Tag: MVP

MVP takes jab at Triple H: How many people did ‘The Nose’ get over?

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On the latest episode of his Marking Out podcast, MVP took a jab at Paul “Triple H” Levesque while comparing him to The Undertaker.

MVP and co-host Dwayne Swayze debated whether Undertaker or Triple H were more valuable to WWE during their in-ring careers. Comparing the two, MVP said Undertaker was far more willing to get other talent over. MVP, while poking fun at the size of Triple H’s nose, said Randy Orton and Batista are the only two stars he can recall Triple H getting over.

“Undertaker had the Giant Gonzalez that he had to try to make something out of. Look what Undertaker did with Mr. Kennedy. You can go down the list and you can think of talents that Taker worked with that he elevated and got them over,” MVP said. “How many people you remember ‘The Nose’ getting over? Triple H, in his career, how many people can you associate with him? And I’ll give you two: I’ll give you Randy, I’ll give you Batista. Take them away, who else can you remember the ‘Triple Nose’ getting over?”

MVP said that, even when Triple H would lose to someone like Jeff Hardy, he would not truly put them over. Instead, Triple H would sell the loss like Hardy was lucky to get one over on him.

While outright admitting that he does not like Triple H, MVP did credit him for being a top guy who was able to draw a lot of money.

“Triple H, top guy, drew a lot of money, was a player. Undertaker, top guy, drew a lot of money, was a player,” MVP said. “If Undertaker made — let’s just say for the sake of our conversation, through the course of his career, 10 other guys. And ‘The Nose’ got two or three other guys over that he elevated them. In the big scheme of things, the big picture, who was more valuable for the company?”

In the past, MVP has said that he has “zero respect” for Triple H due to the personal interactions they’ve had. And while MVP has questioned some of Triple H’s booking of Black talent, that is not the reason why he does not like Triple H.

MVP departed WWE in 2024 due to frustration over the promotion’s refusal to relaunch The Hurt Business. The faction are now known as The Hurt Syndicate in AEW with MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin.

Chris Jericho to team with MVP’s Hurt Syndicate on AEW Collision, full lineup revealed

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a past time, it would have seemed impossible for Chris Jericho and MVP to be aligned on anything after reports of a fight in 2022 when both men were in different companies.

Flash forward to 2026 and the two will be working together as Jericho will team up with MVP’s Hurt Syndicate on this Saturday’s Playoff Palozza edition of AEW Collision in a trios match against The Demand.

The match was made on Wednesday’s Dynamite after Ricochet continued to mock Jericho and the fact he burned all his bridges so he has no friends, noting “no one wants to be associated with the guy who gets his ass kicked by The Demand.” Jericho said he doesn’t have to find partners who like him to team with — just two who don’t like Ricochet.

Later in the show, Renee Paquette caught up with Jericho who said he found some partners, leading to MVP, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley coming out of his locker room. MVP and Jericho looked at each other with MVP saying, “It’s never personal. It’s just business.” The Hurt Syndicate and the Gates of Agony have feuded in the past.

Benjamin, Lashley and MVP returned to Collision last week after three months away (four months in Lashley’s case) to pick up a squash win.

MVP reportedly knocked Jericho out during the 2020 Jericho Cruise followed by the aforementioned 2022 skirmish. It was reported they cleared the air in 2024 after MVP signed with AEW.

**********

The show will also feature two title matches as AEW Trios Champions The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Orange Cassidy) defend against Andrade El Idolo, Lance Archer & Hechicero of the Don Callis Family while AEW National Champion Jack Perry defends against El Clon, also of the Don Callis Family.

In a unique ten-man coming out of last week’s events, The Young Bucks and The Rascalz will take on The Dogs and The Death Riders.

AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla will team with Skye Blue against CMLL Women’s Champion Persephone and Alex Windsor after the latter formed a union backstage, while Kris Statlander will also be in action.

The show will be taped Wednesday after Dynamite in Portland, Oregon.

Current AEW Collision lineup | This Saturday

  • Thekla & Skye Blue vs. Persephone & Alex Windsor
  • Chris Jericho & The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun)
  • AEW Trios Champions The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Orange Cassidy) defend against The Don Callis Family (Andrade El Idolo, Lance Archer & Hechicero)
  • AEW National Champion Jack Perry defends against El Clon
  • The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) and The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier) vs. The Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors) & The Death Riders (Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli)
  • Kris Statlander vs. TBA

Hurt Syndicate return on AEW Collision and are ‘in the market for some new talent’

Posted on by Josh Nason

The Hurt Syndicate made their surprise return to AEW TV Thursday as part of Collision with some big news: Bobby Lashley is ready to return and they want to grow their group.

Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP appeared in a pre-taped promo on the broadcast (seen below) where it was revealed by MVP that Lashley has been cleared, something Lashley himself revealed in a late-February interview.

MVP also said the trio are “in the market for some new talent and add someone to the ranks.” Their return date was not announced.

Lashley said in the aforementioned interview that he wasn’t hurt, but that was the reported reason for his absence since last November’s Full Gear when he and Benjamin were part of the inaugural National title gauntlet match.

Benjamin has also been used sparingly since then, wrestling three matches — the last coming in a January defeat to Jon Moxley in a Continental title eliminator.

MVP shares positive update on Hurt Syndicate’s AEW return

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

MVP shared a positive update on The Hurt Syndicate’s AEW return.

He posted on X that the group is back together and will make their AEW comeback soon. 

“The coolest thing is that we are back together in @AEW and we’ll be back in action SOON! Hurting people!!!” tweeted MVP. 

In a December 2025 edition of Collision, MVP announced that Bobby Lashley was injured but the details and nature of the injury remained undisclosed. During the recovery period, Lashley addressed potentially targeting the AEW World Championship upon his return. 

Lashley’s last match was at Full Gear the month earlier in a Casino Gauntlet match for the AEW National Championship. 

Meanwhile, Shelton Benjamin competed in the  Dynamite Diamond Ring 2025 Battle Royal and AEW Continental Title Eliminator against Jon Moxley. 

In the second half of 2025, the group was also in pursuit of the AEW Trios Championship but were defeated by The Opps in October. In January last year, Lashley and Benjamin captured the AEW Tag Team Titles, which also marked their first championship reign on the promotion. 

Benjamin, Lashley and MVP made their AEW debut in September 2024 as The Hurt Syndicate, a revamped version of their WWE faction, The Hurt Business.

AEW’s MVP attached to multiple upcoming film & documentary projects

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Two documentary projects involving AEW’s MVP are on their way.

Recently, Deadline published a report that detailed a couple of upcoming scripted & unscripted film projects involving MVP.

As per the report, Damian Abraham, known for his work as frontman of the band F***ed Up as well as Vice’s The Wrestlers, will be teaming up with CBC producer Zach Feldberg to launch Cut & Paste Pictures out of Toronto, Canada. Where they will be pushing out scripted, unscripted, and documentary projects.

Cut & Paste is currently in the pre-production stage on a feature-length documentary about the lifelong friendship between Rise Against guitarist Zach Blair and pro-wrestler and manager Hassan Hamid Assad, aka MVP. The project is set to be directed by Scott Barber. Production is scheduled to begin this summer in and around Texas, where both MVP and Blair are based.

On the unscripted side is the series Exit Strategy, which explores the post-prison life of AEW’s MVP. The Hurt Syndicate’s manager was sentenced to 18 and a half years behind bars for armed robbery and kidnapping, of which he served nine and a half years starting at age 16.

Following his release from prison, MVP became a full-time wrestler and transformed himself into one of the most popular names across WWE, TNA, and AEW.

MVP praises Tony Khan’s approach to affordable AEW ticket prices

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

MVP praised Tony Khan’s vision of budget-friendly ticket prices for AEW shows. 

MVP addressed the distinction in ticket prices for wrestling events while speaking on the Battleground Podcast. He emphasized that Khan’s philosophy is for AEW events to be affordable for wrestling fans, and their families. 

MVP said:

“Right now in our country, we have a problem with affordability across the board. I don’t care what your political affiliation is. It’s tough, and whatever your wrestling affiliation is, you have to admit that there are some companies that are charging more than the average wrestling fan can afford to go and see some good, live wrestling.”

“AEW, affordability matters and we love the fact that Tony Khan has set up a company where we get down to wrestling. It’s where the best go to wrestle. A father of two or three, a family of four can go to an AEW show and have a great time. Case in point, in Fresno, Save Mart Center. You have AEW Dynamite live, and then after that, you have a Collision taping. So you get two shows for the price of one. You can buy affordable seats ringside. You can sit just a few rows back from ringside and not have to spend two months’ salary to do it, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”

The topic of ticket prices for wrestling events has been debated on social media in recent months. AEW World Champion MJF commented that “unlike WWE,” fans do not have to “sell the soul of your firstborn” to attend an AEW event.

Last October, Wrestlenomics published a report of Pollstar data showing that average ticket prices for WWE Raw and SmackDown events in the United States and Canada had roughly doubled since the September 2023 TKO merger.

MVP loves ‘youthful exuberance’ in AEW locker room

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MVP loves sharing the AEW locker room with a group of young and hungry wrestlers.

Appearing on the Battleground Podcast, MVP was asked what differentiates AEW from the other locker rooms he’s been in. He pointed to the amount of young talent that’s in the promotion and how they are always striving to put on the best match or segment.

“Youth and spirit. Extremely young locker room and lots of spirit,” the 52-year-old MVP said. “Just some young people that are extremely hungry, and they want to make a name for themselves, they want to make a career for themselves, and they’re constantly battling amongst each other for who can be the absolute best. No one’s skating on past accomplishments. Every week, everyone’s trying to go out there and compete for the best match, the best entertaining segment. And the fans win in the end. So I love the youthful exuberance that I find in the locker room week after week.”

MVP named Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher as two AEW wrestlers who have the potential to be the next “guy” in professional wrestling.

After making his AEW debut in 2024, MVP signed a contract extension with the promotion last year. He’s part of The Hurt Syndicate with Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin. Their faction — formerly known as The Hurt Business in WWE — is looking to get back in action after some time off.

MVP noted during the Battleground Podcast interview that The Hurt Syndicate is discussing the possibility of adding a new member. He thinks they could use someone with a “youthful spark.”

Marina Shafir confirms appearance for Ronda Rousey’s MMA return

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Marina Shafir is set to be present and support her friend Ronda Rousey during her upcoming MMA return fight.

On May 16th, Rousey is scheduled to make her comeback fight against Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, under the banner of Jake Paul’s MVP (Most Valuable Promotions). With the fight set to air on Netflix, AEW’s Shafir recently confirmed her appearance for the show.

Speaking on Busted Open, Rousey’s longtime MMA and wrestling friend, Shafir, expressed her excitement before confirming her appearance (H/t Fightful).

“Oh my God, I’m so excited for her. This is visceral for her. In a non-gay way, I have gotten really hard nipples for her. I’m just very excited for her because she has — you guys just have no f*****g idea what people go through, and for her to be doing the thing that she loves, so wholeheartedly and so passionately, I’m just so excited. I’m really f*****g excited to see what happens, what’s to come. I’m really excited to be there actually, too so,” Shafir claimed.

After finishing up with WWE in 2023, Rousey enjoyed a brief stint in the indies and ROH (Ring of Honor), where she teamed up with Marina Shafir to win a couple of matches. Apart from their tag-team run, their history dates back to their initial MMA days.

MVP says Tony Khan is a ‘better person all around’ than Triple H

Posted on by Ian Carey

MVP discussed the difference between working for Tony Khan at AEW and Triple H at WWE during a recent interview.

The Hurt Syndicate member took part in an interview with Case Lowe of Q101 and explained that Khan and AEW allow more input from wrestlers, while he described Triple H’s approach to booking as more “dictatorial.”

MVP said:

“Tony, he has his vision that he wants, and he works with the talent and allows a lot more input from the talent into what creative path is going to happen. Whereas ‘the nose’ (Triple H), he is a little bit more dictatorial, emphasis on dick. It’s, ‘This is what we’re doing, this is how it’s going to be, and this is what I want.’“

“Whereas Tony could say, ‘Well, this is what I want,’ and you can say, ‘Okay, Tony, but what about if we put this on it?’ and Tony invites the input. With that guy (Triple H), there’s only a handful of people that I would say are allowed to have that kind of input.“

“I think Tony, I’m just going to be blunt, is a better human being, a better person all around than this guy. So it’s definitely a better person to work for and a much better working environment.”

“When I was (in WWE), you did have a lot of people who were really concerned about their future because, at any given time, you were gone on a whim, and we saw it happen all the time. Tony doesn’t operate that way.”

MVP also addressed the rumor that he doesn’t like “Speedball” Mike Bailey, calling the idea preposterous and saying Bailey is a nice guy.

“That whole thing was preposterous, that ‘MVP doesn’t like Mike Bailey.’ I don’t have a problem with Mike. He’s one of the nicest guys around. I don’t know where that came from.”

MVP also addressed rumors that the Hurt Syndicate has refused to lose to certain teams in the AEW tag team division. He disputed that claim but said matches involving Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin should not be 50/50.

MVP continued:

“Bobby and Shelton could destroy everybody. In terms of how we approach a match, when you have smaller guys, I just try to explain to certain people that there’s psychology. You should be chopping down the tree. It’s not a 50/50 match.”

“Somehow somebody got this idea that the Hurt Syndicate don’t want to lose to anybody, which is bulls–t, because we’ve lost to people. But there’s psychology, there’s a way to do it, and we had great matches with Jet Speed and Speedball.”

“I got a lot of respect for the guy, he’s a tremendous athlete and loves what he does,” MVP continued to say of Bailey.

MVP also discussed his fandom of Masahiro Chono, Norman Smiley getting him into Japanese pro wrestling, and more during the interview. His comments about Triple H and Tony Khan begin around the 30-minute and 12-second mark of the video below.

MVP announces one Hurt Syndicate member is injured, another will be on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: JJ Williams

Former AEW World Tag Team Champion Bobby Lashley is injured according to faction spokesman and member MVP.

He announced the news during Saturday’s AEW Collision from Cardiff, Wales, but didn’t give any details as to the injury or when is was sustained.

The 49-year-old last competed at last month’s AEW Full Gear as part of the Casino gauntlet bout to determine the inaugural National Champion.

MVP also revealed that Shelton Benjamin will participate in the Dynamite Diamond battle royal set for this Wednesday in Manchester, England. As has been the case in the past, the two remaining wrestlers will compete the following week to determine who will challenge the only man who has ever held the ring since 2019: MJF, assumed to be at Worlds End.

It will be the first time Benjamin enters the fray for the Dynamite Diamond ring.

AEW Holiday Bash Dynamite lineup | Manchester, England | This Wednesday

  • The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero) with $1 million at stake
  • Dynamite Diamond battle royal
  • AEW Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn)

MVP explains having to protect Bobby Lashley from being ‘way too giving’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In their partnership, MVP feels like he’s had to protect Bobby Lashley from being too generous to his opponents.

A new episode of MVP’s Marking Out podcast premiered on Monday with MVP and co-host Dwayne Swayze discussing how important it is for wrestling giants like Omos and Satnam Singh to maintain their aura. MVP said, when he was paired with Omos in WWE, part of his job was protecting Omos from taking moves that a giant shouldn’t be taking from smaller opponents. That’s something MVP has needed to do as Lashley’s manager as well.

“That’s kind of how me and Bobby ended up together [in WWE] too,” MVP said. “Because Bobby’s way too nice for the damage that he can do. He’s one of the nicest guys around. And Bobby’s way too giving. So, you know, guys will want to do stuff to Bobby and Bobby will be like, ‘Ehh’ and I’ll be like ‘No. No. You can’t do that to him.’ Bobby will just be like, ‘Talk to P.’ Like, no. Would you do that to Brock Lesnar? No. Well, that’s Black Brock Lesnar. So, no you can’t suplex him. No, you can’t powerbomb him. Not you. So, protect your size, protect being a giant.”

MVP added that some of the best wrestling advice he’s ever heard is something that The Wild Samoans told Batista — work how you look.

“If you’re big and jacked up and got all the muscles, you ain’t got to do all that flipping and flying sh*t,” MVP said. “Because nobody — you look like, ‘Oh sh*t, he’s going to whoop some ass.’ Work like that.”

MVP revealed last month that he has signed a contract extension with AEW. He and Lashley are part of The Hurt Syndicate in the promotion alongside Shelton Benjamin.

MVP says he ‘invented’ idea for NJPW World

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Before New Japan World came into existence, MVP was pushing for NJPW to cater to its English-speaking fans more.

MVP spent two years with NJPW from 2011-2013, wrestling for the company in the early stages of its resurgence. That period saw NJPW start to gain more fans internationally as it became easier to watch the product. NJPW first started to stream pay-per-views and other events on Ustream before launching NJPW World in 2014.

On a new episode of his Marking Out podcast, MVP detailed a meeting he had with NJPW officials where he urged them to find ways to make the product more accessible to fans outside of Japan. MVP felt like NJPW was leaving a lot of money on the table by not having easy ways for international fans to buy merchandise or watch shows.

“Here’s something that is factual. This is an absolute fact — the idea for New Japan World, I pitched to President [Naoki] Sugabayashi long before it became a reality,” MVP said. “I had a meeting with Sugabayashi. He was the president back then. Jado, Gedo, Red Shoes, and Tiger Hattori. And I was telling them, ‘You guys are missing out on a lot of f*cking money. You have a huge English-speaking audience in the United States, in England, in Australia. You’re not marketing to them.’ I said, ‘You guys need a website that has an English translation. You’re not thinking about your audience outside of Japan.’ I said, ‘You need to make your product accessible to English-speaking fans outside the country.’

“I said, ‘You know, what you can do is set up like a YouTube page, you know, but in English, aimed at American fans.’ I said, ‘Pick three matches a week that you want to highlight, put it on the YouTube channel. I’ll help you get two Americans to do the voiceover in English for that match and start feeding your English audience.'”

MVP said he even asked fans on Twitter to let NJPW know how much they wanted more accessibility. There was a strong response from fans who agreed with him.

“So yes, true story. I invented New Japan World,” MVP said. “I pitched that idea to them before it existed. And I don’t know how long it took from the time we talked about it until it actually came to fruition, but I’m the one that suggested that they do that.”

Wrestling for NJPW was a dream for MVP, who left WWE so that he could compete in Japan. He later returned to WWE and is now with AEW, where he recently signed a new contract. He is part of The Hurt Syndicate with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.

Daily Update: Roman Reigns & CM Punk, AAA, MVP

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

A larger than usual issue this week with a wide variety of stories and tons of history:

  • The fixed fight accusations from Saturday’s UFC show, what happened, how Dana White and UFC handled it, fixed fights in the early days of MMA and the different motivations then vs. now, and a look back at history with a former world heavyweight boxing champion who later became one of the biggest stars of his era in pro wrestling.
  • A look at the third quarter TKO business, covering mostly UFC and WWE. How each category is doing and explanations as to why.
  • Nick Khan talks WWE ticket prices and booking decisions on live events
  • Full coverage of Saturday Night’s Main Event and business notes on the show
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Farewell in Gifu and 30 minutes that capsulized the best aspects of the past, present and future of pro wrestling
  • Notes on the Tokyo Dome advance
  • Finals of the Best of the Super Juniors tag team tournament
  • Notes on the upcoming heavyweight tag team tournament
  • Lots of notes regarding AEW Full Gear
  • The real history of the original NWA national heavyweight championship
  • Matches likely to happen at Full Gear
  • The final installment of our Hall of Fame series, covering international and non-wrestlers, where we talk about the cases of people including Spyros Arion, Dominic DeNucci, George Gordienko, Ted Boy Marino, Billy Joyce, The Royal Brothers, Dave Brown, Zane Bresloff, Bobby Bruns, Bob Caudle, Joe Higuchi, Jim Johnston, James Melby, Bill Mercer, Gorilla Monsoon, Rossy Ogawa, Reggie Parks, Morris Siel, Tony Schiavone, George Scott, Kevin Sullivan, Mike Tenay, Ted Turner, Jesse Ventura, Roy Welch, Stanley Weston, The Grand Wizard and Koichi Yoshizawa.
  • Notes on the death of Victor Conte Jr.
  • Tank Davis kills his last payday and Netflix’s big fight for the fall is out the window and thank God for that
  • DDT has one of its biggest shows of the year
  • Betting odds for pro wrestling matches last week and this week
  • The most complete look at the television ratings of wrestling shows over the past week. How these numbers compare in placings to past years, where other than pro wrestling is hurting with the new ratings, competition for each show and placings for the time slot
  • CMLL has four straight sellouts and coverage of the main matches including a major return this week
  • What wrestler is having the best year for someone their age in wrestling history
  • Notes on a very confusing tournament coming up
  • What young wrestler sold out in a singles with Mistico this past week
  • Notes from the last AAA tapings
  • AAA booking huge arena for a taping
  • Stardom big show plus notes on the tag team tournament
  • Will Vince McMahon write a book?
  • Former pro wrestling star elected Mayor
  • How network, cable and streaming numbers have affected NASCAR in 2025
  • Update on Blue Demon Jr.
  • More on Smashing Machine including Dwayne Johnson comments
  • Jerry Lawler returns to WMC
  • Athletic commission in trouble over a sponsored women’s championship
  • El Hijo del Santo retirement tour hits Europe
  • More WBD sale talks
  • Blood & Guts news
  • A poll on AEW viewership and how people watch the TV and PPV shows
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE, AEW, TNA, MLW and RAF
  • BJ Penn arrested again
  • WWE sets gate records
  • Paul Levesque’s booking
  • How much Dwayne Johnson’s TKO stock is worth
  • Notes on the WWE arena business going forward
  • The Ridge Holland story

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • WWE remembered Eddie Guerrero on the 20th anniversary of his passing: “Always in our hearts. Viva La Raza”
  • Disney uploaded a brief clip of Roman Reigns and CM Punk recording their cameos voicing zebras in “Zootopia 2.” Their characters are named Zebro Zebraxton and Zebro Zebrowski.
  • Randy Orton shared photos on Instagram of his family in Belize on a recent vacation celebrating Orton and his wife Kim’s 10-year anniversary:
    • Just back from vacation with family and friends. As a father nothing better than seeing my family smile. As a husband nothing better than seeing my wife happy. Thank you for coming with me to Belize to celebrate our 10 year anniversary my love.
  • At a Lucha Libre AAA taping in Mexico on November 28, The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) will challenge Psycho Clown & Pagano for the AAA Tag Team titles.
  • WWE confirmed that Oba Femi is appearing at NXT’s house shows this weekend and NXT Gold Rush next Tuesday.
  • Paul Heyman was the guest on a new episode of “What’s Your Story?” with Stephanie McMahon.
  • TKO representatives Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, and Dana White rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange today to celebrate TKO’s new partnership with Polymarket for UFC and Zuffa Boxing events.
  • The Wrestling Classic interviewed Ron Simmons.
  • WWE Vault uploaded the company’s full Bruno Sammartino documentary that premiered on the WWE Network in 2018.

Other Wrestling

  • Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe spoke to the Greensboro crowd last night after their team won Blood and Guts.
  • While speaking with Adventure Gamers, MVP was asked how different it is working with Tony Khan compared to Vince McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque:
    • It’s very different because Tony Khan is a completely different human being, with a completely different personality. He’s just a nice guy and a good person. I’ve never had any kind of a relationship with Triple H. Vince I was able to work with and with Vince, Vince knows exactly what he wants, how he wants to do it, and if you can present something that is better, sometimes Vince will listen, but when Vince has a vision, that’s it. You go with it. There’s no second guessing it. Tony Khan is a lot more interactive and will take in a lot more ideas and he’s more willing to be pliable when it comes to his vision and how he wants to present it and what he’s willing to do to add to it or to change it. He’s just a nice guy. It’s funny, like his energy level. He’s always happy and I’ve never seen him be mean to somebody. It’s a much different environment where WWE was very corporate, very tight laced, for some people even uncomfortable and they’re made to feel like they’re walking on eggshells and people are scared of getting fired. That environment doesn’t exist in AEW. It’s way more relaxed. No one’s walking on eggshells. The boss has time for everybody. And it’s super fun. No stress.
  • Agreeing with a statement Bret Hart had made calling Triple H a “phony,” MVP told Adventure Gamers:
    • Man, I agree with Brett’s assertion. I’ve said before, I call [Triple H] a coward and a liar. Let’s put it like this. If you really want to, you can go to YouTube and you can look up the interviews of various wrestlers through the years of what their opinion is of the man. Interviews of guys that were his friends, what they had to say about the guy. I can think of more guys that dislike him than I can think of guys that do like him. And people say MVP’s salty or bitter. Like, no, I have personal issues with the dude, stemming from professional stuff, but just the things that he does, how he carries himself, I just don’t have respect for the guy. The newer generation, they don’t know that guy yet. So the one of those that came up underneath him in NXT, they think he’s brilliant and a lot of them should for the hand he’s had in their career. But the guys that had to work with him back in the day will tell you a different story almost overwhelmingly. And so it’s not just me saying it. There’s guys who are way up the totem pole than me that are telling you that this guy’s no bueno.
  • Dustin Rhodes shared a new update on how he’s feeling as he recovers from the double knee replacement he underwent in August:
    • Knee replacements update:
    • We are just under 3 months out. I am still in a considerable amount of pain especially in mornings. I am 56 yrs old and it is taking a lot longer for recovery guys. The hardest thing for me at this moment, is getting up from a chair, and stepping down a step with right especially. My legs have always been pretty thin and cannot wait to actually strengthen them more on e I am able. I am on track for my age and then some and I would assume its because I have a strong work ethic and an athlete. Prob late Feb, early March for the greatest comeback of anyone in their 50’s.
  • Preston Vance and Griff Garrison appeared on a new episode of AEW Unrestricted.
  • Mustafa Ali told SEScoops that he would like to see TNA experiment with some outside-the-box ideas:
    • I’m going to show up to work and see what is asked to do and go do it. What I’d like to see from TNA, and this is just my controversial take, but they are in a position where they can be different. They don’t have to follow the formula. I think one of the coolest things about TNA was the six-sided ring, which was the X-Division. What I’m trying to say is I want TNA to go back to that experimental phase where we’re just trying these wacky ideas. At the end of the day, you can’t argue with the business model right now. Sold-out shows, potential network deals, and things like that. I also remember a time where I’d look out at TNA and see maybe a couple hundred people. At Bound for Glory, I looked out and saw a couple of thousands. 
    • It’s a beautiful thing, but whatever TNA is doing, I think they are doing things right. They have their eyes on young talent. They have tryouts coming up. It’s a great mixture of these talented veterans, then like the middle child are trying to figure out their journey and [there are] brand-new people coming in. It’s a beautiful locker room, a great team to work with. Production just keeps getting better and better with each show. There is a lot of experimentation going on. I think at Bound for Glory we had our first 4K camera for the entrance, so there were some unbelievable shots coming out. I’m just really excited, but if you asked me, selfishly I’d just like to see them experiment more with wild concept matches because we are in a position I feel we can do it. I think that would attract even more wrestling fans toward our product.
  • Vince Russo is writing a book about his time working for TNA. Titled “Total Nonstop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA,” it’s scheduled for a summer 2026 release.
  • TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast interviewed Bobby Fish.

MVP gives update on his future with AEW

Posted on by Josh Nason

MVP will be in AEW for a while longer as The Hurt Syndicate member revealed that he recently signed an extension with the company.

Speaking to a gaming website, the 52-year-old said he will be in AEW for “quite a while” in his current role and possibly behind the scenes which is something he is hoping for. He didn’t say how many years he re-signed for or if he was previously under a one-year deal.

“I’m very happy where I’m at right now in my career at this stage to be able to continue to contribute to the business and make money with my friends and entertain at the level that we’re still able to maintain. I appreciate Tony Khan for giving me, Bobby (Lashley) and Shelton (Benjamin) an opportunity to get the team back together for a final run and the future looks bright,” he said.

MVP debuted at September 2024’s AEW Grand Slam which began the eventual reformation of the former WWE faction alongside Lashley and Benjamin. Benjamin said earlier this year that he signed a three-year deal while the length of Lashley’s deal is unknown.

MVP praises AEW rival: ‘He’s phenomenal’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

MVP is all praise for his iconic All Elite Wrestling rival.

Over the past few months, AEW fans have been witnessing a rising rivalry amongst MVP’s Hurt Syndicate and Ricochet, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun. However, the 52-year-old has now surprisingly broken character to praise Ricochet. Speaking on his Marking Out podcast, MVP claimed that the 37-year-old high-flyer is doing the ‘best work of his career‘.

“Ricochet is amazing, man. His body control, what he’s capable of doing with his body, the details when he sells, like the little extra pump, he’s phenomenal. In our business, when everything is working the way it’s supposed to, we make each other look better than we are. Ricochet will make you look way better than you actually are and I think he’s doing the best work of his career.”

Last month at AEW WrestleDream, The Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin) faced and defeated The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun) in a thrilling 13-minute bout to determine the number one contender for the AEW World Trios Championship.

MVP’s conversation with a WWE legend about making a movie on his life

A few weeks ago, speaking on his Marking Out podcast, MVP opened up in detail about making a movie/book on his life and career. Sharing details of a conversation with WWE legend Dave Bautista, the current AEW star revealed that discussions have already taken place about bringing his journey to the big screen.

“I have thought about it, and many people have asked me about it, and it’s something that I want to do. And I’ve actually talked to my good friend Dave Bautista. We’ve talked about, with his production company, taking the steps to turn my life story into a movie. It’s something that — I trust Dave to do it. I wouldn’t trust just anybody with it, because my life story is not PG, man.”