Plenty has been planned for Bray Wyatt on tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX, which will be Wyatt’s first appearance on WWE TV in over a year.
Wyatt returned at the WWE Extreme Rules 2022 Premium Live Event, after weeks of ‘White Rabbit’ teasing his return.
Bray closed out the show, with several characters from the Firefly Fun House being portrayed by people at last weekend’s event.
Wyatt on SmackDown
It was confirmed during this week’s Monday Night Raw that Wyatt will be on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Fightful reports that the former Universal Champion will be a “focal point” of tonight’s show. A mask will be used, which is referred to as the ‘Uncle Howdy’ mask within the company.
The Uncle Howdy term is also expected to be used on WWE TV, given that WWE trademarked the term this month, alongside ‘Uncle Harper.’ There are also plans to have the abandoned Firefly Funhouse set aesthetic be used.
Other Plans
Tonight’s SmackDown will also see LA Knight face mån.sôör, in the former’s first match back under the Knight name.
An intercontinental Championship contender’s match between Sheamus, Ricochet, Solo Sikoa, and Karrion Kross will decide GUNTHER’s next opponent.
The Bloodline’s Sami Zayn will also be in action when he faces Kofi Kingston.
MVP, Xavier Woods, Shotzi are all scheduled to be in town for the show despite not being advertised for SmackDown.
Tonight’s episode will be the second SmackDown of this current season and take place from the King Center Smoothie, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The AEW All Out media scrum is one of the most talked about press conferences in the history of the wrestling business.
CM Punk ripped Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks. The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion was involved in a backstage brawl with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Ace Steel was also part of the brawl.
No Timetable
A third-party investigation into the brawl was started and is still going on. Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there is still no timetable for the investigation to be concluded.
Meltzer stated that none of the five (Punk, Young Bucks, Steel, and Omega) have heard anything from AEW but are continuing to get paid.
At least one person (not one of the five) who was there had not been interviewed, and there may be others. It was said that most are frustrated because they want to be back working at this point. Punk may be the exception to that belief since he can’t work for a long time due to getting surgery.
Meltzer continued by noting that none of the five stars are allowed to speak, but several of them want to discuss the incident.
“Any rumors of anyone being fired, anyone being told they aren’t coming back, or anything like that are incorrect as of midweek at least. None have been given any impression of a timetable.”
Liv Morgan is going to have an extra special Halloween this year. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion is a big fan of horror movies, including the Child’s Play franchise about Chucky, a murderous ‘Good Guy’ doll come to life. Chucky has his own show on the Syfy cable network, now in its second season.
Morgan recently did an interview where she revealed her dream of getting killed by Chucky on screen. She explained that she’s not looking for a starring role in the show, she doesn’t need to be a recurring character, she just wants to be one of Chucky’s victims.
“I want Chucky to kill me! It’s a dream. I don’t want a starring role, I don’t want a lead, I just want to be brutally murdered by Chucky.”
– Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan’s dream comes true in just over a week. She guest stars on Chucky next Wednesday, October 26th.
The Chucky series serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky, the seventh film in the franchise. Actor Brad Dourif reprised his role as the voice of the titular character. The show’s synopsis reads, “After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets.”
Liv Morgan has been expressing her excitement about the role on social media. She’s been writing things like, “HONORED” and “I’M SO EXCITED.” We won’t have to wait long to see how Morgan and Chucky get along.
Fans can expect to see Charlotte Flair back on WWE television soon.
The daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair has been used as a top star since her main roster debut in 2015, where she has gone on to hold multiple championships. Now, it is time for The Queen to return to her kingdom.
Flair last wrestled at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8 in an I Quit match against Ronda Rousey. She lost the match, and WWE did an injury angle where they announced that she broke her left arm based on the finish. This was done to write her off television as she was getting married to AEW star Andrade this past summer.
Flair Returning Soon
(via WWE)
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Flair may be on her way to return soon as Dave Meltzer wrote, “Charlotte Flair is scheduled to return soon.”
Flair is one of the biggest names in the business right now and a draw for the company. Andrade mentioned in an interview before his AEW suspension due to a brawl with Sammy Guevara that Flair was away from WWE due to personal reasons.
Almost a week after returning to WWE at Extreme Rules, Bray Wyatt will kick off his WWE return storyline tonight on Friday Night SmackDown. There is a lot of speculation about who will be revealed as part of his Wyatt 6 stable.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there are long-term plans for the group that leads up to WrestleMania. No other details are available, but there has been a lot of speculation that Joe Gacy is Huskus, Grayson Waller is Mercy the Buzzard, and Alexa Bliss is Sister Abigail. That’s not confirmed.
The Members
The speculation about Joe Gacy was fueled by him posting rabbits on social media, while speculation about Bliss is due to her being presented as someone who has lost her edge since Wyatt has been gone.
The Sister Abigail character had a pair of WWE Women’s Titles shown next to her at Extreme Rules, while The Mercy character is the same height and build as Waller. He also wore a shirt that Waller had previously worn on television.
Finally, the Ramblin Rabbit is rumored to be Erick Rowan, who was part of The Wyatt Family, and The Fiend is Taylor Rotunda (Bo Dallas), Wyatt’s brother.
Meltzer added, “Others internally have said some of those are believed to be accurate but said things are up in the air, mentioning others could be part of it, mentioning The Dyad, in particular, are possible, and other names listed are not sure things. While obviously, this won’t happen, there was talk of Aleister Black for this group.”
Black is instead expected back in AEW at some point.
WWE’s NXT brand got away from what it was meant to do by becoming the third brand, according to the gold brand’s own head Shawn Michaels.
When NXT launched as a developmental program in 2012, the goal was for the show to produce talent for Raw and SmackDown.
After moving to the USA Network in 2019, NXT became a third brand, akin to Raw and SmackDown, until the revamp into NXT 2.0 last year.
Getting Away
With stars like Finn Balor, Keith Lee and the Undisputed Era, WWE NXT as a brand focused more on stars long-established in NXT.
Speaking on the latest episode of After the Bell, Shawn Michaels explained why the show got away from its developmental roots.
“There was a time that people felt like [we got away from developing talent] and maybe we did get away from that. But it wasn’t really us getting away from that. You think about the pandemic and everything else. It was hard to recruit. It’s hard to get younger talent.
“Everything was locked down so we had to create a live television show with all the people we had. Thankfully we had a hell of a crew.”
While NXT 2.0 has since morphed back into WWE NXT, the plan is for the show to continue being a developmental brand for the main roster.
The Next-in-Line Program
Part of the new-developmental era of NXT has been the Next in Line program, which focusses on collegiate athletes with little to no wrestling background.
The NIL program has been received with a mixed response by fans, who believe it makes no sense to focus on people who don’t have experience.
Speaking about the NIL program, Michaels spoke about bringing a new side of the development to WWE.
“You never stop developing in this job. I’m a different form of developmental, so to speak.
Now we’re finding raw, really raw, new talent. I think that really hasn’t been done in NXT until now. We’re talking about people who were in college last year.”
The WWE Hall of Famer added that despite what some believe, WWE will continue to seek talent from the independent scene.
Triple H
Shawn Michaels is the head of WWE NXT, but that wasn’t the case a year and a half ago.
In September 2021, NXT’s original leader Triple H suffered a cardiac event which would ultimately lead to the game’s in-ring retirement.
This, along with the launch of NXT 2.0, left Michaels in a difficult position as the sudden head of the brand.
“It was a comfortable and easy transition when I came here and started doing live Television on USA [Network.] Running everything was a different kind of responsibility. It was abrupt, but at the same time, that’s what I enjoy about the job. As you know, things can change on a dime and you have to learn to adjust to it.”
Michaels began in NXT in 2016 as a coach before becoming a producer in 2018 and now head of the brand.
Saraya is opening up about injuries forcing her into retirement in her mid 20’s, feeling “completely useless” when WWE wouldn’t use her for three years and refusing to give the company a cut of the revenue from her lucrative Twitch channel.
She discussed these topics and more on the latest episode of Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast. Saraya signed a WWE contract in September 2011 when she was just 19 years old. She accomplished a lot during her time in NXT and WWE, but was forced to retire in 2018 due to serious injuries to her neck.
Jericho asked how it felt to know her in-ring career was cut short at such a young age.
“Awful,” she said. “The only thing is that I was in a better mindset, because if it was a couple years before, I would have spiraled 100%, but at that point, I was just like, ‘You know what, I can’t hit rock bottom again, I can only continue and try to do other things.’
But then, I got to be GM and I loved it, but that kind of got cut short as well, and I never really understood why, because it was a great gig. I feel like everyone liked it, I never got anything negative from it, it was just shocking.
Road Dogg called me the day before I was supposed to fly out, and then he was just like, ‘So, we’re probably not going to do the GM thing anymore, so you won’t have to come to work tomorrow.’ Then, he decided that I was going to come and do a goodbye speech as GM, which I thought was really sweet. So, I end up flying in, doing that first segment of the show and flying back and then I was sitting on my ass for years. Still under contract, doing absolutely nothing.”
Feeling Useless When WWE Wouldn’t Let Her Work
“I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you’re completely useless.”
– Saraya
Saraya was devastated when WWE relieved her as General Manager. The role gave her something to do on camera outside of the ring. When that fell through, she wanted to contribute in other ways. She pitched many ideas, including being a brand ambassador or a manager, but the company gave her the runaround.
“I remember contacting them and being like, ‘If you want me to do media, I can do that, if you want me to do this, I can do that, if you want me to do managerial work, I think Ronda needed a mouthpiece at the time, I was constantly pitching these different ideas. I was like, ‘I can do these things, I’m available, just let me know.’ But I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you’re completely useless and then you can’t go and do anything else, because you’re under a contract where, even though you’re an independent contractor, you still need permission to do stuff, and then it would get turned down.”
Twitch
Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I’m not giving you my Twitch, there’s no f*cking way.
– Saraya
Saraya was not content just sitting at home and doing nothing. WWE wasn’t giving her anything to do, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She joined the Twitch streaming platform. Saraya’s Twitch account took off and she made a lot of money interacting with her fans online from the comfort of her home.
That sounds like a great setup, until she got a call from Vince McMahon’s assistant who said WWE wants a cut of her Twitch earnings.
“It used to really get to me a lot, I never used to be vocal about it until they tried to take my Twitch away. I was just like, ‘There’s absolutely no way you’re going to take my Twitch away from me.’ Vince’s assistant at the time called me, he only did one phone call, and he was just like, ‘Well, you need to give us a percentage of this.’ If I had spoken to Vince, he would have been way more chill about it, I believe, but his assistant just had a fucking stick up his ass.”
I was frustrated. I was like, no way. Not only did I break my neck for you guys twice, for this company, but you don’t let me do anything. So I’m not earning this extra money that I would get if I was on the road doing media and all that kind of stuff. So I was like, this is what I’m doing. It’s keeping me sane. In the end, I just said, ‘Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I’m not giving you my Twitch, there’s no f*cking way. ‘
Listen to Saraya’s appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast:
Cody Rhodes triumphantly returned to WWE back at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year, where the American Nightmare was quickly featured as one of the company’s biggest stars and top babyfaces. He went on a miraculous win streak in that time, including victories over Kevin Owens and an insane trilogy with new United States champion, Seth Rollins.
Unfortunately for Rhodes he would hit a roadblock. Prior to his Hell in a Cell showdown with Rollins at the beginning of June he tore his pectoral muscle while weight training, leaving him with a bruise that the entire WWE Universe would see as he still competed at Hell in a Cell in a critically acclaimed matchup. Once the injury occurred several reports surfaced stating that he would be on the shelf anywhere from 6-8 months.
Ahead of Schedule
Rhodes is recovering from his injury well, and is even slightly ahead of schedule from his original timetable, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It is mentioned in the report that he has been working alongside WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page during this time, and has been taking it easy with upper body weights.
As for a return…the Royal Rumble is said to be “looking good,” but there is also some speculation on him returning in time for Day 1 as that event is in his childhood hometown of Atlanta. Either way WWE will be attempting to keep it a secret so there can be a surprise pop whenever it does happen.
Rhodes told the WWE Universe when he returned that his goal is to do what his father, the great Dusty Rhodes couldn’t do in WWE, which was hold a world title.
The wrestling world is mourning the death of former New Japan Pro Wrestling Young Lion Cup winner Katsuya Kitamura who died at the age of 36 this week.
Tokyo Sports reported Friday morning that Kitamura had passed away on October 12, with the cause of death currently unknown.
Their report adds that Kitamura had felt unwell on Tuesday, and
Kitamura had been active on social media, with a video from his YouTube channel uploaded three days before his passing.
The Wrestling Monster
Once considered for the Japanese wrestling team for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Kitamura stepped foot inside New Japan’s dojo for the first time in 2015.
A year later, Kitamura had his first official match, wrestling Tomoyuki Oka (Great-O-Khan) to a time-limit draw in September 2016.
The following year, Kitamura won the Young Lion Cup, defeating everyone in the block in an arguable career highlight.
In early 2018, Kitamura was put in a trial series against seven wrestlers in singles matches, but a concussion caused the final match against Manabu Nakaniashi to be called off.
Kitamura would leave New Japan in January 2019, and was often called the ‘Wrestling Monster’ due to his six-foot, 265-pound frame.
Out of the Ring
Following his departure from New Japan, Kitamura returned to his amateur wrestling roots, competing for the MMA promotion RIZIN.
In his sole fight for the company, Kitamura lost to Bobby Ologun by rear naked choke at Rizin 32 on November 20, 2021
We at SEScoops would like to offer our condolences to Kitamura’s family and those who knew him at this sad time.
Saraya made her AEW debut during the September 21 episode of Dynamite and received a hero’s welcome. Though her arrival in the company wasn’t free of controversy. A lot of people questioned her decision to leave WWE behind despite them keeping her employed after her injury. The first promo she cut after joining the company also attracted negative reaction.
The newest AEW star addressed all this during her appearance on Talk Is Jericho. She first explained that it was WWE that let her go. According to her, fans should be happy that she found another place to continue her career:
“They call us traitors and stuff like that. But I’m like, ‘Well, they didn’t renew my contract. I don’t know what to tell you.’ It’s not as if I just left the company.
We left on good terms and it is what it is. But, I feel like people should be happy that there’s other companies out there that are just as big and getting bigger.” said Saraya, “There’s so many different places that all your favorites could potentially go and build a career. You’re not having to just focus on one company anymore. I just feel like that’s wonderful.”
‘You Guys Need To Chill’ : Saraya
Saraya then addressed her controversial promo from the September 28 Dynamite. The former champion had claimed during the show that it was good to finally have a boss that listened to her. This remark attracted negative fan reaction with people accusing her of not being grateful for the opportunities in WWE. Speaking about the promo and the fallout, the wrestling veteran explained that it was about how the creative process in WWE often led to frustration:
“Then they were mad at me because I said a boss that listens to me about the division. Because Hunter listened to me, he always did. He was always wonderful. That’s why I liked working with him in NXT. He’s the one that helped me when I first got to the main roster, but it can get a little frustrating at times being there as you know.” said Saraya, “You feel like you’re throwing ideas and stuff like that and seeing what sticks and then you end up just sitting in catering or you end up sitting at home. That’s the thing that became really frustrating.
Whereas I threw an idea at Tony, and straightaway he was like ‘Let’s give it a try. They can either like it or hate it, but we’ll give it a try.’ I really appreciate that. So I said that in a promo like, ‘Alright, A boss that listens to me.’ [It was like], Oh it’s the worst thing I ever said. It’s like I literally came over to their house and set their family on fire. It was like the worst thing ever. I was like, ‘Oh my god! you guys need to chill, it’s not that deep.'”
WWE has had fans talking about their most recent trademark filings, which are believed to be connected to Bray Wyatt.
In the past, trademark filings have often been a sign of future plans for the company.
A recent example includes WWE trademarking the term ‘Damage CTRL’ which would go on to become the name of the stable of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY.
Trademarks
Fightful report that WWE filed trademarks for the term ‘Uncle Harper’ and ‘Uncle Howdy’ on October 8.
The listing for both terms gives the following description for their usage.
Trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.
Horror fans may recognize the term ‘Uncle Howdy’ as the nickname for the demon Pazuzu who possesses the young girl Regan in The Exorcist.
Luke Harper
The Uncle Harper term is seemingly a nod to Luke Harper, who was part of the Wyatt family for years.
In late 2019, Harper would leave WWE, and would later join AEW as the leader of the Dark Order Brodie Lee.
In December 2020, Lee sadly died aged 41, and tributes to the former TNT Champion were paid by both WWE and AEW.
WWE has not confirmed what exact plans they have for the ‘Uncle Harper’ term, which some believe will be part of a new Wyatt family.
Saraya is the latest wrestling star to jump ships from WWE to AEW. While the new WWE regime under Triple H did try to bring her back into the company, she ultimately made the decision to join the rival promotion. According to the female star, there were two AEW stars who convinced her to join the organization.
The former Divas Champion recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho. Discussing how her AEW deal came together, Saraya revealed that it was the duo of Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley that convinced her for the move:
“People ask all the time, they’re like, so how did that come about and stuff like that. I was like, you know what? It’s a mixture between Jericho and Mox. They were like calling me about it. They were so awesome. They said you’re just gonna be happy.”
‘I Was Really Excited To Try Something New’: Saraya
Saraya later explained the reasoning behind her call to join Tony Khan’s promotion instead of going back to WWE. According to the former champion, she is really excited to try something new at this point in her career:
“It was like a mixture. I was like, ‘What do I do? Do I do WWE? Or do I go to AEW?’ And I was like ‘I just feel like I’m at the stage in my life where I’ve done so much with WWE and I’m thankful for that. But AEW is this company where there’s so much behind the scenes that people don’t see.’ I feel like there’s like this camaraderie, if that’s the right word. It is so relaxed back there too.
I was just really excited to try something so new and then like with a division that’s completely new too. As much as I love the girls, like I saw Charlotte literally minutes before I got here and I was like, ‘I miss you ladies,’ but I’m so excited to be in such a fresh [environment].”
Stu Grayson may have parted ways with All Elite Wrestling, but that didn’t stop him from making an appearance this week.
This week’s AEW Rampage, which will air tonight, was filmed after this week’s AEW Dynamite in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
According to sources who attended the taping, Grayson appeared during a backstage segment and earned a loud response from the fans at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Stu Grayson in AEW
Grayson spent the entirety of his AEW career as part of the Dark Order, teaming regularly with Evil Uno.
The pair made their debuts for AEW at the promotion’s first pay-per-view Double or Nothing in May 2019.
In July 2020, Uno and Grayson had their one opportunity at the AEW World Tag Team Championships, losing to then-champs Kenny Omega and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
Stu Grayson may be best known for his time in AEW, but he has competed outside the promotion.
He has also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerilla, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion (with Uno.)
Grayson has also competed for Chikara, where he incorporated his love of video games into his character, using video game cartridges inserted into a slot on his tights to determine his wrestling style.
Since leaving AEW, Grayson has had just one match, teaming with Uno to unsuccessfully challenge HOG Tag Team Champions the Briscoes last month.
The behind-the-scene tensions in AEW have been a major topic of discussion recently. Every time it seems like things have settled down, a new report of heat between stars or a new altercation comes out, leading to more speculation. Though according to Chris Jericho, despite all this, the positivity within the company is off the charts.
Y2J recently had an interview with Comicbook.com. He first commented on the reports of him stepping up as a locker room leader in the past few months. Jericho explained that AEW has only been around for three years and the company has growing pains. This is why people like him, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley have to come forward.
Commenting on the reports of the backstage environment of the promotion, Chris Jericho claimed that there is always going to be little dips and dots in any locker room:
“The funny thing is, everyone’s got an opinion when they’re online and the social media and all that stuff. We know what’s really happening and we know, sure there’re things you got to fix, but the positivity in our company is off the charts and the optimism of where we’re going over the next few years is also off the charts.”
Chris Jericho then stirred the conversation toward AEW’s third-year anniversary. He explained that it’s huge because when they started the company, they weren’t sure about having even a single anniversary. Per the former AEW champion, they are now taking care of the issues and focusing on the positives, which are 98% to two.
Liv Morgan recently piqued people’s interest when she posted a photo with none other than the fastest-rising star in pro wrestling history – MJF.
The AEW star has been teasing a bidding war over him when his current contract with AEW expires in 2024. Many believe that the 26-year-old might actually end up jumping ships when the time comes.
Morgan was asked about the photo with the AEW talent during a recent interview with Metro. She revealed that it was taken during a birthday party:
“Aha! So, I went to my friend Skylar’s birthday party and he was just there! I had never met him before that. We had great, great, great, great banter. We have a lot in common actually!”
Speaking about the possibility of MJF joining WWE in 2024, Liv Morgan claimed that only the Wrestling Devil can decide what’s best for him:
“When 2024 comes, I think only he can know or decide what is best. I think whatever he wants to do is gonna be the best decision for him. Wherever he goes, I’m just he’ll be a star.”
Morgan also continued teasing a major acting project. She didn’t provide much detail but said that there is some news coming out soon that is a ‘literal dream come true.’
United States Champion Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch attended tonight’s football game in Chicago.
Seth Rollins captured the United States Championship from Bobby Lashley this past Monday night on RAW.
The Visionary had attacked Bobby Lashley on the RAW before WWE Extreme Rules. Lashley had just successfully defended the United States Championship against Mustafa Ali. Seth attacked after the bell and planted the champion with a Stomp.
On this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Bobby Lashley was ready to defend his title when The Beast Brock Lesnar’s music hit. Brock attacked Lashley and hit him with a couple of F5s. Seth then goaded Lashley into still having the match by questioning his courage. Rollins capitalized on a wounded Lashey and defeated The All Mighty to capture the title.
Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch Attend Chicago Bears Game
The Chicago Bears are currently playing the Washington Commanders on Thursday night football. Ahead of kickoff, the Bears’ official Twitter account sent out a photo of Seth and Becky at the game. Seth had the United States Championship around his shoulder in the photograph.
The post had the caption “we love football” above the image. Rollins often tweets out “I love football” or “I hate football” depending on whether the Bears won the game or not.
Becky Lynch last wrestled at this year’s SummerSlam PLE. Big Time Becks battled for the RAW Women’s Championship but lost to Bianca Belair. After the match, Damage CTRL (Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai) arrived and surrounded the champion. Becky turned babyface and stood by The EST’s side and Damage CTRL retreated.
The following night on RAW, Damage CTRL attacked Becky to write her off of television as she recovers from a separated shoulder suffered at SummerSlam. Lynch posted about attending tonight’s football game and you can check that out below.
Hardy names various wrestlers who he thinks are the best he’s worked with in his career. He lists wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, and Edge & Christian.
He shared who thinks are the best “with the newer style of wrestling.” “Three guys that I have to give shoutouts to because they truly do have great minds for what they do and they’re very polarizing, but Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. I’ve loved my experiences with them as well. It’s funny, you know, people sleep on the Young Bucks, but they really do know their shit. I mean, they can work an old school-style match if they needed to. They’re very well-versed in everything. They are extremely smart in how they put together their shit. They’re great.”
Matt Hardy would like to work with these AEW wrestlers
(AEW)
When asked who we wants to work with in AEW that he hasn’t worked with yet, Hardy immediately replied, “Kenny Omega”. For younger talent, he wants to work with MJF. He revealed that it was discussed at one point during the Pandemic Era.
Although they worked together some in WWE, the current AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley, is someone who would love to work with now and have a “one-on-one match with.”
After getting to work with “All Ego” Ethan Page a little bit, Hardy can see the similarities that host Jon Alba pointed out, such as his “wrestling acumen”.
Bray Wyatt made his triumphant return to WWE last Saturday at Extreme Rules. Matt Hardy reacted to his friend’s return on the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.
Hardy and Wyatt were paired together during Hardy’s last WWE run when he was “Woken Matt”. They were rivals that had a feud culminating in “The Ultimate Deletion”. They eventually became a tag team, “The Deleters of Worlds”, and became RAW Tag Team Champions.
Many fans have had concerns about how Wyatt will be handled upon his return to the ring. On RAW, his return was aired again. A new vignette of Bray in his current mask was also shown between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle’s matches (his return followed their match at Extreme Rules). Fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure that Wyatt himself was not on RAW.
“First and foremost, I’m so happy for him. He loves wrestling, but it’s one of those things, towards the end, he was burned out in many ways. He was very frustrated with a lot of Vince’s decisions, I think. And to see him back and doing what he does best and doing it passionately, I love it. I thought the re-introduction was so amazing. I love how you have all these characters from the Firefly Funhouse and now they’re real. They’re showing up in different parts of the arena. It was done in such a cinematic way, such a theatrical way. I love the presentation, I love the reaction it got. And the fact that he came out with the lantern –a nice callback to old school Bray– and blew it out. I loved that. And the concept behind the ‘Wyatt 6’; six individuals that are kind of like all within his mind and they’re all somehow real now. I like the possibilities behind this.”
WWE has to follow through with Bray Wyatt
Hardy shares in the concern about how Wyatt will be handled. “They have to capitalize. Once again, it was Philadelphia and Philadelphia fans they won’t come for you unless you give them some shit that they want and that they like. They’re very passionate about how they react to things and their reaction was off the charts. So, that really speaks volumes about much wrestling fans in general care about Bray and his return. So yeah, I think they have to capitalize on it and make the most of it and they have to really be smart with how they progress forward.”
“He’s such a unique character too. There’s so many idiosyncrasies with everything he does. So you really have to–the devil’s in the details. You really have to pay attention to the details. Bray’s good at that. Hopefully with Triple H behind the helm now, he’s going to stay on top of it too.”
On the QR codes and viral marketing, Hardy said he loves “that type of stuff where fans have to work a little bit and where they figure it out, they get a payoff.” He thinks today’s fans are smarter and appreciate stuff like that.
Bray Wyatt made his shocking return at the conclusion of WWE Extreme Rules this past Saturday night.
WWE ran a wildly successful ‘White Rabbit’ teaser campaign that dished out clues and kept fans engaged in the mystery up until the Premium Live Event over the weekend.
After Matt Riddle defeated Seth Rollins in the Fight Pit match, he posed with UFC legend Daniel Cormier on top of the entrance ramp. The lights went out and the Firefly Funhouse set was shown abandoned with cobwebs all around.
The puppets in the Firefly Funhouse came to life in human form in the crowd as a mysterious door was shown on the ramp. Bray Wyatt emerged and blew out his lantern as the crowd in the Wells Fargo Center lost their collective minds. Bray Wyatt has since been placed on the SmackDown roster since his debut.
Eva Marie Teases A Return On WWE SmackDown
Former WWE Superstar Eva Marie took to Twitter to share a video of her launching a Lilly doll toward a trash can. The caption claimed that if she made the shot, she will be returning to WWE tomorrow night on SmackDown. Eva tagged Bray Wyatt, WWE, WWE on Fox, and Peacock in the post. The video ended with Bray Wyatt’s logo before it was revealed whether Eva made the shot or not.
Eva Marie signed a contract to return to WWE in October 2020. A vignette aired on the May 3, 2021, edition of RAW in which she said she wanted to help others and promoted the “Eva-Lution. Doudrop, formerly known as Piper Niven joined the main roster as Eva’s protege the following week. Eva’s last appearance in WWE was on September 27th last year. She was attacked by Shayna Baszler in an injury angle and was then released by the company on November 4th.
Bryan Danielson debuted in All Elite Wrestling last year at All Out.
He arrived just after Adam Cole made his debut with the company as well. Danielson stood by Christian Cage and former AEW Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express’ side and battled The Elite to end the PPV. Danielson has had some tremendous matches in All Elite Wrestling but some fans were hoping for more for The American Dragon in the promotion.
Here are the 3 ways Bryan Danielson has been underutilized in AEW:
Zero Title Reigns
Bryan Danielson arrived in All Elite Wrestling with all the fanfare a wrestler could imagine. His match AEW World Championship with Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Grand Slam last year was legendary. The crowd in Arthur Ashe popped just because the bell rang. Omega and Danielson had a tremendous match that ended in a time-limit draw.
Bryan Danielson vs Kenny Omega last year at Grand slam was genuinely one of the best matches I’ve ever seen.
Speaking of time-limit draw finishes, Bryan Danielson wrestled Hangman Page to a 60-minute draw at AEW Dynamite: Winter is coming on December 15th, 2021. It was another great match, but the build-up to it was what was special in my opinion.
Danielson had morphed into a heel and was doing some of the best work of his career. Hangman Page had just defeated Kenny Omega at Full Gear in November 2021 and had the crowd behind him. Danielson used the time-limit draw as a way to get another match for the title a few weeks later on Dynamite.
Hangman went on to defeat Danielson in just under a half hour to retain the AEW World Championship on the January 5th Dynamite earlier this year. In the past month, Danielson has lost his two other opportunities at a championship. He lost the finals of the Tournament of Champions at this year’s Dynamite: Grand Slam to Jon Moxley. Danielson battled Chris Jericho for the ROH Championship on this past Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite and once again was on the losing end.
There have been multiple opportunities to elevate Bryan Danielson to a higher status on the roster. The timing may not have been right to put the title on Bryan during his feud with Hangman. However, in hindsight, he probably would have gotten a lot more out of a feud with Adam Cole than Hangman did in his forgettable rivalry with him earlier this year.
Just A Part Of The Group
In the months after losing both title matches to Hangman Adam Page, Danielson entered a rivalry with Jon Moxley. They battled at AEW Revolution and Moxley picked up the victory. Bryan was still a heel at the time and wanted to form a partnership with Moxley. Jon wasn’t interested until the two bled together. After the match, Danielson and Moxley continued to fight until the legendary William Regal arrived and thus began the Blackpool Combat Club.
Following Revolution, Danielson & Moxley wrestled as a tag team for three episodes of Dynamite in a row (3/16, 3/23, 3/30) and then that was it. They didn’t go after the tag titles, instead, they expanded their group. Wheeler Yuta joined the Blackpool Combat Club, followed by former ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Claudio debuted in AEW as Bryan Danielson’s replacement at Forbidden Door on June 26th.
Blackpool Combat Club entered a rivalry with Jericho Appreciation Society that I thought culminated in the Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing in May, but is somehow still going on. The Anarchy in the Arena match pitted Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Santana, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston against Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia.
The finish of the match saw Bryan Danielson pass out due to being in the Walls of Jericho and being choked out by Jake Hager at the same time. Danielson’s last victory at an AEW PPV came at Full Gear last year in November against Miro in the finals of the World Title Eliminator tournament.
He then went on to defeat members of the Dark Order until losing to AEW World Champion Hangman Page twice. Somehow Bryan Danielson has found himself as a role player in Blackpool Combat Club and Moxley is firmly established as the biggest star of the group.
Ignoring Today To Build The Stars Of Tomorrow
The storyline between Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson revolved around Daniel Garcia. The 24-year-old is a phenomenal talent in the ring, and the idea of wrestling icons Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson arguing over the direction of Garcia’s career sounds great on paper.
Garcia’s struggle over deciding whether he’s a “sports entertainer” or a “professional wrestler” was entertaining, and prompted the “AEW Galaxy” to chant “you’re a wrestler!” at Daniel several times.
Jericho Appreciation Society wears ridiculous outfits, is flashy, and parodies Vince McMahon’s “sports entertainment” vision for wrestling. The issue is Vince McMahon resigned from WWE three months ago and the goofiness has already started to fade from RAW and SmackDown. So who are they parodying at this point?
There’s no doubt that Daniel Garcia will benefit from being in Jericho’s group, and would have been a great addition to the Blackpool Combat Club. One has to wonder if there was a better way of telling the story without handing Danielson additional losses.
Cody Rhodes exited All Elite Wrestling because he didn’t want to be a “gatekeeper wrestler”. The American Nightmare put himself into a bit of a box by stating that he wouldn’t challenge for the AEW World Championship again as an EVP if he lost to Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019. Cody lost the match after MJF threw in the towel on his behalf, and hit Rhodes with a low blow after the bell.
Now, it appears that Bryan Danielson is penciled in as a role player, or a storyline device in All Elite Wrestling. He’s referred to as the “best wrestler on the planet” by AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, but just can never seem to defeat his fellow Blackpool Combat Club member. Or anyone for that matter when a title is on the line.
There is plenty to love about AEW and there is also a lot to criticize. The same could be said for any promotion on the planet. However, the missed opportunities for Bryan Danielson are starting to mount and who knows how long The American Dragon has left inside the squared circle. It would be nice to see Danielson have a moment or two in AEW before it is too late.
Renee Paquette made her debut last night for All Elite Wrestling and kicked off Dynamite.
She worked in WWE under the name “Renee Young” from 2012 – 2020. Renee served as a backstage interviewer, host (Talking Smack, WWE Backstage), and briefly as a commentator on RAW.
After departing WWE, Renee launched her podcast, “The Sessions” on Fox’s Colin Cowherd’s The Volume network. She also recently landed a new gig with the Cincinnati Bengals. Paquette hosts the series “Renee All Dey” for the organizations and interviews a different player every week.
Paquette got a pop from her hometown crowd in Toronto as she opened this week’s episode of Dynamite. She interviewed Christian Cage before the match between Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Cage is also from the area but mocked the crowd as a heel during the interview.
Kayla Braxton Wishes Renee Paquette Was Still In WWE
Renee spoke about her debut in AEW on her podcast today and said she was happy to be back in the world of professional wresting.
“I’m so excited to be back in the world of professional wrestling.”
WWE personality Kayla Braxton responded to the news and said she wishes Renee was back with us (WWE). Kayla added that she is “super pumped” for Renee and congratulated her on everything she has going on.
Not gonna lie – wish she was back with us, but super pumped for this woman and all she’s got going on. Congrats @ReneePaquette you bad ass, you!
Not gonna lie – wish she was back with us, but super pumped for this woman and all she’s got going on. Congrats, @ReneePaquette, you bad ass, you! https://t.co/YpMpTjdmIU
Renee’s husband, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, is set to defend the title against Hangman Adam Page on next week’s Dynamite. It will be a special Tuesday night edition of the show airing from Moxley’s hometown of Cincinnati in the Heritage Bank Center. Hangman Adam Page confronted the champion last night ahead of the title match next week.
WWE Superstar Edge has been cast in an upcoming series for Disney+.
He’s currently involved in a bitter rivalry with the group he created, The Judgment Day. This past Saturday at WWE Extreme Rules, Edge battled Finn Balor in an I Quit match. Judgment Day interfered but Rey Mysterio made the save. Rhea Ripley then attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, and threatened to hit her with a con-chair-to if The Rated-R Superstar didn’t quit.
Edge uttered the words “I quit” to end the match, but Ripley opted to hit Beth with the con-chair-to anyway. Ripley recently took to Twitter and claimed that she’s the person that Edge wanted her to be.
Adam Copeland Cast In “Percy Jackson and the Olympians“
It was reported today by Variety that Adam Copeland (Edge), alongside Suzanne Cryer and Jessica Parker Kennedy, has been cast in the upcoming series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” for Disney +.
Edge will appear in the series as a recurring guest star. The 48-year-old will play “Ares” in the series, a character described to Variety as “handsome in a wicked way and arrogant, despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed. He loves conflict and acts as an agent of chaos wherever he goes.” The series is not scheduled to be released until early 2024.
Edge Set To Retire In Toronto Next Year
The Ultimate Opportunist defeated The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in the main event of RAW in Toronto on August 22nd. After the match, Edge grabbed a microphone and revealed to the crowd that he plans on retiring when WWE returns to Toronto in 2023.
I can’t wait to hopefully come back one last time here in Toronto. I’m looking at the calendar, we usually come here in August. So next August, I plan on seeing each and every one of you. And in a perfect world, we all say goodbye to each other on that night.
Hey but that is okay man. This is the place we need to do it, okay? I mean this when I say it, I love all of you. And in case you missed it, I love being Canadian!
Road Dogg doesn’t understand CM Punk’s us of “Cult Of Personality” as his entrance theme.
Taking to his podcast, “Oh You Didn’t Know,” Road Dogg discussed Punk’s use of the song by Living Colour for his theme. In Dogg’s opinion, the song doesn’t really match Punk’s personality.
“Buying ‘Cult of Personality’ for CM Punk makes zero sense to me. Yes that was his theme song for a minute, but why?
“[Whatever song they would’ve picked for his return] would’ve been fine, it would’ve been CM Punk’s new song and they could’ve found one in a music library that was close enough to where we can either copy this, rip it off a little bit, change it a little bit and own it, or we can just use that one, pay the library costs.
“I don’t know, I don’t think the’ Cult of Personality’ defines him in my mind or not. I don’t know if I’m just bringing that up because I’m negative about him all the time.”
Road Dogg and CM Punk have certainly had their issues with one another in the past. In a past podcast, the D-X member noted that he once wanted to fight Punk for the lack of respect he would show to veterans such as himself and The New Age Outlaws.
Currently, Punk is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a multi-time World Champion for the promotion. However, he’s currently nursing an injury that has him sidelined from in-ring action.
He was also involved in a backstage altercation with other AEW talents that has caused quite a bit of backstage drama within the promotion. His future with AEW remains in question.
Former WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon and former Talent Relations head John Laurinaitis passed on renewing Saraya’s contract when it expired.
Fightful Select has a new report regarding the WWE departure of Saraya, formerly known as Paige. When she was informed of the news that WWE wasn’t going to re-sign her, she went public with her statement. Saraya’s WWE contract was surprisingly low, and many of her outside projects were restricted to some degree.
It was said that while Saraya was on the shelf for the majority of the last five years, there were “some confusing messages sent regarding about her physical status, ability to wrestle, and the way that things went down.”
WWE’s Offer
(AEW)
The new WWE regime did offer her the role of General Manager a month after her deal was not renewed. When the regime made that offer, she was told that if she ever wanted to return to in-ring action, the company would help make that happen. There had been rumors of WWE getting Saraya multiple doctors to get her medically cleared, but this report dismissed it and said WWE didn’t go to the extent of getting her checked out for an in-ring return.
Instead, Saraya went through three extensive health checks herself to gain clearance. WWE reportedly was not interested in bringing Saraya back before the new regime. Also, that regime wouldn’t sign off on X-rays to have her examined. The case of her wrestling again was said to be closed as far as the old regime was concerned.
When Triple H took over, his regime did make efforts to get Saraya back into the mix, as there is a positive relationship between the two sides. Triple H was reportedly said to be shocked when the old regime did not renew Saraya’s deal.
Ultimately the freedom to do outside projects without giving up a cut in pay, and other contract terms, led to Saraya going with AEW instead of returning to WWE.
The Rock has offered up his thoughts on the recent backstage changes that have gone on within WWE.
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, The Rock was asked about the recent changes that have gone on within WWE backstage. He called it an “interesting shift” that the company is going through, praising their ability to pivot.
“What an interesting shift that the company has gone through this year, unexpected in many ways, but when unexpectations happen in that kind of way, that form or fashion, especially in that business, you gotta have the ability and the agility to pivot, which they have.”
“With Roman, I think he’s doing a pretty good job, and the boys too, the Usos too.”
Recently, the creative leadership within WWE has taken a major turn. Amidst sexual misconduct allegations against longtime WWE CEO Vince McMahon, “The Chairman Of The Board” was forced to step down from the position, allowing Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan to step up as co-CEOs.
(@TheRock)
Shortly after, investigations into the allegations began, and McMahon retired from WWE altogether. This left the creative reigns to former WWE Champion and McMahon’s son-in-law Triple H.
Since the change, the general reception from fans and backstage talent has been mostly positive.
