NXT Women’s Champion Bayley posted this lengthy message on Twitter about her Iron Man match against Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Respect and the fans who support her:
Just about finished reading #IronManMatch tweets. Thank you @TripleH, @SashaBanksWWE & #NXTUniverse. Still in awe ? pic.twitter.com/BwCpOPs6N7
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) October 10, 2015
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has shared his prediction for tonight’s 30-minute Iron Man match between Bayley and Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Respect.
With NXT TakeOverL Respect taking place tomorrow night, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley did some media to push the show, which she’s main eventing against Sasha Banks in a 30 minute Iron Man Match. As has become common on WWE media days, one of those interviews was with RollingStone.com. Here are some of the highlights:
On who she wants to work with and why:
And this might sound bad, but I really want to work with Eva Marie, just because it seems like that’s what people want. [“Why would that sound bad?”] [Bayley laughs] My fans don’t like her, so I don’t want them to be like, “Oh, why do you want to work with her?” But the reason is because she’s a different competitor and I think we’d have an interesting dynamic. I get a lot of tweets about Eva, and I can’t blame the fans, because all they really know is what they see on Total Divas, and they base their cheers on that, I guess. I’ve never personally had a problem with her; I don’t see her much, but the shows that she has done, I’ve seen her progressing each match, each show, each training session. I know that the drive is there to get better, so it’s up to her to see how far she can go.
The responsibility of being NXT Women’s Champion:
I feel like this is a very important part of my career. With the top three girls gone, and me being the champion, I’ve never been the person in the locker room who’s been here the longest – it was always Sasha and Charlotte. And now that I’m literally the leader in the locker room, and the champion, it’s a huge opportunity for me to help girls while I have the chance. Girls who don’t have any experience at all, I’m asking to get matches with them, so I can help them and bring them up. Paige and Charlotte were very helpful to me when I first arrived. It’s really important; you can be the best wrestler in the world, and make the most money, but if you’re not a good person in the back, that says a lot about you. I’ve never wanted to be that person, because I’ve had so much help along the way and I want to continue that. I want everyone to be comfortable in the locker room and the ring, and be hungry to make this division even bigger than it already is.
There’s much more in the original article, including Bayley’s thoughts on her friends leaving for the main roster, the term “diva,” and much more.
– Divas Champion Charlotte and WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler were seen recreating a very popular scene from the movie “Mean Girls” last night, which WWE posted:
.@HEELZiggler and @MsCharlotteWWE recreate one of the most memorable scenes from #MeanGirls! #October3rdhttps://t.co/KPR6n99mnh
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 3, 2015
– Here’s the latest Ringside Or Riot with Noelle Foley:
– During Ringside Fest in New York City yesterday Mattel revealed several action figures including Umaga, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, and Bayley. On the WWE website you can currently see an in-depth photo gallery at this link
– The KMart in Louisville, Kentucky was an interesting scene for any shoppers on Saturday as the WWE NXT crew went in the store to purchase boots for the mud that was taking over the “Louder Than Life” festival. As you will notice in the photo below, tweeted by NXT host Greg Hamilton, the WWE NXT crew took a camera crew in with them:
https://twitter.com/GregHamiltonWWE/status/650359845342834688/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley spoke with Title Match Wrestling at NXT’s recent live tour of Houston, Texas. Here are some highlights:
– She talked about crowd outside of Florida having a rowdy, fun atmosphere.
– It’s still a weird feeling to be one of the most popular women’s wrestlers in NXT because she’s just a “normal kid.” She’s not used to all the support but is grateful that fans have taken to her positivity.
– Regarding her upcoming Iron Woman Match against Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Respect, she can’t wait to make history.
– When asked if she’d consider turning heel, Bayley said she’s been wrestling for 7 years, has studied various aspects of the business and can be successful in any role WWE has for her. Her current character is a natural fit for her and she hopes to stay on this path for the immediate future, but she may have a change of heart a few years down the line.
– Bayley hopes she’s part of WrestleMania 32. She mentioned the Divas Revolution and said the NXT Divas are making history. It would be great to represent NXT at WrestleMania.
– The Divas Revolution is all about competition. They’re working hard to put women’s wrestling back on the map and gave credit to the other Divas who are pushing things to the next level.
– As noted, Scott Hall was among the guests backstage at WWE Night Of Champions on Sunday night in Houston. Here he is backstage at the show with Scott Norton and Big Show.
https://twitter.com/SCOTTHALLNWO/status/645788026463916032
– Triple H took to Twitter to congratulate Kevin Owens on becoming the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. “The Game” tweeted the following:
Success is about seizing opportunity. Congratulations to @FightOwensFight on becoming @WWE Intercontinental Champion. pic.twitter.com/15VVByzjLR
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 21, 2015
– Finally, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley was backstage at the show as well. Here she is with the new WWE Divas Champion Charlotte.
I don't really have words at the moment… NXT STRONG. NXT WOMEN! #PCB Dreams do come true ????? pic.twitter.com/V0ouOS4x6P
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) September 21, 2015
– For whatever this is worth, WWE is still advertising “The Viper” Randy Orton for tonight’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Arn Anderson celebrates his 57th birthday today. Also celebrating birthdays today are Greg Valentine (64), Tony Garea (69) and Joel Gertner (40).
– The latest edition of “Canvas 2 Canvas” features art from Rob Schamberger on NXT Women’s Champion Bayley:
– CM Punk and AJ Lee are starring in a movie together. According to mbnnewsvideoweb.com, the former WWE Superstars will co-star in Hellstorm, an action-horror motion picture. The plot is as follows:
After the collapse of the world’s financial system and a devastating world war, a group of mismatched survivors are forced to band together and battle a variety of unexplainable and horrific beasts that descend on their tiny makeshift community.
The film also stars Mat Fraser (American Horror Story), Colleen Camp (American Hustle), Selene Luna (My Bloody Valentine), Kate Hodge (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) and Brian Goff (BorderCross). Shooting begins in mid-November in Ohio.
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley will be part of WWE’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom in November. She is advertised for the Nov. 8 show in Liverpool, England and the Nov. 12 event in Newcastle.
– Former WWE Superstar Maven will be wrestling this Saturday for Lucky Pro Wrestling at the Elks Hall 34 Powder Mill Rd. Maynard, Massachusetts. He is teaming with former WWE Superstar Curt Hawkins, now known as “The Prince of Queens” Brian Myers, as they take on The Cam-An Connection. Click here for event details.
– The Pat Patterson autobiography that WWE has partnered with ECW Press to produce is being co-written by Bertrand Herbert, the same author who has been involved in many hit wrestling books. The book on Patterson is scheduled to be released in June of 2016.
– Speaking of Patterson, his former on-air sidekick Gerald Brisco celebrates his 69th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday today is Eva Marie, who turns 31.
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley tweeted the following praise to Samoa Joe and Tyler Breeze, both of whom reportedly stole the show with their singles match at the NXT live event in Austin, Texas on Friday evening.
.@MmmGorgeous and @SamoaJoe just put on one of my favorite matches in a long time. Breeze is my favorite. #NXTAustin
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) September 19, 2015
On Monday, 2K revealed the final members of the WWE 2K16 roster – and there were some glaring omissions. Many fans were outraged that WWE’s “Four Horsewomen” – Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch, will not be part of this year’s game. Even more maddening is the fact Divas such as Cameron, Summer Rae and the recently-retired Layla made the cut in lieu of the Divas Revolution leaders.
Back in February, Sasha Banks told a fan on Twitter that she got scanned for the game – adding an extra layer of WTF to the situation.
“@Michael77435101: @SashaBanksWWE did you get scanned for wwe 2k16 because I neeeeeed to be able to play as the #Boss of #NXT” yes I did!
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) February 25, 2015
2K has issued the following statement regarding the omissions – and then twisted the knife by confirming that the Four Horsewomen will NOT be available as DLC.
With our final roster reveal this past Monday, it was awesome seeing the excitement for The New Day, Enzo and Cass, Mikey Whipwreck, and more. But it was clear that some in the community are frustrated by the lack of the newer Divas added to the main WWE roster recently
We pushed as hard as we could to include Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Bayley in WWE 2k16, but it simply did not work out for various reasons. While we are not divulging full details on WWE 2K16’s post-launch plans just yet, we can confirm that the Four Horsewomen will not be available as DLC.
We are proud to have and built the largest WWE roster to date featuring the most Divas ever. The WWE 2K16 disc includes all of the Divas on the main roster at the time we locked it in (13 playable in total).
We all agree the Divas Revolution is great for business and look forward to celebrating the Divas even more in future WWE 2K titles.
Triple H announced on Tuesday that the next NXT Takeover special will be titled, Respect.
Bayley will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks in the 30-minute Iron Woman main event.
NXT Takeover: Respect airs live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, October 7th.
More than money and fame…success is measured by one thing. @WWENXT #NXTTakeOver: RESPECT is LIVE only on @WWENetwork October 7, 2015.
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 15, 2015
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley is getting prepared for her upcoming 30-minute Ironwoman Match against Sasha Banks at the NXT Takeover special in October. Below is a photo of Bayley studying the Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes 30-minute Ironman Match from 1993.
Studying a @ScottDawsonWWE recommendation. Dustin Rhodes vs Rick Rude in a 30 minute iron man match. #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/2ueS6qPpQg
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) September 14, 2015
– Former WWE on-air performer Teddy Long celebrates his 68th birthday today. Long was born on September 15, 1947.
– The developers of the new WWE 2K16 video game posted the following video of Natalya beating Eva Marie.
https://youtu.be/OnrkU4D6cNw
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley recently spoke with the Journey Of A Frontman website about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On her post-match segment at “Takeover: Brooklyn” with Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks: “It was really cool and I feel like that was a defining moment in our careers, all four of us. I feel like it’s something a lot of the fans wanted to see because they’ve seen all four of us grow up together in the past couple years. They know how hard we all worked together and what we’ve done for the division. They’ve all seen us grow separately and go our own ways. They saw Sasha and Charlotte win championships and everything. Storylines aside and everything, I know it meant the world to us because we’ve all seen each other training every day and working for the same goal. We all know how important every championship match is, especially that one. We knew that all four of us together, including the other Divas, all of us worked to get to that match where it was Sasha versus myself. If it wasn’t for Becky and Charlotte and everybody else that works hard in the division, we wouldn’t have been able to be in that spot. To us, it was all four of us together until who knows how long. They’re all doing their thing, they’re all busy on RAW and Smackdown. I’m holding it down in NXT, so who knows the next time we’ll all get to be in a ring together. And it was just respect, regardless of how we feel about each other, problems in the past. I think I finally gained Sasha Banks’s respect and showed her that I’m not just giving out high-fives and stuff, I want to take the division as far as she does. It was a really cool moment, personally and professionally. I think that’s what the fans remember most.”
On who helped mold the Bayley character in 2013: “Dusty, The American Dream. Since we had promo classes every week, he was seeing the material I was coming up with and the ideas I had. Every week he was like “Oh you should do this. You should start out with the yearbook and have all these pictures of the Divas and the Superstars. Just have them come out and sign it!” So much material and so much knowledge. He just kept telling me “Just reach back to when you were actually eleven years old or twelve years old as a fan. Just bring that out of you.” Once he said that, it was so easy because this is literally how I was when I was ten or twelve years old. In my first match as Bayley against Alicia Fox, I put my hair in a side ponytail. But if you watch it back, once I got in the ring, I took it out. I was like “Well I need to have my hair down. This is a wrestling match.” I normally had my hair down for matches. When I got to the back, the first person waiting there was Dusty. And he said “Why did you take your hair out?” “Because I don’t want it to get messed up.” I didn’t want it to get all crazy. He was like “You wear a ponytail forever now. You go out there with the ponytail, you wrestle with the ponytail. I don’t care how it looks when you get back, that’s your thing.” And I was like “Okay, cool.” So then I always wore the ponytail and I was so happy he gave me that word of advice.”
On who she feels will be the next breakout star of NXT: “Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, who are just getting started in the tag team division. Jason Jordan’s been a hidden gem for a while, so I’m glad he’s finally got something going. And Chad Gable is just amazing, he has so much charisma and he can move like nobody else in the ring. Riddick Moss and Elias Samson have so much potential and I hope they get their opportunity soon because they’re working so hard. In my opinion, they’re so good. Some of the Divas too. I feel like Carmella is gonna be a huge star one day. We have girls such as Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. I think there’s going to be a lot of stars soon, even within the next six months.”
Check out the complete interview at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.
The main event of WWE’s next NXT Takeover live special on Wednesday, October 7th will see NXT Women’s champion Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a rematch of their Match of the Year candidate at Takeover: Brooklyn.
It will be a 30-minute Iron Man match to see if Bailey can hold on to the title she took from The Boss.
The Divas Revolution continues at NXT Takeover live on the WWE Network.
.@SashaBanksWWE vs. @itsBayleyWWE 30-MIN. #IronMan Match to MAIN EVENT #NXTTakeOver on Oct 7! http://t.co/cZXF0EI1Dz pic.twitter.com/YLZylVguTi
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 11, 2015
– As noted recently, WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee has started at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The other winner of this season, Josh Bredi, has also reportedly started at the Performance Center.
– Regarding recent rumors that Tough Enough finalist Amanda Saccomanno has signed with WWE and will be replacing Naomi on Total Divas, while we can’t confirm that she will be replacing Naomi, we can confirm that she has signed on to become part of the Total Divas cast.
– WWE recently posted the following on Twitter, which shows NXT women’s champion Bayley’s number one super fan Izzy hanging out with her recently.
One special day at @WWEPerformCtr for the NEW #NXTWomensChampion @itsBayleyWWE and her No. 1 fan Izzy! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/qGGwWXpWIm
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 10, 2015
WWE World Heavyweight Champion and WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins recently spoke with Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On turning his doubters into believers: “Everyone is a naysayer. Everyone has an opinion. Half the people love me and half the people hate me. A few months later and it all flip-flops, it doesn’t matter to me. I just go out there and do the best I can. I’ve been doing this a long time, so I know when things are going well and when they’re not. It’s nice to have people appreciate what you do though. Our fan base is super passionate and always has an opinion, and that’s awesome.”
On which NXT talent he would like to see called up to WWE’s main roster: “I would like to see Bayley. She is my favorite who is not up here and being used. So hopefully she gets a shot soon.”
On working with Triple H: “Triple H has been incredible to work with. Triple H is the ‘Cerebral Assassin.’ His best advice to me is to make sure you always, always come out on top.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
The current plan right now is for NXT Women’s Champion Bayley to feud with Dana Brooke and then Eva Marie. WWE executives apparently want to validate Eva Marie by putting the NXT Women’s title on her. The idea is that they can tell the story of how Eva Marie proved her critics wrong through hard work. While this is not confirmed at this point, it looks like Bayley vs. Dana Brooke could kick off at the NXT television taping from Full Sail University on September 10th, with a possible match at the NXT Takeover event on October 7th. Following that set of television tapings, Eva Marie could begin her feud with Bayley at the next set of tapings, with a possible title match at NXT Takeover: London in December. A three-way feud to carry them through December is also a possibility.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley recently spoke with the official WWE website about winning the NXT title at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On defeating Sasha Banks for the title and Vince McMahon’s reaction: “It was one of the most overwhelming moments in my life. It may be the most magical moment I’ll ever have in wrestling or life. Hearing the crowd react like that was something I’ve never heard before. After the match, Vince McMahon shook both our hands. Everyone was giving us hugs. Triple H, Stephanie and even my favorite Diva, Lita, were there to say how proud they were of us. It was just amazing.”
On getting emotional after the win: “All I could do was cry. I was crying because of everything I’ve been through to get there, how I got there, who I was in there with, how many people were there with us, how important it was and because I was literally living the dream.”
On accomplishing her mission: “I want every single person out there with a dream, no matter what it is, to know that it is possible. And it’s possible to do it your way, the way you believe in. Nobody can deny your heart. It sounds so cheesy, but Sasha Banks and I had the same dream since we were 10 years old, and wrestling brought us together to prove that anything you want to do is within reach! And it can be special. You just have to believe in yourself.”
Check out the complete interview at WWE.com.
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley’s popularity continues to climb, with a long-time WWE employee telling Bryan Alvarez of f4wonline.com that BBayleyailey is “so ungodly over, especially with little girls,” that if she were to start granting wishes through Make-A-Wish, “she will destroy John Cena.”
It’s also worth noting that Bayley’s t-Shirt is currently the highest-selling Divas merchandise at WWEShop.com.
– Japanese women’s wrestler Kanna, who has reportedly signed with WWE, relinquished the REINA World Women’s Championship this which, which she won from Syuri back in 2014. REINA has confirmed that she’s also leaving the promotion.
– Several weeks ago, Bray Wyatt’s sister Mika Rotunda was at the WWE Performance Center for a tryout. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair revealed on his Wooooo! Nation podcast that he was at the Performance Center when Mika was there – and she was trying out to be a ring announcer, not a wrestler. Flair sounded impressed with what he saw and said he wouldn’t be surprised if WWE brought her in as an announcer in the future.
