Johnny Knoxville is stepping up his psychological warfare against WrestleMania 38 opponent Sami Zayn.

Knoxville, who is celebrating his 51st birthday on Friday, reveals that Sami Zayn got a hold of his personal phone number and was “stalking him” with text messages.

The Jackass star isn’t one to be bullied, so he took matters into his own hands.

Knoxville reveals that he rented a plane to fly a banner over Los Angeles displaying Sami Zayn’s phone number.

“So today, for my birthday, I am flying his phone number over Los Angeles,” says Knoxville. “407-574-1532. See ya at WrestleMania, Shnookums.”

Here’s video of the stunt, courtesy of TMZ Sports:

The prank worked. Sami Zayn’s phone is blowing up with random people texting and calling his soon-to-be-changed mobile number.

Well played, Knoxville. Well played.

Sami Zayn and Johnny Knoxville will finally get their hands on one another at WrestleMania Sunday on April 3rd.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan wishes he could have a retirement match, but unfortunately that ship has sailed.

The Hulkster appeared on the Two Man Power Trip podcast this week and said “forget it” when asked if we could see him compete one last time.

“No, no, no, no, no,” said Hogan.

The 68-year-old grappler gave his body to the sport of professional wrestling. Hogan detailed some of the health issues and medical procedures that he’s had to endure.

“In the last 10 years, I’ve had 23 surgeries, 10 back surgeries, both hips, both knees.. forget it.”

If not for his physical condition, he’d be up for it. “If I was healthy, shoot.. yeah, man, all day long,” he added.

Hulk Hogan’s Dream “Retirement Match”

Hypothetically, if he were to wrestle one more match, Hogan sees two WWE Superstars that he could draw big money with. Not surprisingly, it’s the two men who are main eventing WrestleMania 38.

“The first one I’m trying to pick off would be Roman, then I’d like to get to Brock, but good God, I’d be in a wheelchair by the time I get done with that.”

Hogan gave a little more thought to the prospect of wrestling Brock Lesnar again. He then came to his senses and joked, “I don’t need no rematch with Brock. I’m good!”

At this stage, if you want to see Hulk Hogan in the ring against Roman Reigns, your best bet is playing the new WWE 2K22 video game.

Listen to Hulk Hogan’s appearance on the Two Man Power Trip podcast:

AEW star William Regal is setting the record straight about his health.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote:

“Apparently Regal’s health issues at this stage are far more serious than have ever come out and there is an interview that will be released next week that he did for Talk is Jericho that will detail them.”

Regal says Meltzer is dead wrong about his condition and indirectly called out the veteran wrestling journalist for perpetuating rumors and gossip.

According to Regal, he’s healthier than he’s been in many years. Whatever Meltzer was referring to from Regal’s conversation with Chris Jericho, Regal says it’s old news.

Despite Dave Meltzer’s incorrect spin on things, William Regal’s appearance on the next Talk is Jericho podcast should be a must listen.

Regal made a surprise appearance at Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view from Orlando, Florida. He is now managing AEW’s newest tag team, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.

• Tony Khan Confirms William Regal Will Have Onscreen & Backstage Roles In AEW

Austin Theory will battle SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. It should be an entertaining match, but it’s not what WWE originally had planned.

At one point, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was rumored to be competing against McAfee at the company’s biggest show of the year.

When McMahon was announced as a guest on the Pat McAfee’s Show, it seemed this would be the forum to set up the special attraction. McMahon offered McAfee a chance to compete at WrestleMania, which he accepted. On a subsequent episode of WWE SmackDown, Austin Theory revealed himself to be McAfee’s opponent.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed some light on how McAfee vs. Theory came to be and what the original plan was for Vince McMahon’s involvement.

Vince McMahon’s Role at WrestleMania 38

“Obviously, from the 2/28 Raw, where Theory talked about McAfee perhaps attacking Vince McMahon and he’ll be there to help McMahon if that happened him on the 3/3 episode of McAfee’s show,” wrote Meltzer. “Then nothing at all transpired and Theory wasn’t even there, indicating a major change in plans.”

WWE sources confirmed there was a significant change from the original plans. While Vince McMahon won’t be wrestling, he’s still slated to be a big part of the match and will help get heat on Austin Theory.

Meltzer added, “What appears to be the idea is that there will be an angle to get McMahon into the match, likely overseeing the match and being at ringside rather than it being a handicap match, although that has been talked of as well.”

Had the Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee match taken place, Austin theory would have been heavily involved and taking all the bumps on McMahon’s behalf.

It’s speculative, but perhaps McMahon soured on the idea because he did not feel it was right to advertise himself in a match while ‘outsourcing’ his bumps to Austin Theory.

WrestleMania 38 takes place over two nights on Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

• Pat McAfee: “I Guess Cody Rhodes is Coming to WWE. Who Cares?”

Steve Austin will not be wrestling a sanctioned wrestling match at WrestleMania 38. Plans for his physical involvement are being described as a “fight sequence.”

After weeks of speculation, WWE finally kicked the Steve Austin & Kevin Owens program into high gear this week. Owens called out Austin at the conclusion of Monday’s Raw. He ran down the state of Texas once again and invited the Texas Rattlesnake to be his guest on a special WrestleMania-edition of the KO Show.

Austin accepted Owens’ invitation in a pre-recorded video promo. Austin delivered a promo that shows he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to opening up a can of verbal whoop-ass. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed some light on what Steve Austin will do at WrestleMania.

Austin has reportedly agreed to do a “fight sequence” at WrestleMania, indicating his physical involvement will be more than just a stunner or two. Austin has been working on his cardio conditioning and knows fans will have high expectations for his “first physical confrontation in 19 years.”

Jim Ross on Steve Austin’s Return

AEW broadcaster Jim Ross commented on Steve Austin’s return on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast.

“He and I have talked,” said Ross, “but at the time we talked, he didn’t know what he was going to do and he didn’t sound overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it.”

JR says Steve Austin is a perfectionist. He keeps himself in good physical condition. He can still cut a great promo and he can do a photoshoot looking like the Stone Cold fans remember.

Austin has turned down multiple offers to return over the past 19 years. If he were to agree to one more match, Ross feels that Austin would want at least 6 months to train and get himself into the shape he’d be satisfied with.

The drama surrounding Cody Rhodes’ next career move continues.

The American Nightmare was once considered a sure-thing to be joining WWE, but that is no longer the case. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided an update on what’s next for the former AEW Executive Vice President.

Just a couple weeks ago, Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins was planned as one of the top WrestleMania 38 matches. WWE hoped to have Cody signed by now and recently told the creative team to stop working on ideas for the former AEW EVP.

“The creative team was only told that it was not 100 percent that he was coming in, when they believed it was a done deal with the key parts of creative having already been worked out for him to debut,” wrote Meltzer.

He added, “They were told this week to hold off on working on Rhodes vs. Rollins until Rhodes signs the contract, because they had already worked on it, and then had to stop everything when they weren’t sure if Rhodes was coming.”

This does not sound encouraging, but it’s important to note that Cody Rhodes to WWE is far from a dead deal.

Cody Rhodes is said to be fielding multiple offers regarding the next stage of his career. He very well might end up in WWE, but the odds have undoubtedly decreatd.

Is Cody Rhodes angling for a better deal with WWE? Could we see him back in AEW, or even Ring of Honor, for that matter?

We’re going to continue monitoring this story closely. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Cody Rhodes’ next move.

• Tony Khan Doesn’t Plan to Find an EVP to Replace Cody Rhodes

William Regal is apologizing to his new co-workers after his promo on AEW Dynamite ran a bit longer than expected.

Regal made his AEW Dynamite debut on Wednesday night. He managed Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson in their first match as a tag team. The duo defeated The WorkHorsemen, JD Drake & Anthony Henry.

After the match, Tony Schiavone hosted an in-ring promo segment, which saw Regal addressing Schiavone, Danielson and Moxley, individually. Regal profoundly thanked Schiavone for taking him under his wing roughly three decades ago in WCW. He raved about Bryan Danielson being the perfect professional wrestler and Moxley’s unmatched determination to win. Regal put every tag team in AEW on notice.

The segment went longer than scheduled, which apparently created some timing issues for what followed. On Thursday afternoon, Regal issued the following statement on social media.

“This is a Professional note from me as I have no other form of SM and would rather my new colleagues see this as I don’t like gossip. I’m am very sorry to everyone effected by my time issues last night. I apologized to everyone personally effected.”

He added, “I should be showing people by example and being a Pro and hitting my times.”

Watch William Regal’s emotional message from AEW Dynamite:

WWE Evil, a new 8-part docu-series, is coming to Peacock starting March 24th.

Executive produced and narrated by John Cena, each 1-hour episode WWE Evil looks inside the evil minds of the most iconic names in WWE history.

“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan will be the subject of the first episode. Other episodes will focus on the Brothers of Destruction, Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Ric Flair, Sasha Banks and The Miz.

Here is the official trailer:

“As Peacock continues to expand its WWE programming, we are thrilled to bring the new original series ‘WWE Evil’ to platform, working with the one and only John Cena,” said Benny Reuven, Vice President of Entertainment Unscripted Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “There is no one better to take viewers into the minds of WWE’s fiercest villains than Cena himself. We can’t wait for WWE fans to devour this series.”

According to a press release sent in to SEScoops, each episode of this psychological exposé dives deep into a single infamous heel, unveiling rare behind-the-scenes details from some of the biggest names in the industry.

WWE Evil Episode Guide

• EPISODE 1 – “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan: Hulk Hogan goes “Hollywood”, betraying his fans and beliefs to become the personification of evil.
• EPISODE 2 – The Miz: From reality star to Superstar; Mike Mizanin took fame to new heights with his villainous alter-ego, The Miz.
• EPISODE 3 – Sasha Banks: There’s a villain inside all of us. Sasha Banks unleashes hers to become “The Boss”.
• EPISODE 4 – Brothers of Destruction: Brothers and sworn enemies The Undertaker and Kane align to become the ultimate evil duo in WWE.
• EPISODE 5 – Randy Orton: Randy Orton’s “evil” evolution into the “Legend Killer” unleashes the true demons lurking within.
• EPISODE 6 – Stephanie McMahon: Stephanie McMahon steps out of her father’s shadow to forge a legacy of power and corruption in WWE.
• EPISODE 7 – Ric Flair: Witness how the “Dirtiest Player in the Game” Ric Flair became one of WWE’s greatest villains.
• EPISODE 8 – Roman Reigns: From hated good guy to beloved bad guy; Roman Reigns finds new life by embracing his dark side.

For more information on the new WWE Evil series coming to Peacock, visit Business Wire.

WWE 2K22 is finally on sale to the general public this Friday, March 11th. You can buy WWE 2K22 now from Amazon.

2K has announced all the WWE 2K22 DLC packs, introducing 28 new Superstars and celebrity guests to the roster.

In the months following WWE 2K22’s launch, all-new content will be made available for purchase in five different content packs, each loaded with notable stars such as Stacey Keibler, Mr. T, Logan Paul, Ronda Rousey, and more.

Below, you’ll find the release date of each content pack available post-launch, as well as the Superstars and celebrities they contain.

Banzai Pack*

Release Date: April 26

• Yokozuna
• Umaga
• Rikishi
• Omos
• Kacy Catanzaro

Most Wanted Pack*

Release Date: May 17

• Cactus Jack
• The Boogeyman
• Vader
• Ilja Dragunov
• Indi Hartwell

Stand Back Pack*

Release Date: June 7

• Hurricane Helms
• Stacy Keibler
• A-Kid
• Wes Lee
• Nash Carter

Clowning Around Pack*

Release Date: June 28

• Doink the Clown
• Ronda Rousey
• The British Bulldog
• Mr. T
• Doudrop
• Rick Boogs

The Whole Dam Pack*

Release Date: July 19

• Rob Van Dam
• Logan Paul
• Machine Gun Kelly
• LA Knight
• Xia Li
• Commander Azeez
• Sarray

*All DLC packs are included in the Season Pass be purchased separately. DLC packs are also included in the Deluxe and nWo Editions.

Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson will team up for the first time on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. William Regal will be in their corner, as announced by Tony Khan on Busted Open Radio.

Moxley and Danielson went to war this past weekend at AEW Revolution. Moxley got the victory in a match of the year contender. Afterwards, the two men brawled until William Regal showed up used some ‘tough love’ in order to get them to shake hands.

After spilling blood together at Revolution, Moxley and Danielson have joined forces and are instantly one of the most dangerous forces in AEW.

AEW Dynamite Preview (3/9)

The following items are set for tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS:

• Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson (w/William Regal) in action as a team for the first time

• TNT Champion Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky. The winner of this match will defend against Wardlow next week.

• Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch to determine the next #1 contender to Britt Baker’s AEW Women’s World Championship

Plus, Chris Jericho will address the man who defeated him at Revolution, Eddie Kingston.

Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results & Takeaways.

AEW has released the following Control Center video hyping the show:

WWE Superstars Sasha Banks and Xavier Woods have been nominated for Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

Banks has been nominated for Favorite Female Sports Star, while Woods has been nominated for Favorite Male Social Star.

Interestingly, Woods is nominated under his shoot name, Austin Creed, while Banks is using her WWE moniker.

Voting is now open at Nick.com.

The 2022 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards take place Saturday, April 9th.

Many WWE Superstars have appeared at the awards show in recent years, including John Cena, who hosted in 2017 & 2018. He got slimed both years.

Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) is scheduled to make his first wrestling-related appearance since leaving WWE this weekend in Albany, NY.

WWE released Bray Wyatt back in July 2021. The company released over 80 people last year due to budget cuts, but fans were shocked to see the former WWE Champion let go.

Wyatt will be at the Showcase of Legends 7 convention in Albany, New York. He’ll be available for a meet-and-greets, photo-ops and autograph signings from 10am-2 pm. Autographs start at $100, while Super VIP packages (which includes 6 autographs and the VIP line) go for $500.

Other top stars scheduled to appear at the event include WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, Dustin Rhodes and Rikishi.

After Showcase of Legends VII, Bray Wyatt will also appear at WrestleCon on Friday, April 1st during WrestleMania 38 weekend.

• Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) Horror Movie Currently In Production

AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara and top women’s challenger Tay Conti got ‘henna’ tattoos with each other’s names.

The young power couple went public with their relationship back in December, shortly after Guevara ended his 8-year relationship with ex-fiancée Pam Nizio.

On the latest episode of his vlog, Guevara and and Conti showed off their latest show of affection. Conti asked if the tattoo would hurt, while Guevara questioned if he was up for it. He ultimately decided, “I wanna do it. I’m being dramatic.”

Guevara got the name Taynara inked on his ribs, while Conti had Samuel written on hers. You can see Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti’s new tattoos here:

“The Spanish God” puts the AEW TNT Championship on the line against Scorpio Sky on this week’s edition of Dynamite. The winner goes on to defend the title next week against Wardlow on the St. Patrick’s Day Slam show.

Conti competed at AEW Revolution this past weekend. She came up short against TNT Champion Jade Cargill.

Gail Kim feels that Tessa Blanchard is a rare talent who should be accomplishing big things in the wrestling business.

Kim and Blanchard worked together from late 2018 through early 2019 during their time at Impact Wrestling. In the culmination of their heated rivalry, Blanchard ultimately Gail Kim at Rebellion 2019 in what would be Kim’s retirement match.

“Tessa Was Like This Ultimate Athlete”

Gail Kim appeared on Busted Open Radio on Tuesday morning and spoke very highly of the second generation performer.

During her years as an active wrestler (2002-2019), Gail Kim has worked with them all, including Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and Awesome Kong. According to Gail Kim, Tessa Blanchard was an “ultimate athlete” who stands above the rest.

“Tessa was like this ultimate athlete that I’d never been able to face an athlete on that level,” said Kim. “Years have passed now, it was 2019 since we had that match, and she should be accomplishing big things in this business, in my opinion. So, I wish I could see that for her, because I know that that talent is rare. So you know, we’ve talked about this a bunch but those are ultimately my bottom-line feelings.”

Tessa Blanchard went on to become the first woman to capture the Impact Wrestling World Championship in January 2020. After going on an extended leave of absence, Blanchard was released by Impact before her contract was set to expire and stripped of the championship in June of that year. She’s currently involved in the rebooted Women of Wrestling promotion.

• Tessa Blanchard Responds to Allegations of Racism

You can listen to Gail Kim’s comments about Tessa Blanchard below, courtesy of our friends at the Putting You Over podcast:

All Elite Wrestling has introduced another new AEW Women’s World Championship belt.

The new design was unveiled at Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view. Dr. Britt Baker successfully defended the new title against Thunder Rosa.

This is the third incarnation of the AEW Women’s Championship. The first design was introduced when Riho became the inaugural Women’s World Champion in 2019.

The Women’s title received a facelift last year, slightly enlarged, as was presented to then-champion Hikaru Shida.

This new incarnation is a drastic departure from the previous designs. AEW has provided some high resolution photos, which you can find below.

Here’s a detailed look at the all-new AEW Women’s World Championship, created by famed belt maker Belts by Dan:

AEW Revolution 2022 takes place tonight on pay-per-view live from Orlando, Florida.

The card has been finalized and is available below.

Ahead of the event, make sure to also check out our staff’s AEW Revolution 2022 Predictions and tell us what you think of about our picks.

AEW Revolution 2022 Match Card

The following matches are setl for AEW Revolution:

• AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page defends against Adam Cole

• Jon Moxley battles Bryan Danielson

• CM Punk vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman in a Dog Collar Match

• Thunder Rosa challenges Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. for the AEW Women’s World Championship

• Jurassic Express defend the AEW World Tag Team Championship against reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) and another team to be determined next week on Dynamite.

• Tay Conti challenges Jade Cargill for the AEW TBS Championship.

• Face of the Revolution Ladder Match: Keith Lee vs. Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. FTW Champion Ricky Starks vs. Orange Cassidy vs. TBA

• Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston

• Tornado Trios Match: Andrade El Idolo, Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy vs. Sammy Guevara, Sting and Darby Allin.

AEW Revolution 2022 Buy-In Matches:

• “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander
• Hook vs. QT Marshall

Date, Time & How to Watch

AEW Revolution 2022 takes place Sunday, March 6th from Orlando, Florida at the Addition Financial Arena.

You can watch AEW Revolution 2022 by ordering the event on Bleacher Report in the United States and on FITE internationally.

Cody Rhodes is no longer with AEW, but the company is showing off a couple new action figures bearing the likeness of the American Nightmare.

As part of AEW Revolution weekend in Orlando, FL, AEW is holding a Fan Fest. Part of the fan fest includes a section showing off AEW’s upcoming action figures.

There are several really cool figures in the works, including this two-pack featuring the late Brodie Lee and his son, -1.

Cody Rhodes New AEW Figures

It’s interesting to see AEW and Jazwares have multiple new Cody Rhodes figures in development. However, it may be premature for AEW fans to begin celebrating Cody’s return.

WWE regularly introduces action figures featuring talent talent that is no loner with the company. The WWE 2K22 roster features dozens of characters who are gone from WWE, some of them currently employed by AEW.

Here’s a first look at the new AEW Cody Rhodes action figures, courtesy of Twitter user @P1AllElite and Ringside Collectibles:

Major League Wrestling is set to introduce a new championship belt.

MLW announced on Saturday that a women’s featherweight championship is in the works.

A statement on the official MLW website reads:

“League officials have been meeting with Cesar Duran as El Jefe looks to rev up the women’s featherweight division in the weeks and months ahead.

In fact, MLW.com has learned that the first women’s featherweight championship is being designed.”

MLW has been beefing up its women’s division since last year. Female competitors listed on the MLW fighters page include Ashley Vox, Delmi Exo and Miranda Gordy.

MLW’s Champions

Here’s a roll call of the current MLW Champions:

• World Heavyweight Champion: Alex Hammerstone
• World Tag Team Champions 5150: Rivera & Slice Boogie
• World Middleweight Champion: Myron Reed
• National Openweight Champion: Alex Kane

MLW’s Next Show

MLW’s next events are scheduled for WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, TX. Two shows are scheduled for Thursday, March 31st and Friday, April 1st from Gilley’s Dallas.

If you’re in the Dallas area for WrestleMania weekend, visit Eventbrite.com to check out the MLW shows

Asuka is once again calling out rumors about her status with WWE.

The Empress of Tomorrow has been the subject of a great deal of speculation. Her most recent match for WWE took place at Money in the Bank 2021. When she wasn’t seen on television for weeks, then months, fans began to wonder about her condition.

Back in August 2021, Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Asuka was healthy to compete, but left a Raw taping early because she wasn’t being used. Asuka denied the report, calling it “totally wrong” and a fake story.

“Nothing has been revealed,” wrote Asuka last summer. “That information is totally wrong. Really different. Completely different. Everything is different. I would like to ask the information provider. Don’t make a fake story.”

It later came out that Asuka had shoulder surgery and also got some new teeth implanted.

Asuka Update

The latest report from Asuka comes from PWInsider, which stated that the hope was for her to return in February but “obviously there’s been nothing for her creatively.”

The 3x WWE Women’s Champion has emerged to once again debunk incorrect rumors about her

She also called into question a report that she’s medically cleared.

Whenever she does return, Asuka is sure to make a big impact on WWE’s women’s division. A lot has transpired since we last saw Asuka on television. WWE has released many female competitors, including Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Eva Marie, Toni Storm, Tegan Nox and more. We’ve also seen the returns of Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey.

WWE continues to actively recruit collegiate athletes in hopes of finding the next generation of Superstars.

The company will hold a multi-day tryout during WrestleMania 38 week, according to The Athletic.

The tryouts will take place at the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and practice facility. More than 50 athletes are expected to participate.

The Athletic report also states that WWE has sent talent scouts to this week’s NFL combine and National Scouting Combine.

Back in December, WWE announced its new NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) Program to recruit college athletes.

The NIL program aims to, “enhance the talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.”

WWE executive Paul Levesque (Triple H) appeared on NBC’s Nightly News in January 2021 to discuss this ongoing effort to recruit collegiate atheletes.

Charlotte Flair says she can’t control her father, Ric Flair, and how vocal he is about issues related to her career.

The SmackDown Women’s Champion was interviewed by Hot 97 this week to promote WrestleMania 38 and Saturday’s WWE live event from Madison Square Garden.

The Nature Boy has been very outspoken about Charlotte’s career and has made headlines when talking about her being underutilized. Ric Flair also has an ongoing beef with Becky Lynch.

• Becky Lynch Buries Ric Flair, Says Charlotte ‘Purposely’ Disrespected Her

During for a conversation with Peter Rosenberg, Ebro and Laura Stylez, Charlotte said she’s spoken to her father about reigning in the things he says. However, she realizes Ric Flair is his own man with his own opinions.

“I’ve tried to control that and I’ve realized that I can’t,” said Charlotte about her father’s controversial comments. “So, whether my dad’s my biggest cheerleader or what… He’s gonna say what he wants to say and I can’t persuade him any other way.”

• Ric Flair Wants To See Charlotte Wrestle Britt Baker

Charlotte feels that Ric Flair’s comments about her career and her co-workers come from a place of love. “My dad would do anything in the world for me and how much he loves me, and my career means everything to him. So, I’m gonna try not to fight that battle anymore.”

She doesn’t think she needs to be protected by her father, but at the end of the day, she still considers herself “daddy’s little girl.”

• Ric Flair Says Charlotte Is Greatest Women’s Wrestler Of All-Time

Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey

Charlotte Flair will battle 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Saturday.

The women first met at Survivor Series 2018. Their match did not have much build or backstory at the time, but Charlotte says they earned one another’s respect that night. She compares Ronda Rousey to Kurt Angle, as others have, when describing how quickly she excelled in pro wrestling.

“I mean, just she picked up so quickly,” she said of Rousey. “It’s all about instinct and she has the instinct and that’s half the battle. You can be in this business for a long time and never figure out instinct, in my opinion.”

Catch Charlotte Flair’s appearance on Hot 97:

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair sits down with Ebro in the Morning to discuss her recent success, what’s next for her, her opinion on Ronda Rousey, being the daughter of a legendary wrestler in Ric Flair, her thoughts on some superstars in the Women’s Division and even addressed rumors of her future in the WWE. You can watch her live on the Road To Wrestlemania Saturday, March 5 at Madison Square Garden on Ticketmaster!

WWE is severing ties with Russia in the days following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The company has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcast partner Match, effective immediately. The WWE Network has also been blocked in Russia, which means Russian fans will be unable to watch WrestleMania 38 next month.

The following statement was released Thursday morning:

“WWE has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcaster Match and shut down WWE Network in Russia effective immediately.

The move eliminates access in Russia to any WWE programming, including the company’s weekly Raw, SmackDown and NXT shows, its on-demand library, and all of its premium live events, including WrestleMania 38.”

WWE and AEW were both offered the chance to purchase Ring of Honor, but it was AEW President Tony Khan who did what was necessary to secure the deal.

Khan has been hyping an industry-changing announcement and delivered the news at the start of this week’s AEW Dynamite. The purchase includes the complete ROH video library, as well as the brand’s assets and intellectual property.

Tony Khan now has the ability to shop around both the AEW and ROH libraries to a streaming service, which could land him (and AEW) a huge influx of revenue in the years ahead. It also gives AEW a secondary brand where they can send young and underutilized talent (think NXT to WWE).

Dave Meltzer addressed Tony Khan’s purchase of ROH on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Meltzer, both WWE and AEW were contacted about buying the company.

“Both WWE and AEW were contacted when the idea was to sell the company and AEW was the one that, obviously, made the better offer of the two and got the company,” said Meltzer.

Valuable Tape Library

Khan now owns 20 years of footage from ROH, including tapes featuring CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and many more.

“The tape library is very valuable to AEW because they want to do some sort of a streaming service,” Meltzer continued. “Whether they sell something to HBO Max or they do their own streaming service in some form. That amount of library with a lot of wrestlers, including, one of the keys to that library is Ring of Honor owned the All In show which is an important part of the history of AEW.”

WWE’s Interest in Buying ROH

This is not the first time that WWE considered purchasing Ring of Honor. A few years ago, around 2018, Triple H (Paul Levesque) wanted to buy Ring of Honor for the same reasons that Tony Khan ultimately did. There were talks and WWE made a pitch, but the deal fell apart.

“From what I gather, Vince wanted to buy somebody bigger, not realizing that the ‘bigger’ which was New Japan Pro Wrestling, he couldn’t buy,” Meltzer added. “WWE tried to buy New Japan. They tried to buy Stardom. They tried to buy NOAH. They tried to buy AAA. Nobody would sell to them from foreign countries for the price that they were willing to pay, so none of these deals ever got going, but this is one, obviously, that was in play, and you know, whatever.”

Ring of Honor’s most recent show was December’s ROH Final Battle 2022 pay-per-view. The company ‘went dark’ after that to restructure and evaluate the company’s future operations. In recent weeks, ROH has announced the inductees for the company’s inaugural Hall of Fame Class, including The Briscoe Brothers, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe.

The next ROH show, Supercard of Honor XV, is scheduled to take place during WrestleMania 38 weekend in the Dallas, TX metro area. More information on that show below:

• ROH Supercard of Honor: Updated Card with New Matches

Tony Khan has purchased Ring of Honor, including the company’s video library, brand assets and intellectual property.

This development is a game-changer and has widespread ramifications for the industry, including the operations of AEW and ROH. It also puts AEW in a stronger position to eventually secure a lucrative streaming deal that leverages both the AEW and ROH content libraries.

We’ve rounded up some reactions from people in the industry:

Gabe Sapolsky: “Here’s how Ring Of Honor started. It was announced as a monthly indie in a mail order catalog for a video company. I never dreamed that 20 years later it would be featured on a prominent, red hot wrestling show on TBS. I’m very happy that so many more will now enjoy the legacy of ROH and that it will continue to blaze a path in the world of pro wrestling. Congratulations to Tony Khan on becoming the new owner. I normally give a pro tip in my IG posts. All I’ll say here is to never limit yourself and anything is possible in life. It means so much to me that this little indie darling from 2002 will forge forward in 2022 and continue to build community while bringing entertainment to the fans.”

Cary Silkin: Congrats to Tony Khan and AEW. At least I feel my baby is in good hands. What a long strange trip it’s been!!

Ian Riccanboni: Do I follow Tony Khan now or does that come across weird? Somebody help here! I haven’t dated since 2010 and I haven’t looked for a wrestling job since 2014 when ROH came calling.

Mick Foley: As far as major announcements go, @TonyKhan acquiring @ringofhonor is pretty freaking major!

Matt Hardy: Hope my ICONIC Title was included in the deal, Papa Khan! #AEWDynamite

Mikey Rukus: All the themes… ??? LETS FKN GOOOOOO!!! ?????

Lee Moriarty: So All In can be used by AEW for whatever they want correct? That was the one that was owned by ROH?

Maria Kanellis: Congratulations @TonyKhan !!! Let me know if you are interested in @ringofhonor Women’s Division. They are incredibly talented, great humans, and deserve all the accolades in the world!!! #ROHWD

Nyla Rose: So do we gotta shake hands before we fight now ooorrrr???? #AEWDynamite

Matt Koon: Some friends and I went to the first ROH pay-per-view after ALL-IN. Almost the exact same talent appeared; the elite, okada, etc. There was like 800 people there. ROH had a HUGE branding issue WAY before AEW. AEW didn’t screw ROH. ROH screwed ROH. VERY Glad they’re back!

Adam Cole says Triple H and Shawn Michaels have given him the confidence to be the main-event-caliber performer he is today.

This Sunday, Cole challenges “Hangman” Adam Page for the AEW World Championship in the main event of AEW Revolution 2022.

Cole spoke with Sports Illustrated this week to promote the show. During the discussion, Cole spoke about working under Triple H and Shawn Michaels during their time together in NXT and how much he learned from the two all-time greats.

Adam Cole made a rare WWE main roster appearance on the November 1, 2019 edition of WWE SmackDown. This was the show that took place when a large portion of the WWE crew was stuck in Saudi Arabia. Cole was called in to defend his NXT Championship against Bryan Danielson. This was a big stage for Cole at the time.

Triple H and Shawn Michaels believed in him that night and made him feel like he truly deserves all the success he’s earned throughout his career.

“Both Hunter and Shawn gave me this unspoken confidence,” Cole tells SI. “They put me into this next gear and gave me this championship mentality. That night, neither Hunter nor Shawn talked about the stakes, the stress or how everyone there was counting on me. They trusted my ability, that I could get on a plane that afternoon and wrestle later that night on SmackDown against one of the top stars in the industry.”

Cole remembers that Triple H and Shawn Michaels “didn’t bat an eye” or question him for a moment. They knew he and Bryan Danielson would tear the house down – and they did. “I learned so much from them that I will carry with me for the rest of my career,” said Cole. “Being in that environment taught me certain aspects of my game that I didn’t know before I was there. That’s benefited me in a lot of ways.”

That confidence he gained in NXT sticks with him to this day. It’s given him an edge in AEW, as well. He feels at home wrestling in a PPV main event and that’s partially thanks to Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ support.

“Two of the greatest to ever do it had full faith and belief in me. I’ll never forget that. So I know I deserve to be in this spot and deserve to be in this role.”