Cody Rhodes has been making the media rounds since returning to WWE at WrestleMania Saturday.
While speaking with Ariel Helwani in an interview released on Sunday, Rhodes said he wasn\’t satisfied being the gatekeeper in AEW. He didn’t want to be the guy that feuds with a new star. Instead, he wanted to wrestle new people and got to do that.
Rhodes also reiterated comments about not wanting to be just a \”15-time TNT champ\” in AEW. He started to get the sense that he has more to accomplish.
Rhodes mentioned in a previous interview with Variety that there was a personal matter between him and AEW President Tony Khan that they were unable to get past.
\”Unfortunately, I can\’t comment on the personal matter itself. Tony Khan, who I have genuine respect for and I hope history is really kind to because he bankrolled this entire grassroots movement that was starting in ROH and then All In happened, then, of course, AEW happened and then he was able to buy that footage back. I felt like we were drifting apart.
It just genuinely felt like it was time. I can\’t comment on the personal nature of it but it was nothing nefarious or scandalous, just we couldn\’t agree. Nothing but respect for him, his family, the infrastructure there.\”
Rhodes added that the personal issue between him and Khan was nothing sensational. He’s unsure if he’ll ever share what happened, but it wasn’t anything crazy.
\”It just was a rather easy decision. Hard, and hard to explain to the fans, which we didn\’t, and hard to explain to the talent because one week I was there and the next week Ricky Starks and QT [Marshall] are bringing in bags and getting all my stuff out of the box and making the biggest scene they possibly could instead of being discreet as I asked them to. I had a wonderful experience there and I feel the experience had maxed out. You never want to start getting into a situation where the love goes away.\”
Cody Rhodes is back in WWE after being an executive vice president in AEW in addition to a top star. Now in WWE, he will only be a wrestler.
Rhodes spoke with the media on Sunday and was asked about potentially holding a job in management again. Cody said he doesn’t believe he was mature enough for the role.
“Never say never, just general. Because in six years if we are having this conversation again I could be completely going back what I said. I don’t think I want a management job in wrestling ever again,” he admitted. “I don’t think I was mature enough for it. And I tried.
Rhodes also was asked if he has any interest in being involved with the Performance Center, the training facility of WWE where his father, Dusty, had a huge impact within NXT at the end of his career.
Rhodes admitted it is a little too hard for him right now to go to the Performance Center and if he never walks into it again he would be happy because Dusty’s office and boots are there.
“I am fully all in and committed to it [WWE]. So where I go, they’ll send me where I go. But I will try and stay clear of any management roles, anything like that ever. I am a wrestler. A superstar, and that’s probably what’s best for me.”
Rhodes will address his WWE return in storyline on Monday Night Raw.
The opening contest for the first night of WWE WrestleMania 38 saw The Usos defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
The tag team match was originally set to be around 15 minutes long, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. It only went about 6 or 7 minutes.
It went short due to a legitimate injury to Boogs, who suffered a torn quadriceps and a torn patella tendon early on in the match. The rest of the wrestlers had to call things on the fly, ending it early.
WWE then had some time to fill, which did lead to more video packages being created. It is unknown whether the finish of the match had to be changed due to this issue.
Boogs was trying to squat both of The Usos when his knee gave out. Ironically, Boogs had the same knee taped up at one point during the feud, but that was done just to sell during the storyline.
Boogs immediately rolled to the floor and was checked on by the medical team at ringside. Boogs then had to be helped to the back as he was carried up the ramp as he was unable to place pressure on the knee.
Heis now set to undergo surgery in the near future and it is expected to be somewhere between six-12 months.
Charlotte Flair retained her SmackDown Women’s Title against Ronda Rousey in one of the top matches featured on the WWE WrestleMania Saturday card.
Leading up to the show, it was believed this match was the main event, but it was reported days before that Steve Austin’s match against Kevin Owens was going to close it out and that’s what happened.
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com noted that Rousey was “furious” about losing the main event spot. He said that she walked out of the American Airlines Center where SmackDown and the Hall Of Fame were held this past Friday night after learning the news.
Rousey addressed the report with the following message via Twitter:
“I don’t know where these ‘reports’ come from but it was an absolute honor to perform under Steve Austin at Wrestlemania in Texas-I wasn’t a hall of fame because I have a six month old baby I had to put to sleep early. People are literally creating drama out of thin air.”
Rousey was the heavy betting favorite to win the match. Due to the finish of their match where Rousey had tapped out Flair, but the referee was down and then Flair hit a big boot for the win, it’s believed that a rematch will be booked soon.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar seemed to enjoy speaking about his winner take all title unification match with Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Sunday in an interview with ESPN as he gave some great one-liners.
Lesnar has been saying on TV leading up to this match that he’s coming for blood after an angle at Madison Square Garden where Reigns busted him open as part of an attack.
Lesnar stated that he plans to give Reigns a country beating.
“I will solidify them tomorrow. If Paul Heyman wants to get his nose dirty, we\’re going to get dirty. I\’m coming for fucking blood and that\’s what I\’m gonna do. I\’m riled up about this. I had to find peace in all this when Roman stuck his nose in and changed the rules at Madison Square Garden, he didn\’t have to do that. Roman Reigns is threatened by Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar is the black cloud.”
Lesnar was asked if he watched the clip of the attack.
\”100 times. That\’s why I have goosebumps, that\’s why I\’m pissed. That\’s why it\’s personal to me. You don\’t draw blood on Brock Lesnar and get away with it.\”
Lesnar added that unifying the titles will be his legacy in WWE and the gloves are coming off when Reigns gets a ‘country ass-kicking.’
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin stepped back into the ring for one more time with Kevin Owens as the former Universal Champion’s guest on his KO Show at WrestleMania 38.
After Owens cut a short promo about the pathetic state of Texas, Austin came out in a t-shirt, shorts, and knee braces. Austin questioned Owens wanting to have a conversation after talking trash and looking like a jackass. Owens wondered why Austin never moved from Texas. Owens lied about wanting Austin on his show and he tricked him because he wants a fight. Owens challenged him to a no holds barred match. Austin said he had his first match in Dallas and he could have his last match in Dallas.
A referee came out. Austin put the boots to him and hit a clothesline before Austin was sent into the ring post. Owens with a suplex on the concrete floor. Austin drove Owens up the stage on the ATV and they brawled. Owens hit a stunner for 2. The finish saw Owens miss a chair shot and it hit him in the face after bouncing off the top rope. Austin with the stunner for the win.
It was first reported in February that WWE had made a significant overture towards the Hall Of Famer for an in-ring return in his home state of Texas. Austin, one of the biggest stars in the history of the wrestling business, has not wrestled in 19 years as he decided to retire due to neck problems. That match came against The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003. Over the years, Austin had shot down any past rumor that he would be willing to come back.
Owens had been talking trash about the state of Texas for months leading up to the event until March 7th when he cut an in-ring promo about the WWE Hall Of Famer and how he was a broken-down man and a shell of his former self. Austin later accepted Owens’ invite to appear on the show in a promo filmed out in the desert that was praised by many where he promised to open up one last can of whoop-ass.
What are your thoughts on Austin’s return? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Ronda Rousey stepped up to challenge WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair for the title and did not become the new champion.
They wrestled in the main event of the WWE WrestleMania 38 event in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium. The match started off with Rousey going full throttle, but Flair eventually beat her down for a few minutes. They went back and forth by trading submission holds from armbars to ankle locks to kneebars to figure eights.
The finish saw a referee bump then Rousey locked in the armbar and Flair tapped, but the referee didn’t see it. Flair with a big boot to Rousey as Rousey got the referee up for the win.
Rousey earned this title bout and became Charlotte\’s WrestleMania challenger after winning this year\’s Women\’s Royal Rumble match, which also marked her return to WWE after having not appeared for the company since WrestleMania 35 in 2019 where she lost to Becky Lynch in a triple threat match with the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles on the line.
Rousey teamed with Naomi to defeat Charlotte & Sonya Deville in a tag team match at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia in February. The match had a stipulation where Rousey had to wrestle with her arm tied behind her back.
Cody Rhodes made his big WWE return at WWE WrestleMania 38 where he beat Seth Rollins. The former AEW star spoke with Variety about what his return to WWE means, why he decided to depart from AEW, and more.
Regarding how he is feeling about the return, he described having various feelings from happy, excitement, pressure, responsibility, all of it. He thinks it’s kind of a culmination of his whole career and it’s returning to him in something he built and nobody else. He called it the “ultimate vindication.”
Rhodes On What He Told Key WWE Officials
“I told Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and Nick Khan — this very small circle of individuals — I told them what I truly believe and it’s that I’m the best wrestler in the world. And to go further with it, I actually don’t think there’s a close second. But with that said, the opportunity now exists to prove it, and that’s what I’m most excited about.
It’s a completely different individual returning to the game. It’s a different brand. It’s someone who’s experienced all the wonders of independent wrestling, of traveling internationally, of being able to get on the ground with the fans that make this whole ship move. But different person or not, I’m still that little kid that I mentioned in an AEW promo that wants what my dad didn’t get, and I’m not going to say it out loud because I don’t want to jinx it. But, you know, he went to Madison Square Garden, stood across from Superstar Billy Graham and he held it in his hands, the goal of mine, and it was taken away because that was the context of the match. I understand that now as an adult, but as a kid, that was the only reason I ever wanted to get in, so that I could get what he didn’t get.”
Rhodes On His AEW Departure
Rhodes stated that there is nothing bad to say about how his AEW run came to end. At the end of the day, it was all about him feeling like it was time to leave a company he helped launch in 2019 alongside Tony Khan, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks.
“I chose to remain silent about my departure from AEW and I’m going to keep my word on that. There’s no shoot interview. There’s no nefarious tale that’s going to be told. There were all these different theories and none of them are correct. I mean, there were things about money and creative control. They were printed as fact and it’s been a very difficult two months to see that, when the reality is it was just time. It was a personal matter and we couldn’t move past it. I have nothing but respect for Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson] and Kenny [Omega]. I’m rooting for Tony Khan. His name is going to be in the history books as someone who helped to bankroll and support this entire alternative and revolution that AEW became but for me, it was just time to to move on. I get an opportunity at my dream, I get another chance at it. And you really can’t leave any stone unturned with that.”
Cody Rhodes has made a return to WWE after leaving AEW as he was Seth Rollins’ opponent at WrestleMania 38. Vince McMahon had promised Rollins a spot on the card, but it would be been an opponent of his choosing.
Cody came out with his AEW theme song and “American Nightmare” nickname. They did a suplex spot spilling out to the floor. At one point, Rollins told him, \”Welcome back to the big leagues, bitch.” Cody with an outside dive then a moonsault off the top rope. Cody with cross rhodes for a near fall. Cody with a cutter for 2. Cody hit cross rhodes three times and the Dusty elbow for the win.
Rhodes’ AEW contract expired in December, but he continued to work for the promotion both on-screen and behind the scenes. However, in a bombshell of a move, Rhodes alongside his wife, Brandi Rhodes, left the promotion after not reaching an agreement in February. The married couple as well as AEW President Tony Khan put out statements regarding the move.
Shortly after, there were various reports that Rhodes was headed back to WWE, a company where he started his pro wrestling career. His first WWE stint lasted from 2006 to 2016 where the last few years of his career he was placed as a mid-card talent with the Stardust gimmick that he strongly disliked. He was unhappy and asked for his WWE release, which was granted.
He then made himself a bigger star outside of WWE by working for the likes of Impact Wrestling, ROH and NJPW before helping to launch All Elite Wrestling in 2019 where he held the TNT Title.
Becky Lynch put her WWE Raw Women’s Championship on the line against Bianca Belair at the WWE WrestleMania 38 event in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night.
The match opened with Lynch hitting the rock bottom for a near fall. Belair went for the disarmer at one point. Lynch with a leg drop off the top rope for 2. It had a very urgent pace with a lot of quick pin attempts. Belair connected with a suplex on the floor. Belair with a 450 splash off the middle rope for a super close near fall. Belair with a spinebuster then went for a standing moonsault, but Lynch put her knees up. Lynch with rock bottom on the bottom steel step. Belair hit KOD for the win.
The match was set up in February when Belair defeated Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H. in a number one contender\’s Elimination Chamber match. At this same show, Lynch retained her Raw Women\’s Championship against WWE Hall Of Famer Lita.
Belair was looking to avenge her loss to Lynch from last year\’s SummerSlam, which is where Lynch made her return to the ring by replacing Sasha Banks to beat Belair in 26 seconds to win the SmackDown Women\’s Championship.
During last year’s Draft, WWE had Lynch become the Raw Women\’s Champion when she and Charlotte Flair swapped title belts after changing brands
What are your thoughts on Bianca Belair winning the Raw Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Logan Paul made his in-ring debut on night one of WrestleMania 38 inside AT&T Stadium when he teamed up with The Miz to take on Rey & Dominik Mysterio in a tag team bout.
The match saw Paul work in certain spots, but it was mostly The Miz. Rey caught Paul with a head kick. Dominik with a spring board move to Paul and Miz. At one point, Paul hit a big boot to Rey and got a lot of boos. Paul with the three amigos. Paul hit a frog splash on Rey. Rey and Dominik with a double 619 then Dominik with a frog splash. Miz suplexed Dominik onto Rey and Miz hit the skull crushing finale for the win. Post-match, Miz hit skull crushing finale.
The social media/celebrity boxing star was revealed as Miz\’s WrestleMania partner on an episode of Raw in February. After losing to Rey on the Elimination Chamber pre-show, Miz teased that he would find a partner who is a \”global superstar\” to team with to take on the father and son tag team. They later did a Miz TV segment where Miz and Paul beat down The Mysterios.
This marked the second time that Paul has been involved with WrestleMania as at WrestleMania 37 in 2021, he was stunned by Kevin Owens.
What are your thoughts on Paul’s performance in the match? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs were the latest team to step and challenge The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
The match took place on the first night of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium. The bout didn’t go as planned. Boogs tried to pick up The Usos, but his knee went out. The referee threw up the x-sign to signify a legitimate injury. Jimmy with a splash to Nakamura for 2. The Usos hit their tag team finisher for the win.
The Harder Farmer had the recipe to make @rickboogswwe and @ShinsukeN the perfect duo that hits HARDER at #WrestleMania!
The match was made official after Boogs defeated Jey Uso in a singles match on the March 12th episode of SmackDown. Nakamura & Boogs interrupted The Usos, who noticed that Boogs\’ leg was still wrapped up from the previous week\’s attack.
They said they\’d agree to give Nakamura & Boogs a title shot at WrestleMania if Boogs could defeat Jey in a singles match so the match happened and Jey worked over Boogs\’ leg, but Boogs took off the wrap and revealed that his leg wasn\’t injured, which led to Boogs getting the win with a pumphandle slam. Jimmy hit him in the back with a guitar after the match.
The Usos have been SmackDown Tag Team Champions since winning the straps at Money in the Bank last July.
What are your thoughts on retaining the SmackDown Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The WWE NXT Stand & Deliver event aired live on Peacock from Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on April 2, 2022.
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Results
Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez def. Toxic Attraction to win NXT Tag Team Titles.
Cameron Grimes wins North American Title in a ladder match
Tony D\’Angelo (w/AJ Galante) def. Tommaso Ciampa.
MSK def. The Creed Brothers and Imperium to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
Mandy Rose def. Kay Lee Ray, Io Shirai and Cora Jade to retain the WWE NXT Women\’s Championship.
GUNTHER def. LA Knight.
Dolph Ziggler def. Bron Breakker to retain NXT Title
Here are the takeaways from this show:
Pre-Show Match
Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacey Jayne) defended the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Championships against Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez on the pre-show.
It was a standard match with Kai working the majority of it. Toxic Attraction hit their finisher on Kai, who kicked out at two. Wendy Choo came out and threw a drink in the face of Gigi, which distracted Jayne enough for Raquel hit a powerbomb to Jayne for the win.
Imperium vs. The Creed Brothers vs. MSK for the NXT Tag Team Championship was a wild one. It was a chaotic bout. Carter with a hurricanrana to Marcel off the top rope to the floor. There was a power of doom spot. Carter with a hurricanrana off the top rope that sent Marcel into Lee, who hit a powerbomb for the finish. A great finish.
The Creed Brothers were set to challenge Imperium for the Tag Titles after winning the 2022 Dusty Cup on an episode of NXT last month, but were attacked before the bout. MSK took their place.
MSK came out the following week to interrupt The Creed Brothers who were looking for their attackers. While the two teams bickered in the ring, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel appeared and offered the triple threat bout.
NXT Women’s Championship
Mandy Rose vs. Cora Jade vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship was featured.
The match was chaotic. Io with a moonsault onto Kay off the top rope after everyone hit an outside dive. There was a double submission spot. Jade hit a canadian destroyer to Kay on the apron. Rose took out Io with a running knee for the win.
The original match was originally supposed to be Jade vs. Rose following Toxic Attraction getting involved inJade and Raquel Gonzalez\’s Dusty Cup match where they cost the babyfaces the win.
Jade stole Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne\’s titles and would be getting revenge on them. She would later Cora trap Jacy and Gigi in a caged-off area and garbage bin before getting to Rose. However, Rose laid out Jade and spray painted Toxic Attraction\’s logo on her back. Io and Lee Ray won the 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament and decided to insert themselves into this bout.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Tony D’Angelo
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Tony D’Angelo took place in a singles match.
Ciampa was aggressive early and beat down Tony with a series of running knee strikes. Tony fought back only for Ciampa to hit a series of clotheslines. Tony caught him with a low blow then hit a DDT for 2. Tony went over with his finisher.
Post-match, Ciampa was given the ring. Triple H came out and hugged Ciampa, who started crying.
It was set up when Ciampa did a promo where he teased retiring or leaving NXT. Before he made an announcement, Tony challenged Ciampa for a match at this show. Ciampa accepted, then was kicked low by D\’Angelo.
Carmelo Hayes defended the NXT North American Championship in a ladder match against Santos Escobar, Grayson Waller, Solo Sikoa and Cameron Grimes.
The match opened the show with them all brawling. There was a sequence where several people did outside dives. Solo tossed Waller into a ladder then used it as a weapon. Hayes took a brutal shot to the face thanks to a ladder. Santos connected with a drop kick while Grimes held a ladder. Waller with a cutter off the ladder to Santos. Santos with a front flip powerbomb off the ladder to Solo onto one placed in the corner. Santos hit a hurricanrana to Waller off the top of a ladder. Waller went for a dive off a ladder, but ended up crashing through two of them. Grimes eventually grabbed the title.
Hayes successfully defended the NXT North American Championship against Pete Dunne on the March 1 episode of NXT 2.0. Post-match, he said that he is taking his talents to Dallas for WrestleMania weekend where he would defend his title in the match it was forged in, a ladder match.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship headlined the show.
Dolph Ziggler won the NXT Championship in a Triple Threat Match last month on NXT TV as it was Tommaso Ciampa who was pinned. Bron was shown looking for Dolph ahead of the March 15 episode of NXT. In the main event, Ziggler successfully retained the title against LA Knight. Post-match, Bron issued the match challenge and Ziggler accepted.
The match saw Bron in control early on. Early on, Bron went for a spear, but Robert Roode grabbed his leg so the referee tossed him from ringside. Ziggler was in control for a few minutes to slow down the big man. There was a near fall with Bron hitting a powerslam only for Roode to pull Ziggler out of the ring. Bron with an outside dive to take them both out. The finish saw Bron with a spear then the powerslam finisher, but Ziggler blocked and hit a superkick for the win.
Bron Breakker got his rematch for the WWE NXT Title against Dolph Ziggler in the main event of the Stand & Deliver event in Dallas, Texas, but didn’t walk out victorious.
Early on, Bron went for a spear, but Robert Roode grabbed his leg so the referee tossed him from ringside. Ziggler was in control for a few minutes to slow down the big man. Bron with a powerslam, but Roode pulled Ziggler out of the ring on the pin attempt. Bron with a spear then the powerslam finisher, but Ziggler blocked and hit a superkick for the win. Ziggler retained the title.
Ziggler pinned Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match also involving Breakker to win the NXT title on the March 8 edition of NXT 2.0. On the March 15th edition of NXT, Bron challenged Ziggler to this title match after Ziggler defended the title against LA Knight.
Breakker won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January, which was the second match between them after Ciampa previously beat him last year. Breakker made his first and only title defense as NXT Champion against Santos Escobar in the main event of Vengeance Day.
WWE reportedly is using main roster talent, mainly from Raw, to help boost NXT ratings.
WWE NXT Women\’s Champion Mandy Rose made her latest title defense against Cora Jade, Kay Lee Ray, and Io Shirai in a fatal 4-way bout on Saturday at the Stand & Deliver event in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center.
The match was wild. Everyone did an outside dive including Io with a moonsault onto Kay off the top rope. Io and Kay had submissions on Jade and Rose at the same time. Jade hit a canadian destroyer to Kay on the apron. Io hit a moonsault off the top rope to Jade. Rose took out Io with a running knee for the win.
The match was set up after a show-long storyline where Jade took out members of Toxic Attraction backstage, Rose attacked and then spray-painted Jade in the NXT parking lot to set up the title bout. WWE later had Io and Lee Ray trade in their Tag Team Title shot that they earned by winning the 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes classic tournament to be added to this bout.
Rose defeated Gonzalez to win the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc with the help of Dakota Kai. Rose’s previous title defense came against former NXT UK Women’s Champion Cora Jade on the February 8th edition of NXT 2.0.
WWE NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. The Creed Brothers (Brutus & Julius) vs. MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) was booked on the card of Saturday’s Stand & Deliver event in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center.
The match was a typical three-way, but had some chaotic moments throughout in the ring and outside on the floor. Carter with a hurricanrana to Marcel off the top rope then Lee with an outside dive. Brutus with dive off the top rope to the floor. Carter with a hurricanrana off the top rope that sent Marcel into Lee, who hit a powerbomb for the finish. MSK are the new champions.
On the March 8th edition of NXT 2.0, the title match between Imperium and MSK ended in a no contest after the return of the Creed Brothers, who the week prior were taken out in the parking lot by an unknown team. The following week, the three teams got into a heated exchange on the mic. Fabian Aichner challenged both MSK and the Creed Brothers to the match at Stand & Deliver.
WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered.
WWE NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes came up with the idea in storyline to have the deck stacked against him as he was confident enough to battle four other stars in a ladder match.
Hayes vs. Santos Escobar vs. Grayson Waller vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Cameron Grimes was booked in a ladder match at Saturday’s (April 2, 2022) WWE NXT Stand & Deliver event in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center.
The match opened the show and a brawl broke out. A few different guys did outside dives. Hayes took a brutal shot to the face thanks to a ladder. Waller with a cutter off the ladder to Santos. Escobar hit a front flip powerbomb off the ladder to Solo onto one placed in the corner. Trick Williams was pushed off a big ladder from the ring to the floor. Santos with a hurricanrana to Waller off the top of a ladder. Waller went for a dive off a ladder, but crashed through two of them. Grimes eventually grabbed the title.
This past Tuesday night on NXT TV, Grimes beat A-Kid and Roderick Strong in a three way qualifying match to earn his way into the title bout.
Grimes had originally lost a qualifying match on March 15 to Escobar. However, he was given another chance by Hayes. Grimes had been dejected as he said being a champion was something that he promised to his late father.
Adam Cole defeated EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet, and Velveteen Dream to become the inaugural champion in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in 2018.
The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT Stand & Deliver. The card for the show that takes place this Saturday appears to be finalized as 6 matches have been announced.
So far, five normal NXT titles are on the line, with two titles expected to change hands. Some of the more notable odds include Bron Breakker favored to win the NXT Title while The Creed Brothers are expected to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Saturday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds, courtesy of BetOnline:
Bron Breakker -1600 (1/16) vs. Dolph Ziggler (c) +700 (7/1) – NXT Championship Match
Mandy Rose (c) -125 (4/5) vs. Cora Jade +175 (7/4) vs. Kay Lee Ray +375 (15/4) vs. Io Shirai +400 (4/1) – NXT Women\’s Championship Match
Carmelo Hayes (c) +100 (1/1) vs. Cameron Grimes +110 (11/10) vs. Grayson Waller +500 (5/1) vs. Santos Escobar +800 (8/1) vs. Solo Sikoa +1200 (12/1) – NXT North American Championship Ladder Match
The Creed Brothers -325 (4/13) vs. Imperium (c) +220 (11/5) vs. MSK +800 (8/1) – NXT World Tag Team Championship Match
Tommaso Ciampa -130 (10/13) vs. Tony D\’Angelo +100 (1/1)
Randy Orton made headlines on Thursday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show about the way the WWE NXT wrestlers are trained. He stated that a lot of guys have lost the art of pro wrestling – making moves look devastating but never hurting their opponent.
He brought up how he has to protect himself because he doesn’t want a broken jaw and taking care of your opponent isn’t something taught in NXT. He added that “they don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing.”
During today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez stated that “Randy Orton is absolutely 100 percent correct” and he has heard that wrestlers in WWE developmental have been told to lay it in (working stuff).
“Bro I don’t know when that changed but I have heard and I am sure that many other people listening to this who might be in the business have heard the same thing – that in developmental, these wrestlers are encouraged to lay it in. They are encouraged to lay it in.”
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro will defend their titles against The Street Profits and Alpha Academy in a Triple Threat Match on WrestleMania Sunday.
Austin Theory is not only getting support on-screen but also behind the scenes from Vince McMahon.
During today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez was talking about what the finish might be for the Austin Theory vs. Pat McAfee match at WrestleMania 38. This is where he noted that McMahon sees Theory like John Cena and there’s a reason he is being groomed and always in McMahon’s segments.
Alvarez speculated that maybe he wants to teach Theory about being able to lose, but he presumed Theory is winning at WrestleMania.
Dating back to his time in NXT, there was talk that he would eventually become a top star on the main roster. WWE needs to create top stars. Theory and Bron Breakker could be two names that can carry the company in the future.
In December, Theory stated that Cena has been his inspiration not just in wrestling but in life and modeled his life at a young age on what he saw Cena do on TV. He also has said that his dream match would be to wrestle Cena in Cena’s retirement match
Mike Tenay has a lot of interest from several promotions. He has had a legendary career in the commentary booth as he has called some of the most iconic moments in both WCW and Impact Wrestling. He retired from the business and hasn\’t called a match since 2016.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tenay has received multiple offers to come out of retirement including from companies such as Major League Wrestling and Game Changer Wrestling. The offers from MLW and GCW were for him to be a commentator.
WWE’s offer was for him to have a role in documentaries. However, Tenay declined all of them, as he is enjoying retirement and has no financial burdens.
Per the report, Tenay has said that while he won\’t ever rule out a return to the commentary desk, he hasn\’t felt like any of the offers were timed right or were in the right place.
Don West, the long-time partner of Tenay in Impact Wrestling, has been dealing with multiple health issues, including being diagnosed with cancer for the second time.
Toni Storm has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. The former NXT UK Women\’s Champion made her debut on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite as AEW President Tony Khan’s latest mystery signing.
She beat The Bunny in the Women\’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament qualifying match with her finisher.
Shortly after her match on Dynamite, AEW welcomed her to the team with the official graphic, Toni Storm is #AllElite.
Storm signed with WWE in 2018 after working the 2017 edition of the Mae Young Classic. She was used mainly on the NXT UK brand. She won the 2018 Mae Young Classic and later became the NXT UK Women’s Champion.
In 2020, Storm was used on the NXT brand before going to the main roster this past July on an episode of SmackDown.
Storm had been working WWE house shows including at a live event in which she was part of a triple threat match with Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair just days before she asked for her WWE release. It was granted and she had been waiting out her 90-day non-compete clause.
Since being on the free agent market, she opened an OnlyFans account. Toni Storm\’s OnlyFans account has been very lucrative for her already.
Bron Breakker is slated to challenge NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler at Stand & Deliver this Saturday so what did WWE do to further build it? They aired video packages with each star talking about the importance of the match.
Ziggler said that this isn’t just NXT 2.0, but rather DZ 2.0. He said that he’s doing all the media because everyone wants to talk with him and not Bron. For Breakker, WWE just aired a video package of his path to destruction. They did acknowledge Rick Steiner being Bron’s father.
One More Chance
Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes vs. A-Kid in a Last chance qualifying match for Stand & Deliver was booked. Strong, Grimes, and A-Kid all lost their original qualifying bouts.
The match was saved for the main event and could\’ve gone a little bit longer as it was that good. These guys worked hard and had elements of the old NXT in terms of work rate. Grimes went over when he hit a double stomp to Strong.
North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, Solo Sikoa, and Santos Escobar have already qualified for the ladder match. A brawl with everyone in the match broke out to close the show.
LA Knight and MSK vs. Imperium took place in a tag team match.
The bout was set up on last week\’s NXT episode where LA Knight confronted and attacked Gunther while challenging him to a Stand & Deliver match. Barthel and Aichner made the save for Gunther, while MSK ran in to save Knight.
Barthel and Aichner will defend the NXT Tag Team titles against MSK and The Creed Brothers in a three-way at Stand & Deliver.
The match opened the show. Aichner levels Carter with a stiff clothesline for the pin to win.
Bodhi Hayward vs. Von Wagner in a singles match took place. The match was set up in a vignette last week.
The match was fine and a brawl that ended with Wagner hitting his side slam for the win. Post-match, he attacked Jacket Time who were at ringside on commentary.
Joe Gacy and Draco Anthony finally took place. Gacy hit his back handspring clothesline for the pin to win. After the match, Gacy stands tall with Harland as the music hits.
This match has been building up for weeks as Gacy has been trying to recruit Anthony to his side. This includes interrupting workouts and bothering him in the parking lot.
Various wrestlers will be in town for WWE WrestleMania weekend and now that includes Shane McMahon. According to PWinsider, the son of Vince McMahon will be in Dallas, Texas.
As of this writing, it’s unclear whether McMahon will appear on the show, but he’s slated to be in town for the entire Wrestlemania weekend. McMahon hasn’t been seen on camera since the WWE Royal Rumble in January to set up his potential match with Seth Rollins at this year\’s Wrestlemania.
Just two days after the Rumble, he was removed from the company\’s creative plans that called for him to be a regular on Raw as a heel.
McMahon had been pushing to work Austin Theory at Wrestlemania with the idea playing out of Theory\’s involvement with Vince. Other officials were pushing for the Shane vs. Rollins match at Mania.
McMahon was one of the Producers for the Men’s Royal Rumble match. It was reported there was a lot of heat on Shane for the way he acted backstage regarding the bout and trying to put himself over instead of the other wrestlers. McMahon was upset that \”he wasn\’t being allowed to do what he wanted.”
The belief was Shane receiving the brunt of the heat for the poor reception to the Men\’s Rumble match as many considered it to be lackluster. Once the heat blew over then he would be brought back.
Bobby Lashley is back on WWE television as he returned on Monday Night Raw to make his match against Omos official at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas this weekend.
Omos squashed The Viking Raiders, Erik and Ivar, on the show, which ended quickly and awkwardly as Omos won via count out when Erik failed to make it back in the ring after getting hit with a clothesline. It appears that was not the finish and Erik may have been injured.
Lashley made his return following the match and got manhandled by Omos. Lashley fought back and took him off his feet. They both pointed at the WrestleMania sign.
This was expected as it was reported the former WWE Champion was returning on this show to set up the match. There had been some concern that Lashley may not be cleared in time for the match, but obviously, he\’s good to go for Mania.
Lashley has been out of action since WWE Elimination Chamber in February where he suffered a storyline concussion, which was done to cover up his shoulder injury with the expectation that he would need surgery, but he didn’t undergo the knife.
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