Nick Aldis is one of the best wrestlers in the world that is not under contract with the WWE but rather doing it his way.

The NWA World Heavyweight Champion, who first made his name known as Magnus while in TNA, was recently interviewed by Interactive Wrestling Radio where he talked about various topics including the reason that he’s not currently in the WWE.

“If I had a dollar for every time I was asked why I’m not in the WWE, I’d never have to wrestle again. For different bulls–t political reasons and for different personal reasons, they won’t give me an opportunity there.”

Aldis is slated to face Cody Rhodes on September 1, 2018 at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois for the All In event. When asked about, he noted that it’s so crazy where everything has gone as he brought up the point that he’s under contract with the NWA and is showing up and working ROH events.

He noted that ROH, NJPW, and NWA are all working together and it’s great because he believes that there have been so many missed opportunities where greedy promoters in the past didn’t have the foresight to make a money match.

Aldis would later go onto say, “My generation said, ‘No, it can happen and we’re going to make it happen.’ The beauty of guys like Cody, the Bucks, Marty Scurll, myself… All these guys like Pentagon all over the world who’s brands are making their own opportunities. Also, the promoters and producers that have the progressive mindset that is what needs to happen to move the business forward but also aren’t crippled by their egos where they couldn’t bare to admit that it wasn’t their idea.”

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

NXT Match Announcement

A big match has a been announced for next week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network that will see Candice LeRae, Kairi Sane, Nikki Cross and Bianca Belair collide in a Fatal 4-Way Match with a future opportunity to challenge Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Title.

Although this has yet to be announced by the company, it’s likely that the winner of this match will face Baszler for the strap at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 event that takes place on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on WWE’s streaming service.

AJ Styles Hypes

WWE Champion AJ Styles is slated to make his next title defense against Rusev at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that will air on the WWE Network. Styles went out the following to hype the title match:

“Don’t waste your money on streamers and noise makers. #RusevDay is just another day for me…another day to defend the #WWEChampionship and proclaim #IAmPhenomenal. #ExtremeRules #AndStill @WWENetwork.”

Don’t waste your money on streamers and noise makers. #RusevDay is just another day for me…another day to defend the #WWEChampionship and proclaim #IAmPhenomenal. #ExtremeRules #AndStill @WWENetwork

— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) July 12, 2018

What are your thoughts on this upcoming NXT match as well as Styles comments? Sound off in the comment section.

John Cena has given his take on Daniel Bryan being medically allowed to return to the ring under the WWE banner.

Cena recently spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview and during the interview, he discussed WWE clearing the former World Heavyweight Champion after being on the sidelines for two years due to his history with concussions.

Cena stated that from a co-worker’s standpoint, it’s great to have him back because Bryan is very good at what he does. Switching to a company-standpoint, he noted that it’s also great because audiences will show up to see him.

“Speaking from a personal standpoint on what I know about Bryan Danielson, I know that he is dedicated to wrestling and loves wrestling. He was so heartbroken when it was taken away from him before it was his decision to give it up. I can’t tell you how happy I am for him to go out there again and live his dream. He gives wrestling his all, and it’s great that he now has the outlet again where it can give something back to him.”

The sports entertainment company is not advertising Cena for any upcoming events. He was last seen when he beat Triple H in the opening match on the main card of the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in April.

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

There was an interesting bump involving Jim Ross that took place during NJPW’s G1 Special at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California on Saturday night (July 7, 2018) that aired on AXS TV.

At the show, Jay White slammed Juice Robinson into the barricade during their US Title match, which unfortunately sent the WWE Hall of Famer and legendary pro wrestling announcer, who was calling the event alongside former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, to the floor.

As a reaction to this bump, Barnett could be heard on commentary saying, “you done f*cked up now!” to White and chasing him into the ring. Nothing came about it between Barnett and White.

Ross addressed the bump and spoke about the injury he suffered at the event on the latest episode of The Ross Report podcast. The WWE Hall of Famer noted that suffered bruised ribs on his left side, a bruised left lung and a sternum injury. He would add that his doctors have told him that they fear he could catch pneumonia due to the issues with his lungs.

Also, Ross noted that this temporary health setback caused him to miss some appearances this week that he had scheduled. Barnett gave his side of the story during this podcast by stating that everything happened so fast and as soon as the table spot happened, Ross was down.

He brought up the fact that there was someone in the crowd who told made some comments about him going after White which led to him responding that how he is supposed to catch him. Barnett added that they were being disrespected and that was it.

At the end of the day, it was an unfortunate situation and we send our best wishes JR for a speedy recovery.

What set off my @AXSTVFights broadcast partner @JoshLBarnett at ringside last weekend at the @njpwglobal #G1Special in San Francisco? Barnett is my guest on the latest #WestwoodOne "Jim Ross Report" podcast. Click here to listen…https://t.co/l80fo3yjVd pic.twitter.com/nbEq5uAMXJ

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) July 12, 2018

What are your thoughts on Ross’ comments? Sound off in the comment section

There was one big title change that aired on WWE NXT TV.

As seen on this week’s episode of WWE NXT on the WWE Network, The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly) defeated Mustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) to win the NXT Tag Team Titles. This marks the second time that O’Reilly and Strong have held the titles.

WWE taped this week’s edition of NXT back on Thursday, June 21, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University.

The title change occurred a few days after Moustache Mountain beat Strong & O’Reilly to win the NXT Tag Team Titles at day 2 of the WWE NXT UK Title Tournament at Royal Albert Hall in London, England that aired on WWE’s streaming service back on June 26th.

Before the title change in the UK, The Undisputed Era held the titles up to this point for over 200 days as they won the straps from Sanity (Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young) back in November of 2017 during an episode of NXT on the WWE Network.

What are your thoughts on this title change? Was it the right call to put the tag team titles back on Strong and O’Reilly? Sound off in the comment section.

Jonathan Coachman recently appeared Busted Open Radio to talk about various topics including WWE’s new billion dollar deal with Fox.

Coachman stated in this interview that just three years ago he got a call from WWE about wanting to get on ESPN because other than the occasional appearance by The Rock to promote a movie, there was no consistent content on any mainstream media because he believes that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and other officials knew that this day (TV deal) was coming.

“I knew if I wanted to do more than just ESPN, that this was a good way to help and to help facilitate. I got into fights, I pushed the envelope, and I got four other guys to help me and we called them ‘Coach’s Group.’ We just got given credit by the president of the company to Wall Street for helping facilitate this Fox deal so they took our content that we did every single week on SportsCenter.

Then we got stuff into SportsCenter every single week. They took that content they took it to Fox. They had meetings with ESPN and said listen, after the shock value of the few people who called in saying ‘I can’t believe they’re having wrestling content on our beloved SportsCenter.’ After that shock value wore off they came to it in droves.”

Coachman added that the work he did for ESPN is still living on to this day and that Fox plans to put WWE in situations where it’s a cross-over promotional content and the network will already have that established audience.

“They started an entire website that still lives today. Because of that and I’m not saying it’s the entire reason, but it’s a big part of the reason that his billion-dollar deal was done. Because Fox executives looked at what we did at ESPN and said, ‘imagine if you had a partner instead of just a platform.’

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript quotes.

WWE’s television contract was slated to expire in 2019 with the USA Network, which led to them holding meetings with the USA Network, Fox, Disney, CBS, Amazon, and YouTube.

Just last month, it was officially announced that Monday Night RAW would remain on the USA Network while SmackDown Live would move to Fox and air each Friday on Fox broadcast network. Both deals are for five years.

It’s been reported that Fox is paying WWE $1 billion over the five years for the rights to SmackDown Live. The deal averages out to around $205 million annually for the broadcast rights.

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

There is a lot of speculation that Daniel Bryan is getting closer to signing a new contract with the WWE.

It’s been well known that Bryan’s contract is slated to expire on September 1st, 2018. The latest update on this situation is that Bryan has yet to sign a new contract with the WWE.

What’s interesting is that the company is advertising him for an upcoming SmackDown Live TV event in Detroit, Michigan at the Little Caesars Arena on September 4th. This could be a further indication that Bryan will sign a new contract with the WWE.

According to the promotional material listed on the arena’s website, Bryan will team up with WWE Champion AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy to take on Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, and Samoa Joe in a six-man tag team match.

WWE is also advertising him for the upcoming Super Show-Down event on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia despite the fact that it’s taking place in October, a month after his WWE contract expires. Keep in mind that the cards for WWE events are always subject to change.

What are your thoughts on Bryan’s future with the WWE? Sound off in the comment section.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently commented on potentially stepping back into the ring for the WWE.

The Rock spoke with Cathy Kelley of WWE.com earlier this week on the red carpet in New York City for the premiere of his latest movie, “Skyscraper.” In this interview, she asked if he plans on getting back in the ring for WWE.

The former WWE Champion stated that he can’t wait to get back into a WWE ring and that everybody always asks him what’s it like being in a WWE ring. This is when he noted that he would explain to them that there’s nothing like being inside of a WWE ring. You can watch the brief interview here:

It seems that everyone wants to see “The Great One” make an appearance at the biggest event of the year for the WWE, WrestleMania, to the point that every year there is speculation on whether he will appear at the show.

He hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 29 against John Cena for the WWE Title but did have technically a match with Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 but it was very brief. He returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company.

2019 won’t be any different as WrestleMania 35 is slated to be held on Sunday, April 7 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. With this being the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history, it’s a safe bet that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will at the least contract Rock to see if he wants to make an appearance.

What are your thoughts on The Rock’s comments? Do you think that he’ll wrestle in a WWE ring in the near future?

The early betting odds for the WWE Extreme Rules PPV have been released.

Some of the more notable odds include AJ Styles favored to retain his WWE Title over Rusev at -415 to +295, Braun Strowman favored at -245 to beat Kevin Owens at +175, and Roman Reigns favored at -155 to beat Bobby Lashley at +115.

The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. As a reminder – indicates the favorites while + means the underdog.

The Odds

WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) -415 vs Rusev +295

Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman -245 vs Kevin Owens +175

Roman Reigns -155 vs Bobby Lashley +115

Raw Women’s Championship (Extreme Rules Match) : Alexa Bliss(c) -365 vs Nia Jax +255

United States Championship: Jeff Hardy(c) +120 vs Shinsuke Nakamura -160

Raw Tag Team Championship: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt(c) -150 vs The B-Team +110

Smackdown Women’s Championship: Carmella(c) +120 vs Asuka -160

Intercontinental Championship (30-Minute Iron Man Match) : Dolph Ziggler(c) -190 vs Seth Rollins +150

Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Bludgeon Brothers(c) +105 vs Team Hell No -145

Finn Balor -140 vs Baron Corbin +100

What are your thoughts on these early betting odds? Sound off in the comment section.

Bruce Prichard has given some more insight into talking about the career of CM Punk in the WWE on his Something Else to Wrestle podcast.

Prichard recently discussed this topic in an interview with TV Insider. We noted earlier on the site that the podcast would feature Prichard and Conrad Thompson discussing the early WWE career of CM Punk from the period of 2006 through to 2008. This will be the season finale of the show.

It was later revealed that they would talk about the recent lawsuit that was brought forward against Punk and Colt Cabana from WWE’s Dr. Chris Amann, which saw the former WWE stars win.

In the interview, Prichard noted that he didn’t have anything more on the lawsuit other than what he has read online, which made him focus his efforts on telling the early parts of Punk’s WWE career.

“I don’t know anything about the court case other than what I’ve read online and different things like that,” Prichard said. “Me trying to comment on that is no different than any other media source commenting on it. I don’t know firsthand. I wasn’t there for that time. I want to tell stories of Punk in his early days in WWE and the growth before he exploded.”

Prichard noted that it did well for them to talk about it as Punk is so topical and a perfect way to the end season. Prichard added that if the WWE doesn’t pick them up for a second season then they believed that they ended on a high note by covering Punk in his early days.

It’s known that Prichard has a unique deal with WWE Network and that the content is theirs and they also have the final approval on the product. He broke down the process of doing the podcast. 

“The content is ours. That’s something we have final approval on. We pick the subjects, and we write it, we do it, we perform it with no direction from them. Then we give them direction with the footage, and they come back with suggestions. That portion of it is pretty neat.”

Do you plan on watching this episode? Sound off in the comment section.

Tenille Dashwood (also known as Emma in the WWE) has reflected on her pro wrestling career.

The ROH star recently spoke with the Illawarra Mercury about various topics including working for the WWE from 2011 – 2017. After her departure from the WWE, she reinvented herself and is a popular star in the Women of Honor division.

Dashwood noted that wrestling for WWE has definitely helped her a lot as they gave her the platform to be as busy as she is and travel the world. She mentioned that she very lucky for that as well as to have a fan-base that she does.

“But wrestling is very popular again right now. The talent that’s out there, and the production that the independent companies are putting into their shows is just bringing more and more fans in worldwide. So I think as a whole we’re all putting in that effort, and bringing a better product for the fans worldwide.”

Sticking with women’s wrestling, she talked about being involved in the current boom of popularity,  fans being interested in the product, and how it has taken a long time to get there.

She thinks to have a boom in women’s wrestling is everything from the production of shows, opportunities for the women, and the women delivering on those opportunities.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to main event a number of the shows that I’ve been on since I started the independents at the beginning of this year. That’s a huge opportunity for me, and somewhere I can showcase just how much I love wrestling, and how fortunate I am to be in this position.”

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

WWE has made a minor change to one title match at the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV event.

SmackDown Live General Manager Paige has announced that James Ellsworth would be placed in a shark cage during the SmackDown Women’s Title match between champion Carmella and Asuka at this upcoming event.

As seen on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live in Manchester, NH at the SNHU Arena on the USA Network, Asuka was able to beat Ellsworth in a lumberjack match.

The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.

Updated Card for Extreme Rules

– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev

– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No

– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka – James Ellsworth in a shark cage

– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team

– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

– Tables Match (Pre-Show): The New Day vs. SAnitY

Goldust Surgery

WWE veteran Goldust noted on his official Twitter account on Tuesday (July 10, 2018) that he traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to undergo some sort of knee operation. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion didn’t clarify on what the exact surgery was.

He was last seen on the flagship show of the WWE, Monday Night RAW, back on May 7 when he appeared briefly backstage with Kurt Angle and Jinder Mahal by pleading Angle to give him a chance in the ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.

His last match came back on June 16, 2018 when he teamed up with Chad Gable, Zack Ryder to defeat Curt Hawkins, Mike Kanellis & Mojo Rawley in a six-man tag team match at a WWE live event at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. We wish him a speedy recovery. He tweeted the following:

Sitting here with @JeffDugasMD in Birmingham ready. pic.twitter.com/RtXNUA6uKq

— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) July 10, 2018

Haha won’t allow that that for a couple weeks lol #Dani #MotherOfDragons #Khaleesi @emiliaclarke https://t.co/Wums3qKqGw

— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) July 10, 2018

I regret not a thing as I have done it all. My family on the road at work has been incredible and are exceeding their talents daily. They all are true superstars and family with a bright future. Remember, be patient and humble. Your time will come! #OutlastThemAll #Keepsreppin

— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) July 10, 2018

Xavier Woods Praise

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods recently gave some praise to the WWE 205 Live division when responding to a fan question on why he’s considered to be a cruiserweight in the WWE 2K18 video game. He tweeted out the following:

I dno cause I definitely haven't been 205 in a very long time ????? Plus I can't do half the stuff those guys can do. An insanely talented group of individuals so everyone should be watching #205Live cause it's really good https://t.co/FiR6iTry1i

— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) July 9, 2018

WWE has already announced that The New Day would battle SAnitY in a table match on the Extreme Rules kickoff show on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that will air on the WWE Network.

What are your thoughts on Goldust being off of WWE television for the time being? How do you think he should be used by the WWE once he returns? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE has announced the match that will take place on the Extreme Rules Pre-Show.

WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Paige revealed on her official Twitter account that The New Day would battle SAnitY in a table match on the kickoff show. 

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1016778209751371776

The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.

Updated Card for Extreme Rules

– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev

– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No

– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka

– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team

– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

– Tables Match (Pre-Show): The New Day vs. SAnitY

What are your thoughts on WWE announcing this match? Should this match be positioned on the pre-show or does it deserve to be on the main card? Be on the lookout for our Extreme Rules Staff Predictions coming this Thursday.

The opening betting odds for the potential fight between Brock Lesnar and Daniel Cormier have been released.

BetDSI Sportsbook has released early odds on this potential heavyweight showdown that has Cormier a -260 favorite over Lesnar at +200.

It’s been well documented that current WWE Universal Champion was invited by Cormier into the cage after he was able to score a KO win over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title in the main event of Saturday’s (July 7, 2018) UFC 226 pay-per-view event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This led to Lesnar accepting the invitation and shoving Cormier in the process. He then cut a promo on the UFC heavyweight division and told DC that he was coming for him.

Lesnar has started the process to get back in the USADA drug-testing pool. With Lesnar back in the pool, he will still have to serve a little more than six months left of his previous suspension. Thus, he is not able to fight inside of the Octagon until early January, which is around the time that this fight is rumored to take place.

It should be noted that Lesnar is still under contract with the WWE until the end of August and there is some speculation that he’ll be working the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center that will air on the WWE Network, but that has yet to be confirmed. 

For the latest on this fight and to get all of your UFC news, make sure to check out our sister site, MMANews.com.

James Storm has made it known that he is willing to take on a full-time schedule with the WWE.

He recently spoke to Inside The Ropes about various topics including his stint with the WWE where the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Storm debuted in WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, during the October 2015 tapings, which aired on the October 21 episode of NXT by defeating Danny Burch and later appeared on the December 2 episode by defeating Adam Rose.

However, Storm opted not to sign with WWE NXT and return to TNA instead. Storm returned to the promotion back in January of 2016. Now that he is free and clear of Impact Wrestling as he works on the indy scene, Storm noted that once he made the call to go back to Impact after his NXT run, it just seemed like creative didn’t know what to do with him, which he didn’t understand because he believed that he was their biggest babyface on the roster.

“All you gotta do is give me a microphone, show me the ring, hit my music, and I’ll go out and entertain the people. It’s not that hard, it’s not rocket science. So I don’t wanna say I was going through the motions but to me, it kinda felt like I was.”

Storm also noted that he is more than ready to jump on the road full-time with the WWE if they call him. He brought up the fact that he is the in the best shape that he can get in and he got his stuff together after some personal and family issues.

“I’m one of those guys that I like to be considered a road warrior. Like I don’t care about how many days I’m on the road. My wife loves for me to be on the road, she’s like: ‘get out of the house.’ I just love to wrestle. That is why I got into wrestling is to wrestle. You always hear people complaining about being on the road too much and the travel and the hotels — pussies, f–k that. That’s what I’m about. Put me on the road because that’s what I signed up for to entertain these people. Run around in the world in my underwear and entertain the people.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes.

What are your thoughts on Storm’s comments and a potential return to the WWE? Sound off in the comment section.

Ronda Rousey is no longer advertised for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

This has fans speculating as to why WWE pulled her from advertisements for the show. As of writing, WWE has yet to make an announcement on the change.

She has already confirmed that she plans to sit in the front row to watch Alexa Bliss defend her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena on the WWE Network.

Once it was revealed that WWE pulled her from next week’s RAW, the assumption is that Rousey being in the crowd at Extreme Rules as a fan will possibly see her suspension being extended.

Rousey is currently off WWE television as she serves a 30-day suspension. Despite being suspended, she is still scheduled to appear to work all of the events that she is advertised for.

She most recently beat former Jax in a singles match with Bliss as the special guest referee at a live event on Saturday night in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden then worked a live event on Sunday in Bridgeport, CT at the Webster Bank Arena where Rousey, Jax, Bayley, Natalya and Ember Moon defeated Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, and Bliss.

WWE is advertising Rousey for the following dates including live events:

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 30th in Miami, FL

– WWE Live Event: August 3rd in Augusta, GA

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 6th in Jacksonville, FL

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 13 in Greensboro, SC

– WWE SummerSlam: August 19 in Brooklyn NY (RUMORED)

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA

– WWE Super Show-Down: October 6th in Melbourne, AUS

– WWE Live Event: November 3rd in Madrid

– WWE Live Event: November 4th in Barcelona

– WWE Live Event: November 9th in Bologna

– WWE Live Event: November 10th in Rome

PWG returns this weekend with their latest event, which is titled Threemendous V.

The promotion announced the full card a few weeks ago and the show will be headlined by The Rascalz defending the PWG Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks.

Two other big matches on this card are former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle, who recently lost the strap to Jay Lethal, taking on David Starr as well as EVOLVE Champion Matthew Riddle facing Marty Scurll. These will be single bouts.

The event is slated to take place on Friday, July 13 at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Tickets for Threemendous V are already sold out and will not be streamed but rather released on DVD and digital at a later date. Here is the full card:

– PWG Tag Team Title Match: The Young Bucks face The Rascalz ©

– Non-Title Match: Brody King faces WALTER

– Singles Match: Matthew Riddle faces Marty Scurll

– Singles Match: Dalton Castle faces David Starr

– Singles Match: REY FENIX faces Trevor Lee

– Singles Match: Rey Horus faces PENTA EL ZERO M

– Singles Match: Jeff Cobb faces Joey Janela

What are your thoughts on the lineup for this show? Sound off in the comment section.

Ronda Rousey Hypes

As noted, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has been officially announced as the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19 alongside Rey Mysterio. The news was made on Monday (July 10, 2018). Rousey tweeted the following on her WWE video game debut:

I’m proud to announce my debut in @WWEgames’ #WWE2K19 as a pre-order Superstar alongside the great @reymysterio. Pre-order the game to get us both at launch on October 9. https://t.co/8WULRZ1Qtv #ad pic.twitter.com/tOBK17Xryn

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) July 10, 2018

RAW Segment

The first segment for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center has been announced, which will see Sasha Banks and Bayley giving a post-counseling update to RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. This will also mark the post-Extreme Rules show for the red brand.

Last week’s RAW featured Dr. Shelby making his return to WWE TV as he tried to help Banks and Bayley work out their issues with one another by being their counselor. He became popular with WWE fans him from his work with Team Hell No several years ago.

As seen on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Boston, MA at the TD Garden on the USA Network, part 2 of this segment aired on the flagship show of the WWE but Shelby didn’t appear. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why he didn’t appear on the show.

What are your thoughts on 2K Games selecting Rousey to be the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19?

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville has surfaced online.

The WWE star appeared this week on the Mid Breath Gym’s Instagram page, which marked his first public appearance in any form on social media since his dispute with the WWE that started back in 2017. You can see the photo here:

https://instagram.com/p/BlDNOa1gnn1/?utm_source=ig_embed

It all started once Neville initially scheduled to lose to Enzo Amore in a lumberjack match on RAW in mid-October. However, plans changed to Kalisto wrestling Amore and Neville decided to take time off. WWE has officially denied that he quit the promotion.

At the time, it was reported that Neville was frustrated by the direction of his character, the lack of pay-offs and the rough WWE life on the road. It was also noted that Neville had pushed for his WWE release with the idea of working the indies and making a name for himself there.

As of a few months ago, the belief within the WWE is that the company will not grant Neville his release and will make him sit out the remainder of his contract. Once that deal has expired, then he will have a 90 days non-compete.

Since then, there have been rumors that Neville and WWE were once again talking about how to resolve their differences. With Triple H in creative control of 205 Live, there was speculation that could play a factor in Neville’s return to the WWE but obviously, that is not the case.

The latest update on this situation is the fact that WWE had decided to freeze his contract until both sides could come to an agreement. In the meantime, Neville is not permitted to wrestle for any outside promotions as he still remains technically under a WWE contract.

WWE has confirmed another big match for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. As announced on Raw, Kevin Owens will take on Braun Strowman. The match will be held inside a steel cage, a scary prospect for the 34-year old Canadian Superstar.

There are now 10 matches confirmed for thee show (full card below), including 3 stipulation matches.

Extreme Rules takes this Sunday, July 15th from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena. The dual-brand pay-per-view will air live on the WWE Network.

Updated Card for Extreme Rules

– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev

– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No

– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka

– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team

– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

Be on the lookout for our Extreme Rules Staff Predictions coming this Thursday.

This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live will open with star power.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) will be speaking with The Miz on Miz TV in the opening segment of the Extreme Rules go-home show for the blue brand.

Bryan and Kane will be talking about their next match during this segment that will see the recently reunited team challenge Luke Harper and Erick Rowan for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event this Sunday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that will air on the WWE Network.

As noted, The Miz is slated to miss Extreme Rules due to him participating in the MLB All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball game that day at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

WWE has also announced two other matches for this show in Omaha, NE at the CenturyLink Center Omaha that includes WWE Champion AJ Styles facing Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match as well as Asuka vs. James Ellsworth in a lumberjack match, which is a rematch from last week’s SmackDown Live that ended in a double count out.

Asuka will challenge Carmella for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title at Extreme Rules. 

What are your thoughts on the WWE booking this segment?

Seth Rollins has reflected on how the harsh words from WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart went over in the WWE locker room.

During a recent interview with GiveMeSports, the former WWE Universal Champion spoke about his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as well as the backstage reaction to the comments made by Hart back in 2016 when he called Rollins unsafe in the ring.

This came after Finn Balor suffered a shoulder injury in their match at SummerSlam to crown the inaugural Universal Champion after taking a bucklebomb to the barricade as well as his match with Sting at the 2015 Night of Champions pay-per-view event.  

Rollins noted that he wasn’t sure if McMahon knew about Hart’s comments about him but did note that the talent in the WWE locker room was confused about what Hart was talking about and why he would say something like that.

“So yeah, it was here and there but most people really didn’t take it too seriously because it was so off the wall. So yeah people just make jokes about it for the most part.”

https://youtu.be/cjN8UFmcUdw

Rollins is slated to challenge current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler for the title in a 30-minute Iron Man match at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network.

What are your thoughts on Rollins’ comments?

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes.

It turns out that WWE 2K19 will not be released on Nintendo Switch.

Despite the demand for the game, 2K Games has confirmed through a statement sent to the media on Monday, July 9, 2018 that the upcoming video game will not be available on the platform due to issues that have plagued the game on the Switch version. It was also noted that they did not want to spend the extensive time and resources on releasing a version of WWE 2K19 on a custom engine for the console.

It should be noted that the publisher did make it clear that their intention is to make “the best possible experience” for fans Here is their statement, courtesy of NintendoLife:

“WWE 2K19 will not be available on Nintendo Switch. 2K is focused on making the best possible experience for WWE 2K fans and will continue evaluating all opportunities to deliver the franchise across additional platforms.”

It’s already been announced that WWE Champion AJ Styles will be the cover star for the game while Rey Mysterio has been officially announced as the pre-order bonus character. It’s been rumored that there will be a second bonus character but that person has yet to be revealed. 

WWE 2K19 will be released on October 9, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

WWE has announced a big match for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

Stop us if you’ve seen this one before, but WWE Champion AJ Styles will face Shinsuke Nakamura in the show’s non-title main event. This match marks Nakamura’s first bout since being bitten in the leg by a police dog two weeks ago before a live event.

Styles and Nakamura have wrestled each other quite a bit over the past few months. They have worked together at Money in the Bank, the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia, and WrestleMania 34. 

Styles is defending his WWE Championship against Rusev while Nakamura is challenging Jeff Hardy for the United States Title at this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

As of this writing, Styles has been WWE Champion for 243 days.

What are your thoughts on WWE booking this match again?

BREAKING: @WWE Champion @AJStylesOrg will go one-on-one with @ShinsukeN TOMORROW NIGHT on #SDLive! https://t.co/GLYO6CEDEV

— WWE (@WWE) July 9, 2018