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On-screen, this week’s WWE shows revolved around the seven matches that have been announced for The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules.
Five titles are set to be defended on the show, including the WWE Championship and both Women’s Championships, while Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman (Wyatt Swamp Fight) and Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins (Eye for an Eye match) have also been announced.
Behind the scenes this week, we learned that a SmackDown veteran regularly considers his long-term future as an in-ring competitor, despite being one of WWE’s most impressive Superstars, and Dolph Ziggler spoke about Drew McIntyre wanting certain WWE colleagues to leave the company.
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 Drew McIntyre legitimately wanted some WWE Superstars to leave
Ahead of his match against Drew McIntyre at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, Dolph Ziggler spoke on The Bump about his real-life conversation with the Scot that led to them becoming tag team partners in 2018.
Ziggler said McIntyre did not like that some Superstars in the WWE locker room were going “three-quarters speed”, adding that he wanted rid of “hangers-on”.
McIntyre has said in media interviews over the last three years that he could sense a lack of desire amongst people in WWE, but it is interesting to know that he legitimately wanted some of his colleagues to leave the company.
#9 AJ Styles discussed his WWE retirement plans
There has been a lot of talk about veteran WWE Superstars coming to the end of their careers over the last year, especially since Goldberg vs. The Undertaker at Super ShowDown 2019.
In AJ Styles’ case, “The Phenomenal One” recently turned 43 and he has previously stated that he expects his current WWE deal to be the last one of his wrestling career.
Speaking on ViBe & Wrestling, the SmackDown Superstar said he has got to the stage where his mind and body argue with each other about what he can and cannot do in the ring. Right now, he plans to keep going for as long as his mind and body allow it.
#8 Vince McMahon thought Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus was ‘awesome’
The latest ‘WWE Chronicle’ on the WWE Network focused on Jeff Hardy’s redemption story and his recent rivalry with Sheamus on SmackDown.
WWE documentary footage has given fans a glimpse of Vince McMahon’s reaction to WWE matches in the past, including his disappointment with Kevin Owens following the former Universal Champion’s WrestleMania 33 encounter with Chris Jericho.
Fortunately, Hardy’s match against Sheamus at Backlash was well received by McMahon. In fact, he liked it so much that he told the three-time WWE World Champion when he returned backstage that the match was “f***ing awesome”.
#7 Booker T is prepared to have one more WWE match
You may remember that Booker T repeatedly teased at the start of 2020 that he could make an appearance at the Royal Rumble, either in the 30-man match or in a tag team match alongside his brother, Stevie Ray, against The Revival.
That did not come to fruition, but the two-time WWE Hall of Famer is still not ruling out a possible in-ring return with WWE.
Speaking on Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast, Booker said all it would take is one phone call from WWE and he would seriously consider making a comeback.
#6 Adam Cole and Keith Lee's post-match conversation revealed
One of the biggest WWE moments of the year took place at NXT’s Great American Bash event when Keith Lee defeated Adam Cole to become both the NXT Champion and NXT North American Champion.
Lee said in an interview with Bleacher Report that he went over to Cole in an off-the-air moment and told the former NXT Champion that he had gained a new level of respect for him.
He also revealed that he did not expect to receive pyro or confetti after his big victory.
#5 Randy Orton’s true feelings on WWE changing his character
Former WWE producer Arn Anderson often gives a fascinating insight into modern-day WWE on his ARN podcast.
This week, he spoke about Randy Orton having a unique bad-guy look that makes it seem like he could bite somebody’s nose off at any second.
He added that, while Orton is an excellent heel, the 13-time WWE World Champion does not feel comfortable whenever WWE forces him to portray a babyface character.
#4 Kevin Owens is responsible for WWE’s mask policy
WWE French-language commentator Pat Laprade recently reported on the Les anti-pods de la Lutte podcast that Kevin Owens told Vince McMahon he was going home due to concerns about WWE’s Performance Center recruits not wearing masks at ringside during television tapings.
This week, Owens confirmed in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso that he was responsible for WWE’s new mask policy, which now states that anybody without a mask will receive a $500 fine, with another $1,000 fine for people who break the rule more than once.
#3 AJ Styles wants to face The Undertaker again
In another story from AJ Styles’ appearance on ViBe & Wrestling, the SmackDown Superstar said he would be interested in facing The Undertaker again when WWE is allowed to have thousands of fans in attendance at shows.
The match between the two men at WrestleMania 36 was supposed to take place in front of over 70,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, but WWE changed the stipulation to a Boneyard match due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Styles clarified that he fully respects The Undertaker’s decision to retire and he does not expect his WrestleMania 36 opponent to return to the ring.
#2 Big E thought he might be fired if The New Day failed
Big E has cemented his status as a future WWE Hall of Famer thanks to his work alongside Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in The New Day over the last six years. However, despite holding the Intercontinental Championship in 2013-14, he initially struggled to find a regular spot on WWE’s main roster as a singles competitor.
Speaking on The New Day’s Feel The Power podcast, the former NXT Champion said he would have considered the group a success even if they only had a six-month run together as a trio. If they did not succeed, he expected to be sent back to NXT or possibly even fired.
#1 WWE Superstars often make the same John Cena and Randy Orton joke
Randy Orton seems like the kind of person who should not be messed with, but it turns out that Superstars in WWE NXT have been making jokes about the former Evolution member for years.
Baron Corbin revealed on Busted Open Radio that Orton does not want any opponents to hurt him, so up-and-coming WWE Superstars often question each other’s move sets by asking, “Would you do that to Randy Orton? Would you do that to John Cena?”
If the answer is no, then move sets sometimes get adjusted because Superstars ultimately want the likes of Orton and Cena to work with them if they are called up to WWE's main roster.
