And your headlines for Afternoon include
Nash Carter Has Plenty Of Support Within NXT After WWE Release! Real Reason Why WWE Fired Him Revealed!
Raquel Gonzalez Expected On WWE Main Roster Soon!
WWE Accused Of Forcing Fans To Hate Edge & Becky Lynch!
WWE Given Huge Props For Presenting Cody Rhodes As A Big-Time Star!
Xavier Woods Gives An Update On Big E's Injury Status!
Charlotte Flair Comments On Andrade And Ric Flair’s WWE Exits!
Backstage Note On Why Alexa Bliss Hasn’t Returned To WWE TV!
Randy Orton Says Current WWE Wrestler Is The Best Worker Of His Generation!
Kurt Angle Confirms He Will Undergo Major Surgery Next Month!
Randy Orton Addresses Potentially Breaking John Cena & Ric Flair’s Record Of 16 World Title Reigns! And More
We’re starting today with Nash Carter, the NXT Tag Team Champion who was released from the company this week after a whirlwind of news reports.
Before last weekend’s Stand and Deliver event, Nash’s wife, though they are rumoured to be divorcing, Kimber Lee accused him of being physically violent against her, and said that she
had been silenced by him for the good of his career.
Many of the tweets made by Lee have since been deleted, and she’s also shared photos of the alleged violence that she’s suffered at his hands.
On Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alverez discussed the situation, and said that the allegations against Nash did not play a role in WWE’s decision to release him.
On the contrary, Alverez says he was told that the decision for MSK to win the Tag Titles at Stand and Deliver was made AFTER the allegations were made, as WWE did not believe that
Kimber Lee was a reliable source. Alverez went on to say that before this change, the Creed Brothers were the favourites to win, and
had even been advised to bring their family to the show to witness them win the gold.
Now, the NXT Tag Title picture is a mess and Alverez added that there are many people in NXT who are on Nash Carter’s side.
We’ll have to see if WWE brings back Carter, as there’s many in NXT who would love to see him back, including his girlfriend Gigi Dolin, but for now, it remains unclear what the future holds
for him and the NXT Tag Titles.
It’s been reported that WWE did not release Nash Carter over the allegations against him, as WWE do not consider Kimber Lee to be reliable, and feel the evidence she’s submitted does
not prove beyond doubt what she’s claiming. On that same episode of Wrestling Observer Radio though, Alverez and Dave Meltzer explained that
it wasn’t the claims of violence that cost Nash his job, but one photo that Lee shared
In that picture, Carter is shown imitating Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and does the infamous hand gesture of the party with a hair and moustache reminiscient of the far-right fascist leader.
While this was a ridiculous photo for Carter to take, there has been sympathy for Nash, as the hashtag #JusticeForNashCarter has been trending on social media for days.
Although WWE could bring him back, this image will no doubt haunt Carter for the rest of his wrestling career, and while the allegations made by Kimber Lee weren’t a factor, this shocking
photo is what cost him a WWE career.
Now, this post-WrestleMania season is traditionally when WWE likes to call up talent from NXT and now a former NXT Women’s Champion could soon find a permanent home away from the
paint-splattered brand. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer suggested that Raquel Gonzalez could be heading to
the main roster soon, saying that the quick pin on her during this Tuesday’s NXT Women’s Tag Title match is a sign she’s wrapping up in NXT 2.0.
On the show, Gonzalez and Dakota Kai lost the NXT Women’s Tag titles for the second time, in what was again the first title defence of their reign.
Gonzalez has also been working dark matched before Raw and SmackDown as of late, and with the recently called up Butch, and the rumored to be called up soon Tommaso Ciampa
doing the same, all signs point to Raquel Gonzalez joining the main roster very soon.
When Becky Lynch returned to WWE at Summerslam 2021, fans were ecstatic to see the Man, but Lynch quickly made fans aware that she isn’t the Superstar fans once knew.
Turning heel on Bianca Belair, Lynch’s turn baffled fans who still wanted to root for her, and she isn’t the only popular star to embrace their darker side.
Recently, Edge, a man who fans saw cry in his 2011 retirement speech only to miraculously return in 2020, was turned heel, and during the Busted Open podcast, Bully Ray accused WWE
of forcing fans to book talent they simply want to cheer: “The WWE will force a lot of stuff on us. They are forcing me to hate Edge. I just do not hate Edge
And it’s not because Mark (Bully Ray’s real name) and Adam (Edge’s real name) are friends. It is simply because Mark doesn’t want to hate the character of Edge.
There is nothing hateable about… his real-life story is too, too real to ever hate him. Becky Lynch. I don’t want to hate Becky. I like Becky. There nothing about Becky that I hate.
Stop forcing me to hate people. There’s plenty of people around that we can get real heat, steam, hatred on. Don’t give me uber babyfaces. I’m talking as a fan here.”
To be fair, Edge’s heel turn has been better received than Lynch’s as fans are well aware of just how good a villain the Rated R Superstar can be.
As for Lynch, WWE is still trying to get fans to boo her, but after years as one of, if not WWE’s most popular Superstar, that’s proving to be easier said than done.
WWE may have some questionable booking with Big Time Becks, but it’s safe to say that their usage of Cody Rhodes has been nothing short of exceptional.
Making his return at WrestleMania 38, Rhodes received the biggest entrance he’s ever had, using the theme and attire of his AEW entrance but on the biggest stage in wrestling.
