WWE is keeping former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey busy.
On Friday, June 8, 2018, the sports entertainment company officially announced that Rousey will be working live events in Italy and Spain.
Those events include Madrid at the WiZink Center on November 3, Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi on November 4, Bologna at the Unipol Arena on November 9, and Rome at PalaLottomatica on November 10. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, and Nia Jax are all advertised for these events.
It’s been well established that the WWE has already announced that Rousey is slated to challenge Jax for the RAW Women’s Title at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
The sports entertainment company is advertising Rousey for the following dates including live events:
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 11th, in Little Rock, AR
– MITB Event: June 17th, in Chicago, Illinois
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 18th in Grand Rapids, MI
– WWE Live Event: June 24th in Anaheim, CA
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 25th in San Diego, CA
– WWE Live Event: July 7th in New York City
– WWE Live Event: July 8th in Bridgeport, CT
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 16th in Buffalo, NY
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA
– 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
What are your thoughts on WWE using her as frequently as they are? Sound off in the comments section below.
Roman Reigns is not a big fan favorite, but that has not stopped WWE from pushing him as the top guy.
Earlier this week, the sports entertainment company held its “WWE For Your Consideration 2018 Emmy nomination campaign” that had various WWE Superstars as well as Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey making appearances as well as talking with the media.
At the event, Reigns was interviewed by Stephanie McMahon (H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes).
In this discussion, the former WWE Champion spoke about creating memorable moments for the fans as well as the brutal schedule that Superstars have to do throughout the year.
“We don’t have an offseason. This is a weekly thing for us. 52 weeks a year,” said Reigns. “And it is grueling, and it is tough, and it’s not meant for everybody. But, when you achieve that goal, when you create those goosebumps… those are real, and regardless of what size crowd you’ve been in front of, or what was the best match, you still get them in the craziest moments, and those are the moments that make you feel truly alive. And when you see that effect that you have on that lady over there, or the man with his son, you know you’re creating those moments that you’re gonna be a part of for the rest of their life. And I think that’s why our fanbase is so strong, and that’s why it’s global because we’ve been able to share that connection with so many people.”
Reigns slated to take on Jinder Mahal in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Reigns’ comments? Sound off in the comments section below.
Daniel Bryan has responded to some of the criticism from fans about the current feud he has been booked in.
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. Once it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition, fans started to talk about all of the dream matches that the sports entertainment company could book him in now that he’s back.
After WrestleMania, fans started speculating on what would be his first feud back. Unfortunately, the feud with Cass is not something that was not heavily called for and thus, some backlash from people has surfaced online.
During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes (h/t to Bill Pritchard for Wrestlezone.com), Bryan spoke about some fans not being thrilled that his first big feud since returning is with Big Cass.
“I’m a big believer—I know that everybody wants to see the big matches—I would have loved to have come back and gotten right into the big matches. We did a match with me and AJ Styles on Smackdown, but especially now with the brand split—Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, all of these things. But I also think you need to build to those. I’m somebody that’s always been, whether it’s been here or Ring Of Honor or whatever, I’ve worked hard at helping to bring new guys up. The idea of the old-timer who is trying to ‘keep his position’ and hold everybody down… I don’t think that works. I don’t think that’s sustainable and I think we need to build everybody up, and if everybody seems like Superstars, then the whole company is more fun to watch. I’ve actually enjoyed—I don’t enjoy getting booted in the face—I enjoy the challenge of wrestling somebody who is that big and newer, that sort of thing. I think it’s a good opportunity to show everybody what he can do. It’s also fun for me to go ‘OK, what do we have here?”
Bryan continued by stating, “One of the things that I miss as an independent wrestler—is wrestling people that you don’t know very well. That’s a test to how skilled you are. Here’s this guy that you don’t know—first time I wrestled Dean Ambrose—it was on a Wednesday, and my flight was delayed. I’m getting dressed in the car on the way to the show. I have to go straight from the car, and it’s freezing cold, in my gear, so I’m changing with these guys that I never met before. I’m getting naked in the back of their car putting my stuff on, and I go straight from the car to the ring to wrestle Dean Ambrose, who I’ve never met before. That’s a real test of your skill. How good are you, how good is [the opponent]? When I wrestled Ambrose I didn’t know what I was going to get. I wrestled him and I was like ‘this guy is really good! Who is this guy? How have I not run into him before?’ So, I like that kind of stuff”
What are your thoughts on this feud? Sound off in the comment section below.
Bruce Prichard and co-host Conrad Thompson will be covering AJ Styles’ time in TNA on an upcoming episode of their podcast on the WWE Network.
Thompson recently did an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. During the conversation, he revealed that next week’s episode of Something Else to Wrestle With will look at the final run of Styles’ career in TNA before he went to New Japan Pro Wrestling and later joined the WWE.
Thompson mentioned the timeline of Styles’ career in the promotion that they will be talking about as well as being hopeful to use footage of Styles in TNA on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
“We’re going to cover from October 2010, which is right when Bruce came into the company, and we’ll carry it right to July of 2013,” said Thompson. “AJ was a TNA original, so when he parted ways with TNA in 2013, history changed forever. That exodus, with AJ leaving, started an immediate sharp decline in TNA.”
“That’s the plan,” said Thompson. “I know that WWE is trying to make a deal to license some of that footage, so we’ve got our fingers crossed. I think that deal would be good for everyone if such a deal were put together, but we’ll see.”
What are your thoughts on this topic being covered? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Styles made his name known while in TNA Wrestling, now known as Impact Wrestling, from 2002–2013 well before he signed with the sports entertainment company. While in the promotion, Styles held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice. Also, he was the first holder of the X Division Championship, a title he held six times. Styles was the first professional wrestler ever to complete the TNA Triple Crown (five times) and the TNA Grand Slam (two times).
Former WWE Superstar Shane Helms (better known as The Hurricane) has his first match set with ROH.
Earlier this week, Helms teased that he would be making his debut with Ring of Honor. The Baltimore-based promotion later confirmed that he would be appearing at three upcoming events.
Those events include the State of the Art events on 6/15 in San Antonio, Texas at the Aztec Theater and on 6/16 in Dallas, TX at the Gilley’s Dallas as well as the upcoming TV taping on 6/30 in Fairfax, Virginia at the EagleBank Arena.
The promotion has announced that Helms would be teaming up with Delirious & Cheeseburger to take on Bully Ray & Shane Taylor & Punishment Martinez in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.
As of this writing, ROH has yet to announce his opponents for the other two events.
6/15 Card
Young Bucks & Hangman Page & Marty Scurll vs. ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes & The Killer Elite Squad vs. SoCal Uncensored vs. Atlantis & Stuka Jr. & Guerrero Maya.
WOH Champion Sumie Sakai & Tenille Dashwood vs. Thunder Rosa & Kelly Klein.
Cody vs. Jonathan Gresham.
Shane Helms & Delirious & Cheeseburger versus Bully Ray & Shane Taylor & Punishment Martinez
Jay Lethal vs. TK O’Ryan
The Boys vs. Matt Taven & Vinnie Marseglia. What are your thoughts on Helms working for ROH? Sound off in the comment section below.
Mick Foley has given his take on former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan being medically cleared.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with TV Insider about various topics. In this interview, he was asked about Bryan getting cleared by WWE and working safer these days.
“WWE is very safe as far as letting go of one of the biggest acts in the company for the sake of his own safety. They have people looking out for his best interest. I’d been on the road and been so busy, I haven’t seen Daniel since he returned with the exception of the WrestleMania match. There are certain things he can do on house shows to make life easier on himself and nobody would think less of him if he worked a slightly less physical style. That’s something that I did toward the end of my career, and a lot of guys have done.”
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s run in WWE thus far? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Bryan was forced to retire two years again due to his history with concussions. Despite that his run on top in WWE was short-lived, he no doubt made a mark on the history of the sports entertainment company. Then it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition and worked his first match back by teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has responded to the recent comments made by Eric Bischoff about his run in WCW.
During a recent edition of Bischoff‘s podcast 83 Weeks, Hart was a topic of discussion that covered his time in the promotion among other things. For the entire recap of that podcast, please click here.
The pro wrestling legend recently did an interview with The Pro Wrestling Show. A clip of that appearance has surfaced online of Hart responding to Bischoff stating on his podcast that Hart ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run. This is when Hart fired back. “Eric Bischoff is an idiot, total complete idiot, Hart stated (transcript courtesy of Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet). “Maybe the single stupidest idiot that ever got into wrestling.” “A guy that never came through on anything he ever said, he had zero ideas for wrestling,” the legendary wrestler continued. “I’ve heard him say that I came there and I was a broken man. That I didn’t have it in the heart anymore. That I broke my heart with wrestling. That’s such horsesh*t. Absolutely an insult to me. It makes me so mad I’m glad he’s not around me.”
“He was the stupidest guy I ever met..”@BretHart responds to @EBischoff’s claims on @83Weeks that he ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run ?
What are your thoughts on the comments made by Hart? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Hart gained success in the professional wrestling business throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the WWE. He left the sports entertainment company for World Championship Wrestling following the controversial “Montreal Screwjob” in November 1997 where he remained until October 2000.
Hart would return to WWE in 2006 to be inducted into their Hall of Famer and later wrestle at WrestleMania 26 in 2010 in a match against Vince McMahon.
In that interview, Punk addressed potentially appearing at All In in September and if he would return to wrestling. The former WWE Champion stated that “it’s not happening” regarding appearing at All In.
He would go on to say that, “Nobody has ever asked me, like straight up asked me, to come wrestle for them. Nobody.” Punk added, “[People have said] hey, if you ever wanna do anything… Nobody’s ever been like, ‘hey, here’s the deal, we’re having a show, we’re paying you X amount and you’re working this guy. Whaddaya say, yes or no?’ Nobody’s ever done that.”
This led to a lot of fans speculating that if someone did make him an actual offer then he might consider returning to the squared circle.
Fast forward to Thursday (June 7, 2018), Punk clarified his position about a potential return while speaking with Aaron Bronsteter of TSN during media day.
“Yesterday, I said a bunch of stuff about wrestling and how I never got a true offer, this doesn’t mean that I want to wrestle. I’m done with professional wrestling. A lot of people want to be mad at me about that, make fun of me for losing my first fight and that’s fine because you are entitled to your own opinion but you don’t own me and I am entitled to do what I want to do.”
He went on to say that wrestling is in the rearview mirror for him and has been trying to do that for the past five years but some people don’t want to let go. He added that he understands that wrestlers come and go from retirement but this is his head space now [in MMA].
After dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to take time off the sports entertainment company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014. He would later be served with his termination papers from WWE on his wedding day later that year. Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the world famous Octagon in the UFC.
What do you think about Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE will likely add one more match to the Money in the Bank card.
According to a recent report by PWinsider.com, WWE officials have discussed potentially adding Sin Cara vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas to the card. Although the WWE has yet to officially announce the match, it could end up serving as the Pre-show match.
As noted, WWE has already announced that a singles match between these two Superstars would be taking place on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.
The Card
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
Glenn Jacobs (better known as Kane) has been declared the winner of the Knox County primary for mayor by a narrow margin. Later this year, citizens of the country will decide by voting who they want to win the mayoral race.
The former WWE champion recently sat down with William Steakin of IJR to talk about the country’s current political landscape as well as other topics including receiving support from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
“Vince is one of the first people that I talked to because we have a good personal relationship, and I needed his support just as a friend,” Jacobs said.
“Vince has got a vision. From the very beginning. And you just can’t discount that. And that’s why I think so many organizations fail, is their leader doesn’t have a vision of where he’s going to go. And Vince has always had that. He has that pigheaded determination,” Jacobs said. “And all that stuff has helped me with my business and, really, in my personal life.”
If you recall, in previous years, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has teased about potentially running for U.S President. In this interview, Kane was asked if he ever envisions running for office with The Rock:
“You ain’t never going to see a Kane part of that, I’ll tell you that right now.”
What are your thoughts on Kane’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Kane started his pro wrestling career in 1992. He wrestled in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association before joining the WWE in 1995. Following his debut as Kane in 1997, he remained a component of the company’s Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross offered some encouraging advice to WWE SmackDown star Big Cass.
The legendary commentator spoke about various topics during the latest episode of The Ross Report. In this podcast, Ross gave his feedback and observations on the current product put out by the sports entertainment company this week.
Ross gave Cass some advice as well as stated that he sees a lot of potential in this talent (transcription credit to Dominic DeAngelo at Wrestlezone):
“What this kid has gotta do in my opinion is continue to be aggressive. I don’t need a seven-footer that’s a finesse guy, a style guy. I need physicality. And he also needs to work on his delivery. That’s ‘out-of-the-ring’ practice in your car, in your home, in front of a mirror, wherever you are to make sure that you see what you’re saying, see your face when you see these things.
And I think he needs to work on promo sounding a little bit more organic and not memorized. And sometimes because you have to memorize them, by in large, it’s hard to not sound memorized, so you don’t want it to sound like a script, by the way. But I tell ya, being seven feet tall is an asset for him. He’s got a great look, I have confidence he’s going to become a star, but he’s gotta fill some holes in his game and that’s a daily effort.
A daily plan and I don’t know the kid well enough to know what that daily plan is or what they’re doing with him behind the scenes to work on some of these issues, but again you can’t teach that. He’s seven feet tall, young, a good looking kid.”
Big Cass is slated to wrestle Daniel Bryan in a singles match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event next weekend in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this advice? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin decided to take some time to reflect.
On a recent edition of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, (transcript via wrestlinginc.com), the WWE Legend gave his take on his first thoughts about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Triple H.
Starting out with The Rock, Austin noted that once he saw the former WWE Champion, he knew that he had potential.
Although Rock had to go through some hurdles at first with his gimmick in the sports entertainment company, he changed it all around and become the character that fans around the world came to love.
“I remember when The Rock came in, Rock, man, you knew this guy had potential when you saw him.” Austin continued, “he was a good looking guy. You just knew the gimmick wasn’t right at first. And then, he ended up changing his gimmick around. He joined the Nation and then turned into The Rock. And then, me and Rock started working together. I was always cool with The Rock. I knew he had potential. I think everybody did. He had the right frame, the right look, really smart, charismatic, so you saw a lot of potential in him as he came in, but the gimmick wasn’t right. But, boy, when he turned into The Rock and joined the Nation and started turning heel. I mean, the people rejected him first as a baby, but they took to him as a heel and he had some serious, serious heat. And then, of course, when he turned baby, he was mega over.”
Switching gears to “The Game,” Austin first met him in WCW and they hit it off right out of the gate due to their mutual interests.
“I met Triple H when he first came into WCW.” Austin remembered “and here he came in, good looking dude, good worker, even back then. He wasn’t too long out of Killer Kowalski’s school. I think he’d probably been working. He worked several matches because he was already very polished even when he came into WCW. We hit it off right off the bat. Same sense of humor. I was a little bit older than him, but I hadn’t been in the business too much longer, if any. So, man, we introduced ourselves, to each other and I knew he had a bright future in the business. And I don’t know what he thought about me.
Austin continued by stating, We always hit it off. Same sense of humor, same taste in music. He was a huge bodybuilding, powerlifting fan, always hit the gym. He wasn’t a drinker – I respected that. Good dude, great sense of humor, low-key, one of the boys. So that’s how I met Triple H and we hit it off from day one. And, to this day, whenever we see each other, it’s like old times. We didn’t run in the same crowds. We didn’t travel together. He had his crew and I had mine or I was traveling solo at the time. But nothing but good things.”
What are your thoughts on Austin’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
New matches have been announced for ROH Best in the World PPV.
Ring of Honor recently announced through their official website that Bully Ray would take on Flip Gordon in a singles match while The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia) would defend their Six-Man Tag Team Titles against Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA) at the upcoming pay-per-view event.
The Best in the World PPV takes place on Friday, June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland at the UMBC Event Center. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.
CM Punk did offer some advice to Ronda Rousey before her in-ring WWE debut.
Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut by teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34 in April.
Punk, who is good friends with the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, continues to make the media rounds to promote his welterweight bout against Mike Jackson in the opening bout of the main card for the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Punk was asked by media members on Wednesday if he gave any advice to Rousey about her journey from MMA to the WWE.
“The only thing I told her was to just have fun,” said Punk (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “I don’t know what it’s like back there in this current environment. I know she’d probably get treated differently, just as I know I probably get treated differently here. The only thing I ever told her is, ‘I know you’ve got a lot of people telling you, do this, don’t do this’ — whatever you do, when you go out there for WrestleMania, make sure you have fun. Period.” Punk did mention that although he didn’t watch the match, he was able to see some clips of it.
“No, I did not,” CM Punk said. “I saw a couple of clips here and there. And still, when I say it’s hard for me to watch wrestling, it’s not like an anxiety thing, it’s not like an, ‘ugh, I can’t do it.’ I literally, I can’t get through eight seconds without being like, ‘OK, umm, can I change the channel? I’m bored, I gotta watch something else.’ It’s like going to a baseball game at [New York Mets stadium] CitiField. I like Wrigley Field, it’s old school. Going to a baseball game at CitiField, it’s like a guy gets ball four and they blow off fireworks and there’s LED screens on everything. “Wrestling now is completely like that. There’s LED screens everywhere and there’s flashing lights and I feel like I’m gonna have a seizure.”
What are your thoughts on Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
It’s a big fight week in the world of MMA with the UFC 225 pay-per-view event taking place this weekend. To keep up with Punk’s fight week activities and to get your latest MMA news, make sure to check out our sister site,MMANews.com.
A match and segment have been officially announced for next week’s episode of WWE NXT.
First, EC3 will battle Kassius Ohno in a singles match. Also, NXT Champion Aleister Black will address the attack by Lars Sullivan from two weeks ago on this show on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
Black is slated to defend his title against Sullivan at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II next weekend in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
WWE taped next week’s edition of NXT on Thursday, May 10, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University. It should be noted that next Wednesday’s episode of NXT will be the go-home show for NXT TakeOver: Chicago II.
What are your thoughts on these announcements for next week’s show? Sound off in the comment section below.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan gave some praise to NXT General Manager William Regal in a response to Regal’s initial tweet in which he said that he did not train Bryan and Brian Kendrick. Bryan wrote the following:
“To classify us as “great” in 2000 would be a generous overstatement. Rudy and Shawn provided excellent training for a beginner who wanted to learn, but I would have never had the success I did without your mentorship #fact.”
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
Unhappy Sin Cara
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Corpus Christi, TX at the American Bank Center on the USA Network, Sin Cara was brutally attacked backstage by Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Now, they will square off next week in a match on SmackDown. Sin Cara took to Twitter to give his thoughts on his former friend:
Better to have an enemy that slaps you in the face, than a friend that stabs you in the back! ?
I may wear a mask but you are the one ?? that is two faced! I didn’t lose a friend, I just realized I never had one! This is far from over Andrade! ?????#Enemigos ?? pic.twitter.com/v3nxAqUer5
WWE has announced a new match that will take place at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II.
The sports entertainment company announced on this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network that Shayna Baszler would be defending her NXT Women’s Title against Nikki Cross at this upcoming event.
The NXT TakeOver: Chicago II event takes place on Saturday, June 16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is expected to drop the title soon.
It was noted in a recent report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated that Lesnar is set to be dethroned as champion either before or at SummerSlam.
It was also mentioned in this report that when it does happen then it could be a big indication that it will be when he’s out of the sports entertainment company and potentially headed back to the UFC. It’s well known that Lesnar is not slated to compete at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view next weekend.
Thus, WWE could have him drop the title at the Extreme Rules event in July or SummerSlam in August. There have been rumors that WWE could pair him up against Braun Strowman or Roman Reigns but that has yet to be confirmed.
Who do you want to see be crowned the next Universal Champion? Sound off in the comment section below.
The current WWE Universal Champion surprisingly retained his title against Reigns in the main event of the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34, in April.
The expectation at the time was that WWE would crown Reigns the new champion as it was reported that Lesnar would be leaving the WWE for another stint in the UFC.
Shortly after this event, it was revealed that Lesnar had signed a short-term contract with the sports entertainment company. He was last seen at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event where he retained his title against Reigns in a Steel Cage Match.
Legendary manager and former WWE creative team member Jim Cornette has pitched an idea for Roman Reigns.
It’s no secret that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wants Reigns to the be the next big star of the sports entertainment company. However, the problem is that fans are against it.
Cornette recently appeared on Busted Open Radio and during the interview, he discussed fan criticism of Reigns. Cornette pitched an idea for an angle that might just get Reigns over with the fans. “It’s a situation that has never been arisen before in the pro wrestling industry because think about it, this is the first time that a guy that has been rejected by the fans, not because of his lack of ability, but because the people know that the ‘evil empire’ wants him to be the guy over the guy that they really want to be the guy, or in some cases a few guys they want to be the guy. They have revolted against the establishment, against management, by, defecating all over anything that they try to do with this poor guy because they feel like they are getting back at the company for not featuring their favorites, most notably, Daniel Bryan. In that case, the reason why this has never happened before, now they realize that every promotion in history until Mr. McMahon became one of the greatest characters in the history of television, but every promoter wanted to be the babyface because they didn’t want the fans to be mad at the company. “To think about this logically, why am I going to buy a ticket and buy merchandise at a company that I am mad at? It is such bizarro world. Talk about United States and Canada being bizarro world, this is bizarro world situation. Vince McMahon was good enough to pull it off. He had ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, they were the ultimate ‘take this job and shove it’ versus the establishment program. It can never been repeated no matter how often people try, but after 20 years, a whole generation have grown up to believe that management is trying to hold my favorite wrestler down, yes they root for those wrestlers, but if the root of it that it is going to bubble at the surface, so, no, we are just going to say f**k you, we like these guys. It has manifested itself to Roman Reigns. Since there has never been anything like this, it just seems to me that battling against the tide because it is what you want to do, and yes, I am sure all the kiddies love Roman Reigns and all the fans in little Des Moines, Iowa, but the base audience that pays the most money per capita, and is involved the most with the internet and with programming is going to do this thing until they get tired of it, but they haven’t gotten tired of it so far because it hasn’t changed anything. Cornette continued by stating, “I would somehow – because Daniel Bryan was the root of it, and we can go back to WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans, LA. If he is the root of it I would somehow try to get him involved in it. I would try and get those two guys together. I have talked about this on my podcast before, in some way, get those guys together in terms of an interview, or a tag team match, or Roman Reigns bails out Bryan in a situation, where then Roman Reigns can turn around and sodomize Daniel Bryan, and do something to him. Then , unleash it. In the 2018 version of ‘Die Rocky Die,’ just unleash it. I was born to this. I was going to have all of this, but it was because of you, just unleash it. At the same time, he doesn’t have to be a heel, heel, just a ‘don’t trust anybody,’ type heel turn where he just doesn’t trust anybody. That got over before, didn’t it? Then, when Stephanie McMahon comes out to congratulate him to see the light, he can then cuss her out and anybody named ‘McMahon.’ The point is, he can not like anybody. Feed him some underneath babyfaces that he can sodomize, heels too. I wouldn’t have him lay Stephanie McMahon out right away, but he can do it where he doesn’t like management, or fans, but just let this guy be this anti-everybody, and let the writers be away from him, just let him write his own material. Put every emphasis into him being against everything and everybody as you have tried to make him this smiley, ice cream bar guy, and see what it can do. Just give him a chance. If it generates heat, it’s the right reaction, but if he gets go away heat, then he can get that type of heat, but after all, how can I miss you if you won’t go away? Just give him a chance to be different. Eventually, the dirtier he gets, the more they are going to like him and respect him a bit. There must be blood.”
What are your thoughts on this potential idea? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Since 2014, WWE has attempted to establish Reigns as their next “face of the company.” Reigns had headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-view events, including the last four WrestleManias (31 lost to Seth Rollins, 32 beat Triple H, 33 when he defeated The Undertaker, and 34 where he lost to Brock Lesnar. There has never been a babyface that has been pushed like Reigns that is disliked more by fans in the history of professional wrestling. Historically, when a babyface is not getting over with the crowd, the promoter or booker would turn them heel. Reigns is truly a different case in that sense.
WWE is celebrating 30 years of SummerSlam with a new DVD.
This year’s event is slated to go down Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.
The sports entertainment company is slated to release the DVD, which is titled “30 Years of SummerSlam” August and will feature several matches with a series of recaps that highlight important SummerSlam milestones in its 30-year history.
DISC 1 This is SummerSlam! Intercontinental Championship Match The Honky Tonk Man vs. The Ultimate Warrior SummerSlam • August 29, 1988 Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship Demolition vs. The Hart Foundation SummerSlam • August 27, 1990 Intercontinental Championship Match Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. The British Bulldog SummerSlam • August 29, 1992 Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Owen Hart SummerSlam • August 29, 1994 Boiler Room Brawl The Undertaker vs. Mankind SummerSlam • August 18, 1996 Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship The Rock vs. Triple H SummerSlam • August 30, 1998
DISC 2 Ladder Match for the WWE Hardcore Championship Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam SummerSlam • August 19, 2001 WWE Championship Match Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle SummerSlam • August 19, 2001 Unsanctioned Match Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H SummerSlam • August 25, 2002 Undisputed WWE Championship Match The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar SummerSlam • August 25, 2002 Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels SummerSlam • August 21, 2005 WWE Championship Match John Cena vs. Randy Orton SummerSlam • August 26, 2007
DISC 3 TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy SummerSlam • August 23, 2009 Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler SummerSlam • August 19, 2012 WWE Championship Match John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan SummerSlam • August 18, 2013 WWE Championship Match John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar SummerSlam • August 17, 2014 WWE Women’s Championship Match Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte SummerSlam • August 21, 2016 Fatal 4-Way Match for the Universal Championship Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe SummerSlam • August 20, 2017
Do you plan to buy this DVD? Sound off in the comment section below.
Long-time WWE producer Bruce Prichard has built an extremely popular podcast.
Prichard decided to team up with the sports entertainment company to air a version of his podcast on their streaming service, WWE Network, earlier this year.
A new episode of “Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard” was slated to be available in the on-demand section of the WWE Network on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.
However, that is not the case as Thompson revealed in a social media post that the release of the latest episode is being delayed until Friday due to “creative differences” with WWE. This episode will be about WWE’s ECW brand. “Hey, what’s up guys? No show today. WWE wanted to edit some stuff, we’ve got creative differences, it ain’t airing,” Thompson said. “I wanted you to hear it directly from us. It’s not because we didn’t tape the show, we did, we’re just not happy with the final product. This is the first time this has happened and rather than just throw something up to have something up, it’s going to air on Friday. “We’re not re-shooting it, Bruce and I are done, we’re happy with it but we’re not going to change the narrative. I don’t want to white-wash everything that ECW was. So I’m fighting for it. We’re going to get you the best possible product to you this Friday on the WWE Network, with a delay, and our most controversial ‘Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard’ ever. Tune in Friday.”
Once the podcast premiered on the WWE Network back on April 18th of this year, it was revealed that it was scheduled for a 13-episode run in the first season. Part of the reason for the success of the podcast is both Prichard and co-host Conrad Thompson setting the truth on the topics that they are talking about.
During a recent episode of the E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness podcast, the former WWE World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Edge took questions from fans that led to them talking about various topics.
One fan asked Christian about if he preferred a traditional ring or a six-sided ring when he worked for TNA. If you recall, the promotion, which started in 2002, had a six-sided ring to stand out from other promotions instead of a traditional squared ring for many years.
“I’m a traditionalist; I like the square one,” said Christian (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc). “I get that the six-sided [ring] looked different, but I don’t think it was enough to be like, ‘oh, man this ring is so different.’ It was a little bit awkward to wrestle in, because sometimes when you are shooting somebody corner to corner, you had to adjust because it wasn’t directly across. And it was also really hard, like it was a hard ring. If you weren’t bumping pretty much around the middle of it, like around the edges were super, super hard, and it hurt. Christian continued by stating, “So, I’ve always been partial to the square ring. I got used to it, and I didn’t think of it at a certain time, but even little things like when you climb up the ropes to jump off the top rope, the foot positioning is farther apart because of where the ropes are, the distance, I guess, that they have to travel to the next post is different than when the ring is square. So, it was a smaller area to put your feet on a regular ring, and it was further apart and I always found it harder to jump off the top rope with your feet really far apart.”
Christian added that he liked a traditional ring better than a six-sided ring and the appeal of it.
What are your thoughts on Christian’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Christian had found a ton of success while working for the sports entertainment company. He started out as a member of The Brood and had plenty of Tag Team Title reigns alongside Edge.
Christian ended up departing from the WWE and spending some time forging friendships in Florida while a part of TNA. As a result of his time in TNA, when he finally returned to WWE in 2009, he was pushed as a big star, which is something that he deserved for his hardwork.
As a result of his history with concussions, WWE wouldn’t clear him, and he was forced to retire from in-ring competition. It could be argued that if it were a different time in the professional wrestling business, then he could still be competing.
Show was recently a guest on WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show, and during the interview, he was asked who is WWE’s next breakout star.
The former WWE Champion stated that he believes it is a star on the flagship show of the sports entertainment company, Monday Night RAW, Elias.
“I think Elias has a lot of good things in the future ahead of him. He’s a good kid and he’s a hard worker. They always say, ‘he’s got a hell of a body on him.’ He [has] done a lot of things right. They built him along the way. They haven’t had him beat a lot of people. He [has] earned his wins. He [has] done his losses. Like, he’s building a good, solid foundation.” Big Show added, “but I think Elias is a good pick. He is. That’s a good call.” Also in this interview, he gave some high praise to former WWE RAW and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
“I’d look for a lot of breakout stars also, now, I know you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but if you look at the women’s division,” Big Show considered (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc). “I mean, they have stepped up the competition. Have you seen the matches that Charlotte [has] been having and the stuff that she’s doing? I mean, thank God I’m not following her right now. She is just laying it down. Talk about a complete change from when I knew her in her teens and when she was in college. And now, the commitment that she [has] made, and I’m just blown away by the talent she has.”
What are your thoughts on Show’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center on the USA Network, Show made his first appearance on WWE programming since last year when he faced Braun Strowman in a Steel Cage Match. He has been out of action after undergoing surgery.
WWE has announced a match and segment for next week’s episode of SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
The sports entertainment company has officially announced that a Women’s Money In The Bank Summit is set for the show. According to the announcers, this segment will feature Money In The Bank participants Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Lana, and Naomi. SmackDown General Manager Paige will host the segment.
Sin Cara vs. Andrade Almas in a singles match has also been announced for the episode.
WWE holds next week’s show in Memphis, TN at the FedEx Forum. As of this writing, no other matches for SmackDown has been announced.
After a few weeks of teasers on his social media accounts, Chris Jericho has made a big announcement.
That announcement made by the former WWE Champion was that members of the Impact Wrestling roster would be on his upcoming cruise. He wrote the following on his official Instagram account: “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT- @impactwrestling will now be on the @jericho_cruise! Things are getting INTERESTING! Book your cabin NOW at chrisJerichoCruise.com and be a part of history!!”
Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea is slated to go down from October 27-31, 2018. If you recall, Jericho had been posting teasers on Twitter that led to some fans even speculating that he could be headed to Impact Wrestling. That is not the case.
Outside of WWE, Jericho made several surprise appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling including his match against Kenny Omega at the Wrestle Kingdom event at the Tokyo Dome.
Jericho is slated to take on Tetsuya Naito at the upcoming NJPW Dominion event.
What are your thoughts on Impact Wrestling being added to his cruise? Sound off in the comment section below.