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.
** The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has been a staple within the NXT brand since 2015. Cody Rhodes told Inside The Ropes that he’d love to present the trophy to an NXT team that wins the tournament.
For all things Dusty Rhodes, the A&E Biography that I was able to be the Executive Producer on, his story that is coming soon, hopefully before WrestleMania itself, to see the full story. Not to mention the Dusty Rhodes Classic. One of the things that was obviously very appealing for me is you’re never not your father or your mother’s son and it is important to me. He cannot be there to protect and explain and defend his legacy. So that was always a huge thing that was on the table that is obviously very appealing to me, being here and coming back to WWE so when it comes to the Dusty Rhodes Classic, I’d love to do anything involved. Obviously, it’s more NXT and that’s where we’re developing, like I was saying on Raw, tomorrow’s superstars today. You want to keep it in their wheelhouse but I’d be more than happy to hand a potentially Pretty Deadly that trophy or a different team because so much is going on that’s good down there. Shawn Michaels has done an incredible job and continues to do but I love all things Dusty. I just want to make sure he’s represented fairly because for a good time in the business, he wasn’t and WWE has done a really great job of letting you know what he did, how he did it and how it still affects what we do.
** Joining Renée Paquette on The Sessions podcast was Mandy Rose. She further reflected on her final match in WWE which was her losing the NXT Women’s Title to Roxanne Perez. Rose stated that she felt bad for Perez because their story was rushed, but Perez handled everything professionally.
I felt bad for Roxanne (Perez when the situation involving myself unfolded) because she’s so amazing and I really do love her as a person and I feel like it’s so exciting any time you’re being told you’re winning the title, it’s very exciting but I just felt bad because I felt like it was rushed… It was rushed. There was no promotion leading up to it. She had just won the match (at NXT Deadline), being the number one contender so we were gonna build on that eventually and it would be a really good feud in that sense but I felt bad because it was just thrown on her and I know her family would come to the shows, her sister I met and stuff so it’s like that she could’ve had her family there and so it was just really rushed and I just felt bad but she handled it like a great professional woman that she is and she was obviously very happy and we had a great match.
A bucket list goal that Rose would be interested in checking off post-WWE is appearing on Dancing with the Stars.
I have a few things I wanna do. I wanna be on Dancing with the Stars… I did (used to dance) way back in the day. I’m no great, great dancer. I did more like Hip-Hop, ballet, modern… I feel like that would be really cool. I always wanted to do that. That was just a little bucket list thing and I’m so open to so many different things.
** During episode #58 of the Swerve City Podcast, Swerve Strickland commented on his time as a part of WWE’s 205 Live brand. He stated that he guarantees the company wishes they still had that roster together and added that there were so many ‘gems’.
I was around (when 205 Live was still a brand in WWE) … I guarantee you they wish they had that 205 Live roster right now. There’s a lot of gems. There’s a ton, loaded with gems.
** NXT North American Champion Wes Lee guest appeared on Busted Open Radio and during the conversation, he shared that he believes it’ll be difficult moving from NXT to the main roster. Wes is ready for the challenge but explained that being the veteran within NXT is something he’s familiar with and on the main roster, he’ll be the one asking for advice.
That’s a good question (if Wes thinks it’ll be difficult to leave NXT for the main roster). It would be difficult. This is where I really cut my teeth within the company and it will be foreign going to Raw or SmackDown and having that different vibe and that different atmosphere and carrying that stress and that anxiety of being on the main roster. But being down here in NXT, I’ve established myself, people know who I am and what I represent and they know that they can come to me for insight from a veteran’s standpoint but also, I can make it relatable as I possibly can for people who don’t quite maybe understand where I’m coming from. So leaving that would be a little bit difficult because I’m just so used to being that person that people come to, and now when I go to the main roster, I’ll be that person that’s going to people so having that dynamic change would probably be the most difficult thing but I’m not one to shy away from asking questions. A closed mouth doesn’t get fed and I’m a student of this game. I really want to continue to learn as much as I possibly can so that I, myself, become better but at the exact same time, I’m able to teach other people by osmosis as well.
While speaking about the crowd reaction he received at Vengeance Day, Lee talked about winning the NXT fans over. He mentioned that there was a point when things were ‘fickle’ but now everyone is on his side for the most part.
I will say, as everyone knows, I’m a very emotional person. I’m not one to shy away from it. There were tears that I was holding back at just the reaction that I received from the fans (at NXT Vengeance Day) from being out there for the first time. That was completely unexpected. I know that I’m appreciated and loved here in Orlando. There was a time period when it was kind of fickle but we got to it to where everybody is on my side and it feels great and this was the first time stepping out in Charlotte and I did not know how it was gonna be but as soon as my music hit, there was that light, little rumble but as soon as I jumped out of that, it erupted and I have a rather decent ability of compartmentalizing my emotions and things like that from the time that I had been in the military, so in that time period of Dijak making his way down there, I knew that it was go time. I had no moment for me to, okay, settle yourself down. You need to focus on what you have. It was just right there. I lived during that moment in my entrance, I took in every single second that I could while my music was playing because that was my time but as soon as his music hit, I knew that it was no longer about me. I needed to focus on this man right here and take care of business and got the job done so, it’s a very difficult path to navigate with your emotions on being able to utilize those as fuel. But at the exact same time, not have that be a hindrance and slowing you down and prevent you from being able to perform at your best abilities.
** While speaking to The Wrestling Classic, Trish Stratus listed off names she would include on her women’s WarGames team:
I’m gonna put Britt Baker on my team. I’m gonna put Mickie James… And it’s gotta be all females? Asuka, Becky Lynch, she’s amazing. Who’s our last one? Who should we put as our last one? I’m gonna put Bianca (Belair). Yeah, it’s a solid team.
** Women’s Wrestling Talk hosted an interview with NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille. She commented on the idea of defending her title in Ring of Honor. She does not know if AEW/ROH owner Tony Khan would be open to it since he’s already featured the NWA Women’s Title on AEW programming.
I think that realistically, maybe doing something with Ring of Honor or something like that. If I could take the NWA to Ring of Honor because I know it’s still ran by Tony (Khan) but it’s sort of their — I don’t wanna say ‘underneath’ because that sounds bad but you know what I’m saying? AEW’s on TV, Ring of Honor doesn’t have a TV deal yet. So I don’t know if he’d wanna put the NWA Title on AEW television again because he’s done that with Thunder Rosa before. I don’t know if he’d be open to it again. But I’m thinking since Ring of Honor isn’t on television yet, maybe like a super card or something like that, the NWA Title could be defended.
On March 19th, Kamille will be part of AAA’s Lucha Libre World Cup. She’ll be representing Team USA alongside Jordynne Grace and Deonna Purrazzo. She stated that the invitation came out of nowhere and she does not know what the format for the tournament is but she’s excited.
Girl, it came out of nowhere for all of us (invite to the AAA Lucha Libre World Cup). I got a message about doing it probably a couple days before they announced it and then I got a message from Jordynne (Grace) too on Instagram because we’ve actually never even — Jordynne and I have never worked together… That’s the beauty of Instagram. You can reach out and talk to anybody and she reached out and she was like, ‘Hey, so I think it’s me, you and Deonna’ and I was like, ‘Oh! Okay.’ That’s how you find out and then they announced it. But, we got a couple of little things planned to really make us a cohesive team and stuff like that and so I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun and once again, great group of girls. I mean, on the rest of the ‘World’ team, there’s Taya (Valkyrie) and Natalia Markova, Christi Jaynes and then you got Sexy Star, the new Sexy Star. You have so many big stars from their respective places coming together and let me be honest, I’m the women’s champion, I do one-on-one matches, right? That’s all I’m used to so this is gonna be a whole new ballgame for me. I’ve tagged maybe a couple of times in my career, never done a trios thing. I’m not even sure how this tournament is working; if we’re doing trios, if they’re splitting it. We’re gonna all find out together. So, it’s just gonna be really exciting. I know that it’s gonna be a big weekend for me because I have a match at Battleground (Championship Wrestling) in Philadelphia the night before and then I’m flying into Mexico the day of so it’s gonna be a big weekend but I’m really excited about it.
** Ahead of the ‘Loser Leaves Japan’ match at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka, NJPW1972.com conducted an interview with Hikuleo. Looking back on his start in wrestling, Hikuleo recalled applying for the NJPW Dojo and being rejected, so he ended up starting out at Bad Luck Fale’s dojo.
It was always the plan, absolutely (to go to Japan). I’d actually applied for the Dojo a year before I went, but got rejected the first time; at that point, the Dojo was full of foreigners, so I went to Fale Dojo initially. Then there was some event there…
So NJPW came down and they saw me while I was training. A couple of guys couldn’t make the trip, so they gave me a match against Aaron Henare. So that’s when the Japanese office got a look at me, and the timing was right by then, so I went to Japan.
** As a part of GCW’s The Collective weekend, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9 is taking place. Independent talent Kevin Blackwood spoke to Mike Wexler and called on Barnett to put him on the show.
I want Bloodsport! Josh Barnett, put me on Bloodsport.
** Hiroshi Tanahashi was the latest guest coach to appear on the Fuji TV series about wrestling trainees which is hosted by Kazuchika Okada, who is the head trainer for the show.
** There’s a write-up about Dralístico on the Pro Wrestling NOAH site ahead of his debut for the company on February 12th.
** Jim Alexander of Reel Talker spoke to Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Jason Eisener.
** Sami Zayn gave a comment to The Detroit News about SummerSlam 2023 taking place in Detroit, Michigan.
** Inside The Ropes has an interview on their YouTube channel with Ricochet.
** February 7th birthdays: Hikuleo.
** The Bob Culture Podcast welcomed Deonna Purrazzo back onto the show.
** G.L.O.W. star Allison Brie chatted with Darren Paltrowitz.
** Ethan Page joined Dylan Postl (Hornswoggle) on his ‘Going Postl’ podcast.
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.
