10 WWE backstage stories we learned this week: Superstar 'begged' Vince McMahon for TV time, Roman Reigns' best friend in wrestling
The attention of the WWE Universe right now is on the upcoming episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live from Madison Square Garden.
Off-screen, meanwhile, lots of Superstars and former WWE personalities have revealed interesting behind-the-scenes stories during media interviews and podcast appearances over the last week.
For example, everybody knows that Roman Reigns is real-life friends with Seth Rollins and Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose), but did you know that he considers one of WWE’s top comedy characters to be his best friend in wrestling?
In this article, let’s count down 10 of the best backstage stories that we have heard in the last seven days.
#10 Chad Gable ‘begged’ Vince McMahon for TV time
Chad Gable progressed in the King of the Ring tournament this week by surprisingly defeating Andrade on SmackDown Live.
Speaking to PW Insider before the show, the former American Alpha member discussed various topics about his WWE career, including his reaction to being split up from tag team partner Bobby Roode after WrestleMania 35.
Following his move to SmackDown Live, Gable created his own vignettes and went to Vince McMahon with ideas for his character and future storylines.
"I made my own promos that I would bring my laptop in and show him. Just basically like begging, pleading, doing whatever I could to get something, get anything. And I wasn’t married to these ideas that I was giving him. Look, I’m open to anything."
It might have taken a while but the plan seems to have worked, as the 2012 Olympian is more popular than ever as a singles competitor and he has appeared frequently on SmackDown Live since the King of the Ring tournament began.
WWE recently filed a trademark for the name ‘Shorty G’, which has led many people to believe that the constant digs about Gable's height will result in his character receiving a new name.
#9 Roman Reigns’ best friend in wrestling
Like him or loathe him, Roman Reigns is one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of the last decade. The former Shield member has won almost every title there is to win in WWE, while his run of four consecutive WrestleMania main events is unlikely to be matched any time soon.
Throughout his seven years on the main roster, “The Big Dog” has formed various alliances, notably with Seth Rollins and Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose), and with his real-life relatives, The Usos.
This week, Reigns discussed his battle with leukemia on the latest episode of the Leukemia Chatters podcast (listen to the 12-minute interview here). Towards the end of the conversation, the former WWE Champion took part in a quickfire Q&A, mostly consisting of questions related to his wrestling career.
Interestingly, he quickly replied “R-Truth” when asked who he considers to be his best friend in the wrestling business, which might surprise a few people considering his past connections with The Shield.