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Update On Charlotte Flair Possibly Missing WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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Charlotte Flair hasn’t wrestled in 3 weeks and her fiancé was recently released by WWE. There appears to be some secrecy regarding future plans for Flair as it concerns WrestleMania as well. Flair’s image was recently removed from some promotional material for Mania. This led to many fans believing Flair won’t be on the card. Her status for the show was addressed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“As far as Charlotte and WrestleMania, I’ve been asking that all week and everyone’s avoiding me on that one,” Meltzer said on the show. Flair is currently filming a movie (Walking Tall reboot) but that might not be what is preventing her from being on Mania.

“There’s definitely a story that’s not the movie because if it was the movie it wouldn’t be hidden, I would know it. I think I know but whatever,” Meltzer continued. “It’s definitely something that’s being hidden.”

“It’s not just the movie thing, there’s something else going on,” Meltzer continued.

There had been rumors that Flair would be facing Asuka again at Mania this year. Flair defeated Rhea Ripley on the show last year. She lost to Becky Lynch in the main event triple threat match with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35. Flair defeated Asuka at WrestleMania 34. She lost a Fatal 4-way to Bayley at 33. Flair won the inagurual WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat with Sasha Banks and Lynch at 32.

Gable Steveson Tweets At Vince McMahon Following NCAA Title Win

Chris Stephens
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The University of Minnesota’s Gable Steveson celebrated winning the NCAA wrestling title at 285 lbs by doing a giant flip on the mat. He then took to Twitter to send a message to WWE’s Vince McMahon.

https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/1373804070474031112

Gable’s brother Bobby Steveson is already training at the WWE Performance Center. University of Minnesota alumni Brock Lesnar has trained with both Steveson brothers as well.

Gable Steveson’s WWE Ambitions

Steveson spoke to Gopher Sports about his relationship with Brock Lesnar.

“My relationship with Brock has been awesome. It’s outstanding that a guy like that has noticed me and has gone out of his way to be there for me and guide me in the right direction. We all know who Brock is on TV, but behind everything else, he is a nice person and he has done some amazing things for me.”

In the same interview, Steveson spoke about his WWE ambitions.

“This is a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. Everybody grew up watching WWE when they were young, I know I watched it. It’s just been a lifelong dream of mine.” 

Steveson also said he hopes to be a “Paul Heyman Guy” during his time with WWE.

“Every great spokesperson needs its next public figure. Some day, I wish that I can be that next public figure for [Heyman].”

https://twitter.com/JoshNorris/status/1373454789607047174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1373454789607047174%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbringmethenews.com%2Fminnesota-sports%2Fgophers-gable-steveson-wins-ncaa-heavyweight-championship-celebrates-with-backflip

Andrade Thanks Triple H, Paul Heyman & More Following WWE Release

Michael Reichlin
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Andrade will soon be a free agent after WWE granted his release over the weekend.

On Monday, he issued a brief statement on social media thanking select people in WWE. He specifically thanked Triple H, Paul Heyman and William Regal for the years of support behind the scenes. He also thanked his fans and offered a “big hug” to the talent and WWE employees who he got a chance to work with.

Andrade is engaged to WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair. Most married men are familiar with the phrase, “Happy Wife, Happy Life.” Based on this tweet, the former NXT Champion subscribes to this idea.

WWE announced Andrade’s release on Sunday. In a statement posted at WWE.com, the company wished him the best in his future endeavors.

Superstars who are released by WWE are customarily bound by a 90-day non-compete clause. If this condition applies, he would be free to work elsewhere at the end of June 2021.

The 31-year-old grappler recently filed to trademark his former ring name, La Sombra. Andrade will be a coveted free agent when he is able to work elsewhere this summer.

Mick Foley Calls For Lex Luger To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

Chris Stephens
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Mick Foley recently penned a column for Chris Jerichos’ website, WebIsJericho, about Lex Luger. Foley makes the case for Luger to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the piece.

“In the simplest terms, Lex Luger was far too big of a star not to be in the WWE Hall of Fame,” Foley wrote. “He was one of the very biggest stars of his era, and during his heyday – 1987-1999 – he headlined more pay-per-view shows, sold more tickets, and appeared on more magazine covers than all but a select few superstars of his era.”

Luger is a 2x WCW World Champion. He won the title for the first time in 1991, defeating Barry Windham in a steel cage match at the Great American Bash that year to win the vacant belt. He’d win the belt again in 1997 after defeating Hollywood Hogan on an episode of Nitro.

Mick Foley Compares His Career To Lex Luger’s

“For comparison’s sake, I consider myself a pretty solid choice for the WWE Hall of Fame,” Foley continued. “I certainly don’t remember any type of outcry coming from people who did not think I deserved induction. My career covered the same general era as Luger’s – give or take a few years. I headlined 10 PPV main events in my career – about half as many as Lex. I appeared on the cover of PWI twice. And I was a pretty darn important guy in the business. But so was Lex – and unlike me, he had the pressure of carrying his promotion for months on end.”

Luger also had a run with WWE in the early to mid 1990s. He started with Vince McMahon’s World Bodybuilding Federation in 1992 before debuting as the Narcissist in 1993. Luger would be packaged as the All-American after that and entered into a feud with Yokozuna. He’d later form the Allied Powers with the British Bulldog before returning to WCW for the first-ever edition of Nitro in 1995.

“It is my hope that this article will get people talking so that even if it does not open the right eyes or change the right minds to facilitate a 2021 WWE Hall of Fame induction, this article – and the buzz I hope it creates – might just serve as a reminder to fans of his era, just how good Lex really was, and perhaps introduce a new generation of fans to “The Total Package.”

Lex Luger replied to Mick Foley’s article, telling, him, “Wow Mick !!! Thank you so much for this beautifully written kind and thoughtful article. I admire you as as a fellow performer but much more so for the positive difference you make in my life and so many others just by being who you are. Honored and grateful my friend.”

Foley revealed that he’s been planning to write this article for several years.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1374009031778516994

NJPW Announces Lineup For Sakura Genesis

Chris Stephens
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Will Ospreay will have the chance to win the IWGP World Championship (formerly the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles) at Sakura Genesis on April 4th. He earned the right to challenge Kota Ibushi for the title after winning the 2021 New Japan Cup.

Ibushi and Ospreay have met 3x in singles competition. The first time was at WrestleKingdom 13 when Ospreay defeated Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight title. Ibushi has defeated Ospreay 2 years in a row in the G1, however.

NJPW has announced the full lineup for the show.

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

Will Ospreay Comments On Actions During New Japan Cup Final

Ospreay spoke backstage about winning the cup and delivering a cutter to Bea Priestley at the end of the show.

“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions that need answering” Will Ospreay began, speaking backstage. “I can answer some questions. I love the idea of being the best wrestler in the world.”

“As much as this trophy means a lot to me It doesn’t make me the best wrestler in the world, does it?” Ospreay continued. “Being the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion means you’re the best wrestler in the world, does it not?”

“And I love that more than I love anything, or anyone. So if I can give an OsCutter to a woman I love more than anything in the world? A woman that’s been in my life now for five years; I have a house, I have a family with that girl…but it means nothing to me.”

Kurt Angle On How Much Money He Made During His First Year In WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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New WWE superstars usually do not make a lot of money in their first year with the company but it wasn’t the case for the former world champion Kurt Angle.

The heavyweight star found success in his amateur wrestling career early on and this success apparently helped in launching his WWE career.

The former world champion talked about his first year on the latest episode of his Kurt Angle Show podcast, and revealed that he actually made $1 million during his debut year:

“You know what, my guarantee was $75,000, so I made well over that. What I was surprised about, and I promised J.R this when I accepted that contract, he said ‘you’re going to get $75,000 a year for five years.’

I signed the contract, I said ‘don’t worry about it because I’m going to make a million in my first year.’” said Kurt Angle, “He’s like, ‘whatever you say.’ So I did, I did make a million, which I’m really proud of.”

Kurt then revealed that the money did not come from merchandise sale as he was a heel at the time and the amount he was paid was mostly for wrestling:

“I wasn’t selling merchandise. They weren’t hopping off the shelves and people weren’t buying Kurt Angle stuff because I was a heel. So I didn’t make a lot on that. I got paid to wrestle and I got paid very well to do it.

So making a million dollars a year without any kind of merchandise, I made maybe 30 or 40 grand with merchandise, that was about it. I made a lot of money wrestling and I did exceed the goal that I told JR I would do.”

Kurt Angle is one of the four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam. He made his first WWE appearance in 1996 and signed a contract with the company in 1998.

Angle went on to have a successful WWE career. He won over half a dozen titles in the company before leaving the promotion due to health reasons in 2006.

Vince McMahon Still Killing It In The Gym at 75 Years Old

Jake Skudder
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WWE CEO Vince McMahon is known for not liking much sleep, and spending as much time as possible in the gym.

The company’s corporate trainer Michael A. Monteforte recently shared some footage of Mr McMahon training over the weekend and ripping it up in the WWE gym.

From the footage that was shared, Vince McMahon does not skip leg day. Monteforte mentioned the workout that McMahon was put through, saying “we did Leg Press, & Hack Squats before doing 20 Reps with 5 plates on each side. 10 Reps with 6, 5 Reps with 7, before trying our 1RM : Total 22, 45lb. Plates.”

Check out the video below to see the WWE’s Chief Executive Officer put people a third his age to shame:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpqJWCjCfY/

RVD On What It Would Take For Him To Make A WWE Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran Rob Van Dam has recently been working with WWE for an episode of the upcoming WWE Icons documentary series of the company.

The hardcore star has also been talking about his time with the company while promoting the series on various interviews, making fans wonder if we will see him making a comeback for one final run with the promotion.

During his recent interview with The Dropkick Podcast, RVD talked about the possibility of a comeback, and he explained that he is not going to be working a full-time schedule:

“One thing that I know is that there’s no way that I would ever go back to the schedule that I was on, you know what I mean?

Right now, the pandemic, it doesn’t look like anybody’s doing that schedule but I don’t expect that to last that much longer. Looks like my perspective is like the world is starting to open back up again and so I expect there to be some shows.”

The former ECW champion went on to say that he would be interested in a return if the money is worth it before claiming that fans shouldn’t hold their breath to see RVD on TV again:

“But you know money talks, you know what I mean? Like if it was right then it’s worth it, but definitely I don’t have any interest in being, you know [full-time]. I don’t get excited about working with young kids, I don’t miss being in the ring, I don’t care. If it’s worth it, it’s worth it.

It’s not that I don’t care, but It’s just you know I go with the flow and that’s how I make my decisions. I wouldn’t hold my breath to see me wrestle on TV again.”

RVD’s last run with WWE came in 2013 when he returned for the Money In The Bank PPV in July and had feuds with people like Alberto Del Rio before finishing up with the company in August 2014.

WWE Planning To Alter Announced WrestleMania Main Event

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE is reportedly planning to make a major change to the announced WrestleMania 37 main event between the Universal Champion Roman Reigns and the 2021 Royal Rumble winner Edge.

The Universal Championship match at tonight’s Fastlane saw a chaotic ending. Daniel Bryan accidently hit the special guest enforcer Edge with a chair while trying to take out Roman Reigns.

Edge replied to this attack by taking out Bryan with a chair. He then put Reigns out with a chair shot as well. The Rated R Superstar hit Bryan once again after this and yelled that it was all his fault.

The Hall Of Famer then exited the ring. The chaos allowed Reigns to cover his opponent and retain the Universal Championship to end the show.

While the company showed a Roman Reigns vs. Edge graphic for WrestleMania 37 before the ending, latest report suggests that this match will be altered.

According to reports from F4wonline, the company has decided to make the Universal Championship match a triple threat involving Daniel Bryan and the Fastlane finish was a setup for the same.

There is no word yet on when WWE will officially announce the changes in the bout but they are likely to follow up on the situation on SmackDown this Friday and it’s possible that the triple threat will be made official then.

Check out our reaction to the news on the SEScoops YouTube channel:

Backstage Hall Of Fame Update On Batista And Daniel Bryan

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE recently removed Batista from the Hall Of Fame listings on their site, making fans wonder about his status for the ceremony after being announced as the headliner for the 2020 class last year.

Now Fightful has provided an update on the situation and latest report from the site confirms that the animal is indeed not going to be inducted during the ceremony this WrestleMania weekend.

Though the report suggests that this change is not a result of any heat between the two parties and Batista will be inducted “when a full crowd can enjoy it.”

Another star which has surprisingly been rumored for a Hall Of Fame spot recently is Daniel Bryan but he is also not going to be inducted this year.

The rumors of Bryan going into the HOF started when a WWE Network listing showed the former world champion’s name as a “2021 Hall of Fame Inductee.”

Though it has been confirmed now that the listing was a just a mistake on the company’s part and currently there are no plans for the former champion to be inducted this year.

The Hall Of Fame ceremony is expected to include both 2020 and 2021 class and Eric Bischoff, Molly Holly, the Bella Twins, JBL, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, the British Bulldog, and the nWo are the confirmed names for the show so far.

Drew McIntyre On Which Night Of WrestleMania He Wants To Have His Match On

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE will be holding WrestleMania in two nights once again this year and Drew McIntyre is hoping to main event the show like he did last year.

The former champion defeated Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 to win the WWE championship. He is hoping to defeat Bobby Lashley to win the title back at this year’s edition of the Show Of Shows.

During his recent interview with Forbes, Drew was asked which night he would like to have his match on, and McIntyre said that he would like it to be the final match of the 2 nights spectacle:

“If I had to pick where I wanted to be, I would obviously pick the last match of the second night just like last year, You can be the main event of Night 1, but the main event of Night 2 is the final, final match. That’s what people talk about.

You’re looking to send people home with a smile on their face—or, the people watching at home end the night with a big smile on their face. I got the chance to do it last year, and I hope I get the chance to do it this year. Or, perhaps Lashley’s got crazy momentum, maybe they’ll be frowning after my moment.”

Apart from this, the former NXT champion revealed that he was worried about WrestleMania not having fans this year before WWE confirmed that they are planning to have a live audience at the show.

Drew McIntyre also discussed things such as why the leg slapping edict will not affect the Claymore and more. You can check out his full interview here.

Retribution Turns On Mustafa Ali At Fastlane (Video)

Anutosh Bajpai
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After weeks of tension boiling within the group and Mustafa Ali blaming other members for the losses, Retribution finally turned on his leader at Fastlane.

The PPV kick off saw the former 205 Live star challenging Matt Riddle for his United States Championship with the Retribution members being on ring side.

The US champion applied a sleeper on his opponent towards the ending of the bout. Riddle then hit a super Bro Derek to pin Ali and retain his title.

Mustafa Ali once again started blaming the members of his group after this loss and he first directed his anger towards Reckoning, asking when she was going to carry her own weight.

The high-flying star told her to get back in line but she walked out of the ring instead. Ali continued ranting even after this leading to Slapjack walking out as well.

The Retribution leader then turned to the remaining two members in T-BAR and Mace to blame them but the duo ended up turning on their leader.

They delivered a High Justice double team chokeslam to Mustafa Ali. T-BAR and Mace then left the ring leaving Ali on the mat after the attack.

There is no word yet on if we will see all the Retribution members going their separate ways or they will continue being a team after kicking Mustafa Ali out of the group. We should get a better idea about their future on Raw.

Andrade Released From WWE Contract

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WWE has released Andrade

The former US Champion had asked for his release earlier this week and went public with his request but the officials at the time had declined the request.

The former NXT star then took on his Twitter earlier to tell the fans that a good news was coming and the company has confirmed just minutes ago that they have granted release to Andrade:

Andrade started his wrestling career in 2003 and he wrestled under a mask as La Sombra for promotions such as NJPW, CMLL and more during his early career.

Andrade In WWE

He then joined WWE in 2015. The company officials decided to remove his mask upon his debut and the high flying star was dubbed as Andrade “Cien” Almas.

He had a good run in NXT where he won the brand’s top title by defeating Drew McIntyre during the NXT TakeOver: WarGames event in 2017.

He was then drafted to the SmackDown brand in 2018 and while Andrade was initially built as a future star, Vince McMahon quickly lost interest in him.

The Raw Executive Director Paul Heyman saw potential in Andrade and pushed him during his tenure in the office but the former NXT champion was sidelined after Heyman was removed from the position and now he has been released.

There is no word yet on what the former WWE star is planning for his future but he recently trademarked the La Sombra moniker and it’s likely that he will bring it back for his post-WWE career.

Not many details about his release have been made public so it’s hard to say if he is bound by a non-compete clause. It would be interesting to see where he ends up once he is free from any contractual obligations.

WWE Fastlane Results: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan, The Fiend Returns

Robert Lentini
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WWE Fastlane aired live from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. Roman Reigns put the Universal Championship on the line against Daniel Bryan tonight. Edge was the special guest ring enforcer for the match. During the Kickoff Show, Mustafa Ali lost to Riddle and failed to capture the United States Championship. After the match, the rest of the members of RETRIBUTION turned on him and left him behind.

Fastlane 2021 Results

  1. Riddle def. Mustafa Ali to retain the US Title (Kickoff Show)
  2. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
  3. Big E def. Apollo Crews to retain the Intercontinental Championship
  4. Braun Strowman def. Elias
  5. Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura
  6. Drew McIntyre def. Sheamus
  7. Alexa Bliss def. Randy Orton
  8. Roman Reigns def. Daniel Bryan to retain the Universal Championship

Here are the takeaways from the PPV:

Nia & Shayna Retained

Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in the first match of the night. Baszler controlled the action early and applied a submission hold to Belair in the middle of the ring.

Belair escaped to the corner and Sasha tagged in. Nia lifted her up for a Powerbomb but Belair broke it up with a Dropkick. Nia brought Belair to the corner and Shayna tagged in. Baszler stomped Belair down int he corner of the ring as Reginald watched on from ringside.

Sasha tagged in and planted Baszler with a Tornado DDT and booted Nia out of the ring. Belair tagged in and connected with an epic 450 Splash and went for the cover but Reginald hopped on the ring apron for the distraction. Sasha applied the Bank Statement but it was broken up after Nia shoved Bianca on top of Sasha. Sasha and Belair started arguing and Shayna capitalized with a roll-up for the pinfall victory. Banks and Belair argued after the match as well and Sasha slapped Belair in the face. Belair then pointed at the WRestleMania sign to end the segment.

Opinion: Wow, I cannot believe that Belair and Banks aren’t getting along weeks before their WrestleMania match. This was far too predictable and impossible to care about. I think the build has been a failure so far for the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania.

Banks and Belair should not be losing anything on the Road to WrestleMania. I don’t understand the thought process because this match should main event one of the nights of WrestleMania in my opinion. It still may but it has been booked like a match that would be on the Kickoff Show of Battlegrounds.

Big E Retained The IC Title

Big E defended the Intercontinental Championship against Apollo crews tonight at Fastlane. Big E dominated the action early and Speared Crews out of the ring. Back in the ring, Big E hit Crews with an overhead throw that sent the challenger flying across the ring.

Apollo battled back and connected with a Spinebuster followed up by a Frog Splash for a near fall. Crews rolled up Big E but the champ reversed and apparently won the match. It was unclear if Crews got his shoulders up. After the match, Crews beat Big E down and it appears that this feud will continue.

Braun Strowman def. Elais

Shane McMahon cowered out of his match against Braun Strowman and had Elias replace him. Strowman dominated the action early but got distracted by Jaxson Ryker. Elias capitalized with a DDT and then an Elbow Drop for a two count. Strowman quickly battled back and hit the Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory.

Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura

Seth Rollins squared off against Shinsuke Nakamura tonight on the PPV. Shinsuke controlled the action early and Rollins rolled out of the ring to regroup. Rollins got back into the ring and Nakamura caught him with a kick to the midsection and sent him to the corner.

Rollins threw Nakamura out of the ring and connected with a knee to the face off the apron. The action returned to the ring and Rollins drove his knees into Nakamura’s ribs for a one count.

Rollins sent Nakamura to the turnbuckle and then connected with a Backbreaker for a two count. Rollins shouted that he was swung around 22 times by Cesaro and took his attention off Nakamura. Shinsuke locked in an Armbar and followed it up with a Baseball Slide Dropkick.

Nakamura kneed Rollins in the face and followed it up with a knee to the back of the neck. The action spilled out of the ring once again and Rollins drove Nakamura into the barricade. Back in the ring, Seth planted Nakamura with the Slingblade and went for the cover but Nakamura kicked out at two.

Shinsuke escaped the Buckle Bomb and caught Seth with a kick to the face. Nakamura followed it up with the sliding German Suplex and went for the Kinshasa but Seth caught him. Rollins hit the Buckle Bomb and followed it up with the Falcon Arrow for a two count.

Rollins went for the Stomp but Nakamura countered with the Landslide for a near fall. Nakamura connected with a reverse Exploder Suplex and went for the Kinshasa but Rollins blocked it. Seth hit Nakamura with a forearm to the back of the neck and then the Stomp for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: My goodness did this PPV need this match. There was nothing really special about it, Rollins and Nakamura just put on a solid wrestling match that they could do in their sleep. It was just a beautiful thing to behold after watching the first hour of Fastlane. Rollins will likely face Cesaro at WrestleMania and they are perfectly capable of stealing the show in a few weeks.

Drew McIntyre def. Sheamus

Drew McIntyre battled Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match tonight at WWE Fastlane. McIntyre dominated early and sent Sheamus out of the ring with a Clothesline. Sheamus grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and tried to hit McIntyre but he ducked. McIntyre connected with a Suplex and then sent Sheamus into the steel steps.

Back in the ring, Sheamus hit McIntyre with the kendo stick a few times but Drew responded with a boot to the face. McIntyre then grabbed the kendo stick and looked at Sheamus as he stumbled to his feet. The Celtic Warrior charged at McIntyre but he hit him with a shot to the ribs and then a Russian Leg Sweep using the kendo stick.

McIntyre brutally shoved the kendo stick into Sheamus’ face and hit him across the back. Sheamus fell out of the ring and Drew followed him. Sheamus tripped up McIntyre and he fell onto the steel steps. Sheamus cleared off the announce table but McIntyre hopped up and sent Sheamus into the barricade.

Drew lit up Sheamus’ chest with come chops and went for a Suplex but Sheamus reversed it onto the concrete floor by the entrance ramp. McIntyre threw Sheamus through the barricade and onto some electrical equipment. McIntyre bought Sheamus ringside and hit him with a Suplex on the floor.

Sheamus hit McIntyre with a Brogue Kick that knocked him over the barricade. Sheamus followed it up with White Noise off the top of the barricade and through the table. McIntyre somehow was able to battle back and hit Sheamus with the Future Shock DDT and then the Claymore for the pinfall victory.

The Fiend Returned

Randy Orton was set to face Alexa Bliss tonight. Before the match, Orton spit up a bunch of black ooze. Alexa Bliss came to the ring with a slowed down and remixed version of the Firefly Fun House theme. Orton charged at Bliss but fire shot up from the turnbuckle. Orton charged again but Bliss got out of the way. Randy crashed into the ring post and fell to the floor outside the ring.

Orton followed Bliss but some lighting equipment crashed at his feet. Alexa laughed and made her way to the ring apron. Orton followed her and fire shot up. A hand then came up from under the ring and grabbed Orton’s leg. A badly burned version of The Fiend appeared and hit Orton with the Sister Abigail. Alexa then pinned Orton for the victory.

Edge Interfered In The Main Event

Roman Reigns put the Universal Championship on the line against Daniel Bryan in the main event of WWE Fastlane. Edge was ringside for the match as the special enforcer.

Reigns and Bryan went back and forth for several minutes to start off the match. Reigns dominated for a bit before Bryan sent Reigns to the outside. Bryan went for a Crossbody but the Universal Champion caught him with a Powerslam.

Back in the ring, Bryan connected with a knee to the face and made his way to the ro rope. Bryan connected with a knee strike to Reigns’ face and went for the cover but the Universal Championw as able to kick out at two.

Roman hit Bryan with a massive right hand and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Bryan was able to battle back and applied the Yes Lock in the middle of the ring. Roman fought through the pain and broke the hold with several punches to the face.

Daniel went for the Running Knee but Bryan accidentally hit the referee. Reigns hit Bryan with a Spear and Edge got into the ring to make the cover. Bryan kicked out at two and Reigns started trash talking with Edge.

Bryan capitalized and applied the Triangle in the middle of the ring. Roman tried to break free but Bryan quickly got Reins in the Yes Lock. Jey Uso rushed the ring and hit Edge and Daniel with a Superkick. Jey brought a steel chair into the ring and threw Edge into the ring post. Bryan leveled Jey with a Running Knee and grabbed the steel chair.

Daniel hit Jey several times with the steel chair and Uso rolled out of the ring. Bryan tried to hit Reigns with the chair but he ducked and accidentally hit Edge. Reigns went for the Spear but Bryan countered into the Yes Lock in the middle of the ring. Reigns tapped out but Edge didn’t see it. Edge then beat Roman and Bryan down with the steel chair. Edge left the ring after shouting “this is mine!”. Another referee rolled in the ring and Reigns covered Bryan to retain the Universal Championship.

Opinion: It sure looks like it will Bryan vs. Edge vs. Reigns at WrestleMania. I thought this match was excellent but the ending fell flat to me. That was the case with a lot of the matches tonight. Overall, Fastlane was a pretty forgettable PPV. A lot of this could have been accomplished on RAW or SmackDown. Bryan versus Reigns definitely lived up the hype though and is worth a watch if you missed it.

Roman Reigns Retains WWE Universal Title At Fastlane

Andrew Ravens
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Roman Reigns put his WWE Universal Title up for grabs against Daniel Bryan at the Fastlane pay-per-view event on Sunday night. 

The match had Edge as the Special Guest Enforcer. It featured Bryan going for quick takedowns in the early going and submission attempts while Reigns had a more brawling style. Reigns dominated the majority of the match while Bryan continued to make comebacks that were mostly failures. Minutes passed by and Bryan made his comeback that started by sending Reigns into the ring post and connecting with some flying knee strikes. 

Near the end, Bryan knocked out the referee with a running knee, which allowed Edge to be inserted in the match and counted the pin attempt, but it was at two. Jey Uso took out Edge and Bryan with superkicks. Bryan eventually took out Jey with some chair shots.

Bryan accidentally hit Edge with a chair so when Bryan later had Reigns in the Yes Lock, Edge took them both out with a chair and yelled ‘this is his.’ Reigns pinned Bryan right away for the win. 

Last month at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, Bryan beat Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, and Sami Zayn in the gimmick match to earn the right to become the #1 contender for the title. Reigns quickly beat him immediately after the match.

WWE then had Bryan feud with Jey where they worked a singles match then a Steel Cage match with Bryan ultimately being given his rematch against “The Big Dog.” 

Edge beat Jey Uso on the March 19th edition of SmackDown to become the Special Guest Enforcer, which marked the first match on the blue brand for the WWE Hall of Famer in over a decade. Edge will defend the Universal Title against Edge at WrestleMania 37.

The Fiend Returns With New Look At WWE Fastlane

Andrew Ravens
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After being away for months, Bray Wyatt has made his return to WWE programming. 

He did so when he interfered in the Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss match at Fastlane. Orton started coughing up the black substance like he had been before the match started. After a few moments of pyro, a fireball, and more, The Fiend’s hand came through the mat and grabbed Orton’s leg.

The Fiend came out, which led to Bliss hitting a dropkick to Orton, and The Fiend connected with Sister Abigail. This allowed Bliss to get the win. He has a new mask and attire that is in black. 

Wyatt hadn’t been seen since the December TLC pay-per-view event when he worked the first-ever Firefly Inferno Match. WWE TLC was the 5th singles match between Orton and Wyatt on WWE programming. The contest was not shot in a cinematic way, but rather in the arena and taped earlier in the day due to the danger of the bout. The fire was outside of the barricade.

The finish saw Orton push The Fiend into the fire back first while he was in a chokehold. This led to Orton getting into the ring and Fiend rushed him so Orton hit him with an RKO. The show closed with Orton pouring gasoline on Wyatt then set it on fire. They used a dummy made to look like Wyatt to set on fire.

Since that time, WWE has continued it with weird mind tricks with Orton and having him cough up a black substance in addition to him feuding with Alexa Bliss. 

Big E Retains WWE Intercontinental Title At Fastlane

Andrew Ravens
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Apollo Crews challenged Big E for the Intercontinental Title at the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event from Tropicana Field.

Big E beat him down in the early going including a spear through the ropes and some splashes on the apron. He was doing so while talking trash. Crews made his comeback.

They went for a small package roll up and it was botched as Big E and Crews clearly had their shoulders down, but the referee said Big E was the winner. Post-match, Crews laid out Big E. WWE didn’t air a replay of the finish. 

https://twitter.com/GMS_WWE/status/1373781247672123394

Four weeks ago, Big E was stretchered out as part of an angle where Crews attacked him with the steel steps. This came after Big E had told Crews that he had already gotten enough chances for a title match. 

Two weeks ago, Big E returned to SmackDown where he called out Crews and agreed to give him the title match. When Crews wouldn’t come down to the ring, Big E did an open challenge and beat Zayn.  After the match, Crews beat Big E down. After the show, Crews stated that he doesn’t cater to Big E and said he would face him at Fastlane. 

NWA Back For The Attack PPV Results

Andrew Ravens
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The NWA Back For The Attack pay-per-view event is in the books and what a show it was. 

The event took place on Sunday afternoon at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and aired on FITE.tv. 

In the main event, Nick Aldis successfully retained the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title over Aron Stevens.

Other notable match finishes to this card saw World TV Champion Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer with it ending in a draw. Thus, Burke came out on top with the gold while Kamille becomes the new #1 contender for the NWA Women’s Title. 

The complete results from the show are below:

NWA Back For The Attack PPV Results

  • Slice Boogie defeated Jordan Clearwater, Jax Dane, and Crimson in a four-way.
  • Tyrus defeated JR Kratos 
  • Pope fought Thom Latimer to a time limit draw to retain the NWA TV Title.
  • Kamille defeated Thunder Rosa to become No. 1 contender to the NWA Women’s Championship.
  • Trevor Murdoch defeated Chris Adonis to retain the NWA National Championship.
  • Nick Aldis defeated Aron Stevens to retain the NWA Championship.

NWA owner Billy Corgan has confirmed that NWA Powerrr is also returning on March 23rd on FITE TV as the weekly show will air on Thursday at 6:05 pm EST. Fans will also be able to watch Powerrr on FITE through a low-cost subscription bundle.

Paul Heyman Reacts To Eric Bischoff’s Hall of Fame Induction

Chris Stephens
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Paul Heyman appeared on the latest edition of Talking Smack and spoke about Eric Bischoff being announced as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

“This is an honor that is long overdue, and it’s well-earned,” Heyman said. “It’s most deserved. The criterion to be in the WWE Hall of Fame is impact upon the industry and it would be very hard for anyone to argue that Eric Bischoff did not make as significant an impact on this industry as almost anybody else in its history.”

“I respect WWE for having the intelligence, and for understanding just how much Eric Bischoff belongs in the Hall of Fame. And I congratulate, profoundly congratulate my old rival Eric Bischoff for his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.”

Heyman and Bischoff were both in WCW in the early-90s but Heyman was gone by the time Bischoff was promoted to an executive role. More recently, Heyman served as Executive Director of RAW from 2019-2020. Bischoff was Executive Director of Smackdown for a few months in 2019 as well.

“The 1990s in this industry were ruled by Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, and Vincent Kennedy McMahon. And only one of us is still relevant enough to be on television each and every week,” Heyman continued.

 

Ben Askren Reveals Details Of WWE PC Invite

Chris Stephens
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Retired MMA fighter, Ben Askren, recently revealed he received an invite from WWE to attend the Performance Center in Florida. Askren told Chris Van Vliet recently that he spent some time at the PC in October.

“I went down there in October. It was fun, they were really cool,” Askren said. “I left with an open door there. I’m running my Askren Wrestling Academy business so I don’t think it’s something I would do full time but I would be interested in doing a little something with them. I really like them, everyone there was really cool and they run a really professional operation down there, it was awesome.”

Askren continued to reveal that he was scouted by Gerald Briscoe during his collegiate wrestling career as well.

“There was this guy named Gerald Brisco, he would always come to the NCAA tournaments and actually you know the thing he used to always tell me? He would tell me like every single year, ‘Ben if you were over 200 pounds I could make you a million dollars’. And I said, ‘Gerry, I’m not going to be that big ever. So, sorry. And I want to wrestle in the Olympics. I’m just not that interested’. So actually when I was at the Performance Center, Gerald came over and we bulls****ted and he’s a great guy.”

Askren retired from MMA in 2019 after suffering his second straight defeat. His pro-career finished with a 19-2-1 record.

Drew McIntyre Talks Hopefully Getting WrestleMania Moment In Front of Fans

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre recently spoke to WFLA-NBC. The man who will go on to face Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 37 in April discussed a number of topics during the interview, including WWE’s presentation during the ‘pandemic’ era.

“We have our fans back virtually” Drew McIntyre began. “We can hear them over the speakers. It’s so cool to see them on the screens reacting, but there’s nothing like our fans being their live. Our WWE Universe. Our secret sauce, they’re our number one Superstar, they create that atmosphere that’s so unique to WWE.”

Drew McIntyre on WrestleMania 37 Fans

McIntyre also talked about the expectation of fans finally being back in attendance for WrestleMania in April. Drew of course won the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in an empty Performance Center at 2020’s iteration of the event.

“They (the fans) have been kept away from what they love for over a year” McIntyre said. “There’s a lot of pent-up reactions that are going to come out at WrestleMania. It’s going to be loud. There might only be 25,000 limited capacity…but it’s going to sound like 200,000 people on April 10 and 11 at Raymond James Stadium.”

Drew McIntyre finished by saying that he wants to get ‘that moment’ at WrestleMania in front of fans finally. “In the end, I want my moment with the fans, with the title” McIntyre stated. “Standing on the top rope with those fireworks going off, the moment I didn’t get last year.”

Will Ospreay – “The Only Thing I Love Is The IWGP Title”

Jake Skudder
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NJPW star Will Ospreay faced Shingo Takagi in the main event of today’s New Japan Cup event. The British star defeated Takagi to secure his shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Title and Kota Ibushi at Sakura Genesis on April 4.

After beating Takagi, Ospreay was confronted by Ibushi in the ring. As proof that the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship means more to him than anything, Ospreay hit an OsCutter on his partner Bea Priestley.

Following these events, the Rev Pro British Heavyweight Champion talked to NJPW media and made his thoughts clear on the current IWGP Champion, Kota Ibushi.

Will Ospreay on IWGP Title

“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions that need answering” Will Ospreay began, speaking backstage. “I can answer some questions. I love the idea of being the best wrestler in the world.”

“As much as this trophy means a lot to me It doesn’t make me the best wrestler in the world, does it?” Ospreay continued. “Being the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion means you’re the best wrestler in the world, does it not?”

“And I love that more than I love anything, or anyone. So if I can give an OsCutter to a woman I love more than anything in the world? A woman that’s been in my life now for five years; I have a house, I have a family with that girl…but it means nothing to me.”

Will Ospreay finished by emphatically stating that he wants to get the title at Sakura Genesis. “The only thing that matters to me. The only thing I love, is to be IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.”

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1373604810692259841

Final Card For NWA Back For The Attack PPV

Andrew Ravens
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The card for today’s (March 21, 2021) NWA Back For The Attack pay-per-view event has been finalized. 

National Wrestling Alliance is slated to hold its first pay-per-view event of the year at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

The show will be headlined by NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis defending the strap against Aron Stevens. 

Other top matches featured on this card include World TV Champion Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer, Thunder Rosa vs. Kamille in a #1 contender’s match with the winner challenging for the NWA Women’s Title at a later date, and Crimson vs. Jax Dane vs. Jordan Clearwater vs. Slice Boogie in a fatal 4-way bout. 

The pay-per-view event can be purchased with the price tag of $19.99 via the FITE app. The show will begin at 4:00 pm ET. Here is the final card. 

Final NWA Back For The Attack Card

  • NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Aron Stevens
  • Crimson vs. Jax Dane vs. Jordan Clearwater vs. Slice Boogie – Four-Way Match
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Kamille – #1 Contender’s Match To Determine Challenger To NWA World Women’s Title
  • NWA World Television Champion ‘Da Pope’ Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer
  • Tyrus vs. JR Kratos
  • NWA National Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch vs. Chris Adonis 

What are your thoughts on this match card? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Fastlane Final Card, Live Coverage

Andrew Ravens
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The card for tonight’s (Sunday, March 21, 2021) WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event has been finalized.

The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida at Tropicana Field that will air on the WWE Network and Peacock but it will most likely be WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan. 

Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman is rumored to be off the show as WWE.com stopped promoting it earlier this week after WWE made it official on Monday’s episode of Raw. Perhaps, WWE is holding off on this match until WrestleMania 37 next month. 

As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 6 PM EST. Here is the final card for the show:

Final WWE Fastlane Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan – Edge to be special enforcer
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus – No Holds Barred Match
  • Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton
  • Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • WWE United States Champion Matt Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali

Speculation Over Batista’s Hall Of Fame Induction

Anutosh Bajpai
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Batista was expected to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame during the induction ceremony this year but some latest changes from WWE have sparked the speculation on whether or not it will happen.

The original page on the company’s website announcing the former world champion’s induction has been made private and the link to it shows an access denied sign.

Not only that but as seen in the screenshot below, WWE has also removed the Hall Of Fame badge from Batista’s profile on their website, while other names from the 2020 class such as JBL still have them:

Batista wwecom

The Animal had a final run with WWE in 2019 and he competed in a No Holds Barred match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35 which he lost.

Batista announced his retirement from active competition after the bout and WWE announced in December 2019 that he will be headlining the Hall Of Fame class of 2020.

The Hall Of Fame ceremony however, had to be halted due to the coronavirus pandemic and it’s believed that the participants from the 2020 class will be inducted during the ceremony this year.

Though these latest developments are making fans wonder about Batista’s status and many are wondering if the Hollywood star will not be inducted this year.

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