WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of the Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the revelation that WrestleMania 36 will be held in front of no fans at the Performance Center in Florida.

Postponing WrestleMania

“They got to do it, I don’t think postponing WrestleMania is gonna work for them” Bully Ray began. “Who knows when it’s gonna get postponed to? I mean, this whole situation with coronavirus is so fluid [and] changing, day to day. We don’t know if we’re on a two week, four week or six week [situation]. Who knows how long we’re gonna have to practice this social distancing before things go back to normal?”

“You run into colliding with your own business”

– Bully Ray

Bully Ray would then talk about the actual logistics of ‘postponing’ WrestleMania. “If you start postponing WrestleMania too deep into the year? You run into colliding with your own business. [With] SummerSlam, you run into by obviously the start of Major League Baseball, NFL preseason. Which stadium is going to be available?”

“Remember the WrestleMania of 2020 at the Performance Center in front of no people?”

– Bully Ray

Bully Ray elaborated further, discussing the potential positives of the ‘no fans’ Mania. “This is going to be unique, it’s going to be different and in 50 years from now when we’re looking back on it? We’re going to say, remember the WrestleMania of 2020 at the Performance Center in front of no people? It’s gonna be unique, in some way, shape or form. This might be the way business is gonna be done in the WWE and all of wrestling that’s televised in the foreseeable future.

Coronavirus: A Benefit to WWE?

Bully would then finish by giving a very interesting take, saying that the situation may end up being beneficial for pro wrestling, especially WWE. “I think it’s actually going to help professional wrestling, and the WWE in an interesting way,” he said.
That, I am not quite sure people are seeing. This is it because that there’s the opportunity now for more eyes to be on WrestleMania than ever before.”

He continued, “Because as you know there’s no other sporting events taking place, everyone’s kind of self contained they’re in their homes. Nobody’s venturing outside. So, you know people who haven’t watched wrestling the last 10 or 15 years and obviously, any wrestling fan?”

Bully Ray argues that some sports fans who are confined to their homes due to Coronavirus will purchase the WWE Network, watch WrestleMania 36 and like it so much that they’ll become regular viewers of RAW, SmackDown and NXT. Maybe?

“They’re gonna tune into WrestleMania 36 because there’s really no other choices or options. If you’re a sports fan. In the short term, that’s definitely one way I think it’ll benefit. People are going to be home, people are going to be basically hunkering down and quarantined to their homes. They’re going to be looking for some sort of entertainment so yes, we might get new viewers to the WWE Network we might get new viewers on pay per view we might get new viewers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights for their products. But I think the interesting aspect of having no fans at the arenas, is that when the day comes when fans are allowed to go back to watch the WWE live, I think the floodgates are going to be open, you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Former AEW Champion Chris Jericho recently spoke to commentator Excalibur as part of the Talk Is Jericho weekly podcast. Jericho spoke to the masked man about founding PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerilla) as well as his stint thus far in the new upstart All Elite brand.

Chris Jericho’s Influence In AEW

The conversation would segue into Chris Jericho’s own backstage roles within the company. “I have a much bigger role in the shaping and creative of Dynamite than I ever did in WWE” Jericho began. “Not just for my own stuff, but everything. Production elements, music, light switches, vignettes and all that sort of stuff.”

“We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?”

– Chris Jericho

Jericho would finish discussing how the AEW team as a whole has stepped up to the challenge of weekly live television and PPV. “We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?” Jericho stated.

“Some things are going to be perfect. Other things are going to need stuff to work, you have to shape and work on it better. But I’ve really seen a difference from a whole crew that had never really experienced live TV yourself (Excalibur) included. Very few of us: Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes, Jericho, Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley dealt with it in WWE, [Also] Jake Hager. But most of us haven’t, so to see that come together so quickly, has been really cool to experience and be a part of it.”

There have been recent reports that indicate Jericho has held ‘talent meetings’ with regards to the in-ring product for AEW.

Back in December Jericho said the following on Konnan’s Keepin It 100 podcast:

“I called a team meeting…the lack of tags and normal tag team wrestling psychology drove me nuts. It’s sort of making excuses for The Lucha Brothers because tagging in and out, they’re lazy, they don’t care.”

Do you think that the in-ring and production elements of AEW have improved over the first few months? Let us know in the comments

Former WWE Superstar and host of the Conversation With The Big Guy podcast Ryback recently discussed the situation regarding Matt Hardy.

Matt Hardy recently left WWE after his contract with the company finished. With the ‘Free The Delete‘ YouTube series Hardy has been teasing his next destination in the wrestling world.

The overwhelming belief is that Hardy will eventually end up in AEW; with The Young Bucks having appeared in a recent episode of Hardy’s online series.

Matt Hardy Going To AEW?

Ryback says he hopes Matt Hardy winds up in All Elite Wrestling, but expects him to enjoy a little ‘down time’ following his release from WWE.

“I had a little interaction with him, maybe four or five weeks ago” Ryback began. “He’s been in that system for so long. I think we all know how it works. And think it was just let the contract run out, and he’ll probably enjoy a little downtime. After you know, being there for the last few years. I would hope he goes to AEW personally, because I think a guy like that? You want their work; not just for himself, but to be working with the younger guys and instilling some of that psychology. Because he [Matt Hardy] does have good psychology.”

Potential Run on the Independent Scene

Ryback would elaborate further, describing how beneficial Matt Hardy could be to the AEW brand. “He’s very creative, and I think he’s gonna he’ll be very beneficial to that AEW roster…if he can get there eventually. I wouldn’t be shocked if he did a little run on the Indies again though, just because.”

He continued, “I mean you can clean up as far as financially [working the independent scene]. It’s very laid back and it’s very enjoyable there when you first leave WWE as far as what that money that is offered on the table. It’s great and he, he will be able to probably have a nice run with that if you want and then go to AEW or just jump right in one day a week anyways. He may just be ready to go, So, I hope he’s at AEW at end of the day.”

Subscribe top Matt Hardy’s YouTube channel to follow his Free The Delete series and other Hardy-branded digital content.

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the company and their stance on using ‘older’ talent heading into WrestleMania.

Bully Ray on Goldberg

Bully began by referencing Goldberg winning the Universal Championship at Super Showdown last month. “If you’re angry about this you just don’t get it” stated Bully Ray. “People took that as if I was happy that Goldberg won. Or I thought it was good for the younger guys that Goldberg one.I ‘m just saying that I understand it from the business point of view, heading into WrestleMania.”

Bully Ray elaborated further, saying how he feels veteran talent should be used sparingly to help propel the newer generation. “I’m not a fan of it when it comes to constantly relying on the older talent, the veteran talent. The Hall of Fame talent. Because one day is going to come along where you cannot rely on that Hall of Fame talent anymore. I mean, when will Becky Lynch have the opportunity to get to the same level as Steve Austin did? When will Roman Reigns have the same opportunity to get to the same level The Rock did? Will anybody get the same opportunity that the nWo did? Or any of these guys. Why was the sky the limit for Austin and Rocky, ‘Taker, Cactus and Hardy? I mean so many acts, but now? Nope.”

FCW and Ruthless Aggression

Bully then referenced the FCW original documentary that aired on the WWE Network. “How come Roman is not at the same level as everybody else? Seth, Becky, Charlotte, they’re all the biggest names in the WWE, but they don’t even come close to what those other stars were able to accomplish. Last night after Elimination Chamber was over I watched the FCW special that I absolutely loved. And then I actually started watching the Brock Lesnar special from the Ruthless Aggression series. I got to the point where it was Brock vs The Rock from SummerSlam 2002. And I’m just like, holy crap. This is awesome. Look at what Rock is doing for Brock and look at how that propelled Brock into superstardom. Nobody is being given the opportunity to be propelled into superstardom now.”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. The podcast version of the show is also available via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and PlayerFM.

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the ongoing feud between RAW Superstar Randy Orton and Edge. Henry has previously praised Orton specifically for ‘carrying’ the feud singlehandedly whilst Edge is off of television ‘recovering’ from the chair shot he took on January 27th.

Mark Henry on Randy Orton

“I’m gonna read something right now, I get a text yesterday” Henry began on the SiriusXM show. “‘Hey, man, I watched [WWE] Backstage, and I heard the kind words that you said about me. That sincerely means a lot my man.’ And that was from Randy. Randy Orton respects the fact that we [the performers] honor him. That we hold him at a high regard and justifiably so, he deserves it.”

“Arguably The Best Heel In The Industry”

Henry would also call Orton arguably the best ‘heel’ in the wrestling industry right now. “He’s arguably the best heel in pro wrestling today” Henry stated. “Work wise, promo wise, career wise. There’s nobody else on the planet that’s living up to Randy Orton’s excellence. Randy listens to this [Busted Open] show, and every time it’s not because it is about him per se. It’s about the fact that he lifts up the business. He cares about the business of pro wrestling, just like you and I. You’re the superfan. I was the superfan that became a wrestler. That actually got to come back in the media and relay that message. And I feel like I’m the voice of the wrestler that gets to respond to the fans. And I’m letting all y’all know that Randy Orton is relishing being the guy that he is today.”

“I’m looking so forward to next week that I just can’t even…”

Mark Henry would finish by saying that he holds Randy Orton in high regard. He also made it clear that he holds RAW above SmackDown in terms of quality television right now. “It’s much appreciated as a fan of pro wrestling. And as a former wrestler? I hold Randy at a high regard. And it’s going to continue to be that way. I’m looking so forward to next week that I just can’t even…I know I’m shouldn’t be pushing past Friday. I shouldn’t be pushing past Smackdown, I shouldn’t be pushing past the pay per view Elimination Chamber. But I’m so ready for Monday.”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio via SiriusXM. The podcast version is available via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and PlayerFM.

Do you think that Randy Orton is currently the best heel in pro wrestling? Let us know your pick in the comments below

Nikki and Brie Bella recently revealed that they will be releasing a memoir via Simon & Schuster. The duo will be heading into the WWE Hall of Fame in Tampa this April and ‘Incomparable’ will be available to purchase on May 5th.

The Bella Twins Book

“We’re really really excited about this book but also really really nervous” Brie began on this week’s episode of The Bella Twins Podcast. “You know, Nicole and I obviously as reality stars we’ve always put our lives out there. We don’t hold back the good, the bad, the ugly, you name it, we show it. But one thing that we kind of never told anyone about was our childhood and how we were raised into these strong women. And that is what our book will that you know. From the moment we shared a womb together, to where we’re at today. So we’re really excited for you all. And there’s a lot of stories you don’t know about my sister!”

“maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?”

Nikki Bella echoed Brie’s sentiments, saying “it’s true there’s a lot I shared in this book that I’ve actually never talked about beyond my therapist and my sister. Even my mom will be hearing some stories for the first time. And I think you know sometimes we never actually get to hear from people all the time. Do we open up in this way when it comes to writing a book? And then Brie and I sat down with our ghostwriter. It was like therapy sessions.”

Nikki elaborated further, saying “we just started talking about our life and I remember going to, her name’s Elise, and I was like. I don’t know, ‘maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?’ And Elise really opened up my eyes to how my stories can help other women and girls out there. Help them make different decisions or be stronger in this situation.”

Brie’s High School Boyfriend

Brie also revealed that there is a chapter about her high school boyfriend, Bear. In the past Brie has been scarce on detail regarding his death, but it is addressed in the book. “One chapter is about Bear” Brie revealed. “He was my boyfriend who passed away in high school [during] my senior year, and the impact of not only him when he was alive what he did to my life and how he changed me, but how his death changed me too. And it changed me in a spiritual way but also just, you know. I thought I literally was on this one path.”

Brie elaborated further, saying “when you have something tragic happening like that, it, it just changes everything. Like the way you live, and we start to look at stuff and I really go in detail. I know everyone always sees my tattoos in my lower stomach; and you’ve heard me speak about him here and there but it’s been very vague and so now you get a really deep look into how my life was affected and just my relationship with him.”

Incomparable will be available to purchase May 5th via Simon & Schuster and Amazon.

We’re just a month away from WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, and the main event for the WWE Championship will see Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre take on the reigning, defending, Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar.

Mick Foley on Drew McIntyre

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Hardcore Legend’ made a point to specifically mention Drew McIntyre, who he wanted to give props to Drew for his transformation over the past few years. Specifically, how the former Drew Galloway reacted to being fired from WWE, performing on the independent scene, IMPACT et al. And also for returning to the company to become a viable main event player.

Mick Foley Talks “Loving” 3MB

“I want to give props to Drew McIntyre. Man, I love what he did on RAW” Foley began. “I thought that was really dramatic, I think it’s very believable. He’s a great opponent for Brock but even more important than being a great opponent; I think the transformation he underwent when he left the company as part of 3MB, and I love 3MB. I thought to myself, I’ve seen Drew McIntyre as a main event guy, I didn’t buy it. This is going back 5, 6, 7 years. I do buy him as a low card comedy figure. That’s as good as it gets for Drew McIntyre.”

Watching Drew McIntyre on the Independent Scene

Foley then recalled being contacted by Drew McIntyre shortly after he left the company. “Within a week or two after leaving, I got a message from Drew and he said ‘Mick lI know we don’t know each other that well. But I respect your opinion. I’m trying something different. I apologise in advance for the language, but it’s an 18 and older audience. I check it out, I press play and there’s a guy who looks like Drew McIntyre, but is in a sense a different human being. Cutting this impassioned promo that’s full of emotion and full of life and I’m looking at my screen like going, where did this come from? And where you know where, where was this [in WWE]?

Texting Triple H

Mick Foley then revealed that he actually contacted Triple H after seeing the video. “The first thing I did and this is not something I do often, I texted Triple H and said ‘Hunter I know he just left here, but you need to keep an eye on Drew McIntyre.’ And I think I used that phrase “he’s almost like an entirely different human being.”

Foley finished by praising Drew McIntyre for ‘upping his game’ on the independent scene instead of just ‘cashing in.’ “And so for any guy who leaves WWE, and we all reserve the right you know. to cash in and what we’ve done to work the Indies to sell our gimmicks. No one will think less of us for that, but while doing that simultaneously keep your eye on the long term game. What he [McIntyre] did is inspirational. It should be like a roadmap for everyone who leaves and believes they’re capable of doing something better, I think. But yeah, I really, I really admire what he did, he put in the work he transformed himself and now he’s a veritable WrestleMania Main Event performer”

Do you think that Drew McIntyre versus Brock Lesnar will go on last at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments

Co-host of the 83 Weeks podcast Eric Bischoff recently discussed ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on the show. Bischoff referred to the recent Super Showdown event where Wyatt lost his Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg; calling it ‘shocking.’ Eric Bischoff would discuss how The Fiend was a massive merchandise mover during his short time in WWE. Also how he believed that WWE were building a new ‘Undertaker-esque’ character at the time.

Bischoff at The Helm of SmackDown

Bischoff was the Executive Director of the SmackDown brand back in 2019. Although The Fiend wasn’t actually on the blue brand around the time that Bischoff was in charge; there’s a good chance that ‘Easy E’ would’ve been privy to that sort of merchandising information at the time.

“I found that shocking particularly, the way they did it [and] as quickly as they did it” Bischoff began, talking about how Goldberg would get the win against a previously dominant in-ring presence in The Fiend. “When I was in WWE, I don’t know what the situation is now. But The Fiend’s merchandise, they couldn’t produce it fast enough” Bischoff revealed.

The Fiend as a new Undertaker?

Bischoff elaborated further, saying “it appeared to me at least, that The Fiend was going to be one of those characters that could be an Undertaker esque type character over the long term.”

Bray Wyatt is currently scheduled to face John Cena at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa. The creative direction for The Fiend is currently uncertain. Wyatt has been alluding to the character’s mentality on social media. With Wyatt making allusions to the fact that Goldberg wasn’t “part of his journey.” And that John Cena at WrestleMania is “where it all began.”

It will be interesting to see how WWE play off the feud heading into WrestleMania season.

Do you think that The Fiend could be the next Undertaker? Let us know in the comments

Host of WWE’s Backstage show on FOX and former RAW commentator Renee Young appeared on Lillian Garcia’s ‘Chasing Glory‘ podcast this week. Young discussed a number of topics with Garcia, including how WWE officials reacted to her following her husband Jon Moxley joining All Elite Wrestling.

Renee “bracing for impact”

“I was sort of like bracing for that impact” Renee began, “I was expecting…I mean at that time I’m doing commentary, I’m sitting in production meetings and all the news breaks about him [Moxley] going to AEW. And [I’m] like, what’s gonna happen?”

Renee Young would then confirm that, to her surprise, nothing day to day changed for her in WWE. “Nothing changed for me. No one treated me differently. No, not really. I mean other than the ‘boys,’ wanting to know how he was doing and what not, but other than that I was never pulled aside and was like ‘oh my god Jon’s doing his thing, and you’re doing this and we got to keep things separate’ like that conversation never happened.”

Travel Schedule

Young would elaborate further, talking about how her travel schedule changed without Moxley/Dean Ambrose on the road with her. “It sucked for me not having him on the road with me, my biggest issue was like ‘damn we don’t get to travel together? Like you’re not in the hotel room when we finish the show?’ You know I miss having those moments.”

Moxley in Japan

Renee finished by saying just how unhappy Moxley was before his WWE depature. “So he wants to go off and go do something else. I mean I’m not gonna dig in and ‘oh my god you’re not on the road with me now!? You’ve busted your ass since you were a kid to achieve this, like gigantic dream. Don’t sit around and meet me in catering after the show. You go do the thing that you need to do like go knock on those doors go to Japan.’ I mean when the hardest part was when he went to go to the G1 [Climax] in Japan, he was gone for four or five weeks. I was like, Oh my God. But I was in Toronto, I was like with my friends and family and stuff so it was, it’s fine. But yeah it really wasn’t that because when he came to me and said that he wanted to leave I was like, sure. Yeah, I mean, when you know you know.”

You can check out Chasing Glory every week via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Player FM

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry had some intriguing comments regarding the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns will be challenging new Champion Goldberg at the event; following a face-to-face with the former WCW star on SmackDown this past Friday. The live crowd in Boston not only booed Goldberg, who had defeated The Fiend just the night before, but also were not exactly receptive to Reigns, chanting “you both suck.”

Roman Reigns Main Eventing Again?

This will be the fifth time that Roman Reigns has main evented WrestleMania, if this match goes on last. The previous four bouts came at the height of fans completely rejecting Reigns in the main event position, however Mark Henry believes that this time will be different.

“This is a time where you’re not shoving Roman Reigns down somebody’s throat” Henry began. “And the people actually wanted…they were cheering for Roman, they were like, ‘kick his ass, take the title.’ They [the fans] want to see Roman Reigns have success again, that’s where we’ve evolved to, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Henry elaborated further, saying “I think that this is Romans time. People believe in him, people get behind him. They want to see him. Do they want to see him be [WWE] champion? I’m not sure, we’ll find out. But do they want to see him be champion more than Goldberg? Yes.”

Henry then made the point that Goldberg should be clearly positioned as the antagonist in the feud with Reigns. “He’s [Goldberg] gonna have to be arrogant. ‘I told you that I will be champion again, everybody was on my back about what happened the last time I was in Saudi but look at me now.’ I would paint the picture of him being the biggest assh*le that has ever been in pro wrestling.”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM or the Podcast version via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Player FM.

Do you think that Roman Reigns and Goldberg will main event WrestleMania this year? Let us know in the comments

NWA Powerrr commentator Stu Bennett recently appeared on Busted Open Radio to discuss his move to the YouTube based brand. During the interview Bennett would give his rundown of some of the next breakout stars to come from the revitalised National Wrestling Alliance programme.

“Obviously when I turned up I wasn’t familiar with Thunder Rosa at all” Stu Bennett began. “She’s the NWA Women’s Champion so I was very new to learning curve. But the very first time I clapped eyes on her, I knew immediately this girl is gonna be box office she she’s so good and that’s an obvious one.”

Bennett would also praise the former NWA Television Champion, Ricky Starks. “I think Ricky Starks is another one. It’s very obvious he’s kind of earlier on the curve than Thunder Rosa at the moment but he’s on this build, this growth cycle. At the moment where he’s gonna go? I think he’s really going to go to that kind of A List level, eventually. But again he’s on the build.”

The former WWE Superstar was also quick to praise some of the more quirky characters in the company, including the Question Mark and current Television Champion Zicky Dice. “There’s other people who organically, just randomly get over” Bennett stated. “You never would anticipate the Question Mark thing. It’s utterly bizarre. But it just works, people love it, the storytelling is crazy, it’s ridiculous. Another guy who I wasn’t familiar with probably four or five weeks ago, is a guy called Zicky Dice. And it was like a kind of an 80’s sleazeball character, but I fell in love with him almost immediately. He’s a fantastic character and another guy you can’t take your eyes off of.”

You can check out NWA Powerrr every week via their Official YouTube channel.

You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. Or catch the Podcast version of the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favourite podcast host.

Co-Executive VP of IMPACT Don Callis recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. The former ECW personality discussed how the brand has grown throughout 2019; with the likes of Tessa Blanchard, Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards being given the chance to shine on the AXS Network show.

IMPACT Roster

“I look at our roster and I’ll put that up against any roster in the industry” Callis began. “Our top eight is real, real solid and you get guys like [Tommy] Dreamer on the roster who, you know…I used to call my my good buddy Kenny Omega the best bout machine. I call Tommy the Best Pop machine because He always gets the biggest pop.”

Callis would then go on to praise the IMPACT roster and talked about how the move to AXS TV has been very beneficial to the brand. IMPACT moved over to the AXS back in October, after their parent company Anthem purchased the network. This not only propelled IMPACT to a much wider audience; but it also was the catalyst to have New Japan Pro Wrestling removed from the network. Thus impeding on their own efforts to advance in the North American market.

Arguably, since Don Callis and Scott D’Amore took over the brand back in 2018 there has been an uplift in the quality of IMPACT’s programming. The show has been critically acclaimed for its ability to build newer stars, such as Trey Miguel and Ace Austin.

“We have a lot of great talent, men and women who work their work, their tails off. And they’re there to to get the product over.” Callis then finished by saying that “obviously being on AXS is great for us, because we’re able to reach a much wider audience”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. Or catch the Podcast version of the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favourite podcast host.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently revealed some intriguing facts regarding the former Turner franchise and lawsuits that were levied against them.

Eric Bischoff was discussing a lawsuit that was presented by Paul Heyman, as ECW talent Sabu was the subject of a contract dispute back in the year 2000. In terms of Heyman’s ‘tactics’ at that time; Bischoff said that “Heyman was a part of WCW during a period of time when all you had to do to get a checkout of Turner Broadcasting was whisper the words, ‘I think I’m going to sue you.'”

Eric Bischoff also mentioned how Turner operated back then in terms of settlements to lawsuits. “If that came with a settlement, you know, anywhere below $999,999, you get a check. WCW was very inclined to settle anything that was or wasn’t merit-less. It was just easier to make it go away than it was to, you know, defend it in court. So I don’t blame him [Heyman]. You know, I might have done the same thing.”

Sabu had previously worked with WCW back in 1995. The former hardcore star would never appear for World Championship Wrestling before their demise in 2001; possibly due to the contract dispute from ECW. During that time Sabu would work for the XPW promotion; winning their World Heavyweight Championship whilst being managed by former Danzig bassist Josh Lazie.

You can listen to the 83 Weeks podcast with Eric Bischoff via iTunes. Stitcher. Or you favourite podcast host every Monday at 6am EST.

World Boxing Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder over the weekend in decisive fashion. The bout was billed as the biggest of this century, with two of the most gifted heavyweights in the world colliding.

Tyson Fury in WWE

Following the fight WWE’s Braun Strowman, who previously had a match against Fury in Saudi Arabia; tweeted his want for another shot at the World Champion. Following his massive win at the weekend Tyson Fury is now arguably one of the hottest trending names in the sports world; and with his natural flair he is seen as a perfect for WWE, according to Busted Open Radio’s Bully Ray.

More Over Than Ever

“He’s even more over than he was the day he stepped foot in the WWE. Or him stepping foot in that boxing ring” Bully began. “Because this guy got him self over as an entertainer during his entrance and after the fight. I mean Tyson Fury has shown why he’s custom made for the WWE. He comes out you know on the throne, I mean we’ve seen that before you know; King Haku, or King Harley raised up, or King Corbin. It’s very WWE. He is singing Patsy Cline’s Crazy during his entrance. He’s actually singing the words of the song hanging out having a great time. Then [he] goes out there and just completely kicks Deontay Wilder ass.”

Bully also stated that he believes the ‘Gypsy King’ would be a good opponent for WWE’s King Corbin in the near future. “I mean this guy is custom fit for the WWE, the WWE is going to want the boxing world undisputed champion on their side now and I could see the Gypsy King vs King Corbin happening down the line.”

There have been rumors that Tyson Fury was looking to perform more for the WWE in future, although with this big win the boxing star might be looking ahead to a fight against fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

Do you think we will see Tyson Fury back in a WWE ring? Let us know in the comments

We’re just 6 weeks away from the biggest event in WWE’s year. WrestleMania 36 will be taking place on Sunday April 5, 2020 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Whilst two big bouts have already been confirmed for NXT and RAW, SmackDown’s main event matches are apparently still in a ‘state of flux.’

SmackDown at WrestleMania

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray discussed the upcoming event on Busted Open Radio. “I’ve heard rumblings within the WWE. Nothing is set in stone on on the SmackDown side of WrestleMania” Bully Ray began. “When it comes to the Universal Championship for WrestleMania, a lot of matches are in a ‘state of flux.’ I think we only have two definitive matches so far set, you know, Brock [Lesnar] and Drew McIntyre plus Charlotte [Flair] and Rhea [Ripley], everything else is up for grabs.”

WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt will be defending his title this Thursday against Goldberg at Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that Roman Reigns will be challenging for the belt at WrestleMania against the winner of the SS match. “Roman is going to be involved somehow” Bully stated. “And I think it’s probably time for them to kind of get Roman back into the championship mix. Although I can’t say positively if I think that’s a good idea or not.”

A year ago today Roman Reigns announced to the world that he was in remission from cancer. Of course the reception to Roman has changed from the live audiences since then, but there’s a palpable feeling that WWE may he hesitant to put him back into the title picture.

Do you think that Goldberg will defeat Bray Wyatt in Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently commented on the now infamous match between him and Buff Bagwell back in 2001. The match has been described on WWE.com as “the most awkward ever.”

The former King of The Ring winner seems to agree.

Booker T vs Buff Bagwell

The match was seemingly the true death knell for the WCW brand. Whilst Vince McMahon had already bought his competition; there was a belief that WCW could still function as a separate entity. With the rumors at the time indicating that Nitro would become the Monday show and SmackDown would be the WWF show later in the week. Due to the massively negative reaction that the match got in the main event of the July 2, 2001 edition of RAW the idea was seemingly scrapped. Although it seemed as though Bagwell and Booker undelivered; it’s arguable that they were never put in a position to succeed in the first place.

Booker T discussed the bout during the most recent episode of Lillian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast. “It was a real war back then between WCW and WWF, you know,” Booker began. “And it didn’t help putting Bagwell and I in that spot, I think we were Tacoma, Washington.”

Booker T elaborated further, mentioning how they were never going to succeed in that position. “It was one of those things where, we were in a position. You know. Fail or succeed. [Except] it wasn’t designed for us to succeed, I understood that. I think Bagwell may have understood that, as well. And and what happened happened I go back and I look at the match, and it wasn’t the crappiest match in the world but it was no way that we’re gonna succeed.”

You can listen to Lillian Garcia’s Chasing Glory every week via iTunes, Stitcher or your favourite podcast host

Former ECW personality Beulah McGillicutty recently appeared on Busted Open Radio alongside her husband Tommy Dreamer. This was the first time that McGillicutty has appeared on a live radio interview since she left ECW back in 1998.

Beulah McGillicutty vs Bill Alfonso

One of the more intriguing aspects of the conversation centered around Beulah’s match against ECW on screen manager Bill Alfonso from the 1997 event, As Good As It Gets. The match was described by former ECW owner Paul Heyman as his favourite in the history of the promotion.

The five minute contest was a bloody brawl, and had implications for beyond the ring also. Bill Alfonso had allegedly been feeding information to rival promotions, looking to get talent to sign deals with the likes of WCW. Paul Heyman admitted in ‘The Rise and Fall of ECW’ documentary that this performance from Alfonso essentially saved his career in the company. Alfonso and Beulah McGillicutty were not trained performers but they gave their all in the contest.

“Yeah, it really scared me. I thought he was gonna die” Beulah McGillicutty began, describing how Alfonso had cut an artery and nearly bled to death in the ring. Dreamer asked McGillicutty about her ‘stench’ of blood when came back through the curtain after the match, “it was worse when I stepped in the shower and the hot water hit my hair” Belulah elaborated. “Blood dried in. It was gross.”

Broken Arm

Tommy Dreamer also discussed an incident where Beulah actually broke her arm by hitting Alfonso; although it wasn’t made clear if it was during ‘this’ match. “I finished the match, though” Beulah confirmed. “I just want to say that I didn’t cry and leave the ring.”

Dreamer also described how the incident left her in a cast just before a trip to Japan. “She had a cast from her wrist, all the way up to her shoulder and it looks like a sickle clothesline thing. She had to fly from Detroit to Japan, 13 hours sitting next to the Sandman.”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio via Sirius XM or the Podcast version here.

RAW Commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently held a fan “Q&A” session on his Jerry Lawler Show podcast. One of the more intriguing queries came from a fan asking who Lawler would face in WWE today if he had the chance. Lawler’s initial response was The Miz, as he felt their chemistry from their bouts in 2011 would be easy to replicate.

“Miz would be excellent to work with,” Jerry Lawler began. Lawler then described how Bray Wyatt put it out there that he wanted a match against the ‘King of Memphis.’ “And you know, after we did the little thing a while back on Monday Night Raw (August 2019), before I was back doing commentary. I just came on for a guest appearance. Bray Wyatt came to me afterwards and he said ‘King I would love to work with you down in Memphis.'”

Jerry Lawler vs The Fiend?

It is extremely unlikely that the bout would ever happen in WWE, as Lawler suffered from a heart attack during a live episode of RAW back in 2013. The situation was critical, with Lawler reportedly being clinically dead for almost five minutes before being resuscitated. There have been numerous reports and Lawler himself has said that he cannot get physical whilst on WWE television. Jerry Lawler does however still wrestle periodically on independent cards across the United States.

Lawler made it clear that he would relish the idea of facing ‘The Fiend’ in his home territory of Memphis. “I just thought back then, what matches I could have had. Because he [Wyatt] was the perfect kind of villain that we would bring in. The big scary monster type. That’s the kind of people that I love to work with, and have matches with.”

Jerry Lawler finished by saying “I would love to have a have a match with Bray Wyatt or The Fiend either way.”

All Elite Wrestling crowned their second ever Women’s Champion on the February 12th episode of Dynamite. Nyla Rose defeated Riho to capture the Championship and cement her place in the AEW history books. Not only is Nyla Rose the second ever Women’s Champion in the company but she is the first ever Transgender Women’s Champion for a major promotion in North America.

Men’s AEW Champion Chris Jericho brought Nyla Rose onto his Talk Is Jericho podcast this week. ‘Le Champion’ discussed with Rose about being trans and how she felt about training in pro wrestling. This whilst presenting as a male.

“All Of The Above” – Nyla Rose

Jericho asked Rose if she started training as a man, women or transgender. “All of the above, all of the above” Nyla Rose replied. “I was there male presenting, I was there in boy mode. I was playing a part. The biggest part I’ve ever played in my life; I was playing that part, I was trying to get over and can convince everybody of something that wasn’t true.”

Rose would then discussed the difficulty of presenting as male to her fellow trainees but then ‘becoming’ Nyla Rose in her own time. “But in my own time outside of training for wrestling, I was Nyla Rose. Just in my bedroom and my own life. The first time I went out fully dressed was to take the trash out. And you would have thought I run like a marathon or like went to the Grammys or something that is such an accomplishment to have, you know. Just walk, you know, eight feet.”

Training

Jericho asked Rose how her colleagues perceived her at the time. “They [the other performers] were just very confused about me” Rose replied. “They thought I was just very flamboyant you know? I come in singing show tunes. Very feminine qualities, but looking like this macho playboy type big woman.”

Embraced

Rose would conclude by saying how embraced she was by the pro wrestling community when she opted to transition. “I have to do this, I have to make the change. I wasn’t sure if there was a place for me in pro wrestling. But pro wrestling was like one of the first places that absolutely embraced me and took me in, it’s like, ‘hey guys like I need to tell you something,’ I just very sheepishly approached it .So I can’t work your show because I wear a bra now because I’m starting to develop breasts.’ They thought I was ribbing them at first, but when they [were] kind of like, ‘is this real? Like is this a rib?’ and I was like no this is legit I’m trans and I’m going to be living as a woman from here on out and they were just like ‘alright.’

You can check out Talk Is Jericho via the Westwood One Podcast Network here.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently commented on tonight’s huge boxing heavyweight contest between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. There has been speculation since Fury’s WWE appearance in Saudi Arabia as to whether he would be returning to the squared circle. Tonight’s bout will most likely be a huge determining factor as to whether or not the ‘Gypsy King’ returns to WWE soon.

Booker is currently on location at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Booker will covering the fight, and he revealed his pick for the mega showdown on the Hall of Fame podcast.

Can Deontay Wilder Adjust His ‘Game?’

Booker T first talked about how Wilder is being expected to ‘adapt’ to Fury, according to a number of leading pundits. “Deontay Wilder, can he go out and adjust his game?” Booker began. “That’s the question I think more than anything. What I don’t know if that’s fair or not? Putting the onus on the champion to go out there and change his game.”

Booker also referenced the fact that in the pair’s first first Wilder scored two knockdowns on the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. “He’s [Wilder] the only one that, was in that [first] fight that got two big knockdowns on his opponent. You know Fury didn’t knock him down. Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, that’s what everybody wants to see. I do feel like in this fight that Deontay Wilder will stake his claim to be the Heavyweight Champion of the world. Nobody wants to see boring Tyson Fury go out there and fight Joshua.”

The former King of The Ring confirmed that he believed Wilder would win in around 7-8 rounds. Fury himself has said that he intends on knocking out Wilder within two rounds, and Booker T responded to this by saying “for him to go and knock out Wilder in two rounds? He would probably of had to be doing something that is probably not legal; as far as the USADA side and whatnot.”

RAW Commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently commented on RAW Superstar Matt Hardy and his contract status with WWE. Matt Hardy has been actively enticing fans on Twitter regarding his WWE status; posting images like the one you can see below indicating that he may be looking to go to AEW:

Lawler indicated that he does not believe that Hardy is going to be resigning with WWE. Referring to a recent tweet that Matt Hardy posted with a cryptic nod to AEW, ‘The King’ had this to say; “It [the tweet] started out as ‘Against Every Warning, I showed up at RAW.’ And the first three words ‘against every warning, were all capitalised. So, if you really look, if you really looked at the tweet. The first three words started with AEW.”

Lawler then reiterated that he doesn’t believe that Hardy will re-sign with WWE. “I doubt if he’s gonna sign back with with WWE. And, you know, I think he’s trying to let everybody know that he may be going to AEW but I’m…I don’t know. I don’t know for sure. There’s probably still negotiations going on between those two [Hardy and WWE].” Whilst Lawler did not confirm if he knew how the contract negotiations were developing, he did seem to indicate that Matt Hardy is unlikely to re-sign with the company in the near future.

Lawler finished by saying that he does not want Matt Hardy to leave the company, stating “I can’t imagine that WWE would want to lose Matt Hardy to AEW at this point. But you know some of those guys [at WWE] are buddies with some of the guys that are that are over there [at AEW] and that’s just the way things work.”

Do you think that Matt Hardy will end up in AEW? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray had some comments regarding Cody Rhodes’ Moonsault from this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

Rhodes was taking on Wardlow in a Steel Cage match when he hit a Moonsault from the top of the structure to a standing Wardlow to get the pinfall. The move looked spectacular, and whilst Bully agrees that the moment was ‘epic’ he felt that a moment of such magnitude should’ve been saved for the climax of Cody’s feud against MJF. Following the broadcast of Dynamite, Cody would speak to the crowd about the history of the Rhodes’ family in Atlanta. Cody was extremely emotional and this added to Bully’s thoughts that Rhodes decided to ‘create the moment’ more for himself than the story at large.

“Selfish is good in wrestling” – Bully Ray

“Doing that moonsault last night was selfish, I’m bet on balls right” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Because selfish, much like the word politicking in the wrestling business has a negative connotation. But it doesn’t have to. Selfish is good in wrestling, because sometimes you need to be selfish and selfish sometimes is patting yourself on your back and doing something for yourself that you want in your scrapbook for history.”

Bully then discussed the context of the night, with AEW filming in Atlanta, Georgia. “Atlanta, Dusty’s [Rhodes] town, now Cody’s town.” Ray also described how he felt Cody’s mindset may have been going into the match/spot. “‘I may never get to stand on top of a steel cage in Atlanta for the rest of my career. I don’t know what’s going to go down. So if this is my one and only chance to stand on top of that cage in a town with so much wrestling history; in a town that my family’s name is synonymous with? I’m doing it for myself.”

Ray would also compare the moment to his appearance at the Royal Rumble in Madison Square Garden. “In 2000? That’s exactly what I did in Madison Square Garden, when I stood on top of Madison Square Garden. I did that for myself because I wanted that memory to live forever. So if I never got a chance to do that again. I did it. So, if it comes to Cody selfishness, I’d be the first one to say, Good job, man.”

You can listen to the Busted Open Podcast here or via SiriusXM 6 days a week.

Do you think that Cody was being ‘selfish’ when he created that moment on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments

Soon to be two-time WWE Hall of Famers Scott Hall and Kevin Nash recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. The former ‘Outsiders’ tag team were discussing the nWo faction on the show amid the group’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in April.

Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Syxx, Hulk Hogan and ?

Hall and Nash are being inducted alongside Sean ‘Syxx’ Waltman and Hulk Hogan, two of the bigger members of the eventually inflated group (Hogan of course being the main star and initial leader). During the show Graves asked the pair who they would consider should be appearing with them on stage at the ceremony. Scott Hall mentioned Eric Bischoff, who has been a name brought up by fans and critics alike recently. Kevin Nash however had a more intriguing suggestion:

“Kevin Sullivan. Though this was Eric’s idea, Sullivan was the one that made sure… there’s always been this equation; that if you’re heels, in order for you to be successful…it’s like a hot air balloon. The more you ‘heat’ that balloon the higher it goes.”

Driving Force Behind The ‘Heat’

Nash elaborated further, confirming that Sullivan was one of the driving forces behind the nWo group keeping their ‘heat’ every week. “Sullivan just really battled day in day out to make sure that they didn’t take heat off us. Nobody got to the nWo. And so he [Sullivan] always books heat, his booking of that heat is what made the nWo.”

Scott Hall would then eco Nash’s thoughts, saying “I want to concur Corey. Kevin Sullivan, who I’m a huge fan of, it was like what we call back in the day like a heel Booker. I’m gonna pile on with what Kev said. We were hot coming in the door because we came off Vince’s [McMahon] TV. We were Razor [Ramon] and Diesel, and what are they doing here!? This is before [the] internet, this was before anybody had a cell phone. People thought it was real, people thought Vince sent us there to destroy WCW.”

The nWo will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April as part of WrestleMania 36.

You can catch the After The Bell podcast every Thursday through Endeavour Audio.

Outspoken former WWE and WCW Superstar Kevin Nash made some intriguing comments on this week’s edition of the After The Bell podcast. Nash answered a hypothetical question from host Corey Graves; indicating what ‘could’ have happened if ‘Big Daddy Cool’ hadn’t of gone to WCW back in 1996.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in WCW

Both Kevin Nash and his ‘Outsiders’ tag team partner Scott Hall completely changed the landscape of professional wrestling when they left the WWF in 1996 to join the rival company: World Championship Wrestling. When it was revealed that Hulk Hogan was also part of their group; the nWo was formed and completely changed WCW’s fortunes at the time. This led to WCW having an impressive 83 week win streak over the then WWF. This with the nWo at the helm.

WrestleMania

“I wouldn’t have dropped the belt” Kevin Nash began. This referring to the WWF Championship that he won in 1994 and eventually dropped in 1995 after indicating that he was leaving the company. “I wouldn’t of dropped the belt to Bret, who would then give it to Shawn [Michaels], unless I was guaranteed to win at WrestleMania. I really wouldn’t have done it. It would have been three big losses in a row. I needed a big win right there.”

The match that Nash is referring to is of course his WrestleMania 12 bout against The Undertaker. This would of course meant the end of Taker’s streak. However, it is worth noting that back in 1996 the ‘streak’ was not being referred to on television. “That could have been a possibility” Nash stated. Nash also claimed that Undertaker would’ve likely been happy to “do business” at the time.

How Things Could’ve Changed

“I’m not saying that would have happened, I’m not saying Vince [McMahon] wouldn’t have put me over, but I definitely wouldn’t have crossed up without something. [But] I was leaving, so man it was just like ‘alright.’ there’s a lot of things that could have changed.”

For fans of Undertaker’s streak it seems advantageous that Nash would leave for the competition at the time. Nash also wanted to make it abundantly clear that he did not want to leave WWF at the time. However the seemingly open chequebook of Turner Broadcasting made it almost impossible for he and Scott Hall/Razor Ramon to stay in the WWF.

You can catch After The Bell every Thursday through Endeavour Audio.

IMPACT star Rob Van Dam had some enlightening points regarding concussions and CTE. The former ECW Champion has recently released a documentary (Headstrong) that focuses on his symptoms and difficulties relating to his ongoing brain injuries. “I’ve had hundreds, seriously, hundreds, of concussions” RVD revealed on this week’s episode of the Steve Austin Show podcast.

RVD was one of the main figures of the ECW promotion back in the late nineties/early 2000’s. Van Dam would help to establish the ‘extreme’ brand with his mixture of high-flying, hardcore and hard hitting in-ring action. Concussions and CTE are such a major talking point in sports, now more than ever. WWE’s current stringent policy on head injuries wasn’t something that was implemented back in the 90s, especially in the likes of the indies/ECW.

Rob Van Dam and Chair Shots

RVD would also discuss the immediate effects of hits directly to the head with Austin. “(ECW performer) Balls Mahoney would hit me with a chair. Then ‘crack’ it would be like everything’s in slow motion,” Van Dam began. “Sometimes the sound ‘goes out,’ sometimes you know everything’s spinning.”

Concussions and CTE

Concussions and CTE aren’t something that RVD was aware of early in his career. The idea that you had to take shots to the head unprotected was what was expected of ECW performers. RVD would mention to Austin that he didn’t think that the effects would be long lasting. He thought that the instantaneous ‘woozyness’ was all that he would feel early in his career. “I had double vision, but I just couldn’t shake it off and I kept thinking well. You know, it’ll be gone tomorrow, so I’m not gonna let anybody know. The show must go on.”

IMPACT

Rob Van Dam currently wrestles for IMPACT, he made his return to the company back in April last year and has been a featured part of the show since. RVD would tell Austin that he preferred the lighter schedule of working for the Canadian based promotion, due to his age and the aforementioned issues relating to concussion related injuries. RVD did however reveal that he can still do “90%” of the moves he would previously perform earlier in his career.

You can find more information on Rob Van Dam’s new Headstrong documentary here.