Tag: wwe\

Je’Von Evans on Pat McAfee’s WWE return: ‘Selfish business out here’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Je’Von Evans recently addressed the current situation in WWE following Pat McAfee’s return and addition to the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes feud.

Appearing on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast ahead of his Intercontinental match at WWE WrestleMania, Evans was asked about his thoughts on how McAfee’s return has affected the business.

“I feel like there’s certain things that people that are not familiar or don’t come from the wrestling business don’t understand. And they tend to express that in a certain way. I feel like wrestling isn’t like a regular sport. We take this very serious because our bodies and lives are on the line. There’s legacy behind all this. People feed their families because of this,” Evans said.

“So I feel like there are things that some people do say or have an opinion on, and they tend to express that in a certain way… publicly. Why can’t we just have fun? Why can’t we just have fun, make money? It’s a selfish business out here. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. But also, you can’t be talking crazy and expect nobody else to talk crazy back,” Evans continued.

He further opened up and claimed that one cannot expect not to receive “receipts” from some of the veterans in the business after “talking crazy.”

“You cannot not expect receipts. Especially from the OGs that have been doing it for a long time, that have been through a lot to get to where they’re at. And now you’re dissing them. Hey, [CM] Punk was talking. Said what he had to say.“

After McAfee’s return on SmackDown, CM Punk also went on a rant on RAW, where he went on to call McAfee, “Pat MAGAfee.”

Triple H knew there was no ‘serious malice’ in Cody Rhodes AEW throne smash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Paul “Triple H” Levesque joining Cody Rhodes on his podcast this week, there was one topic in particular that the two had to address.

There was a moment at AEW’s inaugural show in 2019 where Rhodes, while making his entrance, took a sledgehammer and smashed a throne that was clearly supposed to look like Levesque’s. They cleared the air on “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” with Levesque saying he knew there was no serious malice in what Rhodes did. Instead of viewing it as a shot, Levesque saw it as Rhodes trying to make a name for himself by doing cool stuff.

Levesque and Rhodes’ conversation about the moment is transcribed below:

Rhodes: You never once, when I came back, asked me about clearly taking your throne, making it imagery in my entrance away from here, starting my own thing, and taking your hammer to it.

Levesque: I saw it as your hammer because it was smaller than mine [laughs]. No, look, that kind of sh*t to me is like, I remember when people brought it to me and were showing it to me and I was like, ‘F**k yeah, all right, good for him.’ You know what I mean? That’s the kind of sh*t you do, you’re trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to get out there, you’re trying to do some cool sh*t, trying to do some different stuff.

Believe me, if I would have thought there was malice in it, and maybe indirectly there was some at the time, I don’t know. But if I would have thought there was any serious malice in it, I would have called you and said, ‘Hey, dude, like, are we okay?’ Because I was so close to your dad, but then I always felt like a connection to you. And when you were here, and it was difficult for me when you left, because I couldn’t say like, I couldn’t over the top go like, ‘Dude, get the f**k out of here and go out there and make a name for yourself and make yourself, what you said, desirable and we’ll f**ing come chasing after you and bring you back.’ Sometimes you got to get out of the rut you’re in. You just got to bite it off and go in a different direction. Make the left turn, right? And it was so difficult, but during that time, I remember thinking like, all right, that’s getting out there. That’s being bold and making a statement.

Rhodes: You did tell me, because you said, ‘Go rattle the cages.’ And you kind of made yourself the target for me to rattle in terms of the optics of wrestling. And there was no malice for sure because this is after I won the Ring of Honor title. One of the first texts I got back to was yours: ‘Congrats.’ As I was walking to the hospital in Lowell because my lip was busted open holding my first World title.

Levesque: You know, it’s one of those things where you see somebody going off, doing their own thing, and having success. And I’m like, ‘F**k yeah, Cody. Come on.’ Like, get yourself in that spot where we’re like, ‘Hey, we should go like, I don’t know what he did different, but let’s go get him.’ You know what I mean?

Rhodes: I’m glad the feeling is good on it versus — because I’m thinking, man, if he’s mad about it, it’s a long road to whatever the payoff is.

Levesque: He’s waiting on that receipt [laughs].

Rhodes: Oh, now it’s happening [laughs].

Levesque: No, man, I never even — I never thought about anything other than, ‘F**k yeah, good for him. Go get it.’

After departing AEW in 2022, Rhodes returned to WWE and has been one of the company’s top stars since. Levesque said it’s been a “dream” to work with Rhodes in his second run.

Rhodes is currently on his third Undisputed WWE Championship reign and will defend the title against Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania 42 night one on April 18.

Triple H says there’s ‘no real clear moment’ where he took over WWE creative

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s ascent to head of WWE creative was more of a gradual process than an immediate transition.

While appearing on Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast, Levesque was asked if he considers WrestleMania 40 to be the first WrestleMania where he was fully in charge as WWE’s Chief Content Officer. Levesque said he believes it was, but there’s no “real clear moment” in his mind where he became the sole voice leading creative. There was a transition period where Vince McMahon was still around before resigning from WWE in January 2024.

“I think so,” Levesque responded. “Though, there was — and again, this is where I’m terrible with times — but it’s not like one day, ‘Here, it’s yours’ and everything else went away. There was so many aspects to that of, ‘Hey, Vince is stepping away. You’re going to take this spot, but he’s chiming in.’ And he [was] still meeting with me all the time and still, you know, directing traffic from the side. And there’s no real, it’s a weird, no real clear moment for me. But I would consider it that, yes.”

Levesque said the difficult part of the transition period was that decisions were being made that weren’t fully his. When that’s the case, it can be hard to explain why things are happening.

“At the end of the day, when people are like, ‘Yeah, but it’s your decision, right?’ Yeah, sort of,” Levesque said. “You know what I mean? Like you’re — yes, and you have to defend your position and you have to be able to sell that to people and explain it to people. If it’s a little bit not your position or a little bit, ‘Well, why did this happen?’ And you don’t want to say, ‘Well, because, you know, it wasn’t totally my decision.'”

Levesque added that creative in general is a more complex process than people think. We don’t live in an ideal world, and the public isn’t always aware of why things can’t happen. Sometimes there are injuries or behind-the-scenes issues between talent that limit what’s possible.

In 2022, McMahon “retired” from WWE amid a sexual misconduct scandal. He later forced himself back into power before resigning in 2024 after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed her still-ongoing lawsuit against McMahon and the company.

Levesque was named Chief Content Officer in September 2022 and has held that title since. This week, unearthed text messages between Levesque and Nick Khan showed how concerned Levesque was about McMahon meddling in creative before he was fully gone from the company.

Title matches, last woman standing match part of two-week WWE NXT Revenge lineup

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A two-week event will kick off next week with two title matches.

Tony D’Angelo will defend the NXT title next week at NXT Revenge week one on The CW against Ethan Page. They, along with Joe Hendry and Ricky Saints, scored the win in an eight-man tag team match against DarkState on Tuesday. Page pinned Saquon Shugars after pushing away D’Angelo to get the glory for his team.

After the match, D’Angelo laid him out with the dead to rights chokeslam. Robert Stone later made a title match between the two official for next week’s show, the first night of Revenge.

Also set for night one is Jacy Jayne getting her NXT Championship rematch against Lola Vice. As the new NXT Champion was celebrating in the ring, Jayne interrupted and demanded another shot. Stone came out and made the second title match official for next week.

In addition to the two title matches, week one of Revenge will see Jaida Parker face Kelani Jordan, EK Prosper facing Dorian Van Dux in another Speed tournament qualifier, and Hendry will hold a concert to discuss his future following his title loss.

Week two of Revenge will see Sol Ruca taking on Zaria in a Last Woman Standing match. The latter made it clear on Tuesday it wasn’t over between them, spearing Ruca during her match against Izzi Dame. In addition, the men’s Speed tournament finals will take place to crown a new champion and EVOLVE standout Kali Armstrong will make her debut.

WWE NXT Revenge (April 14)

  • NXT Championship: Tony D’Angelo defends against Ethan Page
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice defends against Jacy Jayne
  • Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan
  • WWE Speed tournament: EK Prosper vs. Dorian Van Dux
  • Joe Hendry concert

WWE NXT Revenge (April 21)

  • Last Woman Standing: Sol Ruca vs. Zaria
  • WWE Men’s Speed title tournament finals
  • Kali Armstrong debuts

Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael diagnosed with CTE one year after death

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Steve “Mongo” McMichael, the Chicago Bears great who later had a second career in pro wrestling as a member of the Four Horsemen, has been diagnosed with CTE one year after his death.

Following a courageous battle with ALS, McMichael passed away at 67 years old in April 2025. His brain was posthumously examined, with the Concussion & CTE Foundation announcing today that McMichael has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The disease, which can only officially be diagnosed after death, is believed to be caused by the repeated head trauma that often happens in football.

McMichael’s wife Misty issued a statement saying she hopes this diagnosis helps inspire more research into the connection between football, ALS, and CTE. Studies have shown that NFL players are more likely to develop ALS than the general male population.

“Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death,” Misty McMichael said. “I donated Steve’s brain to inspire new research into the link between them.”

Former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski, who now heads the Concussion & CTE Foundation, applauded McMichael along with everyone who is participating in CTE research to honor his memory.

“Steve McMichael was known for his strength, toughness, and larger-than-life presence, but his final act was to give a piece of himself back to the sports community so that we might have a chance to save ourselves,” Nowinski said. “I appreciate all the former athletes, including many of Steve’s ’85 Bears teammates, who are raising funds and volunteering to participate in CTE research so we can create a brighter future for athletes everywhere.”

McMichael was a United States Champion for WCW while working for the promotion as a wrestler and commentator in the 1990s. In his football career, he played defensive tackle for one of the greatest teams of all time on the 1985 Bears. During his battle with ALS, McMichael was finally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which was a long-awaited dream of his.

Six-man tag match added to WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A six-man tag match is the latest addition to the WWE Raw lineup for tonight.

WWE has announced that Penta, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans will team up for a match against El Grande Americano, Rayo Americano & Bravo Americano on Raw. The match was made after Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) cut a social media promo complaining about not being part of the Intercontinental title ladder match at WrestleMania.

The WrestleMania ladder match is currently a five-way bout with Penta defending against Dragon Lee, Evans, JD McDonagh, and Rusev. It remains to be seen whether any other participants will be added.

Raw is in Houston with tonight’s show taking place at the Toyota Center. It’s the second-to-last episode before WrestleMania.

Here is the announced lineup:

WWE Raw (Monday, April 6) —

  • CM Punk appears
  • Brock Lesnar & Oba Femi appear
  • LA Knight vs. Austin Theory
  • Finn Balor vs. JD McDonagh
  • Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Michin & B-Fab (w/ Jade Cargill)
  • Penta, Dragon Lee & Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano, Rayo Americano & Bravo Americano
  • IShowSpeed appears
  • Seth Rollins kicks off the episode

Tony D’Angelo wins WWE NXT Championship at Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tony D’Angelo is the new NXT Champion.

The longtime NXT star finally won the brand’s top title at Stand & Deliver, defeating Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, and Ricky Saints in a four way match. The finish had D’Angelo putting both Page and Saints through the announce table, meeting Joe Hendry back in the ring. D’Angelo cut off Hendry with a spear and pinned him after hitting the dead to rights chokeslam. The show ended with D’Angelo standing tall, holding his new championship.

D’Angelo returned at the end of last year remaining silent about his intentions at first. However, he ultimately revealed two goals of his: taking out DarkState and eventually winning the NXT Championship. After defeating Dion Lennox at Vengence Day, he made his title ambitions clear.

Two others wanted a crack at Hendry, however: Page and Saints. D’Angelo faced Saints in a number one contender’s match but Page interfered, causing a disqualification. Robert Stone eventually announced the four-way for St. Louis.

Hendry held the title for 60 days, winning a ladder match for the vacant title on the February 3 edition of NXT.

Lola Vice wins Women’s title at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Lola Vice is the new Women’s Champion.

In the opening match of Saturday’s Stand & Deliver, Vice defeated Kendal Grey and Jacy Jayne to win the title for the first time. After Wren Sinclair took out both Fallon Henley and Laney Reid at ringside, it boiled down to the three wrestlers in the ring. After Jayne sent Grey out of the ring with a rolling encore, Vice connected with the spinning backfist to win the title.

Jayne had held the title for 137 days, defeating Tatum Paxley back at NXT Gold Rush in November. Aside from Paxley’s short reign, Jayne had held the title dating back to last May.

After Grey and Sinclair defeated Fatal Influence in a tag match on NXT, Grey called out Jayne for a title match. However, Vice came out and said she wanted next as well. The two met in a number one contender’s match on Tuesday’s show that ended in controversy. While Grey seemingly had Vice pinned following a northern lights suplex, she also tapped out during the pinfall count. A second referee entered the ring to debate the finish as the show ended in confusion. It wasn’t until the following day on social media that the triple threat was made for Stand & Deliver.

Road Dogg addresses WWE departure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During a virtual signing with Signed By Superstars, Brian “Road Dogg” James addressed his recent departure from WWE.

James was co-lead writer of SmackDown before departing his position on the WWE creative team in early March. He told Signed By Superstars that the company was moving “too fast” for him, and he also wanted to spend more time at home with his family.

“It was moving too fast. It was just moving too fast for me,” James said. “We talked about my brothers and their grandkids, and I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with mine. So I’m going to do more of that now.”

This was James’ second stint as a top writer on SmackDown, having already left the position in 2019 before later returning.

James was asked during the virtual signing if he had any input in WWE’s upcoming WrestleMania 42 card.

“Yeah, I did. A lot,” James responded. “I think it’s strong. I think it’s as strong as you’re going to get. I really do. I’m excited about Brock and [Oba Femi]. Look, I got nothing bad to say. I think they’re moving fast and they are growing expeditiously. Financially, they’re setting records. Like, you can’t say nothing bad. It just was moving too fast for me. I’m getting older, and it’s a young man’s game. They’re running fast, and they’re running fast internationally.”

James mentioned during the virtual signing that he’d be interested in getting back into the podcast world again after previously hosting the show “Oh…You Didn’t Know.”

Conan O’Brien congratulates Danhausen on his WWE debut

Posted on by Ian Carey

Conan O’Brien put out a special edition of his Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast recently revisiting a conversation he had with Danhausen.

O’Brien explained that Danhausen had appeared on the podcast five years earlier and recalled being struck by his work ethic, noting that he had spent years “grinding away,” driving long distances to perform on independent shows.

O’Brien congratulated Danhausen on his WWE debut, saying:

“Danhausen is a wrestler, and he explained to me when we did this very first fan episode that he had loosely based his character, his wrestling character, on me if I was an interdimensional demon, which seems redundant to me.

And Danhausen and I had a great conversation. We talked about comedy, performance, the love of entertaining people. And what struck me, and still I remember this to this day, Danhausen told me that he had been grinding away for the past eight years, driving 12 hours every weekend just to be able to get up in front of people and wrestle. And this is a guy who just applied incredible work ethic to his passion. And I was so impressed with this fellow.

Well, now it’s five years later, and I am thrilled to report that Danhausen has recently made his WWE debut to rave reviews. And this is proof again that if you can marry hard work to your passion, you can go places.

So on behalf of myself and all of us here at Team Coco, massive congratulations and mad respect to Danhausen. And I am so proud of you, happy for you.“

The remainder of the episode features O’Brien and Danhausen’s conversation from five years ago and is available below.

Je’Von Evans says it was an ‘honor’ to wrestle Randy Orton in NXT

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

21-year-old Je’Von Evans has opened up on working with Randy Orton in WWE NXT.

A couple of years ago, during the October 8th, 2024 episode of WWE NXT in St. Louis, Missouri. Evans clashed with Orton. Despite losing the match, Evans earned Orton and the locker room’s respect.

In a recent interview with Bootleg Kev, Evans reflected on his match with Orton and called it an “honor.”

“It was wild. It was a very big test for me. I think that was my first major test. At the time, I think I was in NXT, maybe almost a year – either close to a year or we’d just hit a year – and they gave me the opportunity to go against Randy Orton in his hometown, which is insane,” Evans said.

“You know, OG ain’t pulling up to NXT just to wrestle anybody in his hometown, or to wrestle in general. It was an honor. I’m so blessed that I had the opportunity and so grateful that I got to learn under Randy. Ever since then, there’s been a connection between me and him.

“I haven’t talked to him since SmackDown (when he attacked Cody Rhodes), he’s kind of been by himself, he’s been a little distant, he’s been tweaking out. He’s just locked in for Mania. It’s just a phase, that’s it (laughs),” Evans concluded.

Orton is scheduled to face Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Je’Von Evans shares unlikely WWE ally

In the same interview with Bootleg Kev, Evans opened up and named Lil Yachty as the person he would like to team up with in WWE.

“In the ring, I’m gonna have to go with my boy Lil Yachty,” Evans said. “Yachty is chill, but he’s a crashout. Yachty is crazy, and he can throw hands for real. Once it has to be done and you take it to that level, he’ll take it to the level with you. Me and Yachty would go crazy. He loves the high-flying stuff, too. Yachty is my dawg, that’s my brother. I feel like if we could get something that works, maybe we could make that happen pretty soon.”

Lil Yachty was also recently invited to an upcoming episode of WWE SmackDown in St.Louis by Trick Williams.

Two title bouts, kickoff match booked for WWE NXT Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Bryan Rose

More matches have been announced for Stand & Deliver.

Los Americanos won the number one contender’s match for the Tag Team titles on Tuesday, winning after help from El Grande Americano, who aided them by giving them an object to load into their mask. As a result, they will now challenge Vanity Project at Stand & Deliver this coming Saturday.

Bravo & Rayo were slotted into the tournament after Elio LeFleur & Eli Knight were seen attacked backstage last week, putting them out of the tournament. Los Americanos defeated The Culling’s Shawn Spears and Niko Vance to advance to Tuesday’s finals.

Meanwhile, Blake Monroe and Tatum Paxley agreed to a title match in St. Louis following a face-to-face on Tuesday’s show in New York City. The two ended up getting into a tug of war over the Women’s North American title, which Monroe stole from Paxley two weeks ago. Monroe managed to snatch the title and flee before Paxley could do more damage.

A pre-show match was also set for Saturday. Birthright will take on Eli Knight, Hank & Tank, Shiloh Hill, and Wren Sinclair in a ten-person tag team match.

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver (April 4)

  • NXT Championship: Joe Hendry defends against Ricky Saints, Ethan Page, and Tony D’Angelo
  • NXT Women’s North American title: Tatum Paxley defends against Blake Monroe
  • Sol Ruca vs. Zaria
  • NXT North American title: Myles Borne defends against Johnny Gargano
  • NXT Tag Team titles: The Vanity Project defend against Los Americanos
  • Kickoff: Birthright (Lexis King, Stacks, Charlie Dempsey, Uriah Connors, and Arianna Grace) vs. Eli Knight, Shiloh Hill, Hank & Tank, and Wren Sinclair

Elio LeFleur out six months due to injury, WWE Speed title vacated

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Elio LeFleur will be out for a while.

On Tuesday’s NXT, Elio LeFleur was seen wearing a sling and announced that he had torn labrum ligaments in his shoulder. As a result, he had to vacate the NXT Speed Championship. He additionally announced that a tournament would start on next week’s show to crown a new champion and encouraged Eli Knight, who was sitting next to him, to enter the tournament and challenge for the title.

During a NXT house show that took place on March 20, both LeFleur and Lexis King were injured while competing in a tag team match. LeFleur was said to be in a sling in the days following the house show, while King was eventually cleared.

On the March 24 episode of NXT, LeFleur and Knight were seen laid out backstage just prior to their match against Shawn Spears and Niko Vance, where the winners would have advanced to the finals of a number one contender’s tournament. Los Americanos ended up taking their spot and ended up winning the tournament on Tuesday, defeating Birthright. They will now challenge Vanity Project for the NXT Tag Team titles at Stand & Deliver.

Danhausen announces next date for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Fans in Madison Square Garden tonight were treated to a special segment during a commercial break in Monday Night Raw.

Danhausen came out during the break and announced that WWE would be returning to MSG for Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18.

He then plugged his merchandise, revealed a t-shirt cannon, and launched some shirts into the crowd.

The most recent Saturday Night’s Main Event was held on January 24 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In the main event of that show, Sami Zayn won a four-way over Damian Priest, Randy Orton, and Trick Williams. That victory earned him a WWE Championship Match against Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.

There is another Saturday Night’s Main Event scheduled for May 23 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Leon Slater says WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event experience was a ‘fever dream’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Leon Slater is reflecting on his recent major WWE experience.

Slater, the TNA X Division Champion, got a chance to team with Je’Von Evans at Saturday Night’s Main Event back in December, challenging then-champions Dragon Lee and AJ Styles for the World Tag Team titles. He reflected on his experience in a new interview with SunSport, recalling he was just feet away from seeing John Cena’s final moments as an in-ring performer.

“I’ll see clips from that night of like John being stood in the ring and putting his armbands and his and his and his sneakers and I was like, bro, I was stood right there! It almost feels like a fever dream, but it was real. That whole day was just magical,” he said.

“For the match, I couldn’t have asked to be around better people,” he added. “AJ, who’s one of my absolute idols. And then Dragon, another super hungry, young guy that’s been smashing it and I used to watch his work when he used to wrestle all over the world. And then obviously, having Je’Von, one of my best friends as my partner, was another dream come true. I remember very distinctly as we walked back from that match, it was a good feeling. I remember trying to take it all in.”

He was also amazed by what he saw after his match when he went backstage: a who’s who of WWE legends.

“Triple H was in the chair there, Bruce Pritchard was sat next to him, Michael Hayes is there. The Undertaker stood at the back of the room, Shawn Michaels is there. I walk out of Gorilla and Kurt Angle‘s there, RVD’s there; like everyone that I’ve ever watched growing up just seemed to be there, and it truly was a magical day, man. It was wicked,” he recounted.

Slater has focused on his TNA commitments since losing to Oba Femi at New Year’s Evil back in January. He will defend his X Division title against Cedric Alexander at Rebellion on April 11.