Mattel has recently released a new line of action figures from WWE’s “New Generation” era. One of the company’s biggest stars of that era was Kevin Nash’s Diesel character. Nash recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about what his time as Diesel meant for his career.
“That was only three years of my life. It seemed like so much more,” Nash said. “I came from basically nowhere. There were so many times during my first run in WCW that I was going to leave and go back to the bar scene. It didn’t seem like it was going anywhere, until I came to WWE.”
Check out @Mattel's WWE Ultimate Edition New Generation Arena! Recreate classic moments with a light-up neon stage, the most authentic ring ever & a Diesel figure!
Diesel held the WWF Championship from November 26th, 1994 until November 19th, 1995.
“People don’t realize that during my run in WWE as champion, not only was I green and I barely had 300 matches, but my mom died almost 30 days to the date of being crowned champion,” said Nash. “I was dealing with that on top of everything else.”
“I just remember soldiering on. I buried my mom and went to Winnipeg and worked. That’s kind of the way it was.”
Nash is a 2x WWE Hall of Fame inductee. He was first inducted in 2015 as a singles star. He went in under his real name rather than as Diesel, however. Nash was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time when he went in as part of the New World Order.
… Nash reflected on his “New Generation” run, his world title reign, which started right after his mother passed, and — again — left me looking forward to the next time I have the opportunity to share a piece of his storyhttps://t.co/mtPYivoM1W
Ryan Nemeth, AEW star and brother of WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The former FCW star discussed several topics on the podcast, including how his brother may have run into issues after ‘anti promoting’ AEW a few months ago.
“I think he got in trouble for tweeting so much”, Ryan Nemeth revealed on the show, discussing how his brother would tweet some ‘encouragement’ for his AEW debut matches.
“He would always anti-advertise for Dynamite by posting ‘do not watch this show, this guy sucks’ and it’s (a picture) of me”, Nemeth continued. “‘Don’t tune in to TNT at 8 pm tonight.’ I think, after a few months, maybe he got a talking to.”
Jericho himself then revealed that he actually wanted Dolph Ziggler to be part of his cruise. ‘Le Champion’ didn’t want Ziggler to appear to wrestle; he wanted him on tour as a comedy act.
“I was going to book him on my cruise at one point, and it was like, ‘You can’t book him on your cruise.’ ‘Why? He’s coming as a comedian,'” Jericho stated on the podcast.
With Chris Jericho having an affiliation with AEW for the first cruise and then having signed with the company for the second, it’s easy to see why WWE would chose not to let Ziggler make an appearance.
Eddie Kingston recently took part in an interview with Bleacher Report. During the discussions, the 39-year-old spoke about some of his favorite opponents and partners he’s had throughout his career.
“Jon Moxley. Teaming up with him and fighting him has been fun,” Kingston said. “Fighting The Young Bucks is great because you get to see that little bit of fear in their eyes as you’re hitting them. That’s a lot of fun. Honestly, everyone I have been in the ring with at AEW has been fun because I’m on national television, baby. I’m having fun.”
Kingston would continue to talk about some of his favorite opponents and partners from outside of AEW as well.
“On the independents, it was guys like Josh Alexander and Samoa Joe, teaming with Homicide, who is my mentor. Overseas, you have guys like Trent Seven and Cara Noir, who I think the world of in the ring. I was in the ring with WALTER. There are so many guys and I know I am missing a lot from this list and I apologize to all of them,” he continued.
Kingston would continue to mention Kevin Owens as one of his favorite opponents that are currently “with the competition now.”
Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo dropped an AEW tag team title shot to the Young Bucks at Road Rager earlier this month. This week on AEW Dark: Elevation, they defeated Cezar Bononi and JD Drake.
AEW’s Max Caster has landed himself a regular gig on TMZ, and it’s all thanks to Mark Henry. Talking recently during an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Henry took the credit for brokering the deal.
“I just recently fostered a deal with TMZ and Max Caster. Now every week, he’s going to be on TMZ ripping Hollywood, ripping sports, ripping wrestling. Tune in to see what Max Caster is going to do every week.” Mark Henry explained.
There is no denying that a job on TMZ would suit a character like Caster. He has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to lace his barbs with venom when necessary. He knows how to get under the skin and say things in a way that get a reaction. Just look at his Oral Sessions intro ahead of his tag-team fight against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston.
While there are no details right now, from what Mark Henry has said it sounds like a role Caster was born to fill.
Mark Henry Sees the Power of Cross Media Promotions
Speaking further, Mark Henry explained how he sees a value in AEW branching out into other media streams. Not just mainstream, wrestling-centric avenues, but allowing wrestlers to test the waters in related niches, in order to draw in more fans.
“The number one thing I would want to put out there is, we have to do more of this, er, marketing and creating relationships with media and not just big media but the grassroots media, the podcasts, the companies that are interested in pro-wrestling, not only to the market but for fans.” Mark Henry said.
Since signing with AEW, Mark Henry has been a quiet figure, however, he is gearing up for the premiere of AEW Rampage which premiers on August 13th. Henry will serve as a lead analyst for the show, as well as being an influential figure backstage.
Xia Li appeared to be injured during her NXT Women’s Championship match against Raquel Gonzalez last night on NXT. The match was stopped after Gonzalez landed on Li following a springboard senton splash. Li rolled onto her stomach after the move and then was only weakly able to get her shoulder up during the pin attempt.
The match was restarted after medical personnel checked on Li for a few moments. They quickly went to the finish after, however, with Gonzalez pinning Li after a one-armed power bomb. According to sources backstage at the Capitol Wrestling Center, Li appeared to be fine after the match (via Fightful).
Xia Li To The Main Roster?
Xia Li is one of several members of the NXT roster rumored to be headed to the main roster soon. Li faced former Robert Stone Brand member, Aliyah, in a dark match before Smackdown. She picked up the win in a match from Houston’s Toyota Center.
Xia Li joined WWE in 2017 after having impressed scouts during a WWE tryout from Shanghai, China. She is the first woman from China to compete in a WWE ring. As of late in NXT, she has been aligned with Boa and Mei Ying in the Tian Sha faction.
Matt Morris (Matthew Rehwoldt, Drama King Matt, Aiden English) has been announced as joining the broadcast team for the NJPW Resurgence show next month in Los Angeles. The show will be available on the FITE app.
“Morris joins Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov on the call for Resurgence. Could his background also lead to in-ring involvement? Time will tell!” An NJPW report reads.
As Aiden English, Morris joined the commentary team for 205 Live in early 2019. He was part of massive roster cuts WWE made shortly after WrestleMania in 2020.
It has been an eventful week for “Drama King Matt” as well. A vignette announcing his arrival to Impact Wrestling played during the Slammiversary PPV on Saturday. He then took part in the promotion’s television tapings in Nashville on Sunday and Monday.
Resurgence gets a new addition to the English broadcast team!
3 matches have been announced thus far for the NJPW Resurgence show. “Switchblade” Jay White will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against David Finlay. Both White and Finlay took part in the recent Impact television tapings as well. Karl Fredericks will face Alex Coughlin in singles action and Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero & Wheeler Yuta will take on TJP, Clark Connors & Ren Narita. The show will emanate from the Torch at L.A. Coliseum on August 14.
ICYMI: More matches have been added to Resurgence @ the Torch at L.A. Coliseum 8/14!
It has been five years since Steve Corino last had a competitive match in a wrestling ring. While the former ECW champion has never officially retired, he has been working as a producer for WWE since 2016.
However, sometimes all a wrestler needs to lace up his boots one more time, is the right motivation. For Steve Corino, it came in the form of a challenge laid down by his own son. Colby Corino is the current PWF Crystal Coast Oceanic Title.
Colby laid down the challenge, which Steve was happy to accept. The pair will clash on Colby’s 25th birthday. That’s quite the way to celebrate.
Steve Corino held numerous championships in a career dating back to 1994. The most notable of which was his time as ECW Heavyweight champion. He also enjoyed a reign as ROH tag team champion alongside Jimmy Jacobs.
Steve Corino Lacing Up His Boots For The Right Reasons
Wrestling is a business where it can be hard to stay retired. The lure of one more match can often be too hard to resist. However, for Steve Corino, a return to the ring is happening for all the right reasons.
Colby Corino is a talented wrestler, who is known predominantly for his time in Ring of Honor. He also trained for a time in the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in LA. He also made two appearances for WWE. The match against his father, Steve Corino promises to be a fun affair. Airing on independentwrestling.tv, the result would appear to be written on the wall. However, for wrestling fans, it will be a treat to see the older Corino back in action.
The return to the ring looks to be a one and done affair for Steve Corino, who is contracted to WWE and seems to be enjoying his backstage producer role.
The debut of Malakai Black on AEW Dynamite was a shock that nobody saw coming. At least, not so soon. The reasons for his sudden appearance have been well documented. However, talking in a recent interview with Metal Injection, Black talked about his release, including his unusual reaction to the news.
“It’s funny, but as soon as I got released, my wife started crying. I actually started laughing because they built me up for 5-6 weeks, they made me come back [to SmackDown], and now they’re pulling me off TV again? I just couldn’t take the whole situation seriously anymore.” Malakai Black (talking as Tommy End) explained.
The now Malakai Black went on to talk about how he felt WWE booking was something somewhat farcical. Creative minds seemingly changing with the wind.
“There’s nothing really consistent. Everything changes week to week or is done to the point of beating it to death.”
Malakai Black Always Knew AEW Was Where He Needed to Be
When talking about the relief of his release, Malakai Black just knew that he wanted to head to AEW. It was an immediate reaction.
“That was the immediate thought process. I was sick of it, even before everything went down. I loved my time in NXT, but I felt I did nothing of importance on the main roster. It was too much bipolar 50-50 booking, they would push me and pull me off TV.”
One thing has been consistent with Malakai Black’s comments since his release and that is the depth of frustration he felt being trapped in WWE. He went so far as to create a ‘release video’ proclaiming his entire WWE experience to be nothing more than a psychotic episode.
Malakai Black made a big splash, attacking Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes. With all of that pent up frustration ready to be released, his first feud promises to be a good one.
Love them or hate them, Heels serve a very important purpose in professional wrestling. AEW star Ethan Page is a heel at the top of his game right now. Alongside Scorpio Sky, they are the Men of the Year, and they are getting under the skin of every AEW out there. Exactly as a great heel should.
Talking on a recent episode of Oral Sessions (guest hosted by Danhausen), Ethan Page spoke at length about his motivation in AEW. For the most part, he remained firmly in character, which made for entertaining listening.
“See I would love to beat up Orange Cassidy,” Ethan Page said. “It pisses me off that he’s cornered the market on denim, especially since he’s not Canadian and he wears a Canadian tuxedo on a regular basis. And I want to wear more denim, but I feel like if I do all the little nerds online are going to be like ‘oh you can’t wear that. That’s Orange Cassidy’s outfit.’ And it pisses me off because I am a man of fashion.”
Ethan Page Got Serious to Talk About His Appreciation For AEW
Towards the end of the interview, however, Ethan Page dropped his persona and spoke from the heart. Talking about his experience with AEW so far, and how it differs from everything else in his career.
“I do want to give a big shoutout to AEW,” Ethan Page said. “I’ve only been here since about March but it’s been a life-changing experience. The way the company treats talent is something unlike I’ve ever experienced before. I hope one day, not to cause any kerfuffle on the internet, I hope you get to experience it one-day Danhausen. It’s insane to me to find a company that puts the company first. I think more people should be talking about it. And I would love for people to check out my vlog because I think I give a little bit of a glimpse to that side of it.”
Ethan Page is a huge talent for AEW, with Jim Ross recently singling him out for praise, picking him to be a top star for the company. While not the youngest member of the roster, Page has a lot of years left in the ring and has only just begun to define himself.
He who holds the Money in the Bank briefcase holds his own destiny. Big E recently rose to the top of the ladder and grabbed the briefcase. Now, he has already spoken about who he would love to cash in against.
“Those are all great options,” Big E said. “I feel Roman’s the guy though. Roman’s the guy in the industry, and if you want to be remembered, if you want to do something cool, something special, that’s a great way to do it. Roman’s on a tear. This is one of the best runs I can remember. I feel like he’s definitely hitting his stride in a way that he hasn’t before.”
Ordinarily, cashing in your Money in the Bank case is a surprise affair, but recent years have seen the holders call their shots a little ahead of time.
Big E Feels to be the Best You Should Beat the Best
Going on to explain his reasoning for choosing Roman as his cash in of choice. It’s a simple matter of wanting to prove that you are the best and deserving of the right to be a champion.
“You can look at the entire scope of the rest of the industry, and you can determine who you think is the number one guy, who you think is the best, who should be at the very top. I think it’s not that difficult to make an argument for Roman being number one across all brands, across all boards. Beating him means that whoever beats him for that title, it’s going to be memorable. It’s going to mean something, and why not me?” Big E explained.
In wrestling, plans can always change. With John Cena back to challenge Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, Big E may need to adjust on the fly. However, one thing is certain, whoever is the champ when the time comes, Big E will be ready for them.
NJPW has released a statement on the status of Kota Ibushi. The former dual IWGP Champion and Intercontinental champion was recently pulled from the companies Summer Struggle series. The reasons for this were given as a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination. However, new updates have confirmed Ibushi has a case of Aspiration Pneumonia.
Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.
His illness is not connected to his COVID inoculation as was previously reported.
In a statement issued by New Japan Pro Wrestling, they stressed that the illness was not related to the vaccination and that Kota Ibushi had tested negative for Covid.
Kota Ibushi was scheduled to participate in a few shows at the end of this month, namely events in Osaka on July 22nd and 23rd and Nagoya on July 24th. There is no current timeline for his return to the ring. However, he will be assessed ahead of the Wrestle Grand Slam event on July 25th.
Kota Ibushi Will Be Eager to Regain His IWGP Crown
Kota Ibushi has had quite the year in NJPW. He defeated Naito to claim both the IWGP Championship and Intercontinental belts. He then became in inaugural IWGP Heavyweight champion before losing the title to Will Ospreay.
Now, with the belt around Shingo Takagi’s waist, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back into the run and restart his journey to the top. This could happen at the Wrestle Grand Slam event, assuming medical staff clear Ibushi for a return to the ring. Failing that, however, all eyes will turn to the G1.
With less than two months before the start of the G1 Climax event, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back to full match fitness. He won the event in 2019 and 2020, becoming only the third wrestler to win back-to-back G1’s. He will be looking to set history this year and claim victory for a third successive year.
Doing so would give him the opportunity to headline Wrestle Kingdom in the new year and try to reclaim the gold from whoever is the IWGP Heavyweight champion at the time. Kota Ibushi is a star draw for NJPW. Hopefully, this bout of pneumonia will not hinder his performance once he returns.
The July 20, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Bobby Fish & KUSHIDA def. Diamond Mine
Franky Monet def. Jacy Jayne.
Kyle O’Reilly def. Austin Theory.
Odyssey Jones def. Andre Chase to advance to the Semi Finals of the Breakout Tournament.
Drake Maverick def. LA Knight.
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez def. Xia Li
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Samoa Joe Reacts
Samoa Joe responded to Karrion Kross’ attack from last week after Kross had successfully retained the NXT Title over Johnny Gargano. Kross choked Joe out with the Kross Jacket.
On Monday’s Raw, Kross made his Raw debut and lost to Jeff Hardy when Hardy pinned Kross while having his feet on the ropes for added leverage. Following the match, Kross was interviewed and said Hardy just made the biggest mistake of his life.
Joe opened the show by calling out Kross with his wrist taped. William Regal stated that Joe cannot be calling out wrestlers. Joe pointed out that he was told he could attack anyone if he was provoked. Joe didn’t want to hear what Regal says and that Kross needs to be put down.
Joe said that Regal can’t control Kross and he is the man to get Kross under control. Regal said Kross is on his way here and all hell won’t break loose because they will handle things peacefully. Joe said tonight will be the end of it because someone is going to sleep.
Later in the show, Joe called out Kross, who appeared on the big screen. He said he can hurt anyone he wants. Kross was seen standing over a downed Regal. Joe chased to the back as Kross left and that’s how the show ended.
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Austin Theory
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Austin Theory in a singles match took place.
There was a backstage segment where Gargano was asked about his loss to NXT Champion Karrion Kross last week. O’Reilly walked up how he heard about what Theory talked about him. O’Reilly challenged him to a match and Theory accepted. O’Reilly told him that he would get his dancing shoes on. Gargano told Theory that he would be on his own tonight.
WWE actually gave these guys plenty of time to work and Theory had various moments of offense, which is surprising. O’Reilly won with his knee lock submission. He wouldn’t let go of it for several seconds after Theory tapped.
Legado del Fantasma hosted “Mariachi Musical Madness” on this show. So what was it?
Santos Escobar told the performers to leave. He said that he was going to give everyone a taste of the best music in the world, but he changed his mind because he wouldn’t lower himself to entertain the fans as they’re not worth it and won’t do the Hit Row thing.
Santos said that he would take the North American Title from Isiah Scott. Hit Row came out and said that they’re trash. Top Dolla did some jokes about how he was as tall as them in the sixth grade. A brawl broke out with Hit Row standing tall.
Million Dollar Champion LA Knight vs. Drake Maverick took place in a non-title match.
This match was set up when WWE did an angle where Knight and Maverick got into a confrontation in the parking lot prior to the show. Cameron Grimes was in Knight’s corner due to him serving as his butler, which was part of a stipulation that dates back to Grimes losing a Million Dollar Championship match against Knight at NXT Great American Bash two weeks ago
Due to accidental outside interference by Grimes, Knight rolled up Maverick for the win. Post-match, Grimes tried to warn Maverick to get out of the ring, but Knight beat him down. Grimes pushed Knight away.
Knight told Grimes to attack Maverick and while Grimes refused at first, he ended up doing it.
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez defended her title against Xia Li.
Last week, Gonzalez’s tag team partner Dakota Kai defeated Ember Moon. After the match, Li came out to the ring and confronted Gonzalez because she wanted a title match, which Gonzalez accepted.
The match was the main event of the show. Li chopped Raquel down throughout the match. They did a spot where Raquel did a splash off the top rope and then Li never got up so medical staff checked on her. There was a lot of confusion. They went straight to the finish with Raquel hitting her finisher for the win.
Gonzalez won the NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Io Shirai at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April. Since that time, she’s successfully defended the title against Mercedes Martinez and then Moon at TakeOver: In Your House last month.
The next WWE NXT TakeOver special has been announced.
WWE confirmed on Tuesday night during the weekly NXT TV show on the USA Network that the 36th installment of their TakeOver specials will take place on August 22nd. The theme and location of the show have yet to be revealed.
This year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, August 21st from Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. Thus, fans will have back-to-back nights of WWE action that weekend.
In the video package about the announcement, NXT lead announcer Vic Joseph’s mentioning of the Capital Wrestling Center was added in. The date of this show has been known all the way back in June when Fightful Select first reported the news.
Mat Men Radio’s Andrew Zarian noted on his show that the event would be held on a Sunday in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center, but WWE could opt out of that location should they decide to do so.
NXT’s last TakeOver event was In Your House in June that saw the main event being a successful defense of the NXT Title by Karrion Kross over Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne, and Johnny Gargano.
Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts has re-signed with All Elite Wrestling.
The WWE Hall of Famer shared the news when he spoke with Diamond Dallas Page in a video that was posted on the former WCW stars’ YouTube channel. The extension will see him under contract for the next two years.
“When I originally signed with [AEW], it was for a ten week deal. At eight weeks, [a guy] comes along with some papers, ‘You need to sign these.’ I’m like, ‘What for?’ ‘Well it’s your contract.’ ‘Dude, I’ve only got two weeks left.’ ‘No, you got another year.’ ‘What?’ And then just a few weeks ago, I buzzed Tony, I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got four weeks left. What do you want me to do? I need a notice so I can start setting up my stuff’ and he says, ‘We need to sign another piece of paper’ and I signed again and then after I signed it, I found out that it wasn’t for a year, it was for more than a year. It was for two years.”
Roberts noted that Khan is a wonderful man and he gave him his love back for wrestling as it’s great to be part of AEW. He said that he’s taken this opportunity to keep his eyes open and try to help people that are struggling.
The legendary pro wrestler made his promotional debut last year when he confronted Cody Rhodes as a way to give him a message about how he had a client coming to AEW.
This client turned out to be Lance Archer. The two have yet to part ways. Archer is slated to challenge Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Title in a Texas Death Match on Dynamite this Wednesday. This will be the second night of Fyter Fest in Garland, Texas.
After all the build and lead-up, Money in the Bank is in the books after being held this past weekend from Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena and aired on Peacock.
