Elias To Sing At WWE SSD, WWE NXT Star Wants Respect Again (Video), Natalya On Fit Finlay's WWE Role
- As noted, Kassius Ohno defeated Kona Reeves on last night's WWE NXT episode. Ohno cut a post-match promo and talked about how he's nothing but an afterthought now, sending a warning to the next "new and fresh" Superstar of NXT that he's not going anywhere. Above is post-show video of Ohno talking to Sarah Schreiber about his comments and if he was referring to anyone specific.
"Was there anybody specific I was referring to? No, no. Not one person," Ohno said. "What I said was true and it holds true for any number of people. Basically what happens, somebody gets a little notoriety elsewhere and they pop on into NXT, and they have things handed to them. They get this love and appreciation that they haven't quite earned yet. Guys like EC3, big Keith Lee. They haven't quite put int he work that someone like me has. I used to have that love, I used to have that appreciation and respect. What's it going to take for me to get that back, huh? Do I have to leave again? Do I have to come back again? Do I have to plop myself in a front row seat and wave hello to the 18,000 people at Takeover? What's it going to take? I guess I've got something to think about."
- Natalya talks about the WWE women's division and producer Fit Finlay in her latest Calgary Sun column, now online at this link. She wrote the following on Finlay, Evolution and what some of the female Superstars think about The Belfast Bruiser:
I had the chance to ask Fit why it's so important for him to help pass his knowledge onto the women of WWE. He said: "I think it became important to me because I saw a need, and it seemed to me that the women's division at that time was just standing still and spinning its wheels. I felt I had something to offer, not to teach anyone to wrestle like me, but to tap into what made each of the women special and to help identify their individual personalities."
So many women in WWE's past, present and future look up to Fit and have learned under his wings of guidance; myself included. He was there for me to help me through every major moment of my career and even the tough times, like when I broke my ankle or when I was dealing with hardships in my personal life. There were so many times when Fit gave me the confidence and tools I needed to believe in myself and succeed in the ring. When I won my first Championship in 2010, I stepped through the curtain and got a hug from Fit. Having him proud of me was almost more special than winning the title.
Sarah Logan, a female superstar in WWE said, "When I want to be better in the ring, I watch tapes of Fit Finlay's old matches."
Other female WWE Superstars praised fit as well. Ruby Riott told me, "One of the reasons I love working with Fit is because he treats everyone equally and he's very fair."
Liv Morgan said: "No matter what your background is, Fit gives everyone a chance to work hard and prove themselves. He also has so much patience in working with us, making us all feel comfortable learning."
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks told me, "With his job to produce multiple women's matches every single day, Fit is incredible. He knows how to challenge everyone based on their strengths and weaknesses. He always has new ideas to bring to the table and he's one of the very best producers we've ever had. He's one of the reasons our WWE women's division is where it is."
I asked Fit with Evolution approaching, what he thinks is next for the women of WWE? He responded, "I think the next step for women is whatever they put their minds and passion into. They have knocked doors down and set new standards, not just in WWE, but the bar has been raised by women from all walks of life and they should step up and take what they want and deserve!"
- As noted, Elias and Kevin Owens vs. John Cena and Bobby Lashley will take place at the WWE Super Show-Down event in Australia next month. Below is new video of Elias promoting the match and revealing that he will be performing before the match.
On October 6, Melbourne, Australia, will learn exactly what @WWE stands for...#WWESSD #WalkWithElias pic.twitter.com/HHDzpNVoDd
? WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2018