Will Ospreay has called shotgun on facing Neville first now that the wrestler formerly known as Pac is a free agent.

Last night, it was reported that Neville is no longer contracted to WWE. His pending return to the independents and non-WWE promotions has wrestlers and wrestling fans alike excited.

https://twitter.com/willospreay/status/1033268894998437888?s=21

Neville/Pac Free Of WWE

Few details are available at the moment as it concerns how Neville’s time with WWE ended. It’s possible that his contract ended but it is also possible he and the company came to an agreement on his early release.

It does appear, however, that Cody and the Young Bucks were aware ahead of time before news broke. The members of the Elite dropped a few hints through social media in the days leading up to the news breaking.

I miss Neville https://t.co/fTlGAA3pxa

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) August 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1032726642823589888

Matt Jackson and Cody’s talk regarding Neville may have been a coincidence or it may not have been.

It has been over 6 years since Neville was a free agent. He began his career with WWE in mid-2012 and debuted in NXT that October. During his time with NXT, he won the NXT title once and the tag-team championships twice, once with Oliver Grey and once with Corey Graves. On the main roster, he was a former 2x Cruiserweight Champion but is believed to have become unsatisfied with his role, the product, or both.

His last match in WWE was on October 7th, 2017. He defeated Enzo Amore by DQ at a 205 Live house show.

Wade Barrett has reflected on his WWE run as well as working with former WWE Champion CM Punk. The former WWE star spoke with TV Insider to talk about various topics.

WWE Run

Barrett talked about his run with the company by stating that he went from being a complete nobody to a main event guy in 2010 where he was battling all the top stars like John Cena and Randy Orton. He noted that at that time, there were fans who asked him if he felt the pressure of being in the top spot and he always responds by stating no.

“The pressure I felt in my wrestling career was when I was the guy who wasn’t known and had to try and build a name for myself and build a career for myself.”

Hosting Ultimate Beastmaster & CM Punk

Barrett also discussed being the UK host of Ultimate Beastmaster and working with CM Punk briefly on the show where he stated that it’s a cool thing to have Punk being one of the US hosts as fans get to see them interact on camera again and was good to see him again.

“I haven’t seen him in a few years. He is doing great for himself and seems to be enjoying his life away from WWE. I was happy to reconnect with him and see what he is doing.”

What are your thoughts on Barrett’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.

Braun Strowman has made the challenge to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for a match next week. The big storyline on the flagship show of the WWE, Monday Night Raw, started at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center once he came out and stated that he would cash-in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Universal Title match between then-champion Brock Lesnar and Reigns.

He was unable to get that chance as Lesnar took him out. This led to Reigns beating Lesnar to win the title. Moving along to the next night, Reigns successfully defend his title against Finn Balor in the main event. Once the match had concluded, Strowman attempted to cash-in but Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins prevented Strowman from cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot.

This led to The Shield attacking the fan favorite superstar and power bombing him through the announce table.

Now, Strowman took to his official Twitter account to issue the challenge to the WWE Universal Champion to a match with the title being on the line on this Monday’s episode of RAW in Toronto, Canada at the Scotiabank Arena. He wrote the following:

“I don’t need to surprise you to cash in #MITB. I promised to do it face to face. Face me in the middle of your “yard” on #Raw, Roman. And if you’re really a man you’ll come alone. #MonsterInTheBank.”

https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/1033044824751001601

Two more big matches have been revealed for WWE Hell in a Cell, which takes place on Sunday, September 16 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The official website of the AT&T Center is now advertising Roman Reigns as defending the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman, as well as Ronda Rousey defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss.

WWE has officially announced two matches for the show so far: AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe (announced on Friday), and Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse in a Mixed Tag Team Match (announced on Tuesday).

In addition to the aforementioned matches, the AT&T Center is also advertising these two bouts:

* Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton

* Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

• What happened to Lex Luger?

Neville has finally been released from WWE, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. The former Cruiserweight Champion has been off television for nearly a year.

Last fall, it was widely reported that Neville was unhappy with his creative direction. He allegedly walked out of the October 9th, 2017 episode of Monday Night Raw after learning that he would have to lose to Enzo Amore on the show.

Instead of releasing him, WWE opted to keep him under contract. This prevented the Man that Gravity Forgot from working with other promotions.

Neville reportedly had a few rounds of negotiations with WWE over the past year. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it and one of the top wrestlers in the world has been needlessly sitting on the sidelines during the prime of his career.

No word yet on what is next for Neville. It goes without saying that he will have no trouble finding work and is definitely a talent to keep an eye on in the months ahead.

Shortly after the news of Neville’s free agency was reported, several wrestlers took notice on Twitter. New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay called ‘first dibs’ on a match with Neville.

WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently reviewed SummerSlam on his podcast, The Steve Austin Show.

One of the key moments from SummerSlam was Becky Lynch’s heel turn. Initially Lynch was to face Carmella for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title in a Singles match. However, upon Charlotte Flair’s return from surgery, she was inserted into the match.

Flair wound up winning the Triple Threat bout and the SDL Women’s Title. After the match, Lynch attacked her now-former friend after becoming fed up. Austin seemed amazed by the reaction Brooklyn had to the moment:

“All the women, damn good.” Austin said, “Carmella, probably the least experienced in the ring, for sure the least experienced, great character though.

“Anyway, they’re telling their story and all-of-a-sudden, the finish goes down, and then, at the end of the match… I want to talk about this, just the psychology and people’s reaction there in Brooklyn, New York, whatever you want to call it.

“Charlotte goes over. She’s happy, obviously. Becky and her are close friends. They hug, and then, just that big ass right hand, slap. And then, more devastation from Becky Lynch and she blows the roof off the place. She’s turning heel and gets a babyface reaction.”

In Austin’s estimation, he believes Charlotte Flair is a far better heel. He also prefers Lynch as a babyface. Austin questions whether or not fans will accept Lynch as a heel:

“I’m a fan of all the women in this match, but I love Charlotte as a heel.” Austin admitted, “Becky, she’s a better babyface than heel, but she’s that fiery individual that people just really love, so I’m wondering if they’ll take her as a heel.

“And I thought Charlotte was very effective in the sell job, kind of sitting there on her ass. I don’t know, awestruck, or dumbfounded, or just devastated of what happened to her. So I thought her selling on the backend of that was very strong and very effective.”

Discussion: What do you make of Austin’s comments about Lynch’s heel turn? Sound off in the comments section!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former IMPACT Wrestling and Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Taeler Hendrix recently spoke to GO Pro Wrestling.

Hendrix said that it’s an honor to be known as one of the women who helped start various women’s divisions. She had a key role in ROH’s Women Of Honor and is currently working in the NPWL’s women’s division.

“Never”

When asked when fans could expect to see her in WWE, Hendrix’s answer was simple. “Never.”:

“Never,” said Hendrix, “Never. “I am with National Pro Wrestling League and I am very happy. I found a home for myself, I found a brand that I can believe in, and I can help revolutionize.

“And, honestly, not many women can they’re there for the starting of a division. And this just isn’t any division, let’s be clear. This isn’t just an independent. This is a TV program. This is a revolutionary program. How many women are going to be able to say that?”

Despite not having any interest in signing with WWE right now, Hendrix says she wishes WWE all the best. She’s content where she is right now with NPWL’s women’s division:

“I wish the WWE best, but I know where my home’s at, I know where my heart’s at, and I go where I’m really appreciated,” Hendrix said. “I go where I’m gonna see the most potential for myself.

“For all of my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations. Have I had opportunities with the WWE? Yes. Have I had opportunities with TNA, Ring of Honor? Yes. I’ve done, in this business, almost everything I’ve ever wanted to do to some level, in some way, shape, or form.

“So, I think that’s really cool for the little girl in me that watched it growing up to be able to say.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss was interviewed by the CT Post during her appearance at the Connecticut Open.

Bliss comes off a RAW Women’s Title loss to Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam over the weekend. She admitted that if anyone had to take the title off of her, at least it was Ronda Rousey. Not many get to say that they shared the ring with the female mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer:

“My thing on the whole situation is if there’s anyone that had to take the title from me at least it was Ronda Rousey,” Bliss said.

“Not many people can say they had their first big title loss to Ronda Rousey. I guess I’m OK.”

Bliss pointed out that she still has a rematch clause that she looks to invoke soon. She says she’s currently preparing for the rematch but doesn’t know quite yet when it will take place:

“But I do have a rematch clause that I get to invoke at any point,” said Bliss. “Every champion is entitled to a rematch. I am preparing for that. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. She’s going to hold the title for now, but she’s not going to hold it for long.”

WWE Evolution

Aside from a pending rematch with Rousey, Bliss has another high-profile match on the horizon. She has been announced to be facing Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus at WWE Evolution. The pay-per-view (PPV) is WWE’s first all-female show in history:

“It’s very exciting,” said Bliss. “I’ve always loved Trish, I always watched Trish growing up. I actually got to meet her for the first time at the Women’s World Rumble Match.

“I wasn’t able to be part of it because I was holding a title at the time. I’m really excited to be in the ring with her, to have this match with an idol.

“I really want to work with Trish. I’ve worked hard for this. It might be a little harder to get mad and mean at Trish.”

Discussion: Do you want to see Bliss rematch Rousey? Sound off in the comments below!

Former WWE Intercontinental and United States Champion Carlito recently called in to the Chair Shots To The Cranium Show.

Carlito talked about traveling the world and working the independent scene. He noted he probably travels more overseas now than he did when he was with WWE. Carlito then commented on what he has learned since being released from WWE eight years ago:

“I think I’ve had time to really think about things,” Carlito said. “I enjoy the slowed-down pace. What I’ve learned is kinda like what I think the great athletes like basketball players and stuff what you start to learn as your physical abilities start to dissipate or whatever. You start to adjust to succeed otherwise.

“I feel like a much better wrestler just because of new ways that I have found to workaround situations and entertain people.

“It’s like a total difference performance now than when I was younger when I was just worried about how high I could jump or what flip I could do.”

When Carlito was getting his start in WWE, the company’s developmental system was still in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Today WWE has innovated NXT and the Performance Center. These tools weren’t at the disposal of stars from Carlito’s era.

He admits he has yet to see much of NXT but hears good things about it. Carlito did say, however, that there’s one issue he has with the system. He feels that today performers adapt to one system’s style as opposed to utilizing their own unique style of working:

“I don’t know much about NXT, I don’t really see much of it,” Carlito continued. “I’ve heard it’s a great product.

“I heard the [WWE Performance Center] is a state-of-the-art thing like you know, I wish we had that in our day — we didn’t have that — so you know they have a whole staff training. Not just wrestling, but weight training and all kinds of stuff

“I think it’s great. The only thing is I’ve always been a fan of not throwing everything into one bucket, like having different styles.

“I feel like a lot of those guys just go into a system and instead just work the system’s style and they start to deviate from what makes them unique.”

Discussion: What do you make of Carlito’s comments? Sound off in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Several matches have been announced for the next set of ROH TV tapings.

Ring of Honor will hold their Philadelphia Excellence event on Saturday night in Philadelphia, PA at the 2300 Arena. For those who are planning to attend this event, you can buy tickets here.

Some of the more high profile matches taking place will include Cody & The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas in a six-man tag team match that will likely serve as the main event, ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez vs. Aaron Solow, and Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Tasha Steelz.

This taping will likely reveal some matches for their next big event. Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, September 28, 2018. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.

The Card

Cody & The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas

Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll

Adam Page vs. Kenny King.

Coast to Coast vs. The Kingdom

The Boys vs. Best Friends

Fight Without Honor: Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara

ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez vs. Aaron Solow

Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Tasha Steelz

What are your thoughts on this card? Sound off in the comment section.

Chris Jericho says he’s open to the possibility of working for Impact Wrestling or Ring of Honor. the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion appeared on the DuhCast podcast this week and told James Ellsworth and Dennis Farrell that nothing is holding him back from working with companies outside of WWE.

“When someone says ‘Would you ever go to IMPACT? Would you ever go to Ring Of Honor? Would you ever go here there or wherever’ – yeah sure, why not? If its creatively satisfying, if it’s something that I can really sink my teeth into, something that I can really enjoy, then why wouldn’t I give it a try?”

Chris Jericho is almost three decades into his legendary wrestling career. He is loyal to WWE, but that hasn’t precluded him from wrestling for their top rival, New Japan Pro Wrestling. Jericho is looking to have fun and feels that other companies rising up to compete with WWE is best for business.

“At this point, I’ve done everything I could ever do in wrestling. I have a loyalty to WWE but not a death wish with them or anything like that where by hook or by crook I have to be with the WWE. I think part of the fun of what’s going on right now in the business is there’s a real resurgence with independent wrestling and independent companies and it really gives the WWE a real kick in the ass when people go other places.”

Jericho referenced guys like Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks who are able to achieve incredible success without the help of WWE. He says that would have never been possible 5 or 10 years ago, when everyone’s ultimate goal was signing with Vince.

Back to the talk about Impact Wrestling, he clarified that he has not had formal discussions with anybody from that company about working for them. “I’m not saying I would ever go there, but I’m not saying I wouldn’t,” said Jericho. “And I’m not saying I wouldn’t go to WWE or I wouldn’t go to New Japan or go wherever. To me, it’s all about helping to change the business in a lot of ways and if there’s a way to do it by being a little bit of a revolutionary then why not? Let’s go for it, man. This is show business, it’s entertainment, it’s the Wild West. There’s no rules and nobody says that you have to work in the WWE or you don’t have to work there.”

Jericho added that independent wrestling is as big as it’s ever been, which is great for guys like Kenny Omega and even James Ellsworth. For the first time in nearly 20 years, wrestlers have viable options of where to work outside of WWE. According to Jericho, “It’s an exciting time for everybody involved.”

Listen to Chris Jericho on the DuhCast podcast here:

WWE announced on Friday that Samoa Joe will get another shot at the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell. In a rematch from last weekend’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, Joe will challenge AJ Styles for the title on Sunday, September 16th.

The Samoan Submission Machine has been relentless in taunting Styles with personal attacks. We have seen Joe’s dark side before, but things have been escalating in recent weeks. At SummerSlam, Styles finally had enough. With his family at ringside and Joe addressing his wife and children on the microphone during their match, Styles snapped. He grabbed a chair and unleashed a furious attack on Joe, which resulted in a disqualification. On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, Joe struck once again.

WWE’s match announcement did not make any reference to Styles vs. Joe taking place inside the Hell in a Cell cage. This is somewhat surprising, considering how intense this feud has gotten and the fact that their SummerSlam match ended in a DQ. Perhaps we’ll see a stipulation added in the coming weeks.

WWE Hell in a Cell Card

Following this latest announcement, there are now two matches confirmed for WWE Hell in a Cell:

• WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
• The Miz & Maryse vs. Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella

WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, September 16th from San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The event will air live on the WWE Network and traditional pay-per-view outlets. We’ll keep you posted as more matches are announced.

WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa finally has an entrance theme.

Ciampa had been making his way to the ring in silence since turning heel. Now, in the midst of his NXT Championship reign, Ciampa has changed things up a bit. Last night WWE held its latest batch of NXT tapings at Full Sail University.

During the tapings, it was revealed that Ciampa will no longer be making his way to the ring in silence. WWE has now given Ciampa an entrance theme to walk out to. Watch a fan video showing the new theme here:

THE CHAMP IS HERE…CIAMPA GOT MUSIC!!!!! #Blackheart #NXTFSLive #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/tnXJgdQHea

— C ? Ross (@C_Ross22_) August 24, 2018

Ciampa comes off a successful NXT Title defense at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 on SummerSlam weekend. He defeated rival Johnny Gargano in a Last Man Standing match in the night’s main event.

Recently, Ciampa went as far as telling WWE.com that he believes he’s the best sports-entertainer of all time:

“It’s good to be champ, and right now, there truly is no debate. I am the champion of champions.

“I’m the main event. I’m untouchable. I, Tommaso Ciampa, am the greatest sports-entertainer of all time.”

He also suggested that he’s the perfect role model for children to look up to:

“If you are teaching your child to be content with a participation award, then you already failed at life. If you want your kid to be a winner, then tell them to look at Tommaso Ciampa for inspiration.”

Ciampa is certainly a confident character to say the least. Just 13 days after winning the NXT Title, he suggested he already has the greatest title reign in history:

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1026833788754685952

“I have been the NXT World Champion for 13 days,” Ciampa Tweeted.

“During that time, I’ve successfully defended my title against Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, and EC3.

“You are witnessing the greatest NXT Title reign in history. Don’t take my gift for granted. Enjoy every second of it.”

Discussion: What do you make of Ciampa getting an entrance theme? Are you for it, or against it? Sound off in the comments!

Matt Hardy is currently taking a break from in-ring competition. Last week it was reported that Hardy will be taking an extended break to deal with nagging injuries. Hardy’s health will be reevaluated later this year. For now, there’s no indication that Hardy plans on retiring. However, Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggests his in-ring future is in question.

Recently, Hardy has been gearing up for the next chapter of his professional wrestling career. Hardy was recently “shadowing” WWE producers, with some speculating he’s preparing for a backstage role transition.

The 25-year professional wrestling veteran would be a huge asset backstage, as many have raved about his wrestling IQ. On Sunday afternoon before SummerSlam, Hardy took to Twitter to comment on his new role:

Hardy suggested it was strange to be a part of the show in a “different capacity”:

It’s quite strange to be at @WWE @SummerSlam in a different capacity. pic.twitter.com/wXNF18j9M6

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) August 19, 2018

He also Tweeted out a photo of himself working with WWE broadcaster Mike Rome backstage at the Barclays Center:

I look ok in a suit. pic.twitter.com/DPg7DxLwFm

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) August 19, 2018

Matt Hardy Confirms His Producer Role

Yesterday, Hardy further elaborated on his backstage role at SummerSlam. He confirmed that he was working as a producer at the show. Hardy said he loved working backstage, and also mentioned he was babysitting his sons at the same time:

I absolutely LOVE this behind the scenes @WWE Summerslam photo. Producing content AND babysitting at the same time. pic.twitter.com/HRrKOFgrpj

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) August 23, 2018

Reby Hardy

Hardy’s wife, Reby, had this to say about her husband’s “transitional time” recently on an appearance on the Busted Open satellite radio show:

“Matt is good,” she said. “Matt is right now going through a transitional period. He’s not really sure what he’s going to be doing. His contract is up in March, which I’m not sure many people are aware of.

“But there’s sort of a decision to be made at this point as to whether or not he should continue his in-ring career or if he should pursue something different, which he would totally be up for and would be excited to do, I feel like.

“So, he’s kind of giving it a go right now backstage. He’s at SummerSlam. He’s not on the card but he’s there. And we’re kind of going to see from here. It’s really a transitional time right now.”

Discussion: What do you make of Hardy’s backstage role transition? Do you expect him to wrestle again? Sound off in the comments section below!

The poster for WWE Evolution has finally been released.

WWE’s first-ever all-female pay-per-view (PPV) is set for October 28th. The action goes down from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Women from WWE’s past and present will be competing on the card.

Now, the poster for the historical event has finally been released. It features WWE Hall Of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita. NXT stars Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler are also featured. Main roster figureheads such as Ronda Rousey, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Asuka are all front-and-center as well.

Check it out here below:

WWE Evolution Match Card

The match card for Evolution is shaping up rather nicely thus far. There are currently four Title matches set for the PPV. Check out the current card for the show below:

• RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. TBA
• SmackDown Live Women’s Championship: (C) Charlotte Flair vs. TBA
• NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Kairi Sane vs. TBA
• NXT UK Women’s Championship: TBA vs. TBA
• 2018 Mae Young Classic Tournament Finals: Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm
• Alexa Bliss vs. Trish Stratus

**Card subject to change**

Discussion: What do you think about the poster for Evolution? Do you think anyone was left out? Sound off in the comments!

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) recently announced a set of television tapings to take place at York Hall, Bethnal Green in London, – an announcement that, like an RKO, took a lot of Britwres fans by surprise.

Today, they sent out a teasing Tweet to their fanbase that read, “Lots of stuff to announce. Shall we get started?”

It wasn’t long after this initial tease that the account would proceed to give us the first two matches announced for their two day take over on September 5th and 6th.

The first of these was revealed to be Kushida going up against Suzuki-Gun’s Zack Sabre Jr.

KUSHIDA goes one on one with ZACK SABRE JR
Wednesday September 5th
Live from York Hall, Bethnal Green, London
All tickets £15
GET THEM: https://t.co/1l2oT0wciD pic.twitter.com/BDt2Ktb3k1

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) August 24, 2018

Sabre Jr. is coming off the back of a successful G1 Climax 28, which saw him pick up notable victories over NJPW stalwarts such as Tomohiro Ishii and Tetsuyo Naito, ending the tournament with 12 points to his name.

The matchup of different weight classes, with Kushida still wrestling as a Junior Heavyweight, could have interesting implications, given Rev Pro’s connection with NJPW. The two have faced off before – in RPW, no less – so it will be interesting to see how they’ve developed and what kind of match unfolds as the two styles clash.

A Legend Returns

The second match announced shortly after Kushida vs Sabre Jr., was Tipton’s own Chris Brookes versus the living legend, Jushin Liger.

CHRIS BROOKES goes one on one with JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER
Wednesday September 5th
Live from York Hall, Bethnal Green, London
All tickets £15
GET THEM: https://t.co/1l2oT0wciD pic.twitter.com/UTOcOvlAQs

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) August 24, 2018

The man from Tipton has accrued himself a large following over the years, honing his craft, as well as his Twitter game, and will undoubtedly be going to pull out all the stops against the living legend, Jushin “Thunder” Liger.

Rev Pro claims that they will be making “history” with these tapings, and they’re already shaping up to be an undeniably entertaining couple of days as they continue to lean into their positive relationship with New Japan.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £15.

Creative head for Smackdown, Road Dogg, decided to spend some time on Twitter debating fans recently. There has been more than a few unhappy Becky Lynch supporters in the WWE Universe as of late. A fan on Twitter criticized the booking of Lynch recently and Road Dogg took the time to respond.

But the story we’ve been told is, Becky has had to fight and struggle to earn an opportunity at the title. Charlotte was just handed an opportunity and took the moment away from her best friend. Becky is right and justified in everything she says and is no way the bad person.

— Joshua Roberts (@JoshuaRoberts9) August 23, 2018

That’s not the story you were told, that’s the story you wanted to hear. She had to do the exact same thing as Charlotte did, beat Carmella! They both climbed the exact same mountain ?

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) August 23, 2018

Becky Lynch Booking

Road Dogg’s defense of the booking is that Flair and Lynch each had to overcome the same obstacle to get a title match. It’s the same obstacle R-Truth is currently trying to overcome as well.

Where some are taking issue with Road Dogg’s defense is that Lynch had already earned a single’s match for the title and then had it taken away. This creates sympathy for the character who had earned something only to lose it through no fault of their own. Unless you consider a triple threat match as an equal opportunity to a single’s match for the title but some Scott Steiner match should be able to show why that doesn’t make sense.

I’d ask for patience but it’s an elusive commodity these days I love your analogy.

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) August 24, 2018

The other issue with the booking is how Lynch was scripted to turn on the fans Tuesday night. Her character, instead of reveling in the support she received from the crowd as a normal person would do, turned on the crowd and said they had not been supporting her prior to Summerslam.

WWE Hall of Famer, Bully/Bubba Ray Dudley has been following this issue closely. He Tweeted out the following on Tuesday night:

It aint gonna be that easy.

Fans WANT it to be Becky just like the wanted it to be DB.#YES#SDLive@BustedOpenRadio

— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) August 22, 2018

Impact Wrestling last night featured a Mexican Death Match between Sami Callihan and Pentagon Jr. The matches tonight were from the first show of the August 12th & 13th tapings from Rebel Nightclub in Toronto.

I was in attendance for these tapings and thought both nights were pretty fun. They aired the matches slightly out of order last night, however. The matches for next week’s “Impact ReDefined” episode were interspersed amongst the matches which aired last night.

Impact Wrestling 8/23

Sami Callihan Wins The Mexican Death Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddPNrZX1VY

Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr. in the night’s main event. After writing another hardcore chapter in their rivalry, Callihan picked up the win with a Cactus Jack inspired piledriver off the turnbuckle and through a table.

Callihan and oVe badly needed this win. They’d dropped tag matches to the Lucha Bros and Callihan lost singles matches to both Fenix and Pentagon prior to tonight. By avenging his loss from Slammiversary and beating a former Impact World Champion, Callihan has done much to erase the losses he suffered earlier this summer.

I don’t think things are finished between the boys from Ohio and the Lucha Bros, however…

Eddie Kingston May Have Committed Vehicular Homicide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZelY9D-6Ug

This week we saw Konnan & LAX celebrating their street fight victory. Fittingly, they decided to celebrate on the streets of Toronto.

Last week’s street fight concluded with a mock-execution of King. Konnan ended up hitting him in the head with a slapjack, a move which is rarely fatal. Unfortunately, King survived and was able to get a bit of revenge this week.

Konnan’s crew was celebrating with a small child for some reason and evidently, nobody was willing to help this child cross the street. King drove like a maniac through the streets and ran over the child. It didn’t seem as though LAX realized it was King at the time.

Moose Is Back!

Just when it looked as though Austin Aries and Killer Kross were going to hand Edwards a beating for the 3rd straight show, Moose returned to make the save.

We haven’t seen Moose since Slammiversary. After dropping an Impact World Championship match to Aries, Moose was out of action with a concussion. He returned tonight, however, and appears to once again be aligned with Eddie Edwards.

Next Week: Triple Threat For The Knockouts Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdCZC6LR70Y

Following Kiera Hogan’s victory over Alisha Edwards this week, Allie got on the mic and challenged Su Yung. Allie knows that she’ll just have to deal with Tessa Blanchard when she takes on Yung, however, so why not make things a triple threat match?

Next week at Impact ReDefined, Su Yung vs Allie vs Tessa Blanchard will collide for the Knockouts Championship.

Brian Cage is Champion of the “Weapon X Division”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZPIm_sBou0

Brian Cage spoke for the first time since debuting in Impact earlier this year. Cage spoke about how the X-Division is what put Impact Wrestling on the map. The X-Division is what has made Impact Wrestling stand out. Cage feels his abilities makes him stand out amongst the rest as well.

“Nobody can do the things I do in that ring,” Cage said. “When I came to Impact Wrestling, one goal of mine was to take over the X-Divison. Why? Because when I think Impact Wrestling, I think of the X-Division.”

Next week at Impact ReDefined, Cage will look to defend his X-Division Championship for the second time when he faces Fenix.

Johnny Impact Throws Kongo Kong Into the Cabana Pool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJMnO_4bZu8

The Cabana Pool Bar in Toronto is right next to Rebel Nightclub. It’s a fitting venue for someone like Johnny Impact to be hanging out in while he waits for a night of Impact tapings to begin.

It is not a fitting place for Kongo Kong to be, however, and how he got passed security is still a bit of a mystery. Kong attacked Johnny while he was poolside but in the end, it was Kongo who ended up going in the pool.

Rich Swann Is Going For The X-Division Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m__UL61TzU

Alicia Atout and Rich Swann went for a walk and talk this week. The two both looked as though they were coming from a 1970s themed dance party.

Swann talked about the history of the X-Division Championship and how he wanted to add to that legacy. Earlier this year, I had the chance to ask Swann what competing for the X-Division Championship means for him. Many of his answers during that interview expressed a similar sentiment to what he said tonight.

Swann will be in tough to achieve this goal, however, considering who the current champion is.

Local Talent Upset the Cult of Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bktJPTa6578

The Cult of Lee may have been busy trying to impress former Impact World Champion, Eli Drake, and it cost them a match tonight. I don’t think Drake was too impressed.

The two wrestlers who defeated them were Brandon Tidwell and Mr. Atlantis.

Scarlett Bordeaux’s Advice Is Working For Fallah Bah & KM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObU98wWh8ts

Scarlett Bordeaux was able to convince KM that it is time to try things Fallah Bah’s way. This week Bah and KM wore matching tights and appeared in sync. They were able to defeat the Great Gama Singh’s Desi Hit Squad tonight.

Speaking of Bordeaux, she also did some work to improve Grado’s confidence this week. If her advice has the same effect on Grado as it did Bah and KM, we could see his fortunes change for the better.

Matt Sydal Is Enlightened Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdN4-bpVWSY

Sydal may have lost his X-Division Championship and a later single’s loss to Pentagon Jr but he got back in the win column this week. He defeated noted PWG wrestler, Zachary Wentz in single’s competition.

Quick Results:

1. Matt Sydal defeated Zachary Wentz
2. Fallah Bah & KM defeated the Desi Hit Squad
3. Kiera Hogan defeated Alisha Edwards
4. Brandon Tidwell & Mr. Atlantis defeated the Cult of Lee
5. Mexican Death Match
   Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr.

There are a lot of reasons why Cody Rhodes and Young Bucks may want to go to WWE, but one of the primary reasons why they hesitate from signing with the company is the lack of creative control.

During the latest episode of Talk Is Jericho, the trio talked about this matter and discussed how having no creative control is one of the major let downs of signing with the company.

Cody recalled a fan recently asking him if he would go back. He claimed that his answer to similar queries has become ‘I don’t think so’ because he is incapable of taking directions now.

Matt Jackson jumped in after this and he revealed why it would be hard for them to conform to that kind of relationship, saying that they are used to making their own decisions.

Jackson then explained how tables have turned since everybody in WWE now wants to be where the Bucks are and they did it without going there.

The talk concluded with the ROH Star claiming that the goal eventually is to get to the point where the host Chris Jericho currently is where one can call their own shots and do what they want to do.

While WWE is definitely interested in bringing these three to their fold, Young Bucks and Cody’s recent interviews and comments make it seem like the possibility of it happening anytime soon is not very bright.

Check out our All In event page for all the latest news on the upcoming event. 

Former WWE Superstar turned Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is currently favored to win the 2019 Royal Rumble match, according to early betting odds.

Several weeks ago, there was a report by the Wrestling Observer that stated, “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show.”

Since then, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins has gone on record saying he doesn’t think WWE needs The Rock at WrestleMania.

Skybet has released early betting odds for next year’s WWE PPV, and the People’s Champion is currently favored to win Royal Rumble as a 2/1 favorite.

Former SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan follows him with 6/1 odds. Seth Rollins (8/1) and Braun Strowman (9/1) are then the #3, and #4 in the line. Roman Reigns, John Cena and Finn Balor all have 12/1 odds.

It’s worth mentioning here that in a recent interview with Cathy Kelley, the former World Champion had shown interest in returning to the wrestling ring. When she asked him about a potential WWE return, The Rock said that he “can’t wait to get back to a WWE ring” and he always tells people that there is nothing like inside there.

The 46 year old Rock has not wrestled since WrestleMania 32, when he defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match. Prior to that, the last high-profile match was against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.

Do you expect we will see The Rock wrestle another match for WWE over the next year?

A lot of people including Stone Cold Steve Austin were not happy with Kevin Owens getting squashed at SummerSlam but it appears that Owens himself is comfortable with his current position in the company.

Kevin recently had an interview with Guerrilla Position where he talked about his favorite SummerSlam memories, his first SummerSlam match and more.

While talking about the independent circuit, Owens discussed the MSG show of ROH and NJPW selling out and implied that the show being held in the WrestleMania weekend helped in the ticket sales.

Continuing on the topic, the former Universal Champion talked about missing the indie circuit but said that he was tired of being there and WWE snatched him up at the perfect time.

He then went on to claim that he never wants to go back to the indie circuit and revealed that he has recently signed a new contract with WWE.

Although Kevin did not provide much detail about his new contract, the former Champion’s words make it clear that he won’t be leaving WWE anytime soon.

Apart from this, Kevin Owens also discussed his recent cage match with Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn babysitting his cat and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

With Brock Lesnar seemingly being done with WWE after his SummerSlam loss, there are questions about Paul Heyman’s future with the company as well.

The latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some update on his situation, and it reveals that there has been talk of keeping him on Television as a performer.

While the Newsletter doesn’t elaborate what role Heyman may be given in future, the most likely scenario is that he will end up managing someone on the main roster.

One name that has been discussed in the past for the position is none other than the former UFC Star Ronda Rousey who is the female counterpart of Lesnar in many ways.

It has been reported previously that Ronda hoped to be paired with the former ECW owner when she came to WWE, and the idea was discussed before Lesnar extended his contract past WrestleMania 34.

However, with the Women’s Champion seemingly reigniting her feud with Stephanie McMahon on this week’s Raw, it wouldn’t make sense for her to be paired with Heyman anytime soon.

To have Paul as her manager will mean that Ronda will be turning heel and the general feeling is that it’s too early for the former UFC Star to portray a villain in the company.

If the company does decide to pair him with a current star, who would you like to see becoming the next Paul Heyman guy in WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

– As expected, Madison Rayne’s latest stint in IMPACT Wrestling has officially come to an end.

Earlier this week, her profile on ImpactWrestling.com was removed from the Knockouts roster and placed among the Alumni.

Last month at Slammiversary, Rayne unsuccessfully challenged Su Yung for the Knockouts Championship. Rayne passed out after Yung locked in the mandible claw, thus awarding the victory to Yung. Immediately following the match, Yung placed an unconscious Rayne inside the coffin and stood on top of it with the Knockouts Championship held high.

Yung’s actions seemingly wrote off Rayne’s character from IMPACT Wrestling and the promotion alluded to that on Twitter.

#SlammiversaryMemories: Did we witness the end of @MadisonRayne at the hands of @realsuyung? #SlamXVI pic.twitter.com/zcUDCm9zYd

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 23, 2018

The Undead Bride disposed of her opponent one again. Can anybody stop her? #SlamXVI @realsuyung pic.twitter.com/R9wok7XDEN

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 24, 2018

A week later, WWE announced that she would compete as Ashley Rayne in Mae Young Classic 2018.

– In association with Xcite Wrestling, IMPACT Wrestling will hold their next One Night Only pay-per-view event taping this Saturday in Binghamton, New York at American Legion Post 80. The event is officially titled “One Night Only: Night of the Dummies” and tickets are currently on sale at xcitewrestling.com.

Rebel has announced that she will be facing Alisha Edwards at the event.

This #Saturday @IMPACTWRESTLING for the 1st time! #AlishaVsRebel #Impact #Binghamton #NY pic.twitter.com/CElN8R5qZ1

— REBEL (@RebelTanea) August 24, 2018

Alisha recently broke out on her own after generally being attached to angles involving her husband, Eddie Edwards. On August 2, she revealed to Alicia Atout that she was putting her personal life to the side to focus on the Knockouts division. She returned to action the following week on IMPACT, losing to Tessa Blanchard. She had her second match on last night’s show, which resulted in a loss to Kiera Hogan.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unYgyYlxLJQ&w=560&h=315]

Prior to her match, Alisha thanked Moose for returning to save Eddie from a vicious beatdown at the hands of Austin Aries and Killer Kross.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1EloPFRfhU&w=560&h=315]

To go along with her return to action, Alisha also has a new theme song.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKs2f_Zrjvs&w=560&h=315]

• What happened to Lex Luger?

An eight-year tenure comes to a close for the president of WWE Studios, Michael Luisi.

Luisi’s WWE Studios Tenure

Luisi’s prior engagements were with New Line, Miramax, and The Weinstein Company. He would join WWE Studios in 2010 and rise in the ranks.

Films under Luisi’s tenure at WWE Studios include The Marine Franchise, Fighting With My Family (Page Bio picture produced by Dwayne Johnson), along with straight-to-DVD animation films involving Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and other Hannah Barbara characters under the Warner Bros. Animation banner.

Other reports are stating that Luisi lost his job due to a clash with Co-president of WWE, Michelle Wilson. The interim position is said to given to Timothy Schmidt, Vice president of Business Affairs and Operations of WWE Studios.

WWE is currently searching for the new full-time head of WWE Studios who will ultimately report to Wilson.

Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, and it shocked many when the Beast didn’t appear on the show.

His absence was especially surprising because Lesnar lost his Universal Championship just 24 hours prior to the show. So people expected the company to follow the storyline in some way the next night.

The latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter sheds some light on the situation. According to it, the reason why Brock was not on Raw was because Officials couldn’t figure out a way to follow the title loss.

Why Was Brock Lesnar Not On Raw?

The last time Brock lost a title was in 2015 when Seth Rollins infamously cashed in his Money In The Bank contract at WrestleMania 31.

The next night on Raw, Lesnar demanded a rematch. When Rollins refused, he ended up attacking a number of ringside personnel and was suspended afterward.

Officials could have followed his Universal title loss the same way and suspend or fired the Beast, but the feeling was that it wouldn’t do the company any good.

They felt that this would put the focus on the former World Champion when he is on his way out of the company and has no dates left.

Having Braun Strowman beat him up would have not been a great choice either because they couldn’t follow the angle with a match anytime soon.

What’s Next For The Beast?

Lesnar’s WWE contract is set to expire in a few days and since they couldn’t come up with a better idea, the company apparently wrote him off TV with the Paul Heyman segment on this week’s Raw.

As far as his UFC return goes, the former World Champion has dropped weight and he is training with the idea of facing Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title in early 2019.

The door for the Beast Incarnate to return to the company somewhere down the line is still open, but as of now, it appears that he is done with WWE.