Big E ended up winning the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match and has yet to cash in while Nikki A.S.H won the women’s bout.
The WWE star formerly known as Nikki Cross has already cashed in her briefcase as she did so on Monday’s episode of Raw when she beat Charlotte Flair, who had just wrestled Rhea Ripley in the main event, to win the Raw Women’s Title.
Pwinsider.com has gathered a list of producers for each match, as seen below:
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge – Michael Hayes
Rhea Ripley vs. WWE Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – Adam Pearce
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston – Jason Jordan & Jamie Noble
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Jamie Noble & Shane McMahon
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alex Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. Tamina – TJ Wilson & Pat Buck
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Omos vs. The Viking Raiders – Chris Parks
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion The Usos vs. The Mysterios – D-Von Dudley
John Cena will be back in WWE’s live event schedule tour this Summer.
WWE has officially revealed what Cena’s tour schedule would look like for the Summer. The plan will see Cena appear at Raw and SmackDown tapings, non-televised live events and a pay-per-view (SummerSlam) from July 23rd through August 21st.
WWE is promoting Cena’s return to the road as, the “Summer of Cena.”
In total, Cena is advertised for 15 upcoming shows. It’s worth noting that Cena is only appearing at select shows through SummerSlam. You can see the full schedule at WWE.com.
Cena vs. Reigns at SummerSlam
John Cena made his long-awaited return at this year’s Money in the Bank after Universal champion Roman Reigns defeated Edge. He appeared on last night’s episode of Raw to challenge Reigns to a championship match at Summerslam.
Cena explained why he returned and said Reigns “Needs to be knocked down a peg in the promo.” Cena also confirmed that he would be on Smackdown this Friday to confront Reigns.
The last time that Cena faced Reigns was at No Mercy at the Staples Center in Las Angeles, California, on September 24, 2017. Reigns defeated Cena with the spear.
Cena’s Challenging Tour schedule
The “Summer of Cena” will be Cena’s most demanding WWE tour schedule in quite some time. Over the past couple of years, Cena hasn’t toured with WWE to this level. His last WWE match was a firefly funhouse match against the Fiend at Wrestlemania 36 on April 5, 2020.
At 44 years old, Cena has been focusing more on his acting career than wrestling consistently. It’s unclear if he will have matches leading to Summerslam to condition himself or if he’s been training already.
WWE’s Live Event Struggles
WWE is looking to make Summerslam a big event. Cena earned a big reaction for his return at Money in the Bank and Raw. With Cena set to appear at live events throughout the Summer, it may result in more sold-out shows.
WWE has seen mixed results with ticket sales since the return of live events. Some markets have been strong, while others have struggled. WWE recently canceled shows in Georgia and Florida after slow ticket launches.
As of this writing, tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for SummerSlam as low as $25. The announcement of Cena vs. Reigns for the Universal Championship may generate interest to help sell out the event.
If you are interested in ticket sales and the business side of live wrestling shows, the @WrestleTix Twitter account has been doing excellent work lately.
WWE spent years to have Roman Reigns be the top star in the promotion, but the fans didn’t accept him in that role until after a global pandemic took place. Following his hiatus, WWE decided to turn him into a heel, which took his career to another level.
While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Triple H talked about the Universal Champion, who just successfully retained the title over Edge in the main event of Money in the Bank.
After the match, Reigns had a staredown with the returning John Cena. According to the WWE Hall of Famer, Reigns is not only the biggest star in WWE but in all of pro wrestling.
“Roman is the biggest star in WWE, he’s the biggest star in the industry. He perfected his craft at a really hard time to do so with no fans. He put so much into his character work, and his reaction to Cena was as powerful as the moment itself. Watching that, I couldn’t help but think back to how long he’s been doing this and some of the tougher times he’s been through. Right now, he’s performing on a whole other level. He’s at the point where he is no longer thinking about the character, he just is.”
Reigns will face Cena in the main event of next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium.
After much anticipation for his official main roster debut, many fans were disappointed with WWE’s booking of NXT Champion Karrion Kross on his first night as an official member of the Raw roster.
Monday’s episode of Raw saw him drop a quick loss to Jeff Hardy. Post-match, Kross warned Hardy that he just made the biggest mistake of his career so it appears that a feud will be playing out in the coming weeks.
There was said to be a lot of “shock and frustration” within WWE NXT from talent and staff due to the way WWE handled Kross’ first night, according to Fightful Select. It was said the general mood among those in NXT wasn’t a “mad, disappointed” vibe, as they felt like this represented how the NXT brand is viewed by WWE higher-ups as a whole.
One person stated that the loss felt like a message being sent, but didn’t further elaborate. Those backstage at the show noted Kross was in good spirits backstage after the match. One talent stated Kross was put in an unfavorable position considering his spot as a protected talent in NXT while also being a new talent on another brand.
This debut came after WWE built Kross up during the broadcast with vignettes and praise from the announcers. There’s no clear direction yet for Kross’ status in NXT.
It’s likely we will find that out Tuesday’s NXT after he retained his title over Johnny Gargano last week, and then attacked Samoa Joe, the enforcer to NXT General Manager William Regal.
Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.923 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is up from last week’s 1.609 million viewers and the 0.43 rating.
This week’s show was the post-show edition of Raw for Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event. It was also the first show back with fans. This was the best viewership Raw has done since the post-Wrestlemania episode on April 12.
Here’s the rest of the viewership breakdown for Monday Night Raw, courtesy of Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics:
This episode featured a promo segment with John Cena, Riddle & The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. AJ Styles, John Morrison & Omos, Natalya & Tamina vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler, Karrion Kross vs. Jeff Hardy, Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo, Bobby Lashley vs. Keith Lee, and Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s Title.
SmackDown Viewership
The episode drew an average of 2.185 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.881 million viewers. In the 18-49 demographic, it did a 0.66 rating, which was up from the 0.48 rating the week before. The final ratings were 2.310 million viewers, up from last week’s 1.986 million viewers.
Kenny Omega retained the Impact World Championship over Sami Calihan this past weekend at Slammiversary.
The next challenger to Omega Impact title was determined at Monday night’s television tapings from Nashville, TN. (Spoilers)
In the final match of the second set of tapings, Brian Myers won a #1 contender’s battle royal to earn the championship opportunity. This episode of Impact is expected to air Thursday, August 12th on AXS TV.
Kenny Omega vs. Brian Myers will headline Impact Wrestling’s next special event, Emergence. Impact has not yet confirmed the date(s) for Emergence, which took place over two weeks last year.
WWE and Tik Tok are looking to the WWE Universe to find a new ring announcer.
WWE announced yesterday that they would be doing a talent search for ring announcers through Tik Tok. The announcement also confirmed Pure Life Purified Water as the official sponsor for the contest. Contestants have to upload videos that showcase their skills on the app using the hashtag WWEAnnouncerContest. WWE and Tik Tok will hold the competition until August 16th and will select two winners. The winners will receive a trip to Summerslam on August 21st at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they will serve as announcers for the event.
WWE & Tik Tok Relationship
WWE has over 11 million followers on Tik Tok. Tik Tok marks WWE’s third most prominent social media platform, with Facebook with over 59 million followers and Instagram with over 24 million followers. WWE is looking to grow its followers and expand its relationship with Tik Tok with this contest.
WWE’s Vice President in Digital Media Steve Braband released a statement regarding the ring announcer search on WWE.com. “Our engagement on TikTok to date has been incredible, and we couldn’t think of a better platform to help us find the next great ring announcer,” said Braband.
The WWE announcement also alludes that this will be a new way to recruit talent in the article. “Today’s announcement follows another innovative TikTok activation, through which WWE aims to discover and recruit its next generation of Superstars via the TikTok Resumes product, said WWE.”
Lack of Clarity for Ring Announcer Contest
This year Men’s Money in the Bank Winner Big E did a Tik Tok video to promote the contest. The video, however, doesn’t explain the criteria to be considered eligible to win.
WWE will also be hosting invite-only tryouts in Las Vegas during Summerslam weekend from August 18th to August 20th.
The winners of the ring announcer contest will also have to appear at the invite-only tryout. However, unlike the ring announcer search, the tryout has criteria for applicants like wrestling experience, public speaking, and acting experience. It’s unclear if this indicates that the contest winners will not have a permanent position as ring announcers after SummerSlam.
WWE Superstar Toni Storm will be making her official debut on SmackDown this Friday. The former NXT UK Women’s Champion has had a rocky road on the NXT brand in the United States, but now she will be part of the main roster on FOX.
Storm has worked as a heel during most of her time on NXT, although he did portray a babyface for her entire run on NXT UK.
According to a report from PWInsider, WWE is planning to bring Toni Storm up to SmackDown as a babyface.
Storm, 25, was signed to WWE back in May 2018. The Australian star was initially signed for the NXT UK brand, where she held the aforementioned Women’s Championship.
Toni Storm Plans Revealed
Toni Storm moved to WWE NXT to live in the United States full-time last year, where she then played a heel on USA Network television for the first time in her WWE career.
Storm has worked several WWE dark matches before television tapings, although Storm’s debut for SmackDown was promoted several weeks back.
It is currently unknown what the plans are for Storm when she gets to the main roster, however a potential showdown between the Australian performer and WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair looks extremely promising.
Check out the promo for Toni Storm’s move to the main roster and SmackDown below:
WWE RAW Superstar Eva Marie made her return to the show earlier this year; however, she has not yet made an appearance in front of a live audience since she got back to the company due to the WWE Thunderdome essentially being behind closed doors.
During a recent interview with Erin Silvia and Russ Weakland of Hollywood Life, Eva Marie would say that she is more than prepared for fans to boo her once she does make her way out in front of a live WWE crowd.
“There is nothing like performing and walking into our upcoming tours that start July 16th with SmackDown out in Texas and Monday Night Raw in Dallas,” the leader of the Evalution began.
Eva Marie On Being Boo’ed
“I just moved there, so I feel like it is a little bit of my hometown now, but to walk out there and embrace the fans… actually I hope they boo”, Marie continued, describing what she wants to happen when she gets out there in front of a crowd.
“I hope they boo me out of the building. Every movie and every show or book, you always need a good villain, and I’m okay wearing that hat. Coming back, I think the WWE Universe has no problem making me that villain either,” the RAW Superstar concluded.
Eva Marie and Doudrop are currently in a feud with Alexa Bliss that will likely take them to some sort of handicap match at SummerSlam in August.
Bray Wyatt hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 37. He lost a match to Randy Orton on Night 2 of the event this year. According to a report from PW Insider, Wyatt was originally scheduled to win that match but the result was changed last minute. Wyatt hasn’t been back in the company since.
There is said to be no timetable for Wyatt’s return to the company. There are those within WWE who believe Wyatt’s absence is not due to any creative issues either.
“WWE sources have remained quiet about Wyatt’s circumstances beyond the idea that he’s being held off for a specific reason,” writes Mike Johnson. “The belief among some is that it’s not a creative issue.”
Before WrestleMania 37, Wyatt’s last match in WWE was at December 2020’s TLC PPV. Wyatt lost to Orton in that match as well. Alexa Bliss has been hosting episodes of “Alexa’s Playground” in the months since Wyatt has been gone.
Wyatt popped up on social media not long after WWE announced SummerSlam will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Wyatt is a fan of the Las Vegas Raiders, who play their home games in the venue.
Major League Wrestling returned to live wrestling last Saturday night for their Battle Riot III from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
I was on-hand at the Battle Riot as a correspondent for SEScoops where I spoke with a few MLW wrestlers and one being Calvin Tankman.
When I asked if he was happy to be at the famous 2300 Arena for his first taping, Tankman answered that it was a dream come true.
“Definitely. My first taping with fans and it’s in a legendary arena where you know, growing up you watch a lot of matches and moments from this very place and dream of wrestling here. So, definitely a dream come true to finally get the opportunity,” Tankman said.
The discussion then moved onto me asking Tankman about who he hopes to wrestle with in MLW by the end of 2021. Tankman names Alex Kane, but then goes on to talk about current MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Jacob Fatu.
“I think I got a little screwed in the title match, so I think there is something to be said with round two with me and Fatu. I mean if anything was proven, it’s that his crown was threatened,” Tankman said.
Other topics discussed include wanting to wrestle Alex Hammerstone, Rhyno/Rhino giving him advice on which cheesesteak place to go to in Philadelphia, and more.
You can watch MLW’s Battle III for free on July 24th with beIN SPORTS or on MLW’s YouTube channel at 10 p.m. EST.
