WWE Hall of Famers Sgt. Slaughter and the late Iron Sheik had one of the then-WWF’s most intense rivalries of the time, with the pair facing off numerous times in singles and tag team action in 1984, including during an infamous, and bloody, Boot Camp match. While they shared an intense storyline and rivalry in their heydays, Sheik touched many other stars throughout his lengthy career and continued appearances over the years. However, Slaughter recently revealed in an interview with News4Jax’s “Going Ringside,” that he was the only Hall of Famer present at Sheik’s funeral, following his death at the age of 81.

“He was one of those guys that no matter how many times you knocked him down, he’s back up looking you right in the eye,” Slaughter said of his rival. “Two years ago, he passed. 2023, he passed, and I was the only wrestler at his funeral, which I thought was pretty horrendous. I was the only wrestler to go to his funeral. He lived in Atlanta, where all the wrestlers lived, so I thought that was kind of a slap in the face. [He did] so much not only for wrestlers, but for the professional wrestling business.”

Years after their 1984 storyline, Sheik, as Col. Mustafa following his return to WWF after a haitus, would align with Slaughter. They would team with Gen. Adnan to take on Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1991 in a losing effort. Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, died in June 2023 of cardiac arrest.

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

Since capturing the WWE Women’s Championship in November, Jade Cargill has plowed through the “WWE SmackDown” locker room, with notable wins over Jordynne Grace, Chelsea Green, and Michin. Still, she finds herself craving even more in-ring time and opponents.

“When you become champion, you want to defend your title as much as possible,” Cargill told “Complex Graps.” “We have a stellar locker room, but they’re all tied in the tag division, making that strong. I get it, but I want to wrestle, I do want to have matches with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, all these top girls. I feel like if I had a rematch with Tiffany [Stratton], that’s one of the things that would have solidified my win. I mean, the person that injured me to have me out was Nia Jax. I would think that would be something that we can run back even though we’re both heels.”

Looking back on her reign title reign so far, Cargill noted that she was especially keen on battling Michin in a potential No Holds Barred match as their rivalry heated up at the turn of the new year. Due to an untimely shoulder injury, however, Michin was sidelined from action for several weeks.

“I wish we would have got to that because that kendo stick that’s her whole thing,” Cargill said in reference to Michin. “I would have loved to have something like that.”

In a surprising development, Michin aligned herself with Cargill on Friday’s edition of “SmackDown” alongside B-Fab. Together, the three then beat down Cargill’s WWE WrestleMania 42 opponent, Rhea Ripley.

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

AEW’s Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, may have come up short in their battle with FTR for the world tag titles at Revolution, but they did get to cross a big arena off their personal bucket list — and now there’s just one left.

“The first time we’ve ever wrestled here,” Nick said in an episode of “Being The Elite” posted after their match at Crypto Arena, fka Staples Center, but filmed before. “Crazy because we’ve wrestled for 20-plus years and doing a first is pretty rare now. This and Madison Square Garden were the only two left on my bucket list, so let’s scratch that one off.”

Revolution was something of a homecoming for the brothers, who hail from the Los Angeles area. They honored the occasion by wearing Lakers-inspired wrestling gear at Revolution and attending a Lakers game beforehand.

“It’s really cool walking the same halls that Kobe would walk and LeBron walked literally last night,” Matt said.

“We went to many wrestling shows prior, years ago, in this same exact building. WrestleMania 21, I want to say,” Nick added.

Matt went on to call Revolution “maybe the most emotional day of our career,” saying the Bucks’ kids and family members were in the arena, and that “I have nerves that I don’t normally have.” It’s unclear whether the brothers will have the opportunity to wrestle in Madison Square Garden, a traditional New York home of WWE.

As AJ Styles transitions from being an active wrestler to his new backstage role, it seems he’ll be spending a great deal of time imparting wisdom onto the next generation of performers. Speaking on his new “Phenomenally Retro” podcast, Styles revealed one of the first pieces of advice he shares, especially to those who enter WWE from a collegiate athlete background.

“The only thing that I would say to [the] NIL group of guys are girls – watch pro wrestling,” Styles said. “Not just the current stuff, but the older stuff. Go back, find the libraries and watch them all, and know your history. Because you’ll find stuff in there that not a lot of people do anymore. And so what is old is new again, right? Because it’s not being done.”

The recently-retired WWE star believes that the NIL recruits typically have to work a little harder than their counterparts that get their start in the independent scene. That’s because the indie wrestlers have already been dedicating their lives to this industry, while collegiate athletes usually have to jump into an entirely new world after devoting all their time to their previous sport.

Nonetheless, Styles said plenty of NIL talent have proven that they can overcome that challenge. The former world champion just believes it takes some extra work.

Styles also explained the importance of WWE recruiting young talent rather than just waiting for new stars to steadily rise through the ranks of the independent scene. He believes the existence of AEW has made it more important for WWE to act fast when it comes to building a constantly-evolving roster.

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.