Brother Nero, WWE Backstage knew you’d come!
WWE Backstage has the onscreen return of Jeff Hardy! What will the Charismatic Enigma have to say about what Randy Orton did to his brother?
Renee Young introduces the panel!
She, Booker T and Mark Henry are once again joined by Paige in Fox Sports Studios. Happy birthday to Booker! Big Daddy Latty is the big 55 and he’s still GOODT. But what a whirlwind week for WWE as we approach WrestleMania 36! Just five days away from Elimination Chamber and tensions are running high. In case you missed it, here’s…
Just the Highlights!
For Super Showdown: The Phenomenal One thought he’d be the Tuwaiq Mountain Champion, but the PHENOM made sure he wasn’t! Ricochet went to Suplex City and was quickly conquered by the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World, BRRROCK, LESNARRR! But your NEW WWE Universal Champion is GOLD~BERG after he gave The Fiend FOUR Spears and a Jackhammer!
For SmackDown: Naomi may not be SmackDown Women’s Champion but she did get the pin on Bayley in a tag team payback match! And while Bray Wyatt was last, Roman Reigns says he’s NEXT! The Monster Among Men won’t just face one man but THREE in his defense of the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Sunday! And while John Cena wanted to take a step back from WrestleMania, The Fiend forces his hand. Who walks out of Tamba still intact?
For Raw: The Street Profits are up and they’re the NEW Raw Tag Team Champions! Paul Heyman talked big talk for Brock Lesnar, but Drew McIntyre made Lesnar eat those words, and his boot! The Queen of Spades made the Pirate Princess take a nap, but The Man boldly proclaims the title isn’t going anywhere. The Viper explained #WhyOrtonWhy and it didn’t sit well with Beth Phoenix. She slapped Randy but he gave her an RKO!
The panel discusses this week in WWE.
Two major WrestleMania matches have been put in place thanks to SmackDown. Goldberg VS Roman and Cena VS The Fiend, what does Booker T think? Booker says that the internet was ablaze! Just like Stone Cold, The Rock and HHH, Goldberg is one of those guys that promoters want to use for as long as possible because they print money! Booker says Goldberg was the perfect person to take the title off Bray Wyatt, so he’s all for it. And Renee says this gives us somewhere to go in Goldberg VS Roman. Boston’s reaction was perfect. Mark Henry says Cena going out there was the most exciting thing the past 12 months. Booker talks over and Henry jokes that this birthday might be his last.
But as Henry was saying, he would love to see more things like this. The fans were fired up for a good three minutes when he got out there. Paige says that the best thing about Cena is his ring psychology. Fans duel and chant but then they all end up on Cena’s side by the end. Booker adds that Cena is also money. Fans get to a point where they miss a guy like Cena so his return is huge. Renee says they weren’t sure if Cena was actually saying he’s done. He didn’t come out in a salmon pink blazer, nod to Henry, but now we’ve got a Mania match. “Nothing says a lie like a pink jacket.”
Bringing things around to Super Showdown and the internet outrage, The Undertaker taking out AJ Styles with one Choke Slam really riled some fans up. What does the panel think about the Dead Man’s dominant return?
Paige says Styles was the one who turned his back on Taker and left himself open. Henry, Booker and Renee agree, Styles has been around too long to fall for that one. But at the same time, that’s getting caught up in the moment, going back to being a fan. Styles gets to regroup, though, and goes into Mania against Taker. This will be the biggest moment for Styles. And the story already is great, with Styles feeling tough beating up on a beat-up Aleister Black and sending a message to Taker. Styles is getting a big rub going into Mania against Taker. Henry notes that Aleister isn’t a nobody, he’s a former NXT Champion and a rising star in the business.
And of course, the panel must discuss Beth Phoenix returning to Raw and Orton confronting her. What a moment! Just getting right to it, Paige is so emotional. She hasn’t been that into it in a long time. She wants to see Orton VS Edge or whoever as the main event so badly! Paige could relate to all those stories, from Edge’s neck to Orton’s struggles. Beth sells the RKO masterfully and it sells Paige on the story. Renee says it isn’t often Orton is vulnerable on camera like that. It adds so much to the story, it really is the main event. If Henry had the pen, he’d make it the main event, too. Henry never tweeted during a show until this, complimenting it as Shakespearean. That was not scripted, it was real and passionate.
Booker adds that Orton was being Orton. That was something new even from Orton. You never put your hands on a woman, but Booker’s mama always said, “if you big enough to pass a lick, you big enough to take one.” Paige’s parents and Henry’s parents must’ve read from the same book. That’s just old school. Who needs enemies when you have friends like Orton?
