SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Liv Morgan Reveals She Was Recruited To WWE While Working At Hooters

    Liv Morgan Reveals She Was Recruited To WWE While Working At Hooters

    Liv Morgan’s path to WWE ran through a Hooters across the street from a GED testing center, and she walked Holly Madison through the full story on the latest episode of You Wish.

    Morgan grew up in a household with little stability and made a decision about her future at five years old while watching WWE on television.

    “I just told myself in my head: that’s what you’re going to do when you get older, and you’re going to save your family, is quite literally what I said,” Morgan said. “I didn’t know that I’d really be able to follow through on that. Luckily I was able to. I just loved it and just knew right away.”

    The circumstances at home gave her plenty of reason to look for a way out. “We just kind of grew up in a very chaotic environment. We didn’t have a lot of money, no connections. My mom was a single mom raising seven kids. My father had a heart attack at my dinner table before I was born.”

    Morgan left school during her sophomore year to help at home, eventually getting her GED. The location of the testing center set the rest in motion.

    “I dropped out of high school my sophomore year. My mom was having some health issues, I missed a lot of days of school. They wanted me to repeat a grade and I did not want to repeat a grade,” Morgan said. “So I dropped out and got my GED. Across from the GED center was a Hooters, so I went and applied, and that’s where I met pretty much who recruited me to WWE.”

    The recruiter was Joe Franco, a strength and conditioning coach whose client list includes Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. A conversation during a routine shift turned into an opportunity.

    “He was at Hooters with his family and we were just making small talk. I’d said something about wrestling and it sparked up this conversation. Before I knew it, I was talking his ear off with all my wrestling knowledge and he was just like, ‘All right, no promises, but I think I can put in a good word for you. Come to my gym. We’ll work out. We’ll just see.’ I went to his gym and he trained me for free every single day, five days a week.”

    Six months later, Morgan flew to Orlando for a WWE tryout. It was her first time on a plane, and she quickly discovered she had packed incorrectly. “I didn’t know the difference between a check bag and a carry-on. I only brought a check bag. When I got to the gate, I saw everyone with their carry-on and I’m like, ‘Oh, was I supposed to get my bag back?’”

    The call came weeks later while she was getting ready for a Hooters shift. “I cried. It was the best moment of my life. I get a phone call from WWE and they’re like, ‘We just wanted to give you some good holiday news, we would love to offer you a contract.’ My brother was at my house and he knew just by my reaction that I got signed. Going to that Hooters shift that day was so hard. I was like, ‘I’m ready to go now.’”

    She credits one ritual she kept every night for years with making it happen. “My 11:11 wish every single night was: grow up and be in the WWE. When it came true I was like, ‘Wow, that shit works.’”

    Morgan challenges Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship on Night One of WrestleMania 42 on Saturday, April 18, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • Roman Reigns Says WWE Thrived Through Its Most Turbulent Era Because He Stayed Locked In

    Roman Reigns Says WWE Thrived Through Its Most Turbulent Era Because He Stayed Locked In

    Roman Reigns believes his focus during WWE’s most turbulent period is what kept the company on course, and he is not modest about the role he played in steering it through.

    Speaking with Nico Leonard ahead of WrestleMania 42, Reigns reflected on his half-decade run at the top through a period that included the sale to Endeavor, the formation of TKO, and the public fallout surrounding Vince McMahon’s resignation amid a sexual assault lawsuit. For Reigns, the formula was simple: block out everything else and keep delivering.

    “After the run, the half-decade that I went through, we turned the business upside down. We were in the most turbulent time of all time, transitioning into being bought by Endeavor, and forming TKO. Everything that was going on with our company in the media, but like any captain in rough seas, just steady at the wheel, doing my thing. No matter what, all this distraction and all this noise, no matter what happens, as long as I’m locked into my character and my story, and I go out there with the most compelling art form of pro wrestling and sports entertainment, none of this other bullshit matters. I was able to do that,” Reigns said.

    The period he is discussing comes amid the McMahon scandal, which dominated headlines well beyond the wrestling press, the Endeavor acquisition restructured the company’s leadership, and the merger with UFC to form TKO represented the biggest shift in WWE’s corporate identity in decades. Through it all, Reigns held the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and remained the central figure of the product for years, a reign that spanned 1,316 days.

    Reigns has been operating on a lighter schedule since losing the title at WrestleMania 40, but he returns to the WrestleMania main event stage on Sunday night with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. 

    Reigns challenges CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the night two main event of WrestleMania 42 on Sunday, April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • CM Punk Says Roman Reigns ‘Failed’ Repeatedly Before Finally Figuring It Out

    CM Punk Says Roman Reigns ‘Failed’ Repeatedly Before Finally Figuring It Out

    CM Punk delivered one of his most pointed assessments yet of Roman Reigns’ path to the top of WWE just days before the two meet in the WrestleMania 42 main event.

    Speaking with Corey Graves, Punk acknowledged that Reigns eventually became one of the biggest stars in the history of the business but was honest about the road that got him there and what he sees as an inherent unfairness at the heart of it.

    “Myself and guys like me, this business has evolved and changed so much, but there is still always going to be resentment towards people that are born on third base. I have been friends with and seen dozens of people that I thought had talent that were never afforded a single opportunity Roman got, and I have watched him get opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, and frankly, fail.

    Failure is your best teacher, but I don’t think he really learned anything from that. He had management and an entire system that was going to shove him down everybody’s throat, and by some miracle, he finally figured it out,” Punk said.

    Punk built his career from the ground up through the independent wrestling circuit, spending years grinding before making it to WWE, where he still had to fight for every opportunity.

    Reigns, by contrast, arrived as part of The Shield in 2012 with the resources of the entire WWE machine behind him and the backing of Vince McMahon from day one due in large part to his family lineage in the Anoa’i wrestling dynasty.

    Punk also told others during the WrestleMania week media circuit that if Reigns genuinely had a say in his return to WWE, he should have said no.

    Punk defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns in the night two main event of WrestleMania 42 on Sunday, April 19, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It will be the first time the two have met in a singles match since Punk’s return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.

  • Backstage News On Steve Austin’s WWE WrestleMania Status

    Backstage News On Steve Austin’s WWE WrestleMania Status

    Stone Cold Steve Austin is expected to be at WrestleMania 42, according to a new report.

    Sources indicated to Bodyslam that Austin is currently scheduled to be backstage at the event in Las Vegas. Whether his presence will remain behind the scenes or lead to an on-screen appearance has not been confirmed, leaving the door open for a surprise moment at Allegiant Stadium.

    Austin also has meet and greet appearances scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday at WWE World, the fan experience event running alongside WrestleMania 42 weekend. His presence at those sessions confirms he will be in Las Vegas for the full stretch of the event, regardless of what happens inside the arena.

    Austin has not had a regular presence with WWE in some time, making his scheduled attendance noteworthy heading into one of the biggest weekends of the year. His last in-ring appearance came at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, where he defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match in his hometown of Texas.

    WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with John Cena serving as host for both nights.

  • Triple H Calls Stephanie McMahon One Of The Best Female Performers Of Her Generation

    Triple H Calls Stephanie McMahon One Of The Best Female Performers Of Her Generation

    Stephanie McMahon had approximately ten matches across her entire career, and the thing that frightened her most about every single one of them was letting the business down.

    On her What’s Your Story? podcast with Triple H, Stephanie traced her in-ring journey from convincing her father and brother to let her train, through a women’s main event that drew a 7.3 rating, to a three-a-day training program for her WrestleMania 34 match with Ronda Rousey.

    “That was always my biggest fear, that I was going to embarrass the business. And that’s why matches to me are like a sacred pinnacle. A lot of our talent would say the opposite: the promos are what make them the most nervous, and the physicality is what they’re the most comfortable doing, and I’m the opposite. But I had maybe 10 matches total.”

    Getting permission to train at all required a practical argument. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon did not want Stephanie wrestling, but she made the case that the heat she was generating was going to result in her getting bumped regardless of anyone’s preference.

    “I kept saying, ‘I have so much heat. At some point I’ve got to get bumped around.’ And finally under that logic, I was allowed to train. It was Tom Pritchard who trained me. The first really big match was me versus Lita, with Rock as the referee. That actually was the first women’s main event on Raw. It did like a 7.3 rating, which will blow everybody’s mind at this point.”

    Triple H offered a pointed assessment of where Stephanie stands among the women of her generation, noting that her in-ring reputation is still generating interest from current talent.

    “I don’t think a lot of people give you credit for the ability as an in-ring performer, bell to bell. This is my opinion, but you’re one of the best female performers in that generation, bar none. And part of that is why you saw all the women pitching to do angles and storylines with you. Three quarters of our roster have probably asked me at various points in time, ‘Do you think Steph would be interested in doing something at WrestleMania?’”

    Her biggest in-ring moment came at WrestleMania 34, where she and Kurt Angle faced Rousey in her first-ever match. The preparation was unlike anything Stephanie had done before.

    “She was the one who requested the match. Rhonda was the one who said, ‘We need to finish the story with Steph.’ And it was her first match. So we had to really train and really put it together. And it was stiff. Safe but stiff. She would come home covered in bruises. And I was training like three-a-days because I’d never trained like that ever. Cardio, strength and conditioning, and in the ring.”

    The most meaningful moment of her in-ring career, however, did not come from the WrestleMania crowd. It came from a hallway backstage at SummerSlam.

    “During that match, the audience started chanting, ‘You still got it.’ That was so cool. And then even cooler was backstage. I hear three little voices: ‘You still got it.’ As they’re walking towards me down the hallway. And there were my baby girls and they got to see me perform. It’s just so magical.”

  • Stephanie McMahon Admits She Didn’t Feel She Deserved WWE Hall Of Fame Induction When She First Found Out

    Stephanie McMahon Admits She Didn’t Feel She Deserved WWE Hall Of Fame Induction When She First Found Out

    Stephanie McMahon doubted she deserved the honor when WWE named her a 2026 Hall of Fame inductee. There was doubt.

    The former co-CEO sat down with Triple H on her What’s Your Story? podcast ahead of the April 17 ceremony at Dolby Live in Las Vegas and was candid about how long it took for the honor to feel deserved.

    “At first, I very much felt like I didn’t deserve it. Really very much felt I didn’t deserve it. I haven’t done what our talent have done and endured and sacrificed, in different ways maybe, but that’s how I felt. And it’s taken a while, but all these conversations with people remembering these moments, it’s everybody’s support, just not letting me not see it. And now I’m just so grateful and appreciative and accepting and trying, especially at this point in my life, to enjoy every minute.”

    Triple H offered a tribute that framed her contribution beyond her on-screen work, arguing that she changed the company’s internal culture rather than simply participating in it.

    “People come along and participate in the business. People come along and add to the business. Very few people change the business. You put the culture in what we do. It didn’t exist before that. It was just the Wild West. And then you came in, and all of a sudden, there was a different take on it, a different perspective of it. It wasn’t that Wild West business anymore. All of a sudden, it was a family.”

    He described her as the heart and soul of the company, a phrase he said he still hears from people today, pointing to the way she stayed after shows to talk with crew members, knew families and their children by name, and made the road feel less like a job and more like a community.

    “No matter what happens moving forward, this has been my life, and I’m so grateful to have had this remarkable, incredible life surrounded by these characters and people who are probably the most honest, truthful versions of themselves.”

    Stephanie joins AJ Styles, Demolition, and Dennis Rodman as part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class. The ceremony streams live from Dolby Live in Las Vegas on April 17.

  • Triple H Says WWE Vegas Wedding Angle Was Only Supposed To Be One-Off

    Triple H Says WWE Vegas Wedding Angle Was Only Supposed To Be One-Off

    One of the most memorable storylines in WWE history was never meant to last more than a few weeks.

    Triple H revealed the origin of the Vegas wedding angle on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast. He explained that what eventually became a real marriage and decades of shared power at the top of WWE was originally pitched as a throwaway device to get him back into the title picture.

    “What if I had gone to the bachelorette party and slipped something in her drink, and while she’s out, I take her through one of those Vegas wedding chapel things? And if I win, I get the shot back at the championship, which I had thrown at your dad and he loved, but it was supposed to be like super just a one-off. We do this thing, you go about your business, I go do the stuff with Vince, which opens up a door for me to get back in the title picture, and we just move on from there. And then it blew up into something else.”

    The angle itself grew out of a specific problem the writers were trying to solve. Vince McMahon’s Corporate Ministry character was the dominant heel authority figure, but nothing about it invited sympathy for Vince. Stephanie became the solution.

    “We were just talking about different angles. There needed to be a way to get some kind of sympathy for Vince because it was so hard to feel bad for him. And so they came up with this storyline that I was getting abducted, not kidnapped, abducted. Because semantics matter. I remember weird people being kidnapped. That was really how it started.”

    The decision to keep going came from Triple H, not from the McMahons.

    Stephanie recalled sitting in her father’s Baltimore office listening to Triple H make the case to Vince for extending the angle while she kept her reaction carefully neutral.

    “It was you specifically: ‘I don’t know, Vince, I think this thing has legs.’ And he agreed with you. And I couldn’t sell it, but on the inside I was like, ‘Yes!’”

    What followed confirmed that Triple H’s instinct was right.

    When Stephanie walked out on Raw after the Vegas wedding aired, the crowd reaction was far beyond what anyone expected.

    “The crowd was brutal. They were chanting slut and all this stuff. The heat was so big. I remember standing at Gorilla. You could barely get a word out and you were trying to yell over the crowd. And Vince just elbowed me and went like that, the money sign. And I was like, yeah, that’s when I started thinking, ‘Holy shit, there’s way more to this. This could be a really big deal.’”

  • Stephanie McMahon Reveals The Night She Realized She Had Feelings For Triple H

    Stephanie McMahon Reveals The Night She Realized She Had Feelings For Triple H

    Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have opened up about how their on-screen relationship quietly became a real one, sharing the details on Stephanie’s What’s Your Story? podcast ahead of her WWE Hall of Fame induction.

    Triple H described the shift as something that crept up on him without announcement, framing it in terms of where he wanted to be when he had free time.

    “I often think it’s like the movie scene where the guy and the girl are into different things, and they don’t realize they’re falling for each other. And then it turns out they’re the right people for each other, and it’s been there the whole time. They were the only people who didn’t see it. I would find myself thinking, ‘I don’t need to run it by her, but I kind of want to just go find where she is and spend time and talk to her.’ And I would be oh so happy when I would.”

    Stephanie remembers the specific night something changed for her, and she remembers being called out on it in real time. Her best friend, Mandy, was sitting next to her when Triple H walked into the room during the Vegas wedding bachelorette shoot.

    “All of a sudden, it’s time, Paul arrives. He just walked in the door, and that was it. I guess I sat up straight, or I must have made a face.”

    “And she’s from Boston, she goes, ‘Oh my God, you like him.’ I looked at her, and I was like, ‘What? No, I don’t. We’re doing a story.’ And she said, ‘I can tell you like him.’”

    “And then that night it was cold out, and he offered me his jacket, which I graciously accepted. And I remember it smelled so good.”

    Stephanie also recalled the moment their oldest daughter, Aurora, was bitten by the wrestling bug at a live event in Waco, Texas, watching DX and feeling the excitement build on her mother’s shoulders before Triple H got the tag.

    “I could feel her start to get really, really nervous and excited. And then in last-minute desperation, Shawn gets the tag, and here comes daddy, and she is going nuts on my shoulders. She was two. And I remembered the look in Aurora’s eyes as you handed her back to me. And I was like, ‘Oh no.’”

    She closed with the advice she now regularly passes on to WWE talent, drawn from her own experience of not appreciating the moment while it was happening.

    “Don’t get so caught up in the minutiae because you’ll have these amazing things happen that you don’t think of as amazing in the time. You’re angry, you want more, you’re all these things. Somebody said, ‘I wish somebody could tell you it’s the good old days.’ But you wouldn’t believe it at the time anyway.”

    Stephanie is part of the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame class, with the induction ceremony scheduled for April 17 at Dolby Live in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 42 weekend.

  • Live Nation and Ticketmaster Lose Antitrust Case

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster Lose Antitrust Case

    The conversation around WrestleMania 42 ticket prices is not happening in isolation, and a landmark federal antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster is providing the broader context that explains why fans are paying what they are paying.

    Per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WrestleMania 42 has been tracking roughly 20 percent behind last year’s sales pace with the event days away. WWE has responded with a 25 percent flash discount announced by Pat McAfee on SmackDown, and reports indicate further price adjustments are being considered through the summer. The topic has even worked its way into on-screen programming, with ticket pricing becoming a talking point in the CM Punk and McAfee back-and-forth.

    The timing coincides with a significant legal development in how live event ticketing operates in the United States. According to Associated Press reporting, the Department of Justice antitrust trial against Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, opened on March 2 and produced a surprise settlement within a week. The deal requires Live Nation to pay $280 million, cap service fees at 15 percent at venues it owns, divest 13 U.S. amphitheaters, and operate under an eight-year consent decree.

    The case did not end there. More than 30 state attorneys general, including those from New York and Pennsylvania, rejected the federal settlement as insufficient and pressed ahead with their own monopoly action. After roughly five weeks of testimony, jurors in the state case began deliberations.

    The core allegation in the case maps directly onto what wrestling fans have been complaining about. Live Nation’s control of venues, promotion, and ticketing is accused of inflating prices and fees throughout the live entertainment industry. When a face-value wrestling ticket expands significantly through service fees, dynamic pricing surcharges, and platinum markups, Ticketmaster is typically the last company on the checkout page.

    WWE does not set Ticketmaster’s fees, but its biggest show of the year operates within that same infrastructure. If the state case produces meaningful remedies including deeper fee caps, limits on dynamic pricing, or a structural separation of venue and ticketing operations, it would fundamentally reshape the economics of buying a WrestleMania ticket. For now, WWE is managing a short-term sales problem with discounts and creative pivots.

  • Tony Khan Vows to Trust Only His Instincts Moving Forward

    Tony Khan Vows to Trust Only His Instincts Moving Forward

    Tony Khan says AEW’s recent turnaround comes down to a fundamental shift in how he approaches creative decisions, and he is not being subtle about what changed.

    Speaking with KING 5 in Seattle ahead of the Spring Breakthru edition of Dynamite in Everett, Washington, Khan described a new philosophy that places his own instincts back at the center of how AEW tells its stories.

    “From now on, I will only trust my instincts. I will only execute the ideas that I believe in,” Khan said.

    The promotion has been on an upswing in recent months, a shift Khan has previously attributed to taking back more hands-on control of the creative direction.

    Tuesday’s Spring Breakthru show is headlined by MJF defending the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin, and Khan previewed the matchup by noting Allin’s momentum heading into the title bout.

    “We’ll have the world champion, MJF, defending the title against the hometown hero, Darby Allin, who’s on a phenomenal winning streak. That’s gonna be a lot of fun to see Darby Allin versus MJF 2,” Khan said.

    The card also features Kevin Knight challenging Claudio Castagnoli for the TNT Championship, a matchup Khan highlighted as a fresh pairing. “There’s never been a one-on-one match between Claudio and the Jet. I’m very excited for that match,” he said.

    Khan also used the occasion to mark a significant milestone for the promotion. “Spring Breakthru represents the one year anniversary of AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite becoming the longest running primetime pro wrestling show in the history of TBS and TNT. It’s such an exciting time for AEW,” he said.

     
     
     
     
     
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  • Rhea Ripley Addresses Black Eye From Giulia SmackDown Match

    Rhea Ripley Addresses Black Eye From Giulia SmackDown Match

    Rhea Ripley is not losing any sleep over the black eye she walked away with from her February 20 SmackDown match against Giulia, and she wants to make clear that what fans saw on screen was considerably more dramatic than what she actually felt.

    Speaking with SHAK Wrestling, Ripley addressed the visible bruising, which had already drawn attention after she posted about the injury on Instagram. Watching the footage back gave her a moment of appreciation for how it looked, even if the actual experience was far less alarming than the image suggested.

    “It looked so brutal, and watching it back I was like, ‘Oh, okay — well, that looked good at least.’ But actually feeling it — I don’t know if I’ve just been so acclimated to being hit in the face, but it wasn’t that bad,” Ripley said. “Like, yeah, it looked bad. It gave me a black eye, but I’ve got a hard face.”

    She also revealed that instinct kicked in at the right moment to prevent the situation from being considerably worse, referencing a previous nose injury she had no interest in repeating.

    “The black eye was the least of my concerns there. Yeah, I turned my face just in time — I wasn’t going to break my nose again. I’m not going through that,” Ripley said.

    Ripley is scheduled to challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42 on Night Two, April 19, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2026 Date And Location Announced

    AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2026 Date And Location Announced

    AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door returns for its fifth annual edition. The interpromotional event takes place on Sunday, June 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

    The Mercury News first reported the event before AEW confirmed it on social media. The show will feature talent from AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, and STARDOM.

    Tickets go on sale April 27, with a presale beginning April 21.

    The date creates a notable scheduling conflict, as TNA Slammiversary is also set for June 28, putting both promotions in direct competition for viewership on the same night.

    AEW President Tony Khan highlighted the growth of the annual crossover event since its debut. “AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door has become one of professional wrestling’s biggest events of the year thanks to our incredible partnerships with New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL and STARDOM, and we look forward to fans in attendance and those watching around the world being a part of history,” Khan said.

    NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi signaled that his roster is arriving in San Jose with something to prove. “This year sees the fifth AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and whenever New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling collide, we see great chemistry between the wrestlers and many memorable moments,” Tanahashi said.

    “This year, NJPW will be playing for keeps to win more than ever. Our roster is fired up to show just how exciting New Japan Pro Wrestling is, and fans can expect a sensational event.”

    The SAP Center holds approximately 17,000 for wrestling configurations and has hosted multiple AEW events in recent years.

  • Santos Escobar To Undergo Second Surgery

    Santos Escobar To Undergo Second Surgery

    Santos Escobar’s recovery from tricep surgery has hit a setback. The superstar announced he requires a second procedure to address a complication that emerged from the initial operation.

    Escobar posted the update on Instagram, revealing he needs surgery on his ulnar nerve after describing the development as “a minor hiccup” from his previous procedure. He expressed disappointment at missing WrestleMania week, one of the most significant stretches on the calendar.

    Escobar was originally expected to be sidelined until late summer following the tricep surgery. The additional procedure leaves his return timeline unknown for now.

    The original injury occurred during the AAA Rey de Reyes tournament, where Escobar competed in a four-way match in the finals. A video filmed after the event showed him clutching his arm and confirming he would be out for an extended period.

    The ulnar nerve runs from the neck down to the hand and plays a critical role in arm and hand function, making a full and careful recovery essential before any return to in-ring competition. We wish him a speedy recovery.

  • Liv Morgan Gives Health Update After WWE RAW Injury Scare

    Liv Morgan Gives Health Update After WWE RAW Injury Scare

    Liv Morgan made clear she is battered but ready in a new interview ahead of WrestleMania 42.

    Speaking to ESPN on April 15, Morgan addressed concerns about her condition following the head collision that put both her and Roxanne Perez in concussion protocol after the April 6 episode of Raw. She confirmed she is still on track to challenge Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 42.

    She delivered her update with the kind of confidence that has defined her current run.

    “I’m doing so much better than I’m looking — thank you for asking. I think that people who accuse wrestling of being fake are ill-informed. You cannot fake this bruising. You cannot fake this swelling. But I’m doing well — and Stephanie Vaquer is so lucky that I’m still pretty,” Morgan said.

    The confirmation puts to rest fears that the Women’s World Championship match could be in jeopardy following the brutal collision that occurred when Vaquer ambushed Morgan from behind, sending her crashing into Perez. The visible bruising and swelling Morgan referenced underlined just how physical the incident was.

    Morgan was part of a brawl with Vaquer during the April 13 edition of Raw, making her WrestleMania status clear through actions as much as words.

    Morgan won the Women’s Royal Rumble earlier this year and selected Vaquer as her WrestleMania opponent, setting up a title match she has described as the payoff for eleven years of work in WWE. WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • CM Punk Calls Pat McAfee ‘Tourist’ Who Forgot His Place

    CM Punk Calls Pat McAfee ‘Tourist’ Who Forgot His Place

    CM Punk has weighed in on the Pat McAfee situation, and his take is direct: McAfee forgot his place.

    Speaking on ALL THE SMOKE: Unplugged, the World Heavyweight Champion framed McAfee’s involvement in WWE as a case of a guest overstaying his welcome and losing perspective on what his role actually is.

    “Wrestling has always, sometimes to a fault, embraced people that we believe can get eyeballs on our product,” Punk said. “I think Pat was a wrestling fan who became famous outside the bubble and was afforded an opportunity to be invited in, and somewhere along the line he forgot that he’s a tourist. The invite can be easily rescinded.”

    Punk took specific aim at McAfee’s public commentary about ticket sales and business metrics, arguing that someone with no track record as a draw has no credibility in that conversation.

    “Pat’s great at what he does. Pat is not great at what we do,” Punk said. “You can’t be running your mouth about ticket sales and all this other stuff when you’ve never sold a ticket in your life. It’d be like me trying to tell an NBA champion how to shoot a free throw. That ain’t going to happen.”

    He drew a sharp line between two things McAfee has conflated. “Eyeballs on our product and people actually buying tickets are two wildly different things.”

    Punk made clear he expects Cody Rhodes to handle McAfee in the ring at WrestleMania 42, but added a personal warning of his own should McAfee cross a line. He said he would step in himself if McAfee disrespects the business.

    Rhodes has been equally pointed in his public comments about McAfee, calling him a “full-blooded rat” during a recent ESPN appearance. McAfee is set to corner Randy Orton when he challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Night One of WrestleMania 42 on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • Cody Rhodes Names WWE WrestleMania Match He’s Hyped For

    Cody Rhodes Names WWE WrestleMania Match He’s Hyped For

    Cody Rhodes has a clear favorite when it comes to which WrestleMania 42 match he is most looking forward to watching, and it is not his own.

    Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning, the Undisputed WWE Champion named GUNTHER vs. Seth Rollins as the match he is most excited about on the two-night card, praising it as a throwback to a style of wrestling he has deep appreciation for.

    “There’s always a little bit of that split between the sports entertainment and the wrestling. The sports and the entertainment,” Rhodes said. “And the one that’s old-school sports style that I really like, just good, old-fashioned wrestling: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins. I’m all about that. That’s a wrestlers’ wrestling match.”

    The match is scheduled for Night One on April 18 and marks Rollins’ first in-ring appearance since suffering a shoulder injury at WWE Crown Jewel in October 2025. According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE considered multiple opponents for Rollins’ return before ultimately landing on GUNTHER.

    Rhodes also used the Get Up appearance to take another shot at Pat McAfee, who will be in Randy Orton’s corner when the two meet for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the Night One main event. Rhodes described McAfee as a “rat” who is surrounded by people who do not tell him no often enough, adding fuel to a rivalry that has dominated the WrestleMania 42 build.

    WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, streaming on the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited plan.

  • Drew McIntyre Filming ‘Highlander’ Reboot Without Missing WWE Dates

    Drew McIntyre Filming ‘Highlander’ Reboot Without Missing WWE Dates

    Drew McIntyre has been making regular trips to Scotland to film a role in the Highlander reboot, and according to a new report, the project has not cost him a single day of WWE obligations.

    Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider, McIntyre’s team worked out a filming schedule to avoid any conflicts with his WWE dates or production commitments. Principal photography on the Amazon MGM Studios production began on January 28, 2026, in Scotland.

    McIntyre is playing Angus MacLeod, the brother of Henry Cavill’s character Connor MacLeod, in the film directed by Chad Stahelski. The cast also includes Dave Bautista as the villain Kurgan, alongside Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Marisa Abela, Djimon Hounsou, and Max Zhang.

    The Highlander reboot had been in development for years before finally moving into production. Filming was originally set to begin in late 2025, but was pushed back after Cavill sustained an injury during pre-production rehearsals.

    The project marks McIntyre’s second major acting credit alongside Bautista, following his feature film debut in The Killer’s Game. McIntyre has previously credited Bautista with helping guide him through that early Hollywood experience, describing the mentorship as invaluable.

    McIntyre is scheduled to compete at WrestleMania 42 on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where he faces Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned Match on Night One.

  • CM Punk Says He’s ‘Going Until The Wheels Fall Off,’ Refuses To Set Retirement Date

    CM Punk Says He’s ‘Going Until The Wheels Fall Off,’ Refuses To Set Retirement Date

    CM Punk has no retirement date in mind, and at 47 years old he says he is more focused on giving back to the next generation than mapping out when he plans to stop.

    Speaking on ALL THE SMOKE: Unplugged with hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the World Heavyweight Champion reflected on a career that exceeded nearly every expectation placed on him from the outside and described his current role in WWE as one that carries responsibilities beyond his own performances.

    “A guy like me who looks the way I do and acts the way I do and talks the way I do, I think, was in a way never supposed to make it to the WWE,” Punk said. “Okay, he made it, but he’s never going to be champion. Okay, I was champion. Okay, well he’s never going to be the poster boy. I made it to heights that very few people thought I was going to make it. I think when push comes to shove I was definitely maybe one of the only people who believed that deeply and that truly.”

    Punk positioned himself as someone capable of performing at the top level while simultaneously developing younger talent, a combination he described as rare in any sport.

    “The best wrestlers don’t always become the best trainers or coaches, just like the best players. I think I’m one of those rare guys that can be both. So what’s left for me to do in this business, a lot of it is giving back. Treating the young guys and girls coming up sometimes the exact opposite of the way I was treated.”

    He also credited himself with helping shift WWE’s backstage culture away from the hazing that defined earlier eras.

    “A lot of the bullying and the hazing and all that stuff has gone away. And I think I was a big catalyst to help that. Instead of trying to be a hard-ass, I was the one inviting people: ‘No, no, you come here, sit here. If anybody messes with you, you let me know.’”

    On the subject of retirement, Punk refused to put a number on it. “I don’t put a timetable on it because I know it could end like that, any day. What I’m really proud of over the last six to eight months is I’ve done everything: every Christmas loop show, a full European tour. Everyone keeps telling me, ‘Hey man, you don’t got to do this.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I get it. I don’t have to do it, but I have to do it.’ I don’t know how many of these I have left in me, but man, I’m going until the wheels fall off.”

    Punk defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns on Night Two of WrestleMania 42 on April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • CM Punk Reveals Pipe Bomb’s Most Iconic Moment Was An Accident

    CM Punk Reveals Pipe Bomb’s Most Iconic Moment Was An Accident

    CM Punk has given the most detailed account yet of how the 2011 Pipe Bomb promo came together, revealing that the moment which changed professional wrestling was largely improvised, built on a decoy script, and contained an accidental detail that became its most iconic element.

    Speaking on ALL THE SMOKE: Unplugged, Punk explained the circumstances that made the promo possible in the first place. His contract was expiring and he had been given permission to speak freely, which removed the usual consequences from the equation entirely.

    “I was told to air my grievances. I was leaving. My contract was up the 17th of July,” Punk said. “I was pretty burnt out. So I was told to air my grievances and I was like, ‘You really want that?’ I was met with, ‘Why would I ask you to air your grievances if I don’t want you to?’ Because this is a controlled environment. So I’m leaving anyway. What are they going to do, fire me?”

    Punk revealed he wrote one version of the promo for Vince McMahon’s approval and then delivered something completely different on live television. “I had to write the one that was going to get approved, and then I had to go out there knowing that this is the instance where it’s much better to ask forgiveness than permission,” he said.

    He sent a warning anyone against trying to replicate what he did. “Many, many people have tried post-Pipe Bomb. Many, many people have failed. It’s easy to point and go, ‘Well, he did it.’ Well, you don’t really understand what I did. To this day, I think that promo is so misunderstood and misrepresented. It stands alone in history.”

    Punk compared the promo’s creation to Ice Cube’s legendary diss track No Vaseline, noting that both were produced in a single unpremeditated burst. “I think the greatest rapper of all time is Ice Cube. The greatest diss track of all time is ‘No Vaseline.’ And he wrote and recorded that in one take. That Pipe Bomb is ‘No Vaseline’ in a pro wrestling setting. I did not dwell on it. I did not have days or weeks to think about it.”

    The most surprising revelation concerned the moment that defined the promo. Punk’s famous fourth wall break, in which he waved at the camera and acknowledged breaking the fourth wall, happened because he lost his train of thought entirely.

    “I waved at the camera and said, ‘I’m breaking the fourth wall’ because I lost my train of thought,” Punk admitted. “The adrenaline hit me at that moment and I was sitting there going, ‘Oh man, I’m in deep. Well, all right. We’re already here.’”

    Punk defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns in the Night Two main event of WrestleMania 42 on April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • Charlotte Flair Reveals Personal Toll of Carrying Ric Flair’s Legacy Throughout WWE Career

    Charlotte Flair Reveals Personal Toll of Carrying Ric Flair’s Legacy Throughout WWE Career

    Charlotte Flair has opened up about the emotional cost of spending nearly a decade trying to live up to one of professional wrestling’s most iconic last names.

    In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the multi-time Women’s Champion reflected on the personal toll of striving for public perfection while privately dealing with her own struggles throughout her WWE run.

    “The pressure of being Ric Flair is like unimaginable. And so for me from 2015 to 2024 what was hurting me was trying to be perfect in the public eye when I was going through so many battles of my own. I mean everyone has battles, so I’m not any different, but I think that was the sacrifice for me is like trying to be so perfect all the time and it lost who I was as a person,” Flair said.

    The weight of the Flair name has followed her throughout her career, with every performance measured against the legacy of her father, a 16-time world champion widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Charlotte has spoken previously about the complicated dynamic of that inheritance.

    Flair is currently heading into WrestleMania 42, where she will team with Alexa Bliss to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on Night One on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • Pat McAfee Fires Back at Fans Who Wanted The Rock or Vince McMahon As Mystery Caller

    Pat McAfee Fires Back at Fans Who Wanted The Rock or Vince McMahon As Mystery Caller

    Pat McAfee is not apologetic about being the one behind the phone calls to Randy Orton, and he had a pointed response for fans who were hoping for someone else.

    McAfee revealed himself as Orton’s mystery advisor on the April 3 episode of SmackDown, attacking Cody Rhodes and aligning himself with The Viper weeks before their WrestleMania 42 showdown against the WWE Champion. On his ESPN show, McAfee addressed the disappointment from fans who had been speculating about bigger names on the other end of those calls.

    “‘How come it was McAfee on the phone?’ Because I f***ing called him and told him, that’s why. ‘I wanted it to be The Rock.’ You think The Rock wants to do anything for you? ‘I wanted it to be Vince McMahon.’ Vince? Sorry. It was me. It was me,” McAfee said.

    The Rock has not appeared on WWE television since Elimination Chamber 2025, when he aligned with John Cena to take out Rhodes. Vince McMahon continues to face a civil lawsuit from former employee Janel Grant, who has accused him of sexual assault and sex trafficking, making any return to the public eye complicated.

    McAfee is set to corner Orton at WrestleMania 42 when The Viper challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Night One at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18. A previous report from Dave Meltzer stated that WWE is currently planning to have McAfee and Orton team together against Rhodes and Jelly Roll at Backlash in May. 

  • Killer Kross Fires Back at Ronda Rousey Critics: ‘She’s an Awesome Human Being’

    Killer Kross Fires Back at Ronda Rousey Critics: ‘She’s an Awesome Human Being’

    Killer Kross is pushing back against criticism of Ronda Rousey’s wrestling career, saying his defense comes from direct personal experience rather than opinion.

    The current MLW World Champion shared the roster with Rousey during her WWE tenure and addressed negative perceptions of her time in the company during an appearance on the Knockouts and 3 Counts podcast.

    “I’m going to watch the fights. I’ve met both of them. I was on the road with WWE with Ronda. She was super cool. Student of the game. Always wanted to learn,” Kross said. “No matter what anybody’s preconceived notion is or they’re basing an opinion off of something that she said that’s like out of context or whatever, they have these negative opinions. I’ve been around her for real. She’s an awesome human being.”

    Kross framed his comments as a way to correct what he sees as an unfair description of her personality based on secondhand impressions rather than firsthand experience with Rousey as a locker-room presence.

    The comments come as Rousey prepares to return to MMA for the first time in nearly a decade. She is scheduled to fight Gina Carano on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. Rousey recently made a surprise appearance at AEW Revolution in Los Angeles, her first involvement with professional wrestling since departing WWE following SummerSlam 2023.

  • AJ Lee Says Paige’s WWE Return Would Be ‘Heartwarming and Healing’

    AJ Lee Says Paige’s WWE Return Would Be ‘Heartwarming and Healing’

    AJ Lee wants Paige back in WWE, and she made clear it would mean far more to her than just a roster addition.

    Speaking with Rick Ucchino for Sports Illustrated, Lee was asked about the possibility of Paige returning to the company and reflected on the relationship the two had built during their time together and what a reunion would mean on a personal level.

    Lee recalled being immediately struck by Paige’s ability upon her first arrival in WWE and described taking on an informal mentorship role early in their relationship.

    “It would be great. She’s so talented and I knew it from day one, and we always joke that I was her fairy godmother. And I just like took her under my wing and tried to protect her,” Lee said.

    She then turned to what seeing Paige back in WWE would mean to her now. “And just to see her now would be just kind of heartwarming and healing and she’d be a great addition to the locker room, I think.”

    Lee also used the moment to highlight how much the environment in WWE’s women’s division has changed since her first run with the company, suggesting Paige would be walking into something very different from what either of them experienced in their earlier years.

    “This place has really come a long way and the women work together so beautifully and they’re so supportive and I would love for her to experience just like how fun it is now,” Lee said.

    Paige retired from in-ring competition in 2018 due to a neck injury and has remained a popular figure in wrestling circles since. Lee defends the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42 on April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

  • Sexyy Red Says WWE Won’t Let Her Wrestle Without Training

    Sexyy Red Says WWE Won’t Let Her Wrestle Without Training

    Sexyy Red has revealed why she has not gotten physical during her WWE appearances, and it comes down to a training requirement the company has held firm on.

    The rapper spoke with Taylor Symone’ Harris TV prior to NXT Stand and Deliver and addressed the question of whether fans would see her involved in any in-ring action during her latest appearance. Her answer shed light on where things stand between her and WWE on the subject.

    “Nah. I might. They ain’t let me do no moves last time because they talk about I gotta train, but they might let me do something this time because I’ve been messing with them for so long,” Sexyy Red said.

    The comments confirm that WWE has required formal in-ring training before allowing her to participate physically in any capacity.

    Sexyy Red has built up a consistent presence in WWE over recent months, appearing on multiple NXT shows and showing up in the crowd at SmackDown in St. Louis earlier this month. 

    Whether WWE will loosen that requirement or whether Sexyy Red will eventually complete the training needed to get cleared for in-ring work remains to be seen. For now, her role has remained non-physical, even as she continues to be a visible presence at events.

  • Jacob Fatu Names The Boogeyman as GOAT WWE Entrance

    Jacob Fatu Names The Boogeyman as GOAT WWE Entrance

    Jacob Fatu has a definitive answer for the greatest WWE entrance of all time, and it is not the one most people would expect.

    In a new video with IGN, Fatu and Oba Femi ran through various GOAT categories in professional wrestling, and when the subject of entrances came up, Fatu did not hesitate.

    “My GOAT for the WWE entrance. It’s the Boogeyman, baby. For sure it’s the Boogeyman,” Fatu said.

    The Boogeyman’s entrance became one of the more unforgettable presentations in WWE during his run from the mid-2000s into the early 2010s. The character would crawl and contort through fog, smash a clock over his own head, and arrive at the ring with face paint and a diet of worms that made him one of the more unsettling figures the company has produced.

    Femi offered a more traditional answer when asked the same question. “My GOAT WWE entrance would have to be The Undertaker’s entrance,” Femi said, going with the choice most fans would consider the consensus pick.

    Both men are heading into WrestleMania 42 with significant roles. Fatu is scheduled to face Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match on Night One, a feud that has been built around some of the most violent and chaotic segments of the WrestleMania season. Femi faces Brock Lesnar in what is expected to be a defining moment for the young star on Night Two.

    WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.