During last night’s House Of Hardcore show, which took place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, former WWE superstar, Big Cass, suffered an unfortunate seizure. This event occurred during the show’s intermission.
Big Cass was scheduled to take part in a segment during the second half of the show with Joey Ryan. He would ultimately be replaced by the Blue Meanie.
Thankfully, according to PWInsider, by the time EMTs arrived to attend to Cass, he had come back around. He was coherent and able to speak with House Of Hardcore management whilst being attended to.
Tommy Dream took to Twitter in order to provide an update on Cass, letting people know that he had spoken with him and that he is “doing well.”
The incident even caught the attention of Big Cass’ former WWE tag team partner, Enzo Amore.
Amore took to his social media in order to reach out with some words of encouragement. The two have not been on the best of terms since last year with the duo not talking to each other for the longest time.
This sad development, however, could be the catalyst that sees the two begin anew, if only as friends.
He followed up with another Tweet that said: “If I had a dime for everytime one of us got knocked down & didn’t get back up….. I would have #ZeroDIMES …”
Big Cass suffered a seizure at a House of Hardcore event in Philadelphia last night. Cass was in the lobby of the 2300 Arena at intermission when fans reported they saw him fall and begin to shake.
He came to and was awake and communicating with medical personnel as well as Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray, who were both by his side. Cass was taken to a nearby hospital after.
Dreamer told fans after intermission that Cass’ seizure was not drug-related and he’d been with him all day.
Scary moment going down at the #HouseofHardcore event in Philly right now as former WWE Star Big Cass collapses in the lobby. Doctor attending to him now.
Big Cass Suffers Seizure At House of Hardcore Event
The following video is Dreamer addressing the crowd about Cass’ seizure and noting it was not drug related:
Interested. Dreamer addresses the crowd and says Cass “suffered a seizure,” and makes a point of saying it’s “not drug-related.” pic.twitter.com/ikyj85KamQ
This was Cass’ second appearance for House of Hardcore wrestling. Tommy Dreamer’s promotion also booked Cass, now wrestling as Big Cazz, at their Blizzard Brawl event on December 1st. Cazz lost to MVP in his debut with the promotion.
The 32-year-old was released from WWE this summer. He’d been with the company since 2011. Cass competed in Florida Championship Wrestling before starting with NXT as Colin Cassady in 2012. In 2013, he was paired with Enzo Amore and former girlfriend, Carmella. As a tag-team, Enzo and Cass were called up to the main roster in 2016.
After going through a number of name changes and settling in for Big C as his new ring name for the independent circuit, the former Big Cass from WWE has cut his first promo, and he is already talking about getting back into the company.
Cass recently made an appearance for local Michigan indie Championship Wrestling League, and during the appearance, he cut his first promo since his release from WWE.
In the promo, Cass first thanked the fans that were in the attendance and then instantly started talking about his release and the stories surrounding it.
The former NXT Star said that he has been reading stories about his departure and while some of them are true, most of the dirt sheet reports are false.
He then went on to claim that only three people know the reason behind his release. While he teased revealing the reason, Cass ultimately turned heel during the promo saying that the people in attendance don’t deserve to know it.
Big C then said that he will tell the story of his release on a Network special when he gets back to the ‘Big Leagues,’ and then he trash talked the indie promotion some more.
You can check out Big Cass’ first promo since WWE release in the video below:
Big Cass recently joined WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations. Cass was released from WWE in June. He lost back-to-back pay-per-view (PPV) matches against Daniel Bryan.
After the Money In The Bank (MITB) PPV, Cass was released from WWE. It was reported that Cass was let go due to behavioral issues and disobeying direct orders from Vince McMahon. Since his release, Cass says he hasn’t watched WWE programming:
“One-hundred percent. I haven’t watched SmackDown, Raw, PPV, I haven’t watched anything wrestling since I got released. I’ve just been doing my thing, working out, and eating right.
“Binge watching my favorite television shows that I’m trying to catch up on. I have not watched a single second of wrestling since I got released. I don’t even know who the champions are these days.”
