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.
** Ronda Rousey started her gaming stream back up and as the latest one was ongoing, she expressed that while she thinks she’ll be champion in WWE again, she is enjoying her non-title run. She likes that her current story is not dependent on the title and is happy to take more non-title storylines to get other women involved.
I mean, definitely I guess but also, I feel like I don’t need it [Rousey responded when asked if she thinks she’ll be champion in WWE again]. I’ve been liking my non-title run because Roddy Piper never really needed the titles to make him great, you know? And I enjoy not having all my stories be dependent on the title and also, just having more storylines out there for the women so, everything for the women almost always involves the title and a lot of the men have non-title storylines all the time and so, I am happy to take some non-title storylines to just give more storylines to the women total, you know? But, I like it.
Elsewhere during the stream, Rousey shared that she tunes into AEW Dark to watch Marina Shafir perform.
I do actually watch it on YouTube too. I do watch [AEW] Dark for Marina [Shafir].
One of Rousey’s favorite matches from her comeback run in WWE thus far is against Charlotte Flair in their ‘I Quit’ match at WrestleMania Backlash. She recounted using two kendo sticks in a jedi-like motion and said that was 100 percent her idea.
Honestly, I think it was the ‘I Quit’ match with Charlotte [Flair that is my favorite match from my comeback to WWE thus far] because I got to bust out the double kendo sticks and act like I was a jedi which, I can’t believe they let me do that [Rousey laughed]. That was 100 percent my idea.
Ronda went on to reveal that she was once offered a role on ‘The Masked Singer’ but added that she does not think highly of her singing voice.
I was actually offered to be on The Masked Singer but, my singing is so terrible. My singing is so terrible that Saturday Night Live originally wrote me to sing a song for my entrance when I was on S.N.L. and then they took it back [Rousey laughed]. They were like, ‘Let’s have Selena Gomez do it.’
** At the Busted Open Radio panel at AEW All Out Fan Fest, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli along with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker of the Jericho Appreciation Society joined the show. Claudio shared that he asked to defend the ROH World Title on AEW Dark which was taped on 9/2.
Castagnoli: This title [ROH World Championship] represents that you’re the best wrestler in the world I always felt like because it’s Ring of Honor, it starts with the ‘code of honor’, it’s about wrestling first and foremost so for me to represent that is extremely important to me. That’s also why, for example, asked to defend the title at AEW Dark [9/2 taping against Ari Daivari] because I felt like it needs to be defended and why not? You know? So it’s like, that’s what this title is all about; giving people opportunities and showing the world what you’re made of, showing the world what you’re capable of and if you carry this, that means you have a responsibility and I take that very seriously.
During Menard and Parker’s portion of the show, Menard looked back on where he and his partner were a year ago versus where they are now. They thought when they were released from WWE, they would have to go back to/remain in Canada as it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Menard: We [Menard & Angelo Parker] got let go by WWE, June last year, June 25th and my wife was seven months pregnant at the time so yeah, baby’s coming in August, you know? Regardless of what’s going on in life, this kid is coming and there was that month of July, not knowing what we were gonna do. We’re Canadian. We’re living in Orlando, we’re Canadian. Do we have to leave the country? We don’t know. What if we have to go back to Canada? We’re in the middle of COVID, this and that. Is that the end of our wrestling careers? If immigration says you have to leave, that could have been it because Canada’s pretty strict on COVID at the time, not letting you leave the country willy-nilly and that realistically could have been the end and God bless AEW and Tony Khan and everything that we got going on here and they gave us an opportunity.
** One of the guests on the most recent episode of Mark Andrews’ ‘My Love Letter to Wrestling’ podcast was Seth Rollins. He was asked what his favorite story is that he’s been a part of in wrestling and Rollins brought up the 2017 reunion he had with Jon Moxley in WWE.
Oh wow, man that’s so tough for me [to choose my favorite story I’ve been a part of in wrestling] because I — you know, everyone knows my WWE history, then I had a lot of great stories before that in Ring of Honor and on the indies or whatever… Yeah, IWA Mid-South [Rollins chuckled]. One of my favorite stories I think that I was ever involved in was probably the reuniting of myself and Dean Ambrose, Jon Moxley now in AEW just because there was such a connection that our audience had to The Shield and our group when we split and years went by before we kind of reunited but the way we got into it was really well done and everywhere I went for — I mean even now, even now, ten years later, eight years later I guess it is, people still ask, ‘When is The Shield gonna get back together?’ We’ve gotten back together and broke up about five times and they still ask that so when we did the kind of first reunion story, there was just a lot of real, genuine emotion and I was going through a period in my life in real life where I was just kind of all over the place and I needed something to ground me and my character was kind of in the same boat and so, you got a lot of real emotion in that story and that was one of the ones that really kind of sticks out to me if I had to pick just one.
** There’s an interview on Stephanie Chase’s YouTube channel with Dakota Kai. She spoke about the current environment in WWE and touched on how much Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque cares for the women’s division.
The environment is so positive [in WWE]. We’re getting a lot of time to be able to tell these stories which is great too and not only that but like, every Raw that’s happened since SummerSlam, it’s like Bayley, IYO [SKY] and I have been, you know, either wrestling or doing a bunch of promos or a lot of — we’re all over the place so yeah, he [Paul Levesque] really does care about the women’s division which really motivates us to be able to tell the best story possible.
When Toronto, Canada hosted Raw, a segment took place featuring Trish Stratus, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, Bayley and IYO SKY. Kai described being in the ring with Trish as “surreal” considering she once dressed up like Trish while in school.
That was another very surreal moment because back in high school in like the senior year, the seniors had this week-long sort of thing where Monday, you dress as what you wanna be when you grow up in your career. Tuesdays is like, dressing like, I don’t know, a bug or something so on career day, I dressed up as Trish Stratus. I made the title out of cardboard and being across the ring from her and having that interaction with her… it’s just another moment that really slapped me in the face and just brought me back to my roots and what got me into this so, yeah, it was crazy.
** At WAW’s ‘Fightmare IV’ event on October 15th, Chelsea Green is scheduled to wrestle Sweet Saraya a.k.a. Saraya Knight, who is the mother of Paige. Green talked to Daily Star about the match and being excited to step into the ring with Saraya.
I’ve actually trained under Saraya numerous times, but I have never had to step in the ring with her. And it took me a while to agree to this, because she really is like nobody else – she’s a rough fighter that a lot of girls are terrified to get in the ring with. But I feel at this point in my career, it’s time – she’s one of the best in the world and I want to get in the ring with every single person, no matter their fighting style, no matter where they’re from. And so this was the opportunity to kind of prove to myself and prove to the world that I can hang with women like Saraya. Her British style, with a background of just having to go through some s**t makes it difficult. That’s the difference with a lot of people who say they’re tough, as someone like Saraya, her story is what makes her truly tough.
Chelsea was asked about her time on WWE’s main roster and collaborating with former Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. She commented on him no longer being in his role and said she can’t believe it. She compared it to Hugh Hefner passing away.
I had amazing experiences with him, and he took all my ideas, and I debuted the next week, so I feel like the madness of Vince McMahon was really, really interesting and cool and positive for me to witness. Him no longer being involved in the business is crazy. It’s kind of like Hugh Hefner dying.
** Japanese pro wrestling historian Tomomi Nagare’s book about the 50-year history of New Japan Pro-Wrestling is available to pre-order. The book is titled ‘50 Years of New Japan Pro-Wrestling Volume 1: The Golden Era of the Showa Era’.
** Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair appeared on the Cool Soror podcast.
** Tenryu Project and Stan Hansen are working out the details for a Hansen in-person talk show.
** Episode two of The Undisputed Podcast with Bobby Fish.
** NJPW ‘Burning Spirit’ Results (9/5/22) Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
– Minoru Suzuki def. Bad Dude Tito
– Toru Yano, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto def. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL)
– Hikuleo, Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale def. Gideon Gray, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb
– United Empire (Aaron Henare, TJP & Francesco Akira) def. The DKC, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi
– KUSHIDA & Jado def. Gedo & Taiji Ishimori
– El Phantasmo & KENTA def. BUSHI & Shingo Takagi
– Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) def. El Desperado, Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada def. Shane Haste & JONAH
** Rhia O’Reilly and Nightshade, who are regulars for Pro Wrestling: EVE are scheduled to challenge Saki Akai and Yuki Arai for the TJPW Princess Tag Team Championships on October 9th at Tokyo Dome City Hall.
** Prior to AEW All Out, DS Shin spoke to Tony Khan for an interview.
** While in Cardiff, Wales for WWE Clash at the Castle, Sebastian Hackl of WWE Deutschland sat down with Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
** At All Japan’s 50th Anniversary show on September 18th, Yuma Anzai is making his in-ring debut when he takes on Yuji Nagata.
** There’s a new interview on the Tokyo Sports website with Great-O-Khan.
** Prior to AEW All Out, Anthony Bowens was interviewed by Comicbook.com.
** ‘Daddy Magic’ Matt Menard was a guest on Good Karma Wrestling.
** Episode #11 of the Superstar Crossover podcast featured Chris Jericho.
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.
