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Hulk Hogan Calls for Next WWE Hall of Fame Inductees After Rey Mysterio’s Induction

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WWE announced its first inductee into the 2023 Hall of Fame on March 10. In a video package on SmackDown, the company revealed that Rey Mysterio is going to be part of the class.

Fans and the wrestling industry alike were delighted, as they all believe Mysterio deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Among these is Hulk Hogan, who is a HOFer himself.

In a video released on his channel, Hogan reacted to Mysterio’s induction, and congratulated the 48-year-old wrestler.

“You know Maniacs, I was watching WWE the other night and I was real curious who the first inductee to the 2023 Hall of Fame was. Oh my gosh, it’s Rey Mysterio! No one is more deserving! A champion, a great man, a great father, and a great husband! He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame! For years and years and years he’s carried the torch.”

Related: Who Will Induct Rey Mysterio Into the WWE Hall of Fame?

However, Hogan did not just stop there. He went on to request something from the company in regard to the Hall of Fame.

“But then I thought, you know… who could be next? Who could be just as deserving?”

Hogan said that the next inductees should be The Rougeau Brothers, a former WWE tag team who were known as The Fabulous Rougeaus. Hogan spoke highly of Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau, describing them as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

“My first thought was, one of the greatest tag teams of all times, The Rougeau Brothers! Jacques Rougeau, brother, and his brother Raymond Rougeau! Those two guys need to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m voting for them! Hopefully, they’ll be the next inductees in the Hall of Fame, man! I just think it might happen, I’ve got a really good feeling about that one brother!”

You can check out the full video from Hulk Hogan below:

Original Title Plans For Powerhouse Hobbs Revealed

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Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Wardlow to capture the AEW TNT Championship on the latest edition of AEW Dynamite. This marks Hobbs’ first championship in the promotion.

Hobbs defeated Wardlow in a Falls Count Anywhere match on the March 8 episode of AEW Dynamite to win the AEW TNT Championship. QT Marshall made his return and interfered in the match. He assisted Powerhouse Hobbs to get the title win. You can also check out what happened after the show went off air.

As it turns out, AEW had plans to put the TNT Championship on Hobbs several months ago.

Powerhouse Hobbs Creative Plans

According to Fightful Select, Hobbs’ push from last fall always had the championship win in the plans.

Powerhouse Hobbs faced the now-former TNT Champion as a result of winning the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match on the March 1 episode of AEW Dynamite. QT Marshall had previously shared a text message exchange that he had with Hobbs before his AEW debut in 2020. Hobbs had recently expressed the desire to be featured on AEW television more often and being the champ, it increases the possibility.

Meanwhile, Wardlow recently revealed that the TNT Championship was among the possessions stolen from his rental car in a recent break-in.

We will now have to see what the future holds for the newly crowned champ.

Kelly Kelly Talks About What She Misses Most From Her Wrestling Career

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Former WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly recently opened up about the things that she misses (and doesn’t) from her professional wrestling career.

Speaking on GAW TV, Kelly gave her opinions on the wrestling industry as well as her time as a wrestler.

Kelly said that one thing she misses the most from her time as a wrestler is the camaraderie and the “family atmosphere.” As wrestlers travel with each other to different locations every week, they end up spending a lot of time together. This fosters a sense of close friendship among many of them.

“I definitely miss all the girls, all the friendships, the traveling with your friends, renting the cars, and doing the travel. All that stuff I just loved. I loved the camaraderie. I loved the family aspect,” Kelly said.

– Kelly Kelly

Kelly also said that she loved to perform in front of the world every night and even called it “just the best feeling in the world.”

What Kelly Kelly Does Not Miss About Wrestling  

There are also some things that Kelly Kelly does not miss from her time in wrestling. One of them is taking bumps. “I really was like, ‘Just beat the s*** out of me.’ Now, I’m like, ‘Please, God, don’t touch me,'” she confessed.

Taking bumps is an essential part of wrestling, wrestlers have to do it regularly when they are competing. It is absolutely necessary, but it can take a toll on the body. It is completely understandable why Kelly would not miss taking bumps, as it can even lead to long-term injuries and chronic pain over time.

Kelly has since then been a model, reality TV star, and influencer. She also made a few appearances here and there in wrestling, particularly in the women’s Royal Rumble.

H/T to WrestlingInc. for the quotes used in this article.

Raven Says He Plans to Wrestle Again

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Former WWE star Raven has a lot in the tank before he hangs up his boots. Raven has contributed immensely to the business, working in different promotions. His career has spanned for over 30 years across WWE, ECW, WCW and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. It seems that he is not planning to stop anytime soon.

Raven comments on possible retirement

Raven made several appearances on IMPACT Wrestling including at this year’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view. The former ECW World Champion is now gearing up for his return to Major League Wrestling(MLW). We also reported an update on MLW’s Relationship With Reelz.

Meanwhile, speaking with Fightful, Raven stated that he’s open to working as a producer for Major League Wrestling and elsewhere. He also noted that he is on a shortlist for potential producers in IMPACT.

