Ric Flair has led a life unlike anyone else, but one gimmick from his past is something the Nature Boy wishes he could forget.
Flair’s wrestling journey began in 1972 and has seen the North Carolina native become a 16-time World Champion, though Ric argues the number is much higher.
In July of this year, Flair wrestled his final match, teaming with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
The Black Scorpion
For years, Ric Flair feuded with Sting, and in 1990, WCW introduced a new opponent for the Stinger: The Black Scorpion.
Realizing that fans had grown tired of Flair Vs. Sting, WCW introduced the character to give fans a new feud for Sting, who was still relatively green.
Months of segments played hyping the Black Scorpion as someone from Sting’s past, buying WCW time to figure out who exactly would play the character.
Wrestler Al Perez was chosen for the role, but after realizing he’d be working with the World Champion, demanded more money, which WCW refused to pay.
In a desperation act, WCW had Flair play the Black Scorpion, who was unmasked at Starrcade 1990, undoing the purpose of the character in the first place.
Humiliating
The Black Scorpion character was never resurrected by Flair, who has for years made his views on the character very clear.
Speaking on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast, Flair bashed the character as the most humiliating experience of his life.
“I did have the ability to make the call. I took one for the team. Do you think I like laying underneath that ring in St. Louis? A building that I sold out no less than 30 times as the NWA Champion?”
“That was the most humiliating thing I’ve ever been through in my life, and with how I conducted myself afterward. But I’m never the sh*ts.”
Ric Flair
Flair said that anyone who watches Starrcade 1990 will see that he and the Stinger did not ‘steal the show.’
AEW commentator Jim Ross has become the latest name to suggest that William Regal’s time with the promotion has come to an end.
Regal was cut from WWE in January of this year from his role with NXT, after over 20 years with the promotion.
A former WWE Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team Champion, the 2008 King of the Ring would debut for AEW at the Revolution Pay-Per-View in March 2022.
Jim Ross
William Regal was written off AEW TV last week with an attack by MJF and it has been reported that the British legend is set to leave the company and return to WWE.
On the latest episode of Grilling JR, Ross praised what Regal has brought to All Elite Wrestling.
“He’s been a very valuable resource, you can’t replace guys with that kind of experience and in Regal’s case, the patience to help these young guys. He was in the ring every day at [AEW] TV, he always had time for the talent, young green guys.”
Jim Ross
Neither Tony Khan nor Regal have confirmed reports of his departure, and the British veteran had previously stated that his three-year contract would expire in early 2025.
The Future
Regal’s apparent exit comes not long after he betrayed the Blackpool Combat Club and aided MJF in winning the AEW World Championship at Full Gear.
On his podcast, Jim Ross spoke about the Salt of the Earth, and said he isn’t sure what’s next for William Regal.
“I mentioned to MJF, I said ‘The more you can sit under that learning tree of William Regal and talk about the psychology of being a wrestling villain, you should because he’s got great psychology.’ A very valuable asset wherever he may be, I don’t know what the future holds for him.”
“I don’t know what the future holds for him.”
Jim Ross on William Regal.
MJF (sans Regal) is expected to appear on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
There is no heat between WWE United States Champion Austin Theory and Mustafa Ali despite a scary botch during their title match on this week’s Raw.
During the match, Ali attempted a top rope Frankensteiner on the U.S. Champion, which did not go as planned.
Instead, both men fell awkwardly in the corner of the ring but were able to carry on and finish the match.
The Update
This botch on Monday Night Raw happened because Theory did not hold onto Ali the proper way, Fightful Select reports.
The idea was for Theory to block the attempted Frankensteiner and lift Ali up into a powerbomb.
Ali would have blocked that attempt and leveled Theory with a Hurricanrana before going into the next spot for the match.
It was Mustafa Ali who called for the referee to check on them both, while both men called an audible for the match to end early with the satellite DDT.
Backstage
After the match, the situation was discussed behind the scenes, and Austin Theory was said to be incredibly apologetic for what happened.
Fightful adds that there is no heat between the two, with this unfortunate incident being chalked up to an accident that could have happened to anyone.
Theory has been feuding with Seth Rollins in recent weeks and failed to dethrone the then-United States Champion when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
Theory’s attempted cash-in marked the first time the contract had been cashed in on a championship that wasn’t a World title.
AEW World Tag Team Champion was concerned that coming out as gay would negatively affect or possibly end his career in the ring.
In November 2020, Bowens, alongside Acclaimed teammate, Max Caster, signed a five-year deal with AEW and are in their first reign as World Tag Team Champions.
After coming out as bisexual in 2017, Bowens shared a video in 2019 with his partner, stating he now solely identifies as homosexual.
Career-Ending
Bowens is proud of who he is, but for years he feared he would never have the chance to come out due to his career.
“I would sit in my room, in my car, and just cry thinking if I came out, you know, my career is over, fans would hate me, wrestlers would hate me, a national TV company wouldn’t take a chance on me.”
Anthony Bowens.
Bowens added that he feels proud for coming out, and hopes to be an example to others that there is nothing wrong with being LGBTQ+.
“To be able to be somebody that people can watch on television, hopefully connect to and relate to, to give them that sense of hope that, I made it through, they can make it through.”
Anthony Bowens.
LGBTQ+ Wrestling
While there was once a stigma around LGBTQ+ in wrestling, that isn’t the case (as much) anymore.
In addition to Bowens, AEW’s first openly gay champion, AEW is also home to Nyla Rose, a transwoman, and both Toni Storm and referee Aubrey Edwards identify as bisexual.
In WWE, Sonya Deville is the promotion’s first openly lesbian Superstar, while Doudrop, Kayla Braxton, and the recently returned Tegan Nox have also come out as bisexual.
Athena has had a major character shift in All Elite Wrestling as of late and completely dominated Dani Mo on this past Friday’s episode of Rampage.
Athena was known as Ember Moon in WWE. She spent six years with the promotion before being released on November 4th, 2021. Athena debuted in All Elite Wrestling at Double or Nothing 2022 following Jade Cargill’s match.
The Fallen Goddess recently got very aggressive in a match against Jody Threat on AEW Dark: Elevation and some fans thought she went too far. She has used the negative reaction to the match to inject a new attitude into her character and it has paid off on screen.
Athena will challenge Mercedes Martinez for the ROH Women’s Championship at Final Battle this Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Athena appeared on Busted Open Radio and explained her character change. The 34-year-old revealed that she worked her entire indie career as a “bad guy” and was fearful of getting lost in the shuffle in All Elite Wrestling.
Cause I feel like it. Sometimes, nice guys finish last.
Sometimes, you just get frustrated and it’s really hard because you’re trying to find an opportunity to not get lost in the shuffle because at AEW, there are so many talented women just across the board and it’s like, ‘What can you do to stand out?’
You’re asking your questions like, ‘Why am I stuck in this position? Why is this happening to me? Am I not good?’ Finally, you have to just say ‘eff it.
John Laurinaitis was dismissed from his position in WWE as Head of Talent Relations earlier this year.
In addition to his backstage role, Laurinaitis portrayed an authority figure in WWE in 2011 – 2012. He made sporadic appearances after that before Vince McMahon re-hired him as Head of Talent Relations in March of 2021.
He was let go by WWE on August 8th following Vince McMahon’s resignation in July. Vince resigned on Twitter after the the company’s Board of Directors investigated alleged “hush money” payments to former female employees.
AEW commentator Jim Ross shared his thoughts on John Laurinaitis on the latest edition of his Grillin JR podcast.
Ross didn’t mince words when it came to John and said he wasn’t a fan of how Laurinaitis treated him in the past. JR added that John tried to upstage him in front of Vince McMahon and deserves the misery he is currently living in.
I had a hard time as time went on trusting Laurinaitis. That’s sad to say. I hired him. I gave him a job when he needed it. I don’t think he treated me quite right.
He just wanted to show Vince that he was a better manager than JR and all these things.
So now his ass is without a job and he deserves the Goddamn misery that he’s living, that I perceive that he’s living, and I didn’t like how he treated me.
WWE RAW has been the company’s flagship show since 1993 and there have been 1,510 episodes to date. The show began as a one-hour program and has now expanded to three hours every Monday night. WWF Monday Night Raw’s first episode aired live on January 11th, 1993.
The first commentary team on Monday Night Raw was comprised of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, comedian Rob Bartlett, and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Bartlett didn’t last long and was replaced by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Bobby eventually left for WCW and called the action for WCW Nitro during the Monday Night Wars.
Before RAW, there was a show called WWF Prime Time Wrestling. The show aired from January 1985 – January 1993. The two-hour weekly show featured WWE Hall of Famers Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon, guests, and house show matches. WWF Prime Time Wrestling aired from January 1, 1985 – January 4, 1983.
Ric Flair and Randy Savage battled on Prime Time Wrestling in a WrestleMania VIII rematch. Vince McMahon was not a fan of how the match was going and had Heenan tell the referee to stop the match.
Speaking on his Something to Wrestle With podcast, Bruce Richard detailed how Vince McMahon had Savage and Ric Flair redo the match in front of the same audience. He noted that Ric and Randy were pissed off about it.
They were pissed. They didn’t think that there was anything wrong with the match. Obviously, someone else (Vince) did went out and redid it. And that was also when Randy went crazy and we went out to try and hold Randy back.
I got nailed by Randy and took a hell of a bump too. Quite the cheer backstage when I got nailed.
Bruce explained how Prime Time wasn’t clicking anymore and they were looking for a different presentation, which eventually led to WWE RAW.
The format had gone from Bobby & Gorilla to this kind of round table format if you will. That didn’t click. It just really didn’t click.
We were looking for different things, obviously, I had nothing to do with it beforehand. But once I got there everybody’s ‘what do you think of this?’ and it just, it wasn’t good.
It was a compilation show with a compilation panel. There was no consistency to the show at all, other than I think Vince (McMahon) and Bobby (Heenan).
We were looking for ways to save money, we were looking for a different presentation of the show, which is where the germ of RAW came from.
Co-host Conrad Thompson noted that fans typically didn’t get to see big moments at the time on weekly television. He noted that the World Title changing hands only brought in a 2.4 rating and wondered if they realized something had to change. Bruce Prichard said RAW came to be as a cost-cutting measure.
No. It was more of a cost-cutting measure. It was looking at ways to produce this show without doing it on the road. And look at delivering a product that was unique and that was different.
One thing that would make it unique and different was going live. The other part is we wanted to do it in a unique setting, a smaller more intimate setting than the big arenas.
The original concept was to build the studio where our current television studio was in the warehouse section that. Make that into an arena that would hold maybe 500 – 1,000 people.
RAW originated from the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center and aired live each week. Prichard noted that the Manhattan Center was extremely expensive to run shows from.
In fact, the shows became so costly to produce, WWE began taping multiple shows at a time and would air a taped edition of Raw every other week.
Going to the Manhattan Center certainly didn’t accomplish that because the Manhattan Center was extremely expensive and a tough proposition. You had to take the ring up seven floors on an elevator, a passenger elevator at that. It was tough but the whole idea was we needed a different presentation.
The first episode of Monday Night Raw featured Yokozuna defeating Koko B. Ware, Shawn Michaels retaining the Intercontinental Championship against Max Moon, The Steiner Brothers defeating The Executioners, and The Undertaker picking up a victory over Damien Demento in the main event.
ROH Final Battle 2022 is this Saturday night at 4 PM EST at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
There are currently only four matches on the card but presumably more will be added on Dynamite and Rampage. Chris Jericho will defend the ROH Championship against Claudio Castagnoli in the main event. Jericho defeated Claudio at Dynamite: Grand Slam to win the ROH Championship.
ROH Final Battle 2022 Preview
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, AEW President Tony Khan hyped up the PPV this Saturday.
Tony was asked how Final Battle will stand out from previous ROH shows this year and here was his response:
Well, the ROH PPVs have been excellent for in-ring wrestling. I think so far we’ve seen at Supercard of Honor, at Death Before Dishonor, this new iteration of Ring of Honor you are going to see some of the best wrestlers in the world having some of the best matches in the world on these PPVs. Trying to build a consistent rhythm of great shows, and we are two for two so far. [09:21 – 09:46]
Tony then hyped up this Saturday’s main event for the ROH Championship between Chris Jericho and Claudio Castagnoli.
Now at Final Battle, it is the final major wrestling PPV of this year, and a lot of the big scores are going to be settled. Of course, it doesn’t get any bigger in Ring of Honor than the World Championship match. Chris Jericho versus Claudio Castagnoli.
Two great World Champions, and really we are seeing two men on top of their profession, two guys with completely different approaches and opposite philosophies to pro wrestling. But frankly, the issue has gotten very personal.
Not only are their approaches very different, but if Chris Jericho wins this match, Claudio Castagnoli has to join the Jericho Appreciation Society and go back to applying his trade as a sports entertainer.
He (Claudio) has been in a tag team with Jake Hager in the past. I see Jake has got a second bucket hat with Claudio’s name on it. That is what is in Claudio’s future if he cannot beat Chris Jericho this weekend. [09:47 – 10:47]
Tony praised Chris Jericho’s run as ROH Champion and noted that he’s going for “The Ocho”, his 8th straight victory over a former Ring of Honor Champion at Final Battle.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Battleground Podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Indi Hartwell defeated Wendy Choo and Fallon Henley
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Final Build
Final Build
WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker will defend the title against Apollo Crews at NXT Deadline. So what did WWE do for the final build of this main event match?
They went on a fishing trip where they talked trash in a friendly way. That was it.
Charlie Dempsey, who is the son of William Regal, had a match with former security guard Hank Walker. Midway through the match, Drew Gulak appeared and watched on as Dempsey won his match. Post-match, Gulak walked away and was impressed with what he saw.
NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) had a segment where they read a ‘Christmas story’. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) interrupted.
Woods and Kingston issued a challenge to Pretty Deadly with NXT Deadline. A brawl broke out with New Day standing tall. The match has been formally announced.
Waller roasted a fan about not being able to get laid then mocked Axion for wearing a turtleneck. He also roasted JD for being a garden gnome and Hayes for being a loser and an A-hole. JD said Hayes has been protected since he arrived in NXT. They all talked trash before getting into a brawl.
Wendy Choo vs. Fallon Henley vs. Indi Hartwell in a Iron Survivor Challenge wild card match took place.
The other competitors in the upcoming bout include Zoey Stark, Cora Jade, Kiana James, and Roxanne Perez.
The match served as the main event and saw Heartwell go over after Wendy hit a splash to Fallon and was tossed to the floor before Heartwell hit her in the back with a strike.
Tony D’Angelo returned to the ring when he took on Xyon Quin.
Stacks and D’Angelo met Dijak in the parking lot during last Tuesday’s NXT episode, and D’Angelo thanked him for what he had done to Wes Lee the previous week. It wasn’t for him, according to Dijak. Lee’s reign as champion is about to come to an end, according to D’Angelo, who claimed that he is now allowed to make his return.
The match saw Tony quickly take out Quinn with his finisher. Post-match, he called out Lee, who came out to the ring. Lee told him to wait until he is done with Dijak and then they can settle their business. Tony said that he doesn’t wait for anyone.
Dijak said that he plays by a different set of rules. He told Lee to keep his mind out of his way. He said neither of them will stop him from decimatingNXT.
In recent weeks, AEW and ROH owner Tony Khan has come under fire from some fans who feel that there has been too much focus put on the ROH brand with its titles and storylines.
Khan bought the promotion earlier this year and, despite not having a television deal in place for the brand, he has booked pay-per-view events for ROH and used its talent and championships on AEW programming.
“One thing I have tried to do…I think we only have three hours of AEW TV a week so I have tried to limit the Ring of Honor focus on Dynamite to mostly the Ring of Jericho and Chris Jericho, the ROH World Champion.”
Khan stated that he has tried to keep the other ROH Title matches on either AEW Rampage or Dark: Elevation. He found it “amusing” when he saw someone saying they thought there was too much ROH on Dynamite as he feels that having a variety of new ROH-aligned wrestlers has been, and will continue to be, good for ROH business.
According to Khan, they have made “good money” on the pay-per-views since he bought the promotion, and “frankly, (the money) has been in line with what I paid for the entire business.”
Saturday’s Final Battle is expected to garner some of their best numbers thanks to the main event of Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli, according to Khan.
AEW President Tony Khan was a guest on the BattleGround podcast to promote ROH Final Battle this Saturday night. The PPV will air live at 4 PM EST at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
ROH Final Battle 2022 Preview
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, Tony hyped up this Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite featuring AEW World Champion MJF, Samoa Joe versus Darby Allin for the TNT Championship, and The Acclaimed versus FTR for the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Tony was asked if Billy Gunn managing The Acclaimed was the turning point for the AEW Tag Team Champions and Khan noted that they have only been a team for a short amount of time. He praised Billy Gunn for guiding The Acclaimed to the top of the sport and credited Caster and Bowens for their hard work.
The Acclaimed have only been a tag team for a couple of years. So with a few years under their belt, I think they have done an incredible job. Because just over two years ago in Jacksonville, The Acclaimed teamed up together for the first time ever on AEW Dark.
They worked their way up from Dark onto wrestling matches on TV pretty regularly. They didn’t win every single match but they made a big impression. I think they have quickly earned a place at the top of tag team wrestling.
I might not have put them at the top of the list at the very beginning, but I do think really very quickly, with the guidance of Billy Gunn, he has helped guide them to the top of the sport. Billy is a great mentor for them. He is also very popular.
I think their popularity was skyrocketing really quickly and Billy Gunn was clearly the right person at the right time for The Acclaimed.
And it has all just come together quickly. It was the perfect combination of things. And most of all, it was the hard work of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens to become the AEW World Tag Team Champions. [From 06:17 – 07:29]
Tony Khan on what Billy Gunn has brought to The Acclaimed
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Battleground Podcast and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
ROH went on hiatus in 2021 after the Final Battle pay-per-view event, which opened the doors for many contracted wrestlers to sign up with promotions, including WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling, NWA, and NJPW. AEW’s Tony Khan purchased the company earlier this year but didn’t bring everyone back.
Several former ROH stars are on WWE’s radar once again, as Vincent and Dutch were spotted in attendance at WWE NXT on Tuesday night.
It’s unclear why WWE brought the two stars to the show or whether they have signed with the promotion, but with them being in attendance, it would indicate that they’re close to signing if they haven’t done so already.
In October, it was reported that WWE had discussed having them part of Bray Wyatt’s rumored Wyatt 6 faction.
In Attendance
Former Impact Wrestling star KC Navarro was in attendance as well. As noted, Navarro attended the WWE tryouts earlier on Tuesday. Former Impact Wrestling star Kylie Rae attended the tryouts as well.
Vincent and Dutch are the former Ring of Honor World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, which they co-held alongside Matt Taven as part of The Kingdom. When the promotion went on hiatus, members of The Kingdom showed up in Impact Wrestling as part Honor No More.
WWE typically announces a new group of signees at once, so an announcement will likely come in the next few weeks about who has signed with the company.
Kevin Anton has joined the cast of A24’s “The Iron Claw,” a movie about the rise and fall of the Von Erich family.
He will portray legendary wrestler Harley Race. Anton recently appeared in Showtime’s seven-part limited series, “The Loudest Voice,” based on a bestselling book about Roger Ailes, the founder of Fox News.
He will also be featured in the upcoming Amazon series, Dead Ringers, starring Rachel Weisz. Anton is represented by Stefanie Talent and Entertainment.
Rest of The Cast
Harley Race
Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Aaron Dean Eisenberg (Ric Flair), AEW‘s MJF (Lance Von Erich) and Lily James in an unknown role make up the rest of the cast.
The film is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Sean Durkin. A24 and Access Industries are co-financing the film. Producing alongside A24 are Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger, and Harrison Huffman. The Iron Claw began principal photography beginning in Louisiana in October.
Although no release date has been announced for the movie, production is currently underway, and the film will premiere sometime in 2023.
WWE is slated to return to India for the first time since 2017 next year.
It was previously reported that WWE has plans to run a show on a “grand scale” in Hyderabad, India, and would consist of “a mix of superstars, both Indian and international.”
As part of WWE’s deal with Sony Pictures Networks India, WWE previously held an Indian show, Superstar Spectacle, on January 22, 2021, that aired five days later to coincide with India’s Republic Day.
The Latest
Pwinsider.com provided an update on the show as the date of the show will be Wednesday, January 18, 2023, from the G.M.C. Balayogi Sports Complex, an indoor stadium in Hyderabad with a capacity of 5,000 people.
It’s expected to feature SmackDown talent mostly. It’s unclear whether WWE plans to air the show as a special on Peacock, tape it for the local market, or just have it as a house show.
The Superstar Spectacle special was billed as “a unique showcase of Indian-inspired action,” which also featured elements of Indian culture and was headlined by Drew McIntyre and The Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) defeating The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) and Jinder Mahal.
Richard Holliday has provided an update on his status as he is battling cancer.
While speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the MLW star revealed that he’s battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is halfway through chemotherapy.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Holliday. “You never expect this will happen to you. I took such pride in my health, so to get news like this was quite shocking.”
In June, he started experiencing a vicious bout of night sweats. His last match happened on June 23 when he challenged Alex Hammerstone for the MLW World Heavyweight Title in Falls Count Anywhere match at the MLW Fusion tapings.
The Details
Holliday recalled the match and noted he was taking Dayquil to try to get through every day. He said that he felt off, and when he got home, he was freezing and pale white when he left after a month.
In July, he experienced severe dizzy spells and went to the emergency room, where his iron and hemoglobin were dangerously low to the point doctors thought he was anemic. He began taking iron pills to counter that, but his levels continued to check.
“They checked if I had internal bleeding, which I didn’t, and then they ran a litany of tests and a scan of my body for a possible case of lymphoma in September. Those tests confirmed it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was earth-shattering, devastating. But I knew right then I needed to change my mindset. The mind powers the body, so I needed to stay positive. I was reassured by my doctor that I could beat this, and I believe I am going to beat this. My plan is not to lose to lymphoma; my plan is to inspire people. I’m going to come out of this stronger, and I’m going to let people know they can beat it, too.”
Holliday stated that he doesn’t know when he will return to the ring but is adamant that he will beat cancer as he can’t stop thinking about making a return to in-ring action.
WWE is holding talent tryouts at the Performance Center this week in Orlando, Florida, as the company looks to sign new talent and hopes to find its next breakout star.
The company also held a two-day tryout in Tampa, Florida, recently. The company has a new recruitment strategy to find talent as they scout former college athletes and established independent wrestlers.
Among those in attendance was Melanie Brzezenski, a bodybuilder from the University of Tampa, and former USF football player Darrien Grant.
Preparation
December 1, 2022, Bradenton, Florida, USA: Melanie Brzezinski, of Tampa, performs her group promo for judges during a WWE tryout event at the IMG Academy East Campus on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in Bradenton. Bradenton USA – ZUMAs70_ 0195985803st Copyright: xJeffereexWoox
“I got a personal trainer back in July, and I said to him that I have one goal and one goal only,” Brzezenski told ABC Action News. “That is to get into the WWE.”
Brzezenski, who goes by “Rosie Ray,’’ applied six times to qualify for a tryout. She was offered a WWE developmental contract after trying out.
Former WWE Champion Big E helped evaluate the talent as he is still recovering from suffering a broken neck earlier this year.
“We’re putting them through the paces of rolling in the ring, hitting the ropes, doing the bumps, and see how they react, seeing how they learn day-to-day,” he said. “But also, we’re seeing them on the microphone, seeing how their promos are. That’s a huge part of it. That’s what we do is having these larger-than-life characters.”
Former AEW/Impact star Kylie Rae and former MLW talent K.C. Navarro are taking part in the tryout this week in Orlando, Florida.
Naomi has been off WWE television since ‘walking out’ of a Raw taping back on May 16 due to creative differences with company company.
Cargill is scheduled to compete on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. She’ll team up Baddies Red Velvet and Leila Grey against Madison Rayne, Skye Blue and former Baddie Kiera Hogan.
When the COVID-19 pandemic happened in 2020, WWE held its events at the Performance Center as the world shut down.
WWE NXT has made the Performance Center its home since then, but it looks like the brand will be taken on the road for big events starting in February.
According to WrestleVotes, the “Vengeance Day” Premium Live Event will take place in Charlotte, NC. The Twitter account tweeted out the following:
Taking The Show on The Road
(WWE)
“Hearing some great news out of the PC this afternoon, source states NXT is returning to the road for their future Premium Live Events. Starting with “Vengeance Day” on February 4th from Charlotte, NC.”
It’s unclear the venue that the brand will use for the show, although it’s likely to be booked at a smaller venue. In October, Shawn Michaels, who oversees creative for the brand, stated that WWE had no plans to book large buildings like they had been a few years ago for TakeOver shows.
WWE will present its Deadline special this Saturday with the main event of NXT Champion Bron Breakker defending the belt against Apollo Crews.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a humble young man, perhaps best known for his selflessness, kindness and compassion. Who are we kidding? He is a raging, egomaniacal narcissist who would probably marry himself if he could.
MJF now has the hardware to back up his grandiose feelings of self-satisfaction. As the reigning AEW World Heavyweight Champion, he’s more emboldened than ever. We’re just weeks into his MJF’s Reign of Terror and he’s already getting started reshaping the role of world champion in his own image.
Last week on Dynamite, we got a first glimpse at MJF’s custom AEW World championship belt. He also announced that he does not plan on defending the title as frequently as past champions, a stance some would call wise and others would call cowardly.
The Nickname
MJF appears will bre running with a new moniker, Mystic Max. On Tuesday, he posted a thread on Twitter showing off some of his biggest moments during his time in AEW. He included a caption containing a recent quote by who else but himself.
“Just call me Mystic Max because I have a feeling your happiness will soon turn into resentment, because you people are Fickle”
“Just call me Mystic Max because I have a feeling your happiness will soon turn into resentment, because you people are Fickle”- MJF pic.twitter.com/IyJSu1Vah1
Mystic is defined as, ‘inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination.’
Sounds just like our pal Max.
MJF’s next World title challenger is Ricky Starks, who won an eliminator tournament to earn a championship opportunity at Winter is Coming. MJF name dropped Eddie Kingston during his first promo since winning the world title, so a match between these two is likely in the works for early 2023.
House of Black made their long-awaited return to AEW on Thanksgiving Eve. They took out Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, and The Factory. On the latest episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Brody King delves into his band, working in Hollywood, and wrestling for AEW.
King didn’t want to be off television when Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews were away from AEW. “I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to take a break because I feel like I had a lot of momentum at the time. Not just that, I just felt like I was really getting in my groove in AEW and like showing who Brody King, the professional wrestler was.”
“I got to wrestle Darby twice. I got to wrestle Jon and I feel like those three matches really put me on the map where people were just like ‘oh, he’s just Malakai’s side kick’ to ‘oh, shit. He’s like a threat.’ And those were the moments I was waiting for. It was never me questioning if I could do it, it was like when I can do it.”
“And I feel like it all came at the right time and I was worried about it taking the momentum away. We made this return and it was awesome and the whole crowd was standing on their feet. And I feel like it was almost like we didn’t miss a step. I feel like that’s really rare in wrestling because fans are so — I don’t want to say fickle — but they forget about you quickly. For them to give us that reception was awesome.”
The return of House of Black
(AEW)
When asked about the faction, King declared its “us versus everyone. Kind of how we live our lives outside in the world. Like me and Malakai both come from hardcore music. He kind of dips more into black metal and stuff like that. Whereas I stay kind of in my lane, more hardcore punk, like death metal adjacent. (…) We have the same thought process when it comes to the world. Then, like how we conduct ourselves. We’re very much on the same page when it comes to that. So it makes it easy when we’re coming up with concepts of how we want to look, how we want to present ourselves.”
“I feel like when it comes to AEW, we are delivering a product that they don’t have. And I feel like in wrestling, we’re delivering a product that nobody has. There’s people that have the ‘spooky’ gimmick or whatever you want to call it. But it’s like, this is authentic to us. This isn’t us putting on a costume and pretending to like the music that we like. We have deep knowledge on all things that we’re doing, you know? Malakai reads all these weird, old books on witchcraft and black magic and stuff. I’m constantly reading comic books and playing Magic: The Gathering and listening to alternative music, so it’s like we never want to present something we’re not actually involved in.”
Brody King Talks About Adding Julia Hart
Photo Credit: Scott Lesh
King says they are not currently looking to expand House of Black. “I’d say right now, we are very much kind of a hive mind. We all kind of want the same thing and know the trajectory that we want to go in. Bringing in Julia was interesting because obviously on the outside –19 year-old cheerleader makes no sense to be with us — but then she joins the group and it’s like she fits in perfectly.”
“Even when it came down to making her music, my best friend, Colin — he plays drums and writes all the music in God’s Hate — him and his brothers have like, a million bands, but they’re known and very respected in the hardcore scene. Their band, Dead Body, actually wrote the new House of Black theme, he wrote Julia Hart’s theme, he wrote the theme that Evil Danhausen came out to. He’s like a massive wrestling fan too. He didn’t make it to be a wrestler, but to have his influence in wrestling now is really cool for him.”
Hart had input on what she wanted her music to sound like. She told them she likes Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. When she told them that, King said “it was like, there’s more here than we think. Before All Out me and my wife took her to the mall to find something for her entrance gear. We’ve become like her wrestling parents. She found this black dress and then just picked up the hat and we’re like, ‘yeah, that’s it.’ Now people are calling her ‘Tiny ‘Taker’ and she has like this Stevie Nicks vibe. She was like this bubbly, sweet teenager and now’s she’s like the most Resting Bitch Face on Earth.”
House of Black Will Be Trios Champions
King believe it’s a matter of time before they have the Trios Titles. “We’re waiting for our time. It’s wrapped up in this best-of-seven series, but I feel like with time, you will see House of Black go after those titles and take those titles at some point.”
He also believes that he and Allin are destined to keep wrestling each other since they’ve been opponents in Evolve and PWG. His dream opponent is Samoa Joe. “Not to sound like a fanboy, but he’s probably my favorite wrestler of all time. (…) I think he is the perfect wrestler and I would love to test myself against him.” Outside of AEW wrestlers, he’d love to wrestle Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada.
The premiere date is set for the upcoming documentary on the life and career of Ric Flair.
Peacock announced that “Becoming Ric Flair” will premiere on December 26 on Peacock. The two-hour documentary is a partnership between WWE and Tom Rinaldi.
“Many stories have been told about The Nature Boy over the past 50 years,” said Flair, “I’m thrilled to have partnered with WWE and Peacock to produce the most accurate depiction of my life to date and hope audiences enjoy the ride. Woooo!”
Here’s the official trailer for Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair:
Flair has previously said the documentary would be better than his ESPN 30 For 30 documentary and that the “bullsh*t” from Dark Side of the Ring would be addressed.
Flair came under fire after the Dark Side of the Ring episode aired because of Flair’s alleged behavior towards a flight attendant Heidi Doyle on the trip. Flair was accused of taking his clothes off and forcing himself on her.
“16-time World Champion and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is one of the most prolific and controversial superstars in professional wrestling history. Flair is a true American icon: from his famous “Woooo” that is still heard in stadiums and arenas throughout the US, to his influence on hip hop music.
At 73 years-old Flair remains a constant in American pop culture, but who is the real man behind the outrageous persona? Finally, Flair reveals all, opening up about his storied career, inside and outside of the ring, over the last 50 years.
Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson, Post Malone, Stephen A. Smith, and Charlotte Flair are among those who join Flair in telling the tale of the man behind ‘The Man.’”
Flair and WWE parted ways in August 2021 after he requested his release.
Drew McIntyre is expected to miss a few weeks of action after being medically disqualified from this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown on FOX.
During Raw, it was announced that McIntyre won’t be teaming with SmackDown this Friday to challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos.
Injury
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that McIntyre’s medical disqualification stems from an injury.
He is injured. I was told an injury, but it’s not from a firsthand source. But he’s supposed to be back for the Christmas show. So it’s only a couple of weeks, I know that.”
Dave Meltzer.
Details remain unclear as to what exact injury the two-time former WWE Champion recently suffered.
The Will to Compete
McIntyre has been pulled from this Friday’s match, and nobody is more disappointed than the Scottish Warrior himself.
On his show, Meltzer explained that Drew was adamant about competing despite not being cleared by WWE’s medical team.
“He wanted to wrestle and they would not let him wrestle. But it’s not like it’s going to be a long-term thing, at least as it stands right now.”
Dave Meltzer.
With McIntyre on the shelf, Butch will team with Sheamus for the title match.
Sasha Banks (Mercedes Varnado) has secured some interesting trademarks that provide some insight into her future plans. The trademarks were registered on behalf of her company, Soulnado, Inc., which was formed in August 2022.
The filings are clearly not WWE-related. The trademarks are listed for categories such as jewelry, decals, clothing, action figures, and entertainment services.
Performances by an Actor or Musician
Last week (December 1), she applied to trademark her real name, Mercedes Varnado.
The ‘Goods and Services’ usage description provides some interesting clues about what she’s planning for her professional career. There are some references to wrestling, but most of the description covers ‘live performances by an actor or musician.’
Entertainment services in the nature of live audio performances by an actor or musician;
Entertainment services in the nature of live visual and audio performances by an actor;
Entertainment services in the nature of live visual and audio performances by an actor or musician;
Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests;
Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer;
Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler, actor, and musician;
Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler, actor, and musician; Entertainment services, namely, providing music tours in the nature of live musical performances;
Last month, Banks posted a cryptic video that teased, “there’s going to be something so f***ing crazy coming” in the very near future.
Becky Lynch delivered an emotional address to the live crowd after Monday’s edition of WWE Raw went off the air.
Lynch is one of the most popular pro wrestlers in the world. She’s risen to the top of WWE and that doesn’t happen without the fans. Throughout her journey, including some disappointing setbacks and injuries, the WWE Universe has kept her motivated and hopeful.
‘The Man’ competed on Raw against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a triple threat match. Just as she was about to score the win, Damage CTRL interfered and cost her the win.
After USA Network’s broadcast of Raw concluded, Lynch took a moment to speak from the heart and tell the people how much they mean to her.
“I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you for supporting me on my journey,” said Lynch. “I missed you guys so much, and there is no limit to what I would do to prove my love for you, for everything that you’ve shown me.”
Based on the events that transpired on the show, it appears Lynch will continue feuding with Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky as the year closes out and we head into the Royal Rumble.
Here’s video of Becky Lynch speaking to fans after the December 5 edition of Monday Night Raw, courtesy of Twitter user @Beckyonly:
The days are getting darker. The winds are getting colder and that can only mean one thing.
The Holidays are coming!
Each year, WWE makes sure to air a Holiday episode, complete with Christmas trees and other sights associated with the most wonderful time of the year.
Countless Superstars and personalities have donned the iconic red and white suit of Santa Claus himself, but not all did so with the best of intentions.
Here are five Santas from wrestling who will be getting coal in their stocking this Christmas.
5: Damien Sandow
Damian Sandow’s 2013 ended with him on the naughty list after losing to the World’s Strongest Santa Mick Foley.
For Damien Sandow, 2013 could be best described as a ‘mixed year.’
After winning the SmackDown Money in the Bank contract, Sandow seemed on the cusp of becoming World Heavyweight Champion, but failed in his cash-in attempt on John Cena.
By December, Sandow had fallen down the card dramatically and played the role of ‘evil Santa’ on the December 23, Raw.
Facing off against the World’s Strongest Santa Mark Henry, Sandow had little chance, and what started as a promising year for the intellectual ended on a dud.
4: Bubba Ray Dudley
Tajiri used a festive red mist to defeat Bubba Ray Dudley in a Santa Vs. Santa match in 2001.
For much of the Invasion storyline, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley were key players in the Alliance and would hold the WWF and WCW World Tag Team Titles.
Even after the Alliance was defeated, the Dudleys remained, and Bubba would don the iconic red suit for the Christmas Eve Raw.
Facing off against SanTa-jiri, Bubba earned himself on the naughty list with his heel antics throughout the match.
To their credit, both men would put on an entertaining match despite their costumes, and Bubba even used some Santa-themed taunts to rile the crowd.
In the end, Tajiri’s mist (festive red of course!) would give the Japanese Buzzsaw the win in a highly-entertaining match.
3: Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan tried to reveal s hocking secret while dressed as Santa Claus.
Rightly considered one of the greatest heel managers in wrestling history, Bobby Heenan earned himself a spot on the naughty list countless times with his actions.
On Christmas Day in 1989, Heenan took to Prime Time Wrestling for what he called his ‘Santa Claus Shoot,’ in which he declared to the world that Kris Kringle isn’t real.
No doubt breaking the hearts of children watching, Heenan’s rant was cut short by Roddy Piper, who told the kids Santas is real, and pushed and prodded the famed manager.
Heenan, in typical fashion, tried to talk his way out of being beaten up by Piper, and we imagine that The Brain got coal in his stocking the next year.
Of course, this Santa suit wouldn’t be the only costume Heenan would don on-screen, but his other, more iconic outfit, would be that of a weasel.
2: Xanta Claus
Xanta Claus, played by Balls Mahoney, showed that everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
For In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, Santa Claus took a break from a busy December to appear for the World Wrestling Federation, handing out presents with Savio Vega.
Confronting Million Dollar Men Ted DiBiase in the ring, it seemed the numbers were in the good guys’ favor until the unthinkable happened.
Santa Claus sold out!
Attacking Vega and aligning with DiBiase, the man was now Xanta Claus (hailing from the South Pole,) a pretender to the role who had been paid off by DiBiase.
Xanta’s one and only match would come on the Superstars of Wrestling show on December 19, defeating Scott Taylor, but the character would last a few weeks after Christmas.
Years later, Xanta would return to WWE, but under his more recognizable name as Balls Mahoney, and his actions showed that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
1: John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield
Like Damien Sandow at the start of this list, 2005 was not the best year for John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield.
In April, his ten-month-long reign as WWE Champion ended at the hands of John Cena, ushering in Cena’s rise to the top of wrestling, and the Texan would fail to regain the gold.
That December, JBL donned a camouflaged Santa outfit for that year’s Tribute to the Troops in Baghdad, and berated the troops for the
Complaining about having to use a porta-potty for his rosy backside and the lack of Dom Perignon for his reindeer, and even threatened to cancel Christmas.
JBL’s Santa didn’t stop there, threatening to cancel all holidays (even Bastille Day!) but his plans were thwarted by WWE’s resident Santa, Mick Foley.
Facing off in a match to determine the true Santa of WWE, Foley got the win with a literal bag of tricks and Mr. Socko.
JBL’s berating of the troops was certainly not becoming of Jolly Ol’ St. Nick, and when you consider his actions as a character (and his history of hazing and bullying) JBL has a lifetime spot on the naughty list.
