After making a surprise appearance following the main event of Raw last week, Dexter Lumis once again tried to invade the Red Branded show this week.
The episode featured a match between AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship. At one point during the bout, The Miz and Ciampa showed up at the ringside.
Miz was ready to attack Styles while Ciampa distracted the referee. However, Dexter Lumis apparently saved AJ from the attack.
Lumis stalked Miz which stopped him from taking the shot on Styles. The Tortured Artist was then quickly taken out by the security and disappeared from the broadcast.
Fans who were in attendance later posted videos from the show. As seen below, they show Dexter Lumis entering the arena and being escorted out by the security:
The former NXT star was one of the featured stars of the development brand during the Wednesday Night Wars era.
However, Vince McMahon didn’t find his character interesting enough and he was released from his contract in April this year.
Triple H who has been on a hiring spree since taking over WWE creative brought him back last week. He has also re-signed stars such as Karrion Kross and Scarlett.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be returning to the company for a couple of Live Event appearances this weekend.
The wrestling veteran announced on Twitter that she will be a part of the live event from Kingston on Saturday and London on Sunday:
“Guess who’s coming to the @WWE Live Events this weekend!! Come see @FightOwensFight, @DomMysterio35 and @AlexaBliss_WWE and yours truly. Welp someone has to come and maintain control…”
WWE has not announced what Trish Stratus will be doing on the show, but it won’t be a surprise if she gets physical during the event.
The former champion made similar appearances during WrestleMania week earlier this year. She had an altercation with Becky Lynch during a house show and also took part in The TKO Show with Kevin Owens.
Trish Stratus had a successful WWE career in early 2000. She won the women’s championship a record 7 times during her run and inspired many girls to pursue a wrestling career.
The Hall of Famer made an in ring return in 2018 during Royal Rumble. She competed in several matches after her return including a tag team match at Evolution. Trish concluded this run with a match against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019.
It ultimately led to the WWE return of Lumis after the main event between AJ Styles and The Miz. Though his appearance was brief and the security took him out very quickly.
The Tortured Artist made his presence felt on Raw once again this week, during the US championship match between AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley.
The Miz and Ciampa showed up at the ringside during this bout. The A-lister found an opportunity to attack Styles as Ciampa distracted the referee, but Dexter foiled this plan.
Dexter Lumis hopped over the barricade near the commentary desk. He stalked Miz before the security once again removed him from the arena.
Lumis was released from his contract in April this year. He is one of the stars Triple H has brought back since taking over the WWE creative.
The company has yet to introduce him as an official part of the roster. It’s possible that we may see him being assigned to Raw officially during the upcoming draft.
WWE noted in a 10-Q Quarterly report that Vince McMahon’s resignation could negatively impact certain aspects of the company.
McMahon resigned from his duties as Chairman and CEO of WWE amid the WWE Board investigating him for alleged sexual misconduct and hush money. WWE stated that the loss of McMahon could have a negative impact on the company.
In the statement, The company wrote, “The resignation of Vincent K. McMahon could adversely affect our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines or could otherwise adversely affect our operating results.”
An excerpt from the statement also notes, “the Company and its Board of Directors announced that a special committee of independent members of our Board of Directors (the “Special Committee”) was formed to investigate alleged misconduct by the Company’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vincent K. McMahon. The Special Committee investigation is substantially complete.”
The Company previously announced that it had determined that certain payments McMahon agreed to make from 2006 through 2022 (including amounts paid and payable in the future totaling $14.6 million) were not appropriately recorded as expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.
WWE identified two additional payments totaling $5.0 million, unrelated to the alleged misconduct by McMahon that led to the investigation. McMahon made in 2007 and 2009 that were not appropriately recorded as expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.
“Together, these unrecorded expenses total $19.6 million (the “Unrecorded Expenses”). All payments underlying the Unrecorded Expenses were or will be paid by Mr. McMahon personally.”
The filing continued, “WWE is revising its previously issued financial statements to record the Unrecorded Expenses in the applicable periods for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, as well as the first quarter of 2021 and 2022. In light of the Unrecorded Expenses and related facts, the Company has concluded that its internal control over financial reporting was not effective as a result of one or more material weaknesses. The Company has also received, and may receive in the future, regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas or demands arising from, related to, or in connection with these matters. Professional costs resulting from the Special Committee’s investigation have been significant and are expected to continue to be significant as the investigation continues and/or if litigation costs relating to these regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas and demands grow.”
WWE is set to hold its second quarter 2022 financials call on August 16. SEScoops will have coverage of that call.
WWE RAW aired live tonight from the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. Dolph Ziggler battled Theory in this week’s main event. Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against AJ Styles. Dakota Kai had her first singles match on the main roster and Riddle returned after three weeks of injury.
WWE RAW Results (8/15)
Asuka & Alexa Bliss def. Doudrop & Nikki A.S.H. to advance to the third round of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament
The Miz & Ciampa def. Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander
Drew McIntyre def. Kevin Owens via DQ
Veer Mahaan def. enhancement talent
Bobby Lashley def. AJ Styles to retain the United States Championship
Dakota Kai def. Dana Brooke
Theory def. Dolph Ziggler
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
The Judgment Day Beat Rey Mysterio Down
The Judgment Day (Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, and Damian Priest) made their way to the ring for a promo. Judgment Day boasted about their attack on The Mysterios and Finn Balor claimed that Rey & Dominik will not be on the show tonight.
Damian Priest said that Edge isn’t here tonight because he is out in Toronto promoting their match next week. Priest vowed to send the Rated-R Superstar back into retirement and for his wife, Beth Phoenix, to have to wheel him around the house. Rey Mystery attacked from behind and knocked Balor & Priest out of the ring.
Rhea and Rey circled each other. Balor went for a sneak attack but Rey broke it up with several chair shots. Mysterio bashed Damian with the steel chair and went for hit Finn but Rhea slid in the way. Ripley ripped the chair away from Rey and Damian capitalized with a knee strike. Rhea set up a chair in the ring and delivered a DDT to Rey Mysterio. Damian unloaded some punches as Finn climbed to the top rope. Finn delivered the Coup de Grace on Mysterio with a steel chair on top of his chest.
Asuka & Alexa Advanced Women’s Tag Team Tournament
Alexa Bliss & Asuka faced Nikki A.S.H. & Doudrop in the first round of the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament. RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was ringside for the match. Belair, Bliss, and Asuka will battle Bayley, IYO SKY, and Dakota Kai at Clash at the Castle. Alexa and Asuka controlled the action early and knocked Nikki & Doudrop out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Doudrop tagged in and The Empress of Tomorrow hit her with a Dropkick. Nikki tagged in and Asuka greeted her with a Clothesline and a Hip Attack in the corner of the ring. Asuka followed it up with a German Suplex and bridged into the cover for a near fall. Tamina and Dana Brooke were shown backstage watching as Doudrop leveled Alexa Bliss with a Crossbody.
Doudrop tagged in and set up for a Powerslam but Asuka bashed her in the face. Doudrop responded with a Michinoku Driver for a close two count. Doudrop went for a Splash but Asuka got out of the way at the last moment. Asuka hit a boot to the face and Bliss tagged in. Alexa hit Double Knees and Asuka tagged back in.
The Empress of Tomorrow applied the Asuka Lock on Doudrop as Alexa kept Nikki from breaking it up. Asuka and Alexa Bliss advanced to the 2nd round of the tournament for the vacant WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. They will battle IYO SKY & Dakota Kai in the next round. Bayley, Kai, and SKY appeared on the entrance ramp and talked some trash before WWE security broke it up.
Dolph Ziggler confronted Theory backstage and said that he earned the MITB contract when he won it, while Theory had to be added to the match. Theory vowed to successfully cash in the contract and keep winning he does so. The two stars then brawled backstage as RAW went to a break.
The Miz and Ciampa battled Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali tonight on RAW. Miz and Ciampa controlled the action early and applauded themselves on the apron as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Ciampa hit a Clothesline and applied a Headlock on Cedric Alexander.
Alexander escaped and tagged in Mustafa Ali. Mustafa hit Miz with a Clothsline for a near fall and knocked Ciampa off the ring apron. Cedric tagged in and Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale. Alexander countered into a Powerslam and went for the cover but Ciampa put Miz’s boot on the ropes. Mustafa tagged in and slammed Miz down to the canvas. Ali went for the 450 Splash but Ciampa slid in with a precision knee strike while Mustafa was in midair. Ciampa followed it up with the Fairy Tale Ending for the pinfall victory.
McIntyre and Owens then had a promo before a singles match. Owens tried to downplay Drew’s success but McIntyre went on an awesome rant about all he’s done to get back to WWE. McIntyre admitted he was “The Chosen One” fifteen years ago, but then he was fired and has worked his ass off to get back to WWE.
The action started out back and forth but Owens took control. KO knocked McInyre to the floor and hit him with a Frog Splash off the ring apron as RAW went to a commercial break. McIntyre battled back and the action went back and forth for several minutes. Drew planted Owens off the middle turnbuckle with White Noise and went for the cover. Owens kicked out and Drew set up for the Claymore.
The Usos interfered and attacked Drew from behind to end the match in a DQ. Owens hit McIntyre with a Stunner after the match. The Usos tried to attack some more but McIntyre hit them with a Claymore. He then warned The Usos that he is coming after Roman Reigns on this week’s SmackDown.
Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to a chorus of boos from the crowd. Rollins referred to himself as a visionary and a revolutionary. Riddle interrupted on the jumbotron but eventually rushed the ring. Riddle planted Rollins with an Exploder Suplex and knocked him to the outside. Seth battled back and cleared off the announce table.
Seth tried to hit Riddle with the Stomp on the announce table but Riddle escaped. Riddle beat Rollins down a bit before Seth retreated through the crowd. Riddle chased him before posing with the WWE Universe to end the segment. Riddle issued a challenge to Rollins but Seth didn’t accept it yet.
Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against AJ Styles to begin the final hour of this week’s RAW. Lashley dominated the action early and beat AJ down in the corner of the ring. Bobby hit a big shoulder tackle before the challenger battled back. AJ caught the champion with a Dropkick before focusing his attack on the champion’s knees. RAW went to a break with both superstars down on the floor outside the ring.
When RAW returned, Lashley launched Ezekiel into the ring post. The Miz and Ciampa showed up on the entrance ramp and started making their way down to the ring. Miz and Ciampa were ringside for the match and Lashley stared at them for a bit. Lashley went for a Suplex but AJ blocked it. Bobby sent Styles out of the ring and the referee started counting. Ciampa hopped up on the ring apron for a distraction as The Miz approached AJ Styles outside the ring. Dexter Lumis hopped over the barricadebut WWE security stopped him as RAW went to a break.
AJ hit the United States Champion with a Crossbody outside the ring when RAW returned from a commercial break. Back in the ring, AJ hit a sliding forearm to the face and then a Clothesline in the corner. Bobby threw AJ to the ring apron but the challenger responded with a kick to the knee. Styles followed it up with a forearm to the face for a near fall.
Bobby connected with a big Powerslam and went for the cover but AJ powered out at two. AJ battled back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Lashley connected with a slam of his own and went for the cover but the challenger kicked out at two and the United States Championship match continued. Lashley lifted AJ up onto his shoulders and bounced his head off the ring post.
Back in the ring, Lashley geared up in the corner for the Spear. AJ countered with a knee to the face and then locked in the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. The champion escaped and went for the Hurt Lock but AJ brilliantly countered into a cover for a near fall. AJ went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Bobby dodged it and leveled Styles with the Spear for the pinfall victory. Bobby Lashley remains the United States Champion.
Dakota Kai def. Dana Brooke In Her Singles Match Debut
Dakota Kai battled 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke in a non-title match. It was Dakota’s first singles match on the main roster. Before the match, Dakota approached Dana backstage and warned her.
In the final hour of the show, Dakota Kai battled Dana Brooke with Bayley and IYO SKY ringside. The champion got in little offense before Kai sent her to the corner. Dakota hit the Kaio Kick for the submission victory. Dakota and IYO will battle Alexa and Asuka next week in the semifinals of the tag team tournament.
Dolph Ziggler battled Theory in the main event on RAW. The two Superstars brawled backstage early on the show. Theory sent Ziggler down to the mat and climbed to the top rope. Dolph hopped to the top turnbuckle and slammed Theory down face-first for a near fall as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Ziggler hit Theory with some elbows to the midsection. Dolph charged but Theory got out of the way and Ziggler crashed into the turnbuckle. Theory connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Dolph powered out at two. Theory launched Dolph into the ring post and paced around as the referee checked on him.
Ziggler hit a couple of Clotheslines and launched Theory to the corner. Dolph planted Theory with a Neckbreaker for a near fall. Theory responded with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Theory went for the Dropkick again but Dolph countered into the Fameasser for another near fall.
Theory and Ziggler traded punches in the middle of the ring. Theory got the better of the exchange and leveled Dolph with a massive Clothesline. The Money in the Bank winner went for A-Town Down but Ziggler escaped. Dolph connected with the Zig Zag and went for the cover but Theory was able to kick out at the last moment. Dolph went for a Superkick but Theory rolled up him up. Theory used the ropes for leverage but the referee caught him. Ziggler rolled up Theory for a near fall as well. Theory then hit the A-Town Down for the pinfall victory. He took a bunch of selfies in the ring to close the show.
Days after pulling a scheduled TV taping, MLW has announced a new event for later this year.
The promotion will return to Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena on Sunday, October 30th, for Fightland, serving as a taping for Fusion. As of this writing, no matches are announced for the event, but MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone, MLW Women’s Champion Taya Valkyrie, Jacob Fatu, Mads Krugger, and Mance Warner will appear.
MLW CEO Court Bauer also mentioned in a response to a fan on Twitter that MLW live specials would be coming.
MLW changed their August 27th Fury Road taping to a house show.
Meajor League Wrestling will hold its next event, Super Series, a TV taping with AAA, on Sunday, September 18th, that will be headlined by Hammerstone defending the MLW World Heavyweight Title against Bandido.
Last year’s Fightland event was held in Philadelphia and was headlined by Hammerstone defeating Fatu for the MLW World Title, which snapped Fatu’s two-year run as champion. It also featured the quarterfinals of the Opera Cup tournament.
Fusion, MLW’s flagship television program, will start to air new episodes with footage from late June’s Battle Riot IV taping.
Finally, it seems like WWE and AEW are both about to start running shows to their fullest ability, putting both their creative talents and wrestler’s in-ring talents to the test.
As WWE enters a new era full of call-ups and returns, and some of AEW’s biggest stars are nearing a return, it seems like we could be entering an exciting boom period for wrestling. Now is the best time for lapsed fans to jump back in because there are so many surprises and great moments just around the corner.
Let’s take a look at what’s currently shaking up the landscape across both WWE and AEW.
Hit Row (B-Fab, Top Dolla & Ashante Thee Adonis)
The SmackDown tag team division has received a major boost with the addition of Hit Row. Even without Swerve, B-Fab, Top Dolla, and Ashante Thee Adonis stand to be an enthralling act on the blue brand. WWE as a whole could use more tag teams, and on the independent scene, ‘The HitMakerz’ were able to showcase their worth.
A group like Hit Row is truly meant for the main stage with all of the glitz and glamour of the WWE working to raise their star power. Top Dolla, B-Fab, and Ashante finally get to show the fans who they truly can be in WWE and how they can reach their full potential without fans feeling like people are playing second fiddle to Swerve.
Hit Row has always proven that they make for entertaining TV and the WWE tag team division currently needs that. The return of Hit Row allows for so many fresh tag team feuds that could come with amazing segments, promos, and possibly even rap battles.
Hit Row vs The Street Profits
Hit Row vs The New Day
Hit Row vs The Usos
Hit Row vs RK-Bro
Hit Row vs The Alpha Academy
Karrion Kross & Scarlett
The return of Karrion Kross and Scarlett on last week’s Smackdown has sent ripples throughout the locker room and the heart of Roman Reigns. Killer Kross’ return brings a new heel and intrigue over to Smackdown. Kross will now be the biggest heel on all of WWE programming right behind Reigns and the Bloodline as a whole.
This return also allows for new heel stars to be built in the division. Instead of mainly focusing on Reigns and the Bloodline, Kross can bring a breath of fresh air when it comes to heel stars. Triple H being the new Head of Creative has clearly marked the beginning of a new era in WWE. With Kross being back this marks that new era, and also shows Triple H’s commitment to black and gold NXT.
Triple H isn’t afraid to make things right with talent released under past management. He’s willing to bring back talent, give them a spot to shine, and fix what went wrong the first time. Killer Kross finally has the chance to redeem himself, and to make the WWE Universe fall and pray.
Dakota Kai & IYO SKY
The additions of Dakota Kai and IYO SKY to the main roster have pumped life into the division. On one night, at SummerSlam, WWE was able to make a statement about the effort and care they are going to put into the women’s division in this new era. The faction CONTROL that features Dakota, SKY, and Bayley has proven that WWE’s women’s division is heading in the right direction.
As one may see, WWE can currently capitalize on AEW’s weakest point, which is its women’s division. The increase in quality under Triple H is fantastic to see. Finally, the women’s tag team scene has been made interesting again through the storytelling device of factions.
The women’s division appears to be in great hands as there are so many fresh matchups available over on Raw.
Asuka vs IYO SKY
Alexa Bliss vs Dakota Kai
Bayley vs Alexa Bliss
Bianca Belair vs Dakota Kai
Alexa Bliss vs IYO SKY
Dexter Lumis
Dexter Lumis made a mysterious return on the most recent episode of Monday Night Raw. At the end of the main event between AJ Styles and The Miz, Lumis was seen wearing a hoodie staring down at AJ while be escorted out of the arena by police.
Lumis’ return brought WWE great views and headlines. With his return getting nearly two million views on YouTube, Lumis clearly is a needle mover for WWE. This fun addition to the roster allows creative to come up with new ideas for his spooky and mysterious lore. Lumis is a character that has that spooky factor, but can also be used for unique spots, such as crashing Raw. Lumis is a very easy horror movie-like character to write and fill in plot holes that comes with great merch-selling potential.
During his time away from WWE, Lumis performed in the NWA under the name Samuel Shaw. He maintained his gimmick and still limited the number of words he said. The only challenge that WWE creative may face is the fact that he doesn’t speak much, if at all. Obviously, that can be worked around, like we saw in NXT, but it will still pose a good and healthy challenge for creative.
Some ways creative can work around Lumis is by utilizing his relationships with Indi Hartwell, Johnny Gargano, Theory, and Candice LeRae if necessary. Lumis seems to have the fans’ attention with his spooky return, but the rest will be up to WWE to keep capitalizing on him.
Top Free Agents (Reported Draft Coming Soon)
Many outlets have begun to report that there are still many returns coming. With top free agents like Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Bray Wyatt not signed to contracts, many believe that they may end up in WWE.
Fans have been speculating for weeks that the Gargano family will pop up on either Raw or SmackDown. As much of this is just speculation, Johnny Gargano has recent added gasoline to the fire by saying that he and Candice are going show up somewhere eventually and then encouraged fans to keep watching.
One of the most interesting names in the free agent pool has been Bray Wyatt. As his release came as a shock to many, Bray Wyatt has remained in the conversation when it comes to possible returns. Bray was always a top merch-seller in WWE, but he has not capitalized on his success much outside of the company. In his time away, Wyatt has only participated in one wrestling event, which was WrestleCon during this year’s WrestleMania weekend.
With it being reported that the draft could be happening shortly after Clash At The Castle, we may see some free agents and possibly NXT stars pop up on the main roster sooner than we think.
Adam Cole
Adam Cole is finally back on screen. While injured, Cole was able to orchestrate one of the biggest face turns in AEW history. Even though Cole is not yet cleared to wrestle, outlets are making it seem like we are nearing his return.
Since his debut, Cole has been positioned as one of the biggest names in AEW. Cole would’ve benefitted immensely from the injuries of Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk if he didn’t get injured himself. It’s more than likely that Cole would’ve been the number one heel in the company.
However, with his return date possibly getting closer and closer, the timing of the breakup of The Undisputed Elite is incredibly interesting. The Trios tournament is set to begin this week, and we still don’t know who The Young Bucks are planning to team with. However, we do know, that by default, they will end up having problems with Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish.
CM Punk
CM Punk’s big return to Dynamite this week has brought life back to the top of the AEW card. Punk being an obvious fan favorite and coming back from his injury has created a buzz around AEW with his return hitting two million views on Youtube.
With Punk’s return, we can look forward to great promo segments coming up in the next few weeks, and of course his face-off with Jon Moxley. This match between Punk and Moxley would be one of the biggest matches in AEW, if not the biggest. This match is also going to be the main event at All Out and will be sure to bring fans through the doors. We can expect a blood bath at All Out once Punk and Moxley step foot into the ring. This will most likely become a lifelong blood feud between the two.
Another wrestler to keep in mind is Eddie Kingston. With Kingston being Moxley’s right-hand man and having a feud with Punk from last year, we can expect Kingston to have a hand in this feud. Punk’s return to AEW has been one of the biggest returns in the history of AEW, making way for the biggest main event in all of AEW history and some other major match ups along the way.
FTR vs BCC
CM Punk vs Bryan Danielson
CM Punk vs Wheeler Yuta
CM Punk vs Claudio Castagnoli
Eddie Kingston vs Dax Harwood
Bryan Danielson
The return of Bryan Danielson has already proven to be a major boost to the AEW men’s division. He has already put over Daniel Garcia in his return match, but Danielson has always been committed to investing in the new generation so this is no surprise.
Younger talent being able to work and train with Danielson is one of the best gifts that AEW could give to up-and-coming talent. Danielson not only has an eye for talent and potential, but he is still functioning at the highest level and is being labeled as the best wrestler in the world by many.
His debut almost a year ago at All Out changed the landscape of professional wrestling. His return could not have come at a better time as he is approaching one year in AEW. Moving forward, Danielson may not hold the top title in AEW, but he sure will continue a career-defining run of matches.
Bryan Danielson vs CM Punk
Bryan Danielson vs Dax Harwood
Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley vs FTR
Bryan Danielson vs Chris Jericho
Bryan Danielson vs Sammy Guevara
Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega has been the longest-awaited return in AEW history. Omega has not stepped foot into the ring since he lost the belt to Hangman Page at Full Gear 2021. Many outlets have reported Omega is nearing his return date. However, we have yet to see his return to the ring.
With Tony Khan announcing the Trios Titles Tournament, this strongly hints at Omega’s return. The trios battling for the belts in the tournament are Death Triangle, Will Ospreay & Aussie Open, Los Ingobernables, House of Black, The Dark Order, Trustbusters, Best Friends, and lastly the Young Bucks, who have failed to find a replacement for Omega. The Young Bucks turned to Hangman Page and offered him a spot in their trio, only to be rejected.
Omega’s return would also bring the feud between himself and Adam Cole back to the center once he makes his return and Cole is cleared to wrestle. Omega also has a long history with the Elite and Undisputed Elite, which would be the first storyline once Omega makes his big return. Omega would make a splash in the AEW World Trios Championship Tournament alongside the Young Bucks. However, we continue to watch the Young Bucks scramble to find their third member.
Last week, WWE hosted their WrestleMania 39 tickets launch event in Los Angeles, in a star-studded event featuring names from WWE and entertainment.
JoJo Siwa, Gabriel Iglesias, and WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg appeared alongside the likes of The Miz, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, and Becky Lynch.
WWE wanted to make a great impression with fans looking to buy tickets for WrestleMania 39 and they’ve certainly succeeded.
WrestleMania 39 Tickets
With a maximum capacity inside SoFi Stadium of over 70,000, WWE has their work cut out filling the venue for both nights of WrestleMania 39.
The “combo” ticket package (WrestleMania Saturday & Sunday) was close to selling out a few days ago. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted last week that over 10,000 combo packages were sold during the pre-sale event, and around 1,000 tickets were sold individually for each night in the pre-sale.
Combo tickets were described as reasonably priced, while individual tickets ran much higher and were described in the Observer as ridiculously priced.
It’s worth noting, only a limited number of sections were made available at the beginning. Additional blocks of tickets will be released as sales ramp up.
Internal Reaction
With WWE moving so many tickets in the first few days since they went on sale, it should come as no surprise that company executives are said to be “ecstatic” with the early ticket sales. Tickets for night two are selling especially well, according to PWInsider. This indicates fans are bracing for a big main event, presumably the long-rumored showdown between The Rock and Roman Reigns.
On last Friday’s SmackDown, Michael Cole noted that this event marked the highest amount of first-day ticket sales for any WrestleMania event.
Clash at the Castle is gearing up to be one of WWE’s biggest events of 2022.
WWE runs premium live events every month, but Clash at the Castle will be the company’s first stadium event from the United Kingdom in 30 years. It all goes down Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
WWE has promised a big card for Clash and so far, we’re on course. Announced matches include:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler
Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky
More matches are sure to be announced in the coming days, but one former WWE Champion has confirmed he will not be there.
AJ Styles Won’t Be There
The Phenomenal didn’t compete at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam. Unfortunately, he won’t be wrestling at Clash of the Castle, either.
Styles broke the news during a recent interview with Inside the Ropes.
“I would love to put on a show,” said Styles. “I don’t know that I have a story or anything, and it’s a shame. There are plenty of other performers that have great stories, so I’m not saddened by the fact that I won’t be there because I know you guys are going to have such a great night with so many great matches.”
Based on Styles comments, it’s a bit unclear as to why he’s miss missing three conjecture premium live events. He’s been competing on television, so it’s not an injury.
Watch AJ Styles’ recent interview with Inside The Ropes, featuring Styles’ thoughts on AEW, Triple H taking over WWE creative and much more:
The upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game will be historic in multiple ways. In addition to being the first console game from All Elite Wrestling, the game’s promotional artwork will be groundbreaking in its own right.
Jade Cargill will make history when she graces the cover of the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game. After dozens of wrestling video games over the past three decades, Cargill will be the first Black woman on the cover of a wrestling video game.
On Monday, the leader of the Baddies shared on Twitter that she’s feeling #blessed over the career milestone.
“Just found out that I’m the first black woman on the cover of a wrestling video game #blessed.”
– Jade Cargill
Along with Jade Cargill, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, Britt Baker and Chris Jericho are also featured. Here is the cover art for AEW Fight Forever, which you can pre-order now from Amazon.
Cargill made her promotional debut in November 2020 when she interrupted Cody Rhodes. This eventually led to her teaming with Shaquille O’Neal for a mixed tag team match against Rhodes and Red Velvet. Originally, the bout was supposed to feature Brandi Rhodes, who was pulled from the match due to her pregnancy.
As the reigning TBS Champion, Cargill remains undefeated.
AEW Fight Forever
All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to present its first-ever video game, AEW: Fight Forever. An official release date has yet to be released, but the game is available for pre-order with a tentative date of December 31, 2022.
It will be released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo® Switch. There will be a career mode and a wide range of customization modes.
Several match types, including Unsanctioned Lights-Out and Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches will be featured.
Ciampa is faring quite well at the start of this new era for WWE.
The former NXT Champion recently transitioned to the Raw brand as part of an unlikely pairing with The Miz. Any fears that he “wouldn’t translate” on the main roster have dissipated.
Since joining Raw, her’s scored wins over Dolph Ziggler, Chad Gable and AJ Styles. He also challenged Bobby Lashley for the United States championship. Although the challenger came up short, the battle against “The Almighty” turned a lot of heads.
With his momentum building, I had a chance of catching up with Ciampa over SummerSlam weekend. Below are some highlights from our discussion.
Ciampa and The Miz
You’ve been aligned with The Miz, which brings a unique dynamic. He is this over-the-top entertainer where you’re this straight-laced tough guy. It somehow works. How has it been working with him?
Ciampa: “I love it. I think it might have been my idea. I don’t remember. I know he was up there on my list of, ‘Hey, if you’re going to do the first program with somebody. Who would that be?’ He was right at the top. I just have a lot of respect for him. I think he is fantastic. He has been in this system for a long time and knows how the system works, as far as headlining WrestleMania, being a main-eventer and winning different titles.
He has faced adversity and overcomes it. I’m excited I get to be part of all the stuff we’re doing on Raw. We have our talks. He is a good dude to be around. He has earned his spot. He is very unselfish as far as giving to new talent. You come from a new world to Raw and SmackDown. He is really good at helping talents navigate through that.”
Ciampa’s Raw Talk Promo
Everyone began really talking about your Raw Talk promo. What were you channeling there?
Ciampa: “The main thing that stood out to me, and it’s going to sound arrogant, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. That’s how I saw it. That I’ve been doing these promos forever. It goes to show the reach of Raw and SmackDown from NXT. I’ve been doing sitting in a chair promos on NXT for five years now. Some of those were really freakin’ good.
I know when something is good. Good is good, bad is bad. You do it on Raw Talk, and all of a sudden, the machine gets behind it and more eyes are on me. That was for me eye-opening. I thought this is great and exactly what I was asking for.
Let’s be honest, when Miz gets attention and Logan Paul gets attention, well, if I’m in that bubble, I’m going to get that attention too. They gave me the opportunity to talk. That’s the best thing you can do for a guy like me. I’m not going to win you over with my backflip. If you give me a microphone and tell me I can go for 60 seconds, I’ll win you over.”
Johnny Gargano’s Future
There is a lot of buzz surrounding Johnny Gargano. Do you think we’ll see him back in a WWE ring down the line?
Ciampa: “You are one hundred percent going to see him in a ring again. I don’t know which ring. I would think it’s tough to say. I don’t know if Candice [LeRae] is interested in wrestling again or not. It’s a lot of decisions to be made with a child at home. He has got to be getting close to wrestling somewhere. The itch has got to be getting there.
We’re almost at a year in now since he has been in the ring. I think at some point he’ll make his way back to WWE. I feel like everyone does at some point. Never say never.”
It was recently reported by Dave Meltzer that WWE may be looking to sign Konosuke Takeshita. However, it seems like Takeshita has his sights set elsewhere.
Takeshita First Excursion
Takeshita just finished up his excursion in America this month. He headed to the UK for some bouts in PROGRESS Wrestling before he returns to Japan to compete for DDT Pro Wrestling.
Takeshita competed against top AEW names such as Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Hangman Page on AEW TV and traveled around the independent scene, wrestling for various promotions.
Konosuke is already looking to return to All Elite Wrestling and he is hoping to be back in the United States in October.
Takeshita To Return To AEW
When speaking with Cultaholic, Konosuke revealed that he is looking to return to All Elite Wrestling.
“To be honest, now I’m not interested in WWE. My next goal is more fights in AEW I hope. So I have to go to back to Japan in August and September. Maybe, not decided yet, I hope I go back to America in October. Then if I stay in the US I can come to the UK more times. From Japan to the UK is so far but US to UK is maybe seven hours. It’s possible,” Takeshita said.
Takeshita competed at PROGRESS Wrestling over the weekend and is set to wrestle at DDT Wrestle Peter Pan on August 20.
Taya Valkyrie of IMPACT Wrestling recently spoke with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston about ideas she pitched to WWE that never ended up happening.
Taya’s WWE Tenure
On February 14, 2021, it was reported that Taya signed a contract with WWE. On February 24, Valkyrie officially began working at the WWE Performance Center.
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver 2021, a vignette aired promoting Taya’s arrival to the brand with her new ring name revealed to be Franky Monet. On the May 25 episode of NXT, she made her in-ring debut by defeating Cora Jade. She would eventually join the Robert Stone Brand. On the September 28 episode of NXT 2.0, Raquel Gonzalez would defeat Franky Monet to retain the title.
On November 4, Franky Monet was released from her WWE contract as part of the seventh round of layoffs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that involved administrative staff, plant, and wrestlers.
The current MLW World Women’s Featherweight Championship said:
“I feel like every kind of creative meeting, everyone like listens to you and stuff. If it comes to fruition is a whole other thing. But that’s just kind of the general. No one was ever like, ‘Oh my god, that idea’s stupid, or anything like that.’ It was never like that. It was always quite positive. But I mean, there’s just so many moving parts and so many people that it could be the creative team thinks, ‘Oh, that’s a really cool idea. But let’s put a twist on it.’ Or, you know, the top doesn’t like it at all, and then it never ends up even being spoken of again, you know. It just- it’s there’s so many moving parts in WWE. So it’s very, sometimes it’s very difficult to get your idea to even you know, get a proper look at.”
Taya’s WWE Pitch That Wasn’t Carried Out
Taya then went on to share one of the ideas that she pitched at the end of her WWE tenure.
The AAA Reinas de Reinas champion said, “Well, towards the end, I was really wanting Taya, ugh, Taya- Frankie to be more serious. And I was really pushing to like, kind of have her be a little bit darker even staying as a heel. But I was, you know, pitching different colors for outfits and different vibes and kind of like kind of someone who loses themselves in the, you know, wanting to be champion or loses themselves as they’re trying to, you know, reach a level of perfection, kind of like the ballerina in Black Swan the movie. So, I was trying to kind of bring this kind of crazy, unhinged version of her through but unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening, but it is what it.”
Taya Explains The Origin Of The Franky Monet Name
Taya clarified that she was the one who picked the heavily criticized name Franky Monet.
The current MLW World Women’s Featherweight Championship and AAA Reinas de Reinas champion said, “Ah, contrary to popular belief, it was actually me that picked that name. And everybody seems to have a massive problem with it. And I’m just like, but I liked it.”
She continued by talking about the process of picking a name in WWE. She explained the lengthy process that she went through to end up with the name Franky Monet.
“Nobody- we- like it’s a long process. They give you lists of ideas, and they want to talk to you about your ideas and stuff. So, there’s a lot of names thrown around. But ultimately, that was the one that won. I like to sound different, be different. I never want to be put in a box or told to you know, don’t want to be called, you know, something that you would expect. So, I definitely went there and yeah, Franky was born.”
Taya’s Upcoming Events
Taya Valkyrie is currently performing in IMPACT Wrestling, AAA, Major League Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, and many others.
On the IMPACT Emergence Countdown show, Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary put their titles on the line against VXT (Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green) in a losing effort.
Taya Valkyrie is set to compete against Kamille at NWA 74 on August 27 for the Women’s World Championship.
AAA also recently announced that Taya Valkyrie vs. Thunder Rosa will be taking place at Triplemania XXX Chapter 3 in Mexico City on October 15.
AEW has been criticized for signing too many former WWE performers, but that trend does not appear to be slowing down.
Ariya Daivari is the latest wrestler to sign a full-time deal with AEW, according to Fightful.
Daivari has been featured on AEW programming over the past several weeks. The former 205 Live star has been throwing his not-so-hard earned money around in AEW. He leads the Trustbusters faction, a group that has been making noise on AEW Dark.
Ariya Daivari in AEW
(AEW)
Since joining AEW, Ariya Daivari has received a fair degree of creative direction. He’s positioned as a “trust fund kid” who has a lot of not-so-hard-earned money to throw around.
The Trustbusters faction includes Daivari, Slim J, fellow WWE castoff Parker Bordeoux and Sonny Kiss is the latest addition.
Aside from his work on-screen, Daivari has also worked as a producer behind-the-scenes for AEW. He recently helped put together the Thunderstorm vs Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter match from AEW Dynamite. The bout got rave reviews, which only helped Daivari’s standings behind the scenes.
In addition to some critics feeling that Tony Khan is signing too many former WWE wrestlers, certain AEW performers have publicly expressed frustration with the company. Last week, company president Tony Khan addressed the chatter that underutilized performers are growing frustrated. You can read his reaction at the link below:
There is a case to be made that AEW should focus on the talent already under contract. However, someone like Ariya Daivari is extremely talented. At 33 years old, he’s in his athletic prime and has a lot to offer the business on and off screen. As noted earlier, he’s starting off on the right foot. Daivari’s character is being developed and a faction is being built around him, so it does appear that AEW has the creative ‘bandwidth’ for him.
We’ll wait and see how Ariya Daivari does in the months ahead.
WWE rolls into Washington, D.C. tonight with a live edition of Monday Night Raw from the Capital One Arena.
We’re on the road to WWE’s next premium live event, Clash at the Castle, which takes place in less than three weeks (Sep. 4).
As of this writing, WWE is advertising three main items for Raw.
Lashley vs. Styles
Bobby Lashley defends the United States Championship against AJ Styles. Lashley has promised to be a fighting champion and he is backing up his words week after week.
Interestingly, this will be the first clash between Lashley and Styles inside a WWE ring. Lashley and Styles are two of WWE’s most talented performers, so we recommend fans go out of their way to watch this match.
Women’s Tag Tournament Continues
Alexa Bliss and Asuka will face Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop in a first round match for the tournament to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The winners of this opening round contest will advance to face Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky next week.
Riddle Returns
Riddle returns to Raw. WWE’s resident ‘Bro’ will provide an update on his status after his altercation with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.
Also Appearing
The Capital One Arena website is also hyping appearances by Bianca Belair, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Kevin Owens, Theory, Alpha Academy, and The Street Profits.
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE Raw Results and Live Discussion. After the show, SEScoops corespondent Steve Fall checks in with his reactions.
This past weekend featured three GCW events. GCW presented Nights 1 and 2 of Homecoming 2022 from The Showboat in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 13 and 14. Jersey Championship Wrestling also held its After Hours 2 event on August 13 from Carousel Room At Showboat Hotel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, NJ.
GCW Homecoming Night 1 can be streamed here on FITE TV for $13.99. GCW Homecoming Night 2 can be streamed here on FITE TV for $13.99. Both of the GCW Homecoming pay-per-views can be purchased in the GCW: Homecoming 2022 Combo on FITE TV for $19.99. JCW After Hours is available to watch for free on YouTube.
Full results and highlights can be seen below:
GCW Homecoming 2022 Part 1 Results (8/13)
Nick Wayne def. Starboy Charlie
Jordan Oliver def. Ninja Mack
Gringo Loco def. Grim Reefer, Jimmy Lloyd, Axton Ray, Joe Lando, Marcus Mathers
Blake Christian def. Tony Deppen
GCW Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) def. Los Macizos (Ciclope & Miedo Extremo) (c)
On August 13, IMPACT Wrestling hosted its latest set of TV tapings titled Second City Slamm from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL. The matches and segments will air in upcoming weeks as episodes of IMPACT TV.
These tapings follow IMPACT’s Emergence event that also took place atCicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on August 12, 2022.
Full spoilers are listed below.
IMPACT Wrestling Second City Slamm Spoilers (8/13)
Before The IMPACT
Giselle Shaw def. Rosemary
Ace Austin & Hikuleo def. Zicky Dice & Johnny Swinger
IMPACT Wrestling TV
“Speedball” Mike Bailey def. Chris Bey
Heath def. Kenny King
Honor No More attack Heath. PCO doubts Eddie Edwards as Heath escapes.
Killer Kelly def. Savannah Evans
IMPACT Title #1 Contendership: Eddie Edwards def. Steve Maclin, Moose, Rich Swann, Bandido, and Sami Callihan
Knockouts Tag Team Championships: VXT (Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo) (c) def. Mia Yim & Jordynne Grace
Karl Anderson def. Mike Bennett
Jessicka Havok def. Alisha
Bhupinder Gujja def. unnamed talent
Curt Hawkins confronted Gujja and offered him a title match. The referee refuses to start the match until he’s bullied into it. Gujja pins Hawkins and leaves with the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, but no title change was announced.
Josh Alexander def. Vincent
Heath attacks Edwards as he confronts Alexander.
Black Taurus def. Trey Miguel, Laredo Kid, Rey Horus
Time Machine (KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. Violent By Design
The two-night NWA 74th Anniversary Show (also simply called NWA 74) is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
This year marks the 74th installment of the NWA’s anniversary show. The show was first produced and presented by the company in 1948.
NWA 74 takes place after their Alwayz Ready pay-per-view.
NWA 74 – Night 1 Match Card
Pre-Show Match: Country Gentlemen vs. Gold Rushhh
Tables Match: Bully Ray vs. Mike Knox
NWA Women’s World Championship: Kamille (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Homicide (c) vs. Kerry Morton
Burke Invitational (Winner Receives NWA Women’s Championship Match On Night 2): Tootie Lynn, KiLynn King, Samantha Starr, Missa Kate, Madi, Angelina Love, Jennacide, Natalia Markova
NWA World Tag Team Championships: Commonwealth Connection (Harry Smith & Doug Williams) (c) vs. La Rebellion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf)
Matt Cardona vs. Handpicked Opponent
EC3 vs. Mims
Luke Hawx vs. VSK
NWA 74 – Night 2 Match Card
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship: Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Tyrus
NWA Women’s World Championship: Kamille (c) vs. Burke Invitational winner
NWA United States Tag Team Championships 10-Team Battle Royale: Gold Rushhh (Jordan Clearwater and Marshe’ Rockett) vs. Miserably Faithful (Sal The Pal and Gaagz The Gymp) vs. The Now (Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus) vs. The Ill Begotten (Alex Taylor & Rush Freeman) vs. The Fixers (Wrecking Ball Legursky and Jay Bradley) vs. The Country Gentlemen (AJ Cazana and Anthony Andrews) vs. Hawx Aerie (Luke Hawx & PJ Hawx) vs. Team Ambition (Mike Outlaw & Camaro Jackson)
NWA Women’s Tag Team Championships – Street Fight: Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy & Kenzie Paige) (c) vs. The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle)
MLW National Openweight Championshp: Davey Richards (c) vs. Thrillbilly Silas
Mercurio vs. Magic Jake Dumas
Thom Latimer vs. Judais
Colby Corino vs. Caprice Coleman
??When is NWA 74?
NWA 74 takes place Saturday and Sunday, August 27th & 28th from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chase’s Khorassan Ballroom. The main card of this live event starts at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.
How to Watch
NWA 74 streams live on FITE TV internationally. The Night 1 & 2 Bundle is available for purchase for $39.99. Night 1 & Night 2 can also be purchased individually at $24.99.
While he appeared as Kim Chee and Abe ‘Knuckleball’ Schwartz, Lombardi is best known as the Brooklyn Brawler, arguably WWE’s most recognizable jobber.
The list of wrestlers who have picked up wins over the Brawler range from icons such as Kurt Angle and Triple H to lesser stars such as Tekno Team 2000.
Real Fights
Lombardi may have spent most of his career staring up at the lights, but is confident in his real fighting skills.
Speaking with Bill Apter in an interview for Sportskeeda Wrestling, Lombardi said that in a real fight, he’d easily dispatch the majority of his opponents.
“Every person I wrestled, every person that beat me, I would say 60 percent of them I could beat the hell out of.”
Steve Lombardi on how he’d fare in a real fight.
Lombardi did not name any of his opponents he is confident he could easily beat if they came to real blows.
Working with McMahon
Hired by the WWE in 1983, Lombardi spent decades working for Vince McMahon, who recently retired from all roles with the company.
McMahon’s retirement comes amid an investigation into the ex-Chairman over allegations of misconduct with female employees.
Addressing McMahon’s retirement, Lombardi said he had nothing but respect for his former boss.
“He made me a rich man. He made me a well-off man. He always did me right.”
Steve Lombardi reacts to Vince McMahon’s retirement.
As the title of his book ‘Controversy Creates Cash’ implies, Eric Bischoff knows all about being controversial in wrestling.
Bischoff was a huge driving force behind the NWO in WCW, and would later make his presence felt in WWE as the Raw General Manager.
In August 2020, Bischoff made his first TNT appearance in two decades by appearing on AEW Dynamite, officiating a debate between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho.
Throwing in the Towel.
Bischoff’s August 2020 appearance for AEW would be the first of a handful from the WWE Hall of Famer.
Over the past year, however, Bischoff has been very critical of AEW and Tony Khan, recently calling the promotion a ‘Mom & Pop Burger Stand‘ compared to WWE.
“I had a little bit of hope with AEW. I had some hope there. I thought, ‘Oh, man,’ I mean, up until probably six months ago, or eight months ago, I kind of threw in the towel because I started seeing the same pattern of whatever over and over again. I’d go, ‘Okay, something different, something different.’ But there’s been nothing different.”
” I kind of threw in the towel because I started seeing the same pattern.”
Eric Bischoff on giving up on AEW.
Bischoff and WWE
Eric Bischoff has thrown in the towel with AEW, but that doesn’t mean fans will see him on Raw or SmackDown anytime soon.
In the same interview, the WWE Hall of Famer addressed a possible WWE return, saying that the company doesn’t need him to come back.
He added that any changes he would look to implement are already being made as part of the post-Vince McMahon era of WWE.
Goldberg has vivid memories of his first year in WWE.
The WWE Hall of Famer and former multi-time world champion spoke about those early days on the latest edition of Talk Is Jericho, where he recalls it being one of the most stressful years of his entire life.
“It was not warm and fuzzy by any stretch of the imagination. No, it was not. The first year that I was at the WWE from what I can remember was one of the most stressful years of my entire life.”
Goldberg had come into WWE following the death of WCW, where he was one of the most popular talents. Despite his success, he felt like he had a target on his back coming in to WWE as he was now in enemy territory.
“Some of the things may have been fabricated in my own mind to lobotomize me but I felt as though I was still the enemy walking in the locker room. You know, everybody going What the hell is this guy doing here? And I’ve always felt like an outsider but never as much as I did then.”
Goldberg would eventually leave WWE in 2004, but made a grand return in 2016, where he was an inducted into the hall of fame. He also captured the WWE Universal championship twice.
A former WWE Superstar once told Vince McMahon to his face, “If you have a three-hour wrestling show and you can’t find five minutes for me to do anything, you’ve failed. You’re a failure.”
Eric Young was used as a top star as the leader of SAnitY in WWE NXT under the leadership of Triple H. However, once called up to the main roster, he was used sparingly. He was eventually let go in 2020.
Young believes that his run would have gone differently, had Triple H been in charge of creative as he is now.
Eric Young Stands up to Vince McMahon
Eric Young spoke about his frustrations in WWE while speaking with Jim Alexander of Reel Talker.
“I went to a meeting with Vince to pitch him some ideas and I told him to his face, if you have a three-hour wrestling show and you can’t find five minutes for me to do anything, you’ve failed. You’re a failure. I’d say that again to his face, because that’s what it is.”
Young then recalled producing as a favor to Triple H. At the time, he wasn’t being used and was being paid to be there, so he was thankful to have something to do.
With Vince McMahon out of power, Eric Young looks back and thinks he would have fared better in WWE if Triple H running creative/talent relations when he was there.
“Things would have been way different for me,” said Young. “I would do anything for him. I’d run through a wall. Help him hide a dead body (laughs), whatever he asked me to do. I respect him that much.”
Eric Young returned to Impact Wrestling in 2020 after leaving WWE. He still wrestles there today and actually held the Impact World Championship from August-October 2020.
The Broken One began by discussing how plugged in The Game is to pro-wrestling in 2022, comparing him to his current boss, AEW President Tony Khan.
“Triple H is much more tuned in to 2022 pro wrestling, much like Tony Khan is. So I think now you have two guys who really have their fingers on the pulse of pro wrestling. So I think that’s going to benefit everyone.”
Hardy does mention how Vince McMahon seemed to have an antiquated view of the industry as he got older, adding that he isn’t trashing the retired former chairman, but Triple H provides a much fresher look for the future.
“it is a positive thing and another huge positive to Triple H running WWE now, Vince, it is what it is, but his views and his mindset about pro wrestling, were a little bit antiquated, and that’s no slant on him, I’m not trash talking him. It’s just because he’s an older guy.”
Furthermore, Hardy calls Triple H taking over WWE creative a game-changer for the industry, one that will benefit talent, who he knows already has a better relationship with Hunter than they did with Vince.
“This deal with Triple H taking over WWE is a game-changer. I mean, on top of that, it also opens up the door for so many people to go back. There are so many more people that have a better relationship with Triple H than Vince, Triple H, I have already spoken to people that are there, Triple H has already been so much more accessible from the people I’ve talked to there with the current experience. So it’s great.”
Triple H’s run as head of creative is only a few weeks old but fans have already noticed improvements over the weekly television product. We will have to wait and see what long-term affects it has on WWE.
Longtime WWE photographer Tom Buchanan says he was shocked and offended at an idea Vince Russo had for a 1998 WWF Magazine cover shoot featuring DeGeneration-X (DX).
DX was at the forefront of the Attitude Era, a chapter in WWE history that was all about pushing the limits, testing boundaries and often times, crossing the line. WWE programming featured antics that were “edgy” to say the least and would no longer be socially acceptable.
According to Buchanan, Vince Russo came up with an idea for DX’s WWF Magazine cover shoot that he refused to carry out. In the end, Russo’s “out there” concept never saw the light of day, but we now know what he intended to do.
If you know anything about the Attitude Era and the type of humor that was popular at the time, you probably won’t be shocked to learn the proposed ‘punchline’ relates to the late WWE Hall of Famer Chyna’s gender identity.
DX, The American Flag & Chyna’s…
Here’s the full story Buchanan posted on Facebook:
“In life there are battles you win, battles you lose, and battles that are negotiated to an uncomfortable settlement.
In the late 1990’s WWF was getting very edgy, and that was especially so in the magazine division under the direction of Vince Russo. We started publishing RAW Magazine in 1996 with the general concept that it would be a “shoot” oriented publication for a mature audience seeking the edge of edginess, and the legacy WWF Magazine would be a “work” publication for a family-type readership.
So I was troubled, really troubled, when Russo said we would celebrate United States Independence Day by putting Degeneration-X (DX) on the cover of the July 1998 WWF Magazine, and then presented his creative vision for the image. In his mind the five members of DX would be positioned behind a big American Flag with Chyna dead center. The American flag would cover their midsections but leave their bare shoulders exposed, and they’d be wearing old style white judicial wigs. At the bottom we’d see their bare legs in goofy slippers. The center of the American Flag would be right bellow Chyna’s belly button, and we’d position a piece of wood poking against it from behind, giving the impression that Chyna was sporting a giant erection while surrounded by naked men.
I found the entire concept offensive, and told Russo straight up that I wouldn’t shoot it, which was an almost unheard of flat-refusal. That turned into an ugly shouting match in the second floor hallway of Titan Tower, and we both had to back off and let the temperature cool for a bit. Within a day or so I had calmed down and could articulate specific concerns about desecration of the American Flag and the grotesque insinuation that Chyna had a penis. Plus, this photo was planned as the cover of a family magazine that lived or died with newsstand sales, which required that big distributors be willing to carry the magazine, and that shopkeepers in the American heartland be willing to display it openly on their magazine racks.
We fought hard. Eventually Russo agreed that we didn’t need to use a current American Flag, and could substitute the Betsy Ross flag. That helped, but he still insisted on the simulated nudity and the erection gimmick. That was a no-go for me, but I agreed to ask freelancer Rich Freeda if he would be willing to shoot the picture.
I checked in with Rich and gave him a no-penalty option of refusal, with a commitment that I’d take the heat. Rich was also uncomfortable, but he was willing to do the shoot as long as I was there to negotiate with Russo and the talent. I quietly worked with our art directors to come up with softer alternatives in case the whole shebang blew up on set, and then we scheduled the shoot backstage at a TV event. My recollection is that none of the talent were bothered by the flag, but Chyna balked at the simulated nudity and the insinuation that she had a penis.
I grabbed Russo, and after talking it over with me and Chyna, and Rich Freeda, he reluctantly agreed that Chyna could be in front of the flag, dead center, looking tough, while the seemingly naked guys were being smug and goofy behind the flag. And that’s the way Rich shot the photo, as I looked on, still not happy with the image, but knowing I had at least softened it from the original plan and brought us to an uncomfortable settlement.”
The Final WWF Magazine Cover
Here is the WWF Magazine cover in question, which was a toned-down version from what Vince Russo originally envisioned:
