AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF will be in attendance at UFC 282, which takes place on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The top AEW star previously traded shots with UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett on social media, where MJF called Paddy a “dollar store Connor McGregor.” He also claimed he wouldn’t last two seconds in a wrestling ring.
Pimblett told MJF to meet him when AEW travels to England in 2023, which led to MJF stating that he’s more than game to knock Pimblett out. Marc Raimondi of ESPN first reported on Friday that MJF would be at the UFC 282 pay-per-view event following the exchange.
The Confirmation
(AEW)
MJF seemingly confirmed the news in a tweet of his own as he told Pimblett that he’d see him in Vegas, as seen below:
At the event, Pimblett will fight Jared Gordon. With a win, he would continue his undefeated streak in the UFC.
For MJF, he is scheduled to defend the AEW World Championship against Ricky Starks on the December 14 episode of AEW Dynamite. After winning the title with help from Wiliam Regal when he beat Jon Moxley for it at Full Gear, MJF turned on Regal by attacking the respected wrestler.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TBS and TNT that airs AEW programming, has cut more prominent leaders.
Variety has an article looking at the company releasing HGTV and Food Network chief Jane Latman and “D-Nets”/”T-Nets” exec Nancy Daniels, both of whom were well-liked at the company and served as longtime legacy Discovery execs.
Travel Channel’s Matthew Butler and D-Nets/T-Nets’ head of franchise series expansions and tentpole programming Scott Lewers are also gone.
The Moves
Latman served as the home and food content president at HGTV and Food Network. Her content programming responsibilities will move under execs Betsy Sanner Ayala (for Food Network) and Loren Ruch (for HGTV).
Daniels had overseen content across “D-Nets” Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel on the legacy Discovery side and recently took over content for Warner Bros. “T-Nets,” TNT, TBS and truTV,
Daniels is handing the reins over to TLC and Travel Channel exec Howard Lee for the D-Nets, while Jason Sarlanis of ID and HLN crime content will oversee the T-Net side.
These are notable cuts as AEW President Tony Khan has praised Nancy Daniels and Scott Lewers as advocates for the promotion. AEW’s TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery expires at the end of 2024.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. networks chief Kathleen Finch announced the changes in a memo to staff Friday. This is the latest post-merger cost-cutting move made at Warner Bros. Discovery.
John Cena will come home to WWE for the second time this year. He was on RAW in June to celebrate his 20th anniversary in the company. He will be appearing on the final SmackDown of the year. The show will be live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL on December 30.
According to Variety, the announcements of Cena’s return will begin airing in a few weeks. No further details are known at this time.
John Cena at WrestleMania 39
There’s been speculation that Cena will wrestle at WrestleMania 39. The “Show of Shows” will take place in Los Angeles on April 1 and 2, 2023.
Shawn Michaels was part of many iconic moments during his wrestling career. From achieving his boyhood dream to his matches with The Undertaker, HBK always knew how to bring out the emotion from the crowd and create a lasting memory. One such moment people still remember to this day is his WrestleMania XXIV match against Ric Flair. Michaels defeated Ric to end his WWE career and the ending of the bout is considered one of the most iconic moments in the history of the business.
The former world champion recently appeared on Notsam Wrestling podcast. Among other things he also talked about this match and revealed that he actually came up with the plans for this bout in the middle of the night:
“That particular match was something that came to me in the middle of the night. I woke up out of sleep. I think it was like two o’clock in the morning, [I] got up out of bed, and then just went to the table and started writing. Then I’m coming down to the end of it. Those thoughts that are in my head and of course, like a movie [I get] a little teardrop. I’m like ‘Oh my goodness. Is this too like namby pamby?’
I mean, wrestling audience, they can be tough. I just thought, ‘oh, I don’t know.’ But again, because it was so emotional for me because I knew where Ric was at that time, and I knew how important it was to him. It was genuinely important to me because it was important to him.”
‘It Was My Chance’: Shawn Michaels
The WWE Hall of Famer explained that even though he wasn’t sure about the crowd reaction, he decided to share the idea for the ending. Shawn Michaels revealed how Ric Flair reacted to it and who was the person who helped him perfect it:
“I wanted this to be really unbelievably special for him. It’s my chance for him to say of all the great matches he’s had, my best one was with Shawn Michaels. At whatever age he was at that time 56 or something. So there were a number of reasons I wanted it to go well, but then you’re looking at this ending and it’s like, sounds like a love story and that may not really go over well with a tough crowd. But I kept it.
I presented that to Michael Hayes and Ric when we got there to WrestleMania. Ric just patted me on the leg and goes ‘Thank you.’ and I was still waiting, like, does that thank you [mean] it’s good or is that [not]? Then I ask Michael and he’s the one that helps. Now he starts to think about framing it and making it what it turned out to be.”
You can check out Shawn Michaels’ full interview below:
Although the build-up to the show was criticized for being lackluster, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in June 2022 ended up being one of the best PPVs of the year and did good business for the promotions.
A second Forbidden Door show has been speculated about, but a new report suggests Forbidden Door II could be set for 2023.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer was talking about AEW/ROH President Tony Khan’s recent pre-ROH Final Battle media call, particularly Khan’s claims that 2022 was AEW’s strongest year for PPV buys.
During the call, Khan was asked about the possibility of AEW adding more PPVs to their yearly rotation.
The Plan
Meltzer wrote: “When asked if he’d add more PPV shows, he didn’t give an answer but said that he wants to not do so many that they aren’t special, but that they just finished their best PPV year in their history, and the adding a fifth event worked out (the plan is for another Forbidden Door show coming year).”
Khan noted on the call that they would internally discuss the right number of PPV shows per year.
The 2022 event did over $5 million on pay-per-view after drawing over 100,000 buys and over $1 million in ticket sales. Jon Moxley became the interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event.
Sasha Banks and Bayley are slated to reunite next week.
Bayley announced via Instagram that Banks would be part of her charity stream on December 14 to benefit the Family Giving Tree. The two stars are former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions and have been good friends for years as part of the WWE Four Horsewomen.
Banks walked out of WWE alongside Naomi due to creative differences. While WWE and Banks had talks regarding a return, it’s been reported that the talks have stalled due to money. She is reportedly set to attend NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Bayley’s Announcement
(via WWE)
“You’re welcomeeee!…. Because my 3rd guest joining me on IG live Dec 14 to benefit @familygivingtree is the one and only @themercedesvarnado. A main event of Wrestlemania, a star in The Mandalorian, killing the runways on Fashion weeks, co-owner of an award winning CBD company (@kanndelabs), and that’s all I’ll say for now because she’s gonna get a big head over this.
The best thing about having her on is that Mercedes asked ME to be a part of this interview to help spread the love.
Please join us next Wednesday, Dec. 14, as I’ll be hanging out with some amazing people. We can share some hot cocoa, answer some questions you may have, play games, and enter to win raffles! Click the link in my bio to see how you can contribute to @familygivingtree this year.”
Bayley is currently part of WWE Raw as a member of Damage CTRL alongside Dakota Kai & IYO SKY.
Back in June, Jeff Hardy was arrested for DUI among other charges just days after Double or Nothing. Since then, his court dates have been pushed back several times. Hardy did enter alcohol rehabilitation.
In September, Matt Hardy said on his podcast that Jeff had been improving. “I feel like his mentality is that he knows he has to make changes and do what’s right and I feel like he’s at the point where he will this time around. I’m excited to have him back.” That quote gave some the impression that he was on his way back to AEW, but he still has legal issues to contend with.
Jeff Hardy is ‘In a Good Place’
(via AEW)
During this week’s episode ofThe Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt did a Q&A episode where he provided an update on his brother.
“He’s basically doing the same thing he’s been doing, he’s doing exactly what he needs to be doing to get where he needs to be in life. More or less, we just have to get these legal issues behind him before we can move forward. So, that’s kind of where we’re at with Jeff. We’re hoping that happens sooner rather than later.”
“He seems to be in a really good place. It’s very nice and refreshing to see. Hopefully, that continues and we get him back to where he belongs.”
Matt didn’t provide further information on when legal issues might be behind Jeff. There is still no timetable for his potential AEW return.
Former WWE Superstar John Morrison returns to Major League Wrestling at MLW Blood & Thunder. The event takes place Saturday, January 7 from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
Keeping with his habit of altering his name based on the promotion he’s working for, he’ll be competing as Johnny Fusion.
A press release sent in by MLW reads:
“No stranger to MLW, Johnny Fusion, tore it up against the likes of Shane Strickland, Darby Allin and others in MLW during his last stint. With a reloaded MLW roster featuring the likes of Davey Richards, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu and many others, expect some dream matches on the horizon.
Perhaps a reunion could be in the mix for Johnny Fusion, who has history with the ruthless Cesar Duran.
Plus, the reigning Women’s World Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie happens to be Johnny Fusion’s wife. Could a new power couple be in play in 2023 in MLW?”
Tickets for MLW Blood & Thunder are now available at MLW2300.com.
MLW Blood & Thunder Matches
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. YAMATO
Jacob Fatu vs. Ben-K
Additional talent signed to appear includes Alex Kane, Real1, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & The Billington Bulldogs, Mance Warner, Women’s World Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie and more.
WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham is doing better after suffering a life-threatening heart attack earlier this month.
The Windham family has set up the GoFundMe Campaign to help financially support his medical expenses and bills during this difficult time. According to Mika Rotunda, sister of WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt, their uncle “experienced a number of taxing injuries and ended up undergoing multiple surgeries. That led to other health complications.”
Since retiring, Windham “has been limited with work due to his medical history” and “left without health insurance.”
On Friday, December 9, Mika Rotunda provided an encouraging update on Windham’s health. She wrote on Twitter that he’s stabilized & out of intensive care. He’s also talking and able to stand, which is great news to hear after such a scare.
Thank you to all who have reached out, prayed, contributed and sent well wishes to my Uncle Barry this week.
I wanted to give an update! I’m grateful to say he is stabilized & out of ICU. Talking & able to stand.
Thanks again everyone!?? There absolutely is power in prayer.
Barry Windham began his professional wrestling career in 1979, training with his father Blackjack Mulligan, and wrestling legend Harley Race. From there, he went on to achieve great success in NWA territories, including Jim Crockett Promotions and Championship Wrestling from Florida. Notably, he claimed NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship each once, amongst many other title wins.
Barry eventually joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and one of professional wrestling’s greatest stables: The Four Horsemen. In 2012, The Four Horseman group entered the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2012, including Barry Windham, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and J.J. Dillon.
SEScoops sends our best wishes to Barry Windham and the Windham family at this time.
‘WrestleMania Goes Hollywood’ Saturday and Sunday, April 1 & 2 from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. We’re still aboutfour months out, but planning is already underway for WWE’s biggest premium live event of 2023.
Nothing is set in stone at this stage. Several factors will determine WrestleMania’s top programs, most notably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s availability. WWE is not expected to finalize WrestleMania plans until mid-January, in the lead-up to the Royal Rumble.
That said, it’s still interesting to see what’s being considered. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are two main ideas in play for WrestleMania.
It goes without saying that WrestleMania will be built around the promotion’s marquee attraction, Roman Reigns. WWE is so high on the Tribal Chief’s drawing power that he could be called upon to pull ‘double duty’ and headline both nights.
There’s no guarantee that things will play out this way, however:
“One of the things talked about internally in WWE is for Reigns to wrestle both nights at Mania, with the working ideas being Cody Rhodes and Dwayne Johnson.
– Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Two World Titles
In addition to those matches, WWE has renewed discussions about splitting up Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The main benefit of a singular champion is that fans have no question about the best wrestler in WWE. When you have multiple world champions, that distinction becomes diluted.
The drawback is that it’s difficult for one man to appear on both Raw and SmackDown. The world championship is a draw, and you can be sure WWE’s television partners (Fox and USA Network) both want a world champion on their shows.
WWE will pull out all the stops to ensure WrestleMania 39 is a commercial success. Here are some of our recent articles about
The Miz is one of those WWE superstars that doesn’t just stay confined to the wrestling business. He was a reality star even before stepping foot in WWE. The former world champion has continued to make a name outside of the wrestling business even after becoming a WWE superstar and bringing new eyes to the product with different ventures. One such venture where he has found great success is his acting career and it appears that some advice from The Rock helped him with it.
The A Lister recently appeared on Off The Beat with Brian Baumgartner. He talked about things such as his time before WWE, how he got started in wrestling and more. Discussing his start in the movie business, The Miz recalled how he asked The Rock for advice right before his very first shoot:
“I texted him and said, ‘Hey man, I’m about to start my first movie, getting ready to do my first scene. Is there any advice you can give me'” recalled The Miz, “He called me.
He was like, ‘Dude, the best thing that I could tell you and help you out with is just be natural, and it’s gonna sound so easy and so weird, but once you get there, there’s gonna be three or four cameras, you’re gonna have to hit a spot that you can’t look at, you can’t look at the spot. You have to be normal and natural. It’s action and you have to just make it feel [real].’ It was great advice. Because sometimes you see in acting, you’ll see a robotic kind of portrayal. I didn’t want to do that.”
Ricochet’s pushes may have been stop-and-start, but there’s no denying the high-flyer’s ability in the ring.
After establishing himself on the independents, Ricochet signed with WWE in January 2018 and debuted for NXT as part of the front-row at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia that same month.
The One and Only is the first (and to date, only) person to hold the NXT North American Championship, Raw’s United States Championship and SmackDown’s Intercontinental Championship.
Complete
While Ricochet has had the occasional push in WWE, he is part of a stacked roster, and often finds himself being overlooked for other stars.
Speaking on the latest episode of WWE After the Bell, Ricochet wasn’t afraid to tout his accomplishments and called himself the most complete name on the roster.
“You look at your Austin Theorys and you look at all these guys who look the part as the complete all-around package. But when you get me in there, there is really no one as complete as me.
“there is really no one as complete as me.”
Ricochet.
“I know I’m not as strong as Bobby Lashley, but I can still squat 400-plus pounds. I’m probably not as fast as some of these guys, but I’m just as fast if not faster than almost everybody else. If you’re looking for a complete package, especially in that ring. Don’t look any further than Ricochet.”
Mental Games
Because he is often overlooked, Ricochet can go weeks, or even months, sat backstage in catering.
Speaking about waiting to be used, Ricochet explained how getting in your own head can often prove to be as difficult as anything in the ring.
“There’s always a physical game that you have to play, and then there’s a mental game you have to play. That’s with any business, with any high-class thing you’re trying to do. Going out there and doing the actual matches and all the physical parts of it, of course, that’s going to be work.
“But a lot of it is backstage. It’s biding the right time, it’s waiting for your moment, your opportunity. Or in some cases, creating your moment. Creating your opportunity. Asking the right people. That’s also work, because it’s taxing on your mind, because you get to thinking about your past, and your future. It’s a lot of mental exhaustion sometimes.”
Ricochet recently won the WWE SmackDown World Cup Tournament, defeating Mustafa Ali and Braun Strowman before beating Santos Escobar in the finals.
The One and Only will challenge Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, who won the title from Ricochet in June, on tonight’s SmackDown.
The Miz has had a career in WWE that few wrestlers could only dream of, but that was never the original plan.
Debuting as part of 2004’s Tough Enough, the future two-time WWE Grand Slam winner would come second, losing out to Daniel Puder.
In 2006, The Miz was introduced as the host of WWE Friday Night SmackDown but would quickly transition into a wrestling role.
Commentary
One of Miz’s talents that has made him such a versatile asset to WWE is his ability to cut a promo.
Speaking to Off the Beat, Miz explained that WWE recognized his talents on the microphone, but initially had no plans for him to wrestle.
“They were like, ‘You impressed us so much that maybe there is something for you here.’ They brought me up to Connecticut to commentate. Joey Styles brought me up with Todd Grisham and Michael Cole, they brought me up and I had to do a take of commentating. They told me, ‘we might bring you in as a commentator or interviewer.'”
“‘We might bring you in as a commentator or interviewer.'”
WWE’s reaction to The Miz impressing them in 2004.
The A-Lister added that after pleading his case, saying he wanted to be bigger than The Rock and Hulk Hogan, WWE allowed him a developmental deal.
Decisions
Now under a developmental deal, Miz reported to Deep South Wrestling, the promotion’s training facility at the time.
Speaking about his experience in DSW, the WWE Superstar said that he quickly realized that being under contract was no guarantee of being successful.
“They didn’t think I was going to be much of anything, to be honest, you could kind of tell, ‘let’s see what we got here.’ They gave me this developmental contract and I was like, ‘I’m making more than this doing Real World and The Challenge. I’m not taking a pay cut to do this.’ I had to think about that.”
Miz added that he would eventually realize the importance of taking one step back in order to take two steps forward.
The A-Lister would become the first DSW Heavyweight Champion under WWE, winning a tournament and besting Mike Knox in the finals.
Ricky Starks had some harsh words for AEW World Champion MJF this week, but these weren’t planned in advance.
During AEW Dynamite, the two had a back and forth, with MJF borrowing from The Rock to call Starks a “roody poo candy a**.”
In response, Starks vowed to become the new AEW World Champion with some choice dialogue.
“I’m slapping that mole off your neck, I’m stomping an a**hole into you, and I’m taking that title.”
Ricky Starks.
Off Script
Starks certainly got the attention of fans with his promo this week, but it wasn’t what was originally planned.
During Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that Starks did have a promo written down which was not used.
“I heard from multiple people yesterday that, apparently, he had a whole thing written down. It wasn’t like scripted or anything, but he had a thing written down that he was gonna do. And then he got out there and he just went off [Script.] He just went with it, and he went wild.”
Bryan Alvarez.
MJF and Starks will battle for the AEW World Championship on next week’s Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite.
The match will also be for MJF’s $150,000 Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Winter is Coming
This huge main event is just part of a stacked show that will take place next week.
The show will also feature the fourth match in the best-of-seven series between The Elite and AEW World Trios Champions Death Triangle.
The Champions currently lead over the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega by 2-1.
The House of Black will also be in action next week against opponents yet to be announced.
It was reported earlier today that Sasha Banks is heading to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year.
Mike Johnson of PW Insider reported that Mercedes Varnado (Banks) is reportedly set to appear at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome.
“While it is unknown whether Varnado will be appearing before the live crowd, we are told that NJPW is bringing Varnado in to the event.”
According to a new report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, AEW talent is excited about the possibility of The Boss coming to All Elite Wrestling.
AEW aired a segment on Rampage to set up a tag team match between Britt Baker & AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter versus Saraya & a mystery tag team partner for the January 11th episode of Dynamite in Los Angeles.
Sasha Banks has been rumored to be the mystery superstar a couple of times now. Many fans hoped that she would be the final superstar on Team Bianca at Survivor Series WarGames in her hometown but it was Becky Lynch instead. Now some fans and AEW talent are hoping that she’s Saraya’s partner on January 11th.
Fightful spoke with several AEW talent after the news earlier today about Mercedes reportedly appearing at Wrestle Kingdom. One source told Fightul that Sasha Banks joining AEW would be huge and referred to her as a potential anchor of the women’s division. The source added that Sasha Banks joining AEW would kickstart interest in the company and help viewership “significantly”.
The Boss will be appearing on an upcoming episode of Barmegeddon on January 2nd, 2023. The celebrity game show airs after WWE Raw on the USA Network.
Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE during the May 16th edition of Raw. Sasha recently teased that the date she has been waiting for is coming and “something crazy” is going to happen.
NXT star Apollo Crews recently shared his thoughts on the possibility of CM Punk returning to WWE after his time in All Elite Wrestling appears to be coming to an end.
5 Best Moments of CM Punk’s AEW Career
Former AEW Champion CM Punk is reportedly “ready to move on” but the hold-up is on AEW’s side. CM Punk recently posted an image from his WWE days on Instagram to fuel rumors he is returning to the promotion he has routinely disparaged after his exit in 2014.
Speaking with Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc., Apollo shared his thoughts on CM Punk potentially returning to WWE in the future.
It’s not that I wouldn’t be happy or I wouldn’t be upset — I don’t know if I’d really feel any kind of way, honestly. It’s nothing against him personally or anything, but I don’t know…I think I’d just kind of be neutral with it. But again, extremely talented individual and only time will tell, right?
Apollo Crews will challenge Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship this Saturday night at NXT Deadline. During the interview, Crews vowed to defeat Breakker at the premium live event and become the new NXT Champion.
Saturday, “NXT” Champion. You’re looking at the new one! Saturday, Deadline 8:00 PM on Peacock. You can stream it live. Hey, I’m telling you, you guys, it’s not a game. Apollo Crews, new “NXT” Champion. Bron Breakker, like I said, I have nothing but love for you, and yeah, I’ll see you Saturday.
Apollo returned to NXT in June and claimed that he left too soon in 2016 and was back to correct history. He teamed with The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa to defeat former NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Grayson Waller in his first match back in NXT on June 7th.
Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels recently spoke during a media call to promote NXT Deadline this Saturday night.
During the call, Michaels said he was open to having Sean Waltman (X-Pac) wrestle in NXT in the future. The Heartbreak Kid complimented Waltman on being in the best shape he has been in a long time.
I know he has been getting back in there here and there and I got to tell you he’s like in the best shape he’s been in a long, long time. He looks fantastic. Obviously, that would be something I had to, run up the flag pole and everything.
Shawn added that the younger talent would benefit greatly from getting inside the squared circle with Waltman.
Look, the talent would benefit from that so much. I know he has a blast. So that’s an option that we’re allowed to explore, I jump all over it.
But I will. It’s amazing, we’re all buddies and all that stuff like it, but it pales to you guys, but he won’t say anything to me about it. I’ll say we’re all busy trying to work.
We can’t just pick it up and doing it off the cuff like we use to. When we did the panel and everything, he was really focus on helping us out and getting that done.
I got to tell you, that would be awesome. The talent would benefit from that so much, and clearly, we do as a program. If we have Kid do anything with us, that’s a huge plus for NXT.
Shawn Michaels Announces New Match Type for NXT Deadline
NXT Deadline will air this Saturday night from the Capitol Wrestling Center (WWE PC) in Orlando.
The premium live event will be headlined by Bron Breakker versus Apollo Crews for the NXT Championship. There will also be men’s and women’s Iron Survivor Challenge matches at the show.
Shawn Michaels appeared on a recent edition of NXT to explain the rules for the new match type.
Five superstars will compete in the 25-minute match
Two superstars will start the match, a new superstar will enter every five minutes
The superstar with the most falls after 25 minutes wins
Falls can be won via pinfall, submission or DQ
One fall is worth one point
When a superstar loses a fall, they must get out of the ring and sit in a penalty box for 90 seconds
The superstar who wins the match will become the #1 contender for the men’s or women’s NXT Championship
In September 2021, Satnam Singh signed with AEW. When he made his television debut in April 2022, he attacked Samoa Joe and aligned himself with Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. Singh has had a few tag team matches, but had yet to have a singles match.
Dutt gets to speak Punjabi every week with Singh. “Obviously, his English is good. He’s been here since ’13 or ’14 he’s been here experiencing the NBA and whatnot. But, I understand –I kind of empathize with him in that he’s still in a strange place. He’s still surrounded by people that he — his sister finally got her visa and finally got to move to Canada, so she’s a little closer. It was great. He was telling me and he was crying. It was an emotional moment for both of us. I felt for him. But most of the time, we strictly speak Punjabi.”
“It’s a connection me and Satnam have. And you know, hopefully he can feel a little more at home when he’s around me at work.”
Sonjay Dutt on His Connection with Satnam Singh
Dutt has really enjoyed getting to know and work with Singh. He and Paqutte discussed Singh’s warmth and his presence. “I love him as a person. Me and him obviously have this bond where we’re both from the same place with the same background. We speak the same language and there’s not many of us in professional wrestling. That connection kind of brings us together right off the bat. We have this connection and he wants to excel at this.”
“And Lethal and I have kind of taken a hand in kind of cultivating his in-ring stuff whenever we can. Anytime there’s tag matches with he and Lethal — he hasn’t had a singles match so we’re getting to that point. I think we’re getting real close. Anything we show him, anything we tell him, he soaks it up. He utilizes stuff that we tell him to utilize; ‘hey, do this differently.’ And I didn’t think that would be the case. I’ve worked with other Indian giants and that was not the case at all.”
“So, you know experiences with him is cool because I always tell people yes, he’s seven-foot-four. Yes, he’s giant or whatever you want to call somebody of that stature. He’s got size 20 feet, but he’s an athlete. That’s the difference between him and anyone else of his size that’s gotten in professional wrestling. He’s a legitimate athlete, so anything we show him or tell him, bam! He pulls it off.”
“And I love that and he’s got such a bright future in wrestling. He’s 26, Renee. Let’s not forget that. He is a kid. So, I always kind of keep that in the back of my mind every week when we’re kind of talking to him, that ‘hey, he’s still a kid.’ He’s 26 and he’s working in this new world that he probably had no clue about before he stepped in it. So for him to excel this quick in something he probably never even watched as a child, that says a lot about his character and his athletic prowess.”
Paul Wight Mentoring Satnam Singh
Paul Wight (Photo: AEW)
“Paul Wight has taken a lot of interest in Satnam and they kind of hit it off. So when it comes to tape study and stuff, I tell Satnam, ‘whatever Paul tells you, just listen and do that.’ And I appreciate Paul taking that time, effort, and energy that he spends with Satnam because there’s just some days where Lethal and I don’t have time get in the ring with him, but Paul does.”
“I’ve kind of told Satnam, ‘Paul will be your ticket to success if you just listen to what he’s telling you to do. He is experienced.’ If there’s anyone in AEW that can empathize and sympathize with Satnam’s issues and problems and kind of excelling at something like this, it’s Paul.”
“So that’s why I tell Satnam a lot of times, ‘look, Lethal and I will tell you our perspective, but our perspective is going to be way different than his. His perspective and his insight will be more centered and gear to you. So, whenever he wants to sit with you, just sit down and listen and soak it all in.'”
AEW World Champion MJF confronted Ricky Starks after he won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale last night on AEW Dynamite.
Maxwell accused Starks of ripping off The Rock and called him a “Dollar Store Dwayne”. MJF continued with the insults and referred to Ricky as “The Pebble” and vowed to skip him back to “Billy Corgan’s NWA so he can wrestle on YouTube where he belongs”.
Ricky Starks responded with the promo of his life and insulted everything about MJF from his spray tan to his attitude. Starks became a star last night and has a chance to become the face of AEW when he battles MJF for the AEW World Championship next week at Dynamite: Winter is Coming.
MJF Blames Ricky Starks for Low Dynamite Rating
According to Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics, AEW Dynamite brought 840,000 viewers with a 0.29 in the key 18-49 year old demographic. Last night’s show ranked #3 in the demo behind the NBA on ESPN.
Dynamite ranked #3 in P18-49 among cable originals for the day, according to Showbuzz Daily. #14 incl broadcast primetime.
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer noted that Spectrum cable had issues with TBS and TNT last night during the Dynamite broadcast and that negatively impacted the rating.
5 Opponents for AEW World Champion MJF
MJF suggested that Ricky Starks is to blame for the low rating because he was the one that took out the spectrum boxes after their segment so he could look like a star.
I have inside information Ricky Starks took out all the spectrum boxes after our scuffle to ensure he seemed like a ratings draw in comparison to the rest of the show. This man is selfish and yet you love him?!? Sad.
I have inside information Ricky Starks took out all the spectrum boxes after our scuffle to ensure he seemed like a ratings draw in comparison to the rest of the show.
The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT Deadline.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday appears to be finalized as only five matches have been announced.
So far, two normal NXT titles are on the line, but none are expected to change hands. Some of the more notable odds include Carmelo Hayes expected to win the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match, while Cora Jade is favored to win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match.
Winners of these matches will receive a title match for the NXT women’s and Men’s top titles that are currently held by Mandy Rose and Bron Breakker.
WWE NXT Deadline Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds, courtesy of BetOnline:
NXT Champion Bron Breakker -1250 vs. Apollo Crews +550
Carmelo Hayes -150 vs. JD McDonagh +250 vs. Grayson Waller+500 vs. Joe Gacy +300 vs. Axiom +900 – Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match
Zoey Stark +300 vs. Cora Jade +200 vs. Kiana James +1400 vs. Roxanne Perez -140 vs. Indi Hartwell +500 – Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match
NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly -250 vs. The New Day +170
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H met former 24/7 Champion Bad Bunny for lunch today in Los Angeles.
Bad Bunny first appeared in WWE at Royal Rumble 2021 and performed his song “Booker T”, while the two-time Hall of Famer was standing on the entrance ramp with him.
He formed a tag team with Damian Priest and they defeated The Miz and John Morrison at Night 1 of WrestleMania 37. Bad Bunny captured the WWE 24/7 Championship from Akira Tozawa on the February 15th edition of the red brand.
He relinquished the title to R-Truth 28 days later in exchange for Stone Cold memorabilia. The 24/7 Championship has since been thrown in the trash by Nikki Cross and officially retired. Bad Bunny was impressive in the ring during his short time with the company and it will be interesting to see if he returns down the line.
The Game took to Twitter today and shared a photo with the popular musician. Triple H noted that Bad Bunny is so famous that he can just fly in for a lunch and leave.
@sanbenito is such a big star that when he drops in to have lunch… he just lands his plane in downtown L.A., eats and then takes off… #RockStarLife
Speaking at the Clash at the Castle press conference following the premium live event, Triple H noted that he was going to have a conversation with Bad Bunny very soon.
A little bit of a spoiler. He and I are gonna have a conversation very, very soon. It’s already scheduled. We’re gonna go and see what’s available. [He’s The] biggest music star in the world. So let’s go.
Over the past few years, there has been a trademark dispute between WWE and Ric Flair over The Man’ nickname as Becky Lynch has used it on television.
Flair stated that he owns the trademark ‘To Be the Man’ as he filed for it in 2019 and was not in agreement with ‘The Man’ being trademarked for Lynch by WWE.
Flair spoke highly of Seth Rollins on Busted Open Radio when his name was mentioned. He did note that he thinks Rollins is mad at him over the trademark situation.
Flair revealed that Rollins ignored him at a recent signing with The Undertaker as Rollins walked past him and did not speak. He agrees that Rollins should take Lynch’s side in the situation.
On The Situation
“And Seth Rollins is a damn good worker. He’s mad at me because I’ve been up and down with his wife but I don’t really care. He ain’t me [Flair laughed]. I can say that. He’s good but he ain’t me. I got no problem with saying that. He walked right by me at an autograph session. I thought, you gotta be kidding me. Because of you and Becky [Lynch] and this ‘Man’ trademark, you’re gonna ignore me pal? Wow. I went, ‘Okay.’ I’m sitting by Taker, I said, ‘I guess I’m on timeout.’ I’m not mad at him. Everybody should take their wife’s side in any debate there is… It’s not worth it. You’re gonna take their side and I totally understand that and as long as that’s come and gone but that was a sensitive point for me.”
Flair stated that he has been saying the term since 1981, but it doesn’t matter to him anymore because he’s too happy to be upset with anybody else.
Flair also commented on Rollins’ program with Cody Rhodes and credited him for being unselfish.
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks is reportedly headed to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom.
The Legit Boss is reportedly headed to Wrestle Kingdom 17, which takes place Wednesday, January 4 from the Tokyo Dome. The news was first reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider and is based on several sources close to the situation.
“While it is unknown whether Varnado will be appearing before the live crowd, we are told that NJPW is bringing Varnado in to the event.”
Banks, real name Mercedes Varnado, has been playing something of a will-they/won’t-they with WWE ever since she and Naomi (Trinity Fatu) walked out of WWE, leaving the WWE Women Tag Team Titles on a desk (or, in the trash, if WWE hyberbole is to be believed).
Recently, Varnado has filed a number of trademarks related to her given and former name, including ‘Mercedes Mone’, Mone’ talks, Bank Mone’, and Statement Maker.
Back on October 16, Varnado whet wrestling fans’ appetites by teasing a match with Kairi Sane, the reigning (and inaugural) IWGP Women’s Champion.
The Statements Don’t Lie
Varnado is a multi-time WWE Women’s Champion, winning the WWE Raw Women’s Championship, the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship, the NXT Women’s Championship, and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (which, if WWE is to be believed, she ate a spaghetti dinner off of and then threw it off a mountain).
It’s unknown how, in fact, Varnado was actually able to walk out of her contract without any penalties or fines. It’s also unknown if she’ll actually be wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom, or simply making an appearance. Either way Varnado in any company is sure to make an impact (please dear God don’t let it be IMPACT).
Stay tuned to SEScoops as we provide updates on this developing story.
Since making the announcement, the former World Champion admits that his phone has been ringing nonstop with offers to wrestle. He even revealed that WWE has made offers themselves, but the circumstances just weren’t right at the time.
He did, however, note that he could be interested in doing a match for one of WWE’s Saudi Arabia shows. In regards to potentially competing in January’s Royal Rumble match, Booker T seems very interested, and is simply waiting on the call.
“I will be checking the mail everyday all the way up until that day, because if I get an invitation I’m definitely going to execute it, I’m definitely going to be there and I’m going to be prepared to be in the middle of the ring if that happens.
“But no, nobody’s talked to me or anything like that about being in the Rumble. I don’t have any itches to scratch or anything like that, but hey man, I’m always down.”
This year’s Royal Rumble event will take place from San Antonio, Texas, Booker’s home state. His presence would certainly be an electric one, as the Texas native is a six-time World Champion.
Vince McMahon may have once had big plans for Veer Mahaan, but right now, WWE is just trying to keep him from being injured.
After months of video vignettes, Mahaan made his Monday Night Raw debut on the post-WrestleMania 38 episode, attacking Rey and Dominik Mysterio.
Despite McMahon once believing he could be WWE’s next top monster heel, it has been months since Mahaan competed on the red brand.
Injury
In the wake of the change of management, Mahaan has been moved to WWE NXT, but hasn’t competed in weeks.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed that Veer is currently dealing with a minor injury.
“Veer is injured, a very minor injury, but they’re still not letting him wrestle… Anybody else in this world would wrestle with this kind of injury. It’s like a broken finger or something, which people do work through all the time.”
Dave Meltzer.
The India show
This week, PW Insider reported that WWE will be hosting an event in India next month, marking the promotion’s return to the sub-continent in six years.
Meltzer explained that WWE doesn’t want to risk Veer or his tag-team partner getting injured, as they will play a huge role in the show’s appeal.
“They’re trying to protect him because Veer and Sanga have to be healthy for that India show that’s built all around them in mid-January and a lot of money is involved. So, they can’t risk him being hurt to miss that show.”
Dave Meltzer.
Despite both Veer and Sanga competing in NXT, the show will reportedly be a SmackDown branded event.
So far, no matches or talent have been confirmed for the show by WWE themselves.