In related news, Mika Rotuna was backstage at Monday’s RAW from Tampa:
https://instagram.com/p/7EPmNLy1Hr/
– In addition to the NXT Tag-Team Championships, which as we reported earlier, changed hands from Blake & Murphy to The Vaudevillians, the NXT Women’s Championship also changed hands on Saturday night.
– In the co-main event of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, which took place at the Barclays Center and aired live on the WWE Network on Saturday night, Bayley defeated Sasha Banks with a Bayley-to-belly suplex to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
– In the main event of the evening, Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens to retain his NXT Championship in the third of three title matches during the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn special.
– Finally, it was announced by Triple H that NXT will be traveling to the U.K. from December 10th until December 16th. Tickets for the shows will go on sale to the public in the near future.
NXT contracted performers have not been given bonuses based on working events with bigger gates outside of their usual shows at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. This includes those who worked the NXT event in San Jose, California during WrestleMania weekend, a show that drew over 5,000 paid.
The main reason WWE does not offer bonuses for these shows is because NXT live events and developmental in general are currently money losing businesses. Developmental loses money largely due to the fact that so many talents are under guaranteed contracts. Also, as a promotion, NXT only runs three live events locally in Florida, at the most, drawing 200-300 fans. They run the shows to give talent experience in front of a live crowd, and because there are no travel expenses for NXT talent working in Florida, the feeling is that they are being paid to learn.
It’s worth noting that when NXT talent are brought to WWE live events, they are paid for those shows and have their road expenses covered as well.
This Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event will have a live gate of around $700,000, which is an incredible accomplishment for the brand. The Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens and Sasha Banks vs. Bayley title matches are the headlining attractions, and traditionally those involved would receive a bonus based on the gate, however that may not be the case with NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
Owens is now on a main roster deal, and Balor’s deal is said to be different than the traditional developmental deals because he was already an established star in a major league promotion, so they will both likely receive bonuses of some kind for Saturday’s live special.
The real question is whether or not Banks and Bayley will receive bonuses. Banks may also be on a main roster deal now, and if that is the case, she would get a bonus as well. What this could mean is that Bayley could be the lone performer among the four in headlining spots that will not receive a bonus due to the fact that she is under a regular developmental deal.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
As we reported last night, Triple H was testing out the latest streaming service brought to you by Facebook and took some time to answer some fan questions. Below is more of what was discussed:
– The WWE COO revealed that Bayley would be challenging Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn but that wasn’t all he spoke about.
– While speaking about NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, he revealed that there were still some seats available for the event, but added that it will sell out.
– Triple H gives fans a small tour of his office which also shows the live stream of the Performance Center down in Orlando.
– He is asked about Ronda Rousey and whether or not we will see her in a WWE ring again, he explains that this depends on a lot of factors. He says they are huge fans of hers.
Triple H explained that the opportunity is there for Ronda but it all depends on what they can make happen and also congratulated her on her victory at UFC 190 adding “never say never.”
– Going on the road with NXT is brought up and Triple H discusses some of the tours and festivals they will be taking the show. He also addressed international shows and the potential for NXT dates in the UK. He explained that NXT will go wherever there is demand.
Following this week’s edition of NXT TV, below is an updated look at the scheduled lineup for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, which airs live on the WWE Network on Saturday, August 22nd.
NXT Championship
(Ladder Match)
– Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens
NXT Tag-Team Championship
– Blake & Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillians
NXT Women’s Championship
– Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley
– Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tyler Breeze
– Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
– Apollo Crews (formerly known as Uhaa Nation) will make his NXT debut
– Appearances by Hideo Itami and others are expected as well
– It was reported back in May that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not make this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, however it’s worth noting that Forbes’ profile on McMahon currently has his net worth listed at $1.21 billion, as of Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The profile does, however, note that McMahon “dropped off” this year’s billionaire list. You can check out McMahon’s Forbes profile at Forbes.com.
– The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
* Charlotte vs. Bayley
* Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
* Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solow
* The Mechanics vs. The Hype Bros
* Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno
Earlier tonight we reported that Triple H was testing out Facebook’s new video streaming application that had been created for celebrities who were verified on the site.
In the video he discussed a number of topics including the upcoming special event on the WWE Network NXT Takeover: Brooklyn which will take place the night before SummerSlam.
He once again mentioned the main event of the night, Finn Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kevin Owens in a rematch from the Beast in the East event in Tokyo.
Triple H also confirmed that live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, August 22nd, Sasha Banks would defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Bayley.
If you haven’t seen the video, you can check it out at this link.