WWE is expected to put together a big show for their upcoming UK event from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on September 3. Tyson Fury is now teasing being a part of it and facing a former WWE champion.
The Gypsy King successfully defended the WBC and The Ring Heavyweight titles when he defeated Dillian Whyte at the Wembley Stadium this Saturday.
In the post-match press conference, Fury was asked about a potential WWE return. He mentioned how Drew McIntyre has been talking about him recently and said that he would love to knock him out:
“Don’t rule me out of fighting there, you might see me at SummerSlam. I got to speak to Vince and the boys, maybe make this happen.
I know Drew McIntyre has been saying a lot of things about me, I’d love to knock him out.” said Tyson Fury, “I’d love to be at Cardiff. I’d love to be back at center stage in the UK.”
"Don't rule me out of fighting there! You might see me at SummerSlam. I got to speak to Vince and the boys! I know @DMcIntyreWWE has been saying a lot of things about me! I'd love to be at Cardiff!" – @Tyson_Fury ?
Drew McIntyre had recently discussed three potential opponents for him at the Cardiff event. This list included the boxing star among others.
Tyson Fury wrestled a couple of matches for WWE in 2019. He first defeated Braun Strowman at the Crown Jewel event from Saudi Arabia. Fury later teamed with Strowman to defeat the B-Team a month later.
The Hardy Boyz being featured on the latest episode of AEW Dark: Elevation has started a debate. While Matt Hardy has defended their spot, a lot of people think that this is still a demotion for the wrestling veterans. It appears that Booker T shares the sentiment.
T was asked for his opinion on the matter on the latest episode of his podcast. The former WCW champion claimed that it indeed is a demotion:
“Hell yeah, it’s a demotion. I know that’s going to get picked up, but hell yeah, it’s a demotion. Damnit, I’m not working on Dark. For me, working on Dark, which is a show that is only on the internet should be for the young guys coming up.
Booker T called WWE ‘the big show’ and explained that he wouldn’t go from WWE to AEW to work on Dark. Matt has said that Tony Khan actually asked for their consent before putting them on the show. The WWE Hall Of Famer said that if Vince McMahon ever asked him to work on Velocity, he wouldn’t say no to it. However, Mr Mahon respected him enough not to do it:
“He respected me enough as far as to keep my star power at a certain position. He kept me working around the main event guys. If I wasn’t with the main event guys, I was doing something.”
What do you think about Booker T’s opinion on the matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
“Hangman” Adam Page has had an incredible journey to becoming a successful wrestler. He made his wrestling debut at the young age of 17 and went on to wrestle for some of the most well-known wrestling companies across the globe.
Page did it while also being a full-time high school teacher before he quit the job in 2016. His advice to aspiring wrestlers is based on his own personal experience.
The AEW world champion recently appeared on INSIGHT With Chris Van Vliet. During the talk, he was asked what advice he gives to people who want to pursue professional wrestling as a career. Replying to it, Page said that he tells everyone to have a Plan B:
“I tell them ‘Have a Plan B, because statistically you will not make a living at this.’ A lot of people would say if you have a Plan B, that means you can’t give all to Plan A. So you’re gonna fail at Plan A anyway, that’s not true.” said Hangman Page,
“I was a high school teacher. I did this and I’m the f***ing World Champion. At one time, I was a high school teacher. To make it through this, I had a plan B, and I don’t need it anymore.
Have a Plan B, because life is much more important than what career you want to follow or what you want people to say about your accomplishments. Life is much more important than that. You will need to make money to survive.
So, always have a plan B. I feel like people don’t press that upon people enough in telling you to chase your dreams. You absolutely should. But you have to reckon with the fact that you probably, statistically will not make much money at this, if any. You have to know that and you have to be okay with that.”
Watch Adam Page’s conversation with Chris Van Vliet:
Another rematch has been announced for the WrestleMania Backlash event. WWE has confirmed that AJ Styles will be facing Edge once again at the show.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the Rated R Superstar and his new associate Damian Priest in a dark backstage segment. He issued a challenge to Styles.
Sarah Schreiber interviewed the Phenomenal One in the locker room. He accepted the challenge. The room filled with lightning after he agreed to the WrestleMania Backlash match. AJ then told Schreiber to leave for her safety.
The lights went out and Edge and Priest were surrounding Styles when they came back. The duo attacked the former world champion and they stood tall to end the segment.
AJ Styles and Edge originally faced off in a match during the night two of WrestleMania 38. Edge won this match after Priest distracted his opponent.
The previous match between Styles and Edge was praised by fans. Though many believed that it could have been better. The two will now be looking to tell an even better story in their second encounter.
This isn’t the only rematch announced for the upcoming Premium Live Event. Seth Rollins will also be facing his Mania opponent Cody Rhodes once again at the show.
A lot of people were critical of WWE for rebranding NXT shortly after Triple H had to step away from his role due to his cardiac event. However, according to The Game himself, the overhaul was in the works before he took time off.
The former world champion recently had an interview with The Athletic. He discussed how NXT has gone through many different phases.
Discussing the brand’s revamp to NXT 2.0, Triple H explained that being put on TV and the pandemic completely altered the show. According to him, they were discussing bringing NXT back to its development roots even before he took time off:
“We were talking about this shift anyway. That’s where we were headed. It happened at a period of time where I had to leave for a bit. Luckily, Shawn (Michaels) had been doing it with me all that time, so it was a seamless thing.
I stepped out, did what I needed to do, but that team has killed it.” said Triple H, “They’ve really created a show where you can really say that’s the next generation of stars.”
Apart from this, the WWE EVP also talked about the rise of AEW, and NXT talents jumping ships to Tony Khan’s promotion. The King of Kings revealed that he stays in touch with almost all of them and claimed that he is happy for them.
Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania return was preceded by many speculations. Fans had been discussing potential plans for his WWE return. There was even a rumor that he could make his comeback on the Raw episode from Jacksonville before the Show Of Shows. Though according to Rhodes himself, that was a big no for him because the story was not about him leaving AEW but about his return to WWE.
The former TNT champion spoke to Ryan Satin on Out Of Character. He was asked if there were any other plans considered for his return besides Mania. Cody said that as far as his understanding goes, the plan was always to do it at the Showcase Of Immortals:
“I mean, as far as my understanding the plan was always WrestleMania and nothing was ever considered. At one point, I saw people talking about Jacksonville, and that’s a no.” said Cody Rhodes, “Again, it’s not about leaving. It was about returning and the place to do it was at the Showcase of Immortals.”
He continued: “The biggest stage there is in what we do, undisputed is WrestleMania. There was a lot of synergy and love over the fact that it was Dallas, Texas. That is where I had my last WrestleMania with the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.”
Cody Rhodes’ decision to leave AEW surprised a lot of people. Not only because he was one of the company’s top on-screen talents but an Executive Vice President behind the scenes as well. Many would not be willing to give up the power that comes with such a position. Though after returning to WWE, Rhodes had claimed that he wasn’t mature enough for the role.
The American Nightmare explained his comments during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. He said that while he did well with the role, it was probably not suited for him in the prime of his career:
“I think that role. I did well with it. I was very active. I did start a department. The community department and Brandi did bring KultureCity into the wrestling and sports entertainment space. So we were very active in terms of all the facets and assets of that gig. But I think that job was meant maybe for [someone older]. We wanted a wrestling company brought to you by wrestlers for sure.
That’s a huge part of the mission. But maybe it would have been better served for me at age 45 than it did at age, you know, 33 or whatever it was. I am just now entering the prime of my career. So to make political decisions, like boxing myself out of winning a world championship, those decisions in hindsight, were not the correct decisions and [not] what I should have been doing.”
‘I Am The Best Wrestler In The World’
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes repeated his comments about being the best wrestler in the world. However, the decisions he had to make as an EVP were stopping him from realizing this potential. Per Cody, the role would have probably served him better a little later in his life, when he did not have the desire to be on the top spot on the show anymore:
“I’m the best wrestler in the world. Ryan, I can tell you that without it sounding braggadocious and it’s simply because this is all I do. I train to do it. I live and breathe it. I have a school here with four rings. I treat this like an athlete in the NFL would treat a game and their team. But with that in mind, I needed to go and be that.
I wanted it to be both and it was just too difficult and that’s where I did not have the maturity to balance it. It wasn’t a matter of being one of the boys versus not because I’m no longer just one of the boys. I love it and wish I could be one.” said Cody Rhodes, “But I’ve been in this position before. I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been in these production meetings and things of that nature. I’ve been part of the technical production.
But I just think it would have served me better a little later in my in my life when I could look at a show and say I don’t want to be in the top spot. You need that good competition in your locker room, that positive real competition. If I can’t be the best wrestler in the world on television because I’m afraid I’m going to offend colleagues, because I am also their boss. That was the situation we were in and I just played it in the middle. There was only so much of playing in the middle I could do. Now you know I’m not in charge of nothing, other than me.”
Jonathan Gresham sustained an injury at last week’s AEW Battle of the Belt tapings that prevented him from traveling to the UK over the weekend.
Gresham was expected to make appearances for Progress Wrestling this week. However, the company posted a video of him apologizing to fans for not being able to appear as scheduled.
“Hello, everyone,” said Gresham. “Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to London this weekend for the Sunday and Monday events due to an injury, I have not been cleared to compete.
So, I do want to apologize to Progress and the fans for not being able to make it this weekend. I really wanted to but my health comes first and I have to just take a little time off.”
He assured Progress fans that he’ll be back to perform for the organization once he’s healthy. He also asked fans to keep him in their prayers.
Regrettably, due to injury, Jonathan Gresham is not medically cleared to make the trip to the UK this weekend. Replacements will be named shortly for both #AtlasWeekend events. Our champion WILL be back in action at Chapter 134 on Sunday May 15th. pic.twitter.com/pxGNAIs3YP
While the exact details of his injury are unknown at the moment, it appears he sustained the injury during his match against Dalton Castle that aired at Battle Of The Belts on Saturday.
Gresham was checked for a possible concussion following his successful title defense, according to Fightful. Details about the injury are still trickling in, but there was a moment in the match where he landed on his head while taking a gut wrench suplex.
Serena Deeb has been wrestling for almost 17 years. She is one of the best in-ring workers of the current era. Mark Henry believes that she doesn’t get the credit for being as good as she is.
The WWE Hall Of Famer recently had an interview with SportsKeeda. He discussed things such as Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill being future stars and more.
When asked which AEW talent he thinks is underrated, Henry took the name of Deeb. He explained that the female star is one of the most excellent wrestlers on the current AEW roster:
“Underrated? I think Serena Deeb. [She] is one of the most excellent wrestlers, not just male or female, but one of the most excellent wrestlers in the company. I don’t think she gets enough credit for how good she is,”
Mark Henry has previously said that he is not done with wrestling just yet. He has teased getting back in the ring and having a retirement match in AEW.
When asked which AEW names he can see himself competing against, the heavyweight star took the names of Wardlow, MJF and Ricky Starks. He said that all three of them are very talented and they can work with anybody.
Matt Hardy has responded to a fan complaining about Jeff Hardy being featured on AEW Dark: Elevation this week.
A fan noted how people were complaining when Jeff Hardy was in WWE and he was featured on Main Event a few times, while he is on Dark now.
Replying to him, the wrestling veteran noted how Tony Khan treats legends with the utmost respect. He revealed that the AEW owner had asked for their consent before putting them on the show:
“I’ll give you insight. TK treats veterans/legend with the utmost respect & uses us the same. It’s refreshing. Tony asked us if we were ok being on & we were both happy to. We want to work with young stars like Top Flight. It’s a treat to work at AEW.”
Cuz you follow me, @ChangaYT, I’ll give you insight. TK treats veterans/legend with the utmost respect & uses us the same. It’s refreshing. Tony asked us if we were ok being on & we were both happy to. We want to work with young stars like Top Flight. It’s a treat to work at AEW. https://t.co/1tZNW8cNvN
Matt Hardy first announced his departure from WWE back in March 2020 after his contract expired. He ended up joining AEW later that month, making his debut during the March 18 episode of Dynamite.
Jeff Hardy on the hand remained with WWE until late last year. He was released in December 2021. He has since joined his brother in Tony Khan’s promotion and returned to tag team action.
Things were very different in the wrestling industry when Mick Foley began his career back in 1986. One such big difference at the time was that wrestlers were not offered guaranteed contracts or the offered amount was really low. This meant that if the company you signed with decided not to use you for some reason, then you couldn’t make a living in wrestling until the deal expired.
This was the case for Foley too. The WWE Hall Of Famer told the story of his first contract while getting treated by Dr. Beau Hightower. He revealed that his first contract with the company in 1996 guaranteed him a total of 5 matches per year:
“I was guaranteed $25 a night.” joked Mick Foley, “The contract that I signed for WWE. I was guaranteed five matches a year at $150 for five years. So if they [had] chosen not to push me then I could have been in a position where I can’t go anywhere else. I’m locked in for five years, but this is the place to go, WWE.”
“Luckily, Marc Mero got that contract. He got it about three days after I signed for nothing. $750 a year. I said ‘Yeah I was guaranteed 750’ and they went ‘per year?’ ‘Yeah’, ‘That’s a lot. $750,000.’ I said ‘No, no, $750.’ That’s what I was guaranteed.”
Several more NXT stars have received new names in line with Vince McMahon’s latest edict about not using real or indie names for performers in WWE.
According to PWinsider, former American Ninja Warrior star Kacy Catanzaro will be known as Katana Chance going forward.
Former NXT UK Women’s champion Kay Lee Ray has also been renamed. Per the report, she will now be known as Alba Fyre.
These two aren’t the only NXT stars to have received new names in recent weeks. WWE has newly trademarked the names Roxanne Perez, Alba Fyre and Cruz Del Toro.
Out of these, the Cruz Del Toro name has already been given to Raul Mendoza. He made his WWE debut back in 2016 and has been competing on the NXT brand since.
Roxanne Perez is the new name for Rok-C. WWE signed the former ROH women’s world champion just last month in March.
NXT stars aren’t the only ones receiving new names. Several of the main roster stars have had their names altered in recent weeks.
The latest example of it is Austin Theory. His name was cut short to Theory on this past Monday’s episode of Raw. This change was made because WWE didn’t want to use part of his real name Austin White on TV.
FTR has been having an incredible year so far with amazing matches. It appears that things are only going to get better for the AEW stars with the involvement of Bret Hart.
The two have been teasing Hart becoming their manager in recent weeks. Big Time Wrestling then made the following announcement on Saturday:
“FTR will FINALLY get their chance to be managed by Bret Hart when they take on the team of Brian Pillman Jr & Brock Anderson with Arn Anderson! It happens on Friday June 10th in Webster, Ma! Tickets on sale now!”
Cash Wheeler reacted to this announcement on Twitter. He joked that someone should go check on his partner Dax Harwood.
— Daniel “Cash” Wheeler (@CashWheelerFTR) April 17, 2022
Meanwhile, Dax Harwood dubs this match “Hart Foundation vs. The Horsemen” and says having Bret Hart in FTR’s corner will make this one of the most special nights of his life.
“My mentor, Arn Anderson, leads the Sons of the Horsemen against me, my best friend, & my hero, Bret “The Hitman” Hart. 2022 is wild.”
The Hart Foundation vs The Horsemen
Aside from my daughter’s birth & my wedding, this might be the most special night of my life. My mentor, Arn Anderson, leads the Sons Of The Horsemen against me, my best friend, & my hero, Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
FTR has been having a dream year so far. They have gotten the chance to compete against teams such as The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and more in the last few months.
The duo also won the ROH world tag team championships for the first time in their career earlier this month. They defeated The Briscoes at Supercard Of Honor.
There is no word yet on if this pairing between Hart and the ROH champions will be a one-off or if we are going to see more of it in the coming times.
Whether you like her or not, you have to admit that Charlotte Flair is one of the best wrestlers of the current era. After making her wrestling debut at the age of 26, she has done the impossible job of getting out of the shadow of her dad Ric Flair. Bully Ray agrees that the female star is one of the most impressive performers of today.
Ray talked about Flair on the latest Busted Open Radio. He explained that it’s not about the championships she has won but the entertainer she has become:
“Charlotte got out of Ric’s shadow. I don’t think of Ric Flair at all when I think of Charlotte. This is not about amount of championships she’s won.” claimed Bully Ray, “This is about the woman, the entertainer, the professional, the athlete that she’s turned into.
(Photo credit: WWE)
On the topic of all the hate Flair receives online, Bully Ray said that it comes from the fans of other stars: “The Charlotte hate. Its greatness. We could agree on that, It’s greatness. Becky fans are jealous of Charlotte. Bianca fans are jealous of Charlotte. Bailey fans, Sasha fans are all jealous.
He continued: “I’m not saying that these ladies are jealous of Charlotte. I’m saying these ladies’ fan bases are jealous of Charlotte. But after 30 years, I know what is good and what is not good. And that woman is better than good. That girl is amazing. I don’t even know the right word anymore. If Charlotte Flair was to stand in the middle of a ring and say ‘screw Roman Reigns, acknowledge me.’ I buy into it.”
Drew McIntyre is guaranteed to be part of a big match at the upcoming WWE Stadium Show in UK. If given a chance to pick his opponent, he would like to face none other than the Undisputed World Champion Roman Reigns at the show.
The former WWE champion recently had an interview with BT Sport. He was told about a recent Twitter survey where fans discussed Reigns, Gunther, and Tyson Fury as the three potential opponents for him at the upcoming event.
When asked which one of these three names he would prefer to face at the show, McIntyre picked the Tribal Chief without any hesitation:
“Roman, He’s the Champion. I’ve been away from the title for a long time. Roman’s been so dominant and is doing the best work of his career. We’re on a collision course.
It is five months away. If somehow we could avoid each other for five months, that would be such a big match.” said Drew McIntyre, “Especially on the U.K. soil, I can’t imagine the atmosphere for that match.”
We asked @DMcIntyreWWE who he would want to face in the main event of the Cardiff stadium show ?
No hesitation:
"Roman. He's the Champion. I've been away from the title for a long time, but we're on a collision course. I can't imagine the atmosphere for that match."
The Scottish Warrior also discussed the other potential opponents. He revealed that Gunther and him have been talking about a match for a long time but claimed that right now is the time to educate the world about who Gunther is on the big stage.
On the topic of Tyson Fury, McIntyre mentioned how they have been taking digs at each other for over two years. Drew claimed that he would be good with this match as well but he has to pick the title match if given the choice.
Former WCW and WWE star Virgil has revealed that he has been diagnosed with early-stage dementia due to years of taking big bumps in the ring.
The wrestling veteran took on Twitter earlier today to share the news with his followers. He revealed that he wasn’t feeling well during the WrestleMania 38 weekend so he went to see the doctor afterward.
According to Virgil, the doctor identified 2 massive strokes he had suffered in the past few months without realizing it. He is also unable to use one of his arms.
If that wasn’t enough, the former Million Dollar Champion was told that the years of taking big bumps had caught up with him. He is now fighting with an early stage of dementia:
“The worse news is that I have Been told that I am Fighting with an early stage of dementia. The years of taking the big main event bump every night (that nobody else wanted to take) Had started to effect me.” wrote Virgil.
The wrestling star noted that he can’t afford to go through this and listed some ways for fans to help him. You can check out the thread detailing the various ways to help the former nWo member below:
Dearest a Meatsauce Mafia. I am grateful that I can communicate something that has happened to me. Unfortunately I have some really hard news to share.
If you were wondering why I haven't been so engaged over the last few weeks it’s because i was given bad news. pic.twitter.com/R9koWjAax5
Eric Bischoff has been part of the wrestling industry for over 35 years. He has seen the wrestling landscape change more than once. He thinks that the current wrestling product has shifted more towards physical presentation and the story has been de-emphasized because of it.
The former WCW president appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. Talking about the current wrestling product, he explained that story is the thing that has always captivated people in sports entertainment:
“What’s the one thing about sports entertainment that has always captivated people? It’s really hard to pinpoint one thing because it’s different for everybody. But I think across the board, it’s the story. I would love [it], if there was a way in today’s environment and the sheer volume of things that needed to be produced. There could be perhaps more emphasis on story and less emphasis on the dynamic physical presentation.”
‘Story And Character Have Become De-Emphasized’
Eric Bischoff said that in the last 2 decades, we have emphasized athleticism more than we should. He would like to see the balance shift towards the story a bit more:
“I think what’s happened with the industry over the years, the last 15 in particular, maybe 20, is that the athleticism has reached a point of being mind-boggling. It’s like watching Olympic-quality gymnasts do things that seem to defy physics. Now we’re seeing it within the context of a wrestling match. It’s mind-boggling to me.
But I think with the emphasis that’s on the physical presentation, unintentionally, story and character have become de-emphasized. So I’d like to see that balance shift a little more than it currently is. But part of that is just me because I’ve always loved the story. I’ve never been as excited about the physical presentation, as I have been about the story presentation, but I may be in the minority on that one.”
The main event of this week’s Dynamite saw Samoa Joe becoming the new ROH TV champion. This win, however, was overshadowed by the debut of Satnam Singh.
The Indian star joined forces with Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. They attacked the new champion. The whole angle received mixed reactions from the fans.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently talked about Singh’s AEW debut. He mentioned that Tony Khan’s idea was to shoot an angle that would be a breakthrough in the Indian market:
“As part of the first week after the Discovery merger, Tony Khan wanted to shoot an angle that would be a breakthrough in that market using someone of some renown in that country”
The wrestling journalist noted that Satnam Singh will be managed by Sonjay Dutt. This pair will be used to promote the company in India.
Singh is the only Indian-born player to be ever drafted by NBA. The giant was a second-round draft choice of the Dallas Mavericks in 2015.
Author’s Note: While the idea to use an Indian origin talent to promote the company in the country is great, AEW first needs to create some brand awareness in India.
The Discovery-owned Eurosport channel was rebranded in March 2020. It doesn’t have the same reach as their WWE counterpart, Sony Ten Network channels.
WWE hasn’t been regular with their promotion in India. AEW has many known faces in their roster they can use to promote the show as an alternative wrestling product. They can send in some stars on tours to garner media attention.
In the time Satnam Singh completes his training, this tactic can be used to increase the recognization of AEW. This will help them maximise the buzz around him when Singh is ready to be pushed properly.
Adam Cole has discussed the influence of CM Punk on his career multiple times in the past. It’s only natural that Punk has been a longtime dream match for the former NXT champion. Now that the two stars are finally in the same promotion, Cole says that this match ‘just has to happen.’
The AEW star recently had an interview with FightFul. He discussed things such as Triple H’s recent health scare and more. Talking about Punk, he mentioned how there was a time when he thought he would never get to wrestle the Straight Edge Star. Though now he cannot get the possibility out of his head:
“It hasn’t happened yet, but CM Punk is my huge one. That’s a good one because again, I’ve made it very clear that for me personally,” said Adam Cole, “he was one of the most impactful professional wrestlers as far as inspiration goes.
Cole Continued: “I remember seeing him in Ring of Honor, watching his promos and going, I really really want to focus on getting good on the microphone because of listening to him talk. Then I thought, ‘Okay, he retired. It’s never gonna happen.’ Now the fact that it’s a possibility, I can’t get it out of my head, I know that someday it just has to happen.”
Rey Mysterio was conspicuously absent from Monday’s WWE Raw.
The Master of the 619 was advertised for the show, but was nowhere to be found. Dave Meltzer addressed Mysterio’s whereabouts on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Meltzer, Mysterio missed Raw due to undisclosed medical issue.
Mysterio was scheduled to face Veer Mahan at Raw. The match was set up after Veer attacked both Reyand his son Dominik during the post-Mania edition of Raw.
When it became apparent that Mysterio would not be wrestling Veer on Raw, Dominik came out in his place. Veer came and defeated Dominik with relative ease.
After the match, Veer attacked the third generation star, who was stretchered out of the arena.
SEScoops will provide an update when we obtain more information about Rey Mysterio’s condition.
Based on the angle WWE had set up for Raw, it looks like we were headed to a showdown between Mysterio and Veer at Wrestlemania Backlash.
Whether or not this happens will depend on when Mysterio’s return timeframe.
Both Tony Khan and AEW fans are known to welcome new stars with open hands. There are a lot of stories of people reigniting their passion for wrestling after joining AEW and it appears Toni Storm had a similar experience.
The AEW president recently had an interview with Rasslin. He discussed things such as the future of ROH, FTR and more.
Talking about Storm’s AEW debut, Khan revealed that she was very relieved after her debut match. He claimed that he loves having the former WWE star in AEW:
“She said, this has brought back her love of wrestling already. The way she reacted when she came through the curtain after the match.
I don’t know if I have ever seen somebody more relieved to have wrestled a match than Toni Storm. After taking the 90 days off she came back in great shape, she looks great, she is a great person, I love having her in AEW.”
Toni asked for her release from her WWE contract back in December last year. She then made her AEW debut in March.
The female star made her first AEW appearance during the March 30 episode of Dynamite. She defeated The Bunny to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
Cody Rhodes made his triumphant WWE return at WrestleMania 38. He then cut an amazing promo to open the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw.
Though latest reports suggest that the plans for the promo were different and they were changed by the officials at the last minute.
According to Fightful Select, the promo where Rhodes explained that he came back to win the world championship for his father was originally going to main event the show:
“On Monday, the Cody Rhodes segment was scripted to go on last, even appearing internally as such until about a little after 7 PM EST. We weren’t told a reason the Cody and [Roman] Reigns segments were flipped.”
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the American Nightmare appearing as a guest on The Miz TV. This led to a match between the two stars.
Cody won this bout against the A-Lister using the Cross Rhodes. Seth Rollins came down to the ring after the fight and confronted his WrestleMania opponent.
Rollins mentioned how Rhodes had the advantage of being the surprise opponent at Mania. He then challenged the former AEW star to a rematch, which Rhodes accepted. This match will take place on WrestleMania: Backlash.
JBL has a reputation for bullying people backstage and giving a hard time to young talents. Though Randy Orton was saved from this treatment thanks to his father, who helped the former APA member during his early days.
The Viper opened up about his early days in the locker room on Out Of Character. He first discussed how he was intimidated by old-school wrestlers during his rookie years including people such as The Undertaker, Billy Gunn, Hardcore Holly, and more.
He recalled that Bradshaw was one guy who always gave trouble to younger talents. However, Orton never got the same treatment because his father had mentored JBL:
“My father took Bradshaw on his very first tour of Japan back in the early 90s. [He] took care of Bradshaw. Took him under his wing and had his back. Bradshaw, of course, the way it works, never forget that and me being Bob Orton’s kid, Bradshaw never gave me any shit.” said Randy Orton,
“He was always one of those guys, man, those local guys, those new guys, they’d come and he’d give ’em a hard time.” recalled Orton, “Nothing wrong. but just f**ing with the guy, you know, just guys being guys. You need a little bit of that, but I was never a target because of my dad. [I was] such a lucky little asshole. No wonder everybody hated me.”
A lot of people believed that Sami Zayn was bound for AEW once his WWE contract expired. That’s why it surprised many fans when he decided to re-sign with WWE instead. According to the WWE star himself, he stayed because the company has allowed him creative input and shown their appreciation.
The Great Liberator appeared on Out Of Character recently. During the interview, he revealed that he has creative freedom in WWE. When asked to elaborate, Zayn explained that while he doesn’t book his own stuff, he gets to pitch a lot of ideas:
“Well, let me just nip this in the bud. I don’t want to act like I’m booking my own stuff because I am not. [I have] input. And for the creative team and whoever to be receptive to my ideas [is good]. I don’t get all [things through].
Trust me, I swing a lot. I don’t think I swing a lot of duds, but sometimes I swing ideas that I don’t know why they won’t work and sometimes they tell me that won’t work because of XYZ. But a lot of things they’ll take. It’s not exactly how I envisioned it, but pieces of it get through. Like the documentary for example. And they take on a life of their own.”
I Am Over The Moon
Sami Zayn claimed that being heard by the creative makes him feel respected and valued in the company. According to him, WWE has really shown him their respect in the last few years. This is the reason why he chose to re-sign with the promotion:
“So yeah, for sure, having even a little bit of creative input. I think that’s really what’s taken my appreciation and my enjoyment of being here in WWE to another level. I’ll say, ‘hey, I really wish we could kind of do this’ and then some version of that happens, and I’m thrilled. I’m over the moon. What more could you ask for?” asked Sami Zayn, “That’s it. To just feel like you have a voice and you’re feeling heard, and when you actually go out there and do it. You feel respected and valued.
That’s really what kept me here. There are other factors for sure, but that was really it. It wasn’t – oh all of a sudden, my contract’s coming up and it’s time to negotiation and [they’re like] ‘Hey we really like you’, ‘Well where have you been the last two years?’ No, the last two years they’ve shown me that they value me. So, when they told me they want me to stay, I believe them. So I stayed.”
Roman Reigns became the Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. Though it appears that WWE is as clueless as the fans when it comes to handling the unified titles.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast recently talked about the Head Of The Table. His sources suggest that WWE has not yet decided on how this thing will play out:
“I don’t think they’ve decided if he’s going to be on Raw every week or every other week. It hasn’t been set yet. They’re working all this out right now on how they’re going to play this out.”
Roman Reigns’ appearances on the post Mania episodes of Raw and SmackDown didn’t make things any clearer regarding his title reign.
In the meantime, The Usos are headed to Detroit for this Monday’s episode of Raw. The current SmackDown tag team champions intend to win the Raw tag team titles from RK-Bro to unify them both as well.
We will probably get a better idea of WWE’s plans at the show. It would be interesting to see if Reigns makes an appearance at the episode as well.
How do you feel about WWE unifying the world championships? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
