Kofi Kingston spoke about the most painful moment of his in-ring career on the latest installment of WWE’s The New Day: Feel The Power podcast.

This week’s episode focused on ‘KofiMania,’ Kingston’s underdog story that culminated with him winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Back in February 2019, Kofi was included in a Gauntlet Match prior to the Elimination Chamber PPV event. The match was to determine who would enter the Chamber bout last, thus gaining a huge advantage in the match. Interestingly, Kofi Kingston was not originally pegged to be in the contest. WWE Superstar Ali had that spot but he was unfortunately injured and could not compete, thus allowing the New Day member to take his place in the match. In what was seen as a standout moment in Kofi’s career, he would go on to eliminate The New Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe before being eliminated by AJ Styles.

Kofi Kingston’s Most Painful WWE Moment

It was during the opening section of the match that Kofi suffered the “worst pain” he has ever felt inside a WWE ring.

“Actually this is the worst pain that I’ve ever felt in a wrestling match. Rowan (Daniel Bryan’s henchman at the time) hit me so hard in the back with a steel chair” Kofi Kingston began. “To everybody out there who’s like ‘well all those chairs, they’re not real chairs, you know.’ OH THEY REAL.”

“It’s probably not the best idea”

Kofi then discussed how the pain was so intense that he could’ve cried. Kingston also talked about how this could’ve been a way to build ever emotion into the match, but he chose against it.

“Rowan hit me so hard, and immediately like my eyes are welling up with tears” Kofi Kingston revealed. “I’m just like, oh, and I’m like, I’m almost about to cry. And I’m like, you know what, it’s probably okay if I shed tears because that really really really hurt. They’ll [the fans] understand that hurt so badly. And I’m just sitting there, I’m like, maybe not. It’s probably not the best idea. Maybe, I’ll hold these ones in. If I let myself go I would have been boo-hooing in front of the world.”

You can actually view the chair shot in question in the video embedded below:

Post-KofiMania

Since Kofi’s short run in the main event title picture he has been back in the SmackDown tag team scene with New Day partner Big E. The third member of the group Xavier Woods is currently rehabbing an Achilles Tendon injury. Woods is expected to be out of action for quite some time. It is unlikely that Kofi will be back in the WWE Championship picture anytime soon following his loss last year to Brock Lesnar on SmackDown’s FOX debut.

You can listen to The New Day: Feel The Power every week via Endeavour Audio.

Co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry made some rather inflammatory comments towards WWE Backstage host CM Punk. This on a recent episode of the Sirius XM show. Henry made it clear that he doesn’t enjoy Punk in the role of ‘analyst’ on the show, saying that he should be out there ‘inciting a riot.’

Henry had interviewed WWE Superstar Aleister Black earlier in the Busted Open broadcast, someone who he feels is “ready for the main event.”

CM Punk had made comments on this week’s episode of WWE Backstage where he believed that the next step for Black should be a run at a mid-card title, specifically the United States. This did not resonate with the ‘World’s Strongest Man,’ who said that stars of much higher stature should be “taking the fight TO Aleister Black.”

“What Punk should say is ‘he’s looking for a fight? Hell, I’ll fight him'” Henry began. “How about that? Let that be the news tomorrow. CM Punk says Aleister Black wants to fight. Take your ass to the ring. And you tell me what day the week it is. And I’ll be there.”

CM Punk has not officially been involved in a professional wrestling bout since he left WWE back in 2014. Punk left the company before WrestleMania 30, forcing the company to change plans for that year’s event. It was rumored that Punk would be facing Triple H at the show of shows.

Mark Henry would then go on to hype how big a Punk vs Black match could be, “listen, you wouldn’t be able to buy a ticket. That’s what CM Punk is supposed to be doing. Inciting a riot. I watched him on WWE Backstage, and I feel like he’s got his hands in his pockets. His arms are folded. I feel like he’s, he’s got to be the focal point, I wish I was on the show, I would challenge him. And I would [say] ‘bro, that’s not who you are. I know you. You’re a fighter. That’s why you quit wrestling. So you could go fight because you wanted to fight. win, lose or draw. What do you like to do in your life? stir the shit and fight. Please do that. That’s what entertains me.’

WWE recently announced that Mark Henry will be joining WWE Backstage for next week’s episode.

You can catch Busted Open Radio every day on Sirius XM as well as their dedicated Podcast show via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Player FM.

AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.

One of the questions posed to Jim Ross revolved around AEW’s stance in terms of new signings. Ring of Honor star Jeff Cobb appeared in a shock appearance on Dynamite this week to the end the show. Interestingly, although JR is reportedly not involved in talent relations he did mention that the likes of Cobb would be a great fit for All Elite.

“I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb” – Jim Ross

When asked about the type of talent AEW should be looking for JR replied “size. Athletic, big guys. I don’t know who is signed. I [just] know that I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb. I’m a big fan of the former Harper in WWE [now Brodie Lee].”

Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “guys like that have ability that we all can see. [Guys] That have not been given the total opportunity to become a global star with a spotlight on them. I like those kind of guys, because all those guys I just mentioned are from athletic backgrounds. So that means to me that since being a kid they were competitive. That’s important. Because this business is not easy. So finding athletes to become pro wrestlers is not a bad formula, it worked for generations in our country. Bronko Nagurski is an NFL Hall of Famer. [He] was playing football in the height of his career, but left the NFL [to] wrestle full time cause he made more money wrestling at that point.”

Jim Ross also made the point of saying that AEW needs to look at bringing in bigger stars to play the heel role. “We need heels, big heels, we need heels on our roster to develop. We [AEW] probably have too many babyfaces. So I think big athletic heels are something they’re looking for.”

Who do you think AEW are likely to sign next? Let us know in the comments

WWE Superstar Carmella recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast alongside her partner and host Corey Graves. During the interview on the show Graves asked Carmella about her upcoming Championship match against Bayley. The match will be taking place next Friday on SmackDown for the brand’s Women’s Title.

“I didn’t know what the hell I was doing”

“I mean Bayley and I’ve only had one match against each other” Carmella began. “That was in NXT and that was for the [NXT Women’s] title. I had only been wrestling at the time for…it was probably less than two years. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, not that I know any more now, but to know where we’re at now?”

“it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night!”

Carmella elaborated further, saying “I have been a Champion. I’ve been, you know, Miss Money In The Bank. I’ve done so many things in my career. So, I don’t know, I’m just excited for this opportunity and apparently it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night! So, I’m ready. I’m excited, and I’m [going to be] ready to go in time for Smackdown.”

“I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage” – Carmella

Graves then revealed that Carmella had legitimately not been told about the match until it was confirmed earlier that week. “I was like ‘what the hell!?’ Carmella revealed. “I had no idea that was gonna be this soon. I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage. Maybe a pay per view? Maybe Super Showdown, maybe WrestleMania? I don’t know, and now it’s gonna be this Friday but I’m really ready for it.”

Do you think that there’s a chance Carmella wins the Championship on Friday? Let us know in the comments

New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced that they will be bringing a ‘Wrestle Kingdom’ level event to Madison Square Garden in August. The show will be taking place on August 22nd, which is SummerSlam weekend.

“I could see Marty Scurll possibly being on that New Japan show [in MSG]”

Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray was discussing the move for NJPW and the performers who may be able to make some appearances. “I’ll look back to the three shows that New Japan did in in Philly, Boston and New York. That wasn’t a co-promote with Ring of Honor. Every time ROH did their War of the Worlds in those towns they co-promoted with New Japan” Bully began. “So, yeah, you might get a couple of Ring of Honor talents. I could see Marty Scurll possibly being on that New Japan show [in MSG], or maybe like a Briscoes vs Guerrillas of Destiny rematch.”

“‘Hey, let’s go for the Grand Slam let’s see if we can do the garden on our own.”

Bully then discussed the idea of the show not being co-promoted with ROH. “As far as a co-promote? if I’m New Japan, I don’t know if I’m going down that road. Because you’ve already sold out three of the major northeast cities on your own. ‘Hey, let’s go for the Grand Slam let’s see if we can do the garden on our own.'”

“Do you need Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho on that show? Sure as hell doesn’t hurt”

Ray’s co-host Dave LeGreca then asked if there’s a chance that Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho could be part of the NJPW show. “You know why the answer is yes?” Bully began. “Because it’s pro wrestling, anything is possible. And everything is negotiable. Do you need Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho on that show? Sure as hell doesn’t hurt.” Ray would also go on to say that whilst he does not have the specifics of their contracts with AEW he believes that Chris Jericho has ‘carte blanche’ and that Moxley may have to ask AEW President Tony Khan for his blessing to appear on the show. There were issues back at last year’s G1 Climax show where it was believed that Moxley could not appear at the United States show due to his AEW contract.

AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.

One of the questions posed to JR revolved around former WCW star Sting. A fan asked how Jim Ross felt about the run that Sting had in WWE back in 2014. Sting had two high profile matches for the company, once in a losing effort to Triple H at WrestleMania and the last match of his career against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions. There has been speculation recently that Sting may be looking for another run in company, so it is interesting how JR described Sting’s short run back in 2014.

“He was a big star, I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was” – Jim Ross

“I was underwhelmed by Sting’s WWE run” JR began. “I thought that he should have come in guns blazing and had to give the fans a chance to tap into his passion and his emotions. He was a big star. I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was. And many speculated, it may have been because you know, the WWE didn’t ‘create’ Sting.”

“IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing”

Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “they didn’t give him his name, they didn’t give him this persona. Nothing. And IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing. I thought we could have done a lot more of that situation. And then you never know when you get injured or you hit that stage of life or injuries are more prominent, and then all sudden he gets hurt. And we can’t finish our business. I was very disappointed in Sting’s run. He deserved better. Sting deserved better than he got in WWE, but I’m sure he got paid very very well.”

“We wanted him for a long time.”

JR would then finish by saying “I wish we would have had more about [his] accolades and, I felt like we under delivered on how we presented him. We wanted him for a long time. So I thought was a great day and when you bring somebody in like that you GO with him. But there was that the caveat, he’s not our guy. That had an adverse effect.”

Do you think that Sting may come back for one more match? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the ‘biting’ angle that took place on this Monday’s RAW. Part way through the broadcast NXT Superstar Shayna Baszler attacked Becky Lynch. This was following her match with Asuka. Baszler would bite the back of Lynch’s neck at the conclusion of the bout, shocking many as it was such a departure from her character in NXT.

“‘you were expecting Rhonda? You got much worse, you got Shayna Baszler”

Bully mentioned as much, saying “I would have liked less is more and keep it simple. Play to Shayna’s strengths. I almost would have liked to [have] seen at the end of the segment, you know Shana standing over Becky, and you could have got one line out of her where she could have told Becky ‘you were expecting Rhonda? You got much worse, you got Shayna Baszler.’

“Was I shocked? Yeah was I shocked, but in a good way? I’m really not sure.”

Ray also talked about how the bite itself ‘was’ shocking, but not necessarily in a good way. “The biting thing just kind of takes me out of it. Was I shocked? Yeah was I shocked, but in a good way? I’m really not sure.”

“To me the last person that needed anything was Shayna Baszler”

Bully also questioned how the company’s Creative came to give Shayna Baszler this extra wrinkle in her character. “They [creative] probably said ‘we need something for Shayna, we need something different. We need something shocking, we need her to do something that is going to have people talking. She can’t just beat up Becky, that’s passe.’ To me the last person that needed anything was Shayna. Because she’s such a credible badass, she acts it, she walks in, she talks it. But in the world of the WWE, if you’re just a ‘wrestler’ or if you’re just a fighter? They’re probably going to look to tinker with you and and give you ‘something.'”

Do you think that Shayna Baszler will be using the ‘biting’ gimmick going forward? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently updated fans on the second season of the ‘Straight Up Steve Austin’ show on FOX.

“We’ll be heading back here [The Broken Skull Ranch] in about a day or two” Steve Austin revealed on the Stone Cold Podcast. “To start work on projects, start work on Straight Up Steve Austin here in about a month and a half. I’m looking forward to this season, it will be season two. We will be travelling a bit across the United States of America. I’m sure we will be flying to some of those locations. I might just haul ass in my pickup truck, just to get some miles on that sum bi*ch. I’m thinking Straight Up will be airing in about August.”

The first series of Straight Up Steve Austin aired on the USA Network August 12, 2019 following Monday Night RAW. The show focuses on Austin and a celebrity guest. They both swap stories about their lives and careers as they travel across the country.

The first series featured Rob Riggle, Sal Vulcano, Baker Mayfield. WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Gabriel Iglesias, Trace Adkins and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

USA Network recently sent out the following press release regarding the second season:

USA NETWORK RENEWS ‘STRAIGHT UP STEVE AUSTIN’ FOR SEASON 2

– Interview-Based Series hosted by WWE Legend Stone Cold Steve Austin, was 2019’s #1 New Unscripted Cable Series for Men 18-49 & 25-54 –

NEW YORK, NY – January 10, 2020 – USA Network today announced it has picked up hit unscripted series STRAIGHT UP STEVE AUSTIN for a second season. Expected to premiere this summer, Season 2 will consist of 8 half-hour episodes and is produced by Line by Line Media with Austin and Dave Barsky (“Dirty Jobs”) as executive producers.

The unique interview-based series; hosted by retired WWE Legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, was 2019’s #1 new unscripted cable series for Men 18-49 and Men 25-54.* In every episode, Steve and a celebrity guest get real, heading out to different cities across America to take part in one-of-a-kind adventures, while swapping stories about their lives and careers. It’s a unique twist on the standard interview show. With no studio, no couch and no cue cards — just a straight up good time and good old-fashioned American fun.

STRAIGHT UP STEVE AUSTIN joins a growing lineup of unscripted programming at USA. Including docu-comedies CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST (2019’s #1 unscripted cable series on VOD), GROWING UP CHRISLEY and MIZ & MRS; and big buzzy reboots TEMPTATION ISLAND (USA Network’s #1 new series of 2019). And the reboot of THE BIGGEST LOSER (debuting January 28, 2020).

WWE RAW commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently discussed the ‘lapsed’ fanbase for the company that seemingly has taken an even bigger hit over the past decade plus. Lawler was referring to a tweet from F4W’s Bryan Alvarez, who mentioned that WCW and WWE pulled a combined 8 million viewers around 19 years ago; and WCW went out of business shortly after. WWE is now ‘lucky’ if they manage to get 2.5 million viewers to watch RAW on a Monday.

Although the change of landscape for television always plays a factor, Jerry Lawler believes that the way to bring back these ‘lapsed’ fans is to sprinkle some older more established starts into the mix.

“At one time there were 8 million people watching, watching wrestling on a Monday night,” Jerry Lawler began. “And now you’re lucky if you have two and a half million. I think a lot of those fans that are not watching right now are fans of guys like Edge. And of course The Rock, Stone Cold [Steve Austin], those guys. I just think…if you brought some of them back?”

Lawler then discussed how ‘internet fans’ seemingly do not like the veterans in these prominent positions. “Here’s the crazy thing. You know, you got these internet fans that sit around there and do nothing but pick and criticise every single thing that happens on the show. Then you got the writers that read all this stuff from your critical fans and they try to go and kind of book by [it]. Then you know they’re the ones that go ‘they’re keeping some young talent from being from having their day in the sunshine.’ Well, some of that old talent are the ones that might make the difference.”

“They might come back if on occasion you brought some of these people back.” – Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler elaborated further, saying “that 5 million fans that aren’t watching anymore, you know. Though those 5 million fans were fans of these guys that aren’t on TV anymore. They might come back if on occasion you brought some of these people back.”

NXT Superstar Chelsea Green recently appeared on the NotSam Wrestling podcast. The former IMPACT Wrestling star joined WWE back in October 2018, competing at an NXT Live Event In Largo, Florida.

Chelsea Green’s former character Laurel Van Ness had become the ‘Hot Mess’ following an angle in 2017, where she was ‘left at the altar’ by Braxton Sutter. The character would prove to be Green’s most successful during her run at IMPACT. As Van Ness the former Knockout won the division’s Championship back in December of 2017, defeating Rosemary.

During the interview with Sam Roberts, Chelsea Green revealed that the ‘hot mess’ could make a return…of sorts. “The hot mess is your crazy ex girlfriend” Green began. “The hot mess is the girl that beats up every other girl in the locker room. And the hot mess is whatever you make of it. So you are going to see the hot mess again. It’ll just be in a completely different light.”

Chelsea Green also discussed her recent appearance in the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble. “I’ve been at NXT working day in and day out at the Performance Center. Waiting for this opportunity so to finally be given. Honestly, it was about time. I have pushed and kind of shoved my way to the top throughout my entire career, and NXT is no different.”

