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In today's roundup, we take a look at the drastic decision Vince McMahon was ready to make following the untimely death of Eddie Guerrero.
Also in today's roundup, CM Punk reveals the harsh truth about WWE's backstage culture and why Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose are upset with WWE.
Before we get to all that, let's take a look at the headline-makers first:
CM Punk names the 3 WWE Superstars he would like to face on his return
CM Punk has shockingly claimed that he is ready to return to WWE in the right conditions. Firstly, Punk wants the money to be right, while he has also picked three Superstars who would be his dream opponents.
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The Best In The World has named John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio as the ones he would like to face on his return to the ring. Apart from them, he is also open to working with Will Ospreay.
Talking to Swings & Mrs. With Cody and Jennifer Decker, he said:
If the money was right, I think a guy like Daniel Bryan I would go, ‘I would listen to your idea.’ If you said John Cena, I’d probably listen to your idea. Rey Mysterio, I would listen to your idea. For people I haven’t ever wrestled before? I think Will Ospreay, I would listen to your idea.
But there’s — like, I said, there’s a lot of moving parts. But I’m busy doing other stuff. And nobody, I think, has found the right combination of ways to approach me. It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen. It’s up to the people who actually run the companies. (H/T 411 Mania)
Daniel Bryan confirms retirement talks
Daniel Bryan has claimed that he will no longer be a full-time wrestler after his current contract comes to an end. The former WWE Champion is set to go on 6-week paternity leave and when he returns, there won't be much time left on his contract.
“To me, in my mind, it's almost like, I think I'm done being a full-time wrestler. I love being a dad. I will always love wrestling and I will always want to do wrestling. But when I say 'always want to do wrestling,' that means maybe once a month or once every couple of months.” [H/T Fightful]
Bryan and Brie Bella are expecting their 2nd child in the summer which means he might be off TV after SummerSlam this year.
Randy Orton not happy with WWE for excluding him from WrestleMania poster
Randy Orton has hinted that he is disappointed with WWE for not having him on the official WrestleMania poster. The Viper has been challenged to a match at WrestleMania by Edge but he is yet to accept it.
The Rated-R Superstar was attacked by Orton on his return to Monday Night RAW after 9 years. He has not been able to compete in the ring though and was about to announce his retirement once again. But before Beth Phoenix could make the announcement, Orton interrupted and attacked her by delivering an RKO.
Edge has challenged Orton to a Last Man Standing match and he wants that to headline WrestleMania. In a Twitter spat with Roman Reigns, Edge claimed that his match should be the main event at the Show of Shows.
WrestleMania, for the first time ever, is going to be a 2-night event and will emanate live from the Performance Centre after being relocated due to Coronavirus.
Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose 'upset' with RAW storyline
Sonya Deville has claimed that she and Mandy Rose were upset with WWE for introducing the LGBT storyline involving Liv Morgan and Lana. Deville claimed that they had been pitching that for a long time but did not get permission from the WWE.
“So obviously, Mandy and I were upset momentarily. It was something that we really pushed for. But never say never. And I think that it’s definitely still a possibility that it will or could happen in the future. And I think representation in different storylines and stuff like that, is awesome. I think it’s good.
"There’s a lot of different ways you can do it. There’s not just one way to do it and it’s not just Mandy and I that have to do it. Obviously, we took a lot of time out and had a lot of meetings with GLAAD, and they were helping us write and direct the story. And so I hope we can get back to it one day. But yeah, I would like to see it also revealed in other storylines in the future too.”
Things are slowly heading that way with the recent storyline involving Otis and Dolph Ziggler, but WWE are yet to drop a hint of Sonya Deville's involvement.
CM Punk reveals harsh truth about WWE's backstage atmosphere
CM Punk has claimed that he would like to return to the ring, but he is not a big fan of the backstage atmosphere in WWE. The former WWE Champion was talking to Swings & Mrs. With Cody and Jennifer Decker on their podcast when he revealed the bullying incident he faced.
“It’s a bully culture. I remember somebody — every time I would ice my elbow because I constantly had a chronically bad elbow. And I would ice my knees and that was more of a maintenance thing. After a while, I did get a surgery on my knee.
"But they would always laugh and make fun of me. And they would look and point and say, ‘Oh, look, it’s DDP!’ And I’d be like, ‘Why are we making fun of somebody for icing?’ It was always the stupidest stuff. The bullies backstage, I would always think like — is that a weakness, really?" (H/T 411 Mania)
CM Punk quit WWE back in 2014 and has not yet mended fences with the company. Both sides are open to working with each other but are yet to make contact.
Vince McMahon was open to cancelling SmackDown after Eddie Guerrero's death
Vince McMahon was open to cancelling SmackDown after Eddie Guerrero passed away, according to Chavo Guerrero. The former WWE Superstar was talking to Wrestling Inc when he revealed the incident that took place right after his brother's passing away.
"Vince is always, 'The show must go on.' The same thing happened when Eddie passed away. I was in the hallway of his hotel room and here comes Vince, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels. We're all talking and he was like, 'What should I do? Should I cancel?' I go, 'Absolutely not. Eddie would want the show to go on, for sure.'"
Eddie passed away due to heart failure back in November 2005 while he was an active member of the WWE roster. The shockwaves from the news of the untimely death caught everyone off guard and even the WWE Chairman was open to scrapping SmackDown that week.
Despite the show eventually going on, there was some friction in the arena with Superstars from RAW and SmackDown paying tribute to Latino Heat that night.
