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(Spoiler) Moose Impact Title Defense Set for Turning Point

Tyriece Simon
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Impact World Champion Moose has his first championship defense set for Impact’s next Pay Per View, Turning Point, on November 20th.

Impact Wrestling is currently taping episodes of their show at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada. A Fan uploaded clips on Twitter from yesterday’s tapings that revealed the number one contender for the Impact World Championship.

Spoiler for Number One Contender for Impact Title

A triple threat match between Matt Cardona, W. Morrissey, and Eddie Edwards happened during the tapings. Edwards won the match by pinning Cardona and became the number one contender to face Moose at Turning Point. Edwards will try to become a two-time Impact World Champion with a win over Moose.

https://twitter.com/Ericromero401/status/1452845406874791936

What’s Next for Josh Alexander

Edwards becoming the number one contender at Turning Point raises the question of what Impact Wrestling is doing with Josh Alexander. Alexander seemed to be Impact’s next babyface champion after defeating Christian Cage at Bound for Glory on October 23rd. However, Moose would defeat Alexander shortly after to win the title. Fans watching the event questioned Impact’s motive for taking the championship away from Alexander. It now seems that Alexander won’t be getting a rematch for the title anytime soon.

While Alexander is not in the title picture, Impact Wrestling promoted that he’d face Minoru Suzuki during the tapings. It is unclear what Alexander will do at Turning Point or when he will get his rematch.

Another Match teased for Turning Point

Another match that is Impact Wrestling teased during the tapings was Mickie James vs. Mercedes Martinez for the Impact Women’s Championship. Martinez challenged James to a title match at Turning Point. However, the match has not been made official by Impact Wrestling. The promotion will air the taped episodes for several weeks, starting this Thursday.

Charly Arnolt Teases Working With AEW

Chris Stephens
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Broadcaster Charly Arnolt was with WWE from 2016 until earlier this year, when she decided to leave for ESPN.

Arnolt recently took part in an autograph session with East Coast Autographs and spoke about possibly appearing for AEW.

“I am a huge fan of Tony Khan,” she said during the appearance. “I’m a huge fan of Cody Rhodes and his wife Brandi. I have to imagine that whatever they are putting together over there is gold. I will make it a point to tune in and, who knows, maybe one day I’ll make a cameo or more than a cameo.”

Charly Arnolt is not the only former WWE announcer who has expressed interest in All Elite Wrestling. Renee Paquette recently said she’s never spoken to Tony Khan about working for AEW, but she’s “certainly open to the opportunity.”

Arnolt & Tony Khan

Charly Arnolt has been friends with AEW President Tony Khan for many years. In fact, she knew TK before she joined WWE.

“I’ve known Tony for years and years,” she added. “I was friends with Tony even before I took my job with WWE. Long-standing relationship right there.”

According to Arnolt’s Wikipedia bio, she was invited by Tony Khan to attend a WWE Smackdown show in 2016. It was there that she met WWE Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano and Michael Cole. This led to her hiring with WWE. At the time, she had been working as a sports reporter in the Indianapolis area.

Update on Tony Nese’s Status With AEW

Chris Stephens
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Former WWE Superstar Tony Nese appeared in the crowd during AEW’s Saturday Night Dynamite broadcast from Orlando this weekend. He was billed as, “one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling.”

The 36-year-old grappler from Long Island, New York would later make his AEW in-ring debut over the weekend at the latest set of Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.

Tony Nese is All Elite

Nese’s situation with AEW was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Dave Meltzer, Tony Nese has signed with the promotion. This has not been made official, however, and it is being speculated that this is due to an angle AEW has planned.

“On the show on Saturday, they showed him in the stands so obviously he’s signed,” said Meltzer. “But they won’t announce it because probably they are doing something. They did the Dark tapings yesterday in Orlando and he wrestled, I think he wrestled in more than one match. He’s signed, that’s the deal.”

Nese signed with WWE in 2016 to take part in the Cruiserweight Classic. He would later become a regular with the 205 Live brand.

Nese won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on the WrestleMania 35 Kickoff Show in New Jersey. He defeated Buddy Murphy to win the title. Nese would hold the championship for 77 days before dropping it to Drew Gulak.

He was released from WWE on June 25, 2021.

Impact Wrestling Taping Spoilers (10/24/21)

Chris Stephens
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Some spoilers have become available from the recent Impact Wrestling tapings from Sunday in Las Vegas have become available.

According to a report from PW Insider, Minoru Suzuki’s first angle with Impact took place on Sunday night. Suzuki is said to have gotten into a brawl with Josh Alexander. Alexander had won the Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory briefly before Moose cashed-in his “Call Your Shot” trophy and won the title from him moments later.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, several other events took place which should air on this coming Thursday’s broadcast:

  • Mickie James retained her newly won Knockouts Championship against Madison Rayne. Mercedes Martinez then came out and challenged James to a match at Turning Point.
  • Ace Austin defeated Chris Sabin.
  • Laredo Kid became the new #1 contender for the X-Division Championship after winning a fatal 4-way. He’ll face new champion Trey Miguel for the title at some point. It hasn’t been revealed who is opponents were, however.
  • A match between the Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) vs FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) went to a no-contest after interference by all 3 members of Impact’s Bullet Club faction (El Phantasmo, Chris Bey, & HIKULEO).
  • Eric Young returned from injury and won a squash match over Jai Vidal.
  • Heath defeated Violent By Design’s Joe Doering, but after the match VBD attacked both Heath and Rhino.
  • The new Knockouts Tag Team Champions the Iinspiration (Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee) watched a match between Decay and the Undead Bridesmaids from the stage area. There was said to have then been a small altercation after the match. It is not clear who won this match, however.

Impact Wrestling was advertising that Monday’s show would feature a match between Josh Alexander and Minoru Suzuki.

Update on Kota Ibushi’s Shoulder Injury, How Long He’ll Be Out

Chris Stephens
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Last week, the G1 Climax Final match between Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada was stopped early after Ibushi suffered an injury. After missing a Phoenix Splash attempt, Ibushi was attended to by ringside physicians and the match was stopped and Okada was declared the winner.

NJPW1972.com released an update on Ibushi’s condition today.

“The evaluation revealed a right anterior dislocation of the shoulder, and joint lip damage. Recovery is expected to take two months,” reads NJPW’s update.  

If all goes well in his recovery, Ibushi will be able to return in time for 3-night Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, January 5, and January 8, 2022.

NJPW Power Struggle Lineup

The next big event for NJPW in Japan will be Power Struggle in Osaka on November 6th. Below are the announced matches for the card.

  • Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. Tanga Loa, Gedo & Jado
  • Yuji Nagata, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI)
  • NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships
    Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi
  • KOPW Trophy
    Toru Yano (c) vs. Great-O-Khan
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
    Robbie Eagles (c) vs. El Desperado
  • IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship
    Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. KENTA
  • Title Shot at Tokyo Dome
    Kazuchika Okada (G1 Winner) vs. Tama Tonga
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
    Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

WWE RAW Results (10/25): Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match, Becky Lynch & Bianca Belair

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the season premiere after the WWE Draft and first episode of RAW following WWE Crown Jewel. Kevin Owens, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor faced off in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match in tonight’s main event. The winner earned a shot at the WWE Championship.

RAW Results (10/25)

  1. Roode & Ziggler def. Alpha Academy, Street Profits to become #1 contenders
  2. Zelina Vega def. Doudrop
  3. Damian Priest def. T-Bar via DQ in a Championship Contender’s Match
  4. Carmella def. Liv Morgan
  5. Bearcat Lee def. Cedric Alexander
  6. Austin Theory def. Dominik
  7. RK-Bro def. Dirty Dawgs to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships
  8. Seth Rollins def. Rey Mysterio, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match to become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Sonya Deville Announced A Huge Ladder Match For Later Tonight

WWE Champion Big E kicked off the show and welcomed everyone to the season premiere of RAW. Big E added that there was no better town to host a premiere than Houston and an “Astros!” chant broke out. Big E wished the baseball team good luck and congratulated Xavier Woods on winning King of the Ring.

Big E gave props to Drew McIntyre and said he made him a better wrestler. The WWE Champion wondered what is next for him and asked “who?”. Seth Rollins interrupted and danced around on the entrance ramp. Rollins lost in a Hell in a Cell match against Edge at Crown Jewel.

Rollins cackled into the microphone and joked that Big E already knows why he is out here. Big E pointed out that Rollins lost to Edge so that means Seth goes to back of the line. Seth got annoyed and claimed that the Universal Champion is too afraid to give him his opportunity. Rollins challenged Big E to not be like Roman Reigns and be a fighting champion. Seth wanted a title match tonight and told Big E to think about it.

Rey Mysterio interrupted and joked that Rollins’ vision must be impaired after getting his head bashed in against Edge. Mysterio stated that his resume speaks for itself and wants a shot at the WWE Championship. Finn Balor joined the party and listed off his resume as well. Balor looked right at Rollins and said he was the first Universal Champion. Finn said he has never won the WWE Championship and wanted a shot at it now that he is on RAW.

Kevin Owens made his way to the ring and listed off his resume. Owens noted that he became Universal Champion in this building and pinned Seth Rollins to win it. Rollins got pissed and attacked Rollins. Owens went for the Stunner but Seth retreated. Sonya Deville announced that there will be a Fatal 4-Way Ladder match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship.

Roode & Ziggler Earned A Title Shot Tonight

Street Profits, Otis & Gable, and the Dirty Dawgs faced off in a Triple Threat tag team match. The winners will be the #1 contenders for the RAW tag titles.Street Profits dominated early and sent Otis out of the ring with a Dropkick. RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro were shown watching on as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Roode and Ford were battling in the ring. Montez sent Ziggler off the apron and Roode to the outside. Ziggler went for a Fameasser but Montez countered into a Powerbomb. Otis tagged himself in and launched Montez into the turnbuckle.

Gable tagged in and Montez booted him away. Dawkins finally got the tag and connected with a Back Body Drop on Gable. Angelo connected with the Silencer for a near fall. Gable hit a German Suplex and went for the cover but Montez broke it up with a Frog Splash.

Omos made his way down the entrance ramp as the crowd booed. Montez tried to leap onto him but the big man caught Ford with ease. Omos hit Dawkins with a punch and Dirty Dawks hit a Fameasser/Spinebuster combo for the pinfall victory. Roode & Ziggler now have a RAW Tag Team Championship match later tonight.

Zelina Vega def. Doudrop

Zelina Vega won the Queen’s Crown tournament at Crown Jewel by defeating Doudrop in the finals. Vega came to the ring with a robe & scepter. Zelina wanted ring announcer Mike Rome to introduce her with more bravado and he introduced her as “our majesty, and the only Queen of WWE, Queen Zelina.

Vega put on the crown and took a seat in the throne. The female locker room was shown watching backstage as Vega pondered what type of Queen she will be. Vega claimed that the crown meant she was the best of the best and people will talking about her reign for years to come. Doudrop interrupted and they had a rematch from Crown Jewel.

Doudrop connected with a Clothesline and hurled around the ring to start off the match. Doudrop connected with a Suplex and sent Vega to the corner. Zelina bounced Doudrop’s face off the turnbuckle and then took off the padding. While the referee was fixing the turnbuckle, Vega hit Doudrop with the scepter. Vega then covered Doudrop for the victory.

Bianca Belair Confronted Becky Lynch, Title Match Set For Next Week

RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. The Man said it feels good to have the title back that she never lost and intends to pick up right where she left off. Becky bragged about her win over Bianca Belair, but wanted to face new challengers like Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. Lynch added that she always gets what she wants and was promptly interrupted by Bianca Belair.

Bianca said Becky cheated at Crown Jewel and should be ashamed of herself. Belair claimed that Becky hasn’t faced adversity and said that her recent victories have earned her a rematch for the title. Bianca said she was the new face of RAW and Becky responded by showing a photo of a disappointed Belair at Crown Jewel. Becky noted that was a face of a loser, not the face of RAW.

Belair vowed to smack the goofy look off of Becky’s face and show the world who she really is. Bianca added that Lynch is just some catchphrases and a forced smile, and that she is nothing without the title. Belair wanted the title match right now but Becky told her to get to the back of the line. Bianca caught Lynch with a punch and followed it up with a Spinebuster. The RAW Women’s Champion rolled out of the ring but Bianca followed her.

Bianca sent Becky flying over the announce table and beat her down some more. Lynch grabbed a kendo stick and swung but Bianca blocked it. Bianca ripped the kendo stick away and hit Becky with it several times. Lynch tried to escape but Bianca lifted her up for the KOD. Lynch bashed Bianca in the throat and retreated. Lynch said Bianca has the match but just not tonight. It was later announced that Becky will defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair next week on RAW.

Damian Priest def. T-Bar

T-Bar faced United States Champion Damian Priest in a Championship Contender’s match. The action started off back and forth. T-Bar sent Priest to the corner but the champion connected with a boot to the face for a two count. T-Bar took control and connected with a slam. T-Bar followed it up with a Moonsault off the top rope for a near fall.

Priest battled back and hit the Broken Arrow. Damian sent T-Bar out of the ring with a Clothesline and followed him out there. T-Bar launched a computer chair at Priest to end the match in a DQ. After the match, Damian Priest went after T-Bar and planted him with the Reckoning.

Damian Priest debuted a new entrance and you can check that out in the video below.

Carmella def. Liv Morgan

Carmella squared off with Liv Morgan tonight on RAW. Carmella beat Liv down to start off the action and sent her to the corner. Liv hit an Enziguri and then a running knee to the face for a near fall. The action spilled out of the ring and Carmella was in control. Carmella taunted Liv in front of the announcers desk and Corey Graves. Liv bounced Carmella’s head off the announce table and rolled her back into the ring. Carmella went for a roll-up but Morgan kicked out. Carmella then connected with the X-Factor for the pinfall victory.

Bearcat Lee Picked Up A Win

Keith “Bearcat” Lee faced Cedric Alexander tonight. Shelton Benjamin was ringside for the match. Bearcat pounced Cedric out of the ring to begin the action. Alexander took his sweet time getting back into the ring and booted Bearcat in the leg. Bearcat no sold it and leveled Alexander with a Clothesline. Bearcat followed it up with the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pinfall victory. After the match, Shelton Benjamin made it seem like he was going to fight Bearcat but ultimately retreated.

Austin Theory def. Dominik

Dominik Mysterio faced Austin Theory on this week’s show. Before the match, Rey and Dominik were talking backstage. Theory showed up and wanted to take a selfie with Dominik in the ring. Dominik accepted the match and Rey offered to be in his son’s corner. Dominik said he wanted to handle this by himself and noted that Rey has a lot going on tonight.

Austin dominated early and leveled Dominik with a Dropkick. Dominik hit a Dropkick off his own but Theory quickly responded with a Backbreaker for a near fall. Dominik countered a Suplex into a roll-up for a two count and followed it up with a Bulldog. Theory battled back and hit ATL for the pinfall victory. After the match, Theory took a selfie with a defeated Dominik.

RK-Bro Retained The Tag Titles

RK-Bro defended the RAW Tag Team Championships against Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler. Orton and Roode started off the action and locked up in the middle of the ring. Roode hit some chops to the chest but Orton poked him in the eye. Orton went for the RKO but Roode blocked it. Riddle tagged in and hit a Senton. Roode rolled out of the ring as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Ziggler got Orton in a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Orton broke free but the Dirty Dawgs kept The Viper isolated in the corner. Riddle eventually got the tag and hit Ziggler with the Ripcord Knee and the Exploder Suplex. Roode broke up the cover but Orton caught him with an RKO. Riddle rolled up Ziggler for the win and RK-Bro retained the RAW Tag Team Championships.

Seth Rollins Earned A Shot At The WWE Championship

Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Seth Rollins battled in a Fatal 4-Way #1 Contender’s Ladder Match. The winner of the match will face Big E for the WWE Championship at a future date. Owens and Balor battled in the ring. Kevin Powerbombed Balor on top of a ladder and then delivered a Superkick to Seth’s face. Rollins fell on top of the ladder and Owens made his way to the top rope. Owens went for a Senton but Rollins got out of the way at the last moment. Kevin crashed on top of the ladder and yelled in pain as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Rollins was bashing everyone with a ladder in the ring. Rollins posed with the ladder and shouted that he shouldn’t even have to be in this match to get a title shot. Balor capitalized on Rollins taking his eye off the prize and tripped him up. Balor hit a Double Stomp and then delivered a Back Body Drop to Owens that sent him on top of Rollins.

Finn set up the ladder in the middle of the ring as the WWE Champion Big E watched backstage. Balor and Rey traded punches on the top of the ladder but Owens shoved it over. Owens sent Finn out of the ring with a release German Suplex and then slammed Rey to the canvas. Owens started climbing but Rollins brought him down with a Buckle Bomb. Kevin bounced off the turnbuckle and hit Seth with a Superkick before falling to the corner.

Owens crawled towards the ladder and began climbing once again. Owens grabbed for the contract but Rey dragged him down from behind. Kevin bashed Rey into the ladder and threw him into the barricade outside the ring. Owens hit Balor and Rey with the ladder before bashing Rollins in the midsection.

Kevin took a look around as the crowd got behind him. Owens grabbed a table and set it up outside the ring. Balor attacked Owens but Rollins took them both out with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Owens went for a Pop-Up Powerbomb but Rey blocked it. Rey went for the 619 but Rollins tripped him up. Mysterio threw Seth out of the ring and then hit Owens with a 619. Mysterio hit a Senton with the ladder on Owens outside the ring as RAW went to a break.

Rey was climbing the ladder but Rollins knocked it over when RAW returned. Seth set up the ladder against the turnbuckle and booted Rey out of the ring. Rollins whipped Balor into the ladder but Finn responded with a Slingblade. Owens hit Balor with a Superkick but Balor shrugged it off. Finn Dropkicked Rollins into the ladder but turned around into a Senton from Rey. Owens then slammed Mysterio face first on the mat and all four superstars were down.

Seth grabbed the gigantic ladder outside the ring but Balor attacked him. Finn sent him into the barricade and set up the ladder from the announce table to the ring apron. Balor hit Seth with a Slingblade and then rushed to stop Rey from grabbing the contract. Balor hit Rey a couple times and reached but Owens dragged him down. Owens hit Balor with a Stunner but got sent out of the ring by Rey. Mysterio went for a Cannonball but Owens caught him and hit a Powerbomb through the table outside the ring.

Kevin started climbing towards the contract and got hi hands on it but Rollins brought him down. Seth went for a Powerbomb but Owens escaped. Owens then went for a Powerbomb but Seth countered into a Back Body Drop through the ladder. Balor started climbing but Rollins dragged him down. Seth hit Balor with the Stomp and made his way up the ladder. Rollins grabbed the contract and earned a shot at the WWE Championship.

After the match, WWE Champion Big E came to the entrance ramp and stared at Rollins. Seth offered for a handshake but then pulled his hand away. Rollins laughed and raised the contract as Big E stared him down. Seth was then interviewed backstage and shouted that Monday Night Rollins is back. Rollins claimed that he was going to be the next WWE Champion because he is Seth “freaking” Rollins. Seth cackled into the microphone to close the show.

Eric Bischoff Slams CM Punk: “He Should Be Embarrassed”

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has gone off on CM Punk.

Bischoff has made appearances on AEW TV in the past but he isn’t very chummy with Tony Khan at the moment. Bischoff has been none too pleased after Khan’s recent comments about not repeating the same mistakes WCW made. The former WCW boss has also laid into CM Punk for saying his return was bigger than the nWo formation.

Eric Bischoff Believes CM Punk Isn’t As Hot As He Thinks He Is

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff blasted CM Punk for telling fans to wait five years from now to see just how big his impact and others were long-term for AEW.

“This is what lit my fuse, I wasn’t going to comment on any of this until Punk came out and said ‘It’s going to take five years for the effect of this talent to really show up significantly in the ratings,’ are you f***ing kidding me? Does anybody other than an uninformed wrestling fan who loves CM Punk, is anybody going to believe that nonsense? It’s going to take five years?”

Bischoff continued, “Dude, you’re going to be getting AARP mail, because it happens soon as you start getting close to 50 they start pounding you with this s–t. I let that one go but then to come out a couple weeks later, after in my opinion he should be embarrassed, and for the ratings to take the dive the way they did after his debut, suggests to me that he ain’t as hot as he’s trying to make people think he is. If he was, the numbers would be much bigger.”

While Bischoff may have been ticked off by Punk’s nWo comments, he may also be taking jabs due to Punk’s known hatred for Hulk Hogan. Back in September, Punk told Barstool Sports that he still views Hogan as a “piece of sh*t.” Bischoff and Hogan have been good friends for decades.

Bischoff hasn’t been impressed by AEW’s head-to-head numbers with WWE. He has criticized Tony Khan for gloating about the key demo. He believes AEW has been spinning the narrative.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes

Mickie James Speaks On Significance Of Winning Knockouts Title

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Mickie James has commented on winning the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship for the fourth time.

James challenged Deonna Purrazzo for the gold at Bound For Glory. Mickie ended the 343-day reign of Purrazzo.

Mickie James Admits Knockouts Title Win Means More To Her Than She Thought It Would

Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Mickie James said that despite winning numerous world titles throughout her career, this one was special.

“It feels so good. Honestly, I didn’t think it would matter as much to me as it did in a sense because I have been a champion several times and I’ve had such a tenured career. We always go, ‘God, I don’t need the championship. I’ve done so much.’ There was nothing sweeter than winning the championship. I hadn’t won a championship in eight years. My last championship was the one that I lost in IMPACT against ODB. When I think about that I go, ‘Wow, that’s a long time.’ I’ve done a lot, but not really for me. It was a great moment, it was powerful, and it felt good.”

It’s a feel-good moment for Mickie, who was released by WWE back in April. Mickie aired out WWE for being unprofessional by sending her stuff in a trash bag. WWE acted quickly and fired the person responsible.

Since being released by WWE, Mickie played a key role in the creation of an all-women’s NWA PPV. Billy Corgan has credited her with making a lot of the cross-promotion deals a reality.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Kurt Angle Feels All WWE Writers Should Be Wrestling Fans

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kurt Angle thinks WWE would benefit if all of its writers were longtime wrestling fans.

Angle knows a thing or two about working for WWE when the company was red hot. The former Olympic gold medalist was a main eventer in the Attitude era. He was a part of a memorable love triangle storyline involving Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Kurt Angle Reveals What Made Brian Gewirtz Special

Brian Gewirtz played a crucial role in the execution of the love triangle. During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said that Gewirtz made things seamless because he was always a wrestling fan.

“I think all the writers were involved but Brian was pretty much the lead writer. Brian had a lot of talent because he was a wrestling fan his whole entire life. He went to college at Syracuse University for journalism. He majored in journalism and he took those two passions and put them together and became the best writer in the business.”

The Case For All WWE Writers Being Fans

Angle went on to say that he agrees with the notion that longtime fans would make for better writers for the WWE product.

“I believe that. I don’t know if it’s true but I think it definitely helps. You would be a better writer for pro wrestling if you’re a wrestling fan than if you weren’t a fan. So, I think yes.”

Today, WWE hires a slew of writers from different backgrounds in television. Some have only dabbled into comedy, while others have flat out admitted they were never wrestling fans prior to being hired by the company.

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

Zelina Vega On What Vince McMahon Said To Her After Queen’s Crown Victory

Chris Stephens
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Zelina Vega is the winner of the first-ever Queen’s Crown tournament in WWE. She recently spoke with Sports Illustrated about what the win means to her and what Vince McMahon said to her after the tournament final.

“Vince walked up to me after the match in the back and said, ‘You walked in here queen, and now it’s official,’ ” Vega said. “I almost lost it.”

Vega won the match with a Code Red, which she says was a tribute to her cousin, Amazing Red.

“It was me representing my family,” Vega said of using the move. “That’s my cousin’s move. Amazing Red deserves so much credit for what he’s done, so that was for him. That was for my dad, too. And that was for me, to solidify my place and show that I belong here.”

“Queen Zelina, it feels so incredible to say that,” Vega continued. “I’m bringing it to Spanish, too—La Reina, that’s me. It feels absolutely right to say that. This is me, and it is mine.”

“It’s been a hell of a journey, and I’m looking forward to continuing my story as Queen Zelina. Every time I step into the ring, I feel like I have to prove myself. I take this opportunity in WWE very seriously. This is my time, and it starts now.”

Zelina Vega In WWE

It has certainly been an up-and-down ride for Zelina Vega in WWE. She began her career in 2010 and had a run with TNA from 2011-13 (under the name Rosita). After multiple appearances with WWE in the coming years, she eventually signed a contract with the promotion and reported to the WWE Performance Center in 2017. She was paired with Andrade as a manager and would be called up to the main roster in 2018.

In 2020, Vega was released from the promotion under controversial circumstances. She was vocally opposed to WWE’s ban on talent earning revenue from 3rd parties such as Twitch. Vega would return to the promotion in July of 2021 after 8 months away, however. She would then lose her first 8 matches back with the promotion. Vega has since won 4 straight, however. She defeated Liv Morgan on the 9/24 Smackdown before winning 3 straight in the Queen’s Crown tournament against Toni Storm, Carmella, and Doudrop.

Former Impact & ROH Star Jimmy Rave Has Both Legs Amputated

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jimmy Rave has shared some more unfortunate news.

Back in Nov. 2020, the former Impact & ROH veteran announced his retirement due to having his arm amputated. An infection was to blame and by the time Jimmy saw a doctor, nothing else could be done.

Jimmy Rave has now taken to his Twitter account to announce that an MRSA infection in both his legs has forced them to be amputated.

“Apparently it’s time for me to come clean. This past June I began having trouble walking & went to my surgeon. He determined I had MRSA in both legs & they needed to be amputated immediately. Promoters can tell you along with my peers, I’ve had a history w/this and would cancel.”

“Shows often due to this condition. I don’t know where rumors started this was due to something else, but I hadnt been to shows for so long. So where did someone see me do something? *I* have ALWAYS been honest with my past. *I* went on podcast n interviews being super candid.

Rave added, “Pro Wrestling is all I ever loved. It sucks to think that the tribe I would have died for, would say untrue things about me. I’ve gone this whole time not disclosing my legs because of this embarrassment. Sorry I fell short of your expectations. I tried … I really did.”

He also revealed his medical expenses.

Those looking to help Jimmy Rave during this difficult time can donate to his GoFundMe page. As of this writing, $15,010 of the $20,000 goal has been met.

Number 10 Says He ‘Absolutely Hated’ Wearing A Mask On Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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Preston ‘Number 10’ Vance can now instantly be recognized by his signature mask. Though according to the AEW star, he hated wearing it at first. The Dark Order member recently spoke to Dynamite Download. He talked about things such as being included in the AEW world title eliminator tournament and more.

The former WWE star discussed how he had never wrestled under a mask before joining AEW. Vance explained that this is why he hated wearing it in the promotion. He also claimed that he didn’t understand his character at first:

“When I got signed, I hated the mask, absolutely hated it. I didn’t understand the character, but I wasn’t going to say no, obviously. I didn’t understand. On the Indies, I never wore a mask; I wasn’t this dark creepy person. That’s just not me. I’m like, ‘What the hell am I doing?'”

Number 10 Says He Now Loves The Mask

Preston “Number 10” Vance
Preston “Number 10” Vance

Though things have changed significantly since then. Number 10 said it has become another element of his character and he now absolutely loves this part of his persona:

“Now, I absolutely love it. It’s just another element to your image. Now you’re not just a body guy. Whether you’re a heel or babyface, you’re either a real life super hero or a real life villain. It’s really cool.”

Preston Vance continued by mentioning how he loves fan art and lets fans create all his gear. He explained that it keeps people connected to his character.

The Dark Order star wrestled for companies such as MFPW, Evolve and WWE before his AEW signing. He made his first AEW appearance as a member of the faction during the May 5, 2020 episode of AEW Dark that can be seen below.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Cesaro Talks Dealing With Last-Minute Changes In WWE

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Cesaro enjoys the challenge of WWE’s pivot on the fly mentality.

For years, Cesaro has been a strong player on the WWE roster. While he isn’t exactly treated as a main eventer, he has had some moments in a headlining role. He defeated Seth Rollins at WrestleMania and challenged Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship earlier this year.

Cesaro has no complaints about his WWE run. Appearing on Into The Danger Zone with Chris Denker, the “Swiss Superman” said he’s never deterred when plans are changed at the last minute.

“It’s fun. It’s the driving force. I talk with Woods, the more chaos it is, the more exciting it gets. ‘How good am I?’ Time gets cut, this gets changed, that gets changed. There’s no net and that’s weirdly what makes it fun sometimes, but also that’s what makes me critical and dissect it and want to be better. It’s all about doing the best you can with what you’re given. There are so many things where people don’t know what goes into it and that’s not an excuse, that’s a fact, and people shouldn’t know and that’s the whole trick.”

Cesaro recently turned some heads on social media, teasing a potential showdown with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar has been “suspended indefinitely” in storyline. “The Beast” fell short in his WWE Universal Title match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel.

https://twitter.com/WWECesaro/status/1452053352800571398

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Keith Lee On How Involved Vince McMahon Is With His ‘Beartcat’ Persona

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Keith Lee underwent some character changes during his absence from WWE programming. He recently re-emerged on WWE TV as Bearcat Lee.

The Raw star recently appeared on Out of Character. He discussed the thought process behind the changes in his persona, his love for videos games, and more.

The heavyweight star was then asked how involved Vince McMahon is with his new gimmick. Replying to it, Lee said that the boss is quite hands on:

“I would say he’s been quite hands on, which is honestly something I need because I want to know what he wants as opposed to making a guess or estimation or hypothesis.

If I know what he wants directly, it makes it that much easier to give him what he’s looking for. He’s the man,” said Keith Lee, “he runs this, if he wants a specific thing out of his talent, then the talent is to give him what he wants.”

The former NXT champion also discussed how his character is different than before. He explained that it’s the guy that makes people uncomfortable by just looking at them instead of giving a smile and speaking to them kindly.

Keith Lee had mostly been absent from WWE programming since the Elimination Chamber PPV in February. He returned during the September 27 episode of Raw and the WWE star has been renamed Bearcat Lee since then.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Mark Henry & Bully Ray Share Advice For Keith Lee

Tony Khan Shares TNT’s Reaction To Rampage vs. SmackDown

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AEW founder Tony Khan has revealed TNT’s reaction to Rampage and WWE SmackDown going head-to-head.

Rampage takes the 10 p.m. ET slot every Friday night. This follows SmackDown, which is typically on from 8 p.m. ET through 10 p.m. ET. Things were a bit different on Oct. 15. That’s because SmackDown was forced to move to FOX Sports 1 due to a scheduling conflict with MLB. WWE decided to add an extra half-hour to SmackDown, competing with Rampage.

As expected, SmackDown had the clear edge in overall viewers. The talk of the town, however, has been the fact that AEW beat WWE in that half-hour in the key demo. It’s been a polarizing discussion as some feel it’s a massive win for AEW, while others believe people are trying to spin things since SmackDown was clearly ahead in overall viewership.

Tony Khan Says TNT Is Thrilled With Rampage’s Numbers

No matter how you feel about the situation, TNT appears to be quite happy with how the head-to-head battle played out. Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan discussed TNT’s positive reaction to the numbers for Rampage.

“I thought it was even more impressive given that I was forced to take a couple breaks. It was really great of TNT to work with us, I thought, on short notice to push our breaks back, so we could have that match uninterrupted. To me, it’s not up to us when the show is on. In this case, somebody moved aggressively into our timeslot and it was really important for us to do a good number and win the night. And we did. I really wanted to rally the fans and put some attention on it. I also really believed we were going to win, and we did. We’ve done really well in the demo, which is the thing advertisers and the TV networks use to rate the shows. I know TNT was over the moon and very excited about what we did.”

The head-to-head madness didn’t stop there. FOX ran an encore presentation of SmackDown against a live episode of Dynamite on Oct. 23. On Oct. 29, WWE will run Talking Smack, which is going head-to-head with Rampage.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes

WWE 2022 PPV Calendar Reveals Stadium Shows, AEW Conflict

Chris Stephens
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WWE has released its PPV schedule for 2022. 9 events have been confirmed thus far. WWE has also noted that there will be additional PPV dates announced in February and October, bringing the total to 11 events.

  • Saturday, January 1 – Day 1 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta
  • Saturday, January 29 – Royal Rumble at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis
  • Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 – WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium in Dallas
  • Sunday, May 8 – Pay-Per-View at Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I.
  • Sunday, June 5 – Pay-Per-View at Allstate Arena in Chicago
  • Saturday, July 2 – Money In The Bank at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
  • Saturday, July 30 – SummerSlam at Nissan Stadium in Nashville
  • Saturday, September 3 or Sunday, September 4 – Pay-Per-View at TBD location
  • Saturday, November 26 – Survivor Series at TD Garden in Boston

Nick Khan, WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer, had this to say about WWE’s 2022 PPV Calendar:

“Since returning to live events this past July, our fans have graciously expressed a tremendous appetite to attend WWE shows. As they begin to make plans for next year, we wanted to make sure that the 2022 schedule and locations of our pay-per-views was made available to them.”

AEW vs WWE PPV Clash Over Labor Day Weekend 2022?

Of note regarding WWE’s PPV schedule, is the planned event listed for either September 3rd or September 4th over Labor Day weekend 2022. The PPV is unnamed and the location is listed as TBD.

AEW has run its All Out PPV over Labor Day weekend dating back to 2019. The ROH/Elite “All In” PPV also ran over Labor Day weekend in 2018. This year, AEW ran the PPV on a Sunday.

In 2020 and 2019, however, the event ran on a Saturday. All In in 2018 ran on a Saturday as well.

Details On Sonya Deville Confronting Charlotte Flair Backstage

Chris Stephens
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Becky Lynch was not the only person angry with Charlotte Flair following the title-exchange segment on Smackdown. According to a report from PW Insider, Sonya Deville confronted Flair as well.

“Two different sources described Sonya Deville as ‘mad enough to want to fight Flair’ and at one point, also having an argument with Flair backstage at Smackdown,” wrote Mike Johnson.

The report continued to say that Flair made it clear she thought the booking of the segment made her and the championship look weak. Flair is also said to have ruffled a few feathers in other instances in the past few months. These include a visibly stiff confrontation with Nia Jax during a live match on RAW. A further report from Wade Keller states that Flair has been “‘increasingly difficult to work with’ over the course of the year.”

One source, speaking to PW Insider under the condition of anonymity, said that Flair has been very protective of her position in the company as of late.

“Let’s be honest, that’s what stars do,” the source reportedly said. “They make sure their star power remains the same or greater.” 

Another source stated that resentment towards Flair has been building and it was “just a matter of time” before something happened.” Flair was escorted out of the building on Friday night.

Flair was also reportedly not backstage at AEW’s show in Orlando on Saturday night. Although she has accompanied Andrade el Idolo in the past to AEW events.

More on the Charlotte Flair situation:

Carmelo Hayes Seen As A Shawn Michaels ‘Project’ In NXT

Anutosh Bajpai
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Carmelo Hayes has already got people talking about him in his short run with NXT. It appears that fans aren’t the only ones that have started liking him for his performance.

The NXT star has impressed ‘people of influence’ in NXT. This includes none other than the heartbreak kid, Shawn Michaels, (via Fightful).

Michaels apparently sees a lot of himself in Hayes and many see him as a ‘project’ of the Hall Of Famer. These claims seem to be backed up by the photo HBK took with Carmelo following his North American title win.

The former Christian Casanova was already impressive but he opened the door for a lot more opportunities with his match against Kushida in June. This included a follow-up match with Adam Cole.

Regarding the title switch that saw Carmelo Hayes cashing in his title shot at Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, sources say that it was done to establish Hayes as a new star while also protecting Scott on his way to the main roster.

The report also reveals that the current champion was discussed for the cruiserweight division as part of a major revamp. These plans were nixed after the mass releases.

Carmelo Hayes had been rewarded a title opportunity of his choice after winning the NXT breakout tournament. Isaiah Scott successfully defended the North American title against Santos Escobar on October 12 NXT. Hayes then cashed in his title shot on Scott and won the championship

Carmelo Hayes Reveals ‘Top Guy’ Conversation with Shawn Michaels

Chris Jericho On If He Pitched Idea To Unmask Juventud Guerrera In WCW

Anutosh Bajpai
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The SuperBrawl VIII was an important event for the careers of Juventud Guerrera and Chris Jericho. It saw the latter unmasking the former in order to keep his WCW cruiserweight championship.

These two wrestling veterans recently sat down together on an episode of Talk Is Jericho podcast. They discussed their time in WCW among other things.

During the episode, Juvi asked Jericho if he was the one who pitched the idea of his unmasking. Replying to it, Chris explained that it was all Eric Bischoff,

“It wasn’t me at all. I had no power or anything at that point. You and I worked many times and Eric went through this idea that luchadors should lose their mask and you were a handsome guy. I was never really asked or consulted.

We were working and it was, ‘You’re going to have this match with Juvi and you’re going to take his mask.’ I was like, ‘Really?’ ‘Yes, that’s what Eric wants.'” said Chris Jericho, “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Y2J explained how you develop influence as you go up the ladder in any company but at the time he was not an important enough star in WCW to be pitching ideas.

Chris Jericho joined WCW as a cruiserweight star in 1996. Jericho was never really seen a main event talent during his three-year-long run with the company and he only won the cruiserweight title and the TV title during his time there.

Eric Bischoff Claims Tony Khan Manipulates Ratings Data To Make AEW Appear Competitive

Chris Stephens
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Eric Bischoff and Tony Khan have been having a bit of a public back and forth recently. It started earlier this month when Tony Khan sent out a Tweet stating that Ted Turner didn’t know 1% of what he does about wrestling.

Former Turner employee, Eric Bischoff, appears to have taken offense to these comments. He noted on his 83 Weeks podcast that Khan should be quiet about WWE and focus on his own show. Khan then appeared on Busted Open Radio and said that he didn’t ask to go head-to-head with Smackdown on Friday night.

WWE and AEW Are Not Head-to-Head Competition

Recently on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff noted that AEW and WWE are not in head-to-head competition with each other. He also accused Khan and AEW of “manipulating ratings data” to make AEW appear competitive with WWE.

“AEW is not in head-to-head competition,” Bischoff said. “They are just not. They are in the same industry. Now, you can say, ‘Well they came at us, they extended that half hour into our time slot and that was an aggressive move’, and that would be a fact. But to somehow spin that and try to suggest that you are a more popular product, you are a more successful product, you are winning some kind of a ratings war that only exists in the minds of dirt sheet writers and people that want to try to spin reality, that’s not right.”

Bischoff then continued to say that Khan’s claim that AEW is winning a ratings war because of certain demos is not correct. He referred to it as “data gymnastics.”

“All I’m suggesting is, rather than claiming you’re competing against, and somehow you’re competing favorably because you’re comparing a percentage of your demos on your Wednesday night show to a percentage of the demos on Monday Night RAW, notice they don’t talk about SmackDown too much. But on Monday Night RAW, when they go against Monday Night Football, which probably has the highest concentration of male 18-49 year old than just about anything else on TV in any given week, is a false equivalency. It just isn’t real. It’s data gymnastics.”

Chris Jericho Responds To ‘Cosplay Competition’ Remark From Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff has been active on Twitter as of late responding to fans commenting on this issue. In some cases, he has been congratulating people for getting blocked by certain wrestling journalists.

H/T to WrestlingNews for transcriptions.

Britt Baker, Tay Conti & Jade Cargill Trade Shots On Twitter

Chris Stephens
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Britt Baker will defend her AEW Women’s World Championship against #1 contender Tay Conti at Full Gear next month. Conti came out to make the save after Baker continued to attack Anna Jay after their match on Rampage Friday night. Then on AEW Saturday Night Dynamite, Baker cut a promo on Conti stating that “All [Conti] has done since arriving in AEW is show everyone [her] ass.”

Baker’s promo led to responses from both Conti and #2 contender in the AEW Women’s division, Jade Cargill.

Conti opted to compare how certain parts of their actions figures look in her response:

https://twitter.com/TayConti_/status/1452079742501404675

Jade Cargill, who received a first round bye in the TBS Championship Tournament, responded to an earlier Tweet from Baker as well.

Baker then answered back with the following:

“Your tweets are as bad as your promos. I was the baddest bitch on the block before you even decided you wanted to play wrestler. No one mentioned “looks” but that’s literally all you have so I get it. If that was an attempt to body shame my ass, go ahead and kiss it.”

Cargill then answered back with a couple more Tweets.

“BODY SHAME!?! The Queen of talking about everyone else is playing the victim. Brittney please, I can’t help that God blessed me with great looks!”

Jade Cargill will face the winner of Red Velvet vs the Bunny in her first match in the TBS Championship tournament.

Jim Ross Criticizes WWE’s “Stale” Booking

Chris Stephens
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AEW broadcaster Jim Ross recently stated he believes WWE’s booking has gotten stale. The 69-year-old made the comments on his Grillin Jr. podcast recently. He did also mention, however, that WWE does appear to be trying to build new stars.

“I think the WWE’s booking has just gotten a little stale,” Ross said. “They’re trying desperately, as you see on NXT and so forth, to get younger. I think Big E, he’s not a young pup but he’s a new face in that role, and I think that’s what they’re trying to do. It’s like starting the race a little late in the game, it’s going to take a little while to catch up and develop young stars.”

Ross then continued to compare WWE’s booking with AEW’s. He spoke about how many of the names on AEW programming aren’t necessarily young, but they are being presented in a fresh environment against new opponents.

“[AEW] is fresher,” Ross continued.”“Even though they see Adam Cole, they haven’t seen him in this environment. They haven’t seen Adam Cole against CM Punk yet or Bryan Danielson yet. All these matches are there at Tony Khan’s disposal whenever he wants to use them. Tony Khan has done a great job of getting these talents who aren’t necessarily young, but new and fresh, and therefore, their marriages/matches with other guys is going to be fresh.”

JR also noted on Twitter that he was impressed with Bryan Danielson’s match against Dustin Rhodes on Dynamite this Saturday night. The American Dragon picked up the victory and moved on in the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament. Danielson will face Eddie Kingston in the semi-finals.

Jim Ross Battling Skin Cancer

Unfortunately, “Good O’l JR” recently revealed on social media that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer. He had recently underwent a CT scan and the results confirmed a cancer diagnosis. No treatment protocol has been recommended as of yet, but Ross noted he will most likely need radiation.

SEScoops wishes all the best to Jim Ross and a speedy recovery.

Jim Ross Diagnosed With Skin Cancer

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcriptions.

Tyler Breeze On Which AEW Debut Sparked Back His Love For Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tyler Breeze had soured on wrestling a little bit after having to compete in front of no fans during the pandemic, but a major AEW debut reignited his love for the sport.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with Into The Danger Zone podcast. He mentioned how they do this for the entertainment of people and claimed that the lack of crowd had soured him.

Breeze then talked about Adam Cole’s AEW debut during the All Out PPV. He explained how hearing people go nuts for it sparked his love for wrestling again:

“What kind of sparked it again was watching [Adam] Cole debut on AEW. When he came out, dude, hearing people go nuts and people go crazy and everything else, I went, ‘Oh, that’s why we do this.’”

Tyler Breeze also talked about his release from WWE during the interview and the former NXT star revealed his immediate reaction to getting the call.

Da Party was a WWE group consisting of Xavier Woods, Adam Cole, and Cesaro alongside prince pretty. Cole has previously claimed that leaving the gaming group was the hardest part of his WWE departure.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes

Tyler Breeze Say He “Was Preparing To Get Fired The Day I Got Hired”

Tay Conti Reveals Forbidden Door Dream Matches

Anutosh Bajpai
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Fans have gotten to see a number of dream matches in recent times that wouldn’t have been possible without the opening of the forbidden door. Tay Conti has revealed her own picks for dream matches outside her current promotion.

The AEW star recently had an interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated. She discussed things such as her life before wrestling, how she got into the business, and more.

During the interview, Conti also revealed her forbidden door dream matches, naming a couple of Japanese wrestling veterans among others:

“Ok, first of all Asuka, my dream match. Her match with Sara [Del Ray] my old coach [made me like] ah I wanna do it. I would say Giulia from Stardom, and [Meiko] Satomura.”

Tay Conti is a Brazilian professional wrestler who first started her career in WWE in 2016. She signed with AEW in August last year after getting released by WWE as part of the coronavirus budget cuts.

The 25-year-old is currently the #1 ranking female star in AEW. As a result, she will be getting a shot at the AEW women’s world champion Britt Baker at the upcoming Full Gear PPV. You can check out the other announced Full Gear match here.

Tony Nese Makes In-Ring Debut For AEW During Dark Taping

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tony Nese has made his in-ring debut for AEW after making his first appearance for the company during last week’s episode of Saturday night Dynamite.

The premier athlete made his debut during the latest AEW dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He faced Fuego Del Sol in a singles bout in his debut match for the promotion:

This wasn’t the only match Nese wrestled in during the night. AEW usually tapes 4 Dark episodes in one set. The former WWE star also competed in a second match against DeMarcio James during the taping.

The former cruiserweight champion had a 5-year stint with WWE. He wrestled on shows such as Raw, 205 Live, and Main Event during his time with the promotion.

Tony Nese was released from his WWE contract as part of the budget cuts in June. He has been making indie appearances after his non-compete clause expired.

The high-flying star made his first appearance for AEW during Saturday’s episode of Dynamite. He was shown in the crowd during the opening match of the night between Bryan Danielson and Dustin Rhodes.

There aren’t any details available about his deal with the promotion. So it’s hard to say if his appearance was one-off or if Tony Nese is going to stick around for a feud.

CM Punk Appears After AEW Dynamite (Video)
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