Just cause Cass is gone from WWE doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep in touch with his old coworkers. Cass says he still keeps in contact with Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan:
“I talk to my buddies from WWE still, like Kevin Owens, or Daniel Bryan who has helped me in more ways than one. They just say the work outside WWE is incredible compared to what it was when they were just working independents.”
Discussion: What do you think about Cass not watching WWE TV since being fired? Sound off in the comments section below!
2018 was an eventful year for the men formerly known as Big Cass and Enzo Amore. Once rising stars in WWE, both were released from the company in recent months. With his legal issues behind him, Enzo Amore has stated he will never wrestle again and is pursuing a music career as Real 1. Meanwhile, Big Cass has been taking booking on the independent scene and is waiting for his 90-days no-compete clause to expire.
Big Cass appeared on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast over the weekend. Cass spoke about his future in the wrestling business and commented on his current relationship (or lack thereof) with Enzo.
No Contact With Enzo
Cass revealed that he has not contacted Enzo in a long time and they’re not even friends. He would even go as far to say that he had no idea that Enzo was even rapping. While Cass has no intention of reuniting the team, he wouldn’t rule it out if the money was right.
“We’re not friends, so I just don’t think that’ll be a possibility. I mean—let me tell you something, Booker, if the money is right, yeah, I’ll definitely do it.”
You can listen to the entire conversation below on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast with Brad Gilmore:
In a recent interview on Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, William Morrissey, or better known as Big Cass, finally broke his silence on why he was released from the WWE.
Life After WWE
“I’m doing good, just living my life right now,” Cass said. “Hitting the gym, waiting for my 90-day [no compete clause] to end. Anticipating what’s next on my schedule, trying to get myself in the best shape possible. Just living life, I don’t know how else to say it.”
Cass On Being Released
“If I’m going to be honest with you, I made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes in a very short period of time,” Cass admitted. “I did some things that I shouldn’t have done. I guess the company couldn’t rely on me and couldn’t trust me. Look, I’ll just be honest with you, in my opinion, they made the right decision for them.”
“It was the right decision to get rid of me at that point in time – not to say I won’t be back – but at that point in time, they definitely made the right decision for them. To be honest with you, looking at it they made the right decision for me. Everyone makes mistakes, but when you make that many mistakes in that short of a period of time then you lose people’s trust and you’re not reliable anymore.”
“Yeah, I would have, [fired myself]. I definitely would have fired myself. If I was in Vince McMahon’s position, I would have fired myself for sure, one-hundred percent.”
Back From Injury
A little after Wrestlemania 34 Big Cass made his return back from injury now on the Smackdown brand. He was immediately placed into a feud with Daniel Bryan in where Bryan would be victorious through the feud. It wouldn’t be until June of this year that Cass would get released. Numerous sources are stating that Cass’s backstage attitude and not following orders from WWE personnel was the reason for his release. More on Big Cass release can be read here.
Big Cass has changed his name for the indies yet again. Cass was released from his WWE contract back in June. His 90-day non-compete clause expires later this month. Cass’ first independent appearance is set for Friday, September 21st for Big Time Wrestling.
The show goes down from the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Initially, Cass was being advertised under the name “Big Cazz.” Now, however, that name seems to have changed. An updated poster for the event lists Cass as “Big C” and he will be taking on James Storm. Other names being advertised for the show include Emma (Tenille Dashwood), “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Meng, The Barbarian, Tommy Dreamer, James Ellsworth and WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley.
Big Cass bursted onto the WWE scene alongside Enzo Amore in NXT. They quickly became a fan favorite team before being called up to the WWE’s main roster on RAW. After several failed attempts to win the RAW Tag Team Titles, Cass betrayed Amore and broke up the team.
A rivalry between the pair ensued, but unfortunately for Cass he suffered a torn ACL during one of their matches that sidelined him for several months. Upon his return shortly after WrestleMania 34, Cass began a feud with Daniel Bryan.
He had two pay-per-view (PPV) matches with Bryan, who enjoyed working with the seven-footer, both of which he lost. Cass was subsequently released from WWE citing behavioral issues and directly disobeying orders from Vince McMahon.
Prior to being released from WWE, Big Cass worked a program with Daniel Bryan.
Cass was one-half of a very popular NXT tag team alongside Enzo Amore. Once they were called up to the main roster the pair were thrown into the RAW Tag Team Title mix. Unfortunately they were never able to capture the straps.
Subsequently the move was made to split Cass and Amore, as Cass attacked Amore to break up the team. During a match against Amore, Cass suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for several months.
Amore went on to win the Cruiserweight Championship before getting released by WWE. Cass returned to SmackDown Live shortly after WrestleMania 34 following his injury recovery. He immediately begun a feud with Bryan.
Bryan and Cass worked back-to-back pay-per-views (PPVs) at Backlash and Money In The Bank (MITB). Both times Bryan defeated Cass via submission. Shortly after his defeat to Bryan at MITB, Cass was released from WWE.
Sports Illustrated reported that the reason for Cass’ release was due to behavioral issues and disobeying direct orders from Vince McMahon.
Daniel Bryan On Working With Big Cass
This past weekend, Bryan did an interview with Sky Sports and was asked about working with Cass.
Bryan actually had nothing but good things to say about the seven-footer. He said he liked Cass as a person and as a performer and wishes him well in his future on the indies:
“I really liked working with Big Cass, I thought that he progressed a lot in the time that we were working together. I honestly wish him the best of luck, I like him a lot as a person and as a wrestler so I hope he does really well.”
Discussion: What do you make of Bryan’s comments about Cass? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Unlike his former tag-team partner, Enzo Amore, Big Cass will be continuing his professional wrestling career post-WWE. Cass will make his return to wrestling on September 21st for Big Time Wrestling, just days after his 90-day no-compete clause with WWE expires.
Another promotion, Championship League Wrestling, has booked Cass 8 days later but not to wrestle a match. Instead, CLW is advertising that Cass has somethings to get off his chest and will use their show to do so.
“Hot off of his release, Former WWE Superstar “Big Cass” will be making one of his first post-WWE appearances on our debut show on September 29th,” a company release reads. “And he will be doing so in a big way.”
“What is sure to make this interesting is he will be given an open mic with no limitations. The big man has been silent since his WWE departure. On September 29th, he promises to deliver his first public comments since being released.”
Big Cass Release
Cass was released from his contract on June 19th. WWE did not wish him well in his future endeavors when they announced his release either. While there are many rumors regarding the reason for Cass’ release, he has not made any public comment on the matter. Evidently, he plans to do just that at the end of September.
Unlike his former tag-team partner, Enzo Amore, Big Cass is not retiring from pro-wrestling. The match will take place just days after Cass’ 90-day no-compete clause with WWE finishes.
Cass will be going under the ring-name “Big Cazz” for the show. Big Time Wrestling has added Cass to their event on September 21st in at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, SC.
Haku, Barbarian, James Ellsworth, Tommy Dreamer, Jim Duggan, Tenille Dashwood, and Mick Foley are all booked for the show. The promotion also frequently books Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, and Jake Hager (FKA Jack Swagger).
Big Cass On The Indies
Jim Ross commented on Big Cass’ release shortly after it happened in June.
“I saw where Big Cass got released. I don’t know what it was, I have no idea and it’s none of my business,” Jim Ross said. “Hey look, I have had three sabbaticals from that company. Did I like it? Nope. Did it ruin my life and my career? Hell no.”
Ross would continue to say Cass’ future is still in his hands.
“So all he’s gotta do is figure out how I can get better how I can cure the perceived ills that I may or may not have. Your world’s not over. Don’t say anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid just get better. You’re too damn young with too much of an upside to not be able to resurrect yourself without question. Let’s keep an eye on how Big Cass progresses.”
Two days after losing to Daniel Bryan cleanly at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV), Big Cass was released from the WWE citing behavioral issues. It was initially reported last year by Dave Meltzer that Cass was getting heat backstage for vocalizing his support of President Donald Trump.
In a recent episode of WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion talked about the rumors:
“There are so many rumors flying around as far as his release,” Booker T said. “The story is bigger than Big Cass. For instance, back in the day, you didn’t tell anyone who you voted for, you know what I mean? It was a secret. You don’t bring that stuff up together because we have to be friends. That is something that you have to deal with inside yourself.
“I’m not homophobic or anything like that, but when gay people come out it’s like, you didn’t have to tell me that because I’m still going to still give you a hug. It’s not my business so when people do certain things they literally become vulnerable and not keep their eyes on the prize as far as what is really at stake here… my livelihood.”
Booker then dove into the dangers of social media, specifically Twitter, and discussed how Twitter can ruin someone’s life:
“At the end of the day, it is about taking care of your family. Going out and doing the job like Stevie Ray would say, to the best of your ability until something better comes along. I say that because it’s very simple; we are all in the entertainment business. If you want to be running a publication get another job, but Twitter can ruin one’s life. Going on Twitter and saying something.
“I personally liked the guy. I didn’t know about his personal beliefs about voting for Donald Trump. Maybe that was part of it, but my thing is this; I’ve been one of the boys, I had to work in that locker room, I may have had heat with some of the boys in certain times throughout my career but if I went out and performed in the ring all of that overshadowed and trumped everything, which is with your performance.
“If you are on time; if you are ready to go as far as people needing you for a promo set and not looking all throughout the building for you. Everything comes into play as far as being around or not. Being a General or being a Private. I want to be a General so I am always going to be on time and had my shoes spit shined. All of my medals are going to be straight. The bed, everything is tucked. If you don’t take care of your business this is what is going to happen to you.”
Booker T says the lesson is the same thing he tries to teach his students over at Reality Of Wrestling – If everyone does what they’re supposed to do then we can all put on a great show:
“The thing is, it can be a bunch of things. My point is this; when it gets to that point, it isn’t something that everybody else is doing, it is something that you are doing. I have been in the business for many years, I knew as long as I went out and performed and thought about that — look here, being married to Sharmell was in the twilight of my career.
“I was around 40. Sharmell was the first woman that I thought about talking to, and if you listen to Sharmell she thought I hated her the first time we met because I was always all business. When I was in my twenties and in my thirties I was thinking about making my mark and I have to do it now. I couldn’t think about getting married to slow me down, especially with the women I work with.
“I knew where it was going to lead. I was always thinking about going out there and performing and that only. I think these young guys it is easy to get caught up. It is easy access. When you lose focus and your train of thought.
“When you take those blinders off anything can happen. When you start thinking it is a party instead of putting your suit and tie on and getting your job done and handling your business, you are thinking about the wrong thing. Big ups to Big Cass. Hopefully he finds something. There is a lot of work out there on the independent scene and in Japan. Whatever he did he definitely lost out on this deal because I thought he was going to be one of the next greatest big men in the sport.”
You can listen to Booker T on Heated Conversations by clicking this link here.
Big Cass’ recent release from WWE is very much a mystery at this point. There are several rumors floating around as to why the seven footer was recently released from the company, but no clear answer has yet to be given.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to offer his thoughts on Cass’ recent release:
“I saw where Big Cass got released. I don’t know what it was, I have no idea and it’s none of my business,” Jim Ross said. “Hey look, I have had three sabbaticals from that company. Did I like it? Nope. Did it ruin my life and my career? Hell no.”
Ross went on to offer Cass some advice, saying he’s far too young to let these recent actions define him. JR seems to believe that Cass is capable making a WWE comeback in the future:
“So all he’s gotta do is figure out how I can get better how I can cure the perceived ills that I may or may not have. Your world’s not over. Don’t say anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid just get better. You’re too damn young with too much of an upside to not be able to resurrect yourself without question. Let’s keep an eye on how Big Cass progresses.”
You can listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
There has been no shortage of theories as to why exactly Big Cass was fired from WWE recently. A report from Sports Illustrated indicated Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was to blame but there’s been speculation this was not the only reason.
A report from Wrestlingnews.co claims to have insider information regarding the situation.
“We were told that he went up to her and, according to a well-placed source, caused a scene while asking her to forgive him, apparently in hopes for a reconciliation,” the website states in their report. “Carmella tried to walk off but he grabbed her arm and wrestlers in the area stepped in. We’re told that The Usos and Erick Rowan were the ones to get Cass to back away.”
Robbie Fox from BarStool Sports is claiming these are false accusations, however.
I've been pretty silent about Big Cass' release from the WWE because he's a good friend of mine and it's just an unfortunate situation all around that I've felt really bad about, but this report that it's because of an "altercation with Carmella" is complete and utter bullshit.
“I’ve been pretty silent about Big Cass’ release from the WWE because he’s a good friend of mine and it’s just an unfortunate situation all around that I’ve felt really bad about, but this report that it’s because of an “altercation with Carmella” is complete and utter bullshit.”
There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate "journalists" in modern pro wrestling history.
“There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate “journalists” in modern pro wrestling history.”
It's disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn't make THEM look good it's not worth it, right? ?????
“It’s disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn’t make THEM look good it’s not worth it, right?”
News about Big Cass’s release has been the big topic of the wrestling community lately. The reason why his sudden release has been brought into the light.
Three Strikes And You’re Out
While many sources claim that Cass’s heat goes as far back to when he expressed his political views about Donald Trump backstage with bad reception, it’s been his recent return from injury and the events following that lined him up for the unemployment line.
The segment where Big Cass attacks a “little Daniel Bryan” wasn’t supposed to last as long as it did. According to the Pro Wrestling Sheets, officials were mad that Cass “went into business for himself” and didn’t follow the script.
Sports Illustrated‘s Justin Barrasso reported Cass “was drinking the majority of [WWE’s] European tour and had attitude issues when drunk.” Which only dug the hole even deeper.
The last straw comes an incident that involves Cass’s ex-girlfriend, Carmella.
According to WrestlingNews.co, reports come in from last Friday that Cass “caused a scene” when speaking to Carmella. She tried walking away but was immediately “grabbed by her arm” which led to other wrestlers to intervene.
PWInsider reported on Thursday that Cass has a 90-day no-compete clause that went into effect immediately after his release, which will prevent him from immediately working with another wrestling company.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass’ time with WWE have come to an end – for now.
Amore was released from WWE this past January after some sexual assault allegations against him came to light. Cass was released earlier this week after WWE officials seemed to have grown tired of his antics and issues.
Cass and Amore are former NXT and RAW Tag Team division competitors, and at one point were very over as fan favorites. Now that they’re no longer under the thumb of WWE it looks like some indy promoters could try and get their hands on the duo.
Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline reports that a lot of indy promoters have already tried to book Cass and Amore together as a tag team. The only issue is that Amore and Cass had a real-life falling out, however, it’s believed that they could set that aside and work together for the right amount of money.
Yesterday, WWE announced they had parted ways with Smackdown talent, Big Cass. The announcement was made just hours before Smackdown went to air from Toledo, OH last night.
Also of note regarding Cass’ release is that it did not come with the normal wishing well in his future endeavors statement. WWE also chose not to wish Enzo Amore well on his future endeavors when he was released either. All other recently released WWE Superstars, including Austin Aries, Rich Swann, Darren Young, Emma, and Summer Rae were wished well by the company.
What Was Big Cass Fired For?
Sports Illustrated is reporting that multiple sources have told them that Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was an issue. Evidently, Cass was intoxicated often and in public during the tour. His attitude while drinking was also said to be an issue. According to SI’s Justin Barrasso, company officials were happy with Cass’ match at Money in the Bank and were surprised at his release, his attitude problems notwithstanding.
Cass was no stranger to heat while he was with WWE. There had been reports not long after he was brought up to the main roster with Enzo that Cass could be obnoxious in his political views, namely those regarding Donald Trump. Last month, Cass also upset officials when he reportedly went off-script during a segment. Cass’ character was involved in a scene with a little person dressed up as Daniel Bryan. Even though he was told not to go overboard with his beating of the little person, Cass did exactly that.
William Morrissey was signed to WWE in 2011 after being trained by Hall of Famer, Johnny Rodz. Prior to his signing, Cass played basketball for New York University. Despite being with the company for 7 years, Cass never won a title in either NXT or the main roster.
Big Cass is no longer under contract with the WWE. The company officially announced the news on Tuesday (June 19, 2018):
“WWE has come to terms on the release of William Morrissey (Big Cass).”
Cass was last seen competing in the ring when he suffered a loss to Daniel Bryan in a singles match at Sunday’s (June 17, 2018) WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network. This marked the big man’s second consecutive PPV loss to Bryan.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on what led to the WWE making this decision to release him. We’ll be sure to provide an update when we get more details.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic were his thoughts on SmackDown Live star Big Cass. Ross noted that he’s a fan of Cass and explained why his size, standing at seven-feet-tall, is such a big deal:
“I like Cass.” Ross added, “look, he’s seven feet tall, folks! You can’t teach that! I actually said that in a meeting one time at the [WWE] Performance Center in Orlando [Florida], in a meeting. I’ll tell that story one of these days, but it’s a good deal. And you can’t teach that. And the WWE has always coveted size because every great promoter knows that people get their heads turned by size.
“Why in the hell else would a fat lady in a circus sell a ticket? Because of her size and freakishness. So he’s seven feet and he’s being provided valuable TV time, folks. No doubt. You know what I say, you’d better damn sure maximize your minutes, so what this kid [has] got to do in my opinion is to continue to be aggressive.
“I don’t need a seven-footer on the roster who’s a finesse guy, a style guy. Like I said, I don’t need… I can use the basketball analogy because basketball’s ongoing. I need a [power forward] of a [center] from Big Cass, not a [shooting guard].”
Good Ole’ JR noted that if Cass wants to be a major player in WWE that he needs to work on his promo skills and address some holes he has in his game:
“I need physicality, but he also needs work on his delivery,” Ross admitted. “That’s out of the ring practice. In your car, at home, in front of a mirror, wherever you are, make sure that you are seeing what you’re saying. Look at your face when you say these things. And I think he needs to work on his promos sounding a little more organic, not memorized.
“And sometimes, because you have to memorize them by and large, it’s hard to not sound memorized. So you don’t want it to sound like a script, by the way. But I’ll tell you, being seven feet tall is an asset for him. He [has] got a great look. I have confidence that he’ll be a star, but he [has] got to fill some holes in his game and that’s a daily effort, daily plan.
“And I don’t know the kid well enough to say what his daily plan is or what they’re doing with him behind-the-scenes to work on some of these issues, but, again, you can’t teach that. He’s seven feet tall. He’s young and a good looking kid.”
You can listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
Daniel Bryan has responded to some of the criticism from fans about the current feud he has been booked in.
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. Once it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition, fans started to talk about all of the dream matches that the sports entertainment company could book him in now that he’s back.
After WrestleMania, fans started speculating on what would be his first feud back. Unfortunately, the feud with Cass is not something that was not heavily called for and thus, some backlash from people has surfaced online.
During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes (h/t to Bill Pritchard for Wrestlezone.com), Bryan spoke about some fans not being thrilled that his first big feud since returning is with Big Cass.
“I’m a big believer—I know that everybody wants to see the big matches—I would have loved to have come back and gotten right into the big matches. We did a match with me and AJ Styles on Smackdown, but especially now with the brand split—Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, all of these things. But I also think you need to build to those. I’m somebody that’s always been, whether it’s been here or Ring Of Honor or whatever, I’ve worked hard at helping to bring new guys up. The idea of the old-timer who is trying to ‘keep his position’ and hold everybody down… I don’t think that works. I don’t think that’s sustainable and I think we need to build everybody up, and if everybody seems like Superstars, then the whole company is more fun to watch. I’ve actually enjoyed—I don’t enjoy getting booted in the face—I enjoy the challenge of wrestling somebody who is that big and newer, that sort of thing. I think it’s a good opportunity to show everybody what he can do. It’s also fun for me to go ‘OK, what do we have here?”
