Earlier this summer Hulk Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Several years ago Hogan was essentially black-listed from WWE history after some racist comments of his became public via a leaked sex tape. After years of apologies and rebuilding his reputation, Hogan is now back in the WWE fold.

Hogan apologized to the entire WWE roster backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). The roster’s response to Hogan’s apology was essentially split. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently gave his thoughts on the matter.

Flair On Hogan’s HOF Reinstatement

“The Nature Boy” spoke to Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. and admitted he’s “very happy” to see Hogan back with WWE:

“I’m very happy to see him back,” Flair said. “I don’t pretend to understand any of that. I’ve heard so many different sides of the story and all that.

“I think that anyone who portrays him as anything less than a good person that has done an excellent job, I mean he’s been through a lot — just think about it. His wife was terrible during the divorce and then there was the accident with [Hogan’s] son and then this.

“I mean, he’s had to go through a lot and the thing is great about Hulk is that he’s still the most expensive guy to get out there to sign autographs. He’s still Hulk Hogan, they can do whatever they want. If you want Hulk Hogan, you gotta have a big wallet, that’s the way it is.”

Flair explained how he’s glad there wasn’t the technology around in his day that there is today to catch him in some of his old antics:

“I mean Jesus Christ, we’re all sitting here wondering if [there’s] a spy camera now, you know?” Flair continued. “You never know, right? It’s a good thing they never put a camera in my room, Wendy would be a national hero. I couldn’t probably get work for her anywhere.

“I wonder how I’d react to social media in the 80’s wearing my robe up and down the airplane serving drinks. [I] would have probably ended up on the cover of Time.”

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

Earlier this week Alberto Del Rio pulled from his appearance at AAA TripleMania.

Del Rio recently spoke to The Roman Show and explained the reason for his withdrawal. He explained that he wasn’t happy with the way the promotion did business:

“I don’t like how they are doing things in the business,” he said. “We continue to see promoters take advantage of the talent. Thank God I am in the position where’ I am able to say, ‘OK you can do this, but you won’t do this to me’. It happened with Triple A.”

He further explained that the promotion failed to pay him for the agreed upon appearance. Apparently he was “spoiled” and pitched a big match at their largest event of the year. However, AAA was unable to fulfill their financial promise to him. Thus, he pulled from the appearance:

“They called me and found me and took me somewhere and spoiled me to see if I can do their biggest event of the year,” El Patron stated.

“Then, they never sent the money. They never came. I was supposed to fight someone and they were never able to seal the deal… They didn’t fulfill their commitment with me.”

Discussion: What do you think about Del Rio pulling from the AAA show? And what do you make of his explanation? Sound off in the comments below!

Check out the updated card for TripleMania below:

TripleMania Lineup
August 25th, 2018

• Cruiserweight Championship
  Australian Suicide (c) vs Multiple opponents TBD
• AAA Mixed Tag Championships
  Big Mama and Nino Hamburguesa vs Hijo Del Vikingo and Vanilla vs Dinastia and Lady Maravilla vs Angelikal and La Hiedra
• AAA Tag Team Championships
  Aerostar and Drago vs Golden Magic and Laredo Kid vs Bandido and Flamita vs Andrew Everett and DJZ
• Mamba, Maximo, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Carta Brava Jr, Mocho Cota Jr, Tito Santana vs Hijo de LA Park, Puma King, and Taurus
• Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera and Teddy Hart vs Averno, Chessman, Super Fly
• La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, and Texano Jr. vs Joe Lider, Murder Clown, and Pagano
• AAA Heavyweight Championship
  Jeff Jarrett (c) vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann
• Mask vs Hair
  Lady Shani vs Faby Apache
• One Luchador Will Be Unmasked Cage Match (After 2 Luchadors escape the other 2 wrestle, loser losing his mask)
  Psycho Clown vs Hijo Del Fantasma vs LA Park, vs Pentagon Jr.

Prior to being released from WWE, Big Cass worked a program with Daniel Bryan.

Cass was one-half of a very popular NXT tag team alongside Enzo Amore. Once they were called up to the main roster the pair were thrown into the RAW Tag Team Title mix. Unfortunately they were never able to capture the straps.

Subsequently the move was made to split Cass and Amore, as Cass attacked Amore to break up the team. During a match against Amore, Cass suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for several months.

Amore went on to win the Cruiserweight Championship before getting released by WWE. Cass returned to SmackDown Live shortly after WrestleMania 34 following his injury recovery. He immediately begun a feud with Bryan.

Bryan and Cass worked back-to-back pay-per-views (PPVs) at Backlash and Money In The Bank (MITB). Both times Bryan defeated Cass via submission. Shortly after his defeat to Bryan at MITB, Cass was released from WWE.

Sports Illustrated reported that the reason for Cass’ release was due to behavioral issues and disobeying direct orders from Vince McMahon.

