Tag: wwe\

Nattie vs. Shayna Baszler added to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new match is official for the next Bloodsport card.

It was confirmed on Friday that Nattie would face former WWE wrestler Shayna Baszler on April 17. On social media, Nattie asked Baszler to bring the version of herself that was feared in the WWE locker room.

“I want you to bring me the killing machine Shayna,” Nattie wrote. “Bring me the most feared woman ever in the WWE locker room. Bring me the MMA pioneer who men and women knew to avoid. I know I’m on borrowed time, if I don’t deliver, then back comes the sparkles, back comes the Bimbo. I’m marching into your match, in your world, Shayna. And I’m coming to f*** you up.”

Nattie previously competed at last year’s Bloodsport that took place during WrestleMania weekend, where she defeated Miyu Yamashita. 

Baszler was released from her WWE contract last year, but continues to make appearances on their television and has worked at the WWE Performance Center. Most recently, she was seen training Kelani Jordan in her match against Lola Vice that took place at NXT Vengeance Day earlier this month.

WWE legend Steve Austin picks up off-road racing win

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin picked up a victory outside of the ring this month when he competed at an off-road racing event.

Auto company Kawasaki sent out a social media post today congratulating Austin for finishing first in the Stock Mod Pro category at the Prospector 250, a race that Vorra Off-Road Racing held in Nevada last weekend. The results have Austin finishing eighth overall out of the 45 riders with a finish time of five hours and 45 minutes, beating out the only other Stock Mod racer who came in at six hours and 10 minutes.

Off-road racing has become one of Austin’s biggest passions, and his preparation for the Prospector 250 meant that he was unable to appear on the March 16 edition of WWE Raw. It took 6-7 months in total to build the race car that Austin drove. The name of his team is “Broken Skull Racing.” Fittingly, Austin uses “316” as his number.

“We just got finished running the race, a 250-mile race called the Prospector 250 in Yerington, Nevada. We came in first in our class and eighth overall out of 45 cars,” Austin said in an Instagram video. “My class was only two cars deep, so I came in first. But the biggest takeaway from that was eighth overall out of 45 cars. And we will have more cars in my class at the next race.”

Austin will be at the WWE World convention in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 42 weekend this April, so it’s possible that he could be making some kind of appearance at WrestleMania itself. Austin recently told Busted Open Radio that he doesn’t get the itch to wrestle anymore but does like to come back for moments.

The last time Austin competed in the ring was at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, when he came out of retirement for a no holds barred match against Kevin Owens.

Report: Madison Square Garden to host upcoming WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

This summer, WWE could be bringing Saturday Night’s Main Event to Madison Square Garden in New York City.

WrestleVotes reports that WWE is planning for a Saturday Night’s Main Event special to be held at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” on July 18. That date would coincide with Fanatics Fest 2026, a convention in NYC that WWE and its stars are involved with.

The SNME date has not been officially announced by WWE yet, but that could change soon. WWE will be at MSG for Raw next Monday (March 30) and at The Theater at MSG for NXT on Tuesday (March 31).

Though SNME is a classic WWE program dating back to the 1980s, it has only ever been held at MSG once before: a 2007 episode during the show’s brief revival. It returned again in December 2024 and now airs live on Peacock a few times per year.

Fort Wayne, Indiana will host the next SNME event on WWE’s calendar. That show is being held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on May 23.

During his retirement tour, John Cena spoke about how happy he is that MSG is once again becoming a significant arena for WWE. Because of the costs involved, there was a period where WWE largely avoided running televised events at the venue. Raw and SmackDown now make regular stops at MSG, and this would be WWE’s first streaming special there since 2015.

Tony D’Angelo reveals WWE NXT’s original scrapped plan for Bron Breakker

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

In a new interview, Tony D’Angelo shared what WWE NXT had originally planned for he and Bron Breakker together.

Speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, D’Angelo said in their early days in NXT, WWE had originally planned to have D’Angelo and Breakker together as a tag team.

“When we first got in, me and Bron were in a tag together. So, we were doing that for a minute. Not on TV, but they were priming us, ‘This is what you’re gonna do,’ kinda like the new age Steiner Brothers type of deal. I was (wearing a singlet), but I was wearing a singlet before that anyway, so that wasn’t foreign.

“I just remember one day, Road Dogg came up and he was like, ‘Hey man, we’re not doing this,’ and this is right when 2.0 first kicked off. They kind of just…‘Clean slate, everybody, We kind of have a lane for you,’ and I had to figure out quick what I was gonna do,” D’Angelo continued.

“So in one of the in-house matches, I just turned it on and they were like, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’ And then they were like, ‘Yep, we’re running with this, this is it.’”

Following the original scrapped plans, Breakker was presented as a singles star and soon pushed to the top of the branding, going on to become a two-time NXT Champion.

While Breakker and D’Angelo never tagged together, they both won the NXT Tag Team Championship with different partners: Breakker with Baron Corbin, and D’Angelo with Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo.

Interestingly, Breakker and Corbin defeated D’Angelo and Lorenzo to win the NXT Tag titles in February 2024.

Breakker is currently a part of Paul Heyman’s Vision stable and is recovering from a hernia injury. Although out of action, he is rumored to return by WrestleMania 42.

NXT Women’s Championship not necessary for main roster move, believes Kelani Jordan 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Kelani Jordan claims she is main roster ready regardless of whether she holds the NXT Women’s Championship at least once in her WWE career. 

Jordan told Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio that she is prepared for the main roster call-up and the NXT Women’s Championship – whichever opportunity comes first. 

“I would love to go to the main roster, I would love to be able to be on a bigger platform, but also be able to wrestle girls who are on that next level. I would love that, Raw, SmackDown, I’m ready. Of course, if the NXT Women’s Championship is in my future, that’s great, but if the main roster is next, I have my eyes on the US Championship, the Intercontinental (Championship).”

Jordan feels she does not need to win the NXT Women’s Championship to succeed on the main roster. She referenced Becky Lynch winning the title years after moving on from the NXT brand. She also highlighted a few notable talents who have made a name on Raw and SmackDown without ever having the title in their possession.

“I think you can jump over that championship cause we’ve seen girls do it before. Like even when Becky was in NXT, she didn’t win the championship, she actually when she came back and had the feud with Tiffany (Stratton) and Lyra and all of them is when she got the championship. But it’s also other superstars like greats who never won the NXT Women’s Championship and they’re prospering and thriving on the main roster.” 

Jordan became the inaugural NXT Women’s North American Champion in June 2024. Last year she also captured the TNA Knockouts Title amidst the promotion’s crossover rivalry with NXT. 

Jordan made her Royal Rumble debut at the Premium Live Event in January this year.

Two title matches booked for next WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two title matches are set for next week’s Raw at Madison Square Garden.

WWE’s return to MSG will see a street fight for the World Tag Team titles. The Usos and Austin Theory & Logan Paul met on Monday but their non-title match ended in a DQ after Jey Uso used Paul’s brass knuckles to strike Austin Theory right in front of the referee. Backstage, an irate Paul Heyman demanded the title match for next week, with Adam Pearce saying he would take it under consideration.

After Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated The Kabuki Warriors, Bayley issued the challenge to Women’s Tag Team Champions Lash Legend & Nia Jax, saying she knew they could beat them. Bayley has been coming up short in title matches and is looking for a way to get to WrestleMania after missing last year’s show due to being attacked by Becky Lynch.

IYO SKY will meet Raquel Rodriguez after the two had a confrontation on Raw, with Rodriguez unhappy SKY got involved in her match last week.

WWE Raw (March 30)

  • Street fight for World Tag Team titles: The Usos defend against Austin Theory & Logan Paul
  • Women’s Tag Team titles: Lash Legend & Nia Jax defend against Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • IYO SKY vs. Raquel Rodriguez
  • Brock Lesnar will appear

The Rock stars in new trailer for live-action ‘Moana’ movie

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Disney has released a new trailer for its live-action “Moana” film, which co-stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and is set to release this summer.

Johnson’s role in the original animated “Moana” is one of the most memorable performances of his acting career. He voiced Maui in both “Moana” and “Moana 2” and is now back playing the character in physical form.

The live-action adaptation is scheduled to hit theaters on July 10. Along with acting in the movie, Johnson is an executive producer with others from his Seven Bucks Productions company.

Here is Disney’s official description:

  • In ‘Moana,’ Disney’s live action reimagining of the beloved Oscar-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people.
  • The film is directed by Emmy and Tony Award winner Thomas Kail (‘Hamilton’); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films ‘Moana’ and ‘Moana 2.’ ‘Moana’ features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina, and an original score composed by Mancina. Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds and songs of ‘Moana’ exclusively in theaters on July 10, 2026.

Johnson earned high praise for his acting work in “The Smashing Machine” last year, earning a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of MMA legend Mark Kerr. There was even Oscar buzz, though Johnson ultimately did not end up being nominated.

Following his work on “The Smashing Machine,” Johnson is attached to upcoming projects from directors Martin Scorsese and Benny Safdie. He is also starring in the third and final movie of the rebooted “Jumanji” franchise.

It doesn’t look like Johnson will play any kind of significant role at WrestleMania 42 this year, though he’s teased potentially showing up in 2027 when WrestleMania is held in Saudi Arabia.

Je’Von Evans shares advice from Shawn Michaels

Posted on by Ian Carey

Je’Von Evans says some of the best advice he’s received in his career came from Shawn Michaels.

During an interview with Adrian Hernandez that was published on Saturday, Evans was asked what advice he’s been given over the years that has stuck with him. He responded that Michaels telling him to “just be yourself” is something he always takes with him.

Evans said:

“Just be yourself. That’s always that’s like the main thing. I always take that advice with me. And actually, Shawn Michaels, he told me that. When I first got to NXT, he told me, ‘Bro, just be yourself cause nobody’s doing it like you.’“

“We’re talking about like the greatest of all time telling me nobody’s doing it like you. So once he told me that, bro, it was a click, you know what I mean? Shawn sees something. And if he’s telling me that ‘Hey, you need to do this,’ I’m listening to Shawn.”

The 21-year-old is coming off competing in the men’s Elimination Chamber match at the United Center in Chicago on February 28. He has wrestled once since then, facing Dragon Lee at a Main Event taping on March 9, 2026.

Evans’ full conversation with Adrian Hernandez is available below. The video is queued to his comments about the advice he received from Shawn Michaels.

Je’Von Evans addresses never winning the NXT Championship

Posted on by Ian Carey

Je’Von Evans has addressed never having won the NXT Championship.

Speaking with Adrian Hernandez in an interview released Saturday, Evans said he feels that having an NXT title win on his list of accomplishments would have helped as he prepared to move to the main roster.

Evans was asked whether it matters to him that he never won the NXT Championship and said:

“I feel like that’s just something that I could have accomplished, and I think it would have helped me to have that achievement under my belt, especially leading into and going to the main roster.”

“I feel like at the same time now it only means that my first WWE title is going to be a main roster title, you know? So at the end of the day, I’m just ready for whatever. I didn’t get the NXT Championship, but it’s okay. Because now I’m either going to get the IC Championship, the US Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Championship, tag team championship. It don’t matter!”

Evans has yet to win a championship in his WWE career despite several opportunities. Most recently, he lost an NXT title match to then-champion Oba Femi on the December 9 edition of NXT. He also came up short against Femi at NXT Heatwave on August 24, 2025.

He was also part of the NXT Championship match at Stand & Deliver last year, competing in a triple threat won by Femi that also included Trick Williams.

Evans’ full interview with Adrian Hernandez is available below. The video is queued to his comments about the NXT title.

Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson, Women’s US title match set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jelly Roll will be in action next week.

The music star demanded and got a match for next week’s SmackDown in Pittsburgh against Kit Wilson after Wilson laid out Jelly Roll following during a slam poetry read-off. The Bella Twins will also be in action, and the Women’s United States title will be on the line.

Jelly Roll answered Kit Wilson’s callout and immediately demanded a fight. Wilson rejected the offer and instead proposed a slam poetry read-off, which was designed to insult Jelly Roll’s weight loss among other issues. After Jelly Roll fired off with some comebacks involving Wilson’s mother, Wilson retaliated by laying out Jelly Roll and striking him with a diving elbow. Later in the show, Jelly Roll recovered enough to walk up to Nick Aldis demand a match, which he got for next week.

The Bella Twins and Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will meet after the latter team interfered in the twin’s WWE Tag Team title match against champions Lash Legend & Nia Jax, causing a DQ. The three teams brawled after the match but much like last week, the segment ended with Jax and Legend standing tall.

Giulia will defend the United States title against Tiffany Stratton, indicating on this week’s show that she was upset that Stratton had embarrassed her the previous week. The segment also hinted at dissension between Kiana James and Giulia.

WWE SmackDown (March 27)

  • Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
  • Women’s US title match: Giulia defends against Tiffany Stratton
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins

Stephanie McMahon discusses WWE Unreal docuseries

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Stephanie McMahon discussed WWE’s Unreal docuseries while interviewing Oba Femi on her What’s Your Story Podcast.

During the interview, McMahon talked about growing up in the business and witnessing its evolution. She also discussed the Unreal docuseries, saying it does not give away the magic of the industry but instead shares it with audiences.

“I literally grew up in this business and thinking about all of the generations of people that I’ve known and learnt from, and how things have evolved, and how things have changed. And yet some things still stay exactly the same,” said McMahon.  And that’s the thing is I never, I think Unreal, I like Unreal. I don’t think it gives away the magic, I really don’t, because the magic is the magic. The magic is a feeling, and the magic is the feeling you create and that you share, that you share with the audience, that you share with everyone whose in the ring with you.”

“It’s like this kinetic energy, and you can’t give that away, because it’s not anything to give away, it’s something you experience. So, I tend to agree, I think times are evolving again and it’s an exciting time, it’s a really exciting time to be a part of the world.”

Femi agreed and expressed how the stars watch matches from backstage and are still blown away with ‘magic’ of wrestling. 

“I agree, I’m with you. Even the boys, when they watch the matches  backstage. They’re backstage and they still go like “Wow! That was awesome”. They know how the magic is done and they’re still blown away.”

The Netflix docuseries first aired in July 2025, taking audiences backstage and giving a glimpse of behind-the-scenes preparations that go on before any WWE show – from creative discussions, rivalries, matches and production. 

The second season focused on SummerSlam 2025 planning. It also gave insight into Seth Rollins’ faked knee injury to get revenge on CM Punk at SummerSlam. The third season of the docuseries is slated for release in the summer of 2026.

Meanwhile, Femi made his official main roster debut at the Royal Rumble this year. The following weeks, he showed up on Raw and SmackDown to prove his in-ring strength. On the March 16 edition of Raw, Femi powerbombed Brock Lesnar and pointed to the WrestleMania 42 sign, indicating that he was responding to the open challenge issued in February. This will be his first WrestleMania bout. 

Additionally, McMahon will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.

Pete Dunne match set for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Pete Dunne’s opponent for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV has now been revealed.

It was announced today that Dunne vs. Masashi Takeda will take place at the April 17 event in Las Vegas. Takeda is a Japanese wrestler and MMA fighter who has specialized in death matches. During his career, he’s competed for promotions like Big Japan, All Japan, FREEDOMS, and GCW.

This is the first match officially booked for the Bloodsport card, which will stream live on TrillerTV+ with a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific on the Friday of WrestleMania week.

Since WWE started to allow some of its talent to compete at Bloodsport, Dunne has worked two shows with a 2-0 record. Both of those matches took place in 2025 with him defeating Jonathan Gresham and Timothy Thatcher.

Dunne currently plays the character Rayo Americano in WWE but will be wrestling as himself at Bloodsport. In WWE, he’s part of a faction with El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and Bravo Americano (Tyler Bate).

Takeda’s last Bloodsport appearance was a 2019 victory over Gresham.

Here is the list of announced talent for the April 17 show:

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV participants —

  • Josh Barnett
  • Yuji Nagata
  • Ulka Sasaki
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Pete Dunne
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Erick Stevens
  • Fuminori Abe
  • Ray Jaz
  • Angel Verduzco
  • Joe Dashou
  • Masashi Takeda
  • Matt Mako
  • Royce Isaacs
  • Miyu Yamashita

Tony D’Angelo vs. Ricky Saints, number one contender’s gauntlet part of next week’s WWE NXT lineup

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Following an event-worthy March 17 episode of WWE NXT and Booker T appreciation night, WWE has already announced another packed NXT episode for next week.

Next week’s March 24 episode of WWE NXT is scheduled to take place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

While this week’s episode has three title matches, next week’s will be more about a number one contender chance.

A Gauntlet Eliminator match has been scheduled to determine the number one contender for Myles Borne’s NXT North American Championship at the Stand and Deliver PLE on April 4, 2026. Ricky Saints, with Ethan Page in his corner, will also take on Tony D’Angelo.

Eli Knight & Elio LeFluer will also take on The Culling (Shawn Spears & Niko Vance) in the Tag tournament match for the NXT Tag title shot. Below are several other matches announced.

Update lineup for next week’s WWE NXT

  • Ricky Saints (with Ethan Page) vs. Tony D’Angelo
  • Gauntlet Eliminator for a shot at Myles Borne’s North American title at NXT Stand and Deliver
  • Sol Ruca and Zaria to meet face-to-face
  • Eli Knight & Elio LeFluer vs. The Culling (Shawn Spears & Niko Vance) – Tag tournament match for the NXT Tag title shot
  • Thea Hail vs. Kelani Jordan
  • Fatal Influence (Lainey Reid & Fallon Henley) vs. Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey

Steve Austin on possible WrestleMania 42 appearance, his WWE future

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is open to making an appearance at WWE WrestleMania 42, but he thinks most of the spotlight should go to the current roster.

To help celebrate 3:16 Day (March 16), Austin called into Busted Open Radio for an interview on Monday. When asked about his status for WrestleMania 42, Austin said it would be cool to be involved in some form. But he thinks WWE has a quality roster right now that deserves to be showcased on the biggest stage.

“It’s funny because you’ll sit there or they’ll put something on [Instagram] and people will say, ‘Oh, no, no. Man, he’s too old. Let the current talent have the spotlight.’ Let the current talent have the spotlight, of course. If I can go out there and do something, that’d be fine,” Austin said. “But God damn, when I crashed that four-wheeler last year up there against that wall, man, you talk about sh***ing the bed big time. I was so pissed off about that. Because I was looking forward to going out there and announcing the attendance and then watching the show, seeing what kind of show the superstars were going to put on. And, man, I sh*t the bed on the big stage.

“We’ll see if they have me back. If they do, that’s cool. I always say — they got a pretty good roster, you know? So I think those guys and gals, they need all the time.”

Austin made an on-camera appearance at WrestleMania 41 in 2025 when he announced the night two attendance. He drove an ATV down to the ring and accidentally crashed into the ringside barrier, knocking down one fan.

WrestleMania is back in Las Vegas again this year — and Austin will be among the guests at the WWE World convention. He told Busted Open that he’s honored that fans still want to see him involved. But if he were to come back to WWE, it would be for a moment rather than an actual wrestling match.

“It’d be to go back for one of those moments,” the 61-year-old Austin responded when asked if he ever gets the itch to return. “Not a match itch, right? I got a left knee replacement a little over a year ago. And God dang, my leg feels good, I’m glad I got it done. But, yeah, I get the itch for certain moments. But to try and do a match? No.”

When asked if he’d be interested in coming back for a cinematic match, Austin said he loved The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles from WrestleMania 36. However, Austin thinks Undertaker vs. Styles was appropriate for the time it took place. He doesn’t know if he wants to see too many more cinematic matches.

“I don’t think so,” Austin said about a possible cinematic bout. “I think I’m good.”

One of Austin’s biggest hobbies at the moment is his off-road racing team. He’s preparing for an upcoming race, which appears to rule out Austin being in Texas for Raw tonight.

Steve Austin gives update on his WWE Raw status for 3/16

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Fans tuning into WWE Raw tonight probably shouldn’t expect an appearance by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

With today being 3:16 Day (March 16) and Raw taking place from Austin’s original home state of Texas, there has been speculation about Austin potentially being on the show. WrestleVotes reported that WWE was hopeful Austin would appear, but it doesn’t sound like that will be the case. Austin told The Takedown on SI that he’ll be “hunkered down” preparing for an upcoming race.

“Man, they should tune in because they love WWE and Monday Night Raw,” Austin responded when asked if there’s a special reason people should tune in tonight. “I’ll be a few days out from that race, the race I’m talking about with my racing career, and we’re trying to get that car ready and we’re working our asses off. So, yeah, I’ll be hunkered down in a garage out here in BFE, Nevada trying to get this buggy ready — side-by-side utility vehicle — to race this grueling 250 mile race with everybody else that I race with. So I want to get out there and put my own show on in the desert.”

Off-road racing is one of Austin’s passions, and he’s started his own racing team based out of Nevada. He lives in the state and will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42 weekend. It’s been confirmed that Austin will be signing autographs and meeting fans at the WWE World convention. Austin told The Takedown on SI that he always appreciates the people who come to see him at appearances like that.

Past the WWE World appearance, it’s not been confirmed if Austin will be playing a role at WrestleMania this year. He made a brief cameo at WrestleMania 41 in Vegas in 2025 and announced the night two attendance.

Frost Bank Center in San Antonio is hosting Raw tonight. The show will include appearances by Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, a Women’s Intercontinental Championship match between AJ Lee and Bayley, and more.