Sami Zayn has revealed how he felt taking the package piledriver from Kevin Owens again.
KO and Sami are no strangers to the move, as they used it a lot during their time in the indies. In WWE however, it had been banned for a long time due to its high risk. Owens has brought it back on TV recently since turning heel and both Zayn and Cody Rhodes have been on the receiving end of it in recent weeks.
The Ultimate Underdog was asked how he felt taking the move after so long during his interview with FN Barn Burner. The 40-year-old claimed that he felt things that he has never felt before when Owens delivered one to him during the February 3 episode of Raw:
“Oh my god. Yeah, different ball game. I felt things in my spine that I’d never felt taking that move. And you know, I used to take that move a lot in my early 20s. My entire 20s, actually, was just me taking that move pretty much. [It] felt very different at 40, no question.”
Sami Zayn was also asked if his relationship with Kevin Owens was damaged beyond repair or they could become friends again in the future. The former IC Champion noted that after doing this dance for many years with his real-life best friend, he’s learned to never say never:
“Look I’ve said before no and I’ve been wrong. So I don’t know, maybe I’m just being emotional when I’m saying ‘No no, this is it, this is it for real.’ and you know maybe 3-4 years pass, and you kind of start to overlook things. It’s just kind of how life is I feel. I don’t know, never say never. I’ve learned that by now. But I don’t know. Right now we’ve got an issue and it’s time to solve it.”
15 years after their first unsanctioned match at ROH Final Battle 2010, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be going to war once again under the stipulation at the upcoming Elimination Chamber: Toronto event on March 1.
It’s been over 2 decades since the end of The Attitude Era but there are many fans who still begrudge WWE for moving away from the mature themes and eccentric programming of the time. Wrestling legend Mick Foley, however, believes that it happened for a good reason.
The Wrestling veteran recently had an interview with SportingTalk to promote his 40 years of Mick Foley show. During the interview, he was asked about the evolution of WWE and things being toned down since his active years.
The WWE Hall of Famer explained that in some ways the matches today are a lot better than past and there is a different kind of danger involved because of how fast-paced some of the moves are. He also discussed how the change was required for WWE to survive because even at the height of the Attitude Era they couldn’t get sponsors:
“When you say toned down, I think the matches are better on a whole than they’ve ever been. I see danger in a different way. I see things like the fast moves coming off the ropes are things that can hurt ligaments and things like that. So these really quick moves that require lightning speed and strength, they’re dangerous for your joints and your ligaments.
But also, I know how frustrated we were in the attitude era that our ratings were through the roof and we couldn’t get sponsors. Like nobody would touch us. So I definitely understand why WWE moved in the direction they did. They made it more accessible to people not only in United States but around the world. So worldwide wrestling and WWE has never been more popular. And then I think some of the superstars are making a lot of money. And they should.”
When asked if he felt he was undervalued or underpaid during his time in WWE, Mick Foley discussed how things could have gone either way had he come up in a different era. The former champion noted that he feels lucky that people remember him after all these years:
“Well, I’m never going to begrudge anybody who gets what they deserve. Yeah, maybe if I’d come along in a different time. But if I’d come along at a different time, maybe I wouldn’t have been utilized as well. I was kind of an outside-the-box type of wrestler and I was lucky that when I got to WWE the powers would be saw something in me and used me really well.
But I’m lucky that I can come to Manchester and have people waiting in line to see me. I mean I haven’t wrestled full time in 25 years. I seriously thought I had a 18-month shelf life before everyone forgot about me. You would have told me that I’d be making more money for a signing in Manchester than I did main eventing Madison Square Garden. I would have thought you were crazy.”
Female talents in WWE are not only frustrated with the creative direction heading into WrestleMania but they also feel insecure about their future in the company after the sudden release of Sonya Deville.
Deville’s run with WWE came to an abrupt end when officials told her that her contract would not be renewed earlier this month. This came as a surprise to the former champion as she had been in active negotiations with the promotion for a potential new deal.
Fightful Select in a new update noted that Deville had been told that she would be re-signed 4 days prior to the decision. So her sudden departure has made talents who are not being used much feel insecure about their spot in the company.
Female talents also feel frustrated at the lack of focus on developing contenders for the various titles and talents lower on the card not getting screen time. The issues are more glaring when compared to NXT where the women’s roster is given a lot more opportunities to develop characters resulting in the emotional investment of the fans.
Talents have also pointed out how a lot of the time the same names are featured at the top of the card and in the mid-card title scene as well, instead of lesser used talents getting the spotlight.
While the new regime gets praise for its focus on long-term storytelling from fans, the talents on the female side don’t seem to be benefiting a lot from it. According to the report, many have just been told that their time will come and asked to be patient when they inquired about their creative plans.
With The Rock making a last-minute return to insert himself back into the build for WrestleMania, the card will have to be shuffled around again. So it doesn’t seem like the concerns of the female division will be addressed anytime soon.
Toni Storm is set for a Hollywood ending at the upcoming AEW Revolution PPV.
This week’s episode of AEW Collision opened with Mariah May attacking the AEW Women’s Champion backstage. May then dragged Storm onto the stage, holding the Women’s title in her hand.
The former protege laid out the Timeless star with a Storm Zero. Mariah then asked for the spotlight and cut an intense promo challenging Storm to a Revolution match:
“Look what you made me do. You never did know how to write an ending, did you? I guess I’m going to write one for you. I’m going to write it in your own blood. This is our spotlight; this is our moment. Let’s be stars together. At Revolution, let’s have a Hollywood ending.”
The match was later made official for the upcoming AEW PPV. Here is the update card for the show:
Steel Cage Match: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
AEW International Championship Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (with Don Callis) vs. Kenny Omega
Singles Match: MJF vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Cope
AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Momo Watanabe
AEW Women’s Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mariah May
“Big Boom!” A.J. is also expected to be in action at the March 9 show but his opponent is yet to be confirmed. The AEW Revolution PPV will be taking place from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Matt Hardy says his brother Jeff Hardy wants to ‘right the wrongs’ with his WWE return.
The Hardy Boyz are set to make a return to WWE programming next week after years. The duo will be representing TNA Wrestling and face off against Tavion Heights and Myles Borne at the February 25 edition of NXT.
The Broken One opened up about his excitement about the upcoming appearance on his podcast. He revealed that the whole thing came together very quickly and he is not sure where it is headed:
“Really excited about this, man. All this stuff — even us popping up and responding to that challenge on NXT, that was a very last-minute thing. So it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun.
I don’t know where this ride’s going. I really don’t want to know where this route is going in all capacities. Because I want, especially whatever we end up doing, I want everything to be as natural and as organic and as real as possible, as authentic as possible.”
For Jeff Hardy, the return would be a sort of redemption after his infamous walkout during a live event match that led to his WWE release in December 2021. After his failed AEW run, the Charismatic Enigma has expressed interest in making a return to the company in recent times believing that he could retire CM Punk before going into Hall of Fame.
Matt Hardy also revealed how his brother feels about the comeback claiming that Jeff wants to use the opportunity to show everyone who he really is:
“He’s very happy to be going back and I feel like he wants to right the wrongs, he wants to leave on a good note, no more erratic behavior. He wants to go back and show them who he is.”
The Attitude Era star expressed the belief that WWE waited this long to do something with The Hardys as part of the TNA deal because they wanted to see how Jeff fared in his TNA run.
The Rock has revealed the wrestling moment that almost made him quit the business.
The Great One’s misadventures as Rocky Maivia is a well-known chapter of wrestling history. Despite being pushed as a babyface in his early days, the fans did not connect with The Hollywood star’s first wrestling persona at all. WWE put the IC title on him only a few months after his debut in February 1997, but the fans kept booing him out of the building everywhere he went.
The People’s Champion remembered this time when asked about a moment that broke his spirits during the post-SmackDown press conference. He specifically remembered getting booed out of the building during his WrestleMania 13 match with Rikishi:
“I go into WrestleMania in Chicago at the Horizon at that time. It was sold out and I was the Intercontinental champion. And that entire arena booed me and they were chanting Rocky sucks. And it was very hard. I was just a kid, but also, I was what’s called a babyface, in wrestling binocular you’re a good guy. You’re not supposed to get booed.
That place, they [booed the shit out of me] that night. So much so I remember being on the mat and the guy I was wrestling was called the Sultan. He’s actually a family member of mine. He’s my cousin Rikishi. I remember him holding me in this wrestling move and he goes, ‘Don’t worry about it. Don’t listen to them, it’s okay.’ Meanwhile, there’s 15,000 people chanting ‘Rocky sucks.’ It’s like, man.”
The Rock revealed he was making $150,000 per year at the time and didn’t have a lot of money left over after paying his taxes and various bills. When Vince McMahon decided to take the title off him after his WrestleMania match, he seriously considered switching careers to MMA:
“So then that was a big turning point for me. That was in March of 1997. And you think a year earlier I was, I just got cut from the CFL, the Canadian Football League. I had no money; I had seven bucks. Now I’m champion and everything is supposed to be amazing and I was getting booed out of the building.
Then that was at WrestleMania. That was my WrestleMania moment. After that night, I had a meeting with Vince. He said ‘Things aren’t working out. I’m going to take the title off you.’ A week later I got hurt. I tore a ligament in my knee. He said you got to go home. I went home for the rest of the summer and I didn’t know what I was going to do.
In that summer, I thought ‘Man I’ve got really no money. I’m getting booed out of the building. I went to WrestleMania. I don’t know what to do.’ At that time I thought maybe I should consider a career in MMA. At that time there was a company called; it was called Pride in Japan. They were making a lot of money and I thought maybe I should do that.”
Thankfully, The Rock did not pull the trigger on this career change. When McMahon decided to bring him back as a heel, the former world champion asked to be given 5 minutes of promo time. Vince only agreed to give him 2 minutes and that became the turning point of his career.
The Final Boss made his WWE return at tonight’s SmackDown from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. As expected, he first announced WrestleMania 42 returning to New Orleans in 2026.
The Great One then called out the Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. When the champ came out, Rock first discussed how the two have become friends after their WrestleMania encounter last year and shared a drink at Raw’s Netflix premiere.
Things took an interesting turn after this, however, as The Hollywood star reminded Cody that he was a TKO board member and owned everything. He then presented an offer to the American Nightmare.
The Rock declared that he wanted Rhodes to be ‘his champion,’ claiming that it would help the former AEW star become an even bigger superstar than the Great One himself. The megastar gave Cody some time to think about his offer, declaring that he’ll return at Elimination Chamber for his answer.
The segment ended with the 52-year-old pointing at Cody saying that he wanted to own ‘it.’ When Rhodes mistook it for his championship belt, Rock clarified that he wanted to own Cody’s ‘soul.’
What being The Rock’s champion would mean for Cody Rhodes is unclear. We’ll have to tune in to Elimination Chamber from Toronto on March 1 to find some answers.
Mercedes Mone has commented on the future of the Mone Muppet after her Grand Slam victory.
The Mone Muppet was introduced by Harley Cameron as a way to mock the current TBS Champion during their recent feud. Thanks to the genius of Cameron, the whole thing became a huge hit with multiple Mone Muppet segments going viral.
The former WWE star discussed the unexpected success of the Muppet in her Newsletter. She mentioned how it took a life of its own when they looked nothing alike:
“This little Puppet has really taken on a life of its own. I mean, let’s be real—this thing doesn’t look anything like me, but it sure knows how to bring the entertainment!”
Mercedes Mone also discussed how Cameron brought the Mone Muppet out for a spot during their Grand Slam match. She mentioned that it was a tribute to DDT’s inflatable dall Yoshihiko but claimed that it was time for the Muppet to take a seat:
“And at Grand Slam! That puppet had its moments, but I kicked it so hard that it practically flew backward! I’ve been a fan of DDT Yoshihiko for ages, so consider this my tribute.
If that Muppet Moné ever wants to hop on the money train, it’s going to need to step up its game. Seriously, it should probably just take a seat and leave the spotlight to the real star—because we all know who runs this show!”
Despite many hoping otherwise, Mercedes Mone picked up the victory over Harley Cameron at AEW’s Australia debut. The rivalry between the two seems to be over for now as AEW teased Momo Watanabe as the next challenger for the TBS title at Dynamite this week.
Xavier Woods has revealed his real problem with Cody Rhodes.
The New Day were interviewed recently by Shakiel Mahjouri to promote the upcoming release of WWE 2K25. They talked about things such as wanting nothing to do with Big E, a potential 2K showcase mode featuring their greatest matches and more.
Xavier Woods, who went to high school with the current Undisputed Champion was asked about his experience. The King of The Ring winner who has a background in amateur wrestling himself, did not take anything away from Cody’s wrestling ability but claimed that Rhodes is a horrible person in real life:
“Cody Rhodes. He is a second-generation wrestler, so you got all this family tree stuff. He’s got doors opening for him left and right regardless of where he goes..
He’s like a bad guy in an 80s movie. He is very good at wrestling. I can never take that away from him.
Very talented, multi-time state champion, tons of pins across the board. But his personality? Horrible. Made my life a living hell for years to the point where I wouldn’t have spit on him if he was on fire.”
Xavier Woods also discussed how Cody Rhodes has become a fan favorite in recent times. He questioned the fans forgetting his past misdeeds:
“So that’s my issue with Cody Rhodes. Now the fact that I see him as WWE champion, he’s got the fanfare, he’s got the fireworks, he’s in all the interviews, he’s in all the YouTube shorts, he’s in everything. He’s all over the place. And I just don’t understand.
I thought that you’re supposed to be rewarded for good behavior, not bad. Then you just see like ‘Oh because you got a family lineage, we just forget everything.’ I get it. It’s cool.”
Shane McMahon was ghosted by Tony Khan after their viral meeting in the Summer of 2024 because the son of the former WWE chairman wanted control of AEW.
Photos of McMahon meeting with the AEW President at an airport became viral last year amid rumors of him joining the company. Many at the time believed Shane might appear on AEW TV soon but nothing came out of it.
Former WWE broadcaster Jonathan Coachman made the topic hot again recently after claiming some interesting things about the meeting on his podcast. Per Coach, Shane had demanded equity in the company and he wanted to run the entire show. Khan, not willing to give in to his demands, then ghosted McMahon.
Fightful Select has since provided an update on these claims confirming that Tony Khan did not follow up on his airport meeting with Shane McMahon. They also confirmed that McMahon did want to ‘run things’, believing that his insight and ability to run the show was ‘valuable’
Though despite the tall demands, Shane did not have familiarity with the AEW product or their business model and Khan almost thought that McMahon was joking when he mentioned the possibility of running things. Sources close to the high-flying star noted that Shane did not take the lack of further communication from the AEW owner personally.
As is always the case in wrestling, the possibility of Shane McMahon making a cameo appearance down the line has not been ruled out, but there never seems to have been an extensive plan for him to work in AEW.
The Undertaker is one of the longest-tenured locker room leaders in the history of WWE. During this time as an active performer in the company, he had to deal with many rumbustious talents behind the scenes. Though no one was a bigger thorn on his side than Shawn Michaels.
Even though the WWE Hall of Famer turned things around after his first retirement, stories of HBK’s mischiefs during his first WWE run are available in abundance.
The Dead Man talked about his chemistry with Michaels during his recent interview with Bully Ray for Busted Open. After having finished a whole bottle of Jack Daniels with the fellow legend, Taker did not hold back on his opinion on Michaels during those early years. Though he also praised Shawn’s in-ring abilities, saying that there was no one else he would have rather had a match against:
“It’s the craziest thing and that’s another example of this business. I tell this story quite a bit. In those early years, up until the time when Shawn took off because he had hurt his back. So WrestleMania was it 13 when he put Steve over? Then he left. He leaves for five years.
From that point all the way back to 1990 when I came in. I tell people this all the time. If I was to go backstage and see Shawn Michaels on fire, I wouldn’t piss on him to put him out. I didn’t care for him as a human being. But there’s nobody, that I had rather be in the ring with. Now that right there is a huge statement.
I’ve been in the ring with greats. I’ve been in there with the Mount Rushmore greats. Shawn had the ability; he could have a five-star match with a broomstick. We just had this magic chemistry that I knew anytime that I was in a match with Shawn, all I had to do was be Undertaker and he was going to be Shawn Michaels and it was just going to go.”
Shawn Michaels had to retire from active competition in early 1998 after suffering a major back injury in a casket match with Undertaker. It was during this time that Mr. WrestleMania turned things around and became a born-again Christian in 2002 before his return to in-ring action.
While talking about his matches with Michaels, Bully Ray discussed how there were many matches where Taker had to worry about getting his opponent through the bout. With Shawn however, he could be completely himself:
“That was the magic of WrestleMania 25, 26, 27 and 28 is that we had such trust in each other. We knew each other so well; our mindsets and our instincts were all on the same page.
I knew all I had to do was go out and be Undertaker because Shawn Michaels was going to be Shawn Michaels. The two knew exactly what to do together. I didn’t have to think for him, he didn’t have to think for me. That’s why it became so magical because it was just two guys doing what they do.”
The Rock has declared that he is coming to SmackDown from New Orleans tonight to ‘fuck up a certain someone’s life’ with his gospel.
WWE announced the return of the Hollywood star in a press release earlier on Thursday, claiming that ‘everything could change in an instant’ when The Final Boss shows up on TV this time of the year.
The Fast & Furious star himself provided an update on his mission on Instagram early on Friday morning, claiming that he is coming to handle business:
“The Final Boss is coming to handle business, deliver a big beautiful gift to the city of New Orleans and fuck up a certain someone’s life with the Final Boss gospel. ? #smackdown”
The city of New Orleans is believed to be the host city for WrestleMania 42. This new remark from The Rock only seems to confirm the rumors that the announcement will be made by the People’s Champion on the Blue Branded Show tonight.
The other part of his message however is still open to interpretation with multiple potential top stars who could be the one that the Great One is coming to confront.
Roman Reigns would be the most obvious guess but The Rock still has unfinished business with Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. Even someone like John Cena who is on his retirement tour could be on his radar, so fans will have to tune in tonight to see who he is talking about.
The Egyptian government has barred Logan Paul from visiting the country.
YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast recently published a video exploring the great pyramids of Giza in collaboration with the Egypt Film Commission.
Talking about the video in his latest vlog, the ever-controversial WWE star revealed that he had actually requested to be a part of this trip. The Egyptian government however, made it clear that he was not welcomed in the country:
“Mr. Beast just uploaded a new video exploring the pyramids or something. And I love the pyramids. So I was like ‘Jimmy, can I come?’ And he was like ‘For sure dude.’ Then a week later he called me and was like ‘Dude, unfortunately, the Egyptian government said that you can’t come, otherwise we can’t come.’
And I was like ‘Wait what? I know I pissed people off at the Egyptian government, I’ve never even been to Egypt, why can’t I come to the pyramid Jimmy?’ He said ‘I don’t know the government specifically said you are the only person that cannot come on this trip.'”
Logan Paul was previously involved in a controversy relating to his trip to Japan. He received wide criticism for uploading footage of a corpse of a suicide victim on his YouTube channel.
In an interview with Dominik Mysterio last year, Paul had claimed that he was not officially banned by the Japanese government but he wanted to be invited back if he ever were to visit the country again.
It’s always said that a talent is two inches away from catastrophe while wrestling a match and former AEW star Joey Janela recently found this out firsthand.
The Bad Boy revealed on Twitter recently that he is dealing with a ruptured bicep after his most recent indie match. Not only that, the 35-year-old has also suffered nerve damage which has resulted in him losing feeling in a couple of his fingers:
In the hospital, just got to see a doctor looks like now after my match yesterday and attack today by Atticus, I not only have a complete ruptured bicep but also nerve damage to the arm that’s affecting the my arm all the way down to the hand.
I currently have no feeling in my ring and pinky finger. We are looking for options but it seems a major surgery is imminent in the morning. I’m sorry to everyone, things aren’t looking too good.”
In the hospital, just got to see a doctor looks like now after my match yesterday and attack today by Atticus, I not only have a complete ruptured bicep but also nerve damage to the arm that’s affecting the my arm all the way down to the hand.
Joey Janela has been active in the indepedent circuit and a regular for Game Changer Wrestling in recent times. His last match came at Saturday’s GCW event where Janela suffered a loss at the hands of Atticus Cogar.
The former GCW World Champion was one of the first talents signed by AEW upon its inception in 2019. He had high profile matches with names such as Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega and Darby Allin during his stint with the company that ended in 2022.
Tommy Dreamer believes a 5-star rating should not exist in wrestling because entertainment is subjective and different people can like different things.
The 5-star rating system made famous by wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has always been a controversial topic. On one hand, it provides a spotlight to young talents trying to make a name, but on the other side legends like Kurt Angle never earning a top rating makes people question the integrity of the whole thing.
The ratings system was the talk of the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. Discussing the topic, Tommy Dreamer explained that a 5-star rating does not exist in his world because the quality of a match is a subjective opinion:
“A five-star match to me is nonexistent. It doesn’t exist in my world and nor should it ever. I’ve never had a five-star match according to one person. But I will tell you this, you go by the crowd, right? Dave, I’ve been to a lot of wrestling shows as a fan.
I’ve watched so many wrestling shows. I would say Hulk Hogan had a five-star match every night. Once that leg hit, everybody went nuts. When he was a babyface and your WWE champion. Hulk Hogan had a five-star match every night because everybody went home excited.”
Tommy Dreamer noted that Dave has always been respectful to him and he values Meltzer’s opinion as a historian. However, Dreamer explained that different people can like different things and a 5-star match is one that leaves fans satisfied:
“Again, I have nothing against Dave Meltzer. I do have everything against this, well, it’s a five-star match. Dave, I do a lot of Indies. I have seen matches that I watched and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, how are people reacting to this? And then at the end of the match, people are cheering for these two unknown guys to me that aren’t very very good, but yet the fans liked it. So then it was a five-star match.
Because, like you said, Dave, I’m not a fan of gore in movies or taking it from Rhyno. However, people love gore. Jerry Lynn listens to like that death metal, and I’m like, that doesn’t appeal to me. But it appeals, and then if you ever see go to those concerts, there’s people that, hey, they sell out freaking massive stadiums. I’m not a fan of soccer. Yet, there’s people who love soccer. It’s all like you said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I have never seen Ray Mysterio have a bad match, and I’ve watched Ray Mysterio since his United States debut. Ray Mysterio has had a five-star match every single time he went out because I’ve never seen him have a bad match. Can you dissect it? Can you do this? Yes, but at the end of the day, if you paid your ticket and the fans are happy for what they saw, that’s a five-star night.”
Vince McMahon is a known workaholic and there are a lot of stories about how the retired wrestling promoter almost never went to sleep. Former WWE employee Teddy Long got to experience the boss’ relentless routine firsthand on multiple occasions while working in the company.
The former WWE Chairman was recently spotted at the Superbowl event alongside his son Shane McMahon and The Undertaker. A lot of people noted that McMahon looked to be in good shape physically despite his age.
Teddy Long talked about this Vince sighting in a new WrestleBinge video. Recalling his time as the SmackDown General Manager, the former WWE official discussed how Mr. McMahon went to gym at crazy times:
“Well, one thing about Vince, and I know this for a fact, he stays in the gym. Okay? I’ll tell you a story about Vince maybe you guys don’t even know. Sometimes at night after he would leave the TV, which means around midnight, 1 o’clock, he would fly his plane into the next town. And when they got into that town, it may have been 2 o’clock or 2:30 in the morning.
Vince got right out of that plane, got with his trainer [who] was already in the town and made arrangements to get the gym open. So when Vince landed, he got off that plane at 2:30 in the morning, got with his trainer, picked him up and they went straight to the gym. That’s where he went. The next morning, he would get up, he would go back to the hotel, he didn’t sleep. Next morning, he would get up, be the first one at TV.”
When asked if he ever saw Vince McMahon taking a nap backstage, Teddy Long replied negatively. He then discussed how the former WWE executive not only never seemed to rest himself but he hated seeing others sleep as well:
“I remember one time at WrestleMania, I know I left him at the Hall of Fame. He was the last one there. This was 2 o’clock in the morning, we got out of there like real late one time.
The next morning about 9 o’clock we had to be back and the first person I see is Vince. So I waited to see if he was in a good mood and everything. So he spoke to me that let me know he’s in a good mood and I asked him, I said, “Have you been to sleep?” And he said to me that sleep was his enemy. Michael Cole told me one time.
I was on Vince’s plane and Michael Cole sat right next to me and he told me ‘Do not go to sleep on this plane unless Vince goes to sleep.’ One time they went overseas and they went with Big Show. Big Show went to sleep after they took this water bed off the plane. They put it wherever they landed, they put it somewhere. Big Show got on the water bed and went to sleep. Well, Vince came by, seen him, stuck a hole in it, let all the water out.”
The Undertaker has revealed which current WWE stars he likes to watch.
The Dead Man recently had an interview with Shak Wrestling to promote WWE LFG. During the interview, he talked about the stacked main event scene in the company currently and how there are a lot of guys reaching for that ‘brass ring.’
When asked if there is anyone in particular that stands out to him, The Undertaker once again named Gunther. He reiterated his comments about how there is no wasted movement with the Ring General. The WWE Hall of Famer explained that every move the world champion does means something and his character work is equally as impressive:
“He believes in who he is, and in turn, the audience believes that’s who it is. And I haven’t really seen him ever where he was that far different than what you see on TV, even backstage. Which you know me I appreciate that more so than anything. I like Gunther.”
The wrestling veteran also gave a nod to the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso before discussing how Jacob Fatu has a bright future ahead:
“Obviously, Jey Uso’s ascent. Jacob [Fatu], he hasn’t even scratched the surface. Dude, I love watching Jacob. I mean, he’s got that thing. He’s got it. When he’s on TV you want to see what he’s doing. And so again, he’s another one of those that just scratched the surface to where he has the potential to go.”
The Undertaker later talked about John Cena’s retirement tour. He said that not everyone deserves such a tour and explained how Cena’s retirement will change wrestling farewells. You can check out his comments on the matter here.
A former WWF Women’s Champion & sister of WWE Hall of Famer is set to make her final wrestling appearance at an upcoming convention in July.
TMart Promotions recently sent out a press release regarding their upcoming The Gathering VI convention from Hilten University Palace in Charlotte NC. They announced that former WWF star Rockin Robin will be making her last wrestling appearance at the event from July 30 to August 3:
“This talent has informed me that this will be the Final Appearance of her career. So this will be your last opportunity to get your Autographs or Photo ops.. We welcome her for the first time ever to the Hilton and her final Appearance. Former WWF Women’s World Champion Rockin Robin”
Robin is a retired professional wrestler who was active in the business from 1986 to 1992. Real name Robin Denise Smith, the wrestling veteran is the half-sister of legendary Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts.
Hailing from Charlotte itself, she had a stint with the then-WWF between 1987 and 1990, after the company restarted its women’s division. Rockin Robin defeated Sensational Sherri in October 1988 to win the WWF Women’s World Title. She held on to the title for the remainder of her WWF stint and the belt was retired upon her exit from the company in 1990.
After leaving the company, Robin had multiple stints in Japan and she even formed a tag team with Wendi Richter before retiring from in-ring action in 1992. She was inducted into the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame last year.
Baron Corbin has revealed his issue with the way his WWE release came about.
The former US Champion was one of the surprise departures from the company in recent months. He was considered the ultimate utility player so people were shocked when the officials decided not to renew his deal at the end of 2024.
The 40-year-old opened up about the end of his 13-year run with the company during a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio. Revealing his immediate reaction to the release, Baron Corbin said that he did not panic:
“I was always smart with my money, so I didn’t hit the panic button of like, ‘Oh no, how am I gonna pay my bills?’ It was like, I clicked right into, I think in November is when they told me, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna renew.’
And I was like, ‘All right, let’s go. Next step. Let’s see what I got.’ I’ve been trying to create other stuff whether it be in the food world, I want to get in horror movies. I want to do some fun stuff with that. So I was excited, like right out the gate. I didn’t have the panic.”
This is not to say that Baron Corbin was not upset with his release. He has previously implied that there is a particular person behind the scenes who wanted him gone. During the interview, Corbin confirmed that the person in question was not Triple H. Though he was bummed that the news was given to him by Talent Relations, instead of it coming from the current creative head:
“I was bummed. I think my feelings were hurt a little bit sadly enough because of everything I’ve given to the company for 13 years. Getting called on a Thursday, ‘Hey, we need you here tomorrow. We know you were supposed to be off this weekend.’ or leaving for my family vacation, eight months ago when we were in Spain on a family vacation, to fly to Scotland to do a match.
I was always a company guy and put them first. Then to get a call from TR that we’re not gonna do it. I think it would have hurt my feelings less maybe if Hunter had called and been like, ‘Hey man, this is where we’re at’ or whatever. But again, I don’t think he played that much of a role in it. So I don’t know. I think that was my issue.”
The Undertaker has opened up about John Cena’s retirement tour.
The Dead Man recently had an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri to promote the new WWE LFG show. He talked about things such as the current main event scene in WWE, the future of stars such as Gunther and Jacob Fatu and more.
The experience of Taker on the last leg of his career was very different than Cena as he went back and forth on retirement for multiple years before finally calling it a career. During the interview, the wrestling veteran was asked what are some of the signs that wrestlers should look for to make the decision at the right time. The Phenom explained that you have to regularly assess your physical condition and love for the business:
“You have to constantly assess where you’re at physically. Although we have the ability to push through pain, you have to realize ‘How important is this still to me?’ There’s a time period that Cena did everything. He was on every house show. He was on every pay-per-view. He did every meet and greet. He did all the make-a-wish. And he wanted it. He was like ‘I want it all’ and now he’s had this 20-year run or however long his run was.
Now he is trying to branch out and to do other things. So you have to, you can’t mail it in. You can’t do this business the way it needs to be done if you’re not 100% committed. I think that’s where he’s at. Like I know in John’s soul he loves this business, just like Rock loves the business but there’s this thing – you want to test the water to different things and challenge yourself in a different way.”
The Undertaker had multiple WrestleMania matches which he considered to be the end of his in-ring career but he was always convinced by Vince McMahon to come back. The WWE Hall of Famer finally hanged his boot after competing in the highly praised boneyard match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.
Speaking about the approach of John Cena who is spending the whole of 2025 going to different places one last time, The Last Outlaw expressed the belief that it’ll become a prototype for other wrestlers who want to retire:
“I think it’s great that they’re doing this tour the way they are. I don’t think everybody deserves that. I think Cena definitely does because of the workhorse that he was for so long. I think it’s great because people will have an opportunity to know where he’s going to be and you’re going to get one last opportunity maybe to see him live. I think that’s pretty cool.
I think John gets to get his flowers the way he should. I think this might be the prototype for certain wrestlers to do their Swan Song and leave. But your original question I mean you have to be 100% committed to making this everything. Your whole career has to evolve or revolve around the wrestling part of it.”
Fans were not happy with Tony Khan after the sketchy venue change for Grand Slam Australia and they voiced their displeasure to the AEW President without hesitation.
The company taped the special program from Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday, February 15. Khan came out at the start of the taping to greet the crowd and he was met with audible boos from the fans:
Despite the unfavourable reaction, Khan claimed that it was a dream come true to do a show in Australia. He promised a return to Brisbane and later in the evening, it was confirmed that AEW is planning the comeback for 2026.
The company’s Australia debut was originally supposed to be held in Suncorp Stadium with a listed capacity of over 50,000. After discouraging ticket sales, however, the show was moved to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which is a much smaller venue.
A lot of fans had voiced their displeasure at this change. Many who had paid stadium prices for premium seats were especially unhappy as their redistributed tickets were not of the same value and there was no option for a refund.
Regardless, the company has touted the show as one of the most successful events in the history of the promotion and their third biggest international gate of all time.
The show following Khan’s promo featured a number of big matches and a huge title change as well. You can check out the complete spoilers for the event here.
AEW taped the Grand Slam special of Collision from Brisbane, Australia today. The show featured a number of stars belonging to the country as well as big names such as Adam Copeland, Will Ospreay, and more. Here are the complete spoiler results for the show:
Tony Khan Promo: The AEW President was introduced by Arkady to a mixed reaction after changing the venues for the show. He claimed that this was a dream come true and promised a return to Brisbane in future.
Tag Team Match: Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega def. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher – Don Callis and Mark Davis were at the ringside and the crowd was hot for the bout. Callis interfered in the bout in Favor of Takeshita and Fletcher but in the end, the babyfaces picked up the victory.
TBS Championship Match:Mercedes Mone def. Harley Cameron – Hometown star Cameron got a huge reaction from the crowd coming off the entertaining build for this title match using the Mone Puppet. Harley brought out the Mone puppet at one point to distract the champion but it was Mercedes who picked up the victory in the end.
The Brisbane Brawl: Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli def. Jay White & Cope – The match was a no-holds-barred brawl with the contestants fighting through the crowd from the start. Various weapons such as trash cans and tables were used and Mox even used a barbed wire chair during the match. The fight ended controversially after Mox choked Cope out following interference from Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir. The crowd chanted bullshit at the ending but later gave a standing ovation to Cope.
Backstage Segment: Will Ospreay challenged Fletcher to a steel cage match at Revolution and Kenny Omega called out Takeshita for an International Title shot at the upcoming PPV.
Continental Championship Match:Kazuchika Okada def. Buddy Matthews – The local star Matthews showed a lot of resilience leading to multiple unexpected kickouts. Okada retained in the end with a low blow and Rainmaker. Matthews brought out the Australian flag post-match to cheer the crowd.
AEW Women’s Championship Match:Toni Storm def. Mariah May: The crowd was alive for the bout and Australia’s own received a huge ovation upon her grand entrance with a returning Luther the Butler. After an intense battle, Storm hit Storm Zero but May somehow kicked out. The defending champion then hit multiple Maydays but Storm kicked out at the last second. Toni landed another Storm Zero but May rolled out onto the floor. In desperation, Mariah May attempted her own version of Storm Zero but the Timeless one escaped and finally hit the Storm Zero for pin. Toni Storm cut an emotional promo following the match.
Matt Hardy has revealed the strangest gift he has ever received from a fan.
People being obsessed with celebrities is not a new phenomenon. Sometimes these fans, however, cross the line and do something that feels like a wild dream.
The Attitude Era star recalled one such incident that left him stunned during the latest episode of his podcast. Matt Hardy was talking about the days when The Hardy Boyz first rose to stardom in WWE. The wrestling veteran noted how they used to receive a lot of gifts from fans at the time but one exceeded all others:
“Well, they sent it to my PO box. We had a PO box. There was a young lady who sent me a vial of her blood and it wasn’t a small. It was a big vial, a big vial of her blood.”
The madness didn’t end there as the fan not only wanted Matt Hardy to have their blood as a souvenir but they wanted the wrestling star to actually inject it into his veins:
“She said in the note, she said, ‘We’ve met and I know you don’t know me well, but we are connected. We are linked. I need you to take this blood, put into a syringe and put it into your own blood vessels.’ She said and if you put my blood into your blood vessels, then give me a vial of yours. This is my return address.
She said, and we’ll always be linked. We can always feel one another. I mean it sounded like a script out of True Blood. It was wild. That’s probably the most wild fan interaction I’ve ever had. She was at least, I’ll give it to her, she was committed to the bit.”
John Cena is not the only former champion who is ending his multi-decade wrestling career in 2025 as former TNA star Homicide has confirmed his retirement as well.
The former TNA X-Division champion recently spoke to the Counted Out podcast and discussed his recent health struggles. During the interview, the wrestling veteran noted that even his close friends are urging him to call it a career now and explained that his current work is his retirement tour:
“This is my tour if you want to call that. My end days physical, yeah, I’m done because my life is more important. My health is more important. I got a daughter. I need to pick her up and right now I’m not feeling good. So I need to end it and be a full-time producer.”
Making his in-ring debut in 1994, Homicide has been active in the business for over 3 decades now. During this time, he has had runs with promotions such as ROH and NJPW, wrestling legendary names such as Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and more.
He is probably best known for being part of the TNA roster during the company’s rise to prominence from 2005 to 2010. He was part of a tag team with Hernandez in the promotion and the duo had multiple tag title reigns during this time.
The 47-year-old has been wrestling for GCW, ROH and New Japan in recent months and he has also been working behind the scene with NWA.
Booker T has opened up about working with Corey Graves in NXT after the recent controversy.
Graves who is the second longest-tenured commentator in WWE after Michael Cole found himself in a discouraging situation after WWE made changes to their commentary team earlier in the year. The broadcast star who had been working on SmackDown was sent down to NXT when his partner Cole was moved to Raw on Netflix to join Pat McAfee.
Booker T who has been part of the NXT commentary team since 2022 was asked about working with Graves in a new interview with TV Insider. He first joked that he ‘hates’ Corey Graves before claiming that they’re all team players:
“That’s what people want me to say. We’re team players. We felt like last week we got into a groove. We see the vision of where we can go and take this thing. I’ve always been a team player.”
Booker T who previously criticized Graves for venting his frustrations publicly discussed how he started his broadcast stint working with the announcing veteran on pre-show panels. He expressed the belief that with Vic Joseph directing traffic, the three of them can become the best team in all of WWE:
“For me, that’s where I started. Working with Corey during the kick-off shows down in Connecticut. We used to go to the Capital Grille every week and get that sea bass. Working with Corey is cool.
Working with Vic [Joseph], being that guy in the middle who can direct that traffic the way he does. I really think we can turn this into something really cool where people may say, “Wow, this team may be the best team in all of WWE.”
While Corey Graves has not made any more public comments since being reinstated on NXT, WWE officials don’t seem to have forgotten his previous remarks. When Joe Tessitore missed this week’s episode of SmackDown due to an ESPN commitment, it was Joseph who was brought in as a replacement instead of Graves.
