If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** During episode #284 of “Da” Podcast, Zicky Dice shared the exact length of his IMPACT Wrestling deal. Dice signed a three-year contract with the company. It was confirmed in September 2021 that the two sides reached a multi-year agreement.
I’ll be at IMPACT for a while. Signed a three-year deal at IMPACT so I’m there for a little bit.
Dice has presented two of his ‘Outlandish Paradise’ events so far. He goes back and forth about doing more shows but likes the current format. He said there is a possibility of adding a Twitch Championship to the fold.
I go back and forth [about doing more Outlandish Paradise shows]. I really like the four shows a year vibe, making them special. I also — as far as storylines, I don’t know, I’d rather put on some badass matches. I mean if something bleeds over, cool. As far as titles go, that’s something that we did talk about is making an official Twitch Title and I know we tried to make that happen the last time so maybe Paradise 3 will be based around actually crowning a Twitch champion.
** After winning an ESPY for WWE Moment of the Year, Cody Rhodes was interviewed by James Williams. Rhodes was asked if he wants to take on the mentor/wrestler role in WWE that he had in AEW. To Rhodes, it felt like that role was not manageable and now he’s to himself. He did exchange contact information with Dominik Mysterio to be of assistance when needed.
Well I think somewhere in the middle [is where I am when it comes to wanting to take on that mentor role in WWE versus focusing on what I’m doing], because when I tried at AEW, I was a mentor and there for a lot of talent. But it was very difficult to do that and be the guy they were also wrestling in the ring with. There’s something that’s — I feel like almost a conflict of interest about it. I’m not saying it is but, it didn’t feel like it was manageable for me personally and now I’m pretty to myself. I don’t need to give away any of my secrets. I gave enough of ‘em away when I was at AEW [Rhodes smiled]. I’m pretty to myself and I’m always there for somebody. Whether he ever asked me to or not, the first day I was there, I wanted to make sure Dominik Mysterio had my number. I’ve been there. It’s a hard, hard, hard walk ahead of you but I’m hoping he can absolutely make the best of it so there are those young folks who didn’t get to wrestle Undertaker, John Cena, people like that and I was able to be in the ring with them so, all I can do is pass on what they knew and I can only do that when asked.
Cody listed off several names he’s looking forward to wrestling when he returns from injury such as Riddle, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
There are so many people who are left [to face in WWE]. The guy he’s [Seth Rollins] wrestling at SummerSlam this weekend, Matt Riddle is somebody that I’d love to mix it up with. I definitely — he’s on the injured list as well, Randy Orton and I. As much as it’s fun to hug and such, we do need to figure it out. You know, there’s a guy who helped train me. Gosh, I could go on and on. Kevin Owens and I have never really been able to cross paths in a sincere way. That’s somebody I’d like to mix it up with as well.
** To promote his ROH World Television Title defense at Death Before Dishonor, Samoa Joe spoke to Sports Illustrated. He reflected on being part of Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque’s last sanctioned match at a house show in Japan in 2019. Joe said it was an honor to be a part of that and wishes the best for Levesque going forward.
It was a fun match and the crowd had a good time. Obviously, he’s had a monster career, and it’s an honor to be part of his last match.
We have a great rapport and relationship, and I wish the best for him and his health. That’s my main concern. I’m happy he had a chance to get some rest, get healthy and stay around for as long as he can.
Joe was cast for a dual role in Peacock’s ‘Twisted Metal’ series. He detailed how that opportunity came to be and said he’s excited to see what the public thinks of the finished product.
I’ve always kept a toe dipped in the world of Hollywood. I’ve done a lot of voice acting over the years, and a friend of mine for many, many years—Carter Swan—gave me a call and presented the opportunity. I read for the part, and now I’m playing the psychopathic clown everyone loves.
I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s an absolute blast of a character to play. I’m very much enjoying the process and I’m excited to see the world’s reaction to the show.
When Joe won the NXT Championship at TakeOver 36, he did not get the opportunity to defend the belt as the reboot into NXT 2.0 came into play. He said his only regret from that time of his WWE run is not being able to contribute to the development of the younger talents by working with them on-screen.
My only regret was not being able to be involved in any development of the young athletes at NXT. I saw a lot of potential and would have loved to add to their journey as they become superstars. That was my only real regret. Everything else, it is what it is. That’s the only thing I was bummed about. It’s a crazy business environment over there in WWE. I had other opportunities ready to go, so leaving wasn’t that big of a hit.
** From late 2021 through early January 2022, NXT 2.0’s Grayson Waller worked with AJ Styles on-screen. He told Sporting News about that experience and said he had to shift his mindset to viewing Styles as an equal opposed to someone he was once a fan of.
I can’t lie, I was a wrestling fan growing up and I was a huge AJ Styles person…but once I got into the business and was no longer a fan, I changed my mindset. I’m on the same level as them right now, I didn’t get involved in that whole thing with AJ thinking like, ‘Wow, that’s AJ Styles, I used to love him as a kid’ – I was like nah, that’s AJ Styles and he is in the position I want to be in. Getting in there with him, he is a legit Hall of Fame guy. Even building up to it, being in his presence there is just something about the guy. I’ve watched him for so long and I kind of knew what to expect, but standing across from him was a different feeling and it was a feeling that I needed to have. I needed to get in there with one of the all-time greats and that match holds a very special place in my heart. That’s the time that I showed everyone that no matter who it is, I can hang – and not just hang, I can compete. I took him to his limit and I am very thankful that I got to get in there with AJ Styles, but it wasn’t as a fan.
Waller can understand the comparisons there between himself and The Miz but added that he’s his own person and does not think he is like anyone else. He spoke highly of Miz and Miz’s journey to and through WWE.
I wouldn’t say I’m playing a character – I don’t know how I feel about that. I think one person a lot of people have compared me to, and I can see it, is The Miz. I do see elements of my personality that do kind of connect with him. I remember watching him on The Real World and seeing how passionate he was. Even before he was in the business, he was just a fan, but you could see the passion running through and he went through these other avenues to get to WWE. Now he has been doing it for so long and he’s been at the top for so long. I don’t think anyone can say anything negative about him. I guess in some ways, it kind of models my own way of getting to WWE. I did the reality TV route and eventually found my way here. He’s definitely someone that I can see the comparisons to. But I’m myself – Grayson Waller is Grayson Waller. I don’t think anyone else is like me, I don’t think anyone else talks like me. I’m a unique individual and this isn’t just for TV, this isn’t just for cameras – this is who I am 24/7. If you ask my friends and my family, when they see me on TV, they are like, ‘Yeah we’re not surprised’ because they know how I am. That’s why I tend to say personality rather than character, because I’m not acting and I’m not playing, I’m real.
** When Paul Wight was at the WCW Power Plant, a great portion of his early training was done by Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and Terry Taylor. Wight shared with The Wrestling Classic that Levesque would joke with him and tell him to stop telling people who trained him because he was getting Levesque heat due to his in-ring skills at the time.
I had left the Power Plant. I had about three months, maybe three-and-a-half months of training at the Power Plant with Buddy Lee Parker and Pez Whatley, Mike Winner, Jody Hamilton and Terry Taylor and [Diamond] Dallas Page and actually Paul Levesque were — Paul Levesque and Terry Taylor did the predominant part of my early training which, you know, Hunter used to say all the time, ‘Don’t tell people that. You’re getting me heat because you’re the sh*ts so don’t tell people I trained you’ [Wight laughed]. I mean he’s my friend of course.
He told the story of when he was at the monitor for a match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Wight said out loud that they were going to main event WrestleMania one day and added that there were some people who snickered and laughed.
I remember years ago, we were working overseas and the girls [Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair] had gone on just after intermission which they call the ‘popcorn match’, you know, because it’s after intermission and I always sat [near] the monitor and I remember I was on after them and was thinking to myself like… might have to lace my boots and work hard and I told everybody, I said, ‘I’m telling you what right now guys, them two girls are gonna main event a WrestleMania someday’ and I remember a couple people around laughed at me. A few years later, they did just that.
As Wight was trying to get into the wrestling business, he ended up crossing paths with the late Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect). Wight continued to buy drinks for Hennig and was expecting to get the phone number of Brad Rheingans so he could train. Hennig told Wight he’d give him the number after going to the bathroom but never returned to the bar. They did not cross paths again until Wight landed in WCW.
Back then, just the rigmarole of trying to get in the business. There was always somebody that was gonna say, ‘Yeah, give me five grand kid. I’ll teach you how to pro wrestle and I’ll get you a booking.’ Those guys were everywhere. But actually trying to get in the business, it was kind of like, you know, not that I know but if I could use an example, it’d be like trying to get in the Mafia. You had to know somebody to get in, because it’s a very tight-knit business and I remember being at Walter Payton’s club in Chicago and I met Curt Hennig [Mr. Perfect] and God rest his soul and I had maybe sixty dollars to my name and I met Curt Hennig and I was buying Curt Hennig drinks at the bar because he was gonna tell me, oh, I could go — he was gonna give me the number to Brad Rheingans to go get trained and this is — the bar’s closed and he says, ‘Yeah man, let me run to the bathroom. I’ll come back, I’ll give you Brad’s number’ and he left [Wight laughed]. He never gave me the number. So, I had like three dollars to my name, I didn’t have a car at the time. I had to, you know, beg some people to give me a ride back to the southside of Chicago. I’m huddled up in a small car with people I don’t know that were fortunate enough to give this lost, broke giant a ride back to where I was staying and years later when I got into WCW, when Curt Hennig came into the locker room, first thing, he goes, ‘Hey! I see you made it’ [Wight laughed]. Yeah, but I love Curt. I love Curt to death. He was just an amazing, charismatic individual to be around. So that’s one of my favorite stories of like, ‘Oh hey. I see you made it.’ ‘All right, thanks man. Appreciate the love.’
** It has been a full year since Mandy Rose returned to the NXT brand full-time and present day, she is the current NXT Women’s Champion. Rose appeared on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves and Vic Joseph and commented on the possibility of a main roster return. Rose is enjoying her time in NXT, but thinks she’ll be back on the either Raw or SmackDown and wants to compete for those brands’ titles.
Yeah, 100 percent [I still want to compete for the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles]. I mean, I am definitely enjoying my time in NXT right now but at the end of the day, of course I wanna be back on Raw and SmackDown and I think I will be and I think people better show some respect and show what I’ve accomplished at this point and whether it’s defending my NXT Women’s Title or whether I’m back up there trying to get the Raw Women’s Championship or the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
The idea of Sonya Deville joining Toxic Attraction (Rose, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) was suggested. Rose is open to the idea and mentioned that she wanted Deville to appear on NXT 2.0 while she was the on-screen General Manager.
Oh! I wanted Sonya [Deville] to come as a General Manager to NXT. I thought that would have been cool but, she’s kind of out of that role now but, I mean, you never know.
There might be something there [Deville joining Toxic Attraction]. I like what you’re putting out there, I’m not gonna lie. We tend to — everything we manifest comes to life so I mean, we’ll see.
Mandy went on to speak about what she has been able to learn from Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. She said they’ve helped her improve as an in-ring performer and to be more edgy. Rose feels that she has helped them with their presentation and the ‘superstar’ aspect of being in WWE.
I would say becoming a little bit edgier [Rose said about how Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne have helped her]. You know, Gigi and Jacy have both wrestled prior to WWE. They were kind of finding themselves as well. I think we all kind of had this vision of us becoming this group but we’re all, you know, obviously very different people as well but I think the common ground is we like to kick ass and we look good doing it too, you know? So I would say they’ve helped me in ways that I didn’t even think was possible in a sense, no offense. Just because I feel like coming from the main roster, I had more experience and all that but, we help each other out when it comes to wrestling. I’m not the wrestling guru, I don’t know everything. But, at the end of the day, I’ve helped them with presenting themselves well, dressing themselves like superstars and looking like superstars and they’ve helped me with some wrestling as well by training with a bunch of the NXT women. That has definitely helped me. Getting more reps and training with so many different individuals too. I’ve wrestled so many different women and so many different characters this past year that it gives me so much diversity of being able to kind of get in the ring and never have touched and then have a one-off match and then kind of off to the next one too because it’s just how we work so, it’s been great. We’ve been able to help each other all out.
** For episode #74 of WWE Die Woche, Raquel Rodriguez joined the show and stated that she can see both Io Shirai and Zoey Stark making their way onto WWE’s main roster soon.
Oh my gosh, the NXT women’s roster is stacked, it is. I see Io Shirai coming up soon. I definitely see her being a main player on Raw and SmackDown. She is everything that is women’s wrestling. She’s aggressive, she’s talented, she’s just unique and different too. I absolutely love Io Shirai and wrestling her and her style and I think Zoey Stark. I know she just made her comeback but I’ve always looked at Zoey Stark as someone who’s just a little bit different as well, kind of like a wildcard in the sense that Liv [Morgan] is too so, I would love to see what she would do with the Raw and SmackDown locker rooms.
Raquel debuted on SmackDown in April and since she has been on the main roster, she listed Natalya as someone who she can consistently go to for advice and to learn from.
Well, I definitely try to pick Natalya’s [brain] because she has the most experience. She’s a vet in the business. She obviously knows every single woman on the roster very, very well. She’s worked with each and every single one of them so I’d have to say Natalya [is my go-to person for advice pertaining to WWE]. She’s very knowledgeable-that woman.
Earlier in the conversation, Rey Mysterio’s upcoming 20-year anniversary celebration was brought up. Raquel touched on how Mysterio influenced her and how he and his family do a great job representing the Mexican culture.
Oh, very, very much [Rodriguez responded when asked how much does she look up to Rey Mysterio]. I think they represent our culture and the Mexican culture so amazingly. He’s definitely been one of my inspirations since I was a little girl as well because I’ve been watching him for so long and to top it off, the Mysterio family are just so kind. They’re so welcoming, they’re so just pleasant and positive and awesome to be around. I think they’re amazing role models, Dominik included.
** Tom Lawlor is currently competing in the G1 Climax 32 tournament. NJPW pushed out an interview that Lawlor was the subject of. He expressed that he’s living in the best time of his wrestling career. He then spoke about the growth of NJPW STRONG and being Openweight Champion for over a year.
I think this has been the best time in my wrestling career. I had my first pro wrestling match in 2005, then I stepped into MMA and came back to the wrestling world at the age of 35. There are talented wrestlers all over the place now, and they are much better than when I debuted in 2005. It is not easy to stand out from the crowd of wrestlers like that, and it was difficult to return to wrestling. It was the best and most enjoyable time of my career to be a key player in NJPW STRONG from its inception.
NJPW STRONG gave me the same experience as the early days of MMA. Now that tag team titles have been introduced, and NJPW STRONG wrestlers are appearing in AEW, we have a great opportunity. Isn’t this all thanks to my leading NJPW STRONG as a champion?
** ‘From The Farm, To Our Table’, a book written by Sarah Rowe f.k.a. Sarah Logan is scheduled to release in spring 2024. The book is being published by Gnome Road Publishing. The book will be about two siblings discovering the joy and benefits of helping out on the family farm and practicing a sustainable living lifestyle.
** Hiromu Takahashi playing the New Japan Pro-Wrestling trading card game:
** Former WWE Senior Vice President of Live Events, Patrick Talty, was elected to be President of the Indiana Sports Cup. Jeff Jarrett was slotted into the S.V.P. of Live Events position.
** All Japan Pro Wrestling is running the Nippon Budokan on September 18th.
** On 7/15, ACH became an AAW Tag Team Champion which put him in the Triple Crown Champions club under the AAW Pro banner. He’s held their Heavyweight and Heritage Championships.
With his victory at #AAWIndependents becoming one half of the AAW Tag Team Champions, ACH has now become the latest Triple Crown Champion in #AAWHistory!
AAW Heavyweight – Won 2/3/2018
AAW Heritage – Won 3/1/2013
AAW Tag Team – Won 7/15/2022Congrats ACH! pic.twitter.com/TsomkIdQNn
— AAW Wrestling (@AAWPro) July 22, 2022
** To promote Friday Night SmackDown in Boston, Massachusetts, Kofi Kingston appeared on Wrestling Inside the Ropes.
** Dragon Lee is scheduled for West Coast Pro and Pro Wrestling Revolution’s King of the Indies show in November.
** There is going to be an exhibition centered around the late Giant Baba in Izu City, Japan beginning August 17th. Some of Baba’s personal items, oil paintings and photos of him will be on display. Baba’s niece will be in attendance to speak.
** Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville spoke to Darren Paltrowitz to promote DaMandyz Donutz now being available through UberEATS and Postmates in Los Angeles, California.
** Pro Wrestling Illustrated has an interview on their YouTube channel with Powerhouse Hobbs.
** The most recent guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet was Ken Anderson.
** Tru Heel Heat has an interview on their YouTube channel with GCW commentator Kevin Gill.
** Tekken 7 — Ricochet vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Kofi Kingston:
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
