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Roman Reigns On If He Has COVID-19 Concerns With Fans Attending WrestleMania

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Roman Reigns pulled out of his Universal Championship match at last year’s edition of WrestleMania due to COVID-19 concerns. This sudden decision led to a big change of plans with Braun Strowman replacing the Big Dog and defeating Goldberg for the Universal title.

The former Shield member is once again scheduled to be a part of the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania this year. Though this time, he is the one who is defending the title. During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Reigns was asked if he is worried about coronavirus with fans being allowed back at the show this year and he replied negatively:

“No, I think with all the safety protocols that we’ve established since I came back, with all the precautions that we take to make sure I’m isolated to where I’m not heavily interacting with anyone outside of the people that I’m actually in the ring with, all the way to the weekly testing, I don’t think WrestleMania is going to be any different. You know, our safety precautions are second to none.”

Roman Reigns Explains WrestleMania Security Protocols

Roman Reigns then talked all the different security protocols that have been established to ensure the safety of the talent and fans. He mentioned how fans will be in pods and masks would be mandatory for the people in attendance, before claiming that they are trying to create the safest environment for everybody:

“We’ll have the pods to create the social distancing, and masks will be required. We will be giving out masks for those who are forgetful. We’ll have, I believe, cashless concessions, so we’re going to create an opportunity where everybody’s gonna be as safe as they could be… all the way from going to the grocery store to sitting on their couch at home, we’re trying to create that level of safety for everybody. We’re also trying to create an atmosphere and an experience that they’ll never forget.”

Roman Reigns was also asked if he still gets excited for WrestleMania after competing in a number of Manias in the past decade and he said that he enjoys every performance. The Universal champion claimed that it is going to be really cool to get some normalcy back with fans in attendance. The Tribal Chief will be defending his championship against Daniel Bryan and Edge in the main event of WrestleMania 37 on night two of the show.

Hulk Hogan On Who Should Win The World Title Matches At WrestleMania

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The upcoming WrestleMania event will feature a number of title matches and the wrestling veteran Hulk Hogan has revealed who he would like to win two of the biggest championship bouts at the Show Of Shows.

The Hulkster recently appeared on WWE After the Bell with Corey Graves where he talked about things such as his career, his catchphrases, and more.

Talking about the big matches at the upcoming event, Hogan revealed which star he would like to win the WWE championship match between Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre:

“Bobby, his accolades are a mile long, he’s the real deal brother, he’s a real badass. I’m really hooked on Drew McIntyre. Something about his presence, something about his intensity, he loves this business and I’ve been in his corner since day one so I’m really hoping that Drew steps up and things go his way.”

The former world champion also discussed the triple threat Universal championship match among Edge, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. Hulk Hogan said that he would like The Rated R Superstar to win the bout:

“As far as the other main event, they turned that into a three-way so that’s kind of like ‘Jump Ball’ time. It’s going to be pretty crazy but Edge has made a heck of a showing as of late. He looks like he’s really hungry and in my opinion, I’d love to see it go Edge’s way.

Nothing from Daniel or Roman Reign’s, Roman I’ve been following since he’s a kid, I know he is intense, but for some reason when I saw Edge standing over both those guys with a chair he looks like a bad, dangerous guy right now.”

Hulk Hogan will not only be hosting WrestleMania alongside Titus O’Neil, but he will also become a two times WWE Hall Of Famer during the WrestleMania weekend when he will get inducted as part of the nWo.

Carmella Believes There Should Be More Women’s Matches On WrestleMania

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WWE has announced a total of 12 matches for WrestleMania 37 so far. However, only two of them are women’s matches and Carmella is not happy about this.

The former SmackDown women’s champion appeared on the latest episode of The Bump where she talked about things such as who would be a good tag team partner for her and more.

While talking about the upcoming big event, Carmella mentioned how there are only two women’s matches that have been announced for the show. She said that she wants more women to be featured on the event:

“As of right now there’s only two women’s matches announced. I want there to be another women’s matches, I think there should be more women on the show. The women are where it’s at. We are taking over.

As happy as I am for Asuka and Rhea and Bianca and Sasha; I’m very excited for Sasha and Bianca. But I just, I feel there should be more women involved. We’ve worked very hard. And we didn’t come just to only come this far. Even if it’s not myself. I’d love to be involved in WrestleMania. But either way, I want to see more women on this show.”

WWE does have plan for two more women’s matches to be added to the WrestleMania card. According to reports, they plan to hold a #1 contenders match for the women’s tag team titles on night one of the show. The winners will then challenge the champions on night two of the event.

Apart from Carmella, the episode of The Bump also featured stars such as The New Day, Trish Stratus and Mick Foley. You can check out the full episode on YouTube.

Details On Triple H’s Backstage Talent Meeting Before NXT

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Triple H held a backstage meeting before this past Wednesday’s episode of NXT to address the upcoming changes in the brand’s airing schedule.

According to reports from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the focus of the meeting was the show’s move to Tuesday nights and it started with a reflection of the brand’s evolution since its inception.

Trriple H mentioned how the Black and Yellow brand has come a long way from being a small brand that sold out a show during the WrestleMania weekend to becoming one of the top brands in the company.

The move to Tuesday nights was sold as a good thing for the brand because they will have the lead-in from Raw on Mondays. It was said that everything is going to change now that the brand has its own night.

Triple H revealed that the change of nights has been in the works for some time. He noted that the USA Network first considered this change as far as a year back.

The Game also said that he hopes people will focus more on the show now rather than being worried about the viewership and TV ratings of NXT.

The first night of the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver will be the final NXT episode on Wednesday nights and the show will start airing on Tuesday nights from April 13, following WrestleMania 37.

Paige Provides Update On Her Health

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Paige recently made an appearance on the Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast where the former champion discussed a number of things and talked about her WWE career in detail.

In light of the recent in-ring return of Daniel Bryan and Edge, many wonder if Paige could make a surprise comeback sometimes in the future as well.

Discussing her health, the former SmackDown General Manager provided an update on her situation and revealed that she does not have any issue with her neck right now:

“I haven’t had any issues with my neck right now. Sometimes I’ll wake up, and it’s funny, you know, it feels weird, but it’ll go away, I’m going to get my neck checked very soon to see the progress of it.

Hopefully, it looks good. I’m not saying in any way, shape, or form they’re going to let me come back; it’s literally just a checkup. But I am intrigued to see how my neck has progressed, for sure.”

Later in the interview, Paige revealed that the possibility of making a comeback also scares her because the thought of suffering an injury and getting paralyzed still lurks in the back of her head.

Paige suffered a neck injury during a house show in December 2017, forcing her to retire from active competition at the young age of 25.

Andre The Giant Battle Royal And More Announced For WrestleMania Edition SmackDown

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WWE has announced that the April 9 episode of SmackDown will be a special WrestleMania edition of the show and the company has confirmed a couple of big matches for the event. The first big announcement the company has made for the show is the addition of the traditional Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal which is usually contested at the Show Of Shows itself.

They have also revealed several participants for the bout and the confirmed names for the battle royal include Akira Tozawa, Angel Garza, Cedric Alexander, Drew Gulak, Elias, Erik, Gran Metalik, Humberto Carrillo, Jaxson Ryker, Jey Uso, Kalisto, King Corbin, Lince Dorado, MACE, Murphy, Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura, SLAPJACK, T-Bar and Tucker.

Though this is not the only match and the promotion has announced a big fatal four way match for the SmackDown tag team championships that will be taking place at the show. The match will see current champions Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode defending the titles against The Street Profits, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, and Otis & Chad Gable.

The April 9 episode of SmackDown will be the WrestleMania go-home episode of the show before the two-night event taking place on April 10 and 11.

Britt Baker Addresses Critics Of AEW Women’s Division

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Britt Baker was the first female wrestler signed to AEW and claims to be the face of the division. She was recently interviewed by Wrestle Talk and spoke about the criticism that’s been given to AEW’s women’s division.

“I think it kind of speaks of our generation as a whole where we’re microwave babies. We want everything now. We don’t want to wait for stuff to cook, to marinade, we wanna walk over to the microwave, put my Hot Pocket in there, and eat it in two minutes, right? It doesn’t work like that in real life,” Baker said. “Things don’t happen overnight. There’s very rarely a success overnight. Things take time, so I feel like I’ve been a broken record on a lot of these interviews saying just give us time, we’re brand new.”

Baker also spoke about how the roster of the women’s division in AEW has little experience wrestling on television.

“Not only that, the women’s division especially has little to no TV experience. So we’re learning on the fly for your entertainment, so please be patient with us. I know we’re superstars, we’re rockstars, we’re supposed to be the best of the best, and we are going to be, and I am. But, with that being said, you need to have a little bit of freakin’ patience and if everyone would have listened to me from day one, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation because people wouldn’t have been bitching essentially.”

Britt Baker on AEW Women’s Division Getting More Time On Television

She also addressed critics who say that AEW’s women’s division isn’t getting enough time on television.

“(They’re saying we) deserve more, but it needs to be the right time and everybody needs to be ready for the opportunity as well,” Baker continued. “And a part of me is thankful for all the criticism because if we didn’t have it, I don’t think I would have had as much of a fire under my ass for this main event match. Because I love to say, ‘I told you so’, I’m a heel, but I love to prove people wrong. And we had so many eyes on the match because, let’s say it, some people probably wanted to see it fail, and it to not be main event worthy. Which is great, because if that’s why more people tuned in, we love you for it.”

The full interview featuring Britt Baker can be viewed in the player below:

https://youtu.be/1h5_88izT9A

AEW Factions Update: Who Is Aligned With Who?

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AEW has many factions currently active on its roster. Last night on Dynamite, several members of the Nightmare Family split off from the rest, adding another team to the mix. Below is an updated list of who is aligned with who in AEW.

Team Taz

Screen Shot 2021 04 01 at 12.49.14 PM

Updated list of Team Taz members:

  • Taz (manager/leader/mouthpiece)
  • Hook (Trainee/Taz’s son)
  • Brian Cage (seems like he might not be all that happy with his teammates)
  • Will “Powerhouse” Hobbs
  • Ricky Starks

The Inner Circle

AEW Dynamite Chris Jericho introduces The Inner Circle

Updated list of Inner Circle members:

  • Chris Jericho (Lead singer/Bubbly provider/Le Champion)
  • Sammy Guevara
  • Santana (Proud & Powerful)
  • Ortiz (Proud & Powerful)
  • Jake Hager

The Pinnacle

aew pinnacle 4

The founding members of The Pinnacle are:

  • Maxwell Jacob Friedman (Leader)
  • Shawn Spears
  • Wardlow
  • Dash Wilder (FTR)
  • Cash Wheeler (FTR)
  • Tully Blancard (Manager)

The Dark Order

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The current members of The Dark Order are:

  • Brodie Lee Jr. (-1)
  • Evil Uno (1)
  • Stu Grayson (2)
  • Alex Reynolds (3)
  • John Silver (4)
  • Alan Angels (5)
  • Colt Cabana (8)
  • Anna Jay (injured) (99)
  • Preston Vance (10)

Good friend: Adam “Hangman” Page
Good friend: Tay Conti

The Nightmare Family

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After the action of QT Marshall and his crew last night, the updated lineup for the Nightmare Family is below:

  • Cody Rhodes (EVP of AEW)
  • Dustin Rhodes
  • Brandi Rhodes (AEW CBO)
  • Arn Anderson (Manager)
  • Lee Johnson
  • Billy Gunn (Gunn Club)
  • Austin Gunn (Gunn Club)
  • Colten Gunn (Gunn Club)

QT Marshall’s Faction

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The following wrestlers took part in the beatdown of the Nightmare Family on Dynamite last night:

  • QT Marshall (Leader/Head Trainer)
  • Aaron Solow
  • Nick Comoroto
  • Anthony Ogogo

The Super Elite

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  • Kenny Omega (Leader/AEW World Champion/AEW EVP)
  • Don Callis (Impact executive)
  • Doc Gallows (Good Brothers)
  • Karl Anderson (Good Brothers)
  • Michael Nakazawa (Kenny’s best friend)

The Hardy Family Office

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  • Matt Hardy (Leader)
  • Isiah Kassidy (Private Party)
  • Marq Quen (Private Party)
  • The Butcher (The Butcher and the Blade)
  • Blade (The Butcher and the Blade)
  • The Bunny (The Butcher and the Blade)

AEW Trios & Smaller Factions

AEW also has several trios and smaller factions currently active.

The Best Friends

Screen Shot 2021 04 01 at 7.58.33 AM
  • Trent
  • Chuck Taylor
  • Orange Cassidy
  • Sue (Van Driver/Trent’s Mom)
  • Kris Statlander (May have aligned with the Best Friends last night. She’s, like, their alien friend)

The Pretty Picture

  • Peter Avalon
  • Cezar Bononi
  • Ryan Nemeth
  • JD Drake (aligned with Nemeth on Dark)

Death Triangle

Death Triangle in the ring
  • Pac
  • Penta El Zero M
  • Rey Fenix
  • Alex Abrahantes (enthusiastic translator)

Jurassic Express

jurassic
  • Jungle Boy
  • Luchasaurus
  • Marko Stunt

Impact Rating This Week Significantly Better Than Initial Reports

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It was reported by multiple sites yesterday that Impact Wrestling had drawn an abysmal rating this week of only 38,000 viewers. This was not the case, however. The show was actually up by tens of thousands of viewers from the previous week.

According to a report from PW Insider, the show did 148,512 viewers and a 0.04 in the 18-49 demographic. That is up from 116,000 the show did the week before. Impact typically draws a 0.04 rating in the key demo.

The show was headlined by James Storm vs Eric Young in Storm’s 1000th match for Impact/TNA. Kenny Omega and Don Callis were also back. The show moves to Thursday night beginning next week.

What Caused The Initial Reports Of An Abysmal Rating?

It should be noted that initial reports claimed Showbuzz Daily reported Impact’s number as being 38,000 viewers and a 0.01. This was not really reported on Showbuzz, however, that number was actually obtained from the comments section of that report. Despite this, multiple sites (not SEScoops) ran with the story that Impact’s rating had dropped to a truly abysmal number.

The reports were based on the below conversation:

Screen Shot 2021 04 01 at 11.29.58 AM

Hulk Hogan Praises Titus O’Neil & His Charity Work

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Hulk Hogan was Corey Graves’ guest this week on After the Bell. Hogan talked about hosting WrestleMania this year and his relationship with Titus O’Neil.

“To come back here to my hometown and to have Titus with me, hopefully the new Mayor of Florida, who knows? But to have Titus with me, we’re coming in wide open, guns a blazing, to show everybody that the Super Bowl was cool but WrestleMania is the greatest show in the world.”

Hogan would continue to say that hosting WrestleMania in Tampa “tops his career off.”

“These people they know my history,” Hogan said of the people in Tampa. “They know the good, and they know the bad. They know I’m just a normal guy here running around Tampa.”

Hogan would continue to praise Titus O’Neil’s charity work during the interview.

“He’s the bomb dot com,” Hogan said about Titus when asked.

“When I started working with the Boys Club again, through the WWE, I got to work hand-in-hand with Titus,” Hogan continued. “I mean, this brother is for real. There is no holes in his boat, there’s no agenda. He straight-up actually cares about these kids and these people.”

“I live here and this is 24/7. He’s not messing around, he works with the community, he works with the town, I mean he’s involved in every aspect of making life better in the Tampa Bay area. For me to live here and see the local news and see the stuff that he does, it’s just amazing. I wish we had about 10,000 more just like him, the world would be a much better place.”

D-Generation X Segment Removed From Peacock’s WWE Network

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Peacock has removed a segment featuring members of D-Generation X mocking the Nation of Domination from the WWE Network. The infamous segment from July 6th, 1998 featured members of DX dressed up as members of the Nation of Domination. In addition to dressing up as the members of the faction, blackface was also used. It has been removed from highlight packages from SummerSlam 98.

Peacock has also recently removed the Roddy Piper vs Bad News Brown match from WrestleMania VI. Piper painted half his body black for the match. A segment from the Survivor Series in 2005 featuring Vince McMahon using the N-word has also been removed.

WWE released the following statement to the New York Times regarding the removal of content from the Network.

“Peacock and WWE are reviewing all past content to ensure it fits our 2021 standards.”

Peacock released the below statement:

“[We are] reviewing WWE content to ensure it aligns with Peacock’s standards and practices.”

Lance Storm noted on Twitter that the changes to Peacock’s WWE Network also are taking place in the Canadian WWE Network.

https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/1375469441379495943?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375469441379495943%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Fwwe%2Fnews-wwe-comments-past-content-removed-peacock-wwe-network

MLW Never Say Never Results (3/31): Jacob Fatu vs Calvin Tankman

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Major League Wrestling presented a special branded episode of Fusion last night. The main event featured Jacob Fatu of Contra Unit defending his MLW World Championship against Calvin Tankman.

The full episode can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Never Say Never Quick Results:

  1. Jordan Oliver defeated Simon Gotch
  2. Myron Reed defeated Daivari
  3. MLW World Championship
    Jacob Fatu (c) defeated Calvin Tankman

Jordan Oliver defeats Simon Gotch

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1377399558427320325

Injustice’s Jordan Oliver picked up a win in the night’s opening contest over his rival from Contra Unit, Simon Gotch. These two factions have been feuding for some time now and with the win, Olliver put his faction in the lead.

Gotch got in some early submission attempts and had control initially but Oliver battled back. After having multiple springboard cutter attempts thwarted during the match, Oliver finally hit it on his 3rd try and got the 3-count.

It’s a big win for Oliver, who picks up a measure of revenge after dropping his title match against Fatu recently.

Further Dragongate Involvement in MLW Teased

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1377441092388356101

MLW is promoting that its relationship with the Dragongate promotion will continue into 2021. There have been rumors as of late that DAZN is hoping MLW and the Japanese promotion will throw a joint event in Hawaii. Hopefully, it will be much more organized than Tom Lawlor’s sketchy “Filthy Island” event.

Myron Reed Defeats Daivari

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1377403333376274434

The second match between Contra Unit and Injustice saw Myron Reed pick up a victory over Daivari. The crafty veteran from Contra Unit opted to focus on Reed’s leg and ankle in an attempt to gain the advantage. Reed was able to thwart off Daivari’s offense, however, and then deliver his own. He landed a cutter followed by a vest-assisted springboard 450 splash for the win. With that, Injustice has won the series vs Contra Unit but up next is the most important match of the night. Calvin Tankman has been loosely aligned with Injustice as of late and will attempt to defeat Jacob Fatu for the MLW title.

Gino Medina vs Richard Holliday For the Caribbean Championship – April 14th

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1377404990755602434

Alicia Atout hosted an interview with Gino Medina and Richard Holliday this week. Holliday and Medina can’t seem to agree on whether Medina was fired from the Dynasty or he quit. The two bicker for sometime, with Atout once complaining that Holliday wears too much cologne. Doesn’t seem like Holiday liked that.

Holiday and Medina will face each other on the April 14th show in what is now the second title match booked for that event.

Jacob Fatu Needs Contra Unit’s Help To Defeat Calvin Tankman

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1377409737206140928

Two big heavyweights clashed over the world title in the Never Say Never main event this week. While the champion has been used to much smaller opponents during his reign, he would not enjoy such an advantage in this title defence.

The finish of the match came as Tankman was ramping up the offence. He’d scored near falls after a backbreaker and a lariat. This caused Daivari to attempt to interfere but Tankman fought him off. With the referee’s attention diverted, however, Fatu hit Tankman with the Contra flag. He then went to the top and delivered his moonsault for the win.

Fatu retains his title yet again, but Tankman had him on the run, forcing him to resort to underhanded tactics to gain the victory.

Coming Up In MLW

MLW presents a classic episode next week but then presents a big show. After that, there are two title matches booked for the April 14th show.

MLW Fusion – April 14th

  • MLW National Openweight Championship
    Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs Mil Muertes
  • Caribbean Championship
    Richard Holiday (c) vs Gino Medina

Ethan Page On Having Creative Freedom In AEW

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Ethan Page is the newest addition to the AEW roster and the former Impact Wrestling star made his surprise debut for the promotion during the Revolution PPV last month.

The ‘All Ego’ appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vliet podcast after his debut where he talked about things such as his signing with the company and more.

Talking about the creative freedom the promotion is known for, Page said that he wants to be credited for his work before explaining how AEW allows their wrestlers to play the characters they want:

“There’s been so many instances where I did not have a say in my name, in my character, in the way I was represented or presented. And it’s amazing, now being in AEW, the creative freedom and I guess trust that they give their talent to kind of let them do what they want

And play the characters that they want. So I can fully now be the Ethan Page, the ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page that I’ve always wanted to be, so it’s cool.”

The Canadian star also mentioned how he has been wrestling for more than one and a half-decade after making his pro wrestling debut in 2006.

Apart from this, Ethan Page talked about things such as his family’s reaction to his AEW debut, a possible The North reunion and more. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Spoiler On Title Match At WrestleMania 37

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WWE has not announced a WrestleMania match for the women’s tag team championship so far but latest reports have revealed what the company is planning for the titles.

According to reports from PWinsider, the current plan is to hold a multi-team #1 contenders tag match featuring four or more teams on night one of the show.

Night two of the WrestleMania event will then see the winner of this multi team match challenging the current women’s tag team champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax for their titles.

WWE’s contract with Tropicana Field is coming to an end on April 2. The first Raw tapings at the Yuengling Center will be taking place on April 12.

In preparation of the move, the company taped the WrestleMania go home episode of Raw in advance and they set up the mentioned matches for the PPV during the episode.

While the participants for the #1 contenders match have not been revealed so far, based on the recent WWE programming Lana & Naomi, Tamina Snuka & Natalya, Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott, and Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke are some of the teams which could compete in the bout.

WrestleMania 37 will take place on April 10 and April 11 from Raymond James Stadium and it will be the first WWE event in over a year to feature live audience.

Edge Reacts To Christian Cage Joining AEW

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The AEW signing of Christian is a bittersweet deal for WWE fans. They will get to see him competing in many exciting matches on his new promotion but it also means that we will likely never see him having a reunion with Edge.

During his recent interview with Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, the Rated R Superstar talked about a number of things and also opened up about his best friend’s decision.

Edge claimed that he is not bummed by the former world champion’s call because he wants Christian to be happy and get the respect he deserves:

“You know, I’m not bummed. I want him to be happy, and I want him to get the respect that he deserves.

Because I’d like for him to get the on-air respect that the locker room shows him. Because if you ask anyone within our industry, he’s one of the names where people go, ‘Man, that dude.’”

The ultimate opportunist continued by saying that he wants his best friend to be able to go out on his own terms instead of being told by someone else that he was done with wrestling:

“I just want him to be wherever he’s going to get that respect. Because whatever the initials are, he’s my best friend. I want him to be happy, and I want him to be able to do hopefully what I get to do, which is go out on your own terms,

And see this thing through properly instead of just like, ‘You’re done.’ ‘Wait, what? I’m what?’ We’ve both been in that scenario. So I just want him to go wherever that’s gonna be.”

Edge also mentioned how they were a tag team only for two years during the Attitude Era and they have been singles competitors for way longer than that.

Walter On His NXT Future After Takeover: Stand & Deliver

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Walter made his return to NXT during the March 17 episode of the show last month. He has gotten engaged in a rivalry with Tommaso Ciampa which will lead to a match between the two at the upcoming NXT Takeover event.

Many have been wondering if the NXT UK champion will stay around after the show but the titleholder himself is suggesting that he is not gonna stick around.

Walter recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated where he was asked about his future with the brand after the upcoming event and he said that his commitment right now is NXT UK:

“My commitment right now is NXT UK. I am the NXT UK champion. Until that changes, I won’t think about the future. I’m very open to travel. That’s what wrestlers do. We’ll see what is going to happen,”

Walter Wants Finn Balor

Walter also commented on a potential match with the NXT champion Finn Balor. He first praised the prince and then revealed that the company actually had plans for a match between the two before the pandemic:

“We were supposed to wrestle before the pandemic started, but we got interrupted. It’s a match I would like to have. The circumstances, whether he is NXT champion or whether I will be NXT UK champion, I don’t know, but it is a match I would like to have happen.”

Walter will defend the NXT UK championship against Tommaso Ciampa on night 1 of NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver on USA Network.

Batista Calls Out WWE For Breaking Up The Hurt Business

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Batista is not happy with WWE’s decision to break up The Hurt Business.

Last week’s episode of Raw saw Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander losing a 2 on 1 handicap match to Drew McIntyre, barring them from the ringside for the WWE championship match at WrestleMania.

This week’s episode of the show then saw Lashley insulting the duo in a segment for not getting the job done. The WWE champion then said that the Hurt Business is over for the two.

The segment ended with the All-Mighty taking out the former tag team champions and commenting on this decision, Batista suggested that it was too early for the break up:

The Hurt Business storyline began in May last year when MVP aligned himself with the current WWE champion. The following months saw Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander joining the group.

Lashley went on to win the US championship after the formation of the group in August. Benjamin & Alexander then defeated the New Day to become the new Raw tag team champions in December.

However, they couldn’t keep the titles for long and lost them earlier in March. Lashley on the other hand became the WWE champion during the March 1 episode of Raw after dropping the US title the month prior.

What do you think about Batista’s comments about the decision to break up The Hurt Business? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

MLW Confirms Partnership With Dragon Gate Is Still Intact

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MLW has confirmed that their partnership with the Japanese wrestling promotion Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling is still intact despite the year-long halt due to coronavirus.

This partnership had been announced only a month before the pandemic began and both the companies haven’t been able to work together due to travel restrictions that had been put in place.

This year-long halt made many believe that we might not see the two promotions working together anymore but they have confirmed that this is not the case.

MLW aired a new vignette during their Never Say Never event and in the video package seen below they announced that “The gate from Japan has been opened to the Americas”

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/1377400816777183232?s=12

The company announced some championship matches for the April 14 episode of Fusion as well confirming that Alex Hammerstone will defend the National Openweight Championship against Mil Muertes.

It was also announced that Gino Medina will be challenging the IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Champion Richard Holliday for his title during the show.

More information on the alliance between MLW and Dragon Gate is expected to be revealed in near future. It will be interesting to see how this partnership materializes. Stay tuned for more information on the deal between the promotions.

AEW Dynamite Results (3/31): Arcade Anarchy Match, Inner Circle Attacks The Pinnacle

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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Christian Cage squared off against Frankie Kazarian in his debut AEW match. Miro and Kip Sabian teamed up to face Orange Cassidy and Trent in an Arcade Anarchy match in the main event.

Dynamite Results (3/31)

  1. Christian Cage def. Frankie Kazarian
  2. Cody vs. QT Marshall ended in a no contest
  3. Jon Moxley def. Cezar Bononi
  4. Kenny Omega & Good Brothers def. Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
  5. Nyla Rose & The Bunny def. Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti
  6. Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy def. Miro & Kip Sabian

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Christian Cage Won His Debut Match

Christian Cage battled Frankie Kazarian in the first match of the night. Cage controlled the match early and hit a shoulder tackle. Christian applied a Headlock but Frankie broke free with an elbow to the face that sent Cage out of the ring.

Frankie connected with a Leg Drop as Christian rolled back into the ring. Christian hit a Tornado DDT off the middle turnbuckle for a two count. Cage followed it up with a reverse DDT and made his way to the top rope.

Cage went for a Splash but Kazarian got out of the way at the last moment. Frankie went for a submission but Christian was able to reach the bottom rope. Kazarian and Christian then battled to the top rope.

Frankie headbutted Christian and hit a Spanish Fly from the top for a near fall. Christian battled back and hit a Splash off the top rope for another near fall. Cage then finally connected with the Killswitch for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: Christian did well tonight and it is hard to believe that this was his first singles match in 7 years. Kazarian was a great choice to work with him and the match was given a good amount of time.

QT Marshall Attacked Cody

QT Marshall faced Cody Rhodes in an Exhibition match tonight on Dynamite. Arn Anderson was the special guest referee for the match. Cody toyed with QT early and hit him with a couple Arm Drags. QT responded with a Dropkick and then focused his attack on Cody’s injured shoulder.

Cody took control and had a clear opportunity to hit Cross Rhodes but opted not to. QT got pissed off and slapped Cody in the face. Marshall went for a Crossbody but Cody got out of the way. QT tumbled out of the ring and Cody held open the ropes for him. Marshall got into the ring and attacked Arn Anderson to end the match.

After the match, the Nightmare Family students attacked their mentors. Aaron Solow bashed Dustin Rhodes with a chair as Anthony Ogogo and Nick Comoroto joined in on the beat down. QT Marshall planted Dustin Rhodes with a Piledriver on the steel steps. Marshall was about to hit Cody over the head with a steel chair but Red Velvet pleaded with him to stop. Marshall put the chair down and left the ring.

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Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky Are A Team

Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page cut a promo tonight and appear to be a new tag team. Sky and Page will face Matt and Mike Sydal this Monday night on AEW Dark: Elevation.

Jade Cargill Attacked Red Velvet

Jade Cargill cut a promo on Red Velvet during tonight’s show. Jade claimed that Red Velvet was afraid before they got into the ring. Cargill added that she looks like money and is already making money for Tony Khan. Jade said that Red Velvet will never beat her in the ring. Later on Dynamite, Red Velvet was interviewed backstage but Jade attacked her from behind.

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Jon Moxley def. Cezar Bononi

Jon Moxley faced Cezar Bononi tonight on Dynamite. Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake were ringside for the match. Moxley took Bononi down with a Dragon Screw and followed it up with some kicks to the chest. Nemeth tripped Jon up and Cezar capitalized with a Suplex for a two count.

Moxley perched Bononi up on the middle turnbuckle and planted him with a Superplex for a two count. Nemeth tried to interfere again but Moxley hit him with the Paradigm Shift. Moxley then choked out Bononi for the victory.

Inner Circle Got Revenge On The Pinnacle

The Pinnacle had now taken over Inner Circle’s old dressing room and MJF had a gift for the group. MJF introduced The Pinnacle’s own personal stylist and that an interior decorator will be coming by to clean up the bathroom.

Inner Circle showed up and attacked The Pinnacle. Sammy slammed the door on Shawn Spears’ head as Hager and Wardlow battled with each other. Hager slammed Wardlow through a table as Santana & Ortiz beat Cash down. Jericho brought MJF to the toilet and shoved his face in it. Le Champion hurled MJF through a vending machine door before pouring A Little Bit of the Bubbly on him. Jericho then said “this is our dressing room, bitch” to end the segment.

Don Callis Humiliated Matt Jackson

Alex Marvez was about to interview AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks but Don Callis interrupted. Callis told Nick and Alex to leave and got in Matt’s face. Callis said that Matt broke Kenny Omega’s heart and he chose AEW because of the Young Bucks. Callis suggested that Matt is just in it for the money now and is dead inside. Callis slapped Matt in the face but he didn’t do anything. Callis called Matt pathetic to end the promo.

Omega & Good Brothers Picked Up A Win

Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid faced Kenny Omega and Good Brothers tonight. Omega and Good Brothers were attacked during their entrance and Fenix flipped onto them. Callis joined commentary for the match. Laredo Kid connected with a Moonsault off the bottom and then the middle turnbuckle for a near fall in an awesome sequence.

Gallows tagged in and beat Laredo Kid down. Omega and Good Brothers then hit Laredo Kid with three Splashes but couldn’t keep him down. Kid hit a DDT and tagged in Pentagon Jr. Penta connected with a Slingblade on Karl Anderson and followed it up with one on Kenny Omega.

Good Brothers hit Penta with the Magic Killer but Fenix was able to break up the cover. Karl planted Fenix with a Spinebuster and went for the cover but Laredo Kid broke it up with a Splash off the top turnbuckle. Omega caught Laredo Kid with a V-Trigger for a near fall.

Omega went for the One Winged Angel but Laredo Kid countered with a Hurricanrana that sent the AEW Champion to the outside. Kid crashed and burned after going for a Suicide Dive as Pentagon hit a Senton onto the Good Brothers.

Back in the ring, Laredo Kid hit Omega with an Enziguri and followed it up with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Laredo Kid went for a Phoenix Splash but Omega was ready and hit the V-Trigger. Omega followed it up with the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. After the match, Moxley and The Young Bucks made their way to the ring but Omega & Good Brothers retreated.

Nyla Rose & The Bunny def. Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti

Nyla Rose & The Bunny faced Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida tonight. Matt Hardy’s group and Dark Order were ringside for the match. Rose hit Shida with a Powerslam and a Leg Drop early but the AEW Women’s Champion kicked out at one.

The Bunny tagged in and Shida applied an Armbar. Matt Hardy distracted Shida and Nyla capitalized with a cheap shot. Conti finally was able to tag in and she knocked Nyla off the apron.

Tay hit Bunny with a knee to the face and followed it up with a Backbearker outside the ring. Dark Order and Matt Hardy’s group started brawling as Shida hit Rose with a Running Knee. Bunny hit Tay with a kendo stick as Vickie Guerrero distracted the referee. Bunny connected with Down the Rabbit Hole (Elbow Drop) for the pinfall victory.

Trent & Kris Statlander Returned

Miro & Kip Sabian faced Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor in an Arcade Anarchy match. There were various games scattered around the ringside area for the match and the prizes were weapons.

Orange Cassidy sent Sabian through a Whack-A-Mole machine and then hit him with the mallet. Miro grabbed the mallet and hit Cassidy a few times. Miro set up a chair in the corner of the ring and sent Cassidy flying onto it.

Taylor attacked Miro and sent him into the ring post. Cassidy hit Miro with a trash can lid to the face and Chuck beat Miro down with a kendo stick. Kip got back in the action and delivered a German Suplex to Trent on the floor.

Chuck sent Kip into a machine and poured legos all over the ring. Kip Powerbombed him onto the legos but Cassidy broke up the cover. Penelope Ford hit Cassidy with a low blow but Kris Statlander made her return and popped out of a machine. Statlander then attacked Ford and hit a Falcon Arrow through an air hockey table.

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Trent then pulled up to Daily’s Place with Sue. Best Friends beat Miro down but he battled back. Miro got on top of Sue’s van and Trent dragged him down. Trent bashed Miro in the head with a chair and Speared him through a table. Chuck Taylor hit Sabian with a Running Powerslam through a stack of tables for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: AEW put on another solid of Dynamite this week. It is great to see both Trent and Kris Statlander back in action. I really hope that this feud is over and Miro onto something better. This match was fun but the rest of the storyline was awful.

WWE NXT Results (3/31): Battle Royal, TakeOver Go-Home Show

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The March 31, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Cameron Grimes def. Roderick Strong.
  • Santos Escobar def. Tyler Breeze
  • The Way def. two jobbers
  • Raquel Gonzalez def. Zoey Stark.
  • Tian Sha def. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
  • LA Knight wins Battle Royal

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

New Title Match

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The Way (Candice LeRae and indie Heartwell) beat two jobbers in a quick match. After the bout, LeRae cut a very good promo about how she deserves to be a champion and that they are coming after the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Thus, they’ll do it their way and at TakeOver. 

Thus, an official challenge to the current champions Ember moon and Shotzi Blackheart. Fast forward a few seconds, Moon and Blackheart came out on a tank. Shotzi questioned LeRae for thinking they should have the titles. They called them crazy and accepted the challenge. They promised to win the match. Blackheart shot something out of her tank and then rolled to the back. 

Final Build

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With this being the go-home edition of NXT for next week’s TakeOver special, you know WWE would want to hit home the main event of the second night hard. Of course, the second night will be headlined by Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against Karrion Kross. 

So what did WWE do on this show? In the first hour, we had a video that aired of Kross training and talking about what he was doing to prepare for the match. Scarlett changed up her look by having a different hair style. Kross said that Balor’s gameplan was to outlast him, but time isn’t on his side. 

The second hour saw Balor cut a video package while a video of him working out. He said that his stamina has always been his strength and the longer it goes, he will drown Kross in the deep water. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1377420248270262272

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Zoey Stark

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Raquel Gonzalez vs. Zoey Stark in a singles match took place. The back and forth match ended with Raquel winning with her finisher. Raquel gets better and better while Stark, who the company is behind, continues to drop losses for whatever reason. 

Post-match, Io came out and brawled with Raquel, but the heel managed to stand tall by sending Io into the barricade. 

Just last week, Gonzalez & Dakota Kai defeated Shirai & Stark in a tag team match when Raquel got the pinfall victory by pinning Stark. Post-match, Gonzalez attacked Shirai and slammed her onto the announce table.

Shirai vs. Gonzalez for the NXT Women’s Championship will be the main event of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.

Prime Target

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WWE has filmed various angles for the feud between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly over the past few weeks. The two stars are slated to work an unsanctioned match at the upcoming TakeOver special. 

Instead of doing another angle, the company decided to air a Prime Target segment, which is basically a long video package, to further promote the match. 

It all started at the last TakeOver special when Cole turned on O’Reilly. Since then, the Undisputed Era has broken up. 

Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes

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Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes took place in a singles match. 

The match opened the show. It had a back and forth style with some near falls towards the end. In the end, it was Grimes winning after he distracted Strong by dropping an Undisputed Era armband and hitting a double foot stomp. 

WWE set up this bout on last week’s show when there was a backstage segment where Strong punched Grimes. This came after Grimes had come up to Strong and wanted to buy Undisputed Era’s intellectual property.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1377414768147976193

Battle Royal

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Dexter Lumis, Bronson Reed, Pete Dunne, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, Kushida, Austin Theory, LA Knight, Tyler Rust, and Jake Atlas in a battle royal took place. The way the match worked was the final six wrestlers in the battle royal advancing to a Gauntlet Eliminator match that’s taking place at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.

Reed did some damage with a few different eliminations. They did a spot where Theory saved himself from being eliminated, but did a kip-up and landed on his feet. Thus, an elimination.  Kushida and Dunne were the final two eliminations. 

As a result, the final six competitors are Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, and LA Knight. The winner of the match was Knight, who will enter Gauntlet Eliminator last. 

The Gauntlet Eliminator match will start with two wrestlers in the ring and every three minutes, a new wrestler was added. Eliminations occurred via pinfall or submission.

WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Updated Card – New Matches Set

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Three new matches have been confirmed for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver special on Wednesday, April 7th (airing on USA Network) and Thursday, April 8th. 

WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell was booked. There’s no word yet on which nights the match will air. 

Also, Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, and LA Knight will battle it out in the Gauntlet Eliminator on Night 1 with the winner then challenging Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Title the following night. Finally, Pete Dunne vs. Kushida, who both worked battle royal to determine the six names above, will take place.

WWE has also confirmed the first night of the special will be simulcast live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else at the same time as it’s airing on the USA Network.

Updated WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Card

WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez (Night 1 headliner)

MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma – Vacant NXT Tag Team Titles (Night 1)

WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa (Night 1)

Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, and LA Knight – Gauntlet Eliminator Match (Night 1)

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida (Night 1)

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross (Night 2 headliner)

Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin – WWE Cruiserweight Title Unification Ladder Match (Night 2)

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Unsanctioned Match (Night 2)

WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Gauntlet Eliminator Winner (Night 2)

WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell (night TBA)

Christian Cage Wins His AEW Dynamite In-Ring Debut

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Christian Cage made his highly anticipated in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. 

The former WWE star battled Frankie Kazarian in a singles match from  Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place during the opening segment. The bout had a slow-building start with Kaz working as the heel. In the end, Cage made a comeback and won the match with his killswitch finisher. 

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All Elite Wrestling set up this contest last week in a backstage segment where Cage was confronted by SCU member, who asked Cage when the “work” portion of his catchphrase was going to become a reality. This led to Cage telling him that while he planned to wrestle the following week, he didn’t have an opponent so Kaz offered to fill that spot and the contest was made official. 

Christian had been retired due to a history of suffering concussions. The process of him returning began after last summer’s unsanctioned “match” with Randy Orton on an episode of Raw. 

At the time, Christian was on a list where he was banned from doing anything physical on television. Cage went to the University of South Florida Concussion Center to see where he was at and whether he could return to in-ring action.

He was eventually cleared and made his return to action this past January at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view where he worked the men’s rumble match. He didn’t come to terms on a deal with WWE so he talked with AEW President Tony Khan and the two agreed to a multi-year deal. He made his promotional debut at the Revolution pay-per-view event earlier this month. 

WWE Wrestler Has Quietly Retired

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The WWE Performance Center YouTube channel released a new video that looks at Brian Kendrick’s work for the company outside the ring. During it, it was revealed that Kendrick has retired as an in-ring performer for WWE. 

Kendrick has been working as a Producer for the 205 Live brand in recent months. He started out his pro wrestling career by being trained by Shawn Michaels and Rudy Boy Gonzalez and got his start by going by the name, Spanky. He signed a WWE developmental deal where he went to work for Memphis Championship Wrestling. It didn’t work out at the time so he was released and then became a top star in Ring of Honor in addition to his work in Japan’s ZERO-ONE.   

Kendrick had several stints with WWE over the years. He most notably had a run with Paul London as the WWE Tag Team Champions and Ezekiel Jackson as his partner. He also spent time in TNA Wrestling. When WWE did the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, he returned to be part of the revived division.

He’s helped train various wrestlers including Eva Marie at his school in California. His last match came on the October 28th edition of 205 Live where he worked a tag team bout. 

Bella Twins Were Only Given 5 Minutes For WWE HOF Speech

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The Bella Twins were met with an unpleasant surprise at Tuesday’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony tapings.

Nikki and Brie discussed their experience at this year’ Hall of Fame ceremony on the latest episode of their Bellas Podcast. According to the Bellas, they prepared a speech that was set to run approximately 15 minutes, since that is what they are used to seeing from previous induction speeches. When they arrived at the event, they were caught off guard when WWE told them they were given only 3-5 minutes to speak.

“We had a speech written, but then we realized it was too long because we’re only allowed to do our speech for three to five minutes,” said Brie. “We wrote a 15-minute speech because usually, they are like ’10 to 15 minutes,’ then we found out they were like, ‘No, it has to be three to five minutes.'”

Brie recalls it being difficult to figure out what to cut and what to leave in the speech.

“To do your Hall of Fame speech and take out that much stuff is really hard,” she continued. “We’re wondering like, ‘How do we condense this. What’s important? We want to thank all these people and tell stories,'” said Brie on the podcast.

Nikki said they planned to spend a large portion of the speech thanking the people who guided their careers to the Hall of Fame. WWE told them to spend most of the 3-5 minutes talking about themselves.

“We’ve always been grateful women and that’s where it’s difficult,” said Nikki. “The majority of our speech is thanking people and they’re like, ‘talk more about yourself.’ We’ve already proven ourselves as Hall of Famers. It’s almost like winning an Oscar. You’re thanking the people who helped you get there.”

Women’s Wrestling Focus (Ep. 2): WWE’s 50 Greatest List

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Welcome to Women’s Wrestling Focus, the show talking all thing’s women’s wrestling! Hosted by: Ella Jay of A Wrestling Gal Podcast.

From WWE & AEW to the independent circuit and all around the world, Women’s Wrestling Focus (WWF) looks to explore and showcase the past, present, and future of women’s wrestling!

This second edition of the show discusses AEW’s first ever women’s main event match, WWE’s 50 Greatest Women Superstars list, and three independent female talents to watch!

Check out the latest episode of Women’s Wrestling Focus with Ella Jay below:

Dr Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa headlined the AEW Dynamite St Patrick’s Day Slam event a week ago. The bout was a brutal and bloody affair that won plaudits from fans and critics alike.

Check out highlights from the first ever Women’s main event in AEW Dynamite history below:

In case you missed it, WWE’s 50 Greatest Women Superstars list featured the following Superstars in the top 10:

  • 10. Bayley
  • 9. Ronda Rousey
  • 8. Lita
  • 7. Alundra Blayze
  • 6. Sasha Banks
  • 5. Asuka
  • 4. Chyna
  • 3. Becky Lynch
  • 2. Charlotte Flair
  • 1. Trish Stratus

What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments