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NJPW Star Leaves The Company

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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An NJPW star has taken to his Twitter account to announce his departure from the company.

The star in question is Karl Fredericks. He announced that his deal expired with NJPW on Aug. 1 and he will not be signing a new contract.

The news may come as a surprise to some. After all, Fredericks was brought into the LA Dojo and quickly graduated from the Young Lion system.

To others, this may not be a surprise as Fredericks had been expressing discontent over stagnation with his in-ring career.

Japan’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help matters as Fredericks had been stuck on NJPW Strong shows in the United States.

Fredericks
(via NJPW)

Here is Karl Fredericks’ statement:

“As of today August 1st I am no longer under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling and I will not be re-signing with the company at this time.“

Karl Fredericks announces NJPW departure

“Though there is disappointment in the ending of this chapter I am grateful for the last four years traveling the world and growing with my best friends. I want to say thank you to the company for the opportunities and especially thank you to Shibata-San for believing in me and bringing me along his journey with the LA Dojo.

“Last but not least thank you to my fans and thank you to the NJPW fans for Your support over these years. I hope you will continue to support me along my path wherever that may lead.”

Logan Paul Not Interested in Winning Over WWE Fans

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Logan Paul has made some serious waves within WWE already.

Paul has had just two matches but it’s become quite clear that the social media star is a natural. In his first match at WrestleMania 38 back in April, he teamed with The Miz to take on Rey and Dominik Mysterio.

In that match, Paul was praised for his heel character work and his awareness, mocking Rey Mysterio with Eddie Guerrero’s Three Amigos and Frog Splash moves.

His second match was an even bigger challenge as he went one-on-one with The Miz. In the first singles match of his young pro wrestling career, Paul shined again.

Logan hit a moonsault from the ring apron to the floor, a Blockbuster, a springboard forearm, and more. Paul’s biggest spot was hitting a Frog Splash from the top turnbuckle onto the announce table.

Paul got the win with the Skull Crushing Finale and thanks to his impressive performance, he ended up receiving a big babyface pop.

Logan Paul Doesn’t Care About Cheers or Boos

20220730 SSLAM paulmiz 6dc3a09a5c161f4c463370cf9962ce04
(via WWE)

Logan Paul is a babyface on the WWE roster but many feel he has been miscast since the WWE audience tends to dislike him. During an interview with DailyDDT, Paul said that he doesn’t care if he gets cheers or boos.

“I gotta do this sh*t, for real, for a very long time,” he said about how he can win over the audience. “I don’t think a win will change their mind on anything… The WWE fans are unpredictable. I get booed sometimes and I get cheered sometimes. I’ll be talking on the mic and I’ll hear someone hurl a derogatory insult at me. I make a joke and he laughs and says, ‘Ah, he is funny.’ So, I don’t know, but it’s like a tornado out there and I’m in the middle of it.

“I don’t care [about being booed or cheered.] I don’t care, man. I’ve been loved. I’ve been hated. I’m completely indifferent to both. As long as there is a reaction, and trust me, there will be a reaction, we’re good.”

Logan Paul on WWE fan reaction

“I’m unbothered,” he said about the reactions. “I don’t care. I’m here to prove myself right more than anyone telling me what I can and can’t do and I’ve done it time and time and time again. If you look at my track record, my whole life is a series of me doing stuff people telling me I can and can not do or will not do and this is just another one of those things. Like I said, just time in that ring.

“Months, years, decades. God willing, who knows what happens with this sport. That’s where the real respect is. There’s a reason why Roman Reigns, John Cena, Stone Cold and guys like that get the respect they get. It’s because they’ve dedicated their lives to a certain craft, and while I’m totally willing to do that, this is only match number two.

“I can’t focus on whether I’m loved or hated right now and focus on doing the best I absolutely can and putting on a killer performance.”

Bryan Danielson On What Vince McMahon Thinks About His Vegan Lifestyle

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bryan Danielson is a known supporter of the vegan life. He adopted the lifestyle in 2009 and has stuck with it since then. It appears the former world champion has even managed to change the mind of Vince McMahon regarding it.

The AEW star was part of the Starrcast V. He spoke to media during the convention. When asked about his conversation with Vince McMahon regarding veganism, Bryan told a funny story of how the boss reacted to it at first:

“It’s interesting because I remember Chris [Jericho] telling me. When I first had that NXT match with Chris. He came to the back, and he says [to Vince McMahon] ‘You got something with this kid.’ [Vince replied] ugh, he doesn’t even eat meat'”

There’s something to It

Though Bryan Danielson revealed that things have changed since then. According to him, McMahon has started accepting the benefits of veganism in recent years, even if he doesn’t believe in going full vegan:

“But the conversations I’ve had with him in the last several years, He’s said there’s something to that for health and for longevity, for that sort of thing. I don’t think that he’s a believer that you should be entirely vegan, but I think he believes now that there are a lot of health benefits to doing it. Especially if you’re doing it purposefully on specific days or whatever.”

You can check out Bryan Danielson’s media interaction below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

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

Dana Warrior Out of WWE’s Creative Department

Thomas Lowson
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Over the past month, WWE has undergone several changes behind the scenes.

Vince McMahon is now retired, having made his announcement on Friday, July 22, a month after stepping down as WWE’s CEO and Chairman.

Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan are now serving as the co-CEOs of WWE, while Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has replaced Vince McMahon as WWE’s head of creative.

Dana’s Departure

A lot has changed behind the scenes as of late, including a departure from WWE’s creative team.

According to a report from PW Insider, Dana Warrior is no longer working as part of the promotion’s creative department.

While she is reported to have been backstage at last weekend’s Summerslam Premium Live Event, it’s noted that she was not working behind the scenes.

Warrior, the widow of WWE Hall of Famer the Ultimate Warrior, is said to have left the role months ago.

Prior to her departure from WWE’s creative team, she had been working remotely from home and had not attended any of the weekly TV tapings in quite some time.

Warrior joined WWE’s creative department in 2019, five years after joining the promotion as a community ambassador following her husband’s death in April 2014.

Still with the Company

Dana Warrior is gone from WWE’s creative department, but she remains a part of the company.

Warrior is continuing to work as part of WWE’s Community Relations team and plays a significant role in the promotion’s community outreach program.

She is also involved with the Warrior Award ceremony yearly at the WWE Hall Of Fame during WrestleMania weekend.

Dana Warrior Blasts “Smut & Filth” Dark Side of the Ring Ultimate Warrior Episode

Becky Lynch Hints At Major Character Change After SummerSlam

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Man is back!

Becky Lynch had abandoned the moniker that helped her become the most over wrestler in WWE when she turned heel after her SummerSlam return last year.

The former Women’s Champion had defeated Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a quick manner, angering a lot of fans.

She completely changed her look after this victory and started promoting herself as Big Time Becks. A full year after that, Becky faced Bianca once against at SummerSlam, this time for the Raw women’s championship.

The former champion put over the EST this time around. After the match, she showed respect to her opponent and shook her hand.

Becky Lynch’s Future

Becky Lynch

Bayley made her return after this with Dakota Kai and Io Shirai. This group tried to intimidate Belair but Becky Lynch stood by Bianca’s side, cementing her face turn.

The WWE star then cleared any doubts about her future on Twitter. She changed her handle to The Man, hinting at the return of the beloved character:

The Man

Though latest reports suggest that Lynch may have suffered an injury in her match against Bianca Belair. If this is true then we may have to wait some more to see The Man’s comeback on WWE TV.

Backstage Notes From Ric Flair’s Last Match PPV

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ric Flair fulfilled his promise of delivering an exceptional final match. The wrestling veteran won the tag team bout against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal during the Ric Flair’s Last Match PPV from Nashville.

The event also featured some other interesting matches as well as some notable guests. People like The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and more were at ringside and they were shown during the broadcast.

Other wrestling personalities who were in attendance include:

  • Rey and Dominik Mysterio
  • Michael Hayes
  • Shane Helms
  • Mojo Rawley
  • Jimmy Valiant
  • Mickie James
  • Dennos Condrey
  • The Nasty Boys
  • Rikishi
  • Miro and CJ Perry (Lana)

Dave Sahadi was the director of the broadcast for Ric Flair’s Last Match. According to reports, the live crowd was ‘far rowdier’ than it came off on the screen.

Veteran announcer Bob Caudle was filmed in advance several weeks ago in his home. Caudle was filmed in front of a green screen because he was unable to travel.

Finally, 90 Day Fiance star Tim Malcom was around all week for various Flair events. He is a big fan of the sport and wrestling has been mentioned many times on his shows.

H/T: PWInsider

Backstage Update On Ric Flair’s Health After Bloody Last Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ric Flair’s final match was everything fans expected and more. The wrestling veteran gave one of the best performances of his life and won the bout.

However, he also took some scary bumps during the fight and was a bloody mess coming out of it. This only added to the concern of fans who were already worried about his health going into the event.

PWinsider provided some early updates on his health following his match. They noted that two doctors were waiting for Flair in the locker room and he was checked immediately after he returned.

According to a source, the former world champion was ‘great’ after the bout. He was spent after the outing but he took some rest. After being checked out by the doctors, Ric Flair said that he was starving and wanted to go eat.

As scary as the bout was, the news coming out of the show is that the Nature Boy is fine, and he was headed out to enjoy the rest of his evening in Nashville.

The 73-year-old had been talking about his health issues openly before the PPV. It’s a good news for fans that he appears to have come out of the match relatively healthy.

Seth Rollins Responds To Comments About His Behavior In NXT

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Seth Rollins has had one hell of a wrestling career filled with many accolades. However, he has also had his fair share of troubles in his journey to becoming one of the most successful pro wrestlers of all time.

This was especially true for his training days. Former NXT trainer Road Dogg had recently talked about this. He explained that The Architect would become annoyed with advice given to him during his developmental run.

The former world champion responded to these claims during an interview with Sports1. Rollins admitted that he was pretty stubborn at the time:

“I used to be pretty stubborn, that’s true, and that was a problem starting in WWE twelve years ago and going through the NXT roster.

On the other hand, my personality helped me because you need confidence to make it in WWE, but it was difficult with me.” said Seth Rollins, “It must also have been because I came from another world.”

The WWE star also talked about his visionary character. He was asked about comparisons to ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage and whether the colorfulness of his gimmick is inspired by the wrestling legend.

Replying to it, Rollins said that his main goal was to differentiate himself from how Roman Reigns is doing things but admitted that he is a big fan of wrestling from the past and Savege.

The Undertaker Attends Ric Flair’s Last Match

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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The Undertaker got a seat right next to his old rival Mick Foley to witness Ric Flair’s final match.

Undertaker was joined by his wife Michelle McCool and their child, Kaia Faith Calaway. Ric Flair’s Last Match event took place inside the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the main event, Ric Flair teamed with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

The event was promoted by Starrcast under the Jim Crockett Promotions marketing.

Reports had surfaced this weekend revealing that The Undertaker was indeed in Nashville for WWE SummerSlam. He didn’t make an appearance on that show but his time in Nashville wasn’t done on Saturday.

Head over to the SEScoops homepage for coverage of Ric Flair’s Last Match.

Jerry Lawler Appears at Ric Flair’s Last Match Event

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Ric Flair’s Last Match event has been full of surprise appearances and you can add Jerry “The King” Lawler to the list.

The special event is taking place inside Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The undercard features a slew of matches featuring wrestlers from different renowned promotions all over the world.

In the main event, Ric Flair will have what is being billed as his final match. He will team with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

During the event, an interview was conducted inside Jeff’s dressing room. Jeff was joined by his father Jerry Jarrett and none other than Jerry Lawler.

“The King” gave Jeff a pep talk, saying Flair stole his strut from Jackie Fargo. He said he wanted Jeff to do the Fargo strut over Flair’s unconscious body by the end of the night.

It’s been a busy weekend for both Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett. Lawler was featured on the Kickoff show for WWE SummerSlam, while Jarrett served as a special guest referee during that same event for the Undisputed Tag Team Title match.

Check back on the SEScoops homepage for coverage of Ric Flair’s Last Match.

Cody Rhodes Appears Via Video At Ric Flair’s Last Match PPV

Jaychele Nicole
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A WWE Superstar made a video appearance during the pre-show of Ric Flair’s Last Match.

During the pre-show of the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view, many wrestling legends sent thriller well wishes to the WWE Hall of Famer. The pre-show featured people like Trish Stratus, Sting, Jim Ross, Nick Aldis, Kurt Angle, Dixie Carter, and Cody Rhodes.

These legends sent their support to Ric Flair who is competing in his final match during Starrcast V. 

We have live results for the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view that you can view here.

Current Card For Ric Flair’s Last Match

  • Impact World Championship Match: Josh Alexander (c) vs Jacob Fatu
  • Impact Knockouts World Championship Three-Way Match: Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering
  • Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Killer Kross (w/ Scarlett Bordeaux) vs Harry Smith
  • The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Kerry Morton and Ricky Morton) vs. The Four Horsemen (Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson)
  • Four-Corners Match: Alan Angels vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Nick Wayne
  • Bunkhouse Battle Royale: Adam Priest vs. Big Damo vs. Brian Myers vs. Bully Ray vs. Crimson vs. Crowbar vs. Gringo Loco vs. James Storm vs. Kal Herro vs. Komander vs. Rickey Shane Page vs. Sinn Bodhi vs. Wolfie D vs. TBA
  • Four-way Match: Rey Fenix vs Taurus vs Laredo Kid vs Bandido
  • The Von Erich (Marshall & Ross) vs The Briscoes
  • Ric Flair’s Retirement Match: Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett

Johnny Gargano Mentions Pros & Cons With AEW and WWE

Luis Perez
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Fans have been wondering what the future holds for former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano since becoming a free agent. He has taken time away from professional wrestling once his WWE contract expired in December.

During that time off, he and his wife Candice LeRae, welcomed their first child into the world, Quill Lewis Gargano, in February of this year.

Gargano who took part of Starrcast V, spoke of his love for NXT Black and Gold and Triple H. When asked about a potential return to WWE with Triple H back in charge, Gargano replied, “Everyone loves Hunter. This time period of my life has given me a unique opportunity to sit back and surgery the landscape of everything.”

“If I would have made a decision immediately, who knows what would have happened. The fact that I told myself that I was going to sit back, watch what happens, and make a decision based off that. I love things where both places are going. There are pros and cons, get it, cons, Khans, wordplay. I love what both places are doing.”

When Gargano was asked what was next for him, he replied,

“What’s next for me is I’m going to go home and change a diaper. If people thought I was going to come here and be like, ‘I’m going to show up then,’ I’m not going to say that because I don’t have an answer yet. I haven’t made up my mind or made a decision yet.”

“We’re lucky as wrestlers and wrestling fans that we are living in a world where there are options and choices out there. There is talent all over the world and both places that I haven’t wrestled yet, that I want to wrestle. I’m all about right place, right time, right opportunity.

“My favorite time period as a wrestling fan was the Attitude Era where people would show up. You never knew. The internet wasn’t like, ‘this person is showing then and here.’ It’s all about surprises. That’s the fun thing about being a wrestling fan. Being surprised.

“Whatever I can do to add that element of surprise and protect my surprise, I’m going to keep protecting it.”

Gargano hasn’t competed inside a wrestling ring since December 5, 2021 where he was on the losing end of the WarGames match between Team 2.0 and Team Black & Gold.

Gargano was trending during last night’s SummerSlam event due to fans speculating he would appear on the event.

Credit to Fightful for the transcription.

Ric Flair Wins Last Match in Nashville

Jaychele Nicole
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On July 30, Starrcast and Jim Crockett Promotions presented the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.

Here are the quick results:

  1. Ren Narita def. Yuya Uemura
  2. Bunkhouse Battle Royale: Mance Warner def. Adam Priest, Big Damo, Bully Ray, Crimson, Crowbar, Gringo Loco, James Storm, Kal Herro, Komander, Rickey Shane Page, Sinn Bodhi, Wolfie D vs. TBA
    • GCW wrestlers invaded the match at the direction of Nick Gage: Mance Warner, Effy, Blake Christian, Jordan Oliver, Joey Janela, Matthew Justice & Manders
  3. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)
  4. Killer Kross (w/ Scarlett Bordeaux) def. Davey Boy Smith Jr
  5. PROGRESS World Championship #1 Contenders Match: Jonathan Gresham def. Alan Angels, Konosuke Takeshita & Nick Wayne
  6. The Four Horsemen (Brian Pillman Jr & Brock Anderson w/ Arn Anderson) def. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Kerry Morton & Ricky Morton w/ Robert Gibson)
  7. Four-Way Match: Rey Fenix def. Black Taurus, Laredo Kid & Bandido
  8. Impact World Championship Match: Josh Alexander (c) vs Jacob Fatu ended due to the interference of Brian Myers, Matt Cardona & Diamond Dallas Page
  9. The Briscoes def. The Von Erich (Marshall & Ross)
  10. Impact Knockouts World Championship Three-Way Match: Jordynne Grace (c) def. Deonna Purrazzo & Rachael Ellering
  11. Ric Flair’s Retirement Match: Ric Flair & Andrade El Idolo def. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett
https://twitter.com/Aregularindyfan/status/1553894585453142018?s=20&t=4bF88-S-Pn0eQKotWpYVaQ

Other Starrcast Shows

In the same vein, this year’s Starrcast event featured three other live wrestling shows. Black Label Pro, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Game Changer Wrestling all hosted events through Starrcast this weekend.

Starrcast will also featured the following live podcasts:

Ric Flair Teases Blood During Last Match

Luis Perez
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0

In just a few hours, Ric Flair will step into the ring for one final time in his 50-year career. Flair will team alongside Andrade El Idolo to take on Ring of Honor star Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

Flair spoke to TMZ Sports, and he hinted that he will be getting color in tonight’s match.

“I know people think all I have to do is get in the ring and strut around and go ‘wooo’ and do this [holds hand up to forehead]. I’ve got to give them a lot more than that to satisfy myself and to have you guys saying on Monday, ‘Holy shit. What the hell just happened? How can that guy be 73?’

“That’s my goal right now. On Monday morning for you guys to be going, ‘What the shit. How did he ever pull that off?’ Brother, I’ll have one [a blade] tied to my finger a mile long. [Makes blading gesture].

“When all else fails [laughs]. I’ll take a lot of pressure off of myself the minute I get to that. For years I couldn’t work without it.”

No matter what the result is, Ric Flair’s Last Match will be a spectacle that will most likely be talked about Monday morning. The action begins with the preshow starting at 6:05 p.m. Eastern on FiteTV.

Credit to Fightful for the transcription.

Has Bayley Revealed The Name Of Her New Stable?

Jaychele Nicole
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It appears that the stable of Bayley, IYO SKY (Io Shirai), and Dakota Kai has a name.

SummerSlam Shakes Up The Women’s Division

Last night, at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch challenged for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title in the opening match. Belair picked up the win after 15 minutes of back and forth action.

Following Bianca’s win, Lynch hugged Belair, before the duo were confronted by Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky (Io Shirai).

Last night after SummerSlam, WWE posted a post-show interview with Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY after their surprise return. However, the trio did not say much about their actions last night. 

Bayley’s Stable Name Revealed?

This afternoon, Bayley tweeted out a photo of the group with the caption “CONTROL.” The tweet was retweeted by the official WWE account. The name is not confirmed but we might not have to wait too long to find out more because the trio is scheduled to appear this Monday night on Raw so we should know more in just over 24 hours. 

Bayley followed up that tweet by quoting Janet Jackson.

Here is the Janet Jackson quote she included in a follow-up tweet:

"This is a story about control

My control

Control of what I say

Control of what I dp

And this time, I'm gonna do it my way 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do

Are we ready?

I am

'Cause it's all about control 

And I've got lots of it” - 

@JanetJackson

@WWE"

As noted earlier, it looks like Bayley’s faction will feud with Lynch, Belair and possibly one other woman but a possible injury may force WWE to change their plans.

What do you think the faction should be name? Let SEScoops know here!

Saraya (Paige) Believes Sasha Banks & Naomi Will Return To WWE

Jaychele Nicole
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0

Saraya, whose formerly known as Paige, believes that Sasha Banks and Naomi will return to WWE now that Triple H is in charge.

Saraya officially left WWE on July 7 when her contract expired and the company decided not to re-sign her.

Sasha Banks & Naomi To Return To WWE?

During Saraya’s StarrCast V Media Scrum, Saraya commented on the suspensions and rumored departures of the tag team of Sasha Banks and Naomi.

The former Divas Champion said, “I mean, everyone love Sasha Banks, right? So the four horsewomen in general is such a big and critical part of the women’s revolutions. So, I think she’ll be back. I think now with Hunter in charge, and kind of like taking the reigns and everything anything. 

Just SummerSlam in general, just showed how much WWE has changed overnight. I mean, I don’t think anyone’s really been 100% happy with the pay-per-view in a long time and people are walking away from SummerSlam feeling like this is a turning point. 

So, I feel like eventually you know Sasha and Naomi hopefully in my opinion will come back.”

SummerSlam Shakes Up The Women’s Division

Last night, at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch challenged for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title in the opening match. Belair picked up the win after 15 minutes of back and forth action.

Following Bianca’s win, Lynch hugged Belair, before the duo were confronted by Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky (Io Shirai).

Sasha Banks & Naomi Outside Of WWE

Naomi is set to make her first public appearance as she has been booked for C2E2 2022, which takes place from August 5 – 7, 2022, at McCormick Place. 

She is going by her real name, Trinity Fatu, and will be doing a signing with fans at the gathering. This is the same first public appearance for Sasha Banks, who is also going by her real name, Mercedes Varnado, and is hyped as “Sasha Banks” and from The Mandalorian, since they walked out of WWE. 

Watch Saraya’s Starrcast V Media Scrum here:

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.

Mick Foley On If He Would Consider a Last Match

Luis Perez
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0

With Ric Flair’s last match taking place tonight in Nashville, “The Hardcore Legend” Mick Foley was asked by Conrad Thompson at Starrcast V if he would consider doing a last match also.

“Little known fact, my last actual match was against Ric in TNA. The only other thing I did in-ring after that was Royal Rumble 2012 and I did the thing where I came down against League of Nations WrestleMania (32).

“That’s not really a match if your opponents are forbidden from even touching you. I’m on the no-touch list. This is my remembrance. I had lost 50 big ones [pounds], clearly put them all back on, I found those 50 big ones, and then some.

“I was down to 288 from 328, feeling good, but I hadn’t been in the ring in years. Sheamus comes up to me and goes, ‘I want you to hit me as hard as you can.’ I said, ‘I think I can make it look good without doing that.’ He goes, ‘As hard as you can, fella.

“As hard as you can.’ I hit that hardheaded SOB about 25 times to the point where I actually thought they sped up the tape because I didn’t think I could move that fast. To this day, I can still point to the spot on my forearm that is sore from hitting him six years ago and he was fine a minute later.

“Ric and I had a really good match with a lot of intensity. That was a great final match for me. I don’t count the part where I almost lit Frank The Clown’s testicles on fire. That was a confrontation.”

The last time Mick Foley competed inside the ring was at the 2012 Royal Rumble. Although Foley’s final singles match was against none other than Ric Flair in a Last Man Standing Match on an episode of IMPACT back in October 2010.

Credit to Fightful for the transcription.

Saraya (Paige) Says She Loves AEW But Won’t Be There Anytime Soon

Jaychele Nicole
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0

Following Saraya’s (fka Paige) departure from WWE, she has now publicly commented on the possibility of her popping up in AEW.

Saraya officially left WWE on July 7 when her contract expired and the company decided not to re-sign her.

As with most people who leave WWE, fans immediately started to wonder when she would end up in AEW. Saraya was forced to retire in December 2017 due to a neck injury and after serving as General Manager of SmackDown and in a managerial role for Asuka & Kairi Sane, she had been off television since March 2020.

Saraya Won’t Be In AEW Anytime Soon

During her live podcast ‘Saraya: Turning The Page’ at Starrcast V, Saraya commented on her future following her WWE departure.

Saraya said, “I’m in the middle of writing a book right now, which I’m really excited about. We got a book, it’s going to be another year before it officially comes out. We’re in the middle of writing that. We’re doing other things, but I’m not allowed to say anything right now. It’s non-wrestling related, sorry guys. 

I’m not going to be going to AEW anytime soon. AEW seems great. I love AEW. I would love to face Britt Baker one day if the time is right, that would be awesome. All my friends are there now.”

The former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker recently named Saraya as one of her dream opponents.

Former Paige Reflects On Career-Ending Injury

Saraya last wrestled at a live event on December 27, 2017, teaming with Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville in a six-woman tag against Bayley, Mickie James & Sasha Banks. During the bout, Banks kicked Saraya in the upper back/neck area, leading to injury.

Saraya was how her neck is doing and if she would like to get back in the ring.

Saraya responded:

“I would love to, for sure. Having your career taken away from you without you wanting it to, having to retire on not my terms, it was really disappointing. 

I already knew once my neck got kicked in the middle of the live event match. Once I went down, I was like, ‘This is it, this is the end of my career.’ I couldn’t feel my body. I lost control of my arms, my leg. Then, I’m just laying there and looking up at the referee like, ‘I can’t feel my body, I’m paralyzed right now.’ 

He threw up the X and I look at poor Sasha in the corner and she’s like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else.”

Saraya reiterated that she holds no ill will towards Banks. Saraya says that it was her mistake of thinking she could do the same stuff and take the same moves as she did after returning from her first neck surgery.

H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription

Ric Flair Talks About His Health Going Into His Last Match

Luis Perez
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0

Tonight Ric Flair’s 50-year career will come to an end.

Flair is set to compete in his last ever match in professional wrestling, as he teams with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett. It all goes down at 6:05 p.m. Eastern at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Flair spoke to TMZ Sports about his health going into his final match.

“You know, in the last couple weeks, I don’t know whether it’s psychological, but I mean, I thought I had pneumonia. I got sick from, I think I was working out too much and then driving in the air-conditioned car in a wet shirt.

“And then they thought I had covid, and I got plantar fasciitis at the bottom of my foot, which is brutal. But yesterday, everything was A-OK, five days out. I’m good to go, man. Good to go.”

When asked if Flair had ever considered postponing the match, he replied, “I would never postpone it. They’d have to kill me for that. So many people have contributed their time and effort to make this happen. I just wanted to be at 100% of what I can be now.”

When asked if doctors feel confident about him competing, Flair said “I haven’t asked anybody since I started training. No one has told me no. Outside of being treated for the plantars, I haven’t been back to the heart doctor. I feel great.

“My heart, at my age with the pacemaker, you’re supposed to never take your heart rate 50 points above your age. I should never take it over 130. Yesterday, riding a bike, I got it to 193. If there is something plugged up, it hasn’t backed up on me yet. I’ve had it up to 203.”

“I’ve been doing 500 free squats and shit like that, like I used to. 500 in 12 minutes. They think I’m counting from 490 and making a joke. I’ll be doing 500 again tomorrow, take a day off, 500 on Friday, and probably ride the bike Saturday and Sunday and enjoy it.

“I guarantee I’ll be drinking every night. I don’t do good when I don’t drink at night. I’m like Lawrence Taylor.”

Becky Lynch May Have Suffered An Injury At SummerSlam

Jaychele Nicole
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After her face turn last night, it is now rumored that Becky Lynch may have suffered an injury at SummerSlam.

Becky’s SummerSlam Match & Moment

Former Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch appeared to suffer a shoulder injury during her match against Bianca Belair last night at the WWE SummerSlam premium live event.

In the opening match of the show, Lynch challenged for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title. Belair picked up the win after 15 minutes of back and forth action.

Following Bianca’s win, Lynch hugged Belair, before the duo were confronted by Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky (Io Shirai).

Possible Injury

At the time, some fans took to social media to speculate that Lynch had hurt her right arm because of how she was holding it during the segment.

A fan took to social media to post a photo of Lynch being escorted by WWE medical staff, holding a thumbs up with her left hand.

At this time, neither WWE nor Becky Lynch have confirmed that Big Time Becks was legitimately hurt during the bout. We will continue to provide updates on Becky Lynch as they become available.

Bobby Lashley Reveals Details Of His Shoulder Injury Prior To WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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There were a lot of rumors surrounding Bobby Lashley’s shoulder injury before WrestleMania 38. The All Mighty dropped the WWE championship to Brock Lesnar at Elimination Chamber, ending his reign in just 21 days due to it. It was believed that the reigning US champion will have to take time off for surgery, and he will miss the Show of Shows. However, he made his return just in time for Mania and competed in a singles match against Omos.

Lashley opened up about his injury during a recent interview with The Masked Man Show. He revealed that he had a 75 percent tear in his rotator cuff and his labrum was torn. Everyone, including Vince McMahon told him to get surgery:

“I tore my shoulder two months before WrestleMania. I couldn’t even raise my hand. I kept that quiet. I took like three weeks off and I said, I have to make it to WrestleMania.” said Bobby Lashley, “I called Vince [McMahon], Vince was like, ‘Ah, let’s take off. Let’s go get surgery,’ spend four months off and everything like that. I was like, ‘I can’t do that. There’s no way I’m gonna do that.’”

Bobby Lashley recalled how he stayed home for a couple of weeks but the time off wasn’t suiting him. So he decided to start rehabbing and managed to get cleared by WrestleMania:

“I started rehabbing and I got back in and then I made it for WrestleMania. I mean there’s no downtime. Every other sport has off-season. We don’t have an off-season.”

Lashley also talked about his US title win over Theory. Bobby said that he will defend his title in an open challenge on this Monday’s episode of Raw.

Quotes via Post Wrestling

Bryan Danielson Thought Doctors Were Going To Ask Him To Retire After Latest Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bryan Danielson has a history of concussion-related issues that have once forced him to retire from in-ring action. That’s why fans started worrying about his future when he recently suffered another concussion. According to the former world champion, he himself thought that doctors were going to tell him to retire after his latest injury but his brain scan changed things.

Danielson opened up about his injury while speaking to Renee Paquette for a live episode of her The Sessions podcast at Starrcast V. He revealed what the doctor had said to him before his return:

“He said, ‘After you start feeling better, we’re going to have to have a serious talk about your long-term health.’ I thought what that meant was, ‘After you feel better, I’m going to talk to you about not wrestling anymore.'”

What Changed Things For Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson

However, things changed after the result of his brain scans came out. Per Bryan, he has been putting extra work to keep his brain healthy, and it helped him:

“Then my brain scans came back so goddamn good that not a single person could say anything about it.” said Bryan Danielson, “I do put a lot of work and effort into keeping my brain healthy and doing things outside of normal stuff to keep my brain healthy. I think that’s paying dividends a little bit,”

Danielson later explained that he has done 100 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It is a procedure where they put you in a tube with 1.5 atmospheres of pressure and flood your brain with a lot of oxygen. Bryan Danielson suffered the injury in the Anarchy In The Arena match during Double or Nothing in May. He returned to ring during the July 27 Dynamite.

Quotes via Fightful

WWE And AEW Stars React To Big SummerSlam Returns

Anutosh Bajpai
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The SummerSlam PPV featured not one but three big returns. The opening match of the night saw Bianca Belair retaining the Raw Women’s title over Becky Lynch.

Bayley made her long-awaited comeback right after this. Though she wasn’t alone. Both Dakota Kai and Io Shirai made their returns as well and formed a new faction with the former women’s champion.

Triple H was the first person to react to the formation of this new group. The new head of WWE creative took on his Twitter and said that we’re just getting started:

Shirai also commented on her surprise SummerSlam appearance. There had been reports that The former NXT star’s contract was expiring soon. Many believed that she was done with the company after NXT Stand & Deliver in April.

However, Shirai not only made a big return but got a new name in IYO SKY as well. She updated her Twitter profile to reflect this change and noted that she is back:

AEW star Ruby Soho couldn’t contain her excitement seeing her friends. She first referenced the Riott Squad which she led during her time in WWE. Soho later noted that she was happy for the WWE stars:

Other people who reacted to these big returns included Paige, NXT star Jacy Jayne, Carmella, Natalya, Wade Barrett and more. You can check out their reactions below:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1553541778149482496

SummerSlam Attendance News from Nissan Stadium

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE presented its second biggest event of the year in SummerSlam this Saturday from Nissan Stadium. The show was headlined by Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns Last Man Standing match.

The Pay Per View event featured many headline-making moments. Though something else also caught people’s attention that wasn’t in WWE’s favor.

Just before the main event of SummerSlam started, Kane made an appearance. The Hall of Famer announced that 48,449 fans were in attendance for the show.

With a seating capacity close to 70,000, this would fill up the stadium significantly. Though many fans posted photos of the tarped-off hard cam side of the arena:

The company had sold about 38,000 tickets for SummerSlam on Saturday morning, according to the WrestleTix Twitter account.

WWE is known to inflate attendance figures, but this attendance is still a significant decrease from WrestleMania 38. The show was divided into two nights, and WWE had still managed to sell a lot more tickets for the event.

The promotion has claimed that a total of 156,000 people attended the show in the AT&T Stadium. The real numbers were said to be around 131,000.

The Money In The Bank 2022 was also originally advertised for the Allegiant Stadium, but it had to be moved to the MGM Grand Arena due to low ticket sales.

The Stadium Shows are said to be the vision of WWE Co-CEO Nick Khan. However, if this trend continues, then the company might have to reverse this decision.

Who Produced Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Match At SummerSlam

Anutosh Bajpai
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The first WWE PPV event after Vince McMahon’s retirement is officially in the books. The new WWE management under Triple H and Stephanie McMahon managed to create some iconic moments during SummerSlam.

Fightful Select provided some backstage news about the PPV. They revealed the producers for the key matches on the card.

The opening match of SummerSlam saw Bianca Belair retaining her Raw women’s championship against Becky Lynch. Bayley made her triumphant return after the match. Though the returning star wasn’t alone.

She formed a new faction with Io Shirai and Dakota Kai. According to the report, Tyson Kidd was the man behind this headline-making segment. The other women’s match in Ronda Rousey vs Liv Morgan was produced by Petey Williams.

Another match that got people talking was the Money In The Bank rematch between The Usos and Street Profits. Shawn Daivari produced this bout.

The match between Logan Paul and The Miz was produced by Shane Helms. Paul received big praise for this bout because it was only his second official match.

The main event of SummerSlam saw Brock Lesnar facing Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing match. This was built as the final match between the two stars.

The fight featured the iconic spot where Lesnar lifted the whole ring using a tractor, among others. This spectacle was produced by Michael Hayes.

Other matches of the night included Pat McAfee vs Happy Corbin produced by Abyss, and The Mysterios vs. Judgement Day produced by Jamie Noble. Finally, Bobby Lashley vs Theory was produced by Adam Pearce.

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