This past February, WWE held its Elimination Chamber PLE in Perth, Australia; the company’s first Premium Live Event in the country in over five years. The show ended with Rhea Ripley standing tall in her home country, and fans may not have to wait another five years to see a major WWE event down under.
WWE and the Cook Government are in negotiations for a potential return to Perth in 2025, according to the West Australian. While not confirmed, the expectation would be that the show would take place in the second half of next year, if these talks prove successful.
Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti added that the local government is consistently seeking unique and exclusive attractions to bring visitors to the state.
“We’re constantly pursuing these types of unique and exclusive events that attract visitors to our beautiful State, particularly ones that we know are incredibly popular like UFC and WWE.”
WWE’s reported openness to hosting another event in Australia underlines the promotion’s approach to hosting major events outside of the United States. 2024 has seen events hosted in Australia, Canada, Scotland, France, and Germany, while WWE has also hosted events in England and Wales in recent years. With continued efforts to bring WrestleMania to the UK and events being teased in countries yet to host a PLE, it’s clear that WWE’s appeal and the appeal of major events could continue to extend past North America in the years to come. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on WWE’s Premium Live Events, both those in the United States and beyond.
Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman are two of WWE’s top Superstars competing today and have amassed legions of fans over their respective careers. This week, the two former WWE World Champions took their star power to the world of Nascar for the South Point 400.
The two were at the event to waive the green flag and kick off the race. On Instagram, Mysterio shared his excitement to be involved alongside the Monster Among Men.
The official Nascar TikTok account also showed the excitement of the two Superstars, with Mysterio excitedly yelling “Let’s Go Racing!”
Mysterio and Strowman’s involvement at the South Point 400 only goes to show the star power of the two men outside of the ring. Both men are currently working on Monday Night Raw, though Strowman has been out of action since suffering a torn groin injury during his Last Monster Standing match with Bronson Reed in September of this year.
Mysterio recently found himself in the mix of the New Day’s teased split and was even unmasked by Xavier Woods during a match that the former King of the Ring would win. Woods later claimed that this was an accident, and has taken issue with WWE putting him alongside other unmaskers of the WWE Hall of Famer in a recent video.
Whatever the future holds for Braun and Rey in the ring, the two clearly had a blast at the Nascar South Point 400. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on both men, both in and out of the squared circle.
The first two events of the new era of Maple Leaf Pro are in the history books and Scott D’Amore’s promotion provided exciting nights of wrestling action on October 19, and October 20. The shows took place at the St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
October 19, 2024 – Night 1:
Main Event: Konosuke Takeshita defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Match.
Other Matches
Josh Alexander, El Phantasmo, and Stu Grayson triumphed over Rocky Romero, Trevor Lee, and Alex Zayne.
QT Marshall, with Harley Cameron, won against Bhupinder Gujjar.
A six-man tag match akin to TNA’s first-ever match setup saw ‘Team Canada’ emerge victorious.
Kylie Rae defeated Taylor Rising, Aurora Teves, and Laynie Luck in a women’s match.
Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) defeated Aiden Prince & El Reverso, and Rogue Squadron (Rohit Raju & Sheldon Jean), and Brent Banks & Johnny Swinger to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles
Rohan Raja captured the PWA Champion’s Grail Title with a hard-earned win over Jake Something
Bully Ray proved to be the master of the table by winning his tables match with Raj Dhesi
In women’s action, Gisele Shaw defeated Miyu Yamashita
Dark Match: Classy Ali defeated Bryce Hansen
Dark Match: Psycho Mike defeated Raj Singh
October 20, 2024 – Night 2:
Main Event: Konosuke Takeshita successfully defended the AEW International Championship against Josh Alexander. Ricochet appeared after the match to cut short a post-match assault by the champion.
Other Matches:
Athena retained the ROH Women’s World Championship against Gisele Shaw.
A six-man scramble involving Trevor Lee, Jake Something, Stu Grayson, Alex Zayne, Sheldon Jean, and Psycho Mike took place, with Psycho Mike getting the win.
A tag team match featured Bully Ray & QT Marshall against Raj Dhesi & Bhupinder Gujjar, where Gujjar used his Gargoyle Spear on QT Marshall for the win. During the match, Darren McCarty attacked Bully Ray.
Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron faced off against Kylie Rae & Miyu Yamashita, with Rae securing the win.
Mike Bailey picked up a win against El Phantasmo.
El Reverso defeated Classy Ali to become the brand new QPW Qatar Champion
Aiden Prince and the Jet Setters (Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA) defeated Rocky Romero, Rohan Raja, and Rohit Raju
Dark Match: Taylor Rising defeated Aurora Teves
Dark Match: Brent Banks and Bryce Hansen defeated Johnny Swinger and Raj Singh.
In the main event of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Forged in Excellence event, Konosuke Takeshita retained the AEW International Championship against TNA Wrestling’s Josh Alexander. After the match, Takeshita continued his attack but this assault was cut off by another AEW star.
Ricochet made the save and took the fight to Takeshita, sending the International Champion on the defensive. Ricochet would end the show by standing tall with the AEW International Championship and shaking hands with Alexander.
RICOCHET JUST SHOWED UP IN MAPLE LEAF PRO!!! ?
Ricochet arrived to make the save for Josh Alexander, ran Don/Takeshita off, picked up the AEW International title and closed the PPV!
Ricochet clearly has his eyes on capturing the AEW International Championship, a title he has challenged for twice already. Ricochet previously challenged then-champion Will Ospreay for the gold on the October 2, episode of AEW Dynamite, which served as the show’s fifth anniversary. Takeshita interfered and attacked both men before winning the gold in a three-way match at AEW WrestleDream. On the October 19 episode of AEW Collision, Ricochet beat AR Fox and targeted Takeshita in a post-match promo.
Since arriving in AEW at All In: London 2024, Ricochet has been one of the company’s most regularly featured stars, and has now arrived in Maple Leaf Pro. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from Ricochet and whether he becomes the next AEW International Champion.
Country star Jelly Roll was heavily involved at this year’s WWE SummerSlam PLE and got into the ring for some action. He has thanked WWE star Austin Theory for their viral spot at the Cleveland event.
During the show, Jelly Roll performed “America The Beautiful” and his hit song “Liar.” Later in the night, he got himself inside the squared circle for some action. He not only hit chair shots but also hit the five-knuckle shuffle and a flawless chokeslam on Austin Theory.
Jelly Roll opens up on the conversation with Austin Theory
Roll recently made an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast and gave a shout-out to Austin Theory for making him look great in the viral spot at WWE SummerSlam. He even labeled Theory a “superhero” for handling the moment. He said:
“To shoot on it for a second, ’cause I haven’t gotten to do this yet, and this is where I’ve been hoping I’d get to do it. Let’s go. Austin Theory is a superhero. Yeah, he is a hero, is what he is. And I’m not in the business, so I don’t gotta carry kayfabe. Dude made me look like a rock star. I love that dude and will forever, ’cause he told me that whole night, he was like, ‘I got you, dog, trust me.’
Ahead of the event, Jelly Roll caught up with R-Truth and The Miz. They predicted which could be the top three viral moments of the night. They included their spot alongside Roman Reigns’ return and Logan Paul’s flip. He added:
“And ’cause I sat down with R-Truth and The Miz earlier in the night, and I said, ‘Look, y’all, if we do this right, we should have a top three viral moment.’ I was like, ‘Roman’s return, Logan’s flip, our Five Knuckle Shuffle and choke slam—that should be the three moments.’ Yep, it was the three moments, by the way. Dead on. And I was like, ‘If we pull this…’ and you know something you’ll appreciate about this…”
Austin Theory had previously revealed that the initial plans were different. The chokeslam was not in the plans but he convinced WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H to allow Jelly Roll to hit the chokeslam on him.
Shelton Benjamin’s next AEW opponent is Sammy Guevara. The match is scheduled for Wednesday’s Dynamite and was announced during a video package that aired on Collision. Guevara emphasized his pride as an AEW original and his goal to create memorable moments in the ring. He said he personally requested the match with Shelton Benjamin from Tony Khan. He praised the WWE alum, saying he has admired him since childhood, and promised fans another standout moment on Dynamite.
Also announced on Sunday, Queen Aminata will take on Kamille.
Matches & Segments Announced for October 23 AEW Dynamite
Here’s the updated card for Wednesday’s Dynamite on TBS:
ROH World Title Ladder War Match: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Daniel Garcia & Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. The Elite (Jack Perry, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff has made it clear that he would not be interested in signing with AEW if he is offered a job in the promotion.
Bischoff has been a critic of AEW and never misses a chance to lambaste the promotion. During a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff was questioned whether he would consider being the General Manager of AEW if he had the chance.
The pro wrestling legend said that he would not be accepting the role. He was hopeful that AEW would find a direction amid the backstage drama. Eric Bischoff explained that if he was younger, there would have been a chance that he would have grabbed the opportunity. However, he feels that at his current stage in life, he wouldn’t want to be involved.
“No. I hope AEW pulls a nose up, figures out a way, and has vision, but we all know it’s pretty public, the kind of drama going on backstage. If I was in my 20s and 30s, hell yeah. Why not, especially with the kind of bags that are being thrown around backstage there. Hell yeah, I’d do it. Even in my 40s, I would have done it, but at this stage of my life, I wouldn’t go near it.”
Eric Bischoff highlighted that if he would step into AEW, he would be held responsible for its issues. He said that he wouldn’t want to show up on camera anymore. The former WWE star noted that if AEW were in a “better environment” and had “more momentum”, he might have considered appearing. However, he believes that is not the case. Eric Bischoff added:
“First of all, the first time I step foot in AEW, everything that’s wrong with that place would be wrong because of me. I ain’t going near it. I wouldn’t even want to show up on camera anymore. If everything was fine, and you know, Tony and I weren’t going back and forth, and I didn’t call his last All In show hot garbage this morning, even if none of that was happening and we were buddies, I wouldn’t even really want to be on the show. At this stage of my life, why? It’s not as much fun for me anymore as it would have been when I was in my 40s. If it was a better environment, if the show was great, if it had some momentum and it was fun, sure I would, if it was fun, but it’s not fun.”
Eric Bischoff has made a handful of appearances in AEW in the past. However, he is currently focused on his new career. Bischoff has found a new career in the mortgage industry. The pro wrestling veteran has launched his career as a mortgage loan officer. He has remained dedicated to make an impact in the field.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T reckoned that Zilla Fatu, who is the son of late WWE star Umaga, has a future in WWE.
During his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T advocated for Zilla Fatu, who is learning the ropes in the legend’s Reality of Wrestling. The legendary wrestler highlighted the youngster’s potential in the business and noted the challenges in his career. Booker T also talked about Fatu parting ways with GCW.
Booker T is committed to guiding Zilla Fatu for his eventual move to WWE, where a handful of his family members have thrived. He said:
“My thing is this, we concentrate on Reality of Wrestling and our thing is I can’t think about anything other than trying to get that young man, Zilla, because he’s talent, get him to the next level, and the next level for me for Zilla, is the WWE. That’s his landing zone. That’s his safe zone, the WWE and his family. I really believe that. One thing about this business is you’re going to need people that are going to watch your back because you are going to make mistakes when you’re young, and if everybody just turns their back on you, I don’t know. That’s on them, but for me, this young man has nothing but talent.”
Booker T further spoke about Fatu’s progress and made it clear that he will try his best to get him to WWE. He said:
“Has he made some mistakes? Of course. We all make mistakes, but I’m definitely going to try to get him all the way to the WWE and beyond just because he’s family. His old man is looking down on him. When he won the Reality of Wrestling Championship, his dad was looking down on him. Reality of Wrestling is Zilla Fatu’s safe zone because one thing about this business, you’re going to deal with a lot of different people, and you have to know who to trust. At Reality of Wrestling, he’s at home.”
Zilla Fatu has trained at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school and made his pro-wrestling debut at ROW Summer Of Champions IX in July last year. He is the reigning ROW Champion. He has also competed for GCW and HOG. Fatu had previously won the HOG Crown Jewel Title during the promotion’s event on July 26.
At the Republican National Convention, Hulk Hogan publicly endorsed Donald Trump, describing the former U.S. President as his personal hero. This week, the Hulkster once again backed the Republican party leader, who he predicts will win in a landslide when voters go to the polls next month.
Appearing on FOX News, Hogan called Trump “quick on his feet” and a politician who can “pivot.” Hogan praised an incident when the former President “schooled that guy who didn’t know a thing about tariffs.” Trump has praised tariffs as “the greatest thing ever invented” and has shared plans to impose tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States. Supporters of Trump have said this will increase the chance of these products being made in the U.S. though economists have argued that this plan will see the cost of tariffs passed onto consumers.
Speaking about the polls, many of which show Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris tied or Harris ahead, Hogan predicted that his preferred candidate would emerge on top in the election.
“So I hear what you’re saying about the polls, and it’s even-steven, but let me tell you something. I don’t believe the polls! It’s going to be a landslide. You know – too big to rig brother is the theme here.”
Too big to rig has been a rallying cry among Republicans who continue to allege that the 2020 election saw illegal interference that favored President Joe Biden. Hogan’s appearance on FOX is somewhat ironic given that FOX paid $787 million to Dominion to settle a defamation lawsuit over lies shared by the network over Dominion’s role in the 2020 election.
If The Bloodline saga is Cinema, then Paul Heyman is the Martin Scorsese behind it.
The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes recently spoke to Watch Fox 57 News to promote the October 18 SmackDown from Columbia. He talked about things such as what his daughter thinks about his work, finding a work-life balance, and more.
While talking about his involvement in the Bloodline story, Cody mentioned how it has done wonders for WWE’s business. He explained that he only has a set role in the whole thing while the real architect behind it all is Paul Heyman:
“I’m always of the thought that my point in the story was just to be the guy who beats them. I know that sounds really arrogant. But I thought maybe that’s just what I do. With Solo Sikoa who will be there tonight, of course Roman Reigns will be there tonight.
But I’d say from kind of the more behind-the-curtain aspect that when all is said and done and people look at how unbelievable that story has been over the years. What it’s done for WWE and WWE’s business, Mr. Paul Heyman should probably be considered kind of the Martin Scorsese behind it all.
He’s really a fascinating unique individual and has a sense of what the audience may want and they don’t even know they want it. Just super genius.”
The former ECW owner has not been seen on WWE programming since the June 28 SmackDown. He was kicked out of the Bloodline by Solo Sikoa after Heyman refused to acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief.
As the Bloodline story has picked up steam again with Roman Reigns’ return recently, however, one has to imagine that the wise man’s comeback will not be long behind.
In recent years, content creators like Logan Paul and KSI have shown their merits in the world of pro wrestling, including a lengthy U.S. Title reign for the Maverick. Now, viral YouTuber BDE has stepped foot in the squared circle, which proved disastrous for TNA Wrestling’s own AJ ‘Top Dolla’ Francis.
BDE attended the recent Pro Wrestling Revolver Bad Trip show at the Calumet Center At Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton, Ohio. During the show, BDE would end up in the ring with Francis and drop the former WWE Superstar/TNA Digital Media Champion with a picture-perfect cutter.
BDE, real name Brandon, produces WWE-themed content on his YouTube channel, which has amassed over 1.28 million subscribers since launching in May 2014. Many of BDE’s videos center around challenges in the WWE 2K series of video games, and the viral YouTuber has amassed over half a Billion views in total. BDE’s most popular video sees him try and win a Royal Rumble on every WWE 2K game and has amassed over 5 million views.
The success of BDE, Logan Paul, KSI, and others, demonstrates how media popularity has extended far past the world of conventional broadcast television. WWE will make a huge leap of its own come January 2025 when WWE Raw moves to Netflix as part of a lucrative ten-year deal. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from the world of wrestling and those who are able to entertain both in and out of the ring.
The House of Black has proven to be a force to be reckoned with since coming together in All Elite Wrestling in early 2022. On the latest episode of AEW Collision, the trio of Buddy Matthews, Brody King, and Malakai Black picked up yet another win and made history in the process.
The House of Black defeated Alpha Zo, Chris Nastyy, & Olumide on AEW Collision. As Tony Schiavone pointed out on commentary, this win makes the three men the most winningest trio in AEW history.
The trio of wrestlers have won 25 matches as a unit since first competing in AEW. The group’s first time teaming together came at AEW Revolution in March 2022, where they defeated PAC, Penta Oscuro, and Erick Redbeard. Since then, the group has gone on to get wins over Death Triangle, the Dark Order, the Elite, the Jericho Appreciation Society, and other notable three-person teams in AEW.
The House of Black are former AEW Trios Champion, with their 175-day reign being the second-longest in history (only behind The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn at 238 days.) Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on the House of Black as the group continues to assert its dominance and make history in All Elite Wrestling.
Cody Rhodes has opened up about maintaining work-life balance and what his daughter thinks he does for a living.
The Undisputed WWE Champion has taken over the role of the face of WWE since returning to the company in 2022. With Roman Reigns being on a part-time schedule, the American Nightmare is the one who fulfils all the responsibilities falling onto the shoulders of the ‘quarterback’ of the promotion.
The added pressure, however, also means that it’s much harder for him to maintain a balance between his work and personal life. Rhodes opened up about it during an appearance on Watch Fox 57 News, and revealed advice he got from Triple H:
“I think it’s a matter of….I’ve heard my boss and head of creative Triple H say ‘There is no such thing as a work life balance. You’re either working or you’re having the life moment. You’ve got to be committed to whatever it may be.’
With us, my wife having been in the industry herself. She’s really understanding of particularly the champion schedule, all the things that come with it and the fact that we have that.”
Cody Rhodes also revealed that his 3-year-old daughter Liberty doesn’t understand the full scope of his work. According to him, she only knows the business as ‘going to WrestleMania’:
“My three-year-old, she only knows what I do as WrestleMania cause that was the first show she went to. So she’s [like] ‘Going to WrestleMania?’ [I’m like] ‘Yep’ ‘Going to WrestleMania?’ Every week.
For [me] to slowly start to see her uncover the business is going to be unique. Because I don’t know if I know how to explain it to her yet. I don’t know. Right now it’s just colorful lights and entrances. She hasn’t seen a full match yet.”
The WWE Champion is scheduled to compete at the upcoming Crown Jewel PPV from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2. He will be taking on fellow World Champion Gunther in a rare champion vs champion match.
WWE has had its share of questionable angles and segments, from Katie Vick to Kurt Angle & Sharmell. In 2016, one segment left a current AEW star feeling very uncomfortable but was thankfully changed before it made it to TV.
In the Rolling Stone article ‘Inside the WWE Writers Room, ‘A Kingdom Ruled by Fear’, the publication delves deep into the environment within WWE’s creative team. One example given comes from a segment planned for the January, 18, 2016, episode of WWE Monday Night Raw that aired on Martin Luther King Day.
Former creative team member Michael Leonardi recalled working on a segment that would have featured Mark Henry, Titus O’Neill, R-Truth, and Neville (now AEW’s Pac.) Leonardi described how the original script had Neville, a white wrestler, say, “I’ve got a dream too, and that dream is to win the Royal Rumble,” a direct reference to Dr. King’s iconic speech.
Neville felt incredibly uncomfortable about delivering the line. Due to time constraints and the fact that they were in the middle of taping, Leonardi made a quick adjustment to the script. Instead of Neville, the line was reassigned to R-Truth. This change happened on the fly, and the segment aired as planned.
This is just one of many examples of how WWE under Vince McMahon sparked controversies, often with the writing team being forced to work with ideas they did not personally agree with. Last year, a former writer alleged that several racist and offensive storylines were pitched, including Mansoor being responsible for 9/11. Now, McMahon’s is gone from WWE, and for those on the creative team, they’re likely breathing a heavy sign of relief that the 79-year-old’s era is a thing of the past.
The work culture of World Wrestling Entertainment has been under scrutiny since Janel Grant filed her lawsuit against former Chairman Vince McMahon. Now more former employees have spoken up about unfair treatment during their time in the company.
Rolling Stone recently published a piece giving insight into the chaotic writer’s room under Vince’s leadership. Several former writers described the day-to-day hardships of working in the challenging environment in detail, including one saying that WWE is a ‘kingdom ruled by fear.’
The women who ended up a part of the mostly male-dominated space say that they became hyper-aware of their gender because of how they were treated. On the condition of anonymity, one former female writer claimed that she was touched inappropriately by her colleagues:
“They would touch me where they would have me come closer [to them], they would pull me by my waist to come somewhere or move closer to them. I’m just super aware that it’s kind of close to my butt and most people don’t touch me by the waist ever. I thought, ‘This is strange.’”
While this behavior was not explicitly sexual, the female employee says that it felt like a means of controlling her in a way that didn’t happen to male writers.
Another former writer revealed that she was fired from her position when she complained to HR. When enough female writers complained about the treatment, a Zoom call was held by the leadership in 2020. While the writers were encouraged to speak on their issues, the leadership was ultimately dismissive of their problems.
The Zoom call was followed by an in-person meeting with the entire writer’s room. The leadership there allegedly told everyone not to go HR if they had any problems in the future and that they were acting like ‘middle schoolers.’
When asked about the allegations made into the Janel Grant lawsuit back in January, WWE’s current head of creative Triple H had told reporters that he didn’t want to get ‘bogged down’ by the negative and focus on the positives instead.
One former writer told Rolling Stone that they don’t believe there will be any major changes in the overall work culture of the company despite the leadership change. They said that there are ‘a lot of people complicit’ in continuing this culture and they don’t have faith that it can be undone overnight.
The October 18, edition of WWE SmackDown featured some huge names appear including Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Nia Jax, and the debuting Motor City Machine Guns. Michael Cole was not part of the broadcast in a rare absence for the voice of WWE and now more has come to light about his hiatus.
Without Cole around, Monday Night Raw’s Wade Barrett filled in behind the announce desk alongside Corey Graves. While speaking to Sal Licata of WFAN recently, Cole shared that he was taking a 10-day vacation in Cozumel, Mexico with his family.
“I’m actually leaving tomorrow for Cozumel, Mexico, for a 10-day family vacation with the entire family and grandkids.“
On SmackDown, Graves explained Cole’s absence by saying he was away on a ‘special assignment.’ After filling in for Cole, Barrett shared that he’s curious as to what this assignment was for the veteran broadcaster.
Despite my male-resting-bitch-face, I had a lot of fun being back on #SmackDown last night.
This week marks the third time Michael Cole has missed an episode of WWE programming throughout his 27-year career with the company. Cole missed Monday Night Raw’s season premiere in October 2023 due to a personal commitment. Before that, he missed a show back in September 2017 to attend his son’s wedding.
Michael Cole’s WWE Future
With Cole signing a new contract with WWE earlier this year, fans can expect much more of him in the future, despite his absence this week. Cole is set to reunite with Pat McAfee in January 2025 once the popular sports broadcaster returns to WWE after hosting College GameDay. That same month, WWE Raw will move to Netflix, marking a new era in broadcasting for the red brand, one that Michael Cole will be a part of.
It’s near serendipitous that NXT went up against AEW Dynamite two weeks ago considering the two brands once competed for television supremacy. While AEW won that initial ‘piss-ant’ battle back in 2019, NXT dominated Tony Khan’s company in the ratings going mono-a-mono in 2024.
Granted, AEW was saddled with Tuesday night instead of Wednesday, but the numbers for Dynamite were extremely jarring even for a day change. NXT finally won the face-off, but if AEW were to parse through the tea leaves, there’s a bit more AEW could garner from their longtime rival.
NXT had grandiose plans for their second episode on The CW as the black and gold brand aimed to put the show on at The Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues. However, ticket sales weren’t up to standards and WWE decided to pivot by moving the show over to The Factory at The District.
The venues have quite the difference in capacity. The Enterprise Center houses over 18,000 while The Factory slices that in sixths, seating only 3,000. It is an absolute downgrade, but ultimately the product benefitted from the change.
With a smaller venue, you obviously fill the seats easier and it creates a more intimate aesthetic to your television presentation. Courtesy of The Factory’s website, the venue already sets up a unique set-up, touting an “industrial style” as it “takes cues from old factories and manufacturing spaces with appointments like weathered wood, open metalwork stairs, exposed brick, industrial lighting fixtures and polished concrete.”
WWE was cagey enough to understand the limitations that a big venue would present and embraced the downgrade, which in turn, upgraded the episode. NXT pulled a page from Paul Heyman book of ECW in so many ways by downplaying their weakness (not a big audience) and playing to its strengths (the intimacy of the venue). Back in his “extreme” swing, Heyman was well-aware that it’s better to turn 1,500 away than make that 1,500 try to fill a 3,500-seated arena.
If WWE makes the decision to continue NXT on the road, they’ll likely be more cognizant of how much attraction value the brand currently has. The hope would be to build to those bigger venues once again, but NXT likely realized that they need to build those stars again to the Triple H operation days. AEW should very much get the jump on them, but NXT is reportedly a step ahead by booking the original ECW arena for the month of November.
Yes, Wembley and ALL IN is a tent-pole event for AEW that speaks to the potential reach of the All Elite brand, but domestically, it’s been a different story for All Elite Wrestling. The company has encountered low ticket sales and sparse audiences. However, the fans that do go to the show are typically rapid and invested.
The week before their “black Tuesday”, AEW came to Pittsburgh and played at the Peterson Events Center. “The Pete” is not where Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisted four Stanley Cups, but it is were the University of Pitt Panthers struggle to remain relevant as a collegiate basketball team (Pitt basketball used to be good, but the arena itself is still very nice). The place was packed and the crowd kept the energy up for the majority of the show.
— Dominic DeAngelo | One True Sport (@DominicDeAngelo) October 3, 2024
It’s a new era for the company considering the television deal and a key aspect of making each episode feel special is to make the venue and the crowd you’re playing to feel special. Embrace the ambience, make the most of your environment. If you do that right, pair it up with sensical storylines, then those environments will grow. Consistency of all that will put more butts in those seats.
MVP has made his presence felt in AEW in recent weeks. An impressive in-ring debut for Shelton Benjamin only further reinforced their collective potential as individual talents and, all the more so, as a unit.
All too often, though, fans have seen acts start out hot in AEW, only to get lost in the shuffle. While the easy critiques on MVP, Benjamin, and other talents who may or may not joint them—particularly Bobby Lashley—is that they’re WWE alumni and that they’re relatively old, there’s still plenty of potential for them to change the game in AEW.
The Hurt Is Back In Business
The Hurt Business will be in action at Crown Jewel
WWE’s Hurt Business was a landmark faction. They were one of the coolest parts of WWE programming in the pandemic era and the group succeeded in finally getting Bobby Lashley all the way over as a WWE Champion after stop-start pushes and never quite reaching the mountain top throughout either of his WWE tenures prior to that point.
The Hurt Business experiment fizzled, though, with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander fading further and further into the background and MVP on the outs. Lashley enjoyed some successes, including fans seeing a lot of potential in him teaming up with The Street Profits, but it never went anywhere and The All Mighty’s final months in WWE were conspicuously quiet.
Now, MVP and Benjamin have shown up in AEW, launching The Hurt Syndicate. WWE has done a nice job of slow-playing this act, including creating initial intrigue between MVP and Swerve Strickland, before rolling out Benjamin and immediately establishing him as far more of an in-ring threat than he got to play for most of his WWE career.
AEW Can Push Black Talent To The Moon
While WWE has been on fire under Triple H’s creative leadership, one critique that’s only gaining momentum is that The Game hasn’t done enough to push black talent. Fans have noticed an absence of black men in particular from PLE cards. Moreover, Helmsley’s attempt at quieting the haters in the Bad Blood post-show press conference came across as uncharacteristically tone deaf and outdated as he claimed not to see color.
It doesn’t seem fair to actually think of The Cerebral Assassin as actively racist, but he has nonetheless left an opening for AEW to distinguish itself by more overtly pushing black stars. Swerve Strickland’s celebrated run as AEW Champion laid some strong groundwork. MVP and The Hurt Syndicate have the tools to take things to the next level.
A Swerve Strickland Vs. Bobby Lashley Feud
Swerve Strickland and Shelton Benjamin look as though they’re on a collision course right now in AEW, but between Benjamin’s age and the damage his credibility took in WWE, this wouldn’t feel like a satisfying end game for the story AEW has been rolling out. Rather, things really feel as though they ought to be building toward Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley.
Lashley is an awesome physical specimen and with WWE world title credentials under his belt (not to mention a history as the world champ in TNA), he’s a suitably credible opponent for Strickland. Moreover, The All Mighty represents a worthy mountain to climb. Though Strickland should ultimately have his sights set on reclaiming the AEW Championship, winning a feud over Lashley and The Hurt Syndicate could do a great deal to further solidify Strickland as a bona fide main event fixture.
The Hurt Syndicate Vs. The Blackpool Combat Club
The Blackpool Combat Club has been one of the most compelling parts of AEW programming for much of the last two and a half years. The recent tonal shift, with Jon Moxley turning heel and recapturing the AEW Championship, intrigue around their mission to fundamentally change AEW, and the additions of PAC and Marina Shafir have brought the group right back to the spotlight as one of the most buzzworthy acts in the promotion, if not all of wrestling.
Feuding with The Blackpool Combat Club would be a great place for The Hurt Syndicate to land, offering a formidable, fresh challenge and series of matchups, up to and including the possibility of an AEW Championship reign for Bobby Lashley. At minimum, one of the most important parts of a modern faction’s success is having other credible factions to feud with, and this is where these two groups could help one another significantly.
In the end, only time will tell what AEW has planned for MVP and his Hurt Syndicate. Early signs have been promising, though, and there’s a real chance for the creative to follow to end the mainstream careers of MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley on a high note, while also bettering AEW and the careers of several of its other stars.
Samantha Irvin’s time as a WWE Raw ring announcer has come to end, via a lengthy statement shared on social media. On Instagram, Irvin shared her news and had plenty of thanks to those who have helped her along the way.
WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night Raw Ring Announcer. I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me.
To the Women’s Locker Room: you are the most incredible group of people on the face of this Earth. I am beyond proud to be your colleague and friend.
To the Crew & Cameramen: I can’t thank you enough for the encouragement, the laughs. You created such a wonderful positive atmosphere for me. Love you all.
To the WWE Superstars, past and present: I have thank you since 1989 and will continue to thank you for the rest of my days for entertaining us. For raising the bar over and over again. For risking your bodies and finding new ways to keep us shocked and wanting more. There is no form of entertainment like this and not just any entertainer can be a wwe Superstar. The respect I have for you is more than I can express. Thank you for making it so easy to pour emotion and excitement into your introductions. You are the stars that the stars idolize. It doesn’t get any bigger and I’m proud to have used my voice to let the world know it.
Thank you Paul Heyman, Michael PS Hayes & Michael Cole. I will continue to apply what I learned from you to every aspect of my career. Thank you for invigorating my creativity.
Thank you Brian ‘Road Dogg’ James, Scott Armstrong, Gabe Sapolsky, and George Carroll Jr. for giving me my first opportunities to rise to the occasion.
Thank you to HHH for trusting me and showcasing me on this platform.
Thank you Mark Henry for giving me my big break. I hope I made you proud.
Thank you to all the Coaches, Producers, Medical, Writers, Talent Relations, Makeup, Photography, Social Media, Digital, Travel, Department, Catering, Merch, 2K Team, Referees, Security and Announce Team for everything you did to help me along the way.
To my fans, my entire career I’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned.
All my love! And still…
Samantha.
Many of those in the comments took Irvin’s statement as a sign of her exit, not just from the role of Raw’s announcer, but from the entire WWE. At this time, Irvin has not confirmed that she is leaving WWE, nor did she specify any role in the company outside of her recent announcing duties. Irvin has removed all references to WWE in the bio of her Instagram and X accounts.
Irvin joined WWE in 2021, initially as the ring announcer of 205 Live, but her skills behind the mic would see her moved to the main roster the following year. At this year’s WrestleMania, Irvin announced 14 matches and was praised by announcing icon Michael Buffer after the Showcase of the Immortals. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Samantha Irvin and the next chapter of her career.
Dolph Ziggler says his Money In The Bank Cash in was only made possible because the fans stuck by him even when he was constantly losing.
The Nemeth Brothers were the most recent guests on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw podcast. They talked about things such as their inspiration to get into wrestling, training under names such as Dusty Rhodes, and more.
JBL who was on commentary for Ziggler’s big moment mentioned how has never experienced anything like that. Dolph explained that before the cash in people had started thinking that he would lose the briefcase:
“The reason that reaction and that moment happened was 100% the fans. Like at the time, I was the guy with the briefcase who always kept trying to cash in—would catch a brogue kick or something in the face.
It got to a point where they thought they were either going to take it off of me or when I came to cash in, that I wasn’t going to get it. I was going to lose the match or something. But the reason the crowds were so great, even leading up to that, was Vince at the time,
He said, ‘Listen, I know you lose a lot’—[I’m like] about 99% of the time—but he goes, ‘I know you lose a lot and now with this briefcase, you’re going to lose even more, and it’s going to be a bigger deal. But the next day after you finally cash this in, everything changes.’ So we did that, kept [losing] more and more.”
I’ve Never Heard Anything Like That: Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler won the Money In The Bank during the namesake PPV in July 2012. He held on to the briefcase for almost 9 months before cashing it in during the April 8, 2013 episode of Raw. He defeated Alberto Del Rio to win his second world title.
Per the former World Champion, he was hoping the crowd would react favourably to him. The people in the arena did not disappoint:
“[I] finally cashed in. I was like, ‘Man, I hope this crowd’s into it. They seem kind of lively and fun.’ I’ll never forget my music hit—it was a two-second delay—and it’s just like prickers all over my body.
I went, ‘Whoa! what’, and I still had to stay focused and be in the moment, walk down there to do it. But I’ve never heard anything like that in person ever.
It was because they stuck by the guy who kept losing and kept failing to cash in. They said, ‘All right, we’re going to help this guy,’ and they did. We got it, and they lost their minds. It was so fun.”
Ziggler also revealed that the original plan was for him to just cash in the briefcase and win at once. He had to convenience Vince McMahon to let the match go a little longer and have several false finishes before he finally defeated Del Rio.
‘Timeless’ Toni Storm came up short in her debut for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) but it’ll take more than one setback to keep the AEW star away. During the October 18, edition of Viernes Espectacular, Storm made her long-awaited in-ring debut for the promotion. The match had been scheduled for earlier this month before Hurricane Milton made Storm’s journey to Mexico City impossible.
Inside the legendary Arena Mexico, Storm and Catalina held nothing back, in what was also Storm’s first time competing in Mexico. The finish of the match saw Catalina hit a diving splash to pick up a huge win over the former AEW Women’s World Champion. After the match, Storm grabbed the microphone and vowed to return to Arena Mexico soon.
¡Timeless llega a La Catedral de la Lucha Libre! Toni Storm está lista para su duelo.
With this win under her belt, La Catalina’s attention turns towards the 2024 Women’s Grand Prix, which will include Willow Nightingale, Zeuxis, and more. This win is the latest momentum-building victory for the luchador, who has also won the 2023 CMLL Women’s Universal Championship Tournament.
As for Storm, fans eagerly await her return to AEW programming as she has been missing since her title loss to Mariah May at AEW All In: London in August. More recently, Storm promoted AEW Grand Slam 2025 in Australia and has teased facing May for the gold in her home country. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Toni Storm and her efforts in and out of AEW.
Dominik Mysterio is rightfully tired of old men with bad hair coming in and trying to steal his much-deserved spotlight in WWE. The Raw star recently talked with Foundation Radio about things such as not wearing a mask like his father, Jey Uso being his next target, and more. Dominik was also asked about his heat with CM Punk and The Rock.
Mysterio first mentioned his history with The Straight Edge Star saying that he would like to get into the ring with Punk now. Coming to The Rock, the former NXT North American Champion expressed that he is tired of the old heads coming back to WWE and thinking they can hang with the young generation:
“Honestly, I’m just tired of these old heads, thinking they can hang and come in here with this younger generation. I don’t even want to speak for everyone else. I’m speaking for just myself. At the end of the day, I’m my own person. I’m the greatest Mysterio of all time.”
Dominik Mysterio also claimed that people like Punk and The Rock are all mad at him because he has the best hair and Mustache in the business:
“If these old heads want to come in and get it, they all can. CM Punk, The Rock, it doesn’t matter. They’re just mad because they don’t have hair, and I have the best hair and the best mustache.”
Mysterio previously crossed paths with CM Punk way back in 2010. The former world champion was leading the Straight Edge Society at the time and Dominik along with sister Aalyah made an appearance on TV to support their father Rey Mysterio.
Since Bad Blood, Kevin Owens has attacked Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, seemingly payback for Rhodes’ willingness to team Roman Reigns at the PLE. The Prizefighter did not appear during the latest episode of WWE SmackDown, but cast doubt on his future via a video shared to social media.
Earlier this week, Owens said he’d been silenced by WWE and gave the company’s higher-ups until SmackDown to share a video, detailing his side of what’s happened. Taking matters into his own hands, Owens has now shared a video on his own X account, in which he claims Randy betrayed him, not the other way around.
“I would have never done that to you [Orton]. I thought what we had was different. I can’t believe you picked Cody Rhodes over me.”
Owens added that between WWE disrespecting him and Orton’s ‘betrayal’ of the former Universal Champion, he doesn’t know “if or when” he’ll return to WWE TV.
WWE has gone a different way with the presentation of this angle, including relying on fans to record and share Owens’ attack on Rhodes. Similarly, the full footage of Owens’ attack on Orton was first shared by Sports Illustrated, which obtained CCTV footage of the attack. Now, it remains to be seen when Owens will be back on WWE programming (if ever,) as the Prizefighter continues to believe he is the victim of these betrayals. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and the Undisputed WWE Champion.
Cody Rhodes proved once against why he is the face of WWE after the October 18 SmackDown from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina went off air.
There were two dark matches that took place after the show. The first dark match saw Sami Zayn teaming with The New Day to defeat Pete Dunne and The Judgment Day.
The Undisputed WWE Champion came out for the second dark match. He successfully defended his title against Solo Sikoa in a Columbia Street Fight.
The American Nightmare grabbed the mic after his win but his promo went into an unexpected direction. Rhodes spotted a sign from a cancer survivor in the crowd.
Cody Rhodes then went into the crowd himself to gift his weight belt to the specific fan before he concluded his promo and sent the crowd home happy.
The former AEW star has distanced himself from The Bloodline drama after his Bad Blood victory. During SmackDown, he cut a promo talking about his upcoming Crown Jewel match with fellow world champion Gunther.
The story of the faction continues in the meantime. This week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show featured an appearance from the Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso.
Uso confronted Solo Sikoa in the opening segment and asked him why he was dividing the family. Though the IC Champion still denied joining forces with Roman Reigns when the two ran into each other backstage later in the night.
Reigns then had another brawl with his cousins in the main event of the show. He even got his hands on the Ula Fala for a short while before the numbers game overwhelmed him. The show once again ended with Solo Sikoa and his partners standing tall.
The Motor City Machine Guns have officially arrived in WWE, debuting during the October 18, edition of WWE SmackDown after weeks of vignettes. Now, fans can look forward to seeing Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in action next week in what will be nothing short of a dream match for fans of tag-team wrestling!
On this week’s SmackDown, MCMG won their debut match against A-Town Down Under and Los Garza, advancing in a tournament to determine the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships. The show also saw DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa) advance in the tournament with a win over Pretty Deadly and the Street Profits. DIY and the Motor City Machine Guns will face off next week with the winners earning a shot against The Bloodline.
DIY and MCMG are two talented teams who both established loyal fanbases on the independents before arriving in WWE. Now, fans will get to see these four talented wrestlers do what they do best with a shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles on the line.
WWE SmackDown – 10/25/2024
Next week’s SmackDown will be the penultimate episode of the blue brand before WWE Crown Jewel on November 2. Here is the confirmed card as it currently stands.
DIY (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) Vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley (WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 contenders match)
World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER will come to SmackDown to come face-to-face with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes ahead of Crown Jewel.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for full coverage of SmackDown including breaking news and live results.
