Triple H has made a number of changes to WWE programming since coming to power. These alterations have generally been received positively by the fans. However, former WWE star Shane Thorne is not sure that they will stick to this formula.
The former Retribution member recently had an interview with Fightful. He talked about things such as his main roster run and more.
During the interview, Shane Thorne was asked if WWE can abandon the recent changes and revert back to how the programming was before Triple H took over. The former NXT star explained that people can get sick of the current formula in the future as well. This can potentially lead to further change:
“It’s a burnout process. You know what I mean? Like, it depends how long they can keep it up for. Because then who says in a year or two that this, we don’t get sick of this formula. [People can be like] ‘It’s too much change, I can’t keep up with it.’ People are fickle as they say.” said Shane Thorne, “It’s good though. I hear good things, I don’t watch it. I see things on the internet and it looks good. There is good buzz. People getting jobs back is good.”
Shane was part of the WWE roster from 2016 to 2020. He teamed up with Nick Miller and together they were known as TM-61. The two made some appearances on Raw in 2020 but were later sent back to NXT and disbanded. Thorne was then put in the Retribution faction and renamed to Slapjack. He was released from his contract in November last year.
Many people have called Triple H the best boss they have worked for. According to Scarlett, he is someone who is very accessible and a boss that she is very comfortable sharing ideas with.
When asked about working for Triple H, Scarlett explained that he is someone who actually loves wrestling. With him, you always feel like you’re in great hands:
“Sometimes you feel, as a woman you feel very shut down, you don’t feel comfortable talking to boss about certain ideas. Hunter is always there a text away. We just messaged him yesterday with certain ideas and certain character arcs and storylines, things like that.
It feels great to be able to have that kind of relationship with a boss who is accessible that way. You actually feel like he loves wrestling.” said Scarlett, “He actually loves wrestling. He wants to make the best show possible. So you just feel like you’re in great hands all the times.”
The former NXT duo were split up when they were brought up to the main roster during their initial run. Vince McMahon changed the gimmick of Kross and released the duo in November last year, only a few months after their call-up.
Triple H brought the two back not long after taking over the WWE creative earlier this month. Karrion Kross and Scarlett have been paired back, and they are now feuding with Drew McIntyre.
In 2008, Ric Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, marking the first-time an active Superstar had received the honor.
Flair retired (the first time) the next night, losing to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, but wasn’t finished being inducted.
Four years later, Flair was inducted yet again, this time as part of the Four Horsemen faction, becoming the first-ever two-time inductee into WWE’s Hall of Fame.
Doesn’t Belong
At this time, there are a total 234 entries into the WWE Hall of Fame, consisting of individual Superstars, Tag-Teams, Stables, Celebrity inductees, and Warrior Award recipients.
The Warrior Award is in honor of the Ultimate Warrior, who during his 2014 induction, addressed the idea of an award for the unsung heroes working within WWE.
On the latest edition of his ‘To Be The Man’ podcast, however, Flair addressed the Warrior’s legacy, and why he feels he doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame (via WrestleTalk.)
“You hold up the company, then you sue them – which he [The Ultimate Warrior] did, and then you end up in the Hall of Fame… There’s a lot of people in the Hall of Fame that are there for – I can’t figure out any rhyme or reason why they would be other than political stuff.”
Suing the Company
Flair is referencing Warrior’s lawsuits against WWE in 1996 and 1998, when the two sides fought for ownership of the Ultimate Warrior character.
The courts ruled that Warrior was legally entitled to use the gimmick, costuming, face paint designs, and mannerisms of the WWE character.
In January 2006, Warrior would again sue WWE, this time for libel following the release of the ‘The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior’ DVD.
The documentary saw several Superstars have unflattering comments about Warrior, though his libel case was thrown out in September 2009.
AEW has confirmed that the Casino Ladder match will be returning at the upcoming All Out PPV from Now Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
The unique match combines the elements of the Money In The Bank ladder match with the Casino Battle Royal, with the winner receiving a future world title shot.
The bout sees two competitors entering the ring every 90 seconds. Whoever retrieves the casino chip suspended above the ring is declared the winner. The match can end before all the participants have entered.
AEW confirmed during the August 19 Rampage that this match will be returning for All Out 2022. Though no participants for it were announced.
The company has held two Casino Ladder matches till now. The concept was originally introduced during the Double or Nothing PPV in 2020. Lance Archer won the first Casino ladder match but he was unsuccessful in winning the world title.
Hangman Page then won the second Casino Ladder match held during the October 6, 2021 episode of Dynamite. Page went on to defeat Kenny Omega for the AEW championship at Full Gear 2021.
Apart from this, the upcoming PPV will feature the finals of the trios title tournament, Thunder Rosa vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s title, and The Pinnacle vs. The Lethal Connection.
WWE then confirmed on this week’s episode of SmackDown that Stratus will also be making an appearance on Monday’s Raw. The former champion took on her Twitter after this announcement to share her excitement:
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens got to share a touching moment after this week’s episode of SmackDown from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The final segment of this week’s show featured a confrontation between the WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns and the #1 contender for the title Drew McIntyre.
The promo segment turned into a brawl towards the end. When McIntyre first tried to hit Reigns with a Claymore Kick, Sami Zayn interrupted and took the hit instead.
Roman Reigns then tried to hit a Spear on his opponent but the Scottish Warrior managed to counter. He hit a Claymore this time, and the show ended with McIntyre holding up the titles.
After the show went off air, Kevin Owens came out and shared a moment with his longtime best friend. Owens said that he is proud of Sami and that Zayn is finally getting the recognition he deserves.
Though Kevin also mentioned that the former El Generico is too good to be ‘Roman’s bitch.’ Riddle then came out and got the two stars to hug.
The fans then got to see a tag team match where Kevin Owens teamed up with Riddle. They defeated the team of Butch and Ridge Holland. You can check out photos and videos from the dark segment below:
After SmackDown went off air, Kevin Owens came out & said that he's proud of Sami Zayn
Kevin Owens and Riddle beat Butch and Ridge Holland.
Before that, Owens & Zayn shared a cool moment in the ring. Owens praised Sami, but said he's too good to be Roman's b!tch. Riddle then came out and got Owens & Sami Zayn to hug#WrestlingIsLifepic.twitter.com/yZC3Tx9iYx
WWE is making a change to the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament.
NXT stars Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attrraction will replace Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark in the first round match against Natalya and Sonya Deville.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has the official word below. According to the Heartbreak Kid, Stark sustained an injury at Tuesday’s NXT Heatwave event and is unable to compete.
Dolin & Jayne are former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, while Mandy Rose is the reigning NXT Women’s Champion.
Rose successfully beat Stark to retain her title on Tuesday’s episode of NXT 2.0: Heatwave after targeting the knee of Stark throughout the match and pinning her with a running knee strike while having Stark’s knee brace.
Stark was sidelined from October 2021 to July with a torn ACL/Meniscus.
Two segments were previously announced for tonight’s SmackDown, including The Viking Raiders holding a ‘viking funeral’ for The New Day and a face-to-face between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns ahead of their Undisputed WWE Universal Title bout at Clash at the Castle next month.
WWE looks to be locking in on their location for SummerSlam 2023 already.
WrestleVotes has reported that the company was so happy with how this year’s SummerSlam from Nashville turned out that the city is already on the short list to host the event yet again next year.
A decision is expected to be made by early 2023. This year’s SummerSlam was certainly a big one for the company. It was the first premium live event under Triple H after Vince McMahon’s retirement.
It certainly delivered in regards to the in-ring product. Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch showed out in an amazing curtain jerker of a RAW Women’s Title match. Logan Paul impressed with quite the in-ring performance in his win over The Miz.
Pat McAfee was entertaining as ever in a big one-on-one victory over Happy Corbin. And of course, the main event saw Roman Reigns successfully retain his WWE Undisputed Championship against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match.
(via WWE)
The match saw several big spots, including the ring nearly getting tipped over with Reigns inside, Theory teasing cashing-in his Money In The Bank, and The Usos assisting their Tribal Chief in the win by stacking several objects on top of him, preventing him from getting up.
Regardless of where SummerSlam takes place next year, it will have quite a show to follow after this year’s in Nashville, which saw an attendance of a reported 48,000.
WWE star Ciampa has offered up what he believes is the “craziest, funniest” part of Vince McMahon’s retirement.
Ciampa was recently interviewed on “Out Of Character” with Ryan Satin, where he gave his thoughts on the entire situation. The Monday Night RAW star noted that he believes the “craziest, funniest” part of it all was the fact that the 77-year-old McMahon retired via Twitter.
“The craziest, funniest part of it all was, of course the most powerful man in the history of professional wrestling tweeted out his retirement. One tweet, doesn’t need more than a 160 characters, no problem.
“It blew my mind. I heard a couple of texts before I saw it, and I looked and was like, ‘This is real.’ Aside from that, I’m not kidding you at all when I say that I just didn’t put much more thought into it.
“I’m just in such a different place in my life that I think my initial thing was, ‘I hope he’s happy. I hope he stops waking up at 3 AM to work out before his meetings. Dude, you deserve a retirement. You’re 77, go enjoy retirement.’
As we’ve noted, Vince McMahon was forced to step down as WWE CEO once allegations of sexual misconduct were levied against him. His daughter Stephanie McMahon and Nick Kahn then stepped in as co-CEOs in Vince’s place.
(via WWE)
Soon after, investigations began into the allegations into McMahon. As a result, McMahon then announced his retirement from WWE altogether, leaving his post as head of creative in WWE.
His son-in-law and multiple-time WWE World Champion Triple H would step up to fill the void. Although Ciampa has a great relationship with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, it’s a bittersweet ending to his working under McMahon.
“Of course, Hunter coming off all the health stuff, you’re like, ‘Well, I hope you’re ready for the deep end.’ But obviously, I have a good relationship with him and Steph, and their energy – it’s very positive.
“But I was also very much enjoying my time with Vince. I think everybody who gets into this, especially from our generation, wants that Vince pat on the back and bearhug and all that.
“He was giving me great feedback, and I was really happy with how things were developing. I’m still excited because when you give me an opportunity, I will take it and run.”
Sasha Banks has been an arch enemy for Charlotte Flair inside the ring and one of the best friends outside it for long. They started together at the bottom in NXT and have served as the faces of the Women’s Revolution alongside the other Horsewomen. That’s why Flair can’t even imagine never getting to wrestle the former champion again.
The Queen was the most recent guest of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. Among other things, she was asked for her thoughts on the situation with Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of WWE.
Charlotte Flair mentioned how she has been away from WWE since WrestleMania Backlash, so she doesn’t really know the real story behind their walkout. Flair did admit that she cannot imagine never getting to wrestle Banks again:
“One, I haven’t been there because I left after Backlash. I know what it’s like to jump on social media and read these headlines that are so far from the truth. So I don’t know what happened but what I can say is – ‘I can’t imagine never wrestling Sasha again.’”
– Charlotte Flair
‘She Is My Ricky Steamboat’: Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair then claimed that Banks is her Ricky Steamboat. She explained that she is not in the position to speak on behalf of the company or the competitors:
“That would be hard for me to compartmentalize. Cause we started together. She is my Ricky Steamboat. My dad always tells her that. Then with Trin [Naomi], we just had hell of a match on SmackDown. And I’m like ‘Oh there is unfinished business there because of circumstances and storyline, whatever.’
So for me, I just can’t imagine not working with them, but in terms of what they are going through, it’s not my place to speak on behalf of the company or them because I am not there right now.”
The good news for both Flair and the fans of Banks and Naomi is that a lot of things have changed in WWE recently. The regime change has led to much positive environment being established between the talent and the management. The result of it is that both the former champions have reportedly agreed to a new agreement with the promotion.
If you use any quotes from the article, please creditSEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Charlotte Flair is Steve Austin’s latest guest on The Broken Skull Sessions.
The two wrestling legends covered a lot of ground during the 90+ minute discussion. Topics discussed included breaking into the business, how her brother’s death changed the course of her life, coming up with the Four Horsewomen and much more.
The following are the main takeaways of what we learned from Charlotte Flair on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions.
They started off talking about her recent wedding to Andrade, which was held in his hometown in Mexico. They honeymooned in Costa Rica and were grateful to have a full 7-day break from wrestling, which is rare these days.
Charlotte said it can be difficult being married to someone in the business, especially someone who works for a different company. At the end of the day, they’re best friends. It can be tough being married in the business, but it would be even harder being a woman in the business being married to someone on the outside. Few people can understand what a woman goes through as a pro wrestler and spouses who are not in the business would have a very tough time understanding that life.
Breaking into the Business
Charlotte Flair on Steve Austin’s The Broken Skull Sessions (via WWE)
She’s done it all at this stage of her career, but becoming a pro wrestler was not a childhood dream of hers. Even at 25 years old, she had no aspirations of being a wrestler. She got emotional talking about her brother Reid’s passing and carrying out his dream.
Before she got into wrestling, she remembers going backstage at WWE shows with her father and being intimidated by how beautiful all the Divas were.
She attended the Four Horsemen’s WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2012, along with her father and brother. They were sitting at dinner and a WWE producer came up to them and asked her, “Why aren’t you doing this?”
Got to FCW, didn’t know what she was doing, felt resentment because she didn’t need to do a tryout. Her brother passing away put her on a completely different path. It propelled her to the highest heights, but she still hasn’t fully processed it.
The Four Horsewomen vs. WWE Divas
Charlotte said she learned the most from the women who she came up with, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch. Together, they were dubbed the Four Horsewomen, an homage to her father and the legendary Four Horsemen faction. That was her group, that’s who she learned from and that’s who she felt the need to keep up with. She looked up the other women and they all got better by competing with each other.
During the time that the Four Horsewomen were getting buzz in NXT, WWE’s Divas division took notice. There was a sense of competition between the two rosters. She doesn’t know if they were making the women on the main roster nervous, but it definitely bred competition.
She remembers the Divas being fired up as the Four Horsewomen were getting called up. Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Bayley were getting time in NXT, while the WWE Divas were not.
“We were getting the time in NXT, they weren’t, so it was like, being territorial,” she said. “We were hungry, they were hungry, but its not like the four of us [the Four Horsewomen] sat in a room and were like, ‘We’re going to change the game.’ We just didnt know how to look at it any different. We thought we were just as good.”
When she got to the main roster, she feuded with Nikki Bella. She remembers Nikki being very hungry to prove herself, which she saw as a good thing overall. She was still pretty green at the time, but felt confident in what they had been doing in NXT.
WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 was a turning point for her career. She was Divas Champion at the time and competed against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch in a match to crown the new WWE Women’s Champion.
She admits, “I still at this point don’t know what I’m doing.” Charlotte carries herself with an aura of confidence, which has helped her during times when she wasn’t so confident.
They felt a lot of pressure going into this match. After the reputation they had built for themselves, they absolutely had to deliver. They were nervous, but knew they had to knock it out of the park to get more opportunities. “If they trust us, they’ll give us more.”
Anyone could have won that night, but in the end, she was the victor. She said, when she won the Divas Championship at Hell in Cell 2015, she didn’t feel ready. When she won the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32, she felt ready.
Ric Flair
Steve Austin asked about Charlotte’s father, Ric, and how consistent their views about the business are. How often are they on the same page?
“It’s up and down,” she said. Sometimes she thinks he’s spot on, sometimes, she thinks he’s way off. She has a stronger athletic background than her father did. Sometimes, he encourages her to show off more of her athletic abilities, like moonsaults, but she understands and knows he’s just proud of her abilities
Austin asked what she learned about life on the road, having grown up with a father who was always making towns. She said, she learned what not to do. Ric Flair had so much fun during his wrestling career, she’s found herself on the opposite side of the spectrum, encouraging herself to loosen up more. She joked that she’s kept all her robes, laughed and left it at that.
Charlotte admits that she craves approval, but still feels like she’s a natural heel. Her father is Ric Flair, which is not exactly a relatable trait. Over time, she learned that heel heat is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than babyface pops.
She credits her match against Natalya at the first NXT Takeover (2014) as the moment she truly arrived. It put her on the map and established her in the eyes of the fans. She attained great success on the main roster, but it wasn’t until her match with Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series 2018 that she felt that she could perform 100% on instinct.
Charlotte Flair also played the “Word Association” game, a regular feature on Broken Skull Sessions. Here’s the first thing that came to mind for Charlotte when presented with the following topics:
Bayley: Role model
Ronda Rousey: Legit
Becky Lynch: Character
Trish Stratus: Queen
Lita: Teacher
Nikki Bella: Star
Asuka: Iron
Liv Morgan: Future
Rhea Ripley: Unfinished business
Watch Charlotte Flair’s appearance on Steve Austin’s The Broken Skull Sessions on Peacock.
WWE has a busy weekend ahead, with the Raw and SmackDown crews touring Canada, while NXT has two shows in Florida.
Here are a few interesting notes for what’s ahead:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be making a rare live event appearance at Saturday’s SmackDown house show from Ottawa. He’ll be wrestling in the main event against his Clash at the Castle opponent, Drew McIntyre.
Reigns has been working a greatly reduced schedule over the past several months. He’s been kept off a few premium live events and does not work many non-televised shows.
Ronda Rousey, who is currently serving ‘suspended’ due to her attacking a referee at SummerSlam, is also back on the road for SmackDown She’ll be competing in 3-way matches with SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan and Natalya.
On the Raw side, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be hosting the events from Kingston, Ontario and London, Ontario. This weekend’s Raw brand main events will see Theory vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Street Fight. Rollins vs. Riddle is also advertised.
WWE Weekend Schedule
Friday, August 19
Friday Night SmackDown (Montreal, QC)
NXT Live (Lakeland, FL)
Saturday, August 20
NXT Live (Venice, FL)
Saturday Night’s Main Event – SmackDown (Ottowa, ON)
Karrion Kross had strived to become a WWE star from the moment he stepped foot in a wrestling ring. So it was a heart-breaking experience for him when he finally got the opportunity but it didn’t turn out the way he expected. Thankfully for Kross, things have changed very quickly. According to the former NXT champion, finally getting the chance to showcase his talent in WWE is pretty incredible.
Both Kross and Scarlett recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. Among other things they talked about their WWE release and return. When asked how he felt upon his comeback, Karrion Kross said that it’s hard to put in words:
“It’s really hard to find the words man. To want something so bad and then to have to accept that that’s not a reality anymore. Then to get a call one day out of the blue, and to be offered everything you were striving for. It’s pretty incredible.”
– Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross had a successful NXT career after signing with the company in February 2020. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t translate into a successful main roster run. Vince McMahon did not see potential in his NXT gimmick. Both him and Scarlett were released in November 2021 after a lackluster run on Raw.
Things have changed since then. He is one of the first people Triple H has brought back after taking over creative. Kross has not only gotten his old gimmick back but he has been presented as a monster since day 1.
Shawn Michaels have received a brand new title in WWE. The Hall of Famer is now recognized as WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative by the promotion officially.
After uneasiness over the future of NXT UK in the last several weeks, the company finally revealed what’s next for the development brand yesterday.
The promotion sent out a press release and confirmed that the UK brand will be expanding its scope and will be relaunching as NXT Europe in 2023.
Another curious thing in the press release was that Shawn Michaels, who had been working without an official title so far was listed as a Vince President now.
HBK retired from in ring action back in 2010 to spend more time with family. He returned to the company in a backstage role at the Performance Center in 2016.
The former world champion initially only helped train recruits at the PC but he started helping with the creative side of things for NXT in 2018.
Shawn Michaels stepped up and became the godfather of NXT when his best friend Triple H had to take time away due to his health issues in September 2021.
Now this new title suggests that Michaels’ responsibilities have increased further, and he might be overseeing the NXT Europe brand as well as any other development brands the promotion may be planning to launch in future.
Shawn Michaels, WWE’s Vice President of Talent Development Creative, was quoted in a press release saying, “Given the success of NXT UK, we felt like it was time to expand beyond that.”
WWE recently canceled upcoming NXT UK TV tapings, which understandably created an aura of uneasiness amongst the roster.
As of today I am no longer under contract with WWE. It’s been a wild experience and I’m thankful for everything it’s afforded me – I am excited for what’s next and I am BUZZING to get back in that ring and GO!
L’équipe, je sais que c’est pré enregistré et que des spoilers sont déjà sortis mais malgré l’annonce de la fin d’NXTUK: je vous invite à regarder jusqu’au bout et à donner de la force. On a tous bossé très dur pour vous divertir. RDV ce soir dès 21h sur le WWE Network. ?
Very thankful to @WWE for allowing me to entertain thousands every week. This is just a road bump for me and I solely believe that. I have a chip to prove and I'm going to do everything I can so I can get back to where I belong. I'll be back! ?? pic.twitter.com/mGpPXup97G
WWE is the most recognizable brand of professional wrestling on the planet and is watched by millions of fans around the world.
Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, WWE would regularly tour internationally and has returned to touring overseas over the past year.
Now, the company is looking to branch out even further than before.
NXT Europe
WWE is already the global force in professional wrestling, but will soon be expanding with the launch of NXT Europe.
The new brand, as the name suggests, will operate within the titular continent and has been confirmed to be launching at some point next year.
In a statement on WWE’s Corporate website, WWE’s Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels said he believes this is the right time for NXT Europe.
“Given the success of NXT UK, we felt like it was time to expand beyond that.”
Shawn Michaels on NXT Europe
The statement also highlighted some of the names who have started in WWE in NXT UK, including Rhea Ripley, Butch, and Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
The growth of #WWENXT to include all of Europe will not only bring diversity and opportunity to in-ring competition, but also recruitment and development of athletes from around the world. @WWE wants the best from around the globe!!! https://t.co/QInphcIVe8
New details have come in light regarding the $19.6 million in unrecorded company expenses by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon that were uncovered recently. According to a report from Wall Street Journal, the WWE owner made two donations to the now defunct Donald J. Trump Foundation in 2007 and 2009, in addition to the payments made to former employees.
The former American President made appearances for the promotion in the mentioned years. This included his role in the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23. WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt issued the following statement to the site in regards to the unrecorded expenses from Vince McMahon:
“Mr. Trump and WWE entered into a contract whereby WWE agreed to and did pay him personally an appearance fee of $1 million. At the same time, the McMahons made a personal contribution to the Trump Foundation of $4 million. There was no additional fee paid to Mr. Trump, or any additional contribution to the Trump Foundation, due to the success of the event.”
WrestleMania 23 saw Bobby Lashley battling Umaga in a singles match. Both Donald Trump and Vince McMahon were in the corner of Lashley and Umaga respectively. The stipulation for the bout was that the billionaire on the losing side will have his head shaved, which turned out to be Vince McMahon.
A WSJ source noted that Trump directed McMahon to send a $4 million appearance fee to his charity. The billionaire businessman also had his associates review the contract to ensure that under no circumstances will McMahon be allowed to shave his head, even if Lashley ‘dropped dead in the ring.’
In July, Vince McMahon resigned from all duties with WWE, due to the ongoing investigation against him.
McMahon is alleged to have paid millions of dollars to former WWE employees in Non-Disclosure Agreements to cover up alleged affairs.
The former Chairman’s departure has seen Triple H grow in power behind the scenes, replacing McMahon as Head of Creative and replacing John Laurinaitis as Head of Talent Relations.
The Ban
In late 2020, WWE issued a new rule which stated that the company would be taking over talents’ third-party streaming accounts.
Several prominent Superstars were forced to either shut down or change their streaming channels, with AJ Styles, Xavier Woods, Adam Cole and others all being affected.
WWE’s rule was met with a ton of backlash by Superstars, fans and those in the industry.
AEW poked fun at WWE’s rule, with Kip Sabian promoting his Twitch channel during the All Out 2020 Pay Per View.
On Twitter this week, WWE Superstar Drew Gulak confirmed that he has returned to Twitch, and thanked ‘Papa H’ for the chance.
Rey Mysterio wants a match with Finn Balor at WrestleMania.
Mysterio was recently interviewed by Inside The Ropes where he discussed his professional wrestling career, including his current run on Monday Night RAW.
Currently, he and his son, Dominik, are locked in a feud with The Judgement Day – Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, and Damian Priest.
With that being said, Mysterio has had the opportunity to work quite a bit with Finn Balor. When asked who his desired opponent for WrestleMania would be, Mysterio named the Irish star.
“The one guy I had in mind, and it’s actually happening right now as we speak is Finn Balor. The opportunity of working against Finn, and these last couple of weeks that we have been on Raw, I really feel like we have great chemistry together.
“It was bound to happen just because I know how dedicated he is, and how committed he is, so I think the program I have been doing with Finn has been incredible.”
At the moment, Mysterio and Dominik have been feuding with The Judgment Day for the past few weeks. They’ve seemingly aligned themselves with ex-Judgement Day leader Edge, who was kicked out of the faction several weeks ago.
Judgement Day has been attempting to lure Dominik into their faction for some time. If they ultimately succeed, perhaps a father vs. son angle could be on the horizon. It’s something The Mysterios have admittedly talked about amongst themselves.
However, they’d only want to do it if it felt right at the moment. Given where their current storyline seems to be heading, the perfect moment might be right around the corner.
When WWE talent transitions from developmental (NXT) to the main roster, there’s always the issue of how much of their act will be changed. There is the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When talking about the creative side of pro wrestling, this adage isn’t always followed.
Damien Priest is one of the lucky performers who did not skip a beat after leaving NXT. His success in WWE comes down to timing, but also making the most of an opportunity. The Bad Bunny mainstream rub certainly helped. At the same time, the two’s alliance felt far deeper than your typical celebrity involvement. Priest was entrusted with helping one of the biggest music stars in the world succeed in the ring. The imposing Raw superstar opened eyes and turned heads, showing what he could do when given the ball.
The former United States champion continues to prove himself as a pillar of Judgment Day. Among his biggest tests comes in a marquee match on Raw against rival Edge from his hometown of Toronto.
Over SummerSlam weekend I had the chance to sit down with Priest to reflect on some of his biggest recent moments, the impact Bad Bunny made, and Judgment Day’s future.
Rey Mysterio’s Influence
You were part of Rey Mysterio’s big 20th anniversary in WWE live from Madison Square Garden. What did that night mean to you as a fan and New Yorker?
Damian Priest: “Obviously, we’re feuding, but realistically, when I go out, the main thing I get told is ‘Thank you’ for representing. There isn’t any of that without Rey Mysterio. He was someone who was looked at as somebody who shouldn’t have achieved the success he has. Forget his size. Just being Latino. That meant a lot. I remember growing up watching him, so it was meaningful. Now I’m in that role of also someone representing our culture.
I’m still learning a lot from him. The way he treats people and tries to enhance representation. It was a big deal. Then it’s The Garden, so many things. Talk about the perfect place and time. It became, ‘Man, I just worked Rey Mysterio in Madison Square Garden on the night he was celebrating his 20th anniversary with WWE.’ That was just wild to me.”
Judgment Day
(via WWE)
It seemed things were really picking up with Edge leading Judgment Day. How did you react to this change of guard?
Damian Priest: “Our idea is still the same. With Rhea Ripley healthy, we’re excited. We’re all giddy in the back talking about the chaos we’re going to cause. Even without the cameras on, we’re dangerous. The three of us are dangerous together. We’ve been looking forward to this. That’s the idea. We were all fine on our own and as singles competitors, but this gives us a different look. A different vibe, and opportunity. Growing up I’ve always wanted to be in a faction. I was a big faction guy. The nWo, DX, Four Horsemen, Evolution. So many groups I was a fan of.
To be a part of one and the idea there is no leader. We support each other. Whoever a particular moment is about, we’re going to support that person in the front. It’s all the same. It’s a revolving door of leadership. As long as we maintain that mentality, I think now the fans are really going to see something special. We haven’t really been able to do it yet, but we’re just getting started. The future is going to be really cool for us and for the fans.
Working with Bad Bunny
Your profile really grew alongside Bad Bunny. You can see he really put in the work. Do you think he helped change the overall perception when celebrities decide they want to wrestle? That it’s more than a publicity stunt.
Damian Priest: “We’ve had celebrities before, but I think he is an example of what someone from a different world can do in our world. You don’t have to come in, promote something and leave. You can earn the respect of the fans and the talent. You can create something special for yourself, your fanbase, and us working together.
I haven’t been here the longest, so I can’t speak on celebrities who have been here before, but what he did was unprecedented in the way he treated us and this business. The respect he showed everyone. When you have guys like Randy Orton going up to him saying, “Hey, thanks for showing us respect. Thanks for doing this. You are one of the boys.” I was there and felt emotion for Bad Bunny.
That’s amazing when you have someone of that caliber saying that to you. That’s awesome. Now you got guys like Logan Paul signing a contract. These guys are not coming in for just a one-off or for a joke or laugh. They are taking this seriously. Bad Bunny may have changed the narrative about how celebrities should treat us and how the company should accept celebrities coming in. Not just opening the doors to anybody. Earn it. He may have changed a little bit of that culture.”
Kevin Owens claims the WWE locker room has been “rejuvenated” by Triple H’s recent promotion.
Owens was recently interviewed by the TWC Show where he was asked about the changes that have gone on within WWE since Triple H took over. Owens got to work very closely with “The Game” during his own days in NXT, before eventually making his way up to the main roster.
Triple H was also a big part of his storyline in which he won the Universal Championship. With Triple H now running creative on the main roster, Owens is able to work with “The Game” again, and “KO” is excited about the reunion.
“Getting to work with Triple H again is really exciting because he’s obviously the reason I’m here, the reason I got my opportunity in WWE, my chance to go to tryout and eventually get signed and everything.
“When I first started out, I was in NXT for a few months and I got to work directly with him and it was so enlightening. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of people that have tremendous minds for this industry.”
Vince McMahon was forced to step down as WWE CEO after some sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced. After those claims began to be investigated, McMahon then retired as head of creative for WWE.
Soon after, Triple H then stepped in to fill the position, and there have already been big changes made under the new regime. Owens adds that the change has “rejuvenated” those in the locker room.
“It rejuvenated everybody, the atmosphere here is pretty great and it’s just cool to see where things go from here.“
Chris Jericho believes that the cons of Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE won’t be felt for another few months.
Jericho was recently a guest on the Swerve City podcast, where he talked about Vince McMahon stepping down as WWE CEO, as well as retiring as the head of creative on television. This happened shortly after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against McMahon.
“Y2J” explained that, while there will certainly be some positives from McMahon’s WWE departure – especially creatively – there will also be some negative impacts. Those negatives in particular likely won’t be felt for a few more months.
“I can go back working for him for 17-18 years. Obviously, there are Vince-isms and Vince-foibles that don’t make sense, but I did learn a lot about the psychology of the business and how to be a star, how to conduct yourself, how to be a true main eventer and money draw.
“I think the pros, if that’s the right word, the pros of Vince leaving WWE will be seen very quickly. There are a lot of changes right off the bat, very refreshing. Lots of in-ring time. The cons of Vince leaving won’t be felt for a few months, maybe more, six months, a year.
“There are a lot of things that Vince did, little things, and I know people bag on him for his recent booking, and obviously there was a habit he had, but the guys who are true main event stars are legit stars. Legit stars.
“You can spot them from a mile away. Look at the difference between Drew McIntyre now, prior to the last run he had. Vince worked with him to make him a top guy and top star. Same with Roman (Reigns).
“Completely different now than it was before he turned heel. Brock as a babyface, I can tell Vince worked with him as being a babyface. You can spot it. I can see it.”
(AEW)
Chris Jericho certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to working with McMahon. The current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star worked under McMahon during his nearly 20-year run with WWE.
After departing from WCW in the late 90s, Jericho debuted for WWE and instantly became one of the company’s biggest stars. The six-time WWE World Champion eventually joined AEW in 2020, where he became the promotion’s inaugural World Champion.
WWE is notorious for forcing stars to memorize scripts and lay out every move of a match in advance. However, there are many top stars who have broken this stigma recently. Becky Lynch is one of the names who apparently has the freedom to say what she wants on the mic.
The Man recently took part in an Instagram Live session with Seth Rollins, The Rock and former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz. During the interview, she was asked if she has to memorize promos word by word as well. Lynch claimed that she gets to write her own promos for the most part:
“Thankfully for me it’s not like that and it’s not like that for this guy [Seth Rollins] either. We get a promo and sometimes there’ll be lines in it that you have to hit,” said Becky Lynch, “They’ll often be that the lines that you’re like ‘That doesn’t sound like she would say that’ But for the most part we’ve gotten to the point where we’ve gotten enough equity and we’ve gotten enough trust that, we get to write our own promos.
She continued: “It’s usually a collaborative process where if I’m comfortable with my writer, [I’ll go] ‘Well what do you think of this. I feel like it’s gotta hit more and I think we could do more with this.’ And a lot of the times they’ll come up with a good line. It’s collaborative that way when you’ve gotten that equity, but I think when you first come up [it’s different]. Like when I first came up, I was too scared to say anything out of turn. I was like ‘oh these are the words on the page, I must say every single word exactly as it is.’ Thankfully it’s not like that anymore.”
WWE’s roster has changed a lot in recent years, with dozens of Superstars losing their jobs in the name of ‘budget cuts.’
Last September, WWE debuted a series of new stars as part of the revamped NXT 2.0, and announced their Next in Line program not long after.
In recent weeks, several released Superstars have returned to WWE after being rehired by Head of Talent Relations Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
New Recruits
This week, WWE once again changed it’s roster, by signing a total 17 new recruits to contracts with the company.
In a statement, WWE said that the 17 hopefuls “include a variety of up-and-comers who have already made names for themselves.”
The recruits include Valerie Loureda, who previously fought in Bellator, where she compiled a 4-1 record.
Tracy Hancock is an established amateur wrestler, having competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo last year.
Alexis Lete is a former Miss Indiana and has spent four years with the George Washington University volleyball team as their leading middle blocker.
Tiller Bucktrot is a former offensive lineman for Tulsa University and represents the Native American Muscogee Creek Tribe.
Originally from Nigeria, Abadi-Fitzgerald has spent four seasons as a defensive tackle for Kentucky.
AJ Amrhein is a three-time national champion with The Bears and the fitness instructor was named the 2020 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Antoine Frazier comes to WWE with a background in Football, having played for on the offensive line for both Kansas University and the University of Northern Iowa.
Isaac Odugbesan is a three-time SEC shot put champion and is a 2021-2022 WWE NIL Athlete.
Daniel McArthur is a four-time NCAA All-American and ACC Track & Field Champion from the University of North Carolina and attended the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials.
Giovanna Eburneo has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won at both the Pan-American and European Championships.
Gina DeLucia is a CrossFit competitor ranked among the top 200 females in the United States.
Houston Miller comes to WWE with a Football background having played three seasons for Texas Tech along the defensive line.
Caleb Balgaard is a multi-sport athlete originally from Fenton, Michigan, and was a stand-out on the South Alabama baseball team.
Joe Spivak is another 2021-22 WWE NIL Athlete and captain of the Northwestern University Wildcats Football team and was also named to the 2021 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.
Sarah Baer was a standout collegiate soccer and basketball player at both Bowling Green University and Lynn University.
Tiana Caffey is a former collegiate soccer player from LSU and was called up to play for the USA U17 National Soccer Team.
Roman Macek was an offensive lineman for Duquesne University and a bronze medalist at the PIAA State Wrestling Championships.
Wrestling star Sasha Banks had her car broken into and robbed in Oakland by an unidentified person earlier on Monday.
The former champion shared photos and videos of the incident on her Instagram account. The video, as seen below, shows that someone broke the glass from behind.
Banks noted that her car had only been parked there for five minutes. In the caption of one of the stories, she suggested that the thief only managed to steal some hair products.
Both Sasha Banks and Naomi made headlines yesterday as well when they attended the premiere of the new Marvel series She Hulk.
The former women’s tag team champions have been absent from the wrestling world ever since they walked out of a Raw episode back in May. Both the WWE stars were frustrated with their creative direction.
Earlier reports had suggested that the former champions had decided to leave WWE for good, and at least Banks had gotten out of her contract with the company.
However, things have changed following Vince McMahon’s retirement. It’s believed that both Sasha Banks and Naomi have agreed to make a comeback, and the officials are now looking for a suitable opportunity to bring them back.
