10 Real-life WWE stories we learned this week: Alexa Bliss on Buddy Murphy split, released Superstar leaves wrestling business

#2 Kevin Owens wanted to stay in WWE NXT

In May 2015, Kevin Owens had one of the most impactful debuts in WWE history when he defeated John Cena at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

“The Prizefighter” had only appeared on WWE programming for six months before the event, having made his first NXT in-ring appearance at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in December 2014.

Speaking on The Bump this week, Owens recalled that he was overcome with emotion following his final NXT match – versus Finn Balor at TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015 – simply because he did not want to leave the Black and Gold brand.

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#1 Vince McMahon’s rule for WWE referees

If you read our article earlier this week on 10 WWE matches that had a botched finish, you will know that WWE referees are told to count Superstars out and count to three during pinfalls, even when it is obvious that a Superstar has made a mistake.

Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, recently released WWE referee Mike Chioda said Vince McMahon told him, “Whatever you do, I’ll back you up,” after asking him to put the rules into effect.

One notable example of a Superstar breaking this rule came in 2019 when Jack Gallagher inadvertently stumbled and failed to get back into the ring during a match against Chad Gable on 205 Live. The referee stuck to the rules and awarded the victory to Gable via countout.