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Jay Lethal Has Two Goals Left In His ROH Career

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jay Lethal says there are two goals left that he has in mind with his ROH run.

Lethal has been a mainstay for Ring of Honor. His second run with the company has been in effect since 2011. Lethal is a former two-time ROH World Champion. He’s also held the TV Title twice, the Pure Championship, and is a former tag team champion.

What Does Jay Lethal Have Left To Do In ROH?

Many have wondered what could possibly be left for the 36-year-old in ROH. Speaking to Wrestlezone.com, Jay Lethal answered that question.

“I constantly ask myself that, every day. Where do I go from here? And I think I’m in a place where I can only answer that in two ways. One, I would love to be the Ring of Honor World Champion again. And two, I just wanna help as many people as possible. I enjoy helping guys like Eli Isom, or anybody who comes to me with any questions they think that I can help them with. Oh man, I love that. So I mean, [the] only two things I can see myself doing, when I ask what is left, another Ring of Honor World Championship and helping as many people as I can along the way.”

Lethal went on to say that if he were to walk away from the wrestling business tomorrow, he’d be satisfied. For years, fans have wondered if Lethal will ever transition to a company such as WWE. With AEW now in full force, that question has only grown stronger.

Back in 2019, Lethal said he had no interest in joining the WWE or AEW roster.

Paul Heyman Reveals His Pick For Brock Lesnar’s Top Rival

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Paul Heyman has unveiled his pick for Brock Lesnar’s ultimate rivalry.

Throughout the years, Brock Lesnar has had some classic rivalries. Some of his matches with Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and John Cena will long be remembered by WWE fans. There’s one man who stands out above all in the mind of Heyman, however.

During an interview with SportsKeeda, Heyman explained why he views Roman Reigns as the top rival in the career of Brock Lesnar.

“Roman Reigns because we’ve done multiple WrestleMania main events between the two of them and will most likely do more. This is a really interesting situation. The Undertaker was very simple. History was made. Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.”

A Completely Different Dynamic

Heyman insists that Roman Reigns is a different animal than the likes of The Undertaker and even John Cena.

“With John Cena, that was an intense rivalry between the poster boy for WWE. The most heavily hyped sports entertainer on the face of the planet against a former NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar. With Roman Reigns, you have a completely different dynamic.”

Lesnar will challenge Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship on Oct. 21. The title match will be featured on the WWE Crown Jewel card in Saudi Arabia.

The story behind Reigns vs. Lesnar this time revolves around Paul Heyman’s allegiance. For years, Heyman served as the advocate for Lesnar.

During “The Beast’s” absence, Heyman became the Special Counsel for Roman Reigns. Fans are now left to wonder if Heyman will turn on Reigns or if he’ll stick with “The Tribal Chief.”

Daniel Garcia Is All Elite: Garcia & Tony Khan React

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Daniel Garcia is All Elite.

Garcia has been featured prominently since his recent arrival. He’s mixed it up with some of AEW’s top stars including CM Punk, Jon Moxley, and Darby Allin. He’s come up short in each of those matches, but he’s been booked strongly nonetheless.

Tony Khan announced on Tuesday that the 23-year-old mat technician has signed with the company. Garcia has put pen to paper and is officially a full-time member of the roster.

TK says Garcia came in with a great reputation and has built upon the hype since arriving in AEW. “He’s shown no fear, never backing down from anything, even the best in the world,” wrote Khan.

Daniel Garcia on Joining AEW

Daniel Garcia CM Punk
(Photo credit: Scott Lesh)

Garcia says he didn’t want to sign with a promotion just because. He was looking for a place to call home, a company that would help him become the best wrestler in the world. “I plan on being a major player in this company for a very long time,” he wrote.

During a recent interview with Fanbyte, Garcia had this to say about his time in AEW thus far:

“I really think that I have the potential right now to be a major player in AEW in the very near future. I feel like they handed me the ball and I just keep running with it.”

CM Punk Fires Back At Sasha Banks After Rampage Tops SmackDown

Michael Reichlin
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CM Punk has dealt a “receipt” to Sasha Banks following AEW’s impressive showing against WWE last Friday night.

The Internet has been buzzing about the Friday night ratings showdown between AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown. Rampage aired in its usual time slot, while SmackDown aired on FS1 instead of the Fox broadcast network. WWE took the fight to AEW by extending SmackDown an extra 30 minutes (commercial-free) to go head-to-head with the first half of Rampage.

Prior to the showdown, Sasha Banks tweeted, “It’s Clobberin time #SmackdownonFS1” – a clear reference to CM Punk’s famous catchphrase.

CM Punk & Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks’ match against Becky Lynch went head-to-head with CM Punk’s match against Matt Sydal. The overlapping half hour also included The Bunny vs. Ruby Soho for AEW and a blockbuster contract signing between Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar on SmackDown.

Overall, the 2 1/2 hour SmackDown broadcast averaged 866,000 viewers. The 60-minute Rampage show did 578,000 viewers. Both shows did a 0.24 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, which caught many people by surprise.

Even more surprising was the 30-minute block when Rampage and SmackDown went head-to-head. Looking at that key demographic, AEW Rampage actually topped WWE SmackDown 328,000 viewers to 285,000, a 15% margin.

CM Punk has since responded to Sasha Banks’ tease that it would be “clobbering time” when WWE and AEW went head-to-head for 30 minutes. With AEW coming out on top, Punk agrees: “Indeed, it was.”

Booker T: Tony Khan Sounds Like A School Girl With Ratings Talk

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Booker T isn’t a fan of how Tony Khan is approaching the “ratings war.”

AEW went head-to-head with WWE for a half-hour this past Friday (Oct. 15). SmackDown was featured on FOX Sports 1 instead of the main FOX channel due to the MLB playoffs. WWE decided to run the show an extra half-hour, going one-on-one with the first half-hour of Rampage.

As expected, WWE won the overall viewer total. One huge positive for AEW, however, was that Rampage beat SmackDown in the 18-49 demo for that half-hour. Overall, both shows took in a 0.24 rating in the key demo.

While that’s impressive for a company that has only been around for two years, not everyone is happy with Tony Khan taking a victory lap about it on Twitter. Eric Bischoff has expressed his belief that Khan is losing focus.

Booker T Disagrees With Tony Khan’s Approach

Booker T is in agreement with Bischoff. During a new episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, the former five-time WCW Champion and former World Heavyweight Champion had the following to say on Khan’s social media posts.

“I’m of the sentiment that Tony Khan is doing a lot of talking about nothing. Go out and produce a good show. At the end of the day, we’ll know who won if that’s what we’re looking for, if that’s your goal post, if that’s where you’re trying to score in. But all of this talk about what you’re doing, this and that, back and forth, I swear man, it sounds like a little school girl saying how pretty she is over the other girls on the schoolyard.”

AEW and WWE aren’t done going head-to-head. WWE will be airing Talking Smack live on FS1 on Oct. 29. That show will be going up against AEW Rampage.

Jorge Masvidal Praises AEW Roster: ‘Lots Of Savages’

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jorge Masvidal likes what he sees from the AEW roster.

Masvidal has been making some appearances on AEW TV. He’s been involved in a storyline with his American Top Team coach Dan Lambert. Lambert and ATT have aligned themselves with The Men of The Year, Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Right now, the group is feuding with Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle.

ATT is a renowned MMA gym known for training world champions. Jorge Masvidal is a UFC welterweight who trains under ATT.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani for The MMA Hour, Masvidal said that AEW is chock full of talent but he’s willing to take out anyone standing in Dan Lambert’s way.

“There’s a lot of savages over there on the AEW side, a lot of savages. I’m here to domesticate them. You do the rest. I don’t know who, when and where, but I’m a hired gun.”

The man known as “Gamebred” went on to say that he’s having the time of his life in AEW.

“(I’m enjoying) the f*ck out of it. I’m having a blast. Dan loves American Top Team so much, he wouldn’t trade it for nothing in the world, for no amount of money. The only thing that comes comparable to that is pro wrestling. Dan loves pro wrestling. So when the opportunity came and I get to be next to the general Dan Lambert, I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go, let’s beat people up.'”

On the Oct. 15 episode of AEW Rampage, Masvidal’s teammate and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos made his in-ring debut. It was The Men of The Year and dos Santos taking on Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager.

The Men of The Year and dos Santos won the match after Masvidal ran in and nailed Jericho with a flying knee. The referee was distracted by Paige VanZant, also of ATT. It appears this is all leading to a 10-man tag team match between all Inner Circle members against The Men of The Year and three members of ATT at Full Gear.

Jim Ross Slams ‘F*cking Ridiculous’ Rumor About Him

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AEW play-by-play commentator Jim Ross is none too pleased about one rumor he has heard.

Ross is a legendary commentator. His work for WCW, WWE, and now AEW has been renowned. Some people, however, aren’t fond of Jim Ross and have started a toxic rumor about him.

The rumor in question claims that Ross drinks on the job. During an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross made it clear that this rumor is a pile of garbage.

JR Goes Scorched Earth On “Stupid” Rumor

“I’ll say something I don’t do. Somebody wrote on Twitter the other day, as if they knew, that I drink a lot of Crown Royal during the broadcasts. That’s so f*cking ridiculous. You wanna say [that]? I feel so sorry for you that you would imagine that happening. If I could rebuke that stupid f*cking rumor. It’s ridiculous.”

JR recently revealed that Alex Marvez has been a huge help in terms of getting him prepped for AEW broadcasts. Ross says that Marvez is the one who delivers announcer notes, which makes his job easier since it features key details of the on-air talent.

Ross has been on commentary for AEW since 2019. He is the lead man at the commentary booth for Dynamite. Ross performs his duties along with Tony Schiavone and Excalibur. He isn’t a permanent fixture on AEW Rampage, but he has made some appearances on the show.

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

Paul Heyman Believes Kayla Braxton Has A Crush On Him

Anutosh Bajpai
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Paul Heyman takes any storylines he is part of to the next level. A good example is her ongoing rivalry with Kayla Braxton who Heyman believes has a crush on him.

The special counsel to the Universal champion recently had an interview with Comicbook.com. He discussed things such as the roster changes made during the recently concluded draft and more.

Heyman brought up Braxton a number of times during the interview. However, when asked if there is a feud between the two, the former ECW owner said that he doesn’t dislike her at all:

“I don’t … I like Kayla. I think Kayla has great taste in men, because she has such a crush on me. I don’t dislike Kayla at all. I think Kayla’s a remarkably talented person, but she’s a stalker, and she’s stalking me, and she’s bothering me.

And she’s nagging me. And she pokes pokes, pokes, pokes, pokes, pokes, every time, with her freaking questions, and her interrogatories.” said Paul Heyman, “It’s like being in a deposition. It’s just like, ‘Leave me alone. Go bug somebody else..”

The former Raw executive director continued by saying that Kayla loves to gossip and thinks that she is Wonder Woman. He then again iterated that he has nothing against the broadcast star.

It doesn’t look like the banter between Heyman and Braxton will end anytime soon, even if Paul’s alliance with Roman Reigns might be threatened later this week. Here is the updated Crown Jewel match card.

Eric Bischoff Thinks Tony Khan Should ‘Shut Up And Wrestle’

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tony Khan stepped up his trash talk game ahead of SmackDown’s head-to-head collision with Rampage. Though Eric Bischoff believes that he should ‘shut up’ and focus on his own product.

The former WCW president talked about the recent clash between the shows of WWE and AEW on an episode of his 83 weeks podcast. He also discussed the comments from the AEW president.

Bischoff said that if TK called him for advice; his suggestion would be to shut up and wrestle. Eric explained that Tony should focus on putting out the best product he can:

“If Tony were to call me and ask for any advice, here’s what it would be — shut up and wrestle, dude. Just put out the best product you can and you’ve proven you can. Focus on that. Now this is weird coming from me, right? The guy who challenged Vince McMahon. The guy who gave away their finishes. So people listening to this would go ‘what the hell’.

But here’s the difference. I was actually competing with him.” said Bischoff, “I was going head-to-head. Real head-to-head. Like, my show started the same time his show started each and every week.”

Bischoff: ‘Tony Khan is Inventing New Mistakes’

Eric Bischoff in TNA
Eric Bischoff in TNA

The former WCW official also responded to the remarks Khan made about the mistakes made by WCW leading to their downfall. Eric Bischoff claimed that Tony Khan is inventing some new mistakes of his own. He also said that AEW is having a cosplay competition with WWE:

“And another thing, Tony comes out and says ‘We’re at the 1996 stage of WCW and going to not make their mistakes.’ Tony, you’re inventing some mistakes, brother, by coming out there and constantly comparing yourself or deriding your competition, but not having the willingness to say, ‘Okay, let’s go head-to-head. Let’s really compete. Let’s see who can get whose market share.’

And by the way, Tony, in 1996 I was kicking WWE’s ass. Every week! In a real head-to-head competition, not a cosplay competition.”

Apart from this, Eric Bischoff said that he is a little disappointed in the rhetoric he is hearing out of the AEW owner and some of the talent. You can check out his comments in the clip below:

Former World Champion Tom Lawlor Leaving MLW

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former MLW world heavyweight champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor is on his way out of the promotion after his recent casket match, according to latest report.

After a successful run with Court Bauer’s fight league, Lawlor’s two-year contract with the company is expiring soon. The UFC fighter turned pro wrestler is planning to leave MLW when his contract is up, according to a report by Fightful.

Lawlor has already been written off TV with his recent casket match against King Muertes. The bout saw Tom losing to the current Caribbean heavyweight champion.

Sources within the company have confirmed the departure of the veteran talent as well. According to the site, they all spoke very highly of the former champion.

Filthy Tom Lawlor’s Future

Tom Lawlor has previously expressed interest in an MMA return. He said that while he left his glove in the ring after his last fight with Jordan Young in June, he is not officially retired. Lawlor had won this match by unanimous decision.

He is also currently working with NJPW. The MMA star made his debut for the Japanese promotion in July 2020 and became the first-ever NJPW strong open weight champion in April this year.

Lawlor made his MLW debut back in 2017 and he has been one of the promotion’s top stars since. Apart from a reign with the MLW world title, he won the 2018 battle riot match as well as the 2020 opera cup tournament.

There is no word yet on if the MLW star has any interest in joining the WWE or the AEW roster. We will have to see how his NJPW deal affects his future plans.

Mance Warner Leaving MLW, Wanted By AEW

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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

Kurt Angle Reveals His Biggest Regret In Wrestling

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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.

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

Bryan Danielson Grades His Match With Kenny Omega

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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)

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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”

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.”

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