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.
** WWE NXT’s Toxic Attraction group consisted of Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. The group was together for just over a year before Rose was released from WWE in late 2022. Dolin was a guest on Drinks With Johnny and spoke about the fun memories she had as a part of Toxic Attraction, including the off-site shoot they did for Halloween Havoc 2022. She stated that they were filming until 3 AM.
I loved doing that stuff, all of the stuff we did as a group with Toxic Attraction was really cool. We had a lot of fun, and we did the off-site thing for Halloween Havoc where we went to the haunted house and Mandy (Rose) had the match with Alba Fyre in the haunted house. We were there till like 3 in the morning shooting that. But, it was like the best thing ever. Just getting to have wrestling in a haunted house, that was, obviously, you get why I would like that (she smiled). But that probably was the most fun I’ve had since I was working here was getting to do that even though we were there super late and it was really cold that night randomly for Florida but, all the stuff we did with Toxic was awesome. Just getting to arrive to SmackDown as Toxic Attraction with my tag team partner and getting to have, like you said, the Toxic Lounge, it’s pretty cool and it makes you feel — I don’t know. You feel really cool. You’re sitting up there just watching matches from your couch. It’s cool.
Further speaking about Toxic Attraction, Dolin and Jayne made their main roster debuts on the 8/19/22 SmackDown and she touched on that experience. Dolin said her next goal is to get to Monday Night Raw.
That’s what you watch growing up, SmackDown and Raw are the two shows that I watched growing up, it’s what my brother watched growing up so being able to have my name attached to the brand SmackDown, that was the coolest thing. My brother was super hyped for that too. He watches all my stuff but, I don’t know, so NXT, when I was a kid, a fan, NXT wasn’t really a third brand at that time. It wasn’t what it is today so, I never watched NXT. It was always SmackDown and Raw, so, the goal now is to do Monday Night Raw so I can get that off my bucket list.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Dolin shared her past interactions with The Undertaker, who is her favorite wrestler of all-time. The first time they met was at a Special Olympics event and she began to cry when approaching him . Dolin remembers Shawn Michaels laughing at her in the background because he knew how much of a fan she is of Undertaker. The next day at the Performance Center, Undertaker tried to create small talk with Dolin, but she could not get her words together for a conversation.
So, Undertaker’s mine and my brother’s favorite wrestler of all-time, we love him to death. Even my dad’s favorite wrestler. First time I get to meet The Undertaker, I was at a — where were we at? I think we were at a Special Olympics event and we were up in a little suite area just by ourselves and I went up to meet this man and I just started balling my eyes out and I couldn’t get words out and they’re just trying to explain to him that he’s my favorite wrestler and I’m just sobbing and yeah, that was my first for The Undertaker and then the next day, he saw me at the Performance Center and tried to come up to me and create small talk with me and then I continued to say something just dumb and awkward and I’m pretty sure The Undertaker thinks I’m a big idiot now so, that’s my Undertaker story.
I don’t think so (I’ve run into him since then). I think that was the last time I saw him. I’m pretty sure after I was crying, introducing myself to him, I’m pretty sure Shawn (Michaels) was in the corner laughing, because Shawn knew I was a huge fan of Undertaker and I’m pretty sure he was laughing at me while I was sobbing and embarrassing myself, meeting The Undertaker.
** As Hiroshi Tanahashi was speaking to Number Web, he recounted when then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar did not show up to an NJPW event in 2006. That led to Tanahashi winning a tournament to capture his first IWGP Heavyweight Title.
It was chaotic (winning IWGP Heavyweight Title for the first time), wasn’t it? Brock Lesnar, who was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at the time, didn’t show up, so the event suddenly became a tournament to determine the new champion.
** Guest appearing on Highspots’ Virtual Gimmick Table was Kia Stevens (Awesome Kong). She told the story of when Seth Rollins was game to put her over at an independent show while he was still wrestling as ‘Tyler Black’. Stevens shared that her original opponent did not want to lose to her, so Rollins offered to take the spot.
It is very true that I once went over on Seth Rollins in a wrestling match. I won’t ever say I beat the man. I would say that technically, I went over on him and yes, you want me to elaborate? There was another wrestler who I can’t remember the dude’s name but he didn’t want to wrestle me, he didn’t want to put me over and so, we were like, ‘What do we do?’ And Seth Rollins, way before he was Seth Rollins! While he was Tyler Black, was like, ‘I’ll do it.’ He was fresh in the business and he went in there and I’ll tell you, even at that age, he could wrestle a broomstick. I had so much fun. It was like, I don’t know what’s going on but he’s wrestling himself. But I went over and as you can see, it did not hurt his career. See, the first guy was like, ‘Eh, I can’t let her go over on me. It’s gonna hurt my career’ but we can’t even remember that dude’s name. But, you know, Seth Rollins, we know, has done a bunch of stuff.
** While speaking to Hochi News, Katsuhiko Nakajima shared that after the N-1 Victory tournament, he told his partner in AXIZ, Go Shiozaki, that he would be leaving Pro Wrestling NOAH. Shiozaki and Nakajima are three-time GHC Tag Team Champions.
After N-1 (Victory tournament is when I told Go Shiozaki I would be leaving NOAH). Go gave me his support. It was a reunion, but it was four years ago when we formed AXIZ. I was Kongo for a number of years. However, even though Go-san was injured, he was the closest to me and my rival.
** Kazuchika Okada chatted with ORICON NEWS.
** bizSPA!, MANTANWEB and Toyo Keizai conducted interviews with Hiroshi Tanahashi.
** Genichiro Tenryu is scheduled to be at the Tenryu Project show on November 19th at Korakuen Hall. He was discharged from the hospital in June 2023. Tenryu had been battling health issues since 2022.
** October 8th birthdays: The Miz.
** KAMINOGE magazine has interviews with Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. On their press run, Okada and Tanahashi also spoke to Gadget Tsushin.
** A feature on Mananbu Nakanishi was published in Weekly SPA! magazine.
** GHC Heavyweight Champion Jake Lee has been appointed as a tourism ambassador for his hometown of Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan. The appointment ceremony is scheduled for October 13th.
** Brett Bonetti spoke to Bronson Reed to promote WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia.
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.
