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.
The Undertaker recently did a rare out of character interview with Nine Line Apparel on Instagram Live where the Dead Man opened up about his boneyard match with AJ Styles for the first time since WrestleMania 36.
The two were originally expected to have a regular match but plans changed after the company had to move the show to the Performance Center and the officials made the decision to use the set for the bout which was originally built for a promo.
Talking about the unique match, the Undertaker first mentioned how they envisioned the fight for a live arena until two weeks before the Show Of Shows. Discussing the end result of their efforts, he said that he couldn’t be more proud of the final product:
“The final product — I couldn’t be more proud of it.
Under the circumstances, all the different things going on, everybody pulled
together and put something like that out there that was different and was
intriguing. I can’t speak for AJ, but I’m very proud of what we did.”
The match exceeded expectations of the fans and it received high praise from the WWE Universe and the wrestling world for the cinematic experience it provided.
Undertaker On Why He Returned To The American Badass Gimmick
One of the most discussed aspects of the match was the former Champion leaving behind the Dead Man gimmick to return to his American Badass avatar for this bout.
Explaining the reasoning behind this change, The former World Champion claimed that he had to lean away from the dark side of his character because AJ Styles made the rivalry between the two very personal:
“When AJ threw that first stone and made this personal, then it made it a no brainer, I couldn’t stay that mainstream Undertaker and be able to respond and deal with the things he was saying in that character.”
Taker also explained his reference of the Unholy Trinity
saying that it’s nothing but the unification of his three personalities in the
The Dead Man, The American Badass and the man behind the gimmick Mark Calaway
in one person.
Apart from this, The Undertaker talked about the future of cinematic matches, cutting promos in an empty arena with no audience and more. You can check out more of his interview in the video below:
AJ Styles started his wrestling career in 1998 and he spent the next two decades proving his excellence in the ring by travelling across the globe and competing at the highest levels at various promotions.
However, it took him a long time to join WWE and during a recent episode of The Bump, the former WWE Champion discussed the reason behind his late arrival in the company.
Styles first mentioned how he didn’t stay in one place to face the average Joe’s and discussed how smaller sized wrestlers were not given a chance back when he started:
“I didn’t just stay in one place and face your average Joe’s, I faced Kurt Angle. I mean, this guy was a former Olympic champion. A lot of those guys that were in the WWE came to where I was working. Then, I went to New Japan and did stuff over there.
“I would’ve been there earlier [WWE] if I could’ve. Sometimes, things work out the way they do. It’s a different time.” said AJ Styles. “Guys aren’t as big as they used to be. Guys my size are getting a chance, when back then, guys my size weren’t given the chance to be in the ring.”
The Phenomenal One also talked about his WrestleMania 33
match against Shane McMahon saying that he has a lot of respect for Shane and
their match was one of the better Mania matches he has had so far.
While it took time for AJ Styles to finally arrive in the company, he has claimed his rightful position in the WWE roster since his debut in 2016.
With multiple world title victories under his belt, it’s safe to say that he has earned his position as one of the greatest WWE stars in the history of the promotion. You can check out the episode of The Bump featuring Styles below:
Both the cinematic matches at WrestleMania 36 received high praise from the fans and the Firefly Fun House match sparked a lot of discussion due to its various references.
One such call-back was the reiteration of the nWo storyline
with John Cena in place of Hulk Hogan and Bray Wyatt in place of Eric Bischoff
who was the mind behind the angle.
During a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff talked about the match and revealing his reaction to the inclusion of the nWo storyline, Bischoff said that time stopped for him when they started introducing those elements in the match:
“When they started introducing the NWO stuff, time stopped for me. It was such a bizarre feeling, it was like I was in this suspended state of animation and I was frozen in time. It was almost an out of body, out of my head experience. I got such a big kick out of it.”
The former WCW President went on to explain that he was blown away by the angle because it was an inside shoot. It wasn’t being creative just for the sake of it and the angle was done in a way that took the story to the next level.
Eric Bischoff then said that the cinematic matches are probably the catalyst for the next evolution of storytelling in wrestling and WrestleMania 36 may have had more impact on the business than any other WrestleMania in a long time.
Becky Lynch made the brave decision to opt for a career in pro wrestling and this gamble has paid off pretty well for the current Raw Women’s Champion as she is currently one of the top wrestlers in the world.
However, this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when her path to success was not this clear and the former NXT star had to lie to the people closest to her about her chosen career, including her mother.
Lynch recently had an interview with Extra.io where she talked about her start in pro wrestling. During the talk, she admitted that she had initially lied to her mother about wrestling and revealed her reaction when she found out the truth:
“My ma, yes! The freakin’ killings that were in my house when I told her I was wrestling, because I lied to her and told her that it was Brazillian Jiu Jitsu that I was doing. Then when she found out it was wrestling, she freakin’ nearly ripped my head off.”
Becky Lynch On Her Wedding With Seth Rollins Being Pushed Back
Becky Lynch also talked about her relationship with Seth
Rollins and revealed that the couple will have to push back their planned
wedding because of the coronavirus pandemic:
“Yeah it has, that’s going to get pushed back, obviously. Look, at the end of the day, I’m going to be with him forever. So it doesn’t matter if we get married next month or next year or two days from now, it’s all the same.”
While Lynch did not reveal much detail about her wedding, she did confirm that it won’t be taking place in Ireland. You can check out her full interview at this link.
Kurt Angle has achieved a lot of things in his illustrated wrestling career but there is still one thing the former World Champion wishes he had accomplished.
The former WCW Champion talked about things like the
superstar which reminds him the most of himself, his biggest achievement in his
life and more during another recent Q&A session on his Facebook page.
When a fan asked the Olympic Gold Medalist about one thing he wishes he had achieved during his time as an active competitor, Angle said that winning the Royal Rumble match is something he wishes he had accomplished:
“Winning the Rumble, but it wasn’t in the plans. I was injured quite a bit so if I had any opportunities to win the rumble, my injuries most likely ruined any chance of it. I was injured 2 of my 6 1/2 years I performed in WWE from 2000-2006.”
Kurt Angle also talked about WrestleMania 36 from the Performance Center and revealed that the match between Edge and Randy Orton was his favorite match of the show.
Apart from this, the former World Champion also revealed his thoughts on the cinematic matches at the Show Of Shows and more. You can check out his full Q&A at this link.
Reports revealed yesterday that WWE will be moving back to Live TV as soon as this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and now the company has confirmed the same.
The promotion recently released a statement to ESPN and a WWE spokesperson confirmed to the site they will be returning to live TV beginning next week.
Their statement as seen below focuses on the importance of
providing a diversion to people in this hard time and notes that the shows will
be produced with only the essential personnel in attendance:
“We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.”
Previous reports have revealed that it was Vince McMahon’s decision to return to live TV and the Boss made the call this past Friday before the SmackDown tapings.
The main reason behind this decision is believed to be the fact that the promotion will be at risk of breaching their TV contracts if they produced any more taped shows. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.
The decision of Roman Reigns to pull out of WrestleMania 36 due to health concerns after the coronavirus outbreak made a lot of headlines before the PPV event and it still remains a hot topic of discussion. The other part of this equation was Goldberg who ended up defending his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at the Show Of Shows after the Big Dog decided not to work the event.
Goldberg opened up about this change for the first time since WrestleMania 36 when he recently appeared on the Carcast podcast. The former WCW star first mentioned how everybody knows about Reigns’ leukaemia diagnosis and how he is in remission now. He then claimed that he doesn’t know why the match was even considered despite the public knowledge of this situation:
“I don’t know why it was even considered in the beginning, except for the fact that we’d invested time and WWE invested the money in the angle, in the match, you know. So literally until the 23rd hour, it was still a possibility that he and I were going to wrestle. So plans kind of changed at the very last minute. I did my match with Braun, and it was possible that I could do a match with Roman again before the 5th [the night the match aired]. That obviously fell through.”
Goldberg Reveals His Reaction To Roman Reigns’ Decision
The now-former Universal Champion also detailed the precautions WWE was taking with the people entering the Performance Center and mentioned that he was told the match was still a possibility until the last minute. The former Champion then discussed the reported incident with The Miz that led to Reigns’ decision and when asked about his reaction to the whole thing, Goldberg said that you have to love the guy because he was still willing to go through it up until the 11th hour:
“I think what happened was, somebody was sick and Roman
heard about it. They didn’t have [COVID-19], they just had the flu. But just
the fact that someone was sick in those circumstances, at the end of the day he
just couldn’t do it. You know, more power to him to continually want to get it
done, whether that’s realistic or unrealistic from a person in his shoes are
concerned. But you’ve got to love the guy because up to the 11th hour, he was
still willing to do it.”
