WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan recently spoke with Rolling Stone to promote tonight’s WWE Tough Enough premiere on the USA Network.  When asked about Tough Enough being an opportunity for average people to become WWE Superstars, Hogan said it’s a sign of how much times have changed since his days breaking into the business.

“If you would have told me ten years ago that this was an avenue to make it into this business, I would have said you were nuts,” Hogan said. “When I came up, it was riding in the car 2,000 miles a week, wrestling for 15 bucks a night, paying your dues and learning your craft on the road. But the Performance Center has turned out some of our top stars; it’s proven that this formula works, so I’m excited that I’ve been reeducated to find the next WWE Superstar or Diva.””

He said the WWE Performance Center is, “pretty hardcore, brother” and put over the world class training facility, the promo classes and the “one-stop shop” nature of it.

Hogan also gave a very strong endorsement to NXT Champion Kevin Owens.

“Kevin actually reminds me of one of the older wrestlers of the late Seventies, some of those guys that didn’t have the build, but they would scare you if you met them at a bar. What hooked me about him was that I was watching a match of his on NXT and I found myself disassociated with being in the moment, all of a sudden I started watching him and he made me believe again. I watched real close, and there were no holes in his boat – his punches, his kicks, everything he did looked like it was killing the guy, which it probably was. He caught me with my guard down and he made me a believer again, he hooked me. He’s got that look, man; that demeanor and that swagger.”

Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW from Indianapolis, Indiana, several new matches were made official for the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view event.

Below is an updated look at the official lineup for WWE Battleground 2015:

WWE World Heavyweight Title
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

WWE United States Title
– John Cena (c) vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Intercontinental Title
– Ryback (c) vs. Big Show vs. The Miz

WWE Tag-Team Titles
– The Prime Time Players (c) vs. The New Day

– Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

WWE Battleground takes place on Sunday, July 19, 2015, live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on 7/19 for the best WWE Battleground live results coverage on the web!

• **BRAND NEW PHOTO GALLERY** — Ronda Rousey In SKIMPY Bikinis & SUPER-TIGHT Outfits!

– In honor of WWE’s new “The List” show on the WWE Network, the official Twitter account for WWE is asking fans to nominate who they feel has the craziest family in WWE. You can check out the tweet below.

In honor of #FathersDay, let's hear who you would nominate as having the craziest family in the @WWE . Best tweets make the show!

— TheWWEList (@TheWWEList) June 21, 2015

– Speaking of Father’s Day, below are some tweets from WWE performers who wish their fathers a “Happy Father’s Day.”

Hornswoggle

Happy Father's Day to my hero! A man who has molded me into the man and the father I am today! Love ya @Eric_ssiyc ! pic.twitter.com/3Cs7ciXoSx

— Dylan Postl (@DylanPostl) June 21, 2015

Darren Young

#HappyFathersDay to my Dad and Pop who just turned 90! Always had a hot meal and plenty of wrestling toys. #Grateful pic.twitter.com/SEdHv1WQPa

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) June 21, 2015

The Miz

https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/612664188104781825

Natalya

My dad wants to join the Best Team Ever @KiddWWE & @WWECesaro … I hope that's ok ? #HappyFathersDay ? pic.twitter.com/FH0fGHwecG

— Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 21, 2015

Eden

Happy Fathers Day to my dear Dad Otis! An amazing man who taught me everything I know. Even tempered,… https://t.co/oND5UO0ge3

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) June 21, 2015

John Cena

Sending a happy #fathersday and happy 71st bday to my dad @OfficialCenaSr loving supportive father of 5 who is truly one of a kind #fabulous

— John Cena (@JohnCena) June 21, 2015

The Usos

Happy Fathers Day to all Dads!!!! ?

— The Usos (@WWEUsos) June 21, 2015

Kevin Owens

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/612648442964385792

Triple H

#HappyFathersDay to all of the #Dads out there, especially @TripleH. You are your daughter's hero and mine. pic.twitter.com/SBXavn9Ng4

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) June 21, 2015

Hulk Hogan

Happy Fathers Day to all the great dads especially the ones that hung in there with their kids through tough times brother. HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 21, 2015

The Rock

Happy Fathers Day boys! We may have tons of responsibilities, but the greatest one is being a dad. Have some fun today! #BlessedPapaBears

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 21, 2015

• FREE FULL FIGHT VIDEO: Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo, Bobby Lashley vs. Dan Charles!

