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Mike Bennett Reveals Nixed Plans For A Fiend Faction In WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE and current ROH star Mike Bennett recently spoke to Metro. He talked about a number of things and also revealed some interesting nixed plans for a Fiend faction in WWE.

Bray Wyatt made his main roster WWE debut as the leader of the Wyatt Family in 2013. He spent a good amount of his time as the leader of the group before introducing The Fiend persona in 2019.

However, during the interview, Bennett revealed that Mr. McMahon wanted The Fiend to have a faction as well and the former WWE star almost played a part in it:

“Early on when Bray Wyatt turned into The Fiend, Vince was always high on having Bray lead a group for some reason — he always wanted him to lead a group, We were about a week away from making it happen where me and Eric Young were gonna be part of Bray Wyatt’s group.

We were gonna actually be — they were gonna bring to life the puppets. Each puppet was gonna represent an actual person.” revealed Mike Bennett, “I don’t remember, there were talks that I was gonna be Sister Abigail and Eric Young was gonna be a buzzard.”

The current ROH star revealed that the company had come close to materializing these plans on TV. Though like many other things in WWE, these plans also got canceled last minute.

Bray Wyatt has been away from WWE programming since WrestleMania 37. One can only imagine how different his character would have been with a group. You can check out Mike Bennett’s full interview at this link.

Bandido Becomes New ROH World Champion At Best In The World

Anutosh Bajpai
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Sunday’s ROH Best In The World event saw a number of big title changes including Bandido capturing Ring of Honor’s World heavyweight championship from Rush.

The ending of this main event match saw Rush ripping off most of Bandido’s mask. The referee got shoved down when he tried to stop the champion.

This led to Rush losing his attention on his challenger for a moment. Bandido took advantage of the situation. The high-flying star rolled the champion for a pin.

Though the action didn’t end there and Rush alongside his stablemates delivered a post-match beating on the new champion. He then put the belt over Bandido.

https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1414419734947377156

This isn’t the only big title change that took place during the show. Both the ROH tag team championships and ROH television championship changed hands during the event as well.

Earlier in the night, Dragon Lee defeated Tony Deppen to become the new TV champion. Lee picked up a pinfall victory over his opponent.

The ROH world tag team titles changed hands during the show as well when Chris Dickinson and Homicide managed to beat the makeshift team of Rhett Titus and pure champion Jonathan Gresham during the show.

Tracy Williams wasn’t cleared for action due to a legit car accident a couple of weeks ago. Jay Lethal who was supposed to replace the injured champion then got attacked by Brody King.

Jonathan Gresham had to step up for the title defense. Though he wasn’t 100% after his match with Mike Bennett earlier in the night. Homicide hit his finisher on the pure champion to pick up the victory.

ROH Best In The World 2021 Results: Rush vs. Bandido, Several Title Changes

Andrew Ravens
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ROH presented their second pay-per-view event, Best in the World, of the year on Sunday night (July 11, 2021) from the UMBC Event Center in Baltimore, Maryland. 

The main event saw ROH World Champion Rush vs. Bandido. After a back and forth encounter, the shocking finish came when Bandido pinned the longtime champion to win the title. 

https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1414419734947377156

Three other titles were on the line – ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee, ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bennett, ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor, Moses & Kaun vs. Dalton Castle, Dak Draper & Eli Isom, and ROH Tag Team Champions The Foundation (Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) vs. Violence Unlimited (Homicide & Chris Dickinson). 

Lee won the TV Title after hitting a running knee strike to the head while Violence Unlimited became the ROH Tag Team Champions. 

ROH Final Battle Quick Results

  • Rey Horus defeated Demonic Flamita 
  • PCO and Danhausen beat “The Bouncers” Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas
  • Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe defeated PJ Black and Brian Johnson
  • EC3 beat Flip Gordon
  • Shane Taylor, Moses, and Kaun defeated Dalton Castle, Dak Draper, and Eli Isom to retain the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles.
  • Josh Woods beat Silas Young in a Last Man Standing match.
  • Brody King beat Jay Lethal 
  • Jonathan Gresham defeated Mike Bennett to retain the Pure Rules Championship.
  • Dragon Lee beat Tony Deppen to win the ROH TV Title.
  • Homicide and Chris Dickinson defeated Jonathan Gresham and Rhett Titus in a Fight Without Honor to win the ROH Tag Titles.
  • Bandido defeated rush to win the ROH World Title

Chelsea Green Makes Her ROH Debut At Best In The World

Andrew Ravens
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Chelsea Green has arrived in ROH. She did so by appearing at Sunday’s Best in The World PPV and announcing her participation in the tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion that starts on July 30th. 

Green was released by WWE due to budget cuts and able to get out of her non-compete clause early. Fightful Select reports Green isn’t under contract with ROH for now but will work the TV tapings this week. 

Green signed with WWE NXT in 2018 after a run in Impact Wrestling. Green made her main roster debut back on the November 13th, 2020 edition of SmackDown when she competed in a Fatal Four-Way match to determine the final member of the Women’s Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. Those involved in the bout were Natalya, Liv Morgan, and Tamina. The finish saw Morgan pin Tamina.

In the match, she suffered a wrist injury and had to get surgery done. As a result, she was put on the shelf.  She signed a contract extension with the company during her time away from the ring. 

Green had been making progress towards an in-ring return since before the Royal Rumble in January and it was reported that she had been cleared to make a return. However, the decision was made to cut her. 

(Spoilers) MLW Battle Riot III Results & Live Report

Michael Reichlin
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Major League Wrestling returned Saturday night live from Philadelphia, PA with MLW Battle Riot. SEScoops correspondent Samira was in attendance at the 2300 Arena and interviewed several MLW fighters. We’ll have videos of those interviews live on the site next week.

MLW Battle Riot III Results
Julyl 10, 2021
Philadelphia, PA (2300 Arena)
Report by Samira

MLW kicked off their Battle Riot III show with a moment of silence for the lives that were lost due to COVID-19.

The first match to start was Anthony Catena vs. Rustin Grundy. The match was very quick with Rustin giving a powerbomb to Catena for the win.

Next, we had a women’s match. Brittany Blake vs. Delmi Exo with Ashley Vox ringside. Exo picked up the win by giving a buster to Blake.

Third match was Budd Heavy, who got a loud chant from the crowd, against Alex Kane. Budd received a powerbomb from Kane, which resulted in Kane winning. Budd had given Kane the finger as he was walking up the ramp, which led to Kane running back in the ring and giving Budd many suplexes. Heavy was then helped backstage by referees.

KC Navarro, making his MLW debut, went up against Gino Medina. However, Medina hit his “Eat Defeat” on Navarro, which resulted with him winning the match.

Next, Team Filthy came out with Tom Lawlor talking on the microphone about how Kit Osbourne and Kevin Ku were going to defeat the Von Erichs. Marshall and Ross then came out to start the Bunkhouse Brawl Match. The Von Erichs won by pinfall once Marshall did a moonsault from the top rope landing on Ku who was laying on a table.

Cesar Duran then came out and cut a promo on how he was going to bring Lucha and the Azteca Underground to MLW. Injustice came out asking Duran for a fight when LAX came out, which resulted in a big pop from the crowd. This new LAX consists of Danny Rivera (Limelight) and Slice Boogie. Konnan and Julius Smokes came along with them as well. LAX talked on the microphone for a bit, which then led to a fight between them and Injustice, which led the fight backstage. Cesar then announced there will be a match later and then mentioned the championship match between Jacob Fatu and Matt Cross.

Next was Lee Moriarty against Calvin Tankman. Tankman picks up the win with his “Tankman Driver.” As he walks up the ramp, he is stopped by Alicia Atout, who is with Alex Kane. Atout asks Tankman if he would join the American Hustle, which he responded with “I’ll think about it,” then walked backstage.

Alicia comes down to the ring, but not with the American Hustle, but with Cesar Duran. They sit down behind the commentators and enjoy some champagne as they watch the next match of Richard Holliday defending his Caribbean Championship against King Muertes. Muertes becomes the new champion. According to Holliday’s Instagram story, he had to receive stitches in the back of his head after the match.

National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone defended his title against Tom Lawlor. During the match, the crowd had chanted “Daisy Dukes” in reference to the very short jean shorts Lawlor was wearing. Lawlor’s “Daisy Dukes” didn’t help as Hammerstone retained the title.

The other half of the Sea Stars, Ashley Vox, then went up against Willow Nightingale. Delmi Exo was ringside as the match went on. Nightingale won by pinfall after giving Vox a powerbomb.

Up next was Davey Richards, making his MLW debut, against TJP. Throughout the whole match, the crowd showed very loudly their dislike for TJP as they had cheered “TJP sucks” and “TJPussy.” Richards wins his debut match after making TJP submit to an ankle lock.

We then had LAX versus Injustice. Smokes had come to the ring with LAX, but not Konnan. Rivera picked up the victory for LAX with a roll up. LAX then proceeded to beat up Injustice along with a few referees. Danny then spray painted on one of the members of Injustice chest.

Arez versus Aramis. Both had some nice high flying moves off the top rope that landed outside of the ring. Aramis won after using his “3 Seconds Around The World.” The two shook hands after the match.

The last singles match of the night was Matt Cross again Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship. Fatu retained the title by doing a moonsault off the top rope onto Cross. Cross was then placed in a body bag and taken backstage.

The last and final match of the evening was the Battle Riot. Among all the 40 entrants, we saw surprises from Savio Vega, Zicky Dice, Kim Chee, and the Blue Meanie. EJ Nduka came in and had eliminated a lot of wrestlers, but then was eliminated by LAX. Fans had believed LA Park had entered, but it turned out to be Tom Lawlor after he was unmasked. He then was eliminated by Marshall Von Erich. Alexander Hammerstone ended up winning the Battle Riot, who then tore up a Contra flag. Jacob Fatu came out wanting to fight, but then walked away. Hammerstone celebrated his victory in the ring.

MLW Battle Riot will air for free on beIN Sports later this month on July 24th.

PROGRESS World Title #1 Contenders Match Set for Chapter 115 – Exclusive

Jake Skudder
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We can exclusively reveal that PROGRESS Wrestling will be holding a #1 Contender’s Match for the PROGRESS World Championship at the Chapter 115 event next weekend on Peacock and WWE Network.

The Smokin’ Aces Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling will face each other to determine who will be the next challenger to Cara Noir’s PROGRESS World Championship. We spoke to both men before the match to get their take on arguably their biggest match to date in PROGRESS, which will be available to view on Saturday July 17.

Charlie Sterling

May be an image of one or more people
IMAGE CREDIT @THEHEADDROP

“Its very strange that I’m asked to talk about fighting my best friend” Charlie Sterling noted. “Our families are close. We get the same praise and compliments. Athletic. Technically gifted. Resilient. He’s the greatest tag partner I could ask for. I’d do anything for him and I’d hope he would say the same. I know his favourite meal is Black Bean Curry and he knows mine is Spaghetti Bolognese. We are brothers!”

“Come Chapter 115 though, I will put all that aside. He won’t be my brother, he will just be my opponent” Sterling continued. “Nick will still be athletic. He will still be technically gifted. He will still be resilient. Everything that is said about me will still be true of him too. Except for one thing, one truth – Belief.”

“Nick will THINK he CAN beat me but I KNOW I WILL beat him” Charlie Sterling continued, laying in somewhat to his Smokin’ Aces partner in PROGRESS. “He will believe it too, when he’s defeated. However, when that bell rings and my hand is raised, I will put my arm around Nick, hug him close and thank him because we are still athletic. Still technically gifted, still resilient, still a team, still brothers.

“Chapter 115 will not be easy for either of us, but it’s necessary and we both know it.”

CHARLIE STERLING

Cara Noir

Charlie Sterling would also issue a warning to PROGRESS World Champion Cara Noir ahead of the match, saying that he is gunning for the phenom performer once Chapter 115 is said and done.

“Cara Noir needs to believe too – once I’ve beaten Nick? He’s in my sights. He may think putting us in this scenario will challenge us, it will only make us stronger. Give me an inch, I will take a mile. I’m coming for that World Title.”

Nick Riley

May be an image of one or more people and text that says "ERYONE WELCOME PROGRESS PROGRESS PROGRESS S"
IMAGE CREDIT @THEHEADDROP

Here’s what Nick Riley had to say about fighting his tag team partner next weekend:

“Underrated and underused. The words most of the wrestling scene has used to describe Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling” Nick Riley began. “But now, we are in a position where one of us will fight for the PROGRESS World Championship.”

“No one has any idea of what this could do for me and Charlie, our families, our careers” Riley continued. “But what I do know, is my first title defence will be against Charlie Sterling.”

“Charlie, you are my best friend, my brother, my tag team partner…But for one match? You are the road block to greatness, and I’m knocking you down!” The Smokin’ Ace concluded.

“what I do know, is my first title defence will be against Charlie Sterling.”

NICK RILEY

PROGRESS Chapter 115

Here’s the currently confirmed card for PROGRESS Chapter 115 – For The Hearts Who Never Played In Tune:

  • Big Money Gun Dogs vs Lykos Gym Dog House Rules Match
  • Malik (w/Kosta K) vs Ethan Allen (w/Luke Jacobs)
  • Greedy Souls vs Sunshine Machine
  • Mercedez Blaze (w/Taonga) vs Roxxy Hellz Belle

Killian Dain Reveals His Immediate Plans for Life After WWE

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE Superstar Killian Dain recently spoke to the It’s My House Podcast. The former member of Sanity discussed a number of topics during the interview, including what his immediate plans are now that he has left the NXT brand.

“So for the time being I’ll be staying in America with Nikkis success and everything else” the former NXT Superstar confirmed. “So then, literally once I am free to work again, I’m going to be picky, choosy and I’m going to take a bit of time to really get around the world you know?”

“There’s places I want to go, there’s companies I want to work for and there’s people I want to work” Big Damo continued. “I’ve got a full list of people I’m desperate to work. It was a blast when I got to wrestle a lot of the New Japan guys through Rev Pro, and I’d love it if I get a chance to wrestle the likes of Ishi again and Tanahashi again.”

Killian Dain on New Japan Run

“I’d love to wrestle Okada, Shingo, you know all those guys” Damo noted, basically confirming that he wants to have a run in New Japan. “And there’s so many others across the world so for me, I’m taking these three months to take a bit of time for myself to get myself prepared mentally, physically, everything else.”

The former Killian Dain finished by confirming that he needs to sort out some visa issues to remain in the United States. “Obviously I have to figure out my being a foreigner living in America. “There’s a couple of hoops we have to jump through next which will hopefully go down without a problem. And then yeah get myself around the world, because I do want to get back and do some things back in Britain, and I want to see how he scene is there, I want to be an inspiration for the next group of guys coming through.”

You can check out the full interview with the former Killian Dain below:

ROH Best In The World PPV: Final Card

Andrew Ravens
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ROH holds its Best in the World pay-per-view tonight (Sunday, July 11, 2021), which marks the second PPV of the year. 

Ring of Honor is slated to hold the show from Baltimore, Maryland at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. The main event will see ROH World Champion Rush vs. vs. Bandido. Three other titles will be on the line including ROH Six-Man Champions Shane Taylor, Moses, and Kaun vs. Dalton Castle, Dak Draper, and Eli Isom.

ROH Best in the World can be purchased via traditional pay-per-view and the FITE app. The show will be four hours long with the first hour airing for free at 7 pm ET on ROH Facebook Live, FITE TV, and traditional PPV while the main card will begin at 8 pm ET.

Final ROH Best In The World Card

  • ROH World Champion Rush vs. Bandido
  • ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee 
  • ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bennett 
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor, Moses, and Kaun vs. Dalton Castle, Dak Draper, and Eli Isom
  • ROH Tag Team Champions The Foundation (Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) vs. Violence Unlimited (Homicide & Chris Dickinson)
  • Brody King vs. Jay Lethal.
  • EC3 vs. Flip Gordon.
  • Josh Woods vs. Silas Young – Last Man Standing Match
  • The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. PJ Black & Brian Johnson

Pre-Show

  • PCO and Danhausen vs.The Bouncers.
  • Demonic Flamita vs. Rey Horus.
  • Matt Taven will host a Trending With Taven segment.

*Spoiler* Popular Faction Debuts At MLW Battle Riot III

Michael Reichlin
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LAX has arrived in Major League Wrestling.

During Saturday night’s MLW Battle Riot III event from Philadelphia, PA, Azteca Underground boss Cesar Duran (formerly Dario Cueto) came out. He was interrupted by Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver of Injustice. This brought out LAX, now comprised of Konnan, Danny Limelight and Slice Boogie.

SEScoops correspondent Samira is live on site and sent in word that LAX got a huge reaction from the Philly crowd.

Konnan is a founding member of LAX dating back to the early 2000’s. Limelight is a fan favorite who has appeared on AEW Dark and Elevation several times over the past few months. He has also appeared on NJPW Strong.

SEScoops will have full results from MLW Battle Riot III later tonight.

Here is footage of Cesar Duran introducing LAX, courtesy of John Siino:

Mike Bennett Has Rediscovered his Love of Wrestling With Ring of Honor

Alex Laybourne
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Mike Bennett is a man who has rediscovered his passion for professional wrestling. Performing in Ring of Honor, Bennett stands on the precipice of history. His goal to take the ROH Pure Championship away from Jonathan Gresham.

The former WWE wrestler has come a long way from the misused figure he cut during his three years there. During his time in WWE, Mike Bennett, along with his wife Maria Bennett (kayfabe Kanellis) wrestled on Smackdown, RAW and 205 Live. Yet, he was never a regular figure, and often just used to feed the larger lions that were climbing the ladder.

“It was one of those things where I felt like WWE kinda beat the love out of wrestling for me. I’d always loved wrestling, I loved what it was, I loved performing but then when I got there, I got to the point where I was like, “I don’t like this.”” Bennett said, talking to Metro.co.uk.

Mike Bennett is Back In Love With Wrestling Thanks to Ring of Honor

Mike Bennett is back wrestling with Ring of Honor, his second stint with the company. He says this time he appreciates the company for all the things he realized he took for granted, or overlooked previously.

 “When I was in Ring of Honor the first time, I don’t think I truly appreciate the opportunity I was given. I was young and stuff. You can always chalk it up to that. I don’t think I ever took a moment to be like, “Oh my God, I have a good spot in this great company that has produced mega stars,””

With his newfound love of wrestling, Mike Bennett has learned to enjoy the art of wrestling. Embracing the range of styles and cultures that can be found in different rings around the globe. He will be looking to kick his resurgence into overdrive this week by taking the crown from Gresham. Cementing himself as the main event guy in Ring of Honor.

Jim Ross Reveals What He Told Malakai Black After His AEW Debut

Michael Reichlin
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Former WWE Superstar Aleister Black made a surprise debut this past week on AEW Dynamite. Now known as Malakai Black, the Dutch grappler immediately made an impact by taking out Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes.

Malakai Black was on WWE’s payroll just last month. Due to an administrative oversight by WWE, Black only had to sit out for 30 days instead of the standard 90 days.

AEW broadcaster Jim Ross appeared on Busted Open this week to discuss Black’s newsworthy debut at Road Rager. Ross reveals that he didn’t know Malakai Black was in the building until he appeared in the ring.

Ross prefers to learn about surprises like Black’s debut at the same time the audience does. He likened this to a sports game by sayin, “I don’t need to know who wins the game until the game is over.”

“I was pleasantly surprised that Malakai Black joined us,” said Ross. “I saw him after the show, he shook my hand. I never met him before, he said he was glad to meet me and likewise for me. I said, ‘We’re counting on you. We’re counting on you to play in a big way. Not just come in and be one of the boys, but come in and be one of the stars.’”

JR got the impression that Malakai Black had not been spoken to like that in quite some time. He thinks it meant a lot to him and he meant every word of what he said.

“I wasn’t trying to blow smoke,” Ross continued. “I was just trying to say, you’re a highly regarded piece of talent that we value and we’re happy you’re here. So, now we’re looking for great things. You set the bar high with your debut, now let’s see where we can take you.”

Listen to JR’s comments about Malakai Black in the Tweet embedded below:

Kenny Omega & Jim Cornette Take Shots At One Another On Twitter

Chris Stephens
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On Dynamite this week, a fan jumped the guardrail and was briefly on the stage area before being grabbed by security. The fan, or someone purporting to be him, then appeared on social media yesterday.

“I did this for all of us real wrestling fans, wrestling is no longer a safe space for friends to dance around and play dress up,” the fan Tweeted at Jim Cornette.

Cornette then Tweeted the following in response to the fan.

“Got news for you dipshit, the ring is sacred ground for US, and even if you and a lot of others THINK you can kick the shit out of the Young Bucks, I would have turned you into a tennis racket popsicle, & you’re lucky someone there didn’t gut you like a fish. And you’re blocked,” Cornette Tweeted.

Kenny Omega then Tweeted out some comments that many are taking as being directed at Cornette.

Cornette then responded to Omega.

“You & I agree for the first time–this guy IS a moron, or he wouldn’t have been at a show with your phony ass on it. Two clarifications: Unlike you I’ve SEEN violence in an arena & this wasn’t it, & secondly looking at your supporters I wouldn’t toss the phrase “low IQ” around,” Cornette Tweeted.

Cornette continued:

The co-host of Jim Cornette’s podcast also responded to Omega’s comments.

Brian Pillman Jr Signs Full Time Contract With AEW

Alex Laybourne
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The Varsity Blondes are mounting a charge through the AEW Tag Team rankings. After debuting. Spending their early days appearing on AEW Dark, they can now be found as a mainstay of AEW Dynamite. The team of Brian Pillman Jr and Griff Garrison have already challenged the Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team titles, and are currently ranked number two behind the team of Eddie Kingston and Penta el Zero.

Pillman is certainly a star on the rise with AEW, and while he might not have any gold around his waist, he has good cause to celebrate. Following the expiry of his contract with MLW, he has now signed as a full-time member of the AEW roster.

It was thanks to a loophole that Brian Pillman Jr had been able to work for AEW. The contract he signed with MLW did not allow wrestlers to work for other promotions. However, when he signed his deal, AEW did not exist. This meant that they were not mentioned in his deal.

On Monday, AEW confirmed the news of Brian Pillman Jr.’s signing by announcing that he is #AllElite:

Bright Future Ahead for Brian Pillman Jr.

When Brian Pillman’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring aired, a new light was cast over his son. The extent of what Brian Pillman Jr had to endure following his father’s passing pulled at the heartstrings, endearing him to fans around the world.

At just 27, Pillman has the world at his feet, with his size, power and athletic ability. It is surely only a matter of time before we see the Varsity Blondes with gold around their waist. AEW is building a roster full of talent not just for the present day, but for the future.

With the likes of Jungle Boy, MJF and Darby Allin all primed to lead the singles division, Brian Pillman Jr and Griff Garrison could well be the future of tag team wrestling.

WWE Superstars React To Trish Stratus ‘Mom Bod’ Image

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest female performer in WWE history Trish Stratus recently tweeted an image of her ‘mom bod’ and several WWE Superstars have reacted to how great the former Women’s Champion still looks.

The 45-year-old former WWE Women’s Champion has two children with her husband; her son who was born in 2013 and her daughter who was born in 2017.

Several WWE Superstars reacted to the image of the toned Trish Stratus. Charlotte Flair, Carmella, WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze, Impact Hall of Famer Gail Kim, Kayla Braxton and Eva Marie all commented on the physique of the Hall of Famer.

Superstars React To Trish Stratus

Carmella tweeted “DAYUMMMMMMMM” whilst fellow Hall of Famer and WWE alumni Alundra Blayze wrote “damn… I knew I should of birthed babies.”

IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Famer and former WWE Superstar herself Gail Kim tweeted “Oh yes girl!” Kayla Braxton from WWE’s The Bump and backstage on SmackDown commented, saying “Lord have mercy.”

Trish Stratus retired from WWE in 2019, following her SummerSlam match against Charlotte Flair. It’s not confirmed if Stratus is looking to get back into action, although judging by her toned physique she is definitely in a position to if she wants to.

Check out the tweet below from the multiple time WWE Women’s Champion and WWE Hall of Famer:

Jim Cornette Rips Into Fan Who Jumped The Barricade at AEW ‘For Him’

Jake Skudder
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0

Outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette has taken to social media to rip into a ‘fan’ who claims that they jumped the barricade at the AEW Dynamite Road Rager show ‘in his name.’

There was an altercation at the start of the Chris Jericho and MJF segment on this week’s episode of the show, an both Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman referencing the ‘fat b*stard’ jumping the rail during their promos.

The ‘fan’ was sent to jail following the incident, however he has now taken to social media himself to tell Cornette and Brian Last that he did it in the name of ‘real’ wrestling fans.

Jim Cornette Responds To Dipsh*t

“@TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast, how did you like my #AEW debut?” The ‘fan’ wrote. “I did this for all of us real wrestling fans, wrestling is no longer a safe space for friends to dance around and play dress up.”

“Reality can hit at anytime” the man removed from Dynamite continued, “did they think it is going to be f*cking playtime forever?”

Despite Jim Cornette not liking AEW or some of the stars on the show, he absolutely ripped the ‘fan’ a new one for his actions and said that he does not do anything in his name.

“Got news for you dipsh*t” Cornette began. “The ring is sacred ground for US, and even if you and a lot of others THINK you can kick the s–t out of the Young Bucks, I would have turned you into a tennis racket popsicle.”

“You’re lucky someone there didn’t gut you like a fish. And you’re blocked,” Cornette concluded.

Cornette’s podcast host Brian Last also lambasted the barricade jumper, saying “real wrestling fans don’t jump the rail. You should be embarrassed. You are blocked.”

Matt Cardona Reflects on Six Months with IMPACT Wrestling

Alex Laybourne
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Matt Cardona is a wrestler making headlines these days, going after GCW champion Nick Gage. He is also celebrating his first six months with IMPACT wrestling. A lot can happen in such a short time, and Matt was all too happy to talk with Steel Chair about his change in fortunes.

“It’s been a lot of fun, I’ve got a lot of opportunities, and I thank the Impact Wrestling management for those opportunities. That’s why I came to Impact Wrestling.”

Matt Cardona is known primarily from his days in WWE, and many might feel he was never allowed to reach his full potential. His Wrestlemania moment was kept to just that, dropping the title the very next day. If any run could summarize a career with WWE, then that would be it.

However, Cardona is looking to the future, and he has his eyes firmly set on the big prize. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Kenny or Sami Callihan or Moose. It doesn’t matter to me, if you have that Impact title, I want it.”

When asked about who he would love to wrestle on the IMPACT roster, Matt Cardona wasted no time in reeling off two names. “Tommy Dreamer, who’s still around. I thought I retired him over 10 years ago (December 2009 in WWE), but he’s still kicking. If I need to retire him for good, one last hardcore match, I would love to do that. Eddie Edwards, I’ve teamed with, but I’ve never wrestled him. I love his style, I love what he’s done with himself over the past couple of years, more violent style and again. Someone I’d love to get in the ring with, maybe a hardcore match with him.”

Matt Cardona Enjoys the Creative Freedom Offered by IMPACT

After working in an environment that took creative control away from its talent, Matt Cardona is relishing the creativity afforded to him by IMPACT.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRFf4OYKT0X/

“We’re all artists, and we have this blank canvas now to just draw whatever we want, and that’s the best part about Impact, all this creative freedom and all these opportunities, and I think the sky is the limit with Impact. I think it’s on the up and up. All the wrestlers there in that locker room are hungry, they all want Impact to keep getting better and better.”

Matt Cardona is only 36 years old. He has a long future ahead of him. His recent change in attitude including his feud with Nick Gage has made him one of the stars to watch.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/9): MITB Qualifiers, Reigns & Edge, NXT Superstars Debut

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome in Tampa. Seth Rollins faced Cesaro, and King Nakamura battled Baron Corbin in MITB Qualifying matches. It was announced that Toni Storm will be joining the SmackDown roster during tonight’s show. Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox also made their debut during tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

SmackDown Results (7/9)

  1. King Nakamura def. Baron Corbin to qualify for the MITB Ladder Match
  2. Shotzi & Nox def. Tamina & Natalya
  3. Seth Rollins def. Cesaro to qualify for the MITB Ladder Match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Reigns & The Usos Are On The Same Page

Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring and said a lot of people didn’t like that he wasn’t present last week. Reigns noted that there were a lot of things that he didn’t like last week and called Edge a liar. Reigns admitted that there was some fear when Edge got him locked in a submission but he used that fear to propel him. Roman then boasted about defeated Edge and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania.

Reigns told Edge that it is not possible for him to be in his head and that he wasn’t even thinking about Edge because he has so much to deal with in regards to his family. Jimmy Uso made his way to the ring but was interrupted by Jey.

Jey said it was time to get back to being the tag team champions and hugged Jimmy. Roman claimed he has been saying that all along and that they all need to work together. Reigns and The Usos then shared a hug as the camera panned in on Reigns.

King Nakamura Qualified For The MITB Ladder Match

Shinsuke Nakamura squared off against Baron Corbin tonight in the first match of the night (25 minutes into the show). It was a MITB Qualifying Match. Corbin attacked Nakamura during his entrance but Boogs broke it up. Big E was ringside for the match and sat with Pat McAfee on a couch.

Nakamura dominated the match early and knocked Corbin to the outside. Corbin knocked Boogs down and hit him with a Brainbuster on top of the announce table as SmackDown went to a commercial. When SmackDown returned, Corbin hit Deep Six for a near fall.

Corbin followed it up with a big Clothesline but Shinsuke battled back. Nakamura hit a few knees to the face and followed it up with the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory. King Nakamura qualified for the MITB Ladder Match.

Shotzi & Nox Debuted & Pinned The Champs

Natalya and Tamina came to the ring for a non-title match. Natalya said that they are facing a team that has never been on SmackDown before. Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Not then made their way to the ring in the tank.

Tegan and Natalya started off the action. Nox took control and tagged in Shotzi. Blackheart hit a Dropkick and rolled up Natalya for a near fall. Nox sent Tamina to the corner and hit her with a Cannonball. Shotzi slammed Natalya to the mat and hit a Senton for the pinfall victory. ‘

Carmella Will Face Belair Next Week, Liv Morgan Is In The MITB Ladder Match

Sonya Deville came to the ring and announced that Bianca Belair will not being defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank PPV. Deville said that Belair will put the title on the line next week against Carmella in Houston.

Carmella made her way to the ring but was interrupted by Liv Morgan. Liv pointed out Deville’s favoritism and vowed to smack Carmella’s smile off her face again. Liv got in Sonya’s face and told her it is inexcusable. Sonya told Liv to shut up and that she is replacing Carmella in the MITB Ladder match. Liv told Carmella that she hopes she wins the title next week so she can take it from her.

Seth Rollins Qualified For The MITB Ladder Match

Cesaro and Seth Rollins faced each other once again in a MITB Qualifying match. Cesaro dominated the action early and knocked Rollins out of the ring. Seth threw a tantrum as Kevin Owens watched on from commentary. SmackDown went to a break with Rollins throwing things around outside the ring as Cesaro posed.

When SmackDown returned, Rollins hit Cesaro with a kick to the back of the head and went for the cover but Cesaro kicked out at two. Cesaro went for a springboard Crossbody but Rollins caught him with a forearm to the face for a two count.

Seth rolled up Cesaro and used the ropes for leverage but Cesaro was able to kick out. Cesaro was bleeding from his head and Rollins sent him out of the ring with another forearm shot. Rollins planted Cesaro with a Brainbuster on the steel and rolled him back in the ring. Seth then hit the Stomp for the pinfall victory. Rollins has qualified for the MITB Ladder match.

After the match, Seth Rollins was interviewed backstage and noted that he cashed in on Roman Reigns to win the title. Seth said he waited for the perfect opportunity last time he won the MITB contract and maybe this time he will win the contract and cash it in on the same night.

Edge appeared behind Rollins and said he heard this nasally whine and wanted to see where it is coming from. Edge added that he is going to the ring to call out Reigns before walking away.

Edge Sent A Message To Roman Reigns

Edge came to the ring and called out the Universal Champion. Roman Reigns was shown backstage with The Usos and told them to stay in the locker room. Reigns said he will handle this on his own and left the room. Reigns was then shown slowly walking with the Universal Championship. Roman handed the title to Heyman and made his way to the ring.

Jimmy and Jey were warned to stay backstage but ignored Reigns’ orders. The Mysterios then rushed the ring and brawled with The Usos. Edge slammed Reigns to the canvas and set up for a Spear but The Usos broke it up.

Rey and Dominik set up The Usos on the ropes and Dominik hit a 619. Edge hit Jey with a Spear as Roman Reigns retreated up the entrance ramp. Edge locked in a Crossface with part of the steel chair on Jey for a bit before WWE rolled highlights to fill time. Edge than got Jimmy in a Crossface with the chair and Reigns sat and watched from the top of the entrance ramp. Reigns walked backstage to close the show.

Opinion: It was odd to see Jimmy Uso without any reference to the elephant in the room. Overall, this week’s SmackDown felt like a rerun. We’ve seen Corbin vs. Nakamura and Cesaro vs. Rollins several times. It will be great to have a live crowd back next week. I’m guessing there won’t be only three matches and over an hour of talking with a crowd in attendance.

WWE Money In The Bank Updated Card: New Ladder Match Competitors Announced

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has announced a few new names for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming Money in the Bank PPV.

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin in Money in the Bank qualifying matches took place. 

Nakamura went over to advance to the match and Corbin’s storyline misery continued while Rollins cashed his ticket with the curbstomp to Cesaro. 

WWE presents the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, July 18, 2021 from Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena that will air on Peacock. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming week. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE Money in the Bank Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge
  • WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston
  • Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Competitors announced thus far: Asuka, Naomi, Alex Bliss, Nikki Cross, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Zelina Vega
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart Win Match On WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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After weeks of having NXT stars work dark matches, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina faced NXT stars Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart on this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown from Tampa, Florida at the Yuengling Center on FOX. 

Blackheart got the win for her team by pinning Natalya by hitting her with the Ballpit finisher.  There’s still no word yet as to whether this marked their official main roster debuts. 

This was expected as the news was reported earlier in the day. This comes at a time where NXT Champion Karrion Kross, Toni Storm, Blackheart, Scarlett, Odyssey Jones and former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed have been brought to recent TV events for WWE officials to check out. 

Nox returned to the ring at Monday’s Raw TV event when she wrestled a dark match against fellow NXT star Toni Storm. The following night on NXT, she made her return to TV as she was revealed the person behind the battery charging vignettes. She continued her program with Candice LeRae after being sidelined with a torn ACL. 

Kross and Reed are on WWE’s short list for main roster call-ups, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 

Title Match Moved From Money In The Bank To Next Week’s WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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Bayley was slated to challenge Bianca Belair for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Title at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event. However, WWE confirmed on Friday that Bayley suffered an injury while training and will be out of action for nine months. 

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE named Bayley’s replacement in the match and that’s Carmella. It happened when Sonya Deville announced the news. It was also noted that this match is no longer slated to take place at Money in the Bank, but rather moved to next week’s SmackDown episode. 

Fightful Select reports Bayley was training with another WWE star this week and that her “knee popped.” The media outlet was told the staff has been told it’s a torn ACL, but that’s not confirmed by WWE. 

It was said that her injury may have actually caused plans to change for incoming talent and two wrestlers on the roster were openly frustrated that the company’s lack of depth left them scrambling to find an appropriate replacement. One person said “they did it to themselves,” before noting that Bayley helped carry the company during the COVID-19 pandemic and did everything that was asked of her. 

The injury was said to be a freak accident that happened while chain wrestling at WWE’s mandatory return to road Performance Center training.

Chris Jericho Rips Fan Who Jumped The Barricade At AEW Dynamite

Andrew Ravens
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Chris Jericho had an interesting moment in Miami on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite when a fan tried to rush the ring to attack the former AEW World Champion and MJF. 

Security was quick to stop the fan while it looked like Jericho took a swing at him. The person was seeking approval from Jim Cornette on social media but he found out that Cornette wanted nothing to do with him. 

Cornette tweeted, “Got news for you dips**t, the ring is sacred ground for US, and even if you and a lot of others THINK you can kick the s**t out of the Young Bucks, I would have turned you into a tennis racket popsicle, & you’re lucky someone there didn’t gut you like a fish. And you’re blocked.”

Jericho also ripped the fan by writing, “Do you really think @TheJimCornette would condone this you fu**in loser? Jimmy would’ve shoved a tennis racket up your ass and smashed your car windows.”

Speaking of Jericho, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the top AEW will be missing some Dynamite episodes later this year. 

He’ll be on tour with his rock band Fozzy in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland from November 30 to December 12. According to that schedule, he’ll be missing the December 1st and 8th episodes of AEW Dynamite. 

AEW All Out 2021 Sells Out Almost Immediately

Kristen Ashly
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Once again, tickets for AEW All Out sold out almost immediately.

Thursday, AEW held a ticket presale for the event, which resulted in nearly every ticket inside Chicago’s NOW Arena to sell out. Friday, the general public was given access to the remaining seats, which were also snagged incredibly quickly, selling-out the venue for the September event.

POST Wrestling reported they were told once AEW arrives in Illinois and finalize production set-up, the company may have more seats available.

According to WrestleTix, a Twitter account that posts live ticket information for numerous wrestling promotions including AEW, NJPW, and WWE, the map held 9,496 seats, with suite seats likely increasing that number. The venue’s website itself states the center has 11,800 seats.

WrestleTix also reported that the All Out sold out before the que could lighten, sharing screenshots that revealed very few seats were available before the general public sale began. Even the Trio Combo packages were mostly sold out when WrestleTix made it to the front of the ticket line.

In 2019, AEW also sold out the same venue in 15 minutes for their inaugural All Out event.

This is the third All Out in the event series, the second to be held an hour outside of Chicago in Hoffman Estates, IL. AEW will hold a total of three events at NOW Arena during the same week as All Out— including Dynamite on Wednesday and Rampage on Sunday.

AEW All Out Week begins Wednesday, Sept. 1 with Dynamite. AEW All Out 2021 takes place Sunday, Sept. 5, live from NOW Arena starting at 7:30pm EST.

Stephanie McMahon Says Live Shows “Will Look And Feel Different”

Kristen Ashly
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Stephanie McMahon is promising fans that live shows will feature a different look and feel when it comes to production and creative.

During an interview with Variety, McMahon explained how excited WWE is to get back to live shows, stressing how important fans are to the wrestling experience.

“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” McMahon told Variety. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”

WWE’s Chief Brand Officer also revealed how the company’s stint inside the Thunderdome taught the crew many lessons, describing how WWE plans on using those lessons to create change at the upcoming live shows.

“In the ThunderDome, we were able to experiment with different types of technology,” stated McMahon. “And we needed to over-deliver for our partners and our fans watching at home. But now we have the ability to apply all of those learnings to the live event experience with our fans. So from a production and storytelling standpoint, it will look and feel different.”

McMahon continued, “We’re going to have a new set design, a new presentation of our talents, different locations, and arena setups. We’re going to be utilizing augmented reality in a way that we never have before. We experimented with it a lot during Thunderdome, but it is now going to be incorporated into our talent entrances. There’s also going to be animated graphics. It’s going to be so exciting and so different than anything we’ve done before.”

The interview could be alluding to other interviews where Stephanie McMahon has stated that WWE has some surprises in store for SummerSlam. It’s also been rumored that WWE will have special “themed” live events to drive ticket sales.

In May, WWE announced they would return to live events beginning in July 16 with a 25-city tour, starting with the return’s debut at the Toyota Center in Houston for SmackDown.

Bayley Injured, WWE Says She Will Be Out 9 Months

Michael Reichlin
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SmackDown Superstar Bayley will be out of action for the remainder of 2021.

WWE announced on Friday that Bayley sustained an injury while training for her upcoming “I Quit” match against SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at Money in the Bank (7/18).

Upon asking around sources in WWE, we’ve heard Bayley is dealing with a knee injury. In an update to this situation, Pwinsider confirms Bayley tore her ACL during a recent training session at the Performance Center.

With Bayley out of action, a “suitable replacement” to challenge Belair at MITB will be named tonight on WWE SmackDown.

SEScoops wishes Bayley a full and speedy recovery.

Reactions to Bayley’s Injury

Here are some reactions from WWE Superstars and social media:

WWE Madison Square Garden Return Gets a Super Smackdown Upgrade

Alex Laybourne
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As reported last week, WWE are returning to Madison Square Garden later this year for the first time in six years.

The arena has played home to countless WWE events over the years. Both house shows, live events, and big PPVs. Both Wrestlemania and SummerSlam debut events were held there. The announcement of a Smackdown return to Madison Square Garden was naturally excitedly received by the WWE universe.

In a new development, it has been announced that the event will be a ‘Super Smackdown’ with wrestlers from both brands making an appearance.

WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns took to social media to comment on the decision. Saying he was excited to see both brands lining up for the Tribal Chief.

Tickets for the event went on sale this morning. Madison Square Garden has stipulated that anybody over 16 needs to show proof of vaccination if they want to attend. As of the time of writing, there are still tickets available for the event.

WWE Draft Set One Week Before Madison Square Garden Return

The return to Madison Square Garden is scheduled 1 week after the 2021 edition of the WWE draft. The decision to include superstars from both rosters could be a way of ensuring names can appear regardless of the draft result.

Including members of both rosters is not common in the era of the brand split. However, if ever there was a reason to celebrate in such a way, a return to wrestling’s Mecca would certainly be a valid one.

Regardless of the brand, Madison Square Garden always brings with it a special atmosphere. The company are sure to go all out for the event. With WWE celebrating being back on the road, with fans in attendance, it is guaranteed to be a memorable occasion.

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