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Kurt Angle Talks Vince McMahon ‘Directing’ Him Kissing Stephanie

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed another unbelievable story during the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show podcast.

During Angle’s rookie year he was involved in a love triangle storyline with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Kurt Angle would end up kissing Stephanie backstage whilst she was ‘concussed,’ and Angle revealed how Vince McMahon had to direct the scene.

“This was ridiculously weird,” Angle began on the podcast. “To come backstage with Stephanie and have to do a pre-tape that was going live so we weren’t going to tape it, it was going to be one take. I think Vince did that on purpose so we only had to kiss once.”

Kurt Angle Talks Vince Backstage

“We got backstage and Vince wants to direct it” Angle continued. “I was like holy s–t, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon’s father is going to direct me kissing her during a pre-tape.”

“I was nervous as hell” Kurt Angle added. “Vince was four feet way, his eyes were open and I was like ‘this is so weird man. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.’ I went down to kiss her and we caught eyes and then we went to kiss and I stuck my lips out, I didn’t want to go with an open mouth because Vince was there and I didn’t want to disrespect Triple H or Stephanie.”

“After the pre-tape she goes ‘you kiss like a fish.’ I was like ‘what’d you expect Stephanie? Your Dad is here watching, he’s directing and your dating Triple H. What did you want me to do?’”

Triple H apparently put the ixnay on that storyline shortly after, but this has never been confirmed publicly.

credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription

Will Ospreay Wins IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis took place today from Ryogoku, Japan.

The main event of the show saw Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi was 2-1 heading into the match against the British sensation.

Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to become the second IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s history. The IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships were ‘retired’ earlier this year and made way for this new top belt in NJPW.

Will Ospreay – New Champion

Ospreay took the win after hitting a Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker to get the pinfall and win his first singles IWGP Championship in New Japan.

Following the match, Will Ospreay called out Kazuchika Okada. The former IWGP Champion appeared but before he could speak Shingo Takagi demanded that he get a shot at the champion first.

Takagi defeated Okada in the first round of the New Japan Cup, so he asked why Okada would deserve the title shot over him. Ospreay agreed and said that he would defend the belt against Shingo first and then come for Okada.

WWE Hall Of Fame: Notes & Photos From Ceremony Tapings

Michael Reichlin
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WWE filmed the 2021 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Tuesday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersberg, Florida. Additional footage will be shot today, with post-production to continue in the days ahead.

This is one of the final WWE events at Tropicana Field before the ThunderDome moves to Tampa’s Yuengling Center on 4/12.

The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs next Tuesday, April 6th at 8pm (Eastern) on the Peacock streaming service.

This year’s event will feature inductees from the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021. Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Inductees present at the tapings include the Bella Twins, nWo members Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash & Sean Waltman, the family of the late Davey Boy Smith, JBL and Titus O’Neil (receiving the Warrior Award). Many of the 2021 inductees were not present, including Rob Van Dam, Kane, the Great Khali, Eric Bischoff and Molly Holly.

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler served as the event host.

The 2021 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will not feature inductor speeches. Inductee speeches will be limited to 4-5 minutes each, as discussed by the Bella Twins last week:

WWE Hall of Fame Photos

Several WWE personalities shared photos from the ceremony on social media:

Triple H Explains Why He Turned Down WrestleMania Match Against AJ Styles

Anutosh Bajpai
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AJ Styles had been lobbying for a match against Triple H at this year’s edition of WrestleMania but the plans couldn’t come together for this dream match.

During his recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event, The Game talked about a number of things and explained why he turned down the offer for a bout against the Phenomenal One.

Triple H explained how AJ Styles wanted the bout and he kept asking for it from the former world champion as the Show Of Shows came closer. He revealed that in the beginning, he hadn’t said no to the match:

“He pestered with me every time I saw him! He would ask me about it and ask me about my schedule and as we got closer, man, I’ve said this before, getting ready for WrestleMania is a different thing. And the older you get, the harder it gets.

“When he first came to me, I said, ‘AJ, I’m not going to tell you no. Personally, I’d love to work with you and at this point, you can carry me to something.’ So, I’d love it.”

However as time passed by, Triple H realised that he wouldn’t be able to get in the shape for a match at the show. Even though Styles was still hoping for it until last minute, the King Of Kings decided to cancel the plans:

“There’s a part of me that wants to do it, and then there’s just a bigger part of me that says, ‘I’m so busy 24/7, that to even try and contemplate how to train in the way I would want to train and get in-shape – and by shape, I don’t mean look—in-shape ring wise so you don’t embarrass yourself once you get in there at 52.

“It’s a lot of work and I don’t know that I have – I’m not afraid of the work. If I could make more hours in the day, I could find time to do it. It’s just time.”

After getting a negative answer from Triple H, AJ Styles is now scheduled to compete in a tag team match. He will be teaming with Omos to challenge The New Day for the Raw tag team championships on night one of WrestleMania 37.

Drew McIntyre On Possibly Competing In The Opening Match At WrestleMania 37

Anutosh Bajpai
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Drew McIntyre main evented last year’s WrestleMania where the 2020 Royal Rumble winner defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE championship for the first time in his career. While the former champion may not be in the position to close the show this year, he is ready to take on another similarly enthralling opportunity if he is presented with it which is opening the big event.

McIntyre talked about potentially being in the opening match for the Show of Shows this year during his recent interview with Wrasslinews. He said that he wouldn’t mind being the opening bout because then he will be able to experience the first reaction of the fans after staying away from shows for more than a year:

“I mean, I would be happy opening the show or closing the show. This year is so unique in the sense that the last match — every match at WrestleMania is a main event. Let’s be realistic, if you’re on WrestleMania, you’re in a main event, but when you’re fighting for the championship, generally it’s cool to close the show. This is such a unique WrestleMania, without having the fans there for an entire year, that first reaction is gonna be so, so special.

So that’s why I said if I finish last, the last match — that’s phenomenal! That’s fantastic! That’s tradition! But if I’m in the opening match, to me that’s also just as big because if you get to walk out in that first match and get the crowd full of energy and all those pent up reactions that we’ve been keeping inside for a year, that’s gonna be special too. So, either way I’m happy!”

Drew McIntyre will be challenging Bobby Lashley for his WWE championship at WrestleMania 37. The match will take place on night one of the event on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. You can check out the updated match card for the big event including the lineup for both nights of the show here.

UK Wrestler Jailed For Two Years After Hurting Opponent During Wrestling Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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UK indie wrestler James Riley has been jailed for two years after attacking aspiring wrestler Rob Wilson during a wrestling match and causing serious injuries to his head, according to reports from Metro.co.uk.

Wilson was training under Riley to become a pro wrestler. Part of his training included competing in indie shows to gain experience and the incident took place during one such event in February last year.

The victim explained the attack as a receipt for a botched kick from the trainee wrestler during their bout and he said that he was expecting Riley to hit him in the back:

“The assault was a result of his prior instruction. He was down on the floor and because I was the antagonist he said to me I should stay on top of him when he was down. I caught him with a kick to the gut area. He hissed at me “receipt” which is terminology for payback.

I positioned myself on my hands and knees and I was expecting him to hit me on the back but instead he kicked me in the face as if taking a goal kick in football.”

He went on to detail how he felt after receiving the kick from his opponent. The indie wrestler claimed that his face ‘exploded’ and it was the worst pain he had experienced in his life:

“It was the worst pain I had experienced in my life. My face just exploded and I realised it was a lot more than a broken nose. Blood was coming out like fountain and the canvass was red. I could hear the audience yelling to stop the fight.”

According to Paul Bray, a friend of Rob Wilson who was in attendance for the show, Riley was heard telling other wrestlers in his training school that he had ‘deliberately kicked Mr Wilson because he had hit some nerve damage.”

The injury has led to Wilson suffering from PTSD which caused him to lose his sales job. The young star now works as a warehouse operative.

Though Riley did send a text to his student the next day apologizing for his mistake and admitting that he acted like an animal. As per his lawyers, he has also retired from wrestling since then.

Apart from the prison sentence, the court has also issued a restraining order preventing James Riley from contacting the Wilson family for 10 years.

Photo: James Riley (left) and Rob Wilson (right)

Stone Cold Steve Austin On His Relationship With Vince McMahon: “He Doesn’t Even Take My Calls”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Stone Cold Steve Austin has known Vince McMahon for a long time and their iconic rivalry helped WWE in winning the ratings war against WCW. However, it appears that their friendship has weakened a bit over time and they are not as close as they once were.

The Texas Rattlesnake recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he discussed things such as the Monday Night Wars and more. Talking about the boss, Austin made the revelation that he doesn’t stay in contact with Mr. McMahon like they used to but he does reach out every now and then:

“He don’t even take my phone calls but let me tell you, back when I was working on top, when I called Vince, that phone didn’t ring a half time before he picked it up, Now I’ll send him a text message and I’ll get an answer back in a couple of days.”

Though Vince McMahon does reply to the former world champion when it’s something important. The most recent instance of it was when Stone Cold reached out to ask him about bringing Chris Jericho in for an interview on the Broken Skull Sessions.

Apart from this, the former WWE star talked about things such as how the inception of AEW is a good thing for the wrestling world and more.

Scott Hall On The Advice Vince McMahon Gave To Wrestlers

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran Scott Hall, who is going to be inducted into Hall Of Fame this year as part of the nWo alongside Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman recently spoke to Yaz Jung and discussed his career in detail.

The former WCW star, who has had multiple runs with WWE in his long career spanning across four decades has known Vince McMahon for a long time

During the interview, Hall revealed the advice Mr. McMahon used to give to all the wrestlers and according to him, the boss told people to ‘use their face’:

“Vince always told guys to use their face, that’s where the money is … You have to keep an eye on the camera, so in my entrance, I’d usually go and look right to the hard-camera side.” Hall said. “You could see in the nWo days — I’d just look right at the camera and go, ‘I’m the s***!’”

In light of the upcoming Hall Of Fame induction of The British Bulldog, Scott Hall was asked about a potential induction for his tag team partner Thomas Billington aka The Dynamite Kid who passed away in 2018.

Replying to the question, the former WWE star indicated that the company might have reached out to Billington before his passing but he declined the offer:

“Sure, I don’t see why Dynamite wouldn’t go in.. But sometimes the WWE reaches out to guys and for some reason or another they don’t want to be inducted..”

Apart from this, Scott Hall talked about things such as a potential in ring return, WWE spending money on his rehab and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

RVD Comments On Potential All Elite Wrestling Signing

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has signed a number of wresting veterans in recent times including names such as Sting, Paul Wight and Christian. Another name which could be a good fit for the company is RVD.

The hardcore star was even rumored to be the surprise entrant at the Face Of The Revolution ladder match at one point on the company’s last PPV before it was revealed to be Ethan Page.

RVD was asked about potentially joining the AEW roster during his recent interview with ReelTalker.com and the former WWE champion said that he always goes with the flow:

“I just always go with the flow of the universe. I’m always very happy with the way things turn out, AEW, I watch it sometimes, mostly to help Katie Forbes out.

She’ll watch it, she’s up-and-coming, learning and I’ll point stuff out.” said RVD, “There is nothing that interests me about going there, except for business.”

The former WWE star, who hasn’t wrestled since September was also asked about his future in the industry and he claimed that there is nothing that makes him want to wrestle except for business.

RVD explained that while fans may think that he dreams of wrestling different opponents, it’s not the case for him. According to the wrestling veteran, he could be done with the sport and he is totally fine with never getting in the ring again.

Roman Reigns and UFC Legend Go Back and Forth on Twitter

Jake Skudder
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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been going back and forth on Twitter with former UFC 2-division Champion Daniel Cormier.

Cormier is a massive pro wrestling fan, and he has expressed interest in switching over to WWE in the past.

During a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Roman Reigns said that he is able to ‘smash anyone.’ “I’ll smash anybody one-on-one, whether it’s Daniel Bryan, Edge one-on-one. DC one-on-one, I’ll smash ’em all one-on-one, it don’t matter.”

“Get him (Daniel Cormier) from behind the table” Reigns continued. “Get him in the gym, maybe. Maybe he could have a chance, I dunno. It’d be a short story, I’ll tell DC.”

Daniel Cormier vs Roman Reigns

Cormier responded to Reigns on Twitter, saying “Watch your mouth @RomanReignsWWE! I’ll dance with the big dog! @arielhelwani @espnmma @wwe.”

After Reigns replied saying “that announce table has made him soft,” Daniel Cormier seemingly sent out an ‘official’ challenge to the Big Dog.

“My advisor @arielhelwani is waiting by the phone” Cormier wrote. “It’s time to stop talking and let’s make this real! I’m 42 years old with a bad back and I’m whippin’ you any day of the week. Your move @VinceMcMahon, @HHH this my yard , I’m the big dog!”

Would you want to see Daniel Cormier in WWE? Let us know in the comments

New Japan Reveals NJPW Strong Openweight Championship

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that another new Championship will be coming to the company.

The NJPW Strong Openweight Championship was revealed on this week’s episode of NJPW Strong. This Friday’s episode saw the Road to New Japan Cup USA 2021 begin; and it was revealed exactly what each of the eight competitors in the single elimination competition this April will be fighting for.

The 2020 iteration of the New Japan USA Cup was held to determine who would go on to face IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley. That tournament was of course won by KENTA.

NJPW Strong Openweight Championship

English language NJPW website NJPW1972.com sent out the following regarding the brand new title.

The title represents the pinnacle of competition on NJPW STRONG on Friday nights, and will be contested for by wrestlers of any weight class. Things are going to get even more exciting going forward on NJPW STRONG; who of the eight in this year’s tournament will become the first holder of the gold? 

New Japan also recently unveiled the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship belt. Many fans weren’t happy with the design, saying that it resembled the old WWE Divas ‘butterfly’ belt.

Do you think the new Openweight belt looks better than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Let us know in the comments

Final Card for NJPW Sakura Genesis, Ryogoku (04/04)

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis will be taking place on Sunday 4th from Ryogoku, Japan.

The main event of the show sees Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi is currently 2-1 in their overall record.

There following preview for the massive bout comes from NJPW1972.com:

Ospreay’s number one contendership status was earned after a 30 minute war with Shingo Takagi. That bout showed off the Commonwelath Kingpin’s effortless ability to change gears between high flying high risk offense and intense, focused punishment.

It’s an ability that has evolved within Ospreay since making the transition to heavyweight; a transition that arguably began with the first ever in ring meeting between these two men.

Here’s the full card for the event this weekend:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO and YOH
  • DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr., and Taichi vs. Jado, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga
  • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, and Kazuchika Okada vs. Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, Yurijo Takahashi, KENTA, and EVIL
  • Shingo Takagi, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and a mystery partner
  • Satoshi Kojima and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale and Jay White

Chris Jericho On Why TNT Was Unhappy With Sting’s Surprise AEW Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Christian Cage was the latest guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast where the duo talked about the former’s recent AEW signing and debut in detail.

Another former WWE star who made his All Elite Wrestling debut recently is Sting. He surprised fans and created a lot of buzz during his appearance at the Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite.

During the interview, Jericho revealed that the TNT Network was not happy with Sting’s surprise appearance on Dynamite because they wanted to take advantage of the rating boost:

“I thought it was cool too because I know when we had Sting has a surprise, the network was like, don’t do that again, that’s why Paul Wight was announced on social media because TNT said we don’t want surprises. We want to take advantage of the rating.

So I think we had a big surprise, then we had a big announcement and then we use that big announcement to announce the next big surprise.” explained Chris Jericho, “I think that’s one of the reasons too to kind of spread it out a bit as well.”

Christian Compares AEW to WWE

Christian also talked about his time in WWE and said that he has nothing bad to say about his time with the company. He then discussed the difference between the WWE and AEW locker room.

The former WWE star explained that the AEW locker room seems less hectic and less frantic to him and he feels that the talent are surer of themselves as performers and what they are going to do.

Backstage News On The Decision To Split The Hurt Business

Anutosh Bajpai
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The breakup of the Hurt Business came as a surprise to many and a number of fans and wrestling personalities expressed their unhappiness over the decision.

Fightful select provided some information on this move from the company and the site reports that Vince McMahon made the decision himself “much to the chagrin of those in the group.”

Members of the group including Bobby Lashley and MVP were vocal about their unhappiness with the call. They even had a meeting with the boss before Raw to try and persuade him to change his mind about the future of The Hurt Business.

However, Mr. McMahon “was set in his choice to fracture the group” and the WWE chairman “dug his heels in even more” at the meeting with the members of The Hurt Business.

The latest Raw episode then saw what appears to be the end of the group. This decision and McMahon’s insistence to continue with the plan was said to be a blow to the morale of the affecting stars.

Shelton Benjamin even took on his Twitter to apparently voice his displeasure with these developments and he wrote that the events of the past week have been frustrating but they come as no surprise:

For those who don’t know, this week’s episode of Raw saw the WWE champion Bobby Lashley kicking Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander out of The Hurt Business after their loss to Drew McIntyre on last week’s episode of the show.

What do you think about WWE’s decision to break up The Hurt Business? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

WrestleMania 37 Title Match Stipulation Announced, Updated Card

Anutosh Bajpai
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While no new matches were announced during the show, this week’s episode of SmackDown still featured a couple of big WrestleMania announcements including the addition of a stipulation to a title match on the PPV.

Sami Zayn had announced last week that Logan Paul will be making an appearance on this week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show. The episode saw the YouTube star being featured in a segment with the former US champion.

During the segment, Sami asked Paul to be his guest at the upcoming WrestleMania event and the celebrity guest accepted this proposal.

Though Kevin Owens attacked Zayn before he could end the segment. Things then ended with Sami Zayn recovering from the attack while a shocked Logan Paul stood in the ring.

This wasn’t the only WrestleMania announcement made during the show. Apollo Crews revealed in a backstage segment that his IC championship match with Big E will now be a Nigerian Drum match.

Crews explained that the match will have no rules and limitations, just the beatings loud enough to sound like the beating of the drums. Based on the description, it essentially seems to be a No DQ match.

Updated WrestleMania 37 Match Card

WrestleMania 37 will take place from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 10 and 11. After the latest announcements, here is the updated card for the show:

WrestleMania 37 Night One Matches

  • WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander are banned from ringside.
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
  • Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Omos and AJ Styles vs. The New Day
  • Steel Cage Match: Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman
  • Singles Match: The Miz with John Morrison vs. Bad Bunny with Damian Priest
  • Singles Match: Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

WrestleMania 37 Night Two Matches

  • WWE Universal Championship Triple Threat Match: Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs. Roman Reigns
  • Raw Women’s Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship Nigerian Drum Match: Apollo Crews vs. Big E
  • WWE United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Matt Riddle
  • Singles Match: Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt with Alexa Bliss
  • Singles Match: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, Logan Paul will be on Sami’s corner

Backstage News On Internal Reaction To WrestleMania 37 Ticket Sales

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The upcoming WrestleMania 37 will be the first WWE event to feature a live audience in over a year and the company is expecting to host 25,000 fans on each night of the show.

The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provided some update on the ticket sales of the event and it reveals that there are still seats available for the show despite the event being less than 10 days away.

According to the report, while most of the tickets were sold in the pre-sale, the company still has about 1,000 tickets left for night one and 809 tickets left for night two.

Some people within the company expected the PPV to be an immediate sellout similar to the recent UFC 261 event in Jacksonville because it’s their first big event to allow a live crowd in attendance in a long time.

However, it didn’t turn out to be the case as there are still tickets left unsold days before the event and there is some disappointment within the company over this situation.

WrestleMania 37 will once again be a two-night event. It will be taking place on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The show will be airing on Peacock.

Triple H Shares His Opinion On The Undertaker’s ‘Soft’ Comments

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WWE Executive Vice President Triple H recently held a media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event taking place during the WrestleMania week. During the interview, the Game who has a long history with The Undertaker was asked about the Dead Man’s comments about today’s product being ‘soft’ which received negative reaction from a lot of people.

Triple H first mentioned how the wrestling business is always changing and different people have different opinions which you can agree and disagree with. He praised the former world champion saying that he is bluntly honest with his opinions. However, the Game then said that Taker’s comments always have the best intention:

“His comments and his intention are always with the best of intent, or desire, to improve and I do believe he has a wealth of knowledge, that if he speaks… you know, there’s certain guys in the business that if they speak, they’ve been around a long time, seen a lot of things, and they’ve earned the right to, if they speak, you listen and you take the point of view, and you work with it. He’s one of those guys, for sure.”

The former DX member continued by comparing the whole debate to the debate about the music of different generations. He mentioned how everyone believes that a certain generation of music is better than the other but at the end of the day, they are all just opinions:

“So, if he says it and believes it, there’s something to it, then yeah, every generation is different and what people are willing to accept in generations. You know, everybody believes certain generations of music are better than others, too, and at the end of the day all of this is opinion. We all like what we like, we all dislike what we dislike, and we give our opinions on it, and it really comes down to what do the masses of people like.”

After the Final Farewell segment at last November’s Survivor Series event, there has been some talk of The Undertaker possibly coming to the Performance Center to help talent. Commenting on this possibility, Triple H said that he is looking forward to working with Taker and “making it all better at every level.”

Sean Waltman On His Experience At The 2021 Hall Of Fame Ceremony

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Sean Waltman is one of the legends who are going to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame this year as part of the nWo alongside people like Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

The company taped the ceremony in advance earlier this week and it will air exclusively on Peacock and the WWE Network on the upcoming Tuesday.

Waltman talked about his experience at the tapings on his new podcast Pro Wrestling 4 Life with Sean “X-Pac” Waltman and revealed that they were brought in the building very early in the morning:

“They flew us in the night before. We took the COVID test, and then they had us up and out at 7 a.m.,” Waltman said. “We were at the building since 8:00 am. It was a little rough, especially coming from the west coast and having the time difference, my body is all screwed up.

I got a little bit of jet lag right now actually. We did a lot of sitting around for a while, and then once things started going, they went quick. We started taking the pictures [and] doing the rehearsal.”

During the episode, Sean Waltman also confirmed that there were no inductors at the Hall Of Fame ceremony this year similar to 2019:

“There were none. In 2019, I don’t think there were any then either, Jerry Lawler was out there hosting like you normally would, and then it would go to a video package. It was almost like the video package was the induction.”

Apart from this, Sean Waltman, who was inducted into Hall Of Fame as part of the DX as well, talked about potentially becoming a 3 time Hall Of Famer if he gets a solo induction.

However, the former DX member said that going out there and giving an induction speech alone is the last thing he wants to do and he is happy with his two inductions.

WWE SmackDown Results (4/2): Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso In A Street Fight, Logan Paul Appears

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome in Tropicana Field. Jey Uso battled Daniel Bryan in a Street Fight in the main event. Logan Paul was also Sami Zayn’s guest tonight to premiere a new trailer for his conspiracy documentary.

SmackDown Results (4/2)

  1. Alpha Academy, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler def. Street Profits, Dominik & Rey Mysterio
  2. Natalya def. Shayna Baszler
  3. Bianca Belair def. Carmella
  4. Daniel Bryan def. Jey Uso in a Street Fight

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Edge Warned Reigns & Bryan

Edge kicked off this week’s show and made his way down to the ring. Edge claimed that the chaos that happened last week and at Fastlane did not need to happen. He then thought maybe this was inevitable and he was naive to think he could go through the Road to WrestleMania without hitting any speed bumps.

Edge referred to Daniel Bryan as roadkill because he weaseled his way into the Universal Championship match. He said that he was so focused on Roman Reigns that he did not see Bryan coming. Edge added that he looked in the mirror this week and liked what he saw because he was the Rated R Superstar again. He is the guy who comes out swinging and will do whatever it takes to win.

He claimed that Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, and Adam Pearce do not understand the ramifications of what they have done. Edge said that hitting Reigns and Bryan with the steel chair felt so good and will not hesitate to do it again. Edge looked at the WrestleMania sign to end the promo. Kayla Braxton caught up with Edge backstage and he added that he wouldn’t feel sorry for Bryan if he gets injured tonight in the Street Fight against Jey Uso and can’t make it to WrestleMania.

Alpha Academy & Dirty Dawgs Picked Up A Win

SmackDown Tag Team Champions Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler (Dirty Dawgs) faced Street Profits & Dominik and Rey Mysterio in the first match of the night. Ziggler and Dominik started off the action and Mysterio caught Dolph with a boot to the face. Dominik sent Ziggler out of the ring as Rey hit Roode with a Senton off the ring apron. Ford hit Alpha Academy with a Splash as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Ziggler was in control and had Rey isolated in the corner of the ring. Rey escaped and tagged in Angelo Dawkins. Angelo connected with a Clothesline and Ziggler retreated to the corner. Roode tagged in and promptly got beaten down by Dawkins.

Otis caught Angelo with a cheap shot and tagged in. Otis took control and then Roode tagged back in. Roode connected with a Suplex and went for the cover but Angelo was able to kick out at two. Otis tagged back in and Dawkins greeted him with a Jawbreaker.

Montez Ford and Chad Gable then tagged in and traded shots in the middle of the ring. Montez connected with a Standing Moonsault and went for the cover but Dolph broke it up at two. Rey went for a 619 but Roode caught him and slammed Mysterio into the barricade. Gable hit Ford with a German Suplex as Otis tagged in. Otis followed it up with a Splash off the turnbuckle for the pinfall victory.

Cesaro Vowed To Embarrass Rollins

Seth Rollins and Cesaro joined Corey Graves in the ring tonight. Seth was wearing one of the most ridiculous suits I’ve ever seen. Rollins will battle Cesaro during Night 1 of WrestleMania. Graves wondered if Cesaro will finally have his breakthrough moment and Cesaro said it is the biggest match of career. Cesaro vowed to do whatever it takes to leave WrestleMania with a victory.

Cesaro claimed that there was something different in the air and he can feel it. Rollins got annoyed and said that he is untouchable during WrestleMania season. Rollins boasted about his past accomplishments and aligned himself with some of the greats of the past.

Cesaro said he wouldn’t be in his position if he didn’t believe he could defeat Seth at WrestleMania. Cesaro went further and claimed that he was going to embarrass Rollins at the biggest show of the year. Seth got more annoyed and vowed to embarrass Cesaro at WrestleMania. Rollins stated he wasn’t going to let Cesaro get to WrestleMania and wanted to end his dream right now. Cesaro dared Rollins to do something but Seth cowered out of the ring as Cesaro stared him down.

Natalya Easily Defeated Shayna Baszler

Natalya squared off with Shayna Baszler tonight on SmackDown. Nia Jax joined commentary as Reginald and Tamina Snuka were ringside. Natalya tackled Shayna to the canvas and went for the Sharpshooter early but Baszler was able to escape. Natalya then rolled up Baszler for the shockingly easy win over one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

After the match, Nia Jax attacked Natalya and Tamina in the ring. The Riott Squad made the save but the Women’s Tag Team Champions beat them down. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke joined the party and beat Nia and Shayna down. Naomi and Lana rushed the ring and the brawl continued. Nia and Shayna exited the ring as Natalya & Tamina stood tall. Billie Kay then approached Carmella backstage with her resume and Carmella seemed interested in teaming with her.

Kevin Owens Attacked Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn welcomed famous YouTuber Logan Paul to SmackDown tonight. A red carpet went down the entrance ramp and all the way to the ring. Zayn was dressed up and went on a rant about how everyone is against him and hyped his conspiracy documentary.

Zayn introduced Logan Paul and shared a hug with him in the ring. Paul suggested that this could be the biggest conspiracy of all time based on what he has heard from Zayn. Sami was happy with quick they were becoming pals and invited Logan to WrestleMania. Paul accepted the invitation and said it would be a pleasure.

Sami asked for a drum roll and aired a trailer for his conspiracy documentary. Zayn asked for Logan’s thoughts and he brought up speaking to Kevin Owens backstage. Logan said that Owens has known Sami for 15 years and that Zayn has become delusional. Zayn told Logan that he doesn’t want Owens polluting his mind and that tonight needs to be perfect.

Logan Paul complimented Sami on the trailer and noted that he put a lot of effort into it. Kevin Owens interrupted and hit Sami Zayn with a Stunner. Owens told Sami that he is going to teach him a lesson at WrestleMania and exited the ring as Logan looked on with a shocked look on his face. Kevin Owens was then interviewed backstage and Sami attacked him from behind. Owens regrouped and Sami ran away.

Bianca Belair def. Carmella

Carmella squared off with Bianca Belair tonight. Carmella went right after Bianca and controlled the beginning of the contest as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Carmella hit a Bronco Buster and went for the cover but Belair was able to power out at two.

Belair battled back with a Dropkick and a Clothesline. Carmella hit a kick to the face for another near fall. Carmella started taunting Belair and shouted that she is the best. Belair got up and quickly hit the KOD for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Sasha Banks tried to attack Belair but Bianca was ready. Bianca pointed to the WrestleMania sign. Sasha smirked before raising the SmackDown Women’s Championship to end the segment.

Apollo Crews Suggested A Stipulation For The IC Title Match At WrestleMania

Apollo Crews cut a pretaped promo on Intercontinental Champion Big E tonight. Crews claimed that Big E disrespected his royal ancestors and suggested a “Nigerian Drug Fight” stipulation for the Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania. Apollo explained that it is ancient duel created by his ancestors as a way for those that have been wronged to make things right. Crews added that there will be no rules, just a beating so loud that it will sound like drums. Crews then vowed to win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania.

Daniel Bryan def. Jey Uso

Paul Heyman approached Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce backstage. Heyman presented an “indemnification clause”, which protects Jey Uso from all liability in the Street Fight against Daniel Bryan later tonight. Heyman suggested that this match could shorten Daniel Bryan’s career and jeopardize the Triple Threat at WrestleMania. Pearce was about to respond but Sonya cut him off and said Heyman made a good point. Paul agreed and walked away.

Jey Uso faced Daniel Bryan in a Street Fight in the main event. Edge joined commentary for the match. The action quickly spilled out of the ring with Jey in control. Jey launched Bryan into the barricade and rolled him back into the ring.

Jey brought a steel chair inside but Bryan kicked it away. Daniel went for a Suicide Dive but Jey struck him with the chair. Uso put Bryan’s leg in the chair and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Jey went for a Splash but Bryan got out of the way. Daniel started bashing Jey with the steel chair but Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman came to the entrance ramp as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Jey caught Daniel with a Superkick to the face. Jey set up the chair in between the ropes and sent Bryan flying into it. Uso unloaded some right hands and some more chair shots for good measure. Back outside the ring, Jey bounced Daniel’s face off the steel steps as Reigns looked on.

Jey got distracted when Edge claimed that he didn’t fear anyone on commentary. Bryan capitalized and connected with a Suplex off the steel steps and to the floor. Bryan hit Jey with the steel chair and took a moment to stare down Edge. Back in the ring, Bryan hit Jey with a chain and applied the Yes Lock for the submission victory.

After the match, Daniel Bryan hit Edge with the Running Knee and bashed his head off the ring post several times. Roman Reigns pushed the steel chair towards Bryan and got out of the way. Bryan eleceted to hit Reigns with the Running Knee and got him in the Yes Lock on the entrance ramp. Daniel Bryan then did the “yes!” chant in the ring as SmackDown went off the air.

Logan Paul Appears On WWE SmackDown, WrestleMania 37 Appearance Set

Andrew Ravens
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Logan Paul made an appearance on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. 

WWE set up his appearance on last Friday’s show when Sami Zayn announced during a segment with Kevin Owens that his documentary will debut on the latest show and Paul would be there as part of the Red Carpet premiere. In the days leading up to this announcement, Paul and Zayn had been tweeting each other. 

On Friday’s episode, Zayn debuted the trailer for his new documentary that was supposed to show how there has been a conspiracy against him. The trailer for the documentary, which is titled “Justice For Sami” did not show much evidence of his claims other than Zayn making claims against referees and WWE officials.

Paul stated that he spoke with Owens and he was informed Zayn can be neurotic and paranoid. Paul praised his rival for the effort put forward and then Owens showed up to hit a stunner to Zayn. It was also confirmed that Paul is also scheduled to appear at WrestleMania.

It was announced last December that Paul would fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout on February 20th, but the fight was postponed to an unspecified date. 

WWE presents WrestleMania 37 on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida that will air on Peacock. 

WWE’s List Of Banned Words For WrestleMania Promotional Partners

Andrew Ravens
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WWE is gearing up for WrestleMania 37 as it takes place next weekend. Fightful obtained social media guidelines from the company distributed to some promotional partners for WrestleMania 36, which was last year. 

These words aren’t likely different within the time of a year. The partners were instructed to not reply to fans in the comments, speculate on rumors or future storylines, and always present WWE and talent in a positive light.

The term “dirt sheets” was used, as “be sensitive of the language used and how it may be interpreted by dirt sheets.” WWE wanted them to use “Sports Entertainment” and “Superstars” instead of “wrestling” and “wrestlers.”

They were also told to not use messages that would encourage fans to speak negatively about the product. A list of banned terms is below: 

  • Blood
  • Choke
  • Belt
  • Strap
  • Diva
  • Head shot
  • Trauma
  • Kayfabe
  • Mofos
  • House show
  • DQ
  • The Anti-Diva
  • Spinal injuries
  • Victim
  • Violence/violent
  • Wrestling/wrestlers
  • WWF
  • Wifebeater
  • Curb Stomp
  • Needs a push
  • To be over
  • Babyface
  • Heel
  • To job/jobber
  • Card
  • Strangle
  • Kill
  • Murder

Last year’s WrestleMania was also supposed to take place in Tampa, Florida, but was moved to the Performance Center without a live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Triple H Comments On Chris Jericho’s Appearance On Broken Skull Sessions

Andrew Ravens
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The big news on Friday was Chris Jericho slated to make an appearance on the next episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions series. 

The episode will air on Peacock on April 11th, which is the day of the second night of WrestleMania 37. Austin has since gone into details about getting permission from Vince McMahon about having the AEW star on the show. 

During today’s NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver conference call, Triple H was asked about the upcoming episode. 

“We’re open for business. We’ve said it a million times on things. Vince has been very adamant in that. We’re open for business, whatever is best for business for WWE. Whoever that is.”

He noted that the funny thing is people sometimes create their own situations in their head but it’s not shocking to him. He pointed out how he hadn’t heard about the news until this call, but it’s not shocking to him in any way, shape, or form.

“People make comments about people that leave and that they received a nice call from Vince or whoever it is. That’s not shocking to me at all. The perception and the creation of what people believe in their heads when they have zero knowledge of it personally is amazing sometimes. The fantasy world that is created. It’s not shocking to me in any way.”

This will be the first time that an AEW star will appear on WWE programming. 

Andrade Posts Photo Of Himself Signing… Something

Michael Reichlin
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Free agent Andrade is making moves.

The former NXT Champion was granted his release from WWE last month. Soon after, we learned that he is free to wrestle anywhere and is not subject to WWE’s common 90-day non-compete clause.

On Friday, Andrade posted a photo of himself about to sign a piece of paper. The paper appears blank, but the post implies he’s made a decision about the next chapter of his career. He included the caption, “New Beginnings!” and the hashtag, #TheWorldIsMine.

Andrade’s significant other, Charlotte Flair, replied that she’s proud of him. This is another indication that whatever he’s signing is significant.

Andrade’s Next Move

Andrade spoke with Mas Luchas after his WWE release. He’s open to reuniting with former Los Ingobernables partners RUSH or La Mascara. He also likes the idea of remaining a singles act. He’s had talks with various companies based out of Mexico, but is not interested in signing a contract to wrestle there full time.

Peacock Unveils WrestleMania Week Programming Schedule

Michael Reichlin
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Peacock has sent in the full programming schedule for WrestleMania week:

WrestleMania Week on Peacock is filled with live events, all-new episodes and specials beginning this Monday, April 5.

Highlights include the premiere of WWE Chronicle: Edge, new episodes of The Best of WWE celebrating WrestleMania history, NXT TakeOver Night 1 and 2 and the WWE Hall of Fame. The week will culminate with WrestleMania, the two-night pop culture extravaganza streaming exclusively on Peacock on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 at 8 pm ET.

The WWE Network channel on Peacock will stream the live WrestleMania Watch Along both Saturday and Sunday night for free.

WrestleMania Week Schedule on Peacock & WWE Network

MONDAY, APRIL 5

  • The Best of WWE: Best of WrestleMania in the 1990s
  • Raw Talk – Streaming LIVE at 11 p.m. ET

TUESDAY, APRIL 6

  • Prime Target: Cole vs. O’Reilly
  • Making WWE: Jason Robinson
  • The Best of WWE: Best of WrestleMania in the 2000s
  • WWE Hall of Fame 2020 and 2021 Induction Ceremonies – Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

  • The Best of WWE: Best of WrestleMania in the 2010s
  • WWE’s The Bump – Streaming LIVE at 10 a.m. ET.
  • Special Presentation: NXT TakeOver Night 1 Pre-Show– Streaming LIVE at 7 p.m. ET
  • Special Presentation: NXT TakeOver Night 1– Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

  • WWE NXT UK Prelude
  • This Week in WWE
  • Special Presentation: NXT TakeOver Night 2 Pre-Show– Streaming LIVE at 7 p.m. ET
  • Special Presentation: NXT TakeOver Night 2– Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET

FRIDAY, APRIL 9

  • The Best of WWE: Best of WrestleMania Main Events
    – 205 Live – Streaming LIVE at 10 p.m. ET

SATURDAY, APRIL 10

  • EVOLVE 8
  • ICW Fight Club 167
  • wXw We Love Wrestling #6
  • PROGRESS Chapter 108
  • Talking Smack
  • WWE Chronicle: Edge
  • WWE’s The Bump – Streaming LIVE at 1 p.m. ET.
  • WrestleMania Kickoff Night 1 – Streaming LIVE at 7 p.m. ET
  • WrestleMania Night 1 – Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET
  • WrestleMania Night 1 Watch Along – Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET

SUNDAY, APRIL 11

  • Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions
  • WWE’s The Bump – Streaming LIVE at 1 p.m. ET
  • WrestleMania Kickoff Night 2 – Streaming LIVE at 7 p.m. ET
  • WrestleMania Night 2 – Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET
  • WrestleMania Night 2 Watch Along – Streaming LIVE at 8 p.m. ET

Steve Austin Reveals Vince McMahon’s Role In Chris Jericho on Broken Skull Sessions

Michael Reichlin
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0

Chris Jericho has been announced as the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview show on Peacock and the WWE Network. The episode premieres Sunday, April 11th – “WrestleMania Sunday.”

The news of an AEW-contracted talent appearing on WWE programming has sent shockwaves throughout the industry. The Texas Rattlesnake recently spoke to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about how it all came together.

According to Austin, Chris Jericho reached out to him after watching The Undertaker’s appearance on Broken Skull Sessions. Jericho told Austin he really enjoyed the show, which eventually led to Austin inviting Jericho to be a guest.

“We got to talking,” Austin said of Jericho. “I’ve always respected the hell out of his career, and I’m glad they’re around—it gives the guys and girls in professional wrestling more places to work. I said, ‘I’d love to have you on the show.’ And he said he’d love to do it.”

Vince McMahon Gives The Thumbs Up

Of course, everything runs through WWE boss Vince McMahon. Austin says he texted Vince about having Jericho on the show. McMahon replied, “It’s cool. Go ahead.”

Austin was surprised Vince was so receptive to Jericho appearing on the show, so he followed up to double-check. He asked Vince, “are you sure it’s ok?” and Vince replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

They cleared the appearance with Tony Khan and the rest is history. Jericho flew out to record with Steve Austin and “no topic will be off limits.”

“We go into everything,” says Austin. “Jericho is one of the all-time greats, and it’s going to be cool to have someone from AEW on a WWE show. To bottom line it, I’m excited for people to watch this show.”

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