TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Nic Nemeth is set to star in a new wrestling-themed film based on a popular comic book series.
The ‘Wanted Man’ has been announced for Imagos Films‘ live-action adaptation of Kyle Starks’ comic book, The Legend of Ricky Thunder, though the film will be called Absolute Thunder. Nemeth will star as Thunder, a legendary wrestler who is forced to face the crushing truth that his run at the top was all scripted. As if that isn’t bad enough, Ricky also has to deal with the fact that aliens are real and plan to take over the world through the power of pro wrestling.
Nic Nemeth Comments
In a press release, Nemeth said that when he was presented with the project, he couldn’t say no in good conscience.
“Kyle Starks’ comic book was presented to me out of the blue, and wow was it beautiful, fun, awesome, and wholesome. So I could not, in good conscience, say no! Second of all, I AM Ricky…we all are haha!”
Absolute Thunder director Don Thacker has described the movie as 80s action comedy meets 90s anime. He has also said the film will tell a “wholesome story about friendship, confidence, self-esteem, and wrestling. So much wrestling.”
Nic Nemeth On the Big Screen
Absolute Thunder won’t be Nemeth’s first time in a leading role. In 2016, he portrayed Ray Thompson in WWE Studios’ own Countdown. The film sees Thompson try and prevent a terrorist attack at a WWE event while saving the life of a child hostage. Ziggler portrayed a robotic version of himself in The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! He will also star in Drugstore Jone, a new comedy set to release this month.
Vince McMahon may be crazy, but perhaps craziness is what it takes to reach the heights he has reached, according to one former Superstar.
McMahon re-signed from TKO and WWE last week, following a lawsuit filed by ex-employee Janel Grant. Miss Grant claims that McMahon was sexually abusive to her and that he trafficked her to others in the company, including John Lauriniaits and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. McMahon has denied the allegations against him and, via a spokesperson, has claimed the lawsuit is rife with “obscene made-up instances that never occurred.”
Justin Gabriel on Vince McMahon
One person who worked under McMahon for years as a WWE Superstar was PJ Black, better known as Justin Gabriel. On a recent edition of the Cafe de Rene podcast, Black was asked by Rene Dupree for when he realized McMahon was “bats**t crazy.”
“From day one. I mean all billionaires, I work with a lot of billionaires and I know a lot of billionaires so you have to be crazy to think on that level, you know? But I mean there’s a fine line between crazy and genius. And at the end of the day he is a genius. Say what you want about him, he’s a genius. He’s a self-made billionaire. Anyone who’s a self-made billionaire is crazy and a genius and comes with a lot of different labels.
“I’ve always had good interactions with him he’s he’s definitely a strange character, yeah. Bats**t crazy is the way to describe him. But you know like I there’s a good way to describe that and a bad way right I only saw the good sides of that so [I was]very fortunate. Very fortunate.”
Justin Gabriel on John Lauriniaitis
Former McMahon confidante John Lauriniaitis is also named in the litigation, though has claimed that he’s a victim in this situation, not a predator. On the show, Black recalled his relationship with ‘Johnny Ace’ and how his brothers once worked for the promotion run by Black’s father.
“He loved me. Because he’s the guy that signed me. He kind of knew who my dad was because his two younger brothers worked for my dad back in the day… they were big stars in South Africa. They looked great and my dad had them come to the ring with motorcycles and they had the badass metal music. They were just so over in South Africa and little did I know I was gonna get signed by their older brother one day.”
Swerve Strickland showed his appreciation to some of the exceptional black wrestlers who helped shape his career on this week’s episode of AEW Collision.
February is Black History Month, in which the accomplishments of black individuals are recognised, as they have often been overlooked in the past. AEW features some excellent black wrestlers on its roster, including Jay Lethal, The Acclaimed, Marq Quen, Keith Lee, and Lee Moriarty, to name just a few.
Swerve Strickland on Black History Month
On this week’s episode of AEW Collision, Strickland addressed Black History Month during an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone. Strickland referred to some of the black wrestlers who have inspired him and didn’t let his credit be reserved to just one promotion.
“Black History [Month], the celebration of the achievement of black people in all industries. All avenues, all walks of life, right? Yeah, I’m noble enough to really show appreciation and recognize all the people who paved the way for me to have the opportunity to stand [in this ring] right here, right now and talk to you [Tony Schiavone.]
“People you may know, such as a Ron Simmons. How about I shout out my friends who made Black history, you know, like a Kofi Kingston? What up Kof! And how about we keep it in house a little bit? We talk about some of the people that’s been one of the best wrestlers on the planet? Holding down a brand, for well over a year now, whoopin’ ass! I’m talking about the Ring of Honor Women’s [World] Champion Athena. What up sis?”
Matt Cardona won’t sit idly by while he watches some popular wrestler with a movie to his name take a spot from deserving talent, in Game Changer Wrestling.
At GCW’s Coldest Winter event, Cardona shared the ring with his former WWE nemesis Nic Nemeth. Cardona was feeling nostalgic for their 2011 program, as he was wearing Zack Ryder-themed attire for the face-to-face. Before their match, Cardona
“I am the face of GCW! I can’t just let some part-timer come in here and steal my spot! You think you’re The Rock or something, bro? So why don’t you do yourself a favor and just lay down, let me get the 1-2-3, so I can finish my story?”
After this pre-match promo, Cardona and Nemeth would have an excellent match. During the bout, the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion hammered his point home by hitting Nemeth with a Rock Bottom.
The Rock’s connection with the ‘People’ can’t be broken, according to the man himself, despite his recent controversial return to WWE.
On SmackDown, The Rock confronted Roman Reigns, teasing a match at WrestleMania 40. Many feel that this match comes at the expense of Cody Rhodes, who’s been essentially cast aside to give The Rock the match with Reigns. The consensus is that after last year’s loss to Reigns and all the work he does year-round, Cody deserves to finish the story by beating Reigns at WrestleMania.
The Rock Comments
Taking to Twitter, The Rock didn’t refer to the negative response he’s received from the WWE Universe. Instead, he thanked the fans for the “explosive, insane reaction” and said the connection with the fans can never be broken. Rock also thanked Cody for the love, before ending with a warning to his cousin.
There’s a word for this explosive, insane reaction – undeniable. No matter the era, the decade, or the city, the energy and connection between the People’s Champ and the People can never be broken and is truly an electrifying experience that creates chills every single time.… pic.twitter.com/LQI6gMdpIs
In the comments of the tweet, the ‘People’ were hardly thrilled with the People’s Champion. Many fans expressed their support for Cody Rhodes, while some suggested that The Rock should retire. One fan suggested that this could be the start of a heel turn for the Brahma Bull, while a more sympathetic fan simply said “Pretend that these replies don’t exist Dwayne.”
WWE United States Champion Logan Paul has thrown his support behind Cody Rhodes following The Rock’s return to the promotion.
On SmackDown, The Rock confronted Roman Reigns, teasing a match at WrestleMania 40. Though fans have been eager to see the two face off for some time, this match comes at the expense of Cody Rhodes. Fans have taken issue with WWE essentially moving Rhodes to the side to give The Rock the match with Reigns. The consensus is that after last year’s loss to Reigns and all the work he does year-round, Cody deserves to finish the story by beating Reigns at WrestleMania.
The WWE Superstars, for the most part, have kept quiet about The Rock being shoehorned into Cody’s spot at WrestleMania 40. Taking to Twitter, however, Paul made his views clear on who should be facing the Tribal Chief in Philadelphia.
It’s quite something for Paul to side with Cody Rhodes over The Rock, given his past friendship with the Brahma Bull. The pair teamed up for several videos from The Maverick before Rock cut ties with Paul following the latter’s controversial video taken from Japan’s ‘suicide forest’ back in 2017. On a recent edition of his Insight podcast, Paul admitted that it greatly hurt for The Rock, a personal hero of his, to cut ties with him.
This booking decision has been reviled by fans, who believe Cody’s story should finish by standing tall over Reigns at WrestleMania. Many feel that The Rock’s role as a TKO Board member helped influence this change of plans, costing the much more deserving Rhodes the right ending to his story.
The fans’ distaste for the ‘People’s Champion’ hasn’t just been playing out on social media. At a WWE live event in Knoxville, Tennessee, WWE aired a video of The Rock’s return to SmackDown. Contrary to the usual, this appearance by The Rock was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd.
— TheProFirefly ?? (Happy Holidays) ??? (@ProXFirefly6) February 4, 2024
The Rock did not appear in person at the WWE live event in Knoxville. Cody Rhodes did, however, and defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in the show’s Street Fight main event. The Rock and Roman Reigns will be at a WrestleMania 40 press event this coming week. There’s no word on whether the American Nightmare will be a part of the Thursday event.
Legendary Japanese wrestler Satoshi Kojima was crowned the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion at MLW SuperFight at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With the title win, Kojima has scripted history. He becomes the oldest holder of the title at 53 years. The headlining MLW SuperFight match saw Kojima putting an end to Kane’s reign which lasted 210 days.
Satoshi Kojima becomes MLW World Heavyweight Champion for the second time
Kojima bettered Kane to clinch the MLW World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. The 53-year-old star had first won the title in September 2002.
The final moments of the match saw Kojima hitting a lariat and following up with a brainbuster. However, he could only get one count. After Kane got up, Kojima executed another devastating lariat to secure the pinfall, securing the World title in the process.
Following the bout, Yuji Nagata came out and celebrated with some beers with Kojima. The newly crowned champ urged everyone to drink beer and eat bread.
This marks Kojima’s second reign as MLW World Heavyweight Champion. He won the title from Alex Hammerstone at MLW Never Say Never and made six successful title defenses. Kojima previously held NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Title.
Kojima is scheduled to defend the belt against Minoru Suzuki at Intimidation Games on February 29th.
Mistico debuts at MLW
Legendary luchador Mistico also made his MLW debut at SuperFight. He was accompanied to the ring by Cesar Duran and faced Averno,
Meanwhile, it has come to light that Rocky Romero will be defending the MLW World Middleweight Title against Místico at MLW Intimidation Games.
The Rock made his big WWE return on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, and that sparked a new controversy within the fan base. The Great One swooped in and took Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania main event match against Roman Reigns, and it’s hard to find someone who is incredibly happy about that right now.
“I’ve known Dwayne a long time,” a wrestler reportedly shared with Fightful. “Not only did the look on Cody’s face tell a story, the look on Dwayne’s told a story. I think in that moment he knew that this decision wasn’t going to work out quite the way that he imagined it. He was experiencing the same thing that he and Roman experienced in Philadelphia. He was being co-signed for something the vast majority didn’t want.”
WWE Roster Is Seemingly Against This Booking
Everyone that reportedly discussed this situation with the outlet understood the business implications of running the match, but they also believed it wasn’t a good decision for long-term WWE business.
“The Rock vs. Roman made sense several years ago when we were running back Roman and Lesnar repeatedly. It could have made sense this year had Cody won the title last year. This is one of the few years it just doesn’t make sense in any capacity.”
A source in creative reportedly said that many on the team were deflated, and it felt like a decision they’d hear about being made under the previous regime at the expense of helping cultivate new crossover talent.
Another source that had worked with the Rock was much more stern, saying, “The Rock eroded his trust with the comic and superhero community, with the film community, maybe with the football community, and might do it with the one he has almost universal goodwill with. He’s not a bad guy, don’t mistake that or get me wrong – he’s a great guy. However, bad timing and overexposure and fatigue will make fools of us all. You have to know when to take a back seat.”
Fans Do Not Approve
We previously reported how WWE fans have spoken out against The Rock taking Cody Rhodes’ spot at WrestleMania 40. They have started a trend of Justice for Cody on social media as well as flooding WWE’s posts on the matter.
The Rock and Roman Reigns’ segment from last night’s SmackDown has now surpassed 300,000 dislikes in under 15 hours with 2.5 million views. It is now the most-disliked video that WWE has ever put on their channel. Brandi Rhodes and others have reacted to The Rock taking Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania spot. Fans have voiced their displeasure as well.
WrestleMania 40 Plans Could Change Again
It is important to note that WWE has not made Rock vs Roman official at WrestleMania 40 just yet. The fact that they are set to have a face-to-face during a WrestleMania kickoff event in Las Vegas certainly paints that picture.
Fightful also noted that plans in pro wrestling can always change, and “there are many in the company that are cautiously optimistic that if the reaction that WWE received Friday night” could cause them to shift.
As it stands right now, Cody Rhodes will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Mania. This comes right after Reigns buried that title on SmackDown, calling it a “losers bracket title,” because he’s already beaten anyone in the running for that belt.
New Details On How The Rock vs Roman Reigns Was Booked For WrestleMania 40
While Cody Rhodes expressed his intent to challenge Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, as he pointed at the Tribal Chief and talked smack as his Kingdom song played on, Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that there were reports circulating within the company on the afternoon of the Royal Rumble suggesting that The Rock had agreed to face Reigns.
The existence of Rock-themed WrestleMania merchandise prototypes, ones that had Rock in a Head of the Table graphic, further fueled speculation.
Sources reportedly indicated that The Rock not only advocated for the match, but some believe he was pushing for a victory. TKO maintains that this move wasn’t driven by malice toward Rhodes, acknowledging his talent, but recognizing that the audience’s patience had worn thin on the situation.
When Cody Rhodes Found Out
Concerning the timeline, Cody was reportedly informed of the decision on Friday, ensuring he was aware before traveling to Smackdown. Talent, including The Rock, had already been booked for the February 8 press conference in Las Vegas, although The Rock’s involvement was not initially clear.
It is also interesting to note, that not too long ago, Cody openly stated that he wasn’t worried about losing his WrestleMania spot to The Rock.
While not directly associated with the scandals that Vince McMahon finds himself in now, any mainstream publicity was seen as potentially beneficial. It was noted that Rock was pulling for this match against Roman Reigns prior to Janel Grant’s earth-shattering lawsuit dropped.
The early word is that The Rock plans to work a full-length match at WrestleMania, although his willingness to continue wrestling beyond WrestleMania remains uncertain, given the face that he’s one of the busiest men on the planet.
SE Scoops will have continued coverage of this tricky situation as WWE makes their way down another road to WrestleMania. Things seemed to be going well, but The Rock’s return definitely stirred up a controversy that Triple H will have to book around now.
The WWE Universe may have to wait until SummerSlam 2024 to see Cody Rhodes dethrone Roman Reigns, in a match that could see huge championship possibilities.
On this week’s SmackDown, Rhodes, the winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble, said that he wouldn’t be facing Reigns at WrestleMania. Reigns was immediately confronted by The Rock, teasing a showdown between the two at the April supershow. This booking decision has been reviled by fans, who believe Cody’s story should finish by standing tall over Reigns at WrestleMania.
Unification at SummerSlam?
Instead of Roman Reigns, it now appears that Cody will challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40. PW Insider reports that there have been talks of Rhodes winning the title at WrestleMania 40, in the first of two huge title wins for the American Nightmare. The idea would be for Rhodes to challenge the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam in a title unification match.
WWE’s Unifying History
If this goes ahead, it’ll come just over a year after WWE introduced the World Heavyweight Championship in May of 2023. The title’s inception came about due to Reigns’ dominant tenure as Champion and his part time schedule. WWE unified the WWE and Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38. In the main event of Night 2 of the April 2022 event, Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar to unify the gold.
Randy Orton unified the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships at WWE: TLC 2013 with a victory over John Cena. At Vengeance 2001, Chris Jericho unified the WWF and World Championships by defeating ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night.
Cody Rhodes was just about to proclaim that his 2024 Royal Rumble win would result in an Undisputed Universal Title match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Then that match was swiftly taken away when he introduced The Rock’s big surprise for the Tribal Chief.
Backstage Reaction to The Rock’s Return
Sean Ross Sapp noted on Fightful Select that The Rock was around SmackDown all day prior to his big surprise return.
It was also noted that, “One person at Smackdown said it was the most outside faces they’ve seen there in a long time.” The night was certainly a special one in Alabama this week.
When The Rock returned during SmackDown to confront Roman Reigns, the WWE Universe wasn’t the only people who were surprised. Sapp noted that, “The reaction backstage to The Rock taking Cody’s spot was one of shock.”
WWE Bringing in Former Writer for The Rock
PW Insider reported that Brian Gewirtz will play a role as the voice representing The Rock in the WWE Creative process moving forward. He is not only a former lead writer for WWE, but he is also the current SVP of Development for Seven Bucks Productions.
Some anticipate Gerwirtz’s presence during major shows, potentially serving as a “Plan B” if Endeavor ever decides to shift WWE’s direction towards a Dwayne Johnson-backed creative team in the future.
How This Match Came About
As we previously reported, according to Dave Meltzer on the F4W Online forum, The Rock passionately lobbied for the match against Reigns. Meltzer noted that the anticipated high-profile showdown between the Hollywood star and the Tribal Chief is likely to divert attention from the ongoing Vince McMahon scandal.
“Dwayne pushed super hard for it. Read last week’s issue and this week’s. The card changed when Punk & Brock were out and all the dominoes fell. Dwayne already wanted it and they felt they now needed it as well. Felt this was better to change the news flow away from Vince.”
PW Insider reported that everyone is expected to consider The Rock’s ideas in WWE. The decision to involve him in the main event was not driven by malice to sideline Cody Rhodes, but rather based on the belief that Johnson would be the most lucrative choice, considering his new role within the company’s parent company.
It was a strategic move aimed at bolstering Johnson’s overall political influence and demonstrating Endeavor’s confidence in his engagement. One source reportedly suggested that even Paul “Triple H” Levesque would “lose that power struggle with Johnson at this point.”
Fans also banded together online to voice their discontent. The Rock and Roman Reigns’ segment from last night’s SmackDown has now surpassed 300,000 dislikes in under 15 hours with 2.5 million views. It is now the most-disliked video that WWE has ever put on their channel.
Cody Rhodes may not get to finish his story with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, but the American Nightmare will still be on the show. After winning the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match, he punched his ticket to Mania already, and now we know his match.
WWE’s Plan for Cody Rhodes
The Rock’s shocking return to WWE television meant that Cody is not facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Although Dwayne Johnson’s return to the picture shuffled the Mania card, Rhodes will still get a title match.
According to PW Insider, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will throw down at WrestleMania. The two already have a lot of history with each other, as Rollins was Rhodes’ first feud out of the gate upon his return two years ago, and now they have more story to write.
As far as the future for Cody, the current plan is for him to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40, a direction change that a lot of readers we’ve heard from resent given that he’s been pushing to “finish his story” all year, that finishing that story was in reach after a Royal Rumble win and that even the WWE 2K24 video game (which Cody is on the cover for) is themed in part around fans “finishing” their own story.
Public Response To Cody Losing Mania Spot To The Rock
Fans expressed discontent with the recent booking choice, particularly the decision to have Cody Rhodes lose his WrestleMania spot to The Rock. This dissatisfaction manifested in a surge of dislikes on WWE’s YouTube video and ongoing discussions throughout the night regarding the significant segment.
Compounding the situation, supporters initiated the ‘Justice for Cody’ campaign to amplify their stance. In a recent WWE live stream video titled “Best of Cody Rhodes full matches marathon,” they flooded the comments section, rallying behind the American Nightmare.
WrestleMania Shake-Up
The WrestleMania card was already getting a shake-up. Brock Lesnar was pulled from creative due to his association with the damning allegations in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis. CM Punk was also pulled from the show of shows due to a triceps injury.
Since Lesnar and Punk were off the show, where they were set to face GUNTHER and Seth Rollins respectively, WWE brought The Rock in for that match against Roman Reigns that fans have talked about for years.
The Rock shocked the pro wrestling world once again when he showed up during the February 2nd episode of SmackDown. He confronted Roman Reigns, and although the Great One didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to. Now, fans are set to see what is next.
The Rock & Roman Reigns Face-Off
WrestleMania 40 seems to be the place for Rock vs Roman. Fans will see more from them soon enough, because the two will be in Las Vegas on the 8th.
WWE has announced The Rock and Roman Reigns will engage in a face-off during an open-to-the-public fan and media event for the WrestleMania XL Kickoff. The event will take place live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 8th, at 4 PM PT.
In the announcement that WWE sent out about the event, it was also revealed that the whole thing will stream on Peacock and other platforms.
@WWERomanReigns and @TheRock will face-off at The #WrestleMania XL Kickoff, streaming live from @TMobileArena on Feb. 8 at 4pm PT across WWE social platforms and @peacock !
Fans don’t seem to be incredibly happy about this booking decision. Cody Rhodes losing his WrestleMania spot to The Rock was not taken well by some, and they spoke out. They blew up WWE’s YouTube video with dislikes, and posted all night about the big segment.
Adding to the situation, fans started posting ‘Justice for Cody’ to strengthen the movement. During a recent WWE live stream video titled “Best of Cody Rhodes full matches marathon,” they also inundated it with comments to back up the American Nightmare.
WWE’s Previous Creative Plan For The Rock at WrestleMania
I exclusively reported WWE’s current situation with The Rock vs Roman Reigns. While some were saying that the match may be moved to Saudi Arabia, that is not the case. Those plans were kept very close to the vest. Now, it appears that the match is going to take place at the show of shows this year, and fans will not have to wait.
WWE Superstars can sometimes branch outside the pro wrestling bubble to do big things. Montez Ford has a new accomplishment that he can finally share with the world’s ears.
Ford’s Big Announcement
Montez Ford, who is 1/2 of The Street Profits alongside Angelo Dawkins, is known for his hard work in the ring, and now he has ventured into the music scene with the release of a new album.
Ford’s new record called ‘God Is Good’ dropped, and he’s very proud of what he has to offer. This has also been a project that took a lot of time to make sure he got it right.
The eight-track album, which is now available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, shows off Ford’s abilities beyond the wrestling ring. Along with a link to the new album, Ford hyped fans about his new music drop.
”As promised, it’s finally here! GOD IS GOOD – ALBUM NOW AVAILABLE ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS! It’s been a wild couple of weeks, but thank you all for your overwhelming & continued support with our reality show & everything. I hope you enjoy! -Tezzie”
As promised, it’s finally here!
GOD IS GOOD – ALBUM NOW AVAILABLE ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS!
It’s been a wild couple of weeks, but thank you all for your overwhelming & continued support with our reality show & everything.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins recently teamed up with Bobby Lashley to form a new stable on SmackDown. The Pride is still doing their thing, confident in their current feud against Karrion Kross’ Final Testament faction with AOP.
Ford is not hanging up his pro wrestling boots by a long shot. He has a lot more to accomplish, but at the same time, he can’t wait to share his musical endeavor with his fans.
Other Musical Superstars
Montez is not the first WWE Superstar to drop a music album. In recent memory, Elias did the same. Sadly, that record was taken down after WWE released him. Prior to that, names like AJ Francis, R-Truth, Mickie James, Jeff Hardy, John Cena, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and more all dropped their own brand of music.
Sometimes, you just got to “let it go” and that’s what one AEW star decided to do with his hairdo.
Ariya Daivari decided to part ways with his hairline this week and decided to share his shave-off on social media. Davairi showed it all go down on Instagram through a time-lapse video to the music of “Let It Go” from Frozen, but did provide a little caveat to the song choice.
“Welp…BTW, I’ve never seen Frozen. ‘Let It Go’ was the only lyric I knew. This wasn’t meant to be some empowering post lol. S***’s not that big of deal.”
Ariya follows in the footsteps of his older brother Shawn Daivari who too once had a full head of hair before going the “Stone Cold” route. Ariya got a fair share of responses from his pro wrestling comrades with Matt Cardona simply calling him a “quitter” while others like Savio Vega and Brian Cage were a little more supportive.
However, Daivari may have inspired further change as it got recent TNA debutee and fellow 205 Live alum, Mustafa Ali considering the clippers himself responding in the replies with a simple statement.
“Might do the same soon.”
Drew Gulak actually wanted Ariya to go the extra mile and pull a Sean Waltman rib on himself telling him to “Now do the eyebrows.”
Davairi has been with AEW for over two years now and now works as a wrestler, producer and coach for the company. Meanwhile, his brother Shawn serves as a producer for WWE.
The head shaving hasn’t just been solely on the men in pro wrestling. Months ago before getting married, Shotzi also happened to shave her head as well.
The People’s Champ is taking his new TKO Board Of Directors role quite seriously as he took to social media to share some photos of himself visiting the new WWE headquarters. The Rock then reflected on making the stop and had a lot to say about the ‘mana’ that the new building carries.
“I needed to make one more final and most important visit – I wanted to come to Stamford, Connecticut to see our INCREDIBLE WWE HQ TEAM in person.
“To express to everyone my deepest gratitude for their commitment and talents, as well as my boundless excitement to go shoulder to shoulder with everyone to continue to build our company. Face to face. Eyes to eyes. Handshakes and hugs. I was completely blown away. You can FEEL the mana, energy, love and momentum!
“It’s a very exciting time for our companies and I’m forever proud to have played and continue to play a very small role in the growth of WWE. I’m honored to now sit at the table that my grandfather and my father helped to build. On the shoulders of giants, we stand. In the spirit of unity we grow. ~ Rock.”
The Rock has been plenty active on social media since becoming part of the board and has been putting TKO over big time since the news broke last week.
Not only does he have the new job title to be happy about, but Dwayne Johnson also has got to be electrified by finally owning “The Rock” trademark, something he also posted about on Instagram.
The pro wrestling world is like a family in many ways. When someone is taken from us, many times the community steps up to help those who were left behind. After Ice Train’s passing, many of those who knew him are now helping his family through this trying time.
Ice Train’s GoFundMe
Ice Train passed away at 56-years-old, and many who worked with him during his days in the ring spoke out to grieve the loss. As of this writing, his cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, but he had health issues. Now, his family is in need of assistance.
The description for the GoFundMe, written by Diamond Dallas Page, explains how the money will be used to help Ice Train’s family. The two had a 30-year friendship, and now DDP wants to make sure that Harold Hogue’s family is taken care of to the best of his ability.
Ice Train was born with congenital heart disease, so he couldn’t get insurance. Due to this, his family is in a terrible circumstance right now.
Harold Hogue aka “Ice Train” aka “Smooth” (to me he was always “H”) was a warrior and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. Our 30 year relationship was filled with laughter & brotherhood. We were always there for each other.
Our families are one family.
Harold was born with a congenital heart disease and passed away unexpectedly on January 23, 2024. Because of his condition, he was unable to get life insurance, leaving his wife Tiana and his 7 kids too soon…without their rock, and their primary provider.
Please consider donating in honor of Harold, to help support his family after losing such a great husband, father, and friend. I love you H – DDP.
As of this writing, they have raised $17,990 of their $50,000 goal. Some notable names have already contributed substantial donations for the campaign.
Notable Donations Already
Several figures from the wrestling community have contributed to Ice Train’s GoFundMe campaign. Dallas Page donated $10,000, Chris Jericho contributed $5,000, and Cody Rhodes put in $1,000.
Legends pass away like regular humans, which is a hard reality to face. Sadly, the world lost a remarkable talent as Carl Weathers passed away recently. The pro wrestling world took notice as well.
Tributes For Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers died on Thursday at the age of 76. His family said in a statement that he “died peacefully in his sleep.” We do not know the cause of death yet, but the world is mourning this great loss.
Xavier Woods from WWE honored the late Carl Weathers, who recently passed away. Weathers’ portrayal of Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise served as the inspiration for Woods’ TNA persona, Consequences Creed.
“Today one of my biggest inspirations died. Carl Weathers brought Apollo Creed to life and in doing so he inspired me to become something that helped me achieve my wildest dreams. You really never know what you just doing what you love does to inspire others. #Rip Carl Weathers”
Jesse Ventura shared the screen with Carl Weathers. He posted a photo of them together on the set of Predator, along with a touching tribute.
We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.
We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl. pic.twitter.com/29OJoe8qcu
Sean Waltman also paid his respects to the great man that the world lost this week. While posting an animate gif of Weathers playing Chubbs Peterson from Happy Gilmore, in the scene where he’s showing Happy that he got both hands back after his death, X-Pac wrote: “Thank you for everything.”
Carl Weathers was a great actor, and he kicked down barriers for others with his fantastic career in entertainment. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.
Our thoughts are with Carl Weathers’ family, friends, and fans at this time as they cope with losing such a talented man. RIP.
John Cena has done a lot in his shoo-in WWE Hall of Fame career. Some may say he’s getting better with age, but his part-time schedule may play a part in how fans perceive the 16x World Champion.
While speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, when questioned about the prospect of a time when fans might no longer see him, John Cena expressed that he’s just getting older and can’t compete at the same pace as the younger talent.
“I’ll be 47 in April, and the product is filled with superstars who are young, fast, and gifted. I’m just not as fast as I once was.”
John Cena Classic Car Comparison
Cena drew a comparison, likening himself to a vintage classic car that requires a prolonged warm-up before reaching its final gear. He humorously alluded to a 30-minute run, followed by necessary repairs due to unforeseen issues.
”I compare myself to like a fine vintage classic car. So if you want to take it out one day, you got to warm it up for about two and a half hours, then you can take it out and you can hit the last gear, but please don’t pin it to red line. I can go for about 30 minutes. Then after you drive for 30 minutes, you got to take it back in the shop and fix all the noises it was making. I’m leaking fluids from places I didn’t know I had places. So it’s pretty rough around the edges.”
This is an interesting analogy, because Cena did have to get surgery after his last short WWE run. He had surgeries on both arms after his match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia against Solo Sikoa. So, he certainly needed a tune up after that short time on the road.
John Cena Knows His Cars
John Cena has an extensive car collection featuring American muscle cars, European supercars, and daily-driven Japanese sports cars. The collection is notable for its focus on muscle cars and American classics, complemented by a substantial number of European luxury cars.
Naturally, his involvement in the Fast & Furious franchise also validates anything he says about cars. We will have to see what kind of analogies Cena comes up with in the future to describe himself, but this one was on the money.
Cody Rhodes may not get to finish his story at WrestleMania, and some fans don’t seem to be very happy about that. After The Rock returned during the February 2nd episode of SmackDown, they have not been shy about making their opinion known.
The Rock’s Big SmackDown Return
The Rock returned during SmackDown this week as a big surprise. Cody Rhodes was just about to announce who he is facing at WrestleMania, when he said that he won’t be the man taking on Roman Reigns.
Suddenly, The Rock’s music hit and he came down to the ring. After shaking hands with Cody, the American Nightmare took off to leave himself alone in the ring with Roman Reigns.
SmackDown closed out this week with the two staring each other down. No match was made official, but it’s pretty clear that WrestleMania 40 will see The Rock vs Roman Reigns.
Some Fans Are Not Happy
While some fans are over the moon with happiness due to The Rock’s return to WWE television, they aren’t all thrilled. Some are standing behind Cody Rhodes, and they are not impressed with a storyline that doesn’t see him finish his story.
The YouTube upload of The Rock & Roman Reigns’ segment from SmackDown this week has received over 50% more dislikes than likes. It also has well over 1.5 million views at this point. That is a very high percentage of dislikes.
How This Match Came About
As we previously reported, according to Dave Meltzer on the F4W Online forum, The Rock strongly advocated for the match with Reigns. Meltzer mentioned that the high-profile clash between the Hollywood star and the Tribal Chief is expected to shift the focus away from the current Vince McMahon scandal.
“Dwayne pushed super hard for it. Read last week’s issue and this week’s. The card changed when Punk & Brock were out and all the dominoes fell. Dwayne already wanted it and they felt they now needed it as well. Felt this was better to change the news flow away from Vince.”
SE Scoops will have continued coverage of the road to WrestleMania. Fans definitely didn’t see this new development coming, and they might not be 100% for it, either. Needless to say, it will be an interesting showcase of the immortals this year.
WWE Raw Superstar CM Punk has wasted no time in going under the knife after suffering a torn triceps injury last month.
During the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble Match, CM Punk suffered a triceps injury which Drew McIntyre has taken full credit for. On this week’s Raw, Punk confirmed that he will miss WrestleMania 40 due to the injury, and vowed to wrestle McIntyre when he’s able to make a return.
Punk’s injury has caused WWE to make a serious change of plans. While the initial WrestleMania card featured Cody Rhodes facing Roman Reigns, it now appears that The Rock, who returned on this week’s SmackDown, will face his cousin instead.
CM Punk Update
The former WWE and AEW World Champion was backstage at last night’s episode of SmackDown in Birmingham, Alabama, PW Insider reports. Punk was spotted sporting a brace on his arm due to the triceps injury. Sources close to the situation have said that Punk has already undergone surgery to repair the triceps tear.
What’s Next?
While specific times may differ, a torn triceps injury requires considerable healing time, which is usually at least six months. That would put Punk’s return date around July or August, though there have been rumors he could be out of action for longer.
Cody Rhodes is on the Road to WrestleMania 40, but his final destination won’t see him face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
On the forum board of F4W Online, Dave Meltzer explained that The Rock pushed hard for the match with Reigns. He added that the blockbuster showdown between the Hollywood megastar and the Tribal Chief will hopefully turn attention away from the ongoing Vince McMahon scandal.
“Dwayne pushed super hard for it. Read last week’s issue and this week’s. The card changed when Punk & Brock were out and all the dominoes fell. Dwayne already wanted it and they felt they now needed it as well. Felt this was better to change the news flow away from Vince.”
Meltzer added that Rhodes was supposed to face Reigns at WrestleMania in the original plan and that a showdown with The Rock was set to happen at a later date. It was also stated that CM Punk’s injury was a decisive factor in WWE’s change of plans.
“Cody was the plan. Dwayne was going to face him later, maybe next year’s Mania, maybe Saudi. Shit happens with Vince and Punk, the Vince thing ends up worse than they thought and they changed the plan. I literally didn’t know until yesterday that it could change and then I was told it’s under lock. But 100% it was Punk vs. Seth and Cody vs. Reigns until Punk got hurt.”
This massive change of plans as seen on SmackDown has had the wrestling world talking…
Cody and The Rock shared an embrace during SmackDown, in what many have seen as confirmation that Rock will face Reigns at WrestleMania instead of Rhodes. Many online have disagreed with the idea, given Rhodes’ heartbreaking loss to Reigns last year and how his story has always been about winning the WWE Championship (now part of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship) that his father never captured.
On Twitter, Brandi Rhodes referred to her husband as a quarterback, indicating that he is a reliable hand that WWE can count on.
Danielle Moinet, better known to WWE fans as Summer Rae, was far from pleased, stating that after two years of build, this twist doesn’t make sense.
Imagine handing over your Wrestlemania match that you beat 29 other ppl for…AFTER a two year build
I’m all for twists & turns but make it make sense! Gosh I hope we are ALL wrong. I hope it all makes sense next Fri in a Rock Roman promo, that is if either of them show up to tv
Echoing Cody’s comment about taking everything from Reigns, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful said that this storyline is doing much more harm to the American Nightmare.
After competing in a dark match following SmackDown, Sami Zayn spoke to the crowd in Birmingham, Alabama. The former NXT, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion stated that those who reminisce about the ‘good ol’ days’ should stop and see how good things are right now.
“It’s awesome to have The Rock. We’re lucky to have him. But you know, The Rock is lucky to have the WWE, too. Because we are living in the best time with the best superstars in the WWE.
“We have constantly listened to people talk about the good ol’ days. The good ol’ days. The good ol’ days. Well I’ve got news for you. Tonight, 10,000 people sold out this building in Birmingham! To see the best crop of performers in the world so I have news for you and for everybody! The good ol’ days are right here, right now!
“And I want to thank you for letting me be a part of it, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you for being a part of it with us. Thank you so much, we are all feeling something special right now! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you, thank you very much.
After the show, Sami said, “it’s awesome to have The Rock. We’re lucky to have him. But you know, The Rock is lucky to have the WWE, too. Because we are living in the best time with the best superstars in the WWE.” And then he said this. #wwe#SmackDownpic.twitter.com/4gxaFfEeHS
