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.
Roman Reigns won the Fatal 4-Way main event of Monday’s RAW from San Diego, CA to become the new #1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns first won a qualifying match, defeating Kofi Kingston to advance to the four-way at the end of the show. He would go on to defeat Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio to earn the title shot.
It’s expected that Reigns will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series, which takes place on November 22nd.
WWE taped the following matches in Austin, Texas on Tuesday night for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
– The Dudley Boyz def. The Ascension in a tag-team dark match put on for the live crowd in Austin, Texas. The Dudleyz picked up the win via pinfall after a 3D.
– Sasha Banks def. Brie Bella in the first match taped for WWE Main Event this week. Banks picked up the win via her submission finisher.
– Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman def. The Prime Time Players in tag-team action for the second match of Main Event. Strowman won the match via bearhug submission over Titus O’Neil.
– Kevin Owens def. Neville in non-title action. The Intercontinental Champion beat Neville after throwing him face-first into the middle turnbuckle and then hitting him with his Pop-Up Powerbomb finisher for the 1-2-3. This was the final match taped for this week’s Main Event.
– Saturday’s WWE live event in Mexico City, Mexico saw Adam Rose kept out of the ring. Rose was benched due to the scare he had in Merida on Friday night. Sheamus replaced Rose, who squashed Fandango. As previously noted, a Fandango kick on Friday night left Rose to be stretchered out of the arena. A fan took to Twitter with concerns for Rose’s well being, Rose thanked the fan and confirmed he was fine.
– Fans will get a chance to hang out with Cameron on Tuesday, October 27th in Sherman Oaks, California. Cameron will be at the Stir Lounge from 8:00pm until midnight for anti-bullying month. Cameron has an anti-bullying campaign, “Wrong #” which she will be promoting during the month of October.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens was not on leave from live events this weekend as originally speculated. Owens only missed Saturday’s show in Lubbock, Texas. Owens was back in action at last night’s event in Abilene, Texas, where he retained his Intercontinental Title though he lost by disqualification to Ryback.
Longtime wrestling veteran and current ROH color commentator Steve Corino recently appeared as a guest on Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Cesaro: “I believe he [has] got all the tools! The guy speaks a few different languages. He’s a monster in the ring. He’s likable, so if you need him to be a babyface, he’s very likable, but he can be smug in the ring, so he can be a heel. When I watched Mr. McMahon on Stone Cold’s podcast on the [WWE] Network, and when he said that Cesaro isn’t connecting with the fans, I’m like, ‘are you serious?’ Like, I attended WrestleMania 30. That guy was in the top five of the most popular people that night!”
On Kevin Owens’ success in WWE: “He’s like a little brother to me! I’ve known him for 10 years and we had so many great times in Ring of Honor. I still talk to him every week and he’s just a great guy, a great guy, and he makes me so proud just because he goes in there and he has just destroyed stereotypes of what a pro wrestler should be and that’s his niche. Just like when you brought Mick [Foley] into the WWF in ’96, he broke the mold of what normal fans thought a WWE, WWF at the time, wrestler was supposed to be.”
“Kevin, I think, was one of those guys that no one expected him to explode this quick, where Joe has been a guy on TNA for 12 years. You know Samoa Joe, but, like, how is he going to be in the big time? I think he’s going to do great, but it’s that power of the pencil. Are the writers going to get behind him?”
On Samnoa Joe finally joining WWE: “I have shared my feelings about Samoa Joe with everybody there and I really believe that he’s a company man, he’s solid, I think he’s going to be an asset to the locker room, I think he has the skill set to work with anybody of any skill set whether he be a fan favorite or a villain, so I think Joe’s going to do real well there.”
– Eva Marie returned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday after missing the NXT television tapings last week due to Total Divas filming commitments in Paris. As noted recently, WWE has been in the process of coming up with creative non-wrestling ideas for Eva Marie. Marie tweeted the following about returning to training.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens took to social media to express his excitement about the news that he now has an official Kevin Owens Throw Blanket available via WWE Shop. As you can tell, Owens was pretty excited.
WWE taped the following matches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, October 6th for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
– Kevin Owens came to the ring for a promo, calling himself Superstar of the Year. Owens brags about his accomplishments and then yells at Byron Saxton for being disrespectful. Jimmy Uso gets up from the commentary table and the two have words but Owens ends up leaving. Owens vs. Uso is announced for later.
– Naomi def. Paige in Divas action. The crowd chanted a lot for Sasha Banks. In the end, Naomi picked up the win via pinfall.
– Kevin Owens def. Jimmy Uso in the final match taped for this week’s show. Owens kicked out of a Samoan Drop to hit his Pop Up Powerbomb for the 1-2-3.
– 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:
– 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:
– There has been some speculation going around that new Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman may have injured Jack Swagger at the WWE live event in Bangor, Maine on Saturday night. The match ended last night with Strowman picking up the win via choke, however past that, not a lot of specifics are available. We hope to have an update for you in the near future.
– In the following backstage video interview from Saturday’s WWE MSG live special in New York, WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens talks about retaining his title over Chris Jericho, taking shots at Kyle Edwards’ hair and Jericho’s milestone in the process.
– This coming Wednesday (September 30th) at 5pm EST, WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens will be joining Renee Young on a new episode of ‘Unfiltered’ on the WWE Network.
The synopsis for the episode reads: “Renee Young and Kevin Owens discuss everything from his anti-Canadian views on beer and sports, to his pets, to his debut against John Cena!”
– Also on the WWE Network on Wednesday, a brand new episode of “Table For 3” will premiere at 4:30pm featuring Daniel Bryan, Ryback, Dolph Ziggler.
The synopsis for that episode reads: “Daniel Bryan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler share tales of the Intercontinental Title, as well as hilarious, never-before-heard road stories!”
As previously noted WWE.com caught up with Sting following his match with Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions which left him injured and the WWE Universe concerned for his future.
Among a variety of topics including his injury, what happened after the match and if he’ll wrestle again, Sting was also full of praise for his opponent that night Seth Rollins.
What he has to say about competing against Seth Rollins:
“The biggest pleasure. I’m honored. After 30 years and working with some of the best and some of the greatest, [Rollins] is, I’m telling you, he’s got to be the best I’ve ever worked with. I mean, this guy has it. And I think he’s just scratching the surface on what he will do. I’ve never seen somebody as talented. He’s working two [matches] on Raw, two [matches] on the pay-per-view, he’s involved in every other segment and it’s physical. He’s got guys coming from every angle. There’s a lot on his plate. He’s carrying a lot, and he’s handling it. He’s proven he can do it. I’m just glad I had a chance to work with him. He’s the kind of guy who could be in there with a broomstick and make something very interesting happen, a match that people would love somehow.”
What they had to say to each other once the match was over:
Really, I can’t say enough. He poked his head in the ambulance and said, “Man, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” I said, “Seth, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” And he, for 15 minutes, he said, “I just wanted to tell you what an honor it was, what a pleasure. I can’t believe I had a chance to get in the ring with you and work with you. I was you for Halloween when I was a kid.” He was on and on about it, but man, this young guy, he doesn’t have any idea how much I appreciate being able to work with him.
Credit: WWE.com
– In other news, this coming Monday following RAW exclusively on the WWE Network fans will get a unique insight into the NXT panel from SummerSlam weekend in Brooklyn.
The panel which took place before NXT Takeover: Brooklyn features Triple H, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Kevin Owens, Corey Graves and Seth Rollins.
The post-Night Of Champions edition of WWE RAW is scheduled to take place tonight from the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas with the fallout from Sunday night’s pay-per-view.
WWE Superstars advertised for tonight’s show include Seth Rollins, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, The Dudley Boyz and The New Day.
While no matches have been officially announced as of yet, WWE is focusing on the following five points in their RAW Five-Point Preview.
* Why has Demon Kane returned?
* Is Ryback hungry for a rematch against Kevin Owens?
* How will Charlotte celebrate her Divas Title victory?
* What might The Dudley Boyz have planned for The New Day?
* Will Cena’s newly won U.S. Title be on the line?
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for the best live WWE RAW results coverage on the web!
– 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.
In addition to former NXT World Champion Kevin Owens defeating Ryback to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion, former NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte defeated Nikki Bella to become the new WWE Divas Champion, ending Bella’s 301-day record-setting reign as champion.
Charlotte’s father, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair joined Paige and Becky Lynch in the ring to celebrate the victory, as both Charlotte and Flair had tears in their eyes during what was a very emotional moment for the Flair family.
– You can add WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall and decorated tag-team The Young Bucks to the list of guests who were backstage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Sunday night for WWE’s “Night Of Champions” pay-per-view event. As previously reported, Chris Jericho, Kane, MVP and Stevie Ray were also backstage at the event.
– In the opening match of WWE Night Of Champions on Sunday night, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens won his first main roster title, as he defeated Ryback to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Kevin Owens spoke with Slam Wrestling this week to promote Friday’s WWE live event in Montreal. The former NXT Champion covered a number of topics, including life on the road with WWE, facing Finn Balor in the main event of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and much more.
Owens made a a huge impact earlier this year when he made his WWE TV debut by destroying John Cena on RAW. The two would go on to have a 3-month blood feud that saw Kevin Owens defeat John Cena clean in their first encounter before losing the next 2 matches to the former United States Champion. Many fans were critical of how the rivalry played out, worried that Owens’ character would be damaged after making such a strong start and then getting ‘demoted’ to the mid-card after working with Cena.
Owens calls the naysayers “delusional” and feels that he showed fans exactly what he’s capable of moving forward. He told Slam Wrestling:
“It definitely helped me working with Cena and anybody who thinks the opposite is delusional. When you worked with him on Raw and on PPV, how this can be bad? Whatever people said about me losing two matches out of three, at the end of the year, fans will remember the quality of the matches and how great these matches were way more than who won and who lost.”
– For WWE’s European tour in November, one tour, which includes shows in Leipzig, Germany on 11/13 and in Stuttgart, Germany on 11/14, is advertising John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro as the top two bouts.
– Tanner Saraceno of WWE Tough Enough fought at a Gladiator Challenge MMA show in Kuwait back on 9/11, however there hasn’t been any word on results from the show. He says he still wants to do pro wrestling and his plan now is to get fights to help him save money so he can attend wrestling school, as WWE hasn’t apparently offered him a developmental deal as they have with several other contestants from this past season.
Nikki Bella broke AJ Lee’s record as the longest reigning Divas champion in WWE history on Monday night when she managed to retain her title when Charlotte won by disqualification at RAW. Stephanie McMahon announced a rematch between Nikki and Charlotte for the Divas title at this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Also announced for Sunday’s pay-per-view on RAW is a WWE Intercontinental Championship match between Ryback and Kevin Owens.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Sunday, September 20th for the best WWE Night Of Champions live results coverage on the web!
– Paul Heyman turns 50 years old today. He was born on September 11, 1965.
– NXT Champion Finn Balor and Emma debuted new entrances at Thursday night’s NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University. Balor’s new entrance features white lights instead of fog and a large “Balor Club” logo on the big screen.
– Former TNA Knockout Sarita (Sarah Stock) has officially signed with WWE and will be working as a coach at the Performance Center in Orlando, according to PWInsider.com.
– The September 18th WWE live event in Montreal will feature Kevin Owens’ homecoming. He’ll be facing Cesaro. WWE has released this special edition ‘homecoming’ t-shirt for Owens:
Kevin Owens was recently interviewed by Canadiens Magazine to promote WWE’s upcoming live event at the Bell Center from Montreal on September 18th.
During the interview, Owens was asked what his message would be for arguably the most dominant force in WWE today, Brock Lesnar.
“I would simply say that few people think I have a chance against him,” Owens said. “I have the body that I have, and I look like I look and that’s just who I am. On the other hand, I know from experience that I’m harder to beat than people think. I’m not saying I’d beat him, but I’d really like to see if I can, or at least how far I can push him.”
He also told an interesting story about how he got hired by WWE. Typically when WWE is considering hiring a performer, there are a handful of people who vote on whether or not they should be brought in. In the case of Kevin Owens, the vote was split 2-2, until Triple H made call to sign him.
“When I got my chance to be called up to the pros, the story I heard was that four or five people had a say in the decision. The vote was tied at two, and Triple H cast the deciding ballot. He gave me my chance. I appreciated that he was willing to risk signing me even though I’m not the typical WWE wrestler.
Since I started working with him, we’ve become a lot closer. He helps me as much as he can for shows – like he does with everyone – but we both have young kids at home and we talk about a lot of other things that have nothing to do with wrestling. The fact that he’s in my corner is what counts. I watched him fight when I was younger. I went to the Bell Centre to see him live. He’s the one who motivated me.”
– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown & Main Event tapings will take place from Wilkes-Barre, PA at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Superstars advertised to appear include Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Big Show and Bray Wyatt.
The dark match main event will see Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins & Bray Wyatt.
As always, join us here tonight for live coverage of the SmackDown tapings.
– Sasha Banks taunted Paige on Twitter about beating her last night on RAW. Paige responded:
Although it was rumored that John Cena was injured, only later for WWE to issue a statement to the contrary, the rumors were officially squashed when the leader of the “Ce-Nation” returned to action at the WWE live event in Charlottesville on Saturday night.
Originally, it was believed that Cena suffered an injury during a Street Fight match with Kevin Owens at the WWE live event on Friday night in Hampton, Virginia, however Cena returned the next night in Charlottesville, working the same Street Fight against Owens.
Cena worked another physical match on Saturday night and according to our live correspondent, showed no signs of injury.
The following are some photos of Cena in action at the WWE live event on Saturday evening.
– WWE averaged 4,948 paid fans to live events in the month of July this year, not including the WWE Battleground event. The numbers are in line with the average in July of 2014, as that month averaged 4,948 as well, however in July of 2013 the average was 5,544 and the average in July of 2012 was 5,464.
– Based on main events for the WWE live events, Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE title drew an average of 4,813 paid fans. Kevin Owens vs. John Cena matches drew an average of 6,583 paid fans. By comparison, the Cena vs. Bray Wyatt headline matches in the summer of 2014 drew 6,000 paid fans.
– WWE shipped 137,000 DVD units in the month of July in 2015, which was down 25 percent from 182,000 units shipped in July of 2014, 231,000 in July of 2013 and 357,000 in July of 2012.
– The most-shipped WWE DVD in the past nine months was WrestleMania 31 with 109,000 units sold, followed by WWE Slam City with 101,000 units, WWE Attitude Era Volume 2 with 66,000 units, The Rock vs. John Cena with 65,000 units and The Randy Savage Story with 62,000 units.
WWE issued a brief statement to the Washington Post on Saturday regarding the news that he may have suffered an injury at Friday night’s WWE live event from Hampton, VA. A WWE spokesperson told the Washington Post that that “John is fine” after his street fight main event with Kevin Owens which saw Cena land on his head as a result of a botched spot.
The match was stopped for several minutes and Cena was checked out by WWE’s medical staff before continuing (and winning) the bout.
Cena tweeted the following on Saturday, which seems to be a reaction to him getting banged up the night before:
Many times life will hit you hard, knock you down, and hurt you. Persevere, Never Give Up, and do your best get up and keep going #NGU
– As noted, Chris Jericho’s match with Kevin Owens at the upcoming WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden on October 3rd will be the 25th anniversary of Jericho’s pro wrestling debut. Jericho mentioned on his “Talk Is Jericho” podcast that he will be bringing Lance Storm, the man he wrestled in his debut 25 years ago, to the show to celebrate with him.
– NXT Diva Peyton Royce looks to have tweaked her knee during the NXT live event on Thursday night in Orlando, Florida. After she and Carmella lost to Nia Jax and Dana Brooke in a Divas tag-team match on the show, Peyton crashed to the floor, clutched her knee and took her knee pad off. She also had to be helped to the back.
– Below are the “Top 10 SmackDown Moments” for this week’s show.