• “We would have not main evented WrestleMania had it not been for Ronda Rousey” – Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair has revealed she wasn’t a fan of her WrestleMania 35 main event match, despite its historic significance. Speaking on the Games with Names podcast, Flair admitted, “I hated our ‘Mania (35) match. [Ronda Rousey] liked it, I hated it… The ending. It’s all about the story. The match… But the story. The story was insane.” Flair, Rousey, and Becky Lynch made history that night as the first women to headline WrestleMania. But Flair believes it only happened because of Rousey’s involvement. “We would have not main evented WrestleMania had it not been for Ronda,” she said. “Hands down. When she wanted to kind of join what we had already started to build but her star power, her credibility, her outside influence, the audience that she brought. Kudos to her… she just added that legitimacy to what we were trying to do that we didn’t have and she caught on.”
Flair also responded to criticism of Rousey’s in-ring ability (likely referencing comments made in Becky Lynch’s recent book), saying, “I know that, you know, someone said in her book that she couldn’t wrestle but at the end of the day, it really didn’t matter. She was Ronda and she didn’t need to. She had such an aura to her and really did figure it out.” Rousey’s role, Flair said, was essential — even if the match itself didn’t live up to her own standards.
• Liv Morgan’s Injury Has Ruined The Entire Evolution Card
On this week’s RAW, Liv Morgan got injured during her match against Kairi Sane. Michael Cole announced that Liv suffered a dislocated shoulder. According to WrestleVotes, the entire match-card for Evolution 2 has been affected due to Morgan’s injury: “The injury has now caused a lot of the Evolution card to basically be scrapped, be ripped up, and start again from scratch because she was pegged for a big-time tag team match that is not going to happen now. That spot is gonna be filled by someone else and there’s a lot of ripple effects.”
The original plan for Evolution was Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against The Bella Twins (Nikki Bella & Brie Bella).
• Vince McMahon Tried To Buy BKFC Recently
Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon recently made a move to buy into the world of combat sports once again, this time by trying to acquire a controlling stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), according to a report by Justin Barrasso. David Feldman, the founder and president of BKFC, confirmed the meeting and McMahon’s interest. Although the deal didn’t go through, Feldman had high praise for McMahon and his team.
“He’s a great guy, his whole team is great, but the timing wasn’t right for us,” Feldman told Sports Illustrated. “He’s Vince McMahon—if I were him, I’d want creative control, too. He was awesome, very complimentary, and he was very serious to do business.”
The BKFC was launched in April 2018 and is based in Philadelphia. While McMahon was interested in buying in, Feldman was not willing to give up full control of the promotion. In 2024, UFC Legend Conor McGregor became a co-owner of BKFC.
This move appears to be McMahon’s first public attempt at returning to the world of promoting since stepping away from WWE. McMahon is in the process of launching a new entertainment company called 14th & I, with longtime associate Brad Blum at the helm. The venture is being described as an “entertainment hub” and is expected to be formally announced once McMahon’s legal matters are resolved.
• Hulk Hogan Is NOT On His Deathbed, Reason For Recent Hospitalization
2-Time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was recently hospitalized, but contrary to online rumors, he’s not in critical condition. As reported by TMZ Sports, Hogan is recovering from complications related to long-standing neck and back issues, not heart failure or any life-threatening condition. The rumors began when radio host Bubba the Love Sponge claimed on air that Hogan was in such poor health that family members were being called in to say their goodbyes. While Bubba cited a “rock solid” source, he also admitted things may have changed since he last received an update.
A representative for Hogan quickly shut down those claims, telling TMZ Sports that the 71-year-old wrestling icon is not on his deathbed. The rep confirmed Hogan has been experiencing issues connected to previous surgeries, but that he’s already up and moving around again.
PWInsider added further details, reporting that Hogan was dealing with side effects from a recent neck surgery. According to their sources, the adverse reactions weren’t related to his heart, but rather to the cumulative toll of multiple surgeries over the years. Hogan is expected to be discharged and return home shortly.
• New Date For SmackDown’s Return To 2 Hours Revealed
SmackDown is currently airing as a 3-hour show every Friday night on the USA Network, from 8 PM to 11 PM EST. However, that extended format appears to be coming to an end sooner than expected. According to an update from PWInsider, SmackDown will officially return to its traditional 2-hour format beginning Friday, July 4th. This news arrives amid growing speculation that the third hour would be dropped in the near future. That speculation intensified after it was announced that The Rainmaker, a new show based on the John Grisham novel, is set to premiere on the USA Network on Friday, August 15 at 10 PM EST—which currently overlaps with SmackDown’s final hour.
While the USA Network may be pleased with a longer weekly show, reports suggest that many within WWE’s production and creative departments have been unhappy with the 3-hour format. Critics argue that the added hour weakens the pacing, leads to filler content, and puts additional strain on the writing team.
Rather than using the third hour to elevate new talent, it has often been filled with less meaningful segments—drawing comparisons to the same criticisms leveled at RAW since it expanded to three hours in 2012.
Now, with a return to a tighter 2-hour format set for July 4, WWE’s blue brand could regain its focus and energy moving forward.
• Gunther Mocks Goldberg’s Short Matches
On this week’s RAW, Gunther came out and celebrated becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther said Jey Uso was better than him for just one night and he’s now back to being untouchable. Gunther said he doesn’t care about rumors, as fans chanted for Goldberg. Gunther shifted his attention to Mr. Money In The Bank Seth Rollins. However, Goldberg returned and said Gunther insulted him and his family in Atlanta last year, and he’s going to end this feud in Atlanta on July 12th at Saturday Night’s Main Event for the World Heavyweight Championship, as The Ring General is NEXT.
Gunther mocked Goldberg by writing the following on Instagram: “Im next… guess i can spare 3 minutes.”
TNA star Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler in WWE) also mocked Goldberg. He tweeted the following about the return of the legend who squashed him at SummerSlam 2019: “It’s like smelling a smell that takes you back 30 years, to the playground, at recess… Then 30 seconds later; you remember the other 7 hours of the school day.”
