Oba Femi Says Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble Face-Off Was Just The Beginning – Oba Femi has shed light on his brief but buzzworthy interaction with Brock Lesnar during the Royal Rumble, revealing it was intentionally structured as the first step toward a larger story. The former NXT North American Champion discussed the moment on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast, explaining that the goal was to test audience reaction rather than deliver a full in-ring exchange.

Femi said the face-off was planned as a strategic teaser, with both men aware that the segment’s success would be measured by how the crowd responded. The idea was to plant the seed for a potential future program and gauge whether fans were invested in seeing more.

“I got to interact with him, but not, not too much on the wrestling, because he was always designed to be a teaser, just to see, you know, how people react to it. That’s what a lot of wrestling is. It’s not like everyone just knows, because a lot of times it’s just, like, let’s do this. Let’s plant this seed. Let’s see what the crowd does, and based off of what the crowd does, that’s going to be our next move. So there wasn’t too much interaction into like, it was a face off. It was a teaser. We knew what it was from the jump. Now we know we have something, like we really have something. And I think going from here now we’ll have, we’ll probably have more interaction down the line.”

According to Femi, the reaction inside the arena confirmed that the concept resonated, strengthening the belief internally that a bigger program between the two could work. While nothing physical unfolded beyond the staredown, the moment created immediate intrigue around a possible future clash.

The interaction has since fueled speculation about when the two could cross paths again, especially as WWE continues building new marquee matchups. Femi’s comments suggest the Royal Rumble segment was never meant to be a one-off, but rather the foundation for something more substantial.

Oba Femi Says Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble Face-Off Was Just The Beginning

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MJF Says CM Punk Feud Taught Him the Difference Between Good and Great – MJF has opened up about his past rivalry with CM Punk, admitting he still harbors personal animosity while acknowledging the impact Punk had on his growth as a performer. Speaking on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, the former AEW World Champion explained that their feud helped shape his understanding of what separates top-tier talent from the rest.

“I learned. I learned the difference between good and great. That’s what I learned. Now, do I like him? Again, I’ll reiterate, no, I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire to put that fire out, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend I didn’t learn from him,” MJF said. “The difference between good and great is this, good means you can get away with slipping up. Means fans won’t freak out if you do something that’s even lower than perfect. Great means if you mess up in any capacity, if you stumble, if you tremble, if you backpedal, you’re horrible. That’s what that’s the curse of being great. I learned that from him, I learned that from Cody.”

MJF made it clear that, despite his respect for what he learned, his personal feelings toward Punk have not softened. He emphasized that the lessons came from competition and tension rather than admiration, framing the rivalry as a defining chapter in his development.

During the conversation, MJF also addressed Punk’s current run in WWE and how his public stance has shifted since leaving AEW. While he stopped short of directly criticizing Punk, he acknowledged the contrast between past and present messaging.

“I have no idea, because the things that he said in my company do go against the things that he’s saying now. Some people might say that’s hypocritical. That’s not my place. All I know is, since I’ve jumped into pro wrestling, I’ve been saying the same thing since the jump, my tune has not changed. I’m Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and I’m better than you, and you know it, I also won’t sit here and lie to you and tell you that I didn’t learn so much through my hatred of that man. I learned the difference between good and great. That’s what I learned. Now, do I like him? Again, I’ll reiterate, no, I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire to put that fire out, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend I didn’t learn from him.”

The rivalry between the two remains one of AEW’s most talked-about storylines, and MJF’s comments highlight how deeply it influenced his approach to the business. Even with lingering resentment, he credits the experience for pushing him toward a higher standard and sharpening his understanding of what it takes to perform at the very top level.

MJF Says CM Punk Feud Taught Him the Difference Between Good and Great

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Brody King Pulled From AEW Dynamite After Network Concerns Over Potential Crowd Chants – Brody King’s absence from Wednesday night’s AEW Dynamite was not a creative decision made by Tony Khan, according to a new report. Instead, the call reportedly came from AEW’s television partner, Warner Bros. Discovery, due to concerns about potential crowd reactions during the broadcast.

Dave Meltzer discussed the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio, stating that executives were worried King’s appearance could lead to controversial chants from fans. “The deal is that they didn’t want the fans in the arena to be chanting that. If Brody came out, there was that risk…when he comes back, it will happen again….I don’t know how they’re going to handle it. This is again not a Tony call. This is from above. You know what it is, nobody wants to get on Trump’s bad side. If it wasn’t for that, nobody would care, it’s just a chant, but unfortunately they’ve [WBD] got a company they’re trying to sell and get regulatory approval from a guy who is gonna take that stuff personal. That’s just how it is. No Brody King on the show when he absolutely, of course – of course Brody King and MJF should have had a segment on the show.”

The report indicates the concern stemmed from chants that occurred during King’s recent appearances, which could resurface if he appeared live on television. Warner Bros. Discovery is currently navigating a major corporate situation involving a pending acquisition, and the network reportedly did not want to risk controversy during a key period.

Both King and MJF were absent from Dynamite despite their AEW World Championship match at Grand Slam Australia being heavily promoted. Instead of appearing in person, their program was advanced through a video package. King earned the title opportunity after scoring a decisive squash victory over MJF on the previous week’s show, a segment that drew strong reactions from the crowd.

King has previously generated attention at wrestling events for wearing an “Abolish ICE” shirt, and fans responded with chants during his recent appearances. With those reactions in mind, the decision was made to keep him off the broadcast this week.

It remains unclear when King will return to Dynamite television, but his title match with MJF remains a focal point heading into AEW Grand Slam Australia.

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WWE Files Trademark for “Birthright” Name for Emerging Multi-Generational NXT Faction – A new WWE faction that has been quietly forming on NXT television now appears to have its official name. WWE has filed a trademark for “Birthright,” signaling that the term will likely be used for the group made up of second- and multi-generational talents.

The filing was submitted on February 11 under entertainment services, covering wrestling exhibitions and performances delivered live and across broadcast platforms. The name aligns closely with the group’s on-screen messaging in recent weeks, as several members have repeatedly stated that success in WWE and NXT is their “birthright,” reinforcing the idea that the branding has been intentional from the start.

The faction currently features a lineup of performers with deep wrestling lineage. Lexis King, the son of Brian Pillman, is part of the core group alongside Arianna Grace, daughter of Santino Marella. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo has also been aligned with the faction, as has Charlie Dempsey, the son of William Regal, and Uriah Connors, son of Fit Finlay. The group’s identity centers on legacy, family history, and the belief that their place in the industry is earned through lineage as much as performance.

There are already discussions about possible additions. Brooks Jensen, son of former WWE star Bull Buchanan, has teamed with King at recent NXT live events and could be a natural fit. David Finlay, another son of Fit Finlay, has also been rumored following his exit from NJPW. Elijah Holyfield has been mentioned as a potential inclusion as well, bringing a combat sports pedigree as the son of boxing legend Evander Holyfield.

While WWE has not formally introduced the faction name on television yet, the trademark filing strongly suggests that “Birthright” will be the official branding moving forward as the group continues to establish itself on NXT programming.

WWE Files Trademark for “Birthright” Name for Emerging Multi-Generational NXT Faction

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If WrestleMania 17 is the series finale to the “Attitude Era,” Survivor Series 2001 is the finale to the spin-off show every successful TV show eventually gets. It was the conclusion to the Invasion storyline that is widely regarded as one of the biggest missed opportunities in wresting history, and while some things were out of the hands of WWE like Time Warner contracts paying wrestlers to stay at home, the company could have at least done a better job with the highly anticipated WCW/ECW invasion. It might have worked in the late 1990s and the year 2000, but not every major storyline needed a McMahon in every corner.

By the tail end of 2001, Vince McMahon had grown as tired as the fans were of The Alliance trying to take down WWE and decided to put everything on the line in a traditional Survivor Series tag team match. Two teams of five, elimination rules, winner take all, whoever gets the decisive victory would stay in business, and the losers would vanish into the night. Given that WWE had already mapped out their schedule all the way up to WrestleMania 18 at this point, most people knew what was going to happen in the main event, but that didn’t stop it from being any less entertaining.

On one side, you had Team WWE made up of The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show, while The Alliance were represented by Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and the WCW owner at the time Shane McMahon. In the early going, Shane is actually the early MVP by using common sense and consistently diving in to break up pinfalls, but that makes his eventual elimination even sweeter. The eliminations do come thick and fast as RVD eliminates Kane with a kick off the top, RVD gets eliminated by Jericho via his version of a Stroke, and it takes all of The Alliance’s finishers to get rid of The Big Show.

When all is said and done, this match is really just another way to get a Rock/Austin encore from WrestleMania 17, which no one was arguing against because the two have amazing chemistry. Austin now firmly in the heel role as opposed to the Mania match where the turn happened gradually, and he’s even more unhinged here as he was in April. However, The Rock shows out in the closing stretch as he had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and even though Angle is the one to give the assist for the finish, it’s The Rock who gets his hand held high. It’s matches like this that make me miss the traditional Survivor Series matches because when done right, they are absolutely fantastic. The Alliance died in Greensboro, North Carolina, which was known as WCW territory, so Vince got to rub it in the competition’s face one more time for old times sake.