Author Archive

WWE Draft Again Shows Brand Loyalty Is Not A Thing

WWE has pushed Survivor Series PPVs as a test of brand loyalty since the brand extension was reintroduced on TV many years ago. Raw and SmackDown talents were sorted through a Draft back in 2016. Since then, wrestlers are asked to put their differences aside once every year. Friends and foes work together against the competing brand for the bragging rights until the next competition.

The WWE Draft, however, proves how futile the narrative of brand supremacy is as most superstars don’t seem to mind ending up on the show they have competed against. The frailty of WWE’s brand warfare storylines is at display again ahead of the upcoming WWE Draft. If anything, stars seem to be excited over the coming changes and they are expressing this feeling through social media.

Former WWE champion Bobby Lashley has been part of Raw roster since his 2018 seems to be excited for a potential move to the blue brand. He wrote on Twitter that he’s been ‘running’ Raw for years, but it might be time to shake things up.

Drew McIntyre, who carried the Raw brand through the pandemic era, feels that he has worked with everyone he could on the red brand. He’s actually looking forward to fresh storylines. Angelo Dawkins isn’t afraid of ending up on a different brand even without his partner. He believes fans will get to see a new side of him if it happens.

The phenomenal one, AJ Styles, who became the face of SmackDown after the 2016 Draft and helped build it as the promotion’s A-show, is not too worried about which brand he would end up on. One-half of the current Raw tag team champion Matt Riddle on the other hand, seems more concerned about a possible split with his RK-Bro partner Randy Orton.

Even someone like Carmella, who has been a loyal soldier of the blue side since the brand extension returned, doesn’t seem that fond of her current home. Despite being is the only one left of the original SmackDown roster from 2016 who hasn’t changed sides, the former champion will not mind a move to the opposite brand during Draft.

See all the reactions yourself and decide how much weight would you put on the brand supremacy storyline when Survivor Series comes around this year:

The WWE Draft this year will begin on the October 1 edition of SmackDown. It will conclude on the October 4 episode of Raw.

The Bella Twins Won’t Be Returning To The Ring After All

The Bella Twins have been hoping to wrestle for WWE again. Unfortunately, it won’t be happening any time soon, if ever.

Nikki and Brie appeared on the Sippin’ The Tea podcast this week and provided an update on their futures as in-ring performers. The show is hosted by former WWE Superstar Ariane Andrew & Matt Dillon.

Nikki said she would love to make a comeback one day so her son Matteo can see her compete. However, it might be several years before that becomes a reality.

“I would love one day, like when Matteo’s maybe three, and he knows it, to have my son be ringside while his mom kicks ass. That would be amazing to me.”

“But because he is my everything, I have to listen to the doctors and as of now, they’ve put me on the retired bench for life. So, it would take a lot of scans, x-rays, and all this different stuff for them to actually approve me to have a run and so that would be unlikely — that will be years down the road.”

Nikki Bella underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2016.

Bella Twins Have Moved Beyond Wrestling

Brie gave her thoughts on the situation. Pro wrestling was a huge part of their lives and they will always love the business. However, Brie feels she has moved beyond pro wrestling and is focusing on other ventures.

“For me, I just feel like I’m in such a different place in my life and a place I really love. We’re gonna be 38 in November and I’m like, you know too, for us to be winemakers and well, I can’t imagine taking a bump right now.”

The Bella Twins retired from active competition back in March 2019. They gave birth to baby boys just one day apart in August 2020.

Earlier this year, the Bellas said they wanted to make a run at the WWE Women’s tag titles. Those plans have now been put on hold indefinitely.

Chelsea Green Was More Angry Than Sad Following WWE Release

Chelsea Green got resourceful she was released by WWE earlier this year. During an appearance on Busted Open Radio this week, she detailed her initial reaction to the news.

Green was caught off guard when WWE let her go. She had been medically cleared to wrestle and would show up to TV tapings hoping to be utilized. She pitched ideas to WWE creative, but they were not used.

“I had no clue,” she said of her release. “I think my initial reaction was that I had no reaction and I just got down to business. I opened up my Pro Wrestling Tees store, then contacted Ring of Honor, NWA, and Impact and stuff. But then later on, slowly as time has gone by, it’s been one of – I just think it was a missed opportunity.”

She added that she was a little upset about WWE releasing her, but she’s more “pissed” than sad. She felt she was at the top of her game and is motivated to show the wrestling world what she can do.

Since leaving WWE in April, Green has worked for Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

Dante Chen On When He Found Out About His NXT Debut

Singapore’s Dante Chen did not know that he will be making his debut on WWE TV or who his opponent is going to be hours before it happened. The NXT 2.0 star recently had an interview with Yahoo News Singapore. The 25-year-old talked about the reaction he received after his debut and more.

Revealing when he found out that he would be making his debut for the brand, Chen said that he didn’t know that he was scheduled to compete until the day of the show:

“I didn’t even know that I was scheduled to compete, or even who my opponent will be, until the very day itself, I was asked to be at the arena at 11am, and a couple of hours later, I was told that I would be making my debut facing Trey. There were only a couple more hours to prepare by then.

Dante Chen made his official WWE debut during the September 21 episode of NXT 2.0. He faced Trey Baxter and defeated the fellow NXT star in his first match. Apart from this, Chen also discussed things such as his training routine, getting inputs from people like Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and more. You can find his interview here.

Dynamite Viewership For TNT Title Main Event, 18-49 Demo Rating Compared To Raw

This Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite without an announced Bryan Danielson match saw a big decline in the viewership numbers, though it still stayed above a million.

The show featuring the TNT championship match between Miro and Sammy Guevara for the main event drew a total of 1.152 million viewers according to Showbuzz daily.

This is a 9.50% decline from last week’s episode of Dynamite. The episode with the much-hyped Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega match for an opener among others had drawn 1.273 million viewers.

The show drew a 0.45 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It’s a 6.25% decline from last week’s 0.48 rating. A 0.45 rating represents around 588,000 viewers of the age group.

Monday’s episode of Raw in comparison had drawn 1.709 million viewers. The show did a 0.48 rating in the 18-49 demo. It represents 625,000 viewers of the 18-49 age group for the Big E vs. Bobby Lashley WWE championship steel cage main event.

AEW’s weekly show managed to rank #1 in the Cable Top 150 for the sixth week in a row thanks to the 0.45 rating. Dynamite ranked #29 in viewership for the night, down from last week’s #22 ranking.

The promotion has announced Bobby Fish’s AEW debut and a Casino Ladder match among other things for next week’s episode of Dynamite. You can check out the card for the show below:

WWE Status Update On Alexa Bliss And Sheamus

Alexa Bliss and Sheamus are expected to remain off television for the foreseeable future.

Alexa Bliss was written out of storylines at Extreme Rules this past weekend. She unsuccessfully challenged Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte at the PPV. After the match, Flair destroyed her beloved doll, Lily. Bliss freaked out after seeing her doll being shred to pieces. She did not appear on Raw the following night. According to PWinsider, WWE ran the angle because Bliss is scheduled to undergo sinus surgery.

Sheamus’ absence is also due to nose surgery. His procedure took place on Wednesday and provided these updates on Twitter:

The Celtic Warrior is not expected to take part in the upcoming WWE Draft, which kicks off Friday on SmackDown and concludes at Raw next week. Sheamus is coming off two consecutive losses against United States Champion Damien Priest at Extreme Rules and Raw the following night.

Braun Strowman Reveals How He Got His Big Break In WWE

Braun Strowman has mostly been quiet and away from the media since his WWE release. He opened up about his run with the company for the first time since his contract was terminated recently. 

The former Universal champion appeared on Virtual Gimmick Table show from Highspots Wrestling Network. The Monster Among Men described the chaotic lifestyle of being a WWE Superstar.

“It’s kind of cool to have the opportunity just to do stuff,” said Strowman, “I was very fortunate in my time with WWE but it was very, very time-consuming. I didn’t have a lot of time to do other things. So now, during my downtime, when I’m trying to figure out what I wanna do when I grow up, I get an opportunity to go out and, you know, explore different avenues. Try different things. I’m enjoying it.”

Strowman is making the most of his time as a free agent, but he does get the itch to lace up his boots once again.

“I definitely miss being in the squared circle though,” he said. “I promise you that.”

Strowman’s Big Break

Braun Strowman Rosebud
Braun Strowman made appearances as a ‘rosebud’ before becoming famous

Braun Strowman also opened up about the time he worked as one of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” and how it led to him getting a bigger break in the company.

“I was a Rosebud,” he said. “That’s what got me seen, Vince himself saw me doing the Rosebud gimmick, he goes, ‘Why is this guy doing this?'”

He’d go on to debut with the Wyatt Family in August of 2015. During his 6-year run the main roster, he’d become Universal Champion and achieve countless other accolades.

WWE released Strowman back on June 2nd. He has already become a free agent. While the former Wyatt Family member has not provided a lot of updates on his future, reports suggest Impact Wrestling as the most likely landing spot for the heavyweight star.

Eric Bischoff Gives His Thoughts On AEW Beating Raw In 18-49 Demo

AEW has made big strides with television viewership over the past several weeks. AEW Dynamite has been surging, even topping WWE Raw in the 18-49 demographic on a few occasions. Dynamite vs. Raw is not an apples-to-apples comparison. The shows air on different nights, but AEW’s momentum is undeniable.

Eric Bischoff knows a thing or two about competing with WWE. The former WCW President addressed Dynamite beating Raw on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.

While fans like to analyze and debate the ratings trends, Bischoff says the opinions of TV executives and advertisers are the ones that matter.

“I think if you’re an executive in a media buying company or advertising agency, I think [the 18-49 demographic] matters, to the rest of the world, it doesn’t mean two sh**s.”

Fighting Mike Tyson’s Kid

Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson at AEW Dynamite

Bischoff then discussed how AEW had no competition on the nights it beat Raw in ratings, while Raw was up against Monday Night Football.

“AEW on Wednesday night with no real competition for 18-49 gets a higher percentage of a demo than Monday Night RAW going head-to-head with Monday Night Football, where the vast majority of the 18-49 year olds that watch wrestling also watch football.

It’s like me getting into a fistfight with Mike Tyson’s kid and coming out on top of that. I’m just making this up, and if he did or he does, and I were to mop the floor with that 16-18 year old kid, that’s like me walking around saying I beat the sh** out of Tyson.”

Eric Bischoff also talked about the Wednesday night wars between Dynamite and NXT. He explained how it wasn’t really a fair competition as it was AEW’s best lineup going up against the development squad of WWE.

He also mentioned how people who were very excited to compare the ratings of Dynamite and NXT do not compare the ratings of Rampage to SmackDown which is a more direct comparison because they are on the same night.

AEW EVP’s Less Involved With Creative Plans (Report)

AEW has seen a shift in duties behind the scenes. According to a report Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, the company’s Executive Vice Presidents have been less involved in the creative aspect of operations.

Sources within the Jacksonville-based promotion indicated that AEW President Tony Khan has taken an even greater role in crafting storylines and angles. While talents are encouraged to pitch ideas and give suggestions, it ultimately comes down to Khan, and “creative is absolutely Tony Khan’s prerogative now.”

It’s unclear when this transition happened but the report notes that at one point, Cody Rhodes was the only EVP who regularly attended office meetings. Though now his office role, as well as his creative input, has ‘greatly diminished.’

Matt Jackson’s EVP role has been assisting his wife Dana with merchandise while Nick Jackson is focused on handling Being The Elite.  Kenny Omega is focusing on the gaming side of things. He is very hands-on with the upcoming AEW Game. Although Kenny still helps put together the women’s matches.

After these changes, members of The Elite do not have the final say in the creative or hiring talents anymore and they are basically ‘EVPs in name only’ now.

Cody’s relationship with other EVPs appears to have been affected as well.  Per sources, “Cody doesn’t really have much of a relationship with any of the EVPs, anymore. The others are still great friends, but Cody is very much on the outside looking in.”

This isn’t the first time we are hearing about in-fighting among the EVPs. It was reported earlier this year that some AEW EVPs were no longer on talking terms. Though at the time the Young Bucks had tried to dispute the news by joking about it.

Bobby Fish, Casino Ladder Match Set For Dynamite Next Week

The new TNT champion Sammy Guevara has accepted the challenge from Bobby Fish for a title match at next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The Spanish God defeated Miro to win the TNT title in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. The former NXT star took on his Twitter to congratulate the new champion.

Bobby Fish went on to express the desire to be the first star to challenge Sammy Guevara, mentioning that he is ready to walk through the forbidden door. Guevara appeared during a commercial break of the Rhodes To The Top premiere. He spoke with Tony Schiavone and confirmed that he is accepting the challenge from the former Undisputed Era member.

AEW also announced a big #1 contenders’ casino ladder match for Dynamite next week. The winner will get a shot at Kenny Omega’s world title in the future. The participants for the bout have not been revealed.

Hikaru Shida will be fighting on the show as well. She will try to pick up her 50th win in AEW against Serena Deeb.

If this wasn’t enough, the company has confirmed that Bryan Danielson will also be in action during the show. He will compete in a 6 men tag team match. Danielson will team up with the Jurassic Express and Christian Cage to face the team of Omega, Adam Cole, and The Young Bucks. Prior to this, Bryan will be facing Nick Jackson in a singles match on Rampage this Friday.

Bryan Danielson Match, Hair vs. Hair Bout Announced For Rampage

AEW has announced a singles match for Bryan Danielson and a hair vs. hair bout among others for this Friday’s episode of Rampage. After their match on last week’s episode of Dynamite ended in a time limit draw, Danielson tried to get a rematch with the AEW champion Kenny Omega on this Wednesday’s episode of the show.

However, when Omega continued to deny a rematch to the former WWE star, Danielson offered to face any of the other members of the Elite on Rampage. The company later announced that Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks has accepted this challenge. He will be facing the former world champion in a singles match on Friday.

A triple threat match among Jade Cargill, Thunder Rosa, and Nyla Rose was also announced for Rampage during the night. Though this isn’t all. The promotion has previously confirmed that Orange Cassidy will be facing TH2’s Jack Evans in a hair vs. hair match at this Friday’s episode of the show.

AEW has announced a number of exciting matches for next week’s episode of Dynamite as well. The bouts announced for the show include a #1 contenders ladder match and more. You can check out the card for Dynamite here.

Sammy Guevara Pays Tribute To Brodie Lee After Dynamite Goes Off Air

Sammy Guevara fulfilled his promise and defeated God’s favorite champion, Miro, for the TNT championship in the main event of tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The Wednesday night show this week took place from the hometown of Brodie Lee in Rochester, New York. Tony Khan had previously announced that the episode will be dedicated to the memory of the former TNT champion.

Guevara also paid tribute to the late star after the show went off air. He addressed the crowd saying his goal now is to become one of the best TNT champions there ever was:

“For every kid who is out there with a dream of something you wanna do, all you gotta do is believe in yourself and work hard. Now my goal is to be one of the best TNT champions there ever was, but Rochester, I gotta be honest with you, we know who the real greatest TNT champion was.”

The crowd started chanting Brodie’s name after this. Acknowledging it, Sammy Guevara mentioned how he will never be able to fill the shoes left behind by Lee. He then called the TNT title the greatest championship in pro wrestling:

“I will never be able to fill the shoes that you left behind, I mean, you had some big ass feet. But I’m going to do my damnedest and work as hard as I can and carry this title with pride.” said the new champion, “No offense to Kenny’s belt, but this is the greatest title in professional wrestling!”

Sammy then told the production crew to not play his music. He instead asked the people in attendance to send him out with a Brodie chant which the crowd did. You can check out the complete Dynamite results below:

Watch Sammy Guevara Win The TNT Title On AEW Dynamite

Sammy Guevara beat Miro in the main event of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite to become the fifth TNT champion in the history of the title.

AEW had announced a title match for this week’s show after the former WWE star had a confrontation with the Spanish God on the September 17 episode of Rampage.

The match took place in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. Miro dominated the early stages of the bout and he kept Guevara down.

The ending of this bout saw the champion ripping off the pads from the top turnbuckle of all four corners. However, before he could use the exposed turnbuckle to his advantage, Fuego Del Sol got up on the apron.

Miro punched Fuego off the apron but this gave Sammy Guevara an opportunity. He sent the champion face first in the turnbuckle with a knee strike.

The challenger then delivered a tornado DDT and followed it up with a GTH. Sammy finally got to the top rope and delivered a 630 santon on Miro to cover him for the pin.

This ends Miro’s 140 day long run with the TNT championship. He had won the title from Darby Allin during the May 12 episode of Dynamite earlier this year.

Big E On New Day vs. Bloodline Match: “I Wish We Had More Time”

Many believe that WWE should have spent some time building the New Day vs. The Bloodline match instead of putting it on the September 20 Raw to get a rating boost. It appears Big E agrees with this sentiment.

The new WWE champion recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. He talked about things such as his big championship victory and more.

E also talked about The New Day vs. The Bloodline match being done without any build-up. He admitted that he wishes it was given more time and hoped that they can do it again somewhere down the line:

“I wish we had more time and more build, and hopefully we’ll be able to revisit it because obviously, it didn’t really conclude.” said the former NXT champion “I’m not saying it was bad, but I hope we can do it again.”

Big E went on to praise The Usos saying they are definitely in the conversation for the greatest tag team of all time. He discussed Roman Reigns as well saying that he is doing absolutely incredible work.

Apart from this, the WWE champion revealed when he found out that he was cashing in his money in the bank contract and winning the title. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Riddle On His Relationship With Vince McMahon

Despite being the outspoken star he is, Matt Riddle says he still have a good relationship with Vince McMahon and receives regular compliments from him.

The one half of the current Raw tag team champions recently appeared on the Fox Sports Out of Character podcast. He discussed things such as his heat with Goldberg, whether the two have buried the hatchet and more.

When asked if he has a good relationship with the Chairman of the Board, Riddle claimed Mr. McMahon sees him at least once every week.

“We do and we don’t, if I’m being 100% honest, I’ve been on TV a lot, I work a lot,” said Riddle “Vince sees me every week at least once, so he sees me and I’ve gotten a lot of handshakes. ‘Good job, I love your stuff.’ A lot of compliments.”

Riddle Just Wants a Hug

matt riddle hug
Matt Riddle gets a hug from Randy Orton

Riddle went on to explain he just wants approval from Mr. McMahon in the form of a physical embrace.

“I’ve yet to receive a Vince McMahon hug. I was hoping I’d get one after SummerSlam, but not so much. I don’t want to force – don’t force it. He’ll hug me when he’s ready.”

Matt also talked about his outspoken nature admitting that he has overstepped his boundaries a couple of times. Though he then explained that he feels like trash-talking is part of the world of professional wrestling.

Vince’s Relationship with Talent

Vince McMahon has served as a father figure to many WWE Superstars throughout the years. He has a reputation for being a tough, but fair boss. Many have craved his attention and approval throughout the years.

Over the past several months, several wrestlers have spoken publicly about their relationship with McMahon:

Jeff Hardy has said he and Vince have a business relationship. “I try to do the best I can for him and for WWE,” he told  Felger & Massaroti. “Hopefully that’s enough.”

Ruby Soho spent a few years in WWE as Ruby Riott. She also explained her relationship with Vince as lukewarm, but professional. During an appearance on Renee Paqette’s Oral Sessions podcast, she said, “We didn’t speak very often… We didn’t really talk, he was always so busy. He was so busy. I think I spoke to him in his office probably in four years, twice?”

Seth Rollins has a stronger relationship with the boss. He felt comfortable enough to vent his anger to Vince after his controversial match with The Fiend at Hell in a Cell 2019.

Eric Bischoff Thinks AEW Should Hold Off Bray Wyatt’s Debut

Bray Wyatt is rumored to make his AEW debut as soon as this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. Though Eric Bischoff believes that the promotion should hold off on the former world champion’s first appearance for a few months.

The former WCW president discussed it on the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast. He mentioned how AEW has seen a good few surprise appearances recently and explained what he would do if he was in the place of Tony Khan:

“If I were in Tony Khan’s shoes, I would give the surprises a breather, they’ve done a great job, they’ve gotten tremendous return on their investment.” said Bischoff, “It’s served its purpose beyond expectation in my opinion. But I would give that a rest.”

Discussing when he thinks AEW should bring Wyatt in, the former Raw GM said that he would save his debut for the first quarter of next year because they have had so many great signings recently:

“Let’s just assume Bray Wyatt is going to end up [in AEW].” said Eric Bischoff, “I wouldn’t do that till after the first of [January]. I’d save that for the first quarter of next year because they’ve had so many signings, and they’re great ones too.”

The former WCW official explained his comments with an analogy of a roller coaster. He said that people need some rest for them to be able to enjoy the next exhilaration point of a roller coaster and claimed that we are getting close to ‘surprise fatigue’ after all the recent debuts.

Tony Khan has confirmed that this week’s Dynamite episode from Rochester, NY will be dedicated to Brodie Lee. Khan has also teased some big plans for the show and Bray Wyatt is rumored to make his debut on the episode.

Former Raw Underground Star Makes AEW Dark Debut

This week’s episode of AEW Dark featured the debut of two more former NXT stars in Santana Garrett and Arturo Ruas now known as Adrian Jaoude.

Garrett took part in a backstage interview during the opening of the show. She said that she wanted to make her father proud and show everyone that she is elite.

The former NXT star was interrupted by Diamante. She challenged the debutant for a match next week on AEW Dark. The duo then brawled and the segment ended with them being separated.

Jaoude on the other hand teamed up with his real-life best friend Cezar Bononi for a tag team match. They won the bout against Jake St. Patrick & Ryzin.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1442988490904403973

Both Garrett and Jaoude were released from their WWE contracts in June this year. Prior to tonight’s AEW show, Santana Garrett competed in the 2021 Royal Rumble.

Jaoude had not wrestled since November 2020. He had faced the former NXT cruiserweight champion Kushida in a one-on-one match back then.

Some fans may also recognize Adrian Jaoude from his Raw Underground appearances as Arturo Ruas. He had defeated Mikey Spandex in his debut match for the short-lived division hosted by Shane McMahon.

Tony Khan Confirms This Week’s Dynamite Will Be Dedicated To Memory Of Brodie Lee

Tony Khan has announced that this week’s episode of Dynamite from Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY will be dedicated to the memory of Brodie Lee. The AEW president made the announcement on Twitter. He noted how Rochester is the hometown of the late star and claimed that they will have a great show dedicated to the former TNT champion’s memory:

“It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. Tonight #AEWDynamite is Live from Rochester, home of Mr. Brodie Lee.” wrote Khan, “Tonight we’ll have a great show dedicated to his memory with a special card including a huge TNT Championship match, a title forever synonymous with his indelible legacy.”

Brodie Lee, real name Jonathan Huber passed away on December 26, 2020, after battling with lung issues for a while. His death shocked the entire wrestling world. Tony Khan and AEW had dedicated an episode of Dynamite to the late star’s memory back then as well. The Brodie Lee Celebration of Life Dynamite aired on December 30, 2020.

The lineup for this week’s episode of the show includes Miro vs. Sammy Guevara TNT championship match, Cody Rhodes & Lee Johnson vs. Matt Sydal & Dante Martin, Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy, and Penelope Ford & The Bunny vs. Anna Jay & Tay Conti.

MVP Responds To Criticism Over The Hurt Business Reunion

MVP, who is currently out of action following a knee surgery, has responded to fan criticism over the Hurt Business reunion seen on this week’s episode of Raw.

A fan tweeted at the former US champion saying that Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander’s reunion with Bobby Lashley did not make sense.

MVP responded to this complaint of the fan with a tweet of his own. As seen below, he posted an emoji and wrote: “You didn’t grow up with brothers obviously”:

The team of Benjamin and Alexander lost a 2 on 1 handicap match against Drew McIntyre. This barred them from the ringside for Bobby Lashley’s WWE championship match against the Scottish Warrior at WrestleMania 37.

As a result of this loss, Bobby Lashley attacked the duo on the March 29 episode of Raw this year, effectively kicking them out of the Hurt Business and ending the faction.

However, MVP had recently teased a Hurt Business reunion prior to taking time off. This week’s episode of Raw then saw Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin interfering in the opening match of the night between Lashley and Big E.

It’s unknown if the reunion was a one-night thing or if we are going to see the Hurt Business competing together once again in the coming future.

More On Upcoming WWE Draft

WWE Draft is expected to begin later this week with Friday’s episode of SmackDown. It will conclude with next Monday’s episode of Raw.

Dave Meltzer talked about the Draft on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He reported that both Fox and USA Network have already been informed of the ‘key people’ who will be switching brands.

He also confirmed the previous reports about NXT superstars being included in the Draft. Meltzer said that it’s an effort from the official to freshen up the rosters. Though it was mentioned that the plans can change at any time.

There is no word on which stars are expected to be moved. Local advertisements have been promoting a Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre match for this week’s SmackDown suggesting that McIntyre may show up on the blue brand.

Although since the bout is advertised as a Universal championship match, it’s very likely that it will end up being a dark match. It’s even possible that it may not take place on the night at all.

A number of NXT stars have been working dark matches in recent times. The names include Austin Theory, Kacy Catanzaro, Xia Li, Aliyah, and Dakota Kai.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. also worked some dark matches over the Summer. Now it would be interesting to see if any of these stars get assigned to a brand during Draft.

Mick Foley Believes WWE Needs To Pay More Attention To Continuity

Mick Foley had been very vocal about WWE’s mistreatment of stars recently. He continued talking about the promotion’s problems during his recent appearance on Sean Waltman’s Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast.

The Hall Of Famer discussed how Vince McMahon changing the script of WWE shows at the last minute has become a regular occurrence in the company.

Speaking of how these last-minute changes affect the quality of programming, Foley said that it leads to the shows losing their continuity. He then compared WWE’s state to AEW explaining how it makes WWE look bad in comparison:

“You lose your continuity. When you promise people two or three different matches for the next week and then they don’t take place, and you don’t explain why,

And then you have another show [AEW] that does a really good job of telling you what’s gonna take place next week.”

Detailing how he would fix this problem, Mick Foley said that the officials need to go back to the big picture thinking. They should pay more attention to continuity:

“I just think they need to pay attention to continuity, They need to go back to big picture thinking, outside of just the WrestleMania main event, and they need to let the talent be as good as it can be.”

What do you think about Mick Foley’s remarks on the state of WWE programming? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Seth Rollins On The Original Plans For The Shield’s Breakup

Seth Rollins shocked the world when he turned on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to end the Shield during the June 2, 2014 episode of Monday Night Raw.

However, during his recent appearance on the Broken Skull Session, Rollins revealed that WWE originally intended to break the faction up a lot earlier.

Rollins claimed that WWE had discussed breaking up the Shield back in January 2014. The plan was for it to lead to a match between Ambrose and Reigns at WrestleMania:

“What happened was, they wanted to break us up back in January [2014], maybe December. They wanted to go to Ambrose and Roman and at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans. I was left out. Maybe a special referee or something.'”

Explaining how the plans got changed, Seth Rollins revealed that they went to talk to Triple H. They explained how they were on the cusp of a face turn and breaking them up would mean the loss of a lot of merchandise money.

Apart from this, the former Universal champion also talked about his 2019 Hell In A Cell match with Bray Wyatt and recalled being furious with Vince McMahon for it. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Bryan Danielson Was Pleasantly Surprised With AEW’s Creative Approach

After butting heads with the WWE writers for over a decade, Bryan Danielson was pleasantly surprised with the creative approach in AEW. The former WWE star recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. Among other things, he talked about the difference in the creative process of the two companies.

Detailing his reaction to his first encounter with the AEW creatives, Bryan admitted that he was a little blown away. According to him, no one told him what he was doing and they asked Danielson what he wanted to do instead:

“I was actually a little bit blown away, my first time I had to talk or anything was in Cincinnati, and I was like, so what are we doing? ‘I don’t know, what do you want to do?’ Wait, what?”

Bryan Danielson On AEW’s Approach Compared To WWE

Bryan Danielson continued his explanation mentioning how he was never handed a sheet of paper. He described that people in AEW have a collective approach where they sit down and figure out what the plan for him is:

“Last week in Newark, it was the same thing. I was never handed a sheet of paper. I was never told what we’re doing. We kind of sit down and decide what we’re doing, And I was just like, oh. And then there’s this overarching fear for me a little bit because some people don’t like working with the writers.”

The former world champion made his AEW debut during the All Out PPV from Chicago on September 5. He made his first Dynamite appearance on September 8 from Cincinnati, Ohio. Danielson also talked about the WWE creative process in detail and discussed being part of the creative himself during his finishing months. You can check out his comments at this link.

Bray Wyatt Responds To Seth Rollins’ Comment About Their Hell In A Cell Match

Seth Rollins recently admitted that he was very upset with Vince McMahon after the finish to his 2019 Universal championship Hell In A Cell match with Bray Wyatt. Now Wyatt has responded to his remarks

The former WWE superstar took on his Twitter to respond to the Architect. He indicated that his reaction to the finish was very similar to his opponent:

The 2019 Hell In A Cell PPV saw a newly debuted Fiend facing Seth Rollins in a cell match. The bout ended in Referee stoppage after Wyatt was hit with a sledgehammer by Rollins and buried under weapons.

However, The Fiend rose from under the pile of weapons when the officials were checking on him. He attacked Rollins and incapacitated him with the Mandible Claw. This ending attracted largely negative reactions from fans.

Seth Rollins On His Reaction To Match Against Wyatt

Seth Rollins talked about his reaction to the Hell In A Cell match against Bray Wyatt during his recent appearance on Broken Skull Sessions. Rollins claimed that he wanted to ‘strangle Vince McMahon’ for that finish:

“I put a positive spin on it now because I can look back a year and a half later, but at the time, I came through that curtain and I was ready to strangle Vince McMahon. I’m not kidding you.”

Rollins also talked about the fan reaction to the finish. He revealed which star held him back from talking to Mr. McMahon that night. You can check out his comments here

WWE Championship Match To Open This Week’s Raw

The WWE champion Big E will be defending his title against Bobby Lashley in the opening match of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

The opening match of the Extreme Rules PPV saw the trio of The New Day facing the team of Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos. The New Day won this bout.

Though this wasn’t the last of E and Lashley we saw during the night. Bobby Lashley was seen again in a backstage segment after The Usos vs. Street Profits match.

The All-Mighty called Big E “chicken s***” for cashing in the Money In The Bank contract on him after his match with Randy Orton. He then challenged E for a singles match on Raw saying  “I want my title back!”

The New Day member responded to the former champion later in the night. He said that Lashley has lost his mind before claiming that he doesn’t hide behind anyone.

Big E went on to accept the former TNA star’s challenge for a match at the red branded show. Michael Cole then announced that this bout will be opening this week’s episode of Raw.

It will be interesting to see how this match plays out and if WWE provides any hint at the upcoming roster changes on the episode of Raw before the Draft.