Welcome to the Daily Drop for Tuesday, April 23, 2024. WWE brought another episode of RAW this week, and there is a lot to talk about as we get this week started.

First off, Becky Lynch is the new WWE Women’s World Champion. She won a battle royal in the main event of RAW this week, defeating Liv Morgan as the last competitor. Since Rhea Ripley already promised to come after her title upon her return, it looks like we may have a WrestleMania 40 rematch waiting for us down the line.

Let’s get into today’s edition of the Daily Drop!

WWE:

• Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Trick Williams – NXT Championship Match
• Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tatum Paxley – NXT Women’s Championship Triple
• The D’Angelo Family (Tony D’Angelo, Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo & Luca Crusifino) vs. No Quarter Catch Crew (Charlie Dempsey, Damon Kemp & Myles Borne) – Six-Man Tag Team Match
• Sol Ruca vs. Blair Davenport – Beach Brawl

WWE Releases: Although Xyon Quinn and Von Wagner never made it to RAW or SmackDown, their releases came down from the main roster. They were both free agents, so this was not an NXT call. It also makes us wonder whether they will be under 90-day non-compete clauses, since NXT releases only require a 30-day waiting period before they can appear for another company.

Dominik Injured: Dirty Dom showed up on RAW this week in a sling. That was a big surprise, and he was pulled from his scheduled match. Although he did appear on television, Dom did not get physical. It was later confirmed that not only was Dominik Mysterio injured, but he was also pulled from action on the European tour for an undisclosed injury.

QR Codes Continue: There was another QR Code during RAW this week, and fans are intrigued. This week’s tease also included a blatant reference to Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy within the hidden messages. Obviously, WWE is planning something big for this angle, and we’re here for it.

This is the video revealed after solving the clue associated with tonight’s QR Code!

More spooky stuff ? #WWERAW pic.twitter.com/jMrejTbuiw

— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) April 23, 2024

AEW:

Tony Khan’s Memory Lane: The AEW President recently recalled an email exchange he once had with legendary pro wrestler Lou Thesz.

Max Caster’s Mouth: The rap that Caster laid down during AEW Dynasty got a lot of attention. It was noted how this line about Jay White may land him in some hot water this time around.

Some of Max Caster’s freestyles have been really clever, but this is another one that’s in such bad taste. Where’s the judgement? #AEWDynasty pic.twitter.com/eQ7iJ6MTg8

— SEScoops (@sescoops) April 22, 2024

PVZ’s AEW Status: Former UFC fighter Paige VanZant is not with AEW anymore. She may still appear on the company’s roster page, but Dave Meltzer confirmed during Wrestling Observer Radio that she didn’t want to be a pro wrestler, so she is no longer All Elite. For the record, VanZant is making a killing with her NSFW OnlyFans content.

Scapegoat Spotted: Footage of Jack Perry in the AEW Dynasty crowd before his big return to television started making the rounds online. He walked around with a popcorn bucket with a Sting mask on for a minute before rushing the ring. As you can hear from the voices behind the camera, they were certainly not fooled by Perry’s disguise.

after being able to semi process #AEWDynasty this morning here is a vid of kev and i clocking it was OUR scapegoat, the GOAT, OUR SAVIOR @boy_myth_legend last night pic.twitter.com/fOffdhytGH

— Nikki ? (@Nikkijohnson101) April 22, 2024

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

The AEW career of Paige VanZant is well and truly over despite her profile still being listed on the promotion’s website. 

VanZant was a high-profile arrival in AEW when she debuted for the promotion in 2021, but it has been a long time since fans last saw the MMA fighter. As Dave Meltzer disclosed on Wrestling Observer Radio, her time with AEW has ended despite her presence on the active roster website. 

“No [she’s not with AEW.] Even though she’s still on the roster she’s not with AEW anymore.”

When asked why VanZant left, Meltzer explained that the fighter decided that wrestling was not for her. 

“She decided she didn’t want to be a wrestler. If she wanted to be a wrestler she’d still be there.”

VanZant’s one and only match for All Elite Wrestling came at Double or Nothing 2022. At the event, she, Ethan Page, and Scorpio Sky defeated Tay Melo (Tay Conti at the time), Sammy Guevara, and Frankie Kazarian. 

Wrestling & MMA Crossover

While wrestling wasn’t in the cards for Paige VanZant, several names from the world of MMA and UFC have had successful, lengthy careers in the squared circle. 

Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey would both headline WWE WrestleMania after establishing their dominance in the Octagon first (though in Brock’s case, he’d headline WrestleMania before and after UFC.) 

While her AEW run may have been brief, VanZant left an impact during her run and fans will be eager to see where she appears next, whether it be in or out of professional wrestling. 

It looks like AEW’s upcoming Double Or Nothing PPV will be getting another match.

Double or Nothing is scheduled for May 29. It’ll be held inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event is expected to be the AEW World Title match between champion Hangman Adam Page and CM Punk.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer is reporting that there is one match that hasn’t been announced for the card but is listed internally.

That is a mixed tag team match, as it’ll be Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti taking on either Ethan Page or Scorpio Sky and Paige VanZant.

The match is being described as “tentatively planned” for the show. Of course, plans can change.

Tay Conti believes that “OnlyFans Chick” Paige VanZant isn’t cut out for the wrestling business.

Of course, Tay and PVZ have been involved in a feud recently. With that said, VanZant hasn’t been on AEW TV in several weeks. This is likely due to her preparing for a BKFC fight on July 9.

Tay and Sammy Guevara continue to feud with PVZ’s faction, however. Sammy has been at odds with Dan Lambert, Ethan Page, and current TNT Champion Scorpio Sky.

Tay Conti On PVZ’s Wrestling Future

Speaking to Brandon Walker of Barstool Rasslin’, Tay Conti explained why she hasn’t been able to continue her feud with PVZ (h/t Wrestling Inc).

“What’s her name again, the chick from the OnlyFans? Paige VanZant, waiting on her. She signed, never here, waiting on her. I do both, I am here, I’m on Instagram, she can’t handle it, that’s not on me. So, you guys need to complain with her. You guys need to hate her, not me, because I am here doing my job.”

When PVZ does eventually return, she’ll likely be taking aim at Tay for her trash talk. Ever since VanZant went to prepare for her next fight, Tay has been playing more of a heel role with Sammy Guevara despite AEW’s confusing direction with the two.

With VanZant, there is the question of how much she is invested in the wrestling industry. WWE Attitude Era star Gangrel, who trains VanZant, recently admitted that the former UFC star hasn’t been as passionate about the business and someone else he’s high on in the gym.

Still, Gangrel sees “tremendous” potential in Paige VanZant.

Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.

We discussed a wide variety of topics, including why we never got a Brood reunion in WWE, what he thinks is missing from today’s pro wrestling and much more. In this installment, we’re looking at Gangrel’s comments about training MMA fighter and AEW star, Paige VanZant.

Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:

Training Paige VanZant

Gangrel is currently training AEW star Paige VanZant at Coastal Championship Wrestling in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Gangrel reveals he was actually “super worried” to train VanZant, but now believes she has a bright future in pro wrestling.

“I was super worried about it. I know that Dan Lambert and them were very particular about where she trained. She could have went anywhere but because she’s local, it made a lot of sense for her to come down here in South Florida.

“I was trained by Boris Malenko and he’s a fan of the old school of training and the foundations of it. With training Rusev or Miro, Jacob and some of the other people, I felt comfortable coming there. I was a little worried, but she’s tremendous.

“I think AEW is probably on to something there and they’re gonna have a really good star on their future because like, I’ve trained a lot of people and she’s so coachable. I don’t know if it’s from Dancing with the Stars, that can’t be possible easy. There’s a lot of discipline. She was a gymnast, ballerina and plus she’s a fighter. She’s a bare-knuckle fighter, boxer and a mixed martial artist.

“So she’s got all this background and coming over to pro wrestling that could be very hard transition because it is smoke and mirrors. It’s pro wrestling entertainment or however you want to look at it. It’s not like we’re gonna go out and just kill somebody.

“Anyway, you gotta work together. I was am little worried but what she’s learned in like, three hours has taken me 3-6 months to teach other people. That’s how quick she’s learning. That’s how amazing she is. And her attitude is really, really good about it. I get a little worried when outsiders come in and they kind of take a crap on our business. You know what I mean? She’s got not a bad attitude at all. Just a golden attitude and I think she’s gonna be a something in the future. I think she’s got a future in pro wrestling.”

PVZ’s Transition from MMA to Wrestling

Paige VanZant is a great athlete and is charismatic, which is a winning formula in pro wrestling. Gangrel says PVZ is in this for the long haul and he hasn’t had to change much about the skills she brings to the squared circle.

“I don’t know where AEW is going with her. I think she’ll be hotshotted into some kind of match but but she wants to be actually trained properly on the backside for a future in wrestling. So I think they’re gonna hotshot an angle, but I think she wants to be long term and wrestle so she’s learning the proper way.”

He added, “I’ve haven’t had to change anything yet. She tends to have a fighter stance but it works for her. What I’ve learned about training somebody is that you don’t try to change who they are or what they’ve done. You just try to adapt them to to what suits them best for everybody involved.”

Gangrel was asked if he has a certain teaching style that he’s found to be more effective. The former Brood member said that it varies on the requirement of the student, but he works on the foundation and the basics the most. According to him, if the foundation is strong then one can learn anything whether it’s becoming a luchador, brawler or a high-flying wrestler.

He compared it to a cement slab that could support any type of roof as long as the foundation is strong. With Paige VanZant, Gangrel spends an hour just on the basics. While on the topic, he gave a shoutout to his student Jacob Fatu for being well rounded with everything including his footwork, strikes and highflying ability.

One former WWE star believes there is untapped potential with Paige VanZant in the wrestling industry.

VanZant made several appearances on AEW TV before signing with the promotion. PVZ is known for her pro MMA career but she’s made the transition to bare-knuckle boxing. BKFC President David Feldman recently announced that VanZant will be back in action on July 9 in London.

Gangrel On Paige VanZant Wrestling

Making it big in the wrestling industry takes more than an athletic background. With that said, Gangrel took to the Fangin N Bangin podcast to express his belief that Paige VanZant could thrive in AEW.

“I’ve met her and had a couple of training sessions with her. She’s definitely bad ass. She has a lot of talent. She’s very coachable. She has a passion for it. AEW should be happy in the long run with what’s going to go on with her. I don’t know if they signed her for a year or what the deal was, but she definitely has a lot of potential, definitely has talent.

“She’ll come along pretty well and pretty fast. What she’s learned in two sessions, let’s say three hours to be generous with those sessions, those three hours, it’s taken me three months to teach some people with talent. Six months for others. The fact that she’s a professional athlete and a ballerina. Dancing With The Stars is no joke.

“You have to be super disciplined and learn routines, dances, footwork, and form. All that comes into play. She’s making my job easy. I appreciate that. Hopefully it continues to be easy, she goes on to do great things, and I can say, ‘Oh, I had a part in that’.”

Gangrel has been training PVZ ahead of her in-ring debut. VanZant has been feuding with Tay Conti. She had been involved in a storyline with Brandi Rhodes before Brandi and Cody Rhodes left AEW.

• Paige VanZant on Why She Chose AEW over WWE

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

All Elite Wrestling talent Paige VanZant has shared what made her join the company over the WWE.

The former UFC Strawweight has begun to start her professional wrestling career. Wrestling fans have wondered if she would transition to wrestling after her MMA career hit a snag. Although, it came as a surprise that VanZant chose not to sign with WWE.

In an interview with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, VanZant explains what led her to pro wrestling and join AEW.

“…I did know that my career would take me to pro wrestling eventually. I wasn’t sure what venue that would be if that would be the WWE. If that would be AEW,” said VanZant. She explained, “I have been a fan of both, so I actually did make it out about a year ago to WWE headquarters, and they had a different plan for what they wanted for me. Whereas with AEW, I’m so excited that they were happy to partner with me and let me continue to fight MMA continue to do BareKnuckle Boxing. They are really honestly on board to just build my career., build me as a wrestler and let me be myself.”

AEW Willingness to work with Active MMA Fighters

VanZant shared with Chris Van Vliet she spoke with WWE. During that time, she was still committed to being an active fighter. Unlike VanZant, former MMA fighters have retired and later joined WWE to wrestle like Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. However, AEW allows MMA fighters to wrestle and still compete in their sport.

AEW’s willingness to sign active MMA fighters could help attract big-name athletes like Colby Covington. The company also has a working relationship with American Top Team Founder Dan Lambert. Last year fighters like Jorge Masvidal, Junior Dos Santos, and Andrei Arlovski have appeared on AEW TV.

VanZant is the second active MMA fighter to sign with the company. If AEW continues to allow fighters to wrestle and fight, you could see more popular athletes join AEW over WWE.

For more on Paige VanZant’s MMA career, visit MMA News.

Paige VanZant has been making AEW appearances since last year. She finally signed a contract with the promotion during the March 9 episode of Dynamite.

Though even with her transition to wrestling, the UFC star is not done with MMA. According to her, she is just signed to pro wrestling at the moment.

VanZant joined WFAN’s Carton & Roberts for an interview recently. She mentioned how people have the wrong idea that you have to stick to just one thing:

“I’m not done MMA fighting at all. I think people have this idea that you have to stick with one thing, but being a mixed martial artist, and being in this sport, you can evolve and can focus on one aspect at any given time.

Definitely not retired from MMA,” said Paige VanZant, “but at this current moment, I am signed to [professional boxing and professional wrestling].”

The AEW star also opened up about how she got into fighting. She mentioned how she went through some significant bullying as a kid.

VanZant explained that her father was a huge fan of MMA and UFC. When she asked if she could try MMA, he was very supportive of it.

Visit MMA News to learn more on Paige VanZant’s MMA career.

• Paige VanZant Did First AEW Appearances For Free, Starts Training on 3/14

Paige VanZant recently confirmed that she has visited the WWE Performance Center in Florida. She spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently about her future ambitions with the company.

“Yes, I have visited their campus, the Performance Center in Orlando. I was able to go visit and look around and kind of get a sense for what it’s all about,” PVZ said on the show.

She was also asked if she’s had much communication with WWE.

“Communication is actually there sometimes so we’re able to communicate and show our interest with each other and once there’s a little bit more free time in my schedule I think that’s something that I would like to really pursue.”

VanZant is currently signed to the Bare Knuckled Fighting Championships. She is scheduled to make her debut for the promotion this weekend at BKFC16. VanZant is scheduled to fight Britain Hart in the main event of the show.

Paige VanZant was also asked if she has interest working with WWE in the future.

“I get asked about WWE a lot and I do feel like it’s something I would be very good at because I kind of have the best of both worlds; I was a dancer where I was used to the entertainment and the showmanship side of it and the combat sports side obviously goes into the WWE. You know, I don’t think that it’s something that I could do both (Bare Knuckle FC and pro wrestling) at the same time. I feel like I would want to do that 100%, so maybe it’s something that after I’m done fighting in a cage and in a ring that maybe I’ll go over to there but the door is definitely open.”

The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

It looks like the WWE could make it a habit to continue to nab UFC stars from the MMA world.

After acquiring Ronda Rousey, holding a special Performance Center workout with ex-UFC champ Cain Velasquez and rumors of inking Matt Riddle to a deal – this could become the norm for WWE. Now WWE could possibly get their hands on Paige VanZant.

VanZant, a UFC strawweight contender, is one of the more beautiful fighters on the promotion’s roster. The WWE has shown interest in working with her before. VanZant opened up on the possibility in a recent interview with Fightful.

The 24-year-old is currently nursing an injury but says she’d still love to make a WWE appearance in the future:

“Yeah, definitely. Even before my career’s over, I’d love to make an appearance in WWE. I love the organization and it’s such a different form of athleticism, I think I’d have a great crossover because of my Dancing With The Stars Experience, and MMA experience, and athletic background.

“I’m focused right now on just healing my arm, I can’t really do anything until that’s done. I wouldn’t say necessarily there’s a specific person I like watching. I’m really into the WWE Divas, whenever the women are on, I focus on them.

“I pay attention (to Ronda) as much as I can. I would love to go to the live show,” said VanZant. “I have a lot of things in the works, I’m still building up my career while I can.”

UFC Strawweight competitor Paige VanZant says she still plans to cross over to pro wrestling and compete for WWE when her days in the cage are over. VanZant competed in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show, losing via 1st round submission to “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson. CM Punk’s first UFC opponent, Mickey Gall, also competed on the show.

• Full Results From UFC On FOX 22

Prior to her fight against Michelle Waterson, VanZant confirmed that her management team has had talks with WWE and she would love to “transfer over” to the squared circle in the near future.

“It’s definitely something I see myself competing in, I think it’s an amazing organisation and I would love to transfer into the WWE. Right now I am making a run at the UFC and I’m still really strong and confident in what I’m doing now but eventually, yeah I’d love to transfer over”. She added that she’d probably want to be a heel in WWE “to switch things up” and named The Rock as someone she’d like to work with in WWE.

Earlier this year there was talk of Paige VanZant appearing at WWE SummerSlam, but that never came to fruition. It will be interesting to see if the 22 year old fighter appears for WWE in 2017.

• Video: “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson Submits Paige VanZant At UFC On FOX 22

This article is brought to you by MMANews.com, our partner site featuring daily coverage of UFC and the world of Mixed Martial Arts. 

UFC fighter and recent Dancing With The Stars runner-up Paige VanZant spoke with ESPN’s Hannah Storm on Thursday to discuss the news that she’ll be returning to the Octagon against Bec Rawling on August 21st at UFC on FOX 21. The news is particularly relevant because VanZant was rumored to be involved at SummerSlam, with her management team confirming they were in talks with WWE for an appearance.

During the ESPN interview, VanZant said she’s 100% focused on her UFC return right now but she would love to participate in anything WWE has to offer, as long as the timing is right in regards to her fight schedule. She added that she loves WWE and if they ever reach out again, she would want to work with them but her main focus is the Rawlings fight right now.

– Paige VanZant’s manager confirmed to FOX Sports that WWE recently approached them about having the UFC and DWTS star appear in some capacity at SummerSlam. Negotiations are ongoing as VanZant plots her UFC return.

– Thanks to DDP Yoga, Mick Foley has lost 68 pounds in 6 months. He’s now weighing at 270 pounds, which is his lightest since 1990. He tweeted the following on the day before his 51st birthday:

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/739859700221681664

– WWE posted this video with Seth Rollins looking back at his history with Roman Reigns ahead of their upcoming WWE Championship Match at MITB on 6/19:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq5YxxWR0ts

There have been recent discussions within WWE about having some of the female UFC fighters do some sort of segment with the WWE women at SummerSlam this year.

No word yet on where the plans stand but they specifically wanted Paige VanZant, who just wrapped up a stint on Dancing With The Stars. WWE at least had talks with people from her team.

It’s possible that Brock Lesnar’s return fight at UFC 200 could open up the door to UFC stars appearing on WWE TV but word is that part of why Lesnar is allowed to fight is because WWE owed UFC for Ronda Rousey’s WrestleMania 31 appearance.

Source: PWInsider