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Mickie James Reflects On Her 2022 Royal Rumble Appearance

Michael Reichlin
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Mickie James’ participation in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble was significant in many ways. It marked the first time a reigning champion from Impact Wrestling competed on WWE programming.

The latest WWE 24 documentary takes an inside look at this year’s Rumble. WWE has released bonus footage from the show featuring backstage footage of James’ experience at the event.

Mickie James said she’s excited and grateful to be welcomed back to WWE with open arms. The last time she was at a WWE event was WrestleMania 37 weekend. She was released shortly after WrestleMania.


Even though Ronda Rousey was the last woman standing at the end of the Royal Rumble, it was still a very special night for James.

“No matter what, everybody wins.”

– Mickie James

Kofi Kingston said the Royal Rumble brings a special level excitement each year, but having a champion from another promotion enter the Women’s Rumble was really something unique.

James said it felt great to create history one more time and hear the WWE Universe react to her so warmly. She didn’t think she’d be back in WWE, but felt the love that fateful night.

WWE 24: Royal Rumble St. Louis is now streaming on Peacock in the US and on the WWE Network internationally.

ROH World Title Match Set For AEW Battle of the Belts

Ryan Droste
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It’s a big week for Ring of Honor Wrestling on AEW television.

Despite the future of ROH itself being unknown, their championships have been featured this week on national television. Wednesday night’s edition of AEW Dynamite saw Samoa Joe defeat Minoru Suzuki for the ROH Television Championship in the main event of the broadcast. It was a fantastic match that unfortunately was somewhat overshadowed by some loud criticism surrounding the way the end of the show was booked with Satnam Singh’s debut.

That being said, it was also announced on Wednesday night that ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham will defend his championship against Dalton Castle this Saturday night during the second edition of AEW Battle of the Belts on TNT.

Other matches announced for AEW Battle of the Belts II include:

AEW Women’s Championship Match
Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Nyla Rose

AEW TNT Championship Match
Scorpio Sky (c) vs. Sammy Guevara

There has been lots of gold on the line this week. In addition to the aforementioned ROH TV Championship match, Dynamite this week also featured Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus sucessfully defending the AEW Tag Team Championships against reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish).

The AEW World Championship will also be on the line this week, though that bout will occur Friday night on Rampage. “Hangman” Adam Page will put the title on the line against Adam Cole in a Texas Deathmatch.

Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Young Bucks Deny Taking Shot at Cody Rhodes, Talk Current Relationship

Ryan Droste
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There has been a lot of speculation about the relationships between Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, but according to a new interview, that has been a lot of speculation over nothing.

Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson sat down with Sports Illustrated and discussed Rhodes moving on from AEW, as well as the idea that they took a shot at Rhodes recently on Twitter.

After Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, he took to his Twitter account and wrote, “Wrestling is a love story.”

Around the same time, The Young Bucks updated their Twitter bio. That bio read, “The story of a couple of self-made SoCal kids who came from nothing & built a gigantic movement was never going to be romantic enough for you.”

Speaking to SI, Matt Jackson denied this was a cryptic message to Rhodes. He noted that both he and his brother keep in touch with Cody and they wish him the best with WWE. Instead, he claimed the update was a reference to wrestling fans.

“That Twitter bio was actually dedicated to cynical wrestling fans who’ve always discredited us and shaped a narrative early on that we weren’t important to the launch of AEW. So they ran with a story that made more sense to them. We talk to Cody regularly, and hope nothing but the best for him,” Matt Jackson said.

Prior to the aforementioned Twitter bio update, The Bucks had updated it around the time of Cody’s return at WrestleMania to wrestle Seth Rollins. That time, the bio read, “Wtf I thought we were doing All In 2.” Neither brother was asked about that one by SI, but it clearly was a reference to Cody.

Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

AEW Dynamite Results (4/13): Title Matches, CM Punk vs. Penta, Satnam Singh Debuts, Wardlow & MJF

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired live from the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. The AEW Tag Team Championships and the ROH TV Title were defended tonight. In addition to the takeaways below, Blackpool Combat Club were interviewed backstage ahead of their Trios Match against Gunn Club this Friday on Rampage.

Dynamite Results

  1. CM Punk def. Pentagon Jr.
  2. Jurassic Express def. ReDRagon to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships
  3. Shawn Dean def. MJF via count out
  4. Jericho Appreciation Society def. Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz
  5. Marina Shafir def. Skye Blue via submission
  6. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks def. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland
  7. Samoa Joe def. Minoru Suzuki to capture the ROH World TV Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

CM Punk def. Pentagon Jr.

CM Punk battled Pentagon Jr. in the first match of the night. The crowd chanted for both wrestlers to start things off. Punk and Penta got face to face and started talking trash to each other. Punk and Penta traded chops as the crowd erupted. Punk and Penta traded punches and Penta hit a Superkick as loud “AEW!” chant broke out.

Punk sent Penta down with an Arm Drag and then a Dropkick for a two count. CM Punk went for the GTS but Penta escaped and applied an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Punk countered and sent Penta face first into the top turnbuckle. Punk caught Penta with a knee to the face and went for a Clothesline but Pena ducked and hit a Slingblade for a near fall. The action spilled to the outside and Punk hit a Suicide Dive as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Penta and Punk were battling on the turnbuckle. Penta hit a headbutt and Punk responded with some punches. CM Punk connected with a Hurricanrana off the top rope. They went back to the top rope and Punk went for a move but slipped up and grabbed his knee in pain. Penta went on the attack and booted Punk in the knee. Punk got Penta in the Anaconda Vice but he got to the ropes to break the hold.

Punk went for a Piledriver but Penta escaped. Punk caught him with a kick to the face and then a springboard Clothesline. Punk went for a GTS but Penta escaped and hit an Enziguri to the back of the head. Penta went for a springboard move but Punk caught him and hit the GTS for the pinfall victory.

Jurassic Express Retained

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) tonight on Dynamite.

Bobby Fish and Jungle Boy started off the action. Jungle Boy hit a Hurricanrana and followed it up with a Dropkick. Bobby connected with a forearm to the face and tagged in O’Reilly. Kyle kneed Jungle Boy in the ribs and applied a Headlock. Luchasaurus tagged in and booted Fish off the ring apron. Luchasaurus sent O’Reilly to the corner as the crowd chanted his name.

O’Reilly knocked Luchasaurus to the floor and Bobby Fish hit him with a Dragon Screw into the barricade. Fish rolled Luchasaurus back into the ring and O’Reilly tagged in. Kyle locked in a submission hold targeting the knee but Luchasaurus quickly got to the ropes.

Luchasaurus caught Kyle with a knee to the face and tagged out. Jungle Boy sent Fish out of the ring and leveled O’Reilly with a Clothesline. Jungle Boy hit a dive through each of the ropes and went for another one but ReDRagon retreated. Luchasaurus caught them with a Moonsault off the apron and sent O’Reilly into the ring.

O’Reilly caught Jungle Boy with a Dragon Screw in the ropes and Bobby Fish slammed Jungle Boy’s shoulder into the ring apron as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Luchasaurus connected with a couple Splashes before Kyle accidentally booted Bobby Fish in the face. Luchasaurus sent O’Reilly across the ring with a German Suplex and then hit a double Chokeslam in the middle of the ring.

Luchasaurs hit a standing Moonsault and went for the cover but O’Reilly kicked out at two. Bobby Fish tripped up Jungle Boy on the ring apron and then tagged in. Fish and O’Reilly hit some knee strikes in the corner but Luchasaurus battled back. Jurassic Express hit a Side Slam/Elbow Drop combo but Fish kicked out at two.

ReDRagon hit some combos on Jungle Boy before O’Reilly locked in an Armbar but Jungle Boy reached the ropes. The action broke down and everyone was trading shots in the ring. Luchasaurus hit a side kick and Jungle Boy delivered a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly attacked the champs with steel chairs. FTR’s theme hit to a big pop from the crowd. They held up the ROH & AAA titles and talked trash with ReDRagon to end the segment.

Shawn Dean def. MJF, Wardlow Invaded

MJF battled Captain Shawn Dean this week. Shawn Spears was ringside for the match as posters were on the barricade to warn security of Wardlow. MJF controlled the action early and sent Shawn Dean into the turnbuckle. MJF posed on the entrance ramp as security staff was shown laid out on the floor backstage.

Maxwell flipped out for a bit looking around for Wardlow before he sent hi into the barricade outside the ring. Wardlow showed up in an AEW staff t-shirt and stood behind MJF as he posed. Wardlow tried to attack MJF but he scampered away. Spears hit Wardlow with a chair. Wardlow shrugged it off and beat the hell out of all the security. The referee started counting and MJF tried to bribe him to stop because he was afraid to walk by Wardlow. The referee counted to 10 and MJF lost via count out. Wardlow was then shown being escorted out of the arena by force and shouted that he is not going to stop until he gets his hands on MJF. Wardlow vs. The Butcher was announced for next week.

Jericho Appreciation Society Picked Up A Win

Darby Allin had a vignette and called for a Coffin Match against Andrade El Idolo. It was later announced that the Coffin Match will happen next week on Dynamite.

Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, and Daniel Garcia battled Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz in a Trios match.

Santana and Jericho started off the action. They traded chops to the chest in the middle of the ring before Santana tackled Jericho to the mat. A brawl broke out and Hager sent Ortiz into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Jericho hit a slam on Ortiz as Kingston & Garcia brawled outside the ring. Hager tagged in and slammed Ortiz to the mat before tagging in Garcia. When Dynamite returned from a break, Jericho hit Ortiz with a Dropkick and followed it up with some jabs to the face.

Jericho posed for the crowd and went for the Lionsault but Ortiz rolled out of the way. Eddie Kingston tagged in and unloaded punches to Jericho Appreciation Society. Kingston sent Hager to the outside and tagged in Santana. Santana hit Three Amigos on Garcia and made his way to the top turnbuckle. Santana connected with a Frog Splash and went for the cover but Garcia powered out at two.

Eddie tagged in and hit a bunch of chops before Ortiz got back in. Ortiz hit a Leg Drop off the second rope and fired up the crowd. Hager hopped on the apron but Kingston sent him down and hit him with a dive. Ortiz threw Garcia onto Jericho and then hit 2.0 on the entrance ramp with a dive.

Kingston tagged in again and hit Garcia with an Exploder Suplex. Eddie went for Backfist to the Future but Garcia ducked. Jericho then hit Eddie with the baseball bat and Garcia covered him for the win. Jericho Appreciation Society then beat them down some more after the match. Jericho got in some strikes with the baseball bat.

Marina Shafir Dominated

Marina Shafir faced Skye Blue this week on Dynamite. Red Velvet, Kiera Hogan were shown in the crowd as TBS Champion Jade Cargill watched on from backstage. Marina Shafir dominated this match and won via submission in quick fashion. After the match, Tony Nese confronted HOOK in a backstage segment.

Starks & Hobbs def. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland

Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks battled Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland. Hobbs sent Swerve across the ring with a Fallaway Slam and tagged in Starks. Ricky tagged in but Steve battled back. Keith Lee tagged in and sent Ricky to the corner. Swerve trapped Ricky and Keith Lee hit him with two chops to the chest. Swerve then Moonsaulted off of Keith Lee’s chest onto Team Taz outside the ring as Dynamite went to a break.

Keith Lee tagged in and hit Ricky with a few shoulder tackles. Powerhouse Hobbs hit Keith Lee from behind and went for it again but Lee leapfrogged him. Keith then launched Ricky onto Starks in the corner. Swerve tagged in and connected with an Enziguri for a near fall. Starks connected with a Destroyer and went for the cover but Swerve kicked out at two. Keith Lee hit a massive shoulder tackle for a near fall. Powerhouse Hobbs got in the ring and traded some words with Keith Lee. Starks hit Lee with an Enziguri and tagged in Hobbs.

Taz started walking down the entrance ramp and made his way to the ringside area. Swerve sent Hobbs into the ring post as Lee perched Starks up on the top turnbuckle. Swerve hit Starks with a Splash but Powerhouse knocked him to the outside. Lee caught Hobbs with an elbow to the face but Taz tripped him up from behind. Hobbs then planted Keith Lee with a Spinebuster for the pinfall victory.

After the match, it was announced that Jonathan Gresham will defend the ROH Championship against Dalton Castle at Battle of the Belts II on Saturday night. Scorpio Sky will defend the TNT Championship against Sammy Guevara. Thunder Rosa will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose at Battle of the Belts as well.

It was also announced that Tony Khan will make another announcement next week on Dynamite. HOOK will also make his Dynamite debut next week.

Samoa Joe Captured The ROH TV Title, Satnam Singh Had A Rough Debut

Minoru Suzuki defended the ROH TV Championship against Samoa Joe tonight in the main event. Suzuki and Joe traded chops to start off the action. Joe laid a bunch into Suzuki but it just fired himself up.

Suzuki and Joe beat the hell out of each other with chops and strikes as Dynamite went to a final commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Joe had Suzuki in a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Suzuki escaped and the two started chopping the hell out of each other again. Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt were shown in the front row as Suzuki caught Joe with a Dropkick.

Minoru went for the Gotch Piledriver but Joe escaped. Samoa Joe sent Suzuki to the corner and perched him up on the top turnbuckle. Joe connected with the Muscle Buster for the pinfall victory and captured the ROH World TV Championship. After the match, Jay Lethal gave Samoa Joe the middle finger. Satnam Singh made his AEW debut after the lights went out. The crowd chanted “who are you?” as the giant attacked Samoa Joe and beat him down. The show went off the air with Satnam posing with Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt.

Video: Roman Reigns Destroys Cody Rhodes Sign After Raw Goes Off The Air

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Roman Reigns has already had enough of Cody Rhodes.

Cody made his “stupendous” return to WWE on night one of WrestleMania 38. He was Seth Rollins’ surprise opponent. Cody won the match and followed that up with a victory over The Miz on the April 11 episode of Raw.

Roman Reigns Rips Up Cody Rhodes Sign

Roman Reigns was in action once Raw went off the air. He teamed with The Usos to take on Drew McIntyre and New Day. At one point, Reigns took a Cody Rhodes sign from a fan and ripped it to shreds.

This will certainly stoke the flames of a potential showdown between Reigns and Cody. Rhodes recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump and said that a match with Reigns is there for the future.

Peep the video courtesy of Twitter user “ItsWildBoy.”

Tony Khan Recalls Taking Notice Of MJF During His MLW Days

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AEW President Tony Khan had his eyes on MJF before his promotion was officially founded.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is widely regarded as someone who can blossom into a megastar. As it stands now, many view him as the top heel in AEW. With that said, the general consensus is that he hasn’t even come close to reaching his full potential.

Tony Khan Kept Tabs On MJF

During an appearance on Wrestling with Freddie, Tony Khan said that he had been following MJF’s work for a while.

“The man of the moment in wrestling. I was watching MLW and it was hard to miss MJF. For weeks and weeks and months and months all through 2018, I saw him cut a lot of promos on MLW.

“They had a lot of good people on the show at that time. So, I was watching it pretty regularly looking for people. I would go back in that summer and MJF was one of the real standout people.”

While MJF’s future is looking bright the question remains, will he stick with AEW beyond 2024? That’s the year his contract will expire and he has teased a potential jump to WWE.

Khan has said that he expects a bidding war to ensue.

Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article.

Report: AEW Console Game Has Tentative Release Date

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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The AEW console game apparently has a tentative release window and it’s a lot closer than you might think.

Fightful Select reports that the timeframe for AEW’s first foray into console gaming is late September. The report makes note that this is a tentative release window, meaning it’s entirely possible that the game can be pushed back if need be.

Some newer AEW talents have said on social media that they may have missed the time period to make it into the game. This indicates that the game is on track for that late September window but many factors will determine if that plan can be executed.

The upcoming AEW video game is being developed by Yuke’s, the former longtime developer of past WWE games.

Even Sami Zayn Thinks Kevin Owens Is Wrong About Ezekiel

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kevin Owens can’t turn to his own friend Sami Zayn when it comes to his conspiracy theory on Ezekiel.

Ezekiel has only been around for two weeks and he’s already been a thorn in the side of Owens. On the April 4 episode of WWE Raw, Owens ranted about how he went into his WrestleMania 38 match with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin injured.

This prompted Ezekiel to hit the ring. Kevin Owens claimed that the new upcoming star is actually Elias. Ezekiel insisted that Owens was mistaken and that he is actually Elias’ brother.

Kevin Owens Gets No Help From Sami Zayn

While Owens is convinced that Ezekiel is actually Elias, he hasn’t exactly done a good job of convincing others. He couldn’t convince Tommaso Ciampa during the April 11 episode of Raw and he can’t even convince Sami Zayn.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1513996850201772043

“HELP ME!!! @SamiZayn”

“They will try to minimize you because you speak the truth! Keep fighting the good fight!! …I must say that picture is pretty convincing though.”

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1514020366452240388

“There’s leaves growing out of his GD arm! Think!!!”

Owens has been calling for Ezekiel to take a lie detector test on the April 18 episode of Raw. It’s quite the extreme measure from KO. After all, Ezekiel does have some pretty damning evidence that he’s telling the truth.

Juice Robinson Claims He’s Done at NJPW

Jon Fuentes
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Juice Robinson appears to be done with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) when he contract expires later this month.

Robinson recently joined Wrestling Observer Live and revealed that his current contract with NJPW is set to expire on April 30, and when the time comes, he has not plans on re-signing with the promotion.

“I don’t have plans to travel back over [to Japan],” Robinson said (via WrestlingNews.co). “I am at the end of my contract. I did an extra three month extension and that ends April 30th so that will be that. I will not be wrestling under the New Japan banner any longer.”

Robinson’s initial contract with NJPW expired back on January 31, however, as he mentioned, he signed a three-month extension through the end of April. Now, Robinson is set to become a free agent, and there’s no telling where he could end up. However, it’s probably easy to guess where he won’t end up.

Aside from NJPW, Robinson also had a stint with WWE back in 2011. He wrestled for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) when it was part of WWE’s developmental program, and even saw it morph into WWE NXT before departing from the company in 2015.

Robinson then joined NJPW in 2015, where he continued working for the next seven years, while also making appearances for Ring Of Honor (ROH). During his run with NJPW, Robinson captured the IWGP United States Heavyweight Title twice, along with an IWGP Tag Team Title win alongside David Finlay. Now that his time in NJPW is behind him, perhaps Juice Robinson has his eyes set on the likes of IMPACT Wrestling or All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The Good Brothers Set for Free Agency Soon (Report)

Jon Fuentes
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The Good Brothers are set to hit free agency soon it seems.

Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson’s contracts with IMPACT Wrestling will expire on Sunday, July 17th, according to Fightful. The pair inked a deal with IMPACT Wrestling back in July of 2020. As of this writing there is no indication as to whether or not IMPACT is looking to re-sign the pair, or if The Good Brothers want to go elsewhere.

While under contract with IMPACT, Gallows and Anderson have been allowed to work dates for both New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They have great relationships with both companies, so seeing them end up in either wouldn’t come as much of a shock. The pair have worked all across the globe, having been signed to WWE, Ring Of Honor (ROH), and NJPW in the past.

Initially, they signed new five-year deals with WWE back in 2019 but were sadly released by the company as part of their COVID-19 budget cuts. A return to WWE isn’t impossible, however, but doesn’t seem very likely despite having a good friend in AJ Styles still working there. Regardless of what Gallows and Anderson decide to do, they can reflect on a very impressive run with IMPACT Wrestling.

The pair had two Tag Team Title runs during their recent stint, both over 100 days; 119 and 231 days, respectively. They also took home the promotion’s Tag Team Of The Year Award in 2021. Their last match under the IMPACT Wrestling banner took place at Multiverse Of Matches on April 1, where they defeated The Briscoe Brothers in the main event.

https://youtu.be/L-PllZljZ_4

Paul Heyman Dubs Himself ‘Undisputed’ Best Manager Ever

Jon Fuentes
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Whether it’s as a manager, advocate, special counsel, or “wise man,” there’s no denying that Paul Heyman is tremendous at what he does.

Often referred to as one of the best promos in the business, Heyman is also one of the best managers a professional wrestling talent can ask for. And he knows it. During a recent interview with 101 WRIF, Heyman claimed he’s the ‘undisputed’ best manager of all time.

“I think it’s undisputed that I am the greatest manager, advocate, and special counsel of all time,” Heyman said. “If for no other reason than the first 35 years of my stellar career on top.

“I am the special counsel for the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, the Head of the Table, the end all be all, Roman Reigns who smashed, absolutely smashed Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania to unify the WWE and Universal Heavyweight Championships and is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world with this entire industry. Just based on that, let alone everything else I accomplished before, I’d say you got a pair of GOATS on your hand now.”

Heyman certainly makes a strong case. He has been by the sides of the likes of CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns, to name a few. His runs with each of those men were legendary, but the latter two are likely what fans will remember him for most.

During his rise to dominance in WWE, Lesnar had Heyman by his side as his “advocate,” including while he broke The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak in New Orleans.

Now, Heyman serves as the “special counsel” to the unified WWE Champion Roman Reigns, who often refers to Heyman as his “wise man.” Recently, Heyman was ringside with Reigns while he bested Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38, unifying the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Title.

And although Paul Heyman admits he’s likely the best to have ever portrayed the manager role in professional wrestling, he’s not ready for a WWE Hall Of Fame induction just yet.

(Quotes via WrestlingInc)

Jim Ross Reveals How Steve Austin Felt About WrestleMania 38 Match

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross and fellow Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin have been close friends for decades, so it’s no surprise that Ross has the inside scoop on how “The Texas Rattlesnake” felt about his performance at WrestleMania 38.

Austin made his highly-anticipated return to in-ring action at “The Show Of Shows” from Dallas, Texas earlier this month, taking on Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match. Initially, Austin was scheduled for a special edition of “The KO Show,” where he was to be Owens’ guest on the program. However, after Owens challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match right then and there, Austin was quick to accept.

The pair battled all around the arena before Austin ultimately picked up the win with a stunner inside the ring, giving him a victory in his first match in over 19 years. Austin had been very vocal about not wanting to wrestle again up until returning for WrestleMania this year, mainly worried about not being able to perform to his standards given his age and injury history.

However, on the latest episode of his podcast, “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross revealed that Austin told him he was “really happy” with how things played out.

“He and I talked going into that thing and we communicated on Saturday after the show,” Ross said (via WrestlingNews.co). “He seemed to be really happy and almost relieved that they pulled it off. He and Kevin Owens deserve a hell of a lot of credit for what they did.

“To show you what kind of ballplayer Austin is, he hadn’t been on the field for 19 years or something like that and he didn’t look like he missed a step. They kept the match in their lane. I thought that was really smart how they strategized and laid out that match.

“It was just absolutely a masterpiece in my view, and Kevin Owens deserves a lot of credit as well. You gotta have a dancing partner to make these things work, and Steve had a great dancing partner.”

Prior to this, Austin’s last match took place in 2003 at WrestleMania 19, where he suffered a loss to The Rock. Austin and Rock were longtime rivals throughout the Attitude Era, headlining WrestleMania opposite each other a total of three times – WrestleMania 19 being their last.

Tommaso Ciampa Lists WWE Main Roster Dream Opponents

Jon Fuentes
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In a move that was long overdue, former WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa was called up to the main roster this week.

Ciampa appeared on Monday Night RAW in a brief segment with Kevin Owens and Ezekiel, but has yet to compete inside the ring on the red brand. However, this is only the beginning of what looks to be a very promising run for Ciampa. Recently, Ciampa spoke to Metro UK on a variety of topics, including recently getting the main roster nod. During the interview, he listed out his names of dream opponents that he’s looking forward to compete against.

“There’s so many people that I can look at right now on those Raw and SmacKDown rosters and think, ‘Man, what if?’ I haven’t been in the ring with so many of them,” he explained. “Whether it’s Edge or Rey Mysterio, I’ve never really had a singles match with AJ Styles, done stuff with Roman Reigns. There’s so many – you can just go down the list forever and ever.

“It’s all stuff that now, the more I’ve done it, the longer I’ve been doing it, you keep checking off boxes and keep building that resume. It’s stuff that, if five to 10 years from now, I can check off all those things and have those be part of it, that’d be awesome.”

Now that Ciampa is on the main roster, any of those matches are certainly a possibility. He brings in quite an impressive resume from his days in NXT, sporting two NXT Title runs and an NXT Tag Team title win alongside current free agent Johnny Gargano. Not to mention Ciampa is also a former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World TV Champion.

After having helped bring NXT to new heights and providing fans with some of the brand’s most compelling rivalries and matches, Tommaso Ciampa is ready to replicate that on an even grander stage – Monday Night RAW.

Sasha Banks Invites Jon Moxley Back to WWE

Michael Reichlin
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Sasha Banks would love to see AEW stars Jon Moxley, Dustin Rhodes and Ruby Soho back in WWE some day.

The Legit Boss appeared on NBC Sports Boston’s Ten Count podcast to promote Friday’s SmackDown from her hometown at the DCU Center.

During her chat with host Steve Fall, Banks spoke about Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE, her history-making win at WrestleMania 38, her role on Star Wars: The Mandalorian and much more.

Sasha Banks Invites Jon Moxley Back to WWE

While discussing Cody Rhodes returning “home” to WWE, Banks said she’d like to see several other AEW stars join him. She specifically named Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley), Goldust (Dustin Rhodes) and Ruby Riot (Ruby Soho).

“It’s good to see the Rhodes’ back in WWE, you know.. Next, let’s bring back Goldust,” said Banks. “Let’s bring them all back. Dean Ambrose, you want to come? Let’s go! The more the merrier. Let’s do it!”

Banks wasn’t done name-dropping AEW talent. She’d also like to see Ruby Soho back on the WWE roster.

“I would love to see Ruby Riot back in the WWE Universe, yes,” she added. “Yes, absolutely. That’s one of them.”

It remains to be seen if Jon Moxley, Dustin Rhodes and Ruby Riot have any interest in going back to WWE. However, it’s interesting to see Sasha Banks at least extend the invite.

Check out Sasha Banks’ interview with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston:

Brock Lesnar Removed from WrestleMania Backlash Promotion

Jon Fuentes
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Brock Lesnar might not get his rematch with Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship after all.

Lesnar dropped his WWE Title to Reigns in the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas earlier this month. While WWE WrestleMania Backlash is usually supposed to be focused around WrestleMania rematches, “The Beast” might not be on the show at all. Initially, Lesnar was advertised for both WrestleMania Backlash and Money In The Bank later this year.

Although he was still advertised for both shows shortly after WrestleMania, now, WWE has updated their events page, and Lesnar is no longer being advertised for Backlash. As of this writing, Lesnar is still being advertised for Money In The Bank, which is slated to go down from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 2.

It remains to be seen what’s next for Lesnar in regards to his professional wrestling career. There are currently no reports as to whether or not a rematch between he and Reigns is even on the table creatively. Currently, Reigns is on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live, now holding the WWE and Universal Championships. He seem to be focused on accumulating as much gold as possible for The Bloodline, urging The Usos, already the SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, to unify the Tag Team Titles with RAW Tag Champs RK-Bro.

It will be interesting to see who WWE decides to pair Reigns with for the WrestleMania Backlash event with Brock Lesnar now seemingly being pulled. WrestleMania Backlash will go down live from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday, May 8.

Becky Lynch Named One of the World’s “Top Female Game-Changers”

Michael Reichlin
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Glazia Magazine has named WWE Superstar Becky Lynch one of the Top Female Game-Changers in the 21st Century.

Big Time Becks is in pretty good company. Some of the other honorees include:

  • US Vice President Kamala Harris
  • First Lady Michelle Obama
  • Activist Greta Thunberg
  • Model and beauty queen Agbani Darego
  • World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
  • Media mogul Mo Abudu

Glazia’s profile on Lynch says, “Lynch stands for [equality] and women empowerment in every sector.

The multi-time WWE Women’s Champion is also quoted saying, “With women empowerment and women coming together, it’s not about being better than the guys or whatever. It’s not just about collaboration; it’s about being equal people and having more of a highlight on women’s athletics, and just women being equal in every aspect.”

Congratulation to Becky Lynch.

Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair Official for WrestleMania Backlash

Michael Reichlin
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Sonya Deville has stepped up as the first challenger to new Raw Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair. Deville will get her title shot at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8th.

The EST of WWE regained the title from Becky Lynch at WrestleMania. At Monday’s Raw, she made short work of Zelina Vega. After the match, Deville came out to present Belair with a contract for her next title defense.

Deville hyped up the mystery opponent and called for a drum roll and as part of the elaborate introduction. She proceeded she proceeded to attack Belair from behind, revealing herself to be the #1 contender for the Raw women’s title.

Later in the show, Deville’s colleague Adam Pearce approached her backstage and accused her of abusing her power as an authority figure. Deville brushed off the comment and promised to shock the world by winning the championship.

On Wednesday’s episode of WWE’s The Bump, the match was made official. Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair has been signed as one of the top matches for WrestleMania Backlash 2022.

Bianca Belair Ready for Sonya Deville

Backstage correspondent Sarah Schreiber caught up with Bianca Belair after Sonya Deville’s attack at Raw.

Belair said she “stays ready” for challenges like this.

“I stay ready, so I don’t have to get ready, and while Sonya Deville has been wearing suits and making matches for a year, I’ve been wearing titles and making history. So, let’s do it,” Belair said.

WWE UK PPV Tickets Seeing Record-Setting Demand

Michael Reichlin
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WWE will have no problem packing the house for September’s big UK event from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Earlier this week, WWE announced it is bringing a stadium event to the UK for the first time in nearly 30 years.

John Porco, WWE Senior Vice President, Live Events, says the show will leave a lasting memory “on par with SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium in 1992.”

Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre took a victory lap over the news, writing on Twitter, “WE DID IT!!!”

WWE UK PPV Tickets

Fans who plan to attend have been encouraged to sign up for an “exclusive presale opportunity.” (Register here).

According to journalist Alex McCarthy, more than 59,000 people signed up for the Cardiff PPV in the first 24 hours. He wrote on Twitter that this demand marks a company record, including all WrestleMania shows.

It’s important to note these are pre-sale sign-ups, not tickets sold). However, the demand is certainly there for the WWE UK PPV tickets.

According to Wikipedia, the all-time attendance record for Principality Stadium is just over 78,000 fans for the Anthony Joshua v Carlos Takam boxing fight in October 2017.

SEScoops will provide an update when we learn about when tickets are going on sale for the September 3rd WWE UK PPV.

If you’re interested in wrestling ticket sales data, follow @WrestleTix on Twitter.

WWE NXT Results (4/12): Three Title Matches, Natalya Appears

Andrew Ravens
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The April 12, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

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Cameron Grimes def. Solo Sikoa to retain North American Title. 

Von Wagner (w/Robert Stone) def. Ikemen Jiro.

Mandy Rose def. Dakota Kai to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.

Xyon Quinn def. Draco Anthony.Pretty Deadly wins gauntlet match to become new WWE NXT Tag Team Champions.

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Natalya Appears

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Cora Jade cut a promo about how she fell short in a fatal 4-way at Stand & Deliver to win the NXT Women’s Title. She promised to bust her ass until she becomes champion and be like the heroes from her childhood like Natalya, Bayley, AJ Lee, and more. 

Natalya came out to the ring. Jade brought up meeting Natalya the night she made her debut. Natalya brought up a DM she sent Jade in 2011. Natalya said destiny is always chasing. They praised each other and Natalya cried. Natalya said Jade is the future of NXT, but the future is bleak. Natalya slapped her and locked in the sharpshooter. 

They will wrestle next week. 

Family Fallout 

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Bron Breakker beat Gunther last week to retain the NXT Title. Post-match, Rick Steiner was seen locked in a shark tank. Joe Gacy said let’s see if we can teach this dog new tricks.

This week, Breakker came out for a promo where he stated that Gacy wanted to get his attention and he got it. He said his dad is home now, but Joe had some nerve to do what he did. Bron said his father is a legend in this business and wanted Joe to come out. 

Joe was seen over a fire in the woods. He said he got to understand Bron and he knows why Bron is so tough because Rick took a beating like a man. Joe had Rick’s Hall Of Fame ring. He said a family can only be tested by fire and dropped the ring in the fire. 

Women’s Title Match

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Mandy Rose defended the NXT Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai on this show. 

The match was back and forth. Kai had a nearfall when she hit a double foot stomp. Another close call was when Kai hit a reverse neck breaker. Kai kicked off Jayne and Rose hit a big boot for the win. 

Rose was involved in the finish of last week’s NXT Women’s Tag Team Title match that saw Jacey Jayne and Gigi Dolin regain the titles from Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. Kai promised to get revenge. Raquel was called up to SmackDown last Friday. 

North American Title Match

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Cameron Grimes defended the NXT North American Championship against Solo Sikoa.

Silkoa had a strong performance. Trick Williams tried to interfere by attacking Silkoa, but was laid out. Grimes won with a stomp. Post-match, Carmelo attacked Grimes. Williams laid out Silkoa. 

Last week, Grimes came out to celebrate his North American Title win, but was interrupted by Sikoa, who said the hard part about being a champion is defending the title. Grimes said he had to fight every day to be here and told Solo that the match was on.

Gauntlet Match

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Grayson Waller & Sanga, Legado del Fantasma, The Creed Brothers, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, and Pretty Deadly battled it out in the gauntlet match with the winners becoming the new NXT Tag Team Champions. 

The titles were vacated by MSK once Nash Carter was released by the company after domestic abuse allegations were made against him by his wife, Kimber Lee, and a photo of Carter posing as Adolph Hitler came out. 

The match opened with Creed Brothers and Legado del Fantasma. Next in were Briggs and Jensen, who put Brutus through a table. Brutus tackled Jensen for the elimination. Waller and Sanga were next. The Creeds eliminated Waller and Sanga. The final team in were Pretty Deadly, who won the match when they hit their finishers to Brutus. 

Pretty Deadly Wins Vacant NXT Tag Team Titles

Andrew Ravens
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Pretty Deadly are the new WWE NXT Tag Team Champions after winning a 5-team gauntlet match on Tuesday’s episode of NXT 2.0. They outlasted Grayson Waller & Sanga, Legado del Fantasma, The Creed Brothers, and Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen in the match. 

It opened with Creed Brothers eliminating Legado del Fantasma before Briggs and Jensen came out as the third team. A spot saw Brutus get slammed through announce table. Finally, Brutus eliminated Jensen to bring out Waller and Sanga as the fourth team. The final team was Pretty Deadly. The former WWE NXT UK stars hit their finishers on Brutus to win the bout and the titles. 

Last week, WWE announced the titles had been vacated but didn’t mention MSK or what led to the titles being vacated. MSK won the titles in a triple threat match at Stand & Deliver. However, Nash Carter was released by the company just days after winning the titles. Wes Lee is still with the company. 

Carter faces domestic abuse allegations made by his wife, Kimber Lee, and that is reportedly not the reason why the company let him go. Instead, the decision to fire him was due to the photo of Carter posing as Adolph Hitler.

MSK was originally scheduled to defend the NXT Tag Team Titles against Grayson Waller and Sanga on Tuesday’s show.

The Rock Teases Roman Reigns WrestleMania Match on Young Rock

Andrew Ravens
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The Rock has planted the seeds for a WrestleMania match with his cousin and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns via Young Rock. 

During Tuesday’s episode of the NBC show about the early life of Dwayne Johnson, we see the actor playing Johnson watching wrestling with his family when a child actor playing Reigns jumped on him.

When little Reigns wanted to wrestle and told him to acknowledge him, Johnson’s actor stated that a match like that can only happen at WrestleMania. 

Here’s a clip from the show, courtesy of our friends at WrestlingNewsCo:

Over the last few years, there has been talk about this bout that would likely be Rock’s final match. It all came down to The Rock’s schedule as it would have to be clear and in addition to his movie commitments, he is also deeply involved with the XFL when it re-launches next spring.

As recently as last month, Dave Meltzer talked about the working plan for next year’s WrestleMania and he said that The Rock wants to do the match but nothing is etched in stone.

The other big match expected for next year at WrestleMania 39 is Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey.

Rok-C Makes WWE NXT In-Ring Debut With New Name

Andrew Ravens
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At Tuesday’s WWE NXT Level Up tapings before NXT 2.0 went live on the USA Network, Rok-C made her NXT debut with a new name. 

She is now going under the name Roxanne Perez and defeated Sloane Jacobs. This marked her first match since WWE confirmed her signing last month.

She was trained by WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T at his Reality of Wrestling promotion. In 2021, she started to make a name for herself during her time in Ring of Honor. She worked in a tournament to become first-ever ROH Women’s World Champion as she beat Miranda Alize in the finals. 

She defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the championship at Final Battle in December before the promotion went on hiatus. She lost it to Deonna Purrazzo on the episode of Impact Wrestling that aired on January 13. Prior to signing with WWE, she also held the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.

Damon Kemp vs. Troy Donovan and Tatum Paxley vs. Kiana James were other matches taped at the show that will air this Friday night on Peacock. 

WWE Shows Off New NXT Championship Belt Designs

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has changed up the designs of the two top titles for the NXT brand.

Bron Breakker currently holds the NXT Title while Mandy Rose is the Women’s Champion. To reflect the change in the brand, the company has added some more colors to the belts. 

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Bron Breakker became a two-time WWE NXT Champion when he defeated Dolph Ziggler on the Raw After WrestleMania episode earlier this month. Ziggler won the NXT Title on the March 8 edition of NXT 2.0 in a triple threat match that featured Tommaso Ciampa and Breakker. 

Breakker got his rematch for the WWE NXT Title against Ziggler in the main event of the Stand & Deliver event, but Ziggler retained despite being a huge underdog. Breakker won the NXT Title for the first time from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January. 

Rose defeated Gonzalez to win the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc. Also at Stand & Deliver, Rose defended her title against Cora Jade, Kay Lee Ray, and Io Shirai in a fatal 4-way bout.

On Tuesday’s episode of NXT 2.0, Rose defended the title against Dakota Kai. On this same episode, WWE will crown new NXT Tag Team Champions after the titles were vacated. 

5-Team Gauntlet Match Will Determine New NXT Tag Champs

NWA Powerrr Results (4/12)

Tyriece Simon
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The Apr. 12 episode of NWA Powerrr took place at the Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennesse.

The main event saw NWA World Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona defend his title against The Pope. The episode also had the debut of Kilynn King, who challenged Natalya Markova. Besides the main event, NWA promoted King’s debut as an important part of the show. The episode is available on video on demand on FITE and will premiere on Youtube on Friday.

NWA Powerrr Quick Results

  1. The show opened with Nick Aldis discussing the main event. He shared that regardless of the result, he still has intentions of challenging Cardona.
  2. The Commonwealth Connection defeated The Dirty Sexy Boys
  3. Austin Idol did a backstage promo. Idol revealed that he is Cyan’s father.
  4. Kilynn King defeated Natalya Markova
  5. Mims did a backstage promo shared that he wants to challenge Tyrus to the bodyslam challenge. He was also asked about the main event and felt confident about The Pope chances of winning.
  6. La Rebellion did a promo at the podium to call out the Briscoes. However, The Briscoes didn’t appear. Mecha Wolf expressed that The Briscoes will have to kill them to win to NWA Tag Team Championships.
  7. Aron Stevens appeared in a backstage sitdown segment called Heart 2 Heart. He was asked about how he felt about getting attacked by Trevor Murdoch last week. Stevens expressed that he was hurt by Murdoch actions and discussed how close they were.
  8. The Miserable Faithful with Father James Mitchell defeated Colby Corino & The Fixers
  9. Jennacide did a backstage promo to reveal that she is going to be a singles wrestler moving forward in NWA, after her split from Taryn Terrell and Paola Blaze on Mar. 22.
  10. Matt Cardona defeated The Pope to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship

The show ends with NWA Commentator Velvet Sky expressing displeasure at Cardona’s win as he leaves with his title.

Adam Scherr & Buff Bagwell Get Into Verbal Spat Following CYN Diss

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Adam Scherr, formerly known as Braun Strowman in WWE, found himself beefing with Buff Bagwell before cooler heads prevailed.

Scherr has been at the center of controversy with the CYN promotion, which is the brainchild of EC3. The promotion has gotten its share of flak from those on social media. Some have accused CYN of being an escape for QAnon and alt-right groups.

CYN has become a bit of a joke on Twitter and Scherr has seen enough.

Adam Scherr & Buff Bagwell Trade Barbs

Former WCW star Buff Bagwell hopped on Twitter to crack a joke about CYN.

“I just joined CYN. Wait, never mind, it was just gas.”

Scherr didn’t find the joke amusing and he fired back, bringing up Bagwell’s history of legal troubles.

“Funny you gonna try and throw shade cause what you think it’s the cool thing to do. You wanna look edgy?? Cause you sure were a mark asking to take a picture with me. You should probably worry about your narrative.”

Bagwell fired back, bringing up one of Scherr’s past incidents.

“Should I have done it on the water? Adam Scherr something about glass houses. I’m open about my past mistakes, and tend not to bring others up against them. You got offended because I made a joke about something I didn’t even know you were part of because I didn’t know you.”

Scherr insisted that most of the image that Bagwell posted was fake.

“Did I get a driving ticket on a boat? Yes. The rest of that picture you posted is fake. I wasn’t with WWE, definitely didn’t spend the night in jail. Paid my ticket and went on about life.”

The former WWE Champion later called for peace with Bagwell.

“And I’ll man up right now and admit I came at you too hard. I went for the kill. And shouldn’t have. I understand you didn’t know I was a part of CYN. But imagine you being one of the boys taking shots at a place giving work to other wrestlers.

“We should be sticking together to better the industry. It’s toxic enough with the IWC. We shouldn’t be going at each other on social. Best wishes.”

Bagwell agreed, thus ending the brief Twitter spat.

“I agree we should be sticking together, but we also need to listen to the fans, even the ones we don’t like because they pay our bills. Let’s all be better, much love brother.”

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