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WWE Targeting AEW Allies For Partnership Deals (Report)

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WWE’s recent partnership with the indie promotion Reality of Wrestling is not an entirely altruistic act, it has been reported.

Earlier this week, it was announced that NXT talent will be appearing for ROW (the promotion founded by NXT commentator Booker T) starting with Ivy Nile.

The Diamond Mine member will be in action at the ROW event on February 11, in Texas City.

Targets

Following the Monday Night War, WWE and Vince McMahon refused to play with others, which has made this apparent change of attitude such a surprise.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that ROW is just one of several promotions in WWE’s sights, with the goal being to cut sources of talent to AEW.

“there are several companies that are talked to, with the idea that they may be able to get NXT stars, but the Booker T thing has to go well. If it goes well, there are other companies and I think they are targeting companies that are close to AEW and see what they can do.

Dave Meltzer.

Working with Others

WWE’s reasons for providing ROW with NXT talent aren’t just to help Booker’s promotion, and this isn’t the first time they’ve acted this way.

During the Monday Night Wars, Vince McMahon would give payments to ECW, initially considered a loan though it is unclear if the money was ever repaid.

McMahon would also send WWF talent to ECW for further conditioning, and ECW could advertise big names from the much bigger promotion.

In return, Paul Heyman would give the WWF the first opportunity to sign ECW talent when contracts were expiring, giving McMahon the advantage over WCW.

h/t – Wrestling News

Jon Moxley Knows How AEW Can Set Itself Apart from Failed WWE Competitors

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AEW has carved their own place in the wrestling world in a relatively short period. They have shown that there is demand for an alternate wrestling product that doesn’t follow the set formula of WWE. Jon Moxley thinks it’s exactly what they should continue doing.

The former AEW world champion recently spoke to Kev Nash on The Justin Kinner Show. He spoke about things such as his love for professional wrestling and leaving WWE. Speaking about what makes AEW the success it is, Mox explained that they have deviated from the set formula of WWE. Per Mox, it’s something they have to keep up:

“I think what we always have to remember is that it’s an alternative. I think the other promotions in the past that have tried to be the standard kind of WWE formula that’s kind of the known, typical [thing]. What people in North America think of as major league wrestling,” said Jon Moxley, “It comes off as WWE light and it comes off like some kind of Triple-A baseball or something. I don’t think we should ever be that.

He continued: “I think we should always do the opposite thing. The more subversive thing. The cooler thing. We should always be one step ahead and we should be on the precipice of like, what the next big thing in wrestling is. We should always be looking ahead you know. I think it’s important for us to always be an alternative. To see things and people and wrestlers and styles that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. [Things] that aren’t put into a blender and made to be part of a fancy polished product. “

You can check out Jon Moxley’s full interview below:

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Jon Moxley Will “Ride or Die” With AEW

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Jon Moxley has been loyal to AEW since May of 2019. He extended his contract with the promotion for five more years back in October of 2022.

There is no secret that Jon Moxley has a tremendous passion for the pro wrestling industry. In a recent interview with Justin Kinner of ESPN Radio out of Dayton, Ohio, Moxley stated that he will ‘ride or die’ with AEW.

When asked by Justin Kinner, “What is about wrestling that pushes you so hard, that when you choose to have an off night and yet you choose not to?”

Moxley had this to say,

“I enjoy it, it’s recreation for me. As much as it is, anything else. What else are you going to do with your time? It’s the coolest job in the World. Some people like to go golfing, I like to step in a cage and attack people with weapons. There’s really no other levels of adrenaline you can reach.”

“At a certain point, once you’ve been doing this as long as I have, I need it for my soul. I go out there, get loose and get a little sweat on. I’ll have blood coming from my eyebrow and everything, it’s relaxing to me. I enjoy pro wrestling.”

Jon Moxley wants to leave a lasting impact.

Jon Moxley
(AEW)

Later in the interview, Kinner said that “it looks there are no regrets leaving the WWE back in 2019 to sign with AEW.”

Moxley said, “It was a wreck for guys like myself and Chris Jericho. We joked that we tied ourselves, we were getting in a raft and heading down the river. We had no idea what was going to come. It was not guaranteed that AEW was going to be a success. We didn’t know if the show was going to be any good”

We didn’t know if this was going to last. It was all a shot in the dark, but we all had faith. It was really important to the business for AEW to be successful. For the sport, the art of pro wrestling and for the fans.

Moxley would follow that up with this quote.

“If I have a lasting impact on the business, it would probably be that I helped AEW get off the ground, and I absolutely refuse to let this place ever go to hell. I will ride or die with this place. I won’t ever let it go downhill or suck or anything like that.”

Matt Riddle Shows Off New Grill Amid WWE Hiatus

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Matt Riddle has not been seen on WWE programming in months but has taken to social media to show off his new grill.

Riddle last competed for WWE in early December and was written off of TV on the December 5, Raw with an attack by Solo Sikoa.

The former United States Champion was in fact suspended for violating WWE’s Wellness Policy and it was later reported that he had entered rehab.

New Grill

Riddle may be missing from WWE TV, but the Original Bro has continued to make headlines for interesting reasons.

After splitting from his ex-wife Lisa, Riddle began dating adult film actress Misha Montana, but has also faced accusations of cheating from other actresses.

Taking to social media, Riddle shared a few selfies with Montana, and showed off his new grill.

Riddle thanked Montana for her support during his recovery following his suspension from WWE.

When a fan stated that they were hoping to see Riddle in a ‘more stable environment,’ Montana fired back, saying she and Matt are completely sober but people will route for failure.

Riddle’s Return

While Riddle’s suspension is believed to have been for sixty days, there’s been no confirmation as to when he will return to TV.

Though Riddle has been advertised for the February 13, 2023, edition of Raw in Brooklyn, New York, the card is always subject to change.

In addition to Riddle, RK-Bro ally Randy Orton continues to be missing due to a severe back injury, with some fearing that the Legend Killer’s days in the ring may be already over.

Dominik Mysterio’s “Dream” Is to Compete for Lucha Libre AAA

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Dominik Mysterio has made a name for himself as part of the WWE roster, but the self-proclaimed Eddie Guerrero of the modern day could one day compete for AAA.

After being introduced to WWE fans as a child in the 2000s, Mysterio would make more regular appearances starting in 2019, and would have his first match in 2020.

Initially teaming with his father Rey, Dominik would turn heel at WWE Clash at the Castle last year and has since joined the Judgment Day

Competing for AAA

Before joining WWE, Rey Mysterio honed his skills in AAA, and would return to the promotion after his departure from the Stamford promotion in 2015.

Speaking to Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman, Dominik was asked if he would ever consider working a match in Lucha Libre AAA down the line.

“I mean, that’d be awesome for me. I know that’s where my dad started and he got his start, so that’d be real cool for me and a dream come true for sure.”

Dominik Mysterio.

In addition to being part of his father’s legacy, AAA is also the home of Konnan, who serves as head booker and who has been helping Dominik with his new character.

Dominik’s Future

Dominik Mysterio may have his sights set on AAA, but his immediate future resides in his home state of California.

Since turning heel in Cardiff, fans have assumed that a match between father and son is happening, with Rey moving to SmackDown to avoid said conflict.

At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Rey was attacked backstage by Dominik, who mocked his father by wearing his mask.

Umaga’s Son Zilla Fatu Reflects On His Time In Prison

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Zilla Fatu had a rough teenage. After losing his father Umaga in 2009, the Anoa’i family member got mixed up with the wrong crowd early in his life and ended up going to prison at a young age. Though he is now trying to put his life back together. His father was a legend of the wrestling business and he is now trying make a name for himself in the industry as well.

The 22-year-old was recently interviewed by Muscle Man Malcolm. He discussed his past life and his future aspirations. Fatu was charged with aggravated robbery at the age of 15. He spent six years at the Texas State Penitentiary before being released in March 2022. When asked what led to him going to prison, Fatu attributed it to lack of a plan:

“What led up to me going in prison I want to say just me not having a plan. Me just being lost bro, just being a kid. Then obviously at that time, my mom or anybody that I was dealing with, we were just living in poverty. When you’re living in poverty there’s so much things that’s going on that’s out of your control.”

‘I Didn’t Want That For Me’: Zilla Fatu

Now that he is finally out of prison, Zilla Fatu is trying to put his life back together. He has announced his entry into the wrestling business. For this, he has joined Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school. Speaking about his struggles and aspirations, the young star said that he wants to re-establish himself:

“Obviously, when I lost my dad, I mean, I don’t want to use it as a excuse, but it was kind of a big on not just me but my whole family. After my dad died, we went downhill from there.  But going in there and seeing that prison is not a joke.

That a lot of people does not make it home, a lot of people die in there. I didn’t want that for me. I wanted to come out here and regroup and re-establish myself into a better man. A man that my mom and my dad grew to raise me.”

You can check out Zilla Fatu’s full interview below:

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Vince McMahon Admonished Kevin Dunn After Using Slur About Ex-WWE Star

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Vince McMahon is an interesting person to say the very least.

After retiring ‘for good’ in July of last year, the billionaire is back in charge of WWE, being appointed ‘Executive Chairman’ last month and replacing his daughter Stephanie.

The 77-year-old McMahon has declared that he will retire again if it is in WWE’s best interest, and has kept away from creative meetings and TV tapings thus far.

Hornswoggle

Out of all the little people WWE has used over its many years Dylan ‘Hornswoggle’ Postl is perhaps the most recognizable.

The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion (and Anonymous Raw General Manager) debuted as Finlay’s ‘leprechaun’ in 2006 but would have a solo career in his own right.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Postl explained that Kevin Dunn would often refer to him as “the midget,” a term found offensive by many little people.

“Kevin Dunn on a headset. I was underneath the ring, and I could always hear the conversations between everyone. Everyone. The producers in the back, Kevin Dunn in the truck, Vince in the back.

So Kevin Dunn’s like ‘Vince, we need to figure out how to get the midget back to the back.’ [As Vince] ‘Goddammit Kevin! We don’t use that word. He’s a little person.’”

Dylan ‘Hornswoggle’ Postl.

Postl added that Dunn gave “apology after apology” over the use of the term, both to McMahon and himself.

After being released from WWE in May 2016, Postl would make sporadic appearances, including as part of the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble.

Postl has also appeared for Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and had a cameo appearance for AEW Dynamite in November 2020, as part of The Inner Circle’s trip to Las Vegas.

h/t – Fightful

Shawn Michaels Provides Update On Donovan Dijak’s NXT Vengeance Day Injury

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Shawn Michaels has provided an update on the gnarly-looking injury of Donovan Dijak from tonight’s NXT Vengeance Day special.

The NXT star challenged Wes Lee for the North American Championship on the show. He appeared to have suffered a broken finger during the bout and images of his injury went viral online.

Michaels was asked about Dijak’s health during the post-Vengeance Day media call. He mentioned that it’s a miracle that the 35-year-old’s figure is not broken:

‘It’s A Modern Miracle’: Shawn Michaels

“Yeah, everybody is good. I announced it at gorilla, it got to be a miracle. It’s not broken. We got him x-ray. They said it’s not broken. And so yeah, I guess what you do is you kind of numb it and put it back in place and that’s what’s happening now.

But it is, again, a modern miracle because we all saw it, it was pretty gnarly looking. But apparently, he’s going to be okay, which is obviously fantastic news for us and him.”

Donovan Dijak was unsuccessful in capturing the title. The ending of the bout saw Lee hitting a superkick on his opponent and then pinning him after a strike to the face.

Apart from this, the NXT Vengeance Day special featured a couple of title changes and the return of a Raw Underground star. You can check out the results of the show here.

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Dijak Shows Off Finger Injury from NXT Vengeance Day

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Dijak didn’t become the new WWE NXT North American Champion at the recent Vengeance Day event, but did show his toughness in the ring.

In the opening match of the night, Dijak hoped to capture his first title in WWE when he faced off against NXT North American Champion Wes Lee.

Going just over 17 minutes, the two put on a hard-hitting affair which saw Lee (who has held the title since October) get the pinfall victory.

The Injury

While it was Lee who got the victory, the main story coming out of this match is Dijak’s finger and his tenacity for continuing to wrestle after his injury

On social media, the former RETRIBUTION member showed off his nasty injury.

There’s no word yet on if Dijak will miss any ring time after suffering this injury.

Even if he does miss time in the ring, the former T-BAR is expected to continue his feud with Tony D’Angelo and Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo, who interfered during the NXT North American Championship match.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Shawn Michaels informed Bruce Prichard that Dijak’s finger is not broken.

Dijak in WWE

Though WWE had plans to sign Dijak in early 2017, a legal threat from ROH (who he was under contract to) led WWE to rescind that offer.

The following month in February, Dijak opted not to re-sign with ROH, and was signed to WWE that September.

Competing as Dominik Dijakovic, Dijak would be a solid performer on the gold brand, but never captured the NXT or NXT North American titles.

In September 2020, Dijakovic was called up to the main roster as T-BAR as part of the doomed Retribution angle.

After the group split in early 2021, Dijakovic would hover around WWE Main Event before his return to WWE in late 2022.

Watch: Raw Underground Star Makes Surprise Return At NXT Vengeance Day

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Dabba Kato is back and he is done making alliances.

The NXT Vengeance Day special saw Apollo Crews going one on one against Carmello Hayes in a two out of three falls match.

Hayes picked up the first fall in the bout. He nailed Crews with a cutter and then locked him up in a Crossface, forcing Apollo to tap out.

Trick Williams who was at the ringside then tried to help Hayes with the second fall. He took out the turnbuckle pad but Crews attacked him. The former IC champion then sent Hayes into the exposed turnbuckle.

Dabba Kato is back

Williams tried to get involved again with a chair. This is where Dabba Kato made his return. Kato stopped Williams from getting involved but it didn’t help Crews. Carmelo Hayes hit a Nothing But Net and then picked up the second fall to win the match.

Following the match Dabba Kato hugged Apollo Crews but he then quickly turned on his former partner. He delivered a headbutt and then slammed him onto the steel chair:

Kato was first seen on WWE TV as part of Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground segments. He was later paired with Apollo Crews as Commander Azeez during his IC title run. The giant had been off tv since Crews returned to the development territory.

Tony Khan Is “Certainly Open To” Possible WWE/AEW Crossover

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Could WWE and All Elite Wrestling one day put their differences aside and work together for a crossover supershow? Tony Khan hopes so.

WWE’s mantra has infamously been to not play with others, and has for decades refused to work with other promotions.

That attitude has softened somewhat over the last year, with Impact’s Mickie James competing in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble.

Last month also saw WWE’s Karl Anderson be allowed to compete at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.

WWE-AEW Crossover

In the four years since being founded, fans have speculated on what a dream card between AEW and WWE talent would look like.

Tony Khan was a recent guest of the WTF with Marc Maron podcast and when asked, expressed his interest in a crossover show between the two sides.

“It’s something I would certainly be open to, and I think it’s an interesting thing for the future. It’s not something that’s ever really been done. They’ve kind of existed in their own space. We are working with a lot of wrestling promotions.”

Tony Khan.

Khan compared the situation to Marvel and DC Comics, saying it’d be a crossover that fans would have not seen before.

The AEW President did admit that things “would get very political” with talent from both sides wanting to come out on top.

Crossing Over

While WWE and AEW haven’t held a show (yet) the relationship between the two sides isn’t as frosty as one may expect.

In 2019, Billy Gunn, who had signed with AEW, was allowed to attend the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony for DX’s induction, joking on-camera that Vince McMahon couldn’t fire him.

For last year’s celebration of 20 years of John Cena, multiple AEW stars including Bryan Danielson and Chris Jericho praised Cena in videos aired on Raw.

AEW and WWE talent being backstage at each other’s companies is not uncommon either, with Ricky Starks being backstage to support his mentor Cody Rhodes at last weekend’s Royal Rumble.

h/t – 411 Mania

Bron Breakker Retains WWE NXT Title at Vengeance Day

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WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Grayson Waller in the main event of the Vengeance Day special on Peacock. 

The match started outside of the ring before Bron tossed him into the ring. Bron beat him down in the early going until Waller cut him with a drop kick off the middle rope then a leg drop off the top rope. Waller tied him up in the ropes to do more damage. Bron then made his comeback. Breakker hit a superplex off the top rope. Breakker went over with two spears. Post-match, Carmelo Hayes appeared, pointing at Breakker, an indication he’s next in line. 

How we Got Here

Their first match happened last month at New Year’s Evil when Breakker retained the title by countout. The finish of the bout saw Waller not be able to back into the ring and the match ended in a countout. 

Breakker won the NXT Title for a second time on the April 4th edition of Raw when he beat Dolph Ziggler. Breakker previously won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January from Tommaso Ciampa.

Breakker’s recent title defenses have come against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh at Halloween Havoc, Tyler Bate at Worlds Collide, JD McDonagh in August, and Cameron Grimes on July 5th. 

Gallus Wins WWE NXT Tag Team Titles at Vengeance Day

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NXT Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson were booked at Saturday’s Vengeance Day special. 

The match took place in the middle of the card and was a typical multi-team match where it started slow and built from there with chaotic moments. 

Wolfgang put Hudson through the announce table. Kofi went for a wild dive on the outside from the top rope only to be caught by Pretty Deadly. The finish saw Woods go for an elbow drop. However, he was caught by Wolfgang and Gallus hit their finisher for the win.

New Day defeated Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) on December 10, 2022 at NXT Deadline to win the titles.

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction with the Tag Team Titles as New Day are still a main roster tag team. 

What are your thoughts on Gallus winning the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Wes Lee Retains North American Title at WWE NXT Vengeance Day

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WWE NXT North American Champion Wes Lee put his championship on the line in a defense against Dijak at Saturday’s WWE NXT Vengeance Day.

The bout opened the show and was a fast paced bout with both stars getting time to shine. Lee got the early start before Dijak took over. Lee had a close near fall when hitting a brainbuster. The two did some near falls down the stretch. 

Lee reversed a powerbomb with a hurricanrana and Dijak had a nasty landing.  Lee hit his finisher for a near fall. 

Lee went over with a head kick after interference by Tony D’Angelo and Stacks. This was a big upset as Dijak was over a -300 favorite to win the title. 

Lee became the champion in his first reign when he defeated Carmelo Hayes, Oro Mensah, Nathan Frazer and Von Wagner in a five-man ladder match on October 22, 2022 at Halloween Havoc in Orlando, Florida. 

Dijak returned from a hiatus after he was sent back to NXT from the main roster following a run as T-Bar a few months ago where he has had his eyes on Lee’s North American Title. 

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered. 

What are your thoughts on Lee retaining the North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE NXT Vengeance Day Results (2/4/23): Bron Breakker Successfully Retains NXT Championship Against Grayson Waller Inside of a Steel Cage

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WWE NXT’s latest premium live event went down when Vengeance Day invaded the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on 2/4/23! Every NXT title was on the line and NXT Champion Bron Breakker successfully retained his title in the main event against Grayson Waller in a steel cage match.

Live Coverage

Wes Lee (C) vs. Dijak — NXT North American Championship

Lee trips Dijak to the outside right off the bat. Lee looks for a springboard moonsault but Dijak catches him and fires him into the barricade. Dijak tosses Lee back into the ring and lays into the champion with some heavy strikes. Dijak plants Lee with a slam and looks for the cover but Lee lifts the shoulders after a two-count. Dijak launches Lee to the outside over the top rope and the champion crashes into the barricade. Dijak sends Lee into the ring apron before tossing him back into the ring where he goes for the pin but Lee kicks out. Dijak stomps a mud hole into Lee but the champion sends the challenger to the outside with a drop-kick.

Dijak comes back into the ring but eats a bevy of kicks from Lee, who drops Dijak in the corner and cracks him with a super-kick to the back of the head. Lee plants Dijak with a huge German suplex and goes for the cover but Dijak kicks out. Both competitors are slugging it out on the apron and Lee sends Dijak crashing to the floor with an overhead slam. Lee comes flying to the outside with a springboard handstand flip over the top rope which deservedly garners a massive pop from the crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lee tosses Dijak back into the ring and goes for the cover but Dijak kicks out at two-and-a-half!

Lee cracks Dijak with a super-kick and looks for a spring-board dive but Dijak catches him and plants him with a choke-slam before going for the cover but Lee kicks out! Dijak applies the sleeper hold and the champion is fading. Dijak scoops Lee up on his shoulders and looks for a slam but Lee rolls it into a pin attempt but Dijak kicks out. Lee goes up top and nails Dijak with a corkscrew dive from the top turnbuckle and goes for the cover but Dijak lifts the shoulder just in time. Dijak rolls to the outside to recover, Lee goes flying through the middle rope but Dijak catches him and launches him into the barricade. Dijak grabs one of the commentators’ chairs and puts Lee in it. Dijak pits a broom through the opening to hold Lee down and drills the champion with a super-kick. Dijak climbs to the top turnbuckle but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come out of nowhere and push Lee out of the way. Lee scrambles back in the ring and cracks Dijak with a Pele Kick and gets the 1-2-3!

Winner – Wes Lee (C)

Kayden Carter & Katana Chance (C) vs. Kiana James & Fallon Henley (with Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen) — NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship

Kayden and Kiana start this one off. Kayden drops Kiana with a kick to the face and makes the tag to Katana, who comes leaping over the top rope and nails Kiana with a slam before going for an early cover but Kiana kicks out. Kiana makes the tag to Fallon, Katana makes the tag to Kayden and all four competitors come in the ring and brawl. The champions get the upper hand and nail Fallon with a double-team move, Kayden makes the tag to Katana, who goes for the cover but Fallon kicks out. Fallon makes a tag to Kiana, who scoops and slams Katana before going for the cover but Katana kicks out. The challengers have Katana secluded in their corner and they exchange quick tags and strikes and Fallon goes for the cover but Katana lifts the shoulders. Everyone brawls again, Kayden is the legal competitor against Fallon and Kayden drills her with a sliding drop-kick to knock Fallon to the outside. Everyone brawls on the outside, Katana ends up legal and nails Fallon with a front kick before going for the cover but Fallon kicks out.

Some more back-and-forth from both teams ensues, Kayden and Kiana are now legal, the champions double-team Kiana and Katana nails Kiana with a springboard moonsault off of Kayden. Kiana tosses Kayden to the outside, the challengers plant Katana with a double team move and Fallon goes for the cover but Kayden makes the save. Kayden takes Kiana out with a springboard cutter on the outside. Katana and Fallon are the legal competitors back inside of the ring and they start exchanging strikes. Everyone’s back up and inside the ring again, lots of brawling in this one. Kayden and Fallon end up legal and both are on the top turnbuckle. Katana comes in and she makes the self-tag before assisting Kayden in a wile hurricanrana from the top and Katana goes for the cover but Fallon kicks out at two-and-a-half!

Kayden is now legal, she rolls Kiana up but Kiana sends her throat-first into the middle rope and rolls Kayden up, Kiana is holding Kayden’s legs down from the outside behind the referee’s back and he counts the 1-2-3! New champions!

Winner – Kiana James & Fallon Henley

Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) — Two-out-of-Three Falls Match

A test of strength to start. Some mat wrestling from both competitors goes down but both back off and reset. Some more true mat wrestling exchanges occur, Apollo with a head-lock, Carmelo rolls into a head scissors and applies an arm-bar as well. Apollo rolls out and latches in another head-lock. Apollo slaps Carmelo in the face and both competitors come face-to-face. Carmelo goes up and top and looks for a flying knee but Apollo catches him mid-air and drops him with a slam. Apollo mocks Carmelo’s ‘ballin” gesture and sends Carmelo to the corner, then fires him into the opposite one. Carmelo fends Apollo off with some elbows and goes for another spring-board dive but Apollo catches him once again and plants him with a German suplex. Carmelo sends Apollo to the outside and looks for a sliding kick but Apollo leaps over him and gets into Trick Williams’ face at ringside.

Carmelo uses the distraction and looks for a sneak attack but Apollo is alert to it and drops Carmelo with a right hook. Apollo gets on the apron and nails Carmelo with a moonsault off of the apron and to the outside and both competitors are down. Apollo sends Carmelo back into the ring and nails him with another moonsault before going for the cover but Carmelo kicks out. Trick retrieves a steel chair from under the ring and Apollo catches him doing so, but Trick pretends he was getting it to sit in. Back in the ring, Apollo slams Carmelo and looks for the cover but Carmelo kicks out. Carmelo sends Apollo to the outside and reclaims his ‘ballin” gesture. Carmelo tosses Apollo back into the ring and fires off a bevy of strikes and goes for the cover but Apollo kicks out. Carmelo applies a head and arm choke, then transitions into a bulldog choke, Apollo powers out but he gets slammed neck-first into the top rope and Carmelo goes for the cover but Apollo kicks out. A frustrated Carmelo immediately goes for another cover but Apollo lifts the shoulders to beat the count once again.

Some quick back-and-forth from both competitors, Apollo lays out Carmelo with a lariat and a corner splash. Apollo goes for a second splash in the corner but Carmelo evades and cracks him with a knee. Apollo drops Carmelo to the apron and goes up to the top turnbuckle and plants him with a super-plex before going for the cover but Carmelo lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half. Some great grappling exchanges occur and Carmelo locks in a cross-face and Apollo taps for the first fall!

First Fall Winner – Carmelo Hayes

A brief break is had by both competitors and we’re right back underway. Both men crash to the outside, the referee begins his count, Carmelo is back in and Apollo BARELY beats the count and stays alive in this match. Carmelo looks for a head-lock, Apollo spins out and plants Carmelo with a back-body drop, Carmelo lands a flying knee, but Apollo plants him with a supply. Trick sneakily places the chair in the corner and runs to the other side of the ring to tell Carmelo about it. Trick grabs the chair, Commander Azeez (now back as his former Dabba Kato moniker) comes down and tosses Trick in the ring, and Apollo quickly dispatches of him. Carmelo uses the distraction to lay Apollo out with a cross-body, then goes up top and lands a flying leg drop for the 1-2-3 and the win!

Second Fall Winner – Carmelo Hayes

Winner – Carmelo Hayes

  • After the match, Dabba Kato attacks Apollo and lays him out with a massive two-handed choke-slam.

New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) (C) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Chase University (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson) (with Thea Hail) — NXT Tag Team Championship

Woods and Wilson start this one off. Woods tosses Kit out of the ring, Prince comes in but also gets sent over the top rope and Thea Hail yells in their faces on the outside. Woods comes flying to the outside and takes out both members of Pretty Deadly and back in the ring, all hell is breaking loose. Chase U and Pretty Deadly are both battling it out in the middle of the ring and Chase and Prince end up as the legal competitors. More brawling from several competitors occurs, Gallus and Pretty Deadly are now going at it. Woods and Wilson end up legal once again but Pretty Deadly seclude Woods in their corner. Pretty Deadly take over for the balance of the match but Kofi and Prince are now tagged in as all four members of both teams start brawling.

Pretty Deadly double team Kofi and all eight members of the match are now slugging it out in the ring. Everyone is down, and now the fight spills to the outside, where everyone is brawling once again. Lots of brawling going on in this one between nearly everyone in the match. Everything finally settles down and Hudson and Coffey are the legal competitors. However, it doesn’t last long as the fight once again spills to the outside. Gallus plants Hudson through the announce table. Chase and Wolfgang are now legal and inside of the ring. More brawling, Gallus has Woods secluded in the ring and they plant Woods with a double team move and get the 1-2-3! New champions!

Winners – Gallus

Roxanne Perez (C) vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jane — NXT Women’s Championship

As expected, both members of Toxic Attraction gang up on Roxanne to start. Roxanne rolls Jacy up but she kicks out and the two-on-one attack continues for the former tag champions. Roxanne fires back and takes out both Gigi and Jacy, who roll to the outside, and the champion dives through the middle ropes and takes out both members of Toxic Attraction. Unfortunately for the champion, the numbers catch up and Jacy and Gigi have Roxanne grounded and continue their attack. Gigi slams Roxanne and goes for the cover but Jacy pulls her out of the ring and waves her finger at Gigi. Both members of Toxic Attraction come face-to-face in the ring and here we go! Jacy rolls Gigi up, Gigi rolls her back and both kick out and get back to their feet. Roxanne comes out of nowhere and lays both Jacy and Gigi out with a cross-body from the top turnbuckle. Roxanne goes to work on both challengers and plant them with a double DDT and she covers Jacy, but she kicks out, Roxanne covers Gigi, and Gigi also kicks out.

Jacy tosses Gigi to the outside and does the DX ‘suck it!’ gestured Roxanne rolls her up but Jacy kicks out. Roxanne goes for Pop Rox but Gigi comes in and breaks it up, tosses Jacy to the outside and plants Roxanne with a German suplex and goes for the cover but Jacy breaks it up! All three competitors are on their knees and exchanging head-butts. Everyone gets to their feet and the strikes continue. Gigi super-kicks Roxanne, Gigi and Jacy head-butt each other and fall onto Roxanne for a double cover but Roxanne kicks out! Toxic Attraction decide to work together again and set up a table on the outside. Roxanne fights back and plants Gigi with Pop Rox on the outside. Roxanne tosses Jacy back into the ring and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Jacy follow Roxanne to the top and Gigi comes back into the picture but Roxanne kicks her through the table! Roxanne turns her attention back to Jacy and plants her with Pop Rox from the top turnbuckle and gets the 1-2-3! Roxanne retains!

Winner – Roxanne Perez (C)

Bron Breakker (C) vs. Grayson Waller — Steel Cage Match, NXT Championship

Waller attacks Bron before the champion even gets inside the cage. Waller fires Bron into the barricade. Bron fights back and tosses Grayson into the ring and this one is officially underway. Waller drills Bron with some knees to the face but the champion roars back and cracks Grayson with a running shoulder block. Waller clocks Bron with an elbow then a back-body drop and goes for the cover but Bron kicks out. Waller evades a spear attempt from Bron and the champion crashes into the cage wall and Waller goes for the cover but Bron kicks out. Waller stomps on Bron in the corner, then plants the champion with a Blockbuster and goes for the cover but Bron lifts the shoulders after a two-count.

Waller climbs to the top turnbuckle, Bron pops up and rushes to the corner and nails Waller with a flying hurricanrana and goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Waller trips Bron to the mat, goes back to the top turnbuckle and crashes down onto Bron with a flying leg drop and goes for the cover but the champion kicks out. Waller mimics Bron’s signature gesture and locks Bron against the cage wall with the top and middle ropes tied around his arms. Waller delivers a spear to Bron but the champion is furious and powers out of the ropes and starts launching Waller into all four cage walls. Bron lifts Waller and absolutely launches him above the top rope into the cage wall. Bron lines Waller up for a spear but Waller leaps over him and nails the champion with a low blow. Waller plants Bron with a stunner and goes for the cover but Bron lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Both competitors struggle to their feet, Waller is up first and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Waller looks behind him and gets continues his climb and is now on the top of the cage.

Bron is standing in the ring and climbs to the top. Waller is trying to escape the cage even though that won’t end the match. Bron sends Waller flying down to the mat with an over-head slam! Bron nails Waller with a spear and removes his shoulder straps and lets out a massive scream. Bron gets in Waller’s face, Waller spits at him, and Bron crushes him with a massive spear for the 1-2-3! Bron retains!

Winner – Bron Breakker (C)

  • After the match, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams make their out on the stage. Bron is standing on top of the cage and Carmelo points at Bron and they lock eyes from afar as the show comes to and end!

Two AEW Stars Had Backstage Scuffle at Double or Nothing

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AEW had ups and downs in 2022 including backstage altercations. Most notably, CM Punk and Ace Steel got into it with The Elite (Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) at the All Out event last September. 

Two AEW stars have admitted that they got into a skirmish in 2022. Those wrestlers are Swerve Strickland and Ricky Starks, who were part of a Tag Team Championship match at AEW Double or Nothing. 

Fightful Select reports it led to a scuffle, according to the two wrestlers. There had been a report last year regarding there being some issues between them after the match over a miscommunication. However, this was the first word of them having a scuffle. 

The issues came down to a “miscommunication late in the match, where there was an unplanned spot that saw Swerve attack Ricky Starks after an attempted pin on Jungle Boy.” 

Starks was originally slated to hit his finish on one of his opponents, but Swerve ended up doing nothing because he thought it would be better to get hit and dumped out of the ring, otherwise he’d be standing there watching it. 

Fightful had heard that they had a follow-up segment on Dynamite after that. However, they made peace after that, and are fine to this day. At Fyter Fest a few months after the show, they worked together. 

The report noted they spoke with each other about the scuffle while on the Jericho Cruise for an upcoming episode of Swerve’s podcast.

WWE NXT and Reality of Wrestling Announce Partnership

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WWE and Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling have announced a partnership involving NXT.

In a social media post, Reality of Wrestling said “Reality of Wrestling is taking the roster to the NEXT Level! We are proud to announce that we’ll be working with NXT to bring our fans incredible match ups they can’t see anywhere else.”

Ivy Nile will be competing on Saturday, February 11 in Texas City.

Booker T tweeted that he is “excited to merge my NXT favorites with the roster of my students at ROW.”

NXT Allowing Talent to Work Indies

Roxanne Perez
(WWE)

NXT’s current Women’s Champion, Roxanne, is a product of ROW. She and Booker T both competed in the Royal Rumble matches last Saturday. The WWE Hall of Famer had previously said “if I get an invitation I’m definitely going to execute it.”

Bryan Alvarez tweeted that “NXT is going to allow talent to work select indies going forward, which is a pretty big deal.” It is unclear if any other indie promotions will be involved or if it just ROW.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest.

Adam Cole Details Scary Recovery

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Popular AEW star Adam Cole is officially on the road to an in-ring return.

The former Undisputed Era leader was devastated by injury last year. He hasn’t wrestled since Forbidden Door back in June 2022. There, he suffered his second concussion that year, having also been rocked during his Double or Nothing bout with Samoa Joe a month prior.

Adam Cole Kyle O'Reilly Bobby FIsh
(via AEW)

It was three-for-three in PPV injuries for the former NXT Champion. He also injured his labrum and rotator cuff heading into his Revolution main event with then-AEW World Champion Hangman Page in March.

Worrying rumors concerning Cole’s health swirled in the months after Forbidden Door. Now, with his return on the way, Cole has shed some light on the scary complications he’s gone through on the road to recovery.

Adam Cole On Worrying Memory Loss

During a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Radio, Cole detailed his injury at Forbidden Door. He revealed that he completely lost his memory of what to do mid-match.

”The memory stuff is the really, really scary part to me, when you’re in the middle of a ring and there’s thousands of people around you, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing. That was really scary. So I knew pretty early on after my memory started going that something was wrong.”

Worse still, Cole’s numerous symptoms continued to worsen in the months after. The recovery process proved to be alarmingly long for the Owen Hart Cup winner.

“The crazy thing was that after even a month, it was like that’s when real serious side effects started happening. Everything I said in my return in-ring promo that I did all of that was true, and more. There was a lot of stuff that was happening very late into the healing process, or what I thought was late, like a month-and-a-half, two months.”

Fortunately, the three-time ROH World Champion has turned things around in the time since. He was quick to praise AEW for handling his medical care. He is now passing many of the cognitive tests he initially struggled with last year.

While an official date is yet to be confirmed, many signs seem to be pointing towards Revolution next month for Adam Cole’s in-ring return.

Are you excited to see Adam Cole back in AEW?

All quotes from Cageside Seats.

Adam Cole Says Kyle O’Reilly Was ‘Discouraged’ By His Health Issues, Is Doing Better

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Kyle O’Reilly has been out of action since last June due to various health issues. According to his good friend Adam Cole, he is in good spirits despite the struggles and is getting better.

The former NXT champion recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio. He opened up about his own injuries and recovery before providing an update on his friend.

Cole said that he talks to O’Reilly every day and he is doing good. Per the AEW star, his teammate is working hard but not rushing anything:

“Kyle was really banged up and it got to a point where he kind of couldn’t take it anymore. I’m so glad that he got fixed and got healthy and is recovering day by day, every day.”

– Adam Cole

Kyle O’Reilly Is Doing Better

Kyle O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in September. In January, he revealed that he was dealing with a post-surgical issue. Adam Cole mentioned that the early parts of recovery were discouraging for Kyle because he wasn’t able to do a lot. His mood however has improved with time:

“He’s starting to be able to do more and more in therapy and rehab, you see the excitement and wheels turning of him already thinking about how he can’t wait to get back. He’s in good spirits and he has a lot of people around him that love him a lot.”

Adam Cole has been dealing with his own health issues since last year. He spent the second half of 2022 on the shelf due to concussion issues. He is expected to return to the ring soon though with Cole’s first match back expected at AEW Revolution.

H/t Fightful

Lanny Poffo: Underappreciated WWE ‘Golden Era’ Wrestler Who Was Ahead Of His Time

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When wrestling fans look back on the biggest icons from WWE’s Golden Era, there are a few usual suspects whose names tend to come up the most. People think of names like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Ted Dibiase, and Roddy Piper. Another name on the short list is that of The Macho Man Randy Savage. Right alongside him, though, stands his too-often overlooked younger brother, Lanny Poffo. The world recently lost his underappreciated wrestling talent at the age of 68. It’s always sad to acknowledge a beloved wrestler of yesteryear’s passing, but the moment does offer an opportunity to look back at the legacy Poffo left behind.

Leaping Lanny Poffo Was Ahead Of His Time

Lanny Poffo

WWE is notoriously a big man’s territory. The face of the company in most eras was a superhero of sorts, with guys like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, John Cena, and Roman Reigns each exceptionally muscular and strong. This preference was especially clear in the Golden Era as WWE staged a national expansion on the premise of appealing to as wide an audience as possible with visibly impressive stars, bolstered by an era when steroid use ran rampant behind the scenes.

Lanny Poffo didn’t fit the profile of a top guy in WWE. His brother, Randy Savage, was able to break through the glass ceiling despite a smaller frame, based on his intensity and charisma, but Poffo never quite could. Still, he earned his “Leaping” moniker based on his impressive athleticism. As a babyface, he regularly incorporated leap frogs and high dropkicks; perhaps most impressively of all, he was one of the earliest American wrestlers to adopt the moonsault into his offensive repertoire.

Lanny Poffo’s Genius Gimmick Was Inspired

The Genius

There was a relatively low glass ceiling over a smaller-sized high flyer like Lanny Poffo, and it is to his and WWE’s credit that they ultimately pivoted his gimmick. As The Genius, Poffo enjoyed some success, culminating in a featured match against Hulk Hogan on a Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

Before too long, Poffo started to wrestle less on TV and lean more into managerial work under the persona. As The Genius, he used own original rhyming verses to anchor his promo work, much to the annoyance of the WWE audience.

The Genius gimmick pulled elements of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and foretold gimmicks like Damien Sandow’s as an elitist villain who thought his superior intelligence made him better than the babyface wrestlers of the day as well as the fans. He memorably served as a cornerman to Mr. Perfect before settling into a bit less auspicious role managing The Beverly Brothers.

Lanny Poffo Was Squandered In WCW

Randy Savage Lanny Poffo

As an example of WCW’s bloated roster and tendency to squander resources, there’s a famous story of the company signing Lanny Poffo, but never actually using him. Eric Bischoff has been open in discussing this choice on his 83 Weeks podcast, explicitly sharing that Poffo was signed as a favor to Randy Savage—paid out of money that otherwise would have gone to The Macho Man—to take care of his family.

The general consensus is that this story speaks highly of Savage’s selflessness and loyalty to his brother. Despite Bischoff’s concession that he never really wanted to use The Macho Man’s little brother, the situation does also bespeak a failure to take advantage of the resources WCW had at hand. With the former Genius on the payroll, WCW had a recognizable manager they might have put to work. Moreover, given Poffo’s level of experience, he might have, at minimum, served as a valuable role player—mentoring and putting over younger wrestlers in a budding Cruiserweight division that was so entertaining for WCW during the Monday Night War.

Lanny Poffo didn’t enjoy all that much tangible success—never winning titles or high profile matches on a truly national stage. Just the same, his acrobatic offense was well ahead of its time, particularly for mainstream American wrestling. Moreover, his promo work bespoke a special talent who should have been better appreciated in his day. Word of Poffo’s death arose on February 2—The Genius is now gone, but will certainly never be forgotten.

Matt Hardy Was ‘Laughing Out Loud’ Over Recent CM Punk Jab

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Seth Rollins made his stand on a potential CM Punk WWE return very clear recently and it appears Matt Hardy was amused by The Architect’s clear vision.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Hardy talked about a number of things. During the AMA episode, the hardcore legend discussed things such as his tag team with Bray Wyatt and more.

Matt was also asked about Seth Rollins recently calling CM Punk a cancer and telling him to stay away from WWE. The Broken One claimed that the WWE star won him over with his statement:

“He especially won me over just because of his comments on Punk the other day, I popped huge when I saw that. I was laughing out loud. Very funny stuff.”

– Matt Hardy

Seth Rollins appears to be building a feud with Logan Paul for WrestleMania 39. The YouTube star eliminated him from Royal Rumble. Rollins has since called him out, and said that he doesn’t need Logan Paul in his locker room.

The former Shield member is also set to enter the Elimination Chamber match for Austin Theory’s US championship in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 18.

Matt Hardy on the other hand has been involved with The Firm in AEW. The trio of Hardy, Ethan Page and Isiah Kassidy unsuccessfully challenged for the AEW Trios Title during this week’s Rampage.

Watch: What Happened With Bray Wyatt After SmackDown Went Off Air

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WWE fans in attendance on tonight’s SmackDown got a rare treat after the show went off air. They got to see Bray Wyatt wrestle in only his sixth match since his return to the company last year.

The main event segment of this week’s show featured an appearance from Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief cut a promo but he was interrupted by Sami Zayn who attacked him from behind.

The Honorary Uce issued a challenge to Reigns for a world title match at Elimination Chamber. He was then taken out by Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The broadcast ended with Reigns standing tall after accepting his challenge.

SmackDown Dark Matches

After this segment, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso had a match. The duo picked up a win over The Good Brothers in a tag team bout.

The final match of the night saw Bray Wyatt coming out to face LA Knight. The two SmackDown stars competed in a street fight.

Both competitors used multiple weapons during the match. Knight almost defeated Wyatt after knocking him out using a kendo stick.

After a failed pin fall attempt, LA Knight brought a table in the ring. Wyatt however, used it against him and he pinned the former NXT star after delivering a chokeslam through the table.

MJF’s AEW Deal Reportedly Expires In 2024

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MJF is known to blur the line between reality and kayfabe. He has kept everyone guessing about his AEW contract and future, but a latest report suggests that he has actually been telling the truth.

It all started when the current AEW champion no-showed an event before Double or Nothing in May last year. He was unhappy with his pay in the company compared to some newer signings.

He went on a hiatus from AEW programming after the PPV. He was given a more prominent role once he returned at All Out. The 26-year-old went on to win the AEW world championship at Full Gear in November.

The Future Of MJF

Many fans believe that this push is a sign that MJF has signed a contract extension with the company. The AEW star himself however has maintained that it’s not the case.

According to Whatculture, the Wrestling Devil is actually telling the truth. He has not signed a contract extension and his current deal is set to expire in January 2024.

The young star is still undecided about his plans past his current deal. It’s possible that he explores other possibilities instead of re-signing with the company.

Would you like to see MJF possibly jumping ships to WWE when his current deal expires? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Cody Rhodes Committed A ‘Cardinal Sin’ At Royal Rumble

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Royal Rumble was one of the biggest nights of his career for Cody Rhodes. He was making his return from a gruesome injury after months and he went on to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career. In the heat of the moment, however, Rhodes committed what he calls a ‘cardinal sin’ in the wrestling business.

The winner of the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble recently appeared on After The Bell podcast. Speaking about his performance at the PPV, Rhodes revealed that he did not know where the hard cam was:

“I did commit what I’d call kind of a cardinal sin in the wrestling game. My dad would be really irked if he knew this. I did not walk the arena earlier in the day. I did not walk the ramp. I did not get in the ring. I was very much held behind doors. Because of that, I will admit I had no clue and I still have not figured it out. I didn’t know where the hard cam was.”

“Okay, Welcome Back”: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble

Cody Rhodes explained that his father the late great Dusty Rhodes would have not been too happy knowing this detail. It ended up not mattering in the end per Rhodes because the cameras managed to capture the best moment of the night:

I tried. Then at a certain point, I just figured I had found it but then the sign was that way and I figured ‘Nope that can’t [be it]’. So I really was just looking to get all [corners] ‘Let’s just get all fours.’ That was one of those [reminding moments] ‘Okay, welcome back.’ Because that’s something you absolutely have to cover.

That’s part of being a professional. Put your face to the camera and here I am claiming to be one of the world’s top professionals [not knowing]. I would have got a kick in the ass from the old man, and my brother for that matter, but it didn’t [matter in the end]. In the case of WWE, there’s 1000 cameras who captured every second of it. They got to capture the sweetest second of it and that’s when Gunther went over the top rope.”

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Cody Rhodes Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Before WWE Departure

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Cody Rhodes has come a long way in the last few years and established himself as one of the top stars of the current generation. After winning the Royal Rumble, he is only one step away from realizing his life’s dream. His journey, however, wasn’t always as glorious. The American Nightmare had to go through some dark times before he was able to get on the path to redemption.

The former AEW star opened up about his journey and his mental health struggles during an appearance on After The Bell. Rhodes was asked about a conversation he had with his wife Brandi Rhodes before leaving WWE. The WWE star recalled how he was tired of not being considered a top guy:

“I’m sitting in a rental car with Brandi. It’s freezing because we were in Scranton, it’s freezing, freezing. We were outside the bus. [The] crew bus was right in front of us. It had The Rock and had the John Cena photo on it from the second Mania. So we’ve already seen this bus for over a year now but this story was encompassing really two years. This story, the John vs Rock saga and it was wonderful. But when you’re on the card, not close to that [it’s discouraging].

At my level, I had been chipping away a little bit as brass rings here and there, brass rings here and there but I hadn’t broken through by any means. I just got so tired of seeing their dang faces. I love John. He was my role model in the business. He’s a rental car guy with me until he got a bus but as much as I did, I just was getting so upset. I told her ‘I can’t keep looking at the same guys. I can’t.’ I got out the car and I threw a yoo hoo glass bottle up against beautiful Dwayne Johnson’s face.”

‘That Was Rough’: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes with wife Brandi Rhodes

Cody Rhodes detailed his mental state at the time saying that he was ‘dead’ inside. He mentioned how being Stardust in front of Brandi was especially hard and he didn’t want to lower himself in front of her. The conversation ultimately led to him making the decision to leave the promotion:

“Getting it out for me, ultimately would lead to me leaving. It was the only way I could get it out. It was pinned up. It was pinned up for too long. Today you’ve got a medical team at WWE that includes mental health services. I’m not saying that I was deep down the rabbit hole, but it’s still so helpful to talk to somebody. I only had other wrestlers to talk to. Myself to talk to. You never want to lower yourself in front of your beloved. In front of your wife.

One of the hardest things for me was being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling Randy Orton every night and we were absolutely tearing the joint down. Next thing you know, I’m running around in a space outfit and trying to make the best of it but I was very dead inside. Also to this day, I don’t know why I was drinking a yoo hoo.”

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