Former WWE Champion Alberto El Patron (aka Alberto Del Rio) believes he’ll make it into the WWE Hall Of Fame one day.
Recently, El Patron was interviewed by Sportskeeda and discussed the possibility of one day getting the nod for a Hall Of Fame induction.
El Patron said he believes the day will eventually come where he can share what would be a special day with his family.
“I would love to be there and walk into the scenario and just grab the microphone and from the top, look at my dad, my mom, my beautiful children, my girlfriend, my family, and to finally put an end to this amazing career with my name out there in the stars with the legends of our sport,” Del Rio said.
“I know one day it will happen. Of course, the decision is not mine. But I know someday, I will get my justice.”
El Patron debuted in WWE as Alberto Del Rio back in 2010 on SmackDown. It marked the beginning of what would turn out to be a rather successful career with the company overall.
The Mexican star is a former Royal Rumble winner, Money In The Bank Ladder match winner, a four-time WWE World Champion, and a two-time United States Champion. He’s been featured in big feuds alongside stars such as John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, The BIg SHow, and many more.
Aside from WWE, Del Rio has worked for promotions such as AAA, Ring Of Honor (ROH), Lucha Underground, IMPACT Wrestling, and many more.
Major League Wrestling action figures are in the works, thanks to a new partnership between MLW and Boss Fight Studio.
Here’s the press release sent in to SEScoops, with additional details on the upcoming line of MLW action figures:
Boss Fight Studio announces MLW action figure line
Licensing deal to bring the world of MLW to action figures, accessories and more
June 24, 2022 – Norwood, MA – Boss Fight Studio, creator of fan favorite action figures, announced today they have acquired the license to make Major League Wrestling action figures. For the first time ever, MLW action figures and collectibles will be available featuring some of the league’s most iconic and popular fighters.
“As a huge wrestling fan myself, I can’t wait to bring the MLW talent to market in action figure form” says Erik Arana, Partner and Creative Art Director at Boss Fight Studio. “I’m extremely excited as a collector and fan at the lineup we’ve put together, including figures, accessories, and entertainment sets – while we’ll reveal more in the coming weeks, I can promise tons of excitement!” says Arana.
“Teaming up with Boss Fight to bring the world of MLW to fans as action figures and collectibles is something the fans have been demanding and we’re delighted to make it happen,” says Court Bauer, CEO and Founder of MLW. “We have a stacked lineup we’ve been working on. Boss Fight’s attention to detail and ability to bring figures to market that are not only incredibly fun to play with but are representative of the talent is key.”
The opening of the MLW catalog of talent is huge with 1:12 scale figures, accessories and entertainment sets all planned. “We have deluxe figures planned alongside some amazing playable sets,” says Arana. Boss Fight Studio is known for their highly articulated figures which translates into wrestling figures that can reach extreme poses for maximum play.
More announcements for specific characters and figure release timing will be shared over the coming months through the Boss Fight Studio social accounts.
John Cena continues to be a huge money maker for WWE even with his very limited schedule.
Cena was WWE’s golden boy for many years. Things are a bit different for “Big Match John” these days, however. While he’s easily the biggest star of the night whenever he appears on WWE TV, Cena’s home these days is in Hollywood.
While he doesn’t make WWE appearances often anymore, he’s still a massive needle mover for the company whenever his schedule is free.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Cena’s advertised appearance has given ticket sales a massive boost. The report notes that 3,726 tickets were out when Cena’s appearance was first announced and that number has skyrocketed to 6,943.
As of this writing, the show in Laredo, TX is roughly 700 tickets away from a sellout.
Many believe that Cena and Theory will have some sort of encounter on the show. WWE is reportedly planning to book a match between the two at this year’s SummerSlam event.
Cena is not only a top draw but he’s widely considered to be an outstanding individual. He recently broke the record for most wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation at 650 and counting.
Two WWE superstars who have been on the shelf due to injury are expected to return soon.
Injuries have plagued the wrestling business as of late. WWE has lost two top stars in Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton due to surgeries that will have them out of action for months.
Other promotions such as AEW have also been hit hard. AEW is experiencing an all-time high when it comes to injuries.
There is some good news, however.
Io Shirai & Zoey Stark Returning Soon
(via WWE)
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are expected to be back on NXT TV soon. The two have been out of action due to injuries but are primed for returns any week now.
Shirai and Stark are former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. The two had been a humorous duo as Io did everything in her power to get rid of Stark but they ended up winning gold together.
Time will tell if they’ll return looking for singles gold or if they will once again go after the tag team titles.
When news first broke that the WWE board was investigating Vince McMahon over an alleged secret $3 million hush pact with a former employee, many wondered what the immediate future would hold.
Once the Wall Street Journal report of the investigation got out, WWE announced that Vince voluntarily stepped back from his role as CEO and Chairman but retained his creative roles.
Who Put Stephanie In Interim Role?
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Vince McMahon did not make the decision to give Stephanie the interim role. He reports that a special committee consisting of eight members of the Board of Directors made the decision.
Not included in the decision-making process were Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Nick Khan.
Meltzer also notes that none of the WWE employees who buried Stephanie to the media during her brief leave of absence were members of the special committee.
There was said to be internal shock over the news of Stephanie being named interim CEO and Chairwoman given how she was buried to the media by anonymous employees, reportedly with Vince’s approval.
The reason for WWE changing the name of one of its shows has now been made clear.
The company certainly isn’t afraid to make some changes. WWE has rebranded its developmental system, NXT, and has even made major changes to its main shows Raw and SmackDown.
In the case of this change, WWE felt it was necessary to avoid confusion.
Name Change Explained
WWE made the decision to change the name of its SmackDown post-show. The show was called “Talking Smack” but has since been changed to the “SmackDown LowDown.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that the name change was made due to WWE’s new A&E show being named, “WWE Smack Talk.” The series premiere of WWE Smack Talk will air on July 10.
The A&E show will feature Booker T, Peter Rosenberg, and Jackie Redmond. They’ll be recapping episodes of Biography: WWE Legends and WWE Rivals.
WWE had trademarked “SmackDown LowDown” earlier this year. Many assumed that it was for a recap show or segment.
Jeff Jarrett is back with WWE in a new role. The Hall of Famer has been given the title of Senior Vice President of Live Events. His new job in the company has been described as a high-level executive position.
During his most recent appearance on After The Bell, Jarrett talked about his newfound responsibilities and how it all came together. He explained that it all started with his Hall of Fame induction in 2018. Jeff made an appearance at the 2019 Royal Rumble and then got hired as a backstage producer:
“In 2018 I got inducted into Hall of Fame. Fast forward a year later, did Royal Rumble and then came on kind of in a producer role. Then I guess I was under CWT, creative writing team, which encompassed a lot. But then after about six months, I was moved into the live event department. So in a lot of ways, I’m kind of coming back to the position that I got into.”
Unfortunately for Jeff Jarrett, the whole world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic not too long after he took over the responsibility of running live events. The former WCW world champion was then moved to a different department before he parted ways with the company. He wasn’t brought back immediately when WWE went on the road again in July last year but Jarrett finally got the call last month:
“So the whole world shut down as we know it. Then during the pandemic, I worked in international for quite some time, and then we went our separate ways. So just as of late, it all happened really quick.
It’s hard to believe that WWE is back on the road almost a year. So as that ramping up process [began]. Everyone knows how the organization made some smart decisions to run lean and mean. Highly profitable. But I am really grateful that the executive team said, ‘Hey, we’d like you to basically come back into the Live Event department'”
AEW and NJPW are set to present one of the biggest cross-promotional events in the history of American Wrestling in Forbidden Door this Sunday. Though the two promotions were not on such good terms just a couple of years back. NJPW officials were not happy with The Elite for leaving the promotion to found their own company. At a time when the two organizations didn’t even have a line of communication, Jon Moxley became the bridge that helped close the gap.
The former AEW world champion was one of the first major stars to be working for both the companies simultaneously. He was a major catalyst in opening up the line of communication between the two wrestling promotions. Mox talked about being one of the most important figures that helped build this relationship during his recent appearance on The Sessions podcast.
Moxley was one of the first names to popularize the Forbidden Door term. However, he claimed that he is over it now because a Forbidden Door does not exist between AEW and New Japan anymore:
“I really am over that term myself.” said Jon Moxley, “Everybody is using that. Tanahashi actually coined it but now it’s not forbidden anymore because now there’s a nice little working relationship. So the door is not forbidden anymore. There are [other] forbidden doors but there does not exist one between AEW and New Japan.”
‘People Told Me To Stop Working For New Japan’: Jon Moxley
Jon then recalled the time when AEW and NJPW did not want to talk to each other. Per the former WWE star, there were plenty of people who told him to stop working for the Japanese promotion. Though he knew that it would be the end of all possibility of a crossover if he did so:
“There were plenty of people that told me to stop working for New Japan. They did not understand it, they were like ‘you should stop going there.’ I knew that I was like the last linchpin, the last domino. If I fell then there would be no communication ever. There were so many people on both sides that were agreeing with me. It just didn’t open the communication. I think like when that Harold guy got fired from New Japan I think that kind of opened it up a little bit.”
Ric Flair has been enthusiastically preparing for what’s being built as his final match next month but an opponent for the Nature Boy has yet to be announced. Fightful Select provided some update on the situation after it was initially reported that the wrestling veteran would be teaming up with FTR for the match.
The original idea was for The Rock N’ Roll Express to team up with Ricky Steamboat to face this trio before Steamboat declined to be a part of the bout. Steamboat was actually ready for the fight and the two parties had a meeting about it. However, his asking price was ‘extremely high’ and they were unable to come to an agreement.
After Ricky Steamboat’s denial, the chances of FTR making it to the show are starting to look thin as well. Per the site, the AEW owner Tony Khan was yet to give them the clearance to work the show as of Thursday afternoon. While the reason why Khan has not approved this appearance is not known, it’s worth noting here that he had a falling out with Flair following Dark Side of The Ring’s Plane Ride From Hell episode.
The wrestling world had bashed Flair for his conduct on the flight. Ric’s former podcast co-host Mark Madden has hinted that Tony even disinvited the wrestling veteran from his birthday party this year. Despite the controversies, people’s interest in Ric Flair’s final match seems to only increase as the date comes closer. The event was recently moved to a much larger venue after they sold out the arena initially booked for the show.
Ric Flair’s final match is scheduled to take place from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on July 31.
Impact Wrestling star Lady Frost has decided to move on from the promotion. She has asked for her release less than a year into her run with the company.
The female star revealed this news on Twitter earlier today. She thanked the fans and the staff of the promotion for the opportunities she has been given:
“I have officially asked for my release from @IMPACTWRESTLING I want to thank the incredible fans, staff, and locker room, as well as @ScottDAmore and @gailkimITSME for the opportunities given to me. Thank you for a great experience.”
I have officially asked for my release from @IMPACTWRESTLING I want to thank the incredible fans, staff, and locker room, as well as @ScottDAmore and @gailkimITSME for the opportunities given to me. Thank you for a great experience.
Lady Frost made her wrestling debut at the age of 33 in March 2018. She competed for WWE in her very first match and the Impact star lost to Asuka in a squash match.
She went on to wrestle for some known promotions in the following years. The most notable of it was her AEW debut where Frost and Jennacide teamed up for a loss against Diamante and Ivelisse for an episode of Dark in November 2020.
Lady Frost made her Impact Wrestling debut in July last year. She answered an open challenge issued by the then Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Impact Wrestling has not yet responded to the release request of the wrestling star. We will keep you updated on any development in the story.
When wrestling fans hear the name Roddy Piper, a number of different concepts might come to mind.
He was, perhaps, the greatest talker in wrestling history and certainly the host of the greatest wrestling talk show of all time. He was one of the best heels ever, and a darn good babyface too.
Then there’s the matter of WrestleMania.
Absolutely no one has a legacy at the Showcase of the Immortals quite like Hot Rod, ranging from all-time classic performances, to matches fans thought were his last, to a series of downright bizarre matches, to playing an interviewer, guest referee, and a number of points in between.
Roddy Piper’s Historically Great WrestleMania Performances
The original WrestleMania certainly wasn’t the greatest iteration of the event, but was one of the most historically important ones for establishing the WrestleMania brand and cementing WWE’s place atop the wrestling world.
Roddy Piper’s contributions to the event can’t be overstated. While Hulk Hogan was explosively popular and it was a score to sign Mr. T as his tag team partner, Piper was the engine of the heel side of that equation—the bad guy whom fans were all too eager to pay to see get his comeuppance against the heroes.
Paul Orndorff was the muscle and a formidable villain in his own right, but there’s no question Piper was the top bad guy on the show.
On the flip side of Piper’s great heel work at WrestleMania 1 came arguably his greatest babyface performance and perhaps the best match of his WWE career at WrestleMania 8. There, Hot Rod went out of his way to put over Bret Hart, taking a rare pinfall loss to drop the Intercontinental Championship.
It’s telling that, after this important victory, Hart would work world title matches at three out of the next four WrestleManias.
Roddy Piper’s First And Last Retirement Matches
At WrestleMania 3, a babyface Roddy Piper battled Adrian Adonis in a match that was billed to be Hot Rod’s last time in the wrestling ring. By all indications, he really did mean to transition to Hollywood, and did take part in his share of films in the years to follow.
Seeing him put Adonis to sleep and pass the upper mid-card babyface torch to Brutus Beefcake, who cut Adonis’s hair afterward, was a fitting enough send-off.
Of course, Piper wasn’t really done by a long shot.
Twenty-two years later, he’d work his true final match for WWE at a WrestleMania, when he teamed up with Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka in an elimination handicap match against Chris Jericho.
Hot Rod was a shell of his former self by then but performed respectably in an entertaining spectacle.
Roddy Piper’s Unusual Encounters At WrestleMania
Roddy Piper took diversification of his WrestleMania resume to the next level with his efforts at WrestleManias 2, 6, and 12.
WrestleMania 2 saw him headline his leg of the event from the Nassau Coliseum in a boxing match that went off the rails with celebrity visitor Mr. T. From there, he engaged in an even uglier spectacle at WrestleMania 6 with Bad News Brown.
The otherwise forgettable match achieved infamy for the poor choice for Piper to wear black paint over half his body.
Piper may have had his strangest match of all at WrestleMania 12 in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Goldust.
This was one of WWE’s first stabs at a cinematic match, staged outside before it gave way to a high-speed chase, clearly deriving from real-life OJ Simpson theatrics that was still in the news at the time.
Finally, the battle returned to the arena and culminated in the ring with Piper stripping Goldust’s garb to reveal lingerie underneath—a humiliation that was apparently profound enough for Hot Rod to be declared the winner.
Roddy Piper’s Guest Referee Appearances At WrestleMania
After appearing in the main event of the first WrestleMania, set in Madison Square Garden, it was only fitting that Roddy Piper returned to the venue for WrestleMania 10, this time to serve as guest referee for the last match of the show—a WWE Championship clash between Yokozuna and Bret Hart.
Piper counting the pin offered some symmetry to the first decade of WrestleMania, in addition to calling back to Hot Rod and The Hitman’s history from WrestleMania 8.
Piper officiated Hart’s match again at WrestleMania 11—a less auspicious affair when Hart won an I Quit Match over Bob Backlund.
While Hot Rod’s role felt a little random in this context—and a number of fans were annoyed with his insistence on repeatedly asking if either man gave up into a mic–it nonetheless kept Piper in the ‘Mania mix, adding another unconventional chapter to his history with the event.
In addition to the matches Roddy Piper wrestled or officiated at WrestleMania, he appeared at other events as well.
He hosted editions of Piper’s Pit with Morton Downey Jr. and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleManias 5 and 21, respectively. He was also Virgil’s cornerman against Ted Dibiase for WrestleMania 7 and interfered on Mr. McMahon’s behalf against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 19.
He made a series of oddball backstage appearances for WrestleManias 21, 30, and 31, too, all adding up to the most unusual legacy any wrestler ever has, or likely ever will have at WWE’s biggest annual event.
One big star has now been removed from the upcoming AEW-NJPW crossover event, Forbidden Door.
The wrestling industry has been hit with a wave of injuries as of late. For AEW, the current string of injuries is at an all-time high. In this case, however, it was actually an NJPW star who has gone down with an injury.
As a result, this performer has been removed from a big title match.
Tomohiro Ishii Out of Forbidden Door
(via NJPW)
NJPW and AEW have announced that Tomohiro Ishii has suffered a left knee injury. As a result, he will no longer be able to compete in the four-way match with Miro, Malakai Black, and PAC for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.
Forbidden Door will be held inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois this Sunday night (June 26). It’ll feature an interim AEW World Title match between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line. Titleholder Jay White will look for a successful defense against Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page, and Adam Cole.
Keep it locked on SEScoops as we’ll provide live coverage of Forbidden Door this weekend. We’ll keep you up to speed with results and video highlights throughout the event.
WWE Superstar Damian Priest recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about his first meeting Vince McMahon.
“The first time I had a meeting with Vince McMahon, you know, I even told him, I was like, ‘You know, you’re very intimidating, it’s because, you know, we have this perception of you.”
“His first thing [Vince] said to me was like, ‘Yeah, don’t believe what you hear.’ He’s a human being, you know, he feels like we do.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.”
He then humanized the WWE boss, stating that McMahon is human like the rest of us.
Has emotions like we do too, so you know I think there is a perception because of the business, but at the end of the day he’s a human. He’s very friendly and you know I kind of like the guy.”
“I don’t want to give him too much away. I don’t want to ruin his wrath, but I will say, that was his line, he was, ‘Don’t believe everything you hear’, and he said that with a smile and I was like oh…. he’s a cool dude.”
Catch Steve Fall’s chat with Damien Priest here via NBC Sports Boston:
The injuries continue to pile up in AEW as another talent is on the sidelines.
Pwinsider.com reports Skye Blue is dealing with an undisclosed injury. She was last seen in action on Dark when she wrestled Marina Shafir on June 3rd with the match airing on June 7th.
Although she has not been officially signed to a full-time deal by the promotion, she has been a regular on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation since her AEW debut in April of 2021.
The wrestler got a big reaction from her hometown crowd at All Out 2021 when she came out for the Casino Battle Royal. It was won by Jade Cargill. She has scored wins over the likes of Amber Nova, Ruthie Jay, Robin Renegade, and others. She has also tagged with talent like Ryo Mizunami.
All of the injuries in AEW have caused various storylines to be changed. This includes AEW World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kyle O’Reilly, Buddy Matthews, and more.
Punk is dealing with a broken foot and had surgery that forced him out of Forbidden Door. Adam Cole’s injury status has been cleared up and he’ll work a fatal 4-way bout at this upcoming event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against champion Jay White, Hangman Adam Page, and Kazuchika Okada.
AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door is happening this Sunday, but the show will have to go on ahead without some major names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk, Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson are all off the show due to a series of injuries that have derailed some of Tony Khan’s plans.
In the case of Danielson, there will be a replacement for his match against Zack Sabre Jr., though AEW has yet to reveal who that will be.
Gargano in Chicago
One name that fans would love to see replace Danielson is Johnny Gargano, who will be in the area this weekend.
On Twitter, the former NXT Champion announced earlier today that he will be attending The Chicago Card Show in the Windy City this Sunday, the same city where Forbidden Door will take place.
Unsurprisingly, this got fans speculating that he will be the one to face Sabre Jr. though Gargano tried to dispel these ideas.
In a follow-up tweet, he said that the timings were “ridiculously coincidental” and that he’ll only be in Chicago for eight hours.
Gargano did admit that he estimates five percent of people will believe that he isn’t showing up at Forbidden Door, and joked that this is what he wants people to believe.
I promise you this is ridiculously coincidental and has been booked for months. I'll only be in Chicago for like 8 hours!
*I also realize in saying this that only like 5% of you are going to believe I'm actually telling the truth. ?
Gargano may (or may not) be appearing this Sunday, but there is one other option fans are considering.
Claudio Castignoli, aka Cesaro, hasn’t wrestled since his departure from WWE earlier this year and doesn’t have a non-compete clause to his name.
Some have speculated that given William Regal’s connection to the Blackpool Combat Club, that Cesaro (Regal’s final opponent) will be the one who answers the call.
WWE star Madcap Moss believes that former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is underrated in what he does.
Moss was recently interviewed on “The Power Trip After Party” and spoke about Brock Lesnar. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner had nothing but good things to say about “The Beast.”
In fact, in Moss’ view, Lesnar doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done inside the ring. Even keeping in mind some already consider him to be an all-time great.
“To me, as good as he is considered, which I think a lot of people consider him to be an all-time great in the WWE, I still think he’s underrated,” Moss said. “I think he’s absolutely been one of the best WWE superstars of the past couple of decades in so many different ways.”
Madcap Moss even suggested he’d like to share the ring with Lesnar one day if the opportunity ever presented itself.
“We haven’t crossed paths in the ring yet, although that is something that I would love to do someday and I hope I get the chance to do,” Moss said.
Lesnar recently made his return to WWE TV on last week’s Smackdown Live. After Roman Reigns’ successfully defended his Undisputed Championship against Riddle, Lesnar hit the ring to make his WWE return.
He teased shaking Reigns’ hand, but instead hit him with an F5. Now, Reigns and Lesnar are booked to go one-on-one for the WWE Undisputed Title at SummerSlam later next month.
Lesnar’s return was his first appearance on WWE TV since WrestleMania 38. There, he dropped his WWE Championship to Reigns, who also had his Universal Title on the line in that match.
With the win, Reigns became the WWE Undisputed Champion, and has been running rampant alongside The Usos, also dual-brand champions, ever since.
Matt Hardy has shot down recent reports suggesting that he’s dealing with an injury.
Recently there have been a plague of injuries going on within All Elite Wrestling (AEW); with stars such as Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Anthony Bowens, Darius Martin, and more currently being banged up.
Earlier this week, a report from Lucha Libre Online suggested that Matt Hardy was the latest AEW star to be dealing with an injury. This was following his appearance at AAA’s TripleMania XXX: Tijuana show.
However, Hardy took to Twitter to shoot this report down, saying he’s “all good” and was even backstage at AEW Dynamite this week and is good to go.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m all good, ladies & gentlemen. I was at #AEWDynamite tonight & am good to go. Also, I loved & enjoyed my #TripleMania30 match for @luchalibreaaa. Thanks, TJ!”
Hardy had teamed with Johnny “Hardy” (aka Johnny Elite or John Morrison) to take on Dragon Lee and Dralistico. Initially, Matt was to team with his brother, Jeff Hardy, however, he was unable to compete after his DUI arrest earlier in the week.
During the match, Johnny ended up turning on Hardy, allowing Lee and Dralistico to get the win. However, Hardy, Dralistico, and Lee all teamed up to take out Johnny and end the show.
After the match, the report going around suggested that Matt was dealing with swelling in his knee. There was no indication on when the injury occurred, however, it should be noted that Dralistico did land on Hardy’s knees during a moonsault at the end of the match.
With that being said, Matt claims to be ready to go when called upon. He hasn’t been on AEW TV in two weeks.
Kurt Angle admits his last run in WWE wasn’t ideal.
Angle is a Hall of Famer and is widely regarded as one of the best performers the wrestling business has ever seen. With that said, many felt his final stretch with WWE left a lot to be desired.
Kurt definitely wasn’t as agile as he used to be by the time he returned to WWE. With that said, the general consensus is that WWE didn’t exactly give him a proper sendoff.
The reaction to his WrestleMania 35 loss to Baron Corbin certainly wasn’t a positive one and didn’t really do anything to elevate Corbin.
Kurt Angle on Last WWE Run
(via WWE)
During an appearance on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Kurt Angle said he wasn’t happy over how things ended with WWE.
“No, not at all. I went back to WWE. It wasn’t a big welcome home. It was more of a, ’We’re going to show you what you did when you left us.’ I didn’t have any hard feelings about it, but Vince McMahon just didn’t have any plans for me.
“I was doing more jobs than I was winning. I don’t blame him for that. I left the company high and dry in 2006, and coming back, I think he felt that I was a little bit of a liability because of my broken necks. I had four broken necks in WWE back in the 2000s. I also had a painkiller problem that I got myself out of, but I think that he thought I was a little bit of a liability so he didn’t want to utilize me the way he should have.”
Despite his feelings, Angle says he remains close with Vince McMahon. He said Vince simply got caught in the crossfire of his painkiller addiction when he decided to leave the company back in 2006 to go to TNA Wrestling.
Cody Rhodes isn’t exactly planning to wait nine months to get back inside the ring.
Cody is out of action at the moment due to a completely torn pectoral muscle. Despite the injury, Rhodes toughed it out and took on Seth Rollins in the main event of Hell in a Cell. Rhodes ended up undergoing successful surgery.
WWE later announced that Cody would be missing action for nine months. It’s a timeframe that Rhodes doesn’t plan on following, however.
Cody Rhodes Not Interested In 9-Month Wait
(via WWE)
Cody Rhodes took to his Instagram Stories to reveal that he plans on making the timeframe for his return shorter than what WWE has announced.
“I’ve heard 9 months, that’s their plan… I’ve never concerned myself with other people’s projections – I’ve got a plan of my own – let’s finish, all of us.”
WWE ran an angle during the post-Hell in a Cell episode of Raw. Seth Rollins attacked Cody from behind with a sledgehammer. WWE used this as a way of explaining the nine-month timeframe.
Many expect Cody to be back in time for the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant. Time will tell if that is going to come to fruition.
It’s been reported that WWE will be giving Cody a hero’s welcome once he’s fully healed and ready to return to action.
It seems Triple H has some level of power in WWE again.
At one point, it seemed like Hunter would be the one to take over once Vince McMahon’s time is up. He ran NXT to his liking and the brand garnered huge praise.
Triple H ran into problems when WWE wanted NXT to go head-to-head with AEW. NXT was often beat in viewership and “The Game’s” power soon dwindled.
Once the WWE legend suffered from heart failure, his entire NXT team was pretty much gutted. It seemed like it was a point of no return in terms of HHH’s power within the company but things may be turning a corner.
Triple H May Have Gained Back Power
(via SIPA USA/AP)
It was reported by John Pollock that during a recent visit to the WWE Performance Center, Triple H declared that he’s back.
Details have been scarce on exactly had that means. With that said, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer says that it would appear Triple H has gained some power within the company again.
What that exactly entails going forward remains to be seen.
Of course, this is all happening in the midst of an investigation into Vince McMahon’s alleged secret $3 million hush pact with a former employee. Vince has voluntarily stepped back as the CEO and Chairman of WWE.
Back in 2021 AEW President Tony Khan made a shocking announcement on Twitter revealing that top company superstar and former world champion Jon Moxley would be entering an alcohol treatment center, and would be out of action for some time trying to get sober. The response for Mox was largely supportive, and many, including fans and colleagues, wished him the best.
The Purveyor of Violence made his grand return to AEW at the tail end of the year looking like a million bucks, and has since formed the Blackpool Combat Club with William Regal and Bryan Danielson. He will also be entering this Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view with the chance of becoming the new AEW interim world champion.
While speaking with his wife Renee Paquette on the latest episode of The Sessions Moxley opened up about his time in rehab, and what eventually led him to making the decision.
“The not drinking part is easy. It’s not like I have some desire to drink. I have no desire to drink. I can’t even imagine drinking right now. Not drinking was easy. I wanted to stop drinking for a long time. I was trying to quit drinking for a long time. Just dealing with all the after effects and what happens to you physically when your body goes through this metamorphosis, trying to re-calibrate itself has not been easy.”
The revelation for Moxley was not easy. He reveals that a therapist suggested to him that he quit the business that he loves so much.
“The one therapist I had straight up told me to retire. She said, ‘Start a wrestling school. Train some kids. You know what the problem is? You gotta get out of there.’ I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s that.’”
Despite the suggestion Moxley continues to make a large impact in the pro-wrestling circuit, and has remained one of AEW most over acts since that incredible debut back at Double or Nothing 2019. When discussing his first match back after rehab Moxley admits that it was hard for him find his rhythm again.
“So my first match back, you think it’s gonna be like, ‘Okay, well, now you’re sober so you’re just going to feel like a million dollars.’ It doesn’t really work like that. It was weird. It was like my legs were in quicksand. I didn’t have any adrenaline, not that I didn’t have any adrenaline, so much is like, I wasn’t nervous.”
Moxley would eventually find his rhythm again, and has continued proving why he’s world champion material. He later adds that not going into a match hungover or feeling like crap has been massively beneficial.
“I think people who probably don’t spend their lives partying too much or whatever, probably take for granted just waking up in the morning and feeling good. I feel like I’m cheating. Like, the novelty hasn’t fully worn off of not having a hangover. Just like waking up and being like, okay, I don’t have to worry about being massively dehydrated or feeling like crap or whatever.”
Moxley will take on The Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi at this Sunday’s Forbidden Door.
Tonight will see Major League Wrestling’s fourth Battle Riot event, which will take place at the Melrose Ballroom, in New York City, New York.
The event will also see a taping of the promotion’s FUSION show with several huge matches announced.
The Battle Riot
The literal biggest match of the night will be the titular MLW Battle Riot match.
Like the WWE Royal Rumble, the match will see new competitors enter every 60 seconds, until all 40 participants have entered the match.
Names announced for the match include
Jacob Fatu
Killer Kross
Davey Richards
Real 1
Mads Krugger
Lince Dorado
EJ Nduka
Calvin Tankman
Alex Kane
Marshall Von Erich
Ross Von Erich
Matt Cross
Myron Reed
La Estrella of Dragon Gate
Lance Anoa’i
Little Guido
Juicy Finau
Ace Romero
KC Navarro
Mini Abismo Negro
The winner will earn a guaranteed shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at any time of their choosing for up to one year.
The Smokeshow’s Debut
Scarlett Bordeaux will make her debut for MLW following her release from WWE last year.
After her release from WWE last year, Scarlett Bordeaux will be making her debut for MLW’s Featherweight Division.
Bordeaux will face off against Clara Carreras in the former’s debut for the promotion.
Championships on the Line
Myron Reed’s World Middleweight Championship is just one of multiple titles being defended tonight.
There’ll be plenty of titles on the line tonight, as MLW Featherweight World Champion Taya Valkyrie will make her first defense on the show, against Brittany Blake.
MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane (with Mr. Thomas) will defend against Davey Richards.
World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed will put his title on the line against La Estrella, Arez, and Lince Dorado.
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone was scheduled to defend against Bandido, but with the latter injured, it’s unclear what plans there are for the champ.
Other Matches
In addition to being in the Battle Riot, Killer Kross will face Matt Cross, while Real-1 (Enzo Amore) will take on Jacob Fatu.
The Von Erichs will face the Samoan Swat Team in tag-team action.
One star on the NXT brand was in the building for last week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
The show last week was heavily talked about as Vince McMahon made an appearance amid news that he voluntarily stepped back from his role as WWE CEO and Chairman due to an ongoing investigation.
There was also an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between titleholder Roman Reigns and Riddle. Reigns won the match and Brock Lesnar ended up making a surprise return, laying out The Bloodline.
Behind the scenes, an NXT 2.0 star was present.
Sanga Backstage
(via WWE)
PWInsider is reporting that Sanga was backstage during SmackDown on June 17. What he was doing there isn’t known at this time.
Sanga has received a lot of praise for his work over in NXT. Sanga was used in a pre-show dark match on SmackDown one week prior. He took on Wes Lee just before the June 10 episode of SmackDown went on the air.
It’ll be interesting to see if Sanga is one step closer to being a permanent fixture on the main roster.
Sanga had been serving as Grayson Waller’s bodyguard on NXT but that was short-lived and the two ended up squaring off.
This Sunday, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will team to put on Forbidden Door 2022 at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois.
The event will be the first crossover show of this magnitude for both promotions, and Tony Khan has said he has plans for future Forbidden Door shows.
Final Match Card
With this week’s AEW Dynamite and Rampage being taped, here is the final match card for the highly-anticipated show.
Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Toni Storm
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: PAC vs. Miro vs. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Malakai Black
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
ROH & IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. United Empire vs. Roppongi Vice
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Replacement for Bryan Danielson
Bullet Club (Young Bucks, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo) vs. Dudes with Attitudes (Sting, Darby Allin, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi)
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki v. Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino
Gunn Club & Max Caster vs. NJPW Dojo (Buy-In Show)
Notable Absences
While Forbidden Door will be a stacked show, featuring major stars from both promotions it will go ahead without some top names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk is out of action, with no timeline for when he will be back, and Bryan Danielson confirmed on this week’s Dynamite that he is not medically cleared to compete.
Kenny Omega is still recovering from multiple injuries, that have kept him out since November 2021.
John Cena will return to WWE on next week’s Monday Night Raw, marking 20 years since his debut on the main roster.
On the June 27, 2002, edition of SmackDown, Cena answered Kurt Angle’s open challenge, ushering in an era of ‘Ruthless Aggression.’
Cena has become one of WWE’s most decorated champions of all time, but his actions outside of the ring should also be commended.
Cena’s Record-Breaking Wish
One of Cena’s biggest contributions outside of the ring is his work with the Make-A-Wish foundation, making dreams come true for children facing life-threatening battles or terminal diseases.
Now, Cena has reached a milestone 650th wish and holds the record for the most wishes by far.
While fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan has granted an impressive 200 wishes, no one has passed 300 other than “Big Match John.”
WWE themselves shared news of Cena’s latest wish with a tweet.
While Cena has become a powerhouse of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his first wish did not go exactly as the 16-time WWE World Champion had hoped.
Speaking to People, Cena said how he granted his very first wish in 2002, mere months after his debut on SmackDown.
Cena explained how he had not been requested, as the young fan wanted to meet another Superstar who was unavailable.
“We’re shuttled in and [I] said my hellos and took my pictures and then left. And they’re like, ‘Thank you, Make-A-Wish thanks you.’ I was like, ‘What is Make-A-Wish.”
After learning about Make-A-Wish, Cena vowed to always be around if a wish needed to be granted.
