Update: Solo Sikoa Receiving Major Praise In the back In WWE
Sources close to the situation have revealed that Solo Sikoa’s fresh performances are from what is being said making a strong impression behind the scenes, with...
WWE
Search Results: "impression"
32 result(s) found
NEWS
That’s A Hot One: How A Former WWE Star (Literally) Set Backstage On Fire
It might have been a factor. Wrestlers have come and gone from WWE over the years but only some make an impression. You never know when you are going to see someone in the ring for the last time, but in one case, a wrestler with a unique character was gone after his first match. It turns out there is a very specific reason for his departure and it could have been much worse. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That’s A Hot One: How A Former WWE Star (Literally) Set Backstage On Fire During a recent edition of Something To Wrestle With, Bruce Prichard told a story about Phantasio, a magician character who wrestled one match on WWE TV in July 1995 before being let go from the company. According to Prichard, prior to his match, Phantasio dropped a bottle of liquid fire in the Gorilla Position, causing the drapes to catch on fire. The company did not know he had a fire spot planned and the accident resulted in Phantasio’s time with the company ending. It was something. Check out Phantasio’s match, p..
NEWS
WRESTLING RUMORS: Former WWE Star Teases Third Run With Company
One more time? There have been a lot of wrestlers coming in and out of WWE over the years, some of whom have had much better success than others. While some might not have done so well, they might have left quite the impression. Those are names who can be very noteworthy themselves, and one of the more noteworthy names might be teasing another WWE run. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That’s A Lot: Mandy Rose Reportedly Making Eye Popping Numbers On Subscription Site According to Ringside News, Eva Marie may be teasing a return to WWE. This comes after Marie liked a tweet from Sean Ross Sapp talking about former stars making WWE returns. Marie has wrestled for WWE in two different stints, with the most recent coming in 2021, though she was released later in the same year. There is no word on if WWE is interested in bringing Marie back. Marie has done a lot during her time in WWE. Check out what she has done before: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click ..
NEWS
LOOK: WWE Possibly Reveals Bray Wyatt’s Newest Associate
We might have a glimpse. There are all kinds of things that need to come together to make a wrestling story work in the right way and one of the most important is finding the right people. Putting someone in the wrong spot can mess up quite a bit, especially if the first impression is wrong. Earlier this week, we might have gotten a look at the newest member of a big storyline. This week’s edition of SmackDown featured another segment where the Bray Wyatt mask hijacked the show. After a speech, an image of a cowboy appeared on screen and said “Howdy”, though as did not see his face. This comes after WWE trademarked the name “Uncle Howdy”, though it is not clear if this will be a different character or another of Wyatt’s alter egos. Opinion: We are firmly in the realm of weird with anything Wyatt does or is associated with and this seems to be the same. One would likely be able to assume that this is the Uncle Howdy that WWE trademarked, though how he is connected to Wyatt remains to ..
NEWS
Former Champion Expected To Return To WWE
The door swings both ways. There have been a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster over the years and some of them have made quite the impression. At the same time, there have been several who have never had the chance to break out in the right way. It can be interesting to see them come back and that might be the case with another former champion. According to F4WOnline.com, former NXT Champion and Raw Tag Team Champion Bo Dallas may be on his way back to WWE. There is no word on what Dallas would be doing if or when he returns to the company. Dallas was with the company for thirteen years before being released in April 2021 as part of a round of budget cuts. Dallas has not wrestled since November 13, 2019, his last match with WWE. Opinion: I could go for this, as Dallas is only 32 years old, has the experience and success to make a go of something and has never had much of a chance on the main roster. Why not let him see what he can do in a WWE with a different landscape? It isn’t lik..
NEWS
One More: Vince McMahon Was Surprised By A WWE Star’s Work Before His Retirement
The right impression. While he might not be everyone’s favorite and while he might not be around anymore, there is no one in the history of wrestling as powerful as Vince McMahon. As owner of WWE, McMahon was able to change almost anything he wanted in the company, including which stars received a push. It seems that someone was able to impress McMahon right before he left. During an appearance on the Cheap Heat podcast, WWE’s Finn Balor revealed that McMahon was impressed with his heel work as part of the Judgment Day stable. McMahon reportedly did not think that Balor had that kind of performance in him, which Balor said was nice to hear. Balor went on to say that while he had spent more time working with Triple H, McMahon had always been great to him. Opinion: There is something to be said about impressing McMahon, as he is the ultimate force in wrestling and someone who is always worth listening to. Balor has done well in the role that he has been in and plays a great villain whe..
NEWS
They Had A Plan: Several Details About Recent AEW Title Change, How It Was Set Up
It seemed to work. With so many wrestlers around today, it can be a little bit difficult to find time for everyone to make an impression. One of the easiest ways is to put people together in a team, but even then they have to be established in some way. This can be tricky to do as well, but AEW pulled it off this week. It turns out they had a pretty long term plan in mind. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland won the AEW Tag Team Titles in the main event of this week’s edition of Dynamite. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the title change was a long term plan and the match was designed to elevate Lee/Strickland and Team Taz up to the next level. This came as the Hardys, Santana and Ortiz and Jurassic Express are all gone for the time being for various reasons. Strickland and Lee’s tension over the last few weeks was included as a way to continue teasing a possible breakup and make their win a surprise. Opinion: The best thing that can be said about the title change is that ..
NEWS
Group Effort: AEW Roster Reportedly Stood Up For Wrestler To Prevent His Departure
That’s a classy move. AEW has rapidly become one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world and it has been quite the success so far. A good deal of that has been due to its roster, but at some point some of them need to change in one way or another. That was nearly the case with one of AEW’s wrestlers, but some more of the roster did not care for the plans. According to Fightful Select, Colt Cabana’s AEW contract was set to expire earlier this year and the company was not going to offer him a new one. However, other members of the roster stood up for Cabana, who is considered extremely popular backstage. As a result, he was allowed to work the Ring Of Honor Supercard Of Honor event, though he has not wrestled an AEW match since the March 8 Dark. There is no word on when Cabana will wrestle again, though it appears he has been signed to a new deal. Opinion: That is quite the inspiring story and it is great to see that Cabana has made such an impression on the roster that they a..
NEWS
WATCH: Jim Duggan’s Inspirational Message About His Health Issues (This Is Great)
That’s the spirit. Wrestlers are larger than life characters that we watch every single week on TV. That can give us some different impressions of them, but ultimately they are regular people when the cameras go off. Unfortunately that includes serious problems that a lot of us go through, and now a wrestling legend is taking a different look at some of the issues that he is dealing with at the moment. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Duggan has posted a video to Twitter, talking about his recent health issues. Duggan is currently undergoing radiation to deal with prostate cancer but said that he is no longer going to feel sorry for himself. He talked about how glad he is to only have six weeks left of radiation treatment and how many people have it worse than he does. Duggan has had his prostate removed as well as beating kidney cancer in the 1990s. This is a pretty awesome statement. Check out Duggan’s inspiration message: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: That’s the kind o..
NEWS
WATCH: Sami Zayn Does A Great Roman Reigns Impression At WWE Live Event
That’s some serious flattery. Wrestlers are larger than live characters and you get to see them doing things that might not make the most sense but are still very entertaining. It can be a lot of fun to see wrestlers do their signature things over and over, but it can also make for some rather strong parodies if done right. That was the case this week and it is worth a look. Over the last few weeks, Sami Zayn has attempted to join the Bloodline. This has included Zayn trying to help the team as often as he can, often to less than successful results. On Saturday night, Zayn was facing Drew McIntyre in a match in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Later in the match, Zayn imitated Roman Reigns’ Superman Punch and spear through a table for a near fall. Zayn went on to lose the match. This is pretty awesome. Check out what Zayn pulled off in tribute to Reigns: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of thing that can be a lot of fun in wrestling, as only a small number..
NEWS
Quick Switch: Change Of Plans In Recent WWE Return
That would have been strange. Wrestlers rely on their reputations quite a bit and the first impression can make a hue impact. There are only so many ways to debut in wrestling and if it goes wrong, the wrestler can be fighting out of a hole in a hurry. It seems that a recent return was almost a lot worse, as the result of someone’s first match back almost went very differently. Mustafa Ali returned from a six month hiatus this week on Monday Night Raw. Ali defeated the Miz when he returned, but according to Fightful Select, the original plan called for Ali to lose. The plans called for Miz to win the match until Sunday afternoon when WWE made a change. In addition, WWE has not frozen Ali’s contract for the time that he was gone, though they may extend it in the future. Opinion: That could have been a lot worse, as I don’t want to imagine how bad it would have been to have Ali return and then lose in his first match back. Ali is someone with a lot of talent, but it isn’t going to matt..
NEWS
Wrestling Legends Have Different Takes On Kevin Owens’ Steve Austin Impression
The sincerest form of flattery. Wrestlers are almost walking cartoon characters a lot of the time, as they do things that no rational person would ever consider and somehow make it work. That is a style that has worked for the better part of ever in wrestling and it always will. Sometimes you see someone do something very over the top that gets a positive reaction, and that certainly seems to have been the case this week. This week’s Monday Night Raw opened with Kevin Owens coming to the ring to Steve Austin’s theme music, complete with an Austin shirt, Austin’s signature jean shorts and a bald cap. Owens went on to beat up a ringside attendant as Austin did over the years and drank a beer. The segment received some attention online, with Mick Foley praising it and Taz pointing out that Don Callis did something similar at AEW Revolution with Kenny Omega’s music. Taz also said he was expecting more from a company with so many writers. MAN, I LOVE THIS TYPE OF THING! Great job by KO t..
NEWS
Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results – March 21, 2022
Monday Night Raw Date: March 21, 2022 Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois Commentators: Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton There are two Raws left before Wrestlemania and that means WWE needs to really hammer things home. That is how it should go at least, but you never can tell with what this company is going to do. I’m sure Seth Rollins will be all Wile E. Coyote with one dumb idea after another on his way to his ultimate goal of doing anything at Wrestlemania so let’s get to it. We open with the glass shattering and it’s….Kevin Owens, in an Austin shirt, jean shorts, and a bald cap. Owens does a good enough Austin impression as he insults the crowd for falling for the gag and promises to destroy Austin once and for all at Wrestlemania. Then the glass shatters again, but fool me once and all that, as Owens gets to laugh at the people. After another threat to Austin, Owens calls for some beers (Steve Austin lagers) but can’t catch them. Therefore he yells at the guy to..
NEWS
WWE Hall Of Famer Returning To Monday Night Raw Next Week
Welcome home. There have been so many wrestlers throughout the history of WWE that it is virtually impossible to keep track of all of them. Some names make very little impression while others have such an impact that their name alone brings back a flood of memories. One of those names has not been seen in a long time but will be making a special return next week. WWE has announced that Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler will be making an appearance this week on Monday Night Raw, though there is no word on what he will be doing. Lawler last appeared in a backstage segment back in December 2021, though the announcement says it has been nearly two years since his last appearance. Lawler has been a regular host of the Raw Talk recap show. Opinion: I’m not sure what Lawler is going to do, but it is a bit telling that WWE doesn’t even remember his most recent appearance. It kind of makes you wonder just how unorganized everything is backstage, as that is something that WWE should be able to rememb..
NEWS
More On Recent AEW Debut And Signing
He’s a new one. The rise of AEW has allowed for a lot of new things, but one of the most important is a new high level platform for wrestlers to work on. After about twenty years of WWE being the only place to go, AEW has allowed for things to be shaken up. Several wrestlers get a new place to go and that was the case again last week. Now we know a little more about him. Last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite saw the debut of Buddy Matthews, formerly known as Buddy Murphy in WWE, who joined the House of Black. According to Fightful Select, AEW began talks with Matthews back in the fall, though it is not clear when the two sides came to an agreement. Impact Wrestling also made a play for Matthews but were unable to land him. Matthews is said to have made a good first impression, which was made even better when he declined to use a spot because it involved using another wrestler’s finishing move. Opinion: It’s cool to see Matthews showing up again because he really was one of the more int..
NEWS
VIDEO: Former WCW Star Makes AEW Debut
Welcome back. There have been a lot of wrestling promotions over the years but only a few of them have made any kind of serious impact. You do not see many promotions making a big impression, as there are only so many ways to become big and then stick around. There are a few more today, and now one of them is bringing in someone from another company that did it before. Former WCW star Crowbar made his AEW debut during this week’s edition of Dark: Elevation, where he was defeated by Joey Janela. Crowbar has wrestled on the independent circuit since leaving WCW, save for a few appearances for Impact Wrestling. There is nothing to suggest that he will be wrestling for AEW long term. Before the show aired, Crowbar released a video on Twitter, thanking the fans and Tony Khan for giving him a chance. It was a nice surprise. Check out the promo, the show (with Crowbar’s match beginning at around 22:20) and some of his time in WCW: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post conta..
NEWS
Controversial Former WWE Star Says He Is Returning To The Company
That would be a surprise. There have been a lot of wrestlers in WWE over the years and some of them don’t leave the biggest impression. Some certainly do, though not all oft hem are the most positive. You will see some wrestlers who pop up, make a bit of noise, and then fall out of favor with the company in a huge way. One such wrestler is claiming that he is getting another chance. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio has been telling people that he will be returning to the company following his current legal issues. Del Rio, 44, is currently set to stand trial on October 25 for sexual assault. During his two stints in WWE, he is a former four time World Champion, as well as winning the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank. There is no word on WWE having any interest in bringing Del Rio back. You might need to get to know him again. Check out some of Del Rio’s time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains v..
NEWS
VIDEO: Goldberg Returns To Monday Night Raw With A Challenge
Welcome back. There are certain legends in wrestling who make a bigger impact that others. It can be all the more impressive if they were not at the top of the world for all that long, as it means they made that much of an impression. There are certainly such names in WWE today, and one in particular made his return to WWE television this week with something to say. Goldberg made his return to WWE television this week on Monday Night Raw. After being injured at the hands of Bobby Lashley at Summerslam, Goldberg swore revenge after Lashley attacked Goldberg’s son after their match. There has not been a rematch announced between the two, though a match has been rumored for Crown Jewel, which is scheduled for October 21 in Saudi Arabia. He’s back. Check out Goldberg’s return and what set this up: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: It’s good that Goldberg is back as the story needs ..
NEWS
Well Done: Series Of WWE Matches Receiving Backstage Praise
They have an audience. With so much WWE content these days, wrestlers have a harder and harder time getting noticed. It isn’t easy to stand out among all of these other talented people, so it can be all the more impressive when someone does manage to make that big of an impression. It seems that two more people have done just that and WWE seems to be rather pleased. According to F4WOnline, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair’s live event matches and dark matches have been receiving strong reviews. The matches were designed to help get the two ready for their Extreme Rules match where Lynch defended her SmackDown Women’s Title. Lynch returned last month at Summerslam, defeating Belair in 26 seconds to win the title. They look to be working. Check out what Lynch and Belair have done: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is not exactly a surprise as you have two very talented wrestler..
NEWS
Extreme Rules 2021 Preview, Predictions And Thoughts
It’s time to go EXTREME, but I don’t think anyone has told WWE about that part. This is Extreme Rules, and of the six (yes only six) matches announced so far, a grand total of one has anything beyond a standard match structure (at this point, triple threats are a way of life and hardly extreme, or even out of the ordinary. I’m sure a few more matches will be added, but it would be nice to have some stipulations added, just to spice things up a bit. Let’s get to it. Carmella vs. Liv Morgan We’ll get the least important one out of the way first. This is a feud that started when Carmella did her best Mandy Rose in NXT impression and suffered a face injury during a match with Morgan. That set a feud between Morgan and Carmella/Zelina Vega, the latter of whom defeated Morgan this week on Smackdown. Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen when you’re losing to Vega? How it got started: [This post contains video, click to play] I’ll go with Morgan here, if nothing else because I can’t ..