Roman Reigns Reflects on Lessons Learned from Vince McMahon – Roman Reigns, one of the final top stars hand-picked by Vince McMahon to represent WWE for a new generation, recently opened up about his unique bond with the former Chairman. Speaking with Stephanie McMahon on the What’s Your Story podcast, Reigns revealed how his relationship with Vince differed from that of legends like Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Rock.

Reigns explained that being the youngest of McMahon’s “top guys” meant he had to approach their relationship differently. “That’s who I like, cut my teeth, negotiating with, doing business with, was your dad, and that’s how I feel. I’m not intimidated by anybody anymore. There were times where I had to get used to him, and we had to learn each other’s ways. But I’m the youngest of all his top guys, you know. So I didn’t have that relationship like a lot of the other guys were afforded and the time, but for the compared to like anybody else, you know, Hogan or Steve or Dwayne those guys, I don’t think I got as much of his time, but I was picking up as much knowledge as I could, even if he he may not even realize it.”

According to Reigns, two key lessons from McMahon have shaped his outlook both inside and outside the ring. The first was the reminder to always be “present” with his family, something McMahon emphasized during times when Reigns was fully consumed by work. “He would always tell me, and this is when I was so locked in at work that I wasn’t holding up my end on the other side. And he would just tell me, You’ve got to be present. When you go home, you have to be present. It doesn’t matter what you do out here. You have to be present. And I took that to heart so much.”

The second was a business philosophy of staying just ahead of the competition without moving too far beyond the audience. “He’d always say, you want to be ahead of the curve, but not too far… And in just so many different ways, and especially in business, that has just rang true.”

For Reigns, these lessons remain central to his career and personal life, shaping how he balances his role as WWE’s “Tribal Chief” with his responsibilities away from the spotlight.

Roman Reigns Reflects on Lessons Learned from Vince McMahon

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Jim Ross Signs New One-Year Contract with AEW – Jim Ross has officially confirmed that he will continue working with AEW after signing a fresh one-year contract extension. The legendary commentator revealed the news during his “Grilling JR” podcast, putting to rest recent speculation that he was exploring a return to WWE.

Ross explained that the deal was finalized with AEW President Tony Khan while the company was on its recent tour of the United Kingdom. The new contract secures his place with AEW until the summer of 2026. “I signed a new contract for a year. Got that done before I left. One year, next summer. Next August, I think it is,” Ross stated. He added that his schedule will primarily focus on working AEW pay-per-view events and making select television appearances.

While clearing the air, Ross directly addressed online chatter about a possible WWE comeback. “I saw somewhere online, somebody sent me something where I was negotiating with WWE to go back. I hadn’t heard that one. I haven’t talked to them. No plans to go back,” he clarified.

Ross emphasized that he is content with his current role and the flexibility AEW provides. “I like being where I am. I like the schedule I have, the freedoms I have. I enjoy working with these young talents,” he said. “I’ve developed a good relationship with a lot of those kids at AEW. I’m happy where I am, I really am. Not a lot of stress and pressure.”

Ross, who has been with AEW since its launch in 2019, most recently appeared at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, where he provided commentary for selected matches. Fans can listen to his full comments on the latest episode of “Grilling JR,” available across podcast platforms.

Jim Ross Signs New One-Year Contract with AEW

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Like we said at the start, not every match on this list is going to be an absolute classic like Flair and Steamboat’s series from 1989, but in the history of WCW, there might not be a more historically significant match than the main event of the 1996 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.

In the lead up to this event, both Razor Ramon and Diesel had left WWE, dropped their former names, and invaded WCW as Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The two men were portrayed as WWE outsiders, leading to their tag team name being The Outsiders, who were looking to take over WCW and burn it down from the inside. Hall and Nash challenged Eric Bischoff to find the three best wrestlers that WCW had to offer for a match that would be labelled as a “Hostile Takeover” match in the main event of Bash at the Beach, a challenge that Bischoff accepted, leading to Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage being selected as “Team WCW.” However, Hall and Nash decided to keep the identity of their third man a mystery, which would lead to turmoil in WCW as no one knew who to trust.

When the match eventually started, it was actually a Handicap match as Hall and Nash opted to start the bout without their partner, who they promised was in the building but they were more than happy to get the job done without him. As time went on, Sting, Luger, and Savage would gain the upper hand, and for the first time since their debuts, Hall and Nash were in real danger. With that said, The Outsiders distracted the referee and gained the advantage, leading to none other than Hulk Hogan coming to the ring to swing the favor of the match back towards the WCW contingent, or so we thought.

Out of nowhere, Hogan dropped a leg drop on Savage, leading to an eruption from the crowd that could have probably registered on the Richter scale. Hulk Hogan was the third man. Fans filled the ring with trash, one fan even made the bold decision to try and get in the ring but was flattened by security and Scott Hall himself, and the match was thrown out, but it didn’t matter. The landscape of professional wrestling had changed on the spot, Hulk Hogan was a heel, and told everyone that after years of being treated with disrespect by the WCW fans, he wanted people like The Outsiders as his friends.

As far as what they would like to be called, Hogan simply stated that you could call them the New World Order of wrestling, and that they were going to destroy everything in their path. This moment changed the course of the Monday Night Wars over night, and WCW’s reign of dominance in the wrestling industry truly started with the main event of Bash at the Beach 1996.