• “We finally got the main event everyone begged for, and the fans ruined it” – Dolph Ziggler On Extreme Rules 2018
During an interview on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, Dolph Ziggler reflected on his 30-minute Iron Man match with Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship, which main evented the Extreme Rules 2018 PPV / PLE – a bout remembered for the crowd repeatedly counting down every minute.
Ziggler said the match was a rare chance for two workhorses to main event a pay-per-view without Roman Reigns involved, something fans had long asked for. But when it finally happened, the audience sabotaged the atmosphere with constant countdown chants.
He explained that WWE removed the on-screen timer to stop it, which only made things worse as fans began counting every 10 seconds instead. “We finally got the main event everyone begged for, and the fans ruined it,” he said.
Ziggler admitted the chants threw off his and Rollins’ rhythm mid-match, calling it one of his most frustrating nights in WWE. Ironically, he said the chaos gave Vince McMahon an excuse to dismiss the idea of mid-carders main eventing again – reinforcing Vince’s belief that fans didn’t know what they wanted.
Dolph defeated Seth 5-4 in sudden death overtime to retain the Intercontinental Championship in this 30-minute Iron Man Match.
• Eric Bischoff Explains Why He Took A Shot At Ronda Rousey
During an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff explained why he made a sharp social media remark toward Ronda Rousey after her comments about UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
Rousey had suggested that Rogan “never fought” and that Taekwondo isn’t real fighting. Bischoff quickly responded online, writing:
“Neither is judo. Ask Holly Holm.”
On his podcast, Bischoff clarified that he wasn’t trying to start a feud with Rousey but wanted to spark discussion and spotlight Holm, who’s connected to Bischoff’s Real American Freestyle promotion.
“I respect Ronda, but I couldn’t resist. It was tongue-in-cheek and I wanted to stir things up a bit,” he said. “Plus, Holly Holm, who’s part of what we’re doing, has every right to be in that conversation.”
Bischoff added that while he doesn’t view judo as a “true fighting discipline” in the same way as mixed martial arts, he acknowledged Rousey’s accomplishments, calling her “a trailblazer who changed combat sports.”
• Jinder Mahal Reveals The Real Reason He Got To Face Triple H
In his conversation with Inside The Ropes, Jinder Mahal explained how his highly anticipated 2017 match with Triple H at a WWE Live Event in India came together, and why it wasn’t originally supposed to happen.
According to Jinder, the event in Delhi was initially planned as a two-night tour featuring him versus Kevin Owens. The first night would have ended in a disqualification, followed by a “Delhi Street Fight” rematch the next day. However, WWE condensed the event into one show due to lower-than-expected ticket sales, and that’s when plans changed dramatically.
“We ended up announcing that Triple H was coming,” Jinder recalled. “Triple H is like god-level in India – fans there love larger-than-life stars like The Undertaker, Batista, and John Cena.”
That switch turned out to be a blessing. Mahal called it one of the proudest moments of his career, describing how the crowd went wild for the match and how he learned a lot from “The Game.”
Perhaps most interestingly, Jinder revealed that the two barely rehearsed anything beforehand. With both men busy all day, they “just felt it in the ring,” with Triple H calling most of the match on the fly.
“He laid it all out in the ring. It was incredible,” Mahal said, adding that their post-match bhangra dance was completely unplanned and became one of the night’s most memorable moments.
