The latest WWE and AEW News and Results
It’s time to chat WWE Smackdown and AEW Rampage!
Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she reviews both shows! On the SmackdDwn side there is Sami Zayn/Bloodline, Ronda Rousey talk, and more. On the Rampage side, we chat about the new AEW World title eliminator tournament and Wardlow vs. Matt Taven.
Catch up on AEW Dynamite with Denise Salcedo on Speak Now Pro Wrestling!
Today’s show included a disappearing video about The Elite, Swerve In Our Glory vs FTR, an MJF promo, Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson, and much more!
Minutes following his match at this month’s AAA Triplemania in Mexico City, I talked with Willie Mack on what he thought about the bout and why he is no longer in Impact Wrestling.
Impact
Mack had signed with Impact in 2018 and in May, he announced that after four years, he was leaving. During his time there, he was the X-Division Champion and won the company’s One to Watch in 2020 award in their 2019 year-end awards.
Mack informed me his decision was “first and foremost a money thing,” later adding “They promised one thing and I said, ‘You know what? I am not accepting that.'”
That led Mack to return to where he first began: the indies.
“Even though it’s a tough grind, at least I am having fun and getting to travel and seeing people I hadn’t seen in years.”
He said he is bummed about how things went down at Impact and even said some of his friends were trying to talk him out of leaving. But, Mack insisted this was something he had to do: go out and prove himself.
“I see them every now and then, but hopefully if anything changes in the future. I might be back. But, who knows? It’s wrestling.”
Mack also explained that he likes having the freedom to handle his own bookings and his own schedule and that it’s good to be able to do your own thing.
Leaving Impact has not slowed him down and that his schedule was keeping him both busy and booked with “little time to chill in-between.”
“This is how I pay my bills and so I gotta get my ass out of bed and do something.”
Triplemania XXX
Mack has worked for AAA in the past, dating back to 2019, continuing in 2021 and then several more this year. While he took part in AAA Triplemania Regia II, this was his first Triplemania in Mexico City.
“I’ve been hunting down people for so long saying I want to be on Triplemania, even when I first started wrestling.”
Mack said that getting to be part of the company’s thirty year anniversary show was “something special” and he was “glad to be part of it.”
Mack will soon be making his debut for GCW as part of Hit ‘Em Up this Saturday in Los Angeles, California.
Signed with WWE since 2015, Apollo Crews was moved from the main roster to NXT in June — an unexpected move that also led to a new character.
Ahead of tonight’s WWE NXT Halloween Havoc, I talked with Crews about the move, his Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal match with Grayson Waller, and more.
You can watch the full interview on YouTube above.
Reigniting the fire
Crews said that he was very excited to join the NXT brand because he wasn’t really doing much on the main roster at the time and was stuck in a rut. Even though he was drafted to Raw, he was mainly on WWE Main Event and wanted to do more but that it “didn’t seem like anything was gonna happen.”
He admitted he become complacent with his role, but still wanted to contribute more and was ready to take the new challenge of NXT.
“I felt like it was an opportunity for me: a fresh start, a new beginning kind of, which not a lot of people get that opportunity in life in general. It’s nice to be able to come down and have that fresh start and do something different and actually be involved on a regular basis. It’s very nice. It’s a nice change of pace, almost like a breath of fresh air,” he explained
As WWE NXT is filled with young talents barely getting their start in the business, he pointed out that their hunger and passion for the business ended up inspiring him. He said he’s become a fan again and his fire has been reignited.
“It’s nice to have that fire, for that light to be reignited and become a fan again of the sport as well. I was very excited about the opportunity and I am still excited about the opportunity,” he said.
While Crews had been part of the NXT from 2014-2016, he “didn’t get to develop that much the first time around.”
Nigerian royalty character and the accent
Prior to his NXT return, he had donned a new main roster persona focused on being Nigerian royalty. He would walk out draped in white and green, was provided guards, props, and even the seven-foot Commander Azeez who would accompany him. On top of the over-the-top presentation, he was to speak with an accent.
Crews said that he was hesitant to do the accent in front of live crowds and on TV, but that he had a job to do and decided to go all in and accomplish the task at hand.
However, now in NXT, his character is a little bit more darker. He has been shown having visions in vignettes, writing in a notebook, and even heavily bleeding from one eye — a much more different approach to the Nigerian prince he was portraying before.
He spoke about how this new character came about through a collaborative approach with the NXT writing team.
“I was just known for my in-ring work and I don’t think people really got to see that side of me — that depth and character — or really got to know who I was as a person which is what I feel is a big part of a WWE superstar’s presentation.”
Join Denise Salcedo on her weekly Friday night wrestling roundup where she discusses both WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage. Both shows were good today and gave us quite a bit to talk about. Tune in for a fun show!
This is a very busy episode of Speak Now Pro Wrestling hosted by Denise Salcedo.
There was a lot that occurred on AEW Dynamite which unfortunately included Hangman Adam Page being stretchered out, a great promo exchange between MJF and William Regal, and a lot more.
Plus on the NXT side of things, we had a very entertaining go-home show leading into WWE NXT Halloween Havoc. Tune into the show for a good time!
Join Denise Salcedo as she breaks down the October 14th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown that included a very emotional promo by Bray Wyatt.
AEW made their Canadian debut!
Join Denise Salcedo on her weekly Speak Now Pro Wrestling review show where she recaps the events that unfolded. Topics include: the debut of Renee Paquette, the continuation of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, the return of Shawn Spears, a heated confrontation between Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page, a new All-Atlantic Champion crowned, and so much more. Tune in for a fun review show!
Lots to discuss on this Friday night edition of Speak Now Pro Wrestling hosted by Denise Salcedo!
We kick things off with WWE SmackDown, then chat AEW Rampage, and close it out with Battle of the Belts IV! Tune in for a fun show!
This is a loaded episode of Speak Now Pro Wrestling with Denise Salcedo!
The episode kicks off with an in-depth recap and analysis of the backstage drama between Andrade and Sammy Guevara, then Denise dives into AEW Dynamite coverage. Topics discussed include Wheeler Yuta vs MJF, Wardlow and Brian Cage, the women’s segment, National Scissoring Day celebration, and lots more! This is a fun and engaging show perfect for all fans of AEW!
Join me as I review Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT which starts another new era. What changed and what remained the same?
We discuss it all on the latest Speak Now, available on YouTube or in podcast form.
Masha Slamovich is currently undefeated in her latest Impact Wrestling run and is making her way to the biggest match of her career next Friday vs. Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace at Bound For Glory.
Ahead of the pay-per-view and Thursday’s Monster’s Ball match against Allie Katch, I spoke to Slamovich about her dominating rise in pro wrestling and getting signed by Impact.
Her start
“I always knew I wanted to be a professional wrestler since four or five years old. It’s not really something that I saw myself not doing. I was going to do it one way or another.”
She spoke about having the option to remain in her home of Moscow, Russia, and pursue a career in equestrian or head over to the United States and pursue wrestling.
She chose the latter and started wrestling at the age of 16. Even though she was just a young girl when she began training, she stuck with it despite how challenging it was.
“I loved every minute of it, even though there were things that were very difficult. (Workouts) were very grueling and just required repetition day in and day out. I was just so thankful to have the opportunity to learn and to be in this business that none of it mattered to me, I was gonna do whatever it took. “
Making a name for herself
While she had been training in the United States, she decided to travel and wrestle in other parts of the world as opposed to just wrestling on the American indie circuit.
Instead, she spent her early career traveling to places like Japan and Canada. Her second tour in Japan in 2020 is what really catapulted her career, allowing more people to notice the work she was doing.
“I spent much of the early years of my career traveling elsewhere around the world, places like Puerto Rico, Japan, Canada. I didn’t do much in the United States so I left for Japan for the second tour (2020) and stayed out there for an entire year but kept my time there very publicized on Twitter on Instagram and so forth.
“I think was able to catapult me into a lot of positions upon my arrival in the United States and use everything that I learned in Japan to my advantage.”
Signing with Impact
Following her match against Deonna Purrazzo at Knockouts Knockdown, Slamovich was surprised when Hall of Famer and Talent Relations Gail Kim gave her a contract offer.
Slamovich said she “didn’t expect it to happen by any means.” However, due to the company’s reputation with the women’s division, she didn’t have to think twice about signing.
“I didn’t see it coming but obviously, I was very excited and very happy. I didn’t have to think twice about accepting it because Impact Wrestling has, point blank, one of the best women’s divisions anywhere around the world. So I wanted to be there and I knew that was the place that I could make my mark. And, I think I have done so.”
As of now, Slamovich is currently undefeated in this run dating back to January. She has defeated the likes of Havok, Alisha, Tenille Dashwood, Madison Rayne, Gisele Shaw, Deonna Purrazzo and others.
I asked how she felt about her growth in the company and her current undefeated streak, noting that she has had the chance to “enhance her skills of violence.”
“I think I’ve just had the chance to enhance my skills of violence, as you can see by the undefeated streak, I’ve just had weeks and weeks where I have been able to find every different way, every maneuver, anything I can do to hurt someone and inflict pain on them and destroy them and I think that’s all gonna come in handy at Bound For Glory.”
She challenges Katch in a Monster’s Ball match Thursday and Grace next Friday at Bound for Glory.
Hey there, happy Wednesday! Join Denise Salcedo and special guest co-host Phil Lindsey as they recap the September 28th edition of AEW Dynamite on Speak Now Pro Wrestling!
Topics include: Back and forth promos between MJF and Wheeler Yuta, the debuts of Juice Robinson and Bandido, Saraya’s first AEW promo, and more!
Another Tuesday, another episode of WWE NXT! Join Denise Salcedo and special guest co-host Coale Henderson as they recap the September 27, 2022 edition of WWE NXT.
Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo and special guest co-host Phil Lindsey as they recap both WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage!