Daniel Bryan On Working With Big Cass

This past weekend, Bryan did an interview with Sky Sports and was asked about working with Cass.

Bryan actually had nothing but good things to say about the seven-footer. He said he liked Cass as a person and as a performer and wishes him well in his future on the indies:

“I really liked working with Big Cass, I thought that he progressed a lot in the time that we were working together. I honestly wish him the best of luck, I like him a lot as a person and as a wrestler so I hope he does really well.”

Discussion: What do you make of Bryan’s comments about Cass? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

https://twitter.com/SkySportsWWE/status/1032528239758114818

Rey Mysterio is expected to return to WWE very soon.

The Mexican star has been rumored to return to the company for the past several months. Mysterio made his return to WWE in January as part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match.

The following April he returned for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. Mysterio has reportedly been negotiating for a return ever since.

Recently, signs have indicated that Mysterio’s return to WWE is inevitable. Last week Mysterio pulled from a Northeast Wrestling appearance due to his “upcoming contractual situation with WWE.”

Rey Mysterio Expected To Return Within A Month

PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson is now reporting that Mysterio will in fact be back with WWE within the next month or so. Johnson is unaware if the deal will be full-time or part-time, however, his return seems to be eminent.

Mysterio will compete at September 1st’s “All In” event. Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are self-funding the historical show. The action goes down live from the Sears Centre in Illinois. Mysterio will team up with Fenix and Bandido.

They will take on The Golden Elite (The Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi). Perhaps after the event Mysterio will finally make his return to WWE TV. As of this writing, Mysterio is still scheduled to appear at Warrior Wrestling 2 from Chicago on September 2nd.

WWE 2K19

Mysterio is expected to be back in WWE by October prior to the release of the WWE 2K19 video game. He is a featured character in the game, which is set to release on October 5th.

If he is back in time for the release of WWE 2K19, Rey Mysterio would be available to appear at WWE Super Show-Down. The stadium show from Australia the following day.

He recently spoke to the Miami Herald about his negotiations with WWE.

“We started off with the Royal Rumble at the beginning of the year in January,” Mysterio said.

“There was another offer on the table to do the Greatest Royal Rumble, and in between those two events, we’ve been going back-n-forth in conversations, trying to work out the right deal…It’s still up in the air. Nothing secure, yet.”

Discussion: What do you make of Mysterio reportedly returning within a month? Let us know in the comments!

There’s a new top dog in WWE’s merchandise sales. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, roman Reigns recently surpassed John Cena as the company’s top merchandise mover.  This gives WWE all the more reason to continue to promote Reigns as the centerpiece of their company, despite negative fan reactions.

Reigns recently downplayed the mixed reactions get gets from live audiences. “I think they’re like closet lovers to be honest,” Reigns said.  “You can say whatever you want, but it’s how you say it that matters. The way they deliver it, they’re more connected to me than their so called ‘favorites.’ For me to be able to pull on whatever string I pull on, it just goes to show there’s a deep rooting there.”

Of course, John Cena is no stranger to getting a strong negative reaction from a large part of the WWE Universe. That never affected his merchandise sales and continued to outdraw everyone on the roster by a big margin. It appears Roman Reigns is now in a similar position.

SummerSlam

Over the weekend Cena missed his first SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) event in 15 years. He’s currently in China filming a movie with Jackie Chan. As for Reigns, he toppled Brock Lesnar in the main event of SummerSlam for the Universal Championship. Reigns’ victory sealed a rivalry between he and Lesnar that has been going on for three years.

On Monday Night RAW this week, Reigns also realigned himself with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to reunite The Shield. Rollins and Ambrose came to Reigns’ aid to prevent Braun Strowman from cashing in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.

The Shield’s return on RAW last night really took a lot of WWE fans by surprise.

Roman Reigns was defending his Universal Championship against Finn Balor in the night’s main event. In the middle of the match, Braun Strowman hit the ring with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. He intended to cash-in on the match’s winner.

Reigns was able to pick up the win on a distracted Balor, after hitting him with a Spear. Strowman then got into the ring and downed Reigns with a big boot to the chest. Just before the referee could ring the bell to begin the match, The Shield’s music hit.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, dressed in their old Shield gear, came out to Reigns’ aid. The trio attacked Strowman and hit him with a Triple Powerbomb through the announce table. For the time being, it looks like The Shield is back together.

Reigns took to Twitter shortly after the show to comment on The Shield’s reunion:

You act like you forgot? #OurShow #MyYard #Raw

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) August 21, 2018

Another interesting note, The Shield’s old Twitter account has resurfaced again. It had been two years since their last Tweet – until today. The account retweeted and commented on WWE’s photo of the trio’s reunion last night:

??? https://t.co/nDhqArQzff

— The Shield (@TheShieldWWE) August 21, 2018

Discussion: What do you think about The Shield’s return on RAW last night? What do you make of their Twitter account resurfacing? And how long do you see the reunion lasting? Sound off in the comments below!

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to comment on several professional wrestling topics.

“Good Ole’ JR” offered his thoughts on the recent return of Dean Ambrose. “The Lunatic Fringe” made his comeback on the go-home episode of RAW to SummerSlam. Ambrose was ringside for Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Title match with Dolph Ziggler.

Ziggler had Drew McIntyre in his corner, so Ambrose accompanied Rollins to even the odds. Many were speculating that Ambrose would turn heel on Rollins at SummerSlam. However, that never took place. Rollins emerged victorious and left Summer Slam as the new Intercontinental Champion.

In fact, the following night on RAW, Rollins and Ambrose reunited The Shield to come to Roman Reigns’ aid. They stopped Braun Strowman from cashing-in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase on “The Big Dog” for the Universal Title.

Ross Wants Dean Ambrose To Turn Heel

Ross mentioned that Ambrose has looked great upon his return. He offered that he thinks he’d be more valuable to the company as a heel at this point, however:

“I thought Dean looked great. I like his shorter haircut. A guy kind of being follicly-challenged and they’re trying to mask it with longer hair that is unruly or will go here, there, and yonder to cover up a [bald] spot, it’s not real flattering to you.

“I thought his haircut was spot on. I thought the beard was spot on. Obviously, Ambrose has trained religiously to heal and to get bigger, better, and stronger. And really, my hat’s off to him for that.

“But I can tell you, he certainly carried himself like a villain. I felt he is going to be a villain, or a heel, or as Jim Cornette would say, ‘he’s a heel, Goddammit!’ To me, he looks like a heel.

“Now, the welcome back pop was what it was and deservedly so, but I just see him being able to be a big time player more as a heel than as a fan favorite in WWE right now. And we’ll see.” Ross added, “I still think he could be most valuable for WWE right now, seemingly how the roster is outlined, as a villain.”

Discussion: What do you make of Ross’ comments about Ambrose being more valuable to WWE as a heel right now? Let us know in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar Carmella participated in a roundtable for the European media this past weekend to promote SummerSlam. “The Princess Of Statin Island” was asked who her best friend in WWE is.

Carmella revealed that Bayley is her best friend in WWE, as they came up together in NXT and still talk frequently. She’s admittedly disappointed, however, that they’re currently on different brands:

“Bayley’s my best friend,” Carmella said. “For sure, yeah. We’ve been friends since NXT and um – it sucks cause she’s on Raw and I’m on SmackDown but we still talk every single day and she’s one of my really good friends.”

The interviewer followed up by asking Carmella about tag teaming. She was asked who her ideal tag team partner would be – from WWE’s past or present. Having already worked with him in the Mixed Match Challenge, Carmella named Big E.

She explained that she had a lot of fun working with Big E for the Mixed Match Challenge. Carmella also said she loves pancakes and The New Day:

“If I could have any tag team partner, I would pick Big E. Because we were partners for the Mixed Match Challenge and we had so much fun, and I love pancakes, and he’s just the best. And I love The new Day – so I would pick Big E.”

Discussion: What do you think about Carmella naming Bayley as her best friend in WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

On last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, Stephanie McMahon ordered Kurt Angle to go on a forced vacation from RAW.

As a result, she named Baron Corbin as the acting General Manager of Monday Nights. McMahon hosted a segment to congratulate Ronda Rousey on winning the RAW Women’s Championship.

Rousey would subsequently put McMahon in an armbar during the angle. Backstage, Angle came to check on McMahon, who was being tended to by medical personnel. McMahon blamed Angle for not being out there to control the madness. Corbin then suggested Angle doesn’t have a grasp on his roster.

McMahon subsequently made the decision to order Angle to a forced vacation from RAW. Shortly after the show, Angle took to Instagram to react to the news. He posted the following:

“I’m really sorry that I won’t be on Monday Night Raw for a little while, I enjoyed every minute of it with the WWEUniverse.

“I was told by @stephaniemcmahon that I need a vacation. I don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent, I Hope I will be back sooner than later. Thank you WWEUniverse. Much Love.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmubm_7BOvL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Angle As RAW General Manager

Angle was brought back to WWE last year to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Shortly after WrestleMania, he was announced as the new General Manager of Monday Night RAW. Since being appointed GM, however, Angle has had his respective run-ins with “The Authority.”

The former WWE Champion has feuded with Triple H several times. He also partnered up with Rousey to take on “The Game” and McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34.

Discussion: What do you think about Angle being sent on a forced vacation from RAW? What do you expect from Corbin as acting General Manager in the coming weeks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura recently did an interview with The Gorilla Position to promote SummerSlam this past weekend. During their discussion, Nakamura opened up about once getting yelled at backstage in WWE for hitting a botched move on John Cena.

The scorning came after Nakamura and Cena’s match on SmackDown Live last year in August. A number one contender’s spot was on the line in the match. The winner would go on to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Title at SummerSlam last year.

Thankfully, Cena stepped in to take some of the heat off Nakamura and cooled things down:

“Uh – I don’t know if I can tell that or not,” Nakamura said. “Some people were upset backstage – not John Cena – but someone. They were so pissed off at me, ‘Why did you do that?!’

“I thought “Oh my career is finished today.” But everybody came to support me, even John Cena, ‘it’s not his fault, it’s my fault’ Yeah, what a good man.

“So not everybody has a chance to wrestle with John Cena now. So I felt good in the ring with John Cena. Also, I never was the villain in the ring, so if I had the chance I want to wrestle against him again. Maybe we can create something better than before.”

Discussion: What do you make of Nakamura getting yelled at backstage after hitting a botched move on John Cena? And what do you think about Cena stepping in to defend Nakamura? Let us know in the comments below!

WWE Superstar Finn Balor recently did an interview with Sky Sports. During the interview, Balor defended Roman Reigns against the recent criticism he has been under from the professional wrestling community.

Balor noted that Reigns is one of the hardest working athletes in the company. He also said Reigns is extremely polite and is willing to help out anybody:

“I don’t get it, He’s probably one of the hardest working people in WWE, he looks great, he’s professional, a great talker and behind everything, a great person.”

“He’s great behind the scenes, he will help you with anything you want and he’s always polite. He was great to me when I first came into WWE and he continues to help me today. I can’t speak of anything but greatness for Roman Reigns, he’s one of the all-time greats.

“I think it’s monkey do as monkey see and people are easily led. They might read what one person has written in a newsletter, decide that person’s right, and then jump on the bandwagon.

“That’s what’s happened with Roman. People are very fickle – I remember when The Shield were doing their thing and everyone was behind Roman; he was the coolest guy in The Shield. Opinions change in this business and they forget the past but Roman ain’t sweating it.”

Reigns vs. Balor

Last night Reigns and Balor actually main evented Monday Night RAW. Reigns won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam over the weekend. He defeated Brock Lesnar in the show’s main event.

The following night, Reigns opened the show and declared he wanted to give Finn Balor the Universal Title rematch he never received. Balor and Reigns put on a great match, but when it was all said and done, “The Big Dog” left Brooklyn with the title.

Discussion: What do you make of Balor defending Reigns? Let us know in the comments!

A SmackDown Live Superstar has had their challenge accepted for tonight’s show.

Earlier today in New York, Naomi made an appearance with her husband, Jimmy Uso, at a Tapout event. WWE filmed a video of Naomi for their Twitter account. In the video, Naomi issued out a challenge towards Peyton Royce:

.@NaomiWWE challenges Peyton Royce to a match TONIGHT on #SDLive from her @Tapout signing in #NYC! How do you respond @PeytonRoyceWWE?? @WWEUsos @TapoutFitness pic.twitter.com/pVKx9vlQMS

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2018

Royce responded to Naomi’s call-out on Twitter. The IIconic accepted the former SDL Women’s Champion’s challenge and vowed to embarrass her. Here’s her response:

https://twitter.com/PeytonRoyceWWE/status/1031959002593280000

Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live goes down live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Also on tap for tonight’s SmackDown is an interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles.

He will explain his actions at SummerSlam, in which he attacked Samoa Joe during their match. Styles hit Joe with a steel chair and got himself disqualified.

Becky Lynch also has some explaining to do. She attacked her longtime best-friend Charlotte Flair after Flair won the SmackDown Live Women’s Title at SummerSlam. Flair bested Lynch and Carmella in a Triple Threat match for the strap.

It was initially believed to be a singles match between Lynch and Carmella, but Charlotte was inserted upon her return from injury.

Also, The New Day will challenge SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers, and Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy will open the show.

Discussion: What are you expecting from tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments!

We have some more information on Brock Lesnar not appearing on RAW last night.

At SummerSlam over the weekend, Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns. Before the match even started, Braun Strowman came out to the ring with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. He warned he’d cash-in on the winner of the match afterwards.

In the middle of the match Lesnar became distracted by Strowman’s presence at ringside. He exited the ring and attacked Strowman with an F5, a beatdown with the MITB briefcase and a steel chair.

Upon entering the ring again, Reigns delivered a final Spear to put Lesnar down for the three count and the title. While it was expected that Lesnar would drop the title at SummerSlam, it was also expected he’d appear on RAW the next night.

Lesnar had been advertised for last night’s episode of RAW from the Barclays Center for the past several weeks:

JUST ANNOUNCED: @WWE Universal Champion @BrockLesnar will appear LIVE in Brooklyn for Monday Night RAW on 8/20! pic.twitter.com/ySJN29RFan

— Barclays Center (@barclayscenter) July 16, 2018

According to a report from PWInsider, Lesnar was not there at any point in the day as he flew home after SummerSlam ended on Sunday. There is currently no news on when Lesnar will return to WWE.

Lesnar’s UFC Return

It will likely happen after his expected return to the UFC. UFC President Dana White has announced Lesnar will challenge heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier for the title next.

Due to Lesnar’s past failed United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug tests, he must deliver six months worth of clean testing before being eligible to fight again. There was a segment on RAW last night with Paul Heyman pitching to Kurt Angle to allow Lesnar his rematch for the Universal Title at the Hell In A Cell (HIAC) PPV.

However, Angle shot that idea down and said it would be a long time before Lesnar gets his rematch. With Baron Corbin being appointed the new interim General Manager of RAW recently, however, that could change.

Discussion: What do you make of Lesnar missing RAW last night? When do you think he’ll get his rematch? And will he return before the year’s end? Sound off in the comments!

For as long as anyone can remember, Paul Heyman has always stood at the side of Brock Lesnar.

This past weekend Lesnar dropped his Universal Championship to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Now, Lesnar will prepare for a UFC heavyweight title opportunity against Daniel Cormier.

He’s expected to return to the UFC early next year. Lesnar’s advocate, Heyman, did an interview with Sports Illustrated over the weekend to promote SummerSlam. During the discussion, Heyman made a rather interesting comment.

The Brock Lesnar Business

Heyman claimed that he’s not in the business of WWE, professional wrestling or sports entertainment. Paul Heyman is in the Brock Lesnar business:

“I think there are a lot of people who would argue that I have not been in the WWE business, the pro wrestling business, the sports entertainment business, et al for quite some time, and that I’ve arrived at a place in my career where I am in the Brock Lesnar business. Please feel free to develop your own conspiracy theories based on that.

“Evolution is the DNA of a continued existence. Those who don’t evolve become the subject of a ‘Whatever Happened To’ story. I can only hope that I’m a very different person and performer, some would suggest the different person aspect is most important, but I digress, than I was a decade ago.

“And I hope to be a much different person and performer a decade from now as well. I’ve been blessed with a long enough career that I’ve been allowed to grow into this role..

“The concept? Keep a Brock Lesnar experience as a rare occurrence, so when it happens, it’s not only ‘Can’t miss’, it is ‘Must see!’, and hopefully, that takes us back to the WWE/UFC business philosophy of Brock Lesnar, which then translates into ‘Must pay!’

“Let’s keep in mind, whether it’s WWE, UFC, boxing, Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL, NBA; it’s a business. And it’s a business of rights fees and box office.”

Last night at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns finally captured the WWE Universal Championship.

Reigns got his fourth crack at attempting to dethrone Brock Lesnar from World Champion status. Braun Strowman came to the ring before the match started, and declared he’d cash-in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase on the winner.

After Lesnar attacked Strowman at ringside, Reigns hit “The Beast” with a Spear for the three count. Reigns is once again on top of the WWE mountain, and is happy to have the title back on RAW full-time.

Shortly after the PPV, Reigns’ uncle and WWE Hall Of Famer, Rikishi, congratulated his nephew. Rikishi took to Twitter and offered a congratulatory message to “The Big Dog”:

And NEW @WWE Universal Champion @SamoanDynasty1 @WWERomanReigns ??#MaloUsoGalue pic.twitter.com/x0Hi26b67P

— RIKISHI FATU (@TheREALRIKISHI) August 20, 2018

Speaking of SummerSlam, you can check out the full results from the show here:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. (C) Brock Lesnar
• WWE Championship: (C) AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe ended in a No Contest
• WWE RAW Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. (C) Alexa Bliss
• WWE Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins def. (C) Dolph Ziggler
• WWE United States Championship: (C) Shinsuke Nakamura def. Jeff Hardy
• WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair def. (C) Carmella and Becky Lynch
• Braun Strowman def. Kevin Owens
• Finn Balor def. Baron Corbin
• The Miz def. Daniel Bryan
• WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day ended in a Disqualification

Kickoff Show

• WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Cedric Alexander def. Drew Gulak
• Zelina Vega & Andrade Almas def. Lana & Rusev
• WWE RAW Tag Team Championship: (C) The B-Team def. The Revival

Many fans have been wondering if Rusev is frustrated with his position in WWE.

Although he has received a WWE Title shot recently, albeit an unsuccessful one, a lot of fans feel he is being underutilized. Rusev got himself over with the innovation of “Rusev Day.” The chant has ran rampant in the professional wrestling world.

In fact, chants of “Rusev Day” even rang out at non-WWE events. Fans even chant it randomly when they’re bored with what’s going on in the ring. Wrestling fans would very much like to see Rusev receive a bigger push on SmackDown Live.

Last night, he was on the SummerSlam Kickoff Show, teaming up with his wife Lana to take on Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega. Rusev and Lana were unsuccessful in picking up a win at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.”

Prior to the event, Rusev did an interview with The Gorilla Position to talk about the show. During their conversation, Rusev was asked if he’s frustrated with his current situation in the WWE.

Is Rusev Frustrated?

“The Bulgarian Brute” said he can’t control the way he’s booked. Whether he’s the first match on the card, or the last, all he can control is his performance:

“I have no control over any of that,” Rusev said. “I’m there to perform to the best of my abilities and whether I’m first on the card or last, champion or not, I mean I’m just gonna be me and keep doing what I do best.

“Eventually, one day you know cream rises to the top. So you know I’m waiting… I’m waiting for the rise.”

Discussion: How do you feel about the way Rusev is being used by WWE? Do you think he’s frustrated? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Finn Balor hopes Brock Lesnar stays in WWE after SummerSlam last night.

“The Demon King” returned to squash Baron Corbin in a Singles match at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.” Prior to the event, Balor spoke to The Gorilla Position to talk about several professional wrestling topics.

Balor offered his thoughts on now-former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Although Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns, Balor doesn’t want to see “The Beast” walk away from WWE. In fact, he hopes Brock Lesnar stays in WWE:

“When [Lesnar] comes out, it’s a different feel,” Balor said. “Everyone’s like, ‘oh no, what’s gonna happen? We don’t know what’s gonna happen.’ I love it, I love watching Brock. I’d love to get in the ring with Brock.

“He is an attraction and he’s been an attraction since day one. People tend to forget that, they’re like ‘oh he comes and goes,’ but Brock’s the real deal. He was New Japan champion, people forget that, you know he’s been doing it [in WWE] for years, NCAA — he’s the real deal man… UFC, duh how’d I forget that one?

“When Brock walks to the ring there’s something special there happening that night. Regardless of if it’s good or bad, people like it or don’t like it they’re all paying attention and that’s what we need — we need more of that in pro wrestling.”

With Lesnar’s loss at SummerSlam, he’s likely to return to the UFC and challenge Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title. That could mean a long WWE layoff for “The Beast.” When asked if he wants Lesnar to return to WWE, here’s what Balor had to say:

“I hope so,” Balor said. “You never know. You know everyone said he’s out the door after WrestleMania, last SummerSlam he was going. This SummerSlam he’s going. People just make up stories in their head because it sells newspapers or clickbait or whatever.

“They just like to talk to hear themselves talk or make themselves feel like they have an opinion, but we’re all just guessing. Because it’s all media hype. Nobody knows until it actually happens… I don’t think [WWE] even knows.”

Discussion: What do you think about Balor hoping Lesnar stays in WWE? Let us know in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Last night’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) ended with a historic moment.

Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship in the main event. Prior to the match, Braun Strowman came out to the ring with a microphone. He said he would challenge the winner of the match after its conclusion with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.

At one point in the match, Lesnar sent Reigns crashing into Strowman outside. Lesnar proceeded to attack Strowman with an F5, the MITB briefcase and a steel chair. Once he got back into the ring, however, Reigns hit him with another Spear for the three count.

Reigns celebrated on the top rope as the show went off-air. After the show, Reigns continued to celebrate in front of fans at the Barclays Center. Strowman then stood up as Reigns left to the back.

He limped to the top of the entrance ramp and picked up his MITB briefcase, which Lesnar threw earlier. Strowman took one last look back at the crowd before heading back backstage.

It should be interesting to see how the storyline between Reigns, Lesnar and Strowman progresses on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.

Discussion: What did you think of last night’s SummerSlam PPV? How do you feel about Reigns winning the Universal Title? Sound off in the comments below!

Reason For Chant During SummerSlam Main Event

Last night’s main event of SummerSlam crowned a new Universal Champion. Roman Reigns finally defeated Brock Lesnar to win the World Title. During the match, however, fans began chanting something rather interesting.

A chant of “a**hole” broke out while Lesnar was taking Reigns to Suplex City. It turns out, a SummerSlam security guard confiscated a beach ball that was brought out by some fans. WWE has had several issues with beach balls in the past and have really been cracking down on them at shows.

Another notable chant that broke out during the show was “TNA” during the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.

Discussion: What do you think about WWE’s issues with beach balls? Should they be banned? Let us know in the comments!

Lashley Congratulates Reigns

As mentioned, Roman Reigns won the Universal Title in the main event of SummerSlam last night. In his fourth World Title match-up against Brock Lesnar, Reigns finally got his hand raised.

Reigns’ former rival and Universal Title hopeful, Bobby Lashley, took to Twitter to congratulate Reigns. Lashley gave Reigns props for “slaying The Beast”:

“Congrats Big Dog @WWERomanReigns on slaying the beast and winning that #UniversalChampionship.”

Congrats Big Dog @WWERomanReigns on slaying the beast and winning that #UniversalChampionship. ?? ?? #dontletthesmilefoolya

— Bobby Lashley (@fightbobby) August 20, 2018

A popular wrestler on SmackDown Live is expected to turn heel in the coming weeks.  SummerSlam wrapped up last night and we’ll see the aftermath on tonight’s Monday Night RAW and tomorrow’s SmackDown Live. One notable moment on the show was Becky Lynch turning heel. Lynch attacked Charlotte Flair after “The Queen” won their Triple Threat match with Carmella for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title.

With SummerSlam in the rear-view mirror, the build towards Hell In A Cell begins. It looks like another woman could be getting in on the SmackDown Live Women’s Title mix – as a heel. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, that there have been talks of turning Asuka heel. Meltzer even said that he thinks there was a photo going around showing a heel Asuka.

He also mentioned that Asuka has been in a tough spot for the past several months. Back in April she dropped her undefeated streak to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. She failed to capture the SmackDown Live Women’s Title. Asuka also suffered a pair of losses to Carmella. Since having her streak ended, Meltzer said the Japanese star has looked “terrible” because of her booking.

Perhaps Tuesday night Asuka could begin her transition into becoming a heel. It’s undoubtable that she needs some sort of shake-up since having lost her undefeated streak at WrestleMania to Charlotte Flair.

A heel turn worked nicely for Shinsuke Nakamura. He turned at WrestleMania 34 after losing his WWE Title opportunity to AJ Styles. In the following weeks Nakamura really hit new strides with his character.

Fans seem a lot more invested in the former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star as a heel. Hopefully the same response would occur for Asuka.

Discussion: What do you think of Asuka potentially turning heel? What do you think of Asuka’s booking since WrestleMania? 

Last night’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 event was truly amazing.

The card, from top to bottom, featured some extraordinary matches from the future stars of WWE. One such match was that between The Velveteen Dream and EC3. The pair put on an extremely physical performance that resulted in Dream leaving with the victory.

One hot topic of discussion in regards to the match was the message Dream had printed on his tights. During his entrance, fans could read the phrase “Call Me Up Vince” on Dream’s tights.

This is obviously a message to Vince McMahon to call the 23-year-old up to the WWE’s main roster. After the event, Triple H took part in a post-TakeOver media call to talk about the event’s success.

Triple H On The Meaning Of Velveteen Dream’s Tights

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet asked Triple H about the message on Velveteen’s tights. “The Game” initially joked, after a long pause, that Dream was sending a message to a friend of his (also coincidentally named Vince) who lost his phone. He wanted his friend, Vince, to give him a call:

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1031006255605678080

Triple H then said that if Dream was truly talking about Vince McMahon, there’s one of two calls he could get from “The Chairman Of The Board.” One he’ll like, and one that he won’t. You never know which one it will be:

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1031006659353632770

Following NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 last night, Triple H participated in a media conference call to answer some questions.

Of course, one hot topic was WWE’s official announcement on the signing of Matt Riddle. Riddle will be a part of the NXT roster in the coming weeks. WWE was initially hesitant to sign Riddle in the past due to his history of marijuana use.

Triple H On WWE Signing Riddle

Now that they’ve signed Riddle, it appears as though that is no longer a concern for the promotion. Triple H had this to say about Riddle’s signing:

“I think he’s ready to come in and get brought the rest of the way,” Triple H said. “I also think he’s matured as a person which, we’ll find out.

“But I think he’s matured as a person and he’s realized where he wants to get to in the business as opposed to just having fun being in the business, there’s a difference. So we think now’s the right time, but time will tell.”

“The Game” also praised Riddle’s talent and said he thinks he’s going to be one of the Superstars who makes it in WWE:

“He’s a very, very talented guy, the sky is the limit and you know, we’ll see what he can do. It’s an interesting thing because I think sometimes people think that we just bring them in and just go with it, it’s not that simple.

“Not everybody makes it, not everything works. There are a lot of factors that go into it, so we’ll see. I believe in him and I believe he has a lot of potential and talent, but again just like everybody else as they walk in the door, we’ll see.”

Discussion: What do you make of Triple H’s comments about WWE’s signing of Riddle? Let us know in the comments below!

Are you as excited to see #MattRiddle in Brooklyn as HE is to BE in Brooklyn?!@SuperKingofBros #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/wOP2y9yRhY

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 18, 2018

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

There have been a ton of rumors surrounding Dolph Ziggler’s contractual status with WWE.

Ziggler is currently reigning as WWE Intercontinental Champion. He will defend that title against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam tonight from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Dolph Ziggler Offers Update On His WWE Status

Ziggler was interviewed by PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson at WWE’s Be A Star Rally in The Bronx, New York. Johnson is reporting that Ziggler’s deal with WWE will expire at the end of the summer.

Here’s what “The Showoff” had to say about the matter:

“I feel like you’ll have to see Sunday or Monday but I’ve also heard that [his deal was coming up.]  I’ve also heard about several different contracts that I signed but I didn’t sign.”

Johnson asked Ziggler if that was a “no comment,” and here’s how the Intercontinental Champion responded:

“So…I’m giving you a comment.  I’ve been doing some great work and looking forward to doing what I do and Sunday or Monday, we’ll see what direction we’re heading in afterwards.”

Ziggler In WWE

Ziggler has been with WWE since 2004. He got his start on the main roster as a member of The Spirit Squad after getting called up from Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). Since being called up, Ziggler has proven to be one of the best in-ring performers on the roster.

He is a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Ziggler also won the United States Champion twice and is a six-time Intercontinental Champion. Back in 2012 Ziggler also won the Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.

There have been a ton of rumors recently about his status with WWE. Some say Ziggler feels underutilized with the company and could be looking for a fresh start elsewhere. Others believe he will remain with WWE, as they can offer him the best deal financially.

As Ziggler says, perhaps things will become more clear tonight at SummerSlam or on tomorrow night’s RAW.

Discussion: What do you think will happen between WWE and Ziggler? Have your say in the comments below!

There’s potential for a massive WWE women’s match down the road.

On SmackDown Live, it’s arguable that Charlotte Flair is the brand’s biggest female star. There’s no argument as to who is the biggest female star on Monday Night RAW, however. That spot is reserved for ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Both women will challenge for titles at tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) in Brooklyn, New  York. It’s possible they find themselves standing across the ring from one another at some point down the road.

Flair recently appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up!” to promote SummerSlam. During the interview, Flair was asked by NFL player Keyshawn Johnson who in WWE she hasn’t faced yet that she wants to.

Flair Calls Out Rousey

“The Queen” responded by naming Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey. Flair then elaborated on what it would be like sharing the ring with Rousey. She challenged the notion that Rousey is the “Toughest Woman On The Planet”:

“They keep saying she’s the toughest woman on the planet; but, I think I’m the toughest woman on the planet.”

Flair was then asked if she thinks she could headline a WrestleMania with Rousey. She admits it would be the right storyline, but is adamant about headlining a WrestleMania regardless of the opponent:

“Headlining WrestleMania is definitely a dream of mine. Who the opponent is, it really doesn’t matter because I’m headlining WrestleMania; but, I think it would be the right story.

“She says that she’s a 4-Horsewoman and I’m like, ‘Wait, I’m a Flair. I’m blood.’ So it’s 4 on 4? I don’t know.”

Dave Meltzer’s Recent Comments

Furthermore, Flair was asked to offer her thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Dave Meltzer’s comments about SmackDown Live Superstar Peyton Royce:

“That’s what’s amazing about our job is that we do have a platform to make a difference and voice our opinions on certain things like that. In terms of her appearance being criticized, I just go, ‘Aren’t we past that?’

“You wouldn’t see someone sitting here saying, ‘Roman Reigns’ hair is phenomenal, or Seth [Rollins’] abs,’ or people wouldn’t be like, ‘AJ Styles on TNA looked better than WWE.’

“It shouldn’t be a topic of conversation and I know that we’re Superstars and people see us as untouchable; but, we’re human and when you see negativity like that, it’s gotta hurt her.

“I just wanted to touch her [Peyton Royce] and be like, ‘Listen, ignore that.’ My Dad always said that if they’re talking about you, you must be doing something right and that’s what they were doing.

“They were talking about her. Whether it’s her looks or not, you would think that we’re passed that.”

Discussion: Would you be interested in seeing a match between Flair and Rousey? Should it headline WrestleMania? Sound off in the comments below!

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair had some high praise for Roman Reigns recently.

Reigns is preparing to challenge Brock Lesnar tonight for the WWE Universal Title. The action goes down from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York at SummerSlam. This will be Reigns’ fourth attempt at dethroning Lesnar from a World Title position.

Flair Praises Reigns

“The Nature Boy” was recently a guest on fellow Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report. The pair touched on tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV). Flair praised Reigns for his lack of fear towards Lesnar, an ex-UFC heavyweight champion:

“One of the things that’s cool about Roman is that he’s not afraid of Brock. You know what I mean?

“A lot of guys are and they can tell you they’re not all day long; but, Roman coming from his mom and his dad and his family – he wouldn’t be allowed in the house if he was afraid of Brock.

“You and I know that and know what that means. Me, when I had to wrestle Brock I wanted to kill you [Jim Ross] for even listening to Vince [McMahon] and book it.”

As for what should main event SummerSlam, Flair said Lesnar vs. Reigns should get the nod if the women don’t main event:

“If it’s gonna be the guys, it’ll have to be them.”

Lesnar vs. Reigns isn’t the only World Title match on SummerSlam’s card. From SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles will defend his strap against Samoa Joe as well. In regards to steam behind the respective matches, Flair says it isn’t even close:

“There’s just no comparison in the amount of steam. It’s not the individual talent. It’s just the steam on this one.

“The last two weeks with Brock not even being advertised and doing that and [Paul] Heyman did a great job in the setup.”

Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Should Lesnar vs. Reigns main event SummerSlam? Sound off in the comments below!

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions