Cody Rhodes got made fun of when he decided to get a giant neck tattoo in 2020 ahead of his match against MJF at the AEW Revolution event. Many fans laughed at him for doing so. However, it’s just part of his look now.
It turns out that Rhodes had another questionable tattoo idea years ago. He discussed this while making an appearance on ‘My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox.’
Rhodes revealed that he almost got the faction logo of Legacy tattooed on his hand prior to their Triple Threat showdown at WrestleMania 26 in 2010 when he took on Randy Orton and Ted Debiase.
Luckily for Rhodes, Kofi Kingston stepped in and talked him out of it.
The Tat
“I almost got a tattoo on my hand of the Legacy logo before the match. I want to say, and I hope I’m giving credit to the right guy, Kofi Kingston was the one who told me absolutely not to do that.
Like, yeah, Legacy was cool. Yes, I was excited about having this first real WrestleMania, but it’s not that place on the card that you need this tattoo. I thought, okay. I also liked the L. I thought it was a pretty cool logo, but I didn’t get the tattoo, so Kofi was right.”
Rhodes is expected to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39.
Sami Zayn called out Cody Rhodes on this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw episode.
This was days before Zayn steps into the ring to challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for his title in the main event of Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE event.
Some fans have felt that Zayn should be in Rhodes’ spot, as the former AEW star made his return from injury last month by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match to earn the right to challenge Reigns for his title at WrestleMania 39.
The Segment
Zayn said he came to Raw to hear Rhodes say again that it’s looking more like Reigns won’t make it to Mania as champion and Zayn would be in the spot to make it Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania.
Zayn wanted to know that Rhodes believed Zayn could beat Reigns.
Rhodes stated he believed Zayn could win this Saturday and asked Zayn if he really believed he can. Zayn said he didn’t know because he’s been in the trenches with The Bloodline, and Reigns somehow finds a way to win. Zayn said he believes he is compatible of winning and worthy of being in the headliner role at WrestleMania 39 but isn’t sure whether he can walk out as champion on Saturday night.
Rhodes stated there are cracks in The Bloodline because of Sami Zayn and they both need to finish their own stories. Rhodes told him that he didn’t want to see Zayn next week because he wanted to see him at WrestleMania 39.
???BOTH THESE GUYS ??? For reals this promo work by both Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes was extraordinary. They did so much here to further elevate the entire story. #WWERAWpic.twitter.com/cGAzLu42tC
Cody Rhodes opened up on the fight between The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) and CM Punk at the AEW All Out pay-per-view last September.
The Elite have since returned to TV while Punk, who suffered an injury in the All Out main event, is still on the sidelines. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment on Punk’s status with the promotion.
Rhodes was one of the names that helped launch the promotion in 2019. While appearing on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Rhodes commented on the Brawl Out incident.
The Next Day
Rhodes recalled waking up to 63 text messages and was worried that someone from AEW said something about him at the press conference.
Rhodes noted he still has a great relationship with The Young bucks and Omega. He admitted it was tested by them being younger executives and having different opinions on wrestling, but that made them work. He said they’re bonded forever because of that. He also had a great relationship with Punk and had dinner with him every week in AEW.
Rhodes went on to talk about his relationships with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, noting that it was indeed tested by their differing opinions on the sport of pro wrestling. Rhodes also talked about his relationship with CM Punk, noting that they had a great relationship despite not talking much.
“So when I watched it just from me sitting there, I was not — there was some people texting me. I remember somebody texted me, ‘Man, you’re the smartest guy in the room. I wanted to write back like, ‘F— you, man.’ I don’t feel that way. I feel this thing we built got damaged. I’m not putting any blame on anybody. Sorry, super Switzerland.”
The Brawl
Rhodes stated he doesn’t put any of the blame on anybody but didn’t like to see it.
“I just hated seeing that, because as the company grows, and I hope it continues to grow, I hope people remember the mission in the first place and why we were there. If you bring in people who don’t know the mission, then things like that can happen.
I’m not saying he didn’t know the mission or anything of that nature, but I was just bummed out. That’s how I felt, I was bummed out. because I have — you win the title, it’s a feather in your cap. You win the Royal Rumble, it’s a feather in your cap. Building an alternative wrestling promotion is definitely a feather in the cap. I don’t want that to be erased. I don’t want that to go away.”
“Plus, there’s not as many jobs in wrestling as people think. There’s about 1000 people who work there structurally, infrastructure and talent. I’m proud of them. I want to make sure they’re able to feed their families and that was a situation that was so big and heavy. I don’t think it was helpful. I don’t know, maybe you could make it helpful. Maybe you can do something with it. That’s how I felt.
No heat on Punk. No heat on Matt, Nick, Kenny, or Tony, I was just bummed out when I saw it. That’s not how we envisioned it. The spirit of ‘All In,’ if you ever lose the spirit, you’re lost. I think the spirit was gone in that moment, doesn’t mean can’t get it back, but it was just a bummer.”
Rhodes departed from AEW last year to make his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39 this month.
A24’s “The Iron Claw,” a movie about the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, has wrapped up filming.
Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Aaron Dean Eisenberg (Ric Flair), AEW‘s MJF (Lance Von Erich), and Kevin Anton (Harley Race) make up the rest of the cast.
Done Filming
The Iron Claw began principal photography beginning in Louisiana in October. Pwinsider.com reported today that it recently wrapped up filming. The film will now enter post-production. The release date for it has yet to be made, but it’s looking like late 2023 or early 2024.
The film’s synopsis reads, “Based on the true story of the Von Erichs, the film follows the rise and fall of the family dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”
The film is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Sean Durkin. A24 and Access Industries are co-financing the film. Producing alongside A24 are Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger, and Harrison Huffman.
2K Games has announced the complete roster for the WWE 2K23 video game.
The game is slated to be released on March 17, 2023. Fans who pre-order the standard edition of the game early will be able to play as Bad Bunn. Those who get the Deluxe or Icon editions will have access to the game on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
John Cena is the game’s cover star and will be featured on the front of each edition of the video game.
Legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Macho Man Randy Savage will be part of the roster. Of course, top stars such as Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Brock Lesnar will be featured.
Tony Khan has signed the AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns to new contracts.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a controversial main event that left a lot of fans unhappy as Austin and Colten Gunn beat The Acclaimed to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
The title change was a surprise as many fans weren’t expecting it as The Acclaimed has been protected in recent months and is one of the most over acts in the entire promotion.
The Deal
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported today that both Austin and Colten have re-signed with the promotion and will remain with them for the foreseeable future, although specific details of the terms were not given. Fightful was able to confirm that they have signed multi-year deals with AEW.
Austin signed with AEW in January 2020 while Coten was never given an official ‘All Elite’ announcement when he joined his father, Billy, and brother, Austin, on television.
Although not confirmed, it’s likely All Elite Wrestling will book a rematch between the two tag teams for the gold at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution, which takes place on March 5.
AEW President Tony Khan has addressed potentially expanding its pay-per-view calendar in the future, especially if a streaming deal comes to the promotion.
Khan was asked about this topic while doing an interview on the John Chuckery Show. For Khan, he feels the focus should remain on AEW’s big five events (Double or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear, Forbidden Door, and Revolution) as he sees those as the flagpole AEW events.
“Well, we’ve been able to really make the events keep that super special feel, where there is so much anticipation building up to Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door now, and of course, All Out and Full Gear,” said Khan. “I think that with the current model we have, which is a la carte pay-per-view, true pay-per-view like so many of us grew up with, it makes a lot of sense. The price is about $49.99, and if somebody’s going to give us that $49.99, I would like them to feel like they’re getting a show they’ve really looked forward to for a long time and are getting maximum value.”
Expansion
Khan did state that should a streaming offer come along he would consider expanding the PPV calendar, but the events mentioned above would still be considered the big five.
“I think for us right now, the way we’re doing pay-per-view makes sense, but if the right offer came along on streaming to expand the calendar, that’s something we have the capacity to do. I would only want to do it if we can make sure that we keep Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door, All Out, and Full Gear as premium, top-end events like they are right now.”
AEW holds its Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5, 2023. Transcribed by Fightful
Jade Cargill has been protected and pushed as a top star in AEW since signing with the promotion in 2020, where she was used in a top angle right out of the gate.
She made her in-ring debut by teaming with NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal in a win over Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on an episode of AEW Dynamite in March 2021.
Since that match, she has gone on a lengthy winning streak and booked strongly as the TBS Champion, the only champion in the history of the title after she beat Ruby Soho in 2022.
However, she has yet to face any top-tier AEW talent, something she is looking to change. Cargill expressed her interest in wrestling for the AEW Women’s Title while speaking with Liam Crowley of ComicBook.com.
Bigger Goals
“I’m just going to give these ladies some time before I want to go for the big belt. That’s something that I want to accomplish. I want to go for the main belt, I know that’s for sure.”
Jade also shared her desire to mix it up with stars such as Britt Baker, Saraya, and Toni Storm.
“I wouldn’t say so soon because right now I’m just focused on getting reps and getting better. Having longer matches, better feuds, and actual storylines. However, I believe it’s time for me to start having storylines with a Britt Baker, or Jamie Hayter, or a Saraya, or Toni Storm and working those storylines. I know I can do it. I have the charisma to do it. If you stand me next to any of these ladies, the work, the look and the aura of who I am speaks for itself.”
This week’s episode of WWE Raw featured a heavily praised segment between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman that saw them both get emotional.
The promo segment was done to promote further Cody Rhodes challenging Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
Fightful Select had details on the backstage reaction to the promo that was said to have benefitted from looser scripting under Triple H compared to what he had been under Vince McMahon.
Those close to Heyman stated that he was surprised by Rhodes mentioning Dusty Rhodes getting booked by ECW in 2000 and that the family needed those bookings. People close to Cody stated they weren’t sure whether Heyman had been told how important the ECW bookings were to the Rhodes family in general.
The Reaction
Heyman wrote his part of the promo, while Cody wrote his. Those involved with the segment were very pleased with it, and WWE officials were thrilled with the content and the reactions from fans.
One WWE higher-up source told Fightful: “Cody Rhodes is a star, and Paul Heyman is a starmaker. They were in a difficult position, and made something that seemed like a manufactured booking decision become a personal, WrestleMania main event if it ends up going that direction.”
EJ Nduka has some options regarding what he wants to do with his wrestling career.
The former WWE star worked the AEW Dark tapings on January 28 in Orlando, Florida, where he made his debut for the promotion. His loss to Konosuke Takeshita aired this week on Dark.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Nduka was offered a full-time AEW contract after the match. As of this writing, there is no word yet on if Nduka has signed the contract.
MLW aired his match with World Heavyweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing main event for the MLW Underground premiere on REELZ.
Free Agency
His contract expired last month, but he went forward with finishing up with the promotion at the February 4th tapings. He is still one-half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions with Calvin Tankman. Their match with Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i of The Samoan SWAT Team is slated to air soon.
According to multiple reports, Nduka also has interest from MLW, WWE, and those in Japan. MLW officials have praised EJ in the past, while the former WWE star previously credited the promotion for giving him a chance when he needed it.
The former NXT star was let go in May 2021 after having been with the company since 2019. He made his MLW debut the following month when his non-compete clause expired.
The trailer for Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, has been released.
The franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang and Scott Eastwood are back for the film.
Returning cast members include Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto, Helen Mirren’s Magdalene “Queenie” Ellmanson-Shaw, and Charlize Theron’s Cipher.
New cast members include Jason Momoa and Brie Larson. Momoa portrays a villain named Dante, while Larson plays a new character named Tess. Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, and Rita Moreno have also joined the cast.
The film is directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans and The Incredible Hulk) while it’s produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Samantha Vincent. The executive producers are Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr., David Cain, Chris Morgan, Amanda Lewis and Mark Bomback.
The Synopsis
The synopsis of the film reads like, “Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.”
Kamille is preparing for her next title defense this weekend, but she got to train with two WWE stars before she does.
The NWA Women’s Champion recently trained with Natalya and TJ Wilson at Workhorse Fitness in Tampa, FL. She shared a photo with Natalya while in the ring and wrote the following in the caption:
“Huge thanks to @NatbyNature @TJWilson for being so welcoming last night! Helping me to get ready for a big weekend of wrestling. So happy to be continuing my journey in training with the best of the best in the world and can’t wait to see where else this year takes me!”
Huge thanks to @NatbyNature@TJWilson for being so welcoming last night! Helping me to get ready for a big weekend of wrestling ???? ??
So happy to be continuing my journey in training with the best of the best in the world and can’t wait to see where else this year takes me! pic.twitter.com/2q1VOwpMP6
The NWA will present its Nuff Said pay-per-view event this Saturday night at 7 pm EST on FITE TV. Kamille will defend her title against Angelina Love in a no DQ match at the show.
Kamille has been the Women’s Champion for over 600 days after winning it from Serena Deeb at When Our Shadows Fall in June 2021.
Other top matches that will be featured on the card include NWA World Champion Tyrus vs.Matt Cardona, NWA National Champion Cyon vs. Homicide, and Thom Latimer vs. Fodder in a Singapore cane match
Posted February 9th, 2023 in WWE, News. Tagged: Kamille.
Paul Wight has provided an update on his current injury status, as he has only worked a handful of matches since signing with AEW.
The former Big Show has continued to do commentary for the promotion every week on AEW Dark: Elevation but hasn’t wrestled since March 2022, a bout that aired on Dark: Elevation in Wight’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.
While speaking with Alistair McGeorge for Metro UK, Wight talked about the injury setbacks he’s had in recent months.
“You know, there’s been some setbacks personally. I mean, I’ve had a couple of injury setbacks, had to get a knee replaced in August. That knee was bad for 12 years, so it could’ve gone any day! It’s like kind of like that tire on your car that you know you should change but keep driving anyway.”
The Goal
Wight then shared that he’s hoping to be back in the ring next month.
“But we’re good now, and hopefully we’ll be back in the ring in March. Everything’s on schedule, so we’re looking good!”
Regarding potential opponents, Wight named newly crowned AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns. He praised them for being athletic and thinks they have a bright future.
The latest run for JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) on WWE television has ended.
Pwinsider.com reports JBL is not scheduled to appear on WWE programming going forward. This comes after WWE did an angle on Monday Night Raw this week where Baron Corbin lost another match, and JBL wasn’t happy about it.
The Split
After the show went off the air, WWE released a video where JBL stated he didn’t want to be associated with Corbin any longer. The reason for that is due to Corbin making him look bad by losing on television.
Corbin has been on a losing streak on TV and at house shows despite the paring. The idea behind putting Corbin and JBL together was to give Corbin a boost, but WWE officials clearly felt like it wasn’t working out.
Now, what Corbin’s future holds remains to be seen. Corbin is well-liked among the talent in the locker room and was someone Vince McMahon was high on.
Before this pairing, Corbin had been with Madcap Moss on SmackDown, where they were a heel duo, only for Moss to turn babyface after Corbin turned on him.
Posted February 9th, 2023 in WWE, News. Tagged: JBL.
Vince Russo has been critical of Carmella in the past and recently criticized a booking decision made by WWE involving her, something the WWE star didn’t appreciate so she put him on blast.
This past Monday night on Raw, Carmella defeated Piper Niven, “Michin” Mia Yim, and Candice LeRae to win the last Elimination Chamber qualifier.
While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Legion of Raw, Russo noted that he thought Niven should have been the one to qualify for the Elimination Chamber Match.
“Listen, we have gone through the well with Carmella a million times. To me, I am going with Piper Niven. Do you know why? At the end of the day, here’s the deal bro. If they get Rhea Ripley if she beats Charlotte Flair. Who do you think would be a better opponent for her? Carmella or Piper Niven? Carmella is not even in the same conversation, why are you going there?”
Carmella Fires Back
Carmella responded on Twitter by demanding the former WWE/WCW/TNA creative writer give her the respect she has earned:
“Lololol not in that same conversation?? Allow me to list the women I have wins over: Charlotte, Asuka, Becky, Bayley, Sasha, Bianca, Liv, Alexa. The list goes on and on. I have more charisma in my pinky finger than both of these jabronies COMBINED. PUT SOME DAMN RESPECT ON MY NAME!!!”
Asuka, Carmella, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, and Nikki Cross will be featured in the Women’s Chamber bout. The winner will earn a shot to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.
Although Montez Ford has mostly been used as a tag team star in WWE alongside Angelo Dawkins as part of The Street Profits, Big E thinks it’s time to see what Ford can do on his own.
The Street Profits made their debut in 2016 and rose up the ranks in NXT before capturing the NXT Tag Team Championships. they later went to the main roster on Raw in 2019 and found more success with multiple reigns as Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Champions.
Many have expected to see Ford break away from Dawkins in pursuit of a singles run. This includes Big E, who praised Ford while appearing on WWE’s The Bump
Ford qualified for the Elimination Chamber Match with the United States Title on the line this past week on Raw with a win over Elias.
Big E’s Praise
“It’s hard not to be a Montez guy. You talk about someone who has all the tools, charismatic as hell, absurdly athletic. He has everything, so it’s about time for Montez to get his. I’m excited to see his rise and see his run. Talk about a star. Guy has screamed ‘star’ for a long time, so it’s time to get Montez cooking,”
Ford joins US Champion Austin Theory, Johnny Gargano, Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed, and Damien Priest in the Elimination Chamber match.
WrestleMania weekend just got bigger as IMPACT Wrestling, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced a co-promoted show.
The event will take place on Thursday night, March 30, at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, with stars from both promotions competing. There will be numerous first-ever dream matches confirmed.
The show, titled Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive, is slated to air live on pay-per-view on fite.tv, starting at 8 p.m. PST.
The Matches
Some of the top matches announced for the show include IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander taking on KUSHIDA while “Speedball” Mike Bailey battles Will Ospreay in the co-main event.
The match between Bailey and Ospreay will be their fifth singles match against each other, with the first taking place in 2015 while their most recent bout coming in August 2022.
“Will Ospreay is the best professional wrestler in the world, after me,” Bailey said. “So, this will be the best professional wrestling match of the year.”
Also set for the show is Jeff Cobb vs. Moose. IMPACT’s X Division Champion Trey Miguel, Ace Austin, and Chris Bey are advertised to appear. At the same time, NJPW will be represented by KENTA, Rocky Romero, Minoru Suzuki, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight, Fred Rosser, and many others.
Tickets for Multiverse United start at $60 and go on sale this Friday at 10 am EST on highspots.com. Fans can get front-row seats for $350 each. There will also be limited VIP seats that are perk-filled, including an exclusive event t-shirt, commemorative ringside photograph, and more.
MARCH 30
Only the strong survive in NJPW and @impactwrestling's Multiverse of Matches!
Will Ospreay vs Mike Bailey! KUSHIDA vs Josh Alexander! Moose vs Jeff Cobb official!
Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo (w/ Tony D’Angelo) def. Odyssey Jones.
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) def. Chase University (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Carmelo Hayes Opens, Ilja Dragunov Returns
Carmelo Hayes opened the show with Trick Williams where they bragged about Hayes’ win over Apollo Crews at Vengeance Day. He said it is his destiny to call out this man…. JD McDonagh came out instead and said it sounded like Hayes was going to call for an NXT Title shot. JD said Hayes isn’t ready to be the NXT Champion and he couldn’t hold his jock strap. Hayes said he has beat everyone in NXT. This set up a match for tonight.
Bayley appeared for a Ding Dong Hello segment with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin.
Jayne and Dolin came up short in the triple threat match with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at Vengeance Day.
Bayley said she was there because she loves NXT and Toxic Attraction. She brought them out and asked what happened at Vengeance Day. They blamed each other for losing the bout. Bayley wanted them to think about what would happen if they split up. They both thought they would succeed on their own. Bayley said that they would get there quicker with a ride or die. They made up and Jayne said no matter what, she will always be her sister. Jayne wanted to have one more run. Gigi wanted to have a run at the Women’s Tag Team Titles held by Damage CTRL. Bayley wanted them to hug it out and they did. Jayne superkicked Gigi then tossed her into the door. This closed the show.
Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark in a singles match took place. This was the first match of the night. Stark went over with her finisher to win the bout. Post-match, Ruca laid out Stark, who was trying to add insult to injury.
The two stars also faced off one-on-one last November with Stark picking up the win.
Valentina Feroz vs. Lyra Valkyria was booked in a singles match.
After a match between Cora Jade and herself did not take place on last week’s NXT, Valkyria issued a challenge, claiming Jade must have changed her mind. Feroz agreed to the challenge for this show.
This match took place in the second hour. Elektra Lopez came out during the bout. This led to a distraction and Lyra hit a spin kick finisher for the win.
Alexa Bliss will be off television as she is on hiatus from the WWE storylines right now.
Bliss came up short when challenging Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the Royal Rumble. Post-match, Bliss sat in the ring as a video of highlights from her recent run with Bray Wyatt. The video was shown on the big screen along with scenes of a playground while we could hear Uncle Howdy say, “Do you feel in charge?”
The Break
It’s been a few weeks since that show, and Bliss hasn’t been seen on television. Pwinsider.com reports WWE knew going into the match that Bliss would be taking some time off after the loss.
Bliss hasn’t been seen backstage at WWE shows since the Royal rumble. This is not a typical instance of WWE not using her while she’s at shows. Bliss is away from the company because of a planned temporary exit from the storylines.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on how long the break is. It should be noted that Bliss isn’t injured.
It could be a case of WWE putting Bliss on a break to build her back up in storylines with Wyatt and Howdy for WrestleMania 39 or if she asked for time off.
The match was designed to make Belair look strong as she moves towards WrestleMania 39.
Trish Stratus has shared the ring with some of the best female talent to step foot inside of the squared circle, but she feels one name missing from the WWE Hall of Fame and getting the honor she deserves.
Stratus believes Victoria deserves to get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Victoria’s career started with WWE in 2002 and feuded with Stratus, leading to several matches, including when she beat Stratus to win the WWE Women’s Championship in a Hardcore Match at Survivor Series 2002.
Victoria would depart in 2009 before going to TNA Wrestling and won the Knockouts Championship five times and the Knockouts Tag Team Championship once.
The Push
In an interview with Justin Dhillon on Casual Conversations with The Classic, Stratus was asked to name which stars she’d like to see honored by WWE.
“The aforementioned Mickie James, that’s for sure. I’d like to Victoria [get inducted]. Soon would be great. I think she’s well deserving. I think she’s underrated. I do so many interviews, and people ask me about different feud and different rivalries. I feel like when we were [competing], women’s wrestling was just turning the corner as far as being taken serious. Those matches with her that people [see] like, ‘Oh, this actually legit, and this is a viable part of the entire show.’ So yeah, Victoria for the Hall of Fame,” Stratus said.
Piper Niven came out of this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw battered.
WWE booked Niven vs. Candice LeRae vs. Michin vs. Carmella in a women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match on the show. The finish of the bout saw Carmella superkick Niven and then cover LeRae for the pin to win the bout.
Carmella joins Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross, and Natalya in the Elimination Chamber Match at the PLE next Saturday night. The winner of this bout will earn a title shot against Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.
The Photo
Niven took to Twitter today to send a message to Michin (Mia Yim) and show off her battered eye. She tweeted, “Things imma not forget” and posted this photo:
When Niven was called up to the WWE main roster from NXT UK in June 2021, she underwent a name change, Doudrop, and turned heel while being paired with Eva Marie.
Before returning at the Royal Rumble, her previous bout happened on the September 6 edition of NXT when she teamed with Nikki ASH to defeat Toxic Attraction, while her last Raw match was the night before. She then disappeared from WWE television for several months.
Niven made her return by competing in the 30-Woman Royal Rumble match last month and with her old ring name.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler is in the hospital following a serious medical episode on Monday, February 6.
Lawler suffered a stroke at his home in Fort Myers, Florida, according to Action News 5 out of Memphis, Tennessee. He’s since undergone surgery and is recovering at a Florida hospital.
Word of Lawler’s condition began circulating Monday night. Tag team legend Ricky Morton publicly wished him well on Twitter earlier today, which led to more details coming out. The 73-year-old star was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon after having lunch with friends, as first reported by PWInsider. Sometime after the meal, he became ill and was rushed to the hospital.
Dutch Mantell, Lawler’s longtime friend, provided an update on the situation on Tuesday afternoon:
LATEST UPDATE ON LAWLER: LAWLER experienced paralysis on his right side immediately following the stroke. Latest news has reported that he has regained partial use of his arm. His speech is still affected but that takes a bit more time. But he’s improving.
SEScoops extends our support to the Lawler family during this difficult time.
Jerry Lawler most recently appeared on the WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Kickoff Show two weeks ago as part of the panel. This past weekend, he did an autograph signing in Florida.
Lawler wrestled for nearly every top wrestling promotion in the United States, including WWE, AWA, WCCW, Continental Wrestling Association, and United States Wrestling Association. He was a household name in the Memphis area. Younger fans know him best for his time in WWE as a color commentator alongside Jim Ross during the Attitude Era. In recent years, he has stepped away from being a full-time commentator and is used for the Kickoff Shows.
The wrestling legend previously suffered a stroke in 2018, and had a heart attack on live television during an 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Cody Rhodes has already confirmed that he will challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39, a title currently held by Roman Reigns.
Rhodes earned the shot by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. If Reigns retains the title against Sami Zayn at the Elimination Chamber on February 18, Reigns will meet Rhodes in the main WrestleMania event.
For nearly a year, WWE had hoped to have The Rock back for a match with Reigns at Mania. However, The Rock didn’t feel like he was in good enough ring shape for a WrestleMania main event match and turned it down.
Some fans have been pushing for Sami Zayn to be inserted into the WrestleMania main event because of his strong storyline with The Bloodline.
While speaking to Alex McCarthy of Daily Mail, Cody talked about the ongoing story between Zayn and The Bloodline. Rhodes noted that sometimes fans think it should be one wrestler or another in a top spot. He thinks the fans can get everything if decided upon by management.
“I was fully expecting these things to converge, and I’m still expecting them to converge just because we have these wonderful options.”
This was when he noted that the current WWE stories are better than having The Rock back at WrestleMania 39.
“With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening. One story about finishing something that started in 1978 – seven years before I was even born – and another story of really the tragedy of being welcomed into the Bloodline and then what you saw unfolds.
I think with the amount of time between now and WrestleMania, it’s important I keep my eyes squarely fixed on WrestleMania, squarely wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Championship and as you hinted that may not be against Roman Reigns. Now I don’t know if anyone can beat Roman Reigns, I truly don’t, but for me, it’s about picking up the chip. I love the melodrama,I love the heaviness in these stories that develop in our industry, but I am very simply a man who’s looking for a belt.
I’m looking for a championship title belt, the most important one in our world the biggest in all – not just in the WWE bubble but in all the bubbles – and be the first to say as a Rhodes I did it, and it wasn’t Dusty Rhodes and it wasn’t Dustin Rhodes it was Cody Rhodes.”
The Rock has reportedly left the door open to doing the match at WrestleMania 40 next year.
Several AEW/ROH stars were slated to work an upcoming Beyond Wrestling event but have been pulled due to a conflict with the reported ROH TV tapings.
On Monday, Beyond Wrestling announced that Wheeler Yuta, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora would no longer be appearing at their Perfection or Vanity show in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday, February 26.
As previously noted, the belief is that ROH is scheduled to hold TV tapings that weekend, most likely at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
The Statement
“Wheeler YUTA, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora will no longer be appearing or competing at ‘Perfection Or Vanity’ on Sunday, 2/26 at White Eagle in Worcester,” Beyond Wrestling’s statement read”Email beyondwrestling@gmail.com if you’d like a refund.”
Yuta and Nightingale are under contract with AEW, while Williams and Adora, who were both part of the ROH roster before Tony Khan bought the promotion, have also made appearances for AEW.
Yuta currently holds the ROH Pure Championship after he won back the title by defeating Daniel Garcia at Final Battle. Adora was also in action at this same show, losing to Nightingale on the pre-show.
It was announced last December that weekly ROH TV was coming to the HonorClub streaming service, although no start date was given.
WWE has decided to move the Maximum Male Models from Friday Night SmackDown to Monday Night Raw.
WWE had the trio appear in a segment last week on Raw where Maxxine Dupri, ma.çé (Mace), and mån.sôör (Mansoor) were backstage. Dupri looked like she was interested in recruiting Otis of Alpha Academy.
WWE has updated its website’s Raw roster page and added the three members to the red brand.
Explanation
WWE is planning to do an angle on tonight’s Raw to solidify Maximum Male Models moving to the red brand, according to a report by Fightful Select. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Otis or Chad Gable will be involved or what they have planned for the group.
WWE created the stable in April 2022 on SmackDown. Originally, LA Knight, known as Max Dupri, led the group. It was said the stable was a pet project of Vince McMahon while he was still in charge of creative.
Maxxine was later introduced as Max’s sister, while Knight left the group and returned to his previous gimmick. This was shortly after WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H took over creative.
Before last week, WWE last used the faction on television during the January 20 SmackDown episode. This show saw them lose to Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde of Legado del Fantasma. They didn’t get much television time, but Mansoor, Mace, and Dupri continued to work non-televised live events.
