Hello and welcome to the WrestleTalk News - I’m Oli Davis.
Women’s Royal Rumble Surprise Appearances The Women’s Royal Rumble is now under two
weeks away, and more and more lady talents are being linked to surprise appearances for
the match.
First up, courtesy of her interview with Wrestling Sheet Radio, former WWE star Kharma - better
known outside the promotion as Awesome Kong - has said she’d love to be a part of the
match to give her career closure, but nobody from WWE has approached her about appearing
yet.
Kong’s WWE run barely lasted a month, having to take a leave of absence after becoming
pregnant - just several weeks after she debuted in May 2011.
She did come back briefly before completely leaving the company, though - entering the
2012 men’s Royal Rumble match and eliminating Michael Cole and Hunico, before being thrown
out by Dolph Ziggler . She was the third female wrestler alongside Chyna and Beth Phoenix
to ever enter the men’s match.
Kong was most recently seen in the Netflix 80s female wrestling show GLOW.
Another interested lady person is a mainstream UFC star… although not the one we’ve been
talking about since last Summer.
MMA fighter and former Dancing with the Stars contestant Paige VanZant spoke to TMZ about
the Women’s Rumble match: “Yes, that is definitely something I’m
interested in.
I love the WWE.
I think I would for sure be a good WWE Diva, for sure.”
Whoah, do not say that word.
I am sorry if anyone was offended by that.
You can’t say ‘diva’ these days.
“If the knock comes onto my door, I’m taking it.
I love WWE.
I would love it.
I have the personality for it.
Yeah, but, you know, when the time is right.”
If VanZant was to go to WWE, though, she might have her namesake’s beloved gothic boots
to fill.
Paige Retiring From WWE?
Paige hasn’t had the best last few years.
After finding herself out with a neck injury in July 2016, she was suspended twice for
failing WWE’s Wellness Policy.
A string of controversy followed, centring around her relationship with former WWE wrestler
Alberto Del Rio and private images being leaked on the Internet.
But then her career started to look up again.
The Rock began production on a Hollywood movie based on her life, which is due out this September,
she had recovered from major neck surgery, and she made her long-awaited return from
injury last November, leading her own faction.
But just over a month later, on the 27th December Raw house show, her six-woman tag match had
to be stopped when a Sasha Banks kick to the back went wrong, leaving Paige on the mat
unable to get up for several minutes.
While she was eventually able to leave the ring without a stretcher, Paige hasn’t wrestled
since.
Then on Friday, Paige posted a seemingly positive message on Instagram: “The comeback is always
stronger than the setback HEART EMOJI” - leading fans to hope she’d be medically cleared
in time for the upcoming first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match - which she had already
been entered in.
But if PWInsider are to be believed, this latest injury means her in-ring WWE career
is over.
Paige was reportedly told at last Monday’s Raw - four days before she made that Instagram
post - she wouldn’t be medically cleared to wrestle again in WWE, and that multiple
sources believe she is “done” as an in-ring wrestler.
Apparently the most recent injury was a stinger, “leading to her losing feeling in her extremities”,
and because of her history of neck problems, WWE doctors subjected her to further testing.
Paige will reportedly be replaced in the women’s Rumble match - a WWE milestone that she played
a huge part in bringing about - and “all signs are that she will relegated to a non-physical
role for the company going forward” . In her first social media post since the reports
broke, Paige simply tweeted a black and white photo of her being cheered from the second
turnbuckle.
Neither herself or WWE have made an official announcement on Paige’s in-ring future yet.
She is only 25 years old.
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