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PAC Recently Suffered A Concussion

Chris Stephens
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AEW star PAC recently suffered a concussion, according to AEW broadcaster Mark Henry on Thursday’s edition of Busted Open Radio.

Henry was expressing concern over PAC taking a big bump off the ladder on this week’s Dynamite when he noted that the Death Triangle member had suffered a concussion a month and a half ago.

“I would not have had a guy that was injured recently take a big bump off the top of the ladder to the floor on his back,” Henry said about PAC’s big bump in the Casino Ladder match. “I watched PAC, I watched his head snap back and hit the mat and he just had a concussion like a month and a half ago.”

PAC went from August 20th to September 8th, 2021 without wrestling. It’s not clear if this is the time period that Henry is referring to, however. PAC and Andrade were supposed to wrestle on the All Out PPV on September 5th but it ended up being postponed to the following week’s Rampage.

“I mean I’m probably breaking HIPAA laws but everybody saw that,” Henry continued.

“Maybe he’s the one that called it, I don’t know, but it scared me because I’m concerned about the guys and girls.”

PAC’s rival Andrade also commented recently on the big spot from the ladder match.

Legendary Belt Maker Reggie Parks Passes Away After Battle With COVID

Anutosh Bajpai
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Canadian professional wrestler and legendary belt maker Reggie Parks has passed away after a battle with COVID-19. He was 87.

Parks began his wrestling career in 1958, competing for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion. He wrestled till 1986 before retiring from active competition.

He also worked as a referee for the then WWF for a brief period after the end of his career as a wrestler but his stint as an in-ring official did not last very long.

Winged Eagle WWF
Parks designed the legendary Winged Eagle belt

Known as the “King of Belts”, the wrestling veteran made his first belt in 1962 and never looked back. He kept making belts even when he was active in the ring and he devoted himself to the craft completely after hanging his boots.

During his career, Reggie Parks made a number of iconic belts including the winged eagle WWF title belt. The belt that was used between February 1988 and March 1998 is one of the most popular designs of the WWE championship.

SEScoops extends our condolences to the family and friends of Reggie Parks.

Here are some reactions to the passing of Reggie Parks:

https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1446323061792260098

CM Punk Clarifies Comments About His AEW Debut Being Bigger Than nWo

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson made their AEW debuts in close succession. These major arrivals helped AEW create an incredible buzz, even leading to them beating Raw in the 18-49 demo for a couple of weeks.

The straight edge star had compared this momentum to the time the Outsiders and Hulk Hogan made the jump to WCW. He had gone even as far as to claim that their moment in AEW was bigger.

Though after the backlash from fans, Punk clarified his comments in a recent interview with Sport1. He explained that he never said that the trio of himself, Bryan and Cole were bigger than the founders of nWo:

“If you look at the long-term effects [of Hogan, Nash, and Hall joining WCW]: it burned out relatively quickly. Five years later, WCW came to an end.

So ask me in five years where will AEW be. As for the comparison, I never said Adam, Bryan and I were bigger than the nWo. I said: The change felt bigger for us than the changes back then.” said CM Punk, “This is my opinion. Others may disagree, cool too. In five years you will be able to judge it correctly.”

The effect of the buzz surrounding these big debuts seems to be wearing off already. AEW Dynamite has seen big declines in viewership ratings in the past couple of weeks and Raw has increased the lead in the 18-49 demo.

Apart from this, CM Punk also talked about things such as future opponents he wants to face in AEW, his role in wrestling-based TV series Heels, and more.

The quotes in the article have been translated via Google translate.

CM Punk Is Impressed But Not Surprised With John Cena’s Acting Skills

How WWE Officials Feel About Poor Key Demo Performance Of NXT 2.0

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE’s plan to try and attract younger viewers with the recent NXT revamp is not working very well but the officials have not lost hope just yet.

According to Andrew Zarian of Mat Men podcast, a source within the company said that the revamp is aimed at bringing in a younger audience. The exes are hoping that the brand will bounce back from the recent decline:

“[This] is all to bring a new younger viewer who is connected with pop culture & trends. Needless to say, the demo numbers are disappointing but we are hopeful this is just a bump in the road”

This week’s episode of NXT, with the fatal four-way elimination match for the tag team titles in the main event, drew a total of 632,000 viewers per Showbuzz Daily. The show did a disappointing 0.13 rating in the 18-49 key demographic.

A 0.13 rating represents a total of 170,000 viewers of the age group, down from 183,000 viewers last week. This was the lowest key demo rating for the NXT 2.0 revamp.

It’s also the lowest rating for the key demo for a live episode on USA Network since the June 29 episode earlier this year.

The 0.13 rating is the fourth-lowest viewership for the key demo ratings the development brand has done on the USA Network.

Johnny Gargano Sparks Speculation After Removing NXT From Social Media Bio

Dynamite Viewership Drops Again, Raw Increases Lead In Key Demo

Anutosh Bajpai
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This Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite suffered another big drop in overall viewership and the key demo numbers were down significantly as well.

The episode featuring Adam Page’s return and big win in the casino ladder match for the main event drew a total of 1.053 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is a big 8.59% decline from last week’s episode of the show. The September 29 Dynamite featuring the TNT championship main event between Miro and Sammy Guevara had drawn 1.152 million viewers.

As for the key demo ratings, the show drew a 0.37 rating in the 18-49 demo. A 0.37 rating represents a total of 480,000 viewers who were in the age group.

This is another big 18.36% decline from the 588,000 viewers of the 18-49 demographic the show had scored last week. Last week’s Dynamite drew a 0.45 rating in the demo.

In comparison, this past Monday’s episode of Raw which was the final night of the WWE Draft drew an average of 1.857 million viewers. The show increased its lead in the key demo with a 0.52 rating representing 680,000 viewers.

Dynamite ranked #4 on the Cable Top 150 with its 0.37 rating. This ends the shows’ six-week-long streak as the #1 program in the Cable Top 150 for Wednesday nights.

Will Ospreay Set To Make MLW Debut This Fall

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Will Ospreay continues to make his mark in NJPW and RevPro, but now MLW has entered the fray.

That right, the self-proclaimed “real” IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will be making his debut for MLW. The announcement was made during an MLW Embedded segment on the MLW FIGHTLAND special.

Will Ospreay will make his MLW debut sometime in the fall.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1446301806729080850

MLW boss Court Bauer had teased on social media, “Someone is coming to MLW and it has a certain billionaire tripping over himself to undermine it.”

Back in August, Ospreay made his surprise return to NJPW. He had been out of action with a neck injury and was even stripped of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Will Ospreay showed up at Resurgence in Los Angeles.

Ospreay declared himself to be the real IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. This is despite the fact that Shingo Takagi is the actual titleholder. Don’t tell that to the leader of the United Empire, however, as he considers Shingo to be an “interim” champion.

Ospreay, who also holds the British Heavyweight Championship in RevPro, said he’d make NJPW Strong his home. He vowed not to come back to Japan until NJPW apologizes and recognizes him as the true IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

Perhaps the MLW announcement shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, Ospreay did warn fans that you never know where he might show up.

SEScoops recently interviewed Ospreay, who took shots at AEW stars CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega.

Will Ospreay Ready to Embarrass AEW’s Top Stars (Exclusive)

The sky is the limit for Ospreay just about anywhere he goes, and MLW is no exception. Who will he target first? Could he be looking to recruit an MLW talent for the United Empire?

AJ Mendez Issues Statement After WOW Announcement

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AJ Mendez is a part of Women of Wrestling and she’s spoken out about the move.

Mendez shocked the pro wrestling world with the announcement of her return to the business. While she won’t be back in the ring, she will serve as the Executive Producer for WOW. Mendez will also put on the headset for color commentary duties.

AJ Mendez took to her Instagram account to issue the following statement on joining WOW.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUvZ718Pl1C/

“Swerve. I’m joining ViacomCBS & WOW as an Executive Producer alongside Jeanie Buss!

“It’s possible when I got the call from the president of the Lakers, I thought I was being drafted to the Lakers. Which was confusing, given my height. But then I learned all about WOW, David McLane, and their mission to create female superheroes in a family-friendly show, and I was psyched to bridge my two worlds of wrestling and storytelling to help the next generation feel represented on screen. You’ll see me on camera too as a color commentator! Which, given my penchant for running my mouth, seems fitting.

“Thanks to Chris Farina/ViacomCBS for the photos!”

Mendez made her exit from WWE and the wrestling world back in 2015. Damage to her cervical spine was the main reason for her decision to walk away from the ring. Her presence alone, however, has seemingly given WOW a morale boost ahead of its big relaunch. The promotion is expected to be back in the saddle in the fall of 2022.

Lio Rush Shares What Made Him Consider Retirement

Tyriece Simon
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All Elite Wrestling talent Lio Rush is opening up about what led to him announce his retirement from pro wrestling earlier this year.

Rush appeared on Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show to discuss his road from WWE’s NXT brand to AEW. During their discussion, Rush shared that AEW President Tony Khan offered him a contract after his debut at AEW Double or Nothing on May 9th. Unfortunately, he sustained separated AC joint that night. The injury, coupled with personal and financial issues, led him to consider leaving pro wrestling entirely.

“… I was doing a lot of stuff with New Japan. I just finished up with MLW and Triple-A. It was a lot,” Rush admitted. “I was also going through a lot of personal things during that time too. Part of that was financial because of the huge hit that me and my family took with being released from WWE and trying to find consistent work without being under contract.”

https://twitter.com/VickieGuerrero/status/1446130953923956748

Lio Rush Post WWE Career

The WWE released Rush in April of 2020. After being released by WWE, Rush also contemplated retiring from pro wrestling. However, he wrestled for independent promotions and focused on his music career for the remainder of 2020. Rush caught the attention of MLW this year and made his debut on January 6th.

Rush defeated Myron Reed for the MLW Middleweight Championship in his MLW debut. The following month, he defeated Laredo Kid to win the AAA Cruiserweight Championship. He also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling during this time. His work in MLW and NJPW helped Rush gain the attention of wrestling fans and AEW.

The Decision to Not Sign With AEW in May

Rush made his debut as the Joker in the Casino Battle Royal at Double or Nothing. His performance at Double or Nothing earned Rush a contract offer. However, he abruptly announced his retirement after thinking about how his career was affecting his family life.

The time-off from wrestling helped Rush focus on his music career to help with his family finances. It also helped Rush spend more time with his family.

“…For me, I never really got that opportunity to be the dad that I’ve always wanted to be because I kind of got pushed in the wrestling world, like pretty quickly,” said Rush. He continued, “That was around the time I had my first son, and then when I had my second son, I was with the WWE. So I definitely wasn’t at home as I wanted to be. Again, with being released from WWE and having to work during the pandemic, now I have to work twice as hard, twice as much to try to make up for the money that I need to make for me and my family.” He planned to retire after finishing the remaining dates with NJPW once he recovered from his injury.

Rush was able to avoid surgery with stem cell treatment. On August 2nd, Rush announced that he could compete again. He made his return to NJPW at NJPW Resurgence on August 15th. Since NJPW Resurgence, Rush has made appearances on several NJPW events.

On September 29th, Rush made his return to AEW on AEW Dynamite. The following week, he appeared on AEW Dynamite, offering advice to Dante Martin. It’s unclear when Rush signed a contract with AEW. However, Rush seems to be giving his pro wrestling career another chance.

Chelsea Green Denied OnlyFans Account A Second Time

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Chelsea Green has once again been blocked from creating an OnlyFans account.

Since being released from WWE, Green has had the opportunity to utilize other platforms for income. She currently competes for Impact Wrestling and has her own podcast. Green has been trying to make her way to OnlyFans but it hasn’t panned out.

The first time she was denied, Green told Metro that she wasn’t given a reason.

“We don’t know why they denied me but apparently, it’s not totally unusual! A couple of my friends said they were denied the first time too. I’m going to reapply and see what happens!”

Well, second time wasn’t the charm. Green took to her Twitter account to vent about the second denial.

“Apparently OnlyFans doesn’t wanna take my money… SECOND REJECTION!”

If OnlyFans ultimately doesn’t work out, many have pointed other options for Chelsea Green. One platform she might be willing to try out is Patreon, as suggested by one of her followers.

Green’s money-making endeavors don’t end here. She told Metro that she’s toyed with the idea of having a reality TV show with her fiancee, Matt Cardona.

“Matt and I have spoken about it here and there. People who know us know that we’re such an odd couple. We are so in love and we work together so well, but I’m such an extrovert and he’s such an introvert. There’s a funny dynamic that we have. He shares it on his podcast, and I’m gonna try to share my view on mine.”

Brie Bella On What She Told Bryan Danielson Before AEW Signing

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bryan Danielson leaving WWE to join AEW is one of the most impactful wrestling moments of the past decade. Brie Bella recently revealed what she told Bryan before he had made his choice. The female star appeared on Sippin’ the Tea. She mentioned how her husband took the summer off and he kept contemplating the decision.

Detailing her conversation with Bryan at the time, Brie revealed that she told the AEW star he had to let his heart decide where he wanted to go. She also mentioned to him that she may not make her comeback after all:

“I was like, I’m not helping you make this decision, you are 40 years old. This is probably going to be your last run, so you have to just let your heart tell you where to go. I was like, just because I’m with WWE doesn’t mean you have to be there.  I don’t know if I’ll make a comeback. I told Nicole maybe in a year or so, but right now in my life, we’re so busy with our companies and the kids..”

Brie Bella discussed how she went back and forth about the decision of her return. She mentioned that she had to leave Birdie at home every week when she made her return at Royal Rumble 2018. Now that she has two kids, it would be that much more difficult to leave them at home, especially with Bryan being on the road as well.

Bryan Danielson’s WWE contract expired in April this year. He took time off to consider his future options. The former world champion was written off TV after losing a career vs. title match to Roman Reigns. After staying away from spotlight for 4 months, the former US champion made his AEW debut during the All Out PPV on September 5.

The Bella Twins Won’t Be Returning To The Ring After All

Chris Jericho Praises Tony Khan for Running Arthur Ashe Stadium

Tyriece Simon
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All Elite Wrestling talent Chris Jericho calls AEW President Tony Khan a genius for running Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Jericho appeared on Reinvented with Jen Eckhart and discussed AEW’s first show in New York City. Eckhart asked him what it was like wrestling at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 22nd. Jericho shared that he enjoyed the experience and praised Khan for hosting an event in that venue.

“It was unbelievable. There is a little bit of genius on Tony Khan’s part because everyone was talking about the Garden in NYC, Madison Square Garden,” said Jericho. He continued, “What people don’t understand is to play the Garden is very expensive for one. So you don’t really make money when you’re at the Garden. You just do it because it’s MSG.”

Khan Decision to Host AEW at Arthur Ashe Stadium

AEW became the first wrestling company to have an event at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Khan called their NYC debut event AEW Grand Slam, promoting a live AEW Dynamite show and a taped AEW Rampage show for September 24th. However, fans attending the event were able to watch the four-hour event on September 22nd. AEW Grand Slam was so successful that Khan wants to run Arthur Ashe annually.

In the interview, Jericho explained what made the stadium unique and thought it was better than MSG. “…The moment I went in there, I was like, oh my gosh. This place is amazing. It’s better than the Garden,” said Jericho. He continued, “…The seats go straight up in the air, so all the noise comes right down into the ring. People are just kind of just over top of you, and it was just really cool to see this place. I was going this atmosphere is off the charts crazy. We don’t need to go to the Garden now because we’ve created a new place for us.”

He suggests other wrestling companies may be trying to run an event at Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, Jericho also believes that the stadium will always be the home for AEW in professional wrestling.

AEW will make its return to New York on December 8th. It will be AEW’s first event in Long Island, NY, at the UBS Arena. Both AEW Dynamite and Rampage will be taking place at the venue.

Will Ospreay Ready to Embarrass AEW’s Top Stars (Exclusive)

Michael Reichlin
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Will Ospreay is fed up with people like CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson and others dropping his name.

The self-proclaimed “real” IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is gearing up for a clash against Alex Zayne. That match will take place at NJPW Showdown, a 2-night event taking place October 16th & 17th from Philadelphia’s historic 2300 Arena.

Ospreay spoke to SEScoops correspondent Samira this week about his preparation for that event, why he can’t stand American wrestling fans, and much more.

When asked who he wants to wrestle in the months ahead, ‘Big Match Billy’ named Kazuchika Okada as the only person he cares about from Japan. “The guy’s been ducking me for a while now,” he said.

However, there are several other people on his radar. Ospreay tells SEScoops that he’d “love” to wrestle CM Punk, as well as some of the other AEW stars who have called him out in recent months.

Ospreay Ready to Embarrass AEW’s Top Stars

CM Punk named Will Ospreay as someone he’d like to work with during a March 2020 appearance on the Swing & Mrs. Podcast. Punk is now an active competitor for AEW, bringing this potential dream match one step closer to reality.

“I would still love that match with CM Punk,” he began. “He’s the one that called me out. He said, ‘I want to wrestle Will Ospreay.’ So with that, Bryan Danielson, he said ‘I want to wrestle Will Ospreay’ and I get it. Kenny Omega wants to wrestle Will Ospreay. Take a ticket and I’ll get to you when I get to you guys. They called me out. Sammy Guevara, he’s another one that called me out.”

He continued, “There’s a list that goes on and on and on. They all call me out and there’s a reason why. Because when Big Match Billy is in town, their stock goes up. Everyone that wrestles me – and you can’t deny it – every single person that wrestles me ups their game because they know they’re going to be in the ring with one of the best wrestlers in the world right now. So, I completely understand it.”

These Guys Don’t Want Me To Show Up

Ospreay continued railing against Punk, Danielson, and Omega.

“If you guys really want it that bad, you know what to do. You just gotta call my number and I’ll show up. I’ll show up. But 9 times out of 10, these guys don’t want me to show up. Because A, I’ll embarrass them. I’ll embarrass them.”

“Guys like Bryan Danielson made a living being one of the best wrestlers in the world. But if I showed up, he would not last in the ring with me. Kenny Omega was THE guy in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He left. I took over. Nobody could compete with me in 2019. If I got in the ring with him, I’d embarrass him.”

Best in the World

CM Punk
CM Punk

“CM Punk called me out when he wasn’t a wrestler. So in that case, he was keeping an eye on me the entire time, looking at me and thinking I’m a challenge – and damn right, I’m a challenge. I’m THE challenge. So, if those guys want it, I’m ready. But, you guys hit me up. I didn’t hit none of you guys up.”

Ospreay took offense to the notion that CM Punk could still be considered the best in the world. “Is he though? He says he’s the best wrestler in the world. When was he saying that, 2011? Was he the best in the world, or was he the best of the bad bunch? Maybe you were the best at that time. Are you the best now? No. You’re nowhere near Will Ospreay’s level. So step up, brother. I’m ready for you.”

Booker T Reveals His Pick To Dethrone Roman Reigns

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

WWE legend Booker T has someone in mind to halt the momentum of Roman Reigns.

Many agree that since taking on the “Tribal Chief” persona, Reigns has been the hottest act in WWE. He has had a dominant run with the WWE Universal Championship. With that said, everyone has to lose at some point and many are wondering who will finally be able to dethrone the “Head of the Table.”

Reigns is set to put his gold on the line against Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel on Oct. 21. Taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said that while it would be easy to have Lesnar defeat Reigns, it’s not the route he would take.

“For me, I’ve been talking about this for a minute now, to beat Roman Reigns you gotta really make that a moment. I always say with moments, you only get a chance to have it one time and it goes away pretty much as far as these kind of situations. Undertaker’s streak being broken, stuff like that. For me, you look at Brock Lesnar. Could he be the guy? Of course.

“But for me, I’m looking to make somebody. I’m looking to make somebody in big fashion, in a huge way. And there again, man I look at that kid WALTER and I say he’s a star. He’s what wrestling is today. He’s international, he can bring so many eyes to American professional wrestling from that side of the world. It’s not gonna be funny. I look at this thing almost like the UFC does with that Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou matchup coming up. There’s gonna be a lot of eyes on that thing, there’s gonna be a lot of money made. At the end of the day, if we’re not looking at it that way, we’re just gonna have another match and we’re gonna just flip the title, we’re gonna lose.”

WALTER had an incredible run with the NXT United Kingdom Championship. He held onto the title for 870 days. His reign finally came to an end when he was submitted by Ilja Dragunov at TakeOver 36 back in August.

WALTER remains on the NXT UK brand after not being drafted by Raw or SmackDown. WWE officials have reportedly been wanting to do something with him beyond the NXT brand. Time will tell when WALTER will get the call to the main roster.

If you use the quotes in this article for your website, please drop a h/t to SEScoops with a link back to this article.

Kurt Angle On TNA Debut: Everybody Thought It Was Goldberg

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Kurt Angle admits he was nervous ahead of the major announcement that he signed with TNA Wrestling.

When Angle signed with TNA back in 2006, it was a big deal. TNA Wrestling was the new kid on the block. The promotion hired a slew of former WWE stars but at that point, they hadn’t signed a megastar who was in their prime. That’s why when the promotion announced that Kurt Angle put pen to paper, it threw the wrestling world for a loop.

During a recent edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on shooting the secret vignettes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqIB4CWDkiM

“They were very quick. There were background lights and water falling and it was just me doing poses and revealing myself at the end of the pay-per-view when I made my debut. ‘It’s real, it’s damn real’ and I started laughing. Those were the vignettes that I did. It didn’t take us very long. We got them done and out of there.”

Angle took note of fans chanting Goldberg’s name before the announcement was made and he went from being excited to sweating bullets.

“Everybody thought it was Goldberg. I was scared. When they were chanting ‘Goldberg’ I was like, ‘oh sh*t. I hope they’re not disappointed it’s me.'”

It’s safe to say that no one inside the Impact Zone was disappointed on that night.

Angle would stick around with TNA until 2016. He made his return to WWE the following year and earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle is now retired from the pro wrestling industry, citing injuries throughout his career, his age, and wanting to focus on other things.

If you use the quotes in this article for your website, please drop a h/t to SEScoops with a link back to this article.

Big E: I Want To Tweak My Presentation As WWE Champion

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Big E says that he wants to give his presentation a little bit of spice now that he’s the WWE Champion.

E successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on the Sept. 13 episode of Monday Night Raw. He found his opportunity after Bobby Lashley had a successful title defense against Randy Orton. Big E hit the Big Ending on Lashley to capture the gold.

Appearing on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast, Big E said some small changes could be made now that he’s WWE Champion.

“I suppose it has sunk in. For me, I don’t want there to ever be a moment where I feel I had an ‘I made it’ moment where like, ‘alright you’ve done it. Now you’re good, you can coast.’ Because that’s when you stop growing, that’s when you stop getting better. Nothing good comes from that.

“I don’t necessarily feel the pressure but I know there is an added responsibility. So for me, it’s still just go out there and perform to the best of your ability. That’s always been my perception. But I do think there are ways that I think I wanna tweak my presentation. When you’re the guy it’s a little bit different than when you’re in a three-man group working tag team matches.”

E has already had a successful title defense. He defeated Lashley in a steel cage match on an episode of Raw to maintain his hold on the gold. He’s due for his second title defense at WWE Crown Jewel on Oct. 21. He will share the ring with Drew McIntyre.

If you use the quotes in this article for your website, please drop a h/t to SEScoops with a link back to this article.

MLW: FIGHTLAND On Vice TV Preview, Big Talent Acquisition To Be Revealed

Chris Stephens
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Major League Wrestling presents FIGHTLAND tonight at 10 PM est on VICE TV following an all-new episode of Dark Side of the Ring. The show was filmed on October 2nd from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

Two title matches will air on tonight’s 1-hour special. In a title for title match, MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu will face MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone. MLW is billing this as the biggest fight in league history. SEScoops was on hand for the taping and this match is a must-see. Spoilers from the full show are available here.

The MLW World Middleweight Championship will also be on the line when champion Myron Reed defends against Yoshihiro Tajiri, Arez, and Aramis in a 4-way bout.

Court Bauer has also announced that a new big talent acquisition will be revealed on tonight’s show.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1446132960357462018

MLW has been getting mainstream attention ahead of Fightland. The Washington Post also sent a correspondent to the show. Their coverage of the event is available here.

“We’ve been the best-kept secret in wrestling for a long time,” Alexander Hammerstone said to the Washington Post. “It’s time to get in front of more eyes, and if tonight is any indication of what we’re going to do moving forward, it’s going to be some pretty big things.”

Court Bauer also spoke to the Washington Post about losing talent to other promotions recently. He noted that his promotion is essentially a “free agent” in terms of a big-league television rights deal.

“We couldn’t afford to keep them,” Bauer said about departing talent. “But as our rights deals get better, we’ll pay the talent. We always tell the talent, we’ll grow with you. If you believe in the system, trust the process. This is why all the promoters want you, because we’ve got you.”

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1446088322099593223

ECW original The Blue Meanie took part in the show. He also spoke to the Washington Post about MLW and the promotion’s future.

“The thing that bums me out is that everyone is so focused on AEW and WWE right now, but here you have MLW, who’s putting on just as good, or maybe even a better product than the two big two,” Meanie said. “I think MLW is definitely more intriguing than WWE right now. Hopefully, this next venture they’re doing with Vice TV leads to more growth.”

Tonight’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring is on the life and career of Johnny K9.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1445932137484595205

Drew McIntyre Discusses Future Feud With ‘Final Boss’ Roman Reigns

Anutosh Bajpai
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After being drafted to SmackDown, Drew McIntyre is looking forward to a future feud with the Universal champion Roman Reigns, who he calls the ‘final boss’ of WWE.

The former WWE champion recently had an interview with DAZN. He discussed things such as Big E finally becoming a world champion and his return to SmackDown.

McIntyre was asked if he feels he has unfinished business with Reigns. Replying to it, he said that there is definitely some unfinished business with him and he is looking forward to completing the story when the time comes:

“There’s unfinished business there with Roman 100 percent. In WWE, he’s the final boss, and I’m excited when the time comes for that story. Maybe it’s not right now. Perhaps it’s the future. But when it happens, it’s going to be big.”

Drew McIntyre was also asked if he thinks a match with Roman Reigns is the biggest money match for him and he replied positively. He mentioned how the tribal chief was already the top dog of the company before his heel turn.

The Scottish Psychopath said that he has been operating at a very different level over the past year. He wants to step up to that level and put the head of the table down.

Former Spirit Squad Member Hired As Performance Center Coach By WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former Spirit Squad member Kenny Dykstra, real name Ken Doane has been hired by WWE as a performance center coach according to reports from PWinsider. The 35-year-old, who was trained by WWE Hall Of Famer Killer Kowalski, has already joined his new position. He has been working at the PC for at least the last several weeks.

Dykstra made his wrestling debut at the age of 15 in 2001. After making several appearances as an enhancement talent, he was signed to a development contract by WWE in June 2004. He made his main roster debut as part of the Spirit Squad in January 2006. They were used by Mr McMahon in his feud against Shawn Michaels.

Kenny, alongside fellow squad member Mikey even won the tag team championships back in April the same year. They defeated the team of Big Show and Kane with help from the other three members of their group.

They went on to have a feud with a reunited DX, alongside other people such as Ric Flair. The faction disbanded in November after being defeated by the team of DX and Flair. Kenny was repackaged as Kenny Dykstra after the group ended but he couldn’t find a lot of success. He was released from his contract 2 years later in November 2008.

Chris Jericho Reveals Terms Of AEW’s Initial TV Deal With WarnerMedia

Anutosh Bajpai
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Getting their weekly show picked up by a television network like TNT was a major step in establishing AEW as a real alternative to WWE in people’s eye. Though they initially didn’t get paid any TV rights fee for their program, according to Chris Jericho.

The former champion recently appeared on Reinvented with Jen Eckhart. Discussing the start of the company, Jericho mentioned how being the inaugural world champion meant that the first three months of the promotion were on his shoulders.

Y2J went on to reveal the terms of their initial TV deal. He mentioned that their first deal was on a revenue share basis. Though Jericho revealed that the network upgraded their contract after seeing their performance:

“We had a TV deal, but it was an ad rev share was what had for a contract, which means, people buy ads and we get a piece of that. Three months later, after the show’s been doing super amazing in the ratings, the demos, we suddenly had a contract for $175 million over four years from TNT. “

Chris Jericho defeated Adam Page to become the inaugural AEW world champion in the main event of the first ever All Out PPV in August 2019. He held the title for 182 days before dropping it to Jon Moxley at the Revolution PPV in February 2020.

AEW and WarnerMedia initially announced their TV deal for a weekly wrestling program in May 2019. The show named Dynamite made its debut on TNT on October 2, 2019. AEW is celebrating the second anniversary of Dynamite’s TV debut this week.

Chris Jericho Thinks Vince McMahon Holds Grudge Against NXT

Tony Khan Clears Air On AEW Creative, Involvement Of EVPs

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tony Khan has responded to the recent reports about the behind the scene changes in AEW and adjustment to the creative process within the company. The AEW owner spoke to Mike Johnson of PWinsider and tried to clear the air on the changes that have been made since their inception in 2019.

Khan mentioned that he saw the reports that came out earlier this week and thought that they were pretty disingenuous. He claimed that nothing has changed in recent months. The AEW president explained that the structural changes occurred back in 2019 because he felt like he needed to take more responsibility:

“Yeah, I saw those reports this week and I thought that was pretty disingenuous stuff from some of the internet wrestling writers because nothing has changed in recent months and really, the structure changed for me at the end of 2019 and it was because of me, I felt like I needed to take over and be more accountable as the CEO and Booker.

Tony Khan’s comments confirmed reports of the reduced influence of AEW EVPs on the creative are correct. Though he continued his explanation claiming that the account saying that nothing has changed recently was pretty accurate. He then revealed what has been the biggest difference in the creative process:

“I think the biggest difference has been instead of five people getting in a room and putting a format together, I get in a room and put a format together.”

TK discussed how it was part of his 2020 revolution to take on a more organized approach and create more of the product himself. He said that his goal was to lay out the stories and matches and then format everything in a nice package himself. He has been doing that for almost a year and a half.

Details On MLW Trying To Sign Braun Strowman And Bo Dallas

Anutosh Bajpai
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MLW tried to sign both Bo Dallas and Braun Strowman after their release from WWE earlier this year. Though they couldn’t reach a deal with either of them.

The company CEO Court Bauer hosted a media call to promote their upcoming Fightland special. It’s scheduled to air on Vice TV this Thursday.

During the talk, Bauer was asked if they have had any discussions with recently released stars such as Bray Wyatt. Replying to it, he revealed that they actually had a conversation with Bray’s real life brother, Bo Dallas:

“So, we had conversations with Bray’s brother, and I think he seems more interested in farming, I understand having to re-charge, you gotta re-charge for another run, but right now it seems like he’s more interested in doing some farming.”

In regards of the former Universal champion, the MLW founder revealed that they did talk to the monster among men about a potential deal. Though they couldn’t come to terms with the former Wyatt family member either:

“And we did talk with Braun Strowman for a little bit, and didn’t come to terms on a deal. I can’t say where they’re gonna be headed or not, I don’t really know.”

Bo Dallas had already been preparing for his life after wrestling even before his release from WWE. So it’s no surprise that he is more interested in working on the farm he owns with Liv Morgan at the moment.

Braun Strowman on the other hand has had discussions with multiple promotions. Latest reports on his future indicate that Impact Wrestling is the most likely future destination for the former WWE star.

Braun Strowman Reveals How He Got His Big Break In WWE

AEW News: Bobby Fish Is Officially All Elite

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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The relationship between Bobby Fish and AEW isn’t one-and-done after all.

Fish appeared on the Oct. 6 episode of Dynamite. This was the special two-year anniversary of the show. Fish challenged Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship inside the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. Fish fell short in the match as Sammy scored the pinfall.

As it turns out, Bobby Fish is actually sticking with AEW. The promotion announced he is All Elite.

There had been a report by Fightful that Fish told friends during an MLW taping that he hadn’t signed with AEW. While it’s possible that he was offered a deal after the taping, he may have just been trying to keep things under wraps.

Before announcing the Fish signing, AEW posted a video of the former tag team title holder for WWE and NJPW vowing to meet Sammy Guevara again for the TNT gold down the road.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1445935434022936579

Fish had been with WWE on the NXT brand since 2017. He had success on the show as a part of the Undisputed Era. He held the NXT Tag Team Championship twice. Fish was released from his WWE contract along with a slew of other NXT talent as a result of budget cuts.

AEW Dynamite Results (10/6): New Title Announced, Hangman Adam Page Returns

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite 2nd Year Anniversary Show aired live from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sammy Guevara defended the TNT Championship against Bobby Fish. Seven wrestlers competed in the Casino Ladder Match in tonight’s main event. The winner of the match earned a future shot at the AEW Championship.

Dynamite Results (10/6)

  1. The Elite def. Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage, Jurassic Express
  2. Sammy Guevara def. Bobby Fish to retain the TNT Title
  3. Darby Allin def. Nick Comoroto
  4. Serena Deeb def. Hikaru Shida via submission
  5. Hangman Page won the Casino Ladder Match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

The Elite Picked Up A Win

Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage, Jurassic Express battled The Elite in the first match of the night. Jungle Boy hit Nick Jackson with a Dropkick to the face and Adam Cole tagged in. Cole stomped Jungle Boy down in the corner of the ring and posed for the crowd.

Jungle Boy battled back with some chops and tagged in Christian Cage. Christian hit Cole with a chop to the chest and quickly tagged Jungle Boy back in. Jungle Boy hit a stomp and tagged Christian back in. Cage choked Cole against the ropes and hit him with a punch to the face.

Cage drove Cole to the corner and unloaded some more punches. Matt Jackson tagged in and Jungle Boy hit him with a Dropkick to the face. Adam Cole hit a knee to the face and tagged in Omega. Kenny connected with a knee to Jungle Boy’s midsection and brought him back to the corner.

Danielson tagged in and hit Matt Jackson with a bunch of kicks. Luchasaurus tagged in and hit Matt with a chop to the chest. Luchasaurus hit a Splash and then a brawl broke out. Jungle Boy missed with a Crossbody as Nakazawa hit Cage with a briefcase. Cutler sprayed the spray in Cage’s face and Young Bucks connected with a Piledriver outside the ring.

Back in the ring, The Elite isolated Jungle Boy in the corner and took turns beating him down. Cole got Jungle Boy in a Crossface and the Young Bucks gave him a smooch on both cheeks. Omega tagged in and Jungle Boy connected with a Brainbuster.

Omega ducked under an Enziguri and posed for the crowd as Danielson pleaded for a tag. Jungle Boy bounced off the ropes and leveled the AEW Champion with a Clothesline. Jungle Boy looked for a tag but Danielson and Luchasaurus were distracted by The Elite’s goons. Young Bucks lifted Jungle Boy up but he countered into a Suplex that sent Matt & Nick to the canvas.

Danielson tagged in and Dropkicked Cole off the apron. Danielson and Omega stared at each other before trading punches in the middle of the ring. The crowd loudly cheered for Danielson and booed the champion. Danielson ducked under a lariat and turned Omega inside out with a Clothesline. Bryan connected with a Dropkick and some Yes Kicks in the corner of the ring.

Bryan perched Omega up on the top turnbuckle and hit him with a Hurricanrana. Danielson followed it up with a diving Headbutt off the top rope and went for the cover but the Young Bucks broke it up at two. Omega went for a Snap Dragon Suplex on Danielson but he countered into a Tiger Suplex for a two count.

Danielson tried to lock in Cattle Mutilation but Nick Jackson broke it up with a Swanton Bomb. Luchasaurus connected with a Chokeslam on Omega and hit the Young Bucks with some kicks. Luchasuarus hit Omega & Cole with a Moonsault outside the ring. Jungle Boy hit Nick with a Hurricanrana off the apron. Danielson hit a Suicide Dive but Omega knocked him to the floor. Omega hit a flip and then Cole made it seem like he was going to follow but instead said “Adam Cole Bay Bay”.

Luchasaurus hit Cole with a Chokeslam as a “this is awesome!” chant broke out. The Elite botched a move on Luchasaurus and the crowd mocked the hell out of them. Cole hit Jungle Boy with the Panama Sunrise but Danielson broke up the pinfall attempt. Danielson hit a flurry of kicks before getting hit with a few Superkicks. Elite hit Jungle Boy with a 4 person BTE Trigger for the win as Jim Ross noted how the referee just allowed The Elite to have everyone in the ring.

CM Punk Challenged Daniel Garcia

CM Punk made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Punk said he isn’t tired of the love fest that is going on and noted how he used to live around the area. Punk asked the crowd if they wanted to see him wrestle or wanted cheesesteaks. He then challenged Daniel Garcia to a match on Rampage. Punk gave the Jordan’s he was wearing to the Orange Cassidy fan before leaving.

AEW Announced The TBS Title

Tony Schiavone came to the ring with Aubrey Edwards for an announcement during this week’s show. Tony announced that the TBS Championship will be coming to AEW’s women’s division when Dynamite moves to TBS in January.

AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker responded to the title announcement in a backstage promo later in the show. Baker said all the jealous b*tches can now fight amongst themselves in the tournament as she watches on from her place at the top.

Sammy Guevara Retained

Sammy Guevara defended the TNT Championship against Bobby Fish tonight on Dynamite. Bobby Fish controlled the action early but the TNT Champion battled back with an elbow to the face. Sammy connected with a Spanish Fly and then made his way to the top turnbuckle. Fish tripped him up and hit a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Sammy connected with GTS for the pinfall victory and retained the TNT Championship.

After the match, Scorpio Sky, American Top Team & Dan Lambert made their way through the crowd. They attacked Sammy in the ring until Jericho & Hager made the save. Lambert said that Rampage will be in Miami soon and announced a 6-man tag. Inner Circle vs. Men of the Year & Junior dos Santos (with Jorge Masvidal).

The Pinnacle Attacked Darby Allin

Jim Ross spoke with Darby Allin and said MJF was an ass last week. Allin stated that he pains half his face because he feels half alive since the day his uncle died in the car crash. Darby added that everyone expected him to hit MJF last week, but he wasn’t about that. Allin noted that MJF has never faced anyone like him and he will find out what he is all about soon enough.

Darby Allin faced Nick Comoroto tonight on Dynamite. Sting and QT Marshall were ringside for the match. Nick connected with a big Powerslam and posed for the crowd as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Allin quickly took control and connected with the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory.

After the match, QT planted Sting with a Cutter but Sting got right up. Sting booted QT in the groin and followed it up with the Scorpion Death Drop.

A few masked men (The Pinnacle) attacked Darby Allin as he was leaving and slammed him into a stop sign against the barricade. Wardlow hit an F10 on Allin on top the barricade. A masked MJF then shoved Darby’s skateboard into his throat and left.

Malakai Black Accepted Dante Martin’s Challenge

Tony Schiavone interviewed Dante Martin on this week’s episode of Dynamite. Martin said he has been proving that he is a problem to everyone in the locker room and held his own against AEW Champion Kenny Omega. Martin said he is here for a fight and the lights went out.

Malakai Black arrived in the ring and spit the black mist in his face. Malakai then hit him with Black Mass and the lights went out again. When the lights came back on, Dante Marin was on the floor outside the ring. Malakai said “the House of Black accepts” (Martin’s challenge) and left the ring.

Serena Deeb Tapped Out Shida, Attacked Her After the Match

Hikaru Shida faced Serena Deeb on tonight’s how. Shida was trying to reach the 50 win milestone and there was even a trophy waiting for her after the match. Deeb and Shida went back and forth to start off the action. Shida extended her hand but Deeb opted to slap her in the face instead. Shida responded with a Dropkick and sent Serena to the corner.

Shida unloaded some punches to the face and followed it up with a Dropkick. Hikaru hit Deeb with a running knee to the face and Serena fell to the floor outside the ring. Hikaru set up the chair but Deeb got up and slid the chair back under the ring. Deeb hit Shida with a Neckbreaker across the middle rope and Hikaru fell to the floor as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Shida hit Deeb with a forearm to the face. Shida swung Deeb around and planted her with a DDT. Hikaru climbed to the top rope and connected with a Dropkick for a near fall. Shida went for an Enziguri but Deeb ducked. Shida then hit a running knee to the face but couldn’t go for the cover because Serena fell to the outside. Shida hit a Crossbody and rolled Deeb back inside.

Deeb caught Shida with a Dragon Screw and then a twisting Neckbreaker for a two count. Shida connected with a slam and followed it up with the Falcon Arrow for a two count. Deeb went after Shida’s injured knee and connected with the Detox for a near fall. Serena bashed Shida’s knee off the canvas several times and locked in a Half Crab for the submission victory. After the match, Deeb cracked Shida over the head with her “first female to 50 wins trophy” as the crowd booed her.

Hangman Page Returned & Won The Casino Ladder Match

Jon Moxley, Andrade El Idolo, Orange Cassidy, Lance Archer, Matt Hardy, Pac and The Joker (mystery wrestler) competed in a Casino Ladder Match in tonight’s main event. The winner of the match will earn a future title match.

Orange Cassidy and PAC started off the match as the clock began to tick down. Cassidy and Pac locked up in the middle of the ring and Pac slammed Orange to the mat. Cassidy shoved Pac to the ropes but he responded with a shoulder tackle.

Cassidy lounged in the middle of the ring and Pac got annoyed. Pac went for a stomp but Cassidy rolled out of the ring. Back in the ring, Cassidy went for a move but Pac countered into a Backbreaker. Pac slid a ladder into the ring but Cassidy slid it back. Cassidy went for a DDT but Pac countered into a Suplex.

Andrade El Idolo entered the match next and grabbed a ladder. Pac hit him with a Dropkick right away and brought the ladder into the ring. Pac set it up under the poker chip but Andrade hopped on the ladder as well. Andrade hit a big Sunset Flip Bomb off the ladder and then brought Pac to the corner. Andrade put the ladder on top of him but Cassidy distracted him. Cassidy hit a Hurricanrana and then a Dropkick to Pac.

Matt Hardy entered the match and planted Cassidy with a Uranage. Hardy hit everyone with the ladder and set it up under the poker chip. Cassidy dragged Hardy off the ladder but Matt launched him into the steel as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Lance Archer had entered the match. Archer went for the Blackout on Pac but he was able to escape. Archer hit Pac with a shoulder tackle and then punched Matt in the face. Archer planted Matt with a Uranage and set up the ladder in the middle of the ring.

Jon Moxley entered the match and entered through the crowd. Archer and Moxley started off battling in the crowd and Jon threw a chair at him. Moxley sent Archer into the barricade before hurling another chair at him. Archer blocked it and launched a chair at Moxley’s face.

Archer lifted up a ladder but Orange hit him with a couple Orange Punches. Moxley hit Orange with a Suplex and then delivered a Dropkick to Lance in the corner. Moxley set up the ladder against the ropes as the clock ticked down. Hangman Adam Page entered the match as The Joker and the crowd erupted.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1445930607213690886?s=20

Hangman Clotheslined Moxley out of the ring and then hit Cassidy with a Fallaway Slam. Page took everyone out and posed for the crowd. Pac got into the ring and attacked Hangman from behind. Pac set up the table in the corner along with the ladder. Pac climbed to the top but Andrade broke it up.

Andrade and Pac traded punches on top of the ladder. Pac knocked Andrade off the ladder and on top of another ladder outside the ring. Page hit Pac with Dead Eye off the ladder and through the table as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Moxley planted Page with the Paradigm Shift and set up the ladder. Orange Cassidy climbed up and Moxley bit his face.

Matt shoved over the ladder and brought Cassidy to the outside. Hardy set up Cassidy on top of a table and climbed up a ladder. Hardy connected with a Leg Drop and both crashed through he table. Moxley started climbing a ladder in the ring but Archer hit him with a Chokeslam. Jon tumbled out of the ring and Archer set up the ladder. Hangman came out of nowhere with a Buckshot Lariat and started climbing the ladder.

Moxley hit Page with a chair and started climbing up the other side. Hangman unloaded a bunch of punches to Moxley’s face and Jon fell off the ladder. Page then grabbed the chip and won the match. Hangman Page has earned a future shot at the AEW Championship.

AJ Mendez Joins Relaunched ‘Women of Wrestling’ Promotion

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AJ Mendez is making her return to the wrestling industry.

During a press conference announcing the relaunch of Women of Wrestling, Mendez appeared to announce she is now a part of the promotion. She will be an executive producer. On top of that, she’ll also be providing color commentary.

AJ Mendez had been out of the business since 2015. She competed as AJ Lee under the WWE banner. AJ cited damage to her cervical spine as the reason for her departure.

WOW had gone dark during the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion and AXS TV split from their deal along the way after AXS purchased Impact Wrestling.

WOW announced a new networking deal with ViacomCBS. The promotion will begin airing new shows in fall 2022. Older episodes are expected to air on CW Seed and Pluto TV in Dec. 2021.

WOW has revealed that Tessa Blanchard will return to the company as a huge part of the relaunch. The Beast, who remains the WOW World Champion, will also be making her return.

More info on the relaunch of WOW is expected to surface in the coming months. Stick with SEScoops as more details become available as it pertains to dates and talent.

TBS Championship Officially Announced On Dynamite

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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It’s official, there is a new title that is a part of AEW.

During the two-year anniversary episode of Dynamite, Tony Schiavone was in the ring with referee Aubrey Edwards to introduce the new TBS Championship. Schiavone made mention that on Jan. 5, Dynamite will be moving to TBS.

The TBS Championship will be in the women’s division. Ahead of the reveal, Tony Khan took to his Twitter account to say the announcement was long overdue.

AEW has received criticism for its direction with the women’s division. Many feel the spotlight hasn’t been put on the women’s division enough. This is an effort to change that notion.

It’ll be interesting to see how the first contenders will be determined. There are plenty of options when it comes to who could be the first champion. We’ve got the likes of Kris Statlander and Tay Conti, both of whom haven’t held the Women’s World Championship yet.

We won’t have to wait long to see the title in action, however. The title will be active beginning with Dynamite’s move to TBS, which is scheduled for Jan. 5. SEScoops will update you on the first TBS Title match in the coming weeks.

Who do you think should become the first-ever TBS Champion?

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