NXT TV Results (6/17/15)
Report by ProWrestling.net

A graphic aired dedicating the show to Dusty Rhodes and his tribute video package played. I’ve seen it a dozen times now and it still gets me… The opening music video aired…

In the NXT Arena, Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, and Carmella made their entrance. Enzo did their usual schtick and the crowd did it along with him as always. Enzo game his team Star Wars nicknames beforee handing the mic off to Carmella who called Blake and Murphy pigs. She said Alexa Bliss was about to get dissed, disfigured, and then dismissed. Carmella inexplicably called Bliss “Felecia.” Cass spelled it out for us to close, but Blake and Murphy’s music interrupted and the tag champs made their entrance along with Alexa Bliss.

1. Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, and Carmella vs. NXT Tag Champions Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss. The crowd chanted “you look stupid” at the braided-pigtailed Blake, but he got the better of Enzo out of the gate. Enzo was taken down after a second exchange, but moments later he mounted a comeback with a Dusty-esque hip swivel in there somewhere. Things broke down and resulted in the babyface holding the ring and delivering the “S-A-W-F-T” line that they didn’t finish earlier. [C]

Back from break, the heels took control of Enzo and began to work him over in their half of the ring. Blake and Murphy used a Poetry in Motion back elbow in the corner and continued to get the heat on Enzo.Moments later, they went back to the well but Enzo avoided and made the hot tag to Carmella. Carmella ran wild on on Bliss for a short time, but Bliss scurried back to her corner and tagged out.

Blake came in, but so did Cass. Cass went on a roll with Stinger splash, a big boot, and a huge sidewalk slam before Enzo came off the top with a diving splash for the win…

Enzo, Cass, and Carmella beat Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss in about 6:45.

Still-shots recapped John Cena’s win over Kevin Owens at Money in the Bank and Owens’s subsequent attack… Backstage, Devin Taylor asked if Samoa Joe came to NXT to specifically target Kevin Owens. Joe said that its a complicated thing. He said he always tries to be on the cutting edge and at the forefront of the big movements in wrestling. He said that’s NXT right now. He said that as far as Kevin Owens goes, he just doesn’t like him. He said that intimidation is a tactic of the weak and cowardly; of a man who doesn’t want to fight. Joe said that tonight he’s going to beat the NXT Champion unmercifully… A Finn Bálor video package was hyped up next… [C]

A hype video aired for Finn Bálor. It played along to his music and featured cuts of him making his cool entrances before it settled into him doing a sit-down interview. The interviewer asked “Who is Fergal Devitt?” Bálor discussed his family and his upbringing as photos flashed on the screen. They got into how he discovered wrestling – WWE – as a child and set his sights on being a wrestler with no alternatives in mind. Video from Insane Championship Wrestling showed clips from early Devitt matches and he discussed how he helped to build up the UK wrestling scene.

Becky Lynch was sitting down and discussed how Feral Devitt was the one person who changed her life more than anybody else had. She broke down and said that if Feral hadn’t taken her under the wing, she wouldn’t have gotten into the business let alone make it to WWE. Becky and Feral were shown chatting on the ring at the WWEPC and Becky continued to tell her story of training with Devitt. Dewitt admitted that he had no business training anybody at the time and he doesn’t even want to take credit; he said she deserves the credit. Becky said he’s the most down-to-Earth and humble guy she’s ever met and yet this is what he was born to do.

More ICW footage aired with more intensity and now including clips of latter-day painted Devitt. Devitt discussed being scouted for NJPW and they aired footage of him giving his goodbye speech when he was leaving for WWE and played it up like that was his goodbye speech for going to Japan. It ended and Part 2 was hyped for next week… Charlotte was hyped to be in action next… [C]

Back in the arena, Charlotte made her entrance. Her opponent, the former KC Cassidy, was already in the ring. She was not introduced.

2. Charlotte vs. Cassie. Before long, Tom Phillips on commentry began referring to her as “Cassie.” Charlotte was in control through most of the match, grounding Cassie early and continuing her assault with some new, dirtier tactics including bootlaces across the face while distracting the ref. Charlotte hit a big boot settled into a cravat before Cassie made a brief comeback with a running cross body. Before long, Charlotte hit her spinning neckbreaker, killed Cassie with a spear, and then locked in the Figure-Eight for the tap-out win.

Charlotte over Cassie in about 3:50.

The commentators reminded viewers that Charlotte still has her sights set on Dana Brooke and Emma, before throwing backstage to Devin Taylor who was with Dana Brooke. Brooke cut Devin off and bragged about competing in the Arnold Classic in Brazil. She said she’s back and that’s great for fans but bad for Charlotte. She said Charlotte is being replaced by “The Total Diva.” She said some people earn their way to the top rather then using their family name. She promised to shove Charlotte right through the door she came in through and then patted Devin on the head before taking off… The main event was hyped up next… A Finn Bálor Demon vignette aired…

Back in the arena, NXT Champion Kevin Owen made his entrance. Samoa Joe was out next to his goofy music.

4. NXT Champion Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe in a non-title match. Owens ducked out of the ring as always, but Joe didn’t let him breathe as he followed right after him and got face-to-face which seemingly convinced Owens to get in the ring and do this thing. Joe backed Owens into the corner but Owens yelled that he’s the champ, which led to Joe firing off rapid jabs to the face of Owens. Joe dropped him with a hard back-elbow, but Owens stunned Joe with a jawbreaker. Owens hit a hard clothesline in the corner, but Joe followed him across the ring with a receipt back elbow and the twisting enziguri.

Joe washed his boot across Owens’s face in the corner and then his a running face wash to cap it off. Owens slipped out to ringside as the show went into a break. [C] Back in the ring, Owens had somehow taken control and began to work Joe over. Owens connected with the corner cannonball and a jumping senton, but Joe kicked out at one. Owens settled into a lengthy chinlock and quelled a comeback attempt before going right back to the hold. The crowd chanted “headlock city.”

Joe began to fade, but the crowd rallied and Joe finally broke free with shots to the mid-section. Owens got cocky and Joe began to roll with a big jumping senton of his own. Joe fired off shots and landed a big running kick to the head. Joe hoisted Owens to the top turnbuckle looking for his finish, but Owens fought out. Owens charged across the ring, but Joe spiked him to the mat with the STJoe. Owens ducked out to ringside and Joe followed, but Owens sent him head-first into the ringpost. Owens yelled “get the stretcher” before setting up the apron powerbomb. Joe broke free and the two just began to trade blows at ringside. The ref couldn’t break it up so he called for the bell.

Kevin Owens fought Samoa Joe to a no-contest in about 10:00.

The two continued to brawl and the referee locker room emptied and they tried to contain the fight. They were briefly separated before Joe charged back down the ramp into the ring and sparked things off again. Geeks in NXT shirts ran out from backstage and also tried to keep the two separated to little success. They broke free and continued brawling multiple times before Owens finally left the ring to retrieve his title belt. Owens dropped a few of the geeks for good measure on his way out of the ringside area. The show closed with Owens clutching the NXT Championship at the top of the ramp.

• Details On MORE WWE & TNA Stars JUMPING-SHIP To Fight In MMA!

WWE is currently discussing the possibility of bringing in additional part-time talent, such as Samoa Joe and Rhyno, for their NXT brand.

Internally, WWE is looking at their plans for 2016 lately and the feeling is most of their current top stars in NXT, such as Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Tyler Breeze, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch, by all rights should be on the main roster by then, meaning they will need to replace those top spots on NXT shows.

WWE is looking to secure enough high-profile independent talent to fill what is expected to be several open top spots to carry a full NXT card, which will be tough to do if the aforementioned talent move up to the main roster and the current trainees aren’t ready to move up within the developmental system.

According to one source, this is the reason that WWE has been negotiating with Evolve about a “feeder system” or a “farm league” system that would include merchandise deals and other business agreements that would help them avoid the situation they recently found themselves in with Kevin Owens’ recent Ring Of Honor merchandise.

• CM Punk Talks IN-DEPTH About The Passing Of Dusty Rhodes

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

NXT Champion Kevin Owens was Michael Cole’s guest on this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview.

– Cole asked Owens why he attacked Machine Gun Kelly on RAW. Owens says it is what it is – he got carried away. He sent out an apology on Twitter and that’s that. Owens says MGK wanted to be a hero and questioned who that reminds us of (John Cena). Owens says MGK doesn’t belong on RAW but he does and he’s felt that way since he was born.

– Cole brought up Cena congratulating Owens after their match at Money in the Bank. Owens said he knows the match was great, he’s been having great matches for 15 years. Owens said Cena just showed him respect to hot the spotlight for himself.

– Cole asks where the chip on Owens’ shoulder comes from. Owens said he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder and takes offense to all the attention he’s getting now on WWE TV, since he’s been defending the NXT Title with pride for months now. Owens says when he signed his contract, it didn’t say he was signing to NXT, it said he was signing to WWE. Owens considers himself a part of WWE and has been working his ass off to bring prestige to the NXT Title. He’s doing what he feels he needs to do to provide for his family and to make his career better.

– Owens is asked what he wants now. He says when the feud with Cena first started it wasn’t about the United States Title. Owens says after Cena disrespected him on Sunday, now he wants to take the United States Title.

WWE Superstar Neville recently appeared as a guest on Ring Rust Radio to talk about a number of subjects. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On making the move to the main roster: “I think NXT prepared me for Raw and Smackdown more than I ever could have hoped for. I was with NXT for about two years, so by the time I debuted on Raw I felt very much ready. There was a level of concern but I was lucky in the sense that I got the chance to wrestle some of the top guys early on. Guys like Seth Rollins, Sheamus, and more recently John Cena. So it was a concern that I wouldn’t get those types of opportunities when I came in but I was fortunate enough to get them and grab them. I was very happy in the way I transferred and the opportunities I got.”

On his U.S. Open Challenge match against John Cena: “That match was huge for me. It was very surreal to be standing across the ring from John Cena on Monday Night Raw. I think it really did a lot for me. It was a real opportunity I needed and John is a WWE Superstar. He has been the top guy in the WWE for years and years. So the fact that I had that opportunity and went toe to toe with him was amazing. It put me in front of the eyes of the WWE Universe and the world. That was a really cool experience, it was so much fun and it was priceless.”

On surprising a young WWE fan on the Meredith show and the best part of being a WWE Superstar: “That’s the most rewarding thing for me to reach out to the kids. It’s really crazy but it’s the most important thing we do. I really didn’t expect that reaction like everyone gave me being on the Meredith Vieira show. I was sitting in the pit in back, and it made me realize how important what we do really is. That’s the most important thing is how we reach the WWE Universe and how we inspire people in their life. If I can do that and be given the chance to do it, it’s really the best thing we do.”

On how working the indie scene helped him before coming to NXT: “The landscape is completely changing and I love it. The way things are working out and the opportunities people I grew up with are getting. I feel the independent scene is important and it fueled my passion for four years. It taught me the life lessons that helped make me who I am today and helped me on the path I followed to living my dream job every day. The independent scene is hugely important and the roads you travel in it shape you. My career path is the best I could have hoped for and that’s thanks to independent wrestling and territories across the world.”

On how he came up with his Red Arrow finisher: “The Red Arrow took a long time to come together and I wanted to make a move that was unique to myself. It’s a move I built up with building blocks. I wanted to do a corkscrew moonsault backwards, so I had the idea of doing it forwards like the shooting star corkscrew, and I was aware no one else did that in wrestling. If I could perfect this technique it would be unique to me. So it took a long time and me putting these building blocks together and had to come over the fear involved. Eventually, I nailed it and knew it was going to be my own. It’s been my move now for a long time, about six or seven years now I’ve been using the Red Arrow.”

On how he feels Vince McMahon looks at NXT talent: “It’s hard to say with Vince being super busy with the main brands and PPVs. I don’t know how much time he has to see NXT. I know the guys like the Shield and the Wyatts who go through NXT and found success on Raw and SmackDown paved the way for more movement from NXT to the main roster. It’s really hard to say for definite to be honest.”

You can listen to the audio of the complete interview above.

• CM Punk Talks IN-DEPTH About The Passing Of Dusty Rhodes

– 1990s hip-hop star Vanilla Ice is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which also features Jericho’s thoughts and memories of the late Dusty Rhodes. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross joined fellow legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on his latest “Steve Austin Show” to talk about the life and times of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. You can download that show at PodcastOne.com as well.

– WWE posted the following teaser video for tonight’s edition of NXT, which features the anticipated showdown between NXT Champion Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe.

• CM Punk Talks IN-DEPTH About The Passing Of Dusty Rhodes

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog on Tuesday with thoughts and opinions of Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Below are some of the highlights.

On Monday’s RAW: “This Raw had a good beginning, a viable middle and a great close with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman returning to confront WWE World Champion Seth Rollins. To ever do a ‘great’ three hour TV Wrestling show is going to be challenging but this show definitely had its moments and took a nice step toward the next WWE PPV which is, luckily, four weeks away.”

On Kevin Owens attacking Machine Gun Kelly: “Kevin Owens had a memorable night but his power bombing rapper Machine Gun Kelly seemed to be enjoyed and not jeered by the live audience. Nonetheless, @FightOwensFight is making positive strides to become WWE’s top villain. I hope that he succeeds. He’s a throwback in many ways and I enjoy him not trying to be a ‘cool villain.'”

On Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman returning on RAW: “As mentioned the return of @HeymanHustle and Lesnar was well timed although I’m somewhat surprised but not disappointed that it will be Lesnar vs. Rollins at Battleground PPV in St Louis in approximately one month and not at Summer Slam although that’s still a possibility. Lesnar is a legit monster and has more of the ‘IT” factor than any one in WWE for my money. I look forward to some verbal jousting from Heyman and Rollins in the coming weeks while Lesnar stays at home and eats red meat.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

• BREAKING NEWS: CM Punk’s UFC Debut PUSHED BACK To 2016?!

On the first of three RAW Fallout videos, which you can check out below, Adam Rose and Rosa Mendes are all over each other backstage.

In the second RAW Fallout video, NXT Champion Kevin Owens talks about his attack of hip-hop star Machine Gun Kelly.

Finally, the third of three RAW Fallout videos for this week features Michael Cole discussing his “lawsuit” against Brock Lesnar.

• CM Punk “Super OK” If UFC Debut Doesn’t Happen Until 2016

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog on Monday with his thoughts and opinions on Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view.

Below are some of the highlights:

On the show as a whole: “It’s hard to evaluate the show, other than what we saw, especially for me as I have no idea of the long term direction of WWE creative which is not a complaint BTW. The show was solid, the talents worked hard and there were some obvious highlights of which I will address. The show was better than most RAWS largely because it wasn’t a three hour marathon.”

On the Money In The Bank ladder match: “Not discounting the efforts of the MITB match which started the show the match seemed to be average plus and was largely a stunt man show with the stunts being toned down for a safer environment. I was surprised that Sheamus won the MITB and am curious to see where Sheamus’ win takes us. The MITB is another illustration of how hard it is to execute specialty matches like the Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell, and now MITB in a safer, more PG friendly presentation. At some point, the stunts will become repetitive and less impactful to a highly discerning audience.”

On John Cena vs. Kevin Owens: “Loved the Cena-Owens match including Cena winning but the post match action was the highlight for me especially Owens’ aggression, Cena’s selling and Owens’ manically laughing. Owens losing but leaving with all the heat was a good scenario IMO. What will people remember most about this match? I say it was the post match villainous conduct of Owens. Good execution of this match in many phases especially the post match. oth men busted their ass to deliver and they did.”

Check out the complete interview at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

• VIDEO: CM PUNK Returns To The Ring In New Music Video!

Ring Of Honor star Christopher Daniels recently appeared as a guest on The Rack podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his upcoming dream tag team match with Kazarian vs AJ Styles and Samoa Joe: “Absolutely. We’ve traveled together; myself, Frankie, Joe and AJ, in one way, shape or form, the four of us have traveled and shared locker rooms for more than a decade but this will be the first time, and now the only time, all four of us will have ever been in the same match. So, I know I’m looking forward to it, Frankie is looking forward to it and I know that, more importantly, the Ring of Honor fan base is looking forward to it.”

On if there is any pressure on them to make this a good match: “Yeah, definitely that; I think the pressure that is there is self-inflicted. We know what we are capable of, Frankie and I know how good of a tag team we are and we know that despite that Joe and AJ don’t really tag much together or aren’t considered a full time tandem, we know how good they are as well, so I know how good we can make this match. So, any pressure we have is completely self-inflicted and self-imposed by us. We want to go out there and make a match that people are going to remember for years and I think there’s definitely, now that Joe’s future is more concrete, it’s good to know that this will be the last Ring of Honor match that he’ll have and it’s a way for the three of us to send him off.”

On if he’s happy for Samoa Joe signing with the WWE: “I’m thrilled for him, I’m happy for him and I’m glad that he’s sort of paving a way for a lot of different people, I think; in the next year or so, there’s going to be a lot of people that are modeling that same leap and, truthfully, Joe wasn’t the first one. When Kevin Owens went to the WWE, or when Finn Balor went to the WWE, I feel like there’s a lot more guys that will be brought to the WWE, either through NXT or directly to the main roster. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys who’ve been on the independents that have been honing their craft for a while and will finally get that opportunity to be there. So, I’m thrilled for him, Joe’s been one of my best friends for a long time and you can’t help but to be happy and be proud of someone who has worked as hard as he has to finally get that opportunity to show the world, on the main stage, what kind of professional wrestler he is.”

On if we will ever see The Fallen Angel in the WWE: “I’ve never said never; right now I’m full-time committed to Ring of Honor but I don’t know what the future holds in terms of that. All I can say is wait and see.”

On his thoughts of Kevin Owens and his transition to the WWE: “I think he’s doing just fine. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who debuted on the WWE main roster as successfully as he had in the past 10 years I think. I mean, name anyone whose first WWE match, main roster match, was a pinball victory over John Cena; I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone, other than Kevin, who does that.”

On if he feels he had more freedom in the ring with Ring of Honor over TNA: “I think so. I think both Frankie and I, both of us, have been given the freedom to do what we do best and especially in the past few months with the angle with the KRD and what’s happened with us and the World Tag Team Championships, I feel like we’re finally able to show what we do best and with such a deep tag team roster like ReDRagon and the Young Bucks and Roppongi Vica and The Decade, there’s a lot of fresh matches for us as the Tag Team Champions and us as heels again. I feel that there are a lot of possibilities for great match-ups and I’m looking forward to all of them.

For the Best in the World Pay Per View, (we have) a No-Disqualification Match; we’ve had a lot of matches with ReDRagon already, but I feel like that the story has turned with us as the Champions, I feel that there’s a whole new chapter we can write and those guys are one of the best tag teams in the world and I feel like we are a great antagonist for those guys, so no matter what happens on June 19th, I feel like there’s a lot more we can do with the with story as well between The Addiction and ReDRagon.”

On his thoughts on ROH’s deal with Destination America and if he is excited with the news: “Absolutely, I feel that one of the things that I wanted to see happen in coming back to Ring of Honor was, as strong as the syndication with Sinclair has been, I felt that one of the difficulties was trying to tell people a set uniform time and date that Ring of Honor could be on. Usually, you’d say ‘check your local listings’ but now we can tell people, if you want to watch Ring of Honor, go to Destination America on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. So, I feel like we’ve opened up a lot of new eyes to our product in addition to the amount of eyes we had through syndication, I just feel like this opened up more doors for us and gets a lot more people aware of us and that’s definitely a great thing for Ring of Honor.”

Check out the complete interview at WildTalkRadio.com.

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking Steroids Before Next Fight?! YOU Be The Judge!

WWE Money In The Bank 2015 ladder match participant Neville recently spoke with the PodNasty Wrestling podcast. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On who he’d like to have long-term feuds with: “I’d love to, at some point, mix it up with Cesaro. Cesaro’s a guy I’ve wrestled a few times in NXT and a guy who I’ve known for a long time. I feel like we certainly bring out the best in each other.

“Daniel Bryan is a guy I’d like to mix it up with at some point, Tyson Kidd Kevin Owens–you know we have a lot of history in NXT–and he’s another guy I’ve known for a long time so there’s so many different options.”

On why he named his finisher the Red Arrow: “The Red Arrows are the acrobatic division of the Royal Air Force in England,” said Neville

“I remember as a kid we would go and watch the Red Arrows–and I thought it was similar to British wrestlers and the fact that the acrobatic division–I thought it was one of those cool little nods to my background.”

On who will win in the John Cena-Kevin Owens rematch tonight: “It’s certainly a very exciting time for Kevin, coming up representing NXT, and John representing Raw and SmackDown, so it’s hard to choose. I think if I had to choose I’d go with John this time because I know Kevin got one over on him last time.”

On Mighty Mouse gimmick rumors: “There’s no truth in [The Mighty Mouse rumors] actually,” said Neville.

“I guess I was just more surprised than anything. Sometimes you get the wildest things just pop up and that was one of those things behind it that it was funny at the time I guess.”

On how he came up with the Red Arrow finisher: “I’ve been doing the backflip, or the corkscrew moonsault, so I guess I had an idea of doing a full one with the shooting star press so it kind of came from building block by block.

“I knew that was something that nobody else did so I wanted to kind of put my trademark on it and try to make it my own.”

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking Steroids Before Next Fight?! YOU Be The Judge!

– CBS Pittsburgh has an article on the Dusty Rhodes tributes at the NXT live event in Pittsburgh on Thursday evening. For what it’s worth, there were several tributes at the NXT live event in Cleveland the next night as well. For coverage of the Pittsburgh tributes, check out CBSLocal.com.

– WWE did the first tease of a Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor match at the NXT live event in Cleveland on Friday. After NXT Champion Kevin Owens defeated Joe, Balor and Tyler Breeze in the main event, Joe and Finn had a staredown in the ring. The fans popped huge for the spot, however they never went any further than a staredown.

• Paul Heyman Talks In-Depth About CM Punk’s Upcoming UFC Debut

NXT Champion Kevin Owens recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On his success so far in WWE: “I went into NXT with no expectations. That’s what I was told when I was hired, have no expectations, just do the best I could, and that’s always what I’ve done for the last fifteen years. That’s what I did and you know it’s obviously working out pretty good.”

On wrestling his son’s hero and its influence on his signing with WWE: “My son’s a big John Cena fan and obviously a big fan of mine who is very proud of everything I’m accomplishing. A big reason why I signed with WWE in the first place was because my son wanted to see me wrestle in WWE and he wanted to see me wrestle John Cena. So now he gets to see it. I don’t know if he realized what it would entail, it would entail me beating up John Cena and John Cena trying to beat me up. I’m sure it is a bit of conflicting feelings here and there for him but he’s proud of everything that’s happening and he’s really loving you know seeing me on WWE TV every week.”

On stepping on the United States Title: “I think every single title in WWE means a lot. Me stepping on the United States Championship wasn’t meant to disrespect the title itself but I think that the title I have is the most important in WWE because I have it. Whether it’s the NXT title or the United States title or the Intercontinental title or the World title, if I have that title then that’s the most important one. That’s all I was trying to illustrate by stepping on the United States title. For me the NXT title is what it’s all about because that’s the one I have, that’s just the way I think. Who knows what’ll happen in the future, who knows what title I’ll be competing for a few months from now but whatever title I’m going for is obviously going to be the most important to me because that’s the one I’m trying to get.”

On John Cena: “Anybody who says that he’s not a very good professional wrestler and a very good performer all around is kidding themselves. I know he gets a lot of years a lot of hate from a lot of people for various reasons, but anybody who denies the talent, John Cena’s talent in the ring is really in denial. He’s a fantastic competitor and you know if it wasn’t made evident by the match and we had at Elimination Chamber it’s going to be made evident again by the match we have at Money in the Bank. I feel like we brought out the best in each other at Elimination Chamber and we’re going to do it again this Sunday but there’s no way I’m leaving Columbus as anything but a winner.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking STEROIDS Before Fight With Kimbo?!

NXT Champion Kevin Owens posted a heartfelt message on Twitter after the news of Dusty Rhodes’ untimely passing.

“Dusty…

These past few weeks, I kept telling myself that I had to find time to stop by the Performance Center and talk to Dusty. I wanted to thank him for all of his help in the last year and make sure he knew how grateful I was for the chance I got to work with him. But I’ve been very busy and just couldn’t find the time.

Well, today, I learned that Dusty Rhodes has passed away.

There are no words to express the sadness I feel, not only because I won’t get to see him or talk to him or laugh with him again, but because I didn’t get to tell him how special he was to me.

So today, I invite you all to make time to tell the people in your lives how much they mean to you…You never know what tomorrow will bring.

I can only hope that even though I didn’t get to tell him directly, Dusty knew how much I appreciated and valued his help, wisdom, support and friendship. He was unlike anybody I’ve ever met in this industry and to say that I will always remember him and be thankful for the honor of having known him is an understatement.

In the meantime, the entire NXT crew is on its way to Pittsburgh where we will do what we do best. And you can bet every single second of tonight and every other NXT show this week are dedicated to the memory of the legendary, one-and-only Dusty Rhodes.

My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time…especially his children. Your father was an incredible coach and an even better man. He will be greatly missed.

Dusty used to call us “his NXT kids”… Well, I think I speak for all of us at when I say that tonight and every other night from here on out, we will give it our all for you, Dusty.

We’ll make you proud, Dream.

Thank you for the memories…thank you for everything.

Much love,

Kevin”

– Steve Austin revealed on this week’s Steve Austin Show: Unleashed podcast that he has 11 more Stone Cold Podcasts podcasts scheduled for the WWE Network. While the next show has yet to be announced, we know that The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and Sting will be future guests.

– WWEToughEnough.com is posting updates from the ongoing Tough Enough tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center. As of this writing, the group of 40 participants has been reduced to 30.

– NXT General Manager William Regal announced on Wednesday that next week’s episode of NXT will feature Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe in the main event.

#WWENXT GM @RealKingRegal just made a BLOCKBUSTER main event for next week's @WWENXT! @SamoaJoe @FightOwensFight http://t.co/xAemqOnsBi

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2015

As reported last night, WWE is unhappy with Ring Of Honor and Figures Inc. releasing a Kevin Steen action figure before they could release their own Kevin Owens figure, and as a result, WWE is looking to create a pipeline to independent talent to come directly to NXT — with a merchandise agreement — before they can be scooped up by Ring Of Honor or TNA Wrestling.

WWE is reportedly working with WWN, the parent company of EVOLVE and FIP, and as part of their potential deal they would have WWN continue to sign top independent talents to deals that would now include licensing and merchandise agreements, this way WWE can bring the talent to NXT and they won’t have to worry about the hassle of trying to secure the different rights from other third parties.

There’s talk right now within WWE that if an independent talent has signed a third party merchandising deal with any kind of exclusivity, WWE wouldn’t be interested in signing them, however they are always exceptions to the rule for significant talent.

Additionally, WWE is looking to work with the Florida-based SHINE Wrestling promotion, WWN’s all-women’s wrestling company. The idea is that because WWE pushes the NXT Divas division, they are interested in having a pool of female talent that they can have “official access” to for potential use in NXT.

The basic idea is that WWE would be able to pick up and sign any WWN talents without outside hassles, although the deal is apparently nowhere close to being finalized and there’s no guarantee that it will go through, however talks are ongoing between both sides.

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking STEROIDS Before Fight With Kimbo?!

(Credit: PWInsider.com)

Several top WWE executives were said to be very unhappy with Ring Of Honor and Figure Toy Company putting out a Kevin Steen action figure.

According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is upset because a non-WWE company is the first to enter the marketplace with an action figure of WWE’s hottest new star. They were also upset at the fact that the look and character of ROH’s Kevin Steen and WWE’s Kevin Owens are essentially the same.

To avoid this happening again, WWE is putting pressure on Triple H and his department to get non-WWE talents with great potential signed to NXT with merchandising deals before they make it to a company like ROH or TNA that has their own merchandise and cable television deals.

Additionally, WWE is looking to create a pipeline to find the talents with potential before ROH or TNA does. The idea is not to sign talent from ROH or TNA for the main WWE roster and to get the word out to younger talents that if they have WWE aspirations, they shouldn’t sign with ROH or TNA, however there will always be exceptions to the rule for exceptional talent.

One of the worst parts about the Steen action figure situation is that most independent talent has signed five-year deals with Figure Toy Company, which in this case means ROH has the right to market Kevin Steen action figures for nearly five more years while WWE pushes him as one of their top new stars.

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking STEROIDS Before Fight With Kimbo?!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

On Monday, WWE confirmed two new title matches for this Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event.

Below is the current official lineup for WWE Money In The Bank 2015:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
(Ladder Match)
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose

Money In The Bank Ladder Match
– Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Kane

WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Ryback (c) vs. Big Show

WWE Divas Championship
– Nikki Bella vs. Paige

WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The New Day (c) vs. The Prime Time Players

– John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Money In The Bank Kickoff Show
– R-Truth vs. King Barrett

WWE Money In The Bank is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2015 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com for live results of the event!

• PHOTO GALLERY: Ronda Rousey Looks HOT In New TV Commercial!

Kevin Owens was pulled from this weekend’s WWE live events.

The NXT Champion is now scheduled to begin working WWE live events the weekend after the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, where he will square off with WWE United States Champion John Cena in a rematch from WWE Elimination Chamber.

Owens’ first WWE live event will be at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan on Friday, June 19th.

WWE Money In The Bank is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2015 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on 6/14 for the best WWE Money In The Bank live results on the web!

• PHOTO GALLERY: Ronda Rousey Looks HOT In New TV Commercial!

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and comments. Below are some of the highlights.

On the “Wednesday Night Wars”: “Not wild about the term Wednesday Night Wars’ as it relates to all the pro wrestling that now airs on free TV on Wednesday nights. ‘War’ indicates that someone will lose or be eliminated which any wrestling fan with above average intelligence should not want to happen to any promotion.”

On ROH’s television production values: “Got some Tweets about ROH’s production values that new viewers had heard me mention on the Ross Report. I’ve been told by ROH management that those upgrades are coming and to be patient. That’s good news. I still think that the hard working ROH talents would better serve themselves inside the ring if they slowed down a gear to have some where to go but no one can ever question the work ethic of ROH talent. ROH should do what they can to edit out dated live event references as it make the viewers think that they are watching an ‘old’ show.”

On the John Cena-Kevin Owens feud: “Hopeful that WWE keeps the Cena-Owens issue alive and the only way that will happen is if Owens, the villain, keeps gaining advantages in any manner possible going forward until the time comes for the big, blow off finale. Owens is NOT ‘over’ yet and for him to start losing to anyone right now isn’t to my way of thinking. Bottom line is that it is more important for WWE at this time to get Kevin Owens established as a main event level villain th it is to allow Cena to even the score.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

• Photos: Ronda Rousey Turns Heads With Revealing Outfit At Entourage Premiere!