Monday’s WrestleMania go-home edition of WWE Monday Night RAW saw Bianca Belair take a pair of scissors to Becky Lynch’s trademark red hair.
That’s right, Belair went full-on Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and clipped off some of the Irish Lass’s hair. Since that point, not much has been seen from the RAW Women’s Champion.
That changed on Wednesday. Lynch posted a pair of pictures to her Twitter account with the caption, “Jokes on you @BiancaBelairWWE. I look cool af. #WrestleMania.”
Lynch and Belair will go toe-to-toe during night one of WWE WrestleMania 38 this Saturday night. Current reports indicate that their match will open the show, though that is obviously subject to change until the event itself starts.
Who do you think will walk out of WrestleMania 38 with the RAW Women’s Championship belt? Let us know in the comments section below!
Be sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. This week’s show features a full preview and predictions for WrestleMania 38: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
It was revealed back in December that Kevin Owens had re-signed with WWE, a move that surprised some at the time.
After winning the WWE Universal Championship and feuding with John Cena early in his WWE career, Owens slid down the card and hadn’t received the same kind of push since. He seemed like a prime candidate for a change of scenery and a move to AEW.
Then he re-signed with WWE for a lot of money, and now Owens finds himself in a WrestleMania program with none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. It’s hard to fault him for his decision.
In an interview with ESPN, Owens explained how, ultimately, it was Vince McMahon who convinced him to stay with WWE.
“A big part of it, honestly, was that Vince McMahon made it pretty clear to me that he wanted me to stay,” Owens said. “And, you know, I’ve been in WWE for seven years at this point. You know, I have a lot of friends everywhere else in wrestling, but there is a whole side of WWE that people don’t get to see, whether it’s the production crew, you know, the camera people, the stage manager, the creative team, all these people.
“They’re all very special people and you know, they’re a part of my family. My extended family now. My professional family, if you want to call it that. So that, those were all factors that, that, that led to me, you know, staying put, because Vince made it clear he wanted me to stay. It feels like my home and all those other people there that, you know, if I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t get to see anymore and that was just like, you know, it just seemed like the right move. That’s really all there is to it.”
“Vince made it clear he wanted me to stay.”
Kevin Owens
Despite some comments made by Ronda Rousey during an appearance on Ellen on Tuesday, reports continue to indicate that Kevin Owens and Steve Austin will main event night one of WrestleMania 38 this weekend.
Be sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. This week’s show features a full preview and predictions for WrestleMania 38: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Bandido isn’t opposed to being a part of Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.
Khan shook up the wrestling industry by announcing he is now the owner of Ring of Honor. The AEW head honcho plans to take over the booking reins of ROH. SEScoops was the first to report that all ROH employees would be let go.
As for the talent, they were also released from their contracts months before Khan’s purchase. ROH did this to undergo a “reconceptualization” period.
Bandido Wants In On Tony Khan’s ROH
Speaking to the folks at Más Lucha, Bandido said that he’d jump at the chance to compete for ROH long term with Tony Khan at the helm (h/t Fightful).
“It’s incredible but it did take me by surprise, admittedly. They always say that change is for the better, so I’m interested to see what is next in this new phase (of Ring of Honor). If I continue, and I would love to continue, I will be thrilled to be there. If not, then I look forward to closing that chapter the best possible manner.
“They haven’t reached out to me. We (Bandido & Khan) have not spoken since the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, unfortunately.”
PWInsider reported that Bandido’s future in the United States is up in the air due to his visa. If he can’t score a deal with Khan or another big promotion before his visa expires, it’s been said that he’ll wrestle in Mexico in the short term.
Bandido is set for a title unification match against Jonathan Gresham. Both men lay claim to being called the ROH World Champion but there can only be one. The two will settle things at Supercard of Honor on April 1.
Plans for “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon” series are now in full swing.
The Hollywood Reporter brought word that the series will be written by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue. WWE is working with Blumhouse Television for the project.
Statements On Vince McMahon Series Finding Showrunners
Blumhouse TV president Chris McCumber issued the following statement:
“Blumhouse is thrilled to be partnering with Noah and Micah on this project. Their ability to bring iconic characters to life in a nuanced, dramatic, and fully realized way is the reason they are the perfect fit to tell the story of The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”
Harpster and Firzerman-Blue also chimed in, heaping praise on the WWE Chairman.
“Vince McMahon is a living legend. We are thrilled to tell his larger-than-life story with our partners at Blumhouse and WWE.”
The series is set in the 1990s and will focus on the infamous federal court case against Vince McMahon back in 1994. The case was brought about on suspicion that Vince was supplying illegal anabolic steroids to talent. McMahon was found not guilty.
At this time, the series doesn’t have an outlet. “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon” was announced back in the summer of 2021.
Matt Hardy has looked back at the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match long before they were cool.
When Matt made the transition to his “Broken” character, it took on a life of its own. Matt made it cool to do cinematic-style matches. What’s interesting is, he was close to having a cinematic match long before he started the “Broken” gimmick.
Cinematic Match Pitched
During a recent edition of The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy, Matt reflected on the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match between The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian (via Fightful).
“Michael was a very out-of-the-box thinker. He was trying to think of things that would be different and original and unique and he did pitch something that was very similar to that. I wonder how that would have turned out if we’d had done it at that stage in our career.
“Because we’re very different performers. We were definitely thinking more about work rate than the actual work of telling a story and being character performers, so I don’t know.
“It would have been an interesting scenario because Vince, he takes these things so seriously, and that’s why I took a different approach to The Final Deletion.
“I didn’t want this thing to be looked at as too serious because at the end of the day, wrestling, it’s these people that are amazing athletes, they get in a ring and go have a 15 or 20-minute match, especially with all these unique spots and whatnot. But still, it’s entertainment at the end of the day, and we can’t lose track of that.”
Matt and Jeff are currently on the AEW roster along with Christian. Edge works for the WWE banner after he had been retired for years due to an injury. Hayes remains behind the scenes in WWE.
Anthony Bowens will be missing some time due to an injury.
AEW President Tony Khan broke the news during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio (h/t 411Mania):
“I really like Anthony a great deal. He’s been injured. We don’t think it’s anything too long-term, but the truth is, he was supposed to be back by now and that’s jammed me up the last couple weeks in planning. He’s been out almost a month and they originally thought it was going to be two weeks. It’s been a few weeks I’ve been looking forward to bringing him back. He’s recovering from what is hopefully a short-term knee injury.“
Bowens is still advertised to be in Max Caster’s corner for the March 30 episode of AEW Dynamite.
2 of the top orators in pro wrestling today will go one-on-one in the ring when @CMPunk battles @PlatinumMax on Dynamite TONIGHT! What will Caster say in his entrance rap? Can Punk shut Max’s big mouth?
Bowens is one-half of The Acclaimed along with Caster. He was last seen in action teaming with Caster to challenge Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus for the AEW World Tag Team Championships on March 9.
Sasha Banks is one of the most influential women’s wrestlers of recent times. She has become an inspiration to many by rising to this level despite all her struggles. Though this journey has not been easy.
The Boss has gone through many ups and downs in her WWE career. One such low point of her career was the WrestleMania season in 2019, when the former champion even tried to quit WWE.
Banks detailed her mindset during the time in an interview with The Athletic. She and Bayley had just become the inaugural women’s tag team champions. Sasha revealed that she had separated her shoulder in a match against Ronda Rousey in January but she didn’t tell this to anyone:
“I had a Make-A-Wish the next day, and I couldn’t move, couldn’t put my clothes on, couldn’t do my hair, Bayley had to come into my room and do that. I didn’t want to tell anybody. Those titles meant so much to me.”
Sasha Banks wanted to make the title reign something special to put the championship on the map. That’s why it was a real blow to her when they had to drop the belts to The IIconics at WrestleMania 35, less than two months into their reign:
“I felt so sad every day, and I didn’t know why, I had to take myself away from a situation and such a fast world where I had to stop and realize who Mercedes was and who Sasha Banks was. I had no time off. I never got to see myself, my family. I took that time to figure out what I loved besides wrestling.”
Thankfully, Vince McMahon declined Sasha’s request for a release. The chairman offered her some time off instead. The Boss returned to the WWE programming after rediscovering her passion four months later.
Pat McAfee has heaped major praise on Michael Cole.
McAfee serves as the color commentator of WWE’s SmackDown brand. The former NFL punter has been lauded for his work on WWE TV. It’s led to him receiving a match against Austin Theory on night two (April 3) of WrestleMania 38.
Pat McAfee Has Kind Words For Michael Cole
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Pat McAfee responded to the notion that he’s seemingly picked up on wrestling commentary in no time.
McAfee said it’s a combination of preparation and the help of an experienced veteran such as Michael Cole.
“There’s been others that have done it in a different fashion and better than me in my eyes but I kinda do my own thing, and I feel like I have slotted my own role as commentator there in the history of the business, which is not easy to do cause there’s so many greats.
“Everybody’s trying to be somebody else it feels like but you gotta remember Cole was the one who called me and gave me the kickoff panel opportunity for NXT like four years ago.
“So, Cole and I have known each other for four years at this point. People say, ‘Hey, you’re a natural,’ which I appreciate. I’ve been watching wrestling, listening to the commentators for like 25 years now at this point.
“So, I don’t wanna say that I was just able to drop in and do it. I feel like I’ve been preparing for a lot of these things for a long time.”
McAfee went on to say that Cole simply knows his stuff at the commentary table.
“Michael Cole is the GOAT, by the way. He could do that show with anybody. He could do that show with a bag if he had to, and he proved that after I got escorted out after beating the hell out of Austin Theory. He was able to call his own match.
“He’s coming up on 25 years doing that job, he’s only missed two shows. You’re talking about one of the most experienced, one of the best workers, and a man who is an actual journalist who has the professionalism to go through some bullshit.
“There’s some bullshit segments that he has to lay out and do and it’s just part of the job.”
Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article
On Friday, April 1, 2022, in Dallas, Texas, the first show of Tony Khan’s era of Ring of Honor will begin with Supercard of Honor. It’s an important night as the event celebrates ROH’s incredible 20-year legacy while also providing an early indication of what the company will look like under the guidance of All Elite Wrestling’s CEO.
With the card promising championship bouts, long-awaited dream matches, and potential Khan surprises, Supercard has already become one of the most anticipated events of WrestleMania Weekend.
Perhaps more intriguing than the card itself, however, is what this show could set up for the future of the ROH brand. Who will be sticking around? Who will be coming in? Who will be leaving as champions? Answers to some of those questions could become more apparent on April 1.
And so, with that in mind, I want to outline my thoughts on the people I believe should be involved in this new age of ROH. These are the talent and personnel I think could help establish Khan’s era of ROH as a must-see company.
William Regal
(AEW)
AEW’s most recent signing, William Regal, is an industry veteran both on-screen and behind-the-scenes. His wealth of knowledge and experience in helping run a development system is invaluable. If Khan needs a right-hand man to guide the ship, he can’t get much better than Blackpool’s favorite son. And if ROH needs an on-screen authority figure, Regal can easily slip into that role, having perfected it for years in NXT and before that as Commissioner of Monday Night Raw.
Jonathan Gresham
The current ROH World Champion (or, at least, one of them), Jonathan Gresham, has been a key player in ROH’s recent years. He is a highly talented and skilled mat technician who represents the “pure style” of wrestling ROH is best known for. There are countless classic encounters just waiting to happen between Gresham and the wrestlers already signed to AEW, let alone the array of independent talent on the market.
Maria Kanellis
ROH’s women’s division has been stop-and-start throughout its existence but saw a marked improvement over the past year. This was thanks largely to Maria Kanellis, who took the reins of the division alongside ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise, putting a renewed focus on the women, bringing in new talent, and spearheading an impressive 16 woman tournament.
If Khan is open to delegating responsibilities, then Kanellis’ passion and dedication to women’s wrestling could be hugely beneficial in building a robust and competitive women’s division.
Samoa Joe
(WWE)
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate ROH’s legacy than Samoa Joe returning to the place where he first rose to prominence. A soon-to-be ROH Hall of Famer, Joe not only brings a previous connection to the company but the invaluable experience and name value. He is the ideal candidate to bridge the gap between the old and new eras, whether he is wrestling on-screen, training the newcomers, or even providing commentary.
Trish Adora
While Kanellis could help behind the scenes, you need a woman to anchor the division on-screen, and Trish Adora is a perfect choice. Having signed with ROH last year, Adora was already establishing herself as one to watch, making it to the semi-finals of the ROH Women’s World Title Tournament.
Adora has the in-ring acumen combined with a killer look and infectious personality that just screams star. She is someone that could easily carry a division as a fighting champion.
Jay Lethal
While it might seem a strange journey for Jay Lethal to go from ROH to AEW back to ROH, the move has massive benefits. Lethal is another one of those names that is synonymous with the ROH brand. He has the history, experience, and name recognition to add real value to a company finding its feet under new ownership. Plus, one could argue that the men’s roster in AEW is teetering on overcrowding, so Lethal might have more opportunity to ply his craft in ROH.
Bandido
The other current ROH World Champion, Bandido, brings something different to the table as a high-flying luchador. He’s a highly proficient pro-wrestler with an eye-catching look and a jaw-dropping move-set. At only 26-years-old and already this talented, he is someone who could be a main attraction for the next decade-plus.
Miyu Yamashita
Adding some international flair to the company, this 27-year-old prodigy is a hard-hitting striker with almost nine years of experience under her belt. A former Tokyo Princess of Princess Champion, Miyu Yamashita, could easily become a must-see attraction of the new ROH.
After AEW recently announced a partnership with Japan’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Yamashita is ready and available, especially having just dropped her title.
Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Colema (and.. Veda Scott?)
While I’m sure there is a temptation to stamp a different personality on ROH by bringing in a new commentary team, the duo of Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman just works so well. It’s not just that they’re the familiar voices of ROH; they are great pro-wrestling announcers full-stop, being able to call the action in the ring while showing off personality. If Khan wants to spice it up a little, adding Veda Scott to the booth could be a nice idea. Scott has her own history with ROH plus has experience commentating, both in AEW and on the indie scene.
Session Moth Martina
The pandemic curtailed the rise of Session Moth Martina in ROH, leaving her locked down in the United Kingdom. However, she has recently returned to the United States and even appeared on AEW Dark, which means she is at the very least on Khan’s radar. Martina has over 10 years of experience, building her reputation in promotions like Progress and ICW before touring Japan with Stardom. With her fun and vibrant personality, there is no doubt that Martina would quickly become an ROH fan-favorite.
The Kings of Wrestling
While I believe that Claudio Castagnoli (the former Cesaro) has the potential to be a main event singles star in AEW, a brief reunion with his former tag team partner Chris Hero could do wonders in establishing the new ROH tag division.
With the possibility of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler becoming new ROH Tag Team Champions next Friday, just imagine the potential matches between FTR and the KOR? They are a veteran team that could anchor the division while helping build up younger teams such as Top Flight and The Acclaimed.
Marina Shafir
Former mixed martial artist Marina Shafir has recently been racking up wins on AEW Dark and seems primed for a breakout year. Since her release from NXT, she has rapidly improved in the ring, bringing a technical authenticity to the squared circle that would be perfectly served in ROH.
With her ice-cold blue eyes and stoic expression, Shafir has the aura of a merciless killer when she steps between the ropes. She’s another woman who a division could be built around.
John Cena is one of the most recognizable wrestling faces of all time. One of the biggest factor’s in his rise to this popularity has been the emergence of the meme culture and their love for the Cenation Leader.
The 16-time world champion recently spoke to GQ. He discussed how he wore the Peacemaker costume everywhere he went for the promotion of Suicide Squad so that people can get familiar with the character.
Cena revealed that it’s something he learned during his time in WWE. The former champion explained that the greatest wrestling characters with the most long-term success are the ones that remain the same:
“We just dropped a show on Peacock called Evil, which profiles eight of the top WWE quote-unquote “heels” — and a constant thread in all of that is dedication to character. And the reason, like, there’s the perception of John Cena, “Oh, he never changes” — yeah, I don’t. Because it’s the concept of uniformity.”
John Cena mentioned how he wore the same jean shorts and t-shirt everywhere during his time in WWE. It made people feel like they knew him. He also discussed the meme culture’s love for him:
“I was so dedicated to it that meme culture ran with it, in multiple different varieties: the invisible John Cena meme, the unexpected John Cena meme. And a lot of that is based on being so familiar with the look.”
Apart from this, the Hollywood star talked about The Undertaker. He explained how the Dead Man was backstage and revealed that he has changed in recent years.
The Undertaker had a lot of influence on John Cena’s career. From the famous handshake segment that told people he was someone to keep an eye on, to the multiple matches they had, The Dead Man helped Cena become the wrestler he is today in a big way.
The Cenation Leader had a Q&A with GQ. He discussed things such as donning the Peacemaker costume everywhere for the promotion of Suicide Squad and more.
Speaking about the last Outlaw, Cena revealed what he is like backstage. He claimed that there wasn’t much difference between Taker’s on screen and off-screen character, up until a couple of years ago:
“Mark backstage is very much like The Undertaker — like, that’s how dedicated he is. He’s very stoic, and very calculated, and does speak softly and carry a big stick, until like now.
Two years ago, he started relaxing, letting loose, and having fun.” said John Cena, “But that role consumed him. And that’s what led to his long-term success.”
The 16-time world champion continued by saying that he has great respect for The Undertaker’s ability to be the same person on and off-screen.
He explained that Taker knew he wouldn’t have the same opportunities to live in a sense of normalcy but he believed that he was going to have the opportunities that normalcy doesn’t provide.
There have been ‘at least light talks and gauging interest’ between the AEW officials and Ember Moon.
The former NXT women’s champion who now goes by the name Athena has apparently been very selective about her indie bookings since her release in November last year.
One name that doesn’t seem very likely to join AEW in the immediate future is Tegan Nox. She has been dealing with visa issues since her own WWE release in the same month as Athena.
While she could still show up in Tony Khan’s promotion at some point, the star now going by the name Nixon Newell was ‘very busy’ trying to sort out the situation as of a couple of weeks ago.
Which star would you like to see debut in AEW this Wednesday against The Bunny? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Johnny Gargano lived through not one but two generational changes in NXT. When he originally signed with WWE in 2015, people from independent wrestling circuits were still looked down upon. Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were some of the top names who wrestled against the stigma. They paved the way for other indie names to come in and leave their mark on the development brand.
However, things started changing once again towards the end of his run. In terms of preferred talents, NXT is now back to where it used to be with more focus on outside athletes than indie names.
The former NXT champion opened up about this change on The Sessions with Renee Paquette. He claimed that he totally understands the mindset of bringing people from other sports because it’s basically a lottery ticket:
“From what I understand they’re still going to sign indie people, but they want to go away from just the sole, full classes of indie people. Which is how it was originally as well, which I completely understand in the sense of where any NCAA person they sign, someone that comes from a different walk of life, that are just genetic freaks.
That’s basically a lottery ticket.” said Johnny Gargano, “You’re buying a lottery ticket. This person could turn out to be the next Kurt Angle, you never know. So I totally understand bringing those people in, giving them opportunities and seeing what they turn out to be.”
Though later in the interview, Johnny Gargano claimed that he is always going to lean towards the talents from independent wrestling scenes. According to him, they are the people who really love wrestling, and it’s not something that you can teach:
“I am always going to go more towards the indie wrestling route because that’s where I’m from. That’s my background. That’s what I believe in. I believe in my heart. That’s why I kind of lean towards the more Indie Hartwell, Cora Jades of the world. Again, that’s not taking anything away from those guys, but I firmly believe that you can pay someone to learn a headlock, you can pay someone to learn a wrist lock. You cannot pay someone to love this.
You cannot pay someone to love wrestling. When you’re an indie wrestler, and you had to pay to train, you had to travel all over and take $5, you have to love this. Because if you don’t love this, you ain’t gonna be doing it. So I’m always gonna lean towards more, giving those people opportunities that I feel like they just want it. I relate to them so much. “
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Bron Breakker is slated to challenge NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler at Stand & Deliver this Saturday so what did WWE do to further build it? They aired video packages with each star talking about the importance of the match.
Ziggler said that this isn’t just NXT 2.0, but rather DZ 2.0. He said that he’s doing all the media because everyone wants to talk with him and not Bron. For Breakker, WWE just aired a video package of his path to destruction. They did acknowledge Rick Steiner being Bron’s father.
One More Chance
Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes vs. A-Kid in a Last chance qualifying match for Stand & Deliver was booked. Strong, Grimes, and A-Kid all lost their original qualifying bouts.
The match was saved for the main event and could’ve gone a little bit longer as it was that good. These guys worked hard and had elements of the old NXT in terms of work rate. Grimes went over when he hit a double stomp to Strong.
North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, Solo Sikoa, and Santos Escobar have already qualified for the ladder match. A brawl with everyone in the match broke out to close the show.
LA Knight and MSK vs. Imperium took place in a tag team match.
The bout was set up on last week’s NXT episode where LA Knight confronted and attacked Gunther while challenging him to a Stand & Deliver match. Barthel and Aichner made the save for Gunther, while MSK ran in to save Knight.
Barthel and Aichner will defend the NXT Tag Team titles against MSK and The Creed Brothers in a three-way at Stand & Deliver.
The match opened the show. Aichner levels Carter with a stiff clothesline for the pin to win.
Bodhi Hayward vs. Von Wagner in a singles match took place. The match was set up in a vignette last week.
The match was fine and a brawl that ended with Wagner hitting his side slam for the win. Post-match, he attacked Jacket Time who were at ringside on commentary.
Joe Gacy and Draco Anthony finally took place. Gacy hit his back handspring clothesline for the pin to win. After the match, Gacy stands tall with Harland as the music hits.
This match has been building up for weeks as Gacy has been trying to recruit Anthony to his side. This includes interrupting workouts and bothering him in the parking lot.
The Mar. 29 episode of NWA Powerrr took place at the Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennesse.
The main event saw the NWA Tag Team Champions defend their titles against The End. The episode also had Nick Aldis in action and Matt Cardona challenging Tim Storm to a match. The episode is available on video on demand on FITE and will premiere on Youtube on Friday.
The episode opened with a backstage promo with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona. He called out Tim Storm for interfering in his match against Nick Aldis at The Crockett Cup Night Two. He challenged Storm to a match and said he’d request that Storm get an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match if he won. Storm accepts the match on the broadcast.
Kamile defeated Madi in a non-title match
The Pope does a backstage promo and shared that teased going after the NWA World Championship. He also was asked about Trevor Murdoch recent behavior. He shared that he hopes Murdoch doesn’t forget who he is and that people support him .
Magic Jake Dumas defeated Rodney Mack
The Cardona Family defeated Ill Forgotten
Chris Adonis did a promo about his split from Thom Latimer. He also shared that he’s going after The NWA National Championship
Cyan does a backstage promo and accepts Tyrus bodyslam challenge. He vows to slam Tyrus and win the NWA Television Championship.
Nick Aldis defeated Deonte Marshall
La Rebellion defeated The End to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship
The show ends with La Rebellion and The Briscoes teasing a feud.
Fightful reports that Storm has garnered “significant interest” from the promotion. It’s been said that even a chunk of AEW talent expects Storm to make her way to the company.
Many wondered what Storm’s next move would be. A potential return to Stardom has been made a bit tough by pandemic measures in Japan, although restrictions are being eased.
AEW was the top destination many have had in mind for Storm. It looks like it could soon come to fruition.
Various wrestlers will be in town for WWE WrestleMania weekend and now that includes Shane McMahon. According to PWinsider, the son of Vince McMahon will be in Dallas, Texas.
As of this writing, it’s unclear whether McMahon will appear on the show, but he’s slated to be in town for the entire Wrestlemania weekend. McMahon hasn’t been seen on camera since the WWE Royal Rumble in January to set up his potential match with Seth Rollins at this year’s Wrestlemania.
Just two days after the Rumble, he was removed from the company’s creative plans that called for him to be a regular on Raw as a heel.
McMahon had been pushing to work Austin Theory at Wrestlemania with the idea playing out of Theory’s involvement with Vince. Other officials were pushing for the Shane vs. Rollins match at Mania.
McMahon was one of the Producers for the Men’s Royal Rumble match. It was reported there was a lot of heat on Shane for the way he acted backstage regarding the bout and trying to put himself over instead of the other wrestlers. McMahon was upset that “he wasn’t being allowed to do what he wanted.”
The belief was Shane receiving the brunt of the heat for the poor reception to the Men’s Rumble match as many considered it to be lackluster. Once the heat blew over then he would be brought back.
Despite reports going around that indicate Kevin Owens and Stone Cold Steve Austin are slated for the main event of WrestleMania 38, Ronda Rousey has indicated that she will be main eventing one of the two nights for the event this weekend.
We already know that Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar will main event night number two. The question revolves around who will be in the final slot for night number one.
Originally, it was assumed that either Flair/Rousey or Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair would main event night one. Last year, a male match headlined one night and a female match the other. However, the reports about Owens/Austin had seemingly put those assumptions to rest.
But then Rousey appeared on the Ellen show on Tuesday and addressed this weekend’s WrestleMania 38 show.
“I’m going to be in the main event for the second time. I was part of the first main event with women, this is the third. It’s becoming almost something that doesn’t even need to be mentioned anymore, which is the goal,” Rousey said. (h/t Fightful)
This could be semantics as the Austin/Owens segment is not an advertised “match.” Will Rousey and Flair be the final official match on the card, and then perhaps we see the KO Show segment come out and close the show? We’ll have to wait and see. Under that scenario, we’d observe Flair/Rousey to be the final actual match on the night one card.
Here are the cards for both nights of WrestleMania 38 this weekend as things stand right now:
Night One
WWE RAW Women’s Championship Match Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
The Miz and Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match The Usos (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
Seth Rollins vs. An Opponent of Vince McMahon’s Choosing
KO Show Featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin
Night Two
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match Queen Zelina and Carmella (c) vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shayna Baszler
Anything Goes Match Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match RK-Bro (c) vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy
Edge vs. AJ Styles
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos
WWE Championship vs. WWE Universal Championship – Winner Take All Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (c)
As you prepare for WrestleMania, be sure to 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.
Sasha Banks made history with Bianca Belair when they closed WrestleMania 37 in the main event. It was the second time WrestleMania was headlined by women, but the first time two black women were in the main event.
Sasha Banks has had a great year career-wise, as she not only did well in the ring but outside the ring, she landed a role in Disney+’s The Mandalorian as Koska Reeves.
Sasha Banks, real name Mercedes Varnado, thinks that just like The Rock and John Cena, who achieved everything they could in the ring and then went on to have successful acting careers, she could do the same. Banks said that wrestling for WWE already prepared her for acting and it was super easy for her to transition to acting.
“Wrestling is acting. It’s SNL. We are live, doing things on the fly,” Banks told The Athletic in a recent interview. “Sometimes we get handed a script five minutes before we go out there, and you can’t memorize it right when it’s handed to you. We’re performing these things off the cuff and feeling. When it came to ‘The Mandalorian’ and transitioning from WWE, it was honestly so easy. Sometimes they would make changes on the fly and I wouldn’t stress, because Vince (McMahon) does that to me every week.”
Banks was asked if she sees herself having an acting career just like other wrestlers before her.
“I think I can in such a different way,” “I see The Rock as maybe the biggest global superstar, and John Cena is coming right behind him. It would be cool to see a woman step into that level. I think with Sasha Banks and Mercedes Varnado right there, I think the stars are aligned for me.”
Banks is proud of the hard work that she has put in ever since she was a kid. She is glad that women’s wrestling is being taken seriously now and hopes that people think women’s wrestling is the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.
“This universe keeps giving me so much more. It’s so cool that my hard work since I was a kid is paying off. Women’s wrestling, something I wanted forever, it’s being taken seriously. I never want that to change. I want it to be something people look to and think it’s the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.”
Sasha Banks is eyeing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and will face champions Queen Zelina and Carmella in a fatal four-way tag team match alongside the teams of Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan and Natalya & Shayna Baszler on night 2 of WrestleMania 38 on April 3.
Johnny Knoxville will face Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match at WrestleMania 38. Celebrities appearing on wrestling shows are seldom taken seriously by fans, and Knoxville wants to avoid that. The Jackass co-creator wants fans to know that he’s actually serious about wrestling and respects it.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Knoxville talked about this and said that he’s greatful how wrestling fans have accepted him. He hopes fans can see legitimacy when it comes to him performing in the ring.
“I heard that the wrestling fans don’t react to all the celebrities and I’m just so grateful that they have accepted me. Maybe it has something to do with what I do for a living, as far as the stunts in Jackass are concerned. So, hopefully, there’s a legitimacy there with me being in the ring. But I don’t know. Hopefully, they know I’m committed to this and taking it very seriously; training a lot and talking s–t about Sami Zayn whenever I can. It’s grown to be my favorite pastime. Have you ever met him?”
In storyline, Knoxville has been after Sami Zayn for months, going as far as to costing Zayn the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Thanks to Knoxville’s interference, Zayn would lose the title to Ricochet on the March 4 episode of SmackDown.
Sami Zayn, on the other hand, has said that he would like to test Knoxville’s pain threshold but apart from that, he’s not going to match him in the ring when it comes to wrestling. “On the one hand, yeah, I get to test that pain threshold of his, which he’s famous for. But on the other hand, if it’s straight up wrestling I don’t think anybody expects him to be able to hang with me.
“But the fact that it’s anything goes might open the door to some of the stuff he’s good at, which is the gags and the pranks and the weapons and whatever else it is….I think this whole thing has been a lot of fun, certainly for me.
“I hope it’s been fun for the audience as well, because we’ve gotten to build the match in some very unique and orthodox ways that you just don’t get to do with another WWE superstar. We’ve gotten to do some really outside the box, unconventional and fun things to build this match.”
Knoxville entered the 2022 Royal Rumble at number 9 and was eliminated by Zayn. His entry was confirmed on the prior episode of SmackDown which also started his feud with Zayn. After weeks of challenges and back and forths, Zayn challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania 38 which Knoxville accepted.
Kevin Owens has a very special moment coming up at WrestleMania 38 as he steps in the ring with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It happened when after weeks of disrespecting the “Texas Rattlesnake”, Owens invited him to be a special guest on the KO Show at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
To further taunt Stone Cold, Owens impersonated him on the March 21st episode of Raw by wearing his signature attire and bald cap. Owens recently appeared on ESPN’s DC & RC, where he said that he loves to piss off Stone Cold fans with his impersonations.
“You know, it’s really funny because that’s really not the kind of stuff I’m used to doing. Like that’s happened before right, where one of the wrestlers would dress up as someone else, one of their rivals, whatever. Like, The Miz did it a few years ago, DX have done it, a couple of people have done it and done it pretty well but it felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone a little. I figured that was the most impactful thing I could do going into this match or this confrontation, whatever you wanna call it and it ended up being a lot of fun. I think I pissed a lot of people off which was delightful.”
Kevin Owens was also asked how does it feel to be imitating Stone Cold as one of his biggest fans. He was also asked if he ever thought it would lead to him facing his idol when he started doing the Stunner and what makes him ready to face his icon.
“Yeah, it’s really unreal to find myself in this position. But what’s funny is, I gotta tell you when I first asked him if I could use the Stunner as my finishing move and he gave me a blessing, it meant a lot to me personally and professionally coming from him, Owens said. “I looked up to him for the longest time. But I did figure that, if at some point, he was to come back, the logic would be that he’d be involved with the guy that’s doing the Stunner. I think I played the long game here a little bit and it worked out in my favor. “
As Gargano left NXT just before its reboot as NXT 2.0, fans have speculated that Gargano left the company because NXT went through a change that hasn’t been welcomed warmly.
To make things clear, Gargano talked about the reason he left WWE while guesting on Renee Paquette’s podcast The Sessions. Gargano said that his departure had nothing to do with 2.0, and he left because he felt his character started getting stale.
“I kind of made my mind up a year in advance that this was going to be my last,” Johnny Gargano told Renee Paquette (via WrestlingInc). “Like people said ‘Johnny left because NXT changed,’ no, I kind of had it in my mind. I wasn’t leaving to go to any particular place, I kind of just felt like I needed to go because if you watch a TV show or anything in general and you see the same character, obviously I changed character, but if you see the same person on TV for 5 years, 6 years, it gets stale.”
“I believe that being off TV and being away makes people miss you and I think people have to have a chance to miss you and if they don’t, they don’t really care in general.”
Since Gargano left, he hasn’t appeared anywhere. Recently, he announced that he will make his first public appearance outside of WWE at the annual WrestleCon convention during WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, Texas.
Johnny Gargano teamed up with Tommaso Ciampa to form the tag team DIY in NXT. They won the NXT Tag Team Championships once in their stint. They both also feuded with each other, with the storyline earning a lot of praise from both fans and critics alike. Gargano also won the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship a record three times, making him the first-ever NXT Triple Crown winner. The only other person to accomplish this feat is Adam Cole, who is also not with the WWE anymore.
“What happened is the timing of that is sometimes forgotten. You’re referring to the electric chair segment which was a totally unscripted segment. The timing of that segment was very interesting because it was the next day after AEW had just had their first-ever pay-per-view. It was a very hot topic at the time. It was hot off the heels of their first pay-per-view and it was hot off the announcement that AEW was going to be a company.
“It was so new and so fresh and we felt that it was going to be on everybody’s minds. I felt like it was bound to come up, and it kind of weirdly didn’t. At that point in the segment, some of the questions I thought would’ve been a lot more provocative because it was unscripted. While I was out there, I felt like a lot of the questions were a bit flat. Me using my judgment, I figured this needed some pizzazz, so I brought it up myself.”
Zayn admitted that his AEW line wasn’t provoked by any of the fans. He simply went with his instincts. The former NXT Champion expressed his belief that his hunch was correct since people still talk about it today.
Pat McAfee is set to compete at WrestleMania 38, as revealed by Vince McMahon when he appeared on his show this month. McAfee will face Austin Theory, and he talked about this match and more when he appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio this week.
McAfee hyped up his match against Theory and also discussed creative freedom in WWE. McAfee said that he has a good relationship with a producer at the company, who has been in the business for a long time. McAfee said that even though he and the producer are opposites, he always made sure to say hello to him because he has enjoyed his work as a fan. McAfee then further talked about creative freedom saying that it isn’t as bad as people outside WWE make it out to be.
“For a couple of years now, I’ve gotten a chance to chat with said producer. I think he understands me pretty good,” Pat McAfee said (via Fightful). “Austin Theory, he’s just going to get his ass beat. There hasn’t been anything yet in this entire WWE existence that I’ve said, ‘Hey, we should try this’ that has been completely ruled out. There has been a couple things that I have brought to the forefront and said, ‘This would be cool,’ and I’ve been told, ‘that might be happening…we have to dance around.’ Cool, I completely understand. I feel like the creative and conversation get pooped on a lot outside of WWE. Going in, I assumed that everything was going to be impossible.”
McAfee added that he is a creative person and therefore his ideas are also good when he puts them forward. McAfee essentially made the point that people who cry about not getting creative freedom in WWE were just pitching bad ideas. McAfee also said that freedom has to be earned and it’s not just handed to you.
“I thought I was going in there and it was going to be tooth and nail trying to get everything done. I haven’t experienced that at all. I know other people haven’t had the exact same results, but I’m also not 100% sure that people have what I’m bringing to the table as well. That gets lost in a lot of the conversation. If you don’t like what’s going on, you can leave. I did that to the NFL, I did that to Barstool, a couple different places. Freedom is something you earn, it’s not something you’re given. I’m very fortunate to be at that particular spot. The people I’m working with for this match are awesome. We’re going to put together a classic, we’re going to try out best at least, to do WrestleMania some respect.”
Pat McAfee will face Austin Theory on Night Two of WrestleMania 38 on April 3. After Vince McMahon personally invited McAfee to compete at WrestleMania, Theory belittled the SmackDown commentator just one night later. McAfee has competed on NXT, with his most memorable appearance being at NXT TakeOver WarGames 2020. Other matches on the same night include WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Winner Takes All match to unify the titles, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos, Edge vs. AJ Styles, and Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn among others.
Back in January, Mexico’s AAA promotion announced the company would be holding three TripleMania events this year to commemorate its 30-year anniversary:
April 30th (Monterrey)
June 18th (Tijuana)
October 15th (Mexico City)
A press conference on Tuesday where it was revealed that Matt and Jeff Hardy will face Dragon Lee & Dralistico at Triplemania Tijuana.
This will be the Hardys’ first match under the AAA banner. The decorated tag team has only worked in Mexico during their time with WWE.
The Hardys are not the only AEW tag team working for AAA this year. Former AEW tag champions The Young Bucks will face Rey Fenix and AAA Mega Champion Hijo del Vikingo at Triplemania Monterrey next month.
