In this WrestleTalk News, Seth Rollins shoots on AEW, Cody Rhodes’ backstage success in
WWE, Alexa Bliss still isn’t being used and more.
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[SUPPORT WRESTLETALK] As we shockingly saw on the Raw After Mania,
Elias is seemingly done with the company, as WWE have hired in his place his younger,
beardless brother Ezekiel.
There are some conspiracy theories, though, that Ezekiel isn’t really who he says he
is.
As he might actually be…
NXT wrestler LA Knight.
Following Ezekiel’s debut, Knight’s name actually began to trend on Twitter, with so
many people pointing out the similarities.
To clear up the confusion, Ezekiel has taken over his older brother Elias’ Twitter account
- presumably WWE owned it so they just repurposed it for him - and has posted the statement:
“Hey guys, since Elias is gone, I’ll be taking over his Twitter, I’m his younger
brother - Ezekiel!”
And he’s also helpfully changed his name on the platform to “Ezekiel (Elias’ younger
bro)” . PWInsider is reporting Ezekiel is set to be
a babyface on Raw, and his older brother Elias has been removed from the internal backstage
WWE roster.
Someone might want to tell the .com team that though, as Elias is still listed on the website.
Then again, their roster page does look buggy.
I’m seeing double here, four Roman Reigns!
Someone Vince McMahon definitely knows the identity of, though, is Stardust.
One of the most direct ways to Vince’s heart - unless you’re The Fiend - is to sell loads
and loads of merchandise.
That was supposedly one of the main reasons WWE never turned John Cena heel in the early
2010s, because they were afraid it would affect how many t-shirts he sold.
In yet another good sign for Cody, after one of the all time great WrestleMania returns
and an emotional follow-up promo on Raw, PWInsider is reporting WWE have sold out of all three
of the Cody t-shirt designs they put on sale during WrestleMania weekend.
WWE, pfft, just a t-shirt company.
In a carefully orchestrated PR blast since his WWE return just several days ago, Cody
has conducted numerous interviews to promote his comeback.
And also, if I’m being cynical about it, to control his narrative, to put over returning
to WWE being his dream, while underplaying his departure from that other wrestling company
he kinda founded that he said he’d be with until he died…
Potentially shaped by his experience of being a promotion’s Co-Executive Vice President,
Cody has admitted: “I don't think I want a management job in wrestling ever again.
I don't think I was mature enough for it.”
Which dampens speculation that his ‘most complicated wrestling contract ever’ would
involve an executive position behind-the-scenes in WWE.
Cody showed a glimmer of self-awareness, though, adding: “Never say never, just in general
because in just six years we're having this conversation and I've completely gone back
on what I've said.”
Yeah, you did kinda go back on everything you said there and all the thrones you bashed
in with a sledgehammer.
Now before we get on with the rest of the news, I’d like to say a big thank you to
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Cody’s big WrestleMania return opponent was Seth Rollins, who can be heard shouting
at him during the match, “welcome back to the big leagues bitch.”
Which kinda insinuates that other wrestling promotion Cody was in isn’t the big leagues.
And just in case you thought that was said in the heat of the moment, Seth has heavily
doubled down on that sentiment in his interview with Gorilla Position:
“This [WWE] is the premier professional wrestling company on the planet.
I know, don’t say professional wrestling, doesn’t matter.
We have the best in the world, and now we have Cody Rhodes on top of that, and he is
joining that club.
If you want to be the best, don’t go play rinky-dink, come here, we are the best.”
“I’m not taking anything away from anybody else who is anywhere else.
I love it.
Do what you do.
You guys are tremendous.
There’s great talents out there, but this is where you are the best.
This is where you find out if you can hack it on the top, top level.”
What do you think Seth could be referring to?
Let me know in the comments down below.
But Rollins isn’t the only one having not-so-subtle interactions with their rival company.
The Young Bucks and Kevin Owens are leaving each other secret messages in their Twitter
bios like forbidden lovers.
Forbidden Lovers, title of your emo indie tag team.
After the post-WrestleMania Raw went off air, Cody Rhodes wrestled Kevin Owens in the dark
match, i.e. just for the fans in attendance only.
Where, at one point following a superkick, Owens did the Young Bucks pose.
KO is very good real life friends with the Bucks, where he even teased jumping ship to
join them when his WWE contract was coming due late last year.
Replying to KO’s shoutout, the Bucks changed their Twitter bio to read: “Whaddup Kev”
To which Owens seemingly replied: “Hi, friends!”
But it seems with Cody joining the team, WWE just didn’t have enough space for everyone
over the weekend.
Because while practically everyone who works for the company was flown into Texas to be
on hand for WrestleMania, Alexa Bliss still had nothing to do.
PWInsider is reporting Bliss was not in Dallas for any of the WrestleMania weekend events,
which is quite odd considering how even those not scheduled to wrestle are usually brought
in to do the many other roles that take place at the same time: like media interviews, fan
meet and greets, to hangout backstage at shows, or just to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Even Shane McMahon was there, and he was effectively fired two months ago.
There was even an Alexa’s Playground set up at WrestleMania Axxess for fans to take
pictures in, but instead of real Alexa, they had a cardboard cut out there instead.
And Bliss herself has now hinted this isn’t her choice…
A quick recap on the last year for Alexa Bliss.
She was split from the Fiend in one of the worst WrestleMania matches ever last April,
got a spooky doll called Lily that sometimes came to life, The Fiend was released, and
she was left to feud with Charlotte Flair, who ripped that doll to shreds after beating
her at SummerSlam.
Bliss then wasn’t seen until January, where Raw starting airing therapy vignettes to help
her get over Lily’s destruction.
She was brought back for the Elimination Chamber match in a hastily announced return.
Made it to the final two there, and lost.
She hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since.
No dark matches, no media appearances, no new vignettes.
Bliss is due to get married to musician Ryan Cabrera very soon, and it’s thought her
absence could be to prepare for the big day.
But she replied to a fan over the weekend asking when is she getting back in the ring
with: “I’m ready when they are … 🤷🏼‍♀️” This isn’t the first time Bliss has publicly
tweeted that she doesn’t know what’s going on with her and WWE, posting on the 18th March:
“I’ll just wait here I guess…” and back on the 1st March, following her Elimination
Chamber return, “shrug emoji Where’s Alexa” at that Monday’s Raw, and tweeting: “Yeah
… I don’t know shrug emoji” Shrug emoji, the 2022 version of ‘creative
has nothing for you’.
What do you think is going on with Alexa Bliss?
Let me know in the comments down below.
Someone who very much is back and in action, though, is Samoa Joe - who turned up at the
end of ROH’s Supercard of Honor show last Friday, in the first show run under the ownership
of Tony Khan.
Khan quickly tweeted that the latest toy he’s bought will be appearing for both ROH and
AEW, and now he’s gone one further, revealing he’ll have his debut match on tonight’s
episode of Dynamite: “Arriving last week at ROH #SupercardOfHonor,
@SamoaJoe is signed with @AEW & has said that he plans to dominate!
Samoa Joe debuts in AEW vs. Max Caster in an Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament
Qualifier Bout on #AEWDynamite LIVE.”
I don’t know what I’m looking forward to more.
Joe killing someone, or Max Caster’s rap about Joe in a poncho.
Poncho Joe!
Where’s Poncho?!?!?!
There was a time in the late 00s where if you were let go from WWE due to medical or
behavioral issues, you could always count to appear in the IMPACT Zone for TNA a few
weeks later.
Like Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy.
The last years of Joe’s run in WWE was plagued with bouts of him not being medically cleared
due to concussion and a wellness policy violation.
As a result, he’s only wrestled once in the last 26 months.
Him, along with Jeff Hardy again, who was let go from WWE because of bizarre behaviour,
could expose a flank of AEW’s business, where WWE can criticise them for using talent
who they wouldn’t allow to compete
in a ring.