— Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon recently celebrated his 80th birthday in New York City, hosting a party that featured several notable names from the wrestling world.
The gathering marked a surprising connection between McMahon and the current WWE roster, especially given the company’s efforts to distance itself from him following his 2024 exit.
Drew McIntyre was among the attendees, though he stayed quiet when asked about the event by “Adam Apple,” responding with the following, “So I’m not going to comment on it on the internet, am I?”
Other guests included The Undertaker, John Cena, JBL, Sheamus, The Miz, Maryse, Titus O’Neil, and Bruce Prichard.
McIntyre shares a long history with McMahon, who reintroduced him to WWE in 2009 and famously dubbed him a “future World Champion.” That prediction came to pass at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, when McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to capture his first of three WWE World Titles.
— Roman Reigns has delivered countless promos in WWE and has a sharp understanding of what can and can’t be said on television.
On a recent episode of the “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Reigns reflected on the “old WWE” under Vince McMahon and the company’s strict language policies. He noted that certain words were outright banned. He said,
“That’s old WWE… We can’t say violence. They told me that before. No, we don’t do that no more. It’s violent as hell.”
Reigns also remembered a storyline where his character was abducted, but WWE’s commentary team was not allowed to describe it as a kidnapping.
Similarly, injured wrestlers were always said to be taken to a “nearby medical facility” rather than a hospital. While WWE has since relaxed on some of these restrictions, the hospital ban was reportedly put in place to prevent fans from showing up at local hospitals near the arenas.
— Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes Raja Jackson would have killed Syko Stu at a recent KnokX Pro Wrestling event if other wrestlers hadn’t stepped in.
Jackson unleashed a barrage of punches on an unconscious Stu and only stopped when fellow talent physically pulled him away.
Speaking on his “BroDown” podcast, Russo said he was convinced Stu’s life was saved by one wrestler’s quick intervention. He said,
“There is no doubt in my mind that one wrestler saved that dude’s life. He was not stopping, bro. If that one guy didn’t take him down, he would have killed that man in the middle of the ring without a shadow of a doubt.
Even in MMA, the code is when you’ve got a guy knocked unconscious, you stop. That’s it. Stu was clearly out, and this guy kept going. He wasn’t getting off of anybody.”
Jackson’s actions have drawn outrage across the wrestling community. He has since been banned from all future KnokX Pro Wrestling events.
In the fallout, KnokX Pro has lost its standing as a WWE ID affiliate, while police have launched an investigation.
Stu was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition but is now awake and alert.
