Vince McMahon

The Bella Twins appeared on Busted Open Radio Wednesday and discussed their relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon during the interview. 

While promoting their new book "Incomparable" on Busted Open, the Bellas addressed co-host Bubba Ray Dudley's notion that McMahon is an easy person to talk to, per WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton.

Brie called McMahon "intimidating" but also suggested that she and Nikki had an open dialogue with him:

"Sometimes you forget how to talk properly. But the thing you did feel from Vince is that he appreciates when you do come in with either ideas or to pick his brain, and Nicole and I were the girls, sometimes you'd see us right outside the door, and you'd have to wait for sometimes an hour and be like, 'Oh gosh, I'm so embarrassed.'"

Brie admitted that they did get on Vince's bad side on a couple of occasions, but she felt their conversations were almost always positive:

"But every time we sat down with Vince it was always a gentle conversation. I mean, he definitely yelled at us a couple of times in 'Gorilla [Position]' and that was scary, but to actually sit down and we always walked out of there either understanding our story or the bigger picture, or just changing something in a way that we all were kind of like, 'Oh, you're right. Maybe it should go this way.'"

Nikki added that Vince often gave them a sense of clarity when they spoke to him: "When you would talk to him, it's kind of like, you couldn't be disappointed on what was going to happen or what direction you're going in, because you knew it."

The Bella Twins broke into WWE together in 2008 until their departure in 2012, but they returned one year later and had an even more successful run during their second go around.

Both Brie and Nikki held the Divas Championship with Nikki winning it twice and becoming the longest-reigning Divas champion of all time.

Nikki and Brie continued to wrestle sporadically into late 2018, but they both retired from in-ring competition last year.

Although they don't wrestle anymore, The Bella Twins are still a huge part of the WWE family as the stars of the E! reality series Total Bellas.

The Bellas were selected to be WWE Hall of Famers this year, but the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony that was originally scheduled for WrestleMania weekend was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although it was delayed, Nikki and Brie will eventually be honored for their contributions to WWE.

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Former WWE Superstars Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival appeared on Wednesday's episode of Talk Is Jericho to discuss their WWE departure and what led to their departure from the organization. 

Dawson (now going by Dax Harwood) and Wilder (Cash Wheeler) were officially released by WWE on April 10 after months of speculation that they wanted to move on.

During the interview with AEW star Chris Jericho, Harwood explained the rationale behind wanting to go elsewhere:

"That was our biggest factor as far as leaving was that tag team wrestling was featured everywhere else except for WWE. And we wanted to be a part of that because we could sit back and ... we could have no legacy aside from our NXT stuff. We could have no legacy in the history of wrestling, or we could go out and make history, and I think that was our biggest factor in leaving is that we could go out and prove to everyone that we are the absolute best tag team on this planet. And I say that with as much humility as I can muster from my guts. There is not a tag team on this planet that is as good as we are, that is as fluid as we are, and has the one goal, the one common goal in mind that is to be the best."

Wheeler also noted that the lack of focus on tag team wrestling in WWE was what compelled them to ask for their release:

"Like the tag team titles, they don't really mean anything. The tag team division had been, this has nothing to do with, nothing against Braun [Strowman], I think Braun's a great guy, I get along with him really well. But, like he had steamrolled the entire tag team division and then a 10-year-old or whatever won the tag titles at WrestleMania [34]. And then no tag teams were featured on SummerSlam until the last minute they added the women's tag titles, which I'm all for, it's just it was so last minute people didn't even know. So we wanted to make a point like, 'Look, the tag team division doesn't get respect, it doesn't get the time a lot of these teams deserve, and we want to take chances on ourselves.'"

Harwood and Wheeler also talked about having a meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon prior to their release and discussed how that played a role in them leaving as well.

Specifically, Harwood noted that they were presented with a new character idea that they had no interest in pursuing:

"They gave us the last big spiel about how they wanted to use us. It was all Vince's idea. We had a meeting with Vince, and he presented us with these characters that were less than flattering to us. It wasn't what I felt that we could represent or should represent, and I don't know too many guys who if they have any kind of self worth or if they believed in themselves as characters, as people, if they would have taken that opportunity. And we just said no, it's time for us to go."

Harwood was referencing concept photos that leaked showing The Revival in bizarre costumes complete with bright colors, tassels, glow sticks and even lipstick:

Wheeler and Harwood confirmed the leaked photos are legitimately what they were shown by McMahon, and the duo aren't sure whether Vince thought the idea was great or presented it as a way of punishing them.

Wheeler said he laughed out loud when shown the photos, but both he and Harwood noted that they told McMahon they were willing to try the characters until the end of their contracts in the summer, although they would not be re-signing at that point.

Also, Wheeler said the rumored contract offer WWE made of $750,000 per year was inaccurate, as it was actually an even higher number. He expressed his belief that their unwillingness to sign the big-money contract essentially told WWE they were serious about leaving, which led to WWE pulling them off the road and then releasing them.

Now, Harwood and Wheeler are known as The Revolt rather than The Revival, and they are perhaps the hottest free-agent tag team in all of wrestling. Given the fact that they are former NXT, Raw and SmackDown Tag Team champions, they shouldn't have much trouble catching on elsewhere.

Harwood and Wheeler mentioned AEW, Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling as potential destinations, and they specifically noted that an eventual match against AEW's The Young Bucks is on their agenda.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch shared an amusing story about WWE Chairman Vince McMahon in an interview with Scott Fishman of TV Insider on Friday.

McMahon has always been a hard-working, hands-on leader, and Lynch noted he hasn't changed in that regard even at age 74: "I watched him the other day demonstrate falling off a tower at 74 years old without a bother, brushing his shoulders off and standing up again."

While The Man didn't offer additional context about McMahon's stunt, it is likely that it had something to do with the ladder match that will take place on the Money in the Bank pay-per-view May 10.

For the first time, the Money in the Bank ladder match is occurring at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Six men and six women will start on the ground floor and battle their way up to the roof with one man and one woman coming away with a contract that guarantees a world title match at any time.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has forced WWE to hold events without fans in attendance for nearly two months, it has caused WWE's decision-makers to think outside the box.

That much was apparent at WrestleMania 36 with the Boneyard Match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles and the Firefly Funhouse Match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. Both of those matches were cinematic and unlike anything seen before in WWE, but they were both widely praised.

Rather than having two ladder matches at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with nobody present to watch, WWE is taking the opportunity to do something in wrestling that has never been attempted.

Lynch's story suggested that McMahon is very much invested in the success of the match and how it will be received by fans, which bodes well for its chances of being an entertaining, enjoyable showcase. 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took to Twitter to wish WWE legend and superstar Hollywood actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson a happy birthday on Saturday:

The Rock, who turned 48 on Saturday, responded to a birthday tweet from WWE India as well:

Johnson had his first WWE match at the 1996 Survivor Series pay-per-view as Rocky Maivia and went on to become one of the most successful and popular Superstars in WWE history.

The Rock was essentially born into the wrestling business as the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson and grandson of WWE Hall of Famer "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Even so, it took some time before the fans embraced The Rock as a star.

After ditching the babyface Rocky Maivia persona and embracing the heel character of The Rock, Johnson became one of the defining figures of the Attitude Era and the history of pro wrestling as a whole.

The Rock is an eight-time WWE champion and 10-time world champion overall, and he has also won the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships, as well as the 2000 Royal Rumble.

While The Rock has primarily been focused on his lucrative acting career in recent years, he has still had some involvement with WWE.

The Rock beat John Cena at WrestleMania 28, beat CM Punk for the WWE Championship prior to WrestleMania 29 and then dropped the title to Cena at WrestleMania 29. Most recently, The Rock beat Erick Rowan in an impromptu match at WrestleMania 32 four years ago, which was his last match.

The Rock has previously suggested having a WrestleMania match against his cousin, Roman Reigns, and next year's WrestleMania 37 in Los Angeles could be the perfect place for it to happen.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Jeff Hardy-Sheamus Feud Being Set Up

Over the last few weeks, WWE has been building the return of Jeff Hardy but seemingly without any feud in mind. The story has been a redemption arc for Hardy, playing into his several run-ins with the law and other issues outside the ring.

It turns out WWE's plan for his first feud back is with Sheamus. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ringside News) noted the current plan is for Hardy to return and feud with his fellow veteran, though whatever story they're telling is in its infancy stages.

Hardy and Sheamus have gone head-to-head before, most notably in 2017 when a Sheamus kick led to Hardy suffering a chipped tooth. 

Here's to hoping this feud has a stronger build and everyone gets to keep their teeth.

How WWE Wrestlers Are Paid

Meltzer also delved into how WWE Superstars are being paid during the coronavirus pandemic, with most taking a hit due to the lower number of events. Wrestler's contracts have what's called a "downside guarantee," the least amount the wrestlers can possibly be paid. That means even if they don't appear on television at all, they will get paid the same amount.

However, there are choices with how talent gets paid. 

"When talent sign with the company, they can choose to be paid biweekly based on a downside guarantee, or biweekly on what they would normally draw between live event pay, merchandise and royalties. If that number doesn't reach their downside guarantee, WWE will write a check to pay them the difference," Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc. wrote. 

WWE recently held an earnings call, noting that it has not been impacted much by the coronavirus pandemic. Part of the reason for that is the structure of payment given that wrestlers are compensated for revenue they generate above their downside.

With fewer events, fewer Superstars are generating much above the lower end of their pay scale.

Kane's Debut Led to End of Papa Shango, Debut of Godfather 

The Godfather recently appeared on the Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast and discussed the near-return of his Papa Shango character during The Attitude Era. 

"Papa Shango was supposed to come back one night. The night that I joined the Nation, me and Ron Simmons beat The Undertaker in a handicap match," said Godfather. "That night I was supposed to be Papa Shango but when I get there, Vince goes, 'Change of plans. We're gonna put you in The Nation and we've got you an outfit. We're gonna call you Kama Mustafa and you and Ron Simmons are gonna go over on The Undertaker.'

"So, that's what happened with Papa Shango. That's the same night they brought Kane out and they didn't want two mysterious characters. Back then they didn't turn the lights out for nobody as I was the first person they did that for. Well, they didn't want two characters like that so they went with Kane and threw my ass to The Nation."

Papa Shango was Godfather's character from 1992-93. The character carried a skull to the ring and practiced voodoo, often casting spells on his opponent. The character ended when Godfather left the company in 1993, though there were rumors about it returning in both his first and second return to WWE. He was instead billed as Kama during both the first and second run before debuting the iconic Godfather character in 1998.