Green also recently spoke to ComicBook.com about how she has ‘evolved’ during her time in NXT. “So, it’s been kind of a different sort of evolution this year, but I’m loving it and I’m still figuring it out. And maybe in a year, you can ask me the same question, and I’ll have a totally different response. You know?”

Would you like to see the Hot Mess in NXT? Let us know in the comments

Former Executive Director of Friday Night SmackDown Eric Bischoff answered questions regarding his former role on this week’s episode of the 83 Weeks podcast. A fan wrote in to ask Bischoff to the clear the air regarding his short time in WWE from June 2019 to October 2019. Bischoff made it clear that he was unable to give away ‘too much’ about his time in the role, indicating heavily that he had signed a ‘no disclosure agreement’ of some variety when he signed with WWE.

“When I say I have more respect for some than others it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there”

“Yeah, this is treacherous waters upon which we were about to embark” Eric Bischoff began. “So I’m gonna be a little careful about that, I hope everybody can understand. Number one, I have nothing but respect for everybody in WWE. Everybody I worked with, some a lot more than others, and only I say that only because I had more I interface with some people. When I say I have more respect for some than others; it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there.”

“Overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down”

Bischoff elaborated further, discussing Vince McMahon directly; “overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down. It doesn’t mean that it was a great fit. That doesn’t mean that the chemistry was right, it doesn’t mean that the communication was great. And there’s a lot of just fundamentally human things that could have been much much better. I think for everybody. For them; certainly for them, for Vince McMahon certainly who made the call to let me go. Certainly he was disappointed that it didn’t work out. I know that for a fact.”

“There’s one guy who has creative control” – Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff then also moved into talking about his colleague Paul Heyman and his perceived ‘creative control’ on RAW. Heyman took over the Executive Director role on RAW at the same time Bischoff was announced for SmackDown. “There’s one guy who has creative control. This is not Paul Heyman, I hate to break your bubble, and I love Paul by the way. I regard Paul’s creative abilities and things like that so this is not meant to be any kind of a half assed attempt to take a shot or anything like that. Paul doesn’t have creative control, anybody thinks he does is kidding themselves. I know Paul doesn’t, and neither does anybody. There’s one guy has creative control. And we all know who that is.”

Do you think that Eric Bischoff should have had more of a chance at WWE? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on SmackDown Superstar Cesaro. Many fans have commented on how they feel the Swiss Superstar is ‘underutilized’ in WWE, with the prospect of Cesaro leaving the company to go to the likes of New Japan or AEW revitalising for his character and in-ring style. Henry added an interesting twist into the conversation, saying that Cesaro might be considering his career beyond the in-ring aspect.

“He does a great job of showing up,” Henry began. “There’s never been a segment that I’ve seen Cesaro that I wasn’t interested in. If that actually gives you any understanding of what I feel about him as a talent is going to come down to.”

“If I can’t hold up, then you know. Fire me.” Henry on Cesaro

Henry elaborated further, discussing how WWE may perceive the Swiss Cyborg. “Do they feel that he is a viable commodity? Some of that is politicing and saying ‘I need this guy, I need that guy. If I can’t hold up, then you know, fire me. Let me go.'”

Henry then made the point that Cesaro is a talent who is capable of going further in the company, outside of the ring. “Maybe that’s not what he wants, maybe the bigger picture is him, you know after his career is done, there’s a lot of people that they sacrifice their in ring careers for what’s going to happen after so they have another 30 year career after it’s all said and done with. So, you gotta think about that. Well, Cesaro is definitely one of those guys that after his wrestling career he’s gonna step right into a role. Whether that’s a producer role, [or] agent. [Maybe] Somebody in talent relations, somebody in international marketing. He’s a smart guy. Very smart guy.”

Do you think that Cesaro should leave WWE and head to the likes of NJPW or AEW? Let us know in the comments

Former WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly is reportedly making a return to WWE. RAW commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently confirmed on The Jerry Lawler Show podcast that Kelly would be returning in some capacity to WWE.

During this week’s episode of the show Lawler was going through his thoughts on the Royal Rumble PPV from earlier this month. Jerry specifically had huge praise for the Women’s Royal Rumble match, saying it was the best he had seen.

Women’s Rumble Match

“I thought it was the best Women’s Rumble match that I’ve seen,” Lawler began. “It was a little bit NXT-heavy. But I didn’t have a problem with that because every one of the NXT women shined. It wasn’t like you ever thought ‘oh this woman shouldn’t be there.” Every one of them looked like they could win that match.”

Kelly Kelly – Surprise Entrant

One of the surprise returns for the Rumble saw Kelly Kelly enter at Number 21. Lawler talked about his chat backstage with the former Divas Champion; “I got a chance to talk to Kelly before the match for a long time. She’s just doing great. And from what I understand we may be seeing more of her. She may be coming back on a semi-regular basis.”

It has not been confirmed if the former WWE Superstar has signed with WWE in any capacity beyond her Rumble appearance. We will update if this changes in the near future.

NXT Superstar Bianca Belair recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast and discussed her recent breakout appearance at this year’s Royal Rumble.

“…I was pulled aside at Worlds Collide” – Bianca Belair

Graves initially asked Belair when she found out that she would be taking part in the Women’s Rumble match. “I found out the, well, pretty much, I was pulled aside at Worlds Collide and I found out that I was going to be a part of the Royal Rumble probably…the night before it was confirmed” Belair began. “The night before is a lot more advance notice then you know we sometimes get! So [I’m] kind of used to it by now.”

“I was excited. Then directly after that, What followed was nervousness”

Belair elaborated further, describing how she felt entering her first ever Rumble match. “I was, of course, I was excited. Then directly after that, what followed was nervousness. It was my first Royal Rumble. I wasn’t a part of the Rumble the last year. So I was excited that they chose me to be a part of it this year and I was excited to get that experience and also know that I would possibly be get to share the ring with some of the girls that I always wanted to share the ring with. And possibly some legends, so I was excited to be on the big stage and get in front of some people that may not exactly know a lot about Bianca Belair. Just get to showcase who I was in front of a bigger audience.”

Belair had an impressive run in the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble. The NXT Superstar eliminated 8 women from the match and lasted just over 33 minutes in the bout. Belair took out Alexa Bliss, Mighty Molly, Nikki Cross, Mandy Rose, Candice LaRae, Sonya Deville, Dana Brooke, and Tamina.

AEW star MJF recently called in to the Busted Open Radio show to continue his social media ‘feud’ with host of the show Dave LeGreca. MJF had recent made comments about LeGreca’s wife Loretta on Twitter:

LeGreca recapped the story on a recent episode of Busted Open; “So I sent out a tweet Bully [Ray]. A tweet about the matchup, about the lashes that MJF is going to give Cody on Dynamite on Wednesday, because honestly I’m intrigued” LeGreca began. “I’m interested about what’s going to take place on Wednesday, as I do all the shows. I mean, God forbid I talk about one show. So I send out the tweet. And then, you know what, I also saw MJF made a remark about what he’s going to do to my boy Cody Rhodes. And I call MJF human filth. I was kind of just like playing along with the story, playing along with what’s gonna take place on Dynamite on Wednesday night. All right, so I call him human filth because you know what, as a pro wrestling host on this show, I figured it’s kind of fun to buy into the story and play along every once in a while.”

LeGreca finished the segment by saying “MJF sent out a tweet about my wife. If I ever cross paths with that piece of sh*t he’s gonna get a fist in the face. This is not some pro wrestling story or angle, this is some piece of sh*t going after my wife.”

“…throw her straight on the maximum ride”

MJF then called into the show. The AEW star then proceeded to push the AEW storyline between himself and Cody Rhodes, whilst also demeaning LeGreca’s wife further. “I just wanted to ask you a quick question” MJF began. “How does it feel knowing that after Wednesday when MJF is done within the absolute dogsh*t and making Cody Rhodes quit live on national television, but he’s gonna walk into your home. Grab your wife by the arm and throw her straight on the maximum ride?”

“how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face?” – MJF

MJF elaborated further, saying “I gotta tell you something makes me sick to my stomach. A lot of things that make me sick to my stomach, namely first number one Cody Rhodes. Secondly, you decided to fire off a tweet at me, what did I do? All I did was I simply stated that I am the youngest and fastest rising star in the history of professional wrestling. I’m going to whip the ever living daylights out of Cody Rhodes. Your best friend, right, Dave? And then I’m going to have a good time with your wife. Now, you decided to say that you were going to punch me in the face the next time you saw me. Well guess what Dave, here’s what I’m going to tell you. You know where I live. I’m sure would be very easy to find out where I am.”

MJF then finished by saying “matter of fact, you have all these big fans, I’m sure, in Alabama, which is where this Wednesday the [AEW] show will be held. I invite all your friends…how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face? How about you guys do that? Because here’s the thing. All of you people, all of you people you’re nothing, you’re minimum, you’re mouth breathing, knuckle dragging people.”

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Braun Strowman and his Intercontinental Championship win. The ‘Monster Among Men’ Strowman won his first ever singles title in WWE on the 31st January episode of the blue brand on FOX.

On Braun Strowman – “I think that you don’t want to rush things”

Henry first discussed why he believed it took ‘so long’ for Strowman to win a singles title. “I think that you don’t want to rush things” Henry began. “Didn’t we always talk about how Roman Reigns was pushed ON us? Yeah, we didn’t get to choose Roman Reigns; and now people ARE choosing Roman Reigns, look how long it took for Roman Reigns to take.”

“How long is he going to keep the title. Who is he going to defend the title against?”

Henry elaborated further, saying “I’m glad that they did not rush [Braun Strowman] and just make him a champion over someone that it didn’t seem plausible. Now, for him to go over at this point, considering after all the things that he’s done. It’s going to legitimise him. And is not just winning, it is keeping the title. How long is he going to keep the title. Who is he going to defend the title against? What stories are going to be built out of the fact that Braun Strowman has the title now?”

Braun Strowman’s WWE Championship History

To this point Strowman had only won tag team Championships in his time on the WWE roster. One time with Nicolas, WWE referee John Cone’s son. Also once with current RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins. Strowman has challenged for the Universal Championship on occasion, including the ‘no-contest’ against Roman Reigns at Hell In a Cell 2018.

Who do you think that Braun Strowman will be defending the Intercontinental Championship against at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments

WWE held their annual Royal Rumble event just seven days ago. As part of the weekend festivities WWE also ran the Worlds Collide event, pitting NXT Superstars against those part of the NXT UK brand. The main event of the show saw NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel, and Alexander Wolfe defeat The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong).

Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry had huge praise for the event, and one performer in particular. “WALTER jumps off the screen” Henry began. “If it was a book you would turn the pages and never stop. Because you just want to see more WALTER. It’s very seldom that you get a PPV where one individual takes over the whole event. That just told me that WALTER is ready for a bigger stage. And needs to be around…he needs to be in the ‘main circle’ of guys. He stole the whole PPV, just one guy.”

It has previously been reported that WALTER is unwilling to go ‘full time’ on the main WWE roster. The Austrian born Superstar has a solid base in Europe, especially in wXw and the UK’s PROGRESS promotion. WALTER is only 31 at this point and there are a potentially a lot more opportunities to bring him over to the US and establish him on RAW or SmackDown.

WALTER was however part of last year’s Survivor Series event. He was part of a Team Smackdown vs. Team RAW vs. Team NXT match, which had 15 Superstars. In an interview WALTER said that he was not at all invested in the match itself. “I wasn’t invested in that, I didn’t care” the NXT UK Champion claimed. “I care about my guys, my group, I care about the sport, but I don’t care about all those people being angry each other. It was a weird match too – three five-men tag teams, and always three guys in the ring. That’s when wrestling turns from competition to putting acrobats in a circus to do a show. There’s 15 of you, you’ve got to do something.”

With WALTER clearly being an outspoken individual it will be interesting to see how he fairs in WWE. Do you think that WALTER will be a hit on the main roster if he went to the US? Let us know in the comments

Co-host of Busted Open Radio Tommy Dreamer recently commented on the return of WWE Superstar Edge. The ‘Rated R Superstar’ made an incredible and unlikely comeback during the 30-man Rumble match to a huge reaction.

“You know Edge…listen, I’m friends with the guy I don’t think Edge is returning”

Edge and Dreamer are longtime friends, and Dreamer recently claimed that he didn’t believe that Edge would be returning to wrestling at all. “You know Edge…listen, I’m friends with the guy I don’t think Edge is returning” Dreamer said back in January. “He [Edge] is feeling good, he’s doing a lot of outside projects. If Edge did come back it would be an amazing amazing thing. It’s just I don’t know if he’d want to risk his health and overall well being.”

“I’m super duper close with Edge”

Dreamer has now confirmed that he DID in fact know that Edge would be returning to WWE. The ECW legend did explain himself during the Busted Open broadcast, saying “I will confess to a lot of fans. I’m super duper close with Edge. He had confided in me a long time ago that he was going back to WWE.”

Dreamer elaborated further, saying that “we kind of laid some foundation, kind of fantasy booking with each other. There’s a friendship. I love the guy and I would never betray that friendship, for whatever rumours, speculation, anything that comes out there. And also, I always open up Christmas presents on Christmas not on Christmas eve. And for when there was speculation going around, or all the social media buzz about it…why? I know we like to guess about it. Even spoilers, I cannot stand them. So, I’m never going to ruin [the outcome]. I wish Edge never told me, because I wanted to see [it first hand]. I wasn’t sure he was going to debut at the Rumble, but that was what was on the table.”

“I don’t feel it’s deceiving the fans”

Dreamer finished by discussing how he feels hiding information like this is not ‘deceiving’ the fans, due to the good intention. “I don’t feel it’s deceiving the fans because the end result is ‘wow I got to see something special.'” It is true that we got one hell of a moment when Edge returned last Sunday.

WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre will be heading to the WrestleMania main event after winning this past Sunday’s Men’s Royal Rumble match. The Scottish born Superstar outlasted 29 other men (including WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, whom he eliminated) to guarantee his spot at the ‘show of shows.’

McIntyre’s history with the company has been well documented, including his release back in 2014, when it seemed as though McIntyre would be relegated to a lower card slot for the company, if he were to stay, for the rest of his career. McIntyre was part of the successful comedy trio 3MB, alongside Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal.

“I knew Drew McIntyre when he first came up in WWE”

Co-host of Busted Open Radio Tommy Dreamer recently revealed that WWE wanted Drew to go away and ‘re-invent’ himself when he was fired back in 2014. “I knew Drew when he first came up in WWE, I had wrestled Drew,” Dreamer began. “They [WWE] had big plans for him. A long time ago if [you] remember he was kind of like the hand picked ‘chosen’ person. And then that fell by the wayside, to the point where he was actually let go by WWE.”

“Find yourself”

Dreamer elaborated further, saying “you you look at someone who looks the way he looks, but it was like, go out there. Find yourself. I was the one who got him hired in IMPACT Wrestling. He had a nice little run for himself. But what he did was he went out there and he worked everywhere. He worked everywhere in the UK, he continued on this path to better himself.”

“they [WWE] were straight up with Drew McIntyre”

Dreamer re-iterated the point later in the broadcast, saying “they [WWE] were straight up with him; ‘Go and re-invent yourself.’ He did that, he came back and he was rewarded.”

ECW legend and owner of the House of Hardcore promotion Tommy Dreamer recently made an interesting point on Busted Open Radio show. During the latest episode of the show Dreamer discussed the possibility of The Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble this Sunday and going on to face The Fiend at WrestleMania. When co-host Dave LeGreca mentioned that the ‘fans want to see’ Undertaker vs Sting at WrestleMania Dreamer responded by saying he felt that it was more of a match suited to a Saudi Arabia card. Or, potentially even a show other than ‘Mania in a stadium.

“it’s more of a Saudi match”

“I think it’s more of a Saudi match. Or it would be a hell of a match to fill a stadium at Minute Maid Park” Dreamer began. “The Saudi Arabia audience would appreciate that more than the audience here in the United States. I also feel that [it] would have been a great match for something like this weekend (the Royal Rumble) to fill out a stadium. Think about this card, Andrade with Selena Vega and Rey Mysterio in a ladder match. Undertaker versus sting and the two Royal Rumbles? That will sell you one hell of a stadium for a Royal Rumble. For WrestleMania we expect a lot more.”

Undertaker vs Sting – “I don’t think the fans want to see that matchup at a WrestleMania anymore”

Dreamer would then go on to elaborate on the point. “I don’t think the fans want to see that matchup at a WrestleMania anymore,” Dreamer stated. “It’s past its prime, It really is.”

“you’re gonna put it at the Greatest Royal Rumble, in Saudi on a random three o’clock afternoon on the WWE Network?”

Dave LeGreca also wanted to ask Dreamer why he would put such an iconic match on at a random ‘throwaway’ show, stating “he (Sting) wants that one validating match. Do you think that Sting deserves that one last match? You’re gonna do it with those two icons together in a last time ever, career ending match for both of the greatest characters and icons in this business; and you’re gonna put it at the Greatest Royal Rumble, in Saudi on a random three o’clock afternoon on the WWE Network?”

“I am the biggest Undertaker fan”

“If the streak never went away, then yes that match should’ve been at a WrestleMania” Dreamer reacted. “Would you like to see two men aging in the ring? I am the biggest Undertaker fan, I wanted to be Sting when I was younger. I still need a younger performer to make me look like ‘Tommy Dreamer’ in the ring.” Dreamer was very quick to point out that he has huge respect for both men, and would be concerned once the entrances were over and the match got into full swing. Ala what occurred in the Goldberg vs ‘Taker match in Saudi Arabia last year.

Would you like to see Sting vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania this year? Or do you think that a crowd in Saudi Arabia would be more ‘forgiving’ of the older performers? Let us know in the comments.

WWE RAW Superstar Drew McIntyre recently appeared on the Jerry Lawler Show podcast, which is produced and distributed by PodcastOne. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed a variety of topics on the show; including moments from his career in WWE and the independent scene.

The Royal Rumble Match

Lawler turned the conversation to the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Sunday. There have been persistent rumors surrounding McIntyre’s chances in the 30-man match this weekend, with many predicting that he will go all of the way and win the match. If Drew McIntyre were to win the bout, he would likely face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar; who himself enters the Rumble in the #1 spot. Lawler asked McIntyre if he felt Paul Heyman announcing that Brock would be first in the match was ‘deflating.’ Thus seemingly trying to keep the interview as storyline driven as possible. McIntyre gave a fairly standard answer, saying “I’ve had like so many ups and downs but not deflating. If anything [it] inspires me in my own right.”

Paul Heyman wanting more creative freedom?

Drew McIntyre then revealed that RAW Executive Producer Paul Heyman has apparently started attempting to get the RAW Superstars to show more of their personalities on camera. “Paul Heyman has come in. You know, he’s allowed people to start showing a little bit more of a personality” McIntyre began. “It’s up to you if you get that kind of freedom, like I’ve been doing over the past couple of months to really take advantage of it [and] ensure you know that you can get over if you’re given that opportunity. I think that is what was missing [from my character] and the pieces are coming together. The size I am, the experience I have the look etc. And now that I’m putting those final pieces together, being myself. I cannot wait, the opportunity was last night I’ve been thinking about it for a very long time.”

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar appeared on the January 13th episode of RAW alongside his ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman for a promo segment. During said promo segment then 24/7 Champion R-Truth appeared and cut a humorous promo, which involved threatening to eliminate Paul Heyman from the Royal Rumble match.

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently revealed that the segment between the two Superstars was completely ‘unscripted.’ Henry said that the idea was to have Brock not ‘mentally prepared’ for the segment so that he would react naturally.

“the business of that segment was to get Brock Lesnar to crack”

Henry appeared on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio alongside Bully Ray, who said “Mark. Let’s pull back the curtain a little bit okay? Because obviously the ‘business’ of that segment was to entertain on TV, but you know damn well backstage that the business of that segment was to get Brock to crack.” Henry then confirmed that the entire section with R-Truth appearing was completely unscripted: “Yes. And from what I’m understanding. Brock didn’t even know that was going to happen. It was completely kayfabe. That’s what I’m getting.”

“I never seen Brock Lesnar laugh that much since I’ve known him”

Henry also confirmed that his sources for the story were completely reliable. “It was was designed for Brock not to me mentally prepared to block it. And it worked because I never seen Brock laugh that much since I’ve known him.”

“the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true.”

Both Bully and Henry both claimed that Brock Lesnar has huge respect for Truth, as he is a veteran in the business. Therefore he would not have been ‘angry’ that Truth was trying to make him laugh live on television. It was also then revealed by Henry that Brock also had no idea that Truth would even be appearing for the segment. “This was purely Heyman and Truth” Henry revealed. “When I heard it, I was like, No, no. [But] like the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true. That’s the only way that he could break like that. There was no acting. Brock was reacting. And it was absolutely beautiful.”

It’s interesting that with the heavily scripted natured of WWE programming that such a big segment would be so ‘loose’ in structure. Although Henry did not reveal his source at WWE he is still a major name behind the scenes, so it is likely that he would have reliable contacts. We do not know at this time if the ‘unscripted’ style will be used with Brock going forward, or if it was just purely used as an entertaining aside for RAW heading into the Royal Rumble.

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has made further comments regarding UFC megastar Conor McGregor. As we recently reported Henry commented on McGregor’s recent demeanour, following his win at UFC 246. “Conor McGregor is on quality control” Mark Henry stated. The ‘World’s Strongest Man’ would also make some explosive comments regarding the MMA fighter; “He said things that was completely out of line, specially as it relates to him coming into the [WWE] locker room and slapping everybody because, I’m gonna tell you what. At that time, I was actually in the locker room. I welcome any 140 pounds or less guy on the planet to come and slap my face. I will tear your skin off. AND I will hang your skin in my closet.”

McGregor In The Royal Rumble?

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray started the Busted Open podcast by asking Henry about McGregor. “Do you think Conor McGregor could be successful in the WWE?” Bully began. “And…do you think that there’s any chance in hell that he’s a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble?”

“That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business.” – Mark Henry

Mark Henry then confirmed that he believes that McGregor would be a fit for the biggest pro wrestling company on the planet. “As a businessman, I do think that he could. I would not let my personal feelings for him affect business. That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business. Do I think that he will be an entrant in the Battle Royal? No.”

“…but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.” – Mark Henry

Henry then stated that McGregor would have too much ‘ego’ to only enter the Rumble but not win. “Too much ego [he’d] want to win. I just know, I just feel, that he would want to win. That will be more important to him than coming in and making a splash and everybody in the ring, stopping, turning to him and walking slowly toward him. And then just rushing him and throwing him out. Which would be just as good as him winning, but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.”

“you get a phone call from Vince tomorrow…”

Bully also brought up the phenomenal business and buzz that Floyd Mayweather and Big Show drew for their bout at WrestleMania 24. With that in mind Bully asked Henry “you get a phone call from Vince [McMahon] tomorrow and Vince says you’re the perfect guy for an angle with Conor McGregor, Mark Henry are you doing it or not?” Mark Henry then emphatically stated “Yes.”

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently commented on Conor McGregor and his return to the UFC this weekend. McGregor defeated David Cerrone in stunning fashion in the first 40 seconds of the first round.

During the most recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Henry was discussing the idea of face and heels in modern wrestling. Henry used the comparison to MMA, saying that McGregor likes to ‘play the heel’ when promoting his fights. When Henry’s co-host Jonathan Hood brought up McGregor’s more reserved approach to this weekend’s fight the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ had some explosive comments about the former two division UFC Champion.

Conor McGregor – On Quality Control?

“Conor McGregor is on quality control” Henry began. “He’s got people around him going ‘Hey, don’t go out there and be and make a spectacle of yourself.’ Don’t bring that Conor McGregor machismo to the stage because you will be judged.” McGregor has recently had issues with the law, following alleged sexual assault and alleged assault at a bar in Dublin, Ireland in April 2019.

Henry then made an interesting comparison between McGregor and WWE Superstars The Usos. Jimmy Uso has had issues with drink driving over the past couple of years, and Henry appeared to be comparing the ‘re-branding’ of the tag team on television to McGregor’s. “Conor McGregor is just like The Usos right now. They’ve had trouble. They’ve done things that they’re not proud of. Speaking for themselves. I don’t know if Conor gives a damn, I think that he’s more worried about his business failing; and people getting off the Conor McGregor bandwagon.”

“The brand is suffering”

Henry elaborated further, saying that “the optics say Conor McGregor is in quality control. he’s like ‘we got to fix this.’ The brand is suffering. The price on [McGregor’s Proper No 12 brand] the liquor is down. The UFC realises that, ‘well let’s get something out of him before it’s completely gone.’ That’s what’s going on guys, and I want to see how this is going to play out. Because of the business implications, not because I care about what goes on with Conor McGregor.”

Henry then went into the comments that McGregor made back in 2016, where he took to Twitter to write “I didn’t mean no disrespect to the @wwe fans. What I meant to say was that I’d slap the head off your entire roster. And twice on Sunday’s.”

“He’s not been a wrestling fan,” Henry said. “He said things that was completely out of line, specially as it relates to him coming into the locker room and slapping everybody because, I’m gonna tell you what. At that time, I was actually in the locker room. I welcome any 140 pounds or less guy on the planet to come and slap my face. I will tear your skin off. AND I will hang your skin in my closet. There’s 50 guys in that WWE locker room that will hand him his ass. Just so y’all know. So don’t think for one second that a 140 pound dude is going to go in there and survive against Braun Strowman. I would say that that Chad Gable would rake him over the coals. Chad Gable will have him screaming for his mommy.”

You can check out the latest episode of Busted Open Radio here

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes recently appeared on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio show. During his interview with Dave LeGreca and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry the discussion of AEW finally heading to the Tri-State area came up. All Elite will be taking their weekly Dynamite show to Newark, New Jersey on March 25th at the Prudential Center.

Tri-State Is ‘WWE’ Country

Although professional wrestling is no longer ‘territory’ based, it has been fairly common knowledge that the North East of the United States has been WWE country for quite some time. This relates as far back as the days of the WWWF with Bruno Sammartino, with WWE now having their headquarters based in Connecticut. Having been a part of the wrestling industry for most of his life Cody Rhodes is more than aware of this. and he discussed the difficulties of ‘loyalty’ for the buildings in that geographic area.

“I didn’t even go to that site survey” – Cody Rhodes

“I’m looking forward to the Prudential Center” Cody Rhodes began. “It’s a wonderful building. I was involved in some of the WWE events that were there. I was involved with Hell In a Cell there. Actually that was my only pay-per-view main event ever with WWE. But the building itself? I didn’t even go to that site survey” Cody revealed.

“I know that building well enough. I’m beyond excited to be in the New Jersey and the New York area.”

Cody Rhodes then talked about the ‘loyalties’ of staff in the buildings; “It’s not easy. As you guys know, in some of those buildings they’ve got long standing history [with WWE], there’s a lot of loyalty elements. There’s a lot of young men and women that want it in the offices. And a lot of old men and women who are you know; trepidatious about this wild disruptive wrestling company coming in. They [the younger generation] were the ones who said ‘no this is great. We’ve seen what they’re doing in these other venues. They’re filling them up and we want them.’ That first show is going to be…It’s going to be gangbusters.”

“…slowly chipping away on the area”

Cody Rhodes also revealed that this will not be the only event in the Tri-State area for the company; at least that is the current plan. “I’m really, really looking forward to that Tri-State debut. And…slowly chipping away on the area. But that Prudential building has a soft spot in my heart for being the ones to say ‘hey, doors are open.’

Tickets for the Prudential Center show go on sale January 24th, further information can be found via the tweet below: