Home Blog Page 1128

Xavier Woods On What A New Day Cinematic Match Would Look Like, WWE’s Coronavirus Challenges

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE Superstar Xavier Woods has detailed what a cinematic matchup featuring the New Day might look like. Speaking with The No-Sports Report podcast, Woods shared his excitement over the idea. He confessed that WrestleMania 36’s Boneyard match “really touched my soul.”

According to Woods, a cinematic match with the New Day would be set in a “weird, magical, like a rainbow world.”

Within this world, there would be an ominous shadowland where they don’t go. But, when they do, it would be “game time.”

“So, uh, lots of sunshine, lots of rainbows, lots of inanimate objects talking to you… It’d be super weird,” Woods stated. “I like the dissonance between something horrible happening like us just being someone to a pulp with like a nice, children’s music like “Baby Shark” playing in the background.”

Xavier Woods On WWE’s Coronavirus Challenges

Xavier Woods then addressed the challenges WWE has been facing during the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke about Superstars having to wrestle in front of zero fans and the difficulties of attracting new fans during this time. 

He admitted he could imagine wrestling in front of an empty arena. Woods compared it to his experiences on the independent circuit. According to him, he had plenty of experience wrestling in near-empty locations to either “no people or like three people.”

He added how wrestling for three people was, in some ways, “more daunting than no people.”

He explained it’s because “[…] now you’ve got these, these six eyes on you and it freaks you out. But luckily the guys and girls that we work with are skilled enough to understand what factors of wrestling – whether it’s promos or matches – need to be altered and changed to go along with what the current situation is.”

Xavier Woods shared how this element is what he really likes about pro wrestling. To him, wrestling is akin to “live performance art.”

He explained how it’s not about having the perfect match or promo. Instead, it’s about how you adapt and improvise if that match or promo derails:

“[…] this is one of those things where everything got derailed essentially and now everybody’s figuring out how they can look into their old school playbook like, ‘Okay, how do we do this?’ And they’re in there doing it.”

Wrestling Attracting New Fans During COVID-19

With few opportunities for live sports or entertainment currently available, Xavier Woods speculated how those curious about wrestling may be tuning in for the first time:

“I feel like a lot of people who didn’t enjoy it or may not have talked about it at all beforehand, might be watching it now.” 

Woods added that people could potentially be seeing things on Twitter and feel compelled to give WWE a chance. He argued how, after a few more clicks, these people could be watching RAW or SmackDown. He acknowledged how there has been a “heightened level of conversation about WWE during all of this.”

Woods’ Achilles Recovery During Quarantine

Having been sidelined due to an unfortunate Achilles injury, Xavier Woods shared how he has been recovering at home during the pandemic.

He shared how he has been recouping whilst ensuring he is “being functional.”

He stressed how “being able to hang out with my kid” has been the best thing for him during this tough time. 

Xavier Woods acknowledged that it’s a difficult time for so many worldwide. He added that he would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the quality time at home with his family. 

Details On Asuka’s Reaction To Becky Lynch’s Pregnancy Announcement

Steve Russell
-
0

This past Monday night on RAW, Becky Lynch relinquished the WWE RAW Women’s Championship to Asuka. She revealed that Asuka hadn’t won a championship opportunity at Money In The Bank. Instead, she had won the gold itself. This decision was made as Becky Lynch is pregnant and expecting her first child with her partner, Seth Rollins.

Asuka’s sincere reaction to the news was genuine as she did not know Lynch was pregnant, according to PWinsider. She was also unaware that she was winning the title during the filming process of the Money In The Bank ladder match. The match was pre-recorded at WWE Headquarters.

WWE officials reportedly kept the news secret until Lynch revealed it herself to the WWE Universe, hence Asuka’s genuine response.

It was also noted that several people who were in attendance for the show on Monday had no clue Lynch was pregnant until after her announcement. Lynch recently revealed she found out she was pregnant in April after taking multiple tests. She is due to give birth in December.

Asuka’s recent accomplishments have seen her achieve a major milestone in WWE. She is now the the only woman in WWE history to have won a Money in the Bank briefcase, a Royal Rumble, the NXT Women’s Title, the SmackDown Women’s Title, the tag titles, and now the RAW Women’s title.

Otis On MITB Cash In Plans, How They Planned The Cinematic Ladder Match

Steve Russell
-
0

Having won the Money In The Bank briefcase this past Sunday, Otis now has the chance to cash in for a championship shot. He can claim this right at any point over the next year. According to Otis, however, he isn’t interested in waiting to cash in his championship opportunity.

In an interview with Comicbook.com, Otis revealed how he wants to “cash that thing right away,” stressing that there is no time to waste. He also spoke about WWE’s recent cinematic matchups and the planning process for the Money In The Bank match.

Otis On WWE Cinematic Matches

Like the Boneyard Match and the Firefly Fun House, this past Sunday’s Ladder Match was a pre-recorded cinematic match.

Otis acknowledged that the filming of the match led to a long day. He added that working with those Superstars made it feel like a day off as it’s so fun:

“It’s a great day, just the freedom of just going ‘Yeah, I’ll drop the weights on AJ, just drop this load on his chest.’ That’s just so damn funny to me.”

When it came to the creative process of the MITB match, Otis shared his contributions to the proceedings. He shared how they were given relative freedom to explore fun ideas. According to him, they were given “all the toys we could play with.”

“It wasn’t like a direct ‘you guys do it this part of the room.’ I think the directors [were there] to make sure to get your point across as to why we’re doing this in this particular scene, but it was basically just like “Oh, yeah, we should do this with this, and then all right, if I break it, I’m sorry,’ kind of thing.”

At the time of writing, there is no indication as to which championship Otis is interested in challenging will for.

Heath Slater Talks About Being Kept On WWE’s ‘Second Shelf’

Steve Russell
-
0

Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater believes the promotion never let him ascend higher than the “second shelf” during his time with the company. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Slater explained how WWE works on a tiered system, which he referred to as shelves.

Heath Slater broke down his analogy, explaining how “You start at the bottom shelf, then there’s always that top shelf. Then? You got the middle shelves, you know, it’s just like at a grocery store. But I felt like, for some reason? I’m always on that second shelf, and could never get to the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth shelf.”

Heath Slater On The Shelf

Heath Slater continued, adding how whenever WWE wanted to use him, they would take him off the second shelf. After they were done, however, they would put him right back there. Frustrated with never being able to get higher than his perceived placement, Slater wanted to know why WWE never allowed him to climb to the third or fourth shelf.

He stressed how he can have great matches with any Superstar and “make them look amazing” and couldn’t understand why he was never given the opportunity to prove himself.

Heath Slater is clearly eager to embrace future opportunities now he is no longer with WWE. He confirmed his no-compete clause expires in July. Until then, he’s working on himself to ensure he’s the best version of himself when he’s finally able to start taking bookings.

Seth Rollins Comments On Karrion Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux’s NXT Debut

Steve Russell
-
0

RAW Superstar Seth Rollins has shared his thoughts on the recent NXT debut of Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux. The duo made their official in-ring debut last week on NXT. Kross competed against Leon Ruff in a squash match, easily defeating Ruff. Their entrance prior to matchup captured the imaginations of the WWE Universe, and even impressed Rollins.

Speaking with Planeta Wrestling, Seth Rollins divulged how he remembered Bordeaux from the Chicago independent scene. He noted how he is impressed her her notable improvement, highlighting the potential that the pair have to make an impact on the black-and-gold brand. 

“Karrion is someone that I’m starting to become familiar with,” Seth Rollins admitted. “Scarlett is from Chicago, she came up in the Chicago indies. I was there before she was even training to be a wrestler. I remember she was this annoying little girl that wouldn’t go away at the shows in Chicago, and now to see what she’s turned into, it’s awesome, man.”

Seth Rollins confessed that it is “inspiring” to see someone he didn’t see much initial potential in flourish. He added how she’s made it to the “big time” and that Kross has all the potential in the world.

Looking back to their captivating entrance from NXT, Seth Rollins stated how it was “something to behold” and is looking forward to see what comes next. According to him, Superstars only have one chance to make a powerful first impression, something that did with “flying colors.”

Heath Slater On When His WWE Non-Compete Clause Expires

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Heath Slater has the opportunity to take advantage of the current competitive environment for the first time in his career after getting his release from WWE last month and he has a plethora of options to choose from.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about things like his release from the company, the coronavirus pandemic and more.

During the interview, Slater discussed his WWE contract and the One Man Band revealed that he will be a free agent on July 18 as this is when his non-compete clause expires:

“I know that by July 18, I’m gonna have to start making some moves and get my name out there again. I can do whatever I want then. I’m hanging in there until then and just working on myself – mentally and physically and all that good stuff.”

When asked what he wants to do in his future, Heath Slater said that he wants to hit all the platforms because he has never had the opportunity to do so:

“Honestly, I want to hit all the platforms. The reason why is because I’ve never had the opportunity to. I wanna do the indies. I wanna go to some of the big indie promotions and have a good time.

Heath continued by name dropping promotions such as TNA, NWA and AEW as potential places for him to work at and said that he just wants to go out there and have fun.

Sami Zayn Stripped Of IC Title, Tournament Announced

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn has been stripped of the title and WWE has announced a tournament for the crowing of a new champion.

The news was announced just recently and it was noted that WWE is declaring the title vacant because the former Champion is unable to compete and defend the championship.

Sami Zayn has been away from WWE programming for a while and he was last seen on WWE TV during WrestleMania 36 where he defended his title against Daniel Bryan in a one on one match.

It was reported recently that the former NXT Champion was booked for the April 23 episode of SmackDown but he pulled out of the show due to coronavirus concerns.

This move from the officials is especially surprising because the company has previously told its employees that they would not face any consequences over the decision to pull out of the shows amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Intercontinental Championship was Sami Zayn’s first title in the WWE main roster since his debut on Raw 5 years ago during the May 4, 2015 episode of the show.

The high flying star is not the only wrestler to have pulled out of WWE shows. Roman Reigns infamously decided against working his WrestleMania 36 match with Goldberg and he hasn’t been mentioned on WWE programming ever since.

The now-former champion has not reacted to this change as of this writing but we will keep you posted on any development in the situation.

Backstage Update On Sting’s WWE Status

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The rumors about the relationship between WWE and Sting have picked up steam after some recent developments and now latest reports suggest that there might be some truth to these speculations.

According to reports from Pro Wrestling Sheet, the former WCW star’s deal with WWE has expired and as of right now The Icon is not under a WWE contract.

Though the site notes that this development doesn’t necessarily mean that the two parties could not work out a merchandising deal in the future.

The rumors about the WWE status of Sting first became a topic of discussion after he was abruptly pulled from an upcoming WWE action figure lineup of Mattel.

The statement from the toy company did not provide a clear reason for this change and they just noted that the former champion was being pulled from the series due to ‘circumstances out of their control’.

Sting made his WWE debut in November 2014 during Survivor Series and he was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2016. His last WWE appearance came during the February 25, 2019 episode of Raw where he took part in Ric Flair’s 70th birthday celebration.

There have also been rumors about the wrestling legend’s future and some latest developments suggest that he could be making his AEW debut soon. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.

Kofi Kingston On How He Feels About Working WWE Shows Amid Coronavirus

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

There have been mixed feelings among the WWE roster about the company’s decision to run shows amid the coronavirus outbreak but it appears that at least Kofi Kingston is in support of the decision.

The former WWE Champion recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about things like spending time with his family in quarantine and more.

Talking about the company’s decision to run the shows, Kingston claimed that he takes a lot of pride in providing the escapism for people in these trying times:

“We do take a lot of pride in providing this escapism for people because I do think it’s important to allow people to think about something else besides what is going on, we want to provide a sense of normalcy, provide something that puts smiles on people’s faces.

We need that. If we’re on just news lines all day, there is so much negativity out there.” said Kofi Kingston. “Maybe rightfully so because of all the uncertainty, and we don’t’ really know what’s going on.”

The New Day member went on to say that there should be some positive stuff out there and he takes a lot of pride in being part of the positivity.

Kofi Kingston and Big E successfully defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Money In The Bank PPV. We should get an idea about what’s next for them on this week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show.

WWE RAW Viewership Rebounds From Last Week’s All-Time Low

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Viewership data is in for Monday’s WWE RAW and Friday’s SmackDown. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

RAW Viewership

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.920 million viewers, which is up from the 1.686 million viewers last week, the lowest viewership in the 27-year history of the program.

Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:

  • Hour 1: 1.993 million, 0.59 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 2: 1.961 million, 0.58 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 3: 1.802 million, 0.53 in the 18-49 Demo

RAW featured the returns of Edge and Randy Orton in the final segment as well as the opening segment that saw Becky Lynch award Asuka the RAW Women’s Title as she announced she is pregnant. Bobby Lashley vs. Humberto Carrillo, Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade, The IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, Aleister Black & Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy & Seth Rollins, and Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya also took place. 

SmackDown Viewership

SmackDown averaged 2.025 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is up from the 1.885 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.

The show averaged 2.040 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 1.919 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets. 

The first hour drew 2.087 million viewers while the second hour did 1.992 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 1.941 million viewers while the second hour did 1.896 million viewers. 

SmackDown pulled in a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.50 rating as last week’s show.

Heath Slater Wants Matches With Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega

Jake Skudder
-
0

Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater recently appeared on the Chris Van Vliet podcast. The ‘One Man Band’ would discuss a number of topics from his time with the company and what he plans on doing now that he has hit the independent circuit.

Two names that Heath said he wants to face in the ring are NJPW and Japanese Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi and AEW’s Kenny Omega.

Heath Slater on Meeting Tanahashi

Heath would tell a story of when Tanahashi visited the FCW developmental territory while he was there. “I remember Hiroshi Tanahashi came to FCW, and this was a decade or so ago? No longer than that. This was when FCW finally got into the warehouse” Heath Slater began.

“He [Tanahashi] came down I want to say he was with Yoshi [Tatsu]? He came down for a visit and just talking and shaking hands and stuff but then left. And then, he was huge in Japan! But I remember him just talking and stuff.”

Heath elaborated further, saying “I remember seeing these clips and everything and then people reminded me ‘that was him, that was him!’ I was like ‘oh crap!’ And then he became the mega star over there in Japan to where I would like to go and work him over there.”

Kenny Omega

Slater would then discuss his time in WWE’s Deep South developmental territory, where he worked alongside another extremely notable talent, Kenny Omega.

“Kenny Omega. You know, I worked him back in the developmental days of Deep South” Heath Slater would reveal. “That’s the only match we ever had, and we were babies, you know? I would like to work him again. I feel like we can kill it.”

Who would you like to see Heath Slater mix it up with on the independents or otherwise? Let us know in the comments.

Also Check Out:

Crazzy Steve Returning To Impact, Signs Multi-Year Deal

Chris Stephens
-
0

Crazzy Steve returned to Impact Wresting at Rebellion. He was the mystery partner of Tommy Dreamer and Rhino as they went up against OVE. The former member of Decay has now been announced as having signed a new multi-year deal with the promotion.

The 36-year-old from Montreal was trained by Eric Young and made his professional debut in 2003. His first run with Impact lasted from 2014 to 2017. During that time, he was a member of the Menagerie and later Decay. He is a former TNA Tag Team champion along with Abyss.

Crazzy Steve and Abyss won the Impact tag belts in a “Valley of Shadows” match against Beer Money. The match took place at Sacrifice on March 19th, 2016. They would hold the belts until dropping them that October to the Broken Hardys at Bound for Glory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBqjRrnieYw

Impact announced the news today as having first been broken by Wrestling Inc:

Impact Wrestling Tonight

Impact Wrestling is back on the air tonight. The #1 contenders tournament kicks off with two opening-round matches. Additionally, Kimber Lee is scheduled to take on Havok, and Moose will defend the TNA World Championship against Suicide.

Lio Rush Reveals How He Found Out WWE Was Releasing Him

Chris Stephens
-
0

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was one of many WWE talents to be released from the company last month. Recently, Lio Rush took part in an interview with Forbes and commented about how he found out he was released from the company.

According to Rush, he called the company to ask when he heard about the releases and they informed him he was one of those being let go.

“I was the first group of people that were announced. I actually made the call myself,” Rush said. He continued to talk about how he saw the releases on new sites and then called the company.

“I saw that there were a lot of news sites posting about it. It made mainstream news, so I was like ‘oh man, this might be a real thing.’ So I called the Head of Talent Relations and I just asked—like, straight up—’Am I one of these people who is going to be released today? Because I’m seeing it all over the internet and I don’t want to find out over the internet or through one of my fans.’”

“He said yes, unfortunately, you are.”

Lio Rush On His Time In WWE, Wrestling Future

Rush signed with WWE in the summer of 2017. He started off in NXT but was moved to the main roster in 2018. After spending some time as Bobby Lashley’s “hype man,” Rush was reported to have been involved in some conflict with management. He began appearing in NXT once against in September of 2019, wrestling in the cruiserweight division.

Rush continued to say he’s not in a hurry to wrestle again after his release.

“I had good times in WWE. I had bad times too. And some of those bad times were a little traumatizing to me. I just thought to myself: Why put myself back in a situation where I was going to be unhappy?”

The full interview with Lio Rush can be read here.

Jon Moxley On What He Thought Of WrestleMania 36

Chris Stephens
-
0

WrestleMania 36 was the first time in close to a decade the event occurred without Jon Moxley on WWE’s talent roster. Moxley signed with the promotion in April of 2011. He recently took part in an interview with Fightful where he noted that not only did he watch both nights of WrestleMania 36 but he also enjoyed the show.

“I watched the whole thing,” Moxley said. “Both nights. I enjoyed it. I thought it flowed nicely and a lot of people really worked their ass off and put on great performances.”

Moxley specifically mentioned the Boneyard match between the Undertaker and AJ Styles as a match he enjoyed.

“I enjoyed the Boneyard Match, I thought that was cool. I thought that was really cool, too, because the Undertaker is a really beloved character. He’s like a comic book character. He’s a beloved character from our childhood. Same as John Wayne or John McClane or any action movie star you can think of, so it was really cool. I think everybody really enjoyed that.”

The full interview with Moxley can be read here.

Moxley also recently took part in an exclusive interview with SEScoops. The current AEW World Champion spoke about the difficulty of performing in front of no fans.

“Everybody’s kind of finding different ways to work around that, whether that’s the way you shoot it on camera, or lot of people are doing different cinematic style matches and stuff. It’s definitely tough.”

The interview can be viewed below or found on our official YouTube page here.

Otis Comments On Finding Out He Was Winning the Money In The Bank

Chris Stephens
-
0

Otis won the men’s Money in the Bank match this Sunday. Although he wasn’t able to climb the ladder, the briefcase escaped the grasp of both AJ Styles and King Corbin before falling into his’ hands. Heading into the match, Otis was not a heavy favorite. He spoke to SI.com recently about his reaction to finding out he was to win the match.

“I found out and was like, ‘What?’” Otis said. “When the briefcase got into my hands, that’s when it felt real. I remember watching the first ‘Money in the Bank’ match at WrestleMania, and it blows my mind that I woke up right next to it this morning.”

Otis On Being In The WWE Main Event Picture

Otis debuted on the WWE main roster in January of 2019 along with his Heavy Machinery partner, Tucker. He entered into a program along with Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and Dolph Ziggler in the build-up to WrestleMania 36. He then defeated Ziggler on the show and celebrated with Rose after. Otis also spoke to SI.com about moving up to the main event picture in WWE after his win at Money in the Bank.

“I’ve heard I’m just a big man comedy wrestler,” Otis continued. “I’ll admit it, I’m always the loud one in the room. But when it’s time for business, it’s time for business. Can I be in the main event? Let’s do it. If I sink, then that’s on me. I love wrestling, and I’m going to show people that I can do it.”

Real-name Nikola Bogojevi, Otis is a 28-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota. He was voted the 2017 Rookie of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Otis is scheduled to appear in a MizTV segment this Friday night on Smackdown.

The full interview with Otis can be read here.

Asuka Achieves Big Milestone With RAW Women’s Title Win

Chris Stephens
-
0

Asuka is the new RAW Women’s Champion after Becky Lynch vacated the title last night on RAW. The 38-year-old who has been with WWE since 2015 has now done something no other woman in WWE history has achieved.

Asuka is now the only woman in WWE history to have won a Money in the Bank briefcase, a Royal Rumble, the NXT Women’s Title, the Smackdown Women’s Title, the tag titles, and now the RAW Women’s title.

The 3 women’s Royal Rumble winners are Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair. Lynch never won the NXT Women’s title or the tag titles. Flair has never won a Money in the Bank match or the tag titles.

Other wrestlers who are close include Bayley, who just needs to win a Royal Rumble to equal Asuka. Alexa Bliss needs to win a Royal Rumble and the NXT title to do the same.

Asuka WWE Championship Statistics

Asuka held the NXT Women’s title from April 1st, 2016 (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) until vacating the title in August of 2017. She would later win the Royal Rumble in January of 2018.

Asuka won the Smackdown women’s title at TLC on December 16th, 2018. She would then drop the title on March 26th, 2019 to Charlotte Flair.

The Kabuki Warriors won the Women’s Tag Team titles at Hell in a Cell 2019 from Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. They then dropped them back to “Bliss Cross” at WrestleMania 36.

Becky Lynch Reveals When Her Baby Is Due, In-Ring Future Uncertain

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch spoke with People.com following the big news she shared on Monday’s episode of RAW. 

Lynch had to vacate the championship because she is pregnant with her first child. She’s been engaged to Seth Rollins since August. 

In this interview, Lynch said she learned she was pregnant in April and that the baby is due in December. 

Lynch also stated that she won’t be making a decision regarding her in-ring future yet

“It’s just such a joyous time and then such a sad time too. I loved this and I’ve given my life to this. I’ve achieved everything that I want to achieve in this business,” she explained.

“I don’t know what the next chapter is because I only know what it’s like to think for myself when I’m by myself,” the WWE star continued. “So I don’t know what it’ll look like and how my priorities shift and what I’m going to want in the future. So, everything’s open.”

Lynch also talked about how she went through a number of pregnancy tests in April because the first test came out negative. However, she had believed that she might be pregnant and bought more until a digital test that confirmed what she suspected.

Lynch recalled being with Rollins when she took the test and he just threw his hands up in the air as he was excited. 

Rey Mysterio Update After Injury Angle On RAW

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE ran an injury angle with Rey Mysterio on Monday’s RAW. Father-to-be Seth Rollins snapped and violently assaulted Mysterio. He drove the masked legend’s eye into the ringside steps, drawing blood and putting him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

With his contract reportedly set to expire in September, the question arises if WWE was taking Mysterio off television to begin contract negotiations or deal with an injury. According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Rey Mysterio “isn’t going anywhere.”  

He’s not the only one to think that Mysterio will be staying put. All Elite Wrestling’s Jim Ross recently spoke about Mysterio’s contract status during his podcast. During a discussion with co-host Conrad Thompson, Ross believed Mysterio had signed a new contract WWE. He shared how he felt that was a good call for Mysterio “at this stage of the game.” 

Ross stressed how Rey Mysterio was a “different breed of cat” compared to other cruiserweights and Superstars. He stated how Mysterio was simply “that much better and on a different level” in his opinion.

EC3 Pledges Destruction Of His Former Self In New Warning Video

Andrew Ravens
-
0

EC3 was back at it again with another warning video posted on his official Twitter account. 

This is where he pledged the destruction of his former self, meaning WWE character, and not be the corporately made persona anymore. He also talked about how he’s not reliant on the authority to make out right and wrong as well as finding freedom. 

This is all part of his new gimmick that he came up with following his WWE release. He has changed his look by cutting his hair shorter and growing a goatee. You can check out his latest warning video here: 

https://twitter.com/therealec3/status/1260016105097031682

EC3 was just one of many talent and staff who was released by WWE last month due to budget cuts as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus. 

Just a few days ago, EC3 cut a promo in a video shared on Twitter where he put over The Revolt, the tag team formerly known as The Revival. 

Just like all that were released by the company, his non-compete clause is slated to expire in July. Until then, he won’t be able to sign with any promotion nor can they legally make him a contract offer or appear on its programming. 

AJ Styles Discusses Seth Rollins And Drew McIntyre, WWE Championship

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE Superstar AJ Styles was unsuccessful in his attempts to claim the Money In The Bank briefcase during this past Sunday’s pay-per-view. Despite having the briefcase in his hands, “The Phenomenal One” would fumble the prize, dropping it into the waiting hands of Otis.

Although he wasn’t able to secure the win, AJ Styles still has his eyes set on some of WWE’s top Superstars including Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Those two clashed at the event in a title match, with McIntyre successfully defending his belt. 

Joining WWE show The Bump, Styles discussed both men and whom he’d prefer to face for the championship if it came to it. AJ Styles admitted he didn’t have a preference, praising both as “super athletic” and “super on fire” when it comes to their performance. “They have what it takes to get the job done. There’s no doubt about that, they obviously have one who’s the champion what has been the champion.”

AJ Styles On The “Biggest Threat” To Championship Contendenders

AJ Styles then singled out current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He highlighted how McIntyre is on a “different level” at this time.

Acknowledging his extensive experience in wrestling, Styles stated how McIntyre has also been wrestling for a long while. He believes that McIntyre is the “biggest threat to anyone who wants to go after the WWE Championship.”

AJ Styles recently referred to the events at Money In The Bank as a “travesty,” perhaps hinting that he intends to take his issues with Otis further on-screen.

Becky Lynch Addresses Fans After Raw Announcement

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

WWE had confirmed that Becky Lynch will be making a big announcement on this week’s episode of Raw but the company had not revealed any details about it.

So the announcement of her pregnancy came as a big surprise to all the fans of The Man and her speech during the opening segment of Raw left them emotional.

The now former Raw Women’s Champion took on her twitter after the show and addressed the fans who have helped in making her dreams come true.

Becky said that she doesn’t know what will happen in the future but recalled how she entered the Performance Center in 2013 not knowing anyone and now she has a family:

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1260004619150864386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Asuka won the Women’s Money In The Bank match this past Sunday during the namesake PPV and she was named the new Raw Women’s Champion after the announcement on Raw.

There is no word yet on what Becky Lynch is planning for her future and there is no news on when or if she will return to wrestling after her pregnancy.

The former Champion gave some more details about her pregnancy and revealed when she found out about it in an interview before this week’s episode of Raw. You can check out her comments on the matter at this link.

Undertaker Still Chasing The ‘Perfect Match’ Before He Retires

Steve Russell
-
0

The Undertaker’s WWE documentary series The Last Ride recently debuted on the WWE Network. As part of WWE’s promotional push for the series, the WWE Legend sat down with People Magazine for an interview.

During their conversation, “The Deadman” opened up about his reluctance to retire from in-ring competition. He also shared his ambition to wrestle a perfect final match. 

Reflecting on his historic career, The Undertaker acknowledged how he has been blessed to have exceeded any and all expectations since his debut as the character. That being said, he stressed how he wants a “John Elway ending.”

The Undertaker noted how he’s “fighting an uphill battle,” and admitted how time is running out for him. “But that’s the struggle. It has nothing to do with fame, it has nothing to do with money, it has nothing to do with anything other than wanting just that, “Yeah. That’s the match that I needed to go out on.’”

The first episode of The Last Ride is available to stream now on the WWE Network. It documents The Undertaker’s journey into WrestleMania 33. He wrestled Roman Reigns at the event in what was intended to be his final match.

Upon losing the match to Reigns, The Undertaker would symbolically leave his coat, gloves and hat in the ring, signifying the end of his career. 

Otis Talks About Being Bullied, Not Having Body Insecurities

Steve Russell
-
0

Money In The Bank winner Otis joined Lilian Garcia on a recent episode of her podcast Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Otis opened up about being bullied and dealing with dyslexia while growing up. 

When Garcia asked if he had ever been picked on during high school, Otis admitted he had been. He shared how he has “always been made fun of” because of the way he looks. He stressed how it wasn’t always weight-related, noting how he has difficulty reading due to dyslexia. 

“I got plenty of stories with me trying to follow kids back home trying to get at them but it’s just I wasn’t the fast one and yeah, reading assessment was weird. These days, like it’s funny to look back now because a lot of those kids that did do that, I don’t think they have the balls to talk to me anymore. I don’t think.”

Otis On Not Having Body Insecurities

Despite having to deal with people trying to make fun of him, Otis admitted he’s never had a problem with his size. He recalled how WWE wanted him to wrestle in trunks after moving away from NXT. He shared how he doesn’t have a lot of insecurities, but remembered thinking “‘Wow that’s not going to look good on camera here. I got a shakey belly, ya know?’”

Having adopted the idea of competing in trunks, however, Otis shared how the WWE Universe went nuts when he first debuted them. “I’m sitting there shaking my belly. So I guess I’m making a living shaking my belly…”

Otis would emerge victorious from this Sunday’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view. He caught the lucrative briefcase after AJ Styles fumbled it at the top of the ladder. At the time of writing, there is no indication as to what title Otis will challenge for. He has the option to compete with any champion from RAW, SmackDown or NXT.  

Aleister Black On If He Wants To Be Managed By Zelina Vega

Steve Russell
-
0

Prior to being thrown off the top of WWE HQ’s roof during Sunday’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match, Aleister Black spoke with New York Post. During the interview, Black was asked if he would be interested in being managed by his real-life wife, Zelina Vega. 

Black stressed he has no interest in having Vega manage him at this time. He noted how “I don’t think she has to because it would be kind of cliché.”

He explained how the idea she would manage him because of their relationship falls in line with expectations, which is something he doesn’t want. 

“I don’t think that I necessarily need my wife or my wife needs me on screen because clearly my wife is doing a phenomenal job. She’s basically been the head of Raw for the last two, three weeks.”

Aleister Black revealed how he’d prefer to carve out his own path as Vega continues to flourish on her own merits. That being said, it appears Black isn’t completely closed to the idea: 

“Maybe in the future, you know, if they come up with something good and something we would both agree on, who knows. I’ll never say never, but as I’m looking at it right now, no.”

Although unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase during Sunday’s pay-per-view, Aleister Black did defeat Bobby Lashley during last month’s WrestleMania 36. He teamed last night with Rey Mysterio against the pair of Seth Rollins and Murphy. 

Christian Compares His Move To TNA With Jon Moxley Signing With AEW

Steve Russell
-
0

Former WWE Superstar Christian has reflected on his jump to TNA back in 2005, comparing his move to Jon Moxley’s recent signing with All Elite Wrestling. Speaking with Wrestling Inc. Daily, Christian noted how every person’s story is different but stressed that Moxley has been doing a “tremendous job.”

Christian shared how when he left WWE, he was physically and mentally burned out from WWE’s arduous schedule. He was also frustrated. Christian believed that he could “perform at a higher level” than he was able to showcase.

He admitted that when he left, he knew he was going to go back to WWE at some point. Until then, however, he knew he needed to take a chance on himself and get better. He felt the only way to do that was to “take some risks and go somewhere.”

This decision to sign with TNA gave Christian the confidence boost he needed. He knew that when we returned to WWE, he would be “better equipped” than before. This need to leave in order to grow and get better is something he believes Moxley is experiencing during his successful run in AEW.

Speaking on Moxley’s time in AEW, Christian said “Obviously he’s the champion and there was great noise about him and what he was gonna do next. Anytime you can surprise the fan base – which is hard to do these days and he did that – and that gave him a lot of momentum as well.”

Christian and Jon Moxley recently worked together on a new film, Cagefighter: Worlds Collide. Christian produced and starred in the film, which also features Moxley and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.

You can read an exclusive SEScoops interview with Jon Moxley regarding his work on Cagefighter: Worlds Collide here.

1...1,1271,1281,129...3,404Page 1,128 of 3,404