Under the Ring – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Bron Breakker knows how big his opportunity is against Seth Rollins: ‘He’s the best’

Bron Breakker will be trying to take gold from Seth Rollins at NXT Gold Rush but had nothing but good things to say about him ahead of their match.

Calling Bron Breakker a natural for the pro wrestling business is a bit of an understatement. Even with less than three years of experience under his belt, the 25-year-old son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner has repaid WWE’s faith in him by placing him in big spots in NXT early in his career — including two runs as NXT Champion.

Now Breakker is on the verge of leveling up again. On the June 20 episode of NXT, subtitled Gold Rush, he’ll face Seth Rollins for the fairly new World Heavyweight Championship.

As Breakker told Under the Ring podcast host Phil Strum, he’s “hungry” and feels confident he’s prepared for this kind of spotlight. He’s also appreciative of stepping in with someone like Rollins, who he feels is at the very top of his game and the wrestling industry writ large.

“Seth Rollins is the greatest in the world right now,” Breakker said. “I know how tall of a task this is, but I’m ready, I’m hungry. I’ve never been more focused and more locked in on something in my entire life.”

“Seth is so great,” Breakker added. “He’s been on top for over 10 years now. He’s won probably every championship that there is to win. He’s the best, and there’s no doubt about that.”

Listen to Strum’s entire conversation with Breakker above to hear his thoughts on:

The experience of going on a European tour very early on and working with the likes of Sami Zayn and Tommaso Ciampa
Growing up as part of the Steiner wrestling heritage and in a family full of athletes
Why a story told by Arnold Schwarzenegger convinced him he could succeed at pro wrestling
What the experience of training at the WWE Performance Center is like
How pro wrestling compares to the atmosphere of being in an NFL training camp
Which WWE Hall of Famer hooked him on pro wrestling for good
What it’s like comparing notes with other second-generation WWE talents

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 New Japan Pro-Wrestling stalwart and behind the scenes dealmaker Rocky Romero, co-creator of Vice’s acclaimed “Dark Side of the Ring” series Evan Husney, and recent Crockett Cup winner and former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch.

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.

Rocky Romero says the idea for Forbidden Door started with a single text to Tony Khan

Rocky Romero discusses his role in helping AEW and NJPW come together for Forbidden Door on the latest Under the Ring podcast.

AEW and NJPW are less than two weeks away from their second annual Forbidden Door supercard, this time in Toronto. But before that door could be opened for the first time, Rocky Romero had to help will it into existence.

The 40-year-old American has wrestled all over the world, but has been a regular in New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2010. Fans have seen him win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, tag team gold a number of times — including with AEW star Trent as Roppongi Vice — and much more.

Yet his most important role these days may be as a liaison between AEW and NJPW, a force for getting things done behind the scenes. And it was wearing that hat that Romero helped turn the first Forbidden Door from a dream to a reality, as he recently told Under the Ring host Phil Strum.

“It all started out with a text that I sent [AEW CEO and GM] Tony [Khan],” Romero said. “I think I was traveling or something and I kept thinking like, ‘man, I think it would be cool if we tried to do something, and I think that we could pull it off.’

“So I sent a text to Tony about, ‘Do you think that we could pull off a supershow type of thing?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I would love to,’ and he starts sending me back ideas for matches and stuff.”

Romero said the idea was that not every match on what would become Forbidden Door needed to be a crossover, and that both companies could continue telling their own stories on the show. The collaboration was the most important part.

“So I went back to New Japan, and I talked to them, and I said, ‘hey, I talked to Tony and there’s this crazy idea and I think that we can do this. Let’s see if we can iron it out.’ The lawyers were able to pull it together, and now here we are.”

Listen to Romero’s full episode above to hear more on:

Why AEW and its fans make such a good match for NJPW
How difficult it is to produce crossover shows
Whether Romero thinks more all-star shows are destined to be part of the future of pro wrestling
If Romero himself enjoys crossover shows as an in-ring performer
What is most appealing about New Japan to the American wrestling fan
Stories from throughout his career, including his run as Black Tiger and his CMLL program with Volador Jr.

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 co-creator of Vice’s acclaimed “Dark Side of the Ring” series Evan Husney, recent Crockett Cup winner and former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch, and NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.

Trevor Murdoch explains the best part of Billy Corgan’s NWA booking style: ‘He lets you be who you are’

Hear NWA star Trevor Murdoch explain why he appreciates the freedom that Billy Corgan gives talent.

Trevor Murdoch is a wrestler who knows what he likes in a booker.

The 42-year-old veteran has plenty of experience to form his opinions, from his mid-2000s WWE run to various indie promotions to his current stint with the NWA. He seems at home now, not just because he’s a two-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, but because his old school vibe aligns so well with that of the company.

Ahead of the Crockett Cup tournament this weekend, where Murdoch will be teaming with Mike Knox, he told Under the Ring host Phil Strum why the booking style of NWA owner and promoter Billy Corgan has been so creatively fulfulling.

“With Billy, he doesn’t micromanage and try to tell you what to be,” Murdoch said. “He lets you be who you are. That was one of the things when I first sat down with Billy, I asked him, ‘What do you want?’ Because every promoter has an idea of what they want, and they want you to stay within that box.

“And what Billy told me was, ‘I just want you. You’re the wrestler, I’m paying you to come in and you wrestle. Don’t get me wrong, I have some talking points that I’d like to steer you towards, but go out and do you, Trevor.’ And that was very freeing; I hadn’t had a promoter do that in a long time.”

Listen to Murdoch’s full interview with Strum above to hear him speak about:

Why the Crockett Cup is important, and why he thinks he and Knox can win it
The main job of a pro wrestler
Why the variety that the NWA offers helps it stand out from many other North American promotions
What made his tag team with the late Lance Cade work so well during their time together in WWE
Who he enjoyed watching while growing up, and what made him gravitate to Harley Race
Stepping in as a young wrestler against Greg Valentine

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton (an episode recorded just before she won the title), AEW wrestler and Jericho Appreciation Society member Anna Jay, and indie wrestler and AEW merchandise guru “Man Scout” Jake Manning.

Tiffany Stratton says one specific Charlotte Flair move convinced her she could become a pro wrestler

Ahead of her semifinal match in the NXT Women’s Championship tournament, Tiffany Stratton spoke with the Under the Ring podcast.

Tiffany Stratton isn’t lacking in self confidence.

Despite having her first pro wrestling match less than two years ago, the 24-year-old Minnesota native has seen her stock rise quickly in NXT. In fact she’s already had two shots at the NXT Women’s Championship, albeit in multi-person matches.

Stratton believes she’s ready for a one-on-one opportunity, and may get that in the current tournament to crown a new champ provided she gets past former champion Roxanne Perez in the semifinal on May 23.

So how did Stratton, whose background is in gymnastics, feel confident she could hack it as a pro wrestler? As she told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, it came down to one move she saw on one WWE broadcast.

“I was a gymnast up until I think it was 19 or 20 years old,” Stratton said. “I kind of saw wrestling on TV. I always knew about it; my brother and my dad would always watch it growing up. I never really got into it until later on.

“I was still a gymnast and I saw SmackDown on my TV one day flipping through the channels with my family. And I saw it and was immediately like, ‘wow that’s so cool, I feel that’s a lot of the things that I can do.’ I saw Charlotte Flair doing her corkscrew moonsault out of the ring. I saw that and was like, ‘that is so cool, I can totally do that, I do that on the trampoline like every day.'”

Listen to Strum’s entire interview with Stratton above to hear her talk about:

Why she feels she doesn’t play a character in NXT
Her history with Perez, and why she’s better prepared for a run at the championship this time
How her mom connected her with Minnesota legend Greg Gagne to begin her journey in pro wrestling
What skills from gymnastics translate well to pro wrestling
The challenge of needing to be good at “everything” to succeed in the wrestling industry

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included AEW wrestler and Jericho Appreciation Society member Anna Jay, indie wrestler and AEW merchandise guru “Man Scout” Jake Manning, and WWE superstar and LWO member Santos Escobar.

Santos Escobar calls working alongside Rey Mysterio in the LWO ‘a dream come true’

Santos Escobar talks about his excitement for teaming with Rey Mysterio and the new incarnation of the LWO.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Santos Escobar has lived lucha libre for his entire life. The son of luchador El Fantasma, Escobar ascended to stardom in Mexico’s biggest promotions as El Hijo del Fantasma well before he signed with WWE in 2019, and some of his earliest memories are of lucha libre masks and capes from his homeland.

Even so, there are still legends with whom it’s an honor to work, and one of them is Rey Mysterio. Escobar had come to the aid of the WWE Hall of Famer during his battle with son Dominik prior to WrestleMania, and a grateful Rey Mysterio invited Santos and his Legado Del Fantasma teammates to join a new iteration of the Latino World Order (LWO) in return.

As Escobar told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, it’s an honor that means the world to him.

“He’s a lucha libre icon, he’s a lucha libre legend, and he’s a lucha libre Hall of Famer, by the way,” Escobar said, recalling that he first met Rey Mysterio when he was eight or nine years old, and his father told him even at that age Rey would go on to be something special.

“Rey became everything he said and even more. For me to have the opportunity to be in the ring with him, to be in a faction with him, LWO, it’s just a dream come true.”

With more than 20 years in the business himself, are there things that Escobar can still learn from someone like Rey Mysterio? He says yes, and that perspective is one of them.

“I think one of the best things Rey has given me is the opportunity to actually enjoy, stop for a second and actually enjoy what you’re doing,” Escobar said. “Because to me, born in Mexico City, it was a distant, distant reality to ever be in WWE, to ever be in the same ring as Rey Mysterio.

“And so the pressure is a lot, and when you finally get there, all you can think of is you don’t want to lose it. The one thing he told me is, ‘Relax, enjoy, look around. Let’s go.'”

Listen to Strum’s full discussion with Escobar above to get more of his thoughts on:

Why he feels ready to compete for WWE’s new World Heavyweight Chmpionship
What he thinks about Bad Bunny continuing to work with WWE
Which luchadors he looked up to most in the early stages of his career
The one trait wrestlers can have that bridge style and cultural differences between wrestling in Mexico, the US and around the world
What he learned at the WWE Performance Center even at this stage of his career
Which WWE trainer he calls “a savant of wrestling”
What this incarnation of the LWO represents

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included Bill Eadie, better known as Ax from Demolition, the dean of pro wrestling journalism, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, and NWA veteran Wrecking Ball Legursky.

Dave Meltzer on WWE-UFC merger: ‘I don’t expect the fans to notice a big difference at all’

The dean of pro wrestling journalism explains what will, and perhaps more importantly, what won’t change for WWE when it merges with UFC.

As editor and author of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has seen it all in both the pro wrestling and MMA industries.

Until recently, even he probably didn’t envision a time when the biggest U.S. companies in both would be under the same umbrella. Yet that’s exactly what’s about to take place following the announcement earlier this month that Endeavor is merging WWE and UFC into a single company.

It’s natural that there would be some trepidation among WWE fans that things could change in dramatic ways with the company not solely under the control of the McMahon family for the first time ever. But as Meltzer told Under the Ring podcast host Phil Strum this week, he expects things to largely stay business as usual on WWE programming once the merger is finalized.

“As far as the product itself goes, I don’t expect the fans to notice a big difference at all,” Meltzer said.

Instead, the impact will be felt most acutely by people working behind the scenes.

“I think that from an office standpoint, it will be huge, because there’s going to be a lot of layoffs and things like that,” he added. “That’s what happened with UFC, lots and lots of people were laid off. It will be run more and more and more for high profitability.

Meltzer noted that Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes were told under previous UFC ownership that they’d have jobs for life after they retired from fighting. But after Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, those jobs disappeared — which could also happen in WWE to people Vince McMahon may have wanted to take care of after their wrestling days.

Listen to the entire interview above for Meltzer’s insights on:

What other company was engaged in “serious bidding” for WWE prior to the Endeavor announcement
How the WWE-UFC merger opens up more business deals for both promotions
Why WWE’s top stars probably don’t need to worry about being released even if they’re making a lot of money
What, if anything, will change for McMahon
Whether UFC and WWE will work together to counterprogram against AEW
Why Nick Khan is the most important business hire WWE has ever made
The possibility that McMahon and Dana White could butt heads

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included Northeast Wrestling and NWA talent Wrecking Ball Legursky, NWA president (and Smashing Pumpkins frontman) Billy Corgan, and hardcore icon Raven.

Billy Corgan says veteran talent has ‘a fresh opportunity’ in NWA

NWA president Billy Corgan defined the opportunity that wrestling veterans have with NWA they may not have had elsewhere.

Some of the top performers in the NWA right now are familiar faces to longtime wrestling fans. NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus had a WWE run as Brodus Clay. So did his challenger at this past weekend’s NWA 312 event, Chris Adonis, when he was known as Chris Masters.

There’s plenty of talent with stories like theirs on the current NWA roster, wrestlers who have found themselves higher up the card than in previous stops. During his talk with Under the Ring host Phil Strum ahead of NWA 312, NWA president (and Smashing Pumpkins frontman) Billy Corgan explained that the reason for that is that veteran performers come into his company with a blank slate.

“I say this to a lot of veteran talent who are coming in to NWA, with me you have a fresh opportunity,” Corgan said. “I don’t care what’s happened before. Like people are still on Tyrus for being the dancing guy, right? I think Tyrus has shown that he was always a top guy. And the reason he got the dancing is over is because he was a top guy, right?

“So just because you come in with a particular gimmick, or even a rep, doesn’t mean anything to me. Everybody comes in from a veteran side with me has a fresh start.”

Corgan added that some wrestlers have come into the company with great reputations and backed them up or exceeded them with NWA, naming Adonis as a prime example.

Listen to Strum’s complete interview with Corgan above to get his thoughts on:

NWA’s events that benefit the victims of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois
How NWA provides a platform for great talent that simply hasn’t had the opportunity to be seen
The job Tyrus has done as champion
The logistics involved in combining wrestling with a music festival, as NWA did in its The World is a Vampire event with Mexican promotion AAA
What advice he gives to young talent in the pro wrestling industry

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, usually on Mondays, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included ECW legend and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Raven, recently crowned NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

Claudio Castagnoli doesn’t believe in dream matches but admits ‘Bret Hart would be pretty cool’

Claudio Castagnoli joined the Under the Ring podcast to talk dream matches, versatility, jaw-dropping moments, Eddie Kingston and more.

ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli is a wrestler’s wrestler, the type who never stops learning, admires (and incorporates) styles from all over the world and won’t back down from any challenge.

So surely, he must have a list of dream matches he’d still like to be in, right?

The answer may surprise you. Castagnoli sat down this week to chat with Under the Ring host Phil Strum and explained why the concept of dream matches depends on the setting, and most of all, on the fans.

“I’m not the dream match kind of guy, I’ll let the fans decide that,” Castagnoli said when asked who he’d like to face from any era of pro wrestling if he could. “To me, a dream match is usually determined by the time, the place and which two guys are on top of their game.

“It’s usually something that just organically happens.”

After taking a moment to let that sink in, the Swiss strongman added, “I mean, Bret Hart would be pretty cool,”

Yes, yes he would.

Check out the entire interview above for Castagnoli’s thoughts on:

What attracted him most about signing with AEW last year
What the original ROH meant to his career
The possibility of facing Eddie Kingston at Supercard of Honor, and how he feels about Kingston at the current time
Who he studies and why it’s important that “you never stop learning”
How the members of the Blackpool Combat Club push each other to be better, and why is like an uncle or stepdad to Wheeler Yuta
Why it’s important to him that he still do at least one “jaw-dropping” thing in every match
The one word that makes for good tag teams
What goes into a great cup of coffee

Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, usually on Mondays, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included pioneering women’s wrestler Madusa, entertaining and mercurial MLW wrestler Real1 and the current AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Gunns.

The Gunns on fans reacting to them beating The Acclaimed: ‘We ripped their hearts out’

AEW World Tag Team Champions The Gunns joined Under the Ring to talk second generation pressure, how they got started in wrestling and more.

In pro wrestling, if you can get fans to react to you, you’re usually doing something right. The Gunns are showing they’ve taken that mind set to heart even early in their careers.

Austin and Colten are bona fide second generation wrestlers as the sons of WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW coach and manager Billy Gunn. As the culmination of a long-running storyline where they were friends with and then rivals of The Acclaimed — who Billy Gunn sided with when forced to make a decision — The Gunns shocked many by beating Max Caster and Anthony Bowens for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

Instead of a chorus of boos, the crowd reaction in that instant was one of stunned silence. And then, yes, boos. On the latest episode of the Under the Ring podcast, recorded just before The Gunns defend their titles against The Acclaimed and two other teams at Revolution, Austin Gunn told host Phil Strum why that moment was so fulfilling.

“When I was pinning Bowens, 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, and that crowd went silent, and I looked at their faces and they were just like … We ripped their hearts out,” Austin Gunn said. “America’s top team, AEW’s top tag team that everybody loved.”

“It was the best feeling in the world,” he added, noting that it was validation that despite criticism on social media, they were doing things right.

Be sure to listen to the entire interview above to get more insight from The Gunns on:

How their work ethic has defined them during their first few years in the business
Their different paths into pro wrestling — including Austin working as a second-grade teacher before he decided to make the jump
The unusual dynamic where older brother Colten, who started wrestling later, is learning things from Austin
The added pressure that comes with being second generation performers
How their experience in the “crowd” at Daily’s Place during the pandemic helped prepare them and connect them with the fans even before they were regulars on AEW TV

Under the Ring drops new episodes every Monday, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné, AEW executive and wrestler Jeff Jarrett, and longtime WWE official Jimmy Korderas.

Mercedes Moné explains why it was an ‘easy, easy decision’ to join NJPW

Moné cited her opportunity to expose the U.S. audience to Stardom as another factor in choosing NJPW.

When Sasha Banks walked out on WWE last May, it was a bombshell that took some time to fully absorb. This was a wrestler at the height of her powers, a champion (who left her tag team title behind when she walked) who was starting to cross over to the mainstream as well.

Surely, the thinking went, Banks would find a way to circle back to WWE — especially once Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over creative. And if not there, then AEW, right?

Not quite. Now known as Mercedes Moné, her next move once becoming a free agent was to show up at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo. Moné challenged the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion, Kairi, to a title match at Battle in the Valley in San Jose, a match that’s finally almost upon us.

As Moné told host Phil Strum on the latest episode of the Under the Ring podcast, it didn’t require a ton of soul searching for her to decide it was the right place for her to be.

“This is such a huge honor for me,” Moné said. “It made it a really easy decision to go to New Japan to help kickstart this women’s division for this company. With New Japan being the biggest professional wrestling company in Japan, it was just an easy, easy decision being like, ‘this is the place I wanted to be.’

“I grew up watching New Japan, I grew up watching Pro Wrestling NOAH and all these Japanese women’s wrestlers growing up, so this was such an easy decision. It’s a dream come true for me.”

While NJPW’s women’s division is indeed only in its infancy, all-women’s sister promotion Stardom feels like it’s very much on the rise in terms of its worldwide profile. Part of what attracted Moné to New Japan was the opportunity to work some dates in Stardom as well, which she called one of “the greatest potential companies in the world right now.”

“They have some of the top, top, top wrestlers I have ever seen, and I’m just so excited to introduce the American audience to the style of Stardom women,” Moné said. “I think just giving them the opportunity to show what they can do to a global scale of audience is just going to open up the doors for women’s wrestling all over the world.”

You can listen to Moné’s entire interview on Under the Ring above. Her journey with NJPW and Stardom begin in earnest this Saturday night at Battle in the Valley in San Jose, which is being carried live on pay-per-view by FITE.

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