From WrestlingNews.co: The Rock continues to turn up the heat on his heel run in WWE following last week’s WrestleMania 40 press conference. Last week's Wrestlemania 40 Press Event in Las Vegas was where Cody Rhodes announced he would challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 40, a change from expectation as it was widely believed WWE would announce The Rock vs. Reigns at the event instead. On the flip side, Rhodes had been expected to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Rock previously mocked fans of Rhodes as “Cody Crybabies,” a response to the backlash to Rock taking Rhodes’ spot. After being insulted by Rhodes, Rock slapped Cody. As previously reported, Rock is expected to draw inspiration from his past ‘Hollywood’ Rock persona. WWE will also release Rock branded ‘Cody Crybabies’ merchandise. “Hear the rumble. Hear the rumble. Run for dem life, when we step into the jungle. You fucked around and found out quick, didn’t you boy? You, your little friends and all your crybabies have no idea what’s coming. The world’s on notice.~ People’s Champ + Tribal Chief.” Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

ESPN reports: Every indication is that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will return for his first legitimate match since 2013 against Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns in the main event of the two-night WrestleMania 40 on either April 6 or 7 in Philadelphia. Johnson is as recognizable worldwide as anyone else on Earth. Reigns has been the face of WWE during this era, is in the middle of a record-setting title run, and, by the way, happens to consider himself to be Johnson's cousin -- even if not by blood. Reigns vs. The Rock has been teased for years. Reigns' storyline, the best one WWE has done in a long time, is called The Bloodline, and it's all about Reigns and his family's legacy in wrestling. Johnson fits into that perfectly. In a vacuum, the match is a no-brainer. It checks all the boxes. Yet, if the online reaction is any indication, the most ardent pro-wrestling enthusiasts are pushing back hard on it. Or at least its timing. As of Sunday night, the full Smackdown segment on WWE's YouTube channel has more than 500,000 downvotes, compared to just over 100,000 upvotes. Plus, Scott D'Amore is terminated and Anthony Cicione Named President of TNA Wrestling Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc., a global multi-platform media company, announced today the appointment of Anthony Cicione as the President of TNA Wrestling. The move aims to further integrate TNA Wrestling into Anthem’s Entertainment Group, of which Cicione is the President, leveraging the entire Company’s resources to add more value in areas including production, distribution, marketing, viewership, customer acquisition, digital revenue streams, ad sales and sponsorships, digital tech operations, and more. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

Coming out of the Royal Rumble I see all the main eventers confront each other from Drew McIntyre to CM Punk to Cody Rhodes to Seth Rollins and they make for a very compelling main event picture leading the Wrestlemania without Roman Reigns. But, no matter what you want to say, Roman Reigns is still the end all be all and is the title holder that matters in that main event for the men's division. No matter how Seth Rollins tries to spin it (although I respect how well he is done trying to build the world heavyweight title and make it important) it looked bad to see him go out there and tell Cody Rhodes he should go after his title at WrestleMania and not go after Roman Reigns again. Bayley's choices to face either champion would make for a good match. Adding Nia Jax to the mix to attack Rhea Ripley is a good buffer to keep her relevant and keep champions and challenger apart. Meanwhile, the midcard is a much different story. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

Cody Rhodes Repeats at Royal Rumble and appears to be Roman-Bound to finish his story. Meanwhile the Rumble Matches Reveals Light Main Event Depth and an Alarming Midcard on the main roster. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2024/01/27/wwe-royal-rumble-2024-results-cody-rhodes-wins-the-royal-rumble-match/ "Cody Rhodes won the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble, upsetting favorite CM Punk and punching his ticket to WrestleMania 40, where he will hopefully finish his story. Following Rhodes’ win, Rhodes pointed—emphatically—at Roman Reigns, indicating that 2024 will indeed be the year that he dethrones Roman Reigns. The men’s Royal Rumble match, like most years, seemed pretty easy to predict. The leader in the clubhouse was the returning CM Punk, who hadn’t competed on televised WWE programming since the Royal Rumble 10 years ago. Punk returned to WWE as a favorite to finally win his first Royal Rumble and likely challenge Seth Rollins to his first WrestleMania main event. Problem is, The Rock recently returned to WWE on WWE Raw: Day 1, and until further notice, Dwayne existed as a threat to pull the rug right from up under CM Punk. Another interesting caveat is the late rise of GUNTHER, who at one point tied CM Punk as the favorite to win the Royal Rumble at +150. As the smart money came in closer to the Rumble, CM Punk overtook GUNTHER as a -105 favorite. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

Wall Street Journal reports that a former WWE employee has filed a lawsuit against the founder, Vince McMahon, accusing him of sexual abuse and trafficking during his tenure as CEO. The legal action, initiated in a federal court in Connecticut, provides a detailed account of the plaintiff, identified as Grant, and her alleged experiences with McMahon. According to the lawsuit, on June 15, 2021, McMahon and another high-ranking WWE executive reportedly confined Grant in an office at the company's Stamford, Conn., headquarters. During this incident, they allegedly took turns sexually assaulting her while other employees were present. Another disturbing incident was said to have occurred on June 23, 2021, when McMahon allegedly locked Grant inside his private locker room and forced himself on her over a massage table. In addition to the physical abuse, the lawsuit includes claims that McMahon's personal assistant delivered $15,000 in Bloomingdale's gift cards to Grant on the same day. Furthermore, explicit text messages, including one from May 2020, were presented as evidence, where McMahon allegedly asserted control over her, stating, "I'm the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f— U." The legal filing also alleges that McMahon shared unauthorized nude photos and explicit videos of Grant with other WWE employees, unnamed executives, and stars. It cited a July 2020 text message suggesting that others at WWE expressed interest in having sex with her after viewing photos on McMahon's phone. The lawsuit claims that the group laughed off concerns about her objections, stating, "She may scream and try to say NO!! although it would B difficult to say anything with a c— down her throat." The lawsuit contends that an internal investigation by the WWE board was inadequate and labeled it as a "sham." Grant claimed that she was not interviewed by the board's special committee, and despite her willingness to cooperate, it did not request relevant documents. The lawsuit further asserts that the company diverted attention from McMahon's alleged abuse by focusing on accounting for payouts. Additionally, it alleges that other individuals within WWE were aware of McMahon's misconduct but actively worked to conceal it. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

Starting in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive home of WWE's Raw in the US, Canada, UK, and Latin America. This is part of a 10-year agreement between Netflix and WWE, which is worth over $5 billion. In addition to Raw, Netflix will air SmackDown and NXT in every market, as well as all of WWE's major showcases, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam. WWE also announced that its documentaries, original series, and upcoming projects will be available on Netflix internationally starting in 2025. Some speculate that the deal will strengthen the media landscape, expand WWE's reach, and bring weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix. Others speculate that Netflix may force WWE to tighten up the running time if the algorithm. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

WWE Doesn't Do Enough With Their Royal Rumble Booking to build midcard feuds and elevate younger stars in this rare spotlight. Men's Royal Rumble: 2023: The winner was Cody Rhodes. After winning, Rhodes went on to challenge the WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania, where he lost Roman Reigns in a highly anticipated match. 2022: Brock Lesnar emerged victorious. Lesnar's victory set up a championship match at WrestleMania, where he faced and defeated the reigning WWE Champion, solidifying his dominance. 2021: Edge won the Royal Rumble and chose to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Despite a valiant effort, Edge was unable to secure the title in a highly competitive match. 2020: Drew McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and successfully went on to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. McIntyre defeated Lesnar and became the new WWE Champion. 2019: Seth Rollins triumphed in the Royal Rumble match and subsequently challenged Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Rollins succeeded in defeating Lesnar and becoming the new Universal Champion. Women's Royal Rumble: 2023: The winner was Ronda Rousey. After her victory, Rousey earned the opportunity to challenge the Raw Women's Champion at WrestleMania, where she emerged victorious and captured the title. 2022: Bianca Belair won the Royal Rumble and chose to challenge the SmackDown Women's Champion at WrestleMania. Belair went on to win the championship in a remarkable match. 2021: The winner was Bianca Belair. Similar to 2022, Belair chose to challenge the SmackDown Women's Champion at WrestleMania and achieved success by winning the championship. 2020: Charlotte Flair emerged victorious and decided to challenge the NXT Women's Champion at WrestleMania. Flair won the match and became the new NXT Women's Champion. 2019: Becky Lynch won the Royal Rumble and opted to challenge Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Lynch emerged victorious, capturing the championship and solidifying her status as a top star. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

At TNA's Hard to Kill event in Las Vegas, Gisele Shaw emerged victorious in a Knockouts Ultimate X match, defeating Alisha Edwards, Dani Luna, Jody Threat, Tasha Steelz, and Xia Brookside. This win secured her position as the #1 contender for the TNA Knockouts World Championship. PCO faced Dirty Dango, accompanied by Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius, and secured a victory by disqualification. Following that, PCO teamed up with Rhino and Jake Something to defeat Dirty Dango, Alpha Bravo, and Oleg Prudius in a Six-man tag team match. Decay, represented by Havok and Rosemary, claimed the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship by defeating MK Ultra (Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich). The TNA X Division Championship saw Chris Sabin (c) triumph over El Hijo del Vikingo and Kushida in a thrilling Three-way match. Josh Alexander emerged victorious in a match against Alex Hammerstone. The tag team scene witnessed ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) successfully defending their title as they defeated The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz), Laredo Kid and Mike Bailey, and Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) in a Fatal Four-way tag team match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Jordynne Grace secured the TNA Knockouts World Championship by defeating Trinity in a Call Your Shot championship match. In a Singles match for the TNA World Championship, Moose claimed victory over Alex Shelley (c), marking Moose's Feast or Fired World Title match. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

KOP goes into how social media is bad for professional wrestling fans and the delusion over their tribalism of WWE or AEW. Social media has undoubtedly transformed the way fans engage with professional wrestling, providing a platform for enthusiasts to express their opinions, connect with like-minded individuals, and participate in discussions about their favorite promotions. However, this digital landscape has also given rise to a toxic underbelly of tribalism, particularly within the fan bases of major wrestling promotions like WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and AEW (All Elite Wrestling). The intense rivalry between these two organizations has fueled a divisive atmosphere on social media, where fans often find themselves entrenched in bitter disputes over which promotion is superior. One detrimental aspect of social media in the context of professional wrestling is the amplification of tribalistic behavior. Fans become so deeply invested in supporting their chosen promotion that they often succumb to a sense of delusion, rejecting any constructive criticism or acknowledging the merits of the rival organization. This tribal mentality can lead to a closed-minded approach, hindering the ability to appreciate the diverse and evolving nature of the wrestling industry. Instead of fostering a healthy and inclusive community, social media platforms often serve as battlegrounds where fans vehemently defend their allegiance, perpetuating an "us versus them" mentality. Moreover, the immediacy and accessibility of social media can exacerbate the impact of rumors, speculation, and misinformation within the wrestling community. Fans may be quick to jump to conclusions or form biased opinions based on incomplete or inaccurate information, further fueling the flames of tribalism. This not only creates a breeding ground for negativity but also undermines the potential for constructive dialogue and shared appreciation of the art form. In conclusion, while social media has undoubtedly enhanced the connectivity and engagement of professional wrestling fans, it has also fostered an environment that encourages tribalism and delusion. The rivalry between WWE and AEW, fueled by passionate fanbases, often overshadows the appreciation of the broader wrestling landscape. To truly elevate the wrestling community, fans must strive for a more open-minded and inclusive approach, valuing the diversity of promotions and recognizing that there is room for enjoyment of multiple facets of the industry. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns are two of the biggest names in professional wrestling history. Their potential match at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia would undoubtedly be a major draw for fans worldwide. Here's how such a matchup could be viewed as a strategy to bolster The Rock's box office status: 1. **Legacy Match**: The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is not just a regular match; it's a generational clash. The Rock, a legend from the Attitude Era, facing off against Roman Reigns, a dominant figure of the modern era, would create a storyline based on legacy and family pride (given their real-life familial ties). This storyline adds emotional depth and significance to the match, making it a must-see event. 2. **Broad Appeal**: The Rock has transitioned from wrestling to a highly successful acting career, becoming one of the biggest movie stars in the world. A return to WWE for such a high-profile match would attract not only hardcore wrestling fans but also casual viewers and fans of The Rock's movies. This broad appeal would translate to increased viewership and ticket sales. 3. **Media Attention**: The Rock's involvement in WrestleMania would generate significant media coverage. His mainstream popularity would attract attention from entertainment outlets, news channels, and social media platforms, creating buzz and anticipation for the event. 4. **Financial Impact**: A match of this magnitude would likely lead to higher ticket sales, pay-per-view buys, merchandise sales, and sponsorship opportunities. The Rock's involvement would elevate the event's financial prospects, contributing to increased revenue and profitability for WWE. 5. **Boost to WWE Network/Peacock Subscriptions**: The anticipation of The Rock's return to the ring would drive subscriptions to WWE Network (or its streaming partner at the time, like Peacock). Fans eager to watch this historic matchup would be more likely to subscribe or renew their subscriptions, leading to increased revenue for the streaming service. 6. **Rejuvenate Interest**: Wrestling, like any form of entertainment, benefits from fresh storylines and matchups. The Rock's return to challenge Roman Reigns would inject new excitement and interest into WWE, attracting lapsed fans and reinvigorating the current fanbase. In summary, The Rock challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia would be a strategic move to capitalize on his star power, generate significant buzz and media attention, and ultimately boost box office and financial performance for WWE. Contact KOP for professional podcast production, imaging, and web design services at http://www.kingofpodcasts.com and click on Podcast Production Services. Subscribing to KOPs YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@kingofpodcasts Find all past episodes, plus where to subscribe to the show and how to follow KOP on social media at www.kingofpodcasts.com/