Tag: batista

John Cena compares ‘OVW Four’ to newer young talent in WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

John Cena has opened up and compared the OVW Four to the younger talents in WWE.

In a recent interview with CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling, Cena opened up on the concept of having new, younger champions in WWE. Bringing up the comparison with the iconic OVW Four, Cena shared how the new talents are going to get the spot after the veterans fade out.

The iconic OVW Four consisted of Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and Brock Lesnar. “I don’t think one reason points in that direction. It could be someone like me who had an unprecedented stay of 23 years – keep in mind, that’s not the usual career length of a WWE Champion and Superstar. And alongside me, Randy Orton, side by side. Batista, a little bit of a shorter run, and Brock Lesnar in and out. But that class that you spoke of so highly, we had an anomaly of longevity and success, and that takes up time and spots,” he said.

“So now you’re talking about, as we wane out, certainly my chapter’s done, Batista’s chapter’s done, Brock – Randy’s kinda the only one left. Now, new performers are gonna get those spots, and those are going to go to the most seasoned performers that connect with the audience, and they just happen to be a little bit of the older scale. That doesn’t mean I don’t think we’re ruling out the possibility of a young champion in the very near future, because we are loaded with youth, speed, and talent,” Cena added.

Further speaking on the same topic, Cena also addressed his fandom for NXT’s latest addition, Mason Rook. “It’s no secret, I think, to those in the know that I chant with everybody else, ‘He’s big. He’s bad. He’ll bodyslam your dad.’ So if you don’t know who I’m talking about, I want you to go check that out. I’m a fan. – Cena is a fan of Mason Rook.“

Rook recently made his debut in WWE NXT following a career in the British independent scene and has already become a talking point on the roster.

WWE fan backlash altered creative plans before, so is Pat McAfee next? | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Pat McAfee’s involvement in Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes’ feud for WWE WrestleMania 42 has stirred much debate among fans and the wider wrestling community.

His sudden addition to the storyline and siding with Orton has questioned narrative relevance. Fans and wrestlers alike have expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. However, WWE is yet to proceed in the creative direction amid growing concerns. 

This isn’t the first time fans have pushed back on creative decisions or forced WWE to alter the direction of feuds. Over the years, several moments have provoked protests from fans, both online and at arenas.

Here’s a few notable instances when it happened: 

Daniel Bryan’s ‘Yes Movement’ implodes in 2014 

In 2013 to 2014, Bryan had become a fan favorite. Arenas erupted with ‘Yes’ chants every time he appeared. 

So, it came as no surprise when his absence from the 2014 Royal Rumble sparked an uproar. When Rey Mysterio entered as the 30th entrant, the crowd reacted with heavy boos despite him being a face. 

It became worse when Batista won the Rumble to secure his spot at WrestleMania XXX against Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, the backlash was so severe that it forced WWE to add Bryan into the fold. 

Bryan was then given the ultimate hero’s challenge to earn his spot in the WrestleMania main event. He had to defeat Triple H earlier in the night with the stipulation that if he lost, he would not be added to the main event. Bryan not only defeated Triple H, but also won the WWE World Title later that night. 

CM Punk chants taking over arenas after WWE walkout 

CM Punk’s 2014 departure triggered one of the most ruthless crowd protests in WWE history. 

While 2014 seemed to peak with fans unhappiness on WWE’s creative booking surrounding Bryan, Punk’s exit worsened it — although his situation intensified the overall sentiment among fans. 

Punk walked out of WWE in January 2014 due to creative differences and lack of respect among other reasons. A few months later in June, he was fired by WWE on his wedding day.

The dissatisfaction of his absence in the ring led arenas to chant for Punk at almost every WWE event for years. Even if major stars were featured on the card or competing in the ring, his name would still be heard from the crowd.  

Punk was viewed as a representative of the fanbase. His departure sparked a rare moment in wrestling history which created sustained pressure on how deeply audiences were invested in his presence. 

Punk eventually returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 to a thunderous reaction at the Allstate Arena. 

John Cena hatred at ECW One Night Stand 2006  

At ECW One Night Stand, Cena walked into one of the most hostile wrestling crowds in history. 

ECW was revived in 2006 after being purchased by WWE a few years earlier. To promote the merger WWE produced ECW’s second edition of their One Night Stand pay-per-view. But it turned out to be more chaotic as WWE stars were featured on the match card which drew strong negative reactions from hardcore ECW fans. 

The main event featured Rob Van Dam against Cena for his WWE Championship. The reaction was brutal and the atmosphere at Hammerstein Ballroom was intense. The champ walked out to boos, obscene gestures and jeers. 

This event featured the viral ‘If Cena wins, we riot’ poster along with explicit laden chants directed at him.

Edge’s interference in the match did not go in vain. After the referee was knocked out, Paul Heyman took over and counted the pinfall which made RVD the new WWE Champion that night. 

Given that Cena was positioned as WWE’s babyface at the time, this moment remains a notable example of fan reactions determining the crowning of a new champion. 

#WeWantCody taking over social media 

Cody Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble and chose to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania that year to ‘finish his story’.

Despite facing off in the WrestleMania 39 main event, Rhodes was still on a mission – to win the undisputed WWE Championship. 

On the February 2, 2024, edition of SmackDown, The Rock returned and confronted his cousin. For quite a while, it was marked a blockbuster match by many for Rock to battle Reigns at WrestleMania.

The Rock shook hands and embraced Rhodes who gestured for him to proceed in his confrontation indicating that he was stepping down from his Mania match.

Fans were baffled and instantly expressed discontent at the next few events and online. Almost instantly, #WeWantCody began trending worldwide on social media. 

This forced WWE to adjust plans and re-align Rhodes in his coveted spot in the WrestleMania 40 main event. 

It steered the rivalry into Rock and Reigns uniting against Rhodes. And eventually led to Seth Rollins backing Rhodes for having a common enemy in The Bloodline. 

R-Truth’s 2025 Money in the Bank return  

On June 1, 2025, R-Truth announced on social media that he was released from WWE, ending his 17-year association with the company. It instantly received a jarring reaction online and on the following editions of Raw and SmackDown. 

At Money in the Bank, Cena teamed up with Logan Paul against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. During the bout, Paul hit a moonsault on Uso through the announcer’s table while Cena and Rhodes were in the ring. With the referee distracted, Cena grabbed the WWE title belt and hit Rhodes with it. A hooded figure jumped into the ring and attacked Cena and later revealed himself – it was R-Truth. 

Everyone at the Intuit Dome were on their feet, rooting and embracing the return of their beloved star. And it all transpired within a week. 

Later, reports revealed that the overwhelming backlash forced Nick Khan to step in and renegotiate Truth’s WWE contract for a return. 

Final Thoughts

These examples prove the influential role fans play in WWE storytelling. While creative decisions lie in the hands of the promotion, sustained negative reactions and protests can detour the original plans. WWE history has shown a consistent pattern of altering feuds and storylines based on fans pushing back. It also proves that audiences are not just reacting to it but also actively shaping it.

This trend could be reflected in the ongoing discussions on McAfee’s integration in Rhodes and Orton’s WrestleMania 42 clash. The growing retaliation could sway WWE’s creative booking.

CM Punk using Batista as inspiration for acting career

Posted on by Joseph Currier

As he branches out into Hollywood more, CM Punk is using Dave Bautista as inspiration for the type of actor he wants to be.

Punk has been on a media tour over the past week to promote his role in the new horror movie “Night Patrol.” While Punk is a huge horror fan, he hopes to take on projects in a wide variety of genres like Bautista has.

“I cast a wide net. I want to do everything, like Dave Bautista,” Punk told That Hashtag Show. “I’m currently shooting a rom-com in Calgary, which I think is going to turn a lot of people’s heads too. Like, there’s no such thing as small roles, you know? I want to jump into every single opportunity that gets thrown my way and have fun doing it.”

Punk and Bautista are friends — and Punk has expressed that he’s “dying” to work alongside the WWE legend in a movie. Bautista has also spoken highly of Punk’s potential as an actor.

With “Night Patrol,” Punk is hoping more people will see the potential he has.

“They paid me to be able to have fun and learn from actors that were better than me,” Punk said. “And it’s only going to help me grow. And I think this movie is going to kind of open up eyes to my talent but also the litany of talent that is in this movie.”

Punk is the current World Heavyweight Champion in WWE and is coming off a successful title defense over Bron Breakker on Raw last week. In addition to “Night Patrol,” his recent acting work has included the Syfy series “Revival” and a cameo in Disney’s “Zootopia 2.”

On January 28, Bautista has a new movie called “The Wrecking Crew” premiering on Amazon Prime Video. Bautista stars alongside Jason Momoa in the action-comedy film.

CM Punk reveals ‘bucket list’ wish involving John Cena and Batista

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

After spending years together in WWE, CM Punk has now revealed his ‘bucket list’ wish of starring in a movie with the likes of former wrestlers, John Cena and Batista (Dave Bautista). While Punk actively wrestles in WWE, Cena and Batista have moved on, with both currently having successful Hollywood careers. Speaking on My Mom’s Basement, Punk opened up about potentially starring in a movie with the two former WWE World Champions.

“I’ve had a couple meetings, and that topic has come up. I can only imagine what John’s slate looks like; it’s probably super, super busy,” Punk continued. “I’d imagine some time in the future we’ll be working together. I’ve got like bucket list names I wanna work with, and selfishly a lot of them are my friends; Dave (Bautista) and John are probably like the top two.”

Cena retired from wrestling on December 13, 2025, when he tapped out to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event, something which Punk found “beautiful.” On the other hand, Batista moved on from WWE a long time ago, having wrestled his possible last match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35.

Daily Update: WWE notes, Dave Bautista, Adam Copeland

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The most detailed look at WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia, how it happened, the money involved, main events hoped for 2027, why it’s in Saudi Arabia in 2027 and not 2028, and goal of the show
  • John Cena’s farewell scheduled and more details why Boston didn’t get his final show
  • The head-to-head battle on 9/20, including a look at the first and only time in history the two biggest companies ran PPV shows on the same day and what happened then. We look at business numbers and why even though the attendance figures are close, the interest level is not. We look at the cards for each group as well as the odds
  • A look at French wrestler Gilbert Leduc, who was decades ahead of his time in the ring and his case for the Hall of Fame
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling shows of the past week, including placings in the time slot, comparisons with a year ago, breaking down the Netflix numbers for Raw, the key stat that his hurting AEW right now and the return of the NFL.
  • Last Friday at Arena Mexico with Mistico & Bandido as a tag team
  • NFL/CMLL connection on Friday
  • AAA Worlds Collide
  • Stardom PPV coverage
  • Lots more on the death of Daishin Nagao, plus stories on deaths of Rodolfo Ruiz, Huichol, Jaka and Chuck Coates
  • Update on health issues involving Hall of Famer Satoru Sayama
  • Bubba the Love Sponge documentary and the split in the Hogan family
  • Thoughts on the Hogan will
  • Eric Bischoff on RAF and thoughts on what he said
  • Lots of notes regarding the potential future of WBD and how it affects AEW
  • MJF wedding and acting career
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Bryan Danielson talks about everything under the sun
  • UFC at the White House
  • Those who planned to testify for Conor McGregor and against Nikkita Hand get arrested for perjury
  • Biggest combat sports gates of all-time
  • The power of Turki Alalshikh, the future as well as a look into the future of combat sports reporting
  • Dana White put on the spot about the Ali Act
  • What happened in California on the Ali Act
  • More on the UFC rights fees story
  • Raw time slot update
  • More on the gate for Clash in Paris
  • Lots of stats about those who attended Clash in Paris
  • Mark Shapiro talks WWE scheduling and ticket pricing
  • Paul Levesque on those who complain WWE Unreal was too inside
  • AJ Styles angle
  • Why Booker T totally missed the boat on his comments on Ronda Rousey
  • YouTube numbers for AEW & WWE

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • PWInsider notes that, at the official WWE Wrestlepalooza store in Indianapolis, there is a shirt for sale that lists WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill as being part of the PLE card. Whether that match will be added remains to be seen. Stratton was supposed to wrestle at NXT Homecoming this week but ended up being pulled due to not being cleared to compete.
  • Bron Breakker told ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike that his “Welcome to WWE” moment was facing Sheamus:
    • I think my ‘Welcome to WWE’ moment was probably when I worked with Sheamus. Sheamus is a guy that’s been around for 10-15+ years, around that ballpark. A guy that’s very well respected and someone who is really physical and takes a lot of pride in his work. He’s well respected by the entire locker room, by the entire audience. He’s no doubt going to be a Hall of Famer one day. He’s someone that makes you earn it. He’s really, really physical out there. I obviously enjoy that type of combat sports. I love it, I love getting in there. He’s someone that’s really, really fun to work with.
  • Dave Bautista confirmed to Comicbook.com that John Cena’s Peacemaker character was written for him, but Bautista could not do the role due to other commitments:
    • I have to say, that one. I really wanted to do that part. He [James Gunn] wrote that part for me, and it was meant for me, and it just became a scheduling thing where I just couldn’t do it, because I was doing Army of the Dead. And so it was a scheduling issue that we just could not figure out.
  • Bautista added that he thinks Cena ended up being the perfect choice to play Peacemaker:
    • And I think it was great. It was a blessing in disguise that I didn’t do that, because I have to say, I have to be honest, there’s no way that I would have been able to do that role like John. He’s just perfect for it, you know, and I wouldn’t have done it justice, and it wouldn’t have been as successful.
    • So, look, and I am, I’m saying that with a bit of envy, you know, I would love it. I just wouldn’t have been able to do the same thing that John does to bring to that character. It wouldn’t have been the same. It wouldn’t have been as good. I can honestly say it wouldn’t have been as good.
  • Bleacher Report ranked Becky Lynch as the greatest WWE women’s wrestler of all time, with Charlotte Flair, Trish Stratus, Rhea Ripley, and Sasha Banks rounding out the top five.
  • ESPN has a story on Seth Rollins’ knee injury ruse. In the article, Becky Lynch discussed how she had to lie to people while trying to keep the reality of the situation a secret:
    • I can’t lie to save my life. So, when everybody, including my manager and other wrestlers, asked how he was doing after the injury, I became a twitchy weirdo. I was stumbling off my words and not finishing full sentences. His dad, aunts and uncles were texting me, all of our friends and colleagues were wishing him well and I tried not to lie. But then they’d give me follow-up questions about if he was having surgery and had he gone for an MRI. It became very difficult and, honestly, I did not like it.
  • Lynch also explained how their daughter Roux handled the ruse:
    • Well, she didn’t keep it a secret. She went to her teacher at school and told her, ‘My dad has a boo-boo, but it’s only pretend.’ Thankfully, Ms. Joy was tight-lipped about the whole thing. [Rollins] would go to [Roux’s] friends’ birthday parties in full gimmick, which left us wondering if people were going to ask and if she would say anything. But she kind of forgot about it and didn’t say anything.
  • Rollins appeared on the SI Media podcast.
  • ESPN’s Vibe Check spoke with AJ Lee.
  • CM Punk made an appearance on SportsCenter.
  • Charlotte Flair was a guest on Post Run High with host Kate Mackz.
  • Stephanie McMahon interviewed Nikki Bella on her “What’s Your Story?” podcast.
  • Good Karma Wrestling has an interview with Lola Vice.
  • Logan Paul uploaded a new vlog.

Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan praised the London, Ontario, Canada crowd for how they reacted to last night’s AEW September to Remember event: “London, Ontario We are coming back here every year, YOU ARE TREMENDOUS”
  • While speaking with the Toronto Sun’s No Holds Barred podcast, Adam Copeland was asked if he’s thought about any plans for how he wants to end his career when he decides to retire:
    • I honestly don’t know. But when I look at – I have the luxury, I guess, of having one retirement under my belt. And that was a very emotional one – it was an amazing send-off, right? So, this one, I’m not that concerned with how it goes. Would I like for it to be in Toronto? Yeah. I think that would be fitting to try and do it as close as I could to the place that I started it, which is Monarch Park.
    • But it’d be nice to end it in Toronto. Beyond that, I haven’t put, like, a whole lot of thought into it. That would be my only hope, would be that it’s in Toronto.
  • The Uncrowned published a story on MVP.
  • Josh Barnett revealed that Roy Wood of the Snake Pit Wigan will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport: London on September 28.
  • GCW announced that, due to injury, Effy, Shotzi Blackheart, and Bad Dude Tito are unable to compete at their events this weekend.
  • IWGP Women’s Champion Sareee named Athena and Toni Storm as opponents she would like to face.
  • Busted Open Radio has interviews with AEW’s Kyle Fletcher and WWE’s Bronson Reed.
  • WrestleMobs spoke with Deonna Purrazzo & Steve Maclin.

Different WWE legend was first choice for John Cena’s Peacemaker role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One of John Cena’s most popular Hollywood roles came about because a different WWE legend passed on the job.

During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, director James Gunn said Dave Bautista — who he worked with on Guardians of the Galaxy — was his first choice to play Peacemaker in the Suicide Squad movie. With Bautista being offered other roles that were better financial options, Gunn moved on to Cena.

“It was Dave Bautista, who’s a good friend of mine,” Gunn said about his first choice for Peacemaker. “Obviously, he plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy. And I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him and we offered him the role, but he was offered two other movies and we weren’t paying him a lot, and so he had to go where the money was.

“And I had always been a fan of John since Trainwreck especially. I thought he was so, so funny in that movie that I met with him. We talked. We became instant, instant friends. And since then, I’ve worked with him more than any other actor.”

The Peacemaker character — which originated in DC Comics — has been spun off into its own HBO Max show starring Cena. Season two of the series is currently airing.

Gunn praised Cena as a fantastic guy and fantastic actor and said they’ll be doing more projects together on top of what they’ve already done.

Bautista had his final WWE match in 2019. While the temptation to come out of retirement is there, he knows his time in the ring is over and refuses to tarnish the great ending his career had.

The end of Cena’s in-ring career is only three months away. He has eight WWE appearances on his retirement tour, which will conclude on Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.

Batista rumored for ‘Road House’ sequel

Posted on by Josh Nason

Former WWE star Dave Batista may be joining the cast for the sequel to Road House.

First reported by Deadline this past Friday, the rumor in Hollywood is Batista has an offer to join the Guy Ritchie-directed film with Jake Gyllenhaal returning to play the lead role of Dalton, a former UFC fighter turned Florida bouncer.

They also noted talks haven’t begun with the star of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Dune movies, nor what role he could play.

Retired from the ring, Batista has remained busy with various film projects in different stages of production that includes The Trap House, Wrecking Crew (with Jason Momoa), and Alpha Gang (with Cate Blanchett).

It’s unknown if embattled UFC star Conor McGregor will return to play antagnoist Knox in the sequel. While it appears unlikely McGregor will ever fight again, he recently made headlines for punching a man inside a nightclub in Spain that was captured on video.

The 2024 reboot of the 1989 original starring the late Patrick Swayze aired on Amazon Prime as will the sequel. According to Amazon, the movie was a huge success with more than 80 million views worldwide in its first eight weeks. The release date is unknown.

Batista: Hollywood is a ‘cakewalk’ compared to grind of pro wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Dave Bautista’s in-ring past has more than prepared him for his current life as a Hollywood star.

While speaking with Film Inside during the press tour for his movie “In the Lost Lands,” Bautista discussed being a lifeguard, bouncer, and WWE star before becoming an actor. Bautista said that, with the work ethic he developed in WWE, Hollywood life is a “cakewalk.”

“More than anything, I have a strong work ethic — and my work ethic really came from the WWE,” the 56-year-old Bautista said. “WWE, if nothing else, they’re not only durable people but it’s just the hardest grind that I could ever imagine. Being in Hollywood and being on a film set, it’s long hours, but compared to the grind of being a professional wrestler, it’s just a cakewalk. It’s night and day. I’m in this business and I find it hard to relate to people who are just always unhappy on set and always complaining about something. I don’t relate to that at all.”

Bautista has been retired from WWE since facing Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. He misses wrestling and there is always the temptation to come back, but he knows that his time in the ring is over. He is not willing to tarnish the storybook ending that his career had.

A WWE Hall of Fame induction of Bautista was originally set for 2020, but the ceremony couldn’t happen that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He will be inducted in the future when his schedule allows him to be in attendance.

CM Punk ‘dying’ to work with Dave Bautista in acting role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is hoping that he’ll someday get to share the screen with Dave Bautista in a film project.

Speaking with Deadline after WrestleMania 41 for a feature story published this week, Punk said he’s “dying” to work with WWE legend Bautista in an acting role. Punk teased that he’d like the two to appear in a romantic comedy together.

“I would love to do that,” Punk responded when asked if he’d be interested in acting in a rom-com. “Me and Dave Bautista are trying to do a rom-com, maybe not together, but it’s a race. He really wants to do one, and I really want to do one too. Dave and I are two emotional b**ches. We would absolutely kill that genre, guaranteed, him especially. I’m dying to work with him. What if we were romantically involved? Who’s not going to pay to see that?”

The interest in working together is reciprocal, with Bautista telling Buzzfeed last year that he believes Punk has unlimited potential as an actor.

“His potential in acting is pretty unlimited,” Bautista said. “So I really want to see more from him in acting. I’d actually love to work with him. Because I think he has a passion for acting, but I think still his heart is in professional wrestling. Until he’s able to let that go a little bit, he’ll never be able to fully envelop himself in acting.”

Punk, 46, signed with Paradigm Talent Agency in June 2024 as he looks to expand his presence in Hollywood. His upcoming roles include parts in a horror movie named “Night Patrol” and a Syfy series titled “Revival.” He told Deadline that it’s easier to get time for outside projects than it used to be in WWE.

“It’s a lot easier now. It was harder back in the day because wrestling was the lion’s share of what I did, and I wasn’t allowed to do other stuff,” Punk said. “I have pre-existing relationships and projects I work on that are grandfathered into my contract. I typically do Monday Night Raw live on Netflix every week. But if I need to dip out for two weeks to shoot an independent film, I can always do that. We’re trying to petition Netflix to do a third season of ‘Heels.’ I have two projects coming down the line that I’m very excited about. One is the TV show ‘Revival’ that will air on Syfy, and a really, really fun movie called ‘Night Patrol,’ written and directed by Ryan Prows. I don’t want to give away too much but it’s night patrol, LAPD, Bloods, Crips, vampires.”

Punk and WWE are in talks for a new five-year contract. Following Paul Heyman’s WrestleMania betrayal, Punk is set to feud with Heyman’s new faction of Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. They laid out Punk and Roman Reigns on the Raw after Mania.

Daily Update: WWE Barcelona, Batista, Hirooki Goto

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Some highlights:

  • A full look at AEW Grand Slam in Brisbane, Australia.  The mentality behind the show, a look at the card, ratings, booking, business and more
  • NXT Vengeance Day coverage
  • The life and times of Gran Hamada, great wrestler, influential in history, including the glory days of LLI at El Toreo and his biggest matches and feuds, booking to make a star, biggest feuds, multiple world titles and far more huge crowds than people would ever realize. Plus the Tiger Mask heyday, matches of the year candidates in his late 40s, and the start of multiple different companies
  • A look at the next WWE & AEW  PPV shows
  • The most detailed look at TV ratings and streaming for RAW, including how every show has compared with a year ago, the weekly standings, demos, quarters, every wrestling show on Netflix and more.
  • CMLL announces its second biggest show of the year
  • Valentine’s Day at Arena Mexico
  • Big head-to-head battle in Mexico City on Saturday
  • Fantastica Mania starts’
  • More on the awards issue including multiple category placers
  • Lots of AEW business notes
  • WWE & AEW ticket sales for upcoming show including multiple PPVs
  • Lots of new UFC main events announced
  • Topuria vacates featherweight title
  • Aaron Pico on leaving PFL
  • Notes on Mania plans
  • Notes on Dwayne Johnson being back
  • Michelle McCool Hall of Fame story
  • Notes on Hall of Fame update
  • Trauma of leaving WWE
  • Ricky Starks
  • Sonya Deville talks being let go
  • Michael Cole on the Corey Graves story

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

AEW/Other Wrestling

The Latest: Undertaker takes shot at Batista, WWE & NXT news

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

TOPICS:

— Undertaker, Donald Trump, and Kane do a TikTok, Batista mentioned

— Kevin Owens posts social media promo, says he feels disrespected by WWE & Randy Orton

— Motor City Machine Guns officially sign with WWE

— Bryan Danielson health update after AEW WrestleDream

–WWE has date booked at former ECW Arena

–WWE & Netflix to produce behind-the-scenes documentary series

–WWE star CM Punk books ‘key role’ in horror movie

— Powerhouse Hobbs confirms he’s cleared for AEW return

–First three matches announced for WWE NXT Halloween Havoc

–Mike Bailey vs. El Hijo del Vikingo, three more matches added to TNA Bound for Glory

The Latest: Batista on John Cena’s retirement tour, WWE NXT highlights

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far. #wwe #wrestlingnews #aew

TOPICS:

–WWE Raw to be three-hour show on Netflix

–Two title matches official for WWE NXT CW premiere episode

— Hammerstone makes surprise WWE NXT appearance, wrestles Oba Femi

— Batista says he ‘could never’ do a WWE retirement tour like John Cena

— Tony Khan: ’90 percent’ chance of AEW media rights deal announcement in the next month

— TNA Wrestling: Victory Road Nic Nemeth vs Moose

Batista thinks CM Punk’s acting potential is ‘pretty unlimited’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Dave Bautista thinks CM Punk could successfully make the transition from WWE star to full-time Hollywood actor.

In a new video for BuzzFeed, WWE legend Bautista was asked which current wrestler he thinks would be successful in Hollywood. Bautista named Punk, saying he believes Punk’s potential as an actor is “pretty unlimited.”

“You know who I think was really overlooked as an actor — I don’t know if he hasn’t pursued it as much as he’d like to because he’s still heavily pursuing professional wrestling — but is CM Punk, Phil Brooks,” Bautista said. “His potential in acting is pretty unlimited. So I really want to see more from him in acting. I’d actually love to work with him. Because I think he has a passion for acting, but I think still his heart is in professional wrestling. Until he’s able to let that go a little bit, he’ll never be able to fully envelop himself in acting. But I think Phil Brooks, he’s a great actor.”

Punk has had a few acting roles, including starring in the horror movie Girl on the Third Floor and appearing in TV shows Heels and Mayans M.C. With “an eye toward expanding his presence in entertainment,” he signed with talent agency Paradigm earlier this year for representation in all areas.

Punk is facing Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at WWE’s Bad Blood PLE on Saturday, October 5.

Bautista is currently on a media tour promoting his new movie The Killer’s Game, which McIntyre has a role in. The movie is being released in theaters this Friday.

Batista says he ‘could never’ do a WWE retirement tour like John Cena

Posted on by Ian Carey

Batista says he would never want to go on a retirement tour like John Cena.

The 50-year-old has been doing media rounds to promote his new film The Killer’s Game, which premiered last night at the Toronto International Film Festival. During a discussion with Chris Van Vliet, Batista said that he ended his career the way he wanted to, which was very different than the route Cena is going.

“I get along with John. I respect John a lot, a lot more than people think I do for some reason. I think the internet and I think fans have built this rivalry between us, which there really isn’t, but this is how we’re different,” he said. “I would never do this [retirement tour]. I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. It would feel disingenuous to me to go around and I just couldn’t.”

“He wants to go around and he wants to personally thank all the fans, but there’s just something in me where I just couldn’t do it. It would feel uncomfortable to me, accolades feel uncomfortable to me. I could never be the type of babyface who was saying good stuff because I wanted to get the crowd to cheer for me. I couldn’t be that guy.”

“So I love and respect what he’s doing with his whole tour to say thank you to the fans, but we’re just different that way. I couldn’t do it. I went out the way I wanted. I retired the way I wanted. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I announced my retirement on Instagram and I knew I was going to do it. I just didn’t want to tell anybody I was going to do it because I didn’t want anybody to say, no, no, you got to come in, you got to give a speech, you know, the fans. I don’t know, just something about it would have felt false to me. I couldn’t do it.” 

Several wrestling personalities were on hand for The Killer’s Game festival debut in Toronto last night including Mercedes Mone and Bayley:

As was Cathy Kelley:

https://twitter.com/TornadoXavier/status/1833350529646219679

The Killer’s Game releases in theaters on September 13. Batista plays the role of Joe Flood in the film.

“A veteran assassin is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and authorizes a kill on himself. After ordering the kill, an army of former colleagues pounce and a new piece of information comes to light. Insanity ensues,” reads IMDB’s description of the movie. Drew McIntyre also plays the role of Rory McKenzie.

Batista’s full interview with Chris Van Vliet is below:

Batista won’t tarnish ‘storybook ending’ by coming out of WWE retirement

Posted on by Ian Carey

Batista says that while he misses professional wrestling he will never tarnish the “storybook ending” to his career.

He officially retired from the industry after his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania 35. He announced the news the following day, writing, “Thank you for letting me entertain you. I love this business and whether you cheered me or jeered me, I’m grateful for being a small part of your life. I am officially retired from sports entertainment and I am grateful for every second of my amazing journey.”

The 55-year-old actor is currently promoting his upcoming film, “The Killer’s Game,” which releases in theaters on September 13. Along with his co-star Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon, Star Trek Beyond), he was interviewed by Chris Van Vliet and the conversation transitioned from movies to wrestling.

Boutella, who was also in Argyle with John Cena, asked Batista as many questions about his wrestling career as CVV did, including if he knew WrestleMania 35 would be his last match.

“I did, I just didn’t tell anybody else because I didn’t want it to be a big ordeal. I didn’t want to go out and do the tour and give a speech, I wanted to have my match and I wanted to call it a career so I wanted to go out on my own terms,” Batista responded.

Boutella seemed surprised to learn that Batista lost his last match.

“Did you know you were going to lose? She asked. “Is that how it works?”

“I did, yeah,” Batista responded. “It was the way I wanted to go out. It was like a dream for me. It’s so perfect. It’s such a romantic way and wrestlers don’t get to choose the way they go out, I did. I went out on my own terms the way I wanted with the guy I wanted to go out with and I will never tarnish that.”

“It’s not that I don’t miss it,” he continued. “I miss the crowd, I miss the energy of the crowd. I dream about walking out and hearing my entrance music but I know if I do that I will just tarnish my storybook ending and I’m just not willing to do it.”

“I just have to come to terms with my time has passed,” he continued.

CVV asked if the plan is still for him to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“Eventually, I will. I want to and there was a good opportunity for me to go in a couple of years ago and I agreed to do it. Hunter asked me to do it.”

“It was here in LA and I thought it was storybook because I won my first title here in LA and we just couldn’t figure it out. I was working on a film, I was in South Africa, so logistically, we just couldn’t make it happen but I’m still open to it and one day I would like to.”

The full interview is available below: