Here is your fight-size update for Monday, February 22, 2021:
- Speaking with Taylor Wilde on her Wilde On podcast, Shotzi Blackheart discussed purchasing her signature tank on a whim while at Wal-Mart. (h/t: WrestleZone)
“So, I actually came out on that tank on the indies. That is my tank. I just saw it at Wal-Mart one day and I've always come out with the helmet and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I already wear the helmet, this little tank is super cool!’ So, I got it. I brought it with me to Florida when I got signed, which my boyfriend was super annoyed with because traveling with it was a pain in the butt. He's like, ‘They are not going to let you use this, why are you bringing it?’ and I'm like, ‘No, I'm stuck. I'm going to pitch this.”
- In an interview with ViBe and Wrestling, Matt Riddle, the brand new WWE United States Champion, discussed his first WrestleMania coming up this April.
“I am really excited. WrestleMania is the biggest night. It is the Super Bowl for football, the World Cup for soccer… is WrestleMania for wrestling, the biggest night in our sport and one I hope I win this title because it is the only chance they pigeon hole me for sure in the show and once I’m there… watch out because I am not gonna let you forget about me. If I get that short amount of time at that show, at WrestleMania weekend I am gonna make sure I take full advantage of it.
“I remember my first WrestleMania weekend, not in WWE but on the smaller scale and the fans that came to that sure… I started building my reputation just on those shows so I know that been in that show, the main show, the biggest show of the year, my stock is going to be through the roof, like GameStop, and I can’t wait to bring back the fans and look them in the eye and connect again with them, to move forward and put all this behind us.”
- In an interview with A Wrestling Gal, Deonna Purrazzo discussed the evolution of Su Yung.
"Oh, gosh. You know, Susie was her own entity, and then Su Yung is and now Susan's been a pain in the butt for me. But it's interesting to see how well she kind of flows in and out of each of these characters. I think in terms of Susan, who I deal with on a weekly basis, now it's time to step it up. I want to see them follow in my footsteps and become possibly the next Knockouts Tag Team Champions. So I'm excited to see what the possibility is for Kim and Susan as a team. As long as they're with me, I want them to succeed and I want to do everything I can to help them succeed".
- Independent wrestler Chris Michaels is planning a return to the ring March 5 for USA Wrestling in Gladeville, Tennessee. He'd been sidelined since last summer following surgery.
- Lio Rush recently celebrated the birth of his son, Milo.
Milo Che Lok Green
— Lio Rush (@TheLionelGreen) February 22, 2021
6.8lbs
2/21/21
12 hr labor
1:20 pm PST
Welcome to the family --. @SarahLaiWah pic.twitter.com/niFEfcVY5L
- Headbanger Mosh revealed on Major Pod Network that Headbangers Jakks WWE Classics figures were set to be released, but WWE moved their license to Mattel and it was abandoned. He said they were paid $3000 as a flat fee and would have received additional royalties.
- Reacting to his loss at WWE Elimination Chamber, Cesaro says he will continue pushing on until he finds a successful path.
I’ve been driving for an hour in silence. I don’t really know what to say. So close. Thanks to everyone who believed and still does. I still do. I appreciate you. Always
— Cesaro (@WWECesaro) February 22, 2021
- ICYMI: Big E has started a Kickstarter for a new animated series celebrating African American heroes through history.
Big E is launching a Kickstarter-backed project celebrating unsung Black heroes in a fun and engaging way for kids and adults alike.
“Our Heroes Rock!” is an animated series described as a “hip-hop odyssey through Black History” with a sci-fi twist.
The Intercontinental Champion himself voices E-TOUR, a robot that will guide kids through the futuristic Hall of Heroes and teach them about Ruby Bridges, Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells and more.
“So many of these names that felt so crucial to the civil rights movement, that felt crucial to the fabric of the history of the country, I had never heard of until college,” Big E said in a video posted on his Twitter. “I want kids at five, six, seven years old to start learning about Ida. B. Wells, to start learning about Ruby Bridges.”
The pilot episode will feature Grammy-nominated artist Rapsody narrating the story of Bridges, the first African-American child to integrate into an elementary school in the South.
For more information and to contribute toward the project, visit OurHeroesRock.org.
- In an interview with Inside The Ropes, ODB commented on the time Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan came into TNA Wrestling.
“Yeah! Like, I love Hulk and Bischoff, and when they were coming in, I was kind of on my way out – but they didn’t realise it at the time. I know they had started introducing more… More girl diva crap that we didn’t represent, and I said some stuff online and I got in trouble, of course, but that just wasn’t the Knockouts Division.
“So, the Knockouts Division did change, and then I took a break, I came back like six or seven months later and Bischoff was like, ‘Where have you been? Why haven’t you been here?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. You tell me. What the f***?” He’s like, ‘I’ll get your job back.” I’m like, ‘All right, let’s go.’ But then they started realizing, they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s what’s been missing in the Knockouts Division.’ Yeah. You can have sexy girls doing car washes in the back or doing whatever, but you still need us Knockouts where it all started. You can’t get rid of me, Gail Kim, Kong, Beautiful People. It needed us. So, they helped me get my job back, so it was cool.”
- Major League Wrestling is preparing to host its Never Say Never event on March 31.
MLW today announced its signature event Never Say Never will take place Wednesday, March 31 at 7pm ET and be available on YouTube, Fubo Sports, DAZN, beIN SPORTS and the Roku Channel. Learn more about where to watch.
Never Say Never, an annual signature event for Major League Wrestling since 2017, will feature a championship bout and serve as the culmination of some of MLW’s most contentious feuds
“In continuing our efforts to give back to the MLW diehard fans, we look forward to giving them the fastest hour of action featuring the climax of rivalries and a championship title fight,” said Court Bauer.
MLW will reveal the card for Never Say Never in the weeks ahead on its flagship series, MLW FUSION, available on YouTube, Fubo Sports Network, the Roku Channel, and DAZN.
The event is slated to have a runtime of 55-60 minutes.
The special will air on beIN SPORTS on Saturday, April 3 at 10pm ET. Learn more about where to watch. The event will be broadcast on a delay internationally.
- Fightful wishes Markus Crane the best as he heads for surgery.
Please join us in sending the best and most positive vibes towards Sin City this morning as @MarkusCrane *heads* in for surgery! See ya soon you crazy fuck! pic.twitter.com/pHPqb5XCkZ
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) February 22, 2021
- Check out everything you need to know before Monday Night Raw at this link.
- WWE stock closed today at 47.73
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