WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with The Detroit News to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “Little Miss Bliss” talked about now feeling more comfortable with her on-air persona and how naturally it now comes to her:

“Before I was portraying the character Alexa Bliss, I was very shy, very uncomfortable with playing a bad guy or showing any emotion, really. Now when I’m in the ring or doing a speaking segment, I get so wrapped up in the character that I don’t even notice I’m doing it. It’s a natural feeling for me.”

Bliss also commented on what it was like working with NXT General Manager William Regal. Regal would study people in airports to get ideas for heel characters on WWE TV, and Bliss described how a child throwing a temper tantrum actually drew some inspiration for her character:

“He would sit and watch people in airports and out in public and he would study their mannerisms, and he’d say if they bothered him, chances are they’d bother other people.

“I saw how other people were looking at this child, screaming his head off, kicking and screaming in the store, and the poor mother was just mortified and trying to get her son to stop. I was like, ‘that’s gold. I’m using that.’ ”

“Five Feet Of Fury” then talked about how Marilyn Monroe related to her on-air character and in real life:

“Marilyn is very shy and quiet and unsure of herself, but there’s a scene where she’s walking down the stairs and she turns to (Eddie Redmayne’s character) and says, ‘do you want to see me be her?’ And then she switches into Marilyn mode. I was like oh my gosh, that’s exactly how I feel. ‘Do you want to see me be her.’ If you could put it into words, that would be it.”

You can read Bliss’ full interview with The Detroit News by clicking this link here.

– Currently there are only four matches confirmed for WWE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, as of the last NXT TV taping. One thing that has yet to be confirmed is whether or not Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa would be happening at the event as well. Gargano recently lost a match against NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas, and was forced to leave NXT as a result.

WWE accidentally posted a lineup of matches scheduled for NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, which included a yet-to-be-announced Unsanctioned Match between Gargano and Ciampa. The post was quickly taken down, but not before some screenshots could be grabbed:

WWE accidentally posted this on Facebook before immediately deleting it. pic.twitter.com/zWykr5eOp5

— AEW Enjoyer (@SoDuTw) March 10, 2018

– WWE is currently teasing a romance storyline between SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and United States Champion Bobby Roode. The two are currently paired up together on the Mixed Match Challenge as “The Robe Warriors.” WWE posted an article teasing the romance angle between the two. Here’s an excerpt:

Charlotte Flair’s tweet leads to speculation of romance with Bobby Roode

“Later that night, The Queen tagged Roode in a tweet that included lyrics from Brandy & Monica’s “The Boy is Mine,” leaving many in the WWE Universe wondering if romance could be brewing between the two.

However, The Riott Squad were none too pleased with Roode’s meddling, and they used social media to send a warning to the United States Champion about what would happen if he stuck his nose in their business again.

Will The Glorious One’s robes be losing their luster anytime soon? Is romance in the future for he and Charlotte Flair? Tune in to SmackDown LIVE on Tuesdays at 8/7 C and find out!”

– It’s been quite some time since Carmella won the first-ever Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase. Many fans have been wondering when “The Princess Of Staton Island” could be cashing in her Women’s Title opportunity. Brad Shepard of BodySlam.net is reporting that he has heard rumblings of Carmella cashing-in at WrestleMania 34 unsuccessfully.

Given that Charlotte Flair will likely take on Asuka at “The Show Of Shows,” and assuming the former NXT Women’s Champ’s streak continues on, it’s unlikely Carmella breaks the streak with her cash-in:

“Carmella, I’m told could very well cash in her Money in the Bank at WrestleMania and lose.”

“Well apparently from what I heard she’s okay with it. She’s down to do it. She basically knows Asuka is going to be champ and she doesn’t have a chance of winning the championship from her so it’s kinda like, ‘you might as well make the most of losing. Why not WrestleMania?'”

With Alexa Bliss likely defending her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at WrestleMania, perhaps it’s possible Carmella could attempt to swap brands and cash-in on that match’s winner?

– WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall recently took to Twitter and issued a controversial statement about Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith. A fan said the following on Twitter:

“Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith were everyone a kid from the 90s wanted as a tag team.”

Hall responded by saying:

“You mean failed single wrestlers.”

Bulldog’s daughter, Georgia Smith, and wife, Diana Hart-Smith, furiously responded to Hall’s Tweet – which he has since deleted:

Fuck you @SCOTTHALLNWO, my Dad was not a failed man in ANY way. Don’t have the fondest memories of you as a child, & haven’t seen much recently that makes me think you’ve changed. 3 of your 5 best matches involved my family, & you didn’t win one of them. @GenuineLexLuger https://t.co/UxLzKS1DL8

— Georgia Joyce Smith (@georgiasmith87) March 8, 2018

https://twitter.com/DianaHartSmith/status/971845494279258113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fnodq.com%2Fnews%2F522615605.shtml

We’ve noted a recent report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer who suggests WWE is planning to have Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn involved in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. This means, despite their differences on WWE TV right now, they will not be involved in a match with Shane McMahon at the event. Per McMahon’s contract, however, he needs to wrestle at “The Show Of Shows” and needs a dancing partner.

Brad Shepard of BodySlam.net reports that current plans have the SmackDown Live Commissioner facing off against Dolph Ziggler in New Orleans, as Ziggler has never had a singles contest at WrestleMania before:

“It looks like plans have recently changed and now Shane McMahon’s match, it sounds like his opponent will be Dolph Ziggler. From what I’ve been told, that’s what they are looking to do.”

“Shane has got to have his match and Dolph has never had a singles match at WrestleMania. It will be a good match, that’s fine. Not everything I am dying to see but.. That will be something to watch for if they do go with that — we should start seeing that build soon.”

Discussion: How do you feel about a potential match between McMahon and Ziggler? How would WWE set this up? And what other options are out there for “Shane O-Mac?”

As we’ve noted, the expectation for The Undertaker at this year’s WrestleMania is that he’ll be working John Cena at the event. Cena teased the match-up a few weeks ago on RAW by saying he challenged “The Deadman” to a match at “The Showcase Of The Immortals.” He later stuck a dagger in wrestling fans’ hearts by saying he was told that match was impossible. “The Leader Of The Cenation” then went to SmackDown Live where he earned his way into tomorrow’s WWE Championship match at the Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV).

The match will be a Six Pack Challenge between WWE Champion AJ Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. The winner of the match will go on to WrestleMania to defend the WWE Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Cena has the opportunity to win a record-breaking 17th World Title tomorrow night. Unfortunately for fans of Cena, that’s not expected to happen.

In the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Live, Brian Alvarez was asked if we could possibly see the build-up to Cena vs. Undertaker on WWE TV this week. Alvarez speculated that the program could actually kickoff at tomorrow’s Fastlane event, as he doesn’t think WWE will wait for RAW to start the feud. It’s expected AJ Styles will successfully defend his title tomorrow to set up a singles match against Nakamura at WrestleMania – which has the potential to tear the house down and steal the show.

As for Cena, it’s possible Taker could accept his challenge and cost him tomorrow’s match to setup their bout at Mania. It should be interesting to see if this actually transpires during tomorrow’s PPV event.

– For the past several weeks filmmaker Jon Bravo has been teasing the release of evidence that WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was involved in an illegal steroid ring operation as a customer. In a new teaser released by Bravo, he mentioned that former WWE Superstar Luther Reigns could be involved in the scandal as well.

This led to some speculation that Bravo could’ve mistaken Luther for Roman. The first name of one of the “Reigns” characters in question was cropped out in one of his photos. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8MQcpX7d4s&feature=youtu.be

REIGNS confirmed in the #Rodriguez steroid ring…

That be former wwe wrestler Luther REIGNS… pic.twitter.com/IKva4icurb

— Uncensored Wrestling ?? (@Uncensored_WWE) March 9, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfb0KTGFbqo/?utm_source=ig_embed

The name on the contract does say REIGNS.

However the contract reads LUTHER REIGNS. pic.twitter.com/a3AeisSibq

— Will Washington ? (@WillWashington) March 9, 2018

Bravo responded to some of the speculation that he could’ve confused Luther and Roman, saying they’re two different people and fans shouldn’t be irresponsible by spreading rumors:

“Luther and Roman are 2 different people everyone. Stop spreading rumors and wait until I release more information. Be responsible guys…”

Bravo had teased the release of the Reigns evidence video last week but had to halt posting due to what he claims to be last-second editing. It should be interesting to see when he releases the video, and what evidence he actually has on Reigns, with WrestleMania 34 right around the corner.

– In WWE’s latest preview for Monday Night RAW next week they teased when the Final Deletion match between “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt could take place. Here’s the preview for the segment:

“The Ultimate Deletion” is upon us, and the battleground has been chosen.

After “Woken” Matt Hardy invited Bray Wyatt to The Hardy Compound for the final battle in the “Great War,” The Eater of Worlds accepted the challenge via social media.

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/970867101241151489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ringsidenews.com%2F2018%2F03%2F09%2Fwwe-announce-ultimate-deletion-mondays-raw%2F

When will “The Ultimate Deletion” transpire?

Don’t miss Raw at 8/7 C on USA Network!

