AEW’s Fuego del Sol has provided an injury update days after announcing that he had undergone medical testing.
Last month, the AEW star announced that he dislocated his right foot and only had one minor fracture. However, earlier this week, it was revealed that he has been diagnosed with five fractures in his foot.
The injury happened during an Extreme Title Three-Way match at an SPW show on February 19th. He was wrestling Guapo Lupe and Daniel Torch.
The Announcement
In a post on Instagram, Fuego noted that he will need surgery to fix the injury and will be sidelined for at least 3 months. He wrote the following:
“I LOVE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING!
Which is why I’m devastated to say that due to this injury I’ll need surgery that’s going to keep me from doing what I love for at least 3 months.
This a clip from a recent seminar I did. Hoping to do more along with some meet and greets while I’m out of the ring. I’m too passionate about this business to let this hold me back. The comeback will be far greater than the setback.”
His most recent match under the AEW banner happened on February 15 during Dark: Elevation when he lost to Juice Robinson while his last televised bout came when he lost to Luchasaurus in October on Dynamite.
John Cena is set to return to WWE TV soon enough, but fans will soon be hearing the 16-time WWE World Champion in a new animated project.
At the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, Seth Rogen announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem which is due for an August 4, release.
Cena will be voicing TMNT regular Rocksteady, a petty criminal who becomes a hulking, mutated rhinoceros due to radioactive ooze.
Interestingly enough, fellow WWE Superstar Sheamus portrayed the same character in 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
Mutant Mayhem
Cena will be working with an all-star cast for the project, including Jackie Chan as the voice of Splinter, the wise teacher of the titular turtles.
Fresh off the set of Marvel’s Ant-Man & The Wasp: QuantumMania, Paul Rudd will play Mondo Gecko.
The iconic heroes in a half-shell will be voiced by Micah Abbey (Donatello) Shamon Brown Jr. (Michaelangelo,) Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo,) and Brady Noon (Raphael.)
Aya Edebiri will be voicing TMNT icon April O’Neil, who helps the turtles in various adventures.
Cena in Animation
Though fans have seen plenty of Cena in films, thanks to blockbusters including Fast9, The Suicide Squad, and Bumblebee, Cena is no stranger to animation.
John played himself in 2014’s Scooby-Doo: WrestleMania Mystery, and played a prehistoric version of himself, John Cenastone in The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!
This new project isn’t John’s first foray into the TMNT world, as he voiced Baron Draxum in eight episodes of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
New Japan Pro Wrestling held the start of this year’s New Japan Cup tournament on March 5 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
The main event had Sanada taking on Taichi to determine who would advance in the New Japan Cup. Last year, Zack Sabre Jr. was the talent who won the annual tournament. Another match on the card had Tetsuya Naito taking on El Phantasmo in the opening round of this year’s tournament.
The event went live on NJPW World and is available on replay, but fans must have a subscription. An NJPW World subscription costs $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.
Ruby Soho has no plans to ease up on blading, despite the response from some fans and those in the industry.
For the main event of the January 13, 2023, edition of AEW Rampage, Soho bled profusely during her tag match with Willow Nightingale against Tay Melo and Anna Jay.
Immediately, there were claims that Ruby, and women in general, shouldn’t be blading, an argument that isn’t used for male wrestlers such as Jon Moxley or Bryan Danielson.
Important Conversation
While bleeding in women’s matches is not as common as in matches with their male counterparts, Soho won’t change her wrestling style to placate critics.
During an appearance on Fightful.com’s Grapsody podcast, Soho addressed the match and the backlash that it received from some fans and those in the business.
“If blood is in general it’s just not your thing totally get it. I completely understand that, that’s okay, that’s why wrestling is this beautiful melting pot of things is because there’s something out there for everybody, but if the fact that I’m a woman and I’m bleeding is the thing that bothers you, but you’re cool with like Mox and MJF and whoever bleeding but it’s just because I’m doing it is the thing you have a problem with then it’s a different conversation.”
Ruby Soho.
Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair made his opinions clear on the matter in January, saying that women should not be bleeding and that men should be blading more.
Soho went on to say that if people have a problem with her blading, and her appearance covered in blood, then they will just have to get used to it.
“It was a very important conversation to be had because there were arguments on both sides and to me I feel like it’s straying away from the one thing that we are trying to get away from is the reason that there is women’s wrestling is to give you something to look at.
“If I’m covered in blood I’m probably less attractive to most people and if that’s your problem then sorry to tell you then I’m just gonna keep getting more unattractive because my lipstick’s all over my face, my hair looks like I got electrocuted constantly when I’m wrestling like that’s not what I’m out there for is to be attractive to you. So, if that is what you’re watching me for and then stop watching me.”
Soho’s most recent match for AEW saw the ex-Superstar defeat Dr. Britt Baker and Penelope Ford, in a triple-threat on the February 15, episode of Dynamite.
WWE Superstar Zelina Vega was able to take some time away from the ring to present awards at this weekend’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
These fan-voted awards began in 2017, and according to Crunchyroll themselves, the “global event has annually recognized anime’s finest series and films.”
Crunchyroll is a popular American video-on-demand streaming service that specializes in Japanese anime and was founded in 2006.
Zelina Vega
At the awards, Zelina Vega walked the red (or orange) carpet for the ceremony, and presented several awards.
The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion presented the Best Romance award to Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – Ultra Romantic.
Vega also presented the Best Anime Song to Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 for their track “The Rumbling” by SiM.
In an Instagram post, Vega said it was an “absolute honor” to be involved with the awards ceremony.
Zelina Vega’s love for anime and Japanese pop culture is hardly a secret to those who have followed the career of the 2021 Queen’s Crown Tournament winner.
During a recent interview with IGN, Vega spoke about her dream to one day be part of an Anime herself.
“I’m a huge fan of Naruto and Demon Slayer, and I’m just like, ‘Man, it would be amazing to have this full circle of voicing a character and then cosplaying them in the ring.”
Zelina Vega.
Vega is set to be part of the upcoming Street Fighter 6 video game commentary team.
AEW TNT Champion/Ring of Honor World Television Champion Samoa Joe is a force to be reckoned with, both in and out of the ring.
Joe arrived in AEW/ROH last year, months after being cut (for the second time in under a year) by WWE in January 2022.
In April 2022, Joe captured the ROH World TV title, and regained the AEW TNT Championship (which he had previously won at Full Gear 2022) last month.
Suicide Squad
Away from the ring, Samoa Joe has recently tried his hand at voice acting, and will be playing King Shark in the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game.
The game will see the titular squad take on the Justice League’s band of heroes, all of whom have been mind-controlled by the villainous super-intellect Brainiac.
Speaking about the game to WrestleZone, Joe promised that news and information will be coming soon.
“There will be probably more stuff coming out very, very much sooner than later, and some pretty cool [stuff] man. There’s a lot I can tell you that I can’t say anything about. There’ll be some pretty cool announcements.”
Samoa Joe.
Joe also praised the devlopers Rocksteady as the team behind the critically acclaimed Batman ‘Arkham’ series, and said that they “haven’t let up for this game”
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League will be released on May 26, 2023 on PlayStation 5, XBox X/S and PC.
Twisted Metal
In addition to King Shark, Joe will be Sweet Tooth in the upcoming Twisted Metal series on Peacock, with the series recently wrapping production.
In the interview, the Samoan Submission Machine also teased that this highly-anticipated series is closer than you’d think.
“I would imagine it’s closer than a lot of people would expect. [Twisted Metal is] another project I’m really excited to see the light of day and I think a lot of fans will enjoy it. I wouldn’t be too impatient.”
Samoa Joe.
The series, based on the hit vehicular mayhem collection of video games, is due to release at an unspecified date in 2023.
Sami Zayn got another shot at the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns after their Elimination Chamber match in Montreal.
WWE presented their latest Live Event from Toronto, Canada this Sunday. The show featured stars such as Rhea Ripley, Kevin Owens and more.
Matches on the card for this event included bouts such as Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. The Imperium, Charlotte Flair vs. Shayna Bazler and more.
WWE had originally booked Zayn for a tag team match with Owens at the show but they later changed it to singles matches for both the stars.
Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns
Kevin defeated LA Knight in a match on the House Show while Sami Zayn got another shot at the Head Of The Table in the main event of the night.
The two recreated the magic of their Elimination Chamber encounter and delivered a nail biter for the live crowd. The referee got knocked out towards the ending of the bout and Roman Reigns tried to use a chair to his advantage but failed.
The final moments of the match saw Roman delivering a low blow to his opponent. He then picked up the victory to retain the titles with a spear.
Both Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn addressed the crowd after the match to end the night. You can check out some photos and videos of their encounter below:
The legendary career of WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon will be celebrated in a new biography from Entertainment Culture Writing Press.
On Twitter, writer Brian R. Solomon spoke highly of Monsoon, stating in a thread that he was “beloved by multiple generations of WWE fans” and was part of the McMahon “inner circle.”
In his final tweet, Solomon confirmed that he will be writing Monsoon’s biography, which is titled ‘IRRESISTIBLE FORCE: THE LIFE & TIMES OF GORILLA MONSOON.’
He became a trusted member of the McMahon inner circle, even owning a piece of the company at one time. His presence behind the scenes was so valued that the area behind the curtain, where he’d see wrestlers off and greet them when they returned, is literally named after him.
Next year, from @ECWPress and the author of Blood & Fire: The Unbelievable Real-Life Story of Wrestling’s Original Sheik, comes IRRESISTIBLE FORCE: THE LIFE & TIMES OF GORILLA MONSOON.
Born Robert James Marella, the man who would become ‘Gorilla’ would begin his wrestling career in 1958 as ‘Gino Marella’ playing on his Italian-American background.
When Vincent J. McMahon reformed the Capitol Wrestling Corporation into the World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1963, the two struck-up a friendship, and Marella was at one time the 1/6 owner of the company.
By the end of that year, Monsoon was challenging WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino, and in 1976, was involved in an infamous segment where he performed an Airplane Spin and slam on Muhammad Ali.
With Vincent K. McMahon taking over the company from his father, Monsoon would continue to wrestle, before becoming a commentator and later WWF President.
In October 1999, Monsoon passed away aged 62, and his body was buried near his son Joey, who had died in a car crash years earlier.
ECW Press
While not associated with Paul Heyman’s extreme promotion, ECW press very clearly knows their appeal to wrestling fans.
Titles to their name include ‘The Woman who Would be King’ a biography of Alundra Blayze, and Capitol Revolution: The Rise of the McMahon Wrestling Empire.
Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly, Al Snow, and former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas are all just some of the stars to have worked with ECW Press.
West Coast Pro Wrestling held its live event, West Coast Best Coast, on March 4 at the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco, California.
The event had West Coast Pro Champion Titus Alexander defend his title against Nick Wayne in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. Alexander and Wayne went to a time-limit draw the last time they wrestled against each other. Another match on the card had “Speedball” Mike Bailey taking on Timothy Thatcher. WWE Hall of Famer Lita attended to help crown the new West Coast Pro Women’s Champion as Masha Slamovich faced Sandra Moone.
For fans that want to watch West Coast Pro Wrestling: West Coast Best Coast, you can subscribe to IWTV for $9.99.
Wrestling Revolver held its live event, Drip, on March 4 at the Horizon Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
The event had a mix of talent from Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and other independent promotions. The card saw Revolver World Champion Steve Maclin defending his title against Rich Swann in an Iowa Street Fight. Both wrestlers work for Impact Wrestling but can compete for independent promotions. Another match on the card had The Bullet Club’s Chris Bey and Ace Austin defending their Revolver World Tag Team Championships against The Rascalz’s Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz and The Second Gear Crew’s Matthew Justice and Mance Warner.
The event went live on FITE for their subscription service, FITE+, for free. To subscribe, fans wanting to watch the card and other Wrestling Revolver events must pay 7.99.
Wrestling Revolver: Drip Results
(C) Steve Maclin def. Rich Swann in an Iowa Street Fight Match for the Revolver World Championship
(C) Rocky Romero def. Jake Crist vs. Lince Dorado in a CMLL World Historic Welterweight Championship Match
1 Called Manders def. Crash Jaxon in a Hoss Match
(C) Alex Shelley def. Matthew Palmer in a Revolver Remix Championship Match
The UNIT (JT Dunn & Infrared w/ Phil Stamper) def. The Death Dollz (Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie, & JesSICKa) in a No DQ Trios Match
Fulton with Matthew Rehwoldt def. Dan the Dad
Johnny Revolver def. Ninja Mack
Kushida def. Jonathan Gresham
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) def. The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice & Mance Warner) & (C) The Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) in a Revolver World Tag Team Championship Match
Keith Lee made his return to AEW television last month to continue his feud with former tag team partner Swerve Strickland.
When he did, the former WWE star also debuted a new natural look with white/grey hair. Since that return, he has continued to evolve his look with robes and capes.
While doing a new interview with Fightful’s Grapsody podcast, Lee addressed the new look and explained that part of it is a middle finger to people that tell you what you need to look like.
“I think that what inspired that look or return and all of that, I think in my previous interview the exact terminology I used was, ‘A giant middle finger to society and a lot of companies that want you need to look like, a lot of people that tell you what you need to look like.’ Instead I decided to say, ‘Okay, here’s reality’,” Lee said.
Make A Statement
Lee pointed out that he made statements about this in the past with his first grey hairs. He wants people to be comfortable with who they are and the best versions of themselves.
“While I want people to take care of themselves physically and do what they can to adhere to their health, things of that sort, I’m going to be the trendsetter that says, ‘Okay, naturally grey hair, white hair, however you view it, I’m going to be the one who sets it off.’ Because I am who I am and I don’t really care what people say or think about me, I am going to be successful doing this,” Lee said. “I’m going to change the game once again. That’s what I always do. That’s really what it’s about.”
Although Lee said that he looks forward to putting an end to his feud with Strickland, he won’t do it at Revolution as neither star is booked for the show.
Game Changer Wrestling held its event Holy Smokes on March 4 at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
GCW: Holy Smokes featured Ultraviolent Champion Rina Yamashita defending her title against Kasey Kirk. Her last successful title defense was against Ciclope at GCW Fight Club on Sep. 10, 2022. Another match on the card had Hijo Del Vikingo take on Alex Zayne.
The event went live on FITE for their subscription service, FITE+, for free. Fans wanting to watch the card on Video on Demand must pay $7.99 to subscribe. The promotion will hold another live event on March 5 for FITE+ members.
Last year, there was a lot of talk about what MJF would do when his contract with AEW comes due in January 2024.
This was put on television through a storyline that led to him cutting a heated promo where he called AEW President Tony Khan a ‘mark’ and dared him to fire him. He showed up at the end of the All Out event in September before beating Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Title at Full Gear that November.
It’s been reported that WWE has an interest in signing him when he’s free and clear of his AEW deal. MJF has reminded fans in countless interviews and promos that his contract is coming up. He shifted this to a work and came up with the “bidding war of 2024” line he has used on TV.
The Admission
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that MJF told one WWE talent, “I’m looking forward to being there in 2024.”
The source said that MJF wanted them to think he was serious, but the person didn’t take anything MJF said too seriously. The report added, “Word of him saying that had made its way to other talent there, as well.”
It should be noted that MJF has said he’s looking to sign with whichever company will offer him the most amount of money. Whether it’s AEW or WWE, MJF is a top star who continues to improve and will be getting paid either way come 2024.
Kofi Kingston is currently on the sidelines with an injury.
On Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, it appeared that Kingston had suffered an injury in a segment that also featured Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Karrion Kross, and LA Knight to set up a 5-way match on next week’s show to determine who will face Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania 39.
Kofi Kingston’s Status
Unfortunately, that is the case. FightFans.co reported today that Kingston is dealing with an arm injury. Bryan Alvarez also reported the news on his Twitter account.
While the exact injury and timeline for his return is unknown, the word is that it is expected to be a lengthy period of time. The report added that there is already talk of a replacement for Kingston in the match.
Kingston’s most recent match was a dark match with Jinder Mahal that saw Kingston go over the fellow former WWE Champion at a February 24 SmackDown event.
Kingston and Xavier Woods previously dropped the NXT Tag Team Titles to Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) at WWE NXT Vengeance Day.
AEW is playing into the past locker room divide with the feud over the Women’s Title heading into Revolution as Jamie Hayter will defend the title against Ruby Soho and Saraya in a triple threat match at the show.
In 2022, there had been locker room issues between certain stars, whether that was CM Punk’s issues with The Elite, Hangman Page, and Colt Cabana or Eddie Kingston pie facing Sammy Guevara, or the incident with Andrade and Guevara. Also, there were issues with members of the women’s roster with Thunder Rosa, something the promotion held a meeting about when rosa returned to the road with AEW a few weeks ago as part of the Spanish commentary team.
The idea with this women’s storyline is that Soho and Saraya are outsiders from WWE going up against AEW homegrown talent in Britt Baker and Hayter.
The Divide
During a recent interview with Fightful’s Grapsody podcast, Ruby explained that she is not choosing sides. She noted that she just wants to go to work and home and mind her own business. Soho isn’t interested in picking a side because she’s the only person she can count on.
“I did the group thing before. I did it for four years. Some of the best times of my entire life. I ain’t doing it again. I’m over it. I’m choosing my side. I’m choosing me and I’m the only person I can depend on to make sure I take home that gold. So as far as the cat fight crap that keeps happening, I would love for it to just stop. But I don’t know how to run away from it and still run towards the gold. I feel like it’s just something I have to maneuver through in order to get to where I want to be. But, yeah, it’s been an ordeal.”
Regarding the divide fracturing the women’s roster, which is currently playing out on television, she takes pride in helping build up the women’s division.
“I think this divide was a long time coming. It was going to happen regardless because of how many people that have come from somewhere else coming into the company. I think that it was inevitable because, after a while, the homegrowns are like, ‘We built this place,’ and the outsiders are like, ‘We came here to try to make this place better.’”
Soho added that there’s an argument on both sides.
Major stars in professional wrestling all have certain matches that define their legacies. Sometimes they’re title matches or main events. Sometimes it comes down to match quality and two or more performers putting on a show that keeps fans talking for years to come.
In a lot of cases, fans can’t see these kinds of matches coming. After all, even with the most talented performers in the ring, questions of how much time they’re allotted, what kind of chemistry they’ll have with each other, or what the booking looks like can all color how the match comes across.
However, at AEW Revolution this weekend, the writing is on the wall. In their main event, world title Iron Man Match, Bryan Danielson may well have the most important bout of his AEW tenure. For MJF, this could be the most important match of his career.
MJF Must Prove Himself As An In-Ring Champion
It’s no secret that MJF rose to the top of AEW on personality and talking skills. Since before the company even launched, MJF cultivated his promos and a commitment to garnering heat, which included remaining a heel at every turn, never letting fans see him out of character.
MJF took his skills to new heights last year with a worked shoot angle fans still haven’t fully unraveled. That storyline saw him stay off television for a period of months only to come back and claim an AEW Championship shot, which he converted into his first world title reign at Full Gear.
MJF had some very good matches in 2022, including a brutal Dog Collar Match with CM Punk and his title fight with Jon Moxley. However, in the catalog of AEW Champions to date, there’s little doubt MJF remains the least proven commodity in the ring.
In facing Bryan Danielson, MJF clearly has a more than capable dance partner. Still, the pressure will be on for the champion to hold his own over a full hour, hanging with one of the best in the world for the longest match of his career.
Bryan Danielson Needs A Great Match To Solidify His AEW Legacy
Bryan Danielson garnered an electric response when he made his surprise first appearance for AEW at All Out 2021 and he followed it up with sensational time-limit draw match, going the distance with Kenny Omega.
A bit if the of the luster has worn off over the year and a half to follow, though. Danielson has yet to win a title nor a single PPV match since joining AEW. While many fans were excited for him to join the promotion to ride out his career putting on world-class matches with a fresh slate of opponents, he also hasn’t had many “all-timers” either—his run arguably peaking so far with that early Omega match.
Despite his less than sterling win-loss record, Danielson now finds himself in his first AEW main event and world title match. All the more notably, for a wrestler who has built a career on exceptional ring work and remarkable stamina, he has an ideal showcase in the sixty-minute Iron Man Match format.
So it is that—win, lose, or draw—Revolution marks an opportunity for The American Dragon to redefine his AEW legacy with a great, marathon match that helps further legitimize his younger opponent.
There Aren’t Many Great Iron Man Matches In Mainstream Wrestling
The Iron Man Match is an inherently epic gimmick. While lots of matches have the theoretical potential to go long, knowing that competitors will work for a full half hour or hour sets the stage for a number of twists and turns and the foreknowledge that the first person to pick up a pin, submission, disqualification, or count out fall won’t necessarily be the winner overall.
Despite the ways in which an Iron Man Match can be appealing, it also has its limitations. Particularly in the modern era, retaining fans’ attention for a full hour straight is no small feat. In addition, the gimmick requires heightened physical conditioning for both participants to ensure they can still deliver in the latter stages of the match—particularly for the kind of exciting conclusion fans will be waiting for to cap such a long match.
AEW has only hosted one Iron Man Match before—a free TV bout between Kenny Omega and PAC three years ago. Bryan Danielson and MJF are uniquely situated, then, to make the Iron Man Match work in AEW.
That’s especially noteworthy given the uneven history of the match-type in WWE, where a number of fans suggest iterations like Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels and The Rock Vs. Triple H haven’t aged well. There’s an opportunity for AEW to one-up WWE, and further their status as the company that delivers at the highest level in the ring, especially on PPV.
There will be no telling how Bryan Danielson vs. MJF plays out until AEW Revolution this weekend. Nonetheless, the pieces are in place for both men and their company at large to make a major statement if the Iron Man main event delivers.
Naomi (real name Trinity Fatu) is set to make a pro-wrestling-related appearance since the controversial WWE walkout.
The former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion is scheduled to appear at the WrestleCon event during WrestleMania 39 weekend in LA on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2.
Other stars appearing at the convention include Mercedes Mone, Young Bucks, Goldberg, Adam Cole, Toni Storm, Brandi Rhodes, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Ricky Starks, The Acclaimed, Thunder Rosa, and Jake Roberts.
This will mark Naomi’s first wrestling-related appearance since she walked out of WWE last year. Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks in WWE) and Naomi had walked out of Monday Night RAW due to creative differences in May last year. There have been various sides to the story. It was also reported that the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions confronted the then WWE Chairman Vince McMahon over their issue.
It was reported by Bryan Alvarez in January that Naomi was expected to make her return to the company which led to speculation that it could happen with her being a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
The case of Sami Zayn and The Bloodline is a curious one. The former NXT champion wasn’t even considered a main event talent by many fans up until a year ago. However, he has turned haters into supporters with his performance in the past year. Many believe that he should have beaten Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber PPV. Though Paul Heyman is promising that Sami’s story is not finished despite the loss.
The special counsel recently appeared on the SI Media podcast. He was asked if there was ever any inkling to change the WrestleMania plans for Reigns due to Zayn’s rise to popularity. The former ECW owner claimed that it’s always a possibility:
“There’s always an inkling to change any plan because the old expression is you have a test audience every night and we’re very adaptable. We think we have a really good formula here. We think we have a really good path. I don’t think you’ve seen the last of Sami Zayn. In fact, I can guarantee you haven’t seen the last of Sami Zayn, nor Kevin Owens, nor any of the other players in this act that we’ve put together.
There was a very compelling reason to put Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on Elimination Chamber. The timing was perfect for us and oh my god, we just happened to be putting that show in Montreal, where the reception to Sami would be something that other audiences will aspire to top just because they wanna be the best audience ever.”
‘That’s What We Do’: Paul Heyman
Many people still believe that WWE should have saved the bout between Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn for WrestleMania 39. Paul Heyman addressed this belief and explained how the loss still helped the Honorary Uce:
“So we saw this Montreal opportunity. We also saw the timing could not be better. We’re heading into the Royal Rumble with Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens, and then all the different opportunities that interweave themselves with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The timeline for the story just fit. I understand that people have wanted more and more and more for Sami. That’s the object. We try to do that with every challenger. We did that with Drew McIntyre going on over to Cardiff in the UK. We did that with Brock Lesnar going into SummerSlam when he drove a tractor out to the ring and demolished the ring. We did that with the group that we took on in the WarGames in Survivor Series. We did it with Kevin Owens going into the Royal Rumble.
We try to do that with everyone that comes into the co-starring role with Roman Reigns in terms of who his opponent’s going to be for the match that we’re trying to sell. And hopefully, on the flip side of being defeated by the Tribal Chief, the Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns, you are worth far more. Have a far more passionate fan base. Sell far more merchandise, sell far more tickets than you did before. You are more famous, more accepted, more valued by the audience than you were before we got our hands on you. That’s the whole object of what we do. I hope six months from now, people are still clamoring more and more and more for Sami, that’s what we do. We try to make stars out of everyone that’s within our orbit.”
You can check out Paul Heyman’s full interview below:
Brett DiBiase has made a plea in the case against him connected with Mississippi’s largest welfare embezzlement scandal.
WLBT reports DiBiase pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in US District Court. He previously pled guilty to two charges in Hinds County Circuit Court.
Now, he awaits his sentence in state court and faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Scandal
Brett was one of several people who were connected to the fraud where they were accused of the embezzlement of millions of dollars in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding. Brett paid $48,000 through his business Restore2, LLC by using false claims to get the money as he covered up these payments by falsifying documents, invoices, books, reports, and ledgers.
Others involved in the case were indicted and later convicted. The names included were former DHS Executive Director John Davis, Nancy New, Zach New, and Ann McGrew.
The son of WWE Hall of Famer Ted Dibiase did work for WWE from 2008 to 2011 where he was used in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling), then-WWE’s developmental territory where he was a Tag Team Championship.
Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes had a memorable promo segment on the February 6 edition of WWE Raw.
This was where Heyman talked with the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner on behalf of WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns ahead of their clash at WrestleMania 39.
The topic of Cody’s late father Dusty Rhodes was the main focal point of the promo. Rhodes thanked Heyman for reigniting Dusty’s passion during his ECW days. Heyman told Rhodes that in the last conversation he had with Dusty, the legendary wrestler told him that Cody was his favorite son, but Reigns was the son he always wanted.
The Pressure
While speaking on the SI Media podcast, Heyman looked back on the promo.
“I like pressure. I don’t find pressure to be burdensome. I find it to be inspiring. We have Cody coming out of the gates now one-on-one with Roman because this was the night after the Elimination Chamber where Roman Reigns defeats Sami Zayn. so you know it won’t be Sami, you know it’s going to be Cody challenging Roman and an audience. I’m sorry, this was before the Elimination Chamber, but an audience that is really honed in on the arrival of Sami Zayn as a superstar.”
Heyman continued, “Here’s Cody, with his own narrative, his own story to tell, and as he will tell his story to finish. And a compelling one at that, and an emotional one at that. We have to tell his story as well. The pressure is we have a first time WrestleMania main event and an audience that is very critical of new people in the main event of WrestleMania….The pressure really was to demonstrate Cody Rhodes as someone who is capable of hanging with and telling himself a WrestleMania main event level story for the audience to absorb and become invested in.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t toSEScoops for the transcription.
Although Ronda Rousey is dealing with an injury, she is not expected to miss WWE WrestleMania 39 in April.
According to PWTorch, the top WWE star has aggravated a prior injury, but the report stated that it wouldn’t prevent her from competing at WrestleMania next month in Los Angeles.
Rousey was originally set to team with Shayna Baszler to take on Tegan Nox and Natalya on Friday’s episode of SmackDown. However, plans had to change due to Rousey’s injury.
Plans Change
WWE did an angle on the show where it was revealed that the two teams got into a brawl backstage at the show earlier in the day. The announcers would later explain that Rousey suffering an injury in the brawl caused the tag team match to be nixed and a singles match between Baszler and Nox was made.
Baszler won the match via armbar while Rousey was with her good friend during the match while wearing a sling on her arm.
As of late, Baszler and Rousey have been teaming together. Rousey has stated that she wants to have a tag team run with Baszler, which is reportedly the direction for both stars by WWE as they’re supposed to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 39.
WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER has spoken about the perception from some fans that his character and the Imperium stable are rooted in Naziism.
When WWE changed WALTER’s name to GUNTHER, the original change was meant to be ‘Gunther Stark,’ also the name of a Nazi U-Boat commander in World War 2.
Last week, GUNTHER received a rating of 88 in WWE 2K23, which raised eyebrows from fans, given that the number is used as code by modern-day Nazis.
In a simple letter-number code, 88 is HH, which Nazis and white supremacists uses as a dog whistle for “Heil Hitler.”
Living With It
As an Austrian (the same nation as Hitler) who spent much of his career competing in Germany, GUNTHER is well aware of the significance of the two nations in WW2.
Speaking on The Ringer’s Cheap Heat podcast, the reigning Intercontinental Champion was asked about the negative stigma as an Austrian who was based out of Germany competing in the U.S.
“That’s the history of the two countries,” GUNTHER replied “That’s something we can never change. We have to live with it. But obviously, that’s something that got thrown at us before and still gets thrown at us. We don’t really acknowledge it because it’s so far away from what the truth is.”
GUNTHER.
GUNTHER added that often, anyone who considers himself to be in any association with fascism cannot acknowledge the differences Austria and Germany have made since 1945.
“Austria and Germany have made huge efforts to be hard on themselves when it comes to their history and keep themselves in check.”
GUTNHER.
The Austrian went on to say that he and Ludwig Kaiser (who is German) have prided themselves on how their nations treat the seriousness of their past atrocities.
Taking Things Seriously
Imperium’s appeal to WWE fans has come with how serious the characters of GUNTHER, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci are portrayed on TV and at live events.
On the podcast, GUNTHER explained that taking wrestling as seriously as they do is not just part of the act fans see each week.
“We mean it! We build our livelihood around it. Why should we not take it seriously? There’s no playing a character or anything like that. That’s just what we are.”
GUNTHER.
GUNTHER will defend his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39 against an opponent yet to be decided.
Last month, Sonya Deville was arrested for gun possession in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but she remains in good standing with WWE.
A valet discovered the weapon in her car’s glove box and called the cops before Deville was arrested a short time later because she didn’t have a proper New Jersey permit.
She was charged with one count of unlawful weapon possession. Deville got the gun after a man allegedly attempted to kidnap her in 2020 during a home break-in in Florida and she wanted it for personal protection. Although it is legally registered in Florida, it’s not in New Jersey.
At the time of the arrest, it was reported that Deville didn’t have heat in WWE for the arrest because they understand why she would want to protect herself following the stalker incident.
The Latest
Pwinsider.com reports that Deville has not been pulled from the road and she is still slated to make all of her scheduled appearances for WWE including wrestling SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at the March 12th live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The report noted that WWE was aware she had applied and received a permit to carry a gun. Deville is slated for a court appearance later this month.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Lita has capped off an intense week with an appearance at a recent independent wrestling event.
During this week’s Raw, Lita captured the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Becky Lynch by dethroning two-time champions Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.)
This win marks Lita’s first taste of championship gold since 2006 and makes Lynch the sixth WWE Women’s Triple Crown Champion.
Hoodslam
Lita’s win at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan was an emotional night for her, but the Hall of Famer has also appeared at a smaller show.
At last night’s Hoodslam: GET YOUR ASS TO MARCH: Fall of the Hoodslammer event, Lita made a surprise appearance to the delight of the fans.
Using language that you won’t be hearing on Raw, Lita told the crowd “f**k the fans” who chanted the phrase back in excitement.
Lita, who did not bring her WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with her, then handed the mic to Sheikah before being on her way.
With WrestleMania 39 now just 28 days away, there is a real possibility that Lita will enter the April 1, show as Champion.
It has been reported that WWE plans on Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler challenging for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at the event.
With that said, recent programming would leave you to believe that the plan is for Lita, Lynch and Trish Stratus to face Damage CTRL next month.
With WrestleMania 39 happening across two nights, there is the chance that Lita and Lynch could compete on both nights, as Natalya and Tamina Snuka did in 2021.
