Author: Thomas Lowson

At just 23, Roxanne Perez has solidified her place in WWE history with a record-shattering Royal Rumble performance in February 2025. Though she didn\’t leave with a title match at WrestleMania, Perez\’s 67-minute odyssey was what many were talking about after the February PLE.

Entering at number three, she outlasted nearly the entire field, yet she didn’t realize her achievement until after the match. Speaking to Cheap Heat, The Prodigy recalled learning of her historic feat.

\”I think I didn\’t realize I hit a record until I got out of the match and I was like oh really I did.\”

The match was Perez\’s third time competing in the Royal Rumble, and the chaos in the ring was only matched by the busy times backstage. As Perez shared, she was still getting ready when the match was beginning, despite being the #3 entrant.

\”Literally when the match was about to start, I was still in makeup. Actually Alba, she came and she saw me that I was still trying to lace my boots, but trying to get my makeup done at the same time. So, she started lacing my boots for me while I\’m getting my makeup and hair finished.\”

In addition to her record-breaking performance, Perez is a two-time NXT Women\’s Champion, as well as a former NXT and WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champion. After beginning her wrestling career at 13, Perez has earned these career-defining moments.

\’I\’ve literally dedicated my entire life to doing this and being here and having all this come into fruition. I feel like I always envisioned myself here. So now that I\’m doing it, it\’s just like yeah, this is what I\’ve worked for since I was like freaking 13.\’

Perez\’s young age has seen her dubbed \’The Prodigy\’ and at just 23, the future looks bright for the established star. Whether it\’s still as part of the Judgment Day, or branching out on her own, Perez\’s future success isn\’t a question of if, but when.

While professional wrestling has long celebrated larger-than-life characters who never show weakness, Rhea Ripley isn\’t afraid to open up on mental health. In a recent appearance on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg, Ripley discussed how wrestling’s traditional “strong at all times” culture left her without role models she could relate to.

“Growing up in wrestling, everyone portrays themselves as larger than life and strong, like they have no weakness. I never really knew how to express myself, and I wish I had someone who expressed themselves—someone I could look up to and say, ‘Okay, I am normal. These are normal emotions. This is just what people go through sometimes.’”

While wrestling didn\’t provide her with mental health role models growing up, Ripley found plenty within her own home. Though wrestling was a huge part of her childhood, it was her family her taught her the most important lessons.

“My mom’s very strong. My dad’s very quiet but strong. My sister—she’s emotional, but she’s younger than me, so it was okay, right? And for me, growing up in wrestling, everyone portrays themselves as larger than life and strong.”

Today, Ripley is the role model to countless people, and takes her role both as an inspiration and as a mental health advocate seriously. For the former Women\’s World Champion, Ripley wants her fans to always know that they are not alone.

“I know a lot of my fans have mental problems. They go through struggles like a normal human, like everyone does, and I want them to know that I go through the same things. They can overcome whatever they want to overcome,” she said, emphasizing the connection between wrestler and fan experiences.\”

Through WWE’s Unreal series and public statements, Ripley has deliberately shown her human side to help fans normalize opening up. Though wrestlers may have prided themselves on being unfazable characters in the past, a more modern-day role requires a new outlook.

\”I like to talk about it all the time—because if someone can relate to it and it helps them get over whatever struggle they’re going through, then I’m doing my job right.\”

By choosing vulnerability over the traditional wrestling facade, Ripley is proving that true strength comes from authentic connection with fans who face similar battles. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Rhea Ripley.

SummerSlam 2025 saw Cody Rhodes reclaim the WWE Championship for the second time, defeating John Cena in Night Two\’s main event. For Rhodes, this wasn\’t just the regaining of a title, but an opportunity to give John Cena a fitting final SummerSlam match.

As Cena\’s career continues to tick away, many of John\’s \’final\’ moments have already occurred. Speaking to ESPN to address the blockbuster WWE PLE-ESPN deal, Rhodes discussed his SummerSlam experience.

\”When you get into the stadium game, sometimes all the sound in the world just shoots up. But this was a very rare moment where I could feel everything.\”

Over two nights, 114,000 fans filled the stadium to watch SummerSlam, headlined by Cena Vs. Rhodes 2. For Rhodes, it represented both a career-defining moment and a passing of the torch from one generation to the next.

\”It\’s John Cena and his final SummerSlam…to have a moment like that with them, that\’s a stadium I\’ll remember forever. It was one of those matches where you hear on commentary, \’oh, these two guys will never be the same.\’ I\’d say it was pretty apt in that match with just some incredible bumps.\”

Despite being at a later stage in his career, Cena\’s performance impressed the new WWE Champion. While Rhodes left with the win and the gold, while Cena was left laid out by a returning Brock Lesnar, the \’Unseen Seventeen\’ has nothing to be ashamed of.

\”To see John go at the pace he went at this point in his career, really just leaving his mark behind. This final run with him is really, really special. But I could do it again. I think I have to do it again.\”

SummerSlam 2025 marked WWE\’s inaugural two-night SummerSlam and another record-breaking attendance figure. For John Cena, it marked the end of his time at the \’Biggest Party of the Summer,\’ a send-off Rhodes was honored to be a part of.

WWE\’s blockbuster ESPN deal caught many by surprise, including new WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Speaking during his ESPN SportsCenter appearance, Rhodes shared that despite being a top name within the promotion, he was only given a few hours notice before the news broke.

\”We were also talking off air—complete secrecy with this thing. They just gave me the Iggy. They said, \’Hey…just be ready. There\’s something\’s going to happen on Wednesday, and look at this to be part of this family.\’ What an honor.\”

This sense of secrecy wasn\’t confined to Rhodes alone. Instead, the secrecy extended throughout WWE\’s roster, with talent placed \”on standby\” without knowing what was coming.

\”I wasn\’t going to tell anyone, you know. I didn\’t know. You were like, we were all put on standby.\”

The level of confidentiality speaks to the magnitude of the deal, which will bring WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank to ESPN platforms starting in 2026. The partnership represents one of WWE\’s most significant business moves as the company continues its record-breaking momentum.

Even Rhodes, now in his second reign as WWE Champion, was kept largely in the dark until the final moment. This serves as a testament to WWE\’s commitment to controlling the narrative around what he called \”the perfect match\” between sports entertainment and ESPN.

Kylie Rae\’s name will be forever etched in history as the first-ever WWE ID Women\’s Champion. Rae made history at GCW Presents WWE ID Showcase by winning the gold in a fierce triple threat that included Zayda Steel and Zara Zakher. Rae\’s moment of glory came when Steel was forced to tap out to a crossface submission.

The WWE ID Women’s Championship comes with a unique stipulation — it’s open to all independent talent. That means that non-WWE contracted talent will regularly have the opportunity to capture WWE gold. Rae, already part of the WWE ID program and a regular on WWE EVOLVE, now becomes the division’s first champion.

For Rae, this victory is as big for her personally as it is professionally. This win comes close to four years as Rae announced that she\’d be taking a break from wrestling due to mental health concerns. At the time, it was unclear when fans would see the fun-loving wrestler in the ring again, but now she\’s both back, and a champion.

Rae’s victory not only cements her place in WWE ID history but also opens the door for a wave of new challengers from across the independent scene. It remains to be seen who from the Independent Wrestling scene steps up to the new champion.

One of WWE\’s most controversial characters, Muhammad Hassan, was written off TV in 2005 after a year on the main roster. Two decades later, fans are yet to see Hassan step back in the ring, but could that change one-day?

Speaking to TheA2theK Wrestling podcast, Mark Copani, the man behind the Hassan character, reflected on a potential return. Given the controversy of the character two decades ago, and the ongoing political climate, Copani would be wary about revisiting the role of the Arab-American heel.

\”It depends how it\’s presented because I can never go out there and pretend to be Muhammad Hassan. I mean, crying out loud, I\’m the director of human resource. My job is the rules and perception.\”

Copani\’s days of angering fans worldwide with themes of racial discrimination and prejudice are behind him, but wrestling may not. Copani would be lying if he said he wasn\’t interested in returning in a way \”without p*ssing anybody off.\”

\”You miss that energy from the crowd. You know, I I miss everything about being in the ring. I miss everything about wrestling. I don\’t miss the travel, at least the extent to which you have to travel… I\’d be lying if I said I\’d never want to have that experience again.\”

For Copani, any kind of return would not be the start of a second run, but instead a \”one and done\” situation. But with tensions in politics continuing to rage, it remains to be seen if Copani will ever get the tactful one-off return he hopes for two decades after his WWE exit.

WWE Superstar Zelina Vega is ready to explore roles outside of the ring after signing with the Prototype Talent Agency. The news was first reported by Deadline. Vega isn\’t the only WWE name on Prototype\’s roster, as she joins Cody Rhodes, Bubba Ray Dudley, and Billy Gunn.

Vega has already flexed her acting muscles, including portraying AJ Lee in the Saraya biopic Fighting With My Family. As a voiceover artist, Vega served as a guest commentator for Street Fighter 6, and has appeared as herself in several WWE video games.

Vega\’s move with Prototype reflects how WWE\’s stance on talent taking roles outside the promotion has shifted. Rather than being constricted to only appear for WWE, talent now are given greater freedom to explore what lays beyond the ring. Several Superstars are now signed up to agencies, including many in the Paradigm Talent Agency.

Back in the ring, Vega remains on the hunt for championship gold and will challenge Women\’s U.S. Champion Giulia on the August 1, SmackDown. It remains to be seen what moves Vega will make going forward both in and out of the ring.

Jade Cargill has proven to be a force in the ring, and it appears that the apple doesn\’t fall far from the tree. During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, the WWE Superstar shared that her daughter is a lover of all-things wrestling, which is causing some issues at schoool.

\”We actually get in trouble about it a lot. I was just over there saying how my daughter speared a kid in class — and I was happy for her. Yeah, she speared a kid in class… I was happy. But it’s like, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do that, don’t do that.’\”

Cargill admitted that while her daughter’s enthusiasm might have gone too far, she couldn’t help but be proud of the execution. While the younger Cargill may have an impressive spear, Jade hopes that wrestling doesn\’t become her sole focus just yet.

“She aspires to be a wrestler. I don’t want it to happen. I want her to get a great education. And then if that’s something she wants to do later in life, I’m OK. I’m down.”

Whatever path Jade\’s daughter goes down, she\’s not the only child to be inspired by the likes of Cargill and others. The former WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champion feels honored to forge a connection with young fans she hopes will last a lifetime.

\”I want to inspire little girls out there to do whatever they want to do in life. So that feels really good — just like Chyna inspired me.\”

WWE continues to move forward with its female talent, who reportedly outshine their male counterparts in the training. As for Jade, she plans on bringing home the WWE Women\’s Championship after SummerSlam 2025.

Paul Heyman didn\’t mince his words when asked about CBS’s decision to end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and he’s already pitching himself as the perfect successor. Speaking to TMZ in New York City, the WWE Hall of Famer shared his reaction to the news that the show will be ended in May 2026 after over three decades.

\”I think it’s the dumbest move CBS has ever made. Why? They fired Stephen Colbert and they canceled the show. CBS should’ve kept the show.\”

Heyman couldn\’t help but pitch himself as the new host if CBS decided to keep the show going. Instead of audiences tuning in to see Colbert, Heyman feels his presence on his own show would be a hit.

“Could you imagine every night — except for Mondays when I’m on Raw — ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. Welcome to The Late Show\’… If CBS wants ratings, call me. WWE Hall of Famer, by the way.”

The network cited financial reasons and emphasized that the decision had nothing to do with the show’s performance or content. Some have claimed that CBS felt pressured to cancel the show by the current administration as Colbert, under his role, has often poked fun at Donald Trump.

The Late Show originally launched in 1993 with David Letterman and was taken over by Colbert in 2015. As the show approaches its final year, Heyman sees a golden opportunity.

John Cena is a recognizable name around the world, and that doesn\’t stop when it comes to the WWE icon\’s family life. In a new interview with Stephanie McMahon, Cena recalled a recent interview his father gave, in which he only called his son by his full name.

“He did an interview on local television about my last match. Local news is like, ‘We caught up with John Cena’s dad.’ My dad didn’t call me his son once. He called me John Cena.\”

This wasn\’t a mistake by the father, ironically also named John Cena. The younger Cena shared that his father loves all things wrestling, and that is what makes him him.

“My dad is a wrestling fan, like a junkie — always has been… That’s his way of doing it. And if I want him to be who I want him to be, then he’s not himself.\”

Names aside, John\’s relationship with his father has not always been easy. Speaking candidly, John reflected on what things would\’ve been like if his father had passed during difficult times between the two.

“If I’d spoken at my dad’s eulogy 10 years ago, my eulogy would have been like, ‘He was just a guy. Thanks for coming.\’ I would have listed every other male important mentor in my life that guided me through life and was there when I needed them as a father figure.”

Now, though, he sees his father’s behavior differently — as something to be understood, not judged. This shift in perspective has allowed for a more peaceful, if measured, relationship.

“I have so much of a better relationship with my dad. It is in bursts,” Cena said. He’s also set boundaries to help their dynamic work: “Neutral ground, public place. Because we gotta start casual.”

Like his son, the elder Cena is a name in pro-wrestling and can be found working as a manager under the name \’Johnny Fabulous.\’ For WWE\’s seventeen-time World Champion, the day he does deliver his father\’s eulogy will not be what he envisioned a decade ago.

“When I get the luxury of speaking at my dad’s eulogy now, people will know how excellent a human being he is. And he hasn’t changed one bit.”

Zelina Vega captured the Women\’s U.S. Title in early 2025, her first taste of singles gold after close to a decade with the promotion. While Vega no longer holds the gold, her time as champion has ushered in a new era for the WWE Superstar.

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Vega opened up about her journey to becoming United States Champion and the evolution of her character. For Vega, her title win wasn\’t just a personal milestone, but a warning to others.

“This isn’t just about holding a title,” Vega told Van Vliet. “It’s about making a statement. I want everyone to know that I’m not here to play nice anymore.”

Vega reflected on her past, acknowledging that she\’s faced challengers, but they ave made her all the more resilient. While the former champion is grateful to her fans and mentors for taking her this far, she made it clear that her future will be defined by her own ambition.

“I’ve always had the talent, but now I have the edge.\”

Currently, the Women\’s U.S. Title is held by Giulia, who recently took on an ally of her own. While regaining the gold just got a new obstacle, it may be just a matter of time before Zelina Vega has a title around her waist again.

The fan-led grassroots movement supporting Karrion Kross and Scarlett shows no sign of slowing down, as the pair continue to be success stories in WWE\’s merchandise. As Kross merch continues to sell out at live events and online, fans continue to hope this success translates to a greater role on-screen.

The organic nature of the support hasn’t gone unnoticed. During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Kross expressed heartfelt appreciation for the growing momentum behind him and Scarlett.

“We’re very honored and we feel very lucky to be seen because we are standing next to so much talent, so many different extraordinary people. We’re standing right next to them — and to be seen as unique and different, and to stand out among those people.\”

The ongoing merchandise shortage has become a talking point among fans, with t-shirts reportedly backordered until late July and early August. With Kross merch proving to be in high demand and harder to come by, this has only furthered the fervor of support behind the former NXT Champion.

Though questions remain about Kross and Scarlett\’s future in WWE, this support bodes well for whatever comes next. Kross believes this is only the beginning, emphasizing that fans haven’t yet seen the full scope of what he and Scarlett can deliver.

“We are finally being seen for what we can really do — and people haven’t even seen yet what we can really do. It’s been a while.\”

Kross can\’t help but be humbled by the fan response he\’s received. Four years after both he and Scarlett were released and three years after being rehired under Paul Levesque, Kross is appreciating every last moment he can to entertain fans.

“It’s just very humbling, but also it’s very motivating. It’s very invigorating — and we just want to give more.\”

With a SummerSlam match looming and his memoir not far behind, Karrion Kross is taking wrestling by storm in and out of the ring. This phenomenon underscores a broader shift in how wrestling success is measured, now not solely with title reigns, but with the connection made with fans.