Swerve Strickland is not only an AEW first, but he also joins an “elite” club that includes Chris Jericho.

During AEW Dynasty on Sunday, Strickland defeated Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, making him the first African-American World Champion in the company’s history and it certainly marked for a celebatory occassion.

Footage was taken of Swerve having dinner with his AEW co-horts following his historic win and Chris Jericho took some time to honor Strickland, noting that he saw Swerve’s star power right off the bat of entering AEW. Not only that, but Jericho made note  of the creative efforts that Swerve makes in and out of the wrestling ring. He then made clear that Strickland is the right man to currently hold the gold, something that only eight people have done since the inception of All Elite Wrestling.

“We don’t change the titles to the World Title very often unless it’s the absolue right guy. He is the right guy for the job, he’s got the cool X-factor and if I was the big wig in AEW (like I am), I would put you on every other fucking talk show, I’d promote you in every single way because you have what we need which is the ability to cross over in the mainstream and I’m super proud of you, man. I knew you had it since day one.”

The full clip of @IAmJericho giving a speech at @swerveconfident post #AEWChampionship victory dinner with friends and family. ??

Shoutout to @FlashGarments for the exclusive! ? #ChrisJericho #SwerveStrickland #Swerve #AEW #AEWDynasty #AEWChampion pic.twitter.com/I6ux9STg2T

— thewrestlingclassic (@twcworldwide) April 23, 2024

Jericho happened to be the first-ever AEW World Champion and is in the thick of a feud with HOOK after defeating Taz’s son for the FTW Championship at Dynasty.

Please h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Swerve Strickland isn’t getting much of a breather after winning the AEW World Championship as the new champ will be in action this Wednesday.

Tuesday evening AEW President Tony Khan announced that Strickland will be going up against Kyle Fletcher in an AEW World Title Eliminator match on this week’s Dynamite.

“Will AEW’s home venue be Swerve’s House when ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher challenges the NEW AEW World Champion in an Eliminator TOMORROW?”

TOMORROW 4/24@dailysplace Jacksonville
Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite
8pm ET/5pm PT, Live on TBS@swerveconfident vs @kylefletcherpro

Will AEW's home venue be Swerve's House when ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher challenges the NEW AEW World Champion in an Eliminator TOMORROW? pic.twitter.com/icaS6awFUs

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 23, 2024

Fletcher is the current ROH TV Champion and the big youngster will have a shot to showcase his skills in yet another high-profile match. Previously, Fletcher faced fellow Don Callis Family member Will Ospreay all the way back at the beginning of March. Ospreay came out on top in that bout, but Fletcher has been building quite a match resume as a member of the AEW roster.

AEW is fresh off its Dynasty PPV this past Sunday where it was Swerve Strickland taking on Samoa Joe for that very World Title Fletcher hopes to challenge for. The fight between Joe and Strickland was intense as it had to take Swerve two top rope double stomps to secure the 1-2-3 against Joe.

What Else Is On Tap For 4/24 AEW Dynamite

Tony Khan is looking to get an audience with the fallout from Dynasty as the headline match will have Jon Moxley putting his freshly won IWGP World Title on the line against Don Callis Family member Powerhouse Hobbs.

Also on tap is an advertised segment between The Best Friends and Anna Jay will face Mina Shirakawa.

The Bloodline may be welcoming a new family member into the mix very soon. Over the past month, there’s been a lot of talk that Jacob Fatu is headed to WWE and may have even inked a deal already. The latest update comes from PWInsider, which states the former MLW World Heavyweight Champion is slated to debut within the week. Unless he turns up on Tuesday’s NXT, Friday’s 4/26 edition of WWE SmackDown would be the setting.

This potential debut would only be around two weeks removed from when Tama Tonga, a longtime keystone in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, made his WWE debut on SmackDown. He and Solo Sikoa viciously attacked Jimmy Uso,  eliminating him from the group. Last week, Sikoa and Tonga set their sights on Kevin Owens, and left the prizefighter a bloody mess.

It would make sense for Jacob Fatu to align himself alongside Sikoa and Tonga as Solo seems to be seeking control of the faction while Roman Reigns is away and that has started with the debut of Tonga.  However, with The Usos having their back against the wall, Fatu could be a family member that Jimmy or Jey align themselves with.

In addition to a lengthy run with MLW’s top title Fatu has been a force on the independent wrestling scene for years. Known as the Samoan Werewolf, Fatu is notorious for having amazing athleticism, a hard-hitting style and a visually impressive leaping top rope moonsault as his finisher. 

Jacob Fatu has spoken about wanting to wrestle for WWE. During an interview with SEScoops correspondent MuscleManMalcolm, he said, “All of my family has been there. If I ever had the chance to go there, absolutely. I would love to go there. My father, my uncle, my cousins, are there, so absolutely. If I had the chance, I would go.”

Finn Balor is sticking around WWE for years to come. After a decade with the world’s top wrestling organization, the former Universal Champion announced some big news on social media. 

We knew Balor’s WWE contract was up soon and have been watching closely to see how this situation would unfold. He’s been wrestling since 2001 and is 42 years old, so it would make sense for him to at least consider working a lighter schedule with AEW or NJPW. Balor says he gave the decision a lot of thought and sounds confident he made the right choice.

I would like to take this moment to say thank you to WWE for 10 incredible years. And after much thought and consideration, I have decided that now is the right time to say ‘I ain’t going nowhere!’

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6FQnS4opMd

Sean Ross Sapp notes the multi-year contract is for ‘big money,’ which a star of his caliber can certainly command.

Balor has taken a similar path to his former tag team partner, Damian Priest. Fresh off of winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40, the ‘Archer of Infamy’ revealed this past week that he’s also signed a new contract.

On this week’s WWE RAW the other two healthy members of The Judgment Day JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio are teaming up to face Andrade and Ricochet in tag action. Priest happened to kick off the show in a segment involving himself and his Backlash opponent, Jey Uso.

Dial-up be damned, Tony Khan messaged with the legendary Lou Thesz back in the American Online days.

AEW Dynasty took place in the historic wrestling city of St. Louis, MO over the weekend and during the post-event media scrum, Khan was asked about the connections he’s made with St. Louis and the world of pro wrestling. Khan, who has been a rampant pro wrestling fan since he was a kid, recalled a time of yesteryear that consisted of him logging onto message board and amazingly sharing correspondence with some bonafide trailblazers in the one true sport.

“St. Louis is an amazing wrestling city with an amazing, amazing history. When I was 12 years old, I used to talk to Lou Thesz on AOL and I picked up stuff from Lou Thesz. Lou Thesz taught me how great Buddy Rodgers was and he was totally right. You go back and watch Buddy Rodgers, one of the best wrestlers of all time, one of the most influential of all time, both of them, two of the most influential of all time.”

Khan went on to say how St. Louis has become one of their great cities to hit and later didn’t rule out the possibility of the promotion coming back for another PPV in 2025.

Khan was all over the wrestling map as a kid even in the Extreme Championship Wrestling realm. He notoriously had his father, Shad Khan, take him to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia where he got to see first-hand the classic stretcher match between Rob Van Dam and Sabu.

AEW Dynasty packed a punch for ardent wrestling fans on Sunday night and per usual Max Caster strived to do the same with his words. However, this one was a little more dicey than others.

Max Caster, Anthony Bowens and Billy Gunn were set to go up against Jay White and The Gunns on the Dynasty Zero Hour and naturally Caster would have his pre-macth rap ready to fire off. Caster thought he had his own verbal bullets for Bullet Club Gold, but his content this time around was a little more controversial than even his usual rhymes.

“Switchblade’s what I switch. I’ll fufill your fantasy and I’ll make you my b****. Yo this dude’s just making me sick. I’ll violate you so bad you’ll have to tell the legal team about the taste of my d***.”

Some of Max Caster’s freestyles have been really clever, but this is another one that’s in such bad taste. Where’s the judgement? #AEWDynasty pic.twitter.com/eQ7iJ6MTg8

— SEScoops (@sescoops) April 22, 2024

The line sure got a shocked reaction from the live St. Louis crowd, but it also got it’s own share of opinions from fans and critics online. The Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer mentioned how Caster’s call has the potency to put him in hot water with AEW, simply saying, “I think Max Caster may get in trouble.”

That Time When Max Caster Called Out Dom Mysterio & Rhea Ripley

This is far from the first time Caster’s lyrics has raised eyebrows. Earlier this year, he cross-cut a line about Dom Mysterio and Rhea Ripley when he was about to have a match with Ripley’s real-life fiance, Buddy Matthews. Ripley ended up commenting on the matter, noting that she and Dom are over in two different promotions.

“But I mean, good for me. It’s good for Dom. At the end of the day, it got us trending on Twitter or X, whatever you want to call it these days. It got us trending. And if that’s what you want to do in your match, get two other people in the opposite promotion that you are battling with trending? Then I feel like you did the wrong job because you put us over instead of yourself, so that was a mistake on their part.”

Blue Meanie has had one heck of an April. Not only did the ECW legend have WrestleMania in his own backyard of south Philadelphia, but he had his own WrestleMania-themed party at his local watering hole, McCusker’s Tavern. However, even that gets better. 

The night of that very party (aptly named “MeanieMania”) Meanie got married to his partner in a ceremony officiated by his trainer and fellow ECW alum, Al Snow. WrestleMania 40 weekend had to feel like a full circle moment for a main born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love and Meanie decided to commemorate such an occassion.

Over this past weekend, Meanie happened to share on his social media that he decided to get some new ink on his leg and it’s in particular tribute to his ECW roots.

Meanie revealed that he got a tattoo of the two street signs of Swanson and Ritner, the very location of where the ECW Arena (now called the 2300 Arena) is located.”

“Been wanting a new tattoo for a while. After Mania week and the love ECW got, this seemed the most appropriate. Thank you to Fredrick Tigerman at Carvin’ Ink for the amazing work!!”

Been wanting a new tattoo for a while. After Mania week and the love ECW got, this seemed the most appropriate. pic.twitter.com/bkiyHRFfm2

— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) April 20, 2024

Meanie also shared a time-lapsed video of the process of getting said tattoo.

Thanks to my dude Fred at Carvin' Tattoo for this great tattoo! I can't wait to see how it looks healed! Love it!! pic.twitter.com/jfFnK61KcJ

— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) April 21, 2024

While Meanie is a stalwart of Philadelphia, another fan happened to get a tattoo that punched his ticket to WrestleMania 40. Across the country in Los Angeles, a fan had The Rock autograph his arm and told ‘The People’s Champion’ that he’d in turn get it tattooed. Sure enough, he did and The Rock gave him and his daughter tickets and a flight to WrestleMania.’

ECW legend Raven found himself in-between the ropes once again and it happened to be a violent battle put on by Major League Wrestling.

MLW continued to air their tapings that took place in St. Petersburg at the end of March and the card that was presented free on YouTube was War Chamber 2. The main fight featured the heel faction of The Calling taking on The Death Fighters, two groups that Raven is very familiar with.

The Calling was created over a year ago by Raven and it showcased Rickey Shane Page and AKIRA along with supporting names like Cannonball and Dr. Cornwallace (aka Doctor Dax). However, the group became fractured and Rickey ultimately backstabbed AKIRA, effectively kicking him out of the group.

However, AKIRA happened to find an ally in Jake Crist and then the rebel group really came together when Raven joined the fold, ready to take on the faction he created. That violent fight happened to air this past Saturday.

Raven Returns To The Ring

The War Chamber 2 match is very much like WarGames, complete with two rings, but instead of a top on the cage, there’s barbed wire around the top.

Raven happened to enter later in the foray and took everyone out via a kendo stick. He then joined forces with Crist to deliver his patented drop toe hold on a steel chair to Cannonball.

The Death Fighters came out victorious as AKIRA caught Rickey Shane Page in a crossface with barbed wire, forcing his former partner to submit.

Post-match, Raven got on the mic and put AKIRA over as the future of pro wrestling.

Don’t expect Raven’s physicality to be a trend, however. This was all but likely a one-off for the veteran. Aside from an appearance in MLW’s Battle Riot in 2023, this was Raven’s first match in nearly five years.

This recap was originally written by SEScoops’ staff writer Dominic DeAngelo on MLW.com. 

If you thought the war was over – think again as War Chamber 2 commences down in St. Petersburg on Saturday night. Who began to get things on a roll but Cesar Duran as he unveils his newest acquisition, Virus. He’s looking to continue to keep Salina de la Renta off her game as she has Star Jr. ready for him to face.

MATCH 1
Virus (with Cesar Duran) vs. Star Jr. (presented Salina de la Renta)

The lucha style was in full effect on this match, but this battle was hard-hitting as Virus and Star Jr. slugged it out. Star floored Virus with a really hard shot, but Virus got some impact back with an extremely impressive avalanche bomb from all the way up top. That could have been curtains for Star Jr.

However, Star Jr secured the victory via submission with a modified leg and arm stretch. Virus had no choice and the ref called for the bell!

WINNER: Star Jr.

We cut to see World Titan Federation who expressed their enthusiasm in facing Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas. Davey Boy Smith Jr and Tom Lawlor have words for their opponents, but can they deliver?

Outside of the arena, there’s Matthew Justice and Bill Alfonso, daddy! The two make a perfect pair and Justice warns CONTRA Unit that he’s ready to continue their war.

MATCH 2
Brett Ryan Gosselin (with MSL) vs. Budd Heavy

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Budd Heavy, but BRG doesn’t wait for any pomp and circumstance for the hometown Heavy as he immediately goes on the attack. BRG hits a massive lariat before hitting a spinning fisherman’s for the 1-2-3.

WINNER: Brett Ryan Gosselin

Post-fight, Gosselin makes clear he’s ready to make an impact in MLW and then takes a couple more shots on Heavy before he and MSL leave.

Salina de la Renta is elated as she’s with her mother and they’re making plans to celebrate about the big victory by Star Jr. tonight.

MATCH 3
MLW World Tag Team Championships
Alex Kane & Mr. Thomas vs. Word Titan Federation (Tom Lawlor & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) (with MSL)

AJ Francis joins commentary as Alex Kane aims early to take the champs to Suplex Island, but it wasn’t Lawlor nor DBS getting suplexed. Kane uses Mr. Thomas to toss into Tom!

WTF does slow the pace and isolate Alex Kane as DBS traps Kane in a modified Indian Deathlock. Mr. Thomas was figuratively and literally a big factor change in the fight as once he got tagged in he became an unstoppable force.

Unfortunately, Francis became a vocal distraction for Kane and the former World Champ took his eye off the prize. MSL slides in a tag belt to Tom and as Mr. Thomas hoists Lawlor up for a powerbomb gets smacked with the gold. Lawlor falls on top of Thomas for the pinfall W.

WINNERS and STILL MLW World Tag Team Champions: Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Tom Lawlor

Post-fight, we see WTF backstage relishing in their win as MSL shows that he happens to hold the new version of the MLW World Heavyweight Title. In comes Satoshi Kojima and Okumura. Kojima lets DBS know in Japanese that they’re coming for those titles in Chicago!

MATCH 4
Sofia Castillo vs. Zayda

The first part of this fight started out with Sofia and Zayda feeling one another out and attempting to wear one another down with fundamentals. However, Zayda underestimated Sofia who catches her in the corner then hits a beauty of a stunner on the ring apron.

Zayda attempts to reset and almost hits her “I’m Prettier” finisher, but Sofia breaks free. Zayda does end up catching her with the move and it’s good for the victory.

WINNER: Zayda

We see AKIRA, Raven, Jake Crist and Jimmy Lloyd. Raven makes it known that he created The Calling and tonight in War Chamber, he’s going to put an end to it. “Quoth the Raven, nevermore.”

MATCH 5
Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle

Arguably the most anticipated match of the evening – this rematch delivered. Thatcher and Riddle put on a chess match of hard hitting technique. Both men put their strength to the test and in turn, challenged one another’s endurance. Thatcher rocked Riddle hard with three straight European uppercuts and Riddle fired back with some unique submission attempts to take Thatcher off his game.

Riddle ends up rocking Thatcher enough by hitting his “Brostone” piledriver for the 1-2-3.

WINNER: Matt Riddle

Post fight, Riddle drops a bombshell that he does indeed plan to hold that MLW World Heavyweight Gold and he plans to punch his ticket by entering this year’s Battle Riot!

While Riddle is on cloud nine, the tone has changed for WTF. CONTRA has decided to set their sights on the Superstars as they one-by-one take out Richard Holliday, Davey Boy Smith Jr and Tom Lawlor!

MATCH 6
MLW World Heavyweight Championship
Bad Dude Tito (presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Satoshi Kojima (c)

Bad Dude has pulled a page out of Minoru Suzuki’s book as he really brings it to Kojima and it’s clear Tito wants that World Title. Kojima is still fighting through injury, but the champ does look unphased by his ailments.

Tito not only has the size but the speed to get Kojima off his game, giving him very little window to get any offense in. However Kojima threads the needle by catching Bad Dude with a sudden Lariato and gets the 1-2-3!

WINNER and STILL MLW World Heavyweight Champion: Satoshi Kojima

MAIN EVENT
War Chamber II Match
Death Fighters vs. The Calling

Jake Crist is the first entrant into War Chamber which means The Death Fighters has the man advantage for starters! His opponent is someone he’s very familiar with in Sami Callihan. Before the bell rings, the two make it physically clear there’s no love loss between one another. Trash can lids really hammered that point home.

Callihan and Crist find one another outside of the Chamber and it doesn’t take long for Crist to don the crimson mask. The third man out is Akira, but The Calling get a jump on him and he’s down and out. This allows Rickey Shane Page to enter and rub salt in the wound to his former tag partner.

Crist does his best to weather the storm that is Sami and RSP and avoids a trash can lid shot. Thankfully, it’s enough for Jimmy Lloyd to enter to even the odds and he does just that with a steel chair.

Out next is Cannonball as the real estate for the two rings lessens with his presence. A bloody AKIRA finally comes to and gets involved but The Calling thwarts his efforts in a big way. They lay him out on a table and allows Cannonball to come crashing down on him from the top of the cage!

However Tampa Bay explodes when out comes Raven! He lays The Calling out with some stiff kendo stick shots and then pulls a page out of his arsenal by nailing a tandem drop toe hold onto a steel chair to Cannonball!

AKIRA gets to exact some really devastating punishment to the final entrance, Dr. Cornwallace as he throws a cinder block at a trash can, ramming the steel into the big man’s groin! The final fight finally commences but the violence amps up as thumbtacks get introduced. Both Cannonball and Jimmy Lloyd feel the effects of that. Lloyd also crashes through a door bridged across the two rings and Crist ultimately takes everyone out with a huge dive from up top.

The focus then gets on RSP and AKIRA. RSP has the death fighter sandwiched between a table and a door. RSP climbs the ropes and leaps
off to senton on top of AKIRA, but the latter moves and takes advantage! AKIRA nails a Raven Effect DDT and then uses a kendo stick to lock in a crossface on RSP! However, Jimmy Lloyd levels him up with barbed wire and RSP has no choice but to tap!

WINNERS: The Death Fighters

Post-fight, AKIRA gets on the mic and thanks everyone in the arena and at home. He says to believe in Major League Wrestling and trust the AKIRA way. Raven then gets on the mic and tells the fans that AKIRA is the future of pro wrestling!

We cut to see Salina de la Renta walking with her mother as Cesar Duran watches them, swinging the very key that’s at stake for Azteca Lucha in Chicago!

The cryptic teases continue in build for what could potentially be a return for Bo Dallas and WWE had two different methods of such on SmackDown.

The one that was on air involved a sudden QR code appearing during Triple H’s entrance, but another tease happened in between commercial breaks. There was a point in the middle of the show where the lights dim and a Billie Holiday-like song began to play.

This prompted fans to light up their phones and it even prompted a Bo Dallas chant afterwards.

The Billie Holliday tune is playing during commercial. More tease for Bo Dallas? #SmackDown @sescoops pic.twitter.com/jdpgWMDtjE

— Dominic DeAngelo | 1TS (@DominicDeAngelo) April 20, 2024

What Is The Song That’s Playing?

Although the singer sounds like Billie Holiday, it’s actually a late artist by the name of Marti Amado and the song is called “Nightbird.” The lyrics certainly hearken to Wyatt Family allusions as you can read them below.

The nightbird calls and shadows creep

Into my mind, into my sleep

I do not know if I shall rise

Or open up these weary eyes

The withered trees, how they creak and moan

Beneath the moon, how the demons groan

They come to me and pull me down

Down into the swamp without a sound

I sink again, just like a stone

My body’s cold and I’m all alone

I do not think that I shall rise

Or open up these weary eyes

[Verse 2]

I sink once more, just like a stone

The darkness chills me to the bone

Th? water’s deep, I shall not rise

No more to lift th?se weary eyes

No more to lift these weary eyes

A big tease for a Bo Dallas (and potentially Uncle Howdy return) first sparked at the end of the Bray Wyatt documentary trailer and that’s when speculation began flying as to what could come for the future of the angle.

Recent free agent Matt Hardy began making posts about his past with Bray Wyatt and former Wyatt Family member Erik Rowan actually removed himself from an independent booking due to scheduling conflicts. Additionally, Braun Strowman is still apart of WWE.

Bo Dallas was reportedly playing Uncle Howdy back during Bray Wyatt’s return, but fans hadn’t seen the younger Rotunda brother for years since he and Curtis Axel were members of the B-Team.

Someone who is an advocate for a Bo Dallas return under the “Wyatt Universe” is the brothers’ father, WWE Hall Of Famer Mike Rotunda. Speaking with Peter Rosenberg, Rotunda talked about the potential of his sons flourishing with those gimmicks.

“Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family was one of my favorite gimmicks of all time. Both boys, I think they could have gotten a lot more mileage out of Bray Wyatt and the Wyatts, and also with Bo. Bo was the youngest NXT Champion they ever had. He was probably 18 or 19 years old. He caught the business quickly,”

Keep tabs on SEScoops as this storyline develops.

H/t to Fightful for the transcription.

Once SmackDown went off the air, there were not one, but two matches still on tap for the WWE fans in Pittsburgh, PA.

Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were presented with the new WWE Tag Team Championships on Friday night, which gave them the opportunity to not shake Triple H’s hand during the reveal. The champs did happen to stick around for the fatal four way tag match between New Catch Republic, The Street Profits, AOP, and Legado Del Fantasma to see Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins become the number one contenders.

Waller and Theory’s night was not done however as the new champs had to put their new hardware on the line against Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. Popular Pittsburgh Steeler, Cam Heyward happened to be sitting behind commentary and Waller was quick to talk smack on the mic to the big defensive lineman. 

Mysterio then grabbed the stick and made it clear that he and Dragon Lee had a different agenda.

“Let me give you a little update, you don’t want to show [the titles to them] it’s all good. Once we take those titles, we’ll bring them over there to them.”

After #SmackDown @GraysonWWE called out @CamHeyward & the @steelers but @reymysterio had a different goal in mind. @_Theory1 pic.twitter.com/PrXIaTFePm

— Dominic DeAngelo | 1TS (@DominicDeAngelo) April 20, 2024

Waller and Theory continued the smack talk during their first title defense as both jaw-jacked with kids at ringside. Lee and Mysterio almost got the victory when Rey just about hit the 619 but the heel duo got the definitive three count on the WWE Hall of Famer to retain.

A “Steel City Street Fight” Also Takes Place

Even though Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee didn’t come out victorious, fans were still anticipating a “Steel City Street Fight” Between Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross. Kross and Lashley slugged it out but it was “The All Mighty” getting the W when he speared Kross through a table and got the 1-2-3.

Hammerstone was already the face of one wrestling promotion and the former MLW World Heavyweight Champion looks to continue that trend in TNA.

The recent TNA signee first made his TNA debut without any deal by facing Josh Alexander at Hard To Kill, the company’s first PPV since their jump back to the old TNA letters. Hammerstone came up short in that exchange but got his revenge as TNA Sacrifice as he defeated ‘The Walking Weapon’ and took Alexander’s signature headgear as a “scalp” to pin on his wall. Now the rubber match takes place Saturday at TNA Rebellion. This time, it’s a Last Man Standing match.

I spoke with Hammerstone this week about Rebellion, his goal to be the new face of TNA and so much more. 

Hammerstone says there was no better way to show up in TNA than being thrown right into the deep end. Even in a promo before joining the company, He made clear that he’s a shark that’s on the hunt and was ready to take on all comers as a free agent. The big man didn’t have to wait for long as TNA did end up signing him. When asked if he looks forward to the notion that he could potentially be the face of another wrestling company, Hammer was more than willing to oblige.

“Listen, there’s no time in wrestling where I’ve ever shown up and just wanted to get paid and have a match and go home. Every place I go I want to get to the top. I want to conquer. That’s my goal. That’s my mission statement from day one.”

Hammerstone notes that it will be a tough hill to climb on the TNA roster and that there are a lot of names who have been there longer than he has. However, that won’t deter him from keeping his eyes on the top of that hill.

“I’m not intimidated. You know, I have a feeling if we have this same conversation this time next year, we’ll be talking about myself being the face of TNA.”

Hammerstone had a bit of a warm-up match on the go-home episode of TNA Impact as he took on Little Guido who recently just unveiled a new version of the FBI. Unfortunately for Guido, Hammerstone manhandled the maybe mafiasio.”

TNA Sacrifice airs this Saturday at 8 PM ET on PPV.

.@alexhammerstone absolutely dominates @nunzio_guido with a Torture Rack, sending a clear message to @Walking_Weapon ahead of #Rebellion! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/bXMNi9Nm9L

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Nic Nemeth has shown to be quite the rebel so it’s only fitting that ‘The Most Wanted Man’ is challenging for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Rebellion. Nemeth with go mono-a-mono with Moose, allowing Nic to potentially achieve his first World Championship outside of WWE.

Nemeth has been a busy man since his WWE exit as he’s competed in high-profile independent matches, but also have already achieved big notoriety in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

In a SEScoops exclusive, Nemeth gave some details as to how his TNA deal came to be. Nemeth noted what exactly allured him to the company were several components: the talent, the long-term booking plan, the rebrand back to TNA and the company plan all intrigued him. Nemeth felt like he’d just been through the ringer for nearly two decades with WWE and the former World Champ wanted some time to explore his newfound freedom.

“I go, ‘Man, I don’t want to be tied down.’ I want to be like a hired gun that bounced around because I just got out of a long term relationship. 19 years, most abusive relationship of my life. I just got out of it.’ So I said, ‘I don’t want to like, put down it like, for the next three years I’m stuck in this deal. Whether I hate you or you hate me or it all works out,’

“I go, ‘Let me just do the dates. I’m not going to screw you guys over. I’m rooting for you and I want to help. So I did a certain amount of dates and then re-up for double dates.’ I go, ‘I believe in this product. Let’s go.’”

Ready For Rebellion

Nic Nemeth may have a great deal of notoriety, but he knows he’s not the big man under the TNA umbrella. Both literally and figuratively, Moose is that man, but Nemeth knows he’s ready to square up against the former NFL star.

“He has that break speed like a linebacker and I’m trying to think I go, What the hell do I have that he doesn’t?’ I’m shorter and maybe I’m faster, but here’s the best part: this jaw right here – I can take a punch. So he’s not ready for someone like me to be able to take a punch or a headbutt or a kick or a driver onto the floor because I never stop coming back up.”

TNA Rebellion 2024 takes place this Saturday, April 20 from Las Vegas and will stream live on TrillerTV pay-per-view ($39.99).

Adam Copeland is taking his TNT Championship run to the “edge” and he has another veteran with his eyes on Cope’s prize.

Since Copeland secured that TNT Title against Christian Cage at AEW Revolution, ‘The Rated R Superstar’ has fired up the “Cope Open” and have gotten an array of challengers, one being an AEW outsider in Matt Cardona. Copeland came out on top in that battle, but now there’s another veteran looking for such an opportunity.

‘Da Black Pope’ Elijah Burke is very busy this week promoting the Shad Gaspard Memorial Cup, honoring the late star with his Love Alive Charity. Burke is based out of Jacksonville and obviously, that is the home base for AEW. Pope has made his pitch on X to enter the “Cope Open.”

“The TNT open challenge has been a hit, here’s my challenge to Adam Copeland: First time ever matchup Adam Copeland vs. Jacksonville’s Favorite Son “The Pope” at Daily’s Place for AEW Dynamite/Collision. An Experience like no other. Tony Khan make it happen!”

The TNT open challenge has been a hit, here’s my challenge to Adam Copeland: First time ever matchup @RatedRCope vs Jacksonville’s Favorite Son “The Pope” at Daily’s Place for @aew Dynamite/Collision. An Experience like no other. @TonyKhan make it happen! ?#AEW #AEWDynasty

— Elijah Burke (@DaBlackPope) April 15, 2024

The Shad Gaspard Memorial Cup

Pope has been all around the wrestling industry working for WWE, TNA and NWA, but has been a proactive and positive presence for his Love Alive Charity. The Shad Gaspard Memorial Cup will take place this weekend on April 20 and will feature several stars competing in the tournament including JTG, KC Navarro, Kenny King and Thom Latimer. Also set to appear is Danny Davis and current AEW star, Mark Henry. Information to get tickets are below:

“The date has been set. The Stars have been selected. The Legends will be in attendance. History will be made!”

DON’T WAIT, GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

1 Night

1 Cup

8 Men

Who will be “The One?”

Tickets for this event are available at https://t.co/Zmg0wJayny#WWE #AEW #Wrestling pic.twitter.com/AokUC7KGrX

— Love-Alive Charity (@lovealiveinc) March 25, 2024

Will Ospreay downplayed Dave Meltzer’s five-star match philosophy while with the Dick Cavett of our time, RJ City.

Ospreay was the latest guest on RJ’s “Hey! EW” and City, the longtime adversary of David Arquette, noted that Dave Meltzer must really like Ospreay. He asks Will if he thinks he’s as good as Meltzer really thinks Ospreay is. Instead of putting himself over, Ospreay decided to make sure Kurt Angle was given the praise worthy of an Olympic Gold Medalist.

“No, cause when you talk about guys like Kurt Angle and he hasn’t got like one five-star match, I’m nowhere near the level Kurt Angle is.

“Stuff that Kurt Angle could never do, I could do, but stuff that I could never do, Kurt Angle could do.

“I think it’s just his opinion, you know what I mean? Opinions are like a**holes, everyone’s got one.”

Ospreay very much shares the same sentiment as his rival Kenny Omega, who on several occassions noted how much he appreciates the in-ring work of Kurt Angle. Kurt has also reciprocated Omega’s praise, putting “The Cleaner” over for the work he does in the ring as well.

Much ado has been made about Meltzer’s star-ratings system and it’s validity, but Meltzer himself did reiterate Ospreay’s thoughts in that those ratings are just his opinion. 

Perhaps the more controversail discussion point was that Meltzer decided to break his own ratings system by adding more stars to his judging criteria, giving Omega a whopping seven-star match.

Jon Moxley is finally set for a return to All Elite Wrestling and it was announced by two of his fellow Blackpool Combat Club members.

On AEW Collision Saturday night, Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli had a backstage segment where the two congratulated Moxley on his historic IWGP World Heavyweight Championship win before calling out The Don Callis Family. 

BCC members Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli congratulate fellow member Jon Moxley on his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship victory, but also have a message for the Don Callis Family.

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TNT!@BryanDanielson | @ClaudioCSRO pic.twitter.com/qzqT90W1CL

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 14, 2024

On the 4/17 episode of AEW Dynamite, Castagnoli will be aiming to wear Will Ospreay down ahead of his Dynasty match against Danielson, but the BCC members won’t be alone. Moxley is scheduled to be back in the All Elite fold starting on Wednesday. Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito at NJPW Windy City Riot to earn that IWGP World Title gold and he’ll likely have words for the fans after his big victory.

What Else Is On Tap For AEW Dynamite

Tony Khan is making certain to stack the go-home episode of AEW Dynamite ahead of Dynasty as plenty of segments and matches are already announced for the program.

In addition to Moxley’s return and Ospreay vs. Castagnoli, Dynamite will feature Chris Jericho sitting down with HOOK and Taz, Adam Copeland & Willow Nightingale vs. House Of Black, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe will speak, Mariah May will take on Deonna Purrazzo while The Elite will take on PAC, Penta and Daniel Garcia.

The latest AEW Dynamite will forever go down as a polarizing episode due to Tony Khan deciding to air the backstage CM Punk footage from AEW ALL IN. While it was almost universally panned, Dynamite did receive a nice ratings boost greatly in part to the stunt.

The Rock sure must feel cool because he has indeed helped make “pro wrestling cool again.”

‘The People’s Champion’ caught wind that WWE WrestleMania 40 became Peacock’s most streamed entertainment event ever in it’s short history and it caused ‘The Final Boss’ pause. He took the time to thank all the viewers who put their eyes on the app last weekend.

“Thank you to everyone who tuned in. Pro wrestling is in my blood and it was an honor to help build and deliver this event to the world. – The Final Boss

Thank you to everyone who tuned in.
Pro wrestling is in my blood and it was an honor to help build and deliver this event to the world ? ?????

– Final Boss #WrestleMania40 Peacock’s Most Streamed Entertainment Event Ever. https://t.co/yh8lWLS5iU

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 13, 2024

During the night one press conference of WrestleMania, The Rock was asked if he had a specific moment when he felt it was the right time to make his way back to WWE. The Rock noted that it was the moment when Ari Emanuel, the owner of Endeavor, gave him a ring on the phone to tell him that he was going to buy WWE. That’s when the two decided to work out.a strategy.

The Rock Can Also Thank Cody Rhodes

While The Rock was undoubtedly a major piece to the WrestleMania 40 puzzle, so was his night one dance partner in Cody Rhodes, who ultimately “finished the story” on night two against Roman Reigns.

“The American Nightmare” doesn’t just have the “Cody Crybabies” to make his case, but Rhodes has the actual numbers to back it up.

Over WrestleMania weekend, Cody has sold over $1 million of merchandise and after WrestleMania went off-the-air, he was the most Googled Superstar, even above ‘The Final Boss’ himself.

Jey Uso won’t be able to rest on his laurels despite being the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Uso earned that right on the WWE RAW after WrestleMania as he defeated Drew McIntyre, Bronson Reed and Ricochet in the main event with a little help from CM Punk. However, now it appears Jey may need a little extra help as he’s got more than Damian Priest to deal with.

WWE announced that on this week’s RAW, Jey Uso will face Finn Balor in singles action. Balor is fresh off a tag team loss as he, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh were defeated by Awesome Truth and John Cena. WWE’s announcement for Balor vs. Uso is below:

Just one week after becoming the No. 1 Contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, “Main Event” Jey Uso will take on Damian Priest’s teammate Finn Bálor.

Uso is looking to capture his first singles title in WWE, but standing in his way of getting to Priest is Bálor as well as the looming threat of “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.

Will Jey Uso make it to his championship match against Priest? Find out live on Monday Night Raw at 8/7 C on USA!

Could We See Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso Reunite?

Jey Uso isn’t The only former Bloodline member to have his back against the wall. Just this past Friday on SmackDown, Jimmy Uso was beat down big time by Solo Sikoa and the debuting Tama Tonga, all but officially kicking him out of The Bloodline.

Jey defeated Jimmy at WrestleMania 40, but not before Jimmy tried pulling a fast one on his younger twin brother. However, now that Jimmy had a massive reality check, we may see the brothers form an alliance once more soon enough.

Ronda Rousey has not been afraid to speak her mind since her WWE exit, but ‘The Baddest Woman On The Planet’ doesn’t have her former company in her future plans moving foward.

Speaking on Steve-O’s “Wild Ride” podcast, Rousey opened up about her lengthy history with concussions all the way back from her early days of Judo and MMA training.

Rousey mentioned how she has suffered so many concussions that she became very susceptible to them as time went on. While in the UFC, Rousey didn’t clue Dana White in on her symptoms, noting that she had to keep a winner’s mentality in order for herself to be successful in the octagon. She said White would also force her tor retire if she did reveal that she was getting concussed. Ronda noted that sometimes even the smallest strikes would cause concussions.

“Stephanie McMahon and Nikki Bella slapping me with an open hand would give me a concussion. I couldn’t say anything.”

Ronda Rousey Remained Quiet When Moving To WWE

Ronda Rousey eventually did head to WWE in 2018, but much like she did with UFC, didn’t open up about her concussion history. She knew if she did she wouldn’t be stepping into the squared circle.

“When I wanted to go to WWE, they’ve had such a complicated past with concussions and stuff like that. They wouldn’t hire me if they knew it was that point. If I let them know how often I was getting concussions, they wouldn’t let me perform in matches. I had a lifetime of experience hiding the fact that I was concussed all the time. So, yea now I can finally talk about it because I don’t think I’ll be wrestling for WWE ever again.”

Rousey also did mention that her family has a history of Alzheimers and dementia and that remains one of her greatest fears.

Credit to “Wild Ride with Steve-O” and h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

Countless clichés spring to mind after witnessing AEW Dynamite, but perhaps the most apt is, “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  Wednesday night felt like a page taken from the AOL/Time Warner playbook. 

Despite potential ratings boosts, Tony Khan’s decision to air the altercation between Jack Perry and CM Punk likely did more harm than good—not just to AEW, but to all his employees. Comparatively, this “fight” seemed less intense than typical scuffles in South Philly diners during WrestleMania weekend. This decision casts doubt on Khan’s confidence in the high-profile stars he has under contract, such as Swerve Strickland, Adam Copeland, Samoa Joe, Will Ospreay, and Okada. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

It felt particularly petty and mean-spirited for AEW to announce the airing of this footage during WrestleMania, contradicting the optimism that marked the company’s early days. It seemed like an admission of defeat: “We have nothing left but footage of a wrestler who’s no longer with us.” In reality, AEW has plenty to offer; however, Khan often leaves projects unfinished, forgets them, and metaphorically unplugs the microwave.

Regardless of who was featured on Dynamite, nothing could overshadow the impact of the notorious security camera footage. While it contributed nothing to advancing any current narratives, except perhaps the story CM Punk told on the “MMA Hour,” it diverted focus from active wrestlers to those no longer with the company. As a result, fans chanted for WWE “Superstars” instead of AEW’s Ricky Starks, Wardlow, or Thunder Rosa. Cody Rhodes, during WrestleMania week, did a far better job of promoting AEW than anyone else, expressing pride in the collective effort to launch the company.

This begs the question: Does Khan truly aspire to make AEW the top pro wrestling promotion, or is he more driven by personal vendettas against former stars? 

The events of Wednesday suggest the latter. Although Khan likely has good intentions, it’s crucial for him to reassess and prioritize his goals. Khan has undoubtedly contributed positively to pro wrestling, but he has also demonstrated a consistent inability (or unwillingness) to avoid self-sabotage.

AEW is treading water. Ironically, the company needs a decisive leader to reach the next level. The best apology Khan could offer his roster would be to appoint an experienced figure to fill this role.

Indeed, actions speak louder than words.

John Cena is making the most of his trip to Philadelphia for the WrestleMania 40 fallout. Cena was a surprise run-in for night two of the “Grand Daddy Of Them All” as the future WWE Hall Of Famer aimed to help Cody Rhodes against Roman Reigns. It was “Bloodline Rules” which meant anything goes and anything went as Rhodes vs. Reigns had several interferences and John Cena was one of them.

Cena saved Cody from a double attack from Reigns and Solo Sikoa as he ran down to take out Solo, putting him through a commentator’s table and giving Reigns an Attitude Adjustment. However, The Rock came out and delivered a Rock Bottom to his old rival from over a decade ago, taking Cena out of the equation. However, it was The Undertaker who trumped The Rock by delivering a chokeslam to ‘The Final Boss’ and Cody ended up getting the job done by hitting three Cross Rhodes to ending Roman’s reign.

Cena was one of many babyfaces to celebrate with Cody after he “finished his story” but Cena will have his own story to tell at WWE World in Philadelphia before WWE RAW.

Grateful to spend time with the #WWE Universe & be a part of #WrestleMania! Congratulations to @CodyRhodes on a history making achievement!

And the best part of it all… the @WWE story NEVER ENDS!!!!

— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 8, 2024

Cena will be the guest of Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show. He’s scheduled to show up at 1 PM ET, but fans haven’t seen him since last year after making a memorable run over the summer. 

BREAKING NEWS: @JohnCena will join the @PatMcAfeeShow LIVE from #WWEWorld tomorrow at 1pm ET!

?? https://t.co/mPXXZvL1KD pic.twitter.com/ly9kp0uSxR

— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024

Serendipituosly enough, the last person to beat Cena was Solo Sikoa at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

Ric Flair may be an old rival of Dusty Rhodes, but ‘The Nature Boy’ believes in Cody Rhodes.

‘The American Nightmare’ became the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion by defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of night two of WrestleMania 40, but it was not without its bells and whistles. “The Bloodline Rules” bout between Reigns and Rhodes started off as a single affair until Jimmy Uso got the ball rolling with run-ins that featured the likes of Seth Rollins, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Rock and The Undertaker. However, it was Cody who delivered the final blow to ‘The Tribal Chief’ with three Cross Rhodes to become the new champ.

Flair was watching it all unfold somewhere else in Philly and was sure to congratulate ‘The Grandson Of A Plumber’ on a well-deserved win, despite ‘The Dirtiest Player In The Game’ not fully endorsing how he fully finished his story.

“Congrats To Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns For Providing One Of The Most Athletic And Believable Main Events That I’ve Seen In A Long Time. I Hate The Interference, But It All Played Out In Your Favor And It Made The Show More Enjoyable To Watch. I Respect You Both. Thankful To Know You! Cody, You Finally Lived Your Dad’s Dream! Love You All! WOOOOO! -Naitch”

Congrats @CodyRhodes & @WWERomanReigns For Providing One Of The Most Athletic And Believable Main Events That I’ve Seen In A Long Time. I Hate The Interference, But It All Played Out In Your Favor And It Made The Show More Enjoyable To Watch. I Respect You Both. Thankful To Know… pic.twitter.com/wkYrYQWPfm

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) April 8, 2024

While Rhodes had two full nights of WrestleMania, Flair also had a weekend full of signings at WrestleCon this year in downtown Philadelphia. Flair’s daughter Charlotte also made an appearance at the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday night.

It feels like many moons ago when The Rock showed up on RAW in San Diego to hinder Jinder, doesn’t it?

WWE and pro wrestling is far from the pop culture heights that the genre reached in the late 1990s, but The Rock is certainly elevating the modern WWE into its own animal. His reinvention into “The Final Boss” just raised the difficulty level from “medium” to “hard” in the “No Mercy N64” of pro wrestling. If the talent is good enough to answer the call, it should cause everybody in pro wrestling to up their game.

Either way, the fans have greatly benefited from The Rock being back in the fashion that he is. It’s something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Ironically enough ,thats in credit to the “Cody Crybabies” who lamented for ‘The American Nightmare.’

‘The American Nightmare’ Perpetuated ‘The Final Boss’

Rhodes has revived the long-forgotten role of the “ultimate babyface” where he’s the all-American John Wayne type character that his daddy adored. The fans can easily live vicariously through Cody Rhodes because of his willingness to connect with fans in a matter that hasn’t ever been done before on this type of major platform. Hulk Hogan never was the best man at a fan’s wedding nor did Hulkamania run wild at some random five-year old’s birthday party. Cody is putting those “prayers and vitamins” where his mouth is and he’s created a unique connection to people in a time where people are always connected.

As much as The Rock can cultivate an air of unattainability due to the Hollywood heights he’s reached, Cody can sit down with the father of three living paycheck to paycheck. It creates two ultimate adversaries, both with legacies in the industry and a genuine love for the one true sport.

And that “unattainability” that The Rock has harnessed is what makes this ‘Final Boss’ persona all the more engaging. We thought Dwayne was past the point of consistently showing up on WWE television, yet here he is – furthering a storyline that has him in a heel role where he’s calling fans inbreds and mocking Cody’s dog. ‘The Final Boss’ was nothing anyone expected, yet something the industry benefits from. WrestleMania 40 could have absolutely rolled right along with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, but The Rock going ‘Super Shredder’ on his 1998 identity feels every bit of Thanos ready to snap his fingers. That was all the more telling with that entrance Rocky made on Monday before bloodying up Dusty’s youngest boy.

The big complaint of Rock’s involvement is that it hurts Roman, but “The Tribal Chief” is just one manipulative monologue away from turning the table he claims to sit at the head of. Reigns, if he loses, will only be elevated by an extended exit. The same goes for his older cousin, whose involvement had made us all take the scenic route on the road to WrestleMania.

Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Follow Dominic DeAngelo on X @DominicDeAngelo.

Ronda Rousey’s days as a WWE Superstar are over, but she’s making lots of news talking about her experiences with the company. Rousey has been ‘naming names’ of men in WWE who she feels helped perpetuate a dysfunctional work environment. 

During an appearance on News Nation to promote her new book, Rousey said she was shocked when WWE trainer walked by her at the Performance Center and pulled on the string of her sweatpants.

“But this guy grabs the string of my sweatpants and nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal and he starts going down the hall and I was like, ‘What the f*** was that?’ Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing here next to me would you feel comfortable like walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants? 

“If this guy is coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there’s other people around like what’s happening to these other girls when it’s not in a hallway.”

Rousey came to the realization that this was in fact Gulak and she did approach him later on about the alleged incident.

“I went and confronted him later and I was like, ‘If I ever hear about you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything liek this to me ever again … we’re gonna have a problem. And he was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me.’ He really like back-pedaled.”

Rousey said that the situation really put a bad taste in her mouth about how the mentality was backstage at WWE.

Drew Gulak Calls it a “Complete Accident”

After Rousey’s allegation made the airwaves, Gulak took to social media to state his side of the story, claiming that the pulling of her sweatpants string was a missed handshake.

“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Rousey has accused several WWE executives of inappropriate conduct in recent months, including Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. 

In a stunning development, the former UFC & WWE champion says she was not surprised by any of the horrific allegations laid out by Janel Grant in her lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and others. She’s convinced that other women in the company feel the same way she does, but they’re being “held hostage” and do not speak up because they fear repercussions l. 

Could Cody Rhodes have finished his story back in AEW? ‘The American Nightmare’ cleared the air as to if there were any inkling of him going back to AEW before he signed a new contract with WWE.

Joining Ariel Helwani this week on the MMA Hour, Cody Rhodes was asked several questions about his old company AEW before getting into the WrestleMania talk. One of the follows had Helwani asking him if he gave any consideration of going back to AEW while in talks for a new contract with WWE.

“No and it’s not in any way a negative towards them. I know I didn’t win the title at WrestleMania 39, but I was in the spot I always dreamed of, and I know how lucky I am to be in this spot.”

Rhodes said when he sees poster along him amongst all the major stars, plus being on the WWE 2K24 cover was all very validating.

“They didn’t hand me the exact ball and said, ‘Hey, you’re the quarterback,’ but they certainly gave me a lot of responsibility, that being Nick, that being Hunter, I feel that would have been against my being because I was slotted there.”

Rhodes said he thinks he’d be doing a disservice to Khan and Triple H if he were to go against that trust they put on him. He reiterated that isn’t a slight against any other company, that was just his mindset. 

Please credit the MMA Hour and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.