NXT announced via their official Twitter account on Thursday evening that NXT Women’s Champion Bayley now has her next challenger set, as she will be facing Carmella at the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida for the set of television tapings scheduled in the venue for January 22nd.
Additionally, they announced a number one contenders match between Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn to decide who will challenge Finn Balor in the next NXT Championship match.
The event on 1/22 is part of an aggressive January calendar for the NXT brand, as they will be running a total of 15 shows, including multiple shows on the same night in two different locations.
– Following her loss to Bayley in the NXT Women’s Championship match on this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, which aired on Wednesday evening, WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie spoke to WWE.com about coming up short and how she’s earned everything she’s gotten while in WWE, noting that nothing has been “handed to her.” You can check out the new Eva Marie interview above.
– On next week’s edition of NXT, Samoa Joe and Tommaso Ciampa will go one-on-one. In an interesting statistic, both Joe and Ciampa have worked for WWE, ROH and TNA during the 2015 calendar year.
– WWE posted the following video showing NXT Women’s Champion Bayley struggling to her feet after being attacked by Nia Jax on this week’s edition of NXT TV.
– Featured above is the latest edition of WWE’s “Five Things” YouTube show, which takes a look at five love affairs fans may have forgotten about.
– The following is scheduled for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
* Guest general manager due to William Regal recovering from surgery
* Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe contract signing
* Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder vs. The Vaudevillains for the NXT Tag Titles
* Asuka vs. Dana Brooke
* Apollo Crews vs. Jesse Sorensen
* Bayley vs. Eva Marie for the NXT Women’s Championship
– WWE taped the following matches for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event prior to the SmackDown television taping in Indianapolis, Indiana on Tuesday evening:
* Titus O’Neil def. Stardust via count out in the first of four matches taped for this week’s show.
* Ryback def. Heath Slater in a quick match. This basically amounted to a squash match, with Ryback dominating throughout.
* Rusev def. Zack Ryder in another quick match. The fans in Indianapolis were into Ryder here, and also gave Rusev good heat.
* Brie Bella def. Charlotte in a non-title match after Paige caused a distraction that allowed Brie to get the win.
Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn is being advertised for the NXT tour of the U.K. coming up in December, including all of the regular live events and the NXT TakeOver: London special on December 16th.
It’s possible that Zayn is just appearing at the shows in a non-physical capacity, as we haven’t heard that he is ready to make his in-ring return just yet.
Other talents advertised for the NXT tour that is scheduled to kick off on December 10th in Newcastle, England include NXT Champion Finn Balor, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, NXT Tag-Team Champions Dash and Dawson, Neville, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Samoa Joe, Dana Brooke and Emma.
– In the video featured above, Chad Gable and Jason Jordan talk about defeating The Ascension on this week’s edition of NXT.
– Announced for next week’s NXT is a contract signing between NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe for their match at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: London special, which takes place on Wednesday, December 16th at SSE Wembley Arena in London, England. As noted, the special will air live on the WWE Network at 3pm EST. / Noon PST. on 12/16.
– In addition to the contract signing, the following matches were announced for next week’s NXT, which will be taped on Thursday night, November 19th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
* Bayley vs. Eva Marie
* Asuka vs. Dana Brooke
* The Mechanics vs. The Vaudevillains
WWE announced this week that the next NXT TakeOver special, which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th, will air live on the WWE Network from the SSE Wembley Arena in London, England at 3 p.m. Eastern time and Noon Pacific time.
Although an official lineup has yet to be released, the card is loooking like:
NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
Asuka vs. Emma
The 12/16 TakeOver show is also expected to include NXT Tag-Team Title and NXT Women’s Title matches. Those two title matches should become clear on November 19th when the final television tapings leading up to the show are taped at Full Sail University.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Wednesday, December 16th for the best NXT TakeOver: London live results coverage on the web!
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans to vote on who they feel is the true leader of Team B.A.D. With over 3,000 votes cast, Sasha Banks is leading the poll with 74 percent of the vote, while Naomi has 18 percent and Tamina has 8 percent.
– Samoa Joe was at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Thursday for the WrestleMania 32 ticket party. Joe tweeted a photo of the WrestleMania 32 logo on the massive screen inside the stadium with the caption, “the road begins here” #WrestleMania. Joe’s longtime rival and friend CM Punk responded, reminding Joe that WWE loves when you point at the WrestleMania sign.
@SamoaJoe make sure to point at the sign. They really like that.
Samoa Joe turned heel and attacked Finn Balor during the main event of this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. Balor was defending the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews when Baron Corbin interfered and attacked Crews. Samoa Joe ran down and cleared house before unleashing a vicious attack against his former partner Finn Balor. Joe left the champion laying after a muscle buster to kick off what is sure to be a must-see feud.
"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times." – Niccolò Machiavelli @WWEUniverse
During his recent appearance alongside Bo Dallas and Neville on WWE Network’s “Table For 3” original series, veteran wrestler and NXT star Samoa Joe spoke about working with a young John Cena in UPW and how Jim Ross told Joe he wasn’t what WWE was looking for back then.
“That’s where John started,” said Joe. “Actually, I worked with him a ton. He was dedicated back then, so anyways, John got the [WWE] deal. I met Jim Ross at the time and Jim Ross said, ‘you know, maybe you’re not really what we’re looking for right now’.”
Joe also spoke about working international territories and ultimately making it to WWE.
“Contrary to wisdom back when I first started out, way back when, I find myself here in WWE.”
Samoa Joe also spoke about the reason he was brought to NXT, and how he still has aspirations of joining the main WWE roster.
“I was kind of brought in to add to the momentum that NXT has going. I mean, obviously, I think we all want to go win the big one, but I also wouldn’t mind helping NXT be part of a bigger thing.” Joe added, “it’s a real unusual kind of time, to kind of be a part of this process and a very unique position for me, kind of, coming in, so, I don’t know, man. I’m kind of laying back and seeing what cards are dealt and playing the best hand.”
“Table For 3” featuring Samoa Joe, Neville and Bo Dallas is available on the WWE Network right now.
There is still no confirmation from within WWE regarding who is scheduled to answer John Cena’s “U.S. Open Challenge” at tonight’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, however the strongest rumor making the rounds is that Samoa Joe will be the man to challenge Cena.
At last word, Joe was in Sacramento, California for the NXT events at the Aftershock tour, but it would only take a quick flight to get him to L.A. for Hell In A Cell if necessary.
Tyler Breeze is another rumor, as it would set up Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler for the U.S. title, which has been talked about.
With that being said, multiple WWE sources have claimed James Storm, Tyler Breeze and Samoa Joe will not be the ones to answer Cena’s “U.S. Open Challenge” this evening.
Another rumor is Sheamus, as Sheamus vs. Cena is currently being advertised for the WWE live events that Cena is booked to appear on after returning from his scheduled hiatus.
Finally, there has been talk going around that Daniel Bryan could be the man to answer the challenge, as he is rumored to be in Los Angeles today, and is rumored to be officially cleared to return to the ring.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for WWE Hell In A Cell live coverage.
– NXT Diva Gionna Daddio is now using the name “Marley.” She will be facing Eva Marie on the November 4th episode of NXT TV, which was taped on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
– Also at the NXT TV tapings on Thursday night, independent wrestlers Corey Hollis and John Skyler worked a tag-team match against The Mechanics. That match will air on the November 18th episode of NXT TV.
– As noted, Samoa Joe vs. Tyler Breeze is scheduled for next week’s edition of NXT TV. Breeze cut the following promo on Joe ahead of their match.
The following are spoiler results from the set of NXT television tapings held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/4
– Asuka def. Cameron via submission
– Bull Dempsey def. Angelo Dawkins
– Eva Marie def. Gionna Daddio, who is now using the name Marley.
– Apollo Crews def. Finn Balor ended in a DQ when Baron Corbin attacked both guys in what was a NXT title match, so the title didn’t change hands. After Corbin hit the ring, Samoa Joe came out and took out Corbin, but then shocked everyone by attacking Finn Balor for a surprising heel turn to close out that week’s show.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/11
– Adrien Reese (aka Athena) def. Peyton Royce with a top-rope jump into a Stunner for the 1-2-3.
– Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger never takes place as Apollo Crews takes out Corbin.
– Bayley, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley def. Alexa Bliss, Blake & Murphy in a six-person inter-gender tag-team match. Bliss stole Bayley’s title and ran off with it during the match. Bayley hit a Belly-To-Bayley on one of the men and then ran after Bliss. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder to get the win for his team.
– Nia Jax def. Deonna Purrazzo in a squash match.
– The Mechanics def. The Vaudevillains via submission to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions. Great crowd reactions for this match and for the title change.
– Samoa Joe came out for a promo segment. The fans boo him because he turned heel and attacked Finn Balor on “last week’s show.” Balor ends up coming out and confronts Joe. They get into it but referees end up holding them back. This segment ends the 11/11 edition of NXT TV.
NXT TV Spoilers For 11/18
– Nia Jax def. Carmella in a squash match.
– Chad Gable & Jason Jordan def. The Ascension in tag-team action when Gable and Jordan score the pin after hitting the assisted German suplex.
– Emma def. Mary Kate (aka Rosie Lottalove and Andrea) with the Emma-lock.
– The Mechanics def. Two local talents (believed to be Corey Hollis and John Skyler) to retain the NXT Tag-Team titles.
– Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via the Huggplex to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. Eva Marie ended up coming out to challenge Bayley to a future title match.
This week’s NXT television taping featured a number of newsworthy happenings. In addition to this noteworthy item, there was a big heel turn that took place during this week’s taping.
A match that featured NXT Champion Finn Balor defending his title against Apollo Crews took place at the NXT television taping on Thursday night in Winter Park, Florida, and featured a big heel turn from none other than Samoa Joe.
The Balor-Crews match ended in a disqualification as Baron Corbin hit the ring and attacked both Crews and Balor. This led to Samoa Joe coming out. Joe took out Corbin and then shocked everyone by attacking Balor. This was described by fans in attendance as a “real heel turn” with lots of heat from the crowd directed towards Joe.
The Balor-Crews title match and post-match Samoa Joe heel turn is scheduled to air as part of the November 4th episode of NXT TV.
Below are some photos of Samoa Joe’s post-match heel turn.
– On this week’s edition of NXT TV it was announced that on next Wednesday’s show on the WWE Network, Samoa Joe and Tyler Breeze will compete against each other in one-on-one competition.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte was recently given a Rolex watch to match the pair of watches that both Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels have. Charlotte wrote the following about receiving the watch on Instagram, along with the photo below.
“Family Tradition: When Shawn Michaels wrestled my Dad at WrestleMania 24 he surprised him after with a matching Rolex….. It was his “Retirement” match & Hall of Fame Induction weekend. My Dad says this match was a highlight & one of the most special moments in his career…. HBK said he grew up idolizing him…. Last night, I was given a matching one ?? to carry on the tradition. By no means is my career ending anytime soon but to carry on the tradition in our family for my first WWE Divas Championship!”
Longtime wrestling veteran and current ROH color commentator Steve Corino recently appeared as a guest on Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Cesaro: “I believe he [has] got all the tools! The guy speaks a few different languages. He’s a monster in the ring. He’s likable, so if you need him to be a babyface, he’s very likable, but he can be smug in the ring, so he can be a heel. When I watched Mr. McMahon on Stone Cold’s podcast on the [WWE] Network, and when he said that Cesaro isn’t connecting with the fans, I’m like, ‘are you serious?’ Like, I attended WrestleMania 30. That guy was in the top five of the most popular people that night!”
On Kevin Owens’ success in WWE: “He’s like a little brother to me! I’ve known him for 10 years and we had so many great times in Ring of Honor. I still talk to him every week and he’s just a great guy, a great guy, and he makes me so proud just because he goes in there and he has just destroyed stereotypes of what a pro wrestler should be and that’s his niche. Just like when you brought Mick [Foley] into the WWF in ’96, he broke the mold of what normal fans thought a WWE, WWF at the time, wrestler was supposed to be.”
“Kevin, I think, was one of those guys that no one expected him to explode this quick, where Joe has been a guy on TNA for 12 years. You know Samoa Joe, but, like, how is he going to be in the big time? I think he’s going to do great, but it’s that power of the pencil. Are the writers going to get behind him?”
On Samnoa Joe finally joining WWE: “I have shared my feelings about Samoa Joe with everybody there and I really believe that he’s a company man, he’s solid, I think he’s going to be an asset to the locker room, I think he has the skill set to work with anybody of any skill set whether he be a fan favorite or a villain, so I think Joe’s going to do real well there.”
With TV ratings declining and Vince McMahon taking full control of his company once again, it appears he is opening up to the idea of putting TNA wrestlers on WWE TV. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Vince has softened his stance on bringing in TNA talent, which as of earlier this year was that it would not be done.
With Samoa Joe and James Storm appearing on NXT, it appears the company is using the WWE Network-exclusive show as a platform to transition wrestlers from “TNA guys” to “WWE guys.” Storm is still appearing on TNA on cable TV, as the matches were taped back in July.
Joe and Storm are reportedly there to help add some experience to the upcoming NXT tours. You can expect to see them continue to be paired up with more inexperienced wrestlers in the ring. The two former TNA stars have yet to be earmarked for the main roster.
WWE taped tonight’s episode of NXT on October 8th in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University. Here’s what you’ll see on tonight’s NXT broadcast:
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley opens the episode with a promo about her match with Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Respect. Alexis Bliss hits the ring and they exchange words. Bliss grabbed the title, threw it in Bayley’s face, then walked away.
– The Vaudevillians defeated Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match.
– Nia Jax defeated Evie in a singles match.
– Apollo Crews won the number contender’s battle royal to secure a future NXT Title Match. The final four were Samoa Joe, Crews, Tyler Breeze, and Baron Corbin.
At Wednesday’s NXT Takeover: Respect special on the WWE Network, the first-ever “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament winners were crowned.
The teams of Finn Balor & Samoe Joe, The Mechanics, Baron Corbin & Rhyno and Chad Gable & Jason Jordan advanced to tonight’s WWE Network special, with Balor and Joe eliminating The Mechanics in the opener, and the team of Corbin and Rhyno taking out the team of Gable and Jordan to advance to the finals.
In the finals, which were held in the co-main event spot of the NXT special, Balor and Joe ended up defeating Corbin and Rhyno, who put up a good effort.
Cody Rhodes came out to do the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup presentation to Balor and Joe. He mentioned that tonight everyone is a “Rhodes” member as “The American Dream” theme music played and the fans echo’d chants of “Thank You Dusty! Thank You Dusty!” to close out the first ever Dusty Classic Tournament and move on to the 30-minute “Ironwoman Match” for the NXT Women’s Champion.
– The Pat Patterson autobiography that WWE has partnered with ECW Press to produce is being co-written by Bertrand Herbert, the same author who has been involved in many hit wrestling books. The book on Patterson is scheduled to be released in June of 2016.
– Speaking of Patterson, his former on-air sidekick Gerald Brisco celebrates his 69th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday today is Eva Marie, who turns 31.
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley tweeted the following praise to Samoa Joe and Tyler Breeze, both of whom reportedly stole the show with their singles match at the NXT live event in Austin, Texas on Friday evening.
– WWE has announced that Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin will be one of the main events at the NXT event in Houston, Texas on Thursday, September 17th.
– The guest on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast is former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts. The show will be available on Tuesday at 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
– As reported over the weekend, WWE has created a new three-person faction called “Cosmic Wasteland,” which consists of Stardust and The Ascension. Konnor from The Ascension recently posted the following tweet praising Stardust, who appears to be the leader of the group:
– John Cena granted yet another Make-A-Wish prior to this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Tampa, Florida. The WWE Community website has photos of Cena meeting with Make-A-Wish kid Spencer at Community.WWE.com.
– The “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” match featuring Samoa Joe and Finn Balor vs. The Lucha Dragons has been confirmed for next Wednesday’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
– Eva Marie and her husband Jonathan Coyle are taking online clients to help them get in shape and manage a healthy lifestyle. Eva Marie posted the following on Instagram:
READ BELOW! IM NOW TAKING ONLINE CLIENTS! Ladies lets get you on track to the body you have always wanted. – Hey everyone! Jonathan and I have been getting contacted via our website and email non stop about our nutrition and what we do to stay fit year round. Your nutrition is vital, and everything you put into your body makes a difference. We’ve teamed up with @DevinPhysique and his nutritionist team to bring you the best coaching, weight loss, and muscle building guidance around. We have created a new email where you can email me personally, and I will be working with you and our nutritionist to create a custom plan that suits your goals. We all start somewhere, and we are all capable of building the body we want. Email me now, I’ll be on my laptop all night. – Weight Loss Plans Muscle Building Plans Natalie Eva Marie Bikini Plans Workout Plans Couples Plans – Email: NatalieEvaMarie@physiquemealplans.com
Kevin Owens spoke to Mike Jones from DC101 in Washington, DC this week to promote WWE’s live event this Sunday at the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, VA. Here are some highlights of what KO said about:
Finn Balor & Samoa Joe Joining The Main Roster: “I think there’s a lot of people in NXT that are right on the cusp of being ready to come and make an impact on the main roster! Joe, Finn, Hideo Itami, when he’s healthy cause he’s still hurt right now, Enzo and Big Cass, who are probably my favorites in NXT right now, and that’s just to name a few.”
NXT Preparing you for WWE: “That’s the thing about NXT and the way they built NXT is it’s so good to get you ready for that moment. Triple H built it with that in mind, that once you get that opportunity you nail it and knock it out of the park. He did everything he could to make NXT basically a smaller version of RAW.”
Finally Making It To The Big Time In WWE: “It’s happened to me several times over the past few months and it still happens. I get in the elevator and it’s just me in the elevator, I’ll find myself staring at the reflection and thinking ‘How did you get here’ and it’s a way of reminding myself that this is what I’ve been waiting for forever.”
You can check out the whole interview at DC101.com.
As noted earlier, NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated Lucha Dragons in a tag match that took place prior to Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings from Providence, Rhode Island.
This was a first round match for the upcoming NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament and will air on an episode of NXT TV.
Balor and Joe reportedly received a massive ovation for their surprise appearances and the match itself was said to be an exciting one.
– Japanese wrestling superstar Kazuchika Okada, whose IWGP Title would probably be considered the number two world title in pro wrestling today, was backstage at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night. Okada watched the show with Samoa Joe, who he was affiliated with fromm his TNA days.
– WWE posted the following video looking behind-the-scenes of Roman Reigns’ SummerSlam turf war.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts got physically involved during a recent independent wrestling event. Below is video footage that shows Roberts slapping independent wrestler JP Simms and then taking an RKO.
– Samoa Joe tweeted the following about the upcoming NXT Takeover: Brooklyn special, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 22, 2015 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Rebuilding the monster, upgrading the arsenal, & refining the tactics. The stage is set, lets go. pic.twitter.com/0k2KGxca4d