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Vince McMahon Admonished Kevin Dunn After Using Slur About Ex-WWE Star

Thomas Lowson
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Vince McMahon is an interesting person to say the very least.

After retiring ‘for good’ in July of last year, the billionaire is back in charge of WWE, being appointed ‘Executive Chairman’ last month and replacing his daughter Stephanie.

The 77-year-old McMahon has declared that he will retire again if it is in WWE’s best interest, and has kept away from creative meetings and TV tapings thus far.

Hornswoggle

Out of all the little people WWE has used over its many years Dylan ‘Hornswoggle’ Postl is perhaps the most recognizable.

The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion (and Anonymous Raw General Manager) debuted as Finlay’s ‘leprechaun’ in 2006 but would have a solo career in his own right.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Postl explained that Kevin Dunn would often refer to him as “the midget,” a term found offensive by many little people.

“Kevin Dunn on a headset. I was underneath the ring, and I could always hear the conversations between everyone. Everyone. The producers in the back, Kevin Dunn in the truck, Vince in the back.

So Kevin Dunn’s like ‘Vince, we need to figure out how to get the midget back to the back.’ [As Vince] ‘Goddammit Kevin! We don’t use that word. He’s a little person.’”

Dylan ‘Hornswoggle’ Postl.

Postl added that Dunn gave “apology after apology” over the use of the term, both to McMahon and himself.

After being released from WWE in May 2016, Postl would make sporadic appearances, including as part of the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble.

Postl has also appeared for Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and had a cameo appearance for AEW Dynamite in November 2020, as part of The Inner Circle’s trip to Las Vegas.

Hornswoggle Talks His Medical History and Portraying Vince McMahon’s Son

h/t – Fightful

Shawn Michaels Provides Update On Donovan Dijak’s NXT Vengeance Day Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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Shawn Michaels has provided an update on the gnarly-looking injury of Donovan Dijak from tonight’s NXT Vengeance Day special.

The NXT star challenged Wes Lee for the North American Championship on the show. He appeared to have suffered a broken finger during the bout and images of his injury went viral online.

Michaels was asked about Dijak’s health during the post-Vengeance Day media call. He mentioned that it’s a miracle that the 35-year-old’s figure is not broken:

‘It’s A Modern Miracle’: Shawn Michaels

“Yeah, everybody is good. I announced it at gorilla, it got to be a miracle. It’s not broken. We got him x-ray. They said it’s not broken. And so yeah, I guess what you do is you kind of numb it and put it back in place and that’s what’s happening now.

But it is, again, a modern miracle because we all saw it, it was pretty gnarly looking. But apparently, he’s going to be okay, which is obviously fantastic news for us and him.”

Donovan Dijak was unsuccessful in capturing the title. The ending of the bout saw Lee hitting a superkick on his opponent and then pinning him after a strike to the face.

Apart from this, the NXT Vengeance Day special featured a couple of title changes and the return of a Raw Underground star. You can check out the results of the show here.

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Dijak Shows Off Finger Injury from NXT Vengeance Day

Thomas Lowson
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Dijak didn’t become the new WWE NXT North American Champion at the recent Vengeance Day event, but did show his toughness in the ring.

In the opening match of the night, Dijak hoped to capture his first title in WWE when he faced off against NXT North American Champion Wes Lee.

Going just over 17 minutes, the two put on a hard-hitting affair which saw Lee (who has held the title since October) get the pinfall victory.

The Injury

While it was Lee who got the victory, the main story coming out of this match is Dijak’s finger and his tenacity for continuing to wrestle after his injury

On social media, the former RETRIBUTION member showed off his nasty injury.

There’s no word yet on if Dijak will miss any ring time after suffering this injury.

Even if he does miss time in the ring, the former T-BAR is expected to continue his feud with Tony D’Angelo and Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo, who interfered during the NXT North American Championship match.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Shawn Michaels informed Bruce Prichard that Dijak’s finger is not broken.

Dijak in WWE

Though WWE had plans to sign Dijak in early 2017, a legal threat from ROH (who he was under contract to) led WWE to rescind that offer.

The following month in February, Dijak opted not to re-sign with ROH, and was signed to WWE that September.

Competing as Dominik Dijakovic, Dijak would be a solid performer on the gold brand, but never captured the NXT or NXT North American titles.

In September 2020, Dijakovic was called up to the main roster as T-BAR as part of the doomed Retribution angle.

After the group split in early 2021, Dijakovic would hover around WWE Main Event before his return to WWE in late 2022.

WWE NXT Vengeance Day Results (2/4/23): Bron Breakker Successfully Retains NXT Championship Against Grayson Waller Inside of a Steel Cage

Watch: Raw Underground Star Makes Surprise Return At NXT Vengeance Day

Anutosh Bajpai
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Dabba Kato is back and he is done making alliances.

The NXT Vengeance Day special saw Apollo Crews going one on one against Carmello Hayes in a two out of three falls match.

Hayes picked up the first fall in the bout. He nailed Crews with a cutter and then locked him up in a Crossface, forcing Apollo to tap out.

Trick Williams who was at the ringside then tried to help Hayes with the second fall. He took out the turnbuckle pad but Crews attacked him. The former IC champion then sent Hayes into the exposed turnbuckle.

Dabba Kato is back

Williams tried to get involved again with a chair. This is where Dabba Kato made his return. Kato stopped Williams from getting involved but it didn’t help Crews. Carmelo Hayes hit a Nothing But Net and then picked up the second fall to win the match.

Following the match Dabba Kato hugged Apollo Crews but he then quickly turned on his former partner. He delivered a headbutt and then slammed him onto the steel chair:

Kato was first seen on WWE TV as part of Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground segments. He was later paired with Apollo Crews as Commander Azeez during his IC title run. The giant had been off tv since Crews returned to the development territory.

Tony Khan Is “Certainly Open To” Possible WWE/AEW Crossover

Thomas Lowson
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Could WWE and All Elite Wrestling one day put their differences aside and work together for a crossover supershow? Tony Khan hopes so.

WWE’s mantra has infamously been to not play with others, and has for decades refused to work with other promotions.

That attitude has softened somewhat over the last year, with Impact’s Mickie James competing in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble.

Last month also saw WWE’s Karl Anderson be allowed to compete at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.

WWE-AEW Crossover

In the four years since being founded, fans have speculated on what a dream card between AEW and WWE talent would look like.

Tony Khan was a recent guest of the WTF with Marc Maron podcast and when asked, expressed his interest in a crossover show between the two sides.

“It’s something I would certainly be open to, and I think it’s an interesting thing for the future. It’s not something that’s ever really been done. They’ve kind of existed in their own space. We are working with a lot of wrestling promotions.”

Tony Khan.

Khan compared the situation to Marvel and DC Comics, saying it’d be a crossover that fans would have not seen before.

The AEW President did admit that things “would get very political” with talent from both sides wanting to come out on top.

Crossing Over

While WWE and AEW haven’t held a show (yet) the relationship between the two sides isn’t as frosty as one may expect.

In 2019, Billy Gunn, who had signed with AEW, was allowed to attend the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony for DX’s induction, joking on-camera that Vince McMahon couldn’t fire him.

For last year’s celebration of 20 years of John Cena, multiple AEW stars including Bryan Danielson and Chris Jericho praised Cena in videos aired on Raw.

AEW and WWE talent being backstage at each other’s companies is not uncommon either, with Ricky Starks being backstage to support his mentor Cody Rhodes at last weekend’s Royal Rumble.

Tony Khan Believes it is Impossible to Please Everyone in AEW

h/t – 411 Mania

Bron Breakker Retains WWE NXT Title at Vengeance Day

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Grayson Waller in the main event of the Vengeance Day special on Peacock. 

The match started outside of the ring before Bron tossed him into the ring. Bron beat him down in the early going until Waller cut him with a drop kick off the middle rope then a leg drop off the top rope. Waller tied him up in the ropes to do more damage. Bron then made his comeback. Breakker hit a superplex off the top rope. Breakker went over with two spears. Post-match, Carmelo Hayes appeared, pointing at Breakker, an indication he’s next in line. 

How we Got Here

Their first match happened last month at New Year’s Evil when Breakker retained the title by countout. The finish of the bout saw Waller not be able to back into the ring and the match ended in a countout. 

Breakker won the NXT Title for a second time on the April 4th edition of Raw when he beat Dolph Ziggler. Breakker previously won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January from Tommaso Ciampa.

Breakker’s recent title defenses have come against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh at Halloween Havoc, Tyler Bate at Worlds Collide, JD McDonagh in August, and Cameron Grimes on July 5th. 

Gallus Wins WWE NXT Tag Team Titles at Vengeance Day

Andrew Ravens
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NXT Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson were booked at Saturday’s Vengeance Day special. 

The match took place in the middle of the card and was a typical multi-team match where it started slow and built from there with chaotic moments. 

Wolfgang put Hudson through the announce table. Kofi went for a wild dive on the outside from the top rope only to be caught by Pretty Deadly. The finish saw Woods go for an elbow drop. However, he was caught by Wolfgang and Gallus hit their finisher for the win.

New Day defeated Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) on December 10, 2022 at NXT Deadline to win the titles.

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction with the Tag Team Titles as New Day are still a main roster tag team. 

What are your thoughts on Gallus winning the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Wes Lee Retains North American Title at WWE NXT Vengeance Day

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT North American Champion Wes Lee put his championship on the line in a defense against Dijak at Saturday’s WWE NXT Vengeance Day.

The bout opened the show and was a fast paced bout with both stars getting time to shine. Lee got the early start before Dijak took over. Lee had a close near fall when hitting a brainbuster. The two did some near falls down the stretch. 

Lee reversed a powerbomb with a hurricanrana and Dijak had a nasty landing.  Lee hit his finisher for a near fall. 

Lee went over with a head kick after interference by Tony D’Angelo and Stacks. This was a big upset as Dijak was over a -300 favorite to win the title. 

Lee became the champion in his first reign when he defeated Carmelo Hayes, Oro Mensah, Nathan Frazer and Von Wagner in a five-man ladder match on October 22, 2022 at Halloween Havoc in Orlando, Florida. 

Dijak returned from a hiatus after he was sent back to NXT from the main roster following a run as T-Bar a few months ago where he has had his eyes on Lee’s North American Title. 

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered. 

What are your thoughts on Lee retaining the North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE NXT Vengeance Day Results (2/4/23): Bron Breakker Successfully Retains NXT Championship Against Grayson Waller Inside of a Steel Cage

Colby Faria
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WWE NXT’s latest premium live event went down when Vengeance Day invaded the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on 2/4/23! Every NXT title was on the line and NXT Champion Bron Breakker successfully retained his title in the main event against Grayson Waller in a steel cage match.

Live Coverage

Wes Lee (C) vs. Dijak — NXT North American Championship

Lee trips Dijak to the outside right off the bat. Lee looks for a springboard moonsault but Dijak catches him and fires him into the barricade. Dijak tosses Lee back into the ring and lays into the champion with some heavy strikes. Dijak plants Lee with a slam and looks for the cover but Lee lifts the shoulders after a two-count. Dijak launches Lee to the outside over the top rope and the champion crashes into the barricade. Dijak sends Lee into the ring apron before tossing him back into the ring where he goes for the pin but Lee kicks out. Dijak stomps a mud hole into Lee but the champion sends the challenger to the outside with a drop-kick.

Dijak comes back into the ring but eats a bevy of kicks from Lee, who drops Dijak in the corner and cracks him with a super-kick to the back of the head. Lee plants Dijak with a huge German suplex and goes for the cover but Dijak kicks out. Both competitors are slugging it out on the apron and Lee sends Dijak crashing to the floor with an overhead slam. Lee comes flying to the outside with a springboard handstand flip over the top rope which deservedly garners a massive pop from the crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lee tosses Dijak back into the ring and goes for the cover but Dijak kicks out at two-and-a-half!

Lee cracks Dijak with a super-kick and looks for a spring-board dive but Dijak catches him and plants him with a choke-slam before going for the cover but Lee kicks out! Dijak applies the sleeper hold and the champion is fading. Dijak scoops Lee up on his shoulders and looks for a slam but Lee rolls it into a pin attempt but Dijak kicks out. Lee goes up top and nails Dijak with a corkscrew dive from the top turnbuckle and goes for the cover but Dijak lifts the shoulder just in time. Dijak rolls to the outside to recover, Lee goes flying through the middle rope but Dijak catches him and launches him into the barricade. Dijak grabs one of the commentators’ chairs and puts Lee in it. Dijak pits a broom through the opening to hold Lee down and drills the champion with a super-kick. Dijak climbs to the top turnbuckle but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come out of nowhere and push Lee out of the way. Lee scrambles back in the ring and cracks Dijak with a Pele Kick and gets the 1-2-3!

Winner – Wes Lee (C)

Kayden Carter & Katana Chance (C) vs. Kiana James & Fallon Henley (with Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen) — NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship

Kayden and Kiana start this one off. Kayden drops Kiana with a kick to the face and makes the tag to Katana, who comes leaping over the top rope and nails Kiana with a slam before going for an early cover but Kiana kicks out. Kiana makes the tag to Fallon, Katana makes the tag to Kayden and all four competitors come in the ring and brawl. The champions get the upper hand and nail Fallon with a double-team move, Kayden makes the tag to Katana, who goes for the cover but Fallon kicks out. Fallon makes a tag to Kiana, who scoops and slams Katana before going for the cover but Katana kicks out. The challengers have Katana secluded in their corner and they exchange quick tags and strikes and Fallon goes for the cover but Katana lifts the shoulders. Everyone brawls again, Kayden is the legal competitor against Fallon and Kayden drills her with a sliding drop-kick to knock Fallon to the outside. Everyone brawls on the outside, Katana ends up legal and nails Fallon with a front kick before going for the cover but Fallon kicks out.

Some more back-and-forth from both teams ensues, Kayden and Kiana are now legal, the champions double-team Kiana and Katana nails Kiana with a springboard moonsault off of Kayden. Kiana tosses Kayden to the outside, the challengers plant Katana with a double team move and Fallon goes for the cover but Kayden makes the save. Kayden takes Kiana out with a springboard cutter on the outside. Katana and Fallon are the legal competitors back inside of the ring and they start exchanging strikes. Everyone’s back up and inside the ring again, lots of brawling in this one. Kayden and Fallon end up legal and both are on the top turnbuckle. Katana comes in and she makes the self-tag before assisting Kayden in a wile hurricanrana from the top and Katana goes for the cover but Fallon kicks out at two-and-a-half!

Kayden is now legal, she rolls Kiana up but Kiana sends her throat-first into the middle rope and rolls Kayden up, Kiana is holding Kayden’s legs down from the outside behind the referee’s back and he counts the 1-2-3! New champions!

Winner – Kiana James & Fallon Henley

Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) — Two-out-of-Three Falls Match

A test of strength to start. Some mat wrestling from both competitors goes down but both back off and reset. Some more true mat wrestling exchanges occur, Apollo with a head-lock, Carmelo rolls into a head scissors and applies an arm-bar as well. Apollo rolls out and latches in another head-lock. Apollo slaps Carmelo in the face and both competitors come face-to-face. Carmelo goes up and top and looks for a flying knee but Apollo catches him mid-air and drops him with a slam. Apollo mocks Carmelo’s ‘ballin” gesture and sends Carmelo to the corner, then fires him into the opposite one. Carmelo fends Apollo off with some elbows and goes for another spring-board dive but Apollo catches him once again and plants him with a German suplex. Carmelo sends Apollo to the outside and looks for a sliding kick but Apollo leaps over him and gets into Trick Williams’ face at ringside.

Carmelo uses the distraction and looks for a sneak attack but Apollo is alert to it and drops Carmelo with a right hook. Apollo gets on the apron and nails Carmelo with a moonsault off of the apron and to the outside and both competitors are down. Apollo sends Carmelo back into the ring and nails him with another moonsault before going for the cover but Carmelo kicks out. Trick retrieves a steel chair from under the ring and Apollo catches him doing so, but Trick pretends he was getting it to sit in. Back in the ring, Apollo slams Carmelo and looks for the cover but Carmelo kicks out. Carmelo sends Apollo to the outside and reclaims his ‘ballin” gesture. Carmelo tosses Apollo back into the ring and fires off a bevy of strikes and goes for the cover but Apollo kicks out. Carmelo applies a head and arm choke, then transitions into a bulldog choke, Apollo powers out but he gets slammed neck-first into the top rope and Carmelo goes for the cover but Apollo kicks out. A frustrated Carmelo immediately goes for another cover but Apollo lifts the shoulders to beat the count once again.

Some quick back-and-forth from both competitors, Apollo lays out Carmelo with a lariat and a corner splash. Apollo goes for a second splash in the corner but Carmelo evades and cracks him with a knee. Apollo drops Carmelo to the apron and goes up to the top turnbuckle and plants him with a super-plex before going for the cover but Carmelo lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half. Some great grappling exchanges occur and Carmelo locks in a cross-face and Apollo taps for the first fall!

First Fall Winner – Carmelo Hayes

A brief break is had by both competitors and we’re right back underway. Both men crash to the outside, the referee begins his count, Carmelo is back in and Apollo BARELY beats the count and stays alive in this match. Carmelo looks for a head-lock, Apollo spins out and plants Carmelo with a back-body drop, Carmelo lands a flying knee, but Apollo plants him with a supply. Trick sneakily places the chair in the corner and runs to the other side of the ring to tell Carmelo about it. Trick grabs the chair, Commander Azeez (now back as his former Dabba Kato moniker) comes down and tosses Trick in the ring, and Apollo quickly dispatches of him. Carmelo uses the distraction to lay Apollo out with a cross-body, then goes up top and lands a flying leg drop for the 1-2-3 and the win!

Second Fall Winner – Carmelo Hayes

Winner – Carmelo Hayes

  • After the match, Dabba Kato attacks Apollo and lays him out with a massive two-handed choke-slam.

New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) (C) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Chase University (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson) (with Thea Hail) — NXT Tag Team Championship

Woods and Wilson start this one off. Woods tosses Kit out of the ring, Prince comes in but also gets sent over the top rope and Thea Hail yells in their faces on the outside. Woods comes flying to the outside and takes out both members of Pretty Deadly and back in the ring, all hell is breaking loose. Chase U and Pretty Deadly are both battling it out in the middle of the ring and Chase and Prince end up as the legal competitors. More brawling from several competitors occurs, Gallus and Pretty Deadly are now going at it. Woods and Wilson end up legal once again but Pretty Deadly seclude Woods in their corner. Pretty Deadly take over for the balance of the match but Kofi and Prince are now tagged in as all four members of both teams start brawling.

Pretty Deadly double team Kofi and all eight members of the match are now slugging it out in the ring. Everyone is down, and now the fight spills to the outside, where everyone is brawling once again. Lots of brawling going on in this one between nearly everyone in the match. Everything finally settles down and Hudson and Coffey are the legal competitors. However, it doesn’t last long as the fight once again spills to the outside. Gallus plants Hudson through the announce table. Chase and Wolfgang are now legal and inside of the ring. More brawling, Gallus has Woods secluded in the ring and they plant Woods with a double team move and get the 1-2-3! New champions!

Winners – Gallus

Roxanne Perez (C) vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jane — NXT Women’s Championship

As expected, both members of Toxic Attraction gang up on Roxanne to start. Roxanne rolls Jacy up but she kicks out and the two-on-one attack continues for the former tag champions. Roxanne fires back and takes out both Gigi and Jacy, who roll to the outside, and the champion dives through the middle ropes and takes out both members of Toxic Attraction. Unfortunately for the champion, the numbers catch up and Jacy and Gigi have Roxanne grounded and continue their attack. Gigi slams Roxanne and goes for the cover but Jacy pulls her out of the ring and waves her finger at Gigi. Both members of Toxic Attraction come face-to-face in the ring and here we go! Jacy rolls Gigi up, Gigi rolls her back and both kick out and get back to their feet. Roxanne comes out of nowhere and lays both Jacy and Gigi out with a cross-body from the top turnbuckle. Roxanne goes to work on both challengers and plant them with a double DDT and she covers Jacy, but she kicks out, Roxanne covers Gigi, and Gigi also kicks out.

Jacy tosses Gigi to the outside and does the DX ‘suck it!’ gestured Roxanne rolls her up but Jacy kicks out. Roxanne goes for Pop Rox but Gigi comes in and breaks it up, tosses Jacy to the outside and plants Roxanne with a German suplex and goes for the cover but Jacy breaks it up! All three competitors are on their knees and exchanging head-butts. Everyone gets to their feet and the strikes continue. Gigi super-kicks Roxanne, Gigi and Jacy head-butt each other and fall onto Roxanne for a double cover but Roxanne kicks out! Toxic Attraction decide to work together again and set up a table on the outside. Roxanne fights back and plants Gigi with Pop Rox on the outside. Roxanne tosses Jacy back into the ring and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Jacy follow Roxanne to the top and Gigi comes back into the picture but Roxanne kicks her through the table! Roxanne turns her attention back to Jacy and plants her with Pop Rox from the top turnbuckle and gets the 1-2-3! Roxanne retains!

Winner – Roxanne Perez (C)

Bron Breakker (C) vs. Grayson Waller — Steel Cage Match, NXT Championship

Waller attacks Bron before the champion even gets inside the cage. Waller fires Bron into the barricade. Bron fights back and tosses Grayson into the ring and this one is officially underway. Waller drills Bron with some knees to the face but the champion roars back and cracks Grayson with a running shoulder block. Waller clocks Bron with an elbow then a back-body drop and goes for the cover but Bron kicks out. Waller evades a spear attempt from Bron and the champion crashes into the cage wall and Waller goes for the cover but Bron kicks out. Waller stomps on Bron in the corner, then plants the champion with a Blockbuster and goes for the cover but Bron lifts the shoulders after a two-count.

Waller climbs to the top turnbuckle, Bron pops up and rushes to the corner and nails Waller with a flying hurricanrana and goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Waller trips Bron to the mat, goes back to the top turnbuckle and crashes down onto Bron with a flying leg drop and goes for the cover but the champion kicks out. Waller mimics Bron’s signature gesture and locks Bron against the cage wall with the top and middle ropes tied around his arms. Waller delivers a spear to Bron but the champion is furious and powers out of the ropes and starts launching Waller into all four cage walls. Bron lifts Waller and absolutely launches him above the top rope into the cage wall. Bron lines Waller up for a spear but Waller leaps over him and nails the champion with a low blow. Waller plants Bron with a stunner and goes for the cover but Bron lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Both competitors struggle to their feet, Waller is up first and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Waller looks behind him and gets continues his climb and is now on the top of the cage.

Bron is standing in the ring and climbs to the top. Waller is trying to escape the cage even though that won’t end the match. Bron sends Waller flying down to the mat with an over-head slam! Bron nails Waller with a spear and removes his shoulder straps and lets out a massive scream. Bron gets in Waller’s face, Waller spits at him, and Bron crushes him with a massive spear for the 1-2-3! Bron retains!

Winner – Bron Breakker (C)

  • After the match, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams make their out on the stage. Bron is standing on top of the cage and Carmelo points at Bron and they lock eyes from afar as the show comes to and end!

Two AEW Stars Had Backstage Scuffle at Double or Nothing

Andrew Ravens
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AEW had ups and downs in 2022 including backstage altercations. Most notably, CM Punk and Ace Steel got into it with The Elite (Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) at the All Out event last September. 

Two AEW stars have admitted that they got into a skirmish in 2022. Those wrestlers are Swerve Strickland and Ricky Starks, who were part of a Tag Team Championship match at AEW Double or Nothing. 

Fightful Select reports it led to a scuffle, according to the two wrestlers. There had been a report last year regarding there being some issues between them after the match over a miscommunication. However, this was the first word of them having a scuffle. 

The issues came down to a “miscommunication late in the match, where there was an unplanned spot that saw Swerve attack Ricky Starks after an attempted pin on Jungle Boy.” 

Starks was originally slated to hit his finish on one of his opponents, but Swerve ended up doing nothing because he thought it would be better to get hit and dumped out of the ring, otherwise he’d be standing there watching it. 

Fightful had heard that they had a follow-up segment on Dynamite after that. However, they made peace after that, and are fine to this day. At Fyter Fest a few months after the show, they worked together. 

The report noted they spoke with each other about the scuffle while on the Jericho Cruise for an upcoming episode of Swerve’s podcast.

WWE NXT and Reality of Wrestling Announce Partnership

Samantha Schipman
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WWE and Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling have announced a partnership involving NXT.

In a social media post, Reality of Wrestling said “Reality of Wrestling is taking the roster to the NEXT Level! We are proud to announce that we’ll be working with NXT to bring our fans incredible match ups they can’t see anywhere else.”

Ivy Nile will be competing on Saturday, February 11 in Texas City.

Booker T tweeted that he is “excited to merge my NXT favorites with the roster of my students at ROW.”

NXT Allowing Talent to Work Indies

Roxanne Perez
(WWE)

NXT’s current Women’s Champion, Roxanne, is a product of ROW. She and Booker T both competed in the Royal Rumble matches last Saturday. The WWE Hall of Famer had previously said “if I get an invitation I’m definitely going to execute it.”

Bryan Alvarez tweeted that “NXT is going to allow talent to work select indies going forward, which is a pretty big deal.” It is unclear if any other indie promotions will be involved or if it just ROW.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest.

Adam Cole Details Scary Recovery

J. Cunningham
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Popular AEW star Adam Cole is officially on the road to an in-ring return.

The former Undisputed Era leader was devastated by injury last year. He hasn’t wrestled since Forbidden Door back in June 2022. There, he suffered his second concussion that year, having also been rocked during his Double or Nothing bout with Samoa Joe a month prior.

Adam Cole Kyle O'Reilly Bobby FIsh
(via AEW)

It was three-for-three in PPV injuries for the former NXT Champion. He also injured his labrum and rotator cuff heading into his Revolution main event with then-AEW World Champion Hangman Page in March.

Worrying rumors concerning Cole’s health swirled in the months after Forbidden Door. Now, with his return on the way, Cole has shed some light on the scary complications he’s gone through on the road to recovery.

Adam Cole On Worrying Memory Loss

During a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Radio, Cole detailed his injury at Forbidden Door. He revealed that he completely lost his memory of what to do mid-match.

”The memory stuff is the really, really scary part to me, when you’re in the middle of a ring and there’s thousands of people around you, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing. That was really scary. So I knew pretty early on after my memory started going that something was wrong.”

Worse still, Cole’s numerous symptoms continued to worsen in the months after. The recovery process proved to be alarmingly long for the Owen Hart Cup winner.

“The crazy thing was that after even a month, it was like that’s when real serious side effects started happening. Everything I said in my return in-ring promo that I did all of that was true, and more. There was a lot of stuff that was happening very late into the healing process, or what I thought was late, like a month-and-a-half, two months.”

Fortunately, the three-time ROH World Champion has turned things around in the time since. He was quick to praise AEW for handling his medical care. He is now passing many of the cognitive tests he initially struggled with last year.

While an official date is yet to be confirmed, many signs seem to be pointing towards Revolution next month for Adam Cole’s in-ring return.

Are you excited to see Adam Cole back in AEW?

All quotes from Cageside Seats.

Adam Cole Says Kyle O’Reilly Was ‘Discouraged’ By His Health Issues, Is Doing Better

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kyle O’Reilly has been out of action since last June due to various health issues. According to his good friend Adam Cole, he is in good spirits despite the struggles and is getting better.

The former NXT champion recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio. He opened up about his own injuries and recovery before providing an update on his friend.

Cole said that he talks to O’Reilly every day and he is doing good. Per the AEW star, his teammate is working hard but not rushing anything:

“Kyle was really banged up and it got to a point where he kind of couldn’t take it anymore. I’m so glad that he got fixed and got healthy and is recovering day by day, every day.”

– Adam Cole

Kyle O’Reilly Is Doing Better

Kyle O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in September. In January, he revealed that he was dealing with a post-surgical issue. Adam Cole mentioned that the early parts of recovery were discouraging for Kyle because he wasn’t able to do a lot. His mood however has improved with time:

“He’s starting to be able to do more and more in therapy and rehab, you see the excitement and wheels turning of him already thinking about how he can’t wait to get back. He’s in good spirits and he has a lot of people around him that love him a lot.”

Adam Cole has been dealing with his own health issues since last year. He spent the second half of 2022 on the shelf due to concussion issues. He is expected to return to the ring soon though with Cole’s first match back expected at AEW Revolution.

Kyle O’Reilly Gives Details On His AEW Contract: “I Signed A Five-Year Deal”

H/t Fightful

Lanny Poffo: Underappreciated WWE ‘Golden Era’ Wrestler Who Was Ahead Of His Time

Mike Chin
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When wrestling fans look back on the biggest icons from WWE’s Golden Era, there are a few usual suspects whose names tend to come up the most. People think of names like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Ted Dibiase, and Roddy Piper. Another name on the short list is that of The Macho Man Randy Savage. Right alongside him, though, stands his too-often overlooked younger brother, Lanny Poffo. The world recently lost his underappreciated wrestling talent at the age of 68. It’s always sad to acknowledge a beloved wrestler of yesteryear’s passing, but the moment does offer an opportunity to look back at the legacy Poffo left behind.

Leaping Lanny Poffo Was Ahead Of His Time

Lanny Poffo

WWE is notoriously a big man’s territory. The face of the company in most eras was a superhero of sorts, with guys like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, John Cena, and Roman Reigns each exceptionally muscular and strong. This preference was especially clear in the Golden Era as WWE staged a national expansion on the premise of appealing to as wide an audience as possible with visibly impressive stars, bolstered by an era when steroid use ran rampant behind the scenes.

Lanny Poffo didn’t fit the profile of a top guy in WWE. His brother, Randy Savage, was able to break through the glass ceiling despite a smaller frame, based on his intensity and charisma, but Poffo never quite could. Still, he earned his “Leaping” moniker based on his impressive athleticism. As a babyface, he regularly incorporated leap frogs and high dropkicks; perhaps most impressively of all, he was one of the earliest American wrestlers to adopt the moonsault into his offensive repertoire.

Lanny Poffo’s Genius Gimmick Was Inspired

The Genius

There was a relatively low glass ceiling over a smaller-sized high flyer like Lanny Poffo, and it is to his and WWE’s credit that they ultimately pivoted his gimmick. As The Genius, Poffo enjoyed some success, culminating in a featured match against Hulk Hogan on a Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

Before too long, Poffo started to wrestle less on TV and lean more into managerial work under the persona. As The Genius, he used own original rhyming verses to anchor his promo work, much to the annoyance of the WWE audience.

The Genius gimmick pulled elements of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and foretold gimmicks like Damien Sandow’s as an elitist villain who thought his superior intelligence made him better than the babyface wrestlers of the day as well as the fans. He memorably served as a cornerman to Mr. Perfect before settling into a bit less auspicious role managing The Beverly Brothers.

Lanny Poffo Was Squandered In WCW

Randy Savage Lanny Poffo

As an example of WCW’s bloated roster and tendency to squander resources, there’s a famous story of the company signing Lanny Poffo, but never actually using him. Eric Bischoff has been open in discussing this choice on his 83 Weeks podcast, explicitly sharing that Poffo was signed as a favor to Randy Savage—paid out of money that otherwise would have gone to The Macho Man—to take care of his family.

The general consensus is that this story speaks highly of Savage’s selflessness and loyalty to his brother. Despite Bischoff’s concession that he never really wanted to use The Macho Man’s little brother, the situation does also bespeak a failure to take advantage of the resources WCW had at hand. With the former Genius on the payroll, WCW had a recognizable manager they might have put to work. Moreover, given Poffo’s level of experience, he might have, at minimum, served as a valuable role player—mentoring and putting over younger wrestlers in a budding Cruiserweight division that was so entertaining for WCW during the Monday Night War.

Lanny Poffo didn’t enjoy all that much tangible success—never winning titles or high profile matches on a truly national stage. Just the same, his acrobatic offense was well ahead of its time, particularly for mainstream American wrestling. Moreover, his promo work bespoke a special talent who should have been better appreciated in his day. Word of Poffo’s death arose on February 2—The Genius is now gone, but will certainly never be forgotten.

Matt Hardy Was ‘Laughing Out Loud’ Over Recent CM Punk Jab

Anutosh Bajpai
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Seth Rollins made his stand on a potential CM Punk WWE return very clear recently and it appears Matt Hardy was amused by The Architect’s clear vision.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Hardy talked about a number of things. During the AMA episode, the hardcore legend discussed things such as his tag team with Bray Wyatt and more.

Matt was also asked about Seth Rollins recently calling CM Punk a cancer and telling him to stay away from WWE. The Broken One claimed that the WWE star won him over with his statement:

“He especially won me over just because of his comments on Punk the other day, I popped huge when I saw that. I was laughing out loud. Very funny stuff.”

– Matt Hardy

Seth Rollins appears to be building a feud with Logan Paul for WrestleMania 39. The YouTube star eliminated him from Royal Rumble. Rollins has since called him out, and said that he doesn’t need Logan Paul in his locker room.

The former Shield member is also set to enter the Elimination Chamber match for Austin Theory’s US championship in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 18.

Matt Hardy on the other hand has been involved with The Firm in AEW. The trio of Hardy, Ethan Page and Isiah Kassidy unsuccessfully challenged for the AEW Trios Title during this week’s Rampage.

Watch: What Happened With Bray Wyatt After SmackDown Went Off Air

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE fans in attendance on tonight’s SmackDown got a rare treat after the show went off air. They got to see Bray Wyatt wrestle in only his sixth match since his return to the company last year.

The main event segment of this week’s show featured an appearance from Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief cut a promo but he was interrupted by Sami Zayn who attacked him from behind.

The Honorary Uce issued a challenge to Reigns for a world title match at Elimination Chamber. He was then taken out by Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The broadcast ended with Reigns standing tall after accepting his challenge.

SmackDown Dark Matches

After this segment, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso had a match. The duo picked up a win over The Good Brothers in a tag team bout.

The final match of the night saw Bray Wyatt coming out to face LA Knight. The two SmackDown stars competed in a street fight.

Both competitors used multiple weapons during the match. Knight almost defeated Wyatt after knocking him out using a kendo stick.

After a failed pin fall attempt, LA Knight brought a table in the ring. Wyatt however, used it against him and he pinned the former NXT star after delivering a chokeslam through the table.

MJF’s AEW Deal Reportedly Expires In 2024

Anutosh Bajpai
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MJF is known to blur the line between reality and kayfabe. He has kept everyone guessing about his AEW contract and future, but a latest report suggests that he has actually been telling the truth.

It all started when the current AEW champion no-showed an event before Double or Nothing in May last year. He was unhappy with his pay in the company compared to some newer signings.

He went on a hiatus from AEW programming after the PPV. He was given a more prominent role once he returned at All Out. The 26-year-old went on to win the AEW world championship at Full Gear in November.

The Future Of MJF

Many fans believe that this push is a sign that MJF has signed a contract extension with the company. The AEW star himself however has maintained that it’s not the case.

According to Whatculture, the Wrestling Devil is actually telling the truth. He has not signed a contract extension and his current deal is set to expire in January 2024.

The young star is still undecided about his plans past his current deal. It’s possible that he explores other possibilities instead of re-signing with the company.

Would you like to see MJF possibly jumping ships to WWE when his current deal expires? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Cody Rhodes Committed A ‘Cardinal Sin’ At Royal Rumble

Anutosh Bajpai
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Royal Rumble was one of the biggest nights of his career for Cody Rhodes. He was making his return from a gruesome injury after months and he went on to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career. In the heat of the moment, however, Rhodes committed what he calls a ‘cardinal sin’ in the wrestling business.

The winner of the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble recently appeared on After The Bell podcast. Speaking about his performance at the PPV, Rhodes revealed that he did not know where the hard cam was:

“I did commit what I’d call kind of a cardinal sin in the wrestling game. My dad would be really irked if he knew this. I did not walk the arena earlier in the day. I did not walk the ramp. I did not get in the ring. I was very much held behind doors. Because of that, I will admit I had no clue and I still have not figured it out. I didn’t know where the hard cam was.”

“Okay, Welcome Back”: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble

Cody Rhodes explained that his father the late great Dusty Rhodes would have not been too happy knowing this detail. It ended up not mattering in the end per Rhodes because the cameras managed to capture the best moment of the night:

I tried. Then at a certain point, I just figured I had found it but then the sign was that way and I figured ‘Nope that can’t [be it]’. So I really was just looking to get all [corners] ‘Let’s just get all fours.’ That was one of those [reminding moments] ‘Okay, welcome back.’ Because that’s something you absolutely have to cover.

That’s part of being a professional. Put your face to the camera and here I am claiming to be one of the world’s top professionals [not knowing]. I would have got a kick in the ass from the old man, and my brother for that matter, but it didn’t [matter in the end]. In the case of WWE, there’s 1000 cameras who captured every second of it. They got to capture the sweetest second of it and that’s when Gunther went over the top rope.”

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Cody Rhodes Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Before WWE Departure

Anutosh Bajpai
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Cody Rhodes has come a long way in the last few years and established himself as one of the top stars of the current generation. After winning the Royal Rumble, he is only one step away from realizing his life’s dream. His journey, however, wasn’t always as glorious. The American Nightmare had to go through some dark times before he was able to get on the path to redemption.

The former AEW star opened up about his journey and his mental health struggles during an appearance on After The Bell. Rhodes was asked about a conversation he had with his wife Brandi Rhodes before leaving WWE. The WWE star recalled how he was tired of not being considered a top guy:

“I’m sitting in a rental car with Brandi. It’s freezing because we were in Scranton, it’s freezing, freezing. We were outside the bus. [The] crew bus was right in front of us. It had The Rock and had the John Cena photo on it from the second Mania. So we’ve already seen this bus for over a year now but this story was encompassing really two years. This story, the John vs Rock saga and it was wonderful. But when you’re on the card, not close to that [it’s discouraging].

At my level, I had been chipping away a little bit as brass rings here and there, brass rings here and there but I hadn’t broken through by any means. I just got so tired of seeing their dang faces. I love John. He was my role model in the business. He’s a rental car guy with me until he got a bus but as much as I did, I just was getting so upset. I told her ‘I can’t keep looking at the same guys. I can’t.’ I got out the car and I threw a yoo hoo glass bottle up against beautiful Dwayne Johnson’s face.”

‘That Was Rough’: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes with wife Brandi Rhodes

Cody Rhodes detailed his mental state at the time saying that he was ‘dead’ inside. He mentioned how being Stardust in front of Brandi was especially hard and he didn’t want to lower himself in front of her. The conversation ultimately led to him making the decision to leave the promotion:

“Getting it out for me, ultimately would lead to me leaving. It was the only way I could get it out. It was pinned up. It was pinned up for too long. Today you’ve got a medical team at WWE that includes mental health services. I’m not saying that I was deep down the rabbit hole, but it’s still so helpful to talk to somebody. I only had other wrestlers to talk to. Myself to talk to. You never want to lower yourself in front of your beloved. In front of your wife.

One of the hardest things for me was being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling Randy Orton every night and we were absolutely tearing the joint down. Next thing you know, I’m running around in a space outfit and trying to make the best of it but I was very dead inside. Also to this day, I don’t know why I was drinking a yoo hoo.”

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Elimination Chamber Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match is Set

Colby Faria
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Sami Zayn will finally get his hands on Roman Reigns and a shot at WWE gold.

During the 2/3/23 episode of WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns delivered a warning to Sami Zayn, following Zayn’s betrayal of Reigns during the conclusion of the Royal Rumble. Zayn would interrupt Reigns’ comments with an attack from behind and laid out a title challenge for Reigns. Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa would sneak attack Sami before Reigns came back for some more.

Reigns stopped the attack and told Sami that he tried to break up The Bloodline, so now it’s his turn. However, it must be in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada at Elimination Chamber. The champion promised to embarrass Zayn in front of his fans, friends, wife, and kids at the upcoming premium live event. The Bloodline, alongside Paul Heyman stood tall over Zayn to close the show.

WWE Elimination Chamber Updated Card

  • Roman Reigns (C) vs. Sami Zayn — Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
  • Austin Theory (C) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. TBD vs. TBD — Elimination Chamber Match, United States Championship
  • Asuka vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. TBD — Elimination Chamber Match, Determining Number One Contender for RAW Women’s Championship

SEScoops’ full report on the 2/3/23 episode of WWE SmackDown can be found by clicking here.

WWE SmackDown Results (2/3/23): Roman Reigns Addresses Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair Defends Women’s Title

Colby Faria
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The post-Royal Rumble edition of WWE SmackDown goes down (2/3/23) from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina! We’ll hear from Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who’ll have a lot to say following the betrayal from Sami Zayn at Royal Rumble.

Live Coverage

  • The show begins and our commentary team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett highlight what’s about to come on tonight’s show. We then see a replay of what went down between Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and The Bloodline at the Royal Rumble this past weekend.

Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci (with Gunther) vs. Braun Strowman & Ricochet — Tag Team Championship Number One Contender’s Match

Braun and Ludwig start this one off. Braun launches Ludwig out out of the ring and Imperium talk over strategy before Ludwig heads back into the ring. Gunther yells at Braun from the outside and Braun heads out to chirp back to the Intercontinental Champion. Ludwig tries to sneak up on Braun with a dive through the ropes but Braun catches him in mid-air, but Vinci launches himself onto Braun on the outside and all three men are down as we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Vinci is the legal man inside of the ring with a grounded Braun. Vinci applies a head-lock, Braun powers out and makes the tag to Ricochet, and the fresh Ricochet takes out both Vinci and Ludwig.

Ricochet nails Vinci with a standing moonsault and goes for the cover but Vinci lifts the shoulders after a two-count. Vinci drives Ricochet into the ring post and makes the tag to Ludwig. Imperium goes for a double team move on Ricochet but he slides out of the way, sneaks back into the ring and Braun launches both Vinci and Ludwig to the outside. Braun tells Ricochet to do his thing and Ricochet obliges and takes out both members of Imperium on the outside. Gunther gets in Ricochet’s face and shoves him to the ground but the referee saw it and ejects Gunther from ringside. Back in the ring, Imperium seclude Ricochet and nail him with an up and under lariat, Ludwig goes for the cover but Ricochet kicks out and we head to a commercial break.

Back from the break and Ricochet and Ludwig are exchanging strikes in the center of the ring. Ricochet clocks Ludwig with a bevy of strikes but Ludwig escapes to his corner, makes the tag to Vinci and Imperium clears house. Vinci cracks Ricochet with a springboard drop-kick, Imperium knocks Braun off the apron, and Vinci goes for the cover but Ricochet kicks out. Vinci makes the tag to Ludwig, a bunch of double team work from Imperium, Vinci is tagged back in, and plants Ricochet with a suplex then goes for the pin but Braun makes the save. Braun gets back on the apron and implores Ricochet to come make the tag, and both Ricochet and Vinci make tags to Braun and Ludwig, respectively. Braun wrecks both members of Imperium and wallops Ludwig with a massive lariat. Braun plants Kaiser with the ‘Monster Bomb’, makes the tag to Ricochet, who climbs on top of Braun’s shoulders and comes crashing down on Vinci with a ‘Swanton Bomb’ for the 1-2-3 and the win!

Winners – Braun Strowman & Ricochet

  • It’s then announced that Braun Strowman and Ricochet will take on Jimmy and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, next week on SmackDown!
  • We then see a video package highlighting Rhea Ripley’s historic win during this past weekend’s Women’s Royal Rumble match. Rhea Ripley’s announcement from this week’s Monday Night RAW is also shown, where Rhea selected to face Charlotte Flair and challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39.
  • Backstage, Kayla Braxton is with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. Kayla asks Charlotte how she feels about Rhea choosing to face her at WrestleMania. Charlotte says it’ll be a great match, but first, she has to defeat Sonya Deville tonight and retain her title. Sonya interrupts and says while most people call the Carolinas ‘Flair Country’, she thinks it’s just a bunch of hicks and says she’s going to spoil Rhea and Charlotte’s plans for WrestleMania. Both competitors exit and we head to a commercial break.
  • Back from the break and an altercation between The Judgment Day, Rey Mysterio, and New Day is shown from a NASCAR event earlier in the week.

Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Sonya Deville — SmackDown Women’s Championship

Charlotte lays Sonya out with an arm-drag to start. Charlotte slams Sonya to the mat and rolls her into a cover but Sonya kicks out. Sonya trips Charlotte to the mat and slams her, head first into the mat and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and both competitors are slugging it out in the center of the ring. Charlotte nails Sonya with a back-body drop then leaps to her feet. Charlotte stuns Sonya with a right hand and stomps on the challenger’s knee before cracking her with a big boot to the face followed by a pin attempt but Sonya kicks out.

Sonya looks for the figure eight but Charlotte rolls her back into a cover and Sonya lifts her shoulders just before the three! Charlotte crushes Sonya with a lariat then goes for another cover but the challenger stays alive for the time being. Sonya rolls Charlotte up and uses the middle rope for leverage but Charlotte kicks out. Sonya looks for a sunset flip but Charlotte lands on her feet and locks in the figure four before quickly transitioning into a figure eight and Sonya immediately taps out!

Winner – Charlotte Flair (C)

  • We then see a video package highlighting Cody Rhodes’ return this past weekend at the Royal Rumble, where he entered at number 30 and won the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Rhodes then announced this past Monday night on RAW that he will be challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 39.
  • Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa are then shown backstage. Roman asks Jimmy where Jey is, and Jey claims to not know or have heard from Jey since the Royal Rumble. Roman says it’s disrespectful that Jey walked out on The Bloodline at the Royal Rumble and not reach out to his brother Jimmy. Roman says The Bloodline doesn’t walk out on their obligations and asks Jimmy one more time if he’s heard from Jey. Jimmy says he hasn’t heard from Jey but says that he knows his brother and knows that he’ll show up at their title match next Friday night. Roman asks Solo if he’s heard from Jey and Jimmy says if he hasn’t heard from Jey, nobody has. Roman tells Jimmy and Solo to go find Jey, a request to which they oblige. Michael Cole says Roman Reigns will be in the ring later tonight.
  • We then see a video package highlighting Black History Month and this week’s video is honoring the career of former WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston.
  • Butch and Ridge Holland are making their way down to the ring and they’ll be facing the Viking Raiders, after the break.

Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) (with Valhalla)

Butch and Ivar start this one off. A brawl in the corner ensues and Ivar fires Butch face-first into the middle turnbuckle and makes the tag to Erik. Butch clocks Erik in the face with double knees and works over Erik’s right arm and hand. Butch lays into Erik with strikes in the corner and makes the tag to Ridge, who crushes Erik with a flying shoulder tackle. Erik looks for a suplex, Ridge remains grounded and plants Erik with a suplex of his own. Butch makes a self-tag and both members of the Brawling Brutes lay into Erik with Sheamus’ patented forearms to the chest. Butch launches himself over the top rope but Erik slides out of the way and Valhalla gets in Butch’s face at ringside. Erik uses the distraction and lays Butch out with a shoulder to the back and fires Butch into the barricade as we head to a commercial break.

Back from the break and Erik and Ridge are the legal competitors in this one. Ridge plants Erik with a belly-to-belly but Erik cracks him with a flying knee and makes the tag to Ivar. Ridge escapes a pile-driver and turns it into an Alabama Slam before going for the cover but Ivar kicks out. Ivar drags himself to the corner and makes the tag to Erik as Ridge makes a tag to Butch. Erik lays Butch out with a knee to the face, makes the tag to Ivar, Ridge fires Erik into the barricade on the outside and Butch lays Ivar out with a hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle. Everyone’s on the outside, Ivar cracks Ridge with a spinning back kick, both Raiders get in the ring and plant Butch with Ragnarok for the 1-2-3!

Winners – Viking Raiders

  • After the match, Erik and Ivar are walking up the ramp but Drew McIntyre’s music hits and he and Sheamus come down and a brawl ensues! Drew and Sheamus take out the Viking Raiders.
  • We then see a video package highlighting the Pitch Black match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight from this past weekend’s Royal Rumble. Wyatt defeated Knight in a quick match before Wyatt and Uncle Howdy attacked Knight following the match.
  • We see Bray Wyatt in a rocking chair and Uncle Howdy jumps into the camera to end the quick scene.

Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya — Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Shayna takes everyone out right off the bat. Shayna drops Natalya with a running knee to the face, which she previously broke Nattie’s nose with, and goes for the cover but Natalya kicks out and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Shayna and Shotzi are trading heavy strikes in the center of the ring. Shotzi rolls Shayna up but Shayna kicks out. Shotzi cracks Shayna with a kick to the face and Shayna rolls out of the ring, but Shotzi dives through the middle ropes and takes Shayna out on the outside. Zelina goes up top and takes out both Shayna and Shotzi with a moonsault to the outside. Natalya takes advantage of everyone else being down and tosses Shotzi back into the ring. Nattie locks in the sharpshooter but Zelina takes out Natalya with a running bulldog. Shayna takes Shotzi out with a German suplex and locks in the Kirifuda Clutch on Zelina but Natalya tosses Shayna to the outside and locks in the sharpshooter on Zelina and Zelina taps out!

Winner – Natalya

  • Natalya now joins Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross, and Liv Morgan in the women’s elimination chamber match at the namesake premium live event, two weeks from tomorrow night! Carmella, Piper Niven, Michin, and Candice LeRae will battle it out for the final spot on Monday Night RAW, next Monday night.
  • We then see Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman backstage. Heyman tells Reigns that Jey’s phone goes right to voicemail and Jimmy and Solo come back in and say they’ve had no luck finding Jey either. Roman says The Bloodline were doing so good and now all of a sudden all hell has broken loose. Roman says he has too much on his plate and a huge burden on him because he’s being spread thing. Roman apologizes to Jimmy for yelling at him earlier and tells Jimmy and Solo that he needs them and The Bloodline needs to be stronger than every before because if they’re not on the same page, there’s no more (and Roman throws the one’s in the air). Roman tells Jimmy and Solo to go relax in their tour bus because Heyman had sushi, steaks, and other catering sent to the bus. Jimmy and Solo thank Roman and they exit while Roman says he’s about to head out to the ring to handle some business…which commentary announces will happen, after the break.
  • Back from the break and Michael Cole and Wade Barrett run down next Friday night’s card, which is headlined by Braun Strowman and Ricochet challenging The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles as well as Karrion Kross vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar vs. Madcap Moss in a number one contender’s match for Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship.
  • The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, alongside Paul Heyman make their way down to the ring. Roman tells the fans in Greenville, South Carolina to acknowledge him, to a massive reaction but the crowd quickly begins chanting for Sami Zayn. Roman says he was going to ask the fans who’d they like him to talk about and says he’d rather talk about Cody Rhodes, the man who won the Men’s Royal Rumble match and ‘actually earned’ the right for Roman to speak about, but he’ll talk about Sami. Roman says there’s two sides to every story, so we’re about to hear his side. Roman says it’s time to go all the way back to War Games. Roman says he looked dead into Sami’s eyes and saw greed, which is the same thing that he sees in his everyday life nowadays.
  • Roman says Sami used him to be on the island of relevancy and Sami Zayn attacks Roman from behind! The crowd is going absolutely insane and Sami is livid! Sami and Roman brawl back-and-forth, Roman drops Sami with a bevy of knees and stomps and tells Heyman to grab him a steel chair, to which the wiseman obliges. Roman lines Sami up for a chair shot but Sami nails Roman with a spear and the crowd is on fire! Sami tries to crack Roman with the chair but Roman rolls out fo the ring. Sami grabs a microphone and says Roman is wrong about him. Sami says he never wanted anything from Roman…until now…and that’s the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship!
  • Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa come out of nowhere and attack Sami from behind. Solo drills Sami with a Samoan Spike and Jimmy grabs a chair while Solo sets Sami up in the corner. Jimmy puts the chair around Sami’s neck and Solo is about to crush Sami but Roman stops him and asks Sami if he really wants something. Roman removes the chair and the crowd is chanting for Jey Uso. Roman says Sami is the reason Jey isn’t there, because he ruined The Bloodline. Roman says Sami can have what he wants…but it has to be at the Elimination Chamber in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, so he can embarrass Sami in front of his fans, his friends, his wife, and his kids. Roman grabs his titles and continues to yell at Sami in the corner and The Bloodline stands tall as the show goes off the air!

Seth Rollins on Logan Paul: “I Don’t Really Need Him in my Locker Room”

Andrew Ravens
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Both Seth Rollins and Logan Paul worked this year’s 30-Man Royal Rumble match as Paul entered the bout at the 29th spot. 

It was a surprise return for the YouTuber after he was injured in his match with Roman Reigns at the 2022 Crown Jewel event.

Paul eliminated Rollins from the Royal Rumble match after Rollins had been in the match for 37 minutes.

Rollins Sounds Off

While speaking on Instagram Live, Rollins went off on Paul in storyline and noted that Paul is not a real wrestler and he’s only in the WWE to further his popularity.

“Alright, look. I was going to avoid this topic but since I’ve seen a few of you guys asking so far about Logan Paul, I don’t know. I don’t know about Logan Paul. All I know is that I don’t really like Logan Paul. I’ll just say it. A lot of us don’t really like Logan Paul. We don’t. I don’t like Logan Paul, I don’t really need him in my locker room, in my space. Great, the guy is ultra talented as far as athletic ability is concerned.”

Rollins noted that it was his fault that Paul eliminated him from the bout because he took his eyes off the ball. 

“It’s probably the coolest thing Logan’s ever gonna do in his life. I just advise him to stay in his lane. He’s had what, three or four matches? Again, athletic freak, no doubt about it. But, at the end of the day, he’s just not a wrestler. He doesn’t want to be a wrestler. He just wants to be famous, he doesn’t care about the industry. He’s not a wrestler. It’s best for him to just stay in his lane, whatever his lane is, I don’t know, buying counterfeit Pokémon cards. If that’s your lane, stay in that lane. Don’t come knocking on my door cause I’ll knock you out.”

Rolllins said that Paul doesn’t have his brother as backup because he’s about to get cooked in his upcoming boxing ring. He said that Paul shouldn’t be bragging about the Rumble elimination. 

All signs point to Rollins wrestling Paul at WrestleMania. For Now, Rollins will compete in the Men’s Elimination Chamber match for the United States Championship on February 18.

H/T to Fightful

Plans for Upcoming ROH TV Tapings

Andrew Ravens
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ROH is slated to start filming episodes for its weekly TV show heading into Supercard of Honor.

Fightful Select’s Will Washington reports the promotion will start taping content almost a year after Tony Khan bought the promotion. It was said that ROH talent had been told tapings will take place in Orlando, Florida, during the last weekend of February.

The Venue

The assumption is that it would be at Universal Studios, where AEW regularly films its Dark series. Voices Of Wrestling previously reported information about the dates.

Although VOW didn’t have more details past that, those Fightful spoke with think it will serve as tapings leading into the Supercard of Honor PPV on March 31. 

The report added that several wrestlers were signed by AEW as far back as last spring with the intent of using them on ROH programming.

2022 closed up the first year under Khan’s ownership and creative vision for the brand. Final Battle was the most recent ROH PPV event, which drew over 25,000 pay-per-view buys (19,000 streaming and 6,400 cable) based on first-week estimates.

The other 2022 pay-per-view events for ROH were ROH Supercard of Honor in April, with 23,000 buys, and ROH Death Before Dishonor in July, with 37,000 buys.

Nick Khan on WWE Sale Timeline: “Maybe Three Months”

Andrew Ravens
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WWE CEO Nick Khan has publicly commented on when the possibility of a WWE sale will happen. 

Khan appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to talk about Thursday’s earnings call. During it, he noted that he feels a sale of the company will happen “quick” and speculated it might be a done deal within three months. 

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter had previously reported the company had been hoping to sell by mid-summer.

Comcast Out of The Race?

Co-host David Faber told Khan that he has heard “probably not at this point” regarding Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, buying WWE. NBCU has had a longtime partnership with WWE and currently has the TV rights to WWE Raw, NXT, and WWE Network content on Peacock in the United States. 

Another co-host mentioned the likes of Amazon and Netflix could be buyers, while Faber also brought up Endeavor, who owns the UFC. 

Khan added that “we’re still bullish on Comcast being possible.” He mentioned they got a warm reception in the marketplace for those who are interested and they want to get a sale done before the TV rights deal not to eliminate any potential buyers. 

Khan doubled down on his previous comments from the earnings call that Vince McMahon is willing not to be part of the company if the buyer doesn’t want him part of it. 

A CNBC article noted that “McMahon’s potential future involvement in WWE has become an early sticking point in preliminary talks with various buyers, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.”

Batista Hoping for 2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction

Andrew Ravens
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Batista, real name Dave Bautista, was supposed to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans were nixed. 

The pandemic forced all wrestling companies to hold shows in front of no fans. WWE not only nixed the Hall Of Fame that year, they moved WrestleMania from a stadium to an empty Performance Center. 

The Class of 2020 inductees eventually got their ceremony the following year and was paired with the 2021 class. It was pre-taped inside the virtual WWE ThunderDome.

However, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion decided to pull out of the 2021 ceremony “due to previous obligations.” 

Although he noted that WWE honored his request to induct him at a “future ceremony” because he wants “to properly thank the fans and people who made [his] career possible,” it has yet to happen. 

While speaking with ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley at the premiere of his latest movie, “Knock At The Cabin,” Batista said he’s “trying” to be part of the 2023 ceremony.

“I hope so, but I can’t say for sure. I can say that I’m trying. I am trying.”

– Batista on a possible 2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction

As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce any inductees for the class this year. 

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