Roman Reign is off filming a movie while on ‘indefinite hiatus’ from WWE, but he’s remain a driving force behind The Bloodline both on television and behind the scenes.

Reigns’ world came crashing down at WrestleMania 40. Once thought to be invincible, his historic title reign is finished and The Bloodline has undergone a dramatic shakeup. Jimmy Uso is out, Tama Tonga is in and Solo Sikoa is the group’s new on-screen figurehead.

We later learned Tribal Chief made the call for Jimmy to be removed, a sign of how his character will be kept in the mix while he’s off TV. According to WWE insider Wrestlevotes, Reigns “will still have substantial creative input in the evolving Bloodline storyline over the course of the next few months.

• Jacob Fatu Privately Confirming WWE Deal

The Bloodline’s Creative Process

Roman Reigns’ creative direction has been closely guarded since his evolution into the Tribal Chief and the rise of The Bloodline. the Bloodline chapter of his career started. Only a select few people have been involved in the Bloodline’s storyline development and that number is even smaller with Vince McMahon’s departure.

The Rock brought in Brian Gewirtz during his road to WrestleMania 40 for the Final Boss storyline. Since the show of shows is in the rearview mirror, Dwayne Johnson and his writer went back to Hollywood. 

Paul Heyman recently spoke about The Bloodline with Jimmy Traina on the SI Media podcast. The ‘Wise Man’ says one of their keys to success is their ‘collaborative teamwork’ approach.

“You know the old expression, ‘it takes a team?’ It certainly has with us. There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to make this work. It kind of all filters through Roman Reigns’ field. There are several people that come to me to present things to Roman, and then Roman and I will talk about it and comeback with either something that fits into their narrative or something that we would hope, we could perhaps enhance it or put it in our own words, or come back with, ‘that doesn’t work for us, what about this?’ and start a different process and we’re bouncing ideas off of them.”

Heyman said creative rumblings for the Bloodline storyline began under Vince McMahon’s leadership and continued without disruption when Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over. 

He also praised Michael Hayes for his exceptional ability to weave a narrative into wrestling matches, a rare and valuable skill. The SmackDown writing team, led by the often overlooked Ryan Callahan, along with Michael Kirshenbaum, Chad Barbash, and Zach Hyatt, are also involved in these discussions

Roman Reigns has his hands full with an acting project during his time away from WWE and will soon sharing the silver screen with some prominent Hollywood stars. The former Undisputed WWE champ generated buzz earlier this week when actress Lauren ‘Keke’ Palmer posted a photo with working with Reigns on a new project.

SEScoops has learned Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) will appear in ‘Good Fortune,’ a heist comedy film due out in late 2024. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, and comedian Aziz Ansari making his directorial debut.

‘Good Fortune’ tells the story of Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) a guardian angel, while Ansari’s character is burdened with taking on the odd jobs of Jeff (Seth Rogen).  

We’re looking into Reigns’ character, but in the photo that surfaced online, he looks right at home sitting on a throne, surrounded by money, gold bars, and beautiful women. 

Reigns’ Future in Hollywood

Reigns’ historic 1,316-day title reign ended at WrestleMania 40. It also marked the conclusion of the most transformative chapter of his career, when he commanded the Acknowledgement of everyone and cemented himself as an all-time great.

He’ll be back, but it’s newsworthy that he’s taking this time off to continue building his acting career. Now in the later stages of his days traveling the world and taking bumps, Reigns has a very clear path to follow for the next phase of his career.

‘Good Fortune’ would mark his fourth film role. In the past, he shared the screen with his cousin, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’. Roman Reigns also made an appearance in Netflix’s ‘The Wrong Missy’ and lent his voice to Paramount+’s ‘Rumble.’ 

IMDB has Reigns listed as the lead cast member in ‘Action Force.‘ Limited details are available, but we know it’s in pre-production and will co-star Tom Budgen, better known to our readers as AEW star Malakai Black.

The 38-year-old superstar has had a light WWE schedule and he can’t be grinding inside the ring forever. Thereby, as his wrestling career slows down, a transition to Hollywood seems suited. 

The call from Hollywood has been a long time coming for him, especially the way he has established himself over the past few years. Roman Reigns could soon shift to Hollywood and it wouldn’t come as a surprise given The Rock and John Cena’s influence on him.  

Vince McMahon’s days in WWE may be a thing of the past, but the former Chairman remains in touch with some huge names from the world of pro wrestling.

McMahon resigned from WWE for the second time in January 2024 and unlike his 2022 retirement, he is not expected to return. WWE has made a concerted effort to distance themselves from McMahon including launching a new ‘era’ with WrestleMania 40, the first ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ without McMahon’s involvement. McMahon recently listed the remainder of his stock in TKO for sale which if all is sold, would give him no shareholder influence over the company.

Loyal Friends

While WWE has avoided referencing McMahon on its programming, the billionaire remains in contact with TKO board member Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, NBC News reports. The Brahma Bull was appointed to the board around the same time that the Janel Grant lawsuit against McMahon that resulted in his resignation came to light. 

The 78-year-old billionaire also remains in contact with John Cena though there’s no word on what either man discusses with McMahon. This isn’t the first time Cena’s name has been linked to McMahon following his resignation. The 16-time World Champion’s recent comments about loving McMahon despite the allegations against him spawned a backlash for the wrestler-turned-actor. 

As the top dog in professional wrestling for decades, McMahon built the careers of countless individuals so it’s hardly a surprise that some remain loyal to the controversial billionaire. While it’s been stated that nobody in WWE is defending McMahon, Ronda Rousey isn’t so sure and recently claimed that as long as Bruce Prichard is involved in WWE, McMahon has a direct line to influence decisions. 

More Exits

McMahon’s departure from WWE is arguably the biggest exit in company history but he isn’t the only veteran to leave the squared circle behind. Kevin Dunn left WWE after over four decades in late 2023 despite hopes within the promotion that he’d stay on until WrestleMania 40. He has been replaced as Head of Production by Lee Fitting. 

Sue Aitchison is another long-time WWE name who has left WWE. Aitchison oversaw WWE’s outreach department and played an intrinsic role in nurturing the company’s relationship with Make-A-Wish. For her efforts, she received the WWE Hall of Fame’s Warrior Award in 2019. 

Right now, it’s hard to ignore the ‘changing of the guard’ atmosphere within WWE as those who ruled the company for decades are no longer in the picture. With that said it’ll still be some time until Vince’s people are fully phased out of the promotion’s internal workings. 

As McMahon prepares for possibly the biggest fight of his life, at least legally speaking, the fact that some of WWE’s top names have kept in touch with him is an interesting development, and suggests that McMahon could indeed have an interest in WWE greater than what those in the promotion are letting on.

WWE Raw Superstar Piper Niven hopes that she can be a role model to ‘bigger kids’ and show them that it’s okay to stand up for yourself against bullying.  

While the Scottish Superstar has made quite a name for herself, her call-up to the main roster saw her be rebranded ‘Doudrop.’ The name has some unfortunate definitions online and Niven has spoken about not being fond of the name in the past. 

Niven got her original WWE name back during the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match and the former Women’s Tag Team Champion hasn’t looked back since. Speaking to the Gorilla Position podcast, Niven spoke about what the Piper name means to her. 

“For me, Piper was always the person that I wanted to be when I was younger. I wasn’t allowed to be angry, I wasn’t allowed to fight and stand up for myself. Piper was that person that I always wanted to be.”

Niven added that she hopes that her work on TV can help inspire kids who may be heavier than the norm to realize their own worth in the face of bullying. 

“I know that there’s a lot of kids that are bigger kids, maybe they get picked on. I hope that when they see Piper, she makes them feel that they can stand up for themselves as well.”

Niven’s goal is admirable as there’s no place for bullying in the world. Niven and Chelsea Green scored their first win as a tag team in months on Raw with a victory over Katana Chance & Kayden Carter. 

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.

The Rock’s WWE return on the road to WrestleMania saw a few changes along the way, but Dwayne Johnson’s charisma was turned up to 11 the whole time. Charles Barkley was watching at home, and he noticed how the Great One didn’t lose a step.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Charles Barkley praised The Rock’s recent performance in WWE. The two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has been paying close attention to WWE programming, and he had to give The People’s Champion his flowers.

“Pat, you know I’ve been watching you guys for a couple of months, and does The Rock have the best personality and charisma on television? Obviously, Roman and Cody and all those guys are fantastic, but The Rock … he’s got that thing, you know when you see a player and go ‘he’s different from everybody else.’ Man, when you see The Rock perform and you go, ‘damn, he’s good.’ His personality, when he’s talking, you’re like ‘oh I gotta watch this.’

"I've been watching the WWE and The Rock is unbelievable..

When he's on television you GOTTA watch"

Charles Barkley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iLZgSCaOMG

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2024

Sir Charles said that he loves Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and everyone else, but The Rock stands alone. He commended Dwayne Johnson for going away for so long and coming back with “the charisma bug,” something that gained a massive amount of attention for The Final Boss as Cody Rhodes fought to finish his story.

Barkley went on to say of The Rock, “I was impressed. I’ve known him, we’re not great friends, but I’ve known him for a long time, and when I saw him, I was like, ‘He has that thing,’ and when he’s working, I want to watch. He plays the heel perfectly. His charisma, it’s an honor.”

The Rock’s Road to WrestleMania 40

The Rock first called his shot for WrestleMania 40 when he showed up during the Day 1 episode of RAW this year. His reference of sitting at the head of the table was not lost on anyone. After Cody Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble match, he brought The Rock out the next night as he seemingly stepped away from an Undisputed WWE World Title match at the show of shows.

Original plans for WrestleMania 40 did not include the card fans saw in Lincoln Financial Field. The Rock wanted a one-on-one match against Roman Reigns, and that would have happened if the “Cody Crybabies” didn’t speak out. The Rock eventually conceded that Cody should have the main event.

The Rock vs Roman Reigns was the original plan for WrestleMania, with Cody Rhodes not wrestling at the event due to a kayfabed injury. Seth Rollins vs CM Punk was also supposed to happen, but that match was changed to Drew McIntyre after Punk’s triceps injury took him out of action.

The main event matches for both nights of WrestleMania 40 were then changed to facilitate the new direction. The Rock teamed with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the first night, with Cody vs Roman getting to battle it out in a Bloodline rules stipulation on WrestleMania 40 Sunday.

Logan Paul’s fans have watched him for years, looking for his reactions to a variety of subjects. When Samantha Irvin called him a “cringe overreactor” after seeing a video of him in the crowd at WrestleMania 40, he just had to say something.

WrestleMania 40 left many fans swimming in a sea of emotions. Cody Rhodes raised his title at the end of the two-night event as the company embarked on a new era. Logan Paul saw it all go down, and he was admittedly emotional. 

Speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, Logan Paul brought up how Samantha Irvin called him a “cringe overreactor” in response to a video of him watching the WrestleMania 40 main event go down. In the end, The Maverick just saw it as ironic, because it was coming from her.

“I got emotional watching Cody win, and the ring announcer bullied me. The ring announcer, Samantha Irvin, bullied me. The fiancé of Ricochet, who I beat twice, she bullied me on Twitter. She called me a ‘cringe overreactor.’ It got a ton of favorites. I took it as irony, because if you see the video of her announcing Cody, she’s sobbing. It’s a funny way to take a dig at me, because I’m a cringe overreactor, bro, I’m an overreactor as f*ck. But, she reacts too, so I thought it was kinda funny.”

Logan Paul’s response to being called a “cringe overreactor” by Samantha Irvin pic.twitter.com/yrpbQ4AC1j

— IMPAULSIVE (@impaulsive) April 16, 2024

Logan Paul in WWE

As the current WWE United States Champion, Logan Paul has a deep respect for the pro wrestling industry. Logan Paul’s last defense saw him retain in a triple threat match against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 40.

Logan Paul made a name for himself outside WWE before making his way to pro wrestling. Triple H had to admit that he even laughed at the thought of the YouTuber turned boxer becoming a WWE Superstar.

After seeing a real dedication to the business, even John Cena sang his praises. He said of Paul, “I wish we had found him years ago and this would be his calling. I’m glad he’s found us, because he fits perfectly in what we do here.”

Wrestlemania 40 blew my mind ? pic.twitter.com/6pa2yJ22Nh

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) April 8, 2024

Samantha Irvin’s WrestleMania 40 Performance

WWE fans noticed Irvin’s voice crack at the end of WrestleMania Sunday as she announced Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE World Champion. She had to fight through real tears to make that call to the Lincoln Financial Field crowd. 

Samantha Irvin’s name trended during WrestleMania 40 due to her fantastic job as ring announcer. The legendary Michael Buffer even gave her flowers after seeing how she owned the microphone, even through genuine emotions.

WWE picks their announcers carefully, as they are responsible for providing a soundtrack for the action in the ring. Everyone has their own voice, and Michael Cold has helped the company in significant ways.

Michael Cole entered WWE in 1997, and he has remained a part of the company since then. First as a backstage interviewer, he eventually made his way to the commentary table, where he never left.

WWE NXT commentator Vic Joseph spoke with SEScoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV insider, where he revealed that Michael Cole wants to help each WWE commentary team member discover who they really are.

“Michael Cole is the greatest of all time. I’ll say it again. He is the greatest of all time. I’ve learned so much from him. Here’s the thing about Michael Cole. He doesn’t want me to be Michael Cole. He doesn’t want Corey Graves to be Michael Cole. We all have our own distinct voices. It’s how you as a listener hear it.”

“When I went to NXT, I didn’t want to be Mauro [Ranallo]. I don’t want to be Michael Cole. I want to be myself. But if you’re the greatest of all time why would you not want to pick a few things from them? There is no quarterback in the world that’s not looking at Tom Brady’s mechanics or Patrick Mahomes’ footwork. If you don’t study people who are the greatest, I think it’s foolish if you don’t. I will take as much as I can from Michael Cole and Corey Graves, for that matter, and mold it into my own. Then hopefully get to their level.”

WWE Commentary Teams

The company has several television shows, with different commentary teams on each program.

• WWE’s RAW: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee. 
• WWE SmackDown: Corey Graves and Wade Barrett  
• NXT: Vic Joseph and Booker T 
• NXT Level Up: Blake Howard and Byron Saxton 
• Main Event: Blake Howard and ‘Road Dogg’ Brian James

WWE will switch around their commentary teams occasionally. The last change came when Kevin Patrick was fired, and that caused the change to what we have today.

The WWE Draft is coming on the April 26th episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The draft will then continue on the April 29th episode of Monday Night Raw. We will have to see how the commentary teams look when the next roster shake-up goes down, but each show has a strong team already.

Rhea Ripley was forced to vacate her Women’s World Championship after she sustained a “freak injury” at the hands of Liv Morgan on last week’s Raw. She will be away from in-ring action and her recovery time is yet to be determined.

It is believed that ‘The Eradicator’ suffered the injury when Liv Morgan attacked her backstage and sent her into the wall. ‘Mami’ injured her AC joint where her collarbone and right shoulder are connected.

Initially, it was believed that the chair shot from Liv Morgan might have caused the injury but the outlet reported that wasn’t the case. 

Here is where the Rhea Ripley injury occurred: pic.twitter.com/GBWjoYTNIH

— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) April 15, 2024

Rhea Ripley as Women’s World Champion

Rhea Ripley has established herself as one of the top stars of the stacked WWE women’s division. She has had a dominant run as the champion and her latest title defense took place against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40. 

She captured the Women’s World Championship (then known as WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship) after defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Holding the title for 380 days, Rhea eclipsed Bayley’s longest reign of the title (379 days) but her dominating reign has now ended in an unfortunate fashion. 

380 Days.

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) April 16, 2024

It has been announced that WWE will crown a new Women’s World Champion on next week’s Raw which takes place in Columbus, OH. It is currently unknown how the new champ will be determined. 

We will keep you updated on the situation when more details emerge. Keep an eye on SEScoops for the latest updates.

It remains to be seen when Roman Reigns will be in the ring again, but the Tribal Chief is keeping busy with a new major filming project.

The former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40: Sunday. The loss marked the end of Reigns’ historic 1,316-day title reign and marked the dawning of a ‘new era’ in WWE which has been referenced several times since WrestleMania. 

It’s unclear when Reigns will appear on WWE TV again, but he is working on some kind of project with Lauren ‘Keke’ Palmer. Taking to Instagram, Palmer, an actress and singer who worked on several acclaimed projects including Jordan Peele’s Nope, shared an image of Reigns as part of an upcoming production. 

Roman Reigns has dabbled into the world of acting before so this new project isn’t entirely foreign territory for the former World Champion. In addition to several WWE Studios projects, Reigns appeared alongside his cousin The Rock in 2019’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. He has also made multiple appearances on TV in animated roles. 

What’s to Come? 

When Roman Reigns eventually returns to WWE, he’ll find a promotion that’s much different from the one he’s left behind. With Reigns gone, Solo Sikoa has taken it upon himself to lead the Bloodline and was dubbed the Tribal Chief by the recently debuted Tama Tonga. 

Some fans believe that a feud within The Bloodline is coming that’ll see Reigns lead a team against Sikoa’s faction. It’s also been suggested that Reigns will be a face upon returning (though not like he was before.) Cody Rhodes and others have given Reigns his proverbial flowers since WrestleMania with a ‘Thank You Roman’ chant breaking out during the post-WrestleMania 40 episode of Raw.

Fans can expect to see much more of Julian Baldi as the young athlete has publicly confirmed that he has signed a contract with WWE. 

Taking to Instagram, Baldi shared the news and shared about his difficult journey to WWE. Visa issues kept Baldi from competing after he was offered a contract and moved to Florida. This led to Baldi “surviving barely on savings” but he is now ready to “make some news” and represent his beloved Italy. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C5v3KaJublS

Baldi was part of the WWE: Next Gen series which airs on The Roku Channel. The show chronicles the journey of young athletes trying to make it to WWE. 16-time WWE Champion John Cena is an executive producer on the show. 

Baldi has also been competing at WWE NXT live events. His most recent match took place at the April 13 event in Venice, Florida which saw him on the losing end of a six-person tag-team match against Joe Gacy, Dion Lennox, & Drake Morreaux.

Before coming to WWE, Baldi played Football for Valdosta State University. In 2021, he played in all 14 games for the team and would lead VSU to the program’s sixth national championship game and third-straight Gulf South Conference title. 

Like many before him, Baldi is ready to trade in his football career for a future in a wrestling ring. As seen in the clip above, WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque believes that the next Roman Reigns could be among the crop of talent as part of WWE Next Gen. As for whether Baldi reaches the heights of the Tribal Chief, that remains to be seen. 

A man who waged a lawsuit against WWE and AEW for plagiarism is now behind bars and has he asked the judge to pause his suit. Anthony Duane Wilson filed a request with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on April 10th to pause his lawsuit because he is currently incarcerated. This request for a stay could delay the proceedings against WWE and AEW until Wilson’s circumstances change, or he is able to participate in the legal process.

Wilson penned a letter to the judge, as obtained by PWInsider. In the writing, he asked for his lawsuit against WWE and AEW to be paused, since he cannot properly handle things at this time. He has also already sunk a lot of money into the proceedings.

“Due to my current state of being incarcerated at Trumbull County Jail, located at [deleted], I am unable to properly handle and follow the status of this case in a timely manner at this time.”

“I ask the court to grant my request to stay the case because I have put forth alot of my time and money to file the lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, and being that I am of self representation and cannot do it properly at this time, see it necessary to file this motion.”

“I seek this stay not for the purpose of delay but that justice may be done.”

The Lawsuit Against WWE & AEW

Anthony Duane Wilson initially filed a lawsuit against WWE and AEW in August 2023, seeking $250 million in damages and the return of his intellectual property.

WWE and AEW were accused of using his wrestling concepts—like gimmicks, names, slogans, and likenesses—without permission. He claimed this infringement hindered his plans to start his own wrestling company, which also allegedly affected negotiations with Bullet Club members.

Wilson argued that the unauthorized use of his work caused him a variety of damages, which includes lost market opportunities. He also alleged that a conspiracy was at play, where the greater pro wrestling companies were out to derail his plans.

The lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Benita Y. Pearson on November 3rd, 2023, because neither defendant was served within the required 90 days after the lawsuit was filed in August. The dismissal was without prejudice, which allowed Wilson to re-file the lawsuit.

Last year, Rey Mysterio was honored as one of the inductees in the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame class, while also battling his son, Dominik Mysterio on the grand stage of WrestleMania 40. This year, Mysterio found himself facing Dominik once again only this time in tag team action.

SEScoops correspondent MuscleManMalcolm caught up with Mysterio at the WWE media day in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania, Mysterio revealed that his daughter recently reunited and reconciled with CM Punk after the two worked together on WWE television over a decade ago.

Rey Mysterio’s Daughter Aalyah Reunites With CM Punk

Back In 2010, Rey Mysterio was immersed in a storyline with the leader of Straight Edge Society, CM Punk. It was a memorable storyline that’s still talked about today, due to its personal nature.  On one occasion, Punk confronted Rey in the ring, daring him to fight him in front of his family. He also mockingly sang “Happy Birthday” to Rey Mysterio’s daughter, Aalyah Gutierrez.

We asked Rey Mysterio about this angle and he revealed that Aalyah and CM Punk reconnected in person earlier this year backstage at a WWE live event. Despite their rocky past, Mysterio says they “got along great” and it’s awesome that they get along now.

“Believe it or not, she went to the show in San Diego for New Year’s, January 1st, and she knew that CM Punk was there. She goes, ‘Dad, can I take a picture with Punk?’

I said, ‘Let me tell him,’ and he was very ecstatic that she wanted to take a picture with him. They took a picture together. They got along great. So it was awesome. They get along now.”

A long time has passed since 2010, but Punk never forgot about Aalyah Mysterio (or her birthday). Last summer, when Mysterio wished her a Happy Birthday on Instagram. Punk trolled them both with a special message.

CM Punk continues being a menace to the Mysterio family lmao ? pic.twitter.com/7ba67xS7PN

— Teffo (@Teffo_01) August 21, 2023

• Follow Aalyah on Tiktok (@Sourceofaalyah) and Instagram (@Aalyahgutierrez).

Grateful For Short WWE Title Reign

Rey Mysterio has held many championships throughout his storied career, including the coveted WWE Championship, which had been vacated in July 2011. He won a tournament to crown a new champion on  the 7/25/11 episode of WWE Raw. He wouldn’t have much time to celebrate, as John Cena dethroned him by the end of the night.

His reign with the industry’s top prize lasted a matter of hours, but he’s still proud to be amongst greats like Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan.

“It was such a cool moment,” Mysterio said. “Moments that definitely stand out for the rest of your life. Just to be able to say I had it, whether it was like you said, for that moment being, it’s just such a cool experience. You are now attached onto the legacy books.”

The Undertaker understands the backlash surrounding his induction of Muhammad Ali into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this month. 

The Dead Man played a pivotal role in this year’s WrestleMania and discussed the entire weekend in-depth on his Six Feet Under podcast. The Undertaker shocked fans by appearing in the Bloodline Rules main event to lay the smack down on The Rock one more time. The experienced provided him a sense of closure on his decades-long WWE career. However, the weekend was not without controversy.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was a cultural icon and a highly controversial figure. Much of the conflict surrounded his unwillingness to conscript in the US Army during the Vietnam War back in 1967. The Undertaker says some people called him out and even questioned his patriotism for honoring Ali. He has a special message for those folks, as you can read below. 

“I mean, my goodness!”

The Dead Man explained that even through he doesn’t agree with Ali’s decision to avoid serving in the US military when called upon, he is still able to recognize what Muhammad Ali accomplished as a boxer and humanitarian.

“I was there and I was so tickled to be there and be able to induct Muhammad Ali. I’m glad you brought that up. So I got a little heat from part of the veteran community. For people that don’t know, Muhammad Ali, I don’t know who wouldn’t know this, but Muhammad Ali refused to go into the army.

He didn’t want to go to Vietnam. He didn’t see why that he was gonna go 6000 miles away from home to fight somebody that had no….and he didn’t do it and he ended up losing everything. To be honest, for a large part of my life, I resented Ali over that.”

“But the thing when you look at everything that Muhammad did and not even the athletic end of it, not even the boxing side of it, but the things that he did as a humanitarian and everything. I don’t agree, I still don’t agree with not going. Your country asked you to go do something, you could do it.

That’s how I am and I wouldn’t, but when you think about the conviction that he must have had in the beliefs, such a strong belief in what he thought was right and what he thought wasn’t. He gave up everything.”

The Undertaker shares strong political opinions and knows that many people disagree with. However, he’s not going to stand for anybody hurling insults at him or questioning his loyalty to the United States of America.

“I think too it was like ‘I thought Undertaker was a patriot.’ Man, kiss my ass! Kiss my Patriot ass. It just rubbed me a little bit. There are a lot of reasons.. I get some of it but to give me hate over inducting Muhammed Ali. I mean, my goodness.”

Muhammad Ali registered for conscription in the US Army on his 18th birthday in 1962. As a result of his refusal to join the Army for the Vietnam War, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license.

The World Boxing Association then stripped him of his title and other boxing commissions followed suit. A case was also registered against Ali but his conviction was reversed by the Supreme Court in 1971.

WWE WrestleMania 40 will not be the last time that Philadelphia hosts the annual two-night mega-show if those in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ have anything to say about it. 

The April 2024 Premium Live Event marked the launch of WWE’s ‘new era’ and has proven to be a hit with fans. Speaking to the Sports Business Journal, Larry Needle, executive director of the PHL Sports division shared his eagerness to see WrestleMania return to the city. 

“We know there’s a long line of cities clamoring to host, and that’s just the reality of an event of this magnitude. But needless to say, we would be thrilled to have WrestleMania back, and at the right time we will engage in those conversations with the WWE.”

It’s hardly a surprise that those in Philly would love to host WrestleMania once again. The show is estimated to have made as much as $200 million for the city, local tourism officials told Axios prior to the event. 

WrestleMania’s Future

If Philadelphia does host a WrestleMania in the future, it is unlikely to be next year. Minneapolis is said to be the favorite to host WrestleMania 31 at the U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings.

Fans in the United Kingdom are hoping to see a WrestleMania in their country at some point in the future. At WWE Money in the Bank 2023, John Cena made a surprise appearance and shared his intention to bring WrestleMania to London. If successful, it’ll be the third WrestleMania outside of the United States and the first outside of North America. 

Gable Steveson and Tamyra Mensah-Stock have qualified for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team but that doesn’t guarantee that fans will see them in Paris this summer.

Both WWE signings have qualified for the upcoming games though neither are listed as competing, the Wrestling Observer Daily Update reports. It’s added that neither competitor was expected to compete given their WWE standings. While Mensah-Stock hadn’t shown any public interest in competing at the upcoming games, Steveson had suggested that he was seriously considering a role at the events in Paris, France. 

Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 shortly after his gold medal victory at that year’s games in Tokyo. That same year, Steveson was drafted to Monday Night Raw, becoming the first Superstar to be drafted without having a match. 

After having no matches as a Raw Superstar, Steveson would eventually make his in-ring debut as part of NXT Great American Bash 2023. That show saw a much-criticized double count-out draw against Baron Corbin though he has been picking up wins at live events. 

Mensah-Stock signed with WWE in May 2023 and made her in-ring debut with the promotion in March 2024 at a WWE NXT live event. While Steveson’s development was slower than WWE had hoped, the same can’t be said about Mensah-Stock.

Training for the Olympics would have required the whole focus of Steveson and Mensah-Stock and would have put any WWE training or plans by the promotion on pause. By opting not to compete at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, it appears both are making clear that they are committed to their roles as WWE Superstars in the making. 

Movie-goers may still yet see Coyote Vs. Acme after a Warner Bros. Discovery source rejected the notion that the film had been destroyed as a tax write-off. 

In November 2023, it was confirmed that WBD had nixed the project despite filming having been completed for some time. This led to a ton of backlash against WBD and efforts by audiences for the film to be released in some format either in cinemas or online. 

While it had been rumored that the final cut of the film had been destroyed, that no longer appears to be the case. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery told The New York Times that claims the notion that the film is being destroyed to facilitate a tax write-off is “inaccurate.”

In December 2023, it was reported that Netflix and Paramount had made formal bids to try and gain the rights for Coyote Vs. Acme. WBD is said to want more than $70 million for the project which would cover the cost of the initial tax write-off. Amazon is said to be mulling over the project. 

Coyote Vs. Acme

The much-anticipated film features Wile E. Coyote of Looney Tunes fame hiring a lawyer to sue Acme, the creator of his many gadgets and traps that often backfire. John Cena was set to play Coyote’s former boss at Acme.

Coyote Vs. Acme wasn’t the only film WBD nixed, supposedly for tax write-off reasons. Other projects that were canned include a Scooby-Doo animated film that was finished, as well as a live-action Batgirl film that was set to feature Michael Keaton’s return to the role of Batman. 

Becky Lynch is excited to be a part of an upcoming WWE tour of Europe, despite what some on social media would have you believe. 

Following Lynch’s loss to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, some online suggested that she would be taking time off. These rumors were galvanized after it was reported that Lynch’s husband Seth Rollins would be taking time off following his own loss at WrestleMania 40. 

Taking to Twitter, Lynch poked fun at the notion that she is going to be out of the ring for a significant amount of time. When the WWE UK promoted Lynch for an upcoming tour, Lynch feigned surprise given that “the internet” had said she was taking a break. 

But the internet said I was taking time off. See you soon, Europe. https://t.co/3ctL2j9GRS

— Rebecca Quin (@BeckyLynchWWE) April 15, 2024

Becky Lynch’s Contract Status

While Lynch doesn’t plan on taking a break from the action (regardless of what the internet may have to say) her time with WWE is ticking away. The former Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Champion recently disclosed that her current deal will expire within a couple of months. She also revealed that she is confident that WWE will come up with a new deal for her to consider. 

As one of the biggest female wrestling stars in history, WWE would be wise to keep Lynch on board. There’s no word publicly on whether Tony Khan has his sights set on the man though acquiring The Man would be quite the acquisition to AEW’s women’s division. 

Lynch will ultimately do what’s best for her and has said that she doesn’t think a full-time role in the ring will be for her when her daughter Roux starts school. Wherever The Man goes next, fans should enjoy her while they can.

Becky Lynch’s future may be uncertain, but you can find all about her incredible journey in wrestling and life so far.

Rob Schamberger, the artist behind many epic pieces of WWE artwork, is looking forward to the future after wrapping up his time with the promotion. 

Taking to Instagram, Schamberger shared the news that he has parted ways with WWE and was appreciative of the opportunities the promotion had provided him. He also shared his excitement for the new chapter of his life that is set to begin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C5zf-KYrTBi

Schamberger was the official ‘WWE Artist in Residence’ but was still allowed to work outside the promotion. While Schamberger operates an independent store, most of his WWE artwork was purchased by the company to be sold through their official channels. Schamberger also hosted the Canvas 2 Canvas show on the WWE Network and the promotion’s YouTube channel in which he’d unveil portraits of past and current Superstars. 

WWE Departures

Schamberger is the latest notable name to part ways with WWE as of late. In recent days, Dan Ventrelle left the promotion after years as WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. He had been associated with Nick Khan and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. 

The same day as Ventrelle’s exit, Trent Wilfinger, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Athlete ID & Development also left the promotion. He had been with WWE since the summer of 2021. 

One of the most notable names to leave WWE recently was Sue Aitchison who had been with the company since 1986. Aitchison was a key figure in WWE’s community outreach efforts and played a pivotal role in developing the company’s relationship with Make-A-Wish. She also appeared at WWF Backlash 2001 as the ‘Duchess of Queensbury’ for a match between William Regal and Chris Jericho in which the Duchess’ rules greatly favored the British wrestler. For her (non-Duchess) work, Aitchison received WWE’s Warrior Award in 2019. 

The Undertaker has given Roman Reigns his flowers for an incredible championship run, after helping put an end to it.

The Dead Man talked about his WrestleMania 40 experience on the latest episode of the Six Feet Under podcast. During the episode, he revealed that his surprise appearance during the main event match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns helped him get closure for his own wrestling career.

What A Phenomenal Run: The Undertaker

Speaking about the backstage environment after the main event match, The Undertaker said that emotions were running high. He then praised Roman Reigns for his historic run, mentioning how you have to go back to the era before the internet and social media to find a comparable record:

“Man, there was a lot of really emotional moments backstage. You can imagine Roman coming back and after just…what an amazing run as champion. If you look at it, and put it in today’s market, what a phenomenal run.

It’s not going to go down to the record books as the longest world title run but when you look at it in actuality with as much coverage, as much media, as much exposure that you have now. I mean, you have to go back to someone like [Bob] Backlund’s run and Hogan’s early run. They didn’t have social media. They didn’t have as much live TV or they didn’t wrestle at all on TV.”

Kudos To Everyone Involved

The WWE Hall of Famer discussed how to keep the interest of the audience at a time when you are overexposed to wrestling is a huge achievement. The Undertaker praised everyone involved in the angle for the great storytelling through the whole run:

“The biggest part of that is to be able to maintain and keep the people’s interest in that storyline for that long. I mean, absolutely [best storyline we have seen in years] there were so many layers to it.

But kudos to him and everybody that worked on all of that because that’s difficult to do. Really difficult to do and do well. There was some really, really good storytelling involved in that.”

The Last Outlaw was one of the legends involved in the WrestleMania 40 main event match between Rhodes and Reigns. He made a surprise appearance to stop The Rock from interfering in the bout. This allowed The American Nightmare to finally finish his story. If the latest reports are to be believed, however, the spot was originally planned for a different legend.

Sheamus has sent a stern warning to the talents in the locker room after making a triumphant return on last night’s WWE Raw. 

The ‘Celtic Warrior’ spoke to backstage interviewer Jackie Redmond in a Raw Exclusive. He was thrilled with the warm ovation from the wrestling fans in Montreal and said it was great to be back on Canadian soil, the site of his last match before taking time off to heal injuries. The niceties then shifted to a stern warning for the WWE locker room: you “don’t want this.”

“It’s kind of ironic. My last match at WWE before tonight was in Toronto, Canada, in August. My first match back is in Montreal, Canada, and I couldn’t have ever expected a response like that from these Canadian fans tonight in Montreal. It was off the charts, and that’s why it’s been so hard sitting at home for the last couple of months. But if you want me to send a message to everyone in the WWE locker room, I only have four words. You don’t want this.”

Sheamus returns from injury

After last week’s teaser, Sheamus made his return and also brought back his old theme song, “Written In My Face.” He emerged victorious over Ivar and following the win, he celebrated with WWE commentators, Pat McAfee and Michael Cole.

This marks his first appearance since last year’s August 18 edition of Friday Night SmackDown. That night he fought WWE Hall of Famer Edge in the latter’s final match for the company before heading to AEW. The Irish superstar had been sidelined after he faced some shoulder issues and underwent surgery. 

There is no doubt that the WWE roster is stacked with a plethora of talents. But Sheamus’ return only bolsters the roster as WWE ushers in a new era with Triple H at the helm. 

However, there had been reports that his contract would expire this year. The details of his current contract have not emerged. If he hasn’t penned a new deal already, he would join the long list of superstars whose contracts run out this year.

Rossy Ogawa is hoping to bring some of the top women of WWE to his new Marigold promotion in what could be the start of a long-term partnership.

Marigold was officially launched earlier this week and comes mere months after Ogawa’s departure from STARDOM, which he also founded. Ogawa has denied the claim from STARDOM’s parent company Bushiroad that he was ‘poaching’ talent from the all-female promotion. 

In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Ogawa spoke about WWE and how the company is host to some of the names he worked with in STARDOM including Kairi Sane and IYO SKY. Ogawa added that he’d like to invite names from WWE to do something with MARIGOLD down the line. WrestleMania week was not kind to SKY or Sane as the former lost the WWE Women’s Championship to Bayley while the latter was on the losing-side of a six-woman tag-team match.

Ogawa even went on to tease that Marigold could become a feeder system for WWE in the future. He stated that perhaps Marigold will be a “ranch” for talent ahead of a move to WWE. 

The idea of WWE and Ogawa working together isn’t all that farfetched. After all, Ogawa was present at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver and was seen alongside Giulia, who shared a photo of herself shaking hands with Triple H backstage. The former NJPW Strong Women’s Champion is expected to join WWE, but she will be appearing for Marigold first to help the company get off the ground. 

Great to have you at #StandAndDeliver, @giulia0221g! pic.twitter.com/hv2kySgsHQ

— WWE (@WWE) April 6, 2024

Playing Well With Others

For decades, WWE was vehemently against working with other promotions but that attitude has considerably softened in recent years. From Mickie James and Jordynne Grace being in Royal Rumble matches to talent like Charlie Dempsey, Shayna Baszler, and Shinsuke Nakamura being allowed the chance to compete outside of WWE’s confines, there is certainly a new stance on working with other companies. 

WWE President Nick Khan is said to be seriously considering potential collaborations with other promotions, though nothing has been publicly confirmed just yet. Even AEW President Tony Khan isn’t against the idea as he told ComicBook.com that collaborating with WWE is an “interesting thought” and would “depend on the circumstance.”

Brutus & Julius Creed continued to impress on the April 15, episode of WWE Monday Night Raw even if they didn’t walk away with the win. 

During the show, The Creed Brothers were part of a triple-threat tag team match with a shot at champions The Awesome Truth on the line. The Creeds were joined by DIY and the New Day in a fun match that saw plenty of offense from all three teams. 

While it was DIY who got the win and the title opportunity, the Creeds certainly impressed and the team was even trending on Twitter as fans gushed over their performance. Though this show was not their night, the Creed Brothers could be on track for an opportunity at the newly-rechristened World Tag Team Championships if this momentum continues.  

Chad Gable Turns Heel

In the main event of WWE Monday Night Raw, Chad Gable once again came up short in his efforts to win the Intercontinental Championship. The Olympian lost to Sami Zayn in Montreal, a stone’s throw away from the Underdog’s home in Laval, Quebec. After the match, a frustrated Gable delivered a beatdown on Zayn in front of the Intercontinental Champion’s wife and family. 

Gable is already the leader of Alpha Academy but his heel turn could leave Otis, Maxxine Dupri, and Akira Tozawa unwilling to work with him for much longer. If so, perhaps Gable could form a new team of mat-based technicians with the Creed Brothers. 

Trios like this aren’t unprecedented in WWE. During the Ruthless Aggression era, Kurt Angle formed Team Angle, which consisted of himself, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas. The group saw plenty of success and championships and Kurt would prove to be an inspiration to Gable when Chad pursued his Olympic dreams. 

Thank you Chad. You’re an Amazing athlete, and one of the most technical Superstars in the business. It was an honor to be in the ring with you. #itstrue #fellowolympians https://t.co/7tSbpU7BKa

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) March 19, 2019

Like Gable with the Intercontinental title, the Creeds have impressed on the main roster but that has yet to result in championship gold. Perhaps an alliance between the three men is what’s needed to take them to the next level. 

Sami Zayn had some choice words for Chad Gable after tonight’s episode of Raw.

The Intercontinental Championship was defended in the main event of tonight’s episode of the Red Branded Show from Montreal Canada.

The hometown star got a very special entrance through the crowd for this bout against Chad Gable. The two athletes then had a very physical match as expected.

Sami managed to retain the title at the end using the Helluva Kick and showed respect to his opponent afterward. Another crushing defeat, however, proved to be too much for Gable and the former Olympian finally snapped under pressure.

Zayn went up to his family after the win to celebrate but Chad Gable blindsided him into a German suplex. Gable continued the assault by sending the IC Champion into the ring post and then dumping him over the announce desk. The show went off air with Gable locking his opponent into an ankle lock through the middle turnbuckle.

The officials managed to separate the two once the cameras stopped rolling and Gable went to the back leaving the hometown star in the ring. Once Sami Zayn came to his senses, he cut a promo on Gable and warned him about the consequences of his actions:

What Happened On Raw

Before this main event, the show was on par with last week’s Raw after Mania and we saw multiple big developments during the broadcast.

The episode opened with Rhea Ripley confirming the reports of her injury and announcing that she would have to relinquish the Women’s World Championship.

We also saw the WWE return of Sheamus after nearly six months on the shelf. The Celtic Warrior took on Ivar in a singles match which he won.

Apart from this, the WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H made an appearance to make a big announcement. You can check out the details of it here.

WWE has kept the mysteries coming with a new QR code that has left the fans wondering what’s to come in the future. 

The QR code appeared briefly during the entrance of the New Day during the April 15, 2024, edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. Upon being scanned, the code takes fans to a screen with incomplete letters and a red grid background. Put the two rows of incomplete letters together and you get a link that takes you to the following video. 

A video from the qr code that was on raw…#WWERAW pic.twitter.com/B3tmbM17g8

— ?????? ? (@Theylovelus) April 16, 2024

The video includes the message ‘Time to wake up, take my hand. Things will be better. Trust Me.’ This new video comes after ‘glitches’ on both the April 8, edition of Raw and April 12, edition of SmackDown teased something big is coming. 

Decoding the Video

This video also includes an image of a man seeing the shadow of a bird that is being cast on a wall by somebody behind them holding the actual bird in front of a flame. This is a reference to the philosopher Plato and his cave allegory to explain existence. Plato argued in his work Republic that man spends his time looking at the cave and while the shadows that appear on the wall are man’s reality, they are not accurate representations of the real world and are merely a fraction of the actual reality. 

The video also includes an image of a crow or raven, both of which are birds associated with darkness. Both birds are scavengers and are generally associated with dead bodies. A group of crows is called a ‘murder’ while a group of ravens is an ‘unkindness.’

What’s to Come? 

Many believe these teases are building to the return of Uncle Howdy, previously played by Bo Dallas who has been under contract since 2022. WWE recently teased the return of Uncle Howdy following their Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary. 

WWE used QR codes and bizarre videos in 2022 in the run-up to Wyatt’s return at that year’s Extreme Rules event. The ‘White Rabbit’ angle was praised by fans and pundits for its creativity and for WWE’s willingness to use a much different format than what fans were used to for a returning Superstar. 

Some have speculated that Uncle Howdy will not return alone, as there have been references to ‘us’ in previous teases. Alexa Bliss, who was aligned with Bray Wyatt has been speculated by fans to be part of this angle. Erick Redbeard’s recently signed contract that has kept him from competing on the indies has also led to the belief he could be involved. 

Triple H presented Awesome Truth with the new WWE World Tag Team Championships during the 4/15 episode of WWE RAW. This was a historic moment in front of a frenzied Montreal crowd.

Awesome Truth won the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 40. Two weeks later, the company did away with those titles and replaced them with totally new belts.

WWE is in a new era, and that has brought many changes. The Undisputed Tag Team Championships were split during WrestleMania 40, and now the RAW Tag Team Titles are no more. In their place, Triple H introduced new titles.

Crowning New Champions on 4/15 WWE RAW

Triple H made his way out during RAW this week and the Montreal crowd was pumped to see him. Then the camera revealed that the ring was done up in its red carpet look, with something covered on a podium in the center.

It did not take long for Triple H’s promo to get directed toward the new RAW Tag Team Champions. Then Awesome Truth made their way to the ring. Triple H revealed that Awesome Truth are no longer RAW Tag Team Champions. They are now the World Tag Team Champions, and that came with new titles.

When The Game revealed Awesome Truth’s new titles, R-Truth flipped out and thought it was an amazing magic trick. Then he mistook Triple H for Tommaso Ciampa once again.

WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!

Paul @TripleH Levesque just revealed the brand new World Tag Team Championship for @RonKillings & @mikethemiz on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/L6LBAO9v3m

— WWE (@WWE) April 16, 2024

Triple H left, but not before taking Awesome Truth’s old titles and putting the new ones around their shoulders. As R-Truth and The Miz raised their new titles up, fans cheered the new belts.

After the new WWE World Tag Team Titles were given to Awesome Truth, they held a triple threat tag team match to decide a new #1 contender. Team DIY, Creed Brothers, and The New Day. In the end, Team #DIY won the match, so they will face Awesome Truth for the new World Tag Team Titles first. That might get confusing for R-Truth, because he thinks they are Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

WWEShop already has the new World Tag Team Champions replica belts available for pre-order here: