Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Watch: Dolph Ziggler Reacts To NXT Championship Win

    Dolph Ziggler surprised everyone by becoming the new NXT champion during this week\’s Roadblock special of the development brand.

    The triple threat match where Bron Breakker defended his title against both the Show Off and Tommaso Ciampa main evented the show.

    It looked as if Breakker will retain his title when he hit Ziggler with a big spear. Though Robert Roode came to the aid of his partner and he pulled the referee out of the ring to make the save.

    The final moments of the match saw Ciampa going for a running knee on the champion but Roode pulled Bron out of the way. Dolph Ziggler took advantage of the distraction and he delivered a superkick to Ciampa for the win.

    The new champion was interviewed backstage after his big win. He mentioned how he screwed up the plans for everyone with his victory:

    \”Just when you thought, you all had WrestleMania weekend all figured out. Good old DZ, screwed it up for everybody.\”

    There is no word yet on what the officials are planning for the title now. WWE has announced NXT Stand & Deliver for WrestleMania week. It\’s likely that Dolph will defend the NXT championship against Breakker on the show.

  • Worlds Champion Matt Cardona Says He Will \’Save\’ NWA With His Title Reign

    Matt Cardona joined a prestigious list when he became the NWA champion. He believes that his title reign will save the company.

    The Internet sensation recently had an interview with WrestleZone. He discussed things such as winning the title from Trevor Murdoch on NWA Powerrrrip and more.

    Speaking of how his championship reign will help the promotion, Cardona claimed that it will save the NWA because he will promote the title everywhere:

    \”Man, listen, I say I’m here to save the NWA, and I am. And I think me being the champion will save the NWA because for instance, I actually get booked other places.

    So [at GCW shows], I’ll be walking out with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.\” said Matt Cardona, \”As opposed to Trevor or Nick, who don’t really do anything but NWA.\”

    The former WWE star mentioned that he doesn\’t have the control over his title defenses. So he can\’t promise that his matches elsewhere are going to be for the ten pounds of gold.

    On the same time, he is proud to be the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. Cardona will make sure to announce himself as such wherever he goes, whether that is going to a wrestling show or to Paris for his honeymoon.

  • How Steve Austin Felt About A WrestleMania Match A Few Weeks Ago

    Jim Ross had been closely associated with Stone Cold Steve Austin throughout his WWE career. The two old friends still keep in touch with each other.

    The now AEW commentator talked to the Texas Rattlesnake as recently as a few weeks back. The duo also discussed the former champion\’s WrestleMania role this year.

    Ross talked about Austin on his Grilling JR podcast and claimed that the Attitude Era star didn\’t sound \’overwhelmingly enthusiastic\’ about a WrestleMania match:

    \”He and I have talked, but at the time we talked, he didn’t know what he was going to do and he didn’t sound overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it.\”

    Jim Ross explained that Steve Austin is a perfectionist. Even though he stays in good shape, he wouldn\’t want to get back in the ring without proper preparation:

    \”He can do a photo shoot and it looks like that can be Steve from any era, but that’s the athlete in him. He likes to train, eat right, and all those things.”

    The AEW star later said that in his opinion the program should have been finalized at least 6 months before WrestleMania, not only to build a story but to give Stone Cold the chance to train better.

  • Finn Balor Details Struggles Of Being A WWE Star

    One big struggle of being a WWE star or pro wrestler in general that usually goes unmentioned is being away from your family for most of the year. For someone like Finn Balor, the struggle is even more gruesome because his family lives in a different county. Growing up in Ireland means that Balor has spent the majority of his wrestling career away from the people he grew up with.

    The former Universal champion opened up about this during his appearance on Corey Graves\’ After The Bell podcast. He mentioned how it\’s the strive to prove people wrong that has kept him going because the money alone wouldn\’t be worth the sacrifice:

    \”I\’ll be honest, the money\’s not that good for the amount of pain we go through and being away from my family for 20 years. I wrestle with myself the whole time as the money versus being away from Ireland for 20 years. In 10 years’ time, when like, my family, people start to pass, or my friends you know, move on. Is money gonna be worth the sacrifice? [The things] that I have given up.

    Not the Physical sacrifice, the sacrifice of being away from your loved ones for literally 20 years. Having phone call relationships with people or text relationships with people that you grew up with or you love. I don\’t have any kids, but I\’ve got 12 nieces and nephews. I love them and they know me as Finn Balor. They don\’t know me as Fergal. They don\’t know their uncle, The real person. They just know their uncle on TV. So I kind of wrestle with these things all the time. Is money worth the sacrifice? Not the physical sacrifice, life sacrifice.\”

    How Finn Balor Balances His Emotions

    \"Finn
    Finn Balor as the US champion

    Corey Graves then asked Finn Balor how he deals with the mental pressure of all this to which he replied that he doesn\’t. Balor explained how his parents would question his decision if he stopped doing what he loves. On the same time, he constantly has to question himself on if doing it is worth staying away from his family:

    \”I don\’t know if I balance it or not. I think I just bottle it up inside. Like a true Irishman, who bottles up his real emotions (laughs). It\’s something that weighs on my mind a lot. Especially as I see my parents getting older now. I know, that they have so much respect for what I\’ve done. They\’re so proud of, where I have came from and where I am now. I know that they would be disappointed if I stopped doing it. They would be heartbroken. \’He\’s not following his dreams. Why is he not doing it?\’ For me, I\’m questioning \’Why am I doing this to be away from them?\’ So it\’s like, what\’s the right answer? It\’s so hard to know.\”

    If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Finn Balor Was Hurt Over Not Being Part Of WrestleMania 37

    Finn Balor was competing in NXT around the time of WrestleMania 37, but the kid inside him still wanted to be a part of the Show of Shows.

    The United States champion recently appeared on WWE After The Bell. He discussed things such as moving back to the main roster and more.

    Speaking of WrestleMania 37, Balor mentioned how he watched the show from his couch. He admitted that not being part of the event was not a good feeling:

    \”You can be jaded in any walk of your life, but when you\’re a kid and you watch wrestling and love wrestling. The idea of being involved in WrestleMania is so far-fetched.

    Every time that WrestleMania comes around, you want to be involved.\” said Finn Balor, \”Even though I wasn\’t involved last year, I watched, and I\’ll be honest, it hurt.\”

    Speaking of the upcoming WrestleMania 38, the former NXT champion said that he is super excited to be a part of the event and the festivities surrounding it.

    Finn Balor defeated Damian Priest to win the US championship during the February 28 episode of Raw. He hasn\’t been announced for a Mania match so far but he is expected to be a part of the show.

    Thanks to Fightful for the quotes

  • Eric Bischoff On If Tony Khan\’s ROH Purchase Makes Sense

    Tony Khan made the big announcement of purchasing ROH last week. Eric Bischoff thinks this acquisition makes sense for the AEW owner.

    The former WCW president talked about this move from Khan in detail during the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast. He mentioned how a lot of AEW stars have extensive ROH history.

    Discussing whether the purchase makes sense from a business standpoint, Bischoff explained that it does if the goal is to build an independent streaming platform:

    “In the end of it, all the conversation about was it a good deal for Tony or not, I think it was a good deal, If Tony’s goal ultimately is to build, independent of Turner, is to build his own streaming platform?\” asked Eric Bischoff, \”Absolutely the acquisition of Ring of Honor makes sense.\”

    Though the former wrestling promoter noted that the deal will not make financial sense in the short term because ROH does not have a large fan following.

    The AEW owner himself had also provided some update on the indie promotion\’s future during the post Revolution media scrum. He had suggested that ROH will keep operating as a promotion. You can check out his comments here.

    Thanks to WrestlingInc for the quotes

  • Corey Graves On What It\’s Like Calling WrestleMania

    Being part of an event the caliber of WrestleMania brings in enormous performance pressure for many people, but for Corey Graves it\’s one of the easiest shows of the year.

    The WWE broadcaster recently had an interview with Bleav in Pro Wrestling. He discussed things such as his new reality show with Carmella and more.

    When asked about his WrestleMania experience as one of the lead broadcasters, Graves claimed that it\’s one of the easiest shows of the year to call:

    \”In my experience, has been one of the easiest shows of the year to call. Every time I do it. Because it’s the culmination of the storytelling. Sometimes the stories have been laid out for three months, six months, a year, and it finally comes full circle.

    The story’s basically been told.\” said Corey Graves, \”So, during the entrances, my partners and I will tell what needs to be told of the story, but then I just get to be a fan again.”

    The savior of misbehavior mentioned how he has been able to call matches of people like Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, which is surreal.

    The only two big names he hasn\’t gotten to call in some capacity are Steve Austin and Mr McMahon. Graves said he hopes to get one of them this year.

    Thanks to CageSideSeats for the quotes

  • WWE Could End Partnership With 2K Soon

    There is a good chance that WWE\’s partnership with 2K could come to an end after the release of the upcoming WWE 2K22 video game.

    Fightful recently provided some update on the company\’s strategy. They noted that the officials have had discussions with EA about bringing their game line-up over:

    “Multiple sources have stated that WWE has had preliminary discussions with Electronic Arts (EA) about bringing the WWE Games line over to one of the top gaming publishers in the world.”

    2K sports signed a contract to produce games for the Vince McMahon owned wrestling promotion back in 2016. Sources indicate that it was a six-year deal with the option for a potential extension

    WWE 2K22 is set to be released on various platforms this Friday, March 11. The critical and commercial performance of the game could play a factor in the organization\’s future with the game developers.

    The last WWE game in 2K20 was poorly received by fans and critics. The bug-ridden gameplay was universally panned. It led to the cancellation of 2K21.

    How would you feel about the promotion partnering with EA for future video games? Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.

  • Bron Breakker Pins Former World Champion in WWE Raw Debut

    It\’s been only 6 months since Bron Breakker had his first match on TV and he is already competing on one of WWE\’s flagship shows.

    The reigning NXT champion made an appearance on this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH.

    Breakker teamed up with Tommaso Ciampa to face Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler in a tag match. Prior to the match, we saw a video package showcasing the dominance of the current champion since his arrival.

    Breakker started the bout with Roode. Ciampa later tagged himself in but he lost control of the match after a big Spinebuster from Roode. Bron Breakker got the hot tag towards the ending of the match, while Dolph Ziggler tagged himself in as well.

    After some more back and forth, Breakker dropped Ziggler with a big power slam. The NXT star then pinned the former world champion to pick up the victory for his team.

    Dolph Ziggler has been involved in a storyline with the two NXT stars in recent times. This feud is expected to conclude this Tuesday where Bron Breakker will defend the NXT title in a triple threat against Ciampa and Ziggler.

    Breakker defends the NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa and Dolph Ziggler on Tuesday night at NXT Roadblock on the USA Network.

    After an impressive showing in his WWE Raw debut, Bron Breakker spoke about his title defense at Roadblock:

  • Control Your Narrative Announces Metaverse Partnership With ImagineAR

    The Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion founded by EC3 and Adam Scherr has announced a multi-year metaverse partnership with ImagineAR.

    ImagineAR is an argument reality platform that allows businesses to create their own AR campaigns without the required programming or technological knowledge.

    Per the joint press release, ImagineAR will be a metaverse sponsor for the new wrestling promotion and they will provide the company a custom AR mobile app:

    \”This agreement is for ImagineAR to be the official metaverse sponsor for CYN providing a custom AR immersive mobile app and for the talent roster to record FameDays e-greeting holograms.\”

    After leaving WWE back in April 2020, EC3 started a video series in which he claimed that he wanted to control the narrative. This led to several cinematic matches featuring the former Impact champion.

    Adam Scherr aka Braun Strowman later joined this venture as well. They officially announced the creation of the Control Your Narrative promotion last month.

    The company announced a TV deal with Pro Wrestling TV a few days ago. The platform will debut in April which will have a linear channel and on-demand streaming app. It will be an ad-supported service provided to viewers across the world for free.

  • CM Punk Takes Shot At Goldberg

    CM Punk won a hard-fought dog collar match against MJF during the Revolution PPV. He let himself loose in the post-show media scrum and didn\’t pull any punches back.

    During the talk, Punk took some shots at the former Universal champion Goldberg, for injuring Bret Hart and effectively ending his career:

    “I love Bret Hart, His career was cut short [by Goldberg], and it’s a god damn tragedy because there are people who go over to Saudi Arabia and get paid millions of dollars. That should have been Bret.”

    CM Punk, who himself had left wrestling at one point, mentioned how he is super grateful for his second chance in AEW. He claimed that he would give it up to Bret in a heartbeat because he loves Hart that much:

    “I just feel super fortunate and grateful that I got a second chance, I’d give it up in a heartbeat to give it to Bret. I just love that mother f**er so much. He’s the greatest of all time.”

    It\’s worth noting here that Goldberg\’s contract with WWE expired after his match with Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber. As far as we know, he is now a free agent.

    Apart from this, CM Punk also commented on Tony Khan purchasing ROH and he got emotional talking about it. You can check out Punk\’s reaction here.

  • Sting Reveals Advice For Young Talents

    Sting has been on the top of the wrestling business for over 30 years. His advice is priceless for any young star who is looking to make it big into the industry. According to the Icon himself, what he tells young talents is to put effort into learning the ropes and spend time understanding the craft.

    The wrestling veteran was asked what advice he would give to a young talent during the post Revolution media scrum. Replying to it, he mentioned how he has seen many loose cannons over the years, and his advice is to be quick to listen and slow to speak:

    \”Really, because I\’ve seen so many loose cannons over the years, so many people that believe that they can break into the wrestling business easy if they just dye their hair or come up with some kind of crazy gimmick. I\’ll tell them all pretty much the same thing [be] quick to listen, slow to speak.\” said Sting, \”You know, learn first. Keep your mouth shut. Just learn how to respect the business and everyone who came before you.

    He continued, \”Don\’t ever dog it out there. Wrestling fans will look right through that.  They know when someone\’s just kind of going through the motions versus somebody who\’s thinking about how their wrestling gear looks. What their physique looks like and they\’re giving it their all in the ring and they\’re putting it out there. They\’re taking risks. Fans see that and they appreciate it.\”

    If you use the quotes from the articles please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

  • Austin Theory Wants to Work With a WWE Legend

    Austin Theory is being positioned as the next big star and he has already gotten to face many big names including The Beast Brock Lesnar himself.

    Though there is one name that the protégé of Mr McMahon aspires to face in the future, that is the 16-time world champion John Cena.

    Theory revealed this aspiration when asked about his dream opponents during an interview with WWE Deutschland. He claimed that he has been building himself for this match from the start:

    “John Cena. Every time, John Cena, you know what, I, I feel personally that I just got to keep building myself and keep climbing that ladder and keep, you know, just impressing.

    I felt like I kicked that off when I got drafted to Raw taking out Jeff Hardy.\” said Austin Theory, \”You know, dealing with Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, all these names.\”

    Apart from this, the former NXT star also talked about working with the boss. He recalled how he was very nervous the first time he found out about it.

    Theory claimed that there is no bigger star in WWE than Mr McMahon and when it comes to Mt Rushmore of sports entertainment as a whole, he is the first person on the list. You can check out his interview below:

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CapsUCBo5HM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes
  • Brock Lesnar Reveals Advice For Young Wrestlers

    Brock Lesnar is one of the best if not the best professional wrestlers of the current era. His advice to young talents is not to do what everyone is doing and focus on storytelling more than the moves.

    The Beast Incarnate has been doing media rounds to promote WWE\’s Live Event from Madison Square Garden. He spoke to Newsday in the spree.

    When asked if he will be willing to mentor young talents, Lesnar claimed that over the years he has helped talents that have caught his eyes. Though according to him, some of the young stars don\’t have the same work ethic anymore:

    \”Some of these young kids nowadays, they’re so used to having everything they want at their fingertips with technology. I don’t know where the grassroots, hard work, and the ethic is anymore.\”

    \’They Need To Do Something Different\’

    \"Brock
    Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns

    Brock Lesnar then explained the younger wrestlers need to differentiate themselves from the rest if they want to be successful in the business:

    \”They need to do something different if they want to become successful. This business isn’t just about getting in the ring and being able to do moves, you know.

    This is a business of storytelling and characters and being able to portray a passion about something. So either you have it, or you don’t. Otherwise you’re just a mid-card wrestler, or an indie wrestler, or an internet wrestler.\”

    Apart from this, Lesnar also discussed his MSG match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, beating The Rock to become the youngest WWE champion and more.

  • Brock Lesnar Praises Roman Reigns: \”I See A F**king Star\”

    Roman Reigns can be considered the arch-rival of Brock Lesnar. The two have had many chapters in their rivalry and it doesn\’t seem like it\’s gonna end anytime soon.

    However, despite their differences, The Beast Incarnate recognizes the talent of the Tribal Chief. According to him, the Universal champion has the \’it\’ factor.

    Brock was asked about Roman and their upcoming WrestleMania 38 match during an interview with New York Post. He said that he sees a superstar in the Head of The Table:

    “I see a f–king superstar, I see I guy who came into his own and is a real threat as person and as a character. … Roman has the It factor, has had it.\” said Brock Lesnar, \”It’s exciting to me. I get goosebumps just thinking about this match.”

    Lesnar also talked about his current character. The WWE champion claimed that it\’s the extension of his real-life self: “This is the real Brock Lesnar, I’m a country hillbilly f–k, and that’s who I’m am. I grew up the same way.\”

    Apart from this, the former UFC star discussed how he considered himself to be retired from wrestling after WrestleMania 36 and explained what brought him back.

  • Eric Bischoff Explains Why Adam Cole Shouldn\’t Win AEW Title Right Now

    Adam Cole will be challenging Hangman Page for the AEW world championship during the upcoming Revolution PPV. While a lot of fans would like to see the former Undisputed Era leader win the belt, Eric Bischoff believes it\’s not the right time to put the title on the former NXT star.

    Bischoff talked about this during the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast. He explained that the audience will turn on Cole if he becomes a champion right now:

    \”Even though you have a percentage of the audience that’s going ‘yay Adam,’ two months from now, they’ll be going ‘give us somebody else.’ That’s the appetite of the hardcore audience. If I’m him, I don’t want that title right now.”

    Eric Bischoff On if Size Is As Important In Today\’s Wrestling

    Eric Bischoff claimed that Adam Cole should continue building himself. He should get to a point where a larger audience wants him to become the champion. The former WCW president also gave his thoughts on whether size is a factor in today\’s wrestling:

    “I don’t think size is as important today as it was. But it’s still a factor. You’re a larger-than-life character on television. That’s what makes wrestling work. I don’t mean necessarily just physically, but you have a presence on television that makes you unique and different, and therefore, in a way, aspirational for the viewer.\”

    Bischoff gave the example of Tom Cruise. He mentioned how Cruise is able to appear larger than he is with smart camera work, but it\’s something you cannot do in wrestling because it\’s live. He then said that AEW is having a hard time growing their business and reiterated that they need a larger-than-life star.

    Thanks to 411Mania for the transcribed quotes

  • Chris Jericho Says He Was Offered EVP Position At AEW

    Chris Jericho was one of the first big WWE names to join AEW during the initial days of the promotion. While The Elite had signed on from the very beginning, Y2J\’s arrival legitimized the company in a lot of fans\’ eyes.

    Turns out, the former AEW champion could have even become an Executive Vice President like the others, but he declined the position and decided to be just a talent for the company instead.

    Jericho recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. During the talk, he revealed that Tony Khan had actually offered him an EVP position in the company:

    The only reason I wasn’t an EVP is because I didn’t want to be. They asked me and I said, “No, that’s way too much work for what you’re planning on doing.”

    And Tony Khan’s the boss, anyways. I knew that from the start.\” said Chris Jericho, \”So I wasn’t going to play grab-a– and use EVP as an ego boost. F— that. Just give me more money.\”

    The former WWE star continued by claiming that his job was to be a star for the brand and help make new stars for the promotion.

    He mentioned how he gave a stage to people like Santana & Ortiz and Sammy Guevara and helped Jake Hager and Cody Rhodes reinvent themselves during his first few months with AEW.

  • Finn Balor Explains Why NXT Needed The Rebranding

    A lot of people believe that the rebranding of NXT was unnecessary and it should have been left as it was, but Finn Balor feels the opposite.

    The US champion recently appeared on Corey Graves\’ After The Bell podcast. Among other things, he talked about the revamp of WWE\’s development territory.

    Balor claimed that the change was needed because he felt all the possible matches had already taken place during his second run with the brand:

    “It was needed. I don’t want to say it was getting stale, but having been there for a year and a half in my second run, I felt like all the matches had taken place, it was going in a cycle and something needed to change.\”

    Finn Balor explained that as a young fan, he was always interested in new personalities and matches. He then offered some praise to the people behind the endeavor for risking it all:

    \”You’re getting to see and witness something new for the first time and that’s pretty rare. Hats off to NXT for risking it all and really committing to 2.0.”

    Balor also talked about the WarGames match between team Black and Gold and team 2.0. He noted how it was refreshing to see new guys doing things that people were not familiar with.

  • Video: Ricochet Wins The Intercontinental Championship On SmackDown

    This week\’s episode of SmackDown saw a big title change where Ricochet defeated Sami Zayn to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

    This title match was the very first bout of the night. It saw the One and Only doing some amazing work and he almost took out Zayn at the very beginning.

    The ending of the bout saw the high-flying star flipping over the top and taking Zayn down on the floor for a big pop. He then brought Sami back into the ring.

    Ricochet went to the top rope but the IC champion cut him down and sent the former NXT star back on the floor. It looked as if Sami was going to retain his title.

    However, as Zayn tried to bring his opponent back into the ring, the Jackass music hit, and Johnny Knoxville came down the ring to a pop.

    Knoxville called Sami a chump. Zayn tried to get Knoxville but he hopped back off the apron. This gave Ricochet an opportunity to strike back.

    He came back into the ring and put Sami Zayn down with a hurricanrana. Ricochet then pinned Sami to become the new IC champion.

    Sami Zayn had won the championship last month. His reign with the title officially only lasted for 13 days. You can check out the title change in the video below:

  • Watch: Former WWE Star Returns To AEW During Rampage

    Erick Redbeard, better known to WWE fans as former Wyatt Family member Eric Rowan made his return to AEW programming during this week\’s episode of Rampage.

    The Friday night show featured matches such as a triple threat for the TNT championship and a qualifier for the face of the Revolution ladder match.

    The final segment of the night saw Pac and Penta Oscuro confronting the House of Black in the ring. This is when Redbeard made his return to the company.

    The former WWE star aligned himself with the members of the Death Triangle. The segment broke out into a fight with his arrival and Erick took out several security guards.

    https://twitter.com/AEWonTV/status/1499949234644127746

    AEW later confirmed that Eric Redbeard will team up with Pac and Penta to face The House of Black in a trios match at the AEW Revolution Buy In Show this Sunday.

    Redbeard previously made an appearance for AEW during the \’Brodie Lee Celebration Of Life\’ tribute show back in December 2020. He protected members of the Dark Order from an attack by Wardlow.

    It\’s unknown whether Erick has signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling. It looks more likely that this will be a one-off appearance for the former champion.

    • AEW Revolution: Final Match Card
  • Vince McMahon Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday Afternoon

    WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be making a rare media appearance Thursday afternoon on the Pat McAfee Show.

    McAfee has since responded to this announcement on Twitter. He said that he is ready to have the conversation of a lifetime with one of his current employers:

    “Abaht to have the conversation of a LIFETIME with the LEGENDARY billionaire genius @VinceMcMahon next week #SmackDown #SmackDAHN,”

    The Pat McAfee show steams from 12 noon ET on both YouTube and SiriusXM Channel 82 every Monday to Friday.

    The former NFL player also recently interviewed Brock Lesnar on his show. During the appearance, Lesnar talked about things such as his social anxiety and more.

    McMahon usually does not make a lot of media appearances. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this rare interview.

    McAfee, who has previously wrestled for the company is also rumored for a WrestleMania feud but there is no word yet on who he might face at the show.

  • Chris Jericho On How He Plans To Retire

    Many wrestling stars want to make their retirement as big as possible. From going on retirement tours to picking up the biggest opponent, a lot of stars do everything they can to make their final outing as memorable for fans as possible. Though this won\’t be the case with Chris Jericho, according to Y2J himself.

    The former AEW champion discussed his career and retirement during a recent talk with Fite in Focus. He claimed that when he\’s done, he\’ll just be done:

    \”When I\’m done, there\’s not going to be a retirement tour, there\’s not going to be big pomp and circumstance. I\’ll be done. I\’ll go somewhere else and do what I want to do.\”

    Although this doesn\’t mean that the moment is close. Chris Jericho noted how wrestling has become fun for him again in recent years. According to him, there is no reason for a change when he is enjoying himself:

    \”Right now, I\’m in the best shape of my life, we have a really good story going on with Eddie Kingston that has a lot of layers to come. To me, that\’s enough to sit back and enjoy myself. When I\’m enjoying myself, there\’s no reason to change anything.\”

    Jericho also discussed how he had started thinking about winding down around 2016. Though going to Japan made wrestling fun for him again.

    Thanks to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

  • Drew McIntyre On Cody Rhodes Possibly Returning To WWE

    If there is one star who knows what it\’s like rebuilding yourself from scratch after leaving WWE, it\’s the former WWE champion Drew McIntyre.

    The Scottish Warrior recently had an interview with Baby Huey of In The Kliq. He discussed things such as Cesaro\’s WWE exit and more.

    When asked about Cody Rhodes potentially making his return to WWE, McIntyre mentioned that he knows what it\’s like to leave the promotion feeling that you have unfinished business:

    “If he comes back, good for him. That’d be awesome. I know what it feels like to be gone from WWE feeling like you should have achieved more, and coming back to do it.

    And just knowing him the way I know him, he probably feels the same way about unfinished business.\” said Drew McIntyre, \”So if it materializes, then, awesome. He’s such a talent, and be more than welcome on the roster.”

    Cody Rhodes surprised everyone when he announced his departure from AEW last month. There are lots of rumors about his next move but no confirmation on what he is actually planning.

    McIntyre has history with Rhodes from the time of his first WWE run. The two even held the tag team championships together in the company for a brief period in 2010.

    Thanks to CageSideSeats for the transcribed quotes

  • News On Ricochet\’s Position On The SmackDown Roster

    Many fans have been critical of how WWE has used Ricochet in recent times despite his popularity. It appears that things may change for the high flyer in coming times.

    Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently provided some update on the backstage assessment of the former champion. He noted the following about how the One and Only is seen by the officials:

    “We have had some readers ask why Ricochet got such a big push last week. There’s a very good explanation for that. Currently, he’s slated as the number two singles babyface for the entire Smackdown brand internally.”

    Former WWE champion Drew McIntyre is obviously the #1 babyface of the blue brand\’s roster. Johnson also interestingly noted that The New Day and Shinsuke Nakamura are internally listed as part of the tag team division.

    Ricochet picked up a big victory over Sheamus on last week\’s SmackDown. He used the Recoil to pin the former world champion despite distractions from Ridge Holland.

    Now the big question is if we can expect to see this win turn into a push for the former North American champion. What WWE has planned for him for WrestleMania will be a good indication of what to expect in future.

  • Watch: Randy Orton Injury Scare on Monday\’s Raw (Updated)

    Randy Orton may have suffered some sort of shoulder injury during this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.

    During a match featuring RK-Bro and the Street Profits, Montez Ford went up to the top rope for a frogsplash on Orton. Ford landed awkwardly on Orton, who moved towards the rope after taking the move. Orton tried to put his foot on the rope when Ford went for the pin.

    Angelo Dawkins stopped The Viper and the Street Profits managed to pick up the win. Though the whole affair looked like it did not go as planned.

    You can check out the ending of the Street Profits vs RK-Bro match below:

    Montez Ford was seen checking in on Randy Orton as soon as the bell rang. He informed the referee and everyone seemed to be concerned about Orton.

    A fan noted that Orton, Riddle and the referee went back through the side of the stage after the match, while everyone else walked back through the tunnel. Randy was also seen favoring his shoulder on the way back.

    Montez Ford has since tweeted about the situation and says everyone is \”healthy.\”

    “Pinned a World Champion,\” he wrote. \”Got the Woman. And everyone is healthy. All in one night. GOD IS GREAT,.”