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We are back with another exciting WWE News Roundup.
Several days ago, a member of the Anoa'i family spoke about Roman Reigns and The Usos' WWE SmackDown saga. A controversial superstar was recently involved in a newsworthy Twitter exchange.
Meanwhile, Shayna Baszler has voiced her opinion on one of her biggest main roster matches thus far. A 16-time world champion chose his favorite WWE move not too long ago.
Additionally, details on a nixed SmackDown storyline have been revealed. With that in mind, let's dive straight into the latest WWE News Roundup.
#5 How The Usos and Roman Reigns' WWE storyline connects to their childhood
On WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns and The Usos' conflict has attracted a lot of attention lately. Last year, the Universal Champion fought his cousin, Jey Uso, in two intense matchups. Their feud was resolved when Jey became Reigns' right-hand man.
However, Jimmy Uso's return has further complicated matters. Although he wasn't fully onboard with Roman Reigns' agenda at first, his stance on aligning with The Tribal Chief seems to be gradually changing.
During a recent appearance at Steel City Comic Con, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, Jimmy and Jey Uso's father, praised their storyline with Reigns. He added that the onscreen conflict between Reigns, Jimmy, and Jey is derived from real-life to some extent.
"I think the storylines they’re going through as of now, I think it’s beautiful. It’s not a story, that’s really them," said Rikishi. "They’ve been fighting like that since they were kids in the backyard. And now to be able to do that on-camera and get paid for it, I’d say it’s a beautiful thing. Samoan Dynasty is winning."
The Usos and Roman Reigns have often blurred the lines between fiction and reality ever since the latter became a top antagonist in 2020.
As a result, the stakes involved in their storyline feel bigger and more unique than most feuds on WWE television these days.
#4 WWE's Nia Jax responds to her onscreen ally with a dirty joke
On WWE RAW, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler's recent encounters with Alexa Bliss have drawn a lot of attention. The same can be said for a recent social media exchange involving Baszler, Jax, and The New Day's Xavier Woods.
It all began when a fan on Twitter asked Baszler if she ever made a man submit in a fight. The former MMA star replied that she solely trained with male athletes for quite a while. Check out her full response below:
Nia Jax chimed in with a suggestive joke, stating she makes men "submit" all the time. Xavier Woods has responded to Jax's comment with a GIF:
This particular Twitter exchange is an accurate reflection of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler's onscreen partnership. The latter is seen as the more serious competitor of the two, while Jax's character has frequently dipped her toes into soap-operatic shenanigans.
Meanwhile, Xavier Woods' light-hearted persona has always been a defining feature of The New Day. But during the latest edition of Monday Night RAW, things took a hellacious turn for him in the main event.
He put in a valiant effort against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley inside the Hell in a Cell structure, despite losing the match.
#3 Shayna Baszler reflects on her WWE WrestleMania 36 match against Becky Lynch
Last year's WWE WrestleMania event emanated from the Performance Center without the presence of a live crowd.
The RAW Women's Championship match between Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch took place during the first night of the pay-per-view. Lynch successfully retained her title in a match that lasted eight minutes and 30 seconds.
Before the pandemic forced WWE to relocate to the Performance Center, WrestleMania 36 was originally supposed to be held in front of over 70,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium.
Recently speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Baszler revealed that she was frustrated over the bout with Lynch and the circumstances surrounding it.
“I remember pulling up to the Performance Center for WrestleMania, sitting in my car, and feeling really angry. We’d worked too hard. I was so frustrated," recalled Shayna Baszler. "Would things have been different with a crowd? Or did things change because of it? There are so many what-ifs, but you can’t sit and dwell on it.”
Many fans had expected Shayna Baszler to become the new RAW Women's Champion at WrestleMania 36.
While that didn't turn out to be the case, even Becky Lynch admitted last year that she wanted Baszler to defeat her at The Show of Shows.
#2 John Cena names his favorite WWE move
WWE veteran John Cena has been a trending topic of conversation lately. The 16-time world champion has confirmed that he will return to WWE at some point in the future. Meanwhile, his rumored opponent at this year's SummerSlam pay-per-view is Roman Reigns.
During a recent interview with LADbible, John Cena named his favorite WWE move of all time, aside from the Attitude Adjustment finisher. Cena chose Steve Austin's version of the Stone Cold Stunner as his pick.
Kevin Owens has been using that move in recent times, and even the Cenation leader has executed a springboard variation of it in the past. However, according to the 16-time world champion, Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner is the best version.
“What would the favorite signature move of WWE of all time be without the two moves that I have on my moves list?” John Cena said, “Okay, that leaves me a lot of options. I like the Stone Cold Stunner, delivered by Steve Austin. No offense, Kevin Owens, but I think Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Stunner.”
What is your favorite WWE maneuver of all time? Sound off in the comments section below.
#1 Canceled plans for a Blake and Murphy reunion on WWE SmackDown
Blake and Murphy were a solid unit on WWE NXT from 2014-2016, and both men embarked on two very different paths following their split. Unfortunately, Blake was released from WWE in April 2021, while Murphy was let go by the company earlier this month.
Now, Westin Blake has revealed canceled plans for a reunion with his former tag team partner on SmackDown. During a recent interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Blake spoke about his Knights of the Lone Wolf stint with Steve Cutler.
Following Cutler's WWE release, the Knights of the Lone Wolf concept was entirely scrapped by the higher-ups. As a result, Blake pitched an idea to reunite with Murphy.
"I started pitching ideas for Murphy and myself to kinda reunite, once they said no more Knights of the Lone Wolf," Westin Blake told Sportskeeda Wrestling. "So, me and Murphy we started talking and trying to get back on TV together as a tag team. But of course, that didn't come to fruition."
While plans for a Blake and Murphy reunion didn't come to fruition, fans are now looking forward to what both stars have to offer following their WWE releases.
You can read Westin Blake's comments on possibly reuniting with Buddy Murphy outside WWE HERE.