WWE 205 Live star Drew Gulak recently appeared on former Cruiserweight Champion Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac 12360, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Gulak started off by saying that his character in WWE is all his creation and how much he turns it up on TV:

“It’s all me. I mean, I definitely turn it up for the show and stuff like that but it’s been cool being in WWE. It’s a collaborative process here. Because there are so many different people you know in creative positions, but they’ve been really receptive to working with our ideas and getting the most out of that.”

Gulak also divulged that, for the most part, his promos are written for him; however, he has the ability to manipulate them and make them sound more real:

“They are mostly written for me, but we are given freedom to manipulate them or make it sound more natural. A lot of guys will come in here and they’ll just see what’s written on the paper and go, ‘Ah, I can’t do this.’ And they’ll go out there and do their own thing or they’ll have it rewritten for them. I try to do my best with what I’m handed… If something doesn’t connect I’ll speak up or if something doesn’t’ look right I have no problem mentioning it.”

With Triple H now taking over 205 Live, Gulak also sounded off on the new decision to have “The Game” call the shots:

“I think originally it was his [Triple H] concept coming out of the Cruiserweight Classic. It was very much Triple H’s idea to bring in a Cruiserweight division and build this brand up. And as soon as we came over, Vince was like ‘hey this is great, let’s run with it,’ and he kinda took the ball and ran with it. Up until the last couple weeks, they basically went to the idea of basically having a tournament again to rechristen the new Cruiserweight Champion. That’s pretty much been under the guide of Triple H.”

Gulak also explained why he wants to see Joey Janela come to WWE in the near future:

“Well we were talking about Joey Janela, he’s someone that has come through the CZW school and worked hard later on in his career and lately he has just been doing a great job. He’s proven to me, that if he has a goal or is set on something he can go out and achieve it. So, really it just comes down to if you really want it , if you’re willing to do the things to kinda adjust and get here, I think it is within reach for some people.”

You can listen to Gulak’s interview on X-Pac 12360 by clicking this link here.

Ring Of Honor’s (ROH) Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with WrestleZone to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Daniels first discussed getting a role as a stunt performer in Netflix’s series “Love”:

“Chavo Guerrero is a stunt coordinator, he was the stunt coordinator for GLOW, and when Love needed a wrestling scene they knew that he was someone that has worked with wrestlers and stunt people at the same time. Chavo put myself, Tyrus, Lil’ Cholo from Lucha Underground is in it, and Lisa Marie Varon is in it, but that’s how it all got set up. Chavo knows that there’s a lot of us out here in [Los Angeles], and whenever there’s a wrestling scene he kind of just throws his friends together and gets us in there.”

The former ROH World Champion was then asked if he takes roles based on appeal to his fanbase, or if he is simply trying to build up his resume as a stunt performer:

“For me, someone that is entertaining the idea of branching out into stunt work in the future, it’s just an opportunity to sort of hone my skills and get to know more stunt coordinators and stunt performers in the Hollywood scene. I understand, and I hope wrestling fans understand that these shows may not be on the top lists of fans that watch me in Ring Of Honor, but they understand the difference between Christopher Daniels of Ring Of Honor and Christopher Daniels as a stunt man.

“We’re playing different roles and I’m serving a different show and a different storyteller. It doesn’t bother me to go into stunt work, and if [ROH fans] are watching Love because I’m on it, hopefully they enjoy the show, and it might get them into watching the entire series if they like the episode that we’re on.”

Daniels then discussed facing The Hung Bucks (The Young Bucks and Adam Page) at ROH’s 16th Anniversary show this weekend:

“The feud between myself and Frankie [Kazarian] and the Young Bucks has been going on for a couple of years now. As far as our toughest opponents, I have to throw the Young Bucks up at the top of the list. So, now with them as the Six-Man Tag Team Champions with Adam Page, we recently recruited Scorpio Sky as a fellow So-Cal professional wrestler to be on our side, so over the course of the past few months we’ve had so many interactions with them were Friday is going to be a Vegas Street Fight.

“Basically there’s no rules, and anything goes. The tensions between us and them have escalated to the point where there’s going to be weapons, there’s probably going to be blood, but I feel confident in myself, Frankie and Scorpio where we’re going to come out as the new Six-Man Tag Team Champions.”

When asked about his Mount Rushmore of ROH wrestlers, Daniels offered up names such as Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, and Bryan Danielson:

“I feel like probably the top four guys for me are, and I’m not going to name myself, that’d be wildly arrogant. I’d have to put Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal. It’s tough to narrow it down to four, because you leave out guys like Nigel McGuinness, who deserves to be in that conversation. You leave out Low Ki, Austin Aries as the first two-time champion, or Adam Cole as the first three-time champion.

“All of those guys deserve to be in that conversation, but certainly looking back at the history of Ring Of Honor, the first two guys, Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson are locks. And what Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal have meant to Ring Of Honor, especially over the past decade, it certainly says a lot about their hard work and their effort and what they brought to this company as a whole.”

You can read Daniels’ full interview with WrestleZone by clicking this link here.

– For the past several months Matt Hardy has been utilizing a modified version of his “Broken” persona on WWE TV, calling himself “Woken.” He is currently embroiled in a feud with Bray Wyatt and will likely have a match with him at the Hardy Family Compound. Hardy recently took to Twitter and noted that “W” is going to start sounding like “BR”:

"W" is gonna start sounding like "BR"..

MARAVILLOSO!

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 8, 2018

– Deadline is reporting that WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan’s legal battle with Gawker over his leaked sex tape could possibly be turned into a feature film or TV series. David A. Neuman’s Blackrock Production company has acquired the rights to turn Ryan Holiday’s “Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue” book into a production. The book was released last Tuesday and was written with cooperation from Hogan. Hogan wound up winning $140 million in the lawsuit.

This past November at NXT TakeOver: WarGames former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre suffered a torn bicep injury during his title loss to Andrade Almas. The former Intercontinental Champion needed surgery to repair the injury. PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson reports that McIntyre has been spotted working out at the WWE Performance Center for the past few days, meaning he is close to making his in-ring return.

Johnson also noted that he was previously told that the timeframe for McIntyre’s return from injury ended sometime in April. WWE’s goal was to have him return for WrestleMania weekend and they’re right on track to make that happen. There is currently no news on what WWE has planned for McIntyre once he returns to NXT, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler recently appeared on Isacc Wenzel’s “All Things Wrestling Radio” show to talk about several professional wrestling topics. The former World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he actually campaigned to WWE brass to remove him from television, citing that someone who loses as much as he does doesn’t deserve to be on the show. Here’s what he had to say:

“I will say that I really begged and pleaded for a couple of months off the television show,” Ziggler said. “Because no matter how good I am or what I’m up to it seems that 99 times out of 100 I would lose. I didn’t think that I deserved to be on the TV show if I was someone that was losing every night,  so I asked to be taken off. I was hoping for maybe six months or a year and it ended up being four weeks.”

The four weeks Ziggler is referring to is when he vacated the United States Championship after winning the strap at WWE’s Clash Of Champions pay-per-view (PPV) this past December. He won a Triple Threat match against then-champion Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode. The following Tuesday on SmackDown Live Ziggler vacated the title after walking out on WWE. He left the championship in the center of the ring and walked away.

He was off WWE TV for several weeks before returning in the number 30 spot in the Men’s Royal Rumble in January. Ziggler is now one of six men involved in the Six Pack Challenge this weekend for the WWE Title at Fastlane. Ziggler will compete against champion AJ Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin.

WWE Champion AJ Styles recently joined Busted Open Radio with David LaGreca and Mark Henry to discuss his upcoming Six Pack Challenge WWE Title defense against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. “The Phenomenal One” sung Cena’s praises and called him one of the greatest of all time:

“I’m not saying that John is a great athlete, I don’t want to discredit who John is,” Styles said. “He’s not known for his moveset. But his psychology is unbelievable! Like, he gets it on another level. It makes up for things he lacks in his moveset because he’s so unbelievable in that ring. When he and I work together… I say him signing something, and he is a leftie, he uses his left hand.

“I said, ‘that’s gotta be what it is John, that’s why we work so well together, because you’re a leftie and I’m a rightie and it just works.’ We’re different in every way, but we keep on putting on great matches.”

On RAW this week Cena suggested a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania between himself, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Title. Styles said that he doesn’t want that match to happen as he wants Nakamura all to himself:

“I guess John Cena was on RAW last night saying that he’s going to win [at Fastlane] and I should invoke my rematch clause at WrestleMania so that it can be a three-way between myself, Nakamura and John Cena,” Styles said. “Well I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to lose this match coming up at Fastlane. I want Nakamura all to myself.

“I’ve got a score to settle with Nakamura,” Styles admitted. “We had a match – one match – between him and I in Japan. He took that match, he won that one. He had home field advantage. I want the home field advantage this time and we’ll see what happens. I want him all to myself.”

"I don't want a Triple Threat at #Wrestlemania. I want @ShinsukeN all to myself."#WWEChampion @AJStylesOrg told @davidlagreca1& @TheMarkHenry why he loves working with @JohnCena but he's leaving #WWEFastlane with the title.#SDLive pic.twitter.com/WDc7bcT7n3

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) March 6, 2018

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– As we’ve noted, Braun Strowman and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated the team of SmackDown Live Tag Team Champ Jimmy Uso and Naomi in Week 9 of the Mixed Match Challenge. Bliss and Strowman will challenge WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Asuka in Week 10 of the Mixed Match Challenge. The winner of that match will go on to the finals.

WWE posted a post-match video of Bliss and Strowman to talk about their win. Dasha Fuentes asked the pair if anything was going on between them after Braun said he and Alexa were going “all the way”… in the tournament. Check it out here:

– Former WWE Superstar Darren Young, real name Fred Rosser, has announced that he will be launching his own YouTube channel. He made the announcement on Twitter via video:

After months of preparation I'm finally launching my YouTube Mr. NoDaysOff this Wednesday. Thanks to everyone who helped me think, plan, develop, and finally launch this channel. https://t.co/Fks8N24nH7#blockthehate #youtube #vlog #nodaysoff pic.twitter.com/d0JQQSuXeo

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) March 7, 2018

– The Rock’s daughter was taken to the emergency room Saturday night. Rock’s two-year-old, Jasmine, is fine now, but “The Great One” took to Instagram to thank first responders in Los Angeles for helping out:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf_yBOBlaNM/

– As seen on Monday Night RAW this past week, Matt Hardy challenged Bray Wyatt to come and confront him at the Hardy Family Compound. Some footage from the compound was also featured during the segment, which we later found out was filmed by Reby Hardy. Wyatt took to Twitter to accept Hardy’s challenge:

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/970867101241151489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The #UltimateDELETION is the only way to cleanse the POST-PANGAEA Plane of #SisterAbigail & Bray Wyatt.. https://t.co/LlkvVO5dAz

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 6, 2018

It's time to CONVOKE my TRUSTED Platoon.

Queen Rebecca
Senor Benjamin
Vanguard 1
King Maxel
Lord Wolfgang
Skarsgård

The SACRED Land of DELETION, The #HardyCompound, will be where Bray Wyatt is sentenced to The #UltimateDELETION. pic.twitter.com/OaVcrIIzqS

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 6, 2018

Senor Benjamin, Prepare the Battlefield for… ANNIHILATION !!! #UltimateDELETION @BenjaminSenor https://t.co/yuIRS1r7dn

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 6, 2018

Listo. Siempre. pic.twitter.com/TjEyQ3ZfgQ

— Señor Benjamin (@BenjaminSenor) March 6, 2018

– WWE posted a promo on Twitter for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Detroit, which is said to feature a face to face confrontation between WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Elimination Chamber winner Roman Reigns. Check it out:

NEXT MONDAY, THE BEAST RETURNS TO #RAW! #SDLive @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/mHYTSitVCj

— WWE (@WWE) March 7, 2018

– Paige took to social media to note that she’s currently on tour with her current boyfriend, Kalan Blehm’s, band, Attila. She won’t be appearing with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville at WWE live events this week:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/971102051416539136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgAfTWbFA0I/

John Cena’s Road To WrestleMania 34 is probably one of the biggest storylines going in WWE right now. Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble match, lost the Elimination Chamber match after being pinned by Braun Strowman, and will now get his third – and likely final – shot to make it into the headline bout at “The Show Of Shows.” Cena will take part in a Six Pack Challenge match for the WWE Title against Champion AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler at Fastlane on pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend.

The winner will go on to WrestleMania to defend the WWE Title against Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura. John Cena’s upcoming WWE schedule, however, suggests he probably won’t be winning that match. “The Leader Of The Cenation” is not scheduled for any SmackDown Live events after Fastlane, leading up to WrestleMania.

That means that whatever feud WWE has planned for Cena, he’ll likely be building it up on RAW. Take a look at his upcoming schedule here:

• March 11th: Fastlane (Columbus, OH)
• March 12th: Raw (Detroit, MI)
• March 16th: MSG Live event (NYC)
• March 18th: Live event (Oklahoma City, OK)
• March 19th: Raw (Dallas, TX)
• March 26th: Raw (Cleveland, OH)
• April 9th: Raw (New Orleans, LA)

Its been rumored that Cena could be feuding with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. With very little options other than Taker out there if Cena doesn’t win the WWE Title this weekend, he very well could be sharing the squared circle with “The Deadman” in New Orleans this April.

– After suffering a shoulder injury back in September on an episode of RAW, Jeff Hardy underwent surgery to repair the issue. The surgery took place in October and he was given a recovery time of 6-9 months. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Hardy has been cleared by his surgeon as of last month for an in-ring return.

Now Hardy is simply waiting to get the green light from WWE doctors. Satin also reports that Hardy’s recent evaluation in Birmingham, Alabama went well and he’s hoping to get some good news back soon. With that being said, there’s a slight chance Hardy could return before WrestleMania 34.

– Last night’s SmackDown Live featured several previews for this weekend’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event. After SmackDown Live and 205 Live went off air the dark match main event of the evening, also a preview for this weekend’s Fastlane, say Shinsuke Nakamura defeat Rusev.

“The Artist” won the match via disqualification after Aiden English got involved. Nakamura hit the Kinsasha on English to send fans home happy. Here are some photos:

Is there a better picture out there of @ShinsukeN ? If so I’d like to see it. @WWE #Smackdown #sdlive pic.twitter.com/nSzkjRH3BS

— Justin Jaeger (@JustinJaeger) March 7, 2018

Happy Rusev Day y’all. pic.twitter.com/RNiz9QMtYF

— _ (@BDKiiing) March 7, 2018

– On this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW The Bar retained their RAW Tag Team Titles against The Revival. Sheamus and Cesaro currently have no challengers for their titles at WrestleMania 34. “The Celtic Warrior” sent out an open challenge to all tag teams via Twitter to challenge them at “The Show Of Shows”:

Who will Step Up To #TheBar at #WrestleMania34?

The Greatest Tag Team on Earth has NO worthy opponents on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

This is an Open Invitation… #StepUpToTheBar

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) March 6, 2018

PWInsider reports that The Bar’s challengers at WrestleMania 34 are “not currently a team.”  The Young Bucks took to Twitter to declare their interest in possibly answering the call in New Orleans:

https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/971164075660009472

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/971251309486727169

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter was asked about this possibility. He didn’t seem very optimistic:

“Anything is possible, but realistically that’s close to impossible.”

– Forbes’ 2018 Billionaire List reports that WWE’s Vince McMahon is ranked number 1,394 with a net worth of $1.7 billion.

It looks like former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio could possibly make a return to the company before closing out his professional wrestling career. PWInsider is reporting that Del Rio was at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut last week to film interview material for an upcoming WWE project related to Rey Mysterio. It was the same day that he flew to Europe for a Five Star Wrestling appearance.

During Del Rio’s visit to WWE headquarters, however, he also reportedly had a meeting with Vince McMahon. This is interesting as PWInsider recently reported that McMahon has been in favor of Del Rio returning to the company and has always been high on him as an in-ring performer. After leaving WWE back in September of 2016 Del Rio signed with IMPACT Wrestling in March of 2017. His current contract with IMPACT is expected to be up next month.

IMPACT officials this weekend in Canada met with several talents who’s contracts are set to expire, including Del Rio, to negotiate new deals. Del Rio is arguably the biggest name draw on their roster and likely their highest paid talent. The report suggests that IMPACT sources confirmed those talks went well with its talents, including Del Rio, and they were confident new deals for those talents would be coming soon.

Del Rio is currently scheduled for an IMPACT appearance on April 22nd, where he headlines their Redemption pay-per-view (PPV) against Austin Aries for the IMPACT World Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgN3Z-Q4GBs

– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz recently spoke to WTMJ-TV Milwaukee to promote last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. During the interview Miz was asked about two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair calling him the best heel in the business today. Here’s how Miz responded (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):

“Ha! Is that what he said? Coming from him that’s an honor,” Miz said. “Ric Flair – in my opinion – is the greatest of all-time. I mean he is absolutely incredible, I mean, he gave me his figure-four, how can I say a bad thing about him?

“You know what I mean? He’s just an incredible human being and incredible in-ring performer. And still, his legend lives on, no matter if he’s in the ring or outside the ring people still do ‘The Strut,’ give the ‘Woo!’ It’s amazing.”

– Speaking of The Miz, it was announced by RAW General Manager Kurt Angle that he would be defending his Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania 34 in a Triple Threat match against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. “The Demon King” took to Twitter to react to the news that he’d be getting a crack at the title on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”:

Finn is going to #WrestleMania
?or should I say #Bálormania

— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) March 6, 2018

– Last night after Monday Night RAW went off-air on the USA Network, the dark main event of the evening saw Roman Reigns defeat Kane in singles competition.

– WWE made the following announcement to congratulate RAW Superstar Ronda Rousey on getting inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame this past weekend:

Ronda Rousey inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame at the 2018 Arnold Sports Festival USA

Ronda Rousey sure knows how to cap off a week! After officially signing her contract with the Raw brand and shockingly slamming Triple H through a table, Rousey found herself in Columbus, Ohio for her induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame during the 2018 Arnold Sports Festival. “Rowdy” Ronda was inducted alongside MMA legend Bas Rutten, host of “The Amazing Race” Phil Keoghan and acclaimed world powerlifting champions Dr. Terry Todd and Dr. Jan Todd.

Rousey also received her sixth degree black belt, while her mother, legendary judoka AnnMaria De Mars, received her seventh during the festival. Rousey took to Instagram to show gratitude for the amazing honors.

