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Karrion Kross Set To Undergo Another Character Overhaul

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE is set to make even more changes to the character of Karrion Kross after deviating from his original persona upon his main roster call-up earlier this year.

According to the Wrestlevotes Twitter account, the idea is for the former NXT champion to be more of a “psycho” and yet still be calm. The presentation of his entrance music is also set to change:

“Source states WWE is shifting Karrion Kross’ character once again. Plan is for him to be more of a “psycho” yet still “calm & cool.” As of now the helmet stays, but for whatever reason, still no Scarlett. Presentation of entrance including theme music set to change as well.”

As the report notes, the officials still have no plans for Scarlett to be reunited with the former NXT star on the main roster despite the fan criticism.

Karrion Kross in WWE

Karrion Kross signed with WWE back in February 2020. He was dominant in NXT, winning the brand’s top title a couple of times during his stint in developmental.

Kross made his main roster debut in July this year, though the company made significant changes to his presentation. He also lost his debut match against Jeff Hardy.

At first it was suggested that Kross may be built up slowly leading to a reunion with Scarlett. Though now it’s evident that the company has no clear direction for him.

Karrion Kross Speaks On Not Being With Scarlett Bordeaux On WWE TV

WWE RAW Results (10/18): Crown Jewel Go-Home Show, Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. It was the final episode before WWE Crown Jewel this Thursday. Big E will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at the PPV, but tonight they teamed up to face Ziggler & Roode. The semifinals of both the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown wrapped up on tonight’s show as well. Charlotte Flair defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair in the main event.

RAW Results (10/18)

  1. Xavier Woods def. Jinder Mahal to advance to the finals of the KOTR tournament
  2. Austin Theory def. Jeff Hardy
  3. Big E & Drew McIntyre def. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
  4. Mansoor def. Cedric Alexander
  5. Street Profits def. RK-Bro via DQ (Omos & Styles interference)
  6. Doudrop def. Shayna Baszler to advance to the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament
  7. Finn Balor def. Mace
  8. Bianca Belair def. Charlotte via DQ

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Charlotte Flair Kicked Off The Show

RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair kicked off this week’s show. The crowd booed as Flair complained that there should be champagne and the entire roster should be cheering her as she comes to the ring. Charlotte boasted about her personal accomplishments and called Bianca Belair a flash in the pan. Charlotte complained about having to defend the title on her last night on RAW.

Flair added that Belair will learn how far she still has to go when they face off tonight. Bianca Belair interrupted and said she has done nothing but prove that she belongs here and made her way to the ring. Eventually, they started brawling an Bianca knocked Flair out of the ring. Charlotte will defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Belair later tonight.

Xavier Woods Advanced To The Finals Of The King Of The Ring Tournament

Xavier Woods faced Jinder Mahal in the semifinals of the KOTR tournament. Shanky, Veer, and Kofi Kingston were ringside for the match. Woods tripped up Mahal against the ropes and connected with a Dropkick to the back. Mahal hit a shoulder tackle and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Woods broke free but Mahal sent him to the outside with a Back Body Drop as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Jinder connected with a slam for a two count. Jinder hit a Side Slam and posed for the crowd. Mahal went for a Knee Drop but Woods got out of the way. Xavier knocked Shanky off the apron and climbed to the top rope. Mahal caught him and hit the Khallas. Jinder went for the cover but Woods grabbed the rope to break it up at two.

Mahal perched Woods up on the top turnbuckle and joined him up there. Woods hit an elbow to the face and knocked Mahal to the canvas. Xavier then connected with a massive Elbow Drop (Limit Breaker) for the pinfall victory. Xavier Woods has advanced to the finals of the King of the Ring Tournament.

Austin Theory def. Jeff Hardy

Austin Theory confronted R-Truth backstage and challenged him to a match. R-Truth said he made a mistake and accepted the challenge for R-Truth’s friend. Jeff Hardy then made his way to the ring and Austin laughed in the ring. Theory applied a Headlock but Jeff quickly escaped. Austin leveled Jeff with a shoulder tackle and mocked him. Hardy rolled up Theory for a near fall and Austin claimed he grabbed his tights. Jeff hit Theory with a Dropkick that knocked him out of the ring. Austin tripped Hardy up on the ring apron and planted him with a Neckbreaker on the floor as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Theory stomped on Hardy’s ribs and continued to mock him. Theory went for an Elbow Drop but Jeff got out of the way. Jeff hit an Atomic Drop, Leg Drop, and then a Dropkick to the face for a two count. Hardy threw Theory to the outside and leveled him with a Dropkick. Jeff got out of the ring and leaped onto him off the steel steps. Back in the ring, Hardy climbed to the top rope but Theory crotched him on the top turnbuckle.

Theory lifted Jeff up in the fireman’s carry and hit him with a modified GTS for the pinfall victory. Theory posed with a laid out Hardy for a selfie after the match. Jeff got up up and planted Austin with the Twist of Fate. Hardy then took a selfie with an in pain Austin and showed it to the camera.

Big E & Drew McIntyre Picked Up A Win

WWE Champion Big E teamed up with Drew McIntyre to face Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler tonight on RAW. Big E and Ziggler started off the match. Big E hit a big shoulder tackle and tagged in Drew. McIntyre launched Ziggler to the corner and knocked him to the mat with a chop to the chest.

McIntyre delivered another chop and Ziggler sold it like crazy. Ziggler raked the eyes and stomped on McIntyre’s foot. Roode tagged in and bounced Drew’s face off the top turnbuckle. Roode unloaded some punches to the face but Drew was able to tag in the WWE Champion. Big E launched Ziggler into the timekeeper’s area but Roode snuck up from behind. Roode launched Big E into the steel steps as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Ziggler had Big E in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Big E battled to his feet and walked across the ring with Ziggler still on his back. Roode distracted the referee and Big E couldn’t make the take. Dolph planted him with a slam and went for the cover but the WWE Champion kicked out at two.

Ziggler raked Big E’s eyes across the top rope and tagged in Roode. Robert hit a Neckbreaker for a two count. Roode did some pushups in the middle of the ring to taunt the WWE Champion. Dolph unloaded some punches to Big E’s face and followed it up with a Splash int the corner. Ziggler went for a DDT but Big E countered with an overhead throw.

McIntyre tagged in and launched Roode across the ring a couple times. Drew did the same to Ziggler and hit Roode with a Neckbreaker. McIntyre hit Ziggler with an Alabama Slam on top of Roode and geared up in the corner. Drew lifted Roode up but he broke free. Ziggler dragged Big E off the apron and it distracted McIntyre. Roode capitalized with a Spinebuster for a near fall.

Ziggler tagged in and Roode launched Dolph into a Fameasser on McIntyre for a two count. Roode tagged in and McIntyre hit him with a headbutt. Big E climbed onto the apron and asked for a tag. Drew tagged him and Big E hit Roode with the Big Ending for the pinfall victory. Big E raised the WWE Championship and McIntyre turned him around. McIntyre stared at him and extended his hand for a shake. The two shook hands and traded some words to end the segment. Big E will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel.

Mansoor def. Cedric Alexander

Mansoor faced Cedric Alexander tonight on RAW. Alexander dominated the action and applied a Cobra Clutch. Mansoor escaped and planted Cedric with a reverse DDT. Alexander sent Mansoor to the apron but he got back into the ring and hit a slingshot Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory. Mustafa Ali came to the entrance ramp and mocked Mansoor after the match. Mansoor shouted at Ali to shut up and said he will be smiling after he beats him senseless at Crown Jewel.

Goldberg & Lashley Were Interviewed Ahead Of Their Match At Crown Jewel

Goldberg and Lashley were interviewed via satellite tonight ahead of their match at Crown Jewel. Goldberg vowed to beat Lashley within an inch of his life and Bobby said that he is untouchable in the ring. Lashley claimed that Crown Jewel is ending the same way SummerSlam did but this time Goldberg won’t have any family members around to fight his battles for him. Goldberg stated that the more Lashley talks about his family, the more he is going to make him suffer at Crown Jewel. Lashley added that the match being No Holds Barred means that nothing is going to stop him.

Styles & Omos Attacked RK-Bro & Street Profits

RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) faced Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) in a non-title match. The first few minutes were back and forth. Angelo planted Riddle with a Suplex and went for the cover but Riddle kicked out at two. Riddle battled back with the Ripcord Knee and knocked Dawkins to the corner.

Orton and Ford tagged in and Randy connected with a couple Clotheslines. Orton followed it up with a Powerslam and Montez flopped around like a fish to sell the move. Orton planted Dawkins with the draping DDT and geared up for the RKO. AJ Styles’ theme hit and Omos made his way to the entrance ramp. Styles hit Orton with a Phenomenal Forearm as Omos took out Riddle and Dawkins outside the ring. Omos slammed Ford to the mat as AJ taunted Orton to end the segment.

Doudrop Advanced To The Finals Of The Queen’s Crown Tournament

Shayna Baszler faced Doudrop in the semifinals of the Queen’s Crown tournament. The winner will face Zelina Vega in the finals at Crown Jewel. Vega watched the match from the top of the entrance. Baszler went for the Kirifuda Clutch but Doudrop countered with a slam. Doudrop lifted Baszler up but Shayna locked in the Kirifuda Clutch against.

Doudrop bashed Shayna into the turnbuckle and threw her to the canvas. Doudrop went for a Crossbody but Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch again in the middle of the ring. Doudrop countered into a pin for the victory. Doudrop will face Zelina Vega in the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament at Crown Jewel.

Finn Balor def. Mace

Finn Balor faced Mace tonight on RAW. Xavier Woods was on the entrance ramp for the match as he will battle Finn Balor in the KOTR finals at Crown Jewel. Mace controlled the match early and beat Balor down. Mace connected with a slam and went for the cover but Finn was able to kick out at two. Finn hit the 1916 and followed it up with a Slingblade. Balor connected with a Dropkick and climbed to the top rope. Finn connected with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.

Charlotte & Belair Had A Great Match To Close The Show

Charlotte Flair defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair in the main event. Charlotte controlled the match early and unloaded some chops in the corner of the ring. Flair connected with a Back Drop and went for a Moonsault but Bianca got her knees up. Belair hit a springboard Moonsault of her own and then showed off her power with a big vertical Suplex for a near fall.

Bianca went for a Splash but Charlotte got out of the way. Charlotte connected with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Belair powered out at two. Flair went for a Moonsault off the top rope but Belair got out of the way. Charlotte landed on her feet and hit a standing Moonsault for a near fall. Belair hit a big Spinebuster and went for the cover but Flair rolled to the outside. Charlotte said “oh sh*t” as she sold the move. Belair followed her to the outside but Flair kept her distance. Bianca caught her near the announce table and threw her over it as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Belair climbed to the top rope but Charlotte caught her with a forearm to the face and Bianca crashed to the floor. Flair climbed to the top rope and hit Belair with another Moonsault. Back in the ring, Flair went for Natural Selection but Belair blocked it. Charlotte dodged a hair whip but Belair planted her with a slam for a near fall. Charlotte hit a Spear and went for the cover but Belair kicked out at two.

Charlotte climbed to the top turnbuckle but Belair bought her down. Belair got out of the way of another Moonsault and hit a Suplex for a two count. Bianca went to the top turnbuckle but took too much time and Charlotte tripped her up. Charlotte joined Belair on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex but Belair blocked it. Belair hit a Sunset Flip Bomb for another near fall. Flair grabbed a steel chair and hit Belair with it to end the match in a DQ. Bianca shrugged it off and beat Charlotte down with the chair to end the show.

WWE King Of The Ring & Queen’s Crown Finals Set For Crown Jewel

Andrew Ravens
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WWE added the final competitors in the tournament finals of this year’s King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown. 

On Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, Shayna Baszler vs. Dewdrop and Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal took place in the last of the semi-final matches. 

With Doudrop getting out of a submission and rolling Shayna up for the win, she will now face Zelina Vega in the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament. On the flip side, Woods went over an elbow drop and he will now meet Finn Balor in the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament. 

The tournament finals will take place at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event this Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdu Arena that will air on Peacock at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT.

Updated WWE Crown Jewel Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks – Triple Threat Match
  • WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Randy Orton and Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles and Omos
  • WWE Champion Big E vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Edge vs. Seth Rollins – Hell in a Cell match
  • Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg – No Holds Barred Match
  • Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
  • Xavier Woods vs. Finn Balor – King of the Ring Tournament Finals
  • Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega – Queen’s Crown Tournament Finals

AEW Rampage Beats SmackDown In Head-To-Head Key Demo, Tony Khan Comments

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AEW lost the overall viewership to WWE but has won the head-to-head key demo.

This past Friday night (Oct. 15), AEW ran its Rampage show while WWE delivered SmackDown. Things were a bit different this time. SmackDown was running on FOX Sports 1 due to a scheduling conflict with MLB. WWE also extended SmackDown to two and a half hours, competing with the first half-hour of AEW TV.

AEW Rampage vs. WWE SmackDown: Inside The Numbers

People were quick to jump on the “leaked” fast nationals as SmackDown had a clear edge over Rampage. That didn’t tell the full story, however. The final Nielsen numbers have been revealed (via Showbuzz Daily).

Overall, SmackDown had 866,000 viewers compared to Rampage’s 578,000 viewers. Both shows took in a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 key demo. During the head-to-head half-hour, it was AEW that won the key demo with 328,000 viewers compared to 285,000 for WWE.

Tony Khan took to his Twitter account to remind Darren Rovell that he failed to get the full scoop.

“Here’s a story nobody leaked to you over the weekend but I’ll give you rn, dog: AEW got a big victory over WWE after WWE aggressively extended their Friday show 30 minutes & loaded it up head-to-head 10-10:30pm vs AEW Rampage, with AEW Rampage winning 328k to 285k (+15% margin).”

When taking a look at how the overall numbers panned out during that half-hour, SmackDown took in 878,000 total viewers, while AEW had 602,000 viewers.

SmackDown ran the final half-hour with no commercials. The show closed with a contract signing featuring Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and Paul Heyman. Rampage’s opener featuring CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal was also commercial-free.

We haven’t seen the last of AEW and WWE going head-to-head in some capacity. WWE will be airing Talking Smack live on FOX Sports 1 on Oct. 29. That’ll be going up against Rampage.

Kenny Omega Set To Defend AAA Mega Title Against Hijo del Vikingo

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kenny Omega is gearing up for another defense of his AAA Mega Championship.

Omega has two big title defenses coming up in November and December. “The Best Bout Machine” is also the reigning AEW World Heavyweight Champion and he’ll be putting his gold on the line against Hangman Page at Full Gear on Nov. 13.

Now, AAA has announced that Omega’s next Mega Championship defense will take place at TripleMania Regia on Dec. 4. Kenny Omega will be going one-on-one against Hijo del Vikingo.

Omega’s last AAA Mega Title defense took place back in August. He successfully retained the gold against Andrade El Idolo at TripleMania XXIX in Mexico City.

It was reported that AEW didn’t want Omega to lose to Andrade clean since he had lost his Impact Wrestling Championship to Christian Cage. Ultimately, AAA decided to keep the Mega Title on Omega rather than go with a fluke finish to crown a new champion.

Also featured on the TripleMania Regia card will be former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. The former MMA star will be making his return to AAA after being released by WWE due to budget cuts in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Velasquez will be in a six-man tag team match.

Braun Strowman Confirms Talks With AEW

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) says he’s had talks with All Elite Wrestling, but isn’t sure he wants to commit to pro wrestling full-time.

Wrestling fans were shocked when WWE announced Braun Strowman’s release back in June. The Monster Amongst Men was fresh of a victory over Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and is a former world champion.

A lot has been made over what Strowman will do next. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, the man formerly known as “The Monster Among Men” confirmed that he has spoken to AEW officials.

“Yeah, we’ve sat down and discussed stuff like that with my agent and things like that.  We’re just trying to find a fit now, where everything kind of will work together since now, there’s so many things that I’m working on in my personal life. I don’t have as much time to devote to the full-time schedule to wrestle now. 

“So, it’s trying to find somewhere where I’ll be able to land in there to show up, have fun and entertain the people, but still be able to work on my side projects along the way.”

Braun Strowman was recently spotted meeting with Impact Wrestling EVP Scott D’Amore. The two were said to have been talking for quite a while, just days ahead of the upcoming Bound for Glory pay-per-view.

Strowman and Bray Wyatt are perhaps two of the biggest free agents in terms of name recognition at the moment. Many believe that Impact Wrestling is the favorite to pick up both men but time will tell if that’s the case.

Jim Ross Unveils Who Helps Him Prepare For AEW Broadcasts

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jim Ross is the lead play-by-play announcer on AEW TV but he doesn’t do all the work alone.

JR has been with AEW since 2019 and has been in the lead PBP role on Dynamite since the show started. He’s joined alongside Tony Schiavone and Excalibur. Ross has also made appearances on AEW Rampage.

Jim Ross Gets Some Help For AEW Shows

During an episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross explained how Alex Marvez has been a great asset to the broadcast team.

“Alex Marvez does a great job in writing announcer notes for every match and it’s got everything on it you would want if you’re doing an NFL game or whatever. Hometown, height, weight, winning record, finishing hold, recent history, title history, things like that that are pertinent that you could ease in organically. And that’s always been a great help for me is Alex’s notes.

“We get him in the afternoon once the show’s been finalized and Alex is really good at compiling all that stuff. So I review those notes, sometimes those notes stimulate another thought that I’ll put on my format. So the Alex Marvez-generated notes are very important.”

Marvez had been on commentary for AEW events before transitioning to a backstage interviewer role. Marvez has long covered professional wrestling for newspapers and he plays a key role for AEW backstage.

As for Ross, he plans on sitting at the commentary desk for as long as he can. JR recently denied reports claiming that AEW was looking to phase him out of the full-time commentary role. So far, there have been no signs that those reports are accurate.

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Kurt Angle Reveals His Biggest Regret In Wrestling

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has unveiled what he believes to be the biggest regret of his career.

Angle has been recognized as one of the best performers to have ever entered the wrestling business. Angle was the first Olympic gold medalist to sign a contract with WWE. He had one of the best rookie years in WWE history that most agree can only be rivaled by Brock Lesnar.

Kurt Angle Suffers Broken Neck In 2003

While Angle has had a storied career, there’s one thing he wishes would’ve never happened to him. On an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on suffering a broken neck back in 2003.

“My biggest regret was breaking my neck. Everything went downhill from there. My whole career, my painkiller problem got worse. It actually started with my neck being broken in 2003 and I just wish it would’ve never happened. I would’ve had a nice, long, successful career, drug-free, and would’ve been elated on it. So, that is my biggest and probably one and only regret.”

Angle wasn’t away from the ring for long thanks to a special procedure that was done by Dr. Jho in Pittsburgh. While Angle was back in the saddle quickly, he developed a painkiller addiction that was negatively impacting his life.

Thankfully now, Angle appears to be in a far better place although he remains in some pain. He has retired from the pro wrestling industry and says he is currently focusing on other ventures.

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Bryan Danielson Grades His Match With Kenny Omega

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Bryan Danielson thinks highly of his match with Kenny Omega.

On the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite, Danielson and Omega shared the ring in a non-title match. The highly-anticipated showdown took place inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. The match went to a 30-minute time limit draw and has been widely praised.

Bryan Danielson Gives Match With Kenny Omega A High Mark

Danielson spoke to Jim Varsallone after the match and rated his epic clash with Omega.

“I wasn’t worried if we knocked it out of the park or hit a grand slam, I worry about, ‘Did I enjoy what I just did?’ And as far as my enjoyment, that’s a 10/10 as far as you look at, ‘Okay, well which matches did you enjoy the most?’ If you rank everything on a scale of 1 to 10, that was a 10/10 enjoyment for me in the sense that there are only a handful of matches that are even comparable.”

The American Dragon Is Back

Bryan Danielson has certainly been working a more aggressive style in AEW than he had been in WWE. Danielson has said that he felt Vince McMahon was overprotective of him at times. When speaking to Sports Illustrated, Danielson recalled McMahon being upset at him after taking an errant German suplex from Drew Gulak during a PPV.

Danielson’s in-ring style now reminds old-school fans of how Bryan used to wrestle in his days with ROH and on the indie scene. Many agree that “The American Dragon” is in his true form now. That notion was solidified when Danielson collided with Minoru Suzuki on the Buy-In show for the Oct. 15 episode of Rampage.

Danielson has secured a spot in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. The brackets have been revealed and Danielson’s opening round match will be against Dustin Rhodes.

WWE Set To Air Retro Raw Episode In Early 2022 (Report)

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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It looks like Monday Night Raw is going old school once again.

WWE has had its share of retro Raw episodes. Back in Nov. 2010, the company held its first Retro Raw episode. They also had throwback episodes in March 2013 and Jan. 2014. The company hasn’t had a Retro Raw episode in about eight years.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast reports that WWE is bringing back the old school feel for another special ‘Retro Raw’ episode scheduled for January 2022.

There is currently no word on where the 2022 Retro Raw episode will take place, but more details are expected to be unveiled as we get closer to the new year.

Zarian has been on point with his insider news this year, so you can take this rumor with a high degree of confidence.

If past old-school Raw episodes are any indication, fans can expect some throwback graphics as well as a slew of legends making appearances throughout the Retro Raw edition.

SEScoops will be sure to keep you posted if this report holds up and more information is revealed. Keep it locked on our homepage in the coming weeks.

What surprises are you hoping to see when Retro Raw makes its return?

“A Darker Side Of Jeff Hardy, I Think, Needs To Kind Of Come Out”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Many believe that it’s the right time to turn Jeff Hardy heel after having worked only as a babyface since his WWE return in 2017. The high-flying star has now revealed that he has thought about it too.

The former world champion recently appeared on WWE’s Out of Character podcast for Fox Sports. Among other things, he also discussed the prospect of a potential heel turn.

Hardy was asked if being a heel is something that interests him. Jeff admitted that it does, but he has found it hard to turn fans against him.

“Yeah, yeah it does but I don’t think I can — like when I did the Anti-Christ thing, I mean it’s really hard to make people hate me and I think it would be kind of like done in a different way but it would be definitely something I never really dove into before.”

Jeff Hardy Planning A Heel Turn

Willow
Could Willow be Jeff Hardy’s heel persona?

Jeff Hardy explained how he is not as fast as he used to be due to his age and the 2015 knee surgery caused by his bike accident where he broke his leg. That is why he thinks it’s time for him to focus a bit more on his character work:

“I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna be wrestling but almost like a darker side of Jeff Hardy I think needs to kind of come out and I haven’t figured it out yet but I have these crazy ideas.

I wrote down a few of ‘em, but yeah, it’s my time to kind of focus more on the character stuff instead of the high-flying moves and the TLC matches and all that stuff because I think there’s something that’s waiting to be unleashed within me.”

Jeff Hardy had also recently discussed how he wants to bring back the Willow character one more time before retirement. Now the question is if the return of the character can open the door for his heel turn.

Jeff Hardy: Damian Priest Reminds Me Of My Younger Self

WWE With Long Travel Week Ahead Due To Saudi Arabia Show

Chris Stephens
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After tonight’s episode of RAW from Sacramento, WWE staff and talent will charter a flight to Saudi Arabia for Thursday’s Crown Jewel event. The flight takes about 20 hours in total when flown commercially.

Everyone traveling will have to pass a COVID-19 PCR test before boarding, according to PWInsider, and it is believed that everyone will need to be vaccinated as well, although that is not confirmed.

Following Crown Jewel, WWE staff and talent will then board a flight to Wichita, Kansas for Smackdown. When flown commercially, that flight time is approximately 18 hours. Provided there are no delays this time around, they should arrive in time for Smackdown on Friday.

2019 Crown Jewel Show Led To Travel Delays

There is a lot of controversy regarding what happened following the 2019 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. A long delay prevented WWE talent from flying out of the country. As a result, several Superstars did not make it to that week’s Smackdown event on time. Several wrestlers from NXT had to be brought in for the show. Many advertised matches did not happen as a result of wrestlers being stuck in Saudi Arabia.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4YYgsspC2a/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=31dec518-b661-494f-bf6a-e2791d8d93eb

The chartered flight company Atlas Air would later release a statement regarding the incident.

“A chartered WWE passenger flight operated by Atlas Air is currently delayed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia due to a mechanical issue. The flight was scheduled to depart at 0300 local time on November 1. Our top priority is always to ensure our passengers arrive safely and on time at their destination. The aircraft is being repaired and will be inspected and certified before returning to service to transport our passengers to their final destination. We regret that operational disruptions delayed the flight and apologize to our passengers who were inconvenienced.”

Talking Smack To Air On FS1 Head-to-Head With AEW Rampage

Chris Stephens
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The Friday Night War between WWE and AEW is heating up.

Following last week’s SmackDown vs. Rampage showdown, WWE is looking to keep the pressure on Tony Khan’s young promotion.

According to updated TV listings from multiple providers, the Friday, October 29th edition of Talking Smack will air on FS1 instead of Peacock (WWE Network). It will broadcast at 10pm (Eastern) – immediately after SmackDown and head-to-head with AEW Rampage.

Talking Smack normally is released on the WWE Network and Peacock’s streaming service on Saturday mornings. It is not yet clear if this is a permanent move or a one-time thing.

Rampage vs. Smackdown

AEW Rampage and WWE Smackdown went head-to-head from 10PM to 10:30 PM last Friday. AEW also aired a special Rampage “Buy-In” show on YouTube from 9PM until 10 PM. Additionally, Smackdown went commercial-free from 10 PM onwards.

The overnight ratings, which do not include demo information, are in for the two shows. Smackdown was watched by an average of 793,000 viewers on FS1 while AEW Rampage drew 549,000 viewers on TNT. Smackdown was on FS1 due to the MLB Playoffs.

Tony Khan recently spoke to the New York Post and noted that wrestling is better when there are companies competing against one another.

“In wrestling, we’re worth more against each other and we’re better off against each other,” Khan said. “I believe there is greater value in the wrestling market when we’re fighting and people want to see competition in wrestling. I think it’s one of the reasons people lost interest in wrestling was because there was not true competition for 20 years.”

Bryan Danielson Confirms WWE-NJPW Negotiations

Chris Stephens
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Bryan Danielson has confirmed that WWE had talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling earlier this year.

Back in May, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter broke the news that WWE and NJPW were negotiating for a working relationship. It later came out that Bryan Danielson’s desire to wrestle for NJPW while under WWE contract was the genesis for the unexpected outreach.

During a recent appearance on the Kliq podcast, Danielson explained what he knows about how it all unfolded.

“I don’t know how far along the talks went and I don’t know even if I was the start of them, for sure, but one of the things when I was talking to them when WWE was trying to re-sign me was, I said, ‘I want to be able to work in Japan.'”

Bryan continued, “They were trying to come up with an agreement to where I would be able to go and do that. It was definitely something that was talked about. I don’t know where it went or anything, all I know is now it seems like AEW has a really great relationship with New Japan. So, I feel like it couldn’t have gone that well.”

WWE x NJPW

The initial report in May stated that Nick Khan was in talks with New Japan. WWE was looking for an exclusive talent-sharing deal.

“In what could end up being among the biggest wrestling stories of the year, or a non-story, depending on the end result, Nick Khan has been in talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling about WWE being the exclusive American partner with the promotion,” Dave Meltzer wrote.

More information about that report is available in the link below:

WWE & NJPW Negotiating For Major Partnership (Report)

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Impact To Air Tribute To Daffney Show

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling will air a tribute to Daffney show following its regular weekly programming on AXS TV next week. The show will air in the normal “Impact in 60” slot on October 28th at 10 PM.

Additionally, CollarxElbow has partnered with Daffney’s family to sell a t-shirt. Proceeds from sales of the shirt will be donating to the CTE Foundation at Boston University.

Impact Wrestling Honors Daffney

Impact also honoured Daffney by holding a memorial Monster’s Ball match at Knockouts Knockdown recently. The match was won by Savannah Evans. Gail Kim spoke to Sports Illustrated about what holding that match means to the company.

“She was one of the first to break the mold and become this hardcore queen, and the Monster’s Ball match was an important part of that,” Kim says. “It’s a great event to bring back, but it means so much more than that this time.”

“There is a very strong bond in our industry of brothers and sisters,” Kim continued. “It’s an undeniable one, and we always unite for these moments that touch us. It’s a business that moves very quickly, but we all slowed down when learning about Daffney. It is time to come together and honor her, beginning with this Monster’s Ball match.”

Rhea Ripley Loses Women’s Title Belt, Ring Gear

Anutosh Bajpai
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Rhea Ripley has not only lost her wrestling gear but one of the belts for the women’s tag team championship in a bag that was left behind in New Mexico

The female star took on her Twitter to post about it after the house show in hopes of finding the missing bag. She later made another tweet featuring a photo of her, wearing the ring gear in question:

“My MosherZ of Albuquerque I know this is a stretch but, if any of you have seen a black travel suitcase around Office Boulevard & Montaño rd please hold onto it and let me know.” wrote Ripley, “It has all my gear in it, including my title. Cheers!”

WWE held a live event from Rio Rancho, New Mexico on Saturday. The former NXT star competed in a fatal four-way match also featuring Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair on the show.

Rhea Ripley made her official main roster debut in March this year. She won the women’s tag team championship with Nikki A.S.H. during the September 20 episode of Monday Night Raw last month.

Since the current champion did not provide any further details, it’s hard to say if her bag was stolen or left behind. We’ll keep you posted on the story.

Rhea Ripley On Potential NXT Return: “I Don’t Know If I Would Really Fit In”

Dolph Ziggler Says He Thought About Dying In The Ring During Match With Goldberg

Anutosh Bajpai
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You don’t usually think about dying in the ring when you are wrestling somebody. That is, unless you are wrestling Goldberg, According to Dolph Ziggler.

The show-off recently had an interview with XeniaDidThat. He discussed things such as his stand-up comedy career, whether he sees himself leaving wrestling and becoming a full-time comedian, and more.

During the interview, Ziggler said that he wants everyone to think that he made the most of the time when he goes out. This prompted the question of if he has ever thought about dying while being in the ring. To this he replied:

“A lot of times you don’t [think about dying in the ring] but maybe if you’re in there with Goldberg, you think about it a lot more.”

Apart from this, Dolph Ziggler also discussed how he has won the trust of WWE officials over the years where they now allow him a lot of freedom during press tours.

The former world champion started his WWE career in 2004. At this point, he has been with the promotion for over 17 years where he has won over a dozen titles.

Ziggler got the chance to face Goldberg in a singles match at SummerSlam 2019. The former Universal champion won this match in a quick fashion.

Samoa Joe On When He Knew CM Punk Would Return To Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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A lot of people were skeptical about it until CM Punk actually made his return to wrestling. Though Samoa Joe knew it was bound to happen, long before anyone else.

The former NXT champion recently made an appearance on the Kurt Angle podcast. He discussed things such as wrestling the straight edge star very early in his career during their ROH days and more.

Talking about Punk making his pro wrestling return earlier this year, Joe claimed that he knew the former world champion would be back as soon as he saw him on the set of WWE Backstage:

“If I know one thing about Punk: if he’s out on something, he’s out on it,” he began. “You won’t see him being around it, you won’t see him looking at it. You won’t see him staring at it, it’s out of his.”

Joe added, “The minute I saw him on the FOX set, I knew his eyes were turning back towards it.”

CM Punk on WWE Backstage
CM Punk on WWE Backstage

He continued by saying that he thinks CM Punk was just looking for the right time to step back into the ring after that. He wanted to be happy and from whatever Joe has seen of his AEW run so far, the former WWE champion is happy.

CM Punk joined the WWE Backstage panel in November 2019. He officially made his pro wrestling return back in August this year and went on to make his in-ring return at the All Out PPV in September.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Spoilers: NJPW Strong Showdown Night 1 & 2 Results

Anutosh Bajpai
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The NJPW Strong Showdown tapings were held from the 2300 arena in Philadelphia over the weekend. The tapings featured stars such as Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley, Minoru Suzuki and more.

SEScoops correspondent Samira was on hand for both nights and sent in these detailed results.

Showdown saw several big announcements, including the confirmation of the NJPW debut of former WWE star Buddy Matthews for an upcoming show in November.

The main event match of the first night of tapings saw Suzuki going up against Chris Dickinson. He defeated Dickinson using his signature gotch-style piledriver.

The second night featured a Philly street fight between the teams of Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer and Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston for the main event.

This extreme match was won by the team of Suzuki and Archer with the opponents shaking hands at the end. Here are the quick results from both nights of NJPW Strong Showdown tapings

NJPW Strong Showdown Night 1 Results:

  • Hikuleo defeated Kevin Knight
  • Bateman, Misterioso, and Barrett Brown, defeated Brody King, Karl Fredericks, and The DKC: Bateman pinned DKC to win the match for his team.
  • JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, and Jorel Nelson defeated David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, and Yuya Uemura: Isaacs won the match for his team when he pinned Uemura with some help from Nelson. Kratos and Coughlin got into a fight after this match. Crowd chanted “F**k you Kratos” and in response, Kratos flipped everyone off.
  • Juice Robinson defeated El Phantasmo: After the match, Juice called out Impact Wrestling star Moose.
  • Alex Zayne defeated Ariya Daivari: The two showed respect to each other by shaking hands at the end.
  • Fred Rosser & Rocky Romero defeated Tom Lawlor & Danny Limelight: Rosser pinned Lawlor for the win. In response, Lawlor attacked him after the match. Danny then gave scissors to Lawler. Lawlor ended up cutting Rossers’ hair while the crowd chanted “you sick f**k”
  • Ren Narita & Clark Connors defeated Will Ospreay & TJP: Ospreay tried to attack Narita after the bout but Narita countered. He then got on the mic and expressed the desire to face Will Ospreay.
  • Jay White defeated Fred Yehi: post-match, Jay White issued an open invitation for anyone from any company to come and fight him for the Never Openweight title.
  • Minoru Suzuki defeated Chris Dickinson: After the match, Suzuki says tomorrow night: “Jon Moxley. Eddie Kingston. F**k you.”

NJPW Strong Showdown Night 2 Results:

  • Yuya Uemura & Kevin Knight defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • El Phantasmo & Chris Bey defeated Lio Rush & Ariya Daivari: Bey pinned Daviari for the win
  • Jonathan Gresham defeated Alex Coughlin: The two shaked hands after the match
  • Fred Rosser, Karl Fredericks, Rocky Romero, Ren Narita & The DKC vs. Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson & Danny Limelight: The match ended in DQ after everyone started attacking each other. Rosser showed up with a shaved head after last night. At one point, Tom got onto the mic and said that he was tired of Romero and Rosser who he called with his WWE name Darren. He said that Darren will be the next loser to the title.
  • Brody King, Daniel Garcia and Chris Dickinson defeated Bateman, Misterioso Jr and Barrett Brown: King picked up the victory for his team.
  • TJP defeated Clark Connors: Connors was holding the rope but the referee didn’t see it
  • Jay White & Hikuleo defeated Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta: White won the match by pinning Yuta. He grabbed the mic after the match but dropped it and then left without saying anything.
  • Will Ospreay defeated Alex Zayne
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston: The brawl went all over the place including the parking lot. The opponents shook hands after the bout.

Brian Cage Reveals Nixed Plans For Heel Turn Before Impact Departure

Anutosh Bajpai
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Brian Cage has revealed that he would have turned heel and feuded with Tessa Blanchard had he stayed with Impact Wrestling instead of going to AEW. The former Impact star recently had an interview with Dynamite Download. He discussed things such as the partnership between AEW and Impact and more.

During the interview, Cage also revealed nixed plans for a feud between him and the then Impact world champion that got nixed because of his departure:

“If I had stayed with Impact instead of going to AEW, I was going to turn heel and that would have been my perfect heel character because I was going to come out and celebrate with Tessa, and then I was going to take her head off.

That was going to be a feud with Tessa, I would get my win back and the title from her.” said Brian Cage, “I’ve never been able to be this heel. Every time I’ve been a heel, it’s always to be the strong, silent, meathead, high school bully kind of heel.”

The AEW star returned to Impact Wrestling in January 2018. He stayed with the promotion for a couple of years before leaving to join Tony Khan’s company in January 2020. He made his debut in May.

Though it seems that Cage is not happy with the lack of spotlight on him in the AEW roster. His wife Melissa Santos recently made a post about him being underutilized and Brian seemed to agree with her comments.

Brian Cage Discusses Issues with Team Taz and Being FTW Champion

JBL On The Hardest Thing To Learn In Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Being a three-decade veteran in the industry, JBL knows what it takes to be successful in wrestling. According to him, the hardest thing to learn in the business is the psychology and timing.

The former WWE champion recently held a Q&A session on his YouTube. He discussed things such as getting in the ring with Brock Lesnar and more.

Discussing the psychology of wrestling, JBL recalled an interaction with Vince McMahon before a show in Canada. He explained how Mr. McMahon suggested him to take his promo to a completely different direction:

“Vince asked me, this is when I was JBL, ‘What’s your promo?’ And I had this promo where I tell them they suck and America’s better and all this blah, blah, blah. And he said, ‘No, no, no, just tell him you love them,’

And I thought about it. I thought, you know, I think that’s going to work, and I went out there. I said, ‘I just want you all to know that I love you. I think you’re the greatest so proud of you being our neighbor.’ People booed me out of the building.”

JBL On What Is The Hardest Thing To Learn In Wrestling

JBL Heel
JBL is the twentieth triple crown champion in WWE history

JBL went on to explain that being a heel is not about getting a response from the crowd. He then revealed what he thinks is the hardest thing to learn in wrestling:

“It’s about believing that you’re the good guy. JBL always thought that he was the good guy. JBL always thought that he was on the right side of everything,

And that’s what added to people hating JBL was ‘how can you be that out of touch?’ And to me, that part of it, the psychology and the timing, is the hardest thing to learn.”

JBL was also asked if being a second-generation star makes it easier to make it in wrestling. Replying to it, the former WWE star discussed how it’s easier for some but difficult for others.

JBL Looks Back On His Reaction To APA Splitting Up

News On Producers For Supersized SmackDown

Anutosh Bajpai
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This week’s supersized SmackDown on FS1 featured a number of interesting segments and some King Of The Ring and Queen’s Crown tournament bouts.

Fightful Select has a new report that provides some backstage news. It reveals the names which produced the matches that aired during the show.

According to the site, the Happy Corbin SmackDown segment that featured Shinsuke Nakamura, Rick Boogs, and Madcap Moss, was produced by Shawn Daivari

Adam Pearce who also makes on-screen appearances as an authority figure was the producer assigned for the Seth Rollins segment hyping up his upcoming Hell In A Cell match against Edge.

The Queen’s Crown semi-final match between Carmella and Zelina Vega had Shane Helms as producer. Vega won this short bout on SmackDown to advance to the finals.

Finally, the King Of The Ring semi-finals between Finn Balor and Sami Zayn was produced by Joseph Park. Balor picked up the victory in this bout.

Joseph Park is best known for his almost 2 decades-long run with Impact Wrestling as Abyss. He signed with WWE as a producer back in 2019. Park also made an on-screen appearance as the statistician for AJ Styles in August.

WWE SmackDown Results (10/15): Reigns & Lesnar, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Braun Strowman Meets With Impact EVP Ahead Of Bound For Glory

Anutosh Bajpai
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More and more signs are pointing towards Braun Strowman (Adam Scherr) being on his way to join the Impact Wrestling roster, sooner rather than later.

According to a new report from PWInsider, the monster among men was recently spotted meeting with Imapact EVP Scott D’Amore. The two met at a hotel bar for the Motor City Comic Con in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday.

D’Amore arrived earlier and he waited for Strowman to show up.These two seem to have had an in-depth conversation as according to the site they were sitting ‘for a long time.’ Though detail of their exchange is not available.

Impact Wrestling is said to be working on several surprises for their Bound For Glory event this Saturday. Whether Braun Strowman turns out to be one of them remains to be seen.

MLW CEO Court Bauer had revealed recently that they too had a discussion with the former universal champion. Though they couldn’t work out a deal.

Bound For Glory is Impact Wrestling’s biggest show of the year. It will see the debut of former WWE stars The IInspiration among others.

Check out the complete Bound for Glory Match Card.

Braun Strowman Reveals How He Got His Big Break In WWE

Will Ospreay Is Ready For Alex Zayne at New Japan Showdown

Michael Reichlin
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Will Ospreay will battle Alex Zayne at Night 2 of NJPW’s New Japan Showdown event, which takes place Sunday night from Philadelphia, PA.

SEScoops correspondent Samira spoke with Ospreay earlier this month about what this match means to him and how he’s been preparing for their showdown.

“Big Match Billy” says that he’s been watching the man formerly known as Ari Sterling for a long time. “I used to watch Alex Zayne when I was a backyard wrestler,” he began. “When it was frowned upon to be called a backyard wrestler, because we were the dirt underneath everyone’s feet in the wrestling industry. But it does make me laugh now seeing how the world is with professional wrestling and all the backyarders I used to wrestle with are now on top of the world.”

Ospreay said Zayne is “just getting back from his excursion over in Orlando.” He’s curious if Zayne learned anything in NXT, or if he’s the same guy he grew up watching that he just outgrew.

This is a big challenge for the self-proclaimed Real IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, so we were curious what he’s doing to prepare for such a unique opponent.

“I’m trying to drop a little bit of weight, because I do know Alex. He’s very unorthodox. He reminds me of myself when i was a Junior Heavyweight, so i’m trying to drop down some weight, so that way I can move a bit quicker. I think we’re roughly about the same height and the same build, but if I outpace him and I know I can strike harder than him. His strikes aren’t nearly as polished and clean as mine.”

Alex Zayne’s Speed Advantage

Opsreay questions if Zayne will be able to fight ‘dirty enough’ to hang with him, because he remembers Zayne as being a clean cut wrestler who just wanted to be liked by the fans. “I mean, I was in that position a long time, I’m just not that guy anymore,” he said. “If I get a shot to give you an elbow to the back of the head, I’m going to do it.”

Ospreay really wants to pick up a victory here and knows that he’ll have to be ready for Alex Zayne’s high-flying move-set.

“He can do the same tricks that I used to be able to do when I was 15kg’s lighter and I think we’re roughly the same body weight, so his acrobatics are going to have more impact behind them. So, I’m definitely going to keep me eye on when he does ascend to the top rope, because that’s when i’m going to be at my most vulnerable.”

Check out Samira’s full interview with Will Ospreay:

Sasha Banks Reveals Her Pick To Win The Queen’s Crown Tournament

Anutosh Bajpai
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The ongoing Queen’s Crown tournament has some interesting possibilities for the potential inaugural winner. Sasha Banks has named a strong contestant as her pick to win the competition.

The former women’s champion recently had an interview with New York post. She discussed things such as Bayley’s absence from WWE programming and more.

Banks was also asked for her prediction for the ongoing tournament. Sasha first mentioned how Doudrop is looking really impressive, but she then said that she will have to put her money on Shayna Baszler:

“That is tough. Doudrop just came on the scene. She is looking really impressive. Out of all of those girls I might have to put my money on Shayna Baszler. I think she has a lot to prove and she’s just one of the toughest competitors ever.”

Apart from this, Sasha Banks also discussed her mysterious absence from the SummerSlam PPV. She hinted that she was working on some other projects during the time, though the boss didn’t provide a lot of details.

Shayna Baszler will be facing Doudrop in the semifinals of the Queen’s Crown tournament on Raw this Monday. The winner will face Zelina Vega in the finals at the upcoming Crown Jewel PPV from Saudi Arabia.

Sasha Banks On When She Found Out About Main Eventing WrestleMania 37
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