Originally published at KeShaun Moore discusses being part of WWE's second 'Next In Line' class
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** There were 15 athletes announced to be part of WWE’s second ‘Next In Line’ class. Included in that class is Hampton University senior KeShaun Moore, who was interviewed by The Atlanta Voice. Moore thinks the skills he’s learned from football could translate over to pro wrestling.
They were amazed that I could really be a part of something like WWE. I think the skills I learned playing football translates well. I’ve always been an aggressive athlete and enjoy contact sports.
I am really grateful for the opportunity, I would have never thought professional wrestling might become a career. It kind of fits my personality. I can talk to anybody about anything.
** After defeating Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion, the newly crowned IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White told Tokyo Sports that he is not interested in defending the belt at ‘Forbidden Door’ and is not looking to make any ‘dream match’ call outs.
A title match is not something I am particularly interested in. If they (AEW) insist on it, I’d be happy to do it, but my job is done with a sold-out show. All I have to do now is compete on the show as a champion.
I’m not interested in fighting anyone from AEW right now. I’ve already proven that I’m the best in the world, and I’m at a level where other fighters want to fight me. I’m not interested in what people call a dream match.
** Ahead of IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary, Mia Yim joined Busted Open Radio and as the conversation rolled on, Yim touched on the ‘RECKONING’ character she portrayed in WWE. She said there were frustrating points but wanted to make it work.
Yim: I won’t get into too much detail about it . There were frustrating points of it but at the end of the day, it’s like — I always think of it as, especially with a new character, you’re being cast into a movie so you gotta bring this character to life so, I’ve had the challenge of being a sexy character in The Dollhouse, had to make that work and I’m not — I’m not a girly girl, feminine, sexy thing so I’m like, this is something that’s out of my comfort zone but I’m — hey, this is a challenge. Let me see if I can make it work and it was the same thing with RETRIBUTION and RECKONING and things like that so, it was just like I had never done a character like this but let me see what I can do to bring it to life to what they wanted and it also did help that I was with a group of just cool people that also felt the same. We all just wanted to make it work and we did whatever we could to make it work. So yeah, wrestling in general has its frustrating moments but it was — I always take everything as a challenge and to do what I can to make, you know, everybody happy.
Yim is going to be competing in the Queen of the Mountain match at Slammiversary. She had been in contact with Xavier Woods and Gail Kim for help concerning the rules of the match. She is planning on reaching out to Alex Shelley for advice as well.
Yim: I do sent me various links of different matches to study and I didn’t know the rules until I started actually watching and paying attention and taking notes and stuff so I do now but, it’s a lot.
Earlier in the discussion, Tommy Dreamer shared that Scott D’Amore was willing to do Queen of the Mountain pre-pandemic.
Dreamer: When putting all of this stuff together, I know the powers that be, the great Scott D’Amore, they also wanted to have a lot of throwbacks to stuff that happened in TNA. Pre-pandemic, they were willing to do this match be something different for the women and they are in the first-ever Queen of the Mountain match.
** Despite being sidelined from in-ring competition due to a torn bicep, Matt Cardona told Sports Illustrated that he is aiming to return to the ring at The Wrestling Showcase on September 3rd. Cardona is currently scheduled to face Tatanka in the first round of the tournament.
My doctor said that the recovery is five months. But my goal is three.
The timing is perfect. I’m training to be back in time. It fits perfectly in that three-month window, and I want my first match back to be against Tatanka. He can still go. Watching him wrestle makes you think it’s still 1993. And how cool would it be to beat someone whose action figure I had?
Cardona said he wanted to avoid surgery but consulted with those who have suffered torn biceps and those who had the surgery done suggested that he get it. Those who avoided the surgery told Cardona that they wish they got it done.
I wanted to avoid the surgery, but I couldn’t. I talked to everyone I could who’s torn their bicep, including guys that didn’t have the surgery. Everyone said to get the surgery. Some even said they regretted not getting it. I went to three different doctors, and all three recommended the surgery. I wish it didn’t happen, but I’ll make the best of it. I will use this and make something out of it. There is so much more to this business than just what happens bell-to-bell.
** On the most recent edition of the Battleground Podcast, Mickie James reflected on the past year of her career and became emotional when looking back on that road. James is not 100 percent certain what is next for her but knows she wants to continue helping women in wrestling and be a part of the division in some capacity.
Well, you know, if you think about it, Slammiversary last year was like the first time I stepped back into an IMPACT Wrestling ring. It was like the announcement of and really carve out her own kind of niche as who she is and I think she really stepped up into who she is as a performer and as a female and a valuable contender and obviously the champion at the moment.
After I lost the championship from Tasha and I’ve really been sitting back and going, what else You always — when you reach a goal, you raise it and you get a new goal and you get a new goal and I think what I’ve been able to do in this last year has been pretty remarkable and I don’t know. I think for the first time in my life and I’m sorry I’m getting emotional but, for the first time in my life and my career, I really don’t know. Sorry. Why am I getting cry-ee about it? But, it’s wild to think that I’ve been able to do so much, you know? And if you would’ve told ‘Alexis Laree’ here at the Nashville Fairgrounds 20 years ago, ‘You’re gonna have this career, just wait. Be patient, be all the things that people say to you’ and now we sit here now and I go like, God, this last year has been unbelievable for me, you know? And I’m so grateful and I think what feels natural for me is to find that place of what I continue — I think the end goal was to always leave the business better than you found it and to continue to change the game and raise the bar and if I can help the women along the way now that are gonna be able to do that so that stays on a roll and we keep rising, that’s really it and how I do that? I don’t know, I don’t know. Luckily I got a good locker room around me and a good group of ladies, you know? That all believe and have the same vision.
It is a fairytale, it is title because I was like, I need to — I was so blown away about the last year already and I go, what? What am I gonna do? What is it? What is next? And that’s really what I’ve been trying to find the answer to these last couple months as I’ve been in this reset moment and I think the goal will always be to continue to help women in wrestling and be a part of the women’s division in some capacity, you know? And continue to help these girls and ladies if you will, you know, to thrive.
** Tom Lawlor was one of 28 names announced for the 2022 NJPW G1 Climax. Lawlor commented on the G1 talent list reveal on his ‘Filthy Four Daily’ show and said it had been in the works for quite some time.
These things do take a lot of time . This has been in the works for a while. I just got my visa back recently, like very, very recently.
** It has been seven years since Spike Dudley’s last sanctioned match. He did a virtual signing with K & S WrestleFest and explained why he’s not interested in returning to the ring. Dudley does not want to embarrass himself and said he can’t do what he used to do.
I don’t know . But on the other hand, I’m not — I can’t do what I used to do anymore and you know, I got more to live for than taking a bump, so, the one thing is I don’t think it’ll ever happen so I don’t have to worry about it. But I would lean towards no.
If I were to do it, let’s say in that hypothetical situation, it would be for two reasons. One, just to be with Bubba and D-Von one last time because while you’re there, while you’re doing stuff, you never know when your last match is gonna be so when the last match came, we didn’t, I didn’t know it was the last match so you miss that opportunity to kind of appreciate it while you’re there. But to try to go back and relive that one moment of glory just for what? Just to be in the ring with them one more time and look like sh*t and be old and not be able to put on the show that we could put on? I wouldn’t wanna go out there and — it’s not like I was a great wrestler to begin with. I could take bumps. I can’t take bumps anymore. I wouldn’t wanna go out there and do a half-assed performance just to walk down the aisle. That’s not enough for me. So I mean, it’d have to be a really big payday. But I wouldn’t wanna go out there and embarrass myself or not be able to put on a show worthy — that I feel is worthy of the audience, especially something like the Rumble which is a huge event. So I had my moment, I had my time. My time is gone, I’m okay with that. I have no great desire to go out and try and recapture one last fleeting moment of glory.
After being released from WWE in 2005, Spike was offered the opportunity to return to the company for an ECW One Night Stand show. He ripped the contract up and opted to join TNA Wrestling on a full-time basis. Spike admitted that he was angry and bitter about being let go.
So they let me go from the WWE and I was a little angry and pissed off about it and a few months later, they had sent me a contract to come back for whatever it was. It might even have been a Rumble at the time, a Royal Rumble but they were bringing back these ECW as a gimmick. ‘This is what I think of WWE’ and I ripped it up and then I started with TNA. So yeah, that’s a true story.
He went on to discuss how he’s feeling present day after the rough landings he’s had throughout his career. Spike said he has aches and pains here and there but overall, he feels good.
Okay. . But I feel all right, I feel good.
** Newly crowned NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch guest appeared on The Shining Wizards Podcast. He detailed the difference between his first NWA Worlds Title win and his most recent title win.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me what’s the difference between my first title run and me winning the title this time and I’ll be honest with you, the first time, it felt like more for Harley it my way, I’m gonna blaze my own path and if I piss people off, well I’m sorry. At the end of the day, I’m still gonna end up being World Heavyweight Champion. I would hear so many stories about top guys having to step on people to get up, to be elevated or to get their opportunities. I’ve heard so many kind of — some are horror stories and I told myself I didn’t wanna be that guy. I didn’t wanna carry myself like that in the business, I didn’t want people to think that way but, I’ll be honest with you, maybe they had a right the whole time, you know what I mean? Because we’re still talking about those champions and now they’re nice guys, now everybody loves them, thinks they’re great. While they were going after the world title, they thought they were the biggest pieces of sh*t out there. Well, I’m gonna tell you what, I don’t care what you think about me right now because at the end of the day, you’re gonna understand why I’m doing what I’m doing.
** Coming off the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tour, Wheeler Yuta told K & S WrestleFest during a virtual signing that his favorite opponent was El Desperado and thinks Desperado would fit in the Blackpool Combat Club.
So there was a bunch of people that were awesome .
Yuta is enjoying his time working with William Regal, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. He stated that it’s a lot of hard work and shared that they always get to the show venue in the morning to practice.
It’s been awesome . We get to the building at like 11, so we get there really early, that way we get to train. Just being around those minds has been invaluable so being able to work with those guys has been really fun, really hard, definitely a lot of work but it’s been great so far.
** The family of the late Mark ‘Rollerball’ Rocco are organizing a charity event in his honor. The event is scheduled for September 17th in Altrincham, United Kingdom and money is being raised for the Batten Disease Family Association.
** Mike Tyson is scheduled for The Roast of Ric Flair during Starrcast weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.
** SANADA and Keiji Muto were present at fellow pro wrestler Andy Wu’s wedding.
** Maryland Championship Wrestling released the clip of Lio Rush appearing at their ‘Spring Fever’ show on 5/15 to thank the supporters of MCW.
** Sportskeeda has a Q&A with Bret Hart.
** WWE’s Happy Corbin is scheduled for ‘Big Slick’ weekend in Missouri. Throughout the weekend, money will be raised for Children’s Mercy and there is going to be a softball game.
** On 6/12, Al Snow won the ‘Great Lakes Championship Wrestling’ Tag Titles alongside CBS 58 host Mike Curkov. Snow and Curkov talked about their title win.
** Renee Paquette and Meisha Tate welcomed Tom Hannifan onto their ‘Throwing Down’ show on Sirius XM.
** Thunder Rosa was interviewed by Rodolfo Roman of The Roman Show.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.