Sasha Banks

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

Sting Received Positive Reaction to Double or Nothing Match

After Sting teamed with Darby Allin in a winning effort against Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday, The Icon reportedly received a big reaction from those who were watching backstage.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), the other wrestlers watching in the locker room gave Sting a "huge pop" when he came back through the curtain following the match.

It marked the 62-year-old veteran's first traditional match since 2015, and he played his role effectively.

Sting teamed with Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at Revolution in March, but that was a cinematic match taped ahead of time with no fans in attendance.

There was no real safety net for Sting at Double or Nothing with a sellout crowd present to watch him, but he seemingly made it through unscathed and hit all the marks he needed to.

Sting didn't move with the type of explosiveness he did earlier in his career, but he hit his signature moves and did enough to get the crowd into the match.

While Sting isn't someone who should be used often in an in-ring capacity, AEW can continue to get some mileage out of him by picking its spots and putting him in positions to succeed.

Belair Expects Rematch vs. Banks

On the heels of her historic match against Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37, SmackDown Women's champion Bianca Belair believes another clash with The Boss is inevitable.

In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Belair discussed her expectations for an eventual rematch with Banks: 

That night at WrestleMania, our match was about so much more than winning the title. We made history. And I'm fully expecting a rematch.

That moment was bigger than us. Even though I won the title, no one lost that night. That's why there are videos of Sasha smiling at the end. She had so much fulfillment from what came out of that match. Now, when she comes back and the title is on the line, we'll see who walks out as champion.

Belair vs. Banks was the main event match of Night 1 of WrestleMania, marking the first time in WWE history that two Black women competed in a WrestleMania main event.

It was also the first one-on-one women's match to headline a WrestleMania, as the WrestleMania 35 match between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair was a Triple Threat.

While The EST was victorious and won her first title at WWE, The Boss turned in a remarkable performance as well, and both Superstars received universal praise.

Banks has been seen only once on WWE programming since WrestleMania, appearing briefly on the following episode of SmackDown.

During Sasha's absence, Belair has been embroiled in a rivalry with Bayley. Assuming Bianca exits that feud with her title reign intact, Banks figures to come for the title again sometime soon.

A match between Banks and Belair at SummerSlam would be huge for women's wrestling, especially with WWE planning to make it a big event with a large amount of fans in attendance.

Khan Teases Identity of AEW Rampage Announcer

AEW President Tony Khan provided some hints this week regarding who will join Mark Henry as an announcer on the upcoming AEW Rampage show.

According to WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth, Khan said:

I'm not necessarily gonna say he's going to be the play-by-play or color analyst, but he's going to be a big part of the show. I have a big announcement. I don't want to sound like it's going to be an outside person. It's somebody who's one of our top stars that will be on commentary on the show. He's a great commentator, and a great wrestler, that might narrow it down, but I'm going to put him on commentary.

Khan's hint suggests one of the Rampage announcers will be an active wrestler who has some announcing experience.

Chris Jericho immediately stands out since he has done commentary quite often in AEW, while Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega are other big names who have spent some time at the announce table.

Whoever it is, they will be joining forces with Henry, who is AEW's newest signing. Henry's arrival was announced at Double or Nothing when he appeared prior to the main event.

Henry had been with WWE in some capacity since 1996, but now he will have a chance to try his hand at commentary, much like Paul "Big Show" Wight on AEW Dark: Elevation.

Rampage is set to debut on Aug. 13, and it will be a weekly one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

It will provide AEW wrestlers with a much-needed second television platform aside from Dynamite and could go a long way toward getting much of the roster more exposure.

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

As the WWE Universe prepares for WrestleMania Backlash, the card finally started to take shape just days before the big event.

While there are only a few matches that have featured a proper build on the road to Sunday's pay-per-view, there are several top championships scheduled to be on the line in battles that could go either way.

It may be clear Roman Reigns will retain the Universal Championship against Cesaro, the WWE title and both women's championships will be contested in heated battles from which anyone could walk out with gold around their waist.

Here are the predictions for the biggest matches on the WrestleMania Backlash card.

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

At WrestleMania 37, Rhea Ripley dominated then-champion Asuka to walk out with the title, but she was unable to celebrate for long, as Charlotte Flair reappeared on the scene.

Add in The Empress of Tomorrow's desire to get her belt back, and the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania Backlash is arguably the most anticipated contest on the card. From a pure wrestling standpoint, these three women should put on an absolute masterclass.

While Ripley and Asuka had a solid bout at The Show of Shows, it ended up being a glorified squash match for the new champion. The WWE Universe should witness Asuka get her fair share of offense in this time, which will help make the three-way battle superior to all previous interactions between these women.

On a card that feels like an afterthought following the most important PPV of the year, Ripley, Asuka and Flair have the chance to not only put on an incredible women's match but also a bout that could easily steal the show.

Look for The Nightmare to steal a win from The Queen by throwing her out of the ring after a big move and stealing the pin on Asuka.

Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman

Despite WWE doing whatever it can to brand this year's edition of Backlash as WrestleMania Lite, there is no way the company could have booked yet another rematch between Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.

One way to make this scene more interesting was to add Braun Strowman, but the lackluster booking has continued. To give the whole championship picture a shot in the arm, it's time for The Monster Among Men to win the belt.

McIntyre's run with the title helped carry WWE through the pandemic, but Lashley was the dominant heel the company needed to take the championship picture in a different direction. After a relatively short run, it's time for another shakeup to improve the Raw product.

If WWE wants to make the red brand more enjoyable on a weekly basis and help improve the lagging television ratings, booking Strowman to walk out of WrestleMania Backlash with the strap around his waist is the perfect answer.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

One of the best parts of WrestleMania 37 was Bianca Belair's triumphant victory over Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

And in her first title defense, The EST of WWE will go up against one of the top female performers ever, Bayley.

Ding dong, hello!

Despite being left off the WrestleMania card, Bayley deserves immense credit for helping carry the company through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Role Model deserves the spotlight at WrestleMania Backlash, although she will be forced to share it when Banks returns and interferes.

The Boss has been waiting for her opportunity to strike and with her sights set on getting back her title, what better way to ensure she returns to the championship scene than by attacking Bayley and Belair at the PPV and setting up a Triple Threat.

A match between Banks, Bayley and Belair would be money.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).

Bayley addressed rumors Wednesday that Becky Lynch was supposed to return and confront her at WrestleMania 37 last month.

In an interview with Danny Hart of SportsKeeda, Bayley said: "I think it's just wishful thinking, and I think it's just people ready to see Becky back and ready to see me get my butt kicked, I guess. But that's not gonna happen because she didn't come back, suckers!"

Prior to WrestleMania, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Sanchez Taylor of WrestleTalk) reported that Lynch would "likely" return during a Bayley talk show segment by arriving in a "big truck."

Since Bayley didn't have a match at WrestleMania, her role was to claim she was the host of the event, even though that honor belonged to Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil.

Bayley cut a promo on the stage on Night 2 of WrestleMania, only to be interrupted by the Bella Twins, who were newly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Bayley received her comeuppance when Nikki and Brie knocked her down and sent her rolling down the stage.

The 34-year-old Lynch has not been seen on WWE programming since the May 11, 2020, episode of Raw when she surrendered the Raw Women's Championship to Asuka and announced she was pregnant.

In December, Lynch gave birth to her daughter Roux, her first child with fiance and fellow WWE Superstar Seth Rollins.

Prior to her pregnancy, Lynch was the unquestioned face of the WWE women's division, as she headlined WrestleMania 35 along with Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair and held the Raw Women's title for over a year.

During Lynch's absence, Bayley emerged as the talk of the women's division along with Sasha Banks. Bayley held the SmackDown Women's Championship for over a year and established herself as the premier heel in the women's division.

In her interview with Hart, Bayley discussed her desire to face Lynch at some point:

“Yeah, I mean, I'm sure it'll happen sometime. We both have some time left here, and we both still have a lot of things we want to do. I'm sure she has a list of things she wants to do, and the last time I think we were in the ring together may have been when I beat her up with a chair, maybe a few times after that, but I'm sure she's ready to get her hands on me, and I'll be ready because I've been doing a lot since she's been gone. This is consistent Bayley right here. No time off for me. I've been making moves, Becky Lynch!"

When Becky does return, Bayley would make plenty of sense as an opponent, but with the women's division being as stacked as it is, there are likely many opponents on The Man's wish list.

Banks, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley and Asuka are just a few of the others who would be sensible dance partners, but none of them are as established as villains as Bayley.

For now, Bayley will focus on her next big match, a SmackDown Women's title bout against Belair at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday.

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 Women's SmackDown champion Bianca Belair will defend her title against Bayley at WrestleMania Backlash.

Belair defeated ex-champion Sasha Banks in an epic title fight to cap the first night of WrestleMania 37 on Saturday, April 10. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter rated the match four stars. 

There's no rest for Belair, however, as she'll now take on a two-time SmackDown champion and one-time Raw champ in Bayley, who held the SmackDown belt before losing it to Banks. That title change occurred at Hell in a Cell last October.

The upcoming pay-per-view will mark the first time Backlash has been branded with the WrestleMania name. The pay-per-view has historically been the first one following WrestleMania, but that has not always been the case over the years.

It will be so this year, however, with the event slated to occur on Sunday, May 16. Peacock will be the streaming home in the United States, with the WWE Network carrying the event elsewhere.

Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks made history at WrestleMania 37 last weekend, and that fact is reportedly a major talking point within WWE.

According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the "single biggest narrative" inside WWE is what Belair and Banks accomplished on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Right behind them in that regard is Universal champion Roman Reigns.

Belair and Banks achieved a lot of firsts on Night 1 of WrestleMania, not the least of which is the fact that they were the first two Black women to face each other in a title match in WrestleMania history.

They also competed in just the second women's main event in WrestleMania history and the first one-on-one women's main event, as the WrestleMania 35 headliner was a Triple Threat between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.

Also, with the win, Belair became the new SmackDown Women's champion, marking The EST's first title of any kind in WWE.

Given the stage and importance of the match, as well as the incredible in-ring work, it can be argued that Bianca vs. Sasha wasn't only the greatest women's match in WrestleMania history, but that it was also the greatest women's match in WWE history.

The main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, saw Reigns put his Universal title on the line in a Triple Threat against Edge and Daniel Bryan.

All three performers were excellent, but The Tribal Chief prevailed when he hit both Edge and Bryan with a conchairto, stacked them on top of each other and pinned them.

Reigns has been the Universal champion since he won the title at Payback in August, and there is no immediate end in sight to his run.

The Head of the Table is doing the best work of his career as a heel in the ring, on the mic and in terms of character development.

Belair, Banks and Reigns all reside on SmackDown, so it is no surprise and no accident that the blue brand has consistently produced the best content under the WWE umbrella as of late. 

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