Johnny Knoxville keeps Kayfabe alive between he and Sami Zayn and Matt Camp can attest to that.

Speaking on his new series “The Wrestling Matt Show” the former WWE personality was previewing WWE King & Queen of The Ring and some fans were talking about Johnny Knoxville being incoporated into the WWE product during the first part of 2022. Knoxville appeared at the Royal Rumble and ultimately defeated Sami Zayn in a dark horse match at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, TX.

Camp notes how invested and passionate Knoxville was during his brief run in WWE.

“Johnny Knoxville was awesome to work with, with everything he did with WWE. He was all in, he cared, he offered ideas up, the stuff with the phone number in the sky and the red carpet), Johnny Knoxville got it.”

• Johnny Knoxville Goes Undercover At Sami Zayn’s ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ Comedy Show

Knoxville even committed to his beef with Zayn even after Sami turned babyface as Camp had Knoxville on The Bump nearly a year after the fact.

“Sami’s a babyface at this point and he was still railing on Sami and he played into it. They could have a blast with that. I think there is almost a ‘fight forever’ almost tongue-in-cheek thing between Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn, which I love.”

“I think there is almost a ‘fight forever’ almost tongue-in-cheek thing between Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn, which I love.”

Even as of recent, Knoxville has kept his feud cooking with Sami as Johnny interrupted Zayn’s stand-up schtick while at the Netflix Is A Joke event. He roasted Sami while there, even having Wee Man punch him below the belt. Then on social media, Knoxville continued to berate Zayn, claiming that Razor Ramon was actually his favorite Intercontinental Champion.

Please credit “The Wrestling Matt” and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Liv Morgan is your new WWE Women’s World Champion after there was some chicanery by Dominik Mysterio.

Lynch and Morgan kicked off the PLE fesitivities for King & Queen Of The Ring as the WWE Women’s World Title match started off the show. 

As customary for the WWE women in Saudi Arabia, both Liv and Becky wore full-body attire as Becky donned basically a black tuxedo while Morgan wore a full-body red catsuit.

The fight was even-matched with both the champion and challenger getting the competitive edge. In the match, Liv and Lynch both had their finishers reversed and the live crowd in Saudi were very vocal during the fight.

• WWE Superstars Having Fun in Jeddah Ahead Of SmackDown & King And Queen Of The Ring

Lynch and Morgan traded punches before the two traded a series of submissions and pin attempts. Lynch locked Morgan in a Disarmer, but matters changed after Dominik Mysterio entered at ringside through the crowd. That caused Lynch to be distracted and Morgan hit a Codebreaker for a near fall. The fight surprisingly continued.

Lynch hit a superplex and Dom slid in a chair to “assist” Becky, but Morgan ended up hitting an Oblivion on the chair to become the new Women’s World Champion.

Mysterio has been angling that he wanted to look out for Lynch, but Becky has made clear she didn’t want his help. Lynch sure didn’t get it as Morgan has further cemented her “revenge tour.”

Post-fight, Dominik looks despondent as Morgan celebration begins with fireworks. However, this could all be a ploy as there’s been a good deal of teases that Dom and Liv have been hiding a relationship with one another while Rhea Ripley has been out with injury.

Will Ospreay wants to move on from his comments made towards Triple H and makes it clear that he likes the WWE Creative Content Officer. 

Ospreay has a busy weekend ahead of him as the top AEW star will be challenging Roderick Strong for the International Championship at Double or Nothing this Sunday. In light of his big bout in Las Vegas, Ospreay spoke with some of the media, including Adrian Hernandez and was asked about his comments towards Triple H during an AEW Dynamite promo. 

“People within the company were saying, ‘That was a bag at you.’ I’m over it now. I said my bit. My thing was funny. Everyone took it way too personally. All these old f***s that are like, ‘I have a podcast’ and they think they know everything. I couldn’t give a f*** about these guys.”

• Will Ospreay Calls Himself “Officially Grizzled” After 31st Birthday, Sabu Reassures He Has Many More Years

‘The Game’ previously stated that some wrestling talent weren’t willing to be apart of the ‘grind’ of WWE. Ospreay took umbrage with that decided to state that Triple H got his high profile spot due to “grinding on the boss’s daughter.”

Ospreay continued his comments with Hernandez, deciding to dampen down any further tension between he and Triple H, stating that he likes Paul Levesque.

“At the end of it, no harm done. I f***ing like Triple H. It was a little bit hard hearing that s***. I was nothing but respectful in all the talks. I have my own mission, my own objectives, my own goals. Just because it doesn’t fit with your things, it doesn’t mean people should be firing shots my way. I come from a generation where if you fire one at me, I fire one back.”

H/t to Fightful for the transcription.

Wardlow hasn’t forgotten when the wrestling world was fully behind him, and makes a promise to achieve such heights once more in his career.

A fan on X shared a video of Wardlow’s entrance two years ago at AEW Double or Nothing 2022 and Las Vegas crowd clearly welcomed the former TNT Champion with a loud reception. The fan captioned the video with, “Two Years Ago at Double or Nothing. Wardlow can you still hear us?”

Wardlow caught wind of the fan’s post and made it clear that he most certainly could.

“I hear you every day. It’s what’s kept me going the past year. Sad how tainted this night was for me. But we will get back to this one day. On my life. For anyone that’s chanted my name, even when you didn’t have much of a reason to, it’s meant the world to me. Thank you.”

I hear you every day. It’s what’s kept me going the past year. Sad how tainted this night was for me. But we will get back to this one day. On my life. For anyone that’s chanted my name, even when you didn’t have much of a reason to, it’s meant the world to me. Thank you ?? https://t.co/f8RyabCj6l

— Wardlow (@RealWardlow) May 24, 2024

• WWE or AEW? Analyzing The Pros & Cons For Wrestling’s Top Free Agents

Wardlow ended up defeating MJF after a longstanding grudge match, but the bout only lasted seven minutes and it was swarmed in controversy as to if MJF was actually going to be at the PPV.

Unfortunately,  Wardlow has experienced a great deal of creative speed bumps over the course of the past two years and has found himself barely on AEW television most weeks. 

He happened to just make an appearance this past Wednesday on the go-home episode of Dynamite where Wardlow got involved in the opening match between Will Ospreay, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong and Trent Beretta. Wardlow laid out Ospreay on the entryway as Strong secured the victory for himself and Beretta.

If you’re curious as to why we haven’t seen Ricochet defend his WWE Speed Championship on WWE RAW or SmackDown, there’s a good reason why.

In a now deleted post, a user on X appeared to inquire about why we haven’t seen any Speed matches go down on television and the champ laid out the reason. He didn’t say X was the reason outright, but that was clearly what the WWE Superstar was indicating.

• Will Ospreay Wants Rematch With Ricochet in AEW: ‘People Here Appreciate His Work’

“Because a specific company paid a specific amount of money to have a specific show and title, EXCLUSIVELY be shown on their specific platform.”

Because a specific company paid a specific amount of money to have a specific show and title, EXCLUSIVELY be shown on their specific platform. https://t.co/958Lz1auzR

— Ricochet (@KingRicochet) May 24, 2024

The Speed series resides exclusively on X and requires that the wrestler gets a victory within three minutes. Triple H also confirmed that there will be Speed matches in the women’s division.

• WWE Speed Will Feature Women’s Division Matches, Triple H Confirms

Competing in the inaugural tournament was Ricochet, Axiom, Cedric Alexander, Angel Garza, Bronson Reed, Dragon Lee, Johnny Gargano and JD McDonagh. The finals came down to Gargano and Ricochet and there it was discovered that Speed title matches can last up to five minutes instead of three. 

Ricochet got the pinfall victory in four minutes and 21 seconds. The match took place in Cincinatti, OH and is recognized at starting on May 3, although the bout was taped on April 26.

The Speed Champion may have his own new rivalry starting off against Bron Breakker. Breakker went on a rampage in his RAW debut and actually targeted Ricochet in his attack, spearing him backstage while the champ was having a conversation with Ilja Dragunov. 

Physics was not Rey Mysterio’s friend in 2003 and nor was Big Show’s brute strength.

The 2023 WWE Hall of Famer has taken his fair share of nasty bumps in his day, but nothing prepared him for being swung like a baseball bat at a ring post.

20 years before getting that well-earned Hall of Fame nod, Mysterio squared off against The Big Show at WWE Backlash 2023. Mysterio took the loss when Paul Wight caught him with a chokeslam, but the brutality was far from done as Rey was strapped to a stretcher. That’s when Wight grabbed hold of Rey and whipped the board and his opponent hard into the ring post.

• Rey Mysterio Will Retire When His Best Is Not Enough

Speaking with CBS Sports, Mysterio detailed that moment, something that he thought he and Wight totally accounted the safety for. They were both wrong. Between Rey and the stretcher, the weight of both became an issue, even for Wight.

“I remember we had gone over it and that was the plan. When I was strapped onto the stretcher, everything seemed cool. I said ‘How much can it hurt? The stretcher is hitting first and I’m attached to it, so I won’t feel it.’ Well, we never thought about what happens when you hit.

“There was no way Big Show could hit the pole and hold onto me. So that whole weight and the momentum, as soon as we hit, I went straight down. As I was strapped onto the stretcher, my head went ‘boop’ and I hit first. That hurt. That in itself hurt very much.”

Mysterio is no stranger from big men throwing him around. Arguably the most notorious spot occured back in his WCW days when Kevin Nash lawn darted Rey right into the side of a semi-truck as the NWO began their infamous invasion.

• Rey Mysterio Believes Separating From Him Was The Best Thing That Could Have Happened To Dominik

Mercedes Mone thinks the word “competition” should be applied somewhere else other than between AEW and WWE.

Mone is set for her big return match at AEW Double or Nothing this Sunday in Las Vegas as she’ll be battling Willow Nightingale for her TBS Title. It’ll be the CEO’s first fight back in over a year after injury and her debut match in AEW. She was last seen in WWE losing to Bianca Belair before she walked out of the company in May 2022. However, the former Sasha Banks doesn’t want there to be such a division between her current promotion and her past one.

Speaking with US Weekly, Mone made clear that competition should strictly be between wrestlers and not the wrestling promotions themselves.

“I feel like there should be no competition when it’s between companies. It just needs to be competition between the wrestlers, seeing who wants to be the main event of the show, to make the most money. I’m competing with everybody here in AEW to let them know I’m the face of the company. I’m not competing with any other company.”

• Mercedes Mone On Leaving WWE: “I Don’t Like Being Handcuffed”

Mone blames a good deal of that tribalism in pro wrestling due to a lot of the minor vocal contingency of wrestling fans online.

“People are just so in their phones. Going on the Internet and bragging and complaining and they’re not actually living in the real world. When they come out into the real world and they actually go to wrestling shows and enjoy things with wrestling fans, they know that this is all just so much fun.”

Despite not wanting competition between companies WWE and AEW will be competiting for eyes on their product this weekend as both are set for their respective PLE and PPV.

Jim Ross was admitted to a hospital after having shortness of breath, and thankfully the commentary legend appears that he’s going to be okay.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Ross was hospitalized on 5/23 and was diagnosed with a Class A flu along with raised heart enzymes that coincided with his shortness of breath. He’s being well taken care of and is expected to be okay in a few days time. However, that does mean JR won’t be behind the booth for AEW Double or Nothing.

Ross did hop online to provide an update on his health, sharing a photo of himself with his two daughters. He also made a post on X noting that he was going to quit smoking.

• Jim Ross Visits The Emergency Room: “Shortness of the breath.”

According to Meltzer, Ross is only on tap to do the monthly AEW PPVs and he was on call for the main event AEW World Title match between Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynasty.

Just last year, Ross was diagnosed with skin cancer and had to miss an extensive period of time due to that, but the voice of a generation happened to sign an extension with AEW for an added year and JR’s new deal with the company was reported to be very lucrative. All that considered, he has realized his time behind the commentary desk as

Ross may not be on the call for AEW Double Or Nothing, but many fans can read about some of his all time greatest calls and stories in his new memoir, “Business Is About To Pick Up.” 

We at SEScoops want to wish Jim Ross a speedy and healthy recovery.

Mike Santana has garnered a lot of inspiration from the legendary Bret Hart. The former AEW star and current House of Glory Champion has been one of the top names in the company after returning to his old stomping grounds back at TNA Rebellion. Santana made an immediate impact by defeating former World Champion Steve Maclin and did sign a deal with the promotion.

I recently spoke with Santana for SEScoops about his wrestling career, including where he’s been, where he is now and where he’s going. We got talking about what inspired him to lace up a pair of boots in the first place. The reigning House of Glory World Champion said it all comes down to the pink and black.

“I’ve always made it known Bret Hart is like an icon to me. He’s the reason why I got into wrestling.”

Santana said he was never into the big, over-the-top cartoon characters and in a time where there was a lot of big personas in WWE, Bret was an understated talent.

“Bret stood out to me because he was real, he was honest, he was himself, you know? What you saw is what you got. He spoke about his family, his values, where he came from and what he’s here to do so that always stood out to me.

I’ve always said that’s the kind of performer I want to be, you know? Just pretty much put myself out there and put a lot of my own personality into what I do.”

The ‘Excellence of Execution’ is widely considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Some have won more championships and some have drawn more money, but few have inspired more people to get into wrestling than Bret Hart.

• Bret Hart Shares Touching Tribute To Owen Hart On His Birthday

When Santana Met the Hitman

Santana did cross paths with Bret Hart years back when both were at an event in New York City. Hart’s agent knew Santana was a big fan and took him to meet The Hitman. Bret had a big line in front of him, but the WWE Hall of Famer made sure to make time for Mike Santana.

“He literally stopped the line and sat there with me for it felt like forever and we just talked. The fact that he knew who I was, it was awesome. It was a humbling experience. I felt like a kid. It was great.”

Hart knew that Santana was apart of LAX at the time and made mention that it was Konnan, LAX’s manager, who actually taught him how to execute The Sharpshooter. Santana said growing up in New York, he never got star struck, but getting to meet his childhood hero in the squared circle hit a different tone for him. Patterning his mentality after Hart is something that is paying off for Santana behind the microphone and inside the ring.

“I always say that Mike Santana is an extension of myself. It is myself, but just turned up. That intensity and that level of violence that I bring sometimes, it’s just I attribute it to what I used to be when I was younger. Like I still have that dude trapped inside and wrestling allows me to bring them out and not get arrested or not get into trouble or anything.”

With Santana planting his flag into TNA soil, one would think he’s going to play a big factor when the promotion has Slammiversary this forthcoming July.

Check out my other recent interview with fellow TNA star Hammerstone:

Eddie Kingston wants to push back against pro wrestling tribalism and did just that on his Instagram profile.

Kingston is notorioiusly out of this weekend’s AEW Double Or Nothing Anarchy In The Arena match with a fractured tibula, and tears in his ACL and meniscus.

The injury has not hampered Kingston’s love for the one true sport, however as he’s clearly an active watcher of all wrestling. That’s all kinds of indicated on his latest Instagram post.

While on YouTube, Kingston happened to share a screenshot of Asuka, adding the caption that the Damage CTRL member is “One of my modern day favorites.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C7PRly2uahl

• Eddie Kingston Has Another Major Setback With Injury

Kingston suffered his devastating injury during his unsuccessful NJPW Strong Openweight title defense against Gabe Kidd at Resurgance. The Elite took Kingston out in an attack after the match, which opened up a spot to be filled for Double Or Nothing. The surprise entrant to fill in for Kingston will be Darby Allin, who returned in the closing moments of last week’s AEW Dynamite.

Kingston isn’t the only member of the AEW roster to tip the cap to WWE names. Kenny Omega recently praised Triple H for being a “body guy” and using that physical presence to his advantage. 

Although they also worked together, Ricky Starks recently just went to bat for CM Punk, saying that he was sick of the tribalism that continues to go down in pro wrestling.

Transversely, former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes has taken plenty of opportunities to credit some of his former colleagues.

Since their inception, pro wrestling press conferences has been a hot-button issue amongst fans and one former WWE employee stated what his ex-company’s intent is with having them after major PLEs.

Matt Camp, former host of The Bump, started a new daily wrestling news series titled The Wrestling Matt and kicked off his debut episode by talking about those press conferences. Camp was actually a media member of WWE’s first presser after Survivor Series 2022 in Boston. Camp made clear that he was a WWE employee at the time, but did ask to be apart of the media scrum. He asked questions to several names, including Paul Heyman, but did say there’s a matter of intent with WWE at utilizing the press conferences.:

“They want fans in there, they want people that want to be part of the show, that don’t want to mess with their part of the show. The press conference is part of the show … but they want this just to be an addendum to the end of the show, we wrap things up and we let people speak a little bit and show their excitement and for the most part, they want softballs, right?” (h/t Andrew Thompson)

Camp noted that WWE does get some “fans” presented as media in the press conferences, noting that one member member asked him for a photo after the event was over. He also said there are a contingency of media people there to get themselves over.

“I’ve heard people at press conferences for WWE, I’ve heard people at press conferences for AEW use their stage name or use their nickname. You’re killing your credibility doing that kind of stuff. Then you are playing into everything they want.”

Matt Camp was released from WWE in February 2014. He’d been with the company since 2019. WWE sources were surprised by the departure.

• Updated WWE Releases & Departures Tracker for 2024

Alex Jones went on his soapbox for pro wrestling in a recent social media post. The political commentator known for his polarizing opinions happened to see a clip of a very athletic, yet debatably realistic headscissors takedown being executed. The original poster included the caption, “If wrestling isn’t fake, explain this.”

Jones, who has found himself in hot water before with several of his viewpoints, decided to defend pro wrestling as an artform.

“Wrestling isn’t fake. It’s a choreographed art form. Thinking you need to convince people that wrestling isn’t real means you’re not in on the joke.”

Wrestling isn’t fake. It’s a choreographed art form. Thinking you need to convince people that wrestling isn’t real means you’re not in on the joke. https://t.co/8y2Os1k0Xl

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2024

• First Look At Dwayne Johnson In A24’s The Smashing Machine

Jones has been very big into conspiracy theories and accrued quite an audience with his Info Wars show, but like pro wrestling, has created some division amongst people, creating some followers and some haters. Much like former President Donald Trump, plenty of people could make an argument that Jones’ on air persona has been patterned greatly off of pro wrestling.

While pro wrestling gets plenty of pop culture support, the genre has had some notable detractors outside of the pro wrestling realm. 

Before WWE signed on with FOX, Colin Cowherd notoriously called wrestling fans “booger eaters.” 

In 2017, bassist of the band Kings of Leon, Jared Followill, received a great deal of backlash after he Tweeted, “hey, adults. Let’s maybe not watch professional wrestling. Ya know?”

Just this year, Curb Your Enthusiam‘s Larry David pushed back at the appeal of pro wrestling, telling Bill Simmons that he watched wrestling when he was a kid, but stopped when he realized it was fixed. However, David’s co-creator of Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld, recently credited WWE for helping fund the first four episodes of the the series.

After only 40 years of age, three-time former wXw Champion “Bad Bones” John Klinger has passed away. As of this writing, the cause of death is currently unknown. The announcement was made by the wXw account on X, and the promotion shared in the sadness of losing a talent at such a young age.

“We say goodbye to “Bad Bones” John Klinger. John Klinger was one of the defining wrestlers at wXw for over a decade. He won all of the major titles at wXw and won both 16 Carat Gold and Shortcut to the Top. In his almost 450 matches in the wXw ring, he always worked hard and did his best to excite his fans. At just 40 years old, John died far too early, shortly before his planned retirement. We wish his family and friends strength in this difficult time.”

Wir verabschieden uns von "Bad Bones" John Klinger.

John Klinger war über ein Jahrzehnt einer der prägenden Wrestler bei wXw. Er hat alle großen Titel bei wXw errungen und sowohl 16 Carat Gold als auch Shortcut to the Top gewonnen. In seinen knapp 450 Matches im wXw-Ring hat er… pic.twitter.com/ISBZfbjJax

— wXw Germany (@wXwGermany) May 20, 2024

Klinger was a friend and huge help to many in the wrestling world, with Simon Miller posting a lengthy tribute to Klinger, who happened to train Miller in the ring when the media personality decided to take a step into the squared circle.

I don’t know what to say about this but I feel compelled to write something.

John was one of the first guys to train me and pushed me way past what I thought I was capable of.

Whenever I’d see him he would always bring up the time I ran at the ropes with too much gusto and… pic.twitter.com/l8xBHIo4LM

— Simon Miller (@SimonMiller316) May 20, 2024

Will Ospreay, TNA and Corey Graves all took to social media to express their sorrow in losing Klinger. Klinger’s final match was against former WWE NXT UK talent Flash Morgan Webster, who noted the two only wrestled less than a week ago.

“I only wrestled him 9 days ago. Was talking to him in Poland after the match about how he was gonna retire in September and was happy with what he’d achieved and was happy to step away on his own terms. Life can be so cruel. Rest in peace John.”

I only wrestled him 9 days ago.

Was talking to him in Poland after the match about how he was gonna retire in September and was happy with what he’d achieved and was happy to step away on his own terms.

Life can be so cruel.
Rest in peace John https://t.co/LrpX9wKg6F pic.twitter.com/H6DRp4qdcu

— Flash Morgan Webster (@Flash_Morgan) May 20, 2024

We at SEScoops would like to send our prayers, thoughts and condolences to Klinger, his family and friends at this time.

Unfortunately, Eddie Kingston will likely be out of action for a very long time despite the initial thought that he’d be back in a few months.

After reporting that Kingston was planning to return by AEW ALL IN in London, Kingston not only has a fractured tibula, but he has a torn meniscus and a torn ACL. While at NJPW Strong Resurgance, Kingston lost his Openweight Championship to Gabe Kidd at the event and suffered said injuries. 

Kris Statlander was another star to tear her ACL and meniscus. The injury had her out for months on end and only just recently made her return.

The Young Bucks and Jack Perry attacked Kingston following the fight, effectively taking him off television for the foreseeable future. Over the weekend, Kingston posted a photo of himself on Instagram in a massive leg boot. Before his injury, Kingston was a triple crown champion before losing his other titles to Kazuchika Okada and Mark Briscoe.

• Eddie Kingston Doesn’t Regret His “Whatever” Attitude to WWE Tryout

Kingston was slated to be involved in the Anarchy In The Arena match at Double or Nothing this weekend in Las Vegas. He was set to join Bryan Danielson and FTR to face The Young Bucks, Okada and Perry. However, AEW pivoted in the closing moments of last week’s Dynamite as they replaced Kingston with a returning Darby Allin. 

Allin had suffered his fair share of injuries recently as of well. Following AEW Revolution, he broke his foot in his match against Jay White. Then just a few weeks back, was hit by a bus in New York City. 

WWE was infiltrated by another QR code on the 5/20 episode of WWE RAW and it leads to a place with a name tied to the Wyatt Family.

Sami Zayn and Chad Gable were duking it out on Monday and as Zayn was delivering a blue thunder bomb to Gable, a QR code flashed on screen along with some mysterious imagery. If fans got the opportunity to capture the code it would take them to a survery asking several yes or no questions including:

“Can you ever truly be free?”

“Have you ever lost your way?”

“Did you find your way back?”

“Do you want to be better?”

“Do you know that I am proud of you?”

“Is love unconditional?”

If you answer them in favor of the inquiry you will be lead to several blocks to pick from and if you open on of them it shows a white lined sheet with symbols all over it, but coordinates on the side. If you look up those coordinates, it leads fans to Rowan University.

The qr codes gives us coordinates that lead to "Rowan University" #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/3MKSp1LCHD

— ??????™ (@WhatsTheStatus) May 21, 2024

• Bo-Lieve Reference Revealed In QR Code Mystery From 5/17 WWE SmackDown

While the college itself may be disregarded, the name of it will raise eyebrows considering the name of the former Wyatt Family member, Erick Rowan. Rowan is reported to be one of the new members of the faction that is likely to be led by Bray Wyatt’s brother, Bo Dallas. Also reportedly penciled in for the group is Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross and NXT’s Joe Gacy.

WWE has had its share of fun teasing this new group with several QR codes and the “Nightbird” song playing at WWE Live Events.

Corey Matthews may have been the focus of “Boy Meets World,” but Topanga has her sights set on being the “Girl Meets Table.”

Danielle Fishel, star of the hit 1990s sitcom, hosted WWE executive Bruce Prichard on her Pod Meets World podcast. Together, they discussed the show’s notable connections to wrestling, especially the episode featuring WWE’s Vader. Fishel recalled this particular episode and mentioned how Jake Roberts, Vader’s in-ring opponent for the show, seemed to be getting restless during the tapings.

“We actually recently heard how annoyed Jake Roberts was by the whole experience. He said he basically had to repeat moves and it was just a produced match in a way that’s pretty taboo. As you mentioned, in front of a live audience,” (via WrestlingNews.co)

• CM Punk Had Very Interesting Manager Idea For Lio Rush In AEW

Prichard confirmed what Fishel heard about Roberts, as TV show production is a different beast than the WWE machine.

“Jake was p*ssed. Jake’s looking at me in the ring like, ‘What are we doing here? You gonna wrap this up? Let’s go, man, I’m done.’ … It’s a completely different animal. You guys are hitting your marks. You guys have lines that you got to get through and that you’ve got to nail. That affects everything you do.”

Roberts may have gotten impatient, but Fishel has been patient about getting her own ring-time which is something she still wants to do. Prichard noted that she’d make a great “heartbreaking heel” and Fishel said she’d want a specific comeuppance as one.

“Everyone would assume I’m gonna be a babyface so you gotta send me in as a heel. I do have a real — it’s kind of a secret goal. But at some point in my life, I want to be put through a table. I mean in a wrestling ring.”

Listen to the full Bruce Prichard Meets World podcast episode here:

Jake Paul really wants to knock out Mike Tyson. Paul and ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ had a press conference in Arlington, TX on Thursday. Paul shared some interesting quotes regarding his upcoming battle with Tyson and Jake was asked if any of their fight could be scripted. Paul dismisses that notion.

“I hope y’all keep that same energy when I knock this old man the f*ck out. Clearly, they don’t have a high IQ in here, but that’s a federal crime.”

• Jake Paul Hits Back At “Blatant” Lies After Logan Claims He Was Offered Mike Tyson Fight First

Mike Tyson Channels Scott Steiner

Tyson had his own set of words on his opponent Paul and pulled a classic page out of the book of Scott Steiner during the TNA days. Paul, who is noticably taller than Tyson, came in much bulked up. Tyson decided to make note of Jake’s weight gain.

“I don’t know if he’s in his prime. He’s fat. He should be lean and mean and he’s fat and funky. I saw him with his shirt off though and he’s fat.”

Paul responded to Tyson’s shot, and he didn’t shy away from his new bulkier frame.

“Hey, Buster Douglas was fat. Am I right? I know, but you know Buster Douglas, I’m better. I’m going to end you quicker than he did and you’ll remember that forever.”

The fight is set to take place on July 20 in the AT&T Stadium down in Dallas, TX, the home of WrestleMania 38 where Jake’s brother, Logan Paul, made his WrestleMania debut.

Netflix will host the fight, and whether that may be scripted or not, their new property WWE RAW will be at the start of 2025.

H/t to PWInsider for the quotes.

Brian Gewirtz was heavily involved in The Rock’s notorious 2024 return to WWE, and confirms matters were supposed to be a little different between ‘The People’s Champion’ and Cody Rhodes.

Speaking on “The Masked Man Show”, the former head WWE writer talked about the notorious segment on SmackDown where Cody Rhodes relinquished his WWE Undispusted Universal Championship title shot to The Rock. Rhodes stoicly shook hands and hugged The Rock, appearing to putting his story on pause. However, the fans feedback made it become the most disliked video in WWE YouTube video history and an audible was called.

Gewirtz said that all that was supposed to come across quite differently than originally planned.

“Cody, it was supposed to be, in some form, ‘Yeah, f***in’ A! Go get em Rock! You’re going to get your ass kicked, Roman! Let’s do this!’ and this uplifting promo. Instead, he looked like someone shot his dog in the face in the parking lot. Just look at his expression. By the way, someone else, even when the team wins, looks forlorn and upset and despondent. [New York Knicks] Julius Randle [laughs].”

• Brian Gewirtz Supplying The Rock With Ammo Against Cody Rhodes & His ‘Goofy A** Dog’ Pharaoh

Gewirtz didn’t think that demeanor helped matters, but made clear he understood where Rhodes was coming from regarding his feelings on the decision, stating that ‘The American Nightmare’ was one of the realest people he’s ever met. He feels that the fans felt that.

“They felt like ‘he doesn’t mean a word of this. This is being forced for him to say.’ He’s despondent.”

Please credit “The Masked Man” and h/t to Fightful for the transcription.

Dave Bautista got to show some acting range early on in his pro wrestling career when WrestleMania went Hollywood, and he’s not a harsh critic when it comes to his initial on-screen work.

The future WWE Hall of Famer took a look at the notorious WrestleMania 21 classic movie scenes that several WWE Superstars took part in at the time. John Cena and JBL did their take on A Few Good Men while Booker T and Eddie Guerrero may have stole the show with their Pulp Fiction performance.

However, the world got to see Batista as one of several talents give their rendition of Robert DeNiro in Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver.

• WWE & AEW Stars Shine At Dune: Part Two’s New York Premiere

On social media, Batista shared the vignette and himself re-watching the “scene,” critiquing his own acting skills, and wishing he still had a head of hair.

“I’m not embarrassed by my acting, it’s not the greatest obviously, it’s not the best, but at this time I still absolutely had no desire to act. I didn’t want to be an actor, I wasn’t interested, I just wanted to wrestle, but I feel like watching this back it was like, ‘Man, maybe I was meant to do this, man.’ Anyway, maybe that’s just my ego talking.

https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/1791523710832435204

Shane Taylor isn’t picking up what Kevin Nash was laying down for him, and ‘Big Sexy’ wasn’t about to let the AEW star off the hook.

On the recent episodes of the “Kliq This Podcast” Nash has been forthright in his thoughts regarding the pros and cons of AEW. A name included in that was Taylor, whom Nash initially didn’t know the name of. Because of that, Nash at first called him the “pear-shaped guy,” spoke about Taylor’s physique and him losing to Orange Cassidy via an Orange Crush punch.

Weeks ago, Taylor responded on X, stating, “Criticism is part of the game. Comes with the territory. I appreciate the critique Kevin Nash. You have open invitation Hyena Muay Thai in Houston to train & spar with me as many rounds as you’d like. Looking forward to discussing my shape & my name with you in person OG.”

• Kevin Nash ‘Absolutely’ Wants AEW To Succeed

The following episode of “Kliq This” Nash responded, stating that the situation is lose-lose for Taylor because if a 64-year old man could spar with him, he’d have his job and he also wouldn’t job to Orange Cassidy. Instead, Nash challenged Taylor to a body-building match six months down the road. Nash did praise Taylor for his on screen presence and gave further critique to his match with Cassidy.

This week, Taylor responded on X.

“Aight now, Kevin Nash. 6 months from now you’ll see a different S.T. 

“Following YOUR superb example, I’ll also put a [needle] in my ass, [drink] myself stupid & let my EGO & greed destroy a company & cost my peers their jobs.

“Hyena Muay Thai 811 S Mason Rd Katy, TX.”

Nash replied to Taylor on Wednesday night, addressing Shane’s accusations regarding his own past.

“I’d actually be happy if you had blood work done. Funny I got my push in the WWF because I was the biggest guy clean. Have never flunked a test for steroids and no longer drink. The “I’m a mark” statement of shutting down a company……I also caused the sale of the Braves, Hawks and Thrashers? Obviously the most influential person in our industry.”

I'd actually be happy if you had blood work done. Funny I got my push in the WWF because I was the biggest guy clean. Have never flunked a test for steroids and no longer drink. The "I'm a mark" Statement of shutting down a company……I also caused the sale of the Braves,Hawks…

— Kevin Nash (@RealKevinNash) May 16, 2024

Author’s disclosure note: Dominic DeAngelo operates the social media account for “The Kliq This Podcast” and sits the weekly recordings of episodes.

Paul Walter Hauser will continue his pro wrestling career under the MLW banner.

Major League Wrestling announced via press release on their website that the famed actor will be entering Battle Riot VI on June 1 in Atlanta, GA. The Battle Riot is a 40-person Royal Rumble style fight where competitors can also be eliminated via pinfall or submission.

Hauser expressed his enthusiasm for entering the match, noting that he indeed has his eyes on the golden ticket to face MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Satoshi Kojima.

“While some could misconstrue this to be an actor making a cameo in wrestling, or a fan checking off some bucket list or wish fulfillment – don’t get it twisted. I am entering to prove myself worthy of a spot in the world of wrestling, as well as a shot at Satoshi Kojima’s World Heavyweight Title.”

• Paul Walter Hauser Beats Sami Callihan at WrestleCon Supershow, The Sandman Appears

MLW CEO Court Bauer stated how unique of an opportunity the match is for Hauser and how admirable his venture from the screen to the squared circle has been.

“Paul is building something special with a two-track career driven by his passion and an unrelenting quality that separates the pretenders from the contenders,” said MLW Founder and CEO Court Bauer. “I don’t think there is anything Paul wants more than to put MLW gold next to his Golden Globe and EMMY. Now he will get his chance of making that happen at MLW Battle Riot VI.”

Hauser has been an active wrestler in 2024 as he happened to put Matt Cardona through a flaming table back in March and actually defeated Sami Callihan at the WrestleCon Super Show during WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia.

Steve Austin has a new resident of the Broken Skull Ranch, and it’s a feline with a moniker fit for a one of a kind WWE Hall Of Famer.

Over the weekend, ‘Stone Cold’ shared the unfortunate news that he found one of his cats, a black cat named Lefty, passed away inside of his barn, noting that the animal had been acting erratic as of late. The main eventer of the ‘Broken Skull territory’ has been Austin’s friendly cat named Pancho, who Austin noted was beside himself after losing Lefty. 

‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ made plans to rectify that, noting that he’d be getting a new tag partner for Pancho in the near future. That came in the form of a little orange tabby kitten on Wednesday morning. 

• Steve Austin Says His Feud With Bret Hart “Changed Everything”

The kitten is only six weeks old, but clearly has a lot of energy. Austin shared a video of his new furry friend and it appears Pancho is more than appreciative of ‘Stone Cold’ merging the new ‘Mega Paw-ers’ together. In homage of such, Austin was sure to give the new kitten after the late great Randy Savage,

“Introducing Macho. Macho is from a town called Austin, Nevada. Thanks to @huntressdivine for finding him for us. Pancho is already getting used to him, although he is letting him know who the boss is. With Pancho mentoring him, He should be a helluva cat. He certainly has a lot of personality. And is not afraid of anything. He is about 6ish weeks old.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6_Vb5hLUBe

While Austin didn’t appear at WrestleMania 40 as many expected, ‘Stone Cold’ has stayed very busy enjoying his life out of the limelight and a big partner in crime for that has been Pancho. Now we will have to wait and see the rising star of Macho moving forward.

Johnny Knoxville still thinks Sami Zayn is a jackass. 

Knoxville got the better of the current Intercontinental Champion on the major stage of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, TX, but he didn’t receive as great of an opportunity to air out all his grievances during their program together.

WWE shared a photo of Zayn with his Intercontinental Title with Becky Lynch, who was holding her Women’s World Title gold. This prompted Knoxville to unleash several insults Zayn’s way in the comment section, making clear that he’s way bigger fan of Scott Hall with the Intercontinental Title than Zayn.

“Sami’s the Intercontinental Champion. My favorite Intercontinental Champion will always be Razor Ramon. Sami I doubt you know who he is since you’ve never heard of a razor you hairy f@‘k!”

• Johnny Knoxville Goes Undercover At Sami Zayn’s ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ Comedy Show

Knoxville was far from done.

“I hate you as much as you hate going to the gym.

“What a shame, the poor audience had to watch you bomb all night and then get humiliated by me and WeeMan AGAIN! Becky Lynch was terrific though. Why she associates herself with the likes of you I will never know.

“I’d give you the shirt off my back. Just so I don’t have to see all the hair on YOUR BACK!

“Remember when wrestlers used to shave and get tans? Sami certainly doesn’t.

“I didn’t get enough time to get in all my insults so I will get them in here.

“Hey everybody, Sami’s a vegan, just in case you didn’t think he was already annoying enough.

LMFAOOOOOOOO JOHNNY KNOXVILLE IS COOKING SAMI ZAYN ON INSTAGRAM ?

It's been 2 YEARS, and dude's still hating ? pic.twitter.com/ubZWDyrIid

— EliteRockerz ? (@EliteClubS0B) May 14, 2024

Knoxville couldn’t care less that Zayn is currently a top babyface and made clear to fans that Kayfabe is very much alive in Knoxville’s camp.

WWE is aiming for the same outcome that Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis want in the Janel Grant situation.

The company filed a motion with the Connecticut courts on May 14, requesting that Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE be moved to arbitration. The company stated that under the agreed-upon parameters, Grant consented to handle matters in arbitration rather than in the public eye.

WWE claimed that Grant never attempted to resolve the lawsuit through private arbitration. Therefore, WWE is making this motion to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut to compel Grant to go through the allegedly agreed-upon private process. The motion obtained by PWInsider states:

“Plaintiff Janel Grant brings this action against Vincent K. McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE alleging that, while employed at WWE, she was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking by McMahon and Laurinaitis. WWE disputes Grant’s allegations. But, as a threshold matter, this dispute cannot be heard in court because Grant agreed to arbitrate her claims. WWE therefore moves to compel this action to arbitration.”

Just this past week, McMahon’s legal team listed several reasons why Grant was a willing participant in the alleged abusive relationship. The memorandum filed lists several reasons why Grant wanted various matters out of a mutual relationship between her and Vince McMahon.

What Is Private Arbitration?

If you need clarification on what arbitration is, it is a process where the two conflicting parties go behind closed doors and try to reach a settlement privately, without airing their dirty laundry in public.

• New Vince McMahon Memorandum Claims Ex-WWE CEO Was Janel Grant’s “Best Friend”

Drew McIntyre had good reason as to why he decided to put fresh ink to WWE paper. It was revealed last month that McIntyre re-signed with WWE after a WrestleMania season that was full of speculation. During a recent chat with the Daily Mail, the thorn in CM Punk’s side gave his reasoning for sticking around with WWE. At the end of the day, 

“Being happy, at this point of my life and career all that matters is I’m happy and I can get time with my family that I’ve not had for 20 years.

“When it comes to creative, I can only control the controllable. As we’ve seen, almost for the past couple of years, there’s been a lot more leeway given to talent, a lot more collaboration. It’s been awesome, as you can see across the board. A lot of people breaking out and an opportunity for myself to show what I can truly do.”

McIntyre has worked for WWE from 2007-2014 and 2017 to present day. The company has undergone dramatic changes during those two runs. The Scottish grappler maintains a flexible and optimistic attitude, which has served him well and contributed to his longevity.

“I know with that, it’s always going to be a case of roll with the punches, peaks and valleys, but there’s more to it than just that. We’ll see what the future holds, I just know that I’m in my prime and Drew McIntyre is not going to stop wrestling.”

Creatively, McIntyre is doing some of the best work of his career. He’s leaning into being a insecure villain who is obsessed with colleagues achieving more success than him. Since Royal Rumble, he’s been embroiled in a bitter rivalry with CM Punk. Despite both men being injured an unable to settle their differences in the ring, McIntyre and Punk remain one of the most entertaining conflicts in all of pro wrestling.

• Drew McIntyre Threatens to  Tear CM Punk Apart in Glasgow in WWE Clash At The Castle