WWE Superstar Top Dolla (AJ Francis) is getting candid about the disappointment and shame he felt when he was released from the company in 2021.
Hit Row is back doing their thing on the SmackDown brand, but it was not an easy road getting there. The group was swept up in WWE’s ‘cost cutting’ wave of releases last year and Top Dolla was hit especially hard when he found himself out of work.
During an appearance on the Fox Sports Out of Character podcast, Dolla told host Ryan Satin that he was caught completely off guard when he lost his dream job. When asked about his initial reaction, he recalled, “Disappointment. Shame.”
“I’ve worked to get to that point,” he said. “We had the fastest call-up ever in NXT history. To then be released a month later it was like, I felt.. I didn’t know that this would happen. I had no assurances that I’d be back in WWE again. So I felt like maybe the two years that I had spent in NXT, getting to that point was just a waste of my time, because I was gonna have to go do something else now. What ended up happening, which was a blessing, was the fact that, I always stayed in contact with Hunter.”
He recalls being “genuinely depressed” when his career came to a screeching halt.
“When we first got released, it was tough. I was genuinely depressed. I had spent my entire life looking for a chance to get an opportunity to be on SmackDown, to be on Raw. Then I got there and then a month later it got taken out from underneath me. So it was one of the worst experiences [and] times of my life.”
Luckily, hard work pays off. He, Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab were brought back to WWE as part of Triple H’s initiative to re-hire a slew of talented performers.
Top Dolla has gotten himself in great physical shape over the past few months. He revealed on Twitter that he was 367 pounds when he re-signed with WWE less than three months ago. On November 9, he weighed in at 303 pounds – the lightest he’s been since his junior year of college.
You can check out Top Dolla’s full interview below:
Amale made WWE history as the first French female to ever sign with the company. In the summer of 2020, “The French Hope” officially joined the NXT UK roster, later racking up impressive performances in the company’s international brand. In August 2022, NXT UK announced its official hiatus, as WWE looked to expand and launch their respective NXT Europe brand. Accordingly, several NXT UK superstars were let go from their contracts.
SEScoops’ correspondent Ella Jay recently spoke with Amale about wrestling Meiko Satomura, who helped guide her in the NXT UK locker room, possible NXT Europe involvement, returning to the independent scene and much more!
Watch Ella Jay’s interview with Amale:
Here are some highlights of what Amale said about:
Representing France On WWE Programming
“Representation is something I really care about because when I was younger, looking back, I didn’t have anyone to look up to, anyone who looked like me. So I wanted to be that person for somebody and for all the French people. This is the reason why it’s really important to me. So yeah, it has been really cool to be able to do it.”
Wrestling Meiko Satomura For The NXT UK Women’s Championship
Meiko Satomura & Amale
“That was amazing. It was exciting, but scary at the same time, I will say. I faced her before WWE with wXw [in 2019], I had a match against her and it was really intense at that time already, but I felt like I stepped up with the WWE one and it was really intense. I think it’s one of the highlights of my career so far there. So I really keep a good feeling about it.”
Who Helped Guide Her In The NXT UK Locker Room
“There was Kay Lee Ray, Alba Fyre now in NXT. She is so talented and she was like the longest reigning NXT UK Women’s Champion and everything. It was just so inspiring to see her around and to see her being that leader that just want to help people and give advice. She was watching our matches and just helping us, giving us advice, stuff like that. I keep a very cool souvenir of her. I will say JD McDonagh as well, former[ly] Jordan Devlin. He was as well, always really helping and he believed in us. He is someone that understands the business and how pro-wrestling works really well so he can share it and help us grow. “
Possible Involvement In NXT Europe
“So we’ve heard that they (WWE management) want to get back some of the former NXT UK people, but I have no clue what’s going on or what’s going to happen. So I’m just like, ‘wait and see.’ I’m just focusing on what I can control and what I can do right now, and tomorrow, not like next year. It’s really far away, so I just need to get things done now and we will see what happen.”
On Returning To The Independent Scene
“I feel like I’m falling in love with wrestling again, like going back into the roads and seeing new people all the time, new countries having new opportunities. That’s really everything I love about wrestling. I just regret that I was signed [to NXT UK] during — it was kind of bad timing because with the COVID situation and everything, we’ve been out for so long and then we it was pretaped. So we were there only a few weeks and then after nothing for six weeks, stuff like that. So, I wish it was different, but now I’m just more free. I can travel and can do whatever I want. So it’s so cool.”
The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) have abandoned their trademark application for the name, The Wayward Sons.
The Bucks applied for the name on November 3. The ‘Goods and Services’ usage description at the United States Patent and Trademark Office included “entertainment services in the nature of wrestling contests” along with a slew of merchandise offerings, such as shirts, hats, bandanas and more.
Less than two weeks later, their application was rescinded on November 14. No specific reason has been for the abandonment, but it’s likely they received word the application would not be approved due to conflicts with existing trademarks.
The Young Bucks Returning
The top tag team has been away from All Elite Wrestling since the events that transpired after September’s AEW All Out pay-per-view.
The Elite have been backstage at recent AEW Dynamite events, with the belief that they will be returning to television shortly.
In recent weeks, vignettes promoting the “deletion” of the Bucks and Omega have begun airing on AEW television. The Bucks and Omega have been added back to television commercials for Dynamite and Rampage, another indication that they are returning soon.
When you look back at some of MJF’s best matches in AEW, you realize that the guy can absolutely go in the squared circle. His arrogance, dishonor and despicable nature as a heel overshadow that he has had some of the most underrated and best matches in the short history of AEW.
MJF has become one of, if not the most compelling characters in AEW. You may think of him as strictly a master on the microphone. Yet MJF is also one of the best in-ring performers on a roster that is stocked full of them.
MJF has an opportunity this Saturday night at the Full Gear pay-per-view to win the AEW World Championship as he goes head-to-head with current champion Jon Moxley. In the process of that, he also can add on to his rolodex of best matches in the promotion.
5 Reasons MJF Should Win The AEW Championship
That being said, we are going to take a look back at MJF’s best matches thus far in AEW.
MJF vs. Jungle Boy (Double Or Nothing 2020)
A pandemic era, AEW in-ring beauty. MJF and Jungle Boy had one match prior to this encounter at a Dynamite event on February 12, 2020. Just three months later, two of the four proclaimed “Pillars” of AEW would square off once again in front of their peers in the audience on pay-per-view.
MJF had just broken through with an upset win over his mentor, Cody Rhodes, at AEW Revolution. The feud itself was designed to catapult Maxwell Jacob Friedman to a new level, which indeed it did. His follow up feud with Jungle Boy offered up a different dynamic.
You witnessed a glimpse of the bright future that MJF and Jungle Boy both have in front of them. A clash between a more methodical, heel style performer and an electric, vibrant babyface. The two young men put on a more modern style wrestling clinic which brought out MJF’s underrated in-ring skills. He would emerge victorious in this wonderful pro wrestling match.
Something tells me this will be a featured rivalry moving down the line for AEW in the distant future.
MJF vs. Sammy Guevara (Dynamite, June 30, 2021)
We move from one match between two of AEW’s four pillars to another exciting contest. The feud between MJF and Sammy Guevara had started long before this bout came to be. When MJF had Chris Jericho at AEW Full Gear 2020, the stipulation was he would become a member of The Inner Circle.
Sammy Guevara was skeptical of MJF and his motives as a new member of the group, and rightfully so. When The Inner Circle were about to kick MJF out of the group, he flipped the switch and formed The Pinnacle in one of the best segments in AEW Dynamite history.
This match was almost four months after MJF formed his new group, and you got to see a fantastic story told in the ring. Much like Jungle Boy before him, Guevara’s athleticism was a perfect contrast in style to MJF’s technical and grappling approach.
A magnificent display of one upmanship between the two rivals as MJF would prevail without outside interference from The Pinnacle.
MJF vs. Darby Allin (Full Gear 2021)
It’s a testament to AEW that the first three matches on this list involve all four pillars of the young company. In this bout, MJF would go head-to-head with the most unorthodox pillar of the bunch in Darby Allin.
Darby and his reckless style mix incredibly well with the aforementioned skills of MJF, as this match opened up the 2021 rendition of Full Gear. The two men put on a performance that was very difficult to top on this night in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The mind games that the two men played throughout their feud played a significant role in how well the story in the ring on this night was told. The car crash style that Darby Allin brought to the table turned into an incredible wrestling match, which suits MJF’s liking.
Max called his shot saying he would win this bout with a headlock takeover (aided by his Dynamite diamond ring, which he used to knock Darby out beforehand). None the less, this match arguably stole the show on a night where Hangman Page finally won the AEW World title.
MJF vs. CM Punk (Dynamite, February 2, 2022)
MJF and CM Punk are two of the most polarizing figures in the pro wrestling world over the last 20 years.
The psychological warfare and mic battles that took place between the two men were the most incredible storytelling and entertaining television in AEW’s short company history.
The story arc started with MJF attempting to throw-around his microphone superiority and all-around prowess in AEW. He once idolized CM Punk as a teenager. Now, he said that he saw Punk as a threat to his territory at the top of the card.
Punk meanwhile has been a professor of psychology throughout his career and combatted MJF’s nooks and crannies better than any opponent before him.
This match took place in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois, giving him a distinct advantage over the younger prodigy. MJF on this night wasn’t rattled. He pinned Punk not once, but twice, after referee Bryce Remsburg found a piece of tape which MJF used to help put Punk to sleep the first time.
The storytelling was masterful once again as MJF cheated both times to defeat Punk. It warranted a rematch where CM Punk would have the opportunity to get a measure of revenge against his hated rival.
MJF vs. CM Punk (Revolution 2022)
The follow up to MJF vs CM Punk’s TV thriller was another month of fantastic promos and psychological warfare which led to Punk demanding a stipulation in their next encounter on pay-per-view.
MJF threw one more log into the metaphorical fire to create a barricade to avoid giving Punk a rematch. He gave Punk the option to choose any partner of his choosing outside of Darby Allin and Sting to defeat FTR, the other two members of the Pinnacle.
Punk chose Jon Moxley and they defeated FTR in a phenomenal tag team match on Dynamite. Punk tapped into wrestling history to choose the stakes for this bout at AEW Revolution. Channeling “Roddy Piper in Portland,” he made the match a dog collar affair, one that Piper (another of MJF’s heroes) had taken part in against Greg Valentine at Starrcade 1983.
Wrestling fans were treated to a brutal affair. The stage was set minutes before as MJF came out to Punk’s “Cult Of Personality” theme music. Punk would follow up with his Ring Of Honor theme, “Miseria Cantare.” A homage to his previous dog collar match in ROH with Raven.
MJF and CM Punk would go on to have one of the most memorable PPV matches in AEW history. The blood shed, emotions and hatred were at a fever pitch on this night.
Wardlow would play a part in this bout as well. He finally turned on MJF as he left his Dynamite diamond ring for Punk to use as he knocked out MJF with it. Add a GTS to the blow and Punk gained a measure of revenge on his fallen opponent.
Jesse Velasquez is the host of the Wrestling Unplugged and Undeniable podcast, available on Apple and Spotify.
WWE NXT will soon see the debut of the promotion’s newest match stipulation: the Iron Survival Challenge
On this week’s WWE NXT, Shawn Michaels appeared to announce the new match, adding that NXT is a brand focused on “innovation.”
The match will have its debut on December 10, at WWE NXT’s newest event ‘NXT Deadl1ne.’
The Rules
With a brand new match type debuting, comes brand new rules for fans to learn.
In his announcement, Michaels confirmed that there will be two Iron Survivor Challenge, one men’s and one women’s match.
The 25-minute match will see five Superstars compete, with two opponents starting, with a new entrant entering every five minutes.
Every fall a Superstar earns grants them a point, and forces the pinned Superstar into a penalty box for 90 seconds.
The person with the most falls at the end of the match will be the winner.
The victors of the men’s and women’s matches will earn an NXT Championship match and NXT Women’s Championship match respectively.
NXT Deadl1ne
Little is known about NXT’s newest Premium event, but the timing of the show has been notable.
The event will be held on the same day as Ring of Honor’s Final Battle Pay-Per-View, the third major event for ROH since Tony Khan’s purchase in March.
ROH Final Battle will have a special start time of 4 pm Eastern and is expected to finish before NXT Deadl1ne kicks off in the evening.
Is CM Punk going to return to WWE soon? Not if some in the company can help it.
Since his explosive comments at AEW All Out and the backstage fight, it has been rumored that Punk could return to WWE despite his infamous 2014 walkout.
Punk has been suspended from AEW since All Out and there is no sign of his return despite the investigation into the backstage fight recently concluding.
Do Not Want
Punk in WWE, despite the frosty relationship between the two sides over the years, would certainly be a huge deal at a time when the company is at war with AEW.
Triple H has reportedly “softened” his stance on CM Punk but not everyone is wanting to see him return.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that many in WWE do not want Punk back, but they have no say over the creative.
“I know people in WWE who absolutely do not want him [CM Punk] there, but they are not the people on the creative team.”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer added that those people in WWE are aware of what happened in AEW, and seriously question why risk the same happening in their promotion.
This attitude isn’t too different from the feeling in AEW, with reports that talent will refuse to work with Punk if he is brought back by Tony Khan.
WWVD?
Many in WWE may be opposed to a CM Punk return, but it will ultimately come down to what WWE co-CEOs Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon, and WWE Head of Creative/Talent Triple H, think is best.
On his show, Meltzer said that Triple H may be against bringing Punk in, and questioned what Vince McMahon would do if he was still in charge.
““Paul may just go in there and go, ‘Look what happened, we don’t need it’. And they don’t. They don’t need it, and he may just do that.
““If it was Vince, Vince would do it I think, with that kind of money at stake.”
Dave Meltzer.
CM Punk’s status with AEW remains unclear, and Tony Khan has made it clear he will not be addressing the matter in public.
Kevin Owens’ return to WWE programming would have seen him thrust into the main event, had he not gone down with a recent injury.
Owens has been absent from programming as of late, with his most recent televised match seeing him compete in a six-man tag on SmackDown in September of this year.
At a WWE Live event earlier this month, Owens addressed his absence from TV, saying he is going to “kick everyone’s ass” when he is back.
The Injury
Any plans for Owens to kick ass won’t be happening anytime soon, as the Prizefighter suffered an injury at a WWE Live event last week.
Competing at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, Owens suffered an MCL sprain during his match with Austin Theory, and quickly finished with a Stunner.
After the match, Owens had to be helped to the back by the referee of the match.
Plans
Owens’ injury comes at a time when he hasn’t been featured on TV, but WWE did have plans that were going to start soon.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Owens was going to be the final man for the face team at Survivor Series WarGames.
Had he not suffered the injury, Owens would have likely teamed with The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch,) and Drew McIntyre.
The four tackled the Bloodline on last week’s SmackDown and while the match hasn’t been confirmed yet, it is expected that the Men’s WarGames match will be made official this Friday.
Given Roman Reigns’ involvement in the match, the bout is guaranteed to headline Survivor Series WarGames.
Nikki Cross may be aligned with Damage CTRL, but the group isn’t ready to welcome her as a member just yet.
Cross returned to WWE programming on the October 24, 2022 Raw, reverting to the unhinged persona she had used in NXT.
The former Raw Women’s Champion has ditched her Superhero character and the Nikki A.S.H. name.
Damage CTRL
Despite attacking Bayley during her return, Cross has been on the same side as the Role Model and Damage CTRL since then.
At WWE Crown Jewel, Cross interfered to help Dakota Kai and IYO SKY recapture the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships from Alexa Bliss and Asuka.
Fightful Select reports that on WWE’s internal listings before this week’s Raw, Cross was not listed as a member of the stable.
On this week’s Raw, IYO SKY defeated Dana Brooke, while Bayley, Kai, and Cross were ringside, though Cross did not seem interested in what was going on in the ring.
WarGames
Cross is not an official member of the Damage CTRL stable, but she will soon be entering WarGames with Bayley, Kai, and SKY.
On Raw, it was confirmed that Rhea Ripley will be joining the four for WWE’s upcoming Premium Live Event.
The group will face Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and one final teammate yet to be named.
While it is believed that Candice LeRae will be the final member of the group, that has yet to be confirmed on TV.
AEW All Out aired on September 4th and was an entertaining show, albeit far too long. However, the disastrous media scrum that followed the PPV has painted the company in a bad light. As the days pass, it becomes more ridiculous when you think about it and the company will hopefully follow up with an event fans rave about.
5 Best Moments of CM Punk’s AEW Career
Here are a few reasons why All Elite Wrestling needs to provide a show people will remember for the right reasons on November 19th:
AEW Needs to Show the Audience They’ve Learned from Their Mistakes
AEW has a chance to right the wrongs of All Out and shorten the absurd length of their PPV events this Saturday at Full Gear. Tony Khan appears to waiver in and out from listening to fan suggestions for his product.
He thanked the fans for the suggestion, only to back to the previous lighting shortly after. One can only hope he listened to the exhausted fans in attendance by the time the main event between CM Punk and Jon Moxley went on.
AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview
The production has consistently been criticized, but often times the messenger wasn’t the best. Road Dogg was clearly angling for a job at AEW, but wound up replacing Jeff Jarrett in WWE as the Senior Vice President of Live Events. Double J has since been hired by All Elite Wrestling in a similar backstage role, as well as an on-screen character.
“The production of the show, not how you produce and execute the creative, but the production of the show is horrible.”
Road Dogg did make some valid points about AEW’s production, though. There are times when it is excellent, and times when the viewer is left scratching their head. For example, Samoa Joe turned on Wardlow last week on Dynamite and attacked him. The camera angle made it pretty obvious that it was going to happen, but that is not the issue.
Somehow, AEW managed to cut away at the precise moment Samoa Joe attacked Wardlow and had to roll it in a replay. It is hard to figure out how that managed to happen when the attack was the entire point of the segment, but it did and they deserve criticism for it. AEW Full Gear needs to be a well-produced PPV that allows the viewers to actually experience the moments as they happen this Saturday night.
From the outside looking in, the situation regarding the AEW Women’s Championship makes zero sense. Thunder Rosa isn’t exactly CM Punk, so it is head-scratching why she needs to remain champion for months with an injury. She’s an incredible in-ring talent, but they had her rush an injury announcement in a backstage segment and then she vanished. If she was that vital to the TV show, wouldn’t she still be on it like Britt Baker was during her injury?
We’ve gotten some explanation from the AEW Women’s Champion on Busted Open Radio following AEW Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm’s comments. Thunder Rosa said she hopes to return around January and suggested that Toni speak to those in power backstage who made the decision.
They haven’t given me a time yet when I’m coming back. I’m saying it’s January, and I hope it is January.
Again, if Toni Storm disagrees with what’s decided in the back, that’s not my problem. That is not my problem, Toni.
Toni Storm versus Jamie Hayter should be an interesting matchup, but it is still just to determine the Interim Champion. Storm should be thriving as the champion but instead that weird and unnecessary label has made her whole reign feel less than.
The situation with the TBS Championship is just poor booking. Jade Cargill is a star but this storyline hasn’t done her any favors. Nyla stole the TBS Championship and is billed as the “TBS Champion” for the show. Time will tell if the TBS Champion versus the “TBS Champion” will captivate the audience at the Prudential Center.
While the build to the title matches has been lackluster at best, there is one match that could potentially give AEW fans hope that this division will finally find its footing. The talent has always been there, but quality booking has been hard to find as late.
Saraya will make her long-awaited return to the ring at Full Gear against Britt Baker. The two had a great segment on last week’s Dynamite and the crowd popped when Saraya announced she was cleared to return to the ring. Baker and Saraya putting on a quality match at the PPV would be huge for the division, especially if both title matches overcome their build and deliver as well.
AEW Needs a New Champion to Get Fans Excited for the Future Again
It is Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s world and we are all living in it. The 26-year-old has vaulted to the top of the roster by simply not being there. Fans got to watch AEW World Champion CM Punk say that he is “not in the business of stepping on each other’s d**ks”, only to hit a Coup de Grace on the collective d**ks of his coworkers at the All Out media scrum.
The AEW World Champion opted to air his dirty laundry minutes after winning the title in his hometown. It was supposed to be the beginning of his second title run (without a single title defense) but he was suspended following the brawl with The Elite. Punk was also injured during the title match and likely would have had to relinquish the title anyway.
MJF’s hiatus began after his incredible “pipebomb” promo on the Dynamite following Double or Nothing. He called Tony Khan a “f***ing mark” during the promo and blasted him for hiring ex-WWE guys that according to MJF, couldn’t lace his boots. CM Punk hobbled down the entrance ramp after the promo in an effort to confront MJF.
He had broken his foot earlier in the show and would need to step away just a few days after defeating Hangman Page to win the title. MJF scampered through the crowd and wasn’t seen again until the conclusion of All Out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh_-rrvh39E
CM Punk defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out to capture the AEW World Championship for the 2nd time. A man in a devil’s mask was gifted the Casino Ladder match to begin the show after Stokely Hathaway’s The Firm faction beat everybody down. It was revealed to be MJF and he confronted Punk at the conclusion of the PPV. MJF got a thunderous reaction but it was soon to be overshadowed by Punk’s even louder rant.
Jon Moxley cut one of the better promos of his career on the Dynamite after the PPV. Mox said that winners always want the ball and went on to defeat Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam to win the title again. He’s become the heart and soul of the company, but it is time to drop the belt.
5 Reasons MJF Should Win the AEW World Championship
MJF has already convinced many fans that he is a generational talent, and the time is now to make him the face of All Elite Wrestling. Tony Khan made a bunch of signings looking for his franchise player but the truth is he’s been there all along.
The Dyad (Rip Fowler & Jagger Reid) (w/ Joe Gacy & Ava Raine) def. Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs (w/ Fallon Henley)
Indi Hartwell def. Tatum Paxley
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose def. Alba Fyre in a last woman standing match
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
NXT Women’s Championship Match
WWE
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose defended against Alba Fyre in a Last Woman Standing match on this show.
This was a rematch from Halloween Havoc where Fyre had the title won before Toxic Attraction helped Rose retain the title.
The match saw Fyre take control early with an outside dive. However, things went back and forth with various weapons being used including trash cans. At one point, Fyre hit a front senton off the top rope to the floor. Rose dropped a ladder and it may have landed on the left arm of Fyre. Fyre planted Rose on a trash can. Rose tossed her off the barricade and Fyre’s head hit the ring steps. Fyre tossed her into the ring apron. Isla Dawn appeared and spit in the face of Fyre before tossing her off the ladder through the announce table and that’s how Rose won.
Apollo Crews vs. JD McDonagh in a singles match took place. JD McDonagh addressed Crews about a potential match two weeks ago. Ever since returning to NXT, Crews has been trying to take on Bron Breakker. Last week, McDonagh beat Axiom when the referee halted the action because Axiom was unable to continue.
The finish saw McDonagh go for a Top Rope Moonsault on Crews, but Crews evaded and hit the Standing Ovation Slam (One-Hand Spinebuster) on McDonagh for the pinfall win.
Post-match, Breakker had a staredown with Crews, indicating the next feud.
Shawn Michaels appeared on this show to issue a statement on the NXT Deadline event that takes place on December 10th. So what was his big announcement?
Michaels said the brand is focused on developing talent, but also innovation as there will be two Iron Survivor Challenge matches at NXT Deadline on December 10th – one for the men and one for the women.
Five stars will compete in the match that will last 25 minutes where they will battle each other and the clock. Two stars will start the match and every five minutes a new star will enter the bout until all five are in the ring. The goal is to have the most falls (pinfalls, submission, DQ) by the time the clock hits 25 minutes. Each fall a star earns they get one penalty while if a star loses a fall then they must enter a penalty box for 90 seconds. The winner of each match will get a title match against the NXT and NXT Women’s Champions. The participants will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Booker T hosted a contract signing between North American Champion Wes Lee and Carmelo Hayes ahead of their match on November 22nd.
The finish saw McDonagh go for a Top Rope Moonsault on Crews, but Crews evaded and hit the Standing Ovation Slam (One-Hand Spinebuster) on McDonagh for the pinfall win.
Hayes vowed to walk away with the title. Lee stated that everyone knows how much hard work he had to put in to get to this spot. Lee said when he beats Hayes, he will make everyone know that he is the new standard in NXT as the North American Champion.
They both signed the contract before having a staredown to end the segment.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defended the title against Von Wagner on this show.
The match opened the episode and saw Wagner dominate the majority of it. In the end, Von did a powerslam spot for a near fall and got into the face of the referee before pushing Robert Stone off the apron. Bron pinned him to retain the title after hitting a spear.
The Billington Bulldogs (Thomas and Mark Billington) have signed with Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Alicia Atout made the news during the first episode of MLW Insider, which aired on November 15.
Thomas and Mark are the nephews of The Dynamite Kid. Atout stated that they have been training with Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Bret Hart before announcing the duo will be in action at MLW Blood & Thunder on January 7.
The Billington Bulldogs’ Background
They made their promotional debut at the Fightland taping on October 30, where they joined forces with Smith Jr. to face the Bomaye Fight Club trio of Alex Kane, Myron Reed & Mr. Thomas.
Before joining MLW, the tag team worked for various promotions in Canada and the United Kingdom, including Real Canadian Wrestling and Pro 2 Wrestling.
The promotion also announced today that Billie Starkz would make her debut at MLW Blood & Thunder. On Thursday’s episode of MLW Fusion, Killer Kross and Davey Richards, among other stars, will compete as the current season was taped months ago.
The Dynamite Kid was ahead of his time with his in-ring style and got over as a result. With his cousin Davey Boy Smith, he was also known for being one half of the tag team, The British Bulldogs.
WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Von Wagner in the opening bout of the November 15th edition of WWE NXT on the USA Network.
The match went back and forth in the early going. Von hit a chokeslam on the steel steps outside of the ring. Wanger dominated the match, with Bron fighting from underneath as the babyface. There was a near-fall spot where Wagner caught him with a powerslam. Bron went over with a spear.
On the November 1st edition of NXT, Pretty Deadly defeated Bron Breakker and Wes Lee to retain NXT Tag Team Titles. The match saw Carmelo Hayes knock Lee off the top rope and Lee was pinned. Post-match, Wagner laid out Breakker while Apollo Crews looked on.
The following week, Wagner and Breakker appeared on The Grayson Waller Effect to further build up the match.
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.
WWE legend Hulk Hogan is coming to the Ghostbusters, brother!
The Hulkster is used to Bodyslamming giants, sayings his prayers, and eating his vitamins, dude! However, The Hulkster will be joining the popular Ghostbusters mobile game as part of the WWE Champions update.
Other WWE Superstars featured in the mobile game are John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The late Scott Hall is also featured in the game as his WWE persona Razor Ramon.
WWE and Ghostbusters partnered up for a line of action figures from Mattel in 2019. The superstars were sporting the Ghostbuster’s khaki outfits and will be doing the same in the mobile game. Hogan is available to play after being unlocked via the Legends Buster Blitz and Ghost Hunt Blitz competitions. The event is set to end this Friday on November 18th.
Hulk Hogan in Movies
Ghostbusters is a classic film starring the late Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray. It was released in 1984 but is still talked about today. Hollywood has recently attempted to reboot the franchise but didn’t come close to capturing the magic of the original film.
In 1984, Hulk Hogan’s film career was just beginning. He was fresh off of playing Thunder Lips in Rocky III and was his first WWF title win over The Iron Sheik. The Hulkster had his best run in the entertainment industry in the late 80s into the early 90s. He portrayed “Rip” in the film funded by WWF that featured several wrestlers. Tommy Lister (Deebo from Friday) was also in the movie as “Zeus” and appeared in WWF after No Holds Barred was released.
In 1991, Hollywood was trying to find the next Alien franchise and cast Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito in the film Suburban Commando. Both A-listers dropped out and Hogan seized the opportunity. Hulk played a space warrior named Shep Ramsey that crashed on planet Earth in the film.
One of his more memorable roles was in 1993 in the children’s film Mr. Nanny. Hogan played a former wrestler that took a position as a bodyguard. The film bombed at the box office but has had a second life as a “so bad it is good” movie.
Logan Paul earned plenty of praise from fans and wrestlers following his match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel.
Paul was not victorious, but his performance stood out, and even John Cena took notice as he shared a photo of Paul on his Instagram account with no caption. Paul noticed that and responded with the eyes emoji on Twitter of a tweet saying Cena was looking for a WrestleMania opponent.
On the latest episode of his ImPAULsive podcast, Paul offered more insight into a potential showdown with Cena.
“Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. That’d be crazy.”
– Logan Paul
“That’s my dream. I’ve proven the model twice now. I’ve proven the model of; headstrong capable internet kid vs. a GOAT, a top-tier industry leader. Floyd (Mayweather). That worked. Generated $65-70 million dollars. Reigns. Crown Jewel became the number one most-viewed international pay-per-view event WWE has ever had. I’ve done it twice. The reason is, when I’m paired with a legend, a top-tier industry leader, the model works.”
After Crown Jewel, John Cena posted me on his Instagram and then I saw an article saying he’s looking for an opponent at WrestleMania. I favorited it, responded with the eyes. Truthfully, I think me vs. John Cena would break the internet. I texted Triple H right away, ‘Do you want to break the internet again?’ That’s a dream match. WrestleMania, in LA, on my birthday. Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. That’d be crazy.”
Paul stated that when he is put up against legends, he delivers, whether that’s Floyd Mayweather or Reigns, and brings in money.
During his bout at Crown Jewel, he suffered a knee injury, although he clarified on the podcast that it could have been worse and planned to give an update on his condition soon.
Since taking over WWE main roster creative, Triple H has brought back several wrestlers that had been let go.
Fightful Select reports that wrestlers who were brought back for the SmackDown brand are on three-year contracts that are set to expire in the Summer of 2025. Hit Row has matching deals that expire around the same time and are on those three-year deals. Some wrestlers brought back had representation and were able to negotiate different contracts.
Other Talent
(BT Sport)
Several stars brought back “were able to negotiate the ability to utilize some outside projects and platforms that they would not have been allowed to do at the time they were released.”
Many of those rules were relaxed as far back as WrestleMania 38 in April and are even more relaxed.
The preparation of some of these returns has ranged from the day before to several days out or in weeks. It was weeks in the making for Johnny Gargano, while Karrion Kross and Scarlett were just days. WWE had plans to bring in Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows for over a month.
Triple H has brought back Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis, the three members of Hit Row, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Emma, and Mia Yim.
With AEW Full Gear taking place this Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey, more and more information about the event is starting to unfold. We expect the card to be finalized tomorrow night during AEW Dynamite, and last week we got clues that The Elite will be at the event.
Now, we have the latest betting odds on the event revealed, courtesy of our friends at BetOnline.
MJF is a favorite (-700) to capture the AEW world title in his match with Jon Moxley (+400).
The Acclaimed are tied as the biggest favorites on the show (-2000) to retain their AEW Tag Team Championships against Swerve in our Glory (+700).
Chris Jericho is a slight favorite (-240) to retain the ROH title against Bryan Danielson (+235), Claudio Castagnoli (+500), and Sammy Guevara (+1000).
Jade Cargill is favorited (-2000) to retain the TBS title against Nyla Rose.
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry is a clear favorite (-700) against Luchasaurus (+400).
In her big return match, Saraya is favored (-700) against Britt Baker (+400).
Darby Allin and Sting (-500) are clear favorites against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett (+300) in their tag team match.
Toni Storm is a very slight favorite (-140) to retain the AEW Women’s Interim Championship against Jamie Hayter (+100), the closest line on the show.
Stay tuned to SEScoops as we get you ready for AEW Full Gear this weekend.
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Although MJF is arguably one of the best heels in the business, he has been getting more and more cheers as of late from fans following his return to AEW at All Out in September.
His latest post on Twitter will also give him more sympathy with fans as he noted that an outfit he wore during a previous edition of AEW Dynamite was, in fact, modeled on his late grandfather.
The AEW star shared a picture of himself side by side with his late ‘Poppa’ wearing the outfit and then a photo of himself in similar clothes during the February 9 edition of AEW Dynamite. This show was right after MJF beat CM Punk in their first match. He wrote the following in the caption:
The Photo
(AEW)
“Two years since your passing. Ik you’ll be watching on Saturday. Thanks for teaching me how to style and strut, Love you Poppa. #Penniesfromheaven.”
MJF’s character has significantly developed as he toes the line between heel and face. At this Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view event, MJF will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Title.
After his post-Double or Nothing absence, MJF returned to AEW by winning the poker chip in the Casino Ladder Match, thanks to Stokely Hathaway, which earned him this championship match. Since then, he cut ties with The Firm and Hathaway after they disobeyed his orders not to attack Moxley.
Bianca Belair has lofty dreams that extend far beyond the squared circle. The EST of WWE has been the Raw Women’s Champion since defeating Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38 back in April. 7 months later, her career is looking more promising than ever.
Belair signed William Morris Endeavor (WME) in August. The powerhouse Hollywood agency will help build her brand across podcasting, acting, marketing and more.
During a recent interview with Metro, she spoke about her desire to always branch out into new areas and challenge herself creatively.
“I’m super excited for it,” Belair said of the WME partnership. “I don’t like to sit still at all, I like to do everything. I like to utilize all of my talents. At one point in my life, I’d have never thought of being a WWE superstar, and now I am!”
Belair wants to see herself on the big screen and would love star in a film opposite WWE legends such as The Rock or John Cena. She credits them both for creating the blueprint for WWE Superstars to transition and do multiple things.
The Rock and John Cena have both moved on from being full-time Superstars, although there’s hope each of them will get back in the ring one day.
The allure of Hollywood can be very powerful, but Belair insists that she’s not looking to leave WWE any time soon. She wants the best of both worlds, and thinks it’s possible to become successful outside of WWE and then use her fame to draw new fans to pro wrestling.
“I can’t think of myself as anything other than a WWE superstar,” she continued. “I’m still in the business. I’m just getting started. I’m still honing my craft.”
“I have so much more to do, but right now I’m just multitasking and go outside the wrestling bubble and bring more eyes to the product. That’s my goal.”
– Bianca Belair
Belair is set compete in the Women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series later this month. As team captain, she’ll lead Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim and one more partner (TBD) into battle against Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), Nikki Cross and Rhea Ripley.
Just because Vince McMahon is no longer running the WWE main roster creative and Triple H is in charge doesn’t mean that plans for weekly television don’t change at all anymore.
This week’s episode of WWE Raw was not immune to change as Fightful Select reports that WWE switched up plans for Dominik Mysterio on the show as he was not initially listed to wrestle on the show.
The Changes
The report stated, “There were several revisions to the lineup. Dominik Mysterio was originally not scheduled to wrestle. Rollins vs. Balor was made a United States Title match, and Elias & Riddle vs. Alpha Academy was set for the show.”
Mysterio is still going strong with the Judgment Day stable, and all signs might point toward a WrestleMania 39 with his father, Rey Mysterio, who is currently out of action with an injury.
Also on this show, Mia Yim got a new entrance song and nickname. Fightful’s report also noted that “Michin,” her new nickname, which means “crazy’ in Korean, will be used from time to time and the company will also refer to her as Michin, but the working plan is for Mia Yim to still be used moving forward.
Yim is still finding her footing after returning to WWE recently after being away following her departure alongside several other stars that were released in 2021.
Hours after a listing for a new trademark filed by WWE was published for the term Iron Survivor Challenge, the reasoning behind the filing may have been revealed.
According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office database, WWE filed for the trademark on November 10th under Entertainment services.
A new match type is coming to the NXT brand under this name, according to Fightful.
What’s The Match?
(via WWE)
The report stated the Iron Survivor Challenge may have some “scramble” element to it, and other “unique” elements have been pitched for the gimmick bout.
WWE has been hyping that WWE Hall of Famer & Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels will appear on tonight’s NXT, where he is slated to issue a statement about the NXT Deadline Premium Live Event on Saturday, December 10, that doesn’t have a main event match confirmed for it yet.
Sources implied to the media outlet that Michaels’ announcement would be related to the Iron Survivor Challenge, but that was not confirmed.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker will defend the title against Von Wagner in the main event of Tuesday’s show.
Kazuchika Okada is one of the biggest stars in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling but has never wrestled in WWE. In a dream match scenario, it doesn’t get much bigger than a match between Okada and The Rock.
At a recent press event for “Black Adam” in Japan, Okada worked on the Japanese dubbed version of the film “Black Adam,” which stars the former WWE Champion.
The top NJPW star attended a press event to promote the film that will be released in Japan on December 2nd. During it, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion was asked if there was any interest in getting in the ring with the film’s leading man.
Kazuchika Okada vs. The Rock
“It looks like he can fight. He looks like he can do it [Okada joked about the Black Adam figure]. I think we can have a match… Well, as a fellow pro wrestler, I’d like to have a match with him [Dwayne Johnson].”
The Rock hasn’t wrestled in 8 years, with the last time being a quick six-second squash win against Erick Rowan). Okada is set to challenge for Jay White’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at January’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Since opening on October 21, the film has grossed $351,573,563, with $150,573,563 coming domestically and $201,000,000 internationally.
Randy Orton has been a top star in WWE since 2004 after being paired with Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair in Evolution, but he has missed the majority of 2022 due to a back issue.
Orton has not been on WWE television since May, when The Usos defeated RK-Bro in a unification title match on an episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Orton was attacked by The Bloodline to be written off television following the match.
Initially, WWE anticipated the back injury would require surgery and force him to miss the rest of the year. It had not been confirmed that Orton underwent the knife.
Randy Orton Update
(via WWE)
Orton was spotted in Birmingham, Alabama this week which is typically where WWE sends its wrestlers to get surgery. As it turns out, Orton was hospitalized for an undisclosed procedure.
“If y’all only knew why this pic was taken”
As seen below, Kim wrote a touching message about their relationship.
“7 wonderful years with the man of my dreams. You’re bat shit crazy (but so am I) I trust you, and you trust me ?? we could conquer the fucking world together (if we feel like it) but for now I just want you to be my daddy and me to be your momma and raise our beautiful children together as one big happy family. FAMILY??LOVE??LOYALTY?? we have that tattooed on our bodies because it’s the most important thing to us. ME, YOU, OUR FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS, that’s all that matters. Thank you for loving me the way you do.”
CM Punk’s AEW career may continue for months to come, even if he isn’t featured on Television.
Punk debuted in AEW last year after a seven-year hiatus from wrestling following his controversial exit from WWE in January 2014.
After explosive comments made on the All Out 2022 post-show media scrum, as well as a backstage fight, Punk has been suspended from the company.
Punk Staying?
It has been reported that AEW seeks to buy out the remainder of Punk’s contract and release their problematic two-time former World Champion.
Reports of Punk’s exit come at a time when it is reported that WWE is trying to lure ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin back for one more match.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that “issues” may prevent the long-anticipated Punk Vs. Austin match.
“If you’re looking for the match that’s going to shake up the business, the Punk match is the one. But I don’t know that Punk will have a release [from his AEW contract.] There’s just a lot of issues there.”
Dave Meltzer.
Austin has been sharing workout videos over the past week and looks in shape for another match.
19 years after his WrestleMania 19 loss to The Rock, Austin competed at this year’s WrestleMania with a win over Kevin Owens.
Could Punk Return?
As soon as reports began that AEW could cut Punk, rumors circulated of a WWE return.
Last month, it was noted that WWE’s Head of Talent Triple H has “softened” his stance on Punk, and that the two could make amends.
Punk and WWE have been very hostile against each other since Punk’s 2014 walkout.
Yet another prominent star from All Elite Wrestling is reportedly dealing with an injury.
This year has seen several top names from the promotion go down hurt, including CM Punk (twice) and Bryan Danielson.
Adam Cole has been out for months due to a concussion, while ‘Hangman’ Adam Page is also on the shelf.
This week, it was reported that Abadon suffered an injury while competing at an indie event.
Luchasaurus Injured
Luchasaurus is just the latest AEW star to have been bitten by the injury bug, according to Bryan Alverez.
During the latest Wrestling Observer Live, Alverez suggested that the former AEW World Tag Team Champion has injured his right arm.
“This Luchasaurus is hurt. I don’t know if you noticed, but he did a left-armed chokeslam. He’s hurt. I don’t know how long he’s been hurt, but he’s been hurt for a while now. Hopefully, it’s not something serious.”
Bryan Alverez.
Despite this reported injury, Luchasaurus is scheduled to face Jungle Boy at Full Gear this weekend in a Steel Cage match.
Luchasaurus Vs. Jungle Boy
In 2019, mere months into AEW starting, Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy would form the popular Jurrasic Express, and would capture the World Tag Team Championships in January of this year.
Later recruiting Christian Cage, Jurassic Express would lose the titles in July, and Cage would turn on Jungle Boy, with Luchasaurus also turning on Jungle Boy.
At Fyter Fest Week 2, Luchasaurus turned on Christian Cage to realign with Jungle Boy, but this proved to be a short-lived team, and turned on Jungle Boy again at AEW All Out.
“That’s what I said [in response to Van Vliet saying Banks and Saraya should wrestle.] I really wanted to have that match with Sasha. I wanted to have that rematch with her, because we have that built-in story. So I really wanted that.”
Saraya added that Banks was one of the first people she told after doctor’s cleared her to wrestle, as The Boss had stressed for years over the injury.
Despite being in different companies, Saraya remains optimistic about a rematch.
“One day I’ll have my match with Sasha [Banks.]”
Saraya.
Banks’ Absence
Even if Saraya was still with WWE, a match with Banks would be unlikely at this time, given the latter’s suspension.
Sasha Banks (and Naomi) haven’t been seen since walking out of the May 16, episode of Raw over a creative dispute.
Speaking about Banks, Saraya said that it is great to see Banks try her hand outside of the ring.
“She’s going down her own path and stuff now, she’s doing her own thing. You don’t know where she’s going to be, she has an exciting life going on right now. I’m very pleased [for her.] She’s building her career outside of wrestling too. It’s awesome.”
Banks has been building her portfolio outside of wrestling, launching her own CBD Oil company with ex-Superstar Kalisto, and appearing in Disney+ hit ‘The Mandalorian.’
Britt Baker
On last week’s AEW Dynamite, Saraya not just confirmed that she is medically cleared, but added that she’ll be facing Britt Baker at Full Gear 2022.
Ahead of arguably the most important match of her career, Saraya had plenty of praise for the former AEW Women’s World Champion.
“Now I get to face Britt [Baker.] I’ve always wanted to face Britt, and in this brand-new company as well. The crazy part is that she’s always been a big fan of mine… She’s a fan of mine so it is cool that I get to have my comeback story with her and she’s so supportive, so I’m excited. I’m excited.”
AEW Full Gear 2022 will take place this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Out of the Ring
Though she is cleared to wrestle, Saraya will not be 100% focused on her wrestling career at this time.
Outside of the industry, the former Divas Champion has plenty of opportunities and projects which she plans to keep working on.
“I’m still focusing on things outside of wrestling and still building Saraya up as the brand, rather than [just] Paige and being a wrestler. I’m still in the mindset of still building that, but it’s so good to be in the mindset that I can do something I’ve been in love with my whole life.”
Outside of wrestling, Saraya has a successful Twitch channel, and launched her own brand of clothing and cosmetics during her retirement.
