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Aleister Black Teases The End Of His WWE Hiatus

Michael Reichlin
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Aleister Black has been off television since October, but his WWE hiatus is nearly complete.

The former NXT Champion was called up to the main roster in February 2019. His WWE run as been underwhelming, despite him being one of the most talented performers on the WWE payroll.

Black posted a photo and message on Instagram stating, “Let us sit face to face soon. I will have many stories to tell, all of them in full color.”

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

The Return of Aleister Black

WWE fans should be excited about Aleister Black returning to television. WWE has completely dropped the ball by underutilizing him, however the extended break offers a chance for him to start anew.

Black is married to former WWE Superstar Thea Trinidad (Zelina Vega). She was granted her release from the company back in November.

Last week, Aleister Black’s former rival Buddy Murphy tweeted the following message at the Dutch figher.

John Cena Was Impressed With Shaq’s AEW Debut

Chris Stephens
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John Cena was impressed with Shaquille O’Neil’s AEW debut recently. Shaq teamed with Jade Cargill and defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet at AEW’s special “Crossroads” event on March 3rd.

Bleacher Report Tweeted out highlights of Shaq and Cena both appearing on the post-game show from NBA on TNT. During the appearance, Cena commented on Shaq’s AEW debut.

“I want to say, you are one of that Mount Rushmore of sports entertainers,” Cena said to Shaq. “It’s a shame that you were born so large and so gifted on the basketball court because you could have been something in WWE, I still think you can be.”

The clip Shaq and Cena were looking at featured Shaq giving a Brodie Lee tribute and power-bombing Cody Rhodes.

“Well, I just wanted to represent your guys,” Shaq said about his performance. “Right here, giving a shoutout to the Brodie Lee power slam right there, wanted to make it look good. Listen growing up, you know, I watched you guys… Junkyard Dog, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, I just wanted to represent you guys.”

“I think I did pretty good. I just wanted to represent you, wrestlers, because you guys are some of my favorite athletes. You know how I feel about you. I love you, big fan of yours, congratulations on everything that you’re doing,” Shaq continued.

Watch John Cena talk to Shaq about his pro wrestling debut for AEW:

Daniel Bryan On How Much Creative Influence He Has On SmackDown

Anutosh Bajpai
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Daniel Bryan has started taking some interest in the behind the scene creative process in recent times and fans have credited him for helping underrated talents such as Cesaro and Drew Gulak.

During a recent interview with Talk Sport, the former world champion discussed a number of things and also cleared the air on his creative influence.

Bryan mentioned how he gets credit for good storylines. However, according to him, he doesn’t have as big of a say in things as fans believe:

“It’s interesting because, one, I don’t have that big of a say [Laughs]. Sometimes something really great will happen on SmackDown and somebody will say ‘Oh, that’s Daniel Bryan!’ Like, that’s not me!

One part is our performers — we have incredible superstars. Cesaro is a no-brainer. When you say ‘Daniel Bryan helped Cesaro’ — no. All I did was ‘hey this guy is really good. We should put him on TV and use him!’ [Laughs].”

Later in the interview, the SmackDown star revealed that his own mentor William Regal once told him that being mentor of young talents can sometimes be more rewarding than the actual wrestling.

Apart from this, Daniel Bryan said that he wants to face William Regal’s son Bailey Matthews at WrestleMania and opened up about his mental struggles with the big looming decision about his future.

Kevin Owens Talks WrestleMania 37 Match Against Sami Zayn

Jake Skudder
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It was confirmed on Friday night’s episode of WWE SmackDown that Kevin Owens will be facing Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 37. The two men have a storied past and look set to add another chapter in April at the ‘Showcase of The Immortals.’

Appearing on Talking Smack, Kevin Owens discussed the upcoming bout against his long-time frenemie.

“It’s really hard to put into words what it means to our careers because we’ve been joined at the hip since we met, in what, 2002. That’s almost 20 years ago,” Owens noted on Talking Smack.

“I like to say we’re more like brothers than friends because we never chose to be friends with each other, right?” Kevin Owens continued. “Sami and I, where we came from, Quebec, it was really hard for people to get outside of the province and make their names in wrestling. But when we started getting a bit of a buzz.”

Kevin Owens on Sami Zayn

“All these wrestling companies — independent companies — would bring us together, and we had no choice” Owens added. “They’d say, ‘We want the best two, and that’s you two.’ That’s why I like to say he’s more of a brother than a friend.”

Kevin Owens finished by saying that Zayn is one of the ‘best in the ring,’ and he hopes to ‘knock some sense’ into the conspiracy theorist when they meet at WrestleMania 37.

“Of course, the last few weeks — last few months — the Sami Zayn that’s been coming out is not exactly the guy I’ve known for almost the last two decades” Owens said.

“Yeah, sure, maybe he’s a prick, but I’ve always respected the hell out of him. But the problem I’ve had the last few months is this conspiracy theory stuff that he’s harping about in this alternate universe that he seems to live in. It’s taken him away from being one of the best in the ring. At WrestleMania, I get to knock [some] sense into him. If I’m going to do that to my brother, I can’t think of a better place to do it at than WrestleMania.

ROH Confirms Plans For Women’s Division Reboot

Anutosh Bajpai
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ROH has confirmed the plans for a reboot of their women’s division that will kick off with a tournament to crown a new women’s champion this Summer.

The announcement was made by the newest member of the ROH Board of Directors Maria Kanellis-Bennett during the company’s 19th Anniversary PPV.

Maria cut a promo during the show and the former WWE and Impact star invited women from all over to participate in the upcoming tournament to determine their new champion.

She also announced a match between Angelina Love and Quinn McKay for an upcoming episode of ROH TV, with the winner getting entry in the first round of the tournament.

ROH hasn’t had a women’s champion since the last Women Of Honor title holder Kelly Klein’s contract expired in 2019. Her title defense at the Glory by Honor XVII in October 2019 was the last time the company had a women’s match.

They had announced a Quest For Honor tournament to crown a new women’s world heavyweight champion last year. It was slated to kick off in April 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, forced the company to halt the tournament and it appears that the officials have rescheduled their original plans with this announcement.

Layla On Her Dream Opponent From Current WWE Roster

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former Diva’s champion Layla recently appeared on Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show where she talked about a number of things and reflected on her WWE career.

Revealing the advice she would give to her younger self, the former champion said that she would tell herself to save her money and stay humble.

During the fan question segment of the show, the wrestling veteran was asked about her dream opponents from past and present and Layla took the name of a current champion from WWE:

“One of the from the past, Chyna because I was such a fan. I was a huge fan, and of course she’s going to kill me within two seconds, but I would totally love to do that, I would love to work Chyna and have one match with her, and in the present, man, there’s so many good girls right now.

They’re all amazing. I mean Sasha [Banks] is amazing, but I feel that’s so predictable.” said Layla, “I think Asuka. I really, really love her work. I just think she’s just so clean and everything. She works really good with everybody.”

The former WWE star also recalled the time she beat Beth Phoenix for the women’s championship in May 2010 and revealed that it was a last minute decision.

According to her, the company needed a new champion because Phoenix was injured. Layla was the only one on the road. So she was chosen as the new champion and she was told about her win on the day of the match itself.

Former Knockouts Champion Reportedly Returning To Impact Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion Taylor Wilde will finally be making her return to the company soon according to reports from Fightful Select.

According to the report, this comeback has been planned for well over a year and the female star was originally slated to return ahead of the pandemic last year.

However, coronavirus halted these plans and Wilde could not make a comeback due to the travel restrictions that were put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Taylor Wilde is a former WWE star who was signed by the company in 2006 but she couldn’t get past the development territories. She was released by the company without a main roster appearance in 2007.

She joined the promotion then known as TNA in 2008. She went on to win the Knockouts Championship by defeating Awesome Kong during the July 10 episode of Impact Wrestling in her debut year.

Wilde went on to have a long run with the company. She also became the inaugural Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Sarita in 2009. She later had another run with the tile while teaming up with Hamada.

The former champion was said to be backstage for the latest Impact tapings though it’s unknown if she filmed any material and the exact date for her return is not known yet.

Shane Helms On Backstage Environment During The Final WCW Nitro

Anutosh Bajpai
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Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms was part of the WCW roster in its final years and the high flying star was backstage for the final episode of the company’s flagship show Nitro on March 26, 2001.

During his recent talk with SmackDown Exclusive, the former WCW star discussed the folding of the company on its 20th anniversary.

Helms opened up about the time before it was revealed that WWE had bought their rivals. He mentioned how the WCW higher-ups were keeping things close to the vest and they had heard many rumors:

“Leading up to that we had heard different rumors, some of that was WCW trying to keep things close to the vest. Some of it was WCW just trying to keep morale up. They wanted us to not know the situation that we were in, and I get that, but we heard so many rumors that I didn’t know what to believe. Nobody did, no matter what they say.”

Hurricane also talked about the moment when they finally realized that they had lost the Monday Night Wars and it was when Shane McMahon walked into their talent meeting:

“There was a talent meeting earlier in the day, Shane McMahon walked in the room, and you could’ve heard the proverbial pin drop in there. That was the paradigm shift in the business. The war was over. My team had lost. There were a lot of mixed emotions.”

Shane Helms ended up joining WWE after the folding of WCW and he stayed with the company until 2010. He made an appearance at All In but Helms has since returned to WWE and currently works as a backstage producer.

Seth Rollins On Changes To Life After Becoming Dad

Anutosh Bajpai
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Seth Rollins has been a top-tier WWE performer for almost a decade. He has faced many challenges in the time but the former Shield member has managed to overcome them and stay relevant.

However, now he is facing a completely new kind of challenge and the former world champion is having to adjust to life as a father and husband after he and Becky Lynch welcomed their first child in December last year.

During his recent appearance on Fox 5’s Good Day DC, Seth Rollins talked about this change of roles. He said that the part of being a husband is easy but the role of being a dad is a learning curve:

“The husband part is easy; I’m married to a beautiful, extremely talented, lovely, perfect partner for me. So that part’s easy. The dad part’s been the learning curve. That’s a whole new skill set; I never changed a diaper before having this baby. Just little things like that.

I think the biggest thing is you go from living this life as a top tier WWE Superstar — where really it’s all about you.” said Seth Rollins, “To now you’re in the backseat; you are not the most important part of your life.”

The former champion continued by saying that for things to change like this is really humbling but he claimed that it’s also a cool experience to see what life can be when you matter to somebody else.

Apart from this, Seth Rollins talked about the meaning behind his embrace the vision catchphrase, how he has been able to sustain his career and more.

“Road Dogg” Brian James In Hospital After Suspected Heart Attack

Chris Stephens
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“Road Dogg” Brian James is currently in hospital. The 51-year-old is thought to have suffered a heart attack late Thursday evening. James’ spouse, Tracy James, took to Facebook to give an update:

“I want to thank everyone for the prayers and text. Brian most likely suffered a heart attack late Thursday night after returning from Orlando. He has had test run and we’re currently waiting for the results. He has also seen a kidney specialist and will have a stress test done.”

“He’s always been on bp meds for high bp. Just please pray all the test come back for something we can fix. I am a total wreck but I’m trying so hard to be positive! Please pray for Brian He feels horrible and for God to please heal my husband so he can come home! Thank y’all all so much!”

Road Dogg was with WWE from 1994-2001. He was then with TNA from 2002 until 2009. James then re-signed with WWE as a producer in 2011 after inducting his father into the WWE Hall of Fame that year. James was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame himself in 2019 as part of DX. During his WWE career, Road Dogg was a 6x tag-team champion along with Billy Gunn, a 1x Hardcore Champion, and a 1x Intercontinental Champion as well.

AEW Dark: Elevation – Four Women’s Matches Confirmed

Jake Skudder
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AEW has confirmed that there will be four Women’s division bouts for this week’s episode of AEW Dark: Elevation on YouTube.

The matches that have been announced for Monday’s show are as follows:

  • Thunder Rosa vs. Alex Gracia
  • Penelope Ford (with Kip Sabian and Miro) vs. Leila Grey
  • Leyla Hirsch vs. Vipress
  • KiLynn King vs. Ryo Mizunami.

The other matches that have already been confirmed for the show are as follows:

  • Rex Lawless & Milk Chocolate v Gunn Club
  • D3 & Vary Morales v 5 & 10 of Dark Order
  • Chandler Hopkins v Joey Janela
  • Frankie Kazarian v Danny Limelight
  • Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor vs. Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake
  • Jon Moxley vs. Bill Collier

Frankie Kazarian will be facing Christian Cage in Captain Charisma’s debut AEW match this week on Dynamite. Kazarian invited Cage to watch his match against the now confirmed Danny Limelight from ringside for Monday night’s show.

AEW Dark: Elevation is available to stream at 7 pm ET on AEW’s official YouTube channel.

NJPW Reveals Brackets For New Japan Cup USA

Chris Stephens
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The New Japan Cup USA tournament will run throughout April on episodes of New Japan Strong on New Japan World. The final qualifying matches for the tournament have now taken place and NJPW has released the full brackets for the tournament.

New Japan Cup USA 2021 Brackets:

  1. Clark Connors vs. Lio Rush
  2. Brody King vs. Chris Dickinson
  3. Ren Narita vs. Tom Lawlor
  4. Hikuleo vs. Fred Rosser
  5. Semi-Final #1: Winner 1 vs Winner 2
  6. Semi-Final #2: Winner 3 vs Winner 4
  7. Finals: Winner 5 vs Winner 6

Qualifying matches took place throughout March for the tournament:

  1. Clark Connors defeated TJP
  2. Lio Rush defeated Rocky Romero
  3. Brody King defeated Bateman
  4. Chris Dickinson defeated Blake Christian
  5. Ren Narita defeated Misterioso
  6. Tom Lawlor defeated The DKC
  7. Hikuleo defeated Jordan Clearwater
  8. Fred Rosser defeated JR Kratos

KENTA was the winner of the tournament last year. He defended the briefcase for months before finally facing Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship earlier this year. Moxley won the match. KENTA is not entered into this year’s tournament.

NJPW has also announced recently that beginning on Thursday, old episodes of New Japan Strong will air for free on FITE TV. NJPW is gearing up for April 4th’s Sakura Genesis event. Kota Ibushi will defend his IWGP World Championship against the New Japan Cup Winner Will Ospreay on the show.

Bow Wow Reveals He Spoke To Soulja Boy About Randy Orton ‘Feud’

Jake Skudder
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Rapper Bow Wow recently appeared on the Heels Pops Chairshots podcast. The rap star discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the recent Twitter ‘beefs’ between rappers and some WWE Superstars.

“I had to call Soulja,” Bow Wow began, discussing the ongoing ‘feud’ with Randy Orton. “I said ‘Soulja you made fun of Randy Orton! This guy has 6.5 million fans. He’s not one of those guys that needs your retweets. Randy Orton is a star. He’s there. Leave him alone! Go after The Miz!’”

Bow Wow also discussed how Bad Bunny has been used on WWE programming over the past few months.

“I love what Bad Bunny is doing,” stated Bow Wow. “But I want to see Shaquille O’Neal stuff. I loved that. It was so entertaining.”

Bow Wow on Shaq

Bow Wow continued talking about Shaq’s appearance on AEW Dynamite, where he took a hellacious bump through two tables to the outside in his match against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.

“He got hit in the back with a chair, then he turned around and started whooping everyone” Bow Wow recalled. “Then he took the fall through the table. That’s a once in a life time opportunity to do that.”

Bow Wow has reportedly been considering training to join WWE in the near future. It has not been confirmed how far along, or even if he has begun, training to get inside the squared circle.

 h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Daniel Bryan Says His WWE Contract Is ‘Up Soon’, Opens Up About Mental Struggle

Anutosh Bajpai
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Daniel Bryan is currently enjoying his WWE run since his return to pro wrestling in 2018 but he will soon have to make a decision that can alter the course of not only his career but his life as well.

When his current WWE deal expires the former world champion will have to decide whether he wants to continue missing out on important moments with his young children while wrestling across the world or hang his boots at a relatively young age to be with his family.

Bryan opened up on his mental struggles about the looming decision during a recent interview with Talk Sport and he explained that he has to decide what is more important to him:

“For me, my contract is up soon and that sort of thing so it’s really just an evaluation of what’s more important to me. Going out and doing this thing that I love every week, but being away from my family, being away from my wife and kids three days a week, and they’re at this stage that you don’t ever get back.

I think it’s a little bit different when they get to be in school and time isn’t as slow as it is now. But we’re not having any more kids and our boy is seven months. Our daughter is going to turn four in May and it’s going by so fast. You don’t want to lose that time, as a human. There are certain things you can’t ever get back.”

Daniel Bryan then discussed how he finds himself being exhausted when he returns home every Saturday. He revealed that he has started drinking coffee after coming back because he wants to be energetic and show up for his kids.

He mentioned how he is struggling with these thoughts right now and trying to decide what’s more important. Daniel also discussed how the financial side of things could be a factor in his decision saying that he could financially set up his kids for the rest of their lives if he decides to continue wrestling:

“What do you love personally, but also what’s the most important thing. That’s the struggle that I’m dealing with right now – what’s more important?

“Because one of the other things is hey, from a financial perspective, you can set your kids up for the rest of our lives, right? You can do that. But the trade off is, you don’t get to be there for them every day.”

Though later in the interview, Daniel Bryan acknowledged that while it’s a hard question to have, it’s a really blessed hard question to have. Daniel Bryan was added to the Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Edge at WrestleMania during this week’s episode of SmackDown and this match is likely to main event the Show of Shows this year.

Sting Says He Was ‘In Shambles’ After Revolution Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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It was probably the right choice for the 62 year old Sting to make his in ring return in a cinematic match during the Revolution PPV earlier this month.

However, this in-ring return did not come without consequences. Even though the match was pre-taped, it left its toll on the body of the wrestling veteran.

Sting opened up about the aftermath of the bout during his recent interview with Bleacher Report and The Icon claimed that he ‘came out of it in shambles’:

“The cinematic was fun. I would like to do more of those for sure, but I came out of it in shambles. It took its toll on me. It was two nights of filming and that was pretty tough. It can be taxing on the body especially at my age.

It was 12 hours instead of being in the ring for 30-40 minutes.” said Sting, “I love filming. I have done movies and TV, and I always have fun with that stuff. The tough part was all of the hours and the recovery time.”

Though continuing on the topic, the former world champion revealed that while the AEW president Tony Khan had originally brought him in for cinematic matches, he has talked to him about potentially wrestling matches on Dynamite.

Sting teamed up with the TNT champion Darby Allin to defeat Brian Cage and Ricky Starks of Team Taz in a cinematic Street Fight at the Revolution PPV.

Backstage News On If WWE Plans To Return To Touring After WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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The WrestleMania 37 event will see the return of a live audience for WWE shows for the first time in more than a year and 25,000 fans are expected to attend each night of the Show Of Shows.

This news, combined with the fact that WWE is expected to leave the Tropicana Field after the PPV made many wonder if the company could be planning to return to touring after the event.

However, if reports from Sports Illustrated are to be believed then it won’t be the case and the site is reporting that the company does not plan to return to its touring schedule for the first half of 2021.

While venues are reopening around the country, the current plan is to keep the Thunderdome setup at the Yuengling Center while the officials gauge “whether it is prudent to return to a weekly live event model.”

This strategy is opposed to the competitors of the company in AEW which has just announced its first non-televised event for WrestleMania weekend.

There is no word yet on what the company plans for the second half of the year and if they could be planning to go on road once again for the latter half of 2021.

Latest On Daga And Tessa Blanchard Possibly Joining AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former Impact Wrestling star Daga might be headed to AEW soon after spending most of 2020 at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mexican professional wrestler is a former trios champion from Lucha Underground who got recognization among American fans when he signed with Impact Wrestling in February 2019.

He stayed in Mexico for the most part of 2020 and it was revealed in October last year that the company officials have accepted his request for a release.

Dave Meltzer provided some update on his future in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he reported that “there has been talk of Daga coming in.”

Though as far as the future of his wife Tessa Blanchard goes, he noted that it’s a decision that will be made “based on the perceived value of her to the product vs. the negativity and backlash in some quarters such a signing would have.”

Impact wrestling made Blanchard their world champion when fans were still attending the events. Despite some backlash on social media, there was never a visible backlash from those in attendance.

However, the situation has changed now. With multiple accusations against Blanchard for inappropriate behavior, it’s possible that the company that signs the female star will have to face major backlash from fans.

Would you like to see Daga and Tessa Blanchard join the AEW roster in near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Logan Paul Announced For SmackDown Appearance Next Week

Anutosh Bajpai
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YouTube star Logan Paul has been announced for making an appearance at next week’s episode of SmackDown after his recent Twitter exchange with Sami Zayn.

This week’s episode of SmackDown saw Kevin Owens hosting the KO Show with Sami Zayn as a guest, following up from last week’s episode of the show where Zayn attacked the former universal champion with a Helluva Kick.

During the segment, Zayn announced that he will be hosting a red carpet premiere for his conspiracy documentary on the Blue Branded show next week and Paul will be his special guest:

The company also announced a WrestleMania match between the two during the show when KO challenged his long-time rival to a bout at the Show of Shows and the former NXT champion accepted this challenge.

WWE has been building towards an appearance from Paul recently. It started when Sami Zayn said that his documentary will do “Logan Paul numbers” in terms of viewership during the March 12 SmackDown episode.

The YouTube star responded to this name drop on Twitter. The two have been exchanging words on the social site since then, hinting that the company was building towards something.

There is no word yet on if this will be a one-off appearance for Logan Paul but with WrestleMania being around the corner; it’s possible that he will end up getting involved in the announced bout between the two WWE stars.

WWE Confirms Major Change To WrestleMania Main Event

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE has officially confirmed a major change to the WrestleMania main event and announced that the Universal Championship bout will now be a triple threat match involving Roman Reigns, Edge, and Daniel Bryan.

The opening segment of this week’s episode of SmackDown followed up from the events of Fastlane and it saw Daniel Bryan demanding another shot at the Universal title before being taken out by Edge.

After building towards the big announcement throughout the episode, Adam Pearce finally confirmed Bryan’s addition to the match in the main event segment featuring all three of the match participants.

The segment ended in chaos as all three tried to take out each other after the big announcement. The show ended with Edge standing tall in the ring.

The reports of this change have been a point of discussion recently and it has been said that Edge’s appearance played a part in Vince McMahon’s decision to make the big title match a triple threat.

WWE has now announced 11 matches for both nights of WrestleMania and the company has assigned the nights for most of these bouts except for the match between Shane McMahon and Braun Strowman.

The company is expected to announce a stipulation for the match and it’s likely that they will confirm the date for the fight then. You can check out the updated match card for the show here.

WWE SmackDown Results (3/26): Universal Title Match Set For WrestleMania, Edge Attacks

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome. It was the first episode of SmackDown following WWE Fastlane. There were several matches for WrestleMania set during tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Adam Pearce officially announced the Universal Championship match for WrestleMania during the final segment of this week’s SmackDown.

SmackDown Results (3/26)

  1. Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura
  2. Apollo Crews & Alpha Academy def. Big E & Street Profits
  3. Bianca Belair def. Natalya
  4. Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Edge Attacked Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan came down to the ring to begin this week’s episode of SmackDown. Bryan said in a perfect world, he would be standing in the ring as Universal Champion and be heading to the main event of WrestleMania. Bryan noted that neither of those things are true because Edge hit him with a steel chair at Fastlane as he was tapping Roman Reigns out.

Bryan said he was tired of doing things the right way and claimed that he earned being in the main event of WrestleMania and is willing to earn it all again. Daniel suggested a rematch for the Universal Championship tonight and will not leave the ring until he gets what he wants.

Daniel took a seat in the middle of the ring and waited as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Adam Pearce told Daniel that the referee’s decision is final and Roman’s next title defense will be against Edge at WrestleMania.

Bryan suggested that he face the winner of that match at WrestleMania and Pearce stated that will be unfair. Daniel said that Edge should face Roman Reigns on Night 1 and the winner will face him on Night 2. Edge interrupted and ripped the microphone away from Adam Pearce.

Edge joined Bryan in the ring and shouted that every match in the ring could be his last match. Edge shouted that this is his dream, everything he worked for and Bryan wants to rip it away. He noted that he won the Royal Rumble while Bryan has lost twice to Roman Reigns. Edge called Bryan a son of a bitch and claimed he didn’t deserve a title shot at WrestleMania. Bryan tacked Edge but he battled back and hit Daniel with a Spear.

Edge then hit Bryan with a steel chair before exiting the ring. Roman Reigns was shown backstage with Jey Uso and Paul Heyman. Reigns instructed them to bring him Adam Pearce and use force if they have to. Reigns got in Pearce’s face and told Adam that he only gets him for one night and one title defense at WrestleMania.

Peace told Roman that he understands his point and will make his decision by the end of the night. Edge then showed up in Reigns’ locker room and said he was here to talk. Edge noted that Daniel Bryan was trying to steal their spotlight and he did it again in 2014. Edge added that if Bryan is involved, he can beat him for the title instead of Reigns if it is a Triple Threat match.

Seth Rollins Will Face Cesaro At WrestleMania

Seth Rollins faced Shinsuke Nakamura again tonight on SmackDown. Rollins defeated Nakamura at WWE Fastlane. Seth and Nakamura locked up in the middle of the ring to begin the action. Nakamura booted Seth in the midsection and sent him to the apron.

Rollins climbed up the turnbuckle but Shinsuke tripped him up and hit a knee to the ribs. Shinsuke followed it up with a knee to Rollins’ head as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Rollins was in control and hit a Slingblade for a two count. Nakamura battled back and connected with the sliding German Suplex for a near fall.

Rollins caught Shinsuke with a knee to the face and followed it up with the Falcon Arrow but Nakamura kicked out at two. Rollins shouted that Nakamura should respect him because he has done more than Shinsuke can ever dream of.

Nakamura planted Rollins with the Landslide and went for the cover but Seth was able to kick out at the last moment. Rollins dodged the Kinshasa and elbowed Nakamura in the face. Nakamura went for a Triangle submission but Seth broke the hold with a Powerbomb. Rollins followed it up with the Stomp for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Seth Rollins attacked Nakamura and set up for another Stomp. Cesaro rushed the ring in dress clothes and hit Rollins with a Gutwrench Suplex. Cesaro leveled Rollins with a massive uppercut and went for the Swing but Seth escaped out of the ring.

Seth Rollins was interviewed backstage and said he was sick of being embarrassed by that failure Cesaro. Rollins challenged Cesaro to a match at WrestleMania and vowed to teach him a lesson about respect. Seth added that he will never be in the Swing again and Cesaro attacked him from behind. Cesaro got Rollins in the Swing and accepted Seth’s challenge.

Big E Will Face Apollo Crews At WrestleMania

Intercontinental Champion Big E teamed up with Street Profits to face Alpha Academy and Apollo Crews. It was announced that Big E will defend his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania.

Alpha Academy isolated Montez Ford in the ring and beat him down for the first few minutes of the match. Gable planted Montez with a beautiful Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall.

Apollo Crews tagged in and continued to beat Ford down. Big E tagged in and hit Gable with a couple Belly to Belly Suplexes. Chad went for an Armbar but Big E escaped to the corner. Big E planted Gable with a Uranage in the corner of the ring. Alpha Academy hit an awesome Clothesline/German Suplex combo on Angelo Dawkins. Apollo Crews then connected with a slam on Big For the pinfall victory.

Opinion: I’ll never understand the appeal of having a champion pinned to sell a title match. There’s no reason to have already seen Crews pin Big E before the title match.

Owens Will Face Zayn At WrestleMania, Logan Paul Will Be On SmackDown Next Week

Kevin Owens came down to the ring for an episode of the KO Show. Owens said he has a question and the only person that can answer it is Sami Zayn. Last week on SmackDown, Zayn hit Owens with a Helluva Kick after he did believe his conspiracy theories.

Zayn came to the entrance ramp and said he was sorry for what he did last week. Sami stated that he had no business kicking Owens but the conspiracy stuff has been getting to his head. Sami hopped on the ring apron and told Owens that he can still be a part of the documentary.

Sami claimed that he is having a red carpet premiere for the trailer for his documentary next week. Zayn brought up Logan Paul and how he is going to help him get the word out about the documentary. Sami said that Logan is going to be on SmackDown next week. Owens challenged Sami Zayn to a match at WrestleMania and Sami retreated to the corner. Zayn accepted the match and Owens attacked him. Owens stomped on Zayn in the corner of the ring to end the segment.

Banks Sent A Message To Belair

Bianca Belair faced Natalya tonight on SmackDown. Tamina was ringside for the match. Belair sent Natalya to the corner and drove her shoulder into her midsection several times. Bianca followed it up with a shoulder tackle that sent Natalya out of the ring.

Natalya regrouped with Tamina before hopping up on the apron. Belair chased her around and beat her down some more in the corner of the ring. Natalya missed with a Dropkick and Belair tried to pin her a couple times. Bianca hit Natalya with a Body Slam and climbed to the top rope.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks’ theme hit and Belair got distracted. Tamina booted Belair in the face and Bianca fell to the floor as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Sasha Banks was on commentary as Natalya connected with a Hurricanrana for a two count. Natalya drove Belair to the corner of the ring and stomped her to the canvas.

Natalya went for a DDT but Bianca countered into a Suplex. Belair connected with a couple shoulder tackles and then a Dropkick. Bianca planted Natalya with a Spinebuster and went for the cover but Natalya kicked out at two. Belair missed with a Moonsault and Natalya capitalized with a big Clothesline for a two count.

Natalya went for the Sharpshooter but Belair booted her away. Bianca rolled out of the ring to regroup and Sasha Banks started taunting her. Belair slapped Banks in the face before returning to the ring. Bianca hit Natalya with the KOD for the pinfall victory. After the match, Banks planted Belair with the Backstabber and pointed at the WrestleMania sign.

Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler faced Rey Mysterio tonight. Robert Roode and Dominiki Mysterio were ringside for the match. Mysterio sent Ziggler across the ring and went for a 619 but Dolph caught him with an elbow to the face. Ziggler went for a Powerbomb but Rey countered and sent Dolph to the outside. Mysterio went for a Hurricanrana but Ziggler caught him and Powerbombed Rey over the barricade. Ziggler then hit Dominik with a Superkick to the face as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Ziggler hit Mysterio with the Fameasser but Rey kicked out at two. Roode got into the ring and Rey hit him with a Dropkick. Ziggler hit a Zig Zag but Rey kicked out. Mysterio hit Dolph with a 619 and then a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.

Reigns Will Defend Against Edge & Daniel Bryan At WrestleMania

Adam Pearce made his way to the ring and Universal Champion Roman Reigns immediately followed him as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, piped in “you tapped out!” chants were heard as the camera focused on Reigns’ face.

Edge made his way to the ring and joined Pearce and the Universal Champion. Daniel Bryan joined the party and came down to the ring. Adam Pearce said he understands everyone’s concerns and they make sense. Pearce added that what Bryan says also makes sense and that he is right when he says he deserves another shot at the Universal Championship.

Pearce told Reigns that he will only defend the title once at WrestleMania. Peace announced that Reigns will defend his Universal Championship in a Triple Threat match against Edge and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. Bryan and Edge traded punches in the corner. Reigns hit Bryan with a Superman Punch and went to hit Bryan with a chair. Edge hit Reigns with a Spear and unloaded with chair shots on both of his opponents at WrestleMania.

Edge put Roman’s head on a steel chair and unloaded some shots on Jey. Reigns escaped out of the ring and Edge dragged Bryan to the middle of the ring. WWE officials tried to break it up but Edge hit them with the chair. Bryan rolled out of the ring and escaped as Edge took a seat in the middle of the ring to end the show.

Opinion: It is crazy to think about how we’ve arrived at Edge turning heel but we are here. I’ve always liked Edge better as a heel anyways and there is no negative in adding Daniel Bryan to this match. It is worthy of the main event at this year’s WrestleMania.

Several Matches Booked For WWE WrestleMania 37

Andrew Ravens
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Several new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 37 event. 

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews, and Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins were made official. 

Crews vs. Big E is a rematch from the Fastlane pay-per-view event, which saw Big E go over to retain the title. Owens vs. Zayn, a long-standing rivalry, was made official during a Kevin Owens Show segment. Finally, Rollins defeated Nakamura again in a singles match, another rematch from Fastlane. After the match, Rollins attacked Nakamura until Cesaro made the save.

WWE presents WrestleMania 37 on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida that will air on Peacock. 

Night 1 

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Bad Bunny vs. The Miz

Night 2 

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Randy Orton vs. The Fiend

Match Date TBA

WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. AJ Styles and Omos

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Bret Hart Believes WWE Should Have Banned Thigh Slapping Years Ago

Andrew Ravens
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Bret Hart has given his take regarding leg slaps in WWE. 

Vince McMahon issued a new edict earlier this month about wrestlers no longer being allowed to do leg slaps during their matches. The company has placed a sign at the Gorilla position regarding the leg slaps that reads, ‘do not slap leg when kicking.’

The WWE Hall of Famer took part in a virtual signing/meet and greet earlier this week for The Asylum Wrestling Store. This is where he gave his opinion. 

“I heard a few days ago that they outlawed or banned or nobody’s allowed to do the slap stuff anymore,” said Hart (H/T to POST Wrestling). “And I’m like ‘they should’ve stopped that ten years ago.’ It’s slap, slap, slap, slap.”

Hart recalled how his brother, Owen, was one of the guys that started a lot of that and one of the best to do it. 

“But come on, enough is enough, in every match.  You see guys do stuff and you’re going, ‘That wouldn’t even make a slap sound.’ When you punch somebody in the jaw, it’s not a slap sound. You know, it’s a different kind of sound and you’re making a slap sound for everything. Every single move you do is a slap sound, slap, slap and I totally agree.”

Hart noted that he’s glad they put their foot down on that but thinks they’re ten years late in doing so. The legendary started added, “they’ve already kind of in a lot of ways, sadly, ruined wrestling by making it so fake.”

Dana White Rules Out Possible UFC Return For Ronda Rousey

Andrew Ravens
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For fans hoping to see Ronda Rousey make a return to the UFC, Dana White has some bad news for you. 

The UFC President has shot down the possibility of the former UFC Bantamweight Champion ever returning to the Octagon. He did so as he spoke with the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC 260 pay-per-view event.

While talking about the return of Meisha Tate, who is bitter rivals with Rousey and has lost to her on a few different occasions, White mentioned he recently had a telephone conversation with Rousey. However, they didn’t talk about her MMA return. 

“Don’t even f***ing start you guys,” said White [h/t/ The Sun]. “Yesterday about lots of different things, not this, but yes we talked yesterday. [She is] Absolutely, positively not coming back ever.”

Rousey lost the UFC title to Holly Holm and then lost her final UFC fight against Amanda Nunes in December 2016 where she lost in the first round by knockout.

She joined WWE in 2018 where she became a top star for the company and became Raw Women’s champion. She worked her last match in WWE against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 35. Rousey went on hiatus to start a family. Her contract with WWE expires in April.

Edge’s Appearance Was A Factor In Vince McMahon Changing WrestleMania 37 Plans

Andrew Ravens
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It appears that the appearance of Edge may have played a factor in WWE changing WrestleMania 37 plans.

Of course, the WWE Hall of Famer is slated to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 37. However, the company plans to add Daniel Bryan to the bout and make it a three-way match. This is the reason why Edge turned heel at Fastlane that featured him hitting double spears to Reigns and Bryan, which allowed Reigns to retain the title. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a source within WWE noted the issue of Edge’s age, not so much the number but the look of his age, was a concerning point for Vince McMahon. 

The source stated Edge “was looking older each week” on WWE TV since returning in January. The WWE Chairman and CEO decided to make a change to the match partially because of Edge’s look in addition to wanting to shake-up things. 

McMahon has made various changes to plans for WrestleMania. The feeling then was that Bryan would be the babyface.

WWE WrestleMania 37 takes place on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The match will take place on the second night. 

WWE Ranks Its Top-50 Female Performers In Modern History

Chris Stephens
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The WWE Network has been airing shows counting down the top-50 female superstars of the modern era. Female Superstars who made their names before the 1990s have not been included in this list.

The top-50 WWE female superstars of the modern-era are:

  1. Trish Stratus
  2. Charlotte Flair
  3. Becky Lynch
  4. Chyna
  5. Asuka
  6. Sasha Banks
  7. Alundra Blayze (Medusa)
  8. Lita
  9. Ronda Rousey
  10. Bayley
  11. Beth Phoenix
  12. Mickie James
  13. Alexa Bliss
  14. Victoria
  15. Molly Holly
  16. Sable
  17. Paige
  18. Shayna Baszler
  19. A.J Lee
  20. Natalya
  21. Rhea Ripley
  22. Michelle McCool
  23. Stephanie McMahon
  24. Luna Vachon
  25. Io Shirai
  26. The Bella Twins (Ranked together)
  27. Melina
  28. Ivory
  29. Bull Nakano
  30. Naomi
  31. Kairi Sane
  32. Jaqueline
  33. Gail Kim
  34. Carmella
  35. Bianca Belair
  36. Nia Jax
  37. Maryse
  38. Jazz
  39. Lacey Evans
  40. Eve Torres
  41. Ember Moon
  42. Layla
  43. Nikki Cross
  44. Candice LeRae
  45. Kelly Kelly
  46. Shotzi Blackheart
  47. Sonya Deville
  48. Kay Lee Ray
  49. Kaitlyn
  50. Toni Storm

Some performers on the list have commented on their ranking.

The Twitter account for the late-Chyna posted the following:

Gail Kim was asked about only coming in at #33. Kim had two runs with WWE from 2002-04 and again from 2008-11.

“I didn’t do much there. Besides the title win, there was nothing else besides gimmick matches. It’s WWE rankings. Not women’s wrestling rankings, but thanks anyway,” Kim Tweeted at someone who expressed they thought she should have been ranked higher.

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