WWE’s grand spectacles are known for high-dollar pyrotechnic displays. It appears that WrestleMania 38’s fireworks were a bit too much for one fan, and that resulted in a lawsuit that is still dragging out to this day, despite being initially thrown out by a judge.

Marvin Jackson filed a lawsuit against WWE after attending WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In his lawsuit, Jackson claimed that he lost hearing in his left ear during WrestleMania 38 due to a pyrotechnics blast.

The court initially dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing it from being revived in the same court. PW Insider has now reported that Marvin Jackson appealed the decision, and the court will hear the argument in early 2024.

Marvin Jackson’s original lawsuit alleged that WWE did not place any warnings about how loud the pyro would be around the entrance area, or anywhere else in the building. It was claimed that WWE’s failure to issue this warning resulted in Jackson’s injuries.

“On or about April 3, 2022, Plaintiff attended WrestleMania 38 which was hosted by Defendant and located at AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, Texas 76011.

Plaintiff was an invitee on the premises. Defendant was the occupier of the premises.Plaintiff was seated next to the stage at the venue. When performance began, pyrotechnics went off. The blast from the pyrotechnics was so loud that it caused Plaintiff to lose almost all hearing in his left ear.

No facts suggest that anything Plaintiff did or failed to do in any way caused or contributed to the incident or resulting damages.

Defendant failed to notify anyone or place any warnings to warn of the existence of the dangers associated with pyrotechnics.As a result of the incident, Plaintiff suffered serious injuries.”

WWE argued that fans agreed to enter arbitration over legal issues when purchasing WrestleMania tickets online. The court ordered both sides to submit supplemental material on arbitration.

WWE also cited a cruise line case as a legal precedent, where a woman sued, claiming she hadn’t entered an agreement, but the court sided with the cruise line. Marvin Jackson’s representation then argued he provided evidence disputing his notice of the arbitration agreement and being considered a third-party beneficiary.

Despite Marvin Jackson’s attorneys requesting an oral hearing, it was not allowed. In the ruling, the court stated Jackson was under the legal agreement for the ticket purchase, requiring arbitration between Jackson and WWE.

The lawsuit accuses WWE of negligence, gross negligence, and strict liability, claiming WWE knew the risks of using pyrotechnics. The court will decide if Jackson can resurrect his lawsuit.

WWE just wrapped up a long antitrust lawsuit with MLW. The terms of that settlement were not publicly divulged, but the numbers may come out in TKO Group Holdings’ next financial report. As for this lawsuit about the WrestleMania 38 pyro, it will keep going at this point.

In his initial lawsuit, Marvin Jackson sought a jury trial and was seeking financial compensation exceeding $1,000,000. This included damages of any nature, penalties, costs, expenses, prejudgment interest, and attorney’s fees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvra2p-VVg

Pat McAfee may have won over fans with his enthusiastic commentary as part of WWE SmackDown, but his second match at WrestleMania 38 left a lot to be desired.

Last April, McAfee competed at his first WrestleMania, defeating Austin Theory who had been accompanied by Mr. McMahon.

In an impromptu match, McMahon defeated McAfee, thanks to interference by Theory.

All three men would receive stunners by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to end the segment.

Worst. Match. Ever!

Given that he was facing a 76-year-old man, McAfee’s bout with McMahon was far from a five-star classic.

In the recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, fans voted the match as the worst bout of 2022, beating Ric Flair’s Final match from July by over 250 votes.

On Twitter, McAfee reacted to his ‘win,’ and is pleased that he got to experience WrestleMania as a wrestler.

Well… Me and Vince McMahon’s match at WrestleMania has officially been named ‘Worst (nonsanctioned) match of the year’ 

The old man was MUCH stronger than anybody could’ve imagined.. Caught me off guard quite a bit (and I was Cheap Shotted to start it all).. Fun Fact.. The 1st time Steve gave Vince a stunner was in 1997… I was 10 years old, from a working class community, and it made me fall in love with the business. Wonder if it would be magical to get one last BAHGAWD in Stone Cold’s State? But… How do we get there? OHHHH.. He has to abuse his power a little bit… ohhhhhh

When I was invited back in the ring.. I thought I was gonna get to celebrate Stone Cold finally ending the run with Vince.. ‘The Common Beer Drinking Employee’ has finally put the old ‘Power abusing Billionaire Boss’ away.. I was LIVING A DREAM whilst they wrapped (in my opinion) the greatest/most impactful storyline in the history of wrestling. BUT… “NEVER TRUST THE TEXAS RATTLESNAKE PAT

My brain may have been used during the planning of all of this.. So I appreciate the award.. obviously. I’m not a movie guy.. I didn’t watch shows.. I don’t play video games.. From an entertainment standpoint.. Football and Wrestling are literally the only 2 things I’ve ever consistently watched/loved for my whole life. Cheers to you all. I’ll remember that night, in Jerry World, forever. WHADDDD”

Other nominees for Worst Match of 2022 included the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble, the All Out 2022 Casino Royale Ladder Match, and Tyrus’ NWA World Championship victory.

