Steve Maclin has carved his name in the history books by becoming the first ever TNA International Champion. At TNA Unbreakable, Maclin won the gold in a triple-threat main event, defeating A.J. Francis and Eric Young for the historic victory.
All three men had to earn their spots in the triple threat with Francis defeating Mance Warner and Sami Callihan on the April 10, edition of TNA iMPACT. Young defeated JDC and Zachary Wentz in the opening match of Unbreakable while Maclin secured his spot with a win over Ace Austin and Eddie Edwards in the show’s second match.
Taking to X, Maclin reflected on his win. Once a WWE Superstar who was among many cut by the company in April 2020, Maclin is relishing in being a history maker.
Maclin is already a former Impact World Champion, but his win as TNA International Champion cements his name in the history books. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Maclin and his journey as the first-ever TNA International Champion.
The IInspiration, comprising Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay recently had a reunion at Prestige Wrestling’s ‘Northing To Lose’ event.
Nearly after three years, Lee and McKay joined forces and competed inside the squared circle. They faced the team of Kylie Rae and Nicole Matthews in a winning effort.
This marked McKay’s first match since she and Lee teamed at IMPACT Rebellion 2022. Meanwhile, Lee has made several appearances over the years. However, she hasn’t been full-time competitor since 2023. Lee worked a handful of matches for World Series Wrestling in Australia in 2023.
The IInspiration, formerly known as IIconics in WWE, are former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. After working with WWE for six years, Lee and McKay were let go on April 15th, 2021.
They debuted for TNA Wrestling six months later at Bound for Glory PPV. After joining the promotion, The IInspiration said the company “feels like home.” They also went on to capture the Knockouts Tag Team titles.
During their hiatus, both Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay have become mothers. Cassie Lee & Shawn Spears have two boys and McKay and her husband welcomed their first son in 2023.
Triple H has addressed the complaints about the build to this year’s WrestleMania.
Things have been different on the Road to WrestleMania this year. WWE had the big story of Bloodline’s dominance and Cody Rhodes chasing the title his dad never won the last two years, which made the Show of Shows feel extra special. The lack of an overarching story coupled with Mania being in the third week of April instead of first week as usual has made fans feel like something is off with the PLE.
The WWE Chief Content Officer talked about this notion during his interview with Peter Rosenberg. Triple H put the blame on having two extra weeks between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania:
“This WrestleMania build is slightly weird because there’s an additional two weeks from Rumble to Mania that normally isn’t there. And you had all these other shows – January 6, Netflix premiere. All the weeks of Netflix that were after that. Saturday Night’s Main Event. You add in all these other things. So you sort of had to systematically roll things out in little bits and pieces.”
Fans believe both the main event stories, including the triple threat of Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins, as well as the WWE title feud between Cody Rhodes and John Cena, have failed to reach their full potential before the PPV. Having some of the weekly shows air in unusual time slots due to the European tour also seems to have affected the rhythm of things.
Triple H mentioned how generally stories get more intense every week in the build to WrestleMania. This time around, however, they have had to break things up because of having more shows to fill:
“So it’s a different build. Usually you’re just, ‘Here we go with that, boom’, put your foot on the gas and here we are, and usually two weeks out from WrestleMania you’re like, ‘Well fuck, I feel like we’re already there’ and now you’re trying to figure out how to do shit that’s not redundant. Add two more weeks to that now.
So we had to be judicious with how we do things. So with some of this there are places where you can be like, ‘Huh, seems like this took off and then it levelled out, and then it’s gonna take off again.’ So strategic storytelling that in the moment of time, you don’t really see or get. We’ll see if it works.”
Another thing that has affected the card is the unfortunate injury of Kevin Owens. Though Randy Orton who was originally supposed to face Owens at the show is still teasing being part of the PPV. You can check out what he said here.
In October 2024, Chris Bey suffered a career-threatening neck injury that left the former X-Division Champion dealing with temporary paralysis. Since them, Bey has taken great strides (literally) in his recovery, culminating in a heartwarming moment at the TNA Unbreakable 2025 event.
With his tag team partner Ace Austin on-stage, Bey walked out in front of the crowd in Paradise, Nevada to a thunderous ovation. Austin helped Bey make it to the ring where Chris acknowledged that there was a time when doctors thought he’d never walk again. Defying the odds, Bey was pleased that he was living “the greatest story ever told,” the story of his incredible fight.
Fans chanted “ABC!” at the team followed by “You’re unbreakable” to an emotional Bey. When fans delivered a “We Bey-lieve” chant, Bey saw the funny side, telling fans “I’m gonna put it on a shirt now!” Bey and Austin embraced to end the emotional scene at TNA’s event.
While it remains to be seen if Chris Bey wrestles again, his determination cannot be denied. The former TNA World Tag Team and X-Division Champion embodies what it means to be ‘Unbreakable’ both as a professional wrestler and as a person.
In WWE, Victoria Crawford made her name for years as Alicia Fox, and in 2010 became the first African-American woman to capture the WWE Divas Championship. While Crawford’s time in WWE is well in the past, her future may resided as part of TNA Wrestling.
During TNA Unbreakable, Crawford was shown in the crowd as one of the many celebrity guests inside Cox Pavilion in Paradise, Nevada. The fans in attendance gave quite the ovation for the former WWE Superstar.
Crawford did more than just sit and enjoy the show at TNA Unbreakable. During the show, Joe Hendry and Masha Slamovich teamed to battle Frankie Kazarian and Tessa Blanchard. When the action spilled to ringside, Crawford put her hands on Slamovich, teasing something with the reigning TNA Knockouts Champion.
Victoria Crawford just put her hands on @mashaslamovich! What was THAT!?
Crawford’s brief interaction with Slamovich has already left fans speculating that the former WWE Superstar could soon be a TNA Knockout. Whether this interaction was the start of something big or just a one-off appearance by Crawford, the former Alicia Fox has shown she still has a place in pro wrestling.
Tiffany Stratton is not holding back on Charlotte Flair.
The Women’s World Champion had an interview with Gorilla Position ahead of her title defence at WrestleMania. She talked about things such as how she is adjusting to life on the main roster, relationship with Ludwig Kaiser and more.
The real-life issues between Stratton and Flair started with a split-screen interview on SmackDown a few weeks back. A lot of fans noted that the segment made Tiffany look bad, and they theorized that Flair went off script, leaving the champion scrambling to find appropriate replies.
The 25-year-old was asked if she has heard the popular notion that Charlotte didn’t give her the opportunity to shine in their exchange. The current champion noted that she has heard the complain of fans:
“Yeah, of course I hear all the noise. Twitter didn’t let me not hear all the noise. But congratulations to Charlotte, a 15-year veteran buried a rookie in an interview.
I hope she got all of the TV time that she so desperately needs because clearly, she needs it more than I do. So going into WrestleMania, I’m still just, I’m focused on beating her. If it were to happen where if Charlotte beats me, then you know what? I’ve got another WrestleMania. At least 10 more. At least.”
Some fans defending Flair have said that maybe she was trying to test her upstart opponent. Tiffany Stratton didn’t agree with the idea, however, saying that Charlotte was not letting her speak at all:
“I don’t know about test. I do feel like there was a little bit of interrupting and kind of not letting me get anything I wanted to say out. So I wouldn’t say test. I would say more so just being a big, mean veteran.”
Don’t Want To Accomplish Too Much Too Soon: Tiffany Stratton
We have seen Charlotte Flair immediately getting inserted into the title picture after returning from a long hiatus a number of times in the past few years. This booking path for the Queen, however, usually leaves her opponent in the dust.
When asked if she is worried about a loss to Flair derailing her career, Tiffany Stratton replied negatively. The young star noted that she has a long career ahead of her. Losing the title could be a blessing as it’ll allow her to tell new stories:
“No I don’t think it would derail me in the long run. I do think you know it would be time for me to reflect and kind of go back to the drawing board and figure out what I need to do next. But I don’t think it would derail me in the long run.
I’ve got, again, like at least 10 more years in me. If anything, it would actually be kind of a good thing because I’m a year [in] on SmackDown, and I feel like I don’t want to accomplish too much too soon, to where like I get boring.
Cause I just feel like if you run through SmackDown or Raw and you win a title so quickly, you kind of become boring if you don’t have a good storyline. So I do think this could be something different for me if I do lose, and again I could just go back to the drawing board and see what I need to figure out better.”
The WWE World at WrestleMania is a huge fan-convention, giving members of the WWE Universe the opportunity to celebrate their fandom and meet their favorite wrestlers. For fans hoping to meet Cora Jade or Roxanne Perez though, that won’t be happening.
Though the NXT pair did appear at WWE World, they didn’t stop for long. As one fan took to social media to share, Jade said that the stench of the fans made her want to voimit. Jade would produce deoderant before walking out in disgust with Perez not far behind.
Jade and Perez aren’t the only WWE Superstars to take aim at the aroma ementating from fans. In a recent ‘PSA,’ Drew McIntyre reminded fans that smelling tolerable isn’t a lot to ask for.
At least one fan has taken McIntyre’s words to heart, as at the WWE World, somebody produced a bottle of deoderant for McIntyre to sign. Drew struggled to hold back his laughter as he was pleased his PSA had been heard.
Perez and Jade will be in action at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver’s kick-off show, where they hope to earn a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. And while facing six other women may cause both women to get sweaty, nothing compares to the ‘pong’ of the WWE Universe.
Chelsea Green is without a role for WWE WrestleMania 41 but that could be about to change. Speaking at a Fanatics Live signing, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella was asked about potentially answering an open challenge made by the Women’s U.S. Champion.
“I’m waiting for her to have an open challenge. I might just show up. I keep all my stuff on me, just in case.”
Green’s role, or lack thereof, at WrestleMania 41 has irked many who believe the charismatic champion has warranted a spot on the card. Taking to X, Green’s husband Matt Cardona acknowledged his bias before arguing that the Canadian should have something at WrestleMania.
I know not everybody can be on #WrestleMania and I’m biased because she’s my hot wife, but how is @ImChelseaGreen not on a 2 night Mania?!
With one more SmackDown before WrestleMania 41, there’s still time for Green to be added to this weekend’s two-night event inside Allegiant Stadium. As for Bella, who last competed for WWE at the 2025 Royal Rumble PLE, fans shouldn’t count out an appearance by the longest-reigning WWE Divas Champion.
The Viper has found himself in a predicament after Kevin Owens withdrew from their WrestleMania match due to his neck injury. As things stand, Orton is not booked for the Show of Shows. Though this is not for the lack of trying on Randy’s part, as he has been demanding an opponent from the SmackDown GM.
WWE recently posted a video of the Legend Killer commenting on his WrestleMania status while participating in a meet & greet event ahead of the of big show.
When asked if he has any idea on his status for the PLE, Randy Orton said that he hopes to find out at SmackDown this Friday. The former world champion also teased holding an open challenge if nothing works out, mentioning how it’s going to be his 20th Mania appearance:
“Any idea? No but I’m gonna find out on SmackDown, Friday. At least I better find out or Nick Aldis is eating yet another RKO, which I will pay the fine happily. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on.
But I have my gear, I got my boots. I’ll be all warmed up in that ring. I’m calling somebody out. I gotta do something. I gotta give fans here in Vegas, an RKO at WrestleMania. I got to. It’s number 20, what the hell right? Wish me luck. “
There are a lot of rumors on who could be Orton’s opponent at the PPV this weekend, with speculations ranging from Aleister Black to Rusev.
Though if the plan is for Randy to deliver an RKO and stand tall, it’d make more sense for someone from the current roster to confront the WWE legend instead of a returning star.
The last few months have seen a number of AEW stars jumping ship. Both Penta and Rey Fenix have already made their debut for the Endeavor-owned promotion with Aleister Black believed to be on his way back.
The former WWE Champion seemingly confirmed another name who would be returning to the promotion during his Fanatics Live Signing. When the card for Miro, aka Rusev came up, Big E said that he actually confirmed the news by reaching out to the former US Champion himself:
“Someone who has just been announced to return. I actually reached out to him and he confirmed that the news is indeed true. I don’t know when he’ll be back. A blast from the past and now very topical because he just announced he is returning to the squared circle in World Wrestling Entertainment.”
Miro or Rusev would likely not be the last name to switch sides this year as Mariah May has apparently already told AEW that she won’t be re-signing with the company. You can check out more about May’s decision here.
Living Colour, the rock band who fans hear each week when CM Punk makes his WWE entrance, will be performing on Freemont Street this Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the band coming to the home of WrestleMania 41, fans are eager to see the group inside Allegiant Stadium and that may very-much happen.
Sources who spoke to PW Insider said that Living Colour is playing this Friday for “the reasons you think,” suggesting that the band will perform live at WrestleMania. The band played at WrestleMania 29 ahead of CM Punk’s most recent match at the Showcase of the Immortals. At the 2013 pay-per-view, Punk would lose to The Undertaker, becoming the 21st and final victim of the Phenom’s undefeated streak before it was conquered by Brock Lesnar.
Living Colour recently uploaded a video of their WrestleMania 29 performance, further teasing that they will have a part to play inside Allegiant Stadium. With WrestleMania 41 to mark CM Punk’s first time headlining the show, it’d only be fitting for the Best in the World to receive a main-event quality entrance curtosy of the band’s live performance.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on WrestleMania 41, including breaking news and live results.
Tonight’s special Spring BreakThru episode of Collision from MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, featured a couple of interesting returns.
The first name that returned to the ring was RUSH. The Mexican star had been out of action for a couple of months and his last match came at the February 8th episode of AEW Collision.
The 36-year-old teamed up with Dralistico and The Beast Mortos to face KM, Rosario Grillo, and LSG. RUSH and his team picked up a quick victory over their opponents.
The second and bigger return of the night was of former WWE and TNA star Trent Beretta. The wrestling veteran had been out of action since August last year after undergoing neck surgery.
The episode featured a tag team match between Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita of The Don Callis Family and Tomohiro Ishii & Rocky Romero of The Conglomeration.
The duo of Alexander & Takeshita picked up the victory in the match after some miscommunication between their opponents. Romero didn’t tag in Ishii at the right time, leaving the Japanese legend to deal with the winners on his own.
The two Conglomeration members had a confrontation in the ring after the bell before a hooded figure showed up. Rocky Romero then turned heel by attacking a distracted Ishii as the hooded figure was revealed to be the returning Trent Beretta.
The Callis Family then returned to the ring and gave Beretta a monkey wrench. Romero held Ishii up for his partner to hit him and the Callis Family stood tall to end the segment.
The card for this year’s WWE WrestleMania is stacked with a lot of big-time matches. However, not everyone is featured, including the Street Profits. However, it doesn’t sound like they’re too upset about being left off the WrestleMania 41 card.
This Friday on SmackDown, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are set to defend their WWE Tag Team Championships on WrestleMania SmackDown against the Motor City Machine Guns. Neither of them has matches scheduled at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on either Saturday or Sunday.
While appearing on the It Is What It Is show, the champions were asked about not competing at WrestleMania.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to ride the pine,” Dawkins said. “But hey, sometimes you got to play your role. You got to ride the bench sometimes. But hey, you know what? We on SmackDown. We defending the titles. We going to do work against Motor City Machine Guns. We gonna beat them boys down.”
Dawkins added, “We’re going to go out there and put on a show.”
The Street Profits aren’t alone. Several wrestlers left off the WrestleMania card will be in action Friday night including WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green.
Green will team with Alba Fyre and Piper Niven against Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, and Zelina Vega on SmackDown. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will also take place on SmackDown.
The Twisted Metal TV series featuring AEW’s Samoa Joe as Sweet Tooth is coming back for a second run.
In December 2023, Peacock announced that they’d renewed the season for a second season. On Thursday, they announced the series is returning on July 31st. Here is another teaser trailer for the show, offering glimpses of the tournament and new characters, including Calypso:
Joe plays the character physically, and Will Arnett does the dialogue. The series, which is based on the classic PlayStation game of the same name, stars Anthony Mackie, Tahj Vaughans, Stephanie Beatriz, Chelle Ramos, and Michael Carollo.
Peacock has touted Twisted Metal as its most-binged original series in its first week and one of the platform’s top three original shows of all time after Season 1.
Joe went on hiatus from AEW TV in the summer of 2024. He returned in January 2025 at AEW Maximum Carnage, saving Hook from an attack by The Patriarchy. He would form a faction with Hook and Katsuyori Shibata. This week on Dynamite, the group beat the Death Riders for the AEW World Trios Championship.
In 2019, Chyna was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for her role as part of D-Generation X. Ever since, fans have argued that Chyna should have had a solo induction, giving fans the chance to celebrate the career of the Ninth Wonder of the World away from DX.
Speaking to Bill Apter of Sportskeeda, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle threw his support behind those calling for a solo induction. As for as the Olympian is concerned, it only makes sense for Chyna to be inducted a second time, this time for her role outside the faction.
“She frontiered Women’s wrestling and not just women but wrestling men too. She had such a huge impact on the business. She was part of the reason that the business skyrocketed.“
Chyna sadly passed in 2016 without ever getting to live the recognition of a Hall of Fame induction, either as a singles star or as part of DX. This year’s ceremony will see Triple H, Chyna’s DX ally (and ex) receive his second induction, this time for his singles career.
Chyna proved herself an icon of women’s wrestling, which is why Rhea Ripley is honored to be compared to the late wrestler. As for whether a solo induction comes, only time will tell, but many believe her solo induction is long overdue.
CM Punk has made no secret that Bret Hart is a hero of his, and the Best in the World is never far away from the Hitman. Speaking to GQ Sports, Punk revealed that he always carries a figure of the Canadian wrestling icon with him.
“He travels in my fanny pack with me because I often will find myself in situations where I ask myself… What would Bret Hart do?”
Calling the figure a “totem,” Punk is pleased to have a connection to his “old-school roots” with him when he travels. After growing up as a Bret Hart fan, Punk is now honored to have a connection to Bret beyond the figure.
“Bret’s a mentor of mine. I can text him right now and ask him what he thinks in the world… I feel fortunate that I am able to do that.”
Bret Hart will soon become WWE’s first three-time Hall of Famer as his iconic WrestleMania 13 showdown with Steve Austin will be the first ‘Immortal Moment’ inducted. And with Punk being such a fan of the Best there is/was/ever will be, it’s only fitting that he will be on hand to induct the match on the eve of WrestleMania 41.
In 2020, Nia Jax enjoyed nothing more than putting Lana through a table on WWE TV. When the angle came to an abrupt end, some fans pointed the finger of blame at Roman Reigns but now Jax has shared that the OTC wasn’t involved.
In 2021, it was reported that Reigns was against Jax and Lana using the announce table at WWE Survivor Series 2020 the previous November as he and Drew McIntyre had a similar spot planned. This week, a fan shared the article, claiming that Reigns has a hatred for women, Jax fired back in defense of her fellow Bloodline member.
Jax’s refuting of the article is interesting given her previous comments about what happened at the November 2020 PLE. Speaking to Ring the Belle, Jax previously claimed that creative changed the spot, giving McIntyre and Reigns the table spot instead of herself and Lana. When the interview said that they’d heard about Reigns being involved, Jax gave an exaggerated gasp before sarcastically asking “who even knows?” Clarifying her previous comments, Jax made clear in the comments that Reigns was not involved in this decision.
As one of WWE’s biggest stars ever, Reigns has a degree of sway backstage. Nevertheless, he isn’t the one who forced Jax and Lana away from the table according to Nia, and that’s the story she’s sticking to.
Four decades ago, WrestleMania 1 changed the face of pro wrestling and Hulk Hogan was there to lead the change. Teaming with Mr. T to defeat Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, the match would demonstrate the connection between wrestling and celebrities that exists to this day.
Though this is a historic match, it is not the one that was originally planned. Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, Hogan claimed that Orndorff was not Piper’s original partner, and that ‘Dr D’ David Schultz believed he would be the one to headline the historic event.
“It was his original idea for WrestleMania… It all started with David’s idea. It didn’t turn out that way, but that’s how it started.”
Not only did Schultz not headline WrestleMania 1, but he was nowhere to be seen on the card. Hogan claimed that it was Schultz’s eagerness to force himself into a feud with Mr. T that cost him dearly.
“David shot his own angle when he slapped Mr. T. Vince was so damn mad. He wouldn’t forgive him, and that was the end of him.”
While Schultz never headlined WrestleMania, Hogan would headline eight of the first nine events, and would make sure to hog the screen following Randy Savage’s main event win at WrestleMania 4. While Hogan’s days competing at WrestleMania may be well and truly in the past, the controversial icon remains synonymous with WWE’s grandest event.
Chappell Roan has taken the music world by storm in recent years, but could the squared circle be next? Speaking to GQ Sports ahead of WWE WrestleMania 41, CM Punk shared his hope to see Roan in action.
“We need to get Chappel Roan in the ring, it’s what we need to do. She wore a lucha mask one time, she had some wrestling gear on. She looked good.”
The luchador outfit in question came during her set at Lollapalooza an included a blistering pink and blue outfit from the HOT TO GO! star. Following her performance, Willow Nightingale said Roan would be welcome in AEW while Nyla Rose was ready to bring the fight to the Grammy Award-winning artist.
If Roan was to compete in a WWE ring, she’d follow the likes of Bad Bunny, Cyndi Lauper, and ICP to step from the music world into pro wrestling. And with WrestleMania season being historically rich in celebrity involvement, fans know not to count out seeing Chappel Roan don her mask one more time, this time for a match.
In a wide-ranging and colorful interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Paul Heyman didn’t just talk WrestleMania — he launched a spirited defense of his legacy as a pop culture pioneer.
“People used to say to me, ‘Why do you carry a phone 24/7?’” Heyman recalled, referencing the iconic 1980s-style brick phone he made famous as Paul E. Dangerously.
“I said, ‘This is not a prediction, that’s a spoiler — this is the future.’ And of course, I was ahead of the curve.”
Eat your heart out, Zack Morris. (Photo: WWE)
Heyman claimed that entertainment has routinely borrowed from his innovations without credit.
“I changed ECW from Eastern to Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1994 — six months later everything was ‘Extreme’: Taco Bell, Ford trucks, you name it.”
“And then,” he added, “when Brock Lesnar conquered the streak: ‘Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat.’ Nobody had heard that phrase before. A year later, it was everywhere — Eat. Sleep. _______. Repeat. That’s mine too.”
He even took aim at pop culture icons:
“Why is it called the Zack Morris brick phone? That prick stole it from me. If anything, give it to Gordon Gekko. At least I respect that character.”
Heyman’s larger point? He’s not just a voice in wrestling — he’s a visionary.
“I don’t go to events. I produce them. I don’t sit at tables. I think about how to own the casino.”
Catch Rich Eisen’s full interview with Paul Heyman right here:
WWE WrestleMania 41 is mere days away and anticipation is at a fever pitch for the Showcase of the Immortals. With this year’s event being the sixth two-night WrestleMania, some Superstars will be given the tall order of opening each night in Las Vegas, setting the tone for the rest of the show.
Jey Uso Vs. GUNTHER for the World Heavyweight Championship will open Night One, Wrestle Votes reports. This news comes after Jey shared that if he can’t headline WrestleMania, he hopes to go on first. Now Uso will have his chance, but GUNTHER is focused on keeping Jey and the fans from their ‘feel-good’ opening inside Allegiant Stadium.
For Night Two, IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair’s battle for the Women’s World Championship will reportedly open the show. A mix of WWE’s three top women, only one will be able to leave Las Vegas with the richest prize in Monday Night Raw’s women’s division.
As for the main events, Night One will see CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins do battle in the first WrestleMania closing match for Punk. Night Two will see John Cena and Cody Rhodes battle for the Undisputed WWE Championship as Cena plans to become a 17-time champion and ruin pro wrestling in the process.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on WWE WrestleMania 41 including breaking news and live results.
At WWE Elimination Chamber: Toronto, Travis Scott didn’t hold back as part of the shocking attack on Cody Rhodes that ended the show. Speaking to First Take ahead of WrestleMania 41, Rhodes acknowledged that Scott is an “incredibly talented guy,” before also sharing his disdain for the rapper.
“He kind of sucks. Triple H announced he’s coming to WrestleMania, I’ll be looking for what we call in the wrestling business a little bit of a receipt. Payback.”
Scott hasn’t appeared in person for WWE since the attack on Rhodes that also saw The Rock and John Cena leave Rhodes a bloodied mess. Following a particulary stiff shot by Scott to Rhodes’ ear, it was reported that he had suffered a burst eardrum. Responding to reports, Rhodes laughed off the claim, joking that the bruises he’d received came curtosy of the Four Horsemen.
Rhodes will battle John Cena at WrestleMania with the Undisputed WWE Championship and the very soul of WWE on the line. And while Rhodes will be focused in stopping John Cena from ‘ruining’ pro wrestling, he may find himself distracted with his quest for payback should Scott appear on Night Two.
Cody Rhodes has revealed a conversation with his daughter over his Elimination Chamber injury.
The Undisputed WWE Champion appeared on the Today show on Thursday morning to promote WrestleMania 41. He discussed things such as John Cena turning heel, his wrestling superstition, and more.
When asked what his daughter, Liberty, thinks about his work, Cody revealed the conversation he had with her after suffering a brutal injury at the hands of Travis Scott at the latest WWE PPV. Rhodes also light-heartedly discussed how it might have an adverse effect on her later on:
“I wasn’t thinking I had to have this conversation this early with her. But we did cause I left the ring at Elimination Chamber – Travis Scott of all people put a very large mark on my face and my eardrum was busted. She had a lot of concern.
So what I have told her and I don’t know if this is the best strategy, is that I’m pretending to be a superhero and I’m playing with my friends. So far that works but we’ll see, cuz I think the moment she sees playing with my friends turn into somebody maybe beating me up. She has a adverse reaction.”
Later in the interview, Cody Rhodes was asked if he has any Hollywood aspirations and the American Nightmare replied positively. When the hosts mentioned that he can probably do it while still being a WWE star, the WWE champion joked about Roman Reigns’ part time schedule:
“I feel like so many wrestlers will always answer this and say ‘Oh never. No, I’m always going to be wrestling. I love it so much.’ I do. I love wrestling. This is all I’ve ever done. I grew up in wrestling.
But for me I really am looking forward to what it’s like to tell stories not just in the ring. So for me absolutely, yes. Today, WWE, you can come and go as you please. Roman Reigns, as good as he is, he only shows up like 10 times a year anyway so…no shade.”
WWE WrestleMania 41 (Saturday) is set to host a clash for the World Heavyweight Championship, featuring the reigning champion Gunther defending his title against the winner of this year’s Royal Rumble, Jey Uso. However, the trajectory of this particular match and the storyline have drawn criticism from a segment of the online fanbase.
Many fans have argued that Uso hasn’t earned his spot on the card. Addressing these concerns and the decision to feature Uso in such a significant role, Triple H spoke about it in a recent conversation with Peter Rosenberg during an interview that was uploaded to WWE’s official YouTube channel.
“Because people made it happen. Sometimes things happen organically along the way, they get you to where you want to be and Jey, through the Bloodline saga, was sort of a linchpin in that storytelling and then goes off on his own.”
He continued, “A lot of people question, once they leave The Bloodline, once they leave Roman, once they leave Heyman, are they going to be anything more than a tag team that they already were or are they going to be what they were or are they going to succeed and be anything more. You give them the opportunity to do all of those things. Jey, when he had the opportunity to do it, would click on these moments.”
Triple H underscored the pivotal role of impactful moments in the success of wrestling. “At the end of the day, a lot of times, that’s just what our business is about, it’s about moments.” He then addressed the ongoing debate regarding the prioritization of in-ring worker vs. being over.
“A lot of people think — There’s a lot of criticism about this, that it’s just the in-ring product, it’s just this, it’s just that how technically good of a wrestler you are. Make me a list of the greatest performers in this business and that list will be two thirds of people that were worse than the majority of the list of great workers that didn’t get to the top.”
Triple H highlighted his qualities that Jey resonates with the audience. Because he has these qualities, Jey has been pushed in the direction that he’s at.
“Jey has great athletic ability and the things that he does in the ring, he does well. Is he the most technical guy here, no. Is the greatest performer on the face of the earth in-ring, no. But, he has a charisma and a likability that he lets people in and they want to see him succeed. When you walk into a building with 10,000, 30,000, or 60,000 and he walks out and that whole place is doing his entrance with him and is hanging on everything he does and are hanging on his words and his moments, that’s what it takes to be a top guy. It’s about box office. Jey is proving what he said he was and that’s Main Event Jey Uso. Whether some people like that or not, there are people like Gunther who believe the in-ring is what matters. He’s either going to beat the entertainment out of Jey Uso or Jey Uso is going to survive all of that and prove that the box office is where it’s at.”
Cody Rhodes has revealed his WrestleMania superstition.
The Undisputed WWE Champion appeared on the Today show on Thursday morning to promote WrestleMania 41. He talked about things such as Travis Scott injuring him at Elimination Chamber, John Cena turning heel and more.
When asked if he has any superstitions going into the ring, Rhodes explained that he doesn’t want to look at the live audience until he walks out for his performance as he don’t want to form any expectations:
“I feel like I’m very superstitious. I almost don’t even realize it but one big one for me is Allegiant Stadium, I don’t want to see it. In terms of, I’ll be able to you know, watch some playback, and it’ll be playing on the bus and in the locker room.
But I don’t want to look out into the live stadium until I come up from underneath the stage for the first time. I want that to be the first moment we all make eye contact, and have that just because I feel like if I see them in advance, I have an expectation. I just want to experience that for the first time just like they are experiencing it.”
Cody Rhodes will be walking into his third straight WrestleMania main event this Sunday, becoming only the third star to do so after Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns. You can check out the match order and full card for the show here.
Watch The American Nightmare’s full interview below:
