— WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather recently reflected on the history of the Nation of Domination, touching on its original lineup and the addition of Owen Hart.
Speaking on his “Poddin’ Ain’t Easy” podcast, The Godfather explained that the group was initially designed to avoid being overly controversial, and even the members themselves never knew why Owen was later added — though they had their theories.
Discussing the early formation of the faction, The Godfather confirmed that diversity was a deliberate choice. He said,
“At first, when they started that, Vince didn’t want it to be too powerful, and he didn’t want it to be as powerful as it got. He didn’t want to offend too many people. So at first the Nation involved a Puerto Rican [Savio Vega], a white guy, a Hawaiian [Crush], a black guy [Faarooq], some rappers [PG-13].”
As the group evolved, the lineup shifted into the more iconic version fans remember. But the late Owen Hart’s inclusion — a white Canadian wrestler in a predominantly Black faction — remained a head-scratcher.
“Even back then, I still don’t understand why Owen Hart was in the nation. Nobody, I talked to D’Lo, I talked to everybody, nobody has no idea. I think Vince did it just to piss off white people.”
Still, The Godfather emphasized that Owen’s presence was never an issue. Beloved by everyone in the locker room, he was welcomed with open arms. He stated,
“You know what? We all liked Owen so much… that nobody gave a [damn] because it was Owen. The great thing about it is none of us gave a [damn]. We all loved Owen… We were happy to have him.”
— The battle between WWE and AEW shows no signs of cooling off, and WWE reportedly has no intention of easing up on its counter-programming tactics. AEW’s decision to shift its All Out pay-per-view to an afternoon slot in order to avoid clashing with WWE’s upcoming Wrestlepalooza is the latest move in an ongoing scheduling war.
On the latest edition of “Wrestling Observer Live,” Bryan Alvarez revealed that his WWE sources made it clear the company plans to continue targeting AEW with strategic scheduling. He said,
“I’ve pretty much been told this from people in WWE — it’s like, that’s it. They’re gonna go after them and they’re gonna keep it up.”
He added that things could escalate even further, suggesting that WWE may eventually adjust its own start times in direct response to AEW’s changes. He stated,
“I don’t think it’s going to happen for this show. But the day is gonna come where WWE counterprograms, AEW moves a show, and then WWE moves their show. It’s gonna happen at some point. They’re gonna screw with [Tony Khan] because now they know this guy’s gonna blink, he’s gonna move his show.”
AEW officially shifted All Out to a 3 PM EST start time after WWE locked in Wrestlepalooza for the same night, September 20. This marks the first time a WWE main roster pay-per-view event will directly compete with an AEW pay-per-view. WWE has already been using its NXT pay-per-view events to run against AEW shows throughout 2025, but Wrestlepalooza represents a major escalation in the head-to-head battle.
— WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr. recently opened up about a mishap at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that left him with a black eye and severely bruised ribs — but no broken bones.
Speaking on a recent edition of his “Everybody’s Got A Pod” podcast, DiBiase Sr. recounted the accident, which occurred while he was hurrying to catch his gate. He said,
“There were some kids playing around, just being kids. One of them fell right in front of me, and I had no choice. I was hustling… I did a face bump. I went down hard, buddy.”
A gate attendant came to his aid, offering a rag for the bleeding on his face. He said,
“I don’t know if you can see it, but I’ve got a black eye. I’ve had a broken rib before, and if one’s broken, you can’t breathe. Even now, there’s nothing broken, but the bruise is really sore.”
Despite the discomfort, DiBiase found a way to laugh at the ordeal. He added,
“You talk about embarrassment, right? The Million Dollar Man takes a big bump in the Atlanta airport.”
