WWE Backstage gets Rated R!

Okay, not really. But it will have the Rated R Superstar, EDGE! How is the WWE Hall of Famer feeling after WrestleMania Weekend?

CM Punk’s back on Backstage!

He, Renee Young, Booker T and Christian are here, and Punk says he was built for “isolation.” He doesn’t need to be told to stay away from other people. But he does hope everyone is safe and healthy. #FlattenTheCurve. But to business, WWE is in WrestleMania Aftermath and some new champions are learning what it’s like to have targets on their backs. With that, it’s time for…

Just the Highlights!

On SmackDown, the tables have turned! The New Day figures that just because John Morrison retained on behalf of The Miz, that doesn’t mean The Miz can take it easy. This coming Friday, the SmackDown Tag Team Championships will be on the line when it’s The Miz VS Jey Uso VS Big E! What happens when the other three halves fight for the titles? Then Tamina will get a SmackDown Women’s Championship match IF she can get past Sasha Banks! Is Bayley writing checks The Boss can’t cash? The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are STILL Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross after a WrestleMania rematch! And Braun Strowman is a fighting champion who is willing to #LetHimIn. Will The Fiend get back the big blue belt? Or will he #GetTheseHands?

On Raw, the Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying matches got brutal! Shayna Baszler STOMPS Sarah Logan’s arm apart to punch her ticket to the ladder match. But The Man dares all the women of the WWE to come for her with that MITB briefcase. Because Becky is ready to “shock the world” again. As for The Queen, she’s headed back to NXT to teach them a “lesson in humility.” Will the black ‘n’ yellow bow down to Charlotte Flair? And the Monday Night Messiah’s resurrection begins with an attack on the WWE World Champion! Will Seth Rollins #BurnItDown and rise from the ashes of Drew McIntyre’s dream come true?

The panel discusses!

McIntyre has only been WWE World Champion for nine days and already The Architect wants to end that. Booker’s thoughts on this new feud definitely puts McIntyre “right in the mix.” McIntyre is not someone that needs to sit on the sidelines and wait for who is next. Rollins steps up, and we know both men can compete at a very high level. The magic they create is highly anticipated by Booker. And we always look for a pairing that can be “married to each other” in a long feud, and that’s this for Booker.

Christian adds that this is the right move. He likes Rollins shifting slightly, and is letting that beard grow. Maybe get the chest hair going, too? Christian remembers telling CM Punk that strong chest hair game gets good heat. Christian continues that he likes Rollins’ confidence and even arrogance. Even after a defeat, he has this demeanor, this sense of control yet unpredictability. Those were things Rollins still needed, and it adds layers. But most of all, McIntyre got through a monster in Brock Lesnar, so now it’s time to switch it up to a smaller, faster opponent. These two will bring out the best in each other.

CM Punk says this is the best possible spot for Rollins and McIntyre to both be in. As Booker said, there are times you want two guys to be linked together for much longer than just the next PPV. These guys could go all the way to SummerSlam or beyond. Rollins puts unnecessary pressure on himself as “The Guy,” so if he’s not The Guy, it puts a chip on his shoulder. McIntyre, meanwhile, is a big ass kicker who fans will support because of his journey. CM Punk will watch this match-up for sure.

Renee brings things to Zelina Vega’s new stable and how it was in the middle of everything last night. Christian says Vega is great, super talented and really good on the mic. She goes out there and has more confidence because of her trio. Her confidence creates credibility for the trio in turn, and it works that they’re united with her. He only sees things growing from here.

CM Punk loves Vega, and not just because she played the part of AJ Lee in Paige’s biopic. Vega is focused on being the “valet,” the manager, a forgotten art of being in charge of multiple wrestlers. And when it is a woman, that makes it even greater because we haven’t seen that before. She could bring it all back alongside this “group of misfits.” Punk says these guys don’t look like they fit together, but they become a dangerous alliance. He’d even like to see one or two more join up for some mix-and-match tag teams. Vega is the glue that holds it all together and makes it a great stable.

Renee moves things along to SmackDown. Bray Wyatt tries to rain on Strowman’s parade his first Friday as WWE Universal Champion. Bray vows to take Strowman out, but Strowman says he’ll #LetHimIn. Punk’s response is a bit negative. Both Bray and Strowman aren’t back on firm footing yet. Strowman is someone WWE didn’t pull the trigger on until they had to. He’s on top now, but going up against a genuine fan favorite who also has yet to have his day in the sun. This feels rushed, like it could’ve waited until SummerSlam or until it could be built bigger. But this is just the first few steps, so we’ll have to wait and see what comes of it. Punk’s French Bulldog, Larry, also seems negative on it.

Booker says that this is wrestling, and Fiend VS Strowman is a main event “anywhere in the world.” Strowman found himself in the spotlight and has that chip on his shoulder, just like the Backstage panel was saying last week. Strowman needs to prove himself worthy, and who better to do that than Bray Wyatt? Christian agrees more with Punk. Strowman VS Wyatt could have happened later given the back story. Christian feels that we’ve already seen the Universal Championship flip-flop a few times too many. With Braun having that chip on his shoulder, being the Roman Reigns substitute, the WWE should build him up first. They should give Strowman a strong run with the title first. If he and Bray do separate things first, that would make their match-up even bigger.

To Christian, Bray is a Roddy Piper type, where he doesn’t really need that title to be in the main event. Booker agrees there, as Bray has already said it isn’t about the title. We need to get Strowman to a place where he needs to be. It’s not about the title to Booker, because The Fiend has said so. Punk says that “guys who don’t win the title say it’s not about the title.” But how do you get sympathy for a guy like Strowman? How do you get sympathy for a guy like The Fiend? It’s fascinating, but the timing is way off.

Speaking of timing, Renee brings up how it was only a matter of time before the Lashley-Lana romance starts hitting a rough patch. We saw that tension on Raw the last couple of weeks. The night after WrestleMania, Lashley let it be known he was considering getting a new manager, or perhaps just a new wife. Who saw this coming? Flashback to the December 10, 2019 edition of Backstage! CM Punk himself booked this! After the blow-off, Rusev washes his hands of Lana, and then Lana eventually grinds on Lashley’s nerves. Lashley leaves Lana and joins Rusev in an anti-Lana group!

Back to the present, Renee says Punk basically nailed it. Even Punk is surprised he predicted this one. But it was just obvious, really. Everyone wants Lana to shut up right now. Now we need to wait for the strange Lana in a Shark Tank match, and just have her stuck up there for an entire show. Everyone will love it. Renee hopes Lio Rush comes back to join Lashley. But as great as Lio returning to that role would be (for Renee, at least), Edge’s return has been huge for the WWE! And after the break, Edge makes a Backstage debut!

Edge is Backstage!

Nine long years, and the Rated R Superstar is back in the WWE ring! And now, after watching a highlight reel of fan reactions, he joins Renee and Christian on FS1. Christian says that last clip was the most obvious fake crying ever. Edge says Christian would know. Christian agrees, because he is soulless. “And so it begins.” But WrestleMania 36’s Last Man Standing Match was Edge’s first full match in the last nine years. How did it feel to be back? Edge says this year was so odd and different given what’s going on. He had to wrap his head around a way to still do this without the usual things, like a crowd. Then there was getting back in the groove and answer some questions he still had.

The Royal Rumble is one thing, even with Edge being in it for 25 minutes. But a singles match is much different. By the time he and Randy Orton were done, it was 40 minutes long and that actually surprised him. He felt he could’ve gone another two hours given how good he felt. That was a big test that proved he could do this again. Edge feels like he’s back at about where he was those nine years ago. Obviously, he still needs to tailor his style to fit his recovery and his age. And yes, he knows Beth Phoenix was “perturbed” after seeing him take some risks. But Last Man Standing needed things like that. And it felt good to be back in that “realm” as opposed to just getting time on a treadmill or stationary bike.

Christian says that Edge was one of the many superstars who had to adjust to empty arena wrestling. But many, including Christian, will say that those promos were some of Edge’s best ever. What does Edge feel about them? He enjoyed the promo aspect a lot. It allows more attention to detail, and you can hear that here, whereas it might get lost in front of a crowd. When fans aren’t there, you get to “show your chops.” That was a really cool part.

Before that first in-ring empty arena promo, Edge told the cameraman that he was “coming right down the barrel.” It surprised the guy but Edge said he had to. Edge had to go straight to camera so as to be straight to Orton and the audience. It was fun, like a monologue for stage theater. That has been the rewarding part. Edge does miss the audience, but we’re delving into areas we don’t normally get to, and that is a part of the craft that is new and fun.

Renee asks about other things in the build to WrestleMania that Edge and/or others had to adapt to. Edge says the change of mindset for promos was the biggest one. There is no audience to feed off of or interact with, so things become much more personal. You need to play to the camera or it’s just weird and inorganic. It feels more natural to talk to the camera. That’s how these have to be within these current circumstances. Renee says it is fresh, having come from being the backstage correspondent interviewing superstars. It was nice for them to now connect to the home audience. Edge agrees, because it allows for a more conversational and real style. He feels the WWE should bring that in.

And Edge is also thankful for the last nine years being on television show sets, because he has a whole new tool belt he didn’t have before. He might not have been prepared like he is now without that. Christian notes that Edge’s chemistry with Orton, like Christian’s own, was undeniable. How seamless was it for them to put the feud together? It was so natural. The moment Edge first came back, he said, “It has to be Randy.” Edge knows that when Orton can sink his teeth in, “there’s no one better.” When Orton is motivated, he is top notch in everything. In the ring, on the mic, Orton can take it to another level not even he knows he has. This feud did that for them both.

Before the quarantines, when Orton and Edge had crowds there, those reactions were as they thought and more. That first night, Orton’s first attack got fans screaming, and that told Edge this is above their expectations. It’s as Christian said about the instant chemistry. Orton has been someone like that for both Edge and Christian. It was so much fun. And after nine years off, Edge knew he was rusty and would need help, so again, who better than Orton? There was confidence and comfort but also that motivation and reality. Edge feels he fires Orton up and Orton fires him up. A lot of what they tapped into was truth. Renee says Edge’s return has definitely been a bright spot for us all during such a “tumultuous” 2020. The WWE 24 special really hit right in the feels, and we get a clip of it now.

Edge narrates that after nine years, there are questions. He can think he has this, but he won’t know until he goes out there and does it. Edge gets a good luck kiss for Beth, then Drew McIntyre ELIMINATES Brock Lesnar. Edge gets a good luck hug from Christian as he narrates, “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t know I could do it.” The countdown ends, the music hits, and the WWE Universe lost its collective mind! The reaction backstage was also great, with Shane McMahon at the helm and Matt Riddle raising his hands in joy. Beth was almost in tears, but of joy.

Back in the present, Renee admits she started WrestleMania’s second day with some crying of her own because of that documentary. But what was it like for him to watch it all back? “Insane.” Edge says the production team crushed it. And just being able to encapsulate “this happy accident.” The documentary wasn’t supposed to be that, and starts off with Edge saying as much. It starts with Edge framing “life after wrestling” and how he adapted. But then it became this “insanity” that is all caught on tape. That is the element that touches hearts the most. A thing that was never supposed to happen is caught on tape as it happens. It was lightning in a bottle, serendipity, etc. He isn’t sure how to put it himself, but Edge says being at the center of that “maelstrom of positivity” was wild.

And even more mind-blowing, the last time Edge was wrestling, fans didn’t record reactions to things. That phenomena just blew Edge away. “That was so humbling” just to know and see the effect he had on the fans. It reminds him of why he was a fan as a kid in the first place. Edge was with his uncle and they saw Hulk Hogan, and it took hold. There’s so much to this, and he’s grateful to Beth for being his rock. Shout out to the Glamazon!

Christian asks how integral Beth was in all this. Obviously, the documentary catches a glimpse, but what was her reaction to the match? They watched it together, and she wasn’t totally pleased about the DDT to the truck bed… But she’s happy and proud. Edge believes that if you can visualize something, you can manifest it. That’s what this is, and they were in this together. This only happened because Edge had a team around him. He has his nutritionist, his trainers, he has Beth and seam team that put his gear together for him. All of it came together but top secret, so that you could get that true reaction from fans. That reaction is so rare because so much gets announced or leaked. Protecting that secret was like protecting his baby. And it all worked out in the end.

Renee thanks Edge for taking the time to talk, and gives him congratulations on the great abs. Christian is glad they only now mentioned those. Christian had a vomit bag just in case. Edge says Christian is just upset because he’s going to go for his “dad walk” later. Go Canada! When and where will we get to see the Rated R Superstar again?

Wrestling with Your Feelings, with Rachel Bonnetta

FoxSports1’s resident “psychiatrist” is back, and has The Man come around. Becky Lynch joins Rachel for another session since the first one went so well. Rachel’s notes have how Becky said therapy is a crock, and then a bunch of expletives that can’t be repeated. How about they discuss Charlotte? NO. Well, Charlotte was sitting right there on the couch as she called Becky a peasant. Becky moves over to be on the other end of the couch.

Well, given all of Becky’s pent up anger and reluctance to discuss past relationships, Rachel wants to talk about Ronda Rousey. Becky mumbles about “that little weirdo.” Rachel notes how Becky calls herself “The Man.” Is this an identity crisis? No, Becky identifies as “The Man.” Does that make Becky feel more powerful to call herself that? DUH. Because Becky is the best thing in wrestling today. How does Rachel not get that? Does Becky feel like hitting Rachel? Yes, actually. Right now, even.

Rachel suggests Becky use an action figure as a substitute. Becky plays around with the Rachel action figure, and starts pulling on the head! She rips it right off and then goes after other limbs. Well that’s all for the session today. Rachel “taps out” and Becky throws the pieces at the wall. Becky storms out and Rachel says that was great progress.

The panel discusses the Steve-O’s Wild Ride with Ronda Rousey.

Needless to say, her comments on the podcast caused quite the stir. Ronda openly wondered what she’s doing pro-wrestling for if she can’t spend her time and energy on her family and instead must spend it on “a bunch of ****ing ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me.” She loves performing, she loves being out there with the other women, but at the end, “**** these fans, dude. My family loves me and they appreciate me, and I want all my energy to go into them.”

To follow up, the #KayfabeKiller had a Twitter rant to add on. “Anyone who is outraged by me calling pr wrestling ‘fake fights for fun’ has never been in a REAL fight. While you all are tip toeing around bruising some pro wrestlers’ huge soft egos – no one is thinking about all the REAL fighters you’re insulting when pretending pro wrestling is somehow on the same level of realism.” Ronda understands wrestling “300 days a year for years on end is incredibly tough on the body and a difficult profession – but do you know what would happen if you got in 300 REAL fights in a year? You would be dead.”

Naturally, there were responses from WWE wrestlers, such as Alexa Bliss. Alongside a gif from her own WWE 365 documentary, Alexa tweets, “Hm. Was out for almost a year. Must have been ‘fake’.” Nia Jax’s response reads, “I can’t wait for Ronda to one day return to WWE. Even if WWE orders me to make Ronda look good in the ring, which is the only way for Ronda to look good in the ring with me, I’ll risk my job to go down in history as the one from this biz that knocked her the **** out! #TestMeBitch”. WOW.

Renee asks CM Punk, who has been in both worlds and should understand both sides. What is Ronda up to? Quarantine crazy or a work? CM Punk says this is her doing her job. He loves this, because this is “pure chaos.” Work, shoot, whatever, it isn’t ending well but it will be fun to watch. It’s great to see a lot of people bite on the bait, it’s great to see people retort. People can bring up how Ronda got knocked out, how she’s gone soft, how she’s not a real fighter, only to also say she’s not a real pro-wrestler. The whole time, she’s got them in the palm of her hand. She says controversial things to push people’s buttons, but blurring the lines is when wrestling at its best.

But where things get messy is when you start saying, “What I do is real, everything else is phony.” That’s not thin ice, you’ve fallen through into ice water. They might have to tread lightly, but Ronda’s got us talking and Punk loves it.

Booker adds that the talk about ungrateful fans, he knows a lot about that. But talking about “fake fighting” and different worlds, Ronda of course was amazing in UFC. The WWE embraced her and put her on a pedestal by making her Raw Women’s Champion and putting her in the WrestleMania 35 main event. That is huge because everyone wants that spot. But Ronda is all but disqualifying herself from returning because she talks about it being fake. No one wants to see Ronda do fake fighting. Booker wants Ronda to go back to real fighting against a Holly Holm or Amanda Nunes. The WWE embraced Ronda even after her “catastrophic losses,” so for her to talk about pro-wrestling like that is disrespectful. Ronda should apologize because she just slapped every woman in that locker room.

Christian says that Ronda is a lightning rod. Even in her UFC career, she was booed by fans. Then the same happened in her WWE run near the end there. Ronda thrives when she feels disliked, but the word that bothers people is “fake.” It was a poor choice of words, perhaps. But as a wrestler, “fake” is the offensive word. We’re all passionate and protective, especially when it feels like someone is attacking. The instinct is to attack back, and we’ve seen that with Conor McGregor recently. Everyone jumps on and reacts, and then that person gets what they really wanted: attention. Booker says the difference is, Conor didn’t come to the WWE and pick up a huge check first. Yet.

Punk says he can sink his teeth into this debate. The genesis of Mixed Martial Arts in Japan was because of pro-wrestling. That became the Pride promotion. So if you’re to pick a side in this debate, the point is trying to disparage pro-wrestling. But Punk feels this could lead us to the long-anticipated Four Horsewomen VS Four Horsewomen. Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha and Becky VS Ronda, Shayna, Marina and Jessamyn. The honor of pro-wrestling against MMA fighters makes for a great story. Christian says they’re using pro-wrestling promos to sell fights, so why not. Punk says it is all entertainment in the end. And the women are still thriving in it all! Renee plugs next week’s WWE programming marathon on FS1! The Best of Becky, Ronda’s WWE 24, then the Best of Charlotte and the Becky WWE 24, all before a new Backstage!

Backstage discusses WWE’s cinematic matches!

WrestleMania Night 1 had the Boneyard Match! Night 2 had the Firefly Fun House Match! And even NXT’s unofficial TakeOver of USA Network had One Last Beat. Renee discusses 1v1 with CM Punk about these matches, and she personally loves them all. Punk’s take is that it has its good and its bad. His favorite is the Boneyard Match far and away because of the strong character in The Undertaker. Taker can shoot lightning out of his hands and teleport. He has the currency with the fans to do the “hokey” stuff, like the movie style exaggerated striking sound effects. You can’t really do that with guys who haven’t had the longevity, and it exposes things a little. In certain situations, big thumbs up. Just don’t beat it into the ground.

Backstage takes us back in time!

It was Raw on April 14, 2003 when Booker T teamed with The Hurricane to defeat the tag team of Ric Flair and HHH! With some help from Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash. To which, Booker DECKED HBK and left Nash speechless!

Renee asks what he said at the end there, and Booker says, “You don’t want to know.” But speaking of memories, Money in the Bank has become a big staple of the WWE. All three have been in the MITB but only CM Punk has come away Mr. MITB. What goes on putting a match like this together? Ask Christian, because he’s been in seven. But there’s always someone in the match that is the ring general. Punk was the new guy in his first official WrestleMania moment. Punk went along with whatever the others said, and Christian was in there helping direct traffic. There was a lot of stupid stuff as the young, hungry guy and Punk put his body on the line.

Booker was only in one, for good reason. He sucked! But he remembers going to Christian asking what he’s supposed to be doing. Christian says that the only reason he was in so many was to keep them together. Why didn’t he book himself to win? Well it was before his manly chest hair came in. But in seriousness, the toughest part of MITB is being aware of what you were doing, as well as everyone else. There are so many moving parts in the MITB ladder match, especially the ladders themselves. Ladders have minds of their own and anything can happen. The biggest thing relates back to the early days of tag team ladder matches, such as the original TLC. The prize changes the trajectory of the winner’s career, which is why they’re such special matches.

Renee asks about Punk and Christian being in the one match together. Christian got hit in the eye, because when Kofi Kingston dropkicks the ladder, it gets him in the face. Punk surely remembers that match, too. You can’t call stuff on the fly like other matches. Punk had to wait for Christian or Booker to do their spot, then he can come in, then Sheamus and so on. Like Christian says, wrestling with furniture can throw everything out of the window. Everything’s fine until Christian gets hit in the eye with a ladder and starts bleeding. Christian has to take time out of the match, and everyone else is left waiting.

Christian admits he’s terrified of needles, and yet had to have in his face in front of 70 thousand. But he managed to see what was going on, pushed past the doc but assured him he’d be back. Christian gets in, does a spot, then goes back to getting his face needled. So everyone came out a winner. Punk was the actual winner of the match, but still. Who knows what happens in this year’s MITB, but we all know it’ll be exciting.

Backstage goes Hollywood!

The WWE recently put out a Netflix original film, The Main Event! Renee says she had a lot of fun playing her part, and Backstage gives us a sample. Renee returns to NXT and to commentary alongside Corey Graves, but is a bit grim thinking someone’s gonna die in the Steel Cage match. “Oh I’m sorry. Have you seen the size of Kid Chaos?” Graves admits she has a point but assures the audience that no one will die. The action will be incredible, especially if someone dies.

Punk says Renee is a natural. Acting is like pro-wrestling, it is a natural extension of yourself. Main Event Renee is the extremely bloodthirsty Canadian within her. Booker liked it, and Christian notes she’s changed since that movie came out. Renee says it wasn’t just her dabbling in film. Booker was in WCW’s Ready to Rumble with David Arquette. But there’s also some classic footage to show off Booker’s acting chops. It was from the Road to WrestleMania 21, and while the now late great Eddie Guerrero was John Travolta’s Vincent Vega, Booker played Samuel L. Jackson’s role of Jules Winnfield in a parody of Pulp Fiction.

“Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! Now can you dig that, SUCKAAA?!” Tickets to WrestleMania 21!

What would it take to bring that hair back? Booker cracks up laughing, and Christian says Booker looks like he ate Samuel L. Jackson. If there is ever a reboot, Punk says Booker should absolutely get that same role. Or the guy who gets his head blown off. But that’s all, folks! Stay home, stay healthy and stay safe.

My Thoughts:

A really good episode jam packed with material. I just wish Punk had more to share about the cinematic matches, such as analysis of the stories they told. But other than that, it was great hearing from him and from Edge tonight. I do admit that while I was excited about Strowman VS Wyatt, this is too soon. Punk and the panel is right that Strowman should build his reign on someone else before coming back to his past with Bray. Strowman VS Nakamura would’ve been a great extended feud to go into MITB. At the same time, as they noted about a prolonged McIntyre VS Rollins feud, I could see the same for Strowman and Wyatt. There’s plenty of history for Wyatt to dig up and pick on in regards to Strowman, maybe both brands will have prolonged feuds for the top titles during Empty Arena Era.

I also like everyone’s comments on Ronda’s comments towards pro-wrestling. Booker and Christian point out something I don’t think too many others were. Ronda may be trying to do a worked shoot but it just writes herself into a corner. Why would she come back to something she says is fake and beneath MMA now? Though, I will say Nia’s tweet was some strong stuff that could do it in kayfabe. And I hope Punk is right about WWE finally getting on that Four Horsewomen VS Four Horsewomen battle. He predicted the tension between Lana and Lashley, so maybe his words will come true in time for Survivor Series 2020.