WWE has added a clause in the contracts they have with wrestlers.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that talent no longer under contract are not allowed to use their WWE character names when signing autographs.
Before this clause, WWE just prevented released wrestlers from using their character names at shows, and rightfully so as WWE owns the trademark rights to certain ring names.
With this new clause, released performers won’t be able to capitalize on their persona under the ring name they went by WWE. As an example, Adam Scherr won’t be able to use the name “Braun Strowman” when he signs things at conventions or independent wrestling shows.
It should be noted that All Elite Wrestling doesn’t have this clause in their deals. As a result, wrestlers working there are able to sign things under the names they are using if they should depart from the promotion.
The big difference between WWE and AEW is WWE typically likes to come up with different ring names for talent so they can own the trademark rights to while AEW usually uses the names of the wrestlers that they’ve used before coming to the promotion.
Since April, WWE has released a lot of talent and employees as a way to save money. These talent cuts have happened on the main roster and in NXT.
Samoa Joe, Chelsea Green, and Mickie James were just some of the names released in April. Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Buddy Murphy, and Santana Garrett were the names most recently cut from the main roster.
“The locker room has got to get on with it. I’ve been in the company for 12 years and it is part of the business. People come in and people go and you gotta get down with it. Every Monday you have to get there and perform.
I don’t think the morale is down, I think it is a lot better than what it used to be when I started. There is a lot more camaraderie and we have great lads, experienced lads and young lads working together during the pandemic with no fans. You talk to some of the legends and they will tell you that they would not adapt to perform in that ring. So I think it is a credit to everybody who has been working non-stop during the last 15 or 16 months and keeping the company going and people entertained during this situation.”
Sheamus recently broke his nose in a match on Monday Night Raw and had to get surgery to fix it. As it stands right now, he won’t be missing any lengthy time in the ring.
Sasha Banks has wrestled in many huge matches. There is one match that sticks out in her mind as being the greatest women’s match of all-time, however. That match was when she faced Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Banks spoke about the match recently while on the Just Women’s Sports podcast.
“It’s the most talked about match, really in the history of women’s wrestling and I’m so thankful for that match because it really changed the game of everything in the business for women. I remember that match clearly because it was two months before I got called up to the main roster and I finally made it to Raw, which was my dream since I was a 10-year-old kid, and I was NXT Women’s Champion,” Banks said.
“We’re at TakeOver: Brooklyn, the first time out of Florida and NXT is in front of a large-scale audience. We were equal to the WWE brand because of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor. I wanted to leave a lasting impression of what I wanted my name and legacy to be in NXT before I got called up and dropped the title. I wanted to show them; first of all, we should have been the main event. Second of all, I wanted to make sure they remembered this match for the rest of their lives. I wanted the match to be the greatest women’s match of all time and it happened to be the greatest women’s match of all time,”Banks continued.
Sasha Banks has been off Smackdown since shortly after dropping the title to Bianca Belair. She’s likely been or is preparing to film content for her role in the Star Wars franchise.
The Acclaimed’s Max Castor recently dropped some rhymes for TMZ based on some of the latest stories they have published. These included stories about LeBron James, Logan Paul, Naomi Osaka, Julio Jones and Buff Bagwell.
“Platinum, I be looking for attention in the summer Feeling like LeBron James when he’s switching numbers.”
“He with the stars, red carpet with the pastel I’m with the bars feeling like I’m Buff Bagwell I saw his video, does he need a doctor? Maybe take a tip from Naomi Osaka.”
“Nobody holding me up, I’m not Logan Paul Feeling like I’m Julio Jones now, going long.”
Castor’s full rap can be viewed in the video below:
Also during the interview, Caster noted that he writes all of his own lyrics.
“I do all my own writing, I write all my own stuff. I will kind of pitch it around to other guys and say ‘hey, is this hitting hard enough? Is this the one or should I make it a little bit better?” Caster said. “I have people who will tell me ‘hey man, that might be too far’ but if they say it’s too far then I stick with it, usually.”
The full interview with Castor can be viewed in the player below:
Former WWE star Zach Gowen recently had an interview with Jonah Ferstand on the Rewind Recap Relive podcast where he talked about his interactions with Brock Lesnar during The Beast’s original run with the company in detail.
The former WWE star had a short feud with the former Universal champion. This led to a match between the two during a SmackDown episode in August 2003, which helped establish the Beast Incarnate as a heel in the company.
Gowen went into the details of his violent encounter with Lesnar during his interview. He recalled how he got knocked out during the bout:
“He was supposed to give me three powerbombs, like a triple powerbomb where you hold on, and then after two, he felt I got knocked out. Like he felt my body go limp for a second. I hit the back of my head on the mat.
I was knocked out on the powerbomb. It was supposed to be three, but he felt that I was in danger, so he just let me go.”
Zach Gowen then explained how the former Universal champion may have saved his life in that split second with his awareness:
“He might’ve saved my life if we’re being 100% honest, at that point. The angle was just one of those things that people still remember and talk about and it’s on YouTube so it’s going to live forever.”
Apart from this, the former WWE star also revealed that Brock Lesnar still remembers him after all these years. He mentioned that the Beast recently sent him a friendly message when his name came up in a conversation.
Zach Gowen had a short stint with WWE in early 2000. He made his debut for the promotion in May 2003 and had an underdog run before his release from the promotion in February 2004.
Braun Strowman is looking for a fresh start after his WWE release. As the first step in his quest; the monster among men has trimmed down his iconic beard.
The former WWE star recently shared a photo from his Instagram account where he shared his new look with the fans.
Strowman mentioned in the caption how this is the first time he has cut his beard in a decade which he had donned since his arrival in WWE back in 2013:
“Since I figured the cats out the bag already. I cut my beard for the first time in a decade and while I’m still adjusting to it I ain’t mad at it!!!!! big thx to my boy @jg0n for always making me #DapperAf”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP9MVE5B5vZ/
The Meat Castle also posted this recent photo of himself with a tiger cub:
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) June 11, 2021
Braun Strowman In WWE
Braun Strowman made a few uncredited appearances on WWE TV after his signing with the company, mostly as part of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” in 2014.
He made his official debut for the company in August 2014. The former champion attacked Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns upon his debut and established himself as the newest member of the Wyatt Family.
Strowman went on to have an impressive eight-year-long run with the company. He had won the universal championship just last year and achieved numerous other accolades during his time with the promotion.
Major League Wrestling will present the 3rd Battle Riot event on July 10th when it runs its first show in months from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The signature match features 40 of MLWs top wrestlers entering at intervals of every 60 seconds. Eliminations occur by pinfall, submission, or being tossed over the top rope. The winner will earn a shot at the MLW World Championship currently held by Contra Unit’s Jacob Fatu.
“You couldn’t ask for a bigger way to kick off the new season than a huge match with BIG stakes,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Philly was set to get the Battle Riot last July before the pandemic hit, so I felt I had to make good on that promise and deliver it this July.”
Additionally, MLW is stating that the winner of this year’s Battle Riot will be able to cash-in the opportunity at any time.
“The winner gets a World Heavyweight Title Shot anywhere, anytime! It could be that night; it could be in 6 months – you just don’t know. The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is!”
The news was first revealed by Alicia Atout during MLW’s latest draft. Azteca Underground selected Arez. The former Dario Cueto, now known as Cesar Duran, made the pick.
Tom Lawlor won the first Battle Riot in 2018. He then defeated Low-Ki for the MLW World Championship. LA Park won the 2nd Battle Riot in 2019 but was later defeated by Jacob Fatu.
The Rock hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since the SmackDown 20th anniversary show in 2019 but the latest reports suggest that he could make a return before the end of this year. Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline recently talked about the upcoming Survivor Series PPV which is expected to take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY this year.
The wrestling journalist interestingly noted that there has been talk of The Rock possibly returning to the company for the event. The Great One is expected to start the build-up for a match against ‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns during his return and “the hope is for Dwayne Johnson to make an appearance at that show but that isn’t locked in.”
There were speculations that The Rock could face the current Universal champion at WrestleMania 37 but these plans were foiled by the coronavirus pandemic. With the People’s Champion getting older, the two most likely destinations for a final match for him are WrestleMania 38 from Dallas, Texas and WrestleMania 39 from Inglewood, California.
Meltzer noted that The Rock “will want to set a box office record if he comes back, and the two places that he could do that would be AT&T Stadium and the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.” These plans are obviously not set in stone by any means. It’s still interesting to know that the company is actively discussing a potential return for the Hollywood star.
WWE stock recently got a bump up in value thanks to a trending post on WallStreetBets. The stock rose as high as 20% before settling down to 11% growth after a big day on June 9th. The day after WWE’s stock experienced this bump, Cameron Grimes was on Busted Open Radio and spoke about any influence he might have had on this.
“There is no coincidence, I’m just saying the Million Dollar Championship comes back and then the very next day the WWE stock skyrockets,” Grimes said. “I’m not going to say that’s coincidence. You know, I do dabble a little bit in the stock market and I do hang out with some of those guys and I may have put in a couple of words. I’m not a financial advisor so don’t get me arrested here but WWE stock to the moon, baby! No coincidence, Cameron Grimes, hahaha!”
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 10, 2021
Grimes will take on LA Knight in a ladder match at In Your House this Sunday. The winner of the match will become the new Million Dollar Champion. Grimes also spoke about the possibility of him facing Busted Open co-host Tommy Dreamer for the belt if he wins it.
“Tommy, you want to come to NXT? You want a chance at the Million Dollar Champion? I’m sure I could talk to some people, I don’t know how well they like you though,” Grimes said.
$WWE shares seem to be settling down at $65 after bouncing in the high 60s during the 11am hour. Still up 11% on the day coming off of WBS hype that started premarket. pic.twitter.com/P2vcg3a7c1
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021
Kenny Omega vs Jungle Boy was originally scheduled to take place tonight but was moved to the June 26th show. This was done so the match could air live and build the show on the 26th into a big event but it will also be beneficial for Omega who is said to be dealing with several nagging injuries at the moment.
Omega’s current physical state was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Omega is hurting pretty badly between slicing up his hand and needing seven stitches when he delivered the fourth belt shot on Pac in the three-way (the one with the AEW belt which is especially sharp), a deep bone bruise near his tailbone, the normal wear and tear on his knees and an athletic hernia,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
It was also noted that Omega had a stomach virus for a period as well. Omega reportedly was telling people at the Fan Fest before Double or Nothing that he’s hurting pretty badly and that this might be a sign he is closer to hanging up his boots.
“At the fan fest the day before the PPV, he said there are days he wakes up and walks around where he thinks maybe he’s close to the time to hang it up because his body is feeling worse,” Meltzer continued.
Omega has several big title matches upcoming this summer. He’ll face Moose tomorrow on Impact’s Against All Odds show. It’s not clear when exactly that match was taped or if it has been yet, however. He’ll then take on Jungle Boy on the 26th. Omega is also scheduled to defend the AAA Mega Championship against recent AEW signee Andrade at TripleMania.
Why do I have to get this kind of info from a local wrestling tabloid? I’m not happy with this. More importantly, neither is Mr. Barry. https://t.co/cvjSZXZsDb
Impact Wrestling on 6/10 kicked off with a summit between Impact Wrestling and AEW. The go-home show for Against All Odds on Saturday featured two major announcements.
Impact Wrestling 6/10 Quick Results:
Rosemary defeated Havok
Tasha Steelz defeated Kimber Lee
Petey Williams & Trey Miguel defeated Rohit Raju & Chris Bey
Eddie Edwards defeated Joe Doering via DQ
No Disqualification W. Morrissey defeated Willie Mack
Tony Khan Makes Major Against All Odds Announcement
Tony Khan made his return to Impact Wrestling last night as Impact and AEW held a summit to determine how the main event of Against All Odds will be contested. Although changing the main event to a triple threat with Sami Callihan involved seemed on the table, it was announced that the main event will still be a singles match pitting Kenny Omega vs Moose. Khan then made the announcement that a match of that magnitude should be held at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, where numerous big matches have taken place over the last year. Both Callis and D’Amore seemed to like this idea. D’Amore had his own major announcement to make, however, and Callis was not going to like this one as much.
Scott D’Amore Makes Major Slammiversary Annoucement
While Callis was pleased to hear the news that Kenny Omega would not have to defend the Impact World Championship in a triple threat match at Against All Odds, he did not like the announcement that Scott D’Amore would make shortly after. While D’Amore and Khan agreed that Sami Callihan would be barred from ringside when Omega faces Moose on Saturday, he then announced that the winner of that match will face Callihan for the Impact World Championship at Slammiversary. Callis did not like this announcement at all.
Rosemary Defeats Havok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHXsyoYc-c
The stipulation for this match was that if Havok could defeat Rosemary then the Knockouts title match at Against All Odds would be changed to a triple threat. It took 4 spears but Rosemary was able to put away Havok in singles competition this week, meaning her match against Deonna Purrazzo continues to be a one-on-one contest.
After the match, Purrazzo and Kimber Lee & Susan attacked both Rosemary and Havok. The champ locked Rosemary in the Fujiwara armbar.
Tasha Steelz Defeats Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKgE8Zk_xw
After Purrazzo, Susan, and Kimber Lee attacked Havok and Rosemary, Susan got on the mic and called out Tasha Steelz for her match against Kimber. Steelz would pick up the win in that match with a Falcon Arrow.
Fire N Flava then got into a brawl with Purrazzo and Susan after the match. Rosemary and Havok then returned, however. Rosemary then gave Purrazzo her double-underhook slam finisher followed by Havok and Rosemary giving Kiera Hogan a double-chokeslam to close the segment.
Trey Miguel & Petey Williams Pick Up Win Over Rohit Raju & Chris Bey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3JrQZwHe0Y
This match served as a preview of the 5-way X-Division #1 contender match at Against All Odds when Ace Austin, Trey Miguel, Petey Williams, Rohit Raju and Chris Bey will face off for a shot to take on Josh Alexander next.
Miguel made Raju tap to end the match but then Ace Austin and Madman Fulton attacked everyone in the ring. X-Division Champion Josh Alexander then made the save and then a giant brawl erupted featuring all 5 involved in the match on Saturday, as well as Madman Fulton and Alexander.
The brawl ended after Petey Williams gave Madman Fulton a Canadian Destroyer from the top rope. With that move, it looks like Austin won’t have Fulton’s help on the outside at Against All Odds.
Satoshi Kojima Saves Eddie Edwards From Violent By Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEncjW8uv6k
Joe Doering will face his old rival Satoshi Kojima at Against All Odds. He’d face Eddie Edwards in singles action this week. Violent By Design caused the disqualification when Deaner got involved from the outside. VOD then attempted to take the attack to Edwards but Satoshi Kojima made the save. Doering wanted to get back in the ring to get at Kojima but the rest of VOD held him back.
W. Morrissey Defeats Willie Mack In No DQ Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JWQdNWI4UA
Ahead of his match against Rich Swann on Saturday, Morrissey once again faced Willie Mack this week, only this time with a no disqualification stipulation. Morrissey continued his quick ascent up the rankings when he got the pin after kicking a steel chair into Mack’s face. After the match, he would look to continue the assault. Morrissey set a chair up in Mack’s face but Rich Swann came out and made the save. Swann wasn’t able to take Morrissey down before security ran out to break everything up. As security was holding back Swann, Morrissey got in a cheap shot. He looked to leave the ring area but Swann got in a chair shot to the back before he did so. Swann and Morrissey both wanted to go back at it as the show went off the air.
The Dark Order has fast become one of the hottest and most over factions in AEW. Under the guidance of the late Brodie Lee, they grew into a dominant force in AEW.
Ever since his passing in December 2020 the group have been acting without a dedicated leader. However, AEW has allowed his son Brodie Lee Jr to appear on the show, assuming the identity of Negative One. While still only a child, Negative One loves wrestling. He already has the promise of a contract when he turns 18, should he want it.
Recent articles have discussed his appearances, with his mother Amanda Huber recently confirming he had been taken off TV after his grades slipped at school.
The internet has been full of talk ever since it was confirmed that WWE had released both Braun Strowman and Aleister Black. Both men being touted as the ones to assume the mantel of the leader of the Dark Order.
This talk was silenced by Cody Rhodes last night when he confirmed the only leader of the Dark Order.
Those guys are both bad asses – BUT Negative One is the leader of The Dark Order https://t.co/seHkvM2gXT
There is something incredibly wholesome about the Negative One story. Allowing him to continue to develop his love of professional wrestling. It is a sign of how AEW operate as a company that they have allowed Brodie Lee Jr to carry on in his father’s role.
Negative One is the leader of the Dark Order. It will take a force bigger than Braun Strowman and Tommy End (Aleister Black) to dethrone him.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla are back! The company have just confirmed they will be holding their first show since 2019. Nothing is known about the event at this point in time, other than its date. August 1st.
Kept you waiting, huh? PWG returns on Sunday, August 1st!
The last Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show was The Makings of a Varsity Athlete in December 2019. The pandemic than saw the company freeze operations, cancelling its final show KOBE in March 2020. The company is based in California and at the time was one of the early cities to impose strict COVID prevention measures.
Times have changed since their last show, with several of their superstars now tied to contracts with other promotions. Namely, the reigning PWG tag team champions The Rascalz’s Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz who are now better known as MSK.
The reigning PWG champion, Bandido was also set to defend against Johnathan Gresham. It will be interesting if these two will be able to finish their feud.
It is interesting to note that six members of the PWG roster are all now signed to AEW. AEW color commentator Excalibur is also one of the founders of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Wil AEWs willingness to work with other companies, it is not inconceivable to think there could be some sort of cross-promotion. At the very least, you would imagine AEW would be agreeable to let their stars appear for at least one Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show given the close associations between everybody involved in the two promotions.
The recent WWE releases have sparked rumors about a potential sale of the company. Former WWE star Sean Waltman discussed the topic recently and commented on if Vince McMahon could actually sell the promotion.
The Hall of Famer talked about a number of things in the latest episode of his Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast including the latest WWE releases and more.
Discussing the recent rumors of the cuts actually being preparation for a sale, Waltman revealed his thoughts on if Mr. McMahon can sell the promotion:
“Yeah, sure. I don’t know that he’s ready to do so yet, he might want to cash out. It could be like, ‘Yeah, I’ll sell, but I’ll still have some say over the company.’ Didn’t something like that happen when AOL bought Turner Broadcasting?
Didn’t Ted Turner still keep a little bit of stroke?” asked Sean Waltman, “But I think it’s just as likely they’re just trying to get the bottom line as best as they can get it working for their shareholders.”
The former DX member also talked about the future of the released stars and explained that AEW is not going to sign them all in the current landscape.
He then mentioned how the names which are on the top of the list such as Braun Strowman and Aleister Black can have a hard time deciding where they want to go but they will have plenty of options.
Eddie Guerrero is remembered as a legend in the wrestling industry but the wrestling veteran had his demons as well. His personal battles affected those who were close to him including his daughter Shaul Guerrero.
The female star who has chosen wrestling as a career too recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where she opened up about her experience of growing up as the daughter of the WWE legend.
During the interview, Shaul spoke candidly of her father’s issues with alcohol and drugs. She admitted to being scared of the late star during her childhood and explained that she didn’t really get to know him all that well:
“My dad scared the s–t out of me growing up, It’s no secret that he struggled with alcohol and drugs. I think unfortunately growing up until I was 12 or 13, that was pretty much all I saw. It was a complicated relationship with my dad. I didn’t really get to know him until I was 13, 14, 15. He passed when I was 15.”
Guerrero also recalled her experience on the day of her father’s passing back in 2005. She revealed who gave her the news and explained how she never had anyone truly pass away before that day:
“I was woken up by my dad’s sister Linda and my cousins, they woke us up and I have never had anyone truly pass away until that day. They brought us out into the living room and they told us what happened. I think they told me separately from my sister, because mom wasn’t there. She was completely distraught; it was a terrible day.”
Though later in the interview, Shaul Guerrero also shared some good memories of her father. She mentioned how Eddie used to do random acts of kindness all the time and told some stories of the same.
Eddie Guerrero wrestled for both WCW and WWE. He won numerous accolades in both promotions. Guerrero, unfortunately, passed away on November 13, 2005, due to heart failure, at the young age of 38.
Tony Khan has announced that the upcoming Impact world title match between Kenny Omega and Moose at the Against All Odds event will be taking place from AEW’s current home in Florida.
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling featured a summit between the two companies. It included the AEW president Tony Khan and Impact executive vice president Scott D’Amore.
During the segment, Don Callis advocated keeping Sami Callihan out of the championship match this Saturday. He explained that it should be just Moose challenging Kenny Omega for his title at the upcoming show.
The Impact EVP praised Callis for his logical thinking. D’Amore said that the former Impact official understands the business very well before confirming that Saturday’s match will remain a singles bout.
Tony Khan, however, then made a big announcement. He revealed that the match between Omega and Moose will be taking place on their turf at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Impact EVP also added his own announcement to the mix. He confirmed that the winner of this bout will defend the Impact world title against Sami Callihan at the Slammiversary PPV on 17 July.
Moose won a six-pack challenge at the Under Siege event last month to become the new #1 contender for the Impact world title. Sami Callihan then picked up a DQ victory over Moose last week during their singles match, thanks to interference from Omega and The Good Brothers.
The Mandalorian season 3 featuring WWE star Sasha Banks among others will start filming in late 2021 or early 2022 according to the latest reports.
According to Collider, the Star Wars spin-off web series The Book of Boba Fett has officially wrapped filming. It’s now in the post-production stage and is on track for the announced Disney+ premiere in December.
However, the series featuring Sasha Banks is not going into production anytime soon. That’s because the stage used for these shows is now being utilized for the filming of the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series starring Ewan McGregor.
The second season of Mandalorian ended with Pedro Pascal’s title character giving up Grogu to Luke Skywalker for further Jedi training.
He himself seemed to be headed towards the Mandalorian throne after becoming the new owner of the Darksaber.
The third season is likely to focus heavily on how Pascal navigates through the challenges of becoming the leader of Mandalorians. It means we can expect to see a lot more of Banks’ character Koska Reeves during season three.
This would also mean that the former SmackDown women’s champion will be taking time off from WWE once again for the filming of the show. So she will likely be missing the next Royal Rumble PPV.
Disney has not confirmed a release timetable for season three of the star wars web series. With a late 2021 shooting schedule, we can expect it to hit the streaming service in mid or late 2022.
Meiko Satomura is your new NXT UK Women’s Champion. She captured the gold on Thursday’s NXT UK broadcast on Peacock and the WWE Network.
Satomura defeated Kay Lee Ray in a hard-fought match. Ray had been champion for an impressive 649 days before her reign came to an end.
The Japanese wrestling legend joined the NXT UK brand back in February.
In this video, the Final Boss reflects on her monumental victory to dethrone Kay Lee Ray.
Satomura commented on her victory on Twitter. She thanked everyone and it was very difficult defeating Kay Lee Ray, a true champion.
I am grateful to everyone?? Thank you very much. It was so much hard. Kay lee Ray is a true champion?? It makes sense that she was my first rival. It's still going on. The most wonderful day of my life? Arigatou?#WWE#NXTUK#WWENXT#???#???????@WWEhttps://t.co/dfFFvhMadu
— ????? meiko satomura (@satomurameiko) June 10, 2021
Triple also H commented on the title change. He wrote on Twitter, “An incredible title reign ended by one of the absolute best in the world. A new era for the ENTIRE #NXTUK brand. #AndNew”
Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks Podcast speaking about WWE’s most recent round of talent cuts. According to Bischoff, WWE’s latest releases were good for business.
“I’m more and more convinced that what WWE is doing – and I think Nick Khan is probably the catalyst for a lot of this – is making good business decisions,” Bischoff said on the show.
Bischoff then spoke about what would go through his mind if he was in a management position with WWE.
“If I’m involved in some of the decisions in trying to get that stock price up, I’m looking at my talent roster which is a significant part of the expenses in WWE,” Bischoff continued. “I’m thinking to myself ‘well wait a minute, we are going to modify our touring schedule, we’re not going to tour the same way we used to – and I think that’s probably true – I need to start making good decisions. We’ve got 300 people under contract, perhaps that’s too many.”
Bischoff continued to say that perhaps WWE’s strategy regarding keeping so many talents under contract was to keep that talent from going to AEW. He does not believe the company is preparing for a sale, however.
“I’m more convinced now than I was last week that what WWE is doing is aggressively managing their business model,” he continued.
“When the dust settles, I think we’re going to see WWE’s stock price back to where it was pre-COVID. I think we’re going to see a new touring model that makes more sense in the long run and I don’t think WWE is going anywhere (referring to a potential sale), at least not in the near future,” Bischoff continued.
The unexplained absence of Bray Wyatt is a puzzling mystery for the fans. The lack of updates on his status has forced people to speculate about him and there are all sorts of rumors floating around about his removal from WWE TV.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently discussed one such rumor and he confirmed that the former universal champion has purposefully been kept off TV.
The wrestling journalist claimed that Wyatt does not have any backstage heat and he also noted that his WrestleMania 37 match with Randy Orton went exactly as it was planned.
The Fiend reignited an old feud with Randy Orton after being drafted to Raw during the 2020 draft. The two had a match at TLC in December last year which was won by Orton.
Bray Wyatt went on a hiatus after this bout while Alexa Bliss kept the feud with Orton alive. He finally resurfaced at the Fastlane PPV in March earlier this year with a new grotesque look.
WWE then booked a match between the former universal champion and Randy at WrestleMania 37. For the surprise of many, Randy Orton ended up winning this match as well.
While he made one final appearance on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw, Bray Wyatt has been away from WWE programming since then.
Lio Rush recently announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He had been wrestling with NJPW and MLW before making his AEW debut in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing. According to an update from Wrestling Observer Radio, NJPW had given Rush permission to sign with AEW as well.
“New Japan gave AEW the okay to sign him, I mean New Japan would have priority on the dates but originally the nature of the New Japan contract was that he could work for AEW, he could work for MLW, he could do indies but New Japan would have the first priority and New Japan would also have the right to turn things down,” said Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer would continue to say that NJPW granting Rush the okay to sign with AEW is indicative of the current relationship between the two companies.
“In fact, they gave him permission to sign an American contract with AEW. Which also I think is very important politically because the fact that New Japan would give someone who they have under contract the okay to sign with AEW tells me that New Japan at this point today believes that they are going to be in business with AEW and not WWE.”
Rush did say in his retirement announcement that he would be finishing up his New Japan commitments when he returns from his shoulder injury.
Nikki Bella and Brie Bella are firm on their stand about wanting to make a WWE return and at least one of them has already started the preparation for it.
The Bella Twins recently had an interview with Entertainment Tonight where the sisters reiterated their comments about wanting to have a reign with the women’s tag team championships.
During the talk, Nikki said that she wants to change her ring style a bit to make a statement upon her comeback. She also revealed that she has already started the preparation for her return:
“For me, I’m definitely starting that preparation, I want to train hard for it. When we come back, I want to change my style in the ring a little bit. I want to make a statement.”
Brie did not provide a similar update to her sister. Though the Total Bellas star still claimed that the Bellas are definitely going to make a comeback:
“The Bellas are definitely going to make a comeback. We don’t know exactly when, but we said that we have one more run in us.”
Apart from this, the Bella Twins talked about giving birth, potential future careers for their children and more. You can check out their interview below:
The Undertaker recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. The dead man focused the talk on a specific topic and offered high praise to one of his biggest rivals – Roman Reigns.
The universal champion is currently in the middle of one of the most impressive runs of his career. His character work since his heel turn last year has won him major praise from not only fans but from many industry veterans as well.
The Undertaker also joined this list during his latest interview. The last outlaw revealed that he was so impressed by Reigns’ performance that he actually went up to the big dog during his last WWE appearance:
“I’m so proud of where he is, the night of Survivor Series [in November], I went up to Roman and Jey and said, ‘This is the most compelling story that we’ve done in a while.’ And where he’s been able to take it, it’s so good. It’s not forced. Roman is hitting on all cylinders.”
The former world champion approved his pairing with Paul Heyman as well. He said that the advocate of Brock Lesnar is the perfect mouthpiece and this pairing works very well together.
The Undertaker Wishes For A Feud With Roman Reigns
Taker mentioned how there is a compelling backstory behind Roman Reigns’ heel turn. He said that Reigns is a great villain before expressing the desire to have a program with the Tribal Chief if he could:
“I think he’s a great heel—coldhearted, calculated, There is a compelling backstory and you still feel the tension when Roman appears. Like I said, I’m really proud of him. I wish I had the gas in the tank to work a program with him now. It would definitely be something special.”
After being on the top of the business for over 30 years, The Undertaker retired from wrestling last year. He had his final farewell at the Survivor Series PPV last November which was his final WWE appearance.
The dead man then did not make an appearance at WrestleMania 37. He seems to have eased into the post-WWE life but you can never say never in wrestling.
Would you like to see The Undertaker returning to the company for one final program against a heel Roman Reigns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
All Elite Wrestling star Tay Conti has signed with Clubhouse Media Group, an influencer-based marketing and media firm.
The collaboration will see AEW’s #2 ranked female competitor move in to Clubhouse BH, a 12,000-foot Beverly Hills mansion.
She will be living with some of the top social media influencers in the world, including pro racecar driver Lindsay Brewer, YouTube stars The Dobre Brothers, blogger Michelle Kennelly, dancer Gabriella Saraivah, and many more who have a collective reach now exceeding 250 million followers.
“Joining Clubhouse Media as a resident of its popular content house, @TheClubhouseBH, is a huge step in my social media career,” said Conti. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with some of the best content creators in the industry as well as the professionalism the Company brings to the process and the fun antics being a resident of the house will create.”
Clubhouse Media brings together some of the most influential voices in the world. The social media reach of their talent roster now exceeds 250 million followers.
Chris Young, co-founder of Clubhouse Media, says Tay Conti is a perfect fit for the influencer house. “Tay’s background affords Clubhouse Media the opportunity to communicate with a new diverse audience of followers as we help her enhance her content, grow her audience and introduce her to brand partners.”
