Sean Waltman is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the second time this spring. He was first inducted in 2019 as a member of DX and is also apart of the 2020 class with the NWO. The 48-year-old isn’t finished wrestling, however. He recently spoke to SI.com about potentially returning to in-ring action. If WWE isn’t interested in his return, Waltman said, there are other places putting on great wrestling too.

“I’d be psyched to have more matches in a WWE ring,” said Waltman. “If they’re not interested, there are a lot of other places putting on great matches too.”

“I didn’t leave this business on my terms,” Waltman continued. “I wasted a lot of years of my life wandering around in the darkness, but I’m grateful that I still have some time left. And the style has changed, which is good. The bumps are more meaningful than in my era, which is a difference, but they bump less. That extends your shelf life.”

Waltman continued to talk about if he thinks he can keep up with today’s younger wrestlers.

“I watch the product now and I think, if I had both knees under me, I could keep up with a lot of these guys. If people want me, I’ll do it, but I am also mindful of being an older guy taking up too much oxygen. That’s not what I want. If there is some room for me to have a few matches, that’s all I want.”

Pro Wrestling 4 Life

Waltman has a new podcast out as well. Replacing his older X-PAC 1-2-360 podcast is “Pro Wrestling 4 Life.”

Sami Zayn recalled that he accidentally hit two WWE Hall of Famers with his Helluva kick, describing one of those incidents where he hit so hard that he could feel the skull of his opponent through his feet.

The Helluva Kick is Sami Zayn’s finisher move, and while it looks dangerous, is harmless enough if executed properly. Such a move is best left to be performed by a professional like Sami Zayn, but even he is prone to occasional mistakes. And mistakes against two legendary WWE Hall of Famers, no less.

Sami Zayn revealed in a recent interview that when he was wrestling X-Pac at CHIKARA King of Trios 2011, he made a mistake and hit X-Pac in the face a bit too hard with his finishing kick.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Sami Zayn was asked when was the best Helluva Kick he’s ever delivered. While Zayn stated that he doesn’t remember when he executed the move best, he does remember a couple of times when he botched it.

“Best? I don’t know how to say best, but there’s a couple of guys that I really smoked with that kick and they’re the last guys you would ever wanna smoke that badly,” Zayn said. “And one of them was the 1-2-3 Kid, X-Pac — Sean Waltman. I wrestled him on an independent (sic) in 2011, and again, I was so excited about this match. I have so much respect for this guy, a genuine trailblazer, deserves both Hall of Fame rings, if not a third one for his individual contributions to the business.

“I’m in the ring with him and we’re having this match, and I guess I just- I don’t know, maybe I ran too fast, I don’t know what was going on, but I absolutely obliterated him. Obliterated him to the point where I could feel his skull through my foot — it’s very hard to explain. Upon contact I was like, ‘Oh, that was so much harder than I wanted to do that. That’s too much,'” Zayn recalled/

Sami Zayn then revealed the other name that he absolutely “smoked” with his foot on the face — Jushin “Thunder” Liger.

“And the other one, another legend, is Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger. Wrestled him in Los Angeles in, maybe, 2009-10? Same thing. The last guy you’d ever want to hurt, and again — must’ve had a little too much momentum. Absolutely obliterated him,” Sami Zayn concluded.

WWE Hall of Famer and AfterBuzz TV podcast star Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently discussed NXT War Games and in particular NXT Superstar Raquel Gonzalez.

Gonzalez gained the pinfall at the War Games match, taking the win for Candice LeRae’s team.

Waltman would describe how Gonzalez has changed her look since she first debuted, even before she appeared on NXT television. “The first time I saw her? She wasn’t on TV yet” Waltman began on the 1-2-360 podcast. “She was just on what they call the ‘coconut’ shows, which is like the Florida house show run for NXT.”

Waltman would describe how Gonzalez had a Stan Hansen type character and look. “They kind of put this gimmick on her, like she was like a female Stan Hanson. She came out using the Lariat and wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and short, jean shorts, something like that. And it was, I guess it was just fine. But, you know, I didn’t know what happened to her [after that].”

X-Pac would finish by saying that the next time he saw Raquel Gonzalez her look had completely changed. “One of the next times I was down there in Florida? Your Lordship William Regal and I were having sushi. Braun Strowman comes into the sushi joint and he’s got this woman with him. She’s a big girl and she’s pretty buff, it was Raquel Gonzales, and I didn’t recognize her. She had done a complete makeover, changed the way she looked, changed the way she dressed. So she has came a long way, she’s definitely star material.”

• Candice LeRae Being Evaluated For Possible Broken Arm After WarGames

Do you agree with Sean Waltman? Do you think that Raquel Gonzalez could be a major player in WWE down the line? Let us know in the comments

WWE announced recently that the New World Order faction will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year at WrestleMania. Four members of the NWO were chosen to represent the faction: Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Syxx Pac (Sean Waltman/X-Pac). One big omission from the group being inducted is Eric Bischoff, who played a large role both on-screen and off-screen concerning the NWO angle.

Waltman commented on Bischoff’s omission from the group being inducted recently on his “X-Pac 12 360” podcast.

“I think it’s crazy, I’m bummed out that Eric Bischoff is not in on this. I feel bad for that, I actually feel bad about that. It goes without saying,” Waltman said.

Waltman also spoke about several other former members of the New World Order he feels deserves credit.

“The Scott Nortons, the Buff Bagwells, NWO Sting, Mike Rotunda, Virgil, all those guys because everybody contributed something,” Waltman said. “I’d like for everyone – I want to shout out to all of them, they deserve it.”

Big Show/Giant was also mentioned as a key member of the NWO on the show.

Sean Waltman On NWO Memories

Waltman has been posting some of his favorite memories from his time in the NWO to his Twitter account.

On the recent episode of XPAC12360, Sean ‘X-PAC’ Waltman talked about going into the WWE Hall of Fame for a second time. 

WWE confirmed earlier this week that the nWo (Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Waltman) would be inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. 

When this news was announced, there was a debate online among fans regarding why Waltman was included and potential names that should be also inducted as part of the group. 

According to Waltman, he thinks Eric Bischoff and The Big Show should go in with them. 

“I am bummed out that Eric Bischoff is not in on it. I actually feel bad about that…Thinking about just everything from the early NWO days and it’s really making me think again. I’ve talked about how bad I feel about Eric not being in on this but {Big}Show was right there with us …definitely those two…”

Waltman noted that he was just thinking about how they felt as a unit behind the scenes and the bond that they all shared.

He pointed out how they were together every night as they did Nitro then went back to the hotel and watched the replay at the bar. 

Batista & The nWo Set For WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020

Next year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 2, 2020 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, as part of WrestleMania 36 weekend. 

On a recent episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360, WWE Hall of Famer Sean “X-Pac” Waltman addressed why he thinks some NXT Superstars are reticent in joining the RAW or SmackDown rosters. 

“There are people that have just started, that don’t have any experience. People that have been around forever. There’s older people, younger people, there are a few people that are pushing 40 on the NXT roster,” Waltman stated. “So there’s going to be different mentalities. And there are some people that have military backgrounds, that have a different mentality because of that. So it depends on who you talk too.”

He noted how there are certain Superstars that are doing really well on the black-and-gold brand. Despite their success, however, Waltman added how there are still some who are motivated in joining WWE’s main roster.

Waltman also spoke about how money isn’t necessarily the primary motivating factor for most younger talent. He confessed that his generation has difficulty understanding this mentality. 

“[…] we all like money, and it’s a big driving force but money doesn’t spend very well if you’re not fn happy. And the younger generations are realizing that there are more important things. And people my age are scratching our heads going ‘wtf’, we don’t know how to deal with that, because you can’t hold things over somebody’s head.”

Waltman’s take on this situation comes off the back of Tommaso Ciampa’s recent comments. The former NXT Champion allegedly told WWE management that he would rather retire than join either RAW or SmackDown. 

H/T to Wrestlezone for the quotes.

WWE Hall of Famer Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently spoke about making a name for himself in pro wrestling despite being smaller compared to the majority of his fellow Superstars at the time. He stressed the importance for smaller wrestlers to do something different in order to stand out and make an impact during an episode of his podcast, X-Pac 1,2, 360.

Referencing the recent discussion surrounding All Elite Wrestling’s Marko Stunt, Waltman highlighted how people used to laugh at him for being smaller and leaner compared to his muscular opponents.

“The first time I got in the ring, I wrestled Ricky Rice. He’s built very well, I mean not huge but f’n built well. And I was totally pale, skinny af, and so everyone laughed, they were all laughing at me as I come to the ring,” Waltman stated. “So it took about a minute and then they were on their feet because I German-suplexed them, wrestled them, and then I dove out of the ring. No one had ever seen that kind of s**t.

He continued, “So, it didn’t take long. They took to me really quick, it was something different. Everyone else were these big jacked up guys, and to be honest with you, a lot of them had this sense of entitlement. That they were from Minnesota and they were jacked up on the gas, and that they were gonna get a phone call.”

Waltman admitted he used to have a chip on his shoulder and wanted to go an extra mile to bring “believability” into his matches. He wanted fans to look at him and think that, although he was skinny, he was also a “buzzsaw.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently appeared on Inside The Ropes as part of their live tour, where he had a Q&A session. In the session, Hart claimed that he was once offered the leadership of The Kliq – the backstage group – but the claim was shut down by Kliq members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

The Kliq was a powerful backstage group in the WWE during the mid-1990s which consisted of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman. They were known to wield an immense amount of power and influence within the company. It is known that Hart didn’t really get along with most of the members of the group.

Hart stated that he was offered the head spot for the group, but members Kevin Nash and Scott Hall claim that this never happened. Nash wrote, “F–king news to me. I was the only one he got along with.” And Hall just replied with a “WRONG” to Hart’s claims.

Sean Waltman also joined the conversation and gave some info.

The next night, Hart responded to Nash and said that he stands by his words.

“It was Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels, and Kevin Nash that approached me in Germany about being the head of the Kliq. That we would all take control of the top matches and we would decide who would work with who, and we would take control of the whole company.”

Bret also added that the Kliq’s plan was to control all the championship titles in the company. Shawn Michaels would only wrestle Sean Waltman and his other friends, and the titles would only revolve around the Kliq and its associates. The plan was to only wrestle with each other while the rest of the roster would stay back in the locker room.

“I don’t wanna be part of anything like that. That’s not fair to other wrestlers,” Bret explained.

“What I said last night in Belfast is absolutely true. Kevin Nash can go to hell.”

If you use quotes from this article, please make sure to credit SEScoops for the transcription.

On a recent episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman opened up about why Kane was his favorite tag team partner. He also addressed their dynamics working together as a team and the money they made via merchandise sales.

“He’s my favorite partner, of all my partners, the stuff we did, the stuff we created, the moments and you know the matches and all that, I just, it’s my favorite,” Waltman confessed.

“Just for creative reasons. Really proud of some of those matches we had…Really grateful because as much as Glenn says how good that was for him and his career, same for me. So yeah, it was great for me at the time. You just have that singles program with a guy like Glenn, with that kind of character, I am very proud of it. It’s just my favorite for so many reasons.”

Team Dynamic

The two played off their size difference, developing a dynamic that worked for the two of them as Kane played the bigger, stronger partner to X-Pac’s speedier approach. It’s a dyanmic that continues to inspire current wrestlers, including AEW’s Jurrasic Express.

“I’ve talked about this, and it’s advice I give to a lot of people down in the PC actually, especially because there is a lot of matches these days with disparity in size,” he said. “If you’re a smaller guy that wants to be successful working with bigger guys you have to come up with creative ways for them to stop themselves.”

He continued, “As opposed to all of a sudden when it’s time to get heat on them you just stop him, when he’s a foot taller than you and outweighs you by 200 pounds it’s much better if you move out of the way and he crashes and burns, and that’s how you shut him down. It makes more sense and it helps, it just makes it more credible. So I always had those creative ways of doing things like that… it was a lot of work.”

Waltman recalled making a lot of money during their time teaming together thanks to their merchandise. He remembered seeing a list in 2000 that listed him and Kane as numbers 4 and 5 in the company for merch sales, below top Superstars such as The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

WWE Hall of Famer Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman was a member of two legendary wrestling stables in the ’90s: nWo and D-Generation X. In a recent episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360, Waltman reflected on the different versions of D-Generation X and the time he joined them after leaving WCW in 1998.

“I am sure there was a lot of doubt without Shawn [Michaels], if [DX] can keep going. But I had a f**k ton of momentum coming off of my nWo run, it was the biggest thing in wrestling,” Waltman said. “That was a big deal, that was a huge part. I mean it still would have been great if I were to have came back in that spot but the fact that I was a huge part of the nWo.”

The version of DX that Waltman joined was led by Triple H after Shawn Michaels had departed WWE. He became a part of the stable alongside the New Age outlaws, who he credited as being integral to DX’s success.

“I look back on it and just how everything turned out; obviously they were the perfect addition. And even if I hadn’t come back… the plan was, or the talk was even before I came back; while Shawn was still active to add those guys to the mix,” revealed Waltman. “But they were doing fine on their own at that point. I can’t really stress enough how important those guys were to the whole DX recipe.”

D-Generation X were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year during WrestleMania weekend.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Both of WWE’s premier shows in Raw and SmackDown Live have been seeing declines in ratings and year over year data shows that both the brands have been losing a large percentage of their audience every year.

On the other hand, many believe that NXT has been the best and the most consistent show produced by the company since its inception which has helped it in evolving from a development territory to a global touring brand.

With the show moving to TV soon, people have been wondering how it will perform on the cable. Commenting on the matter in the latest episode of his podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Sean Waltman said that it will beat Raw and SmackDown in ratings:

“This is my prediction, that within six months they are going to beat Raw or SmackDown in the ratings at least once. Maybe way sooner than six months…. I really do, I am not just saying that to try and hype up the positive attitude. Just being optimistic, I honestly think that that’s going to happen.”

NXT will be premiering on USA Network on September 18th and at least for the first three months, the show will be broadcasted live from the Full Sail campus.

AEW will also start airing their show on the same day of the week and the same time slot starting from October 2nd. It would be interesting to see how the broadcast of NXT will affect the shows’ numbers.

Scott Hall recently joined friend, and former nWo stablemate, Sean Waltman on the latter’s podcast, X-Pac 12360.

The two discussed last week’s RAW Reunion special as Hall reflected on his favorite backstage moment.

“My favorite part of the whole experience was sitting in what they call ‘the legends lounge and just hearing the guys talk and laugh,” Hall said.

“I feel that the wrestling business today is so politically correct that even when the performers talk to each other, they’re real guarded with what they say. […] But in the Legend’s Lounge, a bunch of old-timers like us that came up in a different era when you could talk to a guy using colorful language. It didn’t mean you didn’t like them, it’s just how guys communicated. It’s really fun to hear,” he explained.

One of the former Superstars in attendance was “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Hall commented on how, since Flair’s multiple health scares, it appears as though Ric looks at life differently.

“Being around Ric Flair these days—it’s always enjoyable, but these last few days—I am not putting words in his mouth but just my take on it: since he had that major health scare, he looks at life differently now.”

“It’s not like he didn’t enjoy life before, but he is completely cool with the point that it might end tomorrow, so I am going to enjoy every moment of every day. And when you’re around somebody like that, it’s kinda fun.”

Hall and Waltman also discussed wanting to put over younger WWE Superstars during their RAW Reunion segment—a wish that was supposedly overruled.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE Hall if Famer Sean Waltman remains confident that we will see CM Punk in an AEW ring sooner than later.

The recent announcement that Punk will participate in a stage show at Starrcast III during AEW ALL OUT weekend had led to renewed speculation that Punk is AEW bound.

On the latest episode of his X-PAC 1-2-360 podcast, Waltman once again discussed the possibility of the Chicago native showing up in Tony Khan’s upstart promotion.

“Well, that’s a hell of a score for Starrcast and I was surprised he wasn’t there for the first one,” Waltman said. “I would be surprised if he doesn’t show up in AEW. I have said this (before). I have been saying this since they announced AEW. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up on the very first (TV) show.”

Other topics discussed include his recent appearance at WWE’s RAW Reunion and Scott Hall producing the debut match of a new NXT wrestler.

It was recently reported that Ricochet was meant to be included during a key segment from this past Monday’s RAW Reunion featuring D-Generation X and nWo. Seth Rollins replaced Ricochet after it was revealed Ricochet was suffering from an elbow infection.

On an episode of Sean Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac 12360, the former Superstar discussed the segment with his nWo stablemate, Scott Hall.

Overruled

They addressed the issues some people have had off the back of the reunion show, as the Legends weren’t put into positions to help give current talent a chance to shine.

According to Waltman and Hall, that was the original purpose of their segment with Ricochet. The topic of “burying” the current roster was brought up, and they were, apparently, overruled.

“It was the perfect spot for him because we could’ve given the rub to him,” Scott said. “Yeah, you bunch of haters, it was gonna be Ricochet, and we were trying to elevate him!”

He explained that “What people don’t realize is that everybody in that room when it was presented to us said, ‘Well, geez. Kinda burying those guys.’ It was addressed and it was overruled.”

“We said it,” Waltman added. “It’s just like … what’re we gonna do? Say ‘No, we’re not gonna do it?'”

D-Generation X would come out to assist an outnumbered Seth Rollins against The OC. They would then be further supported by the arrival of nWo members Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

H/T to Pro Wrestling Sheet for the transcription.

Sean Waltman recently shared his thoughts on the opening night of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax and named the wrestler he believes to be the “guy” to help propel their global expansion plans.

Speaking on his podcast X-PAC 12360, Waltman pointed to Will Ospreay as the individual that NJPW shoul push to help them grow and reach a wider audience. From his in-ring ability to his physical look, Waltman is clearly a fan of what Ospreay can bring to the table.

“As someone that’s specialty was that style of match, a David and Goliath match, I just thought it was done really well,” Waltman said. “Ospreay, I think he’s the best guy they have especially for the global expansion here in the States. You know, a blond-haired f*****g kid with blue eyes. Good looking f****r, too. His gears are all on point – I was hoping he would win. Lance [Archer] did great though, I was really happy for Lance. I hope they use Lance more moving forward. I hope they use him better.”

The G1 Climax continues on July 13th with the opening night of B Block action. Ospreay will be competing in a tag team match alongside Young Lion, Yuya Uemura, and an injured Kota Ibushi. They will face off against Los Ingobernables de Japon members BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA.

Sean Waltman recently made a bold prediction on his podcast, X-Pac 1, 2, 360. He revealed that he believes it’s only a matter of time until former WWE Superstar, CM Punk, returns to pro wrestling. Not only that, but it won’t be WWE that he returns to.

Instead, Walkman points to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the most likely promotion that Punk will end up calling home.

“I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling”

– Sean Waltman

“I haven’t said it in a while because the subject hasn’t come up really as much, because he’s doubled down on, ‘I am never coming back to wrestling.’ I mean, he’s said that over and over again. And I just — history tells me that eventually he will return to wrestling. A lot of people in entertainment that mean it just as much as he does eventually come back. I’m talking about, look at musical acts for instance: The Eagles, ‘When hell freezes over,’ right? Legit. They meant it just as much as he does,” he explained.

“The Misfits, Glenn Danzig’s war […] Never gonna happen, never gonna reunite with Jerry Only and the rest of the Misfits. They’ve had several shows. It just goes to show you. And trust me, I know Glenn Danzig and like, no one is as stubborn as that guy. So, trust me. He will be back. I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling. And no one should go, ‘Oh, see, we told you!’ because it’s his life. And at the time, he means it. When he says, ‘I’m never coming back,’ he means it. It’s just that history shows that everyone else that meant it too ends up coming back. And I can honestly see him showing up in AEW. That could be like this huge surprise they’re waiting to drop with the announcement of a TV deal.”

CM Punk was once again on the minds of wrestling fans worldwide after he made a surprise appearance at an independent show. He would sneak into the ring under a mask and deliver a GTS during a match for an MKE event in Wisconsin last Friday.

Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.

Sean Waltman along with the other members of the DX were inducted into WWE Hall of Fame earlier this month as the headliners of the 2019 class.

During the recent episode of his X-Pac 1,2,360 podcast, the former WWE Star talked about the induction ceremony in detail and revealed how nervous he was before the show.

Waltman claimed that the ceremony was really stressful and he was ‘nervous as f***’ before his induction going all the way upto the moment when they came out in the arena on a jeep.

Continuing on the topic, Sean revealed that he was writing on little cue cards and making notes because there were so many people he wanted to thank.

Though he didn’t get to thank a lot of them because he was so nervous during the induction and also because he wanted to keep his speech short.

One of the people he noted he couldn’t thank is the Big Red Monster Kane and according to Sean, he talked to the former World Champion about it afterward.

Apart from this Sean Waltman also talked about his comments during the induction where he explaind that WWE should rename the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal after Chyna.

He discussed how people were complaining about it not being renamed only the night after the show and said that they should give WWE a year for this.

It’s well known that Hall of Fame inductees are not supposed to mention Vince McMahon’s name during their speeches. DX had entire ‘skit’ about Vince McMahon during their speeches, poking fun at this fact.

Although DX was authorized to reference Vince McMahon, Vince’s name was also mentioned by Bret Hart. According WWE Hall of Famer Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, it cost one WWE writer his job.

“I think Bret mentioned Vince a bunch of times,” Waltman said on the show. “Vince got really hot, I think somebody got fired. And then we (D-X) went out and said it a million times and nobody got fired.”

Waltman would continue to say, however, that he was not joking about Vince firing a writer because his name was mentioned during a Hall of Fame speech.

“I’m not kidding, I’m not. Vince was pissed and I get it, that’s a thing for him,” Waltman continued.

• Bret Hart Statement Regarding Hall Of Fame Ceremony Attack

When asked, Waltman confirmed the fired employee was the writer in charge of the segment. The writer in question is Robert Evans. A former Canadian wrestler, Evans wrestled under the name RD Evans up until 2015. He wrestled for promotions such as Ring of Honor and Chikara.

Evans tweeted the following on Thursday morning, disputing the reports that he was fired by Vince McMahon.

Listen to Sean Waltman talk about WrestleMania weekend:

Sean Waltman appeared on the WINCLY podcast last week where he spoke about a wide range of topics including WWE deciding to DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, himself, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn) into the WWE Hall of Fame.

As great as the faction was, many fans have wondered why it took so long for WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon to decide to induct them into the honorary class.

It turns out that WWE originally planned to do so back in 2013 during WrestleMania 29 weekend but that got scrapped. The reason is due to Triple H convincing Bruno Sammartino to accept the invitation.

“I don’t know [laughs],” Waltman admitted. “New York, I’m thinking it’s New York. The last time they talked about inducting us was I think the last time we did New York [WrestleMania 29 in 2013] and they ended up inducting Bruno [Sammartino].”

This year’s event will take place on April 5th from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as part of WrestleMania 35 weekend. Honky Tonk Man and Torrie Wilson are also confirmed as inductees. WWE is expected to announce more inductees for this class in the coming weeks leading up the ceremony.

WWE officials have made the call to make some changes to the Hall of Fame ceremony starting in 2019. This year’s event will take place on April 5th from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as part of WrestleMania 35 weekend.

Currently announced thus far as inductees for this class to the honor the careers of these wrestlers who made an impact on the company include The Honky Tonk Man and DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn). WWE is expected to announce more inductees for this class in the coming weeks leading up the ceremony.

Sean Waltman appeared on Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast where the former WWE star spoke about various topics including how WWE will make some changes to for this year’s show.

“Some things were explained to me when Mark Carano broke the news to me. He told me some things are going to change about the ceremony.”

Waltman would continue by stating that some people just take their sweet time during speeches which drags out the event. Waltman also said the inductors might be removed this year to help speed things along.

Rumors continue to leak out of WWE regarding talent asking to be released from their contract. Sean Waltman recently commented on what he believes is the best-case scenario for all involved on his podcast.

Waltman believes that in all cases, WWE should grant releases to anyone asking for them.

“Certain people that are going to want their release, I think it’s in the best interest of the company to let them go,” Waltman said.

Recent rumors have suggested the Revival, Mike & Maria Kanellis have asked for but been denied their releases. Hideo Itami and Tye Dillinger, however, have received their requested releases.

As to why WWE should grant the releases, Waltman says that unhappiness in the locker room can spread quickly.

“You do not want even one person that’s not content, that’s unhappy. It can really taint the water supply, or poison the well,” he continued. “And I’ve been that person at times. You’re unhappy and it spreads. It’s kind of contagious.”

Waltman says that is especially true in the cases of those who have been under-utilized on TV.

“If the decision-makers just don’t see them figuring in, it’s in their best interest to probably let them go.”

Do you agree with Waltman? 

The wrestling world is still reacting to Dean Ambrose’s decision to leave WWE once WrestleMania 35 has passed. Despite the money WWE was offering, Ambrose was reportedly not interested, instead wanting to explore new avenues and opportunities. Since the news broke, many within the industry have offered their thoughts on Ambrose’s decision.

One such individual is Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. Commenting on the Ambrose situation on his podcast, X-Pac 12360, Waltman would give his thoughts on not only Ambrose leaving WWE but also on Hideo Itami’s recent request, and granted, release.

Hitting The X-Factor

“You don’t abuse someone like that on their way out. You don’t shame them, or humiliate them because you want them to come back. It’s like the statement WWE made. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, this must be a work because they never come out and say this type of thing,’ this is a different time and Dean Ambrose is not a talent that you go ‘we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors’ to because you want him back at some point.

You use him to do honors for other people on the way out but within reason. Dean Ambrose came back from his time off in shape, looking good. His whole game was on point, every aspect was on point. He’s either going to show up in AEW or he’s just gonna go out and find himself.”

Regarding Hideo’s release request, X-Pac would say the following:

“I think around the time that he signed with WWE, no one had more of a buzz in wrestling than KETNA. […] this guy is pound for pound the best in the world. That’s the kind of talk you heard about. I am just thinking [about] how he’s so great of a performer, everyone likes him too, you don’t hear anything bad about him, behind the scenes or any other matter. Just what a string of bad luck for him.”

H/T to WrestleZone.com for the transcription.

Nia Jax‘s appearance in the men’s Royal Rumble match provided some memorable moments in the marathon 2019 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Jax’s spots with Randy Orton in the Rumble, and her followup with Dean Ambrose on Monday’s Raw have raised the question of whether or not WWE is considering promoting intergender matches, something that they have shied away from.

One WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross, and a future HOF inductee, Sean Waltman, both discussed Jax’s Rumble inclusion, and what it might mean, on their podcasts this week.

Jim Ross On Intergender Wrestling

Good Ol’ JR expressed a more nuanced opinion on the subject, praising Jax’s spot in the Rumble, while expressing his preference for it not to become the norm.

“I enjoyed the little wrinkle, if that’s all it’s going to be, of Nia Jax entering the men’s Royal Rumble,” Ross said.

“Didn’t have a problem with that, philosophically, for the moment, for a spot. I hope that doesn’t lead to a proliferation of intergender matches.”

Ross then made clear that his take is his own, and that he holds nothing against those that enjoy intergender matches.

“Those of you that do intergender matches, or like them, look, that’s cool with me, man. I don’t care,” Ross said. “But for me, if I’m booking, if I’m creating, if I’m writing, I’m not putting women and men against each other.”

Ross explained further.

“How I feel about that is kind of the expression I saw in Randy Orton’s face when he went face to face with Nia Jax,” said Ross. “That was a good moment. She got some shine. I just don’t want it going forward in an intergender rivalry. The women always have to wrestle smaller guys, who are comedy characters to some degree.”

“That’s not how I would produce wrestling.”

Sean Waltman On Nia Jax In The Royal Rumble

For his part, Sean Waltman had a slightly different take.

“I thought it was great. I f—ing loved it,” said Waltman.

Still, Waltman acknowledges that he understands why some critics take issue with WWE doing intergender violence.

“There are people that want to be accepting, but there’s a thing where it’s going to take a little bit to get used to,” said Waltman. “You can’t fault people for the feelings that come up when they see certain things.”

“Sometimes these things can bring up stuff within ourselves that we might not be comfortable with from our past and how we’ve been to women,” Waltman said.

“So there can be different reasons for people feeling a certain kind of way about this thing.”

These transcripts have been edited and condensed for clarity. When referencing these transcripts, please credit SEScoops.com.

Sean Waltman believes that women’s wrestling is about to reach another milestone.

On this week’s X-Pac 12360, Waltman spoke about the upcoming women’s Royal Rumble match, and what is on the line.

“The stakes are really high for the women’s Rumble winner,” said Waltman. “I think the women’s Rumble winner is going to be in the main event at WrestleMania.”

The long-rumored main event for that show has been Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey taking on “The Man” Becky Lynch. Whether or not that match actually goes on last that night, though has been up for debate.

In Waltman’s mind, that debate is settled.

“Ronda will be in the main event at WrestleMania,” Waltman said.

As to whether Rousey will face Lynch as expected, or faces Charlotte Flair instead, or those three face off in a triple threat match, Waltman is not certain.

“I don’t know which way they want to go with it,” Waltman said. “As long as they do a good job building it up, I would be fine with either Charlotte or Becky if it’s just a singles match.”

Waltman also believes that the fact that Rousey is on Raw, while Flair and Lynch are on Smackdown, is not a serious obstacle.

“They could do title for title,” said Waltman.

Ultimately, Waltman says that he has high hopes for the Rumble match, regardless of where the storyline leads.

“The women might outdo the men, as far as quality of the Rumble.”

You can hear Waltman’s full comments below.

When using this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Do you see the women’s Rumble winner main eventing WrestleMania?

Sean “X-Pac” Waltman revealed his choices for the best matches of 2018 on a recent episode of X-Pac 12360.

Waltman selected a match under the WWE banner, as well as a bout from the biggest independent show of the year, and his choices may raise eyebrows.

For his WWE choice, Waltman selected a contest from the most recent NXT TakeOver event, a show that Waltman watched the majority of from the gorilla position backstage.

“Maybe because it’s fresh on my mind, but Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black, in WWE.”

As for his non-WWE choice, Waltman went with an instant classic from “All In”.

“I can also tell you, Marty Scurll and Kazuchika Okada from All In,” Waltman said. “An amazing match.”

With most major promotions having their own streaming services, and with WWE churning out so much content, Waltman admits that his choices were just two of many valid selections that fans can readily access.

“In 2018, going into 2019, there are so many great matches out there, so many guys and ladies for people to like,” Waltman said.

Waltman went on to answer questions on a wide range of subjects on the special Q & A episode of X-Pac 12360. The entire episode is available below.

What are your picks for best matches of 2018?