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AEW Dynamite Results (1/19): Jon Moxley Returns, Ladder Match Set For Beach Break

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired live from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Jon Moxley & TNT Champion Cody Rhodes made their returns tonight. Sting & Darby Allin battled The Acclaimed in this week’s main event.

Dynamite Results

  1. Adam Cole & Britt Baker def. Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander
  2. CM Punk def. Shawn Spears
  3. Lance Archer def. Frankie Kazarian
  4. Serena Deeb def. Skye Blue via submission
  5. Sting & Darby Allin def. The Acclaimed

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jon Moxley Returned

Jon Moxley kicked off this week’s Dynamite and got a great reaction from the crowd. Moxley looked much leaner than we last saw him. The crowd chanted his name as Moxley paced around the ring before leaning against the ropes. The chants transitioned to “welcome back!” and Moxley pointed at the crowd. Someone shouted something at Moxley and he told him to go f*ck himself on live television.

Moxley noted that he woke up once on the side of the ride in the dirt with a bruised face. Jon said there was a demon following him around laughing at him. Moxley said that nobody goes through life without scars but the scars on the inside that are hard to see. Those are the scars that we should be proud of and make us the people that we are.

Jon added that if everyone is perfect the world would be a perfect place. Moxley said that there are plenty of people that will write him off and they can shove it up their ass. Moxley shouted that he doesn’t run from demons, he just beats the shit out of them. Jon ended the promo by saying he is going to grab the world of professional wrestling by the balls and do whatever he wants with it because now he is truly free. Moxley added that he has been to hell and challenged anyone in AEW to try and put him through more hell. Jon Moxley will face Ethan Page this Friday on Rampage.

Baker & Cole Picked Up The Win, Cole vs. Cassidy Lights Out Match Next Week

Wardlow and MJF had a conversation backstage tonight on Dynamite. MJF told Wardlow that it his birthday and apologized for losing his cool on him last week. MJF stated that Wardlow did put his hands on him though and will have to dock his pay until he wins the ladder match & the TNT Title for him. Maxwell added that Shawn Spears is going to beat CM Punk later tonight and he will be calling the action.

Adam Cole & Britt Baker faced Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander. Baker immediately tagged out to avoid getting in the ring with Statlander. Adam Cole then tagged out and Britt got in Orange Cassidy’s face. Britt dared Cassidy to take a swing and he hit her with the lazy kicks instead. Baker stomped on Cassidy’s toe and posed for the crowd. Statlander tagged in and planted Baker with a Body Slam. Britt escaped to the corner and tagged Adam Cole back in.

Cole and Statlander then had a face off. Statlander backed away but Cassidy capitalized on the distraction with a Splash. Cole shrugged it off and went for a Clothesline but Orange ducked. Cassidy connected with a Tornado DDT and Cole rolled out of the ring to regroup. Baker tagged in and Kris booted her in the midsection. Kris followed it up with a vertical Suplex that Cassidy assisted with a light shove. Orange hit a Splash off the apron and shared a hug with Statlander after she connected with a Moonsault. Cole and Britt leveled them outside the ring and shared a kiss as Dynamite went to a break.

Cole and Cassidy were battling in the ring when Dynamite returned. They both hit a Clothesline at the same time and crashed to the mat. Statlander and Baker tagged in and Kris hit a Backbreaker. Statlander whipped Baker to the turnbuckle and delivered a forearm to the face. Kris hit a Blue Thunder Bomb and went for the cover but the AEW Women’s Champion kicked out at two. Britt awkwardly rolled up Statlander fora near fall before hitting a Fisherman’s Neckbreaker.

The gentleman tagged in and traded punches in the middle of the ring. Cassidy got pissed and started wildly bashing Cole in the face. Adam booted Cassidy in the knee and followed it up with an Enziguri. Cassidy hit the Stundog Millionaire and set up for Beach Break but Britt broke it up. Baker hit Cassidy with a Stomp but turned around into a Michinoku Driver from Statlander for a two count. Kris dragged Baker to the corner and climbed to the top rope.

Cole got on top of Baker and Kris hit them both with a big 450 Splash. Cassidy tagged in and hit Beach Break but Cole somehow kicked out at two. Cassidy went for the Orange Punch but Cole rolled out of the ring. Cassidy went for a Splash but jumped into a kick to the face from Cole. Adam climbed to the middle turnbuckle and set up for Panama Sunrise.

Statlander threw Orange in the ring and Cole made it seem like he was going to hit Statlander with the move but Baker booted Kris in the face. Britt hit a Canadian Destroyer on Statlander and Cole hit Panama Sunrise on Cassidy but he somehow kicked out. Orange then accidentally bumped into Baker on the apron and she fell through a table. Cassidy was distraught by this and Cole capitalized with a low blow. Cole followed it up with the Boom for the pinfall victory. Adam demanded that referee raise his hand before he checked on Britt outside the ring.

Santana & Ortiz told Jericho that they have been fighting his battles since day one and maybe it was time they focus on themselves. Jericho then sulked away in a sleeveless sweatshirt and black gloves combo. Jericho, Santana, Ortiz will face Daniel Garcia & 2.0 in a Trios Match at Beach Break.

Cole then cut a promo backstage and vowed to destroy Orange Cassidy next week in a Lights Out match at Beach Break next Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1483975852350185475?s=20

CM Punk Stole MJF’s Scarf, Gunn Club Attacked Christian Cage

CM Punk squared off against Shawn “The Chairman” Spears tonight on Dynamite. Spears charged and Punk hit him with the GTS right away for the pinfall victory. Punk dared MJF to get into the ring but he just stared at him from the commentary desk. CM Punk posed and MJF slid into the ring. Punk turned around and grabbed MJF by the scarf. MJF wiggled free and escaped. Punk held MJF’s scarf and then put it on as MJF retreated.

Billy Gunn approached Christian Cage backstage and said that the Gunn Club deserves a shot at the tag titles. Cage took some shots at Billy and told him that they need to make a statement before they come talk to him. Gunn Club then attacked Cage from behind and beat him down.

Cody vs. Sammy In A Ladder Match Set For Beach Break

TNT Champion Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring as Dynamite went to a break.

Cody brought a ladder into the ring and brought up the “pipe bomb”. Rhodes said “someone told me to save this promo but I don’t know if I’m going to get another change but I’ll let it out now”. Rhodes got a loud “shut the fuck up!” chant and he paused and let them chant it. Cody said Punk’s return is the return of the decade before going off. Rhodes shouted that he carried this company and brought up the Forbidden Door. Cody said that he built the forbidden door before there was one and a “Cody!” chant.

Rhodes blasted RedDragon and said he doesn’t need to see Young Bucks beat developmental more than once. Cody put over Jay Lethal and brought up Malakai Black. Rhodes took a shot at WWE by saying he is not in the business of renaming people like “Gunner” or whatever it is. Rhodes added that Brody King has balls to come to AEW with the name Body and we will see if it is a mistake in 8 years when Brodie Jr. shows up.

Cody added that AEW doesn’t have secondary belts and the TNT title is right now because there are two. Cody said that Tony Khan has sent a contract in the mail, maybe not the one he wanted, and started climbing the ladder. Rhodes said there will be a Ladder Match next week at Dynamite Beach Break to crown the official TNT Champion.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1483982108339183619?s=20

Malakai Black & Brody King def. Varsity Blonds, PAC Delivered A Message

Malakai Black & Brody King made their tag team debut against Varsity Blonds (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.). Malakai and Brody dominated early and isolated Griff in the ring. Brian Pillman Jr. tagged in and Brody dared him to him get inside. Pillman backed down and started arguing with Griff. Brody sent Garrison into the steps and hit Pillman with a Senton. Malakai launched Brian across the ring into a Powerslam from Brody King for the pinfall victory. PAC interrupted Malakai Black’s promo with an eye patch on and called him self obsessed & power hungry. PAC vowed to make a martyr of Malakai Black to end the segment.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1483985151306653696?s=20

Hangman Page Sent Lance Archer On The Retreat

Frankie Kazarian faced Lance Archer tonight on Dynamite. Archer stomped to the ring with Jake Roberts and Dan Lambert behind him. Archer punched Frankie in the face and posed on the turnbuckle. Lance shoved Frankie away but Kazarian responded with a Dropkick. Archer hit a Clothesline and followed it up with a chop to the chest. Frankie tried to battle back but Archer wasn’t having it.

Lance stomped Frankie down to the canvas as Dan Lambert was walking around ringside. Archer stomped Frankie some more and yelled at the referee when he tried to break it up. Lance hit a Suplex and sent Frankie to the corner. Kazarian escaped to the apron but Archer knocked him to the floor with a Clothesline as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

Archer was back in control when Dynamite returned and grabbed Frankie by the throat. Archer went for a Chokeslam but Frankie flipped out of it. Kazarian hit a flying forearm to the face but Archer was unfazed. Archer clubbed Frankie across the chest and perched him up on the top turnbuckle. Lance went for the Blackout but Frankie bit him in the head to break it up. Frankie hit a Missile Dropkick off the top rope and hit a springboard Leg Drop. Frankie went for the cover but Archer kicked out at one. Archer bashed Frankie in the head before hitting the Chokeslam. Archer followed it up with another slam and brought Kazarian to the corner. Lance connected with the Blackout for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Lance Archer continued to beat Frankie down until AEW Champion Hangman Page made the save. Page and Lance traded punches and the champion got the better of the exchange. Hangman knocked Archer out of the ring and he retreated with Dan Lambert.

Leyla Hirsch attacked Statlander and Red Velvet backstage during a backstage interview.

Dante Martin was backstage with Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal for an interview with Alex Marvez. Starks and Hobbs joked about how everyone on the roster seems to be Dante’s friend and warned him to watch his back.

Serena Deeb Dominated, Andrade & Matt Hardy

Serena Deeb faced Skye Blue tonight on Dynamite. Deeb trapped Syke in the ropes and applied Headlock before connecting with a Neckbreaker. Blue tried to battle back but Deeb took her down with a swinging Neckbreaker. Deeb slammed Blue face first to the mat and started bashing her knee on the canvas. Deeb locked in a Half Crab for the submission victory.

In another backstage segment, Andrade aligned himself with Hardy Family Office. Hardy sold 51% of HFO to Andrade and it is now AHFO.

Sting & Darby Allin def. The Acclaimed

The Acclaimed faced Darby Allin & Sting in the main event. Before the match, they attacked Darby Allin and put his head in a steel chair. They launched Darby into the ring post and he was helped backstage by the medical staff. Sting decided to continue the match by himself and actually got in some offense early. Sting hit a Splash on Caster but Bowens got out of the way. Max hit a Dropkick and Bowens went for the cover but Sting kicked out at two.

After a commercial break, Sting battled back and applied the Scorpion Death Lock. Bowens broke it up and booted Sting out of the ring. Darby Allin returned out of nowhere with a dive and the crowd popped. Allin hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and locked in a submission hold. The action broke down and Sting hit a Clothesline. He followed it up with a Splash off the entrance ramp and through a table. Allin then hit Bowens with the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1483998075056271360?s=20

Becky Lynch To Appear On Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Becky Lynch will be making an appearance on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Broken Skill Sessions.

WWE has announced the appearance of “Big Time Becks.” She will sit down with Stone Cold on the Jan. 28 episode of Broken Skull Sessions. It’ll be airing on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network in other countries.

Stone Cold & Becky Lynch Comparisons

Ever since Becky Lynch started her run as “The Man,” comparisons to Steve Austin have been made. While there is only one Stone Cold, the WWE legend himself told Sirius XM’s Fight Nation back in 2019 that there are definitely similarities.

“She does remind me a lot of myself, cause if you line up that women’s roster and you said ‘Hey, I want you to pick my next break out superstar’ I don’t think you’re gonna pick out Becky Lynch and I damn sure know you wouldn’t have picked me out of a line-up.

“I think it’s an awesome gimmick and it’s money.”

Becky has made it clear on social media throughout the years that she’s a Stone Cold fan. She has linked up with “The Rattlesnake” a few times already. It’ll be interesting to see what’s in store for their next meetup.

WWE Legend: ‘I Don’t See Any AEW Activity In The Royal Rumble’

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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One WWE Hall of Famer isn’t buying into the idea that AEW will have a presence at the Royal Rumble event.

Since Chris Jericho and Hiroshi Tanahashi collided in Tokyo for Wrestle Kingdom 14, the “Forbidden Door” has been used as a way to advocate for cross-promotion. We’ve seen promotions such as AEW, NJPW, and Impact Wrestling working together.

Booker T Not Sold On AEW Talent At Royal Rumble

Recently, WWE and Impact Wrestling turned a lot of heads. Mickie James is the current Knockouts Champion, yet she will enter the Royal Rumble.

There’s been a lot of speculation regarding AEW stars potentially making the event but taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said he isn’t sold.

“I don’t see it happening. I just don’t see any AEW activity in the Royal Rumble or anything like that. There again, I could be wrong but I just don’t think something like that’s gonna happen right now at this time.

“AEW is definitely on their own wing right now, they’re doing their own thing and I just think something like that would just muddy the waters like crazy. The fans would lose their minds more than anything.”

Part of the reason why some rumors have surfaced has to do with the report from Fightful that Cody Rhodes is working without an AEW contract.

Reporters such as Dave Meltzer have shot down rumors that Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley could appear at the Royal Rumble.

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Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals Confrontation With John Cena In WWE

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Freddie Prinze Jr. and John Cena didn’t exactly have a rosy relationship in WWE.

Prinze entered the WWE from the world of Hollywood. He worked behind the scenes in creative. Oftentimes, you’ll hear stories about veterans not taking too kindly to writers in WWE who have film experience.

Prinze found out quickly that he wasn’t going to be an exception.

Freddie Prinze Jr. & John Cena Exchange Words

Taking to his Wrestling With Freddie podcast, Freddy Prinze Jr. recalled the time when John Cena interrupted his acting class.

“I was working these scenes with the talent and I think it was Ryder and Hawkins and they were doing a scene from Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, which was making me laugh before they even started just to see these two guys do it and they actually did really well with the scene.

“In the middle of this class, this scene, John just swings open the door, grabs a folding chair that we were all sitting in, sits it down in between Hawkins and Ryder and sits in it and just looks at me like, ‘What are you gonna do?'”

Freddie went on to say that confrontation is good. He said when conflict is avoided, it leads to everyone being passive-aggressive.

With that said, Freddie wasn’t about to back down from Cena, at least verbally. The two had a conversation outside the room where the acting class was being held.

“He said, ‘Look, maybe I’m a neanderthal but I just don’t see how any of this sh*t works.’ And I’m looking at him like, in my head — now look, in hindsight he’s out here making movies.

“So, it’s a growing experience, a learning experience for all of us in the mind whether we recognize that or not. But I look at him and say, ‘Ay man, not everybody can do what you do.’

“I’m not saying, ‘hey can I work with John and can I give him acting lessons?’ When I had my first meeting with Steph I said, ‘Why the hell weren’t you Duke in G.I. Joe. You’re the best actor on the roster.’

“I said, ‘But I’m trying to get them on a level where you’re at or close to it because if I don’t who the hell is?’ And he kinda like shrugged his shoulders and like exhaled. And I said, ‘Ay man, it’s not like you’re helping them out.’

“That kinda like tightened up his humongous muscles and his massive arms that kinda tensed up and he goes, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ and he walked away.”

As Freddie mentioned, now Cena is a big name in Hollywood. He has been promoting the Peacemaker show and will be featured in Fast & Furious 10.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Shane Strickland Announced For Next Terminus Event

Michael Reichlin
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Shane “Swerve” Strickland will be at the next Terminus live event on February 24th from Atlanta, GA.

Terminus is the upstart wrestling promotion founded by ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham. They held their first show this past weekend in Atlanta, GA.

Terminus, which bills itself as Modern Age Grappling, has a detailed list of match rules (‘directives’) including time limit, overtime periods and technical fouls.

In addition to Shane Strickland’s first match since leaving WWE, ‘Terminus 2’ will feature Jonathan Gresham defending the ROH title against AEW star Santana in the main event.

Shane Strickland is wasting no time getting himself back out there. Earlier this week, Strickland announced to appear at The Wrestling Revolver’s “Once Upon a Time” show on April 16th from Iowa.

If you’re in the Atlanta area, tickets for the next Terminus show are now on sale at Terminustickets.com

Adam Scherr Shoots At Critics: ‘Making Trolls Cry Is My New Favorite Hobby’

Anutosh Bajpai
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It appears that Adam Scherr formerly known as Braun Strowman is in no mood of entertaining critics and he is ready to fire back at anyone criticizing his moves.

It all started when The Titan posted a screenshot showing the difference in YouTube views of a video of his ROH debut compared to a Brock Lesnar appearance and Cody Rhodes’ recent TNT title win.

When fans started responding to this tweet negatively, Scherr doubled down on his take. He claimed that ‘making trolls cry’ is his new hobby:

“Man why are Internet trolls such crybaby’s when you burn them with the rebuttal?? I think making trolls cry is my new favorite hobby. #DontComeAtMeIfYouCantHandleItBack ”

This isn’t the first time Adam Scherr has found himself under fire for his controversial comments. During the lockdown era, he infamously told independent wrestlers to change their professions if they can’t pay their bills.

Braun Strowman was released from his WWE contract back in June last year. He has made several indie appearances since then.

He has also been announced for the Biggest Wrestling Show in the Middle East in UAE. The former WWE star will be teaming up with EC3 on the show.

Braun Strowman Confirms Talks With AEW

Scotty 2 Hotty Says Vince McMahon Told Coaches To Cut Their Hair & “Look Younger”

Chris Stephens
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Scotty 2 Hotty was recently a guest on Talk is Jericho and spoke about Vince McMahon changing the culture backstage in NXT. According to Scotty, when Vince McMahon took over backstage in NXT, the coaches were requested to get hair cuts, dye their facial hair, and just generally look younger.

“Hunter went away and the other guys started to come in. It was, ‘Ok, we gotta get back to business casual again.’ The next week it was, ‘Vince wants the coaches looking younger, so we need you guys to start dyeing your beards and cutting your hair,’” Scotty said. “I literally lost sleep over it. I’ve had every kind of facial hair, dye, goatee, the beard, spiked up hair, bald head. It’s not about that. It’s like, if they’re going to have us jump through hoops like monkeys just to see if they’ll do it, so if you do that, what’s next?”

The 48-year-old Scotty 2 Hotty had been working at the Performance Center as a coach since 2016. He had a 10-year in-ring career with the company from 1997 until being released in 2007. During that time, Scotty won the tag titles twice, once with Brian Christopher and once with Rikishi. He also held the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship once.

H/T to WrestlingNewsCO for the above transcriptions.

Deonna Purrazzo On How Mickie James in the Royal Rumble Helps Impact

Chris Stephens
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Deonna Purrazzo says she was as shocked as everyone else was when WWE announced that Mickie James will be in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble. According to the Virtuosa, however, James being in the Rumble helps put more eyes on Impact Wrestling. She recently spoke to Sportskeeda on the topic.

“I think WWE hasn’t always necessarily played well with others so there was so much shock factor to them announcing Mickie James entering the Royal Rumble as the IMPACT Knockouts World Champion,” Purrazzo said. “It put a whole new set of eyes on IMPACT’s product and then Mickie and my match at Hard To Kill so I was shocked as everyone else about the announcement but if it is benefitting IMPACT in some way, then I’m all for it.”

Purrazzo currently holds titles for both AAA and ROH. She is the Reina de Reinas Champion as well as the ROH Women’s World Champion. Purrazzo defeated Rok-C for the ROH belt last week on Impact Wrestling.

During the interview, Purrazzo also spoke about being the new belt collector.

“Well, I think I come a little hand in hand, right? I think I’d rather be the belt collector because I think that wrestling is always going to be subjective. Everyone has their favorite flavor of ice cream, right? And I might not be everyone’s cup of tea so I might not ever be number one but what I know for sure is that I am the champ right now, and I’m gonna be the champ-champ on Thursday and one day I’ll be the champ-champ-champ.”

Purrazzo lost a Texas Death Match to Mickie James in the main event of Hard to Kill earlier this month. That has seemingly taken her out of the Knockouts title for the time being. Tasha Steelz won the Ultimate-X match earlier on the card that now puts her in line for a shot at James’ title.

The full interview with Purrazzo is available in the player below:

Moxley & Cody Return, Baker & Cole Team Up, CM Punk & More Tonight on AEW Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is back tonight with a live edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS.

Here’s a preview for tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Washington D.C.:

  • Jon Moxley returns for the first time in nearly 3 months. Moxley took time off in November to enter an inpatient rehabilitation program for alcohol dependency.
  • AEW TNT Cody Rhodes returns to television. Cody has been away for several weeks as a precaution due to exposure to COVID-19.
  • CM Punk battles Shawn Spears in his ongoing quest to get his hands on MJF.
  • Britt Baker & Adam Cole vs. Kris Statlander & Orange Cassidy
  • The House of Black (Malakai Black and Brody King) will face the Varsity Blonds.
  • Sting & Darby Allin vs. The Acclaimed
  • Serena Deeb vs. Skye Blue

AEW Dynamite Preview Videos

AEW has produced a few videos hyping this week’s Dynamite, a sign that we’re in for a big show:

“Road To” AEW Dynamite (Washington D.C.)

AEW Control Center with Tony Schiavone

Shayna Baszler on Why She Enjoyed Losing the NXT Women’s Title

Michael Reichlin
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Shayna Baszler wrestled in her home town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota over the weekend. She lost to Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match that also included Naomi.

The former NXT Women’s champion spoke with Argus Leader last week about her transition from MMA to pro wrestling.

Many paths require you to be passionate in order to succeed. With a sport as dangerous as mixed martial arts, it’s essential. Baszler recalls “falling out of love” with MMA during the tail end of her fighting career. This led her to pursue pro wrestling.

“I think my coach had recognized and I think, you know, in hindsight, I can admit it, I think I was falling out of love with MMA, I started losing fights I shouldn’t have. I didn’t feel scared anymore. You know what I mean? Like I just didn’t care as much as I did before, when I was younger in the sport.”

Realizing her passion for MMA was slipping away, she asked the UFC if she could take some pro wrestling dates while still under contract with them. They rejected her request, which led her coach to suggest she pursue wrestling full-time. He presented it to her as somewhat of a ‘reset.’

Shayna Baszler’s Transition to Wrestling

Bazsler made a seamless transition to the squared circle. She’s been successful in the highly-competitive world of WWE. In just a few years, she’s achieved some impressive milestones.

When asked about her favorite moments as a pro wrestler, she said her most memorable match was winning the NXT women’s championship for the first time.

Shayna Baszler NXT Women's Champion
Shayna Baszler wins the NXT Women’s Championship (WWE Evolution, October 2018)

However, she doesn’t rate that as her best or favorite match.

One of her favorite matches is when she lost that NXT Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley. She knows wrestling is all about storytelling and she was satisfied to lose the title as a heel to an up-and-coming babyface.

“I think on the flip side of that, I think when I lost the title to Rhea Ripley, that match is one of my favorite matches because the way we told the story and it’s so cool because I lose and the crowd, the fans are so happy that the bad guy lost and the good guy won that they stormed the ring.”

Shayna Baszler has excelled in MMA and pro wrestling. There are some similarities between the two sports, but also some stark differences. She has spoken in-depth about the challenges associated with being a former UFC fighter in WWE. You can read her thoughts on that subject right here:

Kevin Owens Reflects On WrestleMania Match Against Sami Zayn

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are not only best friends outside the wrestling ring but the two have helped elevate each other’s careers for years as both friends and foes inside the squared circle as well.

While the two wrestling geniuses have delivered many classics against each other, their biggest encounter has to be their WrestleMania 37 match.

Speaking to WWE Kids Magazine, Kevin Owens reflected on this fight. He claimed that it’s incredible to look back on:

“Not many people can say they’ve had a singles match at WrestleMania, especially these days as it’s getting more and more rare.

So, to do it with Sami after all the history we have, it’s incredible to look back on and I think people loved the match. I loved that match, for sure.”

Kevin Owens also discussed how he has never won the tag team championship in WWE despite being a part of the promotion for almost 8 years now.

The former Universal champion claimed that he would want to win the title with either Sami Zayn or Finn Balor because they could tell some great stories together.

WrestleMania 37 was a two-night event that took place in April 2021 from the Raymond James Stadium. Owens defeated Zayn during night 2 of the event.

Hardy Boyz Reuniting For First Mach Together in 3 Years

Anutosh Bajpai
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Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy, ‘The Hardy Boyz’ will be teaming for the first time in 3 years during an upcoming indie event in March.

Big Time Wrestling announced on Twitter that the legendary tag team will be reuniting for their upcoming event from Webster, Massachusetts on March 12:

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No word yet on who Matt and Jeff Hardy will be facing on this card.

More tour dates for the Hardy Boyz will be announced soon.

This will be Jeff Hardy’s first post-WWE appearance after being released from the promotion. He has previously been announced for a couple of meet & greet events with Matt Hardy on the day following his in-ring return as well.

Jeff was released from his WWE contract back in December last year. This came after the charismatic enigma was sent home by the officials following a live event incident.

Jeff Hardy’s non-compete clause restricts him from working with any other promotion until March 9. He will be free to sign with any organization afterward.

There is no word yet on if any companies have shown interest in bringing Hardy in or if the former world champion himself is looking to sign a contract with any promotion. We’ll keep you posted on his future.

Jeff Hardy Was Scheduled For NXT 2.0 Run Before WWE Release

Tony Khan Compares AEW And WWE’s Pandemic Strategies

Anutosh Bajpai
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Vince McMahon and Tony Khan had very different strategies when it came to running wrestling shows during the lockdown era of COVID-19 pandemic.

While WWE decided to run shows in a completely empty arena, AEW came up with the idea to use the wrestlers they had as an audience. Many people thought that this created a big difference in the presentations of both the shows. Fans watching the show at home felt more connected to the AEW product because of this.

The AEW President recently had an interview with Vegas Film Critic Jeffrey K. Howard to promote Dynamite’s move to TBS. During the talk, Khan was asked about AEW’s strategy during the pandemic, and he compared it to WWE:

“The first week, I came up with the idea of putting the wrestlers who weren’t in the matches, every wrestler I could get around the ring, to create an audience, and people enjoyed it. It was very different than watching the alternative. Our competitor was running empty arena shows. I stayed with that at first and kept the wrestlers at ringside through the pandemic for several months.

We stayed on the air through the pandemic. [We] debuted some stars including the late great Mr. Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy, in the pandemic. We’re able to keep fans interested. Frankly, I told people, this is voluntary. You don’t have to come to the wrestlers [stand]. So, we had a small crew and I built around that crew.”

Tony Khan On WWE’s Thunderdome

Tony Khan
Tony Khan

AEW was also the first company to welcome fans back into the arena. They created pods allowing families or groups of friends to attend the shows safely while keeping their distance from other fans. Tony Khan mentioned how WWE on the other hand, came up with the concept of the Thunderdome:

“Then people started to come back as we got deeper into the pandemic. Our competition through the pandemic, a few months later, they went to a fan wall. [It was a] virtual wall of fans like you saw in other sports, you know, TV screens. And I thought, let’s bring wrestling back with live fans safely. We did it.

We had no COVID transmissions by going into an outdoor amphitheater and spacing people out where a family or group of friends could sit in what we called a pod. [I thought] it would be like a drive-in movie. You had your own section of seats in this case. There’s no one near you, you’re outdoors, and it was great. It brought the fans back to pro wrestling. There was months and months where that was the only place you could watch pro wrestling anywhere in the world where the fans were cheering the matches.”

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

Tony Khan On His Favorite Memory Of Brodie Lee

How Aubrey Edwards Got Hooked To Wrestling Because Of CM Punk

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk’s 434 days run as the WWE champion and his infamous pipe bomb promo got a lot of people invested and reinvested into wrestling. As it turns out, AEW referee Aubrey Edwards is one of the personalities who got hooked to the sport thanks to the Straight Edge Star.

The female star was recently interviewed by Forbs for their YouTube series. During the talk, the 34-year-old revealed that she wasn’t a fan of wrestling from her childhood. She watched her first wrestling show at the age of 23:

“Most people end up watching wrestling as a kid and that’s not something I did. My dad said it was stupid and that it’s fake and you shouldn’t watch it.” revealed Aubrey Edwards, “But I first watched wrestling, WrestleMania 27. Couple friends of mine had a party and I literally have no idea what’s going on. [I was like] ‘this is okay, I guess.’

That was the moment that got my husband back into it. He was a fan when he was younger. So, he started watching it and one day I come home from work and he says, ‘Hey, you got to watch this thing that happened.’ It was June about 10 years ago where CM punk does his famous pipe bomb promo. From that moment, I was hooked.”

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

Watch: Walter Renamed As Gunther On NXT

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WWE has apparently renamed former NXT UK champion Walter to Gunther which is also the name of a Nazi commander.

The news of WWE trademarking the name Gunther Stark made some headlines yesterday after the revealation that it was also the name of a German U-boat Commander during World War II.

Fans had been speculating which star could be given the name since then. It was revealed during this week’s NXT that Walter is the one being renamed.

The Austrian star faced Roderick Strong in a one-on-one match in the main event of the development show this week. The former NXT UK star won this match after delivering a big powerbomb for the pin.

As he was being announced the winner of the fight, Walter snatched the mic. He said that the winner of the match was Gunther.

The duo of Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner then rushed to the ring to attack Strong. The Creed Brothers came in to help the Diamond Mine leader and the show went off air with all 6 stars brawling in the ring.

The earlier revelation had received a lot of negative reactions. Though the use of the name on NXT is proof that the officials have decided not to back down.

Reactions to WALTER being renamed Gunther

Former WWE Star Announced For GCW Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE star Mascara Dorada better known to WWE fans as Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik has been announced for his GCW debut next month.

The promotion confirmed the former WWE star’s debut for their upcoming show from Houston on February 4 on Twitter.

They also announced him for a couple of other shows on February 19 from Atlantic City and February 26 from Los Angeles. Though as seen below, the company didn’t reveal his opponent for any of the events:

After competing for promotions such as CMLL and NJPW, Gran Metalik was brought in for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. He made it to the finals before losing to TJ Perkins.

The high-flying star was one of the first names to be signed for the cruiserweight division. He later joined the Lucha House Party stable.

Though Metalik wasn’t given much to do during his stint with the promotion. After being unhappy with his position within the company for a while, the luchador asked for his release in September last year.

Gran Metalik was released from his contract in November. He is still under the non-compete clause and the announced GCW dates are going to be his first post WWE appearances.

Jon Moxley Returning at THE WRLD ON GCW on Jan. 23

DDP Believes Chris Jericho Is Modern Day Ric Flair

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Chris Jericho is generally considered to be one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. DDP has now offered him a compliment which is rare in the industry.

The former WCW champion recently had an interview with DAZN. He was promoting his new podcast with Jake Roberts. The wrestling veteran discussed many things.

During the interview, DDP revealed that Chris Jericho’s Judas theme song was filmed in his Yoga Center. He then called Y2J the Ric Flair of the current era:

“To me, Chris Jericho is the most over guy in professional wrestling. He’s Ric Flair. He’s Ric Flair now. He’s got 30 years, he’s still on top, he continues to reinvent himself, and he can still work ass off.”

DDP was also asked whether he prefers the WWE product or the AEW product and the Hall Of Famer said that he has got to give AEW the ’60/40 (percent) thing.’

The former WCW star claimed that AEW is the cool thing on the top right now. He explained that the biggest thing he loves about AEW is the fan reaction and Page said that he would have not wrestled for AEW if there were no fans in the arena.

DDP On His Love For Darby Allin: “He’s a Bigger Risk-Taker Than Jeff Hardy”

WWE NXT 2.0 Results (1/18): WALTER vs. Strong, Memorial Service

Andrew Ravens
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The January 18, 2022 episode of WWE NXT 2.0 aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  •  
  • Grayson Waller defeated Dexter Lumis
  • The Creed Brothers defeated Briggs and Jensen to advance to the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. 
  • Dante Chen vs. Guru Raj ended in an apparent no-contest.
  • Ivy Nile defeated Kay Lee Ray
  • Malik Blade and Edris Enofe defeated Legado Del Fantasma 
  • Dakota Kai defeated Yulisa Leon 
  • WALTER defeated Roderick Strong

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

LA Knight Opens

pjimage 2022 01 18T192646.164

LA Knight came out to the ring while looking for Grayson Waller, who attacked him a few weeks ago. Knight returned last week after Waller had lost to AJ Styles in the headliner. 

LA said week after week the fans chant that Waller sucks, but one sound haunts him and that’s LA Knight. LA called him out and so came Waller, who acted like he was going to fight him, but didn’t. Instead, Waller revealed that he has a restraining order against him and Knight can’t get closer than 50 feet from him. Knight said that Waller doesn’t have an order against Dexter Lumis, who came out from under the ring. Knight told Waller that he can either face Knight or Lumis. 

This set up Lumis vs. Waller. The finish saw Saurav come out to attack Lumis that led to Waller hitting his finisher for the win. 

Dusty Rhodes Classic Match

pjimage 2022 01 18T182843.078

Legado Del Fantasma vs. Malik Blae & Edris Enofe in a Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament first-round match took place with the winners of this bout taking on the winners of MSK-Jacket Time. 

There was some outside inference by Santos Escobar, who was taken out by Bron Breakker. Earlier in the night, Santos said he was coming after Bron. The finish was a roll up. 

Dusty Rhodes Classic Match

pjimage 2022 01 18T182850.231

The Diamond Mine’s Julius & Brutus Creed vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen in a Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament first-round match took place with the winners of this bout taking on Grizzled Young Veterans-Chase & Hayward. 

They went all out in this match with it looking like Josh and Brooks were about to go over until The Creed Brothers hit their finisher on Briggs. 

Memorial Service

Tony D’Angelo hosted a memorial service for Pete Dunne. D’Angelo defeated Dunne in a Crowbar On A Pole match last Tuesday night. 

WALTER is now stateside after having his NXT UK farewell match when he defeated Nathan Frazer on the NXT UK episode that aired last Thursday.

Tony was in the ring with a casket and said it’s time to move onto better things. He said it’s time for him to get some gold and he has his eyes set on the North American Title. Carmelo Hayes came out with Trick Williams. Williams said they thought they were boyz. Tony said he’s already got boyz and it’s nothing personal, but just business. Williams said his boyz look like Vic Joseph.

Hayes said he promises Tony will have his own service and it will be a closed casket. Cameron Grimes came out and said Tony will have to wait at the end of the line. Hayes threw out the idea of Tony vs. Grimes and he would get the winner. Grimes smashed a big photo of Pete Dunne over the head of Tony to end the segment. 

Main Event

0NXT 1

WALTER vs. Roderick Strong was saved for the headliner. 

WALTER vs. Roderick Strong was saved for the headliner. 

Last week, WWE set this with a video of Bivens talking about how The Creed Brothers will win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic before beating Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner for the NXT Tag Team Titles. To take things even further, Biven called the champs “a bunch of b**ches.” This didn’t sit well with WALTER so he confronted Bivens and Strong stepped in before telling him that he is the only NXT star not afraid of him. As a result, we got a match. 

The bout was hard-hitting with WALTER getting the majority of the offense. WALTER with back-to-back powerbombs for the win. Post-match, Imperium beatdown Strong until the creed Brothers came out for a brawl to close the show. 

Sheamus Isn’t A Fan Of WWE Announcing Royal Rumble Surprises In Advance

Andrew Ravens
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Sheamus is currently one of 15 competitors that have been announced thus far for the men’s Royal Rumble match. As for the women’s bout, 21 competitors have been announced. 

Both matches will feature active wrestlers, legends, and returning stars. For the women’s match, WWE announced several returning stars in advance instead of them being surprises. 

This is something the longtime WWE star isn’t a fan of and talked about it during an interview with Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport.

“I know this year, they’ve announced a lot of contestants for the women’s Royal Rumble. I like the fact that they just show up. I’m not a huge fan of telling people who is going to be in there. I think the men’s one is a bit more secretive. They’ve announced like ten people who are on the active roster. On the women’s side, there are a lot of girls coming back. It shows how much they’ve missed the product and missed being in the ring.”

Sheamus also gave some insight into the information the wrestlers know going into the match. 

“We all know our numbers and when we’re going out. I’m not going to spoil the match for anybody. What we do is entertainment, I don’t like taking that away or pulling back the curtain. All I’ll say is, we know what our numbers are and what we have to do in there. Everyone knows their number, but they won’t find what number they are pretty much until two or three hours before the show. There has been a couple that have been really close on where we’re at coming out to the ring. That can be a little stressful, especially if you’re new. Now, I’ve been there 12 years, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

This year will mark the ninth time he has competed in the event. It will also be the ten-year anniversary of Sheamus’ Royal Rumble victory as he won the 2012 Royal Rumble by last eliminating Chris Jericho.

Don West Provides Health Update About his Brain Lymphoma

Tyriece Simon
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Former TNA Wrestling Commentator Don West has given wrestling fans a health update.

On June 15, 2021, West shared that doctors diagnosed him with brain lymphoma. The professional wrestling community supported West and his family by donating to GoFundMe. Today, his GoFuneMe has reached $24,750, and fans can still help West reach his goal of $40,000 to help him with his costly treatment.

West announced on Twitter that his cancer had gone into remission on September 4, 2021. However, West and his wife Terri West gave a health update sharing that the brain tumors have returned. While unfortunate, he and his wife stated that they would stay positive, and West will continue fighting to overcome his condition.

“This is Don, and I wanted to share a health update and a couple next steps with you. After undergoing chemo and radiation treatments, my recovery was on track with a clean bill of health after three months. Unfortunately, I began having symptoms, and the brain tumors have returned. I have now started my second round of chemotherapy with more aggressive and arduous treatments to follow. While this is a setback, Terri and I are staying positive and fighting the good fight! God has blessed us in ways too numerous to list, including your past financial generosity and your many notes and messages of support. It has meant the world to us. I will continue to provide updates, and again, thank you for investing in our future,” wrote West on GoFuneMe.

SEScoops sends our love and support to West and his family.

Former Top Executive Reflects on His 9 Years With WWE

Tyriece Simon
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Former WWE Executive Canyon Ceman has shared his farewell post to the company. Ceman worked with the WWE from 2012 to 2021.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that the WWE released Ceman on July 23, 2021. The company has released talent over the year due to budget cuts. However, it’s unclear if the former executive release is related to WWE’s budget issues. The timing of Ceman’s departure also happened around the time of WWE’s contract issue with Adam Cole. Wrestling Inc’s Marc Middleton shared that timing of Cole’s contract dispute “Very much lines up with the timing of Ceman’s departure.” Although, the WWE hasn’t confirmed Middleton’s statement.

