Earlier this week, Samoa Joe took to Twitter to deliver a shocking announcement. After nearly ten years as one of the pillars of TNA, Joe announced he would be parting ways with the company, effective immediately. Much like an RKO, the announcement came from out of nowhere.
Since the announcement, there has been speculation that Joe could try his luck with the WWE, as former superstars such as Steve Austin and Mick Foley have publicly stated they believe the company should sign him. However, what role would Samoa Joe play if he and the WWE reach an agreement? Here are five worthwhile feuds for Samoa Joe if the two sides can reach an agreement.
5. Finn Balor
If Samoa Joe does sign with the WWE, he will have to do his best Drake impersonation and start from the bottom, with NXT being the starting point. Finn Balor is currently the number one contender for the NXT Championship, and should be in NXT for at least the rest of the year. With Joe’s agile, submission-based style, and Balor’s high-flying, strong style, the two could mesh well together and provide a nice juxtaposition of styles in an entertaining program.
– WWE.com has published a new interview with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. He spoke about a number of topics, including how he got into wrestling, the adversity he faced on his road to NXT and how it felt to win the NXT Championship.
When asked what the future holds for him in NXT, he said:
“Whatever I want. Bálor, Breeze, Itami, Corbin, Parker, English, Dillinger, Cassady, Amore, Kalisto, just to name a few … that’s potentially a lot of good fights coming my way. And I look forward to each and every single one of them.”
– WWE has still not picked a venue to host this year’s Summerslam. With New Jersey’s IZOD Center shutting down and WWE’s marketing focusing on the show taking place from the “NY/NJ” area, SummerSlam will probably take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY or the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
– NXT Diva Dana Brooke will make her TV debut on an episode in April against Blue Pants. Brooke has been working live events for a few months now and received “you can’t wrestle” chants at last night’s NXT TV tapings. (Results)
– The Rock announced on Twitter that he will be presenting at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On NXT TakeOver: Rival: “Enjoyed the NXT show this week on @WWENetwork from start to finish. The announcing was strong, kept me on point and paying attention. The broadcasters did their best to embellish the talents, both winners and losers, and they all seemed to be on the same page and well prepared.
The in ring talents stayed true to the fundamentals of the genre inasmuch as the villains cheated to gain unfair advantages, were vicious when the opportunity presented itself and showed timely cowardice. The fan favorites did not cheat first and they never gave up on their fans and kept fighting until the end no matter the outcome.
The genre of sports entertainment or pro wrestling or whatever you choose to call it, it essentially a simple business when executed properly and when the fundamentals are stressed and adhered to by all involved including the referees.
I was proud of all involved and love the talent’s aggression and physicality. Being aggressive and physical cures many deficiencies.”
On Kevin Owens: “I think that Kevin Owens is going to be an excellent champion for NXT and he, along with a handful of others are going to be WWE ready much sooner than later. WWE signing some talents with experience from the Indies, etc and then refining their game in Orlando has been a strategic move.”
On WWE Fast Lane: “Some one emailed me at our Q&A’s here that they thought that thee WWE Fast Lane PPV was merely going to be a throwaway show & and I couldn’t disagree more or least it shouldn’t be. I’d shoot some major league angles that would lead into WM31 not unlike any major city who had big wrestling cards every month. Always build to the next show, pose more questions than answers and get down and dirty with your key revenue drivers. The competition to see who is going to be in the WWE Title match at WM31 must be keen because nothing in WWE should be more important to any of the talents than being the champion. Sometimes I don’t get that feeling as unless talents are in the immediate mix for the title they rarely mention it.”
Check out the complete interview at JRsBarBQ.com. You can order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan praised Kevin Owens following his NXT TakeOver: Rival match with Sami Zayn on Wednesday evening. Hogan tweeted the following:
Congrats to Owenmania the new champ made me believe again brother!! WWE your in trouble HH
– In a recent radio interview in Milwaukee, CM Punk spoke about going from WWE to UFC and training with the Roufusport team. Punk noted the following during the interview:
“I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody this. If you watch NASCAR and you want to race in NASCAR, but you give yourself every excuse why in the world not to do it. I have a 9 to 5 job, a wife, kids, I can’t afford it. Too expensive. And then you eliminate all that and just go after what you want to go after. That’s just something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
– Following their performances at NXT TakeOver: Rival, Paul Heyman praises the efforts and abilities of both Finn Balor and Kevin Owens. Heyman tweeted the following:
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans who impressed them more in last night’s Tag Team Turmoil match on SmackDown, Roman Reigns or Daniel Bryan. With nearly 9,000 votes cast, Bryan is leading with 62% of the vote.
– WWE.com has another poll asking fans if the referee was right to stop the Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn NXT Title match at Takeover on Wednesday. With over 8,000 votes, 57% have voted, “Yes – the official’s duty is to protect a Superstar’s well-being.” 43% voted, “No – a match should end by pinfall or submission.”
– Alex Riley returned to the ring at last night’s WWE NXT TV tapings and began a feud with a top NXT star. Riley received a huge reaction from fans and was reportedly in tears after one match due to the response. He tweeted the following about the experience:
Last night, NXT held their fifth special event, entitled Rival. It was a night of change, as two titles changed hands and a new number one contender was crowned.
The jewel of the night was easily the main event, where fans saw Kevin Owens destroy his former friend Sami Zayn and snatch away the NXT Championship almost as quickly as he won it. The match started off well, with Owens initially playing the cowardly heel, leading to an impressive spot where Zayn leaped over the referee and top rope in order to take out Owens.
In all, the match was booked perfectly. There was some great in-ring psychology between the two, as Zayn injured his head at one point in the contest after performing a moonsault to the floor. While being checked out by the medical staff, Owens capitalized, hitting multiple powerbombs before the referee was forced to stop the contest. In the end, the juxtaposition of Owens laughing and celebrating his victory while Zayn lay motionless was the perfect way to pass the title to Owens while furthering the “broken friendship” storyline.
The other title change involved Sasha Banks finally capturing the NXT Womens Championship from Charlotte in a fatal four-way match. Anyone who’s seen Charlotte and Sasha compete over the past few months knew this wouldn’t disappoint and it certainly didn’t, as each competitor had some time to shine.
One of the more impressive moments was Charlotte performing a diving crossbody to take out all three of her opponents. Overall, it was nice to see Sasha pick up the victory, and ultimately the title, by pinning the champ in the middle of the ring.
– Sami Zayn posted a new tweet commenting on his loss to Kevin Owens at last night’s NXT TakeOver: Rival special, as well as his booking on the main roster for their upcoming tour of Abu Dhabi. Zayn wrote the following:
WWE has published interviews with Baron Corbin, NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy and newly crowned NXT Champion Kevin Owens after their big wins at NXT TakeOver: Rival.
In case you missed the show, check out our NXT TakeOver: Rival Results, including video clips from each match.
Here are the interviews:
Baron Corbin reflects on his match with Bull Dempsey
Blake & Murphy welcome all challengers
Kevin Owens lets his NXT Championship victory sink in
The following are results of the NXT TakeOver: Rival special, which aired live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
– Hideo Itami def. Tyler Breeze in an excellent opening match. This was a solid match to kick off the special. The crowd was hot for it throughout. In the end, Itami picked up the “W” with a running kick to the face.
– Baron Corbin def. Bull Dempsey in a No DQ match. Dempsey dominated a lot of the action throughout the majority of the match, however in the end, Corbin hit his End Of Days finisher for the 1-2-3.
– Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy def. The Lucha Dragons to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a solid tag-team match with a ton of fast-paced, high-flying spots. In the end, Blake hit a top rope frog splash on Sin Cara for the pinfall victory.
– Finn Balor def. Adrian Neville to become the new number one contender to the NXT Championship. Balor did his elaborate entrance, which as usual, received a big reaction from the crowd. Neville dominated a lot of the action throughout, including multiple believable near falls, however in the end, Falor hit a giant double foot stomp off the top rope to score the win.
In the latest weekly sit-down video interview with Michael Cole, Triple H hypes tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Rival special on the WWE Network.
HHH told Cole that it’s a great time to be a WWE fan and a WWE Network subscriber, because NXT TakeOver: Rival is free for fans who signed up in February.
He spoke about some of the matches scheduled for tonight, putting over the Hideo Itami vs. Adrian Neville number one contender’s match and calling the Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens NXT Championship match a “very personal and emotional battle.”
You can check out the complete Triple H interview above.
NXT Champion Sami Zayn recently spoke with the folks at the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show to promote his title defense against Kevin Owens at the NXT TakeOver: Rival special, which airs live tonight on the WWE Network.
Below are highlights from the interview:
On his NXT Title win at R Evolution: “Professionally, if anybody had followed my story going into the match, it was the culmination of like a year of chasing for this championship so the payoff was huge for the fans. It’s funny because we’re essentially two good guys, two fan favorites, we’re popular with that audience, but then I think they had just been pining to see me win after coming up short so many times, coming so close and not quite making it, that the atmosphere in the building was just electric.”
“I can’t even really compare it to anything honestly, it was one of the most unique atmospheres that I’ve been a part of and certainly they were very vocal and gave me their full support which meant the world, so when that 1-2-3 hit the mat the place just exploded. It’s amazing because I almost feel like it transcends what we think about wrestling, it was like a party. When your team wins the cup or your team wins the championship. You’re high-fiving strangers, you know what I mean? It had that kind of atmosphere, which is huge and to be the reason for that is so powerful to me and is why I do what I do. ”
“From a 100% real perspective, when I joined the WWE after 11 years on the independents there were a lot of questions whether I would survive in this environment. Because the independents are the independents you know, anything goes. Okay, you got over out there, this place is gonna chew you up and spit you out. So it was very symbolic on a very real level of conquering a system I was told would chew me up and spit me out. So there was a lot of vindication in winning.”
On an NXT Title Match at WrestleMania: “Part of NXT’s appeal to me especially amongst people like yourself, like you’re saying lifelong wrestling fans who are sort of like discovering NXT and being like ‘Wait, this is the kind of wrestling I used to like’ or ‘I like this.’ It’s succinct. It’s an hour-long, you’ve got some great wrestlers, and you’ve got great storytelling, and it’s simple and it’s gritty.
While at the same time, it’s so funny people forget it’s PG, it’s a PG product, but it’s so real and gritty and people almost lose sight of that. The whole point I’m trying to get at is, it’s sort of carved out its own little niche within this giant wrestling company that is the WWE. We’ve almost carved out our own underground following, it almost has a cult following, which is so strange to say because it’s part of the world’s biggest wrestling company.
So, I think if you were to have an NXT World Championship Match at WrestleMania while obviously for me personally I would be a huge thrill, I don’t think you can necessarily capture the magic of what NXT is and really harness it and put it on full display for the world to understand it, on such a grand scale like that.”
“When you take the product out of its environment and throw it on a grand stage I think it would lose something there.”
On NXT Touring: “These shows in Cleveland, these shows in Ohio, Columbus, this is the start of something definitely in the works I think, and in the plans, to get NXT out on the road a little more and I think people are pining for it obviously. Just working all these WWE live events in towns I’ve never been, I’ve been on Raw once in September, and even at that my music will hit and I’ll get a really good response because NXT’ just building, there’s this undercurrent. So, fans want to see this product and I think they are excited about it. There’s no question in my mind that throughout the course of this year we’ll definitely see NXT going out on the road more often. Obviously that begins with fan support. If the support is there the demand is there we’ll be there.”
On Kevin Owens: “The amount of history we have, Kevin Owens and myself, over the years, never mind guys like Cesaro or Seth Rollins or Daniel Bryan who I met on the independents, Kevin and I broke out of Montreal, the little Montreal independent bubble, in front of 50 people in basements, bars, and pool halls. We broke out of that together. Our names have been synonymous with each other for our entire careers from 2002 on or 2003 on. The connection is very, very deep. It was a very special night [Takeover: R Evolution] for me because obviously, I had sort of arrived in my own sort of way by winning this NXT Championship. I felt like it was a coming out party of sorts. Here I am and a the same time Kevin Owens had debuted earlier that night. So it was like this is our night. Like, holy crap here we are, both of us in WWE. You’re here now, I’m here now, I’ve got the title, we are doing this, and then BAM! So to say that this match is personal or means a lot to me is the understatement of the century here.”
We’re all familiar with the WWE. It’s the most profitable and prevalent wrestling organization in the world, and the primary focus of our coverage here at SEScoops. However, what about the rest of the wrestling world?
I decided to compile a list of 25 non-WWE wrestling matches that every fan should see. In order to qualify, each match had to meet three conditions:
An organization other than the WWE put on the match.
The full-length match is available on YouTube.
The match is something every wrestling fan should see.
The matches are listed at random and not ranked. The intention here isn’t to inspire debate regarding where a match should be placed on the list, but simply to provide fans with the opportunity to catch up on some classic matches they may have missed over the past few years. Already seen every match on the list? Relive your favorite moments again. Never seen a single one of the matches? You’ve got hours of material at your disposal, so sit back and enjoy.
25. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xy7KkH7NdY
24. Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (Ring of Honor Weekend of Thunder 2004)
23. Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) vs. Davey Richards (NJPW Circuit 2010 New Japan Alive)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXyAM9-9gHc
22. Ricochet vs. Kyle O’Reilly (IPW 10th Annual Super Junior Heavyweight Tournament)
21. The American Wolves vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Indypendence Day 2008)
– WWE recently added the following video to their official YouTube channel, which features Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens talking about their history together leading into next Wednesday’s NXT TakeOver: Rival live special on the WWE Network.
– Speaking of the upcoming Zayn vs. Owens match, Triple H recently commented on the rivalry, calling the two the “future of the business.” You can read his tweet below.
– To get ready for next Wednesday’s NXT special, you can check out the following video from WWE’s YouTube channel, “NXT TakeOver: R Evolution,” which shows the beginning of their NXT rivalry and recaps the most recent NXT live special in just one minute.
– As noted recently, Randy Orton has been advertised locally to return at several of the past WWE television tapings, but was held back due to creative decisions made by the company. Orton is being advertised for the February 16th edition of RAW in Orlando, which is the Fast Lane “go-home” edition of the show. With Orton scheduled to return in time for a program at WrestleMania 31, one would assume that if he doesn’t return on the 2/16 RAW show, he will be returning either at the pay-per-view itself, or at RAW the following night.
– The following matches were taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
– Emma vs. Carmella
– Adrian Neville vs. Baron Corbin (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender’s Tournament)
– Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
– Hideo Itami vs. Finn Bálor (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender Tournament)
– Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Tyson Kidd
Check out the official video promo for tonight’s NXT show below.
– It was announced on this week’s episode of NXT that Sami Zayn’s NXT Championship will be on the line when he battles Kevin Owens at the next live NXT TakeOver special on February 11th. After Kevin Owens refused to sign his contract to fight Zayn because the title was not going to be up for grabs, NXT General Manager William Regal announced that it will be a championship match.
– The NXT #1 Contender’s tournament continued this week, with Baron Corbin defeating Bull Dempsey and Adrian Neville defeating Tyson Kidd to advance. Next week’s episode will feature Neville vs. Corbin and Finn Balor vs. Hideo Itami in the semi-finals. The finals will take place at NXT TakeOver.
– Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake are the new NXT Tag Team Championship after defeating The Lucha Dragons on this week’s show. Murphy and Blake were interviewed after the win:
– NXT star Kevin Owens’ merchandise is selling “extremely well” according to a report at PWInsider.com. Owens’ first WWE t-shirt first went on sale last month.
WWE officials are very happy with how the former Kevin Steen has brought a significant fan base with him to NXT, something a lot of NXT talents haven’t done.
– Episodes of Saturday Night’s Main Event are being added to the WWE Network this week.
– Triple H has surpassed 2 million Twitter followers this week.
– Diamond Dallas page posted video of himself with Scott Hall and Jake Roberts in Park City, Utah this past weekend for the premiere of Jake’s new documentary, “The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake” at the Sundance Film Festival.
The following are highlights of a new Journey Of A Frontman interview with NXT star Kevin Owens:
On what was going through his mind before his NXT debut match: “I wish I could tell you exactly what I was thinking about, but there were so many things going through my mind. I thought a lot about my family because they got me to the point.
It sounds really corny because it seems like that’s what people would say when there’s a big moment in their lives. I thought about my kid, my parents and my wife. I remember at one point, I stopped midway through the ramp before I got in the ring and I clearly remember having a flash of running to the ring in my first match. It was just such a culmination. It’s always been my dream. It’s really hard to describe how memorable that was.”
On Triple H: “All I can say is that Triple H is literally the most dedicated man in sports entertainment, nobody works as hard as he does. I only see glimpses of it when he’s at the NXT tapings and the specials, but he’s always available for ideas. We were talking about what I was gonna do and how I was gonna be presented, he was very hands-on. It’s not just me, he’s got his finger on the pulse of everything we do here. And we do a lot of stuff, there’s seventy people here and he keeps track of everyone.
I don’t know when he sleeps, I don’t know when he works out, but he’s alive and he’s in great shape. From what I can tell, he’s a machine. His dedication is really something to behold. I’m lucky to have somebody like him willing to work with me, just like everybody else I mentioned earlier. He’s another great mind who knows so much more more about this than I do and he’s willing to share it with me and share it with anybody who wants the knowledge. It’s pretty awesome.”
It was announced at Thursday night’s NXT tapings at Full Sail University that the next live TakeOver special on the WWE Network will take place on Wednesday, February 11th.
The main event will feature newly crowned NXT Champion Sami Zayn defending against his longtime rival, Kevin Owens. With the incredible matches these men have had during their storied feud and the work we’ve seen from them both in NXT, this has the makings to be the best TakeOver main event yet – and that says a lot.
Also on the show, Finn Bálor will face Adrian Neville in the finals of the #1 Contender’s tournament that will unfold on the next 3 weeks of NXT programming.
Plus, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte defend in a 4-way match against Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte for the NXT Women’s Title.
– NXT officials are looking at doing a lengthy singles program between NXT Champion Sami Zayn and new NXT Superstar Kevin Owens. Depending on how long they keep the feud going, Zayn could end up staying in NXT for another year.
– Below is the official music video for the single “Bye Bye” by WWE Diva and Total Divas star Cameron (aka Arianne).
For better or worse, it’s a new year. Everyone starts with a fresh slate, New Year’s resolutions are in effect, and generally speaking, people try to better themselves for the first week of the year before giving up the futile expedition.
Things are no different in the WWE, as every superstar will be trying to reach the next level in 2015. Here are ten superstars who will strike gold in 2015 by capturing a title that was previously unattainable.
10. Charlotte
Although her debut on the main roster was less than memorable, Charlotte has the potential to revolutionize the Divas division. As seen in NXT, the daughter of the Nature Boy can easily put on entertaining 15+ minute matches any night of the week. It’s now up to the WWE to let the talented women of NXT show what they can do on a regular basis. Charlotte will help to legitimize the Divas division a bit in 2015 by capturing the Divas Championship.
9. Sasha Banks
Charlotte and Sasha Banks put on one of the best Divas matches in the history of WWE a few weeks back at R Evolution. It appears “The Boss” is next in line for the throne in the NXT Women’s division, meaning she will capture the title after Charlotte leaves NXT in 2015.
As noted recently, WWE is looking at Adrian Neville as the next main roster call-up from NXT, however they are some matches and programs they would like him to do in NXT first.
WWE officials want Neville to work with Hideo Itami and Finn Balor in singles programs, and also a potential triple-threat feud for the NXT Championship with he, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
– Kevin Owens made an appearance at the non-televised NXT live event in Tampa, Florida on Thursday night. He cut a heel promo talking about how he didn’t owe the fans any explanation for his recent attack of Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan is at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week, working with some of the developmental talents.
One week after being attacked by Kevin Owens at the NXT Takeover: R Evolution special, WWE has posted a storyline injury update on NXT Champion Sami Zayn. WWE noted that x-rays of Zayn’s spine came back negative, as did a CT scan of his head.
WWE noted that Zayn was diagnosed with “cervical & thoracic muscle strains and held overnight at the Winter Park Memorial Hospital for observation.” They also noted that Zayn is “currently resting before beginning physical therapy at the WWE Performance Center. WWE said he’s expected back in 3-4 weeks.”
