Author: Anutosh Bajpai

Former WWE star Victoria had a lengthy run with the company but she left the promotion in what many consider to be the female star\’s prime.

The former WWE women\’s champion recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where she talked about her wrestling career in detail among other things.

During the interview, Victoria was asked about her decision to leave the company and whether she was released by the officials or if she left by herself. Replying to it, she explained that it was her own decision:

\”No, I had two years left on my contract when I asked for my out; I talked to Vince, Johnny Ace, and Stephanie McMahon. I asked them, \’Do you see the title in my future?\’ Their face gave it away.

If I would have known if I would have been an enhancement talent,\” said Victoria \”like Fit Finlay – all the new guys would go through him because he\’ll teach them the ropes in the ring – I would have stayed if I had been told that.\”

• Victoria Reveals She Is Interested In Joining AEW As A Trainer

The former Knockouts champion also explained how her TNA run started revealing that she did not have a 30 days non compete clause in her contract. She was contacted by the TNA officials for a run shortly after her WWE release and she signed a one year contract with the company.

Victoria joined WWE in 2000 and had a 9 year run with the company ending in early 2009. The female star joined TNA a few months after leaving the promotion and had a 4 year run with the company now known as Impact Wrestling.

Reports claiming that Vince McMahon has ordered some of the WWE stars to go back to the Performance Center made some headlines earlier this month and Otis was one of the stars who was named.

The former NXT star recently had an interview with FOX Sports where he talked about a number of things and also responded to these rumors about himself and the other WWE talent.

Otis labelled the reports as \’kind of funny\’ before explaining that they weren\’t told anything like that. The former Mr. Money In The Bank then claimed that the stars are always working on improvements regardless:

\”I think it\’s always been there, it wasn\’t like, \’hey, we were told this and that.\’ That Performance Center is a tool for us to get better. If another big man wants to come up to me and wants to work on stuff, or vice versa. We\’re always working.

So, that report was kind of funny at the same time. We\’re never not working.\” said Otis \”Especially now that we don\’t have live events, so we can\’t really get our stuff out. It\’s just bottled inside in a little bottle. Right now it\’s like; we\’re not getting that stuff out there. So, we\’ll find more and more ways to get in the ring with each other.\”

The WWE star later revealed that his dad told him about the rumors. He said that there wasn\’t much of a report to begin with since they are always working out.

For those who don\’t know, it was reported earlier this month that Vince McMahon \’threw a fit\’ about the working abilities of several WWE roster members including Otis. He ordered them to be sent back to the Performance Center for training classes. You can check out the full report here.

• Reaction To Vince McMahon Sending Talent Back To The Performance Center

The Queen Of The Ring tournament is something the fans have shown interest in as the next step in the women\’s evolution and Sasha Banks is also interested in it.

The current SmackDown women\’s champion was recently interviewed by ProSieben MAXX on Instagram where she talked about things like her WWE debut and more.

When asked about a potential Queen Of The Ring tournament, Banks explained that the competition should get a PPV for itself but she also mentioned how they have been waiting for Evolution 2 for a long time.

\”I think a whole Queen of the Ring tournament for a whole pay-per-view itself would be really cool, but I\’ve been waiting for Evolution 2 for a very long time.\”

Banks continued, \”So maybe we can do that first, and maybe we can start little matches at Evolution for the Queen of the Ring Tournament.\” said Sasha Banks, \”Maybe something like that can happen.\”

Sasha Banks also commented on her dream match. WWE and NXT have a lot of talented wrestlers, but her dream opponent is WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.

• Trish Stratus Continues To Tease ‘Dream Match’ With Sasha Banks

Banks also joked about planning to own WWE one day, how she felt before her main roster debut and more. You can watch the full interview in the player embedded below:

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Kevin Owens recently appeared on WWE\’s The Bump where he talked about things like his experience at the commentary desk, how doing commentary full time is a different ball game and more.

During the interview, the former Universal Champion also talked about the late Pat Patterson and discussed his relationship with the WWE legend.

Owens recalled how Patterson was supportive and willing to help everybody and the WWE Hall Of Famer had a mind for wrestling like no one else:

\”Pat was something else. I used to think he and I had this connection because we\’re French-Candian. He was so supportive and willing to help. I quickly realized that he was actually like that with everybody.

What Daniel Bryan said was true: He would really listen and ask about you and how your family was doing… He would constantly ask how I was doing.\” recalled Kevin Owens, \”When wrestling was involved, he had a mind like no other. To say he\’ll be missed is an understatement.\”

• Bully Ray Talks Keith Lee Being ‘Sent Back’ To WWE’s Performance Center

The former NXT champion also recalled a story of how Patterson ran down to the ring when Sami Zayn won the NXT title despite everyone trying to stop him.

Apart from this, Kevin Owens offered some big praise to the NXT tag team Ever-Rise saying that he has been a fan of the duo for 15 years. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

The third-party edicts from WWE have been a topic of discussion among wrestling fans in the past few months and Lana is one of the stars affected by these new rules from the company.

The female star recently had an interview with New York Post where she talked about things like cyberbullying, incorporating her real-life struggles in her ongoing storyline with Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax and more.

During the interview, Lana was asked if she thinks that WWE can come to an agreement with stars to allow them to continue using the digital platforms and she revealed that they have actually been in discussion with the management:

\”Absolutely. I know we are all in that discussion with the company of trying to work that out. Once again, the world has changed quickly. Everything has moved into digital space now.\”

Lana continued by mentioning how there is a lot of untapped potential for WWE stars to make money through the social channels and said that she wants to help the company officials in coming to an agreement with the stars:

\”I’m actually really excited because I expressed to WWE how much I would love to help them build something out for the talent because I feel like we haven’t even slightly started to tap into how big of stars we can be on the digital front and how much money we could make for WWE.

So, I’m excited. I know sometimes when things happen it’s a slow and steady … you have to be patient with change. But I really believe I’m gonna be one of the ones that’s gonna help build this out and this new WWE where we are going to be bigger than ever, the talent.\”

• Backstage Note On Lana Being Pulled From TLC

Apart from this, the former NXT star talked about things like her TLC match and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

This week\’s episode of Raw saw Lana being attacked by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler after which WWE announced that she has been pulled from the upcoming TLC PPV.

PWinsider has provided some updates on her status and the reports from the site suggest that the former NXT star is not expected to stay out for very long.

According to the reports, Lana is expected to stay off WWE TV for the next several weeks and she could stay out of action for the next 3-4 weeks before returning.

The exact reason to take her off TV has not been revealed. There was backstage buzz at this week\’s Raw that the whole angle was a set up for the return of Charlotte Flair, though these speculations have not been confirmed.

• Backstage News On Changes Made To This Week’s Raw, Timing Issues

Lana was announced to be teaming up with the Raw women\’s champion Asuka to challenge Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for their women\’s tag team titles at Sunday\’s TLC PPV.

With the female star being out of the picture, Asuka will have to find a new partner for the match at the PPV. It would be interesting to see which star steps up and teams with the Empress.

The TLC go-home episode of Monday Night Raw this week saw a big decline in viewership and the show set a new record for the all-time low audience of the series. PWInsider has provided some backstage updates from the episode and it notes that Raw, as it aired on Monday night, was \”very much the show as it was originally written.\”

Though the fitting of the segments were still being worked on few hours before the show and the placement of various matches and segments changed over the course of the day. A lot of dialogues were re-written as the day went on according to Vince McMahon\’s vision and the rewrites were described as \”the writers giving him what he wants.\”

One significant change that was still made to Raw was the change in plans for Keith Lee. He was originally going to face The Miz in a singles match but plans changed. Keith Lee ended up-facing The Miz and John Morrison in a handicap match which wasn\’t the original plan.

There were also timing issues with numerous segments running longer than planned. This resulted in the final segment featuring AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre ending abruptly as the show went off air and the officials were reportedly not happy about these issues.

• EC3 Talks Health Issues After Testing Positive For Coronavirus

The Survivor Series match between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre ended with Jey Uso getting involved in the bout; leaving fans wanting a rematch between the two stars.

During his recent appearance on WWE\’s The Bump, the WWE champion spoke up about a number of things and he also discussed a potential rematch with the Universal champion.

McIntyre first claimed that their match at Survivor Series was all about showing the world what he is about these days, before talking about a potential rematch with Reigns at a \’WrestleMania-level\’ event:

\”He kept talking and talking, and [Paul] Heyman kept talking and talking and kept tweeting. I kept my mouth shut because I was going to show through [my] actions what I\’m capable of these days, and you saw his emotions change throughout the match.

But he knows what I\’m all about now.\” said Drew McIntyre, \”I guarantee that match is going to come back around again one day, and hopefully, it\’ll be WrestleMania-level.\”

• Roman Reigns Called Out By Goldberg, WrestleMania Plans

The ending of the Survivor Series match between the two champions saw Roman hitting a low blow on McIntyre and then putting him in the guillotine choke thanks to interference from Jey Uso.

However, Drew McIntyre chose to pass out instead of tapping to the submission, leaving the possibility for a rematch between the two stars open.

Would you like to see Drew McIntyre having a rematch with Roman Reigns at next year\’s edition of WrestleMania? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

WWE held an all hands on deck virtual meeting for the employees out of their headquarters in Stamford, CT yesterday, according to reports from PWInsider.

According to the site, the majority of the meeting was focused on introducing the new President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan who was hired back in August this year. The employees were introduced to him and explained more about why Khan was brought to the company.

The officials also provided a minor update on the new company headquarters in Stamford and the employees were told that the plans are \”moving along slowly but surely.\” WWE announced their plans to move the company HQ to a new office in Downtown Stamford back in March 2019.

While the new office is not far from the current location, the move will allow the promotion to bring its operations including production studios and corporate offices together under one roof. The coronavirus pandemic delayed the plans for the transition to the new building and the current plan is to make the move sometime in early 2021.

• Sting Has Exchange With Cody Rhodes During AEW Dynamite Appearance

On a related note, the report also notes that Steve Armstrong who was hired as a Performance Center coach in November 2019 and furloughed in April this year is now back with the company. Tino Sabbatelli who was released during the coronavirus budget cuts in April has also been re-signed.

WWE has a habit of changing creative direction for ongoing storylines and nixing long-standing plans in favour of a new idea and Sasha Banks is having fun with this habit of the company officials.

The Boss recently talked to Charlotte Wilder of Fox Sports. In the interview titled The Year of Sasha Banks As Told By The Boss, the SmackDown women\’s champion reflected on the incredible year she has had.

During the interview, Banks also talked about her feud with Baylay. When asked if there is possibility of her reuniting with her friend after their fall out earlier this year, the SmackDown star replied by saying that anything is possible in WWE:

\”Knowing WWE, absolutely, it is so crazy here. Girl, do you not know what I do for a living? Of course, anything is possible here. We will be best friends, probably by tomorrow. This is WWE. They\’ll probably make us get married. Who knows? Maybe next year. It\’s WWE.\”

• Sting Expected To Wrestle In AEW, Will Have Creative Input

While Sasha Banks seem to be having fun with WWE\’s contradictory booking decisions, some recent developments suggest that not everything is right between her and the company.

WWE has decided not to promote her appearance in Disney\’s The Mandalorian web series. The current champion also recently changed her name on social media, leading to many speculations about her relationship with the company.

Alexa Bliss apparently missed this week\’s episode of Raw because she is in Los Angeles where Bliss and several other WWE superstars are working on the upcoming reboot of Punky Brewster.

WWE Hall Of Famer and backstage producer D-Von Dudley recently posted a video on Cameo where he confirmed that he has been in LA to help produce the reboot of the sitcom.

Interestingly, the WWE legend noted that both Bliss and Charlotte Flair, who has been out of action since June this year, are with him. You can check out the video he posted below:

Punky Brewster is a popular sitcom of American TV from the 80s. The show\’s story centers around a young girl named Penelope \”Punky\” Brewster who is raised by a foster parent.

A ten episode revival of the show was announced back in the summer of 2019 and the reboot is scheduled to air on NBC Universal\’s Peacock network.

• Latest On Eva Marie’s Status With WWE

Alexa Bliss appeared on last week\’s episode of Raw where she was part of a weird segment between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt which was a product of Vince McMahon\’s vision.

It\’s unknown if Bliss will be taking an extended break from the company for the show or if she will be back on WWE programming soon. Stay tuned for updates.

There has been discussion about a potential match between Roman Reigns and The Rock and legendary commentator Jim Ross also talked about it recently.

The current AEW star talked about a number of things during the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast including the career of Umaga and more.

Discussing a potential match between the two cousins, Ross said that people are coveting a Rock vs. Roman Reigns match but he is not sure it will happen:

\”People are coveting a Rock vs. Roman Reigns match somewhere down the road. I don\’t know if it will ever happen, there\’s a chance, but it\’s all up to The Rock. It isn\’t up to anybody else, it\’s up to him.\” said Jim Ross, \”His schedule is so crazy, he can\’t afford to get hurt because he\’s going to lose millions of dollars if he can\’t work. Not that he\’ll go broke, but nonetheless, he\’s special.\”

Roman Reigns Discusses The Importance Of Possibly Facing The Rock

The veteran announcer also discussed how the Samoan dynasty thing isn\’t a gimmick but a real thing and how he has been connected to the family of The Great One since the early 80s.

He recalled his first introduction to the team of Afa and Sika collectively known as The Wild Samoans during his time with Mid South Wrestling and discussed recruiting The Rock for WWE.

The Rock Says He’d Be Honored To Put Roman Reigns Over At WrestleMania

You can listen to the Grilling JR podcast at Westwood One and AdFreeShows.com. The latest episode can be heard in the player embedded below:

The reports of Eva Marie possibly returning to WWE first came out in October and at the time it was said that she could be returning to the company within a few weeks.

However, we haven\’t heard much about the female star since then and a couple of months have passed without either WWE or the star herself providing any confirmation of her return.

In an update, PWinsider is reporting that Eva Marie is listed as part of the WWE roster internally but the former NXT star has not been assigned to a brand.

The Total Divas star had undergone the required medical testing for her WWE return and the report reveals that she has been seen at the WWE Performance Center a number of times since September.

Eva Marie signed a development contract with WWE back in 2013 and she was promoted to the main roster after just 2 weeks of formal training.

• Becky Lynch Gives Birth To A Baby Girl, Roux

She stayed with the promotion till 2017 and had a run in NXT in 2015-2016 as well but the female star never won any titles during her tenure with the company.

While the signs still point towards a WWE return for Marie, there doesn\’t seem to be a locked timetable for it. So it wouldn\’t be a surprise if the company holds off her comeback for some big occasion such as the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV.

Keith Lee has gotten the spotlight in the last couple of years and after grinding for more than one and half decade, the heavyweight star has finally started to get the recognition he deserves.

The latest WWE 24 documentary looks at the struggles the former NXT champion has had to endure to get to his current spot in the professional wrestling world.

A clip WWE posted of the documentary recently sees Lee talking about his time in NXT and he reveals how the late great Dusty Rhodes helped in the creation of his famous catchphrase:

\”When it was time to do our thing on the mic, I felt like I was a completely different individual, Dusty Rhodes came to me, and said, \’Son, you got a presence I can literally bask in.\’

And when he said that I have a presence that he can literally bask in, \’Bask in my glory\’ was born.\” said Keith Lee, \”Dusty let me know that, and I was proud.\”

Keith Lee made his wrestling debut in 2005 and spent the next decade or so competing for various indie promotions such as Ring of Honor, Evolve and more.

His first WWE tryout was in 2008 and he had multiple tryouts with the company after that but the former NXT star was not signed by the promotion until 2018.

• Backstage Update On The Status Of Jaxson Ryker

Two members of the Forgotten Sons stable returned to WWE TV last week on SmackDown which made many wonder about the status of the third member of the group, Jaxson Ryker.

Dave Meltzer talked about the former TNA star on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He noted that “there\’s a reason he wasn\’t there\” at SmackDown and it\’s the same reason why the faction had been kept off TV for so long.

Jaxson Ryker had made a tweet supporting the US President Donald Trump earlier this year. He also made some controversial remarks on the Black Lives Matter campaign which got him a lot of heat from the fans and the group was pulled from WWE programming afterwards.

Meltzer noted how it will be very difficult to resurrect his career after the turn of events this year and he presumed that the former NXT star will most likely be part of next round of WWE cuts. He added that the company is not in a hurry to let Ryker go because they \”aren\’t losing much money\” by keeping him around.

• Pat Patterson Cause Of Death, Details On Health Condition

The group was taken off TV as a result of Jaxson Ryker\’s comments back in May. The officials were planning a SmackDown tag title run for the Forgotten Sons but they had to change directions because of the turn of events.

The change in plans led to the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro taking their spot and winning the SmackDown tag team titles from the New Day.

Two members of the Forgotten Sons stable in Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler then returned to WWE programming last week. They accompanied Baron Corbin and helped King Corbin in his feud against the Mysterio family.