What’s Next for Pat?

At the Royal Rumble, McAfee made a one-night return to the commentary table, as he has spent months with ESPN’s College GameDay.

After not appearing on SmackDown since then, McAfee took to Twitter to reflect on his future with the promotion.

In the said tweet, Pat questioned whether he would be willing to work with WWE’s potential new owners, but did not name which names listed as possible buyers would make him reconsider his position.

WWE’s biggest two nights of 2022 was far from the grandest spectacle of them all for one fan in attendance.

WrestleMania 38 took place from April 2 to April 3 in Dallas, Texas last year, and saw the return of Cody Rhodes to WWE.

Other highlights of the show include ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin winning his first match in 19 years, and Roman Reigns unifying the WWE and Universal Championships with a victory over Brock Lesnar.

Lawsuit

Across both days, WWE claimed that a total 156,352 fans came to AT&T Stadium, but Marvin Jackson didn’t enjoy the show.

PW Insider has learned that Jackson filed a lawsuit last month in Texas, alleging that he has damaged hearing in his left ear due to his time as an “invitee” to WrestleMania 38.

The suit claims that the loud blast of pyrotechnics caused Jackson to “lose almost all hearing” in his left ear.

It is also claimed that the defendant, WWE, “failed to notify anyone or place any warnings to warn of the existence of the dangers associated with pyrotechnics.”

Jackson’s legal representative is requesting a jury trial and seeking monetary relief of more than $1,000,000, including damages of any kind, penalties, costs, expenses, prejudgment interest, and attorney’s fees.

WWE filed a request on February 17, to have the lawsuit moved to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division.

More Legal Trouble

This is by no means the only legal matter that the top names in WWE are having to deal with.

In addition to the various legal challenges that have stemmed from Vince McMahon’s return to WWE, the promotion is set to go to trial next week over a lawsuit filed in June 2021.

That lawsuit from Jackson Parsons alleges that he was struck by a WWE van, driven by employee Gaitan Thomas, in July 2019, while Parsons was riding his bicycle.

In the lawsuit, Parsons claimed he suffered permanent issues, namely “physical injuries, pain-and-suffering, disability and the inability and loss of the capacity to lead and enjoy a normal life.”

Bianca Belair may have not been the main event of WrestleMania 38 this year, but she knows her match with Becky Lynch was tough to follow.

Belair was recently a guest on the “Ring The Belle” podcast and discussed not getting the main event nod for Night One of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas this year.

While Belair acknowledged that every match on the card deserved to be at WrestleMania, she knew she and Lynch’s match was hard to follow.

“Well, for me, we [Belair & Becky Lynch] are the only two women that have won the main event of Wrestlemania so automatically, you know, for us, that was a huge match. But what I’ll say is every match on the card was deserving to be on Wrestlemania.

“But I’ll say it was hard to follow that and so when you put on a match where it’s hard for anybody to follow, that means nobody is supposed to follow it.”

Lynch put her RAW Women’s Title up for grabs against Belair, with the latter pulling off the win in what was, arguably, the best match of the weekend. Although, they certainly had some competition.

Immediately following their match was a bout between Seth Rollins and the returning Cody Rhodes which also left fans in amazement.

Stone Cold Steve Austin’s long-awaited return to in-ring action ended up being the main event, and was a nostalgia-filled parade of entertainment alongside Kevin Owens.

However, in terms of pure wrestling, there’s certainly an argument to be made that Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch’s match stole the show.

Quotes via NoDQ.com

Adam Cole still thinks Pat McAfee is a “dirtbag” – but gives the SmackDown Live commentator props for his performance at WrestleMania 38.

Cole was recently interviewed by Stephanie Chase and was asked about his former NXT rival’s performance on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All.” McAfee went one-on-one with Austin Theory in Dallas, Texas and managed to come out on top.

Still playing up to their old storyline, Cole said McAfee is still a “dirtbag,” but admits McAfee’s performance was one of the highlights of the entire weekend.

“As a person, he’s a dirtbag, can’t stand him,” Adam Cole said. “But if I will look objectively and talk about how much potential he has, Pat McAfee blows my mind. He’s so athletically gifted, as far as the wrestling part he’s done great.

“Everyone knows he can talk for hours, and he’s super compelling and interesting. Pat knocked it out of the park, he did an amazing, amazing job. So, as far as the potential of where he could go, and what he could do in the pro wrestling industry, I think he could go as far as he wants to, seriously.

“To me, it was one of the highlights of the entire weekend was Pat’s match. He’s a terrible person, but a lot of potential.”

McAfee had a big WrestleMania weekend in Dallas. First, got to make his in-ring WrestleMania debut against Austin Theory. The ex-NFL punter impressed with his in-ring ability, and even managed to pull out the win over the WWE Superstar. However, what came next was, arguably, even bigger.

Vince McMahon, sitting ringside to support Theory, came into the ring and demanded an impromptu match between himself and McAfee. McAfee, already beaten and tired from his first match, eventually fell to McMahon for the three count.

While McMahon and Theory celebrated, WWE Hall Of Fame Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the ring, stunning both Theory and McMahon to make the save. McAfee actually got to partake in a beer bash celebration with Austin, before “The Rattlesnake” hit McAfee with a stunner as well.

For McAfee, it was a dream-come-true for the longtime professional wrestling fan, and his performance inside the ring alone was impressive on its own.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

Kevin Owens got the opportunity of a lifetime at WrestleMania 38 earlier this month.

Owens headlined Night One of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas against WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. The match was Austin’s first-ever match since retiring after WrestleMania 19 in Seattle over 19 years ago. Initially, the match was advertised as a special “KO Show” segment. Instead, Owens ended up challenging Austin to a No Holds Barred match on the spot – which Austin accepted.

The pair battled all over the arena before Austin ultimately pulled out the win with a stunner. It was an incredibly nostalgic way to end the first night of “The Showcase Of The Immortals.” Recently, Owens was interviewed by Metro News and discussed his reaction to finding out about the match in Vince McMahon’s office.

Owens admitted he dropped a few expletives in front of the boss when he first heard the news.

“Vince told me a little while ago. My reaction was quiet jubilation because I was in Vince’s office, but I may have said a few swear words to him – positively [swearing]! It was really surreal,” Owens said.

“It’s funny, ’cause I was a fan of his from the start. He came in as the Ringmaster, and even he would probably say it wasn’t a great time in his career. I loved him as The Ringmaster! And then he became Stone Cold and he was on another level.

“KO” added that he understands there are a ton of other Superstars that WWE and Austin could’ve chosen for this opportunity, and he’s honored to have been selected.

“To get to be the one to do it, there’s a lot of very talented and competent WWE superstars out there. For me to be the one in this situation, it’s a huge honor and I don’t take it lightly.”

While Owens’ feud with Austin seems to have come to an end, the former WWE Universal Champion is now locked in a feud with Ezekiel, who he is likely to go one-on-one with at WrestleMania Backlash.

Pat McAfee had a very successful WrestleMania debut earlier this month. The SmackDown Live announcer took on Austin Theory in a one-on-one match and came out victorious when it was all said and done.

Of course, after the match, McAfee found himself in an impromptu match against Vince McMahon, which he ultimately lost. Although he was beaten by McMahon, he got to witness WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the ring to take out his two foes. After Austin cleared the ring of Theory and McMahon, he shared a few beers with McAfee.

However, Austin also gave McAfee a stunner to end the segment. Austin’s involvement was especially surprising considering everyone thought Austin’s weekend was done after the previous night. Austin headlined Night One of WrestleMania 38 in a No Holds Barred match against Kevin Owens. Austin was able to pick up the win in his first match in over 19 years. So when Austin’s music hit during Night Two of WrestleMania, the crowd went absolutely nuts.

It was a tremendous match and segment that Pat McAfee was able to be a part of, and the lead up to the event was just as exciting for him. Recently, McAfee took to his YouTube channel to share a behind-the-scenes look at his WrestleMania week.

The video includes a bit of McAfee’s training with Jaime Noble, his interactions with various big names backstage; including Steve Austin and Jake Paul, and his immediate reaction to his WrestleMania moment. You can check out the full video from McAfee’s YouTube channel here below.

After making her return to WWE earlier this year at the Royal Rumble, former UFC champion Ronda Rousey decided to add the ankle lock to her in-ring repertoire.

Rousey already had a signature submission of her own with the armbar, a submission that helped her climb to the top of the UFC mountain several years ago. However, upon returning to WWE, while still using the armbar, Rousey has also been using the ankle lock more. The ankle lock, of course, was the signature move of WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle.

Angle was alongside Rousey during her WWE debut at WrestleMania 34. Angle and Rousey teamed up to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match. Speaking in a vlog on her YouTube channel, chronicling her road to this year’s WrestleMania, Rousey explained why she decided to start using Angle’s ankle lock more.

Rousey noted that Angle is like a mentor to her, and has been her hero since she was a child. Now, she uses the move inside the ring as a homage to the Olympic gold medalist.

“I just really wanna be able to put over Kurt as the whole reason that I’m doing the ankle lock, and it’s a way to pay homage to him,” said Rousey (via WrestleZone). “And that’s all I really care about getting out because he was my first mentor in this business, and I never really got to honor him outside of our tag.

“I mean people compare us all the time because we were athletes outside of WWE and then came to it. As an Olympian, he has been like my hero since I was a little kid, so I love that he gave me the blessing to use the ankle lock.”

Ronda Rousey may have come up short against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38 for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship earlier this month, but she’ll get her rematch against “The Queen” at WrestleMania Backlash in an “I Quit” match.

Brock Lesnar was recently pulled from WrestleMania Backlash advertisements earlier this week, leading many to believe he had been yanked from the card.

However, according to a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar was never actually booked for the show. Meltzer chalked everything up to a “different kind of false advertising” that WWE usually does. The report added that this is not a situation where WWE changed its mind and decided to pull “The Beast” from the show.

WWE apparently knew Lesnar wasn’t ever going to be at WrestleMania Backlash, but decided to advertise him anyway. It should be noted that, as of this writing, WWE is still advertising Lesnar for the upcoming Money In The Bank show from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 2.

Brock Lesnar dropped the WWE Championship to Roman Reigns in the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 38. Now, Reigns rules as both WWE Champion and Universal Champion, appearing on both SmackDown Live and Monday Night RAW. There’s currently no news on whether or not WWE plans for Lesnar and Reigns to meet again somewhere down the line. For now, it seems like Lesnar won’t be getting a rematch anytime soon.

Aside from a potential rematch, there’s no news on Lesnar’s WWE future at all aside from WWE advertising him for Money In The Bank. It will be interesting to see what’s next for Lesnar now that he’s seemingly out of the World Title picture for the time being.

Austin Theory was front and center for Vince McMahon’s horrendous stunner sell with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, and knows better than anyone how the locker room reacted once McMahon returned backstage through the curtain.

Speaking to Mark Andrews: My Love Letter to Pro Wrestling, Theory revealed that the locker room, especially the female talents, teased McMahon for the botched stunner once he returned backstage. However, it sounds like the boss took it all in stride and laughed it off.

“It was really cool. When Mr. McMahon walked to the back, everyone was screaming at him,” Theory said (via Fightful). “It was a lot of the female wrestlers, they were screaming at him and messing with him. He was like, ‘Okay, okay.’ It was proud, like being proud of your dad.

“Pat comes through and everyone was proud of what we did out there and everyone enjoyed it. You know it went well when everyone in the back enjoyed it. It was awesome. Even days after and now, hearing so much about it, you know you made that WrestleMania moment, which is really cool to me.”

McMahon was initially sitting ringside for Theory’s match with Pat McAfee, but angrily entered the ring after Austin Theory came up short against the SmackDown Live commentator. After ordering an impromptu match between himself and McAfee, it didn’t take McMahon long to put the ex-NFL punter down for a three-count. After the match, however, Austin hit the ring to give stunners to all three men – Theory, McAfee, and McMahon.

“The Chairman” is no stranger to taking stunners, probably having taken more than anyone over the years given his famed rivalry with Austin throughout the Attitude Era, but this one was one of the worst of all time. While Night Two of WrestleMania didn’t offer the best closing stunner, Night One certainly did.

Austin made his in-ring return after over 19 years, defeating Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match after nailing “KO” with the stunner. His appearance the following night wasn’t advertised, nor expected, but it was a tremendous treat nonetheless.

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle is the latest professional wrestling legend of note to chime in on Vince McMahon’s horrendous sell job of Steve Austin’s stunner at WrestleMania 38.

Angle took to his podcast, “The Kurt Angle Show,” to reflect on WrestleMania 38 weekend and all of its big surprises. One of those surprises being Stone Cold Steve Austin making his in-ring return. Austin took on Kevin Owens in a No Disqualification match, his first official bout in over 19 years, winning with a stunner to close out the show.

The following night, Austin returned for Night Two, interrupting Vince McMahon’s celebration for his win over Pat McAfee. Austin hit stunners on Theory, McAfee, and McMahon – the latter being one of the worst sold stunners of all time. “The Olympic Hero” described the moment as a “disaster.”

“I gave him a hug and said good luck to him. I didn’t see him afterward. I’m sure he was a little pissed off about Vince and the way he took the Stunner,” Angle said. (via Fightful). “Yeah, it was crazy because Austin was chugging these beers and you could see his lips say ‘That motherf***er.’ Vince’s timing was just bad.

“You know, he didn’t know when the jump. He didn’t know where you’re gonna go down, up and down. He just thought you’re gonna go up and down and with Austin, he didn’t expect the boot to the gut, he thought he’s just gonna Stun him.

“So when Steve booted him, Vince went to his knees… Steve had to pick him back up and then he tried to get him and Vince backed up into the ropes, and he bounced off the ropes. It was like a disaster.”

Although the stunner was terrible, it was still nostalgic for fans to see Austin and McMahon rekindle their rivalry that helped make “The Rattlesnake’s” run during the Attitude Era so iconic. Not to mention how shocking it was to see Austin make another appearance after everyone thought he was done following his victory the previous night where he closed out Night One of WrestleMania 38.

It looks like a producer who worked WrestleMania 38 earlier this month has jumped ship to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

As we reported earlier this month, Pat Buckridge resigned from WWE shortly after WrestleMania 38. Buckridge reportedly made the decision to step away after claiming he had already achieved his goals of producing some of the biggest matches in wrestling, and wanted to spend more time with his family. Specifically, Buckridge produced the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair matches at “The Show of Shows.”

Buckridge also worked in WWE’s Talent Relations department. Now, per a report from PWInsider, Buckrige was backstage at AEW Dynamite this week and has started with the company as a producer. While WWE’s rigorous travel schedule was too much for Buckridge given his desire to spend more time with his family, AEW’s seems to be a much better fit for the veteran.

Shortly after his WWE departure earlier this month, he released the following statement, reflecting on his three years with the company:

“As a producer/agent, I feel that I have accomplished everything I wanted to do within WWE in the last three years. My endless gratitude beams from working with so many wonderful talents, especially the ultra talented Women’s Division. To my Producer brothers (and sister): You are the greatest collection of misfits that I’ve ever been with.

“I already miss my second family. Thank you John Laurinaitis for bringing me into this wonderful group and thank you Freebird for being our foul mouthed general. And to my fellow New Yawka, Paul Heyman.

“Thanks for providing a mitzvah and helping this gentile out. Sending love to the production truck, stage crew, parking, travel, makeup, photo, digital, security, IT, writers, props, social, legal, seamsters, live events, medical, and any other department that I’ve leaned on for something.

“I look forward to using my new time to return/expand my training schools/promotions, working all over, and sleeping in my own bed more than twice a week. To my darling wife, Lauren and baby Harrison. I don’t know how you put up with this gypsy. I [heart emoji] you both. Dada will be home soon.”

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross and fellow Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin have been close friends for decades, so it’s no surprise that Ross has the inside scoop on how “The Texas Rattlesnake” felt about his performance at WrestleMania 38.

Austin made his highly-anticipated return to in-ring action at “The Show Of Shows” from Dallas, Texas earlier this month, taking on Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match. Initially, Austin was scheduled for a special edition of “The KO Show,” where he was to be Owens’ guest on the program. However, after Owens challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match right then and there, Austin was quick to accept.

The pair battled all around the arena before Austin ultimately picked up the win with a stunner inside the ring, giving him a victory in his first match in over 19 years. Austin had been very vocal about not wanting to wrestle again up until returning for WrestleMania this year, mainly worried about not being able to perform to his standards given his age and injury history.

However, on the latest episode of his podcast, “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross revealed that Austin told him he was “really happy” with how things played out.

“He and I talked going into that thing and we communicated on Saturday after the show,” Ross said (via WrestlingNews.co). “He seemed to be really happy and almost relieved that they pulled it off. He and Kevin Owens deserve a hell of a lot of credit for what they did.

“To show you what kind of ballplayer Austin is, he hadn’t been on the field for 19 years or something like that and he didn’t look like he missed a step. They kept the match in their lane. I thought that was really smart how they strategized and laid out that match.

“It was just absolutely a masterpiece in my view, and Kevin Owens deserves a lot of credit as well. You gotta have a dancing partner to make these things work, and Steve had a great dancing partner.”

Prior to this, Austin’s last match took place in 2003 at WrestleMania 19, where he suffered a loss to The Rock. Austin and Rock were longtime rivals throughout the Attitude Era, headlining WrestleMania opposite each other a total of three times – WrestleMania 19 being their last.

Roman Reigns unified the WWE and Universal Championships by defeating Brock Lesanr at WrestleMania 38 earlier this month. However, many were worried that the “Tribal Chief” may have suffered a legit injury during the match.

Just prior to the match’s finish, Reigns got caught in a Kimura lock by Lesnar, and after breaking the hold by getting to the ropes, the Universal Champ complained of an arm injury. Given that the finish came shortly after this spot, many began to speculate that Reigns might have legitimately been injured.

Pair that with the fact that WrestleMania 38 finished a lot earlier than expected, fans also believed the match was called earlier due to Reigns’ injury. According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, this is not the case. Speaking on Sunday Night’s Main Event, Meltzer stated that talk of Reigns being injured is simply not true. The match went according to plan and reflected the violent nature that all other Brock Lesnar matches usually do.

While Roman Reigns might not be injured, he is in a bit of an interesting position. WWE still has their RAW and SmackDown Live exclusive rosters, however, with Reigns holding both World Titles, it will be intriguing to see how creative handles this situation. “The Tribal Chief” already appeared on Monday Night RAW last week, the night after WrestleMania, to cut a promo and celebrate his win.

Perhaps Reigns will be defending both titles simultaneously, working both brands until someone can potentially dethrone him from one of the straps. Whatever the case may be, it seems like WWE is still working out the details as they move along.

Logan Paul really impressed the WWE Universe with his performance at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend in Dallas, Texas.

Paul teamed up with The Miz to take on the team of Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Paul and Miz actually came out on top, with the talk of the match being how natural Paul looked inside the ring for his first time. Even Vince McMahon gave Paul some praise backstage after the match for his in-ring work. However, it appears that Paul barely even trained for the match.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this week, Paul admitted that he only trained two days for his WrestleMania match. And each session was two hours long.

“No, no bro I trained for two days,” Paul said. “For two hours each day. I swear to God. I didn’t train at all. That’s why I’m like ‘Holy sh*t, if I did that with four hours of collective training, imagine I dedicate some real time to this.’ What can I do?”

Paul also noted that he had a bit of training in Orlando before going to Texas where the two days of training occurred, but it still wasn’t anything close to what could be described as extensive preparation.

“I had two days in Orlando a couple weeks earlier. Then in Texas we practiced a couple of moves a couple of times, but like, nothing dude. Nothing. No serious training.”

After his match, The Miz turned on Logan Paul, hitting him with the Skull-crushing Finale. Paul said his feud with Miz isn’t going away, as he plans to get the former WWE Champion in the ring and show him who the true “king of Cleveland is.”

“I’m gonna f*ck him up. I’m gonna f*ck him up bro. That was cold. That was cold. Miz is Miz dude, and evidentially I thought I got over the Miz barrier, but he only cares about The Miz. Miz cares about The Miz and that’s it. So, you know, we’ll see when I can get in there and show him who the real king of Cleveland is.”

Perhaps the biggest story out of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas this past weekend was the long-awaited return to the ring of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Austin was scheduled to be a guest on Kevin Owens’ “The KO Show,” however, it ended up being an official No Holds Barred match between the two after Owens challenged Austin. “The Texas Rattlesnake” accepted Owens’ challenge, and wound up victorious after hitting Owens with the stunner. It was Austin’s first match in 19 years.

The former WWE Champion wasn’t done there, however, as on Night Two of WrestleMania, Austin got involved in the Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory matchup. After McMahon defeated McAfee in an impromptu match in retaliation for beating Theory, Austin hit the ring to confront “The Chairman Of The Board.” Austin gave McMahon a stunner, which was one of the worst sold stunners of all time, before also stunning McAfee and engaging in his signature celebratory beer bash.

One man who was watching along with the rest of the world was none other than former WCW president Eric Bischoff. Bischoff took to his “83 Weeks” podcast to describe the entire ordeal as simply – awesome.

“I know I’m older, but to see Steve in there doing what Steve is so great at doing – even beyond that, forget about the fact that Steve and I are friends and spent a lot of time in the same industry together and were peers in that era,” Bischoff said (via 411Mania).

“Forget about all of that. The crowd reaction was just awesome. It was just awesome. I just got back home and picked up in the Pat McAfee/Vince McMahon stuff and I can’t say enough good things about it. It was so much fun.”

As for the segment between McMahon and Austin in particular, although Eric Bischoff admits the stunner on McMahon was “horrible,” the former Monday Night RAW General Manager maintains the segment still did its job and was fun for the entire audience.

“I know people are gonna be laughing about the Stunner or whatever, but c’mon, man. You said it, one word – fun. You pay money to be entertained and having fun is a part of that. That whole segment was nothing but fun.

“Yeah, the Stunner looked horrible and I would imagine Vince is very angry with himself [laughs]. But hopefully he gives himself a break because he entertained the hell out of me and a lot of people. Hats off to Vince and the entire team. What an incredible event. In many ways, I think it was one of my favorite WrestleManias in a long time.”

Logan Paul certainly impressed a lot of people with his performance at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend, including Vince McMahon himself.

Paul recently joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this week to discuss what it was like making his in-ring debut for WWE on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All.” During the interview, Paul revealed that he got quite the reception from Vince McMahon backstage.

“Not yet [when asked if WWE had offered him a longer-term deal],” Paul said (via Wrestling Inc.). “Maybe they will, I don’t know. I swear. I will say this. Vince McMahon after my match. He was stoked. I go backstage, we shook hands, it was the good old stepdad Vince thing. He’s like, he goes, ‘trust me, your future is here!’ I was like, ‘cool, sure.’

“That’s Vince McMahon. He’s a legend. Him being excited about, you know, the new guy’s performance, it’s so validating. Like, even just the response and feedback online after the match, haters or lovers, not one negative comment, man. I think people were surprised by my performance and I’m so grateful that they liked it.”

Paul teamed up with The Miz to take on the team of Rey and Dominik Mysterio. The pair put on a surprisingly entertaining match, but what was the most surprising of it all was how well Paul performed inside the ring. Social media was buzzing about how natural the social media star looked inside the squared circle after his weeks of preparation alongside The Miz.

It remains to be seen if Logan Paul has any interest in doing anymore matches with WWE down the line, as he keeps busy with other ventures such as boxing, YouTube, and more, however, it sounds like McMahon would definitely be happy to have him. After The Miz turned on Paul following their win over the Mysterios, there’s certainly a story for Paul to return to should he choose to do so.

Cody Rhodes made his surprise return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend, as he was revealed as the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins. Rhodes emerged victorious after an excellent bout against Rollins, making quite the statement in his return to the company he left in 2016.

While many predicted Rhodes was going to be the one to face Rollins at WrestleMania, WWE still tried to keep his return a secret, keeping him in a bus until it was time for him to make his entrance for the match. However, speaking to The Ringer recently, “The American Nightmare” admitted that he actually ran into Triple H just before hitting the ring.

“There’s no secret Triple H is my favorite wrestler ever, even though I broke his throne, and badmouthed him to the earth,” Rhodes said (via Wrestling Inc.). “He’s the last person I saw before I went out there, and now I have to tell him. But the pedigree itself, everything in there, even the stuff I messed up, I wouldn’t change.

“That one jab felt good. This is my life’s education, I sat under the greatest learning tree for 20 years. It took me a while to figure this stuff out, but I’ve got it now. I just have to keep getting it now.”

After the match, Rhodes returned to Monday Night RAW earlier this week, cutting an emotional, unscripted promo about his father, the late WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes. He also declared his intentions to win a WWE World Title, a feat that eluded him during his first run with the company. Also, to close out the segment, Rollins hit the ring to confront Rhodes, and the pair ended up shaking hands in a mutual sign of respect.

It will be interesting to see who Cody Rhodes feuds with first now that he’s back in WWE, and clearly has World Title aspirations to get started on.

Cody Rhodes made his anticipated return to WWE in what’s being referred to as “the worst kept secret in pro wrestling,” this past weekend when he was revealed as Seth Rollins’ surprise WrestleMania 38 opponent.

Rhodes initially left WWE back in 2016 after being subjected to the Stardust gimmick that he has openly stated he was not a big fan of. Since his departure, Rhodes birthed his “American Nightmare” persona, a play on his father, WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes’, “American Dream” nickname. After a successful indie run, as well as helping build All Elite Wrestling (AEW) up from scratch, Rhodes decided to return to WWE when his contract with AEW expired earlier this year.

Now, after having proved himself as a top singles star away from the company, Rhodes is back in WWE with a much different outlook on his potential. When negotiating his return with Vince McMahon, Rhodes tells BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani he told “The Chairman Of The Board” he never wants to hear about the Stardust gimmick ever again.

“There wasn’t any true guarantees, there was a request,” Rhodes said (via Wrestling Inc.). “I said I never want to ever see Stardust ever again and I never want to see, hear it or talk about it and it was a handshake and that was all I needed.

“Then the first thing I did in the match last night was a random Stardust reference, I thought what’re you doing? You’re going back on your own strange request, other than that it was complex to get this all together and maybe one of wrestling’s biggest contracts, which I’m so flattered about. I have a child so yeah.

Cody Rhodes topped Rollins in an excellent matchup during Night One of WrestleMania 38, and is ready to address the WWE Universe tonight on Monday Night RAW. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for “The American Nightmare” in the midst of the WrestleMania fallout.

Gable Steveson Reacts to WrestleMania Moment

Former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson got his first taste of WrestleMania action this past weekend in Dallas, Texas. Steveson was introduced by Stephanie McMahon during Night One of WrestleMania 38 and received a nice ovation from the fans in attendance, however, Night Two is when Steveson got physical. The former NCAA Heavyweight Champion tossed Chad Gable around the ring following a verbal altercation.

Speaking in a WWE Digital Exclusive, Steveson called the experience a “dream come true,” and explained the rush of performing in front of 70,000 people.

“Dream come true,” said Steveson (via WrestleZone). “Hard to describe the emotions that you get, coming from amateur wrestling and collegiate wrestling and Olympic style, to coming to 70,000 people. You don’t get that. You get that with WWE, though.”

As for getting physical for the first time in the ring with his scuffle against Gable, Steveson said the experience was “heart rushing.”

“Heart-rushing,” said Steveson. “You know I’m sitting on the sideline, and I’m like, ‘Am I gonna get called in? Am I not?’ I have no clue, I don’t even know what I’m doing. So I go in there, Chad gives me the look and you know what I gotta do, I gotta throw him. And I gotta celebrate with my team, RK-Bro and the Street Profits too.”

GCW Confirms Dates & Venue for the Collective 2023

GCW has announced that they will be following WWE to Los Angeles with The Collective next year in 2023. The promotion held The Collective in Dallas, Texas this year during WrestleMania 38 weekend as well. The Collective will go down from The Ukranian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California from March 30 to April 1, 2023. More information will be made available soon.

Check out the official announcement below:

One of the biggest bright spots of WrestleMania 38 this past weekend was Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory. Theory was accompanied to the ring by Vince McMahon, who was not pleased when McAfee came out on top and pinned Theory for the victory in front of the jam-packed Dallas, Texas crowd.

After the match, McMahon got into the ring himself and ordered for an impromptu match between himself and the former NFL punter. McMahon ended up defeating an already beaten down McAfee, earning himself a win at “The Show Of Shows” at 76-years-old. However, after the match was over, WWE Hall Of Famer and old McMahon rival Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the ring.

Austin hit McMahon with, arguably, the worst stunner of all time, before engaging in his signature celebratory beer bash. “The Rattlesnake” then invited McAfee into the ring to share a beer, before hitting him with a stunner too. McAfee got the opportunity to reflect on his WrestleMania moment this morning (Monday. April 4, 2022) on his radio program “The Pat McAfee Show.”

When co-host AJ Hawk asked McAfee if he knew ahead of time that Austin was coming out after the match, and would stun him too, McAfee claims he did not.

“Listen, I was sitting there just befuddled with everything that was going on in my life right there,” McAfee said (via WrestleZone). “And I’m not good enough in that business for everything that happened there. There was a lot of trust that was placed upon me, hindsight, that should not have been because I’m in there, like, I should have been given a heads up. I’ve done this three times, like should I have not been given a heads up? Hindsight, like they were really confident in me figuring some stuff out, I guess. But it was cool, AJ.”

As for Austin, this was his second night in a row getting physical at WrestleMania, as he main evented Night One by defeating Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match; his first official match in WWE in over 19 years since retiring in 2003.

Things didn’t go according to plan for Rick Boogs at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend in Dallas, Texas. Boogs teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura in the opener of Night One of “The Show Of Shows,” challenging The Usos for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships.

After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, Boogs began a spot where he would show off his strength by lifting both the Usos on his shoulders. However, his knee buckled and Boogs hit the mat in a significant amount of pain. Following some quick on-the-fly changes, Nakamura would take the pin from The Usos the end the match. Boogs was helped backstage as he couldn’t walk under his own power.

The result was a torn quad for Boogs, who will need to undergo surgery to repair the injury. He recently took to Instagram to reflect on the situation. Boogs confirmed tearing his quad completely off his tendon, but noted he plans to come back bigger, better, and stronger. Check out his full statement below.

“From the highest of highs to lowest of lows. Having my beautiful wife with me to experience my first Wrestlemania. Getting the incredible opportunity to open the show! Being able to demonstrate brute strength in front of millions of viewers! Unfortunately, the doctor told me my quad was too strong for the tendon and it was flexing so hard, it ripped the tendon totally off the bone. I’m still incredibly grateful for the experience and for all the love and support. History proves I will come back bigger, better, and stronger. IT’S A MINDSET.”

• Rick Boogs Injury Update: Ahead of Schedule a Month After Surgery

After night two yesterday, WrestleMania 38 from Dallas, Texas is finally in the rearview mirror, and it was certainly one for the history books. However, it appears for one backstage producer who helped put together some of the event’s biggest matches, it will be his last run with the company.

According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, WWE producer Pat Buckridge has resigned from the company. Buckridge helped put together some of WrestleMania 38’s biggest matches, such as Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair. Per the report, Buckridge noted that after working the matches he did at WrestleMania this year, he has achieved his goals of producing some of the biggest matches in wrestling, and now wants to refocus his energy on his family; something the grueling WWE schedule hasn’t made easy.

It should be noted that Buckridge was also part of WWE’s Talent Relations department. The report adds that he will not be present for tonight’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW. You can check out the full list of producers from WrestleMania 38 here below.

• The Usos vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs – Shawn Daivari
• Happy Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre – Abyss
• The Miz & Logan Paul vs. The Mysterios – Adam Pearce & Shane Helms
• Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch – TJ Wilson & Molly Holly
• Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes – Jamie Noble
• Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair – Pat Buck
• Kevin Owens vs. Steve Austin – Michael Hayes
• RAW Tag Team Titles match – Abyss
• Bobby Lashley vs. Omos – Adam Pearce
• Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn – Shane Helms & Kenny Dykstra
• Women’s Tag Team Title match – Tyson Kidd, Molly Holly, Shawn Daivari
• AJ Styles vs. Edge – Petey Williams
• Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory – Jamie Noble
• New Day vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland – Petey Williams & Kenny Dykstra
• Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns – Michael Hayes & Pat Buck

William Regal has reacted to Triple H officially cementing the end of his wrestling career at night two of WrestleMania 38.

The wrestling veteran took on his Twitter to comment on The Game’s gesture of leaving his boots in the ring at the grandest stage of them all.

Regal noted how he and Triple H worked together for 28 years. They went through many ups and downs and helped many people get the opportunity they deserved:

“For 28 years we did our bit together, through up’s and down and some bad but mostly good decisions, to be Pro’s and make the job right. Lots of people got opportunities and made memories for themselves. Job done pal.x”

William Regal And Triple H

William Regal got his first major opportunity in wrestling when he joined WCW in early 1993. Triple H followed in his footsteps when he signed a contract with the promotion a year later.

The two went on to become big stars and have lengthy on-screen careers for WWE, before transitioning to a more behind the scene role in the company.

Regal became a talent scout for WWE. He was an integral part of Triple H’s team in NXT before being released by the promotion in January this year.

• Triple H Appears At NXT Stand & Deliver, Gives Tommaso Ciampa Proper Sendoff

The Young Bucks are never shy to react to the happenings of the wrestling world and their responses are especially notable when they are about someone close to them.

One such reply from the AEW stars came in response to Cody Rhodes. The former TNT champion made his triumphant WWE return after 6 years at WrestleMania 38.

Cody later commented on the moment on Twitter, writing that wrestling is a love story. The ever opportunist Bucks didn’t waste any time. They responded to their friend, joking that their story was never going to be romantic enough for him:

Cody Rhodes And The Young Bucks

After leaving WWE in 2016, Cody Rhodes joined The Young Bucks and other members of The Elite. This group took over the independent wrestling scene by storm.

In 2018, this group took on a challenge from wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer and sold out a ten thousand seat arena on their own.

• Cody Rhodes Felt He Was ‘Drifting Apart’ From Tony Khan

The event called ALL IN later became the foundation for the formation of All Elite Wrestling, the first major wrestling promotion to compete with WWE in two decades.

Though Cody Rhodes surprised everyone by leaving the company he helped build earlier this year. Now the wrestling veteran has returned to where it all started.