German wrestling promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling’s contract with WWE expired on May 30, at which time WXW content will no longer be accessible on WWE Network. According to PWInsider, it was a case of their agreement expiring and not being renewed.
WXW was the last remnant of independent wrestling content on the WWE Network. Besides WXW, some of the other independent wrestling content on WWE Network included shows from Evolve, Progress Wrestling, and Insane Championship Wrestling.
A subscription model which would include independent shows was in the plans for the streaming service, but it didn’t come to fruition. Instead, content from Progress and WXW was added via VOD to the Network and Peacock.
So where can you watch WXW programming now? The promotion will stream its events on YouTube going forward. The company would also be free to secure deals with other streaming providers after a long time, so we could potentially see WXW on some other streaming platform soon.
The latest event from the promotion is wXw Drive of Champions 2024, which is set to take place on Saturday, June 1. NJPW TV Champion Jeff Cobb will be at the event facing Mike D Vecchio.
Gable Steveson’s WWE release came as a surprise to many fans, as the company was expected to give him a major push. Now, he is pursuing a different career path.
According to Adam Schefter, Steveson is signing with the Buffalo Bills, as confirmed by his agent, Carter Chow. Steveson will now aim to join Bob Hayes as one of the few athletes to win both a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal.
There had been previous reports of NFL interest in Steveson, and it appears the Bills have officially secured his services.
Gable Steveson is an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in NCAA history, but he has never played organized football.
Steveson’s crossover to football is particularly notable because he never played high school football. This move highlights a trend where NFL teams, similar to WWE’s Next In Line program for collegiate athletes, are recruiting players with little to no prior experience.
Gable Steveson’s WWE Tenure
Many believed that Gable Steveson had a bright future in WWE. To support his development, WWE established a remote training facility for him while he completed his studies at the University of Minnesota. Despite being featured in significant WWE events like WrestleMania 38, fans did not connect with him as expected, often resisting the Olympian’s rapid push.
In 2022, Steveson underwent a heart ablation to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and took time off to recover before resuming training. As WWE’s first NIL signing, his struggle to succeed highlights the unique skills needed in professional wrestling. His match against Baron Corbin at NXT’s Great American Bash underscored these challenges, with the crowd’s “You’re Not Angle” chants, so fans were not eager to latch onto him.
Gable Steveson getting “You’re Not Angle” and “Bullshit” chants from the crowd in his debut pic.twitter.com/jfcsledaXP
We’d like to wish Gable Steveson the best in his new career with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Ironically, he may be a part of games that directly compete with WWE RAW as part of Monday Night Football.
Brock Lesnar has not been seen for quite some time, and that is not going to change until his legal situation is resolved. SEScoops exclusively reported in March, “No one is going to get involved in that situation. This is a legal issue, and until the lawyers decide that Brock is to be brought back, there is no movement at all, or a movement on his behalf.” In the latest Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer corroborates our scoop with this note:
“Regarding any rumors of Lesnar returning, he has to be cleared by WWE legal (remember WWE is still a defendant in the Janel Grant lawsuit), and that hasn’t happened yet.”
Janel Grant’s court battle against WWE and Vince McMahon will be delayed, but that’s not necessarily good news for the company. Grant has agreed to postpone the lawsuit at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, an ominous sign for McMahon that indicates additional legal pitfalls ahead.
This decision means it will take longer than initially planned before the two sides face off in court, as the case remains under a non-public investigation. As a result, the timeline for Lesnar wrestling again has effectively been delayed indefinitely.
Brock Lesnar Impacted by Janel Grant Lawsuit
Janel Grant’s lawsuit alleges that in July 2021, Vince McMahon directed her to create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar he wanted to re-sign. The lawsuit did not name the wrestler but described them as both a UFC fighter and WWE talent. Although Brock Lesnar was not mentioned, the timeline suggests a limited number of possible wrestlers.
The lawsuit claims McMahon shared explicit photos with the WWE Superstar, who responded positively. In December, McMahon allegedly gave Grant’s personal cellphone number to the wrestler. The wrestler then requested a video of her urinating and used derogatory language toward her. A meetup was planned but did not happen due to travel issues.
Brock Lesnar was removed from the WWE intro package and has been absent from promotional materials and vignettes since the controversy. His WrestleMania 40 match against GUNTHER was also scrapped, along with his planned bout against Dominik Mysterio at Elimination Chamber.
In WWE 2K24, Lesnar was removed as a playable character but still exists in the game’s code. He was replaced by John Cena on the Forty Years of WrestleMania cover. He remains under WWE contract.
A lot of things have changed in wrestling since The Undertaker made his debut in 1987. The path to success in the business wasn’t defined as well and aspiring wrestlers had to do a lot of unexpected things to get the experience they needed back then. For the Last Outlaw, this meant wrestling in places such as a federal prison just to get good at his craft.
The Dead Man reviewed this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in a new video on his Patreon page and answered some questions.
During the talk, Taker was asked if he ever wrestled in prison. The wrestling veteran recalled one of his early trainers booking him for one such show:
“Oh, yeah. It was a federal prison. Kind of like a pre-release prison. It was pretty interesting. You know, back then, anytime anybody had a ring going up somewhere and you can get on a card, you got on it. That was just how it was because there was nothing more valuable than ring experience. So I remember the guy that invited me to go. He actually trained me a little bit too. His name was Rick Davidson. Him and his brother were a tag team in the 70s.”
The Undertaker revealed that ironically, he was working the gimmick of a Russian grave digger at the time and detailed the environment they had to deal with for these events:
“I want to say my name was Boris Dragu – the Russian grave digger. How about that for irony? And you haven’t been heckled till you’ve been to a prison show. They don’t give any kind of dams about what they say or what they do. It was always that long walk in through the prison to get to where we had the wrestling event…But that’s funny. I haven’t thought about that in years, but yeah, I’ve worked there. I worked there several times.”
Rick & John Davidson were two brothers who were born in Texas in the early 50s. They wrestled for promotions such as NWA Hollywood and MSW Mid-South Wrestling.
Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane, wrote reacted to the news, after Clay Travis of Outkick.com posted the following on Twitter:
“Trump is guilty in business records case. In related news, congrats to Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States.”
Jacobs posted the following reply to the tweet:
“Yep. Tonight, the political class will be patting each other on the back and offering toasts at their cocktail parties. On November 5th, they’ll be shaking their heads wondering what happened.”
Yep. Tonight, the political class will be patting each other on the back and offering toasts at their cocktail parties. On November 5th, they'll be shaking their heads wondering what happened. https://t.co/ymkuej76uj
The Knox County mayor also wrote “And people say pro wrestling is fixed” to another post about the topic.
Jacobs is the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, and affiliated with the Republican Party, which Trump is also affiliated with. Trump is the presumptive nominee of the party for the 2024 presidential election.
Jacobs announced he was officially running for the mayoral seat of Knox County in March 2017. In May 2018, he won the Republican primary election for the seat by 23 votes, and was elected mayor in August 2018. He won a second term in the election in August 2022.
Trump’s indictment is the first of a former US president, and was convicted on May 30, 2024. His sentence hearing is scheduled for July 11 this year, and it is not known yet what sentence Trump would receive. The 77-year-old is expected to appeal the conviction.
WWE’s newest signing Giulia has provided a positive update after successfully undergoing surgery.
The Japanese superstar recently went under the knife after she suffered a wrist injury. Taking to her X account, Giulia posted a photo of herself and revealed that she had been discharged from the hospital. She also thanked the fans who were concerned about her.
”Discharged from the hospital! Thank you to everyone who was worried about me! I’m fine!”
Giulia had suffered a fractured right wrist during a match on Monday, May 20 at the Marigold Fields Forever event. She had joined forces with Utami Hayashashita and faced former NXT star Sareee and Bozilla in a losing effort. She sustained the injury a few minutes into the match but finished the bout that went on for over 28 minutes.
Following the injury, the 30-year-old wrestler had to withdraw from her upcoming matches including the Hana Kimura tribute show. However, she’s still scheduled to battle Sareee at Marigold’s Summer Destinyevent on July 13. Despite the injury, there are some massive plans for her in the pipeline for her debut.
Giulia was involved with WWE during the WrestleMania 40 weekend. She made her first WWE appearance at NXT Stand & Deliver as she was in attendance. Recent reports suggest that WWE officials are hoping that the Japanese sensation will recover before NXT Heatwave which is scheduled for July 7.
Meanwhile, the officials within NXT believe that Giulia will enter the NXT Women’s title picture immediately. The Japanese star is expected to battle Roxanne Perez for the title at the show. However, these plans might be altered due to Giulia’s injury.
WWE Tag Team Champion Grayson Waller isn’t interested in a UK-based WrestleMania and believes such a show would be “very depressing” for fans.
The Aussie Icon was at WWE Money in the Bank 2023 when John Cena shared his intention to bring WWE’s flagship show to the UK. At London’s O2 Arena, Waller argued that WWE’s first international WrestleMania should be in his native Australia and ate an Attitude Adjustment for his troubles.
Given what transpired in London, Waller has taken a staunch anti-UK stance when it comes to the possibility of an international WrestleMania. Speaking to the UK’s Daily Star newspaper, Waller shared why he thinks a UK-based WrestleMania is a bad idea.
“I just don’t think it’s something that I want to do, that most of the wrestlers want to do. I’ve been to London. it’s a depressing place, and I think WrestleMania in London would be a very depressing WrestleMania. We don’t want that. So, its Sadiq, right? [referring to London Mayor Sadiq Khan being in favor of WrestleMania.] Well, I think you’re an idiot and WrestleMania in Australia is going to be much better!”
Waller isn’t a fan of the idea of WrestleMania in the UK.
UK WrestleMania: Is It Possible?
There are obvious logistics WWE will have to consider when deciding whether a WrestleMania in the UK will be viable. Perhaps the most obvious will be the timezone difference. If WrestleMania began at 8 pm local time, that would be a 4 pm ET start in the United States.
Triple H has said that anything is possible when it comes to WrestleMania taking place in the UK. With that said, WWE President Nick Khan has reportedly said that WWE’s ‘Big Four’ events will remain in North America for the foreseeable future. WWE will return to the UK very soon for its upcoming WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland event and a well-performing show could make WWE seriously consider WrestleMania in the UK.
A lawsuit against WWE, John Laurinaitis, and Vince McMahon has been put on pause at the request of the United States Department of Justice.
Janel Grant is suing the three parties over allegations she was sexually abused and trafficked during her time working for WWE. Grant had been a part of the company’s legal department and worked closely with McMahon during her time under his employ.
While Grant’s allegations were enough to see Vince McMahon step down from WWE and TKO in January, it will be longer than planned before the two sides face off in court. Grant has agreed to delay the lawsuit at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice. A statement from Grant’s legal representative Ann Callis reads:
“Ms. Grant has consented to a request by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York to stay her case against Mr. McMahon, WWE and Mr. Laurinaitis, pursuant to a pending non-public investigation. We will cooperate with all appropriate next steps.”
Callis does not give the reason why the U.S. Department of Justice has made this request. In a sealed filing today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District Of New York presented material to the federal court of a probe they have opened into McMahon. The 78-year-old billionaire’s business operations will be under the microscope as part of this probe.
“We remain confident the evidence will prove Ms. Grant’s allegations are false and her complaint is nothing more than a fabricated, vindictive narrative from a disgruntled former girlfriend.”
McMahon has denied all allegations against him and has claimed that Grant’s lawsuit is “rife” with fabrication and inaccuracies. Rosenberg has stated that Grant was in love with McMahon and that her “false allegations are slowly unraveling.”
Chad Gable could become a free agent as soon as next weekend, according to Fightful Select. Sean Ross Sapp reports that Gable’s WWE contract is believed to expire at the end of next week. Now entering the final week of a multi-year deal, it’s increasingly likely that he will at least test the waters of free agency.
Known for his amateur wrestling credentials and in-ring technical proficiency, Gable signed with WWE in November 2013. The 38-year-old and his former partner Jason Jordan tore it up in NXT as American Alpha. They had some of the best tag team matches in the brand’s history, winning gold in developmental and on the main roster.
Interestingly, Gable has held WWE tag titles on the main roster with three separate partners: Jason Jordan, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Roode. Today, he’s the leader of the Alpha Academy faction. which haS been dealing with some on-sreen infighting. Gable is urging Tozawa, Maxxine Durpi, and Otis to adopt his more villainous ways, but they are resisting.
Gable has been involved in countless storylines during his decade-plus in WWE, but he’s very satisfied with his current work. He told TNT Sports this week:
“This version of [my character], believe it or not, is probably the closest to my real personality than anything else I’ve done. Not to say that I’m a jerk but I am a very hard-nosed disciplined human being in real life.”
As we’ve seen, Gable can more than hold his own in the realm of ‘sports entertainment,’ which makes him even more valuable to companies with a never-ending need to churn out content. Gable is a rare talent who can shine in the ring, on the mic and as a coach, so he will have some serious options to consider in the weeks ahead.
We’ll be following this story closely in the days ahead and will provide an update when additional details are available. For more on Chad Gable’s potential WWE exit, keep an eye on our always-current WWE Releases & Departures Tracker.
On May 21st, Brandi Rhodes publicly shared her story following surgery for Endometriosis, a disease in which tissue similar to the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus and in places where it shouldn’t. Her experience was that of a cautionary tale, as this common disorder could have been identified quickly if any of the numerous doctors she appealed to had conducted a routine ultrasound and pelvic exam. Instead, it took 3 years.
The powerful social media posts gained tons of attention, adding to the larger conversation of how women often feel dismissed or taken seriously by doctors. Recently, the former Chief Brand Officer of All Elite Wrestling spoke with TODAY.com, where she detailed her frustration and further emphasized the need for women not to be afraid to speak up.
The Rhodes Family: Brandi, Cody and Liberty
During her interview, Brandi Rhodes detailed the many doctors’ appointments she arranged to try and uncover why she had been experiencing the “internal pain,” along with other troubling symptoms she had been struggling with since her pregnancy.
“The biggest shock was postpartum, when this was supposed to be going away, it definitely was not going away… That was the point at which I gave up. I just said, you know what, maybe this is in my head.”
Shortly after this, Rhodes was inspired by Maryse Mizanin, a fellow member of the WWE family. In February, the former WWE Divas Champion openly talked about her own health struggle. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with a rare pre-cancerous condition and needed laparoscopy surgery.
Brandi Rhodes detailed her immediate reaction following doctors finally identifying Endometriosis as the source of her pain.
“It’s been three years. What took so long?” [To husband, Cody Rhodes]: I’m so mad. I’m so worked up because I knew something was wrong. And the way that I felt so dismissed in so many different ways… This is so wrong.
The former in-ring competitor concluded her interview with an appeal to women everywhere to be their own best advocate, urging them not to hesitate to speak up if they sense something is amiss.
“Feel empowered by your own feelings…It can feel really discouraging, and you can start to second guess yourself and feel like maybe this is (your) fault. But it’s not. You just haven’t met the right professional yet.”
As expressed by TODAY.com, Rhodes is currently recovering from her surgery and is receiving support from her husband, mother, and the staff of her Naked Mind yoga studio.
The last time Brandi Rhodes was seen on WWE TV was at WrestleMania 40 when she joined her husband Cody Rhodes for his entrance ahead of his main event match for the WWE Undisputed Championship. She would later join him in the ring following his epic and historic victory.
On behalf of everyone at SEScoops, we wish Brandi Rhodes a speedy and full recovery and encourage our readers to take her advice: “listen to your body” if you think something is wrong, advocate for yourself and be persistent.
WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i, who was part of the Wild Samoans tag team, has been suffering from various health issues. Anoa’i will be undergoing a back surgery on Monday, to correct loosened screws in his back, as reported by PWInsider. This comes after he just came back from a rehabilitation hospital the past weekend after heart surgery.
The Hall of Famer was also battling pneumonia, experiencing heart attacks, besides getting fractures in his back. Anoa’i was suffering from pneumonia earlier this year, which got worse after he got a mild heart attack during hospitalization. He then suffered another, smaller heart attack during the hospital stay. He got discharged in January.
Update: My father fell and fractured his back in 2 places. He is currently being transferred into a different hospital. Continued prayers are requested as well as privacy during these stressful times. The family will post updates as they come
Afa Anoa’i is a Samoan-American wrestler who is best known for partnering with his brother Sika to form the a tag team known best as The Wild Samoans. He’s best known for his run in the WWF. The Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Sika’s son Rosey in 2007.
We at SEScoops wish the great Afa Anoa’i a full and speedy recovery.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has added one more feather on his cap.
Per PW Insider, Cauliflower Alley Club has announced that ‘The Olympic Gold Medalist’ is the latest recipient of the prestigious Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award.
Angle has certainly cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats. His legendary career began with amateur wrestling. He went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 despite having a ‘Broken Frickin’ Neck.’ He eventually shifted to pro wrestling and competed across WWE and TNA Wrestling, tasting more success in the process. He is a former multi-time World Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.
Wrestling Legend Kurt Angle to Receive Prestigious Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award! https://t.co/McL3xqEi4q
— Cauliflower Alley Club (@CACReunion) May 29, 2024
Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award
The esteemed award was named after legendary wrestler Lou Thesz and Cauliflower Club founder Art Abrams. It is noted that the award nominee must have a strong amateur wrestling background and a widely recognized pro wrestling career. It is needless to mention that Kurt Angle is a fitting choice for this award.
Kurt Angle will accept the award in a ceremony at the 58th Annual Cauliflower Club Reunion in Las Vegas, Nevada from August 19 to 21. ‘The Olympic Gold Medalist’ has now joined the prestigious list of fellow legendary wrestlers such as Ron Simmons, Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and Ricky Steamboat who have received the award in the past. For more information and to buy tickets, fans can visit the CAC website.
Kurt Angle had an illustrious career in WWE but things might have been different for him had he signed with WCW. Fellow WWE legend Ric Flair had prevented Angle from joining WCW. Read more below:
Becky Lynch’s WWE contract is set to expire on Saturday. Following her loss on this week’s WWE Raw, it will probably be quite some time before The Man comes back around. Dave Meltzer addressed Lynch’s situation on Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Radio. With just days remaining on her WWE contract, Lynch is reportedly taking an extended leave of absense.
Her husband Seth Rollins is injured and off the road, so it makes sense for her to at least time some time off. However, Lynch’s situation is more than a vacation.
Prior to WrestleMania XL, Lynch told Chris Van Vliet that she wasn’t worried about the fact that her WWE contract was running out. Ariel Helwani later asked Lynch if she’d consider working for other companies. She replied,“I’m with WWE,” but expressed uncertainty about her situation.
Endeavor is handling WWE contracts differently, as seen with Seth Rollins, who re-signed before his contract expired. Lynch’s future remains unclear, but she could become a major free agent in June if WWE doesn’t finalize a new deal.
Tony Khan commented on the possibility of making a play for Lynch, and he made it clear that he will not tamper with her contract. She finished her WWE commitments on Monday’s Raw by losing to Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan in a steel cage match.
Chris Jericho has also given his two cents on the situation, as he said that AEW is now an option for her.
“Five years ago, Becky would have no other options. [I’m] not saying that she’s coming but there is an option and who knows what could happen? No one thought that Jericho would come to AEW. No one thought that Moxley would come or Bryan Danielson or Adam Cole or any of these guys that have come over.
So it’s exciting for the fans. It’s exciting for the wrestlers, the talent, because now suddenly if there’s a bidding war that just benefits us. So I think it’s it’s very important.”
Check out our recent review of Becky Lynch’s book:
WWE Superstar Sonya Deville knew something was wrong after suffering an ACL injury in the ring after a midnight trip to the bathroom went awry.
The injury in question occurred during the July 28, 2023, edition of WWE SmackDown which saw Deville and Chelsea Green face Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Deville would undergo surgery in August and has not competed since.
On the Insight podcast, Deville discussed her injury with host Chris Van Vliet. The former MMA fighter and WWE authority figure admitted that at first, she did not know how bad the injury would be but suspected things were bad as she wrestled the remainder of the match.
“The whole time I’m like ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t fall flat on my face.’ Sure enough, we made it to the end, I limped back and I got in my rental car, went to my hotel and tried to pretend it didn’t happen. Because in this business nobody wants to be injured and out of play.
Fearing the worst, Deville did not want those at the show to see how bad the injury was. It was only after a trip to the bathroom didn’t go as planned that the seriousness of the situation became clear.
“I told myself it’s fine, it’s a sprain, I’ll just wrap it. Long story short, [I] woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I fell face-first into the wall. And I was like ‘Oh I think something’s wrong.’”
Deville hasn’t wrestled since suffering her ACL injury.
The injury ended Deville’s time as a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, her first title reign in close to a decade with the company. Understandably, Deville was frustrated with how her first serious injury in wrestling changed all plans for her.
“I was so devastated. I had been with the company for nine years and of course, part of being in the WWE is to one day grab that brass ring and get gold around your waist. And that’s what I had been striving for of course. So I finally got that first championship and I was so happy. I was so elated, I was ready to make those titles mean more than ever before and then the injury came.”
Deville recently returned to WWE programming in a backstage segment with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. It remains to be seen how Deville will factor into plans for the tag team which also have a guaranteed title opportunity at Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
Tiffany Stratton is undoubtedly the breakout star of WWE for 2024. The former NXT Women’s Champion has impressed everyone with her performances since her main roster debut in February. Tiffany has rightfully been dubbed as the future of the women’s division, though she already has an idea of what she wants to do after her WWE run as well.
The 25-year-old recently spoke to The Battleground podcast. She talked about things such as her performance in the Queen of The Ring tournament, Nia Jax’s win, and more.
During the interview, the current SmackDown star was asked if she has any Hollywood aspirations. Tiffany Stratton said that she would like to start breaking into Hollywood in around 5 years:
“I do, of course I do. I think by the age of 30 I kind of wanna be breaking into Hollywood and do something along those lines. At around the age of 30 I feel like [doing that]”
Tiffany Stratton Says Elimination Chamber Was Life Changing
Tiffany Stratton also talked about the overwhelming positive crowd reaction for her during the Elimination Chamber: Perth event earlier this year. She claimed that the whole experience was life changing for her:
“Australia was, it was life-changing I feel like for my career. I had no idea that Australia even knew who I was. Going into that match I was the rookie. It was kind of like ‘Are they gonna know who I am? If they’re not I am just gonna show out regardless.’ So the fact that I had the entire stadium chanting Tiffy time was so amazing for me.”
Apart from this Stratton discussed Jordynne Grace’s surprise NXT appearance this week. When asked which women from outside the WWE roster she would like to face if given a chance, Stratton took the name of Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo.
SEScoops had an exclusive interview with Tiffany Stratton earlier this year. You can check that out below:
Wrestling fans and moviegoers alike have caught their first glimpse of Disney’s Moana 2 starring WWE’s very own Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Moana 2 follows on from 2016’s Moana and sees Johnson return as the voice of Maui, a legendary demigod who works alongside Moana (Auli?i Cravalho) to recover a missing relic that she believes will save the people of her island. Much like its predecessor, Moana 2 takes inspiration from Polynesian myths.
This week, a teaser trailer for Moana 2 was shared online. Maui appears in the closing moments of the trailer and shows off his shapeshifting abilities, transforming from a shark into a bird and eventually into his human guise. The demigod converses with Moana and teases eating her pet pig and the returning chicken HeiHei (Alan Tudyk.)
The Rock’s Very Different Project
Moana 2 isn’t the only big project in the works for Dwayne Johnson. The Final Boss of WWE is also currently working on The Smashing Machinewhich will tell the tale of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Johnson will play Kerr in the film which will delve into his career as well as his personal struggles with substances.
The Smashing Machine is certainly a change from the norm for Johnson, who typically sticks to family-friendly films (Moana, The Jungle Cruise) or high-end blockbusters like The Fast and the Furious franchise. Currently, there’s no confirmed date for when fans can expect The Smashing Machine in cinemas.
The WWE Universe will get much more than just wrestling shows on Netflix once Monday Night Raw joins the streaming juggernaut in 2025.
In January, it was announced that Raw will move to Netflix as part of a $5 billion deal with the streaming giant. Fans in the U.S. will have access to Monday Night Raw each week, while those outside of the States will receive Raw, SmackDown, WWE NXT, and Premium Live Events. Netflix will not cover monthly PLEs in areas where deals are already in place with other distributors, such as India.
Now, more WWE-licensed shows are set to join Netflix as part of this massive deal. Speaking at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, TKO COO Mark Shapiro shared plans for “a lot of ancillary shoulder programming” connected to the WWE. This will include both reality shows and documentaries.
Reality shows, giving a behind-the-scenes look, are hardly a new venture for Netflix. The streaming giant already teams with Formula 1 racing to present Formula 1: Drive to Survive. The show gives fans an in-depth look at the sport as well as the lives of drivers of the race track.
Now, wrestling fans can expect something similar when WWE moves to Netflix. WWE has its own litany of reality shows including past examples like Total Divas and Total Bellas and current projects including Miz and Mrs and Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez.
WWE has a long history of producing high-quality documentaries. In addition to self-produced docs, the promotion has teamed with A&E for the popular Biography series. Now fans can look forward to more productions from WWE with the high-quality production team at Netflix also involved.
AEW President Tony Khan has a lot of respect for WWE Superstar Becky Lynch but isn’t ready to discuss bringing her to the All-Elite promotion just yet.
Lynch’s contract with WWE is set to expire within a matter of days and while talks are ongoing, a deal is not expected to be reached. On this week’s Raw, Lynch unsuccessfully challenged WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan in the show’s main event. Lynch was visibly emotional after the show as she waved to the fans, which some have taken as a sign that ‘The Man’ is leaving WWE.
With Lynch’s time with WWE coming to an end, many fans are naturally hopeful that she will join AEW and its blossoming women’s division. The All-Elite promotion is already home to notable ex-Superstars including ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm, Saraya, and Mercedes Mone. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Tony Khan was asked about possibly bringing WWE talent on board.
“I don’t want to try to tamper and do those things. I try to keep it classy and I really have a reputation for honesty and I really want to be a fair businessman. The wrestling business is a really cutthroat business.”
When Lynch’s name was brought up, Khan again brought up tampering and isn’t going to discuss signing somebody who for now remains under a WWE contract. With that said, the AEW President agreed with Eisen’s co-host TJ that Lynch is a “great star.”
Tony Khan has a lot of respect for ‘The Man.’
Becky Lynch’s Future
Lynch has been telling those in WWE that she does not plan on joining AEW imminently. The former Women’s Champion is expected to take a break from wrestling for the time being. Despite this, WWE sources are confident a new deal will be reached when the time is right. Whatever comes next, fans will remain intrigued to see what the highly popular WWE Superstar does next.
The ‘Forbidden Door’ is open in WWE after TNA Knockout Champion Jordynne Grace appeared on the May 28 episode of NXT. Grace answered the challenge to take on NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez for the title at NXT Battleground on June 9. After the surprising appearance, both talents from WWE and TNA Wrestling have shared an interest in facing each other on social media.
Several notable names like X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali and WWE superstar Cedric Alexander have pitched on X facing each other after Grace NXT’s debut. While fans are also pitching dream matches from both companies, Drew McIntyre has officially put his name out to go through the ‘Forbidden Door.’
On X, ‘The Scottish Warrior’ shared a picture of himself holding the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and wrote “Doors Open Both Ways.”
Longtime TNA fans may recall that McIntyre had a successful run with the company from 2015 to 2017. The crowning moment of his TNA career was when he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Matt Hardy on an episode of Impact Wrestling on March 15, 2016. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ held the title for almost three months before dropping it to Bobby Lashley at TNA Slammiversary on June 12.
McIntyre’s interest in working with TNA again makes fans curious whether WWE will allow him. The cocky superstar is currently involved in a feud with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest and will challenge for the title at Clash At The Castle next month. WWE may keep McIntyre focused on preparing for his homecoming event.
Regardless, one TNA talent has responded to his post.
TNA Champion Welcomes A Match With Drew McIntyre
In response to McIntyre’s tease, TNA World Champion Moose warned him about wanting to cross over. Moose shared a photo on X from a win over McIntyre for the Impact Grand Championship on an episode of Impact Wrestling on March 2, 2017.
McIntyre has yet to respond to Moose’s comments, but it does create intrigue for a potential rematch between them. It’s unclear what WWE and TNA have planned beyond Grace challenging Perez at NXT Battleground. However, the online interactions between WWE and TNA talent are exciting fans for what is to come.
The wrestling business is buzzing after Ethan Page shockingly made his debut on the May 28 episode of WWE NXT. After three years signed to All Elite Wrestling, Page left the company on May 2. ‘All Ego’ seemed interested in testing free agency and is still booked for independent wrestling shows. However, based on his appearance last night and a report from Fightful Select, it’s believed that he has signed up with WWE.
Page dramatically ended the recent WWE NXT episode by assaulting world champion Trick Williams. It’s also worth noting that his attack from behind on Williams led to the champion clashing heads with Lash Legend.
Page revealed he was responsible for attacks on Noam Dar and Oro Mensah backstage. Afterward, he delivered a running knee to Williams in the corner and posed with the NXT Championship as the show went off.
— “All Ego” Ethan Page (@OfficialEGO) May 29, 2024
Ethan Page Denies Being Signed TO WWE
It seems WWE is leading to a potential match with Williams as soon as NXT Battleground on June 9. However, Page has spoken out in a video on X, claiming he isn’t signed to WWE. He touted the media attention that the company received over his shocking debut and how this gave him leverage for a deal. Page also called on the company and NXT champion to reach out if they want a deal done.
“…Contrary to popular belief, Ethan Page is not signed to any company or any contract, and I’m going to just assume that Trick Williams would love to get a little payback and revenge on Ethan Pag, so NXT, I’m going to leave this to you,” said Page.
He ended the video by saying that the ball was in WWE’s court to get a deal done.
What’s Next For Page?
Although Page has downplayed being signed with WWE, this seems to be part of his storyline with the company. He is advertised for a match against Shelton Benjamin for Prestige Wrestling on July 12. Despite still being promoted for an independent wrestling event, WWE could allow him to finish the dates he’s committed to working.
The next storyline development should come on the June 5 episode of WWE NXT. Williams will likely address his attack and want revenge on Page. It’s unclear if the company plans to have them compete at NXT Battleground, but it will make fans interested to tune in on next week’s episode.
Jordynne Grace was revealed as Roxanne Perez’s opponent for Battleground during this week’s episode of NXT, surprising both fans and the NXT Women’s Champion. Fightful Selectreports that Perez was genuinely surprised by Grace’s appearance, as she had insisted on not knowing her opponent beforehand to ensure an authentic reaction. Her reaction on television was organic, which made it an even more memorable moment fans won’t soon forget.
The NXT Women’s Championship match at Battleground is part of an agreement between Grace and NXT, which includes at least three appearances: two advertised matches and her recent appearance. The Fightful report states that Grace is earning at least six figures for these appearances for the NXT brand. She’ll take on Stevie Turner in singles action for the June 4 episode, the go-home show before Battleground.
Andrea Concepcion and Johnny Russo were responsible for organizing Jordynne Grace’s segment, as noted by Corey Brennan. While most talent were unaware, Ethan Page knew about Grace’s appearance in advance due. They reportedly had an encounter at Cezar Bononi’s house.
The possibility of more NXT and TNA crossovers remains open. Despite Scott D’Amore’s departure from TNA, which initially raised concerns about future collaborations, sources within TNA confirm that communication lines remain open. There is a lot more to unpack in this story, as WWE seemingly has their own Forbidden Door to open now.
WWE NXT Battleground will go down on June 9 from the UFC Apex outside Las Vegas. SEScoops will have complete coverage of the show, including the highly-promoted Women’s Title match.
Roman Reigns is currently on hiatus in the WWE, but he was seen training in a video shared recently on social media. The video was shared by bodybuilder and actor Kai Greene, in which he could be seen in a training session with Reigns.
“RISE UP ,” Greene wrote in the caption of the post. “Keep pushing, keep dreaming, and never let self doubt or fear stop get in the way. This is your journey, the pursuit of greatness is within grasp…all you have to do is go out there and earn it. HUGE shoutout to @romanreigns for tagging me in on this training session!”
At Night Two of WrestleMania 40, Reigns lost the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes. After which, he took some time off from the ring, and working on a film. Last month, SEScoopsreported that the former champion is involved in “Good Fortune,” a heist comedy film that is set to come out in late 2024. The cast of the film includes names such as Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, and comedian Aziz Ansari making his directorial debut.
This will be Reigns’ fourth film role, as he has starred in “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” with his cousin Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the past. He was also seen in Netflix’s “The Wrong Missy” and lent his voice acted Paramount+’s animated film “Rumble.” He’s also listed as a lead cast member in “Action Force,” which also features Tom Budgen aka Malakai Black in the cast.
The 39-year-old held the Undisputed WWE Championship for a historic 1,316 days. It is not known when Reigns will make a return to the ring, but a grueling training session vid does instill some hope in seeing him back in action soon.
If it wasn’t for Ric Flair, we may have saw Kurt Angle show up on WCW Monday Nitro, but “The Nature Boy” knew the right place for an Olympic Hero was WWE.
Ric Flair was a styling and profiling guest on the 5/29 episode of “Busted Open Radio” and started talking about the array of stars during the Attitude Era. Flair then mentioned how he flat out told Kurt Angle, who was looking to get into pro wrestling to avoid WCW.
“I said, you don’t want to go to Atlanta, brother. You will get lost.”
Bully Ray asked Flair for clarification and Ric went into further detail about how the encounter happened.
“We were in a gym working out in Nashville, TN and I met Kurt several times and he walked over and said, ‘I’m thinking about getting into professional wrestling,’ he said ‘What do you think about me going to WCW?’
Flair thought about it for a second, said “Give me a minute.”
“I went in the locker room, got my phone, came out, called Vince [McMahon], put him on the phone and he was working out with Dory Funk Jr. two weeks later.”
Flair said WCW would have greatly misused Angle at the time.
“Kurt when healthy, is absolutely one of the great ones.
“Kurt is a special kind of athlete and a special kind of guy and legitimately really tough.”
Flair covered a great deal of ground during his interview, talking about his daughter Charlotte, the unbridled star power of The Rock and how Ricky Steamboat is in the top two of the greatest all time wrestlers alongside Shawn Michaels.
Please credit Busted Open Radio and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.
Ethan Page was one of the two big surprises during WWE NXT this Tuesday and by that surprise appearance its safe to assume that “All Ego” is now in the WWE pro wrestling universe.
Fightful Select has a new report on Page’s status. While it’s unknown if Ethan Page’s contract with AEW expired or he was just released but he told names in the industry that he was hoping to be a free agent by this timeframe.
In the same realm, Page had a desire to float under the radar until “he appeared somewhere else.” Mission accomplished as Page shocked that Capitol Wrestling Center on Tuesday night, revealing himself to be the attacker of Noam Dar and Ora Mensa before he ambushed NXT Champion Trick Williams.
According to Fightful, Page’s deal with WWE was finalized over the course of last week and had a secret meeting go down at the WWE Performance Center. Sources within the company are reportedly pleased and excited about Page’s debut.
Ethan Page wasn’t the only former TNA talent to shock the wrestling world on Tuesday night. TNA Knockout Champion Jordynne Grace showed up as the surprise opponent for NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at the upcoming NXT Battleground.
Page, who has been the sole proprietor of Alpha-1 Wrestling, also joins former AEW star Shawn Spears as a name to join the NXT ranks in 2024. Page was one of the several under-utilized talents in All Elite Wrestling and greatly remained off programming as of recent.
Former WWE star Cezar Bononi played a pivotal role in TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace and former AEW star Ethan Page’s shocking appearances on last night’s edition of NXT.
Bononi, who has had runs with WWE and AEW in the past, revealed that he knew about the surprise appearances and even “hid” Grace and Page in his garage.
Taking to his X account, Bononi posted a photo in which he could be seen posing with Jordynne Grace and Ethan Page. He said they had a closed garage workout and had to “hide, tame, and feed” the two beasts ahead of their appearances.
“Closed garage workout this morning, I had to hide, tame and feed two beasts…”
Jordynne Grace and Ethan Page make impactful NXT appearances
NXT General Manager Ava stunned the fans when she announced Grace would challenge Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Battleground next month. This marked Grace’s second appearance for WWE as she shockingly competed in the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match.
On the other hand, Page made his debut on WWE’s developmental brand in the final moments of the show. He launched a blindsided attack on NXT Champion Trick Williams to send a statement. Williams was accused of attacking Meta Four members Noam Dar and Oro Mensah. However, ‘All Ego’ made it clear with his actions that he was the attacker. The show concluded with Page standing tall and holding up the NXT title,
It has also come to light that Page inked a deal with WWE after attending WWE Performance Center. Meanwhile, Jordynne Grace’s appearance yet again proves that WWE are eager to walk through the ‘Forbidden Door’ and more crossover matches could be expected down the road.
