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Eddie Kingston Catches COVID-19, Pulls Out Of NJPW STRONG Tapings

Joey Galizia
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Eddie Kingston has unfortunately caught COVID-19.

The Mad King announced his diagnosis on Twitter earlier today, revealing that because of the virus he will be unable to compete at this weekend’s NJPW STRONG tapings. Kingston adds that the situation sucks, and that there is a chance he might miss this week’s AEW Dynamite from Albany, New York.

He writes, “So here we go, got covid won’t be able to make Strong this weekend. It fucking sucks going to test again to see if I can make tv this week.”

https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1568681110720380929

Kingston is coming off a huge victory over top NJPW talent Tomohiro Ishii at the Zero Hour pre-show of ALL OUT. The match was a brutal and hard-hitting contest that Kingston won by using Ishii’s brainbuster finisher, evening their score at 1-1. He was originally set to face Sammy Guevara at ALL OUT, but due to a backstage incident the match was called off, and Kingston served a temporary suspension.

We will keep you updated on Kingston’s condition ahead of next week’s AEW Dynamite.

Watch: Darby Allin Tricycle Backflip at Nitro Circus

Tyriece Simon
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All Elite Wrestling star Darby Allin decided to get extreme as he competed for Nitro Circus.

Allin appeared during Nitro Circus’s tour Nitro Circus: Good Bad and Rad on Sep. 9. The event took place at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn, New York.

His participation at Nitro Circus: Good Bad and Rad shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Both he and AEW has promoted that he would the former TNT Champion has promoted his involvement earlier this week on social media. AEW also shared a special code offer that would’ve given fans that wanted to attend 30 percent off.

Allin has participated in Nitro Circus in the past, as he unsuccessfully attempted to do a backflip down a long ramp while on a tricycle. However, yesterday the AEW star redeemed himself and successfully performed the stunt.

Here is the video from AEW’s Twitter Account.

Darby Allin Out of AEW Grand Slam Tournaments of Champions

Allin was unsuccessful in his recent quest to challenge for the AEW World Championship when he faced Sammy Guevara at AEW Rampage yesterday. The loss happened after multiple distractions from Anna Jay, and Tay Melo led to Guevara defeating Allin.

The loss to Guevara puts Allin in an interesting position in his AEW career. The company’s Aug. 31 men’s contender’s rankings have him ranked fifth.

His loss to Guevara removes him from contending for the AEW World Championship, at least for a little while. Now that he is no longer in the title picture, for the time being, it should be interesting to see what the company has planned for Allin.

Allin and Sting seemingly ended their feud with the House of Black at AEW All Out on Sep. 4. As AEW builds towards AEW Grand Slam, it’s unclear if Allin will be involved at the event. Hopefully, the company will soon give Allin another notable feud.

KENTA 100% Agrees With Bobby Fish For Saying CM Punk Stole His Finisher

Joey Galizia
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Add KENTA to the list of CM Punk’s enemies.

The NJPW star took to Twitter to respond to the recent interview comments made by former AEW talent Bobby Fish, who unleashed his true thoughts on Punk following the disastrous events from last Sunday’s ALL OUT media scrum and the backstage brawl that occurred afterwards. Fish’s full comments can be found here.

At one point in the interview Fish stated that Punk was in the wrong for stealing KENTA’s finishing maneuver, the GTS, and not even having the decency to give him any credit over the years. The former Undisputed Era’s exact quotes were, “Phil, you took a man’s finishing maneuver. Anyone who knows pro-wrestling knows that’s f***ed up. You weren’t even decent enough to change the name.”

KENTA Agrees With Fish

So how did KENTA feel about what Fish said? He tweeted out the quotes on his persona account and writes, “Hey Bobby. You Are 100% right.”

This isn’t the first time KENTA has made his feelings about Punk known. Ahead of Forbidden Door (prior to Punk breaking his foot) he wrote “It looks like the forbidden door won’t open for me But I’m totally fine as long as he pays royalty.”

That’s not all. Sometimes KENTA just goes off on Punk whenever he feels like it.

Sasha Banks Tells Fans “Stay Tuned” For Projects Outside of WWE

Thomas Lowson
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Sasha Banks is one of WWE’s most recognizable stars in recent years, but fans haven’t seen much of her as of late.

Banks and Naomi were suspended in May following their walk-out during Raw, citing creative differences with the planned main event, and long-term plans for both women.

With Vince McMahon’s retirement, it is believed that Banks and Naomi will be back on WWE TV soon, but ‘the Boss’ has plans for outside the company.

Outside the Ring

Sasha Banks is already an established name in WWE, and she’s been looking to make her name in other forms of entertainment.

Banks’ best-known non-WWE role is as Koska Reeves on Disney Plus hit ‘The Mandalorian’ set in the Star Wars universe.

Speaking to Ahch-To Radio, Banks discussed her work outside the ring and teased big plans for the future.

“There is so much that I’m creating right now. It’s all under an umbrella. I’m an actor, writer, producer, and extraordinaire entertainer. All within those realms, I’m doing something. You just have to stay tuned. You have a microphone, that’s something big I want to do. Not podcasting, but music. I don’t know if that’s the number one next thing because acting.”

“You just have to stay tuned.”

Sasha Banks

“There are a lot of things coming up acting right now. I’m really starting to focus my mind around music and the music realm and being kind of a director in that space of creating a musical video piece.”

Banks recently appeared at the premiere for Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and walked the runway for the New York Fashion Week.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Expected Back in WWE Any Week Now

H/T Fightful

Bobby Fish Believes Undisputed Era Were Split Up Prematurely

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Undisputed Era were one of the hottest commodities of the Black and Gold era of NXT. Though many people believe that the group was disbanded prematurely. Bobby Fish admits that the end of the stable when it happened was a mistake.

The former WWE star recently spoke to Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston. Speaking about the break-up of The Undisputed Era, Fish explained that they evolved a little bit too quickly, leading to a premature break up:

“I just think things changed and everything needs to evolve. I think we had evolved quite a bit in a very short time. Maybe we moved a little bit quicker than we needed to as far as the timing of when to pull the trigger on stuff and when not to.

The people that made decisions at this time would probably agree that we split apart premature. I think there was more left for us to do as a unit. I think that was the plan and then it wasn’t the plan and then it was the plan and then it wasn’t.” said Bobby Fish, “Then they just weren’t sure what to do. So we pulled the trigger. You learn from your mistakes.”

Undisputed Era made their debut during NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III in 2017. The four members of the group held all four male titles of the development brand at one point in 2019. They were disbanded in 2021 when Adam Cole attacked Kyle O’Reilly during NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

You can check out Fish’s full interview below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZP9UUVs6fo&t=647s

More Originals From SEScoops:

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

Dolph Ziggler Reveals His Current Goal In Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Dolph Ziggler has been a part of the wrestling world for a long time and he has seen many highs and lows. He has now reached the place where personal accolades do not interest him. The Show off instead is focused on making sure that he leaves the business better than when he started.

The former world champion had an interview with The Wrestling Classic. He was asked what’s left in his bucket list. Ziggler first mentioned how he had the idea to cash in his Money In The Bank contract to get a match with Shawn Michaels back in the day. However, now he is focused on helping younger talents who can pass the knowledge when their time comes:

“When it comes to now 2022 It’s just finding someone like a Theory, who’s quickly picking it up, crushing it, and be able to have some time on the weekend.” said Dolph Ziggler, “Live event matches where we don’t have to go to commercial in 90 seconds. We got 25-30 minutes, and you beat him down and you see what he can do. Then you see if he can pass that on to someone else when you’ve done.

So things like that are much more important. To be leaving the business better than when you started and actually have a meaningful impact on not just young talent, or talent the same age or even talent that are older than me. Being able to know that no matter what the win-loss record is out there. No matter what fans online say. Everyone in that locker room says ‘This is the guy I want leading my platoon, putting the company on his back, putting me over his shoulder, and passing it on to the next generation.'”

You can watch Ziggler’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

The Young Bucks Have Sent WWE ‘Feelers’ to Gauge Interest

Thomas Lowson
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As founding members of AEW, it’s hard to imagine that the Young Bucks would be willing to join any other promotion, especially WWE. On the F4W Message Board, a fan claimed that Matt and Nick Jackson have signed new deals with AEW, but that isn’t the case.

The Wrestling Observer’s Ryan Frederick corrected the fan, saying that their current deals were renewed. “They didn’t sign new deals. Their options were picked up. They did reach out to a talent to send feelers that they would be interested in talking about coming in when their deals are up.”

When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in April 2022, fans speculated on who could be next to join him. Since returning, the three-time AEW TNT Champion has been treated very well, and is expected by many to hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion when he’s back from injury. WWE has also got their eye on certain AEW talent, with reports of reigning AEW TNT Champion Wardlow and MJF being on their radar.

Young Bucks to WWE?

With a budding tag-team division in WWE, including teams like The Usos, the Street Profits, and RK-Bro, there’s no shortage of fans who hope to see the Young Bucks join the company.

Frederick explained that while the Bucks may not have spoken to WWE directly, they did try and gauge what it’s like to work there.

“I can’t say they talked to anyone direct at WWE, but that would fall under tampering and this came at the same time the legal letters were being sent about tampering.

“They talked to other WWE talent about coming in.”

Ryan Fredrick on the Young Bucks joining WWE.

“Can’t confirm they actually talked to WWE people themselves, but they talked to other WWE talent about coming in, which they can do (much like WWE talent can send feelers thru AEW talent, which has happened and happens on both sides often).”

The Bucks are currently serving a suspension for their role in the All Out post-show fight.

Young Bucks Feel Superior to the Attitude Era’s Best Teams

Latest on Talent Meeting Before this week’s AEW Dynamite

Thomas Lowson
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This week’s AEW Dynamite came hot off the heels of All Out 2022, and the explosive media scrum and backstage fight that has overshadowed the Pay Per View.

During the scrum, CM Punk had harsh words for the Elite, Colt Cabana and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and fought with the Elite backstage, in a brawl that included Punk’s trainer Ace Steel.

The Elite have since been suspended from AEW, and there are talks that Punk and Steel could be fired, if not already.

The Meeting

Mere weeks after hosting a talent-wide meeting to discuss reports of conflict in AEW, another meeting was held prior to this week’s Dynamite.

Instead of Tony Khan, this was led by Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.

Fightful reports that talents were complimentary of the meeting, noting that Danielson, Moxley, and Jericho were the right people to lead.

What was said?

Talent were told to “keep their personal issues personal” and solve their problems backstage instead of leaking news.

The issue of stories of problems getting out to the media was also a topic of discussion during the previous meeting in August.

Wrestlers were encouraged to leave AEW All Out 2022 in the past and move on.

One source noted that it was the “best backstage meeting” the talent have had

CM Punk

A large topic of discussion during the meeting was CM Punk, who’s future with AEW is unclear at this time.

The meeting was said to be not “anti-Punk,” and that wrestlers left in a better mood than the day before.

Danielson was commended as a “calming” presence during the meeting, while Jericho has been praised for his professionalism throughout his time in AEW and especially during this recent period.

Moxley was said to be “adored” during the meeting, with wrestlers agreeing with his promo about being “the answer” to AEW’s problems.

CM Punk & The Elite Pulled from AEW Dynamite Intro

“It ain’t over” – Solo Sikoa Warns WWE Star After In-Ring Debut On SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut this past Saturday at WWE Clash at the Castle.

Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre in the main event. Drew had the match won after hitting the Claymore but Solo Sikoa arrived through the crowd.

Solo broke up the cover, allowing The Tribal Chief to hit his third Spear of the match to retain the title. On tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, The Usos and Honorary Uce Sami Zayn officially welcomed Solo Sikoa to The Bloodline.

Drew McIntyre interrupted and marched down to the ring with a steel chair. Solo wouldn’t leave the ring as the rest of The Bloodline scattered. Sami then leaped in front of the chair shot and saved Sikoa. Drew got in some punches on Solo before The Bloodline retreated. McIntyre demanded a match and Solo accepted.

Initially, The Bloodline would not be ringside but Jey got jealous when Solo suggested he would ask Sami Zayn to help him. The Bloodline were all ringside for the match.

Solo Sikoa Warns Drew McIntyre

In the main event of this week’s SmackDown, Solo Sikoa made his in-ring debut on the main roster against the man he screwed out of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre. The Usos and Sami Zayn kept trying to distract McIntyre but Street Profits rushed the ring to make the save.

Once again, it appeared that Drew had the match won when he was attacked from behind. Karrion Kross got McIntyre in the Kross Jacket and choked him out as the blue brand went off the air. Solo took to Twitter to issue a warning to Drew McIntyre that their rivalry is far from over.

It ain’t over. Bring a chair. Bring a sword. I don’t back down from nothing or nobody.

https://twitter.com/WWESoloSikoa/status/1568477506600321024?s=20&t=fUpPZydTx6M8R_A3c741pg

WWE Star Jokes About The CM Punk Media Scrum Comments

Anutosh Bajpai
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The drama that ensued from CM Punk’s media scrum comments has attracted reactions from all over the wrestling world including a WWE star.

WWE announced a fatal five-way #1 contenders match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship for tonight’s show earlier on Friday.

Natalya who was one of the participants of the bout took this opportunity to make a joke about the CM Punk situation. The former women’s champion replied to a tweet about the bout as her assistant.

She noted how she hasn’t sued anyone in this match despite being a locker room leader. She was also eating a muffin while writing the message:

“This is Bob. Ms Neidhart hasn’t sued anyone in this match, and she’s also a locker room leader. For some reason, she was eating a muffin when she dictated this message to me. Bye.”

Latest reports on the matter suggest that CM Punk’s comments about the AEW EVPs during the press conference may have been premeditated. He intentionally tried to bury the company executives during the post-show media scrum.

AEW has brought in an independent firm to investigate the issue. If the claims against the former AEW champion are verified, then it may very well lead to his departure from the promotion.

Bianca Belair Set To Defend Title On WWE RAW

Robert Lentini
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WWE ran an advertisement tonight that announced Bianca Belair will be putting the RAW Women’s Championship on the next Monday night.

Next week’s edition of the red brand takes place in Portland, Oregon. Johnny Gargano will make his return to the ring after nine months. Gargano left WWE nine months ago but returned on the August 22nd episode of RAW.

Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky will also challenge Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. The two teams met in the finals of the tournament but Aliyah rolled up Dakota to capture the titles. Edge will battle Dominik Mysterio in a singles match. Dominik shockingly joined The Judgment Day on last week’s show.

WWE also advertised a RAW Women’s Championship match for Monday’s episode. Bianca Belair will put the title on the line in an Open Challenge next Monday on RAW. You can check out the advertisement for next week’s RAW in the video below.

Bianca Belair & Damage CTRL

The EST is currently involved in a storyline with Bayley after The Role Model returned at SummerSlam. She missed over a year of action with a torn ACL and returned following Bianca’s victory over Becky Lynch. Bayley arrived with Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky and the faction has now been named Damage CTRL.

At Clash at the Castle, Damage CTRL picked up the victory over Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss. Bayley connected with the Rose Plant and Iyo followed it up with a Moonsault. The Role Model then pinned the RAW Women’s Champion to pick up the win for Damage CTRL.

Max Dupri Hints At Gimmick Change Following WWE SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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Max and Maxxiine Dupri’s Maximum Male Models (Mansoor & Mace) teamed up with Los Lotharios to battle Hit Row and Street Profits this week on SmackDown.

Hit Row and Street Profits picked up the victory and Max Dupri gave his faction a pep talk during a WWE Digital Exclusive following the show. Mace and Mansoor were despondent after the loss and Max searched for the words to say.

After a dramatic pause, the 39-year-old changed his tune and appeared to hint at a return to his LA Knight gimmick in NXT.

“Gentlemen, you have to pick those chins up. Lift those chiseled chins, I’ve been here before, unfortunately too many times. In that process, I have learned that you have to go through the day to get to the night”.

Max performed as LA Knight in NXT and captured the Million Dollar Championship from Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. He lost his final match in NXT to Intercontinental Champion Gunther at Stand & Deliver.

He made his debut on the main roster on the May 20th edition of SmackDown as Max Dupri. Maximum Male Models later added Max’s storyline sister, Maxxiine Dupri to the faction. Maxxine Dupri performed as Sofia Cromwell in NXT.

Maximum Male Models debuted while Vince McMahon was still the CEO of WWE. It will be interesting to see what The Game has planned for the group and Max Dupri moving forward. Triple H has already given Riddle and Theory their first names back and brought back several stars that were released under the previous regime.

5 Takeaways From AEW Rampage (9/9): ROH Title Match, Samoa Joe, Tournament of Champions, Miro

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage was taped after Wednesday night’s Dynamite in the Keybank Arena in Buffalo, New York. Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin battled in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions to crown a new AEW Champion.

Rampage Results

  • Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin to advance to the semifinals of the tournament
  • Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne via submission
  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Dax Harwood to retain the ROH Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of AEW Rampage:

Sammy Guevara Will Face Jon Moxley In The Semifinals Of The AEW Championship Tournament Next Week

Sammy Guevara battled Darby Allin tonight in the tournament for the vacant AEW Championship. Tay Melo was ringside for the match. Darby took Sammy down to start off the action and applied a Headlock.

Guevara hit a Superplex but didn’t let go. Sammy went for another Suplex but both wrestlers wound up tumbling out of the ring. Darby went for a Suicide Dive but Tay stood in the way. Allin went for the dive anyway but Sammy countered into a Cutter on the floor as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Darby took control and started bending back Sammy’s fingers like Pete Dunne. Tay hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Sammy caught him with a knee strike. Sammy followed it up with a springboard Cutter for a near fall.

Sammy went for a Coffin Drop but Darby rolled out of the way. Allin climbed to the top rope and Anna Jay provided a distraction this time. Sammy capitalized with a low blow and then Powerbombed him to the mat. Sammy then hit the GTH for the pinfall victory.

ROH TV Championship Match Set For Next Week

ROH TV Champion (ROH doesn’t have a TV show at the moment) Samoa Joe made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Joe said he’s open for business before he was interrupted by Mark Sterling. Mark noted that Tony Nese has more abs than Samoa Joe and claimed that Josh Woods deserves a title shot. Samoa Joe accepted but Mark delated the match until next week’s Rampage.

Opinion: The crowd let out an exhausted boo when Mark Sterling and the funky bunch interrupted. Samoa Joe versus Josh Woods might be great but there’s no momentum at all for the match following this segment.

Miro Wants The Title

Miro cut another ominous promo from a poorly lit room tonight on Rampage. He spoke about God, his wife, and complained about the “lesser” men battling for “his” title in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions.

Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne

Serena Deeb squared off against Madison Rayne tonight on AEW Rampage. Madison controlled the action early but Deeb battled back with a slam. Serena bashed Madison’s knee into the canvas several times before applying a Half Crab for the quick submission victory.

TBS Champion Jade Cargill was interviewed backstage and boasted about defeating Athena at AEW All Out. Jade challenged anyone on the roster and try to defeat her. The TBS Champion is currently 37-0 in AEW.

Claudio Castagnoli Retained The ROH Championship

Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. William Regal accompanied Claudio to the ring. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. The action started out back and forth as Rampage went to a break.

When Rampage returned, Claudio launched Harwood into the ring post and the challenger fell to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Claudio remained in control and locked in an Abdominal Stretch. Harwood countered into an armdrag but the champ shrugged it off and leveled Dax with a lariat for a near fall.

Harwood hit a slam and followed it up with a headbutt off the top rope for a two count. Claudio went for an uppercut but Dax blocked it. Harwood connected with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Claudio was able to kick out and the match continued.

Dax connected with a German Suplex before perching Claudio up on the top turnbuckle. Harwood went for another Suplex but Castagnoli countered into a Crossbody for a near fall. Castagnoli got Harwood in The Swing for several rotations before locking in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.

Harwood tried to crawl to the ropes but Claudio dragged him back to the center. Dax then escaped and locked in a Sharpshooter on the champion in the middle of the ring. Claudio escaped with several forearm shots to the face and got Dax back in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. Claudio Castagnoli is still the ROH Champion. William Regal raised Dax’s hand and Harwood shook hands with Castagnoli to close the show.

Final Thoughts: AEW has a long way to go to get people invested in tuning into Rampage every week again. Tonight was a solid show and hopefully more stars are featured on Friday in addition to the changes moving forward.

What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Rampage? Let us know in the comments section below.

7 Takeaways From WWE SmackDown (9/9): Ronda Rousey Earns Title Shot, Karrion Kross Attacks, Solo Sikoa Debut

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Ronda Rousey, Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville, and Lacey Evans battled in a Fatal 5-Way to determine Liv Morgan’s opponent for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules next month. In addition to the takeaways below, Corey Graves was revealed as Pat McAfee’s replacement as he has joined College Gameday on ESPN full-time.

SmackDown Results

  • Imperium def. Brawling Brutes
  • Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah def. Toxic Attraction
  • Ronda Rousey won the Fatal 5-Way to earn a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules
  • Drew McIntyre def. Solo Sikoa via DQ

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Imperium def. Brawling Brutes In A Great Match

Imperium (IC Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci) battled The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, Ridge Holland) in a 6-man tag team match to begin the show. Imperium controlled the action early and isolated Ridge Holland in the ring.Gunther tagged in and booted Sheamus off the ring apron.

Butch tagged in and got Ludwig in an Armbar but Gunther broke it up with a giant chop. Sheamus and Gunther traded punches outside the ring but Vinci broke it up with a flying knee off the ring apron. The action returned to the ring and Vince whipped Butch into the turnbuckle. Giovanni followed it up with a Clothesline as SmackDown went to a break. The Intercontinental Champion had Pete Dunne in a submission hold when the show returned. Dunne escaped and tagged in the Celtic Warrior.

Sheamus unloaded the 10 Beats of the Bodhran on Ludwig Kaiser’s chest as the crowd erupted. Sheamus hit White Noise on Ludwig as the crowd cheered. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Vinci and then a Powerslam on Ludwig. Ridge tagged in and hit a lariat but Gunther broke up the cover. Gunther and Sheamus traded punches and battled out of the ring. Dunne went for a Blockbuster but Vinci beautifully countered into a Brainbuster. Vinci and Ridge tagged in. Ludwig and Giovanni hit the Imperium Bomb on Ridge Holland for the pinfall victory in a great match.

Solo Sikoa Joined The Bloodline, Drew McIntyre Interrupted

Sami Zayn came down to the ring with The Usos to welcome Solo Sikoa. Zayn played the role as the hype man and high-fived Jimmy Uso. Jey wasn’t interested in a high-five and noted that Roman Reigns is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Jey boasted above Roman beating Drew McIntyre on his own turf at Clash at the Castle. The Usos introduced Solo Sikoa to the group and he made his way to the ring. Solo announced that he was here to stay before Drew McIntyre interrupted.

Drew marched down to the ring with a steel chair and everyone retreated besides Sikoa. Sami jumped in front of a chair shot before the Bloodline retreated. McIntyre shouted that he wanted a match against Solo tonight as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Later on SmackDown, Sami informed Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t have to go into the battle against McIntyre alone. Jey shouted “he know” and Sami hilariously responded with “I know he know”. It was decided that all of The Bloodline will be ringside for the match later tonight.

Opinion: Sami Zayn has always been great but he has become one of the most consistently entertaining performers WWE has to offer. He’s fantastic in the ring and his comedic timing during these segments is impeccable.

Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah Picked Up A Win

The Women’s Tag Team Champions battled Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin, Jayce Jayne) tonight in a tag team match. Toxic Attraction got in some offense early but the champs wound up winning with ease. Raquel planted Jacy with a Tejana Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory.

Ronda Rousey Will Battle Liv Morgan At WWE Extreme Rules

Ronda Rousey, Sonya Deville, Lacey Evans, Natalya, and Xia Li competed in a Fatal 5-Way match that couldn’t wait to be over. Xia, Lacey, and Natalya will eliminated in rapid fashion as SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan watched from the crowd. Ronda and Sonya were the final two in the match.

Rousey went for Piper’s Pit but Sonya blocked it. The action spilled out of the ring and Rousey slammed Sonya into the barricade. Back in the ring, Ronda hit Piper’s Pit and applied an Ankle Lock for the submission victory. Ronda Rousey will face Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Championship once again at Extreme Rules.

Ronda then had a conversation with Shayna Baszler backstage and told her to catch up with her when she’s ready to break bones again.

Hit Row & Street Profits Picked Up A Win

Hit Row & Street Profits battled Los Lotharios & Maximum Male Models tonight on SmackDown in an 8-man tag team match. Humberto caught Montez Ford with an Enziguri and knocked him out of the ring. Angelo Dawkins leaped onto everyone. Top Dolla was about to the same when Maxxine Dupri got in the way. B-Fab dragged her down and then Max Dupri got knocked down. Top Dolla lifted Mansoor in the air and Ashante The Adonis hit a Dropkick for the pinfall victory.

Braun Strowman Destroyed The Alpha Academy

The Monster of all Monsters Braun Strowman interrupted Alpha Academy tonight on SmackDown as they cut a heel promo on the crowd. Braun returned on RAW and decimated four tag teams. Braun beat Otis down in the corner and then turned his attention to Gable. Braun hit him with a Powerbomb and then delivered one to Otis as well.

Karrion Kross Attacked Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre faced Solo Sikoa in the main event. Drew dominated the match early and sent Solo out of the ring as SmackDown went to the final break of the night. When SmackDown returned, Sami caught Drew with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Solo capitalized with a Uranage and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two.

McIntyre knocked The Usos off the apron and then dragged Sami by the hair. McIntyre launched Sami across the ring and set up for a Claymore. Drew went for the Claymore but Solo caught him with a Superkick for a near fall. Street Profits rushed down the ring to help and brawled with The Usos. Montez climbed to the top rope and hit the Frog Splash from the heavens onto everyone.

Drew hit a Claymore but Solo fell out of the ring. Karrion Kross (and his black & white filter) showed up and he choked out McIntyre with the Kross Jacket to close the show.

Final Thoughts: Solo Sikoa impressed in his debut and this was a good way to get out of handing him a pinfall or submission loss in his debut. Overall, SmackDown was a decent show this week. The Fatal 5-Way was disappointing but the 6-man tag to begin the night stole the show.

What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Walk the Runway at New York Fashion Week

Anutosh Bajpai
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Sasha Banks and Naomi have not made their rumored return yet but they’re keeping their tag team intact and making appearances everywhere they can.

The latest sighting of the former women’s tag champions came at the New York Fashion Week. Both the wrestling stars walked the ramp as models:

Both Sasha Banks and Naomi have been absent from the wrestling world since their infamous walkout from Raw back in May.

The duo were considered to be done with the company, and they had even gotten their releases, until the WWE regime changed.

After Triple H took over the creative control of the company, it was reported that the former tag champs were open to a WWE return.

Later reports claimed that the two parties had agreed on a new deal and Banks’ and Naomi’s return was only a matter of time.

WWE announced the tournament to crown the new Women’s Tag Team champions in the midst of all this. The tournament was won by Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez.

It was believed that both Sasha Banks and Naomi will return to TV shortly after this tournament concludes since they never officially lost the titles. However, they haven’t made their return so far.

MJF Reacts To The Bloodline Segment On Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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The Bloodline welcomed a new member tonight on SmackDown.

Solo Sikoa made his presence felt at Clash at the Castle in the main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. The Usos’ younger brother interfered in the match and it allowed Reigns to connected with his third Spear of the night to win the match.

Honorary Uce Sami Zayn and The Usos welcomed Solo to The Bloodline tonight on SmackDown. Roman Reigns was not with them during the segment. Sikoa announced that he was here to say but Drew McIntyre interrupted.

Drew marched to the ring with a steel chair but Sikoa remained in the ring as the rest of The Bloodline retreated. Sami then jumped in front of the chair shot but McIntyre was able to beat down Solo a bit. The Bloodline retreated as Drew demanded a match against Solo tonight.

MJF Reacts To The Bloodline Segment on WWE SmackDown

MJF returned to All Elite Wrestling this past Sunday at All Out. He confronted then-AEW Champion CM Punk to close the show. CM Punk then went on an absurd rant during his appearance at the media scrum following the PPV, which led to a physical confrontation with then-Trios Champions The Elite (Young Bucks & Kenny Omega). The fight after the media scrum (AEW Brawl Out) has led to CM Punk and The Elite being stripped of their titles and numerous suspensions.

On Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite, MJF referred Cody Rhodes and Triple H during his promo. He claimed that he views the AEW Championship as a bargaining chip for the bidding war of 2024. Maxwell was tuning into tonight’s edition of SmackDown and reacted to The Bloodline’s segment with a “we the ones” emoji.

“I’m Not High” – Former WWE Champion Pitches New Nickname For Sami Zayn

Robert Lentini
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Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has suggested a new nickname for Sami Zayn based on being an Honorary Uce in The Bloodline and his friendship with Kevin Owens.

Sami has spent months trying to become an official member of The Bloodline faction with Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman. He recently had some conversations backstage with The Tribal Chief and it appeared that Sami was on his way to joining the group.

Kevin Owens battled Jey Uso on the August 29th episode of RAW. During the match, The Usos wanted Zayn to strike Owens with a chair but he refused. This led to Jimmy getting frustrated with Sami and taking his eye off of Owens. Kevin capitalized with a Stunner for the pinfall victory.

Earlier today, Kofi took to Twitter to suggest a new name for Sami that may allow The Role Model to stay loyal to both parties.

Man… i might be late on this but…I just realized that Sami been trying to get in with the Samoans…but there’s questions on wether he’s still boys with Kevin Owens… you think he can stay loyal to both parties by changing his name to ‘Sam Owens’ ? (I’m not high)

Sami has already hopped in front of a few Claymore kicks from Drew McIntyre in an effort to show his loyalty to Roman Reigns. It will be interesting to see how much more The Locker Room Leader is willing to take before he inevitably has a falling out with The Bloodline. The Usos’ younger brother, Solo Sikoa, joined The Bloodline at Clash at the Castle this past weekend and helped Roman retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Drew McIntyre.

AEW Grand Slam Tournament of Champions Betting Odds

Andrew Ravens
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AEW will crown a new World Heavyweight Champion on the September 21st edition of Dynamite: Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

Punk became the World Champion when beating Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out, but was stripped of the title following a backstage fight involving Punk, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Ace Steel.

Tony Khan confirmed during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite that Punk has been stripped of the AEW World Heavyweight Title and a Gran Slam Tournament of Champions began on this same show. 

In first-round matches Bryan Danielson beat Hangman Page and is slated to take on Chris Jericho in a second-round matchup next week as Jericho received a first-round bye. Jon Moxley will face Sammy Guevara next as well, after the Spanish God bested Darby Allin on Rampage.

AEW World Championship Tournament Winner

bryan danielson 10 21 21

Fans who actually bet on wrestling have selected Bryan Danielson as their favorite to walk away with the AEW World Championship on September 21st.

Here are the current betting odds for the four remaining participants in the tournament, courtesy of BetOnline.ag:

  • Bryan Danielson: -130.
  • Chris Jericho: +150
  • Jon Moxley: +450
  • Sammy Guevara: +650

BetOnline is also gauging whether or not fans think Maxwell Jacob Friedman will hold the AEW World Championship before the end of 2022. As of this writing, things are looking good for MJF.

  • Yes: -300
  • No: +200

AEW on Track for Record-Setting Year – PPV Gate Milestone

Thomas Lowson
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AEW may have more than its fair share of problems at the moment, but money certainly isn’t one of them. 

Since launching in 2019, the promotion has won fans over with its alternative style to WWE, and Tony Khan’s promotion is paying dividends. 

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that AEW is on track to gross over $100 million this calendar year, the first company in two decades to do so, not named WWE. 

While it’s an impressive figure, it is dwarfed by WWE, which is projected to gross $1.1 billion. 

All Out

Speaking at the now-infamous All Out post-show media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan spoke about the show’s buy rate, which he believes will be affected by WWE. 

The opposition produced not one but two shows to run the same weekend as All Out, WWE Clash at the Castle, and NXT Worlds Collide. 

Khan considers the actions by WWE a ‘predatory’ move by running multiple events in competition during Labor Day weekend.

Regardless of WWE’s ‘interference’ All Out has proven to be a financial success. 

All Out drew a gate of just over $1 million from the 9,100 fans in attendance (8,800 paid.)

The show marks the third consecutive AEW Pay Per View to surpass $1 million.

Dynamite

Tony Khan isn’t just pleased with the numbers for All Out, but has been impressed by the figures for this week’s Dynamite. 

In a tweet, Khan noted that this week’s show surpassed one million viewers, the third week in a row Dynamite has done so well, and the first time since October 2021 that this streak has been reached. 

This week’s Dynamite had a lot of intrigue ahead of going live, as fans tuned in to see what Khan would do regarding the post-All Out comments by CM Punk and the fight backstage which saw Punk and Ace Steel fight the Elite. 

This week’s DYnamite marked the 15th Wednesday in a row that the show has been in cable’s top two shows in the 18-49 demographic. 

“They Don’t All Need To Be Friends” – Tony Khan Addresses Backstage Drama In AEW Ahead of All Out

Backstage Update on Roman Reigns’ Next Title Challenger

Andrew Ravens
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WWE will be waiting again to see Roman Reigns back in action as Reigns is next scheduled to defend his WWE Universal Title at Crown Jewel on November 5. 

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that The Tribal Chief will not be wrestling at WWE’s next premium live event, Extreme Rules, on October 8th. 

Meltzer was told the next challenger was neither Seth Rollins nor Kevin Owens, even though both matches have been teased in recent times. With both stars mentioned above being ruled out as Reigns’ opponent at the Saudi Arabia show, it would favor Karrion Kross or Drew McIntyre being the next challenger. 

This is unless WWE decides to bring back a big name such as Brock Lesnar or Goldberg, two opponents who have wrestled Reigns in the past. Lesnar’s most recent match was against Reigns at SummerSlam. 

Reigns most recently worked a match when he successfully defended the title against McIntyre in the main event of last weekend’s Clash At The Castle pay-per-view. 

Roman is currently in the middle of a record-setting run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, as his reign is up to 740 days and counting.

More On Issues Between Thunder Rosa And The Women’s Locker Room

Anutosh Bajpai
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Thunder Rosa announced her injury on August 24 episode of Dynamite and confirmed that she will be taking time off.

This was just a couple weeks before she was supposed to face Toni Storm for the title at the PPV event and it appears that the timing of the announcement got her some heat.

Dave Meltzer provided the latest update on the situation in Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He reiterated that Rosa’s injury is legit. She stopped wrestling in fear that she may require surgery if she continued.

However, the Women’s Champion informed people of the damage only hours after she was told that she would be dropping the title to Storm at the PPV.

This peculiar timing created a lot of conjecture about the situation, with some comparing it to Shawn Michaels in the 90s.

The women’s division already had divisive issues about Thunder Rosa before the announcement. It has only been fuelled further because Rosa didn’t drop the title in the ring before taking the time off.

Talents like Storm and Britt Baker have publicly taken shots at Rosa insinuating that the injury isn’t really that serious. She took the time off to avoid dropping the title at All Out.

There is no word yet on how long Thunder Rosa will stay out of action and it would be interesting to see if she drops the title when she comes back.

MJF Was Google’s Most-Searched Wrestler This Past Weekend

Jon Fuentes
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MJF was all the rage this week upon his return to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) this past weekend.

For those who missed it, MJF returned at the All Out pay-per-view (PPV) this past weekend, winning the Casino Ladder match as a masked mystery Joker opponent in the contest. He now has a guaranteed shot at the AEW World Title in the future.

Later in the show, CM Punk defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Title. After the match, the lights went out and a voicemail from Tony Khan was playing, pleading with someone to return to AEW and offering them a lot of money to do so.

MJF then made his way out, standing on stage and starring down Punk, motioning for the title around his waist.

According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Google Trends shows that MJF was actually the highest-searched wrestler over the weekend.

MJF
(via AEW)

That’s certainly quite the accomplishment, as he out-scored WWE’s Roman Reigns after the Clash At The Castle event, which was a massive show for the promotion. MJF out-scored Reigns on Saturday as well as Punk on Sunday.

Of course, after the drama that occurred after All Out, Punk then out-scored MJF on Monday and Tuesday.

In fact, Punk’s interest did over 70% more than what his title win generated after the stories broke about his backstage altercation with The Elite.

Triple H Scraps Two Longstanding Vince McMahon Edicts

Jon Fuentes
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Triple H has scrapped two longstanding Vince McMahon edicts.

It’s “The Game’s” show now, and he’s certainly making his presence felt. Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Triple H first has done away with the notion that, in a tag team match, the illegal man can only attack a legal competitor in the ring when the referee is done.

The long running Vince McMahon rule stated that WWE producers have been told for years that an illegal competitor can’t successfully attack a legal competitor in a match without it being a DQ.

You can get away with doing the five-second double team spot, however, if it’s a straight up attack on the legal competitor from the illegal one, the referee had to be down. That is no longer the case.

The second rule “The Game” has done away with has been banned by McMahon for years, but was a staple in major matches during the Attitude Era.

Triple H
(BT Sport)

There was a pin spot where the babyface of the match would look like they had the match won, but someone would pull the referee out of the ring from outside to kill the count.

Vince McMahon reportedly banned the spot because “it makes no sense.” However, as Dave Meltzer points out, nothing in pro wrestling makes sense.

The spot is no longer banned and was returned with Solo Sikoa debuting at Clash At The Castle by assisting Roman Reigns in defeating Drew McIntyre.

Johnny Gargano Reveals Promo That Inspired His Wrestling Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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Johnny Gargano was living a peaceful life at home and contemplating the idea of never returning to wrestling at all. This was until he heard a song.

The former NXT champion appeared on After The Bell podcast. Among other things, he discussed his time away from wrestling and how he was enjoying his stint as a stay-at-home dad. When Vic Joseph asked Gargano if he considered just calling it a career at the time, Gargano noted that he was considering the possibility, until he heard the song Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush:

“This is when I knew what I wanted to do. I was watching Stranger Things and the song came on. The first thing that popped into my head was ‘Wait a minute, that’s Shawn vs. The Undertaker song from WrestleMania.’ That’s where my mind went. I was like, ‘I remember that.’ That’s right and I watched a hype video for Shawn and Taker from Mania.”

‘It Just Hit Me’: Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano recalled watching the video on his kitchen table. It reminded him of what he originally got into wrestling for:

“I sat there in the kitchen. Candice was right there. She can tell you this. I sat there in the kitchen. I watched this hype video. She’s doing baby stuff. It just hit me watching this video. I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I want this. This is where I want to be and this is what I want to do. This is why I got into this. To have videos like this about me but also to have these WrestleMania stories and matches, and I haven’t had that yet. “

You can watch the promo that inspired Johnny Gargano’s return below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

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

CM Punk’s All Out Media Scrum Rant Was Premeditated

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk shook the foundations of All Elite Wrestling and gave Tony Khan his biggest challenge yet as the leader of a wrestling promotion with his All Out media scrum rant. Latest reports have now come out that suggest the move might have been premeditated as opposed to what was previously believed.

Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that when Punk originally made his return two weeks ago, he had claimed that the All Out press conference would be interesting.

A report from Wade Keller supports these claims as well. Before the Newsletter came out, Keller reported on Todd Martin’s The Fix audio show onPWTorch VIP that Punk had spoken to Tony Khan ahead of the scrum. The former world champion had apparently told the AEW president that he would be firing some shots at the press conference:

“I was told that Tony knew something was coming from punk, and he had some idea he had something he wanted to bring up.. so, watching Punk, he had the agenda,”

Several fans had noted after the PPV media scrum that the Straight Edge Star went on a rant for no reason and he kept bringing up the EVPs every now and then during the whole segment. These claims if true, changes the whole narrative of what transpired after the show.

The comments being preplanned would mean that CM Punk intentionally tried to bury the AEW EVPs. The promotion has hired an independent firm to investigate the whole issue. If the claims against Punk are verified, then it could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for his AEW run.

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