During the interview, Bill Goldberg also revealed that he had signed a 2 match contract with WWE and so his obligations for the year are done after he taped his match with Braun Strowman. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the former Champion is done for the year and it’s likely that the company will call him up again when they feel the need to add star power to any of their shows down the line.
Chris Jericho is regarded as one of the greatest mic workers in all of wrestling and a lot of people believe that he should obtain a role on the commendatory desk when he decides to hang his boots and retire from active competition.
Fans got a little preview of what it would be like to have Y2J on the commentary booth full time when he joined the announcers’ desk on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Jericho discussed his experience on his Saturday night special Facebook stream and the former AEW World Champion admitted that it was a fun experience:
“It was pretty fun, I’ve never commentated on a whole show before. The reason why I wanted to do it was just to have a presence on the show. As we kind of put a hold on so many things including “Blood & Guts,”
So I wanted to be on the show and provide a little energy, just in case.” said Jericho. “You know we are working in front of eight people, 10 people all strategically spaced apart of course.”
A fan then asked the former WWE star if he would do commentary after retiring from active competition and he said: “Absolutely, I always loved doing commentary, to do it for a whole hour or two hours is not easy to do.”
It has been confirmed that Chris Jericho will be returning to the commentary booth with Tony Schiavone for this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Ric Flair competed in a retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24; however, he couldn’t stay away from the ring for very long. The wrestling legend returned to action a year later and wrestled a number of matches following his comeback.
One of the important stops of his post WWE career was TNA where the Hall Of Famer stayed for a couple of years and during a recent interview with WrestlingInc, the former World Champion revealed why he joined the company.
Flair explained that the reason behind his move was simple
enough and according to the 16 time world champion, the reason he joined TNA
was the money:
“I needed the money. Very simple. I was paying alimony to three women at one time and lawyers, revealed Flair. “I got bombed as everyone hit me and then the IRS.
It’s very simple – like Jim [Ross] said, I needed the money. I would have never have gone there. Even though I got to hang around Kurt [Angle] and Sting, it was a disaster.”
Ric Flair also talked about his retirement match with Shawn Michaels and revealed that he didn’t know that HBK was going to deliver the famous “I’m sorry, I love you” line before hitting the sweet chin music that ended his WWE career.
Apart from this, The former World Champion also talked about the coronavirus pandemic affecting the world and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Former World Champion The Big Show recently had an interview with TVinsider to promote his new Netflix show where he talked about a number of things.
While the Largest Athlete In The World has not officially announced plans for his retirement yet, there has been a lot of talk about him possibly hanging his boots in recent times.
During the interview, The Big Show was asked if he has an opponent picked out for his retirement match and the former Champion responded negatively:
“I don’t have an opponent picked out yet for my final
match because I think that is a ways away. What I have done is stepped back as
far as full-time, five nights a week, in the trenches. I’ve done that for 25
years.
Now it’s time for the guys to stake their claim and build their characters and legacies.” said The Big Show. “I’m always there to help those guys along. I think that is one of the great advantages of where I am in my career.”
The former WCW star went on to explain that he is able to
help guys in his current role in the company and he is still occasionally able
to do what he loves.
Apart from this, The Big Show also talked about WWE’s decision to produce shows without a live audience, saying that this escape is important at this time. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley were praised for putting on one of the best matches at WrestleMania 36 despite the challenging circumstances and the lack of audience.
The new NXT Women’s Champion recently had an interview with
CBS sports where she talked about things like the progress of NXT, potential
future opponents and more.
During the interview, Flair explained how she adapted to the situation at the WWE Performance Center for her match, saying that she looked at it as an opportunity to have the best match she can:
“I just looked at it as an opportunity to show the
world that we were going to have the best match, everyone wonders, ‘Was it
hard? Was it different?’ OK, there’s no crowd. OK, it’s WrestleMania, so I’m
going to have the best match. That’s how I looked at it.
Honestly, you always need to remember that there are more people watching at home.” said Charlotte Flair. “So, this time I just thought, ‘OK, the audience won’t dictate the flow, I will dictate the flow.’ That was the only thing that was different.”
The former Raw Women’s Champion also praised her WrestleMania opponent Rhea Ripley and said that whether she wants to realise it or not, Ripley has the ‘it’ factor.
Apart from this, Charlotte Flair talked about her championship win at the Show Of Shows and named Mia Yim as her ideal opponent in NXT. You can check out her full interview at this link.
Not much has been heard about Roman Reigns ever since he pulled out of his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg and WWE has also ceased any mention of the former World Champion on their programming.
Dave Meltzer talked about the former Shield Member in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter and provided some updates on the Big Dog.
Some recent comments from Triple H sparked speculations that the company might already be planning his return, however, Meltzer notes that “it is said to be up to Roman Reigns when he returns”.
When Can Roman Reigns Return To WWE Programming?
While a time frame for his comeback is not known, due to his previous health conditions it’s believed that the former champion will not return to active competition until the coronavirus outbreak is contained in some way.
This means that the former Champion could stay out of action for months, making it hard for the company to plan something for Reigns’ comeback.
For those who don’t know, Triple H had said that the story of Roman Reigns pulling out of WrestleMania would ‘unfold in a unique way’ but it didn’t turn out to be the case.
The company simply announced that Braun Strowman will be replacing the Big Dog at the Show of Shows and they have not even mentioned his name since Roman Reigns released a video on Instagram explaining his decision to pull out of the event.
Ric Flair is arguably one of the greatest in-ring performers of any generation and during a recent interview, he revealed who he thinks is the best wrestler in WWE right now.
The Nature Boy recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about WrestleMania 36, the future plans of her daughter Sophia and more.
Talking about Randy Orton, Ric Flair declared the Viper to
be the best in-ring wrestler and claimed that he is the best male performer in
the business right now:
“It’s time that it needs to be said. Randy is the best
in-ring wrestler and he has been for a long time, Randy has to be motivated
because he’s been in the business for a long time.
But when it comes down to it, Randy is the best male
performer in the business.” claimed Flair. “When he takes off that
vest, who looks better than Randy Orton?”
The WWE Hall Of Famer also praised his daughter Charlotte’s performance at WrestleMania. He said that she set the bar so high in her WrestleMania match against Rhea Ripley that he hopes that nobody will get hurt trying to get over it.
This is not the first time Ric Flair has made such comments and just recently, he had praised Randy Orton while also calling Charlotte the ‘female Orton’. You can check out his comments at this link.
Edge finally got his revenge on Randy Orton at WrestleMania 36 and now that he is done with the former World Champion, the Rated R Superstar is looking at his future and talking about the opponents he would like to face.
The former Champion recently appeared on the After The Bell Podcast, and when asked about potential dream opponents, he pointed out that there is a lot of talent in each one of the WWE rosters.
Edge first took names from NXT and NXT UK including the likes of Adam Cole and Walter. Coming to the SmackDown roster, he explained that he felt a special connection with Roman Reigns when the two met at Royal Rumble:
“If I look at Smackdown, I mean Reigns and I has to
happen someday. There’s just there’s no way around it. It just has to and to
get that little taste of it at the Rumble, that felt good man. That felt like
we were in a pocket.
We are in a zone, and that’s the first time we’ve ever
touched. So for it to feel like that, that’s when you know. I had that with
[Kurt] Angle.” said Edge. “I had that with Randy. I had that with
Taker. I had that with Jeff [Hardy]. That can be a rare feeling.”
The Ultimate Opportunist then moved on to the Raw roster and
took names like Aleister Black and Seth Rollins. He also mentioned how AJ
Styles has been in the industry for over two decades but Royal Rumble was the
first time the two got to face each other.
Apart from this, Edge also talked about his match with Randy Orton, and revealed what reignited his passion for pro wrestling. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
The post WrestleMania episode of Monday Night Raw saw the NXT star Bianca Belair confirming her call up to the main roster and now another NXT team has been called up, though this time on SmackDown.
This week’s episode of SmackDown saw the team of Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler and Jaxson Ryker, collectively known as the Forgotten Sons officially joining the Blue Brand’s roster.
The newest members of the SmackDown roster went up against Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik of Lucha House Party in a tag team match which they won.
Out of these three, both Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler have pretty much started their careers in WWE. Blake reported to the Performance Center in July 2013 while Cutler made his NXT debut in June 2014.
Ryker on the other hand, first made his name while working for Impact Wrestling. He was known as Gunner in the company and he won a number of championships during his stint with the promotion from 2010 to 2015. He joined NXT in 2017.
It was Wesley Blake who first formed the tag team The Forgotten
Sons with Steve Cutler in 2017 and the two were later joined by Jaxson Ryker in
August 2018, making it a stable in the Black And Yellow brand.
WWE had contacted Hulk Hogan for an appearance at WrestleMania 36 from the Performance Center but the two parties couldn’t agree to a deal, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
While the WWE Hall Of Famer has been vocal about wanting a retirement match in the company, The officials wanted the Hulkster to make an appearance as a special attraction and cut a promo, instead of being part of an in-ring segment or a match.
However, the two sides couldn’t agree on the financial terms
of the deal and the plans for Hogan’s appearance at the Show Of Shows from
Performance Center fell through.
Hulk Hogan was originally expected to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame as part of nWo with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman during the WrestleMania weekend.
The induction ceremony alongside other shows planned for the grand weekend was cancelled due to the coronavirus and the company moved forward with only the PPV.
There is no word on what the company is planning for the Hall Of Fame now but speculation is that the ceremony could be held during the SummerSlam weekend in August later this year.
WrestleMania 36 was moved to the Performance Center due to coronavirus pandemic and the company then turned it into a two-nights streaming event.
The Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36 intrigued the fans and it appears that WWE star Big Show was also impressed with the bout associated to The Fiend.
The former World Champion recently had an interview with
Metro.co.uk to promote his new Netflix show where he talked about WrestleMania
36 event and more.
When asked about the cinematic matches at the Show Of Shows,
the Big Show first praised the execution of the bouts and then expressed
interest in working a similar match with Bray Wyatt:
“I know I would sign up for the same kind of program if I was working with Bray Wyatt, I would definitely sign up to have my mind picked apart.
I think it would be very entertaining to go through that and do that tortured perspective of trying to convey the hurt, pain, and frustration.”
Big Show also commented on his current status with WWE and
explaining how his role has changed, the Giant said that he is not in the
trenches anymore:
“My role has changed to where I’m not in the trenches anymore. I come around once in a while, I can help a talent in the ring, or maybe I can put another talent over – maybe I can be a surprise. I’m wide open for whatever.”
The Big Show Show is now streaming on Netflix in full. You can check out the WWE star’s full interview including the above comments and more at this link.
Drew McIntyre had missed the WrestleMania go-home episode of Monday Night Raw and instead of having a face to face confrontation with Brock Lesnar, he only appeared through a video package on the show.
Dave Meltzer talked about the episode in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter and revealed that the new WWE Champion missed the show because he was in quarantine after returning from his home country.
Both McIntyre and Sheamus were in the UK on a tour to promote WrestleMania 36 and they were called back to the United States on March 12 because of the travel restrictions that were being put in the place.
However, both the stars had to quarantine themselves after returning from a foreign country and the former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre could not appear at the show because his isolation period was not over.
Both Bobby Lashley who was called back from a promotional tour of South Africa and Kairi Sane who went to Japan to get married missed the builds for their WrestleMania feud because of the same reason as well.
Sane, alongside her partner Asuka defended the Women’s Tag Team Championship against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania and dropped the titles while Lashley faced Aleister Black in a match with no build.
Drew McIntyre went on to face Brock Lesnar and he completed the story that started with his Royal Rumble victory by defeating the Beast Incarnate at the Show Of Shows.
The upcoming Money In The Bank event which was scheduled to take place on May 10 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland which was the
venue for the show released a statement on the matter on Twitter and announced
the cancellation.
They wrote: “The WWE Money In The Bank event originally scheduled for Sunday, May 10 in Baltimore has been cancelled. Refunds are available at all points of purchase.”
There were speculations over the show being postponed and now this announcement confirms that the event will at least not be taking place as originally planned.
WWE has not reacted to this announcement so far and the
official event page on their website is still visible, though it doesn’t list
any details regarding the PPV.
There are speculations that the company could still move
forward with the show and relocate it at the Performance Center in Florida,
similar to their approach with the WrestleMania 36 event.
Though the orange county officials have issued a stay at home order that is effective until the end of April and the company will not be able to hold the PPV at the PC if the time limit is extended. We’ll keep you posted on the matter.
Charlotte Flair made history at WrestleMania 36 when she became the first woman to win the NXT Championship at the PPV after defeating Rhea Ripley for the title.
The new champion had an interview with TV Insider after the Show Of Shows where she talked about things like the backstage environment on NXT and more.
When asked which NXT women she is looking forward to competing against, the Queen took the names of Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and Bianca Belair:
“Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and I’m sure Bianca Belair wants a rematch. I haven’t really thought about that yet. It’s crazy, a whole new group of girls. Everyone knows that I’m probably the most competitive person in the locker room, so I’m going to want to have the best division.”
Fans are curious about Flair’s status on the WWE roster
after her title win and when asked if she will be working Raw or NXT moving
forward, she said that it’s up for debate:
“I guess that is up for debate. Do I need to be drafted
to NXT? [Laughs] How is this going to work? I hope I get to work at all three
brands. “
While the long term plans for Charlotte Flair are not known, reports suggest that she will be working both Raw and NXT for at least the foreseeable future. You can check out a report revealing the reason behind her title win at this link.
The boneyard match between Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMaia 36 impressed a lot of people and it appears that the WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is one of the persons impressed with the cinematic match.
The former World Champion recently had an interview with
WrestlingInc where he talked about the various matches of both nights of
WrestleMania 36, among other things.
Discussing the boneyard match between the Dead Man and The Phenomenal One, Flair revealed his text to the former Champion which he sent after watching the bout:
“I texted Taker, ‘You did it again.’ [Laughs] It’s
incredible. Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn, they create stuff better than
Netflix, Amazon or anything, are you kidding me?
Between that and the Fun House, it was incredible.” said Flair. “If I’m dying as an adult who’s been watching this forever, can you imagine what a 12-year-old is thinking? They gotta be going, ‘Wow! Daddy this is the coolest thing!'”
Ric Flair revealed that he was watching the match with his wife Wendy and according to the 16 time World Champion; she also loved the match between the two veterans.
Later in the interview, the Nature Boy also revealed his text to Stephanie McMahon he had sent after watching the show. You can check out his full interview at this link.
While the WrestleMania go-home episode of Raw had done poor numbers, its counterpart episode of SmackDown managed to hold on better and it actually saw a slight increase in the audience.
Last week’s episode of SmackDown which was the fourth
episode of the show from the Performance Center with no audience drew an
average of 2.398 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is an increase from the previous episode of the show
which had managed to get only 2.367 million viewers, making the record for the
lowest SmackDown viewership for 2020.
The episode drew a 0.6 rating in the key demographic of 18-49 and it tied at #3 for the ratings in the 18-49 demographic with 20/20, Blacklist and Dateline.
In comparison, the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw which
featured the return of big names like The Undertaker and Edge had sunk under 2
million. It managed to bring only 1.923 million viewers, which was the lowest
Raw viewership for 2020.
Latest reports suggest that WWE is planning to air live episodes of the shows once again very soon and it would be interesting to see if the live episodes help the company regain the lost numbers compared to the taped shows they have been airing.
NXT star Bianca Belair has made some main roster appearances in recent weeks and she has now officially confirmed her call up to the main roster on Raw.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the team of Angel Garza and Austin Theory with Zelina Vega challenging the RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in a rematch from night two of WrestleMania 36.
The match ended in the same fashion as their match at Mania and the heels were disqualified after Zelina Vega interfered in their favor.
Vega attacked Montez Ford once again but Belair made the
save for her husband, as she had done during the same spot at the Show Of Shows
as well.
Though what’s interesting to note here is that after the match was over, Bianca announced her official call up to the main roster and the NXT star confirmed that she is now part of the Raw roster alongside The Street Profits.
After this announcement, the now-former NXT star faced Vega in a singles match. However, the two teams got involved again and the bout was then converted into a 6 person mixed tag match.
The team of Bianca Belair and the Raw Tag Team Champions picked up the victory in this match after the female star used the KOD on Zelina Vega and pinned her for the win.
This week’s episode of Raw saw Nia Jax making her in ring return but the former Women’s Champion wasn’t the only superstar who made her return to the show tonight.
During the episode, Aleister Black came out for a match and
then Apollo Crews, who was a part of the SmackDown roster made his way to the
ring.
Tom Phillips then revealed the reason behind this brand switch and he mentioned that Crews has been drafted back to Raw from the SmackDown roster due to the draft picks that were going to expire.
The former NXT star went on to have a lengthy match with
Black and the bout was won by the former NXT Champion after he pinned Crews
with a Black Mass.
Apollo Crews was originally brought up to the main roster as part of the Raw brand in April 2016 but he was drafted to SmackDown not very long after this in July the same year.
He was moved to the Red Brand once again during the 2017 drafts. After this move, the former NXT star joined Titus Worldwide but this storyline didn’t go anywhere.
He was moved a fourth time when Apollo Crews was drafted
back to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup in 2019 and it would be
interesting to see if the company has a plan for him this time.