– WWE taped the following matches on Tuesday afternoon in Manchester, England for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown. For complete WWE SmackDown spoilers for tonight, click here.
* Braun Strowman vs. Fandango
* The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
* WWE Title Tournament: Neville vs. King Barrett
* WWE Title Tournament: Ryback vs. Kalisto
* WWE Title Tournament: Alberto Del Rio vs. Stardust
– A company called Internet Marketing Ninjas announced this week that they are teaming up with WWE Hall Of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan for a fan-engaged event centered around the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event on Sunday, November 22nd. The event will be streamed on their official YouTube page at 8pm EST. For all of the details, visit InternetMarketingNinjas.com.
– Aiden English of The Vaudevillains posted a tweet after his team lost the NXT Tag-Team Titles to The Mechanics on last night’s NXT TV show that suggests their rivalry isn’t over quite yet. English tweeted the following:
A cheap shot to steal gold is one thing…try to put me out like you did Cass? That's something else entirely. We are not finished here…
As seen on this week’s NXT on the WWE Network, The Mechanics (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) defeated The Vaudevillains (Simon Gotch and Aiden English) to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions.
Dawson and Wilder were congratulated on social media by Triple H, as well as their good friend, WWE Hall Of Famer Adam “Edge” Copeland. Below you can see their comments, as well as what appears to be a challenge to the main roster from Dawson. Additionally, you can check out a video of The Mechanics’ backstage interview after winning the titles below.
WWE officials have continued to have discussions regarding their working relationship with WWN Live, the parent-company of EVOLVE, however things are said to be moving slow and no one appears to be rushing anything.
If Triple H and others have their way, NXT will become a full-blown touring brand by the end of 2017, which means a lot of expanding and growth planned for NXT next year. There is reportedly talk of WWN helping to fill some of the void that is created when NXT does go on the road full-time. The idea is that NXT talents who aren’t perceived to be ready for touring can take bookings with WWN in Florida while WWE helps with some of the costs.
WWN is rumored to become somewhat of a WWE territory based out of Florida, with WWE sending them their least experienced developmental talents to improve so that they are ready for NXT tours across the globe. As noted, right now things are still in the very early stages.
New NXT star Rich Swann recently spoke with WWE.com about signing with the company, his goals and more. Below are some of the highlights.
On how training at the WWE Performance Center compares to training in dojos in Japan:
“It’s very similar [as far as] the training regimen and the schedule, but WWE’s facility is just a bit nicer. [Laughs.] The dojo’s grimy; in the winter it’s cold and in the summer it’s hot. No air conditioning. It’s crazy. Plus, you’re in a country where you barely speak the language in the beginning, it definitely takes a toll. In Japan, you gotta get it, you’ve gotta go after it. You have to prove yourself and wrestle what they call the “young boys.” They don’t teach them the art of wrestling until they feel they deserve it, so when you’re in there with them, you’re getting beat up and bruised and smacked and thrown around and you’re having to prove yourself.”
On who he was influenced by:
“Wrestlers like Psicosis, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, RVD, Jerry Lynnn, Super Crazy, like that. Once I found out what ECW was when I was in middle school — boom — that turned me. WCW, too. I love these bigger guys, but I knew I was never going to be that big. The cruiserweights, however, look at these guys move, flipping around, doing crazy things and being daredevils. Guys like The Hardys. I was drawn to them because that’s what I wanted to do.”
On his goals in NXT:
“Definitely. If you’re in wrestling, you want to be the top guy and you want to be the champion. But my goal right now is to make it onto NXT Live Events, make it onto NXT at Full Sail and TakeOvers, and I want to take it one step at a time. And as the time comes, I just want to have killer matches and do things that have never been done before.”
– NXT Champion Finn Balor is scheduled for several WWE RAW and SmackDown television tapings after the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 22nd. Unless Balor is introduced on the main roster in the next few weeks, he will likely be working dark matches at the TV tapings.
– As noted, Monday’s taped edition of RAW in Manchester, England drew 3.173 million viewers, down from last week’s average of 3.248 million viewers. The final RAW rating came in at 2.23, which was also down from last week’s show, which finished with a 2.32 final rating.
– Speaking of Monday’s RAW, WWE posted the following “Top 10 Moments” compilation video for the show.
– In an update from yesterday’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Manchester, England, it appears that The Undertaker and King Barrett segment in the middle of the show was actually a dark segment for the live crowd. As noted, the segment began with Barrett talking about the Wayne Rooney incident from RAW and ended with The Undertaker coming out and hitting him with a Tombstone piledriver.
