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Max Caster Concert Announced For September 2nd in Chicago

Chris Stephens
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Fans in Chicago this week for Dynamite, Rampage, and All Out have an option for entertainment on Thursday evening. The Acclaimed’s Max Caster has announced a concert for September 2nd from the Bottom Lounge in Chicago.

The show will begin at 10 PM and includes a performance and Q&A session. Caster took to social media recently to promote the event:

Max Caster’s Recent Absence From AEW Programming

Caster hasn’t performed for AEW since wrestling a dark match on August 4th. Earlier this month, an episode of Dark had to be pulled and re-edited after Caster made some insensitive comments during his pre-match rap to his opponents. In the next set of AEW top-5 rankings, The Acclaimed were removed after having previously been ranked #2.

“After what happened last week and the fallout, Max Caster has been sent to sensitivity training,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Tony Khan also spoke about Caster’s rap during an episode of Busted Open Radio.

“This would never have happened (on Dynamite) because Max’s raps, I have always gone over them with him,” Khan said on the show. “I don’t script or write wrestler’s promos, but the bullet points I give. In this case, it shouldn’t have happened and what will happen going forward is I will take over the editing of Dark and Elevation myself.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Message To Tony Khan, AEW President Responds

Chris Stephens
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NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo was in attendance last week as AEW presented Dynamite from Milwaukee. AEW President Tony Khan presented the NBA Finals MVP with an AEW Championship belt during the live event. Giannis recently posted to social media about the experience and Tony Khan responded.

“The freak show!!” Giannis began his post. “Thank you Tony Khan but you know what the deal is…none of your crew wants to see me in the ring! The Greek Freak is ready to takedown everyone and anyone, let the Freak Show begin! Bring it on!!! This is my city!”

Tony Khan then responded to Giannis’ comments.

“Thank you so so so so much for coming to AEW Rampage, it was an honor and a pleasure, and congratulations to you sir, Finals MVP + WORLD CHAMPION!”

Screen Shot 2021 08 29 at 10.31.14 AM

Milwaukee Bucks beat writer Todd Rosiak was in attendance for Dynamite this week and the following Rampage tapings. He posted a video of Giannis’ unannounced appearance in the below Tweet:

In 2019, Giannis called out the Rock but a match between the two is nothing Dwayne Johnson is interested in. The Rock responded that he’d much rather work out with the NBA star.

“Love this dude. It’s why he’s an [NBA] beast & the Bucks are #1 in the E,” he wrote. “But you don’t want this smoke, cuz I will slap your lips off into next week, son. And by that I mean, let’s just get a workout in and enjoy some tequila after.”

Ronda Rousey Praises NWA Empowerrr PPV

Chris Stephens
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Mickie James and the NWA presented Empowerrr last night from the Chase ballroom in St. Louis. Ronda Rousey was watching the show and posted her comments to social media throughout the evening.

Rousey was particularly impressed with the Knockouts championship match between Deonna Purrazzo and Melina. Purrazzo was able to make Melina tap after focusing on Melina’s leg for much of the contest.

Melina responded to Rousey’s comments as well.

Following the Knockouts title match was the finals in the 4-team tournament for the NWA Women’s Tag Team Championships. The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) came out the victors and new champs after defeating Red Velvet and KiLynn King.

The nights main event was the NWA Women’s Invitational Cup. The 10-person Gauntlet match was won by Chelsea Green. Rousey sent out her congratulations to Green and praised the PPV overall.

The NWA returns to PPV tonight. The NWA 73rd Anniversary show will also air from the Chase Ballroom in St. Louis.

  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship vs Career
    Nick Aldis (c) vs Trevor Murdoch
  • NWA World Women’s Championship
    Champion vs Invitational Cup Winner
  • NWA National Championship
    Chris Adonis (c) vs James Storm
  • NWA World Tag Team Championships
    Aron Stevens and JR Kratos (c) vs. La Rebelión (Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf 450)
  • Thom Latimer vs. Crimson vs. Tim Storm
  • Tyrus, The Masked Man, and Jordan Clearwater (with Austin Idol) vs. Da Pope and The End (Odinson and Parrow)
  • #1 Contender National Championship
    12-Person Battle Royal

Mickie James On Behind-The-Scenes Role At WWE

Rayan Sayyed
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Mickie James was released on April 15 from WWE along with several other talent. Prior to her release, she worked with the company in a backstage capacity and also did some commentary work on shows such as Main Event and NXT. James talked about her behind-the-scenes role in the company prior to her departure and gave some details on how it was like.

Mickie James said that she doesn’t know if she had a “seat at the table,” but she used to attend creative meetings in the WWE and would sometimes give her input if it was applicable. “I don’t know if I had a seat at the table. I was more in a position where I was able to sit in on some of those [creative] meetings and perhaps give my opinion — but it was very rare where I spoke up unless it was pertaining to me,” James told TVInsider.

James added that she was feeling it out for a producer or agent role, but it was mainly a learning process for her. “I was feeling it out for a producer or agent role. I would honestly express my opinion to someone I loved and trusted, if it was something I felt like I should speak up about, but I was more in the learning phase of how it operates,” she explained.

Recently, Mickie James served as an executive producer for NWA’s all-women EmPowerrr pay-per-view event. According to NWA president Billy Corgan, James is still a free agent. James has said that she wants to help build the next generation of female NWA stars, and that is why she worked in a backstage capacity on the show instead of wrestling on the show because she wanted to give the other women a chance to shine.

Xavier Woods Wants WWE Game In Telltale Style

Rayan Sayyed
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Xavier Woods says he would like to see a video game in Telltale Games style — where wrestling characters would be put into different scenarios which doesn’t necessarily have to do much with wrestling. WWE’s games have mostly been limited to either arcade style wrestling or wrestling simulation games, with the exception of mobile games like WWE Immortals and WWE Racing Showdown and in the past with 2002’s WWE Crush Hour. Xavier Woods says he would like for things to go even crazier, with wrestlers put into a fantasy setting, for example.

“I love when they take wrestling characters and put them in different scenarios. I don’t understand why we don’t have a Final Fantasy-esque video game that has nothing to do with wrestling, but Samoa Joe is in it as one of the big bads and he’s just being Samoa Joe, but he’s in a fantasy and medieval world,” Woods told the Ringer Wrestling Show. “I want to be able to use those ideas, thoughts, and personalities in different worlds. How do we not have our version of The Notebook? Let people branch out and create. Rising tides raise all ships.”

He further continued that his dream WWE wrestling game would be a WWE Telltale game. “My dream for a WWE wrestling game is WWE Telltale games. You play out someone’s story, just like you would in the 2K games; let’s say it’s Shelton Benjamin’s story and you get to the match with Shawn Michaels and the superkick. You can either input the button combination correctly, he eats the superkick, gets knocked out, and life happens as it did.

Or, we get the story from like, ‘What would have happened had Shelton won that match?’ So you put the (input) in wrong and now you have a fully, brand new, fresh ‘What would have happened to Shelton Benjamin in that time?'”

Telltale Games were known for giving the players the ability to make choices that affects how future events in their games play out. They have worked on properties such as The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Minecraft, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batman. Such a game would certainly be a really interesting addition to the large list of WWE games. Do you think WWE would ever make a game which focuses more on the narrative than wrestling?

Related: Kenny Omega Reveals Timetable For AEW Video Game Release

Samoa Joe Confirms New WWE Hiring Directives Come From Vince McMahon

Anutosh Bajpai
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Samoa Joe recently had an interview with Alex McCarthy of TalkSport. During the discussion, they touched on topics such as the recent WWE tryout in LA, former UK champion Walter possibly facing Joe, and more.

The Samoan submission machine has not only become the face of the black and yellow brand once again after winning the NXT championship, but he is also helping recruit new talents behind the scenes.

Due to his new backstage role, Joe is well aware of the new directive from the upper management. During the interview, he confirmed that the new orders come straight from the boss Vince McMahon himself:

“As for the directive, yeah, there is a directive and they do come straight from Vince [McMahon], Vince says, ‘hey, this is what we want.’  But, the directives, it’s weird. They’ve been around forever.  I worked for WWE in developmental when I very, very first started in California, and these directives existed.

But, they change. It changes based on the needs of the company. It’s funny, I read the articles – I know exactly what you’re talking about – I read the outrage about the directive, and I’m like, this is nothing different. And then next week, the directive will be different.”

‘A Little Bit Younger And More Athletic’

Samoa Joe claimed that the company has had cycles where different types of people come in from independent talents to athletes. He explained that the directives change based on the needs of the company:

“The directive right now is probably a little bit younger and looking for a little more athletic, which isn’t terrible whatsoever, but that directive will invariably shift as the needs as the company shifts. So yeah, there is a directive, it comes from Vince, we all follow it and we get the job done for him. We’re happy to do so,”

Samoa Joe later compared the role of talent relations to a casting agency in Hollywood. He explained how agencies get requests for different kinds of talents at different times. Their job is to find suitable people according to the need.

WWE No Longer Scouting Independent Wrestling Talent

Eric Bischoff Understands the Everlasting Appeal of Ric Flair

Alex Laybourne
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Talking on his 83 Weeks podcast this week, Eric Bischoff pitched in on the many conversations relating to Ric Flair. Much has been said in recent weeks about Flair, and Bischoff had his own views that he wanted to share.

Ever since his departure from WWE the rumors have been running wild about where Flair will go next. AEW looks like the most obvious choice, especially following his appearance beside Andrade at AAA Triplemania earlier this month. While appearing in a managerial role is the most likely, there has been lots of talk about the 72-year-old wanting to get back in the ring.

While this might be unlikely in a full-match capacity, Eric Bischoff discussed why there is now, and always will be an appeal to someone the likes of Ric Flair getting his hands dirty in the ring.

“Watch what happens when Ric Flair steps in the ring in AEW,”

Eric Bischoff

“Just watch what happens. We saw what happened in Mexico in AAA when Ric Flair and Andrade got together. When Ric Flair steps back in the ring and starts chopping somebody, nobody is going to say to themselves ‘Oh man, that was a weak chop, he doesn’t chop as well as he did 20 years ago.’ Nobody could give two shits. They’re going to have a blast, they’ll rejoice. It’s going to trigger their memory and they’re going to go back in time and remember some of those magic Ric Flair moments. That’s what they’re paying their money for.” Eric Bischoff Explained.

Eric Bischoff Knows First-hand You Can’t Build a Legacy on Legends Alone

Talking further, Eric Bischoff confirmed that no wrestling company can build an empire by relying on older superstars like Flair. He did however say that it is important for older superstars to make appearances while giving room for the next generation to grow.

“You do need younger talent, definitely building that roster full of the future, there’s no question about that. I’m not suggesting all you do is feature that older legacy talent, but people still want to see them get in the ring, they still want to see them active, they still want to rejoice in seeing talent like Ric Flair to this day at 72 years old step in the ring and have some fun.” Eric Bischoff reasoned.

This is a tactic WWE have used in recent years, with the likes of Goldberg and yes, even John Cena, returning for short bursts to get the crowd going. Eric Bischoff knows full-well Ric Flair is never going to have a full-time run or another championship reign inside a major promotion. However, we all know that Ric Flair will never retire, and all it will take to make a place come alive is a strut, a chop and a woo!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUL1tnpzgHs

Chelsea Green Wins NWA Women’s Invitational Cup

Rayan Sayyed
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0

Chelsea Green came out as the winner from the NWA EmPowerrr’s main event last night. The NWA Women’s Invitational Cup featured a gauntlet-style match with ten other competitors where the winner would earn an NWA World Women’s Championship match against Kamille at the NWA 73rd Anniversary Show. Besides Green, the other competitors of the match included names such as Lady Frost, Tootie Lynn, Jamie Senegal, Debbie Malenko, Bianca Carelli, Jennacide, Masha Slamovich, Thunder Kitty and Kiera Hogan.

Chelsea Green and Kiera Hogan started the match and then the other competitors entered in two minute intervals. Green won the match after eliminating Tootie Lynn at last by using a ripcord elbow and going for the pinfall with the unprettier, earning herself a Women’s World Championship opportunity at the upcoming 73rd NWA Anniversary event on Sunday, where she will challenge Kamille. After the match, Green hugged Lynn and raised her arm. The other women’s wrestlers came to ringside too and celebrated with each other, congratulating the winner.

Related: NWA EmPowerrr Quick Results: Kamile vs. Leyla Hirsch

NWA 73rd Anniversary Show

Here is the card for the NWA 73rd Anniversary Show, which takes place from Chase’s Khorassan Ballroom in St. Louis, Missouri:

  • NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Trevor Murdoch
  • NWA National Champion Chris Adonis vs. James Storm
  • NWA Tag Team Champions Aron Stevens & Kratos vs. La Rebelion (Mecha Wolf & Bestia 666)
  • Mickie James vs. Kylie Rae
  • NWA Women’s Championship: Kamille vs. Chelsea Green
  • Thom Latimer vs. Crimson vs. Tim Storm
  • Tyrus, Masked Man, & Jordan Clearwater vs. Da Pope, Odison, & Parrow
  • 12-Man Battle Royal to determine NWA National Title number one contender: Competitors TBA

The show will be available to stream on Fite.

Read more: Chelsea Green: AEW Would Benefit From Signing Female Free Agents

Samoa Joe Had Agreement With Brock Lesnar To Not Hold Back In The Ring

Rayan Sayyed
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Samoa Joe came face-to-face in the ring with then-WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view event in 2017. Lesnar was able to successfully defend his title against Joe but he was able to land in a few blows. Before the match had even started, Joe attacked Lesnar with a Uranage Slam through the announce table and then a Coquina Clutch after the match had officially started. Joe tried the move two more times in the match but Lesnar was able to counter every time and won with an F-5.

Speaking about this match, Samoa Joe said that Brock Lesnar likes his matches to be intense and they both had a gentlemen’s agreement that they were both going to smash each other in the face.

“I think it really comes down to the simple fact that, when Brock shows up for fight night, he wants to be in a scrap,” Joe told The Daily Star. “He wants to go out there and he wants someone who is going to smash someone in the face, and he wants to smash somebody back!

Samoa Joe explained that they had this understanding with each other that whenever they’d meet in the ring they would not hold back. “It’s an attitude. He wants people to go in there and go after him. It is all of those things.”

Samoa Joe added that the reason him and Lesnar have such chemistry in the ring is because they are both stepping in the ring for causing mayhem and nothing else. He joked that they both had this unspoken agreement about it. “I think that was the simplistic but major reason that we click the way we do; we step in the ring and we’re stepping in there for chaos and destruction to happen, and nothing less than that. I guess it’s some weird, unspoken gentlemen’s agreement we have!”

Read more: Samoa Joe Doesn’t See the Benefit of the Forbidden Door

Eric Bischoff Criticizes the Lack of Long Term Storytelling in WWE

Alex Laybourne
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Eric Bischoff is a man who knows the wrestling business through and through. From his time in charge of WCW to his years in WWE. He has close associations with AEW and remains a vocal point for the wrestling community.

Talking recently on his 83 Weeks Podcast (a name that points to WCW’s Monday night winning streak) he discussed WWE and criticised their storytelling capabilities. Furthermore, he addressed what he feels is a complete lack of long-term story vision in the wrestling world at large.

“As recently as 24 months ago I was in the thick of it in WWE. There were no three- and six-months storylines locked in, I can assure you of that. Maybe that’s changed, hopefully, it has and I think you need to have a good plan, a three-month plan, a six-month plan, if you can have a year great.” Eric Bischoff said, his comments were initially directed at WWE however soon broadened to the grander scale of the entire wrestling business.

Eric Bischoff feels people nowadays rely too heavily on the statistics that get thrown up week to week. He likened this to living in the past. Instead, he recommends reading the crowd. Arguing this gives you knowledge of what they want to see in the future.

Eric Bischoff Advises Promotions to Start Listening to their Crowds

His comments were once again addressed to the industry at large. However, there can be no denying the intended direction of Eric Bischoff’s words.

“But you also have to be flexible enough and spend enough time reading the audience, not the ratings, not the quarter hours. That doesn’t tell you sh**. That tells you what history is, that doesn’t tell you what the audience is thinking or feeling. There’s only one way to know that and that is to be out there with the audience. I hope that there are three and six-month plans out there and if there are, hopefully, people are paying attention to the crowd reaction as well.”

Much has been said about WWE’s storytelling and creative juices in recent months. Almost every wrestler released has listed the stifling atmosphere in the creative rooms that left them frustrated and restless. Eric Bischoff is a man who is no stranger to making mistakes in wrestling. He has tasted success and failure in equal measure. This gives him a wide-angled lens through which he can give his commentary. This surely gives makes him a well-rounded authoritative voice.

Ariya Daivari On Backstage Reaction To Braun Strowman’s WWE Release

Anutosh Bajpai
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The WWE release of the former Universal champion Braun Strowman shocked the fans. Members of the WWE roster also had a similar reaction, according to former 205 live star Ariya Daivari.

The former WWE star recently appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as growing up watching wrestling with his brother Shawn Daivari, working Cruiserweight Classic, and more.

Daivari discussed the string of WWE releases that have shocked the fans over the last few months. He revealed how people backstage reacted to the release of names such as Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe:

“When Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman got released, the whole roster from top to bottom, RAW, SmackDown, NXT was like’oh s**t. If they are letting guys like Braun and Samoa Joe go, it could be anybody.’”

Ariya Daivari also talked about his own WWE release in June saying that he wasn’t expecting it for at least 4-5 months. He then said that he is happy that his brother Shawn Daivari was brought back by the company recently.

Samoa Joe has already made his return to WWE as part of the NXT brand. Braun Strowman on the other hand seems to be heading in a surprising direction. You can check out the latest report about his future here.

Mark Henry Responds To Booker T’s CM Punk Remarks

Anutosh Bajpai
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The remarks of Booker T about CM Punk’s AEW debut promo did not go over with the fans. AEW commentator Mark Henry believes it’s because the former WCW champion did not watch the full segment. The world’s strongest man addressed the comments made by the former world champion on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.

Henry claimed that he doesn’t think Booker actually watched the whole thing. According to him, somebody must have told the former WWE star about it:

“I don’t think Booker T actually watched the whole thing. I don’t think that he watched it from beginning to end. I think somebody told him about it because Booker T knows that if you have ’em, and this is a wrestling insider thing, I’m going to work with all of you behind the curtain, when you got ‘em, you sit there and you allow it to happen. You don’t have to do nothing.”

Mark Henry mentioned how he has been at the ringside for some of the biggest moments in wrestling and heard some of the loudest pops. He then explained that the WWE reference was a very small part of Punk’s promo:

“When he grabbed the microphone and he started talking, he talked more about ROH. He referenced the WWE, not saying words, not mentioning nobody in particular. ‘I’m probably wrong.’ Yes, you’re wrong Book. I love you like a play cousin, but you’re wrong.”

For those who don’t know, Booker T had criticized CM Punk’s promo on his AEW debut during the August 20 episode of Rampage. T had claimed that he wouldn’t have thought about the other side as much and instead focused on the current moment. You can check out his comments in detail here.

Mark Henry On CM Punk And Daniel Bryan Joining AEW, Four Man Commentary Booth For Rampage

Billy Corgan Reveals Mickie James’ NWA Contract Status

Anutosh Bajpai
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While Mickie James served as an executive producer for NWA’s all-women EmPowerrr PPV, she is still a free agent according to president Billy Corgan. The wrestling promotion posted a video of Corgan chatting with the former women’s champion on their YouTube channel ahead of their historic PPV this Saturday night.

During the interview, the NWA president revealed James’ status with the promotion. Billy Corgan claimed that Mickie has not signed a talent deal with his company:

“What people don’t understand is that Mickie James is a free agent. Our deal here with the NWA is Mickie’s coming in to co-promote this event, and we will be co-promoters on this event. But, you have not signed a talent deal with the NWA.

And that is not a work, that’s straight-up shoot. Because that is what you want. and as her friend, I said ‘I think that makes sense’. because you should have all the power and you should do as you wish and what’s best for your family”

The female star was released from her WWE contract back in April this year. She made her NWA debut in June and was announced as the executive producer for NWA’s first-ever all-female event.

This revelation makes things interesting as it means that James is free to do other things after tonight’s EmPowerrr event. We will have to wait and see if she continues her relationship with the company after this or shows up at a different promotion.

Tony Khan On Daniel Bryan Rumors: “I Can’t Answer That Question”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Daniel Bryan is heavily rumored to make his AEW debut very soon. Tony Khan’s comments on the matter are only going to fuel the speculation about his future.

The AEW president was recently interviewed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. They talked about things such as the All Out PPV, CM Punk, and more.

When asked for his comments on rumors surrounding the former world champion, Khan claimed that while it’s fair to ask, he cannot answer the question right now:

“I can’t answer that question. It’s fair for you to ask that question but it’s not anything I could address on the Observer today but it’s fair enough for you to ask it. He’s one of the all-time greats.”

While Tony Khan did not comment on Daniel Bryan specifically, he did claim that they are going to make multiple additions to their roster over the next 4 to 6 months.

The reports of Bryan Danielson joining the AEW roster after leaving WWE first came out last month. AEW has since started dropping hints about the former WWE star. The first of them were seen on Being The Elite

CM Punk also recently teased Bryan during his promo on Dynamite. Latest reports suggest that Danielson is set to make his AEW debut very soon. It’d be interesting to see what he does on his first appearance.

Tony Khan On Getting Inspiration From Vince McMahon

Eva Marie On How Her WWE Return Came Together

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Eva Marie had been rumored to make her WWE return since last year. She finally made her comeback to WWE programming earlier this year in June. The All Red Everything recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. She discussed things such as her career outside of the promotion and more.

Discussing how her WWE return was made possible, Marie revealed that it actually started with a conversation with none other than the boss, Vince McMahon.

“I had a conversation with Vince,” she began. “We basically… emails. So that’s basically how it started, just because of always keeping in contact via email of things I was doing outside of WWE, making sure that he was fully aware of Eva Marie is willing and ready to come back whenever you see fit. And that door is open on my end.”

Eva Marie Discusses Criticism From Wrestling Fans

Eva Marie: “Go Get It”

Eva Marie thinks her decision to keep in touch with Vince McMahon directly lead to her WWE return. She advises other people to be proactive with their own careers and don’t be shy about advocating for yourself.

“So, it’s one of those things to where if you want something, go ask for it or go get it and make sure that other person or avenue kind of knows about it,” she added.

The female star also talked about her pairing with Piper Niven who has been dubbed as Doudrop on the main roster. She praised Niven saying that she is phenomenal.

Eva Marie discussed her relationship with her on-screen protégé revealing that they exchanged messages before actually meeting in person. They hit it off with their first conversation and knew that they were going to work together.

Liv Morgan On What Becky Lynch Told Her Before Going On Maternity Leave

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Liv Morgan appeared on this week’s episode of Talking Smack where she discussed her fatal four way match on this past Friday’s episode of SmackDown and more.

Talking about the SmackDown women’s champion Becky Lynch, the former Riott Squad member revealed what she told her before going on maternity leave last year:

“You wanna know a little secret? When Becky left, I gave her a hug goodbye.” said Liv, “She whispered in my ear, ‘When I come back, you are going to be champion.’ I’ve thought about that every single day.

She’s back, and I’m not champion. But I’m looking so, so, so forward to proving her right. Maybe, not on her timeline, but I’m going to be champion, and I’d love to take it off of Becky Lynch.”

Liv Morgan competed in a fatal four-way elimination #1 contenders match against Bianca Belair, Carmella, and Zelina Vega on SmackDown. Morgan eliminated Carmella from the bout before being pinned by the winner of the match Belair.

Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy on an episode of Raw in May last year. She went on a hiatus from WWE programming after this. The Man made her surprise return to WWE TV during SummerSlam, where she defeated Bianca for the SmackDown women’s title.

Liv Morgan On Alexa Bliss’ New Character

Awesome Kong Announces Retirement From Wrestling On NWA EmPowerrr

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Veteran wrestling star Awesome Kong has announced her retirement from pro wrestling during a surprise appearance at NWA EmPowerrr. TNA Hall Of Famer Gail Kim made an unannounced appearance during the all-women PPV. She tried to cut a promo but Kim was confronted by Taryn Terrell, Jennacide, and Paola Blaze.

Kong, who has had several feuds with the veteran TNA star over the years then also made a surprise appearance on the show. She made the save for Gail Kim and took out the three interrupting women.

After this segment, the former WWE star grabbed a mic and told Kim that she was her greatest foe. The former Knockouts champion claimed that there was no other way to end her career than being in the ring with Gail Kim. She then announced her retirement saying she was done:

https://twitter.com/AllEliejohn/status/1431785154960371714

The 43-year-old started her wrestling career in 2002. Awesome Kong went on to wrestle for promotions such as Ring Of Honor, All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling, and more. Though she is probably best known for her stints in Impact Wrestling and WWE between 2007 to 2016.

She competed under the ring name Kharma in WWE but didn’t win any titles. She had a couple of runs with the Knockouts title in TNA under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also made several appearances for AEW in the past couple of years.

NWA EmPowerrr Quick Results: Kamile vs. Leyla Hirsch

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

NWA EmPowerrr has wrapped up.

The event took place earlier tonight (Aug. 28). The action was held inside the Khorassan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri. Our own Ella Jay and Samira were on the scene for NWA EmPowerrr.

The main event of NWA EmPowerrr was the Women’s Invitational gauntlet match. Also featured on the card was an NWA Women’s Title match between champion Kamille and Leyla Hirsch. Also on the card was an Impact Wrestling Knockouts Title match between titleholder Deonna Purrazzo and Melina.

History was also made at NWA EmPowerrr. For the first time since the 1980s, new NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions were crowned.

Peep the results below.

  • Chelsea Green wins Women’s Invitational gauntlet match
  • Kamille def. Leyla Hirsch to retain the NWA Women’s Championship
  • Allysin Kay and Marti Belle def. Red Velvet and KiLynn King to win the NWA Women’s Tag Titles
  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Melina to retain the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship
  • Red Velvet and KiLynn King def. The Freebabes (Jazzy Yang and Miranda Gordy) to advance to the finals of the NWA Women’s Tag Title tournament.
  • Allysin Kay and Marti Belle def. Renee Michelle and Sahara 7 to advance to the finals of the NWA Women’s Tag Title tournament
  • Diamante def. Chik Tormenta and Kylie Rae in a triple threat match

WWE Star Alexa Bliss Willing To Try Her Hand At Acting

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Alexa Bliss is intrigued by the idea of taking acting roles if the stars align.

Bliss has made a major transition in her character. The former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion went from being “The Goddess” to taking on a supernatural gimmick. While the gimmick has been quite polarizing, there’s no doubt it has garnered attention.

With the gimmick, Bliss has had her acting chops tested. Here’s what she told Entertainment Tonight about a potential run in Hollywood.

“If I wasn’t in this industry, I don’t know, that’s tough. I went to school for diet after having my eating disorder. So I don’t know if I’d be working at an eating disorder clinic or if I’d be pursuing acting. I’m very introverted as a person. I don’t think I would be able to pursue acting if it wasn’t for breaking out of my shell in WWE,” she said. “WWE will always be home. That’s always where I’ll be, but I would love to see what happens if I tried to go for acting. I’ve been working with an acting coach for the last ten months and everything I’m doing right now character-based wise is a lot of acting and a lot of fun. I would love to try that one day if the cards allow. That would definitely be a passion of mine. For now, WWE is home.”

Alexa Bliss has seemingly begun a program with Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte. On the post-SummerSlam edition of Monday Night Raw, Bliss introduced her doll, Lilly, to Charlotte.

Tony Khan Confirms More Talent Acquisitions For AEW

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AEW fans can expect more talent to appear in the coming months.

As AEW continues to grow, so does its roster. Fans clamored for the return of CM Punk and AEW delivered on the second episode of Rampage. Punk made his return to a thunderous ovation inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Tony Khan said Punk’s debut alone paid for itself.

Fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of Bryan Danielson, who reportedly signed with AEW. His appearance has reportedly been bumped up to the Sept. 5 All Out PPV. Khan is staying mum on the report just as he did ahead of Punk’s promotional debut.

One thing Tony Khan wasn’t shy in discussing was beefing up the AEW roster even more. Here’s what he told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“I’m definitely going to make multiple additions over the next four to six months. I think there’ll be some activity in the near future. I can’t specify exactly what it is and I don’t think anybody would really want me to. Just like nobody would have wanted any combination of anything going into The First Dance of what it was, or how it was going to come off. But I definitely will be active and have been active signing people from day one in this company.

“Recruiting talent is key to any wrestling company. It’s key to any sports business, whether it’s the NFL or English football or wrestling. In this case of wrestling, I think we’ve built as good a roster as I believe you could build in this amount of time, with so many stars, a really really great core of people that have been here from day one, and we’ve expanded consistently. I think the additions we’ve made have been a lot of smart additions and really are very well positioned now with expanding our TV and adding a third hour. This is when I really wanted to kick into full gear so to speak.

“But the timing of it is perfect because going into All Out, which is definitely without a doubt going to be the biggest PPV event we’ve done in our history.”

All Out will feature the in-ring return of CM Punk. He’ll be going one-on-one with Darby Allin. AEW World Champion Kenny Omega will put his gold on the line against Christian Cage.

Click here for an updated look at the AEW All Out card.

No Way Jose Claims He Pitched The Idea Of WWE 24/7 Championship

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No Way Jose says it was he who initially pitched the idea of having a 24/7 championship in WWE.

The WWE 24/7 Championship was introduced back in May 2019. Since that time, there have been almost 150 title reigns. No Way Jose never got his hands on the title but he claims to have been the one to pitch the idea.

Here’s what he told the folks over at the Wrestling Perspective Podcast.

“Okay, I want to say that — and I don’t know how many people have claimed this, but in December of 20?? — God, when did that title come out? I might have the year wrong, but in December of 2018, I wrote to my writer, and I, word for word said, ‘What if we do a 24/7 Championship?’ I’ll pull it up right now. What if we do a 24/7 title that gives everybody something to do.

“Because I wasn’t doing sh*t and I was like, ‘they’re not going to put me in this title run, that title run, or that title run.’ They didn’t want to do hardcore, so I was like, ‘why don’t we do a 24/7?’ He straight up said, ‘no, that’s not an idea that we want at this time.’ I was like, ‘alright, whatever,’ and I just kept rolling with other ideas. I was watching Spartacus at that time, I started coming up with stuff from there. I was just watching so many different things. But I legitimately remember that. Six months later, here comes the title and I’m like, ‘oh!’ No bonus, no nothing. Like I said, I don’t even know if it was my idea. But I know six months before that, I mentioned that and then there it was. So it was what it was.”

No Way Jose has since changed his name to “No Way.” He currently competes under the Impact Wrestling promotion. He made his debut for Impact Wrestling at Slammiversary back in July.

Chelsea Green: AEW Would Benefit From Signing Female Free Agents

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Chelsea Green believes there are some top female free agents that would bring a lot to AEW.

WWE has been on a budget cut spree this year and it’s the talent who have taken the brunt of it. Green found herself on the chopping block and has since appeared on Impact Wrestling along with her fiancé, Matt Cardona, who was also released from WWE in 2020.

There have been many other female wrestlers who received pink slips from WWE. During an interview with Wrestling Inc., Chelsea Green said AEW would be wise to scoop up some of the top female names.

“There are so many people coming in and out of Impact, the opportunities are really endless there. We could see Ruby [Soho, AKA, Riott]. We could see The IIconics. We could see any of the females being released from WWE come through the Impact doors at any moment, and that’s pretty cool too.

“It would be a travesty if they didn’t [get signed somewhere]; AEW can totally gain from those faces. We all love to watch them. We all know them. We know they’re great workers.”

Ruby Soho has been teasing a return to the ring with a series of vignettes. As for Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee, formerly known as The IIconics in WWE, they have announced they’ll be sticking as a team. They’ll be known as IInspiration going forward.

AEW Heads To UBS Arena In Long Island On Dec. 8

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AEW is making its way to Long Island, NY before 2021 comes to a close.

It’s clear that AEW has been looking to make waves on the east coast. On Sept. 15, the company will be airing Dynamite live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Just one week later, they’ll be inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City for the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite.

Andrew Zarian is reporting that AEW will be making another trip to New York in December. AEW will hold Dynamite inside the UBS Arena on Dec. 8. WrestleTix notes that the setup will likely be at 14K capacity.

“Andrew Zarian broke the news last night that AEW Dynamite will be coming to the UBS Arena (home of the NY Islanders) in Elmont, NY on 12/8, a week after Raw will be there (11/29). Referencing this Weeknd concert, this is roughly a 14K capacity/set-up for wrestling (for sell out).”

It’s been an eventful year for AEW thus far. More recently, we saw the massive return of CM Punk. Punk will be making his in-ring return on Sept. 5 on the All Out PPV against Darby Allin.

Bryan Danielson has also reportedly signed with the company. While the initial report was that he’ll be making his promotional debut on Sept. 22, a new report from Bodyslam suggests that he will now be making an appearance at All Out.

Jim Ross Addresses Report He’s Stepping Down As Full-Time Announcer For AEW

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Jim Ross has responded to rumors floating around about his role at commentary for AEW.

Reports have swirled claiming that Ross will be seen far less calling matches and instead will be doing sitdown interviews and other backstage segments. The reports note that “Good Ol’ JR” will call big matches and major events when they occur.

While the rumors have said that this was Ross’ decision, it appears JR himself didn’t get the memo.

SEScoops reached out to Jim Ross on social media, who responded to the rumors.

“It’s news to me…”

Sources tell SEScoops that they hadn’t heard of anything regarding Ross transitioning from a full-time role at commentary.

“I haven’t heard anything about this except for what stories are out there.”

Ross has been on board with AEW since 2019. He has served as the lead play-by-play commentator on Dynamite along with Tony Schiavone and Excalibur. He does not provide commentary for AEW’s new show, Rampage. As of late, we’ve seen the Rampage booth filled by Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tazz, and Mark Henry.

Earlier this year, Ross responded to speculation regarding possible retirement on his podcast. JR made it clear that he doesn’t plan on slowing down.

“I had my 69th birthday here a while back. I don’t have any desires to slow down. I get asked this all the time, ‘When you going to retire?’ Well, I hate to answer this with a question, but retire and do what?”

Big E Says He Is Ready To Be The Face Of WWE

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Big E has spent a lot of time grooming himself to be a top performer. Though the former NXT champion believes that he doesn’t need any more time and he is finally ready to be the face of WWE. The New Day member recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. He first admitted that he didn’t always feel confident about himself and credited people like Daniel Bryan and Kenny Omega for helping him.

Big E explained how his hunger for a world title is different than people like John Cena or Brock Lesnar. Mr. Money In The Bank claimed that he doesn’t need another year to grow and the time for him is now:

“I have a different perspective than a Brock or a Cena, who’s trying to become a 17-time world champion. I’m trying to get one. It has a different feel, and I’m not saying those guys don’t want it, too, but this might be my only opportunity. So I’ll show up ready and make some noise. I don’t feel like I need another year to grow. The time is now.”

E then discussed the responsibility that comes with a world title. The former IC champion said that he isn’t worried about the task of being the face of the company but he is ready to face whatever comes in front of him:

“I’m not worried about this gargantuan task of being the face of the company because I’m too focused on doing my very best to be entertaining with whatever I’m given. I’m all about handling what’s right in front of me, and I feel like I can handle whatever is in front of me. I’m ready, and I’ve been ready.”

While there is no word yet on what the plans for the Money In The Bank briefcase are, previous reports have suggested that WWE may move Big E to Raw during the upcoming Draft. It would be interesting to see if E ends up cashing his contract on Bobby Lashley instead of Roman Reigns.

Big E Says AJ Lee Could Have a ‘Brock Lesnar Schedule’ If She Returned To WWE
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