Charlotte Flair is going to face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38’s night one in the main event. Flair will defend her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against the UFC women’s bantamweight champion on April 2.
Rousey has garnered criticism from vocal WWE fans. When Ronda made her WWE debut in 2018 she made a meteoric rise to the top of the women’s division. Rousey was able to get a WrestleMania match within 6 months of her debut. She won the Raw Women’s Championship and it wasn’t even an entire year since she debuted. Fans felt like she took the spotlight away from other well-deserving candidates, like 2018 Royal Rumble winner Asuka. She has since become the target of trolls on social media, and was named the “most abused athlete on Twitter”.
Flair talked about her opponent and upcoming match with Rousey in an interview with SHAK Wrestling for CBS Sports, where she also mentioned the hate Rousey gets from fans. Flair defended her rival, stating that it’s not as easy as the keyboard warriors think to do what Rousey did in such a short time and it warrants respect.
“I didn’t know fans saw her in the wrong way. What percentage of people really say that,” Flair said. “If I listen to what people said about me, oof, I wouldn’t be here today. First of all, I’m facing Ronda next week. Don’t take this as I’m going to bat for her. I’m just saying, you can’t knock someone who did something in one year that takes many years and years and years to learn or to grasp. And she did a pretty damn good job in one year. It’s just easier to be negative.”
Flair also defended Rousey in another interview where she said that Rousey helps bring more attention to WWE and she welcomes such collaborations. “Sometimes people get critical of outside talent coming in, but she wants to be a part of what we’ve done here, that should make you feel good, and she does bring more eyeballs to people who aren’t necessarily familiar with the product, like Total Divas.” said Flair.
Ronda Rousey has opened up to the fact that she started resenting WWE fans for the hate she gets. She candidly expressed how she struggled with the adversarial relationship with her critics.
“Everyone was booing me out of the stadium,” Rousey recalled. “I was just like, man, fuck these people, I can’t wait to go home. When I left WWE, I had been getting booed out of the stadium, like, every day for months. Do I stay true to myself and tell them to go fuck themselves?”
Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair would go at it in the ring at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, April 2.
Sasha Banks made history with Bianca Belair when they closed WrestleMania 37 in the main event. It was the second time WrestleMania was headlined by women, but the first time two black women were in the main event.
Sasha Banks has had a great year career-wise, as she not only did well in the ring but outside the ring, she landed a role in Disney+’s The Mandalorian as Koska Reeves.
Sasha Banks, real name Mercedes Varnado, thinks that just like The Rock and John Cena, who achieved everything they could in the ring and then went on to have successful acting careers, she could do the same. Banks said that wrestling for WWE already prepared her for acting and it was super easy for her to transition to acting.
“Wrestling is acting. It’s SNL. We are live, doing things on the fly,” Banks told The Athletic in a recent interview. “Sometimes we get handed a script five minutes before we go out there, and you can’t memorize it right when it’s handed to you. We’re performing these things off the cuff and feeling. When it came to ‘The Mandalorian’ and transitioning from WWE, it was honestly so easy. Sometimes they would make changes on the fly and I wouldn’t stress, because Vince (McMahon) does that to me every week.”
Banks was asked if she sees herself having an acting career just like other wrestlers before her.
“I think I can in such a different way,” “I see The Rock as maybe the biggest global superstar, and John Cena is coming right behind him. It would be cool to see a woman step into that level. I think with Sasha Banks and Mercedes Varnado right there, I think the stars are aligned for me.”
Banks is proud of the hard work that she has put in ever since she was a kid. She is glad that women’s wrestling is being taken seriously now and hopes that people think women’s wrestling is the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.
“This universe keeps giving me so much more. It’s so cool that my hard work since I was a kid is paying off. Women’s wrestling, something I wanted forever, it’s being taken seriously. I never want that to change. I want it to be something people look to and think it’s the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.”
Sasha Banks is eyeing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and will face champions Queen Zelina and Carmella in a fatal four-way tag team match alongside the teams of Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan and Natalya & Shayna Baszler on night 2 of WrestleMania 38 on April 3.
Johnny Knoxville will face Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match at WrestleMania 38. Celebrities appearing on wrestling shows are seldom taken seriously by fans, and Knoxville wants to avoid that. The Jackass co-creator wants fans to know that he’s actually serious about wrestling and respects it.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Knoxville talked about this and said that he’s greatful how wrestling fans have accepted him. He hopes fans can see legitimacy when it comes to him performing in the ring.
“I heard that the wrestling fans don’t react to all the celebrities and I’m just so grateful that they have accepted me. Maybe it has something to do with what I do for a living, as far as the stunts in Jackass are concerned. So, hopefully, there’s a legitimacy there with me being in the ring. But I don’t know. Hopefully, they know I’m committed to this and taking it very seriously; training a lot and talking s–t about Sami Zayn whenever I can. It’s grown to be my favorite pastime. Have you ever met him?”
In storyline, Knoxville has been after Sami Zayn for months, going as far as to costing Zayn the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Thanks to Knoxville’s interference, Zayn would lose the title to Ricochet on the March 4 episode of SmackDown.
Sami Zayn, on the other hand, has said that he would like to test Knoxville’s pain threshold but apart from that, he’s not going to match him in the ring when it comes to wrestling. “On the one hand, yeah, I get to test that pain threshold of his, which he’s famous for. But on the other hand, if it’s straight up wrestling I don’t think anybody expects him to be able to hang with me.
“But the fact that it’s anything goes might open the door to some of the stuff he’s good at, which is the gags and the pranks and the weapons and whatever else it is….I think this whole thing has been a lot of fun, certainly for me.
“I hope it’s been fun for the audience as well, because we’ve gotten to build the match in some very unique and orthodox ways that you just don’t get to do with another WWE superstar. We’ve gotten to do some really outside the box, unconventional and fun things to build this match.”
Knoxville entered the 2022 Royal Rumble at number 9 and was eliminated by Zayn. His entry was confirmed on the prior episode of SmackDown which also started his feud with Zayn. After weeks of challenges and back and forths, Zayn challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania 38 which Knoxville accepted.
Kevin Owens has a very special moment coming up at WrestleMania 38 as he steps in the ring with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It happened when after weeks of disrespecting the “Texas Rattlesnake”, Owens invited him to be a special guest on the KO Show at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
To further taunt Stone Cold, Owens impersonated him on the March 21st episode of Raw by wearing his signature attire and bald cap. Owens recently appeared on ESPN’s DC & RC, where he said that he loves to piss off Stone Cold fans with his impersonations.
“You know, it’s really funny because that’s really not the kind of stuff I’m used to doing. Like that’s happened before right, where one of the wrestlers would dress up as someone else, one of their rivals, whatever. Like, The Miz did it a few years ago, DX have done it, a couple of people have done it and done it pretty well but it felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone a little. I figured that was the most impactful thing I could do going into this match or this confrontation, whatever you wanna call it and it ended up being a lot of fun. I think I pissed a lot of people off which was delightful.”
Kevin Owens was also asked how does it feel to be imitating Stone Cold as one of his biggest fans. He was also asked if he ever thought it would lead to him facing his idol when he started doing the Stunner and what makes him ready to face his icon.
“Yeah, it’s really unreal to find myself in this position. But what’s funny is, I gotta tell you when I first asked him if I could use the Stunner as my finishing move and he gave me a blessing, it meant a lot to me personally and professionally coming from him, Owens said. “I looked up to him for the longest time. But I did figure that, if at some point, he was to come back, the logic would be that he’d be involved with the guy that’s doing the Stunner. I think I played the long game here a little bit and it worked out in my favor. “
As Gargano left NXT just before its reboot as NXT 2.0, fans have speculated that Gargano left the company because NXT went through a change that hasn’t been welcomed warmly.
To make things clear, Gargano talked about the reason he left WWE while guesting on Renee Paquette’s podcast The Sessions. Gargano said that his departure had nothing to do with 2.0, and he left because he felt his character started getting stale.
“I kind of made my mind up a year in advance that this was going to be my last,” Johnny Gargano told Renee Paquette (via WrestlingInc). “Like people said ‘Johnny left because NXT changed,’ no, I kind of had it in my mind. I wasn’t leaving to go to any particular place, I kind of just felt like I needed to go because if you watch a TV show or anything in general and you see the same character, obviously I changed character, but if you see the same person on TV for 5 years, 6 years, it gets stale.”
“I believe that being off TV and being away makes people miss you and I think people have to have a chance to miss you and if they don’t, they don’t really care in general.”
Since Gargano left, he hasn’t appeared anywhere. Recently, he announced that he will make his first public appearance outside of WWE at the annual WrestleCon convention during WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, Texas.
Johnny Gargano teamed up with Tommaso Ciampa to form the tag team DIY in NXT. They won the NXT Tag Team Championships once in their stint. They both also feuded with each other, with the storyline earning a lot of praise from both fans and critics alike. Gargano also won the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship a record three times, making him the first-ever NXT Triple Crown winner. The only other person to accomplish this feat is Adam Cole, who is also not with the WWE anymore.
Pat McAfee is set to compete at WrestleMania 38, as revealed by Vince McMahon when he appeared on his show this month. McAfee will face Austin Theory, and he talked about this match and more when he appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio this week.
McAfee hyped up his match against Theory and also discussed creative freedom in WWE. McAfee said that he has a good relationship with a producer at the company, who has been in the business for a long time. McAfee said that even though he and the producer are opposites, he always made sure to say hello to him because he has enjoyed his work as a fan. McAfee then further talked about creative freedom saying that it isn’t as bad as people outside WWE make it out to be.
“For a couple of years now, I’ve gotten a chance to chat with said producer. I think he understands me pretty good,” Pat McAfee said (via Fightful). “Austin Theory, he’s just going to get his ass beat. There hasn’t been anything yet in this entire WWE existence that I’ve said, ‘Hey, we should try this’ that has been completely ruled out. There has been a couple things that I have brought to the forefront and said, ‘This would be cool,’ and I’ve been told, ‘that might be happening…we have to dance around.’ Cool, I completely understand. I feel like the creative and conversation get pooped on a lot outside of WWE. Going in, I assumed that everything was going to be impossible.”
McAfee added that he is a creative person and therefore his ideas are also good when he puts them forward. McAfee essentially made the point that people who cry about not getting creative freedom in WWE were just pitching bad ideas. McAfee also said that freedom has to be earned and it’s not just handed to you.
“I thought I was going in there and it was going to be tooth and nail trying to get everything done. I haven’t experienced that at all. I know other people haven’t had the exact same results, but I’m also not 100% sure that people have what I’m bringing to the table as well. That gets lost in a lot of the conversation. If you don’t like what’s going on, you can leave. I did that to the NFL, I did that to Barstool, a couple different places. Freedom is something you earn, it’s not something you’re given. I’m very fortunate to be at that particular spot. The people I’m working with for this match are awesome. We’re going to put together a classic, we’re going to try out best at least, to do WrestleMania some respect.”
Pat McAfee will face Austin Theory on Night Two of WrestleMania 38 on April 3. After Vince McMahon personally invited McAfee to compete at WrestleMania, Theory belittled the SmackDown commentator just one night later. McAfee has competed on NXT, with his most memorable appearance being at NXT TakeOver WarGames 2020. Other matches on the same night include WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Winner Takes All match to unify the titles, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos, Edge vs. AJ Styles, and Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn among others.
Booker Thas called out AEW’s Dax Harwood, saying that he will slap him across the face just like Will Smith did to Chris Rock during the Oscars. FTR of the AEW had called out Harlem Heat before their release from the WWE. Booker T and Dax Harwood are at it again, trash-talking each other.
Harwood sent out a message and called out Booker T for ignoring FTR’s challenge when they were known as The Revival in WWE. This came about when Booker mentioned the idea of a match between the two teams during WrestleMania weekend in Dallas.
Harwood had sent a message saying that Booker needs to call daddy Vince McMahon and set up a match if he wants to face the FTR, as they don’t answer to anyone but Booker might need permission to do things. This is Harwood to previous remarks from Booker which said that FTR should get permission from Tony Khan to set the match up. “I don’t have to get permission from anybody, I run my life! Nobody else tells me what to do, I run my life! […] You’re the corporate man, okay? I’m the one who rocks the boat, you stand in a straight line. If you want FTR, if you want me and Cash [Wheeler], if you want the absolute best tag team of all time walking this earth today, you and your brother, Just get on the phone. Call daddy Vince. Until then, stay off my mentions,” Harwood said in the video.
Booker T felt the need to set the record straight and on the latest episode of his Hall Of Famepodcast, he responded to the message sent with some choice words.
“Dax Harwood, right? He called me, and actually said, ‘hey, this, that, whatnot and the other. They are willing to do this, they don’t have to answer to anybody. If anything I have got to answer to my daddy.’ Let’s just get that straight real quick,” he said. “I don’t have to answer to anyone. Of course, I work for a company, and they treat me very well. But when it comes time to having to deal with someone on a personal level, like Will Smith, I will slap the taste clean out of your mouth,” Booker T said (via WrestlingInc).
As far as the Harlem Heat reunion goes, Booker said that it all depends on his brother. However, if that doesn’t pan out, Booker gave Harwood the option of facing him in the ring one-on-one.
“My thing is this, I can’t make my brother do anything, I can’t make Harlem Heat reform like old school back in the day. But I just want to put this out there, and Dax Harwood I want you to know personally. I have nothing personally against you. But, as far as stepping inside the squared circle and schooling you, I would love to do that, Booker said. “So my thing is this, if my brother can not step up and be partners, may I have a partner of my choosing, and we still get this done? Or, Dax, you and I handle this like men, one on one. Let me know, hit me in the DMs.”
Cesar Duran will be stepping in the ring this Friday in Dallas, Texas at Major League Wrestling’s Azteca Underground supercard event.
The company announced the booking of the match, stating that it will have a no holds barred stipulation.
The proprietor of Azteca Underground and MLW matchmaker Cesar Duran will make his in-ring debut for the promotion. Duran has booked himself in a match against the MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone.
According to the announcement, Duran has stated that Hammerstone will be begging to quit in under 5 minutes as he will showcase his lucha skills in the ring.
Ever since Alex Hammerstone won the World Championship at the Winner takes all match in MLW Fightland in October, Cesar Duran has been after him. Hammerstone has rejected Duran’s offer to be under his control, earning the ire of the MLW matchmaker.
El Jefe has said that this match is not a publicity stunt, and there will be “violent consequences” at the event for Hammerstone.
Alex Hammerstone is already booked in a six-man tag team match on the event, teaming up with The Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich and Ross Von Erich) going against the team of King Muertes, Mads Krügger, and Richard Holliday.
“Seeing the Von Erichs wrestle in Dallas is a rite of passage; like seeing Elvis in Memphis, if you’re a fan of the sport, this is an experience you can’t afford to miss,” MLW CEO Court Bauer said about the tag-team match. “And what better way than a six-man clash featuring some of MLW’s top-ranked and most dangerous.”
MLW will also hold the Intimidation Games event as a FUSION taping on Thursday, March 31 at Gilley’s Dallas in Dallas, Texas. A triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship has been set with the champion Alex Hammerstone defending his title against Jacob Fatu and Mads Krugger. MLW also said that several mystery matches will be revealed on the night of the event. The next day on Friday, April 1, MLW will hold the Azteca Underground event. It is the second event held under the “Azteca” banner. The Azteca/The Crash show from 2021 is the first one.
Velveteen Dream (Patrick Clark) got released from WWE NXT in May 2021 following several reports ranging from allegations to behavioral issues. Dream still wants to work with WWE, as he took to his Instagram and posted a story with the message for the company and the fans.
In the message, Dream mentioned that the allegations that were made against him are not true. He said he beat those “trashy and unsavory” allegations. Dream concisely added that he’d still like to have a career with the WWE. He wrote:
“Despite trashy and unsavory allegations against me that I have beat! I’d still like to have a career with n the E. @wwenxt I was never guilty and I got a hell of a lot of talent. I’m only 26. LFG IM READY TO GO THE SHOW WHAT IT SHOULD BE [sic]”
From Velveteen Dream’s Instagram story.
Velveteen Dream was one of the biggest names in WWE NXT. He is a one-time NXT North American Champion. Dream was pretty popular during his stint with the brand. He had big potential and had a promising future in the company, had he stayed. His last match with the promotion was at against Adam Cole in a losing effort on December 23, 2020 edition of NXT.
There were reports that suggested that Dream was released due to some behavioral issues that one of the top stars reported to the management, and not because of any accusations. However, Dream has stated that the accusations against him were the reason that he was fired. In January, he opened up in an interviewDishing Drama with Dana Wilkey and called the allegations “100% bullsh*t”.
“WWE, in the middle of cancel culture, found itself at a loss. Money talks and they have shareholders. Even if they found me to be innocent, now, I’m affecting the bottom line, at least the bottom line they have with me, the money they can make with me, the way they can utilize me on TV. That’s what it cost me. It cost me my career. It cost me a chance to not only continue a dream, but almost have guaranteed support for my family. It was horrible. As soon as I got fired, the air cleared. Everyone deleted their messages, everyone deleted their vlogs. No one had nasty, rude hateful messages to send. It all stopped. It was as if the job got done and now we can all live our lives, except for the guy playing Velveteen Dream, me.”
Lana, who is best known for her time with the WWE, spent eight years with the company. “The Ravishing Russian” joined the promotion in 2013 and was released in 2021. She recently reflected on her journey with the WWE and stated that she had a really tough time working there, and went as far as to say that she was “brainwashed” by the toxic environment in the company.
Lana, who now goes by CJ Perry, shared her mental health struggles in a candid message posted on her Instagramfor her birthday. She revealed that she allowed her work at WWE to define her identity and self worth. Lana said she can’t believe how far her life has come since leaving WWE.
In her message which she posted to reflect on her journey, she also thanked several co-workers from WWE who helped her when she was down. She named Liv Morgan, Natalya, and Tyson Kidd, and mentioned her best friend Naomi too. You can read Lana’s message below:
Lana was released from the WWE as part of the trimming costs from WWE’s budgets back in June. Apart from her, Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Ruby Riott, Santana Garrett, and Buddy Murphy were also released at the same time. While the other names have remained in wrestling, Lana has moved on from the ring. In the post she has mentioned that she did two movies in the past year. Her movie with Bruce Willis, “Cosmic Sin”, won a Razzie award too.
Lana revealed that after she got released from the company, she had received a text from Vince McMahon, thanking her for her incredible work ethic:
“I did. I got a text; I definitely got emotional about it because it was a slight goodbye for me. He thanked me for my incredible work ethic,
And for my unrelentingly desire to be the best that I could be and all the contributions I gave to WWE. So that really meant a lot to me,” said Lana, “and I thanked him for everything that he’s taught me because I learned so much.”
The life of a celebrity can be a bit tough, especially when you’re out. You could be enjoying your time with friends or co-workers, or just relaxing and need some time away from all the attention, and the next thing you know you are bombarded by fans wanting you to take pictures with them and sign things for them.
It could be especially bothersome to deal with when you’re about to exit a hotel or are at the check in area of an airport at 4 am in the morning, and it seems like that’s exactly what Ricochet has experienced.
Most fans know to respect their favorite wrestler’s boundaries when they see them outside. Unfortunately, however, there’s always the few who don’t know of the phrase “to be in the right place and the right time”.
Ricochet took to Twitter earlier to send a stern message to fans, telling them that he would be the first to say no when fans approach him to get multiple things signed (probably to sell them off at eBay later) at 4 am in the morning at hotels or airports.
“Let me be clear. If you and a group of people are waiting in the lobby of my hotel, or in the check in area at the airport at 4-5am (sometimes earlier) in the morning, to ask for multiple autographs, is such an invasion of privacy. I will be the FIRST person to say no.”
Ricochet did add that it’s totally okay to approach him and chat when he is out and about someplace else. He just wants to set a boundary regarding approaching him near the place he’s staying and hoarding him at the check in area of the airport.
“However, If you happen to see me out & about somewhere please come say hi & chat! I love interacting, just don’t wait in the lobby of where we are staying. Don’t wait & hoard us in the check in areas at the airport etc. Treat us with respect and respect is what you will receive.”
However, If you happen to see me out & about somewhere please come say hi & chat! I love interacting, just don’t wait in the lobby of where we are staying. Don’t wait & hoard us in the check in areas at the airport etc.
Treat us with respect and respect is what you will receive.
Ricochet is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion but things have been shaky for him in WWE. This past week on SmackDown, Ricochet lost to both Angel and Humberto in consecutive matches. He appeared on this week’s Raw to face Austin Theory. He lost again, in under two minutes. This has been his third loss since last Friday. He is set to face Humberto and Angel in a triple threat match this SmackDown, and he may not eve n make it to WrestleMania.
Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.
We discussed a wide variety of topics, including his 30+ years in the business, what’s missing from wrestling today, his career coming full circle, his goals in MLW and much more.
Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:
His Goals in MLW
Gangrel was asked if he is interested in going after a championship or if he simply enjoys working with up-and-coming talent and showing fans that he can still go in the ring.
“Well as my records show in the past, I don’t think I’ve had too many championships in any major company. So that’s not really my number one goal but I do enjoy working with the young talent and most of that locker room I’ve crossed paths with in the ring at some time or another, throughout the early points in their career and stuff like that”.
He continued, “I’ve trained Jacob Fatu – he was one of my students so I trained him, and then I hear rumors Holidead’s coming to MLW, I’ve trained her. Plus I’ve probably wrestled Alexander Hammerstone thirty times, and many of the other guys in the locker room. I enjoy bringing a bit of the old school meeting the new school, and mixing it in the middle and seeing what we come up with.”
Old School vs. New School
Gangrel was asked how he would describe the old school style vs the new school style, and what happens when the two styles meet together.
“The key word is ‘moment’. There’s no wasted moments. There’s no wasted moves to build to great moments. They’re so talented and athletic, there’s so much athletic ability. Also with the luchadors and the international market that MLW is in right now, it’s insane. I’ve travelled the world, probably wrestled more in Europe than I have in the United States and when you start logging in matches, I’ve done eighteen years in Europe. So if you had them up against the full-time schedule in the States, it’s really close and I think Europe might outweigh it working seven days a week there twice a day sometimes.
So with that and then the time I spent in Puerto Rico and then in Calgary and whatnot, so many different styles and I love that MLW has that flavor and that little spark to it – that international flavor. No one match is the same. You watch it, and you can watch other companies and it’s like the same match after the same match but here, they’re all different and I’m really looking forward to adding my bit of ‘hot sauce’ to that ‘stew’.”
Why MLW is a Good Fit for Gangrel
Gangrel in MLW (2022)
Gangrel was also asked what made MLW a good fit for him. He said that he always drifted to MLW whenever he wanted to watch some wrestling while doing cardio, and that’s why he wanted to work in the promotion.
“It’s the flavor of it. It’s just that allure. I just sit down when I’m doing cardio, like a lot, when I watch wrestling. I can’t sit still. I don’t have enough time to sit down at home and watch wrestling. But when I do cardio, I always drift – out of all the companies that you can go find out there – WWE, the AEW, Ring of Honor, Impact – I always drift to MLW. I think it just has something about it, that flavor and something just draws me to it that I just really enjoy. I’ve enjoyed watching that out of all the other companies, now I’m gonna enjoy being a part of that company and hopefully I can add my own little bit of pizzazz and my own little spark to it and and make it a better way.”
His Career Coming Full Circle in Florida
Gangrel trained in Florida in the late ’80s and about 35 years later, it’s kind of a full circle moment for him as he’s training wrestlers in the same state that he trained in. Gangrel was asked what’s it like for him to have his career come full circle like that in Florida:
“Well, it’s home, Florida’s home. Born and raised, so full circle back around. When I was getting into wrestling, I didn’t have a lot of money and whatnot for tuitions and things that go along with the school. The people training me, I said [to them] ‘Listen, I can’t really afford this.’ and I was gonna pull out of it and everything. And they said ‘We’re gonna train you. Don’t worry about it. We’re gonna put you on the books as a trainer, just always give back to professional wrestling.’
“So I’ve just tried to stay true to my word and I’ve always tried to continue on in some type of training somewhere. Whether it was California with KnokX Pro which is a school I opened with Rikishi, or I had my own school for a while, GWA here [Florida]. Now I’m with CCW – Coastal Championship Wrestling and running their facility which is so crazy busy. I’m there Monday through Thursday. It’s crazy, and I’m doing private sessions. I’m doing one-on-one, training Paige VanZant now. Things are crazy so I’m like super super busy, but it’s an honor. I’m honored to be able to give back. It’s a blessing and I love pro wrestling so anytime I get to do what I love, anytime I get to lace a pair of boots up, climb through some ropes and get into that ring… It’s just a blessing and I’m honored. I might be nice and smiling now, but when I get in there, I’m gnarly and nasty. I’m even nastier as a trainer than I am as Gangrel the vampire.”
Today’s Generation of Wrestling Fans
Gangrel also touched on the differences in the wrestling community today compared to the old school days:
“Well, one is the size of the wrestlers has changed. But I don’t know, MLW got Killer Kross there now, Alexander Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, you got some pretty big guys walking around in MLW, some pretty gnarly dudes too. It’s still wrestling, the objective of it is to win a match. Pin somebody’s shoulders. As for the characters, for a lack of better words, heel and babyface – a good guy or a bad guy. Well now it’s more like, the fans kinda cheer for who they want. The MLW though, I feel that’s another thing that I’m drawn to. There is a clear villain. There’s a clear white hat and black hat. Pick a side and ride it out. I like that a lot about MLW. But with a lot of wrestling, in the sense that’s changed. It’s just like everybody goes out there and does a million moves. There’s a lot of wasted movements and stuff like that. So that’s changed, but it’s still pro wrestling. You’re still trying to pin somebody, get your hand raised for the victory and all that.”
What’s Missing from Wrestling Today
Modern pro wrestling is very different than the pro wrestling of past eras. According to Gangrel, the number one thing missing from wrestling is..
“Magic. Everybody knows the tricks now. Magic made a difference. Everybody wants to believe in something. I think a wrestler’s believability. I believe that Killer Kross could kill somebody, you know? Alexander Hammerstone. I believe that he could pick anybody up and give him the pendulum. Jacob Fatu, I believe is a savage. I trained him so I know he’s a savage. I know if you get on his bad side, it can go all all kinds of sideways. This magic, the mystique, the mystery of a pro wrestler is what I think is missing.”
Gangrel added that MLW is touching base on that and trying to dial that back in, but he thinks the allure is missing from professional wrestling overall. He also thinks the advent of the internet and social media has contributed significantly to this.
“With the internet and social media you can’t really pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. It’s super hard. But one person can make you believe that they’re one bad mofo. That one person can make you believe in him and if next to you a guy across the ring makes you believe, it can be a chain reaction. Slowly, you can at least get people to believe in you and your character, even if they think they know what’s gonna happen and they can research it and go get spoiler alerts. But you can make them believe in you and that’s still magic.”
Freedom of Speech in Wrestling
Conversely, Gangrel wished there was more freedom of speech present in the wrestling business when he started out:
“More freedom of speech. When I broke in, it was more like ‘ears open mouth shut’. Whereas in this generation, they have a lot more input in things. They’re not afraid to put their thoughts out there and personal things in their characters. Back then it was just ‘Shut up kid or we’re gonna break your legs,’ and you’re gone tomorrow. I hate to say it, but it was the ‘Hey brother’ system. Now it’s more open to things and wrestling just in a general is a wide open area now. You can take advantage of more things. It was just all like, black and white back then. I believe in the good guy and a bad guy, a heel and a face. I truly believe in the whole good guy-bad guy thing but I think there was still a whole spectrum of characters missing with people’s individualities and the freedoms to be who they are.”
The Importance of Creative Freedom
Gangrel also talked about how creative freedom is so important, especially when you’re playing a character like Gangrel that needs its own unique style in the ring.
“I was terrified to do the vampire thing. Luna [Vachon] kept telling me ‘That was always okay, you can do it!’ I was like ‘Oh no way!’ Because I broke in ’87, there were no vampires running around with fangs and stuff in the ring. They’d be like ‘Beach up. What’s wrong with you kid? You on drugs? I told you not to take that acid or whatever it is you’re taking.’
“But I did it slowly and then the times just kept changing. I came in during the late ’80s and ’90s and then things evolved and it is where it is today. Now they don’t think twice about it. They go, ‘Yeah, a vampire. At least it doesn’t sparkle’ [referring to the Twilight series].”
How He Keeps up with Wrestling
Gangrel was asked how he manages to stay informed on professional wrestling programming and news with his hectic schedule, to be able to cover it on his podcast Fangin n Bangin.
“Don’t tell anybody, but I just listen to the dirtsheets,” Gangrel said jokingly. “I try to watch it, but it’s very hard. I get so lost, there’s just so much to keep track of in current wrestling. I need to stay current and it’s tough.”
Gangrel explained that he has to keep up to date with current programming to know what his students’ mindframes are. “As far as the results go, I look at it on certain sites and read the results. If something piques my interest then I go watch it. For the most part, I watch a lot of wrestling when I’m doing cardio.”
MLW’s two next shows are scheduled for WrestleMania weekend, at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. If you’re in town, visit MLWTix.com for ticket information.
Kairi Sane has returned to wrestling for the first time since 2020. On Stardom’s World Climax Show earlier today in Tokyo, Sane returned using the ring name KAIRI.
KAIRI left WWE back in July 2020 to be with her husband in Japan. She was an ambassador for WWE upon her return to the country. When the deal expired, she was free to sign with any other wrestling promotion.
KAIRI announced back in February that she would be joining Stardom. And for the first time since 2020, the 33-year-old returned to in-ring action at the promotion’s World Climax Show.
KAIRI teamed up with Mayu Iwatani to defeat the team of Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka in a tag team match. She took her team to victory by hitting her signature elbow drop. She looked in great shape and impressed fans with her incredible moves. She also made a post on Twitter to announce her return to wrestling, aptly writing, “I am back!!”
KAIRI has previously wrestled for Stardom under the ring name of Kairi Hojo from 2012 to 2017. She became a one-time World of Stardom Champion, a one-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, a three-time Goddess of Stardom Champion and a four-time Artist of Stardom Champion. This was her first match for the promotion in five years. KAIRI will have her first singles match for Stardom since her return on Saturday where she will face Starlight Kid.
KAIRI signed with WWE in 2017, also the year when she won the Mae Young Classic. She would go on to win the WWE NXT Women’s Championship, and the Women’s Tag Team Championships once with Asuka. KAIRI’s fans would be interested to see what’s in store for “The Pirate Princess” next, as Stardom was her home before she arrived in WWE.
AEW announced the winners of the 2021 AEW Awards on YouTube before AEW Dynamite on Wednesday. The winners of the awards were by selected by online fan-voting over the past two weeks. There were a total of 12 categories.
The awards were presented by Tony Schiavone with co-hosts Dr. Britt Baker DMD, just like they did last year. This year, however, “The Men of the Year” Ethan Page and AEW TNT Champion Scorpio Sky also joined them in the ceremony. There were many surprise appearances throughout the ceremony.
The award for the Biggest Surprise Moment kicked off the AEW Awards, with Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson’s debuts at All Out winning. The Wrestler of the Year Award was given to Kenny Omega, who said in his acceptance speech that 2021 was one of the hardest years of his career. Omega has been inactive in the ring since Full Gear back in November as he’s sustained injuries. Omega thanked his fans for the award and said that it serves as motivation for him to get back in the ring in better shape.
You can see the full list of the 2021 AEW Awards winners below:
Biggest Surprise: Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson debut at All Out
Biggest Beatdown: Adam Page goes 60 minutes with Bryan Danielson at Winter Is Coming
High Flyer Award: Dante Martin
Best Moment on the Mic: CM Punk returns at AEW Rampage: The First Dance
Biggest WTF Moment: TayJay (Anna Jay and Tay Conti) vs. The Bunny and Penelope Ford in a Street Fight on New’s Year Smash
Best Twitter Follow: Nyla Rose
Best Fashion Moment: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. “Brittsburgh” jacket on Dynamite (August 11)
Best Mic Duel: CM Punk with MJF on Thanksgiving Eve on Dynamite (November 24)
Best Tag Team Brawl: The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) in a Steel Cage match at All Out
Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson have history with one another, even before they were part of All Elite Wrestling. They competed with each other in the WWE and even before then.
With this shared history between them, Bryan Danielson wanted to team up Jon Moxley, so that they could mentor the young talents of AEW and shape them under their wing. Moxley was reluctant, saying that he and Danielson will have to bleed together before they can be partners. The both did just that at AEW Revolution, which Moxley came out winning. They both kept brawling even after the match until William Regal arrived and convinced them to be partners.
On this week’s Dynamite, Danielson and Moxley arrived as a tag team with Regal managing them. They dominated Varsity Blonds who they had a match against, and after the match, Moxley told Regal that he only cares about Lord William Regal’s opinion. According to him, getting Regal’s approval is a badge of honor that he will wear with pride. He made it clear to the locker room that they are “the three most sadistic bastards in the business” and they will go through anyone who gets in their way.
Moxley then revealed the name of their group, the Blackpool Combat Club.
“Blackpool” in the group’s name is a reference to where William Regal is billed from — the town of Blackpool in Lancashire, England.
William Regal made his debut at Revolution, and he has had a long history with Bryan Danielson. The two shared the ring for the final time on a WWE Superstars episode in November 2011. Regal recalled his emotional last match with Danielson in an interview, saying:
“I tore me meniscus in my right leg. The next night I’m on with Bryan. They were going ‘no you can’t wrestle, you can’t wrestle.’ I said ‘no I want to put him over because he is the person who has stuck around me and listened to all my nonsense for the last [so many years] and comment and called me and sent me stuff. And I’ve sent him to places and put good words in for him and whatever else. If there is one person I wanna to have my last match with its him.’ So if you watch that match, you will see me walk down to the ring and then they actually played a rib on me. [They] played my old Man’s man music halfway down the ramp. I’m glad because they had to help me in the building that day. I couldn’t walk. I don’t like giving away this you know, that old fashioned things. But If you watch that match it’s 17 minutes of him carrying me because I can’t walk. He did a masterful job. He actually even wrestled and did stuff on my leg without bending it.”
The Undertaker’s finisher, The Tombstone Piledriver, is one of the most iconic wrestling moves. He has used this move throughout this career in the WWE, and recently he discussed the Tombstone Piledriver while appearing in a new interview with the Out of Character series on FOXSports.
During the interview, The Undertaker was asked about the origins of the move, and who named his signature kneeling belly-to-belly variant of the piledriver as the “Tombstone Piledriver”. He was also asked about the most memorable moment delivering the move on someone.
The Undertaker explained that the name was developed by a number of people backstage.
“It was kind of a collaboration I think,” The Undertaker said. “It’s been so long ago, that honestly I can’t tell you… I don’t think I’m gonna take credit for it. I know there was a group of us, you know, Bruce Prichard, Pat Patterson, myself, and Michael Hayes probably was there. And we were trying to figure out what we were gonna name this thing and then someone just kinda visualized putting a tombstone on a grave and how heavy that would be and what it would look like. I think from that is how the name came up. It was putting a tombstone in front of a grave, so.”
The Undertaker might have performed this maneuver hundreds if not thousands of times, and he does have an especially memorable one. When asked, he said, “The most memorable time that I hit the Tombstone… I’m gonna say Mark Henry. Because just of his sheer size, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to do it or not. My number one goal, always, is to protect my opponent. I think the world of Mark and I knew at that particular time I was strong, I was healthy, but Mark is a big dude and he was really big dude when I Tombstoned him. I think that time just on the sheer fact that I was proud of myself that I had him, I Tombstoned him, I didn’t hurt him and we had a fairly decent match along with it.”
Johnny Wrestling will appear at the annual WrestleCon convention during WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, TX.
The former NXT Champion took to Twitter to announce his appearance at the wrestling convention. Gargano wrote: “Doing signings at Axxess was one of my favorite parts of WrestleMania weekend (so much so that I would always ask to do extra sessions if someone couldn’t do it) Believe it or not.. I’ve never done a @wrestlecon! So it felt like a good time.. Excited to see all of you in Dallas!”
Doing signings at Axxess was one of my favorite parts of Wrestlemania weekend (so much so that I would always ask to do extra sessions if someone couldn't do it)
Gargano let his WWE contract expire, which made him a free agent. He had chose to allow his contract expire so that he could be at home with his wife, Candice LeRae, as they were expecting their first child. Their son, Quill Lewis Gargano, was born in February 2022.
As far as the wrestling ring goes, there is no update on where and when he will be seen in it. However, Gargano seems to be focused on spending his time with his wife and his son for now. With him making a public appearance for the first time, it’s likely that we would hear about his plans soon.
Johnny Gargano was one half of the tag team DIY in NXT with Tommaso Ciampa. They won the NXT Tag Team Championships once. The both would go on to feud with each other, and fans would remember it as one of the most entertaining feuds on the brand. “The Heart and Soul of NXT” also captured the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship a record three times, making him the first ever NXT Triple Crown winner.
Veer Mahaan’s arrival on Raw has been teased by WWE since November, even featuring vignettes and segments on the show telling us that Veer is coming. We never got to know exactly when, and the “Veer Is Coming” or “coming soon to Raw” caption used by the company repeatedly even became somewhat of a joke online that the debut will never come to fruition. This, fortunately, has changed as WWE have actually included the exact date for when Veer will make his debut in the latest promo on this week’s Raw.
The package revealed that Veer will debut on the April 4 edition of Raw, which would be the first show after WrestleMania 38. Veer took to Twitter to thank fans for waiting for his debut in support: “Dedicated to the optimistic and positive of my fans that kept their fists raised high in support. I heard you. Yeah, the man is coming. He always was. I’m clearing that path ahead. Don’t stand in the way. Better yet….please try!”
Dedicated to the optimistic and positive of my fans that kept their fists raised high in support.
I heard you.
Yeah, the man is coming. He always was.
I'm clearing that path ahead. Don't stand in the way.
Veer Mahaan made his debut on WWE programming on NXT in March of 2020. He used his real name, Rinku Singh, forming the tag team Indus Sher with Saurav Gurjar. He then debuted on the main roster in May last year on Raw where he teamed up with Shanky as backup for Jinder Mahal. He was then pulled from TV after Mahal and Shanky were drafted to SmackDown last October. Since then, he was repackaged, and has been wrestling on WWE Main Event for a few weeks now.
Veer was a baseball player before and his story was made into the movie Million Dollar Arm, released in 2014. He won a competition in cricket-obsessed India which aimed to find the fastest and the most accurate baseball pitcher in the country. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, making him the first Indian to play baseball professionally in the US. Veer would quit baseball in 2016, and sign a deal with WWE in 2018.
Punk and MJF started their feud after Full Gear in November. Punk went through the majority of Pinnacle to get to MJF. They first met each other in the ring in Chicago in February in the main event of Dynamite, which MJF won by hitting Punk in the face with a diamond ring which was handed to him by Wardlow. Punk had come up with the Dog Collar Match gimmick from MJF’s frequent references to Roddy Piper, who famously had a Dog Collar Match with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine.
Now that Punk’s feud with MJF has come to an end, it will be interesting to see what’s next in store for him. Punk has teased that he would go after Hangman Page for the AEW Championship. Page is currently feuding with Adam Cole, which will likely reach its climax before Double or Nothing which is just two months away. It’s possible that Punk will also get involved in the title picture.
The Undertaker is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Vince McMahon in his home state of Texas. Being in the industry for such a long time, the Undertaker has seen many changes in the WWE over the years. He spoke about those changes and revealed his thoughts about the current generation of wrestlers. He described what changes the current product in the era of social media has seen.
Speaking on the True Geordie podcast, “The Deadman” said that the bad habits prevalent in the locker rooms in the ’80s and ’90s is no longer seen but courage and resolve is missing from current wrestling.
“Things have changed. I can’t just say that it’s changed in wrestling. In all sports, it’s a different generation. Call it evolution if you want. One, I don’t think the guys are leading the same lifestyles that guys in the past did. One, they can’t, because everything they do, there is somebody, somewhere [pulling out a cell phone]. I feel bad for them because they can’t go and blow off steam somewhere after they work because they are constantly under some type of surveillance, where I didn’t have to worry about that because there wasn’t cell phones and all that,” The Undertaker said (h/t Fightful).
The Undertaker recalled his own past and how the locker rooms back then were different. He also revealed how a few wrestlers would carry knives and guns in their bags, and disagreements were “settled in the showers”. He said that the current talent is missing a certain level of grit.
“I feel like there is a level of grit that is missing from today’s product. I don’t know that it’s anybody’s fault. We all aged out. That new group has come up. When you watch Brock wrestle, you’re interested because you know, he has this background as an amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, mixed martial artist.”
The superstars from this generation that do possess this “grit”, according to The Undertaker, are Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns.
Undertaker will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1. He recently revealedthat he turned down the offer to be inducted before and could have been inducted sooner.
AEW and DDT Pro Wrestling from Japan have partnered up together.
DDT held its “DDT Judgement 2022” show to celebrate their 25th anniversary on 20 March at the Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. At the event, AEW’s Michael Nakazawa returned to DDT to face CyberFight President Sanshiro Takagi in an “I’m Sorry” match. The match came to be because Nakazawa was tired of Takagi embarrassing him and Nakazawa challenged him to the match.
Nakazawa lost, so according to the stipulation, he had to apologize to Takagi in front of the audience. Even though Nakazawa apologized, Takagi slammed him on a bunch of containers.
After the match, Nakazawa said that he hopes AEW and DDT get along going forward, and Tagaki thanked Nagazawa and Kenny. “Let’s make AEW, DDT and ALL of the Wrestling world more exciting,” he said.
— DDT Pro-Wrestling (English) (@ddtproENG) March 20, 2022
Afterwards, AEW VP of Talent Relations, Christopher Daniels appeared via video to make an announcement regarding the partnership:
“Ohayou gozaimasu! This is Christopher Daniels, and I am Vice President of Talent Relations for All Elite Wrestling. And I’d like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to DDT on their 25th anniversary. And I’d like to also announce that AEW and DDT have come to an agreement to bring DDT’s wrestlers to the United States of America. And I for one am looking forward to introducing the top talent from DDT to the American wrestling fanbase. So until that time, ganbatte kudasai DDT! And we will see you soon.”
You can watch the video of the announcement below:
?Announcement! ?
AEW's VP of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels has a message! @facdaniels
Rhino, the former WWE star currently performing on Impact Wrestling has plans to wrestle for at least another 5 years before finally hanging up his boots and transitioning to a behind-the-scenes role as a producer.
Rhino is enjoying his time in Impact Wrestling after having a long-lasting career in the ring. He is celebrating 27 years in pro wrestling and discussed his longevity in the industry while appearing on the podcast The Angle. He also discussed how long he expects to see himself competing full-time in the ring and what his plans are afterwards.
Rhino said he isn’t planning to return anytime soon and he has a lot of time left in the business. When asked who he would like to face before his eventual retirement, Rhino named Kevin Owens.
Speaking on the podcast, Rhino said, “I would really like to… I don’t know why Kevin Owens’ name just popped in my head. Probably because I am here in Philly, and I am talking to you from Philly.
“I’m at that point where I’m starting to, you know, [be] less in the ring and more behind the scenes in phase and that’s one of the beauties I love about Impact. One of the many beauties is that I can start producing. So, and then hopefully I can get, God willing, five more years out of in the ring full time. I would definitely like to do one of my last shows at the arena. Hopefully, I have the ability to be the one to choose whether to walk away,” Rhino said.
Rhino has had a long career in wrestling, starting from ECW. He won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and the ECW Television Championship, being the last champion to hold both titles. He would then go on to work for the WWE and was involved in The Invasion storyline. He stayed with the company until 2005 and then worked with TNA and won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Rhino would return to WWE in 2015 and worked in NXT as a veteran. He would then be promoted to the main roster and on his time in SmackDown, he would become the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Heath Slater. He left WWE again in 2019 and has been working in Impact Wrestling since then.
During this week’s SmackDown, major changes were made to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match scheduled for WrestleMania 38.
Originally, the match was set involving Sasha Banks and Naomi going against WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Carmella and Queen Zelina Vega.
The match was then changed to a triple threat contest when Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan defeated the champions in a non-title match on last week’s Raw, thus getting added to the mix.
But during this week’s SmackDown in Charlotte, North Carolina, Shayna Baszler and Natalya attacked during an ongoing Banks and Naomi vs. Ripley and Morgan tag team match. They attacked everyone and caused havoc.
Prior to the attack, Banks and Naomi hit a splash and a Moonsault on Ripley and went for the pin, only for Morgan to break it up. They sent Morgan out of the ring, with Banks tagging in and them picking up Ripley onto the top rope. However, Morgan lifted them all instead and all of them slammed on to the ring. This is exactly when Natalya and Baszler made their attack.
Carmella and Queen Vega, who were sitting in on commentary, got into the ring until everyone was down except for Vega and Carmella in a face off with Baszler and Natalya. Natalya pointed to the WrestleMania sign, making their intentions clear that they plan on coming after the titles at “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”.
After the match in a backstage segment, WWE Official Sonya Deville told Baszler and Natalya that she loved their efforts for a title match opportunity. She then made an official announcement which stated that Baszler and Natalya were added to the title match, thus making it a fatal-four-way for WrestleMania 38.
It will be Austin 3:16 Day on Wednesday this week and the pro wrestling world will be celebrating the illustrious career of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
For the occasion, Steve Austin has announced that his Broken Skull American Lager will be available in stores nationwide. Austin is releasing the lager in partnership with El Segundo Brewing Company, which has also worked with Austin in producing his Broken Skull India pale ale.
Apart from the lager, WWE has some more stuff planned for 3:16 Day. The company has announced that it will air an episode of The Best of WWE on Peacock which will be hosted by Steve Austin himself. The episode will showcase his best WWE matches and moments from his career.
Also, four new Austin shirts will be sold on WWE Shop to celebrate 3:16 Day along with the classic black and white Austin 3:16 shirt.
Kevin Owens will appear on WWE’s The Bump this week to talk about Austin accepting his invite for appearing on The KO Show at WrestleMania 38.
Speaking of which, Kevin Owens ended last week’s Monday Night Raw by asking Austin to guest on his show during Night 1 of The Grandest Stage Of Them All. Austin would accept Owen’s invitation, saying:
“19 years ago, I wrestled my last match in a WWE ring. After three Rock Bottoms, 1-2-3, I lost the match. And for 19 years, I’ve had to live with that defeat, knowing my time was up. Kevin Owens, I want to thank you,” Austin said. “I want to thank you for waking something up inside me that I’ve kept buried for 19 years. Ever since you started running that mealy mouth of yours, talking about the state of Texas, the great state of Texas, you got my attention. And why would you want to do that, Kevin?”
“I can think of two reasons. One, you are one dumb son of a bitch. Two, you are fixing to get your ass kicked by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whether you want to call this the KO Show, a match, a fight, a brawl, whatever. I will guarantee you this. In Dallas, TX, where I started my career, at WrestleMania, Stone Cold Steve Austin is gonna open up one last can of whoop ass on you, Kevin Owens. And that’s the bottom line ’cause Stone Cold Said so!”
Steve Austin is not slated to be wrestling at WrestleMania 38. There is a report that suggests Austin is going to be involved in a “fight sequence.” It will reportedly involve him performing more than just a couple of Stunners.
AEW broadcaster Jim Ross also chimed in on the matter on his Grilling JR podcast, saying that Austin wasn’t very keen with what WWE had planned for him.
“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.” Ross said that if Austin agreed to do one more match then he would train at least 6 months to get into the shape he’d deem appropriate for a return.
On this week’s Monday Night Raw, Edge made a strong statement as he cut another promo with the blue lighting. He claimed he is better than everyone and that the fans don’t matter to him and he sits on the top of the mountain of omnipotence and looks down on everyone.
While “The Rated R Superstar” in his heel persona gave his speech under blue lighting, there was another thing that was different apart from his alignment. This time, fans didn’t hear Alter Bridge’s “Metalingus” blaring through the speakers as they usually do when Edge arrives. This time, Edge came out with a new entrance theme.
The new track, “The Other Side,” is also by Alter Bridge from their 2016 album The Last Hero. Edge had used “Metalingus” since 2005 as his entrance music, but looks like the 11-time world champion has finally decided to move on to a different track.
The song talks about finding redemption and salvation through ways that aren’t necessarily “good” or healthy. The song change helps shed some more light on Edge’s new heel persona.
Alter Bridge took to Twitter to post about their song being used as Edge’s theme, writing, “‘You think you know me… you never did!’”
In the promo, Edge claimed that he failed to show how superior he is than everyone else in professional wrestling because he was trying too hard to make fans happy. Edge said that in return, all the fans did was have his triceps torn by Randy Orton, his home invaded by Seth Rollins, and be pinned by Roman Reigns who he called an “Aquaman cosplayer.” Edge declared that this old version of him is dead now as he is on the top and will judge AJ Styles at WrestleMania 38.
Listen to Edge’s new entrance theme, “The Other Side” by Alter Bridge:
