In May, Drew Gulak parted ways with WWE, following claims by Ronda Rousey that he had acted inappropriately during her tenure with the company. Now, Gulak is re-establishing himself outside of the promotion, and a recent angle with Beyond Wrestling made reference to his controversial actions and WWE departure.

At the latest Beyond show, Gulak was in the ring with Masha Slamovich. In his promo, Gulak made references to the female star potentially being uncomfortable in the locker room with him, in a clear reference to the Rousey situation.

“Anytime we’ve been in Beyond Wrestling, did I ever make you feel uncomfortable? At any time, did you feel like I was a danger in the locker room? Well, you should have.”

Gulak then attacked Slamovich as part of the show. On social media, many criticized Gulak and Beyond Wrestling for making the controversy from earlier this year into an angle.

Rousey alleged that Gulak pulled on the drawstring of her sweatpants in an action that made the former UFC fighter feel very uncomfortable. While Gulak admitted that an incident took place, he claims that he accidentally caught the drawstring and apologized after the fact. When pressed on the matter, Paul Levesque stated that Gulak’s WWE contract expired and downplayed that he was fired from the company.

While Beyond Wrestling has the right to book its shows how they see fit, many fans feel that referencing Gulak’s situation with Rousey is a step too far, especially amid the ongoing Vince McMahon scandal and Janel Grant’s lawsuit. With the topic of female safety in wrestling being as relevant as ever, it remains to be seen if Beyond will continue to make reference to Gulak’s departure from the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.

Michaels comments on the departure of Gulak and Stevenson from WWE.

The WWE roster is going through some significant changes this year. Several notable talents featured prominently on TV have either become free agents or are getting close to their contracts expiring. One of the recent talents to depart from WWE is Ricochet, who reportedly chose not to re-sign with the company.

In the case of Drew Gulak and Gable Steveson, their departure from the company in May has left fans wondering why. The reason for the former Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler has been unclear, as he only had one match against Baron Corbin for NXT that fans didn’t receive well. However, it has been reported that he could’ve been let go because of the lack of progression as a talent on the roster.

For Gulak, he was let go after spending nearly eight years in WWE and was being featured on NXT. The timing was also interesting as it came after former WWE superstar Ronda Rousey shared that Gulak had inappropriately touched her pants’ drawstring in 2022. In addition, after Rousey spoke out about Gulak, he was noticeably removed from TV until his departure. However, Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque(AKA Triple H) noted during the Backlash post-conference on May 4 that Gulak’s exit from the company was due to his contract expiring.

In a media call ahead of NXT Heatwave, POST Wrestling’s John Pollock asked Shawn Michaels about the departure of both Gulak and Steveson. Michaels shared that both talent contracts were set to expire, and the company chose not to keep them on the roster.

WrestleZone has the full video of the media call:

“…From my understanding, nothing on anyone’s part other than contracts being up, certainly in the place of Drew Gulak, and from a company’s standpoint, they’re not being anything from a main roster standpoint that they were going to be using him in and that’s certainly as we, here in NXT, over the last year and a half, two years, we’ve been trying to again get into a process of really keeping it fluid,” said Michaels.

He then touched on NXT’s shift towards deciding to let go of talent they believe isn’t progressing enough to be on the main roster.

“…It’s all about getting, I guess, to the main roster when everything is said and done, and if in two or three years that doesn’t happen, we have to see, you know what I mean, either bringing other people in or see if we’re ready to move on,” said Michaels.

He also congratulated Steveson on his transition to the NFL and wished him the best. That said, he echoed the new direction WWE is taking of letting go of talent they believe doesn’t have a place on the main roster or NXT.

What’s Next For Drew Gulak?

While Steveson is set to begin his career with the Buffalo Bills, Gulak is looking for success on the independent wrestling scene. He accepts bookings and trains wrestlers at Catchpoint Philadelphia alongside All Elite Wrestling superstar Wheeler Yuta and ‘Hot Sauce’ Tracy Williams.

Gulak’s next wrestling appearance will be for Beyond Wrestling on July 4. He’ll take on Tom Lawlor in what should be a technical matchup.

WWE’s new stance may lead to more superstars being let go on the main roster and NXT, as they’ll evaluate when the talent contract expires. That said, there are still opportunities on the indie scene and from other promotions where talent can succeed.

Former WWE Superstar Drew Gulak will mark his return to the ring as part of an event for Beyond Wrestling in July of this year. 

Gulak will be a part of the Americanrana 24: Where Eagles Dare show that will fittingly take place on July 4. The show will take place at the White Eagle in Worcester. The doors will open at 6:30 pm a special 7 pm ET bell time. 

BREAKING: @DrewGulak returns at "#Americanrana '24: Where Eagles Dare" presented by #BeyondWrestling & @WrestlingOpen at White Eagle in Worcester on Thursday, July 4th with a special 7pm ET start time.

Tickets will be available soon at @ShopIWTV.

Stream LIVE on @indiewrestling! pic.twitter.com/kM9r5QO7ro

— Beyond Wrestling (@beyondwrestling) June 1, 2024

Beyond Wrestling’s Americanrana 24: Where Eagles Dare will mark Gulak’s first wrestling event following his release from WWE earlier this year. During an appearance with NewsNation, Ronda Rousey alleged that Gulak had pulled on the drawstring of her pants which made her uncomfortable. Gulak claimed that while an incident like this did happen, it was an accident and he apologized to Rousey at the time. 

• More On Ronda Rousey’s Claim about Drew Gulak

Gulak was quickly pulled from WWE NXT programming and his name was removed from the titantron for the No Quarter Catch Crew. It was later said on TV that the faction had paid the D’Angelo Family to ‘take care’ of a former member of the group and avoided mentioning Gulak by name. This led many to speculate that Gulak’s days with WWE would be numbered and it was later confirmed that he was no longer with the company. 

• Details On Drew Gulak’s Exit from WWE

The circumstances surrounding Gulak’s release would also prove to be controversial. When Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque was asked whether Rousey’s claims had factored into Gulak being released, WWE’s CCO refuted the idea that Gulak had been released and said that his contract had expired. Levesque also questioned the credibility of sources who had reported about Gulak though those sources were later sent an apology. 

It’s time for the Daily Drop on Sunday, May 5, 2024. There is a lot to unpack in the pro wrestling world, so let’s not waste any more time.

WWE finally announced that WrestleMania 41 will take place in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. 4/20 weekend will be very busy in Vegas, for a few reasons. Tanga Loa also debuted as the newest member of the Bloodline at Backlash. That should go on to change a lot for the stable’s future.

Let’s get into today’s Daily Drop!

WWE:

Gulak Not Gone Yet: While Drew Gulak was rumored to have been released, it is now reported that he remains with WWE, although his contract will not be renewed after it expires next month. Gulak has gained a reputation for targeting the actual injuries of NXT talents during their recovery, which has led others to view him as a bully. This behavior included pressuring talents to remain silent about his actions. Multiple sources from the backstage staff, including producers and the creative team, mentioned that Drew Gulak’s approach in WWE was counterproductive. He was described to me as a poor politician by multiple sources, Gulak tried to maneuver his way to the top but ended up undermining his own position. He was difficult for producers and writers to work with because he believed he was outsmarting everyone. However, once the team started sharing their experiences, Gulak became a subject of mockery among them.

Jessika Carr Made History: During WWE Backlash in France, WWE referee Jessika Carr became the first woman to ever officiate a World Title match as Cody Rhodes defended his gold against AJ Styles. Cody Rhodes also sent out a post to give Carr a spotlight.

Wanted to mention this after the contract signing, (and forgive me if I’m wrong but I don’t think I am…)

It’ll also be the VERY FIRST PLE Main Event for The Undisputed @WWE Title officiated by a woman @WWELadyRefJess https://t.co/g26bva41sR

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 4, 2024

Seth Rollins’ New Look: The Messiah showed up at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and he looked very different. Although he was wearing a classy hat, it appeared that Rollins had his hair trimmed down considerably.

AEW:

Tony Schiavone’s New Ink: The AEW announcer recently mourned the loss of his dog, Bug. This week, he paid tribute to his old friend by getting a tattoo to remember him. The new piece looks great, and you can check it out below. RIP Bug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6huEs3uHmG

JR Loves TK’s Neck Brace: During his Grilling JR podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer announcer gave Tony Khan flowers for rocking a neck brace like he did. Ross considered it “old school,” which was very much appreciated.

“I was waiting to see if Tony was gonna follow through and complete the cycle by wearing a neckbrace and he did. I was proud of him for doing that because it was old school. Now whether you like the angle or you didn’t like the angle, that’s another issue but him following through and wearing the neckbrace…good for Tony Khan on that deal. That was old school like thinking and I’m really glad that he wore the neckbrace.”

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

Former WWE NXT Superstar Drew Gulak was a bully during his tenure with the gold brand, according to those close to the situation. 

Gulak’s name was brought up during recent talent cuts that have affected the WWE NXT brand. It was at first believed that Gulak was removed from WWE TV following allegations made by Ronda Rousey. The former Women’s Champion claims that Gulak pulled at the drawstring of her pants, which Gulak said did happen but it was an accident. 

Now, more has come to light about Gulak’s behavior leading up to his WWE release. Gulak would often target the genuine injuries that NXT talent were trying to recover from, Fightful Select reports. This earned him a reputation as a bully, which was only galvanized when he pressured talent to keep quiet about what he was doing. 

At least one WWE NXT talent spoke up which led to Gulak being verbially reprimanded by NXT head Shawn Michaels and other coaches with the gold brand. This was after Gulak intentially ‘spiked’ an opponent during a match. It is not stated who this oopponent was or when the match took place. 

One WWE NXT talent who spoke to Fightful said that Gulak was “odd” and often tested wrestlers to see if his bullying got a reaction. Another talent said that Gulak deliberately re-dislocated a finger that that had previously been dislocated but had been healing. 

Drew Gulak Still With WWE

While it has been reported that Gulak was released, Fightful now notes that Drew is still with the company, but has been told that his deal will not be renewed when it expires. Gulak will also not receive a new offer once his existing deal expires next month. 

On the WWE Backlash France post-show press conference, WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque responded to questions about Gulak’s WWE status. Levesque stated that Gulak was not fired over the Rousey allegations but rather that his contract was not renewed. 

WWE released another ten wrestlers on Friday, most of them from the NXT developmental brand and the Performance Center. The list includes the following names, according to Sean Ross Sapp:

• Darrell Mason
• Vlad Pavlenko
• Ezekiel Balogun
• Kiyah Saint
• Emma Diaz
• Valentina Feroz
• Keyshawn Leflore
• Trey Bearhill
• Julian Baldi 

Drew Gulak was also let go just weeks after being called out by Ronda Rousey for touching the string of her sweatsuit. He hadn’t appeared on WWE television since and his absence was explained in a creative angle.

WWE Chief Operations Officer Brad Blum tendered his resignation earlier this week and Cameron Grimes, Xia Li, Xyon Quin, Jinder Mahal, Sanaga, Veer Mahaan, and Von Wagner were all recently let go, as well. 

We’re sending our best to everyone who lost their jobs with WWE.

The situation surrounding Drew Gulak was given a unique explanation during WWE NXT as his future with the company remains uncertain. 

 Gulak was pulled from programming following allegations made by Ronda Rousey. The former Women’s Champion alleged that Gulak pulled on the drawstring of her sweatpants and made her feel uncomfortable. Gulak has said it was an accident and apologized at the time. 

Drew Gulak’s Absence Explained

On the WWE NXT after Rousey’s claim came to light, Gulak didn’t appear alongside the No Quarter Catch Crew and his name had been removed from the group’s titantron. This understandably raised questions as to his future as part of the group and in WWE.

On this week’s NXT, the No Quarter Catch Crew (again sans Gulak) had an in-ring segment with Tony D’Angelo’s family. During the segment, D’Angelo noted that Charlie Dempsey had The Family “take care” of a member of the group, seemingly Gulak. Dempsey responded by saying it was for the good of the business and that the “trash” had to be taken care of. 

This is another worrying sign for Gulak and demonstrates the seriousness of the situation regarding what transpired between himself and Rousey in 2022. Gulak has reportedly been pulled from all plans and there are no creative plans for him. He was also not backstage as of last week’s episode of WWE NXT and it’s unlikely he was at this week’s event. 

Gulak has been with WWE since 2016 and in addition to eight 24/7 Championship reigns is a one-time Cruiserweight Champion. For all his past accomplishments though, Gulak’s WWE future remains hanging in the balance

Ronda Rousey’s days as a WWE Superstar are over, but she’s making lots of news talking about her experiences with the company. Rousey has been ‘naming names’ of men in WWE who she feels helped perpetuate a dysfunctional work environment. 

During an appearance on News Nation to promote her new book, Rousey said she was shocked when WWE trainer walked by her at the Performance Center and pulled on the string of her sweatpants.

“But this guy grabs the string of my sweatpants and nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal and he starts going down the hall and I was like, ‘What the f*** was that?’ Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing here next to me would you feel comfortable like walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants? 

“If this guy is coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there’s other people around like what’s happening to these other girls when it’s not in a hallway.”

Rousey came to the realization that this was in fact Gulak and she did approach him later on about the alleged incident.

“I went and confronted him later and I was like, ‘If I ever hear about you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything liek this to me ever again … we’re gonna have a problem. And he was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me.’ He really like back-pedaled.”

Rousey said that the situation really put a bad taste in her mouth about how the mentality was backstage at WWE.

Drew Gulak Calls it a “Complete Accident”

After Rousey’s allegation made the airwaves, Gulak took to social media to state his side of the story, claiming that the pulling of her sweatpants string was a missed handshake.

“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Rousey has accused several WWE executives of inappropriate conduct in recent months, including Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. 

In a stunning development, the former UFC & WWE champion says she was not surprised by any of the horrific allegations laid out by Janel Grant in her lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and others. She’s convinced that other women in the company feel the same way she does, but they’re being “held hostage” and do not speak up because they fear repercussions l. 

The culture within WWE has received a big spotlight on it in recent memory. Although things like removing Vince McMahon from his position of power may have helped things, there was allegedly a culture infested in concerning workplace behavior.

Ronda Rousey revealed details about her WWE experience, including an incident with Drew Gulak where he allegedly inappropriately pulled the strings of her sweatpants backstage, prompting her to question the normalization of such behavior within the industry.

Rousey’s Accusations About Drew Gulak

Ronda Rousey spoke with NewsNation about her time in WWE. The former WWE Women’s Champion revealed details regarding an incident that allegedly occurred backstage involving Drew Gulak.

She detailed how Gulak inappropriately reached down to her sweatpants and pulled on her strings. Rousey’s account shed light on an uncomfortable encounter within the wrestling industry.

“This guy that I’m barely acquaintances with grabs the strings of my sweatpants while I’m walking by, and like, nobody, I wasn’t even looking at him, you know, I don’t know if I can swear on here, it’s a quote, but this guy grabs the strings of my sweatpants and nobody acts like this is abnormal, and he comes around, and I’m like, ‘what the f*ck was that?'”

“Like, why would you grab on the string of my sweatpants, like, if my husband was here, would you feel comfortable grabbing the sting of my sweatpants, but nobody around me acted like it was abnormal. I’m like, if this guy is coming up to me, and doing this to me, then what’s happening to these other girls when nobody’s around when it’s not in a hallway? So, that really put me on edge to like not only is this behavior prevalent, but it’s prevalent to the point where nobody thinks it’s a problem anymore.”

When asked who the wrestler was, Rousey drew a blank, but then she remembered it was Drew Gulak. Interestingly enough, they had the graphic of Gulak ready to go.

https://twitter.com/rondarouseyszn/status/1775360450781229432

Drew Gulak Responds

Drew Gulak has responded to the accusations against him. He recounted the event as a complete accident, and he claims he never meant to touch the string on her sweatpants.

Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1775549505875702075

Vince McMahon Accusations

Vince McMahon was accused of numerous heinous acts in the lawsuit from Janel Grant. He resigned from the company shortly after Slim Jim pulled their sponsorship for the 2024 Royal Rumble event. The company returned to sponsor The Rumble after Vince resigned.

John Laurinaitis was also named in Grant’s lawsuit. Rousey previously buried him, calling Johnny Ace, a “60-year-old frat boy.” He has since claimed to be a victim in the situation.

As of this writing, Drew Gulak has not responded to Rousey’s accusations. We will keep our eye on this story for additional updates. Keep checking back with SEScoops throughout the day for more headlines!

WWE’s NXT brand is a place where Superstars of tomorrow and do their thing and introduce themselves to the world. Now, one faction from WWE’s third brand has a brand-new name.

During the December 12th edition of NXT, there were notable moments and in-ring action. Fans saw the build for New Year’s Evil begin, and the closing segment was filled with tension as Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams continued their story. Another segment saw a stable solidify their status in the company.

The new NXT Stable name

After a year together on NXT television, the group consisting of Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne, and Damon Kemp finally has a name. This information occurred during the match previews for the next week’s show.

They are now known as ‘The No Quarter Catch Crew.’ Next week on NXT, Dragon Lee will defend the NXT North American Title against once member of the stable.

That stable’s story started with Drew Gulak’s arrival in NXT in early 2023, initially forming a tag team with Charlie Dempsey. Over time, the faction expanded its roster to include Damon Kemp and eventually Myles Borne.