In addition to this, the 58-year-old star revealed that he is actually producing for NWA now. He has actually been producing there for a while but went on a hiatus to recuperate from his knee surgery.

Furthermore, Raven also stated that he has not officially retired from in-ring action. He told Fightful that he plans on getting back inside the squared circle for some more matches after he gets his second shoulder taken care of. The former WWE Hardcore Champion said he is likely to work tag team matches in order to minimize bumps. He emphasized that he is definitely planning on wrestling again down the road.

Raven was inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame at last October’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

Dragon Lee Makes WWE In-Ring Debut at NXT Live Event

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WWE’s hottest recent signing Dragon Lee has proven himself in the ring by making his wrestling debut at an NXT live event.

Lee announced in December of last year that he had signed with WWE, moments after winning the AAA World Tag Team Championships with Dralistico.

WWE had been interested in signing Lee after he competed for All Elite Wrestling while not being under contract.

In-Ring Debut

At an NXT live event in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dragon Lee made his much-anticipated in-ring debut for the gold brand.

In his debut match, the masked Superstar defeated Eddy Thorpe, fka Karl Fredericks, who also recently signed with the promotion.

You can check out some of the photos of Dragon Lee’s in-ring debut below.

https://twitter.com/JoelPearl/status/1634735243444772865

During this week’s WWE NXT Roadblock event, Dragon Lee made his TV debut for the brand and appeared in the crowd.

The masked Superstar had initially been scheduled to debut at NXT Vengeance Day, but visa issues caused his arrival to be delayed.

Big Plans

Dragon Lee has had just one match as a WWE Superstar to his name, but WWE already has big plans for the masked wrestler.

It has been reported that WWE intends for Dragon Lee to be on the main roster by the time of WrestleMania 40, which will take place in Philadelphia next April.

Dragon Lee is optimistic about his future in the company, and has said he believes he can be the next Rey Mysterio if given the opportunity.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2023 Results: Hirooki Goto vs. Kyle Fletcher, Tonga vs. Henare

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New Japan Pro Wrestling continued its second round of the New Japan Cup on March 12 at the Shiga Pref. Cultural Industry Community House Event Hall in Shimotara Maibara, Shiga, Japan. SEScoops has the results from the event down below!

The main event had Hirooki Goto take on Kyle Fletcher in the tournament’s second round. Fletcher defeated Goto’s tag team partner Yoshi-Hashi to advance in the New Japan Cup on March 10. Goto wanted revenge for his partner as both aimed to move to the next round. The co-main event featured another New Japan Cup second-round match between Never Openweight Champion Tama Tonga and Aaron Henare.

The event went live on NJPW World at 4:00 AM ET/1:00 AM PT. However, to watch the New Japan Cup, fans must subscribe to their service, which is $9.99 in the United States.

If you would like more results for this week’s events in wrestling, please check back on our results section.

New Japan Cup 2023 Results (3/12)

  1. Ryohei Oiwa & Ren Narita def. Oskar Leube & Tomoaki Homma
  2. Yuto Nakajima & Shota Umino def. Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr
  3. El Phantasmo, Kenta, Chase Owens & David Finlay def. Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanamaru & Taichi
  4. Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay def. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
  5. Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Sanada, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito def. Lio Rush, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
  6. Tama Tonga def. Aaron Henare- New Japan Cup Tournament Match(Second Round)
  7. Hirooki Goto def. Kyle Fletcher- New Japan Cup Tournament Match (Second Round)

WWE Has WrestleMania Weekend Plans for SmackDown Stable

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WrestleMania 39 is now just 20 days away, and one SmackDown stable is expected to make their presence felt at the show.

WrestleMania 39 will mark WWE’s fourth two-night WrestleMania, which was introduced in 2020 due to restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Matches confirmed for the show include Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley, and Seth Rollins Vs. Logan Paul.

WrestleMania Plans

One stable that hasn’t been confirmed for WrestleMania 39 is Legado Del Fantasma, but that is expected to change in due time.

Fightful Select reports that while details are still scarce, there are “plans” for the factions over WrestleMania weekend.

In recent weeks, the group has turned face, aiding Rey Mysterio in his issues with Dominik Mysterio and the Judgment Day.

On the most recent episode of SmackDown, it was confirmed that until their battle with the Judgement Day is over it was official that Rey is an associate of the group.

Legado Del Fantasma

In June 2020, El Hijo del Fantasma, fresh off his NXT Cruiserweight Championship win, aligned himself with Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza.

This heel turn saw Fantasma demask and rebrand himself as Santos Escobar, and the group would be dubbed Legado Del Fantasma.

As part of the gold brand, Escobar would later challenge for the NXT and NXT North American Championships, but would be unsuccessful in both pursuits.

In mid-2022, the group began a subtle face turn as part of their feud with Tony D’Angelo, which resulted in Escobar losing a loser-leaves-NXT match to the Don.

In October 2022, the group was called up to WWE’s main roster as heels, but with Zelina Vega replacing Elektra Cruz in the faction.

Who Will Induct Rey Mysterio Into the WWE Hall of Fame?

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One of the biggest names in Mexican wrestling will make his return to WWE to induct Rey Mysterio into the WWE Hall of Fame.

It was confirmed this week that Mysterio will be the first inductee into this year’s class, after a celebrated career both in and out of WWE.

The three-time former World Champion is also a WWE Grand Slam winner, Royal Rumble winner and has held various accolades outside of WWE.

Inductor

With such a lengthy and celebrated career, there is no shortage of wrestlers who’d make sense to induct Rey into the Hall of Fame.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Konnan will be doing the honors, and in a tweet, Dave Meltzer confirmed that report.

Meltzer explained that Rey personally asked for Konnan and the company approved it, adding that it was “the only choice.

In the early 90s, Konnan was brought into the WWF to play the Max Moon character but would leave the promotion after three televised matches.

In interviews, Konnan has said the cost of the costume ($13,000, equivalent to $27,000 today) immediately caused friction with the company’s higher-ups.

Konnan and the Mysterios

In WCW and in Mexico, Rey and Konnan worked together, but the latter has kept a close eye on the Mysterio family.

It has been reported that Konnan has been helping Dominik Mysterio throughout his career, but especially since his heel turn last September in Cardiff.

Konnan is a godfather to Dominik, and many have said that Dom’s ex-con attire and character have been influenced by Konnan.

Booker T Names WWE NXT Tag Team That Could Make a Splash on Main Roster

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WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has been able to have an up close and personal look at the NXT brand as a color commentator when he replaced Wade Barrett in the color commentator role last year when Barrett was moved to SmackDown to replace Pat McAfee. 

Since then, Booker T has called several episodes and Peacock specials. The wrestling legend recently gave praise to an NXT tag team. Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker praised Indus Sher (Veer and Sanga).

Old School

“I love those guys, Indus Sher. Those guys are so old school. They take me back to, Sanga and Veer, they take me back to what tag team wrestling once upon a time was and it was all about going out there and creating havoc.”

Booker T thinks they have a bright future on the main roster and could make a splash on the main roster should Triple H give them the opportunity. 

“I think Sanga and Veer could really make a splash on the main roster. Together that’s, that’s two big gears. I don’t need to have more than that.”

After returning to NXT last year after a main roster stint, he reunited with Sanga before being joined by Jinder Mahal. The faction just beat Bron Breakker and the Creed Brothers on last week’s NXT Roadblock show. 

Transcription via Wrestling Inc.

Madusa Pitches Retirement Match With Top WWE Star

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Madusa, also known as Alundra Blayze during her WWE run, is still looking to have one more match. 

Madusa found success in WCW and WWE during her pro wrestling career. She is a former WCW Cruiserweight Champion and three-time WWE Women’s Champion.

While speaking with TV Insider to promote her forthcoming book, ‘The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story,’ Madusa was asked about having one final match. 

The Match

“I would love to have a retirement match. I’m not dissing any era, but there are other eras before the Attitude Era. There is still a woman under WWE legend’s contract that they can do something with. But they chose not to. A retirement match would be wonderful. We see Trish Stratus and Lita all the time. I think those girls are great. But that’s all we see. I’m not sick of them. I’m just sick of seeing just them. I have high respect for those two women. But damn it, if it was them at 60, they would be pounding the pavement just as hard as I am.”

Regarding a potential opponent, Madusa thinks a match against Charlotte Flair would be phenomenal. 

“It would have to be somebody I can have a great match with. That if I bump my head and forgot something they can carry the match. Anything can happen. It could be a Nattie, Beth Phoenix, a Rhea Ripley. Everyone wants to see Charlotte Flair and Madusa. I still think that would be phenomenal.”

The new book was written by Greg Oliver and published by ECW Press. You can order it here. 

Arn Anderson’s Son, Barrett, Passes Away at 37

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Earlier today, Arn Anderson shared the devastating news that his son, Barrett, has passed away at the age of 37.

Anderson tweeted “last night my family suffered a loss that should never be felt by any parent. Our older son Barrett passed away. I am struggling to write this. Tell those you love that you love them.”

Brock Anderson reacts

Arn and Brock Anderson
Arn and Brock Anderson

Anderson’s youngest son, Brock, reacted to his brother’s death on Twitter with a heartbreaking note. He tweeted with with the caption, “Love you Wimpster.”

In the note, Brock notes that “since the moment I found out, I have been in shock. It’s not clicking in my brain and idk if it ever will.” He said that seeing his parents get the phone call about Barrett was “the most excruciating and cruel thing I have ever witnessed.”

Brock shared a story about his older brother from when he was 7 along with a couple of photos of them.

https://twitter.com/BAndersonAEW/status/1634612398928670722?s=20
via Brock Anderson’s Twitter

We at SEScoops send our deepest condolences to the Andersons (Lundes) in this difficult time.

Matt Hardy Weighs in on Texas Deathmatch at Revolution

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Last Sunday was AEW’s first pay-per-view of the year, Revolution. The card offered a variety of matches including The Final Burial, a 60-minute Iron Man Match, and a Texas Deathmatch.

The latter match had a lot of discourse around the amount of blood involved (sound familiar?) Hangman Page has been involved in three Texas Deathmatches in AEW, two of them when he was champion. Each match involved a lot of blood. Jon Moxley bleeds regularly, to the point that fans says it’s not a Mox match until he bleeds.

Matt Hardy’s Take

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courtesy of AEW

As he does every week, Matt Hardy weighs in on current topics in the wrestling world before moving on to that week’s topic on his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast. Since he was at Revolution, he gave his opinions on several matches.

On the Texas Deathmatch, Hardy said that from a “story aspect and from a psychology standpoint, I thought it was great. I loved the story they told. I’m cool with the violence. There was a lot of blood in it. For some people, it was too bloody. It was maybe too violent. And I do get it, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but there’s some people who really, really enjoy that. I don’t mind that being offered on a variety show, so to say.”

“There’s some people who hate cinematic matches. I think cinematic matches every so often are okay if they fit in a variety show. So as far as that goes, I give huge props. They also they like were fucking badass, courageous warriors to go out and do that to one another. I take my hat off to both Jon Moxley and “Hangman” Adam Page.”

“And probably my favorite part of the whole match is Jon Moxley has been built as the heart and soul of AEW in the last couple of years. He’s the guy that’s really been the nucleus, kind of like the main — you have guys like Jericho, the established veteran, who’s more like the established guy who isn’t like the main worker of the show — but Jon Moxley is the nucleus. He is the main worker, kick-ass warrior of the whole show. And the finish of that match with him being beat by Hangman Page clean via tap out in a Texas Deathmatch. I think that was a great move and a truly elevating match for Adam Page.”

What did you think of the Texas Deathmatch and do you agree with Matt Hardy?

WWE Panel at SXSW Featuring Triple H, Superstars

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The annual SXSW Festival is underway in Austin, TX. While many people think of music and movies when they think of SXSW, they also have panels focusing on a variety of media.

Today, WWE will host a panel hosted by Sportico. “Reigniting Fan Engagement at Live Events” is being moderated by Sara Fischer of Axios. WWE COO Paul “Triple H” Levesque will be joined on the panel by Rhea Ripley, Kofi Kingston, and Undertaker.

WWE topic at SXSW

Triple H

According to the SXSW website, the panel description is:

“The importance of community and human connection was more prevalent than ever when WWE returned with its biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, in April 2021. This historic event featured the first Black female Superstars to main event WrestleMania, celebrity appearances, live music performances and the unveiling of WWE’s new signature, “Then. Now. Forever. Together.” to recognize and celebrate WWE fans, our community and the message of inclusivity.This coming April, WWE will host WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles where the WWE Universe will come together for another monumental event. WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque along with WWE Superstars will discuss the road to WrestleMania, the importance of the WWE Universe and how this community has evolved.”

WWE has been involved with SXSW in the past. Last year, Stephanie McMahon introduced WWE Moonsault, the company’s NFT platform. In 2013, John Cena was a panelist. Four years later, Xavier Woods hosted the 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards.

Report: AEW and Warner Working on New One-Hour Wrestling Show

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AEW announced a new reality television show recently, but it looks like they’re not done adding content for Warner Bros. Discovery.

This time, AEW and Warner are looking to add another one hour of weekly wrestling content to the television schedule. This would be the third weekly AEW wrestling show on Warner properties and give the company four hours of weekly wrestling content on cable. AEW Dynamite (two hours) currently airs on TBS, and AEW Rampage airs on TNT (one hour).

Per a report from Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast, AEW and Warner have been working on an agreement for this prospective third AEW television show and are close to finalizing it. As mentioned, the show would be one hour in length.

While there is no confirmation yet on a day, network, or time for the show, there are strong indications that the show could air on TBS on Saturday evenings at 6:05 p.m. Eastern. Obviously for long time wrestling fans, this harkens back to WCW Saturday Night.

Zarian hinted at this story less than a week ago on Twitter.

There is no official timeline for an announcement of the new show, nor any indication yet on what it will be titled. However, Zarian reports that the announcement of the new show could come in about one month.

We will keep our readers updated on this situation as it develops. Are you looking forward to another hour of wrestling content from AEW? Let us know in the comments section below!

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Taya Valkyrie Addresses Speculation About Her Future (Exclusive)

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When you look at all the social media collages from pro wrestling companies celebrating “International Women’s Day,” there was one constant among many of them. It was Taya Valkyrie. Rather than take her ball and go home after her WWE release more than a year ago, she used the setback to fuel her fire, even more, to show the world what she could do. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, Valkyrie was reborn. 

She became the Reina de Reinas Champion once again in AAA. She returned to Impact and won the Knockouts Tag Team titles along with her Death Dollz sisters Rosemary and Jessicka. The hard-working veteran continued to make history as the first-ever MLW World’s Featherweight  Champion. 

“I keep feeling like last year happened in a flash so to speak,” Valkyrie reflected. “I’m very proud of myself. I’m not going to apologize for that. I worked my butt off and got it done and proved myself. It has been exciting. I’m excited about what’s in the future as well.” 

Taya Valkyrie’s Next Move

Her future has been a hot topic lately if you look at the pro wrestling sites. And given all Valkyrie has accomplished in such a short time, it’s no surprise she is wanted by numerous companies. 

“Everyone wants to speculate and talk and gossip. I just want everybody to enjoy what I’m doing. That’s it,” she said. “No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’m just trying to put out the best version of myself and performance, the best moments and best experience for the fans and the viewers. That’s what I want to do in the next year. Do I know where I’m going? No. Are people gossiping about it? Of course. That’s the nature of the beast. Keep them talking. I see no problem with that. Just wait. Everything will work out.” 

Speaking of talk, many fans have fantasy-booked Valkyrie to be the mystery opponent for AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill. The undefeated title holder issued a challenge to the best Canada has to offer. “La Wera Loca” certainly would fit the bill. 

“Canada is notorious for having amazing pro wrestlers. Let’s be real here,” she responded when asked about the challenge. “There have been so many people from Canada, so, of course, she is going to try to call out someone from Canada. Guess what? We are some of the best in the world. All the best of luck to her because we are tough.” 

Her Time in MLW, Working Alongside Husband John Hennigan

One thing we do know is Valkyrie is set to defend the MLW gold against the newly signed Delmi Exo on April 6 at War Chamber. She is looking forward to this first-time matchup against someone known in the tag ranks as part of the Sea Stars. 

“It’s very exciting because I’m the first women’s champion in MLW history,” she said. …I don’t think I’ve ever faced it before…We’ll see what happens. I clearly have proven myself at MLW at building this division on my back and giving more opportunities for women to be seen. It’s exciting to be at the forefront of that.” 

Another fun aspect of being part of MLW is being able to work with her tag partner in life, husband John Hennigan. It has been a sort of Lucha Underground reunion of sorts with many alums finding their way to the company, which has been enjoying its best exposure with Underground airing on Reelz.

“[John and I] hadn’t tagged together or been in a faction together since the summer of 2019 when John worked for WWE. So much time has gone by. Just being there with Cesar Duran, having Willie Mack there, Matt Striker on commentary, I’m like, ‘Is it 2017?’ It’s really exciting,” Valkyrie said. 

“It feels very comfortable and fun. We play so well off each other. Just creating magic again. Lucha Underground was such a wonderful part of my career. I will always speak highly of it. It was really that first big break for a lot of us. When you look back on that show, it was groundbreaking. A lot of people have taken from that show without even acknowledging they have. This was a groundbreaking show with so many new faces, and those faces are everywhere on your television. It has been really fun to get the band back together.” 

Impact, NWA & Finding Her Spot in the Business

Valkyrie sees pro wrestling as creating art where there are so many ways to present this art form. In her eyes, everything doesn’t have to be for everyone. She feels creatively fulfilled being able to play in various places. This includes Impact where there is a supernatural tone to her character’s development these days.  

“The last few months working with the Death Dollz have been so much fun,” she explained. “I think it is written all over our faces. We’re having the best time learning from one another and working off one another. When we go to signings together, we call it the Death Dollz experience because there is just mayhem all the time.” 

Valkyrie has broken through many doors, forbidden or not, during this new era in her career. Add the NWA to the list where she is gunning for the new NWA Women’s Television Championship. During her time in the Billy Corgan-owned promotion, she has developed respect and admiration for Kamille, who has surpassed more than 600 days as Women’s Champion. For Valkyrie, the imposing figure hasn’t even scratched the surface of what she is capable of doing in the business. Adding that, “She is one to watch.”

Other names she passes along are Heather Monroe & Raelyn and the teenage prodigy Billie Starkz. Her advice to them is to work so hard, decision-makers can’t say no. 

“I have worked very hard to find my spot in the business,” she said. “Rejected over and over again. I had to really claw and find my way. For me, it’s always cool to meet people in the business that have the same respect for it as I do. I feel they are doing a phenomenal job.”

Wanting to Work with Mercedes Moné

One star the former Franky Monet would also love to tangle with is Mercedes Moné, who recently won the IWGP Women’s championship. Valkyrie has no problem adding another award to her stacked trophy case.

“Mercedes bet on herself. I see a lot of similarities in both of us because that is what I feel I’ve done with myself over and over again. I feel she has such respect for lucha libre. Whenever I see her, we talk about Mexico and lucha libre. So I would love to get in the ring with her and have a shot at that New Japan Women’s Championship. She is at the top of the list for a lot of people right now She is on top of my list. So we’ll see.” 

Valkyrie has the same answer about if she wants to settle down with one company. She goes back and forth on the idea. 

“I’ve been having so much fun working everywhere,” she added. “It would be nice to be with one company. But I have never chosen the easy road. And I don’t know if I’m going to start now. We’ll see what happens.” 

MLW Underground airs at 10 p.m. ET Tuesdays on Reelz. MLW Fusion airs at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays on Pro Wrestling TV 

Latest on Vince McMahon’s Behind-the-Scenes Role in WWE

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Vince McMahon was present at Raw backstage, and he also attended the 3/4 tapings in Boston. According to a recent report, it appears that McMahon does have some kind of input when it comes to running shows.

In Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it is noted that Vince McMahon was at the tapings in Boston to visit John Cena. However, he ended up staying for the entire show and was in Gorilla all night. Even though McMahon was there, it was Levesque who was giving the orders backstage and producing the show.

Levesque is in charge of creative for WWE. Many would believe that McMahon is no longer involved in the creative process by this point, but it seems that it may not be the case. The report notes that Levesque himself has said that he would be happy to take input from McMahon, who has a wealth of “knowledge and experience,” considering he’s been in the professional wrestling industry for decades.

Meltzer noted that things such as Gable being called “short and ugly”, and calling Johnny Gargano “short and a comic book fan” are “fingerprints” of Vince McMahon. Elements of his influence, if you will. However, Levesque is more focused on the wrestling aspect of the presentation in WWE.

What we can take away from this though, is that Vince McMahon’s ideas are still very much a part of the company. He is, after all, McMahon has left an indelible mark on every aspect of the company with his influence.

A picture of Vince McMahon backstage also went viral online, claiming that he has a mustache. Even though it is claimed that he really does have a mustache backstage at Raw, the picture itself was doctored.

Big E Opens Up on Wanting to Make The ‘Best Decision’ About Wrestling Future

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Big E has been on the sidelines for exactly a year while away from in-ring action after suffering a career-threatening injury. 

On March 11, 2022, Big E suffered a broken neck when taking a belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland and landing on his head during a tag team match on an episode of WWE SmackDown. 

Big E fractured his C1 vertebrae and C6 vertebrae. The positive news was that he didn’t suffer spinal cord damage or need surgery. He decided to wait a year before getting another check-up to see how his recovery was going. 

The Decision

Speaking to TMZ, Big E commented on how he feels as he prepares for the tests this month. 

“I just want to make the best decision. I have to see what the scans say, talk to doctors, go from there. Right now, before I know anything, I’m not going to make any rush to judgments. Just see how everything looks. No anxiety. Everything is in permanent. If it comes to an end, cool, if it doesn’t, cool. What will be, will be. I’m good with whatever,” he said.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription. 

Bobby Lashley Pitches Tag Team Idea With Brock Lesnar

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Like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley has mostly been used as a singles star for most of his wrestling career. There are some things that the two WWE stars have in common such as their backgrounds in the world of MMA. 

For years, Lashley pushed for a match with Lesnar and he had to wait for it. However, Lashley not only got a match with Lesnar but also three of them. They recently faced off once again at the Elimination Chamber premium live event.

Although they’ve made for good opponents for each other, Lashley is interested in potentially teaming up with Lesnar. 

The Idea

While speaking on Sony Sports Network’s show Next Stop Hollywood, Lashley proposed teaming with “The Beast Incarnate.” 

“This is completely far-fetched from a whole different angle. I thought me and Brock we fought a lot against each other. What if we were on the same team? We’ll be like the modern-day Road Warriors. It’ll probably be fun,” Lashley stated. “The crowd will probably get off on watching us go through dismantling people together. That would be pretty interesting.”

Lesnar will be wrestling Omos at WrestleMania 39, while Lashley is expected to wrestle Bray Wyatt. 

Hulk Hogan Recalls Backstage Disagreement With Vince McMahon

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WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has had a glorious pro wrestling career. Vince McMahon played a major role to give a major push to ‘The Hulkster’ in the 80s and 90s. That doesn’t mean they never had a backstage disagreement during that time.

Hulk Hogan has faced some biggest names in the business. We witnessed one of the most iconic moments at WrestleMania 6 in 1990, when Hulk Hogan lost the WWE Championship to The Ultimate Warrior in a main event match in front of a record-breaking crowd of 67,678 fans.

This match was labeled as a “passing of the torch” moment, as The Ultimate Warrior was an up-and-coming star back in the day. The match holds massive significance in wrestling history as it cemented the legacies of both Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. It has come to light that Hogan and Vince McMahon had a disagreement when the latter asked him to put over ‘The Ultimate Warrior.’

Hulk Hogan opens up on the matter

While speaking on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast, Hulk Hogan talked about the iconic match. ‘The Hulkster’ revealed that he had no problem putting over The Ultimate Warrior when Vince McMahon asked him to but they also had a disagreement prior to that.

“Vince and I had a disagreement. Vince had an opinion that Hulkamania had his run. And it actually went back to WrestleMania 6. When he asked me to put the Warrior over, I said, ‘That’s no problem at all, brother!’ but my question always is, if I’m putting somebody over, what are we doing after that? And, you know, there wasn’t really a clear-cut answer for that.

“I said, ‘Well, how about this. When I put him over and hand him the belt and everybody’s cheering for him, I get halfway down the aisle. How about I just… turn around and just grind him? Just drop him and just drag him around the ring. And I want to be ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan!’ I said, ‘I want to be HHH: Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The ultimate bad guy.’”

Hogan and Warrior remain to be two of the most notable names in WWE history.

Update On Roxanne Perez After Hospitalization

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We have an update on the health status of current NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez.

At Tuesday night’s NXT Roadblock, Perez had an intense match with the legendary Meiko Satomura that lasted nearly 14 minutes. Perez was successful in retaining her title against the former NXT UK Women’s Champion.

However, fans were scared of what went down following the bout. As soon as Satomura handed her the championship, Perez suddenly collapsed to the mat from apparent exhaustion.

Several medical officials, referees, Shawn Michaels, and even NXT commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T rushed to the ring in order to check on her. The fans got a backstage sneak peek as Perez was taken away on a stretcher to an ambulance.

Medical update on Roxanne Perez

A medical update on Roxanne Perez has now emerged. According to a tweet from the official NXT account, Roxanne Perez was stable enough for discharge from the “medical facility”.

Writing on the official NXT account:

“Update: Roxanne Perez has been discharged from a local medical facility and is now at home resting.”

A short time later the Tweet was deleted and replaced with another, reading:

“Update: Roxanne Perez has been discharged from the hospital and is now at home resting.”

Perez has been NXT Women’s Champion since December 13, when she defeated Mandy Rose, ending her 500-plus day reign. She became the brand’s youngest-ever women’s champion with the win. Perez has successfully defended it five times since, including Tuesday’s contest against Satomura.

With NXT Stand & Deliver scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 1, we hope Roxanne Perez will be able to recover and make her return to the ring.

WWE Veteran Outlines Why Austin Theory Should Win at WrestleMania 39

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WWE United States Champion Austin Theory is set to face John Cena at WrestleMania 39. The clash is nothing less than a dream match for the fans. Theory has been arguably compared with Cena for a long time now. Austin Theory even revealed that he grew up idolizing Cena. He’s been also very vocal about wanting a dream match with the Cenation Leader. Finally, they will collide inside the ring.

On Monday night’s RAW, the 16-time WWE Champion made a huge return as the Boston crowd welcomed him with a massive ovation. He was engaged in a heated promo battle with Theory, who challenged him to a title match at WrestleMania 39.

Though Cena initially turned down Theory’s challenge, he agreed after the crowd urged him to accept it. To some, John Cena roasted Austin Theory, saying nobody in the crowd cared about the US Champion and his matches.

Now, WWE veteran Jim Cornette has weighed in on Austin Theory confronting John Cena on RAW and who he thinks should win at WrestleMania 39.

Jim Cornette believes Austin Theory must beat John Cena

On the latest edition of Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru, the former wrestling manager commented on John Cena’s promo and stated that he could see it being the former WWE Champion’s way of motivating Austin Theory.

“Unless that this complete dressing down by Cena motivates Theory to change something, to do something that is demonstrably visible to the fans he’s going to come out and lay him out physically or he’s going to change his attitude in a way that he’s got a killer instinct or he suddenly does something even Cena remarks on, ‘that’s what I was looking for’ or something like that, I can see that,” said Cornette.

Jim Cornette added that Theory has to beat John Cena to live up to his words:

“If they start this way it would be a big swerve then or unexpected if Theory does win the match, which I still think would be possible without people setting the seats on fire and it’ll probably help Theory. But if they’re not gonna do anything like that between now and WrestleMania, I don’t know. They’ve got to, because they just left this guy flatter than a f**king turd in a punch bowl,” he added. 

If Theory manages to defeat Cena, it will certainly be a huge milestone boost the youngster’s career. Only time will what the future holds for the Theory.

Japanese Wrestling Legend to be Inducted Into WWE 2023 Hall of Fame (Report)

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One of the biggest names in the history of Japanese wrestling will be part of this year’s class of WWE Hall of Famers, it has been claimed.

Contrary to previous years, which have seen WWE announce inductees in the months prior to WrestleMania, the promotion has waited very late this year.

Yesterday, WWE confirmed that Rey Mysterio will be part of this year’s class, making him the third active Superstar to be inducted (behind Ric Flair in 2008, and Bill Goldberg in 2018.)

The Great Muta

Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta will be joining Rey as part of this year’s Hall of Fame, according to PW Insider.

Muta, aka Keiji Muto, recently finished his wrestling career, losing to Masahiro Chono at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event last month.

Despite Muto’s success across various promotions both in his native Japan and internationally, the four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion never competed in WWE.

For his retirement tour, WWE allowed Shinsuke Nakamura to compete in a match against Muta, which at the time was reported as part of a “trade-off” between WWE & NOAH.

There is no word on who will be inducting the legendary wrestler into the Hall of Fame.

Who Else Is In?

More inductees are expected to be announced in due time, though details are scarce as to who will be going into the Hall of Fame.

Trish Stratus who was inducted in 2013, said last month that Victoria and Impact Wrestling Knockouts World Champion Mickie James both deserve the nod this year.

It is believed that Batista will also be inducted this year, after withdrawing from the 2020 class due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mick Foley has said he has been contacted about inducting someone into the Hall of Fame this year, but has not said who.

GCW Opposing AEW’s Fight Forever Trademark in Settlement Negotiations

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Fight Forever, the much-anticipated console video game has yet to hit shelves, and Game Changer Wrestling may have played a role in this.

AEW: Fight Forever was first announced in late 2020 and will mark the promotion’s first foray into the world of console gaming.

Tony Khan’s promotion has two other games, AEW Elite: GM, and AEW Casino: Double or Nothing, both of which are available on mobile devices.

Fight Forever Dispute

During last weekend’s post-AEW Revolution media scrum, Tony Khan indicated that the game was finished, but stopped short of giving a release date.

Now, close to one week later, we still have no word on when the game will launch and GCW may have played a role in the holdup.

Paperwork filed with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reveals that GCW is formally opposing AEW’s registration of its “Fight Forever” trademark.

The two sides are said to be in settlement talks, with Michael Dockins, who has aided wrestlers in both companies with trademarks, representing GCW.

GCW did host their own Fight Forever event in January 2021, which was a 24-hour event with zero fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The show’s purpose was to highlight indie wrestling during the pandemic, and GCW filed a trademark on the Fight Forever term last year.

AEW: Fight Forever

With an eight-digit investment into their gaming department (at least $10 million), a lot is riding on the success of Fight Forever.

For many wrestlers in the All-Elite promotion, the game will mark their first time being a playable character in a game, as opposed to a CAW.

The game will feature wrestling game staples, including singles matches, tag matches, ladder matches, and battle royales, as well as more unique match types including the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch and Intergender wrestling.

At this time, there is still no word on when the game will be released.

Edge Names Former WWE Universal Champion the “Rated-R Superstar of Now”

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Edge may have established himself as the ‘Rated-R Superstar’ but he now believes that a current WWE Superstar is deserving of the moniker.

In late 2005, Edge debuted his nickname as the Rated-R Superstar, and alongside Lita would perform more and more headline-grabbing actions on TV.

Perhaps the most infamous came in January 2006, when Edge and Lita had a ‘live-sex celebration’ that was interrupted by both Ric Flair and John Cena

The Rated-R Superstar of Now

In 2021, Edge, just over a year after his return from retirement, began a feud with Seth Rollins, with the two men trading victories.

That feud saw Edge win at that year’s Summerslam, while Rollins would get his win back during an episode of SmackDown.

In the rubber match, Edge would return to Hell in a Cell, besting Rollins inside the barbaric structure at Crown Jewel 2021.

Speaking on the latest episode of the After The Bell podcast, Edge heaped praise on Rollins, calling him worthy of the Rated R moniker.

we’re so damn similar. We look at things in a very similar way. You know, he’s carved his own path.

To me if I look at it, and if I make the comparisons to rosters of yesteryear, like he is the Rated-R Superstar of now, he is firmly his own thing.”

Edge.

Continuing the Feud

Edge and Seth Rollins haven’t faced off in years but that doesn’t mean that a fourth match between the pair could not happen.

On the show, Edge explained that he remains open to a match against the former Universal Champion.

Seth Rollins is a guy that we’ll never fully be through with each other.

“I just you know, to be honest anytime I can get in there with him I know what it feels like we both know what feels like the minute we touched I was like ‘Ooh okay, all right, we got something here. So hell yeah, I mean I do that in a heartbeat,’ you know, we had a trilogy that doesn’t mean can’t be more.”

Edge.

If Edge is planning a rematch, then the window of time is running out, as the Hall of Famer teased last year that he will be retiring the next time WWE comes to Canada in 2023.

h/t – Inside the Ropes

Bayley Proves She’s Been “Studying” Lita’s Strengths & Weaknesses for Decades

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Damage CTRL’s Bayley will achieve a lifelong dream when she faces Lita at WrestleMania 39, and this is a match the Role Model has been preparing for decades.

On this week’s Raw, a six-woman tag-team match was made official for WrestleMania 39, pitting new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Lita and Becky Lynch, as well as Trish Stratus, against Damage CTRL.

During an edition of the Broken Skull Sessions, Bayley named Lita as her dream opponent from any era of wrestling.

Studying

Before becoming the heel Role Model we know today, Bayley was WWE’s premiere Super-Fan, and this wasn’t just her character.

A lifelong WWE fan, Bayley grew up watching Lita, and (according to the former SmackDown Women’s Champion) knows her weaknesses.

Taking to Twitter, Bayley shared an essay she wrote in her youth, showing that she has been studying the WWE Hall of Famer for decades.

Instead of returning from a career-threatening neck injury in March 2003 as young Bayley had hoped, Lita would return to action that September.

WrestleMania 39

This year’s WrestleMania will be an especially special one for Bayley, and now just because she’s facing her hero on the card.

Bayley hasn’t competed at WrestleMania since 2020, as she missed last year’s event due to an ACL injury that forced her to miss over a year of action.

For 2021, Bayley was simply not used for a match, which angered fans given how much work she’d done during the crowd-less Pandemic era.

Instead, Bayley had an on-stage segment where she was attacked by the Bella Twins.

Given that WrestleMania 36 in 2020 took place without live fans, Bayley’s most recent match at WrestleMania with a crowd was back in 2019.