Browsing: Trash

In 2019, a couple of years after first reviving the stipulation, WWE held its first WarGames match featuring the women’s division, with two teams of NXT stars facing off. There have been numerous women’s WarGames matches since, with the match type having moved up to the main roster and taken the place of traditional Survivor Series matches each November. One constant through each of the women’s WarGames matches is IYO SKY, who has participated in each one.

Speaking on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” SKY honed in on the infamous trash can spot from Survivor Series WarGames 2024 as one of her most memorable moments from the matches.

“That was tough,” SKY said. “I’m always thinking, ‘[My] next match will [be] better than [my] last match.’ … All WarGames I was in, which means all WarGames [must be] special. … I already used [a] trash can, I already used a trash can on my head jumping off the cage, so … what else can I do? Maybe [a] moonsault.”

SKY admitted that she was initially worried the spot would be too dangerous, as it renders the wrestler unable to see. However, she stuck with the idea and decided to practice. The wrestler revealed that she went to the WWE Performance Center, found a trash can, cleaned it, and got to work.

“That was only from [the] top rope, but I made it,” SKY continued. “That’s why I [thought], ‘Oh, it should be fine from the cage.'”

The trash can moonsault helped ensure SKY’s team pulled out a victory in last year’s WarGames match. With the next iteration of WarGames just a few weeks away, it remains to be seen if “The Genius of the Sky” continues her streak of appearing inside the dual-ring, steel cage setup.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Mickie James is finally breaking it all down—what really happened when WWE shipped her belongings in a trash bag after her 2021 release, and how it led to one of the most embarrassing internal shakeups in recent company history.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, the former WWE Womenâ€s Champion said she wasnâ€t as upset as fans were when she first received the bag. In fact, sheâ€d been through it before.

“I wasnâ€t as offended as the fans were when it happened, because I donâ€t think you realize how many times weâ€ve been offended,†she said. “Iâ€m so numb to getting my feelings hurt, or Iâ€m so used to, ‘Oh, you got to separate your ego from it, and donâ€t take it personal. Itâ€s just business.â€â€

James said the now-infamous post was driven by sarcasm, and a way to spotlight just how disposable wrestlers can feel.

“So I posted, because Iâ€m a sarcastic person, and if I was to be honest, I got two boxes with two trash bags. I still have the trash bags because Iâ€m keeping them—receipts,†she said. “I remembered in 2010 when I got my stuff back and I got it the same way, and 2010 me was devastated… This time, I didnâ€t take it personally. Iâ€m like, of course. Itâ€s more about the lack of thought of how youâ€re so disposable…â€

The post exploded online. Top WWE executives immediately reached out, including Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and John Laurinaitis.

“Then Hunter called me, Stephanie text me, Johnny called me. Everybody called me,†she recalled.

The fallout led to the firing of longtime Head of Talent Relations Mark Carrano—something James didnâ€t intend or celebrate.

“I still feel bad for Mark Carrano, who got fired for it, because Mark was always good to me… heâ€s the one who got fired. But it was just a testament to that was like a company thing of like, they just didnâ€t really think of how that would affect [you]…â€

Then came the biggest surprise—Vince McMahon personally picked up the phone to apologize.

“Vince called me and I spoke to him on the phone… Because I was like, Vince has never called me before,†she said. “But he was genuine. He was like, ‘You know Iâ€ve never thought that of you, and Iâ€ve always thought highly of you, and Iâ€m so sorry that happened and that person is not here anymore.†And then I was like, Oh no. Felt bad for Mark Carrano.â€

James said she doesnâ€t think the trash bag practice is used anymore and believes the incident woke WWE up to how careless it looked from the outside.

“I donâ€t think anybody else will get their stuff that way anymore… I donâ€t think they come in Gucci bags, but they certainly donâ€t come in hefty bags.â€

Mickie James didnâ€t ask for drama—she simply showed fans what happens behind the curtain. And whether it was sarcasm or a silent protest, it sure got the industryâ€s attention.

Do you think WWE has really changed how it treats talent behind the scenes, or are gestures like this just PR fixes? Let us know in the comments below.

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Teoscar Hernández does not lack for emotion. He plays with joy, with exuberance, with delight.

The Dodgers know he can hit. We all do. If the emotion dissipates, so can the performance.

Hernández could have been the goat Saturday night, in what would have been the Dodgers†first loss in this postseason. Instead, he hit the game-winning home run, nearly levitated around first base, and became an October hero yet again.

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In the Dodgers†16 postseason games last year, he hit three home runs and drove in 12 runs. In the Dodgers†three postseason games so far this year, he has hit three home runs and driven in nine.

You might fret about his uneven defense. You might second guess a defensive play that put the Dodgers deeper into an early hole.

Allâ€s well that ends well, as evidenced by his three-run home run that powered the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League division series opener.

“For me, anything that happened before a big moment like that, it’s in the past,†Hernández said.

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“I try to put it in the trash and just focus on the things that I need to do.â€

In the second inning of what was then a scoreless tie, the Phillies put runners on first and second with none out. Catcher J.T. Realmuto pummeled a Shohei Ohtani fastball into right-center field, where Hernández approached the ball but did not appear to accelerate as the ball skipped past him.

If Hernández had cut the ball off, Realmuto would have had a single, and the Phillies would have scored two runs in the inning. Instead, Realmuto had a triple — matching his season total — and he later scored a third run in the inning.

“I would argue that he wasnâ€t not trying,†Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hernández. “But, yeah, that’s a ball that you don’t want Realmuto to have a triple.â€

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On Twitter, former Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson posted — and then deleted — this: “If Iâ€m Shohei Iâ€m going to need Teoscar Hernández to try a little harder.â€

Hernández said he did not get a good angle toward the hard-hit ball. Roberts did credit Hernández with a defensive adjustment on a later ball, shading the line to keep Bryce Harper to a single rather than an extra-base hit that could have driven home a run for the Phillies.

Teoscar Hernández follows through on his three-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers minimized Hernándezâ€s defensive exposure last year by playing him most often in left field, with Mookie Betts in right field. This year, with Betts at shortstop and the Dodgers declining to add a right fielder at the trade deadline, Hernández has played right field all season.

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The only major leaguer to play more innings in right field this season and finish lower in defensive runs saved: the Phillies†Nick Castellanos, who got into Saturdayâ€s game only after Harrison Bader suffered a groin injury.

Make no mistake, though: Hernández is here to hit. The Dodgers awarded Hernández a three-year, $66-million contract last winter, well aware that designated hitter would not be an option because of that Ohtani guy.

As Dodgers catcher Will Smith explained Saturday to a reporter wondering whether he might spend more time as a DH in the future: “We’ve got a pretty good DH. I think we’re pretty set on that.â€

Hernández was neither hitting nor fielding well for much of the second half, causing Roberts to say at the start of September that he had urged his right fielder to “get in the fight.†In the last week of August, he even benched Hernández for one day.

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Said Roberts then: “I think weâ€ve lost a little bit of that edge over the last couple months. For me, I want to see that edge, that fight, that fire, and Iâ€ll bet on any result.â€

In September, Hernández put up a .769 OPS, his best for any month since the first one. In the Dodgers†first postseason game, he hit home runs in consecutive at-bats.

On Saturday, in their third postseason game, he stepped to bat in the eighth inning with two on, two out, and the Dodgers trailing by one run — and the Phillies had scored one extra run when he could not run down that Realmuto triple.

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Hernández homered. He smiled. He skipped.

“It was a great moment,†Ohtani said.

In his face, we saw joy.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Jalen Hurts had a fairly ho-hum game as a passer on Sunday, throwing for 101 yards and no touchdowns, and…