WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be making a rare media appearance Thursday afternoon on the Pat McAfee Show.
McAfee has since responded to this announcement on Twitter. He said that he is ready to have the conversation of a lifetime with one of his current employers:
“Abaht to have the conversation of a LIFETIME with the LEGENDARY billionaire genius @VinceMcMahon next week #SmackDown #SmackDAHN,”
Many wrestling stars want to make their retirement as big as possible. From going on retirement tours to picking up the biggest opponent, a lot of stars do everything they can to make their final outing as memorable for fans as possible. Though this won’t be the case with Chris Jericho, according to Y2J himself.
The former AEW champion discussed his career and retirement during a recent talk with Fite in Focus. He claimed that when he’s done, he’ll just be done:
“When I’m done, there’s not going to be a retirement tour, there’s not going to be big pomp and circumstance. I’ll be done. I’ll go somewhere else and do what I want to do.”
Although this doesn’t mean that the moment is close. Chris Jericho noted how wrestling has become fun for him again in recent years. According to him, there is no reason for a change when he is enjoying himself:
“Right now, I’m in the best shape of my life, we have a really good story going on with Eddie Kingston that has a lot of layers to come. To me, that’s enough to sit back and enjoy myself. When I’m enjoying myself, there’s no reason to change anything.”
Jericho also discussed how he had started thinking about winding down around 2016. Though going to Japan made wrestling fun for him again.
When asked about Cody Rhodes potentially making his return to WWE, McIntyre mentioned that he knows what it’s like to leave the promotion feeling that you have unfinished business:
“If he comes back, good for him. That’d be awesome. I know what it feels like to be gone from WWE feeling like you should have achieved more, and coming back to do it.
And just knowing him the way I know him, he probably feels the same way about unfinished business.” said Drew McIntyre, “So if it materializes, then, awesome. He’s such a talent, and be more than welcome on the roster.”
Cody Rhodes surprised everyone when he announced his departure from AEW last month. There are lots of rumors about his next move but no confirmation on what he is actually planning.
McIntyre has history with Rhodes from the time of his first WWE run. The two even held the tag team championships together in the company for a brief period in 2010.
Many fans have been critical of how WWE has used Ricochet in recent times despite his popularity. It appears that things may change for the high flyer in coming times.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently provided some update on the backstage assessment of the former champion. He noted the following about how the One and Only is seen by the officials:
“We have had some readers ask why Ricochet got such a big push last week. There’s a very good explanation for that. Currently, he’s slated as the number two singles babyface for the entire Smackdown brand internally.”
Former WWE champion Drew McIntyre is obviously the #1 babyface of the blue brand’s roster. Johnson also interestingly noted that The New Day and Shinsuke Nakamura are internally listed as part of the tag team division.
Ricochet picked up a big victory over Sheamus on last week’s SmackDown. He used the Recoil to pin the former world champion despite distractions from Ridge Holland.
Now the big question is if we can expect to see this win turn into a push for the former North American champion. What WWE has planned for him for WrestleMania will be a good indication of what to expect in future.
During a match featuring RK-Bro and the Street Profits, Montez Ford went up to the top rope for a frogsplash on Orton. Ford landed awkwardly on Orton, who moved towards the rope after taking the move. Orton tried to put his foot on the rope when Ford went for the pin.
Angelo Dawkins stopped The Viper and the Street Profits managed to pick up the win. Though the whole affair looked like it did not go as planned.
You can check out the ending of the Street Profits vs RK-Bro match below:
Montez Ford was seen checking in on Randy Orton as soon as the bell rang. He informed the referee and everyone seemed to be concerned about Orton.
A fan noted that Orton, Riddle and the referee went back through the side of the stage after the match, while everyone else walked back through the tunnel. Randy was also seen favoring his shoulder on the way back.
Here’s what happened after the RK-Bro and Street Profits match.
Randy Orton favoring his right shoulder. He, Riddle and the referee walked off the stage — all other wrestlers walked back through the tunnel tonight.#WWEpic.twitter.com/3ChILV75Ea
Kevin Owens got the opportunity of a lifetime when he faced Edge last year. This cage match took place during the traditional post-Christmas Madison Square Garden Live Event on December 26. According to Owens himself, it was a match he will look back upon very fondly for a long time.
The former Universal champion talked about this during his interview with Ryan Satin on Out Of Character. Kevin revealed that he only got two days’ notice to prepare for the bout. He claimed that he certainly hopes to get a rematch with the Rated R Superstar, but even if he doesn’t, he will still look back at the MSG match very fondly:
“Man, that was awesome. We had two days’ notice. I found out on Christmas Eve, that that’s what was gonna happen. That was a real thrill. We’ve been talking about wrestling each other for so long since he came back. Who knows if we’ll get to do it again. I certainly hope we will get to do it again. But even if we don’t, main event of MSG in a cage and we rocked it, it was a lot of fun. Great times. [It’s] something I [would] look back on very fondly for a very long time for sure.”
Kevin Owens Got Emotional During Edge’s Retirement
The match was even more special for Kevin Owens because, at one point, he thought he will never get to wrestle Edge after his retirement in 2011. Owens has said that Edge’s return was one of the top 5 wrestling moments for him. During the talk, he recalled both, the time Edge retired, and then when he made his triumphant return during the 2020 Royal Rumble:
“I remember sitting on my couch watching him retire thinking it’s so awful it’s happening to him. I felt for him so much. Not just that but at the time I was so so hungry to get to WWE and get to wrestle so many of these guys, and he was just being taken off the list. So, to get to go back and then to get to move forward in the future and now get to [not only] wrestle him but just seeing him return was an unreal moment. I am so happy I was there for that.”
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Kevin Owens is one star who always goes above and beyond when it comes to fan interaction. He not only interacts with fans in the arenas, but Owens takes the time to respond to people on social media and other such places whenever he can. Turns out, it was a wrestling veteran who inspired this trait of the former world champion.
The former NXT champion told this story during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. He recalled how he used to email Lance Storm to ask for advice. Despite his busy schedule, the former WCW star would always respond to him. That has made him want to do the same for the next generation of wrestlers:
“I remember I would email Lance Storm through his website, and ask for advice. And he would always answer. I didn’t do this every week or anything, but I did it a few times. And he would answer me. He doesn’t remember doing this. But to me, that was so huge. You know, that he will take the time to answer me. Just this, for all he knew, just this silly kid who has a dream and probably won’t make it. Maybe he will, but come on. He’s a busy guy who’s on the road. He had a family when he would come home, but he still took the time to do that. That really went a long way for me.
So that’s just him, a performer responding to somebody that hopes to one day reach what he was accomplishing at the time. But then I realized, that helped shape kind of something that I wanna be. I wanna be a positive influence on the people that are gonna be doing this after me. “
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John Cena took a unique approach to promoting the Peacemaker series before its release. He decided to show up to all promotional events in his full costume.
The Cenation Leader recently had an interview with People. He discussed things such as the potential of a crossover between Peacemaker and The Rock’s Black Adam.
Speaking of his promotional tactic for Peacemaker, Cena claimed that it was very similar to the approach he took with his character as a full time WWE performer:
“I just wanted to try to familiarize the audience with my little piece, pun intended.” said the 16 time world champion. “It’s very similar to the approach that I use with the WWE when I was performing full-time there.
I would be in all interviews in the John Cena outfit of a ball cap, T-shirt, shorts and wristbands. People began to associate that character and become familiar with that character. That’s just the same approach I used in Peacemaker.”
The former world champion discussed how a lot of people may shy away from the approach because it’s not indicative of who they are.
John claimed that he just wanted the audience to become familiar with Peacemaker. As a testimony to his success, he mentioned how people were already cosplaying the character when they released a teaser for it at San Diego Comic-Con.
There have been wild rumors going around about the upcoming WrestleMania 38 PPV event. One of them is that Vince McMahon himself is going to be involved in a Mania program with Pat McAfee.
The former NFL player is not unaware of this chatter either. He recently posted a video of his previous wrestling performances on Twitter and claimed that whatever he is a part of, it’s going to be a banger:
“You all seem to know A LOT more abaht what I’m up to than me.. I’m excited to see what happens at this point as well. WrestleMania chatter is WILD right now. Just a reminder..If you think imma be a part of something that isn’t a BANGER… you’re AHT of your damn mind” wrote McAfee
The reports of Mr McMahon getting involved in a WrestleMania program first came out last week. At the time it wasn’t clear whether he would actually be wrestling a match.
More details on the plans for this feud have come to light since. It suggests that while a match may actually take place, we will most likely not see the boss taking on Pat McAfee directly.
Vince McMahon is scheduled to make an appearance at McAfee’s podcast this Thursday. We should get a better idea for the direction of this feud on the show.
A lot of people would panic upon receiving the news of getting fired from their jobs. Though according to Keith Lee, it wasn’t the case when he heard about his WWE release.
The AEW star recently had an interview with Busted Open Radio. He discussed things such as his debut for Tony Khan’s promotion and more.
Discussing his reaction to the news of his release, Lee claimed that he was very calm. He said that he had confidence that he will figure out what he needed to do:
“I think that when it happened, I was extremely calm, don’t think that it was because I had any sort of plan. It was more so that I had a lot of confidence,
And even with sudden changes occurring and things of that sort,” said Keith Lee, “I was confident that one way or another, I would figure out what I needed to do to move forward and continue doing what I love to do.”
The former NXT champion also discussed how he didn’t have a plan for his future because his interaction with people backstage in WWE were all very positive.
Keith Lee was released from his WWE contract in November last year. He made his debut for AEW during the February 9 episode of Dynamite.
AEW announced a couple of new matches for the Revolution PPV during the latest episode of Rampage. One of them was a tornado trios match.
The company revealed that Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo, and Isaiah Kassidy will be teaming up to go up against the team of Sting, Darby Allin, and TNT Champion Sammy Guevara.
However, Fightful is reporting that this wasn’t the original idea for the bout and the plans for this announced Revolution match were changed last minute.
According to the site, the match was originally going to be a regular tag team match. It would have seen Matt Hardy teaming with Andrade to face Sting & Darby Allin
There is no clear reason why Guevara and Kassidy were added to the bout. It’s possible that they didn’t want a current champion to miss the show.
AEW has announced a total of 9 matches for the upcoming Revolution PPV so far. This includes Adam Page defending the world title against Adam Cole.
Other matches for the show include the Face Of The Revolution ladder match and a dog collar match between CM Punk and MJF.
You can check out the match card and broadcasting details for the PPV here.
James Gunn is known to take relatively unknown characters and make them mainstream names. John Cena’s peacemaker is the latest example of it.
Now that the Peacemaker series has created a buzz, people wonder if we are going to see him cross over with The Rock’s Black Adam.
When asked about it in an interview with People, Cena claimed that it would be an honor. Though he mentioned how it’s not his choice to make:
“I’ll say the same thing every time with possibilities in the sort of universe… it would be an honor and a privilege to be able to perform with him.
I think there still is a passionate marketplace that wants to see him in.” said John Cena, “But I’m sorry, man, that’s just not my choice so I don’t know. It’s so far beyond me. It’s beyond what I’m able to control.”
The 16-time world champion also discussed the success of the Peacemaker web series. The show broke the record for the biggest single-day release for an HBO Max original.
Peacemaker has been renewed for a second season. Cena mentioned how making the show was a balancing act and admitted that its success is a tremendous feeling.
While AEW has done a great job building up their day 1 talents into recognizable wrestling names, many believe they have yet to create a megastar. Eric Bischoff believes that they need a legitimate larger-than-life character if they want to take their programming to the next level.
The former WCW president talked about this during the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. He mentioned that AEW has seen a 10-12% increase in audience since NXT moved to Tuesday nights.
However, Eric Bischoff discussed how the company is still struggling to get over the million viewers mark consistently. He claimed that AEW will need a star who can appeal to broader audience if they want to grow further:
“They’re going to need somebody that’s a legitimate larger than life star, not just physically, but larger than life to a broader audience. Or they’re going to have to accept the fact that AEW is basically a million viewers a week tops.”
Eric Bischoff later said that this won’t really matter if TBS is happy with the rating and if AEW officials are happy with their spot as well.
Although if they want to push similar ratings to Monday Night Raw, then they have to focus on some larger-than-life characters and attract more than just the hardcore fans.
WWE has put out many strange storylines on TV over the years. Matt Hardy recently revealed one such storyline that was pitched to him that made him very uncomfortable.
The former WWE star talked about it on the latest episode of his podcast. He recalled the time when Booker T and RVD held the tag team championships.
According to him, the creatives pitched an idea for Hardy to challenge for the tag titles with Mark Henry. For this, they wanted Matt to start acting like a black person:
“What was pitched to me from Vince and creative was that I was almost going to go to Mark Henry and him being black had a lot in common with me having Mattitude because we were both oppressed then I would talk like a black person.”
Matt Hardy explained that they wanted him to talk about how Mattitude was oppressed too. The former champion recalled how he was very uncomfortable with it:
“There was a point where I was almost going to start talking with more black slang and almost tell Mark Henry like ‘Mattitude is oppressed too man, we have that in common.’ I was very uncomfortable with that.”
Though thankfully for Matt, the storyline was canceled after Mark Henry got injured. Per the AEW star, maybe it was a sign from the Seven Deities.
While everyone else in AEW is talking about how Cody Rhodes will be missed after his departure, Bryan Danielson has a very unique take on the situation.
The former champion recently appeared on The Masked Man Show. During the talk, he was asked about his thoughts on the situation surrounding the former TNT champion.
Replying to it, Danielson recalled the time they used to ride together in WWE. He then claimed that Rhodes actually taught him how to lie to someone on their face:
“I have a great relationship with Cody. Cody and I have been friends for a long time, we’d ride together in WWE and that kind of stuff. I don’t know if you guys know this, this is probably something that the boys know, but I’m a big-time liar. I love to lie.
My love of lying, I wasn’t a very good liar until I rode with Cody.” said Bryan Danielson, “Cody taught me how fun lying is. Just making up, saying something straight to somebody’s face, the most absurd lie. Some of that…I really enjoy Cody,”
Apart from this, the former WWE star talked about things such as his ongoing storyline with Jon Moxley, lessons he has learned from Vince McMahon, and more.
What did you think about Danielson’s remarks about the American Nightmare? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Keith Lee only wrestled a handful of matches during his time on the main roster. There were many names people wished he got to face during his time with the company.
It appears that the former NXT champion himself had one such person in mind who he really wanted to face during his WWE stint, that is Big E.
Replying to a fan tweet recently, Lee said that he would have ‘loved to battle’ the former WWE champion, with or without the cuffs:
“I concur. E is someone I certainly would have loved to battle sans cuffs. Let’s be honest, even with cuffs, it would be an awesome fight.”
After a three-year-long run with WWE, Keith Lee was released from his contract in November last year. During his main roster run, Lee only wrestled a total of 47 matches.
The former champion has since joined AEW. He made his surprise debut for Tony Khan’s promotion during the February 9, 2022 episode of Dynamite.
Lee defeated Isiah Kassidy during his debut bout. The win earned him a spot in the Face of The Revolution match. The winner of this ladder match will earn a shot at the TNT championship.
WrestleMania is the event of surprising feuds and big matches. This year it might involve a match featuring none other than the boss himself, Vince McMahon.
According to John Pollock at Post Wrestling, McMahon’s appearance has been scheduled to “launch a program” with McAfee that will lead to something at WrestleMania.
When asked whether this program involving the 71-year-old billionaire will be billed as an official match, Pollock was told that it was “most likely.”
Vince McMahon At WrestleMania
If the WWE owner does end up wrestling at the show, it will be Vince McMahon’s first official match since his bout with CM Punk during a Raw episode back in 2012.
Mr. McMahon’s last match at the Show Of Shows was against Bret Hart during WrestleMania 26 in 2010. The match with Hart was his fifth official WrestleMania match.
Even if McMahon has not wrestled an actual match for a while, he has had numerous physical altercations since then. This includes confrontations with the likes of Kevin Owens and AJ Styles.
Corey Graves has been teasing an in-ring return for a while. For a time, there were even rumors of him making a comeback at the Royal Rumble but it didn’t happen.
Though this doesn’t mean that we are not going to see the former NXT star back in action, as he has confirmed that he is cleared for a return.
Graves recently revealed this news during his interview with TMZ. He said that he spent some time with doctors in the middle of last year:
“It [wrestling again]’s crossed my mind. I went and spent some time with doctors in the middle of last year. I kinda got the itch. I think this is one of the first times I’m saying this publicly. I have been medically cleared to compete.”
Though Corey Graves later explained that returning to ring is not an immediate goal for him. It’s something he needed to know for his sanity because his journey got cut short:
“So I went and did the necessary steps and it turns out that I’m a little more okay than I thought I was. Never say never. It’s not an immediate goal, but you can’t ever take the wrestler out of my heart.”
The Savior of Misbehavior had to retire from in-ring action in 2014 after suffering a couple of concussions. There is no word yet on when he might make his actual return.
Losing Shad Gaspard was one of the biggest losses for the pro wrestling industry. The number of lives he touched is a testament to the late star’s legacy. There are many people who considered the former WWE star a brother, including Shelton Benjamin.
The Gold Standard talked about Shad during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. Discussing how close they were, Benjamin said that he considered him a brother from the moment they met:
“When you get into this business, it’s really hard to find friends. You make a lot of acquaintances. You meet a lot of people but you don’t make a lot of friends. And Shad is one of the people that I consider a brother from the time he got here.”
Shelton Benjamin mentioned how he was present when Gaspard welcomed his son in the world. While the former Cryme Tyme member is no longer around, Benjamin remains close to his family:
“When he passed away, you know, for me it was losing a family member. So just like any other family I look out for his family. You know, his son, his widow. I stay in very close contact with them. If they need anything [and] If I have it, they have it.”
Shelton Benjamin Wants To Be Around For Shad’s Family
Shelton Benjamin mentioned how he grew up without a father himself, so he understands the struggles of Shad’s son. He also revealed that he is not the only one who helps the late star’s family, and there are actually a group of people who have taken up the responsibility:
“It was such a crushing blow to everybody when he left. So the least I can do for my friend, for my brother is try to keep as close an eye I can on his son. Because now you have a child growing up without a dad and I grew up without a father. So I understand the importance of having that. To have it and then lose it so suddenly and so tragically. That kid’s got a lot of challenges.
So I wanna at least be around to try to help him with it. And it’s not just me. We have a whole network of really close friends, myself, MVP, Mark Henry, Big Ryck. A lot of guys. We’re close friends and I will hope that if anything were to happen to me, someone will step up for my family as well.”
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There were no specific angles planned for the Undertaker. It was just supposed to be a cameo appearance which was nixed for some reason.
The plans seemed to have been canceled at least a few days before the show since the former world champion did not travel to the country with other stars.
The Undertaker did make a public appearance over the weekend. Though it was during a Bad Bunny concert from Dallas as seen in the video below:
Kurt Angle was supposed to have a program on WWE Television during the WrestleMania season but it was nixed by the officials at the last minute.
There were lots of rumors of what this program was supposed to be. Many even wondered if the Hall Of Famer was supposed to compete at the show of shows.
During the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic Gold Medallist discussed how a lot of people think that he was being called in for WrestleMania
“There are a lot of rumors going around that I was supposed to be booked for WrestleMania 38, which is not true at all, if you saw the posts, a lot of people thought that I was talking about WrestleMania.”
Revealing the nixed plans, Kurt Angle claimed that he was actually supposed to be involved in a storyline between RK-Bro and The Alpha Academy:
“I was talking about what I was going to do at the Royal Rumble and have the program for a few weeks. Then the blow off would be in Saudi Arabia, where I would referee the match between RK-Bro and Alpha Academy.”
Angle also confirmed that he is not under contract with WWE. He said that it’s unfortunate that his return got nixed but there is nothing you can do about it.
It’s no secret that AEW is developing a video game to end WWE’s dominance in the segment and Kenny Omega is one of the top executives working on the project. The former AEW champion recently had an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio. He first provided some updates on his health and recovery.
Speaking about how their game would fare against the competition, Omega admitted that their product would never be able to compete with WWE’s production:
“We’ll never be able to compete with the production values of WWE’s game. 2K22 is absolutely gorgeous, I’m excited to see all their bells and whistles when it finally releases. For us, rather than pushing the envelope drastically or anything like that, we just want the wrestling to feel how it used to feel for the people” said Kenny Omega, “who would play wrestling games back in the day and just have fun with fellow wrestling fans.”
The AEW star also mentioned how it’s been a while since they have provided an update on the game. He claimed that they are working non-stop, around the clock on it. Omega teased we will hopefully have an update on it soon. He said that he doesn’t want to promise it but suggested that we may get some new details around the time for their next PPV in revolution.
Rey Fenix suffered an arm injury earlier this year. He was expected to return to action this month but it appears fans will have to wait some more before seeing him back.
Dave Meltzer provided some update on the AEW star in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He claimed that the high-flying star is a month away from returning.
Fenix suffered the injury during the main event of the January 5 episode of Dynamite. The Lucha Brothers defended the AEW tag team championships against Jurassic Express on the show.
Not only did the Mexican stars lost the bout, but the former Lucha Underground star also suffered the gruesome-looking arm injury. His arm bent the wrong way while taking a chokeslam through a table.
Not for the feint of heart. ?
Probably the worst wrestling injury I’ve ever seen. Get well soon Rey Fenix ?
Rey Fenix thankfully did not break any bones. His arm was badly dislocated and initially, it was believed that he will be back in the ring by mid-February.
The latest report confirmed that the AEW star’s condition has improved and his arm is out of the sling. Though he is still expected to stay out of action until mid-March.
AAA is currently advertising Fenix & Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Dragon Lee and Dralistico for Saturday’s Rey de Reyes event but it’s likely to be changed into a singles match between Penta and Dralistico.
Asuka is one of the top female superstars of the current generation. Even AEW stars such as Tay Conti recognize this and have the desire to step in the ring with her.
The AEW star recently appeared on Highspots Virtual Gimmick Table. She discussed things such as wanting to win a championship in 2022 and more.
Speaking of people she would like to step in the ring with, Conti named Asuka alongside Serena Deeb as competitors she really wants to face:
“I really want to wrestle Asuka one day. She’s one of my favorites, I really want to wrestle her. But, if we can talk about AEW, I would say, I really wanna have Serena Deeb too.
Because she’s going crazy right now. Yeah, I wrestled her once,” said Tay Conti, “but I really need a rematch against her. So, I’m ready for it.”
The Brazilian star also talked about some of her matches which she is proud of. She mentioned how facing the current AEW women’s champion Britt Baker for the title was a special moment for her.
According to Conti, she was super nervous before this match which took place at the Full Gear PPV in 2021 and Baker was amazing to work with.
WWE will be presenting the Elimination Chamber PPV from Saudi Arabia this Saturday. Latest reports suggest there is a big title change planned for the show.
According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Brock Lesnar is expected to win the WWE championship during the Saudi event from Jeddah.
Lesnar, who is the winner of the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble is set to face the Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38 in April.
If the Beast Incarnate does win the title at Elimination Chamber, it will set up the rumored champion vs. champion match for the Show Of Shows, which will likely headline night 2 of the PPV.
The current plan is for the match between the women’s Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey and SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair to headline night 1 of WrestleMania 38.
The report also noted that WWE officials see Austin Theory as a future world champion. Though they believe that he is not ready for the opportunity yet.
The Elimination Chamber PPV will see Bobby Lashley defending his WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar and 4 other competitors including Theory, AJ Styles, Riddle and Seth Rollins.
Roman Reigns on the other hand, will be defending his Universal Championship in a one-on-one match against Goldberg at the show.
