Tag: wrestlemania

Daily Update: WrestleMania week media notes

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • The most detailed look at  how the Pat McAfee angle developed, its goal, why so many in the company are unhappy with it, where it  is leading, addressing the biggest WrestleMania questions, what CM Punk aid, where Paul Levesque and Ari Emanuel fit in, as well as an update on WrestleMania tickets compared to last year, discount offers cutting price back and more
  • Preview to AEW Dynasty, matches and business notes as well as updates on Double or Nothing direction and business, as well as All In at Wembley Stadium.
  • Favorites for WrestleMania and Dynasty
  • Lots of business notes on WrestleMania
  • Callum Newman wins IWGP title and review of Sakura Genesis, what we learned, business, Best of the Super Juniors and Dontaku notes
  • NXT Stand & Deliver.  Match rundowns and stories as well as business notes on the show
  • Texts from Paul Levesque to Nick Khan released in discovery regarding Vince McMahon’s involvement in booking when talent was told McMahon was out and Levesques frustration at the time
  • A detailed look at TNA pulling  talent from advertised indie events that they had previously approved and a better way of handling it
  • A look at the career of 60s and 70s star Flying Fred Curry, one of the major stars of The Sheik’s heyday running Michigan and Ohio, son of Bull Curry and nine-time world tag team champion.
  • The arrest of Alberto el Patron, lots more details and his history, shows he’s been pulled from, an ironic aspect of this story n a reality show in Mexico late last year
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the television shows of the past week, with  comparisons with last week, last year, demos and other stats, male vs. female percentage
  • More stats regarding the audience at Arena Mexico shows as well as a look back on a major week last week.
  • Saya Kamtani has major goal for Stardom’s big show later this month
  • Japanese television in 1985 and who were the draws
  • Ric Flair upset over WWE costing him a major merchandise deal
  • How many times was Flair world champion
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Two more possible WrestleMania card changes
  • Janel Grant lawsuit thoughts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne NXT Women’s Championship match from last night.
  • A video package aired on NXT spotlighting Kendal Grey and her road to pro wrestling stardom. 
  • Sports Business Journal gave an update on the timeline for when YouTube TV subscribers will get access to the ESPN app at no additional charge:
    • ESPN is set to air its first WrestleMania this weekend under the new pact with WWE, but sources tell SBJ that YouTube TV subscribers will still not be able to authenticate on the ESPN app in time for the event. Google is working through tech issues related to the authentication, sources added, and there remains an expectation that the problems should be solved ahead of SummerSlam.
  • ESPN announced its coverage schedule for the remainder of WrestleMania week:
    • Throughout WrestleMania week, ESPN will originate studio programming and live events from key locations across Las Vegas, including WWE World, Toshiba Plaza, Allegiant Stadium and Dolby Live at Park MGM. SportsCenter coverage will be led on site by Randy Scott, Gary Striewski, Treavor Scales and Joe Fortenbaugh, delivering live reporting, fan engagement and behind the scenes storytelling throughout the week. Scott, Striewski and Scales will explore WWE World and fan experiences across Las Vegas and will interview and talk with WWE Superstars on site, while Scales and Fortenbaugh will be positioned for post-match coverage and reaction throughout WrestleMania weekend. First Take will originate from Las Vegas as part of ESPN’s on-site coverage, featuring Shae Cornette, Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins live Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m. from Allegiant Stadium.
    • Coverage also includes No Contest Wrestling, hosted by O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, airing Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 during WrestleMania week, alongside the WrestleMania 42 Kickoff Show, Countdown to WrestleMania 42, Nights 1 and 2 of WrestleMania and the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
  • Shannon Sharpe & Chad Ochocinco’s Nightcap podcast will be live on WrestleMania Radio Row at 2 p.m. Eastern tomorrow with Carmelo Hayes, Charlotte Flair, Jacob Fatu, Je’Von Evans, LA Knight, Nia Jax & Lash Legend, and more scheduled to appear.
  • On the Soder Podcast, Becky Lynch said that, when WWE wrestlers make outside appearances, people are surprised at how easygoing they are since wrestlers are not used to being catered to in WWE:
    • I mean this politely, we’re not catered to – at all. No. Maybe there’s a couple of folks, and as you get more into it, you put up with less sh*t. But we pay for our own gear, they’re not getting us gear. We buy our own gear. We buy our own rental cars. We buy our own hotels. We are in charge of booking those hotels and booking those rental cars. And I think that’s why, actually, when we go to work at other places, whether it be [Showtime show] ‘Billions’ or whatever, people are usually pleasantly surprised at how easygoing we are. Because we’re not used to being catered to. We don’t expect anything. We don’t expect anybody to look after us. Because we are standardly so self-sufficient.
  • Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, Rey Mysterio, Big E, and Jackie Redmond made appearances across ESPN to promote WrestleMania.
  • CM Punk & AJ Lee took part in a GOAT Talk video for Complex. In response to a question about celebrities he’d like to see in WWE, Punk said he’s changed his mind on celebrity involvement and is now more open to it:
    • Dave Bautista, John Cena – I just want my friends to come back to work.
    • I get a kick out of seeing celebrities cross over, because it’s either the most spectacular car crash disaster. And there was a time where I probably was the most ardent like, ‘No, the purity of the sport of pro wrestling, blah, blah, blah.’ And now I’ve shed all that and I realize there’s a time and there’s a place for a little bit of everything for everybody.
    • I think Bad Bunny was a spectacular professional wrestler. This is the biggest, most recognized global pop star in the world. And he’s a fan, and he doesn’t just want to come and goof around. He took it seriously and he did it.
  • CNN World Sport did a feature story on Oba Femi ahead of his WrestleMania debut.
  • SHAK Wrestling has an interview with Rhea Ripley, who discussed how much she’s looking forward to Bianca Belair’s eventual return:
    • Honestly, it’s not the same without Bianca there. I miss her. I hope that she comes back soon. But at the same time, I also hope she’s living her best life, not having to go to work for a little bit. She’s busted her ass for so long. They’ve literally made her do so much and work so much, she deserves the time off.
    • I wish it was under better a circumstance, because that finger be looking nasty. Like, it’s shocked me that she’s been out for nearly a year from a finger injury – something that seems so small is something that’s so big. I’ve seen the photos, she’s sent me the photos, so thank you, Bianca. They’re pretty gnarly looking.
    • I just really hope that she comes back soon. Like, I really do, but that finger, it’s so fat. It’s so swollen. She’s doing rehab every single day and I’m looking forward to the day that she does come back. I don’t know how long that’s going to be, unfortunately, because you need your finger to bend in wrestling. Otherwise, you’re going to break it again.
  • Je’Von Evans appeared on the Battleground Podcast.
  • Brie Bella uploaded a new vlog showing her training in the ring with husband Bryan Danielson as she prepares for WrestleMania.
  • Matches from WWE World will stream live on WWE’s YouTube channel tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

Other Wrestling

  • Before he challenges MJF for the AEW World Championship on Dynamite, Darby Allin sat down for an interview on Close Up with Renee Paquette.
  • New TNT Champion Kevin Knight spoke with The Takedown on SI about his title defense against Claudio Castagnoli on Dynamite:
    • To go against a guy like Claudio is an amazing time because I’ve never had him one-on-one, only in multi-mans. And I’ve actually had to support him a few times in Mexico, you know, ‘El Jet’ is a little bit different when you cross the border.
    • So I know Claudio pretty well, I think I have speed and youth on my side. Claudio is a well, well oiled machine, there’s nobody like Claudio, so I’m gonna have to be on my A-game, be on my A-game and Claudio won’t know what hit him.
  • Andrade El Idolo will face Richard Holliday for Awesome Championship Wrestling in Poughkeepsie, New York on May 16.
  • Ronda Rousey made an appearance on CBS Mornings to discuss her MMA return against Gina Carano.

WWE releases opening video for WrestleMania 42 night one

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With WrestleMania 42 set to kick off in just three days, WWE has released the opening video for night one of the show.

Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame voices the cold open, referencing some of the most memorable WrestleMania moments of all time and setting the stage for some of this year’s matches to take their own place in history:

  • It’s something you can’t really explain. That feeling when the lights come on, the crowd roars, and you realize there’s no bigger stage than this. No brighter lights. No higher stakes. No louder crowd. And no second takes. It happens once, and it’s forever. Because memories are made in this ring. And we — you and me, the fans — we get to be there for the moments we’ll never forget.
  • We were there when the Irresistible Force met the Immovable Object. We were there when it seemed impossible until it happened. When legends took their final bows. When Seth shocked the world. When Cody finished his story and made his dad proud. And years from now, decades from now, our kids will tell their kids that we were alive and we were there. When Punk fought Roman for the title. When La Primera confronted La Guerita. When the Voices tried to squash The Nightmare. When Jade and Rhea stood face-to-face. When Oba stepped onto the stage, the biggest stage of them all, for the very first time.
  • There’s no way to know exactly what drama lies ahead. But we know that we’re here for the pops and the surprises. The memories that will last a lifetime. We are here. We are alive. No second takes. Lights up. The curtain’s about to rise. Welcome to WrestleMania.

Miranda is a wrestling fan and a multi-time Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner. He also appeared in a WrestleMania promo video that WWE put out back in January.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is hosting WrestleMania 42 this Saturday and Sunday, with the show set to stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally. The start time for each night is 6 p.m. Eastern.

WWE WrestleMania 42 —

Night one:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Randy Orton (w/ Pat McAfee)
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Liv Morgan
  • Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee defends against Becky Lynch
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • Unsanctioned match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed vs. The Usos & LA Knight

Night two:

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Roman Reigns
  • WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill defends against Rhea Ripley
  • “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Trick Williams
  • Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, JD McDonagh, and Rey Mysterio
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi

WWE ranks 42 greatest moments in WrestleMania history

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In celebration of WrestleMania 42, WWE has put together a ranking of the 42 greatest moments in WrestleMania history.

The countdown concluded on WWE’s YouTube channel today with Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III taking the top spot. That match is also set to be honored with the Immortal Moment Award at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this Friday, giving WWE a chance to recognize Hogan after he passed away in July 2025.

Here is the complete list:

  1. Hulk Hogan slams Andre the Giant (WrestleMania 3)
  2. Cody Rhodes finishes his story (WrestleMania 40)
  3. Steve Austin refuses to quit against Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
  4. Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank for heist of the century (WrestleMania 31)
  5. Hollywood Hogan hulks up against The Rock (WrestleMania 18)
  6. The Austin Era begins with Steve Austin defeating Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 14)
  7. The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 6)
  8. The Rock retires Steve Austin in trilogy finale (WrestleMania 19)
  9. Edge spears Jeff Hardy off a 20-foot ladder (WrestleMania 17)
  10. The Undertaker extends his streak by defeating Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25)
  11. Becky Lynch wins first women’s main event (WrestleMania 35)
  12. Randy Savage and Ms. Elizabeth reunite (WrestleMania 7)
  13. Kofi Kingston defeats Daniel Bryan for WWE Championship (WrestleMania 35)
  14. Cody Rhodes makes his WWE return (WrestleMania 38)
  15. Randy Savage wins vacant WWF Championship (WrestleMania 4)
  16. Rey Mysterio wins World Heavyweight Championship in honor of Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 22)
  17. Shawn Michaels retires Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24)
  18. Daniel Bryan wins WWE Championship (WrestleMania 30)
  19. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair become first Black women to main event (WrestleMania 37)
  20. John Cena makes his entrance with an army of doppelgangers (WrestleMania 25)
  21. Steve Austin comes out of retirement to defeat Kevin Owens (WrestleMania 38)
  22. The Undertaker competes for the final time in Boneyard Match (WrestleMania 36)
  23. Shawn Michaels makes boyhood dream come true by winning WWF Championship (WrestleMania 12)
  24. John Cena wins record 17th World Championship (WrestleMania 41)
  25. The Hardy Boyz return (WrestleMania 33)
  26. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon ladder match (WrestleMania 10)
  27. Steve Austin turns heel by aligning with Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 17)
  28. Bret Hart wins WWF Championship (WrestleMania 10)
  29. Randy Orton delivers ultimate RKO out of nowhere to Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)
  30. The Rock returns to WWE action (WrestleMania 40)
  31. Sting makes his WrestleMania debut (WrestleMania 31)
  32. John Cena faces The Rock for the first time (WrestleMania 28)
  33. Brock Lesnar wins WWE Championship in WrestleMania debut (WrestleMania 19)
  34. The Undertaker and Paul Bearer return (WrestleMania 20)
  35. IYO SKY, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley steal the show in triple threat match (WrestleMania 41)
  36. Brock Lesnar breaks The Undertaker’s streak (WrestleMania 30)
  37. Hulk Hogan teams up with Mr. T as WrestleMania is born (WrestleMania I)
  38. The Rock and John Cena fight off The Wyatt Family (WrestleMania 32)
  39. Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels embrace to end an era (WrestleMania 28)
  40. Ronda Rousey & The Rock take down Stephanie McMahon & Triple H (WrestleMania 31)
  41. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn end The Usos’ record Tag Team title reign (WrestleMania 39)
  42. The Rock, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan share the ring (WrestleMania 30)

Last year, WWE ranked the 50 greatest matches in WrestleMania history with Hogan vs. Andre coming in eighth. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 topped that list.

We are now just three days away from the start of WrestleMania 42, which is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday and Sunday. The event will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix internationally with a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern for each night.

WWE claims WrestleMania ticket sales have ‘surged’ in recent weeks

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While lower-than-expected ticket sales have become part of the on-screen build for WrestleMania 42, WWE says sales for the show have “surged” as of late.

Sports Business Journal published an article this week on the WrestleMania ticket situation, quoting from a USA Today story that said high prices were the biggest reason WWE has struggled to fill Allegiant Stadium. The SBJ piece included a quote from “a source close to WWE” downplaying the issue, saying that sales are up in recent weeks and the company still expects WrestleMania 42 to be among the largest gates in history:

A source close to WWE said ticket sales have surged in recent weeks and projected that the event remains headed toward one of the top gates in WWE history.

This is the second straight year that WWE has held WrestleMania in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. Last year’s two-night event was announced as the biggest gate WWE has ever drawn.

WrestleTix’s latest estimate has WrestleMania 42 at 42,715 tickets distributed for night one and 43,394 distributed for night two. At the start of April, those respective numbers were 38,381 and 40,003.

In last week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that ticket sales were down approximately 20 percent from this time last year, and there had been “no great run” on tickets since the angle where Pat McAfee was inserted into the build for the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton night one main event. McAfee has mentioned low ticket sales during the angle, saying he wants to save the business by helping get Orton back to the top of the card.

McAfee — who offered a discount on night one tickets last week — will be in Orton’s corner when he challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. The night two main event will then see CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

Cody Rhodes ranks five greatest WWE WrestleMania wrestlers of all time

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After already stopping by Get Up earlier in the day, Cody Rhodes continued his WrestleMania 42 media tour with an appearance on ESPN’s First Take.

Rhodes was asked to name his five greatest WrestleMania wrestlers in WWE history, with the criteria only considering how they performed at WrestleMania. He put two of his current-day WWE peers on the list while giving the three other spots to legends:

  1. Hulk Hogan
  2. Roman Reigns
  3. Shawn Michaels
  4. Randy Savage
  5. Charlotte Flair

While addressing the toughest omissions from the list, Rhodes said he knows the internet will eat him alive over not including Steve Austin. He noted that it was tougher to leave Austin out than The Undertaker.

Rhodes did not put himself on the list but said he hopes his stats will make him worthy of inclusion when someone else makes a ranking like this in the future. Rhodes believes headlining WrestleMania is the most difficult thing to do in WWE, and he’s now heading into his fifth main event if you count both matches from WrestleMania 40. Reigns was involved in three of those bouts.

The WrestleMania 42 main events are Rhodes vs. Randy Orton this Saturday and CM Punk vs. Reigns on Sunday. Ahead of the event, First Take will be broadcasting live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday.

Cody Rhodes names WWE WrestleMania 42 match he’s most looking forward to

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Outside of his own match, Cody Rhodes is most looking forward to seeing Gunther and Seth Rollins clash at WrestleMania 42.

Rhodes stopped by ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning to help promote WrestleMania. During the interview, he was asked to name which match he’s most excited to experience as a viewer.

“There’s always a little bit of that split between the sports entertainment and the wrestling. The sports and the entertainment,” Rhodes said. “And the one that’s old-school sports style that I really like, just good, old-fashioned wrestling: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins. I’m all about that. That’s a wrestlers’ wrestling match.”

The Gunther vs. Rollins bout is happening at night one of WrestleMania 42 this Saturday, which will be headlined by Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton. ESPN personality Pat McAfee has become a big part of that build and will be in Orton’s corner for the match. On Get Up, Rhodes described McAfee as a “rat” who is surrounded by people who don’t tell him “no” enough.

WrestleMania is Rollins’ first time competing in the ring since he suffered a shoulder injury while facing Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel in October 2025. WWE ultimately landed on Gunther as his return opponent after multiple other ideas were considered.

Ric Flair wishes daughter Charlotte was in singles match at WWE WrestleMania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ric Flair is looking forward to watching WWE WrestleMania 42, but he wishes his daughter Charlotte was involved in a singles match at the show.

Speaking with Yahoo Sports Daily, Flair praised WrestleMania as the “greatest sports spectacular” in the world. He spoke highly of the job Paul “Triple H” Levesque is doing as head of creative, even if Flair would like Charlotte to have more of a featured spot this year. Flair knows it won’t be long until Charlotte is in a singles match at WrestleMania again.

“I think he’s done a great job,” Flair responded when asked to assess Levesque’s job performance. “I don’t think anybody truly understands how difficult it is to manage egos and talent. You can’t make everybody happy, does that make sense? You just can’t. Everybody thinks they’re the best. Everybody thinks they deserve more. I could tell you who does and who doesn’t, but I’m not going to get into that [laughs]. I’m staying neutral.

“But they have some great talent, great storylines. I’m really looking forward to watching it. I wish my daughter was in a singles match, but that’ll happen again. She’s the greatest, I’ll say it right now.”

Charlotte has been in the WWE Women’s Tag Team title picture for nearly a year now. At night one of WrestleMania 42 this Saturday, she and her tag partner Alexa Bliss will be involved in a fatal four-way match for the belts. It has Nia Jax & Lash Legend defending against Charlotte & Bliss, Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins.

Yahoo Sports asked Flair how much it’s meant to him to watch Charlotte become an icon in pro wrestling.

“I’ll put it to you like this, if she had a Roman Reigns push, no one could ever talk to her again [laughs],” Flair said. “She is an icon. I mean, she’s just raised the bar so high. And I know she gets upset when I say this, but it’s the God’s honest truth, she’s just that damn good.”

Flair also had praise for Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and John Cena during the Yahoo Sports Daily interview. He did address his removal from the Roots of Fight clothing brand, saying he wishes he would have received a phone call about the situation instead of first being informed via letter.

“Those are the kind of things that throw me off a little bit,” Flair said. “You would think they’d have enough respect to call me, but they didn’t. So it is what it is. It isn’t the financial part of it. I can remember Randy Orton telling me a couple of years ago, ‘Man, I hope that someday I can be part of that Roots of Fight.’ It’s just the prestige of being part of that, you know, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, just a lot of very famous people. To be awarded that, and the merchandise is really rare and hard to find. So I don’t know what happened. I wish they would have called me, but they didn’t.”

Roots of Fight now has a deal with WWE, which explains Flair’s removal given that he is under contract with AEW.

Charlotte Flair on aging: ‘I’m just getting good’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton are all about to main event WrestleMania in their 40s. Charlotte Flair is out to prove women can do the same thing. 

Flair, who celebrated her 40th birthday earlier this month, discussed age and the wrestling business in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“Unfortunately,” she said, “men seem to get better and women seem to get older.”

“These years have gone by so fast,” she continued. “And then when I was younger, when I thought of 40, I thought of the Golden Girls. That’s really what I thought of. But now it’s like, not only did I have an opportunity in 2015 to be a part of the women’s evolution and redefine what it meant to be a female superstar—longer matches, no longer eye candy—now I’m here.” 

Flair says she hopes women in wrestling get a chance to last as long as their male colleagues. 

“I have another opportunity to help bridge the gap and redefine what success means for long-term female careers in professional wrestling,” she says. “I hope that I bridge that gap in a male-dominated world where before it was like everyone’s got to be 25, women are disposable. No, we’re not.”

As far as Flair is concerned, she’s only getting better with experience. 

“The one thing about building my character Charlotte is I have fallen in love with the process,” she says. “So I feel like I’m at the best I’ve ever been. Like, oh, now I’m just getting good. Now I’m just understanding the audience. Now I’m just understanding the actual psychology of being in the moment and not letting nerves take over.”

Flair and her tag team partner Alexa Bliss will be taking part in a four-way tag team match at WrestleMania 42. Along with Bayley & Lyra Valkyria and the Bella Twins, they’ll be challenging the Irresistible Forces for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. 

WOL: Dynasty, RAW, Smackdown, Mania tickets, TNA PPV, TOO MUCH!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with way too much to talk about including AEW Dynasty, AEW PPV lengths as usual, the Hulk Hogan documentary, RAW tonight, WrestleMania ticket sales, Smackdown, the TNA PPV this weekend, and so much more. A crazy show, so check it out~!

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Cody Rhodes: There’s ‘a lot of sincerity’ to WWE WrestleMania 42 main events

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes sees a common theme among the two WWE WrestleMania main events this year.

Taking place this weekend, WrestleMania 42 will be headlined by Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns. Both bouts have been built around long-standing personal issues. With that — and the recent addition of Pat McAfee to the Rhodes vs. Orton rivalry — Rhodes believes that it’s easy for viewers to suspend their disbelief and buy into what they’re seeing on screen.

“When wrestling is done right, the best thing ever is when you can just have a little bit of doubt on, ‘Oh, seems like those guys do hate each other.’ And we have a lot of that in both main events this year,” Rhodes said on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “There’s a lot of sincerity to the suspension of disbelief.”

The history between Rhodes and Orton dates back nearly 20 years to when they were members of The Legacy together. Given that, a lot of fans have been disappointed about McAfee’s involvement, feeling that it’s unnecessary to the story. Rhodes leaned into that sentiment on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, comparing McAfee’s inclusion to the popular meme where a clown is trying to blend in among a group of soldiers.

“Randy Orton, who I’m wrestling at WrestleMania, we have almost two decades of history. He was my mentor,” Rhodes said. “We were on screen together as part of his group Legacy. He had my dad’s last match. My first match in the company was against Randy. There is a lot of rich story material.

“And then we inserted Pat McAfee. We are literally in that part right there. So your question is everybody else’s question. You know the troops all outside and there is that clown? I’m not saying he’s the clown. It’s just an interesting fit. And we’re going to see where it goes.”

Rhodes did say that he believes McAfee is a serious person and not a clown. He just wishes the people around McAfee would say “no” to him more often — including telling him that it’s a bad idea to get involved in the main event of WrestleMania.

McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. If Orton loses, McAfee has promised to leave the wrestling industry forever.

Wrestling Weekly: Wreck on the road to WrestleMania plus AEW Dynasty predictions

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Plenty of people have had strong reactions to Pat McAfee being the mystery man behind Randy Orton, and Les Thatcher & Victor Sosa will share their thoughts on this edition of Wrestling Weekly.

But it’s more than just McAfee; it’s the reporting indicating who made this happen and why. We’ll discuss why we think it’s an overreaction to a problem that was created in house.

We’ll also run down the card for Sunday’s AEW Dynasty and give our predictions for the show.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WrestleMania 42 themed car set for NASCAR race this weekend

Posted on by Josh Nason

The presence of WWE WrestleMania 42 will be seen on the track at this weekend’s NASCAR event.

Revealed by the 23XI Racing team on Thursday, Bubba Wallace will drive the themed car at Sunday’s Food City 500 in Bristol, Tennessee. The team is co-owned by retired NBA megastar Michael Jordan.

WWE has had a history with NASCAR with Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick, also a 23XI Racing team member, appearing at a February Raw. Kevin Owens made a fill-in appearance for Rey Mysterio last year at an event and before that, WWE sponsored a SummerSlam-themed car in 2022.

In early-March, NASCAR and WWE offered a joint ticket package for both WrestleMania 42 and the Pennzoil 400 from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

WWE WrestleMania 42 night one lineup | Next Saturday

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Randy Orton (w/ Pat McAfee)
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Liv Morgan
  • Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee defends against Becky Lynch
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • Unsanctioned match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu (ESPN2)
  • Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed vs. The Usos & LA Knight (ESPN2)

WWE WrestleMania 42 night two lineup | Next Sunday

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Roman Reigns
  • WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill defends against Rhea Ripley
  • Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Trick Williams
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi (ESPN)
  • Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, JD McDonagh, and Rey Mysterio (ESPN)

WOL: WrestleMania historical ticket prices compared to today, Dynamite, AEW vs. TNA

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including the situation with AEW and TNA, AEW Dynamite recap and the Dynasty PPV this coming Sunday, Miz is marrying people, the sky-high WrestleMania ticket prices compared to every other WrestleMania ever, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WOR: WrestleMania, Dynasty, Dynamite and NXT, tons more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the WrestleMania night one and two line-ups, TNA pulling wrestlers from matches and why, Alberto El Patron update, Ric Flair is angry and then not angry, Dynamite results and Dynasty line-ups, NXT TV, Collision spoilers and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out!

Timestamps:
Start: WWE WrestleMania 42 lineup for both nights
4:57: TNA pulls wrestlers from matches against AEW talent
11:11: Alberto el Patron update, the situation between Ric Flair, Roots of Fight, and WWE
19:07: Mexico notes on CMLL & a new TV deal, Catalina leaving CMLL for AAA
25:21: UFC lineup, Observer book on 1992 coming out
34:43: AEW Dynamite report
58:59: Ratings
1:03:11: WWE NXT notes
1:09:42: AEW Collision spoilers

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WOL: GIANT news show, WrestleMania scoops, Liv and Roxanne, Vince McMahon, ticket prices, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with TONS of news to talk about, including the WrestleMania card, why some matches aren’t listed yet, what you can watch where, Liv and Roxanne injury updates, the ticket prices situation, HHH worried about Vince McMahon’s involvement, what’s happening with Vince, the RAW report and more. A PACKED PACKED PACKED show, so check it out~!

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