Ex-star criticises Vince McMahon's decisions, legend didn't want to be famous, Top Dolla reveals his mental health struggles – WWE Podcast Roundup
Welcome to the WWE Podcast Roundup, where we aim to bring the most interesting comments made by top wrestling personalities on podcasts. Today, we will look at stories relating to legendary superstar Miss Elizabeth, Top Dolla, and Vince McMahon's absurd decisions being called out by a former champion.
Renowned WWE personality Bruce Prichard is of the opinion that Miss Elizabeth didn't initially fit into her babyface character. The First Lady of Wrestling was 'too kind for wrestling' but somehow set the tone for the gimmick. Prichard examines the factor behind it through his lenses.
#3. Miss Elizabeth's success is because of her 'reluctant' nature
Miss Elizabeth was initially going to be a "hard-nosed business shark" but WWE changed its plans. The heel persona could have made a significant impact on the roster. The 'Total Package', nonetheless, was able to connect with the audience.
Bruce Prichard believes that one of the key reasons for her success was that she didn't want the spotlight to be on her. He discussed her involvement with ex-husband Randy Savage on his podcast.
"I think that why Liz was so perfect in this role was because she was doing it with her husband. Elizabeth looked at it as 'he's the star and I am enhancing this star.' She didn't want to be the star. She was just that reluctant superstar." (49:35- 50:00)
Prichard continued:
"She didn't want to have it all on her shoulders, she didn't want to go out and sell posters… She wanted Randy to make it and she was happy being a part of the act." (50:18 - 50:25)
Miss Elizabeth was married to Randy Savage from 1984-92. Despite their split, the 'Macho' couple continued to work together from 1996 to 1998. Liz was married to Lex Luger during that time.
#2. Top Dolla was depressed after his WWE release in 2021
A.J. Francis, known as Top Dolla in WWE, navigated a rocky road to his wrestling dreams. The former NFL star made his in-ring debut in May 2021 but was released alongside his Hit Row members after only six months on the main roster.
During the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin, Top Dolla recalled how “disappointment" and "shame" enveloped him.
"I’ve worked to get to that point,” said Top Dolla. “We had the fastest call-up ever in NXT history. To then be released a month later it was like, I felt... I didn’t know that this would happen. I had no assurances that I’d be back in WWE again. So I felt like maybe the two years that I had spent in NXT, getting to that point was just a waste of my time, because I was gonna have to go do something else now. (33:29 - 34:02)
Top Dolla battled his way through depression after his abrupt exit from WWE.
"When we (Hit Row) first got released, it was tough. I was genuinely depressed. I had spent my entire life looking for a chance to get an opportunity to be on SmackDown, to be on RAW. Then I got there and then a month later it got taken out from underneath me. So it was one of the worst experiences [and] times of my life.” (34:54 - 35:20)
Luckily, the 32-year-old star stayed in touch with Triple H after his departure. He was part of the slew of talent recruitment made under The Game's rule and is now a big part of Monday Night RAW.
#1. Former superstar Ryback calls out WWE for its lack of long-term storylining on his podcast
Speaking on the Ryback Show, the former WWE star spoke about how Sami Zayn was carrying The Bloodline week after week with his efficient promos and character work. He stressed the need for long-term storylining.
Ryback linked himself, Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona) and Rusev (Miro) to emphasize his point. He went into a characteristic rant on his release, calling out Vince McMahon and WWE, saying:
"'Uh oh, Ryback's getting over. What are we gonna do to sabotage this? Let's just take away all his merchandise and have him lose seven pay-per-views", said The Big Guy. "Hey, Zack Ryder's really over and got his YouTube show and he's got more followers than anyone on social media, what can we do? Let's bury him on TV week-after-week." (1:45 - 2:04)
Ryback continued:
"Rusev Day was the hottest thing going on for a while. Let's put him in a championship match and have him get beat and not do anything with them. Let's put him in a cu*k angle after that and embarrass him with his wife before we fire him." (2:13 - 2:24)
Ryback was let go by WWE in 2016. He has participated on independent circuits since then, with his last performance being in 2018. The former Intercontinental Champion wants to fight Goldberg but that may not pan out anytime soon.
While using quotes from this article, please credit the original source and give a H/T to Sportskeeda.
YOU could be the NEXT FACE of Sportskeeda Wrestling. Click here to find out how!