Author: Mike Reichlin

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was in action after Monday\’s Raw went off the air.

The Bloodline (Reigns and The Usos) battled Drew McIntyre and The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) in a 6-man tag match. The finish came when McIntyre hit the Claymore kick on Jimmy Uso.

Paul Heyman was ringside for the dark match main event. While the action was going on in the ring, Heyman was jaw-jacking with fans at ringside. At one point, Heyman challenged a member of the audience to fight him. The fan attempted to approach the baricade, but was stopped by security.

You can see video of this encounter embedded below, courtesy of Detroit News reporter Andrew Roth:

After the match, the New Day and Drew McIntyre addressed the crowd. Woods and Kingston said the Motor City (Detroit) inspired them to become The New Day.

Drew McIntyre lead a \”New Day Rocks\” chant to send the crowd home happy.

The WrestleMania Backlash match card is taking shape. Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins has been signed for the event.

At Monday\’s Raw, Cody Rhodes battled The Miz in his first Raw match in six years. Rhodes picked up the victory, with Rollins watching from ringside.

After the match, Rollins hit the ring and issued a challenge. Rollins wants a WrestleMania rematch at WWE\’s next premium live event. Rhodes accepted.

WWE has confirmed the match is set for WrestleMania Backlash on May 8th.

In a backstage interview that took place at Raw, Rhodes explained why he\’s \”more than ready\” to battle Rollins one more time.

The American Nightmare says he can \”absolutely\” defeat Rollins again. He wouldn’t have accepted Rollins\’ challenge if he wasn’t 100% confident in his abilities.

Cody said, \”this is his house\” just like WrestleMania was Rollins\’ house. He has no problem being the outsider and he\’s ready to get pushed to his limits.

WWE has announced its first major stadium event from the UK will take place Saturday, September 3rd from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The will be called, WWE Clash at the Castle.

Principality Stadium is home to the Wales National Rugby Union team. The state-of-the-art venue has a max capacity of approximately 78,000 people for boxing events.

The (unnamed) Principality Stadium event will make WWE\’s 6th stadium show of the year, following:

• Royal Rumble (The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis)
• Elimination Chamber (Jeddah Superdome, Saudi Arabia)
• WrestleMania (AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TX)
• Money in the Bank (Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada)
• SummerSlam (Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee)

A press release sent in to SEScoops includes comments from WWE\’s Senior Vice President of Live Events, the Welsh Government Minister for Economy and the Principality Stadium Manager:

“Principality Stadium is the perfect place for a major event, hosting our amazing fans from Wales, throughout all of Europe, and around the world,” said John Porco, WWE Senior Vice President, Live Events. “The weekend will be filled with a variety of WWE experiences that we believe will leave a lasting memory, on par with SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium in 1992.”

“Wales will provide an iconic location for WWE’s return to the UK after 30 years and showcase our country to a global audience of millions, including extended reach in the USA,” said Welsh Government Minister for Economy Vaughan Gething. “This is set to be the perfect addition to a huge year of sport, entertainment and culture in Wales that will attract people from across the globe to experience what our country has to offer.” 

\”We\’re extremely proud that Principality Stadium has been chosen by WWE to host this major event, which is testament to the stadium\’s reputation as a world-class venue,” said Mark Williams, Principality Stadium Manager. “Principality Stadium is unique in its position at the heart of the city centre, which will undoubtedly offer WWE fans an unrivaled event experience both inside and outside of the stadium and bring great benefit to the wider city of Cardiff.\”

The Miz sees himself as a \”jack of all trades\” who can fill any role WWE needs him to fill.

When WWE needed a tag team partner for Logan Paul at WrestleMania, they called The Miz. When Cody Rhodes wrestles his first match on WWE Raw in six years, he\’s fighting The Miz.

Whether it\’s the main event of WrestleMania, an appearance on the red carpet or starring in his own reality TV shows, The Miz is always delivers.

The Awesome One recently spoke with the Detroit News to promote Monday\’s WWE Raw from the Little Cesars Arena. During his conversation with Adam Graham, The Miz said his range and flexibility have kept him relevant since he joined WWE in 2004.

\”I would say my role in the company now is as a person who can develop newcomers but also be in the main event, or help the main event out, or be on the mid-card. I can be anywhere.\”

– The Miz

Not only is The Miz a versatile on-screen performer; he\’s also a pretty humble guy.

\”I\’m always good, 100% awesome, all day, everyday of my life,\” says The Miz. \”When you have two beautiful daughters who are healthy and happy and you have an amazing wife, I think you\’re pretty happy.\”

The Miz battles Cody Rhodes tonight on WWE Raw.

Head over to DetroitNews.com to read their full interview with The Miz.

Tommaso Ciampa has officially been \”called up\” to the main roster. He\’s now a full-time member of WWE\’s Raw brand and is scheduled to be at tonight\’s Raw from Detroit, according to PWInsider.

Ciampa\’s WWE.com Superstar profile still lists him as a member of NXT 2.0.

Ciampa has been a fixture of WWE\’s developmental system since 2015. He is a two-time NXT Champion and a former NXT tag team champion, along with Johnny Gargano. His second reign ended last week, when he lost to Bron Breakker on the Raw after WrestleMania.

Much like Gargano, Ciampa was a perfect fit for the \”black and gold\” version of NXT headed by Triple H and William Regal. The company has since rebranded the show NXT 2.0 and is focused on younger performers from more diverse athletic backgrounds.

• William Regal Recalls His Time In NXT & Scouting Talent for WWE

Just last week, Tommaso Ciampa spoke about his time in NXT winding down. He said the NXT crew looks very different these days, but he cherishes his time there and was honored to learn from men like Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

\”NXT is my wrestling dream come true.\”

– Tommaso Ciampa

The Undertaker is gearing up to enter the world of podcasting.

Last weekend, The Undertaker headlined the WWE Hall of Fame\’s Class of 2022. He gave a rousing speech and shared several rules that he lives by:

• Perception is reality
• Respect and loyalty go a long way
• Never be contempt.

He finished the speech by dropping the adage, \”never say never.\”

The Undertaker used to be very protective of his supernatural gimmick. However, that has changed dramatically in recent years. He\’s \”pulled the curtain\” back, so to speak, and has done a lot of media appearances \”out of character.\”

The Undertaker Podcast

It now looks like Dead Man is trading his run for a microphone. According to WrestleVotes, WWE has convinced the Undertaker to host a new show that will be similar to Steve Austin\’s Broken Skull Sessions.

The report notes that The Undertaker\’s podcast will air on Peacock within the next few months. A timeframe like this means production would begin sooner than later.

• Watch The Undertaker Eat \”Wings of Death\” on Hot Ones

A podcast hosted by The Undertaker could make for some interesting content. For longtime fans, it\’s still surreal to see him speaking as his true identity, Mark Calloway.

Steve Austin has seamlessly transitioned into his role as WWE podcast host. There\’s no reason The Undertaker could not do the same thing.

Taker has appeared on Steve Austin\’s Broken Skull Sessions, so Stone Cold would be a natural choice as one of his guests (if the show features guests and interviews).

We will keep an eye on this story and will provide an update if and when WWE goes public with plans for the Undertaker podcast.

Tonight\’s WWE Raw takes place from Detroit, Michigan at the Little Cesars Arena.

We are less than a month out from WWE\’s next premium live event, WrestleMania Backlash. As of this writing, the \”I Quit Match\” between Raw Women\’s Champion Charlotte and Ronda Rousey is the only match announced for the WrestleMania Backlash 2022 card.

The top item advertised for Raw is Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz. WWE is positioning Cody as a top babyface on the Raw brand, so this will be a real test for the American Nightmare.

Last week on Raw, Veer Mahaan finally made his big return after months of hype videos. Veer beat the crap out of Rey Mysterio and Dominik. Mysterio looks to avenge his family\’s honor tonight when he goes one-on-one with Veer.

AJ Styles will face Damian Priest, who is now aligned with Edge. Will Priest show up by himself, or will he have reinforcements from the Rated R Superstar?

Sasha Banks and Naomi will defend their new Women’s Tag Team Championships against Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan.

MVP will host a special edition of the VIP Lounge. His guest will be his new protégé, Omos. What will MVP have to say about turning on Bobby Lashley last week?

Finally, SmackDown tag team champions The Usos will be in the house. Roman Reigns says he wants to unify the Raw and Smackdown tag team titles. What will RK-Bro, the reigning Raw tag team champions, have to say about a potential unification match?

The Build to WrestleMania Backlash

After tonight\’s Raw, we should have a much better idea about where things are headed with WrestleMania Backlash.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns does not have an opponent. Cody Rhodes plans to pursue that title. Will WWE pull the trigger on this match with only one month of hype?

The Usos vs. RKBro in a championship unification match is clearly in the works. Once again, we\’ll have to see if WWE goes right into this one.

Bobby Lashley and Omos could be another WrestleMania Backlash match in the works. Backlash historically features a lot of WrestleMania rematches. Now that MVP has aligned with Omos, this is a logical match for the PLE.

Nikki Bella and fiancé Artem Chigvintsev have set a date for their wedding.

The WWE Hall of Famer and former Divas champion recently spoke to US Weekly about her big plans. It should come as no surprise that her twin sister, Brie Bella, will serve as her maid of honor.

\”Brie’s gonna have to start getting busy because she’s Maid of Honor. I’m going to have to put her to work!” she joked.

Nikki likes to live it up and party, but she knows she\’ll have to keep herself in check for her big day. \”I’m going to have to give a heartfelt speech, not be drunk and have my s—t together.\”

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev Wedding Plans

The happy couple have finally settled on a wedding date, so when can we expect Nikki Bella to walk down the aisle?

“We’ve set a wedding date. I’ll give a hint that it’s fall 2022, very soon.\”

– Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella has lived her adult life in front of the cameras. In addition to her WWE career, she\’s starred on reality television shows (Total Divas, Total Bellas) and competed on Dancing with the Stars, where she met her soon-to-be husband.

It should come as no surprise that Nikki Bella\’s wedding to Artem Chigvintsev might be televised. “It might be on E!. So, the world may see it,\” she said.

Nikki is excited to marry Artem, but admits there\’s a little pressure to nail their \’first dance\’ together. She has been telling Artem he needs to start choreographing their dance so she can learn it all summer.

WWE is setting the stage for more championships to be unified in the near future.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38 in a Winner Takes All Championship Unification Match.

In the main event segment of Friday\’s SmackDown, The Bloodline leader dropped a bombshell. After consolidating power at the very top of WWE\’s singles divisions, Reigns declared it\’s time The Usos do the same with the tag titles.

Reigns said he wants The Usos to go to Raw and bring him the Raw tag team championships, currently held by Rated RK-Bro.

\”The Bloodline\’s gonna have all the gold soon.\”

– Roman Reigns

The Usos expected at Monday\’s Raw to kick off a program with Randy Orton and Riddle. In addition to the Usos\’s quest to capture the Raw tag titles, Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz is also advertised for the show.

WWE has not yet confirmed if or when this tag title unification match will take place. However, the company\’s next premium live event is a month away and the company is not known for setting up matches months in advance. At this time, there\’s a strong possibility we will see The Usos vs. Rated RK-Bro at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday, May 8th.

• WrestleMania Backlash 2022 Match Card, Date & Time, How to Watch

Randy Orton is one of the most respected people in the WWE locker room, but it took a long time for the Viper to earn this status.

Orton is the latest guest on WWE\’s Out of Character podcast, hosted by Ryan Satin. Episode 53 was conducted live at the WrestleMania Axxess Superstore last weekend in Dallas, TX.

The former Undisputed Champion discussed a lot of topics, including his personal development, his desire to give back to the business, being a huge Goldberg fan when he was younger, setting records in WWE and much more.

Randy Orton was thrust into WWE\’s main event picture early into his career. He\’d go on to become the youngest World Champion in company history. Orton admits he wasn\’t mature enough for that level of success and the pitfalls that come with it. As Orton puts it, it was a case of \”too much too soon.\”

\”Gosh, years, you know?\” he said about earning respect backstage. \”And then, I kind of started to get an attitude and I got mixed in with the wrong crowd, I guess you could say. [I] made a couple of bad decisions and that respect I think kind of got put on hold for a while.\”

Randy Orton was a member of the Evolution faction, along with Triple H, Ric Flair and Batista. That group had a memorable split, which saw the senior members turn on Orton. According to Orton, WWE discussed him and Triple H breaking away from Evolution, but his behavior issues derailed those plans.

\”I think there was even an instance where the plan was for me and Triple H to go and do our thing out of Evolution,\” he continued. \”I might have the order of this wrong but I want to say they went with Dave Batista instead because of me. [It was] maybe in \’05 of \’06 and I just wasn\’t ready. It was like maybe 2005, 2006, 2007 where I was really having some close calls with just being a dumb kid. Too much too soon. [It was] most definitely too much too soon.\”

Catch Randy Orton\’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast:

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