WWE

Marty Scurll Wants Match Against Former WWE Superstar CM Punk

Marty Scurll appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast for a new interview. Here are some highlights:

Switching from his Party Marty to Villain gimmick: “What I’d like to suggest now is my previous character, a fun-loving, good guy, ‘Party’ Marty, was actually the whole plan all along because all good villains start off as a nice person, something happens, and they turn into that evil villain, so I’m actually a genius. My character is like a long thing, like 12 years. I tried to be a good guy. I tried to be the one everyone loved. They turned their backs on me. Society turned on me. And then, I turned out to be an absolute asshole. Are you surprised? These people made this happen.”

When he thought about changing his look: “There was a very famous quote, well, I’m not sure how famous it is, but a quote either way from Matt Groening who wrote The Simpsons. And he said that all great characters can be recognized from their silhouette. And I thought, ‘Well, that’s an interesting point.’ And I thought, ‘Well, okay, I need to get something to mix this up.’ So yeah, it was a gradual thing. It wasn’t like, ‘This is my character!’ It’s an evolving thing. It still is, even to this day.”

The importance of having a developed character: “I think originally I just assumed I’d be a really good wrestler and then someone would give me a character and I’d be good enough to play it off. Right, right, they’d be like, ‘You’re going to be Mantaur 2,’ and I’m like, ‘Yes, I love it!’ I could do that. No. But I think you quickly realize to get by and be successful in wrestling purely based on your in-ring ability is…you have to be really remarkable. Guys like ‘Dynamite Kid’ could do it, but I feel like to be a main event player and a character some people can get invested in, that’s the most thing, I think.”

Guys who are great in-ring talents needing good characters: “If you look at the guys who have broke out from Europe, you have Zack [Sabre, Jr.] and you have [Will] Ospreay, who are really, really exceptional in their fields. Zack is the best technical wrestler and Ospreay is the best high flyer, so they don’t have to rely as much on characters, but they will because they are the best in their field, but there will come a point when they’ll have to excel in that character. Wrestling on TV and wrestling on the indies are two different things, so they’ll have to.”

Heel/babyface dynamics: “What the hell is a heel? Who said I was a heel? I’m ‘The Villain’, I didn’t say I was [a heel]. I don’t play by these pro wrestling rules of faces and heels. I just don’t. I don’t care about that. You can live by those wrestling rules. I think outside the box. I’m a villain. I’m an antagonist. I do nasty things. If the people want to cheer or boo it, that’s down to them. It’s says more about them than it does about me.”

Wanting to face CM Punk: “CM Punk, I’d like to bring CM Punk out of retirement and wrestle him for sure. I don’t know if CM Punk listens to this show, but if he [does]…” Scurll added, “but CM Punk, if you’re watching, come out of retirement. We can cause quite a bother of a wrestling match. What do you say? And that’d be fun, right? Yeah, that’s one for the headlines!”

Emma Returns to Action at WWE Live Event

Emma returned to action at the WWE Live Event in Jackson, Mississippi Friday night.

Emma teamed up with Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax to take on Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Dana Brooke. The match concluded with Emma submitting to the Bank Statement.

As previously noted, Emma was off WWE television after she suffered an injury at last month’s WWE Live Event in Liverpool, England. She apparently landed on her shoulder wrong after taking a double knee spot from Banks. She had just returned to action full-time after being sidelined since last year.

Rumor on TJ Perkins Changing His Name

Bryan Alvarez made the following remarks about WWE’s decision to change TJ Perkins’ name to simple “TJP” on an installment of the Bryan and Vinny Show:

“I was told this by someone in WWE and I believe it. It’s astonishing because I suggested this like a month ago when it happened and it wasn’t until yesterday that somebody told me that it’s true. TJP is no longer TJ Perkins and I largely joked that clearly, Vince McMahon had a bad experience at a Perkins [restaurant]. Sure as s**t, Vince apparently hates Perkins. I was told that Perkins is not a national chain but apparently, he hates it and he thinks it sucks and he thinks that if people hear ‘TJ Perkins’ they’re gonna think of the f**king restaurant so now he’s TJP. I’m just telling you what I was told. This guy [McMahon] is crazy enough that I believe that.”

TJP caught wind of the story when a follower on Twitter mentioned it to him and indicated that it was his idea to change the name.

Rumored Matches for WWE Great Balls of Fire

The following card is rumored for the upcoming July 9th WWE Great Balls of Fire event:

WWE Universal Championship (confirmed)
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Samoa Joe

RAW Tag-Team Championship
Shesaro (c) vs. The Hardyz

Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (c) vs. Dean Ambrose

RAW Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt

Goldust vs. R-Truth

With the event being 3 hours long and with the pre-show, it is very possible that they add one or two more under card matches.

Which Female Is The Favorite to Win Money In The Bank?

Carmella is the early favorite to win the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match with a -140 odds, according to 5 Dimes. The odds will most-likely change several times between now and the pay-per-view event on June 18th, especially when “smart money” bets start to come in.

Here are the current bets for that match:

Carmella -140
Becky Lynch +350
Natalya +360
Charlotte Flair +900
Tamina +2500

Jinder Mahl Receives Substantial Pay Increase

Jinder Mahal has received a substantial pay increase since his push to the top of the SmackDown Live card, according to Dave Meltzer.

When asked if the now-WWE Champion was getting paid more for his current position in the company, Meltzer responded with the following on Twitter:

Footage of John Cena’s Appearance on The Tonight Show

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John Cena on How Many Title Runs He Has Left

John Cena spoke with WSVN-TV promoting the upcoming second season of American Grit. Highlights are below:

If he wrestled the entire match at WrestleMania 33 with the engagement ring in his pocket: “There are some secrets that should be kept secret my friend. That one’s for me to know. I like the fact that a lot of folks ask me where I kept the ring. I know where I kept it and I think that’s a secret I’ll keep with me.”

What to expect from his WWE return: “I just want to get back in the fray. I think it’s a wonderful time to be a fan, to be a member of our WWE Universe. The rosters on both sides, SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw, is packed with very capable, unbelievable superstars and I’m just waiting to get back into the mix and try to prove my worth once again.”

His interaction with Ric Flair immediately after tying his record at the Royal Rumble: “I have a longstanding friendship with Ric Flair. He’s been a mentor to me over the years. It was very important to me that he was there for me that night. He was nothing but encouraging, so honorable and so inspirational. He’s a wonderful guy and a lot of fun and I’m really happy that he was there. It was a great moment for all of us.”

How many more title runs he thinks he has left: “I truly don’t look at it like that. I just want to be able to be able to perform at an elite level. I know that at 40 years old and 15 years in the WWE now it’s been a long journey, longer than most. I have to find my grit every day to keep working hard to keep up with all of these young, strong guys. It truly is a young man’s game but I feel really good. I look forward to July 4th and I think everybody will see that I haven’t lost a step yet.”

Who he thinks he should pass the torch to: “I think it’s been passed without me. There’s a lot of folks who are currently doing a lot of damage on the roster. The show is thriving in my absence. I think it’s extremely competitive. I did win the 16th Championship at the Rumble but I was unfortunate in my first defense at Elimination Chamber and before that I hadn’t really been in the Championship picture for a while. I think the company is moving on quite well. I don’t know if there needs to be a formal anointment but they’re really doing well without me.”

Title Match Announced for Monday’s RAW

WWE announced that Sheamus and Cesaro will defend their RAW tag team championships against The Hardy Boyz on Monday’s episode of RAW. WWE wrote the following regarding the match:

Just one week after losing the Raw Tag Team Championship in a brutal Steel Cage Match at WWE Extreme Rules, The Hardy Boyz invoke their rematch clause against new titleholders Cesaro & Sheamus this Monday night, live on Raw.

Last Monday, The Celtic Warrior boasted that Matt & Jeff were “sitting at home, licking their wounds — Jeff gluing in his false tooth — just dreaming about their rematch.” This Monday night, the dream becomes a reality much sooner than the champions likely anticipated.

Can The Hardy Boyz reclaim the titles they won during their triumphant return at WrestleMania, or will Cesaro & Sheamus continue to raise the figurative bar in Team Red’s tandem division?

Brock Lesnar has also been announced to return to the show to address Samoa Joe’s attack on Paul Heyman.