It looks like The Rowdy One has interest in becoming the first-ever Paul Heyman Girl – but don’t hold your breathe on the possibility.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports Rousey wants to have Heyman advocate for her in the ring. That’s highly unlikely to happen, however, due to backstage politics between Heyman and the McMahons.
Rousey is being booked up to be a huge babyface fighting against the authoritarian figure of Stephanie McMahon. Heyman is seen as a heel on WWE TV, despite the fact that current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is received as a babyface due to Heyman’s representation.
Discussion: Does having Heyman paired up with Rousey make sense? Would Rousey do better as a heel? Will WWE bite the bullet and allow Heyman to advocate for The Rowdy One?
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was NXT Superstar Adam Cole. The Game had some high praise for Cole and believes he has a very bright future with the company. Here’s what he had to say:
“I think he plays a very big role, probably, in what WWE will be over the [next few] years. He’s a very talented young man, lot of charisma. That’s the thing that I would say first. Talented in-ring performer, absolutely, but the charisma and the character, that’s there. Great human being, too. Those are the things that make me happy about his success, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with all the things that are coming his way, and how he takes advantage of them
“The truth is, we can put the opportunity out there, but what’s done with it and where it goes is on the talen, I say that all the time. We just set the table, and you can say whether it was set right or it was set wrong, but we set the table, and they get the opportunity. Everybody has the chance to knock that opportunity out of the park, and to run with it. He, so far, has. Hopefully he will continue to.”
You can ready Triple H’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.
With rumors circulating that Big Cass is nearing a return to WWE TV, following a torn ACL suffered several months ago, it appears he could possibly be returning under a new name. WWE filed to trademark the name “Colin Cassady” on March 30th, 2018. This was Cass’ name before being known as Big Cass in WWE.
Perhaps WWE is attempting to remove any sort of association with Enzo Amore by bringing back Cass as a new character. Here is WWE’s explanation of what they plan on trademarking the “Colin Cassady” name for:
“Entertainment services, namely wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio and via the internet or commercial online services; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; fan club services; organizing and staging entertainment events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment”
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has landed himself in some hot water over this past week. The Irishman attacked a UFC fighter bus by tossing a dolly at it and breaking a window. The glass cut UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa – forcing him to pull from his fight against Anthony Pettis and also landed glass fragments in the eye of UFC flyweight Ray Borg – also forced to pull from his respective bout.
McGregor later turned himself into the local authorities hours after the incident and is awaiting bail. The attack was in retaliation for tomorrow’s UFC 223 pay-per-view (PPV) main event fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov punking McGregor’s teammate, Artem Lobov, in their hotel earlier this week. Nurmagomedov was on the bus that was attacked.
Sheamus took to Instagram to poke fun at The Notorious One, posting a picture of a dolly and saying it will be Braun Strowman’s partner at WrestleMania on Sunday:
For more coverage of McGregor’s situation, run over to our sister site, MMANews.com. We have staff in Brooklyn exclusively covering the latest surrounding the event!
WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz is set to defend his title in a Triple Threat match against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 34 this weekend. The Miz has experienced many snubs in the WWE promotional department in the past, but to be left off an advertisement for The Grandest Stage Of Them All as a title-holder – it’s the ultimate disrespect.
Before Miz made his scheduled appearance at the Cricket Wireless store in New Orleans, he took to Instagram to comment on being left off the ad. Check it out:
Ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is officially now a WWE Superstar. Rousey is expected to make her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 this weekend in New Orleans. She will team up with WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match.
The Queen Of Harts recently did a column for The Edmonton Sun and praised The Rowdy One’s work ethic in her professional wrestling career. Here’s what she had to say:
“At the Royal Rumble, no one could forget the debut of Ronda Rousey. Ronda is one of the most prominent names and a pioneer for female athletes. To have her join our roster of strong, empowered women is truly awesome. Ronda is very special in so many ways. She is a dedicated athlete who is passionate about what she believes in. What I love about her is that she makes no apologies for who she is.
“If she has a dream, she goes for it, even if she’s not entirely sure how it’s going to all work out. She knows that if she gives it her all and puts in the work, she won’t have regrets. I respect Ronda, I admire her and I’m proud to call her a friend. I also can’t wait to wrestle her one day!”
We now know who is the highest paid WWE Superstar right now.
Forbes reported on Friday that John Cena had passed current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar as the highest paid WWE Superstar.
Lesnar is slated to defend his Universal Title against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 34 this Sunday night live on the WWE Network at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
On the flip side, Cena doesn’t have a match officially listed for the show but is rumored that he will be wrestling The Undertaker at the show.
According to the article that was published about this topic, Cena reportedly cleared $10 million last year through his WWE work, his roles in “Ferdinand” and the critically acclaimed comedy “Blockers.”
Former ROH World Champion Adam Cole has taken the WWE by storm since signing with the sports entertainment company last year.
Cole was with Ring of Honor from 2009 – 2017 and made his name known there. As a result of that signing, he made his debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III last August in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. Instead of him just sitting in the crowd at the NXT special, WWE had much bigger plans for him. As seen at the event, Cole beat down then-NXT Champion Drew McIntyre along with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly after McIntyre’s big win over Bobby Roode.
Cole recently spoke with Newsweek to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked if it was his idea to start in NXT instead of the main roster. “No they put me in NXT, but I also wanted to be in NXT. I remember I did a podcast interview with Steve Austin and he asked me, “In a perfect world, what would you want to do?” And I told him, for sure, go to NXT. And the big reason, again, is those fans and the talent that’s down there. If I were to go right to RAW or SmackDown, I would miss out on something really special. I think the guys who have been on NXT and got to go to RAW or SmackDown got the full experience. That’s what I want. NXT is not overlooked now. For a long time NXT was seen as developmental. NXT is absolutely a third brand now. If you get to be a part of NXT and a part of something special, these shows that are so cool, and the relationship I’m building with the fans there will absolutely transition into RAW or SmackDown. So NXT was something I wanted to be a part of right out of the gate.”
As seen at the Royal Rumble PPV event in January, Cole competed in the Royal Rumble match which was his first match on the main roster. “That was surreal. Not only because it was the Royal Rumble, it’s when WrestleMania season really starts. The fans are a bit more excited, the performers are a little more on edge. I love that environment. On top of that, because it was in Philadelphia I used to go to all the shows when it was called the First Union Center and I used to go and watch Monday Night RAW, SmackDown and the pay-per-views. I would drive or get my mother to drive me, an hour and a half to two hours, to watch these shows. That place was so special to me, I had so many positive memories as a child there. So for the Royal Rumble debut to happen by circumstance in Philadelphia, I don’t know—it was like a book, or a movie. I was so excited and happy. If we were to talk about top three moments, that’s in there for me.” Cole added, “Not necessarily. I see so many cool things going on in both brands that I can sink my teeth into. Obviously, going to SmackDown where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode… the list goes on, there’s so many talented guys. They have them on RAW too. That’s the coolest thing about the two shows right now, they offer something different, but no one is really better than the other, they have their things and their strengths and things that make you want to watch the show. I look at the performers on RAW or SmackDown and I see where I can fit in, and I feel I can fit in a lot of situations on RAW and SmackDown so I don’t know, it’ll be tough for me to pick one.”
WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Just four years ago, WrestleMania 30 went down and saw an interesting match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.
At the time, Wyatt was the leader of The Wyatt Family. The group, which was created in 2012 while in NXT, includes Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan. For a short amount of time, Braun Strowman was featured in the group. The group had a throwback feel to them. They were these people who came from the woods and the darkness into the light. You had three big, hard-hitting talents, who could get it done in the ring. Wyatt, who was the leader, cut different style promos before and after matches. It was truly unique to the NXT brand and later on the main roster.
Cena briefly spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about WrestleMania and his memory of his match against Wyatt. Here is what he had to say:
“Wherever we draw inspiration, that is what makes the beauty of creativity special,” said Cena. “A character like Bray Wyatt has gone through so many evolutions. With me, it was very different. I encompassed the commercialization of hip hop in the 90s and 2000s, and that’s how I got my jumpstart.” “Bray started as a close correlation to a DeNiro character,” said Cena. “His origins were kind of like, ‘I saw this on screen in Cape Fear, and I would kind of like to take traits from that and put it into what we do.’ It’s gone unbelievably expensive since then.”
It seems that everyone wants to see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson make an appearance at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34.
The Rock is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He picked up his popularity in the mainstream while working in the WWE from 1996 to 2004 and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company’s history. He returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company. Every year there is speculation on whether he will appear at WrestleMania. He hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 29 against Cena but did have technically a match with Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 but it was very brief.
Johnson said in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that he won’t be in New Orleans for Wrestlemania 34.
The Rock said, “You will not see me there.” He then joked that he would team up with his Rampage co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan.You can see the interview here:
Emma had a rough time while in the WWE. She signed with the promotion back in 2011 and was placed in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling). When Triple H and WWE decided to up their developmental brand in 2012, she was transitioned into NXT along with everyone else. The Australian is a great wrestler with some good microphone skills and got over with the WWE Universe with her loveable character.
She was a comedy performer who could back up her actions in the ring. She would later change her character as a heel and got over but was hurt quite often in her WWE run. In October 2017, WWE announced that Emma had been released from her WWE contract.
Tenille Dashwood recently spoke withthe Sporting News about various topics. During the interview, she talked about her sudden release from WWE and working with Paige. Here is what she had to say:
“I was definitely surprised. I really enjoyed my match with Asuka at the pay-per-view, and that was the first singles match [on pay-per-view] that I had there. So I was definitely surprised when I found out, but it gave me almost like a launching pad to go out and wrestle for all these companies elsewhere. It was almost a reminder for the fans that I can wrestle. So it really helped me moving forward and I’m glad that I can wrestle everywhere now and the demand is there.”
“In the [“NXT: The Future is Now”] book it says that the matches that Paige and I had were what kick-started the whole women’s evolution, or revolution, and obviously from there on everyone has just jumped on the opportunity and these women have had some of the most amazing matches. It was special to be a part of, but we never would’ve seen women’s wrestling being where it is today. It just goes to show the talent that’s out there, and when given an opportunity these amazing women are able to deliver.”
WWE Superstar Elias performed “Drift Away” at Razzoo on Bourbon Street in New Orleans last night. Elias is not currently on the card at WrestleMania 34, though he has promised a performance of a lifetime on Sunday night. Elias has defeated both Rhyno and Heath Slater on recent episodes of WWE RAW.
— ? FTC – Frank The Clown ? (@FrankTheClown_) April 6, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_up8G4OoJQ
Jerry Lawler Shoots Fireball At Joey Ryan
Joey Ryan cosplayed Andy Kaufman and issued and open challenge at last night’s WrestleCon SuperShow in New Orleans. Joey Ryan refers to himself as “The King of Dong Style” and claims that his package is the strongest muscle in professional wrestling. As seen in the video below, Lawler’s kick to the groin doesn’t phase Joey Ryan at all.
After Joey Ryan informed Jerry Lawler that the Piledriver was illegal in Louisiana, Lawler had to come up with something else to takedown the King of Dong Style. Lawler then shot a fireball and it was a direct hit. Joey Ryan dropped to the mat and rolled around as the crowd erupted.
Hulk Hogan’s name has been mentioned quite a bit in wrestling circles as of late. The former WWE Champion attended the premiere of the HBO documentary on Andre the Giant and there have been confirmed talks between Hogan and WWE for the first time since leaked audio conversations led to his excommunication from the company.
In recent weeks, soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Mark Henry, appeared on the Busted Open radio program to say he doesn’t feel Hogan has done enough just yet to earn a second chance.
Today, former wrestler and World Karate Champion, Ernest Miller, is stating Hogan attempted to help him receive a major push in WCW.
Ernest Miller on Hulk Hogan
Miller appeared on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show recently and spoke about how Hogan once pitched an idea of him dropping the WCW World Title to Miller.
“You know what, Hogan wanted to lose the title to me one time to get me involved with the nWo. But then, if you noticed, we had so much little to nothing going on outside of the nWo.”
Miller talked further in regards to his relationship with Hogan.
“[I] may have been different from a lot of people. [Hulk Hogan] and I had a bond, he was really a good guy and easy to talk to,” Miller said. “I would run things past him, and he’ll give me some of his respects about the situation… Hulk Hogan was just another wrestler, tell me what to do and he was professional at it. Give me some advice, and I’ll take it and move on. I had a great experience with Hulk Hogan.”
WWE has released merchandise for their Hall of Fame Class of 2018. 7 new t-shirts have been added to WWE Shop, all of them featuring the class of Hall of Famers scheduled to be inducted tonight.
This year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place tonight from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
Headline Inductee: Bill Goldberg (to be inducted by Paul Heyman)
the Dudley Boyz (to be inducted by Edge and Christian)
WWE kicked off WrestleMania weekend last night with a show from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The event featured the 1st round matches in the Axxess title tournaments. WWE is holding tournaments over WrestleMania weekend to crown new contenders in the NXT tag-team, North American, United Kingdom, and NXT Women’s divisions.
Additionally, NXT Superstar, Kassius Ohno, challenged Keith Lee for the WWN title.
Results from WrestleMania Axxess Night 1
WWN Title Match
Keith Lee (c) defeats Kassius Ohno
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Invitation First Round Match
Trent Seven & Tyler Bate defeat Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
WWE NXT North American Title Invitation First Round Match
Fabian Aichner defeats Jason Kincaid
WWE NXT Women’s Title Invitation First Round Match
Nikki Cross defeats Aliyah
WWE United Kingdom Title Invitation First Round Match
Lio Rush defeats Buddy Murphy
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Invitation First Round Match
Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeat Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi
WWE United Kingdom Title Invitation First Round Match
Drew Gulak defeats Dan Matha
WWE NXT North American Title Invitation First Round Match
Akira Tozawa defeats Kona Reeves
WWE NXT Women’s Title Invitation First Round Match
Kairi Sane defeats Bianca Belair
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler will be calling matches at WrestleMania 34. They won’t be the only additional commentators WWE brings in for the event as well.
WWE announced the guest commentary schedule for Sunday at the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show yesterday
Guest Commentators at WrestleMania
Beth Phoenix, who participated in the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble, will do commentary for the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
Ross and Lawler will call the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal which is scheduled to take place on the Kickoff show along with the Women’s Battle Royal and Cruiserweight Championship match.
Additionally, Shawn Michaels was announced as joining Renee Young on the pre-show panel. WWE also hinted yesterday there would be some surprise guest commentators as well.
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans will air this Saturday night at 8 PM ET on the WWE Network. There will also be a one hour Kickoff Show before the event. Join us on SEScoops for live coverage of NXT TakeOver: New Orleans on this Saturday.
Johnny Gargano will look to get his revenge on Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned match. Andrade “Cien” Almas will defend the NXT Championship against Aleister Black. EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Velveteen Dream, Adam Cole and Ricochet will battle in a Ladder match to crown the first NXT North American Champion.
In front of a SOLD OUT crowd @SmoothieKingCtr, we take over New Orleans:
Black v. Almas Ember v. Shayna Gargano v. Ciampa AOP v. Undisputed ERA v. Dunne & Strong EC3 v. Dain v. Velveteen v. Lars v. Cole v. Ricochet
Undisputed Era will defend their NXT Tag Team Championships in a Triple Threat match against The Authors of Pain and Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong. Ember Moon will once again defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler.
Here are 5 predictions for NXT TakeOver: New Orleans:
Undisputed Era Will Retain The NXT Tag Titles
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Bobby Fish has not been medically cleared to compete at NXT TakeOver: Orleans. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly tried to weasel their way out of defending the titles on Saturday night by interfering in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. Cole and O’Reilly attacked Dunne, Strong and The Authors of Pain and the match ended in a double disqualification. NXT GM William Regal came down to the entrance ramp and announced that Undisputed Era will now defend their titles against both teams in a Triple Threat match.
The Authors of Pain have been ready to join the main roster for some time now. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them show up on SmackDown or RAW during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up following WrestleMania 34. Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong are a new team that have been impressive so far. Dunne is currently the United Kingdom Champion and I don’t see him staying in a team with Roderick Strong much longer. It just makes sense for Undisputed Era to retain and for them to enter a new feud after NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
Shayna Baszler Will Become The New NXT Women’s Champion
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Ember Moon successfully defended the NXT Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia on January 27th. Baszler controlled the majority of the match and focused her attack on Moon’s injured left arm. Moon was able to counter an Arm Bar with a roll-up to escape with the victory.
Baszler was granted her rematch on the February 14th episode of NXT. Shayna picked up the win via DQ after Kairi Sane interfered. Shayna had Moon in an Arm Bar in the metal barricade outside the ring and wouldn’t let go. Sane had seen enough and came down for the save.
Shayna Baszler is ready for the belt and I also think Ember Moon is ready to join the main roster. Their first NXT TakeOver match was very entertaining and I’m expecting an even better match between these two Superstars on Saturday night.
Velveteen Dream Will Capture The NXT North American Championship
Photo Credit: WWE.com
On the March 28th episode of NXT, GM William Regal announced the North American Championship. EC3 made his debut during the same segment and just assumed that Regal was gifting him the title. Regal stated that everything is earned in NXT and gave EC3 an opportunity to earn the title at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Cole, Dain, Sullivan, Dream and Ricochet were also added to the Ladder match throughout the night.
A case could be made for any of these 6 Superstars to become the first NXT North American Champion. It would be a hell of start in NXT for either EC3 or Ricochet to win the titles. Undisputed Era would become even more powerful if Adam Cole was able to walk out of New Orleans with the belt. Both Dain and Sullivan have been impressive in NXT and absolutely deserve to have the gold around their waist. However, I think Velveteen Dream would make the most interesting champion right now. His character is incredibly unique and he has become very popular amongst NXT fans. Velveteen Dream is already full of himself, I’d love to see how he acts after he becomes NXT North American Champion.
Tommaso Ciampa Will End Johnny Gargano’s NXT Career
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Tommaso Ciampa betrayed Johnny Gargano following DIY’s loss last May at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. Ciampa then missed a substantial amount of time and Gargano became a star as a singes competitor. Gargano put on an absolute classic with Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia. Gargano came up just short and lost his opportunity at the NXT Championship.
After the match, Gargano was comforted by his wife, Candice LaRae on the entrance ramp. The crowd cheered him on as Gargano was clearly heartbroken after the defeat. Ciampa returned and struck Gargano in the back with his crutch. Ciampa would then cost Gargano his spot on the NXT roster and his title rematch on the February 21st episode of NXT.
Ciampa has spent the past few weeks on NXT coming down to the ring and getting frustrated that the crowd was booing him. Gargano blended in with the crowd and attacked Ciampa on the March 21st episode of NXT. Ciampa would then confront NXT GM William Regal about the situation. Regal stated that Ciampa will face Gargano at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in an Unsanctioned match. If Tommaso wins, Johnny Gargano is gone from NXT for good.
I’m expecting this match to be full of emotion and ultimately turn into a war between Ciampa and Gargano. This in an Unsanctioned match, so absolutely anything goes. I want to see tables, chairs, kendo sticks and whatever else these two can grab from under the ring. It should be an incredibly fun match to watch. Ciampa is already hated by NXT fans for what he has done to Gargano. If he ends Gargano’s NXT career, he would instantly become the biggest heel on the show.
Aleister Black Will Become The New NXT Champion
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Andrade “Cien” Almas will defend the NXT Championship against Aleister Black this Saturday night at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Zelina Vega signed the contract to make the match official on the March 14th episode of NXT. Almas didn’t show up and Black took at is an opportunity to poke fun at him. Almas then attacked Aleister Black in the parking lot on the March 28th episode of NXT.
I have very high expectations for this match. Aleister Black is an absolute rock star in NXT and Almas has raised his game to a whole new level. Zelina Vega has been the perfect manager for Almas and she will most likely attack Aleister Black during this match. I just think it is Aleister Black’s time to become NXT Champion right now. Almas has had a great run with the title since taking it from Drew McIntyre last year at NXT WarGames.
The outcome of this match really doesn’t matter to me. Almas could retain due to outside interference and I’d be fine with it. I cannot envision a scenario where Aleister Black isn’t the NXT Champion in the near future if he loses on Saturday night. The real prediction for this match is that it is going to be absolutely amazing. Every match on the card for NXT TakeOver: New Orleans has the potential to be special.
The Rock is currently on a media tour to promote his new film “Rampage.” It just so happens his old WrestleMania foe, John Cena, is doing to same to promote his own movie “Blockers.” The Great One recently made an appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show and was asked about Cena’s Hollywood success.
Rock was asked if he and The Leader Of The Cenation have any real tension with one another, because although they feuded in the WWE, the rivalry wasn’t real. The former WWE Champion actually corrected Kimmel and revealed some real issues he had with Cena:
“In the world of wrestling, as you guys know, it’s fictionalized, it’s a TV show. But we had our rivalry, and now we can look back on it, it was so real. Like, we had real problems with each other,” Johnson said. “We had real issues with each other.
“Now… he’s one of my best friends,” Johnson said. “We talk all the time, I’m rooting for him to win.”
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with TV Insider to promote her WrestleMania 34 title defense against Nia Jax. Bliss first discussed her appreciation for WWE’s creative team and not knowing how she’ll make her WrestleMania entrance yet:
“Our creative team is awesome. They always take our suggestions for entrances. We always try to work with them because sometimes they have some ideas for us or sometimes there are no ideas at all. So, we just have to mesh together and be open to suggestions on both ends. Our creative teams and writing teams are always great about that.”
Little Miss Bliss then talked about her feud with Nia Jax and their build-up to their bout in New Orleans:
“It has been a very real road with Nia. We both have struggled with image issues in the past. So, it’s a very real subject that we are bringing to light with mine and Nia’s story. I think because it’s an actual issue, people can relate. There are people who are bullied or are bullies.
“I think it’s one of those things that people are going to be invested in our story because it’s real and there is real emotion behind it. People know that me and Nia up to this point were best friends, which they’ve seen through Monday Night Raw and Total Divas. Now our storyline is more personal; I think that is what getting people into what we are doing.”
The RAW Women’s Champ then offered her thoughts on ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey joining the roster:
“I’ve always said that if anyone can legitimize the fan’s perception of what we do, I think it’s Ronda. Everyone knows she has made a name for herself in UFC and had this division built around her. She has done all these amazing things, but to see her train and struggle and do the grind of what we do, I think it gives people more appreciation for what we do. For many, Ronda is it. I think it’s great that we have her, and I think it’s what our ‘Women’s Revolution’ needs.”
You can read Bliss’ full interview with TV Insider by clicking this link here.
Roman Reigns recently did an interview with The New York Post to promote his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar this weekend in New Orleans at WrestleMania 34. Reigns was first asked about Paul Heyman saying Brock Lesnar will most likely return to UFC after WrestleMania:
“Not only will it help fuel this fire between Brock and I, it will get some truth that needs to be said a little bit. Some people need to hear this stuff because this has kind of been a thing. Brock’s not the only part-time guy. But there are a lot of full-time guys that are never gonna, as a collective, reach our potentials if we are dominated in this portion of the year by part-time guys.”
The Big Dog also explained why business is better within WWE when the company has a full-time World Champion:
“Whenever you have a champion who is on every single live event, every single house show, every single appearance that’s scheduled, it changes numbers. It’s true. I’ve seen it before. The tour we had after I beat Triple H in Dallas [at WrestleMania 32] the numbers didn’t lie and it’s not going to be any different [this time].”
Reigns then described how huge a victory over Lesnar on The Grandest Stage Of Them All would be for his career:
“It wouldn’t only be huge for me. It would be huge for this whole locker room. This is a team thing that we do and I represent this new generation.”
You can read Reigns’ full interview with The New York Post by clicking this link here.
– WWE posted the following WrestleMania Diary video on their YouTube channel of 2018 Hall Of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett did an interview with The Midday 180 on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone:
– Below are videos of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon arriving in New Orleans for their Mixed Tag Team match against Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34 this weekend. Check it out:
– WWE posted a clip from WWE Network’s “Ride Along,” featuring Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh. Mahal discussed the formation of Three Man Band (3MB) and said he believes the faction will return one day as a dominant one:
WWE Superstar John Cena recently did an interview with Collider to promote his new film, “Blockers.” The Leader Of The Cenation discussed how comfortable he’s getting with comedic acting:
“I think a lot of that is being comfortable with the people around you and being comfortable with the material. Even if it’s not your sense of humor, you have to understand the humor. I also know that a lot of the humor rests on me looking like an idiot, so I’m okay with that. I’m okay with looking like an idiot.
“Some people don’t go there, but I don’t care. You have to get the perspective of funny people and not have any reservations on looking like a dumb-ass. I just trusted Kay and trusted my co-workers, and hoped that she then put it together well.”
If he ever imagined that he’d be butt-chugging, as his character does on the film:
“No, but I couldn’t have imagined any of this. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d have a WWE match and they’d give me money for it. This is not supposed to happen. For me to digest that moment, the moment is essentially that this dude will do anything for his daughter, and then he gets called out on it. He’s a guy who’s a man of his word. He will do anything for his daughter. Not only does that statement mean something, but he genuinely means it.
“It’s funny as hell. You’ll laugh out loud. But if you wanna talk about a vulnerable moment for a dude who’s built like a brick shithouse, to be humbled and humiliated in front of a part full of people because he’s worried about a bad decision his daughter may or may not make, that’s where I get the depth of shoving a beer up my butt.
“Everybody has their own process, but that’s why it’s funny and that’s why I’ll do it. It fits in the movie. It’s not just, “Hey, so we have this gag and we wanna do the gag.” There’s meaning behind it.”
He also commented on the reception that the movie has been receiving thus far:
“My goodness, of course! We saw it at SXSW, which is an amazing place to premiere a movie, and people were laughing so hard that they missed a lot of the punchlines. They were laughing over five jokes. You wanna stand there and be like, “Guys, be quiet!,” but at the same time, you don’t because they’re laughing at moments.
“Moments outlive punchlines. The punchlines will lose their luster, after awhile, but people were laughing at the outrageous moments of the movie, and that sets something up for long-term success. They’ll just have to go back and see it again.”
You can read Cena’s full interview with Collider by clicking this link here.
Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Cody Rhodes recently did an interview with NOLA.com to promote this weekend’s Supercard Of Honor XII event. Rhodes first commented on his feud with Kenny Omega:
“I spend more time with those guys. I put in way more work than Kenny, who has the reputation of having some of the best matches in the world, but that’s a lot easier to do when you barely ever wrestle. The issue has been Kenny not going quietly into the night. We thought it would be easy for me to beat up Kenny Omega with Crossroads and leave him lying, and I would be the leader of the Bullet Club. But Kenny is not giving up the position, the title easily.”
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion then explained why his upcoming match with Omega is important:
“Whether there were tensions or whether this was a cold match, it still holds the same importance because it’s the very first time Kenny and I have ever squared off in singles competition. It was a match people have asked for for a number of years. We weren’t getting close to it because we were both members of the Bullet Club.
“There’s been tension, but this match is very important to the wrestling community. His star has risen from his performances, his stellar matches that he has had in Japan, and here in the States as well. He should be very proud of what he’s been able to accomplish.”
In regards to a possible return to WWE, Rhodes really can’t see that happening for him anytime soon:
“It’s always safe to say never say never. But … no. Only because we’ve taken on such a project with All In. Wrestling is currently going through a revolution. It’s less about the brand and more about the talent and their fans. That’s my focus. I don’t think I really could belong anywhere ever again. I make Ring of Honor my home team these days, but I still play my music how I want to play it. I had a great time in WWE. I had multiple singles matches at WrestleMania.
“Met my wife there. It was a really wonderful place to grow up. It’s the house that built me. But also, it’s where I learned the fundamentals of this industry, which have led me to seek it outside WWE. The wrestling that I love the most doesn’t happen there. It’s not a knock on them. It’s just the wrestling that I love the most, is out there in the world. And that’s where I tend to be these days.”
You can read Rhodes’ full interview with NOLA.com by clicking this link here.
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss has made a big splash ever since she was called up to the main roster two years ago from NXT. While she never held the NXT Women’s Title during her time in the developmental brand, she was mainly used as a manager for Blake and Murphy, who went onto have a run as the NXT Tag Team Champions. With her not having a big push in NXT, some fans had their doubts about “Five Feet of Fury” when she was called up to SmackDown Live. However, she made her doubters wrong when she blasted on the scene while in the women’s division on the blue brand and would go onto hold the SmackDown Women’s Title as well as the RAW Title.
Bliss recently spoke with Newsweek to promote WrestleMania 34. During the interview, she was asked about how NXT helped her and working with Mickie James. “I think my biggest takeaway from NXT was learning the process. What goes into the business, the culture. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. That’s the biggest thing I took from NXT, and how to have the work ethic to not only be on the road but to succeed on the road.” “It’s so different working with Mickie now than when we were on SmackDown. When Mickie came back to WWE, we didn’t know each other. It was a new friendship on-camera. We got to know each other and we’ve been working together for a year now and it’s a lot more fun.”
Bliss is slated to defend her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at WrestleMania 34, which is a match that has been slowly but surely built upon the RAW brand. “I’m excited, it’ll be amazing because it’ll be the first time a Women’s Championship match happens at WrestleMania in like 11 years and we will have two. With Nia, it’ll be different because it’s personal. Former best friends, we have emotions going into it. For me, all the matches leading up to it have been strictly competition, for a title or an opportunity at a title. But this time it’s personal and it’ll be different from any match I’ve had before.”
There will be a special commentary team for one match at WrestleMania 34.
WWE has announced that WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Beth Phoenix will be providing commentary for the Women’s Battle Royal Match at the upcoming event.
Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Naomi, Natalya, Bayley, Lana, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, and Carmella have been announced to compete in the match.
WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network.
It’s the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. Both RAW and SmackDown rosters will be featured.
