2K’s annual WWE video game may not be released this year. The game is usually announced around WrestleMania season. At the time of writing, however, there has been no mention or tease of WWE 2K21.
According to Justin Leeper, 2K will be foregoing their annual grappling game. Leeper was involved with writing the “Road to WrestleMania” modes for several WWE video games.
He shared that his sources have informed him that the WWE 2K21 has been canceled. That being said, he added that 2K still has plans to deliver another WWE branded game.
As of this writing, there is no indication as to what kind of game this will be or how it differs from the WWE 2K series.
https://youtu.be/4w_sRieIEiA
Arguing For A WWE 2K21 Cancelation
Leeper argued how this cancellation could be a good thing for the series overall. WWE 2K20 was openly panned by both fans and critics upon release for being so technically broken. It didn’t take long for people to start making fun of the game. Many took to social media and YouTube to share the worst of the game’s glitches.
He explained how, by taking this additional year, 2K could reassess what needs to be fixed and avoid WWE 2K21 repeating 2K20’s mistakes. This would allow the next version to be a refreshed, renewed game that would hopefully win back some of the fans lost with WWE 2K20.
NXT General Manager William Regal is set to once again appear on WWE show The Bump. Last time Regal appeared, he announced that NXT would be hosting a tournament to crown an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship. This is something current Champion Jordan Devlin took issue with. Regal’s upcoming appearance on The Bump will once again regard the state of NXT gold as he will be addressing the NXT Tag Team Championship scene.
William Regal Addresses The NXT Tag Team Championship Landscape
The current NXT Tag Team Champions are Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne. The duo, collectively known as the Broserweights, won the belts during NXT TakeOver: Portland earlier this year. They defeated Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish to claim the gold, having earned the right by winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.
It’s worth noting that The Bump’s official Twitter account wrote:
“The #WWENXT GM stops by #WWETheBump to address the @WWENXT Tag Team Championship picture, this Wednesday at 10am ET!”
Having won the NXT Women’s Championship during WrestleMania 36, Charlotte Flair is set to return to the black-and-gold brand. And she’ll be doing it sooner rather than later. According to reports, Flair will be returning to her old stomping grounds on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. It will air live on the USA Network.
This marks Charlotte Flair’s first appearance on the brand since winning the gold from Rhea Ripley. The episode will reportedly air live from Full Sail University. Having previously pre-recorded episodes in the run-up to WrestleMania 36, WWE has been given the greenlight to air live episodes. This comes in the wake of Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, declaring that WWE is considered to be an essential business.
It was initially reported that WWE’s decision to have Charlotte Flair reclaim the title was done to help bolster their Wednesday night ratings war. They go head-to-head each Wednesday with All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite on TNT.
It remains to be seen whether Flair’s move back to the black-and-gold brand will have the impact WWE intends.
NXT Card 4/15
Finn Balor vs Fabian Aichner
NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Begins
Participants include:
KUSHIDA, Jack Gallagher, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Akira Tozawa, El Hijo del Fantasma, Jake Atlas, Tony Nese, and Drake Maverick
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair returns to NXT
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has commended WWE for delivering WrestleMania 36. Bischoff addressed the event during the premiere episode of his new exclusive video show Locked & Loaded. He acknowledged the difficult situation WWE was put in to due to the coronavirus pandemic. He then applauded WWE for moving forward with delivering the show.
Bischoff stated how, for a lack of a better description, the WWE Superstars were robbed of a WrestleMania moment. He explained it was unfortunate they weren’t able to share an “emotional connection to the audience” as those are undeniably special. He noted how some Superstars may never get an opportunity to experience something similar going forward.
Eric Bischoff On Business Over Emotion
Eric Bischoff stressed that the business is ultimately more important than emotional connection. He argued how the business has to take priority over personal feelings before applauding WWE for their decision.
“So I applaud WWE for moving forward in trying and quite honestly, in my opinion, successfully integrating some innovations to the industry that here before have not really been seen to the level that they were,” Bischoff said.
Bischoff added how talents losing out on a moment wouldn’t have influenced his decision to go ahead with the event. He did confess that, though it would make him feel bad, it wouldn’t have affected his choice to deliver the event in the way Vince McMahon did.
WWE has announced several important matches for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
These bouts will be three Money in the Bank qualifying matches. WWE had MVP do a VIP Lounge segment backstage on Monday’s show where he announced that there will be a few first time ever matches.
Rey Mysterio will battle Murphy, Austin Theory will face Aleister Black, and finally, MVP against Apollo Crews. MVP called himself a ladder match legend.
This comes after Monday’s RAW that saw Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah Logan take place to earn spots in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
WWE has already confirmed that this year’s men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will have three wrestlers representing RAW and another three representing SmackDown.
The company confirmed Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro and Dana Brooke vs. Naomi for this Friday’s SmackDown.
