Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley plans to use Trish Stratus’ kindness against her at WrestleMania.

‘The Role Model’ recently recalled an emotional story about Stratus mentoring her at a difficult period in her career. Stratus opened up to her, which may turn out to be a big mistake.

Stratus has served as a mentor of sorts to several of today’s top female competitors including Bayley and Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Moné in NJPW). Bayley and Banks were the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after winning the titles in 2019. However, defending the titles belts at WrestleMania 35, they lost to the IIconics in a Fatal 4-Way match.

There were reports that the Boss-N-Hug Connection were extremely upset following their loss, but Stratus was there to inspire them and help turn the setback into a learning experience.

Bayley recalled the emotional incident

Over the weekend, Bayley tweeted about Trish consoling her and Sasha Banks after their WrestleMania 35 loss. During this discussion, Stratus opened up about her own ups and downs, as well as her insecurities and weaknesses. Little did she know that she’d be standing across the ring from Bayley four years later.

The Hall of Famer responded to the tweet and stated that at least the Damage CTRL leader already knows how it feels to lose at WrestleMania and will be able to “CTRL” (control) her tears better this time.

“Yah I remember. Well, at least you already know what if feels to lose at #WrestleMania… maybe you can CTRL [control] your tears better this year,” Stratus wrote.

Trish Stratus is set to team up with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Becky Lynch and Lita to take on Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 39.

Veteran star CM Punk has been on the shelf with injury and he was allegedly suspended. He has not been featured in the AEW programming for the past several months. There is a possibility that we might see him back inside the squared circle soon.

Punk had captured the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at All Out last year. However, it was reported that he tore a muscle in his arm during the contest and was also suspended following the controversial media scrum rant.

During the post-AEW All Out media scrum, CM Punk bashed Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks, which received in a ton of backlash. The comments reportedly led to a backstage brawl which grabbed the headlines.

CM Punk rose to prominence at his first promotion which was Ring of Honor (ROH). With the promotion’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view scheduled to take place on March 31, the ROH Hall of Famer could be making his return to the promotion at the event.

CM Punk: Honor Never Dies

The former AEW World Champion recently shared a photo on his Instagram story of him working out. While he was pumping iron, Hatebreed’s ‘Honor Never Dies’ was playing in the background, hinting at a return to Ring of Honor.

Check it out below:

It should also be noted that AEW President Tony Khan owns ROH alongside All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and Punk could return at either of the promotions. We will now have to wait and see what the future holds for CM Punk.

A new report has provided an update on former NXT talent Sarray’s exit from WWE.

Sarray signed with the company in 2020 to join the NXT roster. Unfortunately, her WWE career was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She competed in Japan during that time and also won the SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Tag Championship with her partner Yoshiko on Nov. 27, 2020, against Best Friends (Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto). Sarray and Yoshiko dropped the titles to Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima on Jan. 22, 2021. After losing the SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Tag Championship, Sarray would come to the United States and debut in NXT on April. 20, 2021.

While Sarray came to the company with chances for new opportunities, WWE had difficulty featuring her on the show. She competed in NXT when they shifted to NXT 2.0, which started five months after her debut. During that time, NXT 2.0 began to focus on featuring newer talent like Cora Jade, Elektra Lopez, and Lash Legend, with other established NXT talents like Mandy Rose, Raquel Gonzales, and Kay Lee Ray. Sarray got lost in the shuffle and spent less time on NXT TV. Her last match was against Mandy Rose at NXT 2.0 on Aug. 2, 2022.

After three years, Tokyo Sports reported that Sarray had left the WWE after her contract expired, and she would return to Japan to continue her professional wrestling career. She is expected to hold a press conference on March. 13 in Japan to announce her plans.

Update on Sarray Leaving WWE

Since Tokyo Sports revealed that she had left WWE, fans were curious about what went wrong with her career in NXT. Fightful Select reported that they were told that “…the beginning of the end was actually early in 2022 when many of her biggest supporters were let go from NXT.”

The report continued, “…Sources within the brand said that she never factored into a consistent or major creative fashion after that. We’re told by the spring of 2022 that the writing was on the wall. William Regal’s departure was one that many pointed to as a turning point. Those who frequent the Performance Center said that she hadn’t been around in “ages” and weren’t given any answers when they’d ask about her.” The report shared that it’s acknowledged within WWE that she was given bad creative.

Despite her career in WWE, the report shared that she liked working with up-and-coming talent, including her brief feud with Tiffany Stratton. According to the report, people working in the Performance Center have positive things to say about Sarray.

She will have a match on May. 16 at the Sareee-ISM event at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.

Four wrestlers from the independent scene are lucky to be alive after being involved in a very serious car accident.

On Twitter, the Absolute Intense Wrestling account shared a photo of the wrecked vehicle, and said that Dominic Garrini, Joshua Bishop, Derek Dillinger, and Marino Tenaglia were involved.

Thankfully, the AIW account informed fans that it appears that everyone who was in the car at the time of the accident is going to be okay.

Garrini has competed in promotions including EVOLVE, MLW, and Chikara, and made an appearance for AEW in February of last year.

On the February 16, 2022, taping of AEW Dark: Elevation, Garrini was on the losing end of a ten-man tag team match.

Bishop is also a regular in multiple promotions, and in addition to being the reigning AIW Absolute Champion, holds the BLP Midwest Championship.

Dillinger has dominated AIW for months as the AIW Intense Champion, with his most recent title defense coming at AIW: This Aggression Will Not Stand Man last month.

Next month will mark six years since Tenaglia made his wrestling debut, and has been a regular in Absolute Intense Wrestling throughout his career.

We here at SEScoops would like to extend our best wishes to Dominic Garrini, Joshua Bishop, Derek Dillinger, and Marino Tenaglia at this unfortunate time.

Which match will close out WrestleMania 39: Night One on Saturday, April 1?

With the star power in the match between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes, it has long been accepted that this match will headline Night Two.

WWE is yet to confirm the main event for either night, or whether any match will be on Saturday or Sunday.

Intercontinental Main Event

WWE SmackDown Superstar Sheamus has never closed out a WrestleMania, but he plans on changing that in a matter of weeks.

Sheamus will face friend and longtime rival Drew McIntyre this Friday, with the winner facing Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER at WrestleMania 39.

Taking to Twitter to promote the St. Patrick’s Day clash, Sheamus said that his victory would mean he headlines WrestleMania 39: Night One.

The Sheamus-McIntyre match was formed last week, after both men scored a pinfall during a five-way to determine GUNTHER’s opponent.

It has been reported that WWE’s plan is for a triple-threat match for the title at WrestleMania 39.

The Intercontinental Championship has headlined one WrestleMania, that being WrestleMania 6 when Champion the Ultimate Warrior faced WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in a title-for-title match.

Other Night One Contenders

Sheamus Vs. McIntyre Vs. GUNTHER would be a physical main event to WrestleMania 39: Night One, but it isn’t the only option.

It has been reported that WWE is considering SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley as the closer for the show.

Some have argued that given his popularity, Sami Zayn should headline Night One in the rumored tag match with Kevin Owens against Undisputed WWE Tag Champions The Usos.

Cody Rhodes knows firsthand what it’s like to depart from WWE, reinvent himself outside of the company bubble, and make a return to the promotion. Now, he wants to see Matt Cardona do just that. 

Cardona was with WWE for several years until 2020 when he departed in 2020 before going to AEW that same year for a brief run. He went to Impact Wrestling in January 2022 where he found success. He also found a lot of success in GCW and NWA. He has held the GCW World Championship, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, the Impact Digital Media Championship, and several other titles.

While speaking on Good Karma Wrestling, Cardona came up in the interview. Rhodes called him the king of the indies and wants to see him return to WWE. 

Praise

“I’m really proud of him,” Rhodes said. “He’s out there, he’s doing the Indy God thing with the Indiana Jones hats. Everything Matt’s doing, Matt has been the king of the indies now, this is going on year two. You only usually get one run in that role. He’s going on year two. What Matt does next is gonna be huge. If he goes to AEW, that’d be cool. But if he comes back to WWE, that’s what I want. It would be off the charts. I think he’s a huge get, a huge free agent, and he’s the best he’s ever been.

Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 where he has since been pushed as a top star. He will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription

The decision to end The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WWE WrestleMania is still questioned among fans as Vince McMahon is the one to have made the call for it to end in 2014 at WrestleMania 30 at the hands of Brock Lesnar. 

For years, the undefeated streak wasn’t mentioned at all and in the later stages of Taker’s career, WWE started to use it to further sell WrestleMania. 

While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker was asked who were the others that were considered to break his undefeated streak. He named Edge and Vladmir Kozlov. 

The Names

“By the time we got to WrestleMania, we pretty much knew what was going to go down, but there were a few people I guess that he wanted to break the streak. (Vladimir) Kozlov, he wanted him. It was early on, and I think he wanted Edge to go over and Edge refused. He said, ‘No. I can’t do it.’ That’s how much he respected the streak and me and what that streak meant to the business. I didn’t know that at that time. I didn’t know that until years after. That says a lot about the human being he is.”

Regarding whether he felt Brock should have said no to ending the streak, Taker said he didn’t think Lesnar needed it as he was already a major attraction and a made guy so in his eyes, it didn’t enhance Lesnar anymore. He thinks it would’ve been a great thing for Roman Reigns while he was on the rise. 

“I think it could have helped somebody else. When I got there that day, I was still going over. It’s in the early afternoon. I remember sitting in the dressing room and came in, and as soon as he came in, I knew what it was. He changed the finish. I gave him my spiel and what I thought. It wasn’t no for the sake of not wanting to do the job. It was ‘no’ in the sense that I didn’t feel like Brock needed it. Vince’s counter was, ‘If not Brock, then who beats you?’ Vince can sell ice to an Eskimo. I brought up as many points as I thought, like, looking long term down the road. Vince, his deal too is, who down the road? At that point, I’m year to year. I don’t know when I’m going to pull the trigger and say enough’s enough, so I think he wanted to make sure he got that. I don’t think he ever envisioned that character riding off into the sunset with a perfect record.”

Taker continued by noting that he didn’t know when he was going to retire, but selfishly he would’ve stayed undefeated. However, that’s not how the business goes. He knows there was a lot of talent that let him beat them and it was the right thing to do to pay it back. 

Taker said that the business itself is bigger than the one character and Lesnar was worthy of it. He added that “He was a huge draw at this point, but I don’t think that it helped him the way it would have helped, say Roman at the time.”

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

Don’t expect to see The Undertaker portray his deadman gimmick again because he is done wearing the trench coat and hat. 

This explains why he didn’t portray the gimmick in January when he appeared on WWE Raw XXX where he did a segment with LA Knight and Bray Wyatt. Fans were shocked to hear Kid Rock’s American Bad Ass song play and see Taker drive out on a motorcycle reminiscent of his character that he portrayed in the early 2000s. 

The Undertaker’s Take

While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker noted that those involved with the segment expected him to come out with his iconic character, but those days are gone. 

“They had a different vision. They didn’t even know that I wasn’t going to have the hat and coat. They totally thought I was coming [out as] old Undertaker. I was like, no. That’s part of me and the storytelling, right? When I lifted the curtain, and when I lifted it back and pulled it back, that’s gone. It’s gone now.”

Helwani followed up with asking whether he was done with that and he said, “I won’t bring the hat and coat back out, no.”

He added that because he is now in a public speaker role, he doesn’t think the character can be portrayed in that way anymore.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Former WWE/ECW star Francine has made it clear that she is not happy with WWE using her nickname for Liv Morgan and also referring to Lita with the moniker.

Francine spoke about it on her podcast where she noted that WWE using the “Queen of Extreme” moniker for Morgan is unacceptable in her eyes. During a recent edition of Raw, Corey Graves also mentioned Lita as the “Queen of Extreme,” a play on her connected to Team Extreme with The Hardy Boyz. 

Francine owns the trademark rights to the nickname that she filed for months ago as she first used it when in ECW. 

She explained that the process of getting a trademark takes time. She said that she’s not upset with Lita as she didn’t do anything wrong, but did note that she’s been building up the nickname for the last 30 years and doesn’t want to pass it up. 

The Warning

Should WWE continue to use the nickname then she plans to file a cease and desist. 

“Whether I’m in this business another day or another 30 years from now, if I do conventions, I’m going to sign the Queen of Extreme Francine and I’m going to get that trademark. And if they continue to use it, we’re going to file a cease and desist. And that’s it. because they would do it to me.”

Francine stated that she’s not bitter towards the two stars nor the company, but she is simply trying to protect her brand that she worked hard to build. 

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

The Undertaker is someone who took the business and his character seriously. He took further than most will do, especially these days. 

Keeping kayfabe has been an art that has been lost in the world of the pro wrestling business for the last few decades. It wasn’t until he was retired from the wrestling business that Taker started to do more out of character interviews and branch out on his own. 

The Undertaker’s Advice

While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker urged today’s WWE talent to protect their characters better. 

“I do think a lot of our talent, not just our talent, in general they don’t understand any concept of protecting a character or even developing a character enough to protect it. They go and do something on TV and then you go to their social media and it’s completely different. I’m a dinosaur, I am, my mentality is still 20 years ago, but I guess there is a reason why I lasted as long as I did. I was like, ‘gosh live it a little bit. You don’t have to go to the extremes that I did, but man protect it.’ Kinda be like in real life just a little bit. If you’re going to post something, have it match kinda what you’re trying because that’s what you’re trying to convince people. You’re this or you’re that.”

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit BT Sports with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Former Tag Team Champion Cedric Alexander has teased going to WWE NXT to challenge for the brand’s North American Championship.

Wes Lee, who won the title in a Fatal 4-Way match at Halloween Havoc, issued an open challenge for anyone to face him for this belt.

Alexander expressed his interest in facing the champion by taking to Twitter and writing that he is free on Tuesday nights, and has never challenged for the NXT North American title. He asked Lee if he is feeling “froggy.”

Alexander was involved with The Hurt Business stable. While that did wonders for fellow stablemate Bobby Lashley as he went on to capture the WWE Championship, Alexander didn’t get much of a major push during that time.

The Hurt Business then broke up, and Alexander was not seen on WWE TV for quite some time. Being inactive and with nothing to do on the main roster, it seems like going to NXT might be a good idea for the 33-year-old wrestler.

Alexander has actually made a few appearances on the black and gold brand before. While Lee and Alexander have never faced each other in the ring, it will likely be a good match considering how Lee has had a solid run so far and Alexander is good with high-flying in the ring.

Alexander didn’t start with NXT in the WWE because he made his debut for the company in 2016 at the 205 Live roster. He even became the Cruiserweight Champion and had some entertaining matches with the likes of Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy, and Drew Gulak.

It remains to be seen if Alexander can actually get a chance to face Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship. And even if he does, only time will tell if he will be successful in capturing the title for himself.

AAA wrestler El Cuatrero’s wrestling future looks uncertain after being arrested over attempted femicide.

It was reported earlier this month that CMLL star Stephanie Vaquer had accused the AAA Trios Champion of gender violence.

In an update, it is revealed that Cuatrero has been arrested for attempted femicide (the killing of a female based on their gender) and it is claimed he tried to strangle Vaquer.

The report adds that Cuatrero is currently in Reclusorio Oriente.

El Cuatrero, alongside Forastero and Sansón are currently in their first reign as AAA World Trios Champions, after winning the titles at Verano de Escándalo in August of last year.

There has been no confirmation yet as to what AAA will do with their reigning Trios Champions, who surpassed 200 days with the gold last month.

El Cuatrero

Cuatrero comes from a large wrestling family, as the son of lucha libre legend Cien Caras and the nephew of Máscara Año 2000 and Universo 2000.

Like many luchadors, his real name is not a matter of public record, but El Cuatrero translates from Spanish as ‘The Horsethief’ or ‘The Cattle Rustler.’

El Cuatrero remains undisputed in Luchas de Apuestas, winning the masks of Los Centellas, and later of Ángel de Oro in March 2018.

He is best known for his tenure in CMLL, where he is a former World Trios Champion (again with Forastero and Sansón.)

Cuatrero is also a former CMLL World Middleweight Champion, and CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Champion (with Sansón.)

The Bloodline may be one of WWE’s most popular acts in years, but they apparently cannot hold a candle to The Elite.

Following Roman Reigns’ heel turn in 2020, his cousins The Usos would fall in line behind their Tribal Chief, who has been advised by his special counsel Paul Heyman.

Last September, Solo Sikoa was added to the faction by helping Reigns retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle.

Without a Doubt

The Bloodline storyline, especially the chapter with Sami Zayn, has been heralded as one of the best thing wrestling fans have seen in years, but they are not the only faction around.

Last November, the Elite made their AEW return at Full Gear, after being suspended for their roles in the backstage fight following All Out.

Speaking on the Cafe de Rene podcast, Jake Roberts was asked which group he thinks is better.

“Kenny. Kenny and The Bucks without a doubt. I think Kenny Omega is f***ing unbelievable. He is f***ing on spot. I don’t like a lot of stuff The Young Bucks do but brother they’re doing it and getting away with it.”

At AEW Revolution 2023, the Elite lost the AEW Trios Championships to the House of Black.

The Elite Vs. The Bloodline?

At this time, the idea of a six-man-tag match between the two factions is purely hypothetical, but that is something WWE hopes to change.

In February, it was reported that WWE was expected to pursue multiple top-level AEW talent, including Omega.

The belief is that if they can sign Omega (who has previously been under a WWE developmental deal) then it may encourage the Bucks to jump ship to WWE.

h/t – Sportskeeda

The Street Profits will be sticking together for the long term according to recent comments made by Angelo Dawkins.

The team, consisting of Dawkins and Montez Ford, debuted on a March 2016 edition of WWE NXT, and has been a team ever since.

The Street Profits are one of three teams to have held the NXT, Raw, and SmackDown Tag Team Championships (the others being The Revival/FTR and the New Day.)

Sticking Together

Given the number of tag teams and groups that have split due to a betrayal (The Rockers, Evolution, The Shield, etc) it’s no wonder why many expect one member of the Steet Profits to betray the other.

While speaking to the Attitude Era Podcast, Dawkins was asked if there were plans for him and Ford to go their separate ways.

“Nah, never. Never. We’re brothers till the end bro. We’re always gonna support each other no matter what, we always got each other’s back, we ain’t never turning [on each other.]”

Angelo Dawkins.

Singles Push

While Dawkins has no plans to turn on Ford and vice versa, being a tag team may not prevent the Street Profits from reaching singles success.

In recent years, Ford’s ability and charisma have earned him praise from several notable names, including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who Ford idolized during his youth.

Last October, it was reported that Dawkins had been impressing a lot of the right names backstage, with the bigger member of the team having as many singles matches from June to October as he did from April 2021 to May 2022.

h/t – POST Wrestling

With WWE WrestleMania 39 taking place in just a matter of weeks, WWE has put the build for some of the top matches on the card into high gear including a match involving Charlotte Flair. 

Flair is slated to defend the SmackDown Women’s Title against Rhea Ripley at the upcoming event in Los Angeles. 

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE booked a segment with Flair and Ripley where they went face-to-face after Flair had scored a non-title match victory over Shotzi. 

The Segment

The segment on the show didn’t go down as originally planned, according to a report by Fightful Select. 

It was said the promo segment ‘deviated a little bit off the original plan’. However, the report didn’t specify exactly how the segment was different from the original plan. 

WWE is using Raw stars on SmackDown and Smackdown stars on Raw in certain cases due to the cross-promotional feuds being booked such as Ripley vs. Flair. Another instance of this is The Judgment Day, a Raw act, appearing on SmackDown in recent weeks to continue to have Dominik feud with his legendary father, Rey. 

On Friday’s show, Finn Balor, Dominik, and Damian Priest defeated Legado Del Fantasma.

WWE announced its first inductee into the 2023 Hall of Fame on March 10. In a video package on SmackDown, the company revealed that Rey Mysterio is going to be part of the class.

Fans and the wrestling industry alike were delighted, as they all believe Mysterio deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Among these is Hulk Hogan, who is a HOFer himself.

In a video released on his channel, Hogan reacted to Mysterio’s induction, and congratulated the 48-year-old wrestler.

“You know Maniacs, I was watching WWE the other night and I was real curious who the first inductee to the 2023 Hall of Fame was. Oh my gosh, it’s Rey Mysterio! No one is more deserving! A champion, a great man, a great father, and a great husband! He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame! For years and years and years he’s carried the torch.”

Related: Who Will Induct Rey Mysterio Into the WWE Hall of Fame?

However, Hogan did not just stop there. He went on to request something from the company in regard to the Hall of Fame.

“But then I thought, you know… who could be next? Who could be just as deserving?”

Hogan said that the next inductees should be The Rougeau Brothers, a former WWE tag team who were known as The Fabulous Rougeaus. Hogan spoke highly of Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau, describing them as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

“My first thought was, one of the greatest tag teams of all times, The Rougeau Brothers! Jacques Rougeau, brother, and his brother Raymond Rougeau! Those two guys need to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m voting for them! Hopefully, they’ll be the next inductees in the Hall of Fame, man! I just think it might happen, I’ve got a really good feeling about that one brother!”

You can check out the full video from Hulk Hogan below:

Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Wardlow to capture the AEW TNT Championship on the latest edition of AEW Dynamite. This marks Hobbs’ first championship in the promotion.

Hobbs defeated Wardlow in a Falls Count Anywhere match on the March 8 episode of AEW Dynamite to win the AEW TNT Championship. QT Marshall made his return and interfered in the match. He assisted Powerhouse Hobbs to get the title win. You can also check out what happened after the show went off air.

As it turns out, AEW had plans to put the TNT Championship on Hobbs several months ago.

Powerhouse Hobbs Creative Plans

According to Fightful Select, Hobbs’ push from last fall always had the championship win in the plans.

Powerhouse Hobbs faced the now-former TNT Champion as a result of winning the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match on the March 1 episode of AEW Dynamite. QT Marshall had previously shared a text message exchange that he had with Hobbs before his AEW debut in 2020. Hobbs had recently expressed the desire to be featured on AEW television more often and being the champ, it increases the possibility.

Meanwhile, Wardlow recently revealed that the TNT Championship was among the possessions stolen from his rental car in a recent break-in.

We will now have to see what the future holds for the newly crowned champ.

Former WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly recently opened up about the things that she misses (and doesn’t) from her professional wrestling career.

Speaking on GAW TV, Kelly gave her opinions on the wrestling industry as well as her time as a wrestler.

Kelly said that one thing she misses the most from her time as a wrestler is the camaraderie and the “family atmosphere.” As wrestlers travel with each other to different locations every week, they end up spending a lot of time together. This fosters a sense of close friendship among many of them.

Kelly also said that she loved to perform in front of the world every night and even called it “just the best feeling in the world.”

What Kelly Kelly Does Not Miss About Wrestling  

There are also some things that Kelly Kelly does not miss from her time in wrestling. One of them is taking bumps. “I really was like, ‘Just beat the s*** out of me.’ Now, I’m like, ‘Please, God, don’t touch me,'” she confessed.

Taking bumps is an essential part of wrestling, wrestlers have to do it regularly when they are competing. It is absolutely necessary, but it can take a toll on the body. It is completely understandable why Kelly would not miss taking bumps, as it can even lead to long-term injuries and chronic pain over time.

Kelly has since then been a model, reality TV star, and influencer. She also made a few appearances here and there in wrestling, particularly in the women’s Royal Rumble.

H/T to WrestlingInc. for the quotes used in this article.

Former WWE star Raven has a lot in the tank before he hangs up his boots. Raven has contributed immensely to the business, working in different promotions. His career has spanned for over 30 years across WWE, ECW, WCW and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. It seems that he is not planning to stop anytime soon.

Raven comments on possible retirement

Raven made several appearances on IMPACT Wrestling including at this year’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view. The former ECW World Champion is now gearing up for his return to Major League Wrestling(MLW). We also reported an update on MLW’s Relationship With Reelz.

Meanwhile, speaking with Fightful, Raven stated that he’s open to working as a producer for Major League Wrestling and elsewhere. He also noted that he is on a shortlist for potential producers in IMPACT.

In addition to this, the 58-year-old star revealed that he is actually producing for NWA now. He has actually been producing there for a while but went on a hiatus to recuperate from his knee surgery.

Furthermore, Raven also stated that he has not officially retired from in-ring action. He told Fightful that he plans on getting back inside the squared circle for some more matches after he gets his second shoulder taken care of. The former WWE Hardcore Champion said he is likely to work tag team matches in order to minimize bumps. He emphasized that he is definitely planning on wrestling again down the road.

Raven was inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame at last October’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

WWE’s hottest recent signing Dragon Lee has proven himself in the ring by making his wrestling debut at an NXT live event.

Lee announced in December of last year that he had signed with WWE, moments after winning the AAA World Tag Team Championships with Dralistico.

WWE had been interested in signing Lee after he competed for All Elite Wrestling while not being under contract.

In-Ring Debut

At an NXT live event in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dragon Lee made his much-anticipated in-ring debut for the gold brand.

In his debut match, the masked Superstar defeated Eddy Thorpe, fka Karl Fredericks, who also recently signed with the promotion.

You can check out some of the photos of Dragon Lee’s in-ring debut below.

During this week’s WWE NXT Roadblock event, Dragon Lee made his TV debut for the brand and appeared in the crowd.

The masked Superstar had initially been scheduled to debut at NXT Vengeance Day, but visa issues caused his arrival to be delayed.

Big Plans

Dragon Lee has had just one match as a WWE Superstar to his name, but WWE already has big plans for the masked wrestler.

It has been reported that WWE intends for Dragon Lee to be on the main roster by the time of WrestleMania 40, which will take place in Philadelphia next April.

Dragon Lee is optimistic about his future in the company, and has said he believes he can be the next Rey Mysterio if given the opportunity.

New Japan Pro Wrestling continued its second round of the New Japan Cup on March 12 at the Shiga Pref. Cultural Industry Community House Event Hall in Shimotara Maibara, Shiga, Japan. SEScoops has the results from the event down below!

The main event had Hirooki Goto take on Kyle Fletcher in the tournament’s second round. Fletcher defeated Goto’s tag team partner Yoshi-Hashi to advance in the New Japan Cup on March 10. Goto wanted revenge for his partner as both aimed to move to the next round. The co-main event featured another New Japan Cup second-round match between Never Openweight Champion Tama Tonga and Aaron Henare.

The event went live on NJPW World at 4:00 AM ET/1:00 AM PT. However, to watch the New Japan Cup, fans must subscribe to their service, which is $9.99 in the United States.

If you would like more results for this week’s events in wrestling, please check back on our results section.

New Japan Cup 2023 Results (3/12)

1. Ryohei Oiwa & Ren Narita def. Oskar Leube & Tomoaki Homma
2. Yuto Nakajima & Shota Umino def. Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr
3. El Phantasmo, Kenta, Chase Owens & David Finlay def. Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanamaru & Taichi
4. Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay def. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
5. Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Sanada, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito def. Lio Rush, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
6. Tama Tonga def. Aaron Henare- New Japan Cup Tournament Match(Second Round)
7. Hirooki Goto def. Kyle Fletcher- New Japan Cup Tournament Match (Second Round)

WrestleMania 39 is now just 20 days away, and one SmackDown stable is expected to make their presence felt at the show.

WrestleMania 39 will mark WWE’s fourth two-night WrestleMania, which was introduced in 2020 due to restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Matches confirmed for the show include Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley, and Seth Rollins Vs. Logan Paul.

WrestleMania Plans

One stable that hasn’t been confirmed for WrestleMania 39 is Legado Del Fantasma, but that is expected to change in due time.

Fightful Select reports that while details are still scarce, there are “plans” for the factions over WrestleMania weekend.

In recent weeks, the group has turned face, aiding Rey Mysterio in his issues with Dominik Mysterio and the Judgment Day.

On the most recent episode of SmackDown, it was confirmed that until their battle with the Judgement Day is over it was official that Rey is an associate of the group.

Legado Del Fantasma

In June 2020, El Hijo del Fantasma, fresh off his NXT Cruiserweight Championship win, aligned himself with Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza.

This heel turn saw Fantasma demask and rebrand himself as Santos Escobar, and the group would be dubbed Legado Del Fantasma.

As part of the gold brand, Escobar would later challenge for the NXT and NXT North American Championships, but would be unsuccessful in both pursuits.

In mid-2022, the group began a subtle face turn as part of their feud with Tony D’Angelo, which resulted in Escobar losing a loser-leaves-NXT match to the Don.

In October 2022, the group was called up to WWE’s main roster as heels, but with Zelina Vega replacing Elektra Cruz in the faction.

One of the biggest names in Mexican wrestling will make his return to WWE to induct Rey Mysterio into the WWE Hall of Fame.

It was confirmed this week that Mysterio will be the first inductee into this year’s class, after a celebrated career both in and out of WWE.

The three-time former World Champion is also a WWE Grand Slam winner, Royal Rumble winner and has held various accolades outside of WWE.

Inductor

With such a lengthy and celebrated career, there is no shortage of wrestlers who’d make sense to induct Rey into the Hall of Fame.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Konnan will be doing the honors, and in a tweet, Dave Meltzer confirmed that report.

Meltzer explained that Rey personally asked for Konnan and the company approved it, adding that it was “the only choice.

In the early 90s, Konnan was brought into the WWF to play the Max Moon character but would leave the promotion after three televised matches.

In interviews, Konnan has said the cost of the costume ($13,000, equivalent to $27,000 today) immediately caused friction with the company’s higher-ups.

Konnan and the Mysterios

In WCW and in Mexico, Rey and Konnan worked together, but the latter has kept a close eye on the Mysterio family.

It has been reported that Konnan has been helping Dominik Mysterio throughout his career, but especially since his heel turn last September in Cardiff.

Konnan is a godfather to Dominik, and many have said that Dom’s ex-con attire and character have been influenced by Konnan.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has been able to have an up close and personal look at the NXT brand as a color commentator when he replaced Wade Barrett in the color commentator role last year when Barrett was moved to SmackDown to replace Pat McAfee. 

Since then, Booker T has called several episodes and Peacock specials. The wrestling legend recently gave praise to an NXT tag team. Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker praised Indus Sher (Veer and Sanga).

Old School

“I love those guys, Indus Sher. Those guys are so old school. They take me back to, Sanga and Veer, they take me back to what tag team wrestling once upon a time was and it was all about going out there and creating havoc.”

Booker T thinks they have a bright future on the main roster and could make a splash on the main roster should Triple H give them the opportunity. 

“I think Sanga and Veer could really make a splash on the main roster. Together that’s, that’s two big gears. I don’t need to have more than that.”

After returning to NXT last year after a main roster stint, he reunited with Sanga before being joined by Jinder Mahal. The faction just beat Bron Breakker and the Creed Brothers on last week’s NXT Roadblock show. 

Transcription via Wrestling Inc.

Madusa, also known as Alundra Blayze during her WWE run, is still looking to have one more match. 

Madusa found success in WCW and WWE during her pro wrestling career. She is a former WCW Cruiserweight Champion and three-time WWE Women’s Champion.

While speaking with TV Insider to promote her forthcoming book, ‘The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story,’ Madusa was asked about having one final match. 

The Match

“I would love to have a retirement match. I’m not dissing any era, but there are other eras before the Attitude Era. There is still a woman under WWE legend’s contract that they can do something with. But they chose not to. A retirement match would be wonderful. We see Trish Stratus and Lita all the time. I think those girls are great. But that’s all we see. I’m not sick of them. I’m just sick of seeing just them. I have high respect for those two women. But damn it, if it was them at 60, they would be pounding the pavement just as hard as I am.”

Regarding a potential opponent, Madusa thinks a match against Charlotte Flair would be phenomenal. 

“It would have to be somebody I can have a great match with. That if I bump my head and forgot something they can carry the match. Anything can happen. It could be a Nattie, Beth Phoenix, a Rhea Ripley. Everyone wants to see Charlotte Flair and Madusa. I still think that would be phenomenal.”

The new book was written by Greg Oliver and published by ECW Press. You can order it here.