WWE Backstage continues FoxSports1’s ladies’ night!
Join Renee Young, Ember Moon, Natalya and WWE Hall of Famer, Beth Phoenix, in a special women’s revolution edition!
The panel welcomes us to the show!
After FS1’s marathon of The Best of WWE: Becky Lynch, WWE 24: The Year of Ronda Rousey, The Best of WWE: Charlotte Flair, and WWE 24: Becky Lynch: The Man, the Women’s (R)Evolution continues! For the first time, the Shenom, the Glamazon and the Queen of Harts are on the same episode together! Beth confirms Edge is on “Dad duty” so Mama can enjoy ladies’ night. Natty has a cutout of Uncle Bret but Renee teases that they need a TJ (Tyson Kidd) one. But with WrestleMania far in the rear view, we move ever closer to Money in the Bank! Things are heating up, but for now, here’s…
Just the Highlights!
On SmackDown: Sonya Deville reveals the reason she betrayed Mandy! It’s not out of love, but out of loathing for “the most selfish human being” Sonya’s ever met. Fire & Desire has broken up but Otis will always be there for his “Sweet Peach.” Meanwhile, the NEW WWE Universal Champion’s past is coming back to haunt him. Will Bray Wyatt #GetTheseHands? Or just get inside the head of the Monster Among Men. And then, Lacey Evans makes sure Bayley doesn’t screw over Tamina, and now both the Sassy Southern Belle and Samoan Steamroller have big money matches! Will Lacey shut down Banks while Tamina goes for gold? And speaking of gold, the NEW~ DAY~ are EIGHT TIME W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~! Big E won for his brothers in positivity, but will eight be great for ya bois?
On Raw: Aleister Black is headed to Money in the Bank! Will he climb the “corporate ladder” and make all others #FadeToBlack? The Monday Night Messiah accepts Drew McIntyre’s challenge to fight for the WWE World Championship, but not because he wants to. It’s because he has to. The Queen of Spades BROKE one poor Indi Hartwell not because she had to, but because she wanted to. And speaking of McIntyre, he took the fight back to Zelina Vega’s team, and left them down and out in #ClaymoreCountry. Will he do the same when Seth Rollins comes to #BurnItDown?
The panel discusses the week.
The MITB matches are filling up, but they’re taking a unique turn! This year’s matches will be at WWE headquarters in Connecticut! All 12 entrants will enter Titan Towers and head for the roof, where there will be a ring and ladders to still climb up and grab for the briefcases! What does everyone think about this change to an already considerable challenge?
Beth says that first of all, not even a competitor with MITB experience will know what to do. This new environment creates a level playing field. It is no longer an advantage to be an MITB veteran. There will be different weapons, different obstacles, and there might still be others inside that “corporate arena.” There is a gym in there, after all. Perhaps weights can be weaponized. What part will the elevators play? There are so many variables in this, so this is a brand new challenge. Ember adds that she’s really into it. This is a Hardcore match with a whole new environment. And just like Beth said, will there be random intertwining with the WWE 24/7 Championship? Renee sure hopes so!
Ember continues to agree with Beth that anyone could show up. There are so many fun things to think about, but the best thing is that there are fresh faces getting an opportunity. Apollo Crews qualified and he deserves this opportunity because of all his hard work. Ember felt like Apollo might get emotional after his win, but he still has THE match to go through. There is the ladder on the roof, putting a superstar at at least 20 stories up in the air! That’s scary! Beth agrees with Ember’s point on Apollo. MITB has traditionally been a star making match. It is an opportunity for someone working hard yet hasn’t had “that platform” to showcase what they can do. Beth feels Apollo will surprise the world with this match. We might even get a surprise winner out of this.
Natty agrees with that, too. This is an awesome move, especially during this time of being without the live crowd. It is a challenging time, obviously, but also an exciting time for everyone to push themselves and think outside the box! The superstars can build on each other’s energies and “create new rules” in a way. The crowd is usually who you play off of, but without them, now it’s time to “color outside the lines” and push boundaries! And to piggyback off of what everyone’s said about Apollo, Natty thinks back to when TJ was in his first MITB. TJ was so excited because he hadn’t gotten that opportunity before. Seeing these opportunities go to those who have been waiting, both Apollo and Dana Brooke, for example, this is an exciting time. There could be surprise winners, and even same-night cash-ins!
One competitor to keep an eye on in the Women’s Division is Asuka! Especially if you consider her practice routine. Asuka tweets a video of her playing old school Donkey Kong! If Mario can climb to save Pauline, can Asuka climb to become Ms. MITB? Beth says there are similar principles. Ducking and dodging go a long way to advancing. Natty has experience in Ladder matches, too, but how would being on the roof and still having the ladder match, what would that do? Natty confirms that being on even a 12 foot ladder is scary. Now add that it’s the WWE HQ, who knows who might end up in Vince McMahon’s office! Take the briefcase to the house! Natty says Vince’s office is wild, it has a real dinosaur skull in there!
But at the same time, that’s what’s cool about this match. Anything and everything could happen, and Natty loves the unpredictability. This is shaping up to be really cool, but her favorite part is that, given the tough times in the world, the WWE continues to think outside the box and find ways to entertain everyone. That’s a cool feeling. Renee says the adaptability is really interesting. The Boneyard Match, the Firefly Fun House, and now MITB at Titan Towers. WWE switching stuff up for a match that’s been around for some time now, this will add a special little something to hook the fans. From the fan standpoint, Renee will soak it all in.
Beth notes on the fear of heights that Natty brings. Being on top of a ladder is scary enough. Someone is going to be on top of a ladder, inside a ring, on the roof of a building! If you have a fear of heights, this is the worst situation ever. And even then, there’s also the competition happening! The winner will be who digs deep and brings out some courage from within. Ember says that is going to make this match even better. Sitting at home as a fan, watching everyone each night, Ember feels there is even more aggression and passion right now. Without the crowd, you are 100% focused on the other people in the ring, and 100% focused on destroying them. And yes, Ember is referencing Shayna here.
Shayna is the favorite in Ember’s mind, because we’ve seen how relentless she has been. Ember’s not sure how many people will even be able to make it to the roof. Shayna just snaps arms like nobody’s business. But speaking of breaking, Backstage takes a break, but promises to return with a classic showdown that helped spark the Women’s (R)Evolution!
