WrestleMania 34 is right around the corner, and two of WWE’s biggest stars have the opportunity to make quite a bit of history at “The Show Of Shows” in New Orleans next month. Starting off with Roman Reigns, “The Big Dog” has main evented the past three WrestleManias with names like Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and The Undertaker. If his match (a Universal Title match against Lesnar) closes out WrestleMania 34 for the fourth-consecutive year he’ll tie Hulk Hogan for the most consecutive WrestleMania main events of all time.
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss can also make significant history with a win at WrestleMania. She’s expected to defend her strap against Nia Jax at the event, however, that has yet to be made official by WWE. Regardless, if Bliss retains her title next month she’ll join Victoria and Trish Stratus as the third and only women to defend their titles at consecutive WrestleManias.
Given Bliss doesn’t lose her RAW Women’s Title before WrestleMania, she’ll also become the first woman ever to defend both the SmackDown Live Women’s Title and RAW Women’s Title at WrestleMania as well. It should be interesting to see if Reigns and Bliss break their respective records.
– As we’ve noted, former WWE Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz will be inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame class the day before WrestleMania 34 next month. One question WWE fans have been asking is who will induct the pair? Bubba Ray Dudley recently appeared on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio and revealed exactly that.
He claimed that fellow WWE Tag Team Legends Edge and Christian will be doing the honors, but hopes Matt and Jeff Hardy are on stage with them as well. Here’s the official audio of Dudley’s announcement from Busted Open’s Twitter:
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) March 19, 2018
– WWE Superstar Elias recently did an interview with Guitar World and commented on possibly releasing music with WWE. Elias said that there are definitely plans in the works for him to record music with the company:
“Absolutely, I believe WWE—which, if you are not aware, stands for “Walk with Elias”—the company is taking notice of what I’m doing every week and there’s absolutely plans in the works to record music, release music, put it out there and give them the sound of Elias that they can take with them. They can have it on their phone, they can have it wherever on whatever music format they have.”
You can read Elias’ full interview with Guitar World by clicking this link here.
– WWE Champion AJ Styles missed last night’s live event in San Angelo, Texas after it was once again announced he was injured. “The Phenomenal One” also missed Saturday’s live event from Odessa, Texas after suffering a storyline injury at Friday’s Madison Square Garden live event due to a beatdown from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
It’s unknown if this angle is being used to rest Styles so he can heal a legitimate injury that has yet to be disclosed. He’s expected to defend his WWE Championship against 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura in a WWE dream match of sorts. We’ll keep you updated…
– WWE has released the official poster for WrestleMania 34, which features all Superstars expected to compete at the event smiling (except of course Triple H and Brock Lesnar). One top WWE Superstar missing from the poster, however, is The Undertaker. He is rumored to be taking on John Cena at the event. If that match is made official WWE will likely release another poster featuring “The Deadman” as well. Check out the poster here:
– Despite suffering a grade one partial left biceps tear a few weeks ago, leaving him out-of-action for up to a month, Rey Mysterio is still set to appear at tomorrow’s CRASH Lucha Libre event.
Mysterio was originally scheduled to face Bestia 666 at the event, but due to the fact that he was wearing a sling this week, it’s unknown if he will be engaging in anything physical at the show. There’s also no word yet on if he’ll be facing Jushin “Thunder” Liger at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) Long Beach event on March 25th. We’ll keep you updated.
– Former WWE Superstar Rich Swann had recently announced his retirement from professional wrestling, however, he’s still advertised for tomorrow’s CRASH Lucha Libre show as well. This is interesting considering Swann pulled himself from several upcoming bookings after announcing his retirement.
– With just a few weeks until he challenges WWE Champion AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, Shinsuke Nakamura is set to get two English re-releases of two autobiographies. The books will be released in both physical and digital editions on August 7th. PWInsider has confirmed the news, and Viz Media – who has acquired the rights to the books – made the following announcement:
“VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, springs into the wild world of professional wrestling as it announces the acquisition of the English-language publishing rights for KING OF STRONG STYLE: 1980-2014.
“Originally published in two paperback volumes in Japan, (1980-2004, 2004-2015), the autobiography of one of Japan’s greatest professional wrestlers, Shinsuke Nakamura, will be released as a single-volume hardcover print edition as well as a digital edition by VIZ Media in the summer of 2018. Both hard copy and digital releases will feature select color and b&w photographs.
“Nakamura now appears weekly on USA Network’s Tuesday night program, Smackdown Live, which has over 2 million weekly viewers, where he is frequently featured in the main event match-ups.
“Before he became a star of American professional wrestling, Shinsuke Nakamura was Japan’s “King of Strong Style.” His autobiography traces an amazing life and career from the amateur grappling ranks to the Nippon Budokan. Thrill to his matches against such legends as Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, his reign as the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and his success as a mixed martial artist.
““Professional wrestling is at the crossroads of extreme sports, over-the-top theatre and pop culture, and Shinsuke Nakamura, already a huge star in Japan, is seeing his star rising fast among millions of U.S. fans,” says Masumi Washington, Sr. Director, Publishing Production. “His autobiography, a riveting story depicting one man’s quest to conquer the world both inside and outside the wrestling ring, is a unique and special addition to the VIZ Media catalog.”
“Born in Kyoto, February 24, 1980, Shinsuke Nakamura began amateur wrestling in high school before attending university at Aoyama Gakuin University. After a brilliant career there, he joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling in March 2002 and made his professional debut at Nippon Budokan in a match against Tadao Yasuda on August 29, 2002. On December 9, 2003, a mere sixteen months into his professional career, he crushed Hiroshi Tenzan and was crowned the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history. Even as he pursued greatness in the professional wrestling ring, Nakamura participated in MMA, facing Daniel Gracie of the legendary jiu-jitsu family, and superheavyweight kickboxing champion Alexey Ignashov. Now he thrills fans in the United States and beyond on a weekly basis as one of the top wrestlers in the world.”
As we’ve been reporting, Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract is set to expire this fall. Daniel Bryan will be a free agent on or about September 23rd, according to a report at PWInsider. Unfortunately, this would prevent Bryan from appearing at the big “All In” event from Chicago scheduled for 9/1.
– Online wrestling clothing store, Grplgme., recently asked former WWE Superstar Batista if he’d step in to face John Cena at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans next month. Batista said that match won’t happen, but did reveal he has been “very vocal” about a return to WWE.
Batista doubled down on his belief that his career inside the ring isn’t over, as he turned down a WWE Hall Of Fame induction.
Batista said a return hasn’t happened yet because of both scheduling and creative issues. He concluded by saying “Never say never, I would love to go back.” It should be noted Batista said last year that if he did come back to WWE he’d like it to be on a full-time schedule.
Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth was recently interviewed by Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Ellsworth first talked about fans probably being uncomfortable with him being presented as Carmella’s ‘pet’ on WWE TV during their time together on SmackDown Live:
“I was OK with doing it, who wouldn’t? It’s Carmella,” Ellsworth said. “But to me, I thought the fans thought it was weird, so I’m glad it didn’t last long. But again, I personally didn’t mind it but I think it was weird for people to watch.”
Ellsworth was released from his WWE deal back in November and has been working the independent circuit ever since. He has since established an Intergender Championship that he plans on defending. When asked who he’d like to defend the belt against, Ellsworth named former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood (a.k.a. Emma):
“I’m wrestling Emma next month who’s also in the indies, she goes by Tenille Dashwood now. I think on the independent scene she’s probably the biggest name that’s a girl,” he said. “I would love to wrestle Carmella for it, that would be cool, I think people would love that. But yeah, as far as the indies go I can’t wait to get in the ring with Emma next month, I think that will get a lot of people talking.”
He was then asked about his thoughts on WWE bringing in former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Ellsworth said he believes the relationship will be mutually beneficial for both WWE and Rousey, and thinks Rousey will surprise some people with how good she’ll be in the ring:
“I mean, she’s one of the biggest stars in the world. As far as star power, she’s great for WWE. It’s good for both, it’s good for her and WWE, I think it’s a good relationship with them too,” he said. “I think both parties will make a lot of money off of her being there. She’s awesome and she’s been working hard in the ring and I think she’s gonna surprise a lot of people and be a really, really good wrestler.”
You can read Ellsworth’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.
– Former WWE Superstar and three-time Women’s Champion Melina is set to make her in-ring return on Friday, March 23rd for Australian Wrestling Entertainment (AWE). This seems to be Melina’s first match since dislocating her knee last March in England during an indy match. Initially Melina feared the injury would end her professional wrestling career. For more information on Melina’s AWE appearance click here.
– Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia was recently a guest on Renegade Radio with Jay Ferruggia to talk about her career with the professional wrestling juggernaut. Garcia also spoke about what it was like to work with former WWE Champion-turned Hollywood mega-star The Rock:
“[The Rock] would always make me blush. And so, all of a sudden [WWE’s creative writers were] like, ‘Ah, that’s so cute. Let’s do that, let’s put her in situations where she would totally blush.’ And he would call me out sometimes at ringside, you know, and there I am and I’m just blushing,” Garcia said. “So it just became fun and he loved working together and vice versa. I’m blessed, I’m blessed that I had that situation with him, for sure.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgB18qsHgKd/
You can listen to Garcia’s interview on Renegade Radio with Jay Ferruggia by clicking this link here.
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions
– Former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee (real name AJ Mendez) has announced that she will be hosting a book signing on Saturday, March 24th at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The event will be used to help raise awareness of mental illness and fight stigma:
Jersey! Who wants to hang out with me and help an amazing cause?! Join me, March 24th, at the NAMIWalks NJ 2018 Kick-Off Event to help me raise awareness of mental illness & fight stigma! There will be a book signing too! More info here: https://t.co/3kzlQaoTFZpic.twitter.com/T6W2URdFw5
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler held a wrestling event in the parking lot of his Hall Of Fame Bar & Grille restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee to celebrate one year of being open for business. Lawler wrestled Moondog in the rain for the event and posted the following pictures on Twitter:
Packed house today at my barbecue restaurant on Germantown Parkway in Memphis! Thanks to everyone who came out. pic.twitter.com/NGWhJKrNo3
– WWE Superstar Finn Balor has launched his own clothing brand, PE&K. The website https://smileitspeak.com/ launched this week and only features t-shirts for sale at the moment. Here’s PE&K’s self-description of their company:
“Smile it’s PE&K!
“Our goal at PE&K is to provide clothes that will make you smile, whilst having the least amount of impact on our lovely planet as possible.
– All our shirts are made in USA , and printed in UK,
– We don’t use plastic, but if there is, biodegradable YAY!
– And the only paper we use will be the sticker for shipping & international custom sheets (We are trying to source recyclable paper)
– No stickers
– No wasted cardboard
– Nothing that is going to hurt our planet
– We like to say. We are friends of the environment”
Balor and the PE&K Twitter account sent out the following Tweets to hype the line’s debut:
– Former WWE Superstar Darren Young, now going by his real name Fred Rosser on the indies, returned to in-ring action at a WrestlePro event last week in Uniondale, New Jersey. Rosser picked up a win over IMPACT Wrestling star Fallah Bahh. He posted the following highlights video from the match on Twitter:
– In one of Cody Rhodes’ latest Tweets he nudged at the possibility of his upcoming “All In” event in Chicago featuring pyrotechnics. The event goes down on September 1st from The Sears Center Arena, which holds up to 11,800 fans:
You better Slick Nick, because today's "All In" production call also included the revised budget…and I might have hyperventilated…#Pyro#wtfhttps://t.co/e9ID7oUkw0
– This week marks 14 years since late-WWE Hall Of Famer Eddie Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 20 to retain his WWE Championship. The Monday Night RAW General Manager took to Instagram to pay homage to his fallen friend:
“14 years ago to this day, I shared the ring with possibly the greatest overall performer of all time, #eddieguerrero. He always had something up his sleeve, and he didn’t disappoint in this Wrestlemania Showdown. Thank you Eddie. #LieCheatSteal #itstrue”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgT3HtdBrNZ/
– WWE has posted its latest installment of “List This!” on their YouTube channel. This week’s episode features the five shortest WrestleMania matches ever. Check them out here:
– WWE Superstar Rusev recently held a live stream on his Instagram account. Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback joined in the stream and made a comment that forced “The Bulgarian Brute” to end the stream. Ryback said the following:
“Are you involved in this steroid scandal? I can’t have you involved in my company if you’re involved in this [Jonny] Bravo stuff.”
Rusev responded by saying that he was going to block Ryback on Instagram and told fans to thank him for being the reason he is ending the stream now. It was all captured on video by “The Top Rope” on YouTube, and you can watch here:
– WWE made the decision to change the name of the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal to simply “WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.” This came after a ton of backlash towards, not only WWE, but to WrestleMania sponsor Snickers. Shortly before the name change Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, who is the parent company of Snickers, issued out the following statement on the matter:
“We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment”
After the name change was made, another announcement was made by Mars Wrigley Confectionery US:
“We are very pleased that WWE has decided to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’”
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is expected to make his mixed martial arts (MMA) return at UFC 225 on pay-per-view (PPV) in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois on June 9th. There has been a ton of speculation that fellow 0-1 record-holder Mike Jackson will be his opponent, however, nothing has been officially confirmed as of this writing.
Punk made his debut at UFC 203 in September of 2016 when he took on Gracie jiu-jitsu brown belt Mickey Gall in welterweight competition. “The Cult Of Personality” was immediately taken down, battered on the ground, before subsequently being choked out via rear-naked choke. Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, recently joined The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM Rush 93 to offer his thoughts on Punk returning to the Octagon.
Roufus said that he believes Punk will be “200 percent” better upon returning to the cage. Punk will have had two more years to hone his craft when he returns to fight in June (quotes via MMA News):
“200 percent [better]. I’m not even his coach. We were friends first before we did this. I would not do this with anyone else except for my friendship with him from before he decided to fight. He’s just one hell of a guy. He’s a celebrity but he’s different than a lot of celebrities I know. Great guy. He works his ass off. He’s very well-liked on our team and he’s improved a lot.”
– As we’ve reported, WrestleMania 35 will be going down from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2019. Wrestle Votes is reporting on Twitter that because of this it’s likely SummerSlam will be moved out of the Brooklyn region:
SummerSlam, and the surrounding weekend events, are moving on from Brooklyn after this upcoming year. Location still TBD, but high probability of SummerSlam being held at a stadium venue. Likely a MLB stadium.
– Dean Ambrose has been forced to pull out of several autograph signing appearances at World Of Wheels this weekend. It’s unknown why Ambrose was forced to pull, but it should be noted he’s currently recovering from a surgery back in December to repair a torn tricep. He was given a return timeframe of around 9 months, meaning he won’t be back in the ring until around August or September:
– As we’ve previously reported, the site Bodyslam.net has reported that “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella is likely to cash-in her briefcase in a losing effort at WrestleMania 34 next month. Carmella caught wind of these rumors on Twitter and responded to them sarcastically:
– First-ever Women’s Royal Rumble winner and RAW Superstar Asuka has made her decision to challenge SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. Asuka made her SmackDown Live debut this past Tuesday to confront “The Queen.”
Many fans have been wondering if this now means “The Empress Of Tomorrow” is a SmackDown Live Superstar. WWE still lists Asuka as a RAW competitor, however, if she beats Flair at WrestleMania for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title that’s likely to change.
– A fan recently took to Twitter to tell Heath Slater that he wants to see WWE give him a push. Slater said that he doesn’t need a push, if he gets just a ‘nudge’ he can do the rest:
– Former WWE Superstar Mo of “Men On A Mission” (real name Bobby Horne) took to his Facebook page to reveal he was about to undergo a kidney transplant surgery this past Tuesday. Here’s what he had to say before the surgery:
“To all my friends, fans and family. I love you all. I just received the call. I am on my way to Medical City Hospital for a kidney transplant. Please keep me in your thoughts and. prayers. For the record. I am scared.”
He also recently set up a crowdfunding effort to help pay for his medical costs related to the kidney transplant operation. Here’s his post on the matter:
“Hello, I am Bobby L. Horne and I ad suffering from end stage renal failure. I am Currently on the kidney transplant list in the State of Texas. This fund raiser is to cover the astronomical cost of anti rejection medication for the first year following a transplant. I have spent the majority of my adult life helping others and more importantly our youth. Now I need your help. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated.”
– It looks like WrestleMania 34’s card will feature two Triple Threat matches for WWE titles. We’ve already seen that Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle has announced The Miz will be defending his Intercontinental Title in one against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that SmackDown Live will have a Triple Threat Title match of their own.
United States Champion Randy Orton is expected to defend his strap against both Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal in New Orleans. Roode announced his intentions to use his rematch clause at WrestleMania against Orton, after losing the strap this past weekend at Fastlane to “The Viper.” Mahal recently picked up a singles win over Bobby Roode, however, so it’s possible he’s added to the match on SmackDown Live next week.
– As for the finals of the 205 Live Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Meltzer reports the plan has always been for Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali to take place in the finals. After Alexander already solidified his place in the finals, Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak will take place on next week’s 205 Live to determine Alexander’s opponent. It was also added that Alexander vs. Ali was the idea for the finals once the idea was developed to have the match take place at WrestleMania.
– We’ve noted that the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal announcement from WWE has received a ton of backlash from the professional wrestling world. Fans were so upset they started a petition to have the name changed, a petition that has received nearly 10,000 signatures. WWE seems to be aware of the backlash from fans now, as they have turned off commenting abilities on their YouTube video about the Battle Royal:
– Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer was recently asked on Twitter why the WWE doesn’t have an actual, physical WWE Hall Of Fame. Meltzer responded by saying Vince McMahon doesn’t see the economic value in it and nobody else has offered to ‘foot the bill’:
No reason other than they don't because Vince doesn't see the economic value to it and nobody else has offered to foot the bill https://t.co/5Dg7bqVvJZ
As we’ve noted, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Kevin Owens would be taking on Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 34. This was announced shortly before Shane took an indefinite leave of absence from his duties as SmackDown Live Commissioner. Shortly thereafter, Owens and Zayn viciously attacked McMahon which caused a storyline injury.
Bryan Alvarez speculated on Wrestling Observer Live that he can’t imagine another scenario other than a Triple Threat match between Owens, Zayn, and McMahon at WrestleMania 34. He also expects General Manager Daniel Bryan to serve as the Special Guest Referee for the bout.
Alvarez said WWE has put too much effort into this storyline for it to simply conclude with Owens vs. Zayn in a singles match:
“There are four weeks left until WrestleMania, I presume it will be Shane McMahon, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens in a three-way with Daniel Bryan as the guest referee. I don’t know that for sure but I can not fathom the idea that they spent this much time building up something and then at the end of the day he’s just off the show because he got beaten up.
“I mean they played it up like it was near death but he’s a McMahon and I presume he will be back in a few weeks and build up that match with those two guys. So, I think that match will be added to Mania.”
– WWE currently doesn’t have any plans for Rusev to perform in a match at WrestleMania 34. It’s likely that WWE uses him in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. “The Bulgarian Brute” recently took to Twitter to comment on his WrestleMania status and said he’d like to fight a celebrity in New Orleans:
– Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE Uk Superstar Tyler Bate has been sidelined with a minor knee injury. Bate was originally scheduled to team up with Trent Seven in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament.
– It looks like WWE could have called off its plans to have Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at WrestleMania 34 this year. Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer is reporting that the match may no longer be taking place in New Orleans, as per his count he has 14 matches currently on the card. At this point WWE doesn’t really need to add another match to the card, meaning Banks vs. Bayley could get the snub:
“I think we got the whole WrestleMania card. I got 14 matches listed and I don’t think they need more than 14. I don’t think they are going to have any more. They could still throw in a Bayley vs. Sasha Banks match but I’m guessing they are both in the Battle Royal.”
– Meltzer also reports that NXT TakeOver: New Orleans seems to be besting the post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night RAW as far as ticket sales go. TakeOver is actually near a sellout and will be going head-to-head with a Ring Of Honor (ROH) show which seats 5,000 fans – as opposed to NXT’s venue that can hold double that at 10,000.
Former WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Master Of The 619” first revealed that his son, Dominic, is currently in Tampa Bay, Florida training with Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Jay Lethal for his professional wrestling career:
“Yeah, my son, Dominic is training in wrestling and working. He’s up training with Jay Lethal right now.” Mysterio later added, “I’m going to have him train as much as he can in different countries. Right now he’s training with Jay. I want to get him out with Lance in Calgary [Canada]. Is he in Calgary?
“Yeah, uh huh. And eventually, if I can get him to Japan and to Europe. And the final touch would be the Mexican side. That’s when I get ahold of him and we do one-on-ones, so eventually, when it’s time to tap out and hang up the mask, I would love to leave him set, so he can take over the name and the brand and take it to the next level.”
Mysterio is undoubtably one of the greatest Cruiserweights in the history of the business, and inspired a completely new generation talents today. He admitted that he only recently realized the affect he has and on the business:
“Maybe within the last five years,” Mysterio considered. “I want to say, you start getting comments here and there at signings or events where you get local wrestlers coming up to you and they tell you that they’re training, that they’re wrestling, if I have any advice because they were inspired by watching me wrestle and Psicosis, and our generation, so that’s when it kind of hits you not as strong as later down the road when I run into an AJ [Styles], when I do run into a Will Ospreay, when I do run into Amazing Red, Ricochet, who just signed with WWE.
“After being able to wrestle with these guys and them expressing how much of an influence I was to their career, and how without me being in the position that I was throughout the years, that they are now having the opportunities to be able to perform at the level that they always wanted to. That’s when it hits you and you go, ‘wow’. I mean, it was a game-changer, it was a door-opener for all the smaller weight, the guys that at another time thought, ‘oh, I could never be a part of this.’
“And then, seeing me, ‘oh, if he can do it, I can do it!’ So that’s when it really hits and it makes you feel good, man. There’s no better feeling than to know that you’ve given others the opportunity to perform at the highest level possible.”
You can listen to Mysterio’s full interview on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.
– On last night’ episode of SmackDown Live it was announced that General Manager Daniel Bryan would be making his WWE TV return on next week’s episode. Bryan was absent from WWE Fastlane and this week’s episode of SmackDown last night. The reason for Bryan’s absence was because he was attending a family wedding.
– Speaking of SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn viciously attacked SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon on last night’s show after McMahon announced he’d be taking an indefinite leave of absence from his duties on the show.
Before the beatdown he also announced Owens would be taking on Sami Zayn at WrestleMania as well. “KO” took to Twitter to comment on attacking Shane:
– After the beatdown of McMahon by Owens and Zayn, WWE announced a storyline injury sustained by the SmackDown Live Commissioner as a result of the attack:
Shane McMahon suffers several injuries while being attacked by Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn on SmackDown LIVE
After announcing he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from his role as SmackDown LIVE Commissioner, Shane McMahon was brutally attacked by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, whom he had just placed into a match against each other at WrestleMania. McMahon suffered several injuries during the attack, WWE.com can confirm.
“He sustained a laryngeal contusion when the steel chair was wrapped around his head and thrown into the turnbuckle,” WWE medical staff said.
KO & Zayn continued the onslaught by dragging McMahon to the back and powerbombing him onto a metal rack, resulting in further injuries.
“He was then thrown onto the metal rack, which resulted in trapezius and rhomboid strains,” medical staff continued.
McMahon is currently being evaluated to make sure his airway is not compromised. Further updates on McMahon’s status are expected in the next 24 hours. Stick with WWE.com for more details as they become available.
– Dean Ambrose has been out-of-action since December last year after suffering a triceps tendon injury. He was initially expected to being out for up to nine months, which puts him out of the question for a possible WrestleMania 34 return. PWInsider is reporting that Ambrose is expected to fly to Birmingham, Alabama this week for an evaluation.
– Reby Hardy recently took to Twitter to fire back at recent rumors over next week’s expected “Ultimate Deletion” segment on Monday Night RAW. Reby’s Queen Rebecca character is expected to be featured in the segment, which was filmed last week at Matt’s compound in North Carolina.
One fan noted on Twitter that Jeremy Borash and Matt were given creative control over the segment. While that has not been reported by any credible sources, it has been confirmed that Borash helped with production of the segment as he was a big part of the original “Broken” segments in TNA. Check it out:
– Jeff Hardy’s wife, Beth, took to Twitter to note that she dropped Jeff off at his final physical therapy appointment this morning. Jeff has been recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum & torn rotator cuff:
Just dropped Jeff off at his last Physical Therapy appointment. ??????
Jeff later took to Instagram to thank the Pinehurst Surgical physical therapy department for assisting him in his recovery:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgTlRmjBgyg/
– There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the WWE’s announcement of the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Women’s Battle Royal. Former 80’s WWE Superstar and Moolah trainee Jeannine Mjoseth issued the following statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet on WWE naming the rumble after Moolah:
“The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on. She was not a mother figure. She was more like Kali, the Indian Goddess of Destruction. I met her in my early 20s and I had never met such a monstrous person.
“I was smart enough to get the hell away from her and start my own independent career in Tampa as part of the Championship Wrestling from Florida. Luna Vachon, Peggy Fowler and I all left together, which I hope put a serious dent in her confidence, if not wallet.
“I understand why Moolah was so grotesque. Her family was dirt poor and she determined that she was never going to be hungry again. But it doesn’t excuse her dog-eat-dog behavior. I’d much rather see WWE establish a named match for outstanding wrestlers (and decent human beings) like Susan ‘Tex’ Green, Beverly Shade, Leilani Kai, Wendi Richter, Princess Victoria or Joyce Grable. They all put their hearts and souls into wrestling for decades and helped others along the way.
“But wrestling isn’t PC. It’s about generating heat. And you can’t draw more heat than naming a match for The Fabulous Moolah. May she be the last of her kind.”
– Nickelodeon is planning on rebooting its famed children’ TV series, Blue’s Clues, and WWE Superstar John Cena auditioned for the hosting gig. Former show host Steven Burns was recently interviewed by TMZ and was asked about Cena auditioning.
He said he believes the new host of the show should be an “average Joe” but he understands why the network is auditioning and considering a celebrity the calibre of Cena. Burns then said that if Nickelodeon is serious about having Cena host the show, he thinks they should fight for the gig:
– As we’ve noted, Asuka chose to challenge Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34 for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title. The 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble winner had her choice between Flair or RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Despite currently being a Superstar on RAW, “The Empress Of Tomorrow” decided to challenge SmackDown Live’s top woman instead. Bliss took to Twitter to react to Asuka’s decision:
— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) March 12, 2018
– On the Fastlane pre-show last night Breezango teamed up with Tye Dillinger to defeat Mojo Rawley, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a Six-Man Tag Team match. During the match Rawley was receiving “You can’t wrestle” chants from the crowd. He took to Twitter to react after the show:
– WWE Champion AJ Styles successfully retained his title in a Six Pack Challenge at last night’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event. “The Phenomenal One” will now go on to defend his strap in a dream match against 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34. Both men took to Twitter to hype the upcoming title bout:
It’s been called a dream match… A fantasy born in Japan…
Open your eyes, pinch your arms. AJ Styles vs. @ShinsukeN for the @WWE Championship in THE main event of @WrestleMania.
– Speaking of Royal Rumble winners, 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka appeared at Fastlane after Charlotte Flair successfully defended her SmackDown Live Women’s Title against Ruby Riot. She confronted Flair and pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign, indicating her choice to challenge Flair at the event.
Although she didn’t verbally confirm her decision during the segment, a post-event interview with Cathy Kelly confirmed “The Empress Of Tomorrow” did in fact choose Flair for WrestleMania:
