MJF ruffled some feathers last week with a very open interview with Ariel Helwani. While the interview did spark some rage from AEW President Tony Khan, one person who liked it was Paul Heyman.
Speaking with Helwani as well, Heyman labeled MJF as very credible and very good at what he does.
“I think he’s very credible on the mic. Incredible’s not a compliment. Incredible means he’s not credible. He’s credible. He’s very good at what he does,” Heyman said, noting that the still relatively-young star has a massive future ahead of him.
Heyman said that MJF was “pretty smart” in doing the interview and being open about his contractual status and where he wants to be in a couple of years down the road.
“It’s not bad business at all. For what he obviously views his trajectory to be, for what he obviously views his future to be? Not bad business at all. Pretty smart, I might even say,” Heyman told Helwani. “No even might, I would say he’s pretty smart. And I will. It was pretty smart.”
In the same interview, Heyman also discussed the departure of Cody Rhodes from AEW, saying it was not a complete surprise for him that Rhodes decided to part ways with the promotion he helped co-found.
Admitting he has no first-hand knowledge of why Cody split, Heyman had his own theory, a theory which was also shared by a few others in the business.
“Cody always had a vision to fill the boots of his father, not just in the ring but behind the scenes,” Heyman explained. “And the fact that he didn’t have the level of participation in decision making that he initially probably thought, and this is speculation on my end…I never heard this from Cody, but just seeing the manner in which the creative end of that company grew, it doesn’t surprise me that at some point he was going to say, ‘Not what I originally envisioned and I want to see what life is like elsewhere.'”
Cody is rumored to be Seth Rollins’ opponent on WrestleMania Saturday and has hinted at Cody arriving several times through commentary on Raw.
To promote his series Peacemaker in the United Kingdom which is streaming now on Sky, former 16-time champion John Cena did an interview with GQ Magazine where he discusses a variety of subjects, including the show, The Undertaker, professional wrestling, and others.
Asked if he misses touring with WWE on a full-time basis, Cena says he does, every day.
“I miss it every day. Every single day. But I’ll be 45 on April 23rd, and I was very fortunate to make it as long as I did with only a minor list of injuries,” he told GQ. “Nothing that has changed the trajectory of my long term health. I’m strong, flexible, and in really good shape externally, internally. I think now, being a full-time touring performer might start to hit that point of diminishing returns, and I have to be realistic when I look at that.”
Cena also talked a little bit about The Undertaker, who on Friday gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022.
Cena said that backstage, the man behind the gimmick was very much like The Undertaker – very stoic, very calculated, speaking softly but carries a big stick.
“Two years ago, he started relaxing, letting loose, and having fun. But that role consumed him. And that’s what led to his long term success,” Cena noted. “And I totally have great respect for that, and I know I’m not gonna have the same opportunities to live in a sense of normalcy, but I’m also going to have great luxuries and opportunities that normalcy doesn’t provide.”
WWE events will continue today as several WWE Superstars will be attending two events as part of their community work during Mania week.
WWE Superstars will join National Medal of Honor Recipient Flo Groberg and UNICEF to host a school visit at the Ashworth Elementary School where they will speak to 300 students about empowerment, resiliency and giving back to their communities.
24/7 champion Dana Brooke, Apollo Crews, Damian Priest, and Raw correspondent Sarah Schreiber will be on hand for this event which will take place between 2PM and 3:15PM at 6700 Silo Rd. in Arlington.
Later in the day there will also be a Be A Star rally where WWE Superstars will host about 60 members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County to discuss the importance of treating others with respect. During the event, Cricket Wireless will surprise a deserving family of five with a check for $5,000 and tickets to WrestleMania.
Titus O’Neil, Natalya, R-Truth, Dana Brooke, Apollo Crews, Nikki A.S.H, Tamina, Damian Priest, and Sonya Deville will be participating and the event starts at 5PM till 7:30PM at 608 N. Elm St. in Arlington.
A special transit service will be available for WrestleMania 38 this weekend as the Dallas Sports Commission announced that fans can use TRE shuttle buses for free on Saturday and Sunday to get to event.
The Dallas Sports Commission and the North Central Texas Council of Governments are partnering with regional transportation agencies this weekend in a bid to move WrestleMania fans quickly to and from the stadium.
The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail line will run before and after the event, Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3. Special shuttle buses will be available to take fans from the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station to the event and be staged at AT&T Stadium to transport fans back to the station at the conclusion of the festivities both Saturday and Sunday.
Jointly operated by Trinity Metro and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the TRE does not operate on Sundays, but thanks to a special partnership between Trinity Metro, DART, the Dallas Sports Commission and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, it will be available for fans April 3. The TRE will follow its usual Saturday schedule on April 2.
Trains and buses will be available starting at about 2PM Saturday and Sunday to help fans get to the event. They will run until approximately one hour after the event. Attendees will also receive information on transportation options throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area to help visitors navigate the region.
Additionally, the reversible managed lanes on Interstate Highway 30 will be open from Friday night through Monday morning to help make the drive to and from WrestleMania easier. Digital signage throughout the area will have the current information on lane status.
Tow trucks are expected to be staged on IH 30 and State Highway 360, as well as mobility assistance patrols, to help stranded motorists.
Former WWE and Universal champion Seth Rollins appeared on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch to discuss WrestleMania and other topics and had an interesting take on AEW stars mentioning WWE on AEW television.
Rollins said that he had no heat with management for mentioning Jon Moxley during his feud with Roman Reigns earlier this year and acknowledged that Mox is part of their history no matter what anyone says.
“To just ignore that and completely pretend he didn’t exist is just silly. I referred to him by the name that he prefers to go by and so that’s where we’re at with that,” Rollins told Deitsch when asked about any backlash for mentioning the former AEW World champion.
But Rollins wasn’t a fan of how other AEW stars constantly mention WWE stars on their TV shows, saying when he referenced to Mox, he didn’t do it in a way to talk him down or diminish his accomplishments in WWE.
“The other side of that coin is the way that it can be used by those guys. They can do whatever they want, I find it very tacky and very low-brow, personally. I think it looks and reeks of desperation,” Rollins said.
He noted how they don’t have to do that on their TV shows and they’re happy they’re doing their own thing and doing well.
“Are they on our level? No…they’ve got a long way to go to catch up to us and that’s fine and they know that. They do things differently but for me, my perspective, it’s just a little step down for us to kind of use it as an insult,” he concluded.
WWE will be unveiling the statue of The Undertaker tonight at the WrestleMania Superstore Axxess at 7PM.
Special guests joining The Undertaker for the reveal include Shawn Michaels, Kane, Triple H, and others.
The company has done statues of Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, The Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, and Bruno Sammartino in the past, unveiling them at Axxess.
A $10 general admission ticket is required to enter the Superstore and it can be purchased from SeatGeek.com.
The Undertaker enters the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022 tomorrow night.
The final NXT before Stand & Deliver this week drew 626,000 viewers, down just 2,000 viewers from last week’s show. NXT drew a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demo, the same as it did in the previous two weeks and finished #22 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Marko Stunt, one third of the Jurassic Express team, will not have his contract renewed according to Fightful Wrestling, with AEW citing a large roster and budget cuts.
It was Christopher Daniels, who is in charge of talent, who made the call to Stunt to inform him about the change. Stunt has not been used since October 2021 and seemingly vanished from the picture.
The 25-year-old signed with AEW in 2019 and has been with the company since their inaugural Double or Nothing show.
Several contracts are coming up and AEW will not be renewing some of them, something that Tony Khan admitted in the past. The company has been signing a lot of the released WWE stars lately and yesterday signed another former talent, Toni Storm.
Former NXT UK Women’s champion Toni Storm was the mystery female star on Dynamite last night and quickly earned her spot on the women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament after she defeated The Bunny in her AEW debut.
Storm quit WWE last December, four years after she had signed with them. She was one of the few who requested her release and got it without any issues.
The 26-year-old from New Zealend spent most of her time in NXT UK and later NXT before finding her way on the main roster. But her time on the main roster was spent mostly in the backstage area and off television apart from her last month where she was invovled in a feud with Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women’s title.
She recently launched a very successful OnlyFans account.
Six matches have been announced for tonight’s Dynamite live on TBS including the start of build towards the women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament. The show takes place from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
A qualifying match between The Bunny and a mystery opponent who will make her AEW debut will see the winner qualify for the women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament to be held in May.
Other matches on tonight’s broadcast include CM Punk taking on Max Caster, Darby Allin vs Andrade El Idolo, FTR vs The Gunn Club, Wheeler Yuta vs Bryan Danielson with William Regal on commentary, and Jon Moxley vs Jay Lethal.
The 9PM to 9:15PM quarter hour on Monday Night Raw which featured the live in-ring promo from Universal champion Roman Reigns drew a whopping 2,369,000 viewers on its own, by far the most-watched segment of this week’s Raw and probably in a very long time as well.
Numbers released by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics show that the show jumped 9% in total viewership from the fourth quarter hour, which had 2,168,000 viewers for Omos vs Viking Raiders and Lashley’s return. In the 18-49 demo, Reigns’ promo also attracted 854,000 viewers, an 11% jump from the 770,000 that the previous segment did.
There were six segments out of 12 that crossed two million viewers on Monday and three more which hovered in the 1.9 million range. The last three quarters, from 10:15PM onwards, is what drove the overall number down as the show declined to the 1.7 million range. The opening segment with Brock Lesnar did just over 2 million viewers.
Acknowledge him…because he’s indeed the needle mover!
The third episode of season two of Young Rock, titled In Your Blood, drew a total of 2,069,000 viewers, down 247,000 viewers from episode two. It also did a 0.34 in the 18-49 demo, down 0.08 from the last episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
In a story published by The Hollywood Reporter it was revealed that Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, who wrote the screenplay for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, will write and serve as showrunners on The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon, a drama project in the works from Blumhouse Television and the WWE.
The project revolves around the steroids trial from the mid-90s based on a series of New York Post stories. McMahon was acquitted at the trial after the prosecution’s case imploded.
“Vince McMahon is a living legend. We are thrilled to tell his larger than life story with our partners at Blumhouse and WWE,” Harpster and Fitzerman-Blue said in a statement.
“Blumhouse is thrilled to be partnering with Noah and Micah on this project,” said Blumhouse TV president Chris McCumber. “Their ability to bring iconic characters to life in a nuanced, dramatic, and fully realized way is the reason they are the perfect fit to tell the story of The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”
Harpster and Fitzerman-Blue will executive produce the drama along with McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Chris McCumber, Jason Blum and Jeremy Gold.
Sports betting in bookmakers can be done in two modes. The first one is called “pre match” – this is when a bet is made before the start of a sporting event. The second one is called “live” – this is when a bet is made right during a sporting event. This is what’s called live betting. This type of betting has such a name because the odds on the outcome of the event change all the time, depending on the situation in the match. They are not stable, like the inserts before the match.
Every year, live sports betting is becoming increasingly popular, including due to the development of technology and the spread of the mobile Internet. 1xBet bookmaker offers you to download the 1x app to your smartphone for free at any time (1x android / 1x ios are available).
Players are attracted to this betting option for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to feel involved in the event, secondly, it adds emotions when watching the match, and thirdly, in this case you will not have to wait long for your bet to be calculated: the result of the forecast becomes known as quickly as possible, right during the game.
The ability to correctly assess what is happening on the field / court during a match can provide a player with an additional advantage over a bookmaker, which will not be given by bets in the “pre-match” mode. Live sports betting is very exciting. But it’s worth keeping in mind a few rules and strategies that are described in this article.
Advantages of Live betting
The main advantage is participation in the match in real time. You can watch the live broadcast both on TV and via the Internet. At the same time, you have the opportunity to objectively evaluate both the game of an individual player and the coherence of the actions of both teams. In football, betting during the match allows you to take into account all the events and nuances, and react quickly by adjusting the bets. If, for example, a central striker drops out of the game due to injury, then the team’s chances of winning drop sharply.
Another advantage of live betting during the match is a quick calculation and almost instant payout of winnings. You can win an impressive amount in a short period of time – in just one period of a football match. And with proper forecasting and timely changes in rates during the timeframe, the budget can be increased several times.
Another plus is to play on the coefficients that have changed in a big way. If the game is played between the leading team and an outsider, then the favorite can reduce the chances of winning (raise the coefficient) by losing, for example, a half or a period, but eventually win.
How to make live bets correctly
For those who play for the sake of the game itself, it does not matter how to bet live, the main thing for them is to relax and have fun. If you play aiming to win, then you need to follow certain rules. Otherwise, you can not only quickly go into negative territory, but also completely lose your invested finances.
The main rules:
Keep a sober mind under any circumstances. To do this, you need to completely turn off emotions – they prevent you from objectively assessing the situation in tense moments and making an adequate decision. A calm state and clarity of thought is already half the success. The joy of temporary success, as well as the irritation of losing, distracts from the course of the game and bets. Therefore, you should not focus on temporary successes and defeats, but just purposefully move on.
Study statistics independently. Before placing live bets, you should definitely look at the statistics of the teams participating in the match. This condition will allow you to identify the obvious features of the teams for the initial period and deliberately place a bet.
The ability to stop in time. If there is nothing to bet on, then it is not worth continuing the game – it is better to keep the deposit.
If you decide to play according to a certain strategy that you are confident in, then in no case do not depart from it.
Gain experience. Primitive advice — before you put it in live, just follow it for a while. For example, if you plan to bet on totals in live, then watch a little how the coefficients change during the match. The ability to react quickly to changed indicators is very important here, so only the ability to predict the further behavior of the line will allow you to make reasonable bets and play plus.
How the coefficients change in Live
Only in the live line, the odds of winning the favorite of the meeting may suddenly become higher than for the outsider, or vice versa. This can be caused not only by a goal scored (in football), but also by injury, weather conditions or the general condition of the team. Betting analysts also monitor what is happening and immediately react to all changes that may affect one or another outcome of the event.
Additional Live betting features
Modern betting companies are trying to attract players by creating additional opportunities. Live betting has not been bypassed by innovations either. So, on the websites of most bookmakers, in many sports events on the live line, the ability to monitor online what is happening on the field has been added: somewhere live broadcasts of the match are used for this, somewhere everything is displayed in infographics. Also, additional features for live betting include the presence of statistical facts on the page, the history of personal meetings, the standings and much more.
Summing up, it can be noted that this type of betting is quite interesting for both beginners and experienced players. And at the same time, it has its own characteristics that should be taken into account. Here you can earn quite large amounts of money and at the same time, it is important to be able to calculate actions in advance.
The TLC event will be making its return after a one year hiatus and will be held in Saudi Arabia according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
No TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event was held in 2021 due to the close proximity to the Day 1 premium live event which took place on January 1. TLC typically airs in December.
The event will take place sometime in September but there’s no fixed date for it yet. That means that WWE will hold two stadium shows that month as there’s a UK live event happening in the first week of that month.
TLC in Saudi will be the second show in the region for 2022 following the Elimination Chamber. WWE moved away from Crown Jewel or Super ShowDown this year and held regular shows in Saudi Arabia as part of their premium live event calendar.
WWE’s contract with Saudi Arabia runs through 2028 and is a major part of their yearly earnings with WWE getting around $50 million per show.
As it is every year with WrestleMania, WWE Superstars will be doing a lot of community work all over the Dallas area during the week.
Two community events are planned for Wednesday, March 30.
In the first event, WWE Superstars will honor Special Olympics Texas Athletes at a special school of strength event. The three-part event will feature content from School of Strength – a program featuring health and wellness techniques to help Special Olympics athletes stay fit year round.
Scheduled to appear are Titus O’Neil, NXT champion Dolph Ziggler, Bobby Roode, 24/7 champion Dana Brooke, and Nikki A.S.H. The event take place between 2PM and 4PM CT at The Star on 9 Cowboys Way in Frisco.
In the second event, WWE Superstars will host a Sports For A Purpose bootcamp with discussions about empowerment, followed by sports activities including a precision passing station and 20-yard dash in association with Girl Up. Twenty local Girl Up teens will be coached by the WWE Superstars through the stations and have discussions about staying active in sports in their schools and communities.
Scheduled to appear at this event are Sonya Deville, Xia Li, Tamina, Reggie, and WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior. The event is also happening at The Star on 9 Cowboys Way in Frisco.
The final Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania drew an average of 1,976,000 viewers, up 207,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. This was the most-watched Raw since August 23, 2021.
The first hour started with 2,042,000 viewers and then increased to 2,100,000 viewers in the second hour before suffering a large drop to 1,786,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demo with 0.58, 0.56, and 0.52 ratings respectively for an average of 0.55. This was also the highest demo rating since August 23. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE is bringing Shane McMahon for WrestleMania weekend although it’s not specifically stated if McMahon will be part of the show or just hanging out backstage.
McMahon was spectacularly sent home following the Royal Rumble after causing a lot of issues behind the scenes when producing the men’s Royal Rumble match and his planned spots at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania were removed.
Shane has no say in the company and no official title as the only thing he had was a performer contract.
It will be interesting to see how or if Shane is used in any capacity during the weekend events.
Although they are both combat sports, wrestling and boxing are entirely different from one another. However, seeing how MMA – a blend of many combat sports disciplines – has become so popular lately, it’s easy to see how some people can get confused about which sport is which.
Whether it’s boxing greats or wrestling legends, not knowing the differences between wrestling and boxing would be a disservice to the icons of two of the oldest, greatest combat sports in history.
With that in mind, let’s take a definitive look at the two combat disciplines, including their major differences in terms of rules, style, and popularity. It’s important to note that one sport isn’t necessarily better than the other. Wrestling and boxing have their own strengths, and gaining experience in both is far better than only focusing on one.
Rules
What is wrestling?
Wrestling is all about submission-based moves. Two or more opponents face off in a pre-designated arena, with no punches or kicks allowed. Wrestlers must use a combination of leverage, pressure points, and momentum to win.
Although it can generally be described as a grapple-based form of fighting, there are many different styles and disciplines of wrestling. There are currently four officially recognized wrestling categories, namely: Freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, Judo, and Sambo.
As proof of the widespread effectiveness of wrestling, several wrestling techniques are used in military hand-to-hand training, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Krav Maga. The first form of wrestling can be traced back as far as 15,000 years ago, originating in ancient Egypt, Babylon, and India.
Aside from being one of the oldest forms of combat, wrestling is also one of the most widely respected, ubiquitous combat sports in existence. Its influence can be found in almost every country worldwide, and it remains the dominant discipline in all forms of submission-based combat.
Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash
What is boxing?
Boxing involves two opponents fighting with their fists. No other forms of fighting are allowed, which means that boxing requires far more discipline than most other combat sports. Like wrestling, it’s a combat sport that requires technical skill as much as it does physical prowess.
Boxing dates back to ancient Egypt from around 2,000 BC. However, back then, it was known as “pugilism.” Pugilism only became a recognized combat sport in 688 BC, when it featured in the 23rd Olympiad in ancient Greece.
Originally, pugilism was just two opponents going at each other with bare-knuckled fists. It was as brutal as it sounds until the ‘Queensbury Rules’ of 1878 transformed it into the boxing we know today. Thanks to gloves, official rules, and subsequent Olympic recognition, pugilism became boxing, and boxing quickly grew in international popularity.
Professional boxing matches last for twelve rounds. Each round lasts for three minutes, with a one minute break between rounds. Fighters can win by knockout (KO), technical knockout (TKO), or a scoring system. Scores are decided by three judges who monitor the fight, while a referee controls the action inside the ring.
Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash
Main differences
Compared to wrestling, boxing hasn’t been around for nearly as long. In fact, wrestling is the oldest combat sport in the world. Interestingly, this doesn’t translate to a bigger following or more significant influence, at least in terms of viewership numbers.
According to multiple surveys, boxing is actually slightly more popular than wrestling, with higher average ratings and a larger global audience. Wrestling’s impact can be felt in other ways though, such as its aforementioned integration into multiple military training disciplines.
Even though both sports require technical skill, brute force is arguably a lot more effective in boxing than in wrestling. Boxers can only hit their opponents above the waist area, but they can hit as hard and as often as they please. In comparison, wrestlers must use all their limbs to attack, defend, and counter.
Boxing matches can either be amateur or professional, whereas wrestling matches can differ depending on the style and region in question. Boxing has general rules that are the same for every country where it’s an official sport, while wrestling rules will again depend on location and discipline.
Typically, the only defensive equipment a wrestler gets is protective headgear, which is designed to protect the neck area in particular. Boxers get padded gloves and mouthguards but no additional protection against head and neck injury.
Both sports have a high rate of injury. They are incredibly tough to master but, from an entertainment perspective, the compressed action of boxing appears to be the reason for its greater popularity. Wrestling may be the older, more widely used combat sport, but boxing seems to be the people’s favorite.
Of course, whichever combat sport you prefer will essentially boil down to personal preference. However, it’s worth repeating that experience in both is ideal, especially in the MMA-dominated world of modern combat sports.
