The Undertaker has opened up about his interest in potentially signing with WCW. His interest stemmed from his past frustrations with WWE’s creative direction. Speaking with Sam Roberts on the Not Sam Wrestling podcast, The Undertaker highlighted how there were too many “really goofy characters” in contrast to WCW. According to ‘Taker, WCW was doing “real angles.”
‘Taker noted how it was common knowledge that WCW had an open checkbook. The money being offered was something he was well aware of, especially as “You would be able to get a good check and stay at home most of the time.”
He admitted that thoughts of jumping to WCW for the money “were there.” However, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it. The Undertaker joked how he isn’t the best businessman, but revealed that “something inside me said you couldn’t leave here [WWE].”
The Undertaker then recalled an opportunity to renegotiate his contract at that time. He reflected on how he had only been with the company for approximately 8 or 9 months. With his contract close to expiring, he was hoping to “get a little bump on the money.”
His meeting would see him opposite Jim Herd, Ole Anderson, and Jim Barnett. According to ‘Taker, “They looked at me straight in the eyes, and said you are a great athlete, but nobody will ever pay to see you wrestle. My loyalty to Vince was stronger than the short term cash I could have made if I left.”
The first four episodes of The Undertaker’s docuseries, Undertaker: The Last Ride, are available to stream now on the WWE Network.
Drew McIntyre successfully defended his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley this past Sunday at WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view. According to Louis Dangoor of WrestleTalk, their recent feud stemmed from McIntyre and Lashley’s interest in working together.
According to Dangoor, both Superstars enjoyed working together in the past based on their time in Impact Wrestling. This history gave them the confidence to reignite a feud in WWE. Both men believed they could put on a great match if only given the opportunity. Both Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley allegedly saw great value in their rivalry and felt it would help develop their characters.
Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, And Paul Heyman
Despite having been removed from his role as RAW Executive Director, Paul Heyman was allegedly instrumental in developing their feud. The “structure and pacing” of McIntyre and Lashley’s Backlash clash was reportedly heavily influenced by Heyman’s guidance and input.
It’s worth noting that the eventual finish involving Lana was done in accordance with what Vince McMahon wanted to see.
Her involvement ultimately cost Lashley his opportunity at Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship. This storyline would continue onto this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, with Bobby Lashley demanding a divorce from Lana.
Vince McMahon is reportedly a huge fan of RAW’s Angel Garza—so much so that he has allegedly compared the Superstar to a “young Eddie Guerrero.” According to Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, Vince McMahon sees a lot of potential in the rising Superstar. Angel Garza is, at the time of writing, only 27-years-old.
He has already had several standout moments in WWE. Garza was a top contender for the Cruiserweight Championship in NXT. Since coming to the red brand, Garza has aligned himself with Zelina Vega and Andrade.
Paul Heyman Project: Angel Garza
Angel Garza joined several Superstars rumored to have been a Paul Heyman project. Since Heyman’s removal as RAW’s Executive Director, it remains to be seen how those passion projects will be affected.
Angel Garza joined Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Austin Theory, Viking Raiders, The Street Profits, Murphy, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Asuka, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Apollo Crews as reported Heyman projects.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray had high praise for this past Sunday’s Backlash main event. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray addressed “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” between Randy Orton and Edge. Despite having minor issues with the match going on last, that didn’t stop his enjoyment of the action, describing the clash as an “8-star match.”
Bully Ray argued how only World Heavyweight Championship matchups should go on last. He acknowledged that there were many extenuating circumstances heading into Backlash. He noted how, by not having Drew McIntyre defend in the main event, “all you do is give me a kink in the armor of Drew McIntyre telling me he is not good enough to go on last.”
Addressing the piped in fan noise that WWE edited in, Bully Ray stressed how it was an unnecessary addition. He didn’t feel it was needed as he doesn’t need to be informed of what to like or not like during a match.
Regarding the match itself, Bully Ray believes it was a “This was an excellent match. This was a very well performed match. This was like an 8-star match and I don’t put star ratings on anything.”
He spoke about how the match was presented as one continuous match, performed as if it was in front of 20,000 people. Bully Ray also highlighted how Edge and Orton went “straight through like two professionals would.” As far as he’s concerned, they approached the matchup with an old school mentality.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has revealed what he believes is holding Roman Reigns back from becoming pro wrestling’s top star. Speaking with Adam Wilbourn of WhatCulture, “Le Champion,” praised Reigns, sharing how he would love to have him become a part of the AEW roster. According to Jericho, he believes WWE needs to allow Reigns more freedom to be himself. If they do, the former AEW World Champion thinks Reigns could easily become the biggest star in wrestling.
Jericho noted how he’d put Roman Reigns at the top of any roster wish list. “Not only is he a great worker but he’s such a cool guy. If they just let him be him he’d be the biggest star in the industry, for real. That’d be a guy I’d love to get my hands on for sure.”
Roman Reigns has not been a part of WWE programming since refusing to wrestle Goldberg at WrestleMania 36. Due to his previous battles with leukemia, Reigns falls into a high-risk category in regards to the coronavirus pandemic. His decision to step away from the ring revolved around wanting to protect his family and newborn twins. Roman Reigns was scheduled to face off against Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship. Reigns was eventually replaced by Braun Strowman, who would defeat Goldberg and claim the gold.
Shane McMahon has challenged The Undertaker to a Hell in a Cell rematch. The challenge came during this week’s episode of Last Ride Post-Mortem. The Post-Mortem show followed the airing of The Undertaker’s docuseries, Undertaker: The Last Ride. The most recent episode aired this past Sunday on the WWE Network.
The episode featured footage from Extreme Rules 2019. The Undertaker teamed with Roman Reigns on the show. They defeated the team of Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match. Whilst appearing on the Post-Mortem, Shane McMahon reflected on how ‘Taker believed the Extreme Rules match was going to be his last ever, stating:
“I know I got one more with him. So, I’m ready. I’ll challenge him now. I just did. I got one more, I know I got one big one. I want a rematch. Hell in a Cell 2. I was that close,” Shane McMahon said, in reference to nearly hitting his elbow drop onto ‘Taker from the top of the Cell. “Let’s continue with this story.”
The two previously faced off in a Hell in a Cell matchup back at WrestleMania 32 in 2016. The Undertaker would emerge victorious. Shane McMahon hasn’t been involved in a rivalry since his feud with Kevin Owens ended in 2019.
Charlotte Flair has reacted to her father’s actions during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. “The Nature Boy” turned heel after accompanying Christian to the ring, delivering a low blow that would cost him his Unsanctioned Match against Randy Orton. Christian had accepted Orton’s challenge earlier in the night.
Taking to Twitter, Charlotte Flair posted to tweets in relation to her father’s appearance on the show and subsequent actions. Last night saw her share some screen time with Ric Flair in a short backstage segment. Afterwards, Charlotte tweeted out two goat emojis, in reference to her father being the “Greatest of All Time.”
This was in response to a tweet from the WWE Universe’s account, highlighting how “The WOOER becomes the WOOEE” after Charlotte Flair delivered a “Woo!” in Ric’s face.
Charlotte Flair’s second tweet was uploaded after Ric aligned himself with Orton. It read:
“The more things change, the more things stay the same.”
This, too, was in response to a WWE tweet that stressed how Ric Flair is still the dirtiest player in the game. This tweet was accompanied by a Gif of the moment Ric Flair dropped to his knees and delivered the match ending low blow. Randy Orton would follow up with a vicious punt kick to Christian’s head.
All Elite Wrestling’s Arn Anderson believes that WWE missed an opportunity to turn Kevin Owens into one of their top babyfaces. Speaking on his ARN podcast, Anderson spoke about how WWE and Vince McMahon should have leaned into the reaction Owens received after he defeated John Cena at 2015’s Elimination Chamber event.
“If you’re going to listen to the audience throughout this thing, then Kevin Owens became a star that night,” Anderson explained. “If you don’t listen, no matter what you have booked or written down for the next 3 weeks, don’t you switch your plans too: here’s my new baby face?”
Anderson highlighted how Kevin Owens is capable of delivering both in the ring and on the mic. He stressed how he is a perfect anti-hero and can play an everyday man that packs a lot of power: “[Kevin Owens] doesn’t look like he can pop-up power bomb Mark Henry, but he can, I’ve seen it, more than once.”
He spoke about how the audience reaction to Kevin Owens was so positive, WWE should have switched gears “the very next day.” Anderson noted how by beating Cena acted as a major launching pad for his main roster debut and that WWE should have given the fans what they wanted to see.
Following his successful Elimination Chamber victory, Kevin Owens would subsequently lose to Cena at both Money in The Bank and Battleground. Having him lose remains a decision that Anderson feels hurt Kevin Owens initial push and momentum. He explained how Owens never should have lost those two matches and that his push should have been “first class, steam roll, straight ahead.”
The Undertaker has shared his initial impressions on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during a recent interview with 5-time New York Times Best Selling Author, Gary Vaynerchuck. When asked by Vaynerchuck which wrestler surprised him the most in terms of growth and development throughout his storied career, ‘Taker revealed it was none other than “The Great One,” The Rock.
The Undertaker shared how it was an easy question to answer before naming Johnson, labeling him “the biggest star in the world.” ‘Taker recalled how Johnson debuted at Madison Square Garden as Rocky Maivia, sharing how it was “awful.” According to him, they “handcuffed him right out of the get-go.”
He reflected on how fans in Madison Square Garden will always be honest with you, whether they like you or not. ‘Taker noted how they were “merciless” with Johnson that night and that they “lit him up.”
The Undertaker’s Opinion On Rocky Maivia
Judging Johnson solely by his debut, The Undertaker confessed he had no clue how charismatic he was capable of being. Instead, he chalked Johnson’s debut up as “a shame” and figured that he wouldn’t be in WWE for long.
Things changed, however, after Johnson aligned himself—and then broke away from—the Nation of Domination. “It didn’t take long for him, once he got to the Nation of Domination, it flipped,” The Undertaker explained. “By the time he was at the end of his run with them I knew he wasn’t going to be with them for long. You could just tell he was destined for success.”
Following the taping of his WWE Backlash matchup against Randy Orton, rumors had been rife that Edge suffered an unfortunate injury. These rumors were later confirmed by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select. With Edge having torn his tricep during the taping of “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” WWE is now forced to change its alleged SummerSlam plans.
Randy Orton emerged victorious from their matchup during last night’s pay-per-view. Given that Edge won their WrestleMania 36 bout, Orton’s Backlash victory set up a potential rubber match between the Superstars. A tricep injury, however, would scupper any immediate plans for the two to tangle a third time.
Edge’s Recovery Time
At the time of writing, neither WWE nor Edge have confirmed the injury. Depending on the severity of the injury, “The Rated R Superstar” could potentially be out for between 4-8 months. It is unknown whether the injury will require surgery or not.
Whatever rubber match may have been planned between the former Rated RKO partners will be in limbo until Edge is well enough to return to in-ring action. It also forces WWE to create a new feud for Randy Orton heading into Extreme Rules and beyond.
This injury comes at a time when WWE is without some of its biggest Superstars, including Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and Bray Wyatt. Edge’s clash with Orton was only his third match back in WWE since coming out of retirement.
Posted June 15th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: Edge.
Last night’s WWE RAW Women’s Championship match saw defending champion Asuka go to a double count-out finish with her opponent, Nia Jax. It has been reported, however, that this may not have been the original finish planned for their clash.
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer, WWE supposedly changed the ending of the match up hours before WWE Backlash began. Alvarez explained how he was given the impression that WWE’s initial plans would have seen Asuka decisively pin Nia Jax. However, as fans saw last night during the pay-per-view, WWE ultimately went with a double count-out instead.
It has been previously reported that Asuka is in line to feud with Charlotte Flair. The original planned ending of her Backlash match up would have helped propel Asuka as a strong defending champion.
With her match with Nia Jax ending the way it did, however, there is speculation that WWE may continue their feud into next month’s Extreme Rules event.
If that is the case, whatever plans WWE had in place may be put on hold. A potential Asuka versus Charlotte Clair match may not take place up until their August pay-per-view, SummerSlam.
Flair recently lost the NXT Women’s Championship during NXT TakeOver: In Your House. This title change helped free her up as a potential contender to compete for Asuka’s gold.
Karrion Kross and Scarlett made their debuts on NXT TV last week in dominant fashion. Kross soundly defeated EVOLVE wrestler Leon Ruff.
Although Kross did not have a match on this week’s episode, the pair did feature a new vignette for the WWE Universe. The unsettling promo contained a warning to the rest of the NXT locker room. He acknowledged how fans were curious behind their motives in attacking former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.
Kross addressed how the world constantly seeks answers to questions and wants to uncover the motives behind why “terrible people do terrible things.”
Karrion Kross and Scarlett promised that they aren’t in NXT to “shock a system” or save them from their “corrupted black hearts.” Instead, they are there to be the WWE Universe’s “entertainment” and stressed it was time to wake up from the dream.
ccording to Kross, Ciampa was the first but guaranteed he wouldn’t be the last as Kross and Scarlett look to cement themselves in NXT.
The video was accompanied by “The End is Near.” The song was previously used on several WWE Armageddon pay-per-views in the past, as well as a Survivor Series event.
Sugar Dunkerton received a career highlight on this past week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. This week, he competed in a losing effort against former AEW Champion Chris Jericho. He has been featured on several AEW shows during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on a recent episode of the We The Independent podcast, Suge D opened up about his feelings on receiving these career opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Suge D—who Jericho has been referring to as Pineapple Pete—admitted it’s strange to be enjoying career opportunities during such a difficult time. He confessed he can’t help but “feel a little sadness in terms of everybody not being able to enjoy my accomplishments the way I’d like them to be enjoyed because let’s be honest, what is there to be really really really be excited about? There’s lot going on.”
Suge D On Wrestling During A Pandemic
Suge D acknowledged how people have been congratulating him and telling him he deserves the chance to be on TV for AEW. He admitted that it was “definitely a new challenge and a new mountain to climb.”
He noted how he isn’t sure where this journey will take him. There is one thing he is certain of, however: he wishes this could be happening under different circumstances.
“Would I have wanted a crowd there to really will me on and cheer me on just to see if they’re really feeling me? Absolutely, but I know two things to be true. The first one being that you are very rarely asked to be great during convenient circumstances, so it was a matter of taking a choice to whether you take that chance and you go forward or you stand back and you let it past you by.”
Suge D shared that the second thing is the uncertainty as to when a live crowd will be allowed to attend shows. He confessed this causes an “empty feeling” as going out to perform to nobody, and being unable to feed off their energy, is an undeniably different experience.
That being said, he added: “When you’re hungry, do you complain about any kind of scraps you possibly can get, or do you just go without?” Regardless, Suge D remains grateful to get the opportunity to wrestle despite the current difficulties.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has opened up about his past issues with WWE Hall of Famer Triple H. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Jericho revealed how he had issues with people in the past before singling out his problems with Triple H.
Chris Jericho recalled how back in the early 2000’s he and Triple H didn’t like one another. He added how Triple H would admit the same thing. Despite this, they were still able to put on great matches, adding how “I think that’s one of the reasons why.”
He explained how they had a “professional rivalry” alongside a “bit of a personal dislike” of each other. He also stressed that they are friends now.
Jericho added how there are plenty of professional rivalries taking place when a person is “young full of vim and vigor.” He juxtaposed these rivalries with those that take place in rock and roll, pointing out how bands break up and ten years later get back together.
“I think there’s that animosity that drives you to become better, and if you have a case like say Jericho and Triple H, our matches were always great because there was a little bit of real-life animosity between us,” Chris Jericho admitted.
“‘I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him,’ and I think that’s good in a certain way.”
Chris Jericho then added how Vince McMahon would “subtly encourage” this kind of personal and professional rivalry. He believes he did so as doing that would inevitably lead to better results in the ring.
You can listen to Jericho’s comments about his relationship with Triple H in the video player embedded below:
Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has shared the reasoning behind the group’s decision to bring in KENTA as a member. He revealed how when he first arrived in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, KENTA was a hot commodity in pro wrestling. Tama believes that was something that fizzled out after KENTA signed with WWE and was repackage as Hideo Itami.
Speaking with the Wrestling Inc. Dailypodcast, Tama Tonga shared how KENTA was considered to be “hot sh*t. Real hot sh*t” but lost his momentum because “the other side” didn’t know what to do with him. He feels that bringing KENTA into Bullet Club would help reignite him into the wrestler he was before, only with “more experience and knowledge.” As far as he’s concerned, Bullet Club was the group to help KENTA rediscover that killer instinct.
Tama Tonga On Karl Anderson
Recently released WWE Superstar Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have former ties to Bullet Club. Anderson even hinted recently that he may be soon traveling back to Japan, teasing a comeback to the stable.
Acknowledging Anderson’s history with the group, Tama Tonga refused to be goaded into answering if fans can expect Anderson back amongst their ranks. “I’ve given you enough juice. I’ve given you enough juice,” said Tonga. “We’ll let the world speculate but you know those are my brothers.”
Guerrillas Of Destiny Vs. Golden Ace
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been forced to cancel several dates and tours due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tama Tonga, however, already has his eyes set on their eventual comeback. He also knows who he’d like to face when NJPW is finally able to run shows: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi.
Tama Tonga is interested in a chance to reclaim the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from Tanahashi and Ibushi. He noted how they had “great chemistry with the first run-in” and believes there is more than can do together in the future. He added that, at some point, he’d love the opportunity to go one-on-one with Ibushi as he’d like to “mess that pretty face up.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised Edge and Randy Orton’s recent segment on Monday Night RAW. Bully Ray called their promo work “phenomenal” during a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio.
Bully Ray stated how their mic work on RAW was “the best I’ve seen from the both of them, and Edge had no mic work, and that’s so great.” He explained how, without saying a word, he was able to see Edge’s emotions clearly and “felt the self-doubt in Edge’s heart.”
“[…] when Randy brought up the word ‘wrestling,’ it looked like it struck fear in Edge,” Bully Ray said. “Because a wrestler who’s been retired for nine or ten years knows ‘I can get by in a Last Man Standing Match, but damn, a wrestling match? Can I legitimately go move for move with Randy Orton? No man, I don’t think I can do it.’ That’s what you got from Edge last night: self-doubt.”
Randy Orton challenged Edge to a wrestling match at WWE’s next pay-per-view, Backlash. The two previously clashed at WrestleMania 36 in a Last Man Standing Match. After a grueling clash, Edge would eventually beat his former Rated RKO tag team partner. It was his first singles matchup since returning from a career-ending injury, which forced him to retire back in 2011.
Women’s Money In The Bank winner and current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka recently joined WWE show The Bump. During her time on the show, Asuka shared how she felt after winning the Money In The Bank briefcase and her reaction to Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement.
Asuka recalled climbing up the ladder only to have King Corbin scale the other side, “so I gave him a nice kick.” She shared how the briefcase was heavier than she expected, so she had a hard time even holding it. Regardless, she stressed her happiness at having claimed the prize. “The view that I saw from the top of the ladder was fantastic. I am going to remember that view.”
What she thought was a year-long championship opportunity turned out to be the RAW Women’s Championship itself. Lynch revealed the news to her during this week’s Monday Night RAW, sharing with the world that she is pregnant. Asuka was reportedly not told this before their segment, which led to a heartfelt, sincere reaction.
When asked about the announcement, Asuka shared her happiness for Lynch and her new adventure. “I had so many matches with her and I have a strong connection with her. I think we both felt the same way. I think she likes to have matches with me. I think she was relieved that I got the Money in the Bank because she knew I could take good care of it.”
She added how she wants to become the reason people don’t want to miss the action in WWE’s women’s division. Asuka noted how she has been that in the past, but now as champion wants to work even harder to ensure people tune in.
WWE Battlegrounds won’t be the only video game featuring WWE Superstars this year after 2K announced there will be no iterative update to their WWE 2K series. Video game fans can look forward to playing as some of WWE’s top Superstars in a crossover with fighting game The King of Fighters ALLSTAR.
Fans can play as several WWE Superstars in the game. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and even The Undertaker all appear in the crossover.
The Executive Producer of Netmarble addressed the unique collaboration, saying:
“WWE and The King of Fighters have been entertaining people around the world for decades, so this is something truly special for us and the players.”
He added how the companies worked closely to provide a truly authentic experience. They achieved this by bringing the likeness and moves of each Superstar to ALLSTAR.
Gamers can look forward to a few new modes being added to ALLSTAR as well. Time Attack Mode, WWE-Theme Summon Banner, Super Mission, WWE-Themed Dungeons, and WWE-Theme Roulettes will all be added to the mobile game.
WWE’s Chief Marketing & Communications Offers, Brain Flinn, added how “Integrating WWE Superstars into THE KING OF FIGHTERS ALLSTAR franchise will provide our fans with another opportunity to connect with their favorite Superstars and introduce new audiences to our action-packed entertainment.”
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR is available on iOS and Android devices now.
It appears that WWE has some interesting plans for returning RAW Superstar Jinder Mahal. The former WWE Champion returned to television on the 4/27 episode of Monday Night RAW. Sporting a new look, Mahal defeated 205 Live’s Akira Tozawa in a dominant victory. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is interested in positioning Mahal as a babyface going forward.
Jinder Mahal appeared on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. He delivered a positive, babyface promo backstage. During his promo, Jinder Mahal praised Drew McIntyre’s success in WWE. He shared how he is “positively elated” for his friend.
Having returned, he stressed how he is on a new path now. He confessed he has made a lot of mistakes in the past. Not interested in repeating those errors, Jinder Mahal was adamant that his journey back to the top will be a “Hero’s journey.”
The belief is that WWE wants to have a top babyface from India and that Jinder Mahal is the right choice. It was noted that Mahal’s previous main event run apparently didn’t make a big difference in India.
“The Modern Day Maharaja” was a heel during that time, so perhaps a push as a babyface could lead to different results.
Money In The Bank winner Otis was a recent guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Otis opened up about how he first became a pro wrestling fan, and why he felt he had to hide the fact he was.
Otis recalled discovering pro wrestling when he was around 4 years old. The first show he watched was apparently an episode of WCW Thunder. It was after this first experience that his mother would sign him up for amateur wrestling.
Despite training and competing in amateur wrestling, Otis admitted his love for pro wrestling “kept growing and growing and growing.” He shared how “there’s this unwritten rule of like ‘You can’t watch professional wrestling if you’re an amateur wrestler.’” Otis referred to that approach as a “weird toughness” where people would discourage each other from watching pro wrestling.
This forced Otis to enjoy pro wrestling in relative secrecy. He divulged how “I kinda had a secret with me until some of my buddies would watch it with me and all that, but for some reason, what made me happy was always wrestling.”
Having won the MITB briefcase, Otis now has the ability to cash it in for championship opportunity at any point over the next year. According to him, however, he’s not interested in waiting too long for his shot.
Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater has responded to All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes recent comments. Having been released from WWE, Cody was asked during a Q&A Session if the promotion had any interest in hiring Slater. His response was to the point: “No to Heath.” It’s a response that Slater believes is a “bad business decision.”
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Heath Slater recalled how he discovered Cody’s comments two days after the Q&A. One of his friends sent it to him bringing it to his attention.
“Me and Cody have never had harsh words or nothing you know? We never disliked each other, but I know how Cody is. When he said it I was like ‘he’s either serious,’ which he very well could be who even knows? Or ‘he wants me to react.’”
Heath Slater shared how Cody knows he isn’t one to keep quiet. Instead, he’ll be open about how he feels about any given situation. He referred to Cody’s words as a head scratcher: “[…] it’s one of those things where I’m like ‘you didn’t even scratch your head and think about it?’”
Heath Slater stressed how the reality of his experience is that he is a 14 year veteran in pro wrestling. He added how he has “wrestled everyone underneath the sun.” His argument indicated that his wealth of experience would be something AEW could benefit from.
Now that Heath Slater is no longer associated with WWE, he is excited to be able to show “what I want, and do what I want. Bad business decision [by Cody]? Hell yes.”
WWE Superstar Xavier Woods has detailed what a cinematic matchup featuring the New Day might look like. Speaking with The No-Sports Reportpodcast, Woods shared his excitement over the idea. He confessed that WrestleMania 36’s Boneyard match “really touched my soul.”
According to Woods, a cinematic match with the New Day would be set in a “weird, magical, like a rainbow world.”
Within this world, there would be an ominous shadowland where they don’t go. But, when they do, it would be “game time.”
“So, uh, lots of sunshine, lots of rainbows, lots of inanimate objects talking to you… It’d be super weird,” Woods stated. “I like the dissonance between something horrible happening like us just being someone to a pulp with like a nice, children’s music like “Baby Shark” playing in the background.”
Xavier Woods On WWE’s Coronavirus Challenges
Xavier Woods then addressed the challenges WWE has been facing during the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke about Superstars having to wrestle in front of zero fans and the difficulties of attracting new fans during this time.
He admitted he could imagine wrestling in front of an empty arena. Woods compared it to his experiences on the independent circuit. According to him, he had plenty of experience wrestling in near-empty locations to either “no people or like three people.”
He added how wrestling for three people was, in some ways, “more daunting than no people.”
He explained it’s because “[…] now you’ve got these, these six eyes on you and it freaks you out. But luckily the guys and girls that we work with are skilled enough to understand what factors of wrestling – whether it’s promos or matches – need to be altered and changed to go along with what the current situation is.”
Xavier Woods shared how this element is what he really likes about pro wrestling. To him, wrestling is akin to “live performance art.”
He explained how it’s not about having the perfect match or promo. Instead, it’s about how you adapt and improvise if that match or promo derails:
“[…] this is one of those things where everything got derailed essentially and now everybody’s figuring out how they can look into their old school playbook like, ‘Okay, how do we do this?’ And they’re in there doing it.”
Wrestling Attracting New Fans During COVID-19
With few opportunities for live sports or entertainment currently available, Xavier Woods speculated how those curious about wrestling may be tuning in for the first time:
“I feel like a lot of people who didn’t enjoy it or may not have talked about it at all beforehand, might be watching it now.”
Woods added that people could potentially be seeing things on Twitter and feel compelled to give WWE a chance. He argued how, after a few more clicks, these people could be watching RAW or SmackDown. He acknowledged how there has been a “heightened level of conversation about WWE during all of this.”
Woods’ Achilles Recovery During Quarantine
Having been sidelined due to an unfortunate Achilles injury, Xavier Woods shared how he has been recovering at home during the pandemic.
He shared how he has been recouping whilst ensuring he is “being functional.”
He stressed how “being able to hang out with my kid” has been the best thing for him during this tough time.
Xavier Woods acknowledged that it’s a difficult time for so many worldwide. He added that he would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the quality time at home with his family.
This past Monday night on RAW, Becky Lynch relinquished the WWE RAW Women’s Championship to Asuka. She revealed that Asuka hadn’t won a championship opportunity at Money In The Bank. Instead, she had won the gold itself. This decision was made as Becky Lynch is pregnant and expecting her first child with her partner, Seth Rollins.
Asuka’s sincere reaction to the news was genuine as she did not know Lynch was pregnant, according to PWinsider. She was also unaware that she was winning the title during the filming process of the Money In The Bank ladder match. The match was pre-recorded at WWE Headquarters.
WWE officials reportedly kept the news secret until Lynch revealed it herself to the WWE Universe, hence Asuka’s genuine response.
It was also noted that several people who were in attendance for the show on Monday had no clue Lynch was pregnant until after her announcement. Lynch recently revealed she found out she was pregnant in April after taking multiple tests. She is due to give birth in December.
Asuka’s recent accomplishments have seen her achieve a major milestone in WWE. She is now the the only woman in WWE history to have won a Money in the Bank briefcase, a Royal Rumble, the NXT Women’s Title, the SmackDown Women’s Title, the tag titles, and now the RAW Women’s title.
Having won the Money In The Bank briefcase this past Sunday, Otis now has the chance to cash in for a championship shot. He can claim this right at any point over the next year. According to Otis, however, he isn’t interested in waiting to cash in his championship opportunity.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Otis revealed how he wants to “cash that thing right away,” stressing that there is no time to waste. He also spoke about WWE’s recent cinematic matchups and the planning process for the Money In The Bank match.
Otis On WWE Cinematic Matches
Like the Boneyard Match and the Firefly Fun House, this past Sunday’s Ladder Match was a pre-recorded cinematic match.
Otis acknowledged that the filming of the match led to a long day. He added that working with those Superstars made it feel like a day off as it’s so fun:
“It’s a great day, just the freedom of just going ‘Yeah, I’ll drop the weights on AJ, just drop this load on his chest.’ That’s just so damn funny to me.”
When it came to the creative process of the MITB match, Otis shared his contributions to the proceedings. He shared how they were given relative freedom to explore fun ideas. According to him, they were given “all the toys we could play with.”
“It wasn’t like a direct ‘you guys do it this part of the room.’ I think the directors [were there] to make sure to get your point across as to why we’re doing this in this particular scene, but it was basically just like “Oh, yeah, we should do this with this, and then all right, if I break it, I’m sorry,’ kind of thing.”
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to which championship Otis is interested in challenging will for.
Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater believes the promotion never let him ascend higher than the “second shelf” during his time with the company. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Slater explained how WWE works on a tiered system, which he referred to as shelves.
Heath Slater broke down his analogy, explaining how “You start at the bottom shelf, then there’s always that top shelf. Then? You got the middle shelves, you know, it’s just like at a grocery store. But I felt like, for some reason? I’m always on that second shelf, and could never get to the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth shelf.”
Heath Slater On The Shelf
Heath Slater continued, adding how whenever WWE wanted to use him, they would take him off the second shelf. After they were done, however, they would put him right back there. Frustrated with never being able to get higher than his perceived placement, Slater wanted to know why WWE never allowed him to climb to the third or fourth shelf.
He stressed how he can have great matches with any Superstar and “make them look amazing” and couldn’t understand why he was never given the opportunity to prove himself.
Heath Slater is clearly eager to embrace future opportunities now he is no longer with WWE. He confirmed his no-compete clause expires in July. Until then, he’s working on himself to ensure he’s the best version of himself when he’s finally able to start taking bookings.