Bryan continued by stating, “One of the things that I miss as an independent wrestler—is wrestling people that you don’t know very well. That’s a test to how skilled you are. Here’s this guy that you don’t know—first time I wrestled Dean Ambrose—it was on a Wednesday, and my flight was delayed. I’m getting dressed in the car on the way to the show. I have to go straight from the car, and it’s freezing cold, in my gear, so I’m changing with these guys that I never met before. I’m getting naked in the back of their car putting my stuff on, and I go straight from the car to the ring to wrestle Dean Ambrose, who I’ve never met before. That’s a real test of your skill. How good are you, how good is [the opponent]? When I wrestled Ambrose I didn’t know what I was going to get. I wrestled him and I was like ‘this guy is really good! Who is this guy? How have I not run into him before?’ So, I like that kind of stuff”
What are your thoughts on this feud? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross offered some encouraging advice to WWE SmackDown star Big Cass.
The legendary commentator spoke about various topics during the latest episode of The Ross Report. In this podcast, Ross gave his feedback and observations on the current product put out by the sports entertainment company this week.
Ross gave Cass some advice as well as stated that he sees a lot of potential in this talent (transcription credit to Dominic DeAngelo at Wrestlezone):
“What this kid has gotta do in my opinion is continue to be aggressive. I don’t need a seven-footer that’s a finesse guy, a style guy. I need physicality. And he also needs to work on his delivery. That’s ‘out-of-the-ring’ practice in your car, in your home, in front of a mirror, wherever you are to make sure that you see what you’re saying, see your face when you see these things.
And I think he needs to work on promo sounding a little bit more organic and not memorized. And sometimes because you have to memorize them, by in large, it’s hard to not sound memorized, so you don’t want it to sound like a script, by the way. But I tell ya, being seven feet tall is an asset for him. He’s got a great look, I have confidence he’s going to become a star, but he’s gotta fill some holes in his game and that’s a daily effort.
A daily plan and I don’t know the kid well enough to know what that daily plan is or what they’re doing with him behind the scenes to work on some of these issues, but again you can’t teach that. He’s seven feet tall, young, a good looking kid.”
Big Cass is slated to wrestle Daniel Bryan in a singles match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event next weekend in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this advice? Sound off in the comment section below.
Daniel Bryan didn’t have a response to Big Cass’ Smackdown promo until after last night’s show. Bryan was interviewed by WWE backstage correspondents for a WWE.com exclusive interview.
“Big Cass, guess what? You said you’re going to break my leg in half? You don’t even know how. You haven’t trained hard enough, you haven’t been in the gym hard enough, you don’t know how to wrestle hard enough to break my leg in half. Do you know what’s going to happen at Money in the Bank? I am going to make you tap out one more time, whether it’s the YES Lock, whether it’s the heel hook, whether I just knee you in the face and stomp you in the face until you give up, that’s what’s going to happen at Money in the Bank. And you can’t teach surviving that.”
transcripts courtesy of Cageside Seats
Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass Rivalry
The story WWE appears to be telling with the Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass rivalry is that Big Cass wants to show Bryan he can’t “hang in a big man’s world”. Bryan, on the other hand, wants to prove that good wrestlers can beat naturally gifted athletes such as the 7-foot tall Big Cass.
It’s been an interesting in-ring return for Daniel Bryan these last few months. Not including house shows, Daniel Bryan has wrestled 8 times for WWE since returning to action at WrestleMania 34.
Daniel Bryan’s WWE Record Since Return
not including house shows or dark matches
WrestleMania 34: Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
April 10th, 2018 Smackdown: AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan went to a no-contest.
April 17th, 2018 Smackdown: AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan defeated Aiden English and Rusev via DQ.
Greatest Royal Rumble: Set a new record for longest time in a Rumble match but did not win.
May 6th, 2018 Backlash PPV: Daniel Bryan defeated Big Cass.
May 8th, 2018 Smackdown: Rusev defeated Daniel Bryan (MITB qualifier).
May 22nd, 2018 Smackdown: Daniel Bryan defeated Jeff Hardy.
May 29th, 2018 Smackdown: Samoa Joe defeated Daniel Bryan and Big Cass (MITB qualifier)
Despite WWE’s best attempts, fans will likely never forget about Big Cass’ former association with Enzo Amore.
Amore was released from WWE earlier this year after learning of some sexual assault allegations that were brought against him (which have since been dropped). Since his departure, Big Cass has been pushed as a top heel on WWE TV.
Cass has been working a program with Daniel Bryan over on SmackDown Live. Ringside News reports that yesterday (Sun. June 3, 2018) during a live event in Waco, Texas, fans begun chanting “We want Enzo” at Big Cass as they were disappointed with his match against Bryan.
Initially, Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz was advertised for that event. Instead, Miz took part in a Fatal Five-Way match for the United States Title, and Bryan worked against Cass in the main event.
Fans reportedly weren’t interested in the match at all until they got the opportunity to do the “YES!” chant. Bryan emerged victorious in the match to send the crowd home happy.
WWE was believed to be playing an injury angle with Big Cass at the start but his damage is starting to look more legitimate as the days are passing by.
We reported before how Cass was noticeably limping backstage during this week’s episode of SmackDown Live and now Pwinsider has given another update on his situation.
According to the site, Cass is back on crutches and is being evaluated by doctors to determine if the SmackDown Star requires another ACL surgery. If he does then he will be put on the shelf once again for at least 6 months.
For those who don’t know, Big Cass was helped backstage after his match during a Live Event last week and soon after this WWE reported that he has suffered an injury.
These events were followed by Cass’ removal from the announced Money In The Bank qualifier match against Samoa Joe and at the beginning people believed that the whole thing was a work.
In the wake of the reports of the SmackDown Star having backstage heat, many thought that the company was just punishing him for going off script, however, things have changed since then.
After the latest updates, it appears that Cass is legitimately hurt and seeing how his condition is getting worse, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he undergoes another surgery.
Big Cass underwent a surgery for a torn ACL back in August last year and it forced the former Raw Star to miss almost 8 months of action before returning to ring last month.
He was recently also removed from the announced Money In The Bank qualifier because of a leg injury he suffered during a recent Live Event. However, many people believed that the whole thing is a work.
Now in an update, Pwinsider is reporting that Cass was walking with a noticeable limp backstage during this week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show.
While this could be a way to work talents backstage, after this report, the possibility of a legitimate injury cannot be ruled out either. We’ll keep you posted on the matter.
Kevin Owens Steals Producer’s Phone
Kevin Owens is known for his unique tactics and unprecedented behavior not only during his matches but during various segments and even during his entrance.
During a recent Live Event, the former Universal Champion once again did something unthinkable while making his way to the ring when he stole the phone of a WWE Social Media Producer.
After stealing the phone, Owens made a hilarious video of himself and his tag team partner for the show Sami Zayn. WWE later posted the video on their YouTube channel and it can be seen below:
WWE has announced one big change to a top match that will take place on this week’s SmackDown Live.
It was originally announced that Samoa Joe would battle Big Cass in a Money in the Bank qualifying match on this show, which takes place in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center.
However, as a result of the ongoing storyline injury angle with Cass, WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Paige has revealed that Cass will not wrestle Joe on this show.
Instead, Daniel Bryan will take on Jeff Hardy with the winner facing Joe next week on SmackDown Live in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. Paige tweeted out the following:
“Due to @BigCassWWE injury, @WWEDanielBryan will face @JEFFHARDYBRAND tomorrow night on #SDLive in a second chance match… The winner will face @SamoaJoe NEXT WEEK for an opportunity to qualify and enter the Men’s #MITB Ladder Match.”
