WWE: Elimination Chamber Watch Along, Baszler vs. Lynch Rumor, Matt Hardy on Creative Differences

WWE Announces Elimination Chamber Watch Along Show

WWE announced that a new Watch Along show will be airing on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter during tonight’s Elimination Chamber event.

Announced to be appearing are Drew Gulak, Mandy Rose, Tyson Kidd, the cast of WWE’s The Bump show, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry.

Official press release:

Don’t miss WWE Watch Along this Sunday as Drew Gulak, Mandy Rose and Tyson Kidd watch WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live during the pay-per-view on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

WWE Watch Along will also feature the cast of WWE’s The Bump, including Kayla Braxton, McKenzie Mitchell, Evan T. Mack, Dan Vollmayer, Matt Camp and Ryan Pappolla.

Also joining the party will be Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry and a revolving door of Superstars and celebrities throughout Elimination Chamber as it streams live on WWE Network.

You won’t want to miss WWE Watch Along, so tune in to Elimination Chamber, streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network, and watch along with the Superstars and celebrities on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Rumor: Vince McMahon Lukewarm to Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36

Vince McMahon is currently rumored to have become lukewarm to the idea of Shayna Baszler challenging Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s issue that Vince McMahon was unhappy that Baszler’s match against Kairi Sane on last week’s episode of RAW did not get the desired reactions he wanted. McMahon reportedly felt that she did not come off as a potential WrestleMania headliner.

Meltzer reported that if Baslzer does not win her Elimination Chamber match, that would mean that McMahon changed his mind twice on WWE’s plans for a big push for her going into WrestleMania 36. Meltzer also reported that despite potential doubts over Baszler, there is not anyone noteworthy left to win the Elimination Chamber match due to WWE already doing a high profile feud with Asuka, which ended in a clean loss for Asuka, and nobody else has been pushed to the level of being seen as a worthy WrestleMania challenger to Lynch.

Matt Hardy Comments on Creative Differences Between Himself and WWE

A recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast had Matt Hardy as the guest and one of the topics discussed included the differences in creative direction between himself and WWE that lead to his free agency.

“I am very grateful, if it wasn’t for Vince McMahon giving me this opportunity 20+ years ago, I wouldn’t have had this life that I have. I will always be grateful to him for that. Even if there are things later on that we didn’t see eye to eye on, that’s business. When it comes to Vince and WWE, I’ve kind of aged out. My brand of entertainment and the way I have to be utilized isn’t one of their priorities and that’s fine. I understand that and it’s no issue. I don’t have any resentment towards anyone. I’ve very happy with the time I’ve had there and happy I got to come back and leave WWE as an employee waving the flag. That WrestleMania 33 moment was amazing. I’m very happy that I got the opportunity to do a version of Broken Matt Hardy there. It wasn’t all that I would have liked it to be. It would have been nice if I had more say in what I was doing, but it is what it is. They treated me great the whole time. I had great conversations with everyone, but creatively, we’re just on different pages. Nothing against them, it was just time for me to go somewhere else to maximize and optimize my creativity, especially if I want to be in a prominent role for the last three or four years I have left to do this.”

On the topic of the future of his career, Hardy stated:

“I’m looking to have a much bigger say in my creative process. I want to be utilized in a way I should be utilized for a 45-year-old that’s been doing this for 20 years. Not wrestling every single night, your character takes the priority to your athletic performance. That’s what I want. If I can find that atmosphere, I call that my Arcadia.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com