John Cena is one of the most successful wrestlers in the history of the business. Not only was he the face of WWE for more than 15 years but he has carved a place for himself in Hollywood after moving on from the company as well.
However, his rise to the top was not an easy journey. The former world champion recently had an interview with The Sun where he opened up about his struggles before becoming a professional wrestler.
Cena recalled the time he left his home in Massachusetts and went to Los Angeles to pursue a career in bodybuilding. Due to the lack of resources, the former world champion slept in his car and showered in a gym he worked at:
“I slept in my car for a while, which happened to be a very roomy 1991 Lincoln Town Car. I had my clothes in the trunk and I slept in the back seat. I’d wake up, use the locker rooms and the shower and repeat the process all over again.”
Dad told me I would be home with my tail between my legs in two weeks. Sure enough, I went through my resources quickly and had to think on my feet. I didn’t want to go home crying.”
John Cena had previously ruled out the possibility of having kids. This is one of the primary reasons why his engagement with fellow WWE star Nikki Bella ended.
However, now that Cena is a little older and has a lot more experience on his hands, he is considering a change to his stand. Talking about it during the interview, he didn\’t rule out the possibility of fatherhood completely:
“I’m a little bit older, a bit wiser. I’m realising there is life and life exists and it’s beautiful — and I think part of that is being a parent, so we’ll see.”
John Cena started dating Canadian engineer Shay Shariatzadeh in early 2019 after his breakup with Nikki Bella. The couple got married in a private ceremony in October 2020.
WWE has the long-standing tradition that the top star of the company also serves as the locker room leader. This creates some interesting dynamics when a former locker room leader returns and has to adapt to the change. One such scenario is likely to be presented when John Cena returns to the company later this month and confronts the current face of the company – Roman Reigns.
The Big Dog discussed this during a recent interview with Peter Rosenberg and Stat Guy Greg on Hot 97. The Tribal Chief was asked about this change and whether he sees himself being in a different position in the relationship with the Cenation Leader now that he has taken up the mantle. Replying to the question, the Universal champion reminded everyone that this won\’t be the first time he is crossing paths with Cena after becoming the locker room leader:
\”So I think there are a couple of different folds to this scenario because even before, I forget which year it was, I know it was at No Mercy, when me and John went to [fight for the] first time. I had already been in that position. John had been around periodically jumping in kind [of] on interval, stretches but I was still the main event. If he jumped in to a live event to help out a show he would go on before intermission. He would find himself in a different position. I would close us out.\”
Roman Reigns admitted that things are different now after he has spent a lot more time in the top position. However, he claimed that they have respect for the superstars who came before them. Reigns said that it would be a lie if someone said that John Cena didn\’t toe the train for a long time.
The reigning champion explained that their return is a good thing because the people who have moved on from WWE only bring new eyes to the product when they come back:
\”What\’s beautiful about it is the respect everyone has for our history and the respect we have for the superstars who pull that wagon and there is no question you know. It would be a bold face lie if anyone ever say [that] John Cena didn\’t toe the train for a long time and we\’re gonna always have respect for that, Vince will always have great respect for that. Guys like The Undertaker, that\’s why we have these legendary contracts where we keep these guys. They paid their dues. They guided our business. They laid the foundation for us to continue this journey and continue this success that we have.
\”So I think there is always gonna be that scenario out of respect. When they come back, it\’s only to bring more eyes and kind of lift the tide up to make it a bigger event. But when you have someone like myself and John was in the same position with Dwayne. Hopefully one day I will be in the same position coming back and there will be a new head guy. There will be a new top dog. That\’s what drives the business and that\’s what makes us even greater is when our guys go out and find great success, and then they bring that limelight. They bring that shine back to what started them, back to their first love.\”
On the topic of the people who can replace him as the face of WWE and locker room leader, Roman Reigns said that currently there is no one on his level. He was asked which current star has the potential to be the next face. He named the former WWE champion Drew McIntyre. Reigns claimed that McIntyre is the number two guy in the company currently but he is not on his level yet:
\”There ain\’t nobody. I can say my favorite number two [is] Drew. He\’s my favorite number two. There\’s a bunch of number twos, threes, whatever you wanna call them, we can rank them [but] it really doesn\’t matter. They are under me. How far under? Who knows. Who really cares. I mean how strong of a number two do you wanna be? At this point, my favorite is Drew McIntyre,
\”In a perfect world if there is an opportunity to pass the torch. He is the one guy that has captivated my attention in that manner but at the same time he ain\’t there and it\’s only because I am still here so solid within my foothold. The flag is fully planted in so I can\’t even think about it now. Like John needed somebody to come in so he could move on and try new things and take care of his body. I would eventually need that but there is just nobody at this point.\”
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The Shield helped launch the career of Roman Reigns as a main event star. He has only achieved new heights since then. The Big Dog has claimed WWE as his yard and he has become the face of the company. While many fans still have hope to see the group reuniting sometime in the future, the Tribal Chief is not interested in sharing the spotlight with his former teammates anymore.
The reigning Universal champion recently spoke to Peter Rosenberg and Stat Guy Greg for Hot 97 radio. The WWE star discussed a variety of things during the talk and also commented on a potential Shield reunion. Reigns was asked if he has any interest in reuniting with his old teammates in future. He replied with a straight \’no\’ for an answer. Roman Reigns explained that while he has respect for the time he spent as a part of the group, it\’s a one man show for him now:
\”No. I have respect for everything we did now. A lot of that time was really pivotal for me to learn and gain experience. Be around other performers. See their processes and how they attack things and how they think about things. But where I am at now it\’s a one-man show. I have the family dynamic with my cousins but at the same time, I call the shots. It\’s my thumb that\’s down on this pole. So yeah, I don\’t think I can share it anymore.\”
Roman Reigns Wants To Work With Seth Rollins Again
A Shield reunion will also be hard because Jon Moxley has moved on from WWE and found a new home in AEW. What we can be certain about is that we will see the other two Shield members crossing paths sooner or later, something which WWE also teased recently. When asked if he thinks he and Seth Rollins can still pull off something special at a stage such as WrestleMania, Roman Reigns explained that the two can make anything special:
\”Seth is a special performer, especially in ring. It can be a cold situation, you give us a crowd, you give us a ring and we\’re gonna make something special happen. So you put us in a scenario like Wrestlemania or SummerSlam, a big PPV, no question. I mean that chemistry, that stride for greatness, the ambition for greatness between the both of us, it\’ll always be there. So that\’s what\’s always gonna make it special. So that\’s easy, that\’s like insurance policy. When in doubt, throw me and him together.\”
The Shield made their surprise debut in November 2012. The group\’s original WWE run lasted until June 2014, when Seth Rollins betrayed his friends and joined The Authority. The following years saw the trio reuniting for a number of times. However, their final reunion took place in late 2018 after Jon Moxley chose not to renew his WWE contract. He subsequently left the promotion in April 2019 to join AEW in May.
Subscribe to Cheap Heat on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to listen to the full interview. Please credit SEScoops for h/t if you use any quotes from this article.
WWE returns to Madison Square Garden in New York City Friday, September 10th for a live SmackDown TV taping. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 9 at 10 AM ET at Ticketmaster.
Sonya Deville has taken a break from her in-ring career during the pandemic era. She has instead assumed the role of an on-screen authority figure on WWE TV.
With the company finally returning to the road next month with a big 25 city tour, a lot of people have been wondering if we will see the former Absolution member making an in-ring return as well.
Deville was asked about the possibility during her recent appearance on WWE\’s The Bump and she claimed that she is content with her current role:
“You know, I love what I’m doing right now. I think it’s a natural fit. I’m a leader in life, and I think it transitions well into a suit and tie. I love being in charge, so I’m content with where I am right now,”
Sonya Deville confirmed that her in-ring career is not over yet. She indicated that she will return to the ring eventually but it won\’t be happening anytime soon:
“At the end of the day, of course, I’m a fighter, but I’m really enjoying growing and learning in this role. I don’t see an end to it anytime soon.”
Sonya Deville had been off WWE TV since August 2020. She made her return to the company in a non wrestling role in January earlier this year.
She originally acted as an assistant to Adam Pearce but has started making executive decisions of her own since then.
Big E has been one of the top SmackDown babyfaces for a long time but his current run on the show might be coming to an end soon.
According to WrestleVotes on Twitter, WWE officials are considering moving the former Intercontinental champion to Raw from the blue brand during the upcoming drafts in August.
The idea is for E to reunite with his New Day partners on Mondays but not join them as a team again. The former NXT champion is expected to continue to focus on his singles career instead:
I’ve heard from a few sources an idea making the rounds – Big E moving from SD to RAW in the post SummerSlam draft while still be pushed as a singles. In essence, New Day back together without necessary being a team. If so, E would become a fresh face for the RAW main event scene
Drew McIntyre finished up his feud with the WWE champion Bobby Lashley at Hell In A Cell. With McIntyre out of the title picture, the red brand has an opening for underutilized babyfaces to step up to the All Mighty.
Fans have been demanding a world title push for Big E from a while now. Changing brands may help him get a fresh opportunity to gain momentum.
With people\’s support behind him, it would not be a surprise if the New Day member ends up being the one to defeat Bobby Lashley for the WWE title somewhere down the line.
What do you think about Big E potentially changing brands during the upcoming WWE drafts? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
John Cena\’s next big project is DC\’s Suicide Squad sequel directed by James Gunn. The cenation leader will be playing the role of Peacemaker in the movie.
During a recent interview with Collider, the 16 time world champion offered some high praise to Gunn and compared him to the WWE chairman, Vince McMahon.
Cena first discussed James Gunn\’s approach to his projects, explaining that he is very hands on with all the different aspects of the production of a movie:
“James is everything, and the reason he is such a great director is because he assumes all roles. He creates the story from the ground up, he supervises the story as a producer, he manages all personalities.\”
John Cena went on to compare the Guardians Of The Galaxy director to the WWE chairman Vince McMahon. He mentioned how the boss likes to be involved in everything, just like Gunn:
“I think his ability to have his hands in everything—he’s almost like the Vince McMahon of a movie. Vince is involved in everything and wants to be.
And I mean everything from—and this is James as well—marketing, certainly putting himself out there. ‘Suicide Squad: A James Gunn Film’, he’s putting his stamp on that which means he believes in the product.\”
The former world champion said that Gunn is able to do all this very fluently because he is invested in every piece and has confidence in what he does.
The Suicide Squad sequel featuring John Cena and others is expected to hit theaters on August 6. You can check out the latest trailer of the movie below:
Many believe that WWE did not utilize the Broken Matt character to its full extent during Matt Hardy\’s last run with the company. It appears that Vince McMahon being unaware of the character\’s origin may have been the reason for it.
The former WWE star recently held his first Twitch ama. He answered questions related to a wide variety of topics including things such as crowds coming back after covid, his scariest bump, and more.
When a fan asked how much Vince McMahon knew about Broken Matt Hardy before their return at WrestleMania 33, the attitude era star revealed that the boss knew absolutely nothing about it:
\”He didn’t know anything about it. We worked out the deal with Triple H, on the down low. Triple H was great. Really, I think we came back because Vince was like, “Why are all these people saying Delete?”
Hardy mentioned how he had to explain the whole story of the character to McMahon in 30 minutes. Though according to the former world champion, the boss kept an open mind during their discussion:
\”Explaining the Broken Matt story to Vince McMahon in 30 minutes was one of my favorite moments of all time. I had to sound like a madman to him. But he stayed open minded. They said they’ve give us a compound deletion fight, and he kept his word.\”
Broken Matt Hardy is one of the most popular gimmicks of the wrestling veteran\’s long career. Originally created during his TNA run in 2016, he has taken the persona to multiple promotions since then. He has successfully utilized it in companies such as WWE, ROH, and AEW.
CM Punk hosted a Q&A session on Twitter earlier yesterday where the former WWE champion answered questions related to a wide variety of topics.
The Broken Skull Sessions hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest shows on WWE Network and many have wondered if we will ever see the former WWE star on the show.
When asked what it would take for him to make an appearance on the show, Punk replied: \”Money. Nobody gets any royalties for anything shown on peacock. Nobody. Yay wrestling biz!\”
The recent multiple waves of WWE releases have been a topic of discussion among wrestling fans. The former leader of Straight Edge Society had previously blasted the company for the same.
A fan discussed how Samoa Joe was fired from the main roster only to be rehired on NXT. He asked CM Punk for his thoughts. Replying to it he said that it\’s an instance of \”the left hand not talking to the right hand.\”
The retired wrestling star was then asked which is the one match of his career he would like to redo. He picked his last match before his retirement.
Apart from this, CM Punk answered questions such as his favorite Bret Hart match, if he has any of his previously worn wrestling gear, and more. You can check out his entire Q&A thread below:
Peyton Royce had a very awkward meeting with Vince McMahon before her release from WWE. According to her, it may have been the reason for her firing from the promotion. The former WWE star talked about a number of things on the latest episode of her Off The Chops podcast with her partner Billie Kay.
During the episode, she detailed a meeting she had with the boss before her departure from the company. Royce recalled the time after the officials had broken off their tag team and she wasn\’t doing much on WWE programming. So she went to Vince McMahon to pitch an idea:
\”I decided to put on my big girl panties and talk to Vince. I had in my head what I wanted to say but he brushed it off very quickly and I went ‘crap’. I had an idea that I wanted to present, and he wanted to discuss other ideas – but I didn’t have other ideas. This is what I wanted to talk about and put my time and effort into. Vince says “What do you do for fun?” Me being me, the introvert and the homebody that I am, I had to let him know that I like to sit on the couch with my dogs and watch TV.\”
However, Royce went blank after Vince McMahon didn\’t find her first idea interesting. She tried to make something else up but failed. Peyton finally decided to tell this to the boss. According to her, this encounter may have contributed to the decision of her release from the company :
\”He just stared at me and in my head I’m just like, ‘make something up’ and I couldn’t make anything up – nothing was coming out. I’m not a liar. I feel like he could have seen right through that. I basically said to him ‘I’m sorry, I’m boring’ and I just like to be home on my off days’. I didn’t contribute much during that unfortunately and that’s probably why I lost the job.\”
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce made their NXT TV debut as a team back in October 2016. Their main roster debut came in April 2018 and the duo had a reign with the women\’s tag team championships before their release. The former champions have since confirmed that they want to continue wrestling as a tag team and teased both Impact Wrestling and AEW as potential future destinations.
After weeks of build-up, The Diamond Mine finally made their debut on NXT this week with a returning Roderick Strong as its apparent leader.
Mysterious MMA-themed vignettes have been airing on NXT TV for quite some time promoting the group\’s arrival. The promo on last week\’s episode of the show said that the mine will finally be opening this week.
This week\’s episode of NXT then saw The Diamond Mine making their debut after the main event of the show which saw Kyle O’Reilly defeating the cruiserweight champion Kushida in a non-title one-on-one match.
O’Reilly got into a brawl with Adam Cole after the bout. They fought each other until the enforcer Samoa Joe brought some security and escorted them away.
A mysterious man then attacked Kushida who was still in the ring. He revealed himself as a returning Roderick Strong. Though Strong didn\’t come alone as Hideki Suzuki and Tyler Rust watched this from the apron.
The two then entered the ring and stood tall with Strong. Malcolm Bivens got in the ring with the NXT cruiserweight title and he showed it to Strong before laying it over the champion.
Bivens introduced this new faction as The Diamond Mine. The Diamond Mine stood tall over the cruiserweight champion as the cameras went off air.
Roderick Strong had been off NXT TV in recent months. He walked out of the WWE programming after the breakup of The Undisputed Era, claiming that he was done with everything.
Bivens had been managing Rust but the two hadn\’t been seen on NXT TV since March. Suzuki on the other hand was signed earlier this year to work as a coach though it appears the company has decided to use the Japanese wrestling legend as a performer as well.
WWE has announced that the NXT tag team champions MSK will be defending their titles against the team of Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa at the upcoming Great American Bash event.
Last week\’s episode of the black and yellow brand saw the current tag champions exchanging looks with their future challengers in a backstage segment.
Thatcher and Ciampa then competed in a tornado tag team match against The Grizzled Young Veterans. The former picked up the victory in this bout which was the main event of the show.
WWE announced during this Tuesday\’s NXT that the duo of Thatcher and Ciampa will get a title shot at the upcoming special edition of the show.
The company also confirmed several segments for next week\’s episode including a face-off between MSK and their challengers.
This is the second match that has been announced for the upcoming event. They previously confirmed that former undisputed era partners Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will be competing in a one-on-one match at the show.
WWE brought back the Great American Bash name for a two-night NXT special last year. They announced that the name will be returning for a special NXT episode on July 6 this year, making it an annual event.
Kevin Owens got fans talking with a tweet after his Hell In A Cell encounter with Sami Zayn where he teased taking time off from WWE.
Dave Meltzer provided some updates on the situation on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He confirmed that the former universal champion will indeed be taking time away from the company.
However, Meltzer revealed that this absence is not the case of Owens taking time off for personal reasons or because of an injury. He is instead expected to stay away from WWE programming due to storyline reasons.
Last week\’s episode of SmackDown saw the former NXT champion teaming up with Big E for a match against the Intercontinental champion Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez.
Azeez hit Kevin Owens with a Nigerian Nail to pick up the victory for his team. He delivered another Nigerian Nail to Owens after the match, leaving the former champion hurting badly after the bout.
Kevin Owens On Why He Is Conflicted About Winning The IC Title Again
The Hell In A Cell PPV on Sunday then saw Sami Zayn scoring a win over his longtime rival in a hard-fought match. Owens was seen communicating a shoulder injury to the referee after the fight.
There is no word on how long Kevin Owens is expected to stay away. We will have to wait and see what the company has planned for him when he finally returns.
Drew McIntyre has shown interest in facing John Cena multiple times in the past. With Cena expected to make his return soon, the Scottish Warrior is once again revitalizing the talks about a potential showdown between the two.
The former NXT champion recently had an interview with On Demand Entertainment where he talked about things such as his Hell In A Cell encounter with WWE champion Bobby Lashley and more.
When asked about a potential match with the 16-time world champion, Drew mentioned how he has been around Cena for so long without ever stepping inside the ring with him for a one on one match:
\”I hope it does happen. I\’ve been around John since I was 22 years old. I just turned 36 and we\’ve never had any singles match, which blows my mind. We\’ve been in tag matches and multi-man matches, but never a singles match.\”
Drew McIntyre Believes John Cena Is The Biggest Match For Him
McIntyre then praised John Cena as an athlete who is on a different level than others before reiterating his comments about wanting a match with the former face of WWE:
\”Where I\’m at today in my career and managing to reach the top of the industry after so many ups and downs, and where John is at, he\’s just on another level. He\’s conquered WWE, [and is now] conquering Hollywood,
But he still loves WWE more than anything and wants to come back and help and have those big matches. There\’s no bigger match, as far as I\’m concerned than John Cena vs. McIntyre,\”
John Cena has also been talking about his desire for making an in-ring return. Latest reports suggest that he might be returning to the company as soon as next month but his comeback has not officially been confirmed yet.
Do you think Drew McIntyre will get a chance to face John Cena when he returns to the company this time? Let us know in the comment section.
Andrade El Idolo made his AEW debut during the June 4 episode of Dynamite earlier this month. He was paired with Vickie Guerrero upon his arrival.
The former SmackDown general manager recently had an interview with It\’s My House podcast, where she talked about her pairing with the former WWE star.
Guerrero revealed when she found out about her pairing with Andrade during the interview. She explained that president Tony Khan introduced the two on the day of his debut show itself:
\”I knew the day of [his debut] that I was going to be working with him. Tony Khan makes all the decisions so when he said, \’Hey, I have someone for you to come meet,\’ and I went to the trailer and saw him, I was just ecstatic.\”
Vickie Guerrero also discussed how Andrade was underutilized in WWE. She claimed that he is going to have a great time in AEW because of two reasons:
\”He was really underutilized in WWE. He\’s going to have a great time in AEW. Number one, because he\’s working with me. Number two, there\’s a lot of great wrestlers in AEW that he\’s going to be able to have incredible matches.\”
Andrade is a former NXT and WWE US champion. He had asked for his release from the company earlier this year after being unhappy with his booking. His request was granted by the officials in March.
The NXT champion Karrion Kross wrestled a match on this week\’s episode of Main Event but his partner and fellow NXT star Scarlett was missing from his side.
In an update to this story, F4Wonline is reporting that there is talk of the female star receiving her own tryout, likely at this Friday’s SmackDown tapings.
Kross, Scarlett, and North American champion Bronson Reed were all first brought to the main roster last week. They were at Friday\’s SmackDown tapings where both the champions wrestled in separate dark matches.
Both the NXT title holders were then brought back in during Monday\’s Raw tapings. They once again wrestled during the show but their matches were taped for the Main Event episode this time.
The NXT champion Karrion Kross wrestled Shelton Benjamin during the taping but he did not have her female companion on the side. Bronson Reed competed against Drew Gulak. Both the champions had brought their titles.
The next WWE drafts are expected to take place after the SummerSlam PPV. The officials seem to be evaluating the current NXT champions for potential main roster call ups with these matches.
There is no word yet on why Scarlett was not present for the Main Event tapings or what it could mean for her future. Stay tuned for more updates.
SummerSlam is going to be the first of the big four WWE shows after their return to road. The company is looking to make the show huge. This includes some exciting surprises for the fans, as promised by Stephanie McMahon.
The WWE chief brand officer recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. She talked about the planning for the upcoming event in detail.
Discussing how special the event is for them, McMahon mentioned how it\’s only the second time they will be holding the PPV in a stadium. She said that she can\’t wait to show off their surprises:
“SummerSlam is special, It’s the first time we’re going to an NFL stadium [for SummerSlam], and it’s only the second time we’ve ever been in a stadium. It’s about bringing people together and celebrating these huge moments.
This will be our biggest pay-per-view with full capacity [since Elimination Chamber in March 2020],\” said Stephanie McMahon, \”and we can’t wait to show off our surprises, too.”
This isn\’t the first time the WWE official has promised big surprises for the upcoming show. She had told fans to expect other surprises while declining the possibility of a potential in-ring return for herself last week.
WWE SummerSlam this year will be taking place from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 21. There are some interesting matches rumored for the show and you can check out a report about them here.
The overnight viewership for last week\’s episode of SmackDown with Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio universal championship Hell In A Cell match main eventing the show had seen an increase in numbers.
This trend continued with the final viewership. According to Nielsen, the Hell In A Cell go-home episode of the show drew an average of 2.045 million viewers.
This is a big 5.2% increase compared to the final viewership of the preceding episode of SmackDown. It had a Roman Reigns and Rey Mysterio segment for the main event and had drawn 1.944 million viewers.
This is also a 6.07% jump from the overnight viewership for the final show before the PPV. The number reported on Saturday morning was 1.928 million viewers.
The show drew a 0.54 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is a significant 12.5% increase from last week\’s episode of the show which drew 0.48 ratings in the same demo.
This was the first time SmackDown managed to draw 2 million+ ratings this month. The last SmackDown episode to have an audience above this number was the May 7 episode of the show.
With no Hell In A Cell main event at this Friday\’s episode, it will be interesting to see if the Blue Brand is able to hold these numbers or sees a decline again.
Edge is expected to work the SummerSlam PPV this year. Latest reports suggest that WWE officials may be planning a dream match for the former champion.
According to the WrestleVotes twitter account, the company is looking to load the SummerSlam card with big matches. A match between John Cena and Roman Reigns is the working main event idea for the show.
Though this isn\’t the only big fight we can expect from the SmackDown side of things. The officials are apparently also discussing a big first time ever match between Edge and Seth Rollins:
Along w/ Roman Reigns vs John Cena for SummerSlam, WWE is planning on stacking the SmackDown side with another major matchup. Source says idea as of now is for a Seth Rollins vs Edge first time ever match.
The reports of the Rated R Superstar being considered for a SummerSlam match first came out earlier this month. It was said that he would be working as a babyface in a SmackDown brand match.
The company then started advertising Edge for several upcoming shows. The dates start from the July 16 edition of SmackDown from Houston, which will also mark WWE\’s official return to the road.
The Attitude Era star will undoubtedly be one of the biggest attractions for the upcoming PPV. So it makes sense to put him in a big match like this which fans have been wanting to see since his comeback.
Though things change all the time in WWE. So we will have to wait for Edge\’s official return to the TV to be certain about the direction for his future.
Vader\’s omission from the WWE Hall of Fame so far is puzzling for many. A rightful Hall of Famer himself, Mick Foley believes that the late star should definitely be inducted.
The hardcore legend was the latest guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. He talked about a wide variety of topics during the interview.
Speaking of Vader not being included in the Hall of Fame so far, Foley claimed that it\’s a \’glaring omission\’. The wrestling legend also explained that the late star, real name Leon White was a bigger draw than him:
\”Leon, to me, is one of the glaring omissions from the Hall of Fame, worldwide he was one of the biggest drawing cards, bigger than me, for sure. Not in WWE but worldwide, for sure.
But if you didn’t fight him back, he’d eat you up.\” said Mick Foley, \”He was that wall, and you can knock down that wall but he was gonna make you work for it.”
The Attitude Era star also talked about his infamous Hell In A Cell match with The Undertaker and admitted that he was bothered by the fact that many fans only remember him for that particular bout.
However, Mick Foley revealed that a talk with the Dead Man changed his perspective on the matter. You can check out his comments about it at this link.
Charlotte Flair is one of the top female stars of WWE. The officials have a lot of confidence in her for delivering worthy performances at any important spot.
However, this also means that the Queen is involved in the title picture more often than any other female talent in the company, something which fans complain about regularly.
Flair commented on this during her recent interview with Sports Illustrated. She mentioned the smaller size of the women\’s division as one of the reasons for her constant involvement in the title scenes:
\”The women’s division is much smaller than the men’s division, and I realize I’m constantly in the title picture. That pressure lives with me. I’m never in a side story where I can be relaxed.\”
Top female competitors on the Raw and SmackDown rosters include Raw Women\’s Champion Rhea Ripley, SmackDown Women\’s champion Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Asuka, Alexa Bliss and WWE Women\’s Tag Team champions, Natalya & Tamina.
Fighting For Equality
Charlotte Flair then explained that the female talents are constantly fighting for time and equality. Due to this, the former women\’s champion always feels the pressure of outdoing what she has already done:
\”The women are constantly fighting for time, storylines, and equality. Being placed in positions that are always featured, I always feel that pressure and it never goes away. I want to outdo what I have already done.\”
Apart from this, Charlotte Flair also talked about things such as her feud with Rhea Ripley, how devastated she was on missing WrestleMania 37 and more.
Former Raw and SmackDown women\’s champion Becky Lynch was backstage for the Hell In A Cell PPV this Sunday, according to PWInsider.
The news of the former champion being seen at the performance center training for her in-ring return for the company excited fans earlier this week. The visit was described as part of the process for her return to action.
Lynch was then seen backstage at Friday\’s SmackDown tapings. Now her visit at the latest WWE PPV says that things are rolling fast when it comes to Becky\’s comeback to WWE programming.
The Man relinquished the Raw women\’s championship due to her real-life pregnancy back in May 2020. She welcomed her first child with Seth Rollins named Roux back in December last year.
People had been wondering about her return to TV since then. When asked about it earlier this year, Seth Rollins had said that he would like to leave it to his wife to reveal the secret.
Now that WWE is looking to hit the road again and hold regular shows with fans after more than a year, this seems like the right time for Becky Lynch to return.
It would be interesting to see when the return actually takes place and which brand the former champion joins upon her comeback to the WWE programming.
nWo is one of the most popular factions in the history of wrestling. A testament to its popularity is the amount of money Scott Hall still makes just from the merchandise sales related to the group.
The WWE Hall Of Famer recently appeared on the 83 Weeks podcast of Eric Bischoff where he opened up about the financial aspects of Monday Night Wars.
During the interview, Hall explained how he was making considerably less money in WWE compared to his WCW deal. He then revealed how much money he now makes just from his merchandise deal:
“I mean I’m making 6 figures just off [merchandise], and every once and a while, yanno when you make an appearance, you make more. The funny part is, now that I hardly ever work for them or hardly do anything, the payoffs are way better,
It’s always first class air fare, they always have a driver at the airport.\” said Scott Hall, \”When I was filling seats for them and traveling all around the world, I couldn’t get s–t. I was sitting in the back, in the middle seat, back when they had smoking seats.\”
The founding nWo member also discussed jumping ships from WWE to WCW and explained that he originally had no intention of leaving the company.
Hall explained that he started thinking about it when he found out how much money X Pac was offered for joining WCW and the ball started rolling after that.
Drew McIntyre gave everything he had but he still failed to defeat Bobby Lashley and capture the WWE championship in the main event of the Hell In A Cell PPV.
The former champion reacted to his disheartening loss on Twitter. He shared photos of his bruised back after the brutal match and mentioned how fans will have to wait more for seeing him as the WWE champion in person:
\”It’s been a wild ride. I’ve always wanted to make all of you proud,\” wrote Drew McIntyre, \”And I hoped that you would get the chance to see me live and in person as WWE Champion. Looks like that dream is on hold for awhile. Thanks for all your support. #HIAC\”
The Scottish Warrior challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE championship one final time inside Hell In A Cell this Sunday. This main event cage match was as brutal as expected with both the opponents using multiple weapons.
McIntyre seemed to have the upper hand in the match until he accidentally knocked the referee out. Drew then called in for another referee. MVP seized the opportunity by entering the cage himself when the door opened. While Drew took out MVP for a while with a claymore, he came back.
The ending of the match saw MVP stopping him from delivering a claymore kick to Lashley. This distraction allowed Lashley to roll Drew McIntyre for the pin. As per the stipulation of the match, the former WWE champion now cannot challenge for the title as long as Bobby Lashley is the champion.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley was the most recent guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions where he discussed his legendary Hell In A Cell match with The Undertaker from the 1998 King Of The Ring.
The Hardcore Legend first admitted that for the longest time he was sensitive towards the fact that people remembered him for the cell match more than anything else he did in his career.
However, his perspective changed after a conversation with the Undertaker where the Dead Man told the wrestling veteran that the memory of the match will outlive both of them:
“We start reminiscing and Taker looks at me — he still called me ‘Jack’ at the time, one of the last holdouts from my Cactus Jack days — ‘Jack, what you and I did that night will outlive us both. \’
\’People will be talking about that match long after you and I are gone,\’ it was almost like I feel this weight being lifted off my shoulders.\”
Mick Foley mentioned how there have been many great workers in the industry who aren\’t remembered for anything. He admitted that he is now grateful for having a number of moments people still talk about to this day:
“You know how many great workers there have been in our business who aren’t remembered for anything?
It’s like, now I have got not only this match but the title change with The Rock. I got a few things and it no longer bothers me that I’m asked about that match, almost every single day.”
Mick Foley also recalled how his brother usually showed WWE PPVs to their mother the next day but he didn\’t show her the one featuring this brutal match. You can check out Foley\’s comments in the video below:
WWE started branding female wrestlers as divas after the attitude era. It appears that just like the fans; Trish Stratus wasn\’t very fond of the term either.
The WWE Hall Of Famer recently appeared on Oral Sessions podcast where she opened up about things including her start in the company and more.
During the interview, Stratus admitted not liking the rebranding of their division as divas division. She explained that she never called herself a diva even when WWE was pushing the term:
“I don’t think I ever uttered the word Diva, maybe I did, but in interviews I never called myself Diva. I refused. I just didn’t get it, I didn’t get,
Because I enjoyed, in the beginning that we were called superstars.\” said Trish Stratus, \”We were all called superstars. And when they started this Diva thing I was like ‘ugh.’\”
Though later in the interview, the former women\’s champion mentioned how she is not speaking against the talent who competed for the divas championship.
Trish Stratus competed as a full-time WWE superstar from 2000 to 2006. She has been making sporadic appearances for the promotion since then. She was inducted into the Hall Of Fame back in 2013.