The festival, presented by WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzennegger, was founded in Columbus in 1989. The Arnold Sports Festival now features more than 18,000 athletes from 80 nations competing in 70 sports and events.

Also in attendance was Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, who posed for photos with Rousey and his daughter, Sophia, who he calls “Little Ronda.”

WWE.com congratulates Rousey on this incredible accomplishment.

– After his loss to John Cena on RAW last night, Goldust did an interview with Mike Rome in which he praised “The Leader Of The Cenation.” Goldust said possibly defeating Cena would allow him to point to the WrestleMania sign and punch his ticket for “The Show Of Shows.” Unfortunately for “Goldy,” that didn’t happen:

WWE Superstar Braun Strowman was recently interviewd by WTMJ-TV Milwaukee to promote last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. During the interview “The Moster Among Men” was asked about the origin of his in-ring name “Braun Strowman.”

The former Wyatt Family member’s real name is Adam Joseph Scherr and he is a former strongmen competitor. Strowman revealed that his ring name comes from Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun:

“Funny story, I wanted to meet Ryan Braun because that’s a big influence of where ‘Braun’ came from. I had pitched a bunch of ideas for names with the company and they turned them all down. It kind of got down to a time crunch, we need to figure out something out now.

“We were sitting around the [WWE] Performance Center and Sportscenter was on and they were talking about Ryan Braun and I was like ‘Braun, that sounds pretty good.’ I mean look at me, I’m 6’8 and 385 lbs., I mean Braun is pretty fitting.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– USA Network made a major error during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW in some parts of the country. After RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announced that a Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship will be happening between The Miz, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor at WrestleMania 34; RAW abruptly went off the air.

USA Network then began to air the next episode of “UNSOLVED: Who killed Biggie and Tupac?” Many fans missed Paul Heyman’s promo with Roman Reigns that closed the show. USA Network eventually realized the mistake and cut back to the live feed in Milwaukee while Heyman was in the middle of his promo.

– Also on last night’s RAW saw “Woken” Matt Hardy challenge Bray Wyatt to meet him at his Hardy Family Compound. The footage shown of the compound looked stunningly similar to that which was used in IMPACT Wrestling. Fans speculated on social media as to whether or not it was borrowed footage from the old IMPACT segments. Reby Hardy took to Twitter to shut those rumors down, claiming she filmed those clips herself last Tuesday:

https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/970894572204118017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ringsidenews.com%2F2018%2F03%2F06%2Fwwe-recycle-footage-hardy-compound-segment-raw%2F

– Backstage interviewer Renee Young was noticeably absent from last night’s RAW. A fan took to Twitter to ask Renee why she wasn’t there and she admitted that she was sick and had to miss the show. Young confirmed she’ll be at Fastlane and everything else after that:

Ok but where is @ReneeYoungWWE tho #Raw

— alexis (@lovelexe3) March 6, 2018

I had to shelf myself this week. ????? but i’ll be at Fastlane and everything else after! Thanks for love you guys ???????? https://t.co/rpbDziaArg

— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) March 6, 2018

Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently did an interview with The Independent to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During the interview, “The Modern Day Maharaja” made the case for “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame:

“[British Bulldog] had a great, storied career. From tagging with The Dynamite Kid to breaking out on his own, his career had a great evolution,” said Mahal. “He started in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary for Stu Hart and before that had been training in England before being brought in with Dynamite, and of course that classic, classic match against Bret Hart at Summerslam – that’s one of my all-time favorite matches.

“He’s just a great, great superstar in the history of WWE, so I don’t think it is a matter of if he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but when he’ll become a member.”

Mahal also discussed his historic WWE Title loss to AJ Styles last year. Mahal dropped the strap to “The Phenomenal One” during a pre-taped episode of SmackDown Live overseas in Manchester, England. It was the first WWE Title change in WWE history to occur overseas:

“It was the very first time in the history of WWE that the title had changed hands overseas. History was made that night and the match was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. I’ve said this before, but I feel that although I lost, I really won that night. The energy in the arena that night was amazing and AJ Styles really is phenomenal – the fans just love him.

“I think he might be the number one, top star in WWE in terms of fan reaction because everybody loves him. Everyone that night was genuinely so happy for him, so it was a little bit bittersweet for me. I was laying on my back on the mat with my eyes closed, listening to the reaction of the crowd and a couple of tears fell in the ring, of happiness as everyone was so pleased for him. It was a very cool moment and it was a moment I’ll never forget.”

You can read Mahal’s full interview with The Independent by clicking this link here.

– Earlier today WrestleVotes reported that their sources noted Hillbilly Jim is one name, that’s not being talked about, that is expected to be inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame:

Texting w/ a source regarding the 2018 Hall of Fame. The rumored names of Bam Bam Bigelow & Kid Rock seem to be correct… but a non rumored name is also set for induction this year: Hillbilly Jim.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) March 5, 2018

Just hours later Bleacher Report confirmed the news and even got a reaction from Jim on the news:

“I didn’t have that on my mind whatsoever,” Jim told Bleacher Report. “For a moment or two, I was knocked back on my heels. Basically, I was speechless. It was a whole lot for me to digest quickly.”

– As we’ve noted, Samir Singh has been rehabbing his knee after tearing his ACL. Following surgical repair, Singh is expected to miss 6-9 months of action. He posted the following on Twitter to update the WWE Universe on his recovery:

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. #KeepMovingForward pic.twitter.com/9FzZNuVI7i

— Bollywood Boyz (@BollywoodBoyz) March 3, 2018

– WWE has announced the following:

WWE and Snickers expand WrestleMania partnership

For the third consecutive year, Snickers will serve as the exclusive presenting partner of WrestleMania 34, one of the biggest sports and entertainment events in the world. WrestleMania, WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, will take place Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and stream live around the world on WWE Network.

Snickers’ presenting partnership of WrestleMania is highlighted by custom content produced by WWE for Snickers, which will feature Superstars and the brand’s popular “‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry”‘ campaign. The creative will appear across WWE’s global digital and social platforms, which includes the No. 1 sports channel and No. 2 channel overall in the world on YouTube, on the award-winning WWE Network, and on WWE’s flagship TV programs — Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE — on USA Network, a long-standing Snickers partner.

As part of the agreement, Snickers will have promotional activity at WrestleMania Axxess – WWE’s four-day, interactive fan festival, presence at WWE Live Events leading up to WrestleMania, retail promotions, as well as custom digital and social content, including a branded WWE.com and YouTube series hosted by WWE digital correspondent Cathy Kelley. Snickers will also leverage WWE’s Instagram page, which has more than 14 million followers – the most of any major sport – with a sponsored Instagram story on the day of WrestleMania.

“We’re thrilled to partner with WWE for a third consecutive year as the presenting sponsor of WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans,” said Michael Italia, Senior Brand Manager, Snickers Brand. “The animated personalities of WWE cannot afford to be hungry in the ring, which makes our partnership that much more of an authentic extension of our ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ campaign. We’re eager to connect with WWE’s passionate fan base in person and across social media this year, as this event continues to grow in attendance and engagement.”

“As one of the biggest sports and entertainment events in the world, WrestleMania will again provide Snickers a global platform to deliver their award-winning ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ campaign,” said John Brody, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Head of International. “Our continued WrestleMania partnership with Snickers is a result of innovative and entertaining collaborations that engaged our passionate fans worldwide.”

Additionally, Snickers will be the presenting sponsor of the WrestleMania block party at Champions Square outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which is free and open to the public, and will include fun-filled entertainment areas with music, games and food.

Snickers is also currently conducting a retail sweepstakes on U.S. military bases that will give 25 winners free access to stream WrestleMania on WWE Network.

Last year, Snickers’ WrestleMania 33 presenting partnership resulted in nearly three3 billion impressions for Snickers across WWE’s global platforms, including video content integrations within Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE on USA Network, digital and social media, WWE Network, live events and retail appearances by WWE Superstars. WrestleMania 33 was the most-social event in WWE history, and set a new Orlando Citrus Bowl attendance record of 75,245 fans, which led to the highest-grossing event in the stadium’s history at $14.5 million.

Tonight Monday Night RAW will be live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and fans are wondering whether or not Ronda Rousey will be on WWE TV this week to further her storyline with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. PWInsider is reporting that Rousey is in Milwaukee and will be on tonight’s episode of RAW. Rousey made her WWE debut back at the Royal Rumble this past January after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match.

After Asuka won the match, Rousey came out to confront “The Empress Of Tomorrow,” RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. She pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign and indicated her intentions to wrestle at the event. Rousey’s next WWE appearance came at Elimination Chamber where she signed her RAW contract with General Manager Kurt Angle, WWE COO Triple H, and RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon.

Angle suggested that “The Game” and Stephanie were manipulating Rousey because of their incident with her at WrestleMania 31, which led to “The Rowdy One” putting Triple H through a table. Stephanie slapped Rousey in retaliation before fleeing the ring. The next night on RAW the four seemed to clear the air after several apologies, but Triple H sucker-punched Angle before leaving the ring to end the show. It’s rumored Rousey and Angle will team up at WrestleMania 34 against Stephanie and Triple H in a Mixed Tag match.

Tonight will likely further the foursome’s storyline heading into “The Showcase Of The Immortals.”