Deadman on NXT 🪦, Cope Nearing Retirement ⏳, NWO vs Gorilla?! 🦍

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Thursday, April 30th, 2025

Good morning. Today we look back at Backlash 2006, where Vince and Shane McMahon defeated Shawn Michaels and his "tag partner" God (yes, really), and John Cena retained the WWE Title in a Triple Threat main event. We’ve got full results from WWE NXT, a preview for AEW Dynamite, and all the latest on John Cena’s upcoming title defense, Cody Rhodes’ post-Mania silence, Cope’s AEW contract timeline, Buddy Matthews opening up about Rhea Ripley, and much more. Let’s dig in!

🗓️ On This Day - 1989

The McMahons Defeat Shawn Michaels…and God?!

19 years ago today, WWE Backlash aired live from Lexington, Kentucky, featuring one of the most bizarre matches in company history. Under No Holds Barred rules, Vince and Shane McMahon defeated Shawn Michaels and his “chosen” tag partner — God — in what was essentially a handicap match filled with theatrics and chaos. In the main event, John Cena retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match against Edge and Triple H. Earlier in the night, Rob Van Dam defeated Shelton Benjamin to capture the Intercontinental Title while also keeping possession of his Money in the Bank briefcase.

Vince has had a lot of insane ideas over the years, but this is definitely up there!

WWE NXT Results (April 29th, 2025)
Full Match Results & Highlights

NXT aired live from the CW studio in Orlando with a packed card featuring two title defenses, a main event tag featuring IYO SKY and Jordynne Grace, and Trick Williams staking his claim as the face of multiple promotions. The night also featured more fallout from Joe Hendry's TNA involvement, and Trick was told he'd need to win a 25-man battle royal next week to get back in the title picture.

Joe Hendry was attacked by Darkstate. Hendry opened the show by calling out Trick Williams but was ambushed by Darkstate instead, who left him laid out with their assisted powerbomb. Later, Hendry was shown being checked on by Hank & Tank, who offered backup anytime—just say “honk honk.”

Ricky Saints def. Lexis King to retain the NXT North American Championship. Saints battled through a bloodied nose and overcame King’s aggressive offense to hit a tornado DDT and Roshambo for the win.

Tony D’Angelo called out Stacks for betrayal. Tony spoke from the ring about loyalty and betrayal, while Stacks appeared on the tron flanked by D’Angelo Family goons. After Tony fought off security, he vowed that Stacks would have to come take his spot by force.

Sol Ruca def. Karmen Petrovic. Despite outside help from Zaria and a competitive showing by Petrovic, Ruca landed the Sol Snatcher for the win. Post-match, Karmen shut up Ashante Adonis with a roundhouse kick for berating her.

Trick Williams declared he's bigger than NXT. Trick said Joe Hendry didn’t belong in NXT and bragged about beating him at TNA Rebellion. Ava Raine scolded him and told him he’d have to win a 25-man battle royal next week to earn another title shot at Oba Femi.

War Raiders def. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh. With help from Carlito and interference from Penta, the War Raiders hit War Machine on McDonagh to pick up a chaotic win over Judgment Day.

Undertaker confronted Oba Femi. Oba was praised by the Deadman, but warned that LFG was coming for him soon, setting up a future clash between Oba and a new trio of challengers.

Hank & Tank def. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship. In a hard-hitting match, the champs used their assisted powerslam on Briggs for the win after miscommunication between Inamura and his partner.

Sol Ruca will not defend her title next week. Zaria told Kelani Jordan she’d have to go through her first if she wanted a shot at Sol, leading to a likely match between the two.

The Culling and Meta-Four teased changes. Meta-Four disbanded amicably so its members could pursue solo opportunities, while Shawn Spears advised The Culling backstage to stay focused and trust his leadership.

IYO SKY & Jordynne Grace def. Roxanne Perez & Giulia. After an explosive and evenly-matched tag main event, SKY secured the win for her team with a diving moonsault on Perez. Backstage, Ava Raine announced a #1 contender’s match next week between Giulia and Grace to determine Stephanie Vaquer’s next challenger.

🔮 AEW Dynamite Preview (April 30th, 2025)
Full Match Card and Lineup

Live Tonight, 8pm EST on MAX and TBS

• All Star 8-Man Tag: Kenny Omega, Mark Briscoe, Speedball Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight vs. The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Ricochet (This should be sick 😃)

• Owen Hart Tournament Semi-Finals: Kyle Fletcher vs. Hangman Adam Page

• We’ll hear from AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Hurt Syndicate

• We’ll hear from MJF

Latest WWE News, Rumors & Updates

🏆 John Cena Announced For WWE Special

John Cena is geared up for a comeback to Tampa, Florida. After clinching a record 17th World Championship at WrestleMania 41, Cena had promised to retire as the undisputed champion by 2025. 'I came back to WWE for 36 dates,' he said, with 27 left. Now, Triple H has confirmed Cena's appearance at Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 24. Cena will also defend his title against Randy Orton at Backlash on May 10.

👶 WWE's Corey Graves & Carmella Reveal She's Pregnant

Corey Graves and Leah Van Dale (Carmella) are expanding their family! The WWE NXT commentator and his partner broke the news on Instagram, teasing, 'Our new chapter begins this fall.' The reveal was made with a stylish photo shoot near a desert road. This joyful news comes amidst some career upheavals for both: Graves was shifted to the NXT roster while Van Dale became a free agent after WWE decided not to renew her contract earlier this year.

🗡️ Becky Lynch Branded “Backstabbing Liar” As WrestleMania Fall-Out Continues

WWE's Becky Lynch admitted to attacking Bayley, sparking a feud with Lyra Valkyria, her former tag team partner. “Did you see how quickly she ran away from me in that ring? She’s always been running her mouth, stepping on people, and then leaving,” vented Valkyria, who ended up losing the Women’s Tag Team Championship with Lynch. The pair is set to face off at Backlash on May 10 with Valkyria's Women’s Intercontinental Championship on the line.

🤼‍♂️ WWE RAW 4/28/2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

This week's WWE Raw brought a mix of highs and lows. Fans were not thrilled about Logan Paul challenging Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship, citing Paul's lack of popularity and other deserving contenders. However, the women's matches stole the show, specially Roxanne Perez vs Rhea Ripley and Stephanie Vaquer vs Ivy Nile. The New Day's current storyline and GUNTHER's feud with Pat McAfee received negative feedback. On a brighter note, Lyra Valkyria's passionate promo and Seth Rollins' latest manipulative tactics with Bron Breakker kept fans hooked.

🥊 Cody Rhodes’ absence after WrestleMania hurts his character more than a loss

Cody Rhodes' defeat at WrestleMania 41 faced backlash when he failed to retaliate after a brutal attack from John Cena, Travis Scott, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. His subsequent absence from the ring has raised eyebrows. 'What’s wrong with you? You’re a damn fool,' said WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray. While Rhodes' hesitance was seen as a character flaw, his absence could potentially damage his reputation more. Fans are now eagerly awaiting Rhodes' explanation for his retreat.

💼 WWE's Seth Rollins Outlines 'Business Relationship' With Paul Heyman

Seth Rollins recently elaborated on his new alliance with Paul Heyman on 'The Rich Eisen Show.' 'This is a business relationship and that's the beauty of it,' Rollins stated, boldly claiming to be smarter and more reliable than Heyman's former partners, CM Punk and Roman Reigns. He also expressed confidence in their shared commitment to the industry, stating, 'Paul Heyman is dedicated to this industry. He will always do what is best for business and so will I.'

💥 Why Nic Nemeth Says WWE Talent Probably 'Pissed Off' By Pat McAfee Promo

Nic Nemeth, TNA star, recently shared on 'Busted Open Radio' that Pat McAfee's different approach to his promo on 'Raw' might have ruffled some feathers backstage. McAfee’s promo was uncharacteristic of WWE style and he got a unique opportunity to swear and set up a match. Nemeth empathized with less featured talents, saying, 'So if I'm on that roster, I would've been kind of pissed off...I'd be pissed.'

👊 It looks like Jey Uso’s first world title defense will be against Logan Paul

Logan Paul made quite the splash on Monday Night Raw, setting his sights on World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso. The confrontation saw Paul vowing to become the 'real champion,' only to receive a superkick in response. True to form, Paul later ambushed Uso backstage, leading to speculation that a showdown might be on the cards for the upcoming Backlash event. 'Maybe that’s where these two will square up?' A question on everyone's minds after this week’s episode of Raw.

Latest AEW News, Rumors & Updates

🥊 Aleister Black Proud Of AEW Rivalry That Ended In Disaster

In a recent podcast, Aleister Black reminisced about his AEW rivalry with Adam Copeland, marking it as one of his top five wrestling experiences. Their feud culminated in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match at Double or Nothing 2024 where Copeland defeated Black but ended up with a broken leg. 'The cage match was definitely one of my favorite matches in AEW. He was very giving and we had such a blast in there,' Black stated, also sharing his plans of wrestling for another five to eight years.

⏳ Cope: I Figure I Have Until 53, The End Of This Contract, And Then It's Probably Time To Call It...

AEW wrestler Cope has hinted at his retirement, revealing in a recent interview that he expects to hang up his wrestling boots by the time he turns 53. Following an attack by FTR on AEW Dynasty, Cope has been off-air, making appearances at Toronto Maple Leafs games instead. "Not much longer. The schedule is far better than what it used to be...I've realized now, I'm 51 years old, I figure I have until maybe 53, the end of this contract, and then it's probably time to call it a day," Cope shared. His return to AEW TV remains uncertain.

🏀 NBA Playoff lead-in helps Collision to one of its biggest audiences ever

AEW Collision's recent 'Playoff Palooza' episode, which aired after TNT's coverage of the NBA Playoffs, attracted its third-highest viewership ever at 707,000 viewers. Despite the .21 demo rating being on par with their previous month's ratings, the NBA lead-in contributed to a solid viewership. Collision, which usually starts at 8 p.m., will be moving to TBS this weekend due to TNT's Avengers movie marathon. We’ll see what results that experiment produces.

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