Now, Dragon Lee is set to defend his North American Championship against a member of The No Quarter Catch Crew next week, though the challenger was not announced. It will be interesting to see how WWE books this situation in the weeks to come, but at least that stable has a name now.

We will keep our eye on this story to see if there are more developments here at SE Scoops. WWE has a lot going on, and the NXT brand’s momentum will carry into the new year with a new stable in their ranks.

It has been a little over two months since Drew Gulak worked a television match.

Though he’s been active on the house show circuit and worked some dark matches at television tapings, Gulak last performed on television during a tag team match on May 27th, teaming with Ricochet in a loss to Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser.

According to a report from Fightful, Gulak was supposed to work a tag team match against the Viking Raiders this past week on SmackDown. Instead, the Raiders worked a squash match against Jim Mulkey and Tommy Gibson.

After that match, Kofi Kingston attacked the Vikings Raiders and subsequently had a singles match with Erik. Kingston was victorious.

Who Has Drew Gulak Been Wrestling?

Gulak’s most recent singles matches on the house show circuit have been against Happy Corbin, who has been feuding with Pat McAfee on television. Corbin lost to Ricochet on this past week’s SmackDown.

Gulak was one of Gunther’s first television opponents when he was brought up to the main roster. Outside of that, Gulak’s television time has been less than remarkable since a memorable series of matches with Daniel Bryan a couple of years ago in an attempt to elevate the talented wrestler. It remains to be seen if Gulak is given another chance to shine under the new head of WWE creative team, Triple H.

Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Drew Gulak opened up on the situation last month where his contract with WWE expired only for him to sign a new deal with the company just days later. 

Gulak became a free agent and his profile from WWE.com was even moved to the alumni section. At the time it was reported that he had asked for a pay increase, which the company declined to do and that’s why his contract expired. 

It was later reported that he had signed a multi-year contract, but there’s no word yet how many years the deal is for.

While doing an interview with Sports Illustrated, Gulak discussed his contractual situation with WWE. 

“I actually never missed a TV. I never missed anything. My hiatus was just three or four days because the contract lapsed. It had nothing to do with anything else, just typical business that comes along with [a contract].

Gulak was also asked whether he was surprised at the amount of coverage that story received?

“I was surprised how much false information was put out there. At the same time, it’s a good thing that people were talking. There was nothing malicious intended behind any of it. The fact that I’m being reported on is a good thing. It just goes to show that people respect me as a performer.”

Gulak is currently in a feud with WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles. A a match was originally booked for last Friday’s episode of SmackDown, but was pulled. 

• Drew Gulak On Inspiring Daniel Bryan Following Elimination Chamber Match

In an interesting twist, Drew Gulak is back at work for WWE as he was at Monday’s TV tapings in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Fightful first reported the news.

It was noted in the report that Gulak wrestled in a battle royal that will air on Friday’s episode on FOX. He appeared in the ring with over a dozen other wrestlers. 

Per the report, his absence from WWE television for a week wasn’t mentioned over the house microphones at least. That could be addressed on the broadcast. 

A possible indication that he’s back under contract is due to WWE moving him from the alumni section to the active roster as part of SmackDown on WWE.com. 

As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether or not Gulak has re-signed with WWE or not.

This comes after earlier this month it was reported that Gulak’s WWE contract expired earlier this month. At the time, it was said that the two sides had been discussing a new deal.

Gulak reportedly had asked for more money, which led to WWE officials deciding to pull the contract offer and allow his deal to expire. 

• Drew Gulak On Inspiring Daniel Bryan Following Elimination Chamber Match

After being eliminated from the Intercontinental Championship tournament by Daniel Bryan on Smackdown last week, Drew Gulak parted ways with WWE. A few different reports surfaced online in the wake of Gulak’s departure from the company. It was first reported that Gulak had been released and then later that his contract had run-out and he had not been re-signed. According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, however, an offer WWE put on the table to Gulak to re-sign was pulled after he asked for more money.

“What happened was he was negotiating a new contract and the contract expired after Smackdown and he had wanted a raise,” Alvarez said. Alvarez then noted that before the pandemic, WWE had been granting raises to people who re-signed.

“So, Drew Gulak asked for a raise,” Alvarez continued. “They said ‘no’ and then they pulled the contract offer. So, if you want to argue that he wasn’t actually released, you’re welcome to because his contract did expire but they let him go because he wanted more money.”

• Drew Gulak Departs From WWE

It is also being reported that Gulak’s contract negotiations with WWE are not dead and that he could still return to the company.

Gulak came into WWE in 2016 following the Cruiserweight Classic. He is a former Cruiserweight Champion having held the title from June to October in 2019.

The comments by Bryan Alvarez can be viewed in the player below:

Drew Gulak is the latest WWE star to depart from WWE. 

On Saturday, there was speculation that Gulak was gone after his profile was moved to the WWE Alumni section on WWE’s official website, which happens when a talent is released by the company. 

It turns out that the news is true, according to a report by Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet. Pwinsider.com reports that this wasn’t a release but rather Gulak’s WWE contract expired on Friday. 

It was added the two sides had been discussing a new deal but had not yet come to terms on the deal before Gulak’s existing deal expired.

The departure has not been announced publicly, but that will likely change soon. 

He just worked a match on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. He took on Daniel Bryan in a losing effort as part of the Intercontinental title tournament. 

This match came after WWE officials had decided to pair him up with the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion as of late by being his coach. 

Drew joined WWE in 2016 where he went onto be used as part of the cruiserweight division for the most part.

Drew Gulak On Inspiring Daniel Bryan Following Elimination Chamber Match

SmackDown Superstar Drew Gulak has opened up about his relationship with Daniel Bryan following their encounter at Elimination Chamber. He was asked by Corey Graves on his WWE podcast After the Bell to explain why their chemistry is so important, and why Elimination Chamber held a special meaning for them.

Gulak explained how Elimination Chamber was “up the street from where I trained.” Not only that, it was also where Daniel Bryan “cut his teeth at the Murphy Rec Center.” That gave the event some extra special meaning to both Superstars.

He reflected on how, prior to Elimination Chamber in March “We never touched in the ring. He got to call my matches at the Cruiserweight Classic, which was kind of cool because that was him getting a chance to kind of see that style.”

Drew Gulak noted how his in-ring technical style is “different” and that he believes he their clash at the pay-per-view “woke up something inside of him to be like, ‘Man I want to do more of that.’” He believes it had a similar effect on a lot of people. He noted how inspiring people to try something and explore a different avenue is something he loves doing.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops. 

During the premiere episode of WWE’s official podcast, After The Bell, host Corey Graves opened up about two current Superstars he feels are being underutilized by the company.

“In my opinion, Cesaro is the single-most underrated superstar, most underutilized superstar, not only in WWE but in the entire wrestling industry,” Graves stated. “[…] There was something about him; everything about Cesaro is this business. We always say it about Randy Orton – if you were to design a sports entertainer from the ground up, to me, Cesaro is kind of that same ilk.”

He described Cesaro’s physicality and technical ability in the ring, highlighting how he has dedicated his life to the craft of pro wrestling. 

“[…] there is literally no one you can put into a ring in WWE with Cesaro that won’t tear it down,” Graves claimed. “Cesaro is incapable of having a bad match; I mean, he may tell you otherwise. I’m telling you from my perspective as a guy that’s watched every second of WWE for the last three-and-a-half, four years. Cesaro is the guy.”

The Real Deal

The second Superstar Graves mentions is WWE’s former Cruiserweight Champion, Drew Gulak. Whereas he believes Cesaro is let down by his skills on the mic, Graves stresses that Gulak doesn’t suffer from that same problem. For him, Gulak is as good on the mic as he is in the ring.

“His presentation, the way he goes about things in the ring, [he’s] another one that if given the right stage and not getting killed by Braun Strowman, or the Lucha House Party, or whoever else that week, Gulak can talk,” he said. “I don’t know if the PowerPoint presentations are going to be his keys to the kingdom. But if you’ve gotten to see anything he’s capable of on 205 Live or during his reign as cruiserweight champion – remember the match where he won the Cruiserweight Title and it was a triple threat match? Gulak is the real deal. And I’m glad, at least, that he caught the attention of somebody to earn a roster spot on SmackDown.”

Graves then noted how the idea of Gulak wrestling against Cesaro gave him “goosebumps.” He stressed that if fans wanted to see two guys “manipulate the hell out of one another’s bodies and hurt one another in the most unique, interesting ways” then Cesaro and Gulak were the Superstars to do it.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE has announced matches for 205 Live tonight, one week after the show did not air following Smackdown’s debut on Fox. The show is again scheduled to air tonight and the company has announced the following matches for the show:

• Akira Tozawa vs the Brian Kendrick
• Tony Nese & Drew Gulak vs Oney Loracan & Danny Burch

The match between Nese & Gulak vs Lorcan & Burch will be a rematch from the 205 Live held on September 24th, 2019. Lorcan & Burch won that match.

Oney Lorcan posted the following about his match tonight:

WWE/NXT Cruiserweight Division

Triple H spoke to Newsweek recently and explained that the cruiserweight title will begin to live under the NXT umbrella:

• Triple H Reveals Plans For 205 Live, Cruiserweights To NXT

“You’ll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people.”

Former Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak will be looking to rebound tonight after losing the title to Lio Rush on NXT this Wednesday. WWE’s Cruiserweight title has now been renamed the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Lio Rush was interviewed backstage after winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Drew Gulak:

The WWE Cruiserweight title match at Clash of Champions will now be a triple threat match. Last week on 205 Live, Humberto Carrillo qualified for a title shot by defeating Oney Lorcan. This week, the Lucha House Party’s Lince Dorado defeated Carrillo and was subsequently added to the title match at Clash of Champions.

Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak and Tony Nese attacked both competitors after the match concluded.

After the show ended, 205 Live GM Drake Maverick took a break from chasing the 24/7 title to add Dorado to the title match at Clash of Champions. He also booked a match for next week between Carrillo & Dorado in tag action against Gulak and Nese.

• Roman Reigns’ Opponent Set For WWE Clash Of Champions

Updated Clash of Champions Lineup

• WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman
• WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
• WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman vs. Dolph Ziggler & Bobby Roode
• King of the Ring Tournament Finals: TBD vs. TBD
• WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair
• WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo vs Lince Dorado
• WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz
• WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day © vs. The Revival 
• WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks
• Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan

A new match involving WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak has been announced for the upcoming SummerSlam PPV.

Tuesday’s episode of 205 Live was headlined by Ariya Daivari vs. Jack Gallagher vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Kalisto in a Six-Pack Challenge Match. 

Lorcan ended up winning this match. As a result, he has earned the right to become the new #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title and challenge Gulak for it at SummerSlam. 

WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 11, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena that will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE SummerSlam Card

• WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
• WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Natalya – Submission Match
• WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Ember Moon
• Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon – If Owens Loses He’s Forced To Quit WWE
• WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
• Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
• WWE United States Champion AJ Styles vs. Ricochet
• Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus
• Aleister Black vs. Sami Zayn
• Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler
• WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.

One WWE main roster star was in action at a recent NXT show that saw him put his championship up for grabs. That star is WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak.

He did so when WWE held an NXT live event on Thursday in Casselberry, FL at the Orlando Live. At the show, Gulak put the title on the line when he took on Jordan Myles and successfully retained the championship. 

NXT Star Returns From Injury After Almost A year

Gulak beat Tony Nese and Akira Tozawa to become the new champion at the Stomping Grounds show that aired on WWE’s streaming service from Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome. 

WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on August 11, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario. As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce his opponent at this show. 

WWE Casselberry, FL Results 

• Raul Mendoza defeats Brennan Vink
• Jessi Kamea & Tegan Nox defeat Aliyah & Vanessa Borne
• Shane Thorne defeats Daniel Vidot
• 3.0 (Jeffrey Parker & Matthew Menard-Lee) defeat ??? & Denzel Dejournette
• WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak defeats Jordan Myles
• Dominik Dijakovic defeats Bronson Reed
• Kassius Ohno defeats Cal Bloom
• Lacey Lane defeats Rachael Evers
• Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeat The Outliers (Dorian Mak & Riddick Moss)

Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak recently defended his title successfully against Tony Nese at Extreme Rules. Earlier that weekend, Gulak dropped a match to Matt Riddle at Evolve’s 10th Anniversary show. The event took place inside Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena, a venue Gulak has a plethora of experience in.

Gulak was this week’s guest on Edge and Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness. During the show, he spoke about his experiences on 205 Live from its inception to the current product.

“When the Cruiserweight Classic was conceived, originally it was supposed to be a throw-back to the Super Junior tournaments,” Gulak said on the show. “I heard the direction that Triple H wanted to take it in was more sports-oriented. No bells or whistles, as gritty as we can make.”

“Then slowly, I think Vince’s ideas were behind it was like ‘No, no, no, we’ve got to blow these guys up to be larger than life like stars,” he continued. “It kind of seeped through.”

Drew Gulak on 205 Live

Gulak then noted that when 205 Live started, Vince was in control.

“When 205 Live became a thing, control switched and Vince wanted to run it. Which was cool because it was him with a bunch of new toys to play with,” he continued.

“The show kind of took on that style almost like what you would see on RAW or Smackdown. So, I felt my strength in that format would be to kind of use my voice and my personality to build the rest of the show up. So, that’s where I kind of pushed to going back to my political campaign route which still compliments the style, it doesn’t take away from that but it adds a whole other layer of stories.”

• Drew Gulak Remains Cruiserweight Champion At WWE Extreme Rules

The full interview can be listened to below:

Drew Gulak holds onto the Cruiserweight Title in his latest title defense as champion. 

As seen at Sunday’s (July 14, 2019) WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event, Gulak beat Tony Nese to retain the title. 

Gulak beat Nese and Akira Tozawa to become the new champion at the Stomping Grounds show that aired on their streaming service from Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome. 

WWE set up this rematch back on the June 25th episode of 205 Live where Nese defeated Tozawa to earn a rematch against Gulak at Extreme Rules.

• WWE Extreme Rules 2019 Results (7/14)

Nese became champion when he dethroned Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania 35 in April. This was an impressive win as Murphy had held the title since he was able to beat Cedric Alexander to win the title at WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia last November. 

Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, August 11, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena. 

What are your thoughts on Gulak retaining the Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Tony Nese no longer holds onto the Cruiserweight Title as he lost it in his latest title defense. Drew Gulak beat Nese and Akira Tozawa to become the new champion.

This triple threat match took place at the latest pay-per-view event for the company, Stomping Grounds, that aired on their streaming service from Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome.

This match was set up on Tuesday’s episode of 205 Live after a fatal four-way match between Akira Tozawa, Oney Lorcan, Humberto Carrillo, and Drew Gulak on the June 11 episode ended in controversy. The finish of that match that was supposed to determine the number one contender but featured a double pin with Gulak and Tozawa.

Nese became champion when he dethroned Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania 35 in April. This was an impressive win as Murphy had held the title since he was able to beat Cedric Alexander to win the title at WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia last November.

A rematch between Gulak and Nese is likely to take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that takes place on July 14th, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA at the Wells Fargo Center.

• WWE Stomping Grounds Results & Live Coverage

What are your thoughts on Drew Gulak winning the Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE taped a few matches for an upcoming episode of NXT TV at Saturday night’s NXT Bel Air live event.

F4WOnline.com is reporting that three matches from Saturday night’s NXT Bel Air house show at the APG Federal Credit Union Arena in Bel Air, Maryland were taped for an episode of the weekly NXT TV show on the WWE Network.

The three matches taped last night for TV included a submission match pitting KUSHIDA against Drew Gulak, a tag-team bout that saw The Undisputed ERA take on the duo of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, as well as a women’s tag-team bout.

Below are spoiler results of the matches taped for NXT TV last night:

NXT TV SPOILER RESULTS (Taped On 5/18/2019)

KUSHIDA def. Drew Gulak in a Submission Match

The submission match between KUSHIDA and Gulak was said to be an entertaining contest, and a unique one, as there were none of the traditional near-falls and pin attempts in the match.

In the end, KUSHIDA picked up the win by submission when Gulak tapped out to the Hoverboard Lock.

Winner: KUSHIDA

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan def. Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly

Up next was a tag-team bout pitting The Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly against Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. Bobby Fish came out with Strong and O’Reilly with his arm in a sling. He shook his fellow Undisputed ERA members’ hands and headed to the back.

The match was given some time and the crowd was said to be into a lot of the action. Near the end of the match, Jaxson Ryder ran in to distract Strong, setting up the finish, which saw Lorcan roll O’Reilly up for the pin fall victory.

Winners: Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke vs. Io Shirai & Candice LaRae ended in a No Contest

In the third match taped for television, Ronda Rousey’s Four Horsewomen members Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke took on Io Shirai and Candice LaRae in women’s tag-team action.

This one was kept pretty short and basic. During the match, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came out. “The Queen of Spades” simply stood at the top of the entrance ramp and watched the match until getting involved in the finish.

At the end of the contest, Shirai was about to hit her moonsault on Duke for what felt like the finish, until Baszler pulled Duke out of the ring. Shirai then hit her moonsault on Baszler instead.

This led to a big brawl with all five ladies going at it while several NXT officials tried to break things up. Baszler and Shirai ended up battling in the crowd, while LaRae brawled with Duke and Shafir.

Winners: No Contest

After these three matches were taped, the NXT Bel Air main event took place. The match saw Velveteen Dream retain his NXT North American Championship in an excellent Triple-Threat Match that included Matt Riddle and Adam Cole.