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Vince McMahon might have been criticized for his booking way before the controversies against him started racking up, tainting his legacy in the process, but few people have ever denied that he had charisma and could cut a promo when needed for the storylines involving his character. Interestingly, according to MVP, McMahon even held promo classes to teach WWE talent how to cut promos.

“I remember when Vince McMahon, at WWE, was doing promo classes and, you know, [for] certain people it was mandatory; you had to attend his promo classes,” the veteran recalled during an episode of his “Marking Out” podcast, adding that people were surprised to hear that he was one of the people who had to attend these classes. “I learned a lot. And one of the things Vince said: ‘A promo is a match. A match is a promo. The formula is pretty much the same.'”

MVP further maintained that McMahon led these classes himself in a classroom setting, complete with notebooks.

“Everything he was saying? I knew and understood, so, for me, it was just validation,” he added. “Everybody has their own style of promo and I’ve said many times – I think the best promos are conversational,” MVP added, noting how promo work needs to work around characters. “When you’re doing a promo right, the essence of a promo is to captivate the viewer. Gain their attention and then make them want to see the conflict.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Marking Out” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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These days, the conversation around Joaquin Niemann can obscure the man himself.

Let’s get more specific: It’s pretty clear to anybody who watches much professional golf that Niemann is one of the more talented players in the world. But exactly how high he belongs on that list is where the debate begins. Phil Mickelson poured on some kerosene on the fire when he added “Top 5? Try #1” to the discourse earlier this year. Niemann won five times on LIV this season, which is certainly evidence of his ability. But he also finished T29-T8-MC-MC in the majors, another disappointing campaign for a player who knows that’s where much of his career will be defined.

Anyway, that’s the conversation around him. As for Niemann himself? He’s a real and delightful person. He’s on the verge of his 27th birthday. He’s wrapping his eighth year as a pro. He’s intense in tournament play but quick to laugh when he steps away. He still has the boyish energy of the teenage sensation who made it on Tour — but he’s contemplative, too, spending more time journaling. And he wouldn’t be able to change that unique swing — the weed-chopping, stone-skipping, hip-whirling swing — even if he wanted to. (He doesn’t.) And you can ask him anything except his favorite golf club. They’re listening, after all…

Here’s what I learned from Niemann in a half-hour on the range.

1. You might not be saying his name quite right.

I bet you’ve got the full thing down. But “Joaquin” often gets shortened to “Joaco,” which I tend to say as a very American “Wah-ko” but he enunciates with a slightly subtler “Hwa-go.”

“Americans have a tough accent to say ‘J-O’ together,” he says charitably.

2. He used to have a specific 40-yard swing — but not any more.

Niemann begins his warmup with a 60-degree wedge, as do many of his peers. But I was interested to hear him say that over the years he’s actually gotten less mechanical with his in-between wedge shots. Once he gets to the point in his warmup that he starts thinking about yardages — 60 or 70 yards, say — he uses his head and his eyes.

“I feel like I’m better at hitting the number when I see something,” he says. “Let’s say I want to land it just on the green. I feel I’ll have a better knowledge of where to land that than just a number, so I go with my feeling.”

That’s a slight change from his younger self, Niemann says.

“I used to be more — I’ve got a 40-yard swing, I’ve got a 50-yard swing, I’ve got a 60-yard swing. But now it’s more free and I play with my vision.”

3. He thinks about throwing the ball to his target.

This is related to No. 2, but it’s interesting enough to separate out.

“For me if it’s like, ‘hey Joaco, throw a ball to the 50-yard [target], it’s not like I’m going to calculate how far I’m going to throw it. I’m just going to go.”

[Throws ball pin-high.]

4. He gets stuck on the 8-iron.

Niemann says he typically runs through all his wedges — 60, 56, 52, then pitching wedge — and then alternates on his way down through his irons (sometimes 9, 7, 5 but usually 8, 6, 4) doing what he can to “make sure they’re not getting neglected.” But then he gets stuck.

“I mean, growing up I used to hit a lot of 8-irons. Like, all day. And my 8-iron was destroyed,” he says.

This resonated with me because I, too, used to get stuck hitting millions of 8-irons during a through-the-bag range session. There’s something appealing about the first club that’s not a wedge.

5. As a kid, he used his clubs as weed-whackers.

Niemann’s father — a college basketball player in Chile and a 20-handicap — introduced him to golf. But it was his mother whose backyard bribery may have taken him next level.

“I used to live in a house where we had a big yard, like, outside the city. And my brother was probably playing video games or playing football or whatever, and I was working with a club.”

Niemann would pitch balls around his yard for hours at a time and then pitch in on some work in the garden, too.

“I remember my mom used to pay me, I dunno, five bucks to break [weeds],” Niemann says. “Sometimes I think that’s why I dig so much into the ground, and I’m like, ‘f—.’”

6. He’s a big thinker.

Niemann plays some video games, he says, after his practice-physical therapy-cold plunge-sauna routine. But he spends more time than you’d think on more intellectual pursuits, too.

“A little bit of reading, all that kind of stuff to kind of help me develop myself better; I feel like I’m getting to know myself better and I need to progress on reading, you know, journaling, all that kind of stuff. I can evaluate myself, how I’m doing in my life, in golf, my relationships, all of that,” Niemann says. “I feel like I’m a big thinker, I like to be quiet, you know, and just think about what’s going on outside.”

7. Trajectory, he says, is everything.

“I feel like more than having a number, I lean more on the trajectory,” Niemann says, showing off his creativity in the way he thinks through shots. “If the green is going to release, I can land it 10 short, hit something low, it’ll skip and spin. Or if the pin is on the front, you’ve got to hit something really high. I go more with windows than actual numbers, y’know?”

8. He favors a little cut.

Niemann likes to hit his irons pretty straight — but if the ball is going to move he wants it falling slightly left to right.

“Every time I ‘miss’ a shot I want it starting left but cutting,” he says. “That’s my feel. If I hit it right then cutting is no good. If I hit it left and it’s drawing, terrible. So I know when the ball starts a little left and it’s cutting that everything is going to be okay.”

To hit the cut, Niemann aligns himself a few yards left of the target and then, as he says, “rotate as hard as I can.” It works pretty well for him.

9. He says his golf clubs are listening.

I ask Niemann if he has a favorite club. He answers seriously.

I can’t tell you. They’re here and they listen,” he says. “They get jealous. They’re all in the bag because I like them all.”

10. He carries a 5 hybrid.

It says “5” on it, after all. But Niemann insists it’s a “4” or at least that it flies “4 distance.”

When you were a kid you were thinking about having a 2-iron,” he says. “I had to give away my childhood dream. I only [go through] 5-iron now.”

In fairness to Niemann, he does have a 3-iron he uses sometimes. But if you needed any further permission to grab a lofted metal, just know he has a 7-wood in his arsenal. He has a 4-slash-5 hybrid.

And they’re listening.

You can watch the whole thing below or here.

Rusev believes he received ‘mixed messages†from Vince McMahon and shared what he learned during his time in WWE.

Speaking on the debut episode of his wife CJ Perryâ€s Identity Crisispodcast, former three-time WWE United States Champion Rusev addressed Perryâ€s question about whether Vince McMahon believed he worked better as a monster heel.

Rusev revealed that he received mixed messages from the former WWE Chairman. He stated that McMahon asked him to be a babyface, only to tell him to go heel once again.

“He called me in the office before the Goldberg things, ‘Hey, hey, you know, do this favor for me, Iâ€m going to owe you one,†and then he said, ‘What do you think about turning babyface?†Iâ€m like, ‘Vince, if youâ€re behind it, Iâ€m behind it,†because I know itâ€s going to work.

“So heâ€s asked me to be a babyface before,†Rusev continued, “but then he asked me to be a heel again after. And thatâ€s what Iâ€m saying, itâ€s all these mixed messages with nothing in between.â€

Rusev Says Working With WWE Taught Him To Be A Hard Worker

When asked how being a heel and working with WWE defined his identity, Rusev stated that it taught him to be a hard worker and to appreciate the highs and lows of the journey.

“Well, you learn a lot, of course you learn,†Rusev said. “You learn so much being in WWE. Like, thereâ€s no other job like being in WWE. Especially back in, I could say back in the day, because when we first started, compared to now, itâ€s completely different.

“We used to be on the road five days a week, and these tours, like two-week and three-week-long tours and all that. Now, we donâ€t have that anymore. But it teaches you to be a hard worker first and foremost, to always say yes to everything. It teaches you to, whether youâ€re throwing up, whether youâ€re sick, whether youâ€re dying, whether you have a leg or not, you go out there and you perform to the best of your abilities.

“Yeah, and you learn how to public speak, of course, thatâ€s really important as well. You learn to appreciate the highs and the lows, because thereâ€s not a professional wrestler in this world, or maybe in Hollywood as well, that youâ€re here (up) but then youâ€re also here (down). You canâ€t be always high or low. So you got to appreciate all these moments and ride the wave, and thatâ€s what I learned, ride the wave.â€

READ MORE: Xavier Woods Hilariously Buries Jey Uso While Calling Out CM Punk

If you use the quotes from this article, please credit the Identity Crisis podcast and give an H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription.

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NEW DELHI: Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik on Saturday praised Rohit Sharma for his leadership, impact, and influence on the Indian cricket team during his tenure as ODI captain.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Rohit Sharma. Thank you so much. You were a phenomenal captain — tactically astute, but most importantly, very, very friendly and got along with everyone, making them feel so comfortable. But for me, the legacy that you’ve left as a captain… in those big moments, those big matches, you taught this current team what it takes to win,†Karthik said in a video he shared on Instagram.

Rohit Sharma removed as India ODI captain, a glorious era comes to an end

Karthik highlighted Rohitâ€s approach to leading from the front, particularly during high-pressure games. “At times we used to take a backward step, but you said, ‘I think we need to press forward, put more pressure on the opponent, take more risks,’ and you didn’t leave it to anyone else. I think you started it with the bat—when in the big matches, you said, ‘I’m going to go harder,’ and that required skill. You got it done, and you did it consistently.â€

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What do you think was Rohit Sharma’s greatest contribution as captain?

Under Rohitâ€s leadership, India won 42 of 56 ODIs, maintaining a winning percentage of 76. His tenure saw India lift two ICC trophies in 2024 — the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy — and finish runner-up in the ODI World Cup at home in 2023. Karthik also emphasised Rohitâ€s contribution to nurturing young talent and building a resilient side. “Asia Cup unbeaten with a young team… You’ve left it in a better place than what it was when you started, and that’s always a great sign of a leader.â€The Indian selectors on Saturday removed Rohit from ODI captaincy and handed over the reins to young Test skipper Shubman Gill ahead of the white-ball tour of Australia, keeping the 2027 World Cup in focus. Shreyas Iyer will serve as Gillâ€s deputy for the three-match ODI series starting October 19 in Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne, followed by a five-match T20 series.

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CM Punk explains how he became such a pro on the mic.

Punk took part in GQâ€s “Replies To Fans Onlineâ€Â feature and responded to some fan feedback about him. During the video, Punk was asked who taught him how to cut promos. First, he said a lot of his skills were natural, but also credited some of pro wrestlingâ€s best talkers for inspiring him over the years.

“I think a lot of it I was born with. A lot of it I learned from watching the great wordsmiths of our business. Roddy Piper, Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, people who had a way with words. And Iâ€ve always just had that chip on my shoulder and a mouth. So a lot of it, I was indeed born with.â€

CM Punk also pointed out how every promo is different, so he tries not to script things out too much. Rather, Punk says he tries to feel things out and react in the moment since things can change so quickly.

“When it comes to promos, each situation is drastically different from the next. I come — I try not to plan too much because I feel like it needs to be in the moment. I need to be less of an actor and more of a reactor, so a lot of moving parts constantly changing.â€

During the same feature, CM Punk was also asked about his potential retirement plans.

Read More: CM Punk Reveals Crazy Fan Interaction That Took Place At His House

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During his eight-year spell at Barcelona, Pedro was part of an all-conquering side that mopped up pretty much every trophy…