The Brooklyn Cyclones have just announced on their website that on August 19th at MCU Park in Brooklyn they will host a special softball event.

WWE Superstars Charlotte, Eva Marie, Fandango and Ryback will be attending and will also be taking some time out to meet with fans.

MCU Park is the same location that Ring of Honor will be hosting their Field of Honor event during SummerSlam weekend (August 22nd).

The following announcement was posted on their website:

The Brooklyn Cyclones and WWE have partnered for SummerSlam Night at MCU Park on Wednesday, August 19 to kick off a borough-wide celebration as WWE brings SummerSlam, the biggest event of the summer, to Barclays Center on Sunday, August 23.

As part of the night’s festivities, WWE Superstars and Divas including Ryback, Fandango, Eva Marie and Charlotte, will join members of the FDNY, NYPD and other celebrities in a pre-game Celebrity/Civil Servants All-Star Challenge and softball game prior to the 7:00 PM game against the Lowell Spinners. Also scheduled to participate in the game are NBA Hall of Famer and current St. John’s Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mullin, Mets Hall of Famer John Franco, Greg Kelly & Rosanna Scotto – the hosts of Good Day New York – and many others. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will go home with a Greg & Rosanna bobble head courtesy of Municipal Credit Union.

WWE Superstars and Divas will also take part in a pre-game autograph session for fans, with giveaways and prizes courtesy of WWE and Tapout.

All tickets for this game are just $10 and available now by calling 718-507-TIXX, logging on to BrooklynCyclones.com or in person at the MCU Park Box Office.

**WWE Superstars/Divas and other celebrities subject to change.

If you’d like to attend this event, you can purchase tickets at this link.

– PWInsider noted earlier in the week that WWE have currently no plans creatively to use Sting in the SummerSlam PPV next month. This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter has confirmed this.

The Observer notes that the original plans were to have Sting appear a week or two before the PPV as the third partner for Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against The Wyatt Family.

Sting was apparently told a while back that he would be on the event and had reportedly gotten himself into “ridiculously good shape for his age (56) – though recently he was told those plans had changed.

It was believed that bringing in  Sting to team up with Ambrose and Reigns would improve the reaction for Roman Reigns in New York City.

– Tyson Kidd, who recently had neck surgery has received a gift from a group of fans on Reddit. His wife WWE Diva Natalya posted the following on Instagram:

https://instagram.com/p/5v7p4iy1D_/

Source: PWInsider

While it has already been confirmed that Sting will be at the “Ultimate SummerSlam Weekend” next month, it doesn’t appear he’s set to appear on the PPV itself.

PWInsider have reported that at present – despite being in the area, WWE don’t have any current plans for Sting during the PPV next month at the Barclays Center.

It has been speculated over the past few weeks that Sting will feature in a match against The Wyatt Family, joining forces with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.

Sting was also rumoured to be featuring in the feud between Arrow star Stephen Amell and Stardust which was due to build up to a SummerSlam encounter.

As things stand right now, it looks like WWE will in fact be using actor Stephen Amell of “Arrow” fame at next month’s WWE SummerSlam four-hour pay-per-view event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Amell is scheduled to appear at the Wizard World convention in Chicago, Illinois during SummerSlam weekend, however the signing he had scheduled for Sunday, the day of the SummerSlam show, has been canceled.

It has been reported that Amell will likely be appearing at an upcoming WWE event, possibly the RAW show in Everett, Washington on August 10th. It is rumored that Amell and Neville may team up to take on the tag-team of Stardust in The Miz.

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– As shown in the video above, WWE are holding a SummerSlam raffle with the grand prize including tickets to all three WWE events.

That’s not all as the winner will get a pizza tour with WWE legends, breakfast with WWE Superstars and much much more. More information can be found at this link.

– After the male competitors on Tough Enough came face-to-face with the Big Show, the female competitors will come face-to-face with Team Bad (Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina).

It should also be noted that Cesaro will be appearing on the show as well. It’s not yet confirmed who will be taking Hulk Hogan’s place at the judge’s table.

As we reported over the weekend, this year’s WWE SummerSlam will be different from past years.

WWE issued a press release on Monday to confirm the fact that this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, which emanates from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, August 23rd, will be a four-hour pay-per-view event.

Below is the official press release WWE sent out today:

WWE (NYSE: WWE) announced today that SummerSlam will expand from a three-hour show to a four-hour telecast live on WWE Network and now begin at 7pm ET on Sunday, August 23. SummerSlam joins WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania®, as the only two events with four hours of live non-stop action.

Emanating live from a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, SummerSlam will feature WWE Superstars Undertaker® and Brock Lesnar® in a rematch of their historic WrestleMania 30 bout where Lesnar ended Undertaker’s undefeated streak. In addition, WWE Network will also air a one-hour live SummerSlam Kick-Off Show starting at 6pm ET.

WWE Network is the only place to get all 12 WWE pay-per-views LIVE at no additional cost, exclusive original programming, and the most comprehensive video-on-demand library with more than 3,300 hours of content, including every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view.

Like other digital subscription services, such as Netflix and Hulu, fans are able to sign up for WWE Network online by going to WWENetwork.com, and can watch WWE Network on their TVs through connected devices such as Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku streaming devices as well as Smart TVs including Sony and Samsung.

WWE Network is available in more than 175 countries and territories, and reached 1.3 million subscribers as of March 31, 2015.

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On Monday, WWE announced details for the “Ultimate SummerSlam Weekend” at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The festivities will include Superstar meet and greets (including appearances from Sting and Shawn Michaels) and a 90-minute SummerSlam Q&A discussion panel.

Here’s the press release:

WWE® UNVEILS THE ULTIMATE SUMMERSLAM® EXPERIENCE AT BARCLAYS CENTER

STAMFORD, CT – July 27, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Barclays Center announced today the addition of several fan events to take place at Barclays Center as part of the Ultimate SummerSlam Experience in Brooklyn.  Tickets will be available this Saturday, August 1, at noon EST through Ticketmaster.

On Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22, WWE will host “WWE Superstar Meet and Greets” at 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant presented by American Express at Barclays Center.  These exclusive sessions will give WWE fans an opportunity to get autographs and photos with their choice of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins™, Randy Orton®, Roman Reigns®, Dean Ambrose®, Bray Wyatt™, WWE Divas Charlotte™, Paige™ and Becky Lynch™, WWE Legend Sting™ and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels®.

On Saturday, August 22, a special “SummerSlam Panel” will take place at Barclays Center, giving fans a chance to ask questions directly to WWE Superstars.  The topic of the panel will be NXT®, where WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul “Triple H®” Levesque, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins™, NXT Champion Finn Bàlor™, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks™, WWE Superstar Kevin Owens™, WWE commentator Corey Graves™ and host Byron Saxton™ will discuss the evolution of one of the hottest entertainment brands in the world seen every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on WWE Network.

The “SummerSlam Panel” will feature a 90 minute discussion and Q&A with fans in attendance.  General admission and a limited number of VIP tickets will be available.  The VIP ticket includes priority floor seating, a professional photo with select panel Superstars and an exclusive, autographed limited edition poster.

Tickets for “WWE Superstar Meet and Greets” and the “SummerSlam Panel” will be available this Saturday, August 1, at noon EST and can be purchased online by visiting Barclayscenter.com, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center on Monday, August 3 at noon. For more information on SummerSlam Week activities, please visit SummerSlam.com.

In addition, WWE NXT will make its historic debut in New York City on Saturday night, August 22, as NXT Takeover: Brooklyn will emanate live from Barclays Center.  NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is NXT’s biggest event to date, and will be broadcast live on WWE Network.  The main event will feature Finn Bàlor™ defending his newly crowned NXT Championship against former Champion Kevin Owens™.  The event will also include appearances by NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks™, Samoa Joe™, Rhyno™, Enzo Amore™, Big Cass™, as well as a special appearance by international superstar Jushin “Thunder” Liger. Tickets for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn are currently available through Ticketmaster.

Over the past week there have been reports that WWE SummerSlam will be a 4-hour show this year, similar to WrestleMania.

Luca Franchini, who does the announcing for WWE programming on Italy’s Sky Italia network, posted on Facebook that he was informed by WWE that SummerSlam will in fact be 4 hours.

Franchini also noted that SummerSlam will start at 7PM ET, which means the Kickoff Pre-show will start at 6PM ET.

WWE has yet to confirm the news. Considering the fact that The Undertaker was brought back to face Brock Lesnar and rumors that Sting will also be wrestling on the show, its clear that WWE is going all out to spike WWE Network subscriptions for the summer classic.

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– There has been some talk of having WWE SummerSlam be a four-hour pay-per-view event this year, however as of last word, the plan is to keep it the traditional three-hour show, not including the Kickoff Show on the WWE Network prior to the main show.

– The Rock’s mother Ata Johnson and his daughter Simone were in attendance at the NXT live event in Miami, Florida on Friday. Below is a photo of them at the show with Eva Marie, Jonathan Coyle and NXT Diva Lina Fanene, who is the cousin of The Rock.

https://instagram.com/p/5ihKvFk-Xt/

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Following this week’s SmackDown after Neville defeated Adam Rose, Stardust appeared on the tron and cut a promo telling him to “embrace the strange.”

After Stardust made his comments Stephen Amell, known for playing “Arrow” on The CW decided to hit back.

Below is what was said between the recent encounter between Stardust and Stephen Amell:

You can't have a Superhero without a Supervillian! #BeMyHero #SmackDown http://t.co/XFO6H6xgrE

— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2015

https://twitter.com/amellywood/status/624381589208731648

During this year’s San Diego Comic Con Amell appeared on stage dressed as the Arrow and tweeted afterwards that he had just cut a WWE style promo.

https://twitter.com/amellywood/status/620373671853424640

It’s believed that this may lead to some sort of an encounter between the pair at Summerslam which will take place on August 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Dolph Ziggler is scheduled to return to WWE television the week before SummerSlam to set up a match against Rusev at SummerSlam.

Ziggler has been off television for several weeks with a “throat injury” to give him time off to film the WWE Studios thriller “6:42” in Vancouver, British Columbia

WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23rd from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

• ANOTHER SummerSlam Match Revealed – Kevin Owens vs. ?

(Source: PWInsider.com)

An interesting thing to keep an eye on over the next month is how much ESPN covers this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, as well as the SummerSlam weekend festivities.

Behind-the-scenes at ESPN right now, there are two different viewpoints. Jonathan Coachman, the former WWE broadcaster turned ESPN analyst has pushed fans to contact ESPN with the idea of covering SummerSlam like it’s a major sporting event.

There are those in ESPN who have fallen for the idea that WWE is “hot” right now, despite the fact that ratings are at record low levels and live attendance is around its’ usual levels.

ESPN is said to be feeling pressure because the company’s revenues are dropping significantly. There are those who work for ESPN, however, that are dead set against the network covering pro wrestling because of the fact that it’s not a legitimate sporting event.

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(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

FOX Sports recently published an article containing ten “surprising revelations” from Daniel Bryan’s new autobiography, “Yes!: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania” Below are some of the highlights.

On Sheamus and Ted Dibiase Jr. interrupting Daniel Bryan the first time he had sex with Brie: “We were naked and about to do our thing when all of a sudden we heard the sound of the door handle turning and then the door popped open. Bri jumped under the covers as Teddy and Sheamus barged into the room, inebriated as can be, wit the ‘Ahhh fella!’ and all that.”

On being slated to wrestle Charlie Sheen at SummerSlam in 2012: “He was going through a very public breakdown at the time, and somehow WWE brokered a deal for him to perform against me. He taped a couple of videos for ‘Raw’ insulting me, and even though it was a goofy match to be in, it would’ve put me in one of the top matches at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, whoever brokered the Sheen deal never got him to sign any sort of contract to do the event, and in typical Charlie Sheen fashion, he bailed.”

On his blowup with Triple H after a match with Randy Orton on RAW: “Usually I don’t get super angry, and when I do it’s barely visible. This time, I was furious and I let everyone know it. When I walked through the curtain, I yelled, ‘What the f— is that all about. That’s f—ing bull—-!’ ‘You need to calm down,’ responded Triple H, who had been communicating with the doctor over the headset and called for the match to be stopped. ‘No, you need to calm the f— down,’ I replied. We were up in each other’s faces and both ready to fight.”

Check out the complete article at FOXSports.com.

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At Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings (Spoilers), a new feud kicked off that could very well lead to a match at SummerSlam that wrestling fans will be very happy with.

Cesaro faced WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in the SmackDown main event, with Rollins scoring the victory after a pedigree. The match got rave reviews from our live correspondent – but it’s what transpired afterwards that has SummerSlam implications.

After Rollins defeated Cesaro, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens came to ringside and attacked Cesaro, laying him out with a pop-up powerbomb.

Owens and Cesaro have faced each other numerous times on the independent scene. If their past matches are any indication, this would be a very welcomed addition to the SummerSlam card.

Jim Ross has updated his blog with a fantasy booking scenario for The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, involving their match at SummerSlam and culminating in a final encounter at WrestleMania 32 next April.

JR suggests that Brock Lesnar should once again defeat The Undertaker at SummerSlam. Two straight losses to the Beast Incarnate would then the Undertaker to challenge Brock Lesnar to one last match, putting his career on the line against Lesnar at WrestleMania 32. Taker would go over at WrestleMania, avenging his broken streak at what’s shaping up to be WWE’s biggest show of all time. Ross wrote at JRsBarBQ.com:

“In Taker’s last match, he wins a legit, Slobber Knocker after which, much to the shock and awe of everyone watching, eyes Lesnar, relaxes his expression and either embraces or shakes hands with his toughest foe ever out of respect for the Beast Incarnate who broke ‘The Streak.’ Taker figuratively passes the torch to Lesnar s the toughest animal in WWE which makes Lesnar an even bigger fan favorite.”

With Lesnar signed to WWE for years to come, this latest passing of the torch would enhance Lesnar’s star power even further as the company’s top special attraction.

On his Ross Report podcast this week, JR laid out an alternative scenario for The Undertaker’s final match at WrestleMania 32 involving John Cena, which you can hear about at PodcastOne.com.

We have reported about how there are plans in WWE for Sting to eventually become involved in the Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns storyline, which is part of the reason why Luke Harper reunited with Wyatt to put The Wyatt Family back together at WWE Battleground this past Sunday night.

The current belief is that Sting and Reigns vs. Wyatt and Harper will take place at next month’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, however it was also noted that a new member of The Wyatt Family could be introduced, as Erick Rowan is injured, and if so, the match could become a six-man match with Dean Ambrose being added to the Sting/Reigns team.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Sting is not expected to be brought into the storyline on television until late in the game, likely as a big surprise.

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On Monday’s RAW, WWE confirmed that The Undertaker will square off against Brock Lesnar in a rematch from their infamous encounter at WrestleMania XXX.

The hot angle of RAW saw the Dead Man and the Beast Incarnate brawling throughout the arena, with most of the roster attempting to keep the two forces of nature apart. Lesnar wound up taken into police custody.

SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23rd from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Business just picked up in a BIG way between #TheBeast and #TheDeadman! #Raw #Undertaker @BrockLesnar http://t.co/WQv3wUGl2p

— WWE (@WWE) July 21, 2015

It's ON!!!
BROCK AND TAKER!!
BROCK AND TAKER!! #RAW @HeymanHustle @BrockLesnar #Undertaker pic.twitter.com/cCWI3ralo1

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 21, 2015

It's NOT OVER!!!@BrockLesnar #Undertaker #RAW @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/swn3MtEnvx

— WWE (@WWE) July 21, 2015

Even police can't touch @BrockLesnar after his brawl with The #Undertaker spilled all over @SprintCenter! #Raw http://t.co/ug6vC4di49

— WWE (@WWE) July 21, 2015

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Last night at WWE Battleground, we saw Luke Harper interfere in Bray Wyatt’s match with Roman Reigns, attacking Reigns and helping Bray emerge victorious. This reunion of the former Wyatt Family members is being done to set up a program involving Sting at SummerSlam.

The original plan for the match at SummerSlam was going to be all 3 members of the Wyatt Family against Sting, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. With Erick Rowan out of action due to injury, it now looks like we’ll be seeing Wyatt & Harper vs. Sting and Reigns.

There is already some internal concern that the rowdy Brooklyn crowd could cheer Sting and boo Reigns.

WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23rd from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

(Source: F4wonline.com)

Click here to view the full, expanded version

WWE has released the official promotional artwork for SummerSlam on August 23rd featuring The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and several other top performers.

It’s worth noting that Sting is not on this version of the poster. Sting is rumored to be appearing at SummerSlam, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer noting that Sting is featured on other SummerSlam advertising that has yet to be released.

Following The Undertaker’s return at Battleground last night, Taker and Lesnar are expected to headline the card in a rematch from their infamous clash at WrestleMania 30.

– Paul Heyman will be the special guest on tonight’s WWE RAW Kickoff Show live on the WWE Network.

– Last week it was noted that Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina Snuka’s Team “BAD” name stood for “Best at Dominating,” but it was noted at Battleground that BAD stands for “Beautiful and Dangerous.”

– WWE has released the following new promo video for SummerSlam on August 23rd:

Some type of outside interference is expected in the finish of tonight’s Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt match at WWE Battleground.

According to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, there have been plans for Luke Harper to get involved in the Reigns-Wyatt feud, possibly tonight.

It’s also worth noting that this is also the angle where Sting is rumored to take part in as well, as Sting is expected to be involved in the same match as Wyatt at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

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(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

As previously reported, both The Undertaker and Sting are currently scheduled to work this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

According to a PWInsider.com update on the story, Undertaker will actually be returning to WWE television at Monday’s edition of RAW in Kansas City to begin the build towards a match he will be taking part in at this year’s SummerSlam.

It’s possible Undertaker will be appearing at Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view as well, however that is not confirmed at this point.

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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and opinions on a number of subjects. Below are some of the highlights.

On Monday’s RAW: “Interesting RAW Monday night from Atlanta as the new, females from NXT had more people talking on my timelines than anyone else on the show including the combatants for the WWE World Title. Sara Del Ray has done an amazing of training/coaching the women who pass through NXT. Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch should be stalwarts for years to come in WWE and I see no reason why they cannot move to the top or near the top of primary WWE events sooner than later. It’s a sign of the times and a changing of he guard not unlike the days of Jennie Finch putting women’s softball on the map or Ronda Rousey becoming a mega star in UFC. The only thing that can hold these women back is old school thinking and not being willing to take a chance on adding something new to the top of the cards.”

On Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar: “WWE has positioned Seth Rollins to lose to Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Title Sunday night in St. Louis which is why I don’t think it happens. Sunday would be a great place to add a new talent or two to the mix as allies of Rollins considering that Lesnar and Heyman have eliminated the rest. Could HHH cost Lesnar the title and then face Brock at Summer Slam? Bottom line is that I don’t see Rollins losing Sunday at Battleground.”

On a SummerSlam prediction he has: “Here’s one for you…Undertaker comes back to Summer Slam, causes Lesnar to lose to Rollins and then Taker faces Lesnar at Summer Slam. Yes, I’m on meds.”

On TNA and ROH: “Hope TNA and ROH have a good TV ratings night tonight (Wednesday) on Destination America. This is especially important for TNA. I don’t need to see their World Champion wrestle three times on one show, that I do know and I am a fan of the talent that EC3 has evolved into. TNA needs to really hone in on their booking right now, not allow too many cooks in the kitchen and focus on the handful of stars that they know that they have access to over the long haul.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

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Fans who are looking forward to seeing The Undertaker and Sting back in WWE storylines might not have to wait as long as they thought.

According to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, both Undertaker and Sting are scheduled to appear at this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

While we don’t have a lot of specific information regarding Undertaker and Sting’s role at SummerSlam, it is being reported that neither man appearing on the show will be a surprise, as both guys appearing at the event will be promoted in advance.

WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

UPDATE: One of the two legends mentioned above will actually be returning at this coming Monday’s post-Battleground edition of RAW. For the full story, click here.

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After a ton of speculation and different versions of the story from Dolph Ziggler himself, PWInsider.com is reporting that Ziggler has in fact signed a new WWE contract.

Ziggler is currently “out of action indefinitely” in the WWE storylines because he is traveling to Vancouver this week to star in a new WWE Studios film called “6:42.”

Ziggler’s character in the film is a cop named Ray Fitzpatrick, a man who has to overcome his past while dealing with a plot to blow up a child with a bomb strapped to their chest.

Filming for “6:42” with Dolph Ziggler is scheduled to run for four weeks, which will put Ziggler back on WWE television around mid-August, in time for a match at this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

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