Ronda Rousey Warns Alexa Bliss

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has a warning for RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. “The Rowdy One” picked up her first win in RAW history against Alicia Fox last night.

It was a good tune-up match before Rousey challenges Bliss for the RAW Women’s Title at SummerSlam later this month. The pay-per-view (PPV) goes down from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19th.

Shortly after her victory over Fox, Rousey took to Instagram and issued a stern warning to her SummerSlam opponent, Bliss. Here’s what she had to say:

“Wrong move @alexa_bliss_wwe_ trying to throw @thefoxxyone in my way to weaken me before #SummerSlam.

“You should dread every second of experience I get in that ring.
Consider what you saw last night merciful compared to what’s coming to you August 19th”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmLHEX_BI5u/?utm_source=ig_embed

Xavier Woods Invites Tyler Breeze To Join The New Day

Last night was pretty embarrassing for Tyler Breeze. One-half of Breezango, Fandango, has been sidelined for the next several months with an injury. This leaves Breeze to fend for himself on RAW as a singles talent.

During last night’s episode of RAW, Breeze had a segment with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns backstage. Breeze was denied a fist bump by the former Shield members:

Looks like @WWERollins found his partner for tonight! Sorry, @MmmGorgeous…#RAW @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/Df60Wdgl4h

— WWE (@WWE) August 7, 2018

SmackDown Live star and New Day member Xavier Woods offered a response on Twitter. He noted that Breeze could come over to SmackDown Live and join The New Day until Fandango is ready to return:

It's ok Breezy, come on over to #SmackdownLive and you can be in The New Day till Dango heals up ? we will appreciate you over on blue! https://t.co/LMzfJwP0IE

— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) August 7, 2018

Sami Zayn has received his second surgery on his injured shoulder.

Zayn was operated on for bi-lateral rotator cuff surgery. He took to Twitter to offer fans an update on his status and joked about getting to wear a gown:

Who ever said bi-lateral rotator cuff surgery wasn't fun? I get to wear a gown! pic.twitter.com/VTLNvd2r1c

— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) August 7, 2018

Zayn was previously working through several injuries in the midst of his feud with Bobby Lashley. After his defeat to Lashley at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV), Zayn went to Birmingham, Alabama to be examined.

It was revealed Zayn had suffered injuries to both rotator cuffs. Both would need to be operated on, and the second of those took place today. The RAW star isn’t expected back until early 2019.

Staying Busy

Despite being away from WWE, Zayn has kept busy during his injury layoff. He has been taking improv classes and also attended the “Just For Laughs” comedy festival in Montreal. Zayn is also at the forefront of his “Sami For Syria” campaign.

He has raised $105,000 for a mobile medical clinic and is raising awareness about those affected by the sociopolitical climate in the region. Zayn also launched “Sami Relief,” which helps refugees stuck in the desert at the borders while attempting to flee Syria.

Zayn spoke to The Nation about his efforts away from WWE recently. Here’s what he had to say:

“I almost feel like I was more a part of a problem than a solution,” Zayn said.

“It’s sort of this perpetual thing that keeps spinning, or people on one side of the fence versus people on the other side of the fence, and there’s this back and forth, dialogue and just nothing gets done.”

Stephen Amell’s match for “All In” has been confirmed. His opponent might shock a few professional wrestling fans.

Earlier this year the “Arrow” star was announced for the September 1st event. On the heels of “All In’s” broadcasting announcement earlier today we also have two new matches confirmed for the show as well.

First, The Briscoes will face Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky on the Zero Hour pre-show. Also, Amell will be working with former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Chris Daniels in a singles match:

https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/1026568690324701184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1026568690324701184&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrestlingnews.co%2Fother%2Fstephen-amells-match-for-all-in-confirmed-updated-card%2F

“All In” goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Cody Rhodes and IWGP Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks are self-funding the ground-breaking professional wrestling event. See “All In’s” updated match card below:

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
(C) Nick Aldis vs. Cody Rhodes

Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll

Adam Page vs. Joey Janela

Rey Mysterio, Bandido and Fenix vs. The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi

Stephen Amell vs. Christopher Daniels

Zero Hour Pre-Show

The Over Budget Battle Royale
Jordynne Grace, Moose, Rocky Romero, Colt Cabana, Ethan Page and TBA

The Briscoes vs. Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky

It looks like a big name from SmackDown Live is backstage for tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.

Tonight’s show goes down from Jacksonville, Florida and will feature the first match on RAW of Ronda Rousey’s WWE career. PWInsider is reporting that there could be another potential surprise for today’s show. It appears as though SmackDown Live General Manager Paige is also backstage for the show.

Paige was reportedly spotted getting her make-up done backstage. The former WWE Divas Champion could be doing a number of things; including appearing on RAW, filming for Total Divas or filming something for the WWE Network.

It’s unclear as of this writing what Paige’s role will be, if any, on tonight’s show but we’ll keep you updated. The report also revealed that former RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax is not at the show.

This is the second week in a row Jax has missed RAW, feeding rumors that she could be dealing with an injury. She leaves the Raw Women’s Title picture in the hands of Alexa Bliss and Rousey.

The pair will square off for the title at SummerSlam later on this month.

Paige As SDL General Manager

Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition earlier this year. The 25-year-old made the decision after suffering a serious injury to her neck. She made the announcement on the episode of Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 34.

WWE announced the following night on SmackDown Live that Paige would serve as the brand’s new General Manager. She has been running the blue brand for the past several months. WWE officials have reportedly been happy with her performance thus far.

Interestingly enough, she relieved Daniel Bryan of his duties who was actually reinstated as an in-ring competitor for the company after overcoming what was believed to be a career-ending injury.

Titus O’Neil Is Writing A Book

It appears as though WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil is writing a book. Before beginning his professional wrestling career, O’Neil was chasing a professional football career. He played high school football and earned a scholarship to do the same for The University Of Florida.

O’Neil played in the Arena Football League for four years. He played for teams such as the Utah Blaze, Tampa Bay Storm, Las Vegas Gladiators and Carolina Cobras. In 2009 WWE signed him to a developmental deal, thus sparking the beginning of his professional wrestling career.

A fan on Twitter asked O’Neil if he’d ever consider writing an autobiography about his journey. He revealed he’s actually in the process of doing that now and expects a Summer of 2019 release date:

I’m the process now of writing one. Summer 2019 arrival ????? https://t.co/qYoMCXeBfM

— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) August 5, 2018

MTV Star Teases Interest In WWE Career

Another MTV star could be considering a career in WWE. The professional wrestling juggernaut struck gold when they signed The Miz off his appearance in MTV’s Real World in 2004. He has gone on to main event WrestleMania, win the WWE Championship and capture both the Intercontinental and United States Titles several times.

Johnny Bananas, who is the most successful participant in the history of MTV’s The Challenge, could be looking to mimic The Miz’s transition from reality TV to professional wrestling. A fan Tweeted Bananas and mentioned he could have a great deal of success in WWE if given the opportunity.

Bananas responded by admitting the idea is a compelling one:

https://twitter.com/MTV_iwan/status/1025894947428417542

https://twitter.com/MTVBananas/status/1026131753847664641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Bobby Roode & Kevin Owens Brawl (Video)

WWE posted a video on their official Twitter page from their live event in North Charleston, South Carolina. In the video, Bobby Roode & Kevin Owens brawl outside the ring. “The Glorious One” wound up defeating Owens when it was all said and done.

Check out the video here:

It looks like @REALBobbyRoode put up a GLORIOUS effort against @FightOwensFight at #WWECharleston! pic.twitter.com/u4udfeXLeO

— WWE (@WWE) August 6, 2018

Owens is currently feuding with Braun Strowman on Monday Night RAW. He will face “The Monster Among Men” at SummerSlam on August 19th. Should “KO” emerge victorious, he will win Strowman’s Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.

Roode is also involved in a feud of his own on RAW. He has been butting heads with Mojo Rawley lately. They will square off on tonight’s show from Jacksonville, Florida.

Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair Fire Back At The IIconics

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, The IIconics, recently mocked Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair on Twitter. The pair pretended to act like Flair and Lynch, even mimicking their “tea time” gesture.

They also said that Lynch only won her matches on SmackDown Live while Flair was away nursing her injuries. The IIconics also took issue with Flair getting thrown in the SummerSlam SmackDown Live Women’s Title match for doing “absolutely nothing”:

https://twitter.com/PeytonRoyceWWE/status/1025849752863354881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Lynch and Flair offered a video response of their own. They noted that The IIconics haven’t defeated anyone of merit during their run on SmackDown Live. Flair and Lynch ended off by saying “isn’t that iconic?” Here’s the video:

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1026309581574684672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Miz thinks Daniel Bryan’s WWE return has been a “100 percent bust.”

Bryan once thought his in-ring career with WWE was over. After suffering several concussions and seizures throughout his career, he was medically suspended from ever competing for WWE again.

WWE retained Bryan on television by making him General Manager of SmackDown Live. Despite this, Bryan never gave up on his hopes of one day returning to the ring. That all finally paid off earlier this year.

Bryan was reinstated as an active WWE competitor just in time for WrestleMania 34. He passed several tests from WWE-recommended specialists that allowed him to be cleared. He teamed up with Shane McMahon to defeat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 34.

Now that Bryan is back in the WWE fold, it allows him to seek vengeance upon The Miz. While being sidelined, Miz continuously tortured Bryan about his inability to wrestle anymore.

Miz vs. Bryan

When it was announced Bryan had been cleared to return to WWE action, fans knew a match with The Miz was inevitable. WWE seems to be heading in that direction right about now. Bryan has continuously challenged Miz to a match at SummerSlam later this month.

Miz, however, continues to deny Bryan of his challenge. The former Intercontinental Champion claims he’s above a match with Bryan at this point in his career. He points to the success of his film career and brand new reality TV show “Miz & Mrs.” on USA Network. Miz thinks he deserves a bigger match-up than Bryan at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.”

The Miz Calls Daniel Bryan’s WWE Return A Bust

Miz and Maryse recently did an interview with E! News. WWE released a portion of the interview on their YouTube Channel. During the interview, The Miz calls Daniel Bryan’s WWE return a bust:

“Do you think Daniel Bryan’s return from injury has been amazing or has been a bust? A complete 100% bust. Everything that I say is the truth and nobody else seems to understand that and I don’t get it.”

John Cena Has Advice For Fans

John Cena has shared a rather inspirational message with his fans on Twitter. Cena, who is expected to make his WWE return in Shanghai, urged fans to be less set in their ways. He also suggested they break their routines and try new things.

Check out the Tweet here:

Be less set in your ways. Routine allows for many comforts and conveniences, but can prevent you from learning valuable things about you. Do something different, or something you always wanted to.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 6, 2018

“Be less set in your ways. Routine allows for many comforts and conveniences, but can prevent you from learning valuable things about you. Do something different, or something you always wanted to.”

Torrie Wilson Calls Out TSA

Torrie Wilson is very upset about her experience with TSA at an Orlando airport. Wilson ranted about the event on Twitter and even identified the officer she took issue with.

The incident apparently even warranted Wilson to believe she could be kicked off the plane. Wilson asked fans to bail her out of jail should something happen. Here’s Wilson’s account of the incident:

“Officer BRACERO. #OrlandoTSA. I thoroughly enjoyed the very detailed pat down your female officer gave me. (My choice) & watching u hold, swab & look at every piece in my purse slowly. feels dirty now w/your lovely energy.

“All cuz I giggled that u were so scared of my 3 lb dog. PS. I hope u get laid soon. Pss. It was also sooo funny that time when u laughed & told your co-worker I wanted a female pat down.

“Haha crazy huh?! If I get pulled off my plane & put in jail can someone please come bail me out?”

Officer BRACERO. #OrlandoTSA. I thoroughly enjoyed the very detailed pat down your female officer gave me. (My choice) & watching u hold, swab & look at every piece in my purse slowly. feels dirty now w/your lovely energy. All cuz I giggled that u were so scared of my 3 lb dog.

— Torrie Wilson (@Torrie11) August 6, 2018

PS. I hope u get laid soon.

— Torrie Wilson (@Torrie11) August 6, 2018

Pss. It was also sooo funny that time when u laughed & told your co-worker I wanted a female pat down. Haha crazy huh?!

— Torrie Wilson (@Torrie11) August 6, 2018

If I get pulled off my plane & put in jail can someone please come bail me out?

— Torrie Wilson (@Torrie11) August 6, 2018

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan didn’t always get along with one another.

The pair began working together in WWE as members of The Wyatt Family. Harper and Rowan even had a run with the NXT Tag Team Titles before being called up. The faction debuted back in 2013 by attacking Kane on an episode of Monday Night RAW.

Now, several years later, Wyatt is a former WWE World Champion who currently teams with Matt Hardy on RAW. Harper and Rowan are dominating SmackDown Live’s Tag Team division as the brand’s champions.

Harper recently joined Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to discuss his professional wrestling career. While discussing his early days in WWE as a member of the Wyatt Family, Luke Harper reveals some early beef with Erick Rowan.

We Hated Each Other

It turns out that Harper and Rowan actually hated one another when they initially began working together. Harper revealed that they were forced to room together and it wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences.

Now, of course, they’ve made things work and are successful because of it:

“When we first started, me and Rowan hated each other. I don’t know what it was. We just didn’t get along. We were forced to room together. He’s taller than me.

“If you look at some of my old pictures, I clearly tried to put weight on and it didn’t work well. He’s a f*cking giant and he snores. So, I didn’t sleep a lot. We just didn’t get along.

“Slowly came the realization of, ‘Hey man, we are stuck together. Are we gonna fight against it or are we just gonna do it?’ It took me a long time to realize that; but, when I did, we made it work way better”

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

Braun Strowman has a special connection with Bray Wyatt in regards to his WWE career.

Before he was “The Monster Among Men,” Strowman was the monstrous force at the core of The Wyatt Family. The former strongman competitor trained with WWE for two years before getting the main roster nod.

He served as a Rose Bud for Adam Rose and worked a few NXT live events. In August of 2015 Strowman debuted on RAW by attacking Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. He was then introduced as the newest member of The Wyatt Family.

After a year-long run with The Wyatts, Strowman was separated from the faction by way of the 2016 WWE Draft. Now, he is one of the top Superstars on Monday Night RAW and the current Mr. Money In The Bank.

Strowman recently spoke to SPN Action about his professional wrestling career. During their conversation, Braun Strowman discusses Bray Wyatt and the impact he has had on his career.

Not Just Friends, Brothers

He named Wyatt as his best-friend in the business before praising him for helping him along in his professional wrestling career. Strowman also said not only is Wyatt his best-friend, but he’s like a brother to him:

“It’s tough to keep a friend when you throw them off of cages and smash their car, eat their cake and do everything else. Behind the scenes, I’m friends with everyone at work, but without a doubt, my best friend is Bray Wyatt.

“The man pretty much brought me into the industry when they tagged me up with The Wyatt Family it was my seventh match I’d ever had. I didn’t know the difference between a headlock and a beele throw.

“Bray rode with me, showed me how to get around, how to book hotels, how to make the towns. Then he started helping me with learning how to wrestle and I will forever be indebted to him. He’s not my best friend, he’s my brother.”

"I gave KO a taste of his own medicine"

From revealing why he threw @FightOwensFight off the 20 ft high steel cage to talking about his best friend in WWE, here's @BraunStrowman's exciting rapid fire with @Varun_dvn!

#MonsterInIndia#SPNSports pic.twitter.com/J3t6yajEa5

— SPN_Action (@SPN_Action) July 31, 2018

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox is likely to headline tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Jacksonville, Florida.

Rousey vs. Fox will be the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion’s first match-up on Monday Nights. Given Fox’s real-life issues with Rousey’s husband from several months ago, it’s an interesting selection to welcome Rousey to the RAW ring to say the least.

Per Cageside Seats, Rousey is expected to win her match against Fox in impressive fashion to close out the show. “The Rowdy One” will challenge Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam later this month.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNQMEjbr-JA]

Rousey’s WWE Run

Rousey debuted inside the WWE ring at WrestleMania 34 this past April. She teamed up with Hall Of Famer and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. The pair of former Olympians defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match. The bout arguably stole the show.

A few months later, Rousey returned to pay-per-view (PPV) competition, this time challenging Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Title. The match went down at the Money In The Bank (MITB) PPV. At one point, Rousey was on the verge of winning the title.

Just before she could lock in her signature armbar, however, MITB briefcase winner Alexa Bliss attacked both women and cashed-in. Bliss pinned Jax for the win and left Chicago RAW Women’s Champion.

Now Rousey will get her shot at vengeance when she takes on “Little Miss Bliss” on August 19th from the Barclays Center.

Corey Graves Might Have Quit Social Media

Corey Graves might be done with Twitter. The Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live commentator’s latest Tweet suggests he could be done with the platform. Graves pointed to “toxic people” crossing the line for his apparent decision.

Here’s what he had to say:

Unfortunately, social media has become a very toxic place. People don’t know where to draw the line.

It’s become more exhausting than productive to me. Some things in life are more important than “likes” and “followers.”

I urge you to explore that.

Deuces! ?

— The Great Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) August 5, 2018

“Unfortunately, social media has become a very toxic place. People don’t know where to draw the line. It’s become more exhausting than productive to me.

“Some things in life are more important than “likes” and “followers.” I urge you to explore that. Deuces!”

Tenille Dashwood Reunites With WWE Commentators

Former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood (formerly known as Emma) recently reunited with a few WWE commentators. Dashwood reunited with Corey Graves and Renee Young at a Wrestling Under The Stars event.

Graves and Young even modeled for Dashwood’s sunglasses line. You can check out photos of their reunion here below:

What do you think of the new models for my exclusive Tenille Dashwood sunglasses line!?
I have them with my merchandise at every show! The sunglasses that is, not @ReneeYoungWWE and @WWEGraves unfortunately! ? pic.twitter.com/tqQwQvjuLo

— TENILLE DASHWOOD (@TenilleDashwood) August 4, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Huge weekend coming up with @newwrestling1!
Saturday August 3rd Meet & Greet starts at 5pm Show @ 8pm
Sunday August 4th Meet & Greet starts 3:30 Show @ 7pm!
Awesome line up! Can’t wait to see everyone! pic.twitter.com/a75umptL3J

— TENILLE DASHWOOD (@TenilleDashwood) August 3, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Last night was a blast in Norwich, CT! Let’s do it again tonight! Come say hey to @ReneeYoungWWE & Me!

(And pick up a pair of those dope @TenilleDashwood shades!)@newwrestling1 pic.twitter.com/HatrghbdsV

— The Great Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) August 4, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

#Repost @theheelmarks with @get_repost ??? @wwegraves is the ultimate gentleman! ?? ?:@njk822

A post shared by Corey Graves (@wwegraves) on Aug 5, 2018 at 7:42am PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

Undertaker Reveals Custom Gun Safe (Photo)

Since joining Instagram, The Undertaker has been revealing a lot more about his real personality. It turns out “The Dead Man” is actually a pretty big gun enthusiast. He took to his Instagram and revealed a gift his wife, former WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, got him for Father’s Day.

Taker showed off a new custom safe, with one of his guns, for his “2a toys” (second amendment toys). The safe reads “Deadman Inc.” and also has Taker’s logo under it:

Thank you @rhinometals for building a safe for all my 2a toys to Rest In Peace in!! Also, a big thank you @mimicalacool for the best father’s day gift ever! Now back to the DARK SIDE….

A post shared by Undertaker (@undertaker) on Aug 3, 2018 at 7:55pm PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

Carmella Reacts To Charlotte’s Addition To SummerSlam Title Match

On this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, Charlotte Flair was added to the SmackDown Live Women’s Title match at SummerSlam. Carmella will now defend her strap in a Triple Threat match against Flair and Becky Lynch at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.”

Carmella took to Twitter and voiced her displeasure for Charlotte’s addition to the match:

pic.twitter.com/C0eo3JTD0z

— Smackdown Womens Champion (@CarmellaWWE) August 1, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

How the @WWEUniverse reacted when @MsCharlotteWWE was added to SummerSlam. ??? pic.twitter.com/sTIowGh1UY

— Smackdown Womens Champion (@CarmellaWWE) August 4, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion John Morrison was recently interviewed by CBS DC to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During the conversation, Morrison was asked about a possible return to WWE.

Morrison is a former ECW World Champion, Intercontinental Champion and Tag Team Champion under WWE. His run lasted for nine years from 2002 to 2011, before he departed to the independent circuit.

Since then Morrison has worked for various promotions such as Lucha Underground, AAA, IMPACT Wrestling and more.

In regards to a possible WWE return, Morrison admitted that WWE is a great company. Despite this, he assured that there are plenty of other cool promotions out there to work for. He’s happy with where he is currently at this point in his career and isn’t looking for a change:

“WWE is a great company. There is nothing specific on the horizon between me and them right now. I plan on staying with Lucha Underground for a while. As far as do I see anything on the horizon? Who knows.

“When I left WWE in 2012, I was planning on taking a year off, and now that’s turned into quite a while. But I couldn’t be happier outside of WWE right now, because of places like MLW, Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground and independent promotions all over the place.

“There are a lot of really cool places to work outside of WWE, and I’m having a really great time doing that right now.”

It looks like more changes could be coming to yet another title match on WWE’s SummerSlam card.

As it stands, Carmella is defending her SmackDown Live Women’s Title in a Triple Threat match against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. Asuka is being advertised to face Carmella on SmackDown Live in Orlando next week.

With a potential Asuka victory it’s rumored she could be added into the SmackDown Live Women’s Title match at SummerSlam. This is similar to how Charlotte Flair earned her way into the SmackDown Live Women’s Title match.

That would make the SmackDown Live Women’s Title match a Fatal Four-Way bout.

Asuka’s WWE Run

Asuka signed with WWE back in 2015. She went on an undefeated streak that lasted two years through her run in NXT and the main roster. Asuka won the NXT Women’s Title and eventually relinquished it upon her main roster move.

Her streak ended at WrestleMania 34 when she was defeated by Charlotte Flair. Flair successfully defended her then-SDL Women’s Title. Since being defeated Asuka has lost several times on WWE TV. It should be interesting to see if Asuka ever gets a World Title run on the WWE’s main roster after having her streak snapped.

Kofi Kingston recently spoke to The Orlando Sentinel to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Kingston talked about his journey through the professional wrestling world and finally landing with WWE.

At one point, Kingston discussed the best part about being a WWE Superstar. He said that having the ability to inspire others and put a smile on children’s faces takes the cake:

“I’m just a guy. I happen to be on TV, which causes a lot of kids and even some adults to look up to me. … To see a child smiling because he met me is awesome, because who knows what it might inspire?

“It might inspire him to do something he didn’t think he was going to do, to become a wrestler or become a doctor or whatever he wants.

“To be able to put a smile on somebody’s face or bring joy to somebody’s life is probably the best part of being a WWE superstar to me.”

Kingston’s WWE Career

Kingston has been with WWE since 2006 where he worked for the company’s Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) territory. Upon being called-up to the main roster, Kingston has led a successful WWE tenure.

He is a several time Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team Champion. Kingston is also one-third of one of the most successful WWE tag teams off all time, The New Day.

The passing of former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Christopher (Grandmaster Sexay) has saddened the professional wrestling world.

Christopher passed away at a Tennessee hospital after an apparent suicide attempt in prison. He attempted to hang himself and subsequently passed after his family got the opportunity to say their final goodbyes.

Earlier that week Christopher was arrested for a DUI and attempting to evade police. The Hardeman County Sheriff John Doolen revealed that, due to his notoriety, Christopher was placed in a cell by himself.

He also noted that Christopher wasn’t on suicide watch because the Sheriff’s Department “had no indication he was suicidal.” This has greatly upset former WWE star Sean “X-Pac” Waltman.

Waltman took to his podcast, X-Pac 12360, and expressed his frustration by the entire matter:

“I’m really pissed about this, really pissed,” Waltman said. “Because I’ve been in that situation in more than one way. And you don’t take someone that’s not done something violent or isn’t a danger to others.

“Even then, you don’t put somebody in solitary confinement. You don’t put people in solitary confinement for that long that didn’t do s–t and then go, ‘Oh, it wasn’t solitary confinement.’

“It’s f–king solitary confinement! I’ve been in it, if you’ve never actually been in it I don’t want to hear it from you at all. It’s torture.

“It drives you crazy, you don’t have to be suicidal, you become suicidal. You stay in there with no one to talk too staring at the walls for that long.”

Sharing Demons

He then dove into the similar issues he had to Christopher’s. Waltman revealed he once attempted to hang himself as well:

“I’ve been there and I’ve hung myself and so I know. I have a pretty good idea of where [Christopher] was and it’s just about the worst place you can ever imagine. Not only are you in the lowest possible place but you die that way.

“You never come up out of it… I love [Christopher], I was tight with Brian in WWE. He was crazy as f–k no doubt, but if you knew him like I did you would know he’s a real wonderful guy.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRTT1KvjVFQ]

Samoa Joe has found himself in the main event scene over on SmackDown Live.

The former NXT Champion will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam later this month. The event goes down on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19, 2018.

“The Destroyer” spoke to Sportskeeda about his WWE Championship opportunity. During their conversation Joe also discussed having worked on both the RAW and SmackDown Live brands. Joe explained the differences in backstage environments between the two shows:

“Well, backstage, I do my own thing and have my own spots in the locker room so environmentally it’s not very different for me. But, the backstage environments are vastly different, but that is mainly because of the personalities.

“You’ve got some very unique individuals in the WWE and it’s a completely different nexus on SmackDown than it is on Raw.”

Joe also talked about possibly winning the WWE Title, who he’d like his first defense to be against and who has the best chance to shine on the main roster from NXT. You can read the full interview here.

Taya Valkyrie has cleared up her status with IMPACT Wrestling.

The near-10 year veteran has worked for promotions such as WWE, AAA, Lucha Underground and IMPACT. The 36-year-old Canadian, and wife of former WWE Intercontinental Champion John Morrison, recently spoke to Interactive Wrestling Radio.

She discussed her current status with IMPACT Wrestling and revealed she’s still working with the promotion:

“I’m still working with Impact. There’s nothing wrong or whatever. It just is the way that it is right now. I look forward to getting back there very shortly and continuing to do some great work with them.”

Valkyrie also put over the IMPACT Knockouts division, saying the roster is made up of some of the best wrestlers she has ever worked with:

“The female locker room, the Knockouts division, are some of the best female wrestlers I’ve ever encountered. I’m just really honored to be working with them.

“I’m just doing what I’m doing right now which is promoting Lucha Underground and all the projects I’m involved in. So, don’t you worry! I will be back in the Impact Zone! (laughs)”

Undertaker Congratulates Kane On Mayoral Race Win

As we’ve reported, WWE Superstar Kane has won his mayoral campaign in Knox County. “The Big Red Machine” is now the mayor elect of Knox County in Knoxville, Tennessee. He defeated Democratic adversary Linda Haney.

This makes Kane the third person in WWE history to acquire a position in political office, behind Jessie Ventura and Linda McMahon. Kane’s former WWE Tag Team Championship partner, The Undertaker, took to Instagram and congratulated his WWE storyline brother:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl_o2HCgSPQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Another NWO Member Visits The WWE Performance Center

Scott Hall visited the WWE Performance Center this past week to help train the talent. PWInsider reports that Hall wasn’t the only member of the NWO who stopped by the Performance Center. Kevin Nash was also in attendance to share a thing or two with the young talent of WWE.

It looks like the WWE could make it a habit to continue to nab UFC stars from the MMA world.

After acquiring Ronda Rousey, holding a special Performance Center workout with ex-UFC champ Cain Velasquez and rumors of inking Matt Riddle to a deal – this could become the norm for WWE. Now WWE could possibly get their hands on Paige VanZant.

VanZant, a UFC strawweight contender, is one of the more beautiful fighters on the promotion’s roster. The WWE has shown interest in working with her before. VanZant opened up on the possibility in a recent interview with Fightful.

The 24-year-old is currently nursing an injury but says she’d still love to make a WWE appearance in the future:

“Yeah, definitely. Even before my career’s over, I’d love to make an appearance in WWE. I love the organization and it’s such a different form of athleticism, I think I’d have a great crossover because of my Dancing With The Stars Experience, and MMA experience, and athletic background.

“I’m focused right now on just healing my arm, I can’t really do anything until that’s done. I wouldn’t say necessarily there’s a specific person I like watching. I’m really into the WWE Divas, whenever the women are on, I focus on them.

“I pay attention (to Ronda) as much as I can. I would love to go to the live show,” said VanZant. “I have a lot of things in the works, I’m still building up my career while I can.”

Alicia Fox will welcome Ronda Rousey to the Monday Night RAW ring next week.

Fox will go one-on-one with “The Rowdy One” in her first match on the program. Fox is one of the more rambunctious female characters in WWE. While most would describe her character as “crazy,” Fox prefers using words such as “sassy” and “firecracker.”

She recently spoke to Void Magazine and described her TV character. Fox also revealed some pointers she received from Vince McMahon. “The Chairman Of The Board” told Fox to go crazy, tear things up and mess with the announcers:

“My character, well, she’s I guess kind of sassy. Her thing is like, “fancy as a fox.” [laughs]. I’ve developed into this like off the wall, firecracker. The word ‘crazy’ might not capture it. But I came back from injury and turned into a heel [bad guy].

“We’ve been reintroducing the character. I’ve been bullying people. It’s really fun to play the bad guy, the coward. I get the crowd riled up, throw drinks at them [laughs]. It started in one match, where they told me just to throw a fit. [WWE Executive] Vince [McMahon] told me to just go crazy, tear things up, knock the announcer’s hat off his head.

“Throw iPads in water. So after my match, I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I just did it. And the crowd really reacted. It was this whole mood swing. It really worked.”

Upon departing WWE back in 2004, Brock Lesnar ventured off into a few other activities.

“The Beast” attempted to play in the National Football League (NFL) and also won the UFC heavyweight title as a mixed martial artist. In 2005 Lesnar returned to wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

He won the IWGP Heavyweight Title in October of that year. One of Lesnar’s title defenses came against current WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura. Per Squared Circle Subreddit, some excerpts from Nakamura’s The King of Strong Style: 1980-2014 book reveal that he took issue with Lesnar’s NJPW run.

No Passion For The Business

Nakamura talked about getting to main event a NJPW show at the Tokyo Dome against Lesnar. The moment was spoiled, however, as he felt Lesnar didn’t have the same passion for the business as he did. It was the first time he cried in pro wrestling:

“Part of that was luck. But that match was seriously rough. First, Lesnar was saying all this stuff about how he respected New Japan, but it felt to me like that was just for show, that he didn’t really respect the promotion.

“Like, somewhere, he was looking down on Japanese people. I lost the match, and that was the first time I cried at pro wrestling after a match. It was the main event at Tokyo Dome. This was a pretty hallowed stage, and I knew I hadn’t fought the way I imagined I would.

“And there was, like, this temperature difference between me and Lesnar. I didn’t get the sense he had any love for pro wrestling. It felt like he was just doing his job.”

Nicking The IWGP Title

“The King Of Strong Style” also took issue with Lesnar not returning the IWGP Heavyweight Title:

“I felt like this was too much; he was seriously scoffing at us. Lesnar won the championship and took the belt home, I told Simon if the company didn’t get it’s shit in order, that belt was definitely going to get nicked.

“I didn’t honestly believe that when we fought. But it ended up just like I feared. He has the physical stuff, plus a straightforward strength and a certain amount of flexibility, so there was a bit of the monster to him.

“But I didn’t like his personality, you know? He might have made a real mark in UFC, but he didn’t even seem to notice the audience booing. I was like, ‘Oh, this guy’s a heel to the core.’”

Daniel Bryan Calls Out The Miz For Match At SummerSlam

On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan challenged The Miz to a match at SummerSlam. Bryan called out Miz for his attack on him last week on Tuesday night. He also mentioned how Miz tortured him for two years when he thought Bryan couldn’t ever wrestle again.

Bryan said once Miz heard that he had been cleared he knew he couldn’t beat him in a fight. Miz appeared on the big screen and claimed to be on location for his Miz & Mrs. show. He also said that he’s done with Bryan. Miz said that if Bryan really wants a match with him to call his agent.

Bryan then belittled Miz’s acting career and said he’ll never be a real star like The Rock and John Cena. Check out the segment here:

What does @mikethemiz think about getting off the @MizAndMrsTV set and heading to #SummerSlam for a match with @WWEDanielBryan?! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/P9I7G5ChEE

— WWE (@WWE) August 1, 2018

"All these people, they look at you, and all they see is one thing… WAH, WAH WAH." – @mikethemiz #SDLive @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/cnlkYYVdy9

— WWE (@WWE) August 1, 2018

Curt Hawkins On How He Relates To The New York Mets

Last night Curt Hawkins’ beloved New York Mets were destroyed 25-4 by the Washington Nationals. It’s rather poetic considering the losing spell Hawkins currently finds himself in as well.

Hawkins recently addressed this when a fan confronted him on Twitter about last night’s game. He said he and The Mets were made for each other:

So how does it feel to be a Mets fan right now? @TheCurtHawkins

— Ricky (@DrumsRicky) August 1, 2018

I’ve lost 213 matches in a row. The @Mets and I are made for each other. #LGM https://t.co/Zflq8Yi3yN

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) August 1, 2018

WWE had some interesting plans for Jinder Mahal when he returned to WWE.

“The Modern Day Maharaja” returned to WWE in 2016. After a year of being back in the WWE fold he entered the WWE Title picture. Mahal defeated Randy Orton in May of last year to capture his first WWE World Title of his career.

The victory shocked most of the WWE Universe, who would’ve never expected the former Three Man Band (3MB) member to ever win a World Title in WWE. It looks like Mahal very nearly went in the opposite direction.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reports on Twitter that WWE at one point had different plans for Mahal. Apparently there was a pitch for a “Mahal Monitor” character who would serve as a self-appointed authority figure of the backstage hallways:

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1024105118092877824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1024105118092877824&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fan-interesting-pitch-that-was-made-for-jinder-mahals-character-before-his-wwe-return%2F

Mahal’s WWE Run

Mahal first signed with WWE back in 2010. He made his main roster debut in April of 2011 and had run-ins with The Great Khali. Mahal eventually landed himself in the comedic 3MB faction alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater.

Both Mahal and McIntyre were subsequently released from WWE two years later in June of 2014. After two years of working the indies, Mahal returned to WWE in 2016. Only one year later did Mahal reach the top of the WWE mountain by capturing the promotion’s World Title.