Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about the possibility of wrestling for AEW.
Del Rio is open to the idea, and says he deserves to be wrestling on a big stage.
“I would be interested in going to AEW, or any major company… I deserve to be in a major companY.”
– Alberto Del Rio
He continued, “Once it has been proven that I was always telling the truth about those things, I know, I don’t think…. I know I deserve to be out there to continue entertaining and to rebuild my legacy in the business that I love I would love to be in working for any major company.”
Alberto Del Rio talks AEW
Del Rio said he hasn’t been in touch with anybody from AEW, but has good friends who work there and would welcome the opportunity to be considered All Elite.
“They (AEW)….. I haven’t talked to any anyone in that company. I have talked to people in from other companies, but not from from AEW.”
“I have really good friends over there like Phil… CM Punk and he is one of my friends in the business and Chris Jericho he was always nice to me and we always had a good relationship while we were workin for WWE. I know all the others and we always got along with Daniel Bryan, Jack Swagger and many others from the indy circuit.”
Watch Steve Fall’s full conversation with Alberto Del Rio:
Big E may be out of action but the grind doesn’t stop for the former WWE Champion.
E has been on the shelf since March due to a serious neck injury suffered on an episode of SmackDown. The New Day member landed right on his head and neck off a belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland outside the ring.
He suffered a broken neck but was able to avoid disaster as he didn’t suffer spinal damage or displacement. As of now, he does not need surgery.
With that said, Big E’s C1 vertebra is not ossifying, so he will have to check in with doctors one year after the injury to see the status of his neck and what his in-ring future holds.
Big E’s Sobering Experience
During an interview with ESPN, Big E admitted that being told by doctors that he could’ve died with the kind of fall he had was quite the eye-opener.
“It’s very sobering to hear that,” the 36-year-old said. “… I think to be great at something like [pro wrestling], or at least to be competent, you can’t spend all your time worrying about possibly fatal injuries or breaking your neck. You have to go out there and be free and in the moment. I think a lot of us as performers don’t spend a lot of time thinking about that stuff. I never thought I would be.”
Working With Tomorrow’s Stars
Later this month, Big E will be working with WWE in its search for the stars of the future at a talent tryout featuring college athletes.
Big E discussed wishing there was more that could be done for athletes at the collegiate level.
“I wish there was an exit program for college athletes, because you spend so much of your time on campus studying for your sport or participating for your sport or practicing for your sport,” Big E said.
“You devote so much of your life to it, and then when it’s gone, it is such a distinct drop-off. It’s so hard to prepare for that. That was something that was really hard for me mentally too.”
One former WWE referee has reflected on a big “no-no” for officials.
Being a referee in the wrestling business can be a thankless job. Officials can often make or break a match.
You’re more likely to be chastised for a botch than praised for a job well done as a referee. There are exceptions such as NJPW’s Red Shoes Unno and AEW’s Aubrey Edwards.
Who could forget former WWE legend Earl Hebner?
Officials also have to follow some strict rules if they work under the WWE banner.
No Visible Tattoos for WWE Refs
During a new edition of his Monday Mailbag podcast, former WWE referee Mike Chioda revealed an important rule all WWE officials had to follow.
“That’s a no-no. Can’t be wearing sleeves, can’t have tats on the arms. I have one on my arm up here, but my sleeve always covered it.”
Chioda went on to recall the time Vince McMahon asked him to drop some weight for presentation purposes.
“I remember him telling me, ‘drop a few pounds’ and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘I’m working on it, sir!,’
“I mean, they’re working out more than they’re learning how to referee down there,” Chioda jokes. “These kids come in good shape nowadays, man. Vince has got on me about certain things and it’s exactly how he says it: ‘Hey, pal!’”
An NXT Star has not only undergone a name change but an entirely new look as well.
The NXT brand allows WWE to experiment with different character ideas to see what works and what doesn’t. It is very much a developmental brand these days rather than its own competing show with big names from the indies and internationally.
NXT now has mostly green talent with some veterans sprinkled in to help guide the stars of tomorrow. It’s the newer talent that is typically given fresh gimmicks and names.
That’s exactly what has happened with Axiom, formerly known as “A-Kid.”
Axiom Character is Quite The Change
Earlier this month, WWE revealed a name change for A-Kid. He’ll now be referred to as Axiom but not much else was known about his appearance.
The attire was partially revealed on the July 12 episode of NXT and it’s a doozy. Axiom will be rocking a mask it seems for his matches.
During the latest vignette, it was announced that the fresh character will be debuting on the July 19 episode of NXT 2.0.
Axiom had competed on the NXT UK brand before making the move to the United States to be a part of NXT 2.0.
There have been rumblings over the last few weeks of an AEW tag team no longer being on the same page.
The talks simply started as speculation, rather than a report. Fans took notice of Santana and Ortiz not really being together for their feud with the Jericho Appreciation Society.
While the duo had been involved in multi-man tag team matches, they weren’t really seen together, which got people talking.
As they say, where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Konnan Claims Tension is Real
(via IMPACT Wrestling)
Konnan has taken to his Keepin’ it 100 podcast and he confirmed that there are indeed issues between Santana and Ortiz.
“Yes, they are not on good terms.”
Konnan on Santana & Ortiz
Konnan is close with both men, so he certainly has credibility when it comes to the topic at hand.
It’s quite the turn of events as many felt Santana & Ortiz had the potential to eventually win the AEW World Tag Team Titles after the Inner Circle disbanded.
Santana is expected to be out of action for quite some time as he suffered a knee injury during the recent Blood & Guts match.
On top of that, Santana’s AEW contract is reportedly going to be up soon.
While it isn’t confirmed, some have speculated that he has been teasing leaving the promotion once his deal expires.
In 2019, Chris Jericho was one of the very first names to join All Elite Wrestling, a decision that has certainly paid off for the veteran wrestler.
That same year, Jericho became the very first AEW World Champion and has been a mainstay of the company’s programming over the past three years.
Jericho is one of the biggest names to ever compete for Tony Khan but it could be time he returns back to where he once worked.
Jericho’s Return?
Jericho may be a huge name in AEW, but it may be time for him to return to WWE.
On Twitter, an article was shared dictating five reasons why the former World Champion will one day come back to WWE, now run by Stephanie McMahon.
Jericho didn’t say anything about the content but did retweet the article, seemingly teasing a comeback.
Jericho in WWE
Jericho and WWE first began speaking in 1995, years before Y2J would actually join the promotion.
That year, there was talk about bringing Jericho in, but he turned down the idea, fearing he would be cast as ‘The Goon,’ a heel ice-hockey player that Jericho felt was a reference to his father Ted Irvine.
Joining in 1999, Jericho would go on to become a nine-time Intercontinental Champion, a record that stands to this day.
He is also the first Undisputed Champion, having defeated The Rock and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin at Vengeance 2001 to unify the WWF and World Championships.
During last week’s Great American Bash special of WWE NXT 2.0, a QR code appeared on the screen and was scanned by fans.
The code sent fans to a web page, containing the sequence 8:10:11, leaving fans to try and figure out what these numbers mean.
Now, a new code has been shared by WWE, giving fans more clues as to what the paint-splattered brand is working towards.
The New Code
On last night’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0, a new QR code was shared on-screen immediately after Solo Sikoa dumped Mr. Robert Stone into a huge trash can.
Fans were quick to scan the code which brought them to a grid of words similar to the popular game ‘Wordle.’
The guesses made are Quinn, Becky, Crews, Trick, Brock, and Toxic, which all relate to current WWE programming.
Fans immediately connected the guesses to Xyon Quinn, Becky Lynch, Apollo Crews, Trick Williams, Brock Lesnar and Toxic Attraction, the stable led by NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose.
— Gritty Urban Saga (@GrittyUrbanSaga) July 13, 2022
Deciphering the Code
Per the rules of Wordle, we know that the answer contains the letter O, and that the last letter in the five-letter sequence is C.
If the Wordle connection is completely accurate, it means that whatever the answer is, does not contain the letters Q, U, I, N, B, E, K, Y, R, W, S, T, I, and X.
That leaves the letters A, C, D, F, G, H, J, L, M, O, P, V and Z.
WWE has given no indication as to when the answer to this latest code will be revealed in full.
The July 12 episode of NXT didn’t end on a happy note. The main event featured an NXT Women’s Championship match between titleholder Mandy Rose and Roxanne Perez.
Perez was accompanied to the ring by Cora Jade. Perez thought she could trust her good friend and tag team partner.
After all, they currently hold the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Jealousy eventually won out, however.
Cora Jade Turns on Roxanne Perez
With the referee distracted during the title match, Jade took her tag title and nailed Perez in the injured ribs. Mandy Rose capitalized and pinned Perez to successfully retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
Perez had been selling the injured ribs as she was attacked in the infamous NXT parking lot earlier in the night.
It had been reported that WWE was planning on turning Cora Jade heel ahead of the recent NXT episode.
The news came as a surprise to many as Jade comes across as a natural babyface. Time will tell if she can find her groove as a rotten apple.
After the match, Cora attacked Perez with her skateboard and even broke it in half.
The July 12, 2022 episode of WWE NXT 2.0 aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Tony D’Angelo and Channing Lorenzo defeated Malik Blade and Edris Enofe
Giovanni Vinci def. Apollo Crews
Tatum Paxley (w/Ivy Nile) def. Kayden Carter (w/Katana Chance).
Sanga def. Duke Hudson.
Solo Sikoa vs. Von Wagner goes to a double countout.
Indi Hartwell def. Lash Legend.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose def. Roxanne Perez
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Cameron Grimes Speaks
Bron Breakker successfully retained the WWE NXT Title against Cameron Grimes last week in the main event of Great American Bash. Post-match, Breakker was attacked by JD McDonagh.
Grimes came out for a promo where he talked about how he learned from last week and doing the right thing can still not be enough. He said losing the North American Title was just life and losing to Breakker was just life. He said he is destined to be a loser and crashed into the sun.
Out came JD McDonagh who talked about how after Grimes lost to Breakker, Cameron became old news. He said he was the latest news. Grimes called him an a**hole. They started to brawl before JD ducked out of the ring.
Last week, Perez and Cora Jade defeated Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for the Women’s Tag Titles. Following the bout, Perez announced that she would be cashing in the title shot that guaranteed her of winning the Breakout Tournament.
At the start of the show, Perez was attacked in the parking lot. Later in the night, Rose came out for the match and cut a promo about Perez isn’t women enough to step up and challenge her tonight. She said she runs NXT and that will never change. Cora Jade came out and said Rose can shut up because her night isn’t over yet because the fans were promised a championship match. Jade said she would step up and take the title from Rose. Perez came out and was selling her ribs.
The match started with Rose beating down Perez. Jade hit Perez in the back with the title and Rose hit the running knee strike for the win. Jade told Perez that she was shelfish before hitting her with the skateboard, which broke in half before it made contact.
Apollo Crews vs. Giovanni Vinci was booked in a singles match.
Their bout was set up in an in-ring promo segment on last week’s show. Vinci interrupted a Crews monologue and challenged him to face him.
The match opened the show and was one of the better matches of the night. Crews was distracted by a fan’s phone and then Xyon Quinn attacked Crews o the outside that led to Vinci hitting a powerbomb for the win.
New WWE signee Logan Paul has revealed what made him sign with the company.
It was a surprise to wrestling fans when Paul announced that he had signed a contract with WWE. He impressed fans with his performance in a tag match with The Miz against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at Wrestlemania 38 Night one on April 2.
Despite having no prior experience, he showed great potential if he chose to continue professional wrestling. The Wrestlemania experience left an impression on Paul, and he shared on his Impaulsive podcast that it made him decide to sign a multi-year deal.
“…For me, there is a trifecta that I look for that decides what I do, and I say this with privilege because I can do this now because of the years, decades of hard work I’ve put in, but when I can mix passion, business and media all into one thing I’m like ultimate me, happy place,” said Paul.
He continued, “…When I did Wrestlemania, I had so much fun. I just had fun. I came back all my friends had fun. We were all smiling. That was awesome. I’m looking at the clips, and I can’t believe that was me.”
Paul also believes it will increase his brand by working with the WWE. “… It’s smart they pay well. WWE it’s a big organization, and media, it’s a show. It’s a great performance and entertainment, so I’m excited for this journey, and I’m well aware of how powerful of a launch pad it can be for whatever I want to do in life,” said Paul.
The new signee explained that he’s not as visible in the media as he was in the past and that this is an opportunity to leverage WWE for his brand.
(WWE)
Logan Paul vs. The Miz at Summerslam?
While speaking about his deal with WWE, Paul also revealed that he would be challenging The Miz at Summerslam on July 30th. It’s unclear if WWE will have Paul face The Miz in a singles match, but Paul confirms that he will be coming for the former WWE Champion.
After their tag team match at Wrestlemania 38 Night One, The Miz attacked Paul. After signing his contract, Paul warned his former tag team partner that he wanted revenge. On his podcast, Paul shared that he looks forward to slamming The Miz.
“…I will be coming for The Miz at Summerslam. He wants to team up with me think he’s delusional. He thinks we are still partners, and we’re cool. We’re not. I take this very seriously, and I will slam him hard,” said Paul.
The new WWE talent will be on Monday Night Raw on July 18th to confront The Miz. While Paul wants to face The Miz one-on-one, WWE could also look to do a tag team match instead.
Bianca Belair wants a match with Charlotte Flair in Saudi Arabia.
Belair mentioned the idea during an interview on “The Mayman Show.” Prior to WWE’s last Saudi show, Belair had a match with Flair that ended in a disqualification.
She’d like to run things back, but this time, in a Last Woman Standing match.
“What better place to do than Saudi Arabia?” Belair said. “I had a match with Charlotte Flair before Crown Jewel before we flew out, and it ended in a DQ, so we need to do it again … It could definitely be a Last Woman Standing.
“I mean, I feel like we are both women that would throw it all out there and throw it on the line and really show, like, who has what it takes, who really is the toughest of them all.”
Currently, Belair reigns as the RAW Women’s Champion on Monday nights and is locked in a feud with Carmella. She successfully retained her title against Carmella at both Money In The Bank and on RAW this week.
Flair, on the other hand, has been taking some time off after dropping the SmackDown Women’s Title to Ronda Rousey. She recently got married to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Andrade El Idolo.
It will be interesting to see how Flair is brought back creatively after her loss to Rousey, who also just dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Liv Morgan.
WWE Hall Of Famer Road Dogg reveals a “bad habit” Set Rollins used to have when he worked with him.
Road Dogg recently took part in a Q&A over on AdFreeShows, and was asked about “bad habits” that independent stars had when signing on with WWE. He actually used Seth Rollins as an example for this answer.
The Hall Of Famer explained that Rollins had a “bad habit” of not taking advice from his elders well, seemingly responding in a disrespectful way.
“He used to do this thing in the corner where he would jump up and down, and jump up and down, and run like he was in a mosh pit, and then just run and hit the guy with the forearm,” James said.
“And I thought, ‘Man, that’s so anti-climatic.’ It seemed like the build-up to it was bigger than the finish of it. So I went to him and told him that, and he said, ‘No, that’s what I do. I’m not changing it. That’s what I do.’ And I went to [Triple H] and I said, ‘Well, that kid, I’ll never talk to him again.’
“His bad habit was not saying, ‘Okay, thank you sir,’ or whatever and being respectful and then not doing what I said like every other young wrestler. At least pretend to respect what I’m telling you, you know what I mean? And what I was telling him was right.
“He did change it, and he did come up with something that was more [of] a bigger pop than the set-up to it. They had a ‘come to Jesus’ speech with him down there. And he changed his whole philosophy and perspective on how he was looking at stuff, and look at him now, man. On top of the world, doing some of his best work too, I might add.”
Of course, today, Rollins is one of the top stars in WWE. Over the course of his career “The Architect” has racked up four World Title runs, a Royal Rumble win, and so much more.
He had one of the more compelling rivalries so far thus year with Cody Rhodes, which was cut short due to Rhodes’ injury. Recently, he comes off of a failed bid at yet again becoming Mr. Money In The Bank.
There’s been no recent discussion about the vacant WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
The titles have been vacant since WWE stripped Sasha Banks and Naomi in mid-May after the two stars walked out of the company and were suspended independently.
On an episode of SmackDown that same week, WWE announced that a tournament would be held to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions, but that was the last word spoken of the titles on WWE programming.
Fightful reports that talent they’ve spoken with have noted they’ve received no word of when or if the tag team title tournament will happen. Since that announcement, talent claims they’ve also heard no discussion regarding the titles.
The titles were introduced in February 2019, with Sasha Banks and Bayley being the inaugural champions. Banks and Naomi were the 13th set of champions in the history of the titles, with their reign ending at 47 days.
In the weeks before the titles were vacated, Natalya had been moved into a singles title program with then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, while Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley were split up, reducing the number of teams in the women’s division.
The Good Brothers will stay with Impact Wrestling for a little longer than expected.
Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson recently confirmed that their current Impact contracts are set to expire this summer (July 17th). However, this has changed since then. Fightful Select reported today that the tag team will stay with the company until “at least late in the summer.”
They originally signed with Impact after being released by WWE in 2020. They were given the same deal Impact offered when they were impending free agents in 2019 before deciding to re-sign with WWE. Gallows and Anderson have also worked a few dates for NJPW this year.
Anderson defeated Tama Tonga to win the NEVER Openweight Championship at Dominion. Regarding their status with NJPW, they are committed to NJPW through at least Wrestle Kingdom in January.
The Good Brothers became the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions for a third time last month at Slammiversary when they defeated The Briscoes for the titles.
It’s still unclear where Gallows and Anderson will work in the United States after their contracts with Impact ends, but the report noted they were told a return to Impact is possible.
Former WWE talent Dalip Singh Rana (The Great Khali) is accused of slapping a toll worker in India.
Tribune India reports that the incident occurred on July 11 as Khali was traveling from Jalandhar in Punjab to Karnal, Haryana. The publication also has a video of the incident, but it doesn’t show that Khali attacked the toll worker.
However, the video does show Khali confronting two toll workers as they try to put a barricade in front of his car. Khali takes it upon himself to stop them so that he can leave.
Khali is accused of attacking the worker for asking him for his ID to pass the toll when asked by police. The former wrestler shared his side of the incident and accused the toll worker of blackmailing him for a selfie.
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The report states that both Khali and the toll worker deny wrongdoing towards each other. Khali also shared his experience in an Instagram post and felt that people that mistreat celebrities should be punished.
Tribune India translated Khali’s Instagram post.
“…Yesterday, while going to Karnel, tax toll employee of Phillaur stopped my car and misbehaved for selfie. When I denied selfie, he ruthlessly passed racist comments and used bad words. That’s all I want to say,” said Khali.
What’s Next for The Great Khali?
It doesn’t seem like either side will move forward with the police about the incident.
The reports shared, “Ladhowal police station on Tuesday said no complaint was lodged by either of the two sides.”
The situation could change, and SEScoops will provide an update if it does. As of now, it doesn’t appear either Khali or the toll worker is interested in revisiting the situation.
The former wrestler is also looking to put his focus on helping the Bharatiya Janata Political Party. He joined the party earlier this year and expressed how he is impressed with the work India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done.
Despite the accusation and the video, Khali hasn’t admitted that he assaulted the worker.
Wrestling isn’t ballet, as they say. Pro wrestlers put their bodies on the line for our entertainment and injuries are an unfortunate part of the process.
This article is our official Injury Tracker.
We will keep this page updated with the latest information regarding wrestling injuries.
As always, you can reach our team by filling out the Contact Us form with news tips if there are any injury updates that are not reflected here.
WWE RAW
Cody Rhodes
Torn right pectoral tendon
Had surgery on June 8, 2022
Almost hemorrhaged in the surgery
“They are not going to give me a timeline just yet for when I’m going to be back because they are afraid that if they give me that timeline, I’m going to try & jump it by a month or 2.”
Gable Steveson
Drafted to Raw
Still in college
Randy Orton
Injured following Undisputed Tag Title loss
Set to undergo surgery
Zelina Vega
Out of action since April 11
Edge
Off TV since early June
WWE SmackDown
Big E
Broken neck on March 11
Says they’ll do more scans at one year mark
Charlotte Flair
Fractured radius on May 8 (storyline injury)
Naomi
Suspension announced during May 20 SmackDown
Sasha Banks
Suspension announced during May 20 SmackDown
Rick Boogs
Suffered tear in his quadriceps and a patellar tendon injury on April 2
Underwent successful surgery to repair a torn quadriceps the next week
Sami Zayn
Wore a sling on the July 15 SmackDown
Last competed in the Men’s Money In The Bank match on July 2
The injury is “legit, but it’s not major, and they are hopeful of him being able to wrestle in a few weeks.”
WWE Unassigned
Titus O’Neil
Hasn’t wrestled since November 2020
Says he’s not retired and healing from knee injury
NXT
Oddysey Jones
Sprained knee
Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK)
Vacated the NXT United Kingdom Championship on July 7 NXT UK TV
Suffered a stinger on the July 13, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite
“Matt described it as like bad whiplash. He’s had no loss of strength, and his mobility and range of motion is already back to normal. He passed a strength test right after the injury.”
Expected to be out of in-ring action for “a few weeks”
Kip Sabian
Underwent successful surgery on May 17, 2021
Set for July indie match
Kenny Omega
Shoulder injury in November 2021
Surgeries on hernia, shoulder, knee
Hopeful for All Out
Darius Martin
Several injuries from ‘nasty car accident’ in April 2022
Six to nine months of recovery time
Hopeful for late 2022 return
Leyla Hirsch
Suffered a torn ACL on April 6, 2022
Underwent surgery on May 26, 2022
Six to nine months of recovery time
CM Punk
Broken foot on June 1, 2022
Requires surgery
Announced on June 3 AEW Rampage
Hopeful for All Out
Described his foot as “feeling on fire every day”
Penelope Ford
Hasn’t wrestled since January 15, 2022
Adam Cole
Dealing with a torn labrum (shoulder) since March 2022
Concussion in June 2022
Lee Johnson
Knee injury in May 2022
At least out for summer 2022
Red Velvet
Undisclosed injury on June 8, 2022
The Bunny
Undisclosed injury announced on June 22, 2022
Kyle O’Reilly
Undisclosed injury in June 2022
Buddy Matthews
Shoulder injury
Still wrestling
Paul Wight
Had hip surgery in late 2021
MJF
Inactive since late May
Jungle Boy
Shoulder injury in June 2022
Back on TV, hasn’t wrestled
Santana
Leg injury on June 29, 2022 in the Blood & Guts match
According to Chris Jericho, Santana is looking at being out for 8 months
Had reconstructive knee surgery
IMPACT Wrestling
Su Yung
Maternity leave
Rhino
Announced on June 9 IMPACT TV that he is having surgery
Fans who watched WWF programming and later WCW, will know of Virgil, the manservant of Ted DiBiase who eventually turned on the Million Dollar Man.
Since retiring from wrestling though, Virgil has had some rough patches, including infamous images of him sitting alone without anyone around at fan meet and greets.
Now, a new update has come out about Virgil and his condition is not good.
Virgil’s Sad Update
Virgil has been going through some serious medical problems as of late, including having suffered multiple strokes, in addition to battling both dementia and colon cancer.
An article posted by Slam Wrestling has given a sad update on Virgil’s condition, as it’s said that he can barely move his arms anymore.
The article adds that Virgil’s friends, including Tito Santana, Rick Martel, and his former on-screen boss Ted DiBiase Sr., have not checked in on him since his health began deteriorating.
Other Revelations
The Slam Wrestling article didn’t just give an update on Virgil’s current condition, but also cleared up some of the rumors about the former Million Dollar Champion.
According to Virgil’s close friend Mark Charles III, the story of the ex-wrestler once eating 150 breadsticks at an Olive Garden restaurant is not true at all.
Virgil’s friend and roommate Shawn Raneri added that despite speaking multiple times about Olive Garden in the past, that Virgil prefers Five Guys.
Another rumor that was debunked was that Virgil did not wrestle at Monroeville High School and he did not compile a 32-0 record at 186 pounds.
Slam Wrestling also debunked the rumor that Virgil had once taught Math as an educator.
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has expressed frustration about having opponent changes during her title reigns.
The champion is currently in a feud with Carmella, who stepped in as a replacement for Rhea Ripley. WWE wanted Ripley to challenge Belair at Money in the Bank on July 2.
However, she suffered an injury, and the company gave Carmella the opportunity. A similar situation happened last year when Carmella had to step in to replace Bayley due to injury to face Belair for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship.
In an interview with The Corner Podcast’s Andreas Hale and Kel Dansby, Belair shared that dealing with opponent changes can be frustrating. She doesn’t blame anyone, but she expressed disappointment that feuds haven’t gone as planned.
“…It’s difficult, and it gets frustrating with me sometimes. I felt like even with my Smackdown title reign, I wasn’t able to live up to the full potential of Smackdown Women’s Champion, just with how short the reign was and also with my title feuds,” said Belair. She mentioned how Carmella replaced Bayley last year and that she misses her.
“…Bayley getting injured and then have Carmella having to step in at Summerslam and I feel like not being able to have these amazing matches with that I could have had in my title reign and being able to go up against other great competitors to prove that I’m a champion and then getting cut short and fast forward now it’s like deja vu. It’s happening all over again.”
Although it can be difficult, Belair believes that it’s making her a better competitor and that she is dependable.
Will Bianca Belair Continue her Feud with Carmella for Summerslam?
The feud between Belair and Carmella is still ongoing, but it’s unclear has changed their mind. Belair defeated Carmella at Money in the Bank, which could’ve ended the feud.
Carmella’s win should set up another match against Belair, but before the match, Lynch demanded that she gets to challenge the champion at Summerslam on July 30.
Belair finds herself in the same situation she faced last year, with the same potential opponents going into Summerslam as champion.
It’s unclear what plans the company has for Belair or who she will defend her title against. Hopefully, for Belair, she doesn’t lose her championship again at Summerslam.
WWE Raw superstar Zelina Vega is showing off a fresh look.
Zelina has been out of action due to an injury. She had been involved in a tag team with Carmella and the two even held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
They eventually split after Zelina voiced her displeasure with Carmella over being too concerned with her appearance instead of focusing on winning matches. They ended up brawling during the April 4 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Fans continue to wait for Zelina to return but in the meantime, she has switched things up.
Zelina Vega’s New Look
In a new Twitter post, Zelina Vega asked her fans to remain patient for her return. Of course, she did it in her heel character.
Along with the message was an image of Zelina showcasing her new hairstyle.
Queen Tingz ????
I’m planning something veryyyy special for The Queen’s Return… patience peasants… pic.twitter.com/s26aIQ2sQT
“I’m planning something veryyyy special for The Queen’s Return… patience peasants…”
Zelina Vega on eventual return
It’ll be interesting to see when Zelina will be able to return and what the creative plans will be for her.
As of now, there have been no plans in place for the vacant WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. After Sasha Banks and Naomi were stripped of the gold, WWE promised a tournament to determine the new champions.
One of WWE NXT 2.0’s best prospects over the last few months has been women’s division star Nikkita Lyons, who debuted for the brand back in February and went viral online shortly afterwards due to her swagger and very unique finishing maneuver.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, NXT has big plans for Lyons, which may include crowning her as women’s champion, a title that is currently held by Mandy Rose. Head journalists Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer reported about Lyons’ future when previewing this evening’s edition of NXT 2.0.
Tonight’s show features Rose defending her NXT women’s title against Roxanne Perez, another star that Meltzer believes would be a suitable champion.
“Roxanne Perez should be the person. She’s young, she’s very good, she’s very charismatic. She’d be a good one to win that championship.”
It was here that Lyons would be brought up, revealing that there had been talks from higher-ups to eventually crown Lyons, but how that wouldn’t be happening for a long time.
“I know that there was talk of Nikkita Lyons winning but not for a long time, not right now.”
The report later adds that Lyons has heavy marketability for the company, and has been showing great improvements with her in-ring work. Prior to signing with WWE she wrestled as Faith The Lioness in the popular WOW (Women of Wrestling) promotion. Aside from wrestling she’s also a model, an actress, and a musician.
The latest edition of the red brand’s show was held inside the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX. During the show, there was a tag team match with AJ Styles and Ezekiel taking on The Miz and Ciampa.
The match ended rather abruptly when Ciampa, who was not the legal man on his team, attacked Styles.
Ciampa didn’t use a weapon, he simply mounted Styles and got some punches in before the referee called for the bell.
The finish left fans confused but the reason for the DQ has been revealed.
“Secret” Rule
During a new edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that WWE has a “secret” rule when it comes to tag team matches.
The gist is that the non-legal person in a tag team match is allowed to make just one save for the partner. Going for the save a second time results in a DQ.
This rule wasn’t explained on commentary as WWE simply used the excuse that Ciampa is unhinged. Ultimately, Styles nailed Ciampa with a Phenomenal Forearm after the match and Miz ran off.
Miz has been feuding with Styles for weeks but with Logan Paul’s return set for the July 18 episode of Raw, he now has two enemies.
From the looks of it, a tag team match with AJ Styles and Logan Paul vs. The Miz and Ciampa seems to be the direction for SummerSlam.
Time will tell if that will indeed end up being the match.
Dolph Ziggler is back and in a far bigger spot than many anticipated.
The July 11 episode of WWE Raw took place inside the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX. The show featured the return of Brock Lesnar as well as a Raw Women’s Championship match between titleholder Bianca Belair and Carmella.
The show ended with a tag team match as United States Champion Bobby Lashley teamed with Riddle to take on Money in the Bank briefcase holder Theory and Seth Rollins. Ziggler appeared and sat at ringside for the match.
He ended up playing a major factor in the finish.
Dolph Ziggler’s Role Explained
(via WWE)
Near the end of the match, Theory rolled up Riddle and attempted to use the ropes as leverage. Dolph shoved Theory’s feet off the ropes, signaling a face turn.
As Theory looked on in shock and anger, he turned around and was nailed with the RKO from Riddle and pinned.
After the match, Dolph got inside the ring and planted Theory with a Super Kick to end WWE Raw.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that WWE officials have put Dolph Ziggler in this big spot because the brass wants Theory to work with someone who has a ton of experience.
Dolph is a longtime veteran of the wrestling business, specifically the WWE style. Meltzer notes that WWE feels it would be beneficial for Theory to run the ropes with a guy like Dolph as much as he can as they try to build him as their next big superstar.
Dave also said that WWE hasn’t been afraid to book Theory to lose matches now as the feeling is that he won’t be negatively impacted by it due to their big plans for him down the road.
A recent house show incident involving Liv Morgan and Natalya has got people talking.
Morgan is currently involved in a program with Natalya and the two will be doing battle on the July 15 episode of SmackDown.
This could be the blowoff match as Liv will be putting her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam on July 30.
In preparation for their upcoming television match, Liv and Natalya faced off at a live event this past weekend. Liv got the pinfall but after the match, Natalya said something to Liv and seemingly no-sold the finish.
— PWMania.com – Wrestling News (@PWMania) July 11, 2022
Putting Gossip to Rest
(via WWE)
In a since-deleted Tweet, Natalya said that she simply told Liv Morgan “thank you” after the match.
In an update, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that the issue was resolved that very same night. The exact details behind what transpired aren’t known, but there was some backstage heat on Natalya and possibly even Liv over it.
Now, here’s the rumor killer.
Dave notes that there is no heat between Liv and Natalya. It’s been said that Natalya was upset about something but her anger wasn’t directed at Liv despite the footage coming across that way.
Why Liv would be getting any heat is unknown but it appears that this was a spur-of-the-moment situation and probably won’t have long-term consequences.
One WWE superstar is on her way out of the company.
Departures are nothing new in the wrestling industry. Talents come and go all the time.
In some cases, the departure is due to a release or the company wouldn’t renew a contract. In others, the star in question simply wanted to move on.
It appears to be the latter in this situation.
Io Shirai Likely Done With WWE
(via WWE)
There’s been a lot of rumblings about the future of Io Shirai. Reports had claimed that Shirai’s WWE deal is set to expire and she wants to return home to Japan.
In an update, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that Io is “pretty much gone” from WWE.
It isn’t hard to see what Io would be in store for if she returns to Japan. She had been a top star under the Stardom promotion and would be welcomed back with open arms if that’s the path she chooses.
Shirai addressed this latest report about her future on Tuesday afternoon:
Io Shirai was last seen in action at the NXT Stand & Deliver show back in April. She’s been out due to an injury but is expected to be back in the ring soon.
The question is, can she been written off WWE TV, or was Stand and Deliver her last appearance with the company?
In an interview with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, former WWE star Killer Kross, who wrestled as Karrion Kross for the promotion, opened up about an infamous segment between himself and Adam Cole that took place in June 2021.
The segment was set up to have Adam Cole, who is now in AEW, run down and tear apart Killer Kross in a worked shoot-style promo. Cole would later repeat statements similar on other WWE programming. At the time, Kross was the undefeated NXT Champion, but he didn’t even address Cole’s comments.
According to Kross, the whole segment was scripted by WWE and was intended to help get Cole where he needed to be for their upcoming matchup.
Kross On The Infamous Promo
Killer Kross spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston before competing on the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view. Kross spoke about how the segment came together and his reaction to all of the blowback.
The former two-time NXT Champion said (Edited for clarity):
“No. In his [Adam Cole’s} defense, because I’ve been asked this a lot, that was scripted. He was told to say that. It wasn’t him having a meltdown to be a d*ck. It wasn’t like that at all. He was told to say that.
This has become a very popular discussion amongst fans and stuff like that because our job is to make that stuff, it’s the intention. We’re told by producers and writers, ‘We want this to feel as real as possible so this is the direction we can go in.’ But, very much like you said, and a lot of people have said to me afterward, it seemed really counterproductive to have a fourth wall promo where only one guy was breaking the fourth wall. It’s like, it’s just one of those weird, weird days.
Some matches are constructed for one guy to get over, and that’s just the way it is. Then, sometimes, some promos are constructed for one guy to get over. At the time, I was told that they felt like he needed that, and I was not one to really fight anybody on that. I’ve always been very easy to deal with and get along with.
They put me on a course to just absolutely ruin everybody. So, the way I saw it at the time was like, ‘He’s gonna be doing the job for me at the end of the month on the pay-per-view. Everyone else has exchanged equity, their own equity, in putting me over for a year and a half. I think I can handle the promo where this is going to be happening.’
Functionally, as an investment, the construction of that promo did not make any sense at all. I thought it was weird that they wanted to go in that direction because– I’ve even said this previously before, it’s their money to get people to believe and invest in this type of thing. This is the time and energy they’re putting into character presentation and they kind of shot in the head, which I thought was just so unusual. It was very weird.
NXT Didn’t Want Kross To Rebuttal
Like, even Adam [Cole] was asking like, he’s like, ‘Are you okay with me saying all this to you?’ Yeah, of course, dude. He’s always been very cool. It was odd, and then there was like follow-up stuff the weeks after too. They kept writing the character into this place where they didn’t want me to rebuttal.
And I, prior to that promo and interview, I’d always have some flexibility to kind of like, ‘Here’s the endgame of the promo, you can say whatever you want. Whatever you think your character would say on the way there to get us from point A to B.’ They didn’t want that. And then after that, I kept getting chopped off in promos later on. They were just kind of, in a manner, putting me under in the promos, which I thought was weird. But also, in all fairness man, it’s not advantageous of the talent that’s going under to have me run them over for four weeks in promos and then for them to get killed clean on the match.
But, to your point, I think that there’s so many– in a universe full of fiction, an unlimited amount of possibilities, there are many different ways to make talents look strong and get over. I’ve always thought, me personally, it’s why I haven’t really practiced it, tearing a talent down and not letting them get anything back, and hoping they’re gonna keep their momentum and their equity in the eyes of the audience when they go over in the match is not the best way to do things. But again, I’m just a wrestler.”
Kross On The Online Reaction To The Promo
Kross went on to speak about the reaction online and how it’s influenced his career.
He said, “Yeah, it is unfortunate. It’s a weird twilight zone type of thing. I wanted to, until that angle was totally dead and gone, I wanted to protect the legitimacy of that [promo] even though it was kind of working against me. Like I even told Adam, when I see him at media events, ‘Don’t f*cking talk to anybody. Sorry. Like, don’t tell anybody.’ I’m not gonna tell anybody either. My friends are asking me about it. Only the people that I trust, I’ll let them know that it’s a work because the conflict and the heat is what’s going to create the interest in seeing the match.
It got very toxic, very negative, and very weird. That’s social media for you. Some people want to drum things up and make them. They want to put them in another context then they actually really are in. So, you just do the best you can with what you have.”
Ric Flair’s Last Match
Killer Kross will be competing against Harry Smith on the Ric Flair’s Last Match card. Ric Flair’s Last Match takes place on Sunday, July 31th at the Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, TN. This is just one of the live wrestling shows scheduled for Starrcast V during WWE SummerSlam weekend. However, it is set to headline the whole convention.
As of right now, the card is as follows:
Impact World Championship Match: Josh Alexander (c) vs Jacob Faty
Rachael Ellering vs Deonna Purrazzo vs Jordynne Grace
Clark Connors vs Ren Narita
Killer Kross (w/ Scarlett Bordeaux) vs Harry Smith
The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
Rey Fenix vs Taurus vs Laredo Kid vs Bandido
The Von Erich (Marshall & Ross) vs The Briscoes
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
