Browsing: Staying

Blake Monroe shocked a lot of fans when she showed up in WWE NXT on June 3 after what many considered a successful run in AEW. While some assumed WWE had always been her ultimate goal, Monroe is now setting the record straight—and her explanation might surprise you.

Speaking on Busted Open After Dark, Monroe revealed that her AEW run meant a lot to her, but by the end of her short contract, she felt there was only one story left to tell—and sheâ€d already told it. That creative roadblock made her question whether staying was the right move.

“Yeah, I mean I had a fantastic experience and I did things Iâ€m so proud of and cherish. And when I had a really short contract and when it came to an end, you know, there were positives and negatives. Um, but it got to a point with wrestling where I, you know, I did have an amazing story, but that was the one thing I had — I didnâ€t have much else. And I just thought, is this everything I want?â€

At one point, Monroe even thought about going to Japan—a plan she says most people donâ€t know about. Initially, WWE wasnâ€t even on her radar, but that changed after some encouragement and a few key conversations.

“I also considered going to Japan, which I feel like nobody knows. And itâ€s something I talked to them about. And then when my deal was up, people were like, ‘You should just talk to WWE and see,†because I wasnâ€t considering it. And thatâ€s not, you know, an insult to WWE — itâ€s incredible. I just didnâ€t. I always try to focus on one thing at a time in wrestling, so I hadnâ€t really considered it. When I talked to them and they cared so much about the glamour and so much about all these different things, I was like, okay, now I do have a big choice to make.â€

After weighing her options, Monroe ultimately felt WWE offered the growth and challenge she craved. She believed AEW had run its course creatively and praised WWEâ€s commitment to womenâ€s wrestling as a major factor in her decision.

“And I really sat and thought about it, and it was a really, really tough decision. But it just came down to — I did everything I needed to do. I feel like I told a great story. I feel like I made people feel something. And it was time to close that chapter and start a new one.

Getting a new name and a whole new experience — and like I said, there are so many women here. Womenâ€s wrestling is very important in WWE, and thatâ€s something, as a woman, I want to be a part of. And with all these different matches and possibilities for me, it was a great deal. Ultimately, it was a challenge — and I wanted that challenge.â€

Blake Monroeâ€s shift to WWE wasnâ€t about burning bridges—it was about building new ones. She left AEW with no regrets and jumped at the chance to reinvent herself.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

Do you think Blake Monroe made the right move by choosing WWE over returning to AEW or heading to Japan? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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Mr. Thomas has been one of the names to have broken out in Major League Wrestling. Often the veteran would find himself helping another like Alex Kane within the Bomaye Fight Club. Now the Philadelphia native is focused on building on the momentum he has created in the last year in MLW. Itâ€s one of the big reasons Thomas decided to sign a new deal with the promotion.

“There is very little loyalty in this business unfortunately,†he said. “MLW has always been loyal to me. I worked a good amount of time without a deal and was okay with that and was always loyal to the brand. I put in my time and effort, so when it was time to sign again, there was nowhere else I would rather be when it comes to my ability to have input into what I do, the matches, things of that nature.

“The schedule is more to my liking. I like to live a normal, peaceful, successful life outside the wrestling world. Right now, MLW allows me the ability to do that. Not to say the schedule wonâ€t become more intensive as we move forward with things changing in life. Iâ€m prepared for that. I think itâ€s the perfect split between real life and professional wrestling that people donâ€t tend to have.â€

 For the star, who got the Mr. Thomas name based on what his cleaning lady would call him over the years, MLW is the top priority. This is why you wonâ€t see him doing much outside that arena. He also takes a more fight camp approach in between matches.

“The last time I stepped in the ring to practice so to speak on a Tuesday or Wednesday and tried to work on my skills, I immediately tore my ACL. In this aspect of wrestling, I try to limit my injuries as much as possible,†Thomas explained. “I have a very close strength and conditioning coach I work with here in Tampa two and three times a week. Weâ€re doing a lot of different things that arenâ€t necessarily shooting the ropes, doing dropdowns, leap frogs, drills of that nature.

“We try to incorporate more real-life aspect training into what goes into wrestling. There is more than just doing grapples and things like that. And between you and I, my timing is perfect brother so I donâ€t have to brush up on that. Likely, I know whatever I have coming up, Iâ€ll always be paired off with a top-notch individual in this wrestling world we live in. Iâ€m not in there solo. Iâ€m in there with people I know and trust and are capable of bringing me up if needed and vice versa.â€

He is grateful to be stepping foot in the ring with the likes of Satoshi Kojima. Thomas has enjoyed getting the chance to spotlight his skills in a singles capacity. At the same time, the performer enjoyed the dynamic between himself and Alex Kane.

“We were kind of thrown together,†he said of their origin story. “Iâ€ve known of him before. We really just meshed. Luckily enough to be on the same page as someone. Iâ€m a little older than him, but Iâ€m not saying that I was there to babysit or guide him. But [I could] set him in the right ways and try to figure out what works best for him, his character, my character, how we can play off each other. It worked out for the best.

“He went from being an unsigned, no-name person that gets drafted to MLW in the 2021 draft, we popped up our first time together and he is the MLW Openweight champion. We steamrolled through everyone he won the world title, black world champion, it was good to see the highs and lows. I learned a lot from him, and I  hope he learned from me. We really worked together as a team inside and outside the ring. We traveled together, hung out together, and we still talk every day. That relationship canâ€t be broken. We did have our one-on-one match in the Opera Cup last year. I think weâ€ll probably do that at some point when the time is ready. I donâ€t know if heâ€ll ever turn on me or Iâ€ll turn on him, but weâ€ll see what happens when the time comes.â€

Thomas has his sights set on dethroning new champion Mads Krügger in the Chamber of Horrors match at Slaughterhouse on October 4. Other participants revealed thus far include Matthew Justice and CW Anderson with two other mystery participants. The Long Beach event will air on YouTube and beIN Sports.

“As much as I love surprises, I hate surprises,†Thomas said. “CW Anerson is a great veteran and competitor from the ECW days. Weâ€ve had our feud the last year, year-and-a-half where the Rogue Horsemen went up against the Bomaye Fight Club  with Matthew Justice on the same team in the War Chamber, which I came out victorious in,  for the record. When it comes to cage matches this year, Mr. Thomas is 1-0 amongst everyone else. With that being said, Mads is just fresh off a world title victory and hate to say it transition champion possibly.

“I want that belt more than anything in life right now. The way it is being described to me is we get in this cage and fight til someone becomes world champion. I know there will be weapons involved and we will be caged in and not sure there will be something at the top as much as I or Matthew Jusciee want to jump off and dive through everything. I will be a very safe wrestler this weekend. Iâ€m going to utilize my technical ability instead of jumping off things or going through things, but I will take a shortcut and hit someone over the head with what is available to me at that moment because anything goes.â€

As for who the other two getting added to the mix, Thomas has his suspicions. No matter who it is, heâ€ll be ready to take them down a peg.

“Iâ€m not spoiling anything because I don’t ask questions, but the things Iâ€ve seen and heard and tweets I read in between the lines is we got someone new coming in who might have been around a few times,†Thomas hypothesized. “Someone who might have just gotten let go from somewhere else, which is fine. Iâ€ll tell him the same thing as Iâ€ll tell anyone else. Donâ€t come to MLW thinking this is your meal ticket to the top because you have to go through a lot of other people to get through the top spot in the company, me being one of them.

“I will fight and do whatever it takes to make sure my spot is not taken by some guy who got released or couldnâ€t politic himself into getting re-signed somewhere else. That is a personal shoutout to anyone who wants to Tick Tock, times ticking, this sun dial bullshit of time and measurement is, I donâ€t want to hear about it. Come see me to my face in LA on October 4 and weâ€ll see who walks out world champion.â€

Winning the top prize in MLW would mean a lot to Thomas. In his eyes, it would signify confidence from the company and confidence within himself that he could rise above the rest.

“For me, the world title being my first singles title in MLW would be crazy,†the challenger added. “I would love that more than anything. Itâ€s exactly what I’m going for. Iâ€m on to bigger and better things. Everyone once and a while I get grouped with the Bomaye Fight Club thinking I was just a sidekick or bodyguard or the strategist,  whatever you want to call me. Iâ€m on my own now. I have a name to prove to myself now. In the ring, outside the ring with everyone watching.â€

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VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Brett McLean described teenager Braeden Cootes†first week in the National Hockey League as a series of check marks.

On Friday, Cootes put another bright, green check beside his first game in Vancouver.

Trying to become the first Canucks draft pick since Petr Nedved in 1990 to make the team out of training camp as an 18-year-old, Cootes scored Vancouverâ€s opening goal in a 4-2 pre-season victory against the Seattle Kraken.

Itâ€s hard to say if Cootes is getting better by the day, but the days are getting harder as the Canucks†Oct. 9 season-opener approaches, and the right-shot centre from Edmonton and the Seattle Thunderbirds isnâ€t getting any less noticeable.

His goal at 9:10 of the second period was an ugly one, the puck from Jonathan Lekkerimakiâ€s shot bouncing in off Cootes as he jammed the front of the net to screen Seattle goalie Matt Murray.

But Cootes was battling for position — and holding his — at the front of the net. That was the key point.

“It was pretty cool,†Cootes said of his first, albeit unofficial, NHL goal. “I mean, pretty lucky goal, but going to the net and I got rewarded. So it’s pretty cool. I mean, in this league, that’s kind of where a lot of goals are scored. It’s such a tough league to score goals (because) goalies are so good.â€

Cootes turned 18 last February, four months before the Canucks selected the Thunderbirds captain with the 15th pick of the NHL draft.

His veteran linemate, Evander Kane, made the NHL as an 18-year-old with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009.

“I think he has the right mindset,†Kane said after the game. “I’ve listened to some of his comments in the media, and just getting to talk to him a little bit around the dressing room. . . he’s obviously taking the experience — he’s a sponge — but he’s not just here for experience. He’s here to make a team, and that’s the right attitude to have. At the end of the day, this is a business and you’re trying to steal another grown man’s job. That’s what my dad told me going in at 18. It’s a different mentality, a different mindset. When you get to camp, you can’t, you know, curl up in a ball. Youâ€ve got to go out and show your game. And I thought tonight was another good step for him.â€

Besides Cootes†goal, which started the Canucks back from a 2-0 deficit against an inexperienced Seattle team that outplayed Vancouver in the first half, the second-line centre won five of nine faceoffs and in 14:42 of even-strength ice time registered expected-goals-for of 82.7 per cent and a shot-share of 70 per cent.

With a handful of more experienced, waiver-eligible prospects pushing for promotion to the Canucks from their championship minor-league team, itâ€s still unlikely that Cootes will be playing in the NHL two weeks from now. But heâ€s playing himself into the conversation.

“Not too nervous, honestly,†he said of his first Canucks game in Vancouver. “I think that first pre-season game in Seattle (last Sunday) kind of took all the nerves away. I felt pretty normal. It wasn’t anything too crazy. It was a pretty cool crowd, though, so it was tonnes of fun.

“I mean, I thought I played pretty well. You know, I was playing with some really good players, too, and the team played well as the game went on. Just trying to take it day by day, keep trying to get better, not trying to look too far ahead or anything.â€

“I mean, 18. . . the kidâ€s going to be a stud,†Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood, who partnered Cootes at training camp in Penticton, told reporters. “Heâ€s already composed and playing the right way, and he’s got some grit to his game, so it’s going to be exciting to see him continue putting in the work.â€

Dressing their star defence pairing and four of their top five forwards, the Canucks overcame some early pre-season sloppiness and took over the game with four goals in the final 31 minutes.

Filip Hronekâ€s slapshot past Elias Petterssonâ€s screen tied it 2-2 39 seconds into the third period, and Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winner on a power-play at 12:32. Kane added an empty-netter as Vancouver outshot Seattle 18-4 in the final frame.

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