Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently commented on the creative direction of the company on his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast. During the show Ryback would make some huge statements regarding WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, saying that he needs to sell the company as soon as possible.

“He tapped out, he’s not hungry anymore” Ryback began on the podcast. “From the level of a creative aspect of things? He hasn’t been. Because he’s got too much money. It’s [WWE] too big for his own good.”

Ryback on Vince McMahon

The Big Guy would elaborate further, saying “he’s being pulled in too many different directions. He has too many people working for him. The business is not…he’s not doing much wrong from a financial standpoint of creating revenue. That is what he cares about. That’s all he is, he goes ‘Ryan I am a business man;’ that’s all he’s looking at is the numbers. Vince McMahon is no longer interested in the details of creating compelling long term storylines and mega stars.”

Ryback would finish by referring to the Paul Heyman situation; with the former Executive Director of RAW being removed from his position. “We see it with the writers, like the Paul Heyman stuff, and they are crucial. He’s [McMahon] not…he doesn’t want to relinquish any control. He needs to sell the company and they need to get people that are hungry in these positions and the product. They have the stars there, they just need to get the right people that have a vision that want to prove themselves.”

Do you agree with Ryback’s assessment? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar and member of The New Day Big E recently commented on his favourite WWE match and his love for Hall of Famer and legend Eddie Guerrero.

“I think the longer I’ve been in wrestling? The more I jump on the case for Eddie [Guerrero] being the best of all time” Big E began on The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. “Because just watching this stuff man, he could go with every style of wrestler. He was so fluid as a base, doing lucha stuff, like he could do everything you needed to do to work all these different nuances and styles? He could do.”

Big E on Halloween Havoc 1995

Big E would then discuss specifically a bout between Guerrero and Rey Mysterio from Halloween Havoc 1997. Kofi Kingston had previously revealed on the podcast that this was, to him, the greatest wrestling match ever. “And then some of the stuff? I just remember just seeing little clips from that match we’re talking about with with Eddie and Rey. It is so fluid, It’s like video game stuff, it’s so fluid. So, that’s a great choice.”

The SmackDown Tag Team Champion would finish by revealing his own ‘Greatest Match Ever.’ “I feel like it’s a lazy answer but I was gonna go with Sean and take her at WrestleMania 25, and 26 was also a great as well.”

Do you agree with Big E’s picks for best ever and best match ever? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the ongoing feud between Edge and Randy Orton.

Ray recently described the bout between the two, which was billed as ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever,’ as being an “8 star” affair. Bully Ray would comment on not only the match itself, but how Randy Orton ‘needed’ Edge to help him get to the ‘next level.’

Bully Ray on Randy Orton

“It’s not about them putting him [Randy Orton] in a position to succeed. It’s about the WWE putting him in the ring with somebody that complements him well and that can he can work with and up to” Bully Ray began.

“Randy was in the ring with guys that were quote unquote beneath him. Meaning they were always trying to work up to Randy Orton’s level; or guys that were on the same level with him, where Randy could just do this blind” Bully Ray continued. “It’s just wrestling match after wrestling match. Generic story after generic story.”

Bully would continue, praising Edge massively for bringing out the best of Randy Orton. “Now we get to something completely different with Edge. We get backstory, we get history, we get friendship, we get family. We get all of this stuff coming to a head, and what do we have with Edge that we don’t have with almost the entire WWE roster? An emotional connection. A love, a relationship. We look at Edge with our hearts, not with our brains. This is our guy.”

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Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently commented on the creative direction of the company on his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast. The ‘Big Guy’ talked about Paul Heyman being removed as the Executive Director of RAW; plus the reasons he feels the company made that decision.

Ryback on Paul Heyman

“Vince [McMahon] is in control at the end of the day” Ryback would begin. “Heyman? Even with the little issues that I had with him from a personal standpoint and working together? He’s a creative individual, and I knew that being down at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Heyman had some good stuff down there.”

Ryback then claimed that anyone in that position with WWE ends up being Vince McMahon’s ‘bitch.’ “The problem is when…anybody who gets put in that position up there? You’re just Vince’s bitch. You’re going to work non stop, your stress level is going to go through the roof and your blood pressure is going to go through the roof. You are that much closer to a heart attack each and every day.”

The ‘Big Guy’ elaborated further, saying “you draw your best pictures and he [Vince] just rips it up and says ‘draw me another picture! Draw me another picture!’ There’s only so much you can do. Out of 100% of your ideas? You might see 10% make it to TV, but even that 10% is not your true 10%. It’s just Vince taking whatever scraps he takes from it to put out there.”

Do you think that Paul Heyman being removed from the position of Executive Director was a mistake? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The former NXT Women’s Champion appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company.

One of the points raised was the WWE RAW Women’s Championship match between Asuka and Nia Jax that will be taking place Sunday at WWE Backlash.

“I can sit here and tell you that Asuka got handed a title and whatnot. But she is a former champion” Shayna Baszler began. “So that’s not to say that she’s not a formidable opponent. She has proven that, but I think Nia Jax is on a roll lately, she’s been literally just picking people up and tossing them around, and nobody’s been able to stop her.”

Shayna Baszler elaborated further, saying “she did it to me in the Money In The Bank match. She just picked me up and threw me against the wall. Next thing I know? I’m waking up and the thing is over. So I know firsthand about how that goes and how it feels.”

Baszler would then talk about her and Asuka have similar backgrounds, even talking about how they trained with similar coaches. “Asuka is crafty and she’s game. We kind of came up in the same lineage through pro wrestling, kind of the same family tree. She trained with some people that I’ve trained with. And some of our coaches were teammates. So, if I know anything about where she came from in her training? In her upbringing? She hasn’t even scratched the surface of what she can show, so I know her toolbox goes a lot deeper than we even realise. So it’s gonna be…it’s gonna be a good match.”

Do you think that we’ll get a match for the title between Asuka and Shayna Baszler? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair recently appeared on the Wrestling Daft podcast. The multiple time Women’s Champion appeared for a short interview on the show discussing topics from her recent career in WWE.

One of the topics discussed was Charlotte Flair being positioned on all three of WWE’s major brands currently. That being RAW, SmackDown and NXT. Flair would state how she feels “frustrated” when certain fans would complain that she is being pushed in such a way by the company.

Charlotte Flair on Frustration

“I think I’m doing some of my best work in my career right now” Charlotte Flair began. “I realise that because people see me all the time, I just don’t think…it’s not what they’re used to and the expectation is so high.”

Charlotte Flair would elaborate further, saying “it’s so frustrating. Because it’s like ‘what am I not supposed to be hungry? Am I not supposed to, you know, always want to be on top? Am I not supposed to be fighting to get better?’ So, I don’t know, it’s like a catch 22.”

Flair would then state that whilst she is on all three brands not every storyline is actually based on her specifically. “I think the biggest thing for me? Yes I’m on all three brands. But if you look at my storylines that I’m a part of? I’m a part of someone else’s storyline, it’s not like anything is a Charlotte Flair ‘push.’ Going to SmackDown was not for me, that’s not a push. Charlotte Flair is a ‘name’ and she is coming to SmackDown. Currently, I am just all over the place brand wise; because I am the hardest worker, and I will say that for the women.”

Do you want to see Charlotte Flair still appear on all three brands going forward? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on Bobby Lashley and his upcoming WWE Championship match at Backlash.

The former TNA Heavyweight Champion would discuss how now would be a perfect time to put the WWE Championship on Lashley, for a litany of reasons. The most prominent being the current world climate.

Bully Ray on Bobby Lashley

“I really do think that this is a good time for it” Bully Ray began on the show. “I don’t like to think that because of what’s going on in the world today? That we feel it necessary to put the championship on an African American athlete? But I believe Bobby Lashley is well deserving of that and they [WWE] can make it work.”

Bully Ray would elaborate further, talking about how current Champion Drew McIntyre hasn’t had a fair shot due to the ongoing pandemic and the style of taping WWE has had to employ. “This whole pandemic situation that has been unfortunate for Drew, Vince had high hopes for Drew. Drew’s doing a great job and Drew can continue to do a great job. When the crowds are back? I think job number one with Drew is to get that World Heavyweight Championship back on him.”

Lashley as WWE Champion

“When there are crowds back allowed in the house? That’s when we’ll finally find out if Drew is truly over with the fan base” Bully Ray continued. “But right now? I’m leaning towards Bobby Lashley becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. I’m not saying that he has to pin Drew clean in the middle, they can be some chicanery, we can get some interference by MVP blah blah blah. But I think Bobby Lashley holding that Championship is a good look for the WWE.”

Bully Ray would then finish by saying “Bobby Lashley would be your World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Cruz would be your United States champion and The New Day would be your Tag Team Champions. I don’t know, I just wanted to get that off my chest.”

Do you think that Bobby Lashley will defeat Drew McIntyre at Backlash this Sunday? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The former NXT Women’s Champion appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company.

One of the points raised was Shayna Baszler’s mental approach when walking to the wrestling ring and previously the MMA cage.

“When I was fighting in MMA? The first round is the walk to the ring” Shayna Baszler began on the show. “And that’s when all the self talk starts. It’s funny, because I was on a reality show; and they sat me down in a setting, much like this and they’re like, ‘so tell us what’s going through your mind as you make that walk?’ That’s where all the self talk is.”

Shayna Baszler Talks Mental Strategy

Shayna Baszler elaborated further, saying “it’s like, ‘I’ve worked so much harder for this, she doesn’t deserve this.’ That’s where you have to be, you have to have that mentality. And when you verbalise that to people that have never made that walk? It sounds arrogant, but the truth of the matter is if you want to achieve the things that have been achieved by people that have made that walk? You have to have that mentality.”

Shayna Baszler then talked about the backlash she and her Four Horsewomen of MMA partner Ronda Rousey received when talking about the mentality. “I got that backlash for verbalising what goes on in my head. Ronda also got that backlash for verbalising what goes on as well.”

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WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The former NXT Women’s Champion appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company.

One of the points raised was Shayna Baszler’s approach to her character on camera. Baszler is known for her smash mouth hard hitting style, with more of an emphasis on her in-ring work rather than promo abilities.

Shayna Baszler on Action over Words

“I think without saying much, everyone knows what I’m about,” Shayna Baszler began on the show. “And to be honest? I haven’t had to be in the ring very long with people to let them know what I’m about either. I think what someone does says a lot more than what someone says.”

Shayna Baszler would elaborate further, saying “I think whether people live by that or not? Everyone would agree to that. But that’s a thing that the one of the martial arts gyms I used to train at that [lived by], the team motto. It’s just something that carries over [to WWE].”

Baszler would then comment on some Superstars who seemingly try to ‘pop’ the other talent backstage.

“I think people in this business worry too much about making people laugh backstage when they’re talking on the mic or when they’re on camera. What matters more is what we do in the ring. It doesn’t matter if I can get on a camera and say ‘I’m the best wrestler ever! I’m gonna beat everyone up! And then I go on the ring and don’t prove it.”

Shayna Baszler would finish by re-iterating her style as a performer in WWE. “But if you say nothing else but go in the ring and beat everyone up? They can’t come back for weeks or months? Then that says a lot more than anything you would have said on a camera. So it’s just, it’s a model that I live by.”

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WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.

One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was recently re-hired NXT Superstar Drake Maverick. The British Superstar was one of the unlucky talents who were released as part of Black Wednesday; and following his announced release by WWE he uploaded a video to Twitter that seemingly helped to save his job with the company.

Following his loss in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament final, Triple H appeared to give Drake Maverick a contract and confirm that the former Rockstar Spud was not going anywhere else in the pro wrestling world. There has been some backlash to the angle, as some have felt that it was in poor taste to play off a real world situation where a number of people lost their ‘dream’ jobs.

Shawn Michaels on Drake Maverick

“I gotta say, look I know it’s not a breakout star? But? I’m thrilled for Drake Maverick” Shawn Michaels said on The Bump. “I’m thrilled to have him, we’ve, you know, we’ve wanted to keep Drake for a long time. So I’m glad we got him.

HBK would go on to mention some more talent from the NXT roster who he sees could be ‘breakout’ stars. “Karrion Kross has made a huge impact in NXT. I think it’s obvious that there’s a lot more to come from him. I think Dexter Loomis does a great job. Fantastic. I think has been fantastic.”

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WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.

One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was NXT Champion Adam Cole. The leader of the Undisputed Era faction has had fans and critics alike drawing comparisons between NXT’s Champion and HBK.

Shawn Michaels on Adam Cole

“I certainly see what everybody is talking about” Shawn Michaels would say; discussing how alike he and Cole are/were as performers. “He’s unbelievably talented, he’s charismatic. And so yes, I do, I see…I certainly see the comparisons.”

Shawn Michaels would then talk about how ‘flattering’ it is being compared to a talent such as Adam Cole. “I’m always flattered by that, Adam is an absolutely fabulous dude. He’s an incredible champion, he has carried the banner of NXT and the NXT Championship in a way that is going to be tough to match.”

HBK elaborated further, saying “especially from just being a pro and being there for everything and doing everything as a Champion. It’s already been impressive how long he stayed there [on top] but you gotta wonder when that shoe is gonna drop and when that luck is gonna run out.”

Adam Cole would defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream at the Takeover: In Your House event this past weekend. Cole was successful in the Backlot Brawl match, hitting a Panama Sunrise onto a huge stack of chairs to defeat Dream.

Do you see the comparisons between Shawn Michaels and Adam Cole? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Hall of Famer and backstage producer for NXT Road Dogg Brian James recently appeared on the WWE After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. The D-Generation X member discussed a number of topics from his career with WWE, including his run backstage with the company.

One of the points discussed was fans not understanding the intricacies of the business and why certain talents are not able to cut ‘unscripted’ promos.

“They shouldn’t be able to, because they can’t fathom the intricacies that go into it” Road Dogg began on the podcast, talking about the fan’s mentality about the business. “We got to keep the lights on, you know what I mean? We’re trying to pay the power bill.”

Road Dogg on Scripted Promos

Road Dogg would elaborate further; saying “it’s big picture stuff, we have a way we shoot TV and we have a way the promos are cut. It’s to rise above that ‘wrasslin,’ that old school mentality. We talked before we came on about USWA and look, I learned how a wrestle there and I loved it. It was a breeding ground and I really did love it. But that’s how a lot of people in the world still view wrestling.”

The former New Age Outlaw would then praise Vince McMahon for trying to change the causal viewer’s mentality of pro wrestling. “For somebody there to try to take it out of that and make it something more? I don’t think that is a bad thing, I think it’s a brilliant business decision, to be quite honest.”

The Fans ‘Not Getting It’

Moving on to scripted promos, Brian James would say that certain fans don’t understand that with the nature of WWE as a public company; they cannot allow certain talents to just cut promos they way that used to in the 90s. “They [the fans] can’t fathom like ‘okay, this guy is a loose cannon, he might say a cuss word or something.’ So we script his promo and he has do it word for word now, because we don’t trust you yet.”

Road Dogg did then clarify that talents in WWE can build that trust and be given more leeway with promos over time. “If we see over a period of time that we’re wrong and we can trust you? Then you will be brought in to the writers room. The writer has this balancing act of making sure you [the talent] get the message across. And not only the message that is written, but the message that we as a company want to send. The message that we as a company are comfortable with telling; and how far do you go and how far do you not go?”

Do you think that WWE needs to give performers more of a chance to be unscripted on television? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Velveteen Dream and the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House event that will be taking place this weekend.

The show will be airing live on WWE Network Sunday night, and the main event will see NXT Champion Adam Cole defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Velveteen Dream cannot defeat Cole, then he will be unable to challenge again for the NXT Championship.

Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole

That stipulation will stay in place as long as Cole is Champion. With the stipulation confirmed, there have been rumblings of Velveteen Dream finally making his rise to WWE’s ‘main roster’ and joining SmackDown or RAW. Although WWE has previously said that NXT is on par with both of the traditional main brands, it’s clear that WWE still classes SmackDown and RAW as the two main programmes for the company.

“I want to see Velveteen Dream stepping up” Mark Henry began on Busted Open. “He’s always entertaining and flamboyant and kinda like a loose cannon, if you will, sometimes.”

Henry would elaborate further, saying “I want to see him elevate his work. I want to see him be the Velveteen that we’ve seen, BUT I also want to see something else. I want to see everything, I want to see more from Velveteen Dream.”

Here’s the full card for NXT Takeover: In Your House

• Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
• Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
• Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship Match
• Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship Match
• Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream – Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship

Do you think that Velveteen Dream will win the Championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed NXT Champion Adam Cole and his prospects on WWE’s ‘main roster.’ There have been reports that WWE management are concerned at the size of Adam Cole, who some deem as ‘too small’ to be taken seriously as a main eventer on WWE’s biggest stage.

“There’s the misconception that Adam Cole is not big enough to be on RAW or SmackDown” Mark Henry would begin. “When I say big enough? I mean his stature? It is great, incredibly big enough. But size wise?”

Adam Cole (Baybay)

Henry would elaborate further, saying how he does not agree at all with the assessment of the NXT Champion. “I think that’s unbelievably unfair. Because you think about the match he had with Daniel Bryan; and him beating Daniel Bryan, I might add to that [November 2019]. The dude was stellar, and you would get more of that if he was to go to RAW or SmackDown.”

The World’s Strongest Man would then talk about the perceived size issue in WWE generally. “I think that the biases about size needs to go away” Henry confirmed. “The dude is unbelievably good. And I want to see him versus Drew McIntyre, I want to see him versus Brock Lesnar, I want to see him versus Randy Orton, Edge, Baron Corbin you name it, he can get the job done.”

Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream this weekend at NXT Takeover: In Your House in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Dream loses then he will be unable to challenge for the belt again, as long as Cole is Champion.

Do you think that Adam Cole could be a big star on WWE’s ‘main roster’ of RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comments

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Outspoken pro wrestling personality and former TNA, WWE and WCW on-screen performer Jim Cornette recently discussed a hilarious tale from TNA’s chequered legacy.

Cornette was discussing Championship belts on the Drive Thru podcast earlier this week when he revealed the faux pas from TNA’s production staff. 2005-2010 is considered by many to be the heyday of the Total Nonstop Action brand, with the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss and Kurt Angle topping the card. Even still, the company that sometimes gets lumbered with the ‘LOLTNA’ meme in their later years were liable to gaffes even in this time frame.

Jim Cornette on ‘Losing’ The Belt

“Another time in TNA? It was years ago., like 2007-2008ish they did the pay per view in St. Louis” Jim Cornette would begin on the podcast. “They actually had to have a stooge in Florida that could get into the soundstage at Universal Studios to go in. Because they forgot the belt [TNA World Championship].”

Cornette would discuss how times had changed in the wrestling industry, as Champions nowadays rarely hold on to their prized possession. In the case of TNA it was kept ‘safe’ by the production team…so things like this didn’t happen.

“The champion wasn’t carrying the belt” Jim Cornette continued. “So the f*cking, you know, production people were supposed to bring it. They forgot the belt they had it at the soundstage. So they had the stooge go to the soundstage in Orlando, get the belt rush it over to the airport and buy it a f*cking plane ticket.”

Jim Cornette would finish by revealing that the belt not only had a seat on the plane, but apparently went under the name belt/championship (we can’t verify if this is true). “They put it on the goddamn plane and they had somebody in St. Louis go to the airport. They still didn’t get there on time, the pay per view had already started. They picked up the belt at the airport in St. Louis from Delta. The ticket was under the name of belt slash championship.”

Can you think of a more LOLTNA moment than this? Let us know in the comments

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AEW Commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently discussed the segment between Mike Tyson and Chris Jericho on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. Good Ol’ JR would talk about the importance of having such a mainstream figure like Tyson on the programme, and address some of the ‘controversial’ elements of the moment on Grilling JR.

“Mike Tyson is a very polarising figure, he garners publicity” Jim Ross would begin on the podcast. “I think that’s why anybody…when we used him in WWE back in the day? When Tyson was there and he did the thing with Austin and Shawn and all that stuff? Mike got the company a great deal of publicity. Like I said, he’s polarising. He’s a lightning rod and people are so interested in what he does.”

Jim Ross would then discuss one of the controversies of the segment. Both Tyson and Jericho were flanked by their entourages during the in-ring promo, and Tyson in particular had some big names from the MMA world with him. Unfortunately, the AEW commentary team were not made aware that the mixed martial artists were there, and subsequently they did not mention them on the broadcast.

Jim Ross on ‘Controversy’

“So, that I will say this, there was a controversy in the show a few weeks ago” Jim Ross could continue. “Tyson came out to confront Chris Jericho and with him there were some MMA legends. And we didn’t mention them.”

Jim Ross would elaborate further, saying “Rashad Evans? He was not mentioned because we didn’t know he was part of the entourage, you know? Vitor Belfort? Same deal. They were in a mass group. And they were kind of camouflaged. I heard [Dave] Meltzer talking about it, all these guys talking about it; about the fact that we didn’t mention them and we basically ‘no sold’ them. Well it wasn’t our intent to ‘no sell’ anybody, right? The intent was to get everybody over. But no one told me, Excalibur or Tony who all was in the entourage.”

Are you looking forward to a potential Tyson vs Jericho match? Let us know in the comments

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• Arn Anderson Signs New Multi-Year Deal With AEW
• AEW Dynamite Results (6/3): Cody Defends TNT Championship, FTR Interview
• MJF Remains Atop AEW Rankings, Dark Order Bumped From Top 5
• AEW & WWE Could Be Getting Closer To Fans Attending Shows…

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Former WWE SmackDown Executive Vice President and WCW President Eric Bischoff recently discussed AEW Dynamite and a potential move to Mondays for the show on After 83 Weeks w/Christy Olson.

Bischoff was posed the question on the show, being asked if he felt AEW Dynamite could eventually make a move to Monday Nights and go head-to-head with WWE RAW. The reasoning behind the question was because Monday is regarded by ‘casual’ fans as ‘wrestling night’ and AEW could potentially capitalise on that audience.

TNA made the move to Monday nights back in 2010, eventually moving back to their usual time slot later in the week. Bischoff has previously said that the reason for that move was to get fans to ‘sample’ the product, but he doesn’t think that AEW should be moving anytime soon.

Eric Bischoff on Dynamite Moving Nights

“If I were there, and I had a voice in the room? I would probably be suggesting that they stay away from Mondays until their numbers start coming up every week,” Bischoff began.

“What we’ve seen, when they debuted they came in about 1.4 to 1.5 million viewers. And pre COVID? They were hovering in that eight or 900,000 viewers category,” he continued. “That means they went from here, to here, to here (motioning downwards). And now they’re kind of flatlining at almost 35 or 40% of their premiere audience.”

Bischoff then compared AEW Dynamite’s viewership trends to that of WCW Nitro.

“If you go back and you look at Nitro’s performance when we launched? That was September I guess in ’95? We started out in the low twos or mid twos, and we crept up to the high twos. Then we crept up to a three and then we crept up to a three three over a pretty long period of time. It didn’t happen overnight, It took a while.”

WCW Nitro

Eric Bischoff elaborated further, saying “But most importantly? If you looked at our ratings as a graph over the first year? It would be a slow but steady build up. What we’ve seen with AEW has been a slow but steady deterioration of the audience they seemed to have, pre-COVID. That’s now leveling out at about that 800,000 Mark 850,000 whatever it is.”

Bischoff finished by giving his own take on when AEW could even begin to consider moving their night to compete with a bigger WWE platform than they currently are with NXT on Wednesdays.

“That’s the risk, if the audience isn’t so into your product and you make a move to another night? They may or may not come with you. But if you can demonstrate by growing that audience and watching other indicators like licensing and merchandising and pay per view numbers? If you can say to yourself ‘okay for the last six months we’ve increased viewers by X percent. We’ve increased merchandise sales by X percent.’ When you can start filling in those blanks in, and it indicates an upward trend? Then I would start having a conversation about Monday nights.”

Do you agree with Bischoff? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar and RAW personality Zelina Vega recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Vega appeared on the show to discuss her recent on-screen managerial role, and if she feels there can be more done to push herself and the group featuring Andrade, Angel Garza and formerly Austin Theory.

Zelina Vega on Scratching The Surface

“I do I feel that this is just scratching the surface” Vega began when describing the group. “When it came to me and Andrade in NXT? We were just, you know, it was like thunder happened and it was great together in NXT; but I think that shows where we can go and that we can even surpass that.”

Zelina Vega would elaborate further, saying “I feel that there’s so much more that can be done and we’re just finally getting the chance to show that. So do I feel like as a group we can be doing more? Absolutely. Do I feel by myself I can be doing more? Yeah, absolutely, you know, but it comes down to getting that opportunity to do that.”

Vega would finish by saying how she is constantly trying to prove herself on Monday nights. “Right now I feel like I’m constantly trying to prove myself. I’m totally okay with that because at the end of the day? It’s like ‘okay, who’s the one you know not striking out? Who’s the one who’s here constantly? Who’s the one who’s working hard and more than enough?’ My name is gonna keep coming up.”

Do you think that Zelina Vega’s group can be placed higher up on the card in WWE? Let us know in the comments

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• Backstage Update On WWE Coronavirus Testing

Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder) was a recent guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho. The Z! True Long Island Story creator mentioned the massively successful YouTube series and how it helped push him to one of the biggest moments of his career.

WWE Survivor Series 2011 took place at Madison Square Garden, an area that holds special meaning to the New York native. The opening match of the night saw Dolph Ziggler defend his United States Championship against John Morrison, with the NYC crowd demanding throughout the match, ‘We want Ryder.’

Matt Cardona in MSG

Matt Cardona would appear after the match to an absolutely huge reaction and laid out Ziggler. “It was the fall time where I think eventually they [WWE] said, ‘we gotta shut these people up'” Cardona began, talking about how WWE were never fans of his own organic attraction to the fanbase.

“Finally I think they had to just put me on to the shut everybody up” Cardona continued. “But now the chants were getting louder and louder and especially the Ziggler and John Morrison match. I don’t want to toot my own horn but like I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about Madison Square Garden. Not only is it a home arena? But it’s the GARDEN, you know, right?”

Matt Cardona would then describe how he went backstage feeling elated and he got completely the opposite reaction behind the curtain.

“I go out there and the place is going nuts. I get to the curtain and like Triple H is like ‘come here.’ I’m thinking like ‘finally, he’s gonna say good job kid, this is what I’ve been waiting for,’ How can you deny this? It’s Madison Square Garden.”

The former Zack Ryder elaborated further, saying “He [Triple H] pulled me aside and I just like got fresh frosted tips in my hair that week. So he asked me like, ‘Why did you dye your hair!?’ I’m like ‘MSG is chanting my name and you’re asking me why I dyed my hair!?'”

Cardona would then reveal that WWE were not happy that he made a decision to change his appearance before going to WWE management.

WWE seemingly did everything they could to derail Matt Cardona’s push in the months following, trying to use his popularity to aid an already divisive top star in John Cena.

Do you think that Zack Ryder/Matt Cardona could’ve been a bigger star in WWE? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.

One of the points raised was the respect between the two performers, with Kane being asked if there was a specific moment or moments that he knew he had earned the Deadman’s respect.

Kane Talks Respect

“I actually do, there’s a couple” Kane vegan. “First of all, let’s keep in mind that from the beginning of my career? even before I was in WWE? He was always a big advocate of mine” Kane revealed.

“Even when I was having a lot of trouble early on? This person was there pushing for me and talking with me and making sure that I was doing what I needed to do eventually to become successful” Kane would continue. “I got a lot of that. The conversations weren’t always the most pleasant (laughs), they could be sometimes a little harsh! Nevertheless, they were much needed.”

Glenn Jacobs would then praise The Undertaker for the way that he treated him as a ‘peer’ when he first appeared in the company. “When I came in as Kane, and just overall the whole like 1997 into 1998 and working with him so much? The whole time he treated me as a peer, and as an equal. Then I remember, wince 2003 when I had taken the mask off? We were actually at a wedding, and he told me how proud he was of the transition, and not only my in-ring work but also my work on the microphone.”

Do you think that Kane’s character developed and changed as well as The Undertaker’s during his run in WWE? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.

One of the questions posed to Kane was the planning of matches between he and ‘Taker. Kane would discuss how it was sometimes difficult to plan and map out bouts against the ‘Deadman.’ This was because both men were behemoths in stature, and as Kane later mentions, they would prefer to have a smaller performer to work with.

Undertaker vs Kane

“In fact, it was kind of hard because when you have two characters like Undertaker and myself who are very much alike? We do the same things” Kane would begin. “And the characters? Even though they’re mere opposites they’re in many ways…they’re almost exact clones. They’re very, very similar.”

Kane elaborated further, saying “how do you construct a match? When you have the Undertaker who’s indestructible, and Kane who is indestructible? You have to figure all that stuff out. Also you don’t want, for instance, you don’t want The Undertaker to look ‘normal’ by Kane beating them up. So you have to figure out ways to get around all that.”

Kane would finish by saying that planning matches with The Undertaker was always an epic undertaking. The Big Red Machine would also bring up the aforementioned ‘David vs Goliath’ approach. “Frankly, for me it’s always been an epic undertaking, ‘Taker would tell you the same thing. It’s always been easier to work with a smaller guy because you have a built in story; to kind of have the David vs Goliath, you know? The Rocky Balboa story, whereas when you have the Clash of the Titans? It’s harder to do traditional storytelling in that fashion.”

Have you been enjoying The Last Ride? Let us know in the comments

Check out the full episode of The Bump here:

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AEW star Darby Allin recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The former pro skateboarder discussed a number of topics during the interview with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards; these included his love of documentary film-making and his straight edge lifestyle.

Arguably the most famous Straight Edge (no drink, no drugs, no casual sex) wrestler in history is CM Punk, who used the movement and its beliefs as part of his on-screen gimmick. Although in reality Punk is actually sXe, with his father’s alcoholism being one of his main driving factors towards the clean living lifestyle.

Although Darby Allin does not explicitly bring up his Straight Edge lifestyle on television, it is a huge part of his belief system and mentality.

Darby Allin on sXe lifestyle

“There’s lots of reasons” Allin began, describing why he decided to live a sXe lifestyle. “But, you know, just growing up and having friends, close friends and family members kind of waste their life on drugs or alcohol? It kind of sucked to see that they couldn’t reach their full potential in life.”

Darby Allin elaborated further, saying “they’re sitting around wasting life, blaming it. ‘Oh, I didn’t make it to where I wanted because of alcohol and drugs.’ I was sick of hearing these excuses. So I told myself, a long time ago. If I fail in life? I can’t blame it on alcohol or the drugs, it’s gonna be 100% my fault. I have no one to blame it on except my own self.”

Unfortunately drug use and professional wrestling have gone hand-in-hand over the past few decades; with iconic performers losing their lives due to misuse of alcohol, illegal drug use and prescription pills.

“Since I’ve started with wrestling I haven’t taken a pain pill or anything” Darby Allin revealed. “I don’t even take aspirin. And that’s a shock to some because of the stuff that I do. All I’d have to credit for it? It’s just stretching and like, you know, icing and just eating, taking care of yourself.”

Do you think that Darby Allin could end up being one of the biggest stars in AEW? Let us know in the comments

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Outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette recently reviewed AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV on his Drive Thru podcast. As you may have guessed, Cornette wasn’t exactly a fan of what he saw on the PPV itself.

It wasn’t just the content on the actual show that Cornette took issue with. Before the event AEW President Tony Khan tweeted out an image featuring himself, Mike Tyson, The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Jake Roberts and Lance Archer.

The photo (see below) shows all of the stars, including the on-screen rivals Cody and Archer, smiling for the camera displaying the new AEW TNT Championship.

Jim Cornette on Tony Khan Tweet

Cornette, as an old school style of wrestling promotor, took massive issue with this. “As I mentioned, I was not looking forward to seeing this show” Jim Cornette said on his Drive Thru podcast.

“Part of the reason why? We cannot forget about this, to preface the programme? Apparently they tweeted out a picture of Tony Kahn, Lance Archer, Cody and Arn [Anderson] on one side with The Young Bucks and Mike Tyson in the middle and Lance Archer and Jake Roberts on the other side. All mugging and smiling for the f*cking camera.”

Cornette would describe why he had an issue with on-screen rivals being part of the promotional image like this.

“After what Jake what two weeks ago? He dry humped Cody’s wife and put a snake on her! But because Mike Tyson’s star power is so magnetic, he was able to bring these two feuding entities. These two blood rivals together to mug for a picture and smile so they could tweet it out right before the f*cking show because they were so proud of that hubcap f*cking belt.”

Are you a fan of the new TNT Championship? Let us know in the comments

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The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ Lance Archer recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. The former TNA, WWE and New Japan performer would discuss a number of topics from his career; including how he would end up leaving Japan after eight years to join All Elite Wrestling.

“So everything was a whirlwind” Lance Archer began, discussing the transition back to the United States. “We literally just finished the World Tag League last year, I got home on December 9th I think? AEW was coming to Dallas on the 11th so I got home on a Monday and AEW was in Dallas on the Wednesday.”

Lance Archer would elaborate further, saying “I know Billy [Gunn], so many of the guys like Trent, who was getting ready to work with Moxley. I know Kenny Omega and all these guys, they’re friends of mine.”

The Murderhawk Monster would then reveal that initially he was just going to the show to see friends, not actually looking for a job at the time.

“I was like I want to go see my friends, I’m not going looking for a job. I’m not going to bother anybody, I don’t want to be that guy going ‘hey man can you can you hook me up brother?’ I didn’t want to be that way you know? And things were good with me in New Japan so it wasn’t like I was in essence needing to do that at the time.”

Lance Archer Meets Tony Khan

Lance Archer would then talk meeting AEW President Tony Khan for the first time. “So I just wanted to go see my friends and it was one of those situations where I got to meet Tony for the first time and we had a good conversation. He and I talked that night and we talked about the possibility of something in the future. It came to be that they found out that I didn’t have a full contract; I had never had a full contract working with New Japan for over eight and a half years. Or just eight years at that point.”

Chris Jericho was completely bemused at this, referencing how WWE had previously taken the likes of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Gallows and Anderson from New Japan. “Even after they raided Gallows and Anderson, AJ and Nakamura they didn’t sign you up to a contract!?” Jericho asked.

Lance Archer would then reveal that newer talent in New Japan are now signed to full contracts. “They did have guys and I’m absolutely blessed for those guys. The [Will] Ospreays and Juices [Robinson] and guys like that. They were all under contract, but I was a guy that had been with the company for over eight years and never was.”

Do you think that New Japan are going to miss having Lance Archer on their roster? Let us know in the comments

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WWE Superstar Mandy Rose recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company. These would include the red-hot storyline involving her and Otis, Becky Lynch now leaving the company and what it is like pitching directly to Vince McMahon.

One of the points raised to Mandy Rose was just how involved Vince McMahon is in terms of storylines in the company. With the likes of the XFL and other ventures potentially taking time away from the WWE Chairman; Vince McMahon is still extremely involved in the minutia of the company’s narrative aspects.

Mandy Rose on McMahon’s Involvement

“He’s very involved” Mandy Rose began. “He’s involved in everything, Vince’s a huge fan of it and he takes a lot of pride in it. He really wants it [WWE] to continue to grow and become the best it can be.”

Mandy Rose would then talk specifically about her ongoing storyline with Otis. It has been reported recently that McMahon has been heavily involved in the SmackDown storyline in particular. The Chairman of WWE apparently sees a lot of potential in Otis especially, and is keen to capitalise on that.

“That makes us feel great” Rose stated, talking about McMahon’s ongoing involvement. “Obviously we take so much pride in it as well. So as a team? We’re all willing to put our opinions in and kind of develop the story the best way we can come up with. Bring the best ideas for our fans to enjoy.”

It’s highly likely that Vince McMahon will continue to be heavily involved in the company’s presentation and storylines going forward. Pre-pandemic, there were constant reports of McMahon demanding re-writes of the RAW and SmackDown scripts just hours/minutes before the shows were due to begin.

Do you think that Vince McMahon will step down any time soon?

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