Ring Of Honor (ROH) has resigned Jonathan Gresham to a new deal.
Gresham, 31, has appeared for the promotion on numerous occasions prior to signing his first with ROH in 2017. He has been performing for the company more consistently over the past few months. Gresham has faced off against notable talent such Silas Young and Zack Sabre Jr. He has even competed in a 30-minute Iron Man match with former ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal.
It’s reported that he has moved to Baltimore to assume a more active role within the ROH Dojo—the ROH equivalent to WWE’s Performance Center.
The Octopus
Nicknamed “The Octopus”—thanks to his grapple heavy, mat-based offense that seems to wrap around his opponents—Gresham recently competed in NJPW.
He participated in this year’s Best Of Super Juniors, winning 4 of his matches which granted him 8 points by the end of the tournament.
With a wealth of global experience, Gresham has wrestled for numerous promotions including Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, PROGRESS Wrestling. He even had a stint in TNA back in 2016.
It will be interesting to see how ROH utilize “The Octopus” on their roster, especially given his notable push against some of their top talent.
Both Andrade and Charlotte Flair have been off of WWE programming in recent weeks.
This is due to the unfortunate passing of Andrade’s mother. He discovered the sad news whilst he was out in Saudi Arabia for WWE’s Super ShowDown event.
It was reported via F4WOnline.com that Charlotte Flair was scheduled to return over the weekend. She was meant to perform at a WWE Live Event in Denver, Colorado. She would not work any of that weekend’s live events as she is still taking time off to support her boyfriend, Andrade.
Taking to social media, “El Idolo” thanked WWE, Charlotte, and the WWE Universe for all the support they have given him.
“Many thanks to WWE, family, girlfriend, friends and fans for all the support !! GRACIAS TE AMO MAMA”
Many thanks to WWE, family, girlfriend, friends and fans for all the support !! GRACIAS TE AMO MAMA??
— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) June 16, 2019
Charlotte also posted something recently to her Twitter account. With SmackDown Live moving to Fox TV, she wanted to make sure people know that she will soon be the queen of not only Smackdown, but also Fox.
The two are scheduled for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Ontario, California. Neither Superstar is booked for WWE’s upcoming pay-per-view, Stomping Grounds. The PPV takes place this Sunday from Tacoma, Washington, and doesn’t appear to be selling in the way WWE will have anticipated.
From engaging with the WWE Universe to running shows specifically broadcast via Facebook, WWE has embraced social media wholeheartedly.
Whilst out in Orlando delivering a key note speech, Stephanie McMahon spoke about WWE’s initial social media strategy with SpaceCoastDaily.com.
WWE Universe
Reflecting on her time in WWE, Stephanie admitted that there have been numerous changes, particularly in how technology allows people to connect with one another.
“The two biggest changes have been technology and what technology provides to really connect us all. We are talking about sports, and we are talking about community. Digital and social media has really allowed us to engage and interact with our fanbase in a much more direct way.”
“It’s 100 percent of 100 percent”
WWE’s decision to embrace social media came from her father, Vince McMahon. She credits him with having the foresight to utilise these platforms to their advantage.
“It was my father [Vince McMahon] that really had the foresight in terms of social media. He said, ‘Social media is not 1 percent of 100 peoples jobs or 100 percent of 1 person’s job, it’s 100 percent of 100 percent.’ He looked at a time when he had to prove himself to his father, my father grew WWE from a regional company to a global entertainment media company currently valued at just over $6 billion. So that has been the biggest change to me.”
Whether it’s via a social media channel or a streaming service like YouTube, WWE has continued to adapt, using modern platforms to bring their product to as many people as possible.
With WWE locking down talent, people are still questioning the promotion’s use of ‘independent contractors’ to describe their contracted Superstars.
Former WWE Superstar, and current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler, Chris Jericho, discussed the ‘independent contractor’ culture that WWE has cultivated. The topic arose as he spoke with Jesse “The Body” Ventura on RT America.
“I think the way that the union will happen is when television stations go through the Screen Actors Guild type of thing and force the union to happen,” Jericho said.
“I think right now is the best time for wrestlers. There’s a lot of options, there’s a lot of ways to put that money away and put that money aside to be able to take care of yourself in the future. There’s a lot of guys from the ’80s, your generation, that weren’t able to do that and are having a lot of issues with healthcare and that sort of thing. It’s something I believe in—helping a lot of those guys.”
Jericho called the current system “flawed” before claiming that AEW is “[…] more about wrestlers and not just in that respect, but also as far as being in control of who you are as a performer. There is a lot of micromanaging going on in the WWE right now as far as writers, and scriptwriters, and script doctors, and all this sort of thing. That’s something that isn’t good for the business either. AEW has a fresh perspective on all of those things. I think it is something that will change the business.”
He went on to confirm that, despite his appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling, he is an employee of AEW and that he enjoys the “big-time sports mentality” that they have adopted versus WWE’s old school model.
Many continue to speculate over whether CM Punk will ever really return to pro wrestling.
Despite making masked appearances for smaller indie promotions, delivering the odd GTS in the process, CM Punk has purposefully distanced himself from pro wrestling as a whole. In recent years, Punk has instead been pursuing a career in Mixed Martial Arts.
WWE Hall Of Famer, Mark Henry, believes it’s only a matter of time until fans see CM Punk back in the squared circle.
Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Henry explained his thought process behind this belief. When asked if he believes Punk will come back, he responded:
“I do. The biggest part of that reason is because I know how much he loves wrestling.”
He shared in Punk’s frustration in how WWE treated some of their best talents, refusing to grant them opportunities because of what they may have looked like. According to Henry, Punk grew frustrated with not being able to work with those he considered top talent.
“Sometimes in pro wrestling, there are guys that are on the bench that shouldn’t be on the bench. […] Punk did not like that. It’s like ‘put the best people out there and quit worrying about what they look like.’ If they’re good, the fans will love from for being good.”
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 14, 2019
CM Punk originally left WWE in 2014. He hasn’t been involved in a pro wrestling matchup since that time. Regarding his MMA exploits, Punk has had two UFC fights. He would lose fights against Mickey Gall and Mike Jackson, respectively.
Punk has also begun pursuing acting, taking a part in upcoming horror movie, Girl On The Third Floor.
Turns out there may be more layers and nuance to Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House than many assumed.
Former WWE Superstar, Lance Storm, made the claims on Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez. He asserted that the majority of what has been shown on screen contains more subtext than what fans may have initially realized.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the writers making fun of Vince McMahon right in front of his nose with these segments?” he asked. “The Firefly Fun House is the WWE. The opening segment is ‘we’re glad you’re a friend, it’s a friendship that will never end’, and Bray keeps doing the ‘let me be the light, I’ll show you the way,’ and then all of the skits are all of the inside complaints about the company.”
Break It Down
Storm then broke down the events that have transpired on the Firefly Fun House over the past few weeks, juxtaposing characters that have appeared with situations that may have occurred in real life.
“There was the husky pig that was eating too much, and it’s like you’ll never get a push because you’re a fat slob. There was the buzzard that ate the rabbit and ate up his own to get ahead and was rewarded for it. In the last one that I saw, Bray bludgeoned the rabbit with a hammer because he was revealing the secrets on what really happens in the Firefly Fun House. It was Dean Ambrose! All of these skits are all of the inside bad stories you hear about WWE. The Firefly Fun House is the WWE!” he reiterated.
He highlighted the gloves Bray has been wearing, Hurt and Heal.
Apparently, it was a running joke in the past that in WWE you either got the carrot or the stick, something Storm believes the gloves relate to.
Lance wasn’t sure if Vince McMahon realizes what’s happening at his, supposed, expense, or if he’s doing it thinking no-one in the WWE Universe will understand, but at least according to Lance Storm, these segments are all burying WWE.
“The one video I saw, Bray’s hammering a sign on the door and it says ‘abandon all hope, ye who exit here.’ It’s threatening people, if you leave WWE, then you can abandon all hope. These skits, if Vince realizes what they are, I’m like ‘why would you put them out there?’ If he doesn’t, then are the writers laughing that they are able to get this stuff on television?”
Vince McMahon’s Approval
Alvarez countered Storm’s argument, stating that nothing would be done without Vince McMahon’s express approval—including the Devil puppet that bears a striking resemblance to Vince himself. If that’s the case, then every subtle reference is either intentional or inadvertent.
It was recently reported that WWE has been taking the approach that Storm brought up, with the company trying to create the sense amongst its roster that if they were to leave WWE, their careers would be effectively over.
Since WWE’s power couple of John Cena and Nikki Bella split up, the two have run the gamut from claiming to be friends to posting cryptic tweets that may, or may not, have been about each other.
Now John Cena is supposedly dating someone new—in this case Shay Shariatzadeh. Being a major WWE Superstar and blockbuster actor, however, has meant that Cena has had to concede a lot of his privacy, especially when it comes to his relationships.
In an interview with People.com, Cena claimed that he’s learned to no longer let rumors and online speculation bother him.
“I know who I am, and I think that’s very important,” he says. “It’s fine for people to have questions, but it’s fine for me to give or protect certain information.”
“One Day At A Time”
Since Cena and Nikki Bella split up, Cena states that he has taken time to assess his “values and beliefs,” ultimately making the decision to keep his personal life out of public eye.
“I think it’s imperative to try things,” he explains. “If you try it and you don’t like it, you don’t need to try it again. I don’t ever judge anybody or criticize anybody for what they share or what they don’t share because I’m not them.”
Although Cena and Shariatzadeh have been pictured together, neither have confirmed the relationship, with Cena sharing that he is taking things “one day at a time” as he focuses on his branching career, including becoming the new host for the TV show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader.
Arn Anderson has clarified his current status in the pro wrestling industry. The former-WWE employee spoke with The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast and addressed his current career choices.
Naturally, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was brought up as a key focus in during their conversation.
“We Haven’t Had That Discussion As Of Yet”
Anderson emphatically told the show that he does not work for AEW, explaining that they have not yet had that particular conversation.
“I wasn’t at the show,” Arn confessed. “I was there doing some signings and I did a stage show that I did with Tony Schiavone and I didn’t go to the show because I didn’t want anybody coming up because make no mistake about it, I do not work for AEW, we haven’t had that discussion as of yet—and not to say I wouldn’t be honored somewhere down the road to be offered a position with those guys.”
He explained that part of the reason they haven’t spoken about Arn becoming a part of AEW is due to WWE’s non-disclosure agreement.
“[…] we just haven’t had that conversation because, quite frankly, I am legally bound to a non-disclosure agreement and for a few more months I am going to be still on a severance package. I can’t talk to anybody about anything as far as going forward, but with that being said I was so excited for them that I might as well have been working for them because I was pulling for them every step of the way and they paid it off.”
Arn had high praise for Cody’s vision and the entire AEW operation, comparing it to Jim Crockett Promotions because of how everyone is so excited to perform for their audience. He claimed that if a fan doesn’t “feel good about what is going on with AEW and the impact it has had on the business, you are a fool, and that’s it.”
Certain pro wrestling fans continue to forget what is and isn’t acceptable whilst watching wrestlers perform.
During AAA’s event last night, Impact wrestler, Scarlett Bordeaux, was grabbed by a fan during her matchup. As she was getting back to her feet on the outside, an overzealous fan reached over and grabbed her from behind.
Her partner, Lady Shani, helped to pull her away from the barricade and back towards the ring.
Scarlett has since commented on the incident, explaining that she wasn’t aware of what had happened in the moment.
She wrote the following on Twitter:
“It is NEVER okay to touch a performer without their consent. I didn’t realize what happened until I watched the footage afterwards being so in the moment after a dive with my back turned otherwise I would have reacted much differently. Thnx to @LadyShaniAAA for having my back”
Scarlett Bordeaux was partnering with both Lady Shani and Taya Valkyrie. They were involved in a six-man matchup against Chik Tormenta, La Hiedra, and Tessa Blanchard.
It is NEVER okay to touch a performer without their consent. I didn’t realize what happened until I watched the footage afterwards being so in the moment after a dive with my back turned otherwise I would have reacted much differently. Thnx to @LadyShaniAAA for having my back https://t.co/2YKT64sKIj
— Scarlett Bordeaux (@Lady_Scarlett13) June 16, 2019
Recently, another incident took place between Ring Of Honor (ROH) female talent and a supposed fan. That incident ended up with Bully Ray having words with the individual backstage. This lead to drastically different accounts of the event.
In another exchange, a fan was ejected from an Impact event after spitting on Taya Valkyrie.
The Street Profits are enjoying a run of success in WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT, with the two recently becoming NXT Tag Team Championships.
In an interview what the Not Sam Wrestling Podcast, one-half of the team, Montez Ford, reflected on how the team originally came together.
Rising Profits
“The whole Street Profits act, it’s crazy how it started,” Ford said. “[…] At the time, a couple of people came to us with the idea of us being a tag team. We started tagging in the Florida shows and just trying to get a groove of: ‘What do we want to present to the world?’ We already know who we are, but it is just a process of putting me and Dawkins together and who we are as people and trying to translate it into professional wrestling.”
He continued, “I think the art of NXT is putting your personalities through what we do in the ring. Just putting the personalities on board and trying to understand what we are trying to bring into the world. Once we had the tapings, a couple of ideas of putting us together and we ended up meshing together.”
Ford admitted that “Everything that has been put together as far as Street Profits is Dawkins and I just bouncing ideas off of each other and doing things while we are out there.”
The Street Profits claimed the NXT Tag Team Championships during a Four-Way Ladder Match at NXT TakeOver XXV. They defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, The Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, and Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons.
Rey Mysterio has named the current WWE Superstar that he believes will be the future of the promotion.
Speaking with the WINCLY Podcast, Mysterio named his recent rival, Andrade, as an undeniable talent who could have big things on the horizon in WWE.
“This kid is awesome. I mentioned it before in previous interviews, but every time I’m in the ring with him, there’s an affiliation to how I would move with Eddie [Guerrero],” admitted Mysterio. “This is how good he is: he’s thinking a step ahead before you even move. He already knows the positioning and knows exactly what to do and how to do it. My hat goes off to Andrade as he’s definitely the future of WWE.”
Mysterio then addressed the only thing that could be holding Andrade back at this point in time: his English. He does believe, however, that the work Andrade is putting into learning the language will pay off, helping to make him an even bigger Superstar.
“Just like anybody else – once you can dominate the mic skills and English, then he is bound to become a star,” replied Mysterio. “I’ve seen him work on his English, and it’s a slow process, but he’s moving forward. Once he dominates his English language, he’s on his way to stardom.”
A few months ago, Rey Mysterio and Andrade consistently stole the show with their series of matches on SmackDown Live.
Mexican promotion AAA held their Verano de Escandalo event last night.
During the show, the Lucha Brothers, Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr., would defeat The Young Bucks in tag team action, reclaiming the AAA World Tag Team Championships in the process.
The Young Bucks won the titles from the Lucha Brothers earlier this year. They would successfully defend the belts against Fenix and Pentagon Jr. during All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) recent show, Double Or Nothing.
Working Relationship
AEW, who have a working relationship with AAA (as well as several other promotions worldwide), posted the following to their Twitter account following the victory:
“#AndNEW @luchalibreaaa World Tag Team Champions @PENTAELZEROM and @ReyFenixMx #LuchaBros”
This relationship between the promotions will probably see the two teams continue to feud as AEW continues to grow. They are scheduled to face off in 6-man tag team action at AEW’s next event, Fyter Fest.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) June 17, 2019
Fyter Fest
At the time of writing, the current Fyter Fest card is as follows:
Pre-Show Hardcore Match
Michael Nakazawa vs Alex Jebailey
Main Card
Cody vs Darby Allin
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson) vs Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix), and TBA
Jon Moxley vs Joey Janela
Adam Page vs Jimmy Havoc vs Jungle Boy vs MJF
Christopher Daniels vs Cima
Yuka Sakazaki vs Riho vs Nyla Rose
Fyter Fest takes place on June 29th from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is taking place alongside the Community Effort Orlando (CEO) fighting game event.
Mike Kanellis has taken to Twitter to once again vent his frustrations. He claimed that 205 Live provides the best wrestling show on WWE television before stating that WWE simply doesn’t care about the 205 Live roster.
His initial statement read:
“Once again @WWE205Live puts on the best WRESTLING show of the week. Are you paying attention now? #wwe @WWE”
This tweet would garner the attention of the WWE Universe, with fans suggesting that WWE doesn’t care about 205 Live. Kanellis would reply to this, agreeing that “They don’t. But the roster does. And everyone involved with 205 cares more than you could possibly imagine.”
While some sided with Kanellis’ assertions, others were more dismissive, highlighting that there is just too much content to watch, suggesting that 205 Live is a show that can be skipped because of it.
He explained that the entire 205 roster have a chip on their shoulder and that’s why they attempt to steal the show every week, despite being resoundingly ignored by WWE.
Mike Kanellis and his wife, Maria, have both recently been featured more prominently on 205 Live. This comes off the back of reports that they had requested their releases earlier in the year. Further reports suggest that their WWE contracts expire this summer.
Impact wrestler, Killer Kross, has divulged more information as to why he asked the company for his release. The promotion allegedly denied his request, suggesting that he instead get a second job to subsidise his earnings.
Appearing on the Wrestling Perspective podcast, Kross confirmed the reports.
“Being Told To Go Get Another Job By Your Job, That’s F***** Up”
Kross initially attempted to negotiate a new six-figure deal for himself, but Impact countered with a restructured three-year contract that was well below what Kross was asking for.
“I personally really don’t really need much,” he said. “But it’s just different when you have people to take care of, circumstances change in life. You can’t anticipate it. […] Being told to go get another job by your job, that’s f****d up. You’re struggling to make ends meet taking care of people, and the job that you can barely afford to have tells you to go get another job so you can keep that job. It’s like working at a corporation being told to go work at McDonald’s. It’s a weird feeling.”
“[…] I found out how much people are being paid, and I wanted to be paid on the same scale as that,” he said.
“I wasn’t asking for anything that was honestly unreasonable. In all sincerity. And I’m not gonna bullsh*t you guys. I really wasn’t. That’s ok if the company does not agree that I am worth that. I will not take offense to that. That’s ok. It’s not my company. I’m just an employee. And I’m not saying that because I think I’m supposed to say that. But if they really feel that way after one year, if they feel that I’m not worth what I’m asking…professionally, kindfully, please…let me go somewhere else, and I will prove it to everyone that I can draw what I’m asking for.”
At the time of writing, Killer Kross is still an active member of Impact Wrestling’s roster.
With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) posing as a viable rival to WWE, it’s no surprise that the promotion is doing all it can to keep its Superstars under WWE contract.
Numerous Superstars who recently left WWE have appeared for AEW including Chris Jericho, Cody and the former Tye Dillinger, Shawn Spears.
To combat this, WWE is doing it all it can to try and convince its roster to stay under contract. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, WWE is pushing the narrative that leaving would end a Superstar’s career.
The company are also attempting to subtly establish this idea amongst the WWE Universe. This is why Yolo County Tag Team Champions were featured this past week on WWE programming. The idea WWE are pushing is that if you’re not in WWE, then you’re a joke.
This is by no means the first time WWE has attempted to push this concept. When Cody first left, people believed his career would be over the minute he was gone. That obviously wasn’t the case.
Now, however, the narrative has changed. Meltzer claimed that the reality has been “exposed” and Superstars can see that leaving WWE will no longer kill their career. In many cases, leaving may allow it to thrive for the first time in years.
It looks like WWE Studios has entered into a new relationship with Netflix. Interestingly, however, neither company has officially announced their new working partnership.
PWInsider has reported that the first collaborative effort between WWE Studios and the streaming platform will be begun shooting this summer.
The shoot will be done in Vancouver, British Colombia with filming starting later this month, carrying on through until late August.
WWE Studios have been working with Netflix to develop original feature films. The plan is to release them straight onto Netflix’s streaming platform, potentially foregoing WWE’s usual straight-to-DVD model. These movies will be aimed at children and families.
The Main Event
The movie itself is entitled The Main Event. It will tell the story of a bullied ten-year-old boy who dreams go growing up to become a WWE professional wrestler. However, he gets to live his dream earlier than expected when he discovers the secret to having super-strength in his breakfast cereal, becoming “The Spaghetti Kid.”
This being a WWE Studios project, WWE Superstars are rumored to be involved. John Cena is supposedly referenced and featured in a cameo at some point during the movie. Other Superstars slated to appear in The Main Event include Sheamus, The Miz, and Bray Wyatt.
The screenplay for The Main Event was written by Larry Postel. He wrote another film called Flip Turn that, although produced earlier in the year, has yet to be released.
“The Freak” Lars Sullivan is reportedly dealing with an injury that appears to be more severe than initially believed.
According to F4Wonline.com, Sullivan was booked to appear during this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown but would end up pulled from the match due to an injury.
New information has since been revealed, highlighting that Sullivan is suffering from a knee injury. There are no definitive details pertaining to the seriousness of the injury itself, though it was said it doesn’t look like a small thing.
Lars will be undergoing an MRI scan to allow WWE to understand the extent of the damage. At the time of writing, there is no prospective return date for “The Freak.”
Freak ShowDown
Lars Sullivan recently defeated The Lucha House Party in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Despite being booked as a monster heel, Sullivan would actually pick up the win via disqualification. This was the result of a relentless attack by the Lucha House Party.
Sullivan would demolish the luchas after the matchup had concluded. The DQ ending wasn’t the original finish to the matchup, but Vince McMahon made the decision to change it up.
A rematch took place this week on Monday Night RAW, which Sullivan won in decisive fashion.
Tama Tonga and his brother, Tanga Loa—collectively, The Guerrillas Of Destiny (GOD)—made an interesting challenge during their post-Dominion match interview.
The pair would throw out a couple of key WWE team names, taunt them as they demanded “fresh blood” to challenge for their titles.
It appears as though those WWE teams heard GOD as The Usos and The Revival have responded to the request via Twitter.
The Usos wrote “DAMN. EVERYBODY WANT DIS WORK HUH??” whilst The Revival took a more direct approach, telling GOD “You know where we are. #FTR”
Guerillas Of Destiny made the demands crystal clear during their backstage interview, with Tanga Loa saying, “Here’s what we want: some new f****** blood.”
It was at this point that Tama Tonga would call out their rival company’s teams.
“When we said this is an open invite, open challenge, an open invitation to anybody and everybody […] It’s open. You want some of us? Come. Usos? Come. FTR? Come get some. Don’t let the fences over there block you in. Come out to the open and play, boys. Come out to the open.”
GOD successfully defended their IWGP Tag Team titles against their Los Ingobernables de Japon opponents, EVIL and Sanada, during NJPW’s recent Dominion event.
They are also the current Ring Of Honor tag team champions. The brothers won both sets of belts during the ROH/NJPW co-promoted G1 Supercard on April 6th.
Jon Moxley may not be the only former-WWE Superstar joining this year’s G1 Climax.
During a Dominion post-match interview, “The Painmaker” Chris Jericho teased his interest in participating in this year’s tournament.
Appearing backstage with one of Kazuchika Okada’s “Rainmaker” dollars attached to his forehead, Jericho spoke with the Japanese press. He addressed his loss to Okada before claiming that “The Painmaker never loses, I win big tonight.”
“G1-icho”
“Maybe I’ll show up in the G1,” Jericho teased. “Maybe I want to be in the G1. What do you think about that? Maybe I’ll enter the G1.”
Jericho then asked “Is Okada in the G1? Is Tanahashi in the G1? If they’re in the G1, maybe I’ll show up in the G1, what do you think about that? And I’ll kick Jon Moxley’s ass, too. He still owes me $15,000 for ripping up my light-up jacket three years ago. […] They’re all in the G1. Maybe I’ll join the G1. Chris G1-icho, what do you think about that?”
He then issued a warning to Hiroshi Tanahashi, claiming that “The Ace” needs to watch his back. Jericho promised that if Tanahashi intends to compete in the G1 Climax tournament, he will be watching and waiting at every moment for his opportunity to prove why he is “The Painmaker.”
The latest Firefly Funhouse segment with Bray Wyatt that aired on Monday Night RAW has caused a stir, it seems.
The segment itself featured Bray Wyatt turning against his stuffed animal friend, Ramblin’ Rabbit. He ended up smashing Rabbit into a pulp with an oversized hammer. Once done, he tentatively tasted Rabbit’s blood, enjoyed it, and ultimately bottled it for sale.
Bully Ray shared his thoughts on the segment via Twitter, highlighting WWE’s PG-hypocrisy, writing ““ps…We cant use the name “Bully” but smashing a rabbits brains out with a Sledge-O-Matic is totally cool.”
He accompanied the tweet with several ‘laughing with tears’ emojis. The tweet ends with the hashtag “#BeA” and a star emoji—an obvious reference to WWE’s previous work with Be A Star.
ps…We cant use the name “Bully” but smashing a rabbits brains out with a Sledge-O-Matic is totally cool. ???#BeA??#RAW@BustedOpenRadio
Before leaving WWE, Bully Ray pitched the idea rebranding himself once more as the Bully character. This would have introduced a different side to him to a fanbase that may not have been familiar with the gimmick outside of TNA.
The fact that the character featured the name “Bully” was enough for WWE to nix the concept.
He would eventually get the opportunity to bring the character back in Ring Of Honor, where he has feuded with Flip Gordon and LifeBlood.
The matchup between The Undertaker and Goldberg from last Friday’s Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia continues to elicit debate amongst fans and industry professionals.
Many have expressed concern over the Superstars ability to perform in-ring, worried about their health and risk of injury since the fallout of their bout. Others decided to take the opportunity to mock the wrestling legends.
WWE Hall Of Famer, Mark Henry, has taken issue with those using their “Twitter fingers” in an attempt to put down ‘Taker and Goldberg.
“You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself”
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Henry stated that both wrestlers “deserve better” than to be taunted via social media and that they deserve the fan’s respect.
“Goldberg deserves the respect that he’s earned. The guy went in and busted his face open. He finished that match.” he said. “How about saying ‘thank you for not tapping out?’”
He continued, “He could have easily said ‘Hey man, I can’t see, I rung my bell.’ And they went into a series of Choke Slams and one, two, three, and it’s over. Could have done that. Didn’t do it. They went through it for you.”
“The twitter fingers, the people that probably can’t run a mile in under a day. The people that can’t lift their own body weight, do one pull up. People that don’t have any belief in nothing beyond their own nose,” he said. “Those are the people that came on social media and berated the Undertaker and Goldberg, when it was a travesty to the wrestling business because they deserved better than that. They deserved better than that. And anybody that sent a tweet like that, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Henry then lambasted those who have chosen to make fun of the two Superstars. He stated that people should “look at you differently” because of their decision to post blatant negativity on social media.
It turns out that Vince McMahon was keeping a particularly close eye on the competition this past Monday.
In an effort to boost viewership for this past week’s Monday Night RAW, Vince McMahon was allegedly monitoring the NBA Finals that took place between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors.
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, segments for the show were being adapted, edited, and moved throughout the entirety of RAW. This occurred because of what was transpiring during the NBA Finals.
“I can tell you for a fact that last night during RAW, they were monitoring the NBA game, and I believe that things were moved around as a result of what was happening during the game. They do keep an eye on things,” Alvarez claimed.
Subject To Change
No specific segment was pinpointed, but it’s worth noting that before the show began, WWE.com listed a preview showcasing The Revival facing off against Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. At that time, there was no mention of The Usos, who were later added into the championship matchup.
Last minute changes are far from new in how WWE are scripting their content. Just recently, the ending to Lars Sullivan’s Super ShowDown match was changed per Vince’s directive.
Despite Vince McMahon and WWE’s efforts, however, RAW still drew incredibly low ratings. The show accrued of the lowest ratings in recent times, attracting 2.125 million viewers into tuning into the action. In contrast, the NBA Finals drew 18.217 million viewers at 9PM on ABC.
Current WWE United States Champion, Samoa Joe, competed last Friday during WWE’s Super ShowDown event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The champion didn’t have a title defense, however, instead taking part in the 50-Man Battle Royal, which NXT Superstar Mansoor eventually won.
In an interview with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com, Joe recalled the experience of wrestling in the Saudi Arabian heat, and also touched on the injury he sustained at Money In The Bank.
“It Was A Chaotic Scene”
Joe described the Battle Royal as a “chaotic scene” adding that “let me tell you that in 101-degree weather and a lot of human body heat. It was quite the inferno in that ring.”
He explained that “That’s the kind of heat you don’t make adjustments for. You just realize it’s going to suck really, really bad. You’re going to have to grin and bear it. With the exception of maybe running sprints in a sauna, I don’t think there’s anything you can really do to prepare for that.”
“It Wasn’t A Break”
When asked about getting his nose busted during his match with Rey Mysterio at Money In The Bank, Joe confessed that it wasn’t a “major break” and that he’s had his nose broken enough times to know.
“I’ve broken it plenty of times and have stopped counting. Not really, it wasn’t a major break. Everything was fine. There’s always those who are very precautionary, which is appreciated. Yeah, it wasn’t a major issue. It wasn’t a break.”
Longing For A Long-Term Challnger
It was noted that Samoa Joe has yet to enter into a long-term feud for the United States championship. He replied that “I’ve always found myself in this unique situation in my career where people realized the magnitude of what it is to get into a program with me, but a lot of times, both creatively and physically, some cats aren’t ready for it. That’s the way I look at it. Yeah, obviously, I’m bummed. I’m out here searching for these long-term challengers and for that next great entanglement. It’s a process, but I think it’s going to happen, certainly.”
Samoa Joe competed in a losing effort last night on Monday Night RAW. He and his partners, Cesaro, and Bobby Lashley would lose to Ricochet, The Miz, and Braun Strowman.
Ricochet has since expressed his interest in challenging Samoa Joe for the championship—so it seems it won’t be long before Joe gets that long-term challenger he’s been waiting for.
Ricochet helped lead his team to victory last night on Monday Night RAW. He teamed up with Braun Strowman and The Miz to face off against Cesaro, Bobby Lashley, and the United States Champion, Samoa Joe.
The matchup was put together after MizTV guest, Samoa Joe, was interrupted by both Strowman and Lashley. The men made their arguments over why they were more deserving of a US title shot. Ricochet then inserted himself into the mix before being blind-sided by a sucker-punch from Cesaro.
In a post-match interview with Sarah Schreiber, Ricochet made his intentions clear: he wants a US championship match.
“I came out because almost every week those two are always arguing about who’s bigger and stronger,” Ricochet said. “And again, like I said, bigger and stronger, that’s not me, that’s not why I came here. I came here because I wanted to win. And tonight, I did that.”
He continued, “I’ve had some success in NXT, everybody knows that, but now I’m here, and I need to make an impact here. I’ve had a string of victories over the past couple of weeks, so I thought what better time to keep that momentum going, and I noticed Joe doesn’t really have any challengers, yet. So, I figured I’d step up, use that momentum to challenge for the US Championship, because, y’ know, that’s what it’s all about. Everyone can argue all they want, but I’m here to win.”
Given Samoa Joe’s recent comments regarding long-term challengers, it appears as though Ricochet may be exactly what the Samoan Submission Machine has been searching for.
Last night saw The Revival become crowned new RAW Tag Team Champions after emerging victorious from a triple threat match. The matchup also featured former-champions, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, as well as The Usos.
After the match, Kayla Braxton caught up with both Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins as they coped with having lost their titles.
“This one stings. It stings a lot, I can’t lie to you,” Hawkins said. “I lost 269 matches in a row, but this one hurts more than all those. We’ve been down this road before. It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last time. The slogan’s still going to be ‘Win, Lose, Never Defeated.’”
Ryder would then interject himself into the interview.
Clearly frustrated, he admitted that “It sucks. You weren’t the one who got pinned. I got pinned. You won the titles for us, and I just lost them. Everything we worked 10-plus years for I’ve just lost. And yeah, it’s our t-shirt, but it still sucks, man. I hate it. […] We’ve made a whole career out of coming back. That’s our story. The comeback.”
Ryder and Hawkins initially won the tag team championships from The Revival back on April 7th at WrestleMania 35. It’s not the first time the pair have held gold together, however, with the team claiming the tag championships back at the 2008 Great American Bash pay-per-view.
