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Kelly Kelly Doubles-Down On Desire To Make Pro Wrestling Return

Aaron Varble
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Pro wrestling gets into your blood, and it’s really hard to get out of the business totally. This is especially true for someone who is as beloved as Kelly Kelly. Fans just may see her wrestle again eventually, because she keeps showing interest.

Kelly Kelly previously stated that she would like to get back in the ring, because she wants her twins to see her wrestle a match.

She doubled-down on that desire as she spoke to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, where she expanded on what she hopes to gain out of her possible return to the ring.

“I really want my twins to see me wrestle. I think it would be so amazing when they’re like four or five. And I don’t even know if they would still [understand], they probably would get it then. But like seeing that’s my mom and they’re sitting in the front row. And I just remember watching Michelle McCool when she came and did into the Rumble and her daughter was sitting there and her daughter’s face was priceless. I want and I’m like, Oh my gosh, because that’s what I want. If you could just see her daughter’s eyes we’re just so big. And she was just like, that’s my mom, so proud. And I just want that moment for me and my twins one day for them to just be like, That’s my mom and just go out there and kick some butt for a few minutes.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zStgtoiecsg

WWE Left Door Open

Kelly Kelly also discussed her decision to retire early from wrestling, noting the toll of constant travel and injuries. She recalled incidents like a knee injury that swelled significantly hours after the initial impact, requiring medical attention. Despite injuries, she continued working, even participating in events like “The Price Is Right” with Bob Barker while dealing with knee issues.

Feeling burnt out and experiencing neck pain, Kelly Kelly expressed her desire for a break, which WWE supported. During this time off, she contemplated pursuing opportunities outside of wrestling, such as modeling and acting. Conversations with Triple H left the door open for a potential return. Eventually, Kelly Kelly received a call informing her of her release from WWE, but it came with a reassurance that she could return in the future.

“I was happy to be at home. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just was like, kind of burnt out, and I think they could feel that. And here’s the thing with wrestling, your heart has to be in every match. If it’s not you, it’s gonna be sh*t. And I just wasn’t 100% in it at that time. Like, I just was like, I was burnt out. I was tired. I just wanted to be at home. Yeah, and I just think that was just like that moment in time, because I had worked so hard. And I was like, I just need some time.”

She acknowledged that her heart wasn’t fully invested in wrestling at the time of her departure, recognizing the importance of passion in the sport. Ultimately, she viewed her retirement as a necessary break after years of hard work and dedication to wrestling.

Kelly Kelly’s WWE Career

Her career started in the company’s version of ECW, eventually leading to her becoming WWE Divas Champion.

During her six-year tenure as a full-time wrestler from 2006 to 2012, Kelly Kelly achieved significant milestones. She was also working hard to gain exposure for women in WWE during a time when their role on the programming was not what it is today.

She held the WWE Divas Championship once and the WWE 24/7 Championship later on during a cameo appearance after her initial retirement. Additionally, she won a Slammy Award for Divalicious Moment of the Year in 2011, and she was ranked No. 15 in the PWI Female 50 in 2011 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. She retired from in-ring competition the next year.

She has not competed in an official contest since her last singles match on December 8, 2012, during a WWE SmackDown House Show at Linco Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. In that match, Kelly Kelly emerged victorious over Natalya.

Since her retirement, now known as Barbie Blank, she has made sporadic appearances for WWE, including participating in three women’s Royal Rumble matches, the latest being in 2022. She was also in a Battle Royal at the Evolution pay-per-view in 2018.

Kelly Kelly’s Personal Life

On May 29, 2020, Barbie Blank got engaged to bodybuilder Joe Coba. Their wedding took place on April 9, 2021, in Oak Glen, California.

Then, on March 28, 2023, Blank shared the news of her pregnancy with her first child. By April, she revealed she was expecting twins. Finally, on September 10, she welcomed her son Jaxon Matthew and daughter Brooklyn Marie.

Barbie Blank also appeared on a number of television shows, and was a main cast member of the reality television program WAGS. Her personal life after WWE was also highlighted on that show 

The Rock’s Schedule Shifting Gears After WWE WrestleMania 40

Aaron Varble
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The Rock is back for the road to WrestleMania 40, but The Final Boss is still a Hollywood juggernaut, and he will have to get back to Tinsel Town after the bright lights of Mania are switched off.

The Rock will start filming his next movie, The Smashing Machine, immediately following WrestleMania 40. This will impact his schedule, reducing his availability in the upcoming months.

Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in the WrestleMania 40 night one main event and top storyline has garnered significant attention. Despite teases and fan hopes that they will see him in singles matches against Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, that is not expected in the near future.

WrestleMania 40′s main event on April 6 will see The Rock team up with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins. That match will directly affect the main event contest on night two, where it will be Bloodline rules if the heel team wins. WWE fans might not see much of The Rock after the show of shows.

Nick Khan Confirms The Rock’s Plans

WWE CEO Nick Khan confirmed on The Town podcast that The Rock will be taking off after WrestleMania 40. He has to shoot The Smashing Machine, and that will be a rare project for The Great One, as it is not a big budget production. 

“[His next film] Smashing Machine. So it’s his first, I think from what I understand, like not a hundred million dollar picture since he’s become a big megastar. So he goes into that a week or two after WrestleMania. Yeah. And then goes into live Moana after that, which knock on wood should be a big hit.”

It was later confirmed to ESPN that his influence will continue within and outside the wrestling world. He emphasized his ongoing role on TKO’s Board of Directors, ensuring his impact remains within the company.

“I’m not off the Board after WrestleMania. I’m still on the Board, and I will always be a part of this & we are in it now. This is our thing & will forever be our thing.”

Roman Reigns Likely Taking Time Off Too

Additionally, Reigns is rumored to be taking time off after WrestleMania 40. He has not been advertised for their Backlash event in Germany on May 4. We will have to see how long the Tribal Chief’s break is after Mania this year.

Roman Reigns’ schedule has decreased significantly over the last few years. He only wrestled 11 matches in 2023, and 3 of those contests were at house shows. The Head of the Table has also only wrestled once in 2024 so far, as he successfully defended the Undisputed Universal Title against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble.

Becky Lynch’s New Book is a NY Times Best Seller

Aaron Varble
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Becky Lynch has achieved yet another remarkable feat as her memoir, “Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl,” secured a spot on this week’s New York Times Best Sellers list.

Lynch’s autobiography ranked third in the combined print and e-book nonfiction category and fourth in the hardcover nonfiction category. The 2024 Women’s Elimination Chamber winner can now add best-selling author to her already impressive resume.

While expressing her pride in this new achievement, Lynch shared her sentiments on Wednesday.

“World Champion. WrestleMania main eventer. Mother. And now, a new title I’m very proud of, New York Times Best Selling Author.”

WWE joined in the celebration, extending their congratulations to Lynch via a tweet. They are obviously very proud that The Man’s book was so well-received.

Becky Lynch’s Book Promotion

Leading up to the release of her memoir on March 26, Lynch embarked on a media tour to promote the book. That included a book signing events across seven different cities.

Published by Gallery Books, which is a division of Simon & Schuster, Lynch’s memoir covers her journey in pro wrestling from her earliest days through her humble beginnings to her ascent to stardom.

Becky Lynch is set to challenge Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s World Title at WrestleMania 40. The two will reportedly open up the two-night event, which is a match placement that Lynch wanted in the first place.

We learned a lot of things from Becky Lynch’s book, and you can find a feature here to read all about what we uncovered.

Daily Drop (4/4): Roman Reigns Gets Love From Madden, Mercedes Mone In Line For AEW Title Shot

Aaron Varble
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Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Thursday, April 4. Fans had AEW Dynamite last night, and it’s only one day away from the WWE Hall of Fame the go-home SmackDown before WrestleMania.

Before we get going, is there a curse when you beat John Cena? SEScoops has a brand-new feature that dives into that very subject.

Days Until WrestleMania 40: 2

WWE:

– Tribal Chief x Madden: Roman Reigns will be a playable character in Madden 24 in their Ultimate Team Mode.

– The Rock at WWE World: It was announced that The Rock will make an appearance at WWE World on April 4. The Final Boss will be there at 4:00 PM for the fans. Odds are, that will be a very crowded attraction at Fanatics’ first-ever WWE event.

– Ronda Rousey Accuses Drew Gulak: Rousey brought attention to Drew Gulak when she claimed that he grabbed the string on her sweatpants, which she said was an illustration of the culture within WWE toward women. He later responded to the allegation.

– Pretty Woman Moment: Chelsea Green was apparently kicked out of a hotel on Tuesday, because they thought she had a much different profession. You can read all about that case of mistaken identity here.

– Roman Makes A Vow: Roman Reigns and The Rock appeared on The Tonight Show last night. During his appearance, The Tribal Chief vowed to end Cody Rhodes.

– Zayn’s Got Jokes: Sami Zayn was booked for a comedy set at the Netflix is a Joke festival. We can’t wait to hear his material.

AEW:

– Mercedes Calls Her Shot: Mercedes Mone hasn’t competed in AEW yet, but she already claimed a title match at Double or Nothing.

– AEW Dynasty: AEW made some additions to their Dynasty card. The event is going down in Saint Louis on April 21, so they only have a couple of weeks to get there.

– Dax Seemingly Responds: Dax Harwood had a chance to cut a promo after AEW Dynamite this week. Many fans believe that he was answering back to CM Punk’s comments about the company that he made during his Ariel Helwani interview on the MMA Hour.

– MJF & The Rock: MJF had to respond to The Rock when the People’s Champion wanted to buy a work of art that MJF’s ex painted. Needless to say, that resulted in quite a viral moment.

– AEW Releases: In case you missed it, we have compiled a tracker for AEW releases and departures in 2024. You may find that list here.

Upcoming Wrestling Shows

Looking ahead, here are some of the major upcoming shows that we have in the pipeline:

April 6: NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania XL Saturday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 7: WrestleMania XL Sunday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 21: All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynasty live on pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chaifetz Arena.

May 4: WWE Backlash France from Décines-Charpieu, France at the LDLC Arena.

Roman Reigns Vows To ‘Close The Book’ On Cody Rhodes

Bishal Roy
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WrestleMania 40 is right around the corner and the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is brimming with confidence that he can finally put an end to Cody Rhodes’ story for good. 

Roman Reigns and The Rock made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote this weekend’s event. ‘The Tribal Chief’ minced no words when asked about Cody Rhodes trying to ‘finish the story.’

The reigning champion feels Cody is ‘reading the wrong book.’ In addition to this, he highlighted the cutthroat pro wrestling world where everyone thinks they’re number one – taking a shot at his upcoming opponent in the process.

“I think Cody’s reading the wrong book at this point, because we don’t care about his story,” Reigns quipped. “It’s a funny thing because [turns to The Rock] you told me this a long time ago. In the wrestling business, there’s no call sheet. There’s no, ‘He’s number one, he’s number two.’ So everybody in our roster believes they’re number one. So it’s just a shark tank.”

This is Cody’s second attempt to dethrone Roman Reigns but the latter is determined to ‘close the book’ on his arch-nemesis. 

“Everybody’s trying to take each other out. This guy’s been chasing me for two years now. I’ve beaten him, we’ve crossed this bridge already. So this is where we close the book completely on this guy, Cody Rhodes, and we display what the most powerful family in pro wrestling is all about. That’s what this weekend is all about.”

Cody Rhodes-Roman Reigns saga

‘The American Nightmare’ has been relentless in pursuing Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Last year, Cody came close to beating ‘The Tribal Chief’ for the title at WrestleMania 39 but the champ had the last laugh.

Now, the stage is set at WrestleMania 40 for Cody to pen the final chapter of his story and put an end to this rivalry once and for all. 

However, it’s a daunting task at hand for the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble winner. On WrestleMania Saturday, he will join forces with Seth Rollins to face The Rock and Roman Reigns. The outcome of the match will determine whether it’s ‘Bloodline Rules’ when he faces Roman Reigns for the Universal title the next night.

Roman Reigns Announced for NFL Madden 24 Ultimate Team Mode

Bishal Roy
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EA Sports NFL Madden 24 Ultimate Team mode has been bolstered by the addition of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

After being a part of the WWE games for several years, now ‘The Tribal Chief’ will be featured in an NFL Madden 24. The official Twitter/X account has revealed that their Ultimate Team mode will include Roman Reigns as a right-end player and will make his debut on Thursday, April 4. 

Reigns will be joining the legendary actor Burt Reynolds as part of the Reel Deals program. This news comes ahead of this weekend’s WrestleMania 40 where Roman Reigns will headline both nights. 

Before transitioning as a full-time pro wrestler as Roman Reigns, Leati Joe Anoa’i had a successful football career. He initially played for Pensacola Catholic High School and then Escambia High School.

Roman Reigns’ football career

He attained further success when he started playing for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. He eventually signed with the Minnesota Vikings but his run with the franchise soon ended when he was diagnosed with leukemia. 

Later, Roman Reigns joined the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he was let go in less than a week. Following his release from Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL, he decided to hang up his boots prematurely in November, 2009. He then transcended into the world of pro wrestling and the rest is history.

Most recently, Roman Reigns stated that hadn’t his football career ended prematurely, he wouldn’t have stepped foot inside the squared circle. Luckily, he did and we are witnessing one of the greatest championship runs in WWE history.  

‘Sami Zayn & Friends’ Live Comedy Show Announced for ‘Netflix is a Joke’ Festival

Thomas Lowson
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WWE Superstar Sami Zayn will be flexing his comedy muscles at the upcoming ‘Netflix is a Joke’ entertainment festival. 

Taking to Twitter, Zayn said he is “so excited” to be part of the festival that’ll take place this May in Los Angeles. Zayn’s comedy show ‘Sami Zayn & Friends’ will take place on Saturday, May 11, at 7:30 pm local time in Avalon, Hollywood, CA. 

Pre-Sale tickets will go on sale on Thursday, April 4, at 10 am PDT. General Sale tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 5, at 10 am PDT. 

It’s hardly a surprise that Zayn is making moves in the world of comedy. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion has often been heralded for his humor which was on full display during his 2022 role as part of The Bloodline. Zayn was even able to make some members of the group ‘corpse,’ meaning they couldn’t help but laugh at what he was doing even when they were supposed to be serious. 

Wrestling & Comedy 

Zayn isn’t the only wrestler to try his hand in the world of comedy. For years, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has hosted stand-up comedy gigs both in the United States and overseas.

 TNA Wrestling’s Nic Nemeth has also hosted stand-up comedy shows in the past and was previously in a relationship with Amy Schumer. Nemeth hosted a comedy show with his brother Ryan in November 2023, mere weeks after his WWE release. 

Considered one of the best talkers in wrestling, it seemed inevitable that ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper would try his hand at stand-up comedy. The Hot Rod hosted sets after his in-ring career ended and his work was praised by comedians including Ari Shaffir of Comedy Central. He also was in a handful of episodes of the hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

Raw’s Move to Netflix

WWE Monday Night Raw will move to Netflix in January 2025 in a blockbuster move that’ll take the red brand off traditional broadcast television. The deal is even sweeter for fans outside of the U.S. who will see Raw, SmackDown, WWE NXT, and Premium Live Events all moved to the streaming giant. 

AEW Dynasty: Women’s World Title Match Set For 4/21 PPV

Aaron Varble
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During AEW Dynamite this week, Thunder Rosa defeated Mariah May. That means Rosa will now challenge Toni Storm for the AEW women’s championship at Dynasty.

Toni Storm was sitting at ringside during the match. She was a bit shocked by the conclusion, as Thunder Rosa came out on top. Rosa also had some choice words for Storm after the match was over. That match acted as the main event contest for the night

AEW Dynasty will go down on April 21 in Saint Louis. SEScoops will have full coverage of the pay-per-view event, and the events leading to the inaugural show.

This Week’s AEW Dynamite Main Event Segment

The company did not add any more matches to the Dynasty pay-per-view during Dynamite this week. They did conclude the match with a contract signing between Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe, one that ended in a bloody display as Joe busted Swerve open with a chain wrapped around his first.

In the end, Strickland signed the contract with his own blood after saying that Joe will need to do more than that to beat him at Dynasty.

The Young Bucks also beat The Best Friends to advance to the finals of the AEW Tag Team Title tournament. Then, Trend turned on Orange Cassidy before leaving.

AEW Dynasty Card (So Far)

  • Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson
  • The Young Bucks vs. TBD for the vacant AEW World Tag Team Championship
  • Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale (with Stokely Hathaway): House Rules match for the AEW TBS Championship
  • Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, and Mark Briscoe vs. House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews)
  • “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) (with Luther) vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World Championship
  • Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) for the AEW World Championship

Mercedes Mone Calls Her Shot For Title Match At AEW Double or Nothing

Aaron Varble
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Mercedes Mone caused a lot of noise when she arrived in AEW. Now, she has called her shot for a title match at Double or Nothing.

During AEW Dynamite this week, Renee Paquette invited Willow Nightingale out to talk about her TBS Title match at AEW Dynasty. She is very pumped about the match, but it didn’t take long for Mercedes Mone to show up.

Mercedes Mone said that she is calling her shot as the next challenger for the TBS Title at AEW Double or Nothing. It doesn’t seem like she cares who she faces, whether it is Julia Hart or Willow.

Willow Nightingale will take on Julia Hart at AEW Dynasty for the TBS Title. Mone will be paying close attention to that match and has already staked her claim to challenge the winner at Double or Nothing.

Mone has not been booked for a match at AEW Dynasty on April 21, so it looks like her first match will happen at the 6th annual DoN PPV.

AEW Double or Nothing 2024 takes place May 26 from at the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

Mercedes Mone challenging for the TBS Championship is the first match confirmed for the event. 

5 WWE Wrestlers Who Headlined ‘Big 4’ PPV’s But Never Had A Singles Match At WrestleMania

Mike Chin
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There are certain tangible milestones a WWE Superstar can hit like winning titles or winning an annual match like a Money in the Bank ladder match. There other accomplishments that are bit fuzzier—ones that not everyone keeps tabs on or that aren’t as easy to notice, but that nonetheless are noteworthy once someone draws attention to them.

Main eventing a PLE is one such milestone, and all the more so main eventing a Big Four event, given the longstanding tradition and name recognition around such shows as the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, or Survivor Series. Moreover, having a singles match at all at WrestleMania is a resume-worthy item, as opposed to getting lost in the shuffle of a battle royal, a ladder match with an six-man-plus field, or ten-person tag team bout.

Interestingly, there are those talents who were big enough names to main event a Big Four PLE while never getting a singles spotlight at WrestleMania.

Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett had a huge impact on WWE in 2010, leading The Nexus into a spotlight angle over the summer and still dominated much of Raw programming into the fall. Indeed Barrett was the front man for The Nexus’s seven-on-seven main event at SummerSlam 2010, including being the last man eliminated by no lesser opponent than John Cena. From there, Barrett had a one-on-one Big Four PLE main event at Survivor Series, where he challenged Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

For all these successes—not to mention garnering multiple other pushes during his tenure—Barrett never got a singles match at WrestleMania. He came into WrestleMania 31 as the Intercontinental Championship but lost his title to Daniel Bryan in a seven-man ladder match. Otherwise, Barrett appeared as part of an eight-man tag team, leading The Corre into battle at WrestleMania 27. His closest call was probably at WrestleMania 29 where he had a singles match with The Miz, but was relegated to the pre-show.

Brian Lee

The name Brian Lee may not ring too many bells with WWE fans, but he had a very respectable career in major indie promotions in the 1990s, not to mention two noteworthy stints with WWE. Lee portrayed the character of Chainz—a part of Crush’s Disciples of Apocalypse faction during the Attitude Era. More important to his resume, though, he played a faux Undertaker, backed by Ted Dibiase to work a one-on-one SummerSlam main event against the real Undertaker in 1994.

The choice for Undertaker vs. Undertaker to main event over Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a steel cage world title match hasn’t aged very well. Nonetheless, the bout was a spectacle and marked an auspicious return for The Dead Man in an era when he was in the early stages of his WrestleMania undefeated streak. As for Lee, his only WrestleMania match would come at WrestleMania 15, quietly teaming with Bradshaw as one of fifteen tag teams in the opening battle royal.

Zeus

Zeus

Zeus had a brief, memorable run with WWE. He only worked three televised matches, but two out of three were PLE main events, and one of those PLEs was SummerSlam. At that show, the actor teamed with Randy Savage to oppose Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake.

Despite some accounts that Zeus was actually considered to headline WrestleMania 6 against Hogan, cooler heads prevailed and the character didn’t stick around past the promotion of the No Holds Barred movie. His last match was at the PLE by the same name, teaming with Savage again for one more losing effort against Hogan and Beefcake.

Ludvig Borga

WWE featured Ludvig Borga as a monster heel character in 1993, focusing on his Finnish background. Between his strong push and the emphasis on Lex Luger as the patriotic top babyface, the writing was on the wall that Luger would take the WWE Championship off Yokozuna, and Borga would be one of his top challengers in the months to follow.

Plans changed. Though Borga was the last heel standing for this team in the main event of Survivor Series 1993, that performance was less a sign of things to come than the beginning of the end. Luger’s momentum stalled out and he never was crowned champion in WWE. Meanwhile, Borga got injured in early 1994. That, combined with shifting creative and a purported bad attitude backstage meant he never did end up working a WrestleMania match.

R-Truth

(via WWE)

R-Truth has become an institution in WWE. Amidst his early tag team work, his upper mid-card babyface run, and his most recent stretch as a comedic character, he also had a noteworthy run as a paranoid heel opposite John Cena.

Truth actually main evented two Big Four PLEs as part of a seven-man team fighting The Nexus at SummerSlam 2010 and again in a tag team with The Miz against Cena and The Rock at Survivor Series 2011. Truth never really felt like a main event fixture, but for his length of tenure and the respect fans and peers have for him, it is a surprise that he never got a singles match at WrestleMania. To Truth’s credit, he has worked five ‘Mania matches to date, but they were two battle royals, a seven-man ladder match, and a twelve-man tag team bout. (Incidentally, he’s lined up for a twelve-man ladder match this year.) The match for which he drew the brightest spotlight saw him team with John Morrison to challenge ShoMiz for the tag titles at WrestleMania 26.

The Curse Of Beating John Cena

Mike Chin
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In the world of professional wrestling, one of the most meaningful ways to push a rising star is for him or her to defeat an established star. That’s especially true when the established star is a former world champion, or better yet a main event fixture.

On paper, beating John Cena should be huge for someone’s career. After all, Cena is a sixteen-time world champion, was the face of WWE for a decade-plus, and is one of those rare wrestlers to successfully crossover to Hollywood and arguably be even a bigger mainstream celebrity now than when he worked full time for WWE.

However, counterintuitively, beating Cena has actually not meant career progress for most of the men who’ve pinned him on TV within the past five years.

Solo Sikoa Has Taken A Backseat Since Decimating John Cena

In the build to Crown Jewel 2023, one point of drama was John Cena emphasizing he hadn’t won a singles match in years. Many fans took this storytelling as a sign Cena was going to get a big win again, but that wasn’t in the cards.

Solo Sikoa didn’t only defeat Cena. In repeatedly bludgeoning Cena with the Samoan Spike, Sikoa positively decimated the former champ, leaving him unable to defend himself in the ring. The youngest member of The Bloodline had already existed in the main event orbit. Many fans read this particular victory as a sign he was in line for a major push, perhaps replacing Roman Reigns as a top heel or turning face to challenge his cousin.

Instead, Sikoa has stalled out. Rather than the Cena match being a launching pad, there’s a subtle truth that that was actually Sikoa’s first ever WWE PLE singles match and his last to date. While he has remained featured as a top sidekick to The Tribal Chief and a proxy for him on house shows, Sikoa hasn’t seen his own career advance nearly a full half-year off the biggest win of his career.

Austin Theory Is In A Weaker Position Than He Was A Year Ago

It’s one thing to beat John Cena one-on-one in a televised match. It’s another to do it at WrestleMania.

Austin Theory accomplished that unlikely feat at WrestleMania 39, pinning Cena in a win that wasn’t entirely clean, but also wasn’t that dirty. This wasn’t a victory that pushed Theory to the main event. Though he’s flirted with that picture here and there, most of that was before the Cena match. Theory wasn’t getting established as a dominant secondary champ the way Gunther has been either. Theory dropped the United States Championship four months later after a largely uneventful remainder of his reign.

One year later, Theory barely earned his way into a twelve-man ladder match with his better-featured tag team partner Grayson Waller. Theory is still only in his mid-20s, so there’s plenty of time for him rise up. Nonetheless, Theory remains at this point the only man to have defeated Cena at WrestleMania who was not a world champion before, after, or at that time.

Bray Wyatt’s Career Trajectory Can’t Be Fairly Assessed Due To Tragedy

Bray Wyatt holds perhaps the most unusual victory over John Cena in having defeated him in a Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36 (after enjoying some success against Cena in their earlier feud as well).

To be fair, Wyatt did enjoy some successes after his last victory over Cena, including winning a world title. However, it’s worth acknowledging that that third world title reign was the shortest of Wyatt’s career, only lasting one week. 

The following WrestleMania would be the last one at which Wyatt worked a match—losing a confusing, disappointing bout to Randy Orton. Wyatt would be on and off television for the year to follow between health and creative issues, including winding up released from the company for a period of months. Finally, after missing significant TV time, the wrestling world was shocked to learn of Wyatt’s passing.

It would be silly to associate winning a match over Cena with the real-life tragedy of losing a human being—let alone such a creative artist and a father. Nonetheless, it stands that Wyatt was on the list of men who didn’t enjoy appreciable career growth from beating the sixteen-time world champion.

Roman Reigns Is The Exception That Proves The Rule

The only man to defeat John Cena in a one-on-one televised match in the last five years and prosper was Roman Reigns. Indeed, Reigns beating Cena at SummerSlam 2021 made a statement as it cemented that WWE meant to go the distance with his title reign, and that Reigns had firmly supplanted Cena as “the guy” in WWE.

Every rule has its exception, but all the more so, one might argue that beating Cena wasn’t all that monumental to The Tribal Chief’s success. Beating Cena was undoubtedly the biggest win of Austin Theory’s career and the same is true for Solo Sikoa. The Firefly Fun House match, so uniquely tailored to Bray Wyatt’s character, could be perceived as the biggest win of his run.

For Reigns, there’s a very reasonable case that the visual of him pinning Edge and Daniel Bryan at the same time at WrestleMania 37, pinning Drew McIntyre in front of a UK stadium crowd, successfully defending against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39, or any of the times he survived Brock Lesnar were the highlights of this title reign, let alone of his career. As such, The Head of the Table may have withstood the curse of beating John Cena if only because the win wasn’t such a big deal for him in the first place.

Like most patterns in wrestling, the curse of beating John Cena probably doesn’t mean much. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting anomaly to track, and fans will have to wait and see if it continues or something shifts the next time Cena’s back in the WWE mix.

Mercedes Mone Reveals What Convinced Her To Join AEW

Bishal Roy
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Mercedes Mone has found her new home in AEW and she has disclosed the behind-the-scenes talks leading up to her debut for the promotion at Big Business. The ‘CEO’ tells James Stewart of Stick to Wrestling that Tony Khan initially reached out to her about becoming ‘All Elite.’

Mone says they’ve been negotiating for a while, but she wasn’t ready to sign on just yet. She wanted to see what TK was cooking for the Women’s division before getting on board.

“When he called me the first time, I’m like, ‘I’ll think about it TK. We gotta build this relationship. You know, let me keep on watching. Let me keep on seeing this women’s division.’”

The former WWE and IWGP Women’s’ champion is excited to mix it up with AEW’s top stars and has “so many beautiful things in the works.”

“I kept on watching the women’s division and my dreams just became so much bigger and brighter and I knew instantly I wanted AEW to be my home.”

Mercedes Mone is one of the most prominent free agent signings in recent memory and AEW President Tony Khan even spoke highly of Mone and labeled her as a possible face of the company. 

She made her long awaited debut on the 3/13 ‘Big Business’ edition of AEW Dynamite. She’s already put former opponent Willow Nightingale on notice ultimate goal and has stated her desire to go after ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship.

Most fans are excited to see Mercedes Mone back on television, but her close friend Bayley says the move is ‘bitter sweet’:

WrestleMania 40: The Rock Set For Thursday Appearance at WWE World

Aaron Varble
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The Rock is one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, and his name is synonymous with blockbuster moves at this point. So, his addition to the WWE World event captured big time attention.

WWE announced that The Rock will be making an appearance at WWE World the day before SmackDown this week. You can find a complete list of scheduled appearances at WWE World by clicking this link.

The Rock will be at WWE World this Thursday at 4:00pm. Odds are, there will be a ton of fans there to see The Final Boss to kick off their WrestleMania weekend.

The Rock doesn’t do many public appearances, especially at fan conventions. This is a rarity for Dwayne Johnson, but he will be on hand at WWE World to cap off his road to WrestleMania with Fanatic’s first-ever WWE event.

What is WWE World

WWE World promises to offer fans several immersive experiences during the event.

These include a central main stage hosting roundtable discussions with top WWE Superstars, a WWE 2K24 gaming tournament, live podcast recordings, memorabilia and autograph sales through Fanatics Live, and the largest WWE Superstore in WrestleMania history.

Additionally, attendees can enjoy meet-and-greets with WWE Superstars and Legends, along with exhibits and memorabilia honoring WrestleMania’s 40-year history.

You may visit the WWE World site for more information. This will certainly be an event that will never be forgotten by those fans who are able to make it. 

WWE News: Drew Gulak Says He Apologized For ‘Complete Accident’ That Offended Ronda Rousey

Dominic DeAngelo
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Ronda Rousey’s days as a WWE Superstar are over, but she’s making lots of news talking about her experiences with the company. Rousey has been ‘naming names’ of men in WWE who she feels helped perpetuate a dysfunctional work environment. 

During an appearance on News Nation to promote her new book, Rousey said she was shocked when WWE trainer walked by her at the Performance Center and pulled on the string of her sweatpants.

“But this guy grabs the string of my sweatpants and nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal and he starts going down the hall and I was like, ‘What the f*** was that?’ Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing here next to me would you feel comfortable like walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants? 

“If this guy is coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there’s other people around like what’s happening to these other girls when it’s not in a hallway.”

Rousey came to the realization that this was in fact Gulak and she did approach him later on about the alleged incident.

“I went and confronted him later and I was like, ‘If I ever hear about you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything liek this to me ever again … we’re gonna have a problem. And he was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me.’ He really like back-pedaled.”

Rousey said that the situation really put a bad taste in her mouth about how the mentality was backstage at WWE.

Drew Gulak Calls it a “Complete Accident”

After Rousey’s allegation made the airwaves, Gulak took to social media to state his side of the story, claiming that the pulling of her sweatpants string was a missed handshake.

“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Rousey has accused several WWE executives of inappropriate conduct in recent months, including Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. 

In a stunning development, the former UFC & WWE champion says she was not surprised by any of the horrific allegations laid out by Janel Grant in her lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and others. She’s convinced that other women in the company feel the same way she does, but they’re being “held hostage” and do not speak up because they fear repercussions l. 

Did Cody Rhodes Consider Going Back To AEW Before Inking His New WWE Deal?

Dominic DeAngelo
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Could Cody Rhodes have finished his story back in AEW? ‘The American Nightmare’ cleared the air as to if there were any inkling of him going back to AEW before he signed a new contract with WWE.

Joining Ariel Helwani this week on the MMA Hour, Cody Rhodes was asked several questions about his old company AEW before getting into the WrestleMania talk. One of the follows had Helwani asking him if he gave any consideration of going back to AEW while in talks for a new contract with WWE.

“No and it’s not in any way a negative towards them. I know I didn’t win the title at WrestleMania 39, but I was in the spot I always dreamed of, and I know how lucky I am to be in this spot.”

Rhodes said when he sees poster along him amongst all the major stars, plus being on the WWE 2K24 cover was all very validating.

“They didn’t hand me the exact ball and said, ‘Hey, you’re the quarterback,’ but they certainly gave me a lot of responsibility, that being Nick, that being Hunter, I feel that would have been against my being because I was slotted there.”

Rhodes said he thinks he’d be doing a disservice to Khan and Triple H if he were to go against that trust they put on him. He reiterated that isn’t a slight against any other company, that was just his mindset. 

Please credit the MMA Hour and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Cody Rhodes Has A Different Assessment Of Tony Khan Than CM Punk, But Loves Everybody Involved

Dominic DeAngelo
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Cody Rhodes loved his time in AEW and views his old boss a little differently than CM Punk.

Ariel Helwani played host to CM Punk earlier in the week where Punk mentioned to him that he thinks Tony Khan is a nice guy, but not a boss. Rhodes happened to be Helwani’s guest on Wednesday’s edition of the MMA Hour and asked ‘The American Nightmare’ if he felt the same way.

“That’s his assessment. It is not my assessment. It is always important for me to remind people that I am so proud of what me Matt, Nick, Kenny, Tony, Bernie [Cahill], Brandi, and Dana, and Chris [Harrington], and I name all these people, because I was in those meetings. As much as the Internet will try to spin a narrative one way, if one of those people had not been at that start-up level, the company would not have happened. And I am so proud of what was created. I am so insanely proud of what it does for the industry overall.”

Rhodes says he has an unbelievable love for so many people there. Rhodes reiterated that it was a start-up company and he wishes AEW nothing but the best as it goes forward. 

Cody Rhodes Believes The Tension In AEW Was A Misunderstanding

Helwani then followed up by asking if Cody Rhodes can envision Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks getting abrasive with an outsider and established star like CM Punk.

“I just think what happened there was a ton of misunderstanding, a ton of miscommunication, you will see on indies and wrestlers that aren’t properly trained and I’m not talking about bullying etiquette or anything like that, but you do need to have a little ‘old school’ in you to know the collaborativeness of what this is, and I just think they were ships in the night. I know I was Switzerland the last time you asked me, I love Matt, Nick and Kenny and I love CM Punk. I don’t know how, but I do. I’m just happy for everyone involved.”

Several times since leaving AEW, Rhodes has tipped the cap to his former AEW EVPs and they’ve done the same in exchange.

Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa Talks About Her WrestleMania Week Tour of America (Exclusive)

Lyric Swinton
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Hold onto your hats and expect 2024 to be the year of the Venus! STARDOM’s Mina Shirakawa electrifies & entertains every audience she performs in front of. After a remarkable 2023 that included a run with the Wonder of STARDOM Championship and leading her own international faction, Shirakawa has made it known that this year she plans to take the entire wrestling world by storm. 

On the night of AEW’s Big Business, Shirakawa made a surprise appearance at Ring of Honor tapings to face Anna Jay. Coincidentally she was joined by new STARDOM President, Taro Okada as a new AEW/STARDOM working relationship seemingly became official.

One-third of the current Artist of STARDOM Champions, Mina Shirakawa has a busy next two weeks lined up in America with confirmed appearances at STARDOM American Dream & ROH Supercard of Honor on April 5, Spark Joshi Puro Trailblaze on April 7, and NJPW Windy City Riot on April 12 so far. 

I caught up with Mina to chat about her upcoming bookings in America, recent leadership changes in STARDOM, forming Empress Nexus Venus with World of STARDOM champion Maika, and more. Here’s the recap:

Q: You recently made your Ring of Honor debut in Boston facing AEW’s Anna Jay. What was that experience like for you? You seemed to take a liking to Anna Jay. Do you see a potential future where we could see Anna Jay in STARDOM and maybe even EXV?

A: It was a great experience! The moment my entrance music came on and I appeared, the crowd went wild. I heard the [audience yelling] ooo!

It was the best moment. I felt that my name had reached the world. The audience was also excited over my various signature leg attack moves. I was happy to feel that I had not made a mistake in my wrestling.

Anna Jay was tall, glamorous, and beautiful. I tried my best to make myself look big, so I wouldn’t be overpowered by her in the ring. I’m glad I won. It’s also very interesting that her special move is the sleeper hold. It looks like we could do some classical wrestling. EXV is an international unit, and honestly, I wish Anna Jay could join us!

Q: Currently, you’ve been announced for a U.S tour that includes STARDOM American Dream on April 4, Spark Joshi Puro Trailblaze on April 7, and NJPW Windy City Riot on April 12. With the recent partnership between STARDOM and AEW/ROH becoming official, are there any women on the AEW/ROH roster that you’d like to face while you’re in the United States? Would a Rose Gold reunion with your former tag team partner, Mariah May be something you’re interested in?

A: I would love to wrestle Mercedes Moné. We have known each other for 5 years and – believe it or not – we go out to eat and hang out. But… I have never wrestled her. It didn’t happen in a STARDOM ring. So, it’s my dream to wrestle her.

I also want to wrestle SARAYA, Athena, and [Willow] Nightingale! And I’d love to tag team with Mariah again because we were tag team champions together in Japan. I love Mariah… So, I think I need to wrestle Toni Storm, [to learn who] loves Mariah more.

Q: Recently there have been a lot of management and roster changes in STARDOM amidst the exits of Rossy Ogawa and top stars like Utami Hayashishita & Giulia. As the company enters a new era, what are your goals in STARDOM as a leader & as a performer?

A: My goal is to become IWGP Women’s Champion. The name of “IWGP” is very world famous. I want to be a bridge between Japanese rings and international rings. That is why I need this belt. EXV becomes the central unit of STARDOM! We are the best.

Q: At the end of 2023, you and World of STARDOM champion Maika came together to form the superpower faction Empress Nexus Venus (EXV). Going from Club Venus to EXV, what has the transition been like and what do you enjoy most about leading with Maika? 

A: By last summer, I had heard many rumors. So I knew that a major change would take place in STARDOM. I really didn’t want to finish Club Venus, but I also had to make a big decision.

DDM was gone, and Maika was alone. I was very lonely then too – it was difficult to obtain more visas for our foreign members of Club Venus,…When I thought about what I should do in the coming turbulent times at STARDOM, I decided that the best thing to do was to start a new unit with Maika from zero.

Q: On social media, you’ve been regularly posting the hashtag #WeWantMina which seems to be a nod towards the international world tour you’ve been embarking on in 2024 and winning the hearts of fans everywhere you go. From Japan to the United States to Thailand to beyond, what type of impact are you looking to make on wrestling worldwide this year?

A: For me, Japanese and overseas fans are equally important. I want my overseas fans to enjoy my social media, so I try to post in English. This year, I would like to visit various states in the United States. It’s also my goal to do microphone performance in the US squared circle.

Q: Years ago, you appeared at a NJPW press conference as a valet for Yujiro Takahashi and fast forward to February 2024, you competed for the IWGP Womens Championship on the main card of NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo. What has the journey been like for you to become one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world today despite being underestimated for so long?

A: Amazing! You know it well! Before becoming a pro-wrestler, I was a gravure idol (like a bikini model). I was a big fan of pro-wrestling, so I was happy to have a job where I could help promote the pro-wrestling world. That’s why I participated in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling press conference with Yujiro-san.

A few years later I became a pro-wrestler. At first, no one expected me to do well. I had no particular sports experience, and because of my background as a gravure idol, they made fun of me. I was very frustrated by my doubters, and told myself that I would definitely keep receipts, and use that to fuel my fire. I thought about wrestling more than anyone else and devoted all my time to it. Depending on your willpower, you can become anything, or change your future.

Q: During your time in STARDOM you have held the Future of STARDOM, Artist of STARDOM, Wonder of STARDOM, and Goddess of STARDOM Championships. Are there any championships inside and outside of STARDOM that you have your eye on this year?

A: I held the BBW women’s title in Best Body Japan Pro-Wrestling (where I debuted as a pro wrestler). This year, my goal is to become more famous worldwide, and to become IWGP champion.

Follow Mina Shirakawa on social media at @MinaShirakawa.

Steve Austin Says His Feud With Bret Hart “Changed Everything”

Dominic DeAngelo
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Steve Austin still holds one of his WrestleMania matches in the highest regard, and it didn’t happen to have the WWE Title at stake. During an interview with Justin Barrasso, Stone Cold named his classic match against Bret Hart from WrestleMania 13 as an all-time favorite.

“If it wasn’t for Bret Hart, I don’t know that I would be having this interview right now,” said Austin. “My feud with Bret changed everything.”

Two years ago, Hart claimed that him and Austin clashing at WrestleMania 13 were like “two asteroids hitting at the right time.”

“The match with Steve, that’s the greatest song I ever sang. When I watch it back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I still love seeing that spot where I’m punching the daylights out of Steve in the corner and he kicks me in the groin. It was a beautiful, violent piece of art. Working with Steve was easy, it was fun, and it was memorable.”

Austin talked about how he and Hart delivered on arguably the greatest double-turn ever executed in pro wrestling and that was due in great part to what both men did in the ring that evening.

Stone Cold & The Hitman

After 19 years, Austin finally returned to in-ring action at WrestleMania 38 in Los Angeles. He faced Kevin Owens and came out victorious. Steve has some fond memories of that, but it still won’t shake off his number one with Bret.

‘I have a lot of fond memories of WrestleMania, but whenever I have to pick one, it’s always going to WrestleMania 13 with Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.”

Chelsea Green Kicked Out Of Hotel Due To Mistaken Identity

Aaron Varble
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Chelsea Green is instantly recognizable to WWE fans all over the world, but the staff at a New York hotel mistook her for an ‘unwelcome guest’ earlier this week.

The former Women’s Tag Team Champion was in Brooklyn for Monday’s WWE Raw from the Barclays Center, which set several business records including the highest-grossing live gate in the show’s 20+ year history. The following night, things were less-than-celebratory.

She shared her ‘Pretty Woman’ moment with her followers on social media and is keeping a good attitude about the misunderstanding:

Green has been one of the most entertaining personalities on the WWE roster since her return to the company in January 2023 . She was part of a wave of Superstars who were released the prior year, but were brought back after Triple H assumed greater influence amid Vince McMahon’s departure. 

Green is not currently scheduled to compete at WrestleMania this weekend, but she’s proven to be a bankable act for WWE and should be featured prominently again when the company ‘reshuffles the deck’ after the biggest weekend of the year.

WWE Speed on X: Results & Videos From The First 2 Matches

Thomas Lowson
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Two Superstars have taken one step closer to being crowned the first-ever WWE Speed Champion with the launch of the new venture on Twitter/X.

The very first match in the history of WWE Speed was fittingly between two of the promotion’s fastest Superstars: Ricochet and the LWO’s Dragon Lee. The match was understandably action-packed. With just three seconds left on the clock, Ricochet got the pin-fall victory after hitting the Recoil.

WWE Speed: Ricochet vs. Dragon Lee

WWE Speed: Bronson Reed vs. Cedric Alexander

The second-ever WWE Speed match saw a battle of styles as the colossal ‘Big’ Bronson Reed faced the athletic Cedric Alexander. Reed advanced to the next round of the tournament with 1:09 remaining on the clock. 

What is WWE Speed?

WWE Speed is a new limited social media series, with original matches premiering exclusively on X.  A tournament has been set up with Superstars competing in three-minute matches to advance. The winner will be awarded the prestigious and coveted WWE Speed Championship:

WWE has dabbled in the world of social media-exclusive matches in the past. The company hosted two seasons of Mixed Match Challenge in 2018, won by Team Awe-ska (The Miz & Asuka) and The Fabulous Truth (Carmella and R-Truth.)

WWE Speed matches were first filmed at the December 15, 2023, episode of WWE SmackDown. While Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick recorded commentary at the time, only Graves could be heard during these matches as Patrick was released from WWE in January 2024. 

Due to the matches recorded in December, we can confirm that Axiom’s tag-team partner Nathan Frazer is also going to be a part of WWE Speed. 

The next WWE Speed match will take place next week and see The Judgment Day’s JD McDonagh take on WWE NXT’s Axiom. 

Roman Reigns Doubts WWE Run Would’ve Ever Happened If His Football Career Hadn’t Ended

Thomas Lowson
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Leati Joe Anoa’I would have never become the dominant Roman Reigns in WWE had his football career not come to a premature end, the Tribal Chief has claimed. 

Years before he entered the ring, Reigns played football and made it to both the NFL and the CFL (Canadian Football League.) Speaking to ESPN, Reigns admitted that had his football career not ended, he doesn’t believe he would have tried for pro wrestling. Reigns added that he wanted to be an athlete fans could look up to just as he had looked up to others.

“I wanted to have an impact on young men. I wanted to be the way Emmitt Smith and Michael Jordan and Joe Montana and the stars of when I was a child, the way they made me feel. I wanted to make other young athletes feel that way.

“But no matter what, it was either you’re going to be a wrestler, or you’re going to be a football player.”

Roman Reigns in Football

Reigns played for Pensacola Catholic High School and later at Escambia High School. He would go on to play for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. In 2007, he was signed to the Minnesota Vikings but was diagnosed with leukemia and swiftly released. 

After the Vikings, Reigns signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was released less than a week into his deal. In 2008, he played for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL and played a handful of games before his release in November 2009. He proceeded to retire from professional football.

The Bloodline & Football

Reigns is hardly the only member of his family to have stepped foot on the gridiron. The Rock played college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes and later played for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. He was cut from the team two months into the 1995 season. 

Like Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso played football at Escambia High School in Pensacola before becoming linebackers for the University of West Alabama. Jimmy played for the 2003 season while Jey played from 2003 to 2005. 

MJF Tells The Rock To Back Off After Offering To Buy Cody Rhodes Painting From His Ex

Aaron Varble
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The Rock is making waves all over the pro wrestling world. He’s even doing enough that it can drive someone like MJF, who’s been mostly silent during his hiatus, out of his social media dormancy. 

WrestleMania 40 will see The Rock and Roman Reigns team up to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. In the build to that big match, Dwayne Johnson made The American Nightmare bleed, and that moment inspired some art.

MJF’s ex is a very talented artist, and she drew the attention of The Rock. Now, MJF is speaking up about the situation, and he’s not ecstatic about the idea of The Great One hitting up his ex on social media, especially after The Rock jacked his idea to whip Cody Rhodes. 

The Rock and MJF cross paths

The Rock is back, and he’s the ultimate heel as well. It appears that he might also be after MJF’s ex-girlfriend. This led to an experience on Twitter/X that we didn’t see coming.

MJF’s ex-fiancée, Naomi Rosenblum, is a pretty impressive artist. Her paintings have gone viral a few times, and a recent photo caught The Rock’s attention. She did a new work of art in the likeness of The Rock holding Cody Rhodes’ bloody face to the camera.

Rhodes and MJF’s history is well-known, so fans certainly noticed this interesting connection between The Rock and the former AEW World Champion.

The Rock replied to Rosenblum, complimented her artistic abilities and offered to purchase it as a gift for a ‘special’ mom he knows.

MJF Tells The Rock to Back Off

MJF wasted no time in replying to this tweet from the People’s Champion. He accused The Rock of stealing his “glorious idea” to whip Cody Rhodes with a belt He respects final Boss, but asked for him to back off. 

Friedman is currently in a relationship with wrestling personality Alicia Atout. They recently celebrated one year together.

MJF is no longer listed as a member of the AEW roster on the company website, but he’s still under contract. Friedman was working through multiple injuries prior to losing the  AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End in December 2023.

Ronda Rousey Calls Out Former WWE Trainer Drew Gulak Over Inappropriate Behavior — Gulak Responds

Aaron Varble
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The culture within WWE has received a big spotlight on it in recent memory. Although things like removing Vince McMahon from his position of power may have helped things, there was allegedly a culture infested in concerning workplace behavior.

Ronda Rousey revealed details about her WWE experience, including an incident with Drew Gulak where he allegedly inappropriately pulled the strings of her sweatpants backstage, prompting her to question the normalization of such behavior within the industry.

Rousey’s Accusations About Drew Gulak

Ronda Rousey spoke with NewsNation about her time in WWE. The former WWE Women’s Champion revealed details regarding an incident that allegedly occurred backstage involving Drew Gulak.

She detailed how Gulak inappropriately reached down to her sweatpants and pulled on her strings. Rousey’s account shed light on an uncomfortable encounter within the wrestling industry.

“This guy that I’m barely acquaintances with grabs the strings of my sweatpants while I’m walking by, and like, nobody, I wasn’t even looking at him, you know, I don’t know if I can swear on here, it’s a quote, but this guy grabs the strings of my sweatpants and nobody acts like this is abnormal, and he comes around, and I’m like, ‘what the f*ck was that?'”

“Like, why would you grab on the string of my sweatpants, like, if my husband was here, would you feel comfortable grabbing the sting of my sweatpants, but nobody around me acted like it was abnormal. I’m like, if this guy is coming up to me, and doing this to me, then what’s happening to these other girls when nobody’s around when it’s not in a hallway? So, that really put me on edge to like not only is this behavior prevalent, but it’s prevalent to the point where nobody thinks it’s a problem anymore.”

When asked who the wrestler was, Rousey drew a blank, but then she remembered it was Drew Gulak. Interestingly enough, they had the graphic of Gulak ready to go.

https://twitter.com/rondarouseyszn/status/1775360450781229432

Drew Gulak Responds

Drew Gulak has responded to the accusations against him. He recounted the event as a complete accident, and he claims he never meant to touch the string on her sweatpants.

Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Vince McMahon Accusations

Vince McMahon was accused of numerous heinous acts in the lawsuit from Janel Grant. He resigned from the company shortly after Slim Jim pulled their sponsorship for the 2024 Royal Rumble event. The company returned to sponsor The Rumble after Vince resigned.

John Laurinaitis was also named in Grant’s lawsuit. Rousey previously buried him, calling Johnny Ace, a “60-year-old frat boy.” He has since claimed to be a victim in the situation.

As of this writing, Drew Gulak has not responded to Rousey’s accusations. We will keep our eye on this story for additional updates. Keep checking back with SEScoops throughout the day for more headlines!

Becky Lynch Happy For Mercedes Mone In AEW, Hopes They Work Together Again

Bishal Roy
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Becky Lynch is happy to see Mercedes Mone doing her thing and having a good time in All Elite Wrestling. There’s no hard feelings over the former Sasha Banks jumping to AEW. In fact, Lynch says we could see them back in the ring together one day. She didn’t specify if that would take place in WWE or elsewhere.

Lynch is doing the media rounds this week to promote her championship match against Rhea Ripley this weekend at WrestleMania 40. During a chat with Shakiel Mahjouri for Shak Wrestling, she expressed excitement for her former rival.

“Good for her,” Lynch said of Mone in AEW. “Go on, do your thing and have a good time over there.”

She added, “Maybe one day, we’ll meet back in the ring.”

Lynch and Mone have a fair share of history as they led the famous Women’s Revolution in WWE. They’ve faced each other in handful of matches, most prominently a Hell in A Cell match for the Raw Women’s title back in 2019. 

Sasha Banks left WWE in 2022. She reinvented herself as Mercedes Mone, achieved success wrestling in Japan before her recent arrival in AEW.

Lynch’s Future

Becky Lynch’s star has steadily risen over the past several years. She’s cemented herself as one of the top sports entertainers in the world, which puts her in a great position for when her WWE contract expires in the next few months. She could test the waters of free agency.

WWE has been her home, but Tony Khan has shown he’s more than willing to shell out huge money to lure stars like Adam Copeland, Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada to AEW. They’re all making millions working a schedule that requires far less time on the road than WWE requires. 

Becky Lynch has “done it all” in WWE, but she will soon have a chance to explore other options.

Daily Drop (4/3): WWE WrestleMania 40 Set Nearing Competition, AEW Star Has Surgery

Aaron Varble
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Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Wednesday, April 3. It’s WRESTLEMANIA WEEK, so that means we are ONE DAY CLOSER to the show of shows. This is going to be a historic week, but we have to get through today first.

Before we get going, WWE MADE ADDITIONS TO THE NXT Stand & Deliver card this week. We highly suggest you check those out.

Also, THE WRESTLEMANIA 40 STAGE IS ALMOST COMPLETE. You can check out a spoiler of the construction process in our coverage, in case you don’t want to wait until the big reveal on April 4.

WrestleMania Countdown: 3 DAYS!!!

WWE:

– CONCUSSION SCARE: Joe Gacy had a concussion scare during NXT last night, and we’re hoping he’s okay. Wishing him the best as he recovers.

– WWE RAW Go-Home Viewership: Despite heavy college basketball competition, Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics reported that the episode garnered an average of 1.784 million viewers on the USA Network, an increase from the 1,729,000 viewers of the previous week. In the 18-49 demographic, the average rating was 0.59, showing a rise from the 0.57 rating of the previous week.

– The Rock Breaks Heel: In a bit of a change from his heel persona, The Rock is sending a fan to WrestleMania for getting his autograph tattooed on his arm.

– Roxanne Perez’s Call-Up: There’s a new bit of news about Roxanne Perez’s eventual WWE main roster call-up. This is notable, considering how she is battling for the NXT Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver.

– Punk x Graves: It seems that Corey Graves and CM Punk made up, and they’re friends again. Graves revealed that they buried the hatchet before the 2024 Royal Rumble event.

– KelceMania: WWE has reached out to Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce about showing up at WrestleMania 40. This would be a very cool appearance for Jason, because he just retired from the Eagles after being the starting center in that same stadium for 13 seasons.

WWE Reaches Out To Jason Kelce About WrestleMania 40 Appearance

– Swoll Army Attacks!: Grayson Waller and Austin Theory found themselves as the target of Joey Swoll’s fan base. Swoll is a social media influencer who focuses on teaching people to “do better” and Waller fired back at his Swoll Army. Now, it’s war, and we’re certain that Waller’s notification tab is seeing it.

AEW:

– AEW Release Tracker: Tony Khan’s company has seen a few notable exits already in 2024. Since the list is growing, we combined them into a tracker for you, just so we don’t forget any names.

AEW Releases & Departures Tracker For 2024

– More Bad News: Ortiz had his pec surgery, so he’s out of action. We’re sending him the very best as he recovers.

– AEW Double or Nothing Tickets: According to WrestleTix, the ticket sales data for AEW Double or Nothing is promising. After tickets were made available to the general public last week, sales reached 4,905 tickets sold, leaving 2,005 still available in the current setup of 6,910 seats.

AEW Dynamite Card (4/3):

  • Final Four Elimination Match: Bryan Keith vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Komander vs. Action Andretti
  • AEW International Championship Eliminator: Roderick Strong vs. London Lightning
  • Trish Adora vs. Serena Deeb
  • Malakai Black vs. London Lighting

Upcoming Wrestling Shows

Looking ahead, here are some of the major upcoming shows that we have in the pipeline:

April 6: NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania XL Saturday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 7: WrestleMania XL Sunday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 21: All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynasty live on pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chaifetz Arena.

May 4: WWE Backlash France from Décines-Charpieu, France at the LDLC Arena.

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