Tag: wwe\

Je’Von Evans want to be a ‘top dog’ in WWE, knows he’ll eventually change in-ring style

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Je’Von Evans opened up on long-term WWE goals, emphasizing his aim to evolve beyond his current high-flying in-ring style. 

Speaking on the Club 520 Podcast, Evans described his goal to be a ‘top dog’ in WWE. He is aware of the impact his current high-flying in-ring style weighs among fans and is already thinking of evolving his approach in the future. 

“Honestly, it’s just something that I’m doing right now for real. I want to be a top dog here. I know me doing all these cool moves is going to get my foot in the door, but it’s not going to keep me in the room. I’m doing all this now just to have fun with the crowd and build a connection with the kids and stuff like that. By the time I get older, I’m trying to be one of them dogs, you know? Somebody that don’t gotta do the flips.”

During the interview, Evans was asked about the toughest adjustments he has had to make since signing with WWE. He explained that while building up his presence as an established NXT star he was shifted to the main roster which brought challenges like larger crowds and a fanbase less familiar with his work. 

“I think when I was in NXT I was working my way up to become a top guy there, and right before that happened, main roster snatched me up, and I had to restart. Now I’m wrestling in front of bigger crowds and people that don’t know who I am at all outside of NXT fans. I feel like just adjusting to, and learning what different wrestling crowds like, because not every wrestling crowd loves the flips I do, some crowds just love you talking to them during the match and they’re like ‘oh this is the best match ever’. So I feel like learning that and developing that, that’s what my biggest challenge is right now.” 

Evans was 19 years old when WWE signed him in 2023. His agile in-ring performances soon made him a fan-favorite. Barely a year into his signing, Evans faced Randy Orton on NXT in October 2024 marking a high-profile matchup for someone at his stage.

He officially became a member of the Raw roster in January this year. Last weekend, Evans made his WrestleMania debut participating in the 6-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.

Jade Cargill wanted to wrestle more during WWE Women’s title reign

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Jade Cargill reflected on her WWE WrestleMania 42 showdown with Rhea Ripley, addressing shortcomings in her title reign and outlining ambitions for the future.

In an exclusive with The Takedown on SI, Cargill acknowledged the experience Ripley had with seasoned opponents like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at earlier WrestleMania events. She emphasized the importance of confidence heading into WrestleMania 42 catapulted her ability to deliver in the bout.

“She can’t go out there and have that stellar match if I don’t put on [a show] as well. Rhea has always had amazing dance partners. She’s worked with Charlotte, she’s worked with Becky… It takes two to tango. I wasn’t nervous last year. I had a match with the great Naomi. I thought we had a superb match in itself. It wasn’t a title match, so obviously it’s not gonna have as much buzz around it, but I don’t think that this was any different. I just had a title. And a title doesn’t make me, I make the title.”

Cargill added that while being the WWE Women’s Champion felt great it did lack in terms of what she had hoped for and wishes she had wrestled more. She identified it as a practice run for her next reign. 

“I wanted to wrestle more. I wanted more competitive matches. I wanted more grit. I really wanted to sink my teeth into whatever was being thrown at me. That’s all I wanted with my reign, but we didn’t get that as much as I wanted, and that’s fine. But now that I had a practice run, I’m gonna call it a practice run, I’m gonna say next time is gonna be totally different.” 

Cargill described that she has often been surrounded by superstars and revisited her AEW debut match where she teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. 

“I’ve been around superstars my entire life. That first match [in AEW], I was working with Cody Rhodes, and I was working with Shaquille O’Neal. Something that always sticks with me is that I asked [Shaq] if he was nervous. He was like, ‘Nervous? I can go out there, I could trip, fall, whatever. I’m still gonna be me. I’m still a star.'”

Cargill won the WWE Women’s Championship at SNME in November 2025 from Tiffany Stratton. Reports indicated that the title change was influenced by Stratton’s knee injury that required her to take some time off. Her first title defense took place on the February 13 edition of SmackDown.

Ripley set her sights on the championship after Elimination Chamber victory. This sparked a social media exchange that escalated into their rivalry for WrestleMania 42 where Ripley ended Cargill’s nearly 170 day title reign. 

Jade Cargill on WWE WrestleMania 42 match: ‘I think we did a stellar job’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Jade Cargill faced Rhea Ripley for the first time at WrestleMania 42, where Ripley captured the WWE Women’s Championship, ending her 169-day reign.

Speaking with 8 News Now — Las Vegas, Cargill reviewed her WrestleMania 42 performance. She commended the match and her entrance at the WWE Premium Live Event. Cargill cited she dwelled in the hate that fans have for her and is adamant on getting a rematch for the WWE Women’s Championship. 

“You know what? It’s okay, because I’m going to get my revenge and get that rematch.”

“I’ve never been featured on Night Two, I’ve always been on Night One so this is my first time on Night Two, I think we did a stellar job. I think my entrance was amazing. I think the energy at Allegiant Stadium was electric,” said Cargill. 

“It was cool, I liked it. The crowd was coming for me, they hated me, I love that for me. Keep hating me. But it was cool, I really liked it, the atmosphere was amazing. Okay, I didn’t deliver, but I’m going to get that rematch.”

WrestleMania 42 marked Cargill’s third appearance at the PLE, while Ripley competed for the seventh time in a row. Michin and B-Fab interfered in the title match on Cargill’s behalf but their plans unraveled when IYO SKY ran out to aid Ripley. 

During the bout, Cargill used a move synonymous with Kenny Omega, the One Winged Angel. However, in WWE the commentators referred to it as the Sandstorm. Later, Omega acknowledged and responded to the move being used after it sparked major buzz on social media.

Triple H comments on Brock Lesnar WWE retirement tease

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque didn’t offer much clarity while addressing Brock Lesnar’s apparent retirement at WWE WrestleMania 42.

After losing to Oba Femi on Sunday night, Lesnar left his boots and gloves in the ring before becoming visibly emotional as he seemed to bid farewell to the crowd. There has been no official confirmation of a retirement yet — and Levesque claimed during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter that he did not have a conversation with Lesnar backstage after the match.

“Well, it certainly seemed that way,” Levesque responded when asked if this was the end for Lesnar. “Brock is not a walk back through the curtain and have a long conversation guy. Brock is a walk back through the curtain very angry and go to his bus and that is the end of it. So there was not a discussion had after. I will say this — [Lesnar is] probably the most famous combat sport athlete of our generation. One of a kind, nobody like Brock Lesnar.”

It was expected that Lesnar would be retiring soon, with him admitting recently that he was only back in WWE for a short time. Most rumors suggested that Lesnar would retire at SummerSlam this August given that the PLE is being held in his former home state of Minnesota.

Levesque, keeping kayfabe, suggested to SportsCenter that the retirement decision was one Lesnar made in the moment after losing to Femi. Praising Femi, Levesque called this result a changing of the guard.

“The one thing that nobody gives him credit for is the intelligence of a fighter. They see Brock as this hulking brute. ‘The Beast,’ right? They see him as all that,” Levesque said. “There comes a point in time when somebody comes along that’s bigger and badder and just pushes you to a place that you can’t come back from. The smart ones know when that happens, and they call it a day.

“I don’t think that was a planned thing. I think Brock went to the ring, he walked into a wall called Oba Femi. Brock walked up to the next big thing and ran into a brick wall. And the intelligence in him said, ‘Maybe I should call it a day.’ And he took his boots off and he put his gloves down and he walked away. That is not a statement of Brock being afraid of it. That is an intelligent man meeting something that cannot be stopped. It is as much of a statement of Oba Femi as it is Brock Lesnar. You witnessed a changing of the guard at the apex of our business.”

Femi vs. Lesnar aired on the ESPN TV simulcast portion of the WrestleMania night two broadcast, with WWE clearly pushing Femi as one of the company’s biggest stars for both the present and future. It was Femi’s first-ever WrestleMania match after being called up from NXT at the start of 2026.

Triple H praises WWE WrestleMania 42 main event: ‘One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Appearing on ESPN after the conclusion of WrestleMania 42, Paul “Triple H” Levesque had very high praise for the show’s main event.

Night two of Mania concluded with Roman Reigns defeating CM Punk to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Levesque told SportsCenter that it was among the greatest wrestling matches he’s ever seen.

“Just epic,” WWE’s Chief Content Officer said. “You can see the passion and the pride of two guys that absolutely to the very core of their soul believe that they are the best in the world. And they’re out there to prove it to each other, they’re out there to prove it to the 55,000+ fans that were here tonight. Everything about them screamed, ‘I have to show I am the best.’

“And you see it all the way down to the end. Knock-down, drag-out fight that just someone won’t give. And you finally get to the end of it, no one really loses. But Roman Reigns comes out the winner. Roman Reigns is the new World Heavyweight Champion. To me, one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen, doesn’t get bigger.”

The match went nearly 34 minutes before Reigns got the win, beginning his first title reign since dropping the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. Reigns said after the show that he will not be a part-time champion and plans to be around all summer.

New Women’s World Champion crowned at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Liv Morgan has halted Stephanie Vaquer’s title run at WWE WrestleMania 42.

In the second last match of the night at WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Morgan entered the match with a special self-performed entrance featuring dancers and her new theme song.

What followed was a hard-hitting match between the two, with both of them stealing each other’s offenses. However, both women stood resilient to the attacks, before Vaquer fell prey to Morgan’s finishing move.

The final moments of the match saw Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez of The Judgment Day interfere and cause a distraction. Morgan took advantage of that moment and hit Vaquer with an ObLIVion to secure the three count and the gold.

In the end, Perez, Rodriguez, and Dominik Mysterio of The Judgment Day came out to celebrate Morgan’s title win with her.

Vaquer was the champion since September when she defeated IYO SKY to win the title at Wrestlepalooza. The title was previously held by Naomi before vacating it due to her pregnancy. Morgan previously held the Women’s World Championship from May 2024 to January 2025.

Becky Lynch wins Women’s Intercontinental title at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Becky Lynch is Women’s Intercontinental Champion once again.

Lynch dethroned AJ Lee Saturday at WrestleMania to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship for the third time. Throughout the match, Lynch got confrontational with referee Jessika Carr, who ended up shoving Lynch in the process. After Lynch did a hair pull, the referee got distracted long enough for Lynch to undo the turnbuckle. Lee went for a splash in the corner but Lynch dragged the referee into the corner, sending her down. The confusion lasted long enough for Becky to grab Lee and throw her into the turnbuckle, then scored the win with the manhandle slam.

The Wonder Years played Lynch to the ring ahead of her match, while Lee camie out with little girls wearing her outfit.

Lynch and Lee had been feuding for the last several months, dating back to Wrestlepalooza when Lee and CM Punk defeated Seth Rollins and Lynch in a tag team match. After submitting Lynch at Survivor Series, Lee won the Intercontinental title at Elimination Chamber in February. However their feud was not over, with a WrestleMania challenge being issued not too long after February’s PLE.

Paige returns, wins gold at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is Paige’s house once again.

At WrestleMania 42 night one, Paige returned to WWE and worked her first match for the company in nearly a decade, teaming with Brie Bella to win the Women’s Tag Team titles. It was scheduled to be Nikki & Brie Bella teaming together in the match, but Nikki was unable to be cleared in time after suffering an ankle injury on SmackDown three weeks ago.

Nikki walked out with a crutch as The Bella Twins made their entrance tonight. Announcing that she would not be able to compete, Nikki said an “old friend” would be taking her place — bringing out Paige for her return.

That crutch ended up playing a big role in the fatal four-way match. Interfering during the finish, Nikki used the crutch as a weapon and struck Charlotte Flair with it. Paige then got her knees up when Alexa Bliss went for Twisted Bliss. She followed up with RamPaige on Bliss for the victory.

Nia Jax & Lash Legend were Women’s Tag Team Champions heading into tonight. The four-way bout featured Jax & Legend, Brie Bella & Paige, Charlotte & Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

On commentary, Michael Cole brought up that Paige won the Divas Championship on her first night on the main roster back in 2014 and had now won gold again her first night back.

Paige was once medically disqualified from WWE due to neck issues, last wrestling for the company in December 2017. She remained with WWE in a non-wrestling role until departing the promotion in 2022. She then joined AEW, returning to the ring there and holding the AEW Women’s World Championship one time.

In March 2025, Paige (Saraya) and AEW mutually parted ways. She took the past year off from pro wrestling but had been training for her return recently.

Cam’ron says he’ll see Jey Uso at WWE WrestleMania 42 after altercation

Posted on by Ian Carey

Cam’ron says he’ll be at WrestleMania.

Jey Uso and the rapper got into an altercation on It Is What It Is on Thursday, although it is not clear if the scene was real or staged. Uso grabbed at Cam’ron and threw him to the ground on the show.

Cam’ron addressed the incident to open his show on Friday, saying:

“I see a few people from the Bloodline that’s upset. Listen man, don’t be mad at the facts, be mad at the resume. And I’ll see you all this week at WrestleMania. I’m pulling up, I’ll be there.”

Cam’ron later addressed Uso, saying:

“I know I’m the biggest name that you had a fight with in a long time. I’m probably the biggest name that you ever had a fight with because you’re not your father. You’re not The Rock.”

“We’ll see what happens at WrestleMania. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, but I will tell you that something is going to happen.”

The altercation between Uso and Cam’ron began early in Uso’s appearance on yesterday’s show. As Uso was discussing his family history, Cam’ron interjected to say Uso was not on the level of The Rock or his father Rikishi. Uso later appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s podcast and said that Cam’ron “had it coming,” while also joking about the rapper riding a scooter around Las Vegas casinos.

The full episode of It Is What It Is is available below. Cam’ron’s comments about Jey Uso begin at the start of the episode.

Becky Lynch says Triple H made sure she still got paid during WWE hiatus

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Becky Lynch revealed the truth about her WWE contract status during the year she was away from the company.

Lynch was gone from WWE between May 2024-April 2025. At the time, she didn’t feel like her babyface run was working and was “kind of tired” from wrestling so often, raising her daughter on the road, and writing her book. Lynch didn’t intend on going anywhere else, but Paul “Triple H” Levesque insisted on extending her contract so she would still get paid.

“I told Hunter, I said, ‘Look, I’m stepping away. I’m not going anywhere else, but I just need some time.’ And he was great about it,” Lynch said. “He was like, ‘Hey, okay, all right, look, but let’s just extend your contract so you can at least get paid.’ Which was just so nice of him.

“So I was like, ‘I’m not going anywhere. I promise, pinky promise.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, but you might as well get paid while you’re doing it.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, all right.’ So that was very nice. And I thought it would be like three months. It ended up being a little bit longer than three months. 10 months, I think it ended up being.”

Spending more time at home was the biggest benefit of the hiatus for Lynch. She also took time to focus more on acting opportunities, including a role on the short-lived Paramount Plus series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.”

At WrestleMania 42 night one, Lynch is challenging AJ Lee for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental title. The Saturday card also includes a match with Lynch’s husband Seth Rollins facing Gunther.

Stephanie McMahon: WWE Hall of Fame induction is ‘biggest thing ever in my career’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has defined so much of Stephanie McMahon’s life — and she’s grateful to be taking her place in the company’s Hall of Fame.

A new episode of McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast debuted today with her husband Paul “Triple H” Levesque interviewing her about her upcoming Hall of Fame induction. He asked McMahon how it feels to be going into the Hall of Fame.

“My God, it feels — it’s such an honor,” she responded. “And I’m so grateful. It’s the biggest, I never, ever imagined it. And it’s just the biggest thing ever in my career. And, you know, I’m really proud.”

Levesque feels McMahon is one of the most deserving people who could ever join the Hall of Fame. But when she was surprised with the news, Levesque could tell that McMahon couldn’t understand why she was being inducted. McMahon addressed whether she’s come to accept that she’s worthy.

“Well, I don’t know that worthy is a word I would use. But like I definitely am accepting and I’m in such a great place and I’m so excited and I’m just so grateful,” she said. “You know, that’s the thing. It’s like, no matter what happens in WWE moving forward, this has been my life. And I’m so grateful to have had this remarkable, incredible life surrounded by these characters and people who are probably the most honest sort of truthful versions of themselves, right? Because when you’re on the road with people and I don’t know, I love our community.”

McMahon said she’s gone through several iterations of the draft for her speech and has written it in pieces, remembering new things throughout the process. People within WWE have told McMahon that they were struggling to put together the video package for her induction because it has to encapsulate nearly 50 years of history into such a short video.

For McMahon, WWE is the only place she’s ever wanted to work, calling it the “best business in the world.” She loves that she’s gotten to do so many things over the years both on-screen and behind the scenes.

“So to have had all of this, you know, this is my world,” McMahon said. “WWE is my actual world and always has been.”

Levesque became emotional toward the end of the podcast while discussing how deserving McMahon is of her induction. He credited McMahon for making WWE a family instead of a cutthroat, Wild West-type business.

“There’s very few people that I could look at and say deserve it more. Like, truly. I don’t say that because you’re my wife. I don’t say that because it’s you. I say that because of your accomplishments and what we’ve done and, you know, the things you’ve accomplished and especially the stuff that you’ve accomplished that people don’t even see,” he said.

“People come along and participate in the business. People come along and add to the business. Very few people change the business… You put the culture in what we do. It didn’t exist before that. It was just the f***ing Wild West. It’s just what the business was. And then you came in and sort of changed it.”

The 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is taking place in Las Vegas at midnight Eastern/9 p.m. Pacific this Friday night, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on YouTube internationally.

2026 WWE Hall of Fame class —

  • Stephanie McMahon
  • AJ Styles
  • Demolition (Ax & Smash)
  • Dennis Rodman
  • Sid Vicious (posthumously being inducted as a Legacy Award winner)
  • Bad News Brown (posthumously being inducted as a Legacy Award winner)
  • WWE Immortal Moment Award: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant from WrestleMania III

WWE NXT Revenge week one live results: Two championship matches

Posted on by Marc Quill

In the aftermath of Stand & Deliver, WWE NXT begins a new special event tonight.

NXT’s two-week Revenge special kicks off with a pair of title matches on tonight’s episode. Lola Vice won the NXT Women’s Championship from Jacy Jayne at Stand & Deliver in a triple threat that also included Kendal Grey. Tonight, Jayne gets her one-on-one rematch for the belt.

The men’s NXT Championship will also be on the line as Tony D’Angelo defends against Ethan Page. Stand & Deliver saw D’Angelo become the new champ by winning a fatal four-way match.

Joe Hendry, the former NXT Champion, will perform a concert addressing his title loss.

A grudge match between Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan is also part of tonight’s lineup. Plus, former Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong makes her official NXT debut.

We’ll also get EK Prosper vs. Dorian Van Dux as NXT’s tournament to crown a new men’s Speed Champion continues.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Following the “Then, Now, Forever” signature intro, we opened on a hype package that set the stage for tonight’s show.

Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan

Parker and Jordan kicked it off with a long collar-and-elbow tie-up sequence with neither woman getting the upper hand. Jordan got the advantage by sending Parker’s head against the top rope. However, Parker recovered and hit Jordan with a boot, followed by a sliding sleeper hold. Parker kept the hold on tight as she rolled around the rin g with Jordan still trapped. Jordan finally escaped and hit Parker with a boot to the gut, but she was taken down for an armdrag. Big back body drop by Parker sent Jordan out of the ring.

Jordan swept Parker’s leg as she reached the apron. With both women out of the ring, they took each other down with a double-down on the clothesline as we took a commercial break.

As we returned from commercial, Parker was in a bad way as Jordan targeted her legs with attacks during the break. Jordan dragged Parker into near the ring post and smashed the hurt knee against it to cause maximum pain. Parker stopped the onslaught with a nice German suplex. That opening was fleeting as the pain of the knee was too much as Jordan locked in a modified STF right in the middle of the ring. Parker struggled to get to the ropes, but was pulled away just as she was about to reach it. Jordan talked trash to Parker, which seemed to be a mistake as the injured Parker tried to fight back.

Jordan hit a spinning heel kick, but missed on the running splash. Parker took advantage with a Samoan Drop followed by a flurry of running shoulder blocks. Parker connected with the Backstabber to the back of Jordan. With her foe trapped in the corner, Parker clubbed Jordan before hitting a hip drop as she was stunned across the middle turnbuckle. Outside the ring, Jordan pushed Parker against the apron before the two found their way back into the ring. Jordan connected with a nice apron cutter on Parker for a close two-count. Jordan went for a crossbody, but Parker rolled through and caught her. Jordan reversed it into a Dragon Sleeper, but Parker turned that around into a Falcon Arrow for a near-fall. The match ended as Parker ran into an exposed turnbuckle when she tried to hit the Hipnotic , which opened her up to Jordan’s split-legged moonsault for the win.

Kelani Jordan def. Jaida Parker via pinfall

This was a good opener. Some nice stuff between Parker and Jordan here, and the sequence near the end where Jordan’s dragon sleeper got turned into a Falcon Arrow by Parker was unexpectedly smooth.

**********

– Earlier Today footage saw Shiloh Hill mulling over notes on building something when Ricky Saints confronted him. Ethan Page soon had a chat with Saints, wanting his help for his NXT Title match against Tony D’Angelo. Hill was just ruminating with himself in the background as Saints to agree with Page’s proposal of letting him have a NXT Title shot if he got help to defeat D’Angelo.

– The NXT Focus was on Sol Ruca discussing her deteriorating friendship with Zaria as she recounted the events over the last year that led to their falling out. Next week, the two will face off in a Last Woman Standing Match in Week 2 of NXT Revenge.

Joe Hendry in Concert

Once Hendry got in the ring, he started by saying that he lost the NXT Championship, and it meant that he had to ask a lot of difficult questions. Was it the end of the road? Should he just quit? That’s when Hendry looked in the mirror and said “Joe says no”. With that in mind, Hendry said that it was time to lift everyone’s spirits with a Joe Hendry concert.

Hendry then began to sing a song about his recent NXT Championship struggles. Before he could continue, Keanu Carver interrrupted, much to Hendry’s dismay. Hendry then began to brawl with Carver, who withstood a guitar shot from Hendry. Carver then took down Hendry with strikes as security tried to break everyone up. Outside the ring, the security was with Hendry, as Carver hit them with a spear through the barricade.

**********

– Tony D’Angelo talked about his match against Ethan Page for the NXT Title, as he promised to smash Page’s ego to keep the title around his waist.

– Lola Vice was in her locker room when Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer dropped by for a visit. The two champions wished each other luck for their big matches this week.

Kali Armstrong vs. Skylar Raye

Raye offered a handshake, but Armstrong slapped the hand away and showed impressive strength as threw her around. Raye tried to fight back with a kick, followed by a version of the Dirty Diana. That didn’t last loong as Armstrong dropped Raye with a fierce spinebuster. Armstrong connected with a running powerslam, but Raye kicked out at two.

Raye tried to fight back again, but she got hit with a scintillating punch combo from Armstrong for another two-count. Armstrong had Raye trapped in a chinlock, but she missed with the elbow drop. Raye countered a Samoan Drop attempt from Armstrong and hit a running shoulder charge. Raye hit a tornado DDT on Armstrong, but couldn’t win it there and then. Raye headed to the top rope and looked for a high-risk maneuver. Armstrong intercepted with a punch as she then hit another running powerslam. Armstrong then finished it off with “The Kali Connection”, a move that resembled a cross between Bron Breakker’s Super Spear and The Pounce. The three and that’s this match done.

Kali Armstrong def. Skylar Raye via pinfall

An nice debut for Kali Armstrong here, and I appreciate that Skylar got her shots in and it wasn’t a complete and total squash.

**********

– Robert Stone was with Blake Monroe and The Vanity Project, as he said that Tatum Paxley agreed to defend her Women’s North American Title against Monroe, but only if she got to pick the stipuiation, much to Monroe’s dismay.

NXT Championship: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page

Page talked smack to D’Angelo’s face as the bell rang, but the NXT Champion responded by battering him with strikes and smashing his head against the turnbuckle. D’Angelo scoop slammed Page in the middle of the ring. Page fought back with a kick to the gut as he attempted a suplex on the champion. D’Angelo tried to reverse, but he couldn’t counter the suplex from Page. Ricky Saints appeared at ringside, but he was pulled from underneath the ring. Moments later, we saw Shiloh Hill emerge under the ring, with Saints tied by the legs with a rope. Hill dragged Saints away from the ringside area.

Back to this match, Page dropped D’Angelo on with a kneebuster to the face. Outside the ring, Page hit a swinging neckbreakerr on D’Angelo as this match went to a commercial break.

This NXT Championship match returned from commercial as D’Angelo fought his way out of an Ethan Page resthold. D’Angelo headed to the top rope, but Page reversed that into a powerslam for a two-count. D’Angelo hyped himself up as Page punched at him and he got a surge of adrenaline as a result. Belly-to-belly suplex was followed by a German suplex from D’Angelo. Page got flattened by a D’Angelo spear, but he managed to kick out. D’Angelo’s Forget About It attempt was countered by Page as the two began to hit each other with hard strikes.

D’Angelo hit the Throwback on Page before connecting with Forget About It. One, two….. 2.999999999!!!!!!!!!! D’Angelo sized up Page for a chokeslam, but Page countered with a thumb to the eyes. D’Angelo got thrown into the ringpost as Page set him up on the top rope. Page looked for an avalanche powerslam and made no mistake on it. D’Angelo kicked out at two, which led to Page hitting a body splash from the top rope. Again, D’Angelo kicked out. Page rolled out of the ring and grabbed the NXT Championship from the podium. The referee tried to grab it from him but D’Angelo rolled up him up for a close kickout. Page hit the Ego’s Edge and dropped D’Angelo right on the title belt. D’Angelo somehow kicked out of this.

Outside the ring, Page rearranged the furniture at the commentary table and looked like he was going to hit a Twisted Grin on the table. D’Angelo countered and dropped him face-first onto the barricade. D’Angelo stood on the barricade and hit a spear onto the commentary table. D’Angelo rolled Page back into the ring and connected with Dead To Rights. The three and that’s it, over. Tony D’Angelo remained the NXT Champion.

Tony D’Angelo def. Ethan Page to retain the NXT Championship via pinfall

A solid match for sure, but I gotta be honest, I’m not sure if I like Tony D’Angelo’s character basically turn into “generic tough guy”. His previous gimmick had a lot of personality and fit the wild and wacky world that NXT is trying to present. The match itself was enjoyable despite that.

**********

– Ricky Starks angrily confronted Shiloh Hill for what he did to him in the previous match, promising it wasn’t over.

Myles Borne addresses Dion Lennox & Darkstate

The NXT North American Champion talked about how he pulled the Black and Gold out of Johnny Gargano at Stand & Deliver. He was going to go celebrate, but Dion Lennox hit him with a chair, which Borne saw as his moment being stolen.

Borne said that Darkstate wasn’t safe, which cued the lights going out and the group appearing amongst the crowd. Dion Lennox spoke about Darkstate’s success, and how they were on a recent slump. But, it was going to be over, and because the key was Borne’s NXT North American Title. Lennox threatened Borne.

Saquon Shugars stated that Darkstate had no leader and seemed to be upset at Lennox challenging Borne for the North American Title, claiming that Lennox cared about his own future more than Darkstate’s. Shugars tried to rush the ring, but Borne got the best of him as the rest of Darkstate pulled Shugars out of the ring, seemingly not on the same page.

**********

– We got a video from Zaria’s perspective on how her friendship with Sol Ruca broke down. Zaria said that next week, Ruca would be burning alongside the world when she’s the Last Woman Standing

WWE Speed Championship Tournament: EK Prosper vs. Dorian Van Dux

This match was contested under Speed rules, which meant a three-minute time limit for this match. We got inset remarks from Van Dux, where he stated that he was here to change the definition of destruction.

We started off fast with Prosper using his speed to get ahead of Van Dux with acrobatic dodges. Van Dux countered by throwing Prosper out of the ring as he then soared over the top rope with a dive. Van Dux hit a diving splash from the top rope for the two-count. With Van Dux out of the ring, Prosper hit a diving moonsault from the apron to get ahead of it. The action was fast as Van Dux recovered with a dropkick from the middle turnbuckle. Fast clothesline by Van Dux couldn’t put Prosper away as this match entered sudden death. Shining Wizard by Prosper on Van Dux for a near-fall. Things quickened as Van Dux struck his target hard on the jumping cutter, but couldn’t achieve double impact with the splash. With ten seconds to go, Prosper connected with the high-arching moonsault to win a shot at Lexis King for the Speed Championship.

EK Prosper def. Dorian Van Dux via pinfall

I’ll admit that I’m seeing both these guys with fresh eyes and even with that in mind, I enjoyed how quick and high-stakes this match was. Of the two, D.V.D. looked the most impressive to me and he had a good first impression as a result. Good match here.

**********

– Keanu Carver was being chastised backstage by NXT GM Robert Stone for crashing Joe Hendry’s concert earlier. Carver promised he’d destroy Hendry some more next week.

– A “NXT Chronicle” package on Kendal Grey was shown.

– Elsewhere, Tatum Paxley was asked by Robert Stone about what the stipulation will be for her match against Blake Monroe will be. It turns out the two will face in a Casket Match, as Shiloh Hill rolled in a casket that he created for Paxley.

Next Week – NXT Revenge Week 2:

  • Last Woman Standing: Zaria vs. Sol Ruca
  • NXT North American Championship: Myles Borne (c) vs. Dion Lennox
  • Joe Hendry vs. Keanu Carver
  • NXT Women’s North American Championship Casket Match: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Blake Monroe

– Things with Darkstate seemed rough right now as Dion Lennox argued with Saquon Shugars about what happened earlier. Shugars seemed upset at Lennox prioritizing his personal glory over the group, but Lennox justified it by stating that going after Myles Borne’s North American Title was perhaps the only chance at gold that the group would get.

NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice (c) vs. Jacy Jayne (w/ Fatal Influence)

Vice put her dukes up as the bell rang and things started off at a more methodical pace. Vice took down Jayne as neither woman was able to establish themselves in this early stage of the match. Vice and Jayne traded arm drags as the match took on a more technical pace. Jayne got caught in an armbar from Vice, who then hit her with a hard strike to the gut. Vice targeted Jayne’s gut with kicks to the area as the challenger rolled out of the ring. Vice launched herself from the apron, but Jayne avoided calamity as Lainey Reid took the bullet for her. This allowed Jayne to flatten Vice with a running boot as we took our final commercial break.

We returned to our main event as both Jayne and Vice were recovering in the middle of the ring. Once both women were on their feet, they exchanged strikes and kicks. Vice got the best of Jayne with a snap German suplex. With Jayne stirring to her feet, Vice unleashed a flurry of furious kicks to keep the challenger flatfooted. In the corner, Jayne fell victim to two consecutive running hip strikes. Jayne turned Vice’s submission into a pinning predicament for a near-fall.

Vice kicked Jayne in the head, which sent her foe out of the ring. As Vice rolled Jayne back to the ring, Fatal Influence provided a distraction, which gave Jayne enough time to hit the knee for the near-fall. Jayne maintained momentum as she put Vice on the top rope. However, Vice turned that into a choking submission. Lainey Reid provided a distraction as Fallon Henley hit Vice with a kick to the face. With the referee still distracted, Jayne hit Vice with the spinning punch. The NXT Womens’ Champ somehow kicked out at two here.

Vice used the ropes to assist her in locking Jayne into a sleeper submission. Vice was sent into the ropes by Jayne, as Lainey Reid struck herin the face. The spinning punch from Jayne was avoided, but Vice’s backfist found its target as this matcch came to an end.

After the match, Kali Armstrong literally bulldozed through Fatal Influenced and stared down Vice. Soon, Kendal Grey and Izzi Dame appeared. Just as Zaria headed down to the ring, Sol Ruca attacked her before she could reach the ring. The Triple H/Shawn Michaels producer credits popped up and NXT Revenge Week 1 ended with Vice raising her title high.

Lola Vice def. Jacy Jayne via pinfall to retain the NXT Women’s Championship

**********

Kind of a standard main event title bout here with the babyface champion overcoming heel interference to retain the gold. The post-match stuff with Vice’s upcoming challengers confronting her was fine and it does set up an interesting road map for her title reign.

Overall, week one of NXT Revenge was alright. The matches were entertaining enough (the Speed tournament match being my standout) and I didn’t feel like my time was wasted watching this show. The set up for week two next week was done well and nothing really stuck out as being overly “bad” at all. All in all, tonight was good.

Daily Update: Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio, AEW & NFL

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

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

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Tuesday Update

AEW
AEW (Image credit: AEW)

 WWE

  • PAPER has profiles on both Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio.
  • Mysterio talked about his relationship with Liv Morgan: “Man, she’s the absolute best. She brings out the best in everybody because she’s always just so positive, very encouraging, honestly, just a joy to be around and absolutely blessed to be able to work with her. I started off with Rhea Ripley, went on to Liv Morgan. Two of the best of the best. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about Liv, and I hope that we stay together. We work for a reason. There’s lots of gold around the Judgment Day, and it’s thanks to her.”
  • Liv Morgan talked about her upcoming match against Stephanie Vaquer: “I love it, because honestly, Stephanie and I really have no business together other than: I want your championship. And so I think that we’ve made it really personal and really physical. They know we do not like each other. I think they know it’s on site when we see each other. Like, I’m talking about her mother. I called her mother trash last week.”
  • Drew McIntyre has released a PSA ahead of WrestleMania week.
  • A new poster for Coyote vs. ACME, which stars John Cena.
  • After jumping to AAA over the weekend, La Catalina will be at WWE World on April 20.
  • Sports Business Journal has an article on WWE’s soft WrestleMania ticket sales.
  • Kali Armstrong was on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg.
  • Recent WWE Vault additions include a Gunther retrospective, the Women’s Battle Royal from WrestleMania 34, and a compilation of Bret Hart’s WrestleMania matches against the likes of Steve Austin, Yokozuna, and more.

AEW & Other Wrestling

Triple H says WWE has ‘no backup’ for top-tier stars

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque believes WWE’s top-tier stars like Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk are irreplaceable.

Ahead of WrestleMania 42, Levesque sat down with SmackDown commentator Joe Tessitore for a long-form interview posted by WWE. Levesque said there have been “a lot” of surprises on the road to WrestleMania. As a booker, factors like injuries disrupt your plans and change the original vision you had. Levesque feels that injuries in WWE have an even greater impact than they do in other sports, where there is always a backup ready to take over.

“Oh, there’s a lot of them [surprises]. Because sometimes it’s surprises of the way that you think a crowd is going to react to something and they react different,” Levesque said. “Sometimes it’s — when you’re putting stuff together in your mind, Dusty Rhodes used to say this all the time to me, ‘In your mind, you see things 100 percent. If you can get 70 percent of that to come out on the screen, that’s a grand slam.’ In your mind, you picture it perfect. In execution, it’s different. There’s a million variables that can change it that bring it down a notch, or two, or three, or 20, or whatever it is, right? So things turn out differently. Fans begin to react to things differently. What you thought you had locked in four months ago is not the path anymore. The path has changed.

“The other thing about our business is, unlike a sport, and as bad as it is, if you lose your quarterback, if you lose your first-string offensive lineman, if you lose your star center or star guard in the NBA, you have a second-string guy to back them up. And you hope that those second-string guys are pretty good. There is no backup Cody Rhodes. There is no backup Randy Orton. There is no backup Roman Reigns. There’s no backup CM Punk. It’s different because it’s the individual attraction.”

Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Rey Mysterio were some of the names who suffered injuries prior to WrestleMania 42. Rollins and Mysterio have returned in time for the event.

All four of Rhodes, Orton, Reigns, and Punk are available and will be headlining this Saturday and Sunday. Rhodes vs. Orton is the night one main event, while Punk vs. Reigns will close things out on night two.

WWE star says Randy Orton is looking forward to his eventual heel turn

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Randy Orton is eager for another WWE star’s potential heel turn in the future. 

Speaking on the No Contest Wrestling Podcast, Je’Von Evans discussed the topic of turning heel. He said that fans perceive him as a babyface making it difficult for them to accept him as a heel. He recalled a conversation with Randy Orton who expressed interest in what Evans would be like as a heel and the fans’ reactions. 

“There’s actually a lot of people that don’t really see a heel Je’Von. Before Randy started going crazy, I was talking to him about it and he was like, ‘Yeah, bro, you’re just such a good babyface. I’m kind of excited to see what happens when you’re a heel.’”

He also reflected on his pre-WWE persona, Jay Malachi in Deadlock Pro-Wrestling (DPW) where he made his debut as a heel. 

“The crowd, as of right now, they like me a lot. But, people, if you do your research, sometimes Je’Von’s twin brother named Jay Malachi, he can tweet. Sometimes he just be doing too much and he gets too aggressive, and gets too mad. I’ve talked to him about it and he’s taking a break from wrestling right now.”

During the interview, Evans admitted to occasionally overshooting in the WWE ring to add a sense of realism to wrestling. 

“Sometimes, honestly, my mindset – maybe this sounds crazy and maybe I’m just saying this because I’m young right now – but sometimes I try to overshoot. Only because from a fan perspective, if I hit something 100% clean, now it looks like we’re dancing. I don’t want wrestling to look like that. I want true emotion. So it’s kinda like, if you get me mad, or I’m too excited and I jump in the air sometimes if I’m in a real fight and I’m feeling myself too much, I’m swinging something crazy, I’m not gonna hit that right hand every time.”

“So sometimes when I do a dive, if I’m too serious, I’m too locked in, I overshoot but I still get them and I almost hurt myself – at the end of the day I know I’m gonna be okay. I’m gonna be sore but I know I’m gonna be okay. I’ve wrestled for eight years, I know how to land. I’m okay.”

Evans faced Orton on the October 8, 2024 edition of NXT in St. Louis Missouri. He officially moved to Raw in January this year. Evans will make his WrestleMania debut this year participating in the ladder match for the Intercontinental Title. 

Meanwhile, Orton looks to capture his 15th WWE World Championship reign at the Premium Live Event. He will main event Night One of WrestleMania 42 against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.