Following UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ win over Daniel Cormier at the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) this past weekend (Sat. July 29, 2017), rumors have begun to pick up that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar could be returning to mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in order to partake in a superfight against “Bones.”
Per Billi Bhatti of The Dirty Sheets podcast, “The Beast” will not be fighting in the UFC against Jones, or anybody for that matter, until the Summer of 2018 at the earliest. Lesnar will have to fulfill his WWE commitments first, which include main eventing the Royal Rumble this upcoming January, as well as competing at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans in April.
WWE also reportedly has no interest in allowing Lesnar to compete in the UFC while under contract with them due to the headache they received after he failed his United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test last year following his UFC 200 unanimous decision win over Mark Hunt. Lesnar was under contract with WWE during that time, but they allowed him to compete anyway for the small cost of a little cross promotion.
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?
Eva Marie hasn’t been with WWE since last August as she violated the WWE’s Talent & Wellness Policy which earned her a 30-day suspension. She was drafted to SmackDown Live but always seemed to get out of her matches by way of wardrobe malfunction or a fake injury.
WWE made the following statement following Marie announcing her departure from the company:
“Eva Marie and WWE have mutually agreed to contractually part ways as of today, Aug. 4, 2017
“Today I’m saying a bittersweet goodbye to @WWE,” Eva tweeted. “Thanks to the entire team, and YOU, my fans, for these 4 years! #AllRedEverythingForever”
“WWE wishes Eva the best in all of her future endeavors”
A few weeks ago it was reported that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio could possibly be returning to the company, as the free agent was negotiating with both WWE and Global Force Wrestling (a.k.a TNA and Impact Wrestling). Per a new report from Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, however, that is no longer the case.
The report suggests that Mysterio will, in fact, not be returning to WWE due to the fact that “The Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon has no interest in doing any business with “The Master Of The 619’s” representation – Konnan. Konnan and McMahon reportedly have some issues stemming back a couple of decades ago, as McMahon invested a lot of time and money into Konnan’s ‘Max Moon’ character which ultimately didn’t pan out.
Konnan was at a recent SmackDown Live taping to visit Chris Jericho and it apparently didn’t do much to help his relationship with McMahon.
Global Force Wrestling’s James Storm recently spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News and below are some highlights from the interview:
Why he chose to not sign with WWE NXT:
“With the schedule of NXT and [Triple H] was telling me we’re going to try and run 100-120 shows from here on out throughout the year and stuff. It’s all great and everything but where I was, personally, in my life, I couldn’t be on the road that much because I had some family problems, my wife wanted to have another kid. So, it was one of those things where it wasn’t the right timing for me.”
What Triple H told him when he left NXT:
“Hunter straight up told me, ‘Go get your life together. This is my number. Maybe in two years, we can do business again.’”
The benefit of Global Force Wrestling going on the road again:
“It’s really hard to judge who’s over and who’s not. I think with us getting back on the road, it will show management we need to push this guy because he’s really over or we should do something with this guy. It also helps younger talent learn how to work. Not just go out and do all these moves but to learn to work.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5M8Rturcs
On being ready to do whatever GFW management asks of him:
“Now in my career, it doesn’t matter to me who is running what because I’m the guy now, I show up and do what’s asked of me,” Storm said. “I don’t try to argue why and stuff. I know my role. To me, it’s a physical play — professional wrestling. I didn’t sign up to be the writer. I signed up to be the wrestler. Whatever the writer wants me to do now, I don’t show up and try to b— and say ‘I want to do this’ or ‘My character wouldn’t do that’. That’s not what I signed up for. I signed up to go out and do what they asked me to do and that’s what I do now.”
You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.
Eva Marie posted the following on Instagram after announcing that her time in WWE has come to an end:
“Today is a bittersweet day, as @WWE and I have agreed to part ways. It has been an incredible 4 years, and I am truly grateful to Vince, Paul, Stephanie and the entire WWE team. I would not be where I am today without their continued support.
There are such priceless moments from the past few years…everything from visiting our troops in Afghanistan to working alongside the Special Olympics. I couldn’t even begin to share them all here, but there’s no doubt – I will carry them with me into this exciting journey ahead.
