Former WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega was amongst the pro wrestlers who parted ways with the promotion yesterday, along with her husband, Aleister Black. The highest point of her career with WWE was arguably while she held the title, but according to Vega during a Twitch livestream, it wasn’t something she enjoyed.

“I didn’t like it,” she stated after reading a fan’s question about how WWE handled her run with the title. “Because I wanted to do so much more with that. I asked, and begged, and pleaded, and screamed; I wanted that title to be the workhorse title.” 

Vega further added that she even wanted to defend the title in Japan and Mexico as well as defend it more on WWE in order to build the legitimacy of the championship, but met too much resistance from management.

Vega’s Women’s US Championship run notably coincided with Aleister Black’s return to the promotion, and in an interview with “Busted Open Radio” the night after his return, Vega still gleefully looked toward the future. At the time, she described feeling like she had just experienced a “fairytale ending,” and that things had finally become more stable for the two of them, as they could focus on the chapter ahead instead.

Unfortunately for the couple, the dream didn’t go as planned. Now that they’re both released from WWE, they have an opportunity to go elsewhere and reestablish themselves, especially for Vega, who has been with WWE since 2017, outside of a brief release in 2020.

Sol Ruca, Ethan Page, Jacy Jayne, and Joe Hendry. Three out of these four former “WWE NXT” stars are already on the main roster, as Ruca and Page made their debuts on the “WWE Raw” after WrestleMania 42 this past Monday. And Hendry will make his this upcoming Monday. With the aftermath that comes following the traditional WrestleMania showcases, former WWE standout Baron Corbin (now performing under Bishop Dyer) finds the past few call-ups odd, as its strategy is a lot different than when he was in WWE, according to him. His biggest concern for these upcoming stars is the lack of mid-card buildups the Stamford-based promotion has currently on “Raw” and “WWE SmackDown,” which he hopes will be fixed immediately after “The Showcase of the Immortals” subsides.

“I think all four of them are insanely talented, and will all have a lot of success on the main roster, if it’s done right, you know. They’re really working to get some new guys over right now that are up there,” the former WWE Men’s United States Champion said on “Busted Open Radio.” “So, is the timing right for the call-ups to get on a successful path right away? The TV time on ‘SmackDown’ being three hours helps, and the need for fresh faces helps. But also, they’ve kind of abandoned that mid-card area for a minute, and that’s where a lot of those guys are going to go in to start their path on the main roster. So, they kind of have to rebuild that, as well.”

Dyer believes Ruca and Jayne are already at that main level spot. However, with Page and Hendry, he thinks they need to be built up more on the main roster before entering top contingency. Ruca staked her claim by competing against the newly crowned/three-time WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan this past Monday. As for Page, he faced another recent newcomer on the main roster, Je’Von Evans, and successfully took a win home on his debut match for the red brand.  As for Jayne, she and her Fatal Influence cohorts brought the mayhem to “SmackDown” this past Friday, attacking Paige, Brie Bella, and Rhea Ripley. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Today marks one week since Brock Lesnar took a massive loss against the imposing megastar in Oba Femi. After the pin, “The Beast Incarnate” left everything behind in the ring at WrestleMania 42, and waved the Las Vegas crowd goodbye. With Lesnar potentially out of the squared circle for good, and The Vision in good hands with each other, where does that leave everyone’s favorite mouthpiece, Paul Heyman? WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray spent some time on “Busted Open Radio” conjuring up predictions (and not spoilers) on which direction “The Oracle” might fly toward next.

“Could you ever see a world in which Paul would lure Brock out of retirement just to plunge the final knife into him, and be aligned with GUNTHER?” Ray asked fellow co-host Tommy Dreamer.

Ray added that part of him would like to see how Heyman continues his alliance within The Vision, more so, with Bron Breakker. Although, he acknowledges that Breakker has no problem fending for himself.

Replying to these ideas, Dreamer noted that Heyman is always after the newest and hottest act. That said, who fits that bill more than GUNTHER, who despite not having gold around his waist at the moment, is already living a golden success story after becoming the final nail in the coffin of Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles’ in-ring careers. In Dreamer’s defense, he mentioned that Heyman and GUNTHER’s partnership is only transactional, as “The Ring General” destroyed Seth Rollins, per Heyman’s request last Saturday at WrestleMania.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE WrestleMania is well known as “Grandest Stage Of Them All.” Is it the funnest, though?

According to Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, also known as “Mr. WrestleMania,” another one of WWE’s other premium live events is more enjoyable than it, namely the Royal Rumble. “From a pure fun standpoint, the Rumble is more fun because it’s not as pressure and 100% focused on you,” Michaels told the “Club 520 Podcast.” “It’s more about the entire match and just the idea. I’m very happy. I feel like the Rumble has gotten bigger than it was in our day. I think it’s become so much more special over time. People have really began to appreciate the Rumble and everything that goes on with it. But at that time, I think from a guy working in the ring, you look at it and you go, that’s an easier thing to have to do because you’re part of a much bigger segment so to speak. When it’s 100% on you like it is at WrestleMania, that’s when you have the stress, the anxiety, the pressure of making sure you go out there and deliver.”

In the case of Michaels, the pressure surrounding his WrestleMania performances were often heightened due to his synonymousness with the big event. In turn, the element of fun sometimes lost its luster. Still, Michaels felt that, nine times out of ten, he lived up to his lofty nickname.

Regarding the Royal Rumble match, Michaels conquered it on two occasions, first in 1995, then in 1996. The former famously saw him enter from the number one spot and outlast the other 29 competitors. The following year, he came out from the 18 position and last eliminated Diesel to secure the victory.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Club 520 Podcast” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.