Even Jim Cornette can’t help but give WWE some praise for how the work with Rhodes has gone so far, as he said on his drive-thru podcast:
Cody Rhodes looked more like a big-time star and a major main event money ballplayer on this entrance and this match than he ever has before in his entire career.
Speaking about using the same theme from AEW, Cornette said that this is a direct shot at the All-Elite promotion, as WWE has made it clear that this isn’t just the Cody Rhodes
who left in 2016, but the Cody who was once a pivotal part in AEW. He added:
“I mean they just wiped their feet on poor old Tony’s face this week.”
Rhodes is expected to be on tonight’s SmackDown and fans are yet again excited to here from him, a stark reaction to the years of boos the AEW fans gave him as part of that company.
Rhodes return comes after WWE lost one of their most popular names as Big E continues to be out after suffering a broken neck.
The former WWE Champion was injured during the March 11th SmackDown, and has said he won’t require neck surgery, and we now have another update on his condition.
In an interview with Bart Winkler, Xavier Woods discussed his friend, saying that he’s just happy Big E is alive, and he’s going to be okay in the next couple of months.
This is a dramatically fast recovery time for Big E, who many feared could be forced to retire, but could possibly be back in the ring by the end of this year.
Despite this awful situation, Big E’s recovery has been excellent so far, and we’re continuing to send our best to the former WWE Champion at this time.
Throughout his near 20 years on WWE’s main roster, Randy Orton has worked with countless Superstars, from his debut match with Hardcore Holly to the likes of The Rock and The Undertaker.
Even now at 42 years old, Orton is happy to work with newer stars like Riddle, the Street Profits and Alpha Academy, but there is one name who sticks out for the Legend Killer.
On the Out of Character podcast, Orton told Ryan Satin that Dolph Ziggler doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his work, saying:
“You know who can bump their a** off and probably doesn’t get the credit they deserve. And I hate saying this because he knows he is that good – Dolph Ziggler. Dolph’s probably the
best worker of my generation. And I don’t know if any one’s said that out loud, but it’s true.” On this week’s Raw, Ziggler lost the NXT Championship to
Bron Breakker, and despite the new champ quickly moving into a programme with GUNTHER on this past Tuesday’s NXT 2.0, Ziggler has
earned himself some serious props from one of the all time greats
In September 2021, Alexa Bliss began a lengthy absence from WWE TV which ended earlier this year in time for Elimination Chamber.
However, after that show, Bliss has begun another lengthy absence, meaning that she’s had just one match in the past seven months.
Despite rumours, Bliss wasn’t a part of WrestleMania 38, and it turns out that her latest hiatus Is for a very special reason.
PW Insider reports that Bliss has been away dur to her impending wedding to Ryan Cabrera, and the couple is slated to get married at a secret location in Palm Springs, California this weekend.
It was also noted that guests attending will be informed of the location shortly before the ceremony, to avoid the specific place being leaked online.
Bliss and Cabrera got engaged in November 2020, exactly one year after they began dating, and after this weekend’s wedding, the former Women’s Champion may soon be back on TV.
We’ve got some upsetting news regarding Kurt Angle, who is set to undergo some major surgery next month.
Angle’s history of surgeries and injuries has been well- documented and next month the Olympic Gold Medalist will go under the knee for double knee surgery.
Kurt confirmed the news on his Hall of Fame podcast, and added that he’ll be using a wheelchair or a walker to get around for an undetermined amount of time.
Rightly considered to be one of the greatest ever, Kurt has more than paid the price for his incredible career as both an amateur and professional wrestler, and we’re wishing him
the very best on his road to recovery after surgery.
From one former World Champion to another as Randy Orton knows what it’s like to be on top, as he has 14 World title reigns in WWE.
With 14 reigns, the Viper is just two reigns away from tying John Cena and Ric Flair, and just three away from being the most decorated World Champion of all time.
After 20 years on the main roster and with no sign of stopping, many have said that breaking the record would be a fitting act for the Viper, but as Orton told the Out of Character
podcast, it’s not something he thinks is essential. “I would not necessarily say it is a goal, no. If that doesn’t happen I’m not really going to be sad
about it. I wanna say I’m content with everything I’ve a ccomplished. Like, I’d definitely love to accomplish more. But, if for some reason, tomorrow, that was it, I think I’d
be able to be content with the career that I had.” One half of the current RAW Tag Team Champions, Orton is happy with how his wrestling career has
worked out, but with the Legend Killer saying he plans to wrestle for another decade or so, it may be just a matter of time before he becomes a 17-time WWE World Champion.
And we’re ending with more wedding news as Charlotte Flair and Andrade El Idolo are set to tie the knot later this year.
Speaking to BT Sport about the wedding, slated for this Summer, Charlotte was understandably excited, but said that she is having to compromise with her future husband.
Flair joked that she doubts Andrade would be pleased to see her walk down the aisle with her SmackDown Women’s Championship, and the AEW star has requested that he
does not want her to be covered in make-up like she appears on WWE TV.
Addressing their future, Flair said that she does want kids, after seeing both Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch raise families despite being wrestlers.
It’s not all good for the Queen as she also said that following the departures of both Andrade and her father Ric Flair from WWE, that it’s been difficult the two people she considers
her best friends, gone from the promotion. Retaining her title at WrestleMania 38, Flair is now just the second woman to get a win over Ronda
Rousey, but the Queen has much more on her mind than just keeping hold of her Championship