    19. Kenny Omega
    20. Drew McIntyre

    PWI 500 Criteria & Evaluation Period

    The ranking criteria includes:

    • In-Ring Achievement: W-L, records, championships and tournaments won
    • Influence: Visibility and prestige within a promotion and/or the industry
    • Technical Ability: Quality of moves matches, and ring psychology.
    • Competition: Success against the most varied and highest quality opponents available.

    The evaluation period for the 2022 PWI 500 ran from July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022.

    Wrestlers need a minimum of 10 matches during that period to qualify (or 6 matches in separate months).

    The 2022 PWI 500 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated is available now for print preorder at PWI-Online.com The digital edition is available now at pwi.zinioapps.com.

  • Roman Reigns On Dealing With Hate On Internet

    Roman Reigns On Dealing With Hate On Internet

    Roman Reigns was one of the most polarizing figures in the wrestling world for the longest time. Avid supporters believed in WWE’s decision to make him the next face of the company but there were many who refused to accept him as the leading star. Such people targeted him relentlessly through various social platforms for a long time.

    The Tribal Chief opened up about this hate while appearing on the Impaulsive podcast. He first discussed how, unlike old times, he never had to deal with haters in real life:

    “I’ve been fortunate. The hate, we talked about earlier where it can get crazy. Even when it was at its worse, nothing ever happened in real life. It’s all respect and love in real life but on that Internet, boy they will spew some [shit]. They’ll come in with some negativity on the internet. But in real life, never.”

    ‘Waste Of Breath’: Roman Reigns

    Speaking about the criticism on the internet and how he deals with it, Roman Reigns mentioned that he used to lose his cool back in the day but it’s not the case anymore:

    “Early on I had, I think I had like a elevated way of thinking about it, but as a human, you’re like I’m gonna clap back on this guy and then you get a little pop from a few thousand people that are with you.

    You make someone famous for 15 minutes on the internet and then it’s like, Well, I’m kind of a jerk for doing that. So now it’s just character stuff only. Yeah, I’m not responding to haters or trying to clap back. It’s funny for a second but at the same time it’s just a waste of breath.”

    You can check out Roman Reigns’ full interview below:

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Backstage Reaction to WWE Monday Night Raw Ratings Dip

    Backstage Reaction to WWE Monday Night Raw Ratings Dip

    WWE isn’t exactly panicking over this week’s dip in the ratings for WWE Monday Night Raw.

    According to numbers obtained by Wrestlenomics, this week’s show averaged 1.71 million viewers across the three hours, down significantly from the previous week’s 2.054 million.

    Ever since Vince McMahon’s retirement, Raw has seen a sharp uptake in ratings, with the show averaging over 2 million viewers an episode over the past month.

    The Reaction

    While this week’s Raw saw a sharp decline, this isn’t a cause for concern for WWE.

    According to sources who spoke to Fightful Select, many within WWE expected the drop, given that Raw was going up against the season premiere of Monday Night Football.

    Raw was also up against the 2022 Emmy Awards, and those within WWE expected the viewership to fall under 1.7 million.

    Since the post-Summerslam 2022 episode of Raw, the red brand has had a consistent viewership between 1.9 and 2.2 million viewers.

    This week’s episode saw Damage CTRL capture the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and Edge compete in the main event.

    Last year’s Monday Night Football premiere saw an even worse result for Raw, which dropped to 1.67 million for the September 13, 2021, episode of the red brand.

    Bouncing Back

    The dip in ratings this week may not be seen as a huge problem, but WWE will hope to bounce back.

    Next week’s Raw will see United States Champion Bobby Lashley defend against Seth Rollins, with the Visionary hoping to win his first title in three years.

    Kevin Owens Vs. Mr. Money in the Bank Austin Theory has also been announced for the show.

    10 Takeaways From WWE RAW (9/12): Edge vs. Dominik, Open Challenge, New Champions
  • Roman Reigns On How Paul Heyman Pairing Came Together

    Roman Reigns On How Paul Heyman Pairing Came Together

    Paul Heyman is one of the most successful managers in the history of the wrestling business. He has worked with some of the top talents the industry has seen. Heyman’s pairing with Roman Reigns helped take the Tribal Chief character to a level that very few performers have been able to reach in their careers.

    The Head of The Table opened up about this pairing on the Impaulsive podcast. Explaining how the partnership came together in August 2020, Reigns revealed that Heyman was free at the time since Brock Lesnar was in between contracts. However, he stressed that Paul wouldn’t have joined in if it was anyone else:

    “Brock was in between contracts. So Paul was kind of wide open and it just fit. He had that opening creatively. He was still just working behind the scenes from a creative standpoint. When you’re working with someone like Brock for as long as he did with the success that they had, you need to have something that’s legitimate come through to make that move. I think I was really the only one that he wanted to work with.

    Otherwise, I think he would just stay kind of plugged in and be helping from overall directive standpoint. Once he knew ‘Oh I’m going to be with Joe, it’s all good. I’m gonna be with Roman, it’s all good.’ Then we knew it was on.”

    ‘It’s Hard Not To Learn’: Roman Reigns

    Paul Heyman has been on the top of the wrestling business for decades. Anyone who wants to be successful in the industry can learn a lot from the former ECW owner. When asked what he has learned from the Mad Scientist of Wrestling, Roman Reigns noted that he has been learning things from Heyman even before he joined the wrestling business:

    “I was learning from Paul before I was with Paul. He was with my family for decades before I even got in the business. So I’m always learning from Paul. It’s not even just wrestling stuff like business stuff. I pick up stuff just talking father to father.

    There’s a lot of different things you can learn from a Paul Heyman because there’s the life experience. Especially within our business, he’s just been at the very top of that mountain for so long as a promoter, as a talent, as a manager. There’s just been so many roles that he’s fulfilled, and he does it at an elite level that it’s hard not to learn from someone like him.”

    You can watch Roman Reigns’ full interview below:

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • “It Was An Uphill Battle” – Roman Reigns Discusses His Leukemia Diagnosis

    “It Was An Uphill Battle” – Roman Reigns Discusses His Leukemia Diagnosis

    Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns joined Logan Paul on the latest edition of the Impaulsive podcast.

    He discussed the rumored matchup against The Rock at WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood during the podcast and many other topics. During the conversation, The Tribal Chief discussed his battle with cancer that forced him to step away from WWE for some time.

    Roman was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2007 and he had to take a hiatus for treament in 2018. Reigns made the announcement in October 2018 and returned to the company on RAW in February 2019.

    Roman Reigns Discusses His Leukemia Diagnosis

    The Head of the Table recalled being diagnosed with Leukemia during his brief stint in the NFL and said it was a shock to hear the word “cancer” at such a young age. Roman noted that the health issue put an asterisk next to his NFL career and it was an uphill battle following his diagnosis.

    Technically we weren’t quite sure, this is where we saw the blood lapse that showed the elevated white blood cells which clearly says your body is attacking something, it’s fighting off something. So they were like yeah it could be anything Venereal disease, infection, cancer and all I heard was cancer, I’m like ‘Woah,’ it got super heavy.

    So I compartmentalize emotions sometimes so I think it was just so overwhelming that it wasn’t even believable and even then it was like this was back in ’07 so this was years ago. So you hear about younger people with blood cancers more often now but back then a 21-year-old come straight out of college, a division one football player supposed to be kinda peak health right?

    You never would expect that. So it put a huge asterisk next to my name when it came to the NFL. So it was just an uphill battle from there man.

    H/T: Sportskeeda

  • Roman Reigns on WrestleMania Match With The Rock: ‘If It Works Out, I’m Ready’

    Roman Reigns on WrestleMania Match With The Rock: ‘If It Works Out, I’m Ready’

    Roman Reigns has commented on the possibility of facing The Rock at WWE WrestleMania 39 next year. 

    It’s a match that fans and the company want to see happen, but it will come down to whether The Rock can break away from his busy schedule with commitments in Hollywood and relaunching the XFL. 

    While appearing on Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast, Reigns was asked about the possibility of this bout. 

    Roman Reigns is Open to The Match

    “They keep trying. Everybody keeps trying on this one,” said Reigns. “I don’t book the show, bro. I’m up for anybody. If it works out, then I’m ready.”

    Reigns noted that he seizes whatever opportunities are put in front of him. 

     “It seems like it’s been that way. All the big names, all the big stars, whether they’re from our business, the movies, to the internet now, I’ve been in a really cool groove where these things have kinda just come to me, so I hope they’ll just continue to do that. 

    Reigns also commented on his social media use by stating he doesn’t fire back at trolls but just uses it to advance his WWE character. 

    The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion also discussed working with John Cena, his family life, his battles with leukemia, and more. Click below for the entire interview: 

    Transcription courtesy of F4Wonline.com

  • Johnny Gargano Shows Off Incredible Body Transformation

    Johnny Gargano Shows Off Incredible Body Transformation

    Johnny Gargano stepped back inside the squared circle for the first time in several months on Monday night. 

    Gargano ended his tenure in WWE NXT in December of last year as he decided not to re-sign with the company. Ahead of the birth of his first child, Quill, Gargano took time off to be with his wife, Candice LeRae. 

    Gargano made his return to WWE last month. Between the two stints, Gargano didn’t work a single match and got out of shape a bit to let his body recover. On Raw, Gargano beat Chad Gable in a singles match. 

    Johnny Gargano Opens up on the Body Transformation

    In a post on Instagram, Gargano shared photos and discussed his body transformation.

    Here is an excerpt from the lengthy post that you can see below: 

    “When I left wrestling in December I decided I wanted a complete mental and physical break from everything that I correlated with wrestling. Diet and training goes hand in hand with that to me. It’s unfortunately a cosmetic business and a part of the job. I’ve been “dieting and training” (probably horribly wrong my first 10 years) for my entire wrestling career. That’s almost 18 years. I grew incredibly tired of it and didn’t enjoy it. My inner fat kid missed being able to eat whatever I wanted without counting macros or “planning a cheat day” and then feeling guilty and feeling gross half naked on TV. It was a vicious cycle that gave me a horrible relationship with food. The thing I looked forward to the most being off.. was being able to eat and not being judged.

    In the same way I wanted to miss wrestling.. I wanted to miss diet and exercise. In hopes that my passion would reignite and when I was ready to come back I could be completely re-energized and attack this thing with everything I got. To be the best version of myself possible. From December to April.. I ate anything I wanted daily! Me and Candice (pregnant for a few of those months) tore up Uber Eats! It was great! I wanted to go full “Dad Bod” and I did! I trained here and there but with no rhyme or reason. As the months went on though.. it turned out like I hoped.. Food wasn’t special anymore. I missed being dialed in.. and having abs.

    So in April I decided I wanted to get to work. I didn’t know where or when I was coming back but I wanted to get ready and I knew it would take time given the damage I did. How my career ended up was out of my control but the thing I could control is the work I put in and how I looked when the time came..”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CidQUCkpIGw/?hl=en
  • Cody Rhodes Speaks Highly Of His Run In ROH

    Cody Rhodes Speaks Highly Of His Run In ROH

    Cody Rhodes says he had a “lovely time” during his run with Ring of Honor.

    When the American Nightmare departed WWE for the first time in 2016 he set out to change his image completely, eventually teaming up with top talents like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, as well as a successful run in NJPW and indies all across the world.

    One of those spots was at Ring of Honor, with Rhodes capturing the promotion’s top prize, the Ring of Honor world championship. Rhodes shared a photo of himself carrying the belt recently on Twitter as he was celebrating his anniversary with Brandi Rhodes and decided to use a throwback. His tweet reads:

    “Happy Anniversary @TheBrandiRhodes. Today is the best day. Thank you for the endless unspoken sacrifices you’ve made for me, for being the best mom, and being the ultimate confidant (oldie but a goodie pic).”

    Rhodes says competing in ROH helped shaped him into the competitor he is today

    A fan would see Rhodes’ photo and compliment him for his time with ROH, calling it the beginning of the eventual revolution that would eventually form AEW. Rhodes agreed, and wrote the following back to the fan.

    “Lovely time – ROH was so good for me. Got to work w/the Bucks, big Frank, Lethal, Hunter/CD, Joe & Greg, Chrissy, and a super underrated production team that allowed me to play my music uninterrupted. We got to legit change the wrestling world and shaped me as a competitor/person.”

    You can see their exchange below.

    Aside from the ROH world title Rhodes captured the IWGP United States championship, and the NWA world’s championship. His involvement at ROH, along with the Bucks and Omega, helped bring the promotion to their greatest financial heights before they would eventually sell to Tony Khan.

  • Watch: Austin Theory Responds to Kevin Owens’ Raw Promo

    Watch: Austin Theory Responds to Kevin Owens’ Raw Promo

    Kevin Owens cut what many fans consider one of the best promos of 2022 in WWE during this week’s episode of Raw while calling out Austin Theory for having a bad attitude. 

    Owens tried to fire up Theory and wanted him to prove he wasn’t like the many promising young stars who have flamed out.

    “Prove me wrong. Prove all of these people wrong. You know how to do it? You know how to do it? I’ll tell you. You stop thinking about the moments that were handed to you, and you start making your own moments. You know how to do that? You check your ego at the door, you look at yourself in the mirror, and you realize you’re not as good as you think you are, but you let your passion drive you to get better. 

    Owens continued, “More importantly, you leave everything you have in this ring every time you step foot in front of these people. That, that’s how you prove me wrong. That’s how you become the future. That’s how you become the face of WWE,” he concluded.

    Theory Reacts

    Austin Theory
    (via WWE)

    Owens’ strong words didn’t connect with Theory, who flexed his bicep and told him that he’ll never look like the youngest United States Champion in company history.  However, while speaking with WWE.com, Theory did a promo listing his accomplishments after the show. 

    “I’m tired of people trying to downplay my achievements like I haven’t busted my a**,” Theory said. “I’m the future, and the future is right in front of you.”

    Owens and Theory will wrestle on next week’s Raw, two weeks after Owens beat Theory in just under 17 minutes during a match on Raw. 

    Transcription courtesy of ComicBook

  • Update on Jinny’s Status with WWE

    Update on Jinny’s Status with WWE

    After WWE announced that NXT UK would be going away ahead of the launch of NXT Europe, the company sent several top stars to NXT and released everyone else. 

    When Jinny appeared in the alumni section of WWE.com, it had many fans worried after the huge layoffs at NXT UK.

    Fightful Select reported today that they asked a WWE official if Jinny had departed the company, and who they spoke to said they hadn’t been informed of such a move.

    Jinny’s Injury

    Jinny Progress

    This source did note that Jinny had been dealing with an injury and hadn’t been in the United States the last few weeks. This lines up as she has mentioned on social media this is the case because she’s waiting for her supporting documents and old passport, which also contains her US visa.

    However, she is set to travel to the United States for medical treatment for an injury this week. It was added that there wasn’t any major consideration for Jinny to fill the Maxxine Dupri role because she has been dealing with an undisclosed injury.

    Although Jinny hasn’t wrestled at all since November 2021, she has been doing work with BT Sport during her time off.

  • Steve Austin Praises ‘Charismatic Force Of Nature’ Brock Lesnar

    Steve Austin Praises ‘Charismatic Force Of Nature’ Brock Lesnar

    WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has praised Brock Lesnar as a “charismatic force of nature.”

    Austin was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda, where he praised Lesnar’s legendary career in, not only professional wrestling, but sports. Lesnar has competed at the top levels in college wrestling, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, and even a stint in the NFL.

    “The Rattlesnake” praised Lesnar as a “charismatic force of nature,” touching on “The Beast’s” most recent run as a babyface in WWE.

    “Love Brock Lesnar. That guy’s been in the game forever. He tried to make pro football. He never really played a whole lot of football. A couple times All-American in wrestling.

    “Almost makes the football team, the Minnesota Vikings. Then he says hey, I’m gonna go fight in the UFC and becomes the UFC Heavyweight Champion and then gets back into the business.

    “He’s still, after over 20 years, the biggest draw, him in Roman [Reigns], in the business today.

    “So Brock Lesnar has had one of the most amazing, different runs, in the history of the business and no one will ever do it like Brock Lesnar has done it, whether it’s Suplex City or in the Octagon, or whatever it is Brock is doing.

    “That baby face run he had right before Wrestlemania 38, when you have this big mass of an alpha male and he shows that vulnerability and people just clamor to him. So just a charismatic force of nature.”

    Brock Lesnar
    (via WWE)

    Lesnar was last seen at SummerSlam when he was unsuccessful in capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns. Prior, Lesnar was defeated by Reigns at WrestleMania 38.

    Reigns topped Lesnar to take home the WWE Championship, unifying the title with his own WWE Universal Title – establishing himself as the Undisputed Champion of WWE. It remains unclear if or when Lesnar will make his return to WWE.

  • Ex-WWE Referee Thinks AEW Should Stop Mentioning WWE In Promos

    Ex-WWE Referee Thinks AEW Should Stop Mentioning WWE In Promos

    Ex-WWE referee Jimmy Korderas believes that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) should stop mentioning WWE in their promos.

    Korderas took to Twitter to release his latest “ReffinRant” in which he discussed MJF’s promo on AEW last week. In the promo, MJF made several references to WWE and the likes of Triple H.

    In fact, MJF seemingly painted WWE as being far superior to AEW, which came off a bit odd given they were on AEW TV. He also teased signing with WWE in 2024 when his AEW contract is up.

    MJF Promo

    Korderas, having seen WCW meet its downfall making similar choices, advices AEW stop mentioning WWE.

    “I know I’ve talked about this in the past, but you don’t want to repeat the mistakes that others made previously going forward into the future trying to grow your business…

    “Look, a big debate about the promo from MJF on Wednesday night: yes he was fantastic on the mic, and he hit home, but all those references to the other company, and The Game and all that sort of stuff.

    “It draws big time attention to the other company. Especially coming from one of your biggest stars, who that audience knows all the inside ‘behind-the-curtain’ goings on about him, and possibly reaching out to the other side or them reaching out to him, and all this sort of stuff.

    “Look, ignore the other team, because that was the biggest downfall for this company right here [WCW] when they were in competition with the WWE, they didn’t ignore them, they kept referencing them. Ignore them, stick to your business, and grow your audience that way.”

    MJF isn’t the only star who has mentioned WWE in promos. There have been several other stars, such as CM Punk, who have made references to the rival promotion and its stars. It will be interesting to see if AEW heeds Korderas’ advice moving forward.

  • Roman Reigns Dual Title Situation Described As ‘Complex’

    Roman Reigns Dual Title Situation Described As ‘Complex’

    Roman Reigns currently holds both the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Title – a situation reportedly being described as “complex.”

    While Reigns holds both of WWE’s World Titles, that means he occupies duties as “top guy” on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live. However, Reigns is “officially” a member of the SmackDown Live roster.

    Not to mention he’s working on a reduced schedule these days. Therefore, the champion’s presence is absent from both brands for a good amount of time – but mostly RAW.

    This certainly poses some questions heading into WrestleMania season, as fans begin to wonder if the titles will be separated, kept together, or officially unified to one singular belt.

    According to a report from WrestleVotes on Twitter, the current situation with Reigns and the dual titles is described as “complex.” The report suggests WWE wants to go into WrestleMania with two champions.

    The trouble is, WWE also doesn’t want Reigns to lose “AT ALL” prior to “The Show Of Shows.” Triple H and other creative heads are open to all ideas in this regard.

    Roman Reigns has certainly been built up as one of WWE’s most dominant stars and champions of all time. He’s now gone over 1,000 days without having been pinned.

    As the months pass and we approach WrestleMania season, it’s likely his opponent at the event could be tapped with the responsibility of dethroning “The Tribal Chief.”

    The question remains, however, if it will be for one title, or two?

  • Eric Bischoff Wants to Write the Retirement of a Former WWE Champion

    Eric Bischoff Wants to Write the Retirement of a Former WWE Champion

    From his decades in wrestling, working in WCW, WWE and TNA/Impact Wrestling, Eric Bischoff knows about coming up with creative ideas.

    It was Bischoff who played a pivotal role in the forming of the New World Order in WCW, the effects of the group still being felt to this day.

    Years later, Bischoff would be credited as the mind behind the Elimination Chamber: a cross of several stipulation matches including Hell in a Cell and War Games.

    Ending the Viper

    Bischoff isn’t tied to any one promotion at the moment but is ready to return to WWE if he gets the call.

    During an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff was asked about which Superstar he’d like to write for and didn’t hesitate in choosing Randy Orton (via Sportskeeda.)

    “I would like to be on the team to write Randy Orton’s retirement story, like there’s going to be a point in time when Randy’s ready to cash it in.

    “I’d love to be on the team to write that one Randy Orton you know we haven’t seen a lot of them lately, you know he kind of comes in and comes out.”

    Orton has been out since May recovering from an injury, and is expected to be out for the rest of the year.

    The End of Orton’s Career

    Earlier this year, Randy Orton reached 20 years since his main roster debut on the April 25, 2002 SmackDown.

    In that time, Orton has become a multi-time World Champion, Grand Slam winner, two-time Royal Rumble winner, and Money in the Bank winner.

    Orton has said he hopes to wrestle for another ten years before retiring from the ring for good.

    Riddle Offers Injury Update On Randy Orton
  • Claudio Castagnoli Opens Up About WrestleMania 34 Loss To Nicholas

    Claudio Castagnoli Opens Up About WrestleMania 34 Loss To Nicholas

    Claudio Castagnoli was part of many great as well as embarrassing moments during his WWE run. One such moment people don’t remember very fondly is when Castagnoli and Sheamus known as The Bar lost the Raw Tag Team Championships to Braun Strowman and 10-year-old Nicholas at WrestleMania 34.

    Castagnoli opened up about this loss during his recent appearance on Insight. However, while a lot of people hated WWE for putting the tag team in the situation, the former WWE star explained why he thought the moment to be cool:

    “I thought it was really cool. [It’s] what I love about wrestling, right? All the kinds of different matches. The roller coaster ride it takes you on. That WrestleMania needed a match like that where it’s just fun. Every show needs fun matches. WrestleMania, everybody is nervous, everybody’s hyped. It’s WrestleMania.”

    ‘That Was Very Cool’: Claudio Castagnoli

    Claudio Castagnoli claimed that the match was fun for them too. It’s something that people remember till this date:

    “Once everything was figured out, that match was so much fun. We were just able to go out there and enjoy it. We had the float, it’s called the thing, right? With all the guys with the big head coming out with us. So it was a crazy, awesome entrance. The match was just fun. Like I said earlier, it’s all about moments. If you’re a kid, and you’re watching WrestleMania, that could be you, right?

    So that was very cool to be in that match for that matter and the fact that people still talk about it to that day. Because there was some bangers on that card. A lot of people always ask like, ‘So Nicholas?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know right?’ So I’m very proud to be part of that match.”

    More Originals From SEScoops:

    If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Drew McIntyre Names Where WWE Should go Next After Clash at the Castle

    Drew McIntyre Names Where WWE Should go Next After Clash at the Castle

    Since returning to WWE in 2017, Drew McIntyre spoke of plans for a Premium Live Event in the UK.

    The last PLE in the UK that was broadcast internationally was Summerslam 2022, but McIntyre’s years of work paid off.

    Earlier this month, WWE hosted Clash at the Castle, which was a huge success for the company.

    Where Next?

    Drew McIntyre headlined WWE Clash at the Castle, but the Scottish Warrior isn’t taking things easy now that he’s had his UK show.

    Speaking to Sportskeeda, McIntyre praised the Indian fans, and hopes to bring WWE back to the sub-continent soon.

    “I talked about the UK show for a long time. It’s happening right now and I’m telling you I’m going to keep talking to people to bring it back to India.”

    Drew McIntyre

    Professional wrestling, especially WWE, is immensely popular in India, which boasts a popular of over one billion people.

    In 2021, WWE hosted their ‘Superstar Spectacle’ to coincide with India’s Republic Day, but the event took place inside the WWE Thunderdome in St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Record Breaker

    WWE Clash at the Castle was a huge event for the promotion, breaking several records.

    In a graphic shared by WWE’s Head of Creative & Talent Relations Triple H, it was reported that the show had the highest gate of any European WWE event.

    In terms of merchandise, the Cardiff show sold the most of any non-WrestleMania event by WWE, while the post-show press conference had the highest concurrent views on YouTube of any non-pre-show event.

    Drew McIntyre Reveals Why He Brought His ‘Broken Dreams’ Theme Back at WWE Clash at the Castle
  • “It Was Very Satisfying” – Bianca Belair On Her Year-Long Rivalry With Becky Lynch In WWE

    “It Was Very Satisfying” – Bianca Belair On Her Year-Long Rivalry With Becky Lynch In WWE

    Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch had a year-long rivalry that culminated at WWE SummerSlam.

    At last year’s SummerSlam, Becky Lynch shockingly defeated Bianca Belair in 26-seconds. The EST got her revenge twice this year, defeating Big Time Becks at WrestleMania 38 and once again at SummerSlam in front of her hometown crowd in Nashville.

    The RAW Women’s Champion spoke with Inside the Ropes while WWE was in Cardiff for Clash at the Castle. She said that it was very satisfying for their rivalry to begin and end with a handshake.

    “It was so satisfying,” said Belair. “It was a long road, a very long and unpredictable road. From SummerSlam, the 26-second SummerSlam, very unpredictable, and out of nowhere, you never know where things are going to go. So for us to be able to get back to it at WrestleMania and then to get back to it again at SummerSlam, I feel like that is something that isn’t really done a whole lot, especially for the women and our feuds.

    So to be able to get with Becky Lynch and have this memorable feud with her and be able to bring it back full circle to where now it started with a handshake and ended with a handshake,” she added. “The whole redemption story for me to be able to walk out with the title again after losing it in such a controversial way, it was very satisfying.”

    Becky Lynch On Her Rivalry With Bianca Belair

    Becky Lynch was a guest on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast recently and said the exact same thing about her rivalry with Belair. She noted how their feud began and ended with a handshake and called it a beautiful story.

    “I’m really happy with what we did because I do think that it was a beautiful end to the story. It began with a handshake at SummerSlam, it ended with a handshake at SummerSlam.”

    H/T: Sportskeeda

  • Sasha Banks Says Modeling Debut Felt Like Her ‘First Wrestling Match All Over Again’

    Sasha Banks Says Modeling Debut Felt Like Her ‘First Wrestling Match All Over Again’

    Sasha Banks is using her time away from wrestling to fulfil her other dreams, including walking down the runway at the New York Fashion week.

    The Boss spoke to Page Six about her modeling debut. She first mentioned how she grew up watching all Victoria’s Secret girls and she always dreamt of being on a runaway.

    Speaking about her experience on the ramp, Banks compared it to her first wrestling match. She claimed that she was back to being the new girl again:

    “It felt chaotic. It felt like my first wrestling match all over again! I’m back to being the new girl. It felt like everyone was like, ‘Who’s this? Who’s taking my spot?’

    But I just had to walk in with confidence like I knew what I was doing” said Sasha Banks, “Because this has been a dream of mine for such a long time, to be in the modeling space.”

    The former women’s champion claimed that she was very nervous before going out but she called her guardian angles. She then felt like she had her own personal wings.

    Sasha Banks was believed to have agreed to a new WWE deal as of a few weeks ago. There hasn’t been any update on her WWE status since.

  • What Happened With Bobby Lashley After Raw Went Off Air

    What Happened With Bobby Lashley After Raw Went Off Air

    Bobby Lashley appeared on tonight’s episode of RAW in a backstage segment with Seth Rollins.

    Seth cut a promo about his victory over Matt Riddle at Clash at the Castle and claimed he had no interest in a rematch. Riddle interrupted the promo and chased Seth through the crowd.

    The Judgment Day joined the party and tried to recruit Riddle to the faction but Matt declined. This led to a singles match between Finn Balor and Matt Riddle. Seth interfered and the distraction allowed Balor to hit Riddle with a slingshot DDT for the pinfall victory. After the match, The Visionary got into the ring and delivered a Stomp to Riddle.

    Seth was interviewed backstage following the attack but was quickly interrupted by United States Champion Bobby Lashley. Rollins said he was the face of RAW and Lashley disagreed. Bobby claimed that having the United States Championship makes him the face of the show. Seth challenged Bobby to a match for the title and it was made official for next week’s RAW.

    Bobby Lashley Retains The United States Championship After WWE RAW

    United States Champion Bobby Lashley put the title on the line against The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest. The finish to the match saw the champion planting Damian with a Neckbreaker in the middle of the ring.

    Damian struggled to his feet and Lashley went for the Hurt Lock. Priest was able to block the submission move and caught Bobby with a boot to the face. The challenger went for a Chokeslam but Lashley escaped and connected with the Spear for the pinfall victory. You can check out the finish of the title match in the video below.

  • Watch: Johnny Gargano Makes In-Ring Debut On Raw

    Watch: Johnny Gargano Makes In-Ring Debut On Raw

    Johnny Gargano wrestled his first match in 9 months on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

    The former NXT champion made his triumphant return to WWE during the August 22 episode of the show. He was then announced for a match against Chad Gable this week.

    This week’s episode of the Red Branded Show saw Gargano putting on a great wrestling match against the former American Alpha member.

    The ending of this bout saw Gable reversing a crossface into an ankle lock. However, Johnny managed to escape. He sent Chad out of the ring and delivered a taupe suicida through the middle rope.

    Johnny Gargano then hit a DDT on Chad Gable to pick up his first victory in 9 months since the WarGames match back in December.

    Gabel’s tag team partner Otis tried to attack Gargano after the match but he escaped. Though before he could reach the entrance ramp, Theory attacked Gargano from behind using the Money In The Bank briefcase. Theory then took a selfie with him.

    The segment with Gargano ended here but Theory stayed in the ring and took some shots at the former NXT star. Kevin Owens then came out to confront the Mr Money In The Banks.

  • New Champions Crowned During Raw

    New Champions Crowned During Raw

    Damage CTRL is your new Women’s Tag Team Champions.

    A lot of people criticized WWE’s decision of putting the women’s tag titles on Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah instead of Damage CTRL in the tournament they held to crown new champion. The company seems to have rectified this mistake.

    This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon saw the newly crowned champions defending their titles for the first time.

    The ending of the bout saw Rodriguez putting Dakota Kai down with a couple of lariats. She also hit a twisting splash before letting Aliyah tag in.

    Rodriguez sent her tag partner onto Kai before being attacked by IO Sky.  Aliyah tried rolling up Dakota Kai but Kai kicked out.

    Aliyah hit a jawbreaker on Kai. She went for the pin again but Bayley put Kai’s foot on the rope, forcing the break.

    This led to Aliyah delivering a baseball kick to Bayley before Sky took her out. Dakota Kai then delivered the Kai-ropractor for the win.

    Apart from this, the show featured matches such as Finn Balor vs Riddle and a match between Dominik Mysterio and Edge that is yet to come. You can check out the full results on SEScoops after the show.

  • Backstage Update on The Young Bucks Sending “Feelers” to WWE

    Backstage Update on The Young Bucks Sending “Feelers” to WWE

    AEW lost one of its founders earlier this year to WWE in the way of Cody Rhodes and reports last week indicated that two more founders could follow suit as The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) had reportedly “sent out feelers” to people within WWE. 

    The Bucks are contracted to AEW until 2024 and the feelers were sent out to gauge potential interest. 

    Fightful Select reported today that this is said to have been a rumor among many of its sources “dating back to August.” Sources close to the tag team noted that they “haven’t been given that indication whatsoever” in regards to them sending out feelers to WWE. 

    An anonymous source is said to “likely be in a good position to relay that information” and added that they “aren’t sure who the Young Bucks would even reach out to” regarding contacting WWE. 

    The top AEW tag team talking with WWE would likely be considered contract tampering, but utilizing a third party to relay interest falls in a gray area. Fightful did confirm they had heard of people who worked in talent relations “outright” reaching out to AEW talent in August, but it wasn’t specified if these talent relations people were actively working for WWE.

    Past Talks

    Young Bucks
    (AEW)

    Another source who worked with WWE in 2018 noted that they had heard the feelers rumor but neglected to ask WWE higher-ups about it because “they weren’t sure how that would be received.” 

    The Bucks did have talks with WWE in 2018 before signing with AEW the following year. 

    Because there was such a strong interest in the Bucks joining WWE in the past, and because their stock has only risen since then, this source thinks that the Bucks “wouldn’t even need to assess interest.” Before AEW All Out, the Bucks reportedly gave “no indication” that they planned to leave the organization, according to Fightful.

  • Details on Changes at WWE Headquarters After Vince McMahon Stepped Down

    Details on Changes at WWE Headquarters After Vince McMahon Stepped Down

    Many fans have noticed the changes to the product now that Vince McMahon is gone from the company and Triple H is in charge of creative. There have also been changes made behind the scenes in the company. 

    PWInsider reports that the management (Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan serving as co-CEOs) change has energized the locker room and the production team. The energy at WWE Headquarters in Stamford is said to be much better for a very different reason.

    Working Under Vince McMahon

    vince

    When Vince was in charge, people had to walk on eggshells and there was always a fear that if you put your personal life before the company then you may be expendable because Vince lived and breathed WWE every day and his work hours were insane. As a result, Vince expected employees to work those same hours. 

    With the new management team, the level of stress has decreased, and people no longer feel guilty about leaving work at a normal hour. The work/life balance is said to be much better these days.

    Also, the feeling of keeping your head down that people had when Vince was around is no longer there. They also feel they can converse with management if they run into them, unlike when Vince was in charge. 

    One staffer noted that people “knew running into Vince was like running into the T-Rex from Jurassic Park. You didn’t want to call attention to yourself.”

    Regarding the creative team, there is no longer the feeling that everyone must “hurry up to wait” for hours so Vince can finish his meetings. 

    Meetings in the company are said to be more streamlined and regimented and the feeling is by not wasting so much time, there is less worry about being “worn out by the grind.”