Author: Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade. In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.

Will Ospreay reveals when he was cleared for AEW return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Before returning at AEW Revolution, Will Ospreay had already been medically cleared for a couple of weeks.

Ospreay made his surprise return at Sunday night’s pay-per-view in Los Angeles, targeting Jon Moxley after Ospreay had been written off AEW programming last year in a Death Riders attack. Ospreay last wrestled in August 2025 before undergoing surgery for a neck injury. He is now ready to compete again.

In a tweet today, Ospreay shared that doctors gave him the okay to return on February 25. That’s a few weeks after AEW started building the hype for Ospreay’s return with a video on the February 4 edition of Dynamite.

The Revolution card included a Continental Championship match where Moxley choked out Konosuke Takeshita to retain. Following the match, Moxley extended a handshake to Takeshita in a show of respect. Takeshita was initially hesitant but did end up shaking Moxley’s hand.

As Moxley was then leaving, Ospreay emerged for his comeback. He fought off the Death Riders before Moxley escaped.

Ospreay’s return coincides with the ticket pre-sale for All In 2026 beginning today. He figures to play a big part in the show in his home country of the United Kingdom. The PPV is being held at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, August 30.

During his time away from the ring, Ospreay stayed involved in wrestling through his role as a producer for the U.K. women’s indie promotion Pro Wrestling Eve.

Nate Diaz return added to Netflix’s Rousey vs. Carano card

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former UFC star Nate Diaz is returning on the card for Netflix’s first-ever live MMA special.

It was announced today that Diaz vs. Mike Perry will take place on the undercard of Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on May 16. The show is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and will stream live for Netflix subscribers at no additional cost.

Diaz vs. Perry will be contested at 170 pounds. It’s Diaz’s first MMA fight since 2022 and Perry’s first since 2021. Both are former UFC fighters who have tried their hand at boxing in recent years. Perry has also competed for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Netflix hyped up Diaz as a “combat sports icon” whose rivalry with Conor McGregor was the biggest box-office feud in MMA history.

“The bout adds another explosive matchup to a blockbuster triple-headliner that already includes a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Philippe Lins and a historic women’s main event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano,” the streaming platform wrote in a press release.

MVP Promotions — owned by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian — is the promoter of this event. Diaz and Perry have each worked with Paul before, losing to him in boxing matches.

Bidarian thanked Netflix for believing in MVP’s and said he believes the future of MMA is bright with them working together.

“Nate Diaz is the Real BMF, and Mike Perry is the King of Violence — this will be a war from the first press conference all the way to the end when one of them has their hand raised,” Bidarian said. “It’s an absolutely massive night of fights in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 16th, as we continue building some of the biggest global events in combat sports. Thank you to Netflix for believing in our vision. The future of MMA is bright.”

To help promote the MMA card, Rousey showed up at AEW Revolution on Sunday night after her friend Marina Shafir lost to “Timeless” Toni Storm.

Steve Austin on possible WrestleMania 42 appearance, his WWE future

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is open to making an appearance at WWE WrestleMania 42, but he thinks most of the spotlight should go to the current roster.

To help celebrate 3:16 Day (March 16), Austin called into Busted Open Radio for an interview on Monday. When asked about his status for WrestleMania 42, Austin said it would be cool to be involved in some form. But he thinks WWE has a quality roster right now that deserves to be showcased on the biggest stage.

“It’s funny because you’ll sit there or they’ll put something on [Instagram] and people will say, ‘Oh, no, no. Man, he’s too old. Let the current talent have the spotlight.’ Let the current talent have the spotlight, of course. If I can go out there and do something, that’d be fine,” Austin said. “But God damn, when I crashed that four-wheeler last year up there against that wall, man, you talk about sh***ing the bed big time. I was so pissed off about that. Because I was looking forward to going out there and announcing the attendance and then watching the show, seeing what kind of show the superstars were going to put on. And, man, I sh*t the bed on the big stage.

“We’ll see if they have me back. If they do, that’s cool. I always say — they got a pretty good roster, you know? So I think those guys and gals, they need all the time.”

Austin made an on-camera appearance at WrestleMania 41 in 2025 when he announced the night two attendance. He drove an ATV down to the ring and accidentally crashed into the ringside barrier, knocking down one fan.

WrestleMania is back in Las Vegas again this year — and Austin will be among the guests at the WWE World convention. He told Busted Open that he’s honored that fans still want to see him involved. But if he were to come back to WWE, it would be for a moment rather than an actual wrestling match.

“It’d be to go back for one of those moments,” the 61-year-old Austin responded when asked if he ever gets the itch to return. “Not a match itch, right? I got a left knee replacement a little over a year ago. And God dang, my leg feels good, I’m glad I got it done. But, yeah, I get the itch for certain moments. But to try and do a match? No.”

When asked if he’d be interested in coming back for a cinematic match, Austin said he loved The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles from WrestleMania 36. However, Austin thinks Undertaker vs. Styles was appropriate for the time it took place. He doesn’t know if he wants to see too many more cinematic matches.

“I don’t think so,” Austin said about a possible cinematic bout. “I think I’m good.”

One of Austin’s biggest hobbies at the moment is his off-road racing team. He’s preparing for an upcoming race, which appears to rule out Austin being in Texas for Raw tonight.

TNA Wrestling announces partnership with iHeartMedia

Posted on by Joseph Currier

TNA Wrestling has entered into a new partnership with iHeartMedia, a broadcasting company focused on radio and podcasting.

The partnership will see iHeartMedia branding featured on a number of TNA’s platforms. In addition to that, iHeartMedia will collaborate with TNA to help promote its upcoming events.

“Through its national network of radio stations, podcasts and streaming platforms, iHeartMedia will collaborate with TNA Wrestling to amplify key events, premium live broadcasts and major moments throughout the year, connecting fans with the action both inside and outside the ring,” a press release said.

iHeartMedia has a network of radio stations across the United States and produces a slate of podcasts. The Battleground Podcast, hosted by Nashville radio host Tim Battle, is iHeart’s official wrestling podcast.

The press release announcing the partnership notes that iHeartMedia will be the presenting sponsor for TNA’s PPV pre-shows for all remaining 2026 events. iHeartMedia will also sponsor TNA’s premium ticketing program, and iHeartMedia branding will be showcased at events and on TNA’s website and digital platforms.

“As part of the agreement, iHeartMedia will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the TNA Wrestling Pay-Per-View Pre-Show for all remaining 2026 premium live events,” the announcement said. “The integration will feature prominent brand visibility across broadcast graphics, in-arena announcements and event marketing tied to TNA’s major premium live events throughout the year.

“iHeartMedia will also be the Presenting Sponsor of the TNA Wrestling Dream Seats, the premium front-row seating program at TNA live events. The sponsorship will include branded seating elements, digital ticket integrations, in-arena announcements and exclusive fan engagement opportunities throughout the year.”

The partnership will officially begin on April 11 when TNA holds Rebellion 2026 in Cleveland.

“We are excited to welcome iHeartMedia as a national partner for TNA Wrestling,” TNA President Carlos Silva said. “Their ability to connect with audiences across radio, podcasts and digital platforms makes them an ideal partner as we continue to expand our reach and bring the energy of TNA to fans across the country.”

Steve Austin gives update on his WWE Raw status for 3/16

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Fans tuning into WWE Raw tonight probably shouldn’t expect an appearance by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

With today being 3:16 Day (March 16) and Raw taking place from Austin’s original home state of Texas, there has been speculation about Austin potentially being on the show. WrestleVotes reported that WWE was hopeful Austin would appear, but it doesn’t sound like that will be the case. Austin told The Takedown on SI that he’ll be “hunkered down” preparing for an upcoming race.

“Man, they should tune in because they love WWE and Monday Night Raw,” Austin responded when asked if there’s a special reason people should tune in tonight. “I’ll be a few days out from that race, the race I’m talking about with my racing career, and we’re trying to get that car ready and we’re working our asses off. So, yeah, I’ll be hunkered down in a garage out here in BFE, Nevada trying to get this buggy ready — side-by-side utility vehicle — to race this grueling 250 mile race with everybody else that I race with. So I want to get out there and put my own show on in the desert.”

Off-road racing is one of Austin’s passions, and he’s started his own racing team based out of Nevada. He lives in the state and will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42 weekend. It’s been confirmed that Austin will be signing autographs and meeting fans at the WWE World convention. Austin told The Takedown on SI that he always appreciates the people who come to see him at appearances like that.

Past the WWE World appearance, it’s not been confirmed if Austin will be playing a role at WrestleMania this year. He made a brief cameo at WrestleMania 41 in Vegas in 2025 and announced the night two attendance.

Frost Bank Center in San Antonio is hosting Raw tonight. The show will include appearances by Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, a Women’s Intercontinental Championship match between AJ Lee and Bayley, and more.

Tony Khan clarifies Hangman Page AEW World title stipulation

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Hangman Page can never challenge for the AEW World Championship again — unless he breaks his word and goes back on the stipulation he agreed to.

The main event of Revolution on Sunday night saw MJF retain the AEW World Championship against Page in a Texas Death match. As a result, Page is unable to challenge for the title ever again. Tony Khan was asked about that stipulation at the post-PPV press conference and described it as a “gentleman’s handshake.” Like when Cody Rhodes faced Chris Jericho at AEW Full Gear 2019, there is nothing on paper in AEW canon that means the wrestler has to follow through on the stipulation. But Khan believes Page is a man of his word.

“It’s the same thing with Cody, it was a gentleman’s handshake with both of them,” Khan responded when asked how strict the stipulation is. “They both came to me and said, ‘I want to put this at stake.’ And both of them, I told them, ‘That sounds f***ing nuts, dude.’ Both of them really wanted to do it. And in both cases I said, ‘Are you sure?’ And they both said, ‘Yeah.’ So it is an agreement we made. Second time it’s happened. [Page] is somebody that’s known for being a man of his word, and we made an agreement. So it’s a verbal contract.”

After Rhodes lost to Jericho at Full Gear 2019, AEW legitimately stuck to the stipulation and never had Rhodes challenge for the World title again, with Rhodes instead focusing on the TNT Championship until leaving the promotion for WWE in 2022.

Khan said he believes the MJF vs. Page stipulation added a lot of intrigue to the Revolution main event. When asked about filling Page’s void in the title picture, Khan noted that AEW has a “fantastic line of competitors” who want a shot at the championship.

Page is a two-time AEW World Champion, having held the title in 2021-2022 and 2025.

Steve Austin praises WWE stars Chelsea Green, Kevin Owens

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is a big fan of current WWE stars Chelsea Green and Kevin Owens.

In celebration of 3:16 Day (March 16), Austin spoke with The Takedown on SI and had praise for both Green and Owens. He sees Green as “fearless” and willing to take chances, which Austin believes is an important element to the success of any wrestler.

“You’re an idiot when you first join the business,” Austin said. “You just are, unless you’re Shawn Michaels and you kind of get it from day one. When you’re starving and you’re making $15 and $20 a night, you realize that you better get good pretty quick and learn how to reach people on an emotional level, so you can start making some money. I think that Chelsea Green does that a lot of time. She’s pretty fearless out there. On a creative note, she’ll go for it, and it’s done well for her.”

Owens was Austin’s opponent when The Texas Rattlesnake came out of retirement at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. With it looking unlikely that Austin will ever compete in another wrestling match, Owens should forever hold the honor of being the last person to face Austin — one of pro wrestling’s greatest-ever legends.

Austin told The Takedown on SI that he sees Owens as a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. A couple months back, he checked in on Owens to see how he’s recovering from the neck surgery he underwent last year.

“I called Kevin a couple of months ago,” Austin said. “I think he’s got a great doctor, according to him, and I threw out a name that I’d heard good things about. I care about the guy. Love the guy. He’s a Hall of Fame talent. I don’t know how he banged his neck up, but he took a lot of bumps. He did a lot of stuff.

“It’s a rough business, right. No matter what style you work, you’re going to take a bump. And even the most simple bump can be the devastating bump. Although it looks normal, that sets off some chain reaction, or is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and there’s that injury. So, hey, injuries happen. I stay in touch with him a little bit and I wish him nothing but the best.”

It’s not yet known when Owens will be returning to the ring, but he’ll be featured as one of the coaches on the next season of WWE: LFG (Legends & Future Greats). The new season is slated to premiere on A&E on April 26.

Tony Khan comments on AEW signing Mistico: ‘One of my all-time heroes’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tony Khan is thrilled to have one of his favorite wrestlers of all time under contract with AEW.

It was announced during AEW Revolution last night that Mistico is officially All Elite. He is now dual-contracted to CMLL and AEW and will be working for both promotions. Along with the announcement, Mistico won his first AEW gold at Revolution, winning the Trios titles with Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey.

At the post-show press conference, Khan discussed the new signing and addressed what Mistico’s schedule will look like.

“I think we will be splitting time,” Khan said. “Obviously, CMLL is an amazing partnership for AEW. And what a sign of trust between the two promotions to have one of the greatest wrestlers of all time now as a dual-signee, joining us in AEW as a champion. Somebody that I have admired for decades, somebody who is a personal hero of mine in the wrestling business. To be able to sit here with Mistico, next to Kevin and Mike, to be able to sit here with JetSpeed and say that they are world champions along with Mistico, who, again, to reiterate, one of my all-time heroes in this business. Somebody who’s accomplished so much. And it’s an honor to be able to sit on the stage with him and say that he’s part of AEW and now a world champion here. It’s so cool.”

Khan noted that he’ll be working with CMLL boss Salvador Lutteroth Lomeli to figure out Mistico’s schedule.

“We’ll be working with Salvador. Now that he’s a champion in AEW, I’ll work with Salvador very closely to make sure we see Mistico in both CMLL and AEW as much as possible,” Khan said.

Hechicero, Persephone, and Mascara Dorada are among the other CMLL stars under similar dual-contracts with both promotions.

Through a translator, Mistico said he’s happy to be All Elite and proud to be a Trios champion. He also sent out a tweet thanking Khan for the opportunity.

Mistico won Wrestler of the Year in the 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. He’s now a two-time winner, having won the award in 2006 as well. He was the biggest star in CMLL in 2025 and helped lead the promotion to a very successful year in business.

Earlier in his career, Mistico spent time in the United States working for WWE as Sin Cara. He’s also competed for MLW recently and is a former MLW Middleweight Champion.

Rey Mysterio gives update on WWE injury status

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Rey Mysterio is on the mend after suffering multiple fractured ribs during a WWE Raw match back in January.

The injury happened during a singles match where Mysterio faced Austin Theory on the January 26 episode. That was Raw’s go-home show for the Royal Rumble, but Mysterio was still able to make the trip to Saudi Arabia and compete in the men’s Rumble match despite being hurt. He has not competed in the ring since then.

Last Friday, Mysterio was in Las Vegas to participate in a WWE community event ahead of WrestleMania 42. He made a quick appearance on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez and gave an update on how he’s feeling.

“Much better than when it actually happened,” Mysterio said. “That injury occurred on January [26], which was the Monday leading into the Rumble. Fractured ribs, both left and right. So those take a little but of time to heal, but on the way up.”

Mysterio then headed to Mexico this past Saturday to do commentary for AAA’s Rey de Reyes show. The main event of the broadcast saw Mysterio’s son Dominik defeat El Hijo del Vikingo in a no DQ match to retain the AAA Mega Championship.

The 51-year-old Mysterio is already a WWE Hall of Famer. During his appearance on Unlikely, Mysterio was asked to name a specific match from his WWE career that he feels is worthy of its own induction.

“I’ll tell you what, I’m a big fan of Eddie and I [at] WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania Goes Hollywood,” Mysterio said. “And I’m also a big fan of my first pay-per-view with WWE, SummerSlam [2002], Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio.”

TNA signs Candice Michelle for backstage role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Candice Michelle recently resurfaced in TNA Wrestling — and it’s now been confirmed that she is officially under contract with the promotion.

TNA posted a video today with Carlos Silva and Tommy Dreamer presenting Michelle with her contract. In the clip, Silva — the president of TNA — said Michelle will be part of the TNA team and working behind the scenes.

“Candice, it’s so great that you’re going to be part of the TNA team, be behind the scenes with us as a former champion, bringing all of that experience to all the women here at TNA,” Silva said. “It’s going to be great. We’re just so happy. I’ve got your contract here. I think it’s got everything that we talked about, and we just look forward to building this together.”

Michelle said she didn’t know that professional wrestling would come back into her life like this, but she’s happy to be back home in the industry. Dreamer reached out to her about the opportunity — and she’s looking forward to helping out.

“To give me a platform so that I can help build this with you guys and be a small little piece of that and see where I can fit in there on any angle, it’s just really a dream come true,” she said.

Michelle was a one-time Women’s Champion for WWE during the 2000s. She was shown in attendance at TNA’s AMC premiere this January and has been backstage at other shows since.

OVW issues statement on referee Dallas Edwards medical emergency

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ohio Valley Wrestling has now issued a statement regarding the scary incident that took place at the promotion’s Thursday night event in Louisville, Kentucky.

During a match at the event, referee Dallas Edwards suffered a medical emergency while participating in a planned spot. He went down after taking a Phenomenal Forearm and started to convulse in an apparent seizure. Though something was clearly wrong, the performers continued with the match until it was stopped. Edwards then received medical attention and the show ended.

Edwards was taken to the hospital, and OVW said he is now doing much better. The promotion asked everyone to keep Edwards in their thoughts and respect his privacy and the privacy of his family.

“Last night during Rise, referee Dallas Edwards – a member of our OVW family – experienced a
medical emergency during the broadcast,” OVW said. “OVW takes the health and well-being of all our performers extremely seriously, and as a company we are all distraught to see an injury to one of our own.

“Dallas is alert and doing much better. We ask everyone to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and respect his and his family’s privacy at this time.

“We will provide an update as soon as it is available, but in the meantime, we wish Dallas a speedy recovery and we can’t wait until he’s back with our OVW family very soon.”

Video of the incident has circulated on social media, with OVW and the wrestlers in the match drawing criticism for how the situation was handled. ROH wrestler Beef/Gnarls Garvin — who is one of Edwards’ best friends — said he’s ashamed of all of the wrestlers involved who did not put Edwards’ safety first. Others have called for a renewed focus on safety in the wake of this incident.

El Hijo del Vikingo hoping to join WWE main roster soon

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Lucha Libre AAA star El Hijo del Vikingo is hoping to join the WWE main roster in the near future.

At Rey de Reyes 2026 this Saturday night, Vikingo is challenging Dominik Mysterio for the AAA Mega Championship in a no disqualification match. The bout also comes with a couple of added stipulations. If Vikingo wins, Dominik has to leave AAA. If Dominik wins, Vikingo cannot challenge him for the title again.

Vikingo spoke with Denise Salcedo ahead of the match and was asked about his WWE goals. He is focused on this bout against Dominik right now but is looking forward to entering the main roster.

“After I defeat Dominik for the championship, I will enter the main roster of WWE,” Vikingo said. “We already entered the video game [WWE 2K], now we are going to enter the main roster. Those are my short-term plans.”

When he does get to Raw or SmackDown, Vikingo wants to mix it up with the other luchadores.

“I had a lot of matches with Penta inside of AAA, out of Mexico, and a lot of other places. I would like to face Penta, Fenix, Dragon Lee, and Rey Mysterio now being in the main roster,” he responded when asked about potential opponents.

Vikingo has been one of AAA’s top stars dating back to before WWE acquired the lucha libre company in 2025. He has some past experience in AEW and TNA Wrestling as well.

Saturday’s Rey de Reyes card has a start time of 10 p.m. Eastern, airing on Fox in Latin America and on YouTube and Facebook outside of that region.

Referee Dallas Edwards suffers medical emergency during OVW spot

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Referee Dallas Edwards was taken to the hospital on Thursday night after suffering a medical emergency at an Ohio Valley Wrestling event.

During a multi-man tag match, there was a spot where Edwards entered the ring as the second referee after the initial ref was taken out in a ref bump. Edwards then took part in a planned spot where one of the competitors shoved him in the way to take a Phenomenal Forearm. The spot went wrong and Edwards hit hard. He stayed down on the mat until convulsing in an apparent seizure. As that happened, the match continued around him — with one of the wrestlers even moving Edwards out of the way and pushing him with his foot so that Edwards wouldn’t be in the path of the next move.

The match was then finally stopped and the show went off the air as Edwards received medical attention. He was taken to the hospital but is said to be awake, coherent, and in good spirits. OVW wrestler Jake Lawless shared a photo of Edwards in the hospital giving a thumbs up.

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp shared a statement from Edwards’ girlfriend, who is asking everyone to keep him in their thoughts. She noted that Edwards suffered a brain injury that is being monitored at the hospital.

In a Facebook post, ROH wrestler Beef/Gnarls Garvin expressed how angry he is with everyone who did not help Edwards as he was suffering the medical emergency.

“This is a very serious post from me. Dallas Edwards is one of my best friends in this world. I spend time with him almost every single day. What happened last night at OVW Wrestling was and is complete total negligence and 100% avoidable,” he wrote. “I am beyond anger right now and everyone involved with not helping him while having a seizure, needs to burn their boots or go back to training day one.

“Accidents happen, what we do is very dangerous. I am very ashamed in all of the wrestlers who didn’t put safety first of all involved. Say a prayer for Dallas today.”

WWE referee Jason Ayers was among those who responded to the post from Beef/Garvin.

“Absolutely infuriating,” Ayers wrote. “I sent him a message but if you talk to him please tell him I’m sending prayers for a speedy recovery”

A statement from OVW regarding the incident can be read here.

Backstage reaction to Nino Hamburguesa’s AAA release

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gave an update on Nino Hamburguesa’s release from Lucha Libre AAA.

Hamburguesa (Ivan Flores) was fired from AAA after video of a fan incident he was involved in went viral on social media. In the clip, Hamburguesa could be seen sitting on a fan’s lap, giving the fan three soft elbow strikes, and then delivering another more significant blow. Meltzer notes that WWE — which acquired AAA last year — saw the video and made the decision to release Hamburguesa.

The fan incident happened at an AAA-affiliated indie show on March 3. By March 6, the heavyweight Hamburguesa had been released and the AAA roster was warned against doing anything similar to what he did. Meltzer notes that Hamburguesa was very popular in the locker room, so other wrestlers were unhappy about the news.

“He didn’t appear to hurt the guy at all but it got a lot of media traction and WWE officials saw it and fired him. Talent was told about this on 3/6 and to never touch a fan,” Meltzer wrote. “There has been talent that has done this at other shows, although we were told that it’s usually based on something far more serious, usually a fan attacking or being threatening and not just somebody laughing at them for slipping. But since it never went public nothing ever transpired from those incidents.

“Flores was very popular with the talent who were unhappy that it happened and wished the outcome was different, but also understood that while if it was the old AAA, it would be just considered under the sh*t happens category, with WWE owning, you can’t be doing stuff like that. Worse for him, AAA is not allowing any of its talent to work independent shows that he’s on, meaning he’s losing most of his indie booking as well. Hamburguesa had won the Rey de Reyes tournament in 2025 but was not in the final four for this year.”

It’s believed that a fan laughing at Hamburguesa for slipping is what led to this incident.

Along with winning the 2025 Rey de Reyes tournament, Hamburguesa was a one-time Mixed Tag Team Champion during his AAA career.

Cody Rhodes ‘honored’ to be a polarizing WWE wrestler

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes isn’t worried about the recent shift in how some WWE crowds are reacting to him.

As he enters his third WWE Championship reign, Rhodes told Insight with Chris Van Vliet that he’s more polarizing now than the first two times he held the belt. He appreciates the passion from fans either way, and Rhodes feels like he’s built up thick skin after previously struggling with that.

“But I’ll tell you an area that’s changing is: I was never a polarizing wrestler. Now I’m a polarizing wrestler,” Rhodes said. “I’m honored by it. I’m honored by the passion of both sides of the coin. What I would like to do to honor those who are so excited and those who are so not excited, however you put it, is I want to make sure that I’m not gotten to by it. And I think with everything I’ve been through and everything in the business, you hear people say, ‘You got thick skin.’ I can definitely say I have thick skin now, because I used to not have thick skin.”

There have been both “home games” and “away games” for Rhodes with certain cities responding to him differently. No matter how people react, Rhodes is just focused on entertaining them.

“I think John [Cena] had it perfect,” Rhodes said. “Watching John [and] having my own skin really, really beat up and thickened up over the course of my career has made it so that I think I’ve got the lane I can run in and make something very entertaining for both sides of the coin.”

Rhodes’ third reign with the WWE Championship began when he defeated Drew McIntyre on SmackDown last Friday. He’s now heading into WrestleMania 42 as champion and will defend the title against Randy Orton in Las Vegas, where Rhodes received some boos at WrestleMania 41 last year.