Jey Uso won the WWE Intercontinental Championship this past Monday on “WWE Raw.” After 14 years of putting in the hard work on the main roster, he finally won his first singles title. Although this was a monumental moment in his career, Uso didn’t get a chance to celebrate it with his brother, Jimmy Uso, as the siblings have drifted apart in a storyline context. That didn’t go unnoticed by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T either, who shared his thoughts on the matter.

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“It’s bittersweet, man, I’m sure for Jey…because he’s not there doing it with his brother,” Booker T noted on his “Hall of Fame” podcast. “His brother right now is kind of, like, on the sidelines. He’s literally got the rocket put on him…[and] just went straight to the moon. This ‘Yeet’ thing is over like rover…I’m so proud of him ’cause he stayed the course, he’s done the work, and now, he has been rewarded for it.”

Eight months after Jey quit the original Bloodline, Jimmy was physically booted out of the group by Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga. Since the beatdown, Jimmy has been sidelined with an injury, and there is no timetable on when he’ll return. With Roman Reigns back in the picture and taking on the newly formed Bloodline, Jey remains hopeful that a Bloodline civil war will happen soon, and that he’ll be invited by his cousin to help in the battle. 

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For now, thougj, Jey needs to enjoy this celebratory period in his career, as he made history on Monday, becoming the second generational son to win the Intercontinental Championship after his father, Rikishi.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Hall of Fame Podcast” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

When WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cole Steve Austin retired from wrestling in 2003, he became one of many former wrestlers to pursue a successful movie career in Hollywood, starring in movies such as “The Longest Yard” and “The Condemned.” During an interview with “Too Much Access,” Austin opened up about his acting career, and how he recalls Adam Sandler being one of the nicest people he’s ever met.

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“I always tell people, that’s the nicest guy I ever met in Hollywood. I didn’t do Hollywood, I lived in Marina Del Rey in the Venice area, so I didn’t go to parties, I didn’t go to the Hollywood hills. I didn’t do none of that s**t; it wasn’t my scene. I was an athlete. Those actors are a little different. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I just mean they’re different than an athlete. They’re wired different, or I’m wired differently than they are. Adam Sandler was the funniest, nicest guy I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve enjoyed each time I’ve gotten to work with him. He’s a super guy, a sweetheart.”

Sandler worked with Austin and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash on “The Longest Yard” in 2005, a role that saw both wrestlers play corrupt prison guards. He also teamed with Austin again for “Grown Ups 2” in 2013, where the “Texas Ra6ttlesnake” appeared in brief, but memorable, roles. The wrestling connection to Sandler doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon either, as it was recently reported that both Bad Bunny and former AEW World Champion MJF are joining the cast of “Happy Gilmore 2.”

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Please credit “Too Much Access” when using quotes from this article, and thanks to Fightful for the transcription.

AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson and his old rival Nigel McGuinness clashed for the first time in 15 years on “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam,” ending with the “American Dragon” getting one last victory in their rivalry. The match was McGuinness’ second outing since coming out of retirement at AEW All In, but did the clash live up to all the hype for Bully Ray?

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“Did it meet the expectations of the build up? No, I did not think so,” Ray said on an episode of “Busted Open After Dark.” He explained that he thought the match itself would have been more akin to the style of ROH, but admitted that McGuinness and Danielson could likely not wrestle that style anymore.

The veteran also noted that the build up was unfortunately bigger than the payoff, although he liked the match and praised how hard both stars worked during the match. “I would’ve gone about this completely differently. There was an opportunity to tell a story throughout the thread of the show and pay it off in the end,” he opined.

Ray added that the match didn’t receive a huge build up, despite him personally thinking there would be a story throughout the show at least. “Not only did we get the match, we got it right off the bat,” he said, noting how the bout ended up opening the show. However, the former WWE star praised McGuinness and noted how happy he was to see the veteran back in the ring again, and that the announcers similarly added to his age-old rivalry with Danielson.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open After Dark” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Unionization in professional wrestling has always been a taboo subject. After Jesse Ventura’s attempted efforts were left behind, former independent wrestler David Starr tried revitalizing that same fight in 2019. His voyage caught some mainstream success, including collaborating with the British Actors’ Equity Association to form We the Independent. This organization fought for fundamental rights like healthcare and better pay to independent wrestlers. His efforts opened new wounds for Vince McMahon, who ceased booking opportunities for him from Progress Wrestling and Westside Xtreme Wrestling, who WWE sponsored at the time. According to Bischoff, efforts from stars like Ventura and Starr were controversial and maybe not best for business.

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“I’m not a big fan of unions,” Bischoff pointed out. “I don’t think that’s the end-all be-all. There’s a lot of advantages in being in a union, but there’s a lot of businesses that are no longer around because of being in the union as well. I’m not sure how I feel about it today, to be really fair about it. I don’t think that business would have grown to the extent that it is had there been a union involved… I don’t know that; it’s just an opinion.”

Since the quarrels between Hulk Hogan, McMahon, and Ventura, it seems WWE and and the pro-union wrestler have turned over a new leaf, with talks of Ventura inking a WWE Legends contract. Regarding Ventura’s relationship with McMahon, he has mentioned the two weren’t always so adversarial, even if they didn’t always see eye-to-eye. Hogan and Ventura’s relationship, however, remains turbulent.

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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.