– Reddit user bootybootybootyrocki noted that Extreme Rules will be Charlotte’s 11th straight PPV match – the longest streak of PPV appearances by a woman in WWE history:
“During the uni-branded PPV era of 03-07, I’ve only counted the PPVs of each brand. For example, if a particular woman was on Raw, only Raw PPVs will be factored into a streak, unless she happened to wrestle on a SmackDown PPV, in which case that will be added to the streak. The Big 4 PPVs featured all brands, so those were always factored. Even with all that in account, Charlotte still holds the longest streak. I have to imagine, barring injuries or some craziness with the title, even if Charlotte loses on Sunday, she will get a rematch at Money in the Bank, making it her 12th straight PPV.”
– Tonight’s WWE TV tapings will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Confirmed as of this writing is MizTV with Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. As always, we’ll have live coverage of the tapings here at SEScoops.
– The Dudley Boyz will be filming an episode of Ride Along for the WWE Network this weekend.
Me and @TestifyDVon will be filming an episode of @wwe "Ride Along" this weekend. What would the @WWEUniverse like us to talk about? #RAW RT
– WWE stock closed at $17.78 per share on Thursday, down 1.66%.
– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte has been with WWE since 2012, but had never been to company headquarters until this week. She made her first visit to WWE HQ in Stamford, CT on Thursday and got in a workout at the building’s legendary gym.
Headed to @WWE Headquarters for the first time 😎 ✈️
Tomorrow…. "I'll be thumbing my way into North Carolina" 😊 #WWELiveEvents
Former WWE & TNA star Lisa Marie Varon recently spoke with the UK’s Total Wrestling Magazine.
Varon spoke about there being extra pressure on female wrestlers. Even with a stronger emphasis on the in-ring product, appearances are a big part of being successful. She said “Even something as simple as a haircut needs careful consideration because if you are on TV every week you can’t get something too drastic and as for a girl, well God forbid you age! We can’t get wrinkles we can’t put on weight so there is so much pressure. ”
When she was on the road and competing regularly, her body could take a beating and it didn’t affect her that much. After some time away from the ring, she feels aches and pains from wrestling 15-years straight.
Here’s what she said about the influx of talent in WWE’s Women’s division:
“You know I’m very lucky I’ve wrestled some of the greatest and I’m still wrestling now so yeah who knows who I may hook up with next. If you look at the match that Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks had at WrestleMania I think people are taking the women more seriously now. A lot of people said it was their match of the night. Hopefully the days of bra and panties matches are a thing of the past and we can concentrate on the wrestling.
I love Charlotte she would be so much fun to wrestle and I am a huge Sasha Banks fan. She’s got it, the reaction she gets from the crowd is amazing and she is going to go far in this business. I’d have to say though Paige is a given for me. I’d love to wrestle her. I’m friends with her mom but I think there are a lot of little subtle similarities between us and I’m sure we would have a great match.”
WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and her father Ric Flair were Michael Cole’s guests for this week’s WWE.com interview. Some highlights:
– Charlotte says a lot has changed since she last sat down with Michael Cole. She’s the new WWE Women’s Champion and now she’s got her ‘coach’ with her. Ric says being with his daughter is the most outstanding accomplishment of his entire career
– Charlotte downplayed her loss to Paige on RAW, saying it doesn’t count because she was distracted. Cole was quick to point out that Charlotte lost when Ric Flair was not in her corner, which will be the case at Extreme Rules. She acted as if she didn’t understand his line of questioning.
The Flairs end up walking out of the interview when Cole asks if Charlotte can beat Natalya at WWE Extreme Rules without Flair at ringside. Flair admitted that “nothing is guaranteed” when it comes to a win.
During a recent interview with MLive.com, Ric Flair spoke about his current role in WWE and how long he expects to be in his daughter Charlotte’s corner. “I have no idea how long this will last. Charlotte is flying high right now. I don’t think she needs me, but it’s a good storyline for TV. She doesn’t need me to be successful. ”
Charlotte has evolved into a reviled heel character, quite an accomplishment in today’s WWE environment. “She has people booing her, which is hard to do,” Flair explained. “Next to Stephanie McMahon, she’s probably the hottest bad girl in the company. She’s got heat and it’s made the whole division better. It makes it more fun for the audience and the wrestlers competing in the matches. That’s what we had for years with the Horsemen. Fans hated The Four Horsemen.”
Flair added that he’d love to work with WWE Champion Roman Reigns and named Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Dolph Ziggler as some of his other favorite Superstars.
Head over to MLive.com to check out the full interview.
During Monday’s RAW, a commercial aired in Hawaii promoting a blockbuster double main event for WWE’s upcoming live event from Honolulu’s Neal S Blaisdell Arena on June 29th.
Top matches advertised for that card include:
Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens
John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Asuka
Other top stars WWE Champion Roman Reigns, Tag Team Champions The New Day, The Club (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson), Chris Jericho, Bray Wyatt, The Usos and Natalya.
– Prior to facing Natalya tonight at WWE Payback, WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte threw out the first pitch at today’s Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves game at Wrigley Field (with Ric Flair by her side).
– In this video, WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan talks about “Macho Man” Randy Savage and how his wife was close with Miss Elizabeth since they traveled together. Duggan also says he enjoyed working with Savage in WWE since he could brawl and fly.
Speaking of Miss Elizabeth, today marks the 13th anniversary of her passing. On May 1, 2003, in Marietta, Georgia, live-in boyfriend Lex Luger called 9-1-1 to report that Elizabeth was not breathing. She did not respond to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and paramedics rushed her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A medical examiner listed her cause of death as “acute toxicity”, brought on by a mix of painkillers and vodka. She was 42-years-old.
Natalya and Charlotte are currently booked to have two matches for the WWE Women’s Championship: One at WWE Payback on May 1st, and one at Extreme Rules on May 22nd.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE’s original plan was to go with Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte, but they decided to do the Natalya vs. Charlotte feud now and the Banks feud later this summer. Banks is expected to compete for the title at SummerSlam.
Posted April 14th, 2016 in WWE. Tagged: Charlotte.
Shortly before the event, the WWE creative team reportedly had it narrowed down to two possible winners of the new Women’s Championship Title at WrestleMania 32. PWInsider.com reports that there was a lot of back and forth over whether they would book Sasha Banks or Charlotte to win. As we saw on Sunday, Charlotte won with the help of her father Ric Flair. The decision for Charlotte to win was reportedly made just days prior to the event.
PWInsider also noted that WWE was originally going to unveil the new Women’s Championship Belt on RAW, but decided to make it a WrestleMania moment instead.
WWE Diva Charlotte will pay homage to her father Ric Flair this weekend.
Based on a tweet sent out by the reigning Divas Champion on Wednesday evening, it looks like her ring gear will be patterned after the robe worn by the Nature Boy during his retirement match back at WrestleMania 24.
Charlotte defends the (soon to be retired) Divas Championship against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch on Sunday night at WrestleMania 32.
Charlotte and Ric Flair were interviewed by Peter Rosenberg and Ebro for Hot 97 on Friday to promote last night’s live event from Madison Square Garden and Wrestlemania 32. Here are some highlights:
– They spoke about what it’s like to be on the road together and working as one of the top acts in WWE. Ric said it’s phenomenal and a dream come true.
– Charlotte was asked if she feels pressure to live up to Ric’s legacy. Charlotte said she loves it, she wanted to be paired up with her father because it drives her to be better.
– Charlotte talked about being able to “turn off” her public persona when she leaves the arena, while Ric is the Nature Boy 24/7.
– Rosenberg said it’s amazing that Charlotte is getting strong heel heat while paired up with her father, who is beloved. Ric says he wishes WWE would let him cut loose a little more, but he’s just happy to be working with his daughter. Charlotte said it was difficult being introduced as a babyface when her character talks about being genetically superior.
Overall, a great interview. Follow @RosenbergRadio and check out the Cheap Heat Podcast if you haven’t already – hands down one of the best wrestling podcasts out there.
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte recently spoke with USA Today High School Sports about “Girls Sports Month” and WrestleMania 32.
– It’s an honor having the Divas championship and there is lots of history behind it, but “this is 2016” and she still wants to bring back the Women’s Championship.
– Working as a heel makes it harder to be a role model for young girls, which was a big part of the Divas Revolution.
“I think Stephanie McMahon is who I’m trying mold myself after,” Charlotte said. “She is the biggest villain on TV, but there is no one who is more empowering for women than Stephanie McMahon.”
No matter if she’s portraying a hero or villain, she is athletic and still expects to earn fans’ respect..
– She gets goosebumps just thinking about WrestleMania. She sees the Divas championship match at WrestleMania as the big payoff for everything that’s happened in the women’s division over the past year.
– Not only does she want to get rid of the Divas championship belt, but she also sounds sick of the Divas moniker entirely.
“I’m hoping we’ll get the time and and be able to show the world on the grandest stage that we’re not divas, we’re superstars. This is an opportunity to treat women as women at WrestleMania and we’re going to steal the show.”
