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We are back with another exciting WWE News Roundup to look at the top stories that recently made headlines. Several WWE Superstars were surprisingly released lately.
Ronda Rousey spoke about her WWE return reports. Meanwhile, The Miz showed off his impressive body transformation on social media.
A former WWE Superstar revealed why he rejected an offer to return to the company in 2020. Another former talent talked about the infamous Crown Jewel flight delay incident from 2019.
In addition to a few other top stories, let's dive straight into the latest WWE News Roundup.
#1 WWE release Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Mickie James, and many other stars
Several WWE Superstars were released after WrestleMania last year. This year, a few surprising names are mentioned in the list of releases. As of this writing, the following stars are no longer affiliated with WWE:
- Samoa Joe
- Bo Dallas
- Chelsea Green
- Kalisto
- Mickie James
- Tucker
- Peyton Royce
- Billie Kay
- Mojo Rawley
- Wesley Blake
Some of these former WWE stars have also reacted to their respective releases on social media. Check out their reactions below:
#2 Ronda Rousey talks about her potential WWE return
Earlier this month, WWE President Nick Khan said that Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey would return at some point in the future:
“Ronda is going to be coming back at a certain point in time. Becky Lynch, she just had her first baby, she will be coming back at a certain point in time in the not too distant future.”
Rousey responded to Khan's comments during Table Talk with D-Von Dudley. She wants to return to WWE at her own convenience:
"I actually waited until this moment to tell everybody. I don't know [when I'll return]. When I feel like it. I'll come back when I feel like it. Eventually, when I feel like it [Laughs]."
Dudley also mentioned that he would like to produce one of Rousey's matches in the future. The former RAW Women's Champion replied positively:
"Now, I feel like I have enough pull to make a request. I keep thinking of some new stuff that I want to try."
Ronda Rousey last wrestled in the main event of WrestleMania 35 against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. Lynch defeated Rousey and Flair at the event and became a double champion at the same time.
#3 WWE's The Miz reveals his impressive body transformation
WWE RAW's The Miz recently posted a before-and-after picture of his three-month body transformation on Instagram.
The Miz stated in the caption that he has become ripped and healthier through his transformation process. Here are a few important details he mentioned in the post:
"The picture on the left was taken on January 8, 2021. The one on the right was taken on April 11th, 2021."
"I started at 220lbs and currently I am at 206lbs."
"For 3 months, I weight trained 4 days a week and focused on eating the right foods. I went gluten free, dairy free, and soy free."
The A-Lister also encouraged his followers to "put in the work" as there are no shortcuts to achieve significant goals.
#4 Nita Strauss praises Charlotte Flair's recent WWE RAW promo
Popular guitarist Nita Strauss appeared in the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, hosted by Sidney Pullar III.
She discussed a variety of topics, including her thoughts on an unreleased WWE theme song, the new version of Roman Reigns, and Bad Bunny's WWE WrestleMania debut.
Strauss also praised Charlotte Flair, specifically mentioning the latter's brutally honest promo on the most recent episode of WWE RAW:
"How great was Charlotte last night, though? Josh and I were watching [and went] like, 'Yeah!' She really is so great at what she does."
Additionally, Nita Strauss pointed out how Charlotte Flair has been a high and mighty character for most of her career:
"You know what's funny? When she said, 'This is the new Charlotte Flair, you know, I'm not apologizing for being the greatest anymore', Josh and I looked each other [and went] like, 'When did she ever?' She was never really like that modest, humble character. She's always been like, 'In your face, I'm the greatest.' She does it well, and she should, because she's great."
You can check out Sportskeeda Wrestling's full-length interview with Nita Strauss in the video linked above.
#5 Heath Slater reveals why he turned down a WWE return offer in 2020
Heath Slater and many other stars were released by WWE in April 2020. While Heath has since signed to IMPACT Wrestling, he rejected an offer to return to WWE last year.
Speaking on The Angle Podcast, Heath said the offer by WWE was for less money than he had already been making at the company. Heath added that he left WWE on good terms:
"They offered me one back, but it was like half of what I was making. I was like, ‘Nah, I need to find myself and do other things and just chill. Just breathe and relax and spend time with the family. Just chill.’ I never burned any bridges up there, they all know me."
"I still talk to more than half the people [in WWE]. I was there for so long and we were friends. It’s no hard feelings. I told them, ‘I just want to go and do my thing for a little bit.’ They were like, ‘We don’t blame you, you get it.’ That was it."
#6 Sin Cara talks about WWE Superstars' reaction to the Crown Jewel flight delay incident in 2019
Back in 2019, more than 175 WWE employees were delayed in Saudi Arabia after the Crown Jewel event. The reason behind this incident was attributed to mechanical problems with the plane.
Sin Cara (now known as Cinta de Oro) recently spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Riju Dasgupta and gave his take on the whole ordeal:
“I felt like I was being detained like we were hostages in a different country. What can you do? It’s not like we can run to another airport and buy a flight and then travel like in the States. We were in a different country, different rules, different culture… everything. It was just hard, and I remember a lot of the boys, they didn’t wanna go back. They were like, ‘We don’t wanna come back here.’”
Sin Cara added that Vince McMahon and a few employees flew back to the United States before other Superstars.
Despite the experience, Sin Cara felt many Superstars returned to work at WWE Super ShowDown 2020 in Saudi Arabia because of the money.
#7 Kurt Angle wants an Ironman match against WWE legend Bret Hart
On The Kurt Angle Show, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently discussed his Ultimate Submission match against Chris Benoit. The bout took place at WWE Backlash 2001, where Benoit emerged as the winner.
On the subject of Ironman matches, Angle named Bret Hart as someone he would love to face in the ring:
"Bret Hart! Without a doubt! I would love to have one go with Bret Hart. It would have to be a 60-minute Ironman match. The longer, the better. I want it with Bret. Book it."
Angle and Hart have never wrestled each other, with the latter retiring from in-ring competition during the previous decade.
#8 Booker T defends Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's controversial WWE storyline
Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's WWE angle has led to extremely positive and negative reactions all across social media. On the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T gave his interesting take on the storyline.
The WWE legend believes that The Fiend's career isn't about wins and losses:
“I said it many, many time and I don’t know if anybody’s hearing me or not — The Fiend’s career is not about wins and losses. I don’t think it should be about wins and losses because I mean, we saw what happened. The Fiend got beat, lights go out, everybody disappeared, so did The Fiend really get beat? Could The Fiend have kicked out? Is The Fiend taking Randy Orton on a ride? What’s going to happen next? ‘To be continued!’ That’s the way I look at it.”
Booker T also seemed pretty optimistic about Alexa Bliss and Bray Wyatt's WWE future in the long run:
“But at the end of this thing, Alexa Bliss is gonna come out a better worker, a better student of the game and Bray Wyatt is just working on his craft. That’s the way I look at it.”
During the latest episode of WWE RAW, Alexa Bliss further descended into darkness and introduced a creepy doll named "Lily." Meanwhile, Bray Wyatt promised a new start for himself and his "fireflies" after Bliss unexpectedly betrayed The Fiend at WrestleMania 37.
#9 Bayley reacts to Billie Kay and Peyton Royce's WWE releases with a heartwarming video
After WWE recently released several Superstars, the entire wrestling community has reacted to the situation on Twitter. Bayley also took to Twitter to post a video she shot during the Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks match at WrestleMania 37.
The video also features Billie Kay and Peyton Royce (collectively known as the former WWE duo — The IIconics) watching the high-stakes clash. Bayley added the following caption to her tweet:
"This 17 second video sums up what Cassie and Jess mean to the wrestling world. Watching the main event of Wrestlemania live in the crowd because they LOVE WRESTLING. And when the camera hits them....they make the same exact face (without hesitation) to make me laugh."
#10 Ronda Rousey picks Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair as her potential future WWE opponents
In a Sportskeeda Wrestling exclusive earlier this month, Rhea Ripley said she would like to face Ronda Rousey inside the squared circle.
Rousey appeared on Table Talk with D-Von Dudley and named Ripley and Bianca Belair as stars she would like to face in the future:
"I really like having someone really strong that I can work with that I can use as a base but can also base of me. I would really love to work with Rhea Ripley. Whenever I work with somebody, I think, what is it that I could do only with them and they can do only with me. I think of one thing that we can do that is entirely unique in our match that only we can do, which there’s a lot of things I can think of for me and Rhea."
"Bianca [Belair] too, honestly. They’re both really really strong chicks that I feel like I can lift as well. I think I have the most options with them, and I’m just so glad that there’s some new faces and blood coming into the division as well.”
Both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair became the RAW and SmackDown Women's Champions, respectively, at WWE WrestleMania 37.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for more WWE news and updates.
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