WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of SmackDown this past Tuesday night in Houston, Texas.
– The Ascension vs. The Prime Time Players vs. The Lucha Dragons
– Intercontinental Champion Ryback vs. Stardust (Non-Title)
– The Kevin Owens NXT Title Open Challenge
– Kofi Kingston vs. Neville
– Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns
For complete WWE SmackDown spoilers, click here.
– There are members of the WWE creative team who believe that the usual protocol of John Cena getting his win back is not the way to handle his upcoming rematch against NXT Champion Kevin Owens at the upcoming WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Ultimately, the final decision will be made by Vince McMahon, however there are many people who are pushing for Owens to come out of the match without losing this quick into his run on the main roster.
– Former TNA Knockout Taeler Hendrix, along with Johnny Gargano and Jimmy Preston are three additional names that will be working the WWE tryouts that begin next week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
– Below are some recent WWE and NXT attendance figures.
May 29th in Raleigh, NC drew 6,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 30th in Venice, FL for NXT drew 366 fans
May 30th in Greensboro, NC drew 6,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 31st in Corpus Christi, TX for Elimination Chamber drew 7,000 fans
June 1st in San Antonio for RAW drew 8,500 fans
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
As announced on this week’s edition of NXT TV, WWE will be holding a live WWE Network special from Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on July 4th. Below is the full lineup for the show.
– Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston
– John Cena & Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane & King Barrett
– Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor (NXT Title)
– Chris Jericho vs. Neville
– The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro*
– Nikki Bella vs. Paige vs. Naomi (WWE Divas Title)
– The Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores
* – Tyson Kidd may be pulled from this match due to injury.
WWE inserted a pre-taped segment during tonight’s NXT broadcast on the WWE Network, announcing a live special with a major title match in Japan.
On tonight’s show, it was announced by William Regal that there will be a live special from Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on July 4th that will feature Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Championship.
The show is scheduled to start at 6:30am EST., which would be 8:30pm in Japan, so it’s possible that only part of the show will air on the WWE Network, since the show is scheduled for a 7pm start-time.
The event will also include the previously reported Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston match, and will also feature a John Cena main event, as well as a match including Chris Jericho.
Reddit user Herman Velasquez was so sure that Kevin Owens wouldn’t be going over John Cena clean at Elimination Chamber that he promised to eat dog food if it happened. Herman’s a man of his word and uploaded the following video to YouTube putting his money (and a doggie treat) where his mouth is.
https://youtu.be/ZDtrina4icY
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart is the guest on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com/The-Ross-Report.
– NHL Hall Of Famer Bobby Hull is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. You can check that one out at PodcastOne.com/Talk-Is-Jericho.
– WWE recently released the following clip of Kevin Owens backstage at this past Sunday night’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett appeared as a guest on the PodNasty Podcast this week to discuss a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Destination America carrying both ROH and TNA: “I think it’s very healthy, first and foremost. A wrestling block is not anything revolutionary. It was back in the 80s there was a lot of syndicated programming and you would have a block of wrestling on a Saturday morning or Saturday evening, you could watch wrestling from the Tennessee area, form the Florida area, from the Texas area, from all sorts and so I think it’s very healthy. I do not know what the facts are as it relates to the TNA situation or, quite frankly, the Ring of Honor deal or just how all that works in but from a fan’s perspective like me and you I’m very happy that the opportunity has arisen because in business, what do we do? We compete. So I think it’s going to up everybody’s level and I saw many posts on social media over the last seven days that, quite frankly, go right to that and who’s going to be the winner out of all these competition? The wrestling fan and that at the end of the day is good for the wrestling business.”
On what wrestling promotion intrigues him the most right now: “It goes without saying it’s the influx of NXT, When you inject fresh blood and fresh talent that’s prepared, it’s a good thing. And I think that, above anything Kevin Owens, Finn Balor this new talent coming along those guys, they’re not rookies. The old definition of success is when preparation meets opportunity I think Kevin has prepared himself, he’s getting the opportunity, and he’s going to be successful.”
On Jeff Jarrett’s on-camera involvement in GFW: “Minimal. I’m the promoter and the stars are going to shine, the athletes are going to shine, that’s what 99.9 percent of my time is geared toward as it relates to my professional side of things is promoting this brand, creating brand awareness and putting these athletes on a stage that they haven’t been before and letting their ability speak for themselves.”
Check out the complete interview above.
On Monday’s WWE RAW, which was the second to last edition of the show before this year’s WWE Money In The Bank event, three matches were made official for the pay-per-view.
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
– John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
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!
As reported, Samoa Joe has signed a full-time deal with WWE. Joe will, however, still be fulfilling his advertised independent bookings.
Ring Of Honor confirmed that Joe will still be working their June 20th television taping in New York City, in what will likely be his final appearance with ROH.
Additionally, Joe has been added to the Absolute Intense Wrestling event in Cleveland, Ohio on July 10th. Joe is also booked to work the big NXT live events this month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio.
For those wondering, Joe is not currently booked to appear at the WWE SmackDown television taping tonight. So unless things change, Joe will not be the person to answer Kevin Owens’ “Open Challenge.”
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog on Tuesday with thoughts on Monday’s RAW, the Stone Cold Podcast with Paul Heyman and more. Below are some of the highlights:
On the John Cena and Kevin Owens RAW promo segment: “Nice verbal interplay between Cena and Owens Monday night on RAW. I’d love to see this develop into a great rivalry but in order for it to happen the villain (Owens) will have to maintain the upper hand until the bottom of the ninth IE the blow off match. Not sure that will happen but I’m certainly interested in going along for the ride. Owens winning at Elimination Chamber was essential and made all the wrestling sense in the world.”
On the Stone Cold Podcast with Paul Heyman: “Enjoyed the Steve Austin-Paul Heyman post RAW edition of the Steve Austin Podcast on the WWE Network and was pleased that WWE extended their time approximately 12 minutes as the two could have easily delivered two, compelling hours of entertainment. It brought back old times when Heyman struck the mean dog with a sharp stick when asking @steveaustinBSR about facing Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania Texas in April of 2016. Great intensity by Austin who flipped the switch into promo mode while talking about the topic that the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) had to love. My Twitter timeline @JRsBBQ exploded as many fans reacted as if the match had been made and that Steve was firing the opening salvo of the verbal aspect of what would be a record setting main event.”
On Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar: “I’d give an educated guess that the odds of an Austin-Lesnar match being held at Wrestlemania Texas as less than 50-50 and likely closer to 65-35 that it won’t happen. I’d love to be wrong but as Austin said “the stars in the sky would all have to be aligned” for that to happen and I don’t see those stars as being fan friendly for the lack of a better expression.”
On Samoa Joe signing full-time contract with WWE: “If true, very strategic of WWE to sign @SamoaJoe to a full time contract with the organization. Joe can work with anyone on the roster in any environment and is a class act who’s a great pro and will be a positive influence to all that he comes in contact with in the locker room.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
WWE announced late Monday night that Kevin Owens will be holding the an NXT Championship Open Challenge on this week’s SmackDown.
This will be the first time ever that the NXT Championship will be defended on WWE television.
Check back Tuesday night for our live coverage of this week’s SmackDown tapings to find out who answers the challenge.
– Former WWE Superstar The Godfather (Charles Wright) is the guest on the latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which is available right now. You can download the show at PodcastOne.com.
– In the above video, an emotional Kevin Owens talks about defeating John Cena at last night’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. “There’s a lot of emotions,” Owens said. “You know when you’re told that you can’t do something for long enough, it usually weighs on your mind. It did weigh on my mind, but the thing is, I knew they were all wrong, the people who said that… It’s the greatest night of my career, no doubt about that.”
– Speaking of Owens, WWE will be airing a special on their YouTube channel today called, “A Day With Kevin Owens.”
– The Rock’s new movie San Andreas took the top spot at the box office this weekend, taking in $53.2 million, which was well above weekend estimates. This was The Rock’s biggest leading-role opening weekend ever.
– NXT will be holding a live event in Largo, Florida at Minnreg Hall. Tickets are now available:
#NXTLargo! Get your tickets NOW to this Saturday's NXT Live! at Minnreg Hall! TICKETS: http://t.co/eEezosAMiB
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 1, 2015
– Samoa Joe tweeted the following after last night’s Elimination Chamber PPV. The cryptic tweet could be directed at NXT Champion Kevin Owens, the man he’ll be feuding with on NXT TV this month (Spoilers):
Be joyous be proud for soon I will take everything from you..
— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) June 1, 2015
– RollingStone.com has published their review of last night’s Elimination Chamber PPV, appropriately titled, “Win Owens Win.”
– Steve Austin is encouraging fans to submit their questions for tonight’s Stone Cold Podcast featuring Paul Heyman.
Got a good question for @HeymanHustle send it to questions@steveaustinshow.com. @wwe
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) June 1, 2015
– Taz’s latest podcast is now available, featuring a review of last night’s WWE Elimination Chamber PPV and a detailed breakdown of John Cena vs. Kevin Owens.
https://twitter.com/officialtaz/status/605385140777447425
– Triple H tweeted this photo with Kevin Owens after his win over John Cena last night at Elimination Chamber:
The Champ Is Here! @FightOwensFight #WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/7BHAwJX28l
— Triple H (@TripleH) June 1, 2015
To the surprise of many, NXT Champion Kevin Owens defeated WWE United States Champion John Cena clean at the WWE Elimination Chamber event on Sunday night in Corpus Christi, Texas.
After the match, Owens cut a quick promo in the ring. WWE uploaded the above clip from the segment on Sunday night.
Minutes after the first Owens-Cena match on Sunday night, WWE announced that at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view in two weeks, one of the matches will be an Elimination Chamber rematch between Kevin Owens and John Cena.
The WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his thoughts on tonight’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, as well as other opinions and comments. Below are some of the highlights.
On Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose: “WWE Champion Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose will be a match of the night candidate for sure and my expectations for this match are high. I think Rollins retains. Remember, it’s not the kiss of death to lose via another’s finishing maneuver without kicking out of it multiple times.”
On the I-C title Elimination Chamber match: “IC Title match inside the Elimination Chamber is unique and the Intercontinental Title was on its way to becoming meaningful again until Daniel Bryan had to relinquish the title due to injuries. I’d love to see Dolph Ziggler win the championship but it’s to unpredictable to call which I see as a good thing. Ziggler would be a great IC Champion as he can have excellent bouts with anyone on the roster plus he’s over with the fan base. Sheamus is also a strong candidate to win this match.”
On the Tag-Team title Elimination Chamber match: “WWE Tag Title Bout is really a crowded field and the best team in the hunt, Cesaro and Kidd, would be great champions to build around but New Day has the potential to become solid villains so it’s another match that is hard to call. Don’t discount the Matadores in Corpus Christi winning either but my pick is Cesaro and Kidd which is likely just my wishful thinking.”
On John Cena vs. Kevin Owens: “John Cena vs. Kevin Owens is an intriguing match and a great opportunity for WWE to ‘make’ Owens vs the biggest star in the company whose losing would not hurt him a bit. It’s time to make new stars and in order to do that someone who is over has to do the honors and tonight is a great opportunity for Owens to upset Cena. That’s how I’m picking, Owens over Cena, although I’d be shocked if that occurred. Owens is my pick. Win or lose Owens needs to making memorable impact.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was in attendance at the Ring Of Honor event on Saturday night, May 30th in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The event saw Jay Brisco defeat Hansen to retain the ROH title in the main event.
– The July 4th WWE event at Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan sold out soon after Brock Lesnar was confirmed to be appearing on the show.
– The official WWE Shop website has released two new Kevin Owens t-shirts. The NXT Champion tweeted the following on Saturday about his new WWE merchandise.
https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/604741390107586561
The official website of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens recently interviewed NXT star Sami Zayn about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On what made him pursue a career in pro wrestling: “As a kid growing up in Montreal, I wanted to become either a hockey player or a wrestler. Since my family didn’t have a lot of money, my parents never put me in a hockey league because it was so expensive. When I was 17 years old, I was given the opportunity to be trained as a wrestler. At the time, I never really thought about making it a career, I only saw it as a chance to do something that I always wanted to do. It’s similar to hockey when a kid who’s five years old can’t really say if he’ll become a professional hockey player. But, if you stay in something long enough and you keep doing something long enough and you enjoy it, one thing led to another and I kept going. I would have loved to make a career as a member of the Habs (laughs), but I think wrestling was more my thing.”
On his longtime rivalry with Kevin Owens and how it compares to the Habs vs. Bruins hockey rivalry: “That would be a good comparison. (laughs) It’s funny because if I’m not mistaken, Kevin’s dad is a Habs fan and his mom is a Bruins fan. From the time we started wrestling in Laval at Le Skratch up until today in WWE, every step of the way in our careers it’s always been sometimes friends, but the majority of the time enemies. In a lot of ways it’s like the Habs and the Bruins. No matter what, we’re destined to fight each other until the end of time. Fans seem to really like it.”
On being named NXT’s 2014 Superstar of the Year: “NXT changed so much since I got here two years ago. When I first got here, the culture was so different, it was about getting out of here as fast as possible. In my opinion, I noticed early on that it could make people go crazy. When I got there, I wanted to make NXT a better brand and make it grow. And, it did. But at the end of the day, my goal is to evolve and go above and beyond to make RAW or Smackdown! or the Pay-per-views better, or give Wrestlemania one more great match. I’m kind of split on this because NXT is my immediate goal, but my ultimate goal is to make RAW and make it better. Getting recognized with the Slammy Award for Superstar of the Year in NXT or finally winning the championship helped me and our brand. By the time I get on the main roster, I hope to be able to build up a lot of equity that way to show that I’m on the way to the top.”
Check out the complete interview at NHL.com.
Prior to getting injured, WWE’s original plans were to call former NXT Champion Sami Zayn up to the main roster after his match with Kevin Owens at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable..
Due to the recent injury Zayn suffered, WWE changed their plans and instead called current NXT Champion Owens up to the main roster.
As noted, Owens recently signed a main roster contract with WWE and will be working every RAW show going forward. Owens will also continue to work in NXT because he is the World Champion, so that his transition to the main roster will be a smooth one.
Additionally, there are apparently some big plans to call up the current number one contender to the NXT title — Finn Balor — to the main roster as well. What those “big plans” are, however, remain to be seen.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
NXT World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Owens recently spoke with TheWhig.com to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On a conversation he had with Sami Zayn: “I remember a conversation I had with Sami Zayn, it must have been around 2003. We were travelling to a little show in Quebec City, which is about two hours from Montreal so we were somewhere between Montreal and Quebec City at a restaurant and he was telling me how wrestling for WWE was his dream. And I told him, ‘Yeah, well me too, but it’s not really a dream, it’s a goal.’ And he was like, ‘What do you mean by that?’ I said, ‘Dreaming of something is nice, but having it as a goal I think is different. I know it’s going to happen.’ I told him that. I said, ‘I know I’m going to get there.’ And he was kind of blown away by that perspective and that outlook on it.”
On his first day with WWE: “My first day was pretty interesting because I got the call that I was hired. I was going to start full time August 25 at the Performance Center, but my first day was actually before. A couple of weeks before, they brought me in so that I could visit the Performance Center, there was an NXT TV taping that week so I stayed for that. I had to find a house, so I found a house for my family to live in in Orlando. My first day was technically not an official first day, it was just more a bit of a sample of what I could expect. I got in the ring with Norman Smiley in his class. And of course there was the NXT TV taping, I saw that whole process. I met Triple H and I met Stephanie McMahon. It was just a really surreal experience because those are people I’ve been watching for years and years and years. To now get to see them and to get to talk to Triple H, who was basically welcoming me on board. He’s telling me, ‘Thanks for coming, thanks for accepting the invitation, thanks for coming on board.’ In my head, I’m like, ‘Well thank you for hiring me.’ That was pretty cool.”
On developing a relationship with Triple H: “You know, I feel like I’ve developed a bit of a relationship with Hunter throughout these last few months. It goes beyond the ring. We’ll talk about our kids, we’ll talk about life. He’s very good to me. To have him take time out of a very busy day, he’s busy on Raw, and he took the time to tell me to just make sure you are who you are. And I know that’s kind of the advice he gives everyone, but to hear it from him, it really means something because ‘Make sure you stay who you are’ means that who I am, he’s got faith in. That’s a big thing.”
“I wanted to make my kids proud, I wanted to make my wife proud, I wanted to make my parents proud, and I wanted to make Hunter proud because he took a shot on me. I’m not the typical WWE superstar. He hired me anyway and he saw something in me. And I want to deliver for him. I want to pay him back for that by delivering the way he thinks I can and I think I did.”
On facing John Cena on Sunday: “There’s no denying how big it is. There’s not a whole lot of people that walk into WWE, show up on Raw, lay out the top guy in the industry for the last 10 years and get to wrestle him two weeks later at a major event like Elimination Chamber, but I get to do that. That will literally never be taken away from me, no matter what happens from here on out.”
Check out the complete interview at TheWhig.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and comments. Below are some of the highlights.
On ROH coming to Destination America: “Still lots of buzz surrounding Destination America adding Ring of Honor (ROH) to their broadcast line up as a lead in to TNA Impact Wrestling beginning next week on Wednesday nights. It is certainly feasible that by adding ROH to pair with TNA that the two brands could compliment each other and provide the most devout wrestling fans a destination to support both brands. There’s nothing wrong with one network featuring two, different wrestling brands no different than featuring two different sitcoms, ect. Stations having a ‘wrestling block’ isn’t a new concept and was done in multiple markets back in the day including Dallas and Atlanta. By pairing the two brands together, Destination America may have backed into a really nice package that wrestling fans will find attractive during the md week. Could ROH being on the same network actually be a blessing for TNA? Never say never as the ratings will tell that story.”
On the TNA talent call: “Good to see that TNA finally reached out to their roster of athletes to attempt to update them on the companies current status. Communication is the key in unsettling times such as this as wrestlers, not unlike any other pro athlete or entertainer, generally are prone to be paranoid and restless by nature and not communicating with them is one of the most undesirable things management can do. Honesty is always the most advantageous policy when dealing with any one especially any one in the world of wrestling where trust, in general, is fleeting.
I have been firm in my stance with how TNA has communicated with their talents which in no way is an indictment that I want the brand to fail as anyone who listens to my podcasts or reads my blogs knows that I am a fan of the business and want ALL companies to succeed.
I can say without hesitation that over the years that the ‘closed nature’ of the pro wrestling business has never fostered viable, on going communications from the ‘office’ to the ‘talents’ at least since I found my way into the biz in 1974. That needs to change IMO and if it does many talent rosters will galvanize and acquire the “us against the world” mentality that allows the perennial underdogs to feel that collectively that they hve a chance to succeed if they stick together in a united front.”
On Kevin Owens moving to the main WWE roster: “Looks like Kevin Steen Owens has seemingly begun to finish his stay in NXT and move to the main WWE roster permanently from what many sources are saying. Congrats to him and here’s hoping that he can stay healthy and catch a creative break to be able to show the world just what he can do bell to bell. Kevin is a great talent who’s certainly paid his dues and I wish him the best. I wonder if some of WWE’s top hands fully realize that Owens is coming take one of their jobs? WWE has a great opportunity to facilitate Owens making a memorable impact come Sunday at the Elimination Chamber.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– The Thursday, May 26, 2015 edition of WWE SmackDown drew 2.574 million viewers. The show, which is the final edition of SmackDown before Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, was actually down from last week’s show, which drew 2.589 million viewers.
– The new WWE DVD project on Owen Hart will be titled, “Owen Hart – Hart of Gold.” The set is scheduled to be released in November.
– NXT Champion Kevin Owens is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
NXT World Champion Kevin Owens has signed a new main roster contract with WWE and it is believed that he will be making the transition from NXT to the main roster imminently.
Owens is now officially booked for every RAW show going forward, and will soon be added to the main roster non-televised live events on the weekends.
As the current NXT Champion, Owens will continue as a character on the NXT brand for a couple more months so his transition to the main roster is a smooth one.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins recently spoke with the folks at Digital Spy to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On his match with Dean Ambrose at Elimination Chamber: “Ambrose is a confident performer, like you said he got a couple of wins under his belt against me, but when the chips are down, always bet on Rollins when it comes to Rollins versus Ambrose. assume he thinks things will be different, but you look at the deck and it’s a little stacked against him. There’s really nobody that performs better in big match situations than me. That’s over the last two, three years, even if you go deeper into my career. Any time it’s a big match and there’s a lot on the line and I’m the guy who needs to hit the home run, I do it. I think Elimination Chamber is another one of those and actually every title match is one of those, and I’m looking forward to it.”
On Kevin Owens coming to the main roster: “No. You know, Kevin’s great. I’ve known Kevin for years and years and years. He’s an excellent talent. There’s a reason The Authority sees big things in him, there’s a reason the WWE Universe sees big things in him. But Kevin Owens is Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. So I’m not terribly concerned at this point in time. I think I earn my keep quite well. Maybe down the line we’ll have to consider other options, but that’s definitely not the case right now.”
On John Cena fading down in his career: “The end of John Cena is an interesting prospect. I think that John has given this company and this industry so much for the last 15 years that it’s gotta be taking its toll on him, physically speaking. He’s not a young man anymore and you get in there with guys like the names you’ve mentioned, all hungry, young, exciting performers with styles that he’s not accustomed to. I think that throws him a little off. He likes that challenge. I know John, he loves a new challenge and he looks forward every day in his whole life. The end of John Cena? I don’t know, but definitely the beginning of a new era in WWE for sure.”
On Brock Lesnar’s return: “The suspension is indefinite, luckily, so we’ll see how long it lasts. But I’m sure Lesnar’s got his eyes set on the prize, I don’t know why he wouldn’t. And I would be glad to give him a rematch, when the time is right. When the situation calls for it. Until then he can sit on the sidelines and enjoy his time at home.”
On ROH going to Destination America: “Great for Ring of Honor. It’s tremendous any time our wrestling industry continues to grow. That’s awesome for them. They were a breeding ground for a lot of talent that now exists [in the WWE]: Kevin Owens, myself, Sami Zayn, obviously Daniel Bryan, Cesaro. They have proven to be a valuable asset when it comes to cultivating great talent as far as moving guys up to the bigger ranks. It’s great – I’m super thrilled for them and I hope they can sustain and hopefully we see more talent coming out of there and into NXT and eventually into WWE. It’s a good time to be a wrestling fan, that’s for sure.”
On Samoa Joe in NXT: “I was very thrilled for Joe. He’s a guy who was an idol of mine growing up, someone I watched when I was in my formative teenage years. He’s someone whose style I emulated when I first started. There’s definitely pieces of Samoa Joe in the Seth Rollins repertoire so it’s cool he’s part of the company now – something you thought you’d never see. Like I say, it creates a lot of super-interesting match-ups, so it’s a great time to be a professional wrestling fan, a great time to be a WWE fan for sure.”
Check out the complete interview at DigitalSpy.com.
NXT Champion Kevin Owens appeared on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast and spoke about underrated talent in NXT and the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
Most underrated talent in NXT:“I think the answer to that would be The Dillinger, he’s a Canadian boy and he’s been on TV a few times, he was even on the WWE version of ECW, if you will, a few years ago I believe his name was Gavin Spears at the time. He’s in NXT right now, and he’s been picking up steam lately so I hope that translates to an NXT TV role.”
“I look up to Tye Dillinger. He’s been around for a long time and there’s just something about him that I really expect and obviously he’s become a good friend throughout the last couple of months but regardless of if he was my friend or not I would be saying the same thing right now. He’s very talented, and it’s not just me who looks up to him, pretty much everyone in the Performance Center looks up to him, not only for the stuff he does in the ring but how he behaves outside of the ring. And I feel like if you’re going to say who’s the most underrated guy—because there’s a lot of underrated guys over there—I’d say Ty Dillinger probably tops that list.”
On appearing in the Money in the Bank ladder match: “I have interest in competing in every big even tike Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber or SummerSlam or whatever it is. I want to be part of those shows, I want to be part of that product that’s where I want to be. So regardless of what match I would be it whether it be a MITB Ladder Match or if I was just wrestling anybody on that show I definitely want to be there, that’s the goal, absolutely. I think beating John Cena at the Elimination Chamber would probably give me a pretty good shot at being [in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match] so that’s what I’m thinking about.