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A Look At The WWE & Universal Title Matches At WrestleMania 37 (Editorial)

Staff
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Now that WWE Championship and Universal Championship matches are set for WrestleMania 37, I wanted to break down the prospects of both and how I believe they should go down. Let’s begin with Bobby Lashley, current WWE Champion, up against Drew McIntyre.

To begin with, I wouldn’t have taken the strap off of Drew for a meaningless cash-in by The Miz. Drew taking the title into WrestleMania would’ve billed him as a dominant champion and Lashley beating him would’ve asserted him as a monster. The Money in the Bank opportunity has become something of a joke in WWE lately and is progressively losing prestige.

Drew also dropped the title to Randy for a meaningless two weeks and had that not happened, he would be walking into WrestleMania as a calendar-year Champion, which isn’t achieved as much these days.

As for the match itself, I believe Drew will win so that he can have his WrestleMania moment in front 25,000 fans in attendance. Personally, I would rather see Lashley retain. As much as Drew deserved to become WWE Champion last year, Lashley deserves it as much this year. Both of them rebranded themselves outside of WWE after leaving the company and have come back in better shape. Lashley, paired with MVP and the Hurt Business, has asserted himself as a dominant powerhouse on Raw and to have him lose the title in less than 6 weeks would be unfair to his efforts.

I sympathise with Drew, for not having his moment in front of the fans and for being a WWE Champion during a difficult time. Though I feel as if he doesn’t NEED to win more than Lashley SHOULD win. Drew can still come off strong in defeat and the fans will still appreciate him. To make sense of booking and storylines, I would have Lashley win this match.

Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan

Now let’s take a look at the match that will inevitably be the main event of WrestleMania Night 2. Roman Reigns (C) Vs Edge, Vs Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship. For the longest time we thought this match would just be Reigns Vs Edge, but an unexpected twist at Fastlane has thrown Daniel Bryan into the mix. The reason I believe this has happened is so Bryan can take the fall from Edge, preserving Reigns’ status of not losing the title, but still dropping it to Edge.

It’s how this is executed that will make the difference. I think it’s preconceived that Edge will become champion once again and with WrestleMania being in front of 25,000 fans, it’s the perfect opportunity. The year Roman Reigns has had is the best work he’s produced since being with the company and with that in mind, protecting him in defeat will be important to that reputation. With Bryan taking the fall for the loss, Reigns and Edge can still continue their rivalry with the self-proclaimed Head of the Table regaining the Universal Championship further down the line.

Daniel Bryan being involved in another WrestleMania main event is great for him and I’m sure he’ll have no qualms with being the fall-guy in this match. Adding Bryan into the mix gives the match that extra wrestling factor, with Reigns and Edge being excellent storytellers, it’s the perfect combination for a triple threat. This match has the potential of being an all-time WrestleMania classic.

WrestleMania 37 Week – How To Watch

Jake Skudder
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It’s WrestleMania week! Even with the COVID-19 pandemic stopping the ‘normal’ WrestleMania extravaganza; Axxess and the like, there will be a full week of WWE content to watch.

Here’s the full listing for what you can watch this week, including times in GMT and ET.

MONDAY APRIL 5

  • The Best of WWE: Best of WrestleMania in the 1990s (Peacock on Demand)
  • WWE Monday Night RAW – 8 PM EST (USA Network), 1am GMT (BT Sport)
  • RAW Talk – 11 p.m. ET (Peacock), 3am GMT (WWE Network)

TUESDAY, APRIL 6

  • WWE Hall of Fame 2020/2021 – 8 PM EST (Peacock), 1am GMT (WWE Network)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

  • WWE’s The Bump – 10 a.m. ET (Peacock), 3pm GMT (WWE Network)
  • NXT TakeOver Night 1 Pre-Show – 7 p.m. ET (Peacock and USA Network), MIDNIGHT GMT (WWE Network)
  • NXT TakeOver Night 1 – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock and USA Network), 1am GMT (BT Sport)

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

  • NXT TakeOver Night 2 Pre-Show – 7 p.m. ET (Peacock and USA Network), MIDNIGHT GMT (WWE Network)
  • NXT TakeOver Night 2 – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock and USA Network), 1am GMT (BT Sport)

FRIDAY, APRIL 9

  • WWE Friday Night SmackDown – 8 PM EST (FOX), 1am GMT (BT Sport)
  • 205 Live – 10 p.m. ET (Peacock), 3am GMT (WWE Network)

SATURDAY, APRIL 10

  • WWE’s The Bump – 1 p.m. ET (Peacock), 6pm GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania 37 Kickoff Night 1 – 7 p.m. ET (Peacock), MIDNIGHT GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania 37 Night 1 – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock), 1am GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania Night 1 Watch Along – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock), 1am GMT (WWE Network)

SUNDAY, APRIL 11

  • WWE’s The Bump – 1 p.m. ET (Peacock), 6pm GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania 37 Kickoff Night 2 – 7 p.m. ET (Peacock), MIDNIGHT GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania 37 Night 2 – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock), 1am GMT (WWE Network)
  • WrestleMania Night 2 Watch Along – 8 p.m. ET (Peacock), 1am GMT (WWE Network)

MONDAY APRIL 12

  • WWE Monday Night RAW – 8 PM EST (USA Network), 1am GMT (BT Sport)

TUESDAY APRIL 13

  • NXT – 8 p.m. ET (USA Network), 1am GMT (BT Sport)

Gable Steveson Qualifies For Olympic Games

Chris Stephens
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WWE prospect Gable Steveson has qualified for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

On Saturday night, Steveson finished 1st at the US Olympic Team Trials, twice defeating the tournament’s top-seed Nick Gwiazdowski en route to qualifying for the Olympics.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are currently scheduled to begin on July 23rd, 2021 and conclude on August 7th, 2021.

Steveson’s latest accomplishment come-on the heels of him winning the NCAA title last month and then sending a “waving emoji” to Vince McMahon.

https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/1373804070474031112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Steveson’s brother, Bobby Steveson, has already reported to the WWE Performance Center earlier this year. Both brothers have trained with Brock Lesnar at the University of Minnesota.

Later in March, Steveson Tweeted out that he’s going to be the biggest star WWE’s has ever had.

https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/1376280393817657346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1376280393817657346%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com%2F2021%2F03%2Fgable-steveson-im-going-to-be-the-biggest-star-wwe-has-ever-had%2F

Steveson spoke to Gopher Sports last year about his relationship with Brock Lesnar.

“My relationship with Brock has been awesome. It’s outstanding that a guy like that has noticed me and has gone out of his way to be there for me and guide me in the right direction. We all know who Brock is on TV, but behind everything else, he is a nice person and he has done some amazing things for me.”

Tito Ortiz Talks Training With WWE Last Year

Jake Skudder
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Former MMA fighter and UFC legend Tito Ortiz recently revealed that he trained at the WWE Performance Center back in 2020. Speaking to SportsMattersTV, Ortiz thanked Shane McMahon and Triple H for allowing him to spend some time at the state of the art facilities.

“Last year in February, before this pandemic came about, I was actually at the WWE training facility” Ortiz began. “I was there for fourteen days; So I put in a lot of work and I learned a lot of stuff in a quick amount of time you know?”

“I think we worked 13 days, every day” Tito Ortiz continued. “And I was learning stuff that guys were learning who been there eight or nine months that were just learning. The coach is like you ‘catch on really, really quick.’ That’s always been a commodity for me that I am able to learn quickly; I am a fast learner with everything I do.”

Tito Ortiz Talks WWE and TNA

Ortiz also mentioned when he worked for TNA. This was back in 2013 as part of the Aces & Eights storyline. “It goes back to working hard; working for TNA was a blessing in disguise. I had an opportunity to sit down with Hulk Hogan, meet Hulk Hogan for who he truly is, a human being,” Ortiz mentioned.

Tito Ortiz finished by thanking Shane McMahon and Triple H in particular for giving him a chance to train at the WWE PC. “Once again, I got an opportunity to train at the WWE training facility and I loved it; I liked it, I thought it was great and I would fit in perfect [there],” Ortiz said.

“The pandemic came about and everything got to a halt, a stop where there was no audience. I understand I don’t want to take someone’s job who’s trying to take care of their family. I dunno, we will see what happens in the future” Ortiz added.

Booker T Says Miss Elizabeth Deserves To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

Chris Stephens
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Many fans feel that one notable omission from the WWE Hall of Fame currently is the lovely Miss Elizabeth. Booker T recently spent some time talking about her on his Hall of Fame podcast with Brad Gilmore.

“I echo the sentiment. Lovely Elizabeth definitely deserves her spot inside the Hall of Fame,” Booker T said.

“Elizabeth, of course, she wasn’t a wrestler, but what she gave to the business and the footprint that she left is definitely something — we’re talking about it right now — it’s definitely something that’s going to be remembered for many, many years.”

 “I don’t think there would’ve been a King Booker and Queen Sharmell if there wasn’t the Macho Man Randy Savage and the lovely Elizabeth. I just don’t think it would’ve been. The Macho Man, finger up in the air, and King Booker’s pinky up in the air, it never would’ve happened if it wouldn’t have been for the Macho Man and the lovely Elizabeth. So, I think it’s yes, she deserves a spot inside the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, she’ll get there.”

Elizabeth Ann Hulette was with WWE from 1985 to 1992 and then WCW from 1996 to 2000. She passed away in 2003 at the age of 43.

Booker T’s full comments about Elizabeth can be viewed in the player below:

Jon Moxley Calls Out Yuji Nagata For IWGP US Title Match

Chris Stephens
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IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley knows who he wants to defend his belt against next. NJPW posted a video of Moxley calling out Yuji Nagata to Twitter recently.

“As far as the IWGP United States Championship is concerned, the way of the world aside, one thing has never changed, I call my own shots,” Moxley said in the video. “Just like I said January 4th last year at the Tokyo Dome when I won that belt, I’m big game hunting. And New Japan Pro Wrestling, I’m taking scalps from the hardest hitters in the game.”

“I have a deep respect for the legends of this sport. And I feel like things should be done a certain way. I’m not one for ego trips and grandstanding. I’m not one for talking trash on Twitter, so I’m going to make this real simple. Nagata-san, grab your 6-shooter, meet me outside the saloon at dawn and we’ll see who can get a shot off first. That is if you’re up to it.”

Moxley last defended the belt against KENTA on an episode of New Japan Strong. The match was filmed in the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles. You can view Moxley’s full promo in the Tweet below:

Beth Phoenix On The Origin Of Her Glamazon Moniker

Anutosh Bajpai
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The latest episode of the Icons documentary series on WWE Network takes a look at the career of WWE Hall Of Famer Beth Phoenix from her very first match in the company to all her accomplishments and more.

During the episode, the former women’s champion opened up about moments such as the time she broke her jaw during her first singles match on Raw.

Phoenix also revealed the origin of her Glamazon moniker and she explained that she first heard it while watching the TV show Sex And The City

 “I had to start over. I was looking for a way to repackage myself and catch everyone’s attention again like I had the first time. They knew I could wrestle, I needed something more. I was watching Sex and the City and I heard the term ‘Glamazon’ used and was like, ‘That would make a fabulous moniker.

I got a phone call that said, ‘You’re going back on the road,’ and it never stopped.” said Beth Phoenix, “I started creating the tiara look to stand out, to have one item that would brand me amongst the women. It was my Bret Hart sunglasses.”

Apart from this, the former Diva’s champion talked about the influence of wrestling icon Chyna on her saying that she was enamored when the former DX member first came on the scene.

Phoenix explained that she had seen female bodybuilders before but Chyna was more than that. She had the star power alongside all the men and Beth was inspired by the former WWE star.

Will Ospreay Challenges CM Punk To IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match

Jake Skudder
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New IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay has made an official challenge to CM Punk. The British wrestler appeared at a post-show press conference for Sakura Genesis and relayed a number of topics for fans regarding the future of the Championship and his stable the United Empire.

“Before I was champion, a man who sparked a whole lot of interest in pro-wrestling, CM Punk said he’d like to face Will Ospreay” The new IWGP Champion noted. “Now I have the biggest prize in pro-wrestling, so if you really want to prove you were the best in the world and not the best of a bad bunch, come over here and try and take this.”

CM Punk did once say that Ospreay was an opponent he would consider facing IF he were ever to return to the squared circle. Punk made the comments during the Swing and Mrs. radio show back in March 2020.

CM Punk on Will Ospreay

“For people I haven’t ever wrestled before? I think Will Ospreay” CM Punk noted on the show. “I would listen to your idea. But there’s — like, I said, there’s a lot of moving parts. But I’m busy doing other stuff.”

“And nobody, I think, has found the right combination of ways to approach me” Punk continued. “It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen. It’s up to the people who actually run the companies.”

Do you want to see Will Ospreay vs CM Punk? Let us know in the comments

Mustafa Ali Thought He Would Be Facing Former WWE Champion At WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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Mustafa Ali is currently not expected to be part of the WrestleMania 37 match card but at one point he was building towards what could have been a show-stealing match at the Show Of Shows.

The former leader of Retribution recently had an interview with Metro where he talked about a number of things including the upcoming big event.

At one point the company seemed to be building towards a match between him and former WWE champion Kofi Kingston at Mania. During the interview, Ali admitted that he thought that to be the direction for him as well:

“The story was presented, and I really thought that was the direction we might be going for in this year’s WrestleMania. Things change and other things take priority sometimes. We almost got to it, so I will try to get to it again. There’s so much real emotion that I can just bring up and bring out in promos leading to that match.”

Next Year, You’re Mine

Mustafa Ali has since posted the following on Twitter about being left off the WrestleMania card. “Another year, another WrestleMania that I’m not going to compete in,” he wrote. Despite getting snubbed again, Ali remains positive and is confident he’ll be on the big show next year.

Mustafa Ali was attacked by members of Retribution during the Fastlane PPV after the former leader of the group kept blaming them for his losses. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that he will be a part of the WrestleMania event.

Kofi Kingston on the other hand, won the Raw tag team championship with his New Day partner Xavier Woods. They are now scheduled to defend the titles against AJ Styles and Omos at WrestleMania.

Latest On Bea Priestley’s Future After Departure From Stardom

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former NJPW star Bea Priestley is finishing her stint in Japan and latest updates are suggesting that the young star might have a WWE run in her future. The 25-year-old unsuccessfully challenged Utami Hayashishita for World Of Stardom Championship during the Yokohama Dream Cinderella 2021 in Spring event.

The match was followed by Priestley cutting an emotional promo saying goodbye to both Stardom and Japan. She has already finished her stint with NJPW last month. Dave Meltzer provided some update on her status in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he noted that the female star had made the decision to leave Japan some time back.

While Meltzer did not confirm where Priestley is headed next, he claimed that the former World of Stardom Champion is not going to All Elite Wrestling. Since the former NJPW star is keeping quiet about her future, the general conclusion is that she is not allowed to say where she will be going which is a trope associated with WWE.

Bea Priestley made her wrestling debut in 2012. She has competed for promotions such as NJPW and WCPW in her career. She signed a contract with AEW in 2019 after turning down a WWE offer. However, she was released from her AEW contract in August last year because the company was not able to use the UK star amid the travel restrictions put in place due to coronavirus.

Christian Explains How His In-Ring Return Came Together

Anutosh Bajpai
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Christian Cage made his return to in-ring action as a surprise entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble after saying away from the action for more than 7 years. However, while the plans for his return were only finalised days before the show, the journey for his comeback started months before the PPV.

During his recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, the former world champion detailed the steps he took that led to his Royal Rumble appearance. He recalled how Edge’s return a year prior had made him think about his own future. Christian revealed that he made an appointment with the doctor. His thinking was that if the results were positive then he would have opened the doors. If they were not then he would be in no different situation than he already was:

“I went to the University of South Florida and saw a specialist there, and I went through the physical training, went through the testing on the computer. They even said the testing had advanced some, obviously since I took it last, and when I sat in with the doctor, after I did all the tests, he was like, ‘Man, your test scores were great. You were average or above average on everything. You didn’t fail. You weren’t below average on any of these scores. Your physical tests were great, so let’s have a conversation.’ We started talking.”

Christian eventually got to the point where the doctors started asking him about his plans. The former WWE star told them that he wanted to go back and finish his career on his own terms. Once the doctors told him that it was a possibility, he brought it to the attention of WWE. The company then sent him to Pittsburgh for more rigorous testing towards the ending of October:

“I brought it to WWE’s attention that I had got this clearance, and obviously, they were very excited about it and was told they wanted to keep it close to the vest, quietly, [they] sent me up to Pittsburgh, I believe, towards the end of October. They sent me up there, and same thing, I just went through tests, but it was a harder test. It was more thorough tests, and it was probably about five hours long to be honest. And I saw about three or four different specialists for different things. Did a full in the gym physical workout.”

However, while the WWE doctors had cleared him for a return, Christian hadn’t heard anything about his future until January. According to him, the officials called him on the Friday night before the Royal Rumble. They told Captain Charisma that they thought there wasn’t a big enough surprise in the Battle Royal. The current AEW star thought about it for a second and despite having no contract with the company at the time, he said yes to the offer.

Ozzy Osbourne To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame This Year

Anutosh Bajpai
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Singer and songwriter Ozzy Osbourne is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame during the upcoming ceremony, according to reports from F4wonline.

The celebrity was part of the combined Hall Of Fame ceremony for the class of 2020 and 2021 which was taped earlier this week and will air next Tuesday.

While Osbourne did not appear in person during the shoot, he recorded a video message for the show. Ozzy’s induction has been rumored since he was featured in a Hall Of Fame commercial on SmackDown.

The television personality has had a relationship with WWE for a long time. He has made appearances for the company going as far back as WrestleMania 2.

During the second WrestleMania event, Osbourne and Captain Lou Albano helped The British Bulldogs in defeating the team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine to win the WWF tag team championship.

His recent WWE appearances include a live performance during a SmackDown taping from Baltimore in May 2007 and an appearance as a guest host for Raw in November 2009.

Ozzy Osbourne joins the 2020 and 2021 class of Hall Of Fame featuring names such as Davey Boy Smith, JBL, Jushin Liger, The nWo, The Bella Twins, William Shatner, Warrior Award winner Titus O’Neil, Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Rob Van Dam, Kane, and The Great Khali.

First Look At WrestleMania 37 Stage Construction (Drone Video)

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WrestleMania 37 will be the first big wrestling event in over a year to feature a live audience in a major capacity since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

With the event being only days away, WWE is preparing for the show in various ways including the planning for the security of the performing stars and more.

Another important aspect of the preparation is the building of the grand set to live up to the hype. A new drone video from Action Jax FPV gives us the first look at the WrestleMania set construction as seen below:

WrestleMania 37 Match Card

This year’s edition of the Show Of Shows will once again be a two-night event and the company is expected to hold 25,000 fans on each night of the show.

The announced matches for WrestleMania include big championship matches such as the Universal title match among Roman Reigns, Edge, and Daniel Bryan as well as the WWE title match between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley.

Other matches which are expected to draw attention are Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman in a steel cage, Randy Orton vs. The Fiend and Bianca Belair vs. the SmackDown women’s champion Sasha Banks.

WrestleMania 37 will take place from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 10 and 11. Check out an updated WrestleMania match card here

Kurt Angle Talks Vince McMahon ‘Directing’ Him Kissing Stephanie

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed another unbelievable story during the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show podcast.

During Angle’s rookie year he was involved in a love triangle storyline with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Kurt Angle would end up kissing Stephanie backstage whilst she was ‘concussed,’ and Angle revealed how Vince McMahon had to direct the scene.

“This was ridiculously weird,” Angle began on the podcast. “To come backstage with Stephanie and have to do a pre-tape that was going live so we weren’t going to tape it, it was going to be one take. I think Vince did that on purpose so we only had to kiss once.”

Kurt Angle Talks Vince Backstage

“We got backstage and Vince wants to direct it” Angle continued. “I was like holy s–t, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon’s father is going to direct me kissing her during a pre-tape.”

“I was nervous as hell” Kurt Angle added. “Vince was four feet way, his eyes were open and I was like ‘this is so weird man. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.’ I went down to kiss her and we caught eyes and then we went to kiss and I stuck my lips out, I didn’t want to go with an open mouth because Vince was there and I didn’t want to disrespect Triple H or Stephanie.”

“After the pre-tape she goes ‘you kiss like a fish.’ I was like ‘what’d you expect Stephanie? Your Dad is here watching, he’s directing and your dating Triple H. What did you want me to do?’”

Triple H apparently put the ixnay on that storyline shortly after, but this has never been confirmed publicly.

credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription

Will Ospreay Wins IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis took place today from Ryogoku, Japan.

The main event of the show saw Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi was 2-1 heading into the match against the British sensation.

Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to become the second IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s history. The IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships were ‘retired’ earlier this year and made way for this new top belt in NJPW.

Will Ospreay – New Champion

Ospreay took the win after hitting a Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker to get the pinfall and win his first singles IWGP Championship in New Japan.

Following the match, Will Ospreay called out Kazuchika Okada. The former IWGP Champion appeared but before he could speak Shingo Takagi demanded that he get a shot at the champion first.

Takagi defeated Okada in the first round of the New Japan Cup, so he asked why Okada would deserve the title shot over him. Ospreay agreed and said that he would defend the belt against Shingo first and then come for Okada.

WWE Hall Of Fame: Notes & Photos From Ceremony Tapings

Michael Reichlin
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WWE filmed the 2021 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Tuesday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersberg, Florida. Additional footage will be shot today, with post-production to continue in the days ahead.

This is one of the final WWE events at Tropicana Field before the ThunderDome moves to Tampa’s Yuengling Center on 4/12.

The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs next Tuesday, April 6th at 8pm (Eastern) on the Peacock streaming service.

This year’s event will feature inductees from the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021. Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Inductees present at the tapings include the Bella Twins, nWo members Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash & Sean Waltman, the family of the late Davey Boy Smith, JBL and Titus O’Neil (receiving the Warrior Award). Many of the 2021 inductees were not present, including Rob Van Dam, Kane, the Great Khali, Eric Bischoff and Molly Holly.

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler served as the event host.

The 2021 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will not feature inductor speeches. Inductee speeches will be limited to 4-5 minutes each, as discussed by the Bella Twins last week:

WWE Hall of Fame Photos

Several WWE personalities shared photos from the ceremony on social media:

Triple H Explains Why He Turned Down WrestleMania Match Against AJ Styles

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

AJ Styles had been lobbying for a match against Triple H at this year’s edition of WrestleMania but the plans couldn’t come together for this dream match.

During his recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event, The Game talked about a number of things and explained why he turned down the offer for a bout against the Phenomenal One.

Triple H explained how AJ Styles wanted the bout and he kept asking for it from the former world champion as the Show Of Shows came closer. He revealed that in the beginning, he hadn’t said no to the match:

“He pestered with me every time I saw him! He would ask me about it and ask me about my schedule and as we got closer, man, I’ve said this before, getting ready for WrestleMania is a different thing. And the older you get, the harder it gets.

“When he first came to me, I said, ‘AJ, I’m not going to tell you no. Personally, I’d love to work with you and at this point, you can carry me to something.’ So, I’d love it.”

However as time passed by, Triple H realised that he wouldn’t be able to get in the shape for a match at the show. Even though Styles was still hoping for it until last minute, the King Of Kings decided to cancel the plans:

“There’s a part of me that wants to do it, and then there’s just a bigger part of me that says, ‘I’m so busy 24/7, that to even try and contemplate how to train in the way I would want to train and get in-shape – and by shape, I don’t mean look—in-shape ring wise so you don’t embarrass yourself once you get in there at 52.

“It’s a lot of work and I don’t know that I have – I’m not afraid of the work. If I could make more hours in the day, I could find time to do it. It’s just time.”

After getting a negative answer from Triple H, AJ Styles is now scheduled to compete in a tag team match. He will be teaming with Omos to challenge The New Day for the Raw tag team championships on night one of WrestleMania 37.

Drew McIntyre On Possibly Competing In The Opening Match At WrestleMania 37

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Drew McIntyre main evented last year’s WrestleMania where the 2020 Royal Rumble winner defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE championship for the first time in his career. While the former champion may not be in the position to close the show this year, he is ready to take on another similarly enthralling opportunity if he is presented with it which is opening the big event.

McIntyre talked about potentially being in the opening match for the Show of Shows this year during his recent interview with Wrasslinews. He said that he wouldn’t mind being the opening bout because then he will be able to experience the first reaction of the fans after staying away from shows for more than a year:

“I mean, I would be happy opening the show or closing the show. This year is so unique in the sense that the last match — every match at WrestleMania is a main event. Let’s be realistic, if you’re on WrestleMania, you’re in a main event, but when you’re fighting for the championship, generally it’s cool to close the show. This is such a unique WrestleMania, without having the fans there for an entire year, that first reaction is gonna be so, so special.

So that’s why I said if I finish last, the last match — that’s phenomenal! That’s fantastic! That’s tradition! But if I’m in the opening match, to me that’s also just as big because if you get to walk out in that first match and get the crowd full of energy and all those pent up reactions that we’ve been keeping inside for a year, that’s gonna be special too. So, either way I’m happy!”

Drew McIntyre will be challenging Bobby Lashley for his WWE championship at WrestleMania 37. The match will take place on night one of the event on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. You can check out the updated match card for the big event including the lineup for both nights of the show here.

UK Wrestler Jailed For Two Years After Hurting Opponent During Wrestling Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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UK indie wrestler James Riley has been jailed for two years after attacking aspiring wrestler Rob Wilson during a wrestling match and causing serious injuries to his head, according to reports from Metro.co.uk.

Wilson was training under Riley to become a pro wrestler. Part of his training included competing in indie shows to gain experience and the incident took place during one such event in February last year.

The victim explained the attack as a receipt for a botched kick from the trainee wrestler during their bout and he said that he was expecting Riley to hit him in the back:

“The assault was a result of his prior instruction. He was down on the floor and because I was the antagonist he said to me I should stay on top of him when he was down. I caught him with a kick to the gut area. He hissed at me “receipt” which is terminology for payback.

I positioned myself on my hands and knees and I was expecting him to hit me on the back but instead he kicked me in the face as if taking a goal kick in football.”

He went on to detail how he felt after receiving the kick from his opponent. The indie wrestler claimed that his face ‘exploded’ and it was the worst pain he had experienced in his life:

“It was the worst pain I had experienced in my life. My face just exploded and I realised it was a lot more than a broken nose. Blood was coming out like fountain and the canvass was red. I could hear the audience yelling to stop the fight.”

According to Paul Bray, a friend of Rob Wilson who was in attendance for the show, Riley was heard telling other wrestlers in his training school that he had ‘deliberately kicked Mr Wilson because he had hit some nerve damage.”

The injury has led to Wilson suffering from PTSD which caused him to lose his sales job. The young star now works as a warehouse operative.

Though Riley did send a text to his student the next day apologizing for his mistake and admitting that he acted like an animal. As per his lawyers, he has also retired from wrestling since then.

Apart from the prison sentence, the court has also issued a restraining order preventing James Riley from contacting the Wilson family for 10 years.

Photo: James Riley (left) and Rob Wilson (right)

Stone Cold Steve Austin On His Relationship With Vince McMahon: “He Doesn’t Even Take My Calls”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Stone Cold Steve Austin has known Vince McMahon for a long time and their iconic rivalry helped WWE in winning the ratings war against WCW. However, it appears that their friendship has weakened a bit over time and they are not as close as they once were.

The Texas Rattlesnake recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he discussed things such as the Monday Night Wars and more. Talking about the boss, Austin made the revelation that he doesn’t stay in contact with Mr. McMahon like they used to but he does reach out every now and then:

“He don’t even take my phone calls but let me tell you, back when I was working on top, when I called Vince, that phone didn’t ring a half time before he picked it up, Now I’ll send him a text message and I’ll get an answer back in a couple of days.”

Though Vince McMahon does reply to the former world champion when it’s something important. The most recent instance of it was when Stone Cold reached out to ask him about bringing Chris Jericho in for an interview on the Broken Skull Sessions.

Apart from this, the former WWE star talked about things such as how the inception of AEW is a good thing for the wrestling world and more.

Scott Hall On The Advice Vince McMahon Gave To Wrestlers

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran Scott Hall, who is going to be inducted into Hall Of Fame this year as part of the nWo alongside Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman recently spoke to Yaz Jung and discussed his career in detail.

The former WCW star, who has had multiple runs with WWE in his long career spanning across four decades has known Vince McMahon for a long time

During the interview, Hall revealed the advice Mr. McMahon used to give to all the wrestlers and according to him, the boss told people to ‘use their face’:

“Vince always told guys to use their face, that’s where the money is … You have to keep an eye on the camera, so in my entrance, I’d usually go and look right to the hard-camera side.” Hall said. “You could see in the nWo days — I’d just look right at the camera and go, ‘I’m the s***!’”

In light of the upcoming Hall Of Fame induction of The British Bulldog, Scott Hall was asked about a potential induction for his tag team partner Thomas Billington aka The Dynamite Kid who passed away in 2018.

Replying to the question, the former WWE star indicated that the company might have reached out to Billington before his passing but he declined the offer:

“Sure, I don’t see why Dynamite wouldn’t go in.. But sometimes the WWE reaches out to guys and for some reason or another they don’t want to be inducted..”

Apart from this, Scott Hall talked about things such as a potential in ring return, WWE spending money on his rehab and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

RVD Comments On Potential All Elite Wrestling Signing

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has signed a number of wresting veterans in recent times including names such as Sting, Paul Wight and Christian. Another name which could be a good fit for the company is RVD.

The hardcore star was even rumored to be the surprise entrant at the Face Of The Revolution ladder match at one point on the company’s last PPV before it was revealed to be Ethan Page.

RVD was asked about potentially joining the AEW roster during his recent interview with ReelTalker.com and the former WWE champion said that he always goes with the flow:

“I just always go with the flow of the universe. I’m always very happy with the way things turn out, AEW, I watch it sometimes, mostly to help Katie Forbes out.

She’ll watch it, she’s up-and-coming, learning and I’ll point stuff out.” said RVD, “There is nothing that interests me about going there, except for business.”

The former WWE star, who hasn’t wrestled since September was also asked about his future in the industry and he claimed that there is nothing that makes him want to wrestle except for business.

RVD explained that while fans may think that he dreams of wrestling different opponents, it’s not the case for him. According to the wrestling veteran, he could be done with the sport and he is totally fine with never getting in the ring again.

Roman Reigns and UFC Legend Go Back and Forth on Twitter

Jake Skudder
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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been going back and forth on Twitter with former UFC 2-division Champion Daniel Cormier.

Cormier is a massive pro wrestling fan, and he has expressed interest in switching over to WWE in the past.

During a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Roman Reigns said that he is able to ‘smash anyone.’ “I’ll smash anybody one-on-one, whether it’s Daniel Bryan, Edge one-on-one. DC one-on-one, I’ll smash ’em all one-on-one, it don’t matter.”

“Get him (Daniel Cormier) from behind the table” Reigns continued. “Get him in the gym, maybe. Maybe he could have a chance, I dunno. It’d be a short story, I’ll tell DC.”

Daniel Cormier vs Roman Reigns

Cormier responded to Reigns on Twitter, saying “Watch your mouth @RomanReignsWWE! I’ll dance with the big dog! @arielhelwani @espnmma @wwe.”

After Reigns replied saying “that announce table has made him soft,” Daniel Cormier seemingly sent out an ‘official’ challenge to the Big Dog.

“My advisor @arielhelwani is waiting by the phone” Cormier wrote. “It’s time to stop talking and let’s make this real! I’m 42 years old with a bad back and I’m whippin’ you any day of the week. Your move @VinceMcMahon, @HHH this my yard , I’m the big dog!”

Would you want to see Daniel Cormier in WWE? Let us know in the comments

New Japan Reveals NJPW Strong Openweight Championship

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that another new Championship will be coming to the company.

The NJPW Strong Openweight Championship was revealed on this week’s episode of NJPW Strong. This Friday’s episode saw the Road to New Japan Cup USA 2021 begin; and it was revealed exactly what each of the eight competitors in the single elimination competition this April will be fighting for.

The 2020 iteration of the New Japan USA Cup was held to determine who would go on to face IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley. That tournament was of course won by KENTA.

NJPW Strong Openweight Championship

English language NJPW website NJPW1972.com sent out the following regarding the brand new title.

The title represents the pinnacle of competition on NJPW STRONG on Friday nights, and will be contested for by wrestlers of any weight class. Things are going to get even more exciting going forward on NJPW STRONG; who of the eight in this year’s tournament will become the first holder of the gold? 

New Japan also recently unveiled the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship belt. Many fans weren’t happy with the design, saying that it resembled the old WWE Divas ‘butterfly’ belt.

Do you think the new Openweight belt looks better than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Let us know in the comments

Final Card for NJPW Sakura Genesis, Ryogoku (04/04)

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis will be taking place on Sunday 4th from Ryogoku, Japan.

The main event of the show sees Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi is currently 2-1 in their overall record.

There following preview for the massive bout comes from NJPW1972.com:

Ospreay’s number one contendership status was earned after a 30 minute war with Shingo Takagi. That bout showed off the Commonwelath Kingpin’s effortless ability to change gears between high flying high risk offense and intense, focused punishment.

It’s an ability that has evolved within Ospreay since making the transition to heavyweight; a transition that arguably began with the first ever in ring meeting between these two men.

Here’s the full card for the event this weekend:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO and YOH
  • DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr., and Taichi vs. Jado, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga
  • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, and Kazuchika Okada vs. Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, Yurijo Takahashi, KENTA, and EVIL
  • Shingo Takagi, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and a mystery partner
  • Satoshi Kojima and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale and Jay White

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