John Cena continues to mock Baron Corbin

On this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown, John Cena referred to Baron Corbin as a “dumpster fire”. A fan in the audience had a sign that simply read “Baron Corbin is a dumpster fire” and Cena pointed it out. The entire crowd then began chanting “dumpster fire” at Corbin while he was on the entrance ramp. Cena continued to mock Corbin by posting the following photo on Instagram earlier today:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXsYzu6A6pK/

SmackDown General Manager made Cena versus Corbin at WWE SummerSlam official. Cena challenged Corbin to a match on Tuesday night’s SmackDown but Corbin refused. Bryan then emerged from backstage and noted that Corbin clearly wasn’t dressed to wrestle that night and made the match for SummerSlam on August 20th.

Nikki Bella blasts Baron Corbin on Twitter

Corbin posted on Twitter that John Cena insulting him on SmackDown made Cena no better than the trolls on social media. Nikki Bella responded and it led to the following exchange:

And I can't wait to sit front row and see him slap that mouth right off your face!????No one gives & inspires as much as that man does. N

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) August 9, 2017

Front row? I'll be sure to slam him in to the barricade in front of you. Bring a towel, you can throw it in when he can't take anymore.

— Tom (@TomPestock) August 10, 2017

Nikki @BellaTwins came to the defense of fiancé @JohnCena as @BaronCorbinWWE took to @Twitter to insult his #SummerSlam opponent! pic.twitter.com/Oi65KHfLCy

— WWE (@WWE) August 11, 2017

Kevin Owens on his 3 year anniversary in WWE

Kevin Owens took to Twitter today to state that he signed with WWE three years ago today and that it has worked out pretty great for everyone. Owens will face AJ Styles at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon will be the special referee for that match.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/896436426446966784

WWE NXT Superstar Drew McIntyre recently made an appearance on former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac 12360, and talked about a variety of professional wrestling topics. McIntyre touched on NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III possibly topping SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship win, and dubbing himself the ‘John Cena of NXT.’ You can see what he had to say here below:

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III possibly toping SummerSlam:

“NXT TakeOver, is only four times a year, they’re always a spectacle, everyone busts their ass. And we’ve got like a silent competition, I’ll say it. SummerSlam is the next day. …We wanna top SummerSlam. We’re gonna top SummerSlam.”

Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship:

“I was there that night in Chicago. The pre-show for NXT the night before, I stayed for the PPV the next day. I didn’t want to know the results, and I told both of them [Jinder Mahal] and Randy [Orton] don’t tell me, I’ll watch from the crowd. And when he won, most of the NXT roster were heading to the bus, and I sprinted off like the Ultimate Warrior, straight to ‘gorilla.’ I was right there waiting for him and I busting a 3MB air guitar.”

Being the ‘John Cena of NXT’:

“Just think of me as your John Cena of NXT. If there is something going on and someone doesn’t want to do it, then I’m your guy. I’m doing this, I’m happy. It’s nothing fake, I generally do enjoy this.”

You can check out McIntyre’s full interview with X-Pac by visiting this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

As we have previously mentioned, Sports Illustrated reported that Vince McMahon was ‘furious’ with Shinsuke Nakamura for his botched reverse exploder suplex on John Cena in the main event of last week’s episode of SmackDown Live. With his win, Nakamura will take on WWE Champion Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam for the title. WWE Hall Of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham took to Facebook to blast McMahon over the reports that he was furious with Nakamura, calling him a cry baby and telling him to grow up:

“Vince McMahon

“Hey fans, I just read a few hours ago that a story came out today in Sports Illustrated concerning the FURY of one Vince McMahon. Seem that he is furious with the Japanese star Nakamura, for dropping Cena on his head in their match last week. Vince said he “is not so much that mad at at Shinsuke, but that Cena has been the ” FACE ” of the company for a full decade now.” Not for long Vince madman McMahon. Cena is on his way to La La land.

“I saw Stan Hansen give Bruno the elbow in MSG when he broke Bruno’s neck. Vince Sr. didn’t cry like a baby, he just let Bruno get his neck fixed and keep on wrestling. Vince is living in Disney Land if he thinks Cena is still the ” Face ” of the WWE. Grow up Vince.

“Hey fans, I am still working on my painting, will get it up for you in a few days. Catch you folks later.

“Superstar Billy Graham… PS.. God, Vince is such a cry baby !!!”

You can check out the original Facebook post by clicking this link here.

John Cena kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown and danced along to “John Cena sucks!” chants on the entrance ramp. Cena came down to the ring and stood with a smile on his face as the crowd booed and cheered. Cena discussed Shinsuke Nakamura defeating him last week and earning a shot at the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam.

Cena said that Shinsuke is afraid of nothing and a “Nakamura” chant broke out in the crowd. John noted that for a while he didn’t know why people were chanting Nakamura’s name, but last week he found out why. Cena said that Nakamura hits extremely hard and that he was shocked when he found out that he lost. Cena said that he shook Shinsuke’s hand after the match because Nakamura earned the right to call himself a champion.

Baron Corbin interrupted and said that he was so sick and tired of people talking about the stupid handshake after the match. Corbin said that he was Mr. Money in the Bank and that means that he is the future and that he has no problem making Cena a part of the past. Cena responded by calling Corbin “a skinny-fat overrated dumpster fire”. Cena then pointed to a sign in the crowd that read “Baron Corbin is a dumpster fire” and the entire crowd started chanting “dumpster fire!” at Corbin.

Cena challenged Corbin to come down to the ring for a fight. Corbin declined and said that John Cena isn’t worth his time because he has nothing he wants. SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan then came down to the entrance ramp and had a stare down with Corbin as the crowd chanted “yes!”.

Daniel Bryan tried to talk but the entire Toronto crowd started chanting his name. Bryan acknowledged the crowd and then directed his attention back to Corbin. Bryan said that he doesn’t know if Corbin is a dumpster or the future. Bryan then announced that Baron Corbin will face John Cena at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.

Per #SDLive General Manager @WWEDanielBryan, Mr. #MITB @BaronCorbinWWE will go one-on-one with @JohnCena at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/AHxY1KHzSE

— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2017

Updated WWE SummerSlam card

Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Universal Championship

•  Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman

(if Brock Lesnar loses, he leaves WWE)

WWE Championship

• Jinder Mahal (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura

SmackDown Women’s Championship

• Naomi (c) vs Natalya

RAW Women’s Championship

• Alexa Bliss (c) vs Sasha Banks or Nia Jax

United States Championship (Special Referee: Shane McMahon)

• AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens

Cruiserweight Championship 

• Neville (c) vs Akira Tozawa

SmackDown Tag Team Championship

• New Day (c) vs The Usos

-Rusev vs Randy Orton

-Big Cass vs Big Show (Enzo Amore will be suspended above the ring in a shark cage)

-Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt

-John Cena vs Baron Corbin

After a hard fought match against Shinsuke Nakamura last week on SmackDown Live, John Cena has another “dream match” lined up against one of the RAW brand’s most dangerous competitors.

Local ads for the Labor Day edition of WWE RAW (9/4) from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska are advertising two big matches for that night. John Cena will square off against Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns will challenge Braun Strowman in an Omaha Street Fight.

It remains to be seen whether or not these matches will be televised, but Cena facing Samoa Joe next month is a good indication that the two men will feud when Cena begins working on the RAW brand after SummerSlam by way of his “free agent” status.

As noted earlier, Cena is advertised for most episodes of WWE RAW after SummerSlam leading up to September’s No Mercy pay-per-view (9/24) from Los Angeles.

Update: It looks like John Cena vs. Samoa Joe is being advertised for several more upcoming shows, based on social media activity.

https://twitter.com/csuktown/status/894618613650292737

Y'all on Aug. 28, Samoa Joe vs John Cena is being advertised & Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to show up. Don't know if this means anything

— Alisha ? (@AlishaWithFlair) August 8, 2017

Cena vs Samoa Joe has been made official for Tupelo on August 27th. pic.twitter.com/dChXgEF7z4

— Ringside News: WWE & AEW Wrestling News (@ringsidenews_) July 29, 2017

Last week on SmackDown Live, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated John Cena to earn a shot against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam. With less than two weeks until the pay-per-view, “free agent” John Cena is still without an opponent for the show. According to a report at PWInsider.com, Cena will be working against Money in the Bank contract holder Baron Corbin.

After last week’s SmackDown went off the air, Baron Corbin attacked Shinsuke Nakamura, who had just defeated John Cena in the main event. Cena made the save and slammed Corbin through the announce table with an Attitude Adjustment, setting the stage for their SummerSlam showdown.

As we’ve noted in recent weeks, Cena will be competing on the RAW brand after SummerSlam. Cena is advertised for most episodes of RAW following SummerSlam leading up to the RAW brand’s No Mercy PPV on September 24th, where Cena will also be competing.

Cena is not advertised for the RAW after SummerSlam and will be missing the September 18th episode of RAW, as he’ll be appearing on a SmackDown live event from China.

John Cena is currently starring in Season 2 of the American Grit reality competition series, which airs Sunday nights on FOX.

• Listen to Baron Corbin’s New Entrance Theme Music (Video)

– On Saturday, Kurt Angle celebrated his four year anniversary of remaining sober. Regarding this, the Raw General Manager posted the following on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXeL2ecAxF8/

Angle’s struggle with addiction is well-documented. Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics, Angle fractured two of his cervical vertebrae but was able to wrestle by receiving Novocaine injections in his neck. Angle eventually became addicted to Vicodin and was taking 65 extra-strength Vicodin pills a day at the height of his addiction. After he moved from WWE to TNA in 2006, he began mixing his medication with alcohol and his life spiraled out of control.

During a Reddit AMA in March, Angle said his wife, Giovanna, threatened to leave him if he didn’t clean himself up.

“[She said], ‘Listen, I love you, but you have had 4 DUI’s already. I love you but I can’t stay with you. I can’t live like this. You pass out every night at 7 o’clock and you don’t spend any time with the kids,'” Angle recalled when asked about his lowest moment.

That’s when Angle realized he had to turn his life around.

“She wanted me,” Angle said. “She wanted the Kurt Angle that she knew. So I decided to check into rehab. That’s where my rock bottom came.”

– At tonight’s WWE live event in Ottawa, Ontario featuring SmackDown LIVE talent, Baron Corbin came out to a new theme song. You can hear a snippet on WWE’s Snapchat.

– In John Cena’s latest “Hard Nocks South” video documenting his various workout routines in his gym of the same name, the WWE Superstar increases weight on cleans and squats.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1QOlX-CVow&w=620&h=349]

• What is John Cena’s net worth?

This past Tuesday on SmackDown Live, former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Shinsuke Nakamura defeated 16-time WWE World Champ John Cena in the night’s main event. Just prior to the finish, however, Nakamura hit a suplex on Cena in which “The Leader Of The Cenation” landed right on his head and neck. It looked to be a very nasty bump and fans were immediately wondering if the Japanese star would take heat for what happened once he returned backstage.

Per a report of Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the incident was considered to be a ‘fluke’ backstage and Nakamura took no heat at all for what happened. Immediately after the match fans could make out a brief conversation between Nakamura and Cena, as Nakamura apologized for what happened and Cena responded by telling him there was no need to apologize. Both men handled the incident with class and it seems as though we can all now move on from it.

With the win, Nakamura has now earned the opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam against current title holder Jinder Mahal.

16-time WWE World Champion John Cena is currently a ‘Free Agent’ in his run with the company, as he made his TV return last month during SmackDown Live’s 4th of July episode to begin his brief program with Rusev.

Cena is currently set to make a move to Monday Night RAW very soon, and according to PWInsider, that move will happen post-SummerSlam. “The Leader Of The Cenation” is being advertised for all episodes of Monday Night RAW (except for one) after “The Biggest Part Of The Summer,” leading up to the No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV) where he is also advertised to be competing. Cena will be missing the September 18th episode or RAW as he is currently advertised to appear at a SmackDown event in China instead.

Currently, it is expected Cena will be working with “Mr. Money In The Bank” Baron Corbin at SummerSlam before he heads off to Monday nights to begin a new feud with an unknown foe.

Discussion: Who do you think Cena will be feuding with on Monday Night RAW?

WWE.com accidentally posted in their SmackDown Live recap that Baron Corbin interfered in the match between Shinsuke Nakamura and John Cena. That obviously did not happen, as Corbin attacked Nakamura after SmackDown went off the air. Cena then came back down to the ring and hit him with an Attitude Adjustment through the announce table.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original plan was indeed to have Corbin interfere in the match and go Nakamura. Ultimately, his plan would backfire and he would take out Cena and Nakamura would get the victory. This would then lead to Cena versus Corbin at SummerSlam and Nakamura versus Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at the PPV as well.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is unsure if it was Cena that wanted Nakamura to win the match clean, or if Vince McMahon simply changed his mind about the finish of the match. Cena is not currently scheduled for a match, however it seems likely that he will face Baron Corbin given the events that took place after SmackDown went off the air on Tuesday.

Here is what was posted on WWE.com before it was edited:

“The following week, The Leader of the Cenation squared off against The King of Strong Style in an intense showdown to see who would have the right to challenge The Modern-Day Maharaja for the WWE Title. With the two Superstars going toe-to-toe in the heart-stopping bout, Baron Corbin suddenly interfered. While The Lone Wolf seemed intent on handing Nakamura the defeat, his plan backfired, and he inadvertently helped his nemesis pick up an incredible victory over Cena.”

• Shinsuke Nakamura Apologizes To John Cena For Scary Suplex Spot

This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 2,569,000 viewers on the USA Network. This is up from last week’s 2,535,000 viewers.

Tuesday’s SmackDown featured two big matches in AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the U.S. Title and John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a #1 contendership match.

SmackDown was #1 in the top 150 cable shows for the night.

Last night in the SmackDown main-event, John Cena faced Shinsuke Nakamura to determine who will face Jinder Mahal at WWE SummerSlam for the WWE Championship. Nakamura planted Cena with an Exploder Suplex during the match and Cena landed on the back of his head.

Nakamura went on to connect with the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory and will now face Jinder Mahal at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th. After the match, Nakamura can be seen saying “I’m sorry” to John Cena. Cena responded with “don’t be sorry” and then shook his hand.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/892566241583517696

Thank you @JohnCena !! Thank you #sdlive at Cleveland !! Thank you !!!

— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) August 2, 2017

Austin Aries comments on the match

Austin Aries suffered a large orbital socket injury while having a match with Shinsuke Nakamura at an NXT Live event last year. Aries posted the following on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/892569231631544320

Kevin Owens makes joke about Suplex spot on Twitter

It was announced last night that Kevin Owens will get another shot at the United States Championship at WWE SummerSlam. Owens will face AJ Styles and SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon will be the guest referee. Owens took to Twitter this morning to joke about Cena being dropped on the back of his head during his match against Shinsuke Nakamura last night on SmackDown:

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/892687762662535170

John Cena faced off against Shinsuke Nakamura in the main-event of this week’s episode of SmackDown. Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers watched the match from a sky box in the arena. Cena had the match in control and planted Nakamura with two Attitude Adjustments in a row.

Cena went for a third Attitude Adjustment but Nakamura was able to counter it into an Exploder Suplex and Cena landed on the back of his head. Nakamura then geared up in the corner and connected with the Kinshasa for the victory. Nakamura will now face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.

KINSHASA!!!!! @ShinsukeN is GOING TO #SummerSlam!!! #SDLive @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/yUiWDgnD90

— WWE (@WWE) August 2, 2017

After SmackDown went off the air, Baron Corbin attacked Nakamura from behind. Cena came down to the ring and made the save. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Corbin through the announce table and then shook hands with Nakamura once again.

Lesson learned, @BaronCorbinWWE! Attack @JohnCena, and he will FIGHT BACK!!! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/yumV2W3rLQ

— WWE (@WWE) August 2, 2017

Updated WWE SummerSlam Card

Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Universal Championship

•  Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman

(if Brock Lesnar loses, he leaves WWE)

WWE Championship

• Jinder Mahal (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura

SmackDown Women’s Championship

• Naomi (c) vs Natalya

RAW Women’s Championship

• Alexa Bliss (c) vs Bayley

United States Championship (Special Referee Shane McMahon)

• AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens

Cruiserweight Championship 

Neville (c) vs Akira Tozawa

Rusev vs Randy Orton

It sure seems like John Cena is moving to RAW after WWE SummerSlam. John Cena is scheduled to work WWE No Mercy on September 24th. That would be his first RAW PPV since last year’s WWE Draft. As of now, Cena’s is scheduled to appear on the go-home episode of SmackDown for WWE SummerSlam on August 15th. After that, he is currently only scheduled to work WWE RAW tapings and RAW PPVs.

John Cena is working only RAW live events month, with the one exception being a SmackDown Live Event in Springfield, MA on August 14th.

John Cena as a “free agent”

John Cena returned to WWE SmackDown as a “free agent” on July 4th. He defeated Rusev at WWE Battleground in a Flag Match at WWE Battleground. Last week on SmackDown, John Cena confronted WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and challenged him to a match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2cv5yADzik

SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan came down to the entrance ramp and informed Cena that he doesn’t just get to declare himself the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Bryan made a match for tonight’s episode of SmackDown, with the winner moving on to SummerSlam to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship. John Cena will face Shinsuke Nakamura later tonight on SmackDown to determine who gets a shot at the title on August 20th at WWE SummerSlam.

Matt Hardy feels “woken”

The Hardy Boyz defeated Gallows & Anderson last night on WWE RAW. After the match, The Revival tried to attack Matt and Jeff on the entrance ramp but The Hardys beat them down. WWE has posted a RAW Fallout video in which Mike Rome interviewed Matt and Jeff backstage. In the video, Matt spoke in the “broken” accent and made a bunch of bizarre facial expressions. Matt Hardy posted the video on Twitter and stated “IT’S HAPPENING #Broken”.

[VIDEO] @WWEUniverse, IT'S HAPPENING. #BROKEN #FTR #FTC #FTO https://t.co/QIOcsRJ7A6

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) August 1, 2017

Rusev takes shot at John Cena on Twitter

As noted earlier, John Cena has landed a major role in the new “Bumblebee” Transformers spinoff movie that will be released in theaters in December 2018. Cena stated that he was thrilled to join the Transformers franchise and Rusev responded with the following:

One of the most exciting projects I've been fortunate to be a part of. Thrilled to join the #Transformers franchise! https://t.co/hdMUxuMcyA

— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 31, 2017

But he is not a part timer he is an all timer…… remember https://t.co/vn0heEJgcB

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) July 31, 2017

Roman Reigns backstage interview

Roman Reigns was interviewed after his victory over Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe on last night’s episode of WWE RAW. Reigns said that he doesn’t need to go over his resume and that he now holds all the momentum heading into the Fatal 4-Way match for the Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam.

John Cena has slowly been making a bigger name for himself in Hollywood, and he may have just landed the biggest role in his acting career thus far. Per a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Cena has landed a role in the upcoming “Bumblebee” Transformers spinoff film.

The film is to be directed by Michael Bay and Lorenzo di Bonaventura and will be executively produced by Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner, Chris Brigham and Mark Vahradian. Production for the film actually began earlier today (Mon. July 31, 2017) in California. The movie will take place in 1987 and focuses on the yellow and black Bumblebee character. It is hoped to be the first spinoff in Paramount’s Transformers Universe, which could include prequels and other offshoots.

It is set to hit theaters on December 21st, 2018.

On tonight’s episode of SmackDown, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal made his way to the ring decked out in a blue suit and tie. Mahal came down to the ring alone, as the Singh Brothers were selling their injuries after Sunday’s Punjabi Prison match at WWE Battleground. Mahal claimed that he crushed the legacy of Randy Orton at Battleground and the legend of the modern day Maharaja was born. Mahal stated that just like everyone in the WWE Universe, Randy Orton underestimated him at Battleground. Mahal demanded to know who his opponent at WWE SummerSlam and demanded silence from the crowd as he spoke in Punjabi.

Something's brewing…
HERE COMES @JOHNCENA! #SDLive #SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/lOJBfVNnlQ

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 26, 2017

John Cena came down to the ring and Mahal said that he wasn’t finished. Mahal said that he knows what Cena was going to say that Jinder doesn’t deserve to be WWE Champion. Cena stated that Mahal sucks as a mind reader, and said that he respects the fact that Mahal is in the best shape of his life and that the WWE Championship means so much to him. Cena then gave Mahal a heads up that at SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal is facing “Super Cena”. Cena then vowed to walk out of SummerSlam as a 17 time WWE Champion.

Is @JohnCena going to defeat @JinderMahal and become a 17-TIME CHAMPION at #SummerSlam?! Not so fast… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/dfeyASEgjC

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 26, 2017

Cena’s music hit and Cena exited the ring. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then came down to the entrance ramp and Bryan congratulated both of them at being victorious at Battleground. Daniel Bryan announced that John Cena doesn’t make the matches and said that on SmackDown, opportunities are earned even if your name is John Cena. Daniel Bryan then made a match for next week’s SmackDown. John Cena will face Shinsuke Namaura next week to determine who will challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.

Is @WWEDanielBryan the best GM EVER?!@JohnCena vs. @ShinsukeN NEXT WEEK on #SDLive, with the winner meeting @JinderMahal at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/VxwzFrUWnf

— WWE (@WWE) July 26, 2017

WWE Battleground took place on Sunday from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It was in the same arena where Roman Reigns was booed out of the building after winning the Royal Rumble in 2015. The Rock even raised Reigns’ hand after the match but it didn’t make a difference, the Philly crowd just wasn’t having it.

Sunday’s WWE Battleground PPV was a SmackDown exclusive and it was pretty poorly received by most people. WWE had a difficult time selling tickets to the event and the crowd was painfully silent during almost every match on the card. The Punjabi Prison match generated barely any excitement from the crowd for a multitude of reasons, but a major cause was that fans in attendance had a hard time seeing what was going on due to the gigantic structure blocking the action.

A fan tweeted at RAW Superstar Roman Reigns about Roman not being on the show following WWE Battleground and Reigns responded:

https://twitter.com/SoGolden_00/status/889325825887174656

Told yall I'm The Big Fight. Heard Philly was a little quiet tonight, better bring their best when we return!! #Raw #MyYard #B2R https://t.co/dETfoN2sXe

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) July 24, 2017

John Cena took exception to Reigns’ comments and the two Superstars had the following exchange on Twitter:

Pride…always comes before the fall.Don't get too far ahead of yourself young man.But if U want a BigFight careful what u wish for… #RAW https://t.co/oPOTH5gVx2

— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 24, 2017

Real tough guy on Twitter. If u want it, you know the way to MY Yard. #Raw https://t.co/UUSRaQnMVB

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) July 24, 2017

John Cena has been labeled as a “free agent” since making his return to WWE. Time will tell if Cena pops up on an episode of RAW in the near future to confront Roman Reigns. WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is returning to the Wells Fargo Center next year. Tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday. It will be the 30th anniversary of the Royal Rumble and it will take place on January 28th, 2018.

Royal Rumble tickets go on sale this Saturday in Philadelphia.
First 10,000 fans get a handwritten apology for Battleground#RAW

— WWE Creative Humor (a sub of TKO Creative Humor) (@WWECreative_ish) July 25, 2017

Sasha Banks, Bayley & Mickie James predict tonight’s Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match

Sasha Banks, Bayley and Mickie James gave their predictions for tonight’s Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match at WWE Battleground. Tamina, Natalya, Lana, Becky Lynch and Charlotte will square off tonight to determine who will become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship currently held by Naomi. Mickie James chose Natalya, Bayley went with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks predicted either Tamina or Natalya will win the match.

.@MickieJames makes a prediction for #WWEBattleground THIS SUNDAY on the @WWENetwork. pic.twitter.com/c1RHnG7MS7

— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2017

.@SashaBanksWWE makes a prediction for #WWEBattleground THIS SUNDAY on the @WWENetwork. pic.twitter.com/qw0Sk6NiWJ

— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2017

.@itsBayleyWWE shares her thoughts on #WWEBattleground and the #Womens Fatal 5 Way. pic.twitter.com/VXbIiHmAbw

— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2017

Rusev vows to take John Cena down tonight at WWE Battleground

Rusev will face John Cena in a Flag Match tonight at WWE Battleground. Earlier this week, John Cena uploaded a promo about tonight’s match and asked people in Philadelphia to come to WWE Battleground. WWE uploaded a video of Rusev backstage earlier today. In the video, Rusev vowed to take John Cena and the USA down tonight.

"@JohnCena down. American flag down. @RusevBUL MACHKA!!!" The #BulgarianBrute is all confidence ahead of #WWEBattleground! #FlagMatch pic.twitter.com/Yvtm8VkSEA

— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2017

Baron Corbin teases cashing in his MITB contract tonight

WWE uploaded a video of Baron Corbin arriving at the Wells Fargo Center earlier today for WWE Battleground. Corbin stated that after he takes care of Shinsuke Nakamura tonight, he will being paying attention during the Punjabi Prison Match for the WWE Championship. Corbin said that maybe there will be an opportunity for him tonight to walk out of Battleground as the new WWE Champion.

EXCLUSIVE: Mr. #MITB @BaronCorbinWWE looks to defeat @ShinsukeN at #WWEBattleground, but he'll be watching the #PunjabiPrison match closely! pic.twitter.com/IrZLAgSfmG

— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2017

• WWE Battleground Results & Live Discussion (7/23)

John Cena was recently interviewed by Complex and during the interview he explained why he returned to WWE as a “free agent”. John Cena was drafted to the SmackDown brand during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. He then took some time off for projects outside WWE. When he made his return to the company, he was labeled a “free agent” and can appear on either RAW or SmackDown. Here are some highlights from the interview:

On being an all-timer instead of a part-timer:

“I’m still a fan of the WWE and I think that’s the most important thing. When you’re a fan, you stay very close to all the programming and all the broadcasts, there’s no dipping around the fact that I haven’t been on the program in a while because I’ve been doing other stuff. I haven’t danced around it, I explained that the reason I cannot be on the program is because the movie folks, their insurance doesn’t allow you to. That’s a dealbreaker, it’s not negotiable. But instead of laying low for a few months before I start another project, the second that I wrapped, I scurried on a plane and got right back into the WWE fold. I guess that’s what I mean by all-timer.”

Returning to WWE as a “free agent”:

“The reason that I wanted to be a free agent and the reason they kind of granted my request is because I don’t know if I’ll be available for Smackdown specific only or Raw specific only, and I also know that my days are numbered. I just turned 40 in April and we have so many young and talented performers, I don’t know how many years I have left. So in the time I have left, I’m gonna do what I can to dedicate to this company I just want to be able to do it the most time that I possibly can.”

His role in WWE when he retires from in-ring competition:

“If the day comes when I’m not involved with the WWE that would come as a drastic surprise to me. I would certainly understand it because we all have our career paths and nothing lasts forever but WWE has been my family for the past 15 years and I’ve been very vocal about my passion and love for not just my time in the ring as a wrestler, but the company itself, what it stands for, the people that work for. I literally would do whatever they asked me to. In whatever capacity I can help the company I would love to do so.”

You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.

“After Impact” to debut this week

Global Force Wrestling has announced that their new post Impact Wrestling show “After Impact” will make it’s debut this week. The show will me hosted by Josh Mathews and Tyrus and will premiere this Thursday on ImpactWrestling.com

Thursday night @ 9PM don't miss the #Premiere of #AfterIMPACT w/ @realjoshmathews & @PlanetTyrus on https://t.co/bTpMEYjyve pic.twitter.com/M2HlELCe78

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 19, 2017

John Cena wants fans to attend WWE Battleground this Sunday

John Cena tweeted out the following promo about his Flag Match against Rusev this Sunday at WWE Battleground. Cena told people to “get their butts to Philadelphia for the good ol’ USA!”.

This is an important message to everyone on the internet. #WWEBattleground. This Sunday.
Philadelphia, PA. @WellsFargoCtr @WWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/HjQ5NRpEqM

— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 19, 2017

• WWE Battleground Tickets Not Selling Well, Prices Reduced

Rusev makes fun of Shane McMahon’s helicopter accident

Shane McMahon took the biggest bump of his life earlier today when the helicopter he was in had to have an emergency landing in the ocean. As to be expected, Shane McMahon emerged uninjured.

https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/887723692314181632

SmackDown superstar Rusev took to Twitter and referenced Shane McMahon not responding to his previous video messages he uploaded on Twitter. Rusev demanded a title shot at Money in the Bank but never heard back from Shane McMahon or Daniel Bryan. Rusev wound up making his return recently and will face John Cena at Sunday’s WWE Battleground PPV.

When you don't respond to my video messages you land in the ocean @shanemcmahon #carma #WWEBattleground

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) July 19, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKVYDabRZ8M&t=94s

• Helicopter Carrying Shane McMahon Makes Emergency Landing In Water

Randy Orton & John Cena defeat Jinder Mahal & Rusev after WWE TV tapings

Randy Orton and John Cena teamed up tonight after 205 Live went off the air and defeated Jinder Mahal and Rusev. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Rusev and then went for an Attitude Adjustment but Jinder Mahal ran into the ring and broke it up. Orton then planted Mahal with an RKO inside the ring and Cena connected with the Attitude Adjustment on Rusev for the victory. Below is a fan video of the finish to tonight’s dark match:

Orton and Cena win tonight's dark main event! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/GOGuoom8me

— Katie Schewanick (@Kaschew137) July 19, 2017

Randy Orton will face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship in a Punjabi Prison Match this Sunday at WWE Battleground. John Cena will square off against Rusev in a Flag Match at the PPV.

The Usos are confident heading into WWE Battleground

Jimmy Uso defeated Kofi Kingston tonight on SmackDown. Kofi Kingston looked like he had the match won after connecting with a Crossbody off the top rope. Jimmy Uso rolled through and was able to pick up the pinfall victory over Kingston. This Sunday at WWE Battleground, The Usos will defend their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against New Day. The Usos picked up some momentum tonight and are clearly confident heading into the match as you can see in the SmackDown Fallout video below.

Latest episode of “The Fashion Files”

The latest episode of “The Fashion Files” aired Tuesday night during SmackDown. Tyler Breeze was dressed up as Agent Scully as the episode was parodying X-Files. Breezango thought they heard a ghost but it turned out to just be Aiden English singing. They then received a package from a delivery man that turned out to be the head of their beloved toy horse. The package also contained a note that read “Battleground”. Fandango then stated that this will all come to an end this Sunday at WWE Battleground. Check out the latest episode in the video below.

The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling welcome a former WWE Superstar who has transitioned quite well into the world of acting as part of the SMASH Netflix series “GLOW” as Kevin Kiley Jr. (FKA Alex Riley) joins today’s program. This is a revealing and emotionally charged interview to say the least. Kevin opens up greatly about his time in the WWE and the trials and tribulations that helped mold his future outside of the wrestling business as well as address the longstanding rumors of his tension with John Cena and if that played a part into his departure from the company. We also get the story behind his very positive move into acting and the change of a lifetime being cast on Netflix’s GLOW revival. The full episode is available at this download link.

Did he expect this massive fan response to GLOW following his departure from WWE:

“Absolutely not. When the WWE and I decided to part ways after ten years there wasn’t much I didn’t do at WWE when it came to broadcasting and NXT back and fourth and the run with The Miz and all that stuff and the main event at WrestleMania, it was fantastic. I kind of got to the end of it and was trying to figure out what I was going to do career wise moving forward and I was trying to get into some broadcasting and acting which had always been a big dream of mine and obviously some of the WWE guys have gone on to do some acting, certainly The Rock and Cena is trying to parlay into some acting but I was just unsure and didn’t know. I had a tape put together while I was with WWE of the backstage things I had done and a lot of the broadcasting things I had done and sent it off to a bunch of people. One of them was a manager in Hollywood and he loved it and thought it was great and thought I could get some work right away or at least had a good shot at getting work but I don’t think anyone could have predicted this. This has been so far an out of the park home run type of thing for it just being this early in my acting career and it really being like the perfect role. When the audition came across his desk and he passed it down to me I remember reading it and thinking (uh-oh) that it is kind of eerie the type of role that it was.”

“I just thought it was such an eerie thing and was a; Well what if I do get this? I thought it could be interesting. The fact that I got it and the amount of success that it has had has been absolute incredible and I feel very fortunate to be a part of the whole thing and a kind of stars aligning in the right way and here I am talking to you guys so I can’t complain.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKGQbB_bTcE]

His actual role on the show as Steelhorse:

“Yeah and it is that all these things have been a great ride since the moment that I got the script. My manager explained to me that they weren’t just auditioning and that this was a guest star role (which I am learning now is a very important spot), it is a spot where they dedicate the plot of one story to your character and how you are involved in the plot moving forward. He said to me that they are not just auditioning wrestlers for this, they are auditioning actors for this and pretty much anybody in Hollywood that they think has a shot at this or fits this type was going to go up for this role and so I got it. The fact I got the part from that was incredibly exciting and to find out that it is a Netflix original series, I started paying a lot more attention to in addition to watching a ton of Netlix. It is the new movie now. I listened to Kevin Spacey say how a lot of prime time actors are going to be moving into episodic television because they have the opportunity to make their character a ten hour character and there is a lot more time and space to develop these stories and these characters and it is not just an hour and a half of special effects cut up and put in the box office. I think that is the truth and I think now that you are seeing certainly with Netflix a lot of these original series he (Spacey) is on “House of Cards”, “13 Reasons Why” and a lot of great stories with great plots and great characters that Netflix is now making and turning out and it shows and “GLOW” is right up there with all of that. It is a fantastic show and if you haven’t seen it please go out and check it out. It is like I stepped right out of the WWE and stepped right onto a team that of the best in Hollywood and from my first moment and turning every corner and finding out that it is just even bigger and bigger of a project than I had known about before has been just absolutely incredible.”

Was he happy with his role in WWE in a broadcasting role prior to his departure:

“Did I like it, I guess I’ve been asked this question before and this is how I’ve addressed it: No I did not. I don’t mean to be blunt but of course I didn’t. I went there to be a wrestler, I wanted to be a wrestler very badly and I certainly was athletic enough and certainly had the tools and a lot of tools to be the best wrestler there. I always felt like I had what it took to be the WWE Champion. To be 250lbs and ex-professional football player and to be sitting behind the desk was highly frustrating for me. That being said, I loved when the red light was on and I was talking WWE because it was fun and I always was a huge fan of WWE and always knew the product better than anybody else and had a great perspective of what it took to not only climb through High School and College to be a semi-professional football player because I’ve been an athlete my entire life so you weren’t going to put anybody on that panel that had more athletic experience in different realms and who could give a perspective of what happens inside of the ring. I had my ass kicked in the ring a lot of times and I kicked a lot of ass in the ring so I had perspectives on both. But no, absolutely not because I felt I should have been in the ring and it was about two years of my career that I was in great shape and proved it when I came off the desk and I wanted to be out there. That being said I was apart of the company and was able to work extremely hard and give them what I had behind the desk so in that regard it was a good thing.”

Addressing the John Cena rumors and if it played into his departure from the company:

“I guess I’m not saying anything that other people haven’t already kind of said. It is kind of out there but I’ll say this. There was an incident and it certainly affected the path of my career, however I am not going to talk about it right now and I’ve kind of gone back and fourth in my own times morally with do I say anything or do I not. I am not in the habit of destroying anybodies career so it is just something at this point that I don’t want to address further than that but one day I certainly will. It was a hard situation to deal with.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDbnNS-fJ_o]

For this and every other episode of The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling please subscribe to us on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Tune In Radio and The IRW Network, The EXCLUSIVE home of The Triple Threat Podcast featuring Shane Douglas & TMPToW. As well as follow us on Twitter @TwoManPowerTrip

H/T to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling for the transcription

Last year John Cena teamed up with the Ad Council of America to create a public service announcement. The “We Are America” video has recently been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the category of “Outstanding Commercial”.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for September 17th. Cena is already a 10x Slammy award winner.

Watch the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MdK8hBkR3s

Who Are the Ad Council?

The ad council is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting healthy American values through commercials and public service announcements.

They have been responsible for advertising campaigns such as:

“Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”

“Take a Bite Out of Crime.”

“I am an American.”

“Take Time to Be a Dad Today.”

From there website:

“Since 1942, the Ad Council has offered trusted advice and inspiring calls-to-action. In fact, we created the category of public service advertising, and our icons and slogans are woven into the very fabric of American culture. The Ad Council is where Smokey Bear lives. The Ad Council saw that “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” and reminded Americans that, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

Today, we continue to be the leading producer of public service advertisements in the United States, raising awareness and inspiring action on a diversity of issues, from texting and driving to autism awareness. We connect with Americans across ever-expanding communication channels to inspire, inform and save lives.”

WWE issued a press release today announcing their partnership with Make-A-Wish, Mattel, and Toys’R’Us on a new John Cena action figure. The companies will donate a portion of the sales revenue to Make-A-Wish to help grant more wishes for sick children.

The special edition action figure will be produced my Mattel and available exclusively at Toys’R’Us stores beginning August 15th.

Here’s the press release from WWE:

Mattel®, Toys”R”Us® and WWE® Join Forces to Grant Wishes for Children with Critical Illnesses
PHOENIX (July 11, 2017) – Three national corporate sponsors of Make-A-Wish® are coming together to support the organization that grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Mattel®, Toys”R”Us® and WWE are partnering to launch a new John Cena action figure – available exclusively at Toys”R”Us stores nationwide beginning Tuesday, August 15. The presale for the limited-edition collectible begins today, July 11, online at Toysrus.com.

To learn more about this unique collaboration and find out how to make more wishes possible, visit www.wish.org/JohnCenaFigure.