NEWS

It’s what he does. There is no one in the wrestling world like Vince McMahon. The most powerful person in the wrestling world, McMahon is someone who is among the most unique people you will find anywhere. The bizarre stories about McMahon are among the most well known in wrestling and now there is another one which involves a member of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
WWE Hall Of Famer Rob Van Dam appeared on Busted Open Radio and told a story about how he was chosen as part of the 2021 Hall Of Fame class. Van Dam was told by Michael Hayes that McMahon thought Van Dam would be a perfect inductee into the Hall Of Fame. Hayes told McMahon that Van Dam was not in, prompting McMahon to put him in that year’s class immediately.
Opinion: Is it really surprising that McMahon was missing one of the bigger names his company has ever seen in the Hall Of Fame? Probably not, as he has a lot on his mind, but it is such a McMahon story. You can picture reality setting in for him as he suddenly understands t..

That’s something specific. The WWE has come a long way when it comes to its drug testing policies. The company does not have the best history in regards to taking care of its wrestlers but the last several years have seen a much strong emphasis on the situation. However, one change has taken place recently as the company seems to be lightening up on a specific area.
According to Fightful Select, WWE has not suspended or fined wrestlers for positive marijuana tests in years. WWE’s official drug policy on its website states that wrestlers will be fined $2,500 for a positive test, though WWE is apparently not enforcing this part of the policy. A WWE higher up said that he hasn’t heard as much as gossip about marijuana in years, let alone a fine being levied. There is nothing to suggest that any other parts of the policy have been relaxed.
Opinion: This shouldn’t be a surprise and it is kind of hard to argue against the policy being lightened up. At the end of the day, there are states i..

It’s something else he can do. There are a lot of talented people in the wrestling industry but some of them are rather skilled at things that have nothing to do with the ring. Fans can be surprised by what they see from wrestlers who are getting the chance to showcase another talent and that is the case again, as a WWE star has released something that has nothing to do with wrestling.
Monday Night Raw’s MVP has released a new rap song on Spotify called “Legalize It” featuring Smoke DZA and 80 Empire. The song title is a reference to legalizing marijuana as the song was released on April 20, an unofficial holiday among marijuana users. MVP has released his own music for several years, including his own solo theme song during his time in WWE.
Hey everybody, I just released a new song. It's available now on Spotify! ??? #LegalizeIt @smokedza @80Empire_ pic.twitter.com/9oQUjxk7PM
— MVP (@The305MVP) April 20, 2022
Opinion: I’m not a rap fan so I can’t speak to the quality of the s..

Welcome back, kind of? There has been a long list of departures in WWE over the last several months and there is always the chance that even more names could leave. While many of the wrestlers were released, there have also been some who have left on their own. That means they might be back one day, and now one of them has come back, at least for a visit.
NXT’s Malcolm Bivens has posted an image to Twitter, showing he and former NXT star Johnny Gargano at the WWE Performance Center. Gargano is seen with his son in the photo, meaning that it was taken within the last three months. Gargano left NXT in December and has yet to wrestle again elsewhere, as he has said that he is keeping his options open. There is no word on when he will be announcing his next signing.
Fatherhood whoopin his ass. pic.twitter.com/tIPK4ooSkG
— MALCOLM (@Malcolmvelli) April 19, 2022
Opinion: I’m curious to see where Gargano goes next, as he is one of the more decorated wrestlers of this era. I don’t know how..

Cross promotion. While AEW and WWE get most of the attention in the wrestling world, there are a lot of other promotions out there worth a look. You have probably heard of several of them but they could all use some extra recognition. That is the case with one major international promotion, but now it is going to be getting some major attention on a huge stage.
This week on AEW Dynamite, Adam Cole announced a special pay per view event on June 26 at the United Center in Chicago. The event will be called Forbidden Door, which will include New Japan Pro Wrestling stars meeting AEW stars. New Japan wrestlers have appeared in AEW before but never for an entire show. There is no word on who will be appearing on the card and no matches have been announced.
Opinion: I don’t think this is the biggest surprise but it should at least make for a good show. The show is the kind of thing that the AEW fans are going to eat up and now they will be getting the kind of show they have wanted. There sh..

Dynamite
Date: April 20, 2022
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
Battle Of The Belts has come and gone and now we should be on the way to Double Or Nothing in May. That means it should be time to start getting ready for the bigger pushes as the card hasn’t been set up so far. CM Punk gets to face Dustin Rhodes tonight so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Opening sequence.
Dustin Rhodes vs. CM Punk They shake hands to start and it’s a feeling out process to get things going. The fans are split as they go technical, with a headlock not getting either of them very far. Punk takes him to the mat and cranks on the leg a bit but Dustin is right back up with a wristlock. Some armdrags into an armbar slow Punk down but he sends Rhodes outside, where the knee is banged up. Back in and Punk stays on the leg with some elbows and kicks as we take a break.
We come back with Rhodes sending him outside and hitting some cl..

There’s a reason for that. AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works and a lot of that is due to the company allowing several new wrestlers a chance to appear on the big stage. Some of them might have been around before but now they have a chance to work somewhere other than WWE. Not every former WWE star comes to AEW though and now we know why that is the case with one of them.
During a discussion on Twitter, Dave Meltzer was asked about WWE stars coming to AEW and vice versa. A fan brought up Bray Wyatt, but Meltzer said that Wyatt’s asking price was very high. There is no word on whether or not Wyatt and AEW will come to terms at some point in the future. Wyatt left WWE last July and has yet to wrestle again since. He has been working on a film project during his time away from the ring.
I know it's my site, but WWE would be interested in almost any top AEW act right now. Also, AEW would be interested in virtually any WWE top act right now. https://t.co/LMVdSEkpb7
— ..

Please don’t be serious. There are certain wrestlers who become legendary in the sport for one reason or another. You might see a wrestler become a legend because of how they look or talk, but some of them become such stars because of what they can do in the ring. It is special to see someone that talented wrestle a match, but now one of the best ever seems to be having some problems.
During the latest edition of his DDT Snake Pit Podcast, Jake Roberts revealed that Ricky Steamboat was going through health issues. Roberts did not go into detail on what was wrong with Steamboat or how serious the issues were, nor has Steamboat commented on the situation. Roberts did mention that he hopes it is not due to the DDT that he gave Steamboat on the concrete floor during a match between the two in 1986. Steamboat retired from active wrestling in 1994 but has wrestled the occasional match since.
Opinion: I’m not sure what is going on with Steamboat and I hope that it isn’t anything too serious..

There’s your reason. Teams and groups split up all the time in wrestling though it might not be the most obvious reason. It can make for some rather annoying moments as a team might still be popular before they are taken apart. That annoyance can go away a bit if you find out what there are bigger plans going on and that seems to be the case with a recent WWE split.
This week on WWE Monday Night Raw, Rhea Ripley attacked Liv Morgan to end their team. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the split may have taken place to set up Ripley as the next major challenger for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title. This may also explain why Sonya Deville’s shot at Belair was moved to next week on Monday Night Raw rather than next month at WrestleMania Backlash.
Opinion: I could certainly go for Ripley getting a title shot as a serious monster but I don’t know if I would believe her winning the title. If nothing else, Ripley vs. Belair sounds like a Summerslam showdown rather than a WrestleMania B..

That doesn’t look good. You never want to see a wrestler get injured. In addition to not wanting to see someone in pain, you don’t know how long they are going to be on the shelf. It can be terrible to see a wrestler go out of action and there are some injuries that are worse than others. Now a popular NXT star seems to be hurt and it does not look to be the best situation.
Io Shirai has appeared in a photo posted to social media from Easter Sunday. In the photo, Shirai is seen with a boot on her foot and crutches next to her. There is a chance that Shirai was injured during Stand & Deliver when she attempted a moonsault onto Kay Lee Ray (see the clip in the second tweet below). Shirai has not appeared on television since the show. It should be noted that there is NO speculation about Shirai’s injury, including how severe it is or if it has taken place whatsoever. This is still considered speculation.
Io appears to be in a boot and on crutches (see bottom right of first picture), mak..

They might want him again. There are very few stars in wrestling history who have come close to the level of Steve Austin. As the face of one of WWE’s most famous eras, Austin is the name that many fans will first associate with wrestling. It means a lot to get him to appear and after he came out of retirement at WrestleMania 38, fans began wondering if he would be back. Now we might know something else about his future.
Following his return to the ring at WrestleMania 38, Austin appeared on the Brewbound podcast. During the interview, Austin said that he feels 100% and that it was an honor to be on the show. In addition, Austin said that while you could never say never, he was likely done with wrestling. However, if Vince McMahon were to call him to appear at WrestleMania 39 in some capacity, he would be there.
Opinion: As much fun as having Austin back in the ring earlier this month really was, that is the kind of thing that needs to stay as a one off. At the end of the day, Austin..

There they go again. There are a lot of wrestlers in WWE and some of them are among the better known names in wrestling. You might see some names who are successes around the world and that can give them a history before they make it to WWE in the first place. That being said, WWE has a tendency to change names at the drop of a hat and that seems to be what they have done again.
This week on NXT, the Grizzled Young Veterans, comprised of James Drake and Zack Gibson, had their names changed. Not only are they now just Drake and Gibson, but the Grizzled Young Veterans name has been dropped as well. This comes as WWE has been changing the names of several wrestlers, many of whom are in NXT. Vince McMahon has ordered the name changes to avoid wrestlers using their more famous names in case they go to AEW.
Opinion: For lack of a better term, this is WWE’s thing at the moment, whether it makes sense or not. I think I get McMahon’s thinking behind the changes, but that doesn’t make them the..