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On-screen, the majority of this week’s WWE storyline developments have revolved around the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
We now know that Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio will battle it out in an “Eye for an Eye” match at the event, while Dolph Ziggler continues to keep quiet about the stipulation for his WWE Championship encounter with Drew McIntyre.
Behind the scenes this week, we learned that Heath Slater will not be returning to WWE on a full-time basis, despite his impressive promo and performance on RAW, and Billie Kay opened up about her friendship with The Rock after WWE cameras captured her meeting with the Hollywood star before SmackDown’s 20th anniversary episode.
Let’s take a look at the full details behind those stories, plus eight others, as we count down 10 of the most interesting real-life stories that have been revealed about WWE Superstars and storylines this week.
#10 Heath Slater is not returning to WWE
This week’s RAW began with Dolph Ziggler reintroducing Heath Slater back to WWE programming, almost three months after he was fired by the company as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slater, who won five titles during his time in WWE, lost a quick match against his former 3MB colleague, Drew McIntyre, and it looked as though he might become a member of the WWE roster again after the segment received praise from fans on social media.
But, according to the man himself, his RAW return was “a nice closing of a chapter” and he is not set to return permanently.
#9 Billie Kay is friends with The Rock
Followers of all things WWE might remember that Billie Kay had an emotional moment with The Rock before the 20th anniversary of SmackDown in October 2019.
The IIconics member told Wide World of Sports this week that people she knew from high school got in touch with her after the video, which you can see above, was posted on WWE’s YouTube channel.
Since that moment, Kay says the two have become friends, which is something she thinks is “absolutely absurd and very surreal”.
#8 Bayley pitched her WWE heel turn
It looked for a long time as though Bayley would be one of the few WWE babyfaces to go their entire career without turning heel.
That, of course, proved not to be the case when “The Hugger” debuted a new villainous persona on the night that she defeated Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in October 2019.
During an interview with Newsweek, the current SmackDown Women’s Champion said many people wanted her to have a similar babyface run to John Cena, but she pitched the idea of turning heel following her title loss against Flair at Hell in a Cell.
When the idea was approved, she remembers thinking, “Oh c***. Well, this better work.”
#7 Muhammad Hassan does not want to return to WWE
Marc Copani (fka Muhammad Hassan) left WWE in 2005 shortly after his character was booked in a controversial terrorism storyline on SmackDown.
Speaking on an episode of UnSKripted with Sportskeeda’s Chris Featherstone, the former WWE Superstar admitted he still misses certain aspects of being a sports entertainer, especially performing in front of live crowds.
Copani, who is now the principal of Fulton Junior High School, added that he has no desire to wrestle again, even though he considers his time in WWE to be one of the biggest highlights of his life.
#6 Vince McMahon did not expect Stephanie McMahon to join WWE
Stephanie McMahon began appearing as an on-screen character in WWE in the late 1990s, but her association with the company actually started several years earlier.
WWE’s Chief Brand Officer said during an appearance on SPORTNET's Top Of Her Game that she interned with WWE from the age of 14 and always knew that she wanted to continue her family’s legacy and become part of the business.
This surprised Vince McMahon, who assumed Shane McMahon would want to work for WWE but he did not envisage his daughter joining the company.
#5 Nia Jax helped Bianca Belair in WWE NXT
Way before she made her name on NXT television, Bianca Belair was widely regarded as one of WWE’s stars of the future due to her record-breaking feats at the Performance Center.
She told FOX recently that NXT trainer Sara Amato is responsible for teaching her everything she knows about being an in-ring performer, but Nia Jax is the one who took her under her wing and helped guide her in NXT.
Interestingly, WWE has never booked Jax and Belair in the same match, but that will surely change in the near future if both Superstars remain on RAW.
#4 Ric Flair’s honest view of The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
The first episode of WWE Network docuseries ‘Undertaker: The Last Ride’ revolved around The Undertaker’s disappointment with his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair said in an interview with the Metro that he can understand why the tombstone botch towards the end of the match bothered a perfectionist like The Undertaker, but he believes the ‘Mania main event was still “a hell of a match”.
He did admit, though, that he felt WWE failed to take advantage of Reigns’ big win by only allowing him to say five words – “This is my yard now” – the next night on RAW.
#3 Stephanie McMahon’s friendship with WWE colleague Charlotte Flair
In another story from Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte Flair’s appearance on SPORTNET's Top Of Her Game, it was revealed that the two WWE women knew each other a long time before Flair joined the company in 2013.
Stephanie described Flair as “a remarkable human being” who “loves unconditionally” and said people cannot help but notice the 12-time WWE Women’s Champion when she walks into a room.
#2 Sarah Logan is pregnant!
When Sarah Rowe (aka former WWE Superstar Sarah Logan) revealed earlier in the week that she had an announcement to make on Tuesday, it was only natural that WWE fans speculated whether her rumored return to the company was finally going to be confirmed.
As it turned out, the former Riott Squad member is not returning to the company. In fact, as you can see from the tweet above from her husband (The Viking Raiders’ Erik), she announced that she is pregnant.
Congratulations to the Rowes!
#1 Becky Lynch rejected two names in WWE
WWE Superstars rejecting obscure names is nothing new. Steve Austin, for example, was once pitched the name Chilly McFreeze, while the name Buddy Peacock was considered for Daniel Bryan.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Becky Lynch revealed that she rejected the idea of being called Madeleine because it reminded her of a television show with the same name.
The former WWE RAW Women’s Champion said she liked the name Robin Daly but she decided to go for Becky Lynch because she wanted to have part of her real name, Rebecca Quin, as her first name.
