WWE: Jade Cargill Reflects on Her First Year in WWE, Shawn Spears on Being Confident He Will Retire in WWE & Current Backstage Role in NXT, More News

Sep 27, 2024

Jade Cargill Comments on Her First Year in WWE

Sports Business Journal held a recent interview with Jade Cargill. One of the topics discussed included Cargill’s thoughts about diversity in the sports and entertainment businesses.

“Looking at someone that looks like you in a place of leadership is important. We’re out here breaking glass ceilings. We have a huge Hispanic culture in our business. We have a huge Asian culture in our company as well. It’s important to turn on the TV and to see people and to know that I can do that and to feel accepted and to feel that you belong.”

Cargill also gave her thoughts about what she is the most proud of during her first year in WWE.

” y mother passed away this year. I’m sorry, and it’s OK. And it was a hard moment for me, but I pushed through it, and I talked to my mother. I used to talk to my mother every morning about my family, my daughter, what to do if she got sick. If she got a cold, you talk to your mother, and she wasn’t there for me this year. So, I would say the thing I’m most proud of is that I was able to push through that, to just strive through parts. I’m proud that I kept it together and that I’m continuing to push and I’m an example for my daughter to go out there and do major things.”

Shawn Spears Comments on Being Confident He Will Retire in WWE & His Current Backstage Role in NXT

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast featured Shawn Spears as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Spears’ thoughts about him feeling confident that he will retire from wrestling in WWE and has no desire to work for another promotion.

“Maybe it’s human nature to always wonder if you made certain right calls at certain things as opposed to sitting back and going, eh, I did okay. Some things, I am. I know for certain, I am in the right spot, right now, in it with everything and all the time has gone by and all the decisions that I have made, I can say wholeheartedly that I am in the right spot, right now in WWE and NXT, and I am very confident to say that I will retire and finish everything here. I don’t wanna go anywhere else and that’s not a shot to anybody else. It’s just I feel that everything that has happened in my career, everything’s taken place in my life, as a human, as a performer, it is all led to be in this exact spot, sitting with you right now talking about how good things just happen to work out. Life is good.”

Spears also gave his thoughts about his return to WWE and revealed that besides being an on-screen talent in NXT, he also currently works in a backstage role for WWE’s NXT brand.

“I immediately reached out to Hunter (that’s how the conversations between WWE & I started) and just said — I’m paraphrasing. I can’t remember exactly what I said. Just like, look, I’m free if there’s interest. The ball’s in your court kind of thing and he just says, ‘What do you wanna do?’ I said, ‘I want to contribute,’ and he said, ‘Okay. Let me see what can happen,’ and then not long after that, I was in touch with here and when this presented itself, the chance to come back here, I thought, hold on a second. So you’re telling me, I get to go back to a time frame, that was one of my favorites in my career. I get to be around a lot of the coaches that help kind of build me up to this point and I get to be under Shawn Michaels? I get to understand how he thinks? I get to work and see how he operates? And then I get to kind of pass that knowledge down to kids and I get to pass that on to students at Flatbacks? And I get to be in my bed every night? Like, yeah, let’s go, let’s do this. So it was kind of a no-brainer. Yeah, I jumped all over it.
Yeah (I’m doing more than what people see on-screen in NXT). My responsibilities are more than just what you see on-camera. So, I relish in that opportunity. I enjoy it, it’s a learning curve, it’s a lot. But, being on TV for as long as I have and being able to multitask on live television with 15 things happening at once that you have to be aware of, I feel that it’s helped me behind the scenes. Being able to adapt quickly and the best thing is I know what a lot of young talent are going through. So when they cease up or they panic or they have a great match and that excitement, I know all of those feelings so I’m able to kind of — when things go well, I’m able to kind of, ‘Hey man, yeah, enjoy this. Remember what this feels like, you know what I mean? Because there’s gonna be down-points and just remember, keep your eye on the prize’ and then when things don’t go well or when things are really hard or they’re in a tough spot mentally, I’m able to really understand. Because I’ve had a lot of down-points too, if we’re looking at in a totality type way. But I’m able to understand and put myself in those shoes and I’m able to kind of guide in the right way.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com

WWE News & Notes

As noted before, WWE recently announced that next year’s SummerSlam event will be taking place on August 2-3 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. As part of their announcement, WWE released a video featuring Bianca Belair and rapper Cardi B. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that WWE officials originally had plans to want to use Cardi B in 2021 for their SummerSlam event. It was reported that WWE’s original plans at the time were to use one of her songs as the official theme song and have her make an appearance at the event. Those plans reportedly were put on hold following Cardi B announcing her pregnancy in June of 2021. Besides Cardi B, WWE officials reportedly had also reached out to Mike Tyson and Megan Thee Stallion for that year’s event. It was reported that WWE officials currently have plans to use more mainstream stars for their programming and PPV announcements going forward.

Angelo Dawkins recently announced on Twitter that his wife gave birth to a new child for their family this past Wednesday.

Shinsuke Nakamura has been noticeably absent from WWE programming since this past April. Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources stated that the reason for Nakamura’s absence is similar to AJ Styles in regards to it not being due to any injury related issues and instead just simply WWE officials having no creative plans for him.

As noted before, Raquel Rodriguez has been absent from WWE since this past February due to Mast cell activation syndrome health issues. Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources stated that Rodriguez is currently suffering again from mast cell activation syndrome. Rodriguez reportedly was feeling fine during her Women’s Elimination Chamber match at this past February’s Elimination Chamber 2024 event in Australia but her syndrome health issues returned during her flight back home. Sapp reported that it is currently not known when Rodriguez will be able to make a potential return to the ring.

WWE NXT talent Vincent Winey reportedly was recently given a new ring name and will now be known as Harlem Lewis going forward in WWE, according to PWInsider.

The Simpsons official Twitter account recently released a teaser image of John Cena as a Simpsons’ character for his guest appearance on this Sunday’s season premiere episode of The Simpsons on FOX.

WWE recently released four new videos to their WWE Vault channel on YouTube. The first new video was a “Best of Rey Mysterio” live stream. The second new video was a “Luchas Memorables de Damian Priest.” The third new video was a WWE Top 10 of “Superstars you didn’t know were in NXT.” The fourth new video was a WWE Playlist of “Story of The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at Badd Blood 1997.”

In a recent interview with the Gorilla Position podcast, Tiffany Stratton gave her thoughts about how WWE introducing a new mid-card championship would be beneficial for their Women’s division. Stratton stated “I definitely think we have such a stacked SmackDown roster. We have Jade Cargill, we have Bianca Belair, we’ve got Nia (Jax), we’ve got me, Naomi. I feel like there’s so many big, strong talents on the SmackDown roster. I definitely think a midcard title could be something that would benefit for the women’s roster but, I definitely think right now, we’re doing so good… Maybe an I.C. Title (is what I’d call the secondary women’s title).” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)

Netflix released their Mr. McMahon docuseries based on former WWE and TKO Executive Chairman Vince McMahon this past Wednesday on their streaming service. Among those interviewed for the series was Paul Heyman. One of the topics discussed included Heyman’s thoughts about a past creative disagreement incident between Vince McMahon and his son Shane McMahon that involved a knife being pulled out. Heyman stated “Most definitive moment I’ve seen between Vince and Shane was a creative argument that happened one night. Shane had an idea that he really believed in, and Vince totally disagreed with it. With most things that happen with Vince, once they start to escalate, they escalate really fast. Vince finally turned to Shane, and he said, ‘Not while I’m alive.’ Vince, who was eating something, took his knife and handed it to Shane. He said, ‘Right there [points to heart]. Come on. Right there. If you want this so bad, stick the dagger right here. That’s what you’re going to have to do to make that decision. If you don’t stick the dagger right here, then I’ll know you’re not man enough to do it, and I have to take that into consideration as well. Or you can buy me out, the way I bought out my father. If I don’t get out of your way be prepared to get rid of me the way I would have had to get rid of my father when he wasn’t doing things my way at all.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)