RAW Universal Champion Kevin Owens will be profiled in a new WWE DVD, due out in July. Here is WWE’s first look at, “Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story.”
Kevin Owens, real name Kevin Steen, has an interesting history in the pro wrestling business. He had been a pro for 14 years before signing with the WWE. While wrestling under his real name he and El Generico (Sami Zayn) had a longstanding feud which spanned multiple promotions.
Steen was well received in ROH, PWG and various other indies, but wouldn’t get a shot at the WWE until Triple H began scouting talent for NXT in 2014
Kevin Kelly and Mandy Leon introduce the show. KK says, “Over the next 60 minutes, we will count you down and get you set for Global Wars, Sunday May 8th. Tonight’s ROH TV is a special Global Wars preview edition.”
Bobby Fish vs Tomohiro Ishii (c) (ROH World Television Championship)
We cut to footage of a match between Bobby Fish against Roderick Strong. Strong taps out, Fish thinks he won and celebrates. Fish climbs back down off the turnbuckle, asks Todd Sinclair what happened, and then Strong hits the running knee, cover, and scores the victory.
Next, footage from Ishii vs. Strong, Ishii hits the ropes and nails are running lariat, and Strong kicks out. Choshu-style lariat, goes for the sliding lariat misses, Roderick lands 2 jumping knees, forearm, headbutt, back elbow, and then a headbutt by Ishii knocks Strong to the mat. Ishii hits the sliding lariat, stacks up Strong for the pin, but Strong kicks out. Ishii nails a stalling vertical brainbuster on Strong, cover, and becomes the new ROH World Television Champion.
Next KK says, “All three competitors would head to Vegas for the ROH 14 Anniversary show, to compete in a 3-way match for the ROH World Television Title,” and we see footage from the match. Ishii hits a sliding Lariat, but Strong kicks out and then Ishii hits a vertical drop brainbuster, gets the pinfall, and records his second win in the row. After the match, Fish gets in the ring, which has led us up to Texas, where Fish and Ishii faced off in a 2-out-of-3 falls match.
Fish throws Strong back into the ring, Strong pushes ref out of the way, and run hits a jumping knee, and then nails flipping backbreaker The End Of Heartache and scores the 1st fall. Later in the match, Fish gets the 2nd fall on a quick roll up in the corner. We pick up action, moments later, with the match tied at 2, Strong with a knife edge chop, Fish with a kick, then they exchange forearms, Fish gets 2 kicks, then Strong fights with forearms, back elbow, Fish goes for a kick, Strong catches him, and then Fish gets a heel hook and strong taps out.
This feud continues at Global Wars, Fish vs. Ishii, and we go to commercial.
Kyle O’Reilly vs IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito (Non-Title)
When we return, Mandy Leon tells us, “O’Reilly has kind of had a tough the last couple of months.” KK explains, “When Adam Cole derailed O’Reilly’s title shot, it all came to a head at SuperCard of Honor in Dallas, Texas,” and we cut to footage from that match.
Both men are on the top turnbuckle, O’Reilly with punches to Cole’s head, and then O’Reilly suplexes Cole through the table in the middle of the ring. The referee counts to 6 as both men are incapacitated, O’Reilly crawls over, puts his arm across Cole, but Cole kicks out. Later in the match, 2 chairs are set up in the ring, O’Reilly with a kick to the chest, Cole gives him the double bird, O’Reilly with kicks to the head and then Cole sits down on the chair. Cole stands up and fights out with elbows and O’Reilly sits on the other chair. They exchange forearms, until both men sit down in the chairs. They grab each other by the head and both land close-handed shots, Cole with a kick the leg, goes for a kick to the gut, but O’Reilly catches him and lands a vertical brainbuster. O’Reilly gets mad and throws the chair out of the ring, grabs the steel chain that is hooked to the rope, ties Cole up with the chain, and then locks in a cross armbreaker. The harder O’Reilly pulls on the arm, the more he strangling Adam Cole with the chain, Cole starts to make it back to his feet, tries to pick up O’Reilly, but Cole passes out, O’Reilly wins.
KK informs us, “Since the loss in Dallas, no one has seen or heard from Adam Cole. O’Reilly is really in a dangerous state of mind right now,” and we go to commercial.
Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada & Moose W/ Gedo & Stokely Hathaway
KK tells us, “Stokely Hathaway was the one who announced this matchup in Dallas.” and we cut to Stokely’s in-ring promo from Supercard of Honor X. KK reminds us, “While Moose and Okada might seem like a very unlikely pairing, Vegas is where Moose earned the respect of The Rainmaker, and we cut to footage for the ROH 14th Anniversary Show.
Okada with 3 forearms, Moose with a big right hand, Okada with 2 forearms and then an uppercut, Moose with an open-handed shot, Moose punch, and then an uppercut. Moose hits the ropes, Okada ducks, picks him up, reverse piledriver on the knee, cover, kickout. Okada climbs to the top rope and connect with an elbow, calls for The Rainmaker as the camera pans out. Okada goes for The Rainmaker, but Moose ducks, runs up to the turnbuckle ropes, and hits a flying crossbody. Okada is slow to get up, Moose sets up for the spear, Okada jumps over, ducks a clothesline, misses The Rainmaker again, Moose spins around, and then a jumping dropkick sends Moose off the ropes, Okada nails a second drop, kick, picks Moose up and finally nails The Rainmaker for the win.
KK says, “Okada and Moose will face Elgin and Tanahashi who have been solidifying their tag team partnership in New Japan”, and we go to commercial.
Alex Shelley/Chris Sabin/Matt Sydal/Kushida vs Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)/Guerrilas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa)
KK says, “To get an idea of the insanity you’ll see in the 8-man tag team match at Global Wars, we go back to the ROH 14th Anniversary, where the 6-man tag-team match stole the show.”
Omega runs into the corner, Matt runs into the corner, Matt drapes Sydal across the second rope, and Nick hits a swanton. Omega hits a double underhook suplex, Sydal stands up slowly and gets SUPERKICKED by all 3 members of The Elite. Omega stacks him up for the pin, but ACH comes in to break it up. Elite throw a ACH out of the ring, Omega points, Mr. Wrestling 3 says, “They name this move after Tiger Hattori, and he’s not very happy about it.” Fireman’s carry roll over, but Sydal gets out, Nick misses and then a top rope suplex by Sydal on Matt. Then Kushida and ACH with double moonsault, 1 off the top rope, 1 standing. Nick comes into break up the pin attempt, Omega gets thrown to the outside, Kushida leaps over but Omega catches him, sets him up for the piledriver. Sydal is conflicted about what to do, but can only watch as Kushida gets nailed with a piledriver on the floor. Nick kicks Sydal off the ropes, spikes him on his head, and Nick runs over and kicks ACH. All 3 members of The Elite have Sydal alone in the ring, 5-star Meltzer Driver turns Sydal inside out, and then Omega hits the One Winged Angel, and covers for the victory.
Mandy Leon says, “Wild, Kevin. That was only 6 men, imagine adding in 2 more guys at Global Wars,” and we go to commercial.
Mark & Jay Briscoe vs War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson) (c) ROH World Tag Team Championship
KK tells us, “War Machine is coming off recent successful tag team defenses against Roppongi Vice and the All Night Express, but attitudes have been boiling over with the Briscoes.” Footage is shown from Episode 236 of the Briscoes picking up War Machine’s belts. Mandy Leon tells us, “This feud dates back many years, but was on temporary hiatus when Raymond Rowe suffered a life-threatening motorcycle accident.” KK reminds us, “War Machine have never been able to beat the Briscoes, and Hanson and Rowe have said themselves, they will never consider themselves to be the number one team until they beat the Briscoes.”
Footage from Conquest Tour is shown, Jay with punch, uppercut, kick but Rowe takes control and goes for the Fallout. MW3 reminds us, “Jay Briscoe hasn’t been pinned in over two-and-a-half years.” Jay gets out, back elbows, picks Rowe up into a fireman’s carry, Rowe fights out with back elbows, Jay turns around with a forearm, picks him up in the execution chair for the Doomsday Device, but Hanson knocks Mark off the apron. WM throw Jay up with a double chokeslam, cover, but Jay kicks out. Rowe with forearms on the outside to Mark, Mark picks up Rowe, and sends him into the steel barricade. Hanson nails a sit down splash in the corner, Mark comes off the top rope, but gets power slammed, and then Hanson picks up his partner Rowe and drops him on Mark. WM goes for Fallout, but Jay gets out, and runs Rowe into Hanson, clubbing blow to the back, picks him up on his shoulders, and then Mark comes off the top rope for Doomsday Device. Mark with a running neck breaker off the apron on Rowe, Jay is left alone in the ring with Hanson. Hanson with the Mongolian shop, goes for the deadlift brainbuster, but Jay wiggles out and nails the Jay Driller on Hanson, cover, but Hanson kicks out. Jay gets back up and hits to 3 running boots to Hanson, nails him with a second Jay Driller, cover, and the Briscoes win.
KK tells us, “Cabana has a luxurious career in ROH, he was ROH Tag Team Champion with CM Punk, held victories over Kevin Steen, and now has the opportunity to make a name for himself with newer ROH fans. Let’s take you back to 2005, Cabana faced his best friend CM Punk at Final Chapter.
They hit the ropes, Punk with an arm drag, headscissors by Cabana, Punk flips to his feet from his backside, Cabana drops into the mat, jump over, Punk goes for a monkey flip, but Cabana stomps him in the face. Punk gets back up, slaps him in the chest, and yells at him. We are reminded that Cabana is always funny, CM Punk is always serious. Cabana with a headlock, both of them run the ropes, Cabanas stops and says, “Look up. There there’s a bear up there.” Punk says no. Cabana says, “If you won’t look up, then look down,” and stomps on his foot. Later in the match, Cabana is on the turnbuckle, knife edge chop by Punk, hurricanrana, roll thru, Boston crab by Cabana. Referee is checking on Punk’s condition, Punk finds the ropes. The match is a 2-out-of-3 falls, tied at 1 fall a piece. Cabana with 2 uppercuts, Punk with 2 forearms, whip reversal off the ropes, and then CM Punk with a reverse hurricanrana spiking Cabana on his head, and we go to commercial.
When we return, Cabana is on the map, Punk first to his feet, slaps him in the face, back elbow kick, goes off the ropes, shining wizard from a standing position, cover, kick out. Punk climbs to the top turnbuckle, Cabana catches him, and then an inverted DDT off the top rope. But Cabana is worn down not, able to follow up. (Todd Sinclair was still calling the action way back then!) Whip reversal, Punk grabs the arm for the Anaconda Device on Cabana, but Cabana gets his foot on the ropes. Punk calls for the Pepsi Plunge, slams Cabanas head into the turnbuckle, climbs the ropes, hooks the arms butterfly-style but Cabana fights out, fireman’s carry by Cabana and then a Samoan drop off the top rope. CM Punk with a quick roll-up, crucifix pin attempt, but only gets 2 on Cabana. Both men get back to a standing position, exchange close handed strikes. Punk yells, “Come on Cabana!” and they keep exchanging close handed strikes, Punk hits 3 kicks to the back of the knee, a kick to the chest, runs the ropes, and connect with a kick to the head, cover, but Cabana grabs the ropes. Punk goes for a vertical suplex, Cabana reverses pin attempt, roll through pin attempt, another reversal, 1-2-3 and Cabana beats CM Punk.
KK tells us, “That was Chicago 11 years ago. 11 years later, Colt Cabana will challenge Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship May 8th on Global Wars,” and the show ends.
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.
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.
Although he has signed a new full-time deal with WWE, Samoa Joe is still scheduled to team with AJ Styles to take on Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels at the Ring Of Honor television taping in New York City.
According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, WWE has been pushing very hard for that match to not be taped for television, which was the original plan before Joe signed his new WWE deal. As of right now, the belief is that the match will not be taped for the ROH television show.
It’s said that ROH wanted Joe for more dates, but their new national cable television deal with Destination America is one of the factors that led to WWE offering Joe a full-time deal, which will likely prevent Joe from doing so.
Joe is no longer accepting independent dates past August 31st, as he is scheduled to begin working in NXT full-time in September. Until then, Joe will be working the big NXT live events and any other WWE Network specials.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is also reporting that a name change for Samoa Joe and a main roster spot are reportedly still up in the air.
Another key factor in WWE bringing Samoa Joe in full-time to work in NXT is because of the perceived lack of depth of high-profile stars in the promotion. With Kevin Owens moving up to the main roster, and other top stars such as Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami on the sidelines, WWE felt the need to bring in another high-profile name to the NXT brand.
Former WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, who is now working under the name Matt Sydal, recently spoke with the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show about his recovery from injury and the opportunity he has to team with one of his idols — Japanese pro wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger.
Below are some highlights from the interview.
On recovering from injuries in pro wrestling: “Injuries are two-fold, as professional wrestlers we walk to the ring feeling completely invincible. When I step into the ring, there’s no doubt in my mind, there’s no hesitation, there’s no second thoughts, it’s a 110 percent, full force all the time. If you walk into the ring worried about your ankle, if you walk into the ring worried about your neck, that’s only going to increase the likelihood of something bad or something traumatic happening or getting worse. So when you’re coming back from an injury the keys are that mental game, getting that locked up, and then the physical game’s gonna come because as wrestlers we know what we need our bodies to feel like. That first match back it does not feel good, that second match doesn’t feel good. I mean when I came back I felt like I was drowning in a sea of super athletic young wrestlers. These guys were taking me into the middle of the ring, taking me out into deep waters and seeing if I could sink or swim.”
On teaming with Jushin Thunder Liger: “If there was a Hall of Fame for junior heavyweights he would have his own wing. He’s one of the guys who brought wrestling from Canada, Mexico, and Japan, and combined them into a really magical style of wrestling and that’s what connected with me when I was a young man. The style of Jushin Thunder Liger is how I’ve been molding myself.”
On NXT: “It’s brilliant. This is a third brand that can tour, it’s a third stream of revenue for the WWE, it’s extremely cost effective, and you’re giving amazing talent that has a fanbase a platform that can reach more people. That’s the beauty of NXT, because it just goes to show that the men who walk through Ring of Honor are WWE caliber people. Because there is no difference between Kevin Owens, your NXT Champion, and Kevin Steen, your Ring of Honor Champion. Between Seth Rollins, your Ring of Honor World Champion, and Seth Rollins, your WWE World Champion.”
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 has released another hype video centered around the upcoming debut of Kevin Owens (the former Kevin Steen) at the upcoming “NXT Takeover: R Evolution” live WWE Network special on December 11th.
In the video above, watch Owens talk about how he has fought to get to WWE and now that he is here, he will fight anyone because that’s what he likes to do more than anything else.
Owens says he enjoys proving people wrong almost as much as he loves fighting — which is why he claims he’s here.
He promises to change everything in WWE, and it all starts at the 12/11 “Takeover: R Evolution” special.
– WWE is billing Kevin Owens’ (aka Kevin Steen’s) television debut at the December 11th “Takeover: R Evolution” special as a “date of reckoning” for NXT.
– The mini wrestlers who played “The Mini Lucha Dragons” on this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network were El Torito and Blixx from Hulk Hogan’s former “Micro Championship Wrestling” show.
– Below is a video from the official WWE YouTube channel which features William Regal talking about the “NXT Takeover: R Evolution” live WWE Network special on December 11th.
– This week’s edition of WWE NXT has already aired in Australia and a vignette hyping the debut of the wrestler known as Kevin Steen was shown. The date 12/11/14 appears on the screen as it faded to black.
December 11, 2014 is of course the date of the NXT Takeover special on the WWE Network.
– Barry Buchanan, who competed as Recon, Bull Buchanan and B² in WWE, is now a deputy with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. His move from the wrestling ring to holding a deputy badge is profiled here.
While continuing to wrestle, Buchanan entered the field last year at Carroll County Jail. Now that he is becoming a deputy, he is hanging up the boots later this month, with a retirement event for charity.
“Dreams do come true,” he said. “I’ve lived one dream, now I’m starting another.”
– Eva Marie and WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat were on hand for USO Metropolitan Washington’s annual Salute to Military Chefs event in Pentagon City on Wednesday night. The absent WWE Diva says she was proud to take part in the experience.
“The greatest part of being a #WWE Diva is being able to be a part of nights like tonight,” Eva Marie wrote on Instagram. “I love and respect our military beyond words, And it is amazing to be a part of a company that feels the same @WWE . Honored to take part in this year’s “USO Metro Salute To Military Chiefs Dinner” Thank you to all of our service men and women for what you do day in and day out!”
If there was ever an awful time for a ten-person pay-per-view main event … this is it.
Why WWE is choosing to run with a ten-person elimination match for the upcoming Survivor Series show is completely beyond me. At this point in time, the depth among WWE’s roster is at one of the lowest that I can ever recall.
With top stars such as Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns on the shelf, and guys like CM Punk leaving at the peak of their popularity and Brock Lesnar working infrequently, WWE is left with very little at the top of the card. The only positive is that it forces them to move guys up the ladder at a faster rate than they normally might do.
With that being said, and I’m well aware that it’s a tradition to have multi-person elimination matches at Survivor Series, but I just can’t fathom why WWE is running with that concept this year, considering the state of their roster.
There’s been plenty of times in the past where they abandoned the elimination match concept at Survivor Series, so it’s not like something they have to make work because they do it every single year.
Regardless, that’s the direction we’re headed this year.
Having said that, one has to wonder how Survivor Series will come off later this month. WWE has put on some pretty solid pay-per-view shows in recent months, but I’ve got my reservations as to how well this show will come off in two weeks.
With pretty much all of the top guys either injured or involved in the main event, what is the rest of the show going to look like? Outside of Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose, thus far there’s virtually nothing on the Survivor Series undercard that I’m looking forward to.
Sure, Adam Rose vs. The Bunny will no doubt be an instant ring classic, but I digress.
All kidding aside, what’s left for the Survivor Series undercard? How many people that matter that aren’t tied up in the main event are left? The answer — not many.
It will be interesting to watch as the card continues to take shape in the final week of television next week leading up to the event.
By the way, if the stipulation in the Survivor Series main event has The Authority losing power if “Team Authority” loses the ten-man elimination main event, why isn’t Triple H trading his suit in for a pair of tights?
Beats me.
You would think with so much on the line, “The Game” would take matters into his own hands, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Unless I’m missing something, however, I guess it’s still possible, as last I checked there is one spot yet to be filled on the heel team. One would assume Triple H will fill that spot, although I haven’t seen any hints aimed in that direction.
While the roster is badly in need of some more depth right now, it is refreshing to know that the talent pool in developmental is as deep — if not deeper — than the current main roster in terms of promising young talent.
I can’t wait for guys like KENTA (Hideo Itami), Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens), Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Tyler Breeze and The Ascension to get their chance to make a splash on the main roster.
Look at some of the recent call-ups from NXT and how they are performing on the main roster. Guys like Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and others are among WWE’s absolute top-tier performers these days. If WWE brings in guys like the names I just mentioned the way those guys were, as opposed to say, the way Adam Rose and Bo Dallas were brought up, the WWE main roster could be quite the group this time next year.
If and when that day comes, WWE can put on as many ten-man elimination matches as they’d like. For now, however, it just boggles my mind that they are choosing to do so with the roster in the state that it’s in.
What do you guys think? Leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also hit me up on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
WWE announced that the next NXT live special on the WWE Network will air on December 11th.
WWE released the statement to members of the media which included a graphic that shows Triple H, Sami Zayn, Kevin Steen, Fergal Devitt, Hideo Itami, Charlotte and Adrian Neville.
HHH will hold another conference call to promote the special prior to the event.
– WWE is set to do another major promotional push for the WWE Network starting after the Thanksgiving holiday. They will be pushing the Network as the best Christmas gift possible for the wrestling fan in your home.
– Below is a new video interview with Kevin Steen, courtesy of Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald.
– Kevin Steen is expected to have his new official WWE ring name in the near future. He is expected to make his NXT TV in-ring debut before the end of the year.
– Luke Harper changed his Twitter handle to simply, “.” and after last night’s SmackDown, he tweeted the following:
– There is a feeling that Kevin Steen may make his WWE debut at the next set of NXT television tapings. With all of the top talents debuting at NXT, WWE officials may be staggering them so that they can maximize each one.
– The local wrestler that worked a dark match with Tyler Breeze at the WWE television tapings on Tuesday was Vordell Walker. Walker was also one of the security guards who appeared on the WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with Sheamus:
On his match with Cesaro at WWE Night of Champions: “I had a lot of fun fella. It was definitely a blast. I needed that a lot because I felt like I’ve been just starting to hit my stride a lot more since I came back from my injury and needed that. So far, it’s been the highlight of my return to WWE.”
On whether or not his own experiences with bullying pushed him toward fitness and bodybuilding: “Yeah it did. The training and stuff, that was important to me because I wasn’t happy with my body and I wanted to do something about it. I don’t know about the bully thing, maybe. It made me more self-conscious but I think it was more of the training stuff for me, just wanting to be healthier and fitter. I was lucky enough to have people around me to help me overcome the impression I was getting with bullying to where I didn’t even want to go to school. I wouldn’t even take the school bus, I’d walk, because I didn’t want to deal with it, the hassle. But I had good friends around me and a lot of kids aren’t that fortunate.”
On Fergal Devitt and other new talent for WWE: “I think Fergal is going to thrive. I think he’s a phenomenal, phenomenal competitor in the ring and I think people are going to love him when he gets in there. When he’s in there, he’s not afraid to get hit or hit and I think he’s going to be a serious edition to the roster. It’s great and I think there’s a lot of other guys, Adrian Neville is another one, Sami Zayn, Kevin Steen. There’s a lot of guys who are chomping at the bit to get up here.”
WWE.com has published an extensive feature looking at the “Leaders of the New School” – NXT stars Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Adrian Neville, Fergal Devitt and Kevin Steen. The article features quotes from each competitor and is definitely worth checking out. Here are some highlights of what they said about the “Leaders of the New School” coming together in NXT:
Sami Zayn:
“It’s just crazy to think where we all were a few years ago and where we are now. The other guys I tagged are guys we all crossed paths with for years all over the world on various small, independent shows. We thought we were doing something special at the time, but you don’t know if it’s going to pay off. Now that we’re all here under the WWE umbrella, it kind of validates all that.”
When we were young, we all looked up to the Jerichos and the Guerreros and the Malenkos and all these world-traveled guys who started where they were from and then made a name in Europe, then went to Mexico, then went to Japan, then went to ECW, then WCW and then they ended their careers here in WWE. Those are the guys that I looked at like, “That’s what I want to be.” Now, we’re that generation — we’re the Guerreros, we’re the Malenkos. It’s not a coincidence at all.
Kevin Steen:
“I actually had a bit of a different mentality. I remember talking with Zayn about WWE, it must have been 2003, and I told him it wasn’t a dream for me — it was the goal. I appreciate all the chances I got to wrestle all over the world and I’m really proud to have wrestled in Japan and Australia and Italy. But it was never a necessity for me, because in my head, I thought, “When I get to WWE, I’ll travel with them and see all those places.” It was never something I felt I needed to do, but now that I’ve lived through those experiences, I realize how important it was in getting here.”
Fergal Devitt:
“I’d been doing it for about six or seven years when I ended up in New Japan. I was really just a boy and I became a man in New Japan in eight years. It came to a point where I could stay the rest of my career there and have the security of a job or I could step into the great unknown that is WWE and challenge myself. And that’s what I decided to do.”
Adrian Neville:
“Honestly, it’s a huge risk, because we’ve got these reputations outside here and I know a lot of us made very comfortable livings outside here. To give up all that on what is essentially a flip of a coin, because a lot of decisions aren’t really in our hands as far as this place is concerned. One thing I liked about coming up is the ball was very much in our hands. Our success was based on what we did. That is the case to a certain degree here, but at the same time …”
Hideo Itami:
“Everything changed [by joining WWE]. [I left Japan because] I wanted more. I wanted to be famous. I wanted to prove to myself. When I started, I didn’t think about WWE, but my dream became bigger and bigger.” When asked by Kevin Steen if he plans to reclaim the “Go To Sleep” finisher he popularized (which was later adopted by CM Punk), he said, “I hope! (Laughter.)”
There is much, much more to the interview, including misconceptions about their generation, the WWE Performance Center and their goals in the industry. Head over to WWE.com to read the full article.
Ahead of tonight’s NXT Takeover 2 show, WWE COO Triple H tweeted this “selfie” photo of himself, Kenta, Kevin Steen and Fergal Devitt.
Kenta is already confirmed to be making an appearance on the show. Could we also see the NXT debuts of Steen and Devitt tonight as well? One can dream.
When asked by a fan on Twitter if we’ll see other debuts tonight aside from Kenta, he responded:
Yes. Have to watch to see. “@JedsWorld: @TripleH Aside from Kenta, will we see the debut of any other new superstars tonight? #NXTTakeover”
– Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon brought up the upcoming WWE Studios film “Celebrity Death Pool” on “The Tonight Show” recently. Fallon joked about the film, which features Hulk Hogan and David Hasselhoff, noting that it’s “expected to be released in June of 1985.”
– New WWE star Kevin Steen wrote on Twitter that today is his first official day at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Steen tweeted the follownig:
Since signing with WWE, many fans have questioned whether or not WWE would allow Prince Devitt to continue using his signature body paint in NXT and on the main WWE roster.
On Friday, fellow NXT rookie Kevin Steen posted the following photo via social media, which shows himself with Devitt, who has his signature face and body paint on as usual.
While many have speculated that Steen and Devitt may become a tag-team combination in WWE’s developmental system, one thing the photo does show is that Devitt, for now at least, is still allowed to wear his normal face and body paint in WWE.
Below is the aforementioned Steen and Devitt photo.
Thousands of fans stood bewildered following last night’s main event, as the WWE’s resident hero John Cena laid battered and beaten after his match with Brock Lesnar. Cena didn’t grab a microphone to offer up an excuse, nor did he attempt any sort of retaliation while both Lesnar and Heyman laughed in his face after seizing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Instead, he simply walked away with the help of officials, with the crowd booing the face of the company while serenading him on his way out the door. Last night’s event felt like a transitional pay-per-view, and not simply because every title that was contested changed hands.
Lesnar was congratulated by Triple H after simply destroying John Cena last night.
The massacre fans witnessed last night for only $9.99 was perhaps the end of the PG era. The evil villain prevailed, the kids’ hero took the beating of a lifetime, and the company seems to finally be looking toward the future instead of the past. Fans have likely noticed in recent weeks that the product has become a bit edgier. Curse words are more frequent, men have assaulted women, and the next generation of superstars has dominated the old guard.
Last night’s event reminded me a bit of the 1993 King of the Ring, during which fans witnessed the death of Hulkamania. After years as the top superstar in the company, Hogan finally met his match in the form of Yokozuna. Hogan lost the title that night (with a little help from a camera man) and didn’t make any excuses. He simply faded away and left the company a few weeks later, not returning to a WWE ring for roughly a decade. This event was followed by a transition period that saw the company stray away from guys like Hogan, Savage, and Warrior in favor of the next generation in the form of Hart, Michaels, and Diesel.
That’s not to say that John Cena is bolting from the company any time soon, because that certainly isn’t the case, but his time as the top guy in the company is likely over. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have put Lesnar over in such convincing fashion, as Cena barely landed any offensive maneuvers throughout the over 15-minute main event.
The reason WWE waited to make the official announcement regarding the signing of Kevin Steen until August 12th was because they wanted it to coincide with the launch of the WWE Network in Canada, where Steen is from.
As noted previously, WWE is acknowledging the fact that the Steen signing is a major addition to their roster. Apparently, WWE informed Dean Ambrose to no longer use the running cannonball into the corner move anymore, as they want it to be a fresh move for when Steen makes his debut on the main WWE roster.
– As far as the SummerSlam panels are concerned, the VIP tickets for Steve Austin are the only ones that have sold out thus far, however, it is expected that the regular sale will end up selling out as well.
– The following is a new interview with Jerry Lawler setting up his match with Kevin Steen on August 2nd. “The King” still has it.
