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.
** As TNA producer Gail Kim was partaking in a virtual signing for K & S WrestleFest, she spoke about Xia Zhao a.k.a. Lei Ying Lee’s arrival to TNA Wrestling. Kim confirmed that Zhao is signed to TNA. She said Zhao’s debut for the promotion exceeded her expectations and while discussing Zhao’s release from WWE, Kim said everyone she’s spoken to at the company has spoken highly of Xia.
Xia’s great. She’s with us… Yes, yep (Xia Zhao signed with TNA). I’m really excited for her. She’s such a hard worker. She’s so passionate and just experiencing that first match with TNA with us because that’s all she’s had so far, was just really nice. She actually exceeded my expectations.
What a presence… I think a lot of people were surprised that she was let go (by WWE). That’s just kind of the conversations I’ve had and everyone, everyone I’ve talked to in WWE speaks so highly — from office to talent — everyone speaks highly of her… Yeah, she can (kick your ass). She’s doing an MMA thing, she’s doing wrestling. I mean, just, what a woman.
Elsewhere in the signing, Kim expressed that it’d be a ‘dream come true’ for A.J. Styles to make his return to TNA. She feels it’d be fitting for him to do something with the promotion. Kim stated that they still love him and hold him on a pedestal there.
That would be, honestly, a dream come true (for A.J. Styles to return to TNA) and it doesn’t even sound like an impossible thing because we do have a relationship right now so, you know what? I think it would only be fitting if he got to do something…
I hope that he does something because he’s just such a special part of TNA’s history. Like, literally, was the face of TNA for so long and we all still love him and put him on a pedestal and just adore him.
** A sit-down interview with NXT North American Champion Oba Femi was uploaded to the Going Ringside podcast feed. Femi expressed that he’d love for WWE host a Premium Live Event in Africa. He feels once they break through in that market, it’ll provide one of the hottest crowds the company has ever brought in. Femi added that he’ll bring the idea up to higher-ups once he gains equity and credibility within the company.
Would love to see a P.L.E. in Africa. I feel like there’s a market there that’s been unexplored for so many years. We’ve had live shows go to South Africa I believe. But yeah, I think it’s much bigger than just South Africa. I feel like the entire continent is riding hard for WWE and once we tap into that market, it’s going to be unbelievable. I feel like it’s not going to be an easy thing to do because there’s going to be culture shock and the fear of the unknown and all these other factors but, once we can weather that storm and reach that market, oh my God. I’m talking one of the hottest crowds the company has ever seen… Oh, they would go ballistic for their king. But, they would go ballistic for everything, for the product itself… Once I gain the equity, the respect and the credibility to bring up such a topic, I will.
** A new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet was rolled out featuring Bronson Reed. He shared that he wants to work with the likes of CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and John Cena. Reed feels he’s the ‘perfect heel’ for Cena.
That’s what I want for Bronson Reed. I want him to be involved in that main event scene and the World Heavyweight Championship scene. I know GUNTHER is the champion. You have a heel champion so maybe that makes that a little bit more difficult. But I think there’s a lot of top names that I haven’t worked with yet that are big babyfaces… I’d like to work with a CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and even John Cena when he’s back so, I think I’d be a perfect — I’m the perfect John Cena heel. The matches he had with Umaga and those guys. I’d be perfect against him. Yeah, yeah. But whether that happens or not, I don’t know. That’s all just stuff I’d like to do. It’s up to WWE.
During the summer of 2021, Reed was released from WWE. He was brought back in December 2022. He always had faith that he’d make his way back, but did not expect it to be so soon.
I did. I had a lot of faith that when I was released that I would end up back in WWE. I didn’t think it would be so soon. So when I got released, I remember Drew McIntyre messaging me and talking about his experience and he said it took almost seven years before he got re-signed. He did a lot, obviously in the U.K. scene and stuff like that. So I was planning maybe three or four years, maybe I can get a good run in Japan for a couple of years and then be back in WWE. But then it ended up being 16 or 17 months I was gone. Obviously, things changed. Hunter was sort of back in charge again and I was always a Hunter guy in NXT and he reached out to me and I ended up back.
The night prior to WrestleMania XL, Reed participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and won the match. He wanted to carry the trophy around for a few months, but said he did not see it around the following week. He feels the match needs to be more a bigger deal than it is.
No (there wasn’t a plan to further brand me as winner of André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal). I feel like people sort of — and hopefully not people within our company — but people sort of, not disrespect the trophy but like, it’s sort of like a throwaway match and I wanted to win it and make sure that it wasn’t that. I was hoping that I could do more with the trophy… I’d won it and then I didn’t see it the next week (he laughed). So I don’t know what they did with it so, but I said I wanted to carry it around for a couple of months and make it like a thing. But that didn’t happen but (like) I said, André the Giant is such a pivotal figure in wrestling. He became bigger than wrestling. You could go to Australia where I’m from and mention André the Giant in the 80s and people would know who he was. He was a worldwide name. So I feel like they need to sort of make that more of a thing than what it is.
On WWE programming, Reed had been engaged in a feud with Braun Strowman that concluded with Strowman winning a Last Monster Standing match via an assist from Seth Rollins. There was a point during their feud when Reed threw a ‘fan’ at Strowman.
I did (throw a human being at Braun Strowman). I did, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He had a Yeet shirt on so… (Reed laughed) That’s where it comes from… I mean, I didn’t expect that one to be as viral as it is. That actually got the most views out of everything from that most recent match we did. I thought maybe going through the wall would be more viral but, it was the fan getting thrown. I think because people just aren’t expecting it again where, you know, he’s doing his train thing and then out of nowhere, you just see some guy come into screen.
** NXT talent Tank Ledger guest appeared on the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast. He recounted advice he’s heard from John Cena when Cena has visited the WWE Performance Center to speak to talents.
I think falling in love with doing the next right thing is everything. John Cena, whether you’re a wrestling fan or not, you know who John Cena is. But he’s spoken to us at NXT on a couple different occasions and that’s what he always preaches is, ‘There’s always gonna be problems. There’s always gonna be crap. There’s gonna be good days, there’s gonna be bad days. Just do the next right thing.’
** Hiromu Takahashi will be the guest D.J. on FM802 in Japan on October 8th.
** Zack Sabre Jr. versus Tetsuya Naito along with FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) versus Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) from NJPW Royal Quest II:
** October 8th birthdays: Michael Nakazawa and The Miz.
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.
