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WWE RAW Results (2/28): Edge’s WrestleMania Opponent Revealed, New Champion

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Damian Priest defended the United States Championship against Finn Balor tonight. It was revealed which superstar will battle Edge at WrestleMania at the conclusion of tonight’s episode.

RAW Results (2/28)

  1. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens def. Alpha Academy (non title match)
  2. Omos def. T-Bar
  3. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley def. Becky Lynch, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H.
  4. Tommaso Ciampa def. Robert Roode
  5. Reggie & Dana Brooke def. Akira Tozawa & Tamina
  6. Hurt Business def. The Mysterios
  7. Street Profits def. RK-Bro
  8. Finn Balor def. Damian Priest to become the new United States Champion

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Rollins & Owens Pinned The Champs

RAW kicked off with an episode of the Kevin Owens Show. Owens was wearing a cowboy hat sideways and continued to mock the state of Texas. Kevin welcomed “his best friend” Seth Rollins to the ring with him. Owens noted that it has been a tough year for each of them and they haven’t managed to secure a place on the WrestleMania card yet.

Rollins stated that they have been screwed on the path to WrestleMania but the gods have given them one more way, to win the RAW Tag Team Championships next week. Owens gave Seth his word that nothing will distract him from their task of becoming the new champions and defending the titles at WrestleMania. Owens took off the cowboy hat and stomped on it.

Seth calmed Owens down and reminded him that they are not in Texas right now. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy made their way to the ring and Gable said “a thank you” in an odd way. Owens and Rollins mocked him for it and Gable reminded them that Alpha Academy are the current champions before doing the “a thank you” thing again.

The crowd chanted “you suck!” and Gable shouted “shooosh!”. A brawl broke out and Owens hit Gable with a Stunner as RAW went to a commercial break.

Alpha Academy battled Rollins & Owens in a non-title match. Owens and Rollins dominated early as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Alpha Academy had Owens isolated in the corner of the ring and took turns beating him down. Gable went for a German Suplex but Owens held onto the ropes.

Owens connected with a kick and got the tag to Rollins. Seth unloaded a Clothesline and followed it up with a Slingblade. Rollins knocked Otis off the apron and hit a springboard knee to Gable’s face. Seth connected with the Falcon Arrow and went for the cover but Gable kicked out at two.

Gable went for a Suplex but didn’t notice that Owens had tagged in. Owens hit a Superkick and a Neckbreaker but Otis broke up the cover. Otis sent Rollins flying across the ring before tagging himself in.

Owens went for a Stunner but Otis blocked it and delivered a Splash in the corner. Otis hit a Splash and Gable followed it up with a Moonsault but Rollins broke up the cover at two. Otis charged and ran himself into the ring post. Rollins hit Otis with a Suicide Dive outside the ring as Gable planted Owens with a German Suplex. Gable dragged Owens to the corner and climbed to the top rope. Gable went for a Moonsault but landed on his feet. Rollins tagged in and hit a Buckle Bomb and Owens followed it up with the Stunner. Seth then delivered the Stomp on Gable for the pinfall victory.

Omos def. T-Bar

Omos faced T-Bar this week. Before the match, Omos cut a promo and bragged about his domination since arriving on the main roster. Omos added that T-Bar is the largest man he’s faced in WWE so far.

Omos attacked T-Bar during his entrance and knocked him into the barricade. Omos dragged him back into the ring and the match officially started. Omos hit a big Clothesline and the Choke Bomb for the squash win.

Bianca Belair Sent A Message To Becky Lynch

Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley faced Becky Lynch, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H. in a 6-woman tag team match tonight. Team Bianca controlled the match early and Liv Morgan took Team Becky out with a dive as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Becky countered a Suplex attempt into a roll-up but Belair kicked out at two. Becky grabbed Bianca’s hair and yanked her into the ring post before tying in the ropes. Lynch posed on the turnbuckle before hitting Bianca with a Leg Drop off the 2nd rope for a near fall.

Doudrop tagged in and connected with a Body Slam. Nikki tagged in and unloaded some punches on Belair before tagging Becky back in. Lynch stood on Belair’s hair to prevent her from making a tag and sent her back to the corner. Bianca escaped and dove across the ring to tag in Rhea Ripley.

Rhea leveled the RAW Women’s Champion with a Clothesline before slamming her to the mat. Ripley hit Becky with some knee strikes and then a powerful Dropkick. Ripley lifted Becky up in the Electric Chair and slammed her to the canvas. Ripley went for the cover but Nikki broke it up at two. Nikki launched Liv to the outside and dragged Becky to the corner.

Nikki A.S.H. tagged herself in and leaped at Bianca. Belair caught her but Nikki escaped. Bianca caught her with a slam and set up for a springboard Moonsault but Lynch broke it up. Liv Morgan hit Lynch with a Suicide Dive but got trucked but Doudrop while trying to get back into the ring.

Nikki hit Rhea with a Crossbody but Belair slammed her down. Becky broke up the cover and Belair started whipping her with her hair several times until the champion retreated out of the ring. Becky wanted a disqualification and abandoned her teammates. Belair hit the KOD on Nikki for the pinfall victory as Becky showed the welts on her stomach.

Tommaso Ciampa def. Robert Roode

Robert Roode battled Tommaso Ciampa tonight on RAW. Dolph Ziggler was ringside for the match. Roode sent Ciampa to the outside and he traded some words with Dolph. Roode tried to capitalize but Tommaso leveled him with a Clothesline. Ciampa knocked the top hat that Ziggler was wearing off his head before the action returned to the ring.

Roode planted Ciampa with a Spinebuster for a near fall and followed it up with some chops to the chest. Ciampa booted Roode in the face and connected with a rolling elbow to the face. Ciampa hit a reverse DDT for a two count and went for the Fairy Tale Ending but Roode escaped. Ciampa knocked Ziggler off the ring apron and reversed a Glorious DDT into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode attacked Ciampa in the ring. Ziggler leveled him with a Superkick and demanded a microphone. Ziggler vowed that the Dirty Dawgs will defeat Ciampa & Bron Breakker tomorrow night on NXT.

Reggie & Dana Brooke def. Akira Tozawa & Tamina

Reggie & Dana Brooke teamed up to face Tamina & Akira Tozawa. Dana connected with an Enziguri and leveled Tozawa with an elbow to the face. Reggie awkwardly flipped onto Tozawa for the pinfall victory. Dana Brooke smooched Reggie after the match. Tamina then got jealous and kissed Akira Tozawa before storming away. Akira chased after her in comical fashion to end the segment.

The Miz Helped Hurt Business def. The Mysterios

Dominik & Rey Mysterio faced Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin this week. Before the match, they cut a promo on their match against Miz & Logan Paul at WrestleMania. The Miz interrupted and boasted about main eventing WrestleMania in the past. Miz complimented Logan Paul and vowed that the duo will defeat the Mysterios at WrestleMania.

Cedric Alexander and Rey Mysterio started off the action. Alexander got in a Headlock but Rey battled free. Rey hit a Hurricanrana and made his way to the corner. Dominik tagged in and hit a Crossbody. Dominik and Shelton couldn’t get on the same page at all and Dominik hit a clumsy DDT. Rey sent Alexander to the floor outside the ring as Dominik hit Shelton with the 619. Shelton rolled outside and Dominik sent him into the ring post. The Miz interfered and tripped Dominik up. Rey chased Miz through the crowd as Shelton rolled up Dominik for the victory.

Street Profits def. RK-Bro

Street Profits faced RK-Bro to begin the final hour of this week’s RAW. Dawkins and Ford isolated Riddle in the ring as RAW went to a break. Randy Orton tagged in when RAW returned and began unloading Clotheslines. Orton planted Ford with a Powerslam and followed it up with the draping DDT. Riddle sent Dawkins out of the ring and Orton set up for the RKO.

Montez blocked it and hit an Enziguri before climbing to the top rope. Montez hit a Frog Splash and then awkwardly rolled Orton to the corner. It looked like Montez landed pretty hard on Orton’s upper chest/neck. Ford covered Orton and Randy went to get his foot on the ropes but missed. The match ended in the botched finish with Street Profits getting the pinfall victory.

Finn Balor Captured The US Title, Damian Priest Attacked Him After The Match

Damian Priest defended the United States Championship against Finn Balor this week on RAW. Priest controlled the action early and connected with an elbow to the face. The champ sent Balor to the corner but Finn battled back and locked in a submission hold. Priest escaped but Balor knocked him to the outside and connected with a dive as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Balor hit a Double Stomp to the chest and followed it up with some chops. Balor connected with a Slingblade and then a Dropkick that sent the champion into the turnbuckle. Finn made his way to the top rope and went for the Coup de Grace but Priest got out of the way.

Damian leveled Balor with a Clothesline and followed it up with a roundhouse kick to the face. Priest planted Balor with a Chokeslam and went for the cover but Finn powered out at the last moment. Damian went for the Reckoning but Balor countered into an elbow to the chest. Balor then hit the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Damian claimed that the fans carried Balor to taking his title from him. Priest scolded the crowd for never having his back and wanted another shot at the title. Damian then leveled Balor with a cheap shot. Priest then slammed Balor on top of the table as the crowd booed.

Austin Theory Is Worried Pat McAfee Will Attack Vince McMahon

Austin Theory spoke to Vince McMahon again tonight on RAW. Austin was concerned about Vince McMahon going on The Pat McAfee Show and told him that he will be there if Pat tries to jump him. Vince assured Theory that it wasn’t that kind of show and walked away. Austin then picked up a pencil and said “but it could be” to end the segment.

Edge Brutally Attacked AJ Styles After He Accepted His WrestleMania Challenge

Edge came down to the ring in the final segment of the show and stood in the middle of the ring. Edge said he has been waiting for someone to step up and accept his challenge to face him at WrestleMania. Edge said “my roads to WrestleMania” will get clearer after tonight.

AJ Styles’ theme hit and the Phenomenal One made his way to the ring to a great reaction. Styles looked at Edge and accepted the challenge. Edge noted that the crowd has wanted this match for a long time. Edge told Styles that he wants the bulldog AJ and not “Omos’ tag team bitch” like he has been for the past year.

Edge extended his hand but wound up attacking AJ Styles. AJ battled back and knocked Edge to the canvas. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Edge dodged it. Edge then hit AJ Styles with a low blow and beat him down. Edge had a blank stare on his face and exited the ring. Edge then returned with a couple steel chairs and hit Styles with the con-chair-to to close the show.

WWE WrestleMania 38 Updated Card: AJ Styles vs. Edge Confirmed

Andrew Ravens
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WWE booked the latest match for WrestleMania 38 as Edge will wrestle AJ Styles on either Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium. 

During the main event segment of Monday Night Raw, the WWE Hall Of Famer called out anyone to answer his WrestleMania challenge and out came Styles. Edge said that they’ve both been wanting this match and so do the fans.

He said he doesn’t want the tag team b**ch that AJ has been for the last year, but the pitbull. This led to Edge attacking Styles and a brawl broke out. Styles missed the Phenomenal Forearm and Edge hit a low blow. The WWE Hall Of Famer later connected with a Conchairto. 

Styles has publicly talked about wanting this match and now his wish was granted. 

Updated WWE WrestleMania 38 Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar – Title Unification Match
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey
  • Logan Paul and The Miz vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
  • Edge vs. AJ Styles
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Zelina Vega and Carmella vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi
AJ Styles Still Pushing Hard for WrestleMania Dream Match

Update on Triple H’s Status for WrestleMania 38

Ryan Droste
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WWE is looking to do things outside the box this year for WrestleMania 38 in hopes of boosting ticket sales to the two-night event in Arlington, Texas.

Vince McMahon is being rumored for a match of some kind with Pat McAfee, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is reportedly considering a return to the ring to face Kevin Owens. This would be Austin’s first match since 2003.

However, don’t expect to see Triple H in the ring this year despite all of the names from the past who are returning. Triple H experienced a scary health issue this past September, characterized at the time as a cardiac event, and a return to the ring this year is not in the cards.

“No, Triple H would be a terrible idea,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co). “His heart situation is, he can’t. I don’t want to say never because that’s because that’s unfair because maybe he can do something but that would be a horrible idea for him and that’s not gonna happen this year. There’s no way.”

Triple H has remained mostly out of the spotlight since his health situation. He’s reportedly no longer involved in a major way at NXT, with Shawn Michaels now taking over his previous duties with that brand.

Michaels spoke about his new role with NXT during an interview with Denise Salcedo last December.

“I’ve now stepped out of the physical coaching aspect and into the Vice President of Talent Development and focusing more on television, the live show, and creative,” Michaels said. “The talent pool has gotten very big. To me, the biggest advantage of all of that is the freshness, the newness. When I went from a tag team to a single competitor, I wasn’t given a cookie-cutter ‘this is your character, this is what you’re gonna do.’”

WrestleMania 38 Card Update

The matches which have been confirmed so far for WrestleMania 38 are:

  • WWE Universal Championship vs. WWE Championship
    Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (Main Event for Night One)
    Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
  • WWE Raw Women’s Championship
    Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
  • Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Ric Flair NFT Collection Launching, WoooooThings

Michael Reichlin
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A Ric Flair NFT collection is launching soon, WoooooThings.

The all-time great wrestling legend will soon be the star of a batch of NFTs Each one will be an animated GIF.

The official @WoooooThings account says,

“Each NFT will be a moving GIF. This project will represent the legacy of RicFlair on the Ethereum blockchain forevermore.”

Are you into NFTs? Would you invest in the Ric Flair NFT? Let us now in the comments section.

Here is some of the preview artwork for the Ric Flair WoooooThings NFT collection:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Caicn17pGJk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2aBuIlLID/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2aaQsvNWh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2auWQPaex/

Paige Reacts to Being Left Out of WWE 2K22 Video Game

Michael Reichlin
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Paige is not happy she has been left off the roster for the new WWE 2K22 video game.

The WWE 2K22 Roster was revealed this week and features 149 wrestlers. This includes 59 wrestlers who are no longer with the company or legends.

This will be the first time since 2014 that Paige has not been a playable character in the WWE video game. She remains under contract with WWE for several more months, but is not one of the 149 people in this year’s game.

Paige previously appeared in the past six WWE video games (WWE 2K15-20).

On Monday, Paige asked the official @WWEGames Twitter account,

“where tf am i?”

https://twitter.com/realpaigewwe/status/1498440437312327684?s=217:27

Paige also asked @WWEGames about several other women left out of the game, including the Bella Twins, Zelina Vega and Doudrop.

https://twitter.com/realpaigewwe/status/1498450122140622849?s=217:28

Paige, the Bella Twins and others may eventually be released as downloadable content.

Former WWE/NXT star JONAH (Bronson Reed) also reacted to the WWE 2K22 roster list.

Check out SEScoops’ official WWE 2K22 Review

Kevin Owens Comments On His WWE Contract Negotiations With Vince McMahon

Andrew Ravens
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Kevin Owens opened up on his decision to re-sign with WWE during an appearance on FOX Sports’ Out of Character with Ryan Satin. 

It was reported in December that Owens had signed a new multi-year contract with WWE as his previous contract was set to expire at the end of January.  The deal is reportedly for three years and in the range of $2-3 million per year. 

Owens was asked whether re-signing was a fairly easy decision to make. “I mean, WWE really didn’t let me think about it much in terms of — they made it clear they wanted me to stay.”

Owens then opened up on having the contract talks directly with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. 

“No,” Owens said. “Vince McMahon, I dealt with Vince directly and he made it clear he wanted me to stay, and we made an agreement right then and there. It wasn’t — I’m a big believer in…my career is going to go the way it goes and I’m going to do my best with it. I’m there now for a couple more years and I’m going to do my best to get opportunities and knock them out of the park and reap the benefits. As I’ve documented before, there’s ups and downs to this thing — to WWE, to wrestling, to the industry. I feel like I’m on a really great upswing right now and I’m enjoying what I do, like I’m really enjoying myself a lot lately. So that’s great, and hopefully it keeps going that way. If it eventually stops feeling that way and I feel like I’m on the downswing, then it’s up to me to try to find a way back up. I’ve always taken that outlook. Yeah, I’m really having a great time these days.”

Owens has been recently trash-talking about Texas on WWE TV and social media, which is reportedly due to him facing Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38. This would mark Austin’s first match in 19 years if he does come back. 

H/T to F4Wonline.com for the transcription

Drew McIntyre Reveals His First Reaction To Scary Madcap Moss Bump

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Drew McIntyre has detailed what his initial reaction was to the gnarly bump Madcap Moss took in their match at the Elimination Chamber event.

On Feb. 19, McIntyre and Moss had a singles match inside the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia. At one point during the match, McIntyre hit a reverse Alabama Slam and Moss landed awkwardly on his head and neck.

There was a look of concern on the face of Happy Corbin and referee Jessika Carr immediately checked on Madcap Moss. The good news is, Moss was able to finish the match and he was reportedly feeling fine after being checked out by WWE’s medical staff.

McIntyre’s Initial Reaction

The folks at In The Kliq got a chance to speak with Drew McIntyre and asked him about the scary bump. McIntyre said he didn’t know just how bad it looked initially (h/t Wrestling Inc).

“I didn’t realize how bad it was, but I saw the clip back. I understand that, let’s just say, he zigged when he should have zagged. The move didn’t go the way it’s supposed to go. I was aware of that, but I did not realize how bad it was. And the fact that you know, he was okay. I did double-check that. I could see it in his eyes he was good. He was double-checking to make sure he could finish the match and after the fact, the necessary precautions were taken, and thankfully now he’s all good.”

McIntyre has been feuding with Moss and Corbin in the leadup to WrestleMania. The former two-time WWE Champion made his return at the Royale Rumble after being taken out by Moss and Corbin in storyline.

The reality was McIntyre needed a short break to heal from a neck injury.

WWE 2K22 Will Feature Over 50 Legends & Released Wrestlers

Andrew Ravens
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More information regarding the WWE 2K22 Roster has been released.

The game features a staggering number of wrestlers who are no longer with the company. Out of the 149 playable characters in the game, 59 wrestlers (nearly 40%) are no longer with WWE – either legends or simply released.

It’s been reported that WWE’s decision to release over 80 wrestlers last year had a big impact on the game’s development and the drastically affected plans for DLC.

There are several wrestlers featured in the game that work for WWE’s rival promotion, AEW, such as Keith Lee, Kyle O’Reilly and Buddy Matthews (Murphy). Here’s the full list: 

  • Alexander Wolfe
  • Andre The Giant
  • Ariya Daivari
  • Big Boss Man
  • Billie Kay
  • Bruan Strowman
  • Bret Hart
  • The Brian Kendrick
  • Cesaro
  • Chyna
  • Danny Burch
  • Diesel
  • Ember Moon
  • Faarooq
  • Fandango
  • Gran Metalik
  • Hulk Hogan
  • Isaiah Swerve Scott
  • Jake Roberts
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Jim Neidhart
  • John Morrison
  • Johnny Gargano
  • Kalisto
  • Kane
  • Karrion Kross
  • Keith Lee
  • Kevin Nash
  • Kyle O’Reilly
  • Lana
  • Lince Dorado
  • Macho Man Randy Savage
  • Mia Yim
  • Mickie James
  • Murphy
  • Nia Jax
  • Oney Lorcan
  • Papa Shango
  • Peyton Royce
  • Razor Ramon
  • Reckoning (Mia Yim, again)
  • Road Dogg
  • The Rock
  • Roddy Piper
  • Samoa Joe
  • Scott Hall
  • Slapjack
  • Steve Austin
  • Ted DiBiase
  • Tegan Nox
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Toni Storm
  • Trish Stratus
  • Tucker
  • Tyler Breeze
  • Ultimate Warrior
  • Undertaker
  • William Regal
  • X-Pac

The game is scheduled for a worldwide release on March 11, 2022, and is currently available for pre-order.

Check out SEScoops’ official WWE 2K22 Review

Logan Paul Reveals His Pro Wrestling ‘Bucket List’ Dream

Michael Reichlin
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Logan Paul hopes to make a “bucket list” dream come true at WrestleMania.

The YouTube star and podcaster made a surprise appearance on last week’s WWE Raw. He was revealed to be The Miz’s mystery partner for a match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38.

Paul appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday and spoke with Ariel Helwani about his current involvement with WWE.

“Yeah man, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what’s going on dude, I say yes to things that sound kind of fun,” he said about WrestleManai. “They wanted me to compete at WrestleMania. I like The Miz, I’ve had him on our podcast, we’re both from Ohio and we’ve always just gotten along. So, yeah, we ended up (laughs) teaming up against the Mysterios, which are a legendary WWE family in themselves… Same shit dude, I don’t know.”

Jake Paul’s Bucket List

Jake Paul then revealed his childhood dream is to jump off the top rope.

“I have one bucket list item that I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” he said. “This is before I ever considered doing WWE, or it even being a possibility, and that is to jump off the top rope. I want to jump off the top rope. I want to sail through the air like a fucking eagle and land on someone.”

Boyhood dreams are known to come true at WrestleMania. Logan Paul might get his chance to scratch an item off his bucket list in just under 5 weeks at WrestleMania 38.

The Miz and Logan Paul vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio is scheduled to take place at WrestleMania Saturday.

Watch Jake Paul’s appearance on The MMA Hour and make sure to visit MMANews.com for all the latest UFC news.

Hulk Hogan Announces He’s Divorced From Jennifer McDaniel

Michael Reichlin
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WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has announced he and second wife Jennifer McDaniel have divorced.

The Hulkster and McDaniel were married in 2010. No word on exactly when the marriage dissolved, but he says they are no longer together.

Over the weekend, Hulk Hogan posted a video on Instagram along with rock star Bret Michaels. Hogan was accompanied by a blonde woman who is not Jennifer McDaniel, which prompted him to clarify things on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cae95N3vCtF/

Hulk Hogan was previously married to Linda Claridge Hogan from 1983-2009. They have two children together, Nick and Brooke.

Plans for WWE Titles After WrestleMania 38 Unification Match

Ryan Droste
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Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will face off at a WrestleMania for the third time in just over one month at WrestleMania 38. This time, the match will be title vs. title, with Reigns putting his Universal Championship on the line and Lesnar his WWE Championship. In the end, the titles will be unified.

However, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there’s no plans for the titles to remain unified long term.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer noted that the company still wants to have two world champions, and this will be no different than when WWE has unified titles in the past. In the end, they’ll go right back to having two champions.

Meltzer went on to note that it’s not feasible in the current media landscape for WWE to only have one world champion. With Raw airing on USA Network and SmackDown airing on FOX, both networks want their own champion. In the past, when the brand split first started, the company had a traveling world champion across brands at one point.

However, fans should expect to see the championships unified in the main event of night two of WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas.

WWE WrestleMania 38 Card So Far

The other matches confirmed so far for WrestleMania 38 are:

  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (Main Event for Night One)
    Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
  • WWE Raw Women’s Championship
    Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
  • Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul

Additionally, Edge will be wrestling at the show against a yet to be determined opponent, and Vince McMahon is currently being rumored for a match against Pat McAfee.

Do you like having a world champion on each brand, or would you rather see WWE have a traveling champion across the brands? Let us know in the comments section below!

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

AEW Announces California Debut, More West Coast Shows to Come

Ryan Droste
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Wrestling fans on the west coast have pleaded for their first live AEW event, and those wishes are about to come true.

Following AEW Double or Nothing at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 29th, the company will travel to The Forum in Inglewood, CA for AEW Dynamite on June 1st, the company’s first show in California. They will follow that up with a live edition of AEW Rampage in Ontario, California on Friday, June 3rd at the Toyota Arena (the capacity will be around 8,000 fans). Inglewood is suburban L.A., and Ontario is just east of Los Angeles and six miles from the town that the Young Bucks grew up in, Rancho Cucamonga.

AEW previously had plans to run the Toyota Arena in Ontario back in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down touring.

The news of the Ontario, California show was first revealed on Wednesday morning by The Young Bucks during Being The Elite (you can watch the video above). Tickets go on sale for AEW Rampage in Ontario on Friday, March 11th.

AEW followed that up by officially announcing the show as well via social media.

Later on Monday, the Los Angeles area (Inglewood) Dynamite event was revealed via AEW’s social media channels. Tickets for that show at The Forum also go on sale March 11th.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Johnny Gargano Now Taking Independent Bookings

Michael Reichlin
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Johnny Gargano is now fielding offers for appearances and business inquiries.

Gargano became a free agent in late 2021 after his WWE contract expired. The company made an effort to keep him on board, but he had other plans.

During his time away from the wrestling world, Johnny Gargano has been active online with his Twitch streaming account. Earlier this month, he and wife Candice LeRae became proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Quill.

He also wanted the freedom to selectively pick and choose select projects.

“Johnny Wrestling” is now accepting bookings and business inquiries at [email protected].

Johnny Gargano hasn’t wrestled on the independent scene since 2015. He participated in a WWE tryout camp in June 2015 and wrestled for NXT for six and a half years.

As one of the most talented wrestlers in the world, he probably won’t remain independent for very long. For now, his publicist/manager is ready to field series offers.

Kevin Owens Explains How Lance Storm Strongly Influenced His Career

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kevin Owens is one star who always goes above and beyond when it comes to fan interaction. He not only interacts with fans in the arenas, but Owens takes the time to respond to people on social media and other such places whenever he can. Turns out, it was a wrestling veteran who inspired this trait of the former world champion.

The former NXT champion told this story during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. He recalled how he used to email Lance Storm to ask for advice. Despite his busy schedule, the former WCW star would always respond to him. That has made him want to do the same for the next generation of wrestlers:

“I remember I would email Lance Storm through his website, and ask for advice. And he would always answer. I didn’t do this every week or anything, but I did it a few times. And he would answer me. He doesn’t remember doing this. But to me, that was so huge. You know, that he will take the time to answer me. Just this, for all he knew, just this silly kid who has a dream and probably won’t make it. Maybe he will, but come on. He’s a busy guy who’s on the road. He had a family when he would come home, but he still took the time to do that. That really went a long way for me.

So that’s just him, a performer responding to somebody that hopes to one day reach what he was accomplishing at the time. But then I realized, that helped shape kind of something that I wanna be. I wanna be a positive influence on the people that are gonna be doing this after me. “

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

Kevin Owens Reflects On WrestleMania Match Against Sami Zayn

Cody Rhodes Gives “BIG Props” to Brandi for AEW Detroit Debut

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is heading to Detroit, Michigan for the first time this summer.

AEW Dynamite and Rampage will take place from Detroits Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, June 29th.

The venue is the home arena of the Pistons (NBA) and Red Wings (NHL). It has a max capacity of over 18,000 fans, but maxes out around 14,000 for wrestling events.

According to WrestleTix, WWE Raw on March 12, 2018 sold 13,791 tickets. WWE’s most recent show there, a Super Show featuring John Cena last summer (August 1, 2021), sold 10,790 tickets.

Tickets for AEW’s Detroit debut go on sale Friday, March 11th at AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.

Cody Rhodes Reacts to AEW Detroit

Former AEW star Cody Rhodes commented on AEW heading to Detroit. He said it’s “very cool to see!” and congratulated his wife Brandi and AEW live event coordinator Rafael Morffi for “making Detroit finally happen.”

Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair Set for WrestleMania Saturday

Michael Reichlin
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Becky Lynch will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair at WrestleMania Saturday, also known as “Night 1” of WrestleMania 38. The news was first reported by Joey Hayden of the Dallas Morning News.

As the card for WrestleMania takes shape, WWE has begun announcing which matches will take place on which night.

We are less than 5 weeks away from WrestleMania weekend and only three matches have been signed for “the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history.” Expect additional match announcements to begin rolling out as soon as this week.

WrestleMania 38 Schedule

Here is the updated schedule for WrestleMania 38:

WrestleMania Saturday

  • Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair
  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey

WrestleMania Sunday

  • WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns (Winner Take All Unification Match)

Visit our official WrestleMania event hub for details on how to watch the event, rumored matches and more.

Sam Roberts’ SmackDown Appearance Came Together at the Last Minute

Michael Reichlin
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Sam Roberts made a surprise appearance on Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown.

Roberts interviewed The Usos backstage, and also spoke with Drew McIntyre for a digital exclusive segment.

On the latest episode of his NotSam Wrestling Podcast, Sammy Bran Muffins, now known as Sammy SmackDown, spoke about the experience.

As it turns out, the appearance came together on short notice. Sam got a call from an unnamed WWE employee late Friday afternoon asking if he could be in Hershey, PA by 7:30pm for SmackDown.

Roberts immediately started “map questing” if he could make it from Westchester, NY (where he lives) to Hershey, PA in time. He estimated he could be at the venue by 8:02pm local tim, when SmackDown would already be on the air for two minutes. The WWE employee told him, “Well just get in the car!”

“I mean, when I tell you that for three hours, every 10 seconds, I’m just glancing at the GPS, glancing at the gas take, glancing at the road to make sure that I don’t run over something and end up with a flat tire,” said Roberts. “I think it was the quickest three hour trip that I’ve ever been on because my mind was occupied the entire time. I was like one tense muscle driving the entire way to Hershey, Pennsylvania.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Roberts took care of business on SmackDown to the delight of fans on social media.

Eric Bischoff: “AEW Has To Grow Their Business. They Haven’t Thus Far.”

Michael Reichlin
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Eric Bischoff continues to be outspoken about All Elite Wrestling’s level of success.

The former WCW President has been critical about various aspects of AEW. He acknowledges they have amassed a “super loaded” roster, but doesn’t feel the company has realized its full potential.

On the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff explained what he believes are AEW’s shortcomings.

“AEW has to grow their business,” he began. “They haven’t thus far. Now they’re inching up since NXT is no longer head-to-head. Dynamite, they’re probably 10% or 12% some are estimating ahead of where they were this time last year. But they’re still having a hard time consistently breaking a million viewers. It’s up and down with a super-loaded roster.”

AEW Dynamite viewership has increased year-over-year. The viewership trend is positive since moving to TBS at the start of this year. That said, there is still significant room for improvement.

Appealing to a Wider Audience

Eric Bischoff Tony Khan
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff & AEW President Tony Khan

Bischoff’s critique is sensible. AEW has all the star power they need at this point. So, what will it take for AEW Dynamite viewership to 1.5 million viewers each week?

“At some point, they’re going to need a world champion, or two, a men’s champion and a women’s champion.. They’re going to need somebody that’s a legitimate larger than life star, not just physically, but larger than life to a broader audience.”

Bischoff says AEW and Turner might be satisfied with one million viewers each week. If they intend to draw viewership that rivals WWE Raw and SmackDown, they need to appeal to a wider audience.

“They’re going to need to focus on some larger than life type characters that are going to attract more than just the hardcore fanbase that they currently have.”

Eric Bischoff is a free agent who has appeared on WWE and AEW television in recent years. His most recent national TV appearance took place last month on SmackDown.

Eric Bischoff Critiques AEW

Here are some related articles covering Eric Bischoff’s comments about AEW:

Britt Baker on Her WWE Tryout & Dental School Leading Her to AEW

Michael Reichlin
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Britt Baker is one of the most successful women’s wrestlers in the world, but it was a long journey to the AEW Women’s World Championship.

If you haven’t heard, she’s also a dentist. Baker somehow maintains two successful careers. This is a testament to her work ethic and determination. As it turns out, her dental school education kept her from fulfilling her dream of joining WWE.

On the latest episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, Baker spoke to Chris Jericho about her hopes of signing with WWE several years ago

Baker had a tryout with the company and was in the same class as Lacey Evans. She felt confident WWE would offer her a contract, but her dental school education knocked those plans off course.

At the time of her WWE tryout, Canyon Ceman was a top executive in the talent development division. Baker described him as “the gatekeeper” who brought independent wrestlers on board to the company’s developmental system.

“He pulled me aside at the end of the tryout,” Baker recalls. “And he was like, ‘You know, you’ve just started dental school. As a father, I have a hard time pulling you from a professional degree.’ My heart dropped.”

Baker says she would have left dental school in a heartbeat if it meant she could join WWE. Looking back, she owes Ceman “the world” for not offering her a contract at the time.

“I would have left dental school in a heartbeat to go to WWE,” she said. “Because I was young, dumb, and I was like, ‘I’m going to be NXT Women’s Champion,’ like that would have got me far, right? He stayed in touch with me every few months after that. Like, ‘Let me know when you finish dental school, send me your matches.’ He always kept up with me.”

Ceman was released by WWE last year after nearly a decade with the company.

Britt Baker went on to join All Elite Wrestling in 2019. She captured the AEW Women’s World Championship at last year at Double or Nothing and is considered one of the most popular stars in the indsutry.

Baker defends the AEW Women’s champion against Thunder Rosa next weekend at AEW Revolution.

John Cena On Taking The WWE Approach To Promote Peacemaker

Anutosh Bajpai
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John Cena took a unique approach to promoting the Peacemaker series before its release. He decided to show up to all promotional events in his full costume.

The Cenation Leader recently had an interview with People. He discussed things such as the potential of a crossover between Peacemaker and The Rock’s Black Adam.

Speaking of his promotional tactic for Peacemaker, Cena claimed that it was very similar to the approach he took with his character as a full time WWE performer:

“I just wanted to try to familiarize the audience with my little piece, pun intended.” said the 16 time world champion. “It’s very similar to the approach that I use with the WWE when I was performing full-time there.

I would be in all interviews in the John Cena outfit of a ball cap, T-shirt, shorts and wristbands. People began to associate that character and become familiar with that character. That’s just the same approach I used in Peacemaker.”

The former world champion discussed how a lot of people may shy away from the approach because it’s not indicative of who they are.

John claimed that he just wanted the audience to become familiar with Peacemaker. As a testimony to his success, he mentioned how people were already cosplaying the character when they released a teaser for it at San Diego Comic-Con.

Pat McAfee Responds To Reports Of Vince McMahon Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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There have been wild rumors going around about the upcoming WrestleMania 38 PPV event. One of them is that Vince McMahon himself is going to be involved in a Mania program with Pat McAfee.

The former NFL player is not unaware of this chatter either. He recently posted a video of his previous wrestling performances on Twitter and claimed that whatever he is a part of, it’s going to be a banger:

“You all seem to know A LOT more abaht what I’m up to than me.. I’m excited to see what happens at this point as well. WrestleMania chatter is WILD right now. Just a reminder..If you think imma be a part of something that isn’t a BANGER… you’re AHT of your damn mind” wrote McAfee

https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1498051767900282880

The reports of Mr McMahon getting involved in a WrestleMania program first came out last week. At the time it wasn’t clear whether he would actually be wrestling a match.

More details on the plans for this feud have come to light since. It suggests that while a match may actually take place, we will most likely not see the boss taking on Pat McAfee directly.

Vince McMahon is scheduled to make an appearance at McAfee’s podcast this Thursday. We should get a better idea for the direction of this feud on the show.

Keith Lee On His Immediate Reaction To WWE Release

Anutosh Bajpai
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A lot of people would panic upon receiving the news of getting fired from their jobs. Though according to Keith Lee, it wasn’t the case when he heard about his WWE release.

The AEW star recently had an interview with Busted Open Radio. He discussed things such as his debut for Tony Khan’s promotion and more.

Discussing his reaction to the news of his release, Lee claimed that he was very calm. He said that he had confidence that he will figure out what he needed to do:

“I think that when it happened, I was extremely calm, don’t think that it was because I had any sort of plan. It was more so that I had a lot of confidence,

And even with sudden changes occurring and things of that sort,” said Keith Lee, “I was confident that one way or another, I would figure out what I needed to do to move forward and continue doing what I love to do.”

The former NXT champion also discussed how he didn’t have a plan for his future because his interaction with people backstage in WWE were all very positive.

Keith Lee was released from his WWE contract in November last year. He made his debut for AEW during the February 9 episode of Dynamite.

Tony Khan Was “Stunned” When Keith Lee Hit Free Agency

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the quotes

Announced Revolution Match Was Reportedly Altered Last Minute

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

AEW announced a couple of new matches for the Revolution PPV during the latest episode of Rampage. One of them was a tornado trios match.

The company revealed that Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo, and Isaiah Kassidy will be teaming up to go up against the team of Sting, Darby Allin, and TNT Champion Sammy Guevara.

However, Fightful is reporting that this wasn’t the original idea for the bout and the plans for this announced Revolution match were changed last minute.

According to the site, the match was originally going to be a regular tag team match. It would have seen Matt Hardy teaming with Andrade to face Sting & Darby Allin

There is no clear reason why Guevara and Kassidy were added to the bout. It’s possible that they didn’t want a current champion to miss the show.

AEW has announced a total of 9 matches for the upcoming Revolution PPV so far. This includes Adam Page defending the world title against Adam Cole.

Other matches for the show include the Face Of The Revolution ladder match and a dog collar match between CM Punk and MJF.

You can check out the match card and broadcasting details for the PPV here.

John Cena On Potential Crossover Between Peacemaker And The Rock’s Black Adam

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

James Gunn is known to take relatively unknown characters and make them mainstream names. John Cena’s peacemaker is the latest example of it.

Now that the Peacemaker series has created a buzz, people wonder if we are going to see him cross over with The Rock’s Black Adam.

When asked about it in an interview with People, Cena claimed that it would be an honor. Though he mentioned how it’s not his choice to make:

“I’ll say the same thing every time with possibilities in the sort of universe… it would be an honor and a privilege to be able to perform with him.

I think there still is a passionate marketplace that wants to see him in.” said John Cena, “But I’m sorry, man, that’s just not my choice so I don’t know. It’s so far beyond me. It’s beyond what I’m able to control.”

The 16-time world champion also discussed the success of the Peacemaker web series. The show broke the record for the biggest single-day release for an HBO Max original.

Peacemaker has been renewed for a second season. Cena mentioned how making the show was a balancing act and admitted that its success is a tremendous feeling.

Eric Bischoff Says AEW Needs A ‘Legitimate’ Larger Than Life Star

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

While AEW has done a great job building up their day 1 talents into recognizable wrestling names, many believe they have yet to create a megastar. Eric Bischoff believes that they need a legitimate larger-than-life character if they want to take their programming to the next level.

The former WCW president talked about this during the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. He mentioned that AEW has seen a 10-12% increase in audience since NXT moved to Tuesday nights.

However, Eric Bischoff discussed how the company is still struggling to get over the million viewers mark consistently. He claimed that AEW will need a star who can appeal to broader audience if they want to grow further:

“They’re going to need somebody that’s a legitimate larger than life star, not just physically, but larger than life to a broader audience. Or they’re going to have to accept the fact that AEW is basically a million viewers a week tops.”

Eric Bischoff later said that this won’t really matter if TBS is happy with the rating and if AEW officials are happy with their spot as well.

Although if they want to push similar ratings to Monday Night Raw, then they have to focus on some larger-than-life characters and attract more than just the hardcore fans.

Eric Bishcoff Says He Is Getting Surgery

Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the quotes

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