Since his debut in AEW in March 2022, former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland has been a force to be reckoned with. Whether it was during his beginnings in the company alongside Keith Lee, or merging his “Mogul Affiliates” stable with Prince Nana’s faction to become the Mogul Embassy, to becoming the “Most Dangerous Man in AEW” during his heated feud with “Hangman” Adam Page, Strickland’s character has evolved many times over the course of four years. According to Strickland on the “Battleground Podcast,” evolution is key, as he doesn’t like to think he’s starting over from scratch.

“Every time there’s a return or me coming back, there’s an evolution of me. I always put it as like, bodybuilding,” Strickland explained. “You bulk up… you add all these things on to you and that’s when you get to the big weight, and then after awhile, you realize you don’t need that weight anymore, and you cut… So, it was removing certain things that I didn’t need anymore, like the Mogul Embassy, that got removed. Then the dark eyes, that got removed. The gold teeth, that got removed. The big fur coats, that got removed. So, it was just cutting… to now, it’s just like, the frame of Swerve right now is just leather and a tank top. That’s the core.”

He said that he doesn’t need all the “pizazz” now, because those are the things that people said got him over in the first place. Though, he questioned the reason for being where he is now that he doesn’t have those. He said he’s evolving into a more “adult version” of the “kids’ Swerve” that fans saw when he came in to AEW.

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

It wouldn’t be a WrestleMania season if there weren’t rumors of at least one star of yesteryear making an appearance at WWE’s marquee extravaganza. That includes Stone Cold Steve Austin, who is only a few years removed from wrestling Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38, and received a ton of buzz over the past week as WWE geared up to celebrate “3:16” day in honor of the Texas Rattlesnake. But while he’s left the door open for an appearance, Austin himself seemed to shoot down the idea of another match, insisting the Owens match was his last.

On the latest episode of “Grilling JR,” AEW announcer, WWE Hall of Famer, and look time friend of Austin, Jim Ross, seemed to echo Austin’s words when asked by co-host Conrad Thompson whether an in-ring return was in the realm of possibilities.

“To wrestle? No,” Ross said. “To make an appearance or shoot an angle or something along those lines, I could see that potentially happening. But as far as Steve having another match, I don’t see it. I’m not being pessimistic or a negative nelly or a negative nelson or whatever…but no. I don’t think so. He’s just…that’s not where his head is. He’s trying to take care of himself health wise. 

“We forget this, these guys aren’t iron men. When they’re hurt, they’re hurt. And Austin’s got a bad neck, he’s got bad knees. I don’t think it’s worth the risk quite frankly. I think that’s how Steve would look at it, and I know him pretty well. So I don’t think there’s any chance…there’s a chance, obviously, he can do something. But do I think he’ll wrestle? No way in hell.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Grilling JR” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, David Sahadi worked for WWE as a Creative Director, and was responsible for many of the company’s video packages during his time there. He decided to leave the company in 2003 and went on to become an influential figure behind the scenes in TNA. Looking back on his WWE tenure during an appearance on “Busted Open Radio,” Sahadi was eager to offer a clear explanation of his departure.

“It came to an end because the company had gotten so big … and become very corporate,” Sahadi said. “When it became corporate, it became sterile. And we also lost the competition in WCW, and it became kind of like – when you lose your number-one competitor, or any competitor, you kind of tend to rest on your laurels. Iron sharpens iron, but we had no iron anymore.”

Sahadi took credit for being one of a handful of figures responsible for pushing WWE into the “Attitude Era” to help business rebound after taking losses against WCW, but as WWE moved away from that era, Sahadi needed a change. Along with that, he frequently butted heads with executive producer Kevin Dunn, whom he answered to in the company. Although Sahadi gave Dunn six weeks notice ahead of his planned departure, Sahadi suspects Dunn waited to tell Vince McMahon until just days before.

“I think Kevin Dunn spun it in a way to make Kevin look good,” Sahadi continued. “It makes Kevin look bad if one of the top guys is leaving under Kevin’s watch.”

According to Sahadi, that period of his career ruined his relationship with McMahon, who Sahadi said previously viewed him as a “golden boy.” Despite the way his exit went down, Sahadi looks back proudly on the work he did with WWE, and he hopes to someday get closure with McMahon.

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

AEW’s Billy Gunn has portrayed several characters throughout his near 40-year career, but one of his most popular was his Mr. Ass persona. Along with multiple comedy skits and backstage segments, one of the reoccurring themes of Gunn’s Mr. Ass gimmick was using sexual gestures or nudity to create entertainment, which apparently didn’t please former WWE CEO Vince McMahon in the early stages of the character’s life in the Attitude Era.

Speaking with “Monopoly Events,” Gunn stated that pulling down his pants for the first time angered McMahon, despite it being his original idea, and claimed that it became the funniest moment of his career.

“I guess when I pulled my pants down for the first time was pretty funny to me because one, Vince told me I wouldn’t do it. Two, I got in trouble by Vince for doing it. And three, I do things wrestling wise that make me laugh just like I did the introduction thing here. It makes me laugh and it makes me smile. So that’s why I do things. Now, if you want to follow along with me and laugh at my stuff, you’re more than happy to. But that’s where I’m at. Like I just like to have fun. I’m over the stress part of wrestling, like it used to stress me out so bad. Now I just go out and have fun.”

Gunn continued to explain that he feels happier today knowing that his job isn’t to perform at the level of a Kurt Angle, but to stay focused on being an entertainer and making people laugh.

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