Regardless, Ceman seems grateful for his time in WWE and shared his appreciation in the farewell post on Linkedin.

“In the spirit of 2022, and a new chapter about to begin, I want to say thank you and a final LinkedIn goodbye to my past chapter at WWE am grateful to WWE for an adventurous 9.5 year run as a leader in talent development,” wrote Ceman.

Canyon Ceman Reflects on Accomplishments

In his post, Ceman detailed his proud accomplishments during his WWE tenure. He shared that he helped scout talent in China, Japan, and Mexico. Ceman also mentioned he played a role in the “Women Empowerment Movement” in the WWE. The former executive brought up talents Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley as people he helped.

“I am most proud of the efforts we made towards professionalization and globalization of athlete acquisition and development, India, Dubai, Japan, China, Saudi, Mexico, Australia, Chile, Germany,” said Ceman. He continued, “…Our role in the Women’s empowerment movement in WWE, from Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch to Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, so proud of Sara Amato and all we accomplished. The culture of respect and empowerment we built at the WWE PC, as we launched and grew NXT and NXT UK, and of the superstars launched and stories created through all of these projects.”

Ceman also thanked his former co-workers like Triple H, Matt Bloom, and William Regal. He ended the farewell post by saying that an announcement was coming soon. It’s unclear if Ceman still wants to work in the professional wrestling business.

WWE Interested In Signing Rok-C

Andrew Ravens
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WWE is looking to restock their roster after a series of releases with those who took part in recent tryouts. Several people participated in the latest tryouts including names like Monster Factory project Notorious Mimi and former ROH Women’s Champion Rok-C. 

Although in the past, WWE has passed on signing talent that they deem too young, it appears there could be an exception. Per Fightful, there was a significant push within the company to have Rok-C signed.

Even before she had the tryout, some people thought the company should make her an offer. 

The latest tryouts were so big that WWE  bussed the tryout competitors in and gave Performance Center trainees several days off.

One source at the Performance Center noted that Rok-C’s main event match with Deonna Purrazzo in Impact Wrestling was evidence of the hiring being a “no-brainer.” However, this same person mentioned that they thought Wheeler Yuta was also a no-brainer last year, and he didn’t get hired.

Rok-C is slated to debut for MLW at Blood & Thunder on January 21st from Dallas, Texas.  As previously reported by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, ROH doesn’t expect for her to be back when they resume shows in April after going on hiatus.

Jon Moxley Returns To AEW Dynamite This Week

Michael Reichlin
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Jon Moxley will return on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite on live TBS. It will be his first televised appearance in nearly 3 months.

Moxley stepped away from the spotlight in November. At the time, AEW boss Tony Khan announced that Mox would be entering an inpatient program for alcohol dependency.

“Jon Moxley has allowed me to share with you that he is entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program.  Jon is a beloved member of the AEW family. We all stand with him and Renee, and all of his family and friends, as he shifts his focus to recovery.”

“Jon is making a very brave choice to get help, and we’re embracing his choice and supporting him however we can.”

Following his appearance on Dynamite, Moxley returns to the ring this weekend for Game Changer Wrestling. Moxley will defend the GCW championship against Homicide at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Moxley is not the only big return scheduled for Dynamite. “Free Agent” Cody Rhodes will also be on hand after taking several weeks off due to covid exposure.

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WWE Raw To Air on Syfy Channel For 2 Weeks Next Month

Michael Reichlin
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WWE Monday Night Raw will air on the Syfy channel for two consecutive weeks next month.

Longtime WWE fans remember Raw being pre-empted each year by the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. This was a regular occurrence until 2017.

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This year, the USA Network’s coverage of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games is to blame. WWE Raw will air on the Syfy on:

  • Monday February 7
  • Monday, February 13

For the two weeks that Raw moves to Syfy, the USA Network will air Men’s Figure Skating and Freestyle Skiing.

H/T: Pwinsider

Briscoes Talk Possible Move to WWE: “I think we could survive and thrive”

Tyriece Simon
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0

The Briscoes believe they could make WWE money if they were to sign with the company.

The Briscoes appeared on Busted Open with Bully Ray and Dave Legraca to discuss their free agency. Ring of Honor released the team after changing their business model to not signing talent exclusively. Ray asked the Briscoes if they thought they could flourish in the WWE and if they considered signing with the company. Both Mark and Jay Briscoe responded that they believed they could succeed with the company.

“…I think we’ll definitely survive. At the end of the day, you know you have to get in the ring and ring the bell,” said Jay.

Mark chimed in and felt that The Briscoes would be a great asset to the WWE. “I think we would survive and thrive because Vince McMahon likes money and shoot if we go out there between them ropes, that what we do. We are going to make your company money,” said Mark. He continued, “I think that’s the bottom line, not trying to sound cocky or anything.” Jay also feels that the tag team is confident in their abilities and performing at their best today.

The WWE hasn’t revealed any interest at the moment to sign The Briscoes.

https://twitter.com/jaybriscoe84/status/1481063084559110147

The Briscoes Want FTR

After becoming free agents, the Briscoes didn’t waste any time making their presence felt. The tag team has called out All Elite Wrestling tag team FTR for a match in AEW. While the company hasn’t spotlighted the feud on AEW television, both teams have sent messages towards each other on social media.

It’s unclear if AEW will sign the Briscoes or have them challenge FTR. However, both teams are alluding to a future matchup. The Briscoes will also defend their Game Changer Wrestling Tag Team Championship at The WRLD on GCW. Their opponents for the event are unknown. Although GCW hasn’t stated this, it’s a possibility that FTR could be the challengers.

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