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We are back with another juicy edition of WWE News Roundup this week. The last few days have unveiled several backstage stories involving the biggest names in the business. In addition to that, we came across a couple of surprising tales that involved both WWE and their rival promotion, AEW.
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Let’s take a look at the top stories that ruled the WWE headlines. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
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#1 Brock Lesnar’s real-life heat with Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) in WWE
WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson recently cleared the air surrounding the backstage heat between Brock Lesnar and Jon Moxley, f.k.a. Dean Ambrose. The latter openly stated that Lesnar was lazy during their WrestleMania 32 match and was frustrated that they didn’t get to use more weapons during their bout. Arn Anderson noted that Moxley’s frustration is understandable, but Lesnar always does what he wants. Talking about the incident, Anderson said:
“I know that he [Moxley] was frustrated because he did want to have… that was a huge match for him, that he would have on his tool belt for the rest of his career, and he wanted to use the weapons as a way to get himself back even, maybe even get an advantage and put himself in a position to win. But, as we know, Brock does what Brock wants to do. He always has.”
Anderson further stated that Lesnar has pinned several other big names during his illustrious career. While both Lesnar and Moxley had the opportunity to do more during their match, The Beast Incarnate always gets the final call over what will transpire during his bouts.
#2 Seth Rollins says he and Roman Reigns are on the same level in WWE
WWE SmackDown Superstar Seth Rollins recently claimed that Roman Reigns is on the same level as him. He insisted that his former Shield brother will understand his motives, which he doesn’t expect from Cesaro. While talking about his current run on the Blue brand, Rollins was quoted saying:
"The thing about Cesaro is... and I said it last night. There are levels, okay? There are levels, and there is a reason that Cesaro has never had the spotlight at WrestleMania. A reason! Do you know what that reason is? Do you understand what that reason is? That reason is because he is not as good as me."
"There are people who are on my level. Roman Reigns is on my level. There are people who understand it. Paul Heyman has been around greatness his entire career. There are people who understand that... who get greatness. I'm one of those people."
Rollins has been involved in a feud with Cesaro ever since he returned on WWE SmackDown. The two have engaged in several altercations and are scheduled to face each other in a singles match at WrestleMania 37.
#3 Matt Hardy calls out WWE for ‘damaging practice’
WWE recently posted a compilation of the loudest pops to WrestleMania returns. Interestingly, it did not involve The Hardy Boyz's return that prompted the entire arena to erupt at the 2017 edition of WrestleMania. Several fans noticed the absence of one of the best return clips in WWE and tagged Matt Hardy in the post.
The current AEW Superstar then responded by saying that their return is not included because he is currently signed with a rival promotion. However, he also used the opportunity to call out WWE for their ‘damaging practice’ that continuously revises history. Here’s what Matt Hardy had to say:
“For everyone who’s tweeted me, our WM33 return isn’t included because I’m now at AEW. I’ve always felt it’s a damaging practice to selectively revise history with diehard fans. You tell me, should our WM33 return be on this list?”
Matt Hardy made his AEW debut back in March 2020. Jeff Hardy, on the other hand, is still working for WWE as a part of the RAW roster. Together, they share a long and illustrious history in WWE with several accolades to their name.
#4 Shelton Benjamin rejects an offer on WWE RAW
Last week on WWE RAW, The Hurt Business split up after MVP, and Bobby Lashley blamed Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin for ‘embarrassing’ the group. In their bid to prove that the WWE Champion needs them, Alexander and Benjamin took turns to face Lashley. However, the latter prevailed and sent a strong message to Drew McIntyre ahead of their title match at WrestleMania 37.
Following that, Reckoning from RETRIBUTION invited Benjamin to join her group. However, the former Hurt Business member rejected the offer and topped it by mocking the WWE RAW Superstar. Finally, she took back her invite, and Benjamin appears to remain focused on his alliance with Alexander on the Red brand.
#5 John Cena Sr. unhappy with WWE Hall of Fame induction
John Cena Sr. has lately taken upon himself to share his opinion on WWE events. Recently, he criticized the promotion for conducting the Hall of Fame induction ceremony without fans. He believes that it is a ‘disservice’ to the inductees. Discussing the importance of fans at such events on Boston Wrestling MWF's Dan Mirade, John Cena Sr. said:
“You know what, if they don’t allow fans to attend, I think it’s a disservice to those who are being inducted. I think that it’s time now they rethink the process because it is a fan thing. It’s only for those people, men and women, who have earned their right and the privilege to be noticed beyond everyone else into that Hall of Fame, and it should be enjoyed by everyone. If you don’t have fans there and you don’t have people, it’s kind of like watching a wrestling match without anybody there, and kind of like a bad bottle of Fabo Pop [soda]. If it’s not right, it goes flat.”
The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held last night. The star-studded event witnessed the induction of iconic superstars like Kane, Molly Holly, and The Bella Twins.
#6 Over $1000 dollars stolen from former WWE Superstar Zelina Vega
Former WWE Superstar Zelina Vega recently fell victim to a scam and lost over $1000. She took to Twitter to reveal that over $1300 was stolen from her via an online international money transfer portal, Wise. Vega further stated that the source of theft is somewhere in Kenya. She is yet to hear from the company.
Vega was released by WWE back in November 2020 over backstage disputes. It was recently reported that she had signed a new deal following the end of her non-compete clause. There were rumors about her possibly signing with AEW. However, the reports claim that she has joined a different promotion on a short-term deal.
#7 Paul Heyman urges WWE Superstar to stop ‘b****ing’
WWE Superstar Natalya has recently found a new ally in Tamina. The two team up to compete on SmackDown and have been dominant over the last few weeks. They have emerged as a threat to Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Natalya recently appeared on Talking Smack, where she complained about not having a match at WWE WrestleMania 37. (This was before the Tag Team Turmoil match was announced for Night One of WrestleMania.)
In a surprising response, Heyman hit back at the WWE veteran and asked her to stop ‘b****ing and moaning’ about the lack of opportunities. Instead, he urged her to fight for a spot, knock on Vince McMahon’s door, and run through the roster. Here’s what Heyman had to say:
“Let me tell you something, from the bottom of my heart, cut the s***, please, come on. Stop b****ing and moaning and complaining about not being on WrestleMania and do something about it, and if knocking on Vince McMahon’s door or kicking down Vince McMahon’s door or stretching Vince McMahon down on the ground doesn’t get the job done, then smack around every single person on the female roster until there’s no roster left. You’re the only females left to be on WrestleMania to represent the female empowerment movement.”
Natalya and Tamina are one of the four tag teams that will lock horns in a Tag Team Turmoil match on Night One of WrestleMania 37. The other teams include The Riott Squad, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke, and Naomi and Lana. The winner of this match will have an opportunity to challenge Jax and Baszler for the Women’s Tag Team Championships on Night Two of WrestleMania 37.
#8 Reason why Vince McMahon wanted AJ Styles to lose at WWE WrestleMania 32
WWE Superstar AJ Styles lost against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32, three months after making his debut in the company. Former WWE producer Arn Anderson recently stated that Vince McMahon booked this loss in order to see Styles’ real-life reaction to his decision. Discussing on his podcast, Anderson said:
“Of course, of course [Vince McMahon booked Styles to lose to see his reaction]. Not the fact that you slow down his progress and ability to help the company. I never saw anybody, Conrad [podcast host Conrad Thompson]; let me just make this statement. I never saw anybody in the history of my time in this business that lost his way into getting over. Name one. Any historians out there, name one, and I will gladly bow my head and go, ‘I stand corrected.’”
Anderson further claimed that such decisions stalled AJ Styles’ progress in WWE. He credited The Phenomenal One for his in-ring abilities and agreed that everyone needs to fight through the backstage battle. However, the creative should have allowed him to pick big wins at pay-per-views much earlier.
#9 Edge says Roman Reigns should have ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak
WWE Superstar Edge is headed to WrestleMania 37, where he will face Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan in the Universal Championship match. Ahead of the much-anticipated title bout, the Royal Rumble 2021 winner hailed Roman Reigns for his commitment to WWE and picked him as the one who should have ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. Edge backed his claim by saying:
"I think that should have been saved for someone who you want to strap the rocket to. And you know and you trust and is going to like... to me, Roman Reigns was the guy to do it. And that's where it should have been done. I know I get that he's a believable one to do it, but okay, great, this is professional wrestling. It's not MMA. So to me, you do it with the character that you think is going to pull your cart for the next 10-15 years."
Edge did not like that his singles match for the title was turned into a triple-threat bout with Daniel Bryan’s addition. He recently confirmed his heel turn and is adamant about winning the world title at the upcoming WWE pay-per-view. However, that didn’t stop The Rated-R Superstar from applauding Reigns for his work ethic.
Reigns pinned The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 and was subjected to a 15-min non-stop booing reaction from the crowd on the RAW after The Show of Shows. Many believed that it was the best time to turn him heel, but the change that finally happened with his WWE return at SummerSlam last year.
#10 Finn Balor hails Becky Lynch for her WWE success
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor recently talked about Becky Lynch in an interview where he said that she has achieved beyond expectations. He believes that it is an excellent time for returns in the business and hopes that Lynch will soon be back inside the ring. Here’s what Balor had to say:
“I think she has exceeded everybody’s expectations in what she has done and how she has performed over the last couple of years. I’m very excited to see her back, hopefully soon. So, I think it’s a great time for returns in this business, so hopefully, there’ll be a surprise return of Becky Lynch, and we can all celebrate together.”
Becky Lynch relinquished her WWE RAW Women’s Championship in May 2020 after she announced her pregnancy. She and Seth Rollins welcomed their daughter Roux in December last year, following which The Architect returned on WWE SmackDown. Currently, there are no concrete reports about Lynch’s return to WWE television.
