• Major Title Change Almost Didn’t Take Place At WrestleMania 42
In the main event of WrestleMania 42 – Night 2, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE discussed an idea where Punk would defeat Reigns at WrestleMania, but then would go on to drop the title to The OTC at Backlash on May 9th.
In the end, WWE went ahead with their original plan and now Jacob Fatu is expected to face Reigns for the World Title at Backlash.
• WWE Signs Ex-World Champion & IYO SKY’s Fiancé
WWE has landed a major international star. Takaaki Watanabe, better known to wrestling fans as EVIL, is officially headed to the company.
After months of rumors about where the former NJPW star would end up, PWInsider confirmed that he has signed a deal and is officially part of the WWE roster. He is expected to get a new name.
The 39-year-old is a powerhouse with a long history of playing a dark, villainous character. He became a top star in Japan in 2020 when he betrayed his friends to join the Bullet Club. He eventually became a double champion, holding NJPW’s top two titles at the same time.
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is engaged to WWE Superstar IYO SKY.
• Paige Reveals What Her Father Said After Her Tapes Got Leaked
Paige faced one of the most challenging periods of her life in 2017 when private videos involving her were leaked online.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion was the latest guest on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, where she discussed the aftermath of the leaks in detail. She described reaching a point of complete isolation and despair, feeling that she had nowhere left to turn, and became visibly emotional as she teared up while recalling the moment.
“Me for this, I’m gonna k*ll myself. That was it, you know? I was like, I can’t be here anymore. I went through that stage of feeling like I was completely alone… I felt like, my dad is my life, you know, and if he can’t accept the fact that these tapes are out, I don’t know if I… I just… I was ready to do it. I was done.”
In her darkest moment, Paige recalled the response her father gave when he learned about the situation. His words completely shifted her perspective and helped pull her through.
“And so I called him and he was f**king fantastic. He was f**king fantastic. He goes to me, ‘It’s all right, princess.’ He was like, ‘Everyone has a $ex life. Yours just happened to be on the internet.’
He goes, ‘You know what? You could be famous, like Kim Kardashian.’ I was like, how the f**k do you know Kim Kardashian? I was, like, so confused.”
She credits her father’s calm, supportive words with pulling her back from the edge during what she described as the lowest point of her life.
“He saved my life that day. He saved my life. He absolutely saved my life… that was the lowest I’ve ever been in my life.”
