Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are set to go one-on-one for the gold at WrestleMania 42, and in the weeks ahead of the event, Orton unleashed his “Viper” persona during a vicious heel turn on his former friend on “WWE SmackDown.” Since the turn, Orton has been seen talking on the phone backstage to who he calls the “voices in his head,” and fans have been wondering who is actually on the other line. On “Busted Open Radio,” Bully Ray said that he thinks the person helping Orton is Triple H, and he could incorporate a callback to an infamous AEW moment.

“Triple H can always turn around and say, ‘I never liked you. I inherited you, and now I’m going to get rid of you,'” he explained. “‘You were Vince [McMahon’s] pick. Randy was my pick from day one.’ Who is the one that singled Randy Orton and Batista out to be a part of Evolution with [Ric] Flair? It was Triple H. ‘Randy has always been my guy. Cody, you were Vince’s guy. Vince is gone. I never wanted you around. Don’t think I forgot about my throne that you [smashed.]'”

Rhodes took a sledgehammer, Triple H’s weapon of choice, to a throne that looked like something “The Game” had previously used during one of his grand entrances during the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019. In the years following the symbolic moment, Rhodes said he wanted to make a statement about what AEW was doing.

“The American Nightmare” rejoined WWE, while McMahon was still running the show, in 2022. Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38 to take on Seth Rollins.

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

Throughout the last month, “TNA iMPACT” has posted its best ratings since striking a TV deal with AMC at the beginning of the year, and last Thursday’s episode almost reached a record-setting high.

According to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, “TNA iMPACT” averaged 256,000 viewers, which is the second highest rating the show has drawn on AMC. Additionally, “TNA iMPACT” registered a 0.05 in the key 18-49 demographic, which is tied for the highest total the program has tallied in the age group since January. When comparing both categories to the week prior, total viewership slightly increased by 2%, while the 18-49 demo was up by 25%. TNA’s flagship show on Thursday also managed to grow its audience despite having faced stiff competition from March Madness college basketball games on the night. 

One of the biggest moments of last Thursday’s show occurred when WCW legend Buff Bagwell was confronted by Frankie Kazarian, which is also the most watched segment of the episode from TNA’s YouTube channel with over 170,000 views. The next most watched videos from the episode was BDE’s match with Mustafa Ali, which garnered nearly 90,000 views, and Moose versus Bear Bronson, which drew over 50,000 views.

This upcoming Thursday’s episode will follow TNA Sacrifice, which took place this past Friday, and will be an opportunity for the brand to continue its hot streak of viewership. However, TNA is also coming into this week after some unfortunate news this past weekend, as the main event of Friday’s show needed to be stopped early after Steve Maclin suffered an injury during his match with Mike Santana for the TNA World Title.

Cody Rhodes doesn’t believe the WWE Universe should have to pay an arm and a leg to be part of his upcoming WrestleMania 42 bus tour experience. But he’s humbled that anyone would pay $9,950 per ticket, per person, to see him.

“I’ve got a good plan for them this year, because like you said, that’s an absurd amount of money,” the now three-time Undisputed WWE Champion said on “Busted Open Radio.” “And, gosh, thanks for… the fact that people are out there paying that, that makes me feel incredible. So, I want them to definitely feel like they got a unique and cool experience and something intimate for us.”

On Location Experiences, a company in partnership with WWE since 2022, offers premium ticket packages and opportunities for fans, but the caveat is the high costs tacked on to it. For example, outside of WrestleMania 42 in three weeks, May’s Clash in Italy premium live event (PLE) has been on the forefront of social media buzz as of late. Starting at $1,150 per person, fans can purchase a ticket package that includes a private pasta making session with a WWE star and reserved seating at a wine event that WWE wrestlers will also be attending. It does not include a front row seat to the show itself.

Rhodes is scheduled to put his championship on the line against an unhinged Randy Orton either Saturday, April 18, or Sunday, April 19, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

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.

Je’Von Evans may still be relatively new to WWE’s main roster, but he’s already found himself embroiled in a controversy, despite doing nothing controversial himself. It was only a few weeks ago when WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash referred to Evans as a “Mr. Bojangles” type character and said he wished Evans acted “more urban.” Nash immediately faced backlash from many who felt Nash’s comments were racially insensitive, and Nash would later attempt to clarify the remarks and apologized on X, though he’d later delete the post. 

While Evans made a post on Instagram soon after that some felt was a response to Nash, the WWE star hadn’t directly address Nash’s remarks, until asked about them during a recent interview with Adrian Hernandez. Without naming Nash, Evans suggested he was unbothered by the criticism, or any criticism for that matter, noting that everyone important was happy with his work, and that he’d be more concerned if no one was saying anything about him.

“If you’re not doing something right, nobody’s going to talk about you,” Evans said. “Like usually, like, I feel like if you’re doing something right, or if your names in their mouth, you’re grinding, you know what I mean? Like some people have to do that, you know, just so they can get views or whatever.

“Either way, at the end of the day, the Young OG’s going to keep on doing his thing. The Young OG’s going to keep on being Je’Von Evans, you know what I mean? No matter who likes it or who does…I’m going to keep on having fun bro…Me being me got me where I’m at today. So apparently I’m doing something right, ’cause my bosses love me.”

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

During a recent NXT live event in Lakeland, Florida, two NXT Superstars suffered injuries in the same match and it was called off when the ref threw up the “X” symbol. Lexis King was hit hard with a knee to the face. It was originally reported that King was “feeling okay” following the incident.

We have a new update on King. On “Wrestling Observer Live”, Dave Meltzer stated that the second generation wrestler is cleared and did suffer a concussion at the live event. No further details were provided. King was last on “NXT” television the March 17 episode when he got involved in a tag match that Uriah Connors and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo were in and that helped them pick up the victory. They will face Los Americanos on Tuesday’s episode. If they win, they will face Vanity Project at Stand and Deliver on Saturday. 

In the eight-man match that King suffered the concussion, Elio LeFleur was also injured. The NXT Speed Champion suffered an arm injury and was wearing a sling. The extent of his injury and how long he’ll be out are both unclear. The match involved Birthright (King, Connors, “Stacks”, & Charlie Dempsey) against LeFleur, Tavion Heights, Kale Dixon, and Eli Knight. 

Another WWE Superstar suffered an injury scare on last week’s “SmackDown”. Nikki Bella tweaked her ankle, but is reportedly “fine”.