Current NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, has turned heads with her talent and ability since competing in the Mae Young Classic last year. Baszler made it all the way to the finals of the tournament before being defeated by Kairi Sane.
Now with the second Mae Young Classic due to air on the WWE Network in a few weeks, Baszler is getting ready to face Kairi Sane again. This time, it will be Baszler defending her championship against Sane at Takeover.
During the first Mae Young Classic, however, Baszler’s 4 Horsewomen of MMA faction got into an altercation with the 4 Horsewomen of NXT. Despite this, a feud between the two similarly named teams never came to fruition. With both Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke now competing in NXT as well, however, the idea of the Horsewomen feud has been brought up again. Baszler addressed the potential angle herself recently during an interview with Inside the Ropes.
Shayna Baszler Horsewomen vs Horsewomen Feud
Baszler was asked about the potential angle and had the following to say:
“If they want it to happen, the four of us are fighters,” Baszler said. “We’ve never turned down any sort of fight. They want to argue about who’s the “4 Horsewomen” and what and who owns it. We had it first and that’s fact. It was given to us, we didn’t just call ourselves that.”
Roman Reigns is one of the most polarizing Superstars in WWE. A large portion of the WWE audience supports him, but a separate vocal contingent heckles him at every turn. Reigns spoke with Yahoo! Sports this week to promote SummerSlam and commented on this dynamic.
The 3-time World Heavyweight champion is convinced that his most vocal critics are actually “closeted lovers” of his on-screen persona. It has been said that any fan reaction is a good reaction. Reigns knows this better than anybody and is convinced certain fans are more passionate about deriding him than supporting the wrestlers they actually like.
“I think they’re like closet lovers to be honest,” Reigns said. “You can say whatever you want, but it’s how you say it that matters. The way they deliver it, they’re more connected to me than their so called ‘favorites.’ For me to be able to pull on whatever string I pull on, it just goes to show there’s a deep rooting there.”
Reigns added that it really does not matter to him whether fans cheer or boo him. “As long as they’re really loud, that’s all I really care about,” he said. To bolster his argument, Reigns referenced fans who have attempted to hijack live events with rowdy chants against him. In those instances, the fans are riled up and excited, a reaction he feels is better than indifference. Reiterating his point, Reigns proclaimed, “I really do think that if they love to hate you, they still love you.”
Roman Reigns challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship this Sunday at SummerSlam. Roman Reigns has stated that Brock Lesnar being an absentee champion is “killing us.” He will get a chance to correct that situation in a matter of days.
SEScoops will have full coverage of SummerSlam weekend, so make sure to check back for our on-site coverage from Brooklyn, New York.
NXT is back tonight with the go-home show before Saturday’s Takeover event. 3 matches have been booked for tonight along with one segment meant to build anticipation for a key match on Saturday.
NXT 8/15 Preview
Roderick Strong vs Tyler Bate
The feud between the Undisputed Era and Moustache Mountain continues tonight as Roderick Strong takes on Tyler Bate.
Moustache Mountain and the Undisputed Era have each won the NXT tag-team titles from the other team once this summer. The rubber match between the two top teams in the division goes on Saturday but single’s action between Strong and Bate takes place tonight.
the Street Profits vs the Mighty
The Mighty defeated the Street Profits the last time the two teams met. The Street Profits caused a distraction last week which allowed Heavy Machinery to pick up the win over the Australian tag-team.
One of these two teams moves closer to the top of the tag division and one moves closer to the bottom. Which team is which will be decided tonight.
Kairi Sane vs Aliyah
Kairi Sane will have what is commonly referred to as a tune-up match tonight. Sane will take on NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, Saturday at Takeover. Before then, however, she’ll take on Toronto’s Aliyah tonight.
These two met last September, with Sane coming out the victor.
Shayna Baszler will most likely be keeping an eye out on this match as she prepares to face Sane again.
Velveteen Dream Verbal Assault
EC3 threw the Velveteen Dream in a pool during a somewhat bizarre segment on last week’s show. This week, Velveteen Dream is said to have a verbal assault planned for his Takeover opponent.
We now know a bit more about Renee Young’s RAW commentary future.
Young made history earlier this week on Monday Night RAW. She was the first woman in WWE history to join the red brand’s commentary table for the whole show. The 32-year-old is also one-half of the commentators for this year’s Mae Young Classic tournament.
She has previous experience calling episodes of WWE Superstars and NXT in the past. Young held her own alongside veteran commentators Michael Cole and Corey Graves. In fact, some fans on social media actually said they preferred Young over Jonathan Coachman.
Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that there are currently no plans to have Young become a regular member of the RAW commentary team. She did, however, impress WWE brass with her performance.
Young also reportedly expressed interest in doing more commentary in the future if the opportunity arises. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Young’s commentary future in the WWE after her RAW performance.
Discussion: How do you feel Young did commentating RAW this week? Would you like to see her as a regular member of the RAW or SmackDown Live broadcast team? Sound off on the matter in the comments below!
Daniel Bryan is attempting to achieve the goals that he has set out to do with the second part of his career as an in-ring performer now is underway.
The former WWE Champion spoke to IGN to talk about his career being featured in the 2K Showcase mode in the upcoming WWE 2K19 video game that is slated to be released on October 9, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In this interview, Bryan touched upon his goals in the WWE and butting heads with the WWE creative team. “So they’re not along the lines of ‘Okay, time to main event WrestleMania 35!’ It’s not stuff like that. Creating goals like that are very difficult in WWE and can often leave you disappointed because you don’t have control over a lot of things.”
Bryan continued by saying that the only thing that he does have control over is his performance. He also has artistic goals that he’s trying to reach and places he wants to go with his wrestling and character. By doing that, he admitted that sometimes he has to go up against the creative machine and what they want for you vs. what you want for yourself.
“That’s a constant whirlwind and back-and-forth trade-off and whatnot. So I do have those types of goals but they’re not main eventing WrestleMania or winning the Rumble or things you don’t have any say in.”
Bryan is slated to take on The Miz in a singles match at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Chris Jericho likes to keep busy. In addition to his podcast, podcast network, WWE career, NJPW career, upcoming cruise and band, Jericho is also filming a horror movie with the noted filmmaker, Kevin Smith. Smith posted about the film earlier through Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmgLOfeATjd/
Jericho is racking up the IMDB credits these days. He even has in his own show, “But I’m Chris Jericho.” Additionally, he has appeared in Sharknado 3 and several other TV shows/movies.
Jericho is at the center of some speculation as of late. Many believe the popular Canadian could end up with Impact Wrestling or continuing his NJPW career in spite of previous statements made saying he wouldn’t wrestle in the United States for a company other than WWE.
New Japan Pro Wrestling President, Harold Meij, has penned a column in Japanese stating the promotion will not become an American-style wrestling company.
There have been complaints the last few weeks regarding the style of wrestling often featured in this year’s G1 Climax tournament. In addition to the frequent interference from Tama Tonga, Bad Luck Fale and Tanga Loa, Jay White also frequently used interference and American-style wrestling tactics.
Meij himself became involved in the proceedings, helping to have the Firing Squad ejected from the building the final night.
“From Harold Meij’s latest column. He regrets how Saturday came across, addresses concerns of NJPW becoming like ‘American wrestling’,” Tweeted Chris Charlton. “He ‘never planned’ on being involved in proceedings and says he has no intentions on being anything but an executive.”
From Harold Meij’s latest column. He regrets how Saturday came across, addresses concerns of NJPW becoming like ‘American wrestling’. He ‘never planned’ on being involved in proceedings and says he has no intentions on being anything but an executive. pic.twitter.com/LWIMLof8Gp
Harold Meij is a Dutch businessman who has been active in the Japanese market and speaks the language fluently. He addressed the idea of a perceived foreigner running the company during an interview earlier this summer.
“I think there are long-time fans that must be worrying, ‘What? The operator is a foreigner? What’s going to happen?’ Because I look like a foreigner, you know?” Meij said. “They worry that New Japan might change. I wanted to come myself as the president and talk with the fans to alleviate any anxiety they might have.”
Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling have filed a lawsuit against Impact Wrestling’s parent company, Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Jarrett has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit stating that Anthem has been making money off of GFW content since the merger between the two sides fell apart last year.
The lawsuit alleges that Anthem “reproduced, distributed, publicly displayed, offered for sale, and sold the GFW Amped content without providing any compensation or royalties to GFE or Mr. Jarrett.”
Jarrett’s lawyers are also alleging the Global Wrestling Network, stating it is too similar to GFW’s intellectual property.
Lawyers for Jarrett released the following statement to media:
“Mr. Jarrett does not have a comment on this case but we look forward to our day in court before the jury.”
It is mentioned in the lawsuit that they are seeking a trial by jury.
Jeff Jarrett in 2018
Jarrett was fired from his position with Impact Wrestling last October. He subsequently entered a rehab program and has returned to in-ring competition this year.
Jarrett won the AAA World Heavyweight title in June last year. He defeated Rey Wagner and Rey Mysterio Jr in a triple threat match at Verano De Escandalo. He is expected to defend the title against Fenix in the near future.
TNA used to be the go-to place for WWE talents which have been released by the company but things have changed in the past few years.
In recent times, WWE has hired a number of former TNA Stars and some of them have went on to become key superstars on their programming, with the WWE Champion AJ Styles being the prime example.
And now the company has hired another former Impact Wrestling employee though this time it’s not someone who appears on television, according to Pwinsider.
The site reports that WWE has hired long-time Coordinating Producer and Video Editor for Impact Wrestling James Long. It’s worth mentioning here that as a producer, James was heavily involved in the creation of the Broken Universe.
Long has also worked as a wrestler for WWE before and he was part of the company’s old development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling for some time, where he used the ring name Paredyse.
John Cena will be in action when WWE returns to China later this summer. While Cody Rhodes and the Bullet Club are making history at All In, WWE has a live event from Shanghai, China scheduled for on September 1st. Cena will team up with Bobby Lashley and Finn Balor against Elias, Baron Corbin and Jinder Mahal.
In addition to the 6-man tag match, Ronda Rousey will make her WWE China debut against RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Roman Reigns will have his hands full against Braun Strowman.
WWE recently published a video of John Cena at the JC Stunt Team International Training Centre in China. During that interview, Cena acknowledged that his signature Five Moves of Doom are not as effective as they used to be.
The five moves, which Cena uses to win most of his matches, include two flying shoulder blocks, a side slam, the five knuckle shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment. As a result, he is working on a 6th move of doom. He did not reveal what the move is, but hinted that it is inspired by Chinese culture. He will debut the new move on September 1st.
As we reported last week, John Cena will also be in action at WWE Super Show-Down on October 6th, 2018. Cena will face Kevin Owens on that big stadium show from Australia.
Watch: John Cena ready to unveil a “6th Move of Doom”
AJ Styles Tries To Attack Samoa Joe After SmackDown
The final segment of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw Samoa Joe and AJ Styles building the final hype for their upcoming Championship match at SummerSlam.
During the segment, Joe tried to bring Styles’ family into their feud again and the former TNA Star read a letter which was allegedly from the WWE Champion’s wife.
After the show, WWE posted the following backstage video where AJ tries to attack the Samoan Submission Machine and several SmackDown Stars try to stop him from doing so:
The Club Reunites After SmackDown
Following the mentioned backstage segment and the 205 Live episode, Styles came out again and reunited with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for a 6 man tag team dark match.
The trio formerly known as the Club, faced the team of Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, and United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, in a match that was reportedly shorter than the entrance of the involving superstars.
The match wrapped up in less than 4 minutes and the finish saw Shinsuke Nakamura hitting Gallows with a Kinshasa only to be hit with a Styles Clash. The WWE Champion then went on to pin the former NXT Star and won the match for his team.
This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. In addition to the takeaways below, WWE also aired three videos breaking down the long rivalry between The Miz and Daniel Bryan. Below is one of the videos and the remaining two will likely be uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel shortly.
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair Dominated
Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Carmella claimed that it was absurd that SmackDown GM Paige forced her to come down to the ring tonight with Lynch and Flair. She claimed that she was tired of their faces and tired of constantly being punished for being an “amazing” champion.
Carmella poked fun at Becky Lynch and claimed that she doesn’t have a chance in the match now. Becky said that she was losing sleep thinking about beating Carmella one versus one at SummerSlam. Lynch added that now she also has to go through Charlotte at SummerSlam.
Carmella laughed and then boasted about beating Charlotte Flair twice and then stated that Becky was only the first SmackDown Women’s Champion because Charlotte was on RAW. Flair said that Carmella knows she cannot hang with anyone in this division and has to cheat to win. Charlotte added that Carmella is a “diva living in a women’s era”. Carmella said that she is a diva and she is damn proud of it.
Carmella then told Flair and Lynch that she had a better body and charisma than them. She then raised the title in their faces before SmackDown GM Paige interrupted. Paige said she knows that they will steal the show on Sunday but it is also her job to make SmackDown the best show possible. Paige told Carmella to join commentary as Lynch and Flair battled Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in a tag team match.
Deville and Charlotte started off the match as Carmella accused Paige of being jealous of her because she will never be champion again. Charlotte connected with a couple of chops in the corner and then tagged in Becky.
Lynch connected with a Leg Drop for a two count. Mandy Rose tagged in and hit Becky with a Dropkick. Becky responded with a Dropkick of her own and tagged Flair back into the match. Mandy pulled Charlotte to the mat by her hair and tagged Sonya Deville.
Sonya missed with a kick and Charlotte connected with a Fallaway Slam that sent Sonya out of the ring. Becky tagged in and connected with a flying forearm outside the ring. Back in the ring, Charlotte was back in and Deville brought her to the corner of the ring. Rose tagged in and beat her down before quickly tagging Sonya back in. Rose tagged back in as Charlotte rolled up Deville and kneed Flair in the face as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Becky was trapped in the corner as Rose shoved her face into the ropes. Lynch went for an Exploder Suplex but Rose countered into a Body Slam and tagged Deville back in. Sonya applied a Headlock and brought Lynch down to the canvas as Charlotte pleaded for a tag on the apron.
Lynch battled out of the hold and connected with an Enziguri that knocked Deville to the mat. Rose tagged in and Becky greeted her with two Clotheslines and a Dropkick. Becky connected with the Exploder Suplex this time and then a forearm to the face. Lynch then knocked Deville out of the ring and locked in the Dis-Arm-Her on Mandy Rose for the submission victory. Carmella posed on the announce table with the SmackDown Women’s Championship and trash talked with Lynch and Flair following the match.
The Bludgeon Brothers faced The Triple Threat (three local competitors) tonight on SmackDown. Harper and Rowan attacked before the match started and beat the hell out of The Triple Threat. The segment ended with Rowan lifting one of them up onto his shoulders and Harper hitting a Clothesline off the second rope.
SAnitY then battled New Day in a 6-man tag match. Big E started off the match with Eric Young as the crowd chanted “happy birthday!” at Kofi Kingston. Big E planted Young with a Belly to Belly Suplex of a two count and then tagged in Kofi.
Kingston hit a Splash on Young for another near fall. Young threw Kofi towards the ropes as Alexander Wolfe pulled the top rope down and Kofi tumbled to the outside. Wolfe then slammed Kofi into the ring apron and sent him back into the ring.
Killian Dain tagged in and delivered a Dropkick to Kofi that sent him flying across the ring. Dain followed it up with a Fisherman’s Suplex and tagged in Wolfe as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Kofi connected with a DDT to Dain and then leaped across the ring to tag in Woods. Xavier hit Wolfe with a Dropkick and followed it up with a DDT. Woods went for a cover but Young broke it up with an Elbow Drop off the top rope. Young tagged in and hit Woods with a Backbreaker for a two count.
Dain tagged in and connected with the Divide and went for the cover but Big E broke it up. Kingston then hit Wolfe with Trouble in Paradise and made his way to the top rope. Kofi leaped onto Wolfe and Young outside the ring as Big E and Woods hit the Midnight Hour on Dain for the pinfall victory.
The Bludgeon Brothers will defend their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against New Day this Sunday night at WWE SummerSlam.
Rusev & Lana Vowed To Crush Almas & Vega
Aiden English came down to the ring and sang a song in the ring as Rusev & Lana watched backstage. English vowed to make Andrade pay because tonight he fights for Rusev Day.
Andrade controlled the match early and sent English into the turnbuckle. Aiden exploded out of the corner and leveled Almas with a Clothesline. Aiden followed it up with a Splash off the top rope for a two count.
Almas connected with an elbow to the face and then Double Knees in the corner. Andrade followed it up with the Hammerlock DDT for the easy victory. After the match, Zelina Vega and Almas told the WWE Universe to mark their calendars for this Sunday because it will be the end of Rusev Day. Vega then vowed to expose Lana for being dead weight that drags down her husband.
Rusev and Lana interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Rusev told Almas that his luck will run out Sunday and Lana stated that they will crush Vega & Almas this Sunday at SummerSlam.
Shelton controlled the match early and trapped Hardy in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Jeff escaped and connected with Whisper in the Wind for a two count. Hardy then knocked Benjamin to the corner with a boot to the midsection.
Jeff hit a Neckbreaker and then made his way to the top rope. Benjamin caught Jeff with a knee to the face and followed it up with a Superplex for a two count. Hardy battled back with a Slingblade and followed it up with the Twist of Fate for a pinfall victory.
After the match, United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura came down to the ring and attacked Hardy as he was distracted by Benjamin. Nakamura went for the Kinshasa but Hardy countered into the Twist of Fate. Jeff then climbed to the top and connected with the Swanton Bomb. Orton was shown watching from near the stage as Hardy made his way up the entrance ramp. Shinsuke Nakamura will defend the United States Championship against Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam.
SmackDown GM Paige had a conversation with Samoa Joe backstage tonight and told him to not ruin the main event at SummerSlam and to be professional. Joe promised Paige that he will continue to do whatever he wants.
Paige spoke to AJ Styles later in the night and asked him to be professional tonight. AJ said that he made a promise to his wife to be civil with Joe tonight but it will be a different story at SummerSlam.
WWE Champion AJ Styles came down to the ring at the end of this week’s episode of SmackDown. The crowd loudly chanted his name and AJ said that he is blessed because for almost 20 years he has been able to travel around the world and compete against the best wrestlers on the planet.
AJ stated that the WWE Championship is hard to hold because of the pressure that comes along with it. Styles showed footage of Samoa Joe attacking him three weeks ago on SmackDown and locking him in the Coquina Clutch. Styles accused Joe of stabbing him in the back and then in the heart. Styles then showed a clip of Joe calling him a failure as a father two weeks ago on SmackDown.
Styles congratulated Joe on getting him to lose his cool. AJ added that he felt like he had to defend himself as father and a husband. Styles said that Joe got him to go to a dark place where he wanted to rip Joe’s head off. AJ continued and said that his wife convinced him to remain focus and not let Joe get in his head.
Samoa Joe interrupted and pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Joe claimed that AJ wasn’t telling the truth and stated that he had received a letter from a member of the WWE Universe.
Joe read the letter that said that his remarks about Styles were true and that AJ never wanted a wife and children. That is why AJ is such a great WWE Champion because he will do anything to stay away from his family. The letter ended with the following:
“At SummerSlam, I pray that you win so AJ can know the feeling of losing the thing he loves the most because I lost him a long time ago.
Opinion: I thought the end of the show was great. The feud between Joe and Styles has become very personal and I’m looking forward to their match at SummerSlam. The rest of this week’s episode of SmackDown was underwhelming.
What did you think of this week’s episode of SmackDown? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s been some time since Rob Van Dam wrestled in a WWE ring. The ECW alumni has been taking numerous independent bookings as of late but recently took time on Twitter to answer a few questions relating to his WWE absence.
When asked about why it’s been years that he stepped inside a WWE ring, RVD gave a pretty straight forward answer. “Last time we talked, my time was worth more to me than to them. That hasn’t changed.”
There had been reports earlier this year that RVD was dealing with concussion issues and would not be able to pass a WWE physical. RVD says he laughed when he read about that online. “This rumor didn’t come from WWE, because it’s not true.” More on the RVD concussion story here.
Rob Van Dam’s Most Recent WWE Run
Rob Van Dam’s last WWE run had him return for 2013’s Money In The Bank main event which involved CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Christian, and Sheamus. While Van Dam did not win the match he did go on to have matches with Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, and many other current WWE talent at the time.
He would go on to feud with Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship but came up short on two occasions. RVD would wrap up his WWE obligations on an episode of Smackdown where he would lose to Seth Rollins and made his final appearance at the 2014 Slammy Awards.
AJ Styles has given some insight into his second reign as WWE Champion and his journey to being one of the top stars for the company.
The WWE Champion spoke with Joshua Caudill for Dirtforkto promote the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the WWE Network where is set to defend the title against Samoa Joe.
Second WWE Title Reign
Styles was asked about his second title run and being the guy WWE depends on where he noted that the first title reign is always the most exciting but the second time around is the most rewarding as he won the title from Jinder Mahal in England, which he noted is something that WWE never had before so it was cool and the fact that he’s the longest reigning WWE SmackDown Champion in history is also very cool. “I enjoy being the guy that people depend on. That’s rewarding to me. To be able to hold on to the championship this long means I’m doing something right. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. My job is to make sure that people are entertained and at SummerSlam, it will be no different. I can promise you that.”
Turning Point
Styles also touched upon when he thought was the moment once WWE Chairman Vince McMahon saw something in him. The SmackDown star noted that he was looked at as a mid-card at best in the WWE and that the plan was to be okay with that because WWE is a great job. However, he didn’t think that’s where he was going to be but there was that time when he made his debut, McMahon thought the fan reactions at the Royal Rumble was a fluke as he didn’t think much of him. “I don’t even think I was supposed to be on Raw that next Monday. But the turning point where Vince really saw something in me was when I had a regular match, a babyface match, went out and did my thing. I came back to gorilla and Vince says, ‘Come here for a second. I’ve got other guys who can do exactly what you just did out there. You didn’t do anything special. I need a pit bull. I need a guy who just attacks. I need a guy who gets after it.’”
Styles continued to say that he told him that he knew a guy which was him and that he had the opportunity to be on Miz TV and handled it well where he thinks the way that turned out was the turning point for McMahon. He brought up how he would then beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32 and become the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns where they had some fantastic matches. “That was the turning point. That’s when things changed and that’s how I became the A.J. Styles that you know now.”
Check out the complete interview atDirtfork.com. Also, remember to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday evening for live results coverage of this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
What are your thoughts on Style’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
It’s official, the USA Network has picked up Miz And Mrs for a second season after just three episodes of the first season airing thus far. The Miz and Maryse announced the news in a post that was shared on The Miz’s Twitter account that also aired on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
The show premiered on July 24 where it pulled in 1,473,000 viewers for the first episode. The second episode did 1,303,000 and third episode drew 1,225,000 viewers.
The Miz made the announcement by writing the following, “You wanted more @MizandMrsTV. You got more #MizAndMrs MORE EPISODES coming your way in 2019 on @usa_network. @marysemizanin and I can’t thank everyone enough for the love and support. We are very proud of this show and excited to get back to work.”
Former WWE/ECW/WCW Superstar Lance Storm noted on his official Twitter account that was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week. He’s likely serving as a guest trainer.
NXT star Ricochet, who is slated to challenge Adam Cole for the NXT North American Title at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV this weekend, commented on Storm being at the training facility.
Becky Lynch Lynch spoke with USA Today’sFor The Win blog this week to promote SummerSlam. Becky Lynch will face SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmell and Charlotte in a triple threat match this Sunday. During this interview, she spoke about being the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion and the current state of WWE’s women’s divisions.
Her First Title Reign
Lynch stated that once she won the title for the first time, she couldn’t stop smiling and that it took a few days for that moment to set in for her as she usually doesn’t celebrate milestones.
“I was in a Denny’s. We used to love to come to Denny’s – and I remember being in the bathroom and looking in the mirror, and I go ‘I’m the SmackDown Women’s Champion’ and jumping up and down on my own like a little weirdo.”
Women’s Division
Lynch also was asked about the atmosphere in the locker room ever since Evolution was announced as well as the Mae Young Classic tournament where she noted that everyone just wants to prove themselves and that they all want to go into this upcoming event as champion.
“I think everybody is excited, and I think they look at is as an opportunity to really showcase their skills and really highlight themselves. I think we just want to steal the show.”
Check out the complete interview atFtw.usatoday.com. Also, remember to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday evening for live results coverage of this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Kurt Angle Continues To Hype Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle continues to hype the upcoming battle over the Universal Title between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Roman Reigns at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the WWE Network.
In the storyline, Angle has taken a strong position on who he wants to see win the match, which is Reigns. The former WWE Champion took to his official Twitter account where he made his case for Reigns to become the new champion by writing the following, “Brock hardly ever shows up, nor does he defend the Universal Championship consistently. I Hope @WWERomanReigns kicks Brock’s ass this Sunday at Summerslam. Then the Title will show up on Raw each week, the way it should. #itstrue.”
Brock hardly ever shows up, nor does he defend the Universal Championship consistently. I Hope @WWERomanReigns kicks Brock’s ass this Sunday at Summerslam. Then the Title will show up on Raw each week, the way it should. #itstruehttps://t.co/jsFOrJBlNC
WWE has already announced that Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas would battle Rusev and Lana in a mixed tag team match on the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff pre-show.
The company recently sent out this video that you can watch below of Zega and Almas addressing Rusev and Lana. Almas noted that he and Vega are the present and the future of SmackDown.
The Undertaker and a “Triple Main Event” are being advertised for WWE’s big SmackDown 1,000 special on October 16th.
Earlier this week, WWE announced that the 1,000th episode of SmackDown will take place on 10/16 from Washington, D.C at the Capital One Arena. On Tuesday, WWE sent out an email blast promoting a pre-sale for SmackDown 1,000 advertising a special appearance from The Undertaker.
The also promotes three big matches, two of which are SummerSlam rematches:
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy
Tickets for SmackDown 1,000 go on sale this Friday at Ticketmaster, the Capital One Arena box office or by calling 1-800-745-3000. A special online pre-sale will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) 10 AM EST using code SMACKDOWN.
Former WWE Champion and recently named Knox County mayor-electGlenn “Kane” Jacobs was interviewed on the FOX News Rundown podcast by ex-WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Tyrus.
Stereotypes About Wrestlers
Kane talked about his recent political win, wanting to break the stereotypes that surround WWE Superstars and if he’ll wrestle while maintaining his mayoral responsibilities. He noted that WWE stars are often labelled as “jocks.”
Jacobs would like to show people that couldn’t be further from the truth with his recent political victory. He was reminded by a quote Stephanie McMahon once told him about why WWE Superstars aren’t just called “wrestlers”:
“I remember Stephanie McMahon once saying there’s a reason why we’re not called wrestlers. We’re called superstars, because there’s so much more that we do,” said Jacobs.
“Even within our WWE careers, all the things that we’re asked to do. Our promotion, dealing with the media, all of that stuff is more than just a guy or gal in the ring for 10 minutes a night and put on a show.”
Wrestling As Mayor
Tyrus then asked Kane if he plans on continuing his in-ring career while he’s mayor. Kane said if he does anything, it would just be for special events:
“Basically, if I do anything, I’ll just do some special events,” said Kane.
“But, WWE has been a part of my life for over 20 years, I am very proud of my career, I’m very proud of working for the company, I’m proud of people like you (Tyrus), I’m proud of so many of my friends and colleagues.”
Listen to Kane’s interview on the FOX News Rundown podcast by clicking this link here.
Do you think Kane is helping to erase the “jock” stereotype around wrestlers? Let us know how you feel about the situation in the comments below!
Roman Reigns will once again face Brock Lesnar for a WWE World Title.
Reigns is set to challenge “The Beast” at the company’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend for the Universal Title. The action goes down from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19th.
This will be the fourth one-on-one bout between Lesnar and Reigns for a WWE World Title. Lesnar and Reigns first collided at WrestleMania 31 for the WWE World Title. In the end, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase to spoil their moment.
Next, Reigns challenged Lesnar on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All” three years later at WrestleMania 34. Lesnar defeated Reigns clean after a bloody back-and-forth contest. And lastly, Reigns again failed to capture the Universal Title from Lesnar at The Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
Reigns Speared Lesnar outside of the cage; and although his feet hit the ground first, Lesnar’s back landed before. Lesnar was declared the winner. Now Reigns will get a fourth opportunity at defeating “The Beast.”
“I think it’s awesome. We have a lot of critics. A lot of opinions nowadays with social media and everybody being able to connect. People can say whatever they want but I think 20 years from now, if you look at it, the three years, the first one we had (WrestleMania 31), that was a banger. That was two titans going at it. We killed each other. Then we had a couple of multi-man matches mixed throughout then the next one at ‘Mania (33).
“Say what you want — by the end of it, if you go back and watch the physicality, you can say whatever you want. Oh, there’s a lot of suplexes. But it’s Brock Lesnar. He’s a big ol’ giant, cornfed wrestler that throws bodies around. With blood all over the canvas, I thought it was a pretty good story and a good, physical contest.
“Then the third one, singles-wise, was in Saudi Arabia and I speared the guy through the freaking cage. It was the craziest action sequence other than Titus (O’Neil) about sliding back to America. I thought that was a pretty good contest as well. I think in due time, on top of what he’s doing with bouncing between UFC, there’s nobody like him.
“We literally have another one that is the top name in Ronda Rousey and you don’t hear her floating with the idea of getting back in that Octagon but Brock Lesnar is ready to step in there tomorrow if you’d let him.
“I think he’s — not to sound like Paul (Heyman) — he’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and for me to have this awesome rivalry with him over the past three years, I think it’s a huge defining mark for my career and it definitely was a launching pad coming from 2015.”
WWE NXT Superstar Ricochet recently did an interview with TV Insider to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During their conversations, Ricochet talked about finally getting to WWE after having worked for several promotions beforehand.
Ricochet has worked for the likes of Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Dragon Gate, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Lucha Underground. Ricochet said working in WWE has been exciting since day one:
“WWE has been exciting since day one. Right now, it has been figuring out who I am going to be and what I’m going to be about. From the talent to the coaches to the medical staff to everyone in the locker room, it’s been amazing.”
He also talked about all the guidance he has received working at the WWE’s Performance Center:
“They’ve all helped me a lot and shown me how to look at wrestling totally different, in the best way possible,” he said. “Just about the timing, having positioning. Top to-bottom, in the ring and out of the ring, I’m looking at it in a whole new space of mind. I think it’s for the better.”
Keeping The “Ricochet” Ring Name
Ricochet then talked about getting to keep his “Ricochet” ring name in WWE after spending the past 15 years building it up:
“It was cool because the last 15 years of my life has been about trying to build up a name. When I got to WWE, there was some rumblings about changing it. I was okay with that because it has worked in the past, and I had a few choices lined up.
“But when they said I was able to keep it, it meant the world to me because it was definitely a name I put my blood, sweat and tears in building. I built my own name. All the hard work built up to this.”
We have some more details on Jim Neidhart’s passing.
It was announced yesterday that former WWE Tag Team Champion Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart had passed away. Neidhart is the father of current WWE Superstar Natalya. WWE paid tribute to Neidhart with a video package during Monday Night RAW last night.
According to a report from TMZ, Neidhart fell down at around 6:30 A.M. in his Florida home. He passed away shortly thereafter. Neidhart’s wife, Elizabeth, told emergency personnel that Neidhart collapsed while having a seizure. He hit his head during the fall.
She added that Neidhart got out of bed after having difficulty sleeping. He was going to change the thermostat. When he touched the thermostat he “turned weirdly as if he were about to dance. He then fell towards the wall and ground.”
Elizabeth subsequently called 911 as she thought he was suffering from a seizure. She noted that Neidhart “suffers from seizures and takes medication” for them. Neidhart hadn’t had a seizure since December of 2017.
When emergency personnel arrived at Neidhart’s home in Wesley Chapel, Florida, he was found on the floor with a four-inch gash on his face. Investigators also found medication in the home but determined that it had not been abused.
WWE has announced that Elias will perform live at Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
This performance is in addition to Elias’ Friday night concert at New York City’s Gramercy Theater. According to WWE, Elias is promising to share “what he promises will be his single greatest song to date.”
WWE SummerSlam Card
In addition to Elias’ performance, 13 matches are confirmed for the event:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs Roman Reigns
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
Smackdown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz.
Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler w/Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins
Bruan Strowman puts his MITB briefcase on the line against Kevin Owens
United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy
Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
The SummerSlam Kickoff Show, which begins at 5pm, will feature:
Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak.
Raw Tag Team Champions The B Team vs. The Revival
Rusev & Lana vs.Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega
WWE SummerSlam takes place this Sunday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
RAW Viewership numbers have been released for this week’s “go home” show from Greensboro, North Carolina. The 8/13 edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.825 million viewers viewers, up from 2.804 million viewers last week.
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 2.849 million viewers
Hour 2: 2.867 million viewers
Hour 3: 2.760 million viewers
RAW featured Dean Ambrose’s return, Brock Lesnar viciously attacking Roman Reigns after a stellar in-ring promo by Paul Heyman, Renee Young making history on commentary, a tribute to the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and the final hype for SummerSlam.
RAW was the third most-watched show on cable television for the night behind Hannity on FOX News (3.260 million viewers) and The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC (2.972 million viewers)
Dana White’s Reaction To Roman Reigns RAW Comments
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum on the USA Network, Roman Reigns opened the third hour with a promo in the ring about his upcoming battle against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.
During this promo, Reigns stated that he would take back his Universal Title at SummerSlam and would send Lesnar so far back to the UFC that he would find his head stuck in UFC President Dana White’s a**. White took to his official Twitter account to briefly comment on the promo by writing the following:
WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, is slated to premiere the second episode of WWE Chronicle that focuses on Samoa Joe at 3pm EST on Friday in the on-demand section. The documentary will also air on the live feed at 8pm EST that night. Here is the synopsis of that episode:
“Samoa Joe’s journey from the day after WrestleMania to the eve of his WWE Championship Match against AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2018.”
What are your thoughts on Reigns’ comments? Sound off in the comment section.
