El Satanico brought an iconic career to a fitting close with one last victory, going out on top in his retirement match inside Arena Mexico. The legendary luchador defeated two of his most storied rivals, Blue Panther and Atlantis, in a three way bout that celebrated decades of history between the trio.
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WWE NXT is beginning to take shape ahead of Stand & Deliver, and the first name has officially been confirmed for the upcoming gauntlet match.
Last week’s episode of NXT saw Interim General Manager Robert Stone announce that a gauntlet match would determine the next challenger for Myles Borne’s North American Championship. That process is now underway, with Stone revealing the first entrant ahead of an NXT live event in Lakeland, Florida.
Jackson Drake has been confirmed as the opening participant in the high stakes match.
Stone added that additional competitors will be revealed daily in the lead up to Tuesday’s episode, gradually building the full lineup. The winner of the gauntlet match will go on to challenge Borne at NXT Stand & Deliver, set for April 4 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Drake brings a growing résumé into the match despite his young age. The 22 year old made his professional debut in 2017 and gained experience across the independent scene in North Carolina, along with select appearances in AEW and on Monday Night Raw before joining WWE through the ID program in November 2024.
He later made an impact on WWE Evolve, capturing the inaugural Evolve Championship in a four way match against Sean Legacy, Edris Enofe, and Keanu Carver. Drake has since transitioned to the NXT roster full time alongside fellow Vanity Project members Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor.
His momentum took a setback recently, however, as he dropped the Evolve Championship to Aaron Rourke on the March 18 episode of Evolve, which had been taped in February. Now, Drake has an immediate opportunity to bounce back in a major way as he looks to earn a shot at championship gold on one of NXT’s biggest stages of the year.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the biggest name of WWE’s “Attitude Era,” and as an anti-establishment rebel, his greatest enemy was WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Because of this, Austin and McMahon got in the squared circle for segments and even matches on many occasions, but according to “The Rattlesnake,” there was one thing about McMahon that tended to upset him.
“I was just always mad that when he came to the ring, he was more jacked up than I was,” Austin admitted during an interview with The Takedown on Sports Illustrated. Considering McMahon wasn’t a traditionally-trained wrestler, stepping into the ring with him was a massive ask for Austin. However, McMahon had an innate ability to perform and thrived on the reactions of the crowd, according to Austin. “He had such a vast knowledge of some of the greatest heels and some of the greatest babyfaces, I think he drew from that.”
Austin indicated that he and McMahon had strong in-ring chemistry. “That guy picked up the business really quickly and there was never any nervousness about working with him,” he said. “He was slow and methodical during his heat.” The retired wrestler then shared his belief that McMahon drew inspiration from larger-than-life pro wrestling legend “Superstar” Billy Graham when developing his TV persona. “Vince interviewed him several times and worked together with him many times,” Austin noted. “I always thought maybe there was some ‘Superstar’ influence as far as his ring presentation.”
In less than a year, Thekla has made her mark on AEW, quickly rising up the card to become AEW Women’s World Champion. But she hasn’t done it all by herself, aligning with Skye Blue and Julia Hart to form the Triangle of Madness, a stable that has been instrumental in not only helping Thekla take the Women’s Title from Kris Statlander, but helping her retain it against Statlander at AEW Revolution.
In an interview with “TheSportster,” Thekla talked about her alliance with Blue and Hart, and revealed how the two helped her acclimate to AEW, despite both lacking the experience Thekla has overall.
“I think it’s very cool to work with those two, because they’re both a little younger than me, they haven’t been around that much yet in the wrestling business,” Thekla said. “I’m almost, like, we’re going on 9 years, 10 years, you know? I’ve been around. Those two know AEW though, you know what I mean?
“They helped me navigate a little bit, and gave me some insider information that helped me understand really quickly like ‘Oh, that’s how I do this, and that’s who I have to be afraid of.’ That kind of stuff…If you know, if you’ve got that inside knowledge, that’s how I did it [won the title] in eight months. So those two are great.”
While Blue and Hart have been helpful to her, Thekla also believes that she can help the duo improve as well, admitting that both Hart and Blue share similar traits to herself.
“I see a lot of myself in them, and I see a lot of talent they have and that I try to, like, incorporate in what I’m doing,” Thekla said. “And I also hope that I can give them a little bit of inspiration, or like, knowledge on how to make it and navigate yourself in this business.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “TheSportster” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
One consistent criticism toward AEW is the lack of screentime several fan-favorite wrestlers receive, especially those who still tend to get strong reactions from live crowds. Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Johnny TV recently expressed how he feels “underutilized” in AEW, and according to Tony Schiavone, Johnny TV may not be the only one.
“If you don’t like Jay Lethal, something’s wrong with you, man,” Schiavone opined during an episode of his “What Happened When” podcast. “I’ll say this – this is Tony Schiavone saying this – he is a wonderful, underused, piece of talent in AEW.”
While Lethal still occasionally wrestles in ROH and on “AEW Collision,” his last major storyline was when his stable – The Lethal Connection – feuded with AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR for the title back in 2023, even having a match at Double or Nothing. As a singles star, he was involved in the inaugural Continental Classic, but didn’t record a single point in his block.
Despite his utilization, back in 2023, Lethal expressed the desire to face off against Chris Jericho before the veteran’s eventual retirement, describing the potential bout as a dream match. At the time of writing, Jericho and Lethal have yet to step into the same ring, and if the “Learning Tree” decides whether or not he’ll stick with AEW – considering he’s been absent from television since April 2025 – Lethal might still see his dream match materialize, which could also give him some much-needed TV time.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “What Happened When” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
