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Top WWE Star is Getting Close to Returning to The Ring

Andrew Ravens
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Former WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch appears to be returning very soon.

Lynch has been out of action since her defeat to Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at SummerSlam in July, as she suffered a separated shoulder during the match. Despite the pain, she pushed through it and was able to finish the match. 

The Man Comes Around

becky lynch sling

After the match, Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Io Shirai made their returns. Alexa Bliss and Asuka have taken Bianca Belair’s side in the feud with Damage Control amidst Lynch’s absence.

It may not be too long until “The Man” returns to WWE TV, as she was seen backstage at this past Monday’s Raw in  St. Paul, Minnesota. 

When Lynch suffered her injury, the word making the rounds as she was set to be out for “several months.” PWInsider added, “she’s coming closer and closer to returning to action.”

Earlier this week, Lynch showed off her new look as she is sporting long hair again thanks to extensions. She will be back as a babyface after Triple H turned from being a heel following her SummerSlam match. When she does return, she has a feud waiting for her against Bayley’s Damage CTRL stable.

Potential Spoiler on WWE’s Plans for Debuting Faction

Andrew Ravens
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Legado del Fantasma is headed to the main roster, but the group will see a change made to it by WWE officials. 

It’s been reported by multiple outlets that Legado del Fantasma are slated to make their main roster debut soon and be at tonight’s episode of SmackDown. 

Pwinsider.com reports the company’s initial plans to include Elektra Lopez with the group when they go to SmackDown have been dropped. She was originally slated to be at the show tonight, but over the last 24 hours, creative changed.

This is despite her exit from NXT television being with the group. Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza have been spotted in Worcester, MA, the site of SmackDown with the belief that they will debut as soon as tonight.

Legado del Fantasma Getting a New Member? 

Legado Del Fantasma

As previously reported, Zelina Vega is slated for tonight’s show to make her return and is sporting a new blonde look.

To make things even more interesting, Fightful Select reports there was a heavy pitch and push to put Vega with the Legado Del Fantasma faction, possibly in place of Lopez. 

This hasn’t been confirmed, and no plans have been locked in, but there was a notable pitch for it to happen.

Matt Riddle: Personal Insults from Seth Rollins have been “Therapeutic”

Thomas Lowson
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Matt Riddle has no problem with Seth Rollins airing some of the Original Bro’s ‘dirty laundry’ to millions of WWE fans each week.

Rollins and Riddle have been feuding for months, with Seth making reference to Riddle’s recent divorce.

Riddle’s now ex-wife Lisa divorced the WWE Superstar in March 2022, when Matt admitted to having a consensual affair with wrestler Candy Cartwright, who accused Riddle of sexual assault.

Therapy

It was during the August 29, 2022 Raw, that Rollins brought up Riddle’s divorce, saying that Lisa “took your kids and they don’t want to see your b*tch a** anymore.”

Speaking on the latest After the Bell, Riddle explained why referencing his real-life situation has been a blessing in disguise.

“I think he [Rollins] realizes what I bring to the table. What I’m willing to do to get reactions from the crowd. You know, when we go personal, we talk about things we probably shouldn’t be talking about. But I’m like, bro, I don’t care. I do pay child support. Things are rough for me. And for me, I honestly see this as more of a therapeutic thing because anybody who knows me knows what I’m going through.

“I do pay child support. Things are rough for me… I honestly see this as more of a therapeutic thing.”

Matt Riddle on personal feud with Seth Rollins.

“[People] are like ‘I can’t believe. If he would have said that to me. If I was going through that.’ Everybody who’s been in that spot, in that moment, can relate.”

Making it Real

Riddle’s willingness to bring up real-life situations has made his feud with Rollins a highlight of Raw in this post-Vince McMahon era.

Speaking about his feud with Rollins, Riddle said that making things seem real is incredibly important to him.

“I want people to relate. Everybody can relate to being the smaller brother or friend who just wants to be cool and have the other brother like him. That’s me and Randy. With Seth, it’s just two guys who don’t like each other and Seth has talked some crap that he shouldn’t have been talking.

“For me, the more real it is, the easier it is and the better it is. And that’s what makes me working with Seth so good. Because he’s the same way. He likes to go all in.

Riddle and Rollins will face at tomorrow night in the Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules 2022, with special guest referee Daniel Cormier.

Finn Balor Addresses Critiques of WWE Being Overproduced

Anutosh Bajpai
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Triple H has made many big and small changes to the WWE programming since coming to power. One such subtle change is that stars are now allowed to interact with each other in backstage segments. Finn Balor believes that backstage activities in segments help the product feel more authentic.

The former Universal champion recently had an interview with SHAK Wrestling. He was asked about the recent changes in WWE programming, specifically the changes in the production of backstage segments. Replying to it, Balor mentioned how WWE has been guilty of overproducing things in the past. According to the Judgement Day leader, a rougher product feels more authentic:

“Yeah, and I also feel like maybe in the past we’ve been guilty of overproducing things, and it doesn’t feel as natural. For me, if I look back and watch like an old WCW episode, and there’s like a backstage scene or promo or a beat down, you’ll see people walking. Like leaving the building that have already finished a match, [or] entering the building that haven’t performed yet.

That was natural. I feel like that element needs to really be emphasized in wrestling. This is live TV. It shouldn’t really be as produced as perhaps it was in the past. I feel like maybe the rougher edgier it is, the more authentic it will be.”

You can check out Finn Balor’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

Gable Steveson Returns to WWE Performance Center After Heart Procedure

Andrew Ravens
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Olympic Gold medalist Gable Steveson underwent a heart procedure last month but is now training full-time at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 

According to ESPN, Steveson underwent an ablation on his heart to treat WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White) syndrome. The prospect told the media outlet that the health issue was discovered last year before he traveled to Tokyo for the Olympics. However, he didn’t undergo the procedure until WWE’s medical staff advised him through the process. This included the recommendation of top cardiologists to treat his condition.

Gable Steveson Back Training

Gable Steveson on Raw
Gable Steveson on Raw

The process spanned many months, which delayed Steveson’s start at training full-time for his wrestling career. 

ESPN noted, “WPW is a rare congenital heart defect, present at birth, in which an extra electrical pathway causes a rapid heartbeat. An ablation is a procedure that uses small burns or freezes to cause scarring on the inside of the heart to help break up the electrical signals and maintain a normal heart rhythm.”

Steveson, who is the brother of WWE NXT star Damon Kemp, said he’s excited to get his WWE journey started as he hopes to compete on the main roster in the near future. In October 2021, Steveson was drafted to Raw and made a few special appearances.

Steveson is currently working under the legendary Fit Finlay at the Performance Center. WWE previously set up a remote training facility for him near the University of Minnesota last year so that he could pursue a second NCAA championship.

Steveson said he’s 100% committed to becoming the next big thing in WWE.

WWE Star to return on Tonight’s SmackDown Season Premiere

Thomas Lowson
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WWE is pulling out all the stops for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, which will serve as the season premiere of the blue brand.

Tonight’s episode will air from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Vega’s Return

Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, Zelina Vega was spotted at Boston Airport, fueling speculation of an appearance.

PW Insider has confirmed that Vega is written into tonight’s plans and is sporting a new blond look.

The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion hasn’t appeared on TV since the April 11, 2022, episode of Monday Night Raw, where she faced Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.

Not long after, Vega required surgery, which has kept her out of action since then.

Despite her surgery, Vega has still made a handful of appearances off WWE TV, including appearing at San Diego Comic-Con for the WWE Mattel panel.

Vega returned to WWE last year, after being released minutes after expressing support for unionization.

Since returning, she has held the Women’s Tag Titles with Carmella and won the first-ever Queen’s Cup tournament.

Tonight’s SmackDown

Tonight’s season premiere of SmackDown will also be the final episode before this Saturday’s WWE Extreme Rules premium live event.

It has been confirmed that Solo Sikoa, accompanied by Sami Zayn will face Ricochet.

Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER will defend against Sheamus in a rematch from their instant classic from WWE Clash at the Castle.

Roman Reigns will come face to face with Logan Paul ahead of their Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel.

WWE Superstar Zelina Vega Shows Off New Look

Dwight Howard Reveals What Triple H and Stephanie McMahon Told Him At WWE Tryouts

Joey Galizia
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NBA star Dwight Howard may have a future inside the squared circle. The 8-time All Star and 2020 NBA Champion attended WWE’s latest round of open tryouts, which took place this summer in Nashville during SummerSlam weekend.

Howard’s work at the tryouts garnered both him and WWE some great attention, as the promos Howard cut circulated online and had fanbases in wrestling and basketball talking about his potential as a WWE superstar.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque raved about Howard’s performance in Nashville. As the head of WWE’s talent relations division, Triple H said Howard could follow in the footsteps of Logan Paul and Bad Bunny if he’s really serious about making the jump into the world of pro wrestling.

Howard Thinks He’d Excel In WWE

Howard recently appeared on the “All The Smoke” program to discuss his work at the WWE tryouts, where he tells the show hosts that he’s always had an affinity for professional wrestling.

“My whole life growing up as a kid, me and my brother wrestled,” he said. “I played around acting like I was the Hulk, you know what I’m saying? And then, my nickname is Randy Savage so that’ll tell right there how much I love wrestling. Randy Savage, that was my sh*t so, why not? I really enjoy the crowd, I enjoy entertaining people, I enjoy the fans and stuff like that and the atmosphere is crazy.”

“I would definitely enjoy being a real wrestler like that.”

– Dwight Howard

He later reveals that Triple H and his wife, co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, were very complimentary of the promos he was cutting in Nashville.

“I went to SummerSlam this summer and I got a chance to do some promos for wrestling and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon was there. She had just became the new CEO of WWE and I did my promo and they was like, ‘Man, that was the best promo of the whole tryout and do you really wanna wrestle?’

Triple H Says WWE Would Sign Dwight Howard

“The Ball Is In His Court” – Triple H Says WWE Is Open To Signing NBA Star

Nigel McGuinness Departs WWE Amid Announcer Shakeup

Michael Reichlin
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Nigel McGuinness (Steven Haworth) is no longer with WWE. He was released earlier this week amid a shakeup to the commentary teams of Raw, SmackDown and NXT. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

The 46-year-old from London, England signed with WWE in 2016. He was hired at the recommendation of Michael Cole. He made his WWE commentary debut (alongside Cole) at the United Kingdom Championship Tournament in January 2017.

During his time with the company, McGuinness did color commentary for NXT, 205 Live, Main Event, NXT UK and NXT Level Up.

His departure comes at a time when WWE is applying a fresh coat of paint to its cable television shows for the new fall season. Earlier this week, WWE announced a major shakeup to the commentary teams of Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Amid this reshuffling, McGuinness and former Raw lead announcer Jimmy Smith found themselves on the outs.

Jimmy Smith Learned about Losing Raw Commentary Role by Accident

What’s Next for Nigel McGuinness?

McGuinness is former Ring of Honor World Champion, so he’d be a natural fit to join the ROH broadcast team, if Tony Khan is able to secure a TV deal for his recent purchase.

Saraya Medically Cleared, Details on Her AEW Contract

Andrew Ravens
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Saraya, formerly known as WWE Superstar Paige, is going to be All Elite for quite some time. She made her promotional debut at the Dynamite: Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY.

Due to spinal stenosis, Saraya hasn’t wrestled since 2017. WWE didn’t sign her to a new deal a few months ago, and she went on the free agent market in early July. AEW made contact with her shortly after she was a free agent, according to Fightful.

Contract Details

Saraya has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with AEW. Interestingly, AEW’s level of ‘financial commitment to the 30-year-old star “largely implies that she’ll be wrestling in some capacity.”

We’re still unclear whether or not Saraya has been medically cleared to compete. She’s scheduled to speak on tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite tonight. AEW talent did go to bat for her and put in a good word, although one AEW source said: “she didn’t need it, since there was interest when she became available.”

The roster seemed excited about her joining the company and rightfully so. She brings a mega dose of star power to the AEW women’s division. If she does get cleared to wrestle, there are a number of marquee matches lined up with the likes of Britt Baker, Toni Storm, Jade Cargill, Thunder Rosa and others.

Medically Cleared

Ever since Saraya arrived in AEW, the big question is whether or not she’s cleared to wrestle. Dave Meltzer reported that she was not medically cleared in the days leading up to her debut, which prompted a tweet by Saraya telling fans not to believe everything you read.

In the October 10th Observer, Meltzer followed up with a note that AEW’s Dr. Michael Sampson has finally cleared Saraya to wrestle. She got physical on this week’s AEW Dynamite and the company is setting her up to feud with Britt Baker.

Saraya in AEW

3 Things Saraya Brings to AEW’s Women’s Division

Jimmy Smith Learned about Losing Raw Commentary Role by Accident

Thomas Lowson
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Jimmy Smith will no longer be calling the action on Monday Night Raw, something that the former commentator learned by complete accident.

Yesterday, WWE changed the commentary teams across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, as part of the season premieres for each show.

Not long after news broke, Smith confirmed that he has left WWE.

Triple H’s Accident

Fans were surprised to see the changes be announced, first by Variety and later confirmed by WWE, but Smith wasn’t taken aback.

Speaking on Unlocking the Cage, Smith said how a comment by Triple H earlier this week was all it took to learn of his fate (via ComicBook.)

“Triple H accidentally told me before the show Monday. He screwed up and told me [about the commentary changes]. He didn’t mean to.”

After speaking with Riddle and coming up with a good line for the Fight Pit at this weekend’s Extreme Rules event, Smith wanted to get it checked by Triple H.

“I go to Triple H. Triple H standing there, I go, ‘Hey, I just talked to Riddle and he gave me this line about how he out-wrestled Jon Jones twice’ and Triple H goes, ‘Okay, cool. Give that note to Cole.’

“Triple H accidentally told me before the show Monday. He screwed up and told me.”

Jimmy Smith

“I went, why would I have to give that note to Cole if I’m calling the match on Saturday? Oh. I’m not calling the match on Saturday. Oh, I’m probably fired. In about two seconds, my brain went, that’s so – okay… and I was like, all right. So I knew basically the whole show on Monday night that I wasn’t coming back.”

Changes

With Smith gone, the new commentary team on Raw will see Corey Graves team with Kevin Patrick.

On SmackDown, Michael Cole will call the action with Wade Barrett, who is joining from NXT.

WWE NXT will be called by Vic Joseph and Booker T, who has done commentary for SmackDown and Raw in the past.

Jimmy Smith Reveals Advice Vince McMahon Gave Him

Bobby Fish to Make Boxing Debut Next Month in Dubai

Thomas Lowson
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Bobby Fish is set to get back in the ring next month, but as a boxer and not a professional wrestler.

Fish, a former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion, was released from the company in August 2021 as part of changes made to the brand ahead of the launch of NXT 2.0.

In October that same year, Fish signed with AEW where he reunited with Kyle O’Reilly & Adam Cole, but parted ways in August this year.

Boxing

Fish may be best known as a wrestler, but he is set to make his boxing debut in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Fightful were the first to report that Fish will be participating in the Global Titans Fight Series, which was later confirmed on Twitter.

In a tweet, the promotion announced that Fish will face Ghanain fighter Boating Prempeh in a match at the Coca-Cola Arena on November 13.

Fighting Background

Fish may be a wrestler, but like many wrestler, he comes from a background in Mixed Martial Arts.

The former NXT Tag Champion was trained by Jerrick Jones at Albany Boxing, and made his kickboxing professional debut in January 2010.

In his first fight, Fish competed for the Cage Wars organization in Albany, New York and defeated Justin Pierpoint by TKO.

Fish won in the third round after Pierpoint suffered a broken nose at the end of the second.

More recently, Fish offered to fight CM Punk (who briefly competed in the UFC) after Punk said during the All Out media scrum “you have a f*g problem with me, take it up with me.”

Matt Hardy Was Taking 5 Vicodin a Day at the Height of Addiction

Samantha Schipman
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In Episode 40 of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy gets personal about addiction–specifically his own.

At the end of 2009, Jeff had left WWE to pursue other opportunities. Matt was working matches on house shows teaming with Undertaker and Batista against CM Punk and Chris Jericho. Hardy then moved into the Intercontinental Championship picture. He was seen as someone who was reliable and could work multiple styles of matches with a variety of opponents.

After years of wrestling, his body was “not in a good place.” “My back and my hips, this is when it really set in hard for the first time. I felt I could be in a more top tier position in working matches and working with other people. But physically too, I was having a lot of issues. I had that scenario where my hand was broke and I worked around it. My intestines literally popped through my abdominal wall and I had to have the corrected. I was pretty beat up because I had so many other injuries, so I was overcompensating and getting hurt even more. I should’ve just asked for time off at that point already before we get into this. Me being this…workhorse mentality, I was going to try to work through everything and work around it.”

Matt Hardy’s addiction to pills begins

Matt Hardy

Around the end of his U.S. Championship run, he told John Laurinaitis that his back was “pretty beat up.” He was struggling to stand and would have to “half-ass crawl” to take a bath to soak in. Laurinaitis’s response was that Hardy was in a good spot. “We want to keep you on the road. You’re someone we trust. Just go to the doctor and see what they can do for you. We can’t really afford to give you time off. And then you go to the doctor and say, ‘well, I’m having these issues. I’m in constant pain because of my lower back and my hip. Is there anything you can do for me without doing surgery? Is there any kind of therapy or rehabilitation I can have?’ They said, ‘well, you can stop doing what you’re doing. The only other thing we can say it take these pills, they help relieve the pain and these pills help relax the muscles so you won’t be as tight.’ And that’s where it starts and it’s a very slippery slope.

By the spring of 2010, Hardy was still taking pills. His brother is in TNA and he felt like he was being punished because the office was mad at Jeff. Between that and the pain he was in, it was taking its toll. He discussed how taking pills can affect you emotionally. “Pro wrestling in general–but WWE especially–is so tough emotionally and then once start taking pills to feel better physically, there’s times when you get emotionally down or mentally down and you’re like ‘well, this make the physical pain go away, maybe it’ll make the emotional and mental pain go away too.’ There was way too much of that going on with me at the time.”

Taking pain pills is a slippery slope

At the height of his addiction, Hardy admits to taking five Vicodin and ten Somas a day. “You take a few in the morning to get you started. Then, you take some in the afternoon and some at night to go to sleep.” He says he didn’t have his first beer until the age of 25. Following knee surgery he was given pain medication that he threw away.

“I got to a point where I was so physically beat up and emotionally frustrated. It’s so mentally taxing being in WWE at a time like that. And then it was just like, alright I don’t want to deal with that pain. It was a very bitch thing to do and I was being a bitch at the time. I’ve learned to better and stronger since then. It’s a very slippery slope.”

“Anytime there’s a prescription and someone is given pain pills or muscle relaxers or Valium or whatever it may be, it’s a very slippery slope because whenever you start taking those things, you become reliant on them. And then it kind of like takes away the trauma of real life and the real world. That’s a very scary thing because once you start going there, it’s very easy to become reliant on it.”

Hardy has a lot more to say on this very special episode of his podcast.

Tony Khan Reacts To AEW Dynamite Third Year Anniversary Viewership

Anutosh Bajpai
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The AEW Dynamite episode this week made more headlines for what happened behind the scenes between Andrade and Sammy Guevara, but the whole debacle seemed to have peaked people’s interest in the show regardless.

This week’s episode of the show celebrating the third anniversary of the weekly series, averaged 1.038 million viewers on TBS.

AEW President Tony Khan didn’t miss the opportunity to comment on the show’s viewership and he thanked everyone who watched the Dynamite episode:

“Thank you every one of you over 1 million live viewers who watched the #AEWDynamite 3 Year Anniversary Show last night! 18 out of 19 weeks (hurricane coverage the lone exception) in Wednesday’s Top 2 Shows on Cable 18-49!”

This week’s episode of the show featuring a tag team match between Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson & Daniel Garcia did a 0.33 rating in the key demo.

In comparison, last week’s episode of the show featuring the Chris Jericho vs Bandido match in the main event drew 990,000 viewers with an 0.34 rating.

AEW will also be presenting a live episode of Rampage this week to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of Brodie Lee’s last match in the company.

While the match between Andrade and Dark Order’s 10 has been removed from the show after the backstage altercation, the event will still feature a number of interesting bouts including one for the AEW World Trios Championship.

WWE Extreme Rules Predictions

Ryan Droste
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WWE Extreme Rules takes place this Saturday from Philadelphia, PA. This will be the 14th Extreme Rules event for the company, it originated in 2009.

SEScoops correspondents Andrew Ravens, Thomas Lowson and Ryan Droste have assembled to provide our official WWE Extreme Rules predictions.

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey (Extreme Rules Match)

Andrew Ravens: Everyone, including myself, thinks we get a title change here unless WWE wants to hold off one more month for it to happen. Rousey should be the champion, and Morgan as the champion just hasn’t clicked for me yet. Rousey is WWE’s biggest female star on SmackDown. Let her shine with the gold. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey).

Thomas Lowson: I appreciate WWE trying to build up Morgan as a more legitimate threat to Rousey in recent weeks. And it has worked to an extent. However, I can’t see Rousey taking three losses in a row to Morgan. The Extreme Rules stip does give WWE the opportunity (again) to give Rousey a non-clean loss, but I don’t see it. Morgan’s had a good run, fans got what they wanted. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)

Ryan Droste: Morgan’s reign to this point has already exceeded the length that anyone could have predicted. I just can’t imagine that Rousey would lose here. While it’s been nice to see Morgan get some shine, the end goal here was always moving the title back to Rousey. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)

Consensus: Ronda Rousey

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Bayley (Ladder Match)

Andrew Ravens: The ladder match stipulation is interesting if WWE wants to beat Belair but protect her, Bayley could win thanks to outside interference and not have to beat Belair clean. I don’t see it happening, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see it. Belair will be feuding with the heel faction for a while going forward, so she retains. (Prediction: Bianca Belair).

Thomas Lowson: This is perhaps the match I’m most excited to see. Bayley and Damage CTRL have been on a roll, and I expect that to continue. The thing with Belair is that she’s been very well protected in WWE. Her last title loss only happened because she was caught off-guard. I think the ladder match stipulation gives WWE a perfect way to take the title off her, without Belair taking a clean loss. (Prediction: Bayley)

Ryan Droste: Belair has once again been a solid champion. However, who does she work next if she defeats Bayley here? They can extend the program a little longer, but in the end it feels like a Bayley title reign is in the cars. Damage CTRL has felt very fresh, and with WWE concentrating on powerful factions of late, adding the Raw Women’s Championship to this one makes sense. (Prediction: Bayley)

Consensus: Split

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle (Fight Pit Match)

Andrew Ravens: This should be the main event of the show based on the fact that this has been a fun storyline, and WWE is bringing in UFC’s Daniel Cormier for the bout. I’ll side with Riddle going over because he needs a win to wrap up this storyline, and I can’t see Cormier counting the pinfall to give a heel the win. (Prediction: Matt Riddle).

Thomas Lowson: With Roman Reigns a no-show, this will likely headline Extreme Rules. I think Riddle has this. It makes sense given that Rollins won in Cardiff, and personally, I hope it’s the end of the feud. Perhaps a match will be squeezed out at Crown Jewel, but I don’t need to see it. Rollins and Riddle have done well, but there’s no point in carrying this on. Riddle gets the win, and maybe a bit of respect from Rollins. As for Cormier, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some confrontation with Seth, setting up a Saudi match. (Prediction: Matt Riddle)

Ryan Droste: Like my colleagues, it’s difficult to envision Riddle not winning this match. Daniel Cormier would seem to cement that fact. They’ve been feuding for a while and it’s time for Riddle to go over and move on to something else. (Predictions: Matt Riddle)

Consensus: Matt Riddle

Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match)

Andrew Ravens: This is a very intriguing match because both stars need a win. McIntyre needs a win since he just lost to Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle, but also, Kross needs a win to continue to prove to fans that he will be the second biggest heel on Smackdown. Kross also needs a great match with McIntyre, so I’ll side with Kross. (Prediction: Karrion Kross).

Thomas Lowson: This seems the easiest one for me to call, which pains me as a huge McIntyre fan. It’s odd though, as neither man can really afford a loss. Kross is still relatively new on the scene on SmackDown, and McIntyre is coming off arguably the biggest loss of his career. But I have to go with Kross on this one. WWE has long-term plans for him in the main event, making his win more necessary. (Prediction: Karrion Kross)

Ryan Droste: Kross seems destined for the title picture, while McIntyre has just exited that scene. One could make the argument that McIntyre needs a big win, but so does Kross having recently returned and looking to be elevated for a shot at Reigns. (Prediction: Karrion Kross)

Consensus: Karrion Kross

Edge vs. Finn Balor (“I Quit” Match)

Andrew Ravens: I’m going with Balor solely based on the fact that WrestleVotes recently reported that WWE had big plans in place for Balor in the near future. I don’t think Edge needs to win just because he recently returned. (Prediction: Finn Balor).

Thomas Lowson: Another difficult one to call. On paper, it seems like Balor and the Judgment Day would have this one in the bag. The numbers game alone would surely give them this. However, Edge only recently returned, and having him come back to lose would make little sense. Honestly, it’s a coin-toss, but I’ll give it to the Hall of Famer. (Prediction: Edge)

Ryan Droste: Judgment Day lost to Edge and Rey Mysterio at Clash at the Castle. It feels like Balor goes over here. Outside of his initial Universal Championship victory (and injury), Balor has never lived up to his full potential on the main roster. While with NXT, Balor shined. Who was in charge of creative there? With Triple H in charge, it’s not surprising to see rumors of a strong Balor push. (Prediction: Finn Balor)

Consensus: Split

The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch) vs. Imperium (Gunther, Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser) (Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match)

Andrew Ravens: This could steal the show and should be the event’s opener. I think it’s a pick ’em, and the outcome will be based on what happens on Friday during the title bout between Gunther and Sheamus for the Intercontinental Title. I’ll side with The Brawling Brutes going over because I don’t think Sheamus wins the title on SmackDown. (Prediction: The Brawling Brutes).

Thomas Lowson: I was fortunate to be in attendance for WWE Clash at the Castle, so I know how good this can be. It’s a tough one to call, and one I reckon will be influenced by the IC Title match on SmackDown. But I’m predicting a clean sweep for the Brutes. A new Intercontinental Champion, and a win at the PLE. (Prediction: The Brawling Brutes)

Ryan Droste: SmackDown will have an impact on this result, and since we are publishing this before SmackDown, it’s really hard to say right now! Basically a toss-up. While Gunther prevailed in that classic match with Sheamus at Clash at the Castle, I think there’s a shot Sheamus wins the IC title on SmackDown (I was kind of expecting it to happen at Clash, actually). That being said, I wouldn’t do it. I would keep Gunther strong as he’s a guy who can challenge for the world title down the line. Why not keep him dominant? Sheamus gets his revenge here in a six man. (Prediction: The Brawling Brutes)

Consensus: The Brawling Brutes

WWE Legend On Ronda Rousey’s Wrestling Career: “I Don’t See Her Trying To Improve”

Robert Lentini
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Liv Morgan will be defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey this Saturday night in an Extreme Rules match at the Premium Live Event.

Morgan won the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match and cashed in on Ronda Rousey on the same night. She went on to defeat Ronda once again at WWE SummerSlam in a match that ended in controversy.

Ronda earned another title shot by winning a Fatal 5-Way on a recent edition of SmackDown. On last Friday’s SmackDown, Ronda and Liv brawled after Rousey tapped out Natalya. The champion brought a baseball bat to the ring but WWE security eventually were able to break it up.

Jim Cornette On The Brawl Between Ronda Rousey & Liv Morgan

Jim Cornette discussed the feud over the SmackDown Women’s Championship on episode 451 of the Jim Cornette Experience. The legendary manager said that WWE still knows how to book their stars when it comes to when they appear on the program.

Did you notice the most notable thing about the Ronda Rousey versus Natalya match?

It was Ronda Rousey’s entrance to the ring with music came at the top of the 9 PM hour. They may not have very many stars on this program but they know where to put them.

Again, a simple “Vinceism”, top of the hour and to a lesser extent the bottom of the hour, you need a star headed to the ring or in the ring.

Cornette added that Ronda’s work hasn’t improved much since she’s arrived in WWE.

Her Judo is great, but her work is herky-jerky and awkward. It’s not smooth at all. She’s not getting better. I don’t know that she’s trying.

I think by everything you can see from Ronda Rousey, that the bloom is off the rose for her on this wrestling thing. She’s doing it now because she’s signed a contract.

I don’t see her having a ton of fun. I don’t see her trying to improve. I don’t see her going out there and just g*****n shucking the corn all the way down to the cob onto promos and just really being into this.

It’s like, get it over with and that is the way we feel watching her at this point.

Jim criticized the brawl on SmackDown as well and suggested that it might have been good with anyone besides WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan. You can check out his comments in the video below.

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

Becky Lynch Exposes Vince Russo’s Hypocrisy With Savage Tweet

Robert Lentini
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Becky Lynch and Mustafa Ali have responded to former WWE writer Vince Russo today on social media.

Earlier today, Vince took to Twitter and tagged several talents to suggest that they should invest in their wardrobe including Bayley. The Role Model will battle Bianca Belair in a Ladder Match this Saturday night at Extreme Rules for the RAW Women’s Championship.

So pertaining to @itsBayleyWWE, as a TV Critic, I made the statement that if u WANT to be a TV STAR u have 2 LOOK like a TV STAR, which means u should probably invest in your wardrobe-switch it up every week-aka@BeckyLynchWWE, @WWERollins,@BiancaBelair,@MsCharlotteWWE (PT. 1)

Becky Lynch posted a transcription of Vince saying comments that seem to contradict the criticism offered. Russo stated in the past that both Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch dress ridiculously.

Russo responded to Becky Lynch and said that it is hard for the audience to understand her character change from The Man to Big Time Becks without a proper explanation.

When u portray a character, then u transition over to another without the proper explanation-which is in the writing—that could be hard for audience to grasp/understand. Some will get it-some won’t. You want Everybody to get it, so it just needs to be explained.

Mustafa Ali joined the party and brought up a time when Russo suggested that he portray a racist cop in WWE. Vince asked for Ali to provide the audio of him saying that and Mustafa quickly supplied it.

The 61-year-old then transitioned into promoting his shows and thanked Mustafa for the free publicity. Vince added that the racist cop angle would have been very topical and got Mustafa over as a heel.

“Tell That To My Merch Sales” – Alexa Bliss Responds To Criticism From Wrestling Podcaster After WWE RAW

Robert Lentini
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Alexa Bliss battled IYO SKY of Damage CTRL in the main event of this week’s episode of WWE RAW.

Earlier on the show, Bianca Belair and Bayley had a contract signing for their upcoming Ladder Match at Extreme Rules for the RAW Women’s Championship. The cameras cut backstage and Damage CTRL were attacking Asuka and Alexa Bliss.

Bayley capitalized on the distraction and ripped Bianca over the table by her hair and beat her down. Following the attack, Alexa challenged IYO to a match and the two stars met in the main event. IYO picked up the victory thanks to interference by Damage CTRL.

RAW went off the air with Bayley and the Women’s Tag Team Champions posing on a ladder in the middle of the ring.

Alexa Bliss Responds To Criticism From Wrestling Podcaster

Wrestling podcaster/YouTuber/House of Glory commentator JDFromNY206 certainly has his fans and detractors but is never short on opinions. He commented on Alexa Bliss facing IYO SKY in the main event of the red brand and said he wasn’t a fan of it. A fan clipped the comment made by JD and claimed that “Alexa Bliss can main event any show from WWE shes that talented unlike JDfromny206”.

Here is what JD had to say about the main event of this week’s RAW in the video:

Alexa Bliss and Io Shirai, IYO SKY, closed the show last night. That is not a main event. You don’t put that match on in the main event and expect people to hang around until 11 to watch that be the culmination of Monday Night RAW for three hours. That is ridiculous.

In no way, on no planet should Alexa Bliss be in the f***ing main event of any show, period. She is absolutely iceberg cold. She is ridiculous. Judgment Day, AJ Styles, and Rey Mysterio absolutely should have closed the show no matter what.

https://twitter.com/brianwookiee/status/1577819418708566018?s=20&t=ihI41hcMpar8ZTTrd-ky6A

Despite not being tagged in the post, Alexa Bliss caught wind of the comments and took to Twitter to respond. She referred to JD as “JB” in her retort.

Tell That to my Merch sales JB. Keep doing your job which is talking about… Me.

Renee Paquette Set To Launch New Series With NFL Team

Robert Lentini
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Former WWE personality Renee Paquette (Renee Young) has landed a new gig with an NFL football team.

The Cincinnati Bengals reached the Super Bowl last year but came up just short against the Rams. After a rocky 0-2 start, the Bengals have righted the ship and now sit at 2-2 on the season.

Today on Twitter, the Bengals have announced that Renee Paquette is working on a new show for them. The series will be called Renée All Dey and the first episode will be released soon.

Renee took to Twitter to say how excited she is to be working with the Bengals on the new series. Renee currently hosts The Sessions podcast on Colin Cowherd’s The Volume network.

So freaking psyched to join the @Bengals and have my own series with them! Renée All Dey coming soon!

Renee sat down with Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie a couple of weeks ago for an interview and the 37-year-old clearly made a positive impression on the organization.

Jon Moxley To Defend The Title In Cincinnati

Renee’s husband, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, is scheduled to have a huge match on the October 18th edition of Dynamite.

It will be a special Tuesday night episode of Dynamite live from the Heritage Bank Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jon is from Cincinnati and the married couple resides there. The AEW World Champion recently attended the wedding between Corey Graves and Carmella sporting a Bengals shirt and a fanny pack.

On last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Hangman Adam Page defeated Rush in a singles match. After the bout, Private Party made their way to the ring and it appeared like they were going to attack Hangman. Jon Moxley arrived through the crowd and Private Party retreated.

The champion paced around Hangman Page before taking a shot at him. Moxley said “you’re a sweet kid, but like a lot of kids around here you say stupid sh** that gets you in trouble. I’m going to let you off the hook this once, but this is your final warning. You’ve got 13 days, you watch your damn mouth.”

Later in the promo, Moxley vowed to prove that he’s the one true top guy in AEW and is the “best in the world” in 13 days on Dynamite.

I’m going to walk down Vine Street and show up at Heritage Bank Center, and I’m going to break your face. I’m going to choke you until you turn blue because you’re in the way of me being the one true top guy here in AEW, and the World Champion, and the best in the world.

WWE Tough Enough Winner Sara Lee Passes Away, Wrestlers Pay Tribute

Robert Lentini
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WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee (Sara Ann Weston) has tragically passed away. She was only 30 years old. Her mother announced the news on Facebook on Thursday.

There has been no cause of death revealed at this time. Her mother wrote “It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus. We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn” in the heartbreaking announcement.

Lee won Tough Enough in 2015 and earned a one-year contract with the promotion. She lost to Alicia Fox in the finale of the show and was released in 2016 after working live events but never debuted on NXT.

Sara was also a competitive powerlifter and entered Tough Enough with no previous wrestling experience. She outlasted Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Chelsea Green, and Velveteen Dream in the competition.

She was recently training at the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando. Sara married former WWE Superstar Wesley Blake in December 2017. The couple lived in Orlando and had three children together.

Wrestlers Pay Tribute To Sara Lee

Several wrestlers have commented on the tragic news today. AEW star Saraya sent love to Sara’s family and posted photos of the two together.

https://twitter.com/Saraya/status/1578152754647748609?s=20&t=S6Zh9ktFzrbPAFZUAE7WWg

Former NXT star Bull James (Bull Dempsey) has set up a fund to help her family. As of this writing, Cody Rhodes, Alexa Bliss, Braun Strowman, Becky Lynch and The Cardonas have donated.

Brandi Rhodes said she never got to meet Sara Lee but noticed her beautiful energy. RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair sent out a message as well.

On behalf of SEScoops, we send our condolences to friends, family, and fans of Sara Lee.

Bandido Reveals He Has Not Signed AEW Contract, Confirms WWE Offer

Robert Lentini
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It was reported this week that Bandido was signed by All Elite Wrestling but it seems that is not the case.

Chris Jericho defended the ROH Championship against Bandido in the main event of last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Jericho retained the title in a match that received rave reviews from critics and fans.

The 27-year-old was immediately offered a contract following his match with Chris Jericho. Fightful reported on Wednesday that he had agreed to terms on a new deal with All Elite Wrestling.

However, Bandido himself has stated that he has not signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling. He noted that he will likely wind up in AEW, but hasn’t signed yet and has received an offer from WWE as well.

In an interview with Más Lucha, Bandido said that after his match with Jericho on Dynamite eight days ago, Tony Khan and Chris pulled him aside after the match. Bandido claimed that Tony said “I need you in AEW” during the conversation.

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp noted that their report stated that Bandido had agreed to terms and they could not specify whether he signed a contract.

Andrade El Idolo was also recently interviewed by Más Lucha and had some interesting comments regarding former TNT Champion Sammy Guevara. Those comments led to the to two exchanging words on Twitter.

The Twitter beef then spilled over into Dynamite where Andrade and Sammy reportedly had a physical altercation. Andrade was scheduled to face Dark Order’s 10 in a Career vs. Mask match on this week’s Rampage but the match has been canceled.

Konosuke Takeshita Expected Back In AEW Very Soon

Joey Galizia
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A fan-favorite is expected to be returning to AEW very soon.

Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita, who had been building up his reputation at DDT-Pro, began regularly competing for AEW earlier this year and quickly won over the hearts of the AEW Universe with his in-ring performances. The 27-year old had marquee matchups against Adam Page, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and nearly won the ROH championship from Claudio Castagnoli at their encounter at Battle of the Belts III.

While Takeshita came up short in all of the aforementioned matchups his stock grew heavily within the company. He picked up a series of wins on their weekly Youtube shows (Dark: Elevation, Dark), as well as a victory over Ryan Nemeth on an edition of their TNT program, Rampage. Takeshita’s run with the company ended over the summer as he had to return to Japan.

A New Report Says Takeshita Will Be Back In AEW In Two Weeks

According to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer, AEW is hoping to have Takeshita return in the next couple of weeks. While this is exciting Meltzer does note that there don’t seem to be any plans for Takeshita at the moment, but that could obviously change very quickly due to the nature of booking these shows.

The return couldn’t come at a better time for AEW, who have a number of top stars currently on the sideline either due to injury, suspension, or a mixture of both. This includes CM Punk, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Malakai Black, and now…Andrade El Idolo.

Are you excited to see Takeshita back in AEW?

New Commentary Teams for WWE Raw, SmackDown & NXT

Thomas Lowson
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The landscape of WWE has changed dramatically across all three of the company’s brands, at least at the commentary desk.

This week, WWE will begin their ‘season premiere’ week of programming, starting with tomorrow night’s SmackDown on FOX. Next week’s Raw and NXT will also serve as the season premieres of the red and gold brand.

The following three shows of WWE programming will be stacked for the season premieres and will feature brand-new commentary teams.

Wrestle Votes were the first to report that changes were expected to Raw’s commentary team before more information was provided by Variety. Their report, later confirmed by WWE, announced that the company is returning to two-person commentary teams across all three of its brands.

Smackdown

For tomorrow night’s SmackDown, Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be calling the action, with the former Intercontinental Champion moving from NXT.

Raw

Next week’s Raw will see Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves behind the table, with Patrick being promoted as a full-time member of the Raw commentary team.

The Irish announcer had previously served as a backstage interviewer and provided commentary on the July 24, 2022, Raw.

Byron Saxton, who had been on commentary for Raw, has been moved to a role as an onscreen interviewer.

NXT

For NXT, the new commentary team will see Vic Joseph returning to the role, now working with Booker T.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer has previously served as a commentator for Raw and SmackDown, and regularly makes appearances on kick-off show panels.

Premium Live Events

For major WWE events such as WWE Premium Live Events, Cole and Graves will be the commentary team.

Pat McAfee SmackDown Commentator Role On Hold After College Gameday News

Julia Hart Confirms Engagement to Fellow AEW Star

Andrew Ravens
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Another wrestling couple is slated to get married – Julia Hart and Lee Johnson. 

During an appearance on this week’s episode of AEW Unrestricted with hosts Aubrey Edwards and Alex Abrahantes, Hart spoke about a wide range of topics, including her relationship with the fellow AEW talent. 

Julia Hart on the Engagement

Screen Shot 2022 09 24 at 3.40.22 PM
Photo Credit: Scott Lesh

Hart revealed that they are engaged. It was stated on the podcast that they’d been engaged for months, but it was something they wanted to keep to themselves and within the circle of people who knew.

Hart stated they have a good separation between work-life and real life, and she couldn’t ask for anyone better to be her man. 

House of Black’s Malakai Black is off AEW television because he is tending to personal matters. He has stated that he’ll be back ‘pretty soon’. Buddy Matthews also recently came out and stated that he is taking time away from wrestling. 

Johnson began working with AEW in April 2020. His first Dynamite appearance happened that same month as he took on the late Brodie Lee.

Johnson competed on Dark and Dynamite in the months following before signing with them in February 2021. Johnson last wrestled in a sanctioned match for AEW in early May.

3 Reasons Sheamus Should Win The Intercontinental Championship

Robert Lentini
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Gunther will be defending the Intercontinental Championship against Sheamus this week on the season premiere of SmackDown.

The Ring General and The Celtic Warrior put on an instant classic at Clash at the Castle. In the end, it was Gunther who emerged victorious but the crowd in Cardiff gave Sheamus a standing ovation after the match.

The Celtic Warrior was without his stablemates this past Friday on SmackDown. Butch and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes were stuck in Florida due to the hurricane. Sheamus tried to get in a few shots with his shillelagh but the numbers game caught up to him. Imperium beat The Celtic Warrior down and left him laying in the ring. Sheamus will now enter his Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown at a distinct disadvantage.

Here are three reasons Sheamus deserves to win the Intercontinental Championship on the season premiere of WWE SmackDown:

The Storyline

The main reason Sheamus should become the Intercontinental Champion is because of his storyline with Gunther. The Ring General has already proven he can defeat Sheamus, but has he proven he can bounce back from a loss?

Gunther has yet to lose a singles match on the main roster and losing a match to a veteran like Sheamus does not equate to getting “buried”. It presents an opportunity to show the WWE Universe just how vicious Gunther can be in his pursuit to get his title back.

Gunther has lost two singles matches in NXT during his WWE career. He lost the NXT UK Championship to Ilja Dragunov in an incredible match at TakeOver 36 and to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in April. Gunther made his main roster debut a few days later on SmackDown and defeated Joe Alonzo in a squash match.

A loss for Gunther would give WWE a reason to have them fight again at an upcoming Premium Live Event. There likely won’t be too many fans complaining about these two facing off again if their match on SmackDown delivers as expected.

The Fans

The Brawling Brutes seemed like they were an act that was destined to fail. They came off as a Vince McMahon creation that maybe would have connected with fans in the 1950s as they would have been wearing similar attire in the audience. Many fans were disappointed to see Pete Dunne portray “Butch”, a scrappy underdog comedy character, instead of The Bruiserweight the WWE Universe had grown to love in NXT.

After Triple H took over creative responsibility for the company, The Brawling Brutes have been presented as a group that fans should take seriously. They battled The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships in a great match a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown.

Butch and Ridge Holland were moments away from becoming champions before Imperium interfered. The Usos escaped with the titles but the crowd was heavily behind The Brawling Brutes.

The crowd in the DCU Center in Worcester this Friday will likely be cheering for Sheamus as well. There is currently a heel faction dominating the top of the promotion with The Bloodline, why not have a babyface group run the midcard?

The Legacy

Sheamus spoke with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport ahead of his Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther at Clash at the Castle. Ariel asked why the title was so important Sheamus gave two reasons.

“The first reason is it’s the one championship that I need to complete my collection and become WWE’s first-ever Ultimate Grand Slam Champion. And number two, it’s because to me it is the first title I watched when I started watching WWE as a kid.

It was the title that was always on television. It was the title I saw every single week and it was the working man’s title. That was a great platform for a lot of talents who started out like you know, Macho Man, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Shawn (Michaels), all those guys.

Sheamus joined the main roster in 2009 and has had an incredible 12-year career in WWE thus far. The 44-year-old is a four-time World Champion in the company and a three-time United States Champion. He captured the RAW Tag Team Championships four times as well with former WWE star Cesaro, now known as Claudio Castagnoli in All Elite Wrestling.

The Celtic Warrior won the King of the Ring in 2010, the Royal Rumble in 2012, and the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2015. The only thing missing from his resume in WWE is the Intercontinental Championship and it would be great to see that rectified against Gunther on SmackDown.

Would you like to see Sheamus win the Intercontinental Championship or would you rather see Gunther continue his dominance this week on WWE SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.

Several WWE NXT Stars Expected to be Called Up Soon (Report)

Andrew Ravens
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Legado del Fantasma could be making their WWE main roster debut soon. 

According to a report by Pwinsider.com today, the plan is for Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro & Elektra Lopez) to be part of the SmackDown roster when they make their main roster debut. It was added that they might appear as soon as this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.

Their NXT Exit

In August, Escobar was banished from NXT as part of a stipulation of losing to Tony D’Angelo at NXT Heatwave. A week after this show, there was a segment where Escobar picked up the rest of Legado del Fantasma in the parking lot because he wasn’t going to leave NXT without them. Dave Meltzer previously confirmed that Legado del Fantasma was slated for a main roster call-up.

WWE holds this season’s premiere edition of SmackDown on Friday night from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

The show will feature a face-to-face confrontation between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his next challenger Logan Paul ahead of their clash at Crown Jewel in November. Also, Gunther will defend the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus in a rematch from Clash at the Castle.

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