Last but not least, thank YOU, my fans, for allowing me to live out a dream that I could have never imagined for myself. You are the reason I love to go to work, and that’s not changing anytime soon!
And finally…the hustle won’t stop! After shooting back to back films, more are coming and I can’t wait to share with you soon. #Love #AllRedEverythingForever”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXYLpFAAhhe/
GFW comments on Alberto El Patron’s suspension
Alberto El Patron and Paige were on Busted Open radio yesterday. Patron stated that he didn’t know the exact date when his suspension from Global Force Wrestling will be lifted, but claimed he will be returning soon.
.@PrideOfMexico "We've set a date for the suspension to probably be lifted. I won't be at the live events but I'll be back soon" #GFW
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 3, 2017
Global Force Wrestling issued the following statement to PWInsider today regarding Alberto El Patron’s suspension:
“Alberto El Patron remains under suspension while GFW continues its internal look at the situation.”
Eva Marie took Twitter today to announce her departure from WWE. In the post, Eva Marie wrote the following “Today I’m saying a bittersweet goodbye to WWE. Thanks to the entire team, and YOU, my fans, for these 4 years! #AllRedEverythingForever”.
Eva Marie has not been seen in WWE since last August. Eva violated WWE’s Talent & Wellness Policy and was suspended for 30 days back on August 17th, 2016. Eva made the following statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet about her suspension:
“I am disappointed that this suspension has occurred, yet understand and respect that WWE upholds their Wellness Policy to the letter and won’t compromise on its integrity … I violated policy by not turning in portions of required paperwork in the time frame WWE Medical deemed timely. I look forward to my return! Thank you for your support.”
Eva was drafted to SmackDown and was in the middle of a storyline in which she would always have a wardrobe malfunction or fake an injury before a match. This would result in the match never taking place.
Diamond Dallas Page recently spoke to CBS Sports about DDP Yoga and a few wrestling topics. Below are some of the highlights:
Terry Funk wrestling again at 73 years old:
[Laughs] “I’m going to call Terry. You know, one of my biggest supporters is Gerry Briscoe. He’s 70-ish now. He’s a former world champion and wrestled since he was six years old and had a really beat-up body. The last time I saw him at WrestleMania, he looked like Tommy Lee Jones. He looked like a million bucks. He’s the biggest advocate, along with Mick Foley. And Chris Jericho, he’s 46 and bumping around like he’s 23. Now, as much I love Terry, no one bumped around anymore than he did, but he ain’t going to be bumping around like he’s 23. It’s just because he misses it so much. He could get away with it his whole life because he’s so believable. He’s one of the nicest guys on the planet and another Hall of Famer. If there’s a way to see it on the internet, and he’s going to get in there, I’m going to watch. I’m going to call him and tell him I’m going to send him my DVDs, because I know they can really help him.”
Scott Hall & Jake Roberts:
“Scott still has bumps along the road. Even though he did really well with his transformation, but he never really wanted to stop drinking. He did, and he still will, but he doesn’t want to. Jake does. Probably since the movie (The Resurrection of Jake the Snake), he’s fallen once or twice. Technically he’s been sober for five years and without a bump for two or three years. Jake realizes that he doesn’t want to be that guy and Scott occasionally forgets that.
I feel that it’s part of finding yourself. I’ve seen Scott at that point, and a lot of people have seen friends and family there. They’ve seen the person so close, and they’ve been sober for so long, and then they fall. Well, sometimes there are some little twitches or something that sets them off. Or, like I said, they don’t want to quit drinking. I could never have helped either one of them at the time if they didn’t want to. All I know is that it enabled them to both wind up where they belong which is in the Hall of Fame.”
Ric Flair’s generosity and an epic story:
“I made sure Ric knew how thankful I was to him [at the WWE Hall of Fame]. Even though Ric and I have had adversity with each other over the years and said some things we probably both wish we could take back. We’re in a really good spot today, and I think the world of him. I wanted him to know that him putting me over for that world title, I know it put me one step closer to that Hall of Fame podium, and I will never forget it.
Ric and I, we had such a good time when we were up there. I ran into him a couple times at the Hall of Fame. On the last night before we were going, he asks what time my wife and I are leaving. He asks what time our flight was and I said 7:30.
Now, we’re both at the bar, and it’s 12:30 and I’m getting ready to go crash. He said, “Woo! Who made that reservation?” I said it wasn’t me. He goes, “Forget that. I’ve got a Learjet. You’re coming with me. You and [your wife] Brenda.” I said, “Ric, I’ve got so many bags” and he said, “FedEx them home. You’re not taking that flight!”
So, Mr. Limousine Riding, Jet Flying us home in his Learjet. Then when he found out it was the day before my birthday, he took us both out to his favorite restaurant. We both live in the Atlanta area. He fed us and then sent us home in a limousine. It was the perfect punctuation to an unbelievable career and Hall of Fame weekend. It was amazing.”
You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.
Seth Rollins was recently interviewed by IGN to promote his new WWE Studios film ‘Armed Response’. The film is out in theaters and available On Demand today. Below are some highlights from the interview:
How does it work with the WWE Studios films? Were they like “You’re up. Time to be in a movie?”
It’s definitely an option. They called me and said that they had this script and this movie and obviously I had this time off due to injury so it made things easier to schedule, but yeah they said they had this role they thought I’d be perfect for and asked if I wanted to read the script. It was an open invitation and I’d never done anything like this before so it was very intriguing. I wanted to check it out. The script was cool and the cast was awesome so I figured “Why not?”
Obviously, you’re able to perform in thousands of people, but how nervous were you headed into this?
It was a little nerve-racking, sure, since it was my first time. And I was dealing with some pretty great and seasoned actors — like Wesley Snipes, Anne Heche, and Dave Annable who were the other players in the movie — and they all had a ton of experience. Working scenes with Anne, who’s amazing and has a great emotional range, I’d have to try and match her level of talent. Or to work with Wesley who’s just always calm and cool and always very subtle in his scenes, I’d try to pick up on what he’s doing in specific moments so that I could play off them and how he delivers his lines. So I was always focused, just so they could see me as a peer and maybe not some idiot who’s coming in from the pro-wrestling world. I’m sure they had their preconceived notions about me so I just hope that once we were finished with a scene, or finished with the movie overall, that I managed to change their perspective based on what they were expecting.
Switching gears slightly, how does it feel to be on the cover of WWE 2K18? And were you expecting any fan backlash after smashing all those ironic wrestling items in the reveal video?
No, I didn’t really expect too much backlash. I thought it was cool and exciting. I got to smash things with a bat. Take off Andre’s head. Burn a bunch of stuff and break glass with my fist. It was a cool experience. We shot it in LA in this abandoned mall, which felt super weird. I know they filmed some scenes from Westworld in there too, which is a great show so I was just excited to be on the same set of that show. It was a really spooky experience to be in an abandoned mall, but I think the spot turned out great. It was a big win for 2K, WWE, and myself. There’s certainly an element of responsibility that goes with being on the cover, but I’m just stoked for it. I think it’s awesome for our generation to have a guy on the cover who comes from the group of guys and girls on the road right now who are grinding it out every single day and night. I feel honored to have gotten the opportunity and that I was chosen to be that guy when it could have been anyone from Charlotte Flair to Sasha Banks to Roman Reigns.
You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.
It looks like James Ellsworth will be making his return to WWE SmackDown soon. Ellsworth was suspended by SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan on July 4th. Daniel Bryan suspended Ellsworth because he would not stop interfering in Carmella’s matches. Ellsworth also took a couple of verbal shots at Daniel Bryan’s newborn daughter and Daniel Bryan didn’t take too kindly to that. Ellsworth’s suspension has now concluded and he will surely be making his return to SmackDown soon.
Drew McIntyre will be challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at the main- event of the show. McIntyre responded to Triple H and stated that “10 years in America. 17 years working on a dream w/ many ups & downs. All roads have led to this destination”.
WWE posted the following about Curt Hawkins incredible milestone of losing 100 matches in a row:
Curt Hawkins puts a unique spin on his 100-match losing streak
There have been many streaks in the history of sports-entertainment. Goldberg’s 173-match undefeated run in WCW, Asuka’s ongoing and record-shattering reign as NXT Women’s Champion and, of course, The Undertaker’s legendary WrestleMania Streak immediately spring to mind. And yet, there’s an altogether different brand of consistency that’s being talked about these days.
Curt Hawkins has lost 100 matches. In a row. His last win occurred on the Nov. 8, 2016, edition of SmackDown LIVE.
Indeed, after being pinned by Jason Jordan last week in the “gold-blooded” Superstar’s Raw debut, the “Captain” of the “Curt Hawkins Star FACTory” stretched his, well, defeated streak to 100 — the longest such stretch in the modern era.
Most Superstars would see triple digits in the “L” column as a sign to probably, maybe, change things up. Hawkins, however, sees things differently.
“One hundred matches, 100 stars made in my ‘Star FACTory,'” Hawkins told WWE.com. “I win every night, whether the stats say it or not. I make stars, It’s what I do.”
Finn Bálor is among those stars “made” by Hawkins, and the first-ever Universal Champion was quick to “congratulate” the Queens, N.Y. native on Instagram.
With 100 straight losses under his belt, who’s the next star to be made in Hawkins’ “Star FACTory”?
“Probably Brock. He’s dodging me,” Hawkins revealed. “I’ve invited him many times on Twitter.”
Randy Orton continues to retweet comments mocking WWE
WWE Creative Humor has apparently become Randy Orton’s favorite Twitter account. As noted earlier, Orton recently retweeted one of their posts that mocked WWE’s gimmick matches:
"I'll fight you. Just no Punjabi Prison Matches or House of Horrors or Flag Matches or any other bullshit matches" – @RandyOrton#SDLive
— WWE Creative Humor (a sub of TKO Creative Humor) (@WWECreative_ish) August 2, 2017
Last night, Orton comments on the following tweet and stated that he found it funny. The tweet poked fun at WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar always seeming to have rumors circulating around him that he is going to leave WWE:
Former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe has had a heck of a year since making his WWE main roster debut. “The Destroyer” put on an epic back-and-forth clash with WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV), however, in the end it was an F5 from “The Beast” that was able to pick up the victory for a successful title defense. He’ll get his crack at the Universal strap come SummerSlam later this month, as he’ll be involved in a Fatal Four-Way match along with Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman.
Joe recently did an interview with WWE Fan France to talk about his Universal Title pursuit, and during the interview was asked about his desired dream opponents for WrestleMania 34 next year. He named a number of elite WWE stars as potential candidates, but claimed regardless of the opponent he’ll be ready to go:
“When it comes to WrestleMania, obviously you’ll take whatever opportunity is put in front of you,” said Joe. “I’d love to see something like Brock [Lesnar] or Roman [Reigns], Seth [Rollins] or Dean [Ambrose]. Maybe Finn Balor or AJ Styles or John Cena. I mean, the list is really endless. You put any of those guys in front of me and I’ll be more than ready to go.”
WrestleMania 34 will go down live from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 8, 2018.
WWE United States Champion AJ Styles was recent a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about his journey in WWE. During their conversation “The Phenomenal One” talked about Vince McMahon doubting his popularity with fans prior to his WWE debut at last year’s Royal Rumble, and how having a relationship with “The Chairman Of The Board” has made all the difference in his WWE career. Here’s what he had to say:
Vince McMahon initially doubting his popularity with fans prior to last year’s Royal Rumble:
“I didn’t know if anybody was going to know who I was. I was gone for almost two years and now I was debuting in Orlando [Florida], which benefited me in WWE.”
“The way that they did it, with coming out number three, it couldn’t have been any better. It really couldn’t’ve. The reaction was unbelievable. I did not expect that. It’s one of those things in WWE history that will be forever there because it was that kind of reaction that I didn’t expect. I don’t think anybody expected that. I definitely don’t think Vince expected that because I’ve heard stories that he’s like, ‘nobody’s going to know who this guy is and you want him out number three!’ So it definitely worked out to my benefit.”
Having a relationship with McMahon and it making all the difference in his WWE career:
“It made the biggest difference and I learned that he wants to talk to you. He wants to have a relationship with you and it’s up to you to do that. I mean, the guy’s super busy, so I try not to bother him unless I have something that I think is important, but it’s nice to know that there’s one guy I can talk to and he’ll tell me ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and that’s it.”
Check out Styles’ interview with Edge and Christian by clicking here.
– According to PWInsider.com, WWE officials have had discussions of putting all of the former ROH wrestlers new to NXT together in a faction.
This week’s episode of NXT featured the surprise debut of former ROH wrestler Kyle O’Reilly. Dubbed “a world-famous combatant,” O’Reilly lost to Aleister Black in the main event.
– Following a report that Brandi Rhodes is no longer listed by Global Force Wrestling as an active Knockout on its official website, it is now confirmed that she is no longer with the organization.
According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rhodes was recently released from her contract. It is not clear whether GFW opted to release her, or she asked to be let go.
A big reason for her departure is that she’s being filmed for a non-wrestling television show in Atlanta, Georgia and GFW weren’t cooperative about it. Rhodes debuted for Ring of Honor last Saturday and the promotion is more than willing to work with her on the show.
– In this video, GFW X Division Champion Sonjay Dutt talks about his journey through wrestling and what motivates him outside of it.
– Gail Kim, who recently announced on Impact Wrestling that she will be retiring at the end of 2017, is making a rare independent wrestling appearance on Saturday, August 12 for Pro Wrestling Blitz in Romeoville, Illinois. She will be wrestling Taya Valkyrie.
This Saturday, she will be appearing at the Sac Pop Culture Expo at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento, California.
TMZ Sports caught up with WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. TMZ asked Jim Ross if he thought Ronda Rousey would come to the WWE. Here was JR’s response:
“She is going to be a big star. It is inevitable. I see her in a WrestleMania someday. It is too great of an opportunity for her to pass up and for WWE to pass up. It is a match made in heaven.”
TMZ also stated that Ric Flair recently said that Kurt Angle could have been good in the UFC and asked for JR’s thoughts:
“Yeah, he probably could of. After 1996 or so, I’m sure he could have made a nice transition. He is an amazing athlete.”
Jim Ross was also asked if he thought we were entering a new “golden age of wrestling” and here was his response:
“I hope so. Somebody has got to break through the clutter and become the next big thing. I don’t know who it is going to be. I wish I knew.”
WWE releases NXT Superstar
Raj Giri of WrestlingInc is reporting that WWE has released NXT Superstar Ho Ho Lun. Lun signed with WWE in 2016 and was a participant in the Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network. Lun defeated Ariya Daivari in the first round of the tournament, but was eliminated in the second round by Noam Dar. Lun last wrestled in NXT during TV tapings in June.
Alberto El Patron and Paige appeared on Busted Open radio this afternoon with Bubba Ray Dudley and David LaGreca. During the interview, El Patron stated that he will be returning to Global Force Wrestling soon. El Patron is currently suspended from the company as they conduct their own investigation into the incident last month at the Orlando airport.
.@PrideOfMexico "I'm going back to work soon. At this point I do not know exactly when. But I will be back soon." #GFW
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 3, 2017
GFW has live events this weekend and El Patron noted that he will not be appearing at those events. Patron stated that they have a date when his suspension will probably be lifted. GFW’s next television taping are set for August 17-20th in Orlando.
.@PrideOfMexico "We've set a date for the suspension to probably be lifted. I won't be at the live events but I'll be back soon" #GFW
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 3, 2017
Paige also discussed her career and if she will be making a return to WWE. Paige claimed that she will be making her return to WWE soon. She went on to say that she is waiting to hear back from her doctor after undergoing a CT scan during a checkup.
.@RealPaigeWWE "Just had a CT scan and checkup. I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor but I don't have an exact return date yet" #WWE
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 3, 2017
Paige has not been in WWE since June of last year. She underwent neck surgery last October and was hoping to make her return to WWE this June but obviously didn’t happen. Paige stated that she was ready to get back to WWE and see Bayley, Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax. Paige noted that she was very happy to see Naomi become SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Braun Strowman reportedly said “f*** your son” to Karen Jarrett
Karen Jarrett was a part of a media conference call earlier this week and said that the incident between her and Braun Strowman at a Nashville bar wasn’t a big deal.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, obtained another eye witness account who stated that Karen Jarrett approached Strowman and asked for an autograph for her son. Strowman replied with “f*** your son”. Strowman then begged Jarrett to not tell Kurt Angle once he realized who she was.
Here is what Karen Jarrett said about the incident during a conference call with the media this week:
“Oh my goodness, I can clear the air. It was a silly incident where you have two people in the wrestling business playing their characters, being silly and it got blown way out of proportion. And the fact that the two of us are still in the news and it’s still being talked about, that’s a question that you took the time to ask I think is hysterical, to be honest with you. It’s silliness. It’s the wrestling business, we had fun with it and somebody took it and turned it into something more than it was.”
Dutch Mantell interested in bringing Jack Swagger to Global Force Wrestling
During a recent media conference call, Dutch Mantell was asked if Global Force Wrestling was interested in signing for WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger. Swagger was released by WWE in March of this year and has been working on the independent circuit. Here Mantell’s response when asked about Jack Swagger:
“I talk to Jack every couple of weeks. Since he left WWE, he has expressed some interest and we have some interest in him, He was on the road for 10 years, and I think right now he is enjoying his time off. But, I am interested in bringing him in. I think you could possibly see him in GFW soon.”
After giving birth in May, Brie Bella is getting ready to return to the ring.
On Wednesday, Brie was at the SoCal School of Pro Wrestling in San Marcos, California with Daniel Bryan, Nikki Bella and Nia Jax for a training session.
Brie last wrestled in April 2016 on the WrestleMania 32 Kickoff show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where she teamed up with fellow Total Divas castmates Alicia Fox, Natalya, Paige and Eva Marie in a 10-Superstar Tag Team Match against Lana, Naomi, Tamina, Summer Rae and Emma. Brie sealed the victory for her team when she forced Naomi to submit to the “Yes!” Lock.
A few days after the show, Brie said she would be taking an extended break from in-ring competition, citing family reasons, while also stating that she would continue working for WWE as an ambassador.
During a panel discussion at Comic-Con with WWE Superstars last month, Brie announced her return to the ring.
“My husband and I were talking, and he was like, ‘You know what, Brie, I think we have enough room to get ring and why don’t we start training?'” she said.
Brie explained that she had begged her husband to build a wrestling ring at their home in Phoenix, Arizona and he finally caved and even agreed to train her.
“We just started training, I’m hoping 2018 I can get back in the ring again,” she announced.
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.”
Former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Tag Team Champion Buff Bagwell recently did an interview with Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. to talk about his professional wrestling career. Bagwell talked about what led to WCW’s massive drop in ratings, talents advising Eric Bischoff not to create WCW Thunder, not being featured in the final episode of Nitro, and quickly being released by WWE. Here’s what he had to say:
What led to WCW’s drop in ratings:
“I think everything you said; the changes, the background of one week it was [Vince] Russo, one week it was [Eric] Bischoff, you never knew who was running the shows; so I think some of it was that, but I think we just killed it,” said Bagwell. “We did three-hour Nitros; I can’t watch wrestling for three hours. Nobody can watch wrestling for three hours; then you had WCW Thunder on Thursdays; it was just too much for the fans; just too much.”
Multiple people advising Eric Bischoff not to create WCW Thunder:
“Serious human mind; we’re Monday Night Nitro, making millions; everyone is happy and Eric Bischoff comes up with the Thunder idea, and we were like, Eric, don’t do that; that’s too much TV, it’s too much,” said Bagwell. “He said that it would be a side show so we wouldn’t work it; it’d be like another group, kind of like what Raw and SmackDown is now; there’d be an A and a B show. That was his plan was, but he put Thunder out there the first week and it didn’t do well, so suddenly you had Bill Goldberg, Scott Steiner, all these guys get on Thunder, so it just added more work for us.”
“I think it was just too much TV,” said Bagwell. “That is the honest truth. I think we watered it down. I have a picture where we have the black and white nWo on, and the other side red and black and I couldn’t tell you why. I can tell you kind of, but the ones who were wearing the red were figured in. There was so much turmoil backstage; it was supposed to be Wolfpack, about 5-6 guys to get rid of the nWo, and become the next move, to keep an Elite Wolfpack group.”
Not being featured in the final episode of Nitro:
“I actually was believe it or not, on the final Nitro, but I never watched it,” said Bagwell. “100% I was on it, I did an interview with Luger. It’s not good on the very last night you’re not on the crowd. I’m trying to leave and go home and realize that my career is over.”
“Half my way driving home my dad calls and asked if I was going to be on TV, I said no. He said, well, they just mentioned five names and you were one of the five. I said, what? He said, believe it or not, I’m not just saying this as your dad, because I went back and listened to it as well, but it’s probably the second, maybe the third biggest pop of the names mentioned,” said Bagwell.
His quick departure from WWE:
“Then to be fired two weeks later, how do you explain that? I still don’t know what happened,” revealed Bagwell. “No matter what thought you come up with, drugs, whatever you want to come up with, hey Mark, quit it, or we’re going to fire you. No warnings, still don’t know what happened. They said that we were going to chill out for about three months and then bring you back afterwards, but of course that wasn’t true. I shook their hands and thanked them and then went on my way.”
Lucha Underground star “Mr. Athletic” Jeff Cobb (a.k.a. Matanza Cueto) recently joined The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Cobb revealed if he is looking to sign with WWE, how much of a perfect fit he’d be for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), his current status with Lucha Underground, and how he became Matanza Cueto. The highlights can be found here below:
If he is looking to sign with WWE:
“I don’t know right now and just for the fact to say that I don’t want to work for the WWE would be a bold face lie. I’m never going to say I don’t want to go there, I would love to make a really good living and wrestle and to train at the performance center and GOOD LORD if I had access to that Performance Center it would be amazing. But as of right now where I am at, I am just enjoying this time on “Independents” touring the world. With WWE you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to say I am going to take a booking in Ireland because you have to be at the Performance Center or when you have shows in Tampa.
“It is that give and take relationship of you are going to get great exposure and a good living but you have to be with them all the time and at this point there are a couple of things I want to do before I even go that route. I’d like to throw my hand in New Japan and see how I do there. Like people say, you never say never in wrestling and if it came up I would definitely have to sit down and take a big long and hard look at it and see what is best for me and my family.”
How much of a perfect fit he’d be for NJPW:
“I’d definitely love to go there. I don’t have the height of some of their big bruiser guys like Dr. Death or Gary Albright but I definitely have that background so I’d love to try it out there and see what happens. It is a good goal to set.”
His current status with Lucha Underground:
“I am still under contract with them and hopefully we will be filming season four sometime soon. They haven’t given us the date yet so hopefully we will be filming soon because the fans want it, the people want it, the “internet wrestling community” wants it and I feel that we should definitely be giving it to them.I signed for the longterm seasons so hopefully you will be seeing a lot of me and my character around kicking butts and taking names.”
How he became Matanza Cueto:
“Originally I was supposed to do a different character type or a shooter type of gimmick. I wasn’t really fully grasped when they approached me with this character and I thought, oh man I’ve got to be under a mask but I figured I could show my range and do it and see what happens and I couldn’t grasp or comprehend what my character would be or what he meant to the Lucha Underground universe and the storyline aspect of it but I am very happy that I was given the opportunity to play this character and very very happy with what the character has become.”
WWE is on the road to SummerSlam 2017, and the company is taking extra precautions to keep plans for the finish of their Fatal Four Way main event under wraps.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, members of WWE management who would usually know the plans in advance haven’t been told yet who will win the Universal Title match at the pay-per-view. The word right now is that the writing team, producers, and even the wrestlers in the match are all being kept in the dark about plans for the night.
One person who has been told the plan is Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Lesnar’s contract reportedly stipulates that he must know creative plans in advance.
SummerSlam takes place on August 20th and will feature Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe all challenging for Brock Lesnar’s Universal title in a Fatal Four Way match. Paul Heyman added some extra stakes to the match on RAW, announcing that if Lesnar loses, the two of them will leave WWE.
In July it was reported that Enzo Amore had been kicked off the WWE tour bus due to his behavior, and now it sounds like he might be getting kicked off RAW.
According to a report by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE management is looking at ways to get Enzo off of WWE’s Monday night show. SmackDown may not be an option for Enzo either, as company officials reportedly do not want Enzo in proximity of Vince McMahon.
There are several options being considered, including moving him to 205 Live or back to NXT. Enzo could help sell tickets on the road for those shows, and it would keep him away from the WWE CEO.
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.
