Bayley on current Damage CTRL roster: ‘I just think it’s insane’

Bayley told Under the Ring why it was important to her to assemble an all-women faction in WWE.

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When Bayley first gathered Dakota Kai and IYO SKY to form Damage CTRL, it was already a formidable group. It’s only gotten bigger and badder since then.

While Kai is still working her way back from injury, SKY is now the WWE Women’s Champion. And in November, Kairi Sane and Asuka joined the team as well, making Damage CTRL without a doubt the most powerful all-women’s faction in WWE history.

In the world of WWE storylines, Bayley’s position as leader seems a bit tenuous. But whether she’s fated to be drummed out soon or sticks around for the long haul, she told Phil Strum on the Under the Ring podcast that she recognizes exactly how special this lineup is.

“I mean, I love it — I don’t just like it, I love it,” Bayley said. “I was actually thinking about this a few days ago. I was going to make this big old sappy post about it, but I’ll just share it here. I just think it’s insane, the group of women that I have in this group, in this faction. It started out with IYO and Dakota, obviously, and it’s two women that you didn’t get to see on the main show. And they’ve already shown what they can do, especially IYO, being the champion right now.”

Bayley recalled meeting Asuka for the first time after seeing her wrestle years ago in SHIMMER and being amazed by her even back then, and called her “one of the most influential women in wrestling.”

She had equally complimentary things to say about Sane, concluding that she felt “so grateful” for this version of Damage CTRL to have come together.

Bayley also talked about the importance of the size of the group, noting that for the longest time, it was common to only see one or two women wrestlers on any given WWE show.

“The cool thing about having an all women’s faction is that we don’t all have to have a match,” Bayley said. “You saw IYO vs. Michin, for example [on the Jan. 5 episode of SmackDown], and we didn’t all have a match but we were all there, we all appeared.

“So automatically you get five women on the show where you would just get two otherwise, and I think that’s more empowering, and it’s more … something for the NXT girls, at least, to look up to, and it’s something that I have always dreamt about.”

“I was happy with the three of us, but to have four or more was my ultimate goal, so this has been just a dream come true,” she added.

Listen to Strum’s full conversation with Bayley above to hear her talk about her iconic NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn match with Sasha Banks, getting advice from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dusty Rhodes, and how she came into her own during the WWE’s ThunderDome era. And be sure to check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to watch this episode and many others with guests from throughout the world of pro wrestling.

Gerald Brisco on Triple H’s rise to WWE head of creative: ‘I always knew that Paul would a lifer in the business’

Even while stuck with a “funky gimmick,” Triple H had what it took to lead a company like WWE, says Gerald Brisco.

There’s little debate that WWE is on a roll at the moment, racking up new attendance and financial records at a furious pace while enjoying widespread critical acclaim as well. Paul “Triple H” Levesque deserves a lot of the credit, ushering in this new era in what could have been a turbulent time as WWE merged with UFC to form TKO.

While his Hall of Fame career trajectory and marriage into the McMahon family makes his rise seem obvious now, it sure didn’t seem that way in the mid-90s when Levesque was trying to get his “Connecticut Blueblood” gimmick over without a ton of success.

Yet even then, the seeds for his future leadership roles were being planted if you knew where to look. And one person who was in position to do so was Gerald Brisco, who explained what he saw to Under the Ring host Phil Strum during their recent chat.

“The intelligence that he had … Not only the intelligence that he had but you watch him in the locker room,” Brisco said. “How they either become a follower, a guy who gets left behind, or how they become a leader. And Paul immediately became that leader, even though he wasn’t a top guy at the time, even though he had a funky gimmick, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and he took that gimmick and he grew with the gimmick.”

Brisco credited Levesque for not only his ability to understand the dynamics of the roster but also the lessons he learned from Killer Kowalski, who prepared him for life both in and out of the ring. That made him a good bet to succeed over the long run.

“I always knew that Paul would be a lifer in the business, in what role … I never dreamed that he would marry the boss’ daughter,” Brisco added while laughing. “But I always knew that he would be a guy like a Pat Patterson or a Gerald Brisco who was in the business forever in some way.”

You can check out Sturm’s full conversation with Brisco above, which includes fascinating stories about his work as a talent scout and how he helped discover Hulk Hogan. And you can find this and more episodes of Under the Ring on YouTube as well.

Gunther on a Brock Lesnar showdown: ‘It’s definitely a match I want to have’

Gunther also told Under the Ring that chasing a world championship is the “next logical step” for him in WWE.

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As the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time, Gunther has successfully defended his title against challengers of all sizes and styles. But even the Ring General has potential opponents he might use as a measuring stick, and there’s one in particular he’d like to face.

That would be the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar. Though Gunther has been in hard-hitting, matches against Sheamus, Drew McIntyre and others, fans of straightforward, physical wrestling would salivate over a Gunther vs. Lesnar bout.

As Gunther told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, he agrees with them and would love to test himself against his own “Final Boss.”

“You never really know what you get with Brock, I would say, but it’s definitely a match I want to have, I want to do,” Gunther said. “I feel like Brock is somebody that I kind of like class as … It may be my personal End Boss. Maybe that’s the guy that at one point I have to step in the ring to validate myself, if that makes sense.”

Gunther talked about further challenges other than Lesnar as well, noting that even his Intercontinental Championship reign would someday end and that chasing one of WWE’s world titles would be the “next logical step.” He mentioned that while either Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns would present formidable challenges, he thought Rollins would be a better mesh of styles and that he is “more similar to Roman.”

Check out Strum’s full discussion with Gunther above to hear more on:

  • His upcoming Survivor Series: WarGames match against The Miz, and how their clash of styles and backgrounds will be compelling
  • What makes his Intercontinental Championship run so special
  • How he’s adjusted to living in the U.S. and wrestling for WWE
  • The best part about being raised in Austria, and what the people there get about work/life balance that he feels some cultures around the world haven’t grasped
  • Why he doesn’t stop to consider his accomplishments as he goes
  • Who he’s looked to for guidance or advice

Under the Ring releases new episodes every week, usually on Monday, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, legendary former WCW champion Lex Luger, and PWInsider’s Mike Johnson.

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

AEW champ Orange Cassidy says people who don’t ‘get’ him are choosing not to

Orange Cassidy also talked about learning from Jake “The Snake” Roberts during his time in AEW.

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What is Orange Cassidy all about? That depends on who you ask.

A number of pro wrestling fans would immediately bring up his incredible run with the AEW International Championship (a title he won for the second time ), where he took on a dizzying number and variety of challengers seemingly every week.

But others can’t look past his slacker persona and some of the comedic flourishes he peppers throughout his presentation. As Cassidy told Under the Ring host Phil Strum during their recent discussion, that’s on them, not him.

“The idea that someone says they don’t understand me or they don’t get me … that’s an active choice,” Cassidy said. “I think they choose not to. I think they completely understand what is happening.

“Why do I have to explain myself to people, right? I feel that I am going to put out the art that I’m going to do, and if you don’t like it or if you don’t understand it, that’s fine, that’s your thing.”

Cassidy noted that when it comes to art forms like painting or sculpting, observers don’t ask the artist to stand and explain what they were doing.

“And I do hold professional wrestling to that standard,” he added. “And I think it should be, and I think we all should be.”

Listen to Cassidy’s full chat with Strum above to hear more from him on:

  • Why “it’s not fun to wrestle Jon Moxley”
  • How he feels looking back on his first International Championship run, and which opponents and matches stand out the most in retrospect
  • What he’s learned from Jake “The Snake” Roberts
  • Whether or not his on-camera persona is him turned up (or down)
  • Which of his early career mentors wouldn’t mind getting a public shoutout
  • How “Jane” by Jefferson Starship became his theme song
  • His best advice for up and coming wrestlers
  • Which indie promotion had the best locker room he’s ever experienced prior to joining AEW

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included legendary former WCW champion Lex Luger,  PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, and Impact Wrestling star and women’s wrestling all-time great Mickie James.

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

Lex Luger blew off Sting the first time they met, is grateful the Icon gave him a 2nd chance

Lex Luger said he lived up to his eventual nickname of “The Narcissist” when he first met Sting.

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Pro wrestling history is full of memorable duos, but Lex Luger and Sting are right up there with any of them. It’s hard to imagine one without the other, even now with the former long retired and the latter headed that way soon, as their careers are so closely intertwined.

Their relationship extends beyond the ring as well, as the two men are close friends, united through decades of common experiences, and in more recent years, through their shared faith. Luger has expressed his gratitude that Sting has stuck with him through some of his darkest moments over the years.

Yet as he told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, their friendship almost never got off the ground thanks to Luger’s own cockiness during their first meeting.

“We’re best of friends to this day, he’s a special guy and a special friend, but we did not hit it off the first time we talked,” Luger said. “He was asking me about my nutrition on the road, and I blew him off. .. Because he came from a bodybuilding background. And I didn’t look up; it was after a match and I was unlacing my boots. I didn’t look at him, I thought I was a big deal with the Four Horsemen, and I said, ‘Stolis and peanut M&M’s.’ I eyeballed him and he walked away shaking his head.

“But we ended up seeing each other downstairs on the road at the hotels, like having breakfast and stuff, and we’d sit at separate tables. Finally we’d have breakfast together, finally we started going to the gym together, palling around. Over time, we just became best of friends, so thank goodness he gave me a second chance from our initial intro and conversation.”

Check out Luger’s full chat with Strum above to learn more about:

  • What it’s been like for Luger to start his new podcast, “Lex Expressed,” with Ad Free Shows
  • Why he enjoys interacting with wrestling fans so much these days after not understanding them during his in-ring career
  • How he maintains such a positive attitude, and why he feels like he’s been “streamlined and redefined” in life
  • What happened with Bruiser Brody in their infamous 1987 Steel Cage match
  • How Hiro Matsuda and Ric Flair were responsible for turning him into a wrestler, then a star
  • What it was like being part of the Four Horsemen — and why he didn’t know who any of them were at first besides Flair
  • And much more

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, Impact Wrestling star and women’s wrestling all-time great Mickie James, and Wrestling Junkie managing editor Nick Tylwalk.

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

Report: WWE eyeing Cleveland as potential SummerSlam 2024 location

Nothing says WWE’s Biggest Part of the Summer like … Cleveland?

Location news and rumors have been fast and furious this week surrounding WWE’s premium live events in 2024. Between Bash in Berlin and a potential show in Paris, France, WWE may have a heavy European flavor next year. But for another marquee show, arguably the company’s second-biggest premium live event, there’s a surprise twist brewing.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended), Cleveland, Ohio is being considered as a potential host for WWE Summerslam 2024. One WWE source told Fightful Select that the event is likely to be held in the city.

It is unclear at this time which location, either Cleveland Browns Stadium or Progressive Field (home of the MLB Guardians), WWE has in mind for the event.

WWE just went to this area of the United States this past August for SummerSlam, making it an interesting choice if it happens. It usually doesn’t repeat the same region in consecutive years for major events.

WWE likely wouldn’t consider using Cleveland as a city for WrestleMania, unless they built a new, state-of-the-art arena as others have, but this presents an opportunity for a smaller market city to host one of the most significant events on the WWE schedule. A similar situation occurred with Detroit earlier this year, and soon, with Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida for the Royal Rumble in January.

It’s also no longer stunning for WWE to host premium live events in areas that don’t usually receive them. With the planned international shows, the aforementioned SummerSlam 2023 and Royal Rumble 2024, it’s catering to different audiences. Places like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles already receive their fair share of premium live events, so this spreads the wealth while WWE shows are red hot.

WWE has not made an official announcement about Cleveland hosting SummerSlam, so it will be interesting to see if other locations enter the fray. While surprises are possible, for now, it appears that the Great Lakes region will be the destination for WWE’s biggest summer event.

Mickie James explains why she feels ‘A lot of people sleep on Impact’

Mickie James pointed to the roster, the creative freedom and the storytelling as strengths of Impact Wrestling — particularly for women.

When Mickie James steps through the curtain at Bound for Glory near Chicago this weekend, she’ll truly be home again. Not in the geographical sense, mind you, as James hails from Virginia, but competing in the company that first put her on the map in its biggest show of the year — and in a first time singles match against Trinity for the Impact Knockouts World Championship she never lost.

James has reached heights few women have ever matched in pro wrestling, winning 11 world titles between WWE and Impact. At this point in her career, it’s important for her to work somewhere that is supportive of both her and women’s wrestling in general, and as she explained to Under the Ring host Phil Strum, that place is Impact.

“A lot of people sleep on Impact, and I’ve never, never understood it because I look at the roster and I look at the television product and the storylines and the different things that they do, and the packages, and I’m like, ‘this is so great.'” James said.

She added that when she parted ways with WWE in 2021, she wanted to make sure she did something for women’s wrestling. One of those projects became NWA EmPowerrr, that company’s first ever all-women’s event that featured talent from several companies.

Not only was Impact supportive of that card, but James says it has been consistently beneficial for women’s wrestling writ large.

“I feel like they’ve always done a really great job, before anyone else,” she said. “They were the first to really do an incredible job with their women, and to promote them and to give them the time that the men got. And so it felt natural for me.”

Listen to James’ full conversation with Strum above to get more insight from her on:

  • Facing Trinity for the first time one-on-one at Bound for Glory, and why Impact has been a great fit for Trinity
  • Why she feels every wrestler should have championships as their goal
  • What it was like being part of the Asylum era in TNA
  • This year’s Impact Hall of Fame class, which features Traci Brooks, Mike Tenay and Don West
  • How she feels about husband Nick Aldis becoming SmackDown General Manager in WWE

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Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included Wrestling Junkie managing editor Nick Tylwalk, longtime manager Father James Mitchell, and AEW star Swerve Strickland.

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

Swerve Strickland on motivation for AEW WrestleDream: ‘There’s still doubters out there’

Swerve says “I see and hear everything” and is out to silence his critics in Seattle.

Spend a little time in pro wrestling’s corner of social media and you’ll see Swerve Strickland mentioned fairly often as someone who could deliver as a world champion. But the AEW star knows he hasn’t won everyone over to that point of view just yet.

Formerly a fan favorite, Strickland has found his groove as the menacing, calculating frontman of the Mogul Embassy. He’s done a masterful job provoking Hangman Adam Page, explaining that he wants to beat the best version of Page when they face off Oct. 1 in Seattle at WrestleDream.

Still, Swerve told Under the Ring host Phil Strum it’s not the moment itself or even wrestling in front of fans in his home in the Pacific Northwest, but rather the fuel provided by the naysayers that drives him most.

“There’s still doubters out there in the social media world, in the media world, the podcast world and stuff like that,” Strickland said. “Because I listen to everything, I see and hear everything. I don’t always acknowledge everything, but I do see and hear everything that’s out there.

“That’s kind of what keeps the chip on my shoulder, you know? So now when I go out there Oct. 1 at WrestleDream in Seattle and I beat the brakes off of him while he’s saying he’s bringing his best, there better not be any more conversation about do I deserve this, did I live up to the hype or any of this other bullcrap that I hear.”

“As much as this is for the city of Seattle and as much as this is for AEW, for WrestleDream, and as much as this is for Hangman Page, it’s way more for me,” he added.

It was Strickland’s second appearance on Under the Ring, as he also was a guest in September 2022. Check out his full conversation with Strum above for more on what they discussed this time, including:

  • Why Swerve finds speaking on the microphone to be the toughest part of pro wrestling
  • His thoughts on The Elite and why they are “second to none” as talents
  • Working with Brian Cage, who he calls one of the most underrated minds in the AEW locker room
  • How great it’s been to see the career resurgence of Prince Nana, who he’s known for 15 years, and what a help Nana has been to him personally
  • Much more on the wrestling scene in the Pacific Northwest and Swerve’s music career

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included NXT star Ilja Dragunov, AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander and top free agent Richard Holliday

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander has found her balance: ‘I can’t be too serious all the time’

Statlander also told Under the Ring that she owes the AEW World Champion a debt of gratitude for being her biggest early supporter.

No longer billed as being from the Andromeda Galaxy, Kris Statlander has proven she’s meant to be taken seriously as one of AEW’s top talents. That doesn’t mean she can’t have fun while doing so, however.

Statlander has battled her way back from injury twice already in her AEW career. The most recent time proved how much faith the company had in her, as she defeated Jade Cargill at Double or Nothing in May, ending Cargill’s long winning streak and claiming the TBS Championship.

She’s defended that title against all comers since then, including Cargill in a rematch, as well as Britt Baker on the Sept. 16 episode of AEW Collision. Statlander has left her persona as “The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” behind, but as she told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, she doesn’t want to be all business all the time.

“I feel like I had the transition where I stopped being the alien and I became a much more serious version of myself,” Statlander said. “Then I got injured once again, and then I came back. And I feel like now, in this version of Kris that has come back from injury a second time, and has gone through super fun alien and very serious, I feel like we’re trying to find the balance: a fun, very cool, awesome person that can also be serious when she needs to be. I feel like a lot of people kind of feel that way, but that is kind of who I am.”

As if to emphasize that point, Statlander was briefly interrupted by her dog before finishing her thought.

“I can’t be too serious all the time, because that’s just not fun, and I like having fun, and I like laughing and making people laugh. And I’m in a group with the Best Friends, and they’re all a bunch of goofballs also, so it’s hard not to have fun when you’re with them.”

Check out Strum’s full conversation with the TBS Champion to dive in deeper on:

  • Statlander’s athletic background, including years spent as a gymnast
  • What translates well from gymnastics and stunt work to pro wrestling — and what doesn’t
  • The inspiration behind her recent “Zoolander”-themed ring gear and what it was like for Ben Stiller to notice it
  • Why she started incorporating elements of ASL into her entrances
  • The meaning behind using “More Than a Woman” as a slogan
  • How she got started in AEW, and why she owes a big debt to a certain AEW World Champion

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included top free agent Richard Holliday, ECW Original and current Impact Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer, and AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs.

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.

Tommy Dreamer on what differentiates Impact Wrestling: ‘It’s wrestlers running a wrestling company’

The ECW Original also talked about his potential final match at Victory Road and shared some great Terry Funk stories.

Tommy Dreamer knows what he likes in a pro wrestling company. And he should; along with his well-known status as an ECW Original, the New York native has wrestled in promotions large and small, worked as a producer and coach, and run his own school and promotion.

In short, he’s done everything there is to do in the business. Dreamer now finds himself staring down the potential end of his in-ring days thanks to a Title vs. Career match with Kenny King at Impact Wrestling’s Victory Road on Sept. 8 — and he vows that if he loses, this really is it for him.

Dreamer says he doesn’t need the money, and he certainly could take it easier and simply chill as a host on the insanely popular “Busted Open” show on SiriusXM. But he sees something special in Impact at this particular moment in time, as he told host Phil Strum on the Under the Ring podcast.

“You have a lot of hard-working men and women behind the scenes as well,” Dreamer said. “It’s wrestlers running a wrestling company, and it’s from different aspects of the industry. That’s a big key, because everybody’s who’s helping behind the scenes gets it. You get the wrestler’s point of view.

“You understand the trials and tribulations of travel or any other thing that pops up that a lot of people, or in a corporate world, they don’t understand those things.”

Dreamer also said he appreciates the way Impact has been continually innovative, noting that the company probably doesn’t always get mentioned enough in that vein.

“AEW has their stuff they do with the Forbidden Door, cool; Impact’s been doing it for a long, long time,” Dreamer said, mentioning the company recently bringing in Sanada and snagging Will Ospreay for Bound for Glory. “They’re willing to work with everybody.

“Another thing you say about Impact, I don’t think it’s ever gotten the credit for all the stuff that it’s done historically in professional wrestling, what they’ve done first. And there’s been a lot of firsts.”

Dreamer and Strum go back a long way, which you can tell by listening to their full conversation above. Among the topic they covered were:

  • What’s unique about the Westchester County Center, the site of Victory Road and Impact 1000 — and what the building means to Dreamer personally
  • Tommy’s mixed emotions about putting his career on the line, and the real life factors that got folded into his challenge to King
  • What Impact needs to gain more overall awareness, and the importance of strong platforms in the current era of pro wrestling
  • Many great stories about the late Terry Funk
  • How Dreamer hopes he’s remembered when he’s completely gone from the business

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included AEW’s Powerhouse Hobbs, veteran wrestler Greg Gagne, and AEW star and recent All In headliner Adam Cole (bay bay).

To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.