Johnson is currently promoting his film, BLACK ADAM. The film will be released on October 21. He has long been rumored to be Roman Reigns’s opponent at WrestleMania 39 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. It’s all dependent on Johnson’s busy schedule.
Season three of Young Rock will premiere on Friday, November 4 at 8:30 PM ET on NBC.
WWE has selected two agents to be in charge of training Logan Paul for his upcoming Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel.
This match is expected to headline the Crown Jewel event on November 5 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PWInsider reports that former WWE Cruiserweight Champions Shane Helms and Drew Gulak are training Paul.
Logan Paul Putting in The Work
(WWE)
The bout was made official during a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite only working a handful of matches so far in his pro wrestling career, this will mark Paul’s first championship match and main event.
Reigns is undefeated in his previous two matches at Crown Jewel events as at last year’s Crown Jewel, Reigns defeated his longtime rival Brock Lesnar to retain the Universal Championship.
Paul called out Reigns after having him on his podcast. Paul speculated that he’d win in a match against Roman back in June, noting that his second-ever boxing opponent was Floyd Mayweather. He confronted Reigns on this past Friday’s SmackDown, where he had a promo segment that involved Reigns, flanked by Paul Heyman and The Usos. Paul promised to smash Paul worse than he’s ever been.
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) are back in WWE as they returned during Monday Night Raw.
There was a segment in the second hour where Finn Balor was doing a promo in the ring with Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley. He bragged about his win over Edge at Extreme Rules.
Balor gave AJ Styles a choice to side with Judgment Day or be against them. AJ came out and said he was not out there to argue with Balor, but everything he ever needed was standing in front of him.
Good Brothers Are Back
AJ Styles with The Good Brothers
He said he needed friends and hugged Balor, acting like he was going to join the group. Styles told him that he wasn’t talking about Balor. However, Gallows and Anderson walked out instead, leading to a brawl where Gallows and Anderson stood tall in the ring with Styles.
This was expected as the Good Brothers return was previously reported by PWinsider.com, where they were seen spotted filming content with Styles as they reunited The OC.
For what it’s worth, Anderson is the current NJPW NEVER Openweight Champion. Gallows and Anderson finished up with Impact Wrestling in August.
WWE made overtures over the summer about having the Good Brother return when Vince McMahon was still with the company. However, a deal wasn’t reached because Gallows and Anderson wouldn’t come back for a cheap price. In 2019, they felt like they were burnt by WWE when they opted to re-sign instead of taking a deal with AEW, and WWE released them several months later.
Tonight WWE presents their season premiere of their flagship program Raw, which is taking place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York, and will be featuring the reunion of the legendary Degeneration-X faction, as well as a number of matches from your favorite WWE superstars.
However, aside from their normal talent and staff there are two unusual presences. According to PW Insider, former ROH stars Vincent and Dutch (aka Bill Carr) are backstage ahead of tonight’s show. The report does not mention whether the two men will be used on programming or if they are just visiting friends backstage.
Vincent and Dutch were both members of the group known a The Righteous, and held ROH Six-man tag team gold together. While that was Dutch’s only title reign in ROH Vincent held the six-man title on four separate occasions.
Dutch was actually signed to a WWE development contract back in 2010, and worked for the company’s FCW brand, which would eventually morph into NXT. He would be released in 2011 and began working steadily on the indies before making his way to Ring of Honor.
Vincent just finished up a run in IMPACT Wrestling as a member of the Honor No More group.
Two WWE NXT stars got the chance to work in front of a large crowd for the first time in their careers at Monday’s Raw for the Main Event taping.
On WWE Main Event, Carmelo Hayes and Von Wagner will appear on this week’s episode. R-Truth shared the ring with Wagner while Hayes wrestled Cedric Alexander. Before the Hayes vs. Alexander match, Hayes got to do some promo work.
More NXT Stars Work Main Event
Just last week, WWE brought in Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen, and Fallon Henley to work the Main Event taping at Monday Night Raw. It appears that WWE is going back to the trend of looking at its developmental talent on a bigger stage than NXT to see if they’re ready for the main roster.
At the October 22nd Halloween Havoc special, Hayes will work a Ladder match for the NXT North American Championship alongside Oro Mensah, Wes Lee, Wagner and the winner of Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom on Tuesday’s episode of NXT.
Hayes lost the North American Title to Solo Sikoa on NXT TV last month before Sikoa was stripped of the title because he wasn’t authorized to participate.
Carmelo Hayes Vs Cedric Alexander was was filmed for this weeks episode of Main event ?? Melo is going places https://t.co/IDNNh75ffu
The Rock was interviewed by Chris Van Vliet recently to promote his new film BLACK ADAM. The Warner Bros. film is scheduled to be released on October 21st.
Chris told The Rock that his super power is being kind to people and noted that The Great One has always been respectful towards him.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson noted that being kind is one of the easiest things to do and it takes effort to be an ass****. The Brahma Bull revealed that his weakness was tequila during the interview. The Rock recently launched his Teremana tequila company.
During the conversation, Chris asked The Rock how he would define success. The 50-year-old explained that he defines success by how he makes people feel.
The number one anchoring element is to always make sure that people walk away feeling good. That’s important. They walk out of the theaters feeling good watching a movie, if they are watching it at home, they feel good when the credits are rolling.
There’s a product that I’ve created and delivered, they feel good with that as well. I define success by how it makes people feel. I would also define success by raising some good babies if you are fortunate enough to have some kids.
The Rock Acknowledges Roman Reigns
CVV brought up WWE and asked The Great One if he was still keeping up with what is going on in the company. The Rock admitted that he did and acknowledge Roman Reigns as his Tribal Chief because that is his family.
I do (acknowledge The Tribal Chief), it’s my family. I think they are doing a great job (The Bloodline). I think, what an interesting shift that the company has gone through this year, unexpected in many ways.
But when unexpected things happen in that kind of way, especially in that business, you’ve got to have the ability and agility to pivot. Which they have, so with Roman, I think he’s doing a pretty good job. The boys too, The Usos too as well.
Triple H recently spoke with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport and revealed that the window is closing for the dream match between The Rock and Roman Reigns. Roman has held the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship for 769 days. The Rock has become massively successful in Hollywood since exiting WWE.
??? ???? ???????????? ??? ?? ?????? ????????????? ??@TripleH's EPIC promo inviting @TheRock for one last dance at WrestleMania ?
MJF was a guest on Notsam Wrestling today with Sam Roberts and discussed several topics.
The 26-year-old is line for a shot at the AEW World Championship at a time and place of his choosing. Jon Moxley captured the title at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam by defeating Bryan Danielson in the finals of the Tournament of Champions. Jon will defend the title on a special Tuesday night edition of Dynamite on October 18th.
Speaking on Notsam Wrestling, MJF revealed that he negotiates his own contracts and claimed that it what makes him super rich.
My wrestling deals I have handled my entire career entirely by myself. Which is why I make a stupid amount of money right now at 26 years old.
If I’m being completely honest and transparent, I think it’s definitely fair to say that no one at my age is making the money that I’m making right now in the history of the business.
Like if you back at 26-year-olds, they were not making the amount of money that I’m making right now. Ever, in the history of the business.
Sam Roberts asked if making money was always the most important thing to MJF or if there was a time he just wanted to get better. Maxwell laughed in Sam’s face before giving the following response:
How do you get better when you are already the best? It’s always been about money. It’s not a friend business, right? It’s show business. It’s business. It’s the pro wrestling business. It’s also a sport, don’t get me wrong, but within that sport there is a business.
My goal has always been to make the most amount of money, to then use that to transcend, and enter into the Hollywood sphere.
And then literally leave all my fans in the dust and pretend I never knew they existed in the first place. I don’t even like wrestling.
Here’s the thing, I studied it. I had to in order to be the best. I think through studying it, I grew an appreciation towards profession wrestling.
But once I am done wrestling, you will never see me again. Ever. I am using this sport like a succubus. I am sucking the life out of it, the blood, the money. And then I will be gone.
Maxwell went on to claim that he’s already booked a huge movie that he’s not allowed to announce what it is.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Notsam Wrestling and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is one of AEW’s most popular stars today and the devil worshipper’s have gotten behind him since his return at All Out.
The 26-year-old is in line for a shot at the AEW World Championship at a time and place of his choosing. Stokely Hathaway’s The Firm stable helped Maxwell win the Casino Ladder Match at All Out. MJF went on to confront former AEW World Champion CM Punk at the conclusion of the PPV.
My Devil worshippers were out in full force tonight with their pitch forks in hand.
MJF joined Sam Roberts on the Notsam Wrestling show today. Sam asked MJF when he realized that he was actually good. Maxwell claimed that AEW VP of Talent Development Pat Buck became “unnerved” at how good he was while training at Create A Pro Wrestling.
I think Pat Buck was unnerved by how good I was on day one. I think it made him uncomfortable. I really do, because I look back on it now and I think about being run through the drills at Create A Pro Wrestling at 18-years old.
You know, doing all of the moves, learning it day one, and just nailing everything. I’m not saying that to be funny, this isn’t hyperbolic, I literally did everything perfectly. I remember Pat just had a look on his face, it was half disdain, and half shock and awe.
MJF left the building immediately after being stretchered out of the arena and did not remain for the rest of the Double Or Nothing show.
He was seen exiting the venue with AEW Producer Pat Buck.
Sam asked if Pat Buck is a mentor for MJF in AEW now that he’s a producer in the company. The 26-year-old said that Pat was one of the handful of people he respected, along with Brian Myers, FKA WWE star Curt Hawkins. MJF noted that Create A Pro has created the most stars outside of the PC.
Here’s the deal, there is only a handful of people on the planet that I respect, genuinely respect. He’s one of them, as is Brian Myers, AKA Curt Hawkins.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Notsam Wrestling with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Finn Balor believes that his and AJ Styles’ unspoken competitive rivalry needs addressing in the ring on WWE programming.
Their pre-WWE careers have some similarities as both stars arrived in WWE with over a decade of experience under their belts in the business and after stints as the leader of the Bullet Club faction in NJPW.
They’ve only faced off in singles action once on WWE TV, which came in 2017 at the TLC pay-per-view event. Balor was victorious in this bout. Styles had accepted with less than two days’ notice after Balor’s original opponent Bray Wyatt was medically unable to compete.
Finn Balor on Potential AJ Styles Feud
While speaking with the New York Post, Balor noted that he feels there’s potential for a big rivalry with his and Styles’ pasts.
“I feel like for 20-plus years, myself and AJ.’s careers ran side by side and never really overlapped with each other. The one match we did have (at TLC 2017) was by pure happenstance. I was scheduled to wrestle Bray Wyatt, but I think Bray came down with an illness and was pulled by WWE medical from the event and then we had the match with AJ.
“That’s really the only interaction we’ve had up until very recently. I feel like me and AJ. have a big story to tell and a lot to prove to each other as well. I feel like we have an unspoken competitive rivalry, and I feel like that need to be addressed in the ring. I respect everything that AJ.’s done in his career. I’m very excited that the opportunity of the next couple months could lead us to that singles match with AJ.”
As previously reported, Balor is set to receive a major push under the Triple H regime. At last Saturday’s Extreme Rules, he beat Edge in an I Quit Match.
Renee Paquette – a popular and critically acclaimed interviewer and commentator with World Wrestling Entertainment for nearly a decade – is expected to sign with All-Elite Wrestling, according to several sources.
Paquette, who worked as Renee Young for WWE from 2012 to 2020 and was the first woman to announce an entire episode of WWE Raw, “could possibly debut … this week,” according to one source. Dynamite is in Toronto, Paquette’s home town.
AEW has been working to find women to fill some of its TV announcing roles since the company started in 2019. Paquette – who worked with The Score in Canada prior to joining WWE – is a veteran broadcaster with experience conducting interviews, commentating, and hosting pre and post-shows. She would be the company’s biggest announcing signing since Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. AEW recently signed Saraya Jade Bevis, who is expected to bolster AEW’s women’s division and fill in on announcing duties.
Paquette left WWE in 2020. She began hosting her own podcast, The Sessions, in 2021 and video interviews on her own YouTube channel.
She interviewed several players for the Cincinnati Bengals YouTube channel and website prior to the start of the NFL season. The Bengals announced on Oct. 6 she would begin hosting her own show, Renee All-Dey for the team.
She released a cookbook in May 2021. She co-hosts Throwing Down with Renee and Miesha on Sirius XM with former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miehsa Tate.
Paquette is married to Jon Moxley, AEW World Champion and company mainstay. AEW announced over the weekend it had signed Moxley to a 5-year contract which would include a role as a mentor/coach with the company. Moxley and AEW president Tony Khan were working on a handshake deal prior to the signing. Moxley and Paquette had their first child in June 2021. They live in the Cincinnati area.
Mia Yim is no longer officially a member of the IMPACT Wrestling roster.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Yim has wrapped up her contractual obligations with IMPACT. Her contract has now expired and she opted not to re-sign or extend the deal, thus making her a free agent.
Yim returned to IMPACT this past spring, where she signed a short-term deal that ran through Bound For Glory. After opting not to extend, the contract ran out this past weekend. IMPACT is said to have left the door open for her to return.
Her time with IMPACT was said to have gone well, as she had a good relationship with everyone backstage and in the locker room. Yim has been competing in professional wrestling since 2010 when she began with Combat Zone Wrestling.
Mia Yim
She has also competed for organizations such as SHINE Wrestling, Shimmer, Full Impact Pro, and WWE. After wrapping up her first run with IMPACT in 2017, Yim signed with WWE in 2018, joining NXT.
Yim had a brief run on the main roster in 2020 but was released from her contract the following year. Now a free agent, it will be interesting to see where she opts to sign given the wealth of options at her disposal.
Sean Waltman hopes that the late Chyna is honored during tonight’s WWE Monday Night RAW.
As noted, we have some idea of what’s in store for tonight’s season premiere episode of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network.
One of the planned segments includes four members of D-Generation X appearing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group being formed.
WWE Hall Of Famer Sean Waltman is expected to be one of those members. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Waltman was asked about what he expects from the reunion tonight. Waltman noted that all members of the group are still around – except one.
Sean Waltman and DX at Hall Of Fame
That being the late former Intercontinental and WWE Women’s Champion Chyna. Waltman hopes there is some mention of or honor for Chyna on tonight’s episode.
“The only person that’s not with us obviously is Joanie (Laurer) [Chyna]. I hope that tonight, we don’t forget to honor her or we don’t just brush past that.
“As far as the rest of us go, everyone is in a really good place right now. I’m pretty grateful for that.”
Chyna has not been mentioned much on WWE TV in the past several years since her passing, and is also surprisingly not yet a member of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
It will be interesting to see if that cycle is broken tonight – especially with Triple H now seated in a more authoritative position within creative.
Vince McMahon will be featured in a VICE TV documentary soon, but fans will need to wait a bit longer before seeing it.
Initially, the project was expected to be aired in October. It’s currently titled “The Nine Lives of Vince McMahon.” The expected air date was planned for October 18 from 8-10 PM ET.
However, F4WOnline reports that VICE is now listing repeats of the first two episodes of “Tales from the Territories” for that slot instead.
It’s unknown when the McMahon documentary will now air, but it’s also expected to be on a Tuesday as well.
The documentary couldn’t come at a more perfect time. McMahon was forced to retire from his position with WWE amidst the ongoing sexual misconduct scandal surrounding him.
(via WWE)
McMahon initially stepped down as CEO of WWE amidst the allegations, with Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan stepping in as co-CEOs to fill the void.
Soon after, McMahon retired as head of creative with WWE, passing the reigns to Triple H. Now, McMahon is fully retired from involvement with WWE, ending a legendary run that resulted in the creation of the largest professional wrestling promotion the world has ever seen.
The Rock is staying busy building his various brands and being a leading man in Hollywood, but the former WWE Champion still pays attention to the company he helped grow.
The Rock has acknowledged The Tribal Chief – Roman Reigns – and recently praised the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and The Usos. He has seen what his cousins have been able to accomplish and is proud of their success as part of The Bloodline.
While speaking with Chris Van Vliet, The Rock was asked if he acknowledges his Tribal Chief. He also spoke about the unexpected shift in the company with Vince McMahon resigning, Stephanie McMahon, and Rock’s good friend Nick Khan taking over as co-CEOs while Triple H is in charge of creative.
“Of course I do. That’s my family. I think those guys are doing a great job, and I think what an interesting shift the company has gone through this year. Unexpected in many ways, but when unexpectations happen in that kind of way, form, and fashion, especially in that business, you’ve got to have the ability and the agility to pivot, which they have. With Roman, I think he’s doing a pretty good job, and the boys, too, The Usos.”
WWE reportedly wants to have The Rock return to do a match with Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, but it all comes down to The Rock’s schedule.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t toSEScoops for the transcription.
Sheamus recently had his passion for professional wrestling rejuvenated.
“The Celtic Warrior” was recently interviewed on “The Ringer Wrestling Show,” where he discussed his current involvement with The Brawling Brutes, Ridge Holland and Butch. Sheamus admits that working with Holland and Butch have brought back his passion for professional wrestling to its highest point.
“[We] are so passionate about what we do. I’ve been here over 13 and a half years on the main roster, and these two boys… really brought my passion back to a level 10. … There’s no level of authority here.
“We’re just three boys, three mates, who will bleed and die for each other out there… There is no ego. I’ve never had that reaction before in my career. The last [eight months] with these guys has been incredible, and it’s been organic.”
Sheamus first joined WWE back in 2006. He broke out into the World Title picture in 2009 when he defeated John Cena for his first WWE Championship.
Over the years, Sheamus would become one of WWE’s top stars, winning several notable accolades.
He is a four-time World Champion, a three-time United States Champion, and a five-time Tag Team Champion with Cesaro. Sheamus has also won the Money In The Bank, King Of The Ring, and Royal Rumble.
Some former WWE Tag Team Champions are expected to be joining WWE very soon.
According to a recent report from PWInsider, The Good Brothers, Luke/Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, are expected to be rejoining WWE soon. The initial expectation is that the duo will be returning to RAW to re-align with AJ Styles.
The trio were actually spotted together yesterday in Washington DC. They were likely filming something for WWE. Styles has been feuding with The Judgement Day faction on RAW, so The Good Brothers returning to back him would certainly make sense.
Back in August, The Good Brothers wrapped up their obligations with IMPACT Wrestling, dropping a match to The Motor City Machine Guns in Texas. The duo’s deal actually expired in July, however, they came to an agreement to add a few more additional dates.
The initial expectation was for The Good Brothers to return to Japan and work there at least through Wrestle Kingdom. However, that no longer seems to be the case.
This would be the tag team’s second run with WWE. They first signed with WWE back in 2016, where they saw great success. After winning a WWE Tag Team World Cup, and two runs as WWE RAW Tag Team Champions, they signed new five-year deals with WWE.
Despite this, The Good Brothers were part of the massive cuts made within WWE amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plenty has been planned for tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw, which will serve as the season premiere of the red brand.
The show will mark the debut of WWE’s newest Raw commentary team, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick, as part of the changes to all commentary teams across Raw, SmackDown and NXT.
Plans
With tonight’s show being the season premiere, it’s no surprise WWE is going all out to put on a show.
Tonight’s Raw will feature four members of D-Generation X appear, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group being formed.
Fightful Select reports that the return of DX will feature the expected glowsticks and t-shirts, and that there will be a “rubber chicken prank for the Gorilla position.”
The Miz will host a birthday celebration, with a special ring carpet, gift boxes, ice, sculptures, cakes, champagne, and tables.
Dexter Lumis, who has feuded with the A-Lister since returning, is set to appear through one of the tables.
Matt Riddle, MVP and Omos will also be on the show.
What’s Been Announced?
WWE has already confirmed DX’s 25th anniversary celebration and The Miz’s birthday party, but that’s not all that has been announced.
Seth Rollins will look to end a three-year championship drought when he faces United States Champion Bobby Lashley.
Johnny Gargano will face Mr. Money in the Bank Austin Theory, and WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and the Bloodline will be in attendance.
Erick Rowan could be the next member of the Wyatt family to make his return to WWE, following Bray Wyatt’s return at Extreme Rules this past weekend.
Wyatt had been released in July 2021, reportedly over his high-dollar contract and creative disputes with then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.Amid reports that a new Wyatt faction could be in the works, it was reported that his real-life brother Bo Dallas is heading back to WWE.
During a recent interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Rowan said he is not opposed to a return to WWE.
“There’s always [an] opportunity and my story within wrestling, that character of Erick Rowan or Erick Redbeard, it has so much left to tell and talk about. I think when I stepped aside when Covid happened and people were let go, I wasn’t ready for my story to stop.”
Erick Rowan
Rowan was released from WWE on April 15, 2020, in the first of what would be waves of mass releases over the next two years.
Feuding with Rollins
Mere weeks before his release from WWE, a storyline began that saw Rowan carry a covered cage around wherever he went.
Anyone who peered under the cover would be horrified by what they saw, but the eventual reveal was far less impressive. Rowan’s monster turned out to be little more than a very fake-looking spider, which wasn’t the original plan.
“Seth Rollins was the big babyface at the time and I was told it’s going to be a pet rat. Which was great because it tied into my last feud where I tried to kill a man, this being Roman Reigns, with a vehicle. I was like ‘great, probably got a court-appointed therapist who told me to get a therapy pet.’
“Seth backstage was going to curb-stomp it by accident. I was like this is a great idea to start a feud even though I’ve got to carry around the cage and not really tell a story for a couple of weeks. But he turned heel close to a few weeks after that and it just kept getting extended… you could picture it all you want along the ride but that’s what it was and I’m sorry people didn’t like that.”
Instead of a feud with the former Universal Champion, Rowan’s rat became a spider, which was crushed by Drew McIntyre in March 2020.
The Dark Order
In December 2020, the wrestling world lost Brodie Lee, who had worked with Rowan in WWE as Luke Harper (later just Harper.)
In a tribute episode of AEW Dynamite, Rowan (working under the name Erick Redbeard) appeared alongside the Dark Order, Lee’s stable.
Speaking about the group, which has carried on despite Lee’s passing, Rowan said he did not share an interest in joining.
“It was never a conversation. I was doing and pursuing my own things and I don’t know, just it was it was never a thing. I didn’t want to be that guy that distracts and always made you remind people of a loss especially that quickly and with the Dark Order. I wanted nothing to do with it and that’s not to say that I’m better or not. ]
“What I’m saying is I didn’t want anything to do with it because that’s his legacy. If it’s going to fizzle out I want it to fizzle out but he made it and created that in such a quick amount of time. I want that to be the memory of him.”
After appearing for the Brodie Lee memorial Dynamite, Rowan has competed twice for AEW, first in a losing effort at AEW Revolution 2022, where he teamed with PAC and Penta Oscura, and on an August 2022 Rampage, teaming with Danhausen.
The main event is set for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 is scheduled for Wednesday, January 4, 2023 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. New Japan’s flagship show returns to a single-night format after several years of taking place over 2 nights.
As expected, the main event of WK17 will see IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White defending against Kazuchika Okada, winner of the G1 CLIMAX 32 tournament.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be dedicated to Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, who passed away last week.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
The bout was made official during the closing segment of Monday’s NJPW Declaration of Power, where White successfully defended his title against Tama Tonga. During a post-match promo, Okada came out and had a stare-down in the ring.
Okada is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of this generation, but some will consider him an underdog going into this bout. The Rainmaker holds a 1-4 record against Switchblade in their five battles.
WWE returns to Brooklyn, NY tonight for the (Fall 2022) Season Premiere edition of Monday Night Raw from the Barclays Center.
Raw will feature D-Generation X’s 25th Anniversary celebration. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman and ‘Road Dogg’ Brian James will celebrate one of the most legendary factions in WWE history. DX was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.
These days, the group’s former leaders (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) are among the most powerful people behind the scenes. Triple H serves as WWE’s Chief Content Officer and Head of creative, while Michaels is the Vice President of Talent Development Creative for NXT.
Roman Reigns and The Bloodline will also be on hand. Reigns won’t be competing at Extreme Rules, but has a ‘date’ with Logan Paul at Crown Jewel on November 5th.
Matches advertised for the WWE Raw Season Premiere include:
Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship.
Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory
In addition to these announced segments and matches, the ‘new season’ of Raw comes with some significant changes to the show’s broadcast team:
Backstage correspondent Kevin Patrick moves to the announcer’s booth and will call the action alongside Corey Graves.
Byron Saxton and the returning Cathy Kelly will serve as the shows’ new backstage correspondents.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw results and takeaways.
Matches for the Television Championship will have a 15 minute time limit, which adds a sense of urgency and heightens the fast-paced element they are striving for. They will also focus on younger wrestlers, as well as having the belt defended in smaller towns that don’t often see title defenses.
A tournament will be held to crown the first champion starting on October the 14th. Semifinals will be held on November 3rd in Osaka, with the first champion being crowned at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
A representative from TV Asahi Sports mentioned that title matches will eventually air for free on NJPW’s social media channels.
Frustrated wrestlers, tired of not receiving adaqueate TV time and prominent booking, shouldn’t bother turning to Eric Bischoff for a shoulder to cry on.
In recent months, there have been reports of talent being unhappy in AEW, with meetings beind held backstage to address concerns.
Last year, Brian Cage’s wife Melissa commented publicly about her husband’s lack of booking in AEW, and her criticism of the company drew him significant heat backstage.
Be Ready
With limited hours, it is impossible for everyone to be featured on AEW programming each week.
Tony Khan has amassed an impressively large roster, which he divides among Dynamite, Rampage, Dark and Dark: Elevation.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks Podcast, Bischoff advised those in AEW to be ready, even when they’re not being used.
“Be ready for your opportunity. Because let’s face it, injuries are a thing. Contract issues are a thing. HR issues are a thing. Just because you’re at the bottom of the card or you’re not getting as much Television time as you think you deserve, keep your nose to the grindstone.
“If you’re getting paid and you’re healthy and you get to spend time with your family, and you have more time to work out, maybe you have some time [to improve.] God forbid, take some classes. Take some improv classes. Learn how to be better as a character on Television. You’re getting paid good money and you’re not on the road 300 days a year.”
Be Grateful
While many wrestlers do try and improve, there is no shortage of talent who have been unhappy with the lack of focus they receive.
AEW’s Miro has liked tweets suggesting he would do better in WWE, while Andrade El Idolo retweeted a recent fan post, complaining that Andrade wasn’t used more when multiple talent missed Dynamite due to Hurricane Ian.
Speaking about those who insist on being negative online, Bischoff had two simple words of advice: be grateful.
“Focus on yourself. I don’t have sympathy for talent who are frustrated. First of all, you made the decision. You made the choice to go work there. And because things aren’t going exactly the way you want them to go, exactly when you want them to go, I don’t think it gives you the right [to complain.] It certainly is not a good look to make as much noise and be as negative an influence as some people are. Man, be grateful! God almighty be grateful.
“I don’t have sympathy for talent who are frustrated.”
Eric Bischoff
“How many people in the world, or this country, would do anything to change places with you? And guess what? They wouldn’t be b*tching about how much TV time they’re not getting. Come on man, be grateful.”
Bischoff added that several wrestlers fall into the trap of an echo-chamber on social media, reading comments from their fans that they should receive better booking.
For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.
The win marks Rousey’s third title in WWE, after winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania Backlash 2022, and winning the Raw Women’s Title at Summerslam 2018.
The End of Morgan’s Push?
Morgan’s title win was a long-time coming for fans of hers, but this loss may mark the end of her run on top of the women’s division.
According to reports, the plan for WrestleMania 39 is for Rousey to finally have her one-on-one match with Becky Lynch, a bout that was originally planned for Survivor Series 2018.
With the likelihood that this match will be for a championship, it is likely that Rousey will hold the SmackDown Women’s Championship until April of next year.
If so, Morgan won’t have another title reign until after WrestleMania 39, and may have to wait even longer if Lynch wins the gold next year.
Saraya has hit back at claims that AEW is acting “unethically” by clearing her for in-ring competition.
The former WWE Divas Champion was recently cleared to wrestle nearly five years after her last match. On last week’s AEW Dynamite, Saraya got physical for the first time in years, confronting Dr. Britt Baker. Some ‘medical experts’ on social media have accused AEW of negligence and acting without Saraya’s best interests in mind.
On Twitter, one user claimed that Saraya was not cleared by 15 doctors during her time with WWE. They added that Dr. Sampson, AEW’s resident physician, has been accused of “numerous unethical decisions.
The Twitter user, who calls themselves a “reality check” for wrestling, provided no names of doctors nor any of these alleged unethical decisions.
In response, Saraya said that the claim of 15 doctors is “straight up lying for clicks.”
She added that Dr. Sampson says lives, and shared a tweet from Jerry Lawler. It was Dr. Sampson who saved the WWE Hall of Famer’s life in 2012 after he suffered a cardiac event during an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Saraya’s last match took place at the December 26, 2017, WWE Live event inside Madison Square Garden.
During a six-woman tag-team match, Paige took a stiff kick from Sasha Banks which resulted in the match being stopped, the latest in a long list of injuries the former Divas Champion had been dealing with.
On the WWE Raw after WrestleMania 34 in April 2018, Saraya (then Paige) announced her retirement and became the General Manager of SmackDown later that week.
Bray Wyatt returned to WWE last night at the conclusion of Extreme Rules.
Matt Riddle defeated Seth Rollins in the Fight Pit match in the main event of the PLE. After the match, the lights in Wells Fargo Arena went out and the Firefly Fun House came to life.
The puppets were shown in human form throughout the arena as “he’s got the whole world in his hands” played in the arena. A door then appeared and Bray walked through it to a tremendous reaction from the crowd as Extreme Rules went off the air.
Backstage Reaction To Bray Wyatt’s Return At WWE Extreme Rules
According to a new report from Fightful Select, Bray Wyatt’s return last night was said to be “very well received” backstage within WWE. The company is also happy with the buzz created surrounding the hints and QR codes the past several weeks.
The White Rabbit teaser campaign gave Extreme Rules have a “big night” feel for those in the company. Fightful added that Bray Wyatt also has a good relationship with a new WWE hire.
Rob Fee, WWE’s new Director of Longterm Creative, was recently signed by the promotion. Fee has worked with Marvel Comics and Disney in the past. Rob reportedly also pitched a “Fiend movie” to the company that was well-received, but nothing ever came of it due to Wyatt’s release last year.
— FightfulSelect.com! Exclusive Pro Wrestling News (@FightfulSelect) October 9, 2022
Several AEW and WWE stars reacted to Bray Wyatt’s return last night at WWE Extreme Rules. Alexa Bliss welcomed back her old friend and you can check that out here.
