New Day member Kofi Kingston has recalled the past frustrations he had when he found himself booked as the happy-go-lucky-guy who always lost. During this time, Kingston confessed he wasn’t enjoying wrestling anymore and that he was naturally losing his motivation when it came to performing.

“I was accomplishing my dream, doing everything that I always wanted to do, I thought I was having fun and then it got to the point where I would be the happy-go-lucky guy that would come out, have a good match and end up losing,” Kingston said on the premiere episode of The New Day’s podcast, Feel the Power.

He continued, “You know, do some high-flying unique moves, lose the match and that was my character and persona so I was getting like real bored. Just really not fulfilled coming into work, just I knew what was going to happen, I didn’t really know who I was going to face but I knew what the match was going to be and then I was approached by Woods and E one day and they asked me to join this group. They asked me if I was interested in joining a group of guys who were like disgruntled with their positions with the company. I was like, ‘100%.’”

Kingston explained how he was all in on the idea for two reasons. He believed this stable could help change the course of his career, and he wanted to be able to use his veteran status to help both Xavier Woods and Big E make a name for themselves within WWE. 

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

Impact Wrestling star Brian Cage has teased a match against All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega. Cage uploaded a photo with the “Best Bout Machine” to Twitter, accompanying it with the following caption: “Who you got? Where do you want to see it? Why and how soon?” Omega responded to Cage’s tease with a GIF from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Both wrestlers were present at Lucha Libre AAA’s Triplemania Regia show. Omega was booked in a match for his AAA Mega Championship. He successfully defended his title against Dragon Lee. Cage, meanwhile, teamed with Puma King against the teams of Taurus and Villano Jr, Bandito and Flamita, and El Hijo Del Vikingo and Aramis.

Omega recently lost a high profile match in All Elite Wrestling to Jon Moxley. The two competed in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match at the promotion’s last pay-per-view, Full Gear. He has since bounced back, picking up a victory over PAC on an episode of AEW: Dynamite. This win puts him and PAC at a win a piece.

Back in October, Cage competed in the main event of Impact Wrestling’s AXS TV premiere. He faced off against Sami Callihan, defending his Impact World Championship. Callihan would eventually defeat Cage after numerous piledrivers, including an avalanche piledriver from the second rope.

All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega has addressed his recent travel issues to Japan. He was allegedly stopped from entering on three separate occasions. Reports at the time suggested that someone was trying to get him banned from the country for ten years. With Omega having left New Japan Pro-Wrestling in January, speculation was rife that the promotion had something to do with Omega’s difficulties, something they categorically denied.

New Japan Fiasco

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Omega spoke about his recent travel woes. He noted how NJPW had nothing to do with them. He juxtaposed the fiasco he experienced with how close AEW talent is to management and backstage personnel. 

“Us as EVPs, we’re wrestlers and we care about the boys and well-being of performers. At the end of the day, we don’t want to mess with anything that can affect the food that someone puts on their table. I don’t want to make anyone’s life miserable. A lot of people I work with now are people that we like and respect and I hope that there’s never a moment where I have to make a decision that would be considered evil by many. I can’t see it, but I would really have to look myself in the mirror if it ever came down to that. I would hope to God that it never comes to that.”

He continued,” I think that’s how AEW benefits. We’re tied closely to the talent and it never gets too far away. Everything is really intimate with us. We’re always just a phone call or text message away. Things worked its way so far up the food chain in this New Japan fiasco where, it wasn’t even people in New Japan dealing with it. It’s a bunch of other people trying to make my life miserable. I don’t even think people there are cognizant of this stuff happening. I don’t think they’re even aware. But it’s grasping at straws, luckily.”

Although his AEW contract allegedly has a clause in it that permits him to work for NJPW, it is unknown if Omega will ever appear for the promotion again despite their recent statements.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription.

WWE SmackDown announcer Corey Graves has featured frequently throughout the most recent series of Total Divas. Reflecting on the experience of sharing his relationship with Carmella while having film crews follow them around, Graves confessed: “it’s not something I was looking to make a habit out of.”

Speaking on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, Graves explained that “It was kind of an accidental occurrence in the first place. It was really wild because they say, ‘oh, be yourself.’ But I can’t be myself when there are cameras there all the time because that is how you end up in jail.”

He continued, “It wasn’t something that I had planned, but it was a lot of fun. The crew we worked with was a lot of fun. They took us out and put us in some pretty fun situations. I didn’t hate it. I have not watched it back yet as it was a pretty dark and bizarre place in my life, so it is what it is. It’s weird, the social media response to it has been unanimously positive, which is weird. That makes it uncomfortable for me. I’m not used to people being nice on social media.”

Graves recently made negative comments over NXT commentator Mauro Ranallo’s output during NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Ranallo would subsequently delete his Twitter account. Graves has since apologized.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore has revealed the advice he would impart to young talent competing on the independent scene.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Amore stressed that talent shouldn’t make assumptions. “[…] the number one thing that I have to say here is, if you’re a young pro wrestler that’s in this world, don’t assume that everybody knows you every time you walk into an arena.”

He continued, “Don’t assume you’re over. Don’t pretend that you’re over. Go out there like it’s the first time they’re ever gonna see you. And, you know, I did that the same way Paul Heyman did, introduce yourself.”

Cena Opportunity

Amore credited John Cena as being one of the first people to provide him with a real opportunity in WWE. He recalled how Cena was in attendance for an NXT show long before the black-and-gold brand was on USA Network. Cena was there to feature in a dark segment in an effort to get people to attend the event.

“The day I debuted, Dusty Rhodes gave me the microphone and put me out there, gave me my first opportunity. And then John Cena gave me my second opportunity that very night when in the dark segment, when the show was over, John Cena was meant to come out because we keep the crowd there. At that time, we couldn’t keep NXT fans in the house. We needed John Cena to be in the dark segment so that people would stick around for four hours of tape. Right. Well, John Cena came up to me and he said, ‘hey, listen, I’ve been here for four hours, at tapings, and you’re the only thing that has caught my attention today. Good job.’ And I walked away and I was like, what just happened? Wow.”

Turns out that this interaction would lead to Amore creating one of the popular catchphrases he had in WWE. He recalled sharing the ring with Cena and Damien Sandow during that dark segment. Amore would eventually turn to insulting Sandow, calling him “sawft,” much to the delight of Cena and the NXT crowd.

“John Cena and the crowd are like what the hell? So John Cena said out loud, what did you call him? And I went, ‘sawft.’ And then John Cena went, ‘sawft’, and the whole crowd goes, ‘sawft.'”

Amore would eventually leverage his skills on the mic into a successful run in NXT with his tag team partner, Big Cass. They made their main roster debut in April 2016 following WrestleMania 32 before both eventually leaving the company.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription.

Eric Bischoff was, for a short time, the Executive Director of SmackDown. During his tenure in WWE, Bischoff had his eye on a few Superstars he knew he wanted to work with, had his time in the role lasted a little longer.

“There were certain talents like Chad Gable, I really dug him as a person and professional,” Bischoff told the hosts of the Pancakes and Powerslams podcast.

“I love Randy Orton’s work, I didn’t get a chance to work with him, but I really admire his work. He’s flawless as a performer and I would have liked to work with him.”

Bischoff confessed that “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus was another Superstar he believes has “a lot of great talent.” Bischoff noted how Sheamus was a character he would have loved to work with.

When it comes to considering other Superstars, he admitted that he only really focused on SmackDown and that he wasn’t watching NXT to monitor their talent. 

Bischoff then explained how WWE is coming to the understanding that they need to fully develop their existing roster, rather than relying on Hall of Famers and Legends. With so many Legends incapable of doing anything physical during a show, Bischoff argues WWE is “limited” in how they could use them in an entertaining way. 

You can listen to episode 400 of the Pancakes and Powerslams podcast over at BlogtalkRadio.com.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes has talked about finding the balance between his AEW duties and his interest in acting. Rhodes is not only an in-ring competitor for AEW, he also assists the company in a backstage role, helping talent with their promo work.

Speaking with Sportskeeda, Rhodes spoke about his long love of performing, whether it’s for a TV show, movie or in the ring.

“[…] it’s juggling the two but it’s a lot of fun and I love it, man, I’ve got to stay busy, I can’t just sit down, I’ve got to keep moving,” Rhodes admitted. “In the acting area, I want to be considered a good actor. It’s great to be an action star and things like that, but I want to be known for acting because I really, really have a deep passion for it so I am giving it a shot. I’ve got a few under my belt.”

Rhodes credits his time and experience in the pro wrestling industry in helping him adjust to his passion for acting. He explained “[…] the biggest advantage I think is time, and I’ve had a lot of time to craft the acting backstage in WWE or AEW with vignettes and promos I have a big leap and an advantage in that area because I know how stuff is shot, I know how production goes and what goes into it.”

He reflected on his time performing as Goldust, and the adaptability he had to develop as the character continued to evolve. Rhodes credited his time improvising in wrestling in helping him to develop skills that have successfully translated to his acting pursuits.

Ring of Honor’s Angelina Love has shared her thoughts regarding the evolution of women’s wrestling in an interview with AfterBuzz TV. Reflecting on the start of her career, Love notes how most women backstage at the time were “guys girlfriends or strippers used for some random spot on the show” and not committed women dedicated to wrestling.

“[…] there wasn’t a lot of girls at that time that were actually working indies or coming in trying to establish or accomplish something in the business,” Angelina explained. “From the start of the Knockouts Division in ’07 and the Women’s Revolution – that kind of stuff. Women’s wrestling has just shot through the roof in the last two decades, which is so crazy to say.”

Love stressed that to continue succeeding, women just need to “keep pushing forward.” She noted how “This has always been a male-dominated business and there’s always more to be done. I wouldn’t know what to say specifically needs to be done, but you know, it’s a constant evolution. So we just need to keep evolving and keep the legitimacy of the business too… A long time ago, women’s matches were potty breaks and we don’t ever want to be that again.”

She added how she’s always wanting to prove people wrong, especially if they judge her solely on how she looks. Love explained how most people might assume she can’t wrestle because of her appearance, and that she’s always been about changing their preconceptions.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on the recent situation following Corey Graves comments aimed at Mauro Ranallo during NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

Speaking on his show, Reality of Wrestling, Booker T explained how people can’t just share unfiltered opinions and expect them to be immediately forgiven or forgotten.

“You can’t be just saying anything in 2019 and expect for it to be swept under the rug,” he said. “I really don’t know what happened. I know Corey Graves put out an apology to Mauro. I don’t know what really sparked it or what is really going on behind the scenes.”

Booker T then paid respect to Ranallo. He noted how hard he works to do the best he can as an NXT commentator and WWE employee. He shared how he always hatted getting ribbed in the past, often calling people out for fights if he found out he was responsible.

“Big ups to everything you do because I know how hard you work. The angle thing, back in the day, I hated getting ribbed. If they ribbed me, no one would tell me whoever did it. I would always say, ‘You can rib me if you want, but if I find out who did it, you’re gonna be in a fight. Just letting you know.’ Don’t play with me like that, because I’m not to be played with. Shoutout to Mauro, get yourself together, get back on the horse. Get your ass back to work, bro.”

In case you missed it, Graves made some disparaging comments about Ranallo’s vocal contribution to TakeOver. He suggested that Ranallo was talking all over his teammates Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness. Ranallo would delete his Twitter following Graves’ remarks.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has recalled the first time he was expected to deliver a scripted promo. Speaking with National Wrestling Alliance’s Eli Drake on his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, Austin looked back on coming back from surgery only to have a script presented to him by Vince McMahon.

“I’ll never forget when I came back from getting my neck fused, C3 and C4, in ’99 or whenever it was,” Austin recalled. “And when I left, we were cutting promos just like I told [Drake], man, you kind of go out there and it was what it was. You might have a bullet point or two, or someone might say, ‘hey man, remember this’ or whatever, but you go out there and you cut a promo.”

He continued, “When I came back, that’s when the papers started coming around. And all-of-a-sudden, man, I’ll never forget […] I was in a room with Vince, and, well, somebody had to track me down. I was watching matches. ‘Hey man, Vince wants to go through this promo with you’ and so, just like this piece of paper here, and I said, ‘Vince… when I get my hands on you… I… am… going… to… tear… you… limb… from… limb…'”

Austin explained how Vince expected him to deliver an “A-promo.” He pushed back, however, believing he wouldn’t be able to. He shared how the “Stone Cold” character was clearly missing from the words he was given. He shared how nothing helps him inhabit “Stone Cold” more than when the red light is on for the cameras, and he’s in front of a live crowd.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Impact Wrestling star Jordynne Grace recently took to Twitter, sharing her negative experience with former ECW and WWE Superstar The Sandman. She shared how, as she and three other women were preparing for their main event matchup, Sandman came over to share his unwarranted opinion. He told them that women main eventing is “wrong” and “any male wrestler with any sort of experience would agree.”

“Hey remember that time The Sandman came up to four women about to main event to tell us that women main eventing is “wrong” and “any male wrestler with any sort of experience would agree”? Was this in 1998? No, it was tonight. December 2019.”

It didn’t take long for other wrestlers from across the industry to see Grace’s tweet and provide their take on Sandman’s thoughts.

New Japan’s Will Ospreay wrote, “Really??? Most of the women wrestlers are pulling off more innovating & exciting stuff then the ever before. Can’t tell you the amount of times I go watch a Stardom match & want to retire cos their matches are INSANE! Let’s not interfere with progress, everyone keep killing it”

Shazza McKenzie stated “I… am speechless,” while Madison Rayne commented, “Gross. I hope he stuck around to see the match and eat his words.” Even All Elite Wrestling World Champion Chris Jericho gave his two cents on the situation with a succinct response, writing “I don’t agree!”

All Elite Wrestling World Champion Chris Jericho was a recent guest on 101WKQX. During their conversation, Le Champion opened about up how he has managed to consistently evolve over time, becoming wrestling’s renaissance man. He also broached Moxley’s recent comments, where he said Jericho was smart not enough not to mess with him.

“You’re constantly evolving, updating and not living in the past. I think that I was never cut out for that,” Jericho said. “I never wanted to do the same thing twice and I know, I feel it, when the time is right to change.”

He continued, “I knew when it was right to change out of ‘Y2J’, I knew with the countdown clock, The List; that’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to be in AEW because I know if I went back to WWE they’d want me to do The List because it’s so popular. It doesn’t fit anymore, you know? It’s one of those things where time moves on and it’s good to always update your act, update your look, update what you’re doing and still obviously pay homage to your history and your legacy, but constantly make it more contemporary. That’s not selling out.”

Jericho spoke about his willingness to drop anything that veers towards nostalgia. He’d rather push forward into unexplored, newer terrain than coast on the past. He believes that his ability to keep changing is what helps his fanbase stay engaged as they’ll never know what he might do next.

Jericho/Moxley

Turning his attention towards Jon Moxley and his recent comments, Jericho said “I saw it. Well, the thing is—here’s the best part—Moxley is not Dean Ambrose anymore. This is a completely different guy, he’s motivated. He knows exactly who he is and he went through the system in WWE and he wasn’t able to harness and work with it—I was. I could work in WWE for years, because I understand how to take what they want and make it good. He couldn’t do that to that extent.”

He reflected on the feud the two had together in WWE, calling it a “great rivalry” before saying that their matches were a diluted version of what Moxley could do in-ring now. Jericho stressed that all he cares about is telling great stories, teasing that there could be a “great confrontation between us when the time is right.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription. 

It’s been several weeks since the two companies began the Wednesday Night Wars. Having been a prominent part of AEW: Dynamite since its premiere, Jon Moxley recently shared some further insight into the differences he has noticed between All Elite Wrestling and WWE.

Speaking with 101WKQX, Moxley talked about how unpredictable Dynamite can be. He said the name is apropos to the content of the show, comparing it to a powder keg.

“[…] anything could happen,” he said, “whereas in WWE or other promotions maybe, like not trying to throw any shade or anything, but it can be very predictable because they have a formula. Show opens, guy comes out with a mic, talks. Other guys’ music hits, comes out with a mic, talks. We’ve made the main event for tonight or whatever. There’s just these patterns and formulas that you see, and subconsciously you know as a fan what’s happening and you can predict stuff.”

“We don’t have any formulas or patterns yet. One week we open the show with Nick Jackson and Fenix, and you see this ridiculous match. One week we open with a promo, one week we open with who knows? Maybe we’ll open with the World Title match tomorrow night. Maybe Chris Jericho says I’m the champion and I’m going on first. That could happen. I’m not saying that’s happening, it could. You know, I think it’s a great idea. I’m going to text somebody right now. Let’s just open the show, man. World Title. We could do anything.”

Moxley recently defeated Darby Allin on an episode of AEW: Dynamite. The match came to an end after a devastating Paradigm Shift from the second rope helped secure Moxley the win.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE Legend The Undertaker has opened up about his relationship with Vince McMahon. “The Dead Man” spoke about their friendship with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the first episode of Austin’s new WWE Network show, Broken Skull Sessions. 

He explained how their original relationship was strictly professional. His loyalty to Vince McMahon and WWE over time, however, helped it to evolve into a good friendship, one based on trust and creativity.

“[The Undertaker character] was originally his creative vision, but he gave me a lot of creative liberty with it,” ‘Taker said. “He trusted me when I felt like I needed to turn into the American Bad Ass. He obviously must have felt it too. We’ve butted heads and things have been rough, but at the end of the day, our passion is the same. We want to put out the best product possible.”

With the wealth of knowledge and experience under his belt, it’s not surprising that The Undertaker developed into a locker room leader. ‘Taker admitted that role “just kind of happened.” When asked by Austin why he never jumped away from WWE, The Undertaker stressed how he felt loyalty to Vince because of the opportunity he presented to him.

“I never forgot who gave me my first opportunity, and that was Vince. It’s probably not the most sound business decision,” Undertaker said, “but that’s who I am and if that ship went down I was going to go down with him. But I knew eventually it would turn.”

In a recent episode of Wrestlers On The Road Ordering Room Service, All Elite Wrestling’s Jungle Boy opened up about being an extra in another wrestling promotion. His statement naturally suggested he was referring to WWE. He recalled the feedback the company gave him and also shared how he initially hated the ring name Jungle Boy. 

“I did some extra work somewhere else,” Jungle Boy said, hinting at WWE. “And they basically told me, they were like, ‘look,’ they were like, ‘if you put on 30 lbs. or whatever, we will give you a job, but the way it is, it’s not going to happen.’ And I was just so bummed.”

He continued, “I was like, ‘it bums me out that that’s the one thing that it gets hung up on because I know what I can do and I can do a bunch of stuff, but I think there are a bunch of guys who are way bigger than me who are not nearly as good and it’s silly to me to get so hung up on that.”

Jungle Boy confessed how, when he first heard “Jungle Boy,” he felt it was the dumbest name he had ever heard. He stated how a random announcer came up with the name after seeing him soaking wet and “kind of crouching like a monkey” before a show. Crediting the crouch to Conor McGregor, he adopted the same animalistic stance and was attributed the nickname. He reflected on how people liked it, so he went along with it, admitting that the name changed everything for him. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

WWE Superstar Mike Kanellis has explained why he recently requested his release from WWE. 

Speaking with The Smarks & Stripes podcast, Kanellis discussed his reasoning behind his decision. He noted that his choice to ask the promotion was a personal choice, not one based off of any sort of issue with the company itself.

“For me, it was all personal,” Kanellis stated. “It had nothing to do with the company. Since the minute I got to WWE, they’ve treated me great; they’ve treated my wife great; they’ve treated my daughter great. They’ve treated me great. When I came out and said that I had an addiction, there was no negativity from anybody – it was just constant support.”

He explained how, after getting clean and maintaining his sobriety through hard work and dedication, all he wanted to do was work. “I feel like I could go and have my best matches right now and it’s extremely difficult when there [are] so many people on the roster and you just don’t get that opportunity.”

“I’ll Go Wherever That Opportunity Exists”

Kanellis stressed that he isn’t “mad,” he is just hungry for the chance to perform to the level he knows he can compete at. 

“I just want to work and I just want to work a lot,” he shared. “I want to be able to go home and tell my daughter that ‘daddy put in the time, daddy put in the effort,’ and it’s incredibly difficult for me to go on social media and preach that you have to work hard,’ ‘you have to work your ass off,’ and then not do it myself. And so, I’m a worker and I’ve always been a worker. And I’m at a point where I just want to work, and work, and work. And I’ll go wherever that opportunity exists.”

He understands how saturated the industry currently is with top-level talent, especially within WWE. Naturally, Kanellis doesn’t hope anybody gets hurt in order to open up a spot—but he does want to be ready in case a chance does present itself. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would probably feature on a lot of fans’ Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling. But who would “The Great One” choose for his own personal monument?

B/R Wrestling pitched an open question to wrestling fans on Twitter, asking who might adorn their personal lists. They accompanied their initial tweet with an image featuring “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, The Rock, The Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Johnson would later reply with his own list, based off the performers overall impact and drawing power during their prime. For him, that included Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Gorgeous George or Bruno Sammartino and Steve Austin.

“*I made an edit after thinking about the wrestling star’s impact and drawing power during their respective runs. Thanks for the carve out and always a cool debate. I’d go with/ Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Gorgeous George/Bruno Sammartino, Steve Austin ?? #WrestlingsMtRushmore”

These lists are obviously subjective, but Johnson did take some time to respond to fan questions or comments after sharing. When one follower mentioned how Andre the Giant wasn’t getting any attention, Johnson replied, contrasting Andre with WWE Legend The Undertaker and noting that they “sit at a table for only two.”

It turns out that former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore appears to have genuine issues with New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Tama Tonga.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Amore opened up about his problems with Bullet Club’s “Bad Boy.” He stated how it all stems from Tonga figuratively taking food off his plate.

Tonga was one of the men involved during Amore and Big Cass’ run-in during the ROH/NJPW co-promoted G1 Supercard show back in April. Amore and Cass would jump the barrier following a tag team match involving The Guerrillas of Destiny. The teams were allegedly not aware that they would do this, causing confusion amongst wrestlers and fans worldwide.

“I’m Going To Walk Up To You And Put My Hands Up”

“There’s a guy, Tama Tonga, who took food off my plate, so if I ever saw him out in public, same thing with Joey [Janela],” Amore said, referring to his altercation with Janela at a blink-182 concert.

He continued, “I’m going to walk up to you and put my hands up. The difference is I don’t think Tama’s going to walk away and I don’t give a damn because if you book him on the same thing as me, you ain’t getting me because that’s his doing. If you’re going to blackball me, Tama Tonga, the ‘gatekeeper’ of New Japan [Pro-Wrestling], throw a hissy fit, got upset, he got worked just like everybody else did that day, that’s what we love about pro wrestling.”

“Now, if you’re not in on it and you get upset about it, and you have the nerve to throw shade at my name, who didn’t do anything to you, except take spotlight from you, alright, that’s all I did. If you have a problem with getting over, that ain’t my problem. That ain’t my problem.”

Amore confessed that, although he isn’t completely tuned into the pro wrestling business at the moment, he has watched a few AEW matches. He also made sure to watch Finn Balor vs Brock Lesnar. He noted that he still has a foot in the industry, teasing he could have something planned for the future.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has given his thoughts on CM Punk’s return to the WWE Universe, courtesy of his analyst role on WWE Backstage.

Speaking on the State of Combat podcast, Austin stated that he doesn’t know if Punk’s inclusion on the show will ultimately lead to anything more. He noted that all anyone can do at this time is speculate over Punk’s interest in an in-ring return. Regardless, he stressed how great it is to have Punk doing business with WWE.

“Just the fact that he returned to be doing business with WWE I love because I know they split up on bad terms and now they are back in business together, CM Punk was a lights-out pro wrestler; great promos, great work, great talent, so to have him back into the fold obviously they ironed whatever they needed to iron out and both sides are happy.”

He continued, “It’s great to have CM Punk back in the pro wrestling/sports entertainment business. I think it’s a breath of fresh air because the guy brings in a great perspective, great insights, great opinion on all things sports entertainment.”

Competition

When asked if he thinks wrestling is entering another mainstream, pop-cultural boom, Austin brought up the competition between AEW and NXT. He noted that he believes in competition, stressing that “I think competition is outstanding and I loved it when we were competing in WCW.”

He continued, “AEW is doing their own thing, so I’m not sure if you have turned on YouTube lately and checked out NWA Powerrr with that studio-style wrestling. That is pretty fresh and entertaining to see, but I love competition. I love the fact that NXT is on USA Network and not just WWE Network.”

As far as Austin is concerned, he loves that so many alternative promotions are now available for wrestlers and that there are opportunities for everybody to make money and push each other.

Austin’s new show The Broken Skull Sessions is now available for streaming on the WWE Network. His first guest on the new show was WWE Legend, The Undertaker.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Erik and Ivar, collectively known as The Viking Raiders, were recent guests on WWE’s podcast, After The Bell. During the course of their conversation with host Corey Graves, Erik opened up about their attempts to convince Vince McMahon to allow them to change their team name after discovering WWE wanted to call them The Viking Experience.

“We knew at this point we weren’t going to be Hanson and Rowe. The primary focus was The Viking Experience,” Erik revealed. “We caught Vince as he was going somewhere else and we pleaded our case about the name. It sounded like a Disney name and there were 10 names we gave him. The last one we gave him was Viking Raiders and he kind of paused on that one. He said they would introduce us as Viking Experience and if they didn’t feel it they would rename us to something else.” 

The RAW Tag Team Champions mentioned Vince McMahon’s alleged love for the TV show Vikings. Because of this affinity for Viking culture, one that is reflected in the team’s outfits and armor, Erik felt confident about their position and hopeful about the name change. He noted how when they first came into NXT, Viking Raiders was one of the first names they pitched.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

WWE Hall of Famer Sean “X-Pac” Waltman has shared his thoughts on last Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames event. On a recent episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360, he praised Matt Riddle versus Finn Balor. He also shared who he believed to be the stand out Superstars from the night.

“You can’t just bring everybody over and just beat everybody and just to try and say our NXT guys are on the same level,” Waltman said. “It’s Finn Balor if you’re gonna lose a match, Finn Balor is just fine to lose a match to, I don’t really think this f—s with Matt’s momentum or anything.”

He continued, “They had a great match and I am ready for more of Balor and Matt Riddle. That’s what makes you care about the match, like okay, none of these guys can really afford to lose. It was hard to call, I had no idea, no idea which way they were gonna go with that. I guess if I had to put money on it honestly I would have said, okay they’re going to out Balor over, because I think they are trying to get him ready for Adam Cole, maybe?”

“Those Two Are Overnight Sensations”

For him, there were two notable stand out talents from all the action of WarGames: Keith Lee and Rhea Ripley.

“Keith Lee really stood out to me in this match he did a lot of really cool stuff in the match and it fit. To me of this recent last couple of weeks, Rhea Ripley and Keith Lee are the big winners, the biggest winners, everyone’s a winner, but to me those two are overnight sensations.”

He detailed how, in his opinion, the WWE Universe “buy her” when it comes to her intensity and character. Waltman reflected on being in attendance for a Live Event and remembered the pop she received, saying “she got the biggest pop of anyone on the entire show and it wasn’t even close, it was insane.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

WWE Superstar Sami Zayn has recently been accompanying current Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Zayn acts as Nakamura’s hype man, often assisting the champion in his matches. In a recent interview with DC 101, Zayn spoke about the importance of representation in pro wrestling. He also noted how the modern product is doing good work in breaking stereotypes.

“For me personally, it’s one of the things I love about this generation,” Zayn said. “Shinsuke’s gimmick doesn’t revolve around him being Japanese. Like me, being Arab, I’m not coming out with a turban or acting the way the Iron Sheik acted. I’m a performer who happens to be Arabian.”

Zayn then pointed to Finn Balor and Mustafa Ali as other examples of Superstars breaking through without relying on antiquated stereotypes. He believes that this new mentality helps to root all of WWE’s Superstars and characters in a relatable reality, ultimately creating more compelling storylines.

“Finn Balor, he’s an Irishman and it’s not like he comes out with a box of lucky charms or waving an Irish flag talking with a funny accent to be Irish. It’s just a lot more rooted in reality of who we actually are and not playing this caricature or this stereotype of our background. So, I applaud Mustafa Ali for that for trying to break that. It’s something I have been interested in as well.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano has shared a post on social media highlighting the influence he has taken from Alex Shelley. The message stated how, over the course of 13 years, Shelley has been instrumental in helping Gargano become the wrestler he is today. For him, Shelley’s fingerprints aren’t only present in his in-ring style, but his entire generations.

Gargano uploaded a photo with the post that showcased how long the two have known each other. The top is a blurry photo from years past, while the bottom photo sees the two wrestlers posing together in front of a WWE Performance Center banner.

“2006 to 2019 I can safely say that I wouldn’t be the wrestler I am today if it wasn’t for this guy.. Alex Shelley’s fingerprints are all over the style of my generation.. He’s inspired a large number guys you watch on TV every week. Great to see him at the @WWEPC last month!”

As noted in Gargano’s tweet, Shelley recently did a guest coaching stint at the WWE PC last month. When it comes to in-ring competition, Shelley wrestled for Ring of Honor earlier in the year. He competed against Matt Taven in a ROH World Championship match at ROH’s Summer Supercard event.

Former WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins has once again brought up his interest in facing CM Punk.

During an interview with 103.5 KISS FM, Rollins addressed how the WWE Universe has been chanting for CM Punk during shows, ever since his surprise introduction on WWE Backstage.

“You know, I’ve been a little disheartened thus far but I know Chicago will be the exception,” Rollins stated. “I figured that after the last two weeks of what I’ve been saying on Twitter and what he’s been saying back to me that I’d get these chants you’ve mentioned. But they just haven’t happened and in Boston, not a peep.”

He continued, “I was very sad. I was very upset. People were so excited for him to be back. I guess not. I guess they still want to say, ‘Burn it Down.’… Let him know you want to see him on RAW. Let him know you want to see him in a ring. Let him know you don’t want to see him behind a desk hiding in Los Angeles.”

When asked if the two had ever competed in the past, Rollins confirmed they had. Despite this, he is aware they have both grown and evolved, noting a match between them now would be drastically different to the one from six years ago.

Whereas Punk teases the audience by saying “Never say never,” Rollins only wants to know one thing: “When?”

• Vince McMahon Furious Seth Rollins Mentioned CM Punk on RAW

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

New WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio has addressed his title victory from this past episode of Monday Night RAW. The win came following a combination of his 619 into an RKO, courtesy of Randy Orton. Mysterio followed up with a splash to AJ Styles, securing the one, two, three that crowned him the new champion.

Both Mysterio and Orton have since addressed Orton’s help in the match. Orton wrote the following on Twitter, “@reymysterio congrats on the #USTitle win. Also, you’re welcome. You owe me one briz.”

Mysterio would retweet a message from WWE that included the final moments of his RAW match. He admitted that he couldn’t take sole credit for his victory, telling Orton that he owed him one.

“After my adrenaline rush has gone down for the night, I have to admit I can’t take all the credit for tonight’s win on the [US Flag Emoji] Tittle. I have much respect for the #RKO!! @RandyOrton, I owe you one!! #Respect”

Mysterio participated in a Fatal 4 Way match earlier in the night to earn the right to compete against Styles. He defeated Randy Orton, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre for the opportunity. This match to determine a new number one contender came about after The OC attacked Styles’ original challenger, Humberto Carillo.