News Archives - NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage

Shotzi Blackheart: “If you’re coming to a meet and greet, wash your balls and wear deodorant”

Aaron Rift — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 01:46:42 +0000

During an interview with Knockouts and 3 Counts, TNA Wrestling star Shotzi Blackheart was asked about wrestling locker-room etiquette, including whether she had any pet peeves or advice for younger wrestlers entering the business. Here was her response…

“Man, there’s a lot of stinky people. I mean, this is more so for the fans and not the locker room. If you’re coming to a meet and greet, wash your balls and wear deodorant. That’s super important. And then if you do that, you might get a nice hug from me. But if you’re stanky and you didn’t wash your balls, I’m not going to hug you.”

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News regarding potential WWE NXT office changes in 2027

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 23:03:42 +0000

This week, it was reported that Shawn Michaels is expected to take over Bruce Prichard’s Executive Director role in WWE. In an update on the story, Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.co noted the following…

“As of right now, it looks like Shawn Michaels replacing Bruce Prichard and AJ Styles getting his NXT role is the most likely scenario. It is believed there will be other NXT office changes in 2027 as well. Depending on what she wants to do with her career, Bayley could very well end up involved. Punk may also have more input. It is also believed the ID program will get “a fresh coat of paint” in early 2027 as well.”

Punk has previously expressed interest in helping develop younger talent. During an April appearance on the All the Smoke podcast, Punk said he believes he can contribute to the wrestling business both as an active performer and behind the scenes.

Bayley has also worked to develop younger talent through her Lodestone women’s wrestling camps. She held the first camp in Orlando in December of CM P2025, followed by a second in Las Vegas in April. A third camp took place in Texas last month.

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News regarding Paul Heyman’s status with WWE following segment with Oba Femi

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:44:17 +0000

During WWE Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6th 2026, Paul Heyman was approached backstage by Cathy Kelley following Bronson Reed’s return and attack on Oba Femi during his match against Bron Breakker. Before Heyman could respond to Kelley, he received a phone call from an unidentified person and walked away. The caller’s identity has not been revealed.

Heyman last appeared on the October 12th episode of RAW, where he approached Femi, who told Heyman that he was not a “Paul Heyman Guy.” WrestleVotes Radio reports that WWE is now considering a creative idea that would see Paul Heyman return to television relatively soon.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the idea would involve Heyman in a storyline outside of The Vision, while still maintaining a connection to the group through Bron Breakker. The creative direction would allow Heyman to branch out into another program without completely distancing himself from The Vision.

There is a working creative idea that would see Paul Heyman return to television relatively soon, @WrestleVotes Radio on https://t.co/0YUbWy9uoq has learned

As it stands, the creative direction would allow Heyman to branch out into another program while still maintaining some… pic.twitter.com/6bPiXsSyDq

— FightfulSelect.com! Exclusive Pro Wrestling News (@FightfulSelect) October 29, 2026

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Report: Shawn Michaels expected to take over Bruce Prichard’s Executive Director role in WWE

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:42:05 +0000

This week, it was reported by PWInsider.com that Bruce Prichard is expected to retire from his role as WWE’s Executive Director of Creative Writing & Talent (CWT) after WrestleMania 43. It’s believed that Prichard will remain connected to the company as a consultant,

In an update, PWInsider reports that WWE plans to promote from within, with current WWE NXT head and Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Creative Shawn Michaels expected to take over Prichard’s role. According to multiple sources, the succession plan has been in place for some time, and Michaels is expected to begin preparing for the position in the coming months.

Michaels, a WWE Hall of Famer, is extremely close with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and took over his NXT duties in September of 2021.

False Finish was told that “those within the Performance Center expect AJ Styles to be more hands on within NXT as a result of Shawn Michaels promotion.”

PW Insider reports that the plan is for Shawn Michaels to essentially step into Bruce Prichard's current role.

Sources indicate to False Finish that those within the Performance Center expect AJ Styles to be more hands on within NXT as a result of Shawn Michaels promotion pic.twitter.com/qfVgtq6xeZ

— False Finish (@FalseFinishHQ) October 29, 2026

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Report: Shawn Michaels and AJ Styles were consulted about the John Cena Classic

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:18:34 +0000

John Cena returns to WWE RAW on November 2nd 2026 in Brooklyn, New York. Cena teased fans by writing on Twitter/X, “the speculation ends.”

According to WrestleVotes Radio, the expectation backstage at RAW this week was that Cena’s appearance would be tied to the John Cena Classic, with an announcement expected to reveal where, when and how the project will take place.

Since Cena first announced the project in May, WWE has reportedly held numerous meetings and creative discussions to ensure it feels fresh. Several individuals who don’t typically weigh in on these types of projects were consulted, including NXT’s Shawn Michaels and AJ Styles.

Although the original idea was pitched as a showcase and milestone program for Club WWE, a source indicated that the event will likely stream on a different platform to reach a broader audience.

CENA IS BACK @JohnCena

John Cena returns to #WWERaw NEXT WEEK in Brooklyn SPECIAL START TIME 6 ET/3 PT only on @netflix!

: https://t.co/4dfLY9XpJf pic.twitter.com/yZcreuIDnO

— WWE (@WWE) October 27, 2026

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Rumored backup plan for WWE WrestleMania 43 seemingly ruled out

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:05:51 +0000

According to WrestleVotes Radio, The Sphere in Las Vegas is not a backup plan for WWE if WrestleMania 43 is moved from Saudi Arabia. While WWE has expressed internal interest in using The Sphere, meaningful negotiations between the two sides have reportedly not taken place.

Fightful.com previously reported that the two sides were unable to reach an agreement during WrestleMania 42 season over displaying promotional material for Danhausen on the exterior of the venue.

It’s believed that WWE has a backup plan to host WrestleMania domestically if world events force a change in plans, but the details are being kept confidential.

Earlier this month, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com was told by sources in the city that the necessary April dates are unavailable for WrestleMania. Those sources also reportedly said Las Vegas is unable to offer the level of financial incentives it has provided for previous events.

As of now, The Sphere in Las Vegas is not a backup plan for WWE in case they move WrestleMania 43 away from Saudi Arabia, @WrestleVotes Radio on https://t.co/0YUbWy8WyS has learned.

We're told WWE does have a backup blueprint for hosting WrestleMania domestically, should a… pic.twitter.com/Xj44IVdTHN

— FightfulSelect.com! Exclusive Pro Wrestling News (@FightfulSelect) October 29, 2026

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What is being said about Stephanie Vaquer’s situation after missing WWE RAW

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:20:37 +0000

This week, it was reported that Stephanie Vaquer will be out of WWE action “indefinitely” after not being cleared to wrestle. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com discussed her situation…

“She’s ill. It’s not anything — I was told it’s nothing terribly serious or anything. But she’s ill and she’s out. Indefinitely in the sense that it’s not like it’s a week. It’s something that’s indeterminate yet as far as when she’ll be back.

That’s why they didn’t do that match. It wasn’t about an injury, and it wasn’t a worked storyline. They were going to do the match on Monday night and she got sick and could not come. And that’s why they did the Becky Lynch-Liv Morgan. And that’s why they did the DQ, because they didn’t want to beat Becky Lynch. But it wasn’t a match that they had planned, so they did the DQ that way — to get out of it essentially.”

Wrestling Observer Radio Live with Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio Live with Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez Don’t have access to this video? Sign up now! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcc1MbakHpB8F1vIDvUJBg/join The F4W Live tier now has Dave Meltzer live on Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez. https://video.f4wonline.com You can see the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with a subscription here: http://account.f4wonline.com/signup Wrestling Observer is live at Noon PST/3pm EST every weekday, live on Twitch!

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Elayna Black on hitting rock bottom: “Ectopic pregnancy, boyfriend leaves me, lose my knee, dog dies, and then I got fired a few months later”

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:24:36 +0000

In a documentary published on TNA Wrestling’s YouTube channel, former WWE star Elayna Black aka Cora Jade opened up about her personal struggles. The documentary featured footage of Black discussing her situation around the time she underwent surgery for a torn ACL. Black stated the following…

“Rock bottom is one hell of a place, and we can only go up from here. So, I’m trying to look at it as a reset, as a positive. Spend the next nine months working on myself mentally.”

In an interview clip, Black discussed her WWE release following a series of setbacks…

“Ectopic pregnancy, boyfriend leaves me, lose my knee, dog dies, and then I got fired a few months later. I was so scared of losing anything else that mattered to me that I didn’t want to pretend like anything mattered to me.

When I got fired, inside, I was like, ‘Oh, holy shit. I just—I’ve lost the literal last thing. Like, I have lost everything. This was the very last thing, and now I’ve lost this. I literally have nothing.'”

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Grayson Waller comments on how he “took a risk” by returning to the WWE NXT brand

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:51:46 +0000

WWE NXT Champion Grayson Waller did an interview with Chris Van Vliet. During the discussion, Waller discussed his return to the NXT brand…

Van Vliet: “How did this move from the main roster to NXT come about?”

Waller: “Shawn [Michaels] called me and asked me to come and meet up with him.”

Van Vliet: “So you said that this wasn’t a demotion; you took a risk. What do you mean by that?”

Waller: “I don’t see it as that because I wasn’t told to do anything. I was asked. I was given an option by Shawn, and I chose to go and do that. So I didn’t look at it as a demotion because I’m on TV every week. I’m competing every week against some of the best kids in the world right now.”

Van Vliet: “So if you don’t go back to NXT, where do you think your career ends up going?”

“Maybe Chipotle. Maybe I’m giving out extra avocado at Chipotle. I don’t know.”

Waller: “The one thing I’ll say, and I mean it, is that I’m always upfront and honest about situations. I could see the writing on the wall. They’re bringing up these kids from NXT who are super talented, and they’re giving them all the chances. I’m in the background, and it’s disappearing. You go lower and lower. You get more forgotten about. I was gone for sure.

So when I say I took a risk to go to NXT, it’s a risk because you never know if it’s going to work out. But I trust in my ability, and I just needed a platform. So I think it was something that I needed to do because I need to show them who I am. I need to show them I love this. I’m so good. You are the guys who haven’t seen it. It’s not me; you’re fumbling the ball.

I have everything ready to go, but you just don’t know. So I took it upon myself to kind of force it on them. I’m like, ‘Hey, you want to know what I can do? I’m going to show you.’”

Van Vliet: “When you say you’re hungry, are you hungry to continue to do things in NXT, or do you want to accomplish everything in NXT and then say to Raw and SmackDown this is what you’re missing out on?”

Waller: “I kind of said it the first time I went out there. My goal is to make this championship mean something [again]. You think of that black and gold era, the NXT title meant more than titles on the main roster. That Saturday TakeOver show, more people were excited for that than they were the Sunday, and I think we’ve lost a lot of that.

I don’t think it’s anyone in particular who’s done it. But that title used to mean something. So I’m proud to have this. This means a lot to me personally because watching wrestling when I was starting out, I loved NXT, and that’s what I want one day. I never got it when I was here, and that burned me. That really burned me inside.”

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Paul Heyman: “I don’t think Vince McMahon ever considered himself a good man”

Aaron Rift — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:28:39 +0000

During an appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Paul Heyman described former WWE owner Vince McMahon as a “supremely complicated human being of great accomplishment.” When Bensinger followed up by asking whether McMahon is a good man, Heyman offered the following response…

“No, I don’t think Vince ever considered himself a good man. I don’t think he cared about it. I don’t think that was part of his self-judgment. I don’t think he felt he was placed on this planet to be a good man.

Do I think he’s a man of great accomplishment? Yes. Do I regret the battles? I had some battles with Vince. He liked confrontation.”

Heyman talked about the worst one they had…

“2006, when he relaunched ECW. He told me he was putting me in charge of it, and 30 seconds later, he started stripping me of any authority I had in controlling, contouring, tailoring, or creating the product.

Again, if you dumb it down to try to explain it to somebody who doesn’t understand, it goes like this: Vince had no one left to compete with. He was the only game in town. Any other game was a minor league. It wasn’t even a B team. It wasn’t even a C team. It was peewee league compared to WWE.

So, he resurrects ECW, which was going down in history, and still goes down in history today, as Paul Heyman’s vision. He puts Paul Heyman in charge. Paul Heyman is now representing ECW, and Vince McMahon can change the ECW creative and product on Paul Heyman.

It’s this Machiavellian thing, and you really feel like that’s what it was. I can look at it in the most objective way today, and I can tell you, in my heart of hearts or in a cold-blooded business assessment, no matter what perspective I take in looking at it, that’s exactly what happened.

He got off changing ECW on me, and it became such a personal battle that it was terrible for the product, terrible for the company, and even worse for the audience.

That was the most miserable six months.”

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