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Triple H Speaks Out Following Heart Procedure

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Triple H, the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development at WWE, has issued a statement following his heart procedure.

The WWE legend recently needed to undergo surgery following a “cardiac event.” WWE issued the following statement on Sept. 8.

“Paul Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, underwent a successful procedure last week at Yale New Haven Hospital following a cardiac event. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue and Paul is expected to make a full recovery.”

Triple H appears to be in good spirits. He issued the following statement.

“I’ve been blown away by the outreach and support from so many people. I’m recovering, doing well, & deeply grateful for all the love in my life. Especially grateful for Shawn Michaels & all the Superstars & crew at NXT! (Steph and the girls loved the snacks). See you soon.”

It was reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Shawn Michaels was in charge of the debut episode of NXT 2.0 in Triple H’s absence. The outlet has also reported that WWE talent have been told that while they can contact “The Game” to send their well wishes, they are not to speak business matters with him during his recovery.

Time will tell when Triple H will be able to resume his duties at the WWE offices. In the meantime, the multiple-time world champion will be resting to ensure his recovery goes according to plan. As WWE’s statement makes note of, he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Does Tony Khan Think AEW Has WWE’s Attention?

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Tony Khan has addressed the question of whether or not he thinks AEW has captured WWE’s attention.

AEW was founded in 2019. The company’s first airing of Dynamite was held on TNT back in October of that year. That episode brought in 1.409 million viewers.

Since that time, AEW has been riding a wave of momentum, signing a new deal with TNT and adding the Rampage show. While WWE isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, many believe the promotion has at the very least been keeping tabs on AEW. Tony Khan agreed with that notion when speaking to AP.

“I’m a big wrestling fan and I would say, objectively, AEW is the hottest wrestling company right now. So many people who watch wrestling know that AEW’s gaining ground, AEW is hitting all-time highs. It’s helping us build new fans, it’s helping people want to take the leap and check the shows out. I’m sure other wrestling companies are paying attention to that. We have great relationships with a lot of wrestling companies that know what’s going on with AEW. I think if you work in the wrestling business, you’re following what we’re doing and the success we’re having. We’re catching a lot of eyeballs outside of the world of wrestling and mainstream attention, so you better believe in the world of wrestling people are paying very close attention to it.”

AEW is set for its biggest show to date. The promotion will be hosting Grand Slam editions of Dynamite and Rampage. The action will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Dynamite airs live on Sept. 22 and Rampage airs on Sept. 24 via tape delay.

On Dynamite, Bryan Danielson will make his in-ring debut for AEW against Kenny Omega. Omega’s AEW World Championship will not be on the line. The AEW Women’s World Title will be at stake as champion Britt Baker takes on Ruby Soho.

The Rampage episode will see CM Punk take on Powerhouse Hobbs. There will also be a Lights Out tag team match between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.

Vince McMahon Wants WWE NXT 2.0 To Be An Edgier Product (Report)

Andrew Ravens
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WWE relaunched the NXT brand last week with a new look, logo, stage, and name, NXT 2.0. Part of the revamp was to introduce newer and younger talent on television as well.

Fightful Select reported today that more changes could be in store for NXT as WWE has discussed some plans for NXT 2.0 that are directly from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. 

Those at the USA Network are said to be in support of what the WWE boss has in mind, which is for the show to target “more of a P18-34 demographic, including everything from in-ring work and aggression to harsher language and the like.” 

“Keep up with current affairs with promos and character verbiage” was another point said to be brought up. One talent stated that they’d believe it when they see it regarding the possible changes. 

Jon Alba has also heard of the company wanting to go after a younger audience: 

It will be interesting to see if WWE goes in this direction and should they do so, how long McMahon will stick with it as he is known to change his mind quite often. Also, WWE has presented a PG-product for over a decade now with the mindset that they could get better sponsors with a family-friendly product compared to a TV-14 audience. 

Tony Khan: AEW Has Already Turned A Profit

Andrew Ravens
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AEW has found great success under the leadership of its President Tony Khan who just two years ago took the leap of starting his own wrestling promotion. 

In their first year, they reached a television deal with WarnerMedia that would see them air a weekly two-hour flagship series every Wednesday night in primetime on TNT. In January 2020, they reached an extension through 2023 with a fourth-year option for 2024 that would give AEW a significant pay increase.

It was reported around this time by Dave Meltzer that the new deal was worth $175 million, just under $45 million per year.

Khan talked about AEW’s finances in a new interview with the Associated Press. It was noted that Khan stated to them, “AEW has already turned a profit.”

“Our TNT deal is very fair. I think we’ve performed at such a high level that we’ll justify a big increase on our next deal,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have their support. The timing of that deal was great, to get that in January 2020, that is a huge revenue stream for us.”

It was announced earlier this year that Dynamite will move to TBS in January 2022. Part of AEW’s deal was to introduce a new one-hour show, AEW Rampage,  that premiered in August. Also in 2022, AEW will air four “supercard” specials on TNT.

Bryan Danielson Considered A Break From Wrestling Before Joining AEW

Tyriece Simon
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Bryan Danielson had almost considered taking time off from wrestling before signing with All Elite Wrestling. Danielson is currently in New York City doing the media rounds ahead of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

During an interview with the NY sports radio show WFAN, Danielson discussed his decision to sign with AEW, his article thanking WWE, and more. When explaining his decision to jump to AEW, Danielson revealed he considered taking a hiatus from wrestling after leaving WWE.

“A lot of people look at it in terms of there being two options,” said Danielson. “Either you’re going to be with WWE or AEW, but part of me was like, or I could just do like an independent schedule, where I don’t sign with anybody. I also thought about not coming back to wrestling at all. In the sense of at least for the next couple of years.”

Bryan Danielson’s Decision

Danielson is starting his AEW career at age 40. His decision to sign with AEW took some consideration on how it will affect his family.

“I wanted to take the Summer off because my daughter started pre-school and just being home with her every day,” he continued. “Her whole life, she’s four. I’ve left every week, almost every week. I loved it. She loved it, me being home every single night.”

“Now that I’m gone, I Facetime her every night, and it’s just like, Daddy, I miss you. I miss your cuddles, said Danielson. He shared that he considered stepping away from wrestling until his son started pre-school. However, he thought, considering his age, it was best to pursue AEW now.”

At this stage of his career, Danielson feels that he has nothing to prove in professional wrestling. The AEW contract he signed is for three years, in which afterward he expects to have a limited wrestling schedule. He’s also calling the next three years the climax of his career.

“My goal is, at the end of three years, to become a better person. I see these next three years as kind of my last three years as a full-time wrestler.”

– Bryan Danielson

Danielson’s AEW in-ring debut against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this Wednesday at Dynamite: Grand Slam.

Jim Ross Praises CM Punk’s Commentary On AEW Dynamite

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jim Ross knows a thing or two about commentary and he feels CM Punk is a natural.

Punk first appeared on commentary for AEW on the Sept. 3 edition of Rampage. He was in the booth for the main event of that show between Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia. He then provided commentary on the Sept. 15 edition of Dynamite before being attacked by Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook of Team Taz.

During an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that Punk nailed his role on commentary.

 “He was great. I’m not saying that to kiss his a** because that’s what some feel obligated to do, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like having his a*ss kissed.

“I was very, very honest with Phil, and we built a great relationship because of it. He and I spent a lot of time together on those TV days.  He is a natural. He’s as good as anybody, any ex-wrestler, that stepped into that spot and did it for the first time. Just astonishing.”

Punk has dabbled into commentary in the past. He was in the booth for a period of time when he worked for WWE. With AEW reportedly going with a rotating commentary team for Rampage, we probably haven’t seen the last of CM Punk with a headset on.

Punk is set for his second match under the AEW banner. He will meet Powerhouse Hobbs on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. That show will air on Sept. 24 via tape delay.

Bryan Danielson: The Final Countdown Was ‘Way Too Expensive’ For AEW

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Bryan Danielson has chimed in on not being able to use The Final Countdown as his theme song in AEW.

Once reports started swirling regarding Danielson’s arrival in AEW, fans started fantasizing about “The American Dragon” making his way to the ring with The Final Countdown blaring out the speakers. Danielson made his AEW debut at the All Out PPV on Sept. 5 but he had a brand new theme song.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that using The Final Countdown was cost-prohibitive for Tony Khan.

Speaking to Bleacher Report, Bryan Danielson confirmed that the asking price was simply not feasible.

“Tony and I talked about a couple of things. We had talked about ‘The Final Countdown,’ but that was way too expensive. I hate talking business stuff when I don’t exactly know what it was, but it wasn’t just the amount of money. They would only let [AEW] play it like 20 times a year or something like that. For several $100,000 you can play ‘Final Countdown’ 20 times a year. That doesn’t work for us.”

Danielson ended up calling on his friend, Elliott Taylor, to make a fresh theme song for him. The song even includes a chant that Danielson often heard when he was on the indie scene, “you’re gonna get your f*cking head kicked in.”

Danielson is set for his first match on AEW TV. He will take on AEW World Champion Kenny Omega in a non-title match. It’ll be featured on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on Sept. 22. The show will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

WWE To Air King of the Ring Special Ahead of Tournament’s Return

Chris Stephens
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WWE will reportedly be bringing back the King of the Ring shortly. Previous reports have stated that WWE plans to bring back the tournament next month along with an inaugural women’s version. The plan is to begin the tournament in October and host the finals at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on October 21st.

According to a recent report from PW Insider, WWE has produced a special on the King of the Ring that will air on Fox to build anticipation for its return. The special will air on Fox the weekend of October 1st to 3rd with timeslots varying across local markets.

“The special will air in different timeslots depending on your local market and will be a preview of the return of the King of the Ring tournament,” wrote Mike Johnson.

King of the Ring Winner History

Don Muraco was the first person to be declared the King of the Ring in 1985 when he won the inaugural tournament. Below is the history of King of the Ring tournament winners. This list does not include wrestlers such as King Haku or King Nakamura, who won the crown by defeating a King in a non-tournament setting.

  • 1985- Don Muraco
  • 1986- Harley Race
  • 1987- Randy Savage
  • 1988- Ted Dibiase
  • 1989- Tito Santana
  • 1991- Bret Hart
  • 1993- Bret Hart
  • 1994- Owen Hart
  • 1995- Mabel
  • 1996- Steve Austin
  • 1997- Triple H
  • 1998- Ken Shamrock
  • 1999- Billy Gunn
  • 2000- Kurt Angle
  • 2001- Edge
  • 2002- Brock Lesnar
  • 2006- Booker T
  • 2008- William Regal
  • 2010- Sheamus
  • 2015- Bad News Barrett
  • 2019- Baron Corbin

Backstage News The Owen Hart AEW Tournament In The Works

Chris Stephens
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AEW announces a partnership with the Owen Hart Foundation yesterday. The agreement will see AEW produce apparel and action figures featuring Owen’s likeness. He will also appear in the upcoming AEW console video game. AEW also announced the Owen Hart Cup tournament, something that reportedly has been in the works for some time.