With Money in the Bank needing a new location, it’s very possible that the event will take place in Orlando at the Performance Center. WWE has still advertised the event for May 10, but no new location has been confirmed.
This week’s episode of WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center. Three Qualifying Matches went down tonight to determine the three RAW female superstars in the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre also appeared during tonight’s show.
WWE RAW Results (4/13)
MITB Qualifier: Asuka def. Ruby Riott
Aleister Black def. Oney Lorcan
MITB Qualifier: Shayna Baszler def. Sarah Logan
Austin Theory def. Akira Tozawa
Angel Garza def. Tehuti Miles
MITB Qualifier: Nia Jax def. Kairi Sane
Bobby Lashley def. No Way Jose
Viking Raiders def. Cedric Alexander & Ricochet
Drew McIntyre def. Andrade
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s RAW:
Andrade Challenged Drew McIntyre
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. Drew thanked the audience at home for the privilege for allowing him into their living room. McIntyre stated that the internet can sometimes be negative but it has been positive since he won the title.
He said it was surreal that he beat Lesnar within five minutes and then beat the Big Show twenty minutes later. McIntyre stated that sets the tone for the champion he will be and will give superstars an opportunity if they deserve a shot at the title.
United States Champion Andrade interrupted with Zelina Vega. Zelina referred to Andrade as the “real champion of RAW”. Vega added that it will be a shame if someone were to injure McIntyre and take the title away from him. McIntyre brought up losing the NXT Championship to Andrade and suffering a bicep injury in the match.
Drew suggested that they have a title match tonight. Andrade boasted about taking McIntyre in the past and will do the same tonight.
Remember when @AndradeCienWWE defeated @DMcIntyreWWE for the @WWENXT Championship and put him OUT OF ACTION for six months?
Asuka squared off against Ruby Riott in the first MITB Qualifying match of the night.
Match Recap: Asuka danced around the ring to Riott’s entrance music before the match. Ruby controlled the action early and hit a shoulder tackle for a two count. Ruby pointed at the MITB briefcase hanging above the ring and started taunting Asuka.
Asuka went after Ruby’s surgically repaired shoulders and took her to the canvas. Asuka snet Riott to the corner and stomped on her a few times. She then knocked Ruby to the outside with a Hip Attack and followed it up with a knee to the face. Riott battled back and sent Asuka over the barricade. Asuka booted Riott in the face and then danced on the barricade as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Riott sent Asuka to the corner. Asuka exploded out of the corner and hit a Clothesline that sent both superstars to the canvas. Asuka hit a German Suplex and followed it up with a Shining Wizard for a near fall.
Riott hit Asuka with a Clothesline to the back of the head and made her way to the top rope. Ruby missed and Asuka tried to apply the Asuka Lock but Riott countered into a cover for a two count. Riott followed it up with a Flatliner for a near fall. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch cut a promo on Shayna Baszler tonight. Lynch claimed to purposely be more silly on the road to WrestleMania because the only person who can get close enough to the Queen is the Joker.
Becky brought up the Women’s MITB Ladder match and said that she always has a plan. Lynch vowed to shock the world one more time and defeat whomever wins the MITB contract.
Opinion: This promo didn’t accomplish much in my opinion. Becky Lynch essentially claimed that she outsmarted Shayna Baszler by acting like a goofball leading up to the match. Lynch is great at promos but WWE hasn’t really built up a viable opponent on the RAW roster.
Shayna Baszler Qualified For The MITB Ladder Match
Shayna Baszler battled Sarah Logan tonight on RAW in a MITB Qualifying match.
Match Recap: Shayna Baszler knocked Sarah to the canvas and unloaded several punches before the referee broke it up. Baszler then stomped on Sarah Logan’s arm and Sarah couldn’t continue.
The ring announcer screwed up and announced Sarah Logan as the winner of the match. It was then announced that Baszler won the match because Sarah Logan could not continue. Baszler hopped over the barricade and exited to end the segment.
Nia Jax faced Kairi Sane tonight in a MITB Qualifying match.
Match Recap: Kairi ran at Nia to start the match off but Jax launched her across the ring. Jax went for a Splash but Kairi escaped. Sane climbed to the top rope and leaped over Jax to get away from her.
Sane taunted Nia and hit her with a Dropkick. Kairi followed it up with another Dropkick but Jax didn’t move. Jax threw Kairi out of the ring as Asuka was shown backstage cheering Sane on.
Sane got back into the ring and Nia hit her with a Clothesline. Nia threw Kairi across the ring. Jax planted Kairi Sane with the Annihilator for the pinfall victory.
Charlotte Flair Vowed To Teach The NXT Roster Humility
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and said tonight is history lessons with The Queen. Flair ran down her feud with Rhea Ripley and called her ballsy for issuing the challenge.
Charlotte boasted about beating the “next big thing” and that makes her the biggest thing. Flair added that Vince McMahon chose her last year to save the main event of WrestleMania.
Flair claimed that Rhea Ripley lacks humility and that she is going to remind the NXT roster of humility. Charlotte turned her attention to her next opponent, Io Shirai. Flair said that the first lesson is that everyone bows down to The Queen.
Andrade battled Drew McIntyre in the main event of this week’s show. Zelina Vega, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: McIntyre went after Andrade right away and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Drew threw Andrade out of the ring and slammed him on top of the barricade. McIntyre hit Andrade with a chop to the chest but got distracted by Garza & Theory.
Andrade capitalized and slammed McIntyre’s arm into the ring post. The action returned to the ring and Andrade locked in an Arm Bar on the ropes. Andrade climbed to the top rope and leaped into a Clothesline from McIntyre. Drew followed it up with a boot to the face and climbed up to the top rope for another Clothesline.
McIntyre sent Andrade flying onto Garza and Theory with a Back Body Drop. Drew rolled Andrade into the ring and made his way to the top rope. Zelina Vega hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Andrade tried to hit the Hammerlock DDT but Drew escaped.
Drew connected with an Alabama Slam and followed it up with a massive Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory. After the match, Seth Rollins hit McIntyre with a Superkick and followed it up with the Stomp. Rollins looked at the title before hitting McIntyre with another Stomp to close the show.
Opinion: Overall, this week’s episode of RAW was solid. I like that WWE is doing qualifying matches for the men’s and women’s ladder matches at MITB. Cedric Alexander and Ricochet had a very good match against the Viking Raiders tonight. Viking Raiders had an absurd amount of enhancement matches, so it was odd to see Alexander & Ricochet face them and lose so quickly after being put together. However, they are great as a team and weren’t squashed tonight.
Seth has been excellent as a heel and this has the potential to be a great feud. It is a bit ridiculous that he is already in the title picture again following a loss to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. I just think they can have a great match at the PPV.
Former WWE star Ryback has given his reaction to the situation of Roman Reigns pulling out of WrestleMania 36.
Reigns was supposed to challenge Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 1 earlier this month. However, Reigns announced his decision to pull out of the contest due to his concerns about the coronavirus as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
Reigns is at a higher risk of complications from the virus and he didn’t feel comfortable with working the match. Thus, WWE got Braun Strowman to replace Reigns in the contest and had “The Monster Among Men” beat the legendary pro wrestler.
Ryback defended Reigns from fan criticism during a recent talk with Wrestling Inc.
“It’s horrible and that’s that wrestling fanbase, and it’s more than wrestling, it’s a human thing that’s going on now and this is, again, social media,” Ryback said. “There’s nobody in person who is going to go up and criticize him, it doesn’t exist.”
Ryback continued by noting that when you get on social media, you need to have the full spectrum of it. He thinks the lowest of low people are the ones who are being critics of Reigns’ decision.
He thinks those people haven’t evolved and just horrible human beings. He thinks that people need to be themselves and will get love and hate no matter what.
“I’m so happy he stepped up, and a guy in that position is actually doing it, but he’s in that position. Now if he didn’t have that and did it, the criticism he would get a hell of a lot more, and internally in WWE it would be a different situation.
He has that though, which is they cannot do anything with him, as far as depush him or anything of that nature. He has a little bit of built-in security with that.”
Ryback continued by noting that’s the negative wrestling fans. He thinks these are the same people that don’t want Reigns here.
He thinks if Reigns does something and now that he’s not around, the name-calling is always a go to for that portion of the people. The reason for the name-calling is due to them not having any other options.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has been officially given the green light by the state of Florida.
Mayor of Orange County, Florida Jerry Demings stated on Monday at a press conference that the WWE Performance Center in Orlando has been allowed to stay in business because they have been deemed an essential business.
Originally, WWE’s training facility wasn’t considered to be an essential business but things have changed thanks to the Governor of the state.
“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”
Demings didn’t further explain as to why the Governor’s office changed its stance on WWE despite that a WWE on-screen talent had tested positive for COVID-19.
WWE stated in their statement that the person is under the belief that they didn’t spread it to other WWE personnel.
WWE had plans to tape several episodes of NXT, RAW and SmackDown in addition to Main Event and 205 Live from last Friday throughout the majority of this week. That has changed as WWE will air weekly TV going forward.
You can watch footage of Orange County (FL) Mayor Demmings talking about WWE being declared an “essential business” below.
The hits continued for the XFL as on Monday, the pro football league filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy statement noted that the economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the coronavirus forced the XFL to close down.
This comes after the XFL had suspended operations last week. The season was postponed after week five. The XFL issued a statement to TMZ:
“Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football.”
It should be that once the relaunch of the league was made official, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon stated that WWE wasn’t part of his new project. Instead, WWE would be a separate company from the XFL, which was owned by McMahon under Alpha Entertainment.
The listing for the bankruptcy revealed that wasn’t the case. Instead, WWE owned 23.5 percent of the XFL’s Class B stock while McMahon owned the remainder of it.
As recently as February, WWE’s Interim CFO Frank Riddick stated on a conference call that WWE had no plans of investing in the XFL.
WWE is slated to release its quarterly financial report on April 23 and will hold a conference call for investors. WWE having an equity stake in the XFL could be brought up.
McMahon had sold nearly $300 million in WWE stock in order to fund the league.
Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view has been changed to a 2-part episode beginning on April 21st and concluding on April 28th. The show will be free to air on AXS TV in the United States, on the Fight Network in Canada, and broadcast through Impact’s international broadcast partners.
Additionally, the show was filmed on a closed set with no spectators.
“In light of the restrictions placed upon live events as a result of the coronavirus, IMPACT Wrestling will hold its next major spectacular—IMPACT: Rebellion—on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance, as per the guidelines put in place by the CDC,” a press release from Impact Wrestling reads.
Impact Wrestling Rebellion
The following matches have been announced for Rebellion:
Impact World Championship Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
Knockouts Championship Full Metal Mayhem Jordynne Grace (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan
Kiera Hogan vs Kylie Rae
Additionally, Willie Mack challenging Ace Austin for the X-Division title will likely occur on the show.
BREAKING: #Rebellion will now expand into a two-part television event airing April 21 and April 28 on IMPACT!
It’s not clear at this time if some Impact wrestlers scheduled for the event will no longer be taking part due to travel restrictions or personal concerns regarding the ongoing pandemic.
Sami Callihan is scheduled to face Ken Shamrock but has expressed concerns about performing during this time. On March 13th, Callihan posted that he will not wrestle during the ongoing crisis, though the Tweets have since been deleted.
Additionally, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Tessa Blanchard may not be able to participate in the show.
“The word going around which is confirmed is that Blanchard, the Impact men’s world champion, who is based in California, is not leaving the state at this time,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson still has love for professional wrestling. The Rock has not been an active wrestler in several years. He has since moved on to much greener pastures. However, there are certain things about the sports/entertainment hybrid he just can’t let go.
The Rock did a live stream on Instagram over the weekend, where he boasts over 178 million followers. During a Q&A session to his viewers, he was asked if he misses wrestling. The Rock said he does miss wrestling, loved his time in the business and still loves it.
The Rock certainly had “the look” of a top tier wrestling champion. He put countless hours in at the gym to achieve that aesthetic. He put his body on the line like everyone else and sustained several injuries throughout his career. He’s known as one of the greatest talker in wrestling history. All that said, he “didn’t give a sh*t” about being the biggest, the strongest, the loudest, the toughest, the guy who won all the time or any of that.
What The Rock Misses About Wrestling
What The Rock loved and misses most about wrestling is creating with his peers and connecting with the live audience.
“I loved creating with the pro wrestlers that I had great chemistry with and but the thing I miss the most about professional wrestling was just being able to connect with an audience every night,” he said. “Every night was just a showcase.”
The Rock said his co-workers who were jumping off cages and mooning the crowd were a big part of the product when he was around. But that wasn’t what got him excited about what he was doing.
“By the way, there’s a purpose for those guys by the way, many of those guys are my friends. I just always cared about connecting with an audience,” he said. “That was really the most important thing for me. So I do, I miss that part about pro wrestling because there’s nothing like it and there’s nothing like being able to listen to an audience. I love it.”
The Rock added that the wrestling business had changed dramatically since his era. He didn’t say if things are better or worse now, just different. He still follows the industry and has a ton of respect for the people who put their bodies on the line.
“They’re still working hard and just wrestling and sweating on each other and just doing all this but all in the name of entertaining the fans which I think is always cool because wrestling has always had this adaptability to it that was always very cool,” said The Rock. “So, I do [miss wrestling].”
Despite not having been in WWE for over a year, Ronda Rousey is one of the most talked-about stars in wrestling at the moment. Rousey’s comments on Jackass star Steve-O’s podcast recently where she referred to wrestling matches as “fake fights” garnered strong reactions from some in the WWE locker room.
After public comments by Lana, Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss, Rousey Tweeted out a statement about the difference between real MMA fights and choreographed wrestling performances.
Hulk Hogan Co-Signs Rousey’s “Work Yourself Into A Shoot” Tweet
Hogan responded to Rousey’s social media posts on Instagram:
“Wow that’s how I need to wake up every morning instead of coffee, marks always work themselves into a shoot especially when they are in the ring ,truer words have never been spoken, yo Travis love u guys. HH”
Rousey then responded:
“Thank you Balgrin!! I learned from the best!!” Rousey’s reply reads. “the Browsey House loves you!!??”
Rousey has stated previously that she could not pronounce the name “Hulk Hogan” as a kid. It came out “Balgrin” for some reason, so that’s what she referred to him as here. It’s also the name of a character in World of Warcraft.
MLW’s Super Series with AAA began airing on BeIN Sports and YouTube this weekend. This week’s Fusion featured the first two matches in the series. The main event was a National Openweight Championship match between Alexander Hammerstone and Laredo Kid.
The full episode can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion 4/11/20 Quick Results:
Tijuana Street Fight Mortiz & Pagano defeated Mance Warner & Savio Vega
National Openweight Championship Alexander Hammerstone (c) defeated Laredo Kid
It would be impossible to give a full description of all that went on in this match. Suffice to say, the MLW vs AAA series got off to quite the hardcore start when Mortiz & Pagano took on Mance Warner & Savio Vega in the opener. Warner put Mortiz through a flaming table, a car hood was somehow placed in the ring and used, and Savio Vega stabbed Pagano with a series of skewers (like for kabobs), highlighted the many crazy spots in this match.
Warner looked as though he had the match won after putting Mortiz through the flaming table. The referee was distracted, however, as he had to put out the fire that threatened to engulf the ring. This allowed Hammerstone (who left the commentary table after claiming a pharmacy called and his prescription was ready) to interfere. Hammerstone then took out Warner with a bicycle kick, continuing the Warner vs Dynasty rivalry.
With Warner out of the picture, Pagano was able to hit Savio Vega low with a chair before delivering a rolling neckbreaker for the win. AAA goes up 1-0 over MLW after getting the first victory in the series.
Later in the show, it was noted that Mance Warner was furious at the Dynasty backstage.
Before this match began, fans saw an episode of “Lifestyles of The Rich & Dynastic” featuring a hungover Hammerstone and Richard Holliday. The two had gone to a Donkey show the night before and gotten quite drunk evidently.
Laredo Kid broke out many high-flying moves on his much bigger opponent and looked to have the match won at one point. Hammerstone hit the ref with a clothesline and this led to Laredo Kid hitting a Spanish Fly but there being no referee to count the pin. As Laredo Kid turned his attention to the referee, this was all the opening the champion needed. Hammerstone gave Laredo Kid a series of power moves capped off with his Nightmare Pendulum for the win.
Hammerstone gets the win but it seems clear now that he’ll eventually have to face the Southern Psychopath Mance Warner.
At the MLW Fightland show in Philadelphia, King Mo and American Top Team merged with Team Filthy. Mo attacked Killer Kross in the back, essentially sending Kross out of the territory. MLW suspended Mo for the attack but he was allowed to compete while the suspension was being appealed. This week, MLW announced that the courts ruled in their favor and Mo’s suspension was being upheld. The former MMA fighter was suspended for 1-month and fined $10,000.
Tom Lawlor sent in a video reacting to the suspension of his new stablemate. Lawlor said Team Filthy will adapt and that he and Dominic Garrini will enter the tag division. They are setting their sights on the Von Erich brothers and tag team gold.
The 3 members of Injustice have been fined $10k each for their attack on Brian Pillman Jr. recently. They stated in a video this week that they don’t plan on paying the fine. Later, they interrupted an interview with Konnan. Konnan then granted the trio an upcoming title shot against the AAA trios champions Los Jinetes del Aire (El Hijo del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.). That match will take place on a future episode of Fusion.
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson recently answered a series of questions from fans on Instagram. During the conversation, the Great One was asked if he watches AEW.
The Rock confirmed he does watch AEW programming and is happy for the success the company has achieved thus far.
“Yeah I watch AEW, of course I do,” Rock said. “I’m very happy for the success of that company cause it’s always a good thing and it creates a hunger, which is good.”
Ronda Rousey has become the talk of the town recently after calling out the WWE fans in a recent interview and labelling the members of the WWE Universe as ‘ungrateful’.
Her comments led many to believe that WWE was planting seeds
for the former UFC star’s return as a heel, but latest reports suggest that
this is not the case.
Dave Meltzer talked about Rousey in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. He revealed that there are no immediate plans for her return and confirmed that her recent comments are not a work.
While Meltzer said that he expects the former Champion to
work WrestleMania 37 in Los Angeles next year, she is not expected back on WWE
programming anytime soon.
Ronda Rousey’s Controversial Comments
The controversy sparked from Ronda Rousey’s comments on the
Wild Ride! with Steve-O podcast where the former Champion talked about her time
in WWE.
“So it’s just like … what am I doing it for if I’m not being
able to spend my time and energy on my family, but instead spending my time and
my energy on a bunch of f*cking ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me?
I love performing. I love the girls. I love being out there
… but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F*ck these fans, dude.’ My
family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into
them.”
These comments from Ronda Rousey have created ripples in the wrestling world and sparked negative reactions from WWE stars such as Lana, Nia Jax and more.
What do you think about the former UFC Champion’s remarks about the wrestling business? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
WWE Superstar Cesaro recently appeared on The New Day’s ‘Feel The Power’ podcast. The ‘Swiss Superman’ discussed a number of topics from his WWE career, including the incidents involving ‘beach balls’ in the crowd. The most infamous was during SummerSlam 2017, when Cesaro went into the crowd and ripped up a beach ball on camera.
“Magic things like that just happen and you cannot plan that.” Cesaro began, recalling the moments. “I love it right. So, that was in Brooklyn. And I remember it must have been, I think it was like SummerSlam right? I think it was SummerSlam or something like that.”
Royal Rumble 2017?
Cesaro then talks about an incident that may or may not have occurred, unfortunately there’s some inconsistencies in the story. “Maybe a couple of months earlier it was me and Sheamus against Rollins and Ambrose, and it was at the Royal Rumble. We ended up going on after the Men’s Royal Rumble match and I think that was when Shinsuke won it.”
Nakamura actually won the Royal Rumble in 2018, and after that match Sheamus and Cesaro faced Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan. Watching the match back there doesn’t appear to be any incident, so he may have just got confused with another bout.Potentially from a house show around that time.
“So the crowd just was crazy (following Shinsuke’s win) and we go out and it’s just really hard to get them back into the match. Certain spots on the card are sometimes tougher to get the crowd into it. But I’m always like ‘no, forget it. Don’t worry, we’ll, we’ll get them out, I’ll find a way.’ We all find a way to do something.”
Frickin’ Beach Balls
Cesaro elaborated further, talking about the crowd not reacting to the match itself. “You’re look up and there’s frickin’ beach balls, and I’m like ‘why are they not paying attention?’ I look over there’s a beach ball. We’re all just trying our hardest to make it great right? I think Sheamus and Rollins are in there and like Sheamus is like ‘what’s going on?’ Because like he doesn’t see the beach balls he’s focused on [what’s going on] in the ring right? And I just look at Sheamus, I see the beach balls jumping around and I’m like ‘I don’t want to jump in the crowd, and then not get the beach ball. I’d look like an idiot (laughs).'”
‘SCREW THAT BEACH BALL THIS IS MY MATCH!’ – Cesaro
Cesaro finished by discussing how cathartic the feeling was of destroying the distraction to his match. “I wait till like one of our security or something just secures it, so now it’s in one place. And I just look at Sheamus he goes like ‘DON’T MOVE’ (laughs). I run over and grab it. It’s just like one of those like ‘no screw you (the fans) this is OUR thing.’ So when I saw that beach ball I was like ‘okay I’m not gonna let that beach ball ruin my match.’ I was like, ‘SCREW THAT BEACH BALL THIS IS MY MATCH!’. Again an organic moment that was authentic.
Drew McIntyre is at the top of the wrestling world right now after defeating Brock Lesnar and winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36 from the Performance Center.
However, he had hit rock bottom at a point and the former
champion did not know what the future held for him after becoming a jobber and
then subsequently getting released from the company in 2014.
McIntyre talked about the time during his interview with The Guardian. Revealing his reaction to his WWE firing, the former TNA star said that he blamed his own self for it:
“When I was fired I told myself: ‘This is on you.’ The only person I had to blame was myself. I said: ‘This was the dream you wanted. You’re gonna have to prove to everybody you are who they thought you were in the beginning.’ “
Drew McIntyre went on to say that after this, he started
working as hard as he can. He travelled as much as he could and took every
booking he got to build himself back up:
“And from that moment on, I was in the gym, working as hard as I could. I was travelling as much as I could. Anybody who would have me, I would wrestle for them. Any interview I could do to practise getting better at situations like this, I would do, just to build myself up in every possible area.”
The hard work he put into his career finally paid off after McIntyre got rehired by WWE in 2017. After having a lengthy and successful run in NXT, he has finally achieved the biggest goal for any WWE star by main eventing WrestleMania and winning the world title.
Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush has taken issue with WWE’s recently announced Cruiserweight Tournament. The round-robin tournament will be held to determine an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion while current champion Jordan Devlin is stuck in the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic. This renders him unable to defend his title, hence the decision to crown an Interim.
Taking to his Twitter account, Lio Rush wrote: “Is this still April fools!? Face with tears of joy. No Man Of The Hour? No 25-year-old piece of gold? No Versace Doctor? No Former Cruiserweight Champion? No LIO MF RUSH!?”
Rush followed up with another message. This tweet highlighted how he hasn’t been featured in a WWE video game, doesn’t have an action figure, and has been excluded from the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. He ended it by asking, “@WWE y’all want to tell me something?”
Lio Rush previously held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for 63 days. He lost the belt to Angel Garza last year on the December 11 episode of NXT.
Eight men have been announced to vie for the title. They include KUSHIDA, Tony Nese, Jake Atlas, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa, Gentlemen Jake Gallagher and a returning Drake Maverick. The tournament begins this Wednesday night on NXT.
All Elite Wrestling announcer Jim Ross has reflected on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s heel turn at WrestleMania X-Seven. He also shared details on his current relationship with Vince McMahon.
Ross shared how he doesn’t believe Austin’s heel turn would have worked at any point during that time because of his popularity with the fans. He likened it to Western director John Ford casting John Wayne to play a Nazi. Ross contextualized how the turn took place in Austin’s home state at a WrestleMania. This created a situation where Austin “could do no wrong.”
“[…] if you go back and watch that on the WWE Network or wherever, you’ll see that the ovation Austin got coming out was nothing short of extraordinary,” Jim Ross told Top Rope Nation Podcast. “So I just don’t think it ever would have worked because he was that great of a babyface. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was a folk hero, he was a hero to many working, blue-collar people. I just never saw it working very well.”
Jim Ross & Vince McMahon
Having become a part of WWE’s competition, Jim Ross shared that he still casually talks with Vince McMahon. He divulged that they speak during the holidays, acknowledging how Vince is an incredibly busy man. This makes a sit-down, casual catchup pretty unrealistic. That being said, they do text one another, with Ross noting he had messaged him over WrestleMania 36’s success given the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’d say our relationship is casually friendly at best, at worst, I mean. If I needed something, I know that I could call Vince and the request discussed, it’d be, I think, accommodated. And he knows I’m the same way.”
Jim Ross stressed that this doesn’t mean he’s going to work with him again. He stated how he’s got a great job in AEW and has just started the second year of a three year contract. As far as he’s concerned, he made the right move for himself by signing with AEW.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has sent out a message of thanks to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Speaking with TMZ Sports, McIntyre shared how Johnson had previously pointed to him as WWE’s next breakout star. This recognition meant a lot to McIntyre who stated he was “doing nothing” of note at that time.
McIntyre explained how when Johnson singled him out, he wasn’t showcasing his personality or on a winning streak. “It’s interesting for guys like Vince McMahon and The Rock. When they see something in somebody that maybe others don’t, or maybe you don’t see in yourself—I wanna say thank you to him for seeing that in me, too. It’s pretty cool, these people who believed in me who are so influential in the entertainment industry, and things are coming to be that they saw in me.”
He added how he wanted to inspire others to pursue their dreams and shared that one of his personal mantras is to “never surrender.” McIntyre noted how you never know how close you could be to accomplishing your dreams, and so you should never stop pursuing them because success could be just around the corner.
Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar on Night Two of WrestleMania 36 to claim the WWE Championship.
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In the wake of WrestleMania 36, there has been much discussion regarding two of the show’s cinematic matchups. Both the Boneyard match and the Firefly Fun House match were shot cinematically. This has led to speculation that WWE could continue delivering matchups in this style.
With the Boneyard match having received positive feedback, it appears cinematic matchups could become a fixture for The Undertaker. If that’s the case, one dream opponent has been brought up by multiple people within the industry: Sting.
On a recent episode of Booker T’s podcast The Hall of Fame, he and Renee Young discussed the possibility of Sting and The Undertaker finally wrestling each other.
Young argued how cinematic matchups shouldn’t be used too frequently. She believes, if they are, they will lose what makes them special. “Either they need to be saved and not be overdone to keep them very special, obviously an Undertaker vs. Sting situation would fall into the category, but is it something we want to see all he time? I don’t know.”
She explained how these pre-recorded clashes should be reserved for special occasions. Young did note that if Boneyard matchups become a WrestleMania staple to help “keep the lore of The Undertaker existing,” then she’s all for it.
Booker T On WWE’s Creativity
Booker T added how the coronavirus pandemic forced them to be more creative in how they delivered WrestleMania 36. He shared how he would have loved to have performed in a similar matchup during his career.
“People always wonder if they are ever going to see that match. Sting vs. The Undertaker. This would actually be a way to go out there and do it because I don’t think The Undertaker took one bump,” Booker T said. “That’s the beauty of being able to go out there and create magic, and I’ll tell you, this is where I thought WWE was really going to shine and really bring out the machine and the magic. I’ll go back to when they brought the hologram Bray Wyatt thing back, and it was so awesome. I was like, ‘man, this is cool stuff right here,’ and they [have] the ability to do great stuff here and to do so many different things with this time we’re going through right now.”
Booker T acknowledged that WWE is going to have to work harder to create original content going forward. He believes there is only so long WWE can perform in empty arena matches before audiences disconnect with the product. The creativity showcased in the Boneyard and Firefly Fun House matchups, however, indicate WWE’s willingness to explore other creative outlets—one he wished King Booker could have been involved with.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has defended Ronda Rousey from fans and Superstars responding negatively to her recent comments. Rousey shared her opinion on wrestling fans during a recent interview. She argued that she shouldn’t have to spend her time and energy on “ungrateful fans” that don’t appreciate her or what she does.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry stated that Rousey was “100% right” right for feeling how she does. He believes people should show more appreciation for Rousey and other stars who came into pro wrestling from other sports.
Henry argued how, “Yes, you’re judged by a different grade. But every now and then, you get one or two or three people, like a Ronda Rousey and a Kurt Angle, who come into the sport and they’re so damn good, that what would it have looked like if they had been in forever?”
He added how Rousey deserves more respect and that her feelings towards competing full-time could be a result of the lack of respect she feels she has been given. He stated that the WWE Universe paid money to watch her fail, because “that’s what our fans do.”
According to him, fans are interested to see if someone from outside the wrestling industry can come in and succeed. He stressed how Rousey came in, “put both fingers up to the world” and showed everyone she could. Henry stated that she showed the world she was as good and passionate about pro wrestling as “every woman that came before her.”
Ronda Rousey recently discussed her future with the WWE and made comments about WWE fans. ?
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) April 11, 2020
Mark Henry On Recognition
Mark Henry noted how all she wanted was recognition for her ability and love for the pro wrestling. Henry said that, although 90% of fans gave her props, it was the 10% that “made Ronda Ronda Rousey not want to do pro wrestling full-time.”
Henry added how, to him, Ronda Rousey is a winner and has accomplished so much in under three years. He stressed how if fans paid her more respect, perhaps she would be more willing to compete and entertain the WWE Universe.
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Returning RAW Superstar Nia Jax has responded to Ronda Rousey’s recent comments regarding pro wrestling. Several Superstars have reacted negatively to Rousey’s comments where she lambasted wrestling fans, arguing that she shouldn’t be spending her time and energy for “f*cking ungrateful fans” that don’t appreciate her.
Nia Jax Wants To “Go Down In History”
Taking to her Twitter account, Nia Jax explained how she couldn’t wait for Rousey to eventually return to the ring. If she does, Jax promised that she will do everything in her power to get an opportunity against the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion. If that happens, Jax promised she would go down in history as the one who “knocked her the F**K out!”
“I can’t wait for Ronda 2 one day return 2 WWE. Even if WWE orders me to make Ronda look good in the ring, which is the ONLY way for Ronda 2 look good in the ring w/me. I’ll risk my job 2 go down in history as the one from this biz that knocked her the F**K out! #TestMeBitch”
Nia Jax returned to in-ring action after being away since April 2019. This was because she had to undergo double knee surgery. It didn’t take her long to assert her dominance, however. She defeated Deonna Purrazzo in a short matchup, using a new finisher that had been gifted from former WWE Superstar Paige.
WWE Superstar The Big Show was the first competitor to face Drew McIntyre for his newly won WWE Championship. Big Show would challenge McIntyre to a matchup in a segment aired on the RAW following WrestleMania 36. He would subsequently lose to the new champion.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Big Show explained how McIntyre is the champion that RAW deserves right now. He noted how he has been a fan of Drew McIntyre for ten years, but acknowledged that his initial run “didn’t work out.”
“He’s one tough son of a gun,” Big Show stated. “I’m really proud of him, and he’s the champion that Raw deserves. There are a lot of interesting matches with him in the future that I’d like to see.”
Big Show explained that his return on Monday Night RAW wasn’t necessarily about being a babyface or a heel. Instead, he wanted fans to understand that it was about being a competitor. He explained how “I’ve been a WWE competitor for four decades, and a lot of the locker room was my responsibility—that’s what happens for the old guys.”
Former WWE 24/7 Champion Drake Maverick is gearing up for an in-ring return. Maverick will be taking part in WWE’s recently announced Cruiserweight Tournament. The tournament will crown an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. This decision was made as the current champion Jordan Devlin is unable to travel due to the coronavirus virus.
Taking to his Twitter account, Maverick uploaded a video reflecting on his impending return to action. He shared how, after his matchup with Mike Kanellis on 205 Live, he promised himself he wouldn’t compete in a WWE ring again. However, he “got the bug” to wrestle, admitting there’s no other feeling than the support of the WWE Universe.
Maverick revealed how “[…] since then, I’ve been knocking on the doors about being an in-ring competitor…and that wasn’t working out for me.” This lack of progress caused him to suffer from self-doubt before finally being announced for the upcoming Tournament.
Notably, Drake Maverick shared that NXT General Manager William Regal will be taking over the WWE Cruiserweight division going forward. He took the opportunity to thank Regal for taking the reins as he attempts to capture the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
“There’s a lot of hunger in here that I don’t think I’ve been able to express or show the WWE Universe, and I’m not taking this opportunity lightly,” he said. “And that’s all it is: It’s an opportunity. But I’m not coming here underconfident. I’m not entering the tournament with anything on my mind but being a winner. I’m gonna be the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion.”
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