– In response to rumors that she is out of action due to a shoulder injury, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks wrote the following on social media: “No I didn’t. Stupid news.”
– WWE recently posted the following clip of various talent singing Shawn Michaels’ infamous theme song.
– Former TNA Knockout Sarita (Sarah Stock) was recently at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida working with the NXT Divas. Stock was reportedly brought in to teach the women the Mexican style of wrestling. NXT coach Sara Del Rey tweeted out the following photo of Sarita working with some talent.
NXT World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Owens recently spoke with TheWhig.com to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On a conversation he had with Sami Zayn: “I remember a conversation I had with Sami Zayn, it must have been around 2003. We were travelling to a little show in Quebec City, which is about two hours from Montreal so we were somewhere between Montreal and Quebec City at a restaurant and he was telling me how wrestling for WWE was his dream. And I told him, ‘Yeah, well me too, but it’s not really a dream, it’s a goal.’ And he was like, ‘What do you mean by that?’ I said, ‘Dreaming of something is nice, but having it as a goal I think is different. I know it’s going to happen.’ I told him that. I said, ‘I know I’m going to get there.’ And he was kind of blown away by that perspective and that outlook on it.”
On his first day with WWE: “My first day was pretty interesting because I got the call that I was hired. I was going to start full time August 25 at the Performance Center, but my first day was actually before. A couple of weeks before, they brought me in so that I could visit the Performance Center, there was an NXT TV taping that week so I stayed for that. I had to find a house, so I found a house for my family to live in in Orlando. My first day was technically not an official first day, it was just more a bit of a sample of what I could expect. I got in the ring with Norman Smiley in his class. And of course there was the NXT TV taping, I saw that whole process. I met Triple H and I met Stephanie McMahon. It was just a really surreal experience because those are people I’ve been watching for years and years and years. To now get to see them and to get to talk to Triple H, who was basically welcoming me on board. He’s telling me, ‘Thanks for coming, thanks for accepting the invitation, thanks for coming on board.’ In my head, I’m like, ‘Well thank you for hiring me.’ That was pretty cool.”
On developing a relationship with Triple H: “You know, I feel like I’ve developed a bit of a relationship with Hunter throughout these last few months. It goes beyond the ring. We’ll talk about our kids, we’ll talk about life. He’s very good to me. To have him take time out of a very busy day, he’s busy on Raw, and he took the time to tell me to just make sure you are who you are. And I know that’s kind of the advice he gives everyone, but to hear it from him, it really means something because ‘Make sure you stay who you are’ means that who I am, he’s got faith in. That’s a big thing.”
“I wanted to make my kids proud, I wanted to make my wife proud, I wanted to make my parents proud, and I wanted to make Hunter proud because he took a shot on me. I’m not the typical WWE superstar. He hired me anyway and he saw something in me. And I want to deliver for him. I want to pay him back for that by delivering the way he thinks I can and I think I did.”
On facing John Cena on Sunday: “There’s no denying how big it is. There’s not a whole lot of people that walk into WWE, show up on Raw, lay out the top guy in the industry for the last 10 years and get to wrestle him two weeks later at a major event like Elimination Chamber, but I get to do that. That will literally never be taken away from me, no matter what happens from here on out.”
Samoa Joe recently spoke with the official WWE website about his recent NXT debut, his aspirations in WWE, his history with John Cena and more.
Below are some highlights from the interview.
On signing with WWE: “I’m over the moon. It’s something I never really thought I would have the opportunity to do. To be here now, it’s an unreal feeling.”
On his history with John Cena: “I had the chance to work with John quite a bit in UPW and even beyond that. When John was just getting started, we hung out a lot. Being a trainer at the school, I taught the beginner course. John was the type of guy, who even though he was past the basics, he would come to the beginner class in the morning. I would see him at the advanced class at night, where I would go to get train and improve…”
On whether he thought John Cena would become the star he is today: “I had no doubt. It’s funny, I’ve been asked that before. He didn’t have to come to the beginner class. He didn’t have to come to all the practices. But John came to all of them; he did all of the work and extra work on top of that. He was so laser-focused on becoming a WWE Superstar, much more than anyone else from UPW who had gotten the opportunity to go to WWE at the time. There really wasn’t a question in my mind that he would become the star he is today.”
On what led to him coming to WWE: “I’ve had a great career up to this point. I’d pretty much wrestled everywhere in the world. The one place that eluded me was WWE. I had put out feelers to a few friends and confidants in WWE. They did some probing on my behalf. Slowly, but surely, a small glimmer of hope opened up. Talks progressed and the opportunity presented itself.”
On his WWE goals: “At some time, I would love to make a trip up to the main roster and wreak my brand of havoc. So many people I’ve come up with have succeeded in WWE. Though I thought the opportunity would never present itself, I’m here now. I’m in the best shape of my career and I’m more than happy to fulfill the destiny that has eluded me for far too long, and that’s to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.”
NXT World Champion Kevin Owens has signed a new main roster contract with WWE and it is believed that he will be making the transition from NXT to the main roster imminently.
Owens is now officially booked for every RAW show going forward, and will soon be added to the main roster non-televised live events on the weekends.
As the current NXT Champion, Owens will continue as a character on the NXT brand for a couple more months so his transition to the main roster is a smooth one.
NXT Champion Kevin Owens appeared on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast and spoke about underrated talent in NXT and the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
Most underrated talent in NXT:“I think the answer to that would be The Dillinger, he’s a Canadian boy and he’s been on TV a few times, he was even on the WWE version of ECW, if you will, a few years ago I believe his name was Gavin Spears at the time. He’s in NXT right now, and he’s been picking up steam lately so I hope that translates to an NXT TV role.”
“I look up to Tye Dillinger. He’s been around for a long time and there’s just something about him that I really expect and obviously he’s become a good friend throughout the last couple of months but regardless of if he was my friend or not I would be saying the same thing right now. He’s very talented, and it’s not just me who looks up to him, pretty much everyone in the Performance Center looks up to him, not only for the stuff he does in the ring but how he behaves outside of the ring. And I feel like if you’re going to say who’s the most underrated guy—because there’s a lot of underrated guys over there—I’d say Ty Dillinger probably tops that list.”
On appearing in the Money in the Bank ladder match: “I have interest in competing in every big even tike Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber or SummerSlam or whatever it is. I want to be part of those shows, I want to be part of that product that’s where I want to be. So regardless of what match I would be it whether it be a MITB Ladder Match or if I was just wrestling anybody on that show I definitely want to be there, that’s the goal, absolutely. I think beating John Cena at the Elimination Chamber would probably give me a pretty good shot at being [in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match] so that’s what I’m thinking about.
Although the word going around earlier this week was that Sasha Banks was not injured, the talk now is that she suffered either an arm or shoulder injury.
Banks was scheduled to work a match during the fourth episode of Thursday’s NXT television tapings, but she ended up leaving to go to the hospital when her fiancee’ — Sarath Ton, working as Mikaze — was knocked unconscious during a tag-team match.
It’s not currently clear whether or not Banks went into her match at NXT Takeover against Becky Lynch with the injury, or how serious it was if she did.
– Randy Orton and Big Show have purposely been kept off of WWE television because they are not booked in matches at this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Both Superstars are scheduled to return for the two weeks of build-up between the Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank pay-per-views.
– The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida is said to be very understaffed right now. The employees who work at the facility are said to be working endless hours because they have so many tasks and responsibilities. WWE is trying to keep NXT under a specific budget and while the brand and developmental system itself is a money loser, it’s considered necessary for the future of WWE.
– Below are some recent WWE and NXT attendance figures.
May 22nd in Manchester, NH drew 5,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Starke, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 225 fans
May 23rd in Worcester, MA drew 6,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Utica, NY drew 3,500 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 24th in White Plains, NY drew 3,700 fans (John Cena tour)
May 24th in Binghamton, NY drew 3,700 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 25th on Long Island for RAW drew 9,500 fans
Samoa Joe’s non-exclusive WWE deal allows him to work outside of WWE at independent shows, such as the Ring Of Honor television taping he is scheduled for on June 20th in New York City, but WWE has priority over his dates, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Joe’s deal with WWE included the new t-shirt he wore at TakeOver, which sold out of its’ initial stock immediately, as well as the rights to his “Samoa Joe” name, particularly because he’s not appearing on the main roster WWE shows.
Additionally, his deal with WWE calls for limited NXT dates. Originally, Joe gave word that he couldn’t take any independent dates after April, a timetable that continued to be pushed back, which figured that his debut in WWE was being delayed. However, he is now taking dates with outside promotions through August of 2015.
Joe’s current deal with WWE basically allows him to work pretty much wherever he wants. Originally, he was looking at starting later in the year with ROH, somewhere around September, but the nature of his unique deal with WWE allowed him to continue working in ROH, so he started looking for new dates going forward, however that has since been moved up, as he’s currently scheduled to work the 6/20 ROH television taping in New York.
It’s also worth mentioning that Joe has recently had talks with officials from New Japan Pro Wrestling. It’s also said that with all of his outside commitments, WWE could end up offering him a full-time deal. The word going around in the industry is that Joe can’t commit to anything full-time from another promotion during his current short-term window. If WWE were to sign him to a full-time deal at any point, it’s said that it would immediately end his working relationship with any other company. Even if that doesn’t happen, the belief is that WWE has first priority on his dates.
Following the success of some recent matches and crowd reactions in NXT, there is some consideration being given to a women’s match headlining a major show.
It would require the right talent and the right feud, but top NXT officials are open to a female main event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. UFC’s massive success from featuring Ronda Rousey in marquee matches has demonstrated the drawing power of women.
– Ring Of Honor TV will not only air as the lead-in to TNA Impact Wrestling each Wednesday night on Destination America, but a replay will also air immediately following Impact.
The episodes will premiere on Saturdays on Sinclair affiliates prior to the Wednesday broadcast/replay on Destination America.
– With ROH now airing on cable television, there’s already speculation that WWE will nix his appearances in the promotion. The same rule would likely apply to Rhyno and other talents if they handle the Joe situation that way. Joe is currently booked to appear on the 6/20 edition of ROH TV, teaming with AJ Styles to take on Kazarian and Daniels, however that could change due to ROH’s new deal with Destination America.
– It has been rumored for a while that Seth Rollins’ finishing move — the “Curb Stomp” — has been banned by WWE. During a recent fan Q&A, Rollins was asked if WrestleMania 31 was the last time we will ever see the move, and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion confirmed it. Check out the clip below.
NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch spoke to WWE.com this week about their efforts to change the face of women’s wrestling.
Dubbed the “Four Horsewomen of NXT,” each of them talked about what they’re doing to ensure WWE has no choice but to #GiveDivasAChance.
Charlotte said it’s hard to be the “hardest worker in the room” in the NXT Women’s division, because everybody is the hardest worker in the room. She raved about Triple H’s decision to hire (the recently promoted) Sara Del Rey and said she gets goosebumps thinking about how lucky she is to have so many talented women to work with.
Bayley said Triple H has been incredibly supportive of them, showing a lot of interest in each individual. Triple H has solidified their mission to revolutionize women’s wrestling.
Becky Lynch said she stopped watching wrestling many years ago because it didn’t seem like women had a chance to be featured in a meaningful way. She said she walked around the WWE Performance Center and did not see any women’s wrestlers featured on the WWE PPV poster banners there. She knows that in five years, when she walks around the performance center, she’s going to see Bayley, Sasha and Charlotte on those banners. “Hopefully I’ll see myself, too, but I know I’m going to see them, and it’s not just because they’re good for girls. They’re just good. Just really good, and we’re just changing.”
Sasha Banks said that when she was working the indies, people wouldn’t care about women’s matches. Now, people come up to her and tell her she had the best match on the show. Male wrestlers come up to her and admit they are going to have a hard time following her match, which is an amazing feeling.
WWE announced on Tuesday that NXT is invading the 4th annual Monster Energy AFTERSHOCK Festival at Gibson Ranch (just outside Sacramento, California) on October 24th and 25th.
Finn Bálor, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy, Charlotte, Bayley, Baron Corbin and more will be competing at the festival, which features some of the biggest names in hard rock, alternative and metal.
The festival lineup includes Slipknot, Faith No More, Deftones, Shinedown, Jane’s Addiction, Marilyn Manson, Coheed & Cambria, Stone Temple Pilots, Breaking Benjamin, Eagles of Death Metal and more.
Ticket pre-sales begin Wednesday, May 27 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. Public on-sale starts Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. All tickets will be available at Aftershockconcert.com/tickets.
– WWE announced that there will be NXT matches at the “Aftershock Festival” in Sacramento, California on October 24th and October 25th. Names advertised for the shows include Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Baron Corbin, Charlotte and Blake & Murphy. For more, visit WWE.com.
– ROH issued the following press release today regarding the release of their new action figure line, which includes WWE Superstar and current NXT Champion Kevin Owens.
(Baltimore, MD – May 26th, 2015) – Get ready for the best wrestling figures on the planet! Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) and Figures Toy Company are proud to announce the official lineup for the debut series of ROH Wrestling action figures! Series 1 will feature four of the top names in Ring of Honor history, and this series marks the first time that any of them have been released in action figure form!
From “DemBoys” to a ruler of a Kingdom, ROH and Figures Toy Company will be releasing four major names to launch the line:
Jay Briscoe: The current Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, Jay Briscoe is an ROH Original in every sense, including being the very first ROH match ever. With his roughneck reputation and the in ring skills to back it up, Briscoe is one of ROH’s most recognizable stars.
Mark Briscoe: Brother of Jay and another ROH Original. Together, The Briscoes wreaked havoc on the ROH tag division, and have held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship an unprecedented 8 times! Now Mark and Jay Briscoe team up to make history once again as a part of the very first Ring of Honor action figure series.
Adam Cole: The former Ring of Honor World Champion, and the leader of The Kingdom. Cole’s brash attitude has not endeared him to the ROH fanbase, and now he has something new to brag about, as he’ll surely be flaunting his Ring of Honor action figure for all it’s worth.
Kevin Steen: The “Throwback” star in Series 1, Kevin Steen has a long and storied history in Ring of Honor. From his tag team with El Generico to wreaking havoc as the Ring of Honor World Champion, Steen has made a name for himself not only in ROH but throughout the wrestling world. He may not be raising hell in ROH any longer, but he is still a force on the rise, and collectors everywhere will be clamoring for their very first Kevin Steen figure.
The Ring of Honor action figures will be 6 inch tall figures with multiple points of articulation, and will be compatible with other wrestling figures on the market. Each figure will come packaged with assorted accessories such as realistic cloth clothing, figure sized title belts, and weapons. Each figure will be released in a resealable clamshell package. Figures Toy Company will be releasing pre-order information for Ring of Honor Series 1 action figures in the near future, so make sure to follow them on social media for updates on upcoming Ring of Honor products!
Follow on Twitter: @RingofHonor, @figurestoyco and @wres_superstore
Instagram: RingofHonor, figurestoycompany and wrestlingsuperstore
Facebook: RingofHonor, Figures Toy Company and Wrestling Superstore
– Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett is the guest on the latest edition of the Steve Austin Show podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– The next set of NXT television tapings, which are already sold out, will be taking place at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on Thursday, June 18th.
– JBL and Renee Young announced that the new season of their YouTube show will premiere on Friday, June 5th. Below is a post made on JBL’s Instagram page regarding the show.
– Chris Jericho’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts were hacked today. There’s no details on who did the hacking or why, however Jericho is said to be in the process of restoring both accounts.
– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon tweeted the following about the Memorial Day holiday today.
Let's not forget the true meaning of #MemorialDay and those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
– The apron elbow drop that Adam Rose hit Tyler Breeze with at the NXT television tapings last Thursday was a tribute to Mick Foley, the man Rose claims is the reason he wanted to become a pro wrestler. Rose tweeted the following:
An ode to a the man that made me wanna be a pro wrestler! @realmickfoley thanks to who ever got this pic! #Rawpic.twitter.com/xvxJtFG35a
– There’s no word yet if NXT Champion Kevin Owens will be appearing on Monday’s “go-home” edition of RAW to promote his match with John Cena on next Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. WWE is, however, teasing that Cena will address what happened with Owens last week for the first time on Monday’s RAW. Additionally, Cena will hold yet another “U.S. Open Challenge” on RAW.
– WWE performers Sheamus and Becky Lynch posted the following comments on social media about Ireland becoming the first nation to approve same-sex marriage.
– As noted earlier this week, Samoa Joe’s deal with WWE allows him to continue to work independent wrestling shows. According to F4WOnline.com, Joe has very few restrictions on where he can work and his deal was described as similar to the deal Rhyno has, only for a lot more money.
– Sami Zayn has resurfaced on Twitter for the first time since being taken out by Kevin Owens at the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special on Wednesday. Zayn tweeted the following:
– WWE Superstar Jey Uso continues to work on recovering from shoulder surgery. During his off-time as he prepares for his comeback, the former WWE Tag-Team Champion has grown a full beard, which you can see in the photo and clip below.
TNA Knockout Gail Kim took a shot at WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon on Twitter in response to fans raving about the NXT Women’s Championship match at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable.
Kim praised Triple H for the way women are booked in NXT but doesn’t share the same feelings about Vince McMahon and his WWE Divas.
– Samoa Joe made his NXT in-ring debut at Thursday night’s tapings and was featured prominently on the shows that will air through June 17th. The 4-episode taping culminates with Joe facing off against NXT Champion Kevin Owens in a non-title match.
For complete NXT TV spoilers for the next four weeks, click here.
It’s also worth noting that Samoa Joe’s new WWEShop.com t-shirt is currently sold out.
Joe will be wrestling this weekend for Absolute Intense Wrestling this Sunday (5/24) in Cleveland, Ohio against Johnny Gargano.
AIW promoter John Thorne jokingly tweeted that he might reach out to CM Punk about replacing Joe on the show. Punk responded asking what the offer was, but obviously they were just messing around.
– Despite successfully defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch at the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special on Wednesday, Sasha Banks did not work last night’s NXT TV tapings. There is currently no word yet as to why she didn’t work the show.
– Mick Foley and his son were in attendance for the NXT TV tapings last night. They were also in attendance at the “Unstoppable” show on Wednesday night.
WWE taped the next four episodes of NXT TV on Thursday night from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Here are spoiler results through June 17th via WrestlingRumors.net:
Airing May 27th:
– The show began with NXT Champion Kevin Owens, who entered to Sami Zayn’s entrance theme. Owens proceeded to take verbal jabs at Zayn, Samoa Joe, and John Cena. NXT General Manager William Regal came out to talk about Owens putting his hands on him at “NXT Takeover: Unstoppable.” Solomon Crowe then made his way to the ring, calling Owens a “piece of crap.” For later in the night, Regal made an Owens vs. Crowe match.
– Emma (w/ Dana Brooke) def. Bayley- After the match, Emma and Dana Brooke teamed up to attack Bayley. However, Charlotte made the save, as the babyfaces stood tall to close the segment.
– NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) def. Elias Samson and Mike Rallis in a non-title match
– Finn Balor def. Tye Dillinger
– NXT Champion Kevin Owens def. Solomon Crowe in a non-title match- Following the bout, Owens looked to deliver a powerbomb to Crowe on the apron. However, Samoa Joe interrupted. Joe rushed the ring, as Owens fled to the dismay of the crowd.
Airing June 3rd:
– Tyler Breeze def. Adam Rose
Backstage, Greg Hamilton interviewed Eva Marie. While the crowd heavily booed, Eva said she is hoping to wrestle in the NXT Divas division.
– Alexa Bliss (w/ Blake and Murphy) def. Carmella (w/ Enzo Amore and Big Cass)
– The Vaudevillains def. Marcus Louis and Jason Jordan
– Finn Balor def. Rhyno- Balor got the win with a roll-up pin, after Rhyno missed a “Gore” attempt. After the match, Rhyno returned to deliver a “Gore” to Balor off the stage. The show closed with trainers helping Balor to the back.
Continue on Page 2 below – Samoa Joe vs. Kevin Owens & much more
NXT star Sami Zayn will be undergoing surgery next month to repair his injured shoulder, according to Dave Meltzer. Zayn was cleared to wrestle at last night’s NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable event, but Kevin Owens demolishing him at the end of the show prior to Samoa Joe making the save was done to write him off television.
WWE posted the following video of Zayn being checked out backstage after his match last night.
– It was previously reported that Big Show was scheduled to return to WWE television this week, however that obviously didn’t happen. As things stand right now, Big Show is still scheduled to return imminently, but if he’s not back by the May 31st Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, his return might be pushed back.
– In addition to former MMA fighter Matthew Riddle and Biff Busick, independent wrestlers Drew Gulak and Chuck Taylor are also scheduled to take part in the WWE tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center in June.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
May 14th in Philadelphia for NXT drew around 2,000 fans
May 15th in Philadelphia for NXT drew around 1,500
May 16th in Albany for NXT drew 2,200 fans
May 18th in Richmond for RAW drew 6,300 fans
– Triple H reportedly held a backstage meeting after NXT Takeover: Unstoppable on Wednesday evening and praised the roster for keeping Samoa Joe’s debut a secret and not letting it leak out onto the internet.
– Tyler Breeze’s ring entrance at the NXT special last night peaked at 1,275 viewers on the Periscope app.
– Although TMZ reports that Tammy “Sunny” Sytch is close to signing a “monster porn contract,” the WWE Hall Of Fame Diva disagrees. Sytch addressed the porn rumors on Twitter with the following tweet:
to clear the air, I am NOT doing a porn… I have been approached by Vivid Entertainment, but nothing has been negotiated or put on paper