Reigns is set to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, in what is expected to be the main event of WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.
– Former WWE talent Hornswoggle is set to perform a comedy show from the Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans on WrestleMania 34 weekend. It all goes down on Friday April 6th at 9:30 pm and combines a stand-up comedy routine with funny storytelling. Click here for more information.
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast and shared his thoughts about gaining creative control over 205 Live recently. “The Game” discussed his attempts to try and make the program more exciting:
“I think it’s a work in progress,” said Triple H. “I think we did the ‘Cruiserweight Classic’ and it was an excitement and an opportunity. We jumped on making it into its own show, but I don’t know if that was totally just kind of thought out in the right way or done in the right way. I think we made an attempt at it that.
“Vince will say a lot that the business is like flavors – chocolate and vanilla – and not everyone is going to agree on the flavors. So we went in the direction of a certain flavor. We gave them vanilla and people weren’t buying the flavor of vanilla, so we went back to chocolate and people are seeming to like that again.”
He also noted that the division is still a work in progress and he’s excited to see the future opportunities in store for its talent:
“The great thing about [WWE] is we can change them on a dime,” said Triple H. “We can put it in a different direction, and if people don’t like something, just keep watching [because] we are probably going to get you there. We are probably going to get you to a place that works for everyone. That is the intent.
“I think 205 continues to be a work in progress. I’m excited about that opportunity for all of the athletes there because, for a lot of them, there was no road in front of them. There was no big path, and it was doing what they were doing but this opened up doors for them. Hopefully it will continue to grow, much like NXT has, much like the [United Kingdom efforts] will and all of that. I think there is tremendous opportunity and in some way we are just kind of nicking the surface of where we will be.”
You can check out Triple H’s full interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
Braun Strowman is the number one contender for Cesaro and Sheamus’ RAW Tag Team Championships – without a partner.
Strowman won a Tag Team Battle Royal several weeks ago on Monday Night RAW to earn the opportunity. He now needs to find a partner to challenge for the titles at WrestleMania 34 against The Bar.
There has been a ton of speculation as to who Strowman could partner with, but a recent report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated suggests that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio could make his return to the company to be “The Monster Among Men’s” partner.
Vince McMahon is reportedly strongly considering the possibility as he likes the big guy and little guy dynamic that he has used in the past.
It was also noted that if Mysterio returned to WWE, it would be under a short-term deal. Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently noted that Mysterio and WWE are still in negotiations, but nothing has been brought up regarding a WrestleMania match.
WWE COO Triple H and Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon recently appeared on ESPN First Take to promote their Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34 against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. Host Stephen A. Smith asked the pair who they think is the biggest star in WWE.
Stephanie named WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant, while Triple H named off several stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker. Here’s what they had to say:
Stephanie:
“For me personally it’s got to be Andre the Giant. I think a lot of people would say The Rock, a lot of people might say John Cena, especially recently, but I would say Andre,” Stephanie said. “He’s a pop culture icon that has transcended media around the world. Of course we have our HBO special that’s going to be premiering in a couple of weeks in April and it’s just going to be an incredible reflection on the life of an icon.”
Triple H:
“For me the answer is kind of mixed because there are different aspects to that,” Triple H answered. “You can talk about the impact of Hulk Hogan or The Rock and him now being the biggest box office attraction in Hollywood, you can talk about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. But there’s one guy for me within our industry that resonates beyond all else.
“When I go to India or the Middle East or Europe or Japan or Australia, South America, it doesn’t matter – one of the names that’s always brought up first and foremost is The Undertaker. The character, iconic character of that… it just transcends everything and it is for so many people that kind of character that encapsulates what WWE is.”
Co-host Max Kellerman named Hulk Hogan and Stephen A. Smith agreed, before naming others like The Road Warriors, Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Paul Orndorff. Triple H responded with the following:
“That is the thing, when you talk about it, you can talk about the genius of Vince, you can talk about the brand, you can talk about all the things, WrestleMania and all that. Nobody, nobody in any form of entertainment or sports has put out the amount of characters that have transcended generations,” Triple H responded.
“That storytelling, that level of character development that transcends generations, that touches your childhood and makes you feel something, takes you back in time to that moment … those moments transcend time, connect with you on a level and a character level that few things in this world can. That’s really the genius of Vince McMahon, that storytelling and that character creation.”
WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey recently did an interview with Yahoo Sports to promote her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34. “The Rowdy One” will team up with WWE Hall Of Famer and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle in a Mixed Tag Team match to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Rousey discussed how important it was for her to live life outside of the spotlight, get married, and enjoy life before joining WWE:
“It really was myself and Travis [Browne] planning on settling down that made me decide that I needed to go for it. We’re ready to start having kids soon and I was thinking about what I’ve left unfinished in my life because I want to entirely focus on having kids when that time comes. I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
“I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”
The ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion also discussed getting slapped by Stephanie McMahon on an episode of RAW:
“I’ve never been slapped before. Anybody who has ever been slapped tells me that it hurts more than you think. Man, when she hauled off and whacked me, my first thought was ‘Wow, that really hurt way more than I thought it would.’ Everyone was right. Slaps suck and there was a loud noise followed by the crowd’s ‘Ooooh!’ I didn’t see that coming at all.”
Rousey also said that she’s looking forward to paying McMahon back for the slap at WrestleMania:
“Oh man, I can’t wait. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold and I cannot wait to serve her the coldest dish at WrestleMania.”
You can read Rousey’s full interview with Yahoo Sports by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback was recently interviewed by The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” first offered his thoughts on SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan getting cleared by WWE doctors to return to in-ring action:
“I am very happy for him. I saw him back at Rusev’s wedding last year and we were talking and it was when he had returned (I believe) he was on TV as an on air role at that time but I could see that it wasn’t fulfilling to him because he didn’t have that outlet to perform and he didn’t have that physical aspect of it.
“You’ve got to understand that when you wrestle and he wrestled for a majority of his life and I could tell you first hand that especially for myself having to back off a bit this last year that it is extremely and mentally difficult when you are used to making money with your body and being told you can’t do something is extremely taxing on the human mind.
“For him to have to still be in that environment, granted not as much as he was but to still show up to TV every week and to watch all these guys he came up with getting their opportunity to perform and not being able to do that is extremely frustrating.
“I felt for him deeply because I knew how bad he wanted to wrestle. It is really cool to see him get another chance because he was so hot when it all got taken away and I was there for that and I witnessed that on different occasions where he went through the different injuries up there and overcame them.
“So to see him return, I’d like to see him take it easy for a little bit and he seems to have thrown himself back into the mix full steam by taking an apron power bomb and doing those God damn dropkicks where he lands on his head but I would have liked to have seen him ease back in but I guess if you are going to go and he only knows one speed and that is why everybody loves him.”
He then commented on the supposed “bad blood” between himself and Rusev. Most notably, Ryback commented on one of Rusev’s live Instagram videos and teased “The Bulgarian Brute” by saying he hopes he’s not involved in Jon Bravo’s steroid controversy documentary:
“I guess there are a lot of people out there that are so smart and they know everything about wrestling and I can’t tell you how many times I talk about Rusev as one of my favorite all time opponents and one of my favorite people. What friends do is they go online sometimes and they bust each other’s balls. He’s done it to me and I’ve done it to him and it is unfortunate that we live in a day and age where people can just cherry-pick something.”
“I see he is doing an Instagram live and I click on it. He sees me, cracks a smile and says ‘big guy’. I leave a comment and he makes a comment about me which we talk about through text. He made a comment about me not being natural and I made a comment back to him that he could lose more weight and I got pegged the bad guy in that one because two friends were having fun and it was one of those things where he says me and Ryback have no beef, well nobody takes that part.
“Everybody just thinks that Ryback was blocked from Rusev’s Instagram and I can assure that I am not blocked and we were just talking earlier today. People have to understand that guys laugh at this sh*t. If I had a beef with someone the last thing I would do is go on an Instagram live and hash it out on that.”
Ryback also responded to the constant comparisons he receives to WWE Hall Of Famers Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg:
“People are always going to do that and the only thing you can do is go out and live your life and have your career. It is unfortunately that you are going to have people that they’re extremely loyal to the people that came before you and I’ve always said that and I never once tried to go out there and replicate being any of those guys. I have a bald head and I have big traps.
“They did short matches and I do longer matches but that is the role that they played and I had played that role as well doing the shorter matches but that is just what people like to compare you to in the guys that came before you. In ten or fifth teen years if another guy comes along wearing an air-brushed singlet he might get compared to me.
“It is just the way that the business is and you can’t really get too caught up in that because we are all our own individual person or wrestler at the end of the day and I think the fans that know our styles were completely different, the move sets are completely different and the characters are completely different.”
– John Cena continues to pursue a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. “The Leader Of The Cenation” has been calling out “The Deadman” on RAW for the past several weeks.
Cena took to Twitter to post a workout video of himself, taking a shot at Undertaker in the caption:
– Former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Big E took to Twitter to reveal the terrible gimmick idea he pitched nine years ago. He called it Mel Mann, who’s character was supposed to be a postal worker:
Almost 9 years ago, when I got signed, my very first pitch was to be a wrestling postal worker named Mel Mann. Shockingly, it was shot down.
– WWE announced that the annual post-WrestleMania 34 conference call will take place on Monday, April 9, 2018. Here is the official statement:
WWE® Network Post-WrestleMania® Conference Call
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) will host a conference call on Monday, April 9, 2018 to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers following WrestleMania. The Company’s Co-Presidents, George A. Barrios and Michelle D. Wilson, will host the conference call beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CST) to discuss the results.
All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 855-200-4993 (toll free) or 323-794-2092 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 6005057). Please reserve a line approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call.
The presentation referenced during the call will be made available on April 9, 2018 at corporate.wwe.com/investors. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.
Last week news broke that WWE and Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan were in talks for a potential return. WWE actually confirmed this with an official statement:
“We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter now reports that Hogan and WWE have had regular communication for the past year. He also noted WWE has always been looking for the right time to bring “The Hulkster” back, but feared backlash from sponsors.
Also, company sources say that the idea for bringing Hogan back would be to allow him to talk about how stupid he was for what he said. It would be angled as a redemption/forgiveness plot.
The overall goal from WWE was to ensure enough time had passed so that the return wasn’t controversial. Meltzer also acknowledged the rumors that Hogan could become the next SmackDown Live General Manager, however, they’re only rumors as of this writing.
Last August two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair underwent emergency hospitalization in order to remove an obstructed part of his bowel.
This led to several complications, and Flair was held in the hospital for over a month to recover. He suffered from kidney failure, which required dialysis treatment, and was at one point given a small chance to survive.
After returning home the following September, Flair has begun to turn around his life and focus more on his health – and the first step has been giving up drinking.
In a new update, Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that Flair is set to undergo a “very serious” surgery on July 9th. The surgery will reportedly remove his colostomy bag.
Flair wants this done so he can return to serious training. He has had the bag in ever since having his life-saving surgery. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
Former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Justin Credible recently did an interview on WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s Houston Sports Radio 610 radio show, Heated Conversations, to talk about several professional wrestling topics.
Credible opened up about his past struggles with drug addiction, and revealed he got his first opioid from his mentor at the time, Scott Hall:
“I started to do it simply to get along,” Credible recalled. “I remember the first pill I ever took. I wrestled The Brooklyn Brawler at a high school show and I was traveling with Scott Hall. And I hurt my shoulder real bad and we had a long tour ahead of us and he popped a pill in my beer and told me, ‘drink it.’ And I drank it and I felt good and I liked that feeling. It made me feel good.”
He then discussed the rumors of rampant drug use in the locker rooms of ECW, noting he took cocaine before his entrance when his music would hit:
“Oh, it’s true. It’s true, man.” Credible continued, “I can recall when I got a little up there in the game, I haven’t said this to too many people, but I’ll just keep myself named in this, I remember in the War Memorial [Auditorium] in Fort Lauderdale [Florida], I was hip enough and cool enough at the time to have my own locker room and I’d have a good amount of cocaine put out there because I’d know nobody would come into my locker room. And literally, my music would be playing and I’d take a couple of good rips and I’d go out there.”
Credible also admitted that his issues with drug abuse also played a role in why he was unable to accomplish as much as he’d liked in WWE:
“I was so disappointed with where I thought I was headed or could have been going because when I got there, I couldn’t do the superkick and that was one of my big things because of Shawn [Michaels], couldn’t do my tombstone because of Taker, and, of course, these are guys that I love and respect, I’m not pooh-poohing anybody. But I knew Vince McMahon wasn’t going to push me.
“Paul Heyman had this genius about making chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what. He really knew how to get the best out of you. He was a great director whereas for Vince, I mean, he’ll let you do it too, but I think it was a combination of the drugs, of course, a huge impact, I’m not going to deny that, but also I was still when I went back, Book, I was still Aldo.
“I was Justin Credible and all that stuff I accomplished, but in my heart and the way I behaved in the locker room.” Credible added, “I think that kindness was mistaken for weakness and I was taken advantage of a lot, but, hey, if I was mentally fit and not on the drugs I was taking to deal with my mental health issues, then I would have gone further. I still believe that because I did essentially get fired for not showing up and that’s a whole story in itself.”
You can listen to Credible’s interview on Heated Conversations with Booker T by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Lana recently did an interview with Hollywood Life while in attendance for the premiere of the “Game Over, Man” film. “The Ravishing Russian” first discussed the surging popularity of her husband, Rusev’s, Rusev Day gimmick:
“I think he is a super athlete and I have been saying that for years. I would introduce him as a super athlete and he truly is one of the best in ring competitors. I also think in Total Divas, he also showed that he is really funny and entertaining.
“On the show, he shows that he has a great personality. I think it took – instead of a ‘U-S-A’ chant, they want to be part of something more. They want to chant ‘Rusev Day’ because every day is Rusev day!”
She then discussed her on-screen feud with Rusev in which she had a storyline romance with Dolph Ziggler. That storyline went nowhere after Lana and Rusev announced their real-life engagement on social media:
“Oh yeah! I really enjoy being his enemy. One of my favorite stories in WWE was when he was the jealous boyfriend and I used Dolph Ziggler as revenge, basically. That was so much fun.
“We had so much fun with that story when we were fighting and our segments on TV would be so much fun. I would love to be in a story or movie where maybe we were enemies.”
Lana also discussed this past week’s huge news that SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition for WWE:
“We are so excited. We are so excited to have him back. I know for me, personally, I was in tears when he did his speech on coming back because it gives me hope that no matter what anyone says, I am going to continue for my dreams and continue to wrestle and compete.
“The world told him ‘no,’ and that he would never wrestle again and he is wrestling again. So, I think that gives us all hope to be resilient and to do you no matter what!”
You can read Lana’s full interview with Hollywood Life by clicking this link here.
– WWE COO Triple H and Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon are currently scheduled to compete in a Mixed Tag Team match against RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and ex-UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.
This will be Rousey’s first match in her professional wrestling career. “The Game” took to Twitter to post the following video on he and Stephanie’s preparations for New Orleans, as well as what WWE means to them:
– Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently launched his own line of suits with Mr. Custom Made, and currently offers 12 items ranging from $595 to $795. The Ric Flair Collection can be found via this link.
TMZ Sports posted a video reviewing Flair’s suit line, and noted Flair has sent pairs to stars such as The Rock and Jamie Foxx, among many more. Check it out:
Last night’s SmackDown Live dark match main event was a Six-Man Tag Team match; between the teams of AJ Styles and The Usos taking on Rusev, Aiden English, and Baron Corbin.
In the closing moments of the match, referee Danilo Anfibio took his shirt off and hit Rusev with a superkick. Anfibio then went for the pin while AJ Styles served as the referee and made the three count.
Styles is currently preparing to defend his WWE Championship against 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura. This has been considered a “dream match” by many WWE fans given the pair’s history in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
– Three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Vader underwent successful open-heart surgery this past Monday. Vader has been battling congestive heart failure and was given a short time left to live last year. Vader recently took to Twitter to comment on his situation after receiving surgery, and noted that he was in quite a bit of pain:
Fear no Man Feel no Pain!!!! I am sorry to say the feel no pain is a bunch of BS. Worst pain I’ve ever been in, even worse than getting hit in the back with a shovel by @RealMickFoley.
– WWE took to Twitter to invite fans to join them at Razoo Club & Patio the Thursday before WrestleMania for a special performance by a mystery WWE Superstar. While there’s no more news on the matter, it could be speculated that Elias could be that mystery Superstar:
It looks like WWE may have made an announcement a little too early than they would’ve liked.
On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, it was announced that SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Usos would defend their titles in a Triple Threat Tag Team match against The New Day and The Bludgeon Brothers.
A recent report from Sportskeeda suggests that match is going to be a Tables Ladders and Chairs bout, and WWE accidentally leaked that info shortly after the official announcement on the WWE App.
Some people reported on Twitter that the WWE App announced the match as a TLC match before quickly removing the announcement soon after:
Current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is scheduled to work the final live event of his current WWE deal on Friday in Boston from the TD Garden. WWE actually added Lesnar to this show early in February. He will defend his title against Kane and Braun Strowman in a Triple Threat match. Lesnar is currently involved in a storyline with Elimination Chamber winner Roman Reigns, who he will defend his Universal Title against at WrestleMania 34 next month in New Orleans.
Lesnar is currently scheduled to appear on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Cleveland, Ohio, as well as next week’s episode from Atlanta, Georgia. Last week Lesnar made his return to WWE TV to attack Reigns, who had been handcuffed by the authorities for showing up to RAW during his suspension. It’s expected that Lesnar will drop the Universal Championship to Reigns at WrestleMania in order to anoint “The Big Dog” the new face of the company.
WWE is still in negotiations to re-sign Lesnar, who they’d like to work a program with the returning Bobby Lashley if possible. “The Beast” still has the option to return to the Octagon in the UFC. The interest is certainly there as he was photographed with UFC President Dana White in Las Vegas last month. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
For the past several days wrestling fans have been in a bit of a scare as AJ Styles has been dealing with an undisclosed injury as of late. This puts the “dream match” between Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 in jeopardy. Nakamura won the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble and elected to challenge for Styles’ WWE Championship in New Orleans. This is a match fans have been wanting to see for quite some time, especially given the pair’s history in Japan.
Recently Styles said that he would work on one leg if it meant making the WrestleMania dream match happen. There’s some good news in regards to Styles’ injury, as he returned to action this past weekend when he teamed up with The New Day in Eight-Man Tag Team action. He didn’t do much work in the match, but the fact he was cleared to work it should be a good sign. In a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that he doesn’t think the injury is any big issue since he worked this weekend.
He acknowledged Styles didn’t work much in the matches he was in, however, did note that the fact he’s cleared to compete is a good sign. Meltzer said there’s nothing to worry about in Styles working the match at WrestleMania, and said even if he’s on one leg he and Nakamura will still put on a great match. He also speculated that Styles’ injury could be MCL related, however, that has yet to be confirmed.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was recently interviewed on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Big Dog,” who won last month’s Elimination Chamber match, will be challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 34 next month in New Orleans.
Reigns was asked about the recent label put on him of being Vince McMahon’s “golden boy.” The former Shield member responded by saying, in a sense, all WWE Superstars are “Vince’s boys”:
“Whether you’re somebody who’s been in a situation like me, or you’re somebody who is new, or has been around for a long time and hasn’t gotten the push that everyone thinks they deserve, the bottom-line is—we’re all Vince’s boys.
“And when it comes down to it, what we do for him and this company, he has a huge respect for that. You couldn’t be him and be involved in this business and run it the way he has, if you didn’t have the ultimate respect for your performers, for your talent.”
You can listen to Reigns’ full interview on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts was recently interviewed on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Roberts first discussed how his poor relationship with his father, Aurelian “Grizzly” Smith, both angered and motivated him in his professional wrestling career:
“It was ultimately about anger. I was upset with my father. For me, to be in a locker room where there are crude jokes being made, but are being thrown at me because of my father. That blistered me. It made me feel so empty inside, and so full of shame. Shame is such a dangerous thing to deal with,” Roberts said.
“I had a tough time in the locker room because sometimes wrestlers have this hard-edge to them. There were a lot of things being said and done, and as I look back I wondered how I was able to overcome all of that.”
He then discussed how professional wrestling was his life 24/7, and he sometimes even wonders if he could’ve accomplished more:
“The way I was able to was because of the wrestling. It would consume my mind, heart and soul, it was 24/7 wrestling. I couldn’t trust anything else in life to be fair, because I never knew what was going to come to me next. Just to be able to focus on wrestling and have a great career, sometimes I think about how I could have accomplished so much more.
“Maybe I could have, but I feel that I did a hell of a lot,” Roberts said. “I had a pretty good career; rang some bells, and all of that. I am just so grateful for what I did do, and so grateful to of found the right woman to have children with and that my children do not have alcohol of drug issues. I am so grateful for that. My oldest daughter heads the largest rehab in the world.”
Prior to signing with WWE, Roberts earned his claim to fame during his run in Mid South Wrestling. His work caught the attention of Vince McMahon, who offered him a deal he was initially hesitant to accept. Eventually Roberts realized a WWE move was what was best for his career:
“I gave my notice to Mid-South, and they accepted it. Vince McMahon had tried to hire me before when I was in Georgia Championship Wrestling. I wanted to stay true to the NWA, so I didn’t go. Few years later I gave my notice after being screwed over again by Bill Watts. I picked up the phone and called New York and asked to speak with Vince McMahon,” Roberts explained.
“They said that Vince McMahon wasn’t going to be around for a few more weeks, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I just gave my notice, so what am I going to do?’ I let my wife know that I couldn’t get a hold of him, and of course she didn’t want to hear that. As soon as I was going to head to the gym she said that Vince McMahon was on the phone, which I didn’t believe her.
“I went to the phone and he had told me to get on the airplane and fly up there, which was what I did. I sat down with him and we had a decent conversation, and that was that.”
You can listen to Roberts’ interview on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast by clicking this link here.
– WWE Champion AJ Styles recently did an interview with Sky Sports to promote his upcoming title defense against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 next month in New Orleans. Styles was asked about his fans and peers labeling him the best wrestler in the world, and explains why he doesn’t agree with that sentiment:
“No, I would not agree with that,” Styles said. “I think there’s still a lot to be learned by AJ Styles and you can’t consider yourself to be the best when you’ve still got so much stuff to learn.”
You can read Styles’ full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.
– Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho also did an interview of his own, this one with Milwaukee Magazine, to talk about his WWE status. “Y2J” explained why he likes not being under a full-time contract with WWE, as it allows him to do what he wants and manage other projects accordingly:
“I don’t do things for money anymore,” Jericho said. “I do it because I like to do it. It’s a good place, man, to do whatever I want to do and to enjoy all these different projects and make sure that fans can continue to get a lot of excitement out of what I do. It’s very important for me to make sure people can never pin down what Jericho is going to do next.”
You can read Jericho’s interview with the Milwaukee Magazine by clicking this link here.
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Express to promote his WrestleMania 34 match; in which he’ll team up with Stephanie McMahon against the team of Ronda Rousey and Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. This will be the first professional wrestling match of Rousey’s career. “The Game” brought up the interesting fact that this will be Stephanie’s first-ever match at WrestleMania:
“This is actually Steph’s first match at WrestleMania,” Triple H said. “The opportunity to step in the ring at WrestleMania with Steph is very exciting, she’s very excited about that opportunity but then to go back in time, so to speak, with Kurt and I … It’s awesome to see Kurt come back after all this time.”
Triple H then discussed how amazing its been to be a part of Rousey’s rise in the WWE, and what it’s going to be like when the four of them step into the ring on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”:
“And then to step into the ring with probably one of the biggest signings from an outside notoriety standpoint and certainly one of the most amazing signings athletically is the signing of Ronda Rousey,” Triple H responded.
“For her to come in to the WWE, not just as an attraction, not just as somebody coming in and looking for a moment or shine on a different platform, but she really feels like she’s home and that WWE is going to be bigger than anything she’s done in her career and she’s really excited about being here and wanting this.
“To be there as a part of the launch of that, and that’s really what this is, it’s just the opportunity to get her going and to kind of launch what she’s going to bring to the table,” Triple H said.
“It’s really exciting and this will be a special one for a lot of reasons for me and it’s funny because it kind of encapsulates a lot of things for me. My relationship with Steph, my history with Kurt but also a long journey of conversation and everything else with Ronda.”
You can read Triple H’s full interview with Express by clicking this link here.
This year’s 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame class is complete. The inductees who will be honored the night prior to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans are Goldberg, Mark Henry, The Dudley Boyz, Hillbilly Jim, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Warrior Award recipient Jarrius Robertson, and Celebrity Wing inductee Kid Rock. As with every year, WWE fans like to debate who has been snubbed from the honor for the past several years, and who got the call too soon before a more deserving candidate.
One name WWE fans bring up is none other than Kevin Sullivan; who has more than 50 years of experience in the business after his work with promotions such as CWF, NWA, and WCW. Sullivan was recently interviewed on the Pancakes And Powerslams Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. He was asked about not yet being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Sullivan divulged that he doesn’t think he’ll ever go into the Hall Of Fame because he never worked for WWE:
“No, because I didn’t work [in the WWE],” said Sullivan. “I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen, and I don’t blame them. They have their own company, and their own stars. Hey, I’m gonna be honest with you, probably my time has passed [and WWE] will never even think of that.”
You can listen to Sullivan’s interview on the Pancakes And Powerslams show by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Mandy Rose was recently interviewed by former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Rose first discussed being brought up to the main roster recently with Paige and Sonya Deville as part of Absolution:
“It’s been great. So far, I can’t complain,” Rose said. “Being brought in with Absolution and our mentor, Paige, I think it’s really cool, and really full circle since she was our judge on Tough Enough, and she hated me. She was rough with me, but I get it.”
Before being on Tough Enough, Rose had no prior in-ring experience and took a lot of criticism from people who believed she was simply seeking fame and had absolutely no passion for wrestling. Rose said she’s working hard to prove those doubters wrong:
“For me, it was one of those things where I get it where people can be rough with me because I didn’t come from a professional wrestling background or anything like that, and the way I am perceived sometimes as someone who is just a model and is in here for the fame, and I get that, but I don’t think people get that it isn’t the case,” she said.
“Everything I have achieved in my life I worked very hard for; I didn’t just wake up and say this was handed to me, so it kind of bothered me because I was very sensitive to that, but then I thought, you know what, it’ll be more rewarding for me in the end when I prove to everyone that I can be the person that I want to be.
“Besides that, it was fun, but I think it’s awesome that it was full circle, and with her debut back from surgery and the fact that Sonya and I were with her [during Tough Enough] it’s crazy.”
Rose initially needed to prove Paige’s original conceptions about her wrong, as she only believed Rose was just a model or ‘Diva.’ Rose said she didn’t take offense to the criticism she received from Paige because she understood she lacked experience:
“It was more of the fact that she would judge me that I didn’t know how to wrestle, which I didn’t know how to wrestle at that time because I came from a fitness background; I didn’t have any pro-wrestling experience. That was the biggest thing, and I think that I am very different than Paige,” Rose said.
“Paige brought a lot to the women’s division, as the ‘anti-Diva’ which is great, but I kind of come off as the Diva, which I want to change that, I’m not just a Diva of course, we’re called superstars, and maybe that was what it had to do with. We are very different, but Paige didn’t get to know me personally; she just knew me from the show, and I wasn’t the nicest on the show, which I get. I was playing a character, especially towards the end when I played the b***h.”
You can listen to Rose’s interview on Chasing Glory by clicking this link here.
– Braun Strowman recently took to Twitter to complain to the Wendy’s fast food restaurant chain for not ever having any grilled chicken ready. He joked that Alexa Bliss, who he noted he is filming an episode of Ride Along with, is trying to keep him calm before saying somebody might “get these hands”:
Former WWE Superstar Gangrel (better known for his time in The Brood with Edge and Christian during the Attitude Era) was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet of WSVN-TV Entertainment to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Gangrel first spoke about training Rusev and the Bulgarian’s amazing work ethic:
“He’s always been a good guy and had a funny personality but I think his wife is a good asset to him, she brings a lot of the clown out in him. He deserves everything he’s got, he’s like the American dream. He moved from Bulgaria to become a pro wrestler so he came to that wrestling school, he trained and he worked three jobs.
“We had classes back then in the morning and in the afternoon, so he would literally sleep in the car in between the classes. He wouldn’t go home so he wouldn’t miss the classes or miss a shift at work. He really, really put the time and the work in and was totally dedicated. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
He then discussed his time with WWE and what it was like traveling with Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit:
“It was probably the most amazing thing out of my journeys. I never stopped learning between the two of them. Eddie, just from his family of wrestling and Chris coming out of Stampede Wrestling in Calgary which is where I first got my start. I was very driven and connected to his style because we worked with the same people.
“I just never stopped learning. They never stopped talking, they were learning off each other. We figured if we didn’t learn something every match or every car ride or every situation, then we didn’t need to be in wrestling.”
Finally, Gangrel also revealed that there was a secret message in The Brood’s theme song if you play it backwards:
“If you have the right skills and technology to play it backwards, the guy who did the music, Jim Johnston was a big Beatles fan, so it says ‘I buried Paul, walk with me.’”