The question as to which match will headline WrestleMania 39: Night One has been on the mind of fans for some time.
This year will mark WWE’s fourth two-night WrestleMania: a concept that the company adopted in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The two-night format has allowed more Superstars to have a WrestleMania main event to their name, including AJ Styles, Bianca Belair, and Kevin Owens.
WrestleMania 39: Night One
With WrestleMania 39 going Hollywood (given its LA setting) WWE has been releasing parody trailers for popular films and TV shows featuring the Superstars.
This week, WWE featured Rhea Ripley in a Stranger Things parody, with the Judgment Day member playing Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven.
In the video, an unseen (but very recognizable) voice all but announced that Ripley will be headlining Night One, stating:
“Feeling that pressure, huh? Of being the main event of WrestleMania? Is it triggering you right now, Rhea? You want some? Then, go get some!”
At WWE WrestleMania 39, Ripley (the winner of the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match) will face SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
This will make Flair the first and only woman in WWE history to headline two WrestleManias (after previously closing out WrestleMania 35 in 2019.)
It had previously been reported that this match was the favorite to headline Night One, with Night Two being headlined by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes.
While not confirmed by WWE yet, Logan Paul told listeners of his popular ImPaulsive podcast that his match with Seth Rollins will be on Night One.
That show will take place on April 1, which will mark Paul’s 28th birthday.
Could IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné one day make her return to WWE?
After she (and Naomi) walked out of the May 16, 2022, episode of Monday Night Raw, questions circulated around Moné’s future with the company, and she went unused for months.
Despite reports that she and Naomi had made peace with WWE, Moné would debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 17 this past January.
The Return?
It was last month that Moné captured the IWGP Women’s Championship from KAIRI in the former’s first match since departing WWE.
Like Moné, Alundra ‘Madusa’ Blayze knows what it is like to draw the ire of WWE, as she was blacklisted for two decades for throwing the WWF Women’s Championship in the trash on WCW programming.
Appearing on Under The Ring to talk about her career and her new book “The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story,” Blayze spoke about Moné’s future.
“I think Mercedes has actually during a time when she was still champion, I believe tag team championship, whatever she was feeling, she felt like whatever and she handed the titles in and she walked out because she wanted to fulfill something, her dream, something she always wanted to do. I mean, God bless her on that, you know, somebody following what they want to do.”
“Hopefully, she will go back to WWE someday if she wants to.”
Alundra Blayze.
“Hopefully, she will go back to WWE someday if she wants to. Right now she’s just fulfilling it. Let’s hope and continue that everything is great over there with her and Stardom. Maybe she’s paving the way that women can do what they want to do. I may have waited until my contract expired and then did it, but you know, everyone has their own reason and choice and I don’t know what that was, so I can’t say on hers.”
Could A Return Happen?
While Moné is out of WWE right now, that doesn’t mean we may not see Sasha Banks walk down the aisle once more.
After all, Blayze was blacklisted for twenty years but was eventually brought back, and other names fans thought they’d never see again (Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior, etc.) have returned over the years.
It has been reported that some in WWE believe that once Moné gets NJPW ‘out of her system’ she will return to the Stamford-based promotion.
WWE confirmed the WrestleMania 39 match between Edge and Finn Balor during Monday Night Raw.
Edge came out for a promo segment where he talked about how he wanted to finish his feud with Balor tonight/ The Judgment Day came out to the stage but wouldn’t get any further. Edge knew why, and he knew if he chased after them, they would just jump him.
He said he would give Balor what he wanted, a WrestleMania match. Edge said he’s tired of wasting his time, which is running out, on them for the last year and a half. He said every week, he has left him laying and even made him say that he quit.
Memory Lane
He recalled Beth Phoenix being hit with a chair. Edge thinks there is one way for it to end, and that’s Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania. Balor said he’s been to hell, and it spit out a demon. This led to a brawl.
As previously reported, WWE had plans to do Edge vs. Balor at the Royal Rumble in the Hell in a Cell match where Balor would portray his demon character, but it was nixed due to Edge filming a Hollywood project.
When WWE finally was able to convince Steve Austin to come out of retirement last year for a match at WrestleMania 38 – Night 1 against Kevin Owens, he left the door open to do another match.
WWE has taken him at his word and tried to get him to agree to step into the ring again, this time at this year’s WrestleMania 39.
Fightful Select reports that multiple pitches have been made to Steve Austin since last year and those in WWE believe he’s open-minded to wrestling again should the right situation and money come his way. However, the offers so far haven’t seemed like either of those.
No Response
As previously reported, WWE pitched him on the idea of doing a match with Brock Lesnar last summer or in the fall, but the money wasn’t right. Later, Austin was offered more money to possibly face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and “we’re just told he didn’t get back to WWE on it.”
Austin, who has gotten into great shape, was pitched additional ideas to be on the WrestleMania 39 card, but not for marquee matches.
One name rumored online to have been pitched was LA Knight, and Fightful was able to confirm that match was pitched, but it’s unclear whether Austin is interested in it. Austin is slated to do some WWE-related promotional work for WWE 2K soon.
Bray Wyatt missed Sunday’s WWE live event at Madison Square Garden where he was supposed to take on LA Knight in a match.
After the former WWE Champion missed the show, it led to fan concern regarding his status. He has also been absent from WWE television as of late, with his last appearance coming in the way of a muscle man video.
Fightful Select reports that after talking with those who have worked with Wyatt, he is currently sidelined with a “physical issue,” and they’re not sure about when he could return.
Rumors
There had been rumors that Wyatt walked out because of issues with creative, but as of this writing, the media outlet was unable to confirm that with anyone in the company.
Wyatt was slated to appear at other house shows and SmackDown episodes, but was pulled from those due to the issue. Although he has been sidelined, WWE has continued with the feud between Wyatt and Bobby Lashley.
At one point this weekend, Lashley wasn’t scheduled for Monday’s Raw. It should be noted that Wyatt and Uncle Howdy’s materials have not been sent to the site of SmackDown in the last two weeks. Also, Wyatt hasn’t been planned for those shows and is not scheduled for Raw.
WWE has started to announce inductees into this year’s Hall of Fame class just weeks before the ceremony takes place. On Friday’s SmackDown, WWE confirmed Rey Mysterio as the first person to be part of the class.
It’s been reported that Konnan will do the honors for Mysterio. The Great Muta is also expected to be announced soon for the class.
It looks like Stacy Keibler will be going into the WWE Hall of Fame as Pwinsider.com reports that the WWE is “very close” to finalizing a deal to announce Keibler. She would be the first female member of the class to be announced.
Stacy Keibler in the WWE Hall of Fame
The report added that Keibler and WWE have been in talks for a few weeks now, with an ope source stating the deal was “99% done.” Another source said they expect the induction to be likely, although it wasn’t a done deal as of last Friday.
Keibler broke into the wrestling business by working for WCW in 1999, and after the company was sold, she went to WWE in 2001, where she stayed with the company until mid-2006. She decided to depart from the company to focus on other opportunities.
The ceremony will take place on Friday, March 31, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Undertaker is one of the most iconic figures in WWE history. He recently shared his thoughts on who he thinks should defeat Roman Reigns and capture his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt.
During a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, the Dead Man said he believes the right person for this job is none other than Cody Rhodes.
The American Nightmare returned from his injury at the Royal Rumble in January, and came out as the winner of the 30-man battle royale. He challenged Reigns for his title on the January 30 episode of Raw, for a match at WrestleMania 39.
Is Cody Rhodes the man to dethrone Roman Reigns?
The Undertaker recommending Cody Rhodes just goes to show how important it is to find the right competitor to defeat Reigns. Reigns has been a force to be reckoned with in the WWE for quite some time now. He has become the top dog in the company and bringing him down is something that needs a lot of planning and proper execution. It will also take someone who has the skills and charisma to pull it off and look believable. The wrestler should also have the staying power to take Reigns’ spot.
It seems like Cody Rhodes fits the bill perfectly when it comes to all these things, according to The Undertaker. Rhodes has momentum in the company currently, has the fan support and is good in the ring as well as the mic. He could make for a believable Universal Champion. He has also proved his mettle during his tenure in AEW.
Apart from Cody Rhodes, The Undertaker also mentioned Sami Zayn as a potential “dark horse” candidate to defeat Reigns. Zayn has been with the WWE for many years, and has had many highs and lows in his career. Being a reliable performer in the ring who WWE could trust, it would make sense why the Deadman himself would think Zayn is another good pick to take down Reigns.
Ridge Holland is dealing with the toxicity of social media with negative fans on the one-year anniversary of Big E’s unfortunate injury.
On March 11, 2022, Big E suffered a broken neck when taking a belly-to-belly suplex from Holland during a tag team match on an episode of WWE SmackDown. Big E landed on his head, fracturing his C1 vertebrae and C6 vertebrae.
Big E didn’t suffer spinal cord damage or need surgery. He wanted to wait a year before getting another check-up to see how his recovery was going. Holland did check on Big E in the hospital after the event and gave him gifts.
The Tweet
Holland noted on Twitter that he has been getting death threats and labeled as racist by fans online:
“Death threats. Threats to my family. Lobbying for me to lose my job. Being labeled as racist. Great stuff keep ‘em coming.”
Xavier Woods saw the tweet and responded with, “Pro Wrestling is extremely dangerous. All of us involved understand that. Ridge & his family do not deserve to be treated this way. Please do not send any hate towards them. Instead use your energy to do something positive like sending love to E. Be kind. Please be kind.”
In the year 2003, WrestleMania XIX hosted only one women’s match on the card — a triple threat for the WWE Women’s Championship. Twenty years later, WrestleMania 39 will feature three, and possibly even more.
Over the course of two decades, women have made a multitude of strides in their television time, overall presentation, and fan perception, and now, they remain some of the most popular and prosperous figures in the company.
“It’s been wonderful to see how far the women’s division has come over the years from being put on the show in bikini matches to main-eventing WrestleMania. It’s just come so far,” former RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley told Richard Deitsch on the Sports Media Podcast.
“The women before us, they persevered and they pushed through and they tried so hard to get the recognition that they deserve as athletes, as performers. It’s finally paying off,” she continued. “We’re selling most of the merch. A lot of people, they stick around for the women’s matches because they want to see us absolutely kill it. A lot of the times I feel like we go harder than the men as well.”
Growth & Goals
(via WWE)
Reflecting back on some of evident progressions, Ripley pinpointed the WrestleMania 37 contest between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair — the second WrestleMania main event for women in WWE history. The match itself has been widely praised as one of the best bouts of the modern era, but for Rhea Ripley, the match holds a deeper significance.
“To watch Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in the main event a couple of years ago — I remember watching it and I was just like first of all, that’s my friend out there. I was in NXT with Bianca and I’ve watched how much crap she’s gone through and how she’s just pushed through everything. Then riding with her, hearing her backstory and like everything that she’s gone through in life and overcome and to see her go out there and be the main event at WrestleMania with Sasha Banks, who I know has gone through everything as well, it’s just really cool to see. Women are finally getting the spotlight and the opportunities we deserve,” Ripley said.
Over the last year, Rhea Ripley herself has made enormous advancements in her career. Adopting the nickname of “The Eradicator,” Ripley aligned herself with one of WWE’s most dominant factions — The Judgement Day. Through her work with them, Ripley’s confidence has blossomed, as she remains unafraid to square up with just about anyone, including her male counterparts.
“I can only imagine how far we’re going to drive this women’s division in the future because to even just have me going out there and having a match with [Akira] Tozawa, picking up [Luke] Gallows, going out there, beating up the guys, beating up Rey Mysterio, beating up Edge. These are people that I watched as a kid and now me as a female, I get to go out there and punch them in the face. It’s so cool to see how far we’ve all come. I’m so excited to see what the future holds because it’s just going to go up and beyond from here.”
Despite the many advancements, though, the fight for true equality is far from over. As Ripley asserts, she and the entire women’s locker room want viewers to be “fully invested” in their characters, storylines, merchandise, and everything the division is doing. In the meantime, they will keep chipping away at the glass ceiling.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t toSEScoops for the transcription.
The WWE Intercontinental Championship, while being a midcard belt, holds significant importance in the company. It has been a staple of the professional wrestling industry for decades now. Even today, it is still a valuable milestone to reach in a wrestler’s career.
The Intercontinental Championship is currently held by Gunther in WWE, and he is set to defend his title at WrestleMania 39 against the winner of a #1 contender’s match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.
According to a new report by Fightful Select, Gunther’s plans for WrestleMania 39 were set as early as December 2022.
The original rumors had suggested that Gunther would defend his title against former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. However, these plans did not come to fruition. Lesnar is instead now scheduled to face Omos at WrestleMania 39.
Instead, Gunther will defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against the winner of the #1 contender’s match. This could be either McIntyre or Sheamus, and either competitor would make for an entertaining bout at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
The match came about when Sheamus and McIntyre both won in the Fatal 5-Way match to determine the number one contender.
Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship Reign
The leader of Impreium also recently reached a milestone as the Intercontinental champ.
Gunther won the title on June 10, 2022 edition of WWE SmackDown. He ended Ricochet’s 98-day reign that night. Gunther successfully defended his title against the likes of Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, and Shinsuke Nakamura since then.
At the time of this writing, Gunther has held the title for over 276 days. He broke the record of Shelton Benjamin’s reign of 244 days back from 2004.
This feat made Gunther the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of the 21st century, which was even acknowledged by WWE. It remains to be seen if the champ can continue to hold on to the title and extend his record.
As WWE gears up for WrestleMania in Hollywood, one superstar is hellbent on getting his moment on the grand stage.
Last Friday on SmackDown, five men competed in a number one contender’s match. The winner would then guarantee themselves a shot against GUNTHER at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental Championship. Among the competitors were Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, Xavier Woods, and LA Knight. Each participant fought valiantly to secure their spot on the big show, but in a turn of events, it came down to a two-way draw.
At the same time Drew McIntyre pinned LA Knight, another referee counted the shoulders of Xavier Woods, who was in the midst of a pinfall from Sheamus. WWE official Adam Pearce later ruled that both men were co-winners of the five-way contest, but this week, they will square off one-on-one to determine GUNTHER’s sole challenger.
“You Can’t Have An LA WrestleMania Without L-A Knight”
(via WWE)
Despite his evident loss last week, LA Knight believes there can’t be a Los Angeles WrestleMania without him. With no clear path to WrestleMania now, Knight took to Twitter to demand his moment.
“EVERYBODY knows you can’t have an LA Wrestlemania without LA Knight,” he wrote. “But [WWE] is late to the game, DRAGGING THEIR FEET on giving Wrestlemania the opportunity for an LA Knight moment. It’s about damn time I get a heads up. I’m done waiting.”
EVERYBODY knows you can’t have an LA Wrestlemania without LA Knight. But @wwe is late to the game, DRAGGING THEIR FEET on giving Wrestlemania the opportunity for an LA Knight moment. It’s about damn time I get a heads up. I’m done waiting pic.twitter.com/uW4LmBdmdD
Following his loss to Bray Wyatt at the Royal Rumble, Knight has yet to garner another consistent storyline on television. In recent weeks, he had a one-off match with Kofi Kingston, before setting his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. Unfortunately for Knight, his championship aspirations slipped away from his grasp last week.
Japanese wrestling sensation Sareee has addressed her departure from WWE.
Sareee joined WWE in April 2021 and wrestled as Sarray for the company’s NXT brand. On Monday, she held a press conference at the from Tokyo, Japan at the Inoki Genki Factory to discuss her time with WWE and her future in wrestling.
According to Tokyo Sports, she said she has nothing but gratitude for her two years in America. She learned what she wanted to learn in America, but the time has come to take her career in a new direction.
“I made friends all over the world, I think that’s what I’ve gained,” she said (translated). “I think I need to make the most of what I have experienced in the No. 1 promotion in the world in my wrestling career”.
She is excited to be an independent wrestler once again. She feels that her purpose in life is to fight and she’s open to wrestling anywhere that fits her style. Her return match in Japan will be Tokyo Shinjuku Face Tournament “Sareee-ISM” on May 16th.
“I would like to make the most of it and go on a rampage in the Japanese professional wrestling world.”
Sareee
Sareee also tweeted the following, thanking WWE and the WWE Universe for the experience.
No matter what some people might say, I did my best. I am so glad that I had the chance to go to WWE??
Some fans may be wondering why WWE has Brock Lesnar wrestling Omos at WrestleMania, but Lesnar’s former rival Kurt Angle knows exactly why the match has been made.
Lesnar has been one of the top WWE performers for two decades. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ has been featured in several blockbuster matches in the recent years. Lesnar had won the WWE Championship again in 2022 and lost the title in a Winner Takes All Match against Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38.
Following a rematch at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar later entered a feud with Bobby Lashley, which continued till 2023. After a disqualification loss to Lashley at Elimination Chamber, Lesnar shifted towards a new challenge. He went on to accept up and coming WWE star Omos’ challenge to a match at WrestleMania 39 which is just a few weeks away.
Kurt Angle opens up on the idea of Brock Lesnar vs Omos
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic Gold Medalist shared his thoughts on the match and. ‘The Olympic Gold Medalist’ has stated that it’s time for Lesnar to start helping the company build other talent. He wants ‘The Beast’ to put over Omos at ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All.’
“I think it’s a great idea,” Angle said. “You have to remember, Brock is near the end of his career, and Omos is near the beginning of his career. Brock’s always been these main event matches with all the top guys. I think now he’s at the point of his career where he has to start giving back and not being at the top level matches for world championships, but trying to build other talent. I think this is a great idea.”
Lesnar and Omos are set to face off on tonight’s edition of Monday Night RAW. Omos will certainly reach a massive milestone in his career if he’s able to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 39.
Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley plans to use Trish Stratus’ kindness against her at WrestleMania.
‘The Role Model’ recently recalled an emotional story about Stratus mentoring her at a difficult period in her career. Stratus opened up to her, which may turn out to be a big mistake.
Stratus has served as a mentor of sorts to several of today’s top female competitors including Bayley and Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Moné in NJPW). Bayley and Banks were the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after winning the titles in 2019. However, defending the titles belts at WrestleMania 35, they lost to the IIconics in a Fatal 4-Way match.
There were reports that the Boss-N-Hug Connection were extremely upset following their loss, but Stratus was there to inspire them and help turn the setback into a learning experience.
Bayley recalled the emotional incident
Over the weekend, Bayley tweeted about Trish consoling her and Sasha Banks after their WrestleMania 35 loss. During this discussion, Stratus opened up about her own ups and downs, as well as her insecurities and weaknesses. Little did she know that she’d be standing across the ring from Bayley four years later.
“We sat in the hallway of our hotel after losing the tag team titles at Wrestlemania. You talked to us til 4am sharing your secrets of the business, your personal life, your strengths and your weaknesses………….I remember #WrestleMania” Bayley tweeted.
The Hall of Famer responded to the tweet and stated that at least the Damage CTRL leader already knows how it feels to lose at WrestleMania and will be able to “CTRL” (control) her tears better this time.
“Yah I remember. Well, at least you already know what if feels to lose at #WrestleMania… maybe you can CTRL [control] your tears better this year,” Stratus wrote.
Yah I remember. Well, at least you already know what if feels to lose at #WrestleMania… maybe you can CTRL your tears better this year. https://t.co/Okuc9XtYlu
A new report has provided an update on former NXT talent Sarray’s exit from WWE.
Sarray signed with the company in 2020 to join the NXT roster. Unfortunately, her WWE career was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She competed in Japan during that time and also won the SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Tag Championship with her partner Yoshiko on Nov. 27, 2020, against Best Friends (Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto). Sarray and Yoshiko dropped the titles to Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima on Jan. 22, 2021. After losing the SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Tag Championship, Sarray would come to the United States and debut in NXT on April. 20, 2021.
While Sarray came to the company with chances for new opportunities, WWE had difficulty featuring her on the show. She competed in NXT when they shifted to NXT 2.0, which started five months after her debut. During that time, NXT 2.0 began to focus on featuring newer talent like Cora Jade, Elektra Lopez, and Lash Legend, with other established NXT talents like Mandy Rose, Raquel Gonzales, and Kay Lee Ray. Sarray got lost in the shuffle and spent less time on NXT TV. Her last match was against Mandy Rose at NXT 2.0 on Aug. 2, 2022.
After three years, Tokyo Sports reported that Sarray had left the WWE after her contract expired, and she would return to Japan to continue her professional wrestling career. She is expected to hold a press conference on March. 13 in Japan to announce her plans.
Sarray faced Lash Legend during the December 17 episode of 205 Live
Update on Sarray Leaving WWE
Since Tokyo Sports revealed that she had left WWE, fans were curious about what went wrong with her career in NXT. Fightful Select reported that they were told that “…the beginning of the end was actually early in 2022 when many of her biggest supporters were let go from NXT.”
The report continued, “…Sources within the brand said that she never factored into a consistent or major creative fashion after that. We’re told by the spring of 2022 that the writing was on the wall. William Regal’s departure was one that many pointed to as a turning point. Those who frequent the Performance Center said that she hadn’t been around in “ages” and weren’t given any answers when they’d ask about her.” The report shared that it’s acknowledged within WWE that she was given bad creative.
Despite her career in WWE, the report shared that she liked working with up-and-coming talent, including her brief feud with Tiffany Stratton. According to the report, people working in the Performance Center have positive things to say about Sarray.
She will have a match on May. 16 at the Sareee-ISM event at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.
Which match will close out WrestleMania 39: Night One on Saturday, April 1?
With the star power in the match between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes, it has long been accepted that this match will headline Night Two.
WWE is yet to confirm the main event for either night, or whether any match will be on Saturday or Sunday.
Intercontinental Main Event
WWE SmackDown Superstar Sheamus has never closed out a WrestleMania, but he plans on changing that in a matter of weeks.
Sheamus will face friend and longtime rival Drew McIntyre this Friday, with the winner facing Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER at WrestleMania 39.
Taking to Twitter to promote the St. Patrick’s Day clash, Sheamus said that his victory would mean he headlines WrestleMania 39: Night One.
St. Patrick’s Day 2023. Kansas City. Drew McIntyre V Sheamus. Winner: IC Title Match Main Event at Wrestlemania 39 Day One.. Next Friday “Remember Murrayfield” #SCOvIRE#luckoftheirishpic.twitter.com/UDGCPhmi23
The Sheamus-McIntyre match was formed last week, after both men scored a pinfall during a five-way to determine GUNTHER’s opponent.
It has been reported that WWE’s plan is for a triple-threat match for the title at WrestleMania 39.
The Intercontinental Championship has headlined one WrestleMania, that being WrestleMania 6 when Champion the Ultimate Warrior faced WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in a title-for-title match.
Other Night One Contenders
Sheamus Vs. McIntyre Vs. GUNTHER would be a physical main event to WrestleMania 39: Night One, but it isn’t the only option.
It has been reported that WWE is considering SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley as the closer for the show.
Some have argued that given his popularity, Sami Zayn should headline Night One in the rumored tag match with Kevin Owens against Undisputed WWE Tag Champions The Usos.
Cody Rhodes knows firsthand what it’s like to depart from WWE, reinvent himself outside of the company bubble, and make a return to the promotion. Now, he wants to see Matt Cardona do just that.
Cardona was with WWE for several years until 2020 when he departed in 2020 before going to AEW that same year for a brief run. He went to Impact Wrestling in January 2022 where he found success. He also found a lot of success in GCW and NWA. He has held the GCW World Championship, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, the Impact Digital Media Championship, and several other titles.
While speaking on Good Karma Wrestling, Cardona came up in the interview. Rhodes called him the king of the indies and wants to see him return to WWE.
Praise
“I’m really proud of him,” Rhodes said. “He’s out there, he’s doing the Indy God thing with the Indiana Jones hats. Everything Matt’s doing, Matt has been the king of the indies now, this is going on year two. You only usually get one run in that role. He’s going on year two. What Matt does next is gonna be huge. If he goes to AEW, that’d be cool. But if he comes back to WWE, that’s what I want. It would be off the charts. I think he’s a huge get, a huge free agent, and he’s the best he’s ever been.
Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 where he has since been pushed as a top star. He will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.
The decision to end The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WWE WrestleMania is still questioned among fans as Vince McMahon is the one to have made the call for it to end in 2014 at WrestleMania 30 at the hands of Brock Lesnar.
For years, the undefeated streak wasn’t mentioned at all and in the later stages of Taker’s career, WWE started to use it to further sell WrestleMania.
While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker was asked who were the others that were considered to break his undefeated streak. He named Edge and Vladmir Kozlov.
The Names
“By the time we got to WrestleMania, we pretty much knew what was going to go down, but there were a few people I guess that he wanted to break the streak. (Vladimir) Kozlov, he wanted him. It was early on, and I think he wanted Edge to go over and Edge refused. He said, ‘No. I can’t do it.’ That’s how much he respected the streak and me and what that streak meant to the business. I didn’t know that at that time. I didn’t know that until years after. That says a lot about the human being he is.”
Regarding whether he felt Brock should have said no to ending the streak, Taker said he didn’t think Lesnar needed it as he was already a major attraction and a made guy so in his eyes, it didn’t enhance Lesnar anymore. He thinks it would’ve been a great thing for Roman Reigns while he was on the rise.
“I think it could have helped somebody else. When I got there that day, I was still going over. It’s in the early afternoon. I remember sitting in the dressing room and came in, and as soon as he came in, I knew what it was. He changed the finish. I gave him my spiel and what I thought. It wasn’t no for the sake of not wanting to do the job. It was ‘no’ in the sense that I didn’t feel like Brock needed it. Vince’s counter was, ‘If not Brock, then who beats you?’ Vince can sell ice to an Eskimo. I brought up as many points as I thought, like, looking long term down the road. Vince, his deal too is, who down the road? At that point, I’m year to year. I don’t know when I’m going to pull the trigger and say enough’s enough, so I think he wanted to make sure he got that. I don’t think he ever envisioned that character riding off into the sunset with a perfect record.”
Taker continued by noting that he didn’t know when he was going to retire, but selfishly he would’ve stayed undefeated. However, that’s not how the business goes. He knows there was a lot of talent that let him beat them and it was the right thing to do to pay it back.
Taker said that the business itself is bigger than the one character and Lesnar was worthy of it. He added that “He was a huge draw at this point, but I don’t think that it helped him the way it would have helped, say Roman at the time.”
Don’t expect to see The Undertaker portray his deadman gimmick again because he is done wearing the trench coat and hat.
This explains why he didn’t portray the gimmick in January when he appeared on WWE Raw XXX where he did a segment with LA Knight and Bray Wyatt. Fans were shocked to hear Kid Rock’s American Bad Ass song play and see Taker drive out on a motorcycle reminiscent of his character that he portrayed in the early 2000s.
The Undertaker’s Take
While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker noted that those involved with the segment expected him to come out with his iconic character, but those days are gone.
“They had a different vision. They didn’t even know that I wasn’t going to have the hat and coat. They totally thought I was coming [out as] old Undertaker. I was like, no. That’s part of me and the storytelling, right? When I lifted the curtain, and when I lifted it back and pulled it back, that’s gone. It’s gone now.”
Helwani followed up with asking whether he was done with that and he said, “I won’t bring the hat and coat back out, no.”
He added that because he is now in a public speaker role, he doesn’t think the character can be portrayed in that way anymore.
Former WWE/ECW star Francine has made it clear that she is not happy with WWE using her nickname for Liv Morgan and also referring to Lita with the moniker.
Francine spoke about it on her podcast where she noted that WWE using the “Queen of Extreme” moniker for Morgan is unacceptable in her eyes. During a recent edition of Raw, Corey Graves also mentioned Lita as the “Queen of Extreme,” a play on her connected to Team Extreme with The Hardy Boyz.
Francine owns the trademark rights to the nickname that she filed for months ago as she first used it when in ECW.
She explained that the process of getting a trademark takes time. She said that she’s not upset with Lita as she didn’t do anything wrong, but did note that she’s been building up the nickname for the last 30 years and doesn’t want to pass it up.
The Warning
Should WWE continue to use the nickname then she plans to file a cease and desist.
“Whether I’m in this business another day or another 30 years from now, if I do conventions, I’m going to sign the Queen of Extreme Francine and I’m going to get that trademark. And if they continue to use it, we’re going to file a cease and desist. And that’s it. because they would do it to me.”
Francine stated that she’s not bitter towards the two stars nor the company, but she is simply trying to protect her brand that she worked hard to build.
The Undertaker is someone who took the business and his character seriously. He took further than most will do, especially these days.
Keeping kayfabe has been an art that has been lost in the world of the pro wrestling business for the last few decades. It wasn’t until he was retired from the wrestling business that Taker started to do more out of character interviews and branch out on his own.
The Undertaker’s Advice
While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Undertaker urged today’s WWE talent to protect their characters better.
“I do think a lot of our talent, not just our talent, in general they don’t understand any concept of protecting a character or even developing a character enough to protect it. They go and do something on TV and then you go to their social media and it’s completely different. I’m a dinosaur, I am, my mentality is still 20 years ago, but I guess there is a reason why I lasted as long as I did. I was like, ‘gosh live it a little bit. You don’t have to go to the extremes that I did, but man protect it.’ Kinda be like in real life just a little bit. If you’re going to post something, have it match kinda what you’re trying because that’s what you’re trying to convince people. You’re this or you’re that.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit BT Sports with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.
The Bloodline may be one of WWE’s most popular acts in years, but they apparently cannot hold a candle to The Elite.
Following Roman Reigns’ heel turn in 2020, his cousins The Usos would fall in line behind their Tribal Chief, who has been advised by his special counsel Paul Heyman.
Last September, Solo Sikoa was added to the faction by helping Reigns retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle.
Without a Doubt
The Bloodline storyline, especially the chapter with Sami Zayn, has been heralded as one of the best thing wrestling fans have seen in years, but they are not the only faction around.
Last November, the Elite made their AEW return at Full Gear, after being suspended for their roles in the backstage fight following All Out.
Speaking on the Cafe de Rene podcast, Jake Roberts was asked which group he thinks is better.
“Kenny. Kenny and The Bucks without a doubt. I think Kenny Omega is f***ing unbelievable. He is f***ing on spot. I don’t like a lot of stuff The Young Bucks do but brother they’re doing it and getting away with it.”
At AEW Revolution 2023, the Elite lost the AEW Trios Championships to the House of Black.
The Elite Vs. The Bloodline?
At this time, the idea of a six-man-tag match between the two factions is purely hypothetical, but that is something WWE hopes to change.
The belief is that if they can sign Omega (who has previously been under a WWE developmental deal) then it may encourage the Bucks to jump ship to WWE.
The Street Profits will be sticking together for the long term according to recent comments made by Angelo Dawkins.
The team, consisting of Dawkins and Montez Ford, debuted on a March 2016 edition of WWE NXT, and has been a team ever since.
The Street Profits are one of three teams to have held the NXT, Raw, and SmackDown Tag Team Championships (the others being The Revival/FTR and the New Day.)
Sticking Together
Given the number of tag teams and groups that have split due to a betrayal (The Rockers, Evolution, The Shield, etc) it’s no wonder why many expect one member of the Steet Profits to betray the other.
While speaking to the Attitude Era Podcast, Dawkins was asked if there were plans for him and Ford to go their separate ways.
“Nah, never. Never. We’re brothers till the end bro. We’re always gonna support each other no matter what, we always got each other’s back, we ain’t never turning [on each other.]”
Angelo Dawkins.
Singles Push
While Dawkins has no plans to turn on Ford and vice versa, being a tag team may not prevent the Street Profits from reaching singles success.
In recent years, Ford’s ability and charisma have earned him praise from several notable names, including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who Ford idolized during his youth.
Last October, it was reported that Dawkins had been impressing a lot of the right names backstage, with the bigger member of the team having as many singles matches from June to October as he did from April 2021 to May 2022.
With WWE WrestleMania 39 taking place in just a matter of weeks, WWE has put the build for some of the top matches on the card into high gear including a match involving Charlotte Flair.
Flair is slated to defend the SmackDown Women’s Title against Rhea Ripley at the upcoming event in Los Angeles.
On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE booked a segment with Flair and Ripley where they went face-to-face after Flair had scored a non-title match victory over Shotzi.
The Segment
The segment on the show didn’t go down as originally planned, according to a report by Fightful Select.
It was said the promo segment ‘deviated a little bit off the original plan’. However, the report didn’t specify exactly how the segment was different from the original plan.
WWE is using Raw stars on SmackDown and Smackdown stars on Raw in certain cases due to the cross-promotional feuds being booked such as Ripley vs. Flair. Another instance of this is The Judgment Day, a Raw act, appearing on SmackDown in recent weeks to continue to have Dominik feud with his legendary father, Rey.
On Friday’s show, Finn Balor, Dominik, and Damian Priest defeated Legado Del Fantasma.
