Ex-WWE Star Kaitlyn: Vince McMahon Broke Promise About Total Divas & Women’s Division

Former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn competed in WWE during a time where women’s wrestling wasn’t nearly as respected as it is today. The star appeared on TMZ Sports’ “Inside the Ring” to talk more about her career, and the time period often referred to as the “Total Divas era,” named for the reality TV show on the E! Network. Kaitlyn explained she kept herself removed from a lot of the “drama,” but being left off WrestleMania 29 was hard to ignore.

“That kind of goes to show you how much the title meant at that point in the history of the division,” she said. “So, when ‘Total Divas’ started to be a thing, it was like the ‘popular’ girls… It was a lot of these women, and I’m saying this in a positive way, who knew how to play the game. Who knew how to elevate themselves within that kind of matrix of complications and pressure.”

She explained she didn’t know how to do that, and didn’t want to “compromise her integrity” to elevate her career. Kaitlyn said that being so closed off and disconnected from the “popular girls” group meant there was never a question that she’d be on “Total Divas.” Kaitlyn said that former WWE chairman Vince told the women’s division that the show wouldn’t impact them, whether they were on it or not.

“Vince, promised us, promised, the women’s division, ”Total Divas’ is not going to have any influence on storylines,'” she explained. “Then, WrestleMania comes around, and that’s when they were debuting the show. They were introducing the concept of ‘Total Divas’ and it literally took the place of a women’s title match on WrestleMania.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Inside the Ring” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE’s Je’Von Evans Comments On ‘Crazy’ Wrestling Style: ‘Just Getting Started’

Je’Von Evans has been finding success on WWE’s main roster as one of the company’s youngest competitors, catching attention for his high-flying, boundary-pushing style. The wrestler believes his age has provided him with a little extra motivation, as he explained during an interview with Denise Salcedo.

“I feel like, right now, I just have something to prove,” Evans said. “I’m just trying to prove that I can be one of the greats at a very young age, you feel me? Before I get old. … I’m just wrestling like I have a chip on my shoulder and I feel like I’m going to continue to do that until I get to a comfortable level where I don’t have to do that anymore.”

Upon being asked if he was surprised by the environment in WWE, Evans stated that he was not, but the fact that it happened for him so quickly was unexpected. He’s currently focused on gaining experience so he can become a more well-rounded pro wrestler. While Evans is aware that he’ll eventually have to shift his style, it doesn’t sound as though he plans to do it anytime soon.

“I just go out there and hey, look – the ring’s gonna be there, the ground’s gonna be there, so whatever I do, I just gotta make sure I don’t hurt myself,” Evans continued. “I’m happy that nothing really has happened, especially in a bad way, because I do a lot of crazy stuff, you know? But I got some new stuff coming up, too, you feel me? We just getting started.”

Asked to name the most extreme spot he can recall from his young WWE career, Evans pointed to a moment during his NXT match against Trick Williams, when Williams pushed Evans from the ring onto an announce table.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Denise Salcedo and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

AJ Styles Credits International Locale For His Favorite WWE Audience

Earlier this year, AJ Styles retired from in-ring competition following his loss to GUNTHER at the WWE Royal Rumble. Across his lengthy career, Styles had the opportunity to wrestle in front of crowds around the world, and on an episode of his “Phenomenally Retro Podcast,” the WWE star was asked to name his favorite audience. Although it might seem like a difficult question on the surface, Styles had an answer almost immediately.

“I can’t help but love them – they made me feel like the biggest superstar on planet Earth – France,” Styles answered. “Unbelievable. … They performed a soccer song that had ‘Phenomenal’ in it. They made me feel like a million bucks.”

Styles has performed in France numerous times, primarily during his WWE run. Though fans didn’t know it just yet, he wrestled one of his last televised matches there, challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship on “WWE Raw” when the promotion visited Paris on September 1, 2025. He came up short against Mysterio, but the night was a special one all the same.

“Do I wish I could have won in France? I believe the roof may have been blown off the place,” Styles said a few minutes later, responding to another question. “It [would have] been nice but that wasn’t what we needed at the time. I’m a team player so whatever we need, I’m gonna do.”

Along with France, Styles named the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and the United States as his other favorite places to perform.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Phenomenally Retro” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Maria Kanellis Offers Health Update, Says She Was ‘Downtrodden’ After AEW Exit

Thanks to the concern of close friends and other former wrestlers Brooke Tessmacher and Candice Michelle, Maria Kanellis’ life was saved. Nearly two years ago, the former AEW and ROH star revealed that after getting an examination done, her doctors found a tumor on her adrenal gland. Following a successful operation, they were able to remove it, and present her with miracle-like news that she was completely cancer-free. Reflecting on the horrors of that time, thanks to her friends, a doctor who didn’t give up on her, and her family, Kanellis is in great spirits and ready to conquer the world again.

“It’s great,” Kanellis said with a smile during her interview on “Wrestling Life Online.” “One in a million tumor…I had so many doctors that are like, ‘You just never see these.’ And it was a tumor that literally engulfed my adrenal gland. And a lot of times they don’t find them, ’cause why would you? Why would you scan your adrenal gland?… But thank God for my doctor. I’m an incredibly blessed woman.”

Around the time of her knowing about the tumor, Kanellis departed AEW and ROH in early 2025, which she described as a “downtrodden” moment in her career. Though she was part of the roster for three years, she believes she didn’t fully accomplish everything she had set out to do there.

“So, with my time in AEW, I feel like I didn’t really get to accomplish everything that I wanted to,” she reflected. “I appreciate the opportunity. I appreciate the fact that I got to work with such tremendous talent…I got my tumor right around the time my contract was ending, and so, it just kind of ended. It’s sad for me because I had so many years in the wrestling industry, and so many fantastic memories. And for it to end that way, was really disheartening. It was bad timing. TK [Tony Khan] was very sweet about wishing me well on my tumor and everything like that. But for me, professionally, I just felt like I could do more.”

When asked her status in this industry following last year’s exit, she mentioned that her door remains open, but only for the right opportunities.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Life Online” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Eric Bischoff: WWE As We Know It Today Wouldn’t Exist Without Ted Turner

It has been nearly a month since Ted Turner passed away at the age of 86, and his former employee Eric Bischoff has remained active in keeping Turner’s legacy alive, at least when it comes to Turner’s contributions to wrestling via his ownership of WCW. In an interview with “Complex,” Bischoff again talked about how valuable Turner was in keeping WCW going in the 90s, even when other executives at Turner Broadcasting wanted WCW gone due to the financial losses it was enduring.

“Despite those devastating losses, Ted still believed in the product when most executives would’ve burned it down,” Bischoff said. “They would’ve pulled the plug. They wouldn’t want to have…they wouldn’t want it on their resume. They’d distance themselves from it. Not Ted. Ted protected it. And when the opportunity came along to make a move, that’s when ‘Nitro’ happened. That level of commitment by an executive at Ted’s level I’ve not heard of it before and I’ve not heard of it since.”

Even though Turner’s involvement with “WCW Monday Nitro” didn’t extend beyond him greenlighting the concept, Bischoff credited Turner’s decision for allowing Bischoff to introduce pro wrestling to a new audience, the 18-49 male demographic, and by extension forced Vince McMahon to do the same with the Attitude Era a few years later. As a result of that decision, Bischoff believes that Turner not only changed the face of pro wrestling, but he forced the industry leader to change alongside it.

“WWE as we know it today would absolutely not exist where it not for Ted Turner,” Bischoff declared.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Complex” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription