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Johnny Gargano On Who Helped Him Get On WWE’s Radar

Anutosh Bajpai
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William Regal helped many of the current generation wrestling stars get an opportunity with WWE. One such talent who finally got on the company’s radar with help from Regal after 10 years in the independent circuit is Johnny Gargano.

The former NXT champion is currently a free agent after leaving WWE a few months ago. He looks back on his WWE run with good memories and is grateful for the chance to work under William Regal.

‘Johnny Wrestling’ was in Dallas for a WrestleCon appearance over the WrestleMania weekend. Chris Van Vliet interviewed him during his trip. The two talked about things such as Gargano’s legacy in wrestling and more. Discussing how he got into WWE, Johnny mentioned that William Regal gave the chance to a lot of undersized guys like himself:

“2015-2016 I think is when I fully got on the radar. That was thanks to a guy named William Regal obviously. William Regal was a great proponent of independent wrestlers and guys like me who are undersized.” said Gargano.

“Who wasn’t given an opportunity during that time period.  It’s so crazy to be in that window, where from 2016 to 2021 where I left. I felt I had a hell of a run. I maximized my time there for sure. Especially in NXT, the matches and opportunities I was given to be able to go out there and main event Takeovers in front of 15,000 seat arenas.

Today being able to do that meet and greet and signing stuff. It’s very reassuring to have people come up to me and share their stories of how I’ve affected their life. because it is wild to think that when I was younger, the boyhood dream, Shawn Michaels is what made me want to be a wrestler. For some kids out there, me winning the NXT title at Takeover: New York is gonna be what made them wanna be a wrestler. So it’s cool to have that kind of legacy in itself.”

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Scott Hall Laid To Rest Friday, Several Wrestlers Attend

Ryan Droste
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Legendary professional wrestler Scott Hall was buried in a private ceremony with friends and family on Friday.

The news of Hall’s burial comes after a post by his son, Cody, on Instagram on Saturday. In attendance for the ceremony were fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Diamond Dallas Page.

Cody Hall wrote the following regarding his father:

“We buried my father yesterday. And I guess it was the last step in the process, but it still feels like I’m going through a ton.

“Being my dads son wasn’t always easy, in fact it used to feel really hard sometimes, he was hard sometimes. But it feels different now, not my burden to bear but my torch to carry going forward.

“A legacy from a legend. It feels like he’s with me now. The whole world feels different now. I feel so different now. Death is part of the circle of life, and my father lives through me.

“And so many memories live in my head and my heart forever now, all the sayings he had, all the facial expressions, going fishing together, him blasting Shaggy -“ it wasn’t me “ every morning to wake us up for school, thinking George foreman turkey burgers are a delicacy, singing country songs on our drives, the spot on the side of the garage we’d both pee in to see how deep we could go, wearing our matching #HallGood shirts and color coordinating outfits, seeing him when he was ON how he could light up and flip a switch and be the best person you could ever meet.

“He was my best friend, he taught me everything I know. And I’ll never ever forget it.
I love you dad.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcJOMMKPC80/

Hall passed away last month following complications from hip surgery. Hall had fallen at home and required the surgery. He subsequently suffered three heart attacks and was forced to be put on life support.

Hall was taken off life support once his family could be at his side to say goodbye. He died on Monday, March 14th.

Hall’s jump to WCW in 1996 kicked the Monday Night Wars into high gear. He famously appeared on the Memorial Day edition of WCW Nitro out of the crowd, shocking those in attendance and watching at home. Not long after that arrival, Kevin Nash showed up during the June WCW Great American Bash PPV event. Then, at WCW’s Bash at the Beach PPV in July, Hulk Hogan joined the duo to form the nWo.

Remembering Scott Hall: 7 Must-See Matches From His Career

What to Expect From Tony Khan’s ROH

Ryan Droste
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Just over one month ago, Tony Khan stunned the wrestling world when he announced his purchase of Ring of Honor Wrestling. The founder of All Elite Wrestling was a steadfast fan of ROH Wrestling during the promotion’s rise in the first decade of the 21st century and now has control of its future.

While we still don’t know exactly what this future will look like, we can make some educated guesses based on Khan’s own personal philosophy on the wrestling business, as well as what we saw from ROH during their Supercard of Honor PPV broadcast last weekend.

First of all, I would not expect the new ROH to resemble a “developmental territory.” Khan has too much reverence for the history of the ROH brand to treat it as an afterthought or a place where only the less experienced wrestlers perform.

Instead, it’s more likely that Khan treats ROH as its own established territory, creating for himself and the AEW landscape a system that used to exist before the 1990s.

Anyone who has ever listened to Khan talk wrestling knows that he was an avid tape trader, essentially a wrestling historian, who gobbled up all of the old territorial footage that he could consume. With the purchase of ROH, Khan has the ability to create for himself a landscape that resembles the wrestling world that he grew up admiring.

“Vince (McMahon) Sr. was really cooperative,” Khan explained last fall. “He booked Andre (The Giant) out all over the country. He would work for AWA and would go to Mid South and work in Houston. Wrestling was much more collaborative before the mid-80s and it was actually one person that made the business less collaborative. I’m trying to bring some of that spirit back. When Vince Sr was running the New York territory, it was a much more collaborative thing.”

khanschiavoneimpact
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone appear on Impact Wrestling in late 2020.

I would expect movement across the rosters in future years in an effort to keep stars fresh. One of the reasons that so many of the top stars in wrestling over the last decade have started to feel played out or stale is due to the fact that they’ve been working the exact same television shows, without much reinvention, for the better part of over a decade.

A separate ROH will allow stars from both ROH and AEW to move on and “work another territory” for anywhere from a couple weeks or months at a time, to even longer if desired.

Throughout wrestling’s history, this kind of movement has always been a positive. Whether it was people bouncing back and forth between WCW, ECW, and WWE back in the 1990s, or traveling the old territorial system prior to the 1990s. A change of scenery is a good thing for everyone, and it keeps a character fresh. Historically this has been a necessity in the business. The last 20 years with WWE as the only truly viable national promotion has been an aberration from the norm, stunting movement across the business. AEW changed that, and the future of ROH will open things up even more.

ROH can’t afford to be just a developmental system, nor should it be. Supercard of Honor showed us that the promotion can produce some of the best matches in the world if given an opportunity. Look no further than the fact that FTR vs. The Briscoes was arguably the best match of WrestleMania weekend.

Khan has already tried to recreate a system of movement across wrestling territories of sorts while working collaboratively with AAA, New Japan and IMPACT in the past (the so-called “forbidden door”). However, ROH will give him the same opportunity while also possessing total creative control without having to run plans through another promoter. The purchase of ROH gives Tony Khan the ultimate wrestling sandbox in which to experiment.

What do you think? What do you want to see out of the future of ROH? Let us know in the comments section below or drop me a line on Twitter @ryandroste.

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. 

Wheeler Yuta Discusses His Growth: “In AEW, You Level Up Or Get Left Behind”

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Wheeler Yuta is on the rise and he credits the competitiveness of the AEW locker room for his urge to “level up.”

Yuta has emerged as quite the prospect. He captured the ROH Pure Championship against Josh Woods at the Supercard of Honor event on April 1. He followed that up with a highly-praised match against Jon Moxley on the April 8 episode of AEW Rampage.

Wheeler Yuta Lauds AEW’s Competitiveness

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Wheeler Yuta told Dave LaGreca and Mark Henry that he can’t afford to slack off in AEW.

“AEW is such a competitive environment but in the best way possible. It’s very positive and uplifting but there’s just so much talent that you have no choice but to either level up or get left behind.

“So, I think being put in that environment has really helped me out and it’s allowed me to grow as both a wrestler and just a human being, being around all of these people that I respect so much and who have done it for years and years.

“It’s an environment where you really have to get stronger, get better, or else you’re gonna get left behind. So, being in AEW I think has been the best thing for my career, hands down.”

On AEW TV, Yuta has found himself fighting for the respect of the Blackpool Combat Club. He made significant progress after William Regal shook his hand following a war against Moxley.

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Tony Khan Still Baffled Over WWE Releasing Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Tony Khan remains in disbelief over WWE’s decision to release Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.

AEW hasn’t been shy in bringing in talent that once worked under the WWE banner. The likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, and many more once made a name for themselves within Vince McMahon’s empire.

There are some talents that WWE decided to drop, leaving fans puzzled. Heck, it’s even left Khan confused.

Tony Khan Surprised Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland Hit The Market

Tony Khan appeared on Barstool Rasslin’ and he admitted that he never envisioned a scenario where both Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland would be released by WWE (h/t Fightful).

“Also, speaking of established stars coming in, Swerve Strickland and right before that Keith Lee. I can’t believe these guys got fired by any wrestling company in the world.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking if you run a wrestling company and you don’t have a spot for Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. I get that there are only so many positions in a company but I think any company that has those guys and, you know, it wasn’t like they’re unreasonable guys. They’re great!

“I love both guys. They’ve been a huge part of what we’re doing here now, too.”

On AEW TV, Lee and Strickland have actually formed a duo at least for this feud with Team Taz. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs have been thorns in the sides of Lee and Strickland, so something has to give.

Lee and Strickland will team to take on Starks and Hobbs on the April 13 episode of Dynamite.

Mark Henry: “Believe Me, There Will be a Cesaro Sighting”

Michael Reichlin
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Mark Henry says we haven’t seen the last of Cesaro. The AEW broadcaster, coach and talent scout says wrestling fans will be very pleased when the Swiss Superman resurfaces.

In addition to his duties in AEW, Henry serves as a co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM. He dropped an interesting quote on Saturday morning’s episode.

“Believe me, there will be a Cesaro sighting, just not right now,” said Henry.

“When that day comes, the world of pro wrestling is gonna be like, ‘Holy cow, like, that’s the guy we always wanted to see.'”

– Mark Henry on Cesaro’s future

Cesaro departed WWE in late February 2022 after over a decade with the company. WWE attempted to re-sign Cesaro, but they were unable to reach an agreement. He is not bound by a 90-day non-compete.

Cesaro has long been regarded as one of the top wrestlers in the world. He achieved some success in WWE, but most wrestling fans and industry observers would agree he was underutilized throughout his run there.

It will be interesting to see if Cesaro finds his way to AEW. He has a long history with many AEW stars from their days in WWE, as well as in Ring of Honor and on the independent scene.

Several AEW performers have already acknowledged the prospect of Cesaro joining AEW. Former rival Eddie Kingston has already stated that Cesaro “Doesn’t Have The Balls” to join him in AEW.

Earlier this week, Dax Harwood re-tweeted this photo pitching a tag team dream match between FTR and the Kings of Wrestling (Cesaro and Chris Hero).

Credit to the Putting You Over podcast for sending in this tip.

WWE Setting Up Tag Title Unification at WrestleMania Backlash

Michael Reichlin
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WWE is setting the stage for more championships to be unified in the near future.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38 in a Winner Takes All Championship Unification Match.

In the main event segment of Friday’s SmackDown, The Bloodline leader dropped a bombshell. After consolidating power at the very top of WWE’s singles divisions, Reigns declared it’s time The Usos do the same with the tag titles.

Reigns said he wants The Usos to go to Raw and bring him the Raw tag team championships, currently held by Rated RK-Bro.

“The Bloodline’s gonna have all the gold soon.”

– Roman Reigns

The Usos expected at Monday’s Raw to kick off a program with Randy Orton and Riddle. In addition to the Usos’s quest to capture the Raw tag titles, Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz is also advertised for the show.

WWE has not yet confirmed if or when this tag title unification match will take place. However, the company’s next premium live event is a month away and the company is not known for setting up matches months in advance. At this time, there’s a strong possibility we will see The Usos vs. Rated RK-Bro at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday, May 8th.

Rousey vs. Flair “I Quit” Match Set for WrestleMania Backlash

Michael Reichlin
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Ronda Rousey is demanding an “I Quit” match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania Backlash.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet made a surprise WWE return in January at the Royal Rumble. She won the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble and went on to challenge Flair for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. She came up short and The Queen retained.

Rousey made her first WWE TV appearance since WrestleMania at Friday’s edition of Smackdown on Fox. Rousey came to the ring and told the WWE Universe that she won’t make any excuses for her loss at WrestleMania. However, she won’t be satisfied until she dethrones Charlotte Flair as the new Raw Women’s Champion.

Rousey demanded a rematch against Charlotte Flair at the next WWE premium live event, WrestleMania Backlash. She wants it to be an “I Quit” match.

Flair appeared on the big screen and denied Rousey’s demand. She told told Rousey, “Get to the back of the line, bitch.”

Later in the show, Adam Pearce said the rematch between Rousey and Flair is in the works. WWE confirmed the match on Saturday.

The WrestleMania Backlash 2022 premium live event takes place Sunday, May 8th and streams live on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Samoa Joe vs. Minoru Suzuki Set For Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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Samoa Joe will battle Minoru Suzuki on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Suzuki’s Ring of Honor World Television Championship will be on the line.

AEW President Tony Khan noted on Twitter that this is a match he’s dreamed of for many years.

Suzuki and Joe are two of the hardest-hitting wrestlers in the world. You can talk about “working stiff” but this match is sure to be a masters class in two veteran fighters beating the hell out of each other.

AEW Dynamite Preview (4/13/22)

The April 13th episode of AEW Dynamite takes place from New Orleans, Louisiana at the UNO Lakefront Arena.

Here’s the updated card for the event:

  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express vs. reDRagon
  • ROH TV Champion Minoru Suzuki vs. Samoa Joe
  • Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. Chris Jericho, Jake Hager & Daniel Garcia
  • MJF vs. Capt. Shawn Sean
  • Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland

AEW Rampage Results (4/8): Moxley vs. Yuta, Owen Hart Qualifier, Danielson vs. Trent

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage was taped on Wednesday from the Agganis Arena in Boston, MA. Jon Moxley battled Wheeler Yuta in the main event. Bryan Danielson faced Trent Beretta in the opening match. Red Velvet faced Willow Nightingale in a qualifying match for the women’s Owen Hart Tournament. It was announced that Minoru Suzuki will defend the ROH TV Championship against Samoa Joe on Dynamite next week.

Rampage Results (4/8)

  1. Bryan Danielson def. Trent Beretta via submission
  2. Swerve Strickland def. QT Marshall
  3. Red Velvet def. Willow Nightingale to qualify for the women’s Owen Hart Tournament
  4. Jon Moxley def. Wheeler Yuta

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Bryan Danielson def. Trent Beretta

Bryan Danielson battled Trent Beretta in the first match of the show. William Regal joined commentary for the match. Danielson controlled the action early with some kicks to Trent’s back. Trent battled back with an elbow to the face and some chops to the chest. Danielson went for a Headlock but Trent countered into a Suplex.

Trent knocked Bryan to the outside and went for a Suicide Dive but Danielson countered with a kick. Bryan then went for a Suicide Dive of his own but Trent countered with a Saito Suplex on the floor. Danielson sent Trent into the steel steps as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Rampage returned, Danielson hit a Suplex and climbed to the top rope. Trent met him at the top turnbuckle and connected with a Superplex. Trent followed it up with a German Suplex and then sent Bryan to the corner. Danielson went for the Dragon Sleeper but Trent was able to get to the ropes to break it up.

The action returned to the top turnbuckle and Danielson went for a Belly to Belly but Trent countered and landed on him in a Crossbody of sorts for a near fall. Danielson battled back and hit the Gotch Piledriver and then applied a Cravat for the submission victory.

Sammy Guevara Wants Another TNT Title Match

Dan Lambert, TNT Champion Scorpio Sky, and Ethan Page came to the ring to a poor reception from the crowd. Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti interrupted to a reaction that wasn’t any better. Guevara and Conti called Dan Lambert a sexist for his previous remarks and Lambert poked fun at the couple taking a nude photo with the TNT Championship. Ethan Page shouted that Sammy & Tay are a PR nightmare waiting to happen and that got a pop from the crowd. Sammy then told Ethan that he doesn’t care about his kid. Sammy warned that they will keep interrupting them every week until he gets another shot at the TNT Championship.

Swerve Strickland def. QT Marshall

QT Marshall faced Swerve Strickland this week on Rampage. QT got in some offense early and kept Strickland on the mat as Rampage went to a break. When Rampage returned, Stickland connected with a couple strikes and leveled QT with a shoulder tackle.

Strickland fired up the crowd and hit a flying uppercut to the back. Marshall hobbled up and hit Swerve with an Arm Drag. QT signaled for the Diamond Cutter but Swerve blocked it. Strickland hit a Dropkick and followed it up with the Flatliner. Strickland delivered a kick to the back of QT’s head for the pinfall victory.

After the match, FTW Champion Ricky Starks said that they have some unfinished business. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs will face Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee next week on Dynamite.

Red Velvet Qualified For The Women’s Owen Hart Tournament

Willow Nightingale faced Red Velvet in an Owen Hart Tournament Qualifier. Willow dominated early and kept Red Velvet on the canvas. Velvet tried to battle back but Nightgale caught her with a shoulder tackle for a near fall. Willow followed it up with a Body Slam and went for a Senton but Velvet got out of the way. Willow climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Red Velvet rolled out of the way. Red Velvet connected with a Slingblade and then Double Knees to the back. Red Velvet hit a kick to the face but Willow responded with a big Spinebuster for a near fall. Velvet battled back and won the match with a spin kick. Red Velvet has qualified for the Owen Hart Tournament.

Wheeler Yuta Joined Blackpool Combat Club After Losing To Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley faced ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta in the main event. Wheeler leaped through the ropes and leveled Moxley with a dive to start off the action. The match spilled into the crowd and the two traded punches. Wheeler took control and brought Moxley back into the ring. Jon connected with a German Suplex and followed it up with some chops in the corner.Wheeler hit an Atomic Drop but Moxley shrugged it off and launched him out of the ring. Moxley unloaded some more strikes and Wheeler Yuta was busted open as Rampage went to a commercial break.

Yuta knocked Moxley out of the ring and set him up on a table. Wheeler connected with a Splash off the top rope and through the table below. Moxley and Yuta returned to the ring and Jon waited in the corner. Yuta had an absurd amount of blood pouring from his face as he connected with a couple German Suplexes. Moxley went for a Clothesline but Wheeler ducked and connected with a slam.

Yuta started unloading kicks to Moxley’s face and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Wheeler hit a Splash and went for the cover but Jon powered out at two. Wheeler quickly applied the Lebell Lock on Moxley in the middle of the ring but Jon escaped. Moxley connected with a lariat and went for the cover but Wheeler powered out at the last moment.

Moxley and Yuta traded punches and Jon got the better of the exchange. Yuta leaped off the top rope but Jon booted him in the midsection. Moxley planted Wheeler with the Paradigm Shift and went for the cover but Yuta kicked out at two. Moxley couldn’t believe it and then got Yuta in the Bulldog Choke.

Wheeler refused to tap out and Moxley started hitting him with knee strikes to the face. Yuta got Moxley in the Bulldog Choke in the middle of the ring. Moxley escaped and unloaded a bunch of elbow strikes to Wheeler’s face until he finally dropped. Moxley followed it up with a boot to the face and another Paradigm Shift but Yuta kicked out again! Moxley put the Bulldog Choke on again and Yuta passed out.

After the match, William Regal and Bryan Danielson came down to the ring. Regal made it seem like they were going to attack but instead shook Yuta’s hand. Yuta wrote BCC in blood on his chest for Blackpool Combat Club.

WWE SmackDown Results (4/8): The Bloodline, Gunther Debuts, Lacey Evans, WrestleMania Fallout

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. It was the first episode of SmackDown following WrestleMania 38. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser debuted on tonight’s SmackDown. Lacey Evans returned and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns closed the show. It was also announced that Ricochet will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Jinder Mahal next week.

SmackDown Results

  1. Xavier Woods def. Butch
  2. Gunther def. Joe Alonzo
  3. Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn via count out
  4. Liv Morgan def. Sasha Banks

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Rousey Challenged Flair To An I Quit Match

Kayla Braxton was in the ring to begin this week’s SmackDown and introduced Ronda Rousey as the “baddest woman on the planet”. Rousey was all smiles making her way to the ring and noted how Flair picked up a cheap win at WrestleMania. Footage of shown of Flair tapping out while the referee was down at the premium live event. Ronda wanted revenge and challenged Flair to an I Quit match at WrestleMania Backlash. Rousey didn’t want Flair to have an excuses this time around.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair interrupted from the jumbotron. Flair laughed at Rousey for thinking she deserved another shot at her title. Charlotte declined the challenge. Rousey said the match will happen and Flair will scream she quits as she breaks her arm in half.

Xavier Woods def. Butch

Xavier Woods faced Butch tonight on SmackDown. Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and Ridge Holland were ringside. Before the match, New Day said that this is the season premiere and the records have reset, so the teams are now 0-0 against each other.

Woods tripped up Butch to start off the action. Sheamus and Ridge started yelling at Butch and he got mad. Butch got Woods in a submission hold but Xavier got his foot on the ropes. Woods connected with a Dropkick that knocked Butch to the the outside. Butch slammed Woods onto the ring apron as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Butch was still in control but Woods rolled him up for the pinfall victory. After the match, Butch threw a temper tantrum and unloaded some strikes on Ridge Holland before Sheamus broke it up.

Gunther Debuted With A Win, Raquel Rodriguez

Sami Zayn complained to Adam Pearce about having to face the Jackass crew at WrestleMania. Zayn wanted his respect back and wanted to face the next person that walked out of the men’s locker room. Drew McIntyre emerged and Sami tried to talk himself out of the match. Pearce made it official and was then handed a note to end the segment. Ronda Rousey later showed up to speak with Adam Pearce. She wanted to know if the I Quit match was official and he said Rousey will get an answer tomorrow.

Ludwig Kaiser (FKA as Marcel Barthel) in NXT came to the entrance ramp and introduced Gunther (FKA as Walter) in NXT.

Gunther faced Joe Alonzo and beat him down in the corner to start off the action. Gunther leveled him with a big boot to the face. Gunther followed it up with a Body Slam and a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

Raquel Rodriguez (FKA Raquel Gonzalez) in NXT then was interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton. Los Lotharios interrupted and flirted with her. Raquel declined to end the segment.

Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin Brawled

Happy Corbin and Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Madcap Moss made their way to the ring for an episode of Happy Talk. Corbin said that this was supposed to be a celebration for his victory at WrestleMania but he wound up losing to McIntyre. Corbin claimed that he was on his yacht this week and looked at what type of man he’s become. Corbin then blamed Madcap Moss for his loss to McIntyre because he climbed on the ring apron and distracted.

tMadcap apologized but Corbin accused Moss of making everything about himself since winning the Battle Royal. The crowd started to chant “Madcap Moss!” and Corbin told Moss that he was getting too big for his suspenders. Corbin said Moss’ place was to tell him a joke. Moss said “what do you call me when I’m such a bonehead and cost you a match, Madcap Loss”. Madcap laughed like a goof and Corbin said in silence. Corbin demanded that Madcap Moss tell him a funny joke like his job depends on it, because it does.

Moss “wondered what do you call a guy who treats his friends like garbage and dresses like a funeral for Tommy Bahama? Happy Corbin”. Moss then laughed like a goof again and Corbin attacked him. Madcap Moss battled back and hurled Corbin around the ring. Madcap chased Corbin to the outside but Happy sent him into the barricade. Moss bounced Corbin’s face off the announce table over and over before rolling him into the ring. Madcap Clotheslined Happy Corbin out of the ring and posed on the turnbuckle to end the segment.

McIntyre Won Via Count Out, Lacey Evans Promo

Drew McIntyre battled Sami Zayn tonight on SmackDown. McIntyre kicked Sami’s ass for the few minutes to start off the action. Sami tried to leave but McIntyre caught him on the entrance ramp. McIntyre carried Sami back down to the ring and went for the Claymore but Zayn rolled out of the ring again. Sami then ran away through the crowd to end the match in a count out. It was announced that Sami Zayn will face Drew McIntyre again next week.

Lacey Evans returned to WWE tonight with a promo. Lacey spoke of her childhood and her father’s struggle with addiction. Evans noted that she hasn’t had an easy path like other superstars but that is what makes her different. Lacey added that she is a mother, a United States marine, and that does not make her better than any of other superstars, but they damn sure aren’t better than her.

Liv Morgan def. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks squared off against Liv Morgan tonight on SmackDown. Naomi joined commentary for the match. Liv controlled the action early and beat Banks down in the corner. Morgan climbed to the middle turnbuckle and connected with a Dropkick. Banks battled back and knocked Liv to the outside as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Banks rolled up Morgan for a near fall but Liv responded with a Codebreaker and both superstars fell to the mat. Natalya and Shayna Baszler were then shown backstage watching a monitor at an impossible angle. Banks connected with a Superplex but Liv rolled through into a cover for the pinfall victory.

Roman Reigns Wants The Usos To Go After The RAW Tag Titles

Undisputed Universal WWE Champion Roman Reigns came to the ring with SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos and Paul Heyman. Reigns said that SmackDown & the Universal Championship wasn’t enough so he took the WWE Championship and Monday Night RAW from “Cowboy Brock Lesnar”.

Roman claimed that there’s not much else for him to do now because he’s done it all. Reigns stated that there is still plenty left for The Bloodline to achieve. Roman said he’s just one man with two titles, and they are two men with two titles, and that is not enough. The Usos vowed to go after the RAW Tag Team Championships and unify the tag titles as well.

Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted and danced his way to the ring. Reigns said he was a loving and compassionate Tribal Chief and apologized for Rick Boogs getting hurt. Roman offered some of “this Bloodline love” and gave Nakamura a hug. The Usos then leveled Shinsuke Nakamura with a couple superkicks.

Raquel Gonzalez Joins WWE SmackDown as Raquel Rodriguez

Andrew Ravens
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Raquel Gonzalez will now be going by the name of Raquel Rodriguez. The former WWE NXT Women’s Champion made her debut on Friday’s SmackDown for a backstage interview.  

Los Lotharios walked in and tried to get a kiss out of her but she declined. 

Rodriguez had been rumored for a main roster call up for weeks. At last Saturday’s Stand & Deliver, Raquel and Dakota Kai defeated Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Raquel and Kai’s inaugural reign as champions lasted less than a day as they lost them back later in the show. Their second reign didn’t last much longer either. Just a few days later on NXT 2.0, they lost the titles right back to Dolin and Jayne. 

Raquel Rodriguez signed with WWE in 2016 and competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament under the name Reina Gonzalez. She also worked the 2018 tournament.

During her time in NXT, she was a one-time Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament winner with Kai and one-time NXT Women’s Champion. 

Watch: Gunther Debuts on WWE SmackDown With Ludwig Kaiser

Andrew Ravens
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Gunther, formerly known as Walter, is now part of the WWE SmackDown brand. On Friday’s SmackDown, Gunther beat a local wrestler, Joe Alonso, with Marcel Barthel by his side, renamed Ludwig Kaiser.

It was reported earlier this week that there had been internal discussions about moving Gunther to SmackDown alongside Barthel, but not Fabian Aichner.

Once Gunther moved to the United States, WWE had plans to bring him to the main roster.

This would explain why Gunther was booked to lose to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in the main event of Tuesday’s NXT. Aichner and Barthel dropped the NXT Tag Team Titles in a triple threat match to MSK this past Saturday at Stand & Deliver.

Watch Gunther’s WWE SmackDown debut:

WWE Name Changes

The name change for Barthel is a Vince McMahon decision as he likes to change wrestlers’ names and ignore their past accomplishments in NXT.

WWE has changed the name of many former NXT stars, including Pete Dunne, who was renamed to Butch. They’ve also done it with Mia Yim to Reckoning, Dijakovic to T-Bar, Piper Niven to Doudrop, and Chelsea Green was supposed to be named Victorious before she was injured.

Ricochet Won’t Be Appearing On 4/8 WWE SmackDown Episode

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Ricochet will be not be featured on tonight’s (April 8) episode of SmackDown.

The WWE Intercontinental Champion has taken to his Twitter account to reveal that he won’t be inside the Finserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. He explained why in his posts:

“A champion not only defends his title in the ring, he defends & protects his family. Thank you, WWE for giving this champion some time to spend with my son this weekend. After whooping Los Lotharios on Wrestlemania Smackdown, some R&R with MY champ is exactly what I need.

“Your Intercontinental Champ won’t be at Smackdown today, but I will be back next week, better than ever!”

Ricochet captured the WWE Intercontinental Title on the March 4 episode of SmackDown. He pinned Sami Zayn off a distraction from Johnny Knoxville.

Ricochet didn’t appear at WrestleMania 38 but he was in action on April 1 for what was billed as “WrestleMania SmackDown.” He successfully defended the IC Title against Angel and Humberto in a triple threat match.

Backstage Notes on Steve Austin Deciding to Have a Match at WrestleMania

Jon Fuentes
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This past weekend, WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to in-ring competition at WrestleMania 38 for his first match in over 19 years.

Austin was originally advertised to take place in a KO Show segment with Kevin Owens, but it turned into an official No Holds Barred match after Owens threw out the challenge. After brawling all over the arena, Austin finally picked up the victory with a stunner on Owens. It was quite surprising to see Austin compete since he had been adamant that he’s done competing inside the ring.

His last match took place at WrestleMania 19 in 2003. Austin was defeated by The Rock in what was their third time main eventing “The Show Of Shows” together. Now, 19 years later, Austin finally decided to give it one more go, going out on top with a win at the biggest professional wrestling event of the year. According to a report from Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline, Austin originally only agreed to do an elongated brawl with Owens in Dallas.

However, after training leading up to WrestleMania, Austin felt confident enough to do an actual match, thus, resulting in the No Holds Barred bout we got at WrestleMania 38. But the action didn’t stop at Night One of WrestleMania for Austin. “The Texas Rattlesnake” also hit the ring the following night, following the conclusion of the Austin Theory vs. Pat McAfee matchup. Austin rekindled his famed rivalry with Vince McMahon, hitting him with one of the worst stunners of all time.

He also hit Theory and McAfee with stunners before doing his celebratory beer bash. It was a tremendously nostalgic weekend for Attitude Era fans, but it was likely the last official matchup Steve Austin ever participates in.

Reported Reason for Alexa Bliss Being Absent from WWE TV

Jon Fuentes
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Alexa Bliss has notably been absent from WWE TV for the past several weeks. Bliss hasn’t been on WWE programming since the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event.

According to a report from PWInsider, Bliss is currently preparing for her wedding with musician Ryan Cabrera. The wedding is slated to go down this weekend in California from an undisclosed location in Palm Springs. The location is being kept so tightly under wraps that those who will be attending won’t even know the location of the venue until closer to the time when it’s scheduled to begin.

Bliss has been dating Cabrera since 2019 after they were introduced by fellow WWE Superstar The Miz. They then got engaged in November of 2020. It will be interesting to see how much longer Bliss is kept off of WWE TV. Fans have been curious as to where the former RAW Women’s Champion has been for the past several weeks. Bliss hasn’t commented on the matter too much, except noting that she seems to be ready to go, and the ball is in WWE’s court.

In her absence, the WWE’s women’s division still seems to be in a very strong place. Bianca Belair recently defeated Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend. Charlotte Flair successfully defended her SmackDown Live Women’s Title against the returning Ronda Rousey at “The Show Of Shows” as well.

And with Sasha Banks and Naomi currently reigning as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alexa Bliss certainly has a stacked women’s division to return to when the time comes.

Backstage Notes on Vince McMahon Deciding to Wrestle at WrestleMania

Jon Fuentes
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One of the biggest surprises from WrestleMania 38 this past weekend was the in-ring return of Vince McMahon.

McMahon took to the ring after Pat McAfee defeated Austin Theory in their one-on-one match, which “The Chairman” was sitting ringside for. After getting inside the ring, McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell, starting a new match between himself and McAfee. An already beat down and exhausted McAfee eventually fell to McMahon for the three-count. However, WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s music then hit, as “The Rattlesnake” came down the ramp to hit McMahon with a stunner and close the segment out.

According to a report from Fightful Select, many people backstage weren’t too keen on the idea of McMahon wrestling at WrestleMania this year. However, McMahon made the decision a few months ago and stuck to it despite many being vocal that they thought it was a horrible idea. Of course, after the match McMahon made a few botches; first reacting to Austin Theory’s music as if it were Stone Cold’s, before Stone Cold came out. Also, when he did take the stunner from Austin, it was one of the worst sells of a stunner in history.

However, the report adds that McMahon took it all is stride, laughing about it with everyone backstage. McMahon is of the belief that “as long as people were laughing and entertained, it’s OK.” It’s highly unlikely that Vince McMahon wrestles again anytime soon at 76-years-old, making WrestleMania 38, likely, his last match.

Logan Paul Reveals How Much He Really Trained for WrestleMania

Jon Fuentes
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Logan Paul really impressed the WWE Universe with his performance at WrestleMania 38 this past weekend in Dallas, Texas.

Paul teamed up with The Miz to take on the team of Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Paul and Miz actually came out on top, with the talk of the match being how natural Paul looked inside the ring for his first time. Even Vince McMahon gave Paul some praise backstage after the match for his in-ring work. However, it appears that Paul barely even trained for the match.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this week, Paul admitted that he only trained two days for his WrestleMania match. And each session was two hours long.

“No, no bro I trained for two days,” Paul said. “For two hours each day. I swear to God. I didn’t train at all. That’s why I’m like ‘Holy sh*t, if I did that with four hours of collective training, imagine I dedicate some real time to this.’ What can I do?”

Paul also noted that he had a bit of training in Orlando before going to Texas where the two days of training occurred, but it still wasn’t anything close to what could be described as extensive preparation.

“I had two days in Orlando a couple weeks earlier. Then in Texas we practiced a couple of moves a couple of times, but like, nothing dude. Nothing. No serious training.”

After his match, The Miz turned on Logan Paul, hitting him with the Skull-crushing Finale. Paul said his feud with Miz isn’t going away, as he plans to get the former WWE Champion in the ring and show him who the true “king of Cleveland is.”

“I’m gonna f*ck him up. I’m gonna f*ck him up bro. That was cold. That was cold. Miz is Miz dude, and evidentially I thought I got over the Miz barrier, but he only cares about The Miz. Miz cares about The Miz and that’s it. So, you know, we’ll see when I can get in there and show him who the real king of Cleveland is.”

Cody Rhodes No Longer Scheduled For Friday’s SmackDown

Jon Fuentes
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Yesterday it was reported that Cody Rhodes was scheduled to be at tonight’s taping of SmackDown Live in Milwaukee. Rhodes recently made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38, defeating Seth Rollins in Dallas, Texas this past weekend.

However, according to an updated report from PWInsider, Cody Rhodes is no longer scheduled to be in attendance for the taping. Instead, the report adds that WWE is planning on having a lot more crossover between brands. Three to four unnamed SmackDown stars are slated to be at Monday Night RAW next week. The reasoning is said to be so Superstars can work dark matches.

Also, now that Roman Reigns is both WWE Champion and WWE Universal Champion, he’s expected to be working both brands as well. This seemed to already be the case on this week’s episode of RAW. Reigns, who is officially a SmackDown star, appeared on RAW to close out the show with a promo. The Usos also were involved in a six-man tag team match.

Both Sasha Banks and Naomi, the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, also appeared on the show, defeating Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley in a Championship Contender’s match. Natalya and Shayna Baszler also made appearances.

In addition to that report, it should be noted that Lacey Evans will be in Milwaukee for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. However, there’s no word yet on what her involvement will be. Evans hasn’t been on WWE TV since going on maternity leave last year. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Why were the NXT titles vacated?

Jon Fuentes
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WWE has announced the NXT Tag Team Championships have been vacated.

New champions will be crowned this Tuesday night on NXT’s weekly TV show on the USA Network. WWE has yet to address how the new champions will be determined.

WWE Vacates the NXT Tag Team Championships

As we’ve reported, WWE released Nash Carter of MSK earlier this week following allegations of abuse from his wife, IMPACT Wrestling’s Kimber Lee. On Monday, Lee took to social media, alleging that Carter “got wasted” and struck her in the face, busting her lip open. She also Tweeted out the following, tagging the official WWE NXT Twitter account (the Tweet has since been deleted):

“Hey @WWENXT this is my face after your tag champ @NashCarterWWE got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open. He told me I’m a wrestler so I’m always marked up. I’ve hid this for a year and even forgave him. But I can’t hide it anymore.”

The timing couldn’t be any more significant, as Carter and tag team partner Wes Lee recently captured the titles at the NXT Stand & Deliver event over WrestleMania 38 weekend. Of course, the announcement of the titles’ vacancy did not mention Carter.

WWE also hasn’t publicly addressed Carter’s release, nor the allegations as of this writing. Prior to this announcement, MSK was scheduled to defend their titles against Grayson Waller and Sanga on Tuesday’s event. WWE has not yet announced who will be competing for the vacant titles.

Tony Khan: “Bot Army” Behind Anti-AEW Social Media Activity

Michael Reichlin
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Tony Khan says an expensive online misinformation campaign has been launched against AEW.

Khan revealed on Friday that an independent study has confirmed an online “bot army” has been deployed on social media to stir up negative social media activity against All Elite Wrestling.

According to Khan, some company is running “thousands” of Twitter accounts and uses “an army of bots” to signal-boost the anti-AEW tweets.

“Look closely, these aren’t real people.”

– Tony Khan

Khan didn’t explicitly accuse WWE of being behind this online campaign, but he asked his followers to consider, “Who’d pay for such a *wildly* expensive thing?”

We are currently in the midst of a wrestling war. WWE has legitimate competition for the first time two decades. A Wednesday Night War was waged, top stars are jumping ship and the competition is heating up.

Khan questioned, “Ever wonder why so much of the activity of these accounts is retweets and replies? Like who actually has 80% of their activity as straight up retweets?”

He encourages fans to, “Research this one yourselves. You internet detectives thrive in these situations.”

Khan doesn’t seem too phased by this revelation. He hyped up tonight’s AEW Rampage, featuring Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson in action.

Expecting the anti-AEW bots to be out in full force tonight, he wrapped up the thread by writing, “Their boiler room staff is going to be working overtime on a Friday, and I love it.”

Do you think wrestling companies engage in these shady tactics, or is this paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense?

Tony Khan Lays Out His Vision for the Future of Ring of Honor

Michael Reichlin
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AEW President Tony Khan spoke with Marc Raimondi for ESPN this week about the future of Ring of Honor. Khan shocked the wrestling world last month by announcing he was purchasing the company’s video library, brand assets and intellectual property.

Last weekend’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view from Dallas, TX was the first ROH show under Khan’s control. The event was well received by wrestling fans and critics. He really tried to make it an ROH show, including cameos from ROH alums like Samoa Joe and The Young Bucks.

AEW, ROH & WarnerMedia

When asked about the short-term plans for Ring of Honor, Khan expressed uncertainty. “It’s hard to say,” he told ESPN.

Due to Tony Khan’s business relationship with WarnerMedia, AEW’s media partner in the United States, he had to get an ‘exemption’ from Warner in order to promote the Supercard PPV.

Khan says there’s great potential in continuing ROH as a weekly series, along with occasional special events.

He did not answer whether or not ROH would serve as a developmental system for AEW, but did reveal he’s had talks with WarnerMedia about what can be done with ROH.

“I think the success of Supercard, critically and commercially, will bode very well for WarnerMedia really taking an interest in Ring of Honor, as well as AEW,” he said. “I think there’s great potential to have a complementary wrestling brand.”

Booking ROH

Tony Khan has stated that he plans to be the booker of Ring Honor. However, he already has a lot of responsibilities with AEW, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC.

There is a risk that he is spreading himself too thin, but Khan said it was “very natural” for him to handle the booking for the Supercard PPV.

Visit ESPN to read the full interview with Tony Khan.

AEW Blood & Guts Expected To Return This Summer

Michael Reichlin
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AEW President Tony Khan expects the Blood & Guts match to return this summer.

Blood & Guts is one of the most violent matches sanctioned by All Elite Wrestling. The match involves two teams squaring off inside a covered steel cage. The rules are similar to the infamous WarGames match, with submission or surrender being the only conditions for victory.

Khan spoke with Marc Raimondi for ESPN this week and was asked if we’ll see another Blood & Guts match. He replied:

“Yeah. I’d say to expect Blood & Guts this summer.”

– Tony Khan to ESPN

The first Blood & Guts saw The Pinnacle defeat the Inner Circle at the special May 5, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite.

Tony Khan was also asked about the possibility of another Stadium Stampede match. He told Raimoni, “That I’ll have to get back to you on.”

He’s considered another Stadium Stampede match, and thinks its a great signature match that fans really enjoyed. However, the match came about from challenges that were presented during the pandemic that no longer exist.

Visit ESPN to read the full interview with Tony Khan.

Randy Orton Recalls Immaturity Almost Derailing His WWE Career

Michael Reichlin
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Randy Orton is one of the most respected people in the WWE locker room, but it took a long time for the Viper to earn this status.

Orton is the latest guest on WWE’s Out of Character podcast, hosted by Ryan Satin. Episode 53 was conducted live at the WrestleMania Axxess Superstore last weekend in Dallas, TX.

The former Undisputed Champion discussed a lot of topics, including his personal development, his desire to give back to the business, being a huge Goldberg fan when he was younger, setting records in WWE and much more.

Randy Orton was thrust into WWE’s main event picture early into his career. He’d go on to become the youngest World Champion in company history. Orton admits he wasn’t mature enough for that level of success and the pitfalls that come with it. As Orton puts it, it was a case of “too much too soon.”

“Gosh, years, you know?” he said about earning respect backstage. “And then, I kind of started to get an attitude and I got mixed in with the wrong crowd, I guess you could say. [I] made a couple of bad decisions and that respect I think kind of got put on hold for a while.”

Randy Orton was a member of the Evolution faction, along with Triple H, Ric Flair and Batista. That group had a memorable split, which saw the senior members turn on Orton. According to Orton, WWE discussed him and Triple H breaking away from Evolution, but his behavior issues derailed those plans.

“I think there was even an instance where the plan was for me and Triple H to go and do our thing out of Evolution,” he continued. “I might have the order of this wrong but I want to say they went with Dave Batista instead because of me. [It was] maybe in ’05 of ’06 and I just wasn’t ready. It was like maybe 2005, 2006, 2007 where I was really having some close calls with just being a dumb kid. Too much too soon. [It was] most definitely too much too soon.”

Catch Randy Orton’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast:

Exclusive quotes so ask for credit

Cash Wheeler Defends AEW Signing Lots of Free Agents

Michael Reichlin
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AEW has been scrutinized for the high number of free agents they’ve signed over the past year. Some people have questioned if the AEW roster is too large, but Cash Wheeler of FTR says that’s nonsense.

FTR, the reigning Ring of Honor and AAA tag team champions, recently spoke with the Dallas Morning News and defended the growing number of performers on Tony Khan’s payroll.

According to Cash Wheeler, AEW is still in its infancy and should sign the most talented performers they can. Khan also just purchased Ring of Honor and now has two rosters to fill.

“When AEW started, they had to build from scratch,” said Wheeler. “And you don’t know who’s going to work on TV, who’s not going to work on TV, who the fans will accept and who they won’t.

“So, you’ve got to just sign everybody and hope after a couple years you’ve kind of got a better read on everything – what’s established, what isn’t.”

Wheeler added that you can’t plan for huge names to become free agents. If people like Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe become available, you sign them and have time to figure everything out.

“You can’t plan for things that are completely unexpected. So, some of these names that became available to him, he never could have foresaw that coming. None of us could. So, when it was available, he would be a terrible businessman to not pursue that because it’s going to make his company better. And it’s going to make his talent better because now they have another brain to pick.”

Wheeler added that AEW has a lot of young talent on the roster and they don’t need to be on television every single week. They should be working independent shows and developing their characters before they’re on national TV week after week.

There’s much more to this interview, which you can check out at DallasNews.com.

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