During his emotional acceptance speech, Johnson spotlighted his daughter Simone Johnson (WWE’s former NXT General Manager Ava), who was in attendance. He reminisced about memories from her childhood before leading the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Simone, who turned 25 on August 14th.

Johnson also gave a shout-out to his younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, who were watching from home.

Johnson joins the 2026 class of Disney Legends alongside Anne Hathaway, Susan Egan, Alan Tudyk, The Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eric Goldberg, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Dwayne Johnson has the #D23 crowd sing “Happy Birthday” to his daughter after receiving his Disney Legends Award. pic.twitter.com/BLpAHHtYh0

— Variety (@Variety) August 16, 2026

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Here is what Johnson had to say…

“As you roll along in life, I’ve been real fortunate to be part of some really cool projects, and love it. But music has always been such an anchor for me, and very specifically in genres that I love, like country music, traditional country music. And we’re exploring that now.

The post Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is “exploring” a potential music career appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“I would say Seth Rollins’ stomp. That’s my favorite. I took it at WrestleMania [40]. [How did it feel?] I am a glutton for punishment so I, there’s some finishing moves I love taking. His is so iconic and I took that. It’s wild… just a face stomp into the mat. It was cool.”

The Rock revealed Seth Rollins' Stomp is his favorite WWE finishing move that isn't one of his own and recalls getting hit with one during WrestleMania. pic.twitter.com/nWpOJaaxdt

— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) June 22, 2026

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For the Austin 3:16 promo, though, it was an instant hit with wrestling fans. Immediately, “Austin 3:16” signs were all over the arena for Monday Night RAW. Then, when WWE made “Austin 3:16” t-shirts, they sold out quickly. YET, it took the WWE about a year to fully embrace Steve Austin as their top star, as WWE would spend the rest of 1996 and most of early 1997 clinging to the idea that Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were their top stars. Though both men are great, neither man had the drawing power of what Austin would eventually obtain thanks to the personality that was beginning to hatch in 1996.

Why was “Austin 3:16” such a great promo?

For one, it’s a play off one of the most known Bible passages, John 3:16. It reads, and I quote: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Going to sporting events, many fans held up a “John 3:16” sign or placed it on a wall at football stadiums. It was very common to see a sign at literally every sporting event. From every ranking service that I could find, John 3:16 appears to be the most known Bible verse ever as many publications suggest that this one verse spells out the meaning of Christianity as a religion. In other words, believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and you’ll get into heaven. It’s efficient, precise, and right to the point and it’s an easy phrase to memorize as well.

Now you can see why Austin “struck a nerve” by declaring what “Austin 3:16” says.

During 1996, Jake “the Snake” Roberts returned to the WWE and he was pushing a “sober” gimmick while often citing that Christianity helped him become sober. Roberts would quote bible verses or other Christian themes in his promos, including one after winning an earlier match in the night during the King of the Ring tournament. Steve Austin defeated Jake Roberts in the final and before he cut his famous promo, Austin asked the interviewer Michael P.S. Hayes (then “Doc Hendrix”) what Jake has said earlier. Hayes mentioned that Roberts mentioned stuff about religion and that was all that Austin needed.

And here’s the famous promo cut on this day in pro wrestling history, 6/23/1996: “The first thing I want to be done, is to get that piece of crap out of my ring. Don’t just get him out of the ring, get him out of the WWF because I’ve proved son, without a shadow of a doubt, you ain’t got what it takes anymore! You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere. Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16. Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”

Instantly, the fans in Milwaukee, host of KOTR 1996, popped! They knew that they heard magic and the reaction from Michael P.S. Hayes also sold the boldness of the phrase.

From there, a star was born… Austin even said his “and that’s the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so” during this promo, too. Steve later said he hit “two grand slams” on creating 2 copyright phrases in one night.

For many who watched Steve Austin for years, we all knew he was great. His run in WCW as “Stunning” Steve Austin gave WCW the perfect midcard heel as he proudly defended the TV Title and later the United States Title. During 1993, he teamed up with Brian Pillman to form the Hollywood Blonds, which was a stupid tag team name, but the two were a perfect and very effective tag team. That team ended abruptly with a promise of Austin receiving a singles push. With Ric Flair back in charge of creative for the first half of 1994, that seemed to be happening… But then, WCW made a massive signing of Hulk Hogan and with Hogan, all of his buddies like Brutus Beefcake, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Honky Tonk Man, and others soon joined. Austin was the odd man out and formed resentment against WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff and later cursed out Tony Shiavone when Tony called Austin to inquire about his status when Austin was out with an injury. WCW promptly fired Austin, via Fed Ex letter, after that incident.

Austin went to ECW where he wrestled some, but was more inspired to cut promos freely by Paul Heyman. There, the “Stone Cold” character was born, as he was real, authentic, and had a personality that fans wanted to believe in and live vicariously through. HOWEVER, that character was muzzled briefly when WWE signed him and made him the “Ringmaster” as a protégé of Ted Dibiase. After that gimmick failed, WWE actually gave Steve Austin some creative freedom to change his name and change his look. Austin said that he watched some documentary on a serial killer and from that, he changed his look and personality as a really focused and diabolical character. His hair was balding anyway, so he shaved his head and grew out a goatee. Went with the all black tights for intimidation, kind of like Johnny Cash embraced the color.

But then, Stone Cold’s wife said that if he didn’t drink his hot tea immediately, it could become “stone cold”. Boom, just like that, Austin had his new name: Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Great question: If Steve Austin didn’t win King of the Ring 1996 to cut this “Austin 3:16” promo, would he get over?

To us astute fans who watched Austin for years in WCW, I’d say eventually YES. The talent was always there and the promo cutting ability was unleashed in ECW. The “Austin 3:16” promo just rushed his appreciation with the WWE fanbase, who didn’t see him in WCW, and many younger kids looking for something cool to watch. “Austin 3:16” expedited the inevitable, as Shawn Michael was going to eventually crash out, anyway, and maybe Bret Hart’s contract would be deemed too expensive by late 1997 anyway.

You know, that’s an interesting conundrum… If there’s no “Austin 3:16” and Austin has to keep working on his character throughout 1996-1997, would WWE have opted out of Bret’s 20-year contract? The momentum of Austin’s character allowed him to obtain that Wrestlemania 13 spot in place “lost smile” Shawn Michaels. Maybe without Austin 3:16, he doesn’t get that match at WM 13? Maybe Austin doesn’t obtain that Survivor Series 1996 match, either? Oh boy, major can of worms has just been opened!

Point being, you see the IMPACT of Austin cutting this promo.

And here’s a BIG POINT that I really want to make with “Austin 3:16” back during June of 1996. No WWE script writer handed that to Austin and ordered him to say it, word for word. No, Austin 100% came up with that on his own. If this same Steve Austin worked in today’s WWE environment, he would never get a chance to freely cut such a promo. For one, the script writers of the WWE would give him something else to say, word-for-word, and there’s no way in today’s corporate or political environment that he’d be even allowed to poke fun at Christianity in a promo. Not a chance! If Austin cut that promo now, here in 2026, WWE and TKO would reprimand him, release a statement, and you’d see a thousand apologies being thrown out.

But in June 1996, WWE was a different environment. Nothing was scripted. The Creative Team led by Vince McMahon gave general ideas on what to do, but then the wrestlers would work within that space to make it happen. Everything was on the wrestler to succeed because after all, if they do terribly with a segment or a match, they’d lose money. No guaranteed money back during 1996, so if you fumbled on a promo, they’d use you less in the future. Have a bad match, you’d get depushed down the card. Used less or be lower on the card, less of a payout from a particular event. You didn’t get paid!

Let’s go further into this story, for many of you younger fans who don’t know… Steve Austin was NOT the WWE’s choice to win the King of the Ring 1996 tournament. In fact, Triple H was set to receive the big push that year and eventually be built up into a big heel for babyface champion Shawn Michaels to wrestle later during 1996. WWE management liked HHH’s work, liked his character, and felt that he had potential to do big things. Plus, Shawn Michaels was heavily vouching for him and Vince listens to his top stars.

However, the famous “Curtain Call” incident from May 1996 happened at Madison Square Garden.

The Curtain Call involves Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), and Kevin Nash (Diesel) doing a salute to the New York City fans after the main event of a houseshow at Madison Square Garden. This houseshow was both Hall and Nash’s LAST WWE event before they were going to join WCW to begin the New World Order invasion angle. During the show, Triple H (heel) wrestled Razor (babyface) on the midcard while the main event was Shawn Michaels (babyface) versus Diesel (heel) in a blue steel cage match. After Shawn and Nash’s match, Triple H and Hall both ran into the ring and all 4 guys saluted each other like buddies.

Now, again, we’re in a different era… While many fans knew wrestling was scripted, the promotions themselves were advertising it yet. After the main event, you had 2 babyfaces with Shawn and Razor (who had their own rivalry) fraternizing with 2 heels with Triple H and Diesel. While the fans in Madison Square Garden popped because they never saw characters breaking like this before, backstage management and wrestlers in the locker room erupted. Reportedly, the Clique (group name given to HHH, Nash, HBK, Hall, and Sean Waltman) asked Vince if they could do the salute and he green lit it. However, with all of the road agents and wrestlers showing outrage backstage, Vince likely joined in on the chorus.

Shawn Michaels was WWE champion, so there was no punishing him for this incident. Madison Square Garden’s houseshow was Scott Hall and Kevin Nash’s very last date on their WWE deals. Thus, you couldn’t punish wrestlers no longer under contract. That left Triple H to feel the full force of Vince McMahon’s wrath, as Vince wanted to make an example of him to disallow any other wrestlers from trying something similar to the “Curtain Call”. As Triple H has put it, Vince said “you’re going the eat a crap sandwich and start liking the taste of it” or something to that effect.

If you look at the rest of 1996 for Triple H, he went from winning consistently for the first 5 months to losing often. Right after that MSG event May 19, 1996, he is constantly losing the Marc Mero… 8 straight losses! Just non-stop losing on the houseshow circuit and on Monday Night RAW, with occasional wins for jobber matches on syndicated shows. It wasn’t until October 1996 when HHH turned his fortunes around and gained the trust back with WWE, defeating the “deadly” Marc Mero and winning the Intercontinental Title. And you know where the story goes from there.

IN MY OPINION, a slower push for Triple H was needed for him and a rushed push during 1996 could have harmed his character, long-term. Plus, the “Curtain Call” incident gave HHH’s character nightmare fuel to yell about during 1999 as a main event character. It also gave Degeneration X something to laugh about, as well, when they were mocking Vince McMahon in a segment.

Isn’t that amazing how the WWE seriously lucked into Austin 3:16?

It took a while for Steve Austin to be seriously pushed as the #1 wrestler, though, as Vince McMahon wasn’t a fan of his new character and in-ring work. He’s the one resisting pushing Austin during 1996 and during early 1997. Austin lucked into that Wrestlemania 13 match because Shawn Michaels, again, “lost his smile” and that caused panic mode to rebook WM 13. This caused Sid vs. Undertaker and Bret vs. Steve Austin as the newly booked matches for possibly the weakest drawn Wrestlemania of all time. WWE is at the bottom of the barrel during the Spring of 1997, as all of that capital spent on pushing Shawn Michaels goes down the drain.

However, Bret Hart and Steve Austin saved the WWE… Their PERFECT match and idea of a double turn (Bret becomes heel, Austin turns babyface) set the WWE on a path to glory. Austin didn’t give up from the Sharpshooter, despite losing gallons of blood, while Bret Hart soured on American fans not giving him respect. Austin now had the handcuffs removed and the push was on, while Bret Hart formed the heel Hart Foundation stable. WWE was now set right and now Austin had a heel group to overcome. Shawn Michaels found his smile and briefly paused that Steve Austin push, as he formed DX and feuded the Undertaker and Bret Hart.

Again, LUCK drives the wrestling industry! With WWE focused on Bret vs. Shawn or Shawn vs. Undertaker, that gave Steve Austin the opportunity to have a run as Intercontinental Champion (broke his neck winning it, too). Guess who he feuded with as “something to do” as he awaited his turn at main eventing? The very young Rock, who found his character as a heel operating within the Nation of Domination. Their late 1997 was MAGICAL and planted massive seeds into the ground that would create one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Rock was made into an instant star while Austin won over fans when he disregarded the Intercontinental Title by tossing it into a freakin’ river.

AND THEN, Steve Austin gets to shove Mike Tyson on the RAW following Royal Rumble 1998. HOLY COW! Kaboom!

So, Wrestlemania 14 is massive and a big shot in the arm, but what was there to do afterward? Who would Austin feud with?

Well, as MORE LUCK would have it, the fan perception of Vince McMahon SOURED after he “screwed” Bret Hart at WWE Survivor Series 1997. Bret Hart’s escape clause was enacted after 1 year from his 20-year contract signed with WWE and thus his match with Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997 was supposed to be his last before heading off to WCW. Bret refused to put over Shawn Michaels, however, citing personal problems and not willing to let an unprofessional jerk defeat him in Canada. WWE wanted him to put over Shawn, no substitutes… Bret’s contract stated that if WWE opted out of it early, he had “creative control” over his last 30 days.

Vince didn’t want Bret to join WCW as WWE Champion, so he ordered and threatened referee Earl Hebner to call for the bell during the spot where Shawn Michaels had Bret in a Sharpshooter (which Bret was supposed to reverse). Afterward, Vince McMahon tried to paint himself as the babyface by insisting that “Bret screwed Bret” but none of the fans bought it. Vince was booed anywhere he went, and thus a lightbulb went over his head and other creative team member’s head. They now had the ultimate heel to face Steve Austin after Wrestlemania 14.

Thus, Austin vs. Vince drew tons and tons and tons of money as the feud after Wrestlemania 14.

Funny how luck can just change the industry… COVID happens and Roman Reigns has to sit-out because of the danger it poses to his immune system. As he’s out, the WWE Creative Team and Vince figure out a better way to use him. Roman returns and has Paul Heyman by his side. Boom, industry grows! Vince McMahon gets exposed during June 2022 for his NDA stuff, steps down, and Triple H returns only to give Sami Zayn a chance to work with the bloodline.

Pro wrestling is nuts, man… Opportunity is always knocking and anytime someone goes down, the next man up has to seize that opportunity.

On this day in pro wrestling history, Steve Austin did indeed seize on an opportunity.

30 years ago, I’m old…

I remember chipping in with friends to buy the Pay Per View, as we’re like 20-30 people deep and huddling around a 30 inch television to watch this Pay Per View. We legitimately popped when we heard it, as all of us were church going kids and knew full well that John 3:16 was plastered everywhere at sporting events.

We were also very impressed at the GUTS that Steve Austin showed at that event. Marc Mero (eventual “owner” of Triple H) busted open Austin’s top lip during the event, requiring him to get stitches as the show is happening. If you look at Austin’s upper lip during that promo, it’s all mangled from taking a potato by Mero.

Watching it live, you just FELT IT… Steve Austin just made a lasting impression and I remember all of us marking out on the next few Tuesdays after RAW when those “Austin 3:16” signs began appearing. And then they appeared at the next Pay Per Views we watched. The shirts were everywhere.

But damn, you had to be patient because there was a metric ton of BAD WWE to watch between June 1996 and Wrestlemania 13 when WWE refused to push him hard. However, that Survivor Series 1996 stuff was absolutely great between Bret and Austin, as was the match.

Then, Wrestlemania 13 happens and it’s sweet vindication… As a longtime WCW fan and loving “Stunning” Steve Austin, I was always of the belief that he’d be a big star. It pissed me off when Jim Duggan had his way with Austin, repeatedly, but I was overjoyed when the “Ringmaster” appeared in WWE. I knew who that was, insert Leonardo DiCaprio meme here…

You know, I always feel blessed to witness wrestling when I did… I got to see the peak years of WWE and NWA, and then see the rise of WCW with their New World Order angle. Then, I saw WWE’s epic regrowth thanks to Steve Austin and the new cast & characters surrounding him during 1997-1999.

NOTHING was better than the late 1990s for wrestling fans. WCW peaking, WWE’s rebirth, and ECW gave you that additional, yet crazy, alternative.

Nothing was scripted, either, or influenced by corporations… Well, WCW became more corporate and that helped drive nails into their coffin, along with Eric Bischoff’s eventual incompetence. And then WWE became a corporation itself and becoming increasingly corporate with time. Here we are today, and another corporation, TKO, owns them.

Anyone who says that 2020s era WWE is better than late 1990s era WWE is completely wrong. Austin made his character, while everybody in today’s WWE is told what their character shall be and when.

30 years ago to this day, Steve Austin cut the Austin 3:16 promo at WWE King of the Ring 1996

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

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Rock stated the following…

“I didn’t even tell Lauren [his wife]. I didn’t want to worry her before I knew if it was anything to even worry about. By the way: I’m fine. But I didn’t know that then, and the thing was really painful.”

Despite his concerns, Rock went ahead with a full day of promotional appearances for Jumanji, spending the day making jokes, giving speeches, and posing for photos while privately worrying about his health.

After contacting his doctor, Rock was examined and was told the lump was likely epididymitis, an inflammation of a tube behind the testicle, though cancer could not yet be ruled out. His doctor scheduled an ultrasound for the following morning, leaving him to spend another 24 hours in uncertainty. He told the outlet, “So I had to live with that for those twenty-four hours, not knowing—and I had to be on all day, joking around, making speeches.”

The post Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reveals that he had a testicular cancer health scare in 2026 appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

The watch measures 54mm, significantly larger than the typical men’s watch size of 36 to 40mm, and features 714 white diamonds totaling 129.61 carats, including 504 diamonds set into the bracelet. The movement itself measures 40.05mm wide.

The Rock went viral with several media outlets covering the story, including GQ Magazine, but he also received criticism from social media users due to TKO reportedly asking WWE stars to take pay cuts. Twitter/X user @AIRGold_ wrote, “The Rock is wearing a $3.3 million watch! That watch is worth more than what 98% of wrestlers make.” Meanwhile, @wrestlelamia added, “The Rock had the entire tag division’s salary on his wrist at the Met Gala.”

The post Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson goes viral for wearing a watch valued at over $3 million dollars appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Now, I have a bone to pick with the yes-man WWE fans who went out of their way to attack wrestling fans who even DARED to question the creative of Pat McAfee turning heel and being injected into the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes feud. They were called “negative”, “bitter fans”, and claimed to “like nothing WWE does” with their own words with them, as yes-man fans, supporting Pat McAfee’s sudden usage. However, the fans were simply asking for LOGIC in a storyline within 2-3 weeks of Wrestlemania. Pat McAfee hasn’t been in the WWE since 2025 and had ZERO involvement or heat with either Randy Orton or Cody Rhodes. Contrast that with Stephanie McMahon’s involvement, as she has past ties with Randy Orton such as working together in the Authority storyline.

Hell, I was attacked regarding my April 4th column where I discussed the illogical decision of adding Pat McAfee to the feud. I even had several NoDQ personalities attempt to call me out.

BUT, what I didn’t know when I wrote my April 4th column is what was behind Pat McAfee’s sudden appearance on Smackdown and being entered into a Wrestlemania 42 night #1 main event.

Back on February 19th, it was revealed that Pat McAfee obtained a new agent to represent him and help him land more TV and movie roles. Guess who he hired? The President/CEO of Endeavor and Chairman of the TKO Corporation Ari Emanuel. Yeah, that’s right, Ari didn’t give up his day job when he joined Endeavor and after overseeing both WWE and UFC.

According to Bloomberg’s reporting, Pat changed agents with the intent of becoming the “next Sylvester Stallone”.

And now, things are beginning to make sense.

Folks, the WWE is just a big platform for Ari and his fellow agents to push their clients through for publicity as well as being a gigantic ATM machine.

Think about the fascinating CONFLICT OF INTEREST that Ari now has. He represents Pat McAfee as an agent and gets him work with the WWE, including a major Wrestlemania 42 payoff. Agents reportedly make up to 10% of base salary and up to 20% of any major sponsorship deals of their clients. Ari is making money from his role at TKO and then at the same time, making up to 10% of any payoffs from Pat McAfee being at Wrestlemania 42 and prior WWE shows. That’s double dipping, baby.

Further, Ari is using his position as an authority figure to FORCE one of his clients onto the shows. There’s the true conflict of interest, as he’s showing bias towards Pat because Pat pays him money along with earning money himself whenever Pat now appears in the WWE and on Wrestlemania 42.

Oh, and by the way, Ari Emanuel also serves as Executive Chairman (formerly President/CEO) of the WME Group formerly known as William Morris Endeavor. Take a guess who represents The Rock? Brad Slater is his agent and he works for WME Group… Oh, the Rock joined the TKO Board of Directors and TKO awarded him $30 million worth in equity which the WME Group probably receives at least 10% for representing the Rock.

Do you know who else WME Group represents? Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Logan Paul, Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair.

Now you understand why TKO was fully behind John Cena’s retirement, though anyone should have been. Cena is great!

Now you see why Cody Rhodes has been pushed so strongly since TKO took over the WWE during 2023.

And now you see why TKO looks the other way regarding Brock Lesnar’s possible involvement in Vince McMahon’s scandal.

Makes sense why Logan Paul gets favorable attention in the WWE for his part-time role (being totally honest, he’s talented and I cannot deny that).

Now you see why Roman is kept strong (he should be, anyway), and is allowed to take lots of time off to film movies. WME Group is getting a piece of that Street Fighter money!

Now you see why Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are still being pushed so strongly.

If I were entering the WWE, I’d seriously hire WME Group to represent me. Why? Because it’s almost a guarantee to get pushed and keep getting pushed in the WWE. Plus, they’re 100% OK with you taking excessive time off from the WWE as long as you’re filming a movie, which WME Group gets a cut out of as well.

Do you now see what Vince McMahon forced a sale of the WWE to during 2023? He sold out to a bunch of agents who will do anything in the interest of his clients, even disrupting the creative of a wrestling show.

And with celebrity involvement, such as Pat McAfee, it really shows issues with TKO’s management because they are OK with Pat McAfee making extra money to work for the WWE but they HATE paying out regular wrestling talent (unless represented by WME Group).

WWE is no longer a wrestling company. It’s a platform for WME Group to present their clients and use as an ATM to pay themselves and their clients.

That’s why TKO Corporation SUCKS and that’s why I 100% stand by my stance of boycotting Wrestlemania 42 as I stated in my March 24th column.

And that’s how you do it, my fellow NoDQ staff… Question things that are illogical and then look at FACTS. Y’all have egg all of your faces by blindly clapping like a circus seal to anything WWE does.

Also, you cannot call me a “WWE hater”. If you read my columns, I’ve been very favorable of praising the WWE since it extinguished senile Vince McMahon from running the company and micro-managing everything daily. As someone who was critical of Triple H as an EVP during the 2010s, I’ve been supportive of him during the 2010s.

These WWE marks are the ones who thought Steve Austin’s 2001 heel turn was “brilliant”, WCW/ECW Invasion was great during 2001, NWO was handled great during 2002, unmasking Kane and bringing in Kane during 2002-2003 was amazing storytelling, anything involving Stephanie McMahon on-screen was top-notch, and pushing an inexperienced Roman Reigns and having him read scripted lines during the 2010s was incredible EVEN THOUGH Monday Night RAW lost over 2 million viewers and WWE lost thousands in attendance back then. They are the circus seals clapping for Pat McAfee being shoved into Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton.

TKO loves these “loyal to a fault” WWE fans… They can rip them off with higher ticket prices, cause their Netflix subscriptions to balloon in price with the WWE deal, and force them to pay $29.99 to ESPN for PLEs (double or triple of what they previously paid). These yes-man fans are also the ones overpaying what Fanatics wants for WWE merchandise, which causes WWE merchandise to be expensive for everyone else.

You’ll keep being wrong, and TKO will keep bending you over a chair and showing you who is your true daddy. Meanwhile, my money will go elsewhere and my eyes won’t have to see the multiple sponsorships and ads shoved into Wrestlemania 42 this weekend.

Did you get all of that? I hope that you did. You loyal yes-man WWE fans make me sick because of how easily TKO can exploit you.

Unlike you, you can’t buy me. I’m the WWE watchdog and have been for the past almost 28 years. I’ll hold the WWE accountable when they are falling off the path, but I’ll also hold yes-man fans accountable for their dirty deeds and ignorant statements.

And I’ll hold AEW accountable, too… I do that simply by not watching them and covering them. They mean nothing to me thanks to Tony Khan’s awful management of the company and its creative.

Onto your questions.

——————————

ASK TITO: Your Questions, My Answers

Do you think CM Punk will be held accountable for his anti-TKO remarks or his comments about Ari Emanuel?

I’m struggling to think that CM Punk or Cody Rhodes’s comments about Pat McAfee were “shoots”. For one, Cody is represented by Ari Emanuel’s WME Group and therefore, I don’t think he’d purposely speak ill will about his agent and boss that way. CM Punk, on the other hand, doesn’t have an agent relationship with WME Group and could therefore have a chance to be more authentic with his comments.

Look, I wouldn’t doubt that the analytics and the creative minds have read into fan anger and have since opted to create a new storyline regarding it. During 1998-1999, you had the Corporation storyline and I wouldn’t doubt that this storyline is brought back. However, I could see CM Punk and Cody Rhodes being smokescreens for something peculiar to possibly happen at Wrestlemania. What if Cody Rhodes and Pat McAfee were truly in this together and screw Randy Orton? And then, on night 2, CM Punk flips into a heel and becomes a corporate champion too? Then, you’d have WWE favorites Randy Orton and Roman Reigns going up against the Corporate-backed, with possibly The Rock behind it all, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk.

On that point, I hope so… WWE is in dire need of a massive storyline and a strong heel stable that could shake up the company for a few years. WWE has lost a ton of quality since the Bloodline storyline fell apart after Wrestlemania 40.

You cannot convince me that Cody and Punk were just allowed to attack TKO management and allude to higher ticket prices… Sorry, but I don’t believe it.

Something is happening this Sunday, I think, or maybe escalated even further on the RAW after Wrestlemania. I think that WWE knows they’ve been treading since Wrestlemania 40 and running on that show’s fumes.

*****

What are your Wrestlemania 42 predictions?

You do realize that I HATE making PLE predictions, right? But, since I like you, I’ll go for it…

The Vision/IShowSpeed vs. The Usos/LA Knight – Toss up, but I don’t trust a team with LA Knight and with Heyman at ringside. I’ll go with Vision and their celebrity partner, whom TKO wants to look good in their platform, to win the match.

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre – Drew is old news, for the moment, and Jacob needs a big win. Fatu for the win.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan – That concussion issue seals Stephanie’s fate, but Liv was going to win anyway based on the big Rumble win. Liv is the #1 female star and is going to get pushed to the moon with a very dominant title reign.

AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch – How much will we see AJ Lee after Wrestlemania? She’s here and then she’s gone for a while. I’ll go AJ Lee, as I don’t know where WWE wants to go with Becky.

Fatal Four Way for the Women’s Tag Titles – If Nikki didn’t get hurt, I’d go Bellas here. But since she’s hurt, I’d have to see who the replacement is and go from there. I’ll go safely with Charlotte and Alexa Bliss regaining the tag titles here as the biggest stars of the match.

Seth Rollins vs. Gunther – With Gunther possibly facing Lesnar at SummerSlam, I think he needs a big win over a guy who defeated Lesnar twice previously. Gunther for the win!

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton – I’m going Cody. I’m smell a set-up and a double turn here. Pat McAfee just doesn’t fit with Orton and could be setting up Cody to be the “corporate champ” and maybe we see the Rock here and approving. I don’t know… But I don’t see Orton getting the better of this feud.

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar – The great thing about Brock Lesnar is that he can lose but always remain strong because, well, he’s Brock Lesnar and one of the toughest human being to ever walk this planet. But that’s the problem, because defeating him doesn’t always look credible. Oba wins here, but in a very close fight to keep Lesnar strong for his retirement match at SummerSlam 2026 against Gunther.

6-pack Ladder Match for IC Title: I’ll go Penta to retain his title and look strong in a good Wrestlemania spot.

Jade Gargill vs. Rhea Ripley – Writing is on the wall, Jade isn’t what WWE would hope she could be. Rhea is going to defeat her and I wouldn’t be surprised if WWE parts ways. She looks like a million bucks, but has two left feet in attempts to be a performer. Muscles are cosmetic, too. WWE likes Rhea Ripley, especially Triple H, so thus she wouldn’t be in this Wrestlemania spot to just lose on the biggest stage.

Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams – Trick Williams for the win to get the US Title off of Sami, just in case WWE has bigger plans for Sami at Wrestlemania 43.

Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio – You can bring back the demon all you want, but it’s still Finn Balor. Dom wins here because he has far more long-term value to WWE than Finn does.

CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns – Two babyfaces against each other… I sense that one of these guys will turn heel, but I’m also feeling that for Orton vs. Cody. Hard to bet against Roman Reigns in this spot, as the World Title spots haven’t been as strong since Roman’s combined reigns. I’ll go Roman here, though I wouldn’t be shocked if CM Punk wins via screwjob of something. Just feels weird that Punk cuts an anti-TKO promo just before Wrestlemania…

And there you go…

*****

Thoughts on Sid Eudy getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s “legacy wing”?

Ugh. WWE should have inducted him when he was alive, BUT they had legit fear over what Sid Eudy (aka Sid Vicious aka Sid Justice aka Sycho Sid) would say. The BEAUTY about Sid Eudy was that he gave zero damns about the rest of the world and he knew about his own self-worth to a wrestling promotion. In other words, he knew that wrestling promotions needed him more than he needed them. His look, appeal, and even talent could land him jobs anywhere. Hence why WWE and WCW gave him multiple chances.

That’s what many other wrestlers need to realize… The power is on the guys taking the bumps inside the ring, not the greedy promoters especially if you’re talented or have the right look. CM Punk walked out of the WWE during 2014 and for years, you’d hear “CM Punk” chants. Know your worth and stop letting the promoter dictate terms.

I get why WWE didn’t induct Sid while he as alive, which is the same feeling why WWE avoided putting in Bruno or Warrior. Sid was conducting shoot interviews where he was very honest about his career and might do the same on the microphone. However, I saw him come back to WWE RAW for the Heath Slater stuff and he was a total professional for that.

To me, Sid is a bigger addition to the Hall of Fame than Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie McMahon is only there because she’s the daughter of Vince and was handed every opportunity. Yes, Stephanie made the most of it, but she’d never get a foot in the door on her own and has never worked beyond the WWE. Sid drew money everywhere he went, even after he did controversial things. He stabbed Arn Anderson repeatedly with scissors and still found work as a main eventer…

There’s so much politics with the WWE Hall of Fame, but it’s funny how much they care about something that lacks a physical building that you could walk into…

*****

What are your thoughts on Danhausen in the WWE?

You know what, I heard this guy is really nice in real life and is good with fans. I don’t want to cook him here…

To me, his value would only be to a company with a legitimate Cruiserweight Division as a wrestler. He’s like 5’10 and under 200 pounds (like a slightly lighter version of Finn Balor).

As a non-wrestler, I just don’t see the value and WWE isn’t doing well with him so far. AEW was often confused how to use him, too.

Seems like a nice guy, though, so I’ll leave it at that.

*****

Thoughts on Darby Allin winning the AEW title?

It’s a Lifetime Achievement Award… He’s an AEW original, worked hard for the company, and they are rewarding him. This is literally similar to Jey Uso winning the title.

Is it the right decision? Of course not! There are bigger drawing and bigger wrestlers to make world champion over both Darby and Jey. However, sometimes, you gotta reward loyalty and also show that climbing the ladder for a long period of time is worth it.

You might be expecting me to totally crap on this decision, but I look at that AEW roster and there really isn’t much on that roster to impressively defeat MJF. What makes me laugh is that AEW spent a metric ton on other wrestlers and they aren’t defeating MJF, but an undersized yet loyal Darby can.

AEW can make anyone champion at this point… They haven’t been the same promotion since 2022 when they allowed gossip and drama ruin their promotion and then foolishly rewarded those EVPs with new contracts through early 2023.

Congrats, Darby. For any longtime AEW fans, this probably felt rewarding and I don’t want to rain on their parades.

*****

In your opinion, what are the following bests from Wrestlemania?

Best Wrestlemania? Still gotta be Wrestlemania 17, even though the Stone Cold heel turn still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Wrestlemania 40 was amazing, but WM 17 has the way better undercard.

Best Wrestlemania match? Damn… Gotta go with Austin vs. Bret Hart from WM 13, with HBK vs. Kurt Angle from WM 21, Undertaker vs. HBK from WM 25, and HBK vs. Razor from WM 10 as close seconds. Damn, I love me some Hogan vs. Rock from WM 18, too!

Best Wrestlemania legacy? Undertaker has that streak, Hogan had massive matches for the first 9 events… But Shawn Michaels is Mr. Wrestlemania, period. So many great matches to choose from.

Best Opening Match? Come on, Bret vs. Owen Hart from WM 10.

Best Wrestlemania of the last 10 years? WM 40, but I really like WM 39. Very underrated WM.

Best Wrestlemania celebrity involvement? Love Bob Ueker getting choked out… I’d have to go with Snoop Dogg’s improvising after Shane tore his quads. That was impressive how he literally saved that segment as a professional.

*****

Enjoy Wrestlemania 42!

I need some big things to happen at Wrestlemania 42 or the post-RAW show for me to really care. Otherwise, writing will continue to be scarce for me especially with TKO’s greedy hands controlling the WWE company.

Crazy thing to think about is that Vince McMahon could have just retired and let HHH/Stephanie run the company after him, and they’d be just fine without Endeavor. Endeavor, itself, has about $6 billion in debt while TKO, itself, has around $4 billion in debt. Think about how insane that is with how much of a CASH COW the WWE has been since 2023 with their TV deals, Sponsorships, Saudi money, and ripping off cities with PLE deals.

So, screw TKO. And I have better things to do than to support their nonsense while dealing with yes-man fans who will defend them.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post ASK TITO: Pat McAfee, WWE Wrestlemania 42 Predictions, Sid as “Legacy” HoF Inductee, Darby Allin Winning AEW Title, and More appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Rock stated the following…

“Being a proud girl dad myself—three times, I think I have three—I have a daughter in her 20s, and then I have a 10-year-old, an eight-year-old. My youngest is going to turn eight tomorrow. Happy birthday Tia. I know you’re going to see this. I love you. I’m coming home tonight.”

The post The Rock comments on his immediate plans during an appearance in Las Vegas ahead of WrestleMania 42 appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

And Punk spoke of many, many truths… While I think that Roman Reigns has greatly improved during the 2020s versus the 2010s, as I 100% agree about Roman being Vince’s pawn during the 2010s and wrote extensively about that myself, but I also agree that the really painful part about Roman is how the Bloodline angle, storyline, and stable made him a star which Punk alluded to. CM Punk is right, as Roman’s family connections made him a star from getting a WWE job, receiving the pushes during 2010s (yes, those Wrestlemania main events SUCKED from the 2010s), and then the Bloodline. Since the Bloodline angle ended during 2024, especially after Wrestlemania 40 with Roman’s extensive summer vacation, he’s not been the same star. The matches aren’t as good, the heat is no longer there, and he’s just another brick in the WWE/TKO wall. Plus, he’s never there… Always an extensive vacation after Wrestlemania and he barely wrestles.

I also enjoyed CM Punk taking shots at Pat McAfee, TKO for their ticket prices, and many other things said.

Many are calling it “Pipe Bomb 2”, which would be a sequel to the original Pipebomb from June 2011.

Nah, I think it should be called “Pipe Bomb – Part Deux”, which would be a play on words like the sequel to the movie comedy Hot Shots called “Hot Shots Part Deux”. Why? Because anything you see on WWE these days, thanks to TKO, is like a comedy.

Do you REALLY think that CM Punk would just waltz on out there and cut a shoot promo on his own company or say purposely scathing things about Roman Reigns? If so, I have a bridge to sell to you… You are so gullible.

For one, if WWE/TKO were to fire CM Punk today for his “Pipe Bomb Part Deux” promo, where would he go? He already burned down the AEW bridge, though I think those chumps would possible take him back to obtain the numbers he drew during 2021-2022. Sorry, but Punk isn’t going to TNA or JCW, and who knows if they’d want a guy in his late 40s who has burned down relations with AEW or supposedly WWE now. Plus, TNA has a working relationship with WWE.

Secondly, CM Punk is making 7 figures as a base salary and it can get up to 8 figures with merchandise and live event payouts. This isn’t 2011-2014, as he’s scoring serious cash now.

Third, CM Punk burned his bridge with WWE during 2014 and is still repairing it… So why would he piss it away now? Punk enjoys his WWE career now, has a great relationship with the management of WWE, and who knows, he might stick around to work with them once he retires. Plus, I believe that CM Punks WANTS to be in that WWE Hall of Fame as soon as he retires. That’s a cherry on the top of his great career.

Fourth, why would CM Punk conduct an unscripted shoot promo just weeks before main eventing Night #1 at Wrestlemania 42? Yeah, he main evented Night #2 last year, but Night #1 is what truly matters and is the REAL main event of Wrestlemania. Why would he jeopardize that?

IT’S A WORK, and everything CM Punk said on the 4/6/26 RAW was 100% cleared by WWE Creative and possibly TKO as well.

And CM Punk is allowed to cut this promo because WWE badly needs more eyeballs on Wrestlemania 42 and more butts in the seats there in Las Vegas. Social Media engagement regarding Wrestlemania is both down and feeling negative, according to reports, and Wrestlemania 42 barely has over 40,000 tickets sold versus selling just over 60,000 last year for both nights. Punk cutting a scathing promo is the same reason why Stephanie McMahon and Pat McAfee were brought back last week. We’re in pure desperation mode right now because the VETERAN HEAVY WWE has over-exposed their top stars and they aren’t drawing RELATIVE TO THE HIGH PRICES. They’d probably draw more tickets if TKO didn’t want to price gouge…

I’m not falling for it… CM Punk during 2011 had nothing to lose, as his contract was up after July’s Money in the Bank 2011 event. So, they just let him cut a promo to see if that would spike interest in this random John Cena vs. CM Punk match that was supposed to put over John Cena so that he would face and lose the WWE Title to Alberto Del Rio during SummerSlam 2011. However, CM Punk’s promo was the most talked about thing in a while for WWE and they (a) had to sign Punk to a new contract and then (b) give up the title belt to Punk. And then WWE sabotaged Punk once they had him trapped in a 3-year deal.

2026 CM Punk is happy with the WWE, making great money, and working much less days, per month, than the 2011 CM Punk did. He’s happy, he’s comfortable, and being taken great care of by WWE right now and has received a non-stop push at the top. He’s the current World Heavyweight Champion! And I also think he knows that his career is up and can walk into the sunset under good terms for his exit.

You’re getting worked…

BUT…

If this worked shoot promo backfires on WWE and TKO sees some adverse numbers in their data, I could see some accountability happening after Wrestlemania 42. In other words, that accountability will be with Triple H and his Talent/Creative departments. Make no mistake, I think there is some rift (not an Aaron Rift) or friction between Triple H and the Rock. That, or the Rock prefers to install HIS GUYS but Triple H is in the way. I believe many of the Endeavor folks like Triple H and Triple H being in the good graces of Donald Trump also helps solidify HHH in his WWE spot. While Triple H isn’t afraid to get a photo with the President, the image-conscience Rock would be. I’ve seen Rock in photos with Barack Obama, but never Donald Trump.

HOWEVER…

If anyone inside WWE’s Creative Team or in TKO’s Board Room were smart, and sometimes I question that, they’d realize a tremendous opportunity on their hands.

Rather than having Cody Rhodes and CM Punk conduct “shoot” interviews about how angry they are at TKO, why not do a full fledge angle about TKO?

Or in other words, bring back the Corporation? But this time, the Corporation represents what TKO apparently wants out of the WWE and not just the McMahons.

Right now, what are wrestling fans mad about?

(1) High live event ticket prices, which TKO controls.
(2) High merchandise prices, which TKO controls.
(3) High streaming costs for PLEs or RAW, which TKO has forced upon fans. ESPN has doubled or tripled PLE viewership prices for most fans, while Netflix has raised prices TWICE since RAW began on Netflix to start 2025.
(4) Higher costs around cities surrounding WWE events. If you want to host a big WWE event, cities are paying massive dollars and in turn, that increases ticket prices and causes cost-push inflation everywhere else because of how much the city paid to host a WWE event.
(5) Sponsors all over WWE rings and telecasts, along ads throughout shows. TKO controls that.
(6) Selling out Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania to Saudi Arabia

If fans have heat towards TKO corporation, why not exploit that with a wrestling angle?

If you want The Rock to return, the “Final Boss” returns and forms a Corporation stable. After all, he was a major part of that 1998-1999 Corporation stable thanks to his heel turn at the GREAT WWE Survivor Series 1998 event and WWE Title tournament. Then he could assemble a stable of wrestler loyal to him, maybe have Paul Heyman join the Corporation as its mouthpiece (helps keep the Rock off television, if needed), and that’s the massive Good vs. Evil angle that dominates WWE business for the next few years.

Or how about this as an angle? Seems like CM Punk positioned himself as the babyface with his shoot promo, calling Roman the pawn of Vince McMahon from the 2010s. What if CM Punk joins the “TKO Corporation” and uses the Rock to help him defeat Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 42? And then that PERFECTLY sets up Rock vs. Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 43 in Saudi Arabia (unless that gets moved, holy cow, this world is getting dangerous!).

Or how about this? What if Roman Reigns and The Rock reunite at Wrestlemania 42 and Roman becomes the TKO Corporation’s “corporate jewel”? The babyface stuff isn’t working as well as it could, so thus Roman returns as a heel and is vicious as the dominant WWE World Champion as a Corporation member.

WWE, you have the MASSIVE ANGLE right here… People HATE what TKO is doing to their favorite wrestling promotion since their childhood. EXPLOIT THAT!!!!!!!!!

TKO Corporation stable… It’s RIGHT THERE as an amazing storyline to exploit. Hell, you could have the Rock acting like he’s in charge of the TKO Corporation and Triple H representing the WWE babyfaces who don’t want to play the corporate game (yes, I know that many suggested Rock vs. Triple H storyline a few years ago).

And I hope that someone backstage at WWE events realizes this and maybe that’s why Pat McAfee returned, why Stephanie returned, and why Cody & CM Punk both chose to cut “shoot” promos. CM Punk mentioning ticket prices makes me wonder if the wheels are already in motion.

Maybe, just maybe… Wrestlemania 42 could get interesting and/or the RAW after Wrestlemania could get crazy.

IF that happens.

And if it happens, I’m back baby!!! I’ll go from writing like once a month to multiple times a week if we can get a WWE vs. TKO Corporation angle. I’m good with that and done under the right circumstances, it would draw huge.

Thanks to PRICE GOUGING by the GREEDY TKO Corporation, the WWE might have a massive “us vs. them” storyline. Wow, how lucky are they?

People HATE what TKO is doing to their childhood favorite WWE, so exploit that and put it in the storyline! The Corporation returns as a wrestling stable with the Rock leading it and possibly with either Roman Reigns or CM Punk as corporate sellouts as the top heel wrestler.

OK, I could work with that… And you may take my creative idea for FREE, if you’d like.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: CM Punk’s 4/6/26 “Pipe Bomb 2” Promo Was Great, But Obviously a Scripted Work by WWE and TKO appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“There’s a big kerfuffle in the wrestling business about me and Hunter [Triple H] doing stuff to him and being mean and things like that. All of it is way blown out of proportion—none of it even accurate. Some of the things from when he was younger got fed a lot.

The post Shawn Michaels comments on a rumor about him and The Rock that has been “way blown out of proportion” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.