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Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 Mask Was Created By Horror Effects Veteran

Thomas Lowson
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Cody Rhodes’ entrance at WrestleMania 40 saw the involvement of a legend of the masks and effects industry to make his time in Philadelphia extra special. 

Ahead of his emotional Undisputed WWE Universal Championship victory over Roman Reigns, Rhodes entered Lincoln Financial Field with his wife Brandi. Rhodes also bore a skull mask that was designed around his ‘American Nightmare’ insignia. 

On social media, it was revealed that Jason Baker was the one behind Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40: Sunday mask. Rhodes shared a backstage selfie wearing the mask as a test and made sure to tag Baker in the picture. 

Rhodes modeling his mask, created by Jason Baker. 

Who is Jason Baker? 

Baker, a protege of horror movie effects legend Tom Savini, is no stranger to working with WWE. He previously created the Fiend mask for Bray Wyatt and also was heavily involved in Wyatt’s presentation upon returning to WWE in late 2022. He was also close friends with Wyatt.

In 2021, it was reported that Baker and Wyatt were working on a film together, which was set to be produced in-house by Baker’s Calloseum Studios. Unfortunately, that film will not come out now given Wyatt’s passing in August 2023. 

While best known for his work with Wyatt, Baker has also created masks for other Superstars including Asuka and Finn Balor. He was also responsible for Triple H’s ‘Skull King’ mask that the Game wore at WWE WrestleMania 30 in 2014. The Game would arrive with masked women (Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss) and opened the show with a loss to Daniel Bryan.  

Watch: What Happened With CM Punk Once Raw After Mania (4/8) Went Off Air

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk made a surprise appearance during the main event of the Raw after WrestleMania 40 and once again made a big impact on the world title scene.

McIntyre held the world title briefly at the Show of Shows. His decision to taunt the Straight Edge Star after the win over Seth Rollins cost him big, however. After Punk snapped on the Scottish Warrior, his attack allowed Damian Priest to successfully cash in the Money In The Bank contract.

The main event of this week’s Raw then saw McIntyre alongside Bronson Reed, Ricochet, and Jey Uso battling for an opportunity to challenge for the world title.

Right as Drew was going to win the whole thing with a Claymore on Uso, CM Punk made a surprise appearance. His distraction allowed the former Bloodline member to take advantage and pick up the win.

The show went off air with Punk standing on the announce desk, celebrating Jey’s victory with his signature hand gesture. He stayed around after the cameras stopped rolling and cut a promo for the crowd:

CM Punk first put over the Philadelphia crowd for their wrestling spirit and then shouted out the WWE crew for putting together the show. The former world champion ended his promo by promising to have his wrestling boots on the next time WWE visits the city.

What Happened On Raw After WrestleMania

Elsewhere on the show we saw surprise appearances from people such as Jade Cargill, John Cena, and even The Rock.

Jade Cargill defeated Chelsea Green in a short match while John Cena teamed up with the new tag team champions R Truth and The Miz for a match against The Judgement Day. Cena and Awesome Truth picked up the win in this bout

The Rock, on the other hand, confronted the new Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a tense segment and further confirmed that his run with the company was not over just yet.

Seth Rollins Expected To Take Time Off After WWE WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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WWE Superstars give their all, especially on the road to WrestleMania. After the show and shows is over, it appears that two top stars are taking a bit of time off.

Both Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins lost their matches during WrestleMania 40. Lynch was unable to capture the WWE Women’s World Title from Rhea Ripley in the first match of WrestleMania Saturday. Then, on WrestleMania Sunday, Seth Rollins lost his World Heavyweight Championship.

According to a report from Fightful Select, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch were not listed on rundowns before WWE RAW this week. Seth Rollins is expected to take some time off.

Clues For Their Time Off

Drew McIntyre spoke directly to the camera this week to address Rollins, and thank him for their Mania match. It seemed as though he was delivering a message to The Visionary, as he wasn’t there.

As inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Rollins held the title for 316 days before dropping it to Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior’s reign as champion lasted just over 5 minutes before Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the belt.

It is also worth noting that Triple H sent out a post on Twitter/X today, praising Rollins for his contributions as World Heavyweight Champion. That message certainly seemed like it might have had more meaning behind it than the surface statement about Rollins’ toughness.

How do you make steel and leather become a most sought after possession? How do you get men to give their blood, sweat and tears to attain it? How do you make it mean the absolute most? Seth “Freakin” Rollins.

Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch’s Contract Situations

Both Rollins and Lynch have contracts expiring in 2024. Lynch’s deal is expiring in two months, something that she didn’t express much worry about, as Endeavor is showing up how they handle contract renewals.

We will have to see when The Man and The Visionary return to WWE television. They could both get some well-deserved time off at this point.

Stephanie McMahon’s Current Standing In WWE After WrestleMania 40 Surprise Appearance

Aaron Varble
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WrestleMania Sunday saw Stephanie McMahon open up the show of shows, as she welcomed fans into the Paul Levesque era. That appearance was a huge surprise for fans and many backstage as well.

Vince McMahon is out of WWE, but the same is not true with Stephanie McMahon. WWE has no plans to disassociate with Stephanie at this point, and they have made that very clear.

Fightful Select reports that Stephanie McMahon’s promo was kept secret and was listed as a Triple H promo in the rundown.

She reappeared on WWE television for the first time after leaving the company last year when Vince forced his way back in. She visited backstage at Survivor Series 2023, but hasn’t had an official role in the company. However, she was welcomed backstage at WrestleMania with open arms, and is well liked by many.

Janel Grant Lawsuit Connection

It was also reported that sources in WWE were asked if there was hesitation to utilize Stephanie McMahon after being named as “Corporate Officer Number 3” in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against WWE. Those the outlet spoke to said that they haven’t personally heard of how Stephanie addressed the allegations that she knew of Vince McMahon engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct.

One source reportedly said that the situation had to be a complicated one for Stephanie, and they personally believed her appearance was her firmly picking a side publicly. TKO sources said that they’re supporting Stephanie McMahon in this situation.

It was not confirmed that Stephanie McMahon is back in any full-time capacity. A half dozen people backstage universally claimed they’d welcome her back when they were asked about it.

Jey Uso Becomes #1 Contender For WWE World Heavyweight Title On RAW After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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WrestleMania is in the rearview mirror at this point, and we have a new World Heavyweight Champion in Damian Priest. This week’s RAW after WrestleMania 40 sorted out his next challenger.

Damian Priest needs a challenger, and Jey Uso won a match on the RAW after WrestleMania 40 to clinch that #1 contender spot.

WWE RAW After WrestleMania 40 Main Event

The main event of the RAW after WrestleMania 40 was a fatal four-way match to determine the #1 contender for Damian Priest World Heavyweight Championship. Drew McIntyre, Bronson Reed, Ricochet, and Jey Uso battled in this match.

This match ended in controversy, because just as Drew McIntyre was about to nail Jey Uso with a Claymore Kick, CM Punk appeared from under the ring to hold Drew’s foot to screw him up.

Jey Uso responded by getting the best of McIntyre, which included a top rope splash for the win. Now, Uso will get a shot at Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. The date of their upcoming match was not confirmed.

CM Punk was very happy about Jey Uso’s win, as he did the YEET hand movements after the match. Then again, Punk was also elated to get one over on Drew McIntyre by costing him the big win.

Uso had a big WrestleMania, where he defeated his twin brother, Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania Saturday. He was also a part of the main event on WrestleMania Sunday, where Cody Rhodes got to finish his story against Roman Reigns.

Drew McIntyre Not Happy

Drew McIntyre made it very clear that he wants the World Heavyweight Championship back. He had the title for just over five minutes at WrestleMania Sunday, but then CM Punk’s attack on him opened the door for Damian Priest’s successful Money in the Bank cash-in.

McIntyre was not happy about how things went down at Mania. He is also not a fan of the Money in the Bank concept, because it’s cost him two championships at this point. After all, The Miz cashed in his MITB contract on McIntyre in 2021 to win the title from him.

Ominous Glitches Appear During WWE RAW After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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WWE is resetting a lot of the deck after WrestleMania 40, and that could bring a brand-new storyline to the picture.

During Bronson Reed’s promo on RAW this week, something very interesting happened. A glitch appeared on the screen, and it looks like this was all on purpose.

Fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center received a crazy, ominous tease as well. The lights went down, and strange music started to play before the show even started.

It appears that WWE is teasing something, because production glitches like this don’t just happen out of nowhere, as they are very likely choreographed to be a part of the show.

Possible Meaning Behind The Tease

If you remember, Bray Wyatt’s initial return with his revamped character after his release was started with playing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” at house shows, as they bathed the crowd in a red light. That was followed by a slew of QR codes. These new teasers have a lot of those same vibes.

With the idea that WWE may use Bo Dallas again, and the Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary ending with an apparent tease for Uncle Howdy’s return, this is a very interesting situation.

Fightful Select went on to report that details about Bo Dallas’s return, including the version or character he may portray, remain uncertain. While under WWE contract since 2022, he hasn’t made an appearance on live WWE programming for over a year, coinciding with Bray Wyatt’s absence from television due to illness.

It’s anyone’s guess what this means, but WWE is certainly up to something.

SEScoops will keep our eye on this story for more details. It appears that Triple H has a lot of stories planned for after WrestleMania 40. 

John Cena Shocks Fans With Appearance On WWE RAW After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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John Cena was able to make it back for WrestleMania 40, and he stuck around Philly for the RAW after the show of shows.

Much to the surprise of fans in Philly, John Cena showed up on the RAW after WrestleMania, where he took part in a match. He also helped his team achieve victory in the process.

Cena’s Surprise Appearance

Judgement Day came out on RAW this week to hype their WrestleMania accomplishments. They are down the Tag Team Titles, but they are still covered in gold.

After Damian Priest was introduced as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, R-Truth came out next. He carried on his story with the Judgment Day, and then The Miz entered the situation. This resulted in a proposed match, but a six-man tag team match was arranged instead.

R-Truth said that their tag team partner against Judgment Day would be a guy that nobody can see. Some thought he was talking about Little Jimmy, but that’s not who he had in mind.

The six-man tag team match started as a handicap match. Suddenly, near the end of the match, John Cena entered the contest as Awesome’s Truth partner.

The three babyfaces executed triple 5 Knuckle Shuffles, and then they all hit Attitude Adjustments. The new RAW Tag Team Champions won the match with John Cena’s assist. It was quite a moment for fans in the Wells Fargo Center.

Cena Wants Another Run In WWE

John Cena just appeared on the Pat McAfee Show at WWE World. He said that he would like another run in WWE.

During an interview, Cena expressed his desire to temporarily step away from Hollywood to return to WWE for one final run.

He mentioned his hope for the Hollywood system to slow down a bit, allowing him the chance to reunite with his WWE “family” and embark on this journey.

WWE Draft Set For 4/26 SmackDown & 4/29 RAW

Aaron Varble
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WWE just threw the biggest WrestleMania event of all time. Now, they are ready to mix things up once again.

During WWE RAW after WrestleMania on April 8, Michael Cole announced that the WWE Draft will be taking place on April 26th for SmackDown and April 29th for RAW.

It’s time to shake things up!

Triple H had already confirmed that another draft is coming soon. He said it will be here in a few weeks, and now we know exactly when the draft will go down.

Ilja Dragunov, who is NXT Champion, competed against Shinsuke Nakamura during the first match on RAW this week. Cole stated that Ilja will be a part of the draft. 

WWE Draft History

WWE typically uses their yearly drafts to change things up, as they present new feuds and further stories. This could also mean call-ups are coming from NXT, and there are a few Superstars who would be choice options for main roster talent.

The draft began in 2002 coinciding with the brand split. It evolved into the WWE Brand Extension Draft in 2006 and then into the WWE Draft from 2007 to 2011.

Now, the WWE Draft occurs annually to shuffle the rosters. Some Superstars are designated as “free agents,” allowing them to appear on any brand where they are most beneficial.

The Rock Gives Cody Rhodes His Flowers In Tense Segment During 4/8 RAW After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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WrestleMania 40 saw Cody Rhodes finish his story, but this is just the beginning. The RAW after WrestleMania included a very interesting segment indeed.

Cody Rhodes started off WWE RAW this week as Triple H introduced him in the ring. They played a video package for Cody, and then he was left in the ring to start his first promo as champion.

The Rock interrupted Cody Rhodes’ speech, and he received a total heel reaction. He got in the ring, and he didn’t even get to say a word before the Philly crowd chanted, “shut the f*ck up” at him over and over again. They even had to bleep it on television.

Finally, The Rock said that he was out there to give Cody Rhodes his flowers. He also said that Philly broke another record for the biggest gathering of trailer park trash.

Fans were on fire for the segment, as they didn’t give The Rock any love as he raised his People’s Championship. They obviously didn’t want to show respect to The Great One.

The Rock then said that fans can chant whatever they want, because this was between himself and Cody. After reminding Cody everything that he went through on the road to WrestleMania, Dwayne Johnson then said that Dusty Rhodes had a big smile on his face during Mania.

After saying that Dusty was his hero, The Rock said Cody’s new belt looks beautiful with his American Nightmare name plate. Then he asked if there’s any way that The Rock can hold the title.

Cody agreed to The Rock’s request to hold his title for a moment, if they can switch titles. Then Cody took the People’s Championship from The Rock as Johnson took a closer look at Cody’s championship.

Fans chanted “this is awkward,” as The Rock said it “feels right” to hold the Cody’s title. They switched titles again, and The Rock said he has to go away for a while. This made the fans very happy to hear.

The Rock said that he’s coming back to Cody Rhodes, whether he’s champion or not. Cody said he’s looking forward to it, and then Rock reminded him that he pinned Cody at WrestleMania Saturday.

The People’s Champion said that Cody ended his story with Roman Reigns, “but our story has just begun.” That received a rousing “Cody” chant from the crowd.

Before the segment ended, Cody reminded The Rock that he may be the boss, because he’s on the TKO board of directors, but The American Nightmare is still champion. Then The Rock gave Cody something, but we didn’t see what he gave him. Rock simply said that Cody doesn’t even need to look at what it is, and “don’t you ever break my heart again.”

WWE’s Original WrestleMania 40 Plan

The Rock’s return on the road to WrestleMania 40 did not start out with the destination we ended up in. Rock wanted a match against Roman Reigns, but fan reaction played a huge part in changing that booking.

Cody Rhodes was initially supposed to go out of action with a kayfabed injury to take him out of the match, with him getting his match against Roman Reigns down the line. After The Rock conceded that Cody should face Roman Reigns instead, WWE changed up their booking plan for the show of shows. 

The Rock Spotted Before 4/8 WWE RAW After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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The Rock won his tag team match during WrestleMania Saturday, but things didn’t go so well for the Bloodline on WrestleMania Sunday. Now, it appears the Final Boss is at WWE RAW.

WWE RAW is at the Wells Fargo Center for their episode after WrestleMania. The Rock has been spotted before show at the site of RAW this week.

A video is going around social media showing The Rock arriving at the Wells Fargo Center. It appears that he will be on hand, but it is unclear if he will appear during the show.

WrestleMania 40

The Rock and Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday. That meant the main event of WrestleMania Sunday would be Bloodline rules.

During the Undisputed Universal Title match on April 7, Cody Rhodes finished his story and beat Roman Reigns for the title. The Rock was around as well, where he did interfere, but he also ate a chokeslam from The Undertaker, which put him out of the match.

WWE’s Samantha Irvin Receives Huge Praise From Legendary Ring Announcer Michael Buffer After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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WWE’s biggest show of the year had many highlights. WrestleMania 40 is over now, but fans can still hear Samantha Irvin’s voice in their heads.

Samantha Irvin’s performance at WrestleMania 40 drew praise from fans all over. Her emotional announcement of Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed Universal Champion will go down in history. She also received accolades from one of the greatest who ever picked up a microphone.

Michael Buffer is a legendary ring announcer. His “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” catchphrase is known throughout the world. He posted on Twitter/X to praise Samantha Irvin in huge fashion, as he commended her timing, energy, and overall performance.

Ring announcer Samantha Irvin ruled @WrestleMania last night & her emotional final announcement was awesome! She was featured on camera-ring center-that was a smart production move & she was just brilliant! Her timing, pace, drama, energy was perfect!

Samantha Irvin’s Special Skills

Strangely enough, WWE told Samantha Irvin to nix the special entrances she gives talent. After fans noticed, it seems that she is allowed to call their names in whatever manner she sees fit.

Irvin has many talents, including playing the flute. She can also sing like nobody’s business, and she demonstrated both of those talents as she rocked out Razor Ramon’s theme song at WaleMania 2024. You can check out her performance there, along with many other highlights from that night, here.

Ricochet is certainly proud of his fiancé as she continues receiving praise from all over. This just goes to show that her talents are being recognized outside the pro wrestling bubble. 

WWE Raw Preview (4/8): The New Era Begins

Ella Jay
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With WrestleMania 40 now in the rearview mirror, the fallout is soon to follow, beginning with tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, which emanates from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although no matches or segments have been confirmed for Raw, several WWE talents are advertised to appear, including:

  • Newly-minted Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes
  • New Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
  • WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley
  • Seth “Freakin” Rollins
  • “Main Event” Jey Uso
  • “The Man” Becky Lynch
  • Ricochet

Interestingly, WWE SmackDown star Kevin Owens is also slated for the show, per WWE’s official website.

WrestleMania 40 Fallout

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the specific contents of the Raw after WrestleMania, fans can likely expect a new era, or at least a new story, to begin tonight.

Coming out of WrestleMania, seven new champions were crowned, four of which have major implications for the red brand. The biggest title change, of course, occurred in the main event of night two, as Cody Rhodes unseated the long-reigning “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns. With Rhodes’ victory, Reign’s historic title run officially ends at 1,316 days. For Rhodes, his victory marks the official finish to his story, as he is now the first member of the Rhodes family to claim the WWE Championship. As that story closes, though, another one will shortly start, which begs the question — what is next for Cody Rhodes?

Roman Reigns wasn’t the only WWE Superstar to have a historic reign ended at WrestleMania. After a grueling battle on night one, Sami Zayn now holds the honor of snapping the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history – a reign that was set by “The Ring General” Gunther. How will Gunther respond to his shocking loss? That question may soon be answered.

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship also changed hands, not once, but twice, at WrestleMania. In the opening match of night two, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins to claim his third world title in WWE. Unfortunately for McIntyre, his celebration was soured by a series of kicks from CM Punk and a successful Money in the Bank cash-in from Damian Priest.

Heading into WrestleMania, the WWE Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships were held in unison by The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest and Finn Balor. Coming out of a six-pack ladder match, though, both sets of titles now have their own homes. While Grayson Waller and Austin Theory claimed the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, R-Truth and The Miz are now the proud owners of the Raw Tag Team Championships. How will the separation of the tag titles impact WWE’s tag team division?

WWE & Nick Khan Exploring Potential Collaborations With Other Wrestling Promotions

Thomas Lowson
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WWE is more open to the idea of working with other wrestling promotions than ever before, with Nick Khan at the helm to make this a reality. 

In contrast to other, smaller promotions, WWE has almost always refused to work with other companies, especially any it sees as direct competition such as All Elite Wrestling. Justin Barrasso of SI reports, “one of WWE’s potential explorations is to engineer a collaboration with other professional wrestling promotions.” 

Khan is certainly more open to working with others compared to the four decades of the Vince McMahon era. CM Punk recently disclosed that it was Khan who reached out to him in late 2023 which led to his return at Survivor Series in November. Khan also reached out to TNA Wrestling in early 2024 which resulted in Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace competing in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

Playing Nice

While WWE almost never works with other companies, there have been some rare instances of the Sports Entertainment juggernaut aligning with other promotions. In 2022, then IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts World Champion competed as part of the Women’s Royal Rumble match. James (like Grace would two years later) would wear her Knockouts Championship to the ring. 

In June 2022, John Cena reached the 20th anniversary of his debut for WWE. To celebrate, WWE shared videos of several of Cena’s former rivals praising ‘Big Match John.’ Among these were Daniel Bryan, The Big Show, and Chris Jericho, all of whom are with AEW. 

In 2012, WWE reached a deal with TNA that allowed for Ric Flair to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Four Horsemen, a move that made the Nature Boy the first two-time WWE Hall of Famer. As part of the deal, WWE granted TNA use of Christian who inducted Sting into TNA’s Hall of Fame. 

John Cena Wants Hollywood To “Pump The Brakes” For One More WWE Run

Aaron Varble
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John Cena returned for a cameo at WrestleMania 40, as he helped Cody Rhodes finish his story. He has hopes that he will be able to make it back to WWE soon enough, but this year isn’t looking likely.

During an interview on the Pat McAfee Show at WWE World, John Cena expressed his desire to temporarily step away from Hollywood to return to WWE for one final run.

He mentioned his hope for the Hollywood system to slow down a bit, allowing him the chance to reunite with his WWE “family” and embark on this journey.

“I’m crossing my fingers and my toes and my heart that maybe, maybe, just maybe I can tell the Hollywood to pump the brakes for a while and come back to my family for one last run. I hope, I hope, I don’t know. I’m trying. We’ll see what happens.”

John Cena’s last run with WWE was thanks to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike. He started making preparations to come back to WWE as soon as the strike started. Once they worked out a deal, Cena had to go back to Hollywood.

Cena is Booked Until Christmas

John Cena managed to participate in WrestleMania because Honda rescheduled a prior commitment. He mentioned that his calendar is packed until approximately Christmas 2024, but after that, he intends to return for a final stint.

So, I was grateful enough that Honda kind of bumped a commitment I had to be able to do WrestleMania, so I’ll go from here to do something with Honda.”

“So I’m going straight to that. I have a cool keynote appearance with Samsung in Las Vegas. Their theme of the convention is ‘time is now’ so they called on yours truly to speak there. I’m very grateful for that. I have some more branding stuff to do before I leave for Europe to finish a movie that we started filming before the strike called ‘Heads of State’ with Priyanka Chopra and Idris Elba and then straight from that to Peacemaker season two. That’ll take us through just about Christmas and I’m crossing my fingers and toes and my heart that maybe, just maybe, I can tell the Hollywood world to pump the breaks for a while and come back to my family for one last run. I hope, I don’t know, I hope, I’m trying, I hope, we’ll see what happens.

The Peacemaker’s second season is starting filming in the Summer. He also has a ton of other offers for projects of every genre. His recent film, Ricky Stanicky, is still making waves as a breakout comedic performance for the 16x World Champion. He even opened up an OnlyFans page to promote it.

Drew Barrymore, Jake Paul & All The Celebrities Who Were At WrestleMania 40

Ella Jay
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The stars were out this weekend as WWE presented its 40th annual WrestleMania premium live event from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In addition to the WWE Superstars, WrestleMania 40 also featured a stacked lineup of celebrity guests, some of whom held notable roles in the grand showcase.

Grammy-award-winning recording artist Coco Jones kicked off night one of the WrestleMania 40 festivities with a beautiful rendition of the United States National Anthem. Jones wasn’t the only musical act to appear this weekend, though, as the likes of Lil Wayne, Motionless In White, and The War and Treaty treated the audience to live performances as well.

While Motionless In White offered up live vocals for Rhea Ripley’s “Demon In Your Dreams” entrance song, rapper Lil-Wayne sang his popular single “A Milli” before accompanying Jey Uso to the ring for his match against twin brother, Jimmy Uso. Similar to Coco Jones, Grammy-nominated group The War and Treaty performed “God Bless America” ahead of WrestleMania night two. 

WrestleMania 40 spectators were also surprised with the appearance of rapper and WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg, who assumed double duty on night two. After providing special guest commentary in the six-man Philadelphia Street Fight, Snoop later announced the attendance numbers for night two while surrounded by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders and mascot. 

The recently retired Jason Kelce also emerged on the WrestleMania 40 stage, as he and former Eagles teammate Lane Johnson, helped Rey Mysterio and Andrade prevail over Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio on night one.

YouTuber IShowSpeed found himself in a precarious position as he came face-to-face with “The Viper” Randy Orton during the United States Championship match. While he concealed himself in a blue PRIME bottle costume for most of the match, Speed later revealed his identity, only to be greeted by an unamused Orton. Speed’s WrestleMania outing would ultimately end in him taking an RKO from Orton onto the commentary desk.

Other celebrities in attendance include Jake Paul, George Kittle, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Wale, 2 Chainz, Druski, Lilly Singh, Vanessa Hudgens, Winnie Harlow, Wallo, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Gabriel Iglesias, Michael Rubin, Mark Kerr and Drew Barrymore, who was seen getting ready for the event with former WWE Champion The Miz.

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C5cHMPdvylg

Cody Rhodes Says “Validating” WWE Universal Title Win Was Willed Into Existence By the Fans

Thomas Lowson
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Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes will never forget that it was the fans who helped make his historic victory at WrestleMania 40: Sunday a reality. 

At the April 7, event, Rhodes ended the 1,316-day reign of Roman Reigns to become the new champion. Rhodes’ desire to ‘finish the story’ and capture a WWE World Championship (a feat his father never reached) has been pivotal to his career since returning to WWE in 2022. 

Speaking on The Today Show, Rhodes reflected on his historic victory inside Lincoln Financial Field. 

“Oh, it feels just so sweet. And it’s validating, because this main event yesterday, WrestleMania 40, it was totally willed into existence by the fans. We were going to go one way, we were thinking Rock Vs. Roman Reigns. They made it clear they wanted something else and we got to the finish line.”

We Want Cody

Rhodes’ win may have never happened if not for the WWE Universe. Despite Cody’s victory in the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match, WWE teased a match between Reigns & The Rock during the following SmackDown. 

Outraged at the prospect of the Hollywood star taking the opportunity from Rhodes, the WWE Universe responded in droves both at events and on social media. Chants of ‘Rocky Sucks’ would fill WWE events, a stark contrast to the usual reaction to the ‘People’s Champion.’ 

Realizing a change was needed, WWE had The Rock turn heel and Rhodes was thrust back into the Universal title picture. According to The Rock though, the plan was always for Rhodes Vs. Reigns, despite what was teased on-screen. 

CM Punk & Charlotte Flair Look At What May Lay Ahead For New WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

Ella Jay
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Cody Rhodes officially finished his story at WrestleMania 40, but an important question remains – what’s next?

Following Rhodes’ victory over Roman Reigns in the night two main event of WrestleMania 40, WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and CM Punk shared their thoughts (via ESPN) on what may lay ahead for the brand new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. According to Flair, Rhodes’ win over Reigns could simply be a marker for the start of his story. 

“I really think his story is just beginning,” Flair said. “He’s exactly where he should be, but the biggest takeaway is Cody was here. He went away, he came back. Kind of like Paul Heyman’s speech at the Hall of Fame, people kept telling him ‘No, No, No’ or things kept failing and that never wavered either person’s confidence. Cody is a testament to knowing your worth and I think that’s what we need to take away from tonight is he believed in himself and he knew that he deserved more. That’s why he walked out WrestleMania 40 as champion.”

CM Punk Issues A Stark Reminder

With his WrestleMania win, Cody Rhodes becomes the first member of the Rhodes family to win the WWE Championship. This also marks the first world championship reign of Cody’s individual career. 

While there is a natural excitement surrounding Cody’s triumph, five-time world champion CM Punk has issued a stark reminder that just because one has reached the proverbial mountaintop, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll stay there for long.

 “Now listen, a black belt is a white belt that didn’t quit. He just earned his black belt. and unlike his finishing maneuver. we are no longer at a crossroads. I think the path is clear, possibly the Cody Rhodes era,” Punk said. “But I will warn him it is much harder to stay on top than it is to get there and we all saw how hard it was for him to get there. There’s a lot of people gunning for him.” 

As one story ends, another typically begins. With that in mind, it seems as though Cody Rhodes has now teased the possibility of introducing a new title design as well.

Cody Rhodes Teases Introducing New WWE Championship Title Belt After WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania 40, and that could come with a change for the title he will carry. It’s a new era in WWE, and The American Nightmare just teased another change.

Rhodes beat Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 in a very emotional match. John Cena and The Undertaker were on hand to help Cody finish his story, and the celebration was a happy one after the Tribal Chief was defeated.

On the morning after WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes dropped a very interesting post on Twitter/X. Along with WWE’s current Undisputed Universal Championship, he also had another belt by its side, a throwback design. The caption that Cody picked leads us to believe he may be contemplating carrying that championship instead.

When one good story ends, an even better one begins.

Cody Rhodes tagged WWE’s official shop in his post. He also tagged Prime, Logan Paul’s hydration company, because the American Nightmare signed a deal to endorse them.

Cody Rhodes tagged WWE’s official shop in his post. He also tagged Prime, Logan Paul’s hydration company, because the American Nightmare signed a deal to endorse them.

Check out our complete WrestleMania 40 Saturday coverage by visiting our WrestleMania 40 hub.

During the Pat McAfee show at WWE World on April 8, Cody Rhodes said it would be special to see a particular championship. Fans chanted for the winged eagle title. Cody said, “You guys are damn right, the wingled eagle. If it doesn’t happen, don’t get mad at me. I’ll do what I did last time (with the IC Title), I’ll try my best.”

Cody Rhodes Wants To Carry The Winged Eagle Title

Some might think that Cody Rhodes is just teasing another title belt for the sake of it, but he has altered his title belts in the past. Rhodes is the one who pulled for WWE to bring back the white Intercontinental Title belt during his last reign as champion, a design that they kept around for a while until Vince McMahon changed it back after Cody bet on himself and left the company.

Cody Rhodes has also made it clear in the past that he would like to bring back the Winged Eagle Championship. He said in the past that, “Through my youth, the WWE I was watching, was really synonymous with the Winged Eagle. I think there’s a lot of people who love the Winged Eagle design, some people like the Big Eagle, but the Winged Eagle was the one for me. Today’s design with the giant W is also incredibly special because it’s this walking billboard for the promotion.”

Although Cody previously stated that it is a “pipe dream” to carry the Winged Eagle Championship, you never know what can happen in the Paul Levesque Era of WWE. 

Vince McMahon Selling Shares to TKO and Endeavor in Multi-Million Dollar Agreement

Aaron Varble
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WWE is in a new era under Triple H, and that means the old guard is becoming a thing of the past. Vince McMahon ran the company for decades, but he will soon have even less of a stake in the business. 

New filings indicate that TKO and Endeavor are in the process of acquiring shares from Vince McMahon. 

Through separate agreements, Endeavor is set to purchase 1,642,970 shares for a sum of $142.6 million, while TKO is poised to acquire an additional 1,853,724 shares for approximately $150 million. This amalgamation of transactions amounts to a grand total of roughly $293 million.

Upon the completion of these deals, which are slated to be finalized on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, Vince McMahon will retain ownership of 8,021,405 TKO shares. A straightforward calculation reveals that post-transaction, Vince’s stake in TKO will go down to around 4.7%.

Vince McMahon’s TKO Stock Sell-Off

Vince McMahon has unloaded a lot of WWE stock in recent memory. McMahon sold even more TKO Stock at the end of March, as he unloaded 3,484,006 more shares. This sale added to the 5,350,000 shares he sold in early March.

McMahon resigned from the company after Janel Grant’s lawsuit went public. Slim Jim pulled their sponsorship just before the 2024 Royal Rumble event, and that was the final nail in his proverbial coffin.

Ultimately, McMahon was urged by TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro to resign. Now, Vince is no longer an active part of the company, and it appears that he will have even fewer shares soon enough.

Daily Drop (4/8): WWE WrestleMania 40 Fallout, Matt Hardy Leaves AEW

Aaron Varble
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Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Monday, April 8. Last night was WrestleMania Sunday, and Cody Rhodes finished his story. 

After WrestleMania 40’s Sunday event was over, the celebrations and stories kept going. You can check out video footage of what happened here.

Check out our complete WrestleMania 40 Saturday coverage by visiting our WrestleMania 40 hub.

There is a lot to get to, so let’s get started! 

WWE:

– WrestleMania Attire: This was quite a WrestleMania when it comes to entrance attire. You may check out our comprehensive article here.

– 2024 Slammys: WWE presented their Slammy Awards before WrestleMania 40. They had a lot of winners, and we provided live coverage of the event.

– Samantha Irvine’s Big Announcement: After Cody Rhodes’ title win at WrestleMania, Samantha Irvine was in tears, and it was quite a video.

– WWE Changes: Triple H made it clear after WrestleMania 40 that there are a lot of changes to come. 

– Cena Interview: John Cena will be on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, April 8. We will have notable highlights from that interview.

– Triple H’s Gift: Cody Rhodes received an incredibly emotional gift from Triple H after his big Mania win. It was quite a story, and we invite you to check it out.

– Bloodline May Be Growing: Jacob Fatu was spotted in Philly before WrestleMania 40. We will have to see if he makes his presence felt soon. 

– Paul Heyman’s Induction: We ran an exclusive article about the backstage reaction to Paul’s unfiltered WWE Hall of Fame speech.

AEW:

– Matt Hardy Gone: It was reported after WrestleMania 40 that Matt Hardy is now a free agent. His AEW contract has expired at this point.

– CM Punk Footage: Don’t forget that Tony Khan promised to air the footage of Punk and Jack Perry’s All In brawl during Dynamite this week. That video could break the internet. 

Upcoming Major Pro Wrestling Pay-Per-View Events:

  • AEW is coming to St. Louis, MO with AEW: Dynasty LIVE on PPV on Sunday, April 21st at Chaifetz Arena
  • Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
  • WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
  • WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
  • WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Triple H On WWE’s New Production Techniques: “There’s So Much More To Come”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Triple H believes the production changes we have seen in WWE in recent months are only the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more to come.

Many people have credited the WWE Chief Content Officer for ushering in a new era in WWE. During the post-WrestleMania 40 press conference, The Game noted how there are a lot of people who are helping him bring this change.

One such name he mentioned was the new WWE Head of Media Lee Fitting. According to the former world champion, Fitting is responsible for a lot of production changes people have noticed in the post-Kevin Dunn era:

“Lee Fitting, from a production standpoint, from what we’re doing, from the look the feel, all of it. You see changes happening every week on TV and there’s gonna be more of them. But you see that and I see people excited by them and just loving the changes that are made. I’m telling you, there’s so much more to come.”

There’s A Lot More Coming: Triple H

Triple H claimed that Fitting is a guy that he loves to work with and they’ve made a conscious decision to roll out the changes slowly:

“We’ve made a conscious decision together Lee, Nick [Khan] and myself to slowly roll out some of those changes over time. There’s a lot more coming, but when I tell you Lee Fitting, that I love working with him. He has a passion for this just like we do. Might be new here, but he’s all in.

He’s the kind of guy that I want to go to work for. I want to do stuff to make his job easier. I want to collaborate with him and I want to make things better with him. So I can’t say enough good stuff about him. A lot of the change that you see a lot of the success that you’re seeing comes from Lee Fitting.”

You can watch the full WrestleMania 40 Night 2 press conference below:

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Samantha Irvin’s Ring Announcing Praised as a Highlight of WrestleMania

Thomas Lowson
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WrestleMania 40 was an emotional night for many and Samantha Irvin couldn’t help but get choked up in the closing moments of the show’s second night. 

At WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Rhodes finished the story by capturing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns. Rhodes’ desire to become a WWE World Champion (an accolade his father never achieved) has been the vocal point of his career since returning to WWE in 2022. 

Fans watching WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday may have noticed that Irvin struggled to make the official announcement that Rhodes had become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. In footage shared online, the Raw announcer can be seen being overcome with emotion seeing her friend finally win ‘the big one.’

This wasn’t Irvin’s only case of feeling emotional at WWE WrestleMania 40. During the Saturday broadcast, Irvin sounded like she was struggling after Sami Zayn dethroned GUNTHER to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. 

Samantha Irvin in WWE

Irvin’s passionate announcing has earned her praise from several notable names. Former WWE announcer Lillian Garcia has praised the passion of Irvin and has said she is doing an “amazing job” in the role. Legendary sports announcer Michael Buffer of “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” fame described Irvin as “awesome” and said in May 2023 that believes she should be front and center when making announcements. 

Kayla Braxton said during an edition of the Insight podcast that Irvin is going to be “historical for this company.” In the interview, she added that Irvin has a very hard job but that she’s knocked it out of the park. 

Bayley Responds To Rhea Ripley Saying Four Horsewomen Need To Move Over For Next Generation

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bayley is very happy to allow the next generation of women wrestlers to take their spot at the top but not before she has celebrated her own moment.

After defeating Becky Lynch at last night’s WrestleMania 40: Saturday event, Rhea Ripley was asked if the Four Horsewomen’s time in WWE was over. While The Mami acknowledged their contribution in the women’s revolution, she said that it was time for them to step aside.

At the post-show press conference tonight, Bayley was asked if her win over IYO SKY was an answer to the Judgement Day star. The new Women’s Champion first discussed how the young star is a once in a lifetime talent:

“I think Rhea is…she is once in a lifetime. I get so jealous of her. First I have so much respect for her because she works her butt off. She does everything. You guys see Judgement Day on every single show, like 10 times throughout the night. That is not easy and sometimes not always fun. It’s very hard.

So I have all the respect for the work she does. Plus she puts on incredible matches. She’s so young, so athletic. She does one dropkick, that I can’t even….I can’t do a drop kick to someone’s knees. It’s like everything she does makes me mad.”

I’m Glad To Watch It Happen: Bayley

Bayley then mentioned a number of young female talents that are taking the work of the Horsewomen to the next stage and proclaimed that she is very happy to watch it happen:

“But I feel as the time comes for the four horsewomen to lift the division up and get better and better as we wanted to do from the beginning. I’m glad that it’s going to someone like Rhea Ripley. It’s going to somebody like Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan. You got Zoey Starks.

There is so many women that are itching to get out there. Candice LeRae is finally showing her face out there. You all the girls in NXT Roxanne Perez, Lyra [Valkyria]. This is exactly what we wanted. So if she’s ready to take it on, I’m very proud and I’m very glad to watch it happen. But let me have my damn moment, Rhea.”

Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania last year and successfully took on Becky Lynch at this year’s edition of the Show of Shows. While it’s too early to predict the future, this banter turning into a match between The Mami and Bayley at WrestleMania 41 would be very poetic.

You can check out the full WrestleMania 40 Night 2 press conference below:

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Triple H: By Every Metric, This Was The Biggest WrestleMania Of All Time

Thomas Lowson
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WrestleMania 40 proved to be the biggest event in the history of WWE’s mega-show, as far as CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque is concerned. 

WrestleMania 40 was the promotion’s fifth-annual two-night ‘Mania, a tradition that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. The show has been met with praise from fans with Cody Rhodes’ victory over Roman Reigns in the WrestleMania 40: Sunday main event being a notable highlight. 

Speaking on the post-WrestleMania 40: Sunday press conference, Levesque addressed the success of the show and of WrestleMania week. 

“You hear a lot of hyperbole coming into these things. ‘Greatest WrestleMania of all time, biggest WrestleMania of all time’… A lot of times that stuff and said, and you move on. But I do feel like this was the biggest WrestleMania of all time. I really do. And when you break it down… This was legitimately on every metric the biggest WrestleMania of all time.”

The 14-time WWE World Champion added that whether you look at the gate, social media, or various other metrics from WrestleMania or WWE World, all the numbers back up his claim. 

The Paul Levesque Era

This year’s WrestleMania was truly a historic show, as it marked the first time ever that Vince McMahon did not oversee the show. In place of the disgraced ex-Chairman, Levesque served as the creative head of the show and welcomed fans to WrestleMania at the start of the Saturday event. At WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Stephanie McMahon spoke of ushering in the ‘Paul Levesque Era’ and welcomed fans to the show. WWE also recently filed a trademark for the ‘Renaissance Era.’ 

Dressed to Impress: The Hidden Meaning Behind the Attires of WWE WrestleMania 40

Thomas Lowson
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The Superstars of WWE were dressed to kill at WrestleMania 40 with some unique attires at the two-night supershow in Philadelphia, PA. 

At WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, Becky Lynch opened the show with an attire themed around the cover of her new memoir ‘The Man, Not Your Average, Average Girl.’

After being mistaken for D-Generation X by R-Truth, DIY showed their love for the legendary duo of Triple H & Shawn Michaels. 

Given that this show was in Philadelphia, The New Day paid tribute to Rocky Balboa in the six-pack tag-team ladder match. Kofi Kingston wore an attire based on the Italian Stallion, while Xavier Woods’ Apollo Creed-inspired attire also served as a nod to his TNA days as Consequences Creed.

Rey Mysterio wore the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles and included Eagles on his attire. The WWE Hall of Famer teamed with Andrade to defeat Santos Escobar and ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio. 

On WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Logan Paul wore the colors of the show. The Maverick walked into the show as United States Champion and his attire bore the stars and stripes of the flag of the United States of America..

Paul successfully defended his title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter once again wore a shirt based that referred to how many WrestleManias he’s competed at, which declared that the show was KO-Mania 8. Given that the show was in Philadelphia, it was fitting that Owens wore ECW-themed trunks for the match.

Owens didn’t just represent ECW with his ring attire. The Prizefighter’s entrance also served as a nod to the extreme promotion that went under in 2001. 

Bayley walked into her Women’s Championship match with IYO SKY with an Egyptian-themed attire and entrance. As Corey Graves explained on commentary, Rosicrucian Park in Bayley’s native San Jose hosts an Egyptian museum. 

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