Author Archive

Johnny Gargano On People Calling NXT The ‘Minor Leagues’

While NXT has been moved to Live TV from the WWE Network, many people still consider it to be not in par with WWE’s other prominent shows, namely Raw and SmackDown.

Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano was recently interviewed by TMZ Sports where he talked about a number of things and also responded to the people who still consider the show as the ‘minor leagues’.

Gargano claimed that this thinking is complete garbage and it’s something he and the other NXT talents have worked to dispel for a very long time:

“That’s BS, that is complete garbage and it is something that me and a lot of guys have worked to dispel for a very long time. Anyone out there that uses the words ‘main roster’ when talking about RAW and SmackDown, how about you watch the show on Wednesday nights and you’ll see the real ‘main roster.'”

Also Read: WWE Making Changes To Big WrestleMania Matches

Johnny continued by saying that in NXT, you see the best wrestling show and the best locker room on planet which is led by him. According to the former Champion, you are stupid if you still use words like ‘developmental’ and ‘main roster’.

Apart from this, Johnny Gargano also talked about his attack on Tommaso Ciampa during Takeover: Portland and responded to fans saying that he is a changed man after the attack. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Rob Van Dam Discusses His 2006 WWE Suspension

Rob Van Dam faced his first WWE suspension back in July 2006 and since he held both the WWE and ECW World title at the time, his suspension became a hot topic of discussion and it made many headlines.

The former ECW star recently appeared on The Steve Austin Show where he talked about things like smoking cannabis on his 21th birthday and more.

Van Dam also opened up about his suspension in 2006. He said that if he could do things differently, then he would avoid it and revealed how careless he was at the time:

“I would have slowed down that night going through Ohio with 18 grams of weed in my bag. I was speeding, dude.” recalled RVD. “I was so careless back then. I used to be so careless I didn’t even know there were speed limits.

The reason it made such big news was because I had the WWE Championship and the ECW Championship, so there was a lot riding on me at the moment because ECW just came back as a third brand, trying to get momentum, and I’m the champion.”

Later in the interview, Rob Van Dam also recalled how he had asked for more time off after this suspension from Paul Heyman but the current Executive Director of Raw refused his request to talk to Mr. McMahon about it.

RVD and Sabu were stopped by the police for speeding in Ohio in July 2006 and both the stars were later arrested for possession of illegal substances.

This arrest resulted in WWE suspending the ECW star for 30 days and due to the suspension, he was forced to drop both the ECW Championship and the WWE Championship.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Jeff Hardy Was Backstage At SmackDown This Week

Former World Champion Jeff Hardy was spotted backstage at this week’s episode of SmackDown from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, according to PWinsider.

Not only that but he is also scheduled to be at next week’s episode of the show, and the site suggests that it could be an indication that he will become part of a Blue Brand’s roster once he returns to WWE TV.

Jeff Hardy has been out of action since April last year when he and his brother Matt Hardy relinquished the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

Jeff was dealing with a leg injury at the time and it was reported that the former Champion will stay out of action for six to nine months after his surgery in May.

Hardy was scheduled to visit the performance center in Orlando, Florida last week to have the progress towards his recovery and in-ring return checked out.

The Charismatic Enigma’s current WWE contract was originally set to expire on March 1. Though it’s likely that WWE will add time to his contract for the period he missed due to injury, to try and stop him from leaving the company.

His brother Matt, on the other hand, seems to be on his way out of the promotion. WWE has offered him a new contract but he wants creative control over his character and he is most likely to leave the company at the end of this month.

Charlotte Flair To Compete In NXT This Week

Former Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be returning to NXT this week to compete in her first match on the Black and Yellow brand in over 4 years.

WWE has announced that The Queen will be returning to the show to answer the challenge issued by Bianca Belair on last week’s episode of the brand.

The foundation for this bout was laid out during the NXT Takeover: Portland event where Rhea Ripley had defended her title against Belair in a one on one match.

Flair attacked Ripley right after the match and accepted her challenge for a bout at WrestleMania 36. However, her attack didn’t end there and Charlotte also rammed the EST into the steel steps before making her exit.

After this, Bianca had challenged the former Women’s Champion for a match on last week’s episode of NXT, which Charlotte accepted with the following tweet:

It’s interesting to note here that Triple H had indicated that Bianca Belair could continue her feud with Rhea Ripley after the latest Takeover event. The NXT Champion herself had then talked positively about the EST possibly being added to her WrestleMania bout.

Now with Charlotte Flair being announced for a match against the NXT star, the big question is if WWE is giving us hints and if the company is plotting to turn the upcoming WrestleMania match into a Triple Threat, adding Belair to the mix.

Roman Reigns On Why He Decided To Break Kayfabe For His Leukemia Announcement

Roman Reigns’ leukemia announcement on Raw was one of the most real moments of the professional wrestling history and it was a rare incident where the Big Dog broke the kayfabe to connect with the audience.

During his recent appearance on The Bump, Reigns talked about a number of things and he also explained why he decided to come out of his storyline character for the revelation.

The former Champion first said that he had built a relationship with the people in the past few years and Roman then claimed that he just wanted to be truthful with them:

“I just didn’t want to lie. I didn’t want people to make up stories of what I was doing or where I was going. I just wanted to be truthful and let the world know what was going on with me.

If there was anyone who could take a shred of hope and take my story and use it as strength, or experience, then I thought that would be the best use of what was going on.” said Reigns. “I just wanted to utilize the platform I had with my fanbase and help anyone who was going through that.”

Roman Reigns also discussed how this experience has changed his life and he explained that now he feels blessed every day. Per the former World Champion, he feels blessed just to be able to wake up and hug his daughter.

Apart from this, the former World Champion also talked about how his efforts of trying to spread awareness about the disease are going and more. You can check out Roman’s interview in the video below:

The Rock Recalls The Turning Point Of His WWE Career

Before becoming the People’s Champion, the Rock was given the gimmick of Rocky Maivia which wasn’t received very well by the fans and it wasn’t very long before people started turning on his character.

However, the Great One managed to turn the situation around and he went on to invent a character that is still remembered as one of the greatest gimmicks of the wrestling history.

During his recent interview with Oprah, The former Champion revealed that WrestleMania 13 was the starting point of this change and he recalled how his appearance at the show was the turning point of his career:

“It was a turning point in my career and it allowed me to grow. By the time I got to Chicago, 16,000 people were chanting ‘Rocky sucks.’ I remember laying there in the ring and the referee said to me ‘Don’t listen to them.’ It was crippling for me.”

Later in the interview, The Rock explained how after this, the WWE management realized that his gimmick was not working and they gave him permission to just be himself:

“At that time, the powers that be thought that this wasn’t going to work, and for whatever reason, people aren’t liking you. At that moment, it was very defining, because I asked them if I could just be myself and just go out there, speak to the crowd, and just be myself – authentic… At that time Vince [McMahon] said ‘You got it.'”

The former World Champion recalled how after getting the permission he grabbed the mic the next night on Raw. The promo he then cut was the start of his transformation and it was the beginning of his run as The Rock.

Apart from this, The Rock also talked about his tough childhood, his start in Hollywood and if he knew that he would become such an overnight sensation.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Triple H On WWE Possibly Selling PPV Rights To A Different Streaming Service

Vince McMahon’s recent comments about possibly moving PPVs out of the WWE Network has sparked many rumors and people have been discussing the impact of this move.

During the media call following Takeover: Portland, Triple H was asked about these comments from the Boss and what value can NXT bring to potential streaming partners. Replying to it, the Game said that NXT has incredible value wherever it sits:

“I think there is a lot of speculation in the question of new platforms. Vince said on an earnings call about opportunities but if you take all of that off the board, just where it is right now NXT has incredible value wherever it sits, whether that be USA or the WWE Network,”

Triple H continued by saying that he looks at it as an offshoot. He explained that if NXT with a dedicated roster and a two-hour show is the main trunk of the tree then there’s offshoot in NXT UK.

Vince McMahon On Possibly Moving WWE PPVs Out Of WWE Network

Mr. McMahon had teased the possibility of potentially moving the WWE PPVs to a different streaming service during the 2019 Q4 earnings call. He explained that there is no better time for this because all the majors are ‘clamoring for our content’:

“Right now there’s no more better time to exercise the selling of our rights to all the majors who, quite frankly, all the majors are really clamoring for our content. So that could be a significant increase, obviously, in terms of revenue.”

Reports since then have revealed that WWE is in negotiations with ESPN for a potential deal to sell the rights of their PPV. They are said to be looking for a deal similar to what UFC has with the company. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.

Top Japanese Star Announces Signing With WWE

One of the top Japanese women’s wrestlers Sareee has finally confirmed her signing with WWE after months of rumors about her move to the United States.

The former Diana Champion took on her Twitter and announced the news via a tweet in Japanese. Below is the rough translation of the female star’s post:

“I decided to think about doing professional wrestling abroad outside of Japan. And WWE joining has been decided. I am relieved to be able to properly report to everyone. Spreading Japanese women’s professional wrestling, Aiming for the top of WWE, Aim for the pinnacle of women’s professional wrestling. I will fight over my life. #wwe #Sareee”

The reports of Sareee signing with WWE first came out last year but neither WWE nor the Japanese star herself had commented on the matter back then.

The foundation for her move to the US was laid out last year in summer when WWE went to Japan for a tour and Triple H spent the time scouting talents.

The Game was reportedly impressed with Sareee’s performance and the two had numerous meetings at the time. Triple H had told media that he has heard Sareee was the future of women’s wrestling

Sareee made her wrestling debut at the young age of 15 back in 2011 and she will be reporting to the WWE Performance Center next month

The Bella Twins Returning To SmackDown This Week

WWE has added the return of Bella Twins, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella for a talk show segment to an already stacked line up for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

The company has announced that the twin sisters will be taking part in the “A Moment of Bliss” segment hosted by former Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.

The Bellas are not the only big name announced for a return on Friday Night and former Universal Champion Bill Goldberg is also expected to appear live on the show.

The company has also announced a few matches for the episode with the most interesting one being a #1 contenders match between Carmella and Naomi.

The winner of this bout will then go on to challenge the current SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley for her title at the upcoming Super Showdown event.

Though this isn’t the only announced bout and they have also confirmed that the Usos will be teaming up with The New Day to take on John Morrison, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in an 8 men tag team match.

There is no word yet on why the Bella Twins are returning to SmackDown but they are expected to be inducted into Hall Of Fame this year and it’s possible that the company confirms this news during the upcoming segment.

Rhea Ripley On Her WrestleMania Match Possibly Being Converted Into A Triple Threat

While WWE has announced the NXT Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair for WrestleMania, there are chances of this match being altered into a triple threat bout, with Bianca Belair being added to the mix.

Ripley successfully defended her title against Belair at Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Portland but in the post show interview, Triple H had indicated that the EST of NXT might not be done with the NXT Champion.

The former NXT UK star was asked about Bianca possibly being added to her WrestleMania match during a recent interview with Sportskeeda and replying to it, the current champion said that she won’t mind it:

“If they add Bianca Belair to it, I honestly don’t mind,” Ripley said. “I love fighting Bianca, and if she got put into the match, I’d be all for it.

I’m not going to argue about it and say that she doesn’t deserve it, because she does deserve it. She deserves her WrestleMania moment and, if she gets added to it, I’m not going to complain.”

Triple H had also indicated that the idea for Flair to challenge for the NXT title may have come from Vince McMahon himself and commenting on this, Rhea Ripley said that it’s insane to think that the higher-ups think so highly of her.

She explained that The Game was one of the people who inspired her to get into wrestling and to have people like him and Vince McMahon believe in her is a wonderful feeling.

Adam Cole On Possibly Retiring Triple H

The NXT Champion Adam Cole recently had an interview with Steel Chair magazine where he talked about things like the difference between working taped vs. live shows and more.

Discussing Shawn Michaels’ influence on his career, Cole recalled how Michaels was an inspiration for him growing up and how working with him in NXT is a dream come true.

He was then asked a very interesting question when the interviewer asked him about potentially facing and retiring his mentor and the Godfather of NXT Triple H. Replying to which, Adam Cole said that it’s something he would love do:

 “Anybody on our roster would agree. We all idolized Triple H or Shawn Michaels as kids, and now we’ve grown up” said Adam Cole. “we’re working together with them.

We’re really getting to see their minds and not only how smart they are, but how much they absolutely love this job. I wouldn’t pass that up for the world, that absolutely is something that I would love to do. I know many NXT talents feel the same way, and I definitely know a bunch of fans would love it.”

Later in the interview, Adam Cole talked about being at the Royal Rumble PPV and getting the chance to witness Edge’s return live during the show.

Cole said that it’s stuff that you dream about when you are a performer and as a fan, getting to see the former World Champion return to the ring was absolutely incredible.

Apart from this, Adam Cole also discussed his WrestleMania dream match, the evolution of his character and making the transition from the independent circuit to WWE.

Keith Lee Reveals What Roman Reigns Told Him After Their Survivor Series Encounter

Survivor Series was the first official introduction of Keith Lee for the casual WWE fans and it’s safe to say that the NXT star left a lasting impression on the fans with his performance during the night.

Lee was the special guest for this week’s episode of WWE Backstage. During the episode, the current Champion talked about a number of things and also reflected on his big moment at the PPV last year.

The NXT North American Champion also talked about coming face to face with Roman Reigns during the last segment of the elimination match they were competing in and Keith revealed what The Big Dog told him after the bout:

“He speared me out of my boots on to my neck but after that, that moment right there set a tone for me” recalled Keith Lee. “And after that was over with he then told me straight up ‘I want a one on one match with you.'”

Keith Lee also revealed his dream match during the episode and said that since Kurt Angle is retired now, his #1 dream opponent at the moment is the former US Champion Cesaro.

Apart from this, Keith Lee talked about his encounter with Brock Lesnar during the Royal Rumble PPV and responded to CM Punk’s praise for him.

Latest Update On The Big Show’s Status

It appears that WWE is planning to use former World Champion The Big Show a bit more extensively in the coming weeks as he is booked for a number of upcoming WWE events.

Per reports from PWinsider, the Monster Sized Athlete was backstage for this week’s episode of Raw but he wasn’t used on the show. He is now booked for the following episodes of Red Branded Show:

  • February 24 from Winnipeg
  • March 2 from Brooklyn
  • March 9 from Washington, DC
  • March 16 from Pittsburgh

The Big Show is also expected to be backstage for the upcoming Super Showdown event from Saudi Arabia on February 27 but it’s not known what he will be doing at the event.

The former World Champion returned to WWE programming after a two-year hiatus last month and he got involved in the feud between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins.

Show competed in the first-ever Fist Fight during the January 13 episode of Monday Night Raw. He was once again taken off of the WWE programming after this but Kevin Owens had announced that the Attitude Era star will return eventually.

Big Show is currently being advertised to face Seth Rollins at the mentioned shows so while there is no update on the plans for his future, it’s likely that he will continue his rivalry with the Architect and his crew when he returns to WWE TV.

Brock Lesnar Advertised For Upcoming Raw Episodes

WWE Champion ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman have been confirmed for appearances at the upcoming two episodes of Monday Night Raw.

Both the MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York which are the venues for February 24 and March 2 episode of Raw have recently announced Lesnar for the respective events.

The February 24 episode will be the go-home show for the Super Showdown event where the WWE Champion is set to defend his title against Ricochet in a one on one match.

So it’s likely that he will have a confrontation with the One and Only before their championship match in the Middle Eastern country on Thursday, February 27.

On the other hand, the March 2 episode will be the ideal place to start hyping his WrestleMania match and it would make sense for Brock Lesnar to have a showdown with his WrestleMania opponent Drew McIntyre during the episode.

The arena in Winnipeg is also advertising Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton and Big Show vs. Raw Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins for the upcoming episode of the Red Branded Show.

Though it’s most likely that one of these matches will end up being the dark main event for the show with the other one being changed to fit the script of the episode.

JBL Reportedly Set To Be Inducted In Hall Of Fame

After it was confirmed that the Hart Foundation member Davey Boy Smith will be going into Hall Of Fame, a new report has revealed another interesting name for this year’s class.

Former World Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield or JBL is set to be inducted into Hall Of Fame during the WrestleMania weekend this year, according to WrestlingInc.

The former WWE Champion started his career way back in September 1992. He wrestled for NWA and toured the world to compete in countries like Mexico and Japan before joining WWE in January 1996.

The company ended up being his home for the rest of his career. Layfield stayed active in the promotion for almost 14 years and won over half a dozen championships during his tenure as an active wrestler.

While JBL went through many character tweaks during his career, his run with Faarooq as a tag team known as Acolytes Protection Agency or APA is one of the periods most fondly remembered by the fans.

John announced his retirement from active competition after losing an Intercontinental Championship match to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXV and he has been making sporadic appearances for the company ever since.

If these reports are true then JBL will be joining Batista, nWo, The Bella Twins, Jushin “Thunder” Liger and The British Bulldog in the Hall Of Fame class of 2020.

Report: Davey Boy Smith To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame This Year

So far WWE has only announced a couple of entries into the Hall Of Fame 2020 but reports have revealed other names for this year’s class.

Two such entries that were revealed last week were the induction of the Bella Twins, Nikki Bella & Brie Bella and Japanese wrestling legend Jushin “Thunder” Liger. Now another name has been added to this list.

The rumors for it were first heard last week and Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live that “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith will be going into Hall Of Fame this year:

“So obviously they announced Batista and the nWo, these are confirmed. The Bella Twins people know about them, that was out last week along with Jushin Liger and the other one is Dave Boy Smith. Dave Boy Smith will be going into the Hall Of Fame.”

Davey Boy Smith had numerous stints with WWE including his initial run with the promotion from 1984 to 1988. Though probably his most notable tenure was when he signed with the company in 1994.

It was during this time when he formed a tag team with Owen Hart and they were later joined by Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Brian Pillman to form a new version of the Hart Foundation. This run ended shortly after the Montreal Screwjob.

If this report is true then Davey Boy Smith will be joining ‘The Animal’ Batista and the members of nWo in Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman into the Hall Of Fame class of 2020.

New Championship Match Added To Super Showdown

WWE has added another championship match to the upcoming Super Showdown event after this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Kevin Owens has been involved in a feud with Seth Rollins and his crew in recent times and he has teamed up with different partners over the weeks to compete against the Architect, including the likes of Samoa Joe and Big Show.

This week’s episode of Raw saw Owens teaming up with the Viking Raiders to take on Murphy and AOP but the match ended in a disqualification.

After the bout, Rollins and his partners took out the Raiders and they started working on Kevin. However, the Street Profits made the save for the former Universal Champion, sending the heels in retreat.

WWE has announced following these incidents that Seth and Murphy, who hold the Raw tag team titles, will be defending their championships against Street Profits at the upcoming event from Saudi Arabia.

Updated Super Showdown Match Card

This is the seventh match that has been announced for the show after the inclusion of the big Gauntlet match involving AJ Styles just recently. You can check out the updated Super Showdown match card below:

  • WWE Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
  • WWE Universal Championship Match: Bill Goldberg vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c)
  • RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. Seth Rollins and Murphy (c)
  • SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: John Morrison and The Miz vs. The New Day (c)
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Carmella or Naomi vs. Bayley (c)
  • Gauntlet Match for the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy: AJ Styles, R-Truth, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, WWE United States Champion Andrade
  • Steel Cage Match: King Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns

Super Showdown 2020 will take place on Thursday, February 27 from the Mohammed Abdou Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Unaired Footage Of Matt Hardy After Randy Orton’s Attack On Raw

Matt Hardy was expected to face Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw but the match never took place.

Last week’s episode of Raw saw Matt confronting Orton over his attack on Edge and the segment ended with the former Evolution member unleashing a vicious attack on The Attitude Era star with a chair.

Due to the attack, Matt Hardy was not cleared to compete on Raw this week but he still confronted the former World Champion, asking what was wrong with him.

While Randy did apologize for his actions at the beginning, he later started assaulting Hardy once again and the segment ended with the Viper delivering an even brutal assault on the Broken One than last week.

Randy Orton went backstage after this and the broadcast moved to the next segment after a commercial break, but WWE later posted the following unaired footage of Matt Hardy being taken backstage after the attack:

Matt Hardy’s current WWE contract is set to expire on March 1 and there is a lot of uncertainty regarding his status and future with the company. Reports suggest that he is not signing a new contract with WWE because he wants creative control.

So if the two parties can’t agree to terms and he decides to leave the company when his contract expires, then this segment could very well turn out to be Hardy’s last WWE appearance.

Shelton Benjamin Reveals He Has Signed New WWE Contract

Shelton Benjamin hasn’t been used very much on WWE programming recently but it appears that this hasn’t discouraged the former US Champion and he is hopeful about his future because he has signed a new contract with the company.

The Raw star recently appeared on the Chasing Glory podcast of former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia to talk about his wrestling career in detail.

Before the interview started, Benjamin claimed that he was reluctant to do it because he hasn’t been doing much and admitted that it’s frustrating for him:

“I was reluctant because I always like to put my best foot forward,” Benjamin said. “I like to be in the mix. I like to be producing. I like to inspire people. Lately, I haven’t been doing much as far as on-air with the WWE. For me, it’s just frustrating.”

Though continuing on the topic, Shelton revealed that he has just signed a new deal with the company: Yes, I just re-signed another multi-year deal with the WWE, so, I’ll be here for a little while.”

Shelton Benjamin officially re-signed with WWE in August 2017 but he hasn’t done much since then and the former Champion has been making sporadic appearances on WWE programming in recent times.

There is no word on the length of his new contract but it’s likely in the same line as the other WWE superstars who have recently signed 5 year deals with WWE like Lana, Randy Orton and more.

You can check out the episode of Chasing Glory featuring the WWE star below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

MVP Confirms New Backstage Role With WWE

Reports suggested that MVP is moving to a backstage role in WWE after his latest appearances and now the former US Champion himself has confirmed the news.

The wrestling star recently appeared on Hall of Fame podcast of Booker T where he talked about a number of things including his wrestling career and more.

During the episode, MVP also talked about his recent appearances on WWE TV and revealed that he will be joining the WWE team as a backstage producer:

“I’m gonna go ahead and give you the scoop,” MVP said “Whether or not I’ll be seen on WWE television more has yet to be seen, because I don’t make those decisions.

I would definitely make myself available for an on-screen role in some capacity, but I’ll be joining the team as a backstage producer. So, there’s your scoop.”

MVP made his surprise return to WWE programming during the Royal Rumble event last month and he then lost a match to Rey Mysterio the next night on Raw.

He hosted the VIP Lounge with Drew McIntyre on the February 10th episode of the show. MVP was attacked by McIntyre during the segment, resulting in a match between the two on this week’s episode of the Red Branded Show.

It’s unknown if the company has planned more appearances for him in the future but his new backstage role means MVP will be available and they can bring him back on WWE TV whenever it’s needed.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Backstage Update On Tito Ortiz Visiting WWE Performance Center

The reports of UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz visiting the performance center last week raised many eyebrows, leaving fans wondering about the reason behind it.

Now PWinsider has provided some updates on the situation and it suggests that the MMA veteran could be working with WWE in the coming future.

Per the site, Ortiz’s visit to the performance center was an introductory meeting. It was spread out over several days so Tito and WWE could feel each other and explore the possibilities of working together down the line.

The former UFC star did get some basic pro wrestling training during his visit and he also familiarized himself with the WWE system. Overall, it was described as a “let’s feel each other out” kind of situation.

Tito Ortiz defeated former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio in an MMA Fight for the Combate Americas promotion back in December last year.

During the media rounds before the match, the UFC Legend had expressed interest in a wrestling career, saying that he would love to work with Brock Lesnar.

Now it would be interesting to see how the relationship between these two parties develop further and what role WWE gives the 45-year old star if he does decide to join the company.

Triple H On Women Possibly Main Eventing Takeover Events

We have seen women’s matches headline many WWE shows in recent times including the main event of WrestleMania 35. However, so far, none of the NXT Takeover events have been headlined by a women’s match.

During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports! the godfather of NXT Triple H talked about a number of things and he explained what they look for while choosing the main event for the special NXT shows.

Triple H first revealed that people ask him how he feels about women headlining the Takeover events and claimed that when he looks at Takeovers, all he looks at is where it lays out from a storyline standpoint.

The Game then said that to him, it’s not a thing about woman or man and he wants to see the biggest storyline with the most emotional connection in the last spot:

“To me, it’s not a man, woman thing, not a tag team or singles title thing, not anything else.’ said Triple H. “Whatever the biggest storyline and whatever has the most emotional connection is what I want to see in that last spot.

You don’t put the biggest battle scene in the middle of the movie and then taper it off toward the end. You want to approach this that way.”

Apart from this Triple H also talked about the growth of Bianca Belair as a performer and how she came in with no experience and has grown into this role.

The former World Champion said that Belair is feeling it and 6 months ago, it would have been hard to imagine that she would be in this position.

Former World Champion Scheduled For Raw

Former World Champion and veteran wrestling star, the Big Show is currently scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, according to Pwinsider.

After staying away from in-ring action for more than two years, the Big Show returned to WWE programming last month to help Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe in their ongoing feud against Seth Rollins and AOP.

The former Champion teamed up with Joe and Owens to fight the team of Rollins and the former NXT Tag Team Champions in the first-ever fistfight on WWE TV during the January 13th episode of Raw.

Though they couldn’t win the match against the Architect and the others because Buddy Murphy interfered in the bout. He later joined the group led by Monday Night Messiah.

Big Show was written off TV after this bout but Kevin Owens had later announced on the following episode of the show that the Monster Sized Athlete will eventually return to deal with the heels.

It’s unknown what the company has planned for Show when he returns on Raw but it’s likely that he will get involved in the rivalry between these two groups once again, as the former Universal Champion had teased last month.

Roman Reigns Reveals His Advice For Simone Johnson

Simone Johnson has no shortage of family members she can turn to for advice when it comes to wrestling and one of them is the current WWE superstar and cousin of her father The Rock, Roman Reigns.

Reigns recently had an interview with TMZ where he talked about a number of things and he also revealed his advice for the newest WWE star.

The former World Champion was asked if his niece should use the People’s Elbow made famous by her dad and replying to the question, Roman said that his advice to Simone would be to develop her own personality:

“If I were to give her some advice, I’d say try to develop your own personality and develop your own shtick, your own character,” Reigns said.

“I mean, we can do anything we want. I could’ve been The Savage from the Island of Samoa if I wanted to, but I developed a different character and I went a different route.”

Reigns then explained that he has developed his own character but he is still able to pay homage to his heritage and Johnson will feel more accomplished if she does the same.

Apart from this, Roman Reigns also responded to UFC star Jon Jones’ recent comments about joining WWE and discussed a potential match with the MMA fighter. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

Former Lucha Underground Star To Make NXT Debut This Weekend

Former Lucha Underground star King Cuerno, also known as El Hijo del Fantasma will finally be making his NXT debut during a live event this weekend.

The Mexican star, now renamed to Jorge Bolly recently appeared on a video with new NXT on-air personality Kat Marino and announced that he will be making his NXT debut at Saturday’s Live Event from Ft. Pierce, Florida.

He revealed that he will be teaming with Raul Mendoza for a tag team match but their opponents were not confirmed. You can check out the video featuring the announcement of his debut below:

Making his professional wrestling debut in 2000, Bolly has wrestled for a number of big companies in Mexico, including AAA and Lucha Underground.

He also made several appearances for Impact Wrestling in 2017 and 2018, competing at events like Slammiversary XV and Bound For Glory.

WWE announced the signing of the Luchador back in September but it was later revealed that he was recovering from a knee injury and that’s why he hasn’t made his debut yet.

Jorge Bolly also teased the introduction of his tag team partner in the video above and called their team ‘Tequila’. So now it would be interesting to see which star he introduces as his partner during the show.