Cody Rhodes has formed a partnership with Roman Reigns over the last few weeks, and not everybody on the WWE roster is happy about it. Though Reigns was absent, the drama continued to play out on the most recent “WWE SmackDown,” with tension developing between Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens.

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During the show’s main event, Rhodes attempted to prevent Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa from interfering in a tag match pitting Orton and Owens against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. However, Fatu seized on an opportune moment to throw Rhodes into the referee, allowing Sikoa to cheat and get the win. Speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” Bully Ray shared his belief that Rhodes should have injected more drama into the situation.

“I would’ve loved to have seen Cody come out and then hit the brakes at the bottom of the ramp,” Bully said. “He’s running out like Randy told him to, but then he’s pumping the brakes like Kevin told him to. ‘What do I do? What do I do?’ And for a brief moment in time, Kevin looks at Cody, Randy looks at Cody, Cody looks at the both of them, they both get hit from behind [by] the Bloodline, then Cody slides in to be the hero.”

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If the company had booked the segment that way, Bully argued that the conflict playing out internally inside Rhodes would have been outwardly presented to the audience. The WWE Hall of Famer believes the crowd would have audibly reacted to such a move, but instead, the angle played out in a relatively straightforward manner. For now, the story is portraying Rhodes as a tried-and-true babyface, with Orton and Owens questioning the champion over his decision to trust Reigns.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Stephanie McMahon has largely skirted any major fallout from the controversies that have consumed WWE and Vince McMahon for much of 2024. In Netflix’s new six-part docuseries “Mr. McMahon,” Stephanie provided candid insights about her father, though they were captured before the Janel Grant allegations had surfaced. However, there was one cringe-worthy moment involving a video clip from 2015 where she claimed ignorance of Mike Tyson’s rape conviction when WWE had worked with the boxer in 1998. On “83 Weeks,” Eric Bischoff, a former colleague and on-screen rival of Stephanie, defended her blunder.

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“If you start asking me about dates and names from last month, let alone 15 years ago, I’m challenged with timelines,” Bischoff said. “It just seems like so much happened in 30 years … Also, I’m gonna cut her a little slack because I’ve been in these interviews, and oftentimes the questions kind of force you to go from one time period to another time period to another time period, and back and forth, and it really is hard to keep dates and events and names straight in an interview like this.”

Bischoff’s co-host Conrad Thompson countered by saying Tyson’s conviction was fairly common knowledge, even to middle schoolers, in the late ’90s. Bischoff then confessed that it did “look bad” for Stephanie.

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Stephanie McMahon resigned as WWE’s co-CEO in 2023 when her father Vince had attempted a brief comeback behind the scenes. She largely stayed out of view until WrestleMania 40, when she appeared in-ring to kick off Night 2. How much she may or may not have known about Ashley Massaro’s 2016 sexual assault allegations has also been a source of rumor and innuendo.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Shawn Michaels have been praised for their creative management on both the main roster and “WWE NXT.” “The Game” is often credited for his onscreen storytelling and the improvement of show quality, while “HBK” reinvigorated the developmental brand and has been applauded for his willingness to feature stars from TNA, such as Joe Hendry and Jordynne Grace. That being said, on “Busted Open Radio,” Bully Ray, aka Bubba Ray Dudley, explained why he’s surprised to watch the Degeneration-X duo reach their current roles in WWE, considering their backstage antics during their respective wrestling careers. 

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“Did you ever think 25 years ago that Shawn and Triple H would be running things? And I would say no also, you know why? Cause they’re two of the biggest f*****g troublemakers that ever stepped foot in that company,” Ray said. “They were two biggest thorns in Vince’s side, they got in trouble all the time. You’ve heard Shawn tell the stories about how the letters that were sent to Vince, Vince coming down on them, tone it down. They were troublemakers. But the squeaky wheels get the oil in this business and, boy oh boy, did they get all the oil.” 

Before Michaels became the Senior VP of Talent Development Creative on “NXT,” he served as a trainer on the gold brand. However, his role was upgraded after Triple H was appointed as Head Of Creative on the main roster due to Vince McMahon resigning after being caught up in hush money and misconduct scandals.  

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

WWE may have Logan Paul, but AEW now has a social media star of its own. Andrew Befumo Jr., aka A.J. of The Costco Guys, revealed on Instagram that he had signed a one-match deal to wrestle for Tony Khan’s company.

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A.J. revealed the news alongside his son, who goes by “Big Justice.” “We signed a contract today,” he said. “We will be coming back for one more match … and it will be for AEW, All Elite Wrestling. We don’t know exactly when, we don’t know exactly where, we don’t know exactly who my opponent’s gonna be, but I am wrestling for one match.” A.J. then said he and his son will also be coming to AEW to “bring the boom,” which is a catchphrase of sorts for them.

Prior to online fame, Befumo had been a professional wrestler, performing as “The American Powerchild” Eric Justice on the independent circuit. His last official match was in 2005. After leaving wrestling behind, Befumo entered the mortgage business, where he gained a modest following through videos with a wrestling slant. When Befumo’s son was born, the two began creating content together. One particular video shot at Costco went viral with over 10 million views, leading to their online persona. 

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The Costco Guys had previously appeared on camera during AEW All Out 2024. They have nearly tw million subscribers on TikTok. By comparison, Logan Paul — who signed an extension with WWE last year — has over 18 million. In his original post, Befumo said they’d be posting a full video later in the week, possibly containing more details on his AEW appearance. 

“WWE NXT” will debut on The CW tonight after airing on the USA Network for the past five years. CM Punk is scheduled to make an appearance, and “The Best In The World” will serve as the the special guest referee for the NXT Championship match between Trick Williams and Ethan Page. Speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” Bully Ray provided his thoughts on tonight’s title bout, expressing why he thinks Williams should come out victorious. 

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“I believe that tomorrow night is a must-win for Trick Williams. I think he must defeat Ethan Page. I think if Trick does not defeat Ethan, its a small step backwards for him,” Ray said. “I can tell by talking to Trick that there’s something in there that he doesn’t even know about; he doesn’t even know lurks inside of him or lives inside of him. But as a 30-plus year vet, I can see it, I can smell it, I know it’s there. But who in NXT can bring it out of him? I don’t think any of his peers can bring it out of him.” 

In addition to the NXT Championship being on the line, Roxanne Perez will also be defending her NXT Women’s Title against former STARDOM sensation Giulia, who recently joined the company. Meanwhile, Wes Lee will enter battle with his former tag team partner Zachary Wentz in a Street Fight. 

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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.