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BY SACNILK

Jacy Jayne has reached another milestone in her WWE career after defeating Giulia to win the WWE Women’s United States Championship. Now that she has had time to take in her victory, Jane has spoken about becoming a main roster champion, her years in NXT, and what she wants to do with the title. During an interview with Not Sam Wrestling, Jane discussed her championship victory and explained why finally becoming a singles champion on WWE's main roster means so much to her. She also talked about the wrestlers she wants to face and her desire to help bring more attention to women's wrestling. Jane said winning the title feels right after spending so much of her career working toward opportunities as a singles wrestler. Before winning the Women's United States Championship, Jane had already held the NXT Women's Championship. However, she explained that she had spent a long time waiting for the chance to compete for singles gold after being part of a tag team for much of her early WWE run. Speaking about having the championship around her waist, Jane said: “Yeah, I feel great. You know, it felt kind of weird not having a title around my waist. I feel like I'm right back where I need to be and my first main roster title and I'm ready to kick ass.” Jane also reflected on the period when she was waiting for her chance as a singles wrestler. According to the WWE star, she had been waiting for the opportunity for a long time and felt ready when it finally came. She explained: “Honestly, I felt like I waited so long for that opportunity to just have a title match to be a singles competitor because I was always in a tag team. So, I waited so long for that moment and when it finally came, I was ready and there was no looking back. I was like, ‘This is what, you know, I should have been doing this whole time.’ So, now I just want to rub it in everyone's face and I just keep trying to set the bar higher and higher. There's no going back. There's only forward.” Jane spent around five years in NXT before arriving on the main roster. While she admitted that she sometimes became frustrated while waiting for her call-up, she now believes the extra time helped her prepare for WWE's two-hour weekly shows. She also thanked Shawn Michaels for keeping her in NXT and helping her develop as a performer. “If I had come up two years ago or whatever the case was, like there's no way I would be in this kind of position. I wouldn't have been ready, you know? I probably would have sunk. So, thank you, Shawn Michaels, for keeping me around and helping me get better even when I was annoying about it.” Now holding the Women's United States Championship, Jane has already discussed the type of matches she wants during her reign. She said there are several women on the WWE roster whom she has not yet wrestled and mentioned Tiffany Stratton as someone with whom she believes she has good chemistry. Jane said: “There's nothing more that I love than having like a five-star classic match. You know, I would love to get—there's so many girls on the roster that I haven't been able to work yet that I think I would have great chemistry with. I thought me and Tiffany had great chemistry. Tiffany is tough as hell. So props to Tiffany.” Jane's approach to her championship reign also fits with the character she has built throughout her WWE career. She said she enjoys being booed and does not want to change her personality simply because she is now a champion. “I don't want to be cheered. I want you to hate me. I want you to try to attack me in the parking lot. I want old school. That's the kind of heat I want.” With her first main roster championship now secured, Jane wants to defend the Women's United States Championship, face new opponents and keep giving WWE fans reasons to boo her. For JC Jane, the win over Giulia is only the beginning of her run with WWE's Women's United States Championship.

BY SACNILK

JC Jane has reached another milestone in her WWE career after defeating Giulia to win the WWE Women’s United States Championship. Now that she has had time to take in her victory, Jane has spoken about becoming a main roster champion, her years in NXT, and what she wants to do with the title. During an interview with Not Sam Wrestling, Jane discussed her championship victory and explained why finally becoming a singles champion on WWE's main roster means so much to her. She also talked about the wrestlers she wants to face and her desire to help bring more attention to women's wrestling. Jane said winning the title feels right after spending so much of her career working toward opportunities as a singles wrestler. Before winning the Women's United States Championship, Jane had already held the NXT Women's Championship. However, she explained that she had spent a long time waiting for the chance to compete for singles gold after being part of a tag team for much of her early WWE run. Speaking about having the championship around her waist, Jane said: “Yeah, I feel great. You know, it felt kind of weird not having a title around my waist. I feel like I'm right back where I need to be and my first main roster title and I'm ready to kick ass.” Jane also reflected on the period when she was waiting for her chance as a singles wrestler. According to the WWE star, she had been waiting for the opportunity for a long time and felt ready when it finally came. She explained: “Honestly, I felt like I waited so long for that opportunity to just have a title match to be a singles competitor because I was always in a tag team. So, I waited so long for that moment and when it finally came, I was ready and there was no looking back. I was like, ‘This is what, you know, I should have been doing this whole time.’ So, now I just want to rub it in everyone's face and I just keep trying to set the bar higher and higher. There's no going back. There's only forward.” Jane spent around five years in NXT before arriving on the main roster. While she admitted that she sometimes became frustrated while waiting for her call-up, she now believes the extra time helped her prepare for WWE's two-hour weekly shows. She also thanked Shawn Michaels for keeping her in NXT and helping her develop as a performer. “If I had come up two years ago or whatever the case was, like there's no way I would be in this kind of position. I wouldn't have been ready, you know? I probably would have sunk. So, thank you, Shawn Michaels, for keeping me around and helping me get better even when I was annoying about it.” Now holding the Women's United States Championship, Jane has already discussed the type of matches she wants during her reign. She said there are several women on the WWE roster whom she has not yet wrestled and mentioned Tiffany Stratton as someone with whom she believes she has good chemistry. Jane said: “There's nothing more that I love than having like a five-star classic match. You know, I would love to get—there's so many girls on the roster that I haven't been able to work yet that I think I would have great chemistry with. I thought me and Tiffany had great chemistry. Tiffany is tough as hell. So props to Tiffany.” Jane's approach to her championship reign also fits with the character she has built throughout her WWE career. She said she enjoys being booed and does not want to change her personality simply because she is now a champion. “I don't want to be cheered. I want you to hate me. I want you to try to attack me in the parking lot. I want old school. That's the kind of heat I want.” With her first main roster championship now secured, Jane wants to defend the Women's United States Championship, face new opponents and keep giving WWE fans reasons to boo her. For JC Jane, the win over Giulia is only the beginning of her run with WWE's Women's United States Championship.

BY SACNILK

Je'Von Evans has opened up about the botched finish during his NXT match with Randy Orton, revealing how the WWE legend responded when the planned sequence went wrong. Evans explained what happened during the cutter exchange, why the moment bothered him so much that he avoided watching the match for months, and how Orton's reaction afterward turned a frustrating moment into an experience he will always remember. Evans and Orton faced each other on NXT, allowing the young WWE star to share the ring with one of the most popular performers in the company. Evans already had an idea that the match was coming before WWE officially revealed it, but the biggest moment of the bout came when the two attempted a special cutter sequence. The idea was for Evans to hit his OG Cutter on Orton, who is famously known for the RKO. The two discussed the concept before the match, but they never actually rehearsed the sequence together. That became a problem when they attempted it during the match. Evans explained that the move required precise positioning and timing, with Orton expected to catch him as he spun through the sequence. However, the two did not execute it as planned, leaving Evans extremely frustrated with himself. During a recent interview Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Evans explained that the sequence was essentially something they came up with on the day of the match rather than something they had practiced repeatedly beforehand. “No. No, we didn't. It was literally just us saying, ‘Oh, this is going to be a cool idea. Let's do it.’ And then Randy's like, ‘I think we can do it.’ He was like, ‘You do like the spinny thing and then...’ And I'm thinking that you just like spin out and catch me. I was like, ‘Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.’ But I think just position-wise, we didn't try it before the show. It was just kind of like a thing we had an idea about.” The botched sequence clearly stayed with Evans after the match. He admitted that he was so unhappy with how it went that he avoided watching the match again for several months. However, with time, Evans began looking at the incident differently. Instead of viewing it simply as a mistake, he realized that the imperfect finish created a genuine moment between him and Orton. “It took me a while to watch that match because of that. I didn't watch that match for months, you know. But also it's cool to look at it and be like, ‘That was just a real moment.’ You know? Like everything in wrestling is not pretty. We're still fighting at the end of the day. And I just love, like, now I can look back at the moment kind of like this. I was still like, ‘Okay,’ you know? But I can look back at it and say, ‘Dang, like I learned from that moment.’ And then even if we hit that smoothly, we probably wouldn't have got the Randy Orton moment saying, ‘Hey, bro, you're the man.’” That reaction from Orton became the part of the match Evans remembered most. After the sequence went wrong, Evans apologized to Orton. Rather than getting upset with the young star, Orton immediately reassured him and gave him an endorsement that Evans clearly did not expect. “He was like, ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Don't worry, bro. You're the f***ing man.’ He raised my hand, bro. Of course I was still pissed, but my hand—I'm like, ‘All right, bro. Randy just said I'm the man, bro.’” Evans has since explained why he refers to Orton as “Uncle Randy.” According to the young star, Orton taught him a great deal during their time together, and the two immediately connected. Evans also recalled a funny moment before the match when he and Terry Taylor were trying to find Orton backstage. Orton had recently returned and was wearing a hoodie, but Evans said the veteran's changed physique made him difficult to recognize at first. Once they finally met, Evans said the interaction felt natural and that he was able to learn from Orton both before and after the match. “It was just like a connection, and I feel like even just being able to learn from him was such an insane moment, bro. Like, I will always remember just being in a room with him and just communicating and talking with him about the match and just like about, or even before the match and after the match. Like, I met his family after the match. Like, it was cool, bro. It was insane.”

BY SACNILK

Je'Von Evans has made it clear that his goals in WWE go far beyond simply becoming a champion. The young star wants to establish himself as one of the greatest wrestlers the company has ever seen, and when discussing the wrestlers he studies, Evans pointed to Roman Reigns as someone who has already left a lasting mark on WWE. During his recent interview, Evans was asked who he considers the greatest wrestler of all time. While he named Shawn Michaels as his personal choice, he also praised Reigns when discussing the current generation and explained why he has so much respect for the former Undisputed WWE Champion. Evans credited Reigns with helping change WWE during a period when the company was dealing with declining viewership and revenue. He believes Reigns' return and transformation into his Tribal Chief character changed the way WWE presented its top star. “Roman, bro, he came back into the game and, bro, he carried WWE for like, I would even say four or five years. Like, he's doing his thing.” Evans then explained that Reigns did more than simply become a successful champion. In his view, the former world champion changed the overall feel of WWE and developed a presence that could connect with different generations of fans. “He changed the game. He changed the swagger, bro, of WWE. He changed everything.” Evans also compared Reigns' ability to draw reactions to that of John Cena, pointing out that both stars can step away from WWE and still return to major reactions from the audience. “No matter what, bro, like kind of like Cena, for real. Like no matter what, bro, he can take a break, come back and still get that big reaction.” The comments about Reigns also connect to Evans' goal of becoming the greatest WWE wrestler of all time. The 22-year-old has repeatedly spoken about wanting to build a career that places him among the biggest names in company history. Evans revealed that he is studying Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Triple H as he prepares for the future. He particularly admires the way Reigns understands WWE's changing audience and believes that Reigns has found a way to appeal to both longtime wrestling fans and newer viewers. “Roman for sure because he's so, like I said, he changed the game. So he kind of understands that this is not like a old fan base anymore... he knows how to kind of get the new fans and the old fans.” For Evans, Roman Reigns represents more than a potential future opponent. He is someone the young WWE star believes he can learn from as he works toward reaching the level of success he has set for himself.

BY SACNILK

Zilla Fatu has opened up about his WWE debut, revealing what was going through his mind moments before he entered the ring for the first time on NXT. The young wrestler also spoke about feeling the presence of his late father, Umaga, during the emotional moment. Fatu made his WWE NXT debut on the August 11 episode of NXT, arriving alongside Tama Tonga and JC Mateo to confront Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. The appearance marked Fatu's first WWE television appearance and brought him into a story involving several members of the Anoa'i family. Fatu's first WWE appearance came after he had spent years developing his wrestling career outside the company. He trained under Booker T at Reality of Wrestling and built a following before eventually earning his opportunity with WWE. Speaking on The Hall of Fame with Booker T and Brad Gilmore, Fatu explained what was happening inside his head immediately before he walked out for his NXT debut. He said he already knew what he had been asked to do and focused on executing the plan while still bringing his own personality to the performance. “Whenever I pulled up, I already knew what time it was. Long as they called the play, I ran it. I did exactly what was told and I put my flavor on it. I put my flavor on it and we did it like that and we had fun. And right before I went out, I just said a quick prayer to myself, and I knew my dad was there because I felt him. I felt him.” The reference to his father made the moment especially personal for Fatu. Umaga passed away in 2009, but his influence remains a part of Fatu's wrestling journey. Before entering the ring at NXT, Fatu said he felt his father's presence and carried that feeling with him during his first WWE appearance. Fatu also remembered looking toward Booker T before he made his entrance. Seeing his mentor watching him provided reassurance that everything was going according to plan. “Right before I went out, man, it was just—it happened. I don’t even know how to express it. Like the slide and everything I did, and then right before I slid in, I looked at Book. I seen him like, ‘Okay, yep. As long as he’s looking, we good.’” Fatu later described the debut as a memory he would never forget and said he is ready for the next chapter of his career. “It was a memory I never forget, and I’m just ready to start this new journey. And like I said, man, you guys better buckle up, man. It’s going to be a long ride.”

BY SACNILK

Booker T has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Avery Styles, arguing that the young wrestler should not have been criticized for refusing to help set up a wrestling ring before a match. The WWE Hall of Famer discussed the situation on The Hall of Fame podcast after Avery became involved in an online dispute with a promoter over his alleged refusal to help with chairs and other event setup. Avery Styles, 19, wrestled Marcus Mathers at a GCW event in Minneapolis on August 1. The situation later spilled onto social media after promoter Arik Cannon criticised Styles for allegedly not helping with the show's setup. Booker T said the entire situation made little sense to him, especially because Styles was being brought in as talent rather than as a student. “I got a wrestling promotion. I hire talent to come in every month. Even talent that live in Houston, and they don't set up a damn thing. Now, we got a crew. We got students that's coming up, that's trying to make their way in the business, and perhaps they were one of those students once upon a time that did that. But if they're talent on the show, they're well past that.” Booker then explained how he handles outside talent at Reality of Wrestling. “If I'm hiring out someone from another state and they're coming in, they're flying in or they're driving in or whatever, they're just coming in for the show. They're not coming in to set the ring up and take it down. That's ridiculous.” For Booker, there is a clear difference between a wrestling student learning the business and a wrestler who has already been booked to perform on a show. He went even further when discussing what he expects from wrestlers appearing at Reality of Wrestling. “As far as somebody coming to Reality of Wrestling, I would not be expecting them to show up to set the chairs up or take them down or bust a ring or any of that. And it's never been that way at Reality of Wrestling.” Booker also questioned why the dispute became a public issue in the first place. In his view, disagreements over backstage responsibilities should not have turned into an online controversy. “I don't want to, you know, bash anybody's company or anything like that, but for this to be a story out there, somebody's ass should be fired. That's the way I look at it.” The two-time WWE Hall of Famer acknowledged that some parts of the wrestling business have traditionally viewed helping with setup as a way of “paying dues.” However, he does not believe that should automatically apply to booked talent.

BY SACNILK

Booker T had already begun making a name for himself in WCW by 1996, especially alongside his brother Stevie Ray as Harlem Heat. But one match from that period still leaves him with mixed feelings — his Uncensored bout against The Road Warriors. Booker joined WCW in the early 1990s and eventually became one of the company's most successful stars. His partnership with Stevie Ray turned Harlem Heat into one of WCW's most decorated tag teams, while Booker later established himself as a singles wrestler and went on to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. By 1996, however, Booker was still building that singles identity while continuing to work closely with his brother. At WCW Uncensored 1996, Booker T teamed with Sting to face The Road Warriors — Hawk and Animal — in a Chicago Street Fight. The match featured the kind of chaotic action expected from a Chicago Street Fight, with the teams taking their fight outside the traditional rules of a wrestling match. Booker even recalled performing a Spinaroonie after hitting a missile elbow drop before leaving the match and eventually returning. Booker discussed the match while looking back at his WCW career on The Hall of Fame podcast. Booker admitted that, despite the match being a memorable night, he has never viewed it as something he was particularly happy about. “It was kind of bittersweet. It was kind of bittersweet pay-per-view for me, honestly, because I was working against the Road Warriors. It was me and Sting.” Booker explained that he believed he should have been in that spot with Stevie Ray. “It should have been me and my brother. It never should have been me and Sting doing that, you know. So, it was one of those moments to where, you know, I went out and did the work, got the work done because, you know, that's what I do. But, you know, it wasn't one of those things to where I was like, ‘Ah, man. This is like really, really so awesome.’” He said he and Stevie Ray had worked against Hawk and Animal before, but never received the kind of tag-team match they wanted. “I just always regretted, you know, that match because it was against the Road Warriors and I know me and my brother, we always wanted to beat all the old tag teams that came before us.” Booker continued: “The Road Warriors, we had tag matches with those guys, but nothing significant. And then I find myself on a pay-per-view against the Road Warriors, which just didn't make a lot of sense.” Looking back, Booker isn't saying the match itself was a disaster. His frustration comes from the missed opportunity. He wanted Harlem Heat to have that moment. Instead, WCW put him alongside Sting, leaving Booker to wonder what could have happened if he and Stevie Ray had been given the chance to settle things with The Road Warriors together.

BY SACNILK

Booker T believes Zilla Fatu’s WWE NXT run is just the beginning. After watching Fatu make his WWE debut, the WWE Hall of Famer had some advice for the young star: use NXT to prepare yourself, because there is a much bigger road ahead. Fatu recently made his WWE debut on NXT, immediately making his presence felt and putting the roster on notice. The appearance marked another step in the career of the son of late WWE star Umaga, who previously trained under Booker T at Reality of Wrestling. Booker was clearly proud while discussing Fatu’s arrival on The Hall of Fame podcast. He compared NXT to a NASCAR pit stop and told Fatu that this is the time to get everything ready before making his next move. “NXT, this just a pit stop. But you got to take full advantage of that pit stop. You got to fill the tank up. You got to check the tires and make sure everything’s rotated properly, and then you hit the track running real hard. So I just want to let you know about the pit stop, man.” Booker then made it clear that he was not simply talking about Fatu’s wrestling ability. He believes the young star has already shown the mentality needed to reach the next level. “I’m so damn proud of you for going out there and putting in that work. I’m really, really proud of you for going out there and putting in that work. I know people, they done seen me and you do our thing, but this real talk, man. This real talk. I’m so damn proud of you.” The relationship between Booker and Fatu goes back well before WWE. Fatu trained at Reality of Wrestling, Booker’s wrestling school and promotion in Houston, where the Hall of Famer pushed him hard because he saw something familiar in him. Booker explained that he was particularly tough on Fatu because he could see his own younger self in him. “I don’t think I was harder on anybody that has ever come through Reality Wrestling than I was on this kid. I literally rolled him, because I could see myself, you know what I mean? I could see myself.” Booker also opened up about why he felt Fatu needed that kind of guidance. He remembered being rebellious when he was younger and said he understood what it was like to have potential but still need someone to push you in the right direction. For Fatu, the WWE debut also carried an emotional connection to his father, Umaga. Speaking about the moments before entering the ring, Fatu said he said a quick prayer and felt that his father was there with him. “And your dad right now, man. Your dad right now is looking down on you like so freaking happy. I can see the smile on his face, man. I really can. So, congratulations. And let’s get ready for the takeover.”

BY SACNILK

Blake Monroe has opened up about the time she spent wrestling in Japan and explained how the experience changed both her career and her life before she made her way to WWE. Before becoming a WWE Superstar, Monroe built her experience on the independent scene and eventually traveled to Japan to continue developing as a wrestler. What was supposed to be a short trip turned into a much longer stay after she quickly became attached to the country and its wrestling culture. “I went to Japan and I was meant to go for like a month and I ended up moving there. So I only had like two or three suitcases. And it was in my first week and I was like, ‘I'll stay.,'" Monroe said during her appearance on The Nikki & Brie Show. Monroe explained she trained at the dojo and spent a lot of time wrestling and improving her skills. Her schedule could become demanding, especially during tournaments and busier stretches of the year. “It wasn't every day, but it went through phases. So, we wrestled at least twice a week. Sometimes in the summer like we had tournaments and like we'd be on the road. Like we'd be on this bus. Like you do your match, you take the ring down, shower if you can, the bus.” Monroe was around 23 at the time and felt she needed to spend some time away from home. Living in another country forced her to become more independent, and she said she found herself during that period. “I just fell in love. It's called the Dojo. We just trained all the time and I loved Japan and I feel like at that time in my life I must have been like 23 or something. I needed that. I needed to be by myself. I needed to be independent and I just found myself and I loved Japan.” Monroe couldn't speak Japanese when she first arrived, which meant she couldn't rely on long promos to connect with the audience. Instead, she had to find other ways to communicate her personality. That eventually became an important part of her development as a character. “I couldn't speak. And as we know, promos, especially in WWE, is the biggest part of like how you're going to make people like you. Wrestling is one thing, but I feel like you have to have something where people hate you, like you, relate to you, whatever it is. I couldn't do that in Japan. So, I had to learn how to exude that in my body, in the way I dressed, in all my mannerisms, and it really made me dial up to like a hundred.” She compared developing a wrestling character to training in the gym. The more she worked on it, the more she learned what connected with an audience. “I feel like it's developed. It's the same way you like train in the gym and you train at wrestling. I feel like you also train your character. But you just kind of learn what works, what doesn't, where you need the crowd, where you might need to like show out to them.” After making her mark in NXT, she's moved on to SmackDown and has made it clear that she wants to become more than someone who simply wins championships. She wants to create stories that fans remember. Monroe recalled eating raw chicken with friends before a major match against Giulia. She initially worried that the unusual meal was responsible for the knots in her stomach, only to realize she was simply nervous about the match. “I ate raw chicken. And I was fine. But it was the night before like a really big match with Giulia actually. And I really wanted to wrestle her... I had started my period so I had cramps. But in my head I'm like it's the chicken. It's raw chicken but it wasn't. I was just really nervous so like my stomach was in knots.”

BY SACNILK

Santino Marella has recalled a wild night from his WWE days that ended with him bleeding from the head after a joke involving John Cena and a broken plate. Marella shared the story during his appearance on What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes, while discussing his “Fun Time Tony” persona and some of the memorable moments from his time traveling with WWE. According to Marella, the incident took place during a European tour. WWE talent had a room blocked off at a bar, where the group was drinking and enjoying themselves. What started as a joke over food eventually resulted in Marella suffering a cut to his head. Marella explained that someone noticed Cena had apparently ordered food for himself rather than the rest of the group. Cena then took a single french fry from the plate, which prompted Marella to smash the plate. “So Cena, and he knows exactly what he's doing. We were on a European tour. We had the room blocked off, we're drinking. And he just leans over and it was Percy Watson, Nick McNeil, goes ‘Did he just order food for himself and nobody else?’ And you know, I'm like, ‘What? Where is he?’ So he took one french fry. The plate just came. One fry." Marella added, "And I took the plate and I smashed the plate and he was just left with one french fry like... Like he looked forward to that meal so bad. So Cena, not realizing how sharp the shards were of the plate, took one and went ting to my head. And all of a sudden it's just drip, drip, drip, drip. And he's like, ‘Oops.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, well’ and he did it himself too. So we have to call Doc Amann to come down, little crazy glue.” The injury also made Marella's appearance particularly memorable. He said he was wearing a white tank top at the time, which ended up covered in blood. “And I was wearing a white tank top, which by the end of the night looked like I had been involved in, you know, a murder. It was just, it was horrible, it was very, very bloody.” Despite the injury, the night did not immediately come to an end. Marella recalled that the group continued drinking at the bar until around six or seven in the morning. Eventually, he decided it was time to return to his hotel room. Marella saw the elevator doors closing and rushed to get inside. When he entered, an elderly couple was already there after apparently finishing breakfast. The couple, however, had no idea what had happened to Marella. All they saw was a man covered in blood, staggering inside the elevator early in the morning. “There's an elderly couple, seven AM, just, you know, finished breakfast. And I'm just sitting there bloody, just staggering, like swaying. And they're just absolutely terrified. Like they don't know what happened, why am I bloody?” Marella eventually reached his floor and walked out, leaving the couple behind. He imagined that they were probably relieved once the elevator doors closed again. “And my door opens to my floor and I just walk off and they must have just had this huge sigh of relief. I mean, you know, it wasn't as bad as it looked, but it looked pretty bad.”

BY SACNILK

AJ Styles believes LA Knight is ready for another opportunity at the top of WWE, insisting that “The Megastar” has all the qualities needed to become a world champion. Styles discussed Knight's current position in WWE during the latest episode of The AJ Styles Show, where he was asked about the possibility of Knight eventually facing Roman Reigns again. While Styles did not confirm that WWE has plans for another match between the two, he made it clear that he believes Knight is more than prepared for a world championship opportunity. Styles has previously shared the ring with both men, giving his assessment of Knight's potential some added weight. The former WWE Champion believes Knight has reached a point in his career where he should be seriously considered for the company's biggest championship. “I’ve never seen anybody more ready to be a champion right now than LA Knight,” Styles said. “I know I keep harping on this, but I can’t be the only one that thinks this way. He’s got all the tools. Give him the opportunity.” According to Styles, Knight understands what would be expected of him if he were to become a world champion. That includes not only defending the championship but also representing WWE outside the ring. “He knows what comes with being a champion. He’s got it. And I’m not just talking about holding the heavyweight championship around your waist,” Styles explained. “When it comes to interviews and what you got to do to represent the WWE, he has those tools to be able to get it done and I think he’d do it flawlessly.” Knight has also already experienced what it is like to challenge Roman Reigns for a world championship. The two faced each other at Crown Jewel in 2023, with Reigns retaining the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship after interference from The Bloodline. The match helped establish Knight as a legitimate main-event performer, even though he ultimately failed to capture the championship. Now, the possibility of another encounter has become interesting again. Reigns is currently the World Heavyweight Champion, while Knight remains involved in WWE's world championship picture. Recent WWE storylines have also kept the two names in the same conversation, with Knight's championship ambitions continuing to be part of his character.

BY SACNILK

Zilla Fatu made an immediate impression during his arrival on WWE NXT, and AJ Styles was among those impressed by what the young star brought to the show. Fatu made his WWE debut on the August 11 episode of NXT, interrupting the match between Grayson Waller and Cruz Montana. The contest was set to determine the next challenger for Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Championship, but Fatu's arrival changed everything as he attacked both competitors. Styles had a close look at the segment because he was involved in producing the match between Waller and Montana. Speaking on The AJ Styles Show, he first praised both wrestlers for the way they handled the bout, explaining that he did not have to heavily guide them because of their experience. “There’s not a lot you have to do in this because you got two pros who’ve been on television. They know what they’re doing. I had no worries that they’d get it done in the time that they needed to. Total pros.” Styles also singled out Waller for praise, saying he feels the former NXT star is underrated in his current role. “Grayson Waller is very underrated. I think it’s very good, the heel work that he’s doing right now. He’s the pissed-off, ‘I’m going to tell you what I think and if you don’t like it, come do something about it.’ I kind of like that.” The match itself also left an impression on Styles. He pointed out that Waller and Montana were not holding back and appeared to have genuinely put themselves through a physical contest. “It wasn’t that they just went out there and, I don’t know if you saw them both at the end of their match, but there was bruises on their chest. Like these guys, there was a boot mark on Cruz’s face. They got after it. There was some very real stuff that was going on.” After watching the two wrestlers deliver a hard-hitting match, Styles said he was impressed by what happened when Fatu entered the picture. The son of the late Umaga made his presence felt immediately, taking the fight to both Waller and Montana. For Styles, it was not simply the attack itself that stood out. He was particularly impressed by Fatu's overall presence. “He looks like a star. Just his presence. It’s a very intimidating presence.” Styles also pointed out a detail that made Fatu's attack look even more painful. The WWE Hall of Famer noted that Fatu delivered his splashes without wearing knee pads. “And if you don’t know how scary he is, he did those splashes without knee pads. If you knew that, right? Come on, it kind of sucks.” The NXT crowd also reacted strongly to Fatu's arrival, something Styles noticed while discussing the moment. “The fans went crazy in NXT. So, yeah, it was a really cool moment.” Fatu's arrival has generated considerable attention since his WWE debut. He is the son of Umaga and part of the wider Anoa’i-Fatu wrestling family, which includes several major WWE stars. His debut also came at an important point for NXT, with the brand introducing a number of new faces to its men's division.