5 WWE backstage stories we learned this week: The Rock made RAW star cry, Jinder Mahal injury update

From a storyline perspective, the biggest WWE development of the week took place at Thursday’s Crown Jewel event when “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defeated Seth Rollins to win the Universal Championship.

Behind the scenes, meanwhile, it has been a very busy week for WWE personnel. Not only did the majority of the roster arrive back from Saudi Arabia almost 24 hours later than planned, but various Superstars and legends have revealed backstage WWE stories during media interviews and social media posts over the last seven days.

For example, we learned exactly how Triple H felt after Vince McMahon took most of his NXT women’s division at the same time, while Rey Mysterio gave an out-of-character update on how his son plans to progress in the wrestling business.

In this article, let’s count down five of the most interesting stories and anecdotes that have been told in the last week.

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#5 Billie Kay cried when she met The Rock

The Rock returned to a WWE arena for the first time in over two years when he kicked off the first episode of SmackDown on FOX with a promo segment with Becky Lynch and King Corbin.

As is often the case when the WWE Superstar-turned-Hollywood movie star returns, he spoke to several of today’s talents in the arena and in the backstage area ahead of the milestone SmackDown episode.

In footage shown on the latest ‘WWE Day Of’ video on the WWE Network, the 10-time World Champion gave some words of encouragement to an emotional Billie Kay on the SmackDown stage area in the hours leading up to the show.

As you can see from the clip above, The Rock then wiped a tear from Kay’s eye before they posed for a picture together.

#4 How Triple H reacted when Vince McMahon took NXT’s women’s division

Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox were among the female NXT Superstars who appeared on the November 1 episode of SmackDown, with Triple H leading an invasion ahead of the RAW vs. SmackDown vs. NXT battle of supremacy at Survivor Series on November 24.

Earlier in the week, the NXT boss opened up to Corey Graves on new WWE podcast After The Bell about transitions that Superstars have made in the past from NXT to RAW and SmackDown.

One of the most interesting stories came when he recalled a situation when Vince McMahon asked for his entire women’s division, leaving NXT with Asuka as the only established female Superstar.

“I think that [sudden call-ups] will change now. It was before where it was just like, ‘Hey, this is what we need. This is the moment we needed it.’ When Vince called and said, ‘Basically, I need your entire women’s division from NXT’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, the whole thing?’ and he was like, ‘Well, not the whole thing’ and then he listed all the talent and that’s everyone!”

Although Triple H did not reveal exactly when this happened, he was likely referring to the summer of 2016 when Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Carmella, Dana Brooke and Nia Jax all left NXT within four months of each other.

#3 How Seth Rollins really feels about fans booing him

Earlier in 2019, Seth Rollins portrayed the ultimate babyface during his rivalries with Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Baron Corbin. However, ever since he began feuding with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, the WWE Universe has suddenly turned against the former Shield member, who now receives more boos than cheers during his matches.

This was highlighted at Hell in a Cell, where Rollins’ 11 stomps on Wyatt were greeted with boos, and he even received a negative reception when he recently faced the relatively unknown Humberto Carrillo on RAW.

Speaking ahead of his Universal Championship loss against Wyatt at Crown Jewel, Rollins told Corey Graves on After The Bell that he does not understand why WWE’s “fickle audience” has decided to turn their backs on him.

“They’re the same people that are panning Hell in a Cell and talking about how Seth Rollins is not cool. They’re the same people that were clambering for me to be the guy to face Brock Lesnar going into WrestleMania, so I don’t know what changed, except for I became the person that they wanted me to be and then they hated me for it. It’s a very fickle audience. It is what it is.”

He went on to use John Cena and Roman Reigns as examples of Superstars who have been treated in the same way by WWE fans in the past, adding that he expects another babyface to receive a similar reaction to him in the future.

#2 Rey Mysterio’s son to start training at the Performance Center

Rey Mysterio’s son Dominik has appeared sporadically on WWE programming throughout 2019, with his first meaningful storyline coming during the summer when he convinced his father to continue wrestling.

In recent weeks, Dominik has not been on television due to the vicious assault he suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar on the September 30 episode of RAW, while Mysterio introduced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez – Dominik’s godfather – to WWE as revenge for Lesnar’s actions.

Speaking to Spanish publication Marca this week, Mysterio revealed that Dominik will begin training at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in 2020 to learn WWE’s style of wrestling.

"He will start training at the Orlando Performance Center next year to learn the style of the company and then we’ll see. He’s been preparing for more than two years now and the truth is that he has learned quickly. You can tell he has it in his blood. I am delighted to be able to share a ring with him before retiring."

It is unknown whether Dominik will go through the NXT developmental system before competing on RAW and SmackDown, but it seems unlikely when you take into account the number of times he has already appeared on RAW this year.

#1 When Jinder Mahal expects to return

After mostly competing in matches on Main Event between January-April 2019, Jinder Mahal became an integral part of the 24/7 Championship picture after the title was introduced to WWE programming by Hall of Famer Mick Foley in May.

Mahal traded victories with R-Truth in unique locations, including on a golf course and an airplane, but the one-time WWE Champion's return to the spotlight turned out to be short-lived after he suffered a serious knee injury during a June live event against Ali.

Speaking to Fan Buzz this week, "The Modern Day Maharajah" confirmed that he will not be able to make his in-ring return until "the new year at the earliest", despite being one of the few injured Superstars to be drafted in the recent roster changes.

The former 3MB member moved to SmackDown in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up earlier this year. However, he will return to RAW when he makes his comeback in 2020, having been chosen as the #18 pick in the fourth round of the draft in October.

Interestingly, although he is currently injured, Mahal was chosen by the red brand ahead of names including Samoa Joe, The Miz, King Corbin and Rey Mysterio.

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