“Decent Shot” That Paige Makes WWE Return…But When; April 9th Wrestling News Round-Up

Gunther isn’t lacking confidence heading into WrestleMania 41 — and not just when it comes to in-ring action.

The WWE World Heavyweight Champion is set to face Jey Uso at the biggest show of the year, and their feud has turned deeply personal. Jey recently revealed that Gunther’s attack on his brother Jimmy sent him to the hospital, and at this point, he’s not just fighting for gold — he’s fighting for his family.

While fans are hyped to see the champion and the Royal Rumble winner go head-to-head, Gunther is also making headlines outside the ring thanks to a bold claim on the Raw Recap podcast.

Speaking about his appearance on WWE LFG, the A&E series that features WWE legends like The Undertaker, Booker T, and Bubba Ray Dudley coaching prospective Superstars, Gunther suggested he has more experience coaching talent than The Deadman himself.

“I’ve been teaching and coaching people in professional wrestling since — I don’t know how long. Must be more than 10 years now… I think in that regard, I have more experience than Taker has himself. I don’t think he coached or trained a lot of people and it was my job that day to point out things I see and that’s what I did.” [h/t POST Wrestling]

Gunther also questioned one of The Undertaker’s coaching choices on the show, calling out how a wrestler was presented — something he felt the Hall of Famer should have handled differently.

While it might seem bold to critique a legend like The Undertaker, Gunther is no slouch when it comes to ring psychology and leadership. Before becoming World Champion, he was a dominant NXT UK Champion and the leader of Imperium — a group known for its precision and discipline.

Still, it’s a rare sight to see someone publicly claim to have more experience than The Phenom, even if it’s in a specific area.

Ironically, The Undertaker himself has praised Gunther in the past, calling him someone he wishes he could have faced. Whether that dream match ever happens or not, Gunther continues proving he’s not afraid to step to anyone — in or out of the ring.

Ric Flair has weighed in on the now-infamous promo exchange between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton that sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe.

The father-daughter promo turned personal during the April 4 edition of SmackDown, as tensions flared ahead of their WrestleMania 41 clash. After Charlotte mocked Stratton’s voice, the Women’s Champion fired back with digs at Flair’s divorce history, calling her “0-3” in relationships. Things escalated when Flair responded with a barbed line referencing Tiffany’s real-life relationship with Ludwig Kaiser: “Is that why Kaiser is in my DMs?”

Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Ric Flair admitted he didn’t love what he saw, calling the segment “very sensitive” and saying, “I didn’t like it, but wrestling is wrestling.”

While not pleased with how personal things got, Flair praised his daughter’s talent, saying,

“She is ten times the athlete that I am and so much better of a worker than I ever was.”

When asked if family issues were ever used during his legendary rivalries, Flair firmly said no. “It never happened. I’m 0-4,” he said, referencing his own marriages and the toll wrestling took on his personal life.

Although Ric doesn’t know how much of the segment was planned, he believes it wasn’t pre-approved and admitted the one silver lining in the chaos:

“Well, they’re talking about it… at the expense of Ashley’s feelings.”

Kevin Knight might be All Elite, but he’s not only All Elite.

Following his AEW debut and official signing on March 29, Knight revealed that he’s also staying loyal to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

In a new interview with Adrian Hernandez, Knight confirmed he signed deals with both AEW and NJPW, ensuring his continued presence in both promotions.

“New Japan has nothing to worry about. I’m not going anywhere,” Knight said. “As I got the AEW graphic, I inked a deal with New Japan as well. New Japan gotta deal with me for another year or so, and so is AEW. I’m doing both. Best of both worlds.” [h/t Fightful]

Knight will be featured in NJPW’s upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament, marking his third consecutive appearance. Before that, he’ll team with KUSHIDA at Windy City Riot on April 11 to challenge for the Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles.

A guest commentary appearance on the April 7th edition of WWE Raw didn’t land the way it was intended—either with fans or those backstage.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joined the commentary team during The War Raiders vs. The New Day match to promote the upcoming Roast of WrestleMania event set for Easter weekend in Las Vegas. However, what was supposed to be a lighthearted, funny segment quickly drew backlash.

Hinchcliffe’s jokes largely fell flat, with one particular line drawing major criticism: a crack about Big E’s neck being “the only thing stiffer than Michael Cole.” The comment touched a nerve, as Big E has not wrestled since suffering a broken neck in 2022.

Fans on social media immediately slammed the segment, calling it tasteless and unnecessary. According to Fightful Select, that reaction was echoed backstage, where the segment was described as a “dud.” Despite the reaction, the report noted that Hinchcliffe was “very respectful” while at the show.

At this time, WWE has not publicly commented on the segment.

After years of fan campaigning and heartfelt support, Lex Luger is finally set to take his place in the WWE Hall of Fame. But as the April ceremony draws closer, the spotlight has turned to who might do the honors of inducting the former World Champion—and for Luger, the dream scenario includes two of his closest friends: Sting and Diamond Dallas Page.

Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Bill Apter, Luger revealed that he pitched the idea of both men joining him on stage—not just as presenters, but also as symbolic support.

“I said, obviously, DDP has been working with me so much in the past. I’m so thankful. I’d love for him to be out there. But I go, man, my dream would be—have you ever had a twofur? Two guys out there for somebody?”

Referencing his health struggles, Luger added:

“If I try walking and I start to fall, I can have my two best buddies spot me on my shoulders. There’s your money shot. Sting on one side of me, and Dallas on the other.” [h/t WrestleZone]

However, logistics may get in the way. While WWE might be open to the idea, Sting remains under contract with AEW, and Tony Khan has yet to speak with him about the possibility.

As Luger noted, “There’s a lot of moving parts,” but he’s hopeful both companies will do the “classy thing” and make it happen—for him, and for the fans.

Luger joins a Hall of Fame class that includes Triple H, Michelle McCool, the Natural Disasters, and the induction of WWE’s first “Immortal Moment”: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13.

As WrestleMania 41 approaches, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton are generating plenty of buzz—just not for the match they’re about to have.

Their fiery promo on the April 4th edition of SmackDown quickly derailed when both women veered off-script and got personal in front of an unforgiving Chicago crowd. Flair mocked Stratton’s voice, while Stratton took a shot at Flair’s recent divorce before storming out. Flair fired back with an eyebrow-raising line about Ludwig Kaiser being in her DMs—another unplanned moment that escalated the chaos.

According to Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez, Flair was the first to break script by calling Stratton a “Nepo Queen” and mocking her voice—neither of which were written. Stratton’s divorce comment may have been loosely in the plans, but the “0-3” jab and abrupt exit weren’t. Wade Barrett reportedly sensed things going off the rails and prepared to step in.

Fightful Select added that Flair addressing the hostile crowd wasn’t planned, but considered harmless ad-libbing. However, the reference to Kaiser and the increasingly personal shots were not approved beforehand. Sources described the moment backstage as turning from confusion to an “oh sh*t” reaction, with the segment being internally labeled a “wreck.”

While both stars are reportedly facing heat, more of it appears to be on Flair as the veteran who’s expected to lead. That said, Stratton “fighting back” was viewed as understandable, even if the way she did it was deemed “ill-advised.”

Meanwhile, Ludwig Kaiser has responded with humor on social media, and those backstage at Raw were said to be amused at how well he handled being unexpectedly name-dropped.

With WrestleMania just around the corner, this match may now have more eyes on it—but for reasons WWE likely didn’t plan.

Stephanie Vaquer has made her championship intentions clear for NXT Stand & Deliver, officially selecting a Fatal 4-Way match to defend her NXT Women’s Championship.

After giving up her North American Title on the April 1st edition of NXT in exchange for choosing her next challenger, Vaquer was confronted by both Jordynne Grace and Jaida Parker. A match was made between the two to determine her challenger, but things didn’t go as planned. The bout ended in disqualification after Vaquer accidentally struck Grace during a brawl, and the chaos escalated with the surprise return of Giulia.

Giulia—who was defeated by Vaquer at Roadblock—attacked all three women and stood tall, forcing Vaquer to make a new decision. Later in the show, she told NXT General Manager Ava she wanted all three challengers at Stand & Deliver. Ava made it official.

Vaquer will now defend her title against Jordynne Grace, Jaida Parker, and Giulia in a Fatal 4-Way match over WrestleMania weekend.

With WrestleMania 41 just over a week away, WWE is still adding to the already stacked card. Following the April 7th edition of Raw, two more bouts were confirmed — Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano and a Fatal 4-Way for the Intercontinental Championship featuring Bron Breakker.

That brings the total to 11 official matches, but according to WrestleVotes via Sportskeeda’s Q&A podcast, the final card is expected to feature either 14 or 15 matches split across both nights of the event:

“So it’s definitely not 13. From what I’ve been told, it’s either 14 or 15. Saturday night, they make 8 matches and then 7 on Sunday.”

Veteran journalist Bill Apter backed up the report, noting he’d also heard a 15-match lineup is likely.

While the additional matches haven’t been confirmed, speculation suggests Randy Orton may still end up on the card after Kevin Owens was pulled due to injury. Rumors also point to Tag Team Title matches possibly involving The War Raiders or The Street Profits being added to round out the card.

If WWE does hit 15 matches, WrestleMania 41 will tie the record set by WrestleMania 39 — which featured 15 matches including two impromptu ones — and surpass last year’s WrestleMania 40, which featured 14.

Saraya (formerly known as Paige) could be on her way back to WWE this summer, just in time for the rumored return of the all-women’s Evolution event. Following her mutual departure from AEW in late March, speculation has swirled about a WWE return — especially now that she’s cleared to compete again.

While Saraya has denied any current talks with WWE, WrestleVotes revealed on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge that her return around July’s Evolution show is likely:

“Nothing in a short term, but I’d imagine once we get to Evolution come July, there’s a decent shot she’s a part of that; if she’s free and clear, which it seems like she is.”

Whether it’s a full-time return or a one-off appearance, fans could see the former Women’s Champion back under the WWE banner sooner rather than later.

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Hello and welcome back to the ITRWrestling live blog

My name is Liam and I will be with you from 10am to 6pm (UK) covering all the biggest stories from the past 24 hours across the world in wrestling.

Kicking things off today we have:

• There is a “decent shot” that Paige makes a WWE return with one event already speculated for her arrival.
• Charlotte Flair & Tiffany Stratton‘s SmackDown segment described as a “wreck” in new WWE update.
• A new report has provided an update on how many matches are planned for WrestleMania 41.