Undisputed Era member Bobby Fish has shared high praise for Triple H, noting how “The Game” has an undeniably incredible “aptitude” for the pro wrestling business.

“[…] he saw something that I would think Adam, Kyle and I would like to write for ourselves, and he saw it and was like, ‘Yep. Those three,'” Fish explained to Wrestling Inc. Daily.

Fish noted how he’s been able to witness how Triple H works behind-the-scenes at NXT for three years now. These lessons have allowed him to know how Triple H “operates.”

Regarding the Undisputed Era, Fish believes that Triple H’s “aptitude” always meant a plan was in place to add Roderick Strong to the group:

“I feel like he had an idea long before that and maybe that was the plan regardless. Four peas in a pod,” Fish said. “Triple H was smart enough to see that and recognize that. It’s a little bit of a humble brag I guess, but WWE now gets to benefit. We as the four individuals get to benefit being this brand that nobody has given a name to. Triple H did. Now, along with Shawn Michaels, between the two of them. They have their influence on helping us become who we are. You can’t put a price on that.”

Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were unable to participate in a scheduled NXT Tag Team Championship matchup last week. They were replaced by Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, who would go on to win the titles from Breezango.

It was recently revealed that Pat McAfee had been orchestrating recent attacks against Undisputed Era, including last week’s attack on Fish and Ridge Holland’s attack on Adam Cole.

Booker T has extrapolated on comments he made during the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show. He had revealed how he wanted Bayley to successfully defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, stating how he didn’t like Banks.

Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T explained how he doesn’t care what people think or say about him following his words. He stressed that he shared his opinion, nothing more.

“What if I say I don’t like Sami Zayn? Are they going to blow up the internet? What if I say I don’t like Bayley? Are they going to blow up the internet? What if I say I don’t like you? Are they going to blow up the internet? I mean guys, relax more than anything. Sasha Banks and I is something that her and I have to hash out. This is between us. It’s not between anybody else except Sasha Banks and myself.”

Booker T proceeded to list Banks’ championship accolades within WWE. He noted how she is a 5-time champion and a Grand Slam Champion, noting how he gives her “props” for her accomplishments. Regardless, he added how, ultimately, “[…] she rubs me the wrong way a little bit, It could be her attitude.”

Booker T On Issues With Sasha Banks

The Hall of Famer stressed how he didn’t say he hated her before reiterating that he stated how he “did not like Sasha.” He repeated how any issues that might exist are solely between them and recommended how people don’t “want to cross in my lane.”

He added how he appreciates what Sasha Banks does in the ring. Booker T explained how she is “better than the majority of the women that play that role and are put in that position” before praising her storytelling skills.

Sasha Banks successfully defeated Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The two clashed at WWE’s recent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

All Elite Wrestling’s Miro has shared his feelings on how his former employer has been booking his real-life wife, Lana.

The former Rusev joined Inside The Ropes for an interview where he revealed his thoughts on the subject. When asked if his signing with AEW was the reason behind Lana being put through announce tables, Miro replied, “I don’t book their shows, I have no idea.”

Miro explained how Lana is “[…] most likely tougher than anybody else on their roster because clearly, that’s the first time in history that’s been done. And every single time, she gets the f**k up and keeps going, you know. She doesn’t say, ‘No.’ She doesn’t say, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ She doesn’t sell.”

Miro stressed how Lana will always go out to the ring, be a professional, and do her job to perfection. According to him, “[…] you can see, in that ring, when she gets that time, you can see who’s who and who’s been working, and who’s been sitting on their a***s the whole time.”

He stressed how he’s “so freaking proud” of what she’s accomplished. In Miro’s eyes, Lana has proven herself to be the most talented and underrated person in the wrestling community.

Lana recently won a matchup against Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce. Her victory saw her take the last spot on the Raw Women’s Survivor Series team.

NXT Superstar Drake Maverick recently joined Alexa Bliss for an episode of her new podcast, Uncool with Alexa Bliss. During their conversation, Maverick opened up about being a team player in WWE and why he is so willing to do things others may balk at.

Reflecting on how he was bullied when he was younger, Maverick noted how the experience helped make him tougher in the long run.

“Now, you’re talking to the guy when asked to pee himself on worldwide PPV in front of millions of people, I said, ‘yea, I’ll do it.’ A lot of people would be walking around today embarrassed that they did that. Did it entertain people? Did people think it was stupid? Maybe. Did people react to it? It’s the badge of honor of doing something like that. I do stuff that makes other people happy at the expense of myself because I can take it.”

Maverick explained how he may be the “little guy” but it doesn’t stop him from being mentally and physically tough because of his upbringing. He believes these challenges helped to shape him and make him a better person.

“This is my shield. You aren’t ever going to get past that. I’m fine. Nothing you can do can harm me because I have no problem doing it myself,” Maverick said. “I remember toasting a bunch of friends at a Comic-Con and Woods (Xavier) was there as well. I told him, here is a comic convention and all of us thought we were uncool when we were younger and I said, the nerds won.”

Drake Maverick and Killian Dain competed on last night’s episode of NXT, losing their bout against Ever-Rise via disqualification.

Aleister Black has shared how he believes he and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt “radiate the same energy.”

Speculating at what a potential matchup with Wyatt might look like, Black stressed how it didn’t matter whether they teamed up or faced-off. He promised he’d be “ready for it” regardless.

It’s a level of preparedness he maintains, no matter who may be standing opposite him in the ring:

“I’m willing to fight anyone. Like, I’m not someone who backs down. I’ve never backed down of anything. I took on AJ Styles and his goons a couple months ago all at the same time because, you know, that’s what they want,” Black told Sportskeeda Wrestling.

Black explained how he doesn’t care if he gets beat down. He stressed he’ll always find a way to get back up. It’s this resilience that he likens to Wyatt.

“I’ve always been resilient and even for someone like Bray Wyatt, who is obviously a very ominous individual, you know, I feel at times we radiate the same energy. So whether that becomes the focus, of that same energy as a cooperation or an engagement, that remains to be seen. But I’m ready for it.”

When asked to list a few other names he may be interested in feuding with, Black was quick to point to NXT Superstar Damian Priest. He stressed how he looks at a Superstar like Priest and just knows, “I can compete with this guy. I can have matches with this guy.”

Following the WWE Draft, Aleister Black is now a member of the SmackDown roster.

Former WWE Superstar EC3 has claimed that WWE “stole” the Raw Underground concept from him. EC3 was let go from the company earlier this year. He subsequently released a shoot-style video that bore a lot of resemblance to what Raw Underground would ultimately present.

Joining the ROHStrong podcast, EC3 claimed he “knew it was going to be stolen, so I was prepared for it. I didn’t know it’d go to that length, and I know mine played to a minor bubble of the professional wrestling audience while majority of it saw whatever the hell they put out there.”

He went on to compare the situation to the 1992 movie Wayne’s World. EC3 explained how he was “[…] producing this show in Aurora, my basement with my buddy Garth. We’ll call him J.C. in this instance, and then Rob Lowe came in, bought us and when I saw Shane McMahon in the ring, not in a real underground, mine was a real underground.”

EC3 described WWE’s take on the underground shoot-style presentation as a “[…] manufactured, heartless, desolate studio, I’m looking at Shane and it felt like when Noah was rapping on Wayne’s World after they bought him out. It was just inauthentic and like I said, it had no heart.”

He stressed that, although he “knew something would’ve been taken from it,” he didn’t expect WWE to simply replicate the “whole aesthetic.”

EC3 noted that it’s always a challenge to do something different. That being said, he stressed he plans on doing bigger and better things in ROH.

Recent reports indicate that Raw Underground may already be “considered done” for now.

Bret Hart has responded to Jake Roberts’ previous claims that he was one of the “worst world champions” in WWF history.

Hart addressed Roberts’ statement in a recent episode of his Confessions of the Hitman series. Roberts had previously argued that both Hart and Shawn Michaels were the “worst world champions of all time”. The Hitman disagrees.

“He made some reference that we didn’t draw, which is always .. I don’t know if that’s a fair view,” Hart stated. “If you look at any of the WrestleManias, WrestleMania 12, you can’t tell me, if you look at the crowd, that I didn’t draw. I mean, it was huge buyrates and it was a packed. Even Wembley with Bulldog was over 80,000 fans there. And to try to throw out, ‘hey, you never drew?’ I wrestled in front of 100,000 people in India for [WWE] in 1994.”

A Great “Pretend Wrestler”

Bret Hart acknowledged that, although he feels he was an undeniable draw, an argument could be made that he didn’t draw in the same way Hulk Hogan did—though he isn’t sure any other Superstar did.

He argued how Roberts never went to the gym and was strictly a “promo” guy. Although he credited Roberts as a “great worker,” Hart quickly added how he was a “great pretend wrestler.”

“I think it bothers me that someone like Jake, who never went to the gym– if he did go to the gym, he might do a set and then go smoke a cigarette outside. He was not a tough guy, was not a legit athlete, he was strictly a promo, and he was a great worker; a great pretend wrestler.”

Hart continued, “But all I know is that when my time came and they picked me to be the champion, they chose me for whatever reasons. I’m very happy that they chose me. I think I was a good choice. I certainly worked hard enough to get that opportunity. But Jake Roberts said something like we were too small and we and we never drew big numbers or anything like that, but I say in response to that, where was Jake Roberts? […] like, why didn’t [Roberts] take the torch? Why wasn’t he there?”

Throwing Stones

Bret Hart then claimed that Roberts was the kind of wrestler who “never passed the torch to anybody.” According to him, Roberts was never interested in establishing anyone but himself.

Vehemently disagreeing with Roberts’ opinion, Hart stressed that he believes that people would be “hard pressed to find two better” than himself and Michaels to become champion. He added how they never had to take a backseat to Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, or those that Roberts considered to be “real iconic [pro] wrestling champions.”

As far as Bret Hart is concerned, Jake Roberts has “no business ever throwing stones at me and Shawn.”

Sasha Banks has reflected on experiencing racism as a child during an appearance on the New Day’s podcast, Feel the Power. She shared how she used her fears as motivation to chase her dreams of becoming a pro wrestler.

Opening up about her experiences, Banks confessed it was hard for her as a kid. She found it challenging as her family moved around a lot. Banks stressed how she was the “only black girl in the whole freaking county” when she lived in Iowa, leading to a heavy sense of isolation.

However, it wouldn’t be until she moved to California that Banks would encounter racism first hand. She added that she soon watched pro wrestling after this encounter. This introduction to wrestling, coupled with the desire to be “break this fear,” gave her new direction.

“I was walking home from softball practice and this guy on his porch was screaming at me, ‘Hey ‘N’ Word, get the f–k out of here!’ And instantly, I became so shy and so scared,” Banks recalled. “Next thing I know, I’m watching wrestling like, ‘Whoa! This is who I’m going to be; I’m going to be larger than life. I’m going to be something that I can’t be right now, and I have to do this because this is my dream and I have to break this fear.'”

Banks continued, “So ever since I laid my eyes on wrestling, it was just always my mindset, and this is what was going to save me. It was going to break me away from being a scared little child and being so fearful. But now, I’m here, breaking so many fears, and it’s crazy.”

Sasha Banks is set to face Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a Hell in A Cell match. The Hell In A Cell pay-per-view takes place on October 25 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

Eddie Kingston has revealed that The Bunny is now a member of his “family” in All Elite Wrestling. Kingston made the announcement during this week’s episode of AEW Dark.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the family is back together,” said Kingston. “You’ve got my best friend Pentagon, you’ve got Fenix—the best tag team in the universe. […] You’ve got the big Butcher, you got the jacked-up Blade, and look at this beautiful specimen right here. Look who’s back? The Bunny. And now that we’re all together, everybody’s going to pay.”

By aligning herself with Eddie Kingston and his stable, The Bunny is once again with The Butcher and the Blade. She originally debuted as the team’s valet. Bunny would later become a part of the Nightmare Family, where she formed a tag team with Brandi Rhodes and accompanied QT Mashall ringside.

However, with this new defection, it appears as though The Bunny may no longer be a part of the Nightmare Family, subsequently breaking up her team with Brandi, the Nightmare Sisters. The pair took part in AEW’s recent Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament. They were almost victorious, making it all the way to the finals on the 8/22 episode of Dynamite. They ultimately lost to tournament winners Diamante and Ivelisse.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

Sheamus has seemingly found some newfound respect for New Day member Big E following their recent SmackDown feud. As far as The Celtic Warrior is concerned, the new Big E “should be world champion.”

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Sheamus reflected on their rivalry on WWE’s blue brand. He explained how the world “saw a different side of Big E” during their feud, claiming that this new Big E is deserving of a world championship run.

Sheamus shared how he “[…] hit him as hard as I could, and he hit me back even harder. That’s a credit to him. He brought it, and I still have the marks on my back to prove it.”

This hard-hitting affair was by design. Sheamus stressed it was always his intention to demonstrate how tough Big E is with their feud.

“My intention, as soon as I learned I was working with Big E, was to show he is a tough bastard. I wanted to show a side of him that no one had ever seen. We all know he can joke and crack people up, but when it comes to a fight, he can also hold his own against anybody.”

Following the recent WWE Draft, Sheamus is now a Raw Superstar. Big E, however, remained on SmackDown. His New Day teammates, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, were also moved to Raw.

Bret Hart recently opened up about the career-ending kick he received from Goldberg at Starrcade 1999. Hart spoke about the incident during a recent episode of his Confessions of the Hitman series, noting how, although he liked Goldberg as a person, his “workrate was 0/10.”

Hart explained how Goldberg “was a guy that nobody seemed to have taught how wrestling really works.” He argued how Goldberg’s approach revolved around picking up an opponent and slamming them down as hard as possible.

“His wrestling, his workrate was 0/10. Like, everything he did hurt – everything! He could tie up with you and hurt you. He’d tie up with himself and hurt himself!”

Turning his attention to the kick that would, unfortunately, end his career, Hart stressed how it was the work of “somebody who had absolutely no skill at all.”

Reflecting on the incident, Hart recalled how Goldberg simply threw him into the ropes and then “tried to kick my head off my shoulders.” As far as he’s concerned, there was no “working aspect” to the strike.

“There’s no way you can do it without hurting somebody, and the thing with Bill was that all the ‘I’m sorries’ in the world don’t mean anything when you hurt somebody for real.”

Bret Hart Explains “The Nature Of The Business”

Bret Hart then shared how he never received a call from Goldberg following the career-ending kick. He explained how Goldberg never reached out to ask how he’s doing or discuss the incident.

“[…] but he did say when I saw him about a year after I got hurt, in fact a few weeks before [WCW] terminated my contract, I remember he said to me, ‘it’s the nature of the business – we all know what can happen out there. It’s the nature of the business.'”

Hart took issue with Goldberg’s flippant approach, arguing how their incident wasn’t reflective of the business at all. He stressed how the nature of the business is to not hurt the guy you’re working with.

Fans interested in Confessions of the Hitman can subscribe to the series here.

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has shared her feelings on being ranked #1 on the PWI Women’s Top 100 list. She broached the subject while appearing on an episode of the PWI Podcast.

When asked if she believes PWI was right in making her #1, Bayley stated, “Hell yea. I think it’s obvious that I made a major change late last year.”

She explained how it felt that everybody thought her heel turn was doomed to fail. Bayley highlighted how people maybe thought the wrong decision had been made and she “couldn’t pull it off.”

As far as Bayley’s concerned, she’s “proved everyone wrong, especially with the craziness of what has been going on with the pandemic and not being able to perform in front of fans, which makes everything harder. But, I was still able to pull it off and use it to my advantage.”

Bayley On How Doubters Helped Fuel Her Motivation

Bayley also spoke about how everyone second-guessed turning her heel. She stressed how the uncertainty stemmed from her long-term run as a babyface, highlighting how she had found so much success with that character over 7 years. Despite this success, she knew it wasn’t something she wanted to do forever.

“I want to experience everything in my career. I want to ride the wave and do all sorts of things. I knew I couldn’t do it being that one character. Honestly, once I had the company’s blessing and Vince’s blessing, I knew I had to make it work. I had to make it work because it was my decision. If I failed then I failed myself and I failed the company.”

She shared how she used people’s doubts as fuel to prove them wrong. Bayley noted how this translated on-screen, explaining how she was committed to making the heel turn work for herself on a personal level.

By making it work and proving it to herself, it subsequently quietened the doubters and proved she could do it to those backstage, including Vince McMahon.

Former WWE Producer Lance Storm hasn’t been too impressed with how All Elite Wrestling has been utilizing one of its latest signings, Miro.

Storm shared his thoughts on AEW’s use of the former WWE Superstar during a recent appearance on the Figure Four Daily podcast. He revealed how he’s personally “not a fan” of Miro’s current character direction. Storm did, however, acknowledge how he’s not necessarily representative of AEW’s target audience.

He argued how, if AEW were able to put on shows with full arenas, fans “would get a far better feel on how the Miro presentation is working.” Storm explained how the lack of live fans means pro wrestling is missing a vital “barometer to which you gauge what was working.”

Real Life Interests Weakening On-Screen Characters

Lance Storm explained how he’s always been a fan of powerhouse wrestlers like Miro, juxtaposing his current gimmick with how Rusev was portrayed in WWE. To him, showcasing real life interests with onscreen characters can potentially weaken a wrestler’s gimmick.

“Tying him up in a wedding angle and playing video games, which may be who he really is, I’m not a big fan of. I think it’s very much like when they did the personality type profile thing with Finn Balor in NXT when they showed him playing with his Legos. I’m like, ok, he may really play with Legos, but the demon Finn Balor shouldn’t be playing with Legos. I thought he was a cool badass and now I think he is a guy that plays with Legos.”

Although he knows Miro has interests outside of pro wrestling, Storm would rather see them kept separate from his AEW character.

He explained how he’d much rather see a “big badass Miro” instead of the version “hanging out with Kip Sabian playing video games.”

Storm then stressed how he is aware he may not be the kind of viewer AEW is targetting. He acknowledged how he’s barely in the over 50+ demographic versus the younger demo that is so crucial to AEW’s ratings.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on the WWE Draft during a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast. He also explained why he’s “glad” Big E has been separated from his New Day stablemates.

Booker T noted how the recent WWE Draft was different from the drafts that took place when he was an active in-ring competitor. He stressed how the hype WWE attempted to create for the Draft was only “for the fans.’

“The draft to me, it’s just working for another show. It wasn’t about the hype. The hype was for the fans. […] I’m not trying to rag on these guys or anything these days, but the draft back in the day, there was a reason why we had to have a draft, and a SmackDown and a RAW. We had so much talent on the roster.”

Booker T was quick to add that today’s current roster is also filled with talented Superstars. However, according to him, there was a notable “abundance of talent” flooding WWE after WCW was purchased.

“[…] we literally had the best talent roster in the world at that time. We had an abundance of talent that could fuel two shows. It was totally different as far as how I looked at the draft back then compared to how I look at it now.”

Booker T On Big E Going Solo On SmackDown

Regarding the New Day, Booker T shared how separating the stable is in the best interest of Big E:

“This is the only way Big E can really run on his own. He could really put himself out there without having that umbrella of the New Day. You have to let it go and go out there and be Big E and create his own brand in order to fuel what he’s trying to do right now and that’s take it to the next level.”

He noted how Big E doesn’t have to “change anything” and uses this opportunity to “step up.”

Booker T then shared how he wished he could have the opportunity to coach Big E, sharing how:

“If I was to manage someone, it would be a guy like Big E because I really feel Big E could run through the whole territory if the stars were aligned right for him. I’m not saying I want to be a manager, but I feel if there is anyone I could manage and get some feelings out of the fans watching this would be a guy like Big E. Big E could really be the guy if he had the right expert tutelage.”

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were drafted to Raw following the WWE Draft. Big E, however, remained a SmackDown Superstar.

Raw Superstar Sheamus has reflected on his recent SmackDown feud with Jeff Hardy during a recent interview with SI.com.

Sheamus revealed how his storyline with Hardy “hit so many raw nerves” before calling the personal story one of his all-time favorite feuds.

“That was very, very personal, and it’s one of my favorite feuds in my career. For me, the pandemic has really given me a chance to be who I really am. I’ve never been afraid of cutting to the bone and saying things that put people in an uproar. The match with Jeff at the end, the barroom, that brought out this new shady side of Sheamus.”

Now a member of WWE’s red brand, Sheamus turned his attention to Raw’s roster. In particular, he pointed to the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. Regarding a potential match with the champion, Sheamus promised how, if it does happen, McIntyre will quickly remember “how hard I hit.”

Sheamus confessed he isn’t aware of Raw’s landscape since being drafted. However, he has heard rumblings about a feud between himself and McIntyre.

“If it does happen, I feel sorry for Drew. He’s going to remember very, very quickly how hard I hit. I’m worried I’ll hit him so hard that he’ll just turn to dust. He’s my friend, I don’t want to do that to him,” Sheamus said. “He’s been messing around with these American wrestlers for so long, tippy-tappying around the ring, but one shot from me will make him realize how easy he’s had it before I got there.”

Sheamus was recently drafted to Raw as part of the 2020 WWE Draft.

All Elite Wrestling star Dr. Britt Baker has acknowledged the criticism leveled at the promotion’s women’s division. However, Baker stressed how it’s not just on AEW. According to her, “we need help from the fans at home too!”

Baker shared her thoughts during an interview with Uproxx.com. She explained how “[…] it’s something the company is working on” before highlighting the impact COVID-19 had on the promotion.

“You know, and we got hit hard—our women’s division, because of the COVID outbreak. Half our roster is international talent, so we immediately didn’t have access to any of those women. Then Kris Statlander got hurt, and I got hurt. And there’s only so much time on AEW Dynamite to start with.”

Baker explained how AEW has plans in place to help grow the women’s division. However, “[…] at the same time we need help from the fans at home too! We can’t have the women’s segments being the lowest rated or the lowest views each week. Because at the end of the day it’s a business, and AEW needs ratings.”

Britt Baker stressed how the Wednesday Night Wars between AEW and NXT aren’t a secret. She stressed that in order to get more time dedicated to AEW’s women, “we need the ratings up” during their segments.

“So for the fans that are so encouraging and saying ‘We want more women, we want more women!’ that’s great, but please don’t turn the channel when the women are on TV then!” Baker stressed. “We want everybody to be watching the segments and cheering us on from home.”

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has addressed the feedback and criticism the promotion has received from its fans.

He confessed to TVInsider how he has always been open to feedback and has actively sought it out in the past:

“I wanted to hear what they liked, what they didn’t, what worked and what they thought didn’t work and why. I still very much stand by that.”

Cody explained how a “background noise” exists on certain social media platforms before admitting to a personal managerial mistake he’s working on remedying.

“One of the mistakes I made in management early on is I talked a lot. I talked a lot in terms of the product will be this. This is how the product will be presented. I was basically trying to frame up what our goals were for the company. But when you talk so much, the show almost draws the ire of many fans.”

Cody On AEW’s Social Media Reports

According to Cody, AEW has a full data report of social mentions provided after every show. He claimed how this report helps them to discover “credible thoughts” shared by fans worldwide.

However, this report also allows them to “[…] see the hurt WWE fan that is pretty much going to say what they want to try and draw attention. A lot of times we have given them attention. We’re learning slowly and surely that Twitter is really aging out in terms of its value and what it can offer. That’s what I learned in year one. Talk less as a member of management and show more.”

Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.

Impact Wrestling star Heath has reflected on his time in WWE, believing his former employer “never really wanted me to get over as much as I could.”

Heath joined Sitting Ringside for an interview where he detailed his issues with WWE. He believes WWE took issue with him for pitching ideas whenever he could earn some momentum with fans.

“They would work and then they would switch it. Then they end the story and put me on ice and you would not see me for a year and a half,” Heath explained. “If you do, it’s me putting over this guy. Once that happens to you four or five times, you get frustrated.”

Heath continued, “Then you start asking questions and they say you are asking too many questions and you’re being a bother. What can I do? There is no communication between the lines. You are paying me. You have a guy that wants to work and wants to do things but you can’t get anywhere. It’s like tires spinning.”

Heath was let go by WWE earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by the promotion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Since leaving the company and joining Impact Wrestling, he has claimed several WWE Superstars have contacted him expressing their interest in making the jump between promotions.

Forgotten Sons member Steve Cutler has addressed the current status of the SmackDown faction during a recent appearance on the Borne the Battle podcast.

Cutler confessed how, at this time, it’s a waiting game. He noted that a potential return will eventually happen, explaining that their time is “coming.”

“Couldn’t tell you and I wouldn’t tell you either way. Just one of those things where it’s we’re being patient and doing what we can and waiting for our spot and waiting for our time and it’s coming, don’t worry. It’s coming.”

Cutler explained how they have had better communication with WWE’s SmackDown creative team as opposed to their time on NXT. He noted how the scripts they’ve been given on SmackDown contain more accurate verbiage they would use in real life. However, there is still plenty of back and forth between themselves and creative.

“[…] it’s just one of those things where you’re working back and forth and it’s like no problem. But, they kinda got the gist of us, I feel main roster on SmackDown, creative had more of an understanding of what to do with us than NXT because it’s just a — both NXT, SmackDown and RAW are all different. NXT is more wrestling based and kind of getting a character out there, but more or less everything is based on wrestling where RAW and SmackDown is the entertainment part of WWE.”

The Forgotten Sons debuted on SmackDown following WrestleMania 36. However, they were shortly removed from on-screen programming following statements stable member Jaxson Ryker made on social media.

Current AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes has stressed how AEW’s “authenticity” helps elevate it from other promotions.

Cody shared his thoughts whilst appearing on The Rich Eisen Show. He joined the show ahead of his TNT Championship defense on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.

He noted how “When I get around marketing guys or new wrestling fans, who want to know what makes us different, authenticity is always the No. 1 thing I say.”

Cody pointed to the past to strengthen his argument. He highlighted names like his father, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Cody stated that the connection between these wrestlers and their fans helped them stand out and succeed.

“Back in the 70s and 80s, when wrestling fans were rabid for the sport, everyone thinks it is because they thought it was real. However, I disagree with that notion. Dusty, Hogan, and Flair succeeded because of the connection fans made to their characters.”

Cody explained how the only way to achieve this genuine connection is by being truly “[…] authentic in your interview, your ring work, and everything else.” He is confident that this commitment to authenticity is what helps AEW separate itself from its competition.

Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.

Recently drafted SmackDown Superstar Aleister Black has praised the blue brand’s Universal Champion Roman Reigns. According to Black, Reigns is currently delivering the “best work he’s ever done.”

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Black noted how the partnership between Reigns and Paul Heyman has been presented in “super organic” way since the two began working together. Black stressed how The Tribal Chief gimmick is so natural to Reigns, he doesn’t believe he’s even playing a character.

“For Roman, I feel like this is the best work he’s ever done. Roman is in that super rare spot where he is so comfortable in the role that his confidence is Level 1000,” Black explained. “Everything is presented in a way that is super organic, it makes you think he’s not even playing a character. To be honest, I don’t think he is playing a character. I think this is playing to every strength of Roman Reigns, of which there are a lot.”

Now that Black is also on the blue brand with a new theme and attitude, he confessed he would love to feud with Reigns in the future. It’s something he’s apparently already spoken to Heyman about.

“I’d love to be entangled with Roman and Paul, and I’ve spoken with Paul [Heyman] about this before. There are a lot of things that move the different pieces on that chessboard, getting me to checkmates, and that’s one of them.”

Aleister Black was recently moved to SmackDown following the WWE Draft.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has detailed what he had intended for his final run in WWE. Speaking with PWInsider, Angle shared how his swansong with the company didn’t exactly go as he would have wanted.

Upon his return to WWE, Angle admitted he wasn’t exactly the old version of himself. However, he believed he was still in “good enough” shape for a potential championship reign. Unfortunately, it turned out WWE had different plans for the Olympic gold medallist.

“I was good enough that I knew, you know, if Vince wanted to give me a title run, I was ready for it, but when I got to the WWE, they had no plans of me wrestling, at least not at first.”

Kurt Angle believes his past drug issues could have been a factor behind WWE’s lack of plans in him. He emphasized how his envisioned return would have included a title run before culminating his career with a WrestleMania retirement matchup against a WWE Legend of Hall of Famer.

“[…] so it didn’t go out as planned but I understood why, you know Vince just…he looked at me as a liability and I wasn’t.”

Rumors had circulated at the time that Kurt Angle would end his career in a matchup against John Cena at WrestleMania 35. He ultimately wrestled his Farewell Matchup against Baron Corbin.

Jimmy Jacobs has reflected on his time working on WWE’s creative team during a recent interview with The Dropkick Podcast. He opened up about his process and the genesis of ‘The List of Jericho’ gimmick.

Jacobs admitted how working with Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens allowed for a great “co-collaboration” to take place between them. According to Jacobs, “[…] when you get with the great performers, when you have a great relationship, you have that co-collaboration. You bring one thing to them and then they bring something else out of it.”

He stressed this process and the relationship between them helped to elevate the ideas put forward. Jacobs pointed out how they all brought ideas to the table, with Jericho and Owens able to bring it life in a “magnificent way.”

Jacobs then opened up about the ‘List of Jericho’ gimmick. He confessed he always thought of it as a “crumpled piece of paper he would have [in his pocket]. Jericho, however, knew it had to be more “visual.”

“He came up with the, you know, click of the pen, and the ‘You know what happens? Huh? You know what happens when you make fun of my best friend Kevin Owens?’ That’s just another example of something you conceive one way and then somebody else, you know, collaborates with it, and then the performer goes and they bring it to life in communion with the audience,” Jacobs explained. “[They get the] feeling of what the audience wants, and all of a sudden, a click of the pen becomes the loudest reaction on Monday Night RAW.”

Jimmy Jacobs argued how the ‘List of Jericho’ and Jericho’s pen clicking got so popular, WWE would often send fans home with it, positioning the gimmick at the top of the card despite the fact Jericho was meant to be a heel.

Dominik Mysterio has shared his list of potential dream opponents in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, pointing to both up-and-comers as well as some of WWE’s top Superstars.

Speaking on The Chris Van Vliet Show, Dominik Mysterio was quick to point to Randy Orton. He admitted he has always been a fan of Orton’s style and in-ring work.

“I’ve always said Randy Orton, just because I’ve always been a big fan and I love his style of work. But I think dream matches besides Randy [would be] someone like Andrade. I think me and him would — I just wrestled him very briefly on Monday, him and [Angel] Garza, but I would love to get in there a little bit longer with Andrade, Garza, Humberto [Carrillo]. I’d love to go one-on-one with Humberto. I think that would be absolutely phenomenal.”

Dominik Mysterio also named WWE Hall of Famer Edge as a top name he’d love to compete against before turning his attention to Superstars on NXT’s roster:

“I’ve worked with Seth [Rollins]. I’d love to wrestle Roman [Reigns]. I think that would be fun as well, but there’s so many guys, and guys in NXT like Adam Cole, guys like Austin Theory. There are so many people I’d love to work with, but we’ll see what the future holds.”

One name that was notably missing from Dominik Mysterio’s list was his father, Rey Mysterio. However, a potential father vs. son matchup could be in the future for both Mysterios if Dominik gets his way.

Ember Moon has revealed that a certain WWE Hall of Famer helped her recover from a ruptured Achilles injury. According to the Superstar, Edge was instrumental in her recovery process.

Although the recently returned Superstar also credited Triple H’s help and support, it was Edge’s “Cliff-noted version” of what to do that really helped her.

“Edge was basically like, ‘Do this, get a sauna, get a bike, you have to do this.’ He basically sent me a Cliff-noted version of what he was doing because he had such a bad Achilles rupture, too, that they said he would never come back. When the complications started happening, that’s when they told me I might not be coming back,” Moon informed Daily DDT.

She stressed how Edge also recommended “what type of therapy to do” as well as specific exercise routines that would help strengthen the Achilles tendon. Moon revealed she sent his recommendations to her therapist, and then “everything started to turn around.”

She noted that although the recovery was still slow, it was still encouraging to see things improve. Ember Moon also added how had she had surgery for a second time, she may not have been able to return to in-ring action.

Ember Moon made her surprise to the black-and-gold brand at NXT TakeOver: 31.