Nia Jax made her NXT debut at Thursday night’s TV tapings from Full Sail University. She defeated Kay Lee Ray in a match that will air on next week’s show. Here are some photos from her debut via Twitter:
Debut of @NiaJaxWWE pic.twitter.com/rR3Wk2t4jJ
— Justin LaBar (@JustinLaBar) October 8, 2015
https://twitter.com/snkxwwe/status/652255505151356929
https://twitter.com/gravenbabies/status/652256064579215360
https://twitter.com/gravenbabies/status/652282652704292864
Apollo Crews is the #1 contender to Finn Balor’s NXT Championship after winning a battle royal at Thursday’s TV tapings from Full Sail University. The final four in the battle royal were Crews, Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin and Tyler Breeze.
No word yet on when the match will take place, NXT Takeover: London on December 16th is still over 2 months away. Crews has looked great since making his NXT debut over the summer and looks to be on the fast track to the top.
New number one contender @ApolloCrews #NXT @ShakeThemRopes pic.twitter.com/h24fbLAAmI
— METSFAN (@WWEMETSFAN) October 8, 2015
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast this week and spoke candidly about Sting getting injured at Night of Champions.
Sting took a corner powerbomb and got rocked so badly the match was temporarily stopped and they wound up ‘going home’ sooner than planned. Since then, many have been questioning whether the 56-year old icon should be wrestling hard hitting main event matches against guys like Rollins, who is under 30.
Here’s what Rollins said about it:
“It was an amazing experience for me to get to step into the ring with somebody I dressed up [as for] Halloween. I mean, I was Sting two years in a row when I was like 13, 14, so it was pretty rad to be in there with a legend like that.”
“Ironically enough, Sting got a ‘stinger’. It happens to all of us, but it was just bad timing in his situation.” Rollins added, “we got through it, and he’s a professional.”
“I mean nothing against Sting – he’s in phenomenal condition, but he’s also a 56-year-old man.” Rollins continued, “I have taken the buckle bomb myself many times. It’s just one of those things. It’s a freak accident.”
“I feel terrible. I was definitely concerned about his health, still am, but after tests and everything, he seems to be okay, so it’s all good.” Rollins also said, “he’s going to make a good recovery”.
https://youtu.be/cr0P2tFoSJ8
Former TNA World Heavyweight champion James Storm made his NXT debut at Thursday night’s TV tapings from Full Sail University. He competed against Danny Burch in a match that airs next Wednesday on the WWE Network.
BREAKING NEWS: @JamesStormBrand appears live at #WWENXT taping @FullSail! pic.twitter.com/32zvYZLAXK
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 8, 2015
Scoop #6: James Storm vs Martin Stone pic.twitter.com/olP2YdVSXm
— Jacob Cohen (@MrJacobCohen) October 8, 2015
Storm attended last night’s NXT Takeover: Respect event and it’s been reported that WWE is looking to use him in a player/coach type role.
WWE.com is now covering the story, referring to Storm as a top international star, an 18-year veteran and former heavyweight champion. WWE COO Triple H also acknowledged Storm’s debut:
.@WWENXT is the place to be….
https://t.co/LhZR7OCksp— Triple H (@TripleH) October 8, 2015
We’ve got more details regarding the upcoming second season of Lucha Underground.
The first round of tapings for season two begin on November 14th from Boyle Heights, CA.
https://twitter.com/mlw/status/652239849806790656
Lucha Underground Co-Executive Producer Chris DeJoseph also revealed this week that the show returns to television in January, earlier than a lot of people were expecting.
January 2016 https://t.co/Q6R3i4e0rz
— Chris DeJoseph (@chrisdejoseph) October 7, 2015
– Trevor Lee turned down an opportunity to work at the TNA Wrestling live event in Salem, Virginia on October 3rd. Lee turned down the show so that he would be able to appear instead for CWF, an independent show that took place in Gibsonville, North Carolina. That is apparently where Lee got his start in the business. Lee did end up working the Bound For Glory event later in the weekend in the same state.
– Sony SIX is financing the upcoming TNA tour of India, which will feature some taped episodes of Impact Wrestling, as part of a deal with the promotion to push Mahabali Shera, an Indian talent.
– The following are some recent TNA attendance figures:
* October 2nd in Beckley, West Virginia drew around 250 people
* October 3rd in Salem, Virginia drew 450 fans
* October 4th in Charlotte for Bound For Glory drew 1,800 fans with heavy papering
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed by “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair for Ric’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast. The two Hall of Famers discussed their time in both WWE and TNA. You can stream or download the podcast here.
Hogan reiterated his stance on WWE firing him over his leaked racist rant, saying they did what they had to do. He said the loyalty of the fans is something that WWE can’t take away from him and he won’t take for granted. He has nothing bad to say about Vince or WWE, and says he knows he created some great memories there.
Related: Hogan vs. Gawker Update: Sex Tape Will Be Shown In It’s Entirety
The two ring icons also got into the subject of TNA, where they both worked at the same time. Hogan was a member of the creative team during their runs in the company, and recalled the time he convinced Ric to take a clothesline from him while Ric was rolling down the ramp in a wheelchair. Flair was glad the crowd popped huge for the clothesline, because he says it’s hard to make the old Impact Zone pop as there are a lot of non-wrestling fans in attendance.
Dixie Carter is another person Hulk says he has nothing bad to say about, because she supported him through some tough surgeries. He did concede that being in TNA was a “tough gig.”
Flair put over James Storm and Bobby Roode as great talents. Flair also said that the decline for the company is due to “inconsistent booking” and having, “too many cooks in the kitchen.”
The Nature Boy revealed that TNA had him and Hulk delivered to and from the arena each night, and that most of their time in Orlando was spent at the hotel bar across the street.
Stephanie McMahon explained in this video for WWE.com why she was moved to tears at last night’s Takeover: Respect event.
“Pride brought the tears. I’m still kind of crying,” said Stephanie. “It was such an amazing night. Respect indeed. When you consider the Dusty Cup and what that all means. Seeing his wife in the middle of that ring.”
NXT General Manager William Regal has announced that next week’s show will feature a Battle Royal to determine the next #1 contender to Finn Balor’s NXT Championship.
As noted earlier, The Rock’s cousin Nia Jax will also debut next week.
The show will be taped tonight when NXT tapes the next several weeks of programming from Full Sail University in Winter Park Florida. Check back later for spoiler results.
In addition to The Rock, who as we reported, is in talks with WWE regarding working together before the end of the year, another top WWE Superstar who hasn’t been around, or has been on a very limited, part-time schedule and is open to working more as of late, is The Undertaker.
Undertaker is reportedly open to working more dates this year than he has in past years, but those would probably only be special dates, outside of the tour of Mexico later this month.
The reason Undertaker is said to be willing to work more dates this year is because he is apparently in much better physical shape than he has been in recent years, as he has finally fully healed from injuries and surgeries he had been dealing with for a long time.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Although he hasn’t been a character on television in what seems like forever, Zeb Colter is still under contract to WWE. Colter is currently listed as “out of action” with the reason listed being that he is recovering from surgery.
– Former TNA star James Storm has been in talks with WWE as of late regarding a possible role as a player/coach kind of figure in NXT. If he were to get the job, he would be working matches as a talent in the company, but would also work to help some of WWE’s up-and-coming developmental talent.
– WWE has inked a new deal with Pez. The candy company is scheduled to make brand new Pez dispensers using the likeness of such WWE stars as John Cena, The Rock and The Undertaker.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
As noted last week, John Cena will be taking extended time off following the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 25th. Cena will be gone for approximately 6 weeks time and as of this writing, Cena is scheduled to be off television through December at the earliest.
It’s worth noting that Cena requested this time off several months ago and this is not related to an injury. The fact that Cena had been advertised for WWE live events in November up until recently was an error by WWE, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Of course, this puts the status of his United States Championship reign into question. We’ll find out in the coming weeks if Cena will drop the title before leaving and how WWE will explain his extended absence.
Kane will be replacing John Cena WWE’s upcoming live events and will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main events of those shows. As an added bonus for fans who were expecting to see John Cena, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be going on the road with WWE as well.
– Regarding Cesaro, WWE has appeared to have broken his fan base. While there were still some “Cesaro Section” signs in the crowd in Boston, there were very few of them. “The King of Swing” still receives good reactions from the fans when he comes out, but the feeling is his crowd reactions have been way down from about a month ago when he was heating up again.
– Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho has officially signed a deal for his fourth book, tentatively titled, “No Is A Four Letter Word.” The book is currently expected to be released at the end of 2016.
– Longtime WWE veteran Randy Orton is scheduled to get married on November 14th in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be Orton’s second marriage.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The WWE Shop website recently moved The Rock from the “Alumni roster” to the “current roster,” and apparently this wasn’t a mistake.
There has been some speculation within WWE as of late, particularly since the television ratings started dropping, of WWE trying to bring The Rock back to television in an attempt to boost the numbers during NFL season.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that WWE’s promotions department has been told that The Rock and company officials are in the middle of serious talks about doing something together before the end of 2015.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Following last night’s NXT Takeover event, NXT is back at Full Sail tonight to tape the next several weeks of shows. The Rock’s cousin Nia Jax make her NXT TV debut next week. Check back later tonight for spoiler results.
– Bull Dempsey defeated Sawyer Fulton in the dark match prior to NXT Takeover: Respect.
– Triple H and Stephanie McMahon tweeted the following about the Iron Man match featuring Bayley and Sasha Banks that main evented NXT Takeover: Respect:
THAT is a main event. #IronmanMatch #NXTTakeOver: Respect #NXTProud @SashaBanksWWE @itsBayleyWWE pic.twitter.com/Sl2U0jjgSs
— Triple H (@TripleH) October 8, 2015
Thank you @itsBayleyWWE @SashaBanksWWE and @TheSaraDelRey for showing the world what #WomensWrestling is all about. pic.twitter.com/eanzlGXTkn
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) October 8, 2015
Mark Henry’s 20+ run with WWE is winding down, with the former World Heavyweight Champion looking to retire shortly after WrestleMania 32. Henry says he was ready to retire back in 2013, but somehow Vince McMahon talked him into signing one last contract extension. Henry told Philly.com:
“I don’t know how I let Vince [McMahon] convince me into signing another contract back in 2013. He did a bit of magic. He’s got that magic where you just go in the office and he’ll talk you into it. I won’t be signing any more contracts …
I’m 100 percent sure (this is my final contract). I’m leading toward WrestleMania and I’ll have a little time after that, but that’s going to be it for me.”
Even when he hangs up the boots, Henry says he’d like to work for WWE corporate, perhaps in the marketing department.
“I’m an elder statesman. This is a young guy business and I’m 100 percent for it. I love the marketing process. I love the international marketing. I love the talent development, but those are all things I’ll work with the company on to make sure that our business continues to thrive, but there’s a bunch of other stuff that I plan on doing. …
During another recent interview, Henry said he’d like to wrestle Daniel Bryan for his retirement match, but the results of Daniel Bryan’s next neurologist visit will likely determine whether that’s realistic or not.
A video has surfaced online of Paige saying “F*ck you” to a fan, which led to speculation that she was being punished for the incident.
After doing that big promo on RAW and SmackDown where she ran down Charlotte and called the Divas Revolution a joke, she was expected to be the third person in the WWE Divas Championship match at this month’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Not only is Paige not the third challenger in the title bout, she has been losing on television pretty much every time out, regardless of who her opponent is.
While it’s unclear if her recent treatment on TV is ‘punishment’ for the F-bomb video, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE still plans to follow up with the angle of her being at odds with Charlotte and Becky Lynch.
NXT Takeover: Respect takes place tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stay right here throughout the evening as we will be providing quick match play-by-play results of the show.
The show kicks off with an elaborate video package and then we are welcomed to Full Sail University by Rich Brennan, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton as fans chant for Dusty Rhodes.
– Finn Balor and Samoa Joe def. The Mechanics to advance to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic. We went straight to the ring for our first match of the show, which is a Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic semi final, as Finn Balor and Samoa Joe take on The Mechanics. They gave this opener a little time, and had Balor selling his leg throughout. In the end, Joe hit a Muscle Buster and Balor hit the Coupe de Gras for the 1-2-3 to advance.
– Baron Corbin and Rhyno def. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to advance to the Dusty tourney finals. This match was given a good bit of time as well and had a lot of back-and-forth action, however after a spear from Rhyno and an End Of Days from Baron Corbin, this one was over. Rhyno and Corbin win and advance.
– Asuka def. Dana Brooke in NXT Divas action. The crowd at Full Sail was hot for Asuka throughout the match, and she definitely looked good here on the big stage for what this match was. Dana Brooke got in some offense throughout due to outside help from Emma, who was out at ringside during this one. In the end, Asuka got Brooke in the Asuka Lock — a crossface chicken wing and body-scissors combo — for the victory.
– Apollo Crews def. Tyler Breeze in singles competition. This one went a little bit and both guys got in an equal amount of offense, despite the fact that Crews is clearly one of the next projects that management is going to be focusing on. In the end, Crews hit his powerbomb finisher for the 1-2-3 in what was a good match.
– Finn Balor and Samoa Joe def. Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the finals to win the first annual Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic tournament. This match was also given some time and featured a lot of action, double teams and near the end, a lot of saves. Eventually, the team of Balor and Joe were too much for the Corbin-Rhyno duo. After the match, Cody Rhodes came out and presented the official Dusty tournament cup to Balor and Joe. He tells all the fans that for tonight, they are all Rhodes’ members. Dusty’s music plays, “thank you Dusty” chants echo from the fans and that about does it.
– Bayley def. Sasha Banks in a 30-minute Iron Woman Match to retain the NXT Womens Championship. We see Stephanie McMahon, Lita, Becky Lynch and WWE Divas Champion Charlotte all seated at ringside for this, our main event of the evening. They gave this one the big build up with the lengthy video packages and formal ring introductions in the arena. The NXT Divas made it to the victory lap split 2-2, as Bayley tied things up after starting out down 2 falls to 1. She won two in a row and managed to retain the NXT Women’s Championship 3-2 in what was no surprise to the fans — an excellent effort by Sasha Banks and Bayley to headline NXT Takeover: Respect. Like NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, when this was done it felt like the main event, but unlike Brooklyn, tonight, it actually was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw7u25dgjPo
TNA announced on Wednesday afternoon that all 3 shows on January’s Maximum Impact UK tour will be double-header television tapings. While this is seems like encouraging news on the surface, it does not mean that TNA has a TV deal in 2016 or that the shows will even air in the United States. Here’s the official announcement:
Moments ago during the Bound For Glory broadcast on Challenge TV in the UK and Ireland, TNA President Dixie Carter revealed the three dates on the January 2016 TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT 8 Tour in Manchester, London and Birmingham will be double IMPACT WRESTLING tapings.
Nine additional Stars and Knockouts have also been added to the Tour, including British favorite Grado, Tag Team Champions The Wolves – Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, former TNA World Champion Mr. Anderson, X-Division Champion Tigre Uno, India’s Mahabali Shera and Knockouts Champion Gail Kim, Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne.
The 2016 TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT 8 Tour includes stops in:
Manchester on January 29
London on January 30
Birmingham on January 31
Related: TNA In Talks With New Cable Networks, Preparing For Destination America Departure
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte recently talked to Busted Open Radio about her life in wrestling and being the Divas champ. Here are the highlights.
Charlotte on being Ric Flair’s daughter in the wrestling business:
I’m going to be honest – mixed blessing. First of all, having my dad there, following in his footsteps, winning the Divas Championship, him saying that this was probably the biggest thing that’s ever happened in his wrestling career knowing everything that he’s accomplished, knowing what we’ve been through as a family the last three years and winning – oh, I’m getting teary-eyed now. So it was a really big deal for us as a family and a huge moment for me that I will absolutely never forget. But I think too, it’s hard – mixed blessing, when I say that – is just because it’s like, dang, my Dad’s always around. So you kind of feel that, you feel the whole ‘Ric Flair’s daughter’ thing a lot. That’s what I mean by a mixed blessing. But in terms of ‘Seriously, I wish someone would pinch me and be like is this real?’ because I seriously can remember my first day in Tampa at FCW and when I stepped in the ring with Norman Smiley, I was legitimately shaking. I was so nervous. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest. So I was like, ‘Oh my god, what did I decide to do?’ and then being Divas Champion three years later, I’m so blessed.
On being part of the NXT movement:
Honestly, it’s – I don’t know. I want to say destiny because, honestly, I never grew up wanting to be a wrestler. Watching both my brothers struggle in the wrestling business, being Flair’s kid. It wasn’t something that I ever was like, ‘I want to be the next Trish Stratus or I want to be the next Lita’. Triple H started NXT and then me being a part of it and then being there. A couple months later, Sasha [Banks] comes in and then Bayley comes in and then Becky Lynch and then the Four Horsewomen. It’s just something that must’ve been part of my plan, my bigger picture, but being able to see the growth of NXT and being able to look back in ten years and say, yeah, I was a part of – Paige was the first, I was the second, and then debuting and being on the first live event outside of Florida. Then, being on – I didn’t necessarily wrestle on that first special where it was Paige and Emma. But I had a backstage segment leading up to – I was going to feud with Paige, but then she became dual champion and then vacating the NXT title. I’m honored to be a part of that process and to watch it. Actually, I told someone the other day, I’m kind of jealous that NXT gets to go overseas and I’m not on NXT anymore. But being the Divas Champion, nothing tops that. I am beyond proud of what NXT has accomplished. It’s amazing.
Being the Divas Champion:
It’s been two weeks now since the pay-per-view. I’m actually looking forward to all of the duties because I want to empower women. I want and I know, collectively, all the girls want to say we’re just not Divas. We are athletic, strong, intelligent athletes. Yeah, we’re Divas, but we’re also WWE Superstars and that we have the capability to main-event just like Sasha and Bayley are in NXT this week. They deserve to main-event. That will be a match of the year candidate. To be able to be on the main roster now as Divas Champion, I know when I was in NXT watching us slowly – Sasha and I Main Evented Philly, then them Main Eventing a special, me being Divas Champion up here. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I have lofty goals and that I just want to open the doors for women in terms of Main Eventing on a bigger scale, the main roster, and what we’ve been able to do at NXT and gain the respect like we did at NXT on the main roster.
Busted Open airs Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2-4PM EST on Sirius XM Channel 93 and on the SiriusXM App.
Former TNA World Champion James Storm is at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida — site of tonight’s NXT Takeover: Respect event.
Storm was spotted in the crowd at last week’s NXT live event from Nashville and there have been rumors going around all day that Storm has been spotted in Orlando.
Rob McCarron of the “Shake Them Ropes” podcast has since posted this photo of Storm arriving at Full Sail University with Billy Gunn. McCarron noted that other sources have backed up Storm being at Full Sail. No word on him making an appearance on camera, but his presence is certainly newsworthy.
https://twitter.com/ShakeThemRopes/status/651834594107506688
Natalya was Michael Cole’s guest for this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview. Here are the highlights:
– Natalya commented on Tyson Kidd’s career-ending neck injury from several months ago, saying that he’s doing great, getting stronger every day and keeping a positive attitude.
– Cole asked why she wasn’t part of the Divas Revolution when it started. Natalya said she was home with her husband when the Divas Revolution took off in WWE. It was hard to step back from her career and watch the other girls have awesome matches. Cole said a lot of people believe Natalya was the trailblazer for the Revolution, especially her Takeover match against Charlotte last year. Natalya says she and Charlotte have a bond because they grew up in the business and always felt like they had big boots to fill. She says they dedicated that match to her brother Reid Flair, which made it even more emotional.
– Natalya rejected Paige’s claim that she is the one who started the Divas Revolution, saying it’s a group effort. She said Paige is young and immature and is acting like a brat right now. Natalya says Paige is having a temper tantrum and taking out her frustrations because she’s not the “shiny new toy” anymore.
Natalya called Paige a hypocrite and says she’s going against everything she stood for when she first won the Divas Title.
– Cole brings up rumors of her retirement in the near future. Natalya laughed and said the best has yet to come.
– Stephanie McMahon and WWE Superstars met Susan G. Komen honorees before Raw in Boston to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Click here to see photos.
– A commemorative magazine on The Undertaker is now available on newsstands and WWEShop.com. The official description of the issue is as follows:
Take a journey through the dark and hallow halls of the world of Undertaker. WWE Magazine celebrates his career with a 25th anniversary commemorative special edition dedicated to The Deadman. Relive the reaper’s greatest moments, featuring:
WWE Superstars reflect on being in the ring with The Phenom
Definitive Brothers of Destruction Timeline
The rise and fall of The Streak
Undertaker’s evolution from the Western Mortician to The Last Outlaw.
– Dave “Batista” Bautista is once again a married man. The former WWE Superstar tweeted the following photo today of himself and his bride at their wedding.
@DaveBautista and @SarahJadePole Bautista ?? pic.twitter.com/c5CgyUmI9q
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) October 7, 2015
This is Bautista’s third marriage.
Murder case against Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka heads to trial #SuperflySnuka #crime http://t.co/sN3wkoBzes pic.twitter.com/gFSkKRTHkh
— Sarah Cassi (@SarahCassi) October 7, 2015
The result of today’s hearing on Jimmy Snuka’s murder charges is that the case is now going directly to trial. Per local news outlets WFMZ, The Allentown Morning Call, and Lehigh Valley Live, here’s what you need to know:
Defense attorney Robert Kirwan on #SuperflySnuka's health pic.twitter.com/wigeAZhvVn
— Sarah Cassi (@SarahCassi) October 7, 2015
Snuka is charged with third degree murder and a lesser included charge of involuntary manslaughter in the 1983 death of girlfriend Nancy Argentino. She died from a fall where here head struck an object on the way down and Snuka told numerous different stories of how, including versions where he pushed her. The investigation stopped suddenly after about two weeks, was left open, and wasn’t touched until the grand jury was impaneled after an investigative article in the Allentown Morning Call.