Seth Rollins is expected to take some time off from WWE, but for his fans, the good news is that he won’t be gone for long.
It was reported last week that WWE has planned for Rollins to take some time off next month to be with Becky Lynch as their first child is set to be born.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Rollins isn’t expected to miss much ring time. In fact, the belief is Rollins will be back on WWE TV fairly quickly.
As of this writing, there is still no word on the exact date that Rollins’ break will start, but it was indicated that he will be off for the month of December.
With this timeline, it could put him back in time for the Royal Rumble build in January and the beginning of WrestleMania 37 season. As it stands right now, WrestleMania is still expected to take place in late March.
WWE booked Rollins in a singles match against Murphy on Friday Night SmackDown. He’ll also work the Traditional 5-on-5 Elimination Match against Team RAW as he’ll be on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
It’s been reported that WWE rushed this singles match and rushed to the blow-off to the Rey Mysterio feud on last week’s SmackDown due to Rollins taking time off.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed Zelina Vega’s release from WWE.
Thea Trinidad/Vega’s release came as a shock last weekend, and may questions have been raised regarding WWE and their ongoing ‘independent contractor’ status for their on-air talent. Bully Ray would give his perspective on the situation, saying that there may be more than meets the eye.
“To see the situation surface value? I obviously understand why so many people would be pissed off” Bully Ray began on the show. “But when you’re looking at the surface? When you’re looking at the tip of the iceberg? All you’re seeing is the tip. The majority of the iceberg lies beneath and that’s where the truth lies, all the way beneath.”
Bully Ray on Zelina Vega
Bully Ray would then discuss how the situation is more based on business rather than personal issues. “I’ve said this before when it comes to many instances with talent in the WWE. This is not a ‘hey we don’t like you Thea so we’re not letting you do your Twitch or your YouTube’ or whatever extracurricular things she was doing.”
“It has nothing to do with personal stuff” Bully Ray continued. “This is all business. What people need to realise is this: when you sign a WWE contract as an independent contractor? They basically own every single thing you do. Period. End of story.”
Ray would then talk specifics about WWE contracts, saying “there are paragraphs in a WWE contract that specifically talk about what Thea and other talents are doing with Twitch and third party [sites]. Does it name Twitch by name? I don’t know. An updated version of a WWE contract probably does say Twitch, I don’t know, but I’m sure it specifically outlines Twitch, or YouTube or Cameo or any of these other avenues in which WWE wrestlers can use their persona, name, or likeness to earn extra money that WWE is not in control of.”
Where do you think Zelina Vega/Thea Trinidad will end up? Let us know in the comments
Paul Heyman has described WWE Champion Drew McIntrye as a “god sent to WWE” during a recent interview with talkSPORT ahead of Sunday’s Survivor Series event.
Despite his high praise, however, Heyman stressed how McIntyre will always be the “biggest Superstar with the secondary championship.”
“The problem here is that Drew McIntyre is a god sent to WWE. A magnificent performer. A tremendous human being. A fantastic representative of the WWE brand,” Heyman explained. “He will end up with a championship reign that will be deserving of the Mount Rushmore of championship reigns.”
Heyman stated how the issue lies in McIntyre being the right guy, at the right place, but at the wrong time.
He explained his thought process, sharing how ” Drew McIntyre is always going to be the biggest superstar with the secondary championship because it’s not the championship that makes the man, it’s the man that makes the championship.”
According to Heyman, the “biggest single Superstar” in WWE right now is Roman Reigns. He believes that come this Sunday at Survivor Series, Reigns will demonstrate why he is the “most important champion” in WWE.
Paul Heyman shared how, as great as Drew McIntyre is, the WWE Champion will have to accept that he is simply secondary to the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
McIntyre recently defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship on Monday Night Raw. This victory means he will face off against Roman Reigns in a Champion vs. Champion matchup this Sunday at Survivor Series. Paul Heyman is set to accompany Reigns to ringside.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has detailed what he believes the promotion could be doing better, acknowledging that it has made a few mistakes along the way.
Speaking with Konnan on his podcast Keeping it 100, Jericho discussed how, despite AEW’s success, there have been “details that sometimes slip through the cracks.”
“We still have quite a few times when very similar angles will happen one after the other. An example of that was a few weeks ago when the big question was if MJF would join The Inner Circle,” Jericho said.
“I think there was a town hall when Bischoff was asking the questions. As soon as we were done, we went to a package where Taz was asking if Hobbs will join Taz’ team.”
According to Jericho, he brought up the similarities in a production meeting, asking how it happened. He stressed how the segments were the “exact same thing” and that nobody noticed.
Looking to try and differentiate the two segments, Jericho pitched a few ideas. This extended to leaning into different wording between the two stories. He explained how they used “Will MJF join The Inner Circle was the tagline for our PPV match, therefore any other joinings should be suspended for this duration.”
He stated how that approach is “common sense” before admitting that, sometimes, “those things fall through the cracks.”
Chris Jericho then stressed how, if there’s one thing AEW can do going forward, it’s to commit “a little more attention to detail.”
Chris Jericho And Comedy
When Konnan asked if Jericho thinks he’s doing too much comedy in AEW, Jericho argued that, regardless, his feuds always have heat.
He explained how his storylines will always have a beginning, middle, and end that is meticulously planned out. Jericho added how he’s not booking anybody else, only himself.
Jericho explained how, to have a captivating, compelling story, “there has to be ups and downs.”
He then argued how the original idea and connection between himself and MJF stemmed from comedy as “they are very similar characters.”
He added how the ultimate end goal is to turn everybody into much bigger stars by feuding with him. “At this point in my career, all I’m about is entertaining and being creatively stimulated and not doing the same old same old.”
Jericho then reflected on the recent Le Dinner Debonair segment with MJF. He credited MJF with the idea before praising him as a “childhood prodigy.”
“The song and dance routine, I wouldn’t do that with anybody, that was MJF’s idea by the way. The guy was a childhood prodigy. He’s been singing and dancing since he was five years old. If there was ever a time to try it, let’s do it. Are we going to do it every week? No. Is it something people will always remember? Yes.”
WWE Superstars The New Day are featured in a new DLC character pack for the popular Gears 5 video game.
Gears 5 is a third-person shooter video game that developed by The Coalition for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Windows PC. It is the fifth installment of the Gears of War series.
The New Day Pack is free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks. Claim your Perks by going to your Perks gallery on your Xbox console or Xbox App on Windows 10 PC.
New Day in Gears 5
Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E are huge video game fans, so this has to be a huge honor for them to be featured in a non-WWE video game.
After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books ?) I’m happy to announce that myself @TrueKofi & @WWEBigE somehow convinced them make us playable dlc characters in #Gears5@Xbox
If you thought getting popped by gnashers got on your nerves, wait until its us doing it ? pic.twitter.com/nweuRLSzi7
Jon Moxley somewhat casually mentioned he has a pregnant wife at home during a promo on AEW Dynamite this week. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Renee has been pregnant for some time now and was about to make a public announcement. Moxley was the one who decided to reveal the news in a wrestling promo, however.
At first, Moxley is said to have not wanted to announce anything but realized it was unavoidable. He was shown examples of other celebrities who have publicly announced a pregnancy and did not like what he saw.
“He was shown instagram notices on how celebrities have done it and found them gross and pretentious but never even considered the idea of announcing it in a wrestling promo. Then at 2 a.m. before the show, he came up with the inspiration to do a promo about his dad, which, by the way, was 100 percent real,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
He is then said to have determined the morning of the show that he can tie in Renee’s pregnancy with the promo he was going to deliver that night about his dad. He told Renee her phone would be blowing up during the broadcast and that was that.
Former Smackdown Women’s Champion, Bayley, found out about the pregnancy before others. She noted on Twitter that Renee actually sent her a text about it that was meant to go to Moxley.
WWE announced Zelina Vega’s release Friday afternoon, just minutes after she tweeted her support for unionization. Her abrupt departure from the company and the subsequent fallout have been one of the top stories we’ve been tracking over the past week.
Vega issued a heartfelt message thanking WWE for the experience, as well as several key people who believed in her and helped her achieve the success that she did. She would later describe the past week as “literal hell.”
A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Vega was unceremoniously escorted out of the building at Friday’s SmackDown taping after Vince McMahon refused to meet with her:
“According to one person in the company with knowledge of the situation, she was told about it by Mark Carrano, asked to talk to Vince McMahon and Carrano told her that he doesn’t want to talk to you and [she] was escorted out of the building.”
WWE has publicly confirmed that Zelina Vega was released because she breached her contract. Vega is a popular online streamer. In addition to her very lucrative presence on Twitch, she also recently launched an account on OnlyFans, where people can subscribe for $30/month to receive exclusive videos and photos of “cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more.”
News of Zelina Vega’s clash with WWE has caught the attention of politician Andrew Yang, as well as the prominent Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) labor union. Her fallout with WWE has brought renewed attention to WWE’s questionable classification of talent as independent contractors.
AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on The Wade Keller Pro Wrestling podcast. The All Elite Wrestling owner discussed a number of topics during his time on the show; including issues during the pandemic and the AEW roster growing over the past year.
“I would say, 10 out of the top 10 issues are related to the pandemic” Tony Khan began on the show. “So, I’d have to really go pretty deep to find a big problem that was not related to the pandemic!”
Tony Khan on AEW Roster
Khan would also discuss how the growth of the AEW roster has really surprised him. The AEW head would state that he wasn’t even conscious of the amount of great talent on the independent scene after AEW began.
“I’ve been really pleasantly surprised how many great wrestlers we’ve added since we started. We had a great group when we started, then we did a big pay per view right off the bat with Double or Nothing in MGM Grand.”
“We did great, great shows over that first summer when we launched Dynamite” Tony Khan would continue. “We launched Dynamite with a really great roster. And we’ve added so many people in the year since.”
Tony Khan
Khan would finish by teasing that there are still some ‘big’ names out in the ether that AEW are negotiating with. “There’s people still debuting on Dynamite and there’s people that are working their way up our roster on Dark that I’m really excited about. Then there’s big names that nobody knows about that I’m talking to. So, I’ve got a lot of aces up my sleeve.”
Here are the latest betting odds for WWE Survivor Series:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns is the favorite (-200) over new WWE Champion Drew McIntyre (+150)
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks is favored (-160) over Raw Women’s Champion Asuka (+120)
The odds are even between Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (-120) and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (-120)
United States champion Bobby Lashley is heavily favored (-325) over Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn (+215)
With the two traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 elimination matches:
Women’s Team SmackDown is favored (-170) over Team Raw (+130)
Men’s Team Raw is favored (-180) over Tea m SmackDown (+140)
In addition to the main card, Survivor Series will mark the 30-year anniversary of The Undertaker’s legendary career. WWE is advertising this as his Final Farewell, but it remains to be seen if he’s actually wrestled his final match. Odds from Sports Betting Dime.
WWE Survivor Series takes place this Sunday, November 22nd from Orlando, FL. For more information on the Survivor Series, click here.
The Undertaker has evolved his character several times over the decades. Each change helped breathe fresh life into his “Dead Man” gimmick. Now, as ‘Taker heads towards his 30th Anniversary at Survivor Series, he has revealed which version of “The Dead Man” has been his favorite.
Speaking with Matt Camp on WWE’s The Bump, The Undertaker highlighted how, although he enjoyed playing the American Badass, this version wasn’t his favorite. Regardless, the American Badass still holds a special place for him. The Undertaker noted that this was mostly because he could “talk however I wanted.”
He then shared that only one version could ever be considered his favorite: the original Deadman.
“I mean the traditional Undertaker, obviously, because that’s the one that first debuted,” he said. “But probably the most fun was the American Badass because I could talk however I wanted. It was perfect for the time period that we were in. But yeah, I think the original Deadman was my favorite.”
WWE has been celebrating the legendary career of The Undertaker all throughout November. In honor of his career, WWE has been airing ’30 Days of the Deadman’ specials on the WWE Network.
All of WWE’s Undertaker celebrations culminate with this Sunday’s Survivor Series event. The pay-per-view will host a ‘Final Farewell,’ celebrating The Undertaker’s 30th Anniversary.
WWE Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 22nd from the Thunderdome in Orlando, FL.
Pat McAfee has been incredibly vocal on NXT as of late, often speaking on behalf of his new NXT stable. In a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, McAfee shared how NXT allows him greater creative freedom. He explained how he’s not interested in delivering scripted promos if the main roster came calling.
“Yeah, probably not,” McAfee said on the subject. “I’m in such a good situation where I can say that. I have a business, I have 10 employees, my guys and I go to work every single day trying to do our show and we have a merch business that does really well. Literally, everything I’ve said in promos is true. I’m in a very lucky situation for everything I’ve been in and I understand that a lot of professional wrestlers aren’t.”
McAfee acknowledged how he’s in a unique situation. His particular situation allows him to discuss ideas with WWE’s creative team if he isn’t comfortable with what they’ve pitched. He confessed that’s he’s “not a good reader” and that he’s “never read a book in my entire life.”
He was quick to add that this isn’t something to brag about, noting how kids should read. McAfee then added how reading just isn’t his thing as he’s a more visual learner. Ultimately, McAfee conceded that he isn’t a good enough actor to deliver scripted promos. If he were forced to, he believes it wouldn’t be good for himself or WWE.
Pat McAfee Discusses Watching From The Sidelines
Regarding his potential in-ring future, Pat McAfee revealed how he had watched enviously from the sidelines for many years. According to him, he was itching for the chance to compete inside the squared circle.
“For two and a half years I had to sit on that goddamn kickoff show panel just asking for an opportunity to do this whole thing, and now that I’ve gotten the opportunity to go, I’m gonna go as hard as I can and do everything I think I should be doing and try to make it as enjoyable and as entertaining as possible.”
He acknowledged how NXT has put a lot of trust in him to “do what I wanna do.”
McAfee shared how he loves being a part of NXT alongside his new stable, describing it as his favorite thing to do on Earth.
WWE Superstar Cesaro has shared how he tries to make his matches stand out by doing something different each time.
The SmackDown Superstar was a recent guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Cesaro explained how he never wanted to be the kind of Superstar who does the “same stuff over, and over, and over again.”
According to the “Swiss Superman,” he wants to ensure he gives his fans a reason to not only watch but pay attention during his matches. He revealed how “that’s my goal because I feel they need to be rewarded.”
This workhorse mentality has helped establish Cesaro amongst the WWE Universe. Many fans have pointed to him as an underrated, underused talent. When Garcia discussed this idea with him, Cesaro confessed it made him feel “validated.”
“There’s only so much that I can control. There’s a lot of stuff that is out of my control. For them to say that, I feel like they’re saying that I’m making the absolute best with what I’ve been given,” Cesaro said.
He confessed how to be thought of in that way is a “huge acknowledgment” of what he does. Cesaro shared how he wanted fans to see him stand up for quality and honesty. He added how he will always give the fans one hundred percent of himself, no matter what.
Current All Elite Wrestling TNT Champion Darby Allin has opened up about his in-ring style during an interview with TVInsider. During the discussion, Allin also shared his thoughts on being viewed as a fan favorite competitor.
When it comes to his pro wrestling training, Allin revealed he learned under an “old school” coach. He explained how this old school mentality makes its way into his matches.
“My trainer is old school. His name is Buddy Wayne. He is super old school. I’ve learned the old-school style, and I do apply it if you see my matches. It’s not just high spots,” Allin said. “There is a lot of storytelling behind everything I do. There is a brain behind what I do. As far as what people say about me, that I need to slow down, I know what works for me, and my body feels great. I’m really on physical therapy, recovery, stretching, and icing. I feel great.”
Darby Allin On Being a Role Model
Allin confessed it feels good to have been so well-received by AEW’s fanbase. He noted how they’ve embraced him for being himself. This ability to just portray himself on-screen means he doesn’t feel “any added pressure” to be a role model.
“I’m going to keep being myself. I never said I was a role model, but if they want to take me as one I’m down. A lot of kids for example look at me because I’m straight edge. I don’t drink or do drugs. I feel like that’s a cool outlook for kids to see.”
Allin recalled having anti-drug groups visit his school when he was younger. He shared how these groups would dictate what they should and shouldn’t do. Allin questioned this approach. According to Allin, he’s happy to have fans see him as a role model as he is a living embodiment of his personal ideologies.
Darby Allin recently competed on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He teamed with Cody in a losing effort against FTW Champion Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
Zelina Vega has revealed how the past week has been a “literal hell” for her following her WWE release. Taking to her Twitch account for a live stream, Vega shared how difficult the past seven days have been, noting how Friday was one of the worst days of her life.
“The past week has been hell. Literal hell. Friday was the worst day of my life, well, since 2001,” Vega said. “When you hear about me in the social media world, sometimes misinformation can be spread.”
Vega explained how it was important for her fans to get to really know her. She noted how she was “someone who let people walk all over me.” Vega opened up about her insecurities and would often not stand up for herself. Following the announcement of her WWE release, she admitted she expected the “absolute worst” on her social media.
“I was pleasantly surprised. I thought people were going to look at me like the devil. Let’s just say that the narrative has been spun completely out of control and is completely wrong,” Vega said. “When people see the real story that I put out, that’s who I am. I’ve learned to grow as a person. I’ve known to realize my worth and stand up for who I am, and appreciate the things I’ve gotten along the way.”
Since her release from the company, Zelina Vega has reportedly had a “very powerful” conversation with SAG-AFTRA in relation to her support for unionization within pro wrestling.
Leon Ruff surprised the WWE Universe by upsetting Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American Championship. In an interview with WWE’s The Bump, Ruff reflected on his sudden rise to stardom and how he thought he was being pranked when WWE first contacted him.
Ruff confessed his world has been turned upside down since his victory. “This whole experience has been crazy,” Ruff said. “It’s also been a dream come true. I haven’t been able to sleep, still. I smile a lot, but I do that a lot anyway.”
When WWE first called him with an offer to appear on Monday Night Raw, allowing him to embrace his dream, Ruff recalled thinking it was a prank call. When he realized it was WWE, however, he described how it felt “unbelievable” to be talking with the promotion.
“Monday Night RAW was a brand I couldn’t watch growing up because we had a bedtime, and it came on too late,” Ruff said. “So when I finally started watching RAW, it was a new world to me. To not being able to watch it as a kid, and now I’m going to be featured on Monday Night RAW? It was something I couldn’t believe was happening to me.”
Leon Ruff faced off against Johnny Gargano in a championship rematch during this week’s episode of NXT. Ruff won the match via disqualification after Damien Priest punched him, purposefully costing Gargano the bout.
NXT Superstar and former NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley may be heading towards WWE’s main roster.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Ripley could soon be featured on either WWE’s red or blue brand. He revealed how he had recently “heard talk of Ripley moving to the main roster.”
Rhea Ripley competed on this week’s episode of NXT. She faced off against current NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai in a hard-hitting affair. Despite her best efforts, Ripley lost her bout to Shirai. After the match, the women embraced and showcased mutual respect for one another. Meltzer noted how the matchup and respect shown was done to showcase “finishing up their story.”
Following their match on the black-and-yellow brand, both Ripley and Shirai were listed on NXT’s Injury Report. Ripley reportedly suffered multiple contusions, with her ear getting split and bleeding at one point during the bout. Shirai, meanwhile, is said to be dealing with a sore neck.
Ripley has already had experience competing for WWE’s main roster audience. As well as her Survivor Series 2019 appearance as a part of Team NXT, she more recently competed against Charlotte Flair. The two competed for the NXT Women’s Championship during Day 2 of WrestleMania 36 back in April. Flair defeated Ripley for the championship gold.
AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 850,000 viewers, 0.37 rating (7th on cable for the night)
NXT: 638,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (56th on cable for the night)
For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.778 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the key demo. AEW and NXT combined tied Raw in the Adults 18-49 demo.
The big story this week is the strength of AEW’s numbers. This was the second best rating for Dynamite of 2020, only behind the January 15th Bash at the Beach episode. Dynamite, while going head-to-head with NXT, actually beat Raw in the Adults 18-34 demo. This is extra impressive considering Raw featured Drew McIntyre defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event.
You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:
Jade Cargill the latest guest on this week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast. Cargill made her AEW television debut last week on Dynamite and has moved right into prominent storylines with Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
During her discussion with Aubrey Edwards and and Tony Schiavone, Cargill spoke about training at the Nightmare Factory with QT Marshall, being inspired by WWE legend Chyna, running her own fitness business, being a mother and more.
She credits QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes with helping launch her pro wrestling career. “Dustin’s really been geared in,” she said. “He’s been making sure that I’m prepared. He made my debut super easy for me. He talked me through everything as well as QT at the Nightmare Factory. They’ve been sitting down, talking to me, rehearsing with me, making sure that everything is perfect.”
Jade Cargill in AEW
Jade Cargill has a unique look with her bodybuilder frame and long silver hair. She recalls guys picking on her when she was younger, but turned to WWE legend Chyna for inspiration. Chyna was empowered by her muscles, which led Cargill to feel the same way about her own body.
“Growing up I’ve always been muscular and I used to always get picked on by guys saying, ‘Oh she looks like a man. She’s too muscular.’ And I remember growing up and watching Chyna and seeing how she just embodied, just loved how she looked, and it just did nothing but empower me and make me say, ‘You know what? I look good. These muscles look great!'”
“I was just sitting around with my friends, and they said, ‘You know what color you should wear? You should wear the silver or the white color.’ And I said, ‘Oh wow! I would love that!’ And they said, ‘You know, you look like Storm.’ I tried it, and I loved it. I love what she stands for. She’s a powerful Black woman, and I think I stand for that same thing.”
Jade Cargill recently signed a multi-year deal with AEW, so fans can expect to see
Listen to Jade Cargill’s appearance on AEW Unrestricted at Omny.fm or in the player embedded below:
Raw Superstar Alexa Bliss has divulged details about her WWE contract, revealing in an interview with Better Together with Maria Menounos when it expires.
The topic came up after Menounos asked the recently engaged Bliss if she and Ryan Cabrera planned on having children. Bliss informed her that the two have discussed the possibility once her WWE contract has expired.
“We discussed we would see, you know, once my WWE contract is over, where we’re at,” Bliss said. “That’s in about 3, 3.5 years! He’s totally fine with that, like, ‘yeah, I’m good! I just don’t want to be 45 and having my first kid!'”
Alexa Bliss On Firefly Fun House Influences
During the interview, Alexa Bliss also opened up about her recent on-screen transformation and alignment with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. When asked about any shows she may have drawn inspiration from for her new Firefly Fun House character, Bliss pointed to several kids’ shows, including The Big Comfy Couch.
“I was watching The Big Comfy Couch. I rewatched this sing-a-long called Sing A Long With Silly Wen. But she used to wear the pig tales, and so did the girl from the big comfy couch. I’ve just been watching that, and Nick Jr, and I’ve been watching Blues Clues again.”
On a recent episode of Monday Night Raw, Bliss aligned herself fully with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, much to the surprise and chagrin of her long-time best friend, Nikki Cross.
WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The former WWE Champion and RAW Superstar discussed a number of topics during his time on the show.
These included a potential return to bigger live audiences post COVID-19; Kingston would also discuss what it has been like in the company since the ‘break up’ of The New Day.
Kofi Kingston on The New Day
When discussing the New Day breakup, Kofi would say that he has mixed emotions about it. “A lot of mixed emotions for me” Kingston began on the podcast. “I’ll start with the negatives. [Xavier] Woods has been out, if you really think about it, for the past year? It has been for about a year. He had been out for a legitimately long time, so for a while it was just me and Big E.”
“So we’d already kind of gotten almost like a head start, you know?” Kofi Kingston would continue. “Like a preview. Kind of an easing into what this was. And then all of a sudden? The draft happened and it made it official.”
Big E
“The way that it’s affected me the most? Walking into the locker room and not seeing Big E, then knowing that I’m not going to see him for the whole day? We hadn’t been in the same room physically together since about January [before the Draft] when we shot an episode of the podcast, when Xavier was still injured.”
Kingston would then discuss the main positive of the New Day breaking up. “I’ve said this before in a lot of different interviews as far as like Big E having a legitimate singles run. It’s so necessary, because he has earned it, he deserves it. He would be an amazing face of the company. Big E is smart, talented. He’s also hilarious, but he can be serious if he wants to be, very intimidating if he wants to be.
“You look at him? He’s a physical specimen” Kingston continued. I think that from from an unselfish perspective? He deserves that chance. He deserves to have a legitimate run at a major singles championship.”
Do you agree with Kofi Kingston? Do you think that Big E could end up a major singles Champion? Let us know in the comments
Kofi Kingston and The New Day. Photo Credit: WWE.com
The Undertaker’s episode of Hot Ones is now online.
The Dead Man has been doing the media rounds to promote Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. The event marks his 30th anniversary with WWE. The company is promoting the show as the Undertaker’s Final Farewell.
Hot Ones features celebrities being interviewed by host Sean Evans while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. Here are some highlights of the interview:
The Undertaker spoke about the experience of breaking character over the past year for the Last Ride docuseries and other interviews. He’s been in wrestling for over 30 years and considers himself a very old school guy. It’s awkward for him to talk about the business so openly. The old school ‘rassler’ in him makes him want to ‘close the curtain’ again.
Early in his career, he was absolutely miserable doing media appearances like Regis and Kathie Lee in character. He knew it was great for WWE, but he hated it.
He was asked about the first character he portrayed in wrestling, ‘Commando’ in Central Illinois Wrestling. Undertaker was very impressed with the question, saying, “You’ve done some homework, brother.” He was a starving wrestler at the time, but looks back on those times fondly. His dad gave him some great advice: “The toes you step on on your way to the top are connected to the asses you’re going to have to kiss on the way back down.” This lesson taught him to treats people with respect no matter how big a star you are.
Undertaker named Arn Anderson as the best technical wrestler he ever saw work.
The most impressive physical athlete he’s ever seen is Brock Lesnar. He called Lesnar a freak athlete and couldn’t believe how agile Lesnar was for a big man.
The most savage backstage pranksters were Curt Hennig, Mr. Fuji and Owen Hart. He said Mr Fuji would escalate things to such an extreme level that he couldn’t share the worst of his antics.
The Undertaker on Hot Ones
When asked to name four matches he would recommend as definitive examples of great pro wrestling, he listed:
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat (WM3)
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race (Any of their matches)
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WM25)
Edge and Randy Orton (WM35)
Undertaker spoke about wrestlers court. He said it was a serious thing, but also a friendly, lighthearted way that wrestlers were told they needed to ‘check themselves’ for getting out of line. If you were called into wrestlers court, there was usually a pretty good reason for it, such as ‘gimmick infringement’ (stealing another wrestler’s moves.)
Other topics discussed include his favorite match with Steve Austin, the evolution of his theme music, his love of riding motorcycles and Mike Tyson’s lasting impact on pro wrestling. You can watch The Undertaker on Hot Ones in the YouTube player embedded below:
Several other professional wrestlers have appeared on Hot Ones in recent years, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and Chris Jericho.
After several weeks of rumors, WWE has officially announced they are moving the Thunderdome to Tropicana Field. WWE’s first show from the indoor baseball venue will be Smackdown on Friday, December 11th, 2020. The venue is home to MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays.
No live fans will be permitted in the venue for the foreseeable future, however. WWE noted that events from Tropicana Field will be on “closed sets with only essential personnel in attendance”.
Tampa Bay Rays President, Matt Silverman and WWE’s Kevin Dunn were quoted in a press release.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are excited to welcome WWE to Tropicana Field for this residency and shine a spotlight on the Tampa Bay area for WWE fans around the world,” said Silverman. “The ballpark will be transformed to host the spectacle of WWE ThunderDome, allowing fans to enjoy this wildly popular experience virtually.”
“We are proud to have reimagined the in-arena atmosphere and provide an interactive experience like nothing else in sports and entertainment with the launch of WWE ThunderDome,” said Dunn. “Our fans’ response and industry-wide recognition are both humbling and further validation of the innovative spirit and passion that exist across the entire WWE organization.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on Zelina Vega’s recent WWE release, noting how Vega is one of his “Fav 5” who had been on her way up in the company.
Booker T addressed her release during a recent episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame. He shared how “She was coming up and one day she’s here, the next day she’s gone. Watching her on her Twitch Channel talk about it broke my heart watching her cry.”
Booker T shared how he’s sad to see her go as he thought she was incredibly talented. He believed Vega was the kind of Superstar that “really made a huge difference as far as the card.”
Booker T then expressed how other Superstars who used third-party social media like Vega will now have to “figure out how this thing is going to work” going forward.
“Guys, figure it out because at the end of the day, it’s a bigger picture,” Booker T said. “At the end of the day, you hope the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow or you have someone like Zelina who said I created that pot of gold for myself. I can appreciate that as well but I wanted to say above all, I’m going to miss her because she was talent.”
He revealed how he talked to Green only a few weeks ago about how he was using her match against Charlotte Flair as a study match for his classes.
“I was showing a match with her against Charlotte Flair. It was a match she had in NXT. I was talking about how green Chelsea was and how experienced Charlotte was and the difference between the two of them and how they were working in that same match with each other,” Booker T explained. “You can see and notice the difference between the two. None of it was the big things they did. All of it was the small things. That’s what Chelsea needs to work on. “
Booker T admitted he didn’t see what caused Green’s injury. He added how he noticed how she was moving in the ring. According to him, she didn’t “really pay attention to where she was going before she started her trip. It seemed like she would get on a road and start going and then she would pull out the GPS and figure out on the road where she was. You can’t do that in this business.”
He then shared how he always says people need to learn how to “navigate” their way through a match. Booker T extrapolated this, saying that people needed to know where they were going before they got there, something he argued Chelsea Green didn’t do.
Will Hobbs showed his true color last night on AEW Dynamite. That color is orange.
The main event saw TNT Champion Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes taking on Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Team Taz picked up the win after Cage spiked Allin with an avalanche Drill Claw. After the match, Team Taz beat down Allin and Rhodes, until Will Hobbs came running down to ringside with a steel chair.
Hobbs was a bit late to make the save, as he has been before when saving Allin and Rhodes from Team Taz. As it turns out, this was no coincidence and was actually a big angle playing out before our eyes.
With the heels outside the ring, Hobbs dropped the steel chair, picked up Cage’s FTW Championship smashed into the face of Cody Rhodes. Hobbs embraced Team Taz as the faction’s newest member.
Former WWE Superstar Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) has expressed her interest in becoming a part of All Elite Wrestling’s training team.
During an interview with the Wrestling Inc. Daily Podcast, Victoria discussed how she was “open” to the idea of becoming All Elite.
“I’ve always wanted to be a trainer for the new kids, being an agent or something like that,” Victoria said. “I have a lot to give back I think. I learned a lot like going through a lot of mistakes in the business, what not to do on TV, that kind of stuff, and I think I have a lot of knowledge to share.”
Despite her open interest, however, there was one caveat she brought up as a subject of discussion: travel. Victoria admitted she isn’t sure she can do “four days a week again and have a normal home life.”
“That’s a tough part. You’re sacrificing a lot to go back, so of course, it’d have to be financially viable and something I would enjoy, and I would have to see how the locker room is and see if I get along with everybody. I don’t want to go to a miserable atmosphere. I still want to be in a positive atmosphere.”
Victoria retired from in-ring competition last year. When asked about a potential return, she teased how “you never know.” She admitted she’s not in talks with any promotions about a return before acknowledging that if she were to come back, it would have to be a “good scenario,” not just an empty cameo appearance.