Dave Meltzer addressed the creation of the Owen Hart Cup during a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“They’ve been working on this for a long, long time,” Meltzer said. “It was months ago, I remember bringing up – and I don’t know if it was on a show, it may have just been in conversation – but I know that I brought up the idea to Tony Khan of a Brodie Lee tournament and he said ‘we have an idea for a tournament’ so this was the idea.”

“They are going to do an annual Owen Hart Cup. They are going to work with Martha Hart. it’s a win-win, there is nothing negative to say on this at all. It’s great, Martha Hart is a great person,” he continued. “I mean really a great person, it’s too bad people don’t get that but she really is.”

AEW may have considered the idea of naming the tournament “King of Harts” as they applied to trademark the term this summer.

AEW Files To Trademark “King of Harts”

Chris Jericho On Wanting AEW To Honor Owen Hart

Chris Jericho spoke to Sportskeeda last year about his hope that AEW will find a way to honor Owen.

“I think the family realises there’s other places to go other than WWE, there’s a lot of other Halls of Fame and a lot of other places where Owen could get some of the accolades that he deserves, 21 years later,” Jericho said. “I’d love to see (Martha) do something with AEW. I think the spirit of Owen Hart lives on in AEW for sure.”

Jericho also commented on Owen not going in the WWE Hall of Fame.

“I never thought Owen should go in the (WWE) Hall of Fame it’s just not right,” Jericho said. “I think anybody who had any problems with that should watch (The Dark Side episode on Owen) and will understand where the family’s coming from.”

Alexa Bliss Reacts To Report Of Fans Leaving During Her RAW Segment

Chris Stephens
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Charlotte Flair was a guest on Alexa Bliss’ Playground last night on RAW. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the segment was poorly received by the live crowd in North Carolina. Reportedly, fans left the arena “in droves” during it.

“This one, it really backfired,” Meltzer said of the segment. “They had about 8000 in the building, which is not bad, not good, I mean it’s fine. People were leaving in droves during this segment. I heard 1500 people left.”

“It’s not like they left, went to the bathroom, and came back, they left, went home at 10 o’clock,” Meltzer continued. “People were going home at 10 o’clock, which I have never heard of people going home in any numbers during a live RAW and this was the first.”

Update: Alexa Bliss is calling out Dave Meltzer for this report. She wrote on Twitter:

“Sorry Meltzer (or whatever) you can’t get clout off of our segment … move on #StopLying #LitterallyDidntHappen #YoureEmbarassingYourself”

– Alexa Bliss

Bliss and Flair will meet at Extreme Rules on Sunday with the RAW Women’s Championship on the line. Both Flair and Bliss hold all-time records with the belt. Bliss has spent more days with the RAW championship (398) than anyone dating back to the title’s inception in 2016.

Flair has won the title more times (6x) than anyone in history and held it for 274+ days, which ranks 4th all-time behind Bliss, Lynch, and Asuka.

Bryan Danielson Thanks WWE Ahead Of AEW In-Ring Debut

Chris Stephens
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Bryan Danielson will wrestle Kenny Omega at Dynamite Grand Slam tomorrow night. Ahead of his in-ring debut with AEW, Danielson penned an article for the Players Tribune thanking WWE.

“Before this next part of my career gets fully underway, there’s something I need to express: THANK YOU, WWE,” Danielson wrote. “Thank you to the incredible superstars with whom I’ve shared both the ring and the road. For Savate-Kick Saturdays and locally roasted coffee. For being family when we’re away from family. For making me look good when I didn’t feel good. For deep conversations and pointless debates. For making me laugh — both in the best of times, and the worst. For all the small things that make life as a wrestler just a little bit more fun.”

Danielson also wrote a paragraph thanking “The Big Man” who one might assume is Vince McMahon.

“Thank you to the Big Man, who I know hates to be acknowledged. I won’t say much, but thank you for the conversations, the life lessons (about both what to do and what not to do), and the best hug I’ve ever received. I wish more people could see you how I see you.”

Danielson continued to say that he hopes his fans from WWE will follow him to AEW, but he understands if they don’t.

“I hope you will continue to follow me in AEW, but I completely understand if you don’t. You’ve given me more than enough — more than I could ever repay. Thank you for all of it,” Danielson continued. “I loved my time in WWE. Needless to say, it changed my life.”

Bryan Danielson’s WWE Career As Daniel Bryan

Danielson was with WWE from 2009 until 2021, with a brief departure in 2010 after he choked Justin Roberts with his tie during a Nexus invasion. During that time, he won the WWE Championship 4 times. He also won the World Heavyweight Championship once. He is a 1x Intercontinental Champion, 1x United States Champion, a 1x WWE tag-team champion along with Kane, and a 1x Smackdown tag-team champion along with Rowan.

Bryan won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2011. He is the 6th WWE Grand Slam title winner under the current format, and 15th all-time. Bryan is also a 12x Slammy Award winner, with some awards being serious (such as 2013’s Superstar of the Year) and some not-so-serious (such as 2013’s Beard of the Year award).

Bryan was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2016.

Rob Van Dam Clarifies Dark Side of the Ring Comments

Chris Stephens
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Rob Van Dam was featured prominently in the recent Dark Side of the Ring episode on 2002’s Plane Ride From Hell. RVD recently took to Twitter to clarify some of the comments he made on the show.

“Just watched DSOTR. Heavy,” RVD began. “Some insight for those who can handle it- 1) I haven’t seen Ric Flair’s dick. My comment about fans shouldn’t see him doing the helicopter was a response to DSOTR telling me that’s what they were told. They shouldn’t. I don’t want to see it either.”

“2) I said ‘trying to make her touch him’ referring to his body crowding her space and her backing up like bad breath was in her face. I thought maybe they were playing (from seeing a similar scene at the hotel bar) but I wasn’t interested in naked Ric. Still ain’t. I tried to sleep.”

RVD also responded to several responses he received on Twitter as well. He clarified that people may be misconstruing what he said due to how the episode was edited.

RVD also wrote that the flight attendant could not get by Flair without touching him. This is what he was referring to during the episode.

“I enjoy the communication,” RVD also said in a Tweet last night. “Being famous means having haters. Haters that think they have better life skills than me is something I like to share with everybody because I’m sure their life is nothing I’d trade for. I win.. what’s that make them?”

Cody Rhodes’ Wrestling Mount Rushmore Includes Tony Khan & Vince McMahon

Anutosh Bajpai
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Cody Rhodes has named the four people who he’d put on a Wrestling Mount Rushmore.

Cody wife Brand recently took part in an ‘AMA’ Q&A session for Bleacher Report. They answered questions related to a number of different topics including a potential heel turn for Cody and more

When asked if their company was always going to be called All Elite Wrestling, the former TNT champion revealed that they first thought about calling it only ‘All Elite.’

“There were other names kicked around.” said Cody, “We considered ‘All Elite’ and Tony had the foresight and said ‘it’s a wrestling company, we need initials’… Dynamite is what Tony wanted and he saw it through.”

Brandi added that AEW was always on their mind. The debate they had was about the name of their weekly show before settling for Dynamite.

Wrestling Mount Rushmore

wrestling mount rushmore
“Wrestling Mount Rushmore” (Photo: Bleacher Report)

When a fan inquired the duo who they would include in their Mt. Rushmore, Cody Rhodes interestingly took the name of both Vince McMahon and Tony Khan, before adding Dusty Rhodes and The Rock to the list.

Brandi said that she would have Sherri Martel, Ms. Elizabeth, Mae Young, and Madusa in her own Mt. Rushmore of wrestling.

Apart from this, the duo also answered questions related to things such as the origin story of AEW, advice for aspiring businessmen, and more.

You can check out all the questions they answered here.

Bronson Reed On His Future After WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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While the 30 days non compete clause of Bronson Reed has expired already, the former NXT North American champion is taking his time in deciding where he wants to wrestle next and he has two possible destinations in mind.

The former NXT star recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. Among other things, he also provided an update on his future after recent WWE release.

Reed claimed that he is in talks with the ‘major promotions’ before saying that he doesn’t think the AEW roster has what he has to offer in the ring:

“I’m in talks with the major promotions, I can’t say any which way that I’m leaning towards. I do think that what I do offer, I don’t think AEW really has that. Impact do have some bigger talent, but no one that is really my mold.

I think it’d fit in Impact or AEW.” said Bronson Reed, “I am a huge fan and I did wrestle in Japan. That is somewhere I would like to work again.”

The former WWE star continued his explanation revealing that he is currently working on his immigration status. He said that he will hopefully have an answer for his fans about his future in a few weeks.

Bronson Reed was released from his WWE contract on August 6. Being a development star, he had a 30 days non-compete clause which has already expired. He recently shared a theory about his WWE release which you can check out here.

Bronson Reed Isn’t A Fan Of Upcoming NXT Changes

Tetsuya Naito Out Of G1 Climax 31 Due To Injury

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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The G1 Climax 31 tournament has been dealt a major blow with the removal of Tetsuya Naito.

NJPW has announced that Naito suffered a knee injury during his opening match with Zack Sabre Jr. As a result, the former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion is out of the tournament.

“During his G1 Climax 31 opening match on September 18 in Osaka, Tetsuya Naito suffered an injury to his left knee. 

“Damage was incurred to his left meniscus and MCL. Naito is unable to compete on the remainder of the G1 Climax tour, and does not currently have a timetable for return. All his remaining tournament matches will be counted as losses via forfeit, with opponents gaining an automatic two points.”

The match between Naito and ZSJ was heavily praised. It isn’t too surprising since the two have great chemistry in the ring. What may be surprising is that Naito has to bow out of the tournament. While he has had a history of knee problems, Naito has been quite resilient over the years.

All of Naito’s previously scheduled opponents will now be having special singles matches on the dates they were supposed to face the Los Ingobernables de Japon stalwart.

Tetsuya Naito was a part of the stacked A block. There were many potentially great matches involving Naito that fans will be missing out on. One of the most intriguing matches that was set to take place at the G1 Climax this year was Naito vs. fellow L.I.J. member Shingo Takagi. Takagi is the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

SEScoops will update you when more information on Naito’s injury and recovery time becomes available.

Big E On Why New Day Never Became ‘More Serious’

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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The New Day never caved into the pressure.

When The New Day first arrived on the scene back in 2014, there was a lot of pushback. Fans felt the trio was too cheesy and that the gimmick would be doomed from the start. Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods proved the naysayers wrong. Even as heels, The New Day act became well-liked among the WWE Universe. Eventually, the group turned face and became WWE’s most valuable team.

Some people have still expressed gripes over The New Day for not being serious enough. Big E appeared on Sam Roberts’ Notsam Wrestling Podcast to address the criticism.

“That’s a lesson I learned with The New Day because we have the same pressures to change, to be more serious, to fit in a certain mold, and we just didn’t want to. We simply were stubborn about it. We believed so much in our chemistry in the three of us and our talent. I was extremely fortunate and blessed to be with two other guys who I think are incredible on the mic, in the ring, who can do so many things even outside of wrestling, and are just tremendous human beings. That taught me a real lesson in this business that even though there is a certain formula or a certain mold, you can do things in a way that feel authentic, genuine, and unique to you because in my mind, we didn’t need another guy who comes out wearing all black who is brooding and comes out to heavy metal or scary dark things.”

The group’s decision to go against the grain has paid off. They’ve won tag team gold multiple times together. Kofi Kingston is a former WWE Champion under The New Day and Big E is the current WWE titleholder.

The trio was recently seen in action on the Sept. 20 edition of Monday Night Raw. They fell short against Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. Later that night, Big E lost a triple threat match involving Reigns and Bobby Lashley.

Cody Rhodes: “I’ll Retire Before I Become A Heel”

Anutosh Bajpai
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While many fans have discussed the possibility of Cody Rhodes turning heel for a while now, the AEW star himself is against changing his current character. The former TNT champion recently took part in an AMA of Bleacher Report. He answered questions such as what was the inspiration for him to join AEW and more.

Cody was then asked about the toughest challenge he has faced in his career. Replying to it, Rhodes said that the music has broken his heart far more than it has cheered him:

“The music has broken my heart far more than it has cheered me up so far. I started a bit smaller and today in our industry I’m like a giant. Currently, I’m in a position where they think I book the show and book myself which has created tension for some fans. I’m of the belief that if you pay your money you can cheer, boo, etc.”

Cody Rhodes Will Retire Before Turning Heel

Cody Rhodes continued his explanation saying that going from a warm to adversarial reception from the fans has been a challenge for him. Though the former WWE star promised that he will retire before turning heel:

“To go from a warm reception to an adversarial reception…I’ll retire before I become a heel. I’m not going to make decisions that are bad for our youth to see. That’s the challenge, how do I maintain where I’m at when the crowd wants to get a different flavor.”

Cody Rhodes teased his retirement after losing a match to Malakai Black on the August 4 episode of Dynamite but Black stopped him with a post-match attack. The Rhodes to the top star is set to make his in-ring return at the Dynamite: Grand Slam special this Wednesday in a match against Black.

Cody Rhodes Names His Personal Favorite Matches

Kofi Kingston Responds To Criticism Over The Bloodline Vs. The New Day Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kofi Kingston recently had an interview with SportsKeeda. Among other things, he also responded to the fan criticism over the New Day vs. The Bloodline match. WWE has been trying to get better ratings in wake of their recent losses to AEW by giving away big matches. However, many fans believe that this big six men tag team match should have been saved for the Survivor Series.

Kingston was asked if he is surprised that this match is happening so soon during the talk. Replying to it, the former WWE champion claimed that nothing surprises him:

“Oh, nothing surprises me; I think the great thing about WWE is that you don’t know what’s going on. I think a lot of people get upset when they can’t predict what’s happening, you know? You want to talk about how to build a show. How about just enjoy the match you’re about to get sooner than later?”

‘You Don’t Know What’s Gonna Happen’ Says Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston then responded to the fans who believe that the bout should have been saved for the upcoming PPV. He said that you never know what is going to happen. Kingston teased that they might do an even better rematch:

“You don’t know what’s gonna happen at Survivor Series. We might do it again and do it even better! The way that we do things is we work towards a great product in terms of telling the story. So sit back and relax and enjoy the story that’s being told to you.”

The match between the Bloodline and The New Day saw Bobby Lashley attacking members of both the teams. This distraction allowed Roman Reigns to spear Xavier Woods for the pin. There is no word yet on if we are going to see a rematch between these two groups at Survivor Series.

Kofi Kingston Found Out What He Was Doing At Raw From Social Media

Keith Lee’s New Nickname Pays Homage To Bearcat Wright

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former NXT Champion Keith Lee has a new moniker that pays tribute to a WWE Hall of Famer from the 1950’s.

Lee competed in yet another dark match before this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He defeated a local talent in a squash match. What’s interesting to note about his latest appearance is that he was billed as Keith “Bearcat” Lee during his entrance.

You can see footage of Lee’s introduction in the clip below:

Bearcat Wright

Keith Lee’s new “Bearcat” moniker is a reference to popular African American pro wrestler from the 1950s, Bearcat Wright. Wright was posthumously inducted into the legacy wing of WWE Hall Of Fame in 2017.

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Here is a brief Twitter thread giving a little background on WWE Hall of Famer Bearcat Wright:

Keith Lee’s Road to Bearcat

Keith Lee was last seen on WWE TV during the August 2 episode of Raw where he won a match against Karrion Kross. He returned to the road with WWE during the Raw brand supershow live event this past weekend.

The heavyweight star defeated Akira Tozawa at the supershow event. What’s interesting to note here is that the former champion played the role of a heel in his match against Tozawa.

Lee has also been growing a beard. There is speculation that it could be a preparation for turning him heel when he finally returns to WWE TV. Though when that may happen is not known.

Updated Card For Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE has confirmed that the United States championship match announced for the Extreme Rules PPV will now be a triple threat among Jeff Hardy, Sheamus and the current champion Damian Priest.

Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw featured Jeff Hardy facing Sheamus in a one on one match. The stipulation for the bout was that Hardy would be added to the championship match if he won against Sheamus.

The ending of this match saw Hardy trying to deliver a Swanton bomb but his opponent got his knees up. Though as Sheamus looked to capitalize, Jeff managed to counter. He rolled Sheamus up for the win and got added to the Extreme Rules match.

It’s been rumored that the US title match at the upcoming show will be a tables match but WWE has not confirmed this stipulation as of now.

Extreme Rules Matches

WWE has also confirmed that the Universal championship bout between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor is going to be an Extreme Rules match. After the latest change, here is the updated Extreme Rules match card:

  • Extreme Rules Universal Championship Match: “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns
  • Raw Women’s Championship Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch
  • WWE United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest vs. Jeff Hardy
  • SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. The Usos
  • Singles Match: Carmella vs. Liv Morgan

WWE Extreme Rules this year will be taking place from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio this Sunday on September 26.

WWE RAW Results (9/20): Triple Threat Main Event, New Day vs. The Bloodline, New Champs

Watch Nikki A.S.H. And Rhea Ripley Win Women’s Tag Team Championship On Raw

Anutosh Bajpai
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Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley became the new WWE women’s tag team champions after defeating Natalya and Tamina Snuka on tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

The title match on tonight’s episode of the red branded show saw Nikki and Tamina starting the bout for their teams. Though Tamina attacked Ripley early in the fight when she came in the ring to break a pin.

The champions worked on Nikki A.S.H. for the majority of the bout while tagging in and out themselves. Tamina delivered a Samoan drop to Nikki at one point.

Snuka then went to the top rope for the superfly splash but Nikki managed to get her knees up in time. Though she couldn’t tag in Ripley who was still down at the ringside. Natalya managed to tag in and unloaded on Nikki.

The ending of the bout saw Ripley finally coming to her sense and attacking Tamina at the ringside. Natalya tried to lock Nikki in the sharpshooter but she got distracted by Rhea delivering a riptide to her partner into the edge of the ring apron.

The distraction allowed Nikki A.S.H. to roll Natalya for the pin and win the match for her team, marking the start of the title reign for Ripley and herself.

Natalya and Tamina had won the tag team titles from Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler during the May 14 episode of SmackDown. Their reign lasted for 129 days.

Adam Cole Says CM Punk Is The Biggest Dream Match For Him

Anutosh Bajpai
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Now that Adam Cole is in AEW, he is really excited to face some of the names on the roster including none other than CM Punk. The former NXT champion recently had an interview with News 12. During the talk he discussed the different wrestling personalities who have been on his list of dream opponents. He first mentioned how he has been able to check off some of these names:

“Very fortunate to check off a lot of those guys off the list in the sense of getting to have Shawn Michaels as my mentor, someone who I still have a great relationship with, is a dream come true. Getting the chance to step in the ring with Christian is gonna be really really cool. He has been running his mouth a bit too much so I am gonna make sure I fix that but aside from that if I look at it like 9 year old me, it’s pretty cool.”

Later in the interview, Cole mentioned another potential future opponent for him in CM Punk. He first discussed how having Punk on the AEW roster is really cool. Adam Cole then went on to explain how the former WWE champion influenced his wrestling persona during his early years:

“I think the biggest one for sure is CM Punk. The fact that he is here is really cool. I have been very open just on my personal Mt. Rushmore of who means the most to me within wrestling, CM Punk is on that list for me. He is the guy who made me decide I really wanna focus on promos. I wanna make sure I get good interviews and stuff like that because he was so captivating. He is the guy who introduced me to companies like Ring Of Honor and the independent wrestling scene.”

Please credit SEScoops.com if using any quotes transcribed from this article.

WWE RAW Results (9/20): Triple Threat Main Event, New Day vs. The Bloodline, New Champs

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the final episode of RAW before Extreme Rules this Sunday. Universal Champion Roman Reigns & SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos made a rare appearance on the red brand to battle the New Day. Natalya & Tamina defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. on tonight’s episode of RAW.

RAW Results (9/20)

  1. The Bloodline def. New Day
  2. Doudrop def. Eva Marie
  3. Randy Orton def. AJ Styles
  4. Shayna Baszler def. Nia Jax
  5. Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo def. Mustafa Ali & Mansoor
  6. Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. def. Natalya & Tamina to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions
  7. Jeff Hardy def. Sheamus to earn a spot in the US Title match at Extreme Rules
  8. Roman Reigns def. Lashley & Big E in a Triple Threat match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

The Bloodline def. New Day, Lashley Destroyed Everyone

New Day hosted a Championship Celebration for new WWE Champion Big E. The crowd chanted “you deserve it!” as Big E smiled in the ring. Big E said he is thankful for everyone that has supported him and is grateful for one incredible friend up above. The crowd responded with a loud “Brodie!” chant in reference to Brodie Lee. Big E added that the New Day is going to send The Bloodline packing because New Day rocks.

The Bloodline interrupted with Paul Heyman and made their way to the ring for the 6-man tag team match as RAW went to a break. New Day isolated Jimmy Uso in the corner to start off the match. Jimmy connected with a headbutt and brought Xavier Woods to the corner.

Jey tagged in and beat Woods down while talking some trash. Kofi tagged in but Jey didn’t notice and he rolled up Woods. Kingston capitalized and hit a Splash for a two count. Roman tagged in and brought Kofi to the outside. The Universal Champion sent Kingston flying over the announce table as RAW went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Jimmy Uso tagged in and delivered a Superkick to Xavier’s face on the apron to prevent Kofi from making a needed tag. Kingston battled back and the crowd popped when Big E finally got the tag. Big E and Roman Reigns stared each other down as the crowd buzzed.

Reigns and Big E traded shots but the WWE Champion got the better of the exchange. Big E connected with three Belly to Belly Suplexes and posed for the crowd. Jey ran into a Clothesline but Reigns capitalized on the distraction and planted Big E with a Uranage.

Roman went for a Superman Punch but Big E countered into a Powerslam. Big E went for the Big Ending but the Universal Champion escaped. Woods tagged in as Big E threw Kingston onto The Usos outside the ring. Woods connected with a Superkick but Reigns kicked out at two.

Bobby Lashley ran down the entrance ramp and leveled Big E with a Spear through the barricade as the crowd booed. Lashley bashed Kingston into the ring post and then beatdown The Usos. Woods was distracted in the ring and turned around into a Spear from Reigns for the pinfall victory. After the match, Lashley came back to the ring and connected with a Spear on Roman Reigns as the crowd cheered. It was later announced that Lashley, Big E, and Reigns will compete in a Triple Threat match later tonight.

Doudrop def. Eva Marie

Eva Marie faced Doudrop again tonight on RAW. Eva poked fun at Doudrop before the match and told the crowd to look at Doudrop and then look at her. The fans gave Doudrop a nice reaction as Eva called her a mess.

Doudrop went after Eva right away but she cowered out of the ring. Doudrop chased her around and finally caught her. Eva poked Doudrop in the eye and got in some forearms to the face but Doudrop no sold them. Doudrop slammed Eva to the mat and followed it up with a Crossbody for the pinfall victory.

Randy Orton def. AJ Styles

Randy Orton battled AJ Styles tonight. Riddle and Omos were ringside for the match. Orton dominated the action early and went to boot AJ in the face but Omos tripped him up. The referee wound up throwing out Omos and Riddle started taunting him. Omos absolutely leveled Riddle with an uppercut and Styles capitalized on the distraction and sent Orton out of the ring. Styles hit Orton with a Crossbody and gave Omos a fist bump before RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Styles was in control and connected with a Pele Kick for a near fall. Riddle was holding both of the RAW Tag Team Championships and tried to fire Orton up as AJ set up for the Styles Clash. Orton countered into a cover but AJ kicked out and hit Randy with a forearm to the face. Styles followed it up with a springboard Moonsault for a two count.

AJ set up for the Phenomenal Forearm but opted to go for a kick on Riddle instead. Styles then went for the Phenomenal Forearm but stopped short as he saw Orton was setting up for the RKO. Orton laughed and then hit AJ with the draping DDT as he got into the ring. Orton followed it up with the RKO for the pinfall victory. Riddle and Orton celebrated after the match.

Shayna Baszler Attacked Nia Jax

Nia Jax battled Shayna Baszler tonight on RAW. Jax and Baszler started arguing and shoving each other. Baszler was able to get the Kirifuda Clutch locked in and Jax fought out of it. Shayna locked it in again and Jax yelled in pain before passing out. After the match, Baszler beat Jax down some more and then put her arm against the steel steps. Shayna stomped on it and left her former tag team partner in agony outside the ring.

Garza & Carrillo Picked Up A Win

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo faced Mustafa Ali and Mansoor tonight on RAW. The action started out back and forth before it turned into a brawl outside the ring. Mustafa Ali launched Humberto into the barricade but Garza launched him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Carrillo got Ali in a submission hold and Garza delivered a Dropkick to the face. Humberto then pinned Ali for the victory.

Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions

Natalya & Tamina defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. Before the match, Ripley and Nikki dedicated tonight’s match to everyone that has been affected by pediatric cancer and to supporters of Connor’s Cure.

Natalya and Tamina hit Hart Attack early on Nikki but Ripley broke up the cover at two. The champs took turns beating down Nikki for a couple minutes. Tamina connected with a Samoan Drop and went for the Superfly Splash but Nikki got her knees up.

Natalya tagged in and went for the Sharpshooter but got distracted by Ripley connecting with the Riptide on Tamina outside the ring. Nikki capitalized with a roll-up for the pinfall victory. Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley are the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Charlotte & Alexa Bliss Brawled

Alexa Bliss sat with Lilly on a swing set in the ring for an Alexa’s Playground segment. Bliss introduced RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair as her guest. Alexa asked Charlotte to take a seat but the champion declined. Alexa noted how Flair didn’t bring the Charly doll that Bliss gifted her last week and the crowd responded with a “Charly!” chant.

Charlotte said that she doesn’t want Charly, she wants the old Alexa Bliss back, back when she was Five Feet of Fury and championship material. Flair added that this was all just a pathetic attempt by Alexa to hide how fragile she really is. Flair joked that Alexa used to come to the ring with a title but now brings a doll that is more popular than her. Charlotte vowed to beat some sense back into Alexa because this is a desperate cry for help.

Alexa claimed that Charlotte is insecure and feels like she is nothing without the title. Alexa said she doesn’t need titles and leaped towards Charlotte but the champion was ready. Charlotte slammed Alexa to the canvas and followed it up with a big boot. Charlotte ripped up the Charly doll as the crowd groaned. Flair charged at Bliss but Alexa caught her with a DDT at the end of the segment. Charlotte will defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules.

Jeff Hardy Earned His Way Into The US Title Match At Extreme Rules

Jeff Hardy faced Sheamus tonight on RAW. Jeff Hardy would be added to the United States Championship match at Extreme Rules if he won the match. United Staes Champion Damian Priest joined commentary.

The action spilled out of the ring and Jeff went for Poetry in Motion but Sheamus caught him. Sheamus slammed Hardy on the ring apron and followed it up with a Clothesline as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Jeff sent Sheamus into the ring post and followed it up with a Dropkick. Hardy connected with a Russian Leg Sweep and then a Splash for a near fall. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate but Sheamus blocked it and bounced Jeff’s face off the top turnbuckle.

Sheamus went for a Cloverleaf submission but Jeff broke free. Jeff dodged a Brogue Kick and planted Sheamus with the Twist of Fate. Hardy made his way to the top rope and went for a Swanton Bomb but Sheamus got his knees up. Jeff then quickly rolled up Sheamus for the win. Damian Priest will now defend the United States Championship against Sheamus & Jeff Hardy in a Triple Threat match at Extreme Rules this Sunday.

Roman Reigns def. Lashley & Big E

Universal Champion Roman Reigns, WWE Champion Big E, and Bobby Lashley battled in a Triple Threat match in this week’s main event. Paul Heyman was ringside for the match. Big E went after Lashley right away as Reigns watched on. Big E took control and hit a Splash on the ring apron. Reigns leveled Big E with the Drive By and posed for the booing crowd as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Lashley launched Big E into the barricade and got into the ring with Roman. Lashley showed off his strength and held Reigns up for an eternity before dropping with a Suplex for a near fall. Big E got back into the ring and planted Lashley with a Belly to Belly Suplex.

Big E put Reigns and Lashley in the middle of the ring and delivered a Splash. Lashley hit Big E with a Spinebuster but Reigns sent Bobby out of the ring. Reigns went for the cover but Big E kicked out at two. Roman went for a Superman Punch but Big E dodged it. Big E hit Reigns with the Big Ending and went for the cover but Lashley dragged him to the outside. Lashley Chokeslammed Big E through the announce table and got back into the ring. Lashley went for the a Spear but Reigns countered with a Superman Punch for a two count. Roman went for a Spear but Lashley countered with a Spear of his own.

Lashley went for the cover but Big E was able to get back into the ring and break it up at the last moment. Lashley went for the Hurt Lock but Reigns broke it up with a Superman Punch. Big E hit Reigns with a Spear off the apron and rolled him back into the ring. Big E hit Roman with the Big Ending again and went for the cover but Lashley broke it up at two. Lashley unloaded on Big E with a bunch of chair shots and the match continued as there is No DQ in a Triple Threat match. Lashley then turned around into a Spear from Roman Reigns for the pinfall victory.

Ric Flair Issues Statement On Allegations Made Against Him On Dark Side Of The Ring

Andrew Ravens
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Days after Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring episode covering “The Plane Ride From Hell,” Ric Flair broke his silence on the allegations made against him. 

The episode featured an interview from Heidi Doyle, former a flight attendant, who alleged that he exposed himself to her while wearing a robe and forced her to touch his penis.

Flair took to Twitter to issue the following statement regarding the allegations: 

“Every person that I’ve worked with, from my lawyer to my publicist to my wife has said not to post a response; but I’ve never run from past behaviors before and I’m not going to start now.

I want to clarify a few things:

About four years ago, I gave ESPN full access to my life for a “30 for 30? special. They covered taxes, financial issues, adultery, divorces, the passing of my child and drinking/partying AT LENGTH.”

Rory Kampf, desperate to matter for another 15 minutes, did an interview about it this morning. When Rory’s lips are moving, he’s typically lying, but one part of what he said was the God’s honest truth:

“I’d never heard that he had forced someone to touch his genitals,” Karpf admitted. “Everything with Ric that was construed as negative I tried to address in the 30 for 30. His drinking, his philandering, his adultery, his money problems, there’s quite a bit, but never, at least in the people that I spoke to, no one ever brought up that he would force himself on somebody.”

I allowed my personal life and the lives of my wife and children to be turned upside down for one reason: Whether it’s good or bad, even the really bad, the truth has to matter. Even in wrestling.

My issues have been well documented over my 40+ year career. The impact of drinking too much (which nearly killed me 5 years ago) has been told time and time and time again. The reason Rory (or anyone else for that matter) never heard stories of me forcing myself on ANYONE is simple: it never happened.”

As a result of the allegations, CarShield decided to pause their commercials featuring Flair.

AEW Makes ‘Permanent’ Change In Rampage Commentary Booth

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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It appears that there is a change being made to the AEW Rampage commentary team.

Rampage is a new show for AEW that has only been on the air for a month. It didn’t take long for the show to get a two-hour special. That will be the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage set to air on Sept. 24 via tape delay.

Fans took notice of the commentary team for the Sept. 17 edition of Rampage. Ricky Starks joined Taz, Chris Jericho, and Excalibur. Usually, Mark Henry is in the booth but instead, he just had a pre-main event interview.

Speaking to Wrestle Talk, Starks claimed that he is now a permanent member of the Rampage commentary team.

“I am definitely proud of AEW, the work that I’ve done in AEW, and the work that I continue to do. And the fact that I think so much that they appreciate me that they made me a permanent commentator for Rampage, replacing Mark (Henry).”

F4W reports that while there is a change to the Rampage booth, it isn’t what Starks is claiming. The report notes that instead, AEW is going with a rotating commentary team. At this time, there is no word on why AEW has decided to go with this change.

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