– As noted, Triple H and Corey Graves recently appeared as Christopher Nowinski’s Concussion Legacy Foundation’s 8th annual Impact Awards in Boston, Mass. and presented the foundation with a check. That check was for $1.5 million. You can check out photos from the event at WWE.com.
– WWE and James Storm are still hyping the former TNA stars’ NXT debut and teasing his eventual return. Storm and the official NXT account tweeted the following this week:
– There are rumors going around claiming that WWE is planning on announcing one or two NXT talent cuts in the near future. While we can confirm the talk, there hasn’t been any word yet regarding which talents may be on the chopping block. The cuts are expected to be announced in the next month or two.
– As noted, WWE will be running a special “Undertaker Week” on the WWE Network starting next Monday. As part of the special theme, a new episode of “Legends with JBL” will premiere. The show will feature “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H and Shawn Michaels talking about “The Dead Man.”
– Triple H posted the following photo of himself with U.K. soccer stars Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher at backstage at Monday’s RAW in Manchester, England.
There has been speculation recently regarding the WWE coaching status of Sara Amato after she appeared on a recent episode of the new WWE Network original series, “WWE Breaking Ground.”
Amato is still working as an agent with the main WWE roster, however she also doubles as a developmental trainer of talents at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, former TNA Knockout Sarah Stock (Sarita) is also working with the female developmental talent in Orlando.
In related Breaking Ground news, the show gave the impression that William Regal teaches the promo classes at the Performance Center, however it is actually Ryan Katz who handles that responsibility.
Katz is a former independent wrestler by the name of “GQ Money,” who was said to be a “Dusty Rhodes Guy” and worked closely with The Dream before his passing.
– On the second episode of WWE Breaking Ground, WWE Senior Director Of Talent Development Canyon Ceman played the role of the executive who had to inform aspiring talent that they were being let go. In all actuality, Canyon was just brought in to fill that role on the show, as normally NXT Head Coach Matt Bloom is the guy who does that, according to PWInsider.com.
– Next Monday, November 16th, WWE will kick off “The Undertaker Week” on the WWE Network. WWE will soon be announcing full details on the special programming scheduled for the week long theme, which is expected to be similar to the recent “Brock Lesnar Week.”
– WWE confirmed via the official NXT Twitter account that the new “NXT: Greatest Matches Vol. 1” DVD and Blu-ray is scheduled for a March 8th release. Additionally, it was announced that Seth Rollins vs. Big E. for the NXT Championship will be on that set, and the NXT Women’s Championship match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks will be a Blu-ray exclusive.
Former NXT Diva Zahra Schreiber made her in-ring debut at the Dreamwave Wrestling live event in La Salle, Illinois on Saturday night.
Schreiber teamed with four other male wrestlers to defeat her opponents in a ten-man elimination tag-team match. She used the “Curb Stomp” for her finisher during the match, the same move previously used by her boyfriend, Seth Rollins. Schreiber was the “sole survivor” for her team.
Below are some photos from Twitter of Schreiber’s appearance last night in La Salle.
– The latest edition of WWE Fury, which you can watch above, features a look at the 16 most painful moves that take place on the ring apron.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens continues to have a good sense of humor, as a fan who attended this week’s NXT panel in London, England posted the following photo of an autograph he got from Owens. Owens had no photo to sign, so he signed over AJ Lee and said, “Oh, she’ll never be back!”
– New twin WWE talents Gabriel Ealy and Uriel Ealy were at the NXT live event in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday evening. Below is a photo of the two hanging out at the show.
As noted, former top independent wrestling stars Rich Swann and Biff Busick made their official NXT live event debut in a “Halloween Costume Battle Royal” last weekend. At last night’s NXT live event in Jacksonville, Florida, Swann and Busick were formally introduced to the NXT fans in attendance.
Below are a number of photos of Swann and Busick at the NXT live event on Friday evening.
NXT Diva Nia Jax recently spoke with WWE.com about her past and her journey towards joining the company. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On being a plus-size model and eventually gaining interest in becoming a wrestler:
“I always had a love for the business. I remember hearing the stories about the patriarch of our family, ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia, starting out wrestling in a rundown gym back in Auckland, New Zealand, then traveling the world, wrestling all over. I considered wrestling at a young age, but I never could relate to any of the Divas. I have always been a bigger girl, and I did not think that WWE would want a girl my size, so I never expressed my dream to wrestle.”
On what finally led to her wanting a WWE career and her tryout:
“I remember being ringside at WrestleMania 28, watching my cousin Dwayne (The Rock) face Cena, and thinking to myself, ‘I have to do this!’ I remember arriving to my tryout and being extremely nervous, but the second I stepped in the ring, I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”
On being a part of the NXT women’s division:
“NXT women have literally changed women’s wrestling, and being able to be a part of the division is great for me. I am completely different than any other Diva that we have in NXT, and having the advantage of being unique allows me to expand the revolution even further by showing people what a woman of my size can do. Ultimately, I want to convey an image of a beautiful, strong and confident woman. I want young girls to be inspired to love themselves and strive to follow their dreams no matter what.”
Samoa Joe turned heel and attacked Finn Balor during the main event of this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. Balor was defending the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews when Baron Corbin interfered and attacked Crews. Samoa Joe ran down and cleared house before unleashing a vicious attack against his former partner Finn Balor. Joe left the champion laying after a muscle buster to kick off what is sure to be a must-see feud.
"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times." – Niccolò Machiavelli @WWEUniverse
Rolling Stone has published their latest interview with a WWE star, and this week’s is with the newest addition to the main roster: Tyler Breeze. Having just moved up to touring with the main roster, that’s one of the topics covered, as well as his “gatekeeper” role and NXT and much more. Here are some key quotes:
How did he find out he was being called up?
I had heard some rumblings that they were looking to bring up someone. When you look at the roster of NXT, you kind of gauge yourself and figure out where you fit in, and I figured I’d be a possibility. Finally, I had a meeting with Triple H, and he said that I was given the green light, and we were going to start moving on it. We weren’t sure of all the details, but I knew it was happening. The next thing I know, I was sitting there, ready to go.
Was he worried that they’d tinker with the character?
No, not really. Given the time that I had been Tyler Breeze, and the reactions I had been getting, I really wasn’t too concerned. Now, there are so many great minds here, and if someone tosses an idea to me and we want to add it in, then I can make it work. But if there’s one thing about the character that I know, it’s that I have confidence in it. I can do something that other people can’t; anything that they want me to try, I can go out there and make it work. I’m really not too concerned with any changes that may be made. It will always come out entertaining as far as I’m concerned.
On being seen as NXT’s gatekeeper to the “indie stars,” most recently Apollo Crews:
People see it in different ways. Some people see it as me being bumped aside and shuffling down the card. I didn’t really view it that way at all. The guys coming in, I either knew, or got to know very quickly. I also got the chance and the opportunity to work with all of them. These guys, they’re not just coming in from scratch, they’ve been wrestling for 10-plus years. To top it off, all of them are really cool guys too. As soon as they come in, the fact that either I get paired with them, or I get to work with them later,
I didn’t see it as getting pushed down the card. I saw it as another opportunity to work with someone good and steal the show in another capacity. Whether there’s an NXT title there or not, the match would be one that people wanted to see. I loved working with Hideo and Finn. Me and Owens did some stuff, Zayn, Neville. All these guys that they’re bringing in, it’s not a bad thing, it’s not a jealousy thing. We wanted to make the roster something where people wanted to see every match on the card. The NXT title is where you want to be, but if you’re working with those talents, it’s going to be a match that people are looking forward to, and will buy tickets to see. There was no jealousy whatsoever. It’s just cool to see that everyone is doing well and having fun.
Make sure to check out the whole interview at Rolling Stone for much more, including the prestige of the NXT brand.
During his recent appearance alongside Bo Dallas and Neville on WWE Network’s “Table For 3” original series, veteran wrestler and NXT star Samoa Joe spoke about working with a young John Cena in UPW and how Jim Ross told Joe he wasn’t what WWE was looking for back then.
“That’s where John started,” said Joe. “Actually, I worked with him a ton. He was dedicated back then, so anyways, John got the [WWE] deal. I met Jim Ross at the time and Jim Ross said, ‘you know, maybe you’re not really what we’re looking for right now’.”
Joe also spoke about working international territories and ultimately making it to WWE.
“Contrary to wisdom back when I first started out, way back when, I find myself here in WWE.”
Samoa Joe also spoke about the reason he was brought to NXT, and how he still has aspirations of joining the main WWE roster.
“I was kind of brought in to add to the momentum that NXT has going. I mean, obviously, I think we all want to go win the big one, but I also wouldn’t mind helping NXT be part of a bigger thing.” Joe added, “it’s a real unusual kind of time, to kind of be a part of this process and a very unique position for me, kind of, coming in, so, I don’t know, man. I’m kind of laying back and seeing what cards are dealt and playing the best hand.”
“Table For 3” featuring Samoa Joe, Neville and Bo Dallas is available on the WWE Network right now.
Biff Busick and Rich Swann made their NXT live event debuts in Gainesville, Florida in a Halloween costume battle royal. NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, who was dressed up as a Lego, ended up winning the battle royal.
It’s worth mentioning that NXT Champion Finn Balor appeared to be dressed up as CM Punk, with a Dolph Ziggler hoodie on, while Aiden English dressed up as current WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens.
– As noted, Triple H and Corey Graves apparently filmed with Lemmy of the band Motorhead on Tuesday. It looks like the band may be playing at NXT Takeover: London on December 16th. Triple H posted the following teaser today:
– Adam Rose posted the following on Twitter regarding the passing of his sister. Rose is in South Africa for the first time in five years for her funeral.
Earlier, we posted WWE’s press release listing the latest developmental signees to report to to the Performance Center. Not all of the names WWE announced were necessarily breaking news, as the Tough Enough winners were on there, but there were plenty of other names that hadn’t been officially announced yet. That includes a few of the most notable names on the independent scene…sort of. WWE makes a point of only including real names, so it wasn’t immediately apparent who some of the wrestlers were.
That said, Richard Swann of Baltimore, Maryland is obviously Rich Swann, best known for his work in CZW, Dragon Gate, PWG, WXW, and the WWN family of promotions (Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, and Full Impact Pro). He’s a talented high flyer known for moves like the Rich Kick, a standing 450 Splash.
Christopher Girard of Boston, Massachusetts, is best known as Biff Busick. He’s made the rounds a in many of the same promotions as Swann, but he has more of a hard-hitting, grounded style. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t fly, but he doesn’t do it as much as Swann.
Finally, Adrienne Reese of Dallas, Texas is Athena. Originally trained by Rodney Mack with additional training later from Booker T, she’s been one of the top female wrestlers on the independent scene for several years. She’s incredibly smooth in the ring, with a nice, well-rounded mix of submissions, some flying, and more. It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that she’s probably right with or just below Natalya and Asuka as the best and most polished women on the roster.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Rosa Mendes noted on social media on Tuesday night that the WWE television tapings this week was her last WWE event for a few months. Mendes is expecting her first child in February of 2016.
– James Storm sent Stephanie McMahon a random tweet on Tuesday, complimenting her on how her hair looks in the new WWE 2K16 video game. Storm’s original tweet read, “Your hair is on point,” and his newer tweet reads as follows:
Former TNA World Champion AJ Styles recently appeared as a guest on The Taz Show: Bodyslams & Beyond podcast at Play.it, and during the discussion, Styles spoke about the possibility of joining NXT.
“At this point in my career, I’m going to go do what’s best for my family and I want to do what’s best to provide for them,” said Styles. “So, the business that we’re in, [if] the business could be better somewhere else, then that’s where I’m going to go. That’s what I’m going to do. So, like I said, it’s a business plan. Wherever the plan takes me, that’s where I’ll go.”
Later in the interview, Taz asked Styles about the possibility of going to CMLL in Mexico to wrestle Rey Mysterio.
“I’d like to wrestle Rey, Rey Mysterio, before he retires,” said Styles. “I think we could have a pretty cool match and it would be a pretty big match, the two of us, so I’d probably get that done.”
Styles continued, “I would imagine you would have to come off the hip with some money for Rey, but it would be fun! It depends where we do it. The problem is he works for AAA and I work for New Japan and New Japan works for CMLL, or works with CMLL, so that’s the big dilemma. It would have to be an independent [show] for us to meet.”
– NXT Diva Gionna Daddio is now using the name “Marley.” She will be facing Eva Marie on the November 4th episode of NXT TV, which was taped on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
– Also at the NXT TV tapings on Thursday night, independent wrestlers Corey Hollis and John Skyler worked a tag-team match against The Mechanics. That match will air on the November 18th episode of NXT TV.
– As noted, Samoa Joe vs. Tyler Breeze is scheduled for next week’s edition of NXT TV. Breeze cut the following promo on Joe ahead of their match.
The official WWE website recently spoke with former TNA Champion and new NXT star James Storm. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On how the conversation of him coming to NXT began: “It came about because I’m good friends with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. They put it in Triple H’s ear that I was free and clear of all contracts, to see if there’s some interest there. I actually called Road Dogg to see if it was OK that I went up to the NXT Nashville show not too long ago. He said, “Yeah, just try to stay out of sight.” So, I stayed in the locker room. There were reports that I was sitting in the front row at an NXT show, and I didn’t deny that I was there. I just said, “I saw the reports and I’m sorry, but that was not me sitting in the front row.” [Laughs.]
Then, [WWE Performance Center Head Coach] Matt Bloom pulled me aside and asked if I was available to come down that Wednesday and Thursday to Orlando. I went down and talked to Triple H at the NXT TakeOver: Respect special. Then the next night, he asked if I was willing to appear, and I said yes.”
On what it was like walking into the NXT locker room in Nashville for the first time: “I really didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know if these guys were looking at me, going, “Here’s a guy coming in, trying to take my job.” Basically, that’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to find me a spot. I learned a long time ago that you don’t have to worry about your spot if you’re doing your job right. But all the guys were so cool. All of them came up to me; a couple of them made me feel kinda old, like, “Hey, I used to watch you 10 years ago.” [Laughs.] But nobody said a negative word or gave me a dirty look, or anything like that. Everybody was super-cool and actually welcoming me in with open arms.”
On when we will see him back in NXT or even WWE: “That’s the million-dollar question. That’s not really up to me. My job is to go out and get myself over, as they say. And it’s up to what we call “the suits” to make the decision of whether to bring me back to NXT or the WWE main roster. I get so many people all the time saying, “We want to see you and Bray Wyatt go at it on the microphone.” I always say that you never know what’s going to happen in wrestling. And I just take one day at a time.”
– We noted recently that the EVOLVE promotion set attendance records at their EVOLVE 49 and EVOLVE 50 events in New York City, featuring appearances by NXT star Sami Zayn.
Apparently the iPPV buys for the shows were up as well, despite the fact that Zayn didn’t appear on the actual broadcasts. This was credited to the buzz surrounding EVOLVE’s partnership with WWE and the news that Zayn would be appearing for the promotion.
Attendance and iPPV buys being up led to backstage morale being up, according to a new PWInsider.com report. The morale is up right now with the roster buzzing about what the new partnership with WWE could mean for them and EVOLVE as a whole.
– Former TNA Knockout Rosie Lottalove worked the NXT television taping on Thursday night, losing to Emma in singles action taped for the November 18th episode.
Rosie lost more than 100 pounds over a year ago and has been competing in the SHINE Wrestling promotion under the name “Andrea.” She used her real name, MaryKate, at the NXT tapings last night.
The following are spoiler results from the set of NXT television tapings held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/4
– Asuka def. Cameron via submission
– Bull Dempsey def. Angelo Dawkins
– Eva Marie def. Gionna Daddio, who is now using the name Marley.
– Apollo Crews def. Finn Balor ended in a DQ when Baron Corbin attacked both guys in what was a NXT title match, so the title didn’t change hands. After Corbin hit the ring, Samoa Joe came out and took out Corbin, but then shocked everyone by attacking Finn Balor for a surprising heel turn to close out that week’s show.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/11
– Adrien Reese (aka Athena) def. Peyton Royce with a top-rope jump into a Stunner for the 1-2-3.
– Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger never takes place as Apollo Crews takes out Corbin.
– Bayley, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley def. Alexa Bliss, Blake & Murphy in a six-person inter-gender tag-team match. Bliss stole Bayley’s title and ran off with it during the match. Bayley hit a Belly-To-Bayley on one of the men and then ran after Bliss. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder to get the win for his team.
– Nia Jax def. Deonna Purrazzo in a squash match.
– The Mechanics def. The Vaudevillains via submission to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions. Great crowd reactions for this match and for the title change.
– Samoa Joe came out for a promo segment. The fans boo him because he turned heel and attacked Finn Balor on “last week’s show.” Balor ends up coming out and confronts Joe. They get into it but referees end up holding them back. This segment ends the 11/11 edition of NXT TV.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/18
– Nia Jax def. Carmella in a squash match.
– Chad Gable & Jason Jordan def. The Ascension in tag-team action when Gable and Jordan score the pin after hitting the assisted German suplex.
– Emma def. Mary Kate (aka Rosie Lottalove and Andrea) with the Emma-lock.
– The Mechanics def. Two local talents (believed to be Corey Hollis and John Skyler) to retain the NXT Tag-Team titles.
– Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via the Huggplex to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. Eva Marie ended up coming out to challenge Bayley to a future title match.