Ronda Rousey’s days as a WWE Superstar are over, but she’s making lots of news talking about her experiences with the company. Rousey has been ‘naming names’ of men in WWE who she feels helped perpetuate a dysfunctional work environment. 

During an appearance on News Nation to promote her new book, Rousey said she was shocked when WWE trainer walked by her at the Performance Center and pulled on the string of her sweatpants.

“But this guy grabs the string of my sweatpants and nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal and he starts going down the hall and I was like, ‘What the f*** was that?’ Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing here next to me would you feel comfortable like walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants? 

“If this guy is coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there’s other people around like what’s happening to these other girls when it’s not in a hallway.”

Rousey came to the realization that this was in fact Gulak and she did approach him later on about the alleged incident.

“I went and confronted him later and I was like, ‘If I ever hear about you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything liek this to me ever again … we’re gonna have a problem. And he was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me.’ He really like back-pedaled.”

Rousey said that the situation really put a bad taste in her mouth about how the mentality was backstage at WWE.

Drew Gulak Calls it a “Complete Accident”

After Rousey’s allegation made the airwaves, Gulak took to social media to state his side of the story, claiming that the pulling of her sweatpants string was a missed handshake.

“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Rousey has accused several WWE executives of inappropriate conduct in recent months, including Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. 

In a stunning development, the former UFC & WWE champion says she was not surprised by any of the horrific allegations laid out by Janel Grant in her lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and others. She’s convinced that other women in the company feel the same way she does, but they’re being “held hostage” and do not speak up because they fear repercussions l. 

Could Cody Rhodes have finished his story back in AEW? ‘The American Nightmare’ cleared the air as to if there were any inkling of him going back to AEW before he signed a new contract with WWE.

Joining Ariel Helwani this week on the MMA Hour, Cody Rhodes was asked several questions about his old company AEW before getting into the WrestleMania talk. One of the follows had Helwani asking him if he gave any consideration of going back to AEW while in talks for a new contract with WWE.

“No and it’s not in any way a negative towards them. I know I didn’t win the title at WrestleMania 39, but I was in the spot I always dreamed of, and I know how lucky I am to be in this spot.”

Rhodes said when he sees poster along him amongst all the major stars, plus being on the WWE 2K24 cover was all very validating.

“They didn’t hand me the exact ball and said, ‘Hey, you’re the quarterback,’ but they certainly gave me a lot of responsibility, that being Nick, that being Hunter, I feel that would have been against my being because I was slotted there.”

Rhodes said he thinks he’d be doing a disservice to Khan and Triple H if he were to go against that trust they put on him. He reiterated that isn’t a slight against any other company, that was just his mindset. 

Please credit the MMA Hour and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Steve Austin still holds one of his WrestleMania matches in the highest regard, and it didn’t happen to have the WWE Title at stake. During an interview with Justin Barrasso, Stone Cold named his classic match against Bret Hart from WrestleMania 13 as an all-time favorite.

“If it wasn’t for Bret Hart, I don’t know that I would be having this interview right now,” said Austin. “My feud with Bret changed everything.”

Two years ago, Hart claimed that him and Austin clashing at WrestleMania 13 were like “two asteroids hitting at the right time.”

“The match with Steve, that’s the greatest song I ever sang. When I watch it back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I still love seeing that spot where I’m punching the daylights out of Steve in the corner and he kicks me in the groin. It was a beautiful, violent piece of art. Working with Steve was easy, it was fun, and it was memorable.”

Austin talked about how he and Hart delivered on arguably the greatest double-turn ever executed in pro wrestling and that was due in great part to what both men did in the ring that evening.

Stone Cold & The Hitman

After 19 years, Austin finally returned to in-ring action at WrestleMania 38 in Los Angeles. He faced Kevin Owens and came out victorious. Steve has some fond memories of that, but it still won’t shake off his number one with Bret.

‘I have a lot of fond memories of WrestleMania, but whenever I have to pick one, it’s always going to WrestleMania 13 with Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.”

Chelsea Green is instantly recognizable to WWE fans all over the world, but the staff at a New York hotel mistook her for an ‘unwelcome guest’ earlier this week.

The former Women’s Tag Team Champion was in Brooklyn for Monday’s WWE Raw from the Barclays Center, which set several business records including the highest-grossing live gate in the show’s 20+ year history. The following night, things were less-than-celebratory.

She shared her ‘Pretty Woman’ moment with her followers on social media and is keeping a good attitude about the misunderstanding:

Man… one night you’re wrestling at Barclays Center, having the time of your life and the next you’re being kicked out of @FairmontHotels and accused of being an escort because of your outfit???
Life is funny! Maybe next year I won’t celebrate Wrestlemania weekend at The Plaza… pic.twitter.com/U2oDSOfMj7

— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) April 3, 2024

Green has been one of the most entertaining personalities on the WWE roster since her return to the company in January 2023 . She was part of a wave of Superstars who were released the prior year, but were brought back after Triple H assumed greater influence amid Vince McMahon’s departure. 

Green is not currently scheduled to compete at WrestleMania this weekend, but she’s proven to be a bankable act for WWE and should be featured prominently again when the company ‘reshuffles the deck’ after the biggest weekend of the year.

Two Superstars have taken one step closer to being crowned the first-ever WWE Speed Champion with the launch of the new venture on Twitter/X.

The very first match in the history of WWE Speed was fittingly between two of the promotion’s fastest Superstars: Ricochet and the LWO’s Dragon Lee. The match was understandably action-packed. With just three seconds left on the clock, Ricochet got the pin-fall victory after hitting the Recoil.

WWE Speed: Ricochet vs. Dragon Lee

WWE SPEED IS HERE!@KingRicochet battles @dragonlee95 in an intense match in the series premiere of #WWESpeed! https://t.co/y9M9UIxrQv

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2024

WWE Speed: Bronson Reed vs. Cedric Alexander

The second-ever WWE Speed match saw a battle of styles as the colossal ‘Big’ Bronson Reed faced the athletic Cedric Alexander. Reed advanced to the next round of the tournament with 1:09 remaining on the clock. 

"Big" @BRONSONISHERE and @CedricAlexander go head-to-head in their #WWESpeed debut.

Who will take their first step toward becoming WWE Speed Champion? pic.twitter.com/yoOOPTrq1W

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2024

What is WWE Speed?

WWE Speed is a new limited social media series, with original matches premiering exclusively on X.  A tournament has been set up with Superstars competing in three-minute matches to advance. The winner will be awarded the prestigious and coveted WWE Speed Championship:

WWE has dabbled in the world of social media-exclusive matches in the past. The company hosted two seasons of Mixed Match Challenge in 2018, won by Team Awe-ska (The Miz & Asuka) and The Fabulous Truth (Carmella and R-Truth.)

WWE Speed matches were first filmed at the December 15, 2023, episode of WWE SmackDown. While Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick recorded commentary at the time, only Graves could be heard during these matches as Patrick was released from WWE in January 2024. 

Due to the matches recorded in December, we can confirm that Axiom’s tag-team partner Nathan Frazer is also going to be a part of WWE Speed. 

The next WWE Speed match will take place next week and see The Judgment Day’s JD McDonagh take on WWE NXT’s Axiom. 

Leati Joe Anoa’I would have never become the dominant Roman Reigns in WWE had his football career not come to a premature end, the Tribal Chief has claimed. 

Years before he entered the ring, Reigns played football and made it to both the NFL and the CFL (Canadian Football League.) Speaking to ESPN, Reigns admitted that had his football career not ended, he doesn’t believe he would have tried for pro wrestling. Reigns added that he wanted to be an athlete fans could look up to just as he had looked up to others.

“I wanted to have an impact on young men. I wanted to be the way Emmitt Smith and Michael Jordan and Joe Montana and the stars of when I was a child, the way they made me feel. I wanted to make other young athletes feel that way.

“But no matter what, it was either you’re going to be a wrestler, or you’re going to be a football player.”

Roman Reigns in Football

Reigns played for Pensacola Catholic High School and later at Escambia High School. He would go on to play for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. In 2007, he was signed to the Minnesota Vikings but was diagnosed with leukemia and swiftly released. 

After the Vikings, Reigns signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was released less than a week into his deal. In 2008, he played for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL and played a handful of games before his release in November 2009. He proceeded to retire from professional football.

The Bloodline & Football

Reigns is hardly the only member of his family to have stepped foot on the gridiron. The Rock played college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes and later played for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. He was cut from the team two months into the 1995 season. 

Like Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso played football at Escambia High School in Pensacola before becoming linebackers for the University of West Alabama. Jimmy played for the 2003 season while Jey played from 2003 to 2005. 

The Rock is making waves all over the pro wrestling world. He’s even doing enough that it can drive someone like MJF, who’s been mostly silent during his hiatus, out of his social media dormancy. 

WrestleMania 40 will see The Rock and Roman Reigns team up to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. In the build to that big match, Dwayne Johnson made The American Nightmare bleed, and that moment inspired some art.

MJF’s ex is a very talented artist, and she drew the attention of The Rock. Now, MJF is speaking up about the situation, and he’s not ecstatic about the idea of The Great One hitting up his ex on social media, especially after The Rock jacked his idea to whip Cody Rhodes. 

The Rock and MJF cross paths

The Rock is back, and he’s the ultimate heel as well. It appears that he might also be after MJF’s ex-girlfriend. This led to an experience on Twitter/X that we didn’t see coming.

MJF’s ex-fiancée, Naomi Rosenblum, is a pretty impressive artist. Her paintings have gone viral a few times, and a recent photo caught The Rock’s attention. She did a new work of art in the likeness of The Rock holding Cody Rhodes’ bloody face to the camera.

Rhodes and MJF’s history is well-known, so fans certainly noticed this interesting connection between The Rock and the former AEW World Champion.

The Rock replied to Rosenblum, complimented her artistic abilities and offered to purchase it as a gift for a ‘special’ mom he knows.

Love this.
What an artistic convergence of emotions ????
I’d like to buy this from you, my team will be in touch. I know a special mom who I’m going to gift this to…. #MamaRhodes
– Final Boss https://t.co/eSA5tyamgl

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 3, 2024

MJF Tells The Rock to Back Off

MJF wasted no time in replying to this tweet from the People’s Champion. He accused The Rock of stealing his “glorious idea” to whip Cody Rhodes with a belt He respects final Boss, but asked for him to back off. 

First you steal my glorious idea to lash Cody.

Now you try to cop art from my ex.

I’m a fan.

But please Leave me be, Dewey. https://t.co/b8XHLmDe2w

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) April 3, 2024

Friedman is currently in a relationship with wrestling personality Alicia Atout. They recently celebrated one year together.

MJF is no longer listed as a member of the AEW roster on the company website, but he’s still under contract. Friedman was working through multiple injuries prior to losing the  AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End in December 2023.

The culture within WWE has received a big spotlight on it in recent memory. Although things like removing Vince McMahon from his position of power may have helped things, there was allegedly a culture infested in concerning workplace behavior.

Ronda Rousey revealed details about her WWE experience, including an incident with Drew Gulak where he allegedly inappropriately pulled the strings of her sweatpants backstage, prompting her to question the normalization of such behavior within the industry.

Rousey’s Accusations About Drew Gulak

Ronda Rousey spoke with NewsNation about her time in WWE. The former WWE Women’s Champion revealed details regarding an incident that allegedly occurred backstage involving Drew Gulak.

She detailed how Gulak inappropriately reached down to her sweatpants and pulled on her strings. Rousey’s account shed light on an uncomfortable encounter within the wrestling industry.

“This guy that I’m barely acquaintances with grabs the strings of my sweatpants while I’m walking by, and like, nobody, I wasn’t even looking at him, you know, I don’t know if I can swear on here, it’s a quote, but this guy grabs the strings of my sweatpants and nobody acts like this is abnormal, and he comes around, and I’m like, ‘what the f*ck was that?'”

“Like, why would you grab on the string of my sweatpants, like, if my husband was here, would you feel comfortable grabbing the sting of my sweatpants, but nobody around me acted like it was abnormal. I’m like, if this guy is coming up to me, and doing this to me, then what’s happening to these other girls when nobody’s around when it’s not in a hallway? So, that really put me on edge to like not only is this behavior prevalent, but it’s prevalent to the point where nobody thinks it’s a problem anymore.”

When asked who the wrestler was, Rousey drew a blank, but then she remembered it was Drew Gulak. Interestingly enough, they had the graphic of Gulak ready to go.

https://twitter.com/rondarouseyszn/status/1775360450781229432

Drew Gulak Responds

Drew Gulak has responded to the accusations against him. He recounted the event as a complete accident, and he claims he never meant to touch the string on her sweatpants.

Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Vince McMahon Accusations

Vince McMahon was accused of numerous heinous acts in the lawsuit from Janel Grant. He resigned from the company shortly after Slim Jim pulled their sponsorship for the 2024 Royal Rumble event. The company returned to sponsor The Rumble after Vince resigned.

John Laurinaitis was also named in Grant’s lawsuit. Rousey previously buried him, calling Johnny Ace, a “60-year-old frat boy.” He has since claimed to be a victim in the situation.

As of this writing, Drew Gulak has not responded to Rousey’s accusations. We will keep our eye on this story for additional updates. Keep checking back with SEScoops throughout the day for more headlines!

Becky Lynch is happy to see Mercedes Mone doing her thing and having a good time in All Elite Wrestling. There’s no hard feelings over the former Sasha Banks jumping to AEW. In fact, Lynch says we could see them back in the ring together one day. She didn’t specify if that would take place in WWE or elsewhere.

Lynch is doing the media rounds this week to promote her championship match against Rhea Ripley this weekend at WrestleMania 40. During a chat with Shakiel Mahjouri for Shak Wrestling, she expressed excitement for her former rival.

“Good for her,” Lynch said of Mone in AEW. “Go on, do your thing and have a good time over there.”

She added, “Maybe one day, we’ll meet back in the ring.”

Becky Lynch on Mercedes Mone going to AEW pic.twitter.com/w6Z2ymvJyY

— aleena (@monebnks) April 2, 2024

Lynch and Mone have a fair share of history as they led the famous Women’s Revolution in WWE. They’ve faced each other in handful of matches, most prominently a Hell in A Cell match for the Raw Women’s title back in 2019. 

Sasha Banks left WWE in 2022. She reinvented herself as Mercedes Mone, achieved success wrestling in Japan before her recent arrival in AEW.

Lynch’s Future

Becky Lynch’s star has steadily risen over the past several years. She’s cemented herself as one of the top sports entertainers in the world, which puts her in a great position for when her WWE contract expires in the next few months. She could test the waters of free agency.

WWE has been her home, but Tony Khan has shown he’s more than willing to shell out huge money to lure stars like Adam Copeland, Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada to AEW. They’re all making millions working a schedule that requires far less time on the road than WWE requires. 

Becky Lynch has “done it all” in WWE, but she will soon have a chance to explore other options.

• Mercedes Mone teases inviting Becky to AEW

Former WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey is far from surprised by the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against ex-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. 

Janel Grant’s daming lawsuit against WWE and its former chairman alleges that she was a sexual slave during her time and was trafficked by McMahon to various men in the company. McMahon has denied all wrongdoing and claims the lawsuit is rife with fabrications.

Ronda Rousey on Vince McMahon

In her new memoir Our Fight, Rousey doesn’t hold back in her feelings about Vince McMahon, even comparing him to Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine. Rousey has also spoken out against former McMahon-ally John Laurinaitis, who she claims acted like a frat boy in WWE.

Sitting down with News Nation, Rousey was asked about McMahon and his exit from WWE. The former Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion made clear she wasn’t taken aback by the lawsuit. 

“It’s not surprising… the reason why nobody else is speaking out is because they know that there will be negative repercussions if they say anything about the company that the company doesn’t like. Everybody is being held hostage.”

Rousey added that her situation is different as with no plans to return unless major changes are made to WWE, she can be more expressive about the promotion.

“I don’t really care if they have me back or not. I can wrestle wherever I want to wrestle and the truth should be told.” 

What Have WWE Superstars Said?

After McMahon’s resignation, Triple H said he had not read Janel Grant’s lawsuit when asked about the matter during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press event.

At the same Royal Rumble 2024 press conference, Cody Rhodes called the McMahon situation a dark cloud over WWE.

Seth Rollins was disgusted with what was claimed in the lawsuit. The World Heavyweight Champion has said if the claims are true, he hopes everyone gets what they deserve.

John Cena has taken a different approach. Cena has made clear he still loves McMahon, despite what has happened. While Cena did speak of the importance of accountability, his comments did spark controversy for how glowing he was of the ex-chairman.

Becky Lynch has said that she does not recognize the McMahon discussed in the lawsuit. The Man has said her interactions with Vince in WWE were almost all positive. 

Mick Foley has been impressed by The Rock’s return to WWE as it would’ve been easy for him to have stuck with his popular, if not predictable, face persona. 

After the fans rejected The Rock trying to be in the Undisputed WWE Universal title picture over Cody Rhodes, WWE corrected course, turning The Rock heel in the process. On the March 25, episode of WWE Raw, The Rock delivered an emphatic beatdown on Rhodes, leaving him in a pool of blood outside Chicago’s All-State Arena. 

Mick Foley on The Rock

In a video shared on YouTube, Foley watched in amazement as The Rock delivered his beatdown to Cody Rhodes. Speaking after watching the end of Raw, Foley noted how easy it would’ve been for the Final Boss to have avoided the risk of this heel turn. 

“I like that other side of The Rock. It would have been really easy for him to just lean back into what was comfortable. That’s like an EasyChair for The Rock right? Like a great Barcalounger because he knows that character so well.

“To sort of put a twist on it, come out with a harder edge, a little blood in the right place never heard anybody. I think it was really good and only is going to pique interest. It certainly piqued mine.”

Mick Foley & The Rock

Foley certainly knows all about what’s it like to be on the receiving end of a beatdown from The Rock. At the 1999 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, The Rock beat Foley in an I-Quit match, though Foley would not actually utter the two words (a recording was played instead.) The match is infamous for the beatdown Foley took which was documented in the film Beyond The Mat. To this day, questions remain as to whether The Rock (who did not visit Foley in the hospital after the match) went too far. 

What’s Next for The Rock? 

The Rock will make his return to the ring at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday to team with Roman Reigns to face Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Those in WWE are of the opinion that this will not be The Rock’s final match and many remain hopeful that a match between The Rock and Reigns will happen one day. 

One fan will have a lifetime story to tell with The Rock and he’ll have the ink to prove it.

Last week,’The Final Boss’ was in Target promoting his new skin care brand and a fan by the name of Ruben Rodriguez made an offer to him if Rocky would autograph his arm, he’d get the signature and the original “brahma bull” tattooed underneath it. Sure enough, the fan did just that. Not only that, but Ruben shot his shot at one more potential opportunity.

“Saw The Rock at Target last Friday! Childhood hero of mine! I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life & I got to experience it w/my daughter. I told Rock that if he signed my arm, I would get it tatted & I’m a man of my word. Hook us up w/Wrestlemania Tickets.”

Saw @TheRock at Target last Friday! Childhood hero of mine! I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life & I got to experience it w/my daughter. I told Rock that if he signed my arm, I would get it tatted & I’m a man of my word. Hook us up w/Wrestlemania Tickets ? #IfYaSmell pic.twitter.com/5FW8rkLQqh

— Ruben Rodriguez (@RubenRod24) March 31, 2024

The Rock Is A Man Of His Word

Amazingly, The Rock caught wind of Rodriguez’s post and applauded him for delivering on his promise. In turn, The Rock has big plans this weekend for Rodriguez and his daughter.

“Dude holy s*** you did it!! That’s the authentic real deal signature & bull right there!  Looks amazing! You’re a man of your word, and so is the Final Boss… Pack your bags – because you and your daughter are coming to WWE WrestleMania. Your tickets, flight, hotel, transportation and food – are all on me! My team will be reaching out. See you in Philly brother. – Final Boss”

The Rock must have felt bad for making the young Cody Rhodes fan cry so ‘The Final Boss’ sure paid it forward with this move.

WWE brought the final episode of NXT before Saturday’s PLE. During the broadcast, fans saw even more added to the upcoming premium live event.

NXT: Stand & Deliver 2024 goes down this Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, just hours before WrestleMania Saturday kicks off. This week’s go-home edition of NXT saw several changes to the card:

• The NXT Tag Team Champions now have challengers
• Ava added a big six-woman tag team match
• Joe Gacy vs Shawn Spears was added as the kickoff show match

Axiom & Nathan Frazer secured their spot to challenge Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin for the NXT Tag Team Championship by defeating LWO’s Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro and the duo of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Corbin & Breakker came out next to directly confront their upcoming opponents. That wasn’t the only match that they booked.

After Ava had enough of Jacy Jayne’s feud with Thea Hail, the daughter of WWE’s ‘Final Boss’ finally booked a six-woman tag team match at NXT Stand & Deliver. Now, it will be Thea Hail, Fallon Henley, and Kelani Jordan taking on Jacy Jayne, Kiana James, and Izzi Dame.

Joe Gacy and Shawn Spears’ feud continued this week, and now the two have a match at Stand & Deliver. The two will light up on the card as part of the kickoff show.

Carmelo Hayes vs Trick Williams will headline the show. Although they are not battling for the title, the two received a huge focus from Shawn Michaels’ booking, and the results have showed with the way fans have responded.

Ilja Dragunov and Tony D’Angelo will collide with the NXT Title on the line. The build for that match has felt like more of a Sopranos episode, with moments of ominous dialogue-filled tension.

Oba Femi will also put his North American Title reign to the test as he defends against both Josh Briggs and Dijak. Femi, who won the last Breakout Tournament, has a lot of eyes on him within the company.

Roxanne Perez is a heel now, and she’s taking on Lyra Valkyria for the NXT Women’s Title. Perez has a lot to prove, but so does Valkyria as she continues the reign that was started when she defeated Becky Lynch for the title.

WWE NXT: Stand & Deliver Card:

Make sure to watch this match at NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 6, streaming live at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else. You may check out the card below.

• Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Tony D’Angelo: Singles match for the NXT Championship (Stipulation: Singles match for the NXT Championship)
• Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker (c) vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom: Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship (Stipulation: Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship)
• Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Roxanne Perez: Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship (Stipulation: Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship)
• Oba Femi (c) vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs: Triple threat match for the NXT North American Championship (Stipulation: Triple threat match for the NXT North American Championship)
• Thea Hail, Fallon Henley, and Kelani Jordan vs. Jacy Jayne, Kiana James, and Izzi Dame: Six-woman tag team match (Stipulation: Six-woman tag team match)
• Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams: Singles match (Stipulation: Singles match)
• Shawn Spears vs Joe Gacy (Kickoff Show Match)

SEScoops will have full coverage of NXT: Stand & Deliver. We will also have all the updates you need from WrestleMania 40 weekend. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines!

WrestleMania will be here before we know it, and a stage proper enough to house the show of shows needs some time for construction. Now, we have an early look at WWE’s plans.

A photo showing the WrestleMania set in Lincoln Financial Field in Philly hit social media. It gives fans a teaser at what the company has in store for them when the show goes live on April 6 and 7th.

First Look At WrestleMania 40 Set

The 40th annual WrestleMania and will take place as a two-night event on April 6 and 7, 2024, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We are a week away from the big event, and they are already building the stage.

So far, we only have one image of the WrestleMania 40 set. It looks like they are going to go big for the grandest show of them all this year.

They have a big WrestleMania logo on top of the stage. Some fans have expressed a bit of disappointment by the design, although the stage is only partly constructed at this point. We can only imagine how it will look once every light on the entrance is turned on.

The new leak of the WRESTLEMANIA XL stage…

It's kinda disappointing when compared to last year's. pic.twitter.com/X9uUiCQ9Zl

— EliteRockerz ? (@EliteClubS0B) March 30, 2024

New Photo Emerges

The WrestleMania set is almost complete at this point. The company is working hard to complete things, and they will certainly have things prepared for their big reveal on Thursday.

Best view of the WrestleMania 40 STAGE Setup!#WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL pic.twitter.com/esbRDUN4V0

— Rajput Ankit ? (Triple W ERA) (@ankit_wfn) April 2, 2024

WrestleMania 40 Set Reveal Plans

The actual WrestleMania 40 set reveal will go down on April 4. That will undoubtably be blasted all over the company’s social media profiles. SEScoops will have full coverage of the story whenever that news breaks.

Keep checking back throughout the day for the biggest headlines. You never know what will break next as we round the corner for WrestleMania 40. 

Along with Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman is getting comparisions to the legendary pairing of Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby Heenan, but ‘The Wiseman’ doesn’t want to hear any of that.

Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Heyman was asked what he thought about being in that echelon of superstar and manager. Instead of comparing Heyman stated that he’d like to “set the standard” with Reigns so others will be looking at them as the measuring stick.

Heyman went on to talk about his admiration for Bockwinkel, noting that he left WCW just before Nick arrived. However, Paul did recall when their paths briefly crossed all the way back in Verne Gagne’s AWA.

Nick Bockwinkel was on commentary for the broadcast on ESPN and Heyman decided to take the initiative.

“I walked over to the commentary position and said, ‘I know why Greg Gagne gets to commentate on ESPN, but exactly who are you related to?’ It was an off-script, impromptu line.”

After the show, Heyman was approached by Bockwinkel, who told the young mananger what he thought of that move.

“Nick came up to me and said, ‘Young man, it took a lot of balls to challenge my position that way.’ I thought he was really pissed. I said, ‘Yes, sir. Seizing the moment, sir.’ And Nick looked at me and said, ‘I admire the gumption it took to do it.’ And then he walked away. I figured if he walked away without slapping me, it was a victory.”

Bockwinkel never made it to the WWE, but he was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2007 as his star really shined in the AWA as a heel champion, feuding with Hulk Hogan and Verne Gagne.

WWE has many talented Superstars of tomorrow in NXT. The thought of Roxanne Perez becoming a big deal on the main roster only seems logical, but there is a process to everything.

Roxanne Perez is back in contention for the NXT Women’s Championship with a new heel persona. While fans clamor for her promotion to the main roster, conflicting opinions within NXT are present regarding the matter.

Current Main Roster Call-Up Situation For Perez

Roxanne Perez is #1 contender for the NXT Women’s Championship once again as she gears up to vie for the title at NXT Stand And Deliver this Friday against Lyra Valkyria. The big question is still out there about her main roster future.

Corey Brennan of Fightful Select has reported various insights within the company regarding Perez’s future within WWE. Amidst fan requests for her main roster call-up, it’s not that simple.

Brennan is told that Perez has impressed major officials in each of her main roster appearances and her callup was described as “only a matter of time.”

That being said, some in NXT would like to see Perez stick around on the brand for the time being to allow her to continue developing her new heel character, which is said to have blown away officials, with some pushing for a Perez title win at Friday’s Premium Live Event.

NXT insiders have refuted the notion that Perez is being slotted into Cora Jade’s former spot, clarifying that plans for Perez’s character arc were distinct from Jade’s circumstances.

Roxanne Perez on the WWE Main Roster So Far

The Prodigy has made notable appearances on the main roster already, particularly in two consecutive Royal Rumble matches in 2023 and 2024. She caught the eye of WWE officails with those appearances as well.

At 22-years-old, Roxanne Perez has plenty of time to make her way to the WWE main roster. They can’t rush the process, but it seems she may have something to take care of in NXT first. The result of her Stand & Deliver match will certainly shed more light on that.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines!

Peter Rosenberg will be involved with WrestleMania once again this year, but the tenured NYC radio host should have some additional duties on tap for Philadelphia.

Last year at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles Rosenberg had the opportunity to give fans an in-depth point-of-view tour of how the backstage area and the stage was laid out for LA’s SoFi Stadium. Rosenberg also was apart of the pre-show but he hinted to SEScoops that he may be apart of some additional duties this year as well.

However, it’s been an interesting road for Rosenberg to find his way into WrestleMania and WWE. He first was given full access backstage to WrestleMania 32 in 2016 by Jonathan Coachman, where basically shadowed the former ESPN personality. That is where he met Chris Chambers, former WWE VP of Television Strategy.

“He has a really illustrious career. He just recently retired and is just a tremendous guy and he was the first person who sort of heard me talk, heard my passion, heard the other places that I was working… 

“It was kind of like, you know, to kind of see ‘how you could be useful here,’ you know? And he was like, ‘Do me a favor, reach out to me, you know, when you get back.”

At first, Peter didn’t hear back, but followed up and the gears got into motion. Soon enough he was with Sam Roberts hosting a new show, Bring It To The Table that also featured Corey Graves and JBL.

Now being involved with the company for nearly a decade, Rosenberg still doesn’t look at it as work.

“‘Work’ is probably not the right way to put it. It’s a reprieve for me. It’s something I truly look forward to doing.”

Peter Rosenberg Thinks Seth Rollins Is A-Okay In How He’s Positioned For WrestleMania

Peter Rosenberg will not be the only one pulling double duty at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins, like Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, will be in two matches over the weekend. 

Rosenberg was asked about his thoughts on the incorporation of The Rock as “The Final Boss” a persona he was initially adverse to, but got more invested when realizing he was being heeled by the moniker. 

He believes The Rock is such a big name that his brand takes up a lot of space. Ds The Rock, Roman and Cody give Seth Rollins an “odd man out” vibe? An argument could be made for Seth, but Rosenberg feels that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is still in a very good position.

“It’s okay. Like, okay – Seth is playing second fiddle slightly to Cody Rhodes, who’s having the hottest moment of his career, [and] in my opinion, is the most over babyface in maybe 20 years. The Rock was one of the greatest of all time and is back in a real way for the first time in forever and Roman Reigns, who’s on a historic Hogan like title run. Like let’s not act as if being the fourth player in that story is some horrible thing. I mean, not everyone can be ‘1’ and ‘1A’ 

“Seth is still I think is still in an incredible spot for Seth, and I think he’s doing great and guess what? I think the story is going to end up being told for him too.”

Before WrestleMania 40 officially fires off on Saturday and Sunday, Rosenberg will host “The Michael Kay Show” live at WrestleMania World on Thursday, April 4 from 3 to 6:30 PM ET. Then, later on that evening he will do a live show of his wrestling podcast, “Cheap Heat” at the Fringe Arts also in Philadelphia. You can tune into our full interview with Rosenberg below.

Please credit SESCoops for the interview and transcription.

CM Punk is known for creating controversy, and it’s a label he wore with pride for a majority of his career. That attitude led to falling out of friendship with a few people, but we are happy to report that things are okay between Punk and Corey Graves now.

Although there was some animosity between Corey Graves and CM Punk for several years, things are okay now. Punk shut out so many of his old WWE friends, and Graves was in that group. Now, things are much better after they mended their broken friendship.

Graves and Punk Patch Things Up

While speaking to the Wrestle Binge podcast, Corey Graves explained that he patched things up with CM Punk on the day of the Royal Rumble event. The two came to a real understanding, and Graves said it feels good to have that friendship back.

“So the day of the Royal Rumble, at Tropicana Field, I actually got to pull him aside for a few minutes, and we cleared the air. Had a nice, long chat. We got apologizes for some things over the years and realized that this is where we both belong, this is where we both want to be, and it’s been a really exciting time for me personally to be able to rekindle a friendship that meant so much to me over the years.”

CM Punk and Corey Graves’ Falling Out

Punk and Graves have known each other for over 20 years. They were once close friends and occasional colleagues in the wrestling ring. Despite not facing each other in WWE due to Graves’ career ending in NXT and Punk’s departure from the company in 2014, they bonded on several things outside pro wrestling.

Despite their previous friendship, Punk cut ties with Graves and other WWE associates after leaving the company, seemingly due to their continued employment there. Graves, in turn, publicly expressed his disappointment and sense of betrayal through Twitter posts following Punk’s departure and subsequent legal victories against WWE.

Now, it’s all water under the bridge for CM Punk and Corey Graves. The Second City Savior has needed to bury a few hatchets since returning to WWE, and things seem to be okay between the two now.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so many more, in the pro wrestling world if we get any additional information. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines!

Endeavor, the parent company of TKO Group Holdings/WWE is to be taken private and will see all shares acquired by private equity firm Silver Lake. 

As part of the deal, Endeavor stockholders will receive $27.50 per share in cash, representing a premium of 55% to the closing price of $17.72. This number was before Silver Lake said in October 2023 that they were working on a proposal to take the company private. 

What This Means for TKO

Endeavor has said that it would not consider a sale of its majority interest in TKO Group Holdings, which consists of both WWE and the UFC. TKO is not party to this transaction and will remain a publicly traded company, the companies said on Tuesday.

While TKO is not expected to be directly involved with this move, the company is seeing a benefit from the change. After news of Endeavor’s privatization was announced, stock in the WWE company rose significantly. It had been trading at $86.66 a share before the news broke and rose to $90.78 a share within 90 minutes of the announcement. 

TKO Group Holdings

TKO was officially launched in September 2023. It was announced back in April 2023 that Endeavor was to acquire WWE as part of a historic $9.3 billion deal. The merger of WWE and UFC into TKO did not come without casualties as over 100 employees were let go last year in efforts to synchronize the two sports promotions. WWE would host its first wave of talent releases post-TKO launch that same month. 

WrestleMania usually attracts celebrities from outside the usual pro wrestling bubble. This year’s big event in Philly will be no different.

WWE’s WrestleMania 40 event will go down on April 6 and 7 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. It appears that the company is interested in bringing in some NFL representation for the show of shows.

WWE has reached out to recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce for a potential appearance at WrestleMania. His NFL star brother Travis Kelce also received an invitation.

WWE Contacted Kelce

According to Fightful Select, WWE has initiated contact with numerous celebrities in anticipation of WrestleMania.

WWE has approached recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce regarding a potential appearance at WrestleMania 40. Kelce, is very popular, particularly in Philadelphia. He also spent the past decade playing in Lincoln Financial Field.

Jason Kelce played 13 seasons in the NFL, and in every one of them, he was the starting center for the Eagles. At 36 years old, Kelce also co-hosts a successful podcast alongside his brother Travis. 

Other Celebrities at WrestleMania 40

Lil Wayne was on RAW this week, where he confirmed that he will be at WrestleMania 40. Weezy will debut a new single, and since Tha Carter VI is coming soon, that could draw some mainstream attention.

Drew Barrymore will also be at Mania. That will be a real treat for some fans, but you also never know who will show up in Philly at the show of shows. After all, The Rock has an extensive contact list as well.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more, as we continue monitoring every development concerning WrestleMania 40. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines!

CM Punk’s new interview with Ariel Helwani is certainly chock full of newsworthy topics as ‘The Best In The World’ addressed quite a bit in the conversation, including Hangman Page.

Punk was discussing his non-relationship with his former close friend, Colt Cabana, and mentioned that they only very briefly had an interaction while in AEW before Punk told him to go through his lawyer if he ever wants to speak to him again. That prompted Punk to mention how he believes Cabana was the crux for all that unfolded in AEW, including Page “going into business” for himself on AEW Dynamite. 

Page and Punk were building to their match for AEW Double Or Nothing and Hangman made inside reference to Punk alienating himself from people backstage. Punk told Helwani he sympathized with Page’s thoughts, but not in front of a packed arena.

“I applaud and I said this to Hangman, I was like, ‘Man, I get taking up for your friends, I get it. That’s commendable .I do that all the time right or wrong, I’ll stand up for my f***ing friends, but to f***ing go on national television and jeopardize a million dollar house that you ain’t ever drawn before. Now you’re disrespecting me and you’re disrespecting the business. This is my house. I drew that, not you,’ you know? And that’s egos. It is what it is.”

Punk covered plenty of ground in this revealing interview on WrestleMania week including his brief interaction with Vince McMahon, his thoughts on Tony Khan and much more.

Please credit MMA Hour and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair never went down at WWE WrestleMania VIII, and the Hulkster knows the reasons why.

It was always an obvious omission as to why Hogan never fought Flair, but speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Hogan said that their were several wheels turning as to why ‘The Immortal’ never faced ‘The Nature Boy.’

“Me and Flair had magic in the old WWF,” said Hogan. “But there was more than one agenda there. It wasn’t just that Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were going to be the guys driving the WWF train. I think Vince was thinking in multiples. We weren’t the only game in town. He got what he needed, then spread us apart.”

Although they wrestled one another at several house shows, the marquee match didn’t happen on the “grandest stage of them all.” From a visual perspective, Sports Illustrated notes that part of that reason was because Flair didn’t fit the bill of Hogan’s typical type of foe. Vince McMahon was lining up monsters for him to slay and Flair was of a different type of feather. Hogan, however, noted that he was always up for challengers of different wrestling styles.

“I always loved wrestling, and I liked the challenge of working with different guys. I loved wrestling The Rock. If you’re going to create magic, there is a formula, a feel, a timing, and a placement. That’s the ‘It Factor’–you need to be able to see it and feel it.”

Something else that was on the table was that WrestleMania VIII was going to be Hogan’s last with WWE. Instead, Hogan took on Sid Vicious and Flair battled Randy Savage.

WWE Superstars have a lot of power to influence others, and Joey Swoll wants them to do better, especially Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. The popular social media influencer, who boasts 7.5 million followers on TikTok, wants to teach them a lesson.

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller found themselves as the target for some very passionate fans. Joey Swoll unleashed his viral army on them, and things took a very drastic turn in a hurry.

How It Started

Joey Swoll has a strong online presence, and he does great work with his influencer status. He is known for showing off videos of people making a fool of themselves in public, most notably at the gym, and he then tells them off after the clip before saying they should “do better” and “mind your business.” He really is worth a follow, because he’s always trying to spread a positive message.

When Swoll saw a video of Grayson Waller and Austin Theory being real punks at the gym, he had to say something. In the video, the WWE duo berate someone for walking into their shot during a workout.

Swoll launched into one of his trademark videos, where he said that even WWE Superstars can get a piece of his stern teachings. It seems that Joey already tried to address this with Theory, and that led to Austin saying he wants to smack the sh*t out of the influencer. Swoll then said that Theory “doesn’t want this smoke.”

In the end, Swoll said that he would be happy to end Theory’s career. He told WWE to make it happen, and we’re really hoping something gets booked.

Anyone can get it, even a @WWE superstar. pic.twitter.com/czCBcWaZsF

— Joey Swoll (@TheJoeySwoll) April 2, 2024

Things Escalated Quickly

Grayson Waller’s notifications were apparently bombarded by replies from Joey Swoll’s fan base, even though Swoll’s beef was mostly with Austin Theory. The Swoll Army is passionate about wanting people to do better and mind their business, so they flooded Waller’s DMs with angry messages.

The Grayson Waller Effect host then proceeded to read a ton of those DMs before making a video, where he tore into Joey Swoll’s fans and the buff influencer.

A personal message for the Swoll Army @TheJoeySwoll pic.twitter.com/Sm68ewBZIb

— Grayson Waller (@GraysonWWE) April 2, 2024

The truth is that Waller and Theory are very good at internetting and using social media to drive home their obnoxious characters. So, there’s a very good chance that the video was staged. Either way, this resulted in an online feud that we didn’t know we needed until it happened.

Stay tuned to see if Joey Swoll has any comment. As of this writing, he has not responded to Grayson Waller burying his Swoll Army. SEScoops will have more updates on this story, and many more, so keep checking back.

The April 1, episode of WWE Raw served as a compelling go-home show before WrestleMania 40 but also had a segment that TNA fans may have found familiar. 

Raw saw the Superstars of the red brand try and build momentum ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40. The fifth-annual two-night WrestleMania will kick off on April 6 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. 

Drew McIntyre’s Funeral for CM Punk

On Monday Night Raw, Drew McIntyre was at a funeral home where he gave a eulogy mocking CM Punk’s ‘dead’ dream of headlining WrestleMania. McIntyre ridiculed Punk as an “out of shape has been” whose “fragile” body failed him in the Royal Rumble match (when Punk got injured) worse than when he was in the UFC. Not done there, McIntyre also gave a eulogy for Seth Rollins title reign that McIntyre hopes to finish at WrestleMania 40. 

A Familiar Venue

Funerals in wrestling are not uncommon and fans who watched Raw may have found this segment eerily familiar. As fans on social media pointed out, this funeral home featured on Raw has been used by TNA Wrestling in the past. The same location was used in 2005 when there was a funeral for Team 3-D, known to WWE fans as the Dudley Boyz. 

Years later, the same funeral home would be used for a segment in which the Aces & Eights faction was laid to rest. 

TNA Involvement in WWE

WWE is host to several ex-TNA names, both on-screen and working behind the scenes. In 2018, Jeremy Borash joined WWE and works with the NXT brand. His official role in the company is as Senior Director of Content and Development and he was specifically chosen to help produce the 2020 Boneyard match between AJ Styles and The Undertaker. 

Chris Park also works for WWE after spending years in TNA as Abyss. Park currently serves as a producer and appeared in a segment with fellow TNA alum AJ Styles on SmackDown in August 2020. 

WWE WrestleMania 40 is set to be chock-full of celebrities and fans can add Drew Barrymore’s name to the guest list for the upcoming Premium Live Event. 

Barrymore is expected by WWE to be in attendance at WrestleMania 40, per PWInsider. While most fans may not know about her connections to pro wrestling, she’s hosted several WWE Superstars on her daytime talkshow, including 16-time WWE World Champion John Cena and the New Day (on multiple occasions).

Celebrities at WrestleMania 40

Drew Barrymore won’t be the only notable name from outside the world of pro-wrestling that’ll be at WrestleMania 40. 

Rapper Lil Wayne will be in attendance for the event to debut a new single off his upcoming album The Carter VI.

Wayne made a surprise cameo backstage at the Barclays Center for the final Raw on the road to WM40.

BREAKING: @LilTunechi will be at #WrestleMania XL this weekend! pic.twitter.com/gvpjVgO7PH

— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2024

Rapper Meek Mill, who is from Philadelphia, will also be involved with WrestleMania. His song “Dreams and Nightmares” has become a Philly anthem. He will voice the opening video for WrestleMania 40. 

Expect to see many more celebrities and surprise appearances this weekend at WWE WrestleMania 40 from Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA. 

Stay tuned to SEScoops all week long for our wall-to-wall coverage of WrestleMania Week.