BY SACNILK

According to recent comments made by Paul Heyman to Ariel Helwani, Cody Rhodes emerged from his WrestleMania 39 match against Roman Reigns as a bigger star than he was prior to the event. Despite Rhodes' defeat, Heyman claimed that fans are now more invested in the wrestler than they were previously. ## Moreover, Paul Heyman drew comparisons between Reigns' current championship reign and the Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania streak, suggesting that Reigns' dominance has similarly captured the attention of audiences. ## The response tonight to Cody Rhodes, which was louder than the response last week to Cody Rhodes, which was a response more passionate tonight for Cody Rhodes, which was a response of an audience that believes in Cody Rhodes this week more than they did last week when they hung their hopes into dreams on him and he didn't disappoint them, we disappointed them. We took that away from Cody Rhodes. Roman Reigns took that away from Cody Rhodes and the audience. They blame Roman Reigns for it and they appreciate how close Cody came and they know, now, they know the next time Cody Rhodes steps in the ring with Roman Reigns, this will be the one. That's the business, that's the business at it's very best. That's promotion at its very best, that's storytelling at its very best. ## That's what you want, a challenger to come out a bigger star than he would have been if he had won the championship because then where do you go from there? What's the story to tell? Now you know the story, it's Cody's redemption. He's coming back from what was just taken from him, from the defeat he suffered that he didn't deserve to have inflicted upon him. ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

AEW's World Champion MJF has recently shared his thoughts on WWE's sale to Endeavor and its merger with UFC. According to reports, Endeavor has purchased WWE and plans to merge it with UFC to create a sports and entertainment behemoth. ## MJF, who has been hyping up the 'bidding war of 2024' and teasing a possible move to WWE when his AEW contract expires, is apparently still ready for a 'battle of the Khans' between AEW's Tony Khan and WWE President Nick Khan. ## During a media session in Long Island, after being presented with the Key to the Town of Oyster Bay, MJF stated that he remains prepared for the possibility of a bidding war between AEW and WWE. He also commented on how the merger could bring a whole new format to WWE. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future. ## Discussing the merger, MJF said: ## “It’s exciting. A rising tide lifts all ships. The more professional wrestling is in the media, the better, which is why as World Champion. The best thing Tony Khan ever did was give me the opportunity to wrestler for the belt and beat that loser Jon Moxley so I can rise the ship that is All Elite Wrestling. ## “Now, AEW, when you talk about professional wrestling, you can’t not talk about AEW and you damn sure can’t not talk about Maxwell Jacob Friedman. So, I think both companies right now are white hot, I think in my opinion, (holding up AEW World Title) this is THE belt. ## “If you want to be at the pinnacle of our profession, as a professional wrestler, this is the belt to win, this is the belt to hold, and I’m the guy to beat. Ain’t nobody gonna beat me, because I’m a Long Islander and you can’t beat a Long Islander. ## “If you’re asking how often I think about money – often. That’s the answer to the question. It’s a battle of the Khans! We’ll see who wins. What I will say right now, I’m very happy to be the face of my promotion. I’m very happy to be the biggest minute-for-minute draw on Wednesday nights by a freakin’ landslide – no offense to anybody else on the roster, it’s just a fact. “Tony Khan is very fortunate to have me and I have a feeling he’s doing to do whatever it takes to keep it as such.” ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

Professional wrestler Fred Rosser, previously known by his ring name Darren Young, recently delighted fans with a heartwarming reunion. The NJPW star took to social media to share a photo of himself backstage at the April 3 WWE Raw taping with his former tag team partner Titus O'Neil. ## Currently a member of NJPW's US 'STRONG' brand, Rosser is also actively involved in coaching at the promotion's US Dojo situated in the city of Los Angeles. His dedication to the sport and commitment to nurturing new talent make him a respected figure in the world of professional wrestling. ## The City of Angels recently played host to WWE's grandest event of the year, WrestleMania. As part of the festivities, the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw was filmed at the impressive Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles. ## During WWE's stay in the city, Fred Rosser took the opportunity to visit his former stomping grounds. The wrestler was thrilled to catch up with his former tag team partner, Titus O'Neil. Rosser's visit to WWE's headquarters was a reminder of his dedication to the sport, and a testament to the strong relationships that are formed in the world of professional wrestling. ## Sharing the photo on Twitter, Rosser wrote: ## Let us remind you… BROWN DON’T BREAK DOWN &🗣️ PTP in the house!!!@TitusONeilWWE 💰💜 ## #KnowYourWorth #MillionsOfDollars #rawaftermania #BlockTheHate #PRIMETIMEPLAYERS @wwe @njpwglobal @NJPWofAmerica ## It is worth noting that Rosser and O'Neil have a significant history in the world of professional wrestling, having teamed up as the Prime Time Players. The duo achieved a major milestone in their career when they captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in June 2015, cementing their status as a formidable force in the tag team division. ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

Big E's tenure as WWE Champion left many fans feeling disappointed, a sentiment that was shared by the wrestling star himself. ## In 2021, Big E emerged victorious in the Money in the Bank contract match, which granted him the opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship at any time of his choosing. He announced his intention to cash in on the same day he won the contract, waiting for the right moment to strike. He ultimately chose to cash in after Bobby Lashley successfully defended his championship against Randy Orton, seizing the title for himself. ## However, Big E's reign was short-lived, as he lost the championship at the Day 1 event in January of 2022. Brock Lesnar was able to pin him in a grueling five-way match, putting an end to his time as WWE Champion. As a result of the loss, Big E was transferred to the SmackDown brand, where he joined forces with his longtime partners in The New Day. ## While speaking with PopCulture, Big E looked back on the title reign: ## “It was a great learning experience for me. It was one of those things where if I’m being honest, I wanted more. I didn’t feel like I had the best reign. I feel like there was a lot of meat left on the bone. A lot more that we could have done there,” Big E stated. “For me, I was really fortunate and really blessed to have that opportunity and really grateful for it as well.” ## Really feeling like I’m meant to do this. For, for me, in many ways, even though I wanted more out of the reign and felt like a lot more could have been accomplished in-ring and on TV, SmackDown, Raw. As much as I have those feelings, I’m also so grateful for the opportunity and so grateful for so many doors that have opened because of that run.” ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

n a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Paul Heyman, the advisor to the Bloodline, shared his thoughts on various topics related to the wrestling industry. One of the topics discussed was Roman Reigns' undefeated streak at WrestleMania, which Heyman compared to The Undertaker's legendary undefeated run. ## Heyman was also asked about his thoughts on Reigns' title defense against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39, which had just taken place at the time of the interview. Heyman responded with high praise, noting the intensity of the match and Reigns' impressive skills and athleticism. Heyman also commended Rhodes for being a worthy opponent, making the match exciting to watch. ## “I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to digest it yet. I like the fact that everyone walks in now thinking this is the last title defense. I experienced this before with something I had a hand in ending, which was The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. ## Every year you sat there and you said, ‘Oh, this is it.’ During the match, the audience is actually anticipating and salivating for this to be the moment that they get to witness the historical three count on The Undertaker to which the streak would finally end. ## Then of course when The Undertaker would defend the streak, they said, ‘Oh yeah, I don’t want to see this end. I can’t wait for the next chapter’, and then it finally ended and the audience was shocked because they thought they would see it. They thought they would see it. They thought they would, and no they didn’t get to see it. This was year after, year after year, and then they finally got to see it.” ## “I think that’s the same thing with Roman Reigns’ title defenses now. You hope this is the one. You think this is the one. You’re sure this is the one. You watch the match happening, and you go, ‘You know this is the one’, and then it turns out not to be the one. ‘Oh, man. I can’t wait to see the next chapter.’” ## “The response tonight to Cody Rhodes, which was louder than the response last week to Cody Rhodes, which was a response more passionate tonight for Cody Rhodes, which was a response of an audience that believes in Cody Rhodes this week more than they did last week when they hung their hopes and their dreams on him. He didn’t disappoint them. We disappointed them. We took that away from Cody Rhodes. Roman Reigns took that away from Cody Rhodes and the audience, and they blame Roman Reigns for it. They appreciate how close Cody came, and they know now, they know, the next time Cody Rhodes steps in the ring with Roman Reigns, this will be the one.” ## “That’s the business. That’s the business at its very best. That’s promotion at its very best. That’s storytelling at its very best. That’s what you want. You want the challenger to come out a bigger star than he would have been if he had won the championship because then where do you go from there? What’s the story to tell? Now you know the story. It’s Cody’s redemption. He’s coming back from what was just taken from him from the defeat that he suffered that he didn’t deserve to have inflicted upon him.” ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.