In the latest installment of the Get to Know series, we bring you a special interview with UK wrestling podcast Wresthings.

The United States has seen many independent wrestling podcasts grow and expand their reach worldwide. However, it’s not as common to see international wrestling content creators gain popularity in the U.S.

Wresthings have slowly risen as one of the most popular United Kingdom podcasts in wrestling. They’ve already grown a fanbase in their hometown of London, England, but they are also gaining popularity in America. People are taking notice of the Wresthings group, whether it be other podcasters or wrestlers.

I recently spoke with Delboy, N.K, Anarfi, VRSYJNES, and Mekz of Wresthings about their growing successful media career. Sam Blackz and Laps were, unfortunately, unavailable at the time.

Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.

How Did The Wresthings Podcast Start?

The Wresthings podcast started as a group of wrestling fans wanting to discuss current wrestling content without being judged and making it cool to watch. Finding people still watching present-day wrestling in the UK may not be easy, particularly in the inner city community.

Working as musicians, Delboy and Anarfi know each other and bonded in an Instagram group chat about wrestling. Having a common interest, both creators decided to start the Wresthings brand.

When talking about coming together as wrestling fans to discuss wrestling, Anarfi said, “…It’s crazy because back in the day, I’d speak to people about wrestling, and the first thing people would say is oh, isn’t that fake or they say something like oh, Stone Cold still wrestling and stuff and it’s like those were conversations there I didn’t really want to hear. For example, there was a moment in time when I didn’t watch wrestling, and Del was my go-to guy.”

He continued, “…It was just nice that we can have this sort of like this forum or community, or brotherhood or sisterhood or family or whatever that we can actually come through, post our wrestling content, speak about other stuff, check on up with mental health and life and stuff. So yeah, It’s gone from us being like wrestling fans and just talking about wrestling all the time to doing other stuff and caring for each other.”

Delboy would also contact VRSYJNES and Blackz to join them as they also bonded about wrestling. They officially launched their podcast on Jan. 11, 2019. As the podcast progressed over the years, other current podcast members joined, and the brand gained popularity.

Dealing with Fame as Content Creators

While the podcast is gaining success, the group members are getting more recognized among their peers. Although it can sometimes be overwhelming, the group takes pride in helping make wrestling popular among the black community in the U.K.

The group noted how they are getting noticed in public by fans and how much it meant to them to see people love their work. Delboy shared what it meant to see his brother watching Wresthings.

“…I’m tired of my siblings watching WhatCulture. I’ll be real, said Delboy jokingly. He continued, “I’m tired of them watching What Culture and Cultaholic and Wrestletalk, no disrespect to them. I love them. I watch them all the time, but it brings a smile to my face when I’m going downstairs, and I’m watching my brother watch my podcast. it makes me feel like, yeah it’s just as important as watching Simon Miller or an Adam Blampied. For him to look at us, yeah I want to listen to your podcast. I don’t agree with this, what Anarfi said here was rubbish or what Blackz said here I enjoyed, for me it’s like yeah this is why I do it.”

Delboy also added that “…The fact that there are black kids watching us and being able to have us as an alternative to the majors, for me, it’s like we are doing what we need to do. So we have to carry on and continue until we take over, and we have all these black kids watching us.”

Their Thoughts on Clash at Castle Taking Place in Cardiff, Wales

WWE will hold its next event, Clash at the Castle, on Sep. 3 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Although the event is in the U.K, it’s not an easy trip to make if you live in England.

Wresthings shared that they wouldn’t be able to attend, and the travel would cost more than going to New York. The group is also confused about why the event is happening in Cardiff.

“…No disrespect to Wales, but London is the capital or at least if not London, you know we have big other cities here Manchester, Birmingham, like not too sure why they went to Wales. Maybe it’s availability of the stadium, but those that are going, they’ve done hard work to make sure they are going,” said Mekz. He continued, “…I know people that are going that aren’t staying in Cardiff, which is the city it’s happening in. They are staying in other cities in Wales, just because of availability of hotels and cheaper tickets and they are going to go from those other cities into Cardiff on the day. WWE hasn’t made this show as accessible as you would like really and truly. You know, hopefully it’s a successful show for them and they come back to the U.K somewhere closer to us in general.”

Clash at the Castle isn’t sold out, with tickets still on sale at Ticketmaster. The event also has tickets available for resale.

What Are Wresthings Future Plans?

The future for Wresthings seems to be promising. Each podcast member has goals they want to accomplish for the brand.

One of the biggest things they look to achieve is creating subscription services like Patreon to create more content and earn more financial growth. However, Anarfi shared that it won’t be happening just yet.

Outside of doing weekly wrestling content, they continue to have famous U.K wrestlers sometimes appear on their show, like Will Ospreay or Gabriel Kidd. They recently had Ava White on their Aug. 12 episode, who will be competing in the IWGP Women’s Championship Tournament at Royal Quest 2 Night two on Oct. 2.

The group also discussed doing more things creatively in wrestling, like having their wrestling event under their brand. Wresthings have shown great ambition to take the brand to new levels.

They hope to continue making discussing wrestling fun and entertaining as they flourish. While it started as friends discussing WWE, Wresthings has become a successful wrestling media brand.

IMPACT Wrestling presents Lone Star Stampede this weekend from Dallas, Texas. The two-day television taping event will feature “The Quintessential Diva”, Gisele Shaw.

Ahead of the IMPACT tapings, Shaw spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about why 2022 was the right year for her to sign the company, her thoughts on Killer Kelly joining the Knockouts Division, her ring-gear inspirations, and more.

Here are some highlights of what Gisele Shaw said about:

Why Now Was The Right Time To Sign With IMPACT Wrestling After Previous Attempts From The Company:

“I just feel like before there were no opportunities. So I’ve been the kind of person where if there’s no opportunities, I’m going to create opportunities for myself. So that’s why I went to the U.K, I did that. I was hoping anyway. I was banking on them loving me and hopefully making me want to stay and keep me there, which they did. At the time, I just wanted to make a name for myself and learn that type of wrestling.

When IMPACT first came to me, I just was not ready because I didn’t really feel like I’ve accomplished what I needed to accomplish in the UK at the time. So when I’ve reached the pinnacle, as you would say, in the British scene, I felt like, ‘okay, what’s next? You know?’. Then it just so happened at the time, IMPACT Wrestling came back again and they go, ‘Are you ready now?’ I said, ‘Let’s go. This is the time’.”

On Killer Kelly Joining The Knockouts Division:

“I actually know Killer Kelly from the UK when we were both working in that scene. It’s so crazy because, the only time that we’ve actually wrestled was once in a four way and immediately we were like, ‘Oh man, I really want to wrestle you,’ and vice versa. We’ve just been waiting and waiting and watching her now at IMPACT [Wrestling].

She’s so incredible. When she comes out on her entrance, I tell everyone, ‘oh, my God. She’s such a vixen’. She’s just got this aura about her that’s just like, ‘yeah, I’m about to mess you up,’ you know what I mean? I don’t know. It’s just like something about her. It’s like that, Je ne sais quoi.”

Ring Gear Inspirations:

“So my ring gear, I like it to be inspired like Victoria’s Secret style. When I was growing up–so this is what I was when I was growing up. I always wanted to either be a Victoria’s Secret Angel or a professional wrestler. And you know what? I’m doing it both right now. Pretty much. Why not have the best of both worlds? And so, yeah, they [Victoria Secret Angels] do inspire me to [be] like sexy but confident, strong, independent woman, That’s what the Quintessential Diva is.”

The Lone Star Stampede will run this Friday August 26th & Saturday August 27th from Dallas, Texas. Tickets for the event can be found here.

Independent Wrestler Trish Adora discusses her upcoming match against legend LuFisto for Beyond Wrestling.

Adora is slowly becoming a popular fan favorite on the independent wrestling scene. After spending several years in the United States Army, The Washington D.C native shifted her focus to becoming a professional wrestler in 2018.

Adora has garnered a large fan base as her career has progressed and is the reigning Pan-Afrikan Diaspora Wrestling World Champion. She has also wrestled matches for All Elite Wrestling, WWE, and Ring of Honor.

On Aug. 21, Adora will have a tough challenge when she faces professional wrestling legend Lufisto at Beyond Wrestling Americanrana 22: Black Out. It will be the first match between the two competitors. While Adora is looking to get the win, she respects LuFisto and is looking forward to the match.

In an interview with SEScoops’s Steve Fall, the reigning Pan-Afrikan Diaspora Wrestling World Champion previewed her match.

“Lufisto is one of the most legendary independent women wrestlers,” said Adora. “She’s a trailblazer. She is the innovator of intergender wrestling, who I take a part of.”

“Just to be across the ring from her for the very first time too. It’s just going to be very, very interesting. She has such a smash-mouth style, very, very hard-hitting, but I don’t mind taking a couple of punches. I’m no slouch, but I definitely plan on tying her up in a knot.”

Here is the full interview with Adora:

Trish Adora Plans for This Year

Adora will have a busy schedule this weekend. While she will be challenging Lufisto on Aug. 21, she also competes against Karen Bam Bam at Black Girl Magik on Aug. 19. To add to her demanding schedule, she will compete in an intergender match against Warhorse at Black Label Pro: Total Heart Eclipse on Aug. 27.

Although it may seem hectic, The Washington D.C native is still looking to expand her reach and is contemplating relocating to the west coast later this year. She even mentioned in the interview that she thought about buying a camper vehicle and traveling around.

Adora is still figuring out her plans for the remainder of the year. She will have her hands full this weekend, but she is looking forward to all the challenges.

Wrestling fans can watch Adora face LuFisto at Beyond Wrestling Americanrana 22: Black Out on IWTV by subscribing for $9.99.

When WWE talent transitions from developmental (NXT) to the main roster, there’s always the issue of how much of their act will be changed. There is the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When talking about the creative side of pro wrestling, this adage isn’t always followed.

Damien Priest is one of the lucky performers who did not skip a beat after leaving NXT. His success in WWE comes down to timing, but also making the most of an opportunity. The Bad Bunny mainstream rub certainly helped. At the same time, the two’s alliance felt far deeper than your typical celebrity involvement. Priest was entrusted with helping one of the biggest music stars in the world succeed in the ring. The imposing Raw superstar opened eyes and turned heads, showing what he could do when given the ball. 

The former United States champion continues to prove himself as a pillar of Judgment Day. Among his biggest tests comes in a marquee match on Raw against rival Edge from his hometown of Toronto.

Over SummerSlam weekend I had the chance to sit down with Priest to reflect on some of his biggest recent moments, the impact Bad Bunny made, and Judgment Day’s future. 

Rey Mysterio’s Influence

You were part of Rey Mysterio’s big 20th anniversary in WWE live from Madison Square Garden. What did that night mean to you as a fan and New Yorker?

Damian Priest: “Obviously, we’re feuding, but realistically, when I go out, the main thing I get told is ‘Thank you’ for representing. There isn’t any of that without Rey Mysterio. He was someone who was looked at as somebody who shouldn’t have achieved the success he has. Forget his size. Just being Latino. That meant a lot. I remember growing up watching him, so it was meaningful. Now I’m in that role of also someone representing our culture.

I’m still learning a lot from him. The way he treats people and tries to enhance representation. It was a big deal. Then it’s The Garden, so many things. Talk about the perfect place and time. It became, ‘Man, I just worked Rey Mysterio in Madison Square Garden on the night he was celebrating his 20th anniversary with WWE.’ That was just wild to me.”

Judgment Day

It seemed things were really picking up with Edge leading Judgment Day. How did you react to this change of guard? 

Damian Priest: “Our idea is still the same. With Rhea Ripley healthy, we’re excited. We’re all giddy in the back talking about the chaos we’re going to cause. Even without the cameras on, we’re dangerous. The three of us are dangerous together. We’ve been looking forward to this. That’s the idea. We were all fine on our own and as singles competitors, but this gives us a different look. A different vibe, and opportunity. Growing up I’ve always wanted to be in a faction. I was a big faction guy. The nWo, DX, Four Horsemen, Evolution. So many groups I was a fan of. 

To be a part of one and the idea there is no leader. We support each other. Whoever a particular moment is about, we’re going to support that person in the front. It’s all the same. It’s a revolving door of leadership. As long as we maintain that mentality, I think now the fans are really going to see something special. We haven’t really been able to do it yet, but we’re just getting started. The future is going to be really cool for us and for the fans.

Working with Bad Bunny

Your profile really grew alongside Bad Bunny. You can see he really put in the work. Do you think he helped change the overall perception when celebrities decide they want to wrestle? That it’s more than a publicity stunt. 

Damian Priest: “We’ve had celebrities before, but I think he is an example of what someone from a different world can do in our world. You don’t have to come in, promote something and leave. You can earn the respect of the fans and the talent. You can create something special for yourself, your fanbase, and us working together.

I haven’t been here the longest, so I can’t speak on celebrities who have been here before, but what he did was unprecedented in the way he treated us and this business. The respect he showed everyone. When you have guys like Randy Orton going up to him saying, “Hey, thanks for showing us respect. Thanks for doing this. You are one of the boys.” I was there and felt emotion for Bad Bunny. 

That’s amazing when you have someone of that caliber saying that to you. That’s awesome. Now you got guys like Logan Paul signing a contract. These guys are not coming in for just a one-off or for a joke or laugh. They are taking this seriously. Bad Bunny may have changed the narrative about how celebrities should treat us and how the company should accept celebrities coming in. Not just opening the doors to anybody. Earn it. He may have changed a little bit of that culture.”

Steve Fall sat down with Impact Wrestling’s Vincent about their upcoming event, Emergence. Plus they discussed AEW purchasing Ring of Honor, WWE reaching out to him and much more.

Impact Wrestling: Emergence takes place this Friday from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL. Here is the updated card for the event:

• Impact World Champion Josh Alexander vs. Alex Shelley
• Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace vs. Mia Yim
• Knockouts Tag Team Champions Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie vs. VXT (Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green)
• Ten Man Tag (If Honor No More loses, they must disband) – Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Kenny King and PCO) vs. Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
• Bandido vs. Rey Horus
• Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan
• Violent By Design vs. Chris Sabin & KUSHIDA

In the latest installment of the Get to Know series, we bring you a special interview with The A Show Podcast.

As the independent wrestling podcast community is increasing, some content creators have begun to create media networks. Aside from their podcast, creators may help spotlight others and bolster the overall brand.

Created by Justin Davis and Jameel Raeburn, The A Show, through their network RNC Radio has found success in this model with a growing fanbase. The podcast has published over 200 episodes and has led to the creation of other wrestling podcasts, The War Report and Rewriters Room.

I recently had the chance to speak with Davis and Raeburn about the success of their podcast, alongside The War Report’s Cyrus Blot and Melquan Allen.

Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.

How Did The A Show Podcast Begin?

Davis and Raeburn began their venture as wrestling content creators helping with the renowned podcast WrassleRap in its early days.

Independent wrestling podcasters like The Black Announce Table have looked at Wrasslerap’s Emilio Sparks and Kazeem Famuyide as influential for making them want to discuss wrestling as a career.

Both Davis and Raeburn credit Sparks and Famuyide for learning under them. However, they also felt they didn’t get the opportunities they wanted, and their frustration led to creating their wrestling podcast.

“It was influential for myself and Meelz because we saw it from the ground floor, and a lot of the lessons I learned there were lessons that when me and Meelz started this whole thing, we said there are some of the things that we are going to do and some of the stuff we are never going to do. Most of all, being inclusive to some of the people that are there and giving everybody a chance,” said Davis.

The first episode of The A Show launched on Oct. 26, 2017. During the early stages, Davis shared he would go on his lunch break at his job and record an episode.

However, the podcast became successful over time, leading to Davis and Raeburn creating the RNC Radio Network.

Creating The War Report Podcast

After the success of The A Show, Davis and Raeburn wanted another wrestling show on the network. After getting to know Blot, Davis decided to help him create and host The War Report.

Blot would start his show under The A Show brand on Oct. 5, 2019. The podcast focuses on All Elite Wrestling and NXT. However, Blot’s show underwent several changes as he had different co-hosts through the years.

It wasn’t until Jan 15, 2021, when Allen became Blot’s co-host. Over the year they worked together, the podcast has thrived and gained popularity. During the interview, Davis reflected on getting Blot and Quan together to do The War Report.

“…One thing I say about every gentleman on this call right now is that I see something in everybody I come across, and I see something great in all of them. With Cyrus, I saw that Oh, he’s opinionated, and a lot of people might not like it, but I’m the same way. Why not give him a voice and let him kind of expand on that and be himself, said Davis. He also explained finding Allen as Blot’s co-host. “…It was very tough for us, and this is going to be funny. It was very tough for us to find the perfect co-host for Cyrus because he is a very acquired taste. But I’m glad we found one in Quan and I think it works best that way.”

What are their Future Plans?

The A Show is on track to achieving a milestone. Davis and Raeburn will have their 250th episode on Aug. 3. In celebration of reaching its landmark, the podcast will release new merchandise.

They also have plans to produce more content for their Patreon and do more video content on their Youtube channel. As for The War Report, they plan to continue to deliver consistently great content and look forward to their 200th episode next year.

The A Show podcast and the RNC Radio Network are enjoying their achievements. However, the brand is still motivated to grow and gain more success.

AEW star and current Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about how All Elite Wrestling offered her a contract.

“AEW reached out to me actually. I was actually booking myself crazy for like the last six months before that and just going all out and literally within a week before that show I was contacted and basically they just said it’s probably going to be a quick in and out with Thunder Rosa. I was like oh that’s a great that’s a great program let’s see what we can do. We already wrestled previously like maybe a month or two months ago anyways so this was just something for me to be back in the mix on something really big.

From there the conversation kind of just escalated and they just said hey you know what we want to bring you in full time. We want you to be All Elite, it was that quick there was no talking to Tony Khan at that moment it was just like here you go. Here’s your contract get it back to us when you can and that’s it wow it was.

Yeah it was kind of really really fast within days, so it was like do I sign this do I not, but of course me I want to be on mainstream tv right …. I want to make sure my legacy still continues so I had no hesitation on that part.”

Former NXT and WWE Superstar Briana Brandy (B-Fab) recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about Shane McMahon randomly asking her to co host WWE’s experiment Raw Underground with him. 

“That moment actually just happened! When I was there I mean they had … you could see on Raw Underground they had people surrounding the ring and like the crowd was right there in the match.”

“Shane McMahon’s like you have a great look… I might need… I might want someone to co-host the show (Raw Underground) with me.

Shane McMahon asked Briana, “Would you be interested …. like are you comfortable and I was like coming from music in my background like that I was like I’m very comfortable on the mic like I’m more comfortable there than I am in the ring right now because I just learned this….. you know …. so he’s like just just be prepared I’ll let you know maybe in the coming weeks if I need a co-host.“

“I’m shook…. I’m like oh my gosh I can’t believe you just asked me this like I could be co-hosting Raw Underground this is insane you know what I’m saying? So I’m thinking that it’s coming in the future I’m prepared you know in that moment always, but just in a few weeks he’ll maybe ask me to do this and I might be doing Raw Underground. He goes to a meeting he comes back that same day and he’s like hey you ready and I was like ready for what? He’s like I’m thinking I’m gonna use you today like I want you to close with me today and I was like oh okay all right let’s go. He said okay I’m going to have you end up interviewing Braun Strowman so I need you to come with some questions to ask him and I’m like all right like let’s do this you know I got this so yeah it just happened….. drop of a dime … the opportunity came about and he just asked me on the spot and I had to be ready and that’s how I got the job doing that.”

Former AEW wrestler Marko Stunt recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about original AEW talent being pushed out for WWE free agents.

“I think that there was a point where they got a taste of what that star power could do…. you know and you know it’s kind of like a drug I guess in a way you you get a little bit and you’re like ooh that felt good that was nice let’s let’s let’s get a little more in here so it just starts waterfalling and waterfalling ….. you’re like oh this guy’s not there anymore let’s bring him in and so that’s kind of where it got you and like it wasn’t that bad when I was like being weaned out, but uh it definitely uh got that way it’s definitely more that way now it feels like.”

Former AEW wrestler Marko Stunt recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about hearing his name on AEW Dynamite in a negative context during a heel Christian Cage promo.

“Let me put it this way: I was not aware. I was not aware that it was going to be said or anything or that when my name was going to be thrown out in any context because it hasn’t been since October and for them (AEW) to do it in that context I thought it’s kind of lame.”

He continued, ”I mean, it makes sense though in a way you know like I was and I was a part of that group before him and what he’s basically saying is he came in and got me fired. So in story sense, love it. In real life sense you know….it is what it is.”

Did Christian take Marko’s Spot in Jurassic Express?

Later, Marko Stunt was asked if he feels like Christian intentionally “took his spot” in Jurassic Express.

“I don’t think that he necessarily took my spot because we are two completely different roles for sure,” said Stunt. “I was more of a hype guy and he was more and he’s more of a more of a like leader role.”

Stunt says he didn’t think Christian added anything to Jurassic Express.

“I did not think that he fit with the group at all. I didn’t think he added any sort of dynamic. I think it would have been better to have him mentor, or really, what it was, was him mentoring Jack and that’s ultimately the the whole goal with that.”

I and you know they’re setting up Jack to do great things you know they’re setting him up to have this great push right now … and I’ve known that he was going to do that from the start. He’s one of my best friends that I made there and like we still talked to the day and he even texted me when it happened”.

Catch Steve Fall’s full interview with former AEW star Marko Stunt:

AEW star Kris Statlander spoke with SEScoops correspondent Jaychele Nicole this week.

Since AEW Double Or Nothing, we have seen Statlander pair up with Athena and sometimes other women in the division to take on Jade Cargull and The Baddies. Kris Statlander has long been a crowd favorite. Particularly in her Owen Hart Tournament match with Ruby Soho, Statlander was able to turn the crowd around and gain overwhelming support during the match. 

Kris Statlander On Mixed Tag Team & Intergender Matches

On the January 19 edition of AEW Dynamite, we saw Kris Statlander pair up with Orange Cassidy to take on Adam Cole and Dr. Britt Baker DMD in a mixed tag team match. This was one of the few mixed tag team matches that we have seen in AEW. 

Kris Statlander spoke with Jaychele Nicole about the possibility of there being more mixed tag team matches in AEW and her desire to participate in them. 

Statlander said, “Yeah, absolutely. I would love to. If anyone has been following my career since before AEW, they knew that at one point, the majority of my matches were intergender matches. So, I know that I can hang with the guys and be better than them. And I’m bigger than some not going to be humble about it. I’m bigger than some of the guys. Not necessarily on the roster. But you know, just in general. And, like, it’s a lot of what made me so different. And it’s like, if I didn’t have all those intergender matches, it wouldn’t have got me to the level that I’m at today.

So, as much as some people like don’t like it because of the ‘domestic violence’ it kind of ‘insinuates’. It’s like we’re wrestlers. If I take a suplex from Nyla versus I take a suplex from Orange Cassidy, it’s still a suplex, like it’s still wrestling. That’s kind of like people have to remember, like, we’re trained professional wrestlers. Most of the time when we’re in training we’re training with more guys than we are girls, unless you find an all girls wrestling school, which you most likely won’t. This just got very intergender preachy and I apologize, but yes, I would love to participate and do more mixed tag and intergender maybe, but that’s probably not gonna happen. Yeah, intergender probably not.”

Kris Statlander had participated in many intergender matches prior to joining AEW. She has had matches with the likes of John Silver, Orange Cassidy, Nick Gage, MJF and many others. 

Kris Statlander’s ‘More Than A Woman Branding’

Statlander has recently transitioned to brand herself as ‘More Than A Woman.’ During her feud with Leyla Hirsch, Kris debuted new music, new hair, and a new titantron. Her merchandise now describes her as ‘More Than A Woman.’ At the beginning of her matches, Kris signs ‘More Than A Woman’ in American Sign Language. 

When asked about where the ‘More Than A Woman’ branding came from, Stalander had this to say, “It came from the song. Not the Aliyah one, the Bee Gees one. Yeah, I had the Bee Gees version of the more than a woman song as my entrance on the Indies for a while because it was just so different. And it was just so fun. And it was one of those like, everyone knew it. Just got a crowd in a good mood before a match and stuff. Like it’s like just one of those, like, feel good songs.

And then, when I was doing the alien thing, still, I would be like, ‘Oh, she’s more than a woman because she’s an alien.’ And now it’s more than a woman leaves what I am up to interpretation by the audience now. So, it’s kind of like I can be whatever you want to be. Or whatever, however you want to perceive me is whatever you want, because being more than a woman as being more than what meets the eye and stuff like that. So I took it from the song, but then I made it more deep than it is.”

Kris Statlander’s Use of ASL

Statlander also commented about the reasoning behind her using ASL to communicate her ‘More Than A Woman’ message before her matches. 

“I think it was something that I wanted to do something different, I don’t actually know anyone that’s deaf. I don’t have a reason to know ASL. Once I started doing it, some people were raising questions about do I have a reason to use it in my life? And I don’t, I just thought it was something useful to learn. It’s kind of an underappreciated language. So, I figured, why not try something different? And it seems to be getting a really good reaction. I’m not fluent in sign language. But I could do a basic sentence like, ‘Do you want water? Are you hungry? My name is Kris.’ Like, I can do all that stuff.

But, I originally got the idea to do some side language because on the Indies, sometimes if I was a bad guy, I would do like an F and a U. So, I’d say FU to my opponent and like no one knew what it meant, butI did and it was funny to me. So, sometimes I would do that. And that’s kind of where I got the idea to find a way to incorporate sign language a little bit more just because it’s so different. And especially like if there is a deaf person watching TV, and they actually see something like that instead of just having to read the subtitles all the time. So, you can actually like focus on the action for a moment. I think it’s a cool little way to reach out to that underserved community,” she said.

If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription. 

WWE Superstar Damian Priest recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about Bad Bunny returning to a WWE ring.

“You know it comes down to he (Bad Bunny) had a perfect time in his schedule that he was like I’m not doing anything, I’m gonna move to Florida just to train and completely invest all my energy and time into this. You know he’s not someone that just wanted to just come in and then leave or just promote something. He wanted to get invested, if he gets that time again where he could devote himself I believe we’ll see Bad Bunny in the WWE ring again.”

Independent Wrestling star Alec Price believes he is a strong candidate for best wrestler today.

After five years of working on his craft, Price has risen in popularity and earned accomplishments. He is the current Limitless World Champion and Southern Underground Pro Bonestorm Champion.

Price has also competed in well-received matches against wrestlers like Mike Bailey and Biff Busick this year. However, that isn’t enough for the double champion.

The 23-year-old rising star wants to prove that he belongs to be mentioned among the best wrestlers today.

While it may be debatable to some fans, he’s making a solid case to back up his claim and is unafraid to show his doubters why.

I recently had the chance to speak one on one with Price. Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.

Getting into Professional Wrestling

Growing up in a small apartment with seven family members, Price didn’t have an easy upbringing. His parents worked hard to give Price the best childhood they could. He shared that his mother would skip meals so Price and his other siblings could eat.

While the living conditions weren’t ideal, he credits his parents’ work ethic for helping make the current double champion the person he is today.

“…I didn’t grow up with much, so now I’m getting older; I want everything because I have the ability to go get it, and they taught me how to do that,” said Price. He continued, “…It was lit. I love growing up the way I grew up. I love my parents.”

Price got into wrestling by watching WWE and IMPACT Wrestling with his grandmother. When he turned 18 years old, Price went into wrestling school with the help of his parents. They helped him pay for classes early on, and then he spent his way through his training.

“…I started when I was 18, like a couple of months after that or February, because my parents got their tax money. They dished out the first $300 for me to start training, and then after that, I started having to pay myself, which is no big deal. I had a job,” said Price.

He shared that he was helping pay rent when he was 15 and that having to mature early helped him be responsible.

Price can follow his dreams thanks to his parents and inherited their work ethic that led to his success.

Current Run of Success in Independent Wrestling

Between 2021 and this year, Price has started to find his stride in professional wrestling. He became the Limitless World Champion by defeating former WWE talent Anthony Greene at Limitless Wrestling: Prize Possession on Nov. 13, 2021.

Four months later, he followed up his success by defeating Jaden Newman for the SUP Bonestorm Championship at Beyond Wrestling Open on Mar. 17. Now with two titles on each of his shoulders, Price is ready to take on all oppositions.

When asked where does he see himself among other wrestlers, he revealed that he’s number one in the world.

“…I see myself as number one, and I’m not even being cocky. I’m just being humbly honest,” said Price. He also took a jab at IWTV Independent Wrestling World Champion AC Mack, whom he teased that a match could happen between the two soon.

This year he’s currently won over 20 singles matches. He also made his GCW debut on Feb. 20 and has competed at an event every month since.

What’s Next For Alec Price?

While Price is thriving as an independent wrestler, he still has aspirations to sign with a major wrestling company like WWE or All Elite Wrestling. He wants longevity in professional wrestling and to ensure he and his family are financially secure for his career.

Price understands that he will have to continue working hard and evolving as a wrestler. However, the challenges of reaching high goals are something that motivates him.

“…I know that I’m not the biggest dude, so I’m going to have to work ten times harder than everybody else, but I’m going to work ten times harder and earn that. Regardless, if it’s not even the best fanciest contract, I can work my way up. I just want that recognition,” said Price.

It’s unclear what the future holds for Price. However, it seems like he’s just getting started, and fans can expect to see him try to make his dreams a reality.

Our Get to Know Series is back to bring you a special conversation with the host of the Wrestling Winedown Podcast, Lo.

It can be challenging for up-and-coming content creators to stand out from others to find success. In the wrestling podcasts community, people may share their opinions or review weekly what happened on shows from WWE or AEW. However, other podcasts like Wrestling Winedown try to give fans a different alternative.

Created and led by Lo, Wrestling Winedown has become a successful brand that likes to discuss deeper topics of professional wrestling relevant to current wrestling news. Lo also supports and collaborates with other talented creators to share their stories or experiences in wrestling. This has created unique content that wrestling fans may not get from other creators.

I recently had the chance to speak with Lo about the success of her podcast. Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.

How did Wrestling Winedown Begin?

It’s been three years since the start of the Wrestling Winedown podcast. The creation began while Lo was still attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for Journalism. Her friend Hayleigh liked wrestling and wanted to get into podcasting. Talking about wrestling intrigued Lo, especially when a female wrestling podcast was still uncommon.

“…I started looking, doing some research, and I noticed that it was mostly men doing wrestling podcasts, so there weren’t a lot of female options out there, and that was one striving reason as to why we started it,” said Lo. She continued,”…We wanted to have that girl talk. Be in the week girl friend chat about professional wrestling. So we started thinking and I’m like we need to incorporate something else. My friend loves beer and I was like, I’m not really a beer drinker, I don’t know about that and I was like what about wine.

Wrestling Winedown had its first podcast on Apr. 13, 2019. Hayleigh eventually stepped away from the podcast, and Lo changed the format to what it is today. The growth of the female-founded brand has led to great opportunities in wrestling and could possibly inspire other female wrestling fans to get into podcasting.

Discussing Serious Topics in Wrestling

One thing that separates Wrestling Winedown from other podcasts is the approach to discussing serious topics in wrestling like diversity and representation. Lo organizes and moderates a panel of different content creators to have constructive and informative discussions. It’s also done in a way that looks at past issues in wrestling and how it relates today.

“…There is a lot going on within professional wrestling and I think a lot of people they get scared to talk about certain stuff because they don’t want people to look negatively at it or they don’t want to start an argument on the timeline,” said Lo. She continued, “…We come fact base. We are not just saying stuff to say stuff, but we also encourage people to share their thoughts because it is important that even though you have knowledge whether it’s institutional knowledge or you gained it on your own.”

Outside of the panel episodes, Lo also reviews wrestling events and does interviews with wrestling-related content creators that fans enjoy. She enjoys having conversations about wrestling but isn’t afraid to speak on topics that others may shy away from.

What’s Next for Wrestling Winedown?

The podcast will be going through a rebrand in its third year of creation. Now that Lo is leading the brand, she hopes to shape Wrestling Winedown more into her vision. She also has added Wrestfriends Iridian Fierro to the team as an assistant on social media, and she will be more involved in future projects.

Lo has also started a new series for Wrestling Winedown called “The Life of a Wrestling Fan.” She will be interviewing successful people that are not involved in wrestling but that happen to be big wrestling fans. She recently interviewed a former MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon executive Andria Parides in her first episode. Lo revealed that she already has several interviews planned and will be releasing them soon. When discussing the idea behind the new series, Lo expressed that she created the concept to bridge the gap between wrestling and people from other job fields.

“…There are so many amazing wrestling fans who are doing stuff offline that is great for the community or their career, and we don’t know because we are not talking about online. We are focused on what’s going on RAW or AEW that we are not sharing Hey, I did this at work, or I made this impact in my community, or I’m working at the Met Gala. There are so many amazing things that wrestling fans are doing that needs to be brought to the forefront along with being a wrestling fan,” said Lo. She revealed that several interviews are already planned and will be released at a later date.

The future of Wrestling Winedown looks promising as the brand continues to thrive. Possibly, a wine sponsorship is on the horizon as well.

Speaking to Steve Fall from NBC Sports Boston, Big Swole opened up about her feelings on a controversial tweet from Tony Khan.

Big Swole was asked if its too late for an apology.

“I don’t think it’s never too late to forgive someone and to you know say speak your piece and speak you’re wrong and stuff like that like it’s never too late for that. I don’t ever want to close the door on something like that because that affects my healing that affects my heart you know as much as it could affect someone else so if you were to call me like a year from now and apologize hey you know whenever you know it’s set on his heart to do so then so be it, but if it’s not then that’s okay as well I’m literally like Pontius Pilate I wash my hands of it because I know my truth and I’m standing in it.”

Josh Alexander puts the Impact World title on the line against Eric Young this weekend at Slammiversary. The event takes place from Nashville, Tennssee and airs live on pay-per-view.

Order Impact Slammiversary 2022 now from FITE ($39.99)

Ahead of the title defense, the Walking Weapon spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about Impact’s return to Nashville, his favorite moments in company history and what it’s like to carry Impact on his shoulders as World champion.

Watch Ella Jay’s interview with Josh Alexander:

Here are some highlights of what Josh Alexander said about:

IMPACT Returning to Nashville:

Here’s what Josh Alexander had to say about Slammiversary taking place from Nashville, TN, the city where Impact launched 20 years ago:

“Well, I’m just psyched to be back here. We spent a lot of time in Nashville during the whole pandemic era and tapings and stuff, so I’m very familiar with the city. And then we had some crowds here before we ended up venturing out, starting at Bound for Glory last year. But we’ve been on the road like crazy.”

“It’s different coming back and being able to wrestle on the Nashville Fairgrounds, maybe not the same venue because they tore it down and built a new venue there. But to wrestle on the same hallowed ground where all these people that inspired me to become a pro wrestler made their names in the asylum era of TNA. It’s coming full circle and for me to do it as champion, it’s even sweeter.”

Favorite Memories in Nashville:

“I’ve had a lot of success with IMPACT Wrestling right here in Nashville. I’ve won pretty much every championship I’ve had here. I’ve become a Triple Crown champion in Nashville. I would say my fondest memory would be the Ironman match with TJP that we did in front of no crowd, because that just don’t come along on television that often.”

“I knew it was a huge opportunity for me to not only set myself apart, but kind of put the company on the map and show them what I could do in the ring. And the chemistry I have with TJP is something that doesn’t come along very often in wrestling. So I was very excited and happy for that opportunity and then we exceeded our own expectations with it.”

His Favorite Moments in Impact History:

“I always say my favorite moment, the most iconic moment that I can think of was when Kurt Angle headbutted Samoa Joe. And that Samoa Joe rose up behind him with his head bleeding and that just kicked off their feud.

Skipper doing the the run off the top of the cage, that made me jump off my sofa. But the one thing that really sticks out when you first said that was Gail Kim took a cutter off of the entrance ramp. And the way it was shot, it looked like she was just falling into oblivion, like she fell off the edge of the planet. And I remember standing up like, ‘oh, my God, she’s dead’. And then the camera cuts to just find the wreckage at the bottom beside the ring. Yeah, that that was one of the most memorable moments to me.”

Walking into Slammiversary as Impact World Champion:

“I actually was wrestling with my friend Isaac from high school on my trampoline right before he ran inside to order the very first pay per view. I had dinner with him maybe a month ago, and I was talking to him about how I just had to stop and pinch myself because not only did I never think this was possible, he certainly never thought it was possible back then that like this is where my life would have taken me. And I’m so blessed and privileged that I’m able to do what I love because this isn’t work to me. You know what I mean?”

His Favorite Stars from Impact’s 20-Year History:

“The very first episode, I remember the first match was Jerry Lynn and AJ Styles and Low Ki against the Flying Elvises. And I say it’s so often that when I saw Low Ki and AJ Styles for the first time just in that six and a half minute match they had, they completely blew my mind and just showed me this completely alternate style of pro wrestling than I ever thought possible. And that was really what got my wheels turning about, maybe getting involved with this myself and wanting to be a part of this business and pursue it as a dream. those two guys right off the bat, the entire X Division is one of the most innovative things.”

The Knockouts

“I think it’s changed the business across the entire world landscape right now. It’s all inspired by the stuff that those guys did between 2002 and 2010 and then the Knockouts Division especially, just seeing what they did like in 2007, when it really picked up steam with Awesome Kong, Gail, Kim, Tara, Mickie James, all these other people.

“It was something like you never saw before. You were used to bra and panties matches and then we were seeing kick ass wrestling coming out of the ladies like it’s carried forth to today where our entire Knockouts division was pretty much inspired by what those Knockouts did back then.”

The New Face of Impact Wrestling

Holding a company’s World title comes with a great deal of responsibility. A champion represents the organization and serve as the defacto locker room leader. We asked Josh Alexander how he’s adjusting to his role as champion.

“I recognize the responsibility that I carry because being champion, being the face of IMPACT wrestling, sure, I’m the face of the brand. I’m the one that has to trumpet and rah rah for IMPACT all the time, which is so easy for me because I started as a fan. I love this place. I can rhyme off names left and right and talk about the history of this company all day long and and I enjoy it.”

“I take the role especially seriously because the respect of my peers matters to me a lot. And I love this locker room. I love the crew. I love everybody here so much. I think we’re all–as much as this is a singular pursuit and professional wrestling, I think we all look at this like a team and we all have a chip on my shoulder. We’re all the little engine that could fight back and show that we belong and that we are the best and to represent them as the face of IMPACT Wrestling. That’s the thing I take most serious.”

Who He Wants to See “Step Up”

“As in-ring competition goes, I followed Eddie Edwards since he was “Diehard” Eddie Edwards and Noah back in the day. And I think he’s amazing. And I think if we locked up, he could do something special. And the second name, once he works his way up the ladder and comes into contention, I really think that I could make magic and trap a bunch of lightning in a bottle with someone like Mike Bailey.”

“Speedball” Mike Bailey:

“He’s a natural born talent. Once in a million kind of guy, once in a lifetime. He’s a generational talent, as they say. And I recognize that. I think everybody else does. And now that he’s gotten his Visa, he signed with IMPACT and he’s in front of the world. Everybody’s finding out really fast.”

Catch Slammiversary this Sunday, Jun 19th live on pay-per-view:

Order Impact Slammiversary 2022 now from FITE ($39.99)

Brett Lauderdale of Game Changer Wrestling was our guest on the latest episode of Business of the Business podcast, the official business podcast of SEScoops.

During the hour-long conversation with hosts John Poz and Lavie Margolin, Lauderdale spoke about a wide range of topics including last year’s The WRLD on GCW pay-per-view from the the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, as well as a possible return to thee venue.

Here are some highlights of what Lauderdale said about:

The WRLD on GCW PPV Buys

January’s The WLRD on GCW event from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was a special milestone for the company. Lauderdale has already said this was the biggest PPV in GCW history, but we now have a better idea of just how big it was.

Lauderdale says The WRLD on GCW crushed the company’s previous records.

“It was about, well, I don’t want to say average, but let me put to you like this.. it was about 5x higher than our previous high, we’ll put it like that.”

– Brett Lauderdale on The WRLD on GCW PPV Buys

Lauderdale says the company’s previous best-selling shows include Cardona-Gage, Moxley-Gage (“both way up there”) and Spring Break 3 (2019).

Return to Hammerstein

As for a return to the Hammerstein Ballroom, Lauderdale says there’s a good chance it happens. When asked when we could see another GCW Hammerstein show, he replied, “January, maybe.”

He says GCW wants it, Hammerstein wants them back and he’d love for it to become an annual special event. He doesn’t want to run the Hammerstein unless they can go ‘all out’ and do it big, but they’re hoping for a return.

Listen to our full interview with Brett Lauderdale of GCW:

Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.

We discussed a wide variety of topics, including why we never got a Brood reunion in WWE, what he thinks is missing from today’s pro wrestling and much more. In this installment, we’re looking at Gangrel’s comments about training MMA fighter and AEW star, Paige VanZant.

Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:

Training Paige VanZant

Gangrel is currently training AEW star Paige VanZant at Coastal Championship Wrestling in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Gangrel reveals he was actually “super worried” to train VanZant, but now believes she has a bright future in pro wrestling.

“I was super worried about it. I know that Dan Lambert and them were very particular about where she trained. She could have went anywhere but because she’s local, it made a lot of sense for her to come down here in South Florida.

“I was trained by Boris Malenko and he’s a fan of the old school of training and the foundations of it. With training Rusev or Miro, Jacob and some of the other people, I felt comfortable coming there. I was a little worried, but she’s tremendous.

“I think AEW is probably on to something there and they’re gonna have a really good star on their future because like, I’ve trained a lot of people and she’s so coachable. I don’t know if it’s from Dancing with the Stars, that can’t be possible easy. There’s a lot of discipline. She was a gymnast, ballerina and plus she’s a fighter. She’s a bare-knuckle fighter, boxer and a mixed martial artist.

“So she’s got all this background and coming over to pro wrestling that could be very hard transition because it is smoke and mirrors. It’s pro wrestling entertainment or however you want to look at it. It’s not like we’re gonna go out and just kill somebody.

“Anyway, you gotta work together. I was am little worried but what she’s learned in like, three hours has taken me 3-6 months to teach other people. That’s how quick she’s learning. That’s how amazing she is. And her attitude is really, really good about it. I get a little worried when outsiders come in and they kind of take a crap on our business. You know what I mean? She’s got not a bad attitude at all. Just a golden attitude and I think she’s gonna be a something in the future. I think she’s got a future in pro wrestling.”

PVZ’s Transition from MMA to Wrestling

Paige VanZant is a great athlete and is charismatic, which is a winning formula in pro wrestling. Gangrel says PVZ is in this for the long haul and he hasn’t had to change much about the skills she brings to the squared circle.

“I don’t know where AEW is going with her. I think she’ll be hotshotted into some kind of match but but she wants to be actually trained properly on the backside for a future in wrestling. So I think they’re gonna hotshot an angle, but I think she wants to be long term and wrestle so she’s learning the proper way.”

He added, “I’ve haven’t had to change anything yet. She tends to have a fighter stance but it works for her. What I’ve learned about training somebody is that you don’t try to change who they are or what they’ve done. You just try to adapt them to to what suits them best for everybody involved.”

Gangrel was asked if he has a certain teaching style that he’s found to be more effective. The former Brood member said that it varies on the requirement of the student, but he works on the foundation and the basics the most. According to him, if the foundation is strong then one can learn anything whether it’s becoming a luchador, brawler or a high-flying wrestler.

He compared it to a cement slab that could support any type of roof as long as the foundation is strong. With Paige VanZant, Gangrel spends an hour just on the basics. While on the topic, he gave a shoutout to his student Jacob Fatu for being well rounded with everything including his footwork, strikes and highflying ability.

Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.

We discussed a wide variety of topics, including his 30+ years in the business, what’s missing from wrestling today, his career coming full circle, his goals in MLW and much more.

Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:

His Goals in MLW

Gangrel was asked if he is interested in going after a championship or if he simply enjoys working with up-and-coming talent and showing fans that he can still go in the ring.

“Well as my records show in the past, I don’t think I’ve had too many championships in any major company. So that’s not really my number one goal but I do enjoy working with the young talent and most of that locker room I’ve crossed paths with in the ring at some time or another, throughout the early points in their career and stuff like that”.

He continued, “I’ve trained Jacob Fatu – he was one of my students so I trained him, and then I hear rumors Holidead’s coming to MLW, I’ve trained her. Plus I’ve probably wrestled Alexander Hammerstone thirty times, and many of the other guys in the locker room. I enjoy bringing a bit of the old school meeting the new school, and mixing it in the middle and seeing what we come up with.”

Old School vs. New School

Gangrel was asked how he would describe the old school style vs the new school style, and what happens when the two styles meet together.

“The key word is ‘moment’. There’s no wasted moments. There’s no wasted moves to build to great moments. They’re so talented and athletic, there’s so much athletic ability. Also with the luchadors and the international market that MLW is in right now, it’s insane. I’ve travelled the world, probably wrestled more in Europe than I have in the United States and when you start logging in matches, I’ve done eighteen years in Europe. So if you had them up against the full-time schedule in the States, it’s really close and I think Europe might outweigh it working seven days a week there twice a day sometimes.

So with that and then the time I spent in Puerto Rico and then in Calgary and whatnot, so many different styles and I love that MLW has that flavor and that little spark to it – that international flavor. No one match is the same. You watch it, and you can watch other companies and it’s like the same match after the same match but here, they’re all different and I’m really looking forward to adding my bit of ‘hot sauce’ to that ‘stew’.”

Why MLW is a Good Fit for Gangrel

Gangrel was also asked what made MLW a good fit for him. He said that he always drifted to MLW whenever he wanted to watch some wrestling while doing cardio, and that’s why he wanted to work in the promotion.

“It’s the flavor of it. It’s just that allure. I just sit down when I’m doing cardio, like a lot, when I watch wrestling. I can’t sit still. I don’t have enough time to sit down at home and watch wrestling. But when I do cardio, I always drift – out of all the companies that you can go find out there – WWE, the AEW, Ring of Honor, Impact – I always drift to MLW. I think it just has something about it, that flavor and something just draws me to it that I just really enjoy. I’ve enjoyed watching that out of all the other companies, now I’m gonna enjoy being a part of that company and hopefully I can add my own little bit of pizzazz and my own little spark to it and and make it a better way.”

His Career Coming Full Circle in Florida

Gangrel trained in Florida in the late ’80s and about 35 years later, it’s kind of a full circle moment for him as he’s training wrestlers in the same state that he trained in. Gangrel was asked what’s it like for him to have his career come full circle like that in Florida:

“Well, it’s home, Florida’s home. Born and raised, so full circle back around. When I was getting into wrestling, I didn’t have a lot of money and whatnot for tuitions and things that go along with the school. The people training me, I said [to them] ‘Listen, I can’t really afford this.’ and I was gonna pull out of it and everything. And they said ‘We’re gonna train you. Don’t worry about it. We’re gonna put you on the books as a trainer, just always give back to professional wrestling.’

“So I’ve just tried to stay true to my word and I’ve always tried to continue on in some type of training somewhere. Whether it was California with KnokX Pro which is a school I opened with Rikishi, or I had my own school for a while, GWA here [Florida]. Now I’m with CCW – Coastal Championship Wrestling and running their facility which is so crazy busy. I’m there Monday through Thursday. It’s crazy, and I’m doing private sessions. I’m doing one-on-one, training Paige VanZant now. Things are crazy so I’m like super super busy, but it’s an honor. I’m honored to be able to give back. It’s a blessing and I love pro wrestling so anytime I get to do what I love, anytime I get to lace a pair of boots up, climb through some ropes and get into that ring… It’s just a blessing and I’m honored. I might be nice and smiling now, but when I get in there, I’m gnarly and nasty. I’m even nastier as a trainer than I am as Gangrel the vampire.”

Today’s Generation of Wrestling Fans

Gangrel also touched on the differences in the wrestling community today compared to the old school days:

“Well, one is the size of the wrestlers has changed. But I don’t know, MLW got Killer Kross there now, Alexander Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, you got some pretty big guys walking around in MLW, some pretty gnarly dudes too. It’s still wrestling, the objective of it is to win a match. Pin somebody’s shoulders. As for the characters, for a lack of better words, heel and babyface – a good guy or a bad guy. Well now it’s more like, the fans kinda cheer for who they want. The MLW though, I feel that’s another thing that I’m drawn to. There is a clear villain. There’s a clear white hat and black hat. Pick a side and ride it out. I like that a lot about MLW. But with a lot of wrestling, in the sense that’s changed. It’s just like everybody goes out there and does a million moves. There’s a lot of wasted movements and stuff like that. So that’s changed, but it’s still pro wrestling. You’re still trying to pin somebody, get your hand raised for the victory and all that.”

What’s Missing from Wrestling Today

Modern pro wrestling is very different than the pro wrestling of past eras. According to Gangrel, the number one thing missing from wrestling is..

“Magic. Everybody knows the tricks now. Magic made a difference. Everybody wants to believe in something. I think a wrestler’s believability. I believe that Killer Kross could kill somebody, you know? Alexander Hammerstone. I believe that he could pick anybody up and give him the pendulum. Jacob Fatu, I believe is a savage. I trained him so I know he’s a savage. I know if you get on his bad side, it can go all all kinds of sideways. This magic, the mystique, the mystery of a pro wrestler is what I think is missing.”

Gangrel added that MLW is touching base on that and trying to dial that back in, but he thinks the allure is missing from professional wrestling overall. He also thinks the advent of the internet and social media has contributed significantly to this.

“With the internet and social media you can’t really pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. It’s super hard. But one person can make you believe that they’re one bad mofo. That one person can make you believe in him and if next to you a guy across the ring makes you believe, it can be a chain reaction. Slowly, you can at least get people to believe in you and your character, even if they think they know what’s gonna happen and they can research it and go get spoiler alerts. But you can make them believe in you and that’s still magic.”

Freedom of Speech in Wrestling

Conversely, Gangrel wished there was more freedom of speech present in the wrestling business when he started out:

“More freedom of speech. When I broke in, it was more like ‘ears open mouth shut’. Whereas in this generation, they have a lot more input in things. They’re not afraid to put their thoughts out there and personal things in their characters. Back then it was just ‘Shut up kid or we’re gonna break your legs,’ and you’re gone tomorrow. I hate to say it, but it was the ‘Hey brother’ system. Now it’s more open to things and wrestling just in a general is a wide open area now. You can take advantage of more things. It was just all like, black and white back then. I believe in the good guy and a bad guy, a heel and a face. I truly believe in the whole good guy-bad guy thing but I think there was still a whole spectrum of characters missing with people’s individualities and the freedoms to be who they are.”

The Importance of Creative Freedom

Gangrel also talked about how creative freedom is so important, especially when you’re playing a character like Gangrel that needs its own unique style in the ring.

“I was terrified to do the vampire thing. Luna [Vachon] kept telling me ‘That was always okay, you can do it!’ I was like ‘Oh no way!’ Because I broke in ’87, there were no vampires running around with fangs and stuff in the ring. They’d be like ‘Beach up. What’s wrong with you kid? You on drugs? I told you not to take that acid or whatever it is you’re taking.’

“But I did it slowly and then the times just kept changing. I came in during the late ’80s and ’90s and then things evolved and it is where it is today. Now they don’t think twice about it. They go, ‘Yeah, a vampire. At least it doesn’t sparkle’ [referring to the Twilight series].”

How He Keeps up with Wrestling

Gangrel was asked how he manages to stay informed on professional wrestling programming and news with his hectic schedule, to be able to cover it on his podcast Fangin n Bangin.

“Don’t tell anybody, but I just listen to the dirtsheets,” Gangrel said jokingly. “I try to watch it, but it’s very hard. I get so lost, there’s just so much to keep track of in current wrestling. I need to stay current and it’s tough.”

Gangrel explained that he has to keep up to date with current programming to know what his students’ mindframes are. “As far as the results go, I look at it on certain sites and read the results. If something piques my interest then I go watch it. For the most part, I watch a lot of wrestling when I’m doing cardio.”

MLW’s two next shows are scheduled for WrestleMania weekend, at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. If you’re in town, visit MLWTix.com for ticket information.

Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.

During the half-hour conversation, Gangrel spoke about a wide variety of topics. In this installment of our write-up, we’re focusing on The Brood.

The Brood was a faction in WWE during the beloved Attitude Era. Led by Gangrel, the Brood helped introduce Edge and Christian to the WWE Universe. A later incarnation, The New Brood, saw Gangrel paired with Matt and Jeff Hardy.

The Brood remains popular to this day, as evidenced by Edge busting out the Brood entrance and “Brood Baths” in some of his recent feuds. Gangrel would have been down for a surprise Rumble appearance and a Brood reunion in WWE, but gave a surprising (and disappointing) reason why it never happened.

Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:

“People Won’t Remember The Brood”

Last year, Christian reunited with Edge at the Royal Rumble. This year, fans were hoping that Gangrel would make an appearance at the Rumble to continue the Brood nostalgia tour.

Gangrel says he’d speak to Edge about reuniting the Brood in WWE, but Edge didn’t think Vince McMahon would be on board.

“No, I would talk to Edge, he would tell me that he didn’t believe Vince McMahon believed people will remember The Brood, let alone myself.”

– Gangrel on a Brood reunion in WWE

Over the past year, Edge has paid homage the Brood several times, including for special entrances and for unleashing “Brood Baths” on his enemies.

Edge’s Brood entrances were always a hit with WWE fans, but he really had to work hard in order to convince Vince McMahon that it was worth doing.

“[Vince is] very set on certain things, so [Edge] told me he had to work like two and a half months to get the music to be able to do a ‘Broodbath,’ not a bloodbath because the networks wouldn’t have blood,” Gangrel continued.

“He did that for two and a half months and and he said he was trying to work it all out. He said he did it pay homage to The Brood and myself and all that he was super happy about it.”

Gangrel said he actually had an AEW appearance lined up at one point that would have included an elaborate entrance, but that got derailed.

“And then when I told [Edge] ‘Yeah well…’ He was like, so excited to tell me on that Monday, and I go ‘Well… I was supposed to do AEW that Wednesday, they were gonna do the whole entrance and everything.’ But it just trended so much that it was just like forget it. So that was a bummer one way, but in another way it was just great to see Adam, Edge come out to that and then it cut and go to his music. It was just really, really cool and I was super happy for him and honored and flattered.”

Memories of Working with the Hardys, The New Brood

Gangrel spoke fondly about working with Matt and Jeff Hardy in the early years of their careers.

“Yeah, well, a lot of people ask me what was my favorite Brood, The New Brood or the old Brood. I always say older with Christian and Edge because for one, we’re the original. We were working the Hardys and we had a program with them. I always love wrestling the Hardys. I personally love wrestling Matt Hardy because he’s a thumper. He’ll get in there and he’ll mix it up. Matt Hardy is a bit harder and tougher than people think.

I remember Michael Hayes would drive those poor guys crazy. I hope that I didn’t drive Christian and Edge as crazy as Michael Hayes did with his old school banter like ‘It’s my dime and it’s my time’ and stuff like that.

They’re just great guys. I’ve known them since, I don’t know, like since they were 16-17? I think we were all floating around doing extra work and different stuff for WWF whenever they came to the South. So I’ve known them for a long time. They’re just tremendous guys. Jeff’s super laidback, Matt’s more always intense about the business stuff. I’m super super happy for them.”

Gangrel also revealed that he’s going to be wrestling against The Hardy Boyz somewhere in Virginia soon. It will be Gangrel and Joey Janela (the “The New New Brood”) against The Hardys (“The Old New Brood”).

Steve Austin’s Input on Theme Music

The Brood’s theme music is legendary (you can listen below) and really set the tone for the group’s image. Gangrel shared a cool story about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin giving him advice about the importance of entrance music.

“…One time Steve Austin asked me, ‘What do you like about you like your music?’ The music that I had with the Brood. I go, ‘I could walk to it.’
And he goes, ‘That’s the key thing, you really want to become one with your entrance music. You really want to get that groove and that vibe and be able to gel with that coming out to get a feel.’

MLW’s two next shows are scheduled for WrestleMania weekend, at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. If you’re in town, visit MLWTix.com for ticket information.

Anna Jay recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about the state of AEW’s women’s division, who she sees as a locker room leader and her intense tag team Street Fight from the “New Year’s Smash” edition of AEW Rampage.

All Elite Wrestling has been steadily growing its women’s division. Through its evolution, the female competitors have been granted some gnarly opportunities, through the first ever Unsanctioned Lights Out Match, the TBS Championship Tournament and the bloody women’s tag team war on New Year’s eve.

Watch our full interview with “The Queenslayer” Anna Jay

Street Fight at New Year’s Smash

Anna Jay and Tay Conti battled The Bunny and Penelope Ford in a tag team Street Fight on the final AEW broadcast of 2021. It was the culmination of a longstanding rivalry between the two teams.

The match was a violent affair and one of Anna Jay’s toughest challenges to date. Despite the physical toll the match took on all four women, Anna Jay says she learned a lot from the match and enjoyed the hardcore brawl more than she expected to.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Jay. “Definitely nothing like I’ve done before. So I think my biggest takeaway, too, is just even more believing in myself. I can do these things that other people can do, and I can do hardcore things which I never thought that I would do. And yeah, like I said, I had a lot of fun. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it more than I thought that I would have.”

How does one prepare for a match that involves tables, ladders, chairs and thumb tacks?

“I think really the only preparation was just mentally just knowing what my body was going to endure, she continued. “And it’s funny too, I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I actually had a super bad migraine that day before the match, and I did not feel good at all. So it was like hard for me to really focus on, like worrying about things, if that makes sense. So I it was kind of like a crazy day, but yeah, I would say just mentally, just knowing what I was about to do.”

The AEW Women’s Division

In honor of Women’s History Month, Anna Jay also spoke on the AEW Women’s Division. She feels the division has come a long way since the company was founded in 2019.

“I mean, it’s definitely grown,” she said. “We’re doing great now. It’s cool to say to that. We have more than one segment on Dynamite and Rampage and to grow our roster and just myself, even being able to do more and seeing everyone get better and want to do better has been a really cool thing too. So, yeah, I mean, it’s been great and I think everyone in the locker room would say the same thing.”

Women’s Locker Room Leader

Anna Jay went on to also explain who she considers the locker room leader in the AEW Women’s division:

“Honestly, Vickie Guerrero, that’s a great one….She’s willing to help anyone so that to start off with. She really helped out the locker room a lot. Like I said, offers to help with anything, helps us with the locker room itself, like our stuff, our gear, just pretty much anything we need. She’s there. It’s like a locker room mom, like a locker room leader. She’s really the best.”

Thanks again to Anna Jay for chatting with us! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) Brett Lauderdale was our guest on this week’s Business of the Business podcast, the official business podcast of SEScoops.

Lauderdale spoke about his promotion selling out the Hammerstein Ballroom. ”The Wrld on GCW” will take place January 23rd, 2022 from the famed venue.

With the big sellout of Hammerstein Ballroom, Lauderdale was asked about GCW possibly being the #3 promotion in the United States right now.

“I’m very confident in our product and I think that what we do is special and unique and entertaining and fun and all that stuff. As far as numbers go, #3, #2 or #1 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7, I don’t really feel like we’re competing with anyone,” Lauderdale said.

“We’re just focussed on what we’re doing and trying to be the best at what we do.”

The Briscoe Brothers

Lauderdale also spoke about some of the talent that will be appearing on the show including the Briscoe Brothers.

“The Briscoes are awesome and it’s not secret that they are awesome and that they are one of the best tag-teams of all time. Obviously, they were under contract with Ring of Honor, which was great for them,” Lauderdale said.

“Unless you were a hardcore Ring of Honor fan, you don’t really see the Briscoes as much.”

“There’s so many matchup and so many people that have never had the chance to work with them. It’s exciting for the fans and I can also tell you it’s exciting for the Briscoes.”

PCO Working With GCW

Lauderdale was asked about bring PCO into the promotion. He noted that there were articles out there stating PCO had signed on for 40 dates but Lauderdale noted that is not true.

“It’s possible he could do that many but I don’t have 40 dates lined up right now and obviously we don’t have contracts or anything,” he said.

“Certainly PCO is a guy we like to have around as often as he can.”

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Lauderdale also spoke about working with Pabst Blue Ribbon. He wouldn’t necessarily call them a sponsor but they will be working together often in the future.

“I hate the term sponsor. We’ve talked about this with PBR. We like to consider what we do to be more of a partnership,” Lauderdale said.

“We’re kind of signed on to work together for the duration of 2022. We’ve got several events lined up that we’re going to partner on. A lot of ideas that we’re working on and developing.

PBR is a very cool brand and I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the history of that brand and what they’re doing now. From a cultural standpoint, they match up with us, they are a good match with GCW. We kind of have the same demo.”

The full podcast can be listened to in the player below:

Mercedes Martinez recently celebrated her 21-year wrestling anniversary and finds herself in the midst of the IMPACT Zone after emerging victorious in a competitive tournament at Knockouts Knockdown last month. As the winner of this tournament, Martinez earned herself a future Knockouts Championship opportunity.

Martinez is now scheduled to challenge for the Knockouts Championship against Mickie James, who captured the title last month at Bound For Glory. The two legends will meet this Saturday, November 20th at Impact Wrestling‘s Turning Point PPV.

Ahead of this championship match, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay caught up with “The Latina Sensation” to discuss her 21-year wrestling journey, future goals she’d like to accomplish, respect for Mickie James, and much more.

The full interview with Mercedes Martinez can be viewed below.

Her 21-Year Wrestling Journey

Martinez expressed thoughts on her 21-year wrestling journey.

“Twenty one years, it amazes me that I actually got to twenty one years because a few years back, I didn’t want to do wrestling anymore due to injuries. But here I am still living the dream,” she noted.

“You know, when I look back at everything that I’ve done, you know, I like to always think that I’ve done it my way, and I’m very proud of how I did my career and the choices that I’ve made and the decisions that I’ve made,” Martinez continued. “It’s not that it’s been hard or anything, it’s just been very different compared to others. And you know, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“For me to still be doing wrestling, you know, with close to forty one because tomorrow is my birthday, it’s just–I’m in awe to know that I can still be doing this almost 21 years later, and just in my mind, it’s almost like I didn’t even think I would become a professional wrestler. But here I am, just living the dream. So it’s very humbling.”

Career Goals

Martinez also noted that she still has some goals she’d like to accomplish:

“Oh, the biggest goal is to become a champion, you know, in a major promotion. And in fact, right now is going for the gold coming at a turning point with Mickie James. And you know, my thought is, I’m going to go really like headstrong and really just go in there and just prove my worth and show that I can carry a promotion.”

She continued, “You know, all you got to do is give me a shot and you know, that’s the biggest goal. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, but impact right now is where I’m at, and I just want to take it to the next level and bring everybody up with me. That’s really what I want to do, and that’s my first biggest goal right now.”

Respect for Mickie James, Jazz, Beth Phoenix & More

Mercedes Martinez heads into Turning Point against a fierce competitor in Mickie James, whom she faced once before. Despite the brewing tension on IMPACT programming, Martinez expressed a high level of respect towards her Turning Point opponent, Mickie James, and fellow wrestlers Lexie Fyfe, Jazz, and Beth Phoenix.

“I think throughout my career there have been so many females that have helped me, whether it was personally or professionally, you know, just to name a few would be like Lexi Fyfe. She was one who is still around in my life, who has helped me from me being a rookie to now that I still asked for advice in matches. And hey, you know, ‘is this match great’ or, you know, just feedback. And even in my personal life, you know, she’s a great friend.

Jazz

“You have Jazz who has been with me since the beginning of my career, who I modeled my style towards to based on our trainers, who has been–she has been an influence, like when I say role model, that’s someone who I admire so much because she’s done things her way and broke the mold of, you know, female wrestling and just didn’t look like everybody else.

She was just someone different and stuck to her guns. And that’s something that I always want to do. Stick to your guns, stick to your moves, and do things your way to pave the way for those that want to do things your way. And you know, that’s someone else who I really, really admire.”

Beth Phoenix

“Beth Phoenix, who you know, I’ve spoken to on many occasions and wrestled….she broke the mold. You know, she’s another one.”

Mickie James

“Mickie James, you know, I know I’m wrestling her, but the respect is there. We’ve been on the independent scene. We wrestled on the independent scene and now here we are going on national TV to again break down the mold of everything that we worked hard for. And you know, those are just some of the names that I look, you know, that has been influential in my career that I look at and say, ‘Hey, they broke the mold and they did things their way.’ That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.

I want to be that person to show female wrestlers or anybody that you can be different in any profession that you want to do, and you can break the mold and break those barriers and do things your way and be proud of the way you did it, because there’s going to be others that come after you that are going to model their careers based on you and hopefully break more barriers. That’s really all I want to ever do.”

IMPACT Wrestling presents Turning Point on Saturday, November 20th from Las Vegas at 10pm est / 7pm pst.

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Major League Wrestling presented MLW War Chamber this past weekend from Philadelphia, PA at the famous 2300 Arena.

SEScoops correspondent Samira was on hand for the event and provided these live results.

Samira also participated in the pre-show media scrum and had the chance to speak with some of MLW’s top stars.

Check out our exclusive MLW War Chamber media scrum videos below:

Jacob Fatu

5150

KC Navarro

EJ Nduka

Alicia Atout

EJ Nduka is gearing up for the biggest match of his career.

After an impressive debut at July’s MLW Battle Riot III event, The Judge heads to battle at MLW War Chamber next Saturday night (11/6). He’ll team with Alex Hammerstone, Richard Holliday and a mystery partner against CONTRA UNIT inside the ominous double steel cage match.

SEScoops correspondent Samira spoke with EJ Nduka about his aspirations in MLW, his friendship with AEW star Jade Cargill and his desire to walk through the Forbidden Door in the months ahead.

Here’s the full interview, with highlights below:

Hammerstone Winning the MLW World Championship

Alex Hammerstone captured the MLW World Title from Jacob Fatu at MLW Fightland. Nduka respects Hammerstone and expects they’ll be on the same page at War Chamber. However, he’s in MLW for gold. That might make Hammer a marked man.

“I thought it was an amazing moment for him,” Nduka said. “Well deserved. He had those two titles up, but I couldn’t help to think, ‘my boy you don’t need two.’ You know what I’m saying, one of those would look good around my waist. Big props to my boy Hammer. Hammer’s doing his thing and we’re teamed up this week and I’m looking forward to it.”

His Friendship with Jade Cargill

EJ Nduka is not your average pro wrestler. He doesn’t blend in and he’s not going to get lost in a crowd. One could say the same thing about AEW star Jade Cargill. They’re both exceptional athletes. Interestingly enough, Nduka and Cargill are close friends and got started in pro wrestling on the exact same day.

“So, Jade and I, we both went to college together. Ironically, we knew of each other, but we didn’t know each other. In college, she played basketball and I played football. We actually got close when we got in the industry the same day.”

“We had our tryout at the WWE at the PC (Performance Center). She was literally right behind me in line. We started chopping it up and ever since then we’ve just been really good friends and we train whenever we get a chance. They were in Orlando for the AEW Dynamite, so we got an opportunity to train.”

Alex Shelley, Bobby Fish & Tajiri

MLW excels at many things. One of their strengths is the ability to freshen up their roster. Talent comes and goes, but there’s always world-class talent coming in. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor finished up with MLW, so now Will Ospreay is on his way in.

Alex Shelley, Bobby Fish and Tajiri are three veterans appearing for MLW this fall. Here’s what Nduka had to say about them:

Alex Shelley: “It’s awesome because Alex Shelley, a lot of people don’t know this, he was a coach at the PC for a little bit when I first got there. I learned a lot from him. I would watch his classes, I wasn’t necessarily in his classes, but I would be one of the guys that was the first one at the PC and last one to leave. So, if he still had a class going, I would go watch.”

Bobby Fish: “Bobby Fish, he’s obviously one of the leaders in the locker room. Him and I became buddies, and I would ask him things, talk about life, and just the business in general. So, to see them at MLW locker room was awesome. You know it was like pieces of the puzzle these guys are leaders, they bring a lot to the table, and it’s always good to have that type of leadership in the locker room. People that have been there and done it, so that way you can bounce some ideas off of them.”

Tajiri: “So, I got to hangout with Tajiri. His merch table, you (Samira) saw it, it was right next to mine at the show. So, I was just talking to him, and I was just amazed at his story. This guy I’ve been watching him since I was a kid, so just to be able to stand next to him and chop it up with him was so dope. He’s such a cool dude, very humble, and he’s just awesome all around.”

When asked if he’d wrestle Tajiri, Nduka replied, “Anything could happen in that squared circle.”

The Forbidden Door

EJ Nduka is currently tearing up the ranks in MLW, but who knows where he’ll show up next? The Judge sounds more than ready to walk through the Forbidden Door and kick ass in other promotions.

“It really just depends on the back logistics of everything, but me personally, I’m open. I’m very open to walk through that Forbidden Door. In fact, I’m ready to kick that thing down and come running full speed through it and just show the world exactly what I got to offer.”

MLW War Chamber takes place Saturday, November 6th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are still available at MLWLive.com.