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We are back with another exciting edition of WWE News Roundup. As we inch closer to WrestleMania 37, a lot is happening inside and outside the promotion that can directly impact the pay-per-view. The last few days have also witnessed former WWE Superstars revealing a few disturbing backstage stories.
In this article, we will take a quick look at the top news stories that ruled WWE headlines in the last 48 hours.
#1 Andrade opens up about backstage WWE secrets involving Charlotte Flair
Former WWE Superstar Andrade recently revealed that there are several superstars backstage who are ‘jealous’ of Charlotte Flair. He stated that everyone blames his real-life partner for getting several opportunities but argued that not many talents could deliver a 20-minute match. Andrade also revealed that Flair was once photographed while she was in the locker room. He talked about the disturbing WWE backstage incident while speaking with Lucha Libre Online. Here’s what he had to say:
"I have a lot of information, but I don't cause trouble for her. I can say that I don't know exactly that it was because of me that they removed her, but there is a lot of jealousy towards her. There are many female wrestlers in WWE, but only 3 or 4 can wrestle for 20 minutes. A lot of them complain about her getting the opportunities."
"She's had problems backstage. One time someone took a photo of her when she was changing. We know who, but she didn't want to say anything, and WWE didn’t know about it."
Andrade was released by WWE earlier this month. Charlotte Flair has also been absent from the television and recently confirmed that she tested positive for COVID-19. WWE currently has no plans in place for Flair at WrestleMania, and The Queen is expected to miss the pay-per-view this year.
#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin praises Randy Orton for his improved promos in WWE
WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin recently hosted Randy Orton on his Broken Skull Sessions podcast. The two had a great conversation, and Orton revealed how he thought that Steve Austin wasn’t very fond of him. The Texas Rattlesnake had stated that they crossed paths at entirely different phases of their respective career, and that’s why they never had the opportunity to get close backstage in WWE.
Austin recently appeared on Sam Roberts’ Notsam Wrestling podcast and discussed how Randy Orton has improved his promos. The WWE Hall of Famer is in awe of Orton’s story-telling, and he had heaps of praise for The Viper.
"So impressed with how charismatic and personable he was - and just, I mean, I just really had a connection with that guy. I barely know Randy - I was kind of almost on my way out when he came in, and, you know, I was doing my own thing; I've always been a loner. So, we never hung out. So, I think I kinda, through the years, said, 'The guy's a great worker, but his promos aren't there.'”
"You know, right now, as you know, his promos are just killing people. They're lights out. He went from being always a great worker to now, one of the best promos that there is going and has been. I'm super proud of that guy, but hanging with him - very magnetic, very charismatic. It really caught me off guard how magnetic and charismatic he is."
Randy Orton is currently feuding with ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on WWE RAW. The two superstars have had a few brutal exchanges in the last few months, and they are now set to face each other at the upcoming WWE pay-per-view, WrestleMania 37.
#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin picks two WWE Superstars ‘destined for greatness’
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has identified two current superstars who have a great future ahead of them. Speaking with Sam Roberts on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, Austin said Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair impressed him with their performances at WWE Royal Rumble earlier this year. He believes that they are incredibly talented and can become major stars with a bit of polishing. The Texas Rattlesnake was quoted as saying:
"I haven’t been tuning in a whole lot because I have a whole lot going on in my personal life, but just from watching the Royal Rumble, I think those last two women—Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair—I think those two are destined for greatness. They still need reps, they still need to learn, but those two have the size, presence, looks, ability to be major, major stars, so we’ll see what the future holds for them."
Both Ripley and Belair will compete in title matches at WWE WrestleMania 37. Royal Rumble 2021 winner Bianca Belair decided to challenge Sasha Banks for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship. On the other, Rhea Ripley recently made her debut on WWE RAW and challenged Asuka for the women’s championship of the Red brand.
#4 Seth Rollins labels WWE SmackDown Superstar’s signature move as ‘trash’
Ever since his return on WWE SmackDown, Seth Rollins has found a target in Cesaro. The two superstars are feuding on the Blue brand and have been involved in several altercations over the last few weeks. Most of their meetings have ended with Cesaro swinging Rollins in the center of the ring, and the latter isn’t pleased with the humiliation.
He recently went off on social media as he posted a series of tweets in which he called Cesaro’s signature-move “trash.” While his disdain for the move is understandable, Cesaro is expected to come back with an epic response. Both WWE Superstars are currently scheduled to face each other at WrestleMania 37 and are actively looking for the best ways to get under each other’s skins.
#5 WWE Hall of Famer unhappy with the promotion’s new reported rule
According to the reports, WWE have introduced a new rule regarding the age limit of their new signings. Dave Meltzer recently stated that WWE would sign recruits under the age of 30 and only make an exception if someone incredibly talented comes along. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson believes that this would be a ‘ridiculous’ rule as age is just a number in this craft. While addressing the topic on his ARN podcast. He said:
“It’s ridiculous, it’s ridiculous. Age is a number. Every instance where you have a blanket statement like that, aren’t you ruling out a lot of guys that are in the prime of their athletic career?”
Anderson further warned that Vince McMahon could be at the risk of missing out on a lot of talent if WWE starts practicing the rule as mentioned above. He believes that several talents can pick up momentum in their 30s and will be an asset to WWE as part of their mid-card.
#6 Bobby Lashley wants to bring back a former WWE Superstar
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley recently appeared on The Battleground Podcast and discussed his former hype-man, Lio Rush. Lashley openly stated that he has always loved Rush and asked for him to be brought back in WWE. Here’s what Lashley had to say about the former WWE Superstar:
"Can't speculate and throw stuff out because I don't know where we're going; it's only fantasy booking. I don't know where Lio [Rush] is at. I like Lio and always loved Lio. Bring him back."
Lio Rush was quick to respond to Lashley’s comments. He was grateful to the WWE Champion and took pride in their relationship while working together in WWE.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have built the relationship that I have with Bobby and how proud I am of our run 2 years ago. Always in his corner.”
Bobby Lashley is currently feuding with Drew McIntyre on WWE RAW. He is set to defend his WWE Championship against The Scottish Warrior at WrestleMania 37. But before that, he has to navigate his way around the split of The Hurt Business that was confirmed on WWE RAW earlier this week.
#7 Arn Anderson reveals why WWE Superstar Kevin Owens was a ‘pain in the a**’
WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson recently opened up about his backstage equation with Kevin Owens. He recalled when he was working as a producer in WWE and revealed that it was difficult for him to work with KO at times. The two would often disagree, which led to lengthy discussions during several WWE events. Here’s what Arn Anderson had to say about working with Kevin Owens backstage:
“There was a lot of times, I told Kevin this; he was a pain in the a** arguing over trivial things that really didn’t matter. ‘Okay, we can do your idea, but how about this idea? They both work kind of, but this is just easier.’ It just seemed like it was easier to implement it in. And it would be a long, drawn-out discussion, and he and I have had this talk before. I hope he’s doing better, and apparently the company… he’s been there a long time, and he’s making a s*** pot of money, I’m sure, and good for him.”
Following his extended title feud with Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown, Kevin Owens is now involved in a storyline with Sami Zayn. The two superstars are set to face each other at WrestleMania 37. Zayn is hopeful that his friend will soon see the truth in his ‘conspiracy theories’ and eventually help him fight against a common enemy on WWE SmackDown.
#8 Vince McMahon praises WWE SmackDown Superstar
During his appearance on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast, WWE Superstar Sami Zayn revealed how Vince McMahon praised him backstage. Zayn had appeared as a guest referee in a match between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW and continued his antics inside the ring while the match was going on. Zayn ended up impressing Vince McMahon backstage, who hailed the WWE Superstar for the ‘gift of the gab.’ Here’s what Zayn had to say:
"I came back, and Vince is like, 'You have the gift of gab.' I wasn't even cutting a promo; I was just being a ref, but they just started seeing me in a new light of, 'this guy, he can be so much and do so much for other people.' I think they saw a broader vision for me at that moment. Someone who can be a manager even 10-15 years down the road. There was a new trust."
Zayn recalled this incident to discuss how the most unexpected WWE segments can also lead to something big for the talents. He revealed that the match mentioned above was why Zayn was eventually paired up with Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE SmackDown. Vince McMahon trusted Zayn to be an excellent mouthpiece for Nakamura in WWE.
#9 How former WWE Superstar brought Andrade and Charlotte Flair together backstage
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair’s relationship with Andrade is no secret. The latter recently spoke with Hugo Savinovich of Lucha Libre Online and revealed who helped bring them together. As it turns out, it was none other than former WWE Superstar Karl Anderson. Andrade stated that Anderson wanted to introduce him to someone after they finished WWE RAW tapings in England.
Andrade never expected that he would meet Charlotte Flair and both WWE Superstars were a little awkward at first since they worked together. Anderson helped set up their first meeting outside of their respective characters. Following that, it didn’t take Flair and Andrade much time to get comfortable with each other.
WWE recently released Andrade, and the latter has several options to explore for himself. As for Charlotte Flair, she recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is tipped to miss WWE’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, WrestleMania, this time.
#10 WWE Superstars’ backstage reaction to The Undertaker and Michelle McCool’s relationship revealed
Former WWE Diva Layla recently made an appearance on Vickie Guerrero’s “Excuse Me” podcast. During their conversation, Layla revealed how superstars reacted backstage in WWE when they first found out that The Undertaker and Michelle McCool were together.
Layla revealed that several people accused McCool of getting preferential treatment because of her relationship with The Undertaker. Layla confirmed that McCool never took backstage advantage of her relationship and worked very hard for everything in WWE. Here’s what Layla had to say:
“Michelle and I got told no many times. It wasn’t like we got what we wanted. It wasn’t like that. I can promise you that. I was there. I’m just going to be really honest about this. Michelle being married to Taker, or his girlfriend, I think at the time. Eventually, their marriage was a little bit after that; people were like, ‘Oh, she’s going to get whatever she wants.’ I was there to witness it. That was not the case. It had nothing to do with that.
Michelle McCool and The Undertaker tied the knot in 2010. McCool bowed out of the squared circle a year after their wedding but continued to support The Undertaker during his matches. She was also one of the iconic female WWE Superstars who returned for the 2018 edition of the Women’s Royal Rumble.
