While they ultimately landed in AEW, The Kingdom talked about making a WWE return. Plus, one big Superstar praises Logan Paul after his impressive showing at Crown Jewel.
The Kingdom Talked WWE Return
Now in AEW, the group known as The Kingdom at least talked about a WWE return before finding a new home.
The group-Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Matt Taven, have had a nice couple years, all things considered.
Mike and Maria were among the numerous WWE cuts during the pandemic. Their cuts were all the more notable because they landed some insane contracts from WWE during AEW’s earliest years.
You know, when Vince was throwing stupid money out to keep talent away from AEW.
Taven is the only member of the group who never actually got any WWE money, to be fair.
That said, once their time in IMPACT wrapped up in early October, some wondered if Triple H would be interested in one or all parts of The Kingdom.
Per Fightful, The Kingdom had talked with WWE about a return for Mike and Maria, but talks never went far.
Shortly after they left IMPACT, they landed in AEW.
Based on the rapid timing of things, it would seem that WWE was less enthusiastic about bringing the husband and wife back to the company for another run.
It is possible that WWE was more interested in Taven…or perhaps only interested in him.
If so, that could have been a deal-breaking thing. The three have enjoyed success as The Kingdom, and they may have insisted on an all or none deal.
The Kingdom has arrived. @AEW pic.twitter.com/T6Sw63hdsw
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) October 15, 2022
Whatever happened, AEW was interested and clearly the interest was mutual, as the group can now say that they are All Elite.
Big Superstar Praises Logan Paul
Crown Jewel was capped by a far better than expected main event. Now, one big Superstar joins many others and praises Logan Paul.
Paul is a relative newcomer in a WWE ring. His loss at Crown Jewel was only his first loss in the company…in only three matches.
While his in-ring experience is limited, fans and peers are noticing the influencer.
The latest? Bobby Lashley.
As covered by Seconds Out, Lashley heaped praise on the WWE newcomer.
High praise, specifically, as he called Logan Paul “one of us”.
Lashley knows that WWE has had it’s share of celebrity matches over the years.
Most of those interactions, that celebrity is in for a match and that’s it.
Bobby pointed out that this is Paul’s third, and he’s been working as hard as anyone.
We know he trained hard for each of his bouts, including working with HBK to execute an amazing match on Saturday.
What makes his Crown Jewel loss even more amazing? According to reports, Paul sustained a significant knee injury during the match and managed to finish things out.
Sure, plenty of wrestlers get injured during a match and gut it out…but not many of them suffer significant knee injuries and do it.
Based on his performances to date, the only thing that may hold him back would be how much time he wants to invest in WWE.
Before Crown Jewel, you might have been skeptical of Paul being worthy of a title shot. He may not have paid the long dues others have, but he proved he fit right in.