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“He Had A Big A**” – Solo Sikoa Reflects On Watching His Father Rikishi In WWE

Robert Lentini
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The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa has made an impact on the main roster since arriving at Clash at the Castle. He interfered in the main event to ensure Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre and retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

The former NXT North American Champion has become the enforcer of The Bloodline and has acknowledged Roman Reigns as his Tribal Chief.

Speaking with Peter Rosenberg on Cheap Heat, Solo discussed his brothers The Usos, and his legendary father, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. Rosenberg noted that he’s seven years younger than Jimmy and Jey and wondered at what point Sikoa decided he was going to be a wrestler.

It’s always there. I feel like it’s always been inside of me. I wanted to give wrestling a try but it’s always been around. It’s in our blood man, you can’t teach this. I feel like no matter what I’ve done growing up, I feel like I always would have come back to wrestling. And look at us now.

Peter noted that Solo’s dad Rikishi was on top of the world around the year 2000 and asked what his earliest memory was of seeing his dad wrestle.

I remember on the night before school, I saw my dad debut with his blonde hair. I remember everybody, you know, my uncles, my aunties, my mom, and my brothers, we were all sitting there.

They were crowding the TV and I’m like ‘man watch out, what is going on?’. And then I see my dad. Not only did I see my dad, I saw him in underwear and with the blonde hair. I’m like ‘I just seen him yesterday and he didn’t look like that’.

I knew from that point on, man. It just took off. I was like ‘wow, that’s dad, that’s crazy’.

Solo spoke about it taking a while for Rikishi to find his spot in WWE but became very recognizable once he did.

It took him a while to find that spot in the WWE. I think when he found himself as Rikishi, he had already been through like five different characters at the time. When Rikishi took off, I knew people were going to recognize him.

He’s a big Samoan guy with blonde hair. There’s not many big Samoans with blonde hair. And we all know he had a big a**. It’s hard to miss a big a** with blonde hair on a big Samoan guy. Everywhere he went, people knew who he was.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Cheap Heat with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Former WWE Stars Debut In All Elite Wrestling

Robert Lentini
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Former WWE Superstars Samir and Sunil Singh (The Singh Brothers) appeared tonight in All Elite Wrestling as The Bollywoord Boyz. The team appeared during the taping for Dark: Elevation.

Gurvinder & Harvinder Sihra (The Bollywood Boyz) are from Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Tonight’s Dynamite and Dark tapings are being held in the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto.

The Singh Brothers were released from WWE on June 25, 2021. They were most known for their time as managers for former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal during their time with the company. Before joining WWE in 2016, the team spent a decade wrestling on the independents.

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp was at tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Toronto. During the taping for AEW Dark Elevation, The Bollywood Boyz made their All Elite Wrestling debut in a match against The Ass Boys (Austin & Colten Gunn).

https://twitter.com/JoelPearl/status/1580343170826575872?s=20&t=XEAFNlnnQvypJp-cGoVhKw

The Bollywood Boyz have been wrestling on the independent scene since there departure from WWE. They captured the Defy Tag Team Championships but lost them to State of Emergency at Defy City of Thorns on August 10th.

“I’m Having A Lot Of Fun” – Solo Sikoa On Being A Part Of The Bloodline In WWE

Robert Lentini
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Solo Sikoa has debuted on the main roster at WWE Clash at the Castle during the main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.

Sikoa provided a distraction and Roman capitalized by hitting his third Spear of the match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

On a recent episode of SmackDown, Solo acknowledged Roman as his Tribal Chief and is now referred to as “The Enforcer” of The Bloodline. He has formed a bond with Honorary Uce Sami Zayn and the two teamed up to defeat Madcap Moss and Ricochet on the September 30th edition of SmackDown.

Solo beat Ricochet and Madcap down backstage the week prior after they questioned if Sami was actually a member of The Bloodline.

Solo Sikoa On Being In WWE With His Family

Speaking with Peter Rosenberg on the Cheap Heat podcast, Solo Sikoa revealed that it was his first interview. Solo added that his debut came out of nowhere at Clash at the Castle.

It was out of the blue man. It was just one of those things where I got the call, this is what we want to do and this is how we want to bring you in. But I would never expect it this way, in front of 60,000 people man it was crazy.

Solo spoke about wrestling on the biggest stage with his family and included Sami Zayn in the discussion as he is an Honorary Uce.

Never did I think I was going to be able to do this with family but you know, I’m on the highest and the biggest stage of them all. And especially where my family is at in the business on top of the mountain with Big Uce Roman Reigns. I’m having a lot of fun.

And you know, I’m doing it with blood. It doesn’t get any better than that. And when I talk about blood, I also mean Sami Zayn too. Because you know, he’s an Honorary Uce and everything. So yeah man, it’s pretty cool moving in there with my family.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Cheap Heat with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Canada-Themed Elite Shirts Being Sold at AEW Dynamite Taping

Nick Perkins
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AEW Dynamite is set to make its International debut on Wednesday night, as it emanates from Toronto, Ontario Canada for the very first time.

The show features a packed card, with Chris Jericho defending his ROH Championship against Bryan Danielson, Pac defending his AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Orange Cassidy, ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry taking on former friend and partner Luchasaurus, and more.

But fans online are still reticent about the show because they feel that Elite member and former AEW Trios Champion, the Canadian-born Kenny Omega should be a part of the first AEW Dynamite from Canada.

Omega, of course, was one of the wrestlers suspended after a reported backstage brawl between Omega, The Young Bucks, CM Punk, Ace Steele, Ace Steele’s wife, CM Punk’s dog, the AEW company lawyer, and more.

Granted, not all of those names listed were actually throwing hands, but they were in the vicinity that the brawl took place.

CM Punk Elite

The Elite and CM Punk Suspended

It’s been alleged that CM Punk threw the first punch in the brawl. It’s also alleged that Ace Steele, Punk’s friend and a (former?) producer for AEW threw a chair and bit Kenny Omega on the arm.

Most reports seems to indicate that Omega didn’t actually do anything wrong, but he was suspended anyway, at least until any legal ramifications might be cleared up.

Omega still appeared in Japan last month on behalf of AEW for the Tokyo Games Show, but he hasn’t been seen on AEW television since All Out.

Now, a new piece of merchandise may just mean that Omega could be in Canada.

Twitter user Kyle Masters Tweeted a photo of a Canadian Leaf-themed Elite shirt.

It would be weird to promote The Elite in Canada without a member of The Elite actually appearing in Canada, but stranger things have happened. Maybe this is nothing. Or maybe, just maybe, Kenny Omega could appear on AEW Dynamite.

Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but stick with SEScoops as we provide updates on this developing situation.

Ace Steele Posts Video Insinuating He’s Been Given His ‘Freedom’

Nick Perkins
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In what may be the first sign that the current backstage drama in All Elite Wrestling is nearing its end, Ace Steele, friend of CM Punk and producer for AEW who was involved in the backstage melee following the 2022 All Out show, has posted a cryptic tweet to his feed.

Steele was one of the men suspended for his alleged role in a purported backstage fight that happened after CM Punk made some rather unsavory comments regarding the Executive Vice Presidents of the company, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

According to reports, following Punk’s comments at the AEW All Out Media Scrum, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, along with, reportedly, AEW’s company lawyer, entered Punk’s locker room. Details are mixed and unsubstantiated for the most part, but it’s alleged that punches were thrown (by CM Punk and possibly one of the Bucks), chairs were thrown (by Ace Steele), and arms were bitten (also by Ace Steele).

CM Punk Elite

The Elite and CM Punk Stripped of Their Titles

Following the brawl, Omega, The Young Bucks, CM Punk, Ace Steele, and a few others were suspended. The Elite were forced to vacate their newly-won AEW Trios Titles, and Punk vacated his newly-won AEW Heavyweight Championship.

It was a chaotic scene, with even more chaotic aftermath. Answers have been hard to come by, relating to the status of those names within the company.

It’s been rumored that Ace Steele, and possibly even Punk himself, would be fired, due to their actions. Some say Punk threw the first punch, others say Steele bit Kenny Omega on his arm, but nothing concrete has been revealed.

On Wednesday, however, we were given our first clue as to the fate of one of the Second City Saints.

Ace Steele took to his Twitter page (which is private) and posted a clip from the movie The Blues Brothers, in which the titular brothers were singing and dancing to the song ‘Freedom.’ This could be nothing, or it could be Steele signifying that he is now free from his AEW contract…which certainly doesn’t seem like it would be something to celebrate.

But maybe it is. This situation has to be stressful for all parties involved, so maybe closure is more important than a paycheck.

SEScoops will be sure to update this developing story as more information becomes available.

Renee Paquette is Officially All Elite

Samantha Schipman
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After some speculation that Renee Paquette was AEW-bound, it’s official. Paquette got the “All Elite” graphic when Tony Khan tweeted the news on Wednesday.

AEW Dynamite is making its live debut in Paquette’s hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight.

WWE recently attempted to bring Paquette back with the shakeup of its announce teams. Paqeutte worked for WWE as Renee Young for eight years. She was a backstage interviewer and the first permanent woman on the RAW commentary team. She was also a co-host on WWE Backstage, which aired on FS1.

Paquette’s post-WWE life

Renee Paquette
Renee Paquette

After leaving WWE, Paquette launched a podcast, Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette (now called The Sessions with Renee Paquette). She interviews a variety of guests from wrestling, MMA, and more.

In 2021, she released her first cookbook, Messy In The Kitchen: My Guide to Eating Deliciously, Hosting Fabulously and Sipping Copiously. Last June, she and husband, Jon Moxley, welcomed a daughter. Moxley just inked a 5-year contract extension.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced that Paquette will host a new series, Renee All Dey. The first episode is coming soon.

Dustin Rhodes Hints At Retirement: “Time Comes For All Of Us”

Robert Lentini
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AEW star Dustin Rhodes has hinted that his time in the squared circle may be coming to an end in the near future.

The 53-year-old took to Twitter today and revealed that he’s started to think about what is next for him. He stated that his old age has caught up to him and he’s been doing some “heavy thinking” about his next step.

Man, old age has caught up to me guys. As much as I push myself beyond my limits, I can honestly say, I am doing some heavy thinking about the next step. We all think we can go forever with new batteries, but TIME comes for all of us. Kinda scared tbh. #KeepSteppin

Dustin Rhodes In All Elite Wrestling

Dustin is the only Rhodes remaining in AEW after former EVP Cody Rhodes and his wife Brandi exited the company earlier this year. Cody went on to debut at WrestleMania 38 as former CEO Vince McMahon’s handpicked opponent for Seth Rollins.

The American Nightmare picked up three victories in a row over The Visionary before being sidelined with a torn triceps. Many have argued that Cody’s best match in AEW was against his brother Dustin at Double or Nothing 2019.

Cody famously destroyed the throne with a sledgehammer during his entrance before defeating his brother at the PPV. After the match, The American Nightmare emotionally asked Dustin to team up with him against The Young Bucks.

Dustin has wrestled sporadically for AEW over the past few years, with many of the matches happening on Dark or Dark Elevation. He lost to former AEW Champion CM Punk on the April 20th episode of Dynamite. His last match for the company was on August 26th.

Rhodes battled Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship on an episode of Rampage but came up short. Claudio dropped the ROH Championship to Chris Jericho at Dynamite: Grand Slam. Jericho will defend the title on tonight’s Dynamite against Bryan Danielson.

Shawn Michaels Says Vince McMahon Had No Plans to Retire, Would Joke About Dying at The Gorilla Position

Andrew Ravens
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Shawn Michaels had the chance to work for Vince McMahon as both an in-ring wrestler and someone working in creative in WWE. 

That all changed when McMahon resigned from his duties as Chairman and CEO of WWE amid the WWE Board investigating him for alleged sexual misconduct and hush money. 

WWE later confirmed that from 2006 through 2022 (including amounts paid and payable in the future totaling $14.6 million), funds were not appropriately recorded as expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.  

Also, WWE identified two additional payments totaling $5.0 million, unrelated to the alleged misconduct by McMahon that led to the investigation from 2007 and 2009, that were not appropriately recorded as expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Shawn Michaels on Vince McMahon’s Departure

shawn michaels nxt

While speaking on The MMA Hour about NXT, where he oversees creative for the brand, Michaels was asked if he ever envisioned a day that McMahon would not be running WWE:

“No. You can talk about it, but I never envisioned the time when Vince wasn’t there running stuff. All of us who have known him and worked with him for as long as we have, everyone knows, and I mean this lovingly, but he wanted to pass at his desk. That’s who he is. That’s how he’s built. I had every reason to believe that’s exactly what he was going to do. He always made jokes that, ‘If I die at Gorilla position, the show has to go on. Don’t move me. We got to get to seg 10 and 11 and finish the show.” You can talk about it, again, there’s lots of big talk in our line of work, but very rarely you see it get delivered on, but he’s always done what he’s felt was best for business.”

Following Vince’s departure, Triple H took over creative for the main roster while Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named co-CEOs.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

New WWE Hire Responds To Rumors Of Backstage Heat

Robert Lentini
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WWE recently hired Rob Fee as the company’s Director of Longterm Creative

Rob reportedly played a critical part in orchestrating the wildly successful “White Rabbit” teaser campaign that culminated in Bray Wyatt’s return to the company this past weekend at WWE Extreme Rules.

Prior to joining WWE, Rob wrote for Marvel, Disney, and was a producer for MTV’s Ridiculousness and The Ellen Show. He has written comics for Daredevil, Spider-Man, and The Avengers in his career.

AEW star MJF had some kind words for Rob upon his hiring. He wasn’t so kind in his wedding video to Rob and suggested that his wife will probably leave him.

Rob Fee Responds To Rumors Of Backstage Heat In WWE

It was reported today by Ringside News that Rob Fee already has backstage heat within the company. The report claimed that Rob was arrogant and dismissive toward WWE writers. RSN added that Rob “takes credit for the Bray Wyatt return” backstage.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful said that he has heard from WWE officials that Rob has been received positively backstage. SRS added that both Rob’s work and treatment of others have been well-received backstage.

WWE officials across creative and the broader business laughed at reports that Rob Fee is making enemies at the company. His work and treatment of others have both been positively received.

Rob responded and joked that everyone shared a good laugh over the report while he was hitting people with chairs.

Lol we all had a good laugh at that this morning while I was hitting writers assistant with chairs.

Matt Cardona Not Trying For WWE Return, But Would Answer Call

Jon Fuentes
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Matt Cardona doesn’t have a WWE return on his radar right now, but would definitely answer the phone if they called.

Cardona has been doing great on the independent circuit since leaving WWE in 2020, and isn’t necessarily seeking out a return to the company at the moment. However, as he tells Metro, he’d definitely answer the call if it came in.

“I’m not trying to get back to WWE. But I’d lying if I said I never wanted to have a WrestleMania moment again, or I never wanted to wrestle at Madison Square Garden – of course I would.

“If Triple H called me right now, if I had that 203 – that’s the area code for Stamford, Connecticut – of course I’d pick up.

“But right now, I’m focusing on being the best me possible, and having the most fun possible, and making the most money possible.”

Matt Cardona NWA Champion

Matt Cardona first ran with WWE from 2005 to 2020. During that time, Cardona earned one run each as Intercontinental and United States Champion. He was also a two-time RAW Tag Team Champion alongside Curt Hawkins.

However, in 2020, Cardona fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic budget cuts, as he was released from his contract with the company.

Since, he has gone on to do work for promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), IMPACT Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Karl Anderson Still Working NJPW Show After WWE Return (Report)

Jon Fuentes
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Karl Anderson is still slated to work a show for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) after making his return to WWE.

As noted, The Good Brothers made their return to WWE on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. The pair flanked AJ Styles against The Judgement Day, seemingly marking the beginning of a feud between the factions.

However, this is certainly an interesting development for Anderson, in particular, as he’s still the NEVER Openweight Champion in NJPW.

According to a report from Fightful, Anderson is still slated to work the Wrestle Kingdom 17 show on January 4.

Gallows Anderson
Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows

NJPW is also still advertising a bout between Karl Anderson and Hikuleo at the Battle Autumn show on November 5. With that being said, it’s likely WWE and NJPW have come to some sort of agreement in regards to Anderson’s remaining dates with the latter.

Given Anderson is slated for NJPW’s November 5 show, it’s unlikely Anderson works the WWE Crown Jewel show in Riyadh, as it’s on the same day.

Gallows will also be a part of the New Japan Strong episode on Saturday, but that was pre-taped before the pair returned on RAW this week.

NJPW was said to have been given a heads up about the duo returning to WWE, allowing them to plan around the situation.

The report adds that WWE has been interested in The Good Brothers for some time now, dating back to when they were still under contract with IMPACT Wrestling.

The Rock Leaves The Door Open For Future Presidential Run

Robert Lentini
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson isn’t just rumored to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, The Great One’s name has also been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate.

The Rock shot down running for president in 2024 and cited that being a father to his children is his number one priority at the moment. His new film Black Adam is set to be released on October 21st.

In a recent interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, the 50-year-old said that he was humbled by people asking him to run for office.

In terms of the presidency, I’ll tell you this Jake. It all is a convergence of things that are surreal and inspiring. And what I mean by that is, as we get into the midterms, and even a couple of years ago, this idea and the question continues to pop up on whether or not I would run for president.

Would I seriously consider it, I have seriously considered it. You have to. When you start looking at some of these polls, and the numbers creep up to 46-50% of people would vote for me should I run. I’ve been really moved by that.

I have heard now from both sides of the aisle, the most influential people in politics, asking and hoping that I would run. Again, it is so moving and surreal, but I don’t know anything about politics. I will say that I am a patriot, I love our country, and I love everybody in it.

Jake Tapper then asked The Rock if he would consider running for president down the line, perhaps when his children go off to college. He asked if he was closing the door on a presidential run down the line and The Rock revealed that was not the case.

No not at all, I wouldn’t do that. Thank you for asking and clarifying that. Right now for my daughters, it is important that I’m home, and that stability is important for me to be there. That is the most important thing to me.

By the way, that is a tough thing I think to reconcile, I’m blown away by that. The fact that I’m even having this conversation with you.

The fact that I’ve been approached by the most influential in the world of politics, which I think you (Jake Tapper) know very well. It was really moving but right now the most important job I have is to be their father.

If you use any quotes from this article, please give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Dakota Kai Reveals Dismay Over Scrapped WWE Plans

Anutosh Bajpai
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The past 12 months have been a roller coaster ride for Dakota Kai. Making a big return at SummerSlam and joining Bayley and IO Sky was the biggest moment of her career. Though this big moment was preceded by a lot of struggle and many bad days. One such day was when Kai was told that she was gonna be called up to the main roster, only for it to never happen.

The Damage CTRL star recently appeared on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast. She talked about things such as her reaction to WWE release and more. Speaking about the time before her release, Kai mentioned how she wrestled a number of dark matches on the main roster towards the end of last year:

“I was doing the dark matches [at the] end of last year, I think. I started doing the dark matches like November, December or at the tail end of last year. That’s when I was like ‘Okay, maybe something’s gonna happen here.’ But yeah, I just ended up doing about six or seven of them. It was a lot. And they were back to back to back.”

‘I Was Told’: Dakota Kai

Damage CTRL

The dark matches led many to believe that Dakota Kai’s main roster call up was imminent. Turns out, the former NXT star thought this too. According to the female star, she was actually told she would be called up during the 2021 Draft:

“I was told that. I was told I was gonna be in the Draft. So it’s funny now that I look back at it. It’s all good. We can laugh at it. But I was sitting at home during the Draft, and I got told that it was going to happen

And I’m like, ‘Okay, cool. I wonder if they’re gonna tell me. I’ll just…I’ll just watch TV. I’ll watch the show and see what happens.’ Then after the weekend is done and, I didn’t hear anything I was like, ‘oh, maybe they changed their mind. I don’t know.’ Then I kind of just continued to do NXT.”

You can check out Dakota Kai’s full interview below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Daniel Cormier Says He Forgot Parts Of Fight Pit Match

Jon Fuentes
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Daniel Cormier claims he forgot parts of the Fight Pit match he officiated shortly before the bout.

Cormier officiated the Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle.

The match was designed to have an MMA-style feel to it, and certainly played to Riddle’s advantage, being a former UFC fighter.

With all that being said, it certainly made sense to have the UFC Hall Of Famer Cormier, a longtime professional wrestling fan, officiating the match. Cormier recently spoke on his show, “DC & RC,” to discuss the experience.

“DC” admits that he was very nervous before the match, even forgetting spots moments before going out for the contest.

“I was in the back and I was nervous because obviously, you know the outcome. I started forgetting the match. I was like, oh my goodness. So I kept having to ask questions. I was so nervous, bro. But once I walked out there, it was so fun.

“The energy of the crowd is like second to none. I fought in front of bigger crowds than I was in front of last weekend, but ultimately that’s just, it’s a shoot.

“I’m going to just fight. It is gonna be what it’s gonna be, but to remember all the points of what you’re supposed to do in the match, dude, it was amazing.

“Then I got fans heckling me. They’re calling me Carl Winslow in there. They’re messing with me. They said, ‘DC, climb up the cage.’ I’m standing in the bottom like, I’m not going up there with these dudes. They’re up there actually wrestling on that little ledge bro.

“I was like, this is crazy. Then when Riddle jumped off the top, I was like man, I couldn’t believe that I was actually in that moment.

“I don’t know how much you pay attention, but then Bray Wyatt returned right after so we were like the closer to a massive moment, but my favorite part was I got to essentially be Herb Dean.”

Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier

This was Cormier’s first involvement on WWE TV. He has long expressed an interest in working with WWE, even during his run as UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.

Now, Cormier has retired from fighting action, now serving as a UFC commentator and show host. There have been rumblings that Cormier was once considered for a WWE commentary role, but that never came to fruition.

It remains to be seen if this is only the beginning of Cormier’s dealings with WWE moving forward.

https://youtu.be/m6Ir9PUwa_I

Quotes via WrestlingNews.co

Shawn Michaels Praises ‘Huge Uplift In Morale’ Within WWE

Jon Fuentes
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Shawn Michaels has seen a “huge uplift in morale” within WWE recently.

Recently, “The Heartbreak Kid” was interviewed on “The Ringer Wrestling Show,” where he was asked about the recent changes that have gone on within WWE – particularly, Triple H taking over WWE creative.

Michaels noted that, from top to bottom, a huge uplift in morale can be felt everywhere throughout the company.

“There’s certainly, I would say it’s no secret to anybody that there’s a huge uplift in morale, from top to bottom in the WWE, whether it’s RAW, SmackDown, or NXT, everybody’s very excited for the future,” Shawn Michaels said.

“Look, I’ll say this, the one thing that was always really positive in NXT and again, the positive about all these other former athletes that come in, they were already excited and focused and ready to go.

“Now we’ve just made sure that we’ve topped that off and everybody from top to bottom, roster-wise, is excited about the future. All of us working there are equally as excited because we all know that we’re pulling the rope in the same direction.”

Triple H
(BT Sport)

Longtime WWE CEO and head of creative Vince McMahon was recently forced to step down from his positions.

After allegations of sexual misconduct, McMahon stepped down as CEO, forcing Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan to take over as co-CEOs.

Soon after, once investigations into the allegations began, McMahon officially retired from WWE, stepping down as head of creative, handing the reigns over to his son-in-law and former WWE Champion Triple H.

Since “The Game” has taken over, the general reviews of the WWE product from fans to those backstage have been generally positive.

(quotes via Colin Tessier)

Warner Bros. Discovery Working on AEW ‘Outside The Ring’ Content

Andrew Ravens
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Warner Bros. Discovery continues to be happy with the television ratings of AEW.

Since the merger in April, there has been a lot of synergy between AEW and WBD with multiple events having WBD branding and the company sending out press releases touting AEW ratings.

Currently, AEW Dynamite airs every Wednesday night on TBS, while AEW Rampage airs every Friday night on TNT. Four Battle of the Belts specials also air throughout the year. 

Warner Bros. Discovery Happy With AEW

Tony Khan

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kathleen Finch, Warner Bros. Discovery US Networks Group chair and chief content officer, discussed how TNT and TBS can maintain a male audience over time. 

“We really play in the sports space. One of the things that we’re doing around sports is creating shoulder programming to hold onto those fans. AEW [All Elite Wrestling] pulls huge numbers, so we are working with the wrestling team to figure out what new kind of content can we build that’s not in a wrestling ring,” she said.

TNT previously aired “Rhodes To The Top,” a reality show starring Cody & Brandi Rhodes before the married couple left All Elite Wrestling earlier this year. 

“I Was Dumbfounded” – Dakota Kai On Triple H Contacting Her For WWE Return

Robert Lentini
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Dakota Kai returned to WWE at SummerSlam alongside Bayley and IYO SKY. The group became known as Damage CTRL and has already become a key part of the RAW roster.

Kai was released in April but made her return after WWE had undergone massive changes at the top of the company. Vince McMahon resigned in late July and his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan took over as the new co-CEOs.

Triple H replaced John Laurinaitis as the EVP of Talent Relations and was recently given the title of Chief Content Officer. Since gaining power in the company, The Game has brought back several released talents and Dakota Kai was one of them.

Dakota Kai On Triple H Reaching Out To Her For WWE Return

Dakota Kai joined Ryan Satin on the latest edition of the Out of Character podcast. During the interview, Kai revealed that Bayley pitched the idea to Triple H for Damage CTRL and The Game was in favor of it.

It was very strange because obviously, I wasn’t taking bookings, I was just chilling and doing my streaming thing. Bayley texted me on Thursday just out of the blue, we talk a lot but this question was out of the blue.

She was like ‘hey out of curiosity, are you like talking to anyone right now in terms of companies?’. I said ‘well, kind of, why do you ask?’.

She said that she in a last-ditch attempt for this idea that she had of a group, she said she texted Hunter and kind of gave it like one last push.

I guess I didn’t know if that would be a thing that he would look to contact me about. But sure enough, she texted him about the idea we had. We had filmed a bunch of videos and took some photos, and she sent him the idea.

His first thought response after that was ‘what is Dakota doing?’.

Dakota added that she was dumbfounded that Triple H wanted her to return as she had never viewed herself as a top star in the company.

I was dumbfounded because I never look at myself as like ‘the guy’. I’ve always been, my role within the company has always been to help elevate, you know, or as someone to just tell a story. I’ve never considered myself a top guy.

So the fact that I was on his mind in terms of that idea and the fact that I was like the first he called back after he had gotten control of the company. I was shocked.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Out of Character podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Matt Riddle Discusses Moving Past Issues With Seth Rollins

Jon Fuentes
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Matt Riddle has opened up about moving past his personal issues with Seth Rollins as they work together inside the ring.

It’s no secret that Riddle and Rollins aren’t the best of friends backstage. It has been reported that the pair had some issues with one another backstage after some comments made by Riddle’s now-ex-wife.

However, despite this, the two men have been working a program on WWE TV with one another for the past several weeks, and putting on some great matches with one another.

matt riddle smackdown

Speaking to Corey Graves on “After The Bell,” Riddle explained how the pair have worked through their differences in order to do business together.

“Didn’t get along too well, he wasn’t a fan of me, and I’ll say this, I wasn’t not not a fan of his, but somebody close to me at the time made some comments, this, that, and the other thing, and Seth wouldn’t talk to me.

“Seth wouldn’t look at me, he wouldn’t talk to me, he wasn’t gonna have anything to do with me. And eventually, it’s kind of like Brock [Lesnar] and everybody else, you don’t have a choice. I’m here, I’m gonna keep working hard.

“Eventually, you’re gonna have to get in the ring with me and we’re gonna have to do business. And eventually, Seth came to that conclusion.”

Recently, Matt Riddle picked up a big win over Rollins at Extreme Rules in a Fight Pit match that was officiated by UFC Hall Of Famer Daniel Cormier. It will be interesting to see where their feud goes from here.

Quotes via 411Mania

Dakota Kai Reveals Which WWE Superstars She Wants To Join Damage CTRL

Robert Lentini
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Dakota Kai named a WWE Superstar she would like to team up with Damage CTRL in a WarGames match.

The WarGames match will be returning to the main roster at WWE Survivor Series next month at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. In previous years, Survivor Series pitted RAW versus SmackDown in a battle for brand supremacy. In 2019, NXT was a part of Survivor Series and was the victorious brand.

Speaking with Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Dakota revealed that she would pick Rhea Ripley to join the group for a WarGames match.

Obviously, the three of us but I think someone I’d really like to be on our side would be Rhea (Ripley). I know she’s kind of tied up with a lot of other things right now. But we could just be like, ‘Hey, can we just like use you for one day.’

Because she’s also someone that’s been in the WarGames cage a couple of times too. So I think with her experience and she’s so strong and she’s so like brutal and all the stuff. I think she’d be an awesome person to have on our side, for sure. [To] be the muscle.

Dakota added that NXT star Alba Fyre would a great addition to the group on a full-time basis.

“Kay Lee Ray, oh sorry, Alba Fyre. Sorry, my bad. I think Alba would be such a good addition. She is so ruthless and reckless. I’ve known her for a very long time. I think she’d be such a great addition to Damage CTRL. She’d bring a lot to us as a group and help us to evolve a little bit more, and take that next step. I think she’d be awesome.”

Dakota Kai was released by WWE earlier this year in April. She returned alongside Bayley and IYO SKY at SummerSlam. Dakota and IYO have already established themselves on the main roster and are currently the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Out of Character podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

WWE Has Significant Interest in Bringing Back Former Star (Report)

Andrew Ravens
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Triple H isn’t done with bringing back former WWE stars who were released under the Vince McMahon regime. 

According to a report by WrestleVotes, WWE is interested in bringing back Chelsea Green, who was among the names to be released by the company last year because of “budget cuts.”

Chelsea Green Returning? 

Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green

Her departure happened shortly after she was moved from the main roster to NXT. Should she return to the company, she will likely re-debuting on the main roster. WrestleVotes tweeted the following about Green:

“I’m told another name WWE has significant interest in bringing back is Chelsea Green. I would think if a deal is offered, it’s for the main roster. Time will tell.”

If Green returns to WWE, it will be interesting to see whether WWE would also be interested in her husband, Matt Cardona, also known as Zack Ryder, in WWE. Cardona has been able to draw money for several promotions since his WWE departure as he has reinvented himself with a more serious gimmick, unlike the comedy character he had in WWE.

While away from WWE, Green made a surprise debut at Ring of Honor’s Best in the World pay-per-view event last July before returning to Impact Wrestling. 

Ric Flair: There’s “a lot of Smiling Faces” in AEW Despite Backstage Drama

Thomas Lowson
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Ric Flair is confident that AEW is doing well, despite reports about a frustrated roster.

For months, AEW has faced reports of talent being frustrated, with meetings being held to address these issues.

After last month’s All Out Pay Per View, a fight backstage resulted in CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks all being removed from programming.

Last week, Andrade El Idolo picked a fight with Sammy Guevara that resulted in the former NXT Champion being sent home.

Smiling Faces

Flair doesn’t work for AEW, but the 16-time World Champion has seen the reports of talent wanting out.

Speaking on his ‘To Be The Man’ podcast, Flair claimed that things aren’t as bad as some people believe.

“It can’t always be perfect. Tony’s got his hands full. I don’t know the thought prospect behind his decisions. But they have enjoyed a lot of success lately.

“a lot of smiling faces.”

Ric Flair on AEW behind the scenes.

“Sofiya of course, my stepdaughter, works for them. She’s having a great time. She does a lot of their social media so she’s pretty much on top of what’s going on there. She sees a lot of smiling faces. Hopefully, everything works out.”

Flair and AEW

Flair left WWE in 2021, reportedly frustrated with the booking for both himself and his daughter Charlotte Flair.

The reported plan was for Flair to join AEW and manage his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo.

El Idolo had at the time, split with his then-manager Chavo Guerrero, who had replaced Vickie Guerrero.

Any plans for Flair in AEW ended after VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring covered the Plane Ride from Hell, where Flair is alleged to have forced flight attendants to touch his genitals.

Ric Flair Clarifies Recent Comments on Possibly Wrestling Again

William Regal: Roddy Piper Would Have Seen Straight Through Fake Bad Guy MJF

Thomas Lowson
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William Regal may be impressed by what MJF does in AEW, but that doesn’t make the Salt of the Earth a true villain of wrestling.

MJF returned to AEW at the All Out Pay-Per-View, following a three-month hiatus, stemming from scathing comments made against AEW and Tony Khan.

At the event, MJF won the Casino Ladder match as the Joker entrant, earning an AEW World Championship match.

Fake Bad Guy

With his win at All Out, MJF has a championship title match, presumably with current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

Part of what has made MJF such a successful performer is his heel persona, which William Regal doesn’t buy as he explained on the Gentleman Villain podcast.

“I’ve always seen the potential in him. Not sure I like the way he goes about doing stuff. If you want to be a real bad guy, there are things that you can do and things that you can’t. I used this term on AEW the other week and it’s only a few people know this term. O-D-V, which is an ordinary decent villain.”

Regal explained that to be an ODV means knowing that those non-wrestlers are off limits, a lesson that MJF hasn’t learned.

“Anybody who signs up to be a pro wrestler, you’re fair game for anything my wicked mind wants to do to you. But if they don’t, you leave them alone.”

Roddy Piper

With his heel work, many (including WWE Hall of Famer Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts) have called MJF this generation’s Roddy Piper.

Addressing the comparison, Regal said that MJF couldn’t hang with the legendary talker.

“Roddy Piper would have seen straight through him. He would have gone ‘this is a lad who’s not grown up the same as us.’ He’s not got the same mentality.”

“Roddy Piper would have seen straight through him.”

William Regal.

“You might think you’re a bad guy, you might want to act like a bad guy. But there’s a difference there’s a big difference and very few people know that. A lot of people who got through this job by just acting like a bad guy.”

Tough Enough

Years before arriving in AEW, MJF tried out for the 2015 season of Tough Enough.

Speaking about MJF’s formative years, Regal discussed why the Salt of the Earth never made it in WWE NXT while Regal was in charge.

“He was young. Far too young to get hired [by WWE.] And there was only so many places in NXT. If you’ve got a full roster and somebody young [comes along] you go ‘right now what you need to do is go out and do your thing.’ Make people notice you, which he did.

MJF wouldn’t make it on the show, but his audition tape (suspiciously) remains on WWE’s YouTube channel.

MJF Fires Back at Kanye West’s Anti-Semitic Comments

WWE to Feature More Crossover Between Brands Going Forward

Thomas Lowson
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The WWE Universe will be seeing Superstars on Raw, SmackDown and NXT make more appearances on other shows moving forward.

In 2016, WWE reintroduced its brand extension, splitting the WWE’s main roster into distinct brands for Raw and SmackDown once more.

Crossover

WWE Superstars appearing on a show they’re not rostered for does happen and is set to increase in the coming weeks.

Sources who spoke to Fightful Select said that fans can expect more crossover between brands.

No reason was given as to why there will be more crossover, though it is believed that using Superstars from other brands will help increase viewership.

This week’s Raw saw appearances by The Bloodline, all of whom are SmackDown rostered Superstars.

Jade and Perez

This crossover will be felt next week in WWE NXT as part of the feud between former NXT Women’s Tag Champions Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez.

On last night’s episode, it was confirmed that Jade and Perez will choose members of the WWE main roster to face each other on next week’s show.

Jade asked interviewer McKenzie Mitchell if she has the number of Ronda Rousey, while Perez will be on this Friday’s WWE SmackDown on FOX.

WWE Main Event

One way NXT Superstars are getting exposure on the main roster is by appearances on WWE Main Event.

In their report, Fightful adds that more NXT Superstars are expected to be on the show, with WWE watching to see how ready they are for a full-time transition.

On last week’s WWE Main Event, Fallon Henley made her main roster debut by taking on WWE 24/ Champion Dana Brooke.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, former NXT UK Tag Team Champions, also appeared on last week’s show, facing Shelton Benjamin and R-Truth.

More NXT Superstars will appear on this week’s episode of WWE Main Event.

Bray Wyatt Assigned to Specific WWE Brand Following Return

WWE NXT Results (10/11): Bron Breakker in Action, Alba Fyre vs. Jacy Jayne

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT Results 

  •  
  • Bron Breakker defeated Javier Berna
  • Nathan Frazer defeated Axiom 
  • Indi Hartwell defeated Valentina Feroz 
  • Enofe and Blade defeated The Dyad and Briggs and Jensen
  • Alba Fyre defeated Jacy Jayne
  • Wes Lee defeated Stacks 
  • Kiana James defeated Thea Hail 
  • Ilja Dragunov defeated Grayson Waller

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Malik Blade & Edris Enofe vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. The Dyad

2 nxt 1

Malik Blade & Edris Enofe vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. The Dyad

The next challengers for Pretty Deadly’s NXT Tag Team titles were determined on this show when WWE booked a triple threat number one contender’s tag team match with Malik Blade & Edris Enofe, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, and The Dyad (Rip Fowler & Jagger Reid).

Last week’s NXT ended with Pretty Deadly being confronted by Blade & Enofe and Briggs & Jensen after they retained their titles against The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) in the main event.

Grimes tripped up Fowler to prevent Ticket to Mayhem. Enofe rolled up Reid for the win.

NXT North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier

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Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer in an NXT North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier took place. Fazer went over with his finisher to advance and win the best-of-three series. It was a great match. 

This was the final edition of the best-of-three series between them as both wrestlers in the series has one victory. The winner is eligible to compete in Halloween Havoc’s North American Championship ladder match.

Bron Breakker vs. Javier Bernal

3

WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. Javier Bernal in a non-title bout took place. 

On this week’s show, Bernal interrupted a backstage interview with Breakker, setting up the match. On October 22, at Halloween Havoc, Breakker will defend the NXT championship against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh in a triple threat match.

After the match, all three top stars got into a brawl to further build up their match. 

Alba Fyre vs. Jacy Jayne

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Alba Fyre wrestled Jacy Jayne in a singles match on the show. 

Last week, a  six-woman tag match with Toxic Attraction facing Alba Fyre, Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark was booked, but didn’t take place. Toxic Attraction arrived in a SUV, and they were attacked with a baseball bat by Fyre, who sped away with NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose in it. On this same show, Gigi Dolin & Jayne fell short in their NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles No. 1 Contenders’ Match against Zoey Stark & Nikkita Lyons.

Fyre hit Jayne with a kick and Gory Bomb for the victory. Following the bout, Fyre was grabbed and hit by an individual in a black hoodie who was revealed to be Sonya Deville. Fyre was taken out by Deville, Jayne and Gigi Dolin. They delivered a powerbomb to her through the announce table. In a backstage interview, Sonya stated that she would confront Fyre in the ring next week, but if Fyre did so, she wouldn’t make it to Halloween Havoc. 

Fyre will challenge Rose for the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc on October 22.

Wrestler on Match with Dog: “We Have Liquid Magma Heat”

BJ Bethel
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Controversy was the story after Smash Wrestling star Psycho Mike was the victim of a shoot and got big-timed by an Australian Shepherd named “Very Good Boy” in a recent pro wrestling match.

Footage of the match went viral on Twitter over the last 24 hours:

https://twitter.com/KaelanRamos/status/1579587473696763904

In an interview with SEScoops.com, Psycho Mike – despite suffering the emotional after effects of the loss – told his story, the controversial changes that happened once the match began and his bad experiences working with canines in the past, who he complained haven’t paid their dues and are difficult to work with.

Psycho Mike: Not much to say, really. Dog wasn’t trained to lay down on her back, so she couldn’t do the job. No big deal; I’m a professional, I’ll put her over.

We called a few spots to make it look competitive, but right out the gate she botches the shine. Whatever, these things happen – I’m ready to call it on the fly.

But then the dog goes into business for herself and starts shooting on me. I’m just trying to get my shit in, ya know?

Anyways, we’re supposed to be going broadway, but I call an audible and take it home early. Ruff night.

B.J. Bethel: The dog looked like it was working snug. And then there was that low blow early. Did you two have heat?

Psycho Mike: Liquid magma heat. Tired of these canines walking into our business without paying dues.

The match began to go awry at the bell. The manager entered the ring and Very Good Boy landed a stiff low blow on Mike.

Screen Shot 2022 10 11 at 9.16.22 PM
Kaelean Ramos/Twitter

Then came a series of dangerous four-paw stomps – much more dangerous than a Curb Stomp or Coup De Grace (the Coup De Paw?) because they involve anywhere from two-to-four times as many paws/feet. Keep in mind the one-foot/paw Curb Stomp was banned from top promotion World Wresting Entertainment for a few years due to the inherent danger of the move.

Very Good Boy showed no such scruples, landing almost half a dozen Coup De Paws on the veteran Psycho Mike, who has wrestled stars such as Dalton Castle and The Blade/Pepper Parks.

Screen Shot 2022 10 11 at 9.04.41 PM
Kaelean Ramos/Twitter

Mike took the pinfall, but there was more controversy as Mike protested the three-count.

Screen Shot 2022 10 11 at 9.15.15 PM
Kaelean Ramos/Twitter

Continue to follow SEScoops.com and SEScoops on social media for the latest on this developing story.

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