MVP’s time could be finally finished with WWE and so could another that has been with the company for a long time.
According to PWNexus on social media, both MVP and Tamina Snuka join Bobby Lashley in being off of WWE’s internal roster. MVP hasn’t been seen on WWE television in over 100 days as he last accompanied Omos to the ring for the Andre The Giant battle royal on the SmackDown before WrestleMania 40. As for Tamina, she’s been off WWE television for well over a year as she last battled Michin on an episode of WWE Main Event.
MVP may have reacted to the report, as he simply posted a “salute” emoji, possibly implying that he could be bidding farewell to WWE and later had a video noting that he was working out with his son and was in good spirits.
Since returning to WWE, MVP has mostly been in the manageriatl role, but would also wrestle from time to time. Along with Lashley, MVP was an intrical part of the notorious Hurt Business faction and his presence certainly helped to elevate ‘The All Mighty’ for a memorable WWE Championship run.
Tamina has been all over the WWE grid, but her most recent memorable run is arguably her tag partnership with Natalya. Nattie was greatly speculated to be leaving WWE in recent months, but she ultimately inked a new deal with WWE.
WWE star MVP has confirmed that he isn’t retired from in-ring competition, despite not competing in the squared circle for nearly two years.
The 50-year-old wrestler also revealed that he is going to go through stem cell therapy, which will prepare him for an in-ring return.
“I’m getting ready for my stem cell therapy trip to Mexico,” MVP wrote in a video post on Instagram. “Getting my body ready. I want to wrestle a bit more before I hang them up for good! What do you think?”
In the video, MPV revealed he got his heavy work out done for the day and was leaving the gym. The former WWE U.S. Champion revealed that he will be leaving for Mexico in two weeks to get his stem cell therapy done. He added that he’s looking forward to the procedure because his shoulders and knees have been “beat up pretty bad.”
“I haven’t officially retired yet,” MVP added. “I feel like I need a few more matches before I officially hang up my boots. I know I got a little bit in me. What do you guys think?”
MVP had issued the clarification that he wasn’t retired last year as well, and it seems like he is clear on not hanging up his boots yet.
The wrestler, who is also known as Montel Vontavious Porter, was last seen competing in the ring in a tag team match at the 18 July 2022 episode of Raw. He teamed up with Omos against The Street Profits, who won via DQ.
His last win in WWE was against Cedric Alexander on the 13 June edition of Raw on the same year. This was also MVP’s second-last match.
WrestleMania 40 is a loaded show, so they held the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the go-home SmackDown episode.
The 10th annual Andre the Giant Battle Royal was the first match on this week’s episode of SmackDown. The Wells Fargo Center was pumped to get things going. In the end, Bronson Reed won the big match to kick off WrestleMania weekend the right way from the big man from Australia.
Bronson Reed, Omos and Ricochet received special entrances, while all the other Superstars were in the ring already. Omos made his way to the ring last, and he had MVP with him.
Andrade, Ricochet, Chad Gable, Bronson Reed, Shinsuke Nakamura, Omos, Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, Ivar, Akira Tozawa, Otis, JD McDonagh, Apollo Crews, Veer, Sanga, Cameron Grimes, Kit Wilson, Elton Prince, Ashante Adonis, and Cedric Alexander were some of the participants in the match.
In the end, Bronson Reed and Ivar were the two final contestants. The two battled as fans chanted “meat.” Ivar missed a moonsault from the top rope, and then Reed nailed a rolling senton before clotheslining him over the top rope to secure the win.
Previous Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Winners
Bronson Reed’s name now joins a list of former winners, some of them are future WWE Hall of Famers.
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner list includes a few notable names. Sadly, the big win doesn’t always translate into a massive push. Past winners include: Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, Madcap Moss, and Bobby Lashley.
The wrestling world was out in force for the premiere of Dune: Part Two which stars none other than WWE’s animal Dave Batista.
Dune: Part Two is the sequel to 2021’s Dune. Both films are based on the 1965 novel of the same name from Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise. The films tell the story of Paul Atreides, whose noble family is thrust into war for ‘Spice’ the key to interstellar travel that can be found only on the dangerous sand planet Arrakis.
WWE & AEW at Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two sees Batista return as the villainous Glossue Rabban, a psychotic warrior and nephew of primary antagonist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. On Twitter, Titus O’Neil, a close friend of the Animal, shared a photo from the premiere in New York alongside Batista and MVP.
Had a great time at the @dunemovie premiere in New York. Super proud of my brother @davebautista and the entire Dune cast on a Spectacular Performance all around. Looking forward to more of what’s to come ?? @davebautista THANK YOU, LOVE YOU TO THE MOON!!! #DreamChaser indeed ? pic.twitter.com/UYFfcF6yIH
The two Dune films are just some of the massive blockbuster projects that Dave Batista has been attached to. After a series of roles, the former WWE World Champion had his breakout moment in 2014 as part of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The following year, he would go one-on-one with Daniel Craig’s James Bond as the villainous Mr. Hinx in Spectre. He once again shared the screen with Craig in 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and also starred in the 2023 psychological thriller Knock at the Cabin
Chris Jericho’s name captures attention whenever he makes a headline. In recent memory, some stories have come out about Chris Jericho that he may have wished stayed under the rug. This is likely one of those times he wishes an NDA was signed.
Chris Jericho Was Allegedly KO’ed On His Own Cruise Ship
Brian Last shared a tale during an episode of the Cornette’s Drive Thru podcast, recounting an incident where Jericho was knocked out on his own cruise. Sadly, he couldn’t go into a ton of details at the time, but Last promised listeners that he had a great story to tell.
“Man, there is a story I would love to tell, but i didn’t get permission, but him getting knocked out on his own cruise ship by someone he mouthed off to. It’s the most incredible f*cking story, but I can’t talk about that today.“
Now, we have a lot more information about what happened, including who allegedly knocked Chris Jericho out.
Chris Jericho leads a rock star lifestyle, and it’s not just a gimmick. It appears that, according to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, it was MVP who put Chris Jericho down for the count on his own cruise in 2020.
The incident took place during Chris Jericho’s Rock N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea – Part Deux: Second Wave, back in January 2020. During the cruise there was an altercation between Jericho and former WWE US and Tag Champion MVP, where heated words were exchanged that resulted in MVP knocking out Chris Jericho.
Another incident was reportedly confirmed by sources a year or two after the cruise. This time, the situation unfolded in a hotel lobby. During a heated exchange, Jericho quickly headed to the elevator, closing the door with a remark, “I don’t fight jobbers.”
The story that was told to me was that the two once again engaged in a heated exchange, which lead to Jericho “hurrying to the elevator, and as the door closed saying “I don’t fight jobbers.””
Nick Hausman stated on his Rumor and Innuendo podcast that Jericho, who spoke out against NDAs regarding the Brawl Out fiasco, may have skeletons in his own closet.
“There are issues with Chris behind the scenes, where I know a lot of people who were hurt by Chris and his actions. You know, it’s very uncomfortable to me to see him lauded like he is and only having the focus on that, because I do think there are a lot of questionable stories about Chris that will find their way out over time when people are ready to tell those stories, that will cast him in a very different light.”
“I mean, Harvey Weinstein won a lot of Oscars, Harvey Weinstein produced a lot of very popular films. Harvey Weinstein is now in jail … I’m not saying that is happening to Chris, but the narrative can quickly turn if you’re hiding a lot of skeletons in your closet.
Nick Hausman compared Chris Jericho to Harvey Weinstein
Later on, an online allegation surfaced about Jericho’s conduct with Kylie Rae. This behavior allegedly led to her requesting a release from AEW. Rae reacted to that accusatory post with a heart emoji.
Following the spread of the Nick Hausman clip, an X account revisited an overlooked tweet from an earlier time. The resurfaced tweet suggested a potential connection between Kylie Rae’s departure from AEW and Chris Jericho.
“So here’s the deal, you don’t quit the hottest fed going today (AEW) without reason. I have it from people in the know that Kylie was asked to go to Chris Jericho’s room. With the understanding that others would be there. When she got there it was just him. He made a pass at her (no other details are given) and she freaked out.”
Chris Jericho’s Future in AEW
Despite these allegations about Chris Jericho, he is still featured on AEW programming. He wrestled at Worlds End, although “NDA” and “Kylie Rae” chants were audible during the pay-per-view.
To remedy any chance of negative fan chants during the January 10th AEW Dynamite Homecoming episode in Daily’s Place, they let Fozzy’s “Judas” song play for the entire time Jericho was on camera.
Jericho and Sammy Guevara are set to battle Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Titles at AEW Battle of the Belts on January 13th.
UPDATE: MVP Responds
MVP has posted on X in response to this story about him knocking out Chris Jericho surfaced. He did not deny a single thing, as he only asked fans if they heard any good rumors lately.
Could WWE’s MVP be ready to take the Marvel Cinematic Universe by storm as the villainous Kang the Conqueror? The former champion is open to the idea.
This week, Marvel fired actor Jonathan Majors, who had portrayed Kang in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania and was set to reprise the role in future projects. Kang, a time traveler with many ‘variants’ bent on conquering all universes, was set to be the next big villain of the MCU following the destruction of Thanos in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Majors was fired after being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and Marvel has cut ties with him. With the future of Kang uncertain, fans have been left wondering who will step into the significant role should Marvel continue with its plans. On Twitter, MVP made it clear he’s open to the role.
While MVP is best known for his time in the ring, the former WWE U.S. Champion does have an acting credit to his name. MVP played Vernon Freedom in 2010’s MacGruber, a comedy starring Will Forte and Kristen Wiig which also featured Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, Big Show, Mark Henry, and Kane.
MVP has also performed music in the past and released his first hip-hop song titled “Holla to da World” featuring Dwayne Swayze in June 2011. On March 18, 2013, he released his second song entitled “Tokyo” while “Return of the Ronin”, which became MVP’s TNA theme, was released in January 2014.
Posted December 21st, 2023 in News, WWE. Tagged: MVP.
MVP has been working for some time to try and reunite the Hurt Business, but the veteran Superstar could soon be introducing a new faction.
Upon his return to WWE in 2020, it wasn’t long until MVP rallied his own group of Superstars, including Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin.
MVP would manage every member of the group to championship gold, with the Hurt Business having won the WWE Championship, United States Championship, Raw Tag Team Titles, and 24/7 Championship.
New Faction
While MVP has been able to win over Alexander and Benjamin with a Hurt Business reunion, Lashley has proven to be unresponsive, given that MVP betrayed him on the Raw after WrestleMania 38.
Taking to Instagram this week, MVP teased that he has been speaking business with some names backstage, including his current client Omos, and the Street Profits, and NXT’s Carmelo Hayes.
Of all the names in the photo above, perhaps the most interesting is Hayes, who is yet to be called up to WWE’s main roster.
That’s not for lack of trying, as Hayes has in the past suggested that his time with NXT is coming to an end, and he is said to be well-liked by WWE management.
Hayes was at RAW last night for a match against Akira Tozawa during the pre-Raw WWE Main Event tapings.
The Hurt Business was a fan-favorite group that mostly got over when there were no fans in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
First, MVP was the manager of Bobby Lashley before recruiting Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. Vince McMahon dissolved Hurt Business without a logical explanation, which upset those in the group and fans alike.
On Monday’s episode of Raw, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick brought up the Bobby Lashley incident, where he was fired at one point in storyline. The announcers noted that WWE official Adam Pearce was waiting on Lashley to respond to him. WWE cut to the backstage era, where Pearce was seen delivering a voicemail to Lashley to set up a meeting with him.
The Moment
MVP appeared and asked Pearce about Lashley, teasing a Hurt Business reunion in the process., but Pearce was unable to answer the question as he was approached by a referee who told him about an attack by The Bloodline.
MVP Confronting Adam Pearce about Bobby Lashley and some shit went down backstage. YOOOOO WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET THE HURT BUSINESS BACK.🔥🔥👀👀 #WWERAWpic.twitter.com/Tw72FFoFHl
Lashley has made it publicly known that he wants the group to get back together. While speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast in August, Lashley shared his vision about how they could reunite:
Omos is a far different kind of WWE Superstar to The Great Khali, at least according to his manager MVP.
At over seven-foot-three and weighing over 400lbs, it’s hardly surprising that fans have compared Omos to Khali, who was also seven-foot-three and tipped the scales at 420lbs.
Fans have often been critical of Khali’s wrestling ability, and on Twitter, MVP made the clear distinction between Omos, Khali and Giant Gonzalez, who was also limited in the ring due to his size.
I hope you people that foolishly compared @TheGiantOmos to Khali or Gonzalez step on a Lego, barefoot!!! At night. ?
In January 2019, Omos was signed to a contract and was part of a class of seven athletes to train at the Performance Center.
The former basketball player made his NXT debut at a July 2019 Live event, and would debut on the main roster in June 2020.
Aligning with AJ Styles in October that same year, the two would capture the Raw Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 37, in Omos’ first televised match and his seventh match ever.
After losing to Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 38, Omos would enlist the services of MVP, who manages him to this day.
What’s next for Omos?
Despite a loss to Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel, the future looks very bright for Omos.
At last year’s Survivor Series, the Nigerian Giant won The Rock 25th Anniversary Battle Royal, a celebration of the silver anniversary of the Brahma Bull’s WWE debut.
WWE higher-ups are said to be pleased with the improvements Omos has made since coming to the main roster, and it is believed that he is getting better the more matches he has.
WWE Superstar MVP risked facing the death penalty had he appeared at last night’s WWE Crown Jewel event.
Before the show went live, it was reported that MVP would not be at the event, which saw Braun Strowman defeat his client ‘the Nigerian Giant’ Omos.
MVP has been aligned with Omos since the Raw after WrestleMania 38, when he turned on Bobby Lashley.
Punishments
MVP did not attend WWE Crown Jewel 2022 due to the very serious issues his presence in Saudi Arabia would have brought.
Fightful Select reports that MVP didn’t make the show as he is a former Muslim, but now considers himself an atheist.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the renouncing of Islam by a Muslim is a serious offense and is punishable by death.
While there have been no confirmed executions for this reason since 2011, the possibility of extrajudicial executions still remains.
A Gallup poll taken in 2017 found that 19% of Saudis asked considered themselves non-religious while 5% call themselves atheists.
MVP changed his name from Alvin Antonio Burke Jr. to Hassan Hamin Assad after converting to Islam during a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping.
WWE’s Saudi Controversy
WWE held its first Saudi show in 2018 and the lucrative deal between the two remains a source of controversy.
Initially, the shows did not allow any women to appear, though that has since changed.
There were calls for WWE to cancel their 2018 Crown Jewel event in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly at the request of the Saudi royals.
In 2019, talent were delayed after that year’s Crown Jewel, which many believe was due to WWE cutting off the broadcast in Saudi Arabia, allegedly as the Saudi royals had not paid for the show.
An official statement explained the issue as “aircraft problems including mechanical issues,” and the flights were later allowed to leave.
There are some more details on the confrontation involving Chris Jericho and MVP.
It had been reported by Dave Meltzer that Jericho and MVP ran into each other at a hotel lobby following the May 18 episode of Dynamite. AEW was in the Houston area where MVP lives.
The story goes that Jericho and MVP had a falling out and the two got into a big argument that ended with Jericho telling MVP he doesn’t fight jobbers. This was said to have left MVP fuming in the hotel lobby.
Jericho & MVP Beef
Fightful has an update on the story involving Jericho and MVP. Jericho told Fightful the following:
“Nothing else to say. I don’t fight jobbers. Nuff said”.
Chris Jericho
Fightful also reached out to MVP, who said this:
“There was an exchange, but it didn’t go down like that”.
MVP
The update also noted that someone in AEW reached out to WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis about the ordeal. It was said that Laurinaitis wasn’t too concerned about the incident once he found out nothing got out of hand.
It appears the beef between Jericho and MVP stems from political disagreements. At one point, Jericho even blocked MVP on Twitter.
MVP has responded to reports going around about a hotel confrontation he had with Chris Jericho recently.
A report has begun circulating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter detailing a confrontation between Porter and Jericho at a Houston hotel from when All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was in town. MVP lives in Houston and was aware AEW would be passing through.
The pair ran into each other around 1a.m. while Jericho was speaking to Matt Hardy. This led to a heated argument, which apparently stems form a falling out they had 18 months prior.
Things never got physical, as Jericho at one point told Porter he doesn’t fight jobbers. This apparently enraged MVP. Now, MVP has taken to Twitter to address the report making the rounds.
MVP said that, although they got the story right, the details seem to be wrong.
Even when they get the story right, they get the details wrong. Gotta love the dirt sheets. 😏
MVP is currently working with WWE as an on-screen talent, alongside Omos as his manager. He did get into the ring at the Hell In A Cell premium event this past weekend, teaming with Omos in a handicap match against Bobby Lashley.
Lashley came out on top in the matchup when it was all said and done, despite the odds. MVP had previously been aligned with Lashley as his manager, standing by his side throughout his WWE Title run.
However, the ex-United States Champion turned on “The Almighty” shortly after WrestleMania 38, after MVP felt that Lashley pushed him to the side after returning from injury. Now, the manager has aligned himself with a new giant in Omos.
AEW star Chris Jericho and a WWE talent recently ran into each other and things got heated.
The May 18 episode of AEW Dynamite took place inside the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas. The event featured matches in the Owen Hart Cup.
During that episode, Jericho had a verbal showdown with William Regal.
After the show, Jericho had a real-life argument with a current WWE Superstar.
Chris Jericho & MVP Have Tense Encounter
(via WWE)
MVP lives in Houston and he was aware that AEW was coming to town. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Jericho and MVP ran into each other at a hotel around 1 a.m. This was while Jericho was speaking to Matt Hardy.
Apparently, there was a huge argument between the two. Their beef stems from a falling out they had about 18 months ago.
Things didn’t get physical between the two, but at one point Jericho reportedly told MVP that he doesn’t fight jobbers. This was said to have enraged the WWE onscreen manager.
The May 23 episode of WWE Raw is in the books but some important movement took place after the USA Network airing.
In the main event of Raw, Asuka took on Becky Lynch in a rematch. The stipulation was that if Becky won, then she’d be added to the Raw Women’s Title match at Hell in a Cell on June 5.
Asuka ended up accidentally kicking Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in the head, causing a distraction. Asuka almost got counted out but it didn’t matter as Becky rolled up Asuka for the pinfall.
It’ll now be Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky at Hell in a Cell.
MVP’s Stipulation Revealed After Raw
Fans also witnessed MVP defeat Bobby Lashley thanks to interference from Omos. As a result, MVP got to lay down the stipulation for Lashley vs. Omos at Hell in a Cell.
Before MVP could get a word out, however, Lashley got him in the Hurt Lock.
When the show went off the air, WWE held its Raw Talk show. During the show, MVP announced that it’ll be him and Omos vs. Bobby Lashley in a handicap match.
As far as the live crowd post-show is concerned, Cody Rhodes spoke to the fans in attendance. This was after he had a dark match in which he pinned Seth Rollins. He took pics with as many people as he could after the match.
I tried to get some Rollins chants going tonight for you but the “Cody” chants overpowered. Thank you for giving us a great match tonight though and for all you do. I truly appreciate you and I’m glad you were in Evansville tonight. Also yes you are the greatest! #ROLLINSFOREVERpic.twitter.com/dUh1Mb8u7S
So sad right now!. @CodyRhodes was taking pics with the #WWERaw crowd and we would have been next but he walked and left us hanging ? he was right in front of me lol. it's our 3rd anniversary so it would have been a cool moment. Hopefully one day we'll get one. #anniversarypic.twitter.com/fvwSMGqX2T
MVP is looking to get back to the studio to drop some heat at the expense of Bobby Lashley.
On WWE TV, things have gotten ugly between the two. MVP turned on Lashley and aligned himself with Omos.
Lashley defeated Omos at WrestleMania 38 but the disgruntled manager got fed up since he felt “The Almighty” brushed off his assistance for far too long.
MVP Prepping Diss Track
MVP has taken to social media to reveal that he’s cooking up a diss track aimed at Bobby Lashley called, “Fall Mighty.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdXIHgoOkCn/
Omos and MVP got some revenge on Lashley at WrestleMania Backlash. Omos ended up getting the pinfall thanks to interference from the former two-time WWE United States Champion.
Bobby Lashley has had enough of the shenanigans and has called for a Steel Cage match with Omos on the May 16 episode of Monday Night Raw. The idea is that MVP won’t be able to interfere but many are skeptical.
Lashley and MVP were a heavily praised duo, forming The Hurt Business with Shelton Benjamin and eventually Cedric Alexander. WWE broke up the faction but kept Lashley and MVP together.
MVP even stuck around for a little bit after Lashley turned face.
Former WWE United States Champion MVP has released a new rap song in honor of 4/20 today.
The song is called “Legalize It” featuring Smoke DZA and 80 Empire. He encourages the United States government to legalize weed across the country. 18 states currently have it legalized for recreational use. You can listen to the song on Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.
MVP is currently serving as a manager on WWE TV. Initially, he was the manager of former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. However, MVP turned on Lashley the night after WrestleMania 38, attacking “The Almighty” alongside Omos. Lashley bested Omos the night before in singles competition. Now, Lashley and Omos are scheduled to have an arm wrestling contest on next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
The former US Champ offered the following explanation for why he turned on Lashley:
“The All Mighty Bobby Lashley, this force of nature. Somewhere along the line he forgot about the conversation we had in that warehouse all those years ago. See, all I did was help the All Mighty remember what he was capable of doing.
But somewhere along the way he forgot about who helped him get back on that path.” said MVP, “Now it’s all about, ‘What I did. I’m the Almighty, I did this, I did that.’ Omos, he’s in need of someone that can help him unlock his potential. To truly be the monster that he is. I think I’m just the man to do that.”
Posted April 20th, 2022 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T has offered his thoughts on WWE making the decision to split up the pair of Bobby Lashley and MVP.
Lashley made his first in-ring return at WrestleMania 38 since the Royal Rumble, taking on Omos. Lashley defeated Omos in the singles bout, but the giant came out on Monday Night RAW the following evening to challenge “The Almighty” to a rematch. However, MVP attacked Lashley, turning on him.
This came as a bit of a surprise considering the pairing was doing very well together, as MVP was even by Lashley’s side during his run as WWE Champion. However, WWE made the decision to finally split the pair up, instead aligning Omos with MVP, and the former United States Champion now serving as his manager. Speaking on his “Hall Of Fame” podcast, Booker T offered his reaction to the decision.
“It’s not for me to like it or not,” Booker said (via 411Mania). “I thought The Hurt Business did some really good work. With MVP at the helm throughout the pandemic, and definitely put a light on that group.
“I really believe MVP was the spark behind Bobby Lashley, I really do. I always thought perhaps Bobby needed that frontman to actually do that part of the work for him. Then he go out and be the clean-up man in the middle of that ring.”
While Booker admits MVP did a lot for Lashley’s character, he also notes that Omos might benefit from MVP’s help as well at this point in his career.
“Omos is definitely a person that may need a little help in that department as well. I think MVP is definitely the right man for that job right now, that he’s doing.”
The Raw after WrestleMania is usually a show of surprises. One such big surprise was when MVP turned on Bobby Lashley on this year’s show, and aligned himself with Omos instead. Sarah Schreiber caught up with the former champion after the show.
She asked him about his motivation behind this move. Replying to it, MVP explained that Bobby Lashley had forgotten who helped him become the All Mighty. On the other hand, Omos needs someone to help him unlock his true potential:
“The All Mighty Bobby Lashley, this force of nature. Somewhere along the line he forgot about the conversation we had in that warehouse all those years ago. See, all I did was help the All Mighty remember what he was capable of doing.
But somewhere along the way he forgot about who helped him get back on that path.” said MVP, “Now it’s all about, ‘What I did. I’m the Almighty, I did this, I did that.’ Omos, he’s in need of someone that can help him unlock his potential. To truly be the monster that he is. I think I’m just the man to do that.”
Bobby Lashley wrestled his first match since Royal Rumble at WrestleMania 38. He defeated Omos in a singles match. This week’s Raw then saw The Franchise Playa introducing Lashley and cutting a promo. Omos came out and challenged Bobby to a rematch. However, MVP turned on the All-Mighty before the match could begin.
When MVP underwent a knee surgery back in September last year, it was estimated that he would stay out of action for 4 to 6 weeks. However, 6 months later, the former US champion is yet to return to in-ring action for WWE. This has made many wonder about his health and recovery.
MVP himself provided some update on his condition on Wrestling With Freddie podcast. He claimed that he is going through physical assessment to get cleared:
“I’m going through my physical assessment to get cleared to get back in the ring because I had that knee injury for a while. It’s all healed up, it’s just a matter of me jumping through hoops to make sure I’m physically capable of performing in the ring. I’m feeling good. “
MVP revealed that his torn meniscus is healed completely. Now it’s a matter of rebuilding the strength in the leg. Per the Raw star, his teardrop is gone and they are working on building that back up:
“My cardio is much better than I thought it would be because I actually hired a trainer and have been working on it. I’m further along than I thought I would be, fortunately, my back isn’t gasping for air. I feel pretty damn good.”
The former champion last wrestled during the September 6, 2021 episode of Raw. He teamed up with Bobby Lashley to win a tag team turmoil match.
Freddie Prinze Jr. recalls the time he and MVP clicked while working on a promo.
Freddie was once a part of the WWE creative process. He used the skills he harnessed in Hollywood to embrace the role in the wrestling world. Over the years, Freddie has earned the respect of the performers for his ability to relate to them.
Bond With MVP Is Born
During an episode of his Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Freddie Prinze Jr. recalled helping MVP, who was stressed over a script that had been rewritten by Vince McMahon.
“I remember seeing an MVP promo and he hated it because Vince wrote it, or rewrote it I should say. And I was kinda sitting in the back looking and I already knew what the fix was, right? It was just one little line that needed to be tweaked and I knew it would be in his voice and that was the problem.
“None of it was in his voice and I finally just said, ‘Alright, he’s either gonna knock me out,’ cause we had never met and he wasn’t giving me like a, ‘Come on in and help me out kind of vibe.’ I said, ‘He’s either gonna throw a punch or he’s gonna hear this out and I’ll earn some respect.’
“I ran up and he was with DJ and I said, ‘Hey man, I think it’s just this one little line and it’s this Pulp Fiction line,’ and he looked at me like he was gonna kill me. I said the line and he goes, ‘Don’t go anywhere, sit down,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, okay I’m in.’
“We rewrote the promo real quick and I just let him basically say what he wanted to say and then I would kinda like put a couple words there to bring those sentences together. He and I had a really good working — we became really good friends after that even though he wanted to kill me [laughs].”
Freddie was often dealing with tense situations backstage at WWE events. He even had an issue with John Cena that led to the two disagreeing about how to better prepare talent for promos.
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Posted February 6th, 2022 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
Bianca Belair has a huge fan in MVP. The former leader of the Hurt Business says the EST is the fastest, strongest and best women’s wrestler in WWE. He’s so high on her that he’s actually tried recruiting her to his faction.
MVP sat down with Corey Graves this week for the latest episode of WWE’s After the Bell podcast.
It’s late January, so of course the main topic at hand was the Royal Rumble. However, MVP just couldn’t help gushing over Bianca Belair.
MVP says Belair vs. Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 was one of the greatest matches he’s ever seen. It was the moment that Bianca Belair stepped into the spotlight and showed the world that she’s the new face of WWE’s women’s division.
He couldn’t believe WWE’s decision to book Belair in a 20-second loss to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam. MVP said he could rant about that incident for a half hour, but spared us of that.
Next weekend at the Royal Rumble, Doudrop challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship. It’s a match that Doudrop says is 15 years in the making.
MVP could see Doudrop winning the title, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. He wants Bianca Belair as champion and everything else is just fodder.
“I don’t want to talk about any other women in the WWE,” said MVP. “Bianca Belair isn’t in the conversation, because she truly is The EST. She’s the fastest, she’s the strongest, she’s the best. I can’t see a conversation about the WWE Women’s Championship without Bianca Belair in it.”
MVP Wanted Bianca Belair in the Hurt Business
The Hurt Business has been one the most dominant factions in WWE over the past several years. Back when they were in full swing, MVP says people would tell him they need to add a woman to the group.
Hearing MVP profess his admiration for Bianca Belair, it should come as no surprise that MVP tried recruiting her.
“There were some discussions with Bianca Belair, but things went a different way,” said MVP. “So I say all that to say that I’m a fan of Bianca Belair and I believe that when you talk about the WWE Women’s Championship, if Bianca Belair isn’t in that conversation, I don’t want to have it.”
Listen to MVP’s appearance on the After the Bell podcast here:
MVP, who is currently out of action following a knee surgery, has responded to fan criticism over the Hurt Business reunion seen on this week’s episode of Raw.
A fan tweeted at the former US champion saying that Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander’s reunion with Bobby Lashley did not make sense.
MVP responded to this complaint of the fan with a tweet of his own. As seen below, he posted an emoji and wrote: “You didn’t grow up with brothers obviously”:
The team of Benjamin and Alexander lost a 2 on 1 handicap match against Drew McIntyre. This barred them from the ringside for Bobby Lashley’s WWE championship match against the Scottish Warrior at WrestleMania 37.
As a result of this loss, Bobby Lashley attacked the duo on the March 29 episode of Raw this year, effectively kicking them out of the Hurt Business and ending the faction.
However, MVP had recently teased a Hurt Business reunion prior to taking time off. This week’s episode of Raw then saw Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin interfering in the opening match of the night between Lashley and Big E.
It’s unknown if the reunion was a one-night thing or if we are going to see the Hurt Business competing together once again in the coming future.
MVP has confirmed that he underwent successful knee surgery earlier this week and he will stay out of action for about four to six weeks.
The former US champion recently provided updates on his health in an Instagram video. He disputed reports of having undergone surgery earlier in the month.
MVP said that he was undergoing surgery today in the post made on Thursday. He mentioned how he has been dealing with knee issues for a while and claimed that he is looking forward to being able to actually wrestle again.
Regarding his recovery and comeback, the Raw star said that after his arthroscopic surgery, he is hopeful to get back on Monday Night Raw in four to six weeks.
MVP was written off TV after an attack from Randy Orton during the September 13 episode of Raw. WWE later provided a storyline update on his condition saying that MVP will be out indefinitely due to a broken rib.
A four to six-week recovery period means we can expect the former champion to be back by Bobby Lashley’s side in late October or early November.
Prior to his injury, MVP had teased a Hurt Business reunion. It would be interesting to see if the company follows up on this once he is back on TV and if we really see the group getting back together.
MVP has gone under the knife but it isn’t for the storyline injury WWE has run with.
The manager of Bobby Lashley has had a lingering knee issue. He suffered the knee injury during a six-man tag team match on Raw back in February. During the spring, MVP gave an update on his knee when speaking to WWE Espanol (h/t Wrestling Inc.).
“As many of you know, my knee has been bothering me for a while now. While it is better, it hasn’t fully healed yet. We’ve been trying to avoid surgery, so we’re gonna try one more procedure. If that doesn’t work either, I might have to get some minor arthroscopic surgery for the knee but, not yet. We’re still gonna try another treatment first.”
As it turns out, he couldn’t avoid the surgery. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that MVP has indeed gone under the knife.
WWE is running with a storyline angle to explain MVP’s absence. The promotion says he suffered a “broken rib” as a result of Randy Orton’s RKO to the outside during the Sept. 13 edition of Monday Night Raw.
MVP may have something planned involving a Hurt Business reunion.
Back in May 2020, MVP aligned himself with Bobby Lashley. In July of that same year, Shelton Benjamin joined MVP and Lashley to form The Hurt Business. Eventually, Cedric Alexander joined the group.
While the faction garnered praise from fans, it came to an abrupt end on the March 29, 2021 episode of Monday Night Raw. Lashley attacked both Benjamin and Alexander, kicking them out of the group.
After Lashley lost the WWE Championship to Big E this past Monday (Sept. 13), he may be in need of some backup again. MVP recently met up with Shelton Benjamin, potentially to discuss that matter.
Before Lashley lost the WWE Title, he discussed his initial reaction when the decision was made to split Hurt Business up. Here’s what he told Metro.
“I’m comfortable with staying in my lane. In the wrestling business, I think too many people start worrying about so many other things and then they don’t focus on their career. Ultimately, we have to make sure our career is great before trying to do anybody else’s stuff.
“There’s lots of guys on the roster that I look and I’m like, man, he looks good – he’s tough, he’s that and he’s that. Once we have that opportunity, we might open up the Hurt Business and bring some people in and help fuel their career. But it’s one of those things where I have to focus on me for a little while, and I gotta make sure I’m defending the world title.”
