Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti love their loyal fans but brush off the “fake people.”
Sammy and Tay were beloved by AEW fans but ever since being together, the two have basically become heels. They aren’t afraid to lean into it either as they’ve been rather braggadocious in the past few weeks.
A Message To Haters
During an interview with Brandon Walker of Rasslin‘, Sammy Guevara said those who boo him and Tay Conti are exposing themselves.
“I think the fake people expose themselves for being fake. The real people are still there. Our core audience, the people who’ve always supported us still support us.”
Tay also expressed her belief that the haters are lashing out for no good reason.
“I mean, we did nothing wrong for people to hate us. That’s what I’m saying, like why would they hate us?”
Of course, throughout the interview, Sammy and Tay continued to play things up with their relationship.
Sammy was then asked about his memorable ladder match with Cody Rhodes at Beach Break back in January. Guevara had the highlight reel spot when he landed a cutter off the top of a ladder.
Sammy admitted that he was feeling the effects of the landing.
“No [he wasn’t intimidated by the spot], I just hoped that it was going to work out, and then when I jumped off the ladder, I thought in midair, ‘holy sh*t I jumped way higher than I thought I was gonna get.’ Then we got here and I was like, ‘oh, it’s working out.’ When we landed though, I was like, ‘I regret this now.'”
Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article
Maki Itoh is teasing that her next match will take place in the United States.
The self-proclaimed Cutest Wrestler in the World is the reigning International Princess Champion for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. She tweeted on Sunday that she’s returning to the US soon.
Itoh wrestled a handful of matches for All Elite Wrestling in 2021. At AEW Revolution 2021, Maki Itoh teamed with Dr. Britt Baker against the team Thunder Rosa and Riho.
This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Britt Baker will battle a mystery opponent in the quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament.
The timing of Maki Itoh’s announcement about returning to the US has some fans speculating that she will be revealed as Baker’s opponent at ‘Wild Card Wednesday.’
Back in January, Maki Itoh vowed to return to AEW. After winning the International Princess Championship, she said, “With this belt, Ito will definitely go to AEW! And I’ll fight Thunder Rosa one more time. And Ito will definitely win!”
She added, “There are many, many more attractive people in the world. So Ito wants to beat them one by one with this belt.”
Thunder Rosa, who currently holds the AEW Women’s World Championship, welcomed another opportunity to share the ring with Maki Itoh.
I was actually thinking the opposite. FOR THE RECORD, I BEAT YOU FOR THAT CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE and I will again! 2. @maki_itoh you must be out of your freaking mind if you think you can defeat me. Bitch is open season!Ass whippings are giving for free at @AEW get in line…???? https://t.co/w2Kdq5yNns
Ric Flair will indeed be walking down the aisle for a wrestling match one more time.
Starrcast has announced that Flair will end the month of July with the final match of his pro wrestling career. He’ll be in action on July 31 inside the Nashville Fairgrounds. An opponent has not been revealed at this time.
The event will be airing live on FITE TV. Tickets go on sale on May 27.
Flair had been teasing making a comeback by releasing a couple of videos capturing his training sessions with AEW star Jay Lethal.
“I’m going to walk that aisle, one last time to prove once and for all, that to be the Man, you’ve got to beat the Man.”
– Ric Flair
Ric Flair’s Last Match
In a press release sent in to SEScoops, Starrcast provides the official details:
“On July 31st, at 6:05pm EDT, ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, who many consider the greatest professional wrestler of all-time, is set to return to the ring, one final time, as part of ‘Jim Crockett Promotions Presents: Ric Flair’s Last Match’ wrestling event.”
“Taking place at the world famous Nashville Fairgrounds, the 16-time former World Heavyweight Champion will don a new custom-made robe and bring the one-of-a-kind showmanship that has made Flair a cultural icon for his over-40 years in the professional wrestling business.”
Tickets for Ric Flair’s Last Match go on sale next Friday, May 27th at RicFlairsLastMatch.com.
Here’s the official hype video for Ric Flair’s Last Match:
Shane “Swerve” Strickland recently joined the Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss the short-lived Lucha Underground promotion.
The AEW star worked under a mask during his LU days as Killshot, a troubled war-veteran whose haunted past confronts him inside the squared circle. The former NXT North American champion recalls coming up with the character, and how he it differed from the tone of the other lucha characters on the show.
“I came up with Killshot, a military character and all the stuff. I’m a Metal Gear Solid fan, so I put some espionage in there. I was writing my character to be able to interact with other characters, and they liked that, so they took all of it and formed something. People really gravitated towards that character because it was a person. A lot of the characters were Mayan, Aztecan [monsters] – it was very fantasy. It was cool, but I was like, ‘I have to do something to be different over here.’ The same with my wrestling style.”
Much like AEW Lucha Underground gave talent a good amount of creative control, something Swerve very much appreciated, even when it proved to become difficult for a taped product.
“That was another place where the creativity just flowed. They were so open to ideas. It was a little tricky because they can’t modify or change too much direction because it was written seasonally. So, if like, ‘We want this but this person is getting over, we already shot the scenes for this and that.’ You shot like a three-month block from March to June, and say this character is getting over in December, oh well. Gotta catch you in the next season. That was the only tricky part about that.”
Despite growing in popularity Lucha Underground eventually folded in 2018 after being on El Rey Network for four years. A big reason Swerve believes the run was short-lived was because the studio didn’t want to spend the money to grow it.
“It was growing in popularity, but I don’t feel like the studio wanted to grow along with it. They didn’t want to spend the money to grow it. We should have been touring with that roster. You can’t see those characters anywhere else. I feel like merchandising, they didn’t want to spend the money on that.”
While Lucha Underground is no longer active Major League Wrestling did revive the company’s spirit by introducing their Azteca Underground brand, which is run by Cesar Duran, also known as the former host of the LU temple, Dario Cueto. Many stars from the promotion continue to make waves in the wrestling industry throughout WWE, AEW, IMPACT, and NJPW.
Swerve’s Killshot was a big hit with LU fans, with his Weapons of Mass Destruction showdown against company rival AR Fox being a marquee bout that many still talk about until this day.
One WWE Hall of Famer doesn’t want to hear anything negative about Roman Reigns taking fewer dates.
Reigns has cemented himself as WWE’s biggest attraction. Ever since going heel back in 2020 and forming The Bloodline, the “Tribal Chief” has widely been considered one of the best acts in wrestling.
At the height of his popularity, Reigns has decided to scale things back a bit. He reportedly signed a new deal with WWE to reduce his schedule.
Reigns won’t be working nearly as many house show dates as he had been and currently isn’t scheduled for the June 5 Hell in a Cell premium live event.
Booker T Comes To Roman Reigns’ Defense
Booker T took to his Hall of Fame podcast to criticize fans who complain about Reigns potentially being a “part-timer” (h/t 411Mania.com).
“It’s hard to make people happy, so I don’t think you should think about what people want in certain aspects, especially as far as this goes. For one moment, people are talking about wrestler’s work too damn much.
“And now, he’s gone to take some time off, they say he’s just a part-timer. Which one is it? You can’t have both. For me, as a promoter, if I can protect Roman Reigns and preserve him because he is a guy that I feel is a high marquee guy for the company, why wouldn’t I do that?
“As far as that guys, I don’t really care what people think as far as him being a part-timer.”
Despite Booker’s rant, the general consensus seems to be that Reigns deserves the new terms of his deal. He’s quite valuable to WWE and was able to tip the scales in his favor.
Approaching the age of 37 next week and having young kids, Reigns likely wants to spend more time with his family.
Booker went on to say that he’s unsure if WWE fans will turn on the “Head of the Table” once he starts appearing less often.
“You know what, they probably would because there again, the fans, a lot of times, they want what they want. Then again, maybe they won’t. Maybe WWE fans are different.
“Cody Rhodes, they hated him going out of AEW, and now they seem to love Cody Rhodes. With fans, it may just be a few thinking that way, but sometimes, the masses look huge these days when you see people on social media commenting.
“If Roman takes some time off, damn it, he deserves it. He deserves it. Bottom line.”
Since then, Hardy left WWE and joined AEW, where he’d have more creative freedom to explore Willow in a new environment.
Jeff Hardy Bringing Willow to AEW?
On the latest episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Jeff Hardy was asked if we could see Willow in All Elite Wrestling.
The Charismatic Enigma says, “Yes, of course there is” a chance Willow could appear in AEW. He scoffed at the idea of Willow being aligned with the House of Black, but assured fans that Willow is a part of him.
“When he comes out to play, he comes out and it’s going to be exciting.”
– Jeff Hardy on Willow in AEW
Jeff Hardy joined AEW back in March. Since then, he’s reunited with his brother and the Hardys are now gearing up for a feud with the Young Bucks. The teams are expected to square off at the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view later this month.
You can listen to Jeff Hardy on the AEW Unrestricted podcast:
Retired Japanese pro-wrestler Yu Ishino (fka Kagetsu) has come out as transgender and spoken about his experience transitioning.
Ishino is best known for his time competing for STARDOM, where he is a former World of STARDOM Champion, capturing the title in 2018 from Toni Storm.
In a YouTube video, Ishino came out as a transgender male and spoke about his experiences.
“I underwent the surgery and now I am living as a man … I feel like a 14-year-old boy (because everything is still so very new), but I hope moving forward, I’ll still have your support as I try new things.”
Yu Ishino
Ishino was happy to show off his “tiny little chin beard,” and said that he will be leaving the Kagetsu name behind.
“I know how beloved the name Kagetsu is, but with this video, I would like to put that name to rest.”
Outside of his native Japan, Ishino competed for CHIKARA in 2012 and Ring of Honor in 2018.
Ishino retired in 2020 and faced NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura in his last match, but returned to the ring for last year’s Hana Kimura Memorial Show.
WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has thrown his weight behind The Rock should “The Brahma Bull” ever run for President of the United States.
While best known for his career in the ring and in Hollywood, The Rock has said he is seriously considering a political career, calling it a “real possibility” in 2017.
More recently, “The Great One” has said he has done research into a potential run for President of the United States of America.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan has some unfortunate news to share but perhaps he’s avoided disaster once more.
The WWE legend underwent emergency surgery after being diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2021. Following surgery, Hacksaw was able to reveal that he was cancer-free.
Unfortunately, his cancer has returned but thankfully there is some optimism.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan Update
In a new video posted on social media over the weekend, Hacksaw Jim Duggan broke the news but luckily, doctors were able to diagnose him quickly.
“Hi, folks, I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos of our travels. We’ve been having a great time. But reality is here and I’m afraid I have some bad news. It seems like my cancer treatment is not over even after the removal of my prostate last October.
“Tomorrow, I’m having my second hormone shot and Tuesday, I’m being set up for radiation treatment, which will be eight weeks, five days a week. The doctors are very optimistic that they caught it early.”
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CdlyRdvJyEw/
Duggan continue, “But still, it’s a very terrifying time for me and my family. The doctors also said to go ahead and live life, which we’re going to do. I’m going to make most shows, but some shows, I’m gonna have to postpone or cancel and I’m sorry about that, but that’s the way it’s got to be. I’ll be posting this whole ordeal as I go through it.
“So tomorrow on the way to the doctor to get the hormone shots. I’m going to be posting that after the shots. I’ll be posting throughout the whole experience. Hopefully, it will help someone out there because I know a lot of men, a lot of families, are going to go through this. I know it’s going to help me.
“You folks have helped me through an awful awful lot over the years many times before and sharing this with you is going to help me get through this. So thank you, and please don’t feel sorry for me. Be thankful that they caught it early. Thoughts and prayers are more than welcome and remember, I’ll get through this.
“Thanks very much, folks.”
SEScoops wishes Hacksaw Jim Duggan thoughts and prayers during this next chapter of his cancer battle.
There are some new details regarding the situation with MJF and AEW.
It’s clear that MJF is poised to be the hottest thing in pro wrestling when 2024 rolls around. As it is, he’s one of the top heels in the business and his stock continues to soar.
Of course, 2024 is important because that’s when MJF’s contract with AEW expires.
Latest On MJF & Tony Khan
Will Washington of Fightful recently claimed that the issue at hand with MJF and AEW President Tony Khan has to do with a contract extension. He claims that the word is that MJF wants more money but Khan isn’t willing to fulfill his request if his top heel won’t sign an extension.
Furthermore, Will claims that not many within AEW are taking MJF’s side on the matter because they feel he must honor the original agreement.
It’s important to note that someone could very well be feeding one-sided information to put pressure on MJF. After all, if things aren’t going someone’s way, it’s easy to put out something negative on the person who won’t cooperate.
It isn’t difficult to understand why MJF would want more money. He’s definitely exceeded the value of his 2019 deal. With that said, if he truly wants more money yet doesn’t want to sign on beyond 2024, you can see why AEW wouldn’t want to do that.
Since signing his initial AEW deal, MJF has seen the likes of Bryan Danielson and CM Punk get big money contracts.
Social media has already been abuzz with AEW fanboys and detractors chiming in. The fanboys are roasting MJF, while the detractors are buttering him up in hopes that he’ll make the jump to WWE.
One former WCW personality is hoping that Ric Flair doesn’t go through with plans to return to in-ring action.
Flair, who is 73 years old, has been pushing to get inside the squared circle once again. He’s posted a couple of training videos with Jay Lethal where he’s actually taking bumps inside the ring.
Ric Flair To Be Blocked From Returning?
This has left some concerned including former WCW announcer Chris Cruise.
In a lengthy statement on social media, Cruise revealed an email he sent to the Maryland State Athletic Commission urging them to refuse Ric Flair a license to wrestle:
“Hey you rubes, I screw around here a lot, but this is serious: Ric Flair should not be allowed to wrestle. Some reports indicate he has been working out with Jay Lethal in preparation to returning to the ring. He can’t be stopped from doing so in states that don’t have athletic commissions and licensing protocols, but insurance companies can step in and refuse to issue a bond to a promotion that books him. And for those states that do have commissions, they should be contacted to demand that they not allow Flair to wrestle. Simply put, Ric Flair returning to the ring is not wise. No how, no way. He’s 73, in poor health, an alcoholic, and has a pacemaker installed.
“Today I emailed the following to the Maryland State Athletic Commission, since I live in Maryland, and will contact other commissions as well. I would encourage you to also email the commission ([email protected]) and urge its members to deny Flair a license. It won’t take long, and could help keep Flair alive. Here is the email I sent:
‘To the Commissioners of the Maryland State Athletic Commission:
‘Recently, published reports indicate the professional wrestler known as Ric Flair, who is 73 and has a pacemaker, is considering returning to the ring. Obviously, that is not wise. It’s almost as if he wants to die in the ring.
‘I am writing as a citizen of Maryland to express my concern about the prospect of Mr. Fleihr being granted a license to wrestle in this state. I’m sure you understand how disastrous it would be for the Commission if he died in the ring during a performance for which you granted him a license.
‘I’d like to know what standards the Commission has for granting a license to a professional wrestler. Is a physical examination required? Are athletes over 70 and who have a pacemaker installed allowed to wrestle professionally in Maryland?
‘I look forward to your reply.'”
Flair is rumored to be gearing up for a tag team match that would see him paired with FTR to take on The Rock ‘n Roll Express and a mystery partner. Once again, this is only a rumor.
WWE Hall of Famer Edge changed up his haircut recently, but only because he was allowed to by the promotion.
On the post-WrestleMania Backlash Raw, Edge debuted his new shorter hairdo in a segment where The Judgment Day accepted Rhea Ripley as their newest member.
According to a new report from Fightful, WWE has a specific list of Superstars who are allowed to change their hair in a noticeable way.
In addition to Edge, Becky Lynch is allowed to change her hair, as fans saw during the build-up to WrestleMania 38.
On the March 28, 2022, edition of Raw, Bianca Belair cut Lynch’s hair during an in-ring brawl and “Big Time Becks” has been working with a new haircut ever since.
The full list of talent who are allowed to change their hair is as follow:
Raw
AJ Styles
Bobby Lashley
Cody Rhodes
Damian Priest
Dolph Ziggler
Edge
Finn Balor
Kevin Owens
The Miz
Randy Orton
Riddle
Seth Rollins
SmackDown
Drew McIntyre
Happy Corbin
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Kofi Kingston
Madcap Moss
Paul Heyman
Ricochet
Roman Reigns
Sami Zayn
Sheamus
Xavier Woods
Fightful adds that while United States Champion Theory isn’t on the list, he can often be found getting a new style backstage at Raw tapings.
Chris Jericho making his entrance to the ring has a tradition associated with it – fans singing along to the Fozzy song “Judas.” The song from Jericho’s rock band is from their 2017 album of the same name. He’s used this song as his entrance theme ever since he started appearing in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2017.
But even after turning heel, Jericho hasn’t changed the song as most wrestlers do. Since fans sing along to his entrance song and that is considered a positive interaction between the wrestler and fans, most wrestlers in place of Jericho would opt to change the theme.
But Jericho says that fans singing along to “Judas” during his entrance is too special to be taken away. According to him, it transcends being a good or a bad guy.
Speaking to Spin, Jericho said that “Judas” became a hit as soon as it came out. Jericho admitted that he has no idea why people liked the song so much. He decided to use the song for his entrance in NJPW and realized it makes for a pretty mean theme song.
“Well, the thing about ‘Judas’ is, it was a hit before I started using it [as entrance music], right out of the gate,” Jericho said. “We did the video, it did 1 million views in a week. Why? I don’t know. Whatever reason, people gravitated toward that song. That’s why I started using it as my ring music.
“I needed a new song because I had switched from WWE to New Japan [Pro Wrestling],” Jericho continued. “I thought, well, let me use “Judas,” and maybe there’ll be a promoter who hears the song and brings us over to Japan. Then I realized, this is a great entrance song!”
When he turned heel in AEW, Jericho thought about changing the song. But even Tony Khan agreed that this would be taking away a cool moment that they consider part of their presentation, and decided against it.
“So, when AEW started, I brought “Judas” over there, and then it became part of the show,” Jericho noted. “For whatever reason, people just felt a real inspiration from that song and wanted to sing it as I came to the ring. Now, I did just change my character, I went from being a good guy to being a bad guy. We thought about not using “Judas” anymore. But then I thought, why? Why change it? And my boss [AEW president Tony Khan] agreed because we have a very unique, very cool moment in our AEW presentation, in that people love singing this song.”
“As a bad guy I could take it away, but then you’re losing this really special moment. People singing “Judas” transcends being a good guy or a bad guy in AEW, it’s just something cool that’s part of the show. It’s like going to a KISS concert and they don’t play “Rock and Roll All Nite” because they’re trying to be creative. It’s like, f*ck, we don’t care, that’s the song we want to hear!”
Chris Jericho wanted to form a stable with Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. Read about that scoop here.
Freddie Prinze Jr. seems to be going ahead with his plans for starting his new wrestling promotion.
Prinze has experience in the pro wrestling industry. He entered the WWE from the world of Hollywood and worked behind the scenes at the company in the creative department. He even had a confrontation with John Cena.
Earlier this month, Prinze revealed his plans for his new promotion. He wants to have it up and running in 18 months and wants a two-hour show for it.
Now, Freddie Prinze Jr. went into detail about his process in starting the promotion while appearing on the Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw podcast. Prinze revealed that he’s not looking for a TV deal for his wrestling company in the initial years (as transcribed by WrestlingNews.co):
“My philosophy is this. There’s over 200 dramas on television. There’s over 150 comedies on television, there’s over 400 reality TV shows on television, and there’s three wrestling shows. So there’s tons more room but my plan is a little different. I’m not looking for a TV deal, at first. I want to have a couple of years where we’re still filming everything. But I need time to fail.”
Prinze noted that he’s a year and a half away from his promotion being fully ready. He wants to take his time with it. He even wants his show to be associated with the Screen Actors Guild, with his wrestlers getting all the benefits from it like insurance and retirement.
“I’m about a year and a half away from being fully ready to go. But I want to take my time with it. And then once we’re ready to go, I want to have a fully SAG show. And that year and a half gives me a time for all my wrestlers in my roster to get vouchered so that when we do go, it can be a SAG show. My wrestlers are gonna have insurance, retirement, and everything that comes with the Screen Actors Guild.
“I assure you, it’s not all good [because] there’s a lot of BS with our union as well. But it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time. I don’t know how far down the goal line I’ll get. But I’m going as far as I can go. And if I fail, I don’t care, man, I’m still going all the way,” Prinze explained.
Since running your own promotion and having its own TV show is no small task, Prinze is seeking advice from his contacts in Hollywood. Prinze said that he’s been asking a lot of questions to people relevant in Hollywood and also in the wrestling business.
Prinze revealed that he even asked Cody Rhodes for advice, who served as the executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling as well as a wrestler:
“I asked a lot of questions to a lot of people and I’ve been asking a lot of wrestlers as well and people who have built things you know, I spoke to Cody. And I’ve spoken to Cody multiple times. So it’s a lot to learn, but I feel like I’m going slow and steady and I’m learning it the right way.”
Freddie Prinze Jr. has said before that he is not looking for his promotion to be in competition with WWE or AEW. He has also asked for input on a name for the promotion.
Wrestling legend Ric Flair has been back in the ring as of late. The 73-year-old Hall of Famer is taking bumps and showing fans that he can still “go.”
He isn’t just hitting the ropes for old time’s sake. Ric Flair is reportedly training for an in-ring return, despite his advanced age and recent health issues.
Flair has been training with former ROH World Champion and AEW star, Jay Lethal.
Ric Flair’s Return to the Ring
The word going around is that Ric Flair will compete in a 6-man tag team match that would see him aligned with FTR. Their opponents would be The Rock ‘n Roll Express and a mystery partner.
Whether or not this match ever comes together remains to be seen. There are several ways where this plan could fizzle out, including Flair’s health and the ‘business’ side of the equation. At this stage, this should be considered a rumor – but it’s definitely being talked about amongst people in the industry.
Ric Flair retired back in 2008 when he lost to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24. He’d go on to wrestle several more times, including the “Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin” tour of Australia in November 2009 and for Impact Wrestling (2011). Flair made several wrestling appearances last year, including for WWE, AAA and the NWA.
Say what you want about Ric Flair, and there’s a lot to say, but he shows no signs of slowing down. The man who was once known as the Dirtiest Player in the Game remains one of the sport’s most talked about figures.
Pro-wrestling fans show constant support and allegiance to what they love and hate. One of the best things about wrestling is the interaction between fans and wrestlers. Unlike any other sport, wrestlers directly address the crowd for not only their support, but their hate too, and heels diss their audience and fans which is considered entertaining.
However, some fans can get too excited, and in some cases, end up doing things like getting into a verbal altercation with wrestlers.
But in a recent Third Anniversary show by Intense Wrestling Entertainment (IWE Pro-Wrestling) on Saturday, May 14, in Augusta, Georgia, a fan got physical with independent wrestler Joe Black.
Black, who was defending his IWE Championship against Anthony Henry, appears to flip off a hat from a fan’s head, who is sitting behind the barricade. The fan then gets up and headbutts Black, to which Black responds with multiple punches on the fan’s head and back.
Referees and security try to break up the fight as attendees yell to throw the fan out of the building.
Fans attending the show say that the man who attacked Black is not part of a work. He was not involved in any story with Black, sitting in the audience and waiting for the wrestler to come out so he can play his part. This was a real attack on a heel wrestler, who was just playing the role of a bad guy.
It is not known if any legal action was taken or if the problem escalated.
IWE said that the promotion’s personnel will address what happened at their show.
“An unfortunate event happened at the show tonight which will be addressed by IWE personnel. We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and apologize for any inconveniences that may have occurred,” IWE posted on their Twitter.
Video taken of the incident by an attendee is doing the rounds on social media, and it’s frightening to see how quickly everything took place.
Many people online were defending Black, saying that he was just playing up his heel persona and there was no need for a fan to put his hands on a wrestler for doing his job. Some were of the opposite opinion, believing that Black shouldn’t have incited the man.
— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) May 14, 2022
Bliss’ return to WWE
After weeks of therapy sessions removing the supernatural aspects of her character, Bliss returned as that character in the 2022 Women’s Elimination Chamber match.
Despite being one of the most popular female Superstars in recent years, Alexa Bliss has had a strange time as of late.
After a lengthy absence, Bliss returned in January, appearing in a series of therapy segments that seemed to end her supernatural character.
Competing at the 2022 Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, Bliss returned to that character and was reportedly frustrated with the lack of creative direction for her.
Juice Robinson is now a three-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.
The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was at stake in the main event of NJPW Capital Collision.
Hiroshi Tanahashi was the titleholder going into the event. He put the gold on the line against Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay, and Juice Robinson in a four-way match.
The action was held inside the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
The match ended in controversy as Juice hit a low blow on Ospreay and landed his finisher for the three-count. The real controversy wasn’t in the low blow, as this four-way match was No DQ.
Ospreay seemingly had his foot under the rope but the referee never noticed. It’s yet another Ospreay match that ends with more questions than answers.
Lio Rush is back and he’s ready to take the NJPW junior heavyweight division by storm.
Just before the co-main event of NJPW Capital Collision in Washington, Rush made his way to the ring in a surprise appearance.
Rush addressed the crowd in DC and admitted he is not medically cleared to compete. With that said, he made it clear that he’ll eventually be good to go.
When he does return, he’ll compete in the junior heavyweight division.
Lio Rush stuck around and did commentary for the tag team match between Kazuchika Okada and Rocky Romero vs. Jay White and Hikuleo.
Ronda Rousey may be defending the ‘SmackDown Championship’ from now on, following some unique verbiage on last night’s SmackDown.
At WrestleMania Backlash, Rousey captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Charlotte Flair in an “I Quit” match.
During this week’s episode of the blue brand, Rousey referred to herself as the ‘SmackDown Champion,’ and issued an open challenge for the ‘SmackDown Championship.’
The term was also used on commentary by Pat McAfee.
This isn’t the first time Rousey has used this term, as in the run-up to WrestleMania 38, the former UFC fighter vowed to become the SmackDown Champion.
“You can call me your new Women’s SmackDown Champion. SmackDown Women’s Champion? Why do we even say ‘women’ in it anyway? You can call me the SmackDown Champion!”
Ronda Rousey
Both Michael Cole and ring announcer Samantha Irvin referred to Rousey as the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
There’s been no confirmation of the new name, as WWE.com refers to the title as the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Who’s next in line?
Rousey defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Raquel Rodriguez on this week’s WWE SmackDown.
With Charlotte Flair out of action, for the time being, it remains to be seen who will be next to challenge the Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Last night’s match with Raquel Rodriguez was undoubtedly impressive, but with Rodriguez losing, it’s unlikely she’ll be feuding with Rousey at this time.
Removing Flair, Rodriguez, and current Tag Team Champions Naomi and Sasha Banks leaves five SmackDown Superstars eligible for the Hot Rod.
Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Xia Li, Shotzi, and Aliyah could all be the next opponent for the former UFC fighter.
Booker T Praises Ronda Rousey for her Work With Charlotte Flair (May 2022)
Capital Collision will take place inside the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. This card is heavily stacked and will feature a four-way match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Titleholder Hiroshi Tanahashi will defend against Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay, and Juice Robinson.
We’ve also got Tomohiro Ishii taking on AEW star Eddie Kingston. Another AEW wrestler, Brody King, will be in action as he meets Minoru Suzuki.
“Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada will be in tag team action tonight. He’ll be joined by Rocky Romero to take on Jay White and Hikuleo. Trent Beretta was supposed to team with Okada but he was forced off the card due to COVID-19.
The action starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on FITE TV in the United States. Keep refreshing this page for live quick results below:
Karl Fredericks def. Ren Narita. After the match, QT Marshall and The Factory attacked Fredericks.
Team Filthy (Danny Limelight, Jorel Nelson, JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor) def. David Finlay, Fred Rosser, The DKC, Tanga Loa & Yuya Uemura
Chase Owens def. Great-O-Khan
TMDK (JONAH, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) & Bad Dude Tito def. United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
Brody King def. Minoru Suzuki
Tomohiro Ishii def. Eddie Kingston
Bullet Club (Hikuleo & Jay White) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Trent Beretta)
Juice Robinson def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c), Jon Moxley, and Will Ospreay – for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
MJF has been the talk of the town and in 2024, he’ll be the biggest story in wrestling.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a top heel in AEW and even though he’s a star now, the 26-year-old hasn’t even scratched the surface. Many see Plainview’s finest as a major player in the industry for years to come.
While AEW has its golden goose for now, things could change in 2024. That’s when MJF’s contract with the company will expire. Reports have claimed that MJF is a bit unhappy with Tony Khan after a chat regarding taking media interviews without permission.
While that ultimately could turn out to be nothing, Maxwell has teased testing the market both on and off-air. It’s left many wondering if MJF will be making the big jump to WWE.
If he does, here are five WWE superstars who would be perfect opponents for him:
The Miz
(via WWE)
You knew this was coming, so might as well get it out of the way now. If WWE signs MJF, he’s bound to have a program with The Miz. Wrestling fans have long made comparisons between the two.
It makes sense. After all, both characters have a sense of entitlement, enjoy the finer things in life, and think they’re better than everyone else.
Heck, CM Punk even referred to MJF as a “less famous Miz” during their AEW feud.
MJF and The Miz have actually exchanged pleasantries. Back in late 2021, Maxwell appeared on SiriusXM’s Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha and he expressed his belief that Miz is “tremendous” as a performer.
Miz returned the favor, telling Peter Rosenberg that MJF is no copycat. Miz also said he feels MJF has done a great job in a short period of time.
Kevin Owens
(via WWE)
When you think of Kevin Owens, you don’t think of the prototypical WWE superstar.
KO is so good that he ended up being a Swiss army knife for Vince McMahon’s empire. You can put Owens in any role and he’s going to succeed.
For a feud with MJF to work, however, there’s no doubt that Owens will have to play the babyface role. Maxwell would thrive in this situation being the snotty, rich brat running down the hardworking Owens who was never meant to grace the cover of GQ Magazine.
As a heel, Owens has a way of making the audience hate him. As a face, he’ll make the WWE Universe love him. He’d be the perfect good guy in this feud.
This would be a home run.
John Cena
(via WWE)
This one is a bit tougher to pull off since John Cena is a busy man these days with Hollywood.
With that said, this would be a fantastic rivalry.
When you think back to Cena’s feuds with the likes of AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and others, he always brought straight heat on the mic. He and MJF would have some memorable verbal battles and the match would also likely deliver.
As he proved during his rivalry with Styles, Cena does a great job handling programs with stars who had been established in another promotion. He knows how to hit close to home with his words and sell the audience on the significance of the match.
If MJF ends up in WWE and Cena’s schedule allows for it, this match is a must.
Roman Reigns
Photo: WWE.com
Roman Reigns is easily the top star in WWE today.
Ever since transitioning to his “Tribal Chief” character, his stock has soared. Reigns has been such a dominant force that he’s running out of legit contenders on TV.
If MJF enters WWE and feuds with Reigns, fans will get the added bonus of witnessing Maxwell and Paul Heyman go at it on the mic. Much like Cena, Heyman knows how to make things more personal and he’d likely do the same for an MJF-Reigns storyline.
The idea behind Reigns’ character is that he thinks he’s in “God Mode.” All of the opposition are supposed to fear him but MJF is quick-witted and would greatly challenge the “Head of the Table” in promo battles.
The question is, will Roman Reigns be around in 2024 if MJF makes the jump?
Reigns has signed a new deal to take fewer dates and some question whether or not he’ll be on his way out of WWE sooner rather than later should Hollywood come calling.
Cody Rhodes
This one is a no-brainer.
There is simply too much history between MJF and Cody Rhodes to ignore. The two had been booked as best friends on AEW TV until Maxwell turned on Cody by booting him in the nether regions.
The two ultimately collided at the AEW Revolution PPV back in Feb. 2020. MJF emerged victorious, putting an end to their rivalry although it definitely felt like there was some unfinished business that would be addressed after some time passed.
Cody made the shocking jump to WWE at WrestleMania 38 back in April. For WWE to book a high-profile feud with two of AEW’s golden boys would probably be a huge feather in the cap of company officials.
There’s no doubt Cody would push for this to happen if WWE snags MJF and he’d likely get his wish.
Pro-wrestling legend Virgil has fallen on hard times.
The former million-dollar champion announced today on Twitter that he has Stage 2 Colon Cancer, a diagnosis he received roughly one month after revealing that he was battling dementia. His full statement online reads:
“It’s really shitty right now. Too make things worse I know have stage 2 colon cancer. I am a fighter but need your help. I cannot afford any of the medical bills and would love your support.”
Furthermore, Virgil recently suffered two strokes that had him hospitalized, an incident that forced the former WWE star to shoot down online rumors that he passed away.
Many fans will remember Virgil’s huge victory over Ted DiBiase at SummerSlam 1991, a feud that began with Virgil serving as DiBiase’s lackey. He originally signed with WWE and Vince McMahon back in 1986. He had a cameo for AEW back in 2019.
You can donate to Virgil’s fundraiser to help him with his health problems by clicking here. Check out his tweet below.
It’s really shitty right now. Too make things worse I know have stage 2 colon cancer. I am a fighter but need your help. I cannot afford any of the medical bills and would love your support. https://t.co/PG7VkpQWxP love you guys pic.twitter.com/6EF1YzT7Ai
Vince and Linda McMahon are putting their Park Tower Stamford penthouse located in downtown Stamford, Connecticut up for sale.
According to The News-Times, the couple appears to have listed the penthouse for $4 million.
Featuring three bedrooms and four bathrooms, the condo is 3,351 square feet and is one of the highest-priced condominiums in Connecticut.
The McMahons’ condo is in the tallest building in Stamford, located at the corner of Broad Street and Washington Boulevard. It was formerly known as Trump Parc Stamford when Donald Trump joined the project but was renamed by the condo board after the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.
James Wood with JFW Realty/Keller Williams is the listing agent for the property. The penthouse became the third-priciest condominium available in Connecticut as it hit the market. The top two priciest ones are Milbank Avenue units in Greenwich listed for $5 million and $4.5 million.
WWE’s headquarters is also located in Stamford. On March 20, 2019, the company announced that it will sell Titan Towers after using the facility as its global headquarters for more than 30 years. WWE will move to a new location on 677 Washington Boulevard, which is nearby Vince and Linda McMahon’s condo. The company intended to relocate its headquarters to this new location by 2021, but the move was later delayed to late 2022.
Eddie Kingston wants to give back to the independent scene that treated him so well.
The Mad King recently spoke with Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful about the importance of indie wrestling, stating that while he enjoys making money now in AEW, it was never the reason he got into the business.
“To me, money’s never been a factor because if I did this for money, I would have been out three years in. After getting to twenty dollars to split amongst eight of us.”
Now that Kingston is a regular player in AEW it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about his roots. He tells Sapp that he’s been giving back to the independents because they kept him fed during harder times, and always took good care of him.
“I like giving back to the independents because for so long I was on the independents and they kept me fed. So I like giving back to certain places trying to book me. I try to do good by the people who did good by me. That’s why you’ll see me at DEFY or then the next thing you’ll know, you’ll see me at Glory Pro and people be like, ‘Why is he at Glory Pro?’ Those dudes are good people to me.”
Aside from DEFY Kingston regularly appeared for AAW and AIW, and names them as two other federations that he will give back to.
“Same thing with AAW and AIW and certain places. I try to go to the people who were good to me and try to give back now. That’s it.”
Kingston has been involved in a months-long feud with former world champion Chris Jericho, and his Jericho Appreciation society faction. After scoring a huge victory over the Demo God at Revolution Kingston would be ganged up on by Jericho and his lackeys, and has reunited with Santana and Ortiz to fend them off.