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte has been battling flu symptoms over the past few days. She defeated Natalya last night on RAW.
– Former WWE Diva Eve Torres Gracie will appear on the April 11th “Supergirl” episode on CBS. She will play DC Comics character Maxima, who is affiliated with Superman and The Justice League in the comics.
– WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan will make his first post-Gawker trial appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday morning.
– Speaking of Hogan, he tweeted the following early Tuesday morning in celebration of Monday’s ruling that he’s owed another $25 million from Gawker and owner Nick Denton. The grand total owed to Hogan now stands at $140,100,000.
Both Charlotte and Emma are going to be alright after getting banged up in the ring on Friday night.
At the WWE live event from Minneapolis, Divas Champion Charlotte got her nose busted by Becky Lynch and was bleeding profusely in the ring. She assured fans on Saturday morning that she’s alright:
At the NXT live event from Cleveland, Ohio, Emma got knocked out cold after a stiff kick to the face by Asuka. Emma was back in action on Saturday morning against NXT Women’s champion Bayley at this the Arnold Sports Festival.
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte was injured at Friday night’s live event from Minneapolis, MN. During her match against Becky Lynch, Charlotte’s nose got busted open. The match was stopped and ruled a no contest.
On this week’s SmackDown, it was revealed to Charlotte that she’ll be defending the Divas championship against not one but two opponents at WrestleMania 32.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were squaring off to determine the #1 contender when Charlotte attacked them both, resulting in a no contest Later in the evening, Renee Young caught up with Charlotte backstage and informed her she’ll be facing both women in a triple threat match.
WrestleMania 32 takes place on Sunday, April 3rd from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
– Charlotte noted on Twitter that she’ll be ringside for the Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch match scheduled for Monday’s RAW. The winner earns a shot at the Divas Championship,
– NXT Diva Adrienne Reese was wearing a cast on her left arm at last night’s NXT live event from Orlando, Florida. She took part in a meet and greet event before the show. No word yet on when she was injured.
– Triple H and Stephanie were in attendance for last night’s Black Sabbath concert at Madison Square Garden.
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte spoke with Tennessean.com to promote Monday’s RAW TV taping in Nashville, TN. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Being “The Daughter Of Ric Flair”:
“No one will ever replace Ric Flair. I just want my dad to be proud of me, so every time I get the opportunity to step onstage with him, I just want to know that I’ve prepared for that moment and that I’m doing a good job. He’s the greatest of all time in my eyes, and just like any kid, I want to make my dad proud. … I know what he means to this business and now I have to deliver as well.”
The Improving Quality Of Divas Matches:
I think everything is in waves and right now the audience is looking at females in WWE more as women wrestlers than divas. It’s kind of been the year of women with Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams and the U.S. women’s soccer team. The fans don’t want eye candy. They want athletes. The talent for the last 15 years here has been amazing. I just think there is a greater demand for it now.
If It Is Harder For A Woman To Get Over In WWE:
“I do think a female can have just as much success when given the opportunity, but it is twice as hard. … I think we do have to work harder for our spot and slowly but surely, the more we produce, the more the fans want to see us. The more they react to us, the harder we work, the more they get invested in characters like Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks. … They can relate to us and once you relate, you get invested in the characters. I think the hardest part about being a woman is finding who you are and being able to let the fans in and feel a connection with you. And to do that you need storylines and you need time and that’s what we’re getting right now.”
– The current plan for the Divas Championship match at WrestleMania 32 is for Charlotte to defend the title in a triple threat match. Charlotte is expected to face Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks, according to Dave Meltzer. The finish of the Divas tag match at Fastlane with Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch simultaneously submitting Tamina and Naomi was done to set them both up as challengers to the Divas title.
– TMZ caught up with former WWE Superstar Batista over the weekend and asked him about boxer Manny Pacquaio’s recent comments about gay people. For those who haven’t heard, Pacquaio stated that gay people are “worse than animals.” He would later apologize for that statement. Batista told TMZ,
“My opinion on that is he’s a f***ing idiot .. My mom happens to be a lesbian so I don’t f***ing take that sh*t. I don’t think it’s funny. Put it like this, if anyone called my mother an animal, I’d stick my foot in his ass.”
A topic that’s gotten some attention this past week on wrestling websites and social media has been the continuing discussion of WWE’s treatment of women both behind the scenes and in terms of their storytelling. While this has been brewing for a while because of the whole NXT Women’s Division vs. WWE Divas’ Division dynamic, it came to a head this past week because of two moments on WWE programming:
Ric Flair forcibly kissing Becky Lynch as a distraction spot and the announcers laughing it off as a comedy spot.
The Rock’s entire interaction with Lana, who was returning to TV after a noticeable absence, being about the idea that she cheated on Rusev with him when he last appeared on Monday Night Raw.
Today, the topic was explored in an article at Vocative by Alex Groot titled “WWE’s Looming Sexism Problem.” When asked for comment on the piece, WWE issued the following statement:
WWE programming, which features fictional characters that cover a range of personalities similar to movies and television shows, tells stories of good versus evil. In addition, as our on-going storylines develop, we will continue to position women as both strong competitors and compelling individuals.
Of course, as mentioned by Groot, even if you can argue that at least Flair was an evil villain doing evil things, The Rock was the babyface and Lana was the heel.
Ric Flair says that while he acknowledges his WWE employment discourages him from seriously criticizing them on his podcast, he doesn’t have much bad to say about them anyway. In an interview with The Miami Herald, The Nature Boy says the “mortifying” list of injured wrestlers is reason for critics to cut WWE some slack.
“[Podcasts] can be very lucrative,” Flair said. “I’m heading down to do one right now with Chris Jericho. It’s fun, and you learn form them. My problem is I can’t critique the [WWE] show, because my daughter’s on the show, and I’m still actively working for the company. The other guys who do podcasts can critique the show, but I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that.
“Actually, I don’t have anything negative to say about it anyway,” Flair continued, “but if there was something I thought, I couldn’t possibly say it, because I would basically be cracking on the hand that feeds me. I don’t feel like there’s anything negative on the show anyways… If anyone really took a look at the injuries on our roster right now, it’s mortifying. Seth Rollins, John Cena, Randy Orton, Cesaro, [Daniel Bryan, Tyson Kidd]. A lot of guys to lose. Rusev is hurt right now, but I don’t know to what extent. Sasha’s hurt. Paige has got a concussion. It’s a lot going on.”
With so many pro wrestlers suffering some serious injuries, Flair is asked about his daughter’s career as a wrestler in WWE. Here’s what the 16-time champ had to say:
“Believe it or not guys, it’s not because of me,” Flair noted. “She’s a better athlete than I ever was all day long. She’s done a fabulous job. Her work ethic is second to none. She works out everyday. She’d rather be dead than miss a workout. She’s on tour in India right now for the week. I’m not sure what the training facilities are like there, but I guarantee you, if there’s a gym in New Delhi, she will find it.
“She had a lot of choices,” he said. “She picked volleyball, but she could have done any Division I sport. Track & field, too.”
As noted, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte recently appeared on her fathers podcast, “WOOOOO! Nation with Ric Flair” and spoke about her desire to rid WWE of the term “Divas” and bring back the old WWE Women’s Championship in place of the current belt. Below are some more highlights from the interview where she talks about her favorite wrestlers growing up, Vince McMahon pairing her with her father and more.
On who her favorite wrestlers were when she was a kid:
“I think Sting and Macho Man were my favorites [and] obviously Dusty was a favorite. And then, I guess my dad calls them ‘crushes’, I liked some of the guys when I was in high school and then I just never really thought about it in college.”
On who came up with the idea to pair her with Ric Flair on WWE TV:
“I think it was Vince’s idea. I think the idea was, ‘what could people at home relate to?’ and they can relate to a father/daughter relationship.”
On being more accustomed to being a heel after being a heel for most of her NXT run and having a tagline such as “genetically superior”:
“In NXT, I was a heel for the majority of NXT television and the babyface transition just kind of happened because I had dropped the [NXT Women’s Championship] title and I think the fans had kind of [grown] to respect me, so that’s kind of what made me the babyface. And then, debuting me on the main roster, from where I left off on NXT, I think it was challenging for me. Don’t get me wrong. I love being a babyface, but with my size, it’s not that I’m so much bigger than the other girls, but I find it easier to play that more dominant role. And also, the character itself, when you’re calling yourself ‘genetically superior’, I find that hard to be endearing.”
On John Cena’s injury and absence from WWE being an opportunity for others:
“In NXT, I was a heel for the majority of NXT television and the babyface transition just kind of happened because I had dropped the [NXT Women’s Championship] title and I think the fans had kind of [grown] to respect me, so that’s kind of what made me the babyface. And then, debuting me on the main roster, from where I left off on NXT, I think it was challenging for me. Don’t get me wrong. I love being a babyface, but with my size, it’s not that I’m so much bigger than the other girls, but I find it easier to play that more dominant role. And also, the character itself, when you’re calling yourself ‘genetically superior’, I find that hard to be endearing.”