Welcome to the September 18th Inside The Ropes Live blog, bringing you the latest news from WWE, AEW, NJPW, IMPACT Wrestling and more.
Today’s biggest stories:
Get involved and send us your thoughts to join in the conversation.
Check out this incredible interview from our friends over at Wrestling Shoot Interviews.
In this clip Teddy Long reveals what The Godfather’s ho’s got up to whilst backstage at WWE shows…and it might not be what you expect!
Kevin Nash has continued his verbal barrage of criticisms at WWE Superstar LA Knight.
Knight has been one of WWE’s biggest success stories in 2023, but he’s also come in for some criticism for “ripping off” the likes of The Rock and Stone Cold. Some such criticism came from Kevin Nash who said Knight was unoriginal. However, he later apologised and said he’d never really seen the star work.
Not that this has stopped either man from commenting on the other. On a recent episode of SmackDown, Knight took a jab at Nash and the WWE Hall of Famer famously saying “play” was an adjective rather than a verb during a promo in the 1990s.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Kilq This podcast, Nash gave his take on Knight’s apparent shot at him.
“When I picked my action heroes or favorite pro wrestlers when I was a kid, grammar and punctuation wasn’t that important to me. I don’t ever say, ‘that guy’s grammar is so bad, I don’t think I can hang out with him anymore.’ Sammartino [Bruno Sammartino] is a perfect example. There is a guy that you know rocked his SAT.
I start following this chain, this story of how he laid into me. I apologized and people want him to be their chosen one, he can be the chosen one, I have no problem with that. It looked like I took the high road, and he, for some reason, I understand why he did it because he doesn’t fucking know. It took him 29 years to get over, he’s going to make mistakes along the way.
It wasn’t like he had any clear cut pattern or plan to make it besides, Rock and Steve have been gone long enough, he could do their sh*t…
Paul said, ‘we’re so far apart that the only way I’ll sign this guy is as a nostalgia act.’ ‘Like me, a legends deal?’ ‘Yeah, he’s doing their sh*t. I can’t give him the same pay as guys going out there doing original sh*t.”
WWE have uploaded their latest full match to YouTube and it’s Kane & Bray Wyatt’s superb No Holds Barred match from Backlash 2016.
Check it out below!
One more WrestleMania match for The Rock is very much on the table.
The clamour for a match between Rock and Roman Reigns appears never-ending, and the Hollywood star recently suggested the match was on the table for WrestleMania 39. Although it ended up not happening.
Meanwhile, the former WWE Champion has left the door open for a match at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer suggested the match is a real possibility if The Rock wants it.
“But right now, he doesn’t have a busy schedule. He’s probably got the least busy schedule that he’s probably had since he started in WWE as a rookie in 1996, because of the strike. We’ll see.
There’s a lot of variables so there’s no real answer. I’ve asked around and there’s no answer. Either he’s gonna do it, but the ball’s always in his court on that.”
Natalya proved to WWE officials why she is the BOAT when WWE took over India earlier this month!
According to a report by Fightful Select, WWE was impressed by Natalya’s display of leadership and dedication when she volunteered to wrestle twice during the Superstar Spectacle show in Hyderabad, India.
This turn of events occurred after Becky Lynch was unable to board her flight due to a torn passport. Natalya, who was originally scheduled to face WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley in a singles match, offered to wrestle Zoey Stark as well.
Brian Cage has looked back on his time in maths class with NFL star Aaron Rodgers.
Appearing on Hey! (EW), Cage recalled graduating from Pleasant Valley High School in the same year as the football star. Although their paths went in very different directions with Cage heading to the squared circle, and Rodgers becoming one of the biggest names in the NFL, it seems they did have something in common.
According to Cage, he and Rodgers shared a love of wrestling, something they’d often chat about during math class.
“You know what’s so cool about him? He was a really cool guy. Everyone, that was the Attitude Era, everyone watched wrestling, doesn’t matter how much they said they didn’t watch wrestling. Everyone watched wrestling.
Him, still a high school quarterback, popular guy, he never faded once. He knew I was a huge wrestling fan, so math class, we would always talk. ‘Man, you watch Raw last night? You watch Nitro?’ He knew,”
Wade Barrett talks exclusively to Inside The Ropes back in 2017 about an insane interaction between Brock Lesnar and a WWE fan!
Check it out!
Chad Gable is live right now on After The Bell with Corey Graves – join the WWE Superstar has discusses his rivalry with Intercontinental Champion Gunther, and his promise to dethrone The Ring General!
Check out the video premiere below!
More details for IMPACT Wrestling’s return to the UK have been confirmed.
IMPACT Wrestling is returning to the UK in October for the first time in eight years. The tour will see the promotion make stops in Glasgow (Thursday, October 26), Newcastle (Friday, October 27), and Coventry (Saturday, October 28 & Sunday 29th).
Click here for more information on venues and show times.
The roster list for the run of shows has now been announced with Alex Shelley, Deonna Purrazzo, and Will Ospreay all in action.
Former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona has shared his opinion on the current IC title design.
Cardona’s comments come in light of Gunther’s historic reign as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion, surpassing the previous record held by the Honky Tonk Man with an impressive 454-day reign.
When asked about Gunther‘s reign in an interview with MuscleManMalcolm, Cardona humorously mentioned his interest in being the shortest-reigning champion against the longest-reigning one. He even envisioned a captivating storyline where he would come back to reclaim his championship, only to switch it back to the classic design, criticising the current title’s aesthetics and lack of appeal.
“Man, imagine that story, coming back to win back my championship. Then I’d switch it back to the other title because this one sucks. It’s horrible. It looks horrible. It’s not cool. It’s not toyetic. I don’t like it.”
Do you agree with Matt Cardona’s comments? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!
Nick Khan has revealed that WWE and UFC have plans to incorporate an NFL like facet into their plans.
In an interview on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Nick Khan discussed the possibility of WWE and UFC (now merged under the TKO Group Holdings) having their own version of a schedule release day inspired by the NFL.
Khan drew inspiration from the NFL Draft, which has become a massive event drawing hundreds of thousands of fans. He emphasised the importance of developing an event that can generate the same level of hype for WWE and UFC
You can read Khan’s full comments on WWE’s new “hyperfocus” here.
WWE’s top merch sellers for Payback have been revealed.
According to a report from Fightful Select, the rankings for merch sales have been revealed, shedding light on the popularity of various items.
An interesting development in the rankings was the emergence of Cody Rhodes as the top-selling individual talent. Rhodes surpassed the likes of John Cena, who secured the second spot among individual talent. This is a remarkable achievement considering Cena’s consistent popularity and the strong numbers his merchandise usually generates, especially when new items are released.
Fans of LA Knight also had cause for celebration. At the live event, he landed at an impressive third place among individual superstars in terms of merch sales. Previously, a significant portion of Knight’s sales were made online and through Fanatics. However, WWE has made a concerted effort to ensure that his merchandise is readily available at live shows, resulting in increased sales and visibility for the promising talent.
Meanwhile, at the AEW All In show, another catchphrase took the merchandise market by storm. “Better than you Baybay” emerged as a top seller.
Check out this new video, courtesy of WWE’s official YouTube, that sees WWE Superstar Zelina Vega meet Carmen Rodriguez and Gina Madera, founders of Brooklyn Cupcake, and learn how to decorate cupcakes, work behind the counter and more.
Last week we reported that The Rock’s shock WWE return had produced monster numbers for SmackDown, well it seems ‘The Great One’s’ drawing power doesn’t end with TV.
WWE’s has revealed that The Rock’s return during the September 15th edition of Friday Night SmackDown has already amassed a whopping 103 million social views in just 72 hours!
This includes video posts across Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more!
WWE has taken to Twitter to celebrate this incredible milestone!
🤯 @TheRock's #SmackDown return has been viewed over 103 MILLION times! pic.twitter.com/d9IcFKP7xi
— WWE (@WWE) September 18, 2023
Is The Rock’s latest return the greatest return in WWE history? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!
The Rock has experienced some of the loudest reactions in WWE history, but according to ‘The Great One’ himself, his return last Friday is in the top five reactions of his career!
Posting on social media, The Rock said he was “blown away” by the reception before tipping his hat to Theory and McAfee.
I was – I’m still – completely blown away by this crowd reaction in Denver this past Friday night on SMACKDOWN.
My appearance was a 💯 surprise to everyone and this crowd of 14,000 erupted with the roar of 100,000 strong.
Top 5 loudest crowd reaction of my career 🤯🥹🙏🏾
(which I was like “holy shit” when I walked out 🤣)
I’m so grateful and humbled by this.
I never take it for granted and “coming home” will always be sacred to me.
Thank you my guy PatMac, the talented Austin Theory, @wwe family backstage, Team Rock behind the scenes – everyone who joined us to go ALL IN.
But most importantly, thank you with all my love, gratitude and respect, to THE PEOPLE.
Our connection is real.
Electrifying.”
The Rock’s WWE return secured a monster rating for SmackDown, you can read more on this here.
Ed Sheeran has shattered a long-standing WrestleMania record!
WWE’s WrestleMania 31 event has held the Levi Stadium attendance record for over eight years with a monstrous attendance of 77,000.
However, international pop star Ed Sheeran has now shattered that record setting a new Levi Stadium attendance record with close to 80,000 fans attending his Santa Clara show last Saturday.
San Fransico 49er’s president Al Guido has commented on the news writing:
“This stadium has been open for nearly 10 years and last night Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics tour, with its center round stage, broke the stadium’s attendance record.
We’d like to thank the fans and staff who made this show amazing, and of course Ed for putting on a terrific performance.”
When The Rock shocked the world last Friday by returning to the WWE, there wasn’t a fan alive who didn’t turn into a giddy child to see ‘The Great One’ back once again.
But for one young fan, they got an experience better than any other!
WWE has shared footage of The Rock making one child’s day by forcing security to let him through to share a handshake and photograph with the fan.
Check out the heartwarming interaction below!
We ❤️ to see it!@TheRock @MakeAWish pic.twitter.com/zEZU4jDzcJ
— WWE (@WWE) September 17, 2023
Do you want to see The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!
The wrestling world continues to mourn the passing of the beloved Windham Rotunda, better known as WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt, however, it has now been revealed that fans were just weeks away from seeing Wyatt return to the WWE before his untimely passing.
Speaking on his podcast, Everybody’s Got A Pod, DiBiase expressed his sorrow over attending Wyatt’s funeral in Tampa and discussed the plans WWE had in store for the talented wrestler.
“Windham was a great kid, he really was. They were just getting ready to go back, they were supposed to start again in September and start up something new. Now he’s gone.”
DiBiase also mentioned that Shane McMahon was in attendance at Wyatt’s funeral and although he heard rumours of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon‘s presence, he did not personally see them.
Last night we took to Twitter to ask you what are your favourite wrestling facts that sound fake…but are actually true!
Here are our five favourites so far!
1 – Kelly Kelly is younger than Charlotte Flair
Twitter user EndlessSwimming blew our minds with this one, current WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair is currently 37 years of age making her a full year older than retired WWE Divas Champion and women’s wrestling pioneer Kelly Kelly.
“Kelly Kelly is younger than Charlotte Flair” – @EndlessSwimming
2 – Jimmy Snuka – Hardcore Legend?
This one may be less of a surprise to certified wrestling historians, however, to the everyday fan it sounds unbelievable.
Twitter user MoisesDaya71450 submitted this fantastic piece of trivia.
“Jimmy Snuka was the first ECW World Champion” – MoisesDaya71450
Jimmy Snuka is best known for his tenure in the WWE and the controversies that followed him, however, did you know ‘Superfly’ was the inaugural ECW Champion?
Snuka would win the then ECW World Heavyweight Championship at a live event in 1992 defeating Salvatore Bellomo to win the newly created championship.
The win would come when ECW was still associated with the NWA as Eastern Championship Wrestling and a very different product to what it would become from 1994 onwards when the company disassociated from the NWA and became extreme.
3 – ‘The Rapid Wolverine’ Rush
This submission comes from Twitter user Peps_Wrestling and we will let the video below do the explaining on this one…
Rush used Chris Benoit's Theme for his entrance in CMLL in 2013 when he faced Tanahashipic.twitter.com/HzxTB6dquN https://t.co/z9rACgqnLH
— P.eps. #MaikaStyle🍧 (@Peps_Wrestling) September 17, 2023
4 – Ric Flair The Final Stage of Evolution?
Evolution is one of WWE’s most iconic factions…but did you know Ric Flair has currently outlasted Randy Orton, Batista and Triple H when it comes to in-ring competition?
This unbelievable fact submitted by the fantastic Wrestlelamia surrounds the in-ring status of Evolution and the endurance of ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair.
“Out of all Evolution members, Ric Flair has had the most recent match.” – @wrestlelamia
It sounds unbelievable but it’s true, despite Randy Orton still being an active competitor, his ongoing back issues have kept him out of action prior to ‘Ric Flair’s Last Match’ meaning that ‘The Nature Boy’ is currently the most recent active member of Evolution despite being the oldest faction member by a whopping 20 years!
5 – Jeff Hardy Putting The L In TLC
This final fact comes from Twitter user Patrick The Heel and is a fantastic bit of trivia.
Jeff Hardy has become synonymous with TLC matches due to his death-defying stunts during them including, most iconically, getting speared from over 20ft in the air whilst dangling from the WWE Tag Team Championships.
However, did you know… Jeff Hardy has never won a TLC match!
“Jeff Hardy never won a TLC Match in WWE” – @patricktheheel
Hardy has competed in five TLC matches during his storied career and is 0-5 with his last appearance being a losing effort at SummerSlam 2009 against CM Punk.
You can check out Hardy’s full TLC record, here.
You can get involved as well! Hit the ‘get involved’ link at the top of the page and let us know your favourite wrestling fun facts and we will share them on the blog throughout the day!
WWE Hall of Famer and tag team wrestling legend D-Von Dudley has officially come out of retirement following his appearance at IMPACT 1000.
In 2016 D-Von Dudley called it quits on his decorated 21-year career after over 1800 matches across three decades in the business.
However, following a return to in-ring action at IMPACT’s 1000th episode anniversary show, D-Von Dudley has revealed he is back and looking to sign with IMPACT Wrestling.
Speaking on this morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer would reveal:
“D-Von Dudley did an autograph thing yesterday and mentioned that he’s trying to get a deal going with IMPACT.
He’s out of retirement, he was let go by WWE as a producer, you gotta pay the bills and I guess he wants to revive the Dudley brothers or feud with Bubba, he could do that too.
The Dudleyz could be heels but I guess people want them as babyfaces at this stage of the game.
“He’s wanting to go back to wrestling, whether it’s indies, whether it’s IMPACT or whatever, he’s back on the market as a wrestler.” [h/t TJRWrestling]
Would you like to see The Dudley’s have one final WWE run? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!
Jade Cargill’s WWE debut may just be weeks away as Dave Melter reveals creative plans are already underway for her arrival from AEW.
When news broke that Jade Cargill was signing with the WWE fans began speculating on if ‘Big Jade’ would be NXT bound or if she was headed straight to WWE’s main roster.
It was then reported that Cargill was on a big-money contract with the WWE and would be headed straight to the main roster.
Now in the latest update, Dave Meltzer has revealed that creative plans are in place for Cargill and her signing is being treated as a “big thing” backstage indicating that she is set for a major push.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer would state:
“They’ve already started on creative for her.
I heard that yesterday when I was asking around about ‘Is she locked in?’ And she wasn’t locked in but they’d been talking about her a lot.
This isn’t some minor thing, this is a big thing to them and she’ll get a full-blown push because of the money it takes to get her, you have to give her a chance to get over.
“They’re not paying what they would pay a normal person to start there. It’s not like it’s Charlotte Flair money or anything like that or Becky Lynch money but for a newcomer to the company, it’s much higher than they usually go.
So she got a good deal and they’re talking about her a lot more than somebody they would bring up from NXT so she ain’t gonna be Tegan Nox or somebody that’s brought up, or Candice LeRae that’s just kinda brought up and there.” [h/t TJRWrestling]
Do you think Jade Cargill has what it takes to be a major player in WWE? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!
Good Afternoon!
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is ready for another week of wrestling madness!
I will be with you this afternoon from 12:00 pm to 6 pm BST (8 am – 1 pm EST) with all the latest news and rumours from AEW, WWE, NJPW and more.
This afternoon we will be kicking things off with some of today’s biggest stories, including:
