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On-screen, this week’s WWE shows largely revolved around the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view, with Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio and Apollo Crews vs. MVP (United States Championship) among the matches that have been announced for the event.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes this week, it was revealed that Vince McMahon soured on a WWE Superstar in the 1990s after he refused to lose against Kevin Nash at a live event.
We also found out that Melina – a five-time Champion during her time in WWE between 2004-2011 – is open to returning to the company one day.
Elsewhere, Chris Jericho gave an insight into what he told Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) in WWE several years ago, while Matt Riddle disclosed what he said to AJ Styles after their recent match on WWE SmackDown.
In this article, let’s take a look at the full details behind those stories, plus six 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 How PCO ruined his reputation with Vince McMahon
Speaking openly about his WWE career on this week’s UnSKripted, Pierre Carl Ouellet (PCO) told Sportskeeda’s Chris Featherstone that he tarnished his reputation with Vince McMahon when he refused to lose a match against Kevin Nash at a live event in 1995.
Ouellet, who had two spells with WWE between 1993-1995 and 1998-2000, also discussed his brief time in ECW and his return to the wrestling spotlight over the last few years.
You can check out the full 37-minute interview in the video above.
#9 Melina is open to returning to WWE
Melina has cemented her status as one of the top heels on the NWA roster since making her debut with the promotion in November 2019, but could she ever return to WWE?
The two-time Divas Champion and three-time Women’s Champion said on Instinct Culture with Denise Salcedo that she would be interested in working for WWE again, but she will be okay if the opportunity never presents itself.
In July 2019, Melina made a one-off appearance as a special guest referee on the RAW Reunion episode of RAW. However, that is the only time she has featured on WWE television in the last nine years.
#8 When Chris Jericho told Matt Cardona to leave WWE
When AEW fans started chanting “We, The People!” at Jake Hager (fka WWE’s Jack Swagger), Chris Jericho quickly shut down the chants by saying his on-screen ally’s former WWE catchphrase was a bad idea from a bad creative team.
Speaking on his Saturday Night Special on YouTube, the first AEW World Champion used Hager as an example when discussing the future of Matt Cardona (fka WWE’s Zack Ryder) in AEW.
Jericho said he told Cardona years ago that he is far too good to be a punching bag in WWE, and he is happy that the one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion now has a chance to reinvent himself after leaving the company.
#7 Charlotte Flair would like Alexa Bliss as the fifth “Horsewoman”
Charlotte Flair recently began sending personalized messages to her fans on the Cameo app. While some fans simply want a shout-out or a birthday message, others have been asking the 12-time Women’s Champion questions related to WWE.
One fan wanted to know who Flair would like as a manager if WWE’s Four Horsewomen group – herself, Becky Lynch, Bayley and Sasha Banks – could have a fifth member.
She replied by saying that Alexa Bliss would be well suited to the role, not only because she can wrestle but because she is good on the microphone.
#6 Seth Rollins has been impressed with two WWE Superstars
Seth Rollins has worked with established WWE names including Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio in 2020, while he has also been involved in storylines with Superstars who are still trying to make an impression on the main roster.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy, Rollins said he has been particularly impressed with the progress of Aleister Black and his on-screen disciple, Murphy, so far this year.
The four-time WWE World Champion warned that it is not possible to make new stars overnight, but he expects to see both Black and Murphy take even bigger steps on RAW in the coming months.
#5 John Cena’s wise advice for Cesaro
Widely regarded as one of the most talented in-ring performers in WWE, Cesaro has no plans to retire as a pro wrestler/sports entertainer in the near future.
That being said, speaking in an interview with Patrick Hauser of Sport1, the WWE SmackDown Superstar recalled that John Cena once told him that “you are only as good as your last match”, and those words have stayed with him whenever he contemplates when he should retire.
Cesaro, 39, is unsure when he will call time on his career, but he wants his last match to be “great” and he does not plan on overstaying his welcome in the wrestling business.
#4 How Drake Maverick dealt with WWE release
Drake Maverick was one of 20+ Superstars who received their release from WWE in April 2020 as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It had already been announced that he would compete in a tournament on NXT to determine an Interim Cruiserweight Champion, so he continued to perform on WWE television after his release had been confirmed.
Maverick told talkSPORT that WWE’s decision to turn his release into a storyline, which eventually saw him rehired, led to some unpleasant messages from people on social media who accused him of exploiting his colleagues’ real-life situation for his own gain.
The WWE NXT Superstar admitted he had “some bad mental health days” due to the comments, as he would never purposely try to upset anybody.
#3 Drew McIntyre unaffected by WWE’s ratings
WWE RAW’s television ratings hit an all-time low in July 2020, with the show bringing in an average viewership of just 1.561 million viewers for the episode that aired on July 13.
Drew McIntyre, the WWE Champion throughout RAW’s decline in viewers over the last four months, said in an interview with TV Insider this week that he is not letting TV ratings distract him from his current role in the company.
He added that other Superstars in his position have had issues in their personal life as a result of caring about viewing figures, so he chooses not to let it affect him.
#2 Vince McMahon’s reaction to Big E and Kofi Kingston taking a knee
Prior to their match against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura on the June 12 episode of WWE SmackDown, Big E and Kofi Kingston took a knee as a sign of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Big E said this week in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that both he and Kingston felt that they had to do something to support the movement, so they had a conversation with Vince McMahon.
McMahon was “completely on board” with the idea, according to Big E, and the WWE Chairman allowed the duo to take a knee before the match.
#1 AJ Styles and Matt Riddle’s conversation after WWE SmackDown
Matt Riddle has faced AJ Styles on two occasions on WWE SmackDown this summer, including his debut match on the brand in June.
The former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion said on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast that he and Styles agreed that their first match could have been better.
He added that they spoke after the match and began discussing ways that their future in-ring encounters can be improved.
