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Scott Hall Hospitalized After Falling, Suffers Broken Hip

Andrew Ravens
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Scott Hall has been hospitalized. This is according to Jerry Jarrett via PWinsider.com, who shared the news on his Facebook page. Hall fell and broke his hip and is currently in the hospital. 

The WWE Hall of Famer has been announced for WrestleCon on WrestleMania weekend in Dallas next month. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether this injury will force a change to that scheduled appearance. 

Hall found success in the AWA and other promotions before going to WWE where he made a name for himself under his Razor Ramon gimmick. He later changed the business alongside Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan when they formed the nWo in WCW. 

His last notable run came in 2010 as a member of the TNA roster where he had a short-lived reunion with Nash and X-Pac as The Band. 

He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame for the first time in 2014 and then part of the nWo-headlined 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

Samoa Joe on AEW & WWE: “I’m Open to Whatever Opportunity”

Tyriece Simon
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Samoa Joe enjoys his options as he remains a free agent.

“The Samoan Submission Machine” wants to return to professional wrestling after WWE released him on Jan. 6. During his last tenure with the company, Joe competed in NXT before rebranding into NXT 2.0. He relinquished the NXT Championship, after testing positive for Covid-19.

Since Joe couldn’t compete and was taken off NXT TV, he worked as a trainer at the Performance Center. It’s unclear why the WWE released Joe, but he shared that he was grateful for his time with the company.

Wrestling fans wonder which promotion will be lucky enough to add Samoa Joe to its roster. In an interview with Busted Open on Sirus XM, Samoa Joe commented on the potential of signing with All Elite Wrestling or returning to WWE.

“…I’m open to whatever opportunity. Obviously, at this point, I’m blessed enough that I get to make decisions, and I get to work on some things outside of wrestling. Which is a rarity when you are this far in and committed to the business, said Joe.

He continued, “…I got my team working on stuff, and when they eventually connect, we’ll see if something works out.”

Samoa Joe
(via WWE)

What’s Next for Samoa Joe?

Joe will be under the WWE 90 non-compete clause until Apr. 6. However, he keeps himself busy with projects outside of wrestling and being with his family.

“We’re training. We’re ready. Honestly, I’m not on paper with anybody anywhere. We haven’t signed anything. We’re just kind of exploring our options, and I’m taking little time personally just to be with the family and shore up some things home side, and we’ll see what the coming months hold,” said Joe.

He did share during the interview that he’d like to wrestle against Powerhouse Hobbs and Jon Moxley if Joe were to sign with AEW.

Samoa Joe is also working as a voice actor for the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was scheduled to be released this year, but the developers have pushed it back to next year. It’s unclear if he has to do additional voice acting for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

AEW or WWE hasn’t publically expressed interest in signing the free agent. Although it doesn’t seem like Joe is rushing to sign with anyone.

AEW Revolution Betting Odds

Andrew Ravens
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The latest betting odds have been released for the AEW Revolution event. The card for the show that takes place this Sunday is nearly finalized as 9 matches have been announced. 

So far, four AEW titles are on the line with only one expected to change hands. Some of the more notable odds include Thunder Rosa favored to beat Britt Baker for the Women’s Title. 

Wardlow is the current favorite to win the Face of the Revolution ladder match for a TNT Title shot and Jurassic Express is expected to retain their Tag Team Titles in a triple threat match.

AEW Revolution Odds

As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds, courtesy of BetOnline:

AEW World Heavyweight Champion “Hangman” Adam Page -345 (champion) vs Adam Cole +225

AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker +190 vs. Thunder Rosa -278

CM Punk -250 vs MJF +175 – Dog collar match

Chris Jericho +175 vs. Eddie Kingston -250

Jon Moxley -162 vs Bryan Danielson +115

AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill -500 vs Leyla Hirsch +300

Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo and Isiah Kassidy +175 vs. Sting, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara -250 – Six-man tag team match

Samoa Joe Reveals Why He Relinquished the NXT Title Last Year

Kevin Patrick
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Samoa Joe was released from the WWE/NXT for the second time in a year in January. Triple H brought him back to the Black & Gold Brand after being released from the WWE Raw Announce Team shortly have standing through the rain at Wrestlemania.

Samoa Joe joined Busted Open Radio with Tommy Dreamer and Davie LaGreca this morning to guest host during the final hour of the show. Joe informed the Busted Open Nation exactly why he had to relinquish the NXT title after wining it from Karrion Kross.

Samoa Joe on Relinquishing NXT Title “Due To Certain Injuries”

“I popped for COVID,” said Joe. “You know, at the time, it was over the weekend. My wife was making stew and I couldn’t smell it. She said, ‘Wow, doesn’t that smell great?’ I went, ‘No’ and then I tested positive I think on Saturday and by then, Vince had really wanted to go in a different direction with NXT and he really wanted to have the new opening of NXT 2.0 kind of be with a bang and I agreed with him.

I said, ‘Listen, if that’s the case, then you know, this is probably what’s best for what your vision is for what you want for this product.”

Listen to Samoa Joe break down why he had to relinquish the NXT title weeks after winning “due to certain injuries”, courtesy of our friends at the Putting You Over podcast:

https://youtu.be/dQ4Jc2QMzUY


Alexa Bliss Bachelorette Party Photos from Las Vegas

Michael Reichlin
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Alexa Bliss celebrated her bachelorette party this past weekend in Las Vegas.

A few pro wrestling personalities were in attendance, including former WWE stars Athena (Ember Moon) and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax).

Bliss is engaged to be married to pop star Ryan Cabrera. Alexa Bliss and Ryan Cabrera got engaged in November 2020. The happy couple is planning to get married this spring, some time after WrestleMania 38 weekend.

The bride-to-be posted some photos from the festivities, which you can see below. The bachelorette party included a pole dancing class, hitting a nightclub, karaoke and some good food.

She wrote on Instagram, “What an amazing weekend! Thank you to @joylynnjohnson & @chrisprovino for planning & organizing the best bachelorette weekend ever. my heart is so full with love & fun from the whole weekend! Had an amazing time @mandalaybay.”

Finn Bálor is the 100th Person to Hold the United States Championship

MALCOLM
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On Monday Night Raw, Finn Bálor snapped Damien Priest’s impressive reign as United States Champion. Priest, who won the coveted championship at SummerSlam from Sheamus, showcased how important the championship is in building future stars.

Priest’s reign spanned over 191 days where he defeated Drew McIntrye, Sheamus, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Apollo Crews, and Sami Zayn. That’s 6 former World Champions Priest was able to defeat in his title reign making him arguably one the best booked US Champions in history.

This would eventually come to a skirting halt as on the February 21st episode of Monday Night Raw after defeating Shelton Benjamin, Bálor would answer his challenge for a title match the following week.

On Raw, these two athletes put on a barnburner of a contest with Bálor stomping his way to the US Championship, hitting a Coup De Grace.

The first-ever Universal Champion accomplished a major feat in one pinfall. The championship’s origin began as a part of Jim Crockett Jr.’s NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling territory in 1975.

Harley Race would become the inaugural NWA United States Heavyweight Champion after defeating Johnny Weaver in Tallahassee, Florida on January 1st at a house show. Since Race, there have been 99 unique champions, and Bálor just became the 100th.

The United States Championship has been held by some of the industry’s biggest names from Ric Flair, John Cena, Bret Hart, and Booker T. Finn Balor has now added his name to an extensive list of Hall of Famers, legends, and the industry’s best in-ring grapplers.

Chris Jericho On How He Plans To Retire

Anutosh Bajpai
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Many wrestling stars want to make their retirement as big as possible. From going on retirement tours to picking up the biggest opponent, a lot of stars do everything they can to make their final outing as memorable for fans as possible. Though this won’t be the case with Chris Jericho, according to Y2J himself.

The former AEW champion discussed his career and retirement during a recent talk with Fite in Focus. He claimed that when he’s done, he’ll just be done:

“When I’m done, there’s not going to be a retirement tour, there’s not going to be big pomp and circumstance. I’ll be done. I’ll go somewhere else and do what I want to do.”

Although this doesn’t mean that the moment is close. Chris Jericho noted how wrestling has become fun for him again in recent years. According to him, there is no reason for a change when he is enjoying himself:

“Right now, I’m in the best shape of my life, we have a really good story going on with Eddie Kingston that has a lot of layers to come. To me, that’s enough to sit back and enjoy myself. When I’m enjoying myself, there’s no reason to change anything.”

Jericho also discussed how he had started thinking about winding down around 2016. Though going to Japan made wrestling fun for him again.

Chris Jericho Reveals His Dream Matches That Never Happened

Thanks to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Drew McIntyre On Cody Rhodes Possibly Returning To WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

If there is one star who knows what it’s like rebuilding yourself from scratch after leaving WWE, it’s the former WWE champion Drew McIntyre.

The Scottish Warrior recently had an interview with Baby Huey of In The Kliq. He discussed things such as Cesaro’s WWE exit and more.

When asked about Cody Rhodes potentially making his return to WWE, McIntyre mentioned that he knows what it’s like to leave the promotion feeling that you have unfinished business:

“If he comes back, good for him. That’d be awesome. I know what it feels like to be gone from WWE feeling like you should have achieved more, and coming back to do it.

And just knowing him the way I know him, he probably feels the same way about unfinished business.” said Drew McIntyre, “So if it materializes, then, awesome. He’s such a talent, and be more than welcome on the roster.”

Cody Rhodes surprised everyone when he announced his departure from AEW last month. There are lots of rumors about his next move but no confirmation on what he is actually planning.

McIntyre has history with Rhodes from the time of his first WWE run. The two even held the tag team championships together in the company for a brief period in 2010.

Thanks to CageSideSeats for the transcribed quotes

News On Ricochet’s Position On The SmackDown Roster

Anutosh Bajpai
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Many fans have been critical of how WWE has used Ricochet in recent times despite his popularity. It appears that things may change for the high flyer in coming times.

Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently provided some update on the backstage assessment of the former champion. He noted the following about how the One and Only is seen by the officials:

“We have had some readers ask why Ricochet got such a big push last week. There’s a very good explanation for that. Currently, he’s slated as the number two singles babyface for the entire Smackdown brand internally.”

Former WWE champion Drew McIntyre is obviously the #1 babyface of the blue brand’s roster. Johnson also interestingly noted that The New Day and Shinsuke Nakamura are internally listed as part of the tag team division.

Ricochet picked up a big victory over Sheamus on last week’s SmackDown. He used the Recoil to pin the former world champion despite distractions from Ridge Holland.

Now the big question is if we can expect to see this win turn into a push for the former North American champion. What WWE has planned for him for WrestleMania will be a good indication of what to expect in future.

Watch: Randy Orton Injury Scare on Monday’s Raw (Updated)

Anutosh Bajpai
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Randy Orton may have suffered some sort of shoulder injury during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.

During a match featuring RK-Bro and the Street Profits, Montez Ford went up to the top rope for a frogsplash on Orton. Ford landed awkwardly on Orton, who moved towards the rope after taking the move. Orton tried to put his foot on the rope when Ford went for the pin.

Angelo Dawkins stopped The Viper and the Street Profits managed to pick up the win. Though the whole affair looked like it did not go as planned.

You can check out the ending of the Street Profits vs RK-Bro match below:

Montez Ford was seen checking in on Randy Orton as soon as the bell rang. He informed the referee and everyone seemed to be concerned about Orton.

A fan noted that Orton, Riddle and the referee went back through the side of the stage after the match, while everyone else walked back through the tunnel. Randy was also seen favoring his shoulder on the way back.

Montez Ford has since tweeted about the situation and says everyone is “healthy.”

“Pinned a World Champion,” he wrote. “Got the Woman. And everyone is healthy. All in one night. GOD IS GREAT,.”

Kevin Owens On Potential Rematch With Edge, His Retirement

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Kevin Owens got the opportunity of a lifetime when he faced Edge last year. This cage match took place during the traditional post-Christmas Madison Square Garden Live Event on December 26. According to Owens himself, it was a match he will look back upon very fondly for a long time.

The former Universal champion talked about this during his interview with Ryan Satin on Out Of Character. Kevin revealed that he only got two days’ notice to prepare for the bout. He claimed that he certainly hopes to get a rematch with the Rated R Superstar, but even if he doesn’t, he will still look back at the MSG match very fondly:

“Man, that was awesome. We had two days’ notice. I found out on Christmas Eve, that that’s what was gonna happen. That was a real thrill. We’ve been talking about wrestling each other for so long since he came back. Who knows if we’ll get to do it again. I certainly hope we will get to do it again. But even if we don’t, main event of MSG in a cage and we rocked it, it was a lot of fun. Great times. [It’s] something I [would] look back on very fondly for a very long time for sure.”

Kevin Owens Got Emotional During Edge’s Retirement

The match was even more special for Kevin Owens because, at one point, he thought he will never get to wrestle Edge after his retirement in 2011. Owens has said that Edge’s return was one of the top 5 wrestling moments for him. During the talk, he recalled both, the time Edge retired, and then when he made his triumphant return during the 2020 Royal Rumble:

“I remember sitting on my couch watching him retire thinking it’s so awful it’s happening to him. I felt for him so much. Not just that but at the time I was so so hungry to get to WWE and get to wrestle so many of these guys, and he was just being taken off the list. So, to get to go back and then to get to move forward in the future and now get to [not only] wrestle him but just seeing him return was an unreal moment. I am so happy I was there for that.”

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

Former WWE Star Cain Velasquez Involved in Shooting, Facing Attempted Murder Charge

Ryan Droste
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0

MMA star and one-time WWE wrestler Cain Velasquez has reportedly been involved in a shooting in California.

NBC Bay Area reported on a shooting that occurred near Sobrato High School in San Jose on Monday. One person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and another was arrested. NBC Bay Area first reported that Velasquez was involved.

Velasquez reportedly lives in the South Bay area. The shooting happened at 3:14 p.m. west coast time on Monday.

In an update to the story, TMZ reports that Velasquez is being held without bail and is facing charges for attempted murder. He is still in jail and has a court hearing on Wednesday at Noon.

Velasquez had a brief run with WWE back in 2019. He worked a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in October 2019, having been brought in as a big name when SmackDown debuted on FOX.

One month later, he worked his only other match under the WWE banner. Velasquez tagged with Humberto Carrillo against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows at a house show in Mexico City.

Velasquez was scheduled to be involved in WWE’s Royal Rumble match in January 2020, but his participation in the match was scrapped due to an injury. He was later released from his WWE contract in April of 2020.

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.

WWE RAW Results (2/28): Edge’s WrestleMania Opponent Revealed, New Champion

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Damian Priest defended the United States Championship against Finn Balor tonight. It was revealed which superstar will battle Edge at WrestleMania at the conclusion of tonight’s episode.

RAW Results (2/28)

  1. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens def. Alpha Academy (non title match)
  2. Omos def. T-Bar
  3. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley def. Becky Lynch, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H.
  4. Tommaso Ciampa def. Robert Roode
  5. Reggie & Dana Brooke def. Akira Tozawa & Tamina
  6. Hurt Business def. The Mysterios
  7. Street Profits def. RK-Bro
  8. Finn Balor def. Damian Priest to become the new United States Champion

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Rollins & Owens Pinned The Champs

RAW kicked off with an episode of the Kevin Owens Show. Owens was wearing a cowboy hat sideways and continued to mock the state of Texas. Kevin welcomed “his best friend” Seth Rollins to the ring with him. Owens noted that it has been a tough year for each of them and they haven’t managed to secure a place on the WrestleMania card yet.

Rollins stated that they have been screwed on the path to WrestleMania but the gods have given them one more way, to win the RAW Tag Team Championships next week. Owens gave Seth his word that nothing will distract him from their task of becoming the new champions and defending the titles at WrestleMania. Owens took off the cowboy hat and stomped on it.

Seth calmed Owens down and reminded him that they are not in Texas right now. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy made their way to the ring and Gable said “a thank you” in an odd way. Owens and Rollins mocked him for it and Gable reminded them that Alpha Academy are the current champions before doing the “a thank you” thing again.

The crowd chanted “you suck!” and Gable shouted “shooosh!”. A brawl broke out and Owens hit Gable with a Stunner as RAW went to a commercial break.

Alpha Academy battled Rollins & Owens in a non-title match. Owens and Rollins dominated early as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Alpha Academy had Owens isolated in the corner of the ring and took turns beating him down. Gable went for a German Suplex but Owens held onto the ropes.

Owens connected with a kick and got the tag to Rollins. Seth unloaded a Clothesline and followed it up with a Slingblade. Rollins knocked Otis off the apron and hit a springboard knee to Gable’s face. Seth connected with the Falcon Arrow and went for the cover but Gable kicked out at two.

Gable went for a Suplex but didn’t notice that Owens had tagged in. Owens hit a Superkick and a Neckbreaker but Otis broke up the cover. Otis sent Rollins flying across the ring before tagging himself in.

Owens went for a Stunner but Otis blocked it and delivered a Splash in the corner. Otis hit a Splash and Gable followed it up with a Moonsault but Rollins broke up the cover at two. Otis charged and ran himself into the ring post. Rollins hit Otis with a Suicide Dive outside the ring as Gable planted Owens with a German Suplex. Gable dragged Owens to the corner and climbed to the top rope. Gable went for a Moonsault but landed on his feet. Rollins tagged in and hit a Buckle Bomb and Owens followed it up with the Stunner. Seth then delivered the Stomp on Gable for the pinfall victory.

Omos def. T-Bar

Omos faced T-Bar this week. Before the match, Omos cut a promo and bragged about his domination since arriving on the main roster. Omos added that T-Bar is the largest man he’s faced in WWE so far.

Omos attacked T-Bar during his entrance and knocked him into the barricade. Omos dragged him back into the ring and the match officially started. Omos hit a big Clothesline and the Choke Bomb for the squash win.

Bianca Belair Sent A Message To Becky Lynch

Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley faced Becky Lynch, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H. in a 6-woman tag team match tonight. Team Bianca controlled the match early and Liv Morgan took Team Becky out with a dive as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Becky countered a Suplex attempt into a roll-up but Belair kicked out at two. Becky grabbed Bianca’s hair and yanked her into the ring post before tying in the ropes. Lynch posed on the turnbuckle before hitting Bianca with a Leg Drop off the 2nd rope for a near fall.

Doudrop tagged in and connected with a Body Slam. Nikki tagged in and unloaded some punches on Belair before tagging Becky back in. Lynch stood on Belair’s hair to prevent her from making a tag and sent her back to the corner. Bianca escaped and dove across the ring to tag in Rhea Ripley.

Rhea leveled the RAW Women’s Champion with a Clothesline before slamming her to the mat. Ripley hit Becky with some knee strikes and then a powerful Dropkick. Ripley lifted Becky up in the Electric Chair and slammed her to the canvas. Ripley went for the cover but Nikki broke it up at two. Nikki launched Liv to the outside and dragged Becky to the corner.

Nikki A.S.H. tagged herself in and leaped at Bianca. Belair caught her but Nikki escaped. Bianca caught her with a slam and set up for a springboard Moonsault but Lynch broke it up. Liv Morgan hit Lynch with a Suicide Dive but got trucked but Doudrop while trying to get back into the ring.

Nikki hit Rhea with a Crossbody but Belair slammed her down. Becky broke up the cover and Belair started whipping her with her hair several times until the champion retreated out of the ring. Becky wanted a disqualification and abandoned her teammates. Belair hit the KOD on Nikki for the pinfall victory as Becky showed the welts on her stomach.

Tommaso Ciampa def. Robert Roode

Robert Roode battled Tommaso Ciampa tonight on RAW. Dolph Ziggler was ringside for the match. Roode sent Ciampa to the outside and he traded some words with Dolph. Roode tried to capitalize but Tommaso leveled him with a Clothesline. Ciampa knocked the top hat that Ziggler was wearing off his head before the action returned to the ring.

Roode planted Ciampa with a Spinebuster for a near fall and followed it up with some chops to the chest. Ciampa booted Roode in the face and connected with a rolling elbow to the face. Ciampa hit a reverse DDT for a two count and went for the Fairy Tale Ending but Roode escaped. Ciampa knocked Ziggler off the ring apron and reversed a Glorious DDT into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode attacked Ciampa in the ring. Ziggler leveled him with a Superkick and demanded a microphone. Ziggler vowed that the Dirty Dawgs will defeat Ciampa & Bron Breakker tomorrow night on NXT.

Reggie & Dana Brooke def. Akira Tozawa & Tamina

Reggie & Dana Brooke teamed up to face Tamina & Akira Tozawa. Dana connected with an Enziguri and leveled Tozawa with an elbow to the face. Reggie awkwardly flipped onto Tozawa for the pinfall victory. Dana Brooke smooched Reggie after the match. Tamina then got jealous and kissed Akira Tozawa before storming away. Akira chased after her in comical fashion to end the segment.

The Miz Helped Hurt Business def. The Mysterios

Dominik & Rey Mysterio faced Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin this week. Before the match, they cut a promo on their match against Miz & Logan Paul at WrestleMania. The Miz interrupted and boasted about main eventing WrestleMania in the past. Miz complimented Logan Paul and vowed that the duo will defeat the Mysterios at WrestleMania.

Cedric Alexander and Rey Mysterio started off the action. Alexander got in a Headlock but Rey battled free. Rey hit a Hurricanrana and made his way to the corner. Dominik tagged in and hit a Crossbody. Dominik and Shelton couldn’t get on the same page at all and Dominik hit a clumsy DDT. Rey sent Alexander to the floor outside the ring as Dominik hit Shelton with the 619. Shelton rolled outside and Dominik sent him into the ring post. The Miz interfered and tripped Dominik up. Rey chased Miz through the crowd as Shelton rolled up Dominik for the victory.

Street Profits def. RK-Bro

Street Profits faced RK-Bro to begin the final hour of this week’s RAW. Dawkins and Ford isolated Riddle in the ring as RAW went to a break. Randy Orton tagged in when RAW returned and began unloading Clotheslines. Orton planted Ford with a Powerslam and followed it up with the draping DDT. Riddle sent Dawkins out of the ring and Orton set up for the RKO.

Montez blocked it and hit an Enziguri before climbing to the top rope. Montez hit a Frog Splash and then awkwardly rolled Orton to the corner. It looked like Montez landed pretty hard on Orton’s upper chest/neck. Ford covered Orton and Randy went to get his foot on the ropes but missed. The match ended in the botched finish with Street Profits getting the pinfall victory.

Finn Balor Captured The US Title, Damian Priest Attacked Him After The Match

Damian Priest defended the United States Championship against Finn Balor this week on RAW. Priest controlled the action early and connected with an elbow to the face. The champ sent Balor to the corner but Finn battled back and locked in a submission hold. Priest escaped but Balor knocked him to the outside and connected with a dive as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Balor hit a Double Stomp to the chest and followed it up with some chops. Balor connected with a Slingblade and then a Dropkick that sent the champion into the turnbuckle. Finn made his way to the top rope and went for the Coup de Grace but Priest got out of the way.

Damian leveled Balor with a Clothesline and followed it up with a roundhouse kick to the face. Priest planted Balor with a Chokeslam and went for the cover but Finn powered out at the last moment. Damian went for the Reckoning but Balor countered into an elbow to the chest. Balor then hit the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Damian claimed that the fans carried Balor to taking his title from him. Priest scolded the crowd for never having his back and wanted another shot at the title. Damian then leveled Balor with a cheap shot. Priest then slammed Balor on top of the table as the crowd booed.

Austin Theory Is Worried Pat McAfee Will Attack Vince McMahon

Austin Theory spoke to Vince McMahon again tonight on RAW. Austin was concerned about Vince McMahon going on The Pat McAfee Show and told him that he will be there if Pat tries to jump him. Vince assured Theory that it wasn’t that kind of show and walked away. Austin then picked up a pencil and said “but it could be” to end the segment.

Edge Brutally Attacked AJ Styles After He Accepted His WrestleMania Challenge

Edge came down to the ring in the final segment of the show and stood in the middle of the ring. Edge said he has been waiting for someone to step up and accept his challenge to face him at WrestleMania. Edge said “my roads to WrestleMania” will get clearer after tonight.

AJ Styles’ theme hit and the Phenomenal One made his way to the ring to a great reaction. Styles looked at Edge and accepted the challenge. Edge noted that the crowd has wanted this match for a long time. Edge told Styles that he wants the bulldog AJ and not “Omos’ tag team bitch” like he has been for the past year.

Edge extended his hand but wound up attacking AJ Styles. AJ battled back and knocked Edge to the canvas. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Edge dodged it. Edge then hit AJ Styles with a low blow and beat him down. Edge had a blank stare on his face and exited the ring. Edge then returned with a couple steel chairs and hit Styles with the con-chair-to to close the show.

WWE WrestleMania 38 Updated Card: AJ Styles vs. Edge Confirmed

Andrew Ravens
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WWE booked the latest match for WrestleMania 38 as Edge will wrestle AJ Styles on either Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium. 

During the main event segment of Monday Night Raw, the WWE Hall Of Famer called out anyone to answer his WrestleMania challenge and out came Styles. Edge said that they’ve both been wanting this match and so do the fans.

He said he doesn’t want the tag team b**ch that AJ has been for the last year, but the pitbull. This led to Edge attacking Styles and a brawl broke out. Styles missed the Phenomenal Forearm and Edge hit a low blow. The WWE Hall Of Famer later connected with a Conchairto. 

Styles has publicly talked about wanting this match and now his wish was granted. 

Updated WWE WrestleMania 38 Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar – Title Unification Match
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey
  • Logan Paul and The Miz vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
  • Edge vs. AJ Styles
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Zelina Vega and Carmella vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi
AJ Styles Still Pushing Hard for WrestleMania Dream Match

Update on Triple H’s Status for WrestleMania 38

Ryan Droste
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WWE is looking to do things outside the box this year for WrestleMania 38 in hopes of boosting ticket sales to the two-night event in Arlington, Texas.

Vince McMahon is being rumored for a match of some kind with Pat McAfee, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is reportedly considering a return to the ring to face Kevin Owens. This would be Austin’s first match since 2003.

However, don’t expect to see Triple H in the ring this year despite all of the names from the past who are returning. Triple H experienced a scary health issue this past September, characterized at the time as a cardiac event, and a return to the ring this year is not in the cards.

“No, Triple H would be a terrible idea,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co). “His heart situation is, he can’t. I don’t want to say never because that’s because that’s unfair because maybe he can do something but that would be a horrible idea for him and that’s not gonna happen this year. There’s no way.”

Triple H has remained mostly out of the spotlight since his health situation. He’s reportedly no longer involved in a major way at NXT, with Shawn Michaels now taking over his previous duties with that brand.

Michaels spoke about his new role with NXT during an interview with Denise Salcedo last December.

“I’ve now stepped out of the physical coaching aspect and into the Vice President of Talent Development and focusing more on television, the live show, and creative,” Michaels said. “The talent pool has gotten very big. To me, the biggest advantage of all of that is the freshness, the newness. When I went from a tag team to a single competitor, I wasn’t given a cookie-cutter ‘this is your character, this is what you’re gonna do.’”

WrestleMania 38 Card Update

The matches which have been confirmed so far for WrestleMania 38 are:

  • WWE Universal Championship vs. WWE Championship
    Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (Main Event for Night One)
    Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
  • WWE Raw Women’s Championship
    Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
  • Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul

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.

Ric Flair NFT Collection Launching, WoooooThings

Michael Reichlin
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0

A Ric Flair NFT collection is launching soon, WoooooThings.

The all-time great wrestling legend will soon be the star of a batch of NFTs Each one will be an animated GIF.

The official @WoooooThings account says,

“Each NFT will be a moving GIF. This project will represent the legacy of RicFlair on the Ethereum blockchain forevermore.”

Are you into NFTs? Would you invest in the Ric Flair NFT? Let us now in the comments section.

Here is some of the preview artwork for the Ric Flair WoooooThings NFT collection:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Caicn17pGJk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2aBuIlLID/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2aaQsvNWh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2auWQPaex/

Paige Reacts to Being Left Out of WWE 2K22 Video Game

Michael Reichlin
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0

Paige is not happy she has been left off the roster for the new WWE 2K22 video game.

The WWE 2K22 Roster was revealed this week and features 149 wrestlers. This includes 59 wrestlers who are no longer with the company or legends.

This will be the first time since 2014 that Paige has not been a playable character in the WWE video game. She remains under contract with WWE for several more months, but is not one of the 149 people in this year’s game.

Paige previously appeared in the past six WWE video games (WWE 2K15-20).

On Monday, Paige asked the official @WWEGames Twitter account,

“where tf am i?”

https://twitter.com/realpaigewwe/status/1498440437312327684?s=217:27

Paige also asked @WWEGames about several other women left out of the game, including the Bella Twins, Zelina Vega and Doudrop.

https://twitter.com/realpaigewwe/status/1498450122140622849?s=217:28

Paige, the Bella Twins and others may eventually be released as downloadable content.

Former WWE/NXT star JONAH (Bronson Reed) also reacted to the WWE 2K22 roster list.

Check out SEScoops’ official WWE 2K22 Review

Kevin Owens Comments On His WWE Contract Negotiations With Vince McMahon

Andrew Ravens
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0

Kevin Owens opened up on his decision to re-sign with WWE during an appearance on FOX Sports’ Out of Character with Ryan Satin. 

It was reported in December that Owens had signed a new multi-year contract with WWE as his previous contract was set to expire at the end of January.  The deal is reportedly for three years and in the range of $2-3 million per year. 

Owens was asked whether re-signing was a fairly easy decision to make. “I mean, WWE really didn’t let me think about it much in terms of — they made it clear they wanted me to stay.”

Owens then opened up on having the contract talks directly with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. 

“No,” Owens said. “Vince McMahon, I dealt with Vince directly and he made it clear he wanted me to stay, and we made an agreement right then and there. It wasn’t — I’m a big believer in…my career is going to go the way it goes and I’m going to do my best with it. I’m there now for a couple more years and I’m going to do my best to get opportunities and knock them out of the park and reap the benefits. As I’ve documented before, there’s ups and downs to this thing — to WWE, to wrestling, to the industry. I feel like I’m on a really great upswing right now and I’m enjoying what I do, like I’m really enjoying myself a lot lately. So that’s great, and hopefully it keeps going that way. If it eventually stops feeling that way and I feel like I’m on the downswing, then it’s up to me to try to find a way back up. I’ve always taken that outlook. Yeah, I’m really having a great time these days.”

Owens has been recently trash-talking about Texas on WWE TV and social media, which is reportedly due to him facing Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38. This would mark Austin’s first match in 19 years if he does come back. 

H/T to F4Wonline.com for the transcription

Drew McIntyre Reveals His First Reaction To Scary Madcap Moss Bump

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Drew McIntyre has detailed what his initial reaction was to the gnarly bump Madcap Moss took in their match at the Elimination Chamber event.

On Feb. 19, McIntyre and Moss had a singles match inside the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia. At one point during the match, McIntyre hit a reverse Alabama Slam and Moss landed awkwardly on his head and neck.

There was a look of concern on the face of Happy Corbin and referee Jessika Carr immediately checked on Madcap Moss. The good news is, Moss was able to finish the match and he was reportedly feeling fine after being checked out by WWE’s medical staff.

McIntyre’s Initial Reaction

The folks at In The Kliq got a chance to speak with Drew McIntyre and asked him about the scary bump. McIntyre said he didn’t know just how bad it looked initially (h/t Wrestling Inc).

“I didn’t realize how bad it was, but I saw the clip back. I understand that, let’s just say, he zigged when he should have zagged. The move didn’t go the way it’s supposed to go. I was aware of that, but I did not realize how bad it was. And the fact that you know, he was okay. I did double-check that. I could see it in his eyes he was good. He was double-checking to make sure he could finish the match and after the fact, the necessary precautions were taken, and thankfully now he’s all good.”

McIntyre has been feuding with Moss and Corbin in the leadup to WrestleMania. The former two-time WWE Champion made his return at the Royale Rumble after being taken out by Moss and Corbin in storyline.

The reality was McIntyre needed a short break to heal from a neck injury.

WWE 2K22 Will Feature Over 50 Legends & Released Wrestlers

Andrew Ravens
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0

More information regarding the WWE 2K22 Roster has been released.

The game features a staggering number of wrestlers who are no longer with the company. Out of the 149 playable characters in the game, 59 wrestlers (nearly 40%) are no longer with WWE – either legends or simply released.

It’s been reported that WWE’s decision to release over 80 wrestlers last year had a big impact on the game’s development and the drastically affected plans for DLC.

There are several wrestlers featured in the game that work for WWE’s rival promotion, AEW, such as Keith Lee, Kyle O’Reilly and Buddy Matthews (Murphy). Here’s the full list: 

  • Alexander Wolfe
  • Andre The Giant
  • Ariya Daivari
  • Big Boss Man
  • Billie Kay
  • Bruan Strowman
  • Bret Hart
  • The Brian Kendrick
  • Cesaro
  • Chyna
  • Danny Burch
  • Diesel
  • Ember Moon
  • Faarooq
  • Fandango
  • Gran Metalik
  • Hulk Hogan
  • Isaiah Swerve Scott
  • Jake Roberts
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Jim Neidhart
  • John Morrison
  • Johnny Gargano
  • Kalisto
  • Kane
  • Karrion Kross
  • Keith Lee
  • Kevin Nash
  • Kyle O’Reilly
  • Lana
  • Lince Dorado
  • Macho Man Randy Savage
  • Mia Yim
  • Mickie James
  • Murphy
  • Nia Jax
  • Oney Lorcan
  • Papa Shango
  • Peyton Royce
  • Razor Ramon
  • Reckoning (Mia Yim, again)
  • Road Dogg
  • The Rock
  • Roddy Piper
  • Samoa Joe
  • Scott Hall
  • Slapjack
  • Steve Austin
  • Ted DiBiase
  • Tegan Nox
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Toni Storm
  • Trish Stratus
  • Tucker
  • Tyler Breeze
  • Ultimate Warrior
  • Undertaker
  • William Regal
  • X-Pac

The game is scheduled for a worldwide release on March 11, 2022, and is currently available for pre-order.

Check out SEScoops’ official WWE 2K22 Review

Logan Paul Reveals His Pro Wrestling ‘Bucket List’ Dream

Michael Reichlin
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0

Logan Paul hopes to make a “bucket list” dream come true at WrestleMania.

The YouTube star and podcaster made a surprise appearance on last week’s WWE Raw. He was revealed to be The Miz’s mystery partner for a match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38.

Paul appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday and spoke with Ariel Helwani about his current involvement with WWE.

“Yeah man, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what’s going on dude, I say yes to things that sound kind of fun,” he said about WrestleManai. “They wanted me to compete at WrestleMania. I like The Miz, I’ve had him on our podcast, we’re both from Ohio and we’ve always just gotten along. So, yeah, we ended up (laughs) teaming up against the Mysterios, which are a legendary WWE family in themselves… Same shit dude, I don’t know.”

Jake Paul’s Bucket List

Jake Paul then revealed his childhood dream is to jump off the top rope.

“I have one bucket list item that I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” he said. “This is before I ever considered doing WWE, or it even being a possibility, and that is to jump off the top rope. I want to jump off the top rope. I want to sail through the air like a fucking eagle and land on someone.”

Boyhood dreams are known to come true at WrestleMania. Logan Paul might get his chance to scratch an item off his bucket list in just under 5 weeks at WrestleMania 38.

The Miz and Logan Paul vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio is scheduled to take place at WrestleMania Saturday.

Watch Jake Paul’s appearance on The MMA Hour and make sure to visit MMANews.com for all the latest UFC news.

Hulk Hogan Announces He’s Divorced From Jennifer McDaniel

Michael Reichlin
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0

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has announced he and second wife Jennifer McDaniel have divorced.

The Hulkster and McDaniel were married in 2010. No word on exactly when the marriage dissolved, but he says they are no longer together.

Over the weekend, Hulk Hogan posted a video on Instagram along with rock star Bret Michaels. Hogan was accompanied by a blonde woman who is not Jennifer McDaniel, which prompted him to clarify things on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cae95N3vCtF/

Hulk Hogan was previously married to Linda Claridge Hogan from 1983-2009. They have two children together, Nick and Brooke.

Plans for WWE Titles After WrestleMania 38 Unification Match

Ryan Droste
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0

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will face off at a WrestleMania for the third time in just over one month at WrestleMania 38. This time, the match will be title vs. title, with Reigns putting his Universal Championship on the line and Lesnar his WWE Championship. In the end, the titles will be unified.

However, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there’s no plans for the titles to remain unified long term.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer noted that the company still wants to have two world champions, and this will be no different than when WWE has unified titles in the past. In the end, they’ll go right back to having two champions.

Meltzer went on to note that it’s not feasible in the current media landscape for WWE to only have one world champion. With Raw airing on USA Network and SmackDown airing on FOX, both networks want their own champion. In the past, when the brand split first started, the company had a traveling world champion across brands at one point.

However, fans should expect to see the championships unified in the main event of night two of WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas.

WWE WrestleMania 38 Card So Far

The other matches confirmed so far for WrestleMania 38 are:

  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (Main Event for Night One)
    Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
  • WWE Raw Women’s Championship
    Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
  • Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul

Additionally, Edge will be wrestling at the show against a yet to be determined opponent, and Vince McMahon is currently being rumored for a match against Pat McAfee.

Do you like having a world champion on each brand, or would you rather see WWE have a traveling champion across the brands? Let us know in the comments section below!

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 Announces California Debut, More West Coast Shows to Come

Ryan Droste
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0

Wrestling fans on the west coast have pleaded for their first live AEW event, and those wishes are about to come true.

Following AEW Double or Nothing at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 29th, the company will travel to The Forum in Inglewood, CA for AEW Dynamite on June 1st, the company’s first show in California. They will follow that up with a live edition of AEW Rampage in Ontario, California on Friday, June 3rd at the Toyota Arena (the capacity will be around 8,000 fans). Inglewood is suburban L.A., and Ontario is just east of Los Angeles and six miles from the town that the Young Bucks grew up in, Rancho Cucamonga.

AEW previously had plans to run the Toyota Arena in Ontario back in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down touring.

The news of the Ontario, California show was first revealed on Wednesday morning by The Young Bucks during Being The Elite (you can watch the video above). Tickets go on sale for AEW Rampage in Ontario on Friday, March 11th.

AEW followed that up by officially announcing the show as well via social media.

Later on Monday, the Los Angeles area (Inglewood) Dynamite event was revealed via AEW’s social media channels. Tickets for that show at The Forum also go on sale March 11th.

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.

Johnny Gargano Now Taking Independent Bookings

Michael Reichlin
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0

Johnny Gargano is now fielding offers for appearances and business inquiries.

Gargano became a free agent in late 2021 after his WWE contract expired. The company made an effort to keep him on board, but he had other plans.

During his time away from the wrestling world, Johnny Gargano has been active online with his Twitch streaming account. Earlier this month, he and wife Candice LeRae became proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Quill.

He also wanted the freedom to selectively pick and choose select projects.

“Johnny Wrestling” is now accepting bookings and business inquiries at [email protected].

Johnny Gargano hasn’t wrestled on the independent scene since 2015. He participated in a WWE tryout camp in June 2015 and wrestled for NXT for six and a half years.

As one of the most talented wrestlers in the world, he probably won’t remain independent for very long. For now, his publicist/manager is ready to field series offers.

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