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Details On Another WWE Superstar Shake-Up After SummerSlam

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WWE is discussing holding another Superstar Shake-Up after next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, according to the Wrestling Observer and a company source we spoke to earlier this week.

The most recent shake-up took place after WrestleMania 33, with RAW acquiring Bray Wyatt, The Miz & Maryse, Dean Ambrose, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Heath Slater & Rhyno, Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Curt Hawkins and David Otunga. SmackDown picked up Kevin Owens, Charlotte Flair, New Day, Rusev & Lana, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, The Shining Stars, Tamina Snuka and Byron Saxton.

In addition to RAW and SmackDown shuffling talent some time early this fall, the Observer notes that there has also been talk of sending one or more Superstars from the main roster to NXT. While we don’t have specific name at this time, the talent WWE would send to NXT would be wrestlers who previously had success there and aren’t doing much on the main roster.

If these plans do go through, it seems WWE is going with a bi-annual Shake-Up opposed to an annual draft as we saw with the previous ‘brand extension’ roster split.

WWE Reports Record Revenue & Q2 2017 Results

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Second Quarter 2017 Highlights

* Revenue increased 8% to a record $214.6 million as WWE’s Live Event and Network segments achieved their highest quarterly revenue in Company history
* Operating income was $10.7 millionand Adjusted OIBDA1 of $18.1 million was essentially in line with the Company’s guidance
* WWE Network averaged more than 1.63 million average paid subscribers over the second quarter 2017, which represented an 8% increase from the second quarter 2016
* Launched localized weekly TV shows in India and Middle East. WWE Sunday Dhamaal in Hindi with Sony Pictures Networks and WWE Wal3ooha in Arabic with OSN feature highlights of Raw and SmackDown
* Completed multi-year agreement to televise Raw and SmackDown on SuperSport, Africa’s premier sports broadcaster. WWE programming will be broadcast live for the first time in more than 50 countries
* Through the first six months of the year, digital engagement metrics continued to grow with video views up 18% to 9.1 billion and social media followers increasing 19% to 800 million
* Global sponsorship revenue increased 25% year-to-date, driven by new deals with blue-chip companies (KFC, Nestle and AT&T) and gaming partners (Psyonix, Square Enix & Activision)
* Lagardère Sports, a best-in-class sports marketing agency, was selected to further develop the Company’s global sponsorship business
* Completed agreements to develop new mobile games with GLU Mobile, maker of Racing Rivals and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, and Sega, creator of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega’s WWE Tap Mania launched July 20
* Extended Mattel’s global master toy licensing agreement through 2021. WWE action figures continued to rank among the top three action figure properties in the U.S.

Selected WrestleMania Highlights

WrestleMania (April 2, 2017) broke the attendance record for the Orlando Citrus Bowl, attracting 75,245 fans, and reached a record 1.95 million global households on WWE Networkalone, making it the most-watched WrestleMania in history. WrestleMania was made available live in China for the first time on PPTV Sports via pay-per-view with a choice of Mandarin or English commentary. During WrestleMania Week, WWE Network subscribers watched 22.5 million hours of content, averaging approximately 13 hours per subscriber. WrestleMania was the most social event in WWE history with 5.19 million interactions on Facebook and Twitter during the broadcast alone. WrestleMania accounted for nearly 30% of all social TV interactions on April 2nd, surpassing the Country Music Awards (13%), The Walking Dead Season Finale (10%) and MLB Opening Day on ESPN (10%). During WrestleMania, the Company launched its first Snapchat show yielding over 5 million unique viewers. A series of Snapchat shows, co-produced by NBCU, will start later this year.

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its second quarter 2017. For the quarter, the Company reported Net income of $5.1 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, as compared to Net Income of $0.8 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter. Operating income increased to $10.7 million from $1.5 million. Excluding items affecting comparability, Adjusted OIBDA1 increased to $18.1 million from $7.5 million.

“We are pleased with our ongoing efforts to execute our multi-platform content strategy as evidenced by the continued year-over-year growth of WWE Network, the increased production of localized programming across platforms and markets, and the attraction of new sponsors,” stated Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

George Barrios, WWE Chief Strategy & Financial Officer, added “We achieved record revenues in our Network and Live event segments, continued to grow WWE Network’ssubscriber base, and generated results that were essentially in line with our guidance. As we continue to drive WWE’s digital and direct-to-consumer transformation, we remain on track to achieve our 2017 financial objectives with record revenue, record Adjusted OIBDA results, and record subscriber levels.”

Q3 2017 Business Outlook

For the third quarter 2017, the Company projects average paid subscribers to WWE Network of 1.54 million (+/- 2%). The Company also estimates third quarter 2017 Adjusted OIBDA of approximately $31 million to $35 million.2 This range represents an expected year-over-year increase from $24.5 million in the third quarter 2016 primarily due to the contractual escalation of television rights fees and continued growth of WWE Network subscribers.

WWE is unable to provide a reconciliation of third quarter guidance to GAAP measures as, at this time, WWE cannot accurately determine all of the adjustments that would be required.

2017 Perspective

WWE management continues to expect the Company to achieve another year of record revenue and has targeted Adjusted OIBDA of $100 million, which would be an all-time record (up approximately 25% from 2016 Adjusted OIBDA of $80.1 million).2 Given that the Company generated Adjusted OIBDA of $36.7 million in the first half of 2017 and projects Adjusted OIBDA of $31 million to $35 million for the third quarter, reaching the full year target indicates a range of fourth quarter results of at least $28 million to $32 million. Estimates for the third and fourth quarter 2017 represent significant year-over-year growth, which is based on sustained revenue growth and more favorable year-over-year comparisons in the Company’s fixed cost base.

Comparability of Results

For the second quarter of 2017, Operating income included $1.1 million in film impairment charges. For the six months ended June 30, 2017, Operating income included $5.6 million in expenses primarily related to certain legal matters and other contractual obligations, and $3.2 million in film impairment charges. As these items impact the comparability of results on a year-over-year basis, they have been excluded from the Company’s 2017 Adjusted OIBDA. For the comparable periods of 2016, there were no such items that impacted year-over-year comparability.

A reconciliation of 2017 Adjusted OIBDA to Operating income (GAAP) for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2017 can be found in the supplemental schedules on pages 14-16 of this release.

You can read the full release on WWE Corporate at this link.

Renee Young Working RAW & SmackDown, 2K18 Cena (Nuff) Deluxe Edition

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– WWE has announced that Renee Young will be working both RAW and SmackDown television from this point forward. The move comes after WWE scaled back on her weekly Talking Smack show and the discontinuation of her ‘Unfiltered’ WWE Network series.

– The WWE 2K18 Collector’s Edition will be titled, “Cena (Nuff) Edition” and will shine a spotlight on the legendary 15-year career of John Cena. WWE 2K18 Cena (Nuff) Edition will retail for $149.99 and only 30,000 copies will be sold. The Deluxe Edition includes:

  • The WWE 2K18 Deluxe Edition video game, featuring
    • Access to WWE 2K18 Season Pass
    • Playable versions of Batista and Rob Van Dam, two of John Cena’s legendary rivals
    • Playable versions of Cena recreating his appearances at ECW One Night Stand 2006 and WrestleMania XXVI
    • Access to the Kurt Angle Pack, which includes two playable versions of The Olympic Hero
  • Exclusive premium packaging that includes a unique cover sleeve, which will delight both Cena’s fans and his detractors
  • An exclusive Mattel action figure featuring John Cena with Cena/Cena Nuff T-shirt options
  • A Fanatics limited-edition commemorative plaque that includes a piece of the ring mat from Cena’s historic 16th World Title triumph at Royal Rumble 2017, as well as a hand-signed photo from The Cenation Leader himself
  • Limited edition WWE SuperCard in-game cards decorated with Cena (Nuff) card backs that feature Cena, Batista and Rob Van Dam

Pre-Order WWE 2K18 now from WWEShop.com.

ESPN’s Ric Flair ’30 for 30′ Premiere Date & Trailer

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ESPN Films announced Wednesday that its 30 for 30 documentary on wrestling legend Ric Flair — titled “Nature Boy” — will premiere on Tuesday, November 7, at 10 p.m.

A press release for the documentary was also released.

ESPN Films’ Ric Flair 30 for 30 “Nature Boy” Premieres November 7

ESPN Films announced today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour (TCA) that its 30 for 30 documentary “Nature Boy,” on wrestling legend Ric Flair, will premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Director Rory Karpf (“I Hate Christian Laettner,” “The Book of Manning”) will take an inside look at Flair’s story, including his triumphs, his tragedies, and his pivotal role in turning pro wrestling into mainstream sports entertainment.

Real or Fake? It’s a question that’s long shadowed professional wrestling. But for one of the industry’s most legendary performers, there’s never been any separation between the ring and the world around it. His story starts in the Midwest, when a young Richard Fliehr set his sights on rising to stardom in a unique world, and decided to do anything necessary to get to where he wanted. A character was born, along with a singular desire “to be the man,” and a drive that made him as popular and polarizing as any figure ever to step into the ring. The success took a considerable toll – on his body, and on his wives and children – and in 2013 came a tragic postscript. But today, Flair remains as defiant as ever, proud of his legacy, eager to remain in the spotlight. This is the story of a man, a character, and their unbreakable connection.

“This film was basically borne out of working with Rory Karpf on our ‘I Hate Christian Laettner’ documentary,” says 30 for 30 Executive Producer John Dahl. “Rory interviewed Ric for his take on sports villains and wanted to do a film on him next. After watching that interview for the Laettner film, we were convinced that Ric would be a fascinating subject to explore for our first feature-length 30 for 30 on a pro wrestler.”

“Nature Boy” features two in-depth conversations between Karpf and Flair over a 16-month span, surrounded by interviews with those closest to the man himself; including Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Baby Doll, Tully Blanchard, The Undertaker, Arn Anderson, Shawn Michaels, Sting and Road Warrior Animal as well as his first wife, Leslie Jacobs, and children along with others who know Flair best.

“I grew up a huge wrestling fan in the 1980s and I was captivated by Ric Flair,” says director Rory Karpf. “It’s been a personally rewarding experience to tell the story of arguably the greatest wrestler of all time. Ric’s story transcends the wrestling business, and my hope is that it will appeal to wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.”

GFW President Says He’s Moving On From Negotiating With The Hardys

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Global Force Wrestling President Ed Nordholm recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated to talk about a number of topics. During the interview, the hot topic of discussion was the battle for the rights to the “Broken” gimmick between GFW and The Hardys. Here are some highlights from what Nordholm had to say:

Typically, the producer of a show owns the content and associated characters. The Hardys have stated they’ve spent thousands of their own dollars on producing the “Broken Universe” footage (ie. Jeff Hardy spent $3,000 on the volcano used in the “Apocolypto” episode) — so does that entitle them to any ownership of the Broken Universe trademarks?

“No,” Nordholm said. “The company spent millions of dollars producing television last year, including all of the shows that incorporate the various aspects of the ‘Broken Brilliance.’ I don’t know whether Jeff and Matt had some out-of-pocket expenses that they might have had on the volcano and the like, but that would not change, in any way, shape, or form, what their contracts say about who owns the IP. If they had some out-of-pocket expenses, they certainly never brought them to my attention. To suggest that they somehow funded the show is absurd.”

Sports Illustrated reported that both the Hardys and Anthem were close to an agreement that would have sold the “Broken Universe” intellectual property for somewhere between $10-15,000, but it fell apart when Anthem reportedly increased its financial demands from the Hardys. Was there ever a deal in place?

Nordholm answered, “What prevented it from completion is that we’ve never come to terms. I have made numerous efforts, going back to February and the time of the cease and desist letter [to Ring of Honor for advertising the ‘Broken’ Hardys for their 15th Anniversary pay per view] to make an arrangement with Matt Hardy to use the gimmick. Every time we have those conversations, they sort of start warm then end up not coming to fruition due to an inability to come to an agreement as to what basis I would confer those rates on him.”

Looking ahead, Nordholm was asked if he ever intends to sell the intellectual property.

“I’ve stopped thinking about this,” he said. “We have a show to put on, and a company and a brand. We’ve got things on our plate that are more important than sorting out the “Broken Brilliance.” I made a genuine effort to resolve something to benefit the Hardys as a goodwill gesture to Matt. It didn’t reach a conclusion and we’re moving on. We’re not going back to it, I’m not interested in opening a new dialogue, I’m not interested in opening another conversation about it. We made our best effort, it didn’t happen, and I’m not going to negotiate all over again.”

You can read Nordholm’s full interview with Sports Illustrated by clicking this link here.

Carmella Opens Up On Relationship With Big Cass, Joining Total Divas, More

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The winner of the first-ever female Money In The Bank (MITB) Ladder Match, Carmella, recently did an interview with Muscle & Fitness Hers. Carmella discussed her relationship with her boyfriend and Monday Night RAW Superstar Big Cass, being the newest addition to the Total Divas cast on E!, and how much she has grown in WWE. You can check out the highlights here:

What made you decide to join Total Divas for Season 7? I know you’ve worked with a lot of these superstars in the past, particularly Nattie and Naomi, so did you enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with them?

Of course! I mean, we’re actually always all together on the road, so you know it wouldn’t hurt to just add a camera in front of us. I’m excited because I think this is such an amazing time for the women in the WWE and female wrestlers in general. There’s so much going on in women’s wrestling right now, and I was just excited to kind of show what we do and what we’re all about and I know that Total Divas is about six seasons now and there’s Total Bellas and everything. So I’m excited to kind of share, you know, my story and what I am all about here in the WWE.

Along those lines, past seasons of Total Divas have covered some really personal moments such as Lana’s wedding and Brie’s pregnancy, and when I talked to Nattie, she talked about how she had to put down her cat and how that was a very hard moment for her to film. Are you OK with having these personal events being broadcasted to the public, is that just something you’re used to, being a WWE superstar?

It’s definitely not something I’m used to. Being a WWE superstar, I mean…there’s a difference between Carmella on Smackdown Live and Carmella in real life. But, I mean I guess that is what you sign up for when doing a reality show. So, you know, one of the struggles I’m facing this season is a real-life struggle, with my boyfriend Big Cass, who’s on Raw, and I’m on Smackdown. So, you know, we see each other one day a week if we’re lucky. Sometimes we have to go a few weeks without seeing each other, sometimes we’re traveling on different, separate tours, to different countries. But, I mean, it is what it is, so there’s nothing we can do about it, we make do and we make the most of our time together that we do get. So again that is something that we struggle with, and I’m excited because I think you can kind of get to know us because we’ve been very private with our relationship, a lot of people don’t realize we’ve been together for almost four years. So, I’m excited for people to kind of get to know us and see, you know, what we’re all about.

How do you feel you’ve grown as a superstar since your debut?

Well, I mean I can’t even—during NXT I was just the manager. I managed [Enzo] Amore and Big Cass. And then when they got drafted I kind of had to start all over again and figure out what I’m going to do and how I’m going to be different. And, three months later I was drafted to Smackdown Live, very last draft pick, most irrelevant, if you will. And I think the last year has done nothing but light a flame under me, I just wanted to prove, you know—you can pick me last, that’s fine, but I’m going to show you what a mistake that was because you should’ve been picking me first. Because, I have a lot to offer, so I just felt like I really had to prove myself, and here I am: two-time Ms. Money in the Bank, first contract-holder here in the ladder match. So, I think I’m doing pretty well for myself. [laughs]

 

You can read Carmella’s full interview with Muscle & Fitness Hers by clicking here.

Backstage Update on Brock Lesnar Wanting to Return to UFC

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There have been a lot of rumors circulating around recently that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar could drop his title at SummerSlam next month to return to mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in the UFC. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer recently joined The LAW to discuss this, claiming that there’s “definitely fire to the smoke”:

Meltzer stated that “The Beast” could be entering back into the USADA drug testing pool in order to resume fighting when his WWE contract is up in April. He also reports that the UFC is hoping for a Lesnar return in late December (most likely their New Years Eve PPV which Lesnar has main evented before) but he must be back in the USADA testing pool to be eligible to do so. He also has a remaining five months left on his suspension for his previous violation, which was frozen when he announced his retirement:

“Well, UFC wants [a Lesnar fight] because UFC’s having a bad year,” said Meltzer. “I’d heard a couple weeks ago they wanted Ronda Rousey back and they want Brock Lesnar, they want another Conor McGregor fight this year. They’ve got a budget and this year has been terrible. They want some drawing power for the end of the year.”

As for who Lesnar would fight upon his return, Meltzer said the UFC is aiming for a superfight of sorts against former UFC light heavyweight champ, and fellow freakish athletic specimen, Jon Jones:

“Their idea is Jon Jones,” said Meltzer “That’s the name I was told.”

Interestingly enough, Jones will fight this weekend (Sat. July 29, 2017) in an attempt to reclaim the 205-pound championship against Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214.

Stone Cold Expresses Frustration For WWE’s Booking of Shinsuke Nakamura

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WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jim Ross recently took to Austin’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to do a bit of fantasy booking within the WWE. One such fantasy match-up that Ross brought up was a program between former WWE Champion AJ Styles and former NXT champ Shinsuke Nakamura:

“I think Shinsuke Nakamura, we haven’t seen his best yet and I think AJ Styles may be as good of a worker as I’ve seen in years. He may be the best worker in the world right now.” Ross recalled, “you felt something in the crowd at [WWE Money In The Bank] with Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ.

“The fans that’ve followed their career know they’ve got a great history. And they’ve, I’ve seen it, had one of the best matches I’ve ever seen with Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ. We haven’t seen that yet in Shinsuke, but that WrestleMania match would be a great wrestling match.”

Austin also liked the idea, dubbing Styles the best worker in the world and believes he could bring out the best in Nakamura:

“I know that Styles is going to bring the best out of Shinsuke because I don’t think, from what I’ve seen, we’ve seen Shinsuke’s best in [WWE].” Austin added, “I’m sure he will get the best of of that guy. I’m sure they’re great friends from way back or whatever the deal is. But from what I know of AJ, if Shinsuke’s going to really work his ass off, it’s going to be with Styles.”

“The Texas Rattlesnake” then expressed his disappointment for the way WWE has been booking Nakamura as of late, claiming they’ve been using him as just  “another Joe Blow”:

“You bring him over and he’s going 30-minute broadways with half the damn roster. Debuted down there in WrestleMania 32, NXT, with Sami Zayn, hell of a match. Hell of a match! A lot of credit to Sami Zayn and Shinsuke, but here’s ‘The King Of Strong Style’ and all-of-a-sudden, he comes in and he’s working Dolph [Ziggler] and it took him a long time to finish off Dolph for ‘The King Of Strong Style’.

“Do you understand where I’m going with this gimmick? That’s booking though. What is the plan? You’ve got this guy who’s one of those talents that just don’t come around every single day. He’s special. He comes in and you treat him like he’s another Joe Blow.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

Lana Fires Back At Fans Who Say She Can’t Wrestle

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Lana has been getting mixed reviews on her in-ring work since joining SmackDown Live as a singles competitor. On Tuesday’s SmackDown, fans could be heard chanting, “You can’t wrestle” during a match that saw her team with Tamina against Charlotte and Becky Lynch.

Lana responded to those chants and people on social media with the following:

Jerry Lawler On Talking Smack Scaled Back, Great Khali’s Return

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On the latest edition of Jerry “The King” Lawler’s Dinner With The King podcast, co-hosts Jerry Lawler and Glenn Moore discuss the possible reasons why WWE decided to scale back on Talking Smack and only feature it as a PPV post-show.

When told about a rumor involving Vince McMahon not being happy with The New Day being on the show before debuting on Smackdown, The King shot that down. He also shed some light in Vince’s role with the show behind the scenes.

“As far as anything, like Vince’s decisions, who really knows other than Vince? I would highly doubt — just me personally and knowing Vince and knowing the situation — that the story you just said has any accuracy to it whatsoever.

I’m sure the guests on Talking Smack, all of that is probably run by Vince before the show goes on. Because I know the fact that I was going to be on Talking Smack was run by Vince before I was allowed to be on there.”

As far as the possible real reason why the show was cut down?

“It might have been logistics. When you’re talking these guys have been there all day long, and the crew has been there two days. And to ask them to stay an extra hour or two when everything else is being broke down and when all the other superstars have left getting back to their hotel or going on to the next city; it’s tough. It is hard. I’m sure there were some complaints from people not too happy about staying to do that. As opposed to the one after the pay-per-view; that’s easy.”

When talking about Battleground, he reveals most people backstage did not know The Great Khali was in the building.

“It’s so funny how things like that happen. People in the company, like myself and Renee Young and people doing the show, we had no idea that The Great Khali was in the arena.”

Other topics talked about on this show were: King’s return to WWE in 2001, going to an Australian brothel with Bret Hart, the XWF, and more.

WWE SummerSlam 2017 PPV Poster

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The official promotional poster for WWE SummerSlam has been released.

The main event for SummerSlam will see RAW Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe in a Fatal 4 Way Match.

Both Women’s Championship matches are set, with Naomi defending the SmackDown title against Natalya and Bayley challenging Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship.

In addition to these 8 Superstars, John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura and WWE Champion Jinder Mahal are also featured on the SummerSlam poster. Cena and Nakamura will square off next week on SmackDown to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship, but the inclusion of both Cena and Nakamura on the poster has some people wondering if we’ll see an indecisive finish next week and a triple threat match involving all 3 men.

WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 20th from Brooklyn, NY.

Matt Hardy Talks Final Deletion and the Personal Cost of the Event

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Matt & Jeff Hardy have been locked in a legal dispute with their former employers Anthem Sports over the use of their ‘Broken’ gimmicks/personas, when the Hardys rejoined WWE back at this year’s Wrestlemania the speculation was that they would be bringing the highly successful characters to WWE television.

The legal battle between the Hardys/Anthem is still ongoing and both Matt Hardy and his wife Reby have taken to Twitter recently to vent their frustrations both with the company and individuals such as Jeff Jarrett.

Matt recently posted a tweet claiming that the set for ‘Final Deletion’ cost $2500 and the Hardy family received no financial help from TNA/Anthem.

Do you think that the Hardy’s will eventually get the opportunity to bring the Broken characters to WWE?

Seth Rollins On The Self-Doubt He Went Through During His Knee Injury

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Ex-Shield member and former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins recently did an interview with The Cage to promote an upcoming live event this weekend, and talked about his career in WWE. Rollins discussed the one point in his career where he really doubted himself, what it was like to finally wrestle again after the injury, and what arenas are most special to him. Check out the highlights here:

The point in his career where he doubted himself the most:

“Probably after my knee injury. It was a pretty devastating knee injury with the ACL, MCL, meniscus all getting ripped and having to be surgically repaired. There’s a lot of doubt as far as where do I fit in when I come back? Can I physically handle the wear and tear of what we do? Am I going to be the same performer I was before? Am I going to be skittish?

“A lot of confidence needed to be rebuilt from a lot of different areas, and I’m still working on that, but at the same time I do think a lot of those questions have been answered so for me that was probably the one time in the last six, seven, or eight years where I’ve really been like ‘can I go compete at the level I want to compete at?'”

Wrestling again after his knee injury:

“First time you get in the ring is kind of by yourself practicing in a warehouse running all over the steps, so there was a good bit of trepidation when it came to doing that because it came out of nowhere. We had a clearance date and then all of a sudden I’m ready to go, I had to get in the ring and test everything out, so it was a little strange to fall on it for the first time or try and jump on it as high as I could.

“Whatever I needed to do to get myself in that sort of condition that I was before. Once I got out there in the ring and was ready to have a match it was a completely different story. I felt the rush of adrenaline and that got me through pretty much everything. It gave me all the confidence I needed, it was like riding a bike again.”

The most special arenas he has performed in:

“Honestly, anytime we’re in Carolina it feels kind of like special because of all the history that has been there, the lineage between The Horsemen, Ric Flair – anything that’s gone on there over the past 30 to 40 years, it always kind of has a little bit of an aura to it. When we come to Carolina in particular it always has a good vibe and the fans are always wild and ready to go, so I’m expecting nothing less then that on Friday.”

You can listen to Rollins’ full interview with The Cage by clicking this link here.

Photo: CM Punk Advertised For SmackDown Live on Hulu

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Even Hulu seems to be in denial of CM Punk’s departure from the professional wrestling world. “The Cult Of Personality” walked out on the WWE back in January of 2014 following the Royal Rumble, citing part-timers coming in and taking the top spot in cards such as WrestleMania as a key reason for his decision. He decided to take on a new career in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) as he signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.

He was unsuccessful in his debut bout at UFC 203, losing via submission to Mickey Gall in the first round. Although he didn’t pick up the win in his fight, he remained adamant in continuing to pursue a career in fighting, claiming not to miss the world of professional wrestling. Earlier this week, multiple gamers on Xbox took to Twitter to react to the fact that Punk was being advertised for SmackDown Live on Hulu.

You can check out the pictures here:

https://twitter.com/Grim__Reaper14/status/889954369084502016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fcm-punk-appears-on-hulu-ad-for-smackdown-live-this-week-photo%2F

For those of you who didn’t watch, last night’s (Tues. July 25, 2017) episode of SmackDown Live didn’t feature the return of Punk, but rather the return of former WWE Champion Chris Jericho.

Discussion: Do you think we will ever see Punk back in the WWE again?

Smacking Talk Episode 1 Recap, Nikki Bella Teases WWE SummerSlam Appearance (Videos)

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Smacking Talk recap

The first episode of Smacking Talk was posted tonight after SmackDown went off the air. Renee Young and SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan welcomed Chad Gable as their first guest. Renee Young was about to ask Gable about his former tag partner Jason Jordan being revealed as Kurt Angle’s son, but Gable didn’t want to talk about that.

Daniel Bryan revealed that he went and got an official paternity test to determine whether Chad Gable was his son or not. Bryan pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and Gable and Bryan opened it together. Gable then revealed a note that was written in marker that read “I am your father hooray!!!”. Bryan asked Gabel for a hug but Gable refused and stated that Daniel Bryan is only five years older than him.

Bryan said that he was a virile child and once again tried to say that Gable was his son. Bryan leaned in for another hug but Gable shoved him and stated that Smacking Talk has a long way to go. Daniel Bryan then broke down in tears and said that he has so much work to do as a new father. Smacking Talk concluded with Daniel Bryan holding back tears for several seconds as he and Renee awkwardly started at the camera. You can check it out in the video below.

Nikki Bella teases SummerSlam appearance

The Bella Twins uploaded a video to their YouTube channel of them watching WWE Battleground this past Sunday. Nikki celebrated John Cena’s victory over Rusev by dancing around. During the video, Brie Bella mentions that there are rumors floating around that Nikki might be at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th. Nikki doesn’t deny the rumors and hints at a surprise at SummerSlam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6vhXpy19cE

AJ Styles Reclaims US Title, Rematch Set For Next Week

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Tonight on SmackDown, Chris Jericho made his surprise return to WWE. He confronted Kevin Owens and stated that he was in line for a rematch for the United States Championship. AJ Styles came down to the ring and said that he was entitled to a shot at the title before Jericho because he just lost it two days ago at WWE Battleground. Owens denied both of them the opportunity and claimed that the United States Championship will not be defended in front of the people of Richmond, Virginia. SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon then came down to the entrance ramp and informed Kevin Owens that he will be defending his US Title tonight in a Triple Threat match against both AJ Styles and Chris Jericho.

During the SmackDown main-event, Kevin Owens hit Jericho with a Superkick and then planted him with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Owens went for the cover but Jericho somehow was able to kick out at two. Owens then climbed up to the top rope and connected with a massive Frog Splash. Owens once again went for the cover but AJ Styles sprinted into the ring and threw Owens to the outside. Styles then quickly covered Jericho and stole the victory to become the new United States Champion.

After the match, Kevin Owens lost his mind and destroyed the announce table ringside. Owens then grabbed a microphone as Styles celebrated with the United States Championship on the entrance ramp. Owens told everyone in the crowd to shut up and ranted that it wasn’t fair that Shane McMahon made him defend the United States Championship tonight in a Triple Threat match. SmackDown went off the air with Owens demanding that he get his rematch for the US Title against AJ Styles next week on SmackDown.

WWE SmackDown Recap & Reaction (7/25)

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United States Champion Kevin Owens kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Owens defeated AJ Styles at WWE Battleground via a roll-up. The crowd booed Owens as he stood in the ring. Owens was back to wearing a suit and tie to the ring. Owens held up the title and said that it just feels right. Owens referred to Styles as a “thief” and stated that he was happy to have his title back. The crowd started to chant “AJ Styles!” as Owens vowed to defend the title with the pride and the honor it deserves.

Owens announced that he was reinstating the Kevin Owens United States Championship Open Challenge and that it will begin next week. The crowd booed and Owens said that “there is no way I would ever defend my title in front of a bunch of hicks in Richmond, Virginia”.

AJ Styles interrupted and made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Owens said that Styles better be out here to congratulate him and admit that Owens is the better man. Styles stated that he was in the ring to get his rematch for the United States Championship. Owens said that he literally just said that Owens would not defend his title tonight in Richmond, Virginia.

Chris Jericho then appeared and the crowd went nuts. Jericho had the List of Jericho in his hands and joined Owens and Styles in the ring. Owens started freaking out and Jericho told him to be quiet several times. Jericho said that after a few months of rehabbing from Kevin Owens’ attack, he is back. Jericho stated that he was back to get his rematch for the United States Championship tonight.

AJ Styles welcomed Jericho back but stated that he was next in line for a shot at Owens’ United States Championship. Jericho then added AJ Styles to the list for trying to cut in front of him for a shot at the US Title. Kevin Owens started walking away and Jericho called him a “stupid idiot” while he was on the entrance ramp.

SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon then joined Owens on the entrance ramp and Owens rolled his eyes. Shane said that both AJ Styles and Chris Jericho will get their opportunity tonight. Shane McMahon announced that the United States Championship will be defended in a Triple Threat Match tonight. It will be Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho.

Reaction: Jericho has been missed in WWE ever since he left to tour with his band Fozzy. It is awesome to see him back and SmackDown already has a great main-event tonight.

Baron Corbin vs Shinsuke Nakamura

These two Superstars faced off at WWE Battleground and the match ended in a DQ after Corbin struck Nakamura with a low-blow. Nakamura started off tonight’s match in control and beat the hell out of Corbin. Byron Saxton informed the viewing audience that Nakamura was infuriated after the events at Battleground and was looking for Corbin before the show started. Corbin connected with a massive Clothesline outside the ring and brought Nakamura back to the ring and went for a pinfall but Shinsuke kicked out at two. SmackDown then went to a commercial break.

During the break, Corbin continued to beatdown Nakamura and slammed him into the barricade outside the ring. The action returned to the ring with Corbin still in control, only taking breaks to taunt the crowd in attendance. Corbin planted Nakamura with a Suplex and both men fell to the mat as SmackDown returned from a commercial break.

Corbin applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Shinsuke broke the hold and connected with a running kick that sent Corbin to the mat. Corbin got to his knees but Nakamura greeted him with a series of kicks. Corbin caught one of the kicks and smacked Nakamura in the face. Shinsuke responded by kicking Baron in the face. Nakamura perched Corbin up across the top rope and kneed him in the chest.

Shinsuke then climbed to the second rope and connected with a flying kick for a two count. Nakamura geared up in the corner and went for the Kinshasa but Corbin avoided it and planted Shinsuke with a Backbreaker for a two count. Corbin then shoved his boot in Nakamura’s face and mocked Shinsuke’s “Good Vibrations” move.

Corbin missed with a Clothesline but connected with Deep Six for a two count. Corbin was pissed off that Shinsuke kicked out and looked at the referee in disbelief. Corbin went for End of Days but Shinsuke countered it and booted Corbin in the back of the head. Corbin went for another low-blow but Shinsuke avoided it and booted Corbin in the back of the head. Nakamura then hit the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Reaction: Tonight’s match was much better than the cluster they put on at WWE Battleground. Having said that, I’d like for this feud to conclude because I do not want to see this match again next month at WWE SummerSlam. For whatever reason, these two don’t seem to work too well together in the ring.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi was interviewed backstage. Naomi discussed Natalya refusing to shake her hands after winning the Fatal 5-Way at WWE Battleground. Natalya immediately interrupted and said that Naomi has tarnished everything a WWE Champion stands for. Natalya poked fun at Naomi’s “glow” decorated SmackDown Women’s Championship. Naomi said that Natalya was stuck in the past and her decorated title represents the now. Naomi told Natalya that at SummerSlam she was going to be blinded by the glow. Carmella interrupted after Natalya walked away and reminded Naomi that she could cash in her MITB contract at any time.

Charlotte & Becky Lynch vs Tamina & Lana

Becky Lynch and Lana started off the match. Becky immediately went for the Dis-Arm-Her and Lana started screaming and scrambled her way to the corner to tag in Tamina. Tamina entered the match and shoved Becky to the corner. Lynch almost locked in the Dis-Arm-Her but Tamina fought it off. Becky booted Tamina in the face but Tamina lifted her up and slammed her into the turnbuckle. Tamina then slammed Becky face-first into the canvas for a two count.

Lynch desperately tried to tag in Charlotte but Tamina prevented it and beat her down some more. Lana was then tagged in and she planted Becky with a Suplex for a two count. Lana locked in an Arm Bar but Becky powered to her feet but Lana dragged her back to the mat by Becky’s hair for a two count. Some of the crowd started chanting “you can’t wrestle!” at Lana as she tagged in Tamina.

Tamina bounced Becky’s head off the top turnbuckle and then booted her in midsection a couple of times. Becky fought out of the corner and connected with a kick to the side of Tamina’s head. Charlotte was finally tagged in and she sprinted to the opposite corner and knocked Lana off the ring apron. Charlotte then leveled Tamina with a Clothesline and strutted across the ring as the Richmond crowd chanted “woo!”.

Tamina caught Charlotte with a boot to the face and Lana tagged herself in. Charlotte booted Tamina off the ring apron and then leveled Lana with a big boot for the victory. Tamina was shown outside the ring frustrated about the loss and was staring at Lana in the ring. Tamina booted the steps outside the ring and continued to stare at Lana as she walked around the outside of the ring. Tamina started shouting at Lana and Lana sat in the ring with a frightened look on her face. Tamina then walked away very pissed off and Lana slumped behind her up the entrance ramp.

Winners: Charlotte & Becky Lynch

Reaction: I thought this match was decent. The Lana and Tamina storyline is bizarre to me. It has never been explained why Tamina has had Lana’s back and now it looks like their friendship is already about to end. I don’t think too many people are clamoring for a Tamina versus Lana feud, so I really have no idea what WWE is going for here.

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal made his way to the ring decked out in a blue suit and tie. Mahal came down to the ring alone, as the Singh Brothers were selling their injuries after Sunday’s Punjabi Prison match at WWE Battleground. Mahal claimed that he crushed the legacy of Randy Orton at Battleground and the legend of the modern day Maharaja was born. Mahal stated that just like everyone in the WWE Universe, Randy Orton underestimated him at Battleground. Mahal demanded to know who his opponent at WWE SummerSlam and demanded silence from the crowd as he spoke in Punjabi.

John Cena came down to the ring and Mahal said that he wasn’t finished. Mahal said that he knows what Cena was going to say that Jinder doesn’t deserve to be WWE Champion. Cena stated that Mahal sucks as a mind reader, and said that he respects the fact that Mahal is in the best shape of his life and that the WWE Championship means so much to him. Cena then gave Mahal a heads up that at SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal is facing “Super Cena”. Cena then vowed to walk out of SummerSlam as a 17 time WWE Champion.

Cena’s music hit and Cena exited the ring. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then came down to the entrance ramp and Bryan congratulated both of them at being victorious at Battleground. Daniel Bryan announced that John Cena doesn’t make the matches and said that on SmackDown, opportunities are earned even if your name is John Cena. Daniel Bryan then made a match for next week’s SmackDown. John Cena will face Shinsuke Namaura to determine who will face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.

Reaction: I think it is pretty obvious that Cena will win the match next week and Baron Corbin will probably get involved and cost Nakamura the match. It still an exciting match, I just hope that the outcome isn’t as predictable as I think it is. John Cena versus Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam makes more sense to me at this time anyway.

Kevin Owens confronted Shane McMahon backstage about having to defend his United States Championship later tonight. Owens said that if Shane wasn’t the commissioner of SmackDown, he wouldn’t give a damn about him. Shane McMahon said that he is not to fond of Kevin Owens either and really doesn’t care what he thinks.

Sami Zayn & Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English & Mike Kanellis

SmackDown went to a commercial break right as this match started. Kanellis and English controlled the match during the break. When SmackDown returned, English and Kanellis were taking turns beating down Sami Zayn. Sami finally was able to tag in Dillinger and he immediately went after English. Kanellis tagged himself in and Tye knocked him to the mat. Dillinger connected with a series of punches to Kanellis and tagged in Zayn. Sami then connected with the Helluva Kick to Mike Kanellis for the victory.

Winners: Sami Zayn & Tye Dillinger

Reaction: It is nice to see Dillinger back on SmackDown. I actually would be in favor of the team of Sami Zayn and Dillinger going forward. Both RAW and SmackDown need more teams and WWE clearly isn’t invested in either Zayn or Dillinger when it comes to singles competition.

New Day were about to make their entrance but The Usos attacked them. The Usos slammed Kofi into the LED board on the entrance ramp and then dragged him down the entrance ramp. Big E tried to fight them off but got a double Superkick to his face for his troubles. Multiple referees then came down to the entrance ramp to break up the action.

Shinsuke Nakamura was interviewed backstage about his match next week against John Cena to determine who will face Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam. Nakamura said that “next week, John Cena, you can’t see me. Which means Jinder Mahal will see me at SummerSlam”.

United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles

Styles and Jericho attacked Kevin Owens right when the bell rung. Owens rolled out of the ring and Jericho went for a roll-up on Styles but AJ kicked out at two. Owens got back in the ring and punched Styles in the face and knocked him out of the ring. Jericho and Owens had a stare down in the ring and then traded punches. Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho but Owens shoved him to the corner. Jericho then connected with a Dropkick for a one count as Styles broke up the pinfall.

AJ knocked Jericho out of the ring but Owens knocked Styles to the mat with a Clothesline. Owens then punched Styles in the face several times and then taunted him. Owens launched Styles into the turnbuckle and then punched him the face a couple more times. Owens punched Jericho off the ring apron and then connected with a Senton onto Styles for a two count.

Owens rolled out of the ring and booted Jericho in the chest while he was lying on the floor surrounding the ring. Back in the ring, Styles connected with a flurry of chops and jabs to Owens. Owens connected with an elbow to AJ’s face for a two count. AJ locked in the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring but Jericho flew into frame with a Moonsault to break up the hold. SmackDown went to a commercial break with all three Superstars on the mat.

When SmackDown returned, Jericho was in control of the match and perched Styles up on the top turnbuckle. Jericho joined him up there but Kevin Owens picked up Jericho onto his shoulders. Styles fell out of the ring and Jericho rolled off of Owens and went for the Walls of Jericho. Owens blocked it and connected with a right hand that sent Jericho to the mat.

Owens charged at Styles on the ring apron but AJ pulled down the ropes and Owens went flying out of the ring. Styles then connected with a springboard 450 Splash on Jericho and went for the cover but Owens broke it up. Styles then launched Owens into the barricade surrounding the ring. Back in the ring, Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho onto Styles. Owens got back into the ring and Jericho catapulted him into Styles and AJ fell out of the ring. Jericho then locked in the Walls of Jericho onto Owens in the middle of the ring. Styles ran into the ring and Jericho broke the hold and hit a Codebreaker onto AJ for a two count.

The crowd started to chant “this is awesome!” as Jericho slapped AJ across the face. Styles went for a punch but Jericho ducked and knocked AJ to the mat. Jericho went for another Moonsault but Owens prevented him. Owens then hit a Cannonball onto Styles and then Jericho on opposite sides of the ring. Owens hit Jericho with a Superkick and then turned around into a Pele Kick courtesy of AJ Styles.

Styles leaped up to the top rope and Jericho Dropkicked the rope and Styles fell out of the ring. Owens then Superkicked Jericho in the face and hit him with a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. Owens was in disbelief that Jericho kicked out and went up to the top rope. Owens connected with a Frog Splash and went for the cover. AJ then got back into the ring and threw Owens out of the ring and covered Jericho for the victory.

After the match, Owens was in shock outside the ring as AJ just stole the title from him. Owens started flipping out and destroying the announce table. Owens proceeded to throw a chair at the ring as Styles celebrated with the title on the entrance ramp. Owens grabbed a microphone and told everyone in the arena to shut up. Owens got into the ring and stated that this wasn’t fair. Owens said that it is not fair that Shane McMahon forced him to defend his title in a Triple Threat match and accused Styles of stealing his victory. Owens added that it is not fair that the people in the crowd dislike him because he is better than than they ever will be.

Owens then demanded that he get his rematch for the United States Championship next week on SmackDown.

Reaction: We seem to be heading towards a showdown between Kevin Owens and SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon. I’ve never been a big fan of playing hot potato with titles. In the past three weeks, AJ Styles has won the United States Championship twice. Overall, I enjoyed tonight’s SmackDown and WWE did a hell of a job building up next week’s SmackDown as well.

Winner & New United States Champion: AJ Styles

What did you think of this week’s SmackDown? Let us know in the comments below.

Cena vs. Nakamura Next Week, Winner Faces Mahal At SummerSlam

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On tonight’s episode of SmackDown, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal made his way to the ring decked out in a blue suit and tie. Mahal came down to the ring alone, as the Singh Brothers were selling their injuries after Sunday’s Punjabi Prison match at WWE Battleground. Mahal claimed that he crushed the legacy of Randy Orton at Battleground and the legend of the modern day Maharaja was born. Mahal stated that just like everyone in the WWE Universe, Randy Orton underestimated him at Battleground. Mahal demanded to know who his opponent at WWE SummerSlam and demanded silence from the crowd as he spoke in Punjabi.

John Cena came down to the ring and Mahal said that he wasn’t finished. Mahal said that he knows what Cena was going to say that Jinder doesn’t deserve to be WWE Champion. Cena stated that Mahal sucks as a mind reader, and said that he respects the fact that Mahal is in the best shape of his life and that the WWE Championship means so much to him. Cena then gave Mahal a heads up that at SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal is facing “Super Cena”. Cena then vowed to walk out of SummerSlam as a 17 time WWE Champion.

Cena’s music hit and Cena exited the ring. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then came down to the entrance ramp and Bryan congratulated both of them at being victorious at Battleground. Daniel Bryan announced that John Cena doesn’t make the matches and said that on SmackDown, opportunities are earned even if your name is John Cena. Daniel Bryan then made a match for next week’s SmackDown. John Cena will face Shinsuke Namaura next week to determine who will challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.

Chris Jericho Returns During Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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United States Champion Kevin Owens kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Owens defeated AJ Styles at WWE Battleground via a roll-up. The crowd booed Owens as he stood in the ring. Owens was back to wearing a suit and tie to the ring. Owens held up the title and said that it just feels right. Owens referred to Styles as a “thief” and stated that he was happy to have his title back. The crowd started to chant “AJ Styles!” as Owens vowed to defend the title with the pride and the honor it deserves.

Owens announced that he was reinstating the Kevin Owens United States Championship Open Challenge and that it will begin next week. The crowd booed and Owens said that “there is no way I would ever defend my title in front of a bunch of hicks in Richmond, Virginia”.

AJ Styles interrupted and made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Owens said that Styles better be out here to congratulate him and admit that Owens is the better man. Styles stated that he was in the ring to get his rematch for the United States Championship. Owens said that he literally just said that Owens would not defend his title tonight in Richmond, Virginia.

Chris Jericho then appeared and the crowd went nuts. Jericho had the List of Jericho in his hands and joined Owens and Styles in the ring. Owens started freaking out and Jericho told him to be quiet several times. Jericho said that after a few months of rehabbing from Kevin Owens’ attack, he is back. Jericho stated that he was back to get his rematch for the United States Championship tonight.

AJ Styles welcomed Jericho back but stated that he was next in line for a shot at Owens’ United States Championship. Jericho then added AJ Styles to the list for trying to cut in front of him for a shot at the US Title. Kevin Owens started walking away and Jericho called him a “stupid idiot” while he was on the entrance ramp.

SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon then joined Owens on the entrance ramp and Owens rolled his eyes. Shane said that both AJ Styles and Chris Jericho will get their opportunity tonight. Shane McMahon announced that the United States Championship will be defended in a Triple Threat match tonight. It will be Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho.

WWE SmackDown Live Results & Discussion (7/25)

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The July 25th episode of WWE SmackDown aired live on the USA Network from The Coliseum in Richmond, VA.

– New U.S. Champion Kevin Owens down to the ring first to open up the show. Owens gets on the mic and talks about taking back his U.S. Title from AJ Styles, and says he will now resume defending that title with the pride and honor it deserves. Owens says he’s reinstating the Kevin Owens United States Title Open Challenge, and it begins next week. Owens says there’s no way he would ever defend his title in front of a bunch of hicks from Richmond, and this brings out AJ Styles. Styles steps into the ring, and Owens says he must be here to congratulate him and say Owens was the better man. AJ says nope, he’s here to get his rematch. Owens repeats that he won’t be defending his title tonight, and this brings out the returning Chris Jericho! This is Jericho’s first appearance since May. The first-ever Undisputed Champion comes out to the ring and announces that it’s the return of Jericho, drink it in man. Owens demands to know why Jericho is here, but Jericho politely tells him to be quiet over and over. Jericho says he’s back to get his rematch for the U.S. Title right here and now. AJ tells Jericho that a lot of things have happened since Jericho left due to injury, and says AJ is next in line for the U.S. Title. Jericho says AJ is butting in line ahead of him, and do you know what happens when you try to cut in front of Y2J? AJ Styles just made The List. Owens starts walking to the back, and Jericho tells him to get back to the ring but Owens declines. Shane McMahon comes out to the stage before Owens can get behind the curtain. Shane says both AJ and Jericho have legitimate claims to the U.S. Title, so they’ll both get shots at it tonight in a triple threat match against Owens. The crowd pops big for the announcement and everyone heads backstage.

– Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura are getting ready to head to the gorilla position next.

– Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin: The action spills out to ringside early where Corbin clotheslines Nakamura down to the floor. Back in the ring Corbin does his best to keep Nakamura grounded, but Nakamura fights his way up and drops Corbin with kicks. Corbin drops Nakamura again, and Nakamura fires up and delivers several kicks and knees to Corbin. The finish comes when Nakamura hits the Kinshasa for the three count after a short but competitive match.

– Women’s Champ Naomi is backstage for an interview which quickly gets interrupted by Natalya. Natalya says Naomi is disgracing the Women’s title, but Naomi thinks Natalya is stuck in the past and says she will retain her title at SummerSlam. Natalya leaves, then Carmella walks in with her Money In The Bank briefcase to taunt Naomi with it.

– Charlotte & Becky Lynch def. Lana & Tamina: Lana starts off against Becky, but she quickly tags in Tamina. Becky drops Tamina with kicks, but Tamina comes back and drops Becky then tags in Lana. Lana puts the boots to Becky in the corner then puts her in a shoulder lock on the mat. Becky gets up to her feet and Lana takes her back down with a fist full of hair. The crowd chants “you can’t wrestle” at Lana as she tags in Tamina. Tamina works on Becky in the corner until Becky fights out with an elbow and a spinning kick to the head. Charlotte tags in and cleans house. Charlotte hits several chops to the chest of Tamina, then drops her and hits a knee drop for a two count. Tamina comes back with a superkick then Lana tags in. This leads to Charlotte knocking Tamina off the apron, then Charlotte turns around and hits a big boot on Lana for the win. Lana looks confused after the match, and Tamina is not happy with Lana and shouts at her before leaving.

– WWE Champion Jinder Mahal comes out to the ring without the Singh Brothers, who are selling their injuries from Battleground. Jinder gets on the mic and says all of you people doubted him just like Orton doubted him, and now he has taken Orton’s legacy from him. Jinder demands to know who’s next for him and who he’ll be facing at SummerSlam. He begins to address his people in his language, and is then interrupted by John Cena’s entrance. Before Cena can say anything, Mahal tells Cena that he knows what Cena is about to say, but Cena stops him. Cena says he’s not going to doubt Jinder, but instead wants to congratulate Jinder. Cena says he respects that Mahal is in the best shape of his life and that the WWE Title means so much to him that he’ll do whatever he can to keep it. Cena says this is a congratulations, but also a heads up that he doesn’t care if he has a giant or a band of merry men because at SummerSlam he’s facing Super Cena. Cena says he’s walking out of SummerSlam a 17-time Champion, then tells Mahal “you can’t see me” and leaves. Before Cena can make it to the back, Daniel Bryan comes out to interrupt. Bryan says Cena doesn’t make the matches around here, but Bryan will make one. Bryan books John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a singles match next week to determine who gets a shot at Mahal’s WWE Title at SummerSlam.

– Owens approaches Shane McMahon backstage to complain about being put in the triple threat match against Styles and Jericho tonight. Owens says Shane doesn’t like him and doesn’t want him to be the U.S. Champ. Shane says this match is about putting on a great show for the fans tonight, and not Shane doesn’t care who the U.S. Champ is as long as it’s being defended on SmackDown.

– Sami Zayn & Tye Dillinger def. Aiden English & Mike Kanellis: English treats us to a song before the match. Maria is at ringside in Mike’s corner. English gets the advantage over Zayn early on, then tags in Mike who stomps a mud hole in Sami. Mike hits a big boot on Sami then tags in English. Sami and English trade strikes until Sami dumps him outside then gets the hot tag to Tye. English slides back in the ring and Tye drops him, then Tye takes out Mike too. Zayn tags in and hits the Heluva Kick on Mike for the win.

– The New Day is heard over the PA system in the arena, but then we hear some commotion. We cut to the stage where we see The Usos attacking The New Day from behind. The Usos beat down the New Day members all over the stage, and deliver multiple superkicks to Big E. The Usos admire their work on the stage before heading backstage.

– AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho: Jericho and Styles team up on Owens right off the opening bell. Owens rolls outside then Jericho and Styles go at it. Owens comes back in and takes out Styles, leaving Owens alone with Jericho. Jericho unloads with offense on Owens then hits a missile dropkick off the middle rope. Styles comes back in and goes to work on Jericho as Owens rolls outside to recover. Styles dumps Jericho to the outside, then Owens drops Styles with a superkick and pummels him with right hands. Owens knocks Jericho off the apron, then he hits a senton drop on Styles, followed up by a leg drop. AJ fights back with punches and chops, but Owens shuts him down with an elbow to the face. Styles gets Owens in the Calf Crusher until Jericho breaks it up with a Lionsault onto Styles. Jericho cleans house and delivers a series of chops to the chest on AJ. Owens drops Jericho, then Styles throws Owens to the outside. Styles then hits a springboard 450 splash onto Jericho, but before he can pin Owens throws Styles outside and pins Jericho himself for a two count. Styles pulls Owens outside and slams him into the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Styles goes for the Styles Clash on Jericho, but Jericho escapes and puts Styles in the Walls of Jericho. Owens runs in but Jericho snatches him and throws him into AJ, knocking AJ out to ringside. Jericho drops Owens and puts him in the Walls of Jericho, but AJ runs in and breaks it up. Jericho hits AJ with the Codebreaker and pins for a two count. Jericho slaps AJ across the face, and AJ comes back with a flurry of strikes. Jericho drops AJ then goes for the Lionsault, but Owens hits the ropes and Jericho wipes out. Owens hits the cannonball splash on AJ then on Jericho. AJ hops up and elbows Owens, then Jericho kicks Styles, Owens superkicks Jericho, then AJ hits the Pele Kick on Owens. AJ springboards up to the top rope but Jericho dropkicks AJ off and AJ falls down to ringside. Owens grabs Jericho and hits the Pop-Up Powerbomb for a near-fall. Owens goes up top an hits the frogsplash on Jericho, but AJ throws Owens outside before he can pin. AJ pins Jericho instead and scores the three count to win the U.S. Championship. AJ is bleeding inside his mouth. Owens freaks out at ringside and throws stuff around as AJ makes his way to the back holding up the U.S. Title belt. Owens gets on the mic at ringside and says this wasn’t fair that Jericho was here and that McMahon made him defend his title in a triple threat match. Owens says AJ stole his victory, and says the fans dislike him because he’s better than they ever will be. Owens says he wants his rematch next week, one on one. AJ kisses the U.S. Title belt on the stage as SmackDown goes off the air.

Exclusive Interview with Former WWE Superstar Simon Gotch

Jake Skudder
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SEScoops correspondent Jake Jeremy recently had the chance to interview former WWE Superstar Simon Gotch at the recent XWA – Charter Hall event from Colchester England.

Now known as Simon Grimm, he talked about a wide variety of topics, including his time in WWE, working with Aiden English as part of the Vaudevillains, how he would have booked the team in WWE, the WWE locker room, who he’d like to work with on the independent scene, the possibility of shaving his famous mustache and more.

A big thanks goes out out to Simon Grimm for taking the time to chat with us. Here are the highlights:

SEScoops: Thank you for joining me Simon, I’d likely to briefly discuss your time in WWE. In recent interviews, you’ve mentioned that the Vaudevillains had run its course and that you were unhappy. Where did you see the trajectory of the characters when you first teamed up with Aiden English? Did you have a set idea or was it more of a ‘suck it and see’ approach?

Simon: I think it was a very fan friendly character, if you want to say it this way it was a babyface gimmick and I think people liked it, and for whatever reason the company wanted us to be heels. So right off the bat we’re talking about swimming up stream. We continually had the feeling of ‘you aren’t doing anything right’ because they aren’t booing you. When you’re naturally a babyface and they try to make you a heel the audience just becomes indifferent, they don’t get angry and they don’t boo you because they don’t hate you, they have no reason to.

SEScoops: I think that everything about the Vaudevillians team was amplified, because you were using your mannerisms and movement to define your characters, you were both extremely animated…

Simon: …and entertaining, if you’re having fun with us you aren’t going to boo us. A lot of what happened was…I had hoped that because we were mishandled initially that when Brooklyn happened with Leva Bates (NXT Takeover) it was “ok this is leading somewhere positive, they finally get the deal with us,” they then almost immediately took the titles off of us on a TV taping…I think that we are still the only NXT Tag Champs to drop the titles (since the advent of the live specials) NOT on a live special. Everyone else has dropped them on live specials and I think they had the one in London a month later.

SEScoops: NXT is an interesting concept because when you move up to the main roster it is a case of ‘leaving the territory,’ so how do you drop the belts on the ‘smaller’ show and then move up to the main roster convincingly?

Simon: We didn’t even do that, we dropped the belts and disappeared…the common talk is that we were going to get fired. So we dropped the titles and then Wrestlemania was coming up. Normally after Wrestlemania because the financial year restarts for WWE a lot of people were saying ‘oh they’re getting fired they’ve dropped the belts real quick.’ And then we got called up instead. It was often the idea that no matter how bad the game is you can’t win a championship if you aren’t on the team. You give them ideas and you can suggest stuff and it will eventually go through, but it never seemed to. And ultimately we were just used and thrown away.

SEScoops: When you in the WWE locker room, was there a sense that there were opportunities outside of the company? Performers like yourself and Cody have proved that you can leave and have a viable career elsewhere.

Simon: I think there is a feeling of that. Guys like say Apollo Crews or Kalisto who were successful on the indies, they were making a full time living as wrestlers before they got signed, they are well aware that if they were to get released or if they were to ask for their release they could go to Mexico or Japan or to the indies in the US or Europe and they could make a living. Whereas in the past it was basically if you weren’t in WWE you weren’t making money unless you were the 1% of independent wrestlers like a Daniel Bryan, or a Low-Ki or a Christopher Daniels, those guys were making livings. But most guys on the indies were 50 dollars US a night if you were lucky. I think that there is a lot more opportunity to make a living now.

SEScoops: Are you looking to establish yourself as a singles star on the independent circuit?

Simon: Re-establish…I was actually not a tag team wrestler when I got signed

SEScoops: Of course you were Ryan Drago on the indies from 2002-2013 if I’m correct?

Simon: I trained for a year before that as well. I wasn’t a tag team wrestler by trade, the initial team they actually put me in was me and Bull (Dempsey), there were two ‘proto’ versions of the Vaudevillains, one was myself and Aiden English and one was with a guy named Nicky Keegan.

SEScoops: I haven’t heard that name come up before…

Simon: Unfortunately he wound up injuring his neck and had to retire. Bull had been brought on to TV so English and me started tagging after that.

SEScoops: If you could form a team on the indies who would it be with and what would you name it?

Simon: That’s a hard one because I would never actually want to go back to a team again but if were an option someone like…there’s so many options I think a guy like Keith Lee, Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr…

SEScoops: I was thinking maybe Marty Scurll?

Simon: Marty Scurll would be a good one. I absolutely adore Marty Scurll, to be perfectly honest I originally saw Marty back when he and Zack Sabre were the Leaders of the New School, like 2010-2011 maybe. I remember seeing them and I liked Zack’s style and I remember Marty wasn’t bad but he was just kind of ‘playing?’ And then, when I saw him doing the stuff with the plague mask I thought “that’s different” and then I actually saw him at a Ring of Honor show and I was like “wow, this guy gets it. This guy is REALLY good” I would love to work with Marty, either wrestling against him or teaming with him he’s genuinely a very charismatic and talented guy, he has come a long way from just trying to be the hot new indie kid on the British scene to being a really talented wrestler.

SEScoops: I wanted to ask you how you feel the independent scene has changed pre and post your WWE career?

Simon: Well just beyond the money there’s also the amount of talent. It used to be that you had the top dozen or so guys that would work everywhere. And now it’s more like there’s 100 guys on the indies. You’ve got guys like ACH, Lio Rush, Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate)…all these guys are top names now, whereas in the past it would’ve been “who’s main eventing the show?” It’s probably Chris Daniels, Daniel Bryan, Low-Ki, Doug Williams, AJ Styles or some mixture of these guys, whereas now it could be anyone.

SEScoops: You have more visibility on the independent scene now than at any other time in history. If I wanted to watch a promotion across the globe tomorrow there’s a good chance they have an on-demand service…

Simon: On demand, or YouTube, Direct download there are so many options. That’s the other thing, media and production value. I started wresting in 2001, back when having pipe and drape for an entrance and an actual sound system was groundbreaking. You’d also have one person with a single hard cam shot of the ring and that was your production value for a video. And to see even if you look back at early Ring of Honor, CZW or the Smart Mark video releases they’re so barbaric (laughs) compared to production value today. It’s great to see that independent groups are investing in themselves and they understand that yes, the wrestling matters but to a certain extent the fans are so used to seeing all of the pomp and all the bells and whistles that it’s nice to have those on a smaller scale and feel like you’re having a ‘real’ show.

SEScoops: It’s like if a company produced a show today with the same visual quality of ECW from the mid nineties people would refuse to watch it…HD is so readily available that everyone needs it.

Simon: Exactly, and to me that is a good thing. High standards make everyone better. I know that when I get in the ring with a guy like Daisuke Sekimoto I know I have to bring my A game. Last night I had a match with Matt Riddle, that guy is a former UFC fighter, he could mess you up! You get in the ring and you’re like “he’s gonna hit me hard” and I have to bring it back because if I don’t…I’m dead.

SEScoops: So….Japan, have you had contact with any of the promotions over there and has it been a goal of yours to perform over there?

Simon: That is definitely my goal, I would absolutely love to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Obviously beyond the high level of talent…guys like Marty, Zack, Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Juice Robinson…you also have the native talent such as Tanahashi, Hiromu Takahashi, Okada…

SEScoops: You mentioned Juice Robinson…

Simon: There’s a guy that, a lot of people don’t know this….he quit at Wrestlemania.

SEScoops: Really?

Simon: Yea in San Francisco. It was a very gutsy move. He went up to Triple H and his words were “look I don’t want to work for someone who doesn’t believe in me.” Triple H said “I can respect that,” he asked him to hang around for a while so that they could work out his stuff, he stayed for one more month and then he was done. It was on his terms and he went and he said “I’m going to prove you wrong. You think I’m a guy that is here to put people over and that’s all I can do. I’m very talented.” I mean he just beat Kojima in the G1. That’s a hell of a win, that’s a very big honour to have.

SEScoops: I haven’t seen it yet. “Spoilers” ..

Simon: I heard it was a great match! That’s the thing there are so many guys like that where you just have to have the guts to believe in yourself. When you’re in the system (WWE) it’s hard because there is so much money…

SEScoops: Of course it is, it’s so easy for fans to ask people why they just don’t leave but you have to make a business decision…

Simon: Yea, it’s the difference between making three, four hundred thousand dollars a year and not knowing if you’re going to pay the bills…it’s a very scary feeling. In WWE there’s always that feeling of no matter what happens you’re going to get paid. When you’re outside if you’re not working then you’re not getting paid. It can be very scary. I even had a couple moments of my August looks light, and then I thought I have some big matches when I get back to the US, I’m coming back to the UK in September for King of Trios, I’m back in XWA in October…In all those cases they are high profile matches…but a lot of misinformation was put out on the internet about my time in WWE. To that end I know that I’m kind of fighting uphill, but with these matches and the more people get to know me then the more they realize that stuff is false.

SEScoops: What sort of stories? Anything specific spring to mind?

Simon: My favourite is..right after I was released someone ‘reskinned’ a story from the Wrestling Observer about Juventud Guerrera, they just pulled his name out and put mine in…there’s still people to this day that quote this story as fact.

SEScoops: Don’t believe everything you read on the internet (apart from this site of course)…

Simon: A retraction will never get as much attention as a statement

SEScoops: Of course it won’t

Simon: They’ll do a front-page story about something and then the retraction will be seen the next day in small print on the last page…no one knows

SEScoops: I love the Misfits parody logo that you’ve got on your new gear…

Simon: Thank you that was done by a guy named Juan of the Dead 209 on Twitter and Instagram, very talented guy he’s done some shirts for other guys, he’s a wonderful artist and a great human being. Hell of a beard on him…

SEScoops: You seem like a man who appreciates good facial hair…

Simon: I do! The funny thing was I swore up and down that I was going to shave this off as soon as I got released.

SEScoops: You can’t do that.

Simon: I can’t do it, too many people want to see it. If a promoter is bringing me in they want the moustache I’ve gotta keep it for a least a while. Maybe in a year I’ll do a moustache vs hair match and lose…

SEScoops: Finally, did you have a list in your mind of who you wanted to face on the independent scene when you left?

Simon: Not really, honestly I’ve been away for so long that five is too few! Honestly anyone who wants to go out there and give their all. As I said there’s a lot of talent who can do it, there are a lot of options. When I was on the indies before it was basically “who is in Ring of Honor” (laughs), that’s what it was. I really like Cara Noir, he has a presentation that you don’t usually see on the independent scene. The main thing is I get bored very easily, anyone I wrestle I don’t want to be bored by them.

SEScoops: For a while the indie scene was guilty of black trunks, black kickpads….

Simon: Same five moves as well, it was the Shining Wizard, the Double Stomp, the Brainbuster…it was like five moves.

SEScoops: Are there any companies that you are specially looking at working for?

Simon: Obviously New Japan as I mentioned. The British scene has blown up so much and there are so many companies to work for. I’ll be back here in October and there are obviously options in Scotland and Ireland as well.

SEScoops: ICW and OTT…

Simon: I remember back in the day when Ireland was Irish Whip and that was it. The only school was Hammerlock. Those were your only options but now there’s a lot more. Even like France has a scene, Italy has wrestling, Spain has some stuff, Norway, Sweden…there are promotions all over Europe now.

SEScoops: wXw in Germany is another massive promotion…

Simon: Yes wXw there’s another one…I would really love to go to New Japan like I said.

SEScoops: Well they are opening up an American territory, so that might be worth a look

Simon: Absolutely, trust me I’d love to move back to California I’ll work as a trainer! Like I said there’s just so many places to work now. It’s just a question of who’s next?

SEScoops: Thanks again for the talk.

Simon: Thank you.

Thanks again to Simon Grimm for his time. He’s back in XWA October 8th and will be be appearing at King of Trios for Chikara on September 1, 2 and 3. Follow him on Twitter @GotchStyleWWE.

Daniel Bryan & Renee Young Joke About Hosting Rogue Post-SmackDown Show

Chris Stephens
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Take this for what you will, but both Daniel Bryan and Renee Young are claiming they will be hosting a new show after Smackdown tonight. According to them “Smacking Talk” actually will debut tonight on Tout.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW_DHmIlET2/

Does Tout Still Exist? Did Anyone Ever Use It?

In 2012, WWE invested $5 million in Tout, a social media blogging and video platform. It is unclear what percentage of Tout WWE owns. They would sometimes even use “touts” from wrestlers on their programming.

WWE stopped using their Tout channel in 2014. Unless Daniel Bryan and Renee Young are trolling everyone, that will change tonight after Smackdown!

AJ Styles Opens Up About Rumored Dream Match With Shawn Michaels

Jon Fuentes
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Former WWE Champion AJ Styles recently joined The Sam Roberts Wrestling podcast to talk about his journey in the WWE thus far. During the show, “The Phenomenal One” discussed the rumors that he would be facing Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, the notion that John Cena ‘buries talent’, and what he did that got himself over with Vince McMahon. Here’s what he had to say:

Rumored Royal Rumble match against Shawn Michaels:

“I’m just glad someone asked him because I actually pitched it, ‘can we… has anyone asked Shawn? No? Can we? Can someone just ask him? All he can say is ‘no’.’ And truthfully, I respect him so much as a man because when he said he retired he actually did it. He didn’t come back. And even I said, ‘well, money talks, doesn’t it?’ Not to Shawn Michaels. He’s a man of his word and at the end of the day all you have is your word.”

Styles added, “it really doesn’t do anything for anybody, so he was absolutely 100% correct and made the right decision.”

Learning a lot from John Cena and the notion that he ‘buries talent’:

“I learned a lot from him. It’s just the little things that he does.” Styles continued, “people aren’t going to like this, but I’m telling you, I’d say 90% of the things I’ve learned that I felt helped me tremendously is John Cena. The guy… there’s a reason he was able to stay on for more than 10 years and done what he has done in his career.”

“I don’t think that’s true (Cena burying talent). It’s up to you, if you leave after your storyline with John Cena to carry on what you’ve been called. Exactly, exactly. That’s all it is and if you continue to do that, you’ll find a way to get to whatever spot it is.”

What he did to get over with Vince McMahon:

“Well, I think it was the MizTV where I beat him up. I think that’s when he goes, ‘whoa, okay…’ It’s one of those things where you’ve just got to… I don’t know… I think Vince kind of likes a tough guy to some degree. And I’m not saying I’m Brock Lesnar, but I fought all my life.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Brock Lesnar Set To Work With Samoa Joe at Upcoming Live Events

Jon Fuentes
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As we’ve previously reported, Brock Lesnar is set to work a couple of SmackDown Live Events these next few weeks. “The Beast” is set to work this Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) event from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. He will also work the August 12th show from Tampa, Florida. His opponent for both of those shows will be none other than Samoa Joe.

Lesnar and Joe worked together earlier this month at the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) where the pair put on and epic back-and-forth fight for the Universal Championship. Although he put up a heck of a fight, Lesnar was able to capitalize on a mistake from “The Destroyer” and hit an F5 for the win. Joe will be part of a Fatal Four-Way match at SummerSlam, along with Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Lesnar for the Universal Title.

The former UFC heavyweight champ is also set to appear at Monday Night RAW next week from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here is Lesnar’s full confirmed updated WWE schedule:

* WWE live event – July 29th in Detroit, MI

* Monday Night Raw TV event – July 31st in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

* SmackDown live event – August 12th in Tampa, FL

* Monday Night Raw TV event – August 14th in Boston, MA

* SummerSlam PPV – August 20th in Brooklyn, New York

* Monday Night Raw TV event – August 28th in Memphis, TN

* Monday Night Raw TV event – September 11 in Anaheim, CA

* No Mercy – September 24th in Los Angeles, CA

* WWE live event – September 30th in Winnipeg, MB

Becky Lynch Wants a Female TLC Match & Tag Team Titles

Jon Fuentes
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Former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently did an interview with Ringside Collectibles to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Lynch talked about possibly facing the other Four Horsewomen (Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke, and Shayna Baszler), what she’d like to see take place next in the women’s division, and who she thought stood out in the Mae Young Classic. You can check out what she had to say here:

Possibly facing the other Four Horsewomen:

“That would be a competitive match-up, but it’s our sport, not theirs, and that’s what I’ve been saying. I appreciate everything those women have done for their sport, but this our sport and this is our territory.”

Wanting to see a TLC match and Tag Team Titles next in the women’s division:

“Now that I’ve done the Tables Match, I’ve done the Ladders Match – and I got hit with a chair at the end of it – I think it’s only due time I have a TLC match. I would also like to be part of the main event [at] WrestleMania. I would also like there to be a women’s Royal Rumble. I would also like there to be women’s tag titles.”

Who stood out to her at the Mae Young Classic:

“Watching that warmed my heart and I’ll tell ya why, because when I started wrestling all of those years ago, we’re talking about being on the independents. We’re talking 12, 13, 14 years ago and seeing women who were there at the time and working – with no light at the end of the tunnel – and they kept working and they kept progressing. So, Mercedes Martinez was one and she did so well and it was so great to watch her, having worked all that time and now get the platform she deserves.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

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