Home Blog Page 712

Wardlow: My Contract With MJF Won’t Last Forever

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Wardlow knows that he won’t be by MJF’s side for eternity.

MJF has been relying on the assistance of Wardlow but he doesn’t always treat his bodyguard with respect. In fact, there have been numerous times where Wardlow appeared to be on the brink of snapping due to MJF’s passive-aggressive tone.

Nonetheless, Wardlow remains by MJF’s side. With that said, the leader of The Pinnacle would be wise to watch his back.

Is the Split Inevitable?

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Wardlow said that his relationship with MJF has always been solely business but the deal won’t stick around forever.

“MJF and I, we strictly have a business relationship,” said Wardlow. “That’s all it’s ever been, that’s all it ever will be.

“He pays me to make sure his jaw isn’t wired shut and thus far, his win record and the fact that he’s still talking his sh*t every week I think I’ve done pretty well at my job. However, that contract isn’t forever and the way he treats people, we’ll see what the future holds with that.”

“I will be the future CM Punk, the future Bryan Danielson…I’m gonna be above and beyond that, because look at me.”

– Wardlow

Working Hard to be Wardlow

Wardlow
Wardlow (Photo: AEW)

Wardlow is undoubtedly in tremendous shape. He admitted that maintaining his physique is no easy task.

“It’s a full-time job. It truly is the hardest part of this job is dieting and maintaining this type of shape. You have to cook your meals and you have to pack them with you and you have to travel with meals.”

“If it’s time to eat in the middle of a flight, sorry everyone around me I’m opening up a container full of rice and ground beef or bison or salmon and everybody’s gotta deal with it cause it’s time to eat. You have to do what you have to do.”

MJF and Wardlow will both be in action on Wednesday’s Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite.

Wardlow will battle Matt Sydal, while MJF faces Dante Martin to determine which man gets possession of the Dynamite Diamond ring.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

MJF Addresses The Miz & Adam Cole, Snubs Wardlow

Katsuyori Shibata To Make In-Ring Return At Wrestle Kingdom 16

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Katsuyori Shibata is set to end his in-ring hiatus.

Shibata suffered a life-threatening injury back in April 2017. He took on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis. The match was a classic but Shibata injured himself after connecting with a headbutt.

Okada won the match and Shibata ended up collapsing backstage. He was rushed to the hospital and needed to undergo emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma. It’s believed that an accumulation of headbutts, which Shibata had used as a signature, was the culprit.

Katsuyori Shibata Returns At Wrestle Kingdom 16

Katsuyori Shibata has been trying to make an in-ring comeback and he will get his wish on Jan. 4, 2022. On the final day of the World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, Shibata announced that he will wrestle on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16.

It looked as if Shibata would never wrestle again but he has tested the waters since his head injury. Back in summer 2019, Shibata attacked KENTA for turning on his LA Dojo young lions.

He even took bumps from the Bullet Club members but nothing was aimed at his head.

Shibata then shocked the wrestling world on the final day of the G1 Climax 31 tournament. He had a surprise UWF rules exhibition grappling match with Zack Sabre Jr. The match went to a five-minute draw.

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1451322412058959876

At this time, there is no word on who Shibata’s opponent will be at Wrestle Kingdom 16.

Jeff Hardy Announces Meet & Greet Tour For December & January

Chris Stephens
-
0

Jeff Hardy recently announced a live Meet and Greet tour that will also include a Jeff Hardy “acoustic” session.

Coincidentally, many of the dates lineup with WWE’s live events touring schedule.

Hardy has announced the following dates for the tour:

  • 12/16/21: The Miramar Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 12/17/21: Bub City in Rosemont, Illinois – WWE is running Smackdown from the nearby Allstate Arena that night.
  • 12/18/21: The Rusty Boots Saloon in Rockford, Illinois. WWE has a live event scheduled for Rockford that same night.
  • 12/19/21: XBK Live in Des Moines, Iowa. WWE has a live event in Des Moines that same night.
  • 1/13/22: The Royal Grove in Lincoln, Nebraska.
  • 1/14/22: The Slowdown in Omaha, Nebraska. WWE has a live event scheduled in Omaha that night.
  • 1/15/21: The TAK Music Venue in Fargo, North Dakota. WWE has a live event in Fargo scheduled for that night.
  • 1/16/21: BIGS Sports in Sioux Falls, North Dakota. WWE has a live event scheduled for Sioux Falls that night.

Hardy was recently released by WWE after an incident at a live event where he exited through the crowd during a match. He had been with the company since returning for a second time in 2017.

Kevin Owens Re-Signs Multi-Year Deal With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Kevin Owens has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE. The news was first reported by Fightful and confirmed by Pat Laprade.

Owens spoke with Laprade earlier this week. That interview, with comments on his decision to stick with WWE, drop Thursday.

WWE officials had been very interested in retaining his services. His contract was expiring soon and they made the former Universal champion an “excellent” offer to stay.

Retaining Owens is a big success for WWE after recently having lost people such as Bryan Danielson to AEW. The WWE sources that Fightful spoke to were said to be ‘over the moon’ about successfully re-signing Kevin Owens.

Many perceived AEW as the natural destination for the former Universal champion after his departure. AEW talents also believe that the management would have been interested in signing the former champion.

Though the belief is that AEW officials realistically wouldn’t have matched the financial offer made by WWE.

Kevin Owens In WWE

Kevin Owens has been with WWE since 2014. He has won over half a dozen championships in this time including a run with the Universal title.

His WWE contract originally expired later but he had restructured it to end in January 2022. This made the officials start the negotiation in the fall of 2021, something which is a ‘far cry’ from how things were done before.

The new deal is a multi-year agreement, though the exact length of it is unknown. So it’s hard to say for how long Kevin Owens is now locked in for.

KO is set to challenge for the WWE Championship in a Fatal Four Way match at Day 1. Now we will have to see how this turn of events affects his on-screen character.

Original Plans For Kevin Owens’ 2019 NXT Return

Fox & USA Execs Want WWE to Sign MJF

Chris Stephens
-
0

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) says there will be a bidding war for his services when his AEW contract expires in 2024. He’s not bluffing.

The Long Island loudmouth has teased the “bidding war of the century.”

MJF still under contract for almost 3 more years. However, in what has become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, MJF has gotten attention of TV executives from the Fox and NBC Universal (USA Network). They want WWE to make a play for him.

According to Andrew Zarian of the We’re Live, Pal podcast, MJF’s talk a 2024 bidding war has ‘got people buzzing.’

”It almost worked the corporate side of stuff on USA and even Fox,” said Zarian. “It perked their ears like ‘hey, this guy is really good. Is his contract ending in 2024? Is that true? There have been conversations and I know WWE is very interested in him.”

WWE and its television partners realize they need to invest in young talent. MJF is with AEW for the foreseeable future, but WWE could make a play for him in a few years.

Zarian’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Tony Khan Comments On An MJF Bidding War In 2024

Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio shortly after MJF made the comment about a bidding war in 2024. The AEW President is fine with the idea that he could be bidding for MJF’s services come that time.

“I have no problem with it,” Khan said. “I signed him to a five year contract two years ago, he has three years left. I’m totally fine. There may be a bidding war in 2024, I’m fine with that.”

Tony Khan Comments On Possible Bidding War For MJF In 2024

If you use any of the above quotes please H/T to SEScoops for the transcriptions.

Hangman Page Discusses Feud With AEW Graphics Team: “I’m So Pissed”

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The feud between Hangman Page and the graphics team has been one of the most unique yet entertaining parts of his journey to the AEW world championship. The lower third graphics of Page’s entrance have never failed to get a laugh out of people and they have frequently been a topic of discussion among fans online. Though according to the AEW champion himself, he is not very happy with it.

The cowboy recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette. When asked if the lines are something he comes up with himself, Hangman Page claimed that it’s not the case. According to him, he has been trying to catch the culprit behind it as well:

“I guess someone at the graphics truck who does all those? They clown on me all the time. I’m so pissed off about it. I’ve tried to get snitches from the truck. I’ve planted spies in the truck. I’m not sure that’s in the truck and not like back in the studio in Nashville or something like that. I can’t figure out who it is. And I’m fed up about it.”

“I Am The Champion And I Can’t Get It Fixed”: Hangman Page

Hangman graphic 2
The story with Hangman’s lower third graphic came full circle at Full Gear

Hangman Page continued by expressing his displeasure at not being able to get it fixed despite being the top champion of the company. Though he vowed to catch whoever is behind it and said that if the graphics start being nice, then fans should know that he has found the culprit:

“Yeah, I don’t know. At this point, I don’t know what to do about it. I’m the champion and I can’t get it fixed. So I guess they’re just probably gonna keep clowning on me for the foreseeable future. But if I stop having lower thirds altogether, or they start being nice to me or normal, then you’ll know that I got ’em.”

Hangman Page also discussed his storyline with the Dark Order and revealed if there were any plans for him to feud with Brodie Lee before his passing. You can check out the story below:

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

Adam Page On If There Were Plans For Feud With Brodie Lee Before His Passing

Ric Flair on Jeff Hardy to AEW: “You Know Right Away He’s Already Got a Job”

Michael Reichlin
-
0

Ric Flair says Jeff Hardy can do “anything he wants” with the next chapter of his career. He’s known Matt and Jeff for a long time and says Jeff has “already got a job” waiting for him in AEW, if he wants it.

The Nature Boy addressed Jeff Hardy’s situation on the latest episode of his WOOOOO Nation Uncensored podcast.

Co-host Mark Madden asked Flair what he thinks is in store for Jeff Hardy’s future.

“Anything he wants,” said Flair. “I think he knows he made a mistake. I don’t know any more than that. But I know Jeff Hardy is such a great talent. He does have the money, as you mentioned, he probably doesn’t need to work. But Like all of us that want to work, for different reasons, it’s hard to walk away.”

Jeff Hardy in AEW?

Ric Flair has known the Hardy family for many years. He has great respect for them and feels Jeff is in control of his destiny.

“I’ve known those boys since they were young kids,” Flair continued. “They came to see me in Fayetteville, Raleigh, with their dad. I’ve known their dad. Matt and Jeff are two of the greatest guys in my lifetime, that I’ve had an immense amount of fun with and have an immense amount of respect for. So Jeff can do whatever he wants to do.”

Will we see Jeff Hardy join Matt in AEW? Flair began, “If Tony Khan doesn’t hire him…” and is convinced Jeff could be All Elite if that’s what he wants to do.

“You know right away he’s already got a job.”

– Ric Flair on Jeff Hardy in AEW

As a publicly traded company, WWE is held to a different standard when it comes to dealing with ‘problematic’ talent.

“I’m not defending the WWE here, but you have to remember, they’re a publicly traded company,” said Flair. “They get looked at and scrutinized at a whole different level than once that’s not [publicly traded].

“So, I don’t think they had a choice but to tell Jeff he could go. Not because they don’t want Jeff Hardy there, but because there’s just some things that being publicly traded allows you to do and not do.”

Jeff Hardy On WWE Using His Personal Struggles For Storyline

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article.

Charlotte Flair Not Interested in Zelina Vega’s Crown

Chris Stephens
-
0

Charlotte Flair has no interest in a Queen vs Queen match against Zelina Vega.

During an interview with Metro UK, Flair said she has no interest in Vega’s crown.

“I don’t think I need to fight over a crown, sorry.” she said. “I don’t think I need a crown to be called the Queen, I am the Queen. It’s silly to me. [laughs] No offense!”

Flair continued to say that she has no problem facing Queen Zelina, but she’s not interested in a storyline or a match over a crown. She believes she’s the “Queen of them all” and always has an “invisible crown” on her head.

The Real Queen of WWE

Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair continued, “I mean, maybe facing Zelina, but to have a match focused around Queen versus Queen? Like, I’m the Queen of them all – without a throne,’ she insisted. ‘I don’t see that as – she has a long way to go before that becomes her… I don’t know how you say it? I always wear my invisible crown.”

Flair did not participate in the recent Queen’s Crown tournament, which saw Zelina Vega defeat Doudrop in the finals.

Another Hardy Family Office Member Injured

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The Hardy Family office has suffered another blow as after The Butcher, another one of their stars have been sidelined with an injury.

According to reports from Fightful Select, one-half of the Private Party, Marq Quen is currently out of action due to an undisclosed injury.

The AEW star hasn’t wrestled since October 12. He worked NEW’s Better Than You event back then, where he teamed up with his Hardy Family Office teammates Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy for a six men tag team match.

Quen’s last AEW match was an eight men tag team match during the October 11 episode of Dark: Elevation. The Private Party had teamed with The Butcher and The Blade for that match.

Another member of the Hardy Family Office, The Butcher suffered a torn bicep. He has been out of action since the post Full Gear edition of Dynamite on November 17.

The injury, which he suffered during a tag team match with Blade against Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii is expected to keep him out of action for at least 3-4 months.

The report doesn’t provide a lot of details regarding the health of Marq Quen. So it’s hard to say how long he will stay out of action. We will keep you posted on his status.

Matt Hardy Explains Why He Is Moving Away From His Big Money Character

Buff Bagwell Says He Turned Down WWE Hall of Fame Offer

Chris Stephens
-
0

Buff Bagwell says WWE wanted him to go into the WWE Hall of Fame along with the other members of the NWO in 2020. Bagwell says he turned down the offer, however, as he didn’t want to go into the Hall of Fame as a member of a group. He made these comments on the “Who The Fook Are These Guys” podcast.

“They actually called me to do the Hall of Fame thing,” Bagwell said. “I was like, I’ll be honest with you I said ‘I don’t want to be part of a group in the Hall of Fame.’ I’d be like Brett Favre getting a Hall of Fame ring because of the Green Bay Packers.”

“Brett Favre got a ring because he’s Brett Favre.”

When Bagwell asked if he felt that a solo induction was possibly in his future, the 51-year-old stated he didn’t believe that was ever going to happen. He also noted that Lex Luger isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame either.

Bagwell had a 10-year-run in WCW from 1991-2001. He then had a very brief run with WWE that ended shortly after a disastrous match against Booker T on the July 2nd, 2001 episode of RAW.

If you use any of the above quotes please credit the “Who The Fook Are These Guys” podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Johnny Gargano Says He Could Show Up Anywhere If Fans Chant “Johnny Wrestling”

Chris Stephens
-
0

If you want to see Johnny Gargano, all you have to do is chant “Johnny Wrestling”. At least, that is according to comments he made during the first live stream on his new Twitch channel.

With Gargano now a free agent, he could show up anywhere and at anytime. If fans want to see his return to wrestling, they just need to chant for him at shows.

“The ‘Johnny Wrestling’ chants, they mean the world to me,” said Gargano on the stream. “If you chant ‘Johnny Wrestling’ somewhere loud enough, you never know what could happen.”

He continued, “I could show up anywhere at this point. That’s real. I’m free to do whatever I want. So if someone wants to see me bad enough, the Johnny Wrestling chants come in, I’ll hear them. I watch everything. You never know.”

Just chant “Johnny Wrestling”

Now that Gargano is a free agent and has told fans how to ‘summon’ him, it will be interesting to see if we get any Johnny Wrestling chants tonight at AEW Winter is Coming.

Gargano’s WWE contract is believed to have expired on December 10th. This is after he signed a one-week extension on a contract that expired on December 3rd. The extension was so he would be able to perform on the War Games PPV and the following episode of NXT 2.0.

He had been with WWE since 2015 and does not have a non-compete clause.

Watch Gargano’s comments in the player below:

Bryan Danielson Responds To ROH Champion Wanting Match Against Him

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The new ROH champion Jonathan Gresham recently said that he would like to defend his title against people like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk and Danielson is all for it.

The AEW star recently had an interview with Dallas News. He discussed things such as his dream scenario in AEW, why he doesn’t want to name his Mt Rushmore of wrestling, and more.

When asked about the comments from the new ROH champion, Bryan admitted that he likes Gresham’s style and he would love to get in the ring with him:

“I’d love to wrestle Jonathan Gresham. I love his style. He’s got a great mat-wrestling style. I think he’s one of the guys who have really carried on the tradition of real ‘technical wrestling’ wrestling, and I think that match would be a lot of fun.”

Apart from this, Bryan Danielson also talked about ROH’s announcement of going dark for the first quarter of 2022 to reimagine the company.

The former world champion discussed how wrestling is a hard industry to be profitable in with AEW and WWE taking up the majority of the mental space of fans. You can check out his full comments on the matter here.

Bryan Danielson Thinks WWE Overreacted To AEW

Bryan Danielson Discusses ROH’s Uncertain Future

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Ring Of Honor helped build many of the top stars of the current generation. This list includes the current AEW star Bryan Danielson who was part of the very first ROH show in 2002.

The former WWE champion recently had an interview with Dallas News. He discussed things such as his upcoming match against Adam Page and more.

When asked about ROH’s recent announcement of going dark to reimagine the company, Danielson said that he hopes the best for them.

“As far as the future, who knows? I don’t even know what they’re thinking or how they’re going to restructure or anything like that. The wrestling industry is a hard industry to be profitable in, and especially with WWE and AEW already taking up so much of the wrestling fans’ mental space.”

He continued, “You know, it’s interesting to see where a company like Ring of Honor fits in. … I hope the best for them. especially because of how much they meant for my career.”

The American Dragon mentioned how ROH gave him a ton of exposure and opportunity. It was a platform to work against some of the best wrestlers of the time.

He feels the ROH fanbase that preferred a more wrestling-based product as opposed to the soap opera style of entertainment is now served by AEW.

Bryan Danielson Wants To Create His Own Faction In AEW

The Briscoe Brothers Call Out FTR And Tony Khan

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The Briscoe Brothers have called out Tony Khan and FTR ahead of this Wednesday’s Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX.

The current ROH tag team champions posted a video message earlier today on Twitter. They told FTR that they made a mistake by confronting them at Final Battle.

The duo then called out AEW president Tony Khan as well to send them plane tickets, and told the AEW stars that they don’t know the danger they have put themselves in:

The Briscoe Brothers defeated Matt Taven and Mike Bennett at the Final Battle PPV this past Saturday to become the new ROH tag team champions.

After the match, they picked up the mics and laid out a challenge for any tag team in the world. In response, FTR made their ROH debuts and confronted the newly crowned champions.

The AEW stars picked up the ROH tag team titles. They then got out of the ring to brawl with The Briscoes to end the segment.

Tony Khan has teased new AEW debuts in the coming weeks. After this latest promo, the only question that remains is when exactly we will see The Briscoe Brothers making their AEW debut.

Updated Card For AEW Winter Is Coming

WWE NXT 2.0 Results (12/14): Jade vs. Kai, Breakker vs. Strong

Andrew Ravens
-
0

The December 14, 2021 episode of WWE NXT 2.0 aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Cameron Grimes def. Duke Hudson.
  • Ivy Nile (w/Malcolm Bivens) def. Amari Miller.
  • Harland (w/Joe Gacy) def. Guru Raaj.
  • Cora Jade def. Dakota Kai.
  • Tony D’Angelo def. Andre Chase.
  • Boa def. Edris Enofe.
  • Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro & KUSHIDA) def. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson).
  • Bron Breaker def. Roderick Strong.

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Grayson Waller Speaks

0NXT 1

WWE had been advertising that Grayson Waller would answer for his actions on thai show after he attacked Johnny Gargano as he gave his farewell speech to the NXT brand on last week’s show. 

The angle was done to write Gargano off television as his contract expired on December 10th. He is officially a free agent. 

Waller cut a promo in the ring about Gargano’s speech and how the fans didn’t help Gargano when he got attacked. He showed footage of his attack on Gargano. He said he ended the career of an NXT legend and touted his week while the fans just complained about him like they always do. He showed off tweets from angry fans as well as a tweet sent out by Wade Barrett. He said that since 2010, he couldn’t care what Barrett has to say about him. He said he doesn’t need anyone except himself to go to the top. 

Non-Title Bout

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong vs. Bron Breakker in a non-title match took place. 

The match was made after Strong’s manager Malcolm Bivens interrupted Breakker on last week’s show. Bivens said Breakker may have his sights set on Ciampa, but Strong’s sights are on Breakker. Bron stated he doesn’t care who he has to run through to get another title match against Tommaso Ciampa. Their first match happened at Halloween Havoc this October that saw Ciampa retain the NXT Championship. 

This was the main event. Bron took a nasty table bump during it. It was a fun match with power moves by Bron and technical style of Strong. Bron won with his finisher. Post-match, Ciampa planted him with a DDT on the title. 

No Holds Barred Match

Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson in a No Holds Barred match was booked. 

This appears to be the blowoff match for this feud that has been going on for a while and all started when Grimes beat Hudson in a poker game. At WarGames, Grimes beat him in a hair vs. hair match which resulted in Hudson getting a haircut. 

The match featured them using various weapons such as a kendo stick, chairs, and even Grimes going through a poker table. Grimes avoided some clippers and hit his finisher while Hudson was sitting on a chair. 

Harland’s In-Ring Debut

Harland made his in-ring debut against Guru Raaj. Harland beat down this poor guy before hitting his powerslam finisher. After the match, he further beat him down. 

Harland, real name Parker Boudreaux, debuted on NXT this October and is aligned with Joe Gacy, who just lost to  NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong at WarGames.

Harland refers to himself as ‘The Next Big Thing’ and has been praised by Paul Heyman because he resembles Brock Lesnar.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1470934263067557893

Cora Jade vs. Dakota Kai

Cora Jade vs. Dakota Kai in a singles match took place. This was a rematch from last month where Kai defeated Jade in their first meeting.

At WarGames, Jade, Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez & Kay Lee Ray defeated Kai & Toxic Attraction (Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) in the women’s WarGames match when Jade pinned Jayne to get the win. Jade overcame a storyline shoulder injury that she suffered during the match.

Last week, Jade appeared with her arm in a sling and interrupted Toxic Attraction after Mandy Rose had mentioned her name. Raquel Gonzalez then made her way out with a steel chair to back up Jade. 

Rose was on commentary for the match. Kai went to get a shuffle and when she got into the ring, Jade rolled her up for the win. Post-match, Kai attacked her until Raquel came out to make the save. Raquel brawled with her through the crowd. Rose laid out Jade. 

Bret Hart Calls Out Hulk Hogan’s Limited Wrestling Ability

Ryan Droste
-
0

Bret Hart’s disdain for Hulk Hogan is nothing new, and the topic came up again this week during an interview with the WWE legend’s hometown newspaper.

Hart took part in an interview with the Calgary Sun in advance of his December 17th induction into the Canadian Walk of Fame. During the discussion, Hart was asked about his influence on future generations of wrestlers. Of course, the topic of Hogan came up.

“I think it all goes back to when Gorilla Monsoon called me the ‘Excellence of Execution.’ I was just a guy who did everything right. I remember when I started wrestling, I knew how everything worked. I knew how to take turnbuckle (hits to the chest), I knew how to body slam. When you want to watch how to do something in wrestling, you watch my matches back. You’ll learn how to do a Sharpshooter. That’s how you do it. Want to learn how to do a standing suplex? That’s how you do it. I was always that guy,” Hart said.

“He didn’t know a headlock from a headlamp. He didn’t know very much.”

– Bret Hart on Hulk Hogan

He continued, “And all the Canadian wrestlers like Natalya or Edge were influenced by me. I think if you look back at wrestling when it was the Hulk Hogan show. He was six-foot-eight and a one-out-of-three wrestler. He didn’t know a headlock from a headlamp. He didn’t know very much. He knew how to do a clothesline and maybe a body slam. He was very limited.”

Bret Hart was crowned WWE Champion in October 1992. The World Wrestling Federation was undergoing a dramatic change during this period. After an era of larger-than-life muscle-bound champions, the Hitman ushered in a new era of technical excellence.

“Vince McMahon took a chance with me and made me that champion. It meant so much to me that I think I tried to live up to be that champion. It was about being the best wrestler. I gave so much as that wrestler. I was a good role model in the dressing room. All that means a lot.”

The SummerSlam Main Event That Wasn’t

Hart’s dislike for Hogan goes back to 1993 when the Hitman claims that Hogan was slated to drop the WWE Championship to him at SummerSlam in Detroit in a passing of the torch moment. Hart had lost the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX earlier in the year, and Hogan came out to assist the injured Hart on the outside of the ring following his controversial loss. It was at that time that Mr. Fuji challenged Hogan to face Yokozuna; Hogan won the WWE Championship in less than one minute.

That eventual Hart vs. Hogan match never occurred in the WWE. Hart wrote in his 2007 autobiography that Hogan refused to lose to him because of his size.

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.

Booker T Supportive Of WWE Star Xia Li: ‘She Can Definitely Get Over’

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Booker T thinks there could be some serious potential with Xia Li.

Li was brought on board at the WWE Performance Center back in 2017. She competed in the Mae Young Classic and WWE officials were impressed with her efforts.

In 2019, Xia Li made her Royal Rumble debut. She then transitioned to the NXT roster and is now a member of the SmackDown brand. Many have high hopes for WWE’s first Chinese female talent.

Booker T Talks Xia Li’s Ceiling

During an episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T was asked by a fan about his thoughts on Xia Li. It’s clear that Booker T thinks there’s some potential there.

“She’s got talent. She definitely can perform and she’s different. I think, man if given a chance and put in the right position she definitely can get over. Let’s just put it that way and that right there, that’s the question for a lot of guys.

“A lot of times you wonder and I’m using examples now because one of my favorite guys before he ever came to WWE was Ricochet, Prince Puma. I was like, ‘Good God, this guy’s amazing.’ And then he gets to WWE and it seemed like it’s taken him a while to figure it out but now you see Ricochet on the rise.

“You see him getting the shine and me personally, I just hope it don’t take that long to see if this thing works out [with Xia Li].”

Xia Li made her SmackDown debut on Dec. 10. She protected Naomi from Shayna Baszler, Natalya, and heel authority figure Sonya Deville.

It hasn’t taken long for Li to gain support within WWE. Before her release, Serena Deeb was a coach at the WWE Performance Center and she praised Li several times. Sasha Banks has also been supportive of Xia.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Tommy Dreamer Shares Advice For Austin Theory In Midst Of His WWE Push

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Tommy Dreamer has some pointers for Austin Theory.

Theory is currently enjoying a push on the WWE main roster. As a member of the Raw brand, he’s been featured in ongoing backstage segments with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Theory’s segments have drawn strong viewership from younger audiences. WWE management is taking notice, according to the Wrestling Observer. Theory is particularly a hit with teenager viewers, a demographic WWE seeks to attract.

Tommy Dreamer Has Tips For Austin Theory

Tommy Dreamer spoke with Bully Ray during an episode of The Fat n The Furious on Busted Open Radio. During the show, Dreamer explained how Austin Theory can give himself the best chance at making this push last.

“Yes [I’m a fan of Austin Theory]. He is unproven I feel on the main roster. He was doing an excellent job when he first got called up when he was tagging with Andrade with Zelina Vega.

“I thought he was doing very, very good and then he went to NXT, answered the call in NXT, also became very, very entertaining in NXT, showed different sides of him and I hope we can see different sides of him on Monday Night Raw.

“You’re getting an opportunity, don’t blow that opportunity. Literally, do everything the best that you can, and like I said go above and beyond because they’re interested in you right now. That can change but run with it. It will only change if you mess it up.”

At the Survivor Series PPV, WWE did a movie tie-in with Red Notice, starring The Rock. During the PPV, Vince McMahon showcased Cleopatra’s egg valued at $100 million.

The egg went missing but it didn’t take long to find out who took it. It was Theory who was the culprit. Vince ended up giving him a pass, however, and is taking him under his wing.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Eddie Kingston on Turning Down WWE Offer, His Road to AEW

Tyriece Simon
-
0

Eddie Kingston has shared what led to him signing with All Elite Wrestling and turning down WWE’s offer. Kingston credits Low Ki, Cody Rhodes, and his mother for helping him secure the biggest break of his wrestling career.

Kingston appeared on the Swerve City Podcast with Shane “Swerve” Stickland and Monteasy Jones to discuss his journey to AEW. In the interview, Kingston shared that he had an opportunity to be a developmental coach for WWE in the past but turned it down. He also shared that Low Ki helped him change his lifestyle and deal with personal issues last year.

“…The pandemic made me mature. It made me deal with issues that I did not deal with. That I shoved down,” said Kingston. He continued, “…During the pandemic, I dealt with a lot of things. I dealt with me being lazy. I dealt with me not being fully focused. You know what I mean? At the time, my boy Low Ki was there with me, and people can say whatever they want to say about him, but he helped me focus.”

During the pandemic, Kingston lived with Low ki. He shared before the pandemic, he went to the United Kingdom and had a hard time getting back to the United States. He ended up staying with Low Ki in Orlando, Florida. However, it’s unclear how long it lasted.

When speaking on Low Ki’s advice, Kingston said, “He was like, ‘what are you doing with your life. Now that you have this time off, what are you doing in your life.’ He just asked me that, and I was like, huh. It just clear as day came to me. It was like, okay, I want to do this, this, and this. He was like, ‘All right, get to work. You have time now.’ And I got to work.”

Eddie Kingston Calling out Cody Rhodes

Kingston refocused on his wrestling career after taking Low Ki’s advice and dealing with his issues. He revealed that he got his opportunity to wrestle for AEW after calling out Rhodes during Internet Championship Wrestling- No Holds Barred Volume 3:Deathmatch Drive-In 2 on July 4, 2020. After his call out, a representative from AEW asked if he wanted to come to do a match with Rhodes. However, Kingston didn’t view the opportunity as more than just a match and just wanted to get paid. At the time, he was selling his wrestling gear for money and had problems with paying off his mortgage. Kingston impressed AEW and fans when he made his first AEW appearance on July 22, 2020.

His Debut Match with Cody Rhodes

Kingston revealed that the aired promo before his match was his second attempt. He mentioned Rhodes as Cody Rhodes in the first promo, and AEW President Tony Khan told Kingston that he had to do it over. Rhodes couldn’t use his wrestling name during that time and was going by Cody. Regardless, AEW liked his debut, and he credits Rhodes as a good opponent.

“…They can say whatever they want to say about Cody, but that man danced with me that night. Cody could’ve been one of these old school vets that sat there and said, Oh, this guy likes to talk Sh*t. I’m on national TV; you get nothing,” said Kingston. He continued, “…But he didn’t. He went and there and worked with me, and I guess that match went well because I got a job like two weeks later.”

Kingston Choosing AEW Over WWE

After the match, people in AEW told Kingston he earned a job with the company. He also had WWE that wanted to sign Kingston. However, he listened to his mother’s advice and signed with AEW.

“…Did I entertain other possibilities? I entertained them, but again momma’s boy. My mother being my best friend. When I told her, hey, mom, I’m getting interest from a lot of people all of a sudden. She goes go to AEW. You won’t be happy at WWE,” said Kingston.

He explained, “… ‘She said yeah go there Papi, go there. You deserve to have fun.’ She said you deserve to have fun. I said okay, and that was it. It was a wrap from that point.”

Kingston has a win/loss record in AEW at 35-13. He is currently in a feud with Daniel Garcia and 2Point0.

Kurt Angle Names Two Of The Most Physical Wrestlers He’s Ever Worked With

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Kurt Angle has reflected on two of the most physical wrestlers he’s ever shared the ring with.

Angle knows a thing or two about physicality. His neck has been through the wringer throughout his career and he’ll tell anybody who listens that he won a gold medal at the Olympics with a “broken freakin’ neck.”

For as tough as Angle is, there are some other wrestlers who were just as willing to dish out punishment as well as take it.

Kurt Angle Reveals His Most Intense Opposition

  • Stone Cold Steve Austin Chris Benoit

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Benoit were the most physical and intense wrestlers he’s ever been in the ring with.

“Yeah, him and Chris Benoit were the two most physical athletes I’ve ever faced in the ring. Austin was very physical. That’s the one thing about him that made him special. He was really intense. He kept the intensity up very high and he was very physical.”

It should come as no surprise that Stone Cold made Angle’s list. After all, Austin was the one who taught Kurt how to blade and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Angle went on to say that he always felt at home when his opponents threw stiff strikes.

“I was comfortable being snug cause I was snug. That’s just one thing that I tried to work on, my finesse but there were times when I throw punches or kicks they’re gonna stick, they’re gonna hurt and Austin was the same way. So, I enjoyed that because in order to give it you have to be able to take it and I did.”

Angle also said that he never gave anyone a receipt because he always assumed that if he got caught with a good strike it was just how his opponent worked.

It also helps that Angle was a legit amateur wrestler so not many in the locker room would dare to test him.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Anthony Bowens Comments On Fan Yelling A Homophobic Slur On Dynamite

Chris Stephens
-
0

On last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a fan can be heard yelling a homophobic slur at the Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens during his match. The Acclaimed teamed with 2.0 in a losing effort to the Varsity Blondes and Jurassic Express on the show.

Bowens recently spoke to TMZ about the incident.

“Unfortunately that kind of stuff comes with the territory, being an out LGBTQ athlete,” Bowens said.

“This is actually the first time that I’ve audibly heard something like that during a performance or during television.”

Bowens also responded to a Tweet featuring a video of the fan yelling the slur.

Bowens continued to say that when he started a YouTube channel with his boyfriend, the comments they received were quite hateful.

“I have really thick skin, I’m kind of used to it from my boyfriend Michael and I,” Bowens said. “We have our YouTube channel and when we first started that the comments were brutal.”

Bowens would continue to say, however, that the comment is not indicative of AEW fans at all.

“This is not indicative of the AEW fans at all,” Bowens said. “Any interactions I’ve had with them since starting the company have all been positive.”

Bowens also spoke about how when he first arrived in AEW, he was happy to see LGTB wrestlers such as Nyla Rose and Sonny Kiss freely being themselves. His full comments are available in the player below:

Adam Page On If There Were Plans For Feud With Brodie Lee Before His Passing

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Adam Page had several interactions with Brodie Lee and the Dark Order in 2020. Many fans wondered if AEW was building to a feud between the Hangman and the Exalted One prior to Lee’s untimely passing in December 2020.

Page recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette. They discussed parenthood, his time as a high school teacher, starting off on the wrong foot in AEW and much more.

When asked if there were any plans for him to feud with Brodie Lee, Page said that it’s something that he wanted. He tries to plant storyline “seeds” on Being The Elite, because Tony Khan watches the show closely and has picked up several angles from the web series.

“I wanted to,” Paige said about feuding with Brodie Lee. “A lot of times in AEW it feels like what I’m thinking I would like to work towards might not be what that person’s thinking. It might not be what Tony’s thinking. But [I go] ‘Oh, I’ll do a BTE scene and plant a seed for it to see what kind of reaction it gets.’ And almost, 99 out of 100 cases, I’m pretty confident and the seeds that I would plant, what reaction they’re going to get.” said Adam Page, “And then I know that’s going to drive where the story goes on TV as well. When there’s a built-in reaction to something you go with it.

He continued, “And that’s what this company does. Let’s be honest. AEW exists because of something like Being The Elite where we could have just these stupid ass storylines that in Ring of Honor and New Japan started influencing the actual wrestling shows. Or in a lot of cases, were more popular than the wrestling shows. I remember I’d be wrestling in Ring of Honor and people were chanting stuff from our little stupid BTE storyline. That’s why they were there. That’s why AEW exists because of those kinds of things.”

Adam Page Was Planting Seeds For A Brodie Lee Feud

Adam Page continued by explaining that he was planting seeds for a future rivalry with the former TNT champion. When Lee was away, there were times that made Page consider stopping the storyline. Though according to him, he felt like it would have been a disservice to Brodie and the members of the Dark Order, so he kept going:

“So, I was planting seeds to do something with Brodie because I really wanted to and when he was ill and was gone, we didn’t know what was going on. I guess there were points where I thought ‘I don’t know, should I keep going [in] this direction? I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.’ But I felt it would have been a disservice to him and to all of the Dark Order who are incredible people to not keep going the only way that made sense, regardless of where we would end up with it. I’m very glad we did that.”

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

Hangman Page Admits He Felt ‘Inferior’ In Bullet Club

Former WWE Ref: McMahon Family “Torn Apart” Over Triple H & Shane’s Falling Out

Chris Stephens
-
0

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda recently shed some light on the rocky dynamics within the McMahon family.

During a recent Q&A session on his podcast with AdFreeShows, Chioda was asked if Triple H was ever warned against dating Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie. He revealed that Shane McMahon did exactly that – to the detriment of his relationship with The Game.

“Yes, Shane did,” said Chioda. “Shane McMahon did. That’s why the feud fell out, that’s for sure,” Chioda said. “It was a thing from Vince Sr. that came around many years ago. They didn’t want anybody dating talent, none of the kids and none of their family.”

Vince McMahon Triple H Shane McMahon
Vince McMahon, Triple H & Shane McMahon

Chioda continued to say that the falling-out between Shane and Triple H had a negative impact on Shane’s standing in WWE.

“I think Shane really had a big part of that and that’s why Shane and Triple H had a falling out for many years, and that’s why Shane was exiled for 10 years. Shane is still not on top of the list. Where is he at now? Is he in the office? Is he running things?”

Shane McMahon departed WWE in 2009. He announced his resignation from the company in October of that year. Shane would not return to WWE until 2016 when he was named the General Manager of Smackdown.

McMahon Family “Torn Apart”

Triple H Shane McMahon
Triple H & Shane McMahon

Chioda continued to say that the McMahon family is torn apart. Perhaps they are not torn apart completely but they are definitely severed to some degree.

“It gets more interesting, believe me. It’s sad because when I started working for this company, there was Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon and now it seems to be all broken apart.”

He continued, “All the money in the world probably can’t fix it. They have all the money in the world, a publicly traded company, which is ok. The family is torn apart at this point I think. Maybe not torn apart all the way, which I hope not, but it’s torn apart.”

In WWE storyline, McMahon has won several titles in the promotion. He is a 1x European Champion and a 1x Hardcore Champion. Upon returning to the WWE in 2016, he won the Smackdown Tag Team Championships along with The Miz once.

At 2018’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, Shane replaced The Miz in the finals and won the Best in the World tournament.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptions.

Hangman Page Says He Got Off On The Wrong Foot To Start AEW Career

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW World Champion Hangman Page will make his first title defense this Wednesday against Bryan Danielson. His ascent to the world title has been lauded as an example of long-term booking but Page doesn’t feel it was. He recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette and spoke about his AEW career thus far.

“I wouldn’t even talk about, at least my journey, to the AEW World Championship, as like some kind of grand scheme that was hatched on day one, or something like that, because it never was. At least to me, it was never that way,” Page said.

He continued to talk about how he was booked in the first ever AEW World Title match but at the time, he didn’t feel the fans saw him as a main event guy.

“When AEW started, and I, you know, realized, I was going to be suddenly… I was just a guy losing all the Bullet Club multi-man matches. I wasn’t nobody, but I certainly wasn’t the main event guy, who was suddenly going to be main eventing the first-ever title match in AEW. Like, I knew people wouldn’t buy it and it didn’t matter what i said, it didn’t matter what I did, it was too fast, too soon. I knew people, they might be forgiving, but I knew deep down they wouldn’t buy it.”

Hangman Page Said His AEW Career Got Off On The Wrong Foot

Page felt like he got off on the wrong foot by challenging Chris Jericho to determine the first-ever AEW World Champion.

“I felt like I got off on the wrong foot and I wanted to rectify that. I felt like the only way you can is to be vulnerable to let that loss and that disappointment come out over a long time. and every week, we’d get to tv and it wasn’t like some grand scheme of ‘how we get back to Adam Page winning the world title.’ I just think, how do I feel about this? What would I feel about this? Then ok, let’s do that this week.”

Page’s full appearance on the show is available below:

If you use any of the above quotes please credit Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcriptions.

WWE Files To Trademark “Piper Niven”

Chris Stephens
-
0

Will Doudrop be going back to her pre-WWE main roster name of Piper Niven? According to a report from PW Insider, WWE filed to trademark several names recently and one of them was Piper Niven. Other names WWE is looking to trademark include Odyssey Jones and Ivy Nile.

When Doudrop/Piper Niven debuted on the main roster she was aligned with Eva Marie and given the name Doudrop. Eva Marie was released from WWE on November 4th, however. In an interview with Metro UK, Niven said she was heartbroken over Marie’s release from the company.

“Honestly, I’m absolutely heartbroken because that woman is a big sister to me,” Doudrop said. “Behind the scenes, she is the nicest person you will ever meet… Every single person, she’s got a funny story with them. I just love her so much.”

“I hope it’s not the last we’ve seen of her in WWE, I think she’s amazing. When you see her in real life, you’re like… you’re amazing at being a heel. But time will tell – who knows what will happen in this crazy world?”

Doudrop has dropped two straight matches to Bianca Belair on RAW. Last week, she bailed on the match and was counted out. This week, Belair pinned her after a 450 splash from the top rope.

Doudrop “Heartbroken” Over Eva Marie’s WWE Release
1...711712713...